Wednesday, 9 April 2025

CORDX FOUNDER DONATES US$21 MLN TO UC SAN DIEGO, RENAMES DEPARTMENT

Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering Building


KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 (Bernama) -- CorDx, a biotechnology company that is transforming the global diagnostics industry, has long been led by Aiiso Yufeng Li (Jeff), who has made a significant impact in both the business and philanthropic sectors.

Recently, the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering celebrated the renaming of its chemical and nano engineering department to the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering.

This milestone was made possible by the generous contributions of Li, his wife Doreen Guo, and the broader CorDx family, according to a statement.

The department's new name honours the philanthropic efforts of Li, who in 2024 donated US$21 million to UC San Diego. These gifts continue to fuel innovation and mentorship at the intersection of chemical and nano engineering. (US$1=RM4.48)

His generosity has been a driving force in supporting research and education, with additional contributions funding initiatives such as the Sustainable Power and Energy Center (SPEC) and the Institute for the Global Entrepreneur (IGE).

In his remarks, Li emphasised that real progress comes from investing in the next generation of innovators. He believes that shaping the future of technology begins with empowering talented students and researchers.

His commitment to advancing technology aligns with his work at CorDx, where he leads the development of affordable, high-quality diagnostic products for healthcare providers and patients worldwide.

Since its founding in 2006, CorDx has become a leader in manufacturing point-of-care and over-the-counter diagnostic tests across various categories, including infectious disease and reproductive health.

The company’s vertically integrated supply chain enables it to deliver reliable, affordable products, benefitting both distributors and patients. CorDx's team is driven by a shared commitment to innovation and care for the people who rely on their products.

-- BERNAMA

AVI CALLS ON ROHTO TO PRIORITISE CORE BUSINESS, IMPROVE SHAREHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 (Bernama) -- Asset Value Investors Limited (AVI) has launched a campaign calling for Rohto Pharmaceutical (Rohto) to refocus its successful core businesses, such as skincare and eye care, and abandon its ongoing investments in the unprofitable regenerative medicine sector.

According to a statement, AVI also calls for Rohto to engage more constructively with shareholders in line with the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s (TSE) request for management to be conscious of capital costs and stock prices.

AVI Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, Joe Bauernfreund stated that Rohto remains undervalued compared to its peers and that AVI’s attempts to engage with management on focusing resources on profitable areas like skincare and eye care have not been successful, prompting the company to take its campaign public.

Meanwhile, AVI Japan Head of Research, Kazunari Sakai emphasised that Rohto’s core businesses hold significant value but that its ongoing investment in regenerative medicine is hindering the company's potential.

Sakai added that AVI believes that by shifting focus and aligning management with shareholder interests, Rohto can unlock its full valuation potential and address the TSE's call for cost-conscious management.

AVI, which began investing in Rohto in June 2024, has made multiple attempts to engage with the company, including sending letters and presentations to discuss ways to improve long-term corporate value.

However, AVI expresses concern over Rohto’s continued investments in the regenerative medicine sector, which lacks a clear path to success, as well as the company’s high-priced mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals and issuance of potentially dilutive convertible bonds despite a low stock price.

Despite repeated efforts to engage with Rohto’s board, AVI has only met with one board member, citing scheduling issues. AVI argues that this lack of engagement is contrary to the TSE's request for companies to be more responsive to shareholder concerns.

-- BERNAMA

Ripple Agrees to Acquire Prime Broker Hidden Road for $1.25B in One of the Largest Deals in the Digital Assets Space

· Ripple will inject billions of dollars of capital to provide immediate scale and satisfy the demand for Hidden Road’s prime brokerage, clearing and financing platform· RLUSD becomes the first stablecoin to enable efficient cross-margining between digital assets and traditional markets, reinforcing its position as a premium enterprise-grade USD-backed stablecoin
· Hidden Road to migrate post-trade activity across XRP Ledger (XRPL) demonstrating its potential as the go-to blockchain for institutional decentralized finance (DeFi)


SAN FRANCISCO & NEW YORK, April 9 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Ripple, the leading provider of digital asset infrastructure for financial institutions, today announced it is acquiring Hidden Road for $1.25 billion, representing one of the largest deals in the digital assets space. With the acquisition, Ripple becomes the first crypto company to own and operate a global, multi-asset prime broker. Hidden Road is one of the fastest-growing prime brokers around the world, offering institutions a one-stop-shop of advanced services including clearing, prime brokerage, and financing across foreign exchange (FX), digital assets, derivatives, swaps, and fixed income.

For the crypto industry to achieve the next phase of growth, it’s critical that core infrastructure is in place for institutional adoption; prime brokers bring the necessary credibility and professional trading services expected in legacy finance to digital assets. Together, Ripple and Hidden Road are bringing the promise of digital assets to institutional customers at scale, bridging traditional finance and decentralized finance.

Hidden Road has a strong business, clearing $3T annually across markets with more than 300 top institutional customers. With the backing of Ripple’s significant balance sheet, Hidden Road will exponentially expand its capacity to service its pipeline and become one of the largest non-bank prime brokers globally.

“We are at an inflection point for the next phase of digital asset adoption – the US market is effectively open for the first time due to the regulatory overhang of the former SEC coming to an end, and the market is maturing to address the needs of traditional finance,” said Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple. “With these tailwinds, we are continuing to pursue opportunities to massively transform the space, leveraging our position and the strengths of XRP to accelerate our business and enhance our current solutions and technology.”

This acquisition also reinforces Ripple USD's (RLUSD) position as an enterprise-grade USD-backed stablecoin with real utility as Hidden Road leverages it as collateral across its prime brokerage products. This will make RLUSD the first stablecoin to enable efficient cross-margining between the digital asset space and traditional markets.

Hidden Road will, in turn, migrate its post-trade activity across XRPL to streamline operations and lower costs, demonstrating XRPL’s potential as the go-to blockchain for institutional decentralized finance (DeFi). Ripple also sees the potential to optimize costs and liquidity in its cross-border payments solution, Ripple Payments, and provide critical custody services to Hidden Road’s customers who need bank-grade digital asset custody.

“With new resources, licenses, and added risk capital, this deal will unlock significant growth in Hidden Road’s business, allowing us to increase capacity to our customer base, expand into new products, and service more markets and asset classes,” said Marc Asch, Founder and CEO of Hidden Road. ”Together with Ripple, we’re bringing the same level of trust and reliability that institutional clients are accustomed to in traditional markets — designed and optimized for a digital world.”

Thanks to its simple, secure, compliant digital asset infrastructure, Ripple is well-positioned to provide the core services that financial institutions need to tokenize, store, exchange and move digital assets. Ripple has over a decade of experience in the digital asset space and holds 60+ regulatory licenses and registrations in various jurisdictions.

Ripple participated in Hidden Road’s Series B and is a customer of its platform, experiencing firsthand the strength of the team, technology, risk management, and operational controls. The deal is expected to close in the coming months, subject to regulatory approvals.

About Ripple

Ripple is the leading provider of digital asset infrastructure for financial institutions—delivering simple, compliant, reliable software that unlocks efficiencies, reduces friction, and enhances innovation in global finance. Ripple’s solutions leverage the XRP Ledger and its native digital asset, XRP, which was purpose-built to enable fast, low-cost, highly scalable transactions across developer and financial use cases. With a proven track record working with regulators and policymakers around the world, Ripple’s payments, custody and stablecoin solutions are pioneering the digital asset economy—building credibility and trust in enterprise blockchain. Together with customers, partners and the developer community, we are transforming the way the world tokenizes, stores, exchanges, and moves value.

Hidden Road


Hidden Road is the global credit network for institutions, enabling seamless access to traditional and digital markets. Conflict-free and built on a modern technology stack, we remove complexity and cost in prime brokerage, clearing and financing.

View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250408091712/en/

Contact

Megan Katz, Ripple
press@ripple.com

Carissa Felger, Hidden Road
Sam Fisher, Hidden Road
hiddenroad@gasthalter.com

Source : Ripple

DISCLAIMER: BERNAMA MREM are not accountable for any causes of website defacement, misuse, or illegal activities connected to cryptocurrency, blockchain, tokenisation, or bitcoin. This material should not be considered as guidance or an opinion, as it does not constitute financial or investment advice. Use this information at your own risk; we are not liable for any losses or damages caused by the republication of this article.

--BERNAMA

Tuesday, 8 April 2025

Bitget Launches Bitget Onchain to Give CEX Users Early Access to Promising On-chain Assets

VICTORIA, Seychelles, April 8 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bitget, the leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company, unveils Bitget Onchain — a groundbreaking innovation that bridges the best of CEX and DEX. By combining the speed, security, and simplicity of centralized platforms with direct access to emerging on-chain assets, Bitget Onchain redefines how users discover and trade the next wave of crypto opportunities.

Bitget Onchain provides on-chain asset transactions directly on the Bitget App, for users utilizing a spot account with USDT or USDC. This integration will offer exchange-level trading experience without inherent complexity, simplifying the process of on-chain transactions for even new traders. The product will initially support Solana, BNB Smart Chain (BSC), and Base, featuring an initial batch of tokens including RFC, KTA, and 30 more.

With security as the focus, Bitget Onchain incorporates centralized exchange-level protection to ensure a secure trading environment, even on-the-chain. Offering a broad selection of on-chain assets with real-time availability, Bitget Onchain provides access to early-stage tokens and emerging market opportunities. Continuous updates ensure users can navigate evolving trends efficiently, catering to both new and experienced traders.

Leveraging AI, Bitget Onchain will introduce AI-driven smart screening to enhance investment precision by leveraging advanced algorithms to conduct real-time filtering of on-chain assets. This capability minimizes exposure to uninformed investments, enabling users to make strategic and data-driven decisions.

"On-chain trading has long been riddled by complex set-ups, requiring users to navigate unfriendly interfaces and expose themselves to risks. Bitget Onchain was created to lower the barrier to entry, by providing a seamless and secure trading experience," said Gracy Chen, CEO at Bitget. "Bitget Onchain will bridge the gap between centralized and decentralized trading, making web3 more accessible to all," she added.

Bitget has consistently integrated AI into its ecosystem, enhancing trading precision, security, and user experience. Key AI-driven features include smart trading bots for automated strategies, AI-powered risk management tools, predictive analytics for market trends, and AI-enhanced copy trading to optimize investment decisions. With the launch of Bitget Onchain, AI-driven smart screening further refines asset selection, minimizing risk and improving trading efficiency.

Bitget Onchain represents Bitget's pursuit of innovative and smart solutions within the crypto exchange industry, integrating user experience with advanced security and market insights. By combining accessibility with highly advanced tools, Bitget Onchain aims to be the go-to platform for on-chain asset trading, bringing users even closer to Web3.

To utilize Bitget On-chain's features, please visit here.

About Bitget

Established in 2018, Bitget is the world's leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company. Serving over 100 million users in 150+ countries and regions, the Bitget exchange is committed to helping users trade smarter with its pioneering copy trading feature and other trading solutions, while offering real-time access to Bitcoin price, Ethereum price, and other cryptocurrency prices. Formerly known as BitKeep, Bitget Wallet is a world-class multi-chain crypto wallet that offers an array of comprehensive Web3 solutions and features including wallet functionality, token swap, NFT Marketplace, DApp browser, and more.

Bitget is at the forefront of driving crypto adoption through strategic partnerships, such as its role as the Official Crypto Partner of the World's Top Football League, LALIGA, in EASTERN, SEA and LATAM markets, as well as a global partner of Turkish National athletes Buse Tosun Çavuşoğlu (Wrestling world champion), Samet Gümüş (Boxing gold medalist) and İlkin Aydın (Volleyball national team), to inspire the global community to embrace the future of cryptocurrency.

For more information, visit: Website | Twitter | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord | Bitget Wallet

For media inquiries, please contact: media@bitget.com

Risk Warning: Digital asset prices are subject to fluctuation and may experience significant volatility. Investors are advised to only allocate funds they can afford to lose. The value of any investment may be impacted, and there is a possibility that financial objectives may not be met, nor the principal investment recovered. Independent financial advice should always be sought, and personal financial experience and standing carefully considered. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Bitget accepts no liability for any potential losses incurred. Nothing contained herein should be construed as financial advice. For further information, please refer to our Terms of Use.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b50d68bb-4077-4801-ac63-5f0df78ad8a4

SOURCE: Bitget Limited

DISCLAIMER: BERNAMA MREM are not accountable for any causes of website defacement, misuse, or illegal activities connected to cryptocurrency, blockchain, tokenisation, or bitcoin. This material should not be considered as guidance or an opinion, as it does not constitute financial or investment advice. Use this information at your own risk; we are not liable for any losses or damages caused by the republication of this article.

--BERNAMA

Bitget Chief of Legal's Open Letter Highlights Expansion and Regulatory Compliance Plans

VICTORIA, Seychelles, April 8 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bitget, the leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company, has published an open letter by its Chief Legal Officer, Hon Ng, which highlights the exchange's efforts in global regulatory compliance and expansion. The CEX continues to grow in the global crypto market by securing regulatory approvals and expanding its operations. With a strong focus on compliance, Bitget is navigating evolving regulatory landscapes with over eight licenses obtained while ensuring that users have access to a secure and transparent trading environment.
Hon Ng, Chief Legal Officer at Bitget, has addressed the company’s strategic direction in an open letter, providing plans to grow Bitget’s regulatory standing across multiple jurisdictions. His statements show the importance of regulatory dialogues and highlight upcoming initiatives that will shape the platform’s future.

“The regulatory environment surrounding digital assets is becoming more defined, and Bitget is taking proactive steps to work alongside authorities to ensure responsible growth. Compliance is not an obligation it's a necessity; it's about setting a standard for the industry and building a sustainable ecosystem for users,” said Hon Ng, Chief Legal Officer at Bitget.

Bitget has already secured registrations and approvals in several key markets, including Australia, Italy, Poland, Lithuania, the UK, the Czech Republic, and El Salvador. These achievements align with the company’s strategy of working within legal frameworks and supporting initiatives that promote advanced security and user protection. The legal and compliance teams are working closely to obtain additional licenses in jurisdictions that will further enhance the platform’s accessibility and credibility.

One of the primary objectives for the upcoming year is to refine the company’s compliance protocols. A strong Know Your Customer (KYC) process is being implemented to optimize user verification while adhering to anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulations. In parallel, Bitget is investing in advanced transaction monitoring tools to detect and prevent illicit activity, ensuring that all operations adhere to the highest standards of financial integrity.

Collaboration with regulators and law enforcement agencies remains a key aspect of Bitget’s compliance efforts. The company has established direct communication channels with authorities to facilitate transparent reporting and improve response times in cases of suspicious activity. By adopting new technological solutions, Bitget aims to enhance global cooperation while safeguarding user privacy.

In addition to regulatory advancements, Bitget is focused on introducing innovative products that align with compliance requirements. Bitget is already building even stronger user protection, risk management features, and enhanced security measures that strengthen the platform's durability and credibility. This is in line with the company's targets of maintaining a secure, compliant, and user-centric trading platform.

As part of its commitment to responsible operations, Bitget strictly adheres to international sanctions controls. Users from restricted regions are prohibited from accessing the platform, ensuring that all activities remain within legal boundaries. A dedicated compliance team continuously monitors global regulatory developments to adjust policies as needed.

Bitget’s legal and compliance strategy is designed to adapt to the rapidly changing digital asset landscape. With regulatory discussions evolving worldwide, the company is prepared to adjust its framework to align with new policies and emerging industry standards. The legal team remains engaged in conversations with policymakers to contribute to the responsible development of crypto regulations.

“Compliance is a continuous process that requires foresight and collaboration. Our goal here is simple: we comply, expand, operate, and grow. Our focus remains on making crypto accessible to everyone globally, and each license and approval is a step closer to it,” added Ng.

Bitget’s ongoing expansion and compliance efforts reaffirm its role as a leading player in the crypto market. By staying ahead of regulatory changes and implementing rigorous security measures, the company indeed plans to keep its title of being one of the top most trusted crypto exchanges globally.

About Bitget

Established in 2018, Bitget is the world's leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company. Serving over 100 million users in 150+ countries and regions, the Bitget exchange is committed to helping users trade smarter with its pioneering copy trading feature and other trading solutions, while offering real-time access to Bitcoin price, Ethereum price, and other cryptocurrency prices. Formerly known as BitKeep, Bitget Wallet is a world-class multi-chain crypto wallet that offers an array of comprehensive Web3 solutions and features including wallet functionality, token swap, NFT Marketplace, DApp browser, and more.

Bitget is at the forefront of driving crypto adoption through strategic partnerships, such as its role as the Official Crypto Partner of the World's Top Football League, LALIGA, in EASTERN, SEA and LATAM markets, as well as a global partner of Turkish National athletes Buse Tosun Çavuşoğlu (Wrestling world champion), Samet Gümüş (Boxing gold medalist) and İlkin Aydın (Volleyball national team), to inspire the global community to embrace the future of cryptocurrency.

For more information, visit: Website | Twitter | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord | Bitget Wallet

For media inquiries, please contact: media@bitget.com

Risk Warning: Digital asset prices are subject to fluctuation and may experience significant volatility. Investors are advised to only allocate funds they can afford to lose. The value of any investment may be impacted, and there is a possibility that financial objectives may not be met, nor the principal investment recovered. Independent financial advice should always be sought, and personal financial experience and standing carefully considered. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Bitget accepts no liability for any potential losses incurred. Nothing contained herein should be construed as financial advice. For further information, please refer to our Terms of Use.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3ce89060-7391-4f7b-8779-f290efb24dc4

SOURCE: Bitget Limited

DISCLAIMER: BERNAMA MREM are not accountable for any causes of website defacement, misuse, or illegal activities connected to cryptocurrency, blockchain, tokenisation, or bitcoin. This material should not be considered as guidance or an opinion, as it does not constitute financial or investment advice. Use this information at your own risk; we are not liable for any losses or damages caused by the republication of this article.

--BERNAMA

Thursday, 27 March 2025

ALBACORE LAUNCHES US$1.8 BLN SENIOR DIRECT LENDING STRATEGY WITH ADIA, TRUST BANK BACKING

KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 (Bernama) -- European credit specialist AlbaCore Capital Group (AlbaCore) has launched its new Senior Direct Lending Strategy (the Strategy), having secured anchor investments from a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation (the Trust Bank).

In a statement, AlbaCore said the firm has successfully completed its first close, bringing in an expected US$1.8 billion in investable capital. (US$1=RM4.42)

The Strategy positions AlbaCore to capitalise on the growing market opportunity in loan financing, further expanding its global presence and delivering enhanced value to clients.

AlbaCore Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer, David Allen highlighted that the backing from ADIA and Trust Bank reflects the appeal of the Strategy and AlbaCore's ability to take advantage of the opportunity.

Meanwhile, ADIA Executive Director of the Private Equities Department, Hamad Shahwan AlDhaheri, emphasised the importance of the anchor commitment in deepening its relationship with AlbaCore, noting the Strategy’s potential to meet the growing demand for private credit solutions in Europe.

On the other hand, the Trust Bank Chief Executive, Asset Management & Investor Services Business Unit, Takafumi Ihara expressed excitement about supporting the Strategy, aligning with the bank’s global asset management business in expanding private product competitiveness in the direct lending market.

The Strategy will leverage AlbaCore’s deep knowledge of European corporate capital structures to build a diversified portfolio of senior direct lending investments, focusing on downside protection and delivering attractive risk-adjusted returns.

It will also draw upon AlbaCore’s thorough bottom-up fundamental credit analysis to primarily finance senior private loans in upper-mid to large-cap performing European corporates.

-- BERNAMA

Wednesday, 26 March 2025

MDS GLOBAL PLATFORM TO POWER PXC’S DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 (Bernama) -- MDS Global, a provider of Business Support Systems (BSS) for digital telcos, has announced a new strategic partnership with PlatformX Communications (PXC), the United Kingdom (UK)’s wholesale provider of connectivity, voice, cloud and security solutions.

In a statement, MDS Global said with this landmark agreement, it will continue to deliver its industry-leading Converged Monetisation Platform (CMP) as a fully outsourced end-to-end monetisation service to power PXC’s ambitious digital transformation and innovation goals.

Under this partnership, MDS Global’s CMP will serve as the single strategic wholesale billing platform for PXC, supporting their plans to build a powerful altnet aggregation platform while simplifying PXC’s information technology (IT) infrastructure and merging multiple BSS environments.

MDS Global Chief Executive Officer, John Burton said this partnership highlights its commitment to work closely with customers to deliver reliable solutions that power growth and digital transformation.

“We are delighted to extend our long-standing relationship with PXC. MDS Converged Monetisation Platform will not only simplify PXC’s IT architecture, but also drive innovation and efficiency, further underpinning PXC’s leading position in the UK wholesale telecoms market,” he said.

Meanwhile, PXC Chief Technology Officer, Phil Haslam said the MDS Converged Monetisation Platform enables PXC to simplify its technology stack and drive innovation, which has been critical in its journey to become the UK's leading wholesale connectivity provider.

The platform optimises PXC’s operations and brings process automation to reduce operational costs, power innovation and deliver digital customer experiences.

This partnership is a testament to MDS Global’s track record of delivering value and ensuring effective, trouble-free operations. PXC’s decision to extend this relationship, following a long partnership history, demonstrates their trust in MDS Global’s commitment to align with their strategy and help PXC achieve their ambitious goals.

-- BERNAMA