Kingdom Energy Storage Platform Backed by Stonepeak Executes First Project Financing Facility

 

SINGAPORE, April 7 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kingdom, a battery energy storage system ("BESS") platform established by Stonepeak, a leading alternative investment firm specializing in infrastructure and real assets, today announced that it has executed its first long-term project finance loan facility for its Mimasaka project, a 29MW battery energy storage project in Mimasaka, Okayama Prefecture, Chugoku, Japan. MUFG Bank, Ltd. is the original lender and mandated lead arranger. The project incorporates batteries from CATL, the world's largest battery manufacturer.

Kingdom owns and manages nine BESS projects in Japan that have each secured a 20-year revenue capacity market contract, which were won in the first two rounds of Japan’s Long-term Decarbonization Auction. The nine projects total 479MW of gross capacity. The Mimasaka project is the first of these projects to execute project financing. 

"Kingdom is firmly committed to supporting Japan in meeting its energy transition goals," said Jay Guo, Chief Executive Officer at Kingdom. "We are extremely excited to embark on this cooperation with CATL and MUFG, whilst continuing to swiftly progress the development of the remainder of our BESS portfolio."

“We are delighted to have reached this landmark transaction, which anchors Kingdom’s position as a key player in Japan's energy storage market,” added Ryan Chua, Senior Managing Director at Stonepeak. “We look forward to bringing more of our projects to financial close and into construction in support of Japan’s energy transition targets.”

About Kingdom
Kingdom is a BESS project development company, headquartered in Singapore with offices in Tokyo and Chengdu. Kingdom works across the full project life cycle to build, hold, and operate BESS assets in Japan and other markets, with the aim of advancing energy transition, and facilitating modern power grid system resiliency​. 

About Stonepeak
Stonepeak is a leading alternative investment firm specializing in infrastructure and real assets with approximately $84 billion of assets under management. Through its investment in defensive, hard-asset businesses globally, Stonepeak aims to create value for its investors and portfolio companies, with a focus on downside protection and strong risk-adjusted returns. Stonepeak, as sponsor of private equity and credit investment vehicles, provides capital, operational support, and committed partnership to grow investments in its target sectors, which include transport and logistics, digital infrastructure, energy and energy transition, and real estate. Stonepeak is headquartered in New York with offices in Houston, Washington, D.C., London, Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Abu Dhabi, and Riyadh. For more information, please visit www.stonepeak.com.

Contacts

Kingdom

Jay Guo / Tian Kai (TK) Ling
corporatecomms@kingdom-bess.com

Stonepeak
Kate Beers / Maya Brounstein
corporatecomms@stonepeak.com
+1 (212) 907-5100 

SOURCE: Kingdom BESS Development Pte Limited

Bitget Launches VIP Fast Track Program Across Futures, Spot and Asset Holdings

 

VICTORIA, Seychelles, April 6 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bitget, the world's largest Universal Exchange (UEX), today launched the VIP Fast Track Program, a new campaign designed to help users reach higher VIP levels through personalized trading routes across futures, spot, and asset holdings. The launch marks the first phase of Bitget’s broader UEX VIP season, a platform-wide initiative built around the principle of maximum perks and minimum fees for high-value users.

Unlike traditional exchange VIP systems that rely primarily on fixed asset thresholds, VIP Fast Track introduces progression paths based on trading activity and account growth. Futures users can unlock up to 300 USDT in cash vouchers, spot users can receive up to 120 USDT in fee rebate vouchers, and asset-focused users can access up to 7% USDT yield booster vouchers while advancing toward official VIP status.

Bitget has also launched a new VIP Detail Page inside the app, allowing users to track progress toward the next tier through a mobile-first dashboard. The page calculates qualification requirements in real time and displays available benefits across tiers, including fee reductions, airdrops, and global lifestyle rewards.

“VIP systems have traditionally focused on static thresholds, but user growth on a platform is more dynamic than that,” said Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget. “The Fast Track program is designed to make progression more practical by linking trading activity directly to immediate rewards and clearer upgrade paths.”

Each progression milestone under the campaign includes what Bitget defines as a settlement-based reward structure, where users receive immediate bonuses upon reaching designated qualification targets. These rewards are designed to partially offset trading costs during the upgrade process and reduce friction for users moving from temporary VIP access toward official V1, V2, and V3 status.

The launch also precedes the next phase of UEX VIP Season, which will introduce a dedicated airdrop campaign between April and May with a total prize pool of 1 million UEX alpha assets, including tokenized stock distributions and an additional project to be announced later. Individual campaign rounds are expected to include prize pools of up to 500,000.

Bitget’s VIP ecosystem continues to expand as the platform increases its focus on retaining high-frequency and high-value users through a combination of trading incentives, fee efficiency, and access to exclusive experiences linked to future seasonal campaigns.

About Bitget

Bitget is the world's largest Universal Exchange (UEX), serving over 125 million users and offering access to over 2M crypto tokens, 100+ tokenized stocks, ETFs, commodities, FX, and precious metals such as gold. The ecosystem is committed to helping users trade smarter with its AI agent, which co-pilots trade execution. Bitget is driving crypto adoption through strategic partnerships with LALIGA and MotoGP™. Aligned with its global impact strategy, Bitget has joined hands with UNICEF to support blockchain education for 1.1 million people by 2027. Bitget currently leads in the tokenized TradFi market, providing the industry's lowest fees and highest liquidity across 150 regions worldwide.

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

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/a20c1dae-76b2-4363-aad6-3f56f64eea52 

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.

Bitget Brings Crypto Into Everyday Spending With APAC Launch of Bitget Card

VICTORIA, Seychelles, April 6 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bitget, the world’s largest Universal Exchange (UEX), in partnership with Visa and DCS, launched the Bitget Card across selected markets in Asia Pacific (APAC), extending crypto out of exchanges into everyday spending and marking another step toward a more unified financial experience where digital assets work quietly in the background of daily life.

The initial rollout makes a virtual Bitget Card available to APAC users, with a physical card set to follow in the coming months. Issued in collaboration with DCS and powered by Visa’s global payments network, Bitget Card enables users to convert crypto into fiat for everyday spending across merchants across APAC. Payments are processed instantly and feel no different from a standard card transaction, removing the friction typically associated with off-ramping or manual conversion. Crypto operates quietly in the background while users transact through familiar payment rails, supporting seamless everyday adoption

“Partnerships across the ecosystem are key to bringing digital assets into everyday payments,” said Joan Han, COO of DCS and DeCard. “By combining Bitget’s ecosystem with DCS’s issuing infrastructure and Visa’s global acceptance network, the Bitget Card enables users to move from crypto holdings to everyday spending through a familiar card experience.”

To accompany the launch, Bitget Card offers one of the most competitive reward structures in the region, with up to 20% cashback on eligible spending, capped at $800. Low foreign exchange fees further position the card for globally mobile users who expect spending tools to work across borders without friction.

“For crypto to become truly mainstream, it can’t ask people to constantly think about it,” said Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget. “It should operate quietly in the background while people go about living their lives. Bitget Card reflects the shift where crypto becomes infrastructure, not an interruption.”

The launch aligns with Bitget’s Universal Exchange vision, which brings crypto, derivatives, and tokenised traditional assets into a single ecosystem. By extending that framework into payments through partnerships with Visa and DCS, Bitget is narrowing the gap between digital assets and real-world commerce, allowing users to move between markets and everyday spending without switching contexts.

Additional features include enhanced benefits for VIP members, including higher rebates and complimentary physical card issuance once available.

“As digital assets become more widely held, consumers increasingly expect simple and reliable ways to use that value in everyday life,” said Adeline Kim, Country Manager for Singapore & Brunei at Visa. “The Bitget Card reflects how payments are evolving — enabling a seamless move from digital assets to everyday spending through a familiar Visa card experience, at scale and across borders.”

Looking ahead, Bitget plans to expand the Bitget Card with premium physical designs, fee-free ATM withdrawals of up to $100 per month, and access to a global network of airport lounges, reinforcing its positioning as a long-term lifestyle payment tool.

As financial systems continue to converge, the line between crypto and traditional finance is becoming less visible to consumers. With Bitget Card, digital assets integrate seamlessly into everyday payments, allowing users to spend, travel, and move globally through familiar card experiences.

To apply for a Bitget card, please visit here.

Disclaimer: This is for information only, not investment advice or solicitation to trade or use any service. Our services may not be available in certain jurisdictions or for users in certain regions.

About Bitget

Bitget is the world's largest Universal Exchange (UEX), serving over 125 million users and offering access to over 2M crypto tokens, 100+ tokenized stocks, ETFs, commodities, FX, and precious metals such as gold. The ecosystem is committed to helping users trade smarter with its AI agent, which co-pilots trade execution. Bitget is driving crypto adoption through strategic partnerships with LALIGA and MotoGP™. Aligned with its global impact strategy, Bitget has joined hands with UNICEF to support blockchain education for 1.1 million people by 2027. Bitget currently leads in the tokenized TradFi market, providing the industry's lowest fees and highest liquidity across 150 regions worldwide.

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

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/0418876f-89ee-4aa8-af05-e55f92e05b50

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

VISUAL BANK EXPANDS AI TRAINING DATA SOLUTION FOR JAPANESE SPEECH MODELS

KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 (Bernama) -- Visual Bank Inc, via its subsidiary amanaimages Inc, has announced the expansion of its Qlean Dataset, a premium artificial intelligence (AI) training data solution for developers building high-performance Japanese speech foundation models.

The expansion strengthens its position in providing rights-cleared datasets for research and development and large-scale AI applications.

“As demand for culturally contextualised foundation models grows, high-quality, legally compliant Japanese training data is becoming increasingly critical.

“Visual Bank is committed to bridging the gap between raw content and production-ready AI systems through rigorous data preparation and engineering,” said its chief executive officer, Saneyuki Nagai, in a statement.

The datasets are fully rights-cleared for commercial use and aligned with global compliance standards such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

They include high-fidelity audio assets recorded at 48 kilohertz (kHz)/16-bit or higher, enabling capture of both studio-quality speech and diverse acoustic environments.

In addition, the datasets support detection of harmful language, including hate speech and abusive prompts, and include evaluation datasets aligned with international benchmarks such as MMSU to assess reasoning and linguistic nuance in Japanese.

The solution also incorporates Japan-specific audio, including traditional and urban sound environments, to support multimodal and spatial AI applications.

The datasets are available through AI Data Recipe, which offers both ready-to-use datasets and customised data production, including speaker casting, recording and annotation tailored to specific development needs.

-- BERNAMA

OMNI BRIDGEWAY NAMES PETER GALGAY TO DRIVE CAPITAL STRATEGY

KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 (Bernama) -- Omni Bridgeway, a global leader in litigation financing and risk management, has appointed Peter Galgay as Head of Commercial Strategy and Capital Solutions based in New York.

According to Omni Bridgeway in a statement, Galgay's primary focus will be on expanding the company’s capabilities in origination, underwriting, and management of large-scale structured finance and alternative investment solutions for legal assets.

Additionally, he is set to be a key player in supporting Omni Bridgeway’s global investor relations and capital formation initiatives.

“Peter brings a unique blend of investment leadership, capital markets expertise, and first‑hand experience in all aspects of legal finance.

“He knows Omni Bridgeway well, and his strategic insight, commercial drive and global perspective will be instrumental as we continue to expand our capital solutions offering for legal assets,” said its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Raymond van Hulst.

Meanwhile, Galgay expressed his enthusiasm for the role, stating he is honoured to join Omni Bridgeway and is looking forward to collaborating with teams worldwide to advance the company's capital solution capabilities and support clients through scalable investment partnerships.

Prior to joining Omni Bridgeway, Galgay served for over a decade as Chief Investment Officer for a Singapore-based family office. Earlier in his professional life, Galgay worked as a Senior Analyst in Ernst & Young’s Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services practice and also held a position as an Equity Portfolio Manager at Deutsche Asset Management.

Galgay is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder and holds a Master of Arts in International Business and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Florida, alongside a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD.

-- BERNAMA

GIESECKE+DEVRIENT REPORTS RECORD 2025 GROWTH, EXPANDS SECURITYTECH

KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 (Bernama) -- Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) reaffirmed its position as a global leader in SecurityTech for mission-critical infrastructure in fiscal year 2025, achieving revenue of 3.2 billion euros despite exchange rate effects. (1 Euro = RM4.65)

The company achieved a record order intake of 3.6 billion euros, while adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) reached 211 million euros. The substantial free cash flow of 119 million euros provides additional leeway for future investments.

“SecurityTech forms the indispensable foundation of modern societies. Record-breaking order intake and profitability and pioneering customer projects in critical security areas highlight the company’s current performance and future relevance.

“G+D is investing decisively, transforming with a clear vision and bringing innovations into real-world applications quickly, reliably, and securely,” said G+D Group chief executive officer, Ralf Wintergerst.

In a statement, G+D said its diverse portfolio across digital security, financial platforms, and currency technology continues to deliver resilience against market volatility.

The company is investing in next-generation security technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI)-powered security architectures, cybersecurity solutions, and secure identity technologies. A new AI hub in Canada is accelerating the transfer of innovative AI solutions into market-ready products.

Strategic acquisitions, such as Xtec Inc, a United States specialist in digital identity and access management, are expanding G+D’s capabilities in high-growth sectors and supporting its long-term transformation strategy.

G+D is also demonstrating technological leadership in major projects, including being the first-ranked contractor in the ECB framework for offline digital euro payments, actively contributing to the future of digital currencies in Europe.

-- BERNAMA

CLOUDERA TO SHOWCASE “AI ANYWHERE” CAPABILITIES AT AWS SUMMITS

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Bernama) -- Cloudera has announced its participation as a sponsor in the 2026 Amazon Web Services (AWS) Summit series across major global cities, showcasing its “AI Anywhere” capabilities for hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

In a statement, the company said it will demonstrate how organisations can operationalise artificial intelligence (AI) workloads across cloud and on-premises infrastructure without compromising governance, security, and data compliance requirements.

The events will be held in Paris, Sydney, Hamburg, Madrid, Washington, D.C., Jakarta, Zurich and Tokyo.

“Our collaboration with AWS is central to delivering on the promise of AI Anywhere. By combining Cloudera’s hybrid data platform with AWS’s cloud capabilities, organisations can run AI workloads wherever needed while maintaining governance, security and portability,” said Cloudera Senior Vice President of Global Alliances and Channels, Michelle Hoover.

The company’s presence at AWS Summits builds on its collaboration with AWS in supporting enterprises to modernise data architectures and accelerate AI adoption, particularly as hybrid cloud strategies become increasingly prevalent.

Across AWS Summit events, Cloudera will host interactive booth experiences featuring live demonstrations, expert consultations, and giveaways, offering attendees hands-on insights into real-world AI and data use cases.

Among the event highlights, Cloudera will hold live demonstrations and a session on AI-driven humanitarian aid at the Paris event on April 1, and host a lightning talk along with a networking reception at the Sydney event on May 13 to 14.

At Hamburg on May 20, the company will conduct a breakout session, demos, and giveaways, while at Madrid on June 4, it will explore cognitive bias in AI systems and how organisations can ensure reliable, production-ready AI deployment.

Cloudera will also maintain a presence at AWS Summits in Tokyo (June 25), Washington, D.C. (June 30), Jakarta (Aug 6), and Zurich (Sept 2).

-- BERNAMA