CSL Marks the Completion of the First Vessel in World-Leading Transhipment Fleet for Simandou Project

MONTREAL, July 29 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The CSL Group (“CSL”), a global leader in responsible marine transportation services, announces the delivery of MV Wontanara, the first of five state-of-the-art transhipment shuttle vessels (TSVs) commissioned to service the Simandou iron ore project in Guinea, one of the world's largest mining and infrastructure developments. 

Designed by CSL and built at CSSC Chengxi Shipyard, this groundbreaking fleet of TSVs combines a 41,800-tonne deadweight capacity with a dual-boom self-unloading system that can transfer up to 12,000 tonnes of iron ore per hour, making it the fastest and most efficient TSV fleet in the world. 

Purpose-built to move large volumes of iron ore efficiently between river terminals and offshore bulk carriers, the TSV design features a shallow-draft hull optimized for river navigation, five azimuth thrusters that deliver exceptional manoeuvrability and precision, and bi-directional navigation capability that enhances both safety and operational efficiency.

"The advanced design and cargo-handling capabilities of this fleet reflect CSL’s expertise in transforming complex logistics challenges into practical, high-performance maritime solutions," said Louis Martel, CSL President and CEO. "Working closely with our customer, we designed an integrated transhipment system that enables safe, efficient and continuous high-volume exports in shallow-water environments."

CSL led the development of this transhipment solution from concept design through to engineering, construction and delivery. Leveraging its strong track record in self-unloading vessel design and transhipment operations, CSL established the fleet's technical requirements, led the engineering and design phases, and provided oversight throughout construction.

MV Wontanara is the first of five TSVs that will enter service in support of the Simandou project, with the balance of the fleet scheduled for delivery over the coming months.

The CSL Group is a world class provider of complex marine solutions and the largest owner and operator of self-unloading ships in the world. Headquartered in Montreal with operations throughout the Americas, Australia, Europe and Africa, CSL delivers millions of tonnes of cargo annually for customers in the construction, steel, energy and agri-food sectors.

MEDIA CONTACT
Brigitte Hébert, Director, Communications
514-653-8854 │brigitte.hebert@cslships.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/db0a41e3-3773-4796-a0cd-2a7eff80cf78 

SOURCE: The CSL Group Inc.

--BERNAMA 

HORIZON QUANTUM TO ENHANCE QUANTUM SYSTEMS EFFICIENCY WITH QM

Horizon Quantum's CEO Dr. Joe Fitzsimons and Quantum Machines' CEO Dr. Itamar Sivan at Horizon Quantum's quantum hardware testbed

KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 (Bernama) -- Horizon Quantum Computing Pte Ltd (Horizon Quantum), a pioneer in software infrastructure for quantum applications, has entered into a strategic collaboration with Q.M Technologies Ltd (QM) to develop more robust and efficient quantum systems.

According to Horizon Quantum in a statement, the collaboration will leverage QM's quantum control platform and engineering expertise to develop embedded calibration technologies for its first in-house hardware testbed system, Ember-1, with the aim of delivering more reliable, continuously operating quantum systems.

Horizon Quantum Chief Executive Officer, Dr Joe Fitzsimons said this strategic collaboration provides an opportunity to contribute to the development of more stable and high-performing quantum systems.

“By bringing together Horizon Quantum’s expertise in quantum software and QM’s expertise in quantum control, I believe we can develop lightweight calibration routines that increase uptime and improve the reliability of our testbed system,” he said.

The company said it intends to develop an embedded calibration framework that enables lightweight calibration routines to be executed during normal system operation, reducing reliance on lengthy full-system calibration cycles.

By updating system parameters more frequently, the framework is designed to reduce downtime, improve operational stability and maintain high-performance operation over extended runtimes.

Horizon Quantum will also leverage QM's OPX1000 control system to support the development, with improved Ember-1 uptime expected to increase access time for Triple Alpha users.

The collaboration reflects both companies' commitment to advancing practical quantum computing by combining quantum software and control technologies to support scalable, high-performance quantum systems.

-- BERNAMA

VCI Global Launches VGAIN Cloud, A Post-Quantum-Ready Sovereign AI Cloud Platform in Malaysia

New AI Cloud Platform to Deploy NVIDIA Blackwell-class GPU and Intel-Powered CPU Systems, with Architecture Designed to Scale to Up to 1,000 GPUs Across Selangor and Kuala Lumpur

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 24 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VCI Global Limited (NASDAQ: VCIG) (“VCI Global” or the “Company”) today announced the launch of V Gallant AI Neo Cloud (“VGAIN Cloud”) through its wholly owned technology subsidiary, V Gallant Limited (“V Gallant”), a sovereign AI cloud platform designed with post-quantum-ready encryption and high-performance computing capabilities for enterprises, government-linked organizations, financial institutions and regulated industries handling sensitive data, intellectual property and mission-critical workloads.

The launch is supported by a planned US$6 million first-phase rollout to deploy NVIDIA Blackwell-class GPU and Intel-powered CPU systems across selected locations in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. The VGAIN Cloud architecture is designed to scale to up to 1,000 NVIDIA Blackwell-class GPUs, subject to customer demand, hardware availability, site conditions and project economics.

VCI Global has launched its first VGAIN Cloud flagship facility in Selangor, which will serve as V Gallant’s initial commercial onboarding, demonstration and deployment hub. The Company intends to subsequently expand the platform across selected locations in Kuala Lumpur through a distributed AI compute pod strategy, bringing AI computing capacity closer to enterprise customers and supporting the deployment of localized AI workloads.

The first phase is expected to be implemented over approximately 18 months, subject to procurement, site readiness, installation and deployment milestones. The rollout is being undertaken in partnership with Omnia Nexus Group. It is expected to support enterprise AI applications including agentic AI, private large language models, AI inference, confidential data processing, cybersecurity and enterprise automation.

“The launch of VGAIN Cloud represents an important step in our strategy to build a scalable AI infrastructure business. As enterprises increasingly move AI from experimentation into mission-critical applications, we see an opportunity to provide the computing capacity and secure infrastructure required to support that transition,” said Audrey Liu, Chief Executive Officer of V Gallant.

VGAIN Cloud is designed to serve enterprises, government-linked organizations, financial institutions and other regulated industries seeking secure AI infrastructure for applications including agentic AI, private large language models, AI inference, confidential data processing, cybersecurity and enterprise automation.

“Our objective is to combine high-performance AI compute with secure infrastructure to support private models and increasingly autonomous AI workloads. The architecture is designed to provide a scalable foundation for enterprise AI deployment while supporting the security and governance requirements of customers operating in regulated and data-sensitive environments,” said Jason Thye, Chief Technology Officer of V Gallant.

The Company believes the growing adoption of AI, increasing demand for high-performance GPU computing and heightened requirements for data sovereignty could drive demand for specialized AI infrastructure in Malaysia and the broader Southeast Asian market.

With its initial deployment in Selangor, planned expansion into Kuala Lumpur and potential capacity of up to 1,000 GPUs, VCI Global believes VGAIN Cloud provides a platform from which V Gallant can pursue opportunities across AI compute, sovereign cloud infrastructure and enterprise AI services.

About VCI Global Limited

VCI Global Limited (NASDAQ: VCIG) is an AI-native operating platform designed to scale and optimize businesses through centralized intelligence, data, and capital discipline.

The Company operates a platform-based model in which subsidiaries, affiliates, and portfolio companies plug into VCI Global’s centralized AI, data, governance, and capital allocation systems, enabling faster execution, improved capital efficiency, and scalable growth across multiple industries.

VCI Global’s platform centralizes AI-enabled execution, standardized KPI frameworks, financial and governance controls, and strategic capital allocation, while operating businesses focus on revenue generation, customer relationships, and local execution.

The Company maintains exposure across advisory, AI, and digital infrastructure, digital assets, energy, automotive, and consumer sectors, and continuously evaluates opportunities to scale, spin off, divest, or discontinue businesses based on performance, scalability, and return on capital.

VCI Global’s platform-centric approach is designed to enhance productivity, improve IPO readiness, and unlock long-term value through disciplined growth and selective capital deployment.

For more information on the Company, please log on to https://v-capital.co/.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Such statements include statements regarding the Company’s ability to grow its business and other statements that are not historical facts, including statements which may be accompanied by the words “intends,” “may,” “will,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “predicts,” “estimates,” “aims,” “believes,” “hopes,” “potential” or similar words. These forward-looking statements are based only on our current beliefs, expectations, and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, including without limitation, the Company’s ability to achieve profitable operations, customer acceptance of new products, the effects of the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and future measures taken by authorities in the countries wherein the Company has supply chain partners, the demand for the Company’s products and the Company’s customers’ economic condition, the impact of competitive products and pricing, successfully managing and, general economic conditions and other risk factors detailed in the Company’s filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release, except in accordance with applicable law.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For media queries, please contact: 

VCI GLOBAL LIMITED
enquiries@v-capital.co  

SOURCE: VCI Global 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

Humanoid Raises $152 Million at $1.35 Billion Post-Money Valuation, Becoming Europe's First Pure-Play Humanoid Robotics Unicorn

Humanoid's leadership team with representatives from Prime Movers Lab, the lead investor in Humanoid's Series A financing.

• Humanoid announces its Series A investment round, reaching a $1.35 billion valuation just two years after founding.
• It is the largest ever Series A for a humanoid-first robotics company in Europe, positioning Humanoid as the leading humanoid-first robotics unicorn in the UK and continental Europe.
• The new capital will accelerate Humanoid's next-generation robot development, commercial deployments with global industrial leaders, and evolution of the proprietary AI platform on the path toward general-purpose humanoids.
• The investment marks a defining moment for Europe's tech ecosystem, showing that globally competitive Physical AI companies can be built and scaled in Europe.

LONDON, July 24 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Humanoid, a UK-based AI and robotics company building industrial humanoid robots, announced a $152 million Series A financing at a $1.35 billion post-money valuation. This funding brings the total amount raised to date to $270 million. The round was led by Prime Movers Lab, a venture capital firm focused on investments in breakthrough scientific startups working to revolutionize the world's most important industries and transform billions of lives, with participation from Schaeffler, Bosch, Fubon Financial Holding Venture Capital, and Aglaé Ventures.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260723238282/en/

Now is a defining moment for the European technology ecosystem which positions the region among the global leaders in one of the world's fastest-growing tech sectors. Until now, much of the Physical AI momentum has been concentrated in the United States and China. The investment demonstrates that the UK and continental Europe can produce and scale globally competitive humanoid robotics companies at the cutting-edge of the field.

The new capital will fund Humanoid's next phase of growth, strengthening its technology leadership and accelerating its commercial deployments and business expansion. The company will focus on:
Development and launch of its next-generation humanoid robotics platform;
Long-term commercial deployments at customer facilities across logistics, manufacturing, retail, and other sectors, beginning with the roll-out of Beta version robots in Q4 2026;
Start of mass manufacturing of wheel-based humanoid robots;
AI and software development, including Humanoid's proprietary AI brain KinetIQ, on our way toward a general-purpose robot for industrial applications.

Humanoid has become one of the fastest-growing companies in the industry and secured major partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, including SAP, NVIDIA, Bosch, and Siemens. Most notably, Humanoid recently signed the industry's largest publicly announced commercial agreement with Schaeffler for the large-scale deployment of thousands of humanoid robots in manufacturing environments.

“In just two years, we've gone from an idea to becoming Europe's first pure-play humanoid robotics unicorn, partnered with some of the world's leading industrial companies and built one of the strongest pipelines in the industry. What we've accomplished in such a short time would typically take a decade. None of this would have been possible without an extraordinary team that challenges every single day what people believe is possible. This funding gives us the resources to move even faster and to turn humanoid robots from breakthrough technology into everyday industrial tools,” noted Artem Sokolov, Founder and CEO of Humanoid.

"Humanoid robotics will be one of the defining technologies of the next decade, reshaping how commercial and industrial work gets done. We expect the field to consolidate around a handful of category leaders across the US, Europe, and China. Humanoid AI will be one of a small cadre of robotics companies that will define humanoid robotics in Europe and beyond," said Zia Huque, General Partner at Prime Movers Lab.

Klaus Rosenfeld, CEO of Schaeffler AG, commented: “Humanoid robotics is rapidly moving from a visionary concept to an industrial reality, and Schaeffler, as a leading motion technology company, is uniquely positioned to help shape this evolution. By combining our decades of industrial expertise and manufacturing excellence with Humanoid’s breakthrough physical AI platform, we are actively backing one of the most exciting frontiers in technology. We are proud to support Humanoid as both a strategic investor and a commercial partner as they scale a technology that holds the power to fundamentally redefine productivity across global industries.”

“We see significant growth opportunities in the field of humanoid robotics. Through our subsidiary Robert Bosch Robotics GmbH we have already entered into a manufacturing partnership with Humanoid. Bosch will act as Humanoid's contract manufacturing partner, while also providing strategic consulting and technical expertise in hardware design, production, and supply chain,” noted Mathias Pillin, Chief Technology Officer of Robert Bosch GmbH.

"Humanoid has demonstrated exceptional execution in a remarkably short period of time, transforming breakthrough AI and robotics technology into real industrial deployments. We are excited to support the company's next stage of growth as a long-term strategic partner and look forward to contributing to its global expansion,” Fubon Financial Holding Venture Capital said.

The valuation reflects both Humanoid's speed of execution and growing market confidence that humanoid robots are becoming commercially viable. What was once considered a long-term research experiment is now a deployable industrial technology. With its wheeled robots, Humanoid aims to address global labor shortages across manufacturing, logistics and other critical sectors, solving real operational problems for its customers.

The company's vertically integrated approach combines proprietary robotics hardware with its own AI brain, KinetIQ, which enables robots to understand, reason, and execute complex physical tasks in real industrial environments. With this financing, Humanoid aims to accelerate the transition toward a future where intelligent robots work safely alongside people across the world's industrial economy.

About Humanoid

Humanoid is a UK-based robotics company building humanoid robots for industrial use. Founded by Artem Sokolov in 2024, Humanoid brings together over 250 engineers, researchers, and innovators from top global tech companies. All robots run on KinetIQ, Humanoid’s proprietary four-layer AI framework designed for real-world deployment.

With offices in London, Boston, Vancouver, and San Diego, the company is focused on building commercially viable, scalable, and safe robotic solutions for real-world applications.

View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260723238282/en/

Contact

For media inquiries, interviews, or further information, please contact: og@thehumanoid.ai

Source : Humanoid

--BERNAMA

Holafly Names Khaby Lame Global Brand Ambassador

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 (Bernama) -- Holafly, the global leader in travel eSIMs, has partnered with the world's most followed TikTok creator, Khaby Lame, who joins the company as its Global Brand Ambassador.

The partnership brings together two brands built on making everyday experiences easier. Lame became a global phenomenon by simplifying unnecessarily complicated situations, while Holafly has spent years helping travellers stay connected abroad without the traditional frustrations of roaming charges.

Holafly Brand Director, Daniela Prado said Lame has become a global phenomenon by reminding people that the simplest solution is often the best one.

“Whether they are booking a flight, navigating a new city or staying in touch with family and colleagues, people value experiences that feel seamless, intuitive and dependable,” added Prado in a statement.

The partnership comes at a time when convenience has become one of the main expectations of modern travel. Travellers can book flights, accommodation, transportation and experiences from their smartphones in seconds, yet crossing a border can still result in losing access to the services, information and communication tools they rely on every day.

Holafly said the partnership builds on Lame's existing use of its eSIM service during international travel and reflects the company's growing global ambitions, given his worldwide audience.

With more than 25 million eSIMs sold worldwide and coverage across more than 200 destinations, Holafly stands as one of the most recognised brands in the travel technology sector.

-- BERNAMA

AM Best Retains Stable Outlook On South Korea’s Non-Life Insurance

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 (Bernama) -- Global credit rating agency, AM Best has maintained its stable outlook on South Korea’s non-life insurance segment, supported by enhanced regulatory frameworks and solid investment performance.

The Best’s Market Segment Report stated that the stable outlook is supported by the country’s regulatory environment, with recent regulatory changes strengthening capital quality, solvency resilience and consistency in International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) 17 reporting.

The introduction of the core capital Korea Insurance Capital Standard (K-ICS) ratio, effective January 2027, is expected to encourage insurers to improve fundamental capital with higher loss-absorption features and reduce reliance on supplementary capital securities.

South Korea's non-life insurance industry experienced a decline in underwriting results in 2025, reflecting higher loss ratios in long-term and motor insurance lines. Profitability in the motor segment also weakened due to the cumulative effect of premium rate cuts in previous years and ongoing claims-cost inflation.

“Although underwriting performance in South Korea’s non-life insurance segment weakened in 2025, investment income improved materially, supported by higher interest income, and in some cases, gains from asset disposals and valuation gains.

“AM Best expects investment performance to remain a stable source of profits over the next 12 months, partly mitigating the pressured underwriting profits,” said AM Best director, analytics, Chanyoung Lee.

In a statement, AM Best said a recent premium increase should provide support, although the benefit will be recognised gradually through the earned premium base rather than immediately.

The long-term insurance segment continues to face claims pressure following the end of the medical strike in 2024, while persistent competition has also weighed on profitability.

Meanwhile, AM Best senior financial analyst, Seokjae Lee said intense competition has prompted some market leaders with stronger balance sheet capacity and solvency positions to seek growth opportunities outside the domestic market.

-- BERNAMA

Bitget Enhances Algorithmic Trading Experience with Siebly.io SDK Integration

VICTORIA, Seychelles, July 22 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bitget, the world’s largest Universal Exchange (UEX), today announced a collaboration with Siebly.io, a provider of professional-grade API SDKs for algorithmic traders and developers, to simplify integration with Bitget’s V3 Unified Trading Account and V2 Classic APIs. The collaboration gives developers access to the Bitget SDK by Siebly, enabling faster, more reliable connectivity across Bitget’s spot, futures, copy trading, and real-time market data infrastructure.

Developers and algorithmic traders increasingly rely on stable API tooling to build, test, and deploy trading systems. However, fragmented API environments, inconsistent client libraries, and complex migration paths can slow down development and introduce operational risk. By working with Siebly, Bitget is helping developers reduce integration complexity while supporting both its new Unified Trading Account architecture and existing V2 Classic workflows.

Siebly.io provides ready-made developer tools that help trading teams connect to crypto exchanges without building every API connection from scratch. For developers and algorithmic traders, especially those built with JavaScript and TypeScript, they can connect to Bitget faster, reduce technical errors, and spend more time building trading strategies, bots, and market data tools instead of managing complex API integrations.

“UEX is about delivering a better trading experience for users and developers worldwide independent of the assets they trade,” said Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget. “Collaborating with Siebly makes it easier to build reliable tools across Bitget’s unified account architecture, helping traders spend less time on integration and more time building strategies on Bitget.”

Siebly’s SDKs provide comprehensive coverage across Bitget’s ecosystem, including spot trading, futures trading, copy trading, public market data streams, and private account management. For latency-sensitive strategies, the SDK also supports WebSocket API functionality, allowing developers to execute REST-like request-response patterns over a persistent connection and reduce request overhead without the added complexity of managing WebSockets manually.

The SDK also includes built-in support for HMAC, RSA, and Ed25519 authentication, helping developers securely interact with Bitget’s infrastructure while maintaining flexibility across different authentication standards. With consistent development patterns across supported exchanges, Siebly’s tooling is designed to help developers move between platforms with less friction and shorter implementation cycles.

“Developers building automated trading systems need SDKs that are consistent, secure, and tested in production environments,” said Tiago Siebler, Lead Developer at Siebly.io. “By collaborating with Bitget, we are making it easier for developers to integrate with one of the industry’s leading trading ecosystems.”

Bitget’s UEX framework is strengthened with this collaboration by improving the infrastructure layer that connects developers, trading systems, and Bitget’s unified account environment. By making API access more efficient across spot, futures, copy trading, and real-time data, Bitget continues to expand the tools available to retail and professional developers building the next generation of crypto trading applications.

About Bitget

Bitget is the world's largest Universal Exchange (UEX), serving over 125 million users and offering access to over 2M crypto tokens, 500+ 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 such as 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 | X | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord

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

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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/612e9d67-4e31-4a79-9a13-339ba2b3ee79

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