​WORLDLINE AND FINBOTSAI TEAM UP TO PUT AI CREDIT MODELLING IN THE HANDS OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

SINGAPORE, Oct 15 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- The collaboration will bring an AI-powered solution to help financial institutions level up their lending business through a no-code SaaS model that puts the ownership of credit modelling in the hands of Worldline’s clients of all sizes globally. The FinbotsAI solution will enable financial institutions to develop & deploy credit scorecards with powerful artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms that are embedded across the value chain; from data to decisioning, for both individual and business lending.

CreditX blends the best of traditional and AI/ML modelling enabling credit risk modelers to quantum-build scorecards that are based on the modeler’s choice of data and parameters. The human-centered AI design enables credit modelers to develop scorecards rapidly, leveraging AI to enhance the accuracy of each scorecard, all at a fraction of today’s costs.

Sanjay Uppal, CEO & Founder of FinbotsAI - “We are delighted to partner with Worldline, a global payments leader, to take our AI innovation to the world. Backed by over six years of research and accreditation from Singapore regulators Monetary Authority of Singapore and Infocomm Media Development Authority towards building trustworthy Artificial Intelligence, CreditX’s human-centered design enables lenders to confidently harness the power of AI in their transformation journey.”

Noel Chow, CEO & COO of Worldline Financial Services, APAC - "We are excited about our partnership with FinbotsAI. We believe that our collaboration will help our clients to enhance their credit assessment processes and capitalize on new opportunities.”

About Worldline

Worldline [Euronext: WLN] helps businesses of all shapes and sizes to accelerate their growth journey – quickly, simply, and securely. With advanced payments technology, local expertise and solutions customised for hundreds of markets and industries, Worldline powers the growth of over one million businesses around the world. Worldline generated a 4.6 billion euros revenue in 2023. worldline.com

About FinbotsAI

Founded in 2017, FinbotsAI, an Accel portfolio fintech, is on a mission to help financial institutions drive profitable lending and financial inclusion with CreditX, its SaaS solution that uses artificial intelligence across the credit value chain - from data to decision. FinbotsAI counts among its clients' banks, digital banks, SME lenders, consumer lenders, Credit Bureaus and other financial institutions across markets. FinbotsAI was recently awarded “Product Innovation of the Year – Best Fintech” at the IFC Global SME Finance Forum 2024.

 

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Contact

Media Contact :  Nimika Bhatnagar  (+91 77589 01968) / nimika.bhatnagar@adfactorspr.com

Source : FinbotsAI

--BERNAMA

BLUESCOPE’S ASEAN AWARD TO HONOUR REGIONAL EXCELLENCE IN STEEL ARCHITECTURE

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- NS BlueScope announced the 2024 BlueScope Steel Architectural Awards ASEAN is now open to projects harnessing the company’s steel in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Entrants are accepted in Residential, Commercial, Industrial and Institutional building sectors, while there is an additional category of ‘Long Lasting Beauty of COLORBOND’ which celebrates projects that have used BlueScope’s COLORBOND steel to weather all conditions to maintain their beauty and strength.

NS BlueScope Chief Executive, Connell Zhang said the company aimed to create and inspire smart solutions in steel, and its new awards programme is a great opportunity to showcase some of the very best architectural projects in this region.

“As well as setting industry benchmarks and promoting best practice, these awards are a great way to encourage knowledge sharing and support our vibrant ASEAN architect community.

“As the industry leader in premium coated and painted steel, BlueScope is in a unique position to support the architectural community in bringing their dream designs to life,” he said in a statement.

The 2024 BlueScope Steel Architectural Awards ASEAN are backed by several respected organisations, including The Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage; Ikatan Arsitek Indonesia; the University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City; the Australian Chamber of Commerce Singapore; and Malaysia’s ACG Media Group.

Award entries will be judged on their Design Excellence, Innovation and Sustainability, whereby judges will assess multiple areas of building design, from aesthetic merit to functionality and efficiency, among others.

Judging for the ASEAN Award winners takes place in October, with the winners announced in November.

-- BERNAMA

FreedomPay-Stripe Partnership To Facilitate Businesses Unify Commerce

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- FreedomPay, an innovative leader in Next Level Commerce technologies has partnered Stripe, a financial infrastructure platform for businesses, to make it easier for enterprises to unify commerce.

According to FreedomPay, the partnership makes it possible for virtually any enterprise to use Stripe for online and in-person payments alongside their existing commerce tools.

“Many of the largest businesses in the world already use FreedomPay and they have been telling us they would love to see Stripe join our growing ecosystem of connectivity.

“We are excited that our merchants can now modernise their systems and grow their revenue with Stripe,” said FreedomPay President, Chris Kronenthal in a statement.

FreedomPay aggregates hundreds of different point of sale (POS) systems and dozens of payment devices and commerce integrations onto a single platform.

Meanwhile, Stripe helps businesses process payments online and in person; offers advanced fraud protection powered by machine learning; optimises authorisation requests for issuers to boost revenue; and maintains industry-leading reliability.

Together, FreedomPay and Stripe will provide enterprises with flexibility and modularity, the ability to add Stripe to an existing set of commerce tools, without requiring significant development resources.

With this partnership, enterprises including hotels, retailers, and food & beverage providers, can now take advantage of Stripe’s platform, including those that already use FreedomPay.

Furthermore, in one place, they will be able to manage payments, loyalty programmes, and customer analytics, among others.

-- BERNAMA

‘CHA CHAAN TENG’ DEBUT IN PARIS TO FURTHER CEMENTS HONG KONG AS ASIA’S ARTS AND CULTURE HUB

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 (Bernama) -- Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) announced its presentation of a Hong Kong-style café, a “Cha Chaan Teng”, at Art Basel Paris from Oct 16 to 20 at the Grand Palais, inviting Hong Kong-based artist Trevor Yeung to illuminate the classic diner with his light artistry.

This marks the first activation in its pioneering three-year global partnership with the world class art fair, following the initial announcement in Basel this June, according to HKTB in a statement.

HKTB Executive Director, Dane Cheng said this collaboration underscores its commitment to promoting Hong Kong as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, and the art hub in Asia.

“By sharing the city’s unique character through this immersive experience at the inaugural edition of the three-year partnership at Grand Palais, we hope to inspire travellers to visit our city and discover its thriving creative community and rich cultural experiences,” he said.

HKTB will bring an authentic Cha Chaan Teng experience to Art Basel Paris, a dining format harking back to the 1950s known for its bustling ambiance and eclectic menus of comfort food merging Eastern and Western cultures.

This vibrant gathering space in the heart of Grand Palais will introduce international audiences to the city’s unique culture by showcasing diverse culinary flavours, artistic excellence, and dynamic social atmosphere.

Yeung has created a new artwork especially for the Cha Chaan Teng, which is his next instalment of a well-known series titled Chaotic Suns featuring chandelier-like illuminated artworks, last seen at the 24th Biennale of Sydney in 2024, where he uses the gradient of light to bring the classic Cha Chaan Teng to life.

The positioning of a Hong Kong-style café in the locality of Paris encapsulates Hong Kong’s intrinsic ‘East-meets-West’ culture, presenting a sensory journey to visitors by serving the city delicacies including pineapple buns, egg tarts, milk tea, and mango pudding.

The space will also feature classic design elements such as nostalgic colourful patterned floor tiles and cosy booths, as well as Hong Kong’s signature neon signage.

The collaboration between Art Basel and HKTB fortifies Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s arts and culture hub, hosting flagship art events such as Art Basel, the fair’s only destination in Asia.

-- BERNAMA

OPENGEAR’S ADVANCED SOLUTIONS UNTANGLE IT MANAGEMENT COMPLEXITY

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 (Bernama) -- Opengear, a Digi International company, has introduced two new advanced offerings that will simplify initial setup with zero-touch provisioning and ensure access to information technology (IT) infrastructure.

Opengear unveiled key enhancements for its Network Resilience Platform with the advanced solutions, namely Connected Resource Gateway (CRG) and Lighthouse Service Portal (LSP).

According to Opengear in a statement, the solutions dramatically reduce complexity and provide efficiency to IT organisations that are under vast pressure due to increasing demands to deliver results with fewer resources.

“Opengear is committed to delivering solutions that solve real-world challenges. Customers rely on Opengear's solution before their network is operational, when it is unavailable and for everyday IT operations.

“LSP provides zero-touch provisioning for Opengear appliances and CRG ensures immediate, reliable, and secure access to essential tasks when managing IT infrastructure,” said its Vice President of Product Management & Strategy, Douglas Wadkins.

Both CRG and LSP simplify the deployment process while providing ease of access, improved security, and simplified management when monitoring and managing IT infrastructure.

Available via the company’s Lighthouse software solution, CRG now enables IT professionals and networking tools to securely access connected IT resources through a web interface offering serial or Internet Protocol (IP)-based connectivity options.

Meanwhile, designed to simplify the deployment of data centre and edge site network infrastructure, LSP streamlines the provisioning of Opengear devices into the Lighthouse software.

Available through the Opengear customer portal and in conjunction with Lighthouse, LSP simplifies and secures the enrollment process, providing a smoother, more efficient starting point for IT management.

-- BERNAMA

H2O.AI AND SINGTEL DIGITAL INFRACO'S RE:AI FORGE PARTNERSHIP TO DELIVER GENERATIVE AI-AS-A-SERVICE

Brings together one of Asia’s leading digital infrastructure providers with the world’s leading Generative and Predictive AI to spur economic growth


HIGHLIGHTS:
 

• H2O.ai and Singtel Digital InfraCo’s RE:AI partner to bring sovereign AI for private, protected data.
• H2O.ai full stack AI software to be offered as a service on Singtel Digital InfraCo’s AI Cloud to reduce time to develop AI applications for public sector and commercial enterprise customers.
• The combined AI- and GPU-as-a-Service will offer customers a full stack cost-effective AI platform as a service bundled with powerful and state of the art GPU infrastructure from Singtel AI cloud, for Generative and Predictive AI to address a wide range of robust Document AI business use cases.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Oct 10 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- H2O.ai, the leader in open-source Generative AI and the most accurate Predictive AI platform, today announced a strategic partnership with Singtel’s Digital InfraCo to bring Generative AI-as-a-Service (GenAIaaS) to organizations across APAC. This partnership brings together H2O.ai's best-in-class Generative and Predictive AI with Singtel AI cloud’s powerful and secure GPU infrastructure to deliver a sovereign GenAI platform for private and public sector organizations with strict data protection needs.

H2O.ai Generative AI software suite will be integrated with Singtel’s Paragon platform that powers Singtel AI Cloud, to enable customers to reduce time to develop and deploy AI use cases with optimal total cost of ownership (TCO). Customers can skip the complexity and risk of building their own RAG and benefit from a robust, built-in enterprise multimodal agentic RAG through Enterprise h2oGPTe offered as an AI service on Singtel’s AI cloud powered by Singtel Paragon platform.

Singtel, an existing customer of H2O.ai, is expanding to offer H2O.ai full stack AI service to be integrated with Singtel Paragon platform to offer an “AI as a service” offering on Singtel GPU cloud. The unified AI as a Service solution that bundles the needed GPU infrastructure will offer customers a cost-efficient full stack AI platform for Generative and Predictive AI to address a wide range of robust Document AI business use cases.

Every nation needs to be an AI nation. Public servants and ministries worldwide need their sovereign AI agencies to fulfill their missions with great outcomes. To address both local and continental needs, nations must find economical ways to take AI from pilots to production.

AI will transform the GDP of the world and every nation and community by amplifying the economic output of the population with AI agents. With the right AI infrastructure, nations of any size can leverage AI to create significant growth and transform their economies.

Public servants and all ministries worldwide need their own GPTs and sovereign AI to fulfill their missions with great outcomes and serve their people and communities.

Our partnership with RE:AI represents the future of Generative AI—purpose-led, SLMs on protected data, open source, secure, hybrid and ubiquitous on the edge at a fraction of the economic cost for training and inference.

“H2O.ai is home to the world’s best AI talent with more Kaggle Grandmasters than any company or continent. With our open source community, partnership ecosystem and unique mindset of co-creation with customers we are transforming large banks, telcos and public sector by leveraging their data, upskilling their people, and building custom GenAI and Predictive AI for solving problems and bettering life of citizens globally,” says Sri Ambati, Founder and CEO of H2O.ai.

“As organizations move toward AI-driven solutions, our partnership with H2O.ai ensures that they have access to state-of-the-art Generative AI solutions developed on RE:AI’s cloud platform. Together, we’re enabling businesses to innovate faster, enhance customer experiences, and optimize internal operations with the power of AI,” says Bill Chang, CEO of Singtel Digital InfraCo.

In addition to the SingtelGPT products, H2O.ai has developed the H2O Danube3 series of small language models (SLMs), specifically designed for on-device, offline use cases. Trained on 100 H100 GPUs using a proprietary dataset of 6 trillion tokens, Danube3-4B and 0.5B models outperform Apple’s OpenELM-3B and 0.5B instruct models in key benchmarks. These open-weight SLMs offer developers economical options for fine-tuning their own AI applications. H2O.ai plans to release a series of multimodal SLMs in the coming weeks to further expand its AI offerings.

This collaboration between H2O.ai and Digital InfraCo marks a major step forward in bringing secure, scalable Generative AI-as-a-Service to organizations across APAC while ensuring data sovereignty and compliance.

About H2O.ai

Founded in 2012, H2O.ai is at the forefront of the AI movement to democratize Generative AI. H2O.ai’s open-source Generative AI and Enterprise h2oGPT, combined with Document AI and the award-winning autoML Driverless AI, have transformed more than 20,000 global organizations and over half of the Fortune 500, including AT&T, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Chipotle, ADP, Workday, Progressive Insurance, and AES. H2O.ai’s AI for Good program supports nonprofit groups, foundations, and communities in advancing education, healthcare, and environmental conservation. With a vibrant community of 2 million data scientists worldwide, H2O.ai is on a mission to co-create AI applications that are valuable to all users.

H2O.ai has fundraised $256 million from investors including Commonwealth Bank, Nvidia, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Capital One, Nexus Ventures and New York Life.

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Contact

Media
Betty Candel
VP Marketing
betty.candel@h2o.ai

Source : H2O.ai

Curia Makes Significant Strides In Net Zero Pledges

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 (Bernama) -- Curia announced its commitment to set near- and long-term company-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in line with science-based net zero with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

According to Curia in a statement, to achieve this goal, the company will be investing resources over the next two years to evaluate and develop GHG emission reduction targets for submission to and approval by the SBTi.

“Our targets are ambitious, but we recognise the urgency and importance of cutting emissions in the near-term. With facilities in the United States, Europe and Asia, our actions can have a significant effect on communities on a global scale.

“Environmental stewardship has long been a priority for Curia, and this pledge underscores our commitment to continuous improvement in reducing our environmental impact and bringing us closer to a more sustainable future,” said its chief executive officer, Philip Macnabb.

The net-zero commitment is another step forward for Curia’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) programme, a cross-functional team that advances the company’s environmental and social stewardship with sound corporate governance.

Its ESG programme links with the Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) management system, modelled after ISO 14001 and 45001, the global standards for environmental management systems and occupational health and safety management systems.

Curia’s EHS management system is grounded on eight key pillars that serve as the framework to deliver measurable improvements year-over-year, and sustainability is one key pillar within that framework that underlies the net-zero commitment.

With this commitment, Curia also joins the United Nations’ Race to Zero campaign, a global coalition of non-state actors working toward halving global emissions by 2030.

Curia is a contract research, development and manufacturing organisation, with over 30 years of experience, an integrated network of over 20 global sites and 3,500 employees partnering with biopharmaceutical customers to bring life-changing therapies to market.

-- BERNAMA

SINGAPORE RETAINS TOP SPOT FOR FINANCIAL INCLUSION GLOBALLY - RESEARCH

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- Singapore is once again the world’s most financially inclusive market for the third year in a row, among 41 markets analysed, as measured by Principal Financial Group's third edition of the Global Financial Inclusion Index.

With Hong Kong, South Korea, Switzerland, and Sweden following closely behind, the research ranks markets based on the support provided by employers, the government, and the financial system to foster financial inclusion.

It provides a comprehensive and comparative evaluation of financial inclusion on a global scale, ranking 41 markets on a relative basis in addition to an absolute score assigned at the global and regional levels.

Principal chairman and chief executive officer, Dan Houston in a statement said it has been a challenging year with inflation outpacing wage growth, interest rate hikes, and ongoing market uncertainty.

“As it became harder for businesses and households to access lending, we have seen how governments and the private sector have stepped up to help societies weather these economic conditions. This has led to levels of financial inclusion continuing to increase around the world,” he said.

Key findings from the research also unveiled that financial inclusion has improved globally for the second consecutive year, with all regions and subregions seeing improvements, especially in Latin America.

In addition, the Asia-Pacific region increased its number of top-performing markets with Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, and Australia all secured spots in the top 10 this year.

Furthermore, employers in young Asian economies have stepped up to help consumers and businesses weather local market economic challenges by supporting households through short-term periods of financial strain.

The research also stated that the United States’ financial inclusion score remains unchanged year over year, suggesting a show of resilience in the face of economic headwinds. However, the market now ranks outside the top five, falling from fourth to seventh.

Conducted by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) and Principal, the research ranks 41 markets on three pillars of financial inclusion, namely government, financial system, and employer support, using data points across public and survey-based sources.

-- BERNAMA

Curia's Refreshed Brand Features Key Capabilities, Personalised Approach Across Service Offerings

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- Curia, a contract research, development and manufacturing organisation, has unveiled its refreshed brand highlighting key capabilities and a personalised approach across small molecules, generic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and biologics.

“Curia has decades of experience in this industry, and we have continually broadened our capabilities to meet the needs of our customers.

“Our new brand identity clearly communicates not just our offerings, but the unique level of expertise and collaboration we bring as we work to noble purpose to improve patients’ lives,” said Curia Chief Executive Officer, Philip Macnabb in a statement.

This brand update underscores Curia’s role as a dedicated ally to its clients, leveraging over 30 years of industry experience and a robust global presence to accelerate product timelines by addressing both simple and complex challenges across drug discovery, development and manufacturing.

Under the brand refresh, Curia has established brand logos for each of its three key service offerings across small molecules, generic APIs and biologics, in which this new hierarchy of service logos clearly communicates the company’s robust portfolio of services and solutions.

The company has also revamped its website, whereby the evolved design improves the user experience for clients and prospects seeking best-in-class contract development and manufacturing services in small molecules, generic APIs, biologics, analytical services and sterile fill-finish.

Curia began as AMRI more than 30 years ago with a focus on small molecules, and over time, expanded to offer a blend of global resources and scientific expertise. It was rebranded as Curia in 2021 and broadened its capabilities to include biologics with the acquisition of LakePharma and Integrity Bio.

-- BERNAMA

Recursion Obtains FDA Approval For AI-Discovered Cancer Treatment Clinical Trial

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 (Bernama) -- Recursion announced the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared an investigational new drug (IND) application for a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of REC-1245, a new chemical entity for the treatment of biomarker-enriched solid tumours and lymphoma.

According to Recursion in a statement, the Phase 1/2 clinical trial will evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and potential monotherapy efficacy of REC-1245, and is expected to initiate in the fourth quarter of this year.

Its Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Chris Gibson said: "In under 18 months, leveraging some of our newer chemistry tools, Recursion rapidly progressed REC-1245 from novel target biology to preclinical drug candidate, more than twice the speed of industry average.”

Recursion identified the novel regulatory role of RBM39 associated with CDK12 using its maps of biology and first reported this relationship in early 2023 during Recursion’s research and development (R&D) and investor event, Download Day.

The company believes the modulation of RBM39 may be associated with a therapeutic effect in certain biomarker-enriched solid tumours and lymphoma.

Meanwhile, its Chief R&D Officer and Chief Commercial Officer, Dr Najat Khan explained that RBM39 degraders may offer a promising therapeutic approach for patients with solid tumours, particularly those with limited treatment options.

“This mechanism provides new opportunities for targeting tumours, which are often resistant to conventional treatments. By advancing this research, we aim to deliver a critical option for patients facing significant unmet needs, ultimately improving their prognosis and quality of life,” she added.

Additionally, Recursion estimates that the initially addressable population for this potential therapeutic to be more than 100,000 patients in the US and European Union Five (EU5), collectively, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

REC-1245 is a potent and selective RBM39 degrader with a potential first-in-class profile. Preclinical data support that RBM39 degradation induces splicing defects that downregulate DNA Damage Response (DDR) networks and cell cycle checkpoints.

-- BERNAMA

Study Finds 100 Pct Singapore's Marketers, Agencies Confronted With Data Challenges

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 (Bernama) -- Lotame, the global technology company that makes customer data smarter, faster, and easier to use for digital marketers, revealed in its new report that 100 per cent of marketers and agencies surveyed in Singapore encounter barriers in data orchestration and utilisation.

Fielded by Cint, its report ‘The State of Data Collaboration: A Global Perspective’ found that data challenges are ubiquitous, as is planned investment in marketing and data technology, with data collaboration platforms delivering multiple tangible benefits.

In a statement, Lotame Chief Executive Officer, Andy Monfried said orchestrating and activating data remains a major struggle for marketers and agencies, both inside and outside their organisations, but they are finally overcoming this barrier through a combination of technology and a shift in mindset.

The findings from the survey also showed that 78 per cent of respondents recognise the urgency of leveraging first-party data, which is eight per cent higher than the global average.

In addition, more than half (53 per cent) of marketers and a quarter of agencies are fully reliant on third-party cookies, and yet a portfolio approach to identity solutions has emerged, with an average of 3.1 options used in tandem to maximise reach with no clear frontrunner.

Furthermore, 34 per cent of respondents anticipate a reduction in programmatic spend compared to 28 per cent expecting an increase, though agencies are twice as optimistic as marketers.

Meanwhile, 99 per cent of respondents plan to adopt new marketing technologies and data technologies, with around a third of agencies and marketers not planning on retiring any of their current technologies in the near future.

The study highlighted that clean room adoption is strong, with three in five respondents currently using the technology. Respondents also, however, report a range of challenges, from lack of data overlap to ID scale and required expertise, with an average of 2.3 challenges reported.

Despite being a relatively new technology, data collaboration platforms have been adopted by almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of marketers and a third of agencies, with an average of 2.3 positive changes to marketing operations.

Lotame commissioned industry research into how marketers and agencies are addressing data challenges and opportunities in a post-cookie digital advertising landscape, surveying more than 1,200 marketing and agency professionals across six global markets, namely Singapore, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and North America, between June and July.

-- BERNAMA

Quantios Acquires Klea To Speed Up Automation In Corporate Services

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 (Bernama) -- Quantios, the global provider of Wealth and Corporate Services software as a service (SaaS) solutions, has completed the acquisition of Klea, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered legal entity management (LEM) tool.

Backed by Hg and EQT, in a statement, Quantios said it is committed to leading digital transformation for trust and corporate service providers (TCSPs).

By combining Klea’s AI-enabled legal entity management tool with Quantios software, corporate legal teams and multi-client service providers will now have access to comprehensive automated workflow solutions.

Quantios Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Guy Harrison said the combination of Klea and Quantios affirmed the company’s commitment to digitising the TCSP industry by accelerating its ability to automate core corporate service processes.

“Led by Filip, the Klea team has built a best-in-class solution that will increase efficiencies for our customers and corporate legal teams worldwide. We are delighted to be working with them in this next phase of growth for us all,” Harrison said.

Meanwhile, Klea CEO Filip Corveleyn said: “This opens a myriad of new opportunities for our clients and will vastly extend the breadth and depth of our offering. We are excited to work with Guy and his team to advance our AI-powered solution and give clients an efficient and worry-free entity management experience.”

Led by a highly experienced management team, Belgium-based company Klea has built an innovative platform to effectively manage recurring corporate statutory events for a global customer base.

Klea’s collaboration tool provides a single source of truth, streamlining corporate secretarial work for legal teams and giving access to real-time, accurate entity data.

Committed to leading digital transformation for its customers, Quantios partners with close to 700 organisations worldwide, delivering comprehensive SaaS solutions that streamline processes, simplify regulatory compliance and facilitate robust corporate governance.

-- BERNAMA

CT SEMICONDUCTOR LAUNCHES ATP CHIP SEMICONDUCTOR CHIP TECHNICIAN TRAINING CENTER IN VIETNAM

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 (Bernama) -- CT Semiconductor, a member of CT Group, has officially inaugurated and commenced operations of its ATP Semiconductor Chip Technician Training Center at the National Innovation Center (NIC) in Hoa Lac High-Tech Park, Hanoi, Vietnam, on Oct 1.

The centre at NIC is part of CT Semiconductor's broader activities, which include the establishment of three Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) plants (two in the South and one in the North), two research and development (R&D) centres in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, notably, two customer service centres in Silicon Valley and Phoenix, Arizona.

In a statement, the leader of CT Semiconductor said the Vietnamese semiconductor industry can only develop sustainably and avoid the pitfalls of merely following trends and seeking foreign direct investment (FDI) for reporting purposes by mastering technology and attracting global talent.

Additionally, experienced engineers from various countries will provide specialised training for key personnel through a “Train the Trainer” programme focused on semiconductor chip assembly, testing, and packaging.

These engineers and final-year electronics students will be equipped to master ATP technology. One key feature is that interns will gain hands-on experience with the latest chip inspection machines and become familiar with different types of chips.

This initiative is a practical step toward realising the plan to develop 10 OSAT plants in Vietnam, in line with the Prime Minister’s decision issued on Sept 21, which outlines the strategy for development of Vietnam’s semiconductor industry by 2030, with a vision toward 2050.

What sets CT Semiconductor apart is its independent technology approach, with a comprehensive foundation starting from ATP specialist training, which serves OSAT companies, R&D, and production under the 4.0 model.

On this occasion, CT Semiconductor also introduced the AMB5600 semiconductor circuit and component testing machine, aimed at supporting research and training at the centre. This is the first chip testing machine to be integrated into a training system in Vietnam.

The aspiration to develop Vietnam's semiconductor industry is admirable but still faces many challenges, requiring collective efforts toward a sustainable technological future for the country.

-- BERNAMA

MENLO SECURITY SURPASSES US$100 MLN ARR, LEADING SECURE ENTERPRISE BROWSER MARKET

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 (Bernama) -- Menlo Security, the pioneer of Secure Enterprise Browsers announced the company has surpassed US$100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) and achieved 50 per cent growth in the last 24 months. (US$1=RM4.15)

According to a statement, more than 1,000 global enterprises and government agencies rely on Menlo Security to provide a safe and secure browsing experience, on any browser and any device.

Its chief executive officer and co-founder, Amir Ben-Efraim said hitting US$100 million in ARR is a powerful validation of its vision and a direct reflection of the trust its customers place to secure and manage their browsers.

“Enterprises have recognised the need for browser security and our secure enterprise browser solution provides high efficacy browser security combined with a transparent user experience that is easy to deploy and manage,” he said.

Menlo Security holds US$350 million in total contract value (TCV), raised US$260 million in total funding, and expects to be cash flow positive in 2025, while achieving an impressive 110 per cent in net retention rate (NRR) and growing its gross revenue retention (GRR) by 97 per cent in the last 12 months.

Digital transformation has revolutionised the workplace, enabling online collaboration across organisations. In February, Menlo Security launched the industry’s first cloud-delivered Secure Enterprise Browser solution, delivering a comprehensive approach to protecting enterprise users where they work and securing applications from Internet-borne attacks.

Furthermore, in a recent report, Gartner predicts that by 2030, enterprise browsers will be the core platform for delivering workforce productivity and security software on managed and unmanaged devices for a seamless hybrid work experience.

The Menlo Secure Enterprise Browser solution enables the workspace of tomorrow, providing comprehensive enterprise browser security across desktops and mobile devices to protect users, applications, and data, all while allowing customers to continue using their browser of choice.

Menlo is trusted by major global businesses, including eight of the 10 largest financial institutions in the world, 24 Global Fortune 500 companies, and large government institutions in the United States and abroad.

-- BERNAMA

Eastern Chinese City Observes Confucius' 2,575th Birthday

 

The Confucius memorial ceremony held at Confucius Culture Square in Quzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province on September 28.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- The 2,575th birth anniversary of the revered Chinese philosopher Confucius was held on Sept 28  in the eastern Chinese city of Quzhou, located in Zhejiang Province.

In a statement, Quzhou Southern Confucianism Culture Development Center said the ceremonial event seeks to respect the sage and honour rituals as well as promote nationwide worship of Confucius to achieve universal harmony.

Quzhou Southern Confucianism Development Center director, Sheng Xiongsheng said this year, the Confucius worship ceremony has, for the first time, moved beyond the confines of the ancestral temple and taken place at the Confucius Cultural Square located in front of the temple.

"By doing so, it has opened up the participation to representatives from various sectors of society in the city's public space, enabling the general public to take part in honouring and worshipping Confucius.

“This year's ceremony also launched an online initiative for Confucius worship, which has attracted widespread participation from individuals worldwide and from all walks of life,” said Sheng.

Quzhou, with its long history and rich cultural heritage, is renowned as the southeastern gateway and the sacred land of southern Confucianism due to its status as the ancestral home and secondary hometown of Confucius and his descendants.

In 2004, Quzhou revived the interrupted tradition of the Confucius worship ceremony, which had been discontinued for many years, where the worship ceremony in the city stands out for its contemporary and down-to-earth approach, in contrast to traditional Confucius worship ceremonies.

Meanwhile, in May 2011, the Confucius worship ceremony in Quzhou was officially included in the third batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list.

Through innovative initiatives such as the Confucius worship ceremony and the Southern Confucianism season, Quzhou has successfully established the urban brand of a sacred land of southern Confucianism and a land with etiquette.

These efforts have not only enhanced the city's level of civilisation and reputation but also injected new impetus into the high-quality development of the regional economy. By integrating Southern Confucianism into modern life, Quzhou fully demonstrates the contemporary and practical significance of this cultural heritage.

-- BERNAMA