Arabian Post Staff -Dubai UAE equities closed higher on Friday, extending a second straight week of gains as traders responded to signs that Washington and Tehran may keep diplomatic channels open, lifting sentiment across Gulf markets and pushing Dubai to its highest level in about six weeks. Dubai outpaced Abu Dhabi, with buying concentrated in banking and property names as investors weighed the prospect of lower geopolitical […]
Payward, the parent of crypto exchange Kraken, has agreed to buy Chicago-based derivatives venue Bitnomial for up to $550 million in cash and stock, a deal that would hand the group a full set of US licences for trading, clearing and broking digital-asset derivatives under Commodity Futures Trading Commission oversight. Announced on April 17, the transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026, subject […]
Strategy’s vast bitcoin treasury swung back into paper profit after the cryptocurrency climbed above $78,000, restoring gains on one of the market’s most closely watched corporate bets and reviving confidence in Michael Saylor’s high-risk, high-conviction strategy. Market data on Friday showed bitcoin trading as high as about $78,242, while Strategy’s latest disclosed average purchase price stood at roughly $75,577 per coin, leaving the company’s position above cost […]
Etihad Airways has set out one of its biggest Africa pushes in years, unveiling six new destinations across the continent as Abu Dhabi’s flag carrier deepens its reach into markets it says are being shaped by trade growth, cargo demand and rising cross-border mobility. The expansion adds services to Accra, Asmara, Kinshasa, Lagos, Harare and Lubumbashi, with the first of the new routes due to begin in […]
The talks reflected a clear attempt by both governments to give sharper economic content to a relationship that has long been friendly but comparatively understated when measured against each country’s larger Asian and Gulf partnerships. Official statements from Muscat said the two sides reviewed bilateral relations and discussed the growing pace of cooperation in trade and investment, while also exploring tourism and opportunities in diplomatic training. That mix of subjects points to a partnership being built not only around commerce, but also around government-to-government capacity building and softer channels of engagement.
A parallel audience with Sultan Haitham added political weight to the visit. During that meeting, the Thai side expressed appreciation for Oman’s humanitarian cooperation in evacuating the crew of a Thai vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, a detail that underscored how bilateral ties have also been shaped by practical crisis support in a strategically sensitive waterway. Beyond symbolism, such exchanges matter because they build trust at a time when Gulf-Asia relations are being redrawn by energy security concerns, shifting supply chains and the search for new tourism and logistics corridors.
For Oman, the push fits neatly with Vision 2040, the state’s long-term strategy to diversify beyond hydrocarbons by expanding tourism, logistics, manufacturing and foreign investment. For Thailand, the outreach aligns with a wider diplomatic and commercial effort to strengthen links with Gulf economies that can offer energy cooperation, investment capital and access to markets stretching across the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa. The Muscat discussions suggest both sides see room to connect these ambitions in practical sectors rather than leaving the relationship at the level of protocol.
Business engagement has already been gaining momentum. In August 2025, Omani and Thai business leaders held bilateral meetings focused on food security, healthcare, perfumes and cosmetics, showing that commercial interest has been widening beyond headline sectors. Another official report from Oman highlighted agriculture, health and beauty, textiles, food processing and jewellery as promising areas for deeper cooperation. That matters because it shows the latest ministerial meeting did not emerge in isolation; it builds on groundwork already laid by chambers, officials and private-sector representatives looking for sector-specific deals.
Tourism stands out as one of the most immediate areas for expansion. Oman’s diplomatic mission in Thailand lists tourism, education and culture among its key priorities, while the latest ministerial readout in Muscat specifically identified tourism as an area of joint interest. Thailand remains one of Asia’s strongest leisure brands, while Oman has been working to market itself as a premium destination blending heritage, coastline and mountain landscapes with higher-end hospitality. Better institutional coordination, easier travel processes and stronger airline and tour partnerships could all flow from this kind of diplomatic push, particularly as both countries try to capture more affluent long-haul travellers.
The inclusion of diplomatic training in the talks may appear secondary, yet it offers an important clue about how the relationship could evolve. Training cooperation typically creates durable bureaucratic links, shared expertise and more frequent official contact, all of which help sustain commercial and political initiatives over time. In a period marked by regional volatility and growing competition for investment, countries are placing greater value on institutional familiarity and faster communication between ministries, embassies and trade-promotion bodies.
A sweeping international law-enforcement campaign has disrupted one of the cybercrime market’s most accessible attack models, with authorities saying Operation PowerOFF warned more than 75,000 suspected users of distributed denial-of-service-for-hire services, took down 53 domains, issued 25 search warrants and made four arrests during a coordinated action week on 13 April. The effort, backed by Europol and involving agencies from 21 countries, targeted both the operators and […]
Falling oil prices after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz was open to commercial shipping have eased one of the sharpest inflation threats facing the US Federal Reserve, giving policymakers more room to consider rate cuts later this year if the decline in energy costs holds. Brent crude fell below $90 a barrel on Friday, April 17, for the first time since March 10, after dropping by […]
Iran said on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz was open to commercial shipping during the ceasefire, easing pressure on one of the world’s most sensitive energy chokepoints and helping lift Bitcoin towards $78,000 as investors moved back into risk assets. The market reaction was swift across oil, equities and cryptocurrencies, though the rebound also reflected wider hopes that hostilities involving the US, Israel and Iran may […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Oil prices fell sharply on Friday after Iran’s foreign minister said the Strait of Hormuz would remain open to commercial shipping during a ceasefire, easing immediate fears of a prolonged choke on one of the world’s most important energy routes. Brent crude and US West Texas Intermediate both tumbled by more than 11% at one stage of trading, as investors unwound risk premiums […]
Recruited from 12 universities, including Hainan University and Hainan Normal University, as well as other local organizations, the volunteers share the common nickname “Little Deer.” The name is derived from Sanya’s nickname, “Deer City,” and is meant to reflect the volunteers’ lively, warm, and friendly spirit.
“See ya in Sanya” is both the slogan of the Asian Beach Games and the guiding principle for its volunteers. Liang Zihan, a student from Hainan Tropical Ocean University, said: “Since the launch of the volunteer recruitment drive, whether it is learning about the Games, mastering multilingual communication, or taking part in scenario-based drills and emergency exercises, I have given it my all. I hope to convey Sanya’s warmth, openness, and inclusiveness to every friend who comes from afar.”
Alongside local students, the volunteer team also includes many young people from across China brought together by the Games. Wu Yujia, a sophomore at the Hospitality Institute of Sanya, is one of them. “I want to show a warm, caring, and energetic Sanya,” she said. When asked about her future plans, she did not hesitate: “I want to stay in Sanya.” In her eyes, the city’s pleasant climate and beautiful scenery have deepened her affection for it and strengthened her commitment to volunteering.
The 6th Asian Beach Games will be held in Sanya, Hainan, from April 22 to 30, 2026. Delegations from all 45 member countries and regions of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) will take part in what is the largest and most influential beach sports event in Asia. As the first major international sporting event to be held in Hainan after the independent customs operations of the Hainan Free Trade Port, the Games are not only a celebration of Asian sport but also an important opportunity for Hainan to present an open and welcoming face to the world.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Google is preparing to take its Android XR eyewear effort into luxury fashion through a partnership with Gucci, with Kering chief executive Luca de Meo saying the smart glasses are expected by 2027 rather than this year. The plan gives Google a high-end brand partner as it tries to turn experimental smart eyewear into something consumers will actually wear in public. The […]
RaveDAO’s RAVE token has staged one of the sharpest rallies in the digital-asset market this month, climbing more than 1,600% over seven days on major trackers and touching an all-time high near $19.7 before swinging violently lower and then rebounding. The scale and speed of the move have turned a little-known token tied to music, events and Web3 culture into a magnet for short-term traders, while also […]
A transfer of about $606,000 in bitcoin by the U. S. government to Coinbase has revived attention on one of the crypto market’s longest-running fallout stories, linking a small on-chain movement to the far larger question of how assets tied to the 2016 Bitfinex hack will ultimately be handled and what that could mean for Bitfinex’s outstanding recovery obligations and its UNUS SED LEO token. Blockchain-tracking reports […]
AD Ports Group says it has kept operations running normally through the Gulf supply chain disruption that began at the end of February, using its integrated network to reroute cargo across land, rail, sea and air as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained severely constrained. The Abu Dhabi-based operator said on April 16 that it had shifted volumes through Fujairah Terminals and Khor Fakkan Port, activated […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Emirates and Wesgro have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at increasing inbound travel to Cape Town and the Western Cape, giving the province a fresh marketing and air-connectivity push at a time when South Africa’s visitor numbers have climbed above pre-pandemic levels. The agreement was formalised on 16 April on the sidelines of World Travel Market Africa in Cape Town and was […]
Dogecoin climbed on Friday, extending a 24-hour advance that outpaced some larger digital assets and lifted sentiment across the meme-coin corner of the market, as traders responded to a burst in turnover and a broader recovery in risk appetite. Market trackers showed DOGE trading near 9.8 US cents on 17 April, with daily volumes above $2.5 billion and sharply higher than the previous day, pointing to […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan used meetings in Beijing with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang to push the UAE-China relationship deeper into energy, investment, technology and industrial cooperation, as both sides sought to align long-term economic goals with a more volatile regional backdrop. The visit, which ran from April 12 to April 14, also […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai MENA equity issuance fell sharply in the first quarter, with companies raising just $472.9 million from equity and equity-linked deals, a drop of 91% from a year earlier, as regional volatility, weak risk appetite and a thinner pipeline combined to stall activity across primary markets. The quarter produced only five transactions, according to LSEG’s MENA Investment Banking Review for the first three months […]
Alarm over the Strait of Hormuz is spilling far beyond the Gulf, sharpening attention on the Malacca Strait near Singapore as traders, shipowners and Asian governments weigh what a prolonged disruption in West Asian energy flows could mean for the region’s busiest maritime corridor. The immediate military confrontation is centred on Hormuz, where Iran has tightened restrictions and the United States has imposed a blockade on Iranian […]
Yoong had been one of the named leaders on UBS Global Wealth Management’s Indonesia market structure unveiled after the Credit Suisse integration. In that 2023 reorganisation, Conrad Huber was appointed head of Global Wealth Management Indonesia and Japan International, with Lionel Yoong listed among the Indonesia market team leaders. That structure reflected how central the Indonesia book had become to UBS’s Southeast Asia wealth ambitions, particularly from Singapore, a long-established hub for serving affluent Indonesian clients offshore.
The latest exit follows earlier turnover in the same coverage area. Industry publication Hubbis reported in July 2025 that two Singapore-based bankers focused on Indonesia, Lionel Poh and Edy Panggabean, were set to leave UBS Global Wealth Management, describing the departures as part of ongoing restructuring within the Indonesian market team. That report said UBS declined to comment at the time and noted that both bankers specialised in the Indonesia market, underscoring how staff churn has persisted well after the initial merger phase.
Additional reporting circulating on Friday indicated that Yoong was the third market head for Indonesia to leave UBS since the beginning of last year. While Bloomberg’s full report was not accessible through the browsing tool, that detail appeared consistently in syndicated summaries of the story, aligning with the pattern already visible from prior trade reporting on the unit. The broad direction is clear even if some specifics around internal timing remain private: UBS is still contending with personnel changes in a business line that sits at the intersection of Southeast Asian entrepreneurial wealth and Singapore’s offshore private banking market.
That matters because Indonesia has long been one of the more attractive yet more delicate pools of wealth in the region. Reuters Breakingviews wrote in 2023 that Credit Suisse had been particularly strong in Indonesia and neighbouring countries before the rescue takeover by UBS. Reuters also reported that Southeast Asia was among the regions where UBS and Credit Suisse had some of their greatest overlaps in wealth management and investment banking after the emergency deal in March 2023. Those overlaps made departures and selective restructuring all but inevitable as UBS sought to fold rival teams, cut duplication and keep high-value client relationships intact.
UBS’s challenge is not simply to stop people leaving. It is to do so while preserving momentum in an Asian wealth market that remains strategically important to the group. Chief executive Sergio Ermotti said in March 2024 that UBS planned to increase assets sourced from clients in Asia by 20% over five to six years, highlighting wealth and asset management as a core pillar of growth. That ambition helps explain why departures from specialised country teams are watched closely by rivals and recruiters: in private banking, senior relationship managers often carry client loyalty, local networks and revenue visibility that are not easily replaced.
At the same time, UBS has signalled that it is willing to invest where it sees stronger near-term return. Bloomberg reported in February that the bank planned to hire about 50 bankers for its Hong Kong wealth business after record revenue in North Asia, with a greater focus on high-net-worth clients. That hiring drive suggests the group is not retreating from Asian wealth management as a whole. Rather, it appears to be recalibrating where resources are deployed, even as parts of Southeast Asia continue to absorb the after-effects of the Credit Suisse acquisition.
There is also a broader industry angle. Asian Private Banker wrote this month that the region’s private banking sector saw a spike in exits over the past month as hiring slowed in March, a reminder that movement among senior bankers is not confined to UBS. Still, turnover draws sharper scrutiny when it affects a market as valuable as Indonesia, where wealthy entrepreneurial families often require cross-border booking, succession planning and sophisticated capital-markets access. Singapore remains a key booking centre for that business, so departures there can reverberate beyond one desk or one reporting line.
1. Constituent Review – ixCrypto Index Series
1. 1. ixCrypto Index (“IXCI”)
The number of constituents will remain at 19 with no additions and deletions.
Additions:
No addition
Deletions:
No deletion
The free float adjusted market capitalization coverage is 84.26%* (excluding stablecoins, which represents 10.90% of the total crypto universe), while the 90-day-average volume is 77.36%*. The recapping at 40% will take effect on the effective date.
Since the last review, there has been a decrease in the crypto total market capitalization from USD3.38T to USD2.62T (-22.53%)#, and a decrease in the daily volume from USD157.69B to USD108.17B (-31.40%)#. Bitcoin remains the largest crypto in the constituent list, with its price decreased by 24.58% since the last review.
1.2. ixCrypto Portfolio Indexes
1.2.1 ixCrypto 5 Equal Weight Index (“IXEW5”) and ixCrypto 5 Square Root Index (“IXSR5”)
Additions:
No addition
Deletions:
No deletion
1.2.2 ixCrypto 10 Equal Weight Index (“IXEW10”) and ixCrypto 10 Square Root Index (“IXSR10”).
Additions:
No addition
Deletions:
No deletion
1.2.3 ixCrypto Altcoin 10 EW Index (“IXAEW10”) and ixCrypto Altcoin 10 Square Root Index (“IXASR10”).
Additions: Monero
Deletions: Chainlink
1.3. ixCrypto BTC/ETH Indexes
As of the cut-off date on 31st March 2026, the ixCrypto BTC/ETH 50/50 Index (“IX5050”) maintains a 50%/50% weighting for the ixBitcoin Index “IXBI” and ixEthereum Index “IXEI”. The ixCrypto BTC/ETH Proportional Index (“IXPI”) has a weighting of 83.12% and 16.88% for IXBI and IXEI, respectively.
At the upcoming effective date, IX5050 weightings will remain unchanged at 50%/50%. IXPI weightings will be adjusted to 84.53% and 15.47% for IXBI and IXEI, respectively, reflecting the market capitalization proportions of Bitcoin and Ethereum at the cut-off date.
1.4. ixCrypto Stablecoin Index
The number of constituents will remain at 6 (Appendix 5). Stablecoin comprises 10.90% of the total crypto universe, and ixCrypto Stablecoin Index covers 98.26% of the 90-day average market capitalization in the stablecoin universe.
2. Exchange Review
To ensure the fairest price objective, all indexes are calculated based on average of multiple exchanges. As a result of exchange review, 10 exchanges passed the review process, which are as follows:
Deletion
The selected 10 exchanges will be used to generate each of the fair average prices for the IX indexes’ constituents. The exchange review covers volume rankings, exchange background checks, founders’ background checks, USD/USDT/USDC/BTC pair coverage, overconcentration rules, exchange API coverage checks, and stability, among other aspects, for an exchange.
For more details about our exchange selection criteria, please email [email protected]. More information on the ixCrypto Indexes, including their constituents and constituents’ weights, is provided in the Appendices, or refer to the website https://ix-index.com/.
*Exclude stable coins and coins that trigger conflict of interest (based on conflict-of-interest rule methodology 3.9, effective on Oct 2, 2020)
#As of 31th March 2026, based on the past 90 days average
XXXX (ADDITION)Newly introduced exchanges as of 2026 Q1
Appendix 1
| Universe | All crypto coins traded in at least two different exchanges around the world |
| Selection Criteria | Cryptocurrencies ranking in the top 80% of cumulative full market capitalization (“MC”) coverage and within an acceptable range in accordance with the Volume Buffer Rule in terms of 90-day average trading volume |
| Number of Constituents | 19 in Q1 2026 |
| Launch Date | 12th December 2018 |
| Base Date | 3rd December 2018 |
| Base Value | 1,000 |
| Reconstitution Rule | If the coverage is below 75% or any of constituents is not within an acceptable range in accordance with the Volume Buffer Rule in terms of 90-day average trading volume, IXCI will be reconstituted to bring MC coverage back and do liquidity screening. |
| Reconstitution and Rebalancing Frequency | Quarterly and with a fast entry rule |
| Weighting Methodology | Free float adjusted market capitalization weighted with a cap of 40% |
| Currency | US Dollar / HK Dollar [EOD in 14 currencies] |
| Dissemination | Every 5 seconds for 24×7
(On Bloomberg, Reuters and major information vendors) |
| Website | https://ix-index.com/ |
| Bloomberg Page | IXCI <GO> |
Appendix 2
| Crypto | 90-day-average- Market Cap | 90-day-average-Volume | Cut-off Price |
Cumulative Market Coverage | Weighting (%) After 40% Cap# | |
| 1 | Bitcoin | $1,533,407,044,481 | $43,779,443,111 | $66,691.44 | 58.59% | 40.00% |
| 2 | Ethereum | $291,140,668,312 | $23,907,396,435 | $2,023.51 | 69.71% | 25.84% |
| 3 | BNB | $99,700,601,834 | $2,038,341,597 | $608.55 | 73.52% | 8.78% |
| 4 | XRP | $98,820,126,064 | $3,218,693,555 | $1.32 | 77.30% | 8.59% |
| 5 | Solana | $58,322,802,634 | $4,336,158,111 | $82.44 | 79.53% | 5.00% |
| 6 | TRON | $27,802,977,066 | $657,701,996 | $0.32 | 80.59% | 3.20% |
| 7 | Dogecoin | $18,028,347,533 | $1,341,528,833 | $0.09 | 81.28% | 1.47% |
| 8 | Cardano | $11,055,216,118 | $608,106,281 | $0.24 | 81.70% | 0.93% |
| 9 | Bitcoin Cash | $10,617,756,282 | $424,111,900 | $459.70 | 82.10% | 0.97% |
| 10 | Hyperliquid | $8,515,529,227 | $338,272,606 | $36.79 | 82.43% | 1.00% |
| 11 | Monero | $7,415,161,010 | $124,095,526 | $321.29 | 82.71% | 0.63% |
| 12 | Chainlink | $7,273,963,510 | $623,444,392 | $8.61 | 82.99% | 0.65% |
| 13 | Stellar | $5,965,923,096 | $147,863,725 | $0.17 | 83.22% | 0.59% |
| 14 | Zcash | $4,956,891,601 | $450,471,925 | $225.56 | 83.41% | 0.40% |
| 15 | Litecoin | $4,745,674,586 | $397,678,356 | $53.20 | 83.59% | 0.43% |
| 16 | Avalanche | $4,565,289,028 | $327,621,719 | $8.79 | 83.76% | 0.40% |
| 17 | Sui | $4,558,926,661 | $688,122,173 | $0.86 | 83.94% | 0.36% |
| 18 | Hedera | $4,371,988,560 | $136,144,137 | $0.09 | 84.11% | 0.40% |
| 19 | Shiba Inu | $3,987,578,330 | $135,856,575 | $0.00 | 84.26% | 0.36% |
As of 31 March 2026
# Weighting (%) after 40% Cap is adjusted according to the cut-off price, the arrangement of order may not the same as 90-day-average-Market Cap
Selection of index constituents is based on the past 90-day-average market capitalization and volume.
For the calculation methodology of the index, please refer to the “ixCrypto Index Methodology Paper” on our website
Appendix 3
| Index Constituent | ixCrypto 5 EW Index | ixCrypto 5 SR Index | ixCrypto 10 EW Index | ixCrypto 10 SR Index | ixCrypto Altcoin 10 EW Index | ixCrypto Altcoin 10 SR Index |
|
| 1 | Bitcoin | 20.00% | 47.35% | 10.00% | 38.28% | – | – |
| 2 | Ethereum | 20.00% | 20.26% | 10.00% | 16.37% | 10.00% | 25.472% |
| 3 | BNB | 20.00% | 11.81% | 10.00% | 9.54% | 10.00% | 14.848% |
| 4 | XRP | 20.00% | 11.67% | 10.00% | 9.44% | 10.00% | 14.682% |
| 5 | Solana | 20.00% | 8.91% | 10.00% | 7.20% | 10.00% | 11.199% |
| 6 | TRON | – | – | 10.00% | 5.76% | 10.00% | 8.968% |
| 7 | Dogecoin | – | – | 10.00% | 3.91% | 10.00% | 6.085% |
| 8 | Cardano | – | – | 10.00% | 3.10% | 10.00% | 4.829% |
| 9 | Bitcoin Cash | – | – | 10.00% | 3.18% | 10.00% | 4.944% |
| 10 | Hyperliquid | – | – | 10.00% | 3.22% | 10.00% | 5.005% |
| 11 | Monero | – | – | – | – | 10.00% | 3.968% |
As of 31 March 2026
Appendix 4
| Crypto | 90-day-average Crypto Market Cap | 90-day-average Crypto Volume | Index Level | Weight in BTC/ETH 50/50 | Weight in BTC/ETH Proportional |
| Bitcoin | $1,533,407,044,481 | $43,779,443,111 | 16119.86 | 50.00% | 84.53% |
| Ethereum | $291,140,668,312 | $23,907,396,435 | 17402.12 | 50.00% | 15.47% |
As of 31 March 2026
Appendix 5
| Crypto | 90-day-average- Market Cap | 90-day-average- volume |
Cut-off Price | Cumulative Market Coverage |
Weighting (%) After 40% Cap | |
| 1 | USDt | $185,014,602,798 | $90,009,449,564 | $0.9991 | 7.07% | 40.00% |
| 2 | USDC | $75,247,269,332 | $12,399,472,322 | $0.9997 | 9.94% | 40.00% |
| 3 | Ethena USDe | $6,227,533,422 | $125,083,188 | $0.9991 | 10.18% | 6.02% |
| 4 | Dai | $5,364,237,297 | $153,912,985 | $0.9997 | 10.39% | 5.50% |
| 5 | World Liberty Financial USD | $4,432,479,244 | $1,826,951,498 | $0.9995 | 10.56% | 4.48% |
| 6 | PayPal USD | $3,897,616,348 | $150,988,466 | $0.9996 | 10.71% | 4.00% |
As of 31 March 2026
Appendix 6
Real time indexes are disseminated every 5-second interval for 24×7 since 23 June 2022. The real-time indexes are available for viewing on the IX Crypto Index official webpage and Bloomberg Page IXCI <GO>. For IXCI, IXBI and IXEI, the indexes are also available through Nasdaq Global Index Data Service (GIDS) with the tickers “IXCI”, “IXBI” and “IXEI”, with dissemination interval kept at 15-second unchanged.
The vendor tickers are shown below:
| Index Name | Bloomberg Ticker | TradingView Ticker | Reuters Ticker | |
| Real-time | Delayed | |||
| ixCrypto Index | IXCI | IXCI2 | IXCI | .IXCI |
| ixBitcoin Index | IXCBI | IXCBI2 | IXBI | .IXBI1 |
| ixEthereum Index | IXCEI | IXCEI2 | IXEI | .IXEI1 |
For further information about ixCrypto Index and other available indexes including IX Crypto spot price index series and EOD indexes, please visit company official webpage https://ix-index.com or subscribe to LinkedIn: IX Asia Indexes
For data licensing and product, please contact us at [email protected].
For free API use on academic research or trial, please contact [email protected]
Hashtag: #ixCryptoIndex
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
IX Capital International Limited is an award-winning index and investment advisory company. The index business arm- IX Asia Indexes, providing real-time digital asset and innovative indexes, disseminated 24×7 globally and built on robust infrastructure. Since the launch of the first crypto benchmark index (“IXCI”) launched in Hong Kong in December 2018, the ixCrypto index series expand into over 40 indexes designed for exchange futures products, mark-to-market, and fund managers’ portfolio construction purposes. To ensure the professionality and impartiality of the index methodologies and operations, IX Asia Indexes has established its index advisory committee with representation from different industries, including fund management, exchanges, brokerage, financial blockchain experts, crypto service providers, etc. The committee will meet quarterly a year to discuss matters relating to the IX Asia Indexes, including to review and to comment the data sources, methodologies, and operations of IX Asia Indexes, to provide guidance to the future development of new IX Asia Indexes and to handle other issues and decisions on an as-needed basis.
IX Asia Indexes was awarded the Fintech Award (wealth investment and management) 2019 and 2021 organised by ETNet. It as well won an award for Startup of the Year and Basic Technology (Big Data) from Hong Kong Fintech Impetus Awards 2022 by Metro Broadcast and KPMG. It also won Asia Pacific Enterprise Achievement Award 2024 by Echolade. IX Asia Indexes completed its IOSCO compliance statement and obtained ISO/IEC 27001:2022 UKAS certification.
Website: 
https://ix-index.com/
Advisory Committee: https://ix-index.com/committee.htm
The ixCrypto index (“IXCI”) is the first crypto index launched in Hong Kong. It was launched on 12 December 2018. It is denominated in USD with a base value of 1000 and a base date on 3 December 2018. Designed to be easy to understand while providing a good representation of the crypto market, ixCrypto index aims to cover the top 80% of the cumulative free-float adjusted market capitalization in the crypto universe and, at the same time, the crypto currencies should fall within the top liquid cryptos ranked by trading volume in the 90 days preceding the review date. The index is to be reviewed quarterly and with a fast entry rule. Real time indexes are disseminated every 5-second for 24×7 since 23 June 2022. Real time index data together with ixBitcoin Index and ixEthereum Index can be obtained from IX Asia Indexes Data Services and Bloomberg terminal on IXCI <GO>. For IXCI, IXBI and IXEI, the indexes are also available through Nasdaq Global Index Data Service (GIDS) with the tickers “IXCI”, “IXBI”, “IXEI”, with dissemination interval kept at 15-second unchanged. Wechat: 信昇亞洲指數.
Anthropic has rolled out Claude Opus 4.7, an upgraded version of its top broadly available artificial intelligence model, pitching it as a stronger tool for advanced software engineering just days after keeping its more powerful Mythos Preview behind tight access controls because of cyber-risk concerns. The move gives developers a more capable coding model while signalling that Anthropic is trying to balance commercial momentum with a more […]
Greenlogue/AP The UAE Ministry of Investment has signed a memorandum of understanding with China’s Jereh Group to develop an integrated clean energy and industrial platform in the Emirates, in a move that aligns industrial expansion with lower-carbon power and deeper commercial ties between Abu Dhabi and Beijing. The agreement was signed by Mohammad Abdulrahman Alhawi, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Investment, and Li Weibin, Executive President of […]
The scale of that shift is visible in the medical figures. South Korea’s health authorities said 606,000 foreign patients visited in 2023, the highest number recorded since the country began tracking the sector in 2009. By 2024, the official Medical Korea platform put the figure at about 1.17 million foreign patients from 202 countries, while Seoul alone accounted for 999,642 of them, or about 85 per cent of the national total. The concentration in the capital is striking: Gangnam, Seocho, Mapo, Jung and Songpa handled the overwhelming bulk of these visits, confirming that beauty tourism is being shaped by a handful of highly specialised urban clusters rather than by the country as a whole.
Dermatology has emerged as the clearest entry point. Health ministry data for 2023 showed dermatology attracting the largest share of foreign patients, ahead of plastic surgery, and industry reporting through 2025 indicated skin treatments were outpacing more invasive procedures among international visitors. That matters because it widens the customer base. Travellers who might hesitate over surgery are more willing to book laser treatments, pigmentation care, lifting procedures, injectables or intensive facials during a short stay. The result is a form of tourism that overlaps with shopping and leisure rather than replacing them, making beauty visits easier to package into ordinary city breaks.
Government and tourism bodies have not treated this as a side trend. The Korea Tourism Organization has already built beauty directly into destination marketing through programmes such as the Korea Beauty Festival, which offers overseas visitors discounts and experiences across hair, make-up, fashion, medical treatment and wellbeing. Seoul authorities have also expanded the infrastructure around foreign patients, pointing to a jump in registered international medical centres and greater use of interpreter coordinators to help overseas visitors navigate consultations and aftercare. That kind of support helps explain why South Korea’s beauty appeal now rests not just on trendsetting products but on the ease of consuming beauty services inside a highly organised visitor ecosystem.
Another force behind the surge is the spread of Korean popular culture. K-pop, drama and celebrity social media have long influenced global beauty standards, but the commercial effect is now spilling into travel. Reuters reported on Thursday that South Korea logged an all-time monthly tourism high of 2.06 million foreign visitors in March, with first-quarter arrivals reaching 4.76 million. That growth was linked chiefly to cultural pull, including the return of BTS activity and wider interest in Korean entertainment. Beauty tourism benefits from the same soft-power halo: audiences who first encounter Korean looks through idols, actors or influencers are increasingly seeking the clinics, salons and skincare routines associated with them.
Commerce tells the same story. Reuters reported last year that South Korea overtook France as the largest cosmetics exporter to the United States in 2024, underlining how deeply Korean brands have penetrated daily routines abroad. Official trade ministry material later said cosmetics exports reached a record $10.2 billion in 2024 and were still climbing in 2025, while other official data cited in January put 2025 exports at an all-time high of $11.43 billion. Those sales matter because they function as marketing for the destination itself. Consumers who begin with Beauty of Joseon, Medicube, Biodance or similar brands often move from product loyalty to place loyalty, treating Seoul as the authentic site where innovation, testing and experience come together.
Yet the boom is not without friction. South Korea ended its VAT refund scheme for foreign cosmetic and dermatological procedures from January 2026 after allowing the incentive to run for about a decade. Industry groups warned that the move could dent price competitiveness and push more cost-sensitive travellers towards rivals such as Singapore or other regional markets. Some clinics, however, argued that the refund had become less decisive than reputation, safety and trust, especially for visitors worried about counterfeit products, opaque pricing or weaker specialist ecosystems elsewhere. That debate goes to the heart of South Korea’s position: whether it is winning mainly on affordability or on brand, quality and concentration of expertise.
