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GEM SRILANKA is organized by the Ceylon Gem and Jewellery Traders Association (CGJTA).It has over 2,000 members covering key gem-producing regions in Sri Lanka, including Beruwala, Ratnapura, and Galle, providing a professional platform for gemstone industry professionals worldwide to network, collaborate, and explore the world of gemstones in depth.

The exhibition set new records in both scale and attendance

This edition of the exhibition featured a total of 150 booths, attracting a large number of local and international buyers. Mr. Sunil Handunnetti, Minister of Industry and Enterprise Development of Sri Lanka; Rizwan Naeem, Vice Chairman of CGJTA,Mr. Andrew Lucas, President of GUILD Gemology Education and active field gemologist, Ms Ruby Liu, President of GUILD Gem Laboratories, and other distinguished guests attended the event.

At the Gem Sri Lanka 2026 gemstone exhibition, exhibitors comprehensively showcased their professional expertise across all stages of the gemstone industry value chain. Covering key areas such as mining, cutting, polishing, and heat treatment, the exhibition was guided by the core values of integrity and transparency, ensuring consistently high professional standards throughout. At the same time, this edition presented an immersive experience showcasing the long and diverse history of Sri Lanka’s gemstone industry, with detailed introductions to the country’s renowned sapphires and star sapphires. A dedicated premium exhibition zone was also curated to highlight exceptional sapphires and high-end colored gemstone collections.

According to data from GUILD Gem Laboratories, the number of gemstone samples submitted during the exhibition reached a new record high, directly reflecting the strong activity of the Sri Lanka trading market and further indicating a recovery trend in the global gemstone market at the beginning of the year.”The colored gemstone market in 2025 continues to evolve in terms of supply chains and color preferences. Although the market faced numerous supply-side challenges in 2024, against the backdrop of current conditions in the diamond market and rising gold prices, colored gemstones still demonstrate strong potential to gain increased market share.”Andrew Lucas noted in the opening of the GUILD 2025 Colored Gemstone Market Report.

Sri Lanka — a world-renowned gemstone trading hub

Sri Lanka has a thriving and highly valuable trade in precious and semi-precious gemstones, earning international recognition for its high-quality gemstones as well as its exceptional cutting and finishing craftsmanship. The gemstones produced in Sri Lanka consistently meet—and often exceed—the highest industry standards.

The country has long occupied a pivotal position in the global gemstone industry, serving as an integrated global hub encompassing mining, cutting, treatment, and trade. Buyers from major markets such as Japan, India, and China continue to travel to Sri Lanka, where they can observe the entire colored gemstone supply chain. Supported by a deep-rooted gemstone culture, extensive expertise, and an innovative mindset, Sri Lanka has developed a keen understanding of global market dynamics.

In recent years, by combining rough gemstone sourcing from Africa, Madagascar, and Southeast Asia with its renowned local cutting craftsmanship, Sri Lanka has further strengthened its position in the global gemstone industry.

GUILD Made a Dual-Booth Appearance at Gem Sri Lanka

As an internationally recognized gemstone testing authority, GUILD has long been committed to the study of field gemology, collecting A-type reference samples from major mining regions around the world to provide global industry professionals with accurate, authoritative, and efficient testing services. Since the inception of the exhibition, GUILD has served as a Platinum Sponsor of Gem Sri Lanka for three consecutive editions. At this year’s event, GUILD made its first-ever dual-booth appearance, featuring both GUILD Gem Laboratories and GUILD Gemology Education.

At the GUILD Gem Laboratories booth, a team of senior gemologists from GUILD Beruwala offered 24–48 hour rapid testing services to exhibitors and buyers, covering gemstone identification, treatment detection, and related services, providing reliable support for global gemstone trading and procurement. During the exhibition, the 2025 GUILD Colored Gemstone Market Report was also launched in limited quantities, serving as an important reference for industry trends and market direction.

Making its debut, the GUILD Gemology Education booth focused on the knowledge needs of professionals from both domestic and international markets, comprehensively presenting GUILD’s education and training programs as well as its overseas study tours. The booth showcased the English editions of Journey of Gems, professional color charts, and the combined volume of Microscopic Wonders: A Gemstone Inclusion Atlas, all of which were warmly received by industry professionals from around the world.

Focusing on a global perspective, driving the advancement of industry development

GUILD will continue to deepen its presence in the international gemstone market, leveraging its professional expertise to support the transparency and standardization of the global gemstone industry. Working together with industry peers, GUILD aims to explore new possibilities in source-origin trade and looks forward to even more highlights at the next edition of Gem Sri Lanka.

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Agreement reaffirms Media OutReach Newswire’s role as the leading newswire for Asia Pacific

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 January 2026 – Asia News Network (ANN) and Media OutReach Newswire have entered a partnership for corporate news releases. The landmark agreement means that Media OutReach Newswire, as the only newswire, provides guaranteed online news postings on the ANN news website.

ANN was formed in 1999 to promote coverage of news from Asia through Asian journalists, bringing Asia closer. This aligns well with Media OutReach Newswire’s goal of bringing the stories of Asian organisations to journalists and audiences across Asia Pacific and globally.

As Asia’s leading news media alliance, ANN consists of 20 leading media titles from Southeast Asia, East Asia and South Asia. The full list of ANN member media can be found in the table below.

The landmark corporate press release partnership means that Media OutReach Newswire significantly enhances the reach and impact of clients’ communications across Asia, making their press releases reach even wider audiences in countries across the region and the globe. It is also testament to the uniquely high level of trust that exists between Media OutReach Newswire and the media. Each of the 20 member media gave Media OutReach their vote of confidence, and each of the media is the leading publication in their respective home country.

Jennifer Kok, Founder & CEO of Media OutReach Newswire, said: “We are very pleased, proud and honoured to have entered this partnership with ANN. Not only is it Asia’s leading news media alliance, but the group’s members are also the leading newspapers of their countries, publications with the highest of reputations. The partnership enables us to significantly increase the reach and impact of our clients, across Asia and the globe, further cementing Media OutReach Newswire as the leading newswire for Asia Pacific.”

Jennifer continued, “The partnership also means that we’re the only newswire that provides guaranteed online news posting on ANN, strengthening our clients’ online visibility – both in terms of SEO and GEO for AI search – leading to higher rankings and citations in AI generated answers.” She concluded, “Furthermore, ANN and Media OutReach share the same ethos and goal, which is to promote the coverage of Asian affairs, bringing the stories of Asian organisations to audiences across Asia and the globe, so the partnership is a perfect fit.”

Media OutReach Newswire is the only newswire that provides guaranteed online news posting exclusively and 100% on real, authentic news media. The guaranteed posting of press releases on authoritative online news media sites such as ANN, with its high credibility and trust, along with hundreds of thousands monthly visitors, provides a powerful tool to boost brand visibility – both GEO for AI Search and SEO for search engines – and it leads to brand citations in the AI generated answers from the leading LLMs.

The landmark partnership with Asia News Network further cements Media OutReach Newswire as the leading global newswire for Asia Pacific. Media OutReach Newswire offers clients the widest press release distribution network in Asia Pacific – along with guaranteed visibility on real news media across Asia Pacific, the wider Asia region and the globe.

Media OutReach Newswire’s total communications solutions help PR professionals achieve success, with targeted distribution, direct journalist access, guaranteed visibility on real news media, ready-to-use reporting, and C-suite ready PR campaign intelligence showing ROI.

Hashtag: #MediaOutReachNewswire #pressrelease

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About Media OutReach Newswire

Media OutReach Newswire is Asia Pacific’s first global newswire, serving as a trusted partner to the media, and PR professionals at corporations, agencies and governments across the region and the globe.

Founded in 2009 as a champion of the PR industry, Media OutReach Newswire leverages next-generation technology to redefine press release distribution and reporting, with data insights and PR campaign intelligence, providing total communications solutions for PR professionals.

With a global network of 200,000 journalists and editors, 70,000+ media titles, 1,500 media partners, and more than 40 languages, Media OutReach Newswire is the only newswire with guaranteed verbatim postings exclusively on real news sites. Press releases on authentic media are trusted by search engines and AI models, powering both SEO and AI search GEO, surfacing brands for LLM citations.

Headquartered in Hong Kong, with offices across China, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Taiwan, the global press release distribution network spans Asia Pacific and Southeast Asia, the US, Canada, South and Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

For more information about our services, solutions and network, please visit www.media-outreach.com

Republic of Korea delivered its largest current account surplus ever recorded for a November, underpinned by a sharp rebound in exports led by semiconductors, according to data released by the central bank, reinforcing signs that Asia’s fourth-largest economy is benefiting from a global technology upcycle.

Figures published by Bank of Korea showed the surplus widened markedly from a year earlier, driven primarily by goods exports as overseas demand for memory chips and advanced components strengthened. The milestone November result adds to a sequence of solid monthly balances this year and signals improving external resilience after a period of volatility linked to energy prices and weaker global trade.

Exports rose at a double-digit pace year on year, with semiconductors once again the dominant contributor. Chip shipments, which had slumped during the global downturn in memory prices, rebounded strongly as inventories normalised and orders increased from data-centre operators and manufacturers deploying artificial intelligence workloads. Analysts said demand for high-bandwidth memory and advanced logic chips has been particularly supportive for Korean producers.

The current account surplus, which measures the balance of trade in goods and services alongside income flows, was also supported by a narrower energy import bill. Lower prices for crude oil and liquefied natural gas compared with last year reduced the cost of imports, amplifying the positive effect of export growth. Services remained in deficit, reflecting outbound travel by residents, but the shortfall was smaller than earlier in the year.

Economists link the export recovery to the improving cycle in global technology spending. Korean chipmakers, led by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, have benefited from rising prices for dynamic random-access memory and NAND flash products, as well as from long-term contracts tied to AI infrastructure. Both firms have announced higher capital expenditure plans focused on advanced memory and packaging technologies, moves that are already filtering through trade data.

Beyond semiconductors, shipments of automobiles, machinery and petrochemical products also contributed positively. Vehicle exports remained robust despite softer demand in some advanced economies, reflecting competitive pricing and the growing popularity of electric and hybrid models produced by Korean manufacturers. Machinery exports gained from infrastructure and energy projects across the Middle East and parts of Southeast Asia.

Income from overseas investments added another layer of support. Dividend and interest receipts from Korean companies’ foreign assets increased, offsetting profit repatriation by foreign firms operating domestically. This helped keep the overall current account firmly in surplus despite the persistent services deficit.

Policy makers view the November outcome as confirmation that the economy is on a steadier footing. The central bank has previously signalled that a sustained export-led recovery would ease pressure on monetary policy, even as it remains cautious about household debt and property-market risks. A strong external balance also provides a buffer against currency volatility, a concern earlier in the year when the won weakened amid global interest-rate uncertainty.

Still, officials and analysts warn that risks remain. The export outlook is closely tied to the durability of the global technology rebound and to geopolitical developments that could disrupt supply chains or dampen investment sentiment. Slower growth in major trading partners or renewed trade frictions could weigh on momentum in coming months. Services exports, particularly tourism, have yet to return to levels seen before the pandemic, limiting diversification of the external balance.

WHY HOME SECURITY MATTERS FOR SENIORS
Living alone can bring unique challenges for the elderly, from rising concerns around home break-ins, to the growing need for remote support from family members, security plays a vital role in enabling seniors to confidently remain in their own homes.

HOW ARLO SUPPORTS SENIOR SAFETY
Simplicity For Peace Of Mind

• Simple, Wire-Free Setup: No complicated installations – Arlo’s cameras are designed for easy placement indoors or outdoors, perfect for seniors who want hassle-free security.
• Hassle-Free Power Options: From solar panels to wired security options, Arlo offers flexible power solutions, so seniors don’t need to worry about changing batteries.
• Share Access with Family: Multiple family members can be granted access through the Arlo Secure Plus app, making it easier for loved ones to stay connected and support from afar.
• Easy Remote Check-Ins: Arlo’s Secure mobile app lets family members check in on loved ones in real time, viewing live feeds or receiving alerts, offering peace of mind from anywhere.
• Two-Way Communication: Arlo’s cameras are designed with built-in microphones and speakers allowing seniors to speak directly with family or carers.
• Deterrence Features: Built-in sirens and spotlight capabilities can help deter potential intruders before anything happens.

Smart AI For Peace Of Mind

• Smart Alerts: Customisable motion alerts will notify caregivers by sending a notification to their smartphones – helping to facilitate prompt responses to potential dangers.
• Know Who’s At The Door: Arlo’s wire-free video doorbells and cameras let seniors see and speak to anyone at the door without getting up or opening it, offering both convenience and security. Arlo’s cameras can also be personalised to recognise familiar faces. When a known person is detected, their name can appear directly in the notification, ideal for seniors with vision challenges.
• Know Whose Vehicle Is On The Property: Personalised vehicle alerts also provide extra reassurance, helping seniors confirm when a family member has arrived or a known car is in the driveway. Again, ideal for seniors with vision challenges.
• Custom Detection Zones: Set up alerts for things that might be forgotten, such as a side gate left open. Keeping seniors aware without relying on memory alone.
• Fire & Smoke Alarm Detection: For seniors who are still confidently cooking at home, Arlos’ AI-powered notifications alert you when a flame is detected. Whether it’s an unattended stovetop or a forgotten oven, Arlo can instantly alert caregivers or family members, helping prevent accidents before they escalate.
• Advanced Audio Detection: For seniors using an Essential Indoor 2K camera, Arlo’s Advanced Audio Detection capability notifies users when critical sounds such as screams, gunshots, dog barks, glass breaking, or Smoke/CO alarms are detected. Bringing added security to everyday tasks such as cooking & putting glassware away.

As our loved ones age, their safety and well-being becomes even more important. We want to support them with the care they deserve, while respecting their independence. Arlo’s technology adds an extra layer of reassurance without being invasive, making home security smarter and safer for older people living alone. From smart alerts to remote check-ins, Arlo understands independence without compromise.

For more information on the full range of Arlo smart security products and services, visit https://www.arlo.com/asia/.
Hashtag: #Arlo

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About Arlo Technologies, Inc.

Arlo is an award-winning, industry leader that is transforming the ways in which people can protect everything that matters to them with advanced home, business, and personal security solutions. Arlo’s deep expertise in AI- and CV-powered analytics, cloud services, user experience and product design, and innovative wireless and RF connectivity enables the delivery of a seamless, smart security experience for Arlo users that is easy to set up and interact with every day. Arlo’s cloud-based platform provides users with visibility, insight, and a powerful means to help protect and connect in real-time with the people and things that matter most, from any location with a Wi-Fi or a cellular connection. Arlo has recently launched several categories of award-winning connected devices, software, and services. These include wire-free, smart Wi-Fi and LTE-enabled security cameras, video doorbells, floodlights, security system, and Arlo’s subscription services: Arlo Secure and Arlo Safe.

With a mission to bring users peace of mind, Arlo is as passionate about protecting user privacy as it is about safeguarding homes and families. Arlo is committed to implementing industry standards for data protection designed to keep users’ personal information private and in their control. Arlo provides enhanced controls for user data, supports privacy legislation, keeps user data safely secure, and puts security at the forefront of company culture.

Produced in collaboration with Flagship Advisory Partners, the guide shares the essential steps to design and scale debit, credit and prepaid card programmes, from pilot to launch.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Media OutReach Newswire – 9 January 2026 – Paymentology, the leading global issuer processor, has shared a new ‘Quick Start Guide’ that gives fintechs, banks and brands a clear route to launching card programmes in the Philippines. Created with consulting firm Flagship Advisory Partners, the guide turns market structure, operating models, regulatory roles and delivery steps into a practical path from idea to go-live.

Card adoption in the Philippines is accelerating at pace. New virtual banks are launching, and rural banks are expanding their models with modern payment methods, all to meet the needs of hundreds of millions of transactions and a rapidly digitising population. In 2025, Filipinos used 283 million cards to move PHP 11.3 trillion, with debit driving five billion annual transactions, prepaid topping 100 million cards and commercial cards surging at 21% growth a year. That mix creates prime conditions for new programmes, provided issuers set clear responsibilities, choose a model that fits and plug into local rails like BancNet.

Minh Ha Truong, Head of Growth Asia Pacific at Paymentology, said: “Launching cards in the Philippines isn’t just about speed to market, it’s about building a sustainable model that can scale within a highly localised ecosystem. This guide distils the practical decisions issuers need to make around operating models, compliance and local rails like BancNet, so they can focus on delivering differentiated products and sustainable growth.”

Paymentology’s Quick Start Guide for New Card Programmes in the Philippines shows issuers how to pick the right operating model – whether technical processing, programme management or co‑branded – and how to define responsibilities across the ecosystem. It also explains how licence sponsors and programme managers can reduce compliance burden while maintaining control of the customer experience. What’s inside the Quick Start Guide for New Card Programmes in the Philippines:

Erik Howell, Partner at Flagship Advisory Partners, also commented: “Launching a card product here involves a specific mix of licensing, scheme requirements, operating decisions and the use of local rails. Working with Paymentology, we’ve brought these elements together in a way that helps issuers approach the market with clarity and confidence.”

The Quick Start Guide to Card Programmes in the Philippines is available to download now at: https://www.paymentology.com/guide/issuing-new-card-programmes-philippines

Hashtag: #CardProgramme #Payments #NextGenerationPayments #Fintech

https://www.paymentology.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/paymentology/
https://x.com/Paymentology

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According to research by Knight Frank, demand for sustainable real estate is being led decisively by younger generations. A significant majority of respondents in its Next Generation Survey indicated they are willing to pay up to 20 percent more for environmentally friendly products. More importantly, this preference is already translating into action: 63 percent of Millennials have invested in sustainable portfolios, compared with just 35 percent of Baby Boomers.

At the very top of the wealth pyramid, ultra-high-net-worth individuals are setting explicit targets to reduce their personal carbon emissions. Real estate, among the most carbon-intensive and capital-heavy asset classes, is therefore under direct pressure to evolve. At the same time, institutional investors are placing growing emphasis on social outcomes, from workplace wellbeing to broader community health. Assets that fail to meet these expectations increasingly face liquidity risk.

In this context, ESG is now widely understood as a form of future-proofing. Like a massive ship altering course in open waters, the global real estate industry may take time to visibly change direction. But once the new trajectory is set, those that fail to adapt will inevitably be left behind.

The Limits of Retrofitted Sustainability

Yet most cities were never designed for this moment. Built for speed, density, and economic efficiency, they now struggle to reconcile legacy structures with contemporary ESG demands. The prevailing response has been retrofitting, adding green technologies, improving energy efficiency, or introducing pockets of open space where possible.

These measures are necessary, but they reveal a fundamental limitation. ESG, when layered onto an outdated urban model, can only go so far. There is a ceiling to how sustainable a city can become if its foundations were never meant to support that vision.

This raises a more radical question: What if ESG were not an upgrade, but the starting point? What if a city were conceived entirely around environmental balance, social wellbeing, and long-term governance from its very first blueprint?

An answer to that question is emerging, not from Europe or North America, but from Vietnam.

Vinhomes Green Paradise and the Idea of “ESG++ from the Ground Up”

On the southern edge of Ho Chi Minh City, where land meets sea, Vingroup is developing what many observers consider one of the world’s rare examples of a truly next-generation urban model, Vinhomes Green Paradise.

This is not a conventional large-scale real estate project with sustainability features added along the way. It is a city built entirely on the logic of ESG, what some experts have begun to describe as “ESG++ from the ground up”.

The location itself tells the first chapter of that story. Vinhomes Green Paradise is framed by the East Sea and a vast mangrove ecosystem recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve. Spanning more than 75,000 hectares, the Can Gio mangrove forest is one of Southeast Asia’s most important natural assets, functioning as a carbon sink, a biodiversity haven, and a natural coastal defense system.

Rather than pushing against this environment, the project is shaped by it.

Covering 2,870 hectares, Vinhomes Green Paradise maintains a construction density of just 16 percent. The overwhelming majority of land is dedicated to green space and water. A 121-kilometer coastline defines the city’s interface with the sea, while at its heart lies an 800-hectare natural seawater lagoon, an ecological and civic centerpiece rarely seen even among the world’s most ambitious coastal cities.

Here, nature is not an amenity. It is infrastructure.

A Global Contender for the Cities of the Future

Because of this foundational approach, Vinhomes Green Paradise is increasingly viewed as a strong Asian contender, often described as a “hidden gem”, in global initiatives recognizing future-ready urban developments.

Environmental integration alone, however, does not define the project. Its aspiration extends equally to technology, governance, and human experience.

Designed as a fully integrated smart city, Vinhomes Green Paradise applies IoT, big data, and artificial intelligence across urban management, operations, and environmental monitoring. The objective is not technological spectacle, but a city that operates intelligently, efficiently, and transparently, one that adapts in real time to how people live, move, and interact.

If the environment forms the foundation and technology provides the nervous system, people are unmistakably at the center of Vinhomes Green Paradise.

The project’s social infrastructure is planned as a cohesive ecosystem rather than a collection of isolated amenities. Healthcare is anchored by Vinmec, in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic, bringing international clinical standards into everyday urban life. Education is delivered through Vinschool alongside Brighton College, ensuring continuity from early education to globally benchmarked schooling.

The city’s vision extends across generations. Purpose-built senior living, cultural venues, and public spaces are seamlessly integrated. A seven-hectare waterfront theater establishes a cultural anchor, while sports and recreation are elevated through two championship 18-hole golf courses designed by firms founded by Tiger Woods and Robert Trent Jones. Large-scale entertainment and lifestyle destinations further contribute to a city that is not only sustainable, but vibrant.

According to Arnaud Ginolin, Managing Director of Boston Consulting Group in Vietnam, Vinhomes Green Paradise brings together all the elements required to establish a new global benchmark, one that balances sustainability with dynamism and ESG principles with holistic human experience.

Vietnam’s Statement to the World

In the first nine months of 2025, Vietnam recorded more than 58,000 successful real estate transactions, doubling year on year. In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, primary residential prices have reached historic highs, compressing opportunities and pushing investors toward new frontiers.

Can Gio has emerged as one of those frontiers. Once viewed as a geographic dead end, the district is now being repositioned as Ho Chi Minh City’s strategic gateway to the sea. Search interest has surged, and capital flows from northern Vietnam are increasingly directed southward.

Infrastructure is the catalyst behind this transformation. Planned high-speed rail will connect central Ho Chi Minh City to Can Gio in just minutes. The long-awaited Can Gio Bridge is set to remove persistent bottlenecks. New interregional road links, port developments, and proximity to Long Thanh International Airport are integrating the area into regional and global trade networks.

What was once peripheral is becoming strategic.

In an era when many of the world’s great cities are struggling to reinvent themselves, Vietnam is offering a different answer: Build differently from the start. Use ESG not as a corrective tool, but as a foundation.

Vinhomes Green Paradise is therefore a statement, about where the next ideas in urban living may come from, and how sustainability, human wellbeing, and long-term value can be aligned rather than traded off.

While the ESG conversation has long been dominated by Western capitals, one of its most ambitious realizations is taking shape in Southeast Asia, guided by willingness to rethink the fundamentals of urban life.

Sources: https://apac.knightfrank.com/hubfs/Research%20Reports/Residential/Report%20PDFs/Knight%20Frank_The%20Wealth%20Report%202025.pdf

Hashtag: #VinhomesGreenParadise

https://vinhomes.vn/en

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