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A newly completed Hong Kong study suggests there may finally be a way to bridge that gap. The AIM Greater China Psychology Research Group has completed a Hong Kong-based study conducted in the 2025–2026 academic year, comparing the effectiveness of human hypnotherapists against AI in delivering hypnotic experience-based stress relief experiences. The findings were striking: a significant proportion of participants felt that both approaches yielded virtually equivalent levels of relaxation — and more than 60% reported preferring their AI session after the fact.

Over 400 Applicants: A Reflection of a Generation in Need of Being Heard

The research team recruited participants experiencing family-related stress via Facebook. Within a short period of the post going live, over 400 individuals voluntarily applied — a figure that speaks not only to the pervasiveness of stress in modern life, but also to a growing willingness among the public to prioritise their own emotional wellbeing and actively seek self-care solutions.

From the applicant pool, 48 participants were randomly selected to take part. Each participant underwent two separate hypnotic experience stress relief audio sessions, each lasting approximately one hour — one recorded by a human hypnotherapist, and one fully generated by AI, including both the script and voice. Participants then compared their personal experiences of both sessions.

What Humans Can Do, AI Can Do Too

In the most critical area of comparison — stress relief effectiveness — the largest single group of participants (41.7%) rated the AI and human sessions as equally effective. On a scoring basis, the AI hypnotic experience averaged approximately 2.92 points, compared to 2.58 points for the human session — with AI coming out marginally ahead.

The study further found that nearly 90% of participants indicated they would enjoy a session if it genuinely helped them feel relaxed. In other words, what people truly care about is whether it works — not whether the voice behind it belongs to a human or a machine. On this front, AI has passed the test.

Over 60% More Willing to Share Their Feelings with AI

The results around personal preference were perhaps the most eye-opening. When asked which session they enjoyed more, 62.5% of participants chose the AI experience — and among women, that number climbed even higher, to 68.4%.

So what made AI the preferred choice? Researchers believe it comes down to one simple thing: feeling safe. With AI, there is no worry about being judged. No fear of saying the wrong thing. No awkwardness. About 1 in 4 participants said they actually found it easier to talk openly with AI — because it communicates in a way that feels clear, calm, and natural, much like everyday conversation.

The truth is, some things are just easier to say when no one is watching. That is not a flaw in human nature — it is simply how many of us work.

When it came to privacy, the findings were equally reassuring. More than half of all participants said they had no concerns about AI handling their personal information. Only a very small number — just 2.08% — said they felt uncomfortable. This points to a growing sense of trust in AI tools among the general public.

AI Reads the Data; Therapists Read the Person

Beyond the hypnotic experience itself, the local research team also evaluated AI’s capability as an analytical tool — with equally impressive results.

AI was able to rapidly process large volumes of participant responses, objectively assess individual stress levels, and identify underlying patterns. For instance, AI identified that 35% of participants independently expressed a desire for “personal space” or “better soundproofing” in their homes. On the surface, these may seem like trivial lifestyle concerns — yet AI connected this pattern to the reality of Hong Kong residents living in constrained spaces, highlighting a deeper psychological sense of having “nowhere to breathe”. This level of insight would be difficult to uncover through manual review of dozens of questionnaires alone.

AI also observed that many participants habitually occupied the role of “problem-solver” or “mediator” within their households, suppressing their own emotional needs in the process. Researchers noted that this reflects a widely recognised social phenomenon — the pressures faced by eldest daughters and the so-called “sandwich generation,” caught between the responsibilities of caring for ageing parents and raising children. AI’s ability to rapidly identify these hidden emotional burdens allows therapists to bypass lengthy preliminary assessments and focus more swiftly on the core issues that require their attention.

AI Is Here to Help, Not to Take Over

The local research team emphasises that the study was never intended to position AI as a replacement for human therapists. Rather, the aim is to explore how the two can work in tandem. Much like how blood test reports assist physicians in diagnosis, AI can play an analogous supporting role in the mental health field — organising data, identifying patterns, and lowering barriers to seeking help, so that mental health professionals can direct their energy towards the moments that truly require a human touch.

Those who proactively seek psychological support remain a minority, often deterred by the fear of inconvenience, social stigma, or the awkwardness of speaking up. If AI can serve as the bridge that encourages more people to take that first step, that alone may be its most meaningful contribution to society.

Hashtag: #HypnosisInstitute

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Hypnosis Institute

Hypnosis Institute is dedicated to helping people in Hong Kong lead healthier and more fulfilling lives through hypnotic experience. We offer accessible and practical hypnotic experience training programmes designed to integrate hypnotic techniques into everyday life, with a focus on stress management, emotional wellbeing, and personal growth.

Hypnosis Institute is Hong Kong’s only hypnotic experience professional development platform that simultaneously operates a research group, social innovation group, practical training group, crisis psychological support group, charitable initiatives, networking events, therapeutic services, and a comprehensive training pathway.

As the sole Hong Kong chapter of the Association for Integrative Medicine (AIM) in the United States, the sole overseas Hong Kong academy of UK educational institution Study House (Quality Licence Scheme), and the sole specialist hypnotic experience training school in Hong Kong under Cambridge International College in the United Kingdom, Hypnosis Institute provides internationally recognised qualifications that contribute to the advancement of the industry.

Founder Charles Leung is a trainer of trainers in the field of hypnotic experience, and has been specially appointed by the Association for Integrative Medicine as the Chief Instructor for Specialist hypnotic experience in Greater China. He has trained over 1,000 hypnotherapists and instructors, upholding the highest standards of professional development in the mental health field.

The Institute’s programmes integrate a comprehensive range of methodologies, including hypnotic experience combined with MBTI personality profiling, DISC behavioural analysis, mental health coaching, emotional education, and the HiddenMe Cards inner child tool — providing a holistic and personalised approach to hypnotic experience practice. Instructors specialise in paediatric hypnotic experience, Internal Family Systems (including inner child) hypnotic experience, stress and insomnia relief hypnotic experience, interpersonal relationship hypnotic experience, as well as hypnotic experience in reminiscence and palliative care.

Driven by the belief that everyone can harness the power of hypnotic experience to enhance their mental wellbeing, Hypnosis Institute is committed to sharing psychological knowledge and providing professional support in the areas of emotional management, life challenges, and the professional development of the hypnotic experience industry.

Follow us at hypnosisinstitute.com.hk, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for the latest updates.

The survey shows that 68 per cent of Hong Kong SMEs recorded growth in 2025, up from 65 per cent in 2024 and marking the highest result on record. This positive momentum is expected to continue this year, with 71 per cent of SMEs expecting their businesses to grow and 76 per cent anticipating growth in the local economy — both at record highs. Customer loyalty and a strong workforce were identified as key drivers behind SMEs’ solid performance last year.

Mr Cliff Ip, Councillor of CPA Australia’s Greater China Divisional Council, said Hong Kong’s improving business environment played a critical role in supporting SME growth. “Hong Kong’s business confidence and economic growth strengthened last year, supported by robust capital markets, a recovery in tourism and consumption, and signs of stabilisation in the property market,” said Mr Ip. “Against this stable and supportive backdrop, small businesses not only benefited from increased business activity, but were also able to expand in a healthy and sustainable manner.”

Looking ahead, Mr Ip noted that while global geopolitical tensions and external uncertainties pose rising challenges, Hong Kong’s underlying strengths remain a key advantage for SMEs. “Rising geopolitical risks are likely to create headwinds for many sectors such as trade and logistics through higher fuel costs and supply chain disruptions. However, I remain confident about Hong Kong’s overall business outlook this year,” he said. “As many regions become more unpredictable or less secure, Hong Kong’s stable and consistent business environment, together with supportive policy settings including the city’s low and simple tax regime stand out as important advantages in attracting international companies and investors.”

Mr Ip added that these developments also present new opportunities for local SMEs, particularly as increased international interest creates scope to build partnerships, expand networks and tap into new markets. “This environment also creates favourable conditions for younger entrepreneurs to explore emerging markets and pursue new business opportunities,” he said.

Improved business performance has strengthened the solvency of many local SMEs. The share of businesses reporting difficulty paying debts fell sharply from 22 per cent in 2024 to just 3 per cent in 2025, while only 4 per cent expect to face difficulties this year, down markedly from 26 per cent previously. As a result, Hong Kong small businesses are now the least likely among the surveyed businesses to report solvency concerns.

Mr Ip said, “The solvency of many SMEs has notably improved, driven by stronger cash flow from improved business growth, a robust capital market and a recovering property market over the past year. This healthier cashflow has both supported easier access to external finance and reduced the need for such finance.”

Hong Kong SMEs have also strengthened their capability to invest in technology that delivers rapid improvements in profitability. In 2025, 64 per cent of SMEs reported that their technology investment in that year helped improve profitability, up from 59 per cent in 2024. Two in five Hong Kong SMEs invested in artificial intelligence (AI) last year, making it the leading technology investment among local SMEs, followed by customer relationship management (CRM) software.

At the same time, cyber protection has improved, with the share of Hong Kong businesses reporting losses from cyber incidents falling sharply from 72 per cent in 2024 to 43 per cent in 2025. However, as digitalisation accelerates, cyber risks remain elevated, with nearly three in five SMEs expecting to face cyber threats this year, above the survey average 42 per cent.

Mr Davy Leung, Deputy Chairperson of CPA Australia’s SME and Entrepreneurship Committee of Greater China, said the growing maturity and availability of AI tools is helping SMEs enhance productivity, reduce operating costs and improve customer experience.

“However, rising digital fraud, wider AI adoption and SMEs’ increasing reliance on digital banking have prompted the Hong Kong Government to significantly strengthen banking security and cybersecurity resilience over the past year. This includes the rollout of low-cost and practical initiatives such as the Cybersec One Programme and the continued implementation of the ‘9+5’ SME support measures. The decline of cyberattack-related losses reported in the survey in part reflects the effectiveness of these measures.

“As cybersecurity threats and digital fraud risks continue to escalate, SMEs should make better use of these available resources, including free website risk assessments and vulnerability identification services, to strengthen their defence capabilities and safeguard business operations.”

Mr Leung also suggested that the Government consider revamping the Technology Voucher Programme to support broader digitalisation efforts, including the adoption of both AI and non-AI technologies. He added that enhanced training support would help SMEs identify and implement modern tools to drive innovation, improve efficiency and strengthen long-term competitiveness.

Rising costs remain a key challenge for Hong Kong SMEs in 2025, with 29 per cent reporting it having a negative impact on their business. However, this was the second‑lowest level among all surveyed markets, underscoring Hong Kong’s relatively low inflationary environment last year. Notably, the share of SMEs citing staff costs as a negative factor rose from 35 per cent to 42 per cent, making it the most significant cost pressure for Hong Kong businesses in 2025. This increase may help explain why the proportion of SMEs hiring additional staff declined from 42 per cent to 38 per cent last year.

Mr Leung said, “Increasing costs remain a significant barrier for many SMEs across Asia‑Pacific region, but Hong Kong’s relatively low inflation has helped cushion the impact on local small businesses,” Mr Leung said.

Mr Leung added that while headcount growth has moderated, overall staff costs have continued to rise as businesses invest in higher‑value talent. “Greater digitalisation and automation have helped ease labour constraints in Hong Kong. When SMEs do add staff, they are increasingly recruiting employees with digital and AI capabilities, or creating new roles to support business transformation. These positions typically command higher salaries, which has contributed to higher overall staff costs despite slower hiring growth.”

The annual survey collected the views of 4,166 small businesses across 11 Asia-Pacific markets, including Singapore, the Chinese Mainland, and Australia, with 305 respondents from Hong Kong.
Hashtag: #CPAAustralia

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About CPA Australia

CPA Australia is Australia’s leading professional accounting body and one of the largest in the world. We have more than 176,000 members in over 100 countries and regions. Our core services include education, training, technical support and advocacy. CPA Australia provides thought leadership on local, national and international issues affecting the accounting profession and public interest. We engage with governments, regulators and industries to advocate policies that stimulate sustainable economic growth and have positive business and public outcomes. A CPA is a Certified Practising Accountant. More at cpaaustralia.com.au

Innovative insurance solutions to address the growing demand for wealth appreciation and management services

MACAU SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 23 April 2026 – Banco Well Link, S.A. (“Well Link Bank”) and FWD Macau (“FWD”) today announced a bancassurance partnership in Macau, marked by an official launch ceremony. The collaboration enables Well Link Bank to offer a broader range of insurance products and services to customers in Macau, including high‑net‑worth individuals, further strengthening the Bank’s wealth proposition. Leveraging Well Link Bank’s strong client base and extensive branch network in Macau, together with FWD’s customer-led and tech-enabled approach, the partnership will deliver cutting-edge insurance solutions and more convenient experiences for Macau residents and visitors, supporting customers in achieving their wealth appreciation and legacy planning goals.

This year marks Well Link Bank’s 30th anniversary and FWD Macau’s 26th, underscoring both companies’ longstanding commitment to excellence in wealth management. Through consistently delivering professional, high-quality products and services, the two companies continue to create value for customers and steer market development.

Huang Ruisheng, Executive Director and CEO, Well Link Bank, said: “Well Link Bank is committed to providing diversified and forward-looking wealth management solutions in Macau. Establishing this bancassurance partnership with FWD Macau is a significant milestone in our wealth management roadmap. We firmly believe that through close collaboration that leverages the Bank’s strong local customer network and FWD’s strengths in product innovation and technology, we can deliver more personalised and effective insurance solutions with higher growth potential. Looking ahead, Well Link Bank will continue to harness innovation and professional expertise to contribute to Macau’s diversified economic growth and the prosperity of its financial market.”

Ken Lau, Managing Director of Greater China and Hong Kong Chief Executive Officer, FWD, said: “FWD Macau is delighted to establish this bancassurance partnership with Well Link Bank in Macau. By combining the professional edge and corporate strength of both companies, we are committed to changing the way people feel about insurance in the Macau market. We look forward to working closely with Well Link Bank to help customers achieve their wealth appreciation and legacy planning goals through FWD’s prudent, customer-led insurance solutions, thereby creating long-term value. This partnership not only enhances our product distribution capabilities but also represents an important step in expanding our footprint in Macau and with Macau visitors.”

Hashtag: #WellLinkBank #FWD

https://www.wlbank.com.mo/

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Well Link Bank

Banco Well Link, S.A. (hereinafter referred to as WLB) is a fully licensed commercial bank registered in Macao. Upholding the “bridge” spirit, WLB is committed to serve as a bridge to success for clients, serves enterprises and individuals, promotes the country’s development and contributes to our mutual benefit society.

WLB unceasingly strengthens its technology leadership, enhancing the capability to offer comprehensive services to customers through optimization of financial technology, making full use of its advantages of featured finance and professional services, and mapping a financial ecology. WLB, acting as an inclusive finance practitioner, devotes itself to small and medium customers and personal consumption operations.

WLB’s products and services include: Savings Deposit & Time Deposit, Transfer, Credit Card & Debit Card, Personal Loan; Services by channels: ATM, STM, Mobile Banking and Online Account Opening; Personal Banking services: Well Link Securities Service, Insurance Agency, Payroll Service and Tax Rebate.

For more information about Well Link Bank, please visit the Bank’s website at https://www.wlbank.com.mo/.

About FWD Macau

FWD Macau is part of the FWD Group (1828.HK), a pan-Asian life and health insurance business that serves more than 38 million customers across 10 markets, including BRI Life in Indonesia. FWD Macau provides a suite of life and medical insurance products.

FWD’s customer-led and tech-enabled approach aims to deliver innovative propositions, easy-to-understand products and a simpler insurance experience. Established in 2013, the company operates in some of the fastest-growing insurance markets in the world with a vision of changing the way people feel about insurance. FWD Group is listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code 1828.

For more information about FWD Macau, please visit www.fwd.com.mo.

Allianz Trade and DBS Hong Kong brief businesses on evolving geopolitical trade risks and the critical need for granular liquidity visibility.

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 23 April 2026 – One year after the US Liberation Day, tariffs continue to disrupt global trade and supply chains while many economies and corporates still struggle to find their footing. The broke out of the Middle East conflict has compounded on the effect by driving lower global GDP growth (+2.6% in 2026), higher global inflation (4.3% in 2026) and stronger fiscal pressure. Amid such highly uncertain times, Allianz Trade in Hong Kong partnered with DBS for an exclusive session where industry experts and thought leaders dissected into today’s shifting geopolitical landscape and heightened credit risks, and offered their views on trade opportunities in an increasingly fragmented world.

“The Middle East conflict has added a new layer of shocks to an already fragile environment shaped by tariffs, weakening demand and declining consumer confidence. The good news is that firms have taken operational steps to adapt since the trade war began, with the most common strategies including inventory building, market diversification, sourcing from new suppliers and rerouting through third markets. Asia Pacific has emerged as the clear structural beneficiary of supply chain realignment. Hong Kong, as a major trading and financing hub in the region, continues to play a pivotal role in facilitating trade and investment flows. Together with DBS, we are here to offer our combined intelligence and support to help companies achieve customer and market diversification, better risk selection, and providing them with confidence to trade and grow safely,” states Hassan Omaish, CEO for Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan at Allianz Trade.

Jolynn Wong, Managing Director and Head of Global Transaction Services, DBS Hong Kong, says, “We are witnessing a lengthening of cash collection cycles across sectors impacted by trade route and inventory disruptions, leading to a growing proportion of receivables held at extended tenors. In this climate of heightened volatility, the role of trade finance extends beyond mere credit extension; it must now assure corporates of timely critical cash flow realisation and enable strategic suppliers to maintain production amidst disruptions. Leveraging DBS Hong Kong’s robust capital and liquidity, we provide clients with the necessary extended tenors and contingent liquidity to navigate prolonged inventory and shipping cycles, thereby fortifying their resilience. By integrating guarantees, letters of credit, credit insurance, and treasury hedging into a unified architecture through our digital platforms, we empower clients to transform volatile receivables into reliable cash flows and turn disruptions into investable growth opportunities.”

Notes to editors:
To gauge how global exporters fared through tariffs and the Middle East conflict, Allianz Trade recently published its flagship Global Survey, where 6,000 exporters across 13 countries were polled on their export performances over the past year, as well as outlook and coping strategies for the short- to medium-term. The Survey revealed that 75% of exporters expect positive export growth in 2026, which was much more optimistic than the 2025 tariff shock where expectations dropped by -40pp.

“For now, the impact of the Middle East conflict seems moderate, but such level of optimism remains fragile and could quickly fade if the conflict drags on. Allianz Trade’s Global Survey revealed that geopolitical and political risks are the leading threat globally for corporates (65%), while supply-related issues, such as bankruptcy of suppliers and shortage of inputs, came at second place (57%). The Middle East conflict has also tightened trade finance conditions. Not only payment cycles are lengthening, 43% of companies expect payment terms to deteriorate further. Pharmaceuticals, construction and computers/telecom are the most exposed sectors, while larger companies face disproportionately longer payment cycles,” says Ana Boata, Head of Economic Research at Allianz Trade.

Hashtag: #allianztrade #dbshongkong

https://www.allianz-trade.com/en_HK.html
https://www.linkedin.com/company/allianz-trade-apac/

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Allianz Trade

Allianz Trade is the global leader in trade credit insurance and a recognized specialist in the areas of surety, collections, structured trade credit and political risk. Our proprietary intelligence network is based on instant access to data of 289 million corporates. We give companies the confidence to trade by securing their payments. We compensate your company in the event of a bad debt, but more importantly, we help you avoid bad debt in the first place. Whenever we provide trade credit insurance or other finance solutions, our priority is predictive protection. But, when the unexpected arrives, our AA credit rating means we have the resources, backed by Allianz to provide compensation to maintain your business. Headquartered in Paris, Allianz Trade is present in over 40 countries with 5,900 employees. In 2025, our consolidated turnover was EUR4 billion and insured global business transactions represented EUR1,400 billion in exposure. For more information, please visit allianz-trade.com.

About DBS

DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia with a presence in 19 markets. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, DBS is in the three key Asian axes of growth: Greater China, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The bank’s “AA-” and “Aa1” credit ratings are among the highest in the world.

Recognised for its global leadership, DBS has been named World’s Best Bank by Global Finance, World’s Best Bank by Euromoney and Global Bank of the Year by The Banker. The bank is at the forefront of leveraging digital technology to shape the future of banking, having been named World’s Best Digital Bank by Euromoney and the world’s Most Innovative in Digital Banking by The Banker. In addition, DBS has been accorded the Safest Bank in Asia award by Global Finance for 17 consecutive years from 2009 to 2025.

DBS provides a full range of services in consumer, SME and corporate banking. As a bank born and bred in Asia, DBS understands the intricacies of doing business in the region’s most dynamic markets.

DBS is committed to building lasting relationships with customers, as it banks the Asian way. Through the DBS Foundation, the bank creates impact beyond banking by uplifting lives and livelihoods of those in need. It provides essential needs to the underprivileged, and fosters inclusion by equipping the underserved with financial and digital literacy skills. It also nurtures innovative social enterprises that create positive impact.

With its extensive network of operations in Asia and emphasis on engaging and empowering its staff, DBS presents exciting career opportunities. For more information, please visit www.dbs.com.

The report finds that while operational energy efficiency has improved significantly across the sector, embodied carbon and Scope 3 emissions now represent the majority of total lifecycle emissions in many commercial buildings.

A Shift to Whole-Life Carbon Thinking

As building efficiency improves and electricity grids decarbonise, the relative importance of embodied carbon is increasing. The report highlights the “redevelopment paradox”: while new buildings are more energy efficient, demolition and reconstruction can generate such high upfront carbon that total lifecycle emissions may exceed those of retained and refurbished assets.

This shift is particularly relevant in rapidly evolving urban markets such as Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, where redevelopment cycles are frequent and asset repositioning is common.

Scope 3 Becomes a Core Market Driver

Scope 3 emissions – covering embodied carbon, tenant energy use, and supply chain activities – are now the largest emissions category for most real estate portfolios.

The report shows that leased office space is increasingly a key Scope 3 exposure point for occupiers, especially multinational companies operating under global net-zero commitments. As a result, Scope 3 performance is now influencing:

• Leasing decisions and tenant demand
• Capital allocation and ESG investment screening
• Access to green finance
• Corporate disclosure and benchmarking frameworks

Carbon as a Financial Factor

Embodied carbon and Scope 3 emissions are no longer just sustainability metrics – they are collectively a financially material driver of asset value. The report demonstrates that differences in whole-life carbon performance can create meaningful divergence in asset outcomes through:

• Rental performance and occupancy resilience
• Operating costs and capital expenditure requirements
• Exit yields and investor demand

A comparative analysis shows that carbon performance alone can drive a value differential of approximately 37% between otherwise identical assets.

From Risk to Opportunity

While regulatory frameworks continue to evolve, global capital and leading occupiers are already embedding whole-life carbon considerations into decision-making. The report highlights a clear opportunity for market participants who act early through:

• Adaptive reuse and retrofit-first strategies
• Low-carbon materials and construction innovation
• Supply chain engagement and procurement reform
• Green leasing and tenant collaboration
• Improved carbon data and governance frameworks

Beyond the Carbon Blind Spot concludes that the Chinese mainland commercial real estate sector is entering a decisive new phase where whole-life carbon performance is becoming central to competitiveness, asset value, and investment strategy. Stakeholders who integrate embodied carbon and Scope 3 considerations into core decision-making today will be best positioned to enhance resilience, unlock capital, and deliver long-term value in a rapidly evolving market.

Alton Wong, Executive Director, Head of Sustainability Advisory Services, Head of Advisory Services, Valuation and Advisory Services, Greater China, said, “Embodied carbon and Scope 3 emissions are now firmly at the centre of the decarbonisation agenda for commercial real estate. As operational performance improves, the industry is being forced to confront the much larger, and more complex, emissions embedded across the full asset lifecycle. This is driving a fundamental shift in how buildings are designed, constructed and managed, with increasing emphasis on material choices, retrofit strategies, and supply chain engagement. What was once considered a technical sustainability issue is now a core strategic priority for investors and occupiers alike.”

Shaun Brodie, Head of Research Content, Greater China, said, “Our research shows that carbon is rapidly becoming a defining factor in commercial real estate performance on the Chinese mainland. The transition to whole-life carbon thinking is not just about reducing emissions – it is about understanding how sustainability directly impacts asset value, leasing dynamics, and investment outcomes. As occupiers and capital providers place greater weight on embodied carbon and Scope 3 emissions, assets that fail to adapt risk accelerated obsolescence, while those that lead on carbon performance stand to capture a clear competitive advantage.”

Please click here to download the full report

Hashtag: #Cushman&Wakefield

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Cushman & Wakefield

Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) is a leading global commercial real estate services firm for property owners and occupiers with approximately 53,000 employees in nearly 350 offices and 60 countries. In Greater China, a network of 23 offices serves local markets across the region. In 2025, the firm reported revenue of $10.3 billion across its core services of Valuation, Consulting, Project & Development Services, Capital Markets, Project & Occupier Services, Industrial & Logistics, Retail, and others. Built around the belief that Better never settles, the firm receives numerous industry and business accolades for its award-winning culture. For additional information, visit www.cushmanwakefield.com.hk or follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/cushman-&-wakefield-greater-china).

This scene is not from a typical ecological farm’s spring planting but represents a significant transformation taking place within a traditional coal enterprise.

Minda Coal Mine is the largest open-pit mine in Dongsheng District, producing up to 8 million tons of coal annually. Just a few hundred meters away, mining operations continue as usual; meanwhile, on the other side, 300 greenhouses flourish all year round, and the livestock area produces 6,000 pigs, 2,000 heads of cattle, 4,000 sheep, and 10,000 chickens annually.

This transformation began in 2018. Initially, the goal was simple: to provide mine workers with safe, locally produced vegetables and meat. Seven years later, this integrated “planting and breeding circular chain” has achieved tangible economic results. In 2025, the agricultural output value reached 12 million yuan, benefiting 150 farming households in Tongchuan Town, with each household seeing an average annual income increase of 30,000 yuan. The ecological supermarket in Toudao Lane, Dongsheng District, which opened just five months ago, now serves approximately 300 customers daily, with daily sales exceeding 10,000 yuan.

The challenges here extend beyond deciding what to plant.

Situated on the Ordos Plateau, Minda Coal Mine experiences less than 400 millimeters of annual rainfall, with drought occurring nine years out of ten. The reclamation area initially consisted largely of stripped rock and soil, with organic matter content as low as 0.2%. To address this, the mine invested 150 million yuan to construct 11 water storage ponds that collect rainwater from slopes, roads, and rooftops, creating a “rainwater bank” with a total capacity of 5,000 cubic meters, achieving 100% utilization of collected rainwater. Soil quality was enhanced through screening, backfilling, and the application of biological fertilizers, increasing the organic matter content across 14,000 mu of reclaimed land from 0.2% to 1.5%.

“Coal will eventually run out, but the land must be preserved for future generations.” A statement from the head of Minda Coal Mine highlights a long-term challenge faced by resource-dependent regions.

Currently, Dongsheng District has achieved an 87% green mine certification rate, completed reclamation greening of 820 hectares, and manages 1,525 hectares of goaf areas. New industries such as sea buckthorn cultivation, photovoltaics, agriculture, and animal husbandry have been established in the reclamation area. Where coal mining once accounted for 90% of income, ecological agriculture now contributes 18%, with projections of an increase to 35% by 2027. Plans are underway for slaughterhouses, food processing plants, feed factories, fertilizer plants, and breeding bases.

From coal mining to farming, from the “rainwater bank” to supermarket shelves, the spring of 2026 at Minda Coal Mine offers a promising answer to a common question in China’s resource-based regions: after underground resources are depleted, how can above-ground advantages be sustainably leveraged?
Hashtag: #DongshengDistrictIntegratedMediaCenter

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

The AI Compute Continuum: from intelligent endpoints to advanced AI workloads

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 April 2026 – Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) today outlined how enterprise AI adoption across Asia Pacific (APAC) is moving from experimentation to implementation, with 48% of organisations with more than 500 employees in the region already deploying AI PCs and 95% expecting workstations to play a critical or important role in AI initiatives over the next two years. Together, these trends point to a more distributed AI environment – one that brings intelligence closer to users while supporting increasingly complex and compute-intensive workloads.

Two IDC InfoBriefs, commissioned by Dell Technologies and Intel reinforce this shift – Future-Ready Workforce: The Strategic Case for AI PC Adoption and Powering Future-Ready Computing with Workstations: Built for AI. Built for You. The research highlights growing enterprise momentum behind both intelligent endpoints and higher-performance systems as organisations shape the next phase of AI adoption.

For Dell, this shift reflects a broader industry trend toward aligning the right compute resources with specific workload requirements, as organisations balance intelligent endpoints for everyday productivity with high-performance systems designed for advanced AI and professional use cases. Enterprise AI deployments are increasingly spanning client devices, edge environments and the data centre, reflecting a more distributed approach across the IT environment.

AI PCs: Bringing intelligence closer to everyday work

AI PCs are becoming a core component of the modern workplace, enabling AI workloads to run directly on the device to deliver faster, more responsive user experiences while reducing reliance on continuous cloud connectivity. This approach also supports enhanced data privacy and security, provides IT teams with greater control over deployment and management across device fleets, and enables more consistent scaling of AI capabilities across the workforce.

The IDC research commissioned by Dell Technologies and Intel underscores this momentum. As AI becomes embedded in day-to-day work, device strategy is shifting accordingly. 89% of APAC organisations now consider AI capabilities a very important factor in future PC purchasing decisions.

In Singapore, 54% of organisations have already deployed AI PCs – 12% higher than the regional average – highlighting strong early adoption momentum. Southeast Asia’s AI PC adoption is outpacing the regional average by 6%, driven by the ability to adopt new technologies without legacy constraints, strong infrastructure in markets like Singapore, favourable market conditions and supportive government initiatives.

APAC Organisations with over 50% AI PCs in their fleet report saving 2.17 hours per employee per day, a 30% productivity increase compared to using AI on traditional PCs. AI PCs are enabling a new class of enterprise use cases – from real-time collaboration and report generation to natural language search and content creation – delivering tangible productivity gains.

In practical terms, this can translate into faster proposal turnaround for sales teams, quicker analysis cycles for finance and operations, streamlined drafting for HR, faster document review for engineering teams, and more responsive support for customer-facing employees. As organisations prepare for more autonomous and agentic AI in hybrid work environments, AI PCs are increasingly becoming the governed way to scale intelligent experiences across the workforce – safely, consistently, and with clearer business impact.

Four out of five APAC organisations expect AI PCs to drive adoption of agentic AI, with the same proportion agreeing they enhance control and security for these applications. The broader momentum is clear: within APAC, 84% of organisations expect AI PCs to increase employee productivity, while 78% cite security benefits and 77% highlight cost advantages of running AI locally.

This shift is leading to a tangible investment. Across APAC, 65% of organisations are willing to pay a premium of 10% or more for AI PCs, reflecting their role as core infrastructure for enterprise AI.

Workstations: Powering advanced AI and specialised workloads

While AI PCs distribute intelligence across the workforce, workstations continue to serve as the performance backbone for more demanding workloads – particularly as organisations shift more AI development on-premise. Developers, engineers, designers, and data teams rely on workstation-class systems for AI model development, simulation, rendering, data preparation, and other compute-intensive activities that require reliability, low latency, and sustained performance.

The IDC research on workstations reflects this reality. 95% of organisations across APAC expect workstations to play a critical or important role in AI initiatives over the next two years, while 50% would choose a workstation as their preferred device for AI development, and 97% of organisations agree workstations are high-performance devices that fuel innovation for the organisation by empowering teams to explore cutting-edge technology like AI and Machine Learning models.

Across Southeast Asia, 92% of organisations surveyed reported higher productivity among workstation users, while 52% expect the share of workstations in their fleet to grow over the next five years. Organisations in this part of the region also reported workstation use for data preparation (66%), model fine-tuning (62%), and foundational model training (55%), underscoring the role of high-performance systems in advanced AI and professional workloads.

Use cases vary by sector – from engineering and architecture workflows in manufacturing, to content rendering in media, software development in technology, and risk modelling in financial services. AI has become the top technical computing use case for workstations, supporting the full lifecycle from data preparation (62%) and model training (60%) to fine-tuning (59%), deployment (44%) and inference (29%).

This also shifts the conversation from upfront device price to total cost of ownership – including lifecycle longevity, scalability, performance consistency, and risk reduction. As AI initiatives move closer to production, workstations are increasingly seen as long-term platforms that can scale with evolving workloads, rather than short-term tools for experimentation.

Toward an AI compute continuum that supports the next phase of enterprise AI

Together, AI PCs and workstations form an AI compute continuum, supporting everything from everyday productivity to advanced AI development and professional workloads across the enterprise.

For organisations across Asia Pacific, the next phase of AI will not be defined by a single environment or device category, but by the ability to place the right workload on the right compute. AI PCs are extending AI into everyday workflows, while workstations are helping organisations industrialise more advanced, compute-intensive, and specialised AI use cases. Combined, they give leaders a more practical foundation for scaling AI with greater speed, control, and long-term value.

Perspectives:

“AI is changing where work happens and where intelligence needs to live,” said Jacinta Quah, vice president, client solutions group, Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China (APJC), Dell Technologies. “AI PCs and workstations are not simply device categories in a refresh cycle – they are foundational platforms built for the next phase of enterprise AI era. AI PCs bring intelligence to everyday workflows, at the fingertips of employees where data is generated. Meanwhile, workstations provide the performance and control needed for more specialised, compute-intensive workloads. Together, they enable organisations to scale AI more effectively, strengthen security and privacy, and drive meaningful business outcomes.”

“AI is placing new demands on compute, requiring both local intelligence and high-performance processing to work seamlessly together,” said Jack Huang, regional sales director, PC client commercial and channel, Asia Pacific and Japan, Intel. “As AI workloads become more diverse, organisations need silicon innovations and platforms that can support both efficient on-device experiences and more demanding workstation use cases. Together with Dell, we are helping to enable the next phase of enterprise AI with technologies built for responsiveness, efficiency and scale.”

“The speed at which AI models are being compressed to run on-device has been remarkably fast,” said Bryan Ma, vice president, client devices, IDC. “In the next year or two, very robust models will run on PCs that far exceed today’s capabilities. At the same time, organisations continue to depend on high-performance workstations for advanced AI development and specialised workloads, reinforcing a more distributed AI environment across the enterprise.”

Research Methodology:
The findings are based on two IDC InfoBriefs:

• IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Dell Technologies and Intel, Future-ready Workforce: The Strategic Case for AI PC Adoption, Doc. #AP242547IB, January 2026
• IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Dell Technologies and Intel, Powering Future-Ready Computing with Workstations: Built for AI. Built for You, Doc. #AP242550IB, February 2026

Future-ready Workforce: The Strategic Case for AI PC Adoption is based on a survey of 720 IT and business decision-makers across Asia Pacific organisations with more than 500 employees. Powering Future-Ready Computing with Workstations: Built for AI. Built for You surveyed 960 IT and business decision-makers in the region to assess workstation adoption, usage, and their role in enterprise AI strategies.
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About Dell Technologies

Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) helps organisations and individuals build their digital future and transform how they work, live and play. The company provides customers with the industry’s broadest and most innovative technology and services portfolio for the AI era.

Alex, a visitor ventured to China’s southernmost province primarily for its renowned black tea. What he did not anticipate was taking a front-row seat at a breathtaking fashion show staged on water.

“This unique stage has allowed me to capture some wonderful images,” said Alex, who happened to be in Wuzhishan during the Sanyuesan Festival. “I originally came here simply as a fan of Wuzhishan’s black tea, but now I find myself deeply fascinated by the culture of Wuzhishan as well.”

The “unique stage” he refers to is the immersive water-based performance space created for the 2026 Sanyuesan Festival, featuring the “Miss Li · Hainan Sanyuesan Water Village Show.” This innovative platform, with water as its runway and the rainforest as its backdrop, presents the Sanyuesan, a traditional celebration of the Li and Miao ethnic groups with thousands of years of history, through a contemporary lens, appealing to both local and international audiences.

Hashtag: #Sanyuesan

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Building on last year’s theme “Super Every Moment”, this year’s edition introduces a brand-new Super Video category alongside expanded support programs offering creators more visibility and professional support. This year’s competition also includes a total prize pool of $76,500 distributed across the various prize categories.

“Over the past four years, the OPPO Photography Awards has evolved into a truly global platform that empowers mobile creators everywhere to express their inspiration effortlessly through OPPO’s powerful imaging capabilities,” said Ling Liu, Overseas CMO at OPPO. “Championing young creators has always been central to the Awards, and this year, we are taking this further by creating more opportunities for the next generation to be seen, supported, and recognized. Smartphone users have always embraced video as a powerful tool for mobile storytelling, and through our advanced imaging technologies and long-term partnership with Hasselblad, we hope to empower more creators worldwide to tell rich and authentic stories with their mobile devices.”

New Categories Celebrate New Possibilities in Mobile Imaging

The OPPO Photography Awards 2026 introduces two new categories—Super Video and Super Zoom—as part of an updated six-category lineup that also includes Journey, Me, Live, and Snap.

Marking the first dedicated video category in OPPO Photography Awards history, the Super Video category aims to highlight the growing influence of video alongside photography as a distinct medium for mobile storytelling. With life’s meaningful moments taking place not only in static frames but the dynamic motion and emotions that unfold between them, OPPO is empowering storytellers from all walks of life to capture this motion through the latest innovations in mobile videography. Building on its longstanding focus on video, OPPO continues to deliver industry-leading capabilities across its product portfolio, enabling both enthusiasts and professionals to fully embrace the fun of creation.

Beyond offering cutting-edge technology, OPPO is equally committed to enhancing how these creations are shared. OPPO and Meta are closely collaborating to optimize the video-sharing experience on Instagram. OPPO Find X9 Ultra users can now achieve near-lossless video quality from capture to share. Videos shared on Instagram will retain quality virtually indistinguishable from the original footage, achieving the industry’s highest standards and ensuring that every shared moment remains true to the original creation. This reflects OPPO’s continued focus on optimizing the entire creative lifecycle for a truly seamless user experience.

This year’s other new category, Super Zoom, seeks to explore the creative potential made possible through OPPO’s long-term investment in advanced telescope zoom technology. By pushing the boundaries of mobile imaging, OPPO has brought smartphone zoom capabilities closer than ever to those of traditional standalone cameras, allowing users to capture unseen details with precision and explore life’s hidden beauty from completely new perspectives.

Committed to Supporting Young Creators

OPPO is committed to supporting young creative talents and amplifying their voices globally. Through the 2026 Awards, this commitment is taken even further with several new programs designed to empower creators’ long-term growth through professional guidance and coaching.

In partnership with Discovery Channel, OPPO has launched the Filmmaker Accelerator Program, offering young creators exclusive mentorship from industry professionals. Creators who submit videos to the Super Video category will have the chance to be invited to produce a short film with end-to-end creative support and potential broadcast opportunities, alongside a grant provided by OPPO.

OPPO is also extending support to the wider creator community through a range of accessible learning resources. Among them, the new OPPO Imaging Academy features a series of tutorial videos designed to help users tap into the full power of OPPO’s cutting-edge technology to transform creative inspiration into artistry.

In addition to these initiatives, the OPPO Creators program further expands visibility and creates more professional development opportunities for young creators. Through the program, outstanding works will be showcased across various OPPO platforms, and creators will also gain priority invitations to flagship launches and collaboration opportunities, along with complimentary professional equipment to support their ongoing development.

Opening Diverse Pathways for Creators Worldwide

As part of efforts to recognize a wider range of creators and expand participation in the Awards, the OPPO Photography Awards 2026 introduces a diverse awards program that gives creators more opportunities to gain global exposure and showcase their work on a bigger stage.

In addition to the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards up for grabs in the main competition, participants can also earn recognition and generous incentives through Honorable Mentions, Regional Awards, and the Audience Choice Awards. A total of 38 different awards or acknowledgements are on offer recognizing outstanding creators across all categories, with a total prize pool of $76,500.

The year’s judging panel also brings together renowned industry professionals in both photography and cinematography, including Tina Signesdottir Hult and Wang Jianjun, Hasselblad Masters; Vikram Channa, Vice President, Co-Lead, and Editorial Chief at Warner Bros. Discovery; Zhu Jiong, Professor at the School of Visual Media and Communication, Beijing Film Academy; Pete Lau, Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer at OPPO; and Joy Cheng, Director of Imaging Cognition at OPPO.

To further encourage participation, the 2026 Awards also introduces a new monthly contest format. Through the new format, young creators can receive feedback and more visibility on an ongoing basis, while also having the opportunity to progress into the main competition.

Global Competition Submissions Open Until December 31

Submissions for the OPPO Photography Awards 2026 and the first round of monthly contests are now open. Creators worldwide are invited to submit their entries and showcase their creativity and storytelling visions captured on OPPO, OnePlus or realme devices.

Entries for the global competition will remain open until 24:00 (UTC+8), December 31, 2026. Submissions for all categories can be made via the official OPPO Photography Awards website. Submissions for the Super Video category can also be made through Instagram and TikTok using the hashtags #SuperVideo and #ShotOnOPPO.

Entries for the first global monthly contest can be submitted via the official website or on Instagram with the hashtags #SuperEveryMoment and #ShotOnOPPO. Upcoming monthly contests will feature different themes, with future submissions accepted through both social platforms and the official website.

For more information on the OPPO Photography Awards 2026 and the monthly contests, please visit the official website at https://lumo.oppo.com/en/.
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Receivables financing facility enables competitive open account terms and supports international growth

SHANGHAI, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 21 April 2026 – Tradewind Finance has provided a USD 2.5 million non-recourse export factoring facility to a cable manufacturer based in Vietnam. The facility, structured by Tradewind’s Shanghai office, converts export receivables into immediate liquidity and provides credit protection on buyers in the United States and Australia.

With this structure in place, the exporter maintains 90-day open account terms for its international buyers without placing pressure on working capital.

How Longer Payment Terms Strained a Manufacturer’s Liquidity

The client is a cable manufacturer with over 30 years of operating history in Vietnam. For most of that period, the company relied on advance payments and letters of credit to manage its export transactions.

As competition in global cable supply increased, buyers began requiring open account terms as a condition of continued business. The exporter transitioned accordingly, but the shift created a significant gap between production costs and the moment of payment collection.

The company had export credit insurance in place, which provided partial protection against buyer default. However, the residual risk exposure of 10 to 20 percent remained uncovered, and the insurance did not address the working capital shortfall that came with extended payment cycles. Despite a strong order book and established buyer relationships, the exporter’s cash position was under pressure.

How the Facility Works: Converting Receivables into Working Capital

Tradewind structured a non-recourse export factoring facility aligned with the client’s trade flows to the United States and Australia. The facility operates as follows:

• Advance funding: Tradewind advances up to 90 percent of each invoice value shortly after shipment, converting receivables into available cash.
• Credit protection: Because the facility is non-recourse, Tradewind assumes the buyer credit risk. By leveraging this structure, the exporter benefits from 100% credit protection against buyer default or insolvency.
• Collections management: Tradewind manages the receivables administration and collection process, reducing the operational burden on the exporter’s finance team.

This structure replaces the partial protection previously offered by export credit insurance with a more comprehensive solution that covers both the financing gap and the full buyer credit risk on approved receivables.

What This Means for the Exporter

With the facility in place, the exporter can offer 90-day payment terms to its buyers without absorbing the cash flow impact internally. Production cycles are no longer constrained by the timing of buyer payments, and the company has a predictable source of liquidity tied directly to its shipment activity.

The non-recourse structure also removes a layer of financial uncertainty. Rather than relying on insurance with residual exposure, the exporter now operates with full credit coverage on approved buyers through Tradewind’s facility.

Why Tradewind Was Selected

Tradewind was selected for its ability to structure receivables financing solutions for cross-border trade flows involving multiple buyer markets. Key factors in the decision included:

• Over 25 years of experience in international trade finance, with particular depth in export factoring across Asia, the Americas, and Europe
• Local structuring capability through Tradewind’s Shanghai office, with direct knowledge of Vietnamese export markets
• A financing structure tailored to the client’s specific trade corridors and buyer payment terms
• Consistent execution and clear communication throughout the onboarding process

A Facility Built Around the Client’s Trade Flows

“This facility gives the client a reliable source of working capital tied directly to its export activity,” said Chris Chang, Regional Commercial Director, Far East at Tradewind Shanghai. “By structuring the solution around their specific trade flows to the United States and Australia, we were able to address both the financing gap and the credit risk exposure in a single facility.”

Facing Similar Pressure from Extended Buyer Payment Terms?

Tradewind structures receivables financing solutions for exporters managing cash flow across international trade corridors. Whether you are dealing with longer payment cycles, buyer credit risk, or the operational complexity of cross-border collections, we can help you find the right structure for your situation.

Contact us at www.tradewindfinance.com to discuss how a tailored trade finance solution can support your export business.Hashtag: #Tradewind #TradewindFinance #Cable #Vietnam #Factoring #Manufacturing

https://tradewindfinance.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/tradewindcn/
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About Tradewind Finance

Founded in 2000, Tradewind Finance is a global trade finance company specialising in cross-border receivables financing, export factoring, supply chain finance, and credit protection. Tradewind maintains a network of offices across Bangladesh, Bulgaria, China, Hong Kong SAR, Hungary, India, Pakistan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States, alongside its headquarters in Germany. By combining financing, credit protection, and collections into a single integrated solution, Tradewind helps exporters and importers manage working capital, reduce risk, and grow their international trade with confidence.

China Unicom Delivered a Masterclass in Connected Marathon Events

Marathon events typically feature high-density crowds with an extensive demand for uploads. China Unicom and Huawei turned to 5G-A 3CC on 3.5 GHz and 2.1 GHz for the event, ensuring an uplink fulfillment at 20 Mbps surpassing 99.6%, along with a peak speed of field-tested 677 Mbps. This impressive uplink performance provided consistent and reliable support for 4K/8K broadcasting and real-time collection and editing while also enabling fans to share and stream smoothly.

Such unrivalled experience is underpinned not only by high-quality networks but also flexible operations. China Unicom and Huawei used intelligent base stations to build 5G-A intelligent, elastic channels for the event. This facilitated differentiated scheduling for livestreaming, voice and video calling, and short videos to ensure smooth experiences for fans even at heavy-traffic moments.

5G-A GigaUplink Takes Embodied AI to New Heights

In a global first, the E-Town half-marathon features a pioneering format that sees human and robot runners compete simultaneously. The humanoid robots were divided into an autonomous navigation group and a remote-control group, running on the same course and evaluated using mixed timing methods. Each humanoid robot requires approximately 10 Mbps uplink for video uploads, environment sensing, gait control, and autonomous navigation. Dedicated uplink slices were reserved to ensure a positioning accuracy of up to sub-decimeter level and an average end-to-end latency of less than 30 ms throughout the racing course, which provided strong support for the video uploads, obstacle avoidance, cornering, and sprinting of humanoid robots. While offering technical upgrades to sports events, this promoted the adoption of humanoid robots on a large scale.

Qin Yang, Deputy General Manager of China Unicom in Beijing spoke proudly of the excellent connections his company provided for the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games as a global strategic partner and the 2026 Beijing E-Town Half-Marathon event as the exclusive official communications sponsor. “5G-A and AI are essential digital infrastructure, enabling us to bring embodied AI to sports. Given the new dynamics of AI development, we will double down on our priorities over connectivity, computing power, services, and security to sharpen our competitive edges as a preferred telecom partner for intelligent sports and a core enabler for intelligent industry transformation. Moving forward, we will accelerate our innovation-driven push to strengthen our digital infrastructure and drive the high-quality growth of embodied AI in China and beyond.”

Samuel Chen, Vice President of Huawei’s Wireless Network Business Marketing, said this humanoid robot half-marathon offers a good example of deepening integration between mobile technology and embodied intelligence. “Beyond redefining connectivity for sports, it has shown us what intelligent production and life will look like in future. We are always dedicated to building excellent 5G-A networks together with operators based on user-centered innovation to ensure GigaUplink, low latency, and high reliability for differentiated mobile AI services. This will enable us to continuously drive the high-quality growth of the digital economy.”
Hashtag: #Huawei #ChinaUnicom

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According to statistics from the China General Administration of Customs, emerging markets in Asia, Africa, and Latin America have become a key driver of export growth. However, underdeveloped local financial infrastructure, incomplete cross-border payment systems, and shortages of foreign exchange mean buyers often struggle to access U.S. dollars. As a result, exporters in these markets frequently face low settlement efficiency, slow cash recovery, and risks such as account freezes.

To address these collection challenges, XTransfer has developed a comprehensive set of cross-border collection solutions. In 2025, payment collections from emerging markets in Asia, Africa, and Latin America rose 106% year-on-year. By region, collections increased 273% in Africa, 82% in Southeast Asia, and 94% in Latin America.

Over the same period, customs statistics show that in 2025, China’s total goods exports to Asia, Africa, and Latin America increased 14.6% year-on-year, with exports to Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America up 26.6%, 14%, and 8%, respectively. XTransfer’s significantly faster growth in collections compared with export growth suggests exporters are accelerating the shift from informal channels to secure, compliant collection methods, and that market recognition of high-quality cross-border payment services continues to rise.

Bill Deng, Founder and CEO of XTransfer, said emerging markets offer long-term opportunities for Chinese exporters, but many are held back by the “last mile” of collections. He added that XTransfer is committed to helping SMEs collect funds safely and quickly through secure, compliant, and efficient cross-border financial services comparable to those used by multinational companies.

Release of XTransfer PMI
At the Canton Fair, XTransfer partnered with the Yicai Research Institute to publish the “China Small and Medium Enterprises (B2B) Merchandise Export Purchasing Manager Index” (XTransfer Export PMI), offering operational guidance and decision-making reference for small and micro export-oriented businesses.

This edition draws on a sample survey of XTransfer’s 800,000 SME users, selecting over 3,000 companies nationwide. It covers the full export process across export orders, pricing, procurement, logistics, staffing, and cash flow. The report shows that the March 2026 XTransfer PMI was 51.56%, indicating export conditions for SMEs are generally improving. Despite a complex external environment, SMEs have remained resilient and steadily strengthened their pricing power in international markets. Meanwhile, demand structures in emerging markets are reshaping, with export focus shifting toward intermediate goods and higher value-added products.

Resilience Amid Geopolitical Disruptions
Customs data show that in the first quarter, China’s goods exports reached RMB 6.85 trillion, up 11.9% year-on-year, marking a strong start to the year and benefiting SMEs. The XTransfer PMI also shows expansion in the export order index (53.85) and the export price index (56.15). While seasonal factors like the Spring Festival affected the short term, the underlying “volume and price rising together” trend suggests SMEs are accelerating their shift from “low-price internal competition,” strengthening pricing power through technology upgrades and improved quality.

Geopolitical disruptions have also extended delivery times, pushing the logistics time PMI down to 37.50. In contrast, the sales collection (receivables) index rose to 68.59, showing a pattern of “goods moving slower, money returning faster”. This suggests overseas buyers remain strongly tied to China’s high-quality supply chain and are willing to raise prepayment ratios or shorten payment terms to secure capacity. One exhibitor, Mr Wang, said, “A Southeast Asian customer increased its deposit from 30% to 70% to lock in production, worried our capacity would be booked by others.“

Emerging Markets Demand Trends Toward “High-End” Upgrading
The report highlights a shift toward higher-end demand in emerging markets. Africa’s export orders index (57.55) points to rising infrastructure-related demand; Latin America’s export orders index (56.47) and price index (57.81) signal opportunities in electromechanical and optical medical equipment; and Southeast Asia is absorbing components and semi-finished goods, calling for SMEs to move from finished-goods suppliers to supply-chain partners.

As industrialisation accelerates in emerging markets, demand for high-quality intermediate goods, complete electromechanical equipment, and technical services is rising. SMEs are moving from “low-end capacity exports” to “exports of technology and supply chain support”.

The composite PMI for the “New Three” (new energy vehicles, photovoltaics, and lithium batteries) was 54.59. The “New Three” sectors continue to hold growth potential, and enterprises need to enhance profit margins by delivering differentiated value.
Hashtag: #XTransfer #PMI #Crossborder #Payment #SMEs

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China has launched a new satellite designed to track greenhouse gases with greater precision, adding a fresh layer of space-based monitoring to the country’s climate and environmental data network.

The satellite lifted off aboard a Long March-4C rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in north-west China at 12:10 pm Beijing time on April 17. State media said the spacecraft entered its planned orbit successfully, marking the 638th mission of the Long March rocket family. Chinese reports described it as a high-precision greenhouse-gas detection satellite intended to strengthen observation of atmospheric conditions from orbit.

Chinese broadcaster CGTN reported that the satellite carries five instruments, including an atmospheric detection lidar, a broad-spectrum hyperspectral greenhouse-gas monitor, ultraviolet and infrared hyperspectral sensors for atmospheric composition, and a cloud-and-aerosol imager. Together, those tools are intended to improve detection of carbon dioxide, methane and related atmospheric variables, while helping scientists separate emissions signals from interference caused by clouds, aerosols and other background conditions. The spacecraft and launcher were developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, according to CGTN and other Chinese reports.

The launch gives Beijing a more advanced platform for a task that has become politically and economically important: measuring what is actually entering the atmosphere. Satellite-based observation has become a key part of climate governance because it can provide independent, repeated coverage across large industrial zones, energy corridors and remote terrain where ground-based monitoring is patchier or harder to verify. Methane, in particular, has come under sharper scrutiny because it traps far more heat than carbon dioxide over the short term, while carbon dioxide remains the dominant driver of long-term warming.

For China, the mission also carries strategic weight. The country has pledged to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and reach carbon neutrality before 2060, goals that require more dependable measurement of emissions trends and sector-by-sector performance. Yet that transition remains uneven. Reuters reported in February 2025 that China cut carbon intensity by 3.4 per cent in 2024, but still lagged behind its five-year target, underscoring the tension between climate pledges, industrial growth and energy security. More precise atmospheric data can help narrow that gap between policy targets and real-world measurement.

The new mission also builds on a longer Chinese effort to monitor greenhouse gases from space. In 2016, China launched TanSat, a carbon-tracking satellite aimed at taking global carbon dioxide readings roughly every 16 days, with accuracy of at least four parts per million, according to Reuters and the China National Space Administration. That earlier satellite was presented as a step towards giving policymakers more independent climate data. The new spacecraft appears to signal a move from pioneering measurement capability towards a more operational and higher-resolution system.

That matters beyond China. Space-based emissions tracking has gained prominence as governments, investors and campaigners press for more transparent climate accounting. The loss last year of MethaneSAT, a privately backed satellite funded in part by Jeff Bezos and operated by the Environmental Defense Fund, highlighted both the promise and fragility of this new monitoring architecture. At the same time, political pressure on some United States climate-observation programmes has raised concerns among scientists about the continuity of global emissions data. Against that backdrop, China’s launch adds capacity to a field in which international coverage remains valuable but uneven.

The timing is notable because climate data has become more than a scientific matter. It now feeds into carbon markets, industrial regulation, trade pressure and diplomatic claims over who is cutting emissions and who is not. Better satellite detection could strengthen verification of methane leaks from coal mines, oil and gas facilities, and large industrial sites, while also improving broader atmospheric modelling. Chinese researchers are already working on ever finer emissions datasets for the country, and the addition of a new orbital platform could help tighten links between satellite observation, ground measurements and policy enforcement.