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Led by Blockchain Capital, the funding will accelerate the expansion of PhotonPay’s stablecoin-centric Financial OS, connecting stablecoin liquidity with global fiat networks to unlock digital assets for everyday corporate operations and cross-border settlement.

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 29 October 2026 – PhotonPay today announced the closing of a $40 million Series C funding round led by Blockchain Capital, with participation from new investor SBI Group and follow-on investments from existing investors IDG Capital, GL Ventures, and Lightspeed Faction. Blacksheep Technology acted as exclusive financial advisor to PhotonPay on the transaction.

PhotonPay announces $40 million Series C funding round led by Blockchain Capital

The new capital will support the expansion of PhotonPay’s stablecoin-centric Financial Operating System (Financial OS), with investment focused on enhancing multi-asset wallet capabilities, expanding global card issuing, strengthening local clearing infrastructure in key markets, and developing an agent-ready financial execution layer.

As of August 2026, PhotonPay’s annualized transaction volume reached US$65 billion. The company has secured 34 payment and financial licenses and regulatory authorizations across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and serves over 200,000 business customers across more than 200 countries and territories.

As stablecoins move beyond crypto-native use cases into corporate treasury, settlement and commercial spending, PhotonPay sees the next phase of global finance not as a choice between stablecoins and fiat currencies, but as the convergence of both. Its Financial OS connects on-chain liquidity with the banking, clearing and card networks businesses rely on for everyday operations.

“Moving money across borders in seconds means little if it still takes days to put that capital to work,” said Lewison Chen, Founder and CEO of PhotonPay. “Stablecoins are accelerating global money movement, while local clearing and global card issuing connect that liquidity to local settlement and everyday business spending. Our Financial OS brings these capabilities together, making the underlying infrastructure far less visible to businesses, even as it becomes more essential than ever.”

“At the same time, business software is becoming increasingly autonomous,” Chen added. “AI is shifting financial workflows from people manually operating fragmented tools toward systems that understand business intent and coordinate execution across assets, accounts and financial rails. That creates the foundation for agentic commerce. Stablecoins change how money moves. AI changes how it gets put to work. But commerce is still what money is for.”

Moving Money Across Assets and Markets

PhotonPay’s Financial OS brings together multi-asset wallets, global money movement, foreign exchange, local clearing, and global card issuing through an integrated API-first architecture. This unified system gives businesses access to the financial capabilities they need to manage and deploy funds across markets.

Stablecoins sit at the core of this architecture. PhotonPay’s multi-asset wallet connects stablecoin liquidity with fiat balances, integrating asset conversion, foreign exchange, and local clearing into a single connected workflow. This enables businesses to move funds across supported on-chain and traditional financial networks, turning digital asset liquidity into purchasing power for local payments and everyday corporate spending.

Supporting this dual-rail infrastructure is PhotonPay’s established global financial network. Businesses can open local collection accounts in 17 key markets and receive funds in more than 60 currencies. On the payout side, the network supports over 100 payment routes across local clearing systems, bank transfers, and digital wallets, including payouts to 74 major local e-wallets. Approximately 97% of payout transactions reach recipients within hours or on the same day, with 68% arriving in real time.

Global card issuing extends these capabilities into programmable business spending. Through PhotonPay’s APIs, businesses and platforms can issue virtual and physical cards, configure granular spending controls, and embed card payments directly into their software and automated workflows. Over the past 12 months, PhotonPay issued 4.4 million cards, up 275% YoY.

Beyond its first-party payment solutions, PhotonPay makes its infrastructure available through embedded finance, enabling technology platforms to natively integrate global accounts, payments, and card issuing into their own products. The company now serves more than 100 enterprise and platform partners, extending the reach of its Financial OS into industry-specific workflows.

From Financial Intent to Agentic Commerce

As AI agents assume active operational roles, financial infrastructure must evolve beyond API access to enable programmable, policy-governed execution. It requires systems capable of translating high-level instructions into coordinated financial actions, with deterministic controls governing how those actions are executed.

In May 2026, PhotonPay and Mastercard completed a live agentic payment demonstration using a tokenized PhotonPay card, validating AI-initiated transactions across existing global card networks.

Building on this milestone, PhotonPay is developing standardized financial interfaces designed for developers and AI agents. With planned support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP), PhotonPay aims to make account information, balances, card functions, and payments accessible as composable financial primitives, allowing AI agents to securely retrieve context and initiate financial workflows within defined authorization boundaries.

To govern this agent-ready layer, PhotonPay is developing a policy-based execution framework designed to enforce programmable authorization rules, spending limits, and transaction-level controls. The framework is intended to enable AI agents to coordinate financial tasks across supported accounts and assets, while ensuring that execution remains subject to explicit, enforceable policies set by businesses.

PhotonPay is also advancing its AI-assisted risk review capabilities, designed to identify complex cases for human assessment. Together, these initiatives reflect a foundational principle of autonomous finance: AI may interpret intent and coordinate tasks, but financial execution must remain governed by verifiable authorization, deterministic controls, and auditable records.

“Connecting financial networks is only the beginning. The real breakthrough is abstracting that complexity behind a unified, programmable financial layer, so businesses and AI agents can move from intent to execution within clearly defined boundaries,” said Chen.

Simple on the Surface, Deep by Design

The promise of a Financial OS is simplicity: enabling businesses to manage assets, route money, and execute payments through a unified financial operating layer. Yet delivering that simplicity requires deep financial infrastructure beneath the surface.

While stablecoins accelerate borderless value transfer, turning that liquidity into local settlement, supplier payments, and corporate spending still depends on established banking relationships, domestic clearing rails, foreign exchange infrastructure, and global card networks. Each market brings its own regulatory and operational requirements.

For PhotonPay, building a Financial OS means abstracting these fragmented global networks into a programmable, interconnected financial system. The objective is not to eliminate financial complexity, but to manage it within the underlying infrastructure, so businesses can operate without having to navigate these systems themselves.

“AI can simplify how businesses interact with financial services, but it cannot replace the infrastructure required to deliver them,” said JP Pi, Chief Compliance Officer at PhotonPay. “Establishing local financial capabilities takes years of investment, institutional partnerships, and regulatory engagement. Software or AI models alone cannot replicate that depth. The simplicity businesses experience is the result of that heavy lifting, not a substitute for it.”

PhotonPay has engineered a financial foundation spanning both stablecoin and fiat rails, connecting multi-asset conversion with local clearing networks. Institutional partnerships with J.P. Morgan, Standard Chartered, and DBS, alongside connections to domestic payment systems such as Brazil’s Pix and Mexico’s SPEI, form the backbone of this network.

The new capital will enable PhotonPay to strengthen its local clearing and compliance infrastructure in existing markets while expanding into new jurisdictions, scaling the reach of its Financial OS across corporate spending, embedded finance, and agentic commerce.

“Businesses want one provider that can handle their payments across currencies and markets, whether they’re using bank transfers, stablecoins or cards. Lewison and his team have spent a decade building the banking relationships, licenses and local payment infrastructure to deliver that. We believe PhotonPay’s ability to bring these capabilities together gives it a strong advantage as businesses adopt stablecoins for everyday payments.” – BCAP,Yuanhan Li,Partner

“As stablecoins become increasingly integrated into global payment systems, bridging digital assets with traditional financial infrastructure will be essential to unlocking their real-world potential. PhotonPay’s established global payment network and its vision for a stablecoin-centric Financial OS align closely with SBI Group’s strategy to advance digital financial infrastructure and expand the practical adoption of digital assets. We look forward to supporting PhotonPay’s continued growth and exploring opportunities for strategic collaboration across the SBI Group ecosystem.” – Eiichiro So, CEO & Managing Director of SBI Ven Capital

Hashtag: #PhotonPay #SeriesC #Stablecoin

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

About PhotonPay

Founded in Hong Kong in 2015, PhotonPay is a global fintech company building a next-generation, stablecoin-centric Financial Operating System (Financial OS). Its API-first architecture brings together multi-asset wallets supporting stablecoins and fiat currencies, global money movement, foreign exchange, global card issuing, embedded finance, and local clearing infrastructure, connecting digital and traditional financial rails within an integrated financial system.

PhotonPay operates 16 offices worldwide, employs nearly 600 people, and holds 34 payment and financial licenses and regulatory authorizations across the Americas, Europe and Asia. The company serves businesses across more than 200 countries and territories.

For more information, visit .

Keralam’s Education Department suspended physical education teacher Jijo James on Thursday after police arrested him over an allegedly false claim that worms were found in food served at the State School Sports Meet in Kozhikode. James, 35, teaches at Shalom Vocational Higher Secondary School in Vengola, Ernakulam dis…

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  • The innovation breakthroughs for pioneering new communications networks include RetinaMIMO, new materials, and OSCAR solution among other root technologies. By tackling coverage, energy consumption, and capacity challenges, the breakthroughs drive ubiquitous experience, simplified and green networks, and superior spectral efficiency. The breakthroughs have unlocked a wealth of new capabilities, including the world’s first commercial U6 GHz device VitaAAU, GigaGreen Plus series, and UBBPi series.
  • Huawei promotes A2A-T standards and drives commercial open-source OpenAN through extensive partnerships to build an open telecom agent ecosystem.

SHANGHAI, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 29 October 2026 – At Huawei Decoding China 2026, Fang Xiang, Corporate Vice President and President of Wireless Network Solution of Huawei, unveiled a series of innovation breakthroughs to pioneer new communications networks. The innovation breakthroughs mark major leaps in root technologies focused on ubiquitous experience, simplified and green networks, and superior spectral efficiency. With the breakthroughs, Huawei has launched the world’s first commercial U6 GHz device VitaAAU, GigaGreen Plus series, and UBBPi series. Additionally featuring the new progress in open ecosystem for telecom agents, the breakthroughs will lay a solid foundation for new communications networks.

Xiang Fang, Corporate Vice President and President of Wireless Network Solution of Huawei, unveiling innovation breakthroughs for new communications networks
Xiang Fang, Corporate Vice President and President of Wireless Network Solution of Huawei, unveiling innovation breakthroughs for new communications networks

With booming intelligent devices and services, new devices, traffic, and applications are taking shape in the mobile industry. The new devices are expanding network connectivity from people to things and agents, increasing the number of connections by 100 times. Device-cloud synergy for intelligent services calls for stronger uplink capabilities to support training and inference, shifting network focus from downlink dominance to both uplink and downlink. With new applications, come a diversity of new interaction modes, calling for higher standards in experience and driving networks to support ubiquitous steady ultra-low latency with a high reliability.

As the world steps into an intelligent era, the value of connectivity is not only about quantity—it’s more about quality. This has been inspiring Huawei to convert cutting-edge breakthroughs into the commercial practices of new communications networks by focusing on root technologies for ubiquitous experience, simplified and green networks, and superior spectral efficiency.

Pioneering ubiquitous experience

RetinaMIMO is a new pioneering technology designed to solve the challenge of concurrent ultra-high bandwidth and ubiquitous coverage. It features the industry’s first Retina scanning system that allows RF link topologies to be reconstructed to eliminate coverage collapse in the vertical direction. It also adopts a reconstructed antenna array architecture to address the diminishing marginal gains as array elements (AEs) increase.

Based on RetinaMIMO, Huawei has launched the world’s first commercial U6 GHz device VitaAAU. Compared with similar products with 1024 AEs, VitaAAU widens coverage by about 30%, enabling U6 GHz to match C-band in both horizontal and vertical directions. This enables operators to deliver U6 GHz coverage for new communications networks on their C-band sites, minimizing overall TCO. To date, VitaAAU has seen commercial adoption in the UAE and other markets, with peak downlink speeds exceeding 10 Gbps, making ubiquitous premium experience a reality.

Pioneering simplified, green networks

Huawei’s pioneering EP power amplifier (PA) architecture capitalizes on new materials and technologies to solve the problem of energy efficiency decline on higher frequency bands, maximizing energy conversion efficiency. The industry’s first-ever multimode dielectric filters allow antennas to have small dimensions and low power consumption on multi-channel networks with high frequency bands. Powered by new materials, technologies, and architectures, VitaAAU antenna is reduced to 1.5 m in diameter while supporting “0 Bit 0 Watt 0 Loss”, delivering superior energy saving efficiency. These innovations enable Huawei’s GigaGreen Plus series products to achieve significant reductions in dimensions, weight, and power consumption, better positioned to power simplified and green networks.

Pioneering superior spectral efficiency

Multi-band, multi-cell, and multi-user interference is a major restrictive factor of capacity. The time scaling of the Tau (τ) law is introduced to base stations for the first time to realize optimal dynamic resource scheduling across all domains based on the OSCAR solution. With low-latency bus and high-speed interconnect technology, a high-speed architecture is built to enable the real-time exchange of massive data. Thanks to software and hardware synergy, new UBBPi series products improve average user experience by 1.3 times while reducing power consumption by approximately 40%, further improving spectral and energy efficiency.

Pioneering open-source autonomous networks

Autonomous networks have emerged as an inevitable choice to deal with the growing AI services and increasing network complexity. RANSpirit is another industry first from Huawei, implementing single-domain network autonomy based on the telecom foundation model and digital twins. To date, RANSpirit is serving more than 1.2 million cells across 25 networks around the world, providing assistance to more than 2,000 engineers.

Extensive agent collaboration relies on an open, win-win ecosystem. This galvanizes Huawei to join industry partners to develop ecosystem standards, communities, and industry alliances. In terms of standards, Huawei adapts to the TM Forum, building a cross-agent foundation on the A2A-T standard and framework agreed upon by the industry. In terms of communities, Huawei jointly promotes neutral open-source communities and donates open-source agent components to the Linux Foundation, driving global collaboration and innovation. With regard to industry alliances, Huawei has taken the initiative to pool ecosystem strengths to accelerate business implementation based on the GSMA industry platform.

Fang concluded with the reiteration of Huawei’s unswerving pursuit of dual-drive innovation to promote new breakthroughs in mobile networks and work with partners from around the world to deepen the OpenAN ecosystem, advancing new communications networks through technological innovation and open collaboration.

FAQs

Q1: Why is it challenging to balance ultra-high bandwidth and ubiquitous coverage?

Ultra-high bandwidth depends on higher frequency bands. As we know, a higher frequency leads to a greater propagation loss of electromagnetic waves and a weaker ability for them to penetrate obstacles, because high-frequency signals attenuate fast and have short coverage distances, while ubiquitous coverage requires signals to travel a long distance in complex environments. Inherently, the two priorities pull in sharply opposite directions.

Hashtag: #Huawei

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

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Singapore-founded company marks 17 years of growth as it builds a new category around everyday hydration and wellness

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 29 October 2026 – Singapore-founded water brand AOX has been named ‘Top Collagen Renewing Water 2026′ by Healthcare Business Review APAC, marking a new milestone for a brand that has spent more than 17 years developing a differentiated approach to drinking water.

The recognition comes as AOX seeks to build the Collagen Renewing Water category – moving the conversation beyond the appliances that dispense water towards the properties of the water people drink daily.

Unlike conventional water dispensers, which tend to compete on temperature settings, design or convenience, AOX’s central proposition is its proprietary approach to filtration and mineral formulation. Its systems combine filtration with a formulation that includes calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and silica to deliver what the company describes as Collagen Renewing Water.

This latest recognition reflects AOX’s water-first approach, built around its proprietary mineral formulation, including the specific sourcing of minerals and the process used to create its final water profile. It adds to a long track record of business, brand and design awards accumulated over more than 17 years.

“A water dispenser can have all the features in the world, but ultimately, what matters most is the water you drink from it every day,” said John Tan, Chief Executive Officer of AOX. “That belief has shaped AOX for more than 17 years and is why we continue investing in Collagen Renewing Water, our proprietary formulation and the research behind it. This recognition encourages us to keep building that category and challenging consumers to look beyond the machine.”

The award also signals AOX’s next chapter under John Tan’s leadership. After working across finance, operations and marketing at AOX before becoming CEO, he is leading its next phase of research, product innovation and market growth, with a goal to reach new audiences and respond to changing consumer expectations around water quality and everyday wellness.

AOX has commissioned laboratory and preclinical research into the properties of its water, including collagen-related fibroblast activity, cell migration, antioxidant activity, and metabolic markers in preclinical models. The company will continue to invest in research while communicating its findings responsibly and within appropriate scientific boundaries.

Founder Jeffrey Tan said the recognition was a reminder of the original idea that shaped the business. “When we started AOX, we wanted people to think more carefully about the water they drink every day,” he said. “Over the years, the technology, products and people’s expectations have evolved, but that belief has remained the same. It is encouraging to see AOX recognised as we continue to build on that foundation.”

AOX’s product range includes direct-piped water systems for homes and organisations, spanning hot and cold, ambient and compact formats. The company’s focus remains on growing its Collagen Renewing Water category while continuing to develop products around the needs of modern households and workplaces.

Hashtag: #AOX

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

About AOX

Founded in Singapore in 2009, AOX is a homegrown water brand focused on the quality of the water itself. At the heart of AOX is Collagen Renewing Water, produced through its proprietary filtration and mineral formulation and delivered consistently across its range of water dispensers.

Over more than 17 years, AOX has grown to serve more than 10,000 households and organisations, while developing water systems that combine water quality, practical design and long-term after-sales support.

AOX has also commissioned laboratory studies using human cells and preclinical research into the properties of its water, including collagen-related activity, antioxidant activity, weight gain and liver-lipid accumulation. In 2026, AOX was recognised by Healthcare Business Review APAC as the Top Collagen Renewing Water Dispensers in APAC 2026.

Founders are pressing ahead with US expansion despite immigration uncertainty, according to new research from Beyond Border. Its Founder Mobility Pulse survey found that 82% have not changed their plans to expand to the US, while an analysis of 1,140 immigration inquiries from Asia offers insights into the region’s role in US market entry.

SINGAPORE & HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 29 October 2026 – Despite continued uncertainty surrounding US immigration policies, founders remain committed to expanding into the American market, according to new research from US immigration platform Beyond Border.

Beyond Border’s Founder Mobility Pulse survey, conducted in August 2026 among 307 respondents worldwide, found that 82% had not changed their US expansion plans despite immigration uncertainty. A further 11% reported either accelerating their timelines or exploring alternative visa pathways.

The findings form part of Beyond Border’s October 2026 market commentary, which also draws on proprietary analysis of 1,140 US immigration enquiries from Asia-based individuals between August 2025 and September 2026, alongside US government immigration statistics and regional talent mobility data.

The research suggests that while immigration uncertainty is influencing how founders approach US market entry, access to the American market remains an important commercial priority.

“For founders, the question is no longer simply whether to expand into the US, but how to establish the right presence there. We’re seeing businesses pursue access to American customers while keeping key functions in their home markets. Immigration planning needs to be part of that strategy from the outset, rather than something founders address only when they’re ready to relocate,” said Fred Ng, Cofounder & CEO of Beyond Border.

Four Findings on US Expansion and Immigration Trends

Beyond Border’s research highlights four developments shaping US expansion and international talent mobility:

1. Access to US customers remains the biggest expansion driver: Some 85% of survey respondents identified access to US customers as their primary motivation for expansion, compared with 8% citing fundraising and investors. Meanwhile, 60% plan to expand into the US within the next 12 months.

2. Founders are taking a more distributed approach to US expansion: Nearly two-thirds (64%) expect to establish a US presence through the founder alone or alongside a small team. At the same time, 72% intend to retain engineering and product functions in Asia, suggesting that US market entry does not necessarily require relocating entire operations.

3. Immigration uncertainty is not deterring founders’ US expansion plans: Beyond Border’s analysis of 1,140 immigration enquiries from Asia-based individuals found that approximately 45% (510) concerned the O-1 visa. Meanwhile, US government data shows diverging approval trends across immigration pathways. Between FY2022 and FY2024, approved L-1 petitions declined by 31%, while O-1/O-2 approvals increased slightly by 1%. Over a separate period, FY2023 to FY2025, EB-1A approvals increased by 20%, while EB-2 NIW approvals declined by 39%. These figures reflect changes in approval volumes rather than approval rates.

4. Changing talent mobility patterns could create opportunities for Asian economies: Estimates from Xpheno indicate that the number of US-based technology professionals returning to India increased from approximately 7,200 in 2023 to 15,100 in 2025. While these movements cannot be attributed solely to immigration policies, they point to broader shifts in international technology talent mobility.

As founders navigate an evolving immigration environment, Beyond Border’s research highlights the importance of aligning immigration decisions with commercial priorities, market entry strategies and long-term business plans.

For the full market commentary, visit https://lp.beyondborderglobal.com/organic/us-expansion-report-2026

Hashtag: #beyondborder #tech #immigration




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

Beyond Border

Built by founders for founders and highly skilled professionals, Beyond Border is a trusted, Singapore-founded, tech-enabled U.S. immigration platform. Launched in 2024, the company helps clients pursue U.S. visas and employment-based green cards, with a focus on O-1 visas and EB-1A and EB-2 NIW green-card pathways. Beyond Border supports clients from eligibility assessment through petition preparation, connecting them with vetted specialist immigration attorneys. Beyond Border has supported thousands of founders including from companies backed by Y Combinator, Techstars, Antler and 500 Global, as well as cross-border technology companies including SuperOps and Biorce. Beyond Border has nine offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and Nigeria. For more information, visit

Swedish technology startup Strawberry has released version 1.0 of its artificial intelligence browser, moving beyond beta testing with a product designed to help employees automate work without writing code. The Stockholm company announced the launch on 26 October, positioning its browser as an alternative to established American AI platforms, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini. Its software places AI assistants directly alongside websites and business […]

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – Media OutReach Newswire – 28 October 2026 – On October 27, ahead of the BAIC FOTON Africa Partners Conference, BAIC FOTON inaugurated its Africa Regional Training Center in South Africa and held its first training session. CEO Lu Zhenghua, BAIC FOTON International President Wu Zongtian, other leaders and local partners attended.

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As global commercial vehicle competition intensifies, international growth requires strong products and manufacturing as well as professional full-lifecycle service. BAIC FOTON’s growing African lineup creates diverse sales, maintenance and technical-support needs, making local talent development essential. Since early 2026, the company has delivered nearly 100 specialized training sessions in key markets, including heavy-duty truck engine disassembly in Argentina, all-electric bus fault diagnosis in Türkiye, and one-day intensive training for five rotating groups in Uruguay. The programs turn headquarters’ technical standards into practical frontline diagnostic and repair skills.

Lu Zhenghua said the center will support Africa’s regional operating system and deeper localization by connecting technical standards, service experience and local team capabilities, while improving coordination among product supply, after-sales support and talent development. Wang Zhuozhong, VP of BAIC FOTON INTERNATIONAL, introduced the center’s background and development plan. Local partners discussed service cooperation, support for service providers and future opportunities.

Centered in South Africa and serving the wider continent, the center will share technical standards and service experience and help dealers improve spare-parts stocking, maintenance processes and response efficiency, advancing standardized, professional services.

The 900-square-meter facility allocates 450 square meters each to theoretical and practical training. A 140-square-meter classroom seats 80, and a 35-square-meter classroom seats 24. Offices and rest areas support five practical zones: complete vehicles, engines, transmissions, electrical and electronic systems, and new-energy vehicles. The facility supports training across BAIC FOTON’s product range and job roles.

After touring the center, Lu Zhenghua and his delegation met local dealers and customers to discuss regional business. African dealers welcomed its contribution to local talent and service capability, and looked forward to deeper technical and business cooperation.

Building on local manufacturing in South Africa, BAIC FOTON is integrating manufacturing, spare-parts supply, after-sales support and professional training. It will continue working with African partners to deepen internationalization and localization and promote high-quality growth across the continent.

Hashtag: #BAICFOTON

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

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