Microsoft has completed the global rollout of a new AI Workflows feature within the Teams Workflows app that uses Microsoft 365 Copilot to help users automate complex tasks and daily operations, marking a significant advance in intelligent productivity tools for organisations worldwide. Users with Microsoft 365 Copilot licences can now access preset workflow templates that harness scheduled Copilot prompts to handle repetitive actions like project summaries, data […]
Leading British boarding schools are set to deepen educational engagement with Nigerian parents and students this March through a series of exhibitions and interactive events in Abuja and Lagos, as part of UK Boarding Schools Week 2026. The initiative, driven by Mark Brooks Education, aims to provide a platform for direct dialogue between families and school leaders about admissions, academic pathways and boarding life. The programme is […]
Singapore’s drive to harness artificial intelligence as an engine of economic growth is entering a decisive phase marked by abundant ambition and clear signs of strain across company ranks. Government fiscal policy and private-sector deployment are converging on AI, but weak data infrastructure, skills gaps and uneven returns are tempering expectations even as enterprises escalate investments and policy support grows.
Last week, the nation’s Budget for the 2026 fiscal year unveiled a suite of measures aimed at elevating AI adoption across multiple industries. Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong confirmed the establishment of a National AI Council, to be chaired by himself, tasked with coordinating research, regulation and investment to align public and private interests in developing AI capability. The plan also includes National AI Missions focused on advanced manufacturing, connectivity and logistics, finance and healthcare, sectoral areas where government and business leaders see the most potential for productivity gains and value creation. The budget expands fiscal incentives with enhanced tax deductions for AI-related expenditures over the next two assessment years and widened grant schemes to support adoption, workforce training and enterprise transformation. Leaders of major consultancies said these measures signal a shift from experimentation to enterprise-scale adoption and give firms a clearer pathway to embed AI into core operations.
Despite this policy momentum, data from industry surveys and corporate research paint a more nuanced picture of utilisation and outcomes. Adoption of AI tools in Singapore is now near universal among larger firms, with about 96 per cent reporting some level of use. But a significant gap remains between deployment and measurable returns on investment. Only a minority of organisations consider themselves leaders in achieving strong, sustained ROI, indicating an emerging disconnect between AI deployment at scale and operational readiness to turn it into business value. Executives widely acknowledge that sprawling and complex data environments, coupled with cybersecurity concerns, are contributing to operational friction and risks that constrain potential gains.
Private forecasts and vendor research suggest that enterprises are committed to accelerating AI spending even as returns lag. Surveys of business leaders show average investments in AI of around SG$18.9 million, with expectations for investment growth of roughly 38 per cent over the next two years and ROI projections rising to an average of 29 per cent during the same period. Yet analysts note that these returns will depend significantly on firms’ ability to bridge gaps in data readiness and workforce capability. Many Singapore companies acknowledge limited internal training, fragmented data integration and widespread informal use of ungoverned AI tools, all of which undermine robust enterprise-level strategy and governance structures.
Structural issues are as salient as technical ones. Industry leaders point to weaknesses in reliable data foundations and the need for stronger leadership alignment to embed AI into strategic operations rather than relegated to pilot projects or isolated business functions. Senior executives contend that competitive advantage over the coming decade will be determined less by technology choice and more by how effectively organisations build hybrid human-AI teams and integrate AI into everyday workflows.
Talent acquisition and retention also feature prominently in conversations around Singapore’s AI trajectory. Advanced AI, cloud and cybersecurity skills are in high demand globally and Singapore is no exception, with firms reporting difficulty scaling teams with the specialised expertise needed to support complex AI systems. This talent shortage both drives up costs and slows the pace at which organisations can absorb and leverage new technologies.
Cloud infrastructure and advanced digital foundations are another determinant of success. Financial services institutions in Singapore, for example, are among the most advanced globally in cloud adoption, with a majority running core workloads in cloud or hybrid environments that facilitate large-scale AI deployment. This infrastructure supports use cases ranging from compliance and risk management to fraud detection and transaction monitoring. However, budget constraints, talent gaps and integration challenges remain headwinds even in these relatively strong pockets of adoption.
Commentators outside the corporate sphere emphasize the importance of inclusive growth, noting that small- and medium-sized enterprises must not be left behind in the national AI push. Business federation and consultancy leaders warn that without targeted support for smaller firms to sustain, not just adopt, AI technologies, widening capability divides could undermine broader economic innovation and productivity goals.
Sega Sammy Holdings announced a substantial impairment charge against Finnish studio Rovio Entertainment as part of its financial results for the nine months ended 31 December 2025, underscoring challenges in its bid to expand mobile gaming revenue and prompting strategic shifts in its broader gaming portfolio. The company recorded an impairment loss close to US $200 million linked to Rovio’s performance, coinciding with a sharp fall in […]
The Al-Khayyat family, a Syrian-Qatari business dynasty that rose to prominence in Doha through ventures such as Baladna dairy and Power International Holding, is accelerating its involvement in rebuilding Syria’s economy as Damascus opens up to foreign investment after years of conflict. Brothers Moutaz and Ramez Al-Khayyat, chairing sprawling conglomerates that span food, construction, energy and financial services, are spearheading a wave of deals that could shape […]
OpenAI’s chief executive Sam Altman has said that India now has 100 million weekly active users of ChatGPT, elevating the country to the position of the platform’s second-largest market globally after the United States and underscoring its growing influence in the artificial intelligence ecosystem. Altman disclosed the figure in an opinion piece published ahead of the Global AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, where government officials and global tech leaders are convening to discuss the future of AI and its integration into education, enterprise and public services.
This milestone reflects not just a vast user base but also a distinct pattern of adoption: students in India now represent the largest single demographic of ChatGPT users worldwide, according to Altman, who highlighted the role younger generations are playing in embedding generative AI into daily workflows for learning and productivity.
The 100 million figure forms a significant share of ChatGPT’s global weekly active user count, which stood at about 800 million as of October 2025 and is widely projected to edge closer to 900 million as platforms refine their offerings and expand reach. OpenAI’s decision to open an office in New Delhi in August 2025 and tailor pricing, including a lower-cost subscription tier later made free for a year, is seen as part of a strategy to deepen engagement in what many technology firms regard as a key growth market.
Altman underscored India’s demographic advantages, including a population exceeding one billion internet users and a large proportion of English speakers outside native English-speaking countries — factors that have made the country fertile ground for generative AI adoption. Many students have turned to ChatGPT for support with research, coding, examination preparation and language practice, reflecting a broader trend of digital tools being woven into educational routines.
Despite this surge, translating sheer user numbers into sustained economic returns poses challenges for AI firms. India’s price-sensitive market and uneven internet access complicate monetisation, causing some companies to adjust their strategies to balance affordability with revenue generation. OpenAI’s tailored pricing and promotional offers have helped lower entry barriers, but broader monetisation across emerging markets may require further innovation in business models.
The competitive landscape in India’s AI space is intensifying. Alphabet’s Google has made inroads with its Gemini AI suite, aggressively targeting younger users through free one-year subscriptions and partnerships with telecom firms to broaden adoption among students and professionals. These efforts are part of a broader contest among technology giants to capture share in a market that has vast potential due to its size and digital engagement.
The presence of global tech leaders and politicians at the New Delhi summit highlights the geopolitical and economic significance of India’s AI trajectory. Policy discussions span topics from responsible AI governance and equitable access to scaling infrastructure and boosting domestic innovation capacity. Indian policymakers, alongside industry executives, are advocating approaches that leverage technology to enhance education, public services and economic participation, while grappling with concerns over job displacement and digital divides.
Altman has outlined priorities for fostering inclusive AI growth in India, emphasising the need for practical digital literacy, robust computing infrastructure and frameworks that ensure ethical deployment. Such an approach, he argues, will empower users to harness AI’s potential effectively rather than just expanding access to tools.
The prominence of India’s student base on ChatGPT has broader implications for how AI products are developed and tailored. Feedback from a large and diverse user community helps shape feature enhancements and localisation efforts, influencing global development roadmaps. For companies like OpenAI, this dynamic underscores a strategic shift from traditional markets in Europe and North America toward regions where usage patterns reflect unique demographic and cultural needs.
Nigeria has launched a sweeping industrial policy aimed at restarting idle factories, boosting domestic manufacturing and positioning Africa’s largest economy as a competitive production hub in global supply chains. Federal authorities say the framework is designed to tackle long-standing structural weaknesses that have undermined output, including erratic power supply, limited access to long-term finance, foreign exchange volatility and infrastructure gaps. Manufacturing accounts for less than 10 per […]
African Development Bank Group has approved a $200 million loan to support Nigeria’s efforts to expand agricultural production and curb reliance on food imports, reinforcing Abuja’s push to tackle food inflation and strengthen rural incomes. Board members of the AfDB cleared the financing to scale up priority investments across key value chains, targeting improved productivity, better access to inputs and enhanced storage and processing capacity. The funding […]
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Zilliz has launched a new Zilliz Cloud region in Amazon Web Services’ eu-west-1 data centre in Ireland, expanding its European infrastructure as demand for localised artificial intelligence systems accelerates across Western Europe and the United Kingdom. The move positions the vector database specialist closer to enterprise customers that require data residency, lower latency and regulatory compliance within the European Union. By deploying in AWS’s Ireland region, Zilliz […]
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Galaxy Digital’s head of asset management, Steve Kurz, is projecting a structural shift in the cryptocurrency market as the industry grapples with price volatility and evolving investor behaviour. Speaking publicly this week, Kurz said the downturn in digital-asset prices is better understood as healthy deleveraging rather than evidence of systemic failure, and described a deepening integration between traditional financial systems and digital-asset infrastructure that he believes underpins […]
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International Holding Company, the Abu Dhabi-based investment conglomerate known as IHC, has posted full-year 2025 revenue of AED111.4 billion, a rise of 29.1 per cent from a year earlier, while profit after tax climbed 35.1 per cent to AED34.7 billion, reflecting what the group described as disciplined execution and tighter cost management across its expanding portfolio. The audited results mark another year of strong expansion for […]
Emirates has signed an interline agreement with China’s Loong Air, widening its access to 22 additional destinations across the mainland and strengthening its competitive position in one of the world’s most strategically important aviation markets. The arrangement, effective immediately, enables Emirates passengers to connect beyond its existing gateways in Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong onto Loong Air-operated domestic services. The added cities span eastern, northeastern, southern, central […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Supy, the Dubai-based provider of AI-driven inventory management, procurement and business intelligence software for multi-branch restaurant operators, has reported that its revenue more than tripled in 2025 as demand for data-powered back-of-house technology accelerates across the Middle East and beyond. The company, founded in 2021 and now operating in over 30 countries, described the performance as reflecting strong uptake of cloud-based restaurant systems […]
Bringing Festive Flavours and Delicious Moments to the Community
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 16 February 2026 – Lee Kum Kee Sauce (“Lee Kum Kee”), the global leader of Asian sauces and condiments, marked a successful debut as the Platinum Sponsor of the 2026 Chinese New Year Festival & Market Day in Auckland. Co-hosted by the Auckland Chinese Community Centre (ACCC) and Channel 33, this festival was held on 14 February 2026, in celebration of the upcoming Year of the Horse, bringing together families, community groups, and cultural performers.
The Lee Kum Kee booth draws strong crowds at the 2026 Auckland Chinese New Year Festival & Market Day.
Set against the backdrop of the Auckland Showgrounds, the festival featured over 200 specialist stalls offering traditional Chinese hot delicacies, festive foodstuffs and traditional arts and crafts, attracting over 20,000 visitors. The extensive entertainment programme included lion dances, traditional Chinese songs and performances that brought the spirit of the celebrations to life.
Lee Kum Kee set up a captivating booth experience for festivalgoers of all ages, allowing them to explore an extensive range of sauces through delectable tastings, exclusive promotional sales, and the exciting “Chopstick Lucky Dip” prize-giving game, which drew enthusiastic participation throughout the event.
A visitor tries his luck by drawing chopsticks from the luck dip game.
Gary Hui (left), Business Development Director – Oceania of Lee Kum Kee Sauce, presents a cheque to the ACCC as a Platinum Sponsor of the event.
In serving the local community, Lee Kum Kee aims to bring traditional festive moments to life. Gary Hui, Business Development Director – Oceania of Lee Kum Kee Sauce, remarked, “Spring Festival represents family, togetherness, and the joy of sharing meals. We are proud to support an event that reflects these values. Whether you are discovering new tastes or enjoying familiar favourites, we hope this festival brings joy and connection to all.”
(Fourth from left) Vincent Wong, President – APAC of Lee Kum Kee Sauce, pictured with the New Zealand market team at the booth.
A trusted household name for generations, Lee Kum Kee is renowned for its authentic Asian sauces that inspire home cooking and festive dining. Through on-going community partnerships and cultural celebrations, Lee Kum Kee remains committed to supporting local communities while promoting Chinese culinary culture worldwide through the joy of food.Hashtag: #LeeKumKee #LKK
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Lee Kum Kee
Lee Kum Kee is the global gateway to Asian culinary culture, dedicated to promoting Chinese culinary culture worldwide. Since 1888, it has brought people together over joyful reunions, shared traditions, and memorable meals. Beloved by consumers and chefs alike, Lee Kum Kee’s range of more than 300 sauces and condiments sparks creativity in kitchens everywhere, inspiring professional and home chefs to experiment, create, and delight. Headquartered in Hong Kong, China and serving over 100 countries and regions, Lee Kum Kee’s rich heritage, unwavering commitment to quality, sustainable practices, and “Constant Entrepreneurship” combine to enable superior experiences through Asian cuisine for people worldwide. For more information, please visit www.LKK.com.
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For 12 days, the Spring Fair transformed VEC into a walkable map of 34 provinces, blending cuisine, culture and commerce inside Southeast Asia’s largest exhibition complex.
HANOI, VIETNAM – Media OutReach Newswire – 14 February 2026 – For nearly two weeks, the Spring Fair 2026 turned the Vietnam Exhibition Center into something few destinations manage to become: a condensed, high-definition portrait of an entire country.
As the fair drew to a close, what remains is not simply a tally of booths or sales figures, but the impression of a place that allowed visitors to move ‘through Vietnam’ at remarkable speed. Within a single afternoon, one could travel from the northern mountains to the Mekong Delta without leaving a 90-hectare venue on the outskirts of Hanoi.
Framed as “A Marketplace of 34 Provinces,” the event gathered regional economies, culinary traditions and cultural performances under one monumental roof. For many international visitors in Hanoi this spring, it became a defining stop on the city’s New Year cultural calendar.
A Country in One Afternoon
The scale was unapologetically large. More than 3,000 standard booths. Around 2,500 enterprises. Participation from 34 provinces and cities across Vietnam. Over 12 continuous days, the fair aimed for direct revenue of 1,000 billion VND and operated at a pace that rarely slowed.
Inside, the exhibition floor was organized into thematic zones such as “Vietnamese Cultural Essence” and “Vietnamese Agricultural Products – Connecting Spring”. The layout encouraged visitors to drift geographically. One moment, they stood in the northern region. Minutes later, they were tasting specialties from the south.
In the section representing Bắc Ninh, trays of bánh phu thê (sticky rice cake filled with mung bean paste, traditionally served at weddings) glowed under warm light. Nearby, vendors rolled out bánh cuốn Mao Điền (thin rice sheets wrapped around seasoned minced pork and wood ear mushrooms), the steam rising gently into the air. Nem chua (fermented pork sausage) was sliced into neat portions, while bundles of mì gạo chũ (sun-dried rice noodles from Bắc Giang) were arranged in pale, orderly stacks.
Further along, the scent shifted. At a booth from Sơn La, strips of thịt trâu gác bếp (smoked buffalo meat) were cut from darkened slabs and dipped into a dense sauce flecked with mắc khén (wild mountain pepper with a citrusy heat). The taste was smoky, slightly sweet and sharply spiced. At another stand, mắm tôm chua (fermented shrimp paste with chili and garlic) from Huế was wrapped with boiled pork belly and green banana slices, layered with fresh herbs to soften its tang.
In the southern cluster, bánh pía (flaky pastry filled with mung bean, salted egg yolk and durian) from Sóc Trăng were sliced while still warm, their layered crust collapsing delicately to reveal a rich interior. The aroma of durian lingered in the air, unmistakable and confident.
“I really liked how the space was designed according to each province’s characteristic… not only products, but also culture – music, people, traditional dress. It clearly shows very thoughtful experiential design,” said an American visitor during the event.
For business delegations, the appeal went beyond atmosphere.
“We came here to find Vietnamese partners for cashew nuts, cacao and coffee,” said Mandel V. Panizares, representative of Green Agricultural Products Trading in the Philippines. “Seeing the products directly and discussing at the booth; this ‘see and touch’ approach helps us evaluate quality and production capacity more clearly than just looking at profiles or images.”
Cultural performance threaded through the marketplace. Visitors found themselves mesmerized watching more than 50 performers in restored Nguyễn-era garments entered the main corridor for the “Hundred Flower Parade”. Gold embroidered nhật bình (formal imperial robes) shimmered beneath the hall’s lights. Ceremonial horses stepped carefully across polished floors as shoppers paused mid-conversation to watch.
“The parade is not just a performance, but a living cultural experience, where traditional Vietnamese attire, rituals, aesthetics and people exist together within the flow of daily life and commerce,” said Nguyen Thanh Nam, a member of the project team.
Across the 12 days, more than 40 cultural programs and hundreds of performances unfolded, including shows by the Vietnam Circus Federation and the Vietnam Puppet Theatre. Music, acrobatics and folk art existed in easy proximity to contract discussions and product demonstrations.
By the final weekend, it was clear that the Spring Fair had evolved into something more than an exhibition. It functioned as a temporary indoor festival city, layered with sound, flavor and movement.
The Platform Powering the Experience
The intensity of the experience was made possible by the Vietnam Exhibition Center itself.
Spanning 90 hectares, VEC is the largest exhibition complex in Southeast Asia and ranks among the top ten globally. At its core stands the Kim Quy Exhibition Hall, a 130,000 square meter column-free structure that provides uninterrupted interior space on a scale rarely seen in the region.
Built in just 10 months by Vingroup, Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate, and officially opened on August 19, 2025, the center welcomed 1.2 million visitors within its first three days of operation. Managing that volume required advanced crowd coordination, robust security systems and integrated logistics capable of operating at metropolitan scale.
The infrastructure extends well beyond the main hall. An 18-hectare parking area accommodates more than 10,000 vehicles. Nearly 1,200 electric vehicle charging ports form the largest EV charging station in Vietnam. Integrated storage zones, transport logistics and modern electronic payment systems allowed thousands of booths to operate simultaneously without visible strain.
VEC is also a member of the Bureau International des Expositions and serves as Vietnam’s official representative at global exhibition events, positioning it within the international exhibition circuit.
“We believe that, building upon this foundation, VEC will continue to thrive and evolve into a premier hub for major regional and international events. When operated at its full potential, VEC will emerge as a new symbol of a connected, prosperous, integrated, innovative, and sustainable Vietnam, thereby elevating our national standing in the country’s new era of ascent.”, said Mr. Tran Le Phuong, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Vietnam Exhibition Fair Center Joint Stock Company (VEFAC JSC).
During the Spring Fair, that capacity was visible in every operational detail. Corridors remained fluid at peak hours. Multiple stages operated without acoustic conflict. International delegations moved seamlessly between provincial booths.
“I highly appreciate the handicraft products of Hue and high-tech agricultural products of Thanh Hoa and Dong Thap,” said Ozasa Haruhiko, Chief Representative of JETRO Hanoi. “The diversity and quality here strengthen my confidence in Japan-Vietnam trade potential.”
As the 2026 edition concludes, the Spring Fair leaves behind more than transactions and photographs. It has demonstrated that Vietnam can stage large-scale exhibitions with cultural depth and operational precision inside world-class infrastructure.
Hashtag: #VEC #Vingroup
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
https://www.LKK.com
