Binance has joined Abu Dhabi’s “One Nation. One People. Together, We Protect What We Love.” initiative in partnership with Design Commission Abu Dhabi, linking one of the world’s largest crypto platforms with a state-backed civic campaign built around social cohesion, shared responsibility and public participation across the UAE. The move adds a corporate technology name to an initiative launched in March under the chairwomanship of Shamsa bint […]
Attackers have planted a stealthy Magecart credit-card skimmer on nearly 100 Magento-based online shops by hiding the malicious code inside an invisible SVG image, according to incident findings published this week, in what security specialists describe as another sign that payment-page attacks are becoming harder for merchants and scanners to detect. The operation was identified on April 7 and affected 99 stores, with stolen payment data sent […]
Al Habtoor Group said on 9 April it will invest more than AED 5 billion in a new commercial tower at Al Habtoor City on Sheikh Zayed Road, a move that adds fresh weight to Dubai’s office-led development pipeline at a time when demand for premium business space remains firm and developers are racing to capture it. The company described the scheme as a landmark addition to […]
OpenAI is projecting a steep new revenue path built around advertising, with the ChatGPT maker expecting about $2.5 billion in ad revenue in 2026 and as much as $100 billion annually by 2030, according to a report by Axios citing investor presentation material. The same projections indicate ad sales could climb to $11 billion in 2027, $25 billion in 2028 and $53 billion in 2029, underscoring how […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Attacks tied to the widening confrontation with Iran could spill far beyond the battlefield and damage global health, food security and the environment, the UAE told an international summit in Lyon, urging governments and institutions to rally around a “One Health” strategy that treats human, animal and ecosystem health as inseparable. The intervention came at a high-level gathering hosted by France on 7 […]
US unemployment benefit claims rose last week but stayed at levels that still point to a labour market holding together, even as investors and policymakers brace for a March inflation reading that could complicate the Federal Reserve’s next move. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased by 16,000 to 219,000 in the week ended April 4, according to Labor Department data released on Thursday. The prior week’s […]
CoreWeave has expanded its artificial intelligence infrastructure relationship with Meta to $21 billion, extending a partnership that underlines how the biggest technology groups are leaning on specialist cloud providers to secure the computing power needed for the next phase of AI development. The enlarged agreement, announced on April 9, runs through December 2032 and builds on a prior deal valued at about $14 billion struck in September. […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai’s financial regulator has unveiled temporary relief measures for firms in the Dubai International Financial Centre, offering regulatory flexibility on licensing, staffing, reporting and selected implementation deadlines as companies manage an exceptional operating environment. The Dubai Financial Services Authority said the package is designed to help regulated firms continue serving clients and markets while preserving supervisory standards. The measures apply both to firms […]
Polygon’s token remained under pressure on Thursday even as the network’s stablecoin business gathered pace, highlighting a widening gap between on-chain usage growth and investor sentiment around POL, the token that replaced MATIC on Polygon’s mainnet in September 2024. POL was down about 4.7% over seven days on CoinGecko as of April 9, while Polygon continued to market itself as infrastructure for global payments and stablecoin settlement. […]
Greenlogue/AP Abu Dhabi’s 2PointZero Group has moved deeper into the renewable energy market in India through a new joint venture between its subsidiary ePointZero RSC and Adani Green Energy, extending a relationship between the two business groups and underscoring continued Gulf interest in large-scale clean power assets on the subcontinent. The venture will be executed through Minerva Holding, ePointZero’s renewable development platform in India, according to statements […]
Embedded banking is moving financial services out of the bank branch and bank app and into the software people and companies already use, reshaping how accounts, cards, payments and credit are distributed across the economy. What began as an extension of embedded payments has matured into a broader model in which regulated banks provide the licensed infrastructure while technology platforms control the customer experience, a shift that […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Saudi medical devices distributor ProMedEx has renewed an 84 million riyal Islamic financing package with Riyad Bank for one year, extending a facility the company says will be used to fund existing projects and back expansion plans as healthcare suppliers across the kingdom continue to seek working capital for inventory, imports and contract execution. The facility is equivalent to about $22.4 million. The […]
U. S. authorities have dismantled the domestic arm of a cyber-espionage network that officials say was run by APT28, the Russian military intelligence hacking group also known as Fancy Bear and Forest Blizzard, after it hijacked vulnerable internet routers to redirect traffic, steal credentials and sift victims for higher-value targets. The Justice Department said the FBI used a court-authorised technical operation to identify compromised routers on U. […]
South Africa is drawing a broader mix of overseas visitors who are staying longer, travelling with more intention and looking beyond checklist tourism, as global travel habits tilt towards slower, experience-led holidays and the country posts record inbound numbers. Official data show South Africa welcomed about 10.5 million international tourists in 2025, the highest annual total on record and above pre-pandemic levels. Statistics South Africa separately said […]
Dubai’s public parking operator Parkin has launched “Spots for Shops”, a scheme designed to let motorists recover parking fees when they spend at participating neighbourhood businesses, in a move that links curbside parking more directly to street-level retail trade. Under the pilot, customers park in a paid Parkin bay, pay the normal tariff, make a qualifying purchase set by the merchant, and then have the fee validated […]
Lumen Technologies has used its latest letter from chief executive Kate Johnson to sharpen a message it has been building for more than a year: the company wants investors, customers and partners to see it less as a legacy telecom carrier and more as a high-capacity digital networking platform built for artificial intelligence workloads. In the letter, Johnson said 2025 was a “pivotal year”, set out plans […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Mubadala Capital has closed its biggest Brazil-focused investment vehicle at about $900 million, exceeding its original $750 million target in a sign that large overseas investors still see room for opportunistic deals in Latin America’s biggest economy despite a tougher global fundraising climate. The fund, Brazil Special Opportunities Fund III, was backed by a $250 million anchor commitment from Mubadala Capital, the investment […]
The ratings agency said elevated oil prices are likely to widen the current-account deficit this year and weaken external buffers, even as it still expects the economy to expand at a healthy pace and the fiscal deficit to narrow over the next two years. S&P projected growth of 5.8% in 2026 after the economy expanded 4.4% in 2025, with softer momentum in the first half and a rebound later in the year.
The decision lands at a delicate moment for Manila. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas warned this week that higher fuel costs were already feeding into broader prices after March inflation accelerated to 4.1%, above the central bank’s 2% to 4% target band and sharply higher than February’s 2.4%. Transport costs were the main driver, with diesel prices up 59.5% from a year earlier and gasoline up 27.3%, while core inflation also edged higher, suggesting second-round effects may be starting to build.
That inflation pulse helps explain why S&P has become more cautious. A country that depends heavily on imported fuel is especially exposed when conflict disrupts Middle East energy flows, and the Philippines has been among the Asian economies hit hardest by the latest oil shock. Reuters reported that Brent crude had risen 55% since the Iran war began on February 28, while the Philippine peso slid to record lows against the dollar, adding another layer of imported inflation pressure.
The external vulnerability is not new, but the conflict has made it harder to ignore. Philippine officials have been scrambling to secure energy supplies, including seeking assurances over safe passage for Philippine-flagged ships and fuel cargoes through the Strait of Hormuz. Manila has also explored alternative sources of crude and emergency measures to protect domestic supply, underlining how quickly a geopolitical crisis can turn into a ratings issue for an energy-importing economy.
For investors, the key point is that S&P did not cut the rating itself. The agency kept the BBB+ grade in place, indicating that it still sees underlying strengths in the economy, including growth potential, remittance support and expectations of gradual fiscal repair. That distinction matters. An outlook change signals rising risk over the medium term, but it is not the same as a downgrade, and it leaves room for the sovereign to stabilise if external pressures ease and macroeconomic management holds firm.
Still, the downgrade in outlook will sharpen attention on the government’s fiscal path. The Philippines has already lowered its medium-term growth targets to reflect the impact of Middle East tensions and shifts in US trade policy. Official forecasts now put 2025 growth at 5.5% to 6.5%, down from 6% to 8%, while targets for 2026 to 2028 have been narrowed to 6% to 7%. That softer growth backdrop makes deficit reduction harder, particularly if the state is forced to spend more on fuel relief, transport support or other measures to cushion households and businesses.
There are signs, however, that the fiscal picture is not uniformly worsening. Treasury data showed the budget deficit in February narrowed marginally from a year earlier, while year-to-date figures improved sharply because of stronger revenues and earlier remittance of dividends. S&P’s own statement suggests it still expects fiscal metrics to improve, even if the war has made that path more vulnerable to setbacks.
Beyond the government balance sheet, the social cost of the energy spike is becoming harder to miss. Reuters reported that some farmers in Benguet province were abandoning harvests because higher fuel, labour and transport costs made it uneconomic to bring produce to market. That kind of strain matters for credit analysis because it shows how an oil shock can move from shipping lanes and currency markets into household spending, food supply chains and political pressure for intervention.
The firm was recognised across various categories, a testament to its continued outperformance:
Datuk Wira Ismitz Matthew De Alwis, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director said, “We are honoured to be recognised by LSEG Lipper for our consistent performance in 2025 against a backdrop of volatility, underpinned by heightened trade wars. During the year, geopolitical risks and trade tensions caused sudden swings in sentiment, which affected small- and mid-cap stocks. We steered clear of headlines and focused on sustainable earnings. This allowed us to selectively position ourselves for when valuations turned compelling while reducing exposure when risks escalated which proved effective and underscores our expertise in Malaysian equities”.
Since the launch of KGF in 2000 and KGFS2 in 2018, both funds have demonstrated consistent performance. As of December 2025, each has surpassed RM1 billion in assets under management1, underscoring Kenanga Investors’ disciplined investment approach and commitment to long term value creation. This year’s Awards also mark KGF’s sixth Lipper title while KGFS2 celebrates its inaugural win.
Lee Sook Yee, Chief Investment Officer, elaborated on the firm’s approach, “We maintained a disciplined bottom‑up stock‑picking strategy anchored in company fundamentals, giving us the conviction to stay invested in high quality businesses with strong balance sheets and structural growth drivers. This was supported by a strict risk management framework focused on sector diversification, prudent buffers, and incremental rebalancing. In 2026, we will emphasise themes such as artificial intelligence and data centre expansion, infrastructure, utilities, and selective REITs, while remaining true to our investment philosophy”.
Over the five‑year period ended 31 December 2025, KGF delivered a total return of 48.82%, significantly outperforming its benchmark2 of 3.25%. Similarly, KGFS2 achieved a robust 49.92% return compared to its benchmark’s3 46.93%. KMIF also recorded solid results with a 32.67% return against a benchmark4 of 5.26%, while KMGF posted a commendable 25.88% return, exceeding its benchmark’s5 11.32%.
The firm also recently introduced the Kenanga Growth Fund Series 3 (“KGFS3“), the third fund within its flagship conventional fund series. The KGFS3 utilises the firm’s proven investment philosophy and is managed with an active investment strategy depending on the market conditions and outlook, combining a top-down asset and sector allocation process with a bottom-up stock selection methodology.
The LSEG Lipper Fund Awards, granted annually, highlight funds and fund companies that have excelled in delivering consistently strong risk-adjusted performance relative to their peers. The Awards are based on the Lipper Leader for Consistent Return rating, which is a risk-adjusted performance measure calculated over 36, 60 and 120 months. This year’s achievements will serve to strengthen Kenanga Investors’ market leadership and drive its focus on creating enduring value for its investors.
For more information about Kenanga Investors, please visit kenangainvestors.com.my.
1 Source: Lipper, 31 December 2025
2 Benchmark: FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI CR
3 Benchmark: 8% p.a.
4 Benchmark: FTSE Bursa Malaysia Top 100 CR
5 Benchmark: FTSE Bursa Malaysia Top 100 Index (50%) & All MGS Index by RAM Quant Shop (50%)
Hashtag: #Kenanga
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
We provide investment solutions ranging from collective investment schemes, portfolio management services, alternative investments, as well as wills and trusts for retail, corporate, institutional, and high net worth clients via a multi-distribution network.
The LSEG Lipper Fund Awards 2026 recognised four funds under the Malaysia Provident Funds category; Kenanga Growth Fund was named Equity Malaysia (5 Years), Kenanga Growth Fund Series 2 was awarded Equity Malaysia Diversified (3 Years), Kenanga Malaysian Inc Fund was awarded Equity Malaysia Diversified (10 Years) while Kenanga Managed Growth Fund was recognised with the title Mixed Asset MYR Balanced – Malaysia (10 Years).
The Hong Kong-based Asia Asset Management’s (“AAM“) 2026 Best of the Best Awards awarded Kenanga Investors under the following categories, Malaysia Best Impact Investing Manager, Best Impact Investing Manager in ASEAN, Malaysia Best Equity Manager, Malaysia CEO of the Year (Co-Winner), Malaysia CIO of the Year, Malaysia Best House for Alternatives and Malaysia Best ESG Engagement Initiative.
At the AAM ETF Awards 2026, Kenanga Investors received an accolade under the category Malaysia Leverage and Inverse ETF of the Year for the Kenanga KLCI Daily 1x Inverse ETF. The IFN Investor Awards 2025 awarded the Kenanga Islamic Balanced Fund under the categories of “IFN Investor Best Balanced Mixed Assets Fund in Malaysia — MYR 2025”, “IFN Investor Best Balanced Mixed Assets Fund in Asia Pacific 2025”, and “IFN Investor Best Global Balanced Mixed Assets Fund 2025”.
The FPAM Financial Planning Leadership Award 2025 presented Kenanga Investors with the Platinum Award under the Charter Member Category, highlighting our dedication to shaping the future of financial planning. The FSMOne Recommended Unit Trusts Awards 2025/2026 has awarded the Kenanga Growth Fund Series 2 with the “Sector Equity — Malaysia Focused” award for the fourth consecutive year since 2022. For the ninth consecutive year, we were affirmed an investment manager rating of IMR-2 by Malaysian Rating Corporation Berhad, since first rated in 2017. The IMR rating on reflects the fund management company’s well-established investment processes and sound risk management practices.
This Press Release was issued by Kenanga Group’s Marketing, Communications & Sustainability department.
Matein Khalid The US-Israel war with Iran has now stretched beyond five weeks, inflicting extensive damage on energy infrastructure, airports, ports and commercial and technology hubs across the six GCC states. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz to Gulf oil and gas exports is, in itself, an economic catastrophe. It forces the GCC to conclude that energy export security is not national security. Drone and missile attacks triggered a sharp […]
Jardines embeds sustainability within its value creation strategy and applies a rigorous lens to investment and capital allocation decisions. There are clear sustainability expectations for our diverse portfolio of market‑leading businesses with the aim to build resilience and mitigate emerging risks.
Earlier, Jardines announced its strategic repositioning from owner-operator to an investment company with a focus on sustainable, top-quartile Total Shareholder Return. Jardines is also committed to active portfolio value creation, talent development, world-class governance and sustainability improvements across its portfolio.
In 2025, Jardine Matheson delivered strong progress on its ‘Building Towards 2030’ sustainability strategy:
Ben Keswick, Executive Chairman of Jardine Matheson said, “Sustainability is foundational to how we protect and enhance economic value and build long-term resilience across Jardine Matheson – it is an essential value that every business in our portfolio must commit to and that guides the investment decisions we make. We will continue to embed sustainability in our strategy and portfolio management decisions, with a clear focus on decarbonisation, by setting clear commitments, measuring progress against our roadmaps, and applying disciplined governance across our portfolio.”
Decarbonisation is top priority
Contributing to a sustainable, low-carbon future is a strategic priority for Jardines. In 2025, the Group delivered an 8% reduction in total scope 1 and 2 emissions, reflecting steady progress across its diversified portfolio. This was supported by a continued shift away from fossil-fuel energy, with renewable energy accounting for 45% of total energy consumption, alongside an overall reduction in energy use.
Jardines’ decarbonisation approach is structured around two pathways: a Decarbonisation Pathway, and a Transition Pathway for mining and energy businesses.
In 2025, Jardines’ portfolio companies began formal reporting on climate risks and opportunities to their audit committees, following the integration of climate risks into existing ERM processes the prior year. Alongside, Jardines is also integrating sustainability factors into investment due diligence and decision-making, ensuring material sustainability-related aspects of an investment are considered as Jardines continues to unlock value creation for its stakeholders.
Looking forward
Looking ahead, Jardines will continue to embed sustainability as a core value driver across its portfolio by setting clear commitments and prioritising decarbonisation. The Group will continue to strengthen governance and incentives to drive accountability and deliver on scope 1 and 2 emissions reduction pathways.
To access the Sustainability Report 2025, please visit sustainability.jardines.com/2025/ or click here to download the PDF.
Hashtag: #JardineMatheson
https://www.jardines.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/jardine-matheson/
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Jardine Matheson (Jardines) is a diversified, Asia-focused investment company. Founded in China in 1832, Jardines creates value for our stakeholders by building lasting, scalable businesses in Asia that produce sustainable returns and market leading services and products.
We ensure highly-qualified boards and leadership teams are in place across the Group, with incentives aligned to driving shareholder value. At the holding company level, we aim for decisive portfolio management built on disciplined capital allocation and strong investment expertise.
At Jardines, we value integrity and long-term partnerships. We ensure global best practice in risk management and governance is embedded across our portfolio, and coupled a strong balance sheet with excellent access to low-cost funding from banks and the capital markets.
Since our founding, Jardines has benefitted from the role of family shareholders who act as long term stewards of our values and commitments – which includes embedding sustainability across our portfolio companies and doing right by our communities for the long term. We are proud to build value for shareholders while also making a positive contribution to the communities we serve.
Jardine Matheson holds interests in Hongkong Land (54.7%), DFI Retail Group (77.5%), Mandarin Oriental (100%), Jardine Pacific (100%), Jardine Cycle & Carriage (JC&C) (85.7%), and Zhongsheng (21.4%). JC&C in turn has a 50.1% shareholding in Astra.
Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited is a listed company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and a secondary listing in Singapore.
By Asad Mirza It seems that President Trump’s Tuesday morning Truth Social post, which threatened “a whole civilisation will die tonight” and raised the spectre of nuclear war, has jolted the American lawmakers, and it has begun a chorus of calls either for Trump’s impeachment or for his removal via the invocation of the 25th […]
The article Irrespective Of Two Week Ceasefire, Demand For Impeachment Of Trump Grows In U.S. Congress appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
Following the official launch of the platform, WeryAI (https://www.weryai.com/) has grown to nearly 3 million users. Serving creators, designers, marketers, and cross-border business teams, it provides an end-to-end creative solution covering image generation, video production, post-production editing, music generation, and character creation. To address common pain points in AI content production—such as fragmented tools, disconnected workflows, and rising costs—the platform integrates multiple high-performance AI models and editing tools, moving visual content production away from the traditional patchwork of multiple tools toward a more efficient closed-loop workflow on a single platform.
At the core of the platform is its signature “multi-model mode,” which allows users to enter a single prompt and simultaneously generate outputs using multiple image-generation models, including Wery 2.0, Nano Banana Pro, Seedream, Dreamina, and Wan 2.6. This makes it easy to compare the style and quality of different engines and quickly identify the best option for a project. On the video side, the platform integrates industry-leading engines such as Google Veo 3.1 Fast, Kling, Runway, Hailuo, and Pika, supporting synchronized audio-video generation. In just seconds, users can turn static images into dynamic advertising clips with smooth camera movement and synced sound effects.
The platform also offers a range of built-in editing tools for tasks such as 4K upscaling, background replacement, object removal, lip-syncing, and subtitle translation. All editing can be done in one interface, without exporting files across platforms. Its “prompt reverse engineering” feature lets users upload a reference image and automatically generate accurate prompts based on elements such as lighting, composition, and mood, reducing the time spent refining prompts.
WeryAI supports a wide range of use cases, including content creation for video producers, end-to-end design workflows, asset production for e-commerce marketing teams, and multilingual content localization for multinational companies. New users receive a daily free quota, while flexible subscription plans are available for both individual creators and professional teams. Users can visit the official website to explore a one-stop workflow from concept to finished advertising content.
Hashtag: #WeryAI
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Alchemy, the blockchain infrastructure company often described in the sector as a crypto equivalent of cloud back-end provider AWS, has launched AgentPay, a new tool aimed at solving a fast-emerging problem in machine commerce: AI payment systems are being built on different rails and often cannot work with one another. The company says AgentPay gives merchants and service providers a single integration layer so they can accept […]
