Asian equities fell sharply while oil prices surged beyond $111 a barrel, intensifying concerns over inflationary pressures and slowing global growth as Wall Street extended its decline.
Trading across major Asian markets reflected a cautious tone, with benchmark indices in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul and Shanghai posting losses amid persistent volatility in energy markets. Investors reacted to the sustained rise in crude prices, which has added to worries about input costs, supply disruptions and the potential for central banks to maintain tighter monetary policies for longer than anticipated.
Brent crude climbed above $111 a barrel, driven by a combination of constrained supply and geopolitical tensions affecting key energy-producing regions. Analysts noted that limited spare capacity among major producers and continued uncertainty around output from certain exporting nations have kept oil markets tight. West Texas Intermediate also traded at elevated levels, reinforcing concerns that energy inflation could remain entrenched.
The sharp move in oil has had a ripple effect across equities, particularly in Asia where many economies are heavily dependent on imported energy. Airlines, manufacturing firms and transport companies bore the brunt of selling pressure as investors reassessed earnings prospects under a higher-cost environment. Export-oriented sectors, which typically benefit from stable input prices, faced additional headwinds.
Market sentiment was further dampened by declines on Wall Street, where major indices closed lower amid renewed concerns about inflation and interest rates. Technology stocks, which are sensitive to borrowing costs, continued to underperform, dragging broader markets down. The negative momentum from the United States spilled over into Asian trading hours, reinforcing risk aversion among investors.
Currency markets reflected the shift towards caution, with the US dollar strengthening against several Asian currencies. A stronger dollar typically tightens financial conditions globally, particularly for emerging markets with significant dollar-denominated debt. Economists warned that sustained currency pressure could complicate policy decisions for central banks across the region, which are already balancing growth concerns against inflation risks.
Energy producers were among the few bright spots in Asian trading, with shares in oil and gas companies posting gains as higher crude prices improved revenue outlooks. However, the broader market impact remained negative, as rising energy costs tend to weigh on consumption and corporate margins.
Central banks are facing a complex policy environment shaped by persistent inflation and uneven economic recovery. While some policymakers have signalled a willingness to pause rate hikes if growth weakens, elevated oil prices could limit that flexibility. Higher fuel costs feed directly into headline inflation and indirectly affect food prices and transportation costs, raising the risk of prolonged price pressures.
Economic data from several Asian economies has shown mixed signals, with manufacturing activity slowing in some regions while services sectors demonstrate resilience. Analysts suggest that the trajectory of energy prices will play a crucial role in determining whether growth can stabilise or faces further downside risks.
Geopolitical factors continue to influence oil markets, with supply disruptions and production decisions by major exporters remaining key variables. Traders are also monitoring inventory levels and demand trends, particularly in large consuming nations, to gauge the sustainability of current price levels.
Investor positioning indicates a shift towards defensive assets, including commodities and safe-haven currencies, as uncertainty persists. Portfolio managers are increasingly cautious about exposure to sectors vulnerable to cost pressures, while seeking opportunities in areas that can benefit from elevated commodity prices.
By K Raveendran Energy markets are entering a phase where the traditional assumptions underpinning pricing models are being fundamentally reshaped by the evolving nature of conflict, with the Iran war serving as a critical inflection point. For decades, oil prices have largely responded to state-driven variables such as production quotas, formal sanctions regimes, and large-scale […]
Polymarket is moving to appoint a chief risk officer as it accelerates efforts to build a regulated presence in the United States, signalling a strategic shift by the prediction markets platform after a series of high-profile legal and compliance hires, according to people familiar with the matter. The recruitment drive comes as the company seeks to position itself within a tightening regulatory framework governing event-based derivatives and […]
President Emmanuel Macron has named France’s next-generation aircraft carrier “Free France,” invoking the legacy of wartime resistance as Paris accelerates plans to modernise its naval power and reinforce strategic autonomy in an increasingly contested global security environment. The announcement marks a symbolic and operational milestone in France’s long-term defence planning, linking the future flagship vessel to the spirit of the Free French Forces that rallied under Charles […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai United Arab Emirates has introduced the first phase of a national research and development tax incentives programme, offering businesses a non-refundable tax credit of up to 50 per cent on qualifying expenditures as authorities intensify efforts to position the country as a regional hub for innovation and advanced industries. The Ministry of Finance confirmed that the initiative is designed to stimulate private-sector investment […]
Inviting visitors to Hong Kong Art Month for a cultural journey connecting art and the city
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 March 2026 – Art Central, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Tourism Board, is launching a digital Hong Kong Art Month Discovery Guide alongside a series of travel and experience packages for the Fair’s eleventh edition. These offerings bring visitors from the Greater Bay Area and overseas a seamless art travel experience, allowing them to enjoy Hong Kong’s diverse hotels, dining, attractions, and transport networks alongside their visit to the Fair.
As a cornerstone event of Hong Kong Art Month, Art Central returns to the iconic Central Harbourfront from 25 to 29 March 2026. The Fair brings together contemporary art, curated programmes, and a vibrant community of galleries, artists, collectors, overseas visitors, and local audiences to build a dynamic platform for artistic exchange. Art Central 2026 is financially supported by the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.
Entering its second decade, Art Central 2026 will assemble 117 galleries and 500 artists from Hong Kong, Asia, and around the world, further reinforcing its position as an integral platform for discovery and exchange among collectors and curators. Co-curated by Enoch Cheng and Zoie Yung, the Fair’s eleventh edition will present a series of artistic programmes—including performances, video art, large-scale installations, and talks—examining the frictions and intimacies that shape contemporary social and virtual life, foregrounding emergent Asian voices.
To enrich the artistic journey for visitors, Art Central, in partnership with the Hong Kong Tourism Board, proudly presents the digital Hong Kong Art Month Discovery Guide. The guide compiles exciting events across the city’s art districts, covering gallery exhibitions, special museum showcases, and performing arts programmes across Central, Sheung Wan, Wan Chai, Tai Hang, the Southern District, Tsim Sha Tsui, and the West Kowloon Cultural District. Beyond visual arts, the guide offers detailed dining recommendations in the vicinity, perfectly illustrating Hong Kong’s diverse culinary culture. The curated selections range from local street food and refined Cantonese cuisine to Michelin-starred contemporary European dining. Featured establishments include MIAN, Amber, Belon, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Chinesology, Gu Liang Cai, and the historic Luk Yu Tea House. Through this comprehensive guide, visitors can easily navigate the city’s streets and alleys alongside their visit to Art Central, seamlessly transitioning from visual arts to culinary delights while deeply experiencing Hong Kong’s unique charm as Asia’s events capital. Explore more in the Hong Kong Art Month Discovery Guide.
To allow visitors to incorporate the Fair into their broader Hong Kong itineraries with ease, Art Central has introduced a brand-new Flexible Date Ticket, available in limited quantities exclusively during the advance sale period. Holders of the Flexible Date Ticket may select any single day between 25 and 29 March 2026 for entry during general admission hours without the need for advance date selection.
Art Central has also launched comprehensive packages on various travel platforms covering accommodation, attractions, and transportation for the convenience of visitors. For example, through Ctrip, visitors can book curated packages combining Fair admission with selected offers and enjoy a HK$50 no-minimum-spend Uber Taxi promo code with the purchase of any ticket, easily charting a cultural journey connecting art and city life.
Ctrip’s accommodation bundles span top-tier five-star luxury properties such as Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, and The Murray, Hong Kong, as well as boutique options including The Pottinger Hong Kong, offering convenient and elevated choices for cultural getaways and weekend itineraries.
Additionally, attraction bundles will extend the Fair experience to multiple transportation options and popular leisure destinations, including the Peak Tram, the Hong Kong Observation Wheel, the Star Ferry, and the Airport Express. This allows visitors to integrate transportation, accommodation, and urban cultural experiences, extending their exhibition visit into a city journey exploring Hong Kong’s art and lifestyle.
Furthermore, Art Central has launched combo packages on Klook, pairing the Flexible Date Ticket with admission to the Hong Kong Observation Wheel at the Central Harbourfront (HK$302) or a Cupping Room coffee e-voucher (HK$314). These allow visitors to take in the spectacular views of Victoria Harbour or take a relaxing coffee break following their visit to the Fair. After viewing the exhibition, visitors can also take the “WestK Ferry” from Central Pier 9—a short eight-minute ferry ride—to effortlessly reach the West Kowloon Cultural District and continue their exploration at M+, the Hong Kong Palace Museum, and the WestK FunFest.
Package offers are exclusively available for purchase via Ctrip and Klook. For more details regarding participating hotels, dining, attractions, and transport partners, please visit artcentralhongkong.com/tickets. Ticket Packages might be subject to change without prior notice and are available in limited quantities while stocks last.
Hong Kong Observation Wheel Ticket + Uber Taxi HK$50 Promo Code
Adult: HK$164 Child: HK$54
Ctrip
Experience
Art Central Advance Ticket + Star Ferry World Star / Shining Star Water Tour Ticket + Uber Taxi HK$50 Promo Code
Adult: HK$351 Child: HK$188
Ctrip
Transport
Art Central Advance Ticket +
Airport Express Ticket to/from Central (Hong Kong Station) + Uber Taxi HK$50 Promo Code
Child: HK$89
Ctrip
F&B
Art Central Advance Flexible Date Ticket +
Cupping Room HK$50 Coffee E-Voucher
HK$314
Klook
Experience
Art Central Advance Flexible Date Ticket +
Hong Kong Observation Wheel Ticket
HK$302
Klook
Hotel
Art Central Advance Ticket + Hotel Bundle
RMB ¥581+
Ctrip
Options include: Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong / The Upper House / Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong / Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong / The Murray, Hong Kong, a Niccolo Hotel / JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong / The Pottinger Hong Kong / Two MacDonnell Road, Hong Kong / Lan Kwai Fong Hotel @ Kau U Fong / Bishop Lei International House
Opening Dates and Hours Tuesday 24 March VIP Preview (by invitation)
Wednesday 25 March Fair Hours 12 pm – 5 pm Night Central 5 pm – 9 pm
Thursday 26 March Fair Hours 12 pm – 7 pm
Friday 27 March Fair Hours 12pm – 7 pm
Saturday 28 March Fair Hours 11 am – 7 pm
Sunday 29 March Fair Hours 11 am – 5 pm
Venue Central Harbourfront Hong Kong, 9 Lung Wo Road Hashtag: #ArtCentralHK #ArtCentralUOB #HongKongArtWeek
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Art Central
Art Central, a cornerstone event of Hong Kong Art Week, presents the next generation of talent from Asia’s most forward-thinking galleries alongside celebrated artists from across the globe. Since its inaugural edition in 2015, Art Central has established itself as a leading platform for innovation in contemporary art, advancing the profiles of artists and galleries and reinforcing their presence within the international art landscape. Today, the Fair is recognised for the strength of its curatorial programming and as a vital meeting point for discovery and exchange among collectors and curators representing private, corporate, and institutional collections worldwide.
Fair Director Corey Andrew Barr joined Art Central as Fair Director in 2019. A champion of Hong Kong artists, Barr has expanded the Fair’s platform to highlight local talent and underscore its position as a benchmark for aspiring galleries from around the world. He was formerly the director of a prominent Hong Kong- and London-based gallery focusing on contemporary Asian art, and prior to that, served as Specialist and Head of Sales for Phillips in New York, where he also organised exhibitions of contemporary art, photography, and design by leading international artists.
Curator Enoch Cheng is an artist-curator whose work spans curation, moving image, installation, performance, dance, and fashion. His cross-disciplinary multimedia practice reinterprets norms, stories, and myths through contemporary lenses, drawing on a range of creative practices and engaging audiences through diverse cultural traditions. Cheng was awarded the Asian Cultural Council Fellowship (2020) and held artist residencies at the Museum of Arts and Design, New York (2022), and the American Museum of Natural History, New York (2020). He was most recently named Artist of the Year (Visual Arts) at the 2025 Hong Kong Arts Development Awards, recognising his contributions to the arts, including his role at Art Central since 2024.
Curator Zoie Yung, currently based in Hong Kong, is an independent exhibition consultant and curator, and former exhibition manager of chi K11 art museum in Shanghai. She provides a unique approach to exhibition production by combining practice in exhibition spatial arrangement and her knowledge of Chinese Xuanxue as well as Western astrology. Selected recent exhibitions include Wonder-verse (chi K11 art space, Hong Kong, 2022) and Curve of Buoyancy (Duddell’s, Hong Kong, 2021). She also actively organises public education campaigns; she has collaborated with local organisations, including Tai Kwun Contemporary, Para Site, 1a Space, and Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre.
About UOB UOB is a leading bank in Asia. Operating through its head office in Singapore and banking subsidiaries in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, UOB has a global network of more than 470 branches and offices in 19 markets in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. Since its incorporation in 1935, UOB has grown organically and through a series of strategic acquisitions. Today, UOB is rated among the world’s top banks: Aa1 by Moody’s Investors Service and AA- by both S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings.
For nine decades, UOB has adopted a customer-centric approach to create long-term value by staying relevant through its enterprising spirit and doing right by its customers. UOB is focused on building the future of ASEAN – for the people and businesses within, and connecting with, ASEAN.
The Bank connects businesses to opportunities in the region with its unparalleled regional footprint and leverages data and insights to innovate and create personalised banking experiences and solutions catering to each customer’s unique needs and evolving preferences. UOB is also committed to helping businesses forge a sustainable future, by fostering social inclusiveness, creating positive environmental impact and pursuing economic progress. UOB believes in being a responsible financial services provider and is steadfast in its support of art, social development of children and education, doing right by its communities and stakeholders.
About Mega Arts and Cultural Events (ACE) Fund The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government sets up the Mega ACE Fund to attract and support international or large-scale arts and cultural events which bring significant arts, cultural or economic values and can be recurrent and anchored in Hong Kong, or events which can bring exceptionally significant arts or cultural merit, as well as publicity and image building values to Hong Kong as an arts and cultural hub with a view to contributing to Hong Kong’s development into an arts and cultural metropolis as well as a tourist destination, providing development opportunities for the arts, cultural and creative sectors, and facilitating arts and cultural exchange.
Exposure to stress during early childhood may significantly increase the risk of long-term digestive disorders, according to a growing body of scientific research that is reshaping understanding of how the gut and brain interact over a lifetime. Evidence from large-scale human studies and controlled laboratory experiments suggests that adverse experiences in formative years can alter biological systems governing digestion, leading to conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, […]
SHANGHAI / HONG KONG – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 March 2026 – HealthMutual Group (HMG) and SinoUnited Health (SUH) today signed a collaboration agreement to establish a comprehensive cross-border medical service framework. This partnership is designed to meet the clients’ growing demand for high-quality medical services in China.
Under this agreement, SinoUnited Health will serve as HMG’s anchor hospital and primary healthcare hub in Shanghai. The partnership establishes a standardized framework for cross-border care, focusing on clinical excellence and financial predictability. HMG members will gain access to SinoUnited Health’s elite specialist network across Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Suzhou, supported by fully transparent fee structures.
The collaboration is backed by HMG’s significant operational scale. Currently ranking within the top three in the industry for total new business premium, HMG supports its insurance partners in serving over 700,000 clients. With HK$150 million in medical expenses processed to date, HMG’s network connects 700 specialists and 13 private hospitals in Hong Kong with over 2,000 hospitals across Mainland China.
“The demand for cross-border medical services is increasing rapidly,” said Mr. KC Chan, Founder of HealthMutual Group. “Partnering with SinoUnited Health is a natural expansion of our robust GBA network. SUH’s reputation for excellence ensures that our vision—maintaining medical insurance as a sustainable funding source for quality care—now extends firmly into the Shanghai region.”
Sharon Cheng, Vice President of Business Development, SinoUnited Health added: “This collaboration aligns perfectly with our ‘patient-first’ philosophy. By combining HMG’s massive regional reach with our world-class medical care, we are creating a seamless ‘home-away-from-home’ experience for patients. We are proud to serve as the Shanghai gateway for HMG’s 700,000+ policyholders, offering them professional integrity and access to the latest medical technologies.”
To ensure long-term service quality, the two groups will conduct quarterly professional exchanges and site inspections, allowing Hong Kong insurance partners to directly interface with SUH’s international medical teams and advanced clinical facilities.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About HealthMutual Group
Established in 2014, HealthMutual Group has emerged as a premier leader in healthcare management across Hong Kong and the Greater China Region. We are committed to leveraging healthcare management to position insurance as a sustainable funding source for healthcare through our Medical Concierge and other essential value-added services. Our knowledge-based, transparent and innovative approach benefits all stakeholders: the insured, insurers and the medical sector, fostering sustainable growth and development. Headquartered in Hong Kong, HMG also operates branch offices in Qianhai and Hainan.
About SinoUnited Health
SinoUnited Health, founded in 2016 and headquartered in Shanghai, ranks among the largest premium private healthcare providers in the Eastern China. As a “physician-driven” medical institution, our “General practitioner + Specialist” model provides patients with holistic, professional, and customized solutions, making high-quality private healthcare truly accessible for every family.
Italy’s annual inflation rate accelerated to 1.5 per cent in February, marking a modest rebound from January’s 1.0 per cent and signalling a gradual shift in price dynamics across the eurozone’s third-largest economy. Data released by the national statistics agency Istat showed consumer prices rising by 0.7 per cent on a month-on-month basis, reflecting a combination of seasonal adjustments and renewed upward pressure in selected sectors, particularly […]
Starlink has begun offering satellite-based internet services in the United Arab Emirates, marking a significant expansion of low-Earth orbit connectivity into one of the Gulf’s most advanced digital markets. The rollout introduces a new alternative to established telecom operators, with residential plans starting from Dhs230 per month alongside a required upfront hardware purchase. The service, operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, relies on a constellation of low-Earth orbit […]
Open interest on Hyperliquid’s HIP-3 permissionless derivatives market has climbed past $1.43 billion, underscoring intensifying appetite among traders for decentralised perpetual futures and signalling a shift in how digital asset markets are evolving beyond traditional crypto pairs. The milestone reflects a rapid expansion in activity on the decentralised exchange, where traders can create and trade perpetual contracts without centralised oversight. Market participants have been drawn to the […]
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 March 2026 – On the opening day of Hong Kong FILMART, global leading game enterprise, MOONTON Games, hosted a film-game intellectual property (IP) launch conference under the theme From Spark to Spotlight, officially announcing its cross-border upgrade from the game industry to full ecological incubation of film-game IPs. At the event, MOONTON Games unveiled three flagship original IPs—You Ming Zhi, Cetus, and Project: Lovania—spanning Eastern fantasy, sci-fi adventure, and cozy genres, with diversified formats including feature films, animated series, and video games. An industry forum was held to explore the new-era development of film-game integration.
Distinguished guests attended the conference, including Cloud Zhang, Head of ByteDance’s Game Business and CEO of MOONTON Games; Yaguang Ma, also known as Link Ma, Head of MOONTON Games’ Lighthouse Studio; renowned screenwriter Ran Ping; celebrated author Jiang Nan; acclaimed animation director Shen Youbafang; Wang Shanshan (Film and Television Director of Science Fiction World); as well as leaders from the National Radio and Television Administration; the Hong Kong Trade Development Council; numerous media representatives; and industry peers.
Founded in 2014, MOONTON Games has crafted a portfolio of classic game IPs loved by gamers worldwide. Its debut at Hong Kong FILMART marks the launch of MOONTON Games’ global incubation journey for premium IPs with a brand-new vision, completing a cross-dimensional creative leap from a digital game kingdom to a cinematic light and shadow realm, and empowering Chinese culture-rooted original content to shine on the international stage. MOONTON Games’ Lighthouse Studio, the core vehicle for its film-game IP development, made its official debut at the conference, and its unwavering commitment to long-termist creative philosophy has become the cornerstone of Moonton’s film-game integration layout. The three distinctive original IPs form MOONTON Games’ first film-game IP matrix; all anchored in high-quality content, they pose profound emotional inquiries around What it means to be human, what it means to live, with unique themes and expressive formats.
You Ming Zhi: Rooted in Chinese Folk Customs, Forging a Benchmark for Eastern Fantasy Theatrical Animated Films
As MOONTON Games’ maiden cross-border film and television project, the Eastern fantasy IP You Ming Zhi—deeply rooted in Chinese folk culture—officially kicked off at the conference. The IP builds a distinctive worldview where the world is governed by animal Spirits of Light, and humans embark on a quest to uncover their own history and the meaning of survival. Breaking free from the clichés of traditional immortal and chivalric fantasy, it returns to a narrative core rooted in mortal life and journey experiences. The growth story of protagonist Zhou Chu mirrors the self-discovery and identity exploration of contemporary young people, embodying both profound Chinese cultural heritage and universal emotional resonance.
The IP’s first concept short film made a stunning debut at the conference. Wanzhou Yu, the IP producer, shared that creative inspiration stemmed from personal emotional resonance, aiming to create a humanistic Eastern fantasy work where the protagonist achieves inner growth through witnessing rather than conquering. Cloud stated that this IP was chosen as the starting point of MOONTON Games’ cross-border endeavor for its compelling narrative rooted in Chinese folk customs that transcends media boundaries; it reflectsand MOONTON Games’ aspirations to set an aesthetic and narrative benchmark for it with the ceremonial essence of film. Yaguang Ma highlighted the IP’s pure creative team, original worldview and systematic aesthetic system, believing it to be an IP seed with sustainable growth potential for a decade. A landmark announcement was made: national first-class screenwriter Ran Ping officially joined the project as the animated film’s screenwriter. Ran Ping noted that the IP’s allure lies in exploring profound propositions of civilization, loneliness and coexistence through a fantasy lens, integrating the traditional heritage of ancient supernatural tales with modern narrative consciousness, and a great fantasy work ultimately reflects reality. The MOONTON Games team presented Ran Ping with a framed original art poster of the IP, marking his official joining in a highly ceremonial way.
Cetus: Debut of a Dieselpunk Sci-Fi IP, Launching a Global Co-creation Plan
Following You Ming Zhi, MOONTON Games released the high-concept sci-fi IP Cetus, with the first concept short film of its dieselpunk post-apocalyptic adventure animated series also unveiled at the event. The IP constructs a post-apocalyptic world shrouded in a sea of clouds, where humans have built a unique civilization based on whaling in an isolated island setting, and cling to hope and resolve amid ruins and steel.
Cetus boasts celebrated author, Jiang Nan, as co-creator and acclaimed sci-fi animation director, Shen Youbafang, as director—two core creative forces with profound expertise in building grand worldviews and crafting sci-fi animations. Yaguang Ma commented that Jiang Nan has endowed Cetus with a profound textual foundation and epic grandeur, while Shen Youbafang masterfully captures and presents the distinctive texture of this sea of clouds world to audiences. Jiang Nan explained that the core of Cetus is to depict the essence of humanity in desperate situations: even if only one tower remains in the world, there will still be stories, warmth, and dignity. Shen Youbafang frankly shared that the challenge and joy of creation both lie in building a dieselpunk visual system that blends industrial ruggedness with the warmth of life, making every gear and rust mark an integral part of the narrative. Moonton also announced the official launch of the Cetus Global Co-creation Plan at the conference, opening up the IP’s worldview setting to global sci-fi writers, illustrators, animators and game designers, and inviting creators worldwide to jointly build this magnificent sea of clouds universe. The plan is jointly promoted by MOONTON Games and Science Fiction World, the benchmark platform for Chinese sci-fi literature. Cloud, Wang Shanshan and three other distinguished guests launched the plan with a jigsaw puzzle ceremony, marking Cetus as the first Chinese dieselpunk sci-fi IP nurtured by global creators.
Project: Lovania: A Cozy Game Surprise Debuts, Creating a Spiritual Haven
As a delightful surprise at the conference, MOONTON Games launched the original cozy game, Project: Lovania, whose promotional short film brought a warm and heartfelt experience to the audience. The game builds a fairy-tale wonderland named the Hometown Never Forgotten, where players take on the role of a little puppet and embark on a magical adventure following a long-eared star. In the game, players can build exclusive homes, customize their avatars, and pursue the starlight and the moon hidden in fascinating stories. In an era driven by efficiency, Project: Lovaniacenters on the core of healing, serving as a warm emotional complement to MOONTON Games’ IP matrix and adding greater diversity to the company’s film-game IP layout.
For The Future: MOONTON Games Releases the Core Strategy for Film-Game Integration
At the conference, MOONTON Games showcased the creative aspirations and team spirit of Lighthouse Studio through a corporate short film, with original aspiration and unwavering faith as the studio’s core tenets. On behalf of the studio, Yaguang Ma released MOONTON Games’ core strategy for film-game integration, stating that the establishment of Lighthouse Studio stems from MOONTON Games’s persistent commitment to long-termist content creation. The studio rejects rushed content production, focuses on returning to the essence of creation itself, and builds a tailored creative ecosystem for the sustainable growth of premium IPs.
MOONTON Games’ film-game integration layout is not a simple cross-media expansion, but is centered on building a living, evolving world. Each IP is enabled to naturally evolve into diverse formats including games, films and animations, based on a complete worldview and a profound emotional core. Cloud emphasized that MOONTON Games has always believed that a good story transcends media and time, and the core of film-game integration is to take high-quality original content as the foundation, allowing IPs to realize value amplification and enduring vitality across different media. The three IPs released at the event represent the first implementation of this core strategy, and Moonton will continue to deepen its focus on original content creation, fueling the incubation and growth of more film-game IPs in the future.
Industry Elites Gather at the Forum to Explore the Key to Success for the Future of Film-Game Integration
After the IP release session, MOONTON Games hosted an industry forum themed What is the Decisive Factor for the Future of IP-Based Film-Game Integration, moderated by Li Xingwen, a famous cultural critic and Chief Editor of Film and Television Critic. Cloud, Ran Ping, Jiang Nan, and Huang Haibo, Director of Phoenix TV Movie Channel, engaged in an in-depth discussion from diverse professional perspectives.
The forum delved into core topics including the key factors for translating film-game integration concepts into practical execution, the essential traits of IPs with sustainable cross-media vitality, the creative differences between animation and traditional film and television production, the creative adaptation of literary IPs for film and game cross-border development, the new forces urgently needed in the film and television industry, as well as the opportunities and challenges for game enterprises venturing into the film and television sector. Combining their rich practical experience and insightful industry observations, the guests offered multi-dimensional insights and ideas for the industrial development of film-game integration, helping the on-site audience gain a clearer and more in-depth understanding of its future development trends.
MOONTON Games’ film-game IP launch conference at Hong Kong FILMART marks the official launch of the company’s global film-game IP layout, emerging as a pivotal practice for game enterprises in cross-border film-game integration. From deepening its roots in the game industry to incubating film-game IPs, MOONTON Games takes these three original IPs as its starting point, integrating the essence of Chinese culture with modern creative expression. With its long-termist creative philosophy and open co-creation operation model, Moonton sets a new paradigm for the development of the global film-game integration industry. As the conference theme From Spark to Spotlight implies, this launch is not the end of MOONTON Games’ cross-border film and game journey, but the beginning of a new chapter. In the future, Moonton’s Lighthouse Studio will continue to polish high-quality original content, drive the in-depth integration and global development of film-game IPs, and let Chinese original film-game IPs shine brightly on the world stage.
Hashtag: #MOONTONGames
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About MOONTON Games
Established in 2014, MOONTON Games is a global video game company dedicated to gaming development, publication, and esports. With more than 2,000 employees worldwide, the company operates offices in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Latin America, and China. It has successfully launched several high-profile mobile games globally and has built long-term relationships with governments and esports organizations in more than 30 countries around the world. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is its current star game and the leading mobile multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game worldwide. For more information, visit https://en.moonton.com.
About Lighthouse Studio
Lighthouse Studio is a studio under MOONTON Games that creates original content. It currently owns 3 IPs: You Ming Zhi, Cetus, and Project: Lovania. The studio adheres to the principle of “Innovation as the Core, Content Is King”, deeply exploring the integration of storytelling and artistic expression in its commitment to building an immersive art world that combines emotional resonance and visual tension.
With its relentless pursuit of quality, Lighthouse Studio leverages its cutting-edge aesthetic vision and technical capabilities to continuously push the boundaries of creativity, establish a complete chain from the core settings of IP, aesthetic innovation to multi-form content development, and create benchmark IPs with global recognition and cultural influence—whether it’s games, film and television, or animation.
OpenAI has introduced two smaller artificial intelligence models, GPT-5.4 mini and GPT-5.4 nano, signalling a push towards lower-cost, faster systems designed for large-scale deployment and increasingly complex agent-based applications. The announcement marks a shift in emphasis from raw model size to efficiency and adaptability, as enterprises seek to integrate AI into everyday workflows without incurring prohibitive computational costs. The new models are positioned as lighter alternatives within […]
TrendAI™ to support NVIDIA OpenShell open source runtime to add security for autonomous AI agents
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 March 2026 – TrendAI™, the enterprise AI security leader, today announced expanded collaboration with NVIDIA to support NVIDIA OpenShell, a new open source runtime for agentic AI introduced at NVIDIA GTC. The solution enables organizations to deploy autonomous AI agents with built-in governance, continuous risk visibility, and runtime enforcement, addressing key barriers to production adoption of agentic AI.
Rachel Jin, Chief Platform and Business Officer, Head of TrendAI™: “Agentic AI changes the security equation. When AI systems can plan, take action, and interact with other tools on their own, the risk profile looks very different from traditional AI. Our collaboration with NVIDIA allows us to bring security directly into the architecture so organizations can adopt agentic AI with the visibility and control they expect.”
Traditional AI security models were built for short-lived interactions between users and models. Agentic AI changes that dynamic by operating continuously and taking action across environments.
NVIDIA OpenShell is an open source runtime for long-lived, self-evolving agents capable of planning, memory, and tool execution. While these capabilities unlock significant productivity gains, they also introduce risks related to unauthorized skills, hidden behaviors, prompt injection, and unintended system access.
Pat Lee, vice president, Strategic Enterprise Partnerships at NVIDIA: “Agentic AI opens the door for a new class of applications that can plan, reason, and take action. By working with TrendAI™, we’re helping developers add visibility and controls to make it safer to run autonomous AI.”
TrendAI™ can transform agentic AI from a high-risk experiment into an enterprise-ready architecture. Organizations gain the ability to define trust boundaries, enforce policy at runtime, and maintain continuous visibility into autonomous AI behavior, all while preserving the flexibility and power that make agentic systems valuable.
TrendAI™ adds an enterprise-grade security layer that governs how agents behave, what tools they can access, and how risk is detected and enforced, before, during, and after execution.
The collaboration extends across the NVIDIA AI–Q blueprintand the NVIDIA NeMo Agent Toolkit, enabling consistent security, governance, and observability as agentic systems scale across enterprise environments.
Centralized AI governance and compliance enforced directly in the agent runtime
Skill and tool risk visibility, including continuous scanning of agent skills and MCP integrations
Dynamic behavioral analysis to detect hidden or malicious actions
Inline policy enforcement that blocks untrusted skills and actions at runtime
AI specific threat protection, including prompt injection and sensitive data exposure detection
Continuous monitoring and auditability through agentic telemetry and SIEM integration. These capabilities allow organizations to define trust boundaries, enforce policy, and maintain visibility across autonomous AI agents without limiting innovation.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About TrendAI™
TrendAI™, a global leader in AI security, empowers enterprises to innovate fearlessly by securing AI, cloud, networks, endpoints, and data across the modern attack surface. At the core is TrendAI Vision One™, a unified cybersecurity platform that centralizes cyber risk exposure management and security operations to protect the entire AI lifecycle from infrastructure to models to users. The platform is fueled by world-class threat intelligence and insights that protect organizations from hundreds of millions of threats every day. With 6,000 TrendAI™ experts across 75 countries, TrendAI™ empowers security leaders to stay ahead of threats, driving proactive security outcomes across the entire attack surface. This includes critical environments like AWS, Google, and Microsoft. AI Fearlessly.
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Deepens “One Core and Two Wings” Strategy Continues to Strengthen Core Competitiveness to Enhance Shareholder Returns
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 March 2026 – The world’s largest telecommunications infrastructure service provider China Tower Corporation Limited (“China Tower”, or the “Company”) (Stock Code: 0788.HK) is pleased to announce its annual results for the year ended 31 December 2025.
Performance Highlights
RMB Million
2025
2024
Change
Operating revenue
100,411
97,772
2.7%
EBITDA[1]
65,814
665.59
-1.1%
Profit attributable to owners of the Company
11,630
107.29
8.4%
Basic earnings per share (RMB yuan) (Re-presented)
0.6653
0.6138
8.4%
Dividend per share (RMB yuan)
0.45789
0.41696
9.8%
Key operating data
Number of tower sites (thousand)
2,149
2,094
2.6%
Number of tower tenants (thousand)
3,856
3,791
1.7%
Tenancy ratio (tenants / tower site)
1.79
1.81
-1.1%
In 2025, the Company’s operating revenue maintained stable growth and profitability remained strong. Operating revenue for the year reached RMB100,411 million, an increase of 2.7% year-on-year. EBITDA reached RMB65,814 million, a decrease of 1.1% year-on-year, with an EBITDA margin[2] of 65.5%. Profit attributable to the owners of the Company reached RMB11,630 million, an increase of 8.4% year-on-year, with a net profit margin of 11.6%.
The Company maintained a strong and stable cash flow. Net cash generated from operating activities for the year amounted to RMB56,116 million, an increase of RMB6,648 million year-on-year. Capital expenditures stood at RMB29,486 million while free cash flow[3] reached RMB26,630 million, up by RMB9,103 million year-on-year.
As at 31 December 2025, our total assets amounted to RMB336,579 million, with interest-bearing liabilities of RMB90,460 million and a gearing ratio[4] of 27.7%, representing a decrease of 3.3 percentage points from the end of 2024. Our financial position remains healthy and stable.
The Company has always attached great importance to shareholder returns. After considering our profitability, cash flow and future development needs, the board of directors of the Company has recommended a final dividend of RMB0.32539 per share (pre-tax) for the year ended 31 December 2025. Together with the interim dividend distributed, the total full-year dividend amounted to RMB0.45789 per share (pre-tax), equivalent to a payout ratio of 77% of our annual distributable net profit.
Refined operations enabled steady progress in TSP business
The Company continued to play a leading role in new 5G infrastructure construction, further deployed the Dual-Gigabit network joint-entry implementation, and made solid progress in supporting special projects such as upgrading signal strength, extending broadband coverage to all border areas, forests and grasslands. Capturing the strategic opportunities arising from the wide-area 5G network coverage expansion and enhancement of in-depth coverage, we focused on enhancing intensive sharing of network resources and fully satisfying customers’ demands for network construction. As a result, our TSP business maintained stable growth in 2025, recording revenue of RMB84,725 million, an increase of 0.7% year-on-year.
Tower business. The Company seized opportunities arising from customers’ ongoing network expansion requirements and leveraged our competitiveness as a service provider by offering efficient delivery, superior maintenance and optimal cost structure, while minimizing management risks. We deepened the embedded service mechanism, precisely captured customers’ network planning needs, and comprehensively secured construction demands in key scenarios and key regions. Leveraging our site resources and base station data, we proactively conducted coverage analysis to enhance network optimization capabilities. We also enhanced our collaborations with TSPs to provide customers with better services. By adhering to a customer-oriented philosophy, we continued to optimize end-to-end business processes and management standards to enhance service capabilities across the board. In 2025, revenue from our Tower business amounted to RMB75,498 million, a decrease of 0.3% year-on-year. As at the end of 2025, the Company managed a total of 2.149 million tower sites, an increase of 55,000 from the end of 2024. We have gained 23,000 new TSP tenants since the end of 2024, bringing the total number of TSP tenants to 3.567 million at the end of 2025. Our TSP tenancy ratio was 1.70.
DAS business. We continued to focus on high-value and livelihood-critical scenarios, systematically enhancing resource coordination and sharing, and collaborative construction capabilities, as well as accelerating 5G network upgrades on high-speed railways. At the same time, we deployed shared repeaters at scale in everyday scenarios such as elevators, underground parking lots, tunnels, and residential communities, helping TSPs achieve efficient and low-cost network coverage extension. We continued to optimize the integrated active and passive DAS sharing solutions and promoted the implementation of innovative solutions such as shared frequency shifting in existing DAS 5G upgrades. By doing so, we enhanced product and service competitiveness to efficiently meet customer needs. In 2025, our DAS business achieved relatively high growth, with revenue reaching RMB9,227 million, an increase of 9.5% year-on-year. By the end of 2025, we had covered buildings with a cumulative area of 15.15 billion square meters, up by 19.5% year-on-year, while the coverage in railway tunnels and subways reached a cumulative length of 33,661 kilometers, an increase of 14.8% year-on-year.
Vertical advancement supported strong growth in Two Wings business
In the Two Wings business, we seized market opportunities while continuing to strengthen product competitiveness and drive rapid growth of the business. In 2025, revenue of the Two Wings business reached RMB14,985 million and accounted for 14.9% of our overall operating revenue, an increase of 1.2 percentage points over the same period last year.
Smart Tower business. Focusing on spatial digital intelligence governance and leveraging ourrich resources and capabilities, we continued to enhance our Smart Tower business, achievingrevenue in excess of RMB10 billion. We continued to deepen our presence in key industries andscenarios, steadily increasing market share in key areas such as straw burning prohibition, farmlandprotection, and disaster alert. We advanced our nationwide distributed platform, optimizingalgorithm service capabilities for mid-to-high point scenarios, with further improvements inplatform response speed, algorithm accuracy, and application availability. We maintained our focuson implementing the “AI+” special project, promoting the application of large models for spatialdigital intelligence governance, which were included in the first batch of strategic high-value AIscenarios for central state-owned enterprises. Customers are always at the center of everything wedo. Therefore, we strengthened the development of product iterations, construction delivery,and operation and maintenance support, as well as expanding our integrated technical support teams,with an aim to respond actively and promptly to customers’ needs. In 2025, our Smart Tower business generated revenue of RMB10,172 million, up by 14.2% year-on-year, among which, revenue from our Tower Monitoring business reached RMB6,327 million, accounting for 62.2% of the Smart Tower business revenue.
Energy business. We focused on key business segments such as battery exchange and powerbackup. By improving refined operations and strengthening core capabilities and competitiveadvantages in products, services, and platforms, we continued to develop our specialty in theEnergy business. For the battery exchange business, we continued to expand our share in the fooddelivery mass market while accelerating the expansion of our corporate customer base, resulting instable user growth. As at 31 December 2025, we had approximately 1.477 million battery exchangeusers, an increase of 173,000 since the end of 2024, further solidifying our leading position inthe low-speed electric vehicle battery exchange market. We accelerated the construction of acommunity-based low-speed electric vehicle charging facility network while optimizing operationalefficiency, resulting in expanded service coverage and user scale. For the power backup business,we continued to focus on pivotal industries and our premium customer base, creating the ChinaTower “energy butler” integrated industry solutions and enhancing the value of our “energy butler”brand. In 2025, our Energy business achieved revenue of RMB4,813 million, a year-on-year increase of 7.5%, of which the battery exchange business accounted for RMB3,029 million, an increase of21.2% year-on-year, and with its contribution to the Energy business reaching 62.9%.
Innovation strategy resulted in remarkable technology empowerment
We made concrete progress in developing the “four lists” working mechanism of competencies and capabilities, task and project planning, resource allocation, and the commercialization of research outcomes. Focusing on the “One Core and Two Wings” businesses, we continued to intensify our efforts to address the challenges in key and core technologies, and accelerated the transformation of technological achievements to inject new momentum into high-quality business development. In 2025, our R&D investment and the number of R&D personnel increased by 82% and 22% respectively, compared to 2024. The number of patent applications and the cumulative number of patent authorizations increased by 77% and 54%, respectively, compared to the year before. We participated in the formulation of multiple international standards. A range of innovative products were commercialized and deployed at scale such as shared micro repeaters, monitoring platforms, and “one code for all”. Our technological innovation system continued to strengthen, as shown in the high-quality construction and development of six regional technological innovation centers, the expansion and quality improvement of joint innovation platforms, and the steady enhancement of innovation efficiency and performance.
Mr. Zhang Zhiyong, Chairman of China Tower said, “In 2025, we remained focused on high-quality development, promoting stability through progress while improving quality and efficiency. As a result, throughout the year our business maintained healthy, steady growth and demonstrated a positive outlook. Looking ahead, we will continue to uphold the philosophy of resource sharing and adhere to the “One Core and Two Wings” strategy to further enhance our core competitiveness, promote high-quality development, and create value for shareholders, customers, and society.”
[1] EBITDA is calculated by operating profit plus depreciation and amortization.
[2] EBITDA margin is calculated by dividing EBITDA by operating revenue, and multiplying the resulting value by 100%.
[3] Free cash flow is the net cash generated from operating activities minus the capital expenditures.
[4] Gearing ratio is calculated as net debts divided by the sum of total equity and net debt, then multiplying the result by 100%. Net debt is calculated as the amount of interest-bearing liabilities minus the amount of cash and cash equivalents.
Hashtag: #ChinaTower
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About China Tower (Stock Code: 0788.HK)
China Tower is the world’s largest telecommunications tower infrastructure service provider, and the Company always adheres to the philosophy of shared development and implements the “One Core and Two Wings” strategy. The Company is principally engaged in the construction, maintenance and operation of base station ancillary facilities such as telecommunications towers, public network coverage in railway tunnels and subways, and large-scale indoor Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS). Meanwhile, relying on unique resources to provide energy application services such as information application and intelligent battery exchange and power backup to the society, the Company strives to build itself into a world-class integrated digital infrastructure service provider, and a highly competitive information and new energy applications provider. As of the end of 2025, the Company’s total assets amounted to RMB336,579 million. China Tower operated and managed 2.119 million tower sites across 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in the PRC, and served over 3.856 million tenants with the tenancy ratio of 1.79.
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