Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Commodity trading houses are drawing another surge in earnings as the conflict centred on Iran tears through oil, gas and shipping markets, sending prices higher, widening regional differentials and creating the kind of volatility that large physical merchants have historically turned into outsized gains. The upheaval has hit flows through the Strait of Hormuz, jolted tanker availability, lifted insurance costs and scrambled crude […]
Oil traders are warning that the prolonged disruption in the Strait of Hormuz is no longer just a supply crisis but an escalating threat to global growth, as high fuel costs begin to erode consumption, strain industry and darken the outlook for the world economy. Shipping through the waterway remains severely restricted, with only a handful of vessels moving through compared with the normal daily flow, while […]
Ministers are moving to turn England’s school mobile phone rules into law, shifting a long-standing policy push from guidance into statute as the government tries to tighten control over children’s screen use and strengthen schools’ hand in enforcing phone-free days. The change is being advanced through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill after fresh parliamentary pressure over children’s online safety and time spent on devices. The proposal […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Donald Trump has said Washington is considering a currency swap arrangement with the United Arab Emirates, opening the door to an extraordinary financial support mechanism as Gulf states assess the economic risks created by the war involving Iran and the disruption around the Strait of Hormuz. The remark has thrust an arcane central-banking tool into a fast-moving geopolitical crisis and underlined how quickly […]
Arjavi Indraneesh While demand for shisha smoking is steadily going up, air quality regulations, fire safety concerns and the operational burden of managing charcoal-based systems have historically presented challenges to hospitality venues. Ronan Barry, Chief Legal and Corporate Affairs at AIR, the global leader in hookah and pioneer in advanced inhalation technologies, spoke to the Arabian Post on the emerging shisha trends and the company’s future plans. […]
Forza Horizon 6 has reportedly crossed 500,000 pre-sold copies on Steam with about a month still to run before its full launch, a figure that, if borne out, would mark one of the strongest pre-release performances yet for a first-party Xbox racing title on Valve’s platform. The game is officially due on 19 May 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Steam and Game Pass, with […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai International Financial Centre has unveiled plans to remake itself as what it describes as the world’s first AI-native financial centre, tying the ambition to a projected $3.5 billion contribution to Dubai’s economy and the creation of 25,000 jobs as artificial intelligence is woven into regulation, operations, talent development and the district’s built environment. The move marks a step beyond the common industry […]
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 March 2026 – ECOVACS Robotics, a global leader in home service robotics, is bringing its global “ECOVACS, Created for Ease” brand idea to the APAC region with a local twist: “Always in Your Corner”. With this, ECOVACS is underscoring its commitment to understanding and meeting the unique needs of users in the APAC region.
“ECOVACS, Created for Ease” reflects the brand’s ongoing commitment to leverage service robotics to create a world of ease for users by relieving them of household tasks. For users in the APAC region, ECOVACS knows that “ease” is not simply about doing less. It means easing the mind and letting go of mental burdens. To bring ease to APAC users, technology must not demand attention. It should be “Always in Your Corner” – quietly helping users to keep their daily life on track.
“Always in Your Corner” for APAC’s Unsung Heroes
“Always in Your Corner” represents how ECOVACS’ diversified full-scenario home service robotics ecosystem is designed to help ease the burdens faced by users in the APAC region and empower them to enjoy a more effortless modern lifestyle. For example, many in the APAC region are part of the so-called “sandwich generation”. They are the quiet backbones of their households, juggling career demands while also taking care of children and aging parents. Whether it’s helping a child with their homework or taking dad to his doctor’s appointment, these everyday heroes are always in someone else’s corner. ECOVACS believes they also deserve to have someone in their corner, to help ease their burdens.
For the past 20 years, ECOVACS has been driven by a fearless spirit of innovation to solve complex challenges and continuously advance the user experience. The pioneering intelligent technologies in the ECOVACS DEEBOT robotic vacuums and WINBOT robotic window cleaners, such as the OMNI Station, OZMO ROLLER technology, and PowerBoost technology have set new industry benchmarks and become the hidden heroes for every home, designed to help users clean every corner of their home with minimal effort.
Enabling Village Partnership in Singapore
Now ECOVACS is bringing this same innovation spirit to help ease the burdens faced by caregivers in the APAC region. As part of its brand campaign, ECOVACS is planning to cooperate with select like-minded local partners across the region, such as Enabling Village in Singapore. Enabling Village is an integrated community space that aims to empower caregivers for people with disabilities by providing them with resources to manage their responsibilities and enhance their quality of life. ECOVACS will provide Enabling Village caregivers with DEEBOT robotic vacuum cleaners to help ease their burdens and enable them to spend more time on themselves.
“Caring for a child with special needs requires lots of time and patience. And it can be challenging to find moments when I can focus on myself,” says Yvette Wang. “I’m grateful to ECOVACS and their efforts to assist caregivers. With their DEEBOT robotic vacuum I now have one less thing to manage, as I can leave DEEBOT to take care of our floors, and itself.”
To commemorate their partnership, ECOVACS and Enabling Village have invited Yvette’s son, artist @Eli_lailai, to specially design some exclusive merchandise. This collaboration was made possible through I’mable Collective, an initiative by SG Enable that supports and empowers persons with disabilities by providing training and employment opportunities within the creative sector.
An Ecosystem that Empowers Ease
ECOVACS’ efforts to continually strengthen its leadership in service robotics are rooted in its deep understanding of users’ needs. Its regionally tailored brand idea “Created for Ease – Always in Your Corner” reflects the brand’s desire to tailor its mission of ‘Robotics for All’ to shape a better future for users in the APAC region with robots that can seamlessly serve every home, everywhere.
The industry-leading cleaning technologies pioneered by ECOVACS demonstrate its dedication to reducing human effort while maximizing cleaning precision and efficiency, all with the aim of offering dependable cleaning experiences tailored to the needs of today’s households. ECOVACS’ service robots offer users more ease by bringing efficient, effortless cleaning to every corner of their household.
“Always in Your Corner” reflects how ECOVACS’ home service robotics ecosystem is designed for users in the APAC region – to support their full-home scenarios, from floors to windows. The ECOVACS DEEBOT robotic vacuums and WINBOT robotic window cleaners are built to handle what must be done — quietly, consistently, and intelligently. They don’t just clean, they leave users with less to manage.
Amplifying a Message of Care
ECOVACS will extend the impact of this brand campaign across multiple touchpoints in key APAC markets, including Singapore, Australia, Vietnam, India, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Through localized partnerships, integrated brand storytelling, and community engagement, ECOVACS aims to honor caregivers as well as those across the region who are seeking a less stressful and more balanced life.
Intelligent. Innovative. Intuitive.
From its DEEBOT family of robotic vacuum cleaners to its WINBOT family of robotic window cleaners, all of ECOVACS’ innovations are backed by its well-established vertically integrated supply chain and independently developed technologies spanning batteries, AI, motors, transmission components and more.
Today, ECOVACS serves over 38 million households across nearly 180 markets worldwide. Its mission — “Robotics for All” — reflects a long-term commitment to making intelligent service robotics accessible, reliable, and seamlessly integrated into everyday life.
“Created for Ease” is not only about cleaning better. It’s about living lighter and reducing what needs your attention – so that you can focus on what truly matters. And in doing so, ECOVACS is always in your corner.
Hashtag: #ECOVACS
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About ECOVACS ROBOTICS
Founded in 2006, ECOVACS ROBOTICS is a global leader in home service robotics with a diverse portfolio of products encompassing robotic vacuum cleaners and robotic window cleaners. With its expansion into robotic lawn mowers, commercial cleaning robots and robotic pool cleaners, ECOVACS solidified its position as a multi-category leader in home service robotics.
Guided by the mission “Robotics for All”, ECOVACS continues to advance technology and enhance the user experience to make life smarter and more stylish for consumers worldwide. With sales subsidiaries in Germany, the United States, Japan, and Singapore, ECOVACS products reach nearly 180 major markets and serve over 38 million households globally.
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai Holding Real Estate has moved to reshape the financing model for off-plan home sales by partnering with Emirates NBD to embed mortgage solutions into purchases across projects developed by Meraas, Nakheel and Dubai Properties. The arrangement allows eligible buyers to seek mortgage pre-approval at the off-plan stage, widening access to bank finance earlier in the transaction and reducing dependence on developer-led instalment […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Donald Trump has warned that large-scale bombing of Iran will resume if no agreement is reached before the ceasefire expires on Wednesday evening in Washington, sharpening pressure on Tehran at a moment when diplomacy remains uncertain and the risk of a wider regional shock is still high. The US president has said his sole fixed demand is that Iran must not acquire a […]
flydubai will begin daily flights to Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport on July 1, expanding its Thailand network beyond Krabi and adding a second entry point into one of Southeast Asia’s busiest travel markets. The service will operate from Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport under the carrier’s codeshare partnership with Emirates, giving passengers onward access across a wider global network.
The move is more than a straightforward route launch. It signals how Dubai’s low-cost carrier is sharpening its focus on high-demand leisure and business corridors in Asia while using its partnership model to compete more effectively against full-service rivals. Bangkok has long been a major draw for Gulf-based travellers, migrant communities, short-break tourists and business passengers, and the use of Don Mueang rather than Suvarnabhumi suggests flydubai is aiming for a cost-efficient operating base while still tapping into the Thai capital’s large catchment area.
According to the published schedule, outbound flight FZ1333 will leave Dubai at 01:35 and arrive in Bangkok at 11:25, while return flight FZ1334 will depart Don Mueang at 23:50 and land in Dubai at 03:25 the next day, all in local times. Introductory return fares start at AED 11,100 in Business Class and AED 3,000 in Economy Class Lite from Dubai, with corresponding starting fares from Bangkok at THB 83,900 and THB 22,100. Those fare levels position the route as a hybrid offering rather than an ultra-budget play, reflecting flydubai’s steady shift towards a broader market that includes premium leisure and corporate demand.
The airline’s management has framed the Bangkok launch as a response to strong summer demand and as part of a wider effort to deploy capacity where yields and passenger volumes justify expansion. The commercial logic is supported by flydubai’s broader performance. In 2025, the carrier reported revenue of AED 13.6 billion, pre-tax profit of AED 2.2 billion, passenger traffic of 15.7 million and a network spanning 140 destinations, underlining both scale and financial resilience at a time when many airlines continue to wrestle with fleet bottlenecks, maintenance costs and geopolitical disruptions.
That backdrop matters because airline route announcements do not happen in isolation. Carriers are adding capacity cautiously, especially where aircraft supply remains constrained. flydubai ended 2025 with a fleet of 97 aircraft and has been pursuing long-term growth with major Airbus A321neo and Boeing 737 MAX orders, broadening a fleet strategy that was once almost entirely centred on Boeing narrow-bodies. That gives the airline more room to grow deeper into medium-haul markets where price-sensitive demand overlaps with demand for better connectivity and upgraded cabin products.
Thailand fits that strategy well. Demand between the Gulf and Thailand has been supported by tourism, retail travel, medical trips, visiting friends and relatives, and small-business movement. Bangkok also works as a distribution point for wider travel into Thailand and neighbouring markets. By choosing Don Mueang, flydubai enters a major airport with a strong low-cost profile and dense domestic and regional links. For passengers, the appeal is likely to rest on timing, one-stop connectivity through Dubai, and the convenience of booking through the Emirates partnership on a single ticket with baggage checked through.
The Bangkok service also reflects a wider pattern in Gulf aviation. Airlines based in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha have spent years turning geographic advantage into network depth, linking Europe, Asia and Africa through hub operations that can absorb both premium and value-focused traffic. flydubai’s role in that system has evolved significantly. It no longer operates purely as a low-cost feeder or point-to-point budget airline. Its commercial model now leans on network breadth, underserved routes, codeshare traffic and selective premium demand, a shift reinforced by a 19 per cent rise in Business Class uptake last year.
Strategy has stepped up its bitcoin buying spree with a $2.54 billion acquisition of 34,164 tokens, marking one of the largest purchases in the company’s history and pushing its total holdings to 815,061 bitcoin. The purchase, made between April 13 and April 19, was funded through sales of perpetual preferred stock known as STRC and the company’s common stock, extending a capital-raising model that has turned the […]
Reabold Resources has moved to calm a political and environmental backlash after signalling that gas from its West Newton project in East Yorkshire could be used in an initial Bitcoin-mining trial, while insisting the wider field remains focused on domestic energy supply and future data-centre development. The London-listed company said the idea under review is a small-scale power generation facility using early gas flows from the site […]
Coinbase and Bybit are discussing a partnership focused on tokenisation, custody and distribution of U. S. stocks, a move that would tie one of the largest listed crypto exchanges to one of the sector’s biggest offshore trading venues as competition intensifies around blockchain-based versions of traditional assets. The talks, as reported, do not involve a stake purchase or any comparable transaction tied to Bybit’s route into the […]
Thailand has wrapped up the second Thailand Kickboxing World Cup in Bangkok and used the event to unveil KATPRO, a new professional league aimed at turning the country into a more prominent force in global kickboxing. The tournament was staged at the Bangkok Youth Center, also known as the Thai-Japanese Youth Center, with WAKO listing the event in Bangkok from 7 to 12 April 2026, while organisers said the main World Cup competition ran from 9 to 11 April and the professional launch followed on 11 April.
Organisers said the World Cup drew athletes and officials from 32 countries, underlining the scale of the event and the growing international pull of combat sports in Thailand beyond its traditional Muay Thai base. One published account put attendance at more than 1,500 athletes and officials, while another report ahead of the competition cited more than 720 athletes and over 1,200 supporters and officials. The difference appears to reflect varying methods of counting participants and delegations, but both sets of figures point to a sizeable international turnout.
Bangkok crowns a bigger kickboxing ambition became the broader message around the event, as sport officials and tourism planners tied the competition to a larger push to position the country as a year-round destination for international sports events. The Kickboxing Association of Thailand organised the tournament with WAKO and in cooperation with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Bangkok authorities, giving the competition both sporting and promotional value.
For Thailand, the timing is significant. Combat sport is already central to the country’s international sporting identity, but kickboxing has long occupied a secondary place to Muay Thai in public visibility and commercial development. By hosting another WAKO-recognised World Cup and pairing it with a new professional platform, Thai organisers are signalling that they want to build a parallel ecosystem: one that can develop amateur athletes, attract overseas fighters and sponsors, and create a clearer route into paid competition.
That strategy also reflects the changing shape of global striking sports. Kickboxing has grown through international federations, regional circuits and commercial promotions that reward standardised rules, television-friendly formats and cross-border matchmaking. Thailand already has the infrastructure, coaching depth and fight culture to compete in that space. What it has lacked is a more structured domestic platform designed specifically for kickboxing rather than adapted from Muay Thai. KATPRO appears intended to fill that gap. Organisers described it as the country’s first structured professional kickboxing league, launched at the same venue as the World Cup. The opening gala featured seven bouts with fighters from more than 10 countries and followed professional procedures including weigh-ins and face-offs.
The official messaging around the World Cup and league launch stressed athlete development as much as spectacle. That matters because Thailand’s long-term credibility in kickboxing will depend not only on hosting events, but on producing fighters who can succeed regularly under international kickboxing rules. WAKO’s event listing confirms that the Bangkok competition sat within a wider calendar of World Cups and championships across multiple countries, placing Thailand within an established global circuit rather than a standalone showcase.
There is also an economic calculation behind the push. Sports tourism has become a more deliberate policy tool across Asia, with governments and city administrations using tournaments to drive hotel occupancy, transport demand, media attention and repeat visits. Holding a multinational combat sports event in Bangkok during April gives organisers a chance to blend competition with destination marketing, and tourism officials made clear they view such events as part of a wider international branding effort.
Still, the bigger test lies ahead. Hosting a successful World Cup is one thing; building a durable professional league is another. Professional combat sports require dependable matchmaking, medical oversight, sponsorship, broadcast distribution, fighter pay structures and fan interest strong enough to support repeated cards. Thailand has advantages in venue culture, gym networks and audience familiarity with striking sports, but kickboxing still has to define its identity in a market where Muay Thai remains the dominant brand.
KUALA LUMPUR — The United Arab Emirates National Pavilion opened strongly at DSA and NATSEC Asia 2026 in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, drawing senior military, government and industry visitors as Gulf defence manufacturers used one of Asia’s largest security exhibitions to press for deeper commercial ties, technology partnerships and export growth in South-East Asia. The pavilion is part of the four-day event being held from 20 to […]
Hedge funds and other large money managers are stepping up bets against the dollar, using options and other derivatives to position for further weakness as demand for traditional safe-haven assets eases and investors look beyond the shocks that had briefly lifted the US currency. The shift reflects a market mood that has turned more sceptical about the dollar’s ability to hold its defensive premium. After climbing sharply […]
Nvidia has delivered another blockbuster quarter, posting revenue of $68.1 billion and giving a next-quarter forecast of $78 billion, a result that underlined how aggressively the world’s largest technology groups are still spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure. Data centre sales reached $62.3 billion, up 75 per cent from a year earlier, showing that demand for high-end chips, networking gear and full AI systems remains strong despite growing […]
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 21 April 2026 – Paymentology, the leading global issuer-processor, today announced a strategic partnership with Change Financial to accelerate payment method adoption and fintech growth across Australia.
The collaboration combines Paymentology’s cloud-first processing platform with Change Financial’s local BIN sponsorship, regulatory expertise and in-market presence – enabling fintechs, digital banks and programme managers to launch and scale debit, credit and prepaid programmes more efficiently in the Australian market.
Change Financial is a Mastercard Principal Issuer in Australia, providing local scheme connectivity and compliance support. Together with Paymentology’s real-time, multi-cloud processing infrastructure, the partnership creates a streamlined pathway for fintechs looking to enter or expand in the country.
Australia represents one of the world’s most advanced digital payments markets. The national payments market was valued at USD 849.1 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 1.35 trillion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 5.09% between 2026 and 2034. Cards and mobile wallets now sit at the centre of everyday transactions, as digital adoption continues to accelerate. Australians made approximately AUD 160 billion in mobile wallet payments in the past year alone, with billions of transactions recorded annually, highlighting strong demand for digital-first, contactless and mobile-enabled payment experiences.
Minh Ha Truong, Head of Growth Asia Pacific at Paymentology commented: “Australia is one of the most sophisticated payments ecosystems globally, with strong consumer adoption of digital, contactless and mobile-first experiences. By partnering with Change Financial, we’re combining next-generation issuing infrastructure with trusted local BIN sponsorship and expertise, unlocking faster payment method adoption for fintechs and helping them scale confidently in the Australian market.”
Change Financial brings deep experience supporting fintechs and financial institutions through local sponsorship, scheme relationships and programme enablement.
Jennifer Mateer, Chief Commercial Officer at Change Financial added: “We collaborate closely with fintechs and programme managers every day to launch innovative payment solutions with speed and confidence. Our partnership with Paymentology combines our local market expertise with global-scale issuing infrastructure, enabling innovators to accelerate time to market and deliver compelling card payment experiences to Australian consumers and businesses.”
Hashtag: #Paymentology #Fintech
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Paymentology
Paymentology is the leading next-generation issuer processor, empowering fintechs, digital banks and retail banks to effortlessly launch and manage innovative payment solutions on a global scale. The company drives greater customer choice and value through easy-to-use, integrated platforms and services that help clients to disrupt the status quo, accelerate time to market, and achieve growth.
With a superior multi-cloud platform offering a vast global footprint, and enhanced real-time data, Paymentology distinguishes itself as a leader in the payments industry. Its team of payments experts, with deep local market knowledge, operates across 50 countries and 14 time zones, providing 24/7 support. Paymentology is deeply committed to expanding financial inclusion globally, changing lives and positively impacting the communities in which it operates.
America’s gross national debt is closing in on $39tn, extending a climb that has more than doubled the federal government’s outstanding obligations since 2011 and sharpening debate over how long Washington can sustain large deficits, rising interest bills and expanding borrowing needs without broader economic consequences. Official daily Treasury data put total public debt at about $38.99tn in mid-April 2026, meaning the widely shared claim that the […]
BEIJING, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 20 April 2026 – China Unicom and Huawei capped off a series of successful 5G-A GigaUplink deployments by guaranteeing the premium connectivity at the Beijing E-Town Half-Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon, where human and robot runners competed alongside through the E-Town in Daxing District. This marks the two companies’ latest landmark showcase for sports events, combining 5G-A and AI to provide fast uplink with huge capacity and low latency for event organization and media services, digital engagement, and humanoid participation.
China Unicom 5G-A empowering robots to sprint across the finish line
China Unicom Delivered a Masterclass in Connected Marathon Events
Marathon events typically feature high-density crowds with an extensive demand for uploads. China Unicom and Huawei turned to 5G-A 3CC on 3.5 GHz and 2.1 GHz for the event, ensuring an uplink fulfillment at 20 Mbps surpassing 99.6%, along with a peak speed of field-tested 677 Mbps. This impressive uplink performance provided consistent and reliable support for 4K/8K broadcasting and real-time collection and editing while also enabling fans to share and stream smoothly.
Such unrivalled experience is underpinned not only by high-quality networks but also flexible operations. China Unicom and Huawei used intelligent base stations to build 5G-A intelligent, elastic channels for the event. This facilitated differentiated scheduling for livestreaming, voice and video calling, and short videos to ensure smooth experiences for fans even at heavy-traffic moments.
China Unicom 5G-A GigaUplink networks integral to the success of E-Town Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon
5G-A GigaUplink Takes Embodied AI to New Heights
In a global first, the E-Town half-marathon features a pioneering format that sees human and robot runners compete simultaneously. The humanoid robots were divided into an autonomous navigation group and a remote-control group, running on the same course and evaluated using mixed timing methods. Each humanoid robot requires approximately 10 Mbps uplink for video uploads, environment sensing, gait control, and autonomous navigation. Dedicated uplink slices were reserved to ensure a positioning accuracy of up to sub-decimeter level and an average end-to-end latency of less than 30 ms throughout the racing course, which provided strong support for the video uploads, obstacle avoidance, cornering, and sprinting of humanoid robots. While offering technical upgrades to sports events, this promoted the adoption of humanoid robots on a large scale.
Qin Yang, Deputy General Manager of China Unicom in Beijing spoke proudly of the excellent connections his company provided for the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games as a global strategic partner and the 2026 Beijing E-Town Half-Marathon event as the exclusive official communications sponsor. “5G-A and AI are essential digital infrastructure, enabling us to bring embodied AI to sports. Given the new dynamics of AI development, we will double down on our priorities over connectivity, computing power, services, and security to sharpen our competitive edges as a preferred telecom partner for intelligent sports and a core enabler for intelligent industry transformation. Moving forward, we will accelerate our innovation-driven push to strengthen our digital infrastructure and drive the high-quality growth of embodied AI in China and beyond.”
Samuel Chen, Vice President of Huawei’s Wireless Network Business Marketing, said this humanoid robot half-marathon offers a good example of deepening integration between mobile technology and embodied intelligence. “Beyond redefining connectivity for sports, it has shown us what intelligent production and life will look like in future. We are always dedicated to building excellent 5G-A networks together with operators based on user-centered innovation to ensure GigaUplink, low latency, and high reliability for differentiated mobile AI services. This will enable us to continuously drive the high-quality growth of the digital economy.” Hashtag: #Huawei #ChinaUnicom
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
By Nantoo Banerjee Pakistan may be right that peace in Lebanon is essential for talks between the US and Iran. But, the key question is: will Iran’s theological regime ever ask its terror sponsor, Hezbollah, to go soft on Israel which lately launched massive waves of airstrikes across southern Lebanon, hitting over 200 Hezbollah targets, […]
Gold prices fell on Monday as a fresh flare-up in waters around the Strait of Hormuz rattled energy markets, pushed up the dollar and Treasury yields, and raised doubts over diplomatic efforts aimed at halting the war. Bullion, which often draws support in periods of geopolitical strain, came under pressure as traders focused instead on the inflationary impact of another oil-supply shock. The move highlighted a familiar […]
GUANGZHOU, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 20 April 2026 – XTransfer, the World’s Leading B2B Cross-Border Trade Payment Platform, released its latest figures at the 139th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair). In the first quarter of this year, emerging markets across Asia, Africa, and Latin America accounted for 73% of XTransfer’s inbound cross-border payment collections, with 45% increase year-on-year. Collections from Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia increased 115%, 97%, and 18% year-on-year, respectively, highlighting growing demand among exporters for secure and efficient cross-border collection channels.
XTransfer at the 139th Canton Fair
According to statistics from the China General Administration of Customs, emerging markets in Asia, Africa, and Latin America have become a key driver of export growth. However, underdeveloped local financial infrastructure, incomplete cross-border payment systems, and shortages of foreign exchange mean buyers often struggle to access U.S. dollars. As a result, exporters in these markets frequently face low settlement efficiency, slow cash recovery, and risks such as account freezes.
To address these collection challenges, XTransfer has developed a comprehensive set of cross-border collection solutions. In 2025, payment collections from emerging markets in Asia, Africa, and Latin America rose 106% year-on-year. By region, collections increased 273% in Africa, 82% in Southeast Asia, and 94% in Latin America.
Over the same period, customs statistics show that in 2025, China’s total goods exports to Asia, Africa, and Latin America increased 14.6% year-on-year, with exports to Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America up 26.6%, 14%, and 8%, respectively. XTransfer’s significantly faster growth in collections compared with export growth suggests exporters are accelerating the shift from informal channels to secure, compliant collection methods, and that market recognition of high-quality cross-border payment services continues to rise.
Bill Deng, Founder and CEO of XTransfer, said emerging markets offer long-term opportunities for Chinese exporters, but many are held back by the “last mile” of collections. He added that XTransfer is committed to helping SMEs collect funds safely and quickly through secure, compliant, and efficient cross-border financial services comparable to those used by multinational companies.
Release of XTransfer PMI At the Canton Fair, XTransfer partnered with the Yicai Research Institute to publish the “China Small and Medium Enterprises (B2B) Merchandise Export Purchasing Manager Index” (XTransfer Export PMI), offering operational guidance and decision-making reference for small and micro export-oriented businesses.
This edition draws on a sample survey of XTransfer’s 800,000 SME users, selecting over 3,000 companies nationwide. It covers the full export process across export orders, pricing, procurement, logistics, staffing, and cash flow. The report shows that the March 2026 XTransfer PMI was 51.56%, indicating export conditions for SMEs are generally improving. Despite a complex external environment, SMEs have remained resilient and steadily strengthened their pricing power in international markets. Meanwhile, demand structures in emerging markets are reshaping, with export focus shifting toward intermediate goods and higher value-added products.
Resilience Amid Geopolitical Disruptions Customs data show that in the first quarter, China’s goods exports reached RMB 6.85 trillion, up 11.9% year-on-year, marking a strong start to the year and benefiting SMEs. The XTransfer PMI also shows expansion in the export order index (53.85) and the export price index (56.15). While seasonal factors like the Spring Festival affected the short term, the underlying “volume and price rising together” trend suggests SMEs are accelerating their shift from “low-price internal competition,” strengthening pricing power through technology upgrades and improved quality.
Geopolitical disruptions have also extended delivery times, pushing the logistics time PMI down to 37.50. In contrast, the sales collection (receivables) index rose to 68.59, showing a pattern of “goods moving slower, money returning faster”. This suggests overseas buyers remain strongly tied to China’s high-quality supply chain and are willing to raise prepayment ratios or shorten payment terms to secure capacity. One exhibitor, Mr Wang, said, “A Southeast Asian customer increased its deposit from 30% to 70% to lock in production, worried our capacity would be booked by others.“
Emerging Markets Demand Trends Toward “High-End” Upgrading The report highlights a shift toward higher-end demand in emerging markets. Africa’s export orders index (57.55) points to rising infrastructure-related demand; Latin America’s export orders index (56.47) and price index (57.81) signal opportunities in electromechanical and optical medical equipment; and Southeast Asia is absorbing components and semi-finished goods, calling for SMEs to move from finished-goods suppliers to supply-chain partners.
As industrialisation accelerates in emerging markets, demand for high-quality intermediate goods, complete electromechanical equipment, and technical services is rising. SMEs are moving from “low-end capacity exports” to “exports of technology and supply chain support”.
The composite PMI for the “New Three” (new energy vehicles, photovoltaics, and lithium batteries) was 54.59. The “New Three” sectors continue to hold growth potential, and enterprises need to enhance profit margins by delivering differentiated value. Hashtag: #XTransfer #PMI #Crossborder #Payment #SMEs
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
https://www.Paymentology.com
