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PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Limited secured 12 awards across international, industry and consumer sectors in 2026, reflecting broad recognition of its vision to link business growth with opportunity, quality of life and a sustainable future for all stakeholders.

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 2 October 2026 – PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Limited (OR), the retail and lifestyle arm of Thailand’s PTT Group, has received 12 awards in 2026 spanning three sectors of recognition: international capital markets, domestic industry and consumers. These include six awards from the 16th Asian Excellence Awards organised by Hong Kong-based financial magazine Corporate Governance Asia, the Thailand Top CEO of the Year 2026 by BUSINESS+ magazine and the Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy, Thammasat University, and five brand awards from Marketeer No.1 Brand Thailand 2026, each affirming a different dimension of the company’s vision: “Empowering All Toward Inclusive Growth.”

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At the heart of OR’s vision is a commitment to ensure that business growth creates tangible value beyond financial returns, expanding opportunity, raising quality of life and building a sustainable future for investors, communities, partners and consumers alike. This vision is executed through four core missions: Seamless Mobility, All Lifestyles, Global Market and OR Innovation, each underpinned by three sustainability pillars: Economic Prosperity, Living Community and Healthy Environment. Also, OR’s Sustainability concept “OR Term Okad Dee Dee Dee” empowering opportunity for three Good Dimension, Good Community, Good Environment and Good Growth.

Under the leadership of M.L. Peekthong Thongyai, Chief Executive Officer, OR has expanded its operations across 10 countries, delivered 2025 EBITDA of 20,357 million baht (approximately USD 623 million), up 15.2% year-on-year, with net profit rising 47.8% to 11,304 million baht (approximately USD 346 million), and grown blueplus+, its lifestyle and membership application, to 9.3 million registered members. These results underpinned both the Thailand Top CEO of the Year 2026 in the retail and wholesale category and Asia’s Best CEO at the Asian Excellence Awards.

The remaining five Asian Excellence Awards reflect the financial and social dimensions of OR’s vision. Asia’s Best CFO, Best Investor Relations Company and Best Investor Relations Professional recognise OR’s structured stakeholder communication, including quarterly analyst meetings, non-deal roadshows and bilingual disclosure for domestic and international investors. The Sustainable Asia Award and Asia’s Best CSR reflect OR’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than one third against a 2022 baseline by 2030, progressing towards Net Zero by 2050, alongside programmes such as Thaidet, which supports over 500 local entrepreneurs through OR’s retail network, and Café Amazon for Chance, which creates employment for people with disabilities, senior workers including underprivileged people. OR is also a constituent of the Dow Jones Sustainability Best in Class Indices in the Emerging Markets category for 2026.

At the consumer level, five brands — PTT Station, EV Station PluZ, Café Amazon, PTT LPG and PTT Lubricants — claimed top positions at the Marketeer No.1 Brand Thailand 2026, affirming the All Lifestyles mission through a network serving 3.9 million users daily, EV charging infrastructure covering all 77 provinces, and a Café Amazon footprint of 4,830 domestic outlets and 256 international locations.

“These awards reflect recognition from the people and institutions that matter most to OR — our investors, our industry peers and our customers,” said M.L. Peekthong Thongyai, Chief Executive Officer of PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Limited. “Each one affirms that our vision of building an integrated ecosystem, one that creates opportunity, improves quality of life and drives sustainable growth, is delivering results across every dimension of our business.”

Across all 12 awards, each recognition maps to OR’s four missions in action: Seamless Mobility and Global Market through network expansion and digital platform growth; All Lifestyles through consumer brand leadership across energy, food and beverage, and services; and OR Innovation through the digital infrastructure connecting it all. Together, they confirm that OR’s “Empowering All Toward Inclusive Growth” vision is producing measurable, multi-dimensional results across every stakeholder group the company serves.

Hashtag: #OR

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Ghana and the Philippines have agreed to expand trade and investment cooperation, establish a chamber of commerce and organise business forums as Manila prepares to open its first resident embassy in Ghana later this year. The commitments emerged from talks between Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General […]

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan travelled by Etihad Rail from Abu Dhabi to Dubai on Monday as the national railway network prepared to add Dubai to scheduled passenger operations. The presidential journey preceded the inauguration of Etihad Rail’s Dubai Station at Al Yalayis by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and […]

Media Business Network has introduced a redesigned website aimed at simplifying access to its projects, services, news and business opportunities as the Dubai-based company sharpens its focus on content, public relations and hospitality-focused marketing distribution. The refreshed platform presents MBN’s activities around three principal business areas and provides a more structured route for clients, advertisers and media partners seeking information about the company’s operations. MBN said the […]

Dubai-based flydubai has temporarily halted flights to and from Israel while authorities investigate the flight-deck altercation that forced its FZ1073 service to divert to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. The carrier announced the suspension after passengers from the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight were taken onward following the emergency landing at Tabuk Airport. Flydubai said the measure was being taken in coordination with relevant authorities and would remain under review […]

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai UAE-based technology company AIQ has signed an agreement to enter India’s oil and gas sector, extending its international expansion with a deployment covering an unnamed conglomerate’s refineries, fuel stations and digital stores. Chief Executive Officer Dennis Jol disclosed the agreement at a media briefing on Wednesday but declined to identify the customer or give financial terms. The contract marks AIQ’s entry into one […]

Singapore’s Temasek plans to open offices in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in the first half of 2027, establishing its first physical presence in the Middle East as it steps up investment and partnerships across the region.

The Singapore state-owned investment company said on Wednesday that the two offices, subject to statutory approvals, would operate as strategic hubs for Temasek and its portfolio companies. Some portfolio companies are expected to co-locate at the new sites, giving them a base from which to develop business and partnerships in Gulf markets.

Temasek said it sees broad opportunities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. It intends to increase engagement with institutions in Qatar and other Middle Eastern markets while using the Riyadh and Abu Dhabi bases to improve access to investment opportunities across Central Asia and Africa.

“The Middle East is an important part of Temasek’s global network,” chief executive Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara said. He cited the pace of economic transformation across the region and said its long-term fundamentals remained attractive, with strong alignment between regional priorities and Temasek’s investment focus.

Pillay said Temasek had built relationships in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar over several years through partnerships, co-investments and the activities of its portfolio companies. The planned offices represent a shift from managing those relationships remotely towards maintaining permanent teams in two of the Gulf’s principal financial and investment centres.

The expansion comes as Gulf governments continue programmes intended to diversify their economies, develop infrastructure and attract international capital. Temasek said its investment experience, global networks and partnership-led approach, together with the sector expertise of companies in its portfolio, could support opportunities created by that transformation.

Temasek said the new hubs would also give portfolio companies closer access to local partners and markets, allowing them to collaborate alongside the investor while pursuing opportunities generated by economic diversification and infrastructure spending.

Chia Song Hwee, chief executive of Temasek Global Investments, was appointed chairman for the Middle East and Africa with effect from September 1. Temasek said he would provide senior leadership and oversight for its engagement and long-term growth in the two regions.

Chia said having teams on the ground would strengthen engagement with partners and improve access to investment opportunities for Temasek and its portfolio companies. He added that the offices would allow the group to bring expertise from across its wider ecosystem into regional markets.

Ankit Khemka will remain managing director for the region and continue to lead Temasek’s strategy and expansion. The leadership arrangements put the Middle East and Africa under dedicated senior oversight as the investor increases its institutional presence beyond its established Asian, European and American locations.

The two offices will increase Temasek’s global network to 15 offices across 11 countries in 2027, from 13 offices in nine countries. Its existing locations include Singapore, Beijing, Hanoi, Mumbai, Shanghai and Shenzhen in Asia, alongside Brussels, London, Mexico City, New York, Paris, San Francisco and Washington.

Temasek’s net portfolio value reached S$518 billion for the financial year ended March 31, 2026, up from S$469 billion a year earlier. Its one-year total shareholder return was 10.5 per cent, while its 10-year and 20-year returns were 7.1 per cent and 6.8 per cent respectively.

The investor’s portfolio remains anchored in Singapore while spanning major global markets. Singapore-based portfolio companies accounted for 43 per cent of the portfolio at the end of the financial year, while direct investments in companies globally represented 38 per cent. The remaining 19 per cent was held through partnerships, funds and asset-management businesses.

Temasek has also been increasing investment activity across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Earlier this week, it acquired a 9 per cent minority stake in the management company of Milan-based private equity group FSI and committed capital to future FSI investment vehicles targeting growing Italian companies.

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Tether has minted about $495 million of its gold-backed XAU₮ token, adding a large new batch of digital bullion as the market for tokenised gold expands. Blockchain analytics firm Arkham identified the issuance on September 29, saying Tether’s latest mint involved XAU₮ rather than its much larger dollar-linked USDT stablecoin. The transaction comprised roughly 119,670 XAU₮ and was valued at about $494.6 million at the time, based […]

Open USD, a dollar-backed stablecoin supported by major payments, technology and cryptocurrency companies, has gone live with a model that distributes reserve income and ownership to businesses that help expand its use. The stablecoin began operating on Wednesday across Ethereum, Solana, Base and Tempo, according to Open Standard, the independent company behind the project. Coinbase, Mastercard, Shopify, Stripe and Visa are its founding partners and investors, and […]

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 September 2026 – Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee announced the First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) (2026-2030) and his fifth Policy Address on September 16, rolling out measures to further sharpen Hong Kong’s edge amid global competition, consolidate development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and promote green transformation.

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Initiatives aim to support high-quality development of the GBA, align rules and mechanisms within the region, and promote cross-boundary collaboration.

“The HKSAR Government will continue its efforts in fostering synergistic development of the GBA,” said Mr Lee. “We will strengthen co‑operation in technological innovation, promote ‘hard connectivity’ in infrastructure, foster ‘soft connectivity’ by deepening the alignment of rules and mechanisms, and achieve ‘connectivity of hearts’ among residents of the three places.”

The HKSAR Government will continue to actively participate in the development of the various major co-operation platforms, including Qianhai of Shenzhen, Nansha of Guangzhou, Hengqin of Zhuhai and the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Co-operation Zone, to promote mutual benefits.

In terms of “hard connectivity” the HKSAR Government will support Nansha in its role as a high‑standard gateway for opening up, including encouraging the trade to participate in Nansha’s infrastructure development.

“To promote the co‑ordinated development of rail transit in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, we are pressing ahead with the Northern Link Project and the Hong Kong‑Shenzhen Western Rail Link (Hung Shui Kiu‑Qianhai), with target commissioning in 2034 and 2035 respectively, to fully connect the rail transit networks of Hong Kong and Shenzhen,” Mr Lee said.

Regarding “soft connectivity”, Mr Lee said the HKSAR Government will set up a Task Force to explore ways to advance the alignment of rules and mechanisms within the GBA.

To achieve “Connectivity of Hearts” among residents across the GBA, Hong Kong will strengthen co-operation between its higher education institutions and those in other GBA cities by establishing cross‑disciplinary partnerships, facilitating scientific research, knowledge transfer, and commercialisation, with a view to promoting high‑level research.

Hong Kong’s Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Janice Tse, noted that the First Five-Year Plan clearly states that Hong Kong will participate in the development of the GBA into an international first‑class bay area and a world‑class city cluster with global influence.

“Hong Kong will forge closer alignment and synergy with the nine GBA cities in Guangdong Province and Macao, making full use of our respective advantages to jointly promote the high-quality development of the GBA,” Miss Tse said.

To foster financial development in the GBA, Hong Kong will continue to capitalise on institutional innovation, financial infrastructure upgrading and enhanced regulatory alignment to encourage the orderly flow of financial elements among GBA cities.

The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited’s Core Climate, in collaboration with the Guangzhou Power Exchange Centre, is working towards the pilot trading of national renewable‑energy, green electricity certificates in Hong Kong in 2026.

“On connecting the Chinese Mainland and the world, the HKSAR Government will continue to support green technology development through the HK$400 million (aboutUS$51 million) Green Tech Fund, leveraging Hong Kong’s function as a springboard for green technology and assisting national green technologies and products in going global,” said Hong Kong’sSecretary for Environment and Ecology, Tse Chin-wan. “On the development of hydrogen energy, we have participated in drafting national hydrogen energy standards with a view to helping these standards align with international practice.”

To meet the country’s “dual carbon” targets and fulfil Hong Kong’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality before 2050, the HKSAR Government steered the establishment of a production base for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Dongguan, leveraging the leading position of Hong Kong enterprises in the international SAF industry.

“By combining technology strengths with industrial foundation, Hong Kong and Guangdong will jointly develop a globally influential green industry,” Mr Lee said.

The HKSAR Government will take forward the construction of an SAF blending facility in Hong Kong to build an end‑to‑end SAF value chain and reduce logistics costs to make SAF prices more competitive. The target is to achieve an SAF consumption ratio of 1% to 3% for flights departing from Hong Kong International Airport in 2030.

Hong Kong’s Five-Year Plan promotes the integrated development of culture, sports, and tourism, to develop the GBA into a cultured bay area.

Under the strategic framework of the Agreement on Strengthening of Sports Cooperation and Promotion of Integrated Development, Hong Kong will deepen co-operation, and strive to co‑organise important regional and international single‑sport events. It will also strengthen cultural exchanges, pass on Cantonese opera and the characteristics of Lingnan culture, and promote the sales and cross‑boundary exhibition of Hong Kong publications.






Hashtag: #HongKong #PolicyAddress #First5YearPlan #GBA #Green #Transformation





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

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi sovereign investor L’Imad Holding is positioning AD Ports Group for tighter state control as the emirate strengthens trade routes outside the Strait of Hormuz, with its takeover of the ports operator moving towards settlement after attracting acceptances that will lift its holding above 98.5 per cent. The transaction, conducted through L’Imad’s wholly owned subsidiary ADQ, values AD Ports at Dh31.8 billion. […]

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 30 September 2026 – Cashku, the AI-native digital wealth platform operated by Advisonomics Sdn Bhd and licensed by the Securities Commission Malaysia (“SC“), today announced a distribution partnership with Kenanga Investors Berhad (“Kenanga Investors“), the asset and wealth management arm of Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad and one of Malaysia’s largest investment management firms.

Datuk Wira Ismitz Matthew De Alwis, CEO and Executive Director, Kenanga Investors Berhad and Raevendren Ramachandran, CEO, Cashku
Datuk Wira Ismitz Matthew De Alwis, CEO and Executive Director, Kenanga Investors Berhad and Raevendren Ramachandran, CEO, Cashku

Under the partnership, a selected range of funds offered by Kenanga Investors and its Institutional Unit Trust Adviser partners will be available to Cashku users with no sales charge and from a minimum investment starting from RM10.

For investors, the effect is practical: investors can review fund information, open an account, set their investing goals, invest and make additional investments within a single application, with suitability assessed at the point of investment and monitored continuously thereafter.

Cashku has rebuilt the advice layer of wealth management around agentic AI; software that does not simply answer questions, but carries out risk profiling, goal-based portfolio construction, suitability assessment and ongoing portfolio monitoring, under the oversight of licensed human advisers and within the SC’s regulatory framework. That architecture, for which Cashku received a DIGID award for data-driven advisory under the SC’s Digital Innovation Fund in 2024, is what allows the platform to reach investors at a materially lower cost to serve.

The partnership arrives as Malaysia’s fund management industry reaches record scale. Assets under management rose 6.9% to a record RM1.14 trillion in 2025, with unit trust funds forming the largest single category at roughly half of that total. The SC’s Capital Market Masterplan 2026–2030 targets a capital market of over RM6 trillion by 2030 and names an inclusive capital market for all Malaysians as one of its four strategic themes — an agenda that depends on reaching the Malaysians who are not investing today. Individual participation in the capital market currently stands at 25%, and the Masterplan finds that around 60% of non-investors are under the age of 40.

“Malaysia’s problem has never been the quality of its funds — it has been access to the advice that helps people use them well. Financial planning has traditionally been reserved for those wealthy enough to pay for it, which is why most households have never had a plan at all. Cashku exists to change that: to give every Malaysian a plan built around their own goals. Partnering with managers like Kenanga Investors is how that gap closes.”

— Raevendren Ramachandran, Chief Executive Officer, Cashku

“Digital distribution is a natural extension of the Group’s own digitalisation agenda. Working with a licensed platform such as Cashku allows us to reach investors who are starting earlier and investing in smaller amounts than traditional channels are built to serve, without compromising the standards of suitability, transparency and governance our clients expect.”

— Datuk Wira Ismitz Matthew De Alwis, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Kenanga Investors.

Cashku will continue to expand the range of funds available on the platform.

Hashtag: #Kenanga

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

About Kenanga Investors Berhad 199501024358 (353563-P)

Kenanga Investors Berhad is a licensed fund management company regulated by the Securities Commission Malaysia and a wholly owned subsidiary of Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad. It provides investment solutions spanning collective investment schemes, portfolio management services, alternative investments, and wills and trusts for retail, corporate, institutional and high net worth clients through 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”.

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.

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Iraq Stock Exchange has begun live trading through Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange’s Tabadul network, giving investors in Iraq direct access to securities listed in Abu Dhabi and opening the Iraqi market to eligible investors across the cross-border platform. ADX said on Tuesday that ISX had become the eighth market to go live on Tabadul, while the wider network now comprises 11 exchanges. The […]

Limassol, Cyprus, September 29th, 2026.- Dubai will host the second Middle East edition of Doers Summit 2026 from 25-26 November at Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) – the specialised economic zone for knowledge and innovation – and a member of Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ). The summit aims to bring together founders, scaleups, investors, corporates and ecosystem leaders from around the world to unlock new business connections, […]

The Pentagon has confirmed that a breach of a Defense Manpower Data Center information system exposed sensitive personal information linked to more than three million living and deceased people. A US defence official said the incident affected 2.76 million living individuals and about 294,000 deceased people, establishing a clearer scale for an intrusion that exposed Social Security numbers and personnel information held by the department. The Defense […]

Cybersecurity researchers have identified a previously undocumented Windows remote access trojan that can continuously stream an infected computer’s display to its operators while supporting command execution, downloads, clipboard monitoring and other remote-control functions. Point Wild’s Lat61 Threat Intelligence team named the malware BotHelper RAT after the Bot. Helper namespace found in its. NET assembly. Its analysis, published on September 24, traced a multi-stage infection chain beginning with […]

Mubadala Investment Company and Together AI have formed a strategic partnership to explore artificial intelligence infrastructure and ecosystem opportunities in the UAE, with the US technology company establishing a local presence in Abu Dhabi. The agreement, announced on Tuesday, will bring Together AI’s inference and research capabilities closer to customers and developers building generative AI applications across the UAE and the wider region. The partners said they […]

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi-based Shorooq and Presight have invested in Maven Robotics as part of the US industrial robotics company’s $100 million Series A financing round. The investment was made through the Presight–Shorooq AI and Bedaya funds managed by Shorooq, the companies said. RoboStrategy, LocalGlobe, Vine Ventures and XTX Ventures also participated in the financing, which Maven announced earlier this month. The individual commitments from […]

China Securities has established a regional office in the Dubai International Financial Centre, giving the Beijing-headquartered investment bank a regulated base for serving clients, investors and financial institutions across the Middle East.

DIFC confirmed on Monday that the publicly listed securities firm had received a licence from the DIFC Authority and authorisation from the Dubai Financial Services Authority, the independent regulator overseeing financial services conducted in or from the centre.

The office extends China Securities’ international footprint and is intended to support its engagement with regional institutions while improving links between Chinese, UAE and international capital markets. The firm has operations spanning equity and debt capital markets, investment banking, asset management and institutional services.

The move places China Securities among a substantial group of China-based financial institutions operating from Dubai’s financial free zone. DIFC said the group includes Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China, Bank of Communications, China Construction Bank, China International Capital Corporation, China Merchants Bank International and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, alongside other securities and financial services businesses.

China’s five largest banks together account for more than 30 per cent of total assets in DIFC’s Banking and Capital Markets sector, underscoring the scale of their existing presence within the centre. China Securities is the latest investment bank from the country to join that cluster.

DIFC said the opening followed sustained engagement with China Securities, during which the financial centre worked with the firm to explain opportunities available through Dubai, develop its understanding of the regional market and support its longer-term international expansion plans.

The Dubai base also gives the investment bank a presence within a financial centre that has been expanding rapidly. DIFC had 10,018 active registered companies at the end of the first half of 2026, crossing the 10,000 threshold for the first time. The total was 30 per cent higher year on year, after 2,318 new active registered companies were added over the preceding 12 months.

The number of regulated financial services firms in DIFC reached 1,134 during the same period, up 16 per cent from a year earlier. Banking and capital markets firms numbered 327, while the centre had 592 wealth and asset management companies and 165 insurance and reinsurance entities.

China Securities’ arrival comes as financial institutions seek to capture increasing business flows between Asia and Gulf markets. For the firm, the DIFC office provides a platform for direct interaction with Middle East clients and investors rather than relying solely on operations elsewhere in its international network.

The regulatory approvals are central to that expansion. A DIFC Authority licence establishes the company’s corporate presence in the financial centre, while DFSA authorisation covers regulated financial services carried out within or from the jurisdiction. The precise category and detailed scope of China Securities’ DFSA permissions were not specified in DIFC’s announcement.

The firm’s regional expansion also adds another securities house to a Chinese financial network in Dubai that already covers commercial banking, investment banking and capital-markets services. China International Capital Corporation and several of China’s largest commercial lenders are among the institutions with an established DIFC presence.

DIFC operates a separate legal and regulatory framework for financial businesses based in the centre, with the DFSA responsible for regulating financial services. That structure has helped attract international banks, investment managers, insurers and other financial institutions seeking a regional operating base.

The centre’s first-half figures show that growth has extended beyond banking. Wealth and asset management companies increased 35 per cent year on year to 592, while insurance and reinsurance entities rose 22 per cent to 165. Banking and capital markets businesses grew 13 per cent over the same period.

For China Securities, the immediate focus of the Dubai operation is engagement with clients, investors and financial institutions across the Middle East. DIFC said the office would also support connections between capital markets in China and the UAE and wider international markets.

Polymarket has added 15-minute Bitcoin price markets to its US app, giving users a new way to trade contracts tied to whether the cryptocurrency rises or falls during successive quarter-hour windows. The contracts, listed as “BTC Up or Down: 15 min”, settle according to whether a specified Bitcoin reference price at the end of each 15-minute interval is greater than or equal to its level at the […]

OutdoorAdvertisingUAE.com (OAU), the specialist outdoor advertising and Out-of-Home (OOH) platform operated by EDS FZCO, has expanded its online resource with more detailed coverage of advertising formats, locations and campaign planning information across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE. The expansion follows the platform’s launch as a central reference point for advertisers seeking to understand the UAE’s fragmented outdoor media landscape, where advertising opportunities are distributed across […]

Model Context Protocol servers are opening significant gaps in enterprise security governance as artificial intelligence agents connect to infrastructure beyond established corporate controls, new research examining more than 15,000 published servers has found. OX Security analysed 15,465 MCP servers and 5,095 unique hostnames, finding that 15.6% of the hostnames resolved to infrastructure outside the United States. The researchers identified 19 in China and 18 in Russia, raising […]

Singapore’s Temasek has acquired a 9% strategic minority stake in the management company of Milan-based private equity investor FSI, extending a longstanding investment relationship and committing additional capital to the firm’s future funds.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The companies said on Monday that the partnership would combine FSI’s access to Italy’s mid-market businesses with Temasek’s sector expertise and international network, with a focus on helping companies expand into new markets.

FSI manages about €5 billion and concentrates on growth investments in mid-sized businesses. Temasek has previously invested in FSI funds and will make further commitments to future vehicles, including FSI Scale-up Capital Solutions, a fund aimed at high-growth small and medium-sized enterprises.

Nagi Hamiyeh, president of Temasek Global Investments, said Italy was “an integral part” of Temasek’s European strategy. He said the Singapore investor had built its portfolio and relationships in the country over more than a decade, with the pace of investment accelerating in the past few years.

“Our partnership with FSI extends this commitment to the mid-market,” Hamiyeh said, adding that Temasek could use its sector capabilities and global networks to support Italian companies seeking international expansion and long-term growth.

The transaction builds on a relationship that began with Temasek’s investment in FSI funds in 2018. Temasek was an investor in FSI I, which closed in 2019, and FSI II, which closed in 2024. It is also participating in the Scale-up Capital Solutions vehicle launched this year.

FSI’s website says its flagship FSI I and FSI II funds have commitments of €1.4 billion and €1.6 billion respectively, while Scale-up Capital Solutions extends its investment strategy into the lower mid-market. The new vehicle is targeting businesses with growth potential, including companies seeking capital for expansion, acquisitions or international development.

Maurizio Tamagnini, FSI’s chief executive and managing partner, said Temasek had been a founding investor in the firm’s funds and that the two teams had worked together beyond those commitments to identify opportunities across Italian companies of different sizes.

“Today’s step therefore builds on a shared investment culture, experience and deep mutual trust between the leadership of the two institutions,” Tamagnini said. He described FSI as a channel connecting global institutional capital with Italy’s small and medium-sized businesses.

Temasek’s investment also increases its exposure to Italy, where it has invested for more than a decade. Its holdings include interests in luxury groups Ermenegildo Zegna, Golden Goose and Moncler, giving the Singapore company an established presence in one of Italy’s prominent consumer sectors.

The group has also been increasing allocations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It aims to invest between €14 billion and €17 billion in the region by 2029 and deployed about €13 billion there during the two financial years ended March 31, 2026.

Temasek reported a net portfolio value of S$518 billion for the year ended March 31, 2026. The company is wholly owned by Singapore’s Minister for Finance, but operates commercially and makes investment decisions independently of the government, according to Singapore’s Ministry of Finance and Temasek’s governance framework.

For FSI, the investment brings a major global institutional investor directly into its management company while preserving the firm’s focus on Italian businesses. FSI says its team has invested more than €3 billion in 25 companies over 15 years and completed more than 50 acquisitions.

Temasek’s move does not give it control of FSI’s management company. The investment is structured as a minority holding, while the additional fund commitments place capital alongside other institutional investors. The arrangement expands the relationship at both the management-company and investment-fund levels without altering FSI’s investment mandate.

Its investment model targets businesses where fresh equity and strategic support can finance expansion without relying primarily on leverage. The firm identifies family-owned companies, fragmented domestic industries and businesses with limited access to capital markets among the areas where it sees opportunities.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation prohibiting state and local public officials and certain government employees from issuing meme coins, while restricting crypto platforms from offering specified politician-linked tokens to California residents. Assembly Bill 2409, authored by Assemblymember Avelino Valencia of Anaheim, was signed on Sunday, September 27, after clearing both chambers of the state legislature without a dissenting final vote. The measure creates a statutory […]

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