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The auction preview brought together a rare timepiece, a significant work of jewelry art, and a highly limited collectible — each with a provenance and a place in the collector market that extends well beyond its auction estimate. The evening was led by Vickie Sek, Deputy Chairman and Asia Pacific Chairman of Christie’s, and Alexandre Bigler, Senior Vice President and Head of Watches for Asia Pacific, whose attendance of the event in Bangkok reflects the growing weight of the city’s collector community on the regional stage. This year marks Christie’s 40th year of presence in Asia.

Porsche Design Tower Bangkok served as co-host — an adequate setting that reflects the exclusivity of the objects on display. Born from the collaboration between Porsche Design and Ananda Development PCL, the tower is guided by Professor F. A. Porsche’s founding principle of optimising function while uncompromisingly reducing form to the essentials. The result is ‘Sky Villa’ residences — distinguished by design, exclusive in the truest sense, and coveted by those who understand the true meaning and value of architectural excellence. With just 22 residences, Porsche Design Tower Bangkok underscores its profound exclusivity but unequivocally establishes it as an unparalleled, coveted address. Beyond the preview, the evening served as an intimate occasion for Porsche Design Tower Bangkok to host its clients and prospective owners within a setting that reflected the project’s own collector values.

Central to that distinction is the ‘Passion Space’ — a private collector’s garage directly connected to each residence by private lift. Whatever its owner chooses to place within it, the ‘Passion Space’ was designed with the same conviction that defined the evening: that what individuals surround themselves with is never incidental.

Porsche Design Tower Bangkok emerges as one of merely two Porsche Design residential towers globally, drawing a parallel only with its prestigious Miami counterpart.

For those who value the extraordinary, Porsche Design Tower Bangkok welcomes private viewings by appointment at pdtowerbangkok.com.

Hashtag: #PorscheDesign

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

About Porsche Design:

In 1963, Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche created one of the most iconic design objects in contemporary history: the Porsche 911. Following his vision to take the principles and myth of Porsche beyond the automotive world, he created the exclusive lifestyle brand Porsche Design in 1972. His philosophy and design language can still be seen in all Porsche Design products today. Every Porsche Design product stands for extraordinary precision and perfection, boasts a high level of technological innovation and seamlessly combines intelligent functionality and puristic design. Created by Studio F. A. Porsche in Austria, our products are sold worldwide in Porsche Design stores, high-end department stores, exclusive specialist retailers and the official online store (porsche-design.com).

Directed by Piero Bressan and photographed by Dario Catellani, “Mediterranean Escape” transports viewers to Villa Fortaleza and Cala San Vicente in Mallorca, Spain. The campaign reflects a sense of ease — where travel becomes immersive, expressive, and grounded in the spirit of the destination.

At the heart of the collection is a bold new seasonal palette introduced across key TUMI collections, including the iconic 19 Degree Collection. Lush thyme greens, sun-washed terracotta, and radiant sunlit yellow reimagine sculpted silhouettes through destination-inspired hues. The palette also extends into the 19 Degree Aluminum family with the International Carry-On in Horizon Blue, a seasonal tone inspired by where the sky meets the sea that brings depth to the signature metallic silhouette.

Beyond 19 Degree, the seasonal story extends across travel essentials and lifestyle silhouettes, introducing new textures and material expressions designed to evoke Mediterranean ease. A raffia-inspired capsule brings woven warmth to the newly expanded Olas and Harrison Collections, balancing artisanal texture with modern construction. Accessories further bring the sensorial spirit of the Mediterranean to life. Olive, flower and lemon-inspired bag charms nod to open-air markets and the lemon groves and florals of the Amalfi Coast, while the Belden Sunglass Charm equips travelers for long days under the sun.

“The Mediterranean represents a slower, more intentional rhythm of travel,” said Victor Sanz, Global Creative Director at TUMI. “For Spring 2026, we embraced that sensibility, the idea of traveling while fully experiencing every moment through the senses. The sounds, smells, tastes, textures, and surroundings come together to create a lasting emotional connection long after the journey ends. We infused that sensorial richness into our most iconic collections, using color to tell a story of movement and discovery. At its core, the collection captures the emotion of escape, balanced by the precision and performance that define every TUMI piece.”

The campaign also debuts the new Mediterranean Print across pieces from Voyageur, Tegra-Lite™, Belden, and Nassau collections. Bold yet refined, the print reinforces the collection’s energy while maintaining TUMI’s focus on precision and performance.

“This campaign represents an evolution in how we tell our story, “said Jill Krizelman, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing & Ecommerce at TUMI. “The Mediterranean provided the perfect backdrop — celebrating rich color, the romance of travel, and cultural depth — while giving us the opportunity to reveal a more relaxed, playful side of TUMI, as if the brand itself were on vacation. From visual storytelling to immersive brand activations around the world, Mediterranean Escape invites our global community into the spirit of the season and celebrates travel as a form of self-expression.”

Mediterranean Escape will extend beyond the campaign through a series of immersive global experiences celebrating the spirit of the season.

The Mediterranean Escape collection is available now at TUMI.com and in TUMI stores worldwide. Follow @TUMITravel for exclusive behind-the-scenes content from the campaign.
Hashtag: #TUMI

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

About TUMI

Since 1975, TUMI has been creating world-class business, travel, and performance luxury essentials, designed to upgrade, uncomplicate and beautify all aspects of life on the move. Blending flawless functionality with a spirit of ingenuity, we’re committed to empowering journeys as a lifelong partner to movers and makers in pursuit of their passions. For more about TUMI, visit TUMI.com and follow on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

TUMI and TUMI logo are registered trademarks of Tumi, Inc. © 2026 Tumi, Inc.

AI Training AI: Reshaping Intelligent Modeling

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 28 April 2026 – Phancy Group Co., Ltd. (Stock Code: 6682.HK), a leading Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) company, today announced the launch of PhanthyModel, a powerful new AI tool built specifically for scientists, engineers, and developers.

By enabling AI to train and refine models, PhanthyModel tackles one of the biggest pain points in complex modeling: the long hours and heavy reliance on expert experience. The launch marks a significant step forward in the Company’s push toward “AI autonomous evolution.”

In research and industrial settings, modeling is a critical step for predicting outcomes, simulating experiments, and analyzing data. Traditionally, building a model often takes experts five to six hours or more to complete a single project. With PhanthyModel’s end‑to‑end automation, the same work can now be completed in about 10 minutes.

This innovation represents a fundamental shift in how AI works: moving from a passive assistant to an active collaborator that continuously learns and improves through real-world use. For organizations in scientific research, engineering, manufacturing, and data analysis, PhanthyModel significantly lowers the barriers to advanced modeling, accelerates experimentation and R&D cycles, and helps turn innovative ideas into reality much faster.

Hashtag: #Phancygroup

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

About Phancy Group

Phancy Group (6682.HK) is a leading full-stack AI cloud services platform, providing comprehensive solutions for the AI 2.0 era. Its offerings include SageAIOS, HAMi vGPU, and ModelHub XC, delivering efficient and scalable AI infrastructure with end-to-end capabilities. The Company provides a complete solution from heterogeneous compute resource management and optimization to the deployment of intelligent agent models. These solutions empower digital transformation across a wide range of industries, supporting the Company’s vision of building a large-scale and efficient “Token Factory.”

Guided by the mission of “AI for Everyone” and positioned as the “Navigator of AI,” Phancy Group is committed to becoming a global leader in general-purpose artificial intelligence.

A research paper done by higher education academia indicates transition, particularly after a break from formal education, can influence students’ academic performance, particularly as they rebuild study habits and self-directed learning.

A National Transition with Growing Relevance

As Singapore continues to emphasise lifelong learning and workforce readiness, the NS-to-university transition is increasingly viewed as a critical phase in the education journey. National policies allow some flexibility, such as disruption schemes that enable eligible servicemen to begin university alongside their academic cohort. However, most students still enter university after completing NS, requiring them to re-engage with academic learning after a prolonged hiatus. This has prompted educators to call for stronger institutional support to help students bridge the gap effectively.

Supporting NS Returnees: SIM’s Student-Centric Approach

Recognising the challenges faced by students transitioning from National Service back into academic life, the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) provides a range of structured academic and student support services to facilitate reintegration. Through refresher workshop and learning support initiatives, students are introduced to university expectations, including academic writing, study strategies, and independent learning skills.

The SIM Student Learning Centre provides academic support and enriching learning experiences for all students. It is staffed by a dedicated team of senior students with strong proficiency in academic writing, who regularly conduct workshops on study skills and university life, sharing practical insights with their juniors. In addition, the Peer‑Assisted Learning (PAL) Programme, established in 2013, continues to run today. Under this programme, high‑performing students are trained as subject leaders to facilitate group learning sessions, supporting collaborative learning and helping participants improve their academic performance.

In addition, SIM provides holistic student support through its Student Wellness Centre and Student Care services, which offer counselling, stress management programmes, and peer support initiatives to help students adjust to academic and personal challenges. These services are designed to support students in managing the transition to university life and maintaining overall well-being.

Complementing its academic and personal support structures, SIM promotes a vibrant campus culture through student communities and peer networks that strengthen social integration and contribute to student resilience and success. The institution further supports employability by providing facilities and career-related resources that help students build connections and prepare for the workforce.

Together, these initiatives form a comprehensive support ecosystem that helps students returning from NS rebuild academic confidence, adapt to self-directed learning, and progress successfully in their higher education journey.

Preparing Students for Academic and Career Readiness

The transition from NS to university involves not only academic adjustment but also broader behavioural and social adaptation. By combining structured support, flexible learning pathways and applied education, SIM aims to support students in rebuilding academic confidence and sustaining long-term learning success. As Singapore continues to strengthen its education to employment pathways, supporting students through key transition phases such as NS to higher education will remain an important focus for institutions and policymakers alike.

Reference:

1. Study Habits, Skills, and Attitudes: The Third Pillar Supporting Collegiate Academic Performance – https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00089.x
2. LifeSG (Ministry of Defence). Managing NS and Your Studies – https://www.life.gov.sg/guides/pe/managing-ns-studies
3. Central Manpower Base (CMPB). Disruption for Further Studies – https://www.cmpb.gov.sg/before-ns/disruption-for-further-studies/
4. Richardson, M., Abraham, C., & Bond, R. (2012). Psychological correlates of university students’ academic performance: A systematic review. Psychological Bulletin. – https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/a0026838
5. SIM Learning Support – https://www.sim.edu.sg/degrees-diplomas/life-at-sim/learning-support
6. SIM Student Care – https://www.sim.edu.sg/degrees-diplomas/life-at-sim/student-care

Hashtag: #SIMGlobalEducation #SIMGE #GlobalEducation #InternationalDegree #CareerReady #FutureSkills

https://www.sim.edu.sg/

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

About SIM Global Education

SIM Global Education (SIM GE) is a leading private education institution in Singapore and the region. We offer more than 140 academic programmes ranging from diplomas and graduate diploma programmes to bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes with some of the world’s most reputable universities from Australia, Canada, Europe, United Kingdom, and the United States. SIM GE’s cohort is made up of 17,000 full- and part-time students and adult learners, of which approximately 41% are international students hailing from over 50 countries.

SIM GE’s holistic learning approach and culturally diverse learning environment aim to equip students with knowledge, industry skills and employability competencies, as well as a global perspective to succeed as future leaders in a fast-changing, technologically driven world.

For more information on SIM Global Education, visit www.sim.edu.sg

• Singapore car buyers still lack confidence due to unclear pricing and inconsistent information, even after weeks of research.
• Consumers spend up to four weeks researching before visiting a dealership, yet gaps in consumer trust persist.
• Buyers are up to 3 times more likely to return to the same dealership when pricing is clearly itemised.
• Trust is becoming a stronger decision driver than price when comparing similar vehicles.

“Consumers are encouraged to look out for CaseTrust-accredited motoring businesses when making a purchase,” said Mr Melvin Yong, president of CASE. “These accredited dealers are required to adopt clear agreements and maintain safeguards that provide an added layer of protection for consumers.”

A market at an inflection point

The findings suggest that Singapore’s used car market is entering a more mature phase – where informed, cautious buyers expect greater transparency, consistency, and accountability.

As expectations continue to rise, the ability to provide clear information and build trust will increasingly define both consumer confidence and long-term competitiveness in the market.

For a deeper look into the factors and data which shapes today’s car-buying decisions, please access the full Motorist SmartBuy Guide 2026 for more information on the used car landscape.

Download the Motorist SmartBuy Guide 2026: link
Hashtag: #Motorist #Automotive

https://www.motorist.sg/?utm_source=newswire&utm_medium=org&utm_campaign=media-outreach-smartbuy-guide-2026
https://sg.linkedin.com/company/motoristsg?utm_source=newswire&utm_medium=org&utm_campaign=media-outreach-smartbuy-guide-2026
https://www.facebook.com/motoristsg?utm_source=newswire&utm_medium=org&utm_campaign=media-outreach-smartbuy-guide-2026
https://www.instagram.com/motoristsg/?utm_source=newswire&utm_medium=org&utm_campaign=media-outreach-smartbuy-guide-2026
https://www.tiktok.com/@motoristsg?utm_source=newswire&utm_medium=org&utm_campaign=media-outreach-smartbuy-guide-2026
https://www.youtube.com/@MotoristSg?utm_source=newswire&utm_medium=org&utm_campaign=media-outreach-smartbuy-guide-2026
https://t.me/motoristcommunity?utm_source=newswire&utm_medium=org&utm_campaign=media-outreach-smartbuy-guide-2026

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

Motorist

Motorist is a Singapore-based automotive platform dedicated to help drivers manage vehicle ownership through services such as buying and selling cars, insurance comparison, and financing tools. The Motorist Super App provides a comprehensive range of services, catering to all aspects of vehicle ownership and management.

The program has brought in local recycling startup The Loops Hong Kong (“The Loops”) as its strategic partner. By leveraging advanced recycling equipment and a well-established processing system, the initiative introduces a breakthrough approach—rinse-free recycling. Customers no longer need to wash out bottles or disassemble components. Instead, they simply hand over used fragrance bottles or skincare cosmetics containers to store staff for collection. The materials are then sent to The Loops’ Hong Kong facilities for processing and ultimately transformed into recycled resources—lowering the barrier to recycling and making participation far more convenient.

Hong Kong’s first rinse-free recycling program

“Green is Eternal” is built on two key advantages: rinse-free and all brands. It greatly simplifies the recycling process—customers do not need to wash away any residue left in the bottles, nor do they need to remove decorative elements from packaging. Eligible glass or plastic bottles can be handed directly to store staff at designated Eternal Beauty locations to complete the recycling process.

The eligible recycling scope includes fragrance bottles, skincare product bottles, home fragrance bottles, and cosmetics packaging from various brands. Excluded from the program are personal care products (such as shampoo and hair-care products, body wash, body-care products, aerosol spray containers, and makeup tools), as well as fragrance bottles with a capacity of less than 10ml.

To encourage widespread public participation, the program features an incentive mechanism: for every eligible fragrance or skincare cosmetics bottle recycled, customers receive an electronic stamp. After collecting 10 electronic stamps, they can redeem them for a shopping voucher.

The program is already up and running at the Group’s eight outlets and offices across Hong Kong. The Group has also provided dedicated environmental recycling training for frontline staff to ensure the recycling process is standardized, efficient, and seamlessly woven into everyday customer service. Throughout the year, the Group will collaborate with a local charity to host recycling facility tours, guiding the public and students through the inner workings of recycling operations—raising environmental awareness and helping cultivate lasting recycling habits.

Beyond recycling: Advancing sustainability at the community level

“Green is Eternal” is more than an environmental recycling initiative—it is a structured sustainability project that blends retail-based education with deep community engagement. According to industry data, packaging is one of the major sources of carbon emissions in the sector. Furthermore, recycling fragrance and makeup bottles poses significant challenges due to the complexity of residual ingredients, which limits the adoption of recycling practices and results in persistently low voluntary recycling rates for these containers.

Drawing on its industry expertise, the Group partners with The Loops to tackle the challenges of traditional recycling through professional technology. The company also works with community organizations to build an educational and awareness platform, bringing employees, community members, and students into recycling facilities for in-depth environmental learning, while encouraging the public to integrate recycling into daily life. The goal is to establish a sustainable corporate model that is both socially responsible and environmentally friendly.

Wendy Lau, Executive Director of Eternal Beauty and Chairperson of its ESG Committee of the Group, commented: “Understanding the core challenge in traditional recycling systems—that customers are required to put in effort to clean bottles—explains why many people give up on participation. We are delighted to work with The Loops, whose advanced recycling system and equipment can effectively address the impact of residual ingredients in fragrances and cosmetics, truly enabling rinse-free recycling. We hope this program motivates more customers to take the initiative in environmental protection and, together with our partners, promotes sustainable development across the fragrance and beauty industry.”

Jorch Wong, Founder of The Loops Hong Kong, added: “This program marks a major milestone for sustainability in the fragrance and beauty industry. In recent years, while the number of recycling programs has increased, recycling fragrance and beauty packaging has remained difficult and cumbersome, leading to persistently low recycling rates for this category. As an industry leader, Eternal Beauty has proactively taken the lead in launching Hong Kong’s first rinse-free recycling program. This not only strengthens consumers’ environmental awareness but also helps the public build long-term recycling habits—an important encouragement for the entire recycling industry and a replicable model for sustainable development.”

As a leader in China’s fragrance industry, the Group fosters sustainable development through four key pillars: Environment, People, Product, and Community, while actively fulfilling its corporate social responsibility. Following the successful launch of “Green is Eternal” in Hong Kong, the Group aims to expand the program to its distribution points across Mainland China within the year—strengthening environmental collaboration between Hong Kong and Mainland markets, extending the program’s environmental impact, and encouraging the broader industry to move toward sustainability.

Note: The recycling scope does not include personal care products (such as shampoo and hair-care products, body wash, body-care products, aerosol spray containers, and makeup tools), nor fragrance bottles with a capacity of less than 10ml.

Green is Eternal Collection Points:

For campaign details, please visit https://www.eternal.hk/green-is-eternal/campaign.

Hashtag: #EternalBeautyHoldings

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

About Eternal Beauty Holdings Limited (Stock Code: 6883.HK)

Eternal Beauty Holdings Limited is the largest perfume group (apart from brand-owner perfume groups) in China (including Hong Kong and Macau) in terms of retail sales in 2023. It primarily sells and distributes products procured from third-party brand licensors, and deploys market for these brand licensors, offering such services as brand management, and designing and implementing customized market entry and expansion plans for their brands. The Group boasts large and diversified brand portfolios that include not only perfumes, but also color cosmetics, skincare products, personal care products, eyewear and home fragrances. As at 30 September 2025, it conducted product distribution and market deployment for a total of 74 external brands, including Hermès, Van Cleef & Arpels, Chopard, Albion and Laura Mercier, with products in different pricing tiers and of versatile features that meet the differentiated demands of consumers in Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and/or Macau.

About The Loops Hong Kong

The Loops, founded in 2019, is Hong Kong’s premier one-stop recycling center, offering door-to-door collection, sorting, and reporting. Handling over 40 recyclable types in a single basket, we simplify waste management for homes and businesses, provide real-time ESG data, innovative food waste recycling, and dirty recycling services, fostering sustainable practices. The Loops also empowers disadvantaged homemakers with flexible work, supports families, and transforms waste into resources for a sustainable future through a circular economy.

“Across Hong Kong, organizations are rethinking how work gets done with agentic AI—moving beyond experimentation to running operations at scale,” said Judson Althoff, CEO of Microsoft’s Commercial Business. “Frontier Transformation is helping them deliver business impact and measurable outcomes by embedding AI into real workflows, with trust, security, and governance fully integrated throughout.”

Frontier Success Framework: How Microsoft Helps Organizations Scale Agentic AI with Confidence

As AI matures, success is no longer defined by deploying individual tools. At the AI Tour, Microsoft shared its Frontier Success Framework—a practical approach designed to help organizations turn agentic AI into business real, measurable business value. The framework centered on four outcomes: enrich employee experience, reinvest customer engagement, reshape business process, and bend the curve on innovation.

As part of this journey, Microsoft announced that Wave 3 of Microsoft Copilot, delivered through Microsoft 365 E7 (Frontier Suite) will reach general availability in Hong Kong on 1 May 2026. Built on the principles of Intelligence and Trust, Microsoft 365 E7 brings together Microsoft 365 Copilot, Work IQ and Agent 365, alongside enterprise security, identity, and agent governance. By grounding AI in deep work context—understanding how people collaborate, what they work on, and how decisions are made—Work IQ enables Copilot and AI agents to operate with relevance and accuracy. At the same time, Agent 365 provides a centralized control plane to govern agents, while integrated security and governance ensure AI can scale responsibly across the enterprise.

Frontier Success in Action across Hong Kong

Across industries, Hong Kong organizations are already demonstrating what Frontier Success looks like in practice.

AIA –AdvancingAgentic AI Across Its Enterprise: AIA is applying Microsoft’s AI platform to deploy a holistic, agentic AI strategy across its operations. This includes agentic AI supporting product training, lead management and knowledge access, automated claims processing and customer self-service. In addition, a citizen developer program using Copilot Studio to increase productivity. Together, these capabilities enable AIA to reduce manual effort, improve accuracy, and scale operational efficiency while meeting the requirements of a highly regulated industry.

AS Watson Group – Driving Scaled AI‑Powered Personalization Across O+O Retail Channels: AS Watson Group has adopted a wide range of AI tools in its Retail HK businesses, including Microsoft Copilot and its AI capabilities across its O+O (Offline plus Online) platform to enhance productivity and decision‑making. Key use cases include AI‑driven product discovery, AI skin analysis, and in‑store personalization to enhance customer engagement, alongside employee‑focused applications such as AI‑enabled store support and AI‑generated marketing content. By scaling generative AI across operations and customer insight analysis, the Group achieves efficiency, effectiveness and cross-team collaboration in its unique O+O business model.

These examples reflect a broader shift across Hong Kong’s business community: organizations are no longer asking whether AI works, but how it should sit inside the operating model to drive meaningful outcomes.

Looking Ahead: Sustaining Frontier Success Through Continuous, Enterprise‑Grade Trust

Microsoft has been part of Hong Kong’s technology and business community for 35 years, supporting enterprises as the city evolves into a hub for innovation and global impact.

“Over the past 35 years, we have had the privilege of supporting Hong Kong through multiple waves of digital transformation. Today, as this momentum carries Hong Kong into the frontier era of AI, where organizations are not just adopting new technologies, but rethinking operating models across the enterprise,” said Leo Liu, General Manager of Microsoft Hong Kong and Macau. “As this frontier journey accelerates, Microsoft is committed to empowering local customers and partners to get ahead in the age of AI while maintaining strong data governance and enterprise‑grade privacy—ensuring human judgment remains firmly in control and enabling Hong Kong to define what Frontier Success looks like on the global stage.”

As AI adoption accelerates, Microsoft emphasized that Frontier Success is not a single milestone, but a continuous transformation—one that requires clarity of purpose, strong governance, and real-world execution. Through its platform, partners, and ecosystem, Microsoft aims to support Hong Kong organizations as they move from experimentation to sustained, responsible AI driven growth.

Hashtag: #Microsoft #AI #FrontierSuccess

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

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) creates platforms and tools powered by AI to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI available broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

“Retail today demands more than scale, it requires agility, digital precision and deep customer trust,” said Dr. Malina Ngai, Group CEO of AS Watson. “Being ranked among the world’s top 15 retailers is a timely affirmation that we are focusing on the right priorities: disciplined allocation of capital, an unwavering focus on customers, empowered by technology and executed with discipline.”

“As we celebrate our 185^th anniversary this year, this recognition is especially meaningful. Since 1841, AS Watson has evolved through generations of change – economic cycles, technological revolutions and shifting consumer expectations. Our presence across Asia and Europe has strengthened our ability to combine the speed and digital dynamism of Asia with the operational excellence and retail heritage of Europe.”

“In an increasingly digital retail world, we believe our true differentiation lies in combining advanced data, AI and seamless O+O (Offline plus Online) integrated capabilities with something far more enduring – the human touch. That combination of digital precision and human service drives stronger conversion, deeper loyalty and long-term trust. It is this balance that has sustained us for 185 years, and will continue to define our leadership in the years ahead.”

Scaling AI and Personalisation at Global Reach

AS Watson has accelerated investments in AI-powered personalisation, advanced analytics and digital ecosystems across its brands. By integrating loyalty data, online platforms and in-store engagement, the Group continues to enhance customer relevance while improving operational efficiency.

This data-driven approach enables:
– A strengthened focus on customer needs
– More precise assortment and pricing strategies
– Enhanced loyalty engagement
– Faster supply chain responsiveness

Resilient Growth in a Volatile Environment

Amid ongoing supply chain volatility, cost pressures and shifting consumer behaviour, AS Watson has demonstrated resilience through diversified geographic exposure, strong local market execution and disciplined cost management.

The Group’s scale, combined with agile regional operations, positions it to respond swiftly to market dynamics while sustaining long-term growth.

Hashtag: #ASWatson

https://www.aswatson.com/our-company/o-and-o-strategy/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/aswatson/
https://www.facebook.com/ASWGroupofficial/
https://www.instagram.com/aswatsongroup_corp/

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

About AS Watson Group

Established in 1841, AS Watson Group is one of the world’s longest-standing and most recognised retail companies with roots in Asia. Today, the company operates over 17,000 stores across 12 retail brands in 31 markets, employing 130,000 people globally. This makes AS Watson Group the largest international health and beauty retailer in the world.

In the fiscal year 2025, AS Watson Group reported revenue of over US$26 billion. The company’s technology-enabled O+O (Offline plus Online) platforms serve over 6 billion shoppers annually, seamlessly integrating physical and digital retail experiences.

AS Watson Group supported over 180 charitable and non-profit organisations every year, dedicating over 40,000 hours of volunteer work to serve over 370,000 people in need in our operating markets.

AS Watson Group is also a member of the world-renowned multinational conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings Limited, which has four core businesses ‐ ports and related services, retail, infrastructure and telecommunications in over 50 countries.

Please visit www.aswatson.com/our-company/o-and-o-strategy/ for more information.

Innovative insurance solutions to address the growing demand for wealth appreciation and management services

MACAU SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 23 April 2026 – Banco Well Link, S.A. (“Well Link Bank”) and FWD Macau (“FWD”) today announced a bancassurance partnership in Macau, marked by an official launch ceremony. The collaboration enables Well Link Bank to offer a broader range of insurance products and services to customers in Macau, including high‑net‑worth individuals, further strengthening the Bank’s wealth proposition. Leveraging Well Link Bank’s strong client base and extensive branch network in Macau, together with FWD’s customer-led and tech-enabled approach, the partnership will deliver cutting-edge insurance solutions and more convenient experiences for Macau residents and visitors, supporting customers in achieving their wealth appreciation and legacy planning goals.

This year marks Well Link Bank’s 30th anniversary and FWD Macau’s 26th, underscoring both companies’ longstanding commitment to excellence in wealth management. Through consistently delivering professional, high-quality products and services, the two companies continue to create value for customers and steer market development.

Huang Ruisheng, Executive Director and CEO, Well Link Bank, said: “Well Link Bank is committed to providing diversified and forward-looking wealth management solutions in Macau. Establishing this bancassurance partnership with FWD Macau is a significant milestone in our wealth management roadmap. We firmly believe that through close collaboration that leverages the Bank’s strong local customer network and FWD’s strengths in product innovation and technology, we can deliver more personalised and effective insurance solutions with higher growth potential. Looking ahead, Well Link Bank will continue to harness innovation and professional expertise to contribute to Macau’s diversified economic growth and the prosperity of its financial market.”

Ken Lau, Managing Director of Greater China and Hong Kong Chief Executive Officer, FWD, said: “FWD Macau is delighted to establish this bancassurance partnership with Well Link Bank in Macau. By combining the professional edge and corporate strength of both companies, we are committed to changing the way people feel about insurance in the Macau market. We look forward to working closely with Well Link Bank to help customers achieve their wealth appreciation and legacy planning goals through FWD’s prudent, customer-led insurance solutions, thereby creating long-term value. This partnership not only enhances our product distribution capabilities but also represents an important step in expanding our footprint in Macau and with Macau visitors.”

Hashtag: #WellLinkBank #FWD

https://www.wlbank.com.mo/

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

About Well Link Bank

Banco Well Link, S.A. (hereinafter referred to as WLB) is a fully licensed commercial bank registered in Macao. Upholding the “bridge” spirit, WLB is committed to serve as a bridge to success for clients, serves enterprises and individuals, promotes the country’s development and contributes to our mutual benefit society.

WLB unceasingly strengthens its technology leadership, enhancing the capability to offer comprehensive services to customers through optimization of financial technology, making full use of its advantages of featured finance and professional services, and mapping a financial ecology. WLB, acting as an inclusive finance practitioner, devotes itself to small and medium customers and personal consumption operations.

WLB’s products and services include: Savings Deposit & Time Deposit, Transfer, Credit Card & Debit Card, Personal Loan; Services by channels: ATM, STM, Mobile Banking and Online Account Opening; Personal Banking services: Well Link Securities Service, Insurance Agency, Payroll Service and Tax Rebate.

For more information about Well Link Bank, please visit the Bank’s website at https://www.wlbank.com.mo/.

About FWD Macau

FWD Macau is part of the FWD Group (1828.HK), a pan-Asian life and health insurance business that serves more than 38 million customers across 10 markets, including BRI Life in Indonesia. FWD Macau provides a suite of life and medical insurance products.

FWD’s customer-led and tech-enabled approach aims to deliver innovative propositions, easy-to-understand products and a simpler insurance experience. Established in 2013, the company operates in some of the fastest-growing insurance markets in the world with a vision of changing the way people feel about insurance. FWD Group is listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code 1828.

For more information about FWD Macau, please visit www.fwd.com.mo.

Allianz Trade and DBS Hong Kong brief businesses on evolving geopolitical trade risks and the critical need for granular liquidity visibility.

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 23 April 2026 – One year after the US Liberation Day, tariffs continue to disrupt global trade and supply chains while many economies and corporates still struggle to find their footing. The broke out of the Middle East conflict has compounded on the effect by driving lower global GDP growth (+2.6% in 2026), higher global inflation (4.3% in 2026) and stronger fiscal pressure. Amid such highly uncertain times, Allianz Trade in Hong Kong partnered with DBS for an exclusive session where industry experts and thought leaders dissected into today’s shifting geopolitical landscape and heightened credit risks, and offered their views on trade opportunities in an increasingly fragmented world.

“The Middle East conflict has added a new layer of shocks to an already fragile environment shaped by tariffs, weakening demand and declining consumer confidence. The good news is that firms have taken operational steps to adapt since the trade war began, with the most common strategies including inventory building, market diversification, sourcing from new suppliers and rerouting through third markets. Asia Pacific has emerged as the clear structural beneficiary of supply chain realignment. Hong Kong, as a major trading and financing hub in the region, continues to play a pivotal role in facilitating trade and investment flows. Together with DBS, we are here to offer our combined intelligence and support to help companies achieve customer and market diversification, better risk selection, and providing them with confidence to trade and grow safely,” states Hassan Omaish, CEO for Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan at Allianz Trade.

Jolynn Wong, Managing Director and Head of Global Transaction Services, DBS Hong Kong, says, “We are witnessing a lengthening of cash collection cycles across sectors impacted by trade route and inventory disruptions, leading to a growing proportion of receivables held at extended tenors. In this climate of heightened volatility, the role of trade finance extends beyond mere credit extension; it must now assure corporates of timely critical cash flow realisation and enable strategic suppliers to maintain production amidst disruptions. Leveraging DBS Hong Kong’s robust capital and liquidity, we provide clients with the necessary extended tenors and contingent liquidity to navigate prolonged inventory and shipping cycles, thereby fortifying their resilience. By integrating guarantees, letters of credit, credit insurance, and treasury hedging into a unified architecture through our digital platforms, we empower clients to transform volatile receivables into reliable cash flows and turn disruptions into investable growth opportunities.”

Notes to editors:
To gauge how global exporters fared through tariffs and the Middle East conflict, Allianz Trade recently published its flagship Global Survey, where 6,000 exporters across 13 countries were polled on their export performances over the past year, as well as outlook and coping strategies for the short- to medium-term. The Survey revealed that 75% of exporters expect positive export growth in 2026, which was much more optimistic than the 2025 tariff shock where expectations dropped by -40pp.

“For now, the impact of the Middle East conflict seems moderate, but such level of optimism remains fragile and could quickly fade if the conflict drags on. Allianz Trade’s Global Survey revealed that geopolitical and political risks are the leading threat globally for corporates (65%), while supply-related issues, such as bankruptcy of suppliers and shortage of inputs, came at second place (57%). The Middle East conflict has also tightened trade finance conditions. Not only payment cycles are lengthening, 43% of companies expect payment terms to deteriorate further. Pharmaceuticals, construction and computers/telecom are the most exposed sectors, while larger companies face disproportionately longer payment cycles,” says Ana Boata, Head of Economic Research at Allianz Trade.

Hashtag: #allianztrade #dbshongkong

https://www.allianz-trade.com/en_HK.html
https://www.linkedin.com/company/allianz-trade-apac/

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

About Allianz Trade

Allianz Trade is the global leader in trade credit insurance and a recognized specialist in the areas of surety, collections, structured trade credit and political risk. Our proprietary intelligence network is based on instant access to data of 289 million corporates. We give companies the confidence to trade by securing their payments. We compensate your company in the event of a bad debt, but more importantly, we help you avoid bad debt in the first place. Whenever we provide trade credit insurance or other finance solutions, our priority is predictive protection. But, when the unexpected arrives, our AA credit rating means we have the resources, backed by Allianz to provide compensation to maintain your business. Headquartered in Paris, Allianz Trade is present in over 40 countries with 5,900 employees. In 2025, our consolidated turnover was EUR4 billion and insured global business transactions represented EUR1,400 billion in exposure. For more information, please visit allianz-trade.com.

About DBS

DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia with a presence in 19 markets. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, DBS is in the three key Asian axes of growth: Greater China, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The bank’s “AA-” and “Aa1” credit ratings are among the highest in the world.

Recognised for its global leadership, DBS has been named World’s Best Bank by Global Finance, World’s Best Bank by Euromoney and Global Bank of the Year by The Banker. The bank is at the forefront of leveraging digital technology to shape the future of banking, having been named World’s Best Digital Bank by Euromoney and the world’s Most Innovative in Digital Banking by The Banker. In addition, DBS has been accorded the Safest Bank in Asia award by Global Finance for 17 consecutive years from 2009 to 2025.

DBS provides a full range of services in consumer, SME and corporate banking. As a bank born and bred in Asia, DBS understands the intricacies of doing business in the region’s most dynamic markets.

DBS is committed to building lasting relationships with customers, as it banks the Asian way. Through the DBS Foundation, the bank creates impact beyond banking by uplifting lives and livelihoods of those in need. It provides essential needs to the underprivileged, and fosters inclusion by equipping the underserved with financial and digital literacy skills. It also nurtures innovative social enterprises that create positive impact.

With its extensive network of operations in Asia and emphasis on engaging and empowering its staff, DBS presents exciting career opportunities. For more information, please visit www.dbs.com.

By K Raveendran Oil’s refusal to break decisively towards $100 a barrel, despite a tense geopolitical backdrop and repeated threats tied to the Strait of Hormuz, says something important about how markets are reading the balance between rhetoric and reality. At one level, the price action looks counterintuitive. A blockade or even a serious disruption […]

The article Oil Refusal To Hit $100 Reveals Confidence Against Supply Disruption appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).

Building on the Cannes Lions Titanium-winning Vaseline Verified, Vaseline and Ogilvy Singapore launch Vaseline Originals — a first-of-its-kind product line that transforms community hacks into products, putting content creators at the centre of innovation.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 April 2026 – In a world where beauty trends are increasingly shaped by everyday creators, Vaseline is redefining its role from product maker to platform for its community. Rather than simply validating trends, the brand is now taking the next step by turning ideas from the community into real products and recognising the original voices who brought them to life.

Introducing Vaseline Originals (OGs), a first-of-its-kind product line inspired by verified viral hacks and the voices behind them. Developed by Ogilvy Singapore for Unilever’s Vaseline, the campaign flips the script on how beauty products are made, turning real community ideas into actual products.

“For years, creators have been reimagining what Vaseline jelly can do, often without recognition. This campaign is about giving credit where it’s due: acknowledging, celebrating and rewarding the people behind those ideas. More than a campaign, it signals how we want to build going forward with our community, not just for them,” said Nathalia Amadeu, Global Brand Director, Vaseline at Unilever.

From Hack to Shelf: Meet the Vaseline OGs

At the heart of the campaign are two content creators who were among the early voices sharing hacks that helped shape the brand’s newest innovations.

In 2008, beauty creator Jen Chae (@frmheadtotoe) shared a simple Vaseline brow tamer hack on her blog. Lauren Luke (@laurenluke_panacea81), one of YouTube’s earliest beauty creators, introduced her Vaseline primer hack, making beauty techniques more accessible to everyday users.

Today, almost two decades later, their ideas have inspired actual Vaseline products. These include the Vaseline Brow Tamer, inspired by Jen Chae, and Vaseline All-In-One Primer & Highlighter Jelly, inspired by Lauren Luke. Beyond product innovation, the campaign recognises these content creators as Vaseline OGs and acknowledges their role in shaping ideas that have since become part of global beauty culture.

Both products sold out within minutes during their TikTok Live debut on 30 March 2026, featuring both content creators.

From Vaseline Verified to Vaseline Originals

What began as individual beauty hacks has grown into a global movement, with more 3.5 million Vaseline hack-related posts shared online. This is a testament to the brand’s enduring role in everyday routines and conversations across generations.

The campaign builds on Vaseline Verified, the brand’s award-winning effort that validated hacks shared by thousands and earned multiple Grand Prix awards, including the coveted Titanium Lion at Cannes Lions. Where Vaseline Verified proved what works, Vaseline Originals shines a spotlight on the people behind some of the most popular hacks.

And this is just the beginning. The search for content creators behind other viral Vaseline hacks is ongoing. More individuals are set to be recognised and certified as Vaseline OGs, bringing more of the community into the brand’s future.

Nicolas Courant, Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy Singapore, said, “We started with a simple creative provocation: what if the best ideas were never in the boardroom, but already in people’s bedrooms and everyday routines? We traced how Vaseline was being used in culture back to its origins and found the OG creators who had been shaping these hacks long before they became mainstream. Vaseline Originals is a move from ownership to stewardship, honouring our OG content creators by sharing our success with them.”

Aanchal Sethi, Asia Managing Director Unilever, Ogilvy Singapore said “Vaseline Originals represents a deliberate strategic shift in how we build this brand, moving from validating what the community creates to actively shaping and developing ideas inspired by them. The commercial signals have been unambiguous: products selling out in minutes, demand scaling with every drop. But what this campaign confirms goes beyond a single launch. It shows that community-led innovation isn’t just culturally resonant. It’s a growth engine. This is how Vaseline stays relevant for the next generation, and how we intend to keep building.”

Link to campaign assets here.

Hashtag: #Ogilvy #Vaseline

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

About Vaseline

Vaseline is the OG, a household staple for over 155 years, trusted by generations for its healing properties. As one of Unilever’s most iconic global brands, Vaseline continues to evolve, listening to its community and finding new ways to show up for the people who have championed it most.

About Ogilvy

Ogilvy has been creating impact for brands through iconic, culture-changing, value-driving ideas since the company was founded by David Ogilvy in 1948. It builds on that rich legacy through Borderless Creativity – innovating at the intersections of its advertising, public relations, relationship design, consulting, and health capabilities with experts collaborating seamlessly across more than 120 offices spanning 90 countries. Ogilvy currently ranks as the #1 global agency network for creative excellence and effectiveness by WARC, signifying its ability to deliver creative solutions that drive unreasonable impact for clients and communities. Ogilvy is a WPP company (NYSE: WPP). For more information, visit Ogilvy.com, and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook

The report finds that while operational energy efficiency has improved significantly across the sector, embodied carbon and Scope 3 emissions now represent the majority of total lifecycle emissions in many commercial buildings.

A Shift to Whole-Life Carbon Thinking

As building efficiency improves and electricity grids decarbonise, the relative importance of embodied carbon is increasing. The report highlights the “redevelopment paradox”: while new buildings are more energy efficient, demolition and reconstruction can generate such high upfront carbon that total lifecycle emissions may exceed those of retained and refurbished assets.

This shift is particularly relevant in rapidly evolving urban markets such as Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, where redevelopment cycles are frequent and asset repositioning is common.

Scope 3 Becomes a Core Market Driver

Scope 3 emissions – covering embodied carbon, tenant energy use, and supply chain activities – are now the largest emissions category for most real estate portfolios.

The report shows that leased office space is increasingly a key Scope 3 exposure point for occupiers, especially multinational companies operating under global net-zero commitments. As a result, Scope 3 performance is now influencing:

• Leasing decisions and tenant demand
• Capital allocation and ESG investment screening
• Access to green finance
• Corporate disclosure and benchmarking frameworks

Carbon as a Financial Factor

Embodied carbon and Scope 3 emissions are no longer just sustainability metrics – they are collectively a financially material driver of asset value. The report demonstrates that differences in whole-life carbon performance can create meaningful divergence in asset outcomes through:

• Rental performance and occupancy resilience
• Operating costs and capital expenditure requirements
• Exit yields and investor demand

A comparative analysis shows that carbon performance alone can drive a value differential of approximately 37% between otherwise identical assets.

From Risk to Opportunity

While regulatory frameworks continue to evolve, global capital and leading occupiers are already embedding whole-life carbon considerations into decision-making. The report highlights a clear opportunity for market participants who act early through:

• Adaptive reuse and retrofit-first strategies
• Low-carbon materials and construction innovation
• Supply chain engagement and procurement reform
• Green leasing and tenant collaboration
• Improved carbon data and governance frameworks

Beyond the Carbon Blind Spot concludes that the Chinese mainland commercial real estate sector is entering a decisive new phase where whole-life carbon performance is becoming central to competitiveness, asset value, and investment strategy. Stakeholders who integrate embodied carbon and Scope 3 considerations into core decision-making today will be best positioned to enhance resilience, unlock capital, and deliver long-term value in a rapidly evolving market.

Alton Wong, Executive Director, Head of Sustainability Advisory Services, Head of Advisory Services, Valuation and Advisory Services, Greater China, said, “Embodied carbon and Scope 3 emissions are now firmly at the centre of the decarbonisation agenda for commercial real estate. As operational performance improves, the industry is being forced to confront the much larger, and more complex, emissions embedded across the full asset lifecycle. This is driving a fundamental shift in how buildings are designed, constructed and managed, with increasing emphasis on material choices, retrofit strategies, and supply chain engagement. What was once considered a technical sustainability issue is now a core strategic priority for investors and occupiers alike.”

Shaun Brodie, Head of Research Content, Greater China, said, “Our research shows that carbon is rapidly becoming a defining factor in commercial real estate performance on the Chinese mainland. The transition to whole-life carbon thinking is not just about reducing emissions – it is about understanding how sustainability directly impacts asset value, leasing dynamics, and investment outcomes. As occupiers and capital providers place greater weight on embodied carbon and Scope 3 emissions, assets that fail to adapt risk accelerated obsolescence, while those that lead on carbon performance stand to capture a clear competitive advantage.”

Please click here to download the full report

Hashtag: #Cushman&Wakefield

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

About Cushman & Wakefield

Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) is a leading global commercial real estate services firm for property owners and occupiers with approximately 53,000 employees in nearly 350 offices and 60 countries. In Greater China, a network of 23 offices serves local markets across the region. In 2025, the firm reported revenue of $10.3 billion across its core services of Valuation, Consulting, Project & Development Services, Capital Markets, Project & Occupier Services, Industrial & Logistics, Retail, and others. Built around the belief that Better never settles, the firm receives numerous industry and business accolades for its award-winning culture. For additional information, visit www.cushmanwakefield.com.hk or follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/cushman-&-wakefield-greater-china).

A key highlight of the programme was a closed-door Governors’ and Chairs’ Strategic Roundtable on “Sovereign Intelligence,” where senior policy leaders, financial regulators, and central bank governors convened under Chatham House Rule to address the challenge of maintaining national policy autonomy in an era of AI and digital finance.

The session reached consensus on three strategic pillars:

1. Sovereignty via Strategic Standards: National policy autonomy is best protected through proactive participation in global standards, ensuring our regional values are embedded in the code of the next financial system.
2. Harmonised Resilience: The future of cross-border financial rails must be built on shared governance protocols that also respect national priorities.
3. Proactive Oversight: There is a sense of commitment to moving to “Intelligence-Led Governance,” leveraging the same AI and real-time data tools we oversee to safeguard our national financial health.

Ian Fong, VP of Content – Asia, Money20/20, said: “Today’s consensus signals that the region’s policy and regulatory leaders are moving from observation to production-grade governance. They are not just managing technology; they are defining the blueprint for how sovereign intelligence will safeguard the future of global finance.”

The Shift to Co-Creation & Trust

A dominant theme emerging from Policy20: the future of financial systems in Asia will be built not just on innovation, but on trust, collaboration, and intelligent infrastructure.

One of the most striking insights was the industry-wide shift from traditional regulatory models toward co-creation. Regulators are increasingly positioning themselves as enablers rather than enforcers, working alongside the private sector to design frameworks that evolve in real time with technological advancements. This marks a fundamental move away from static, compliance-led approaches toward dynamic, partnership-driven regulation.

At the same time, trust has become the cornerstone of financial innovation. As digital ecosystems expand, trust is derived from transparent systems, strong governance, and regulatory alignment, particularly as AI and digital assets continue to outpace traditional regulatory cycles.

Infrastructure with Purpose

The discussions also highlighted that innovation without usability is problematic. Discussion points centered on the idea that true financial inclusion in Asia depends on intelligent infrastructure, systems that are not just accessible, but intuitive and affordable enough to remove friction for underserved populations at scale.

A Multi-Rail Future

Looking ahead, Policy20 experts outlined a multi-rail financial ecosystem where tokenised deposits, stablecoins, and traditional banking coexist. The takeaway was clear: the future is not about one dominant model, but achieving seamless interoperability, through shared cross-border standards and frameworks.

Scale vs. Safety

Ultimately, the discussions underscored a regional commitment to balancing speed with safety. While innovation is accelerating, regulators and industry players alike emphasised that growth must not come at the expense of consumer protection, financial stability, or accountability. There was a strong agreement that meaningful adoption, not just access, has become the ultimate measure of success, with a focus on whether financial innovation is genuinely improving lives.

As Policy20 continues, one message is clear: Asia is no longer just adapting to the digital age; it is defining the global blueprint for responsible regulation.

Hashtag: #money20/20 #fintech #bangkok

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

The AI Compute Continuum: from intelligent endpoints to advanced AI workloads

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 April 2026 – Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) today outlined how enterprise AI adoption across Asia Pacific (APAC) is moving from experimentation to implementation, with 48% of organisations with more than 500 employees in the region already deploying AI PCs and 95% expecting workstations to play a critical or important role in AI initiatives over the next two years. Together, these trends point to a more distributed AI environment – one that brings intelligence closer to users while supporting increasingly complex and compute-intensive workloads.

Two IDC InfoBriefs, commissioned by Dell Technologies and Intel reinforce this shift – Future-Ready Workforce: The Strategic Case for AI PC Adoption and Powering Future-Ready Computing with Workstations: Built for AI. Built for You. The research highlights growing enterprise momentum behind both intelligent endpoints and higher-performance systems as organisations shape the next phase of AI adoption.

For Dell, this shift reflects a broader industry trend toward aligning the right compute resources with specific workload requirements, as organisations balance intelligent endpoints for everyday productivity with high-performance systems designed for advanced AI and professional use cases. Enterprise AI deployments are increasingly spanning client devices, edge environments and the data centre, reflecting a more distributed approach across the IT environment.

AI PCs: Bringing intelligence closer to everyday work

AI PCs are becoming a core component of the modern workplace, enabling AI workloads to run directly on the device to deliver faster, more responsive user experiences while reducing reliance on continuous cloud connectivity. This approach also supports enhanced data privacy and security, provides IT teams with greater control over deployment and management across device fleets, and enables more consistent scaling of AI capabilities across the workforce.

The IDC research commissioned by Dell Technologies and Intel underscores this momentum. As AI becomes embedded in day-to-day work, device strategy is shifting accordingly. 89% of APAC organisations now consider AI capabilities a very important factor in future PC purchasing decisions.

In Singapore, 54% of organisations have already deployed AI PCs – 12% higher than the regional average – highlighting strong early adoption momentum. Southeast Asia’s AI PC adoption is outpacing the regional average by 6%, driven by the ability to adopt new technologies without legacy constraints, strong infrastructure in markets like Singapore, favourable market conditions and supportive government initiatives.

APAC Organisations with over 50% AI PCs in their fleet report saving 2.17 hours per employee per day, a 30% productivity increase compared to using AI on traditional PCs. AI PCs are enabling a new class of enterprise use cases – from real-time collaboration and report generation to natural language search and content creation – delivering tangible productivity gains.

In practical terms, this can translate into faster proposal turnaround for sales teams, quicker analysis cycles for finance and operations, streamlined drafting for HR, faster document review for engineering teams, and more responsive support for customer-facing employees. As organisations prepare for more autonomous and agentic AI in hybrid work environments, AI PCs are increasingly becoming the governed way to scale intelligent experiences across the workforce – safely, consistently, and with clearer business impact.

Four out of five APAC organisations expect AI PCs to drive adoption of agentic AI, with the same proportion agreeing they enhance control and security for these applications. The broader momentum is clear: within APAC, 84% of organisations expect AI PCs to increase employee productivity, while 78% cite security benefits and 77% highlight cost advantages of running AI locally.

This shift is leading to a tangible investment. Across APAC, 65% of organisations are willing to pay a premium of 10% or more for AI PCs, reflecting their role as core infrastructure for enterprise AI.

Workstations: Powering advanced AI and specialised workloads

While AI PCs distribute intelligence across the workforce, workstations continue to serve as the performance backbone for more demanding workloads – particularly as organisations shift more AI development on-premise. Developers, engineers, designers, and data teams rely on workstation-class systems for AI model development, simulation, rendering, data preparation, and other compute-intensive activities that require reliability, low latency, and sustained performance.

The IDC research on workstations reflects this reality. 95% of organisations across APAC expect workstations to play a critical or important role in AI initiatives over the next two years, while 50% would choose a workstation as their preferred device for AI development, and 97% of organisations agree workstations are high-performance devices that fuel innovation for the organisation by empowering teams to explore cutting-edge technology like AI and Machine Learning models.

Across Southeast Asia, 92% of organisations surveyed reported higher productivity among workstation users, while 52% expect the share of workstations in their fleet to grow over the next five years. Organisations in this part of the region also reported workstation use for data preparation (66%), model fine-tuning (62%), and foundational model training (55%), underscoring the role of high-performance systems in advanced AI and professional workloads.

Use cases vary by sector – from engineering and architecture workflows in manufacturing, to content rendering in media, software development in technology, and risk modelling in financial services. AI has become the top technical computing use case for workstations, supporting the full lifecycle from data preparation (62%) and model training (60%) to fine-tuning (59%), deployment (44%) and inference (29%).

This also shifts the conversation from upfront device price to total cost of ownership – including lifecycle longevity, scalability, performance consistency, and risk reduction. As AI initiatives move closer to production, workstations are increasingly seen as long-term platforms that can scale with evolving workloads, rather than short-term tools for experimentation.

Toward an AI compute continuum that supports the next phase of enterprise AI

Together, AI PCs and workstations form an AI compute continuum, supporting everything from everyday productivity to advanced AI development and professional workloads across the enterprise.

For organisations across Asia Pacific, the next phase of AI will not be defined by a single environment or device category, but by the ability to place the right workload on the right compute. AI PCs are extending AI into everyday workflows, while workstations are helping organisations industrialise more advanced, compute-intensive, and specialised AI use cases. Combined, they give leaders a more practical foundation for scaling AI with greater speed, control, and long-term value.

Perspectives:

“AI is changing where work happens and where intelligence needs to live,” said Jacinta Quah, vice president, client solutions group, Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China (APJC), Dell Technologies. “AI PCs and workstations are not simply device categories in a refresh cycle – they are foundational platforms built for the next phase of enterprise AI era. AI PCs bring intelligence to everyday workflows, at the fingertips of employees where data is generated. Meanwhile, workstations provide the performance and control needed for more specialised, compute-intensive workloads. Together, they enable organisations to scale AI more effectively, strengthen security and privacy, and drive meaningful business outcomes.”

“AI is placing new demands on compute, requiring both local intelligence and high-performance processing to work seamlessly together,” said Jack Huang, regional sales director, PC client commercial and channel, Asia Pacific and Japan, Intel. “As AI workloads become more diverse, organisations need silicon innovations and platforms that can support both efficient on-device experiences and more demanding workstation use cases. Together with Dell, we are helping to enable the next phase of enterprise AI with technologies built for responsiveness, efficiency and scale.”

“The speed at which AI models are being compressed to run on-device has been remarkably fast,” said Bryan Ma, vice president, client devices, IDC. “In the next year or two, very robust models will run on PCs that far exceed today’s capabilities. At the same time, organisations continue to depend on high-performance workstations for advanced AI development and specialised workloads, reinforcing a more distributed AI environment across the enterprise.”

Research Methodology:
The findings are based on two IDC InfoBriefs:

• IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Dell Technologies and Intel, Future-ready Workforce: The Strategic Case for AI PC Adoption, Doc. #AP242547IB, January 2026
• IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Dell Technologies and Intel, Powering Future-Ready Computing with Workstations: Built for AI. Built for You, Doc. #AP242550IB, February 2026

Future-ready Workforce: The Strategic Case for AI PC Adoption is based on a survey of 720 IT and business decision-makers across Asia Pacific organisations with more than 500 employees. Powering Future-Ready Computing with Workstations: Built for AI. Built for You surveyed 960 IT and business decision-makers in the region to assess workstation adoption, usage, and their role in enterprise AI strategies.
Hashtag: #DellTechnologies

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

About Dell Technologies

Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) helps organisations and individuals build their digital future and transform how they work, live and play. The company provides customers with the industry’s broadest and most innovative technology and services portfolio for the AI era.

An easy, secure, and private way to accept contactless payments with only an iPhone and the Fiuu Virtual Terminal iOS app, no additional hardware needed.

SHAH ALAM, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 April 2026 – Today Fiuu, which is powering payments in Southeast Asia, now enables its merchants in Malaysia to seamlessly and securely accept in-person contactless payments with Tap to Pay on iPhone. Tap to Pay on iPhone allows merchants to accept all forms of contactless payments, including contactless credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets, using iPhone and the Fiuu Virtual Terminal (VT) iOS app – no additional hardware or payment terminal needed. This launch follows their December 2025 launch of Tap to Pay on iPhone in Singapore.

Using Tap to Pay on iPhone is easy, secure, and private. With Tap to Pay on iPhone, at checkout, merchants will simply prompt the customer to hold their contactless payment near the merchant’s iPhone, and the payment will be securely completed using NFC technology.

Apple’s Tap to Pay on iPhone technology uses the built-in security and privacy features of iPhone to help protect your business and customer data. Apple doesn’t store card numbers or transaction information on the device or on Apple servers, so merchants and customers can rest assured that their data stays theirs.*

“The future of commerce is not about choosing between online and offline payments, it is about enabling both seamlessly,” said Eng Sheng Guan, CEO of Fiuu. “With Fiuu VT iOS app and Tap to Pay on iPhone, we are giving merchants a true omnichannel payment experience that enables their customers to pay through their preferred channels, including Apple Pay. Businesses such as Allbirds Malaysia, Hedgren, Herschel Supply Co., Hydro Flask, and Kipling are leveraging these capabilities to streamline operations and deliver better customer experiences across every touchpoint.”

Tap to Pay on iPhone enables Fiuu’s merchants to use a contactless payment acceptance solution that is easy to set up and use. Merchants can unlock contactless payment acceptance within minutes through the Fiuu VT iOS app on an iPhone 11 or later, running the latest version of iOS.

For more information on Fiuu Virtual Terminal, please visit https://fiuu.com/virtual-terminal.

*Encrypted card numbers are temporarily stored on iPhone only for transactions made in Store and Forward mode.

Hashtag: #Fiuu

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

Gandakan Kebaikan transforms nationwide kindness into real homes, delivering meaningful and lasting impact.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 April 2026 – Tropicana Twister’s ‘Gandakan Kebaikan’ campaign has reached a defining milestone with the completion and handover of homes to families in need, marking a tangible outcome of a nationwide movement built on everyday acts of kindness.

Developed in partnership with EPIC Homes, the initiative contributes towards the building of up to 100 homes for underserved communities, including Orang Asli families across Malaysia. What began during Ramadan as a simple call to do good has since translated into safe, liveable spaces that provide families with protection, stability and a chance to move forward.

“Gandakan Kebaikan reflects our belief that meaningful change happens when communities come together with a shared purpose,” said Aditya Sheoran, PepsiCo Franchise Senior Director. “Through this initiative, we’re building homes and helping to create stronger foundations for families to thrive, today and for the future.”

Jennifer Lee, Head of Marketing, PepsiCo Malaysia Beverages, shared, “This is where intention becomes impact. Tropicana Twister’s Gandakan Kebaikan campaign started as individual acts of kindness, and now, the result is visible, that Malaysians are and will continue to show up for one another.”

“Families living in unsafe homes live in constant worry, especially during heavy rain. An EPIC Home gives them a place where they can feel secure. It goes beyond being just a shelter – a safe home gives peace of mind, stability, and the hope for a better future.” said Nadhira Halim, (Asst. Manager, Fundraising & Partnership, EPIC Homes).

More than just physical structures, these homes create a sense of security and dignity, while giving families a stable environment to rebuild their lives. Built with the support of volunteers and local communities, each home reflects a collective effort that goes far beyond a single campaign.

While ‘Gandakan Kebaikan’ was rooted in the spirit of Ramadan, its impact continues to extend far beyond the festive season. By focusing on long-term community needs, Tropicana Twister reinforces its commitment to creating meaningful and lasting change.

“As a brand, we believe in the power of collective goodness. This project is about turning that belief into action and bringing people together to create lasting impact,” added Jennifer. “Just like every beam and plank forms a home, each of you is a vital piece in building this journey.”

With the completion of these homes, ‘Gandakan Kebaikan’ continues to build on its mission of supporting underserved communities across Malaysia, proving that collective goodwill can create an impact that lasts beyond a moment.

For more information, visit Tropicana Twister’s Facebook page @MYTropicana and watch here on YouTube to see the impact unfold.

Hashtag: #TropicanaTwister

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

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $86 billion in net revenue in 2022, driven by a complimentary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Tropicana, Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the centre of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change cafor the planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.

Building on last year’s theme “Super Every Moment”, this year’s edition introduces a brand-new Super Video category alongside expanded support programs offering creators more visibility and professional support. This year’s competition also includes a total prize pool of $76,500 distributed across the various prize categories.

“Over the past four years, the OPPO Photography Awards has evolved into a truly global platform that empowers mobile creators everywhere to express their inspiration effortlessly through OPPO’s powerful imaging capabilities,” said Ling Liu, Overseas CMO at OPPO. “Championing young creators has always been central to the Awards, and this year, we are taking this further by creating more opportunities for the next generation to be seen, supported, and recognized. Smartphone users have always embraced video as a powerful tool for mobile storytelling, and through our advanced imaging technologies and long-term partnership with Hasselblad, we hope to empower more creators worldwide to tell rich and authentic stories with their mobile devices.”

New Categories Celebrate New Possibilities in Mobile Imaging

The OPPO Photography Awards 2026 introduces two new categories—Super Video and Super Zoom—as part of an updated six-category lineup that also includes Journey, Me, Live, and Snap.

Marking the first dedicated video category in OPPO Photography Awards history, the Super Video category aims to highlight the growing influence of video alongside photography as a distinct medium for mobile storytelling. With life’s meaningful moments taking place not only in static frames but the dynamic motion and emotions that unfold between them, OPPO is empowering storytellers from all walks of life to capture this motion through the latest innovations in mobile videography. Building on its longstanding focus on video, OPPO continues to deliver industry-leading capabilities across its product portfolio, enabling both enthusiasts and professionals to fully embrace the fun of creation.

Beyond offering cutting-edge technology, OPPO is equally committed to enhancing how these creations are shared. OPPO and Meta are closely collaborating to optimize the video-sharing experience on Instagram. OPPO Find X9 Ultra users can now achieve near-lossless video quality from capture to share. Videos shared on Instagram will retain quality virtually indistinguishable from the original footage, achieving the industry’s highest standards and ensuring that every shared moment remains true to the original creation. This reflects OPPO’s continued focus on optimizing the entire creative lifecycle for a truly seamless user experience.

This year’s other new category, Super Zoom, seeks to explore the creative potential made possible through OPPO’s long-term investment in advanced telescope zoom technology. By pushing the boundaries of mobile imaging, OPPO has brought smartphone zoom capabilities closer than ever to those of traditional standalone cameras, allowing users to capture unseen details with precision and explore life’s hidden beauty from completely new perspectives.

Committed to Supporting Young Creators

OPPO is committed to supporting young creative talents and amplifying their voices globally. Through the 2026 Awards, this commitment is taken even further with several new programs designed to empower creators’ long-term growth through professional guidance and coaching.

In partnership with Discovery Channel, OPPO has launched the Filmmaker Accelerator Program, offering young creators exclusive mentorship from industry professionals. Creators who submit videos to the Super Video category will have the chance to be invited to produce a short film with end-to-end creative support and potential broadcast opportunities, alongside a grant provided by OPPO.

OPPO is also extending support to the wider creator community through a range of accessible learning resources. Among them, the new OPPO Imaging Academy features a series of tutorial videos designed to help users tap into the full power of OPPO’s cutting-edge technology to transform creative inspiration into artistry.

In addition to these initiatives, the OPPO Creators program further expands visibility and creates more professional development opportunities for young creators. Through the program, outstanding works will be showcased across various OPPO platforms, and creators will also gain priority invitations to flagship launches and collaboration opportunities, along with complimentary professional equipment to support their ongoing development.

Opening Diverse Pathways for Creators Worldwide

As part of efforts to recognize a wider range of creators and expand participation in the Awards, the OPPO Photography Awards 2026 introduces a diverse awards program that gives creators more opportunities to gain global exposure and showcase their work on a bigger stage.

In addition to the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards up for grabs in the main competition, participants can also earn recognition and generous incentives through Honorable Mentions, Regional Awards, and the Audience Choice Awards. A total of 38 different awards or acknowledgements are on offer recognizing outstanding creators across all categories, with a total prize pool of $76,500.

The year’s judging panel also brings together renowned industry professionals in both photography and cinematography, including Tina Signesdottir Hult and Wang Jianjun, Hasselblad Masters; Vikram Channa, Vice President, Co-Lead, and Editorial Chief at Warner Bros. Discovery; Zhu Jiong, Professor at the School of Visual Media and Communication, Beijing Film Academy; Pete Lau, Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer at OPPO; and Joy Cheng, Director of Imaging Cognition at OPPO.

To further encourage participation, the 2026 Awards also introduces a new monthly contest format. Through the new format, young creators can receive feedback and more visibility on an ongoing basis, while also having the opportunity to progress into the main competition.

Global Competition Submissions Open Until December 31

Submissions for the OPPO Photography Awards 2026 and the first round of monthly contests are now open. Creators worldwide are invited to submit their entries and showcase their creativity and storytelling visions captured on OPPO, OnePlus or realme devices.

Entries for the global competition will remain open until 24:00 (UTC+8), December 31, 2026. Submissions for all categories can be made via the official OPPO Photography Awards website. Submissions for the Super Video category can also be made through Instagram and TikTok using the hashtags #SuperVideo and #ShotOnOPPO.

Entries for the first global monthly contest can be submitted via the official website or on Instagram with the hashtags #SuperEveryMoment and #ShotOnOPPO. Upcoming monthly contests will feature different themes, with future submissions accepted through both social platforms and the official website.

For more information on the OPPO Photography Awards 2026 and the monthly contests, please visit the official website at https://lumo.oppo.com/en/.
Hashtag: #OPPO

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

Joining Forces to Build a New Regional Value Chain and Drive Industrial Upgrading across ASEAN

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 21 April 2026 – Hong Kong has long maintained a robust bilateral relationship with Malaysia. As ASEAN’s third-largest economy, Malaysia possesses strong manufacturing and service sectors and stands as Hong Kong’s eighth-largest trading partner. Amidst the global restructuring of supply chains, Hong Kong leverages its unique position as an international innovation and technology centre anchored by its regional connectivity while remaining integrated with the world. It serves as a vital springboard and strategic hub for Malaysian enterprises expanding into regional markets and for emerging firms seeking to go global. The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturing (FMM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking the establishment of a deep strategic partnership. By integrating the resource advantages of both regions, the collaboration will provide technological innovation and market expansion support for enterprises in Hong Kong and Malaysia, optimising global supply chain layouts and helping Hong Kong better implement the “Bringing in and Going Global” strategy to seize regional development opportunities within ASEAN.

The signing ceremony of the MoU took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on April 20, 2026. Witnessed by Mr Jacob Lee Chor Kok, President of FMM; Tan Sri Dato’ (Dr) Soh Thian Lai, President Emeritus of FMM; Mr Owin Fung Ho Yin, Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Kuala Lumpur; and Hon Sunny Tan, Chairman of HKPC, the MoU was signed by Datuk Dr Yeoh Oon Tean, CEO of FMM, and Mr Mohamed D. BUTT, Executive Director of HKPC. This collaboration will facilitate the development of a new value chain connecting Hong Kong, Malaysia and ASEAN, driving new industrialisation in both regions while accelerating industrial upgrading and technological application.

Hon Sunny Tan, Chairman of HKPC, said, “Under the national 15th Five-Year Plan, Hong Kong has become a vital platform for enterprises to go global. Malaysia maintains robust ties with the Asian region, as well as the global industrial and trade markets. The signing of this MoU between HKPC and FMM marks a key milestone in the collaboration on industrial modernisation. We are committed to technological innovation, with a focus on enhancing expertise in automation, Industry 4.0, AI, and robotics, and actively building business matching platforms to facilitate business opportunities and expand our scope of cooperation. This not only deepens the partnership between the two organisations, but also establishes a strategic hub connecting Hong Kong with the ASEAN market. Hong Kong will fully leverage its ‘Bringing in and Going Global’, helping Malaysian enterprises precisely connect with the vast regional and global market while supporting Hong Kong companies in rooting themselves in ASEAN, co-creating a resilient and innovative cross-border value chain.”

Mr Jacob Lee Chor Kok, President of FMM, stated, “This MoU is just the beginning with our roadmap including joint technical training, workshops, technology visits and pilot projects to provide our members with first-hand exposure to the latest manufacturing innovations. We envision a future where Malaysian and Hong Kong companies collaborate on research and development (R&D), pilot new technologies and co-create solutions for emerging challenges”

Six Key Areas to Empower New Regional Industrial Upgrading
HKPC and FMM will launch comprehensive cooperation to help enterprises transform technological empowerment into competitive advantage in today’s dynamic market. The two parties will focus on Smart Manufacturing & Industry 4.0, AI & Robotics Innovation, Digital Transformation & Cybersecurity, Cross-border Business Ecosystems and Talent Development.

This collaboration integrates FMM’s extensive supply chain network of over 4,000 member enterprises with HKPC’s profound R&D capabilities in product innovation and technology transfer. Through organising delegations, professional training, business matching, and technical seminars, we will assist enterprises in precisely mastering cutting-edge technologies and market trends. Furthermore, by promoting reciprocal visits between enterprises in both regions, we aim to foster mutual economic and trade empowerment. This synergy not only strengthens corporate resilience against supply chain risks but also ensures that enterprises from both regions secure a proactive position in global supply chain competition, co-creating a distinct competitive advantage.

Hashtag: #HKPC

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

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

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.

For more information, visit https://www.Paymentology.com.