Defiance Launches Europe's First Photonics UCITS ETF (PHOT)

• Defiance has expanded its European ETF lineup with the launch of the Defiance Photonics UCITS ETF (ticker: PHOT).
• The ETF seeks to provide exposure to companies developing, manufacturing, and commercialising photonic technologies, the optical hardware that generates, moves, and processes data using light rather than electricity.
• This is Defiance's 5th launch since entering the European UCITS ETF market earlier this year. In that time, Defiance has accumulated $162.57 million in assets under management (AUM) across its UCITS product range.¹
• The ETF is listed on the London Stock Exchange and Borsa Italiana, with Xetra to follow.

MIAMI, July 9 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Defiance ETFs is excited to announce the launch of the Defiance Photonics UCITS ETF (ticker: PHOT), Europe's first photonics ETF. The Fund seeks to provide exposure to companies developing, manufacturing, and commercialising photonic technologies, the optical hardware that generates, moves, and processes data using light rather than electricity.

Defiance Photonics UCITS ETF
ISIN: IE000W1S2PT6
TER: 0.69%

Exchange Bloomberg Ticker SEDOL Trading Currency
LSE PHOT LN BQS89K8 USD
LSE PH0T LN BQS8NP3 GBP
Borsa Italiana PHOT IM BN6MZN8 USD

The AI capex buildout is becoming one of the largest corporate investment cycles in history. JP Morgan has estimated that global AI and data centre infrastructure spending could reach more than $5 trillion through 2030, with that spending reshaping demand across the technology supply chain, from power and cooling to memory and advanced networking.²

Photonics is emerging as a key part of this infrastructure story. Photonics is the use of light to generate, transmit, and process information. In data centres, this means replacing or complementing electrical connections with optical technologies that can move data between chips, servers, and racks at much higher speeds and with lower energy loss.³

AI systems require huge amounts of data to move continuously between processors, memory, and networking equipment. As AI clusters become larger, and as inference workloads scale, data movement is becoming a critical bottleneck in terms of bandwidth, latency, power consumption, and heat. Optical interconnects can move more data over longer distances than copper, while using less power per bit transmitted.⁴

The opportunity also extends beyond AI. Photonic technologies are increasingly important for cloud data centres, high-performance computing, telecom networks, and next-generation connectivity. As the digital economy requires faster, denser, and more energy-efficient data movement, photonics is becoming a critical enabling layer of the modern technology stack.

The Defiance Photonics UCITS ETF provides targeted exposure across the photonics value chain, including:
Optical components and light sources
Photonic semiconductors and interconnect chips
Optical systems and networking
Photonic foundries and manufacturing infrastructure
Enabling materials
These areas include technologies such as lasers, transceivers, fibre arrays, connectors, photonic integrated circuits, optical interposers, modulators, and other components used in modern optical connectivity.

This is Defiance's 5th launch since entering the European UCITS ETF market earlier this year.⁵


Defiance UCITS Lineup Ticker
Defiance AI & Power Infrastructure UCITS ETF AIPO
Defiance Photonics UCITS ETF PHOT
Defiance Memory UCITS ETF DRAM
Defiance Drone UCITS ETF DRON
Defiance Ukraine Reconstruction UCITS ETF UKRN


Sylvia Jablonski, CIO of Defiance ETFs, commented: “Defiance is excited to bring Europe's first photonics ETF to market. AI is generating more data than electrical connections can efficiently move, and photonics, the use of light to transmit and process information, is emerging as the answer. We built PHOT to give investors focused, transparent exposure to the companies across the photonics value chain, rather than a thin slice buried inside a broad tech basket.”

Hector McNeil, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of HANetf, commented: “We are delighted that Defiance is expanding its European range with the launch of the first photonics UCITS ETF. As AI and cloud computing continue to drive demand for faster and more efficient data movement, photonics is emerging as an increasingly important layer of the technology infrastructure stack. This launch gives European investors targeted access to companies helping to build the optical backbone needed to support the next phase of AI and digital connectivity.”

For full fund details, including the prospectus and Key Information Document, visit hanetf.com.

About Defiance ETFs
Founded in 2018, Defiance is a leading ETF issuer specializing in thematic, income, and leveraged ETFs. The firm manages 75+ ETFs designed to provide targeted exposure to high-growth sectors including AI infrastructure, quantum computing, drones and modern warfare, and other emerging technologies.

About HANetf
HANetf is an independent provider of UCITS ETFs, working with asset management companies to bring differentiated, modern, and innovative exposures to European ETF investors. Via our white-label ETF platform, HANetf provides a complete operational, regulatory, distribution and marketing solution for asset managers to launch and manage UCITS ETFs. www.hanetf.com

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1. HANetf ICAV and HANetf ICAV II are open-ended Irish collective asset management vehicles and are the issuers of the ETFs under the terms in the relevant Prospectuses and relevant Supplements for each ETF approved by the Central Bank of Ireland (“CBI”) (each an “ETF Prospectus” and together the “ETF Prospectuses”). Investors should read the current version of the relevant ETF Prospectus before investing and should refer to the section of the relevant ETF Prospectus entitled ‘Risk Factors’ for further details of risks associated with an investment in the ETFs. Any decision to invest should be based on the information contained in the ETF Prospectuses.

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3. Bitwise Europe GmbH, a limited liability company incorporated under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, issuing under the terms in the Prospectus approved by the Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (“BaFin”) and the final terms (“Cryptocurrency Prospectus”) is the issuer of the ETCM ETCs. Investors should read the latest version of the Cryptocurrency Prospectus before investing and should refer to the section of the Cryptocurrency Prospectus entitled ‘Risk Factors’ for further details of risks associated with an investment in the ETCs contained in the Cryptocurrency Prospectus. Any decision to invest should be based on the information contained in the Cryptocurrency Prospectus.

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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/70f0dee7-ca38-44e4-96f3-5a5b058fb821

________________________________
¹ Source: HANetf; Bloomberg. Data as at 07/06/2026.
² Source: Data Centre Dynamics, 2025.
³ Source: CNBC, 2026.
⁴ Source: Forbes, 2026.
⁵ Source: HANetf; Bloomberg. Data as at 07/06/2026.

SOURCE: Defiance ETFs

DISCLAIMER: BERNAMA MREM are not accountable for any causes of website defacement, misuse, or illegal activities connected to cryptocurrency, blockchain, tokenisation, or bitcoin. This material should not be considered as guidance or an opinion, as it does not constitute financial or investment advice. Use this information at your own risk; we are not liable for any losses or damages caused by the republication of this article.

--BERNAMA

Record Launches "Record Amanah" Sharia-Compliant Investment Platform

 

LONDON, July 8 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Record Asset Management GmbH (RAM), subsidiary of London-listed Record plc (Record Financial Group), is pleased to announce the launch of Record Amanah, its dedicated platform for Sharia-compliant investment solutions.

RAM is the European asset management arm of Record Financial Group, the London-listed specialist investment group managing USD 115 billion of assets on behalf of institutional clients worldwide. Record's client base comprises pension funds, foundations, sovereign institutions and other asset managers, with whom the Group has built long-standing relationships through its focus on bespoke investment and risk management solutions. Headquartered in London, Record has offices in Hamburg, Zurich, Zug, New York, and Hong Kong.

The launch follows a series of successful Sharia-compliant transactions completed by Record, most recently for a client in Brunei, and reflects growing demand from institutional investors seeking investment opportunities that combine attractive risk-adjusted returns with adherence to Islamic finance principles.

Record Amanah has been established in partnership with Khalij Group (https://recordfg.com/what-we-do/private-markets/record-amanah/), a London-based team of Islamic finance specialists with extensive experience in structuring and advising on Sharia-compliant investments.

The platform will initially focus on private markets and private equity opportunities, offering investment solutions structured in accordance with established Sharia principles while maintaining the rigorous investment, risk management, and governance standards for which Record is known.

The initiative further expands Record's private markets capabilities and strengthens the Group's ability to serve a broader international investor base, particularly across the Middle East and Southeast Asia, where demand for Sharia-compliant investment solutions continues to grow.

Jan Hendrik Witte, CEO of Record Financial Group, commented:

"The launch of Record Amanah represents a natural evolution of our private markets strategy. We have already demonstrated our ability to deliver Sharia-compliant investment solutions for institutional clients, and this platform provides a dedicated framework through which we can expand those capabilities. By combining Record's investment expertise with Khalij's deep knowledge of Islamic finance, we believe we are well positioned to meet the growing demand for high-quality Sharia-compliant private market investments."

Asim Khan, CEO of Khalij Group, commented:

"Islamic finance is founded on principles of partnership, transparency and investment in productive economic activity. Through Record Amanah, we are bringing together these principles with Record's institutional investment expertise and global reach. We believe this partnership will create compelling opportunities for investors seeking access to private markets through structures that are both commercially attractive and fully aligned with Sharia values."

The launch forms part of Record's broader strategy of expanding its private markets offering and creating differentiated investment capabilities for clients globally.

View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260629448863/en/

Contact

Dr Jan Hendrik Witte
CEO
Record Financial Group
E: reception@recordfg.com
W: www.recordfg.com

Source : Record Financial Group

EIG'S MIDOCEAN SECURES US$1.13 BLN INVESTMENT FROM PRIVATE DEPARTMENT

Private Department of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan Invests in MidOcean Energy and Forms Strategic Partnership with EIG

KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 (Bernama) -- EIG, an institutional investor in the global energy and infrastructure sectors, announced that its liquefied natural gas (LNG) company, MidOcean Energy (MidOcean), has secured a US$1.13 billion investment from the Private Department of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan (Private Department). (US$1=RM4.07)

The Private Department also established a strategic partnership with EIG, focusing on capital aggregation, investment origination and the development of institutional investment opportunities in the United Arab Emirates and selected regional markets.

EIG in a statement said the investment marks the Private Department's entry into the global LNG sector and the beginning of a broader strategic relationship with the company.

Through the partnership, both parties intend to collaborate on future investment opportunities across the energy and related infrastructure sectors.

“We are pleased to establish a strategic partnership with the Private Department. This relationship combines EIG's global energy investment expertise with the Private Department's regional reach, institutional relationships, and long-term investment perspective.

“We believe this creates a powerful platform for capital formation and investment across the region,” said MidOcean Chairman and EIG Chief Executive Officer, R. Blair Thomas.

The investment further strengthens MidOcean's institutional shareholder base and reflects continued confidence in its strategy to build a diversified, resilient and long-life global LNG platform.

Formed and managed by EIG, MidOcean has assembled a portfolio of LNG interests across key global markets, including Canada, Australia and Latin America, and aims to further expand its global footprint through a disciplined, value-driven investment approach.

-- BERNAMA

PROXIMA FUSION SECURES 411 MLN EUROS TO ADVANCE FUSION POWER

KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 (Bernama) -- Proxima Fusion has raised 411 million euros (US$468 million) in a financing round, valuing the company at 2.4 billion euros (US$2.7 billion) and making it Europe's best-funded fusion energy company. (US$1=RM4.08)

The financing round was led by XTX Ventures and East X Ventures, with German energy company RWE and Google participating as strategic investors.

According to Proxima Fusion, the funding will support the construction of Alpha, its net-energy stellarator demonstrator near Munich, Germany, and accelerate the development of technologies required for commercial fusion power plants.

Proxima Fusion co-founder and chief executive officer, Dr Francesco Sciortino said the investment demonstrates growing confidence in Europe's ability to develop globally competitive fusion technology companies.

“Investors recognise both the urgency and the opportunity of what we are doing and are backing us to develop a generational energy technology company,” he said in a statement.

The company said Alpha is being developed in partnership with the State of Bavaria, the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics and RWE to validate key technologies for future fusion power plants.

Proxima Fusion said the new funding will also support the completion of its Stellarator Model Coil, expansion of high-temperature superconducting cable and magnet production, and recruitment across engineering, manufacturing and operations.

-- BERNAMA

JCAI ADVISES ON MESSER’S ACQUISITION OF WKS GROUP

KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 (Bernama) -- Japan Corporate Advisory Institute Ltd (JCAI), a Tokyo-headquartered cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory firm, has advised on the acquisition of WKS Group by Messer.

Messer, the world’s largest privately held specialist for industrial, medical, electronic and speciality gases, has acquired Singapore-based WKS Group, which operates across Singapore and southern Malaysia. Messer reported consolidated sales of approximately 4.5 billion euros for its 2025 financial year. (1 Euro = RM4.65)

According to JCAI in a statement, the acquisition expands Messer’s operating footprint in Southeast Asia and strengthens access to key industrial clusters across the region, with transaction terms undisclosed.

“As global investors increasingly seek opportunities across Asia, access to reliable market intelligence and the right counterparties has become a key driver of successful M&A outcomes.

“JCAI works to improve transparency in APAC’s private markets by connecting business owners with strategic investors through a structured cross-border M&A process,” said JCAI Managing Partner, Olimjon Sadinov.

Meanwhile, WKS Group shareholder, Wong Koh Hoi said the company appreciates JCAI’s professionalism and dedication throughout the transaction, noting that its expertise was instrumental in achieving a successful outcome.

Founded in Singapore in 1977, WKS Group comprises six companies and employs about 195 people across Singapore and southern Malaysia.

Headquartered in Tokyo, JCAI advises business owners, corporates and investors on strategic M&A transactions across APAC.

-- BERNAMA

8X8 BAGS 2026 METRISTAR TOP PROVIDER FOR CPAAS BY METRIGY

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 (Bernama) -- Global business communications platform provider, 8x8 Inc has been named a 2026 MetriStar Top Provider for Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) by Metrigy, an independent research and advisory firm.

The CPaaS recognition is part of a broader result in Metrigy’s 2026 MetriStar Award programme, with 8x8 also receiving the MetriStar Top Provider recognition for Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS).

“Most of the companies we work with are not just looking for a messaging API; they need the whole chain: campaign management, AI, analytics, and a contact centre that talks to all of it.

“This recognition from Metrigy validates our approach helping organisations improve customer satisfaction, drive growth, and simplify operations at scale,” said 8x8 General Manager, CPaaS, Sylvain Chaperon in a statement.

The awards are based on Metrigy’s Customer Experience MetriCast 2026 study, which surveyed 1,437 customer experience (CX) leaders across 10 countries in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

8x8 achieved above-average scores on both business success and customer sentiment, with particular strength in CSAT improvement, revenue growth, platform reliability, and no-code/low-code application quality.

Metrigy highlighted 8x8's integrated communications portfolio as a key differentiator, noting that the company is among a small number of vendors offering CPaaS, CCaaS, and Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) within a single platform.

The research also highlighted 8x8's approach to treating CPaaS not as a standalone developer toolkit but as a programmable layer across the CX stack, expanding customer engagement capabilities beyond the contact centre to sales, field service, and frontline teams.

-- BERNAMA

Bitget Launches Third Year of Anti-Scam Month with New Report on Multi-Asset Fraud

VICTORIA, Seychelles, June 30 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bitget, the world's largest Universal Exchange (UEX), has launched the third year of its Anti-Scam Month initiative with the release of its Anti-Scam Report 2026 titled “The Evolution of Fraud in the Multi-Asset Era”, developed in partnership with blockchain security firm SlowMist. As digital finance expands across cryptocurrencies, tokenized assets, stocks, CFDs, wallets, and AI-powered investment tools, the report examines how fraud is adapting to changing investor behavior and increasingly interconnected financial ecosystems.

The report finds that changes in user behavior are reshaping how fraud campaigns are designed and deployed across digital finance. According to Bitget Research, the share of active users participating across two or more asset classes grew from under 1% in mid-2025 to more than 10% by May 2026. As users move across a wider range of products and platforms, fraud campaigns are increasingly blending multiple narratives, social engineering tactics, AI-generated content, and multiple communication channels within a single operation.

Drawing on Bitget Research and investigations conducted by SlowMist, the report found that many successful scams no longer rely on a single point of compromise. Fraud operators guide victims through a sequence of interactions spanning social media platforms, messaging applications, investment communities, phishing infrastructure, and wallet activity before assets are ultimately stolen. Between July 2025 and June 2026, Bitget's security infrastructure intercepted more than 150 million malicious requests, identified over 13,000 high-risk malicious IP addresses, handled 18,135 user protection cases, and supported the recovery of $32.3 million linked to security incidents and fraudulent activity.

“Security challenges evolve alongside markets. As more users participate across crypto, stocks, tokenized assets and AI-powered products, fraud campaigns are becoming sophisticated in how they build trust and influence decision-making. Understanding those risks is an important step toward protecting users and strengthening confidence across the broader ecosystem,” said Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget.

The report identifies several trends shaping the current fraud environment, including AI-generated investment personas, deepfake-enabled scams, voice-cloning attacks, synthetic investment communities, wallet-draining operations, malicious smart contracts, and increasingly sophisticated phishing campaigns. Among the cases examined are a deepfake investment scam impersonating Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, an AI-generated investment advertising campaign that reportedly defrauded thousands of Swedish investors, the Truman Show synthetic community scam involving approximately 90 fabricated investor identities, and the Rublevka Team wallet-draining operation documented in early 2026.

Beyond examining how scams operate, the report explores victim psychology, common scam entry points, post-theft asset movement, and recovery challenges. It also outlines practical measures users can take to strengthen account security, recognize AI-enabled deception, evaluate investment opportunities more effectively, and respond to security incidents.

Since launching Anti-Scam Month in 2024, Bitget has worked with security researchers, ecosystem partners, and industry organizations to improve awareness around emerging threats and promote stronger user protection practices. Throughout June, Bitget's Anti-Scam Month campaign will feature educational content, security awareness initiatives, and collaborations with industry partners aimed at helping users identify emerging threats and strengthen their ability to protect digital assets.

For more information, please read the report here.

About Bitget

Bitget is the world's largest Universal Exchange (UEX), serving over 125 million users and offering access to over 2M crypto tokens, 500+ tokenized stocks, ETFs, commodities, FX, and precious metals such as gold. The ecosystem is committed to helping users trade smarter with its AI agent, which co-pilots trade execution. Bitget is driving crypto adoption through strategic partnerships with LALIGA and MotoGP™. Aligned with its global impact strategy, Bitget has joined hands with UNICEF to support blockchain education for 1.1 million people by 2027. Bitget currently leads in the tokenized TradFi market, providing the industry's lowest fees and highest liquidity across 150 regions worldwide.

For more information, visit: Website | Twitter | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord

For media inquiries, please contact: media@bitget.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a8f5db1d-cc85-4a6f-b010-d5c81296509c 

SOURCE: Bitget Limited

DISCLAIMER: BERNAMA MREM are not accountable for any causes of website defacement, misuse, or illegal activities connected to cryptocurrency, blockchain, tokenisation, or bitcoin. This material should not be considered as guidance or an opinion, as it does not constitute financial or investment advice. Use this information at your own risk; we are not liable for any losses or damages caused by the republication of this article.

--BERNAMA