Cirrus Therapeutics Strengthens Its Position as a Next-Generation Global Ocular Immunology Leader with Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) Collaboration and Additional Financing

 

• Cirrus deepens expansion into Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region through collaboration with Singapore Eye Research Institute and Duke-NUS Medical School’s Centre for Vision Research to support research, clinical development and partnering activities
• Cirrus expands investor syndicate with new additions, including Cedars Sinai Intellectual Property Company, raising $14.7 million to date
• Cirrus continues to advance its lead program toward the clinic, a novel ocular gene therapy designed to restore IRAK-M in geographic atrophy patients
   

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and SINGAPORE, Aug 5 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cirrus Therapeutics, an ocular immunology biotech, today announced a collaboration with Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) and Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS). Cirrus also announced an expanded investor syndicate, including Cedars Sinai Intellectual Property Company, raising $14.7 million seed financing to date. These developments bolster Cirrus’ trajectory as a global ocular immunology company advancing first-in-class and best-in-class therapies to extend the ocular healthspan of patients with chronic blinding diseases.

“We are taking methodical steps to build an ocular immunology company that delivers global impact. Our collaboration with SERI and Duke-NUS exemplifies this strategy in action,” said Ying Kai Chan, PhD, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Cirrus Therapeutics. “We’re also pleased to fortify our investor syndicate with new additions, including strategic investors such as Cedars Sinai Intellectual Property Company as we continue to progress our novel ocular gene and cell therapy candidates toward the clinic.”

Cirrus’ lead program is a novel ocular gene therapy designed to restore IRAK-M, in order to prevent AMD progression and preserve central vision in GA patients.

SERI, the research institute of the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), is the national ophthalmic research institute and ranks first globally by ophthalmology publications per capita. SERI and SNEC are part of SingHealth’s cluster of hospitals and specialist centres. Working closely with Duke-NUS’ Centre for Vision Research, SERI conducts research aimed at preventing blindness, low vision and major eye diseases affecting people in Singapore and Asia. Cirrus’ collaboration with SERI and Duke-NUS, supported by National Medical Research Council (NMRC)/National Health Innovation Centre Singapore (NHIC), accelerates the advancement of innovative ophthalmic technologies for treatment of blinding diseases to benefit more patients.

“The pioneering work by SERI, augmented by Duke-NUS, has contributed to important advances in how eye diseases are understood, treated and prevented in Asia and globally,” said Assistant Professor Hwee Goon Tay, Ph.D., Principal Investigator at SERI and Duke-NUS’ Centre for Vision Research, who is leading the collaboration. “Through this collaboration with Cirrus, we hope to accelerate the development of new therapies that can protect or restore sight for people living with serious retinal diseases.”

In March 2026, Cirrus announced the establishment of an R&D site in Singapore, complementing its UK science origins and US infrastructure and enabling access to Asia-Pacific, one of the fastest-growing biopharma markets. Cirrus concurrently announced a strategic partnership with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) to develop impactful ophthalmic therapies.

“Over the past two decades, Singapore has established itself as a high-impact, global R&D hub, with ophthalmologic and retinal diseases being a key highlight,” said Professor Andrew Dick, MD, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Advisor of Cirrus, as well as Duke Elder Chair and Director of Institute of Ophthalmology, University College of London (UCL), and Head of Academic Unit of Ophthalmology, University of Bristol. “Cirrus’ presence and strategic partnerships in Singapore is the type of cross-border collaboration critical for addressing the massive, global unmet need presented by age-related macular degeneration and geographic atrophy.”

About Cirrus Therapeutics
Cirrus Therapeutics is a privately held ocular immunology-focused biotech with locations in the U.S. and Singapore. Cirrus is focused on revolutionizing the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), geographic atrophy (GA), and other chronic blinding diseases with groundbreaking cell and gene therapies to preserve sight, extend ocular healthspan, and enable a better quality of life as people age.

Our lead program is a preclinical stage, novel adeno-associated virus (AAV) ocular gene therapy designed to potentially reverse an underlying cause of dry AMD: loss of IRAK-M protein, a key immune regulator expressed in retinal cells. Our second program is a preclinical stage, next-generation RPE cell therapy to restore vision to patients with center-involving GA, an advanced stage of AMD.

Our investor syndicate includes ClavystBio, Polaris Partners, SEEDS (an investment arm of SG Growth Capital), Cedars Sinai Intellectual Property Company, and additional institutional investors.

For more information, visit us at www.cirrustx.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Media Contact:
Liz Melone
liz@melonecomm.com 

SOURCE: Cirrus Therapeutics, Inc. 

--BERNAMA 

ALIXPARTNERS ACQUIRES AGENTIC AI CONSULTING FIRM ARTIUM

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 (Bernama) -- AlixPartners has acquired Artium, an agentic artificial intelligence (AI) software consulting firm that develops enterprise AI agents for clients including BNY Mellon, Mayo Clinic and eBay, as the global consulting firm expands its AI capabilities.

In a statement, the company said Artium will continue operating as a distinct team within AlixPartners under the brand "Artium by AlixPartners", with its people, including its founders, methodology and research relationships remaining unchanged.

AlixPartners Co-Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Rob Hornby said Artium has developed production-grade agentic AI systems and established strong relationships across leading AI research organisations, adding that the combination is expected to enhance the firm's ability to deliver business transformation for clients.

Meanwhile, Artium CEO and Co-Founder, Ross Hale said AlixPartners was selected as the next growth partner because of its understanding of Artium's business, technology capabilities and long-term opportunities, while also supporting the culture and values that have contributed to the firm's growth.

AlixPartners said the acquisition combines Artium's AI engineering capabilities with the firm's industry experience and is expected to create new opportunities to transform businesses and integrate technology across enterprises.

Founded 45 years ago, AlixPartners provides consulting services to companies across a range of industries, focusing on performance improvement, restructuring, transformation and technology-enabled business change.

-- BERNAMA

Kanadevia Inova Signs Concession Agreement for Its First Waste-to-Energy Plant in Africa

^{Artist’s impression of the Casablanca integrated Waste-to-Energy facility, combining waste treatment, renewable energy generation, and landfill management infrastructure}


- Contributing to Addressing Environmental Challenges in Casablanca, Morocco -


OSAKA, Japan, Aug 5 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Kanadevia Inova AG (Switzerland; hereinafter “Inova”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kanadevia Corporation (TOKYO: 7004) engaged in the development, design, construction, maintenance and operation of waste-to-energy and biogas plants, has signed a concession agreement (long-term project operation agreement) for a 33.5-year waste-to-energy project in Casablanca, Morocco, covering the design, financing, construction and operation of the facility.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260804844543/en/ 

Inova will carry out the project together with Nareva, a leading Moroccan integrated energy company, and ITOCHU Corporation. Inova will establish an SPC (Special Purpose Company) to implement the project while proceeding with EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) and long-term maintenance agreements.

The project will construct a waste-to-energy plant adjacent to Médiouna landfill, one of the largest landfill site in Africa. The facility will process approximately 1.5 million tonnes of waste per year and have a power generation capacity of approximately 126 MWe. The objective is to hygienically treat waste while effectively utilizing it as an energy resource.

The facility will incorporate advanced technologies, including Inova’s large-scale combustion and boiler systems and its proprietary Autaro™ automatic combustion control system. In addition, it will include a 50 MW solar power facility, a 4 MW landfill gas recovery and utilization facility and a leachate treatment unit. By reducing methane emissions, which have a global warming potential approximately 28 times greater than CO2, the project is expected to generate around 1 TWh of electricity annually, equivalent to the annual electricity demand of approximately one million people.

The facility has also been designed to enable the future introduction of carbon capture technologies (CCUS). By capturing, utilizing, or storing CO2 contained in flue gases, the project aims to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support long-term decarbonization.

Project Overview
Location: Casablanca, Morocco
Processing Capacity: Approx. 1.5 million tonnes/year
Power Generation Capacity: Approx. 126 MWe
Scheduled Start of Operations: June 2030 (planned)

View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260804844543/en/ 

Contact

Mikie Okawa
Public Relations Section
Kanadevia Corporation
Tel: +81-6-6569-0076
Email: kouhou@kanadevia.com

Source : Kanadevia Corporation

LENDLEASE REIT REPORTS HIGHER 2H FY2026 REVENUE, DPU

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 (Bernama) -- Lendlease Global Commercial Trust Management Pte Ltd, the manager of Lendlease Global Commercial REIT (Lendlease REIT), has announced its second half (2H) and full-year financial results for FY2026, with gross revenue rising 6.8 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to SG$110.0 million in 2H FY2026. (SG$1 = RM3.19)

In a statement, the company said net property income (NPI) for 2H FY2026 increased 6.6 per cent YoY to SG$78.7 million, driven by the acquisition of PLQ Mall and the performance of its Singapore retail assets, partially offset by the divestment of the Jem office.

Distribution per unit (DPU) for 2H FY2026 stood at 1.85 Singapore cents, bringing the full-year DPU to 3.70 Singapore cents, up 3.0 per cent YoY, supported by recurring earnings from a strong portfolio of operational assets in Singapore.

“FY2026 marked a year of meaningful progress for Lendlease REIT. We took decisive steps to strengthen our financial position through the successful divestment of Jem office, reducing aggregate leverage to 38.9 per cent and improving our interest coverage ratio to 2.1 times.

“Looking ahead, our enlarged Singapore retail portfolio provides a stronger platform for growth. We remain committed to disciplined execution, active asset management and capital stewardship as we pursue further DPU growth and long-term value creation in FY2027,” said the manager’s Chief Executive Officer, Guy Cawthra.

Property operating expenses increased by SG$1.4 million compared with FY2025, mainly due to the acquisition of PLQ Mall, partially offset by the divestment of the Jem office.

As at June 30, 2026, Lendlease REIT’s gross borrowings stood at SG$1.7053 billion, with a gearing ratio of 38.9 per cent. The weighted average cost of debt was reduced to 2.75 per cent per annum, while approximately 68 per cent of borrowings were hedged at fixed rates.

The manager also reduced its outstanding perpetual securities through refinancing exercises undertaken in April 2025 and June 2026, lowering the total quantum from SG$400 million to SG$240 million.

In the same period, Lendlease REIT’s portfolio committed occupancy stood at 94.6 per cent. Its retail portfolio maintained a strong occupancy rate of 98.5 per cent, while occupancy at the Milan office portfolio stood at 89.1 per cent.

The company will continue pursuing active asset initiatives to drive income growth by unlocking value through the reconfiguration of retail space at PLQ Mall and refreshing Discovery Walk to integrate with the multifunctional event space.

-- BERNAMA

2POINTZERO REPORTS STRONG FIRST HALF REVENUE, NET PROFIT

Samia Bouazza, CEO of 2PointZero (Photo: AETOSWire)

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 (Bernama) -- Abu Dhabi-based investment holding firm, 2PointZero Group has reported revenue of 21.9 billion Emirati dirham and a group net profit of 7.7 billion Emirati dirham for the first half of 2026. (100 Emirati dirham = RM111.58)

The group said continued operational integration, wider adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and ongoing cost optimisation strengthened operational performance, lifting revenue while maintaining a blended gross profit margin of 29 per cent.

Net profit from the group's businesses increased 2,301 per cent year-on-year, driven by the consolidation of Tendam and the mega-merger that formed 2PointZero Group, new investments in African financial services, expansion into European packaging markets and steady operational progress across all business segments.

The strong performance was reflected in the group's adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), which reached 5.0 billion Emirati dirham after excluding fair value changes and one-off items.

“As we enter the second half of the year, we continue to strengthen the platform for long-term growth. Nearly 10 per cent of our workforce consists of AI co-workers, embedded across the group to improve productivity, accelerate decision-making, and strengthen operational performance.

“Together with our disciplined capital allocation and strong financial position, this gives us confidence in our ability to create long-term shareholder value,” said 2PointZero Chief Executive Officer, Samia Bouazza in a statement.

The group's financial position remained strong, supported by cash holdings of 13.7 billion Emirati dirham and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, providing flexibility to manage risks, allocate resources efficiently and fund high-return investment opportunities globally.

Among its key developments, 2PointZero completed the sale of its entire 7.29 per cent stake in TAQA to Abu Dhabi Power and expanded its energy infrastructure portfolio through subsidiary ePointZero's acquisition of a 100 per cent stake in Traverse Midstream Partners.

The group also participated in the Series G funding round for WHOOP, a global health technology company, and acquired a 60.8 per cent controlling interest in Italy's ISEM Packaging Group for 704 million Emirati dirham.

Recognising its financial performance, 2PointZero ranked 36th on TIME's inaugural World's Growth Leaders 2026 list, reflecting its business growth, market performance and long-term financial stability.

-- BERNAMA

Kioxia Unveils CM10 Series SSDs For AI Workloads

 

KIOXIA CM10 Series Enterprise SSD

KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 (Bernama) -- Kioxia Corporation has announced the KIOXIA CM10 Series of solid-state drives (SSDs), featuring its latest BiCS FLASH generation 10 TLC flash memory for enterprise and artificial intelligence (AI) workloads.

According to Kioxia in a statement, the new drives support the NVIDIA CMX architecture while delivering significant improvements in performance, power efficiency and cooling flexibility over the previous generation.

The drives are currently being sampled by selected customers and will be showcased at FMS: The Future of Memory and Storage in Santa Clara from Aug 4 to 6.

The KIOXIA CM10 Series is the company's first PCIe 6.0 enterprise SSD and offers direct cold-plate liquid cooling capability, enabling more efficient cooling for next-generation AI infrastructure.

The series delivers up to approximately 92 per cent higher sequential read performance and up to around 85 per cent higher random read performance, helping to accelerate data-intensive AI inference and enterprise applications while improving overall system efficiency.

As AI models continue to scale toward trillions of parameters and context windows expand to millions of tokens, the demand for high-performance context cache storage is growing rapidly.

Kioxia said the KIOXIA CM10 Series is designed to meet these evolving requirements with the performance, capacity and endurance needed for large-scale AI deployments.

-- BERNAMA

HORIZON QUANTUM TO ENHANCE QUANTUM SYSTEMS EFFICIENCY WITH QM

Horizon Quantum's CEO Dr. Joe Fitzsimons and Quantum Machines' CEO Dr. Itamar Sivan at Horizon Quantum's quantum hardware testbed

 
KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 (Bernama) -- Horizon Quantum Computing Pte Ltd (Horizon Quantum), a pioneer in software infrastructure for quantum applications, has entered into a strategic collaboration with Q.M Technologies Ltd (QM) to develop more robust and efficient quantum systems.

According to Horizon Quantum in a statement, the collaboration will leverage QM's quantum control platform and engineering expertise to develop embedded calibration technologies for its first in-house hardware testbed system, Ember-1, with the aim of delivering more reliable, continuously operating quantum systems.

Horizon Quantum Chief Executive Officer, Dr Joe Fitzsimons said this strategic collaboration provides an opportunity to contribute to the development of more stable and high-performing quantum systems.

“By bringing together Horizon Quantum’s expertise in quantum software and QM’s expertise in quantum control, I believe we can develop lightweight calibration routines that increase uptime and improve the reliability of our testbed system,” he said.

The company said it intends to develop an embedded calibration framework that enables lightweight calibration routines to be executed during normal system operation, reducing reliance on lengthy full-system calibration cycles.

By updating system parameters more frequently, the framework is designed to reduce downtime, improve operational stability and maintain high-performance operation over extended runtimes.

Horizon Quantum will also leverage QM's OPX1000 control system to support the development, with improved Ember-1 uptime expected to increase access time for Triple Alpha users.

The collaboration reflects both companies' commitment to advancing practical quantum computing by combining quantum software and control technologies to support scalable, high-performance quantum systems.

-- BERNAMA

CryptoRank Study Finds Bitget rTokens Recorded Up to 58% Lower Slippage on $50,000 Orders Across Leading Tokenized Equity Platforms

VICTORIA, Seychelles, July 28 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bitget, the world's largest Universal Exchange (UEX), ranked first for large-order execution in a CryptoRank study evaluating liquidity, market structure and execution quality across leading tokenized equity products. The research found that Bitget's Reality rTokens delivered the lowest simulated slippage across every comparable asset tested, recording up to 58% lower slippage on $50,000 orders than competing tokenized equity products, highlighting the growing importance of execution quality as tokenized equities continue to mature.

The report arrives as the tokenized equity market approaches $2 billion in onchain value with more than 471,000 onchain holders, reflecting growing investor demand for blockchain-based access to traditional financial assets. As tokenized stocks become more widely available across crypto exchanges, CryptoRank examined how differences in product structure, liquidity models and execution infrastructure influence the trading experience beyond simple price exposure.

The study compared tokenized stock offerings across major exchanges and found that products tracking the same underlying equities can differ significantly in investor rights, liquidity mechanisms, redemption models and execution quality. The report evaluated NVIDIA, Microsoft, Meta and Tesla, the only four assets that maintained valid two-sided order books across all venues tested. In this comparable set, Bitget's Reality rTokens consistently produced the strongest execution results for larger trades.

The report found that Bitget delivered the lowest simulated slippage across all four comparable assets for both $10,000 and $50,000 orders, while Reality rTokens recorded the highest balanced displayed liquidity within 50 basis points. CryptoRank attributed these results to Bitget's liquidity architecture, which combines exchange liquidity with NYSE and NASDAQ-linked underlying market liquidity, enabling deeper liquidity and more efficient execution for larger trades. CryptoRank also examined the legal and operational structures behind tokenized equity products, noting that similar stock tickers can represent different forms of investor claims depending on how each product is issued and settled.

“Tokenization is moving beyond access and into infrastructure," said Gracy Chen, CEO at Bitget. “If even 10% of global financial assets become tokenized by 2030, we’ll witness one of the most significant transformations in modern capital markets. The next phase of tokenization will be defined by quality of execution liquidity and market infrastructure supporting those assets. Independent research like this helps establish the benchmarks the industry needs as tokenzied markets continue to mature.”

The findings build on Bitget's continued expansion of its Stock+ ecosystem, which gives eligible users access to more than 500 tokenized stocks, ETFs, commodities and other traditional financial assets alongside cryptocurrencies through a single unified account. By combining 24/7 market access, fractional investing and NYSE and NASDAQ-linked liquidity, Bitget is building the infrastructure needed to support the next generation of tokenized capital markets.

Read the CryptoRank 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 such as 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 | X | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord

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

Risk Warning: Digital asset prices are subject to fluctuation and may experience significant volatility. Investors are advised to only allocate funds they can afford to lose. The value of any investment may be impacted, and there is a possibility that financial objectives may not be met, nor the principal investment recovered. Independent financial advice should always be sought, and personal financial experience and standing carefully considered. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Bitget accepts no liability for any potential losses incurred. Nothing contained herein should be construed as financial advice. For further information, please refer to our Terms of Use.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3c8f2a89-2b0b-465f-9fe6-d03b919d5754

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2fd67267-7705-42b5-82f2-dc4dbe7c590b 

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

AGC Biologics Lands Commercial Manufacturing Agreement for Yokohama Site Worth Hundreds of Millions of Dollars

 

• Commercial long-term deal with a large pharmaceutical company pursuing manufacturing and commercial regulatory approvals in major markets
• Customer commits to AGC Biologics’ new site in Yokohama for five commercial biologics programs
• Highlights growing demand for geopolitically stable supply chains, positioning Japan as an allied hub for global supply of biopharmaceuticals

YOKOHAMA, Japan, July 29 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ahead of the official opening of AGC Biologics’ Yokohama site, an international biopharmaceutical company has already secured half of the facility’s mammalian manufacturing capacity with a multi-year commercial contract expected to reach hundreds of millions of dollars in total value. The Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) will leverage its new Yokohama facility to manufacture a minimum of 35 batches per year of five biopharmaceutical products for the undisclosed customer, securing a reliable global supply chain for patients worldwide.

The agreement includes process transfer, scale-up, regulatory validation, and future commercial production. The customer will pursue multiple regulatory approvals with the EMA, FDA, MHRA, and PMDA. The aggressive manufacturing timeline includes four process performance qualifications (PPQ) campaigns in the first two years. 

Securing commercial production in Japan reflects a broader industry shift toward supply chain resilience, as global biopharmaceutical developers increasingly prioritize established, geopolitically stable manufacturing partners with locations that mitigate geopolitical, regulatory and trade risks.

“AGC Biologics has the largest global network of single-use manufacturing capacity by volume outside of China, but that’s not the full story,” said Alberto Santagostino, President and CEO of AGC Biologics. “The market is demanding capable, reliable manufacturing partners with global quality standards and geographic flexibility. This agreement reflects the strength of our network, our single-use expertise, and the strategic role Japan can play in resilient biologics supply chains. Our newest Japan site in Yokohama synthesizes all our network learning in a location of increasing interest, and that carries the intrinsic cultural value of manufacturing quality and effective delivery.”

Once operational in 2027, the Yokohama site will deploy four 2,000-liter Cytiva single-use bioreactors and two 5,000-liter Thermo Fisher Scientific DynaDrive single-use bioreactors, adding 18,000 liters to AGC Biologics’ existing capacity of single-use technology for biologics manufacturing. Select customers and guests are scheduled to be provided with the opportunity to visit the new site in December 2026, when construction is completed.

“Securing a major commercial partner for Yokohama before the site is operational is a strong signal of confidence in what this facility will offer,” said Tadashi Murano, President of AGC Life Science Company. “With the site located adjacent to the AGC Yokohama Technical Center, biopharmaceutical developers are understanding that choosing a CDMO with an established innovation ecosystem in Japan is a smart outsourcing strategy.”

The AGC Biologics’ Yokohama site was part of the biomanufacturing investments made by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in 2022. These strategic investments are designed to expand domestic production and reinforce Japan’s position as a highly trusted, long-term biologics partner for life sciences industries within allied nations.

Services available in Yokohama starting in 2027 will include:

• Mammalian development and GMP manufacturing, with two downstream lines and flexible single-use bag capacity of 18,000 liters.
• Cell therapy services with six clean rooms.
• Messenger RNA (mRNA) development and manufacturing with 2 IVT, two purification lines, and two LNP lines. 

With existing cGMP manufacturing locations in the U.S., Japan, and Europe, AGC Biologics’ track record will help kick off the manufacturing operation in Yokohama, utilizing the experience of:

• More than three decades of GMP experience.
• 100 successful regulatory inspections.
• More than 30 commercial products launched, which received more than 100 separate regulatory agency approvals.
• More than 400 products developed and manufactured for over 250 different customers.

About AGC Biologics

AGC Biologics is a leading global biopharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) with a strong commitment to delivering the highest standard of service as we work side-by-side with our clients and partners, to provide friendly and expert services. We provide world-class development and manufacturing of mammalian and microbial-based therapeutic proteins, plasmid DNA (pDNA), messenger RNA (mRNA), viral vectors, and genetically engineered cells. Our global network spans the U.S., Europe, and Asia, with locations in Seattle, Washington; Copenhagen, Denmark; Heidelberg, Germany; Milan, Italy; and Chiba and Yokohama, Japan. AGC Biologics is a part of AGC Inc.’s Life Science Business. The Life Science Business runs eight facilities focused on biopharmaceuticals, advanced therapies, small molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients, and agrochemicals. To learn more, visit www.agcbio.com.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4834252b-9e14-45c2-987f-d437e07479e4

AGC Inc. corporate contact: info-pr@agc.com

AGC Biologics media contact: kati.sills@agc.com

SOURCE: AGC Biologics, Inc.

Learning Tree International Expands ServiceNow Training Offerings

KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 (Bernama) -- Learning Tree International, a global leader in workforce transformation, has become a ServiceNow Authorised Training Partner, expanding its capabilities to help organisations build the skills needed to maximise returns on their ServiceNow platform investments.

The partnership integrates authorised ServiceNow training into Learning Tree's portfolio of more than 600 instructor-led courses and its AI Adoption Framework, which is designed to help organisations move from artificial intelligence (AI) awareness to workforce readiness and long-term adoption.

In a statement, Learning Tree said the partnership combines technical training with workforce enablement, helping organisations improve user proficiency, support change management and strengthen adoption of ServiceNow capabilities.

Its Chief Executive Officer, David Brown said the company aims to help organisations bridge the gap between technology investment and workforce readiness, enabling them to accelerate adoption, improve operational performance and achieve measurable business outcomes from AI-enabled platforms.

Under the partnership, Learning Tree will provide authorised ServiceNow training, instructor-led workforce development aligned with business needs, and programmes linking platform knowledge with leadership, process improvement and AI readiness.

With more than 50 years of experience and a global delivery network, Learning Tree said it is well positioned to provide consistent training across regions while tailoring learning pathways for platform users, business leaders and transformation teams.

The company said the collaboration establishes a foundation for broader cooperation as demand grows for role-based ServiceNow training and AI-enabled workforce transformation, helping customers maximise long-term value from their platform investments.

-- BERNAMA

Accertify and Liminal Release First Empirical Study Proving Fraud-Cyber Convergence Works - and Defining How to Do It Right

New research across 250 senior leaders identifies four organizational behaviors associated with a 3.4x performance advantage over siloed organizations 

ITASCA, Ill., July 23 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Accertify, a leading fraud decisioning provider whose Predictive Yes Platform enables merchants to say yes to more good customers, more revenue, and more growth, today released The Convergence Dividend: Quantifying What Fraud-Cyber Convergence Actually Delivers, a landmark proprietary study conducted in partnership with Liminal. The research - spanning 250 Director-level and above fraud, risk, and security leaders across Retail/eCommerce, Travel, Restaurants/QSR, Entertainment & Media, and Marketplaces - is the first large-scale empirical proof that fraud-cyber convergence produces better business outcomes, and the first to identify the specific behaviors that separate top-performing organizations from the rest. 

While fraud-cyber convergence is a nearly unanimous (94%) recognized priority by respondents, the research found that many organizations lack a clear framework for how to operationalize it effectively. To identify the practices associated with the strongest outcomes, Accertify and Liminal analyzed organizational behaviors against a “Precise Yes” performance metric to capture how precisely a merchant said “yes” to their customers, defined as dollars approved for every $1 of fraud chargeback. 

The resulting analysis produced a four-pillar maturity model that identifies the operational characteristics most associated with successful fraud-cyber convergence:

• Sharing 2 or more Threat Types/Use Cases: Fraud and cyber teams share joint accountability for two or more specific threat types
• Sharing Data Through a Common Platform: Fraud and cyber data integrated onto a shared pipeline, providing a single view of the customer across the lifecycle
• Regular Discussion at the Board Level: Fraud elevated to a regular board-level agenda item
• Structural Integration: Fraud and cyber teams formally unified under the same organizational structure

Organizations demonstrating all four pillars achieve a mean Precise Yes Score of $1,540 approved per dollar of fraud lost, compared to $456 approved per dollar of fraud lost for organizations still operating in silos - a 3.4x gap. That precision advantage is driven primarily by reduction in the fraud chargeback rate: elite-tier organizations record a 62% reduction in fraud chargeback rates compared to those who have not begun fraud-cyber convergence. 

The research also finds that the sequence in which organizations adopt these pillars matters. Organizations that restructured fraud and cybersecurity teams before establishing shared data, ownership, and operational collaboration performed worse than those that maintained separate teams. This suggests that successful convergence begins with shared workflows and intelligence rather than organizational charts. 

“One finding stood out: organizations perform better when they improve how fraud and cybersecurity teams share data,” said Maryling Yu, Chief Marketing Officer of Accertify. “Providing shared visibility into signals across the customer lifecycle gives teams a more complete understanding of risk, helping them approve more good customers with confidence, reduce unnecessary friction, and drive stronger business outcomes.” 

“What the data shows is that these are operational behaviors, not structural ones,” said Filip Verley, Chief Innovation Officer of Liminal. “They don’t require a budget overhaul or a reorganization. They require two teams deciding to work on the same problems - and then building the habits that make that stick. That means there is hope that every organization who undertakes a convergence journey can get to the elite performance tier.” 

The study also establishes the first peer-benchmarked view of fraud-cyber convergence across industries, with meaningful differences in maturity between sectors. For example, retail and eCommerce organizations generally demonstrated the strongest performance, while marketplaces faced the greatest challenges balancing customer approvals and fraud losses. At the same time, the research found that 97% of organizations are already on a path to converging – suggesting that the shift is being driven by operational necessity versus executive mandates. 

The Convergence Dividend: Quantifying What Fraud-Cyber Convergence Actually Delivers can be downloaded at
Accertify.com/2026-report. 

About Accertify 

Accertify enables commerce by doing one thing extraordinarily well: pinpointing fraud. The company’s Predictive Yes Platform helps businesses say yes to more - more good customers, more revenue, and more growth - without getting burned. With more than 10 billion transactions and over $1 trillion in e-commerce processed in the last 12 months, Accertify delivers the intelligence and precision that fraud and payments teams need to say yes confidently and enable growth. Learn more at accertify.com. 

About Liminal 

Liminal is the actionable intelligence company, providing structured, expert-verified intelligence on the Identity, Fraud, and Cybersecurity markets. It gives both human leaders and AI systems a dependable alternative to generic models that fall short in high-stakes decisions. Trusted by Visa, Mastercard, Google, JPMC, and the world’s leading platforms in digital identity, Liminal was founded in 2022 and is headquartered in New York City. For more information, visit liminal.co.

View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260722695686/en/ 

Contact 

Media
Tylor Tourville
T2 PR
tylor@t2pr.agency 

Source : Accertify 

--BERNAMA  

JUMIO REPORTS STRONG Q2 2026 ON PLATFORM INNOVATION

KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 (Bernama) -- Jumio, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered identity intelligence provider, has announced a strong second quarter (Q2) for 2026, driven by platform innovation, executive leadership additions, and expanded customer adoption.

Jumio in a statement said the growth in Q2 was fuelled by its vision to replace legacy identity verification with continuous, contextual and connected identity intelligence.

“The innovations we brought to market in Q2 are already having a direct impact on our customers’ revenue and their user experience, which directly benefits the bottom line and reduces fraud.

“We are providing the continuous, AI-powered protection necessary to navigate an era where digital trust is a competitive necessity,” said Jumio chief executive officer (CEO), Mark Lorion.

Jumio has expanded its platform beyond the limitations of static onboarding, introducing key innovations including global digital ID acceptance, continuous risk analysis and the future of frictionless onboarding.

In June, Jumio significantly expanded support for digital IDs globally, being the first identity intelligence provider to enable customers to accept digital IDs across more than 60 countries and territories through a single integration.

In addition, Jumio Watch, launched in April, addresses the reality that identity risk persists long after a user is first verified. By continuously analysing signals and cross-customer intelligence, Jumio Watch surfaces emerging fraud patterns that static systems miss, offering fraud teams actionable, investigation-ready insights.

The company has also expanded selfie.DONE across Latin America, demonstrating that security and user experience are not mutually exclusive. The solution removes friction from the onboarding process by enabling previously verified users to confirm their identity with just a selfie.

During Q2, Jumio also recorded significant customer growth. The company appointed Lorion as CEO at the end of April, succeeding Bala Kumar, who had served as president and interim CEO since the start of 2026 and Mike Sasaki as senior vice president of Customer Success.

-- BERNAMA

Bitget Enhances Algorithmic Trading Experience with Siebly.io SDK Integration

VICTORIA, Seychelles, July 22 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bitget, the world’s largest Universal Exchange (UEX), today announced a collaboration with Siebly.io, a provider of professional-grade API SDKs for algorithmic traders and developers, to simplify integration with Bitget’s V3 Unified Trading Account and V2 Classic APIs. The collaboration gives developers access to the Bitget SDK by Siebly, enabling faster, more reliable connectivity across Bitget’s spot, futures, copy trading, and real-time market data infrastructure.

Developers and algorithmic traders increasingly rely on stable API tooling to build, test, and deploy trading systems. However, fragmented API environments, inconsistent client libraries, and complex migration paths can slow down development and introduce operational risk. By working with Siebly, Bitget is helping developers reduce integration complexity while supporting both its new Unified Trading Account architecture and existing V2 Classic workflows.

Siebly.io provides ready-made developer tools that help trading teams connect to crypto exchanges without building every API connection from scratch. For developers and algorithmic traders, especially those built with JavaScript and TypeScript, they can connect to Bitget faster, reduce technical errors, and spend more time building trading strategies, bots, and market data tools instead of managing complex API integrations.

“UEX is about delivering a better trading experience for users and developers worldwide independent of the assets they trade,” said Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget. “Collaborating with Siebly makes it easier to build reliable tools across Bitget’s unified account architecture, helping traders spend less time on integration and more time building strategies on Bitget.”

Siebly’s SDKs provide comprehensive coverage across Bitget’s ecosystem, including spot trading, futures trading, copy trading, public market data streams, and private account management. For latency-sensitive strategies, the SDK also supports WebSocket API functionality, allowing developers to execute REST-like request-response patterns over a persistent connection and reduce request overhead without the added complexity of managing WebSockets manually.

The SDK also includes built-in support for HMAC, RSA, and Ed25519 authentication, helping developers securely interact with Bitget’s infrastructure while maintaining flexibility across different authentication standards. With consistent development patterns across supported exchanges, Siebly’s tooling is designed to help developers move between platforms with less friction and shorter implementation cycles.

“Developers building automated trading systems need SDKs that are consistent, secure, and tested in production environments,” said Tiago Siebler, Lead Developer at Siebly.io. “By collaborating with Bitget, we are making it easier for developers to integrate with one of the industry’s leading trading ecosystems.”

Bitget’s UEX framework is strengthened with this collaboration by improving the infrastructure layer that connects developers, trading systems, and Bitget’s unified account environment. By making API access more efficient across spot, futures, copy trading, and real-time data, Bitget continues to expand the tools available to retail and professional developers building the next generation of crypto trading applications.

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 such as 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 | X | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord

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

Risk Warning: Digital asset prices are subject to fluctuation and may experience significant volatility. Investors are advised to only allocate funds they can afford to lose. The value of any investment may be impacted, and there is a possibility that financial objectives may not be met, nor the principal investment recovered. Independent financial advice should always be sought, and personal financial experience and standing carefully considered. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Bitget accepts no liability for any potential losses incurred. Nothing contained herein should be construed as financial advice. For further information, please refer to our Terms of Use.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/612e9d67-4e31-4a79-9a13-339ba2b3ee79

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

EXP REALTY TO HOLD FIRST SPANISH-LANGUAGE EXPCON

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 (Bernama) -- eXp Realty will hold its first eXpcon in Latin America in Medellín, Colombia, from April 6 to 8, 2027, marking the company's first conference in the region to be conducted entirely in Spanish.

In a statement, the company said the event underscores the growing importance of the Central America, Latin America and Caribbean (CALA) region within its global network.

eXp Realty currently operates in eight CALA markets, namely Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Puerto Rico.

As more buyers from the United States and Canada seek investment properties, second homes and relocation opportunities in Latin America, growing demand for cross-border real estate services has increased the need for agents to build international expertise and partnerships.

eXp International Managing Director, Felix Bravo said bringing eXpcon to Latin America and presenting it entirely in Spanish reflects the company's investment in helping agents strengthen their market knowledge, relationships and cross-border capabilities.

Meanwhile, eXp International CALA Regional Director, Virginia Restrepo said hosting the conference in Latin America and presenting it in Spanish highlights the region's growing role in the global real estate market while fostering more meaningful engagement with local professionals.

The three-day event will bring together agents and market experts from across the region to strengthen referral networks, share market insights and explore opportunities in emerging real estate markets. It will feature keynote presentations, business and leadership education, networking sessions and region-specific programmes, all conducted in Spanish.

eXp Realty said early bird registration for eXpcon Medellín is now open, with passes also available for non-eXp agents interested in learning more about the company's collaborative business model.

-- BERNAMA

EXP REALTY TO HOLD FIRST SPANISH-LANGUAGE EXPCON

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 (Bernama) -- eXp Realty will hold its first eXpcon in Latin America in Medellín, Colombia, from April 6 to 8, 2027, marking the company's first conference in the region to be conducted entirely in Spanish.

In a statement, the company said the event underscores the growing importance of the Central America, Latin America and Caribbean (CALA) region within its global network.

eXp Realty currently operates in eight CALA markets, namely Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Puerto Rico.

As more buyers from the United States and Canada seek investment properties, second homes and relocation opportunities in Latin America, growing demand for cross-border real estate services has increased the need for agents to build international expertise and partnerships.

eXp International Managing Director, Felix Bravo said bringing eXpcon to Latin America and presenting it entirely in Spanish reflects the company's investment in helping agents strengthen their market knowledge, relationships and cross-border capabilities.

Meanwhile, eXp International CALA Regional Director, Virginia Restrepo said hosting the conference in Latin America and presenting it in Spanish highlights the region's growing role in the global real estate market while fostering more meaningful engagement with local professionals.

The three-day event will bring together agents and market experts from across the region to strengthen referral networks, share market insights and explore opportunities in emerging real estate markets. It will feature keynote presentations, business and leadership education, networking sessions and region-specific programmes, all conducted in Spanish.

eXp Realty said early bird registration for eXpcon Medellín is now open, with passes also available for non-eXp agents interested in learning more about the company's collaborative business model.

-- BERNAMA

AM BEST ASSIGNS STABLE OUTLOOK TO PHILIPPINES' MAAGAP

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 (Bernama) -- Global credit rating agency, AM Best has assigned a financial strength rating of B+ (Good), a long-term issuer credit rating of “bbb-” (Good) and a Philippines National Scale Rating of aa.PH (Superior) to MAAGAP Insurance Inc (MAAGAP).

AM Best in a statement said the outlook assigned to these credit ratings (ratings) carries a stable outlook, reflecting MAAGAP's strong balance sheet strength assessment, adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

MAAGAP’s balance sheet strength assessment is underpinned by its risk-adjusted capitalisation, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio, which is expected to remain at the strongest level over the medium term.

The company's robust capital adequacy benefits in part from healthy earnings retention over recent years. In addition, it has a low-to-moderate risk investment portfolio, with the majority of investments allocated to Philippine government bonds and well-rated domestic corporate bonds.

A partially offsetting factor is MAAGAP's elevated reliance on reinsurance to support the underwriting of catastrophe-exposed business. However, this risk is partially mitigated because the majority of its reinsurance recoverables are from counterparties with sound credit quality.

AM Best assesses MAAGAP's operating performance as adequate, with a five-year average return on equity of 8.8 per cent for fiscal years 2021 to 2025. Its underwriting performance showed some volatility over the period, partly due to losses arising from natural catastrophes and large loss events.

However, ongoing remedial measures supported an improvement in underwriting results in fiscal year 2025, although the elevated expense ratio recorded in recent periods remains an offsetting factor.

Prospectively, this is expected to improve as the company grows its book of business and benefits from greater economies of scale. Additionally, investment returns, derived mainly from interest income, are viewed to be stable and supportive of overall earnings.

-- BERNAMA

As Enterprises Seek GEO Solutions That Ensure Outcome, GenOptima Presents Its Enterprise Framework

SHANGHAI, July 16 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As enterprises increasingly evaluate Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) vendors based on their ability to ensure outcome through measurable AI visibility, GenOptima has introduced its enterprise GEO framework, providing a structured approach to AI search optimization across multiple large language models and AI platforms. 

Built around a Results-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, the framework connects Brand Info Audit, Content Preference Analysis, Exclusive Strategy, AI Model Training, and Full-Cycle Monitoring into a continuous optimization workflow. Supporting 20+ global AI platforms through a Universal Cross-Model Consensus Protocol, it is designed to help organizations ensure outcome through measurable AI visibility management rather than one-time optimization.

At the core of the platform is the GEO Expert Model Matrix, comprising 143 benchmarkable capabilities across 48 Industry Capabilities, 45 LLM Adaptation Capabilities, 30 Functional Capabilities, and 20 Multimodal Capabilities, together with 14 LLM Deep Adaptation Capabilities supporting both China and global AI ecosystems. Organized into Industry Vertical, LLM Adaptation, Functional, and Multimodal Experts, the framework covers industry expertise, semantic optimization, compliance, citation management, intent analysis, anti-hallucination, and five-modality optimization. According to the company, every enterprise engagement contributes to a continuous Data Flywheel, enabling ongoing enhancement of the capability framework.

The framework is further supported by GenOptima's Strategic Agent Architecture, including Gen-Centric Sentinel for AI visibility monitoring, Gen-Carto Nexus for strategy and intent analysis, Gen-Genesis Forge for multimodal content creation and model adaptation, and Gen-Cosmos CogniCore for knowledge graph construction, compliance, and digital asset management.

GenOptima also incorporates Data Protection, Cross-border Safeguards, Ethical Optimization, Compliance Guardrails, and Transparent Reporting, with execution tracking and KPI reporting designed to support accountable optimization. 

According to the published materials, the framework supports organizations across technology, SaaS, consumer products, manufacturing, healthcare, finance, and international commerce. By combining expert capabilities, intelligent agents, compliance, and continuous optimization, GenOptima aims to help enterprises ensure outcome through measurable, scalable, and long-term AI visibility management. 

About GenOptima 
GenOptima provides Result-as-a-Service and AEO-as-a-Service for AI search optimization. Its work focuses on prompt monitoring, ranking-source development, source publishing, citation tracking, and recurring optimization across global and China-facing AI engines. 

Media Contact:
Company Name: GenOptima
Contact Person: Zach Yang
Email: zach.yang@gen-optima.com
Country: China
State: Shanghai
Website: https://www.gen-optima.com/
Singapore Office : 91 Bencoolen Street, #12-03 Sunshine Plaza, Singapore 189652 

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3ad15eef-019d-47a9-b3b7-4c6ab002da96 

SOURCE: GenOptima

--BERNAMA