Beyond Profit: IFTC Introduces Structured Approach to Measuring Trading Performance

 

^{IFTC officials and industry representatives gather on stage during the official inauguration, marking the introduction of a structured framework for transparent and risk-adjusted trading performance evaluation.}


KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 (Bernama) -- As financial trading becomes increasingly visible across digital platforms and online communities, the International Financial Trading Championship (IFTC) believes one fundamental question remains — how should trading performance be measured fairly?
 
A trader may show strong returns or a profitable account, but without understanding the level of risk undertaken, drawdown experienced and consistency of performance, headline returns alone may provide an incomplete picture of trading capability.
 
Building on its record recognition at the Malaysia, ASEAN and Asia levels, IFTC is seeking to address this challenge through a more structured approach to performance measurement.
 
Operating under the institutional governance of the International Financial Consultant Certified Institute (IFCCI), IFTC places measurable performance, risk discipline, transparency and consistent evaluation at the centre of its competition philosophy.
 
From Performance Claims to Measurable Evidence
 
The growth of online trading communities has made it easier than ever for traders to share results. However, performance is frequently communicated through screenshots, percentage returns or selected trading results, while the risks taken to achieve those results may receive less attention.
 
Two traders may generate similar returns while assuming significantly different levels of risk. Likewise, a high short-term return does not necessarily demonstrate whether a trader can maintain discipline and manage risk over a meaningful period.
 
IFCCI President Prof. Dato’ Dr. Kingston Chang said profitability remains important, but it should not be viewed in isolation.
 
“Profit is important, but profit is only one part of the story.
 
“If two traders generate the same return but one assumes significantly greater risk or experiences substantially higher drawdown, their performance should not necessarily be viewed in the same way.
 
“The industry needs a more balanced way of understanding trading capability — one that considers not only what was achieved, but also how it was achieved,” Chang said.
 
Introducing the Trader Performance Index
 
At the centre of IFTC’s approach is the Trader Performance Index (TPI), a performance measurement framework designed to evaluate trading results with greater consideration of risk.
 
Rather than ranking traders purely by absolute profit or percentage return, TPI considers the relationship between return and drawdown, providing a more balanced representation of trading performance.
 
The principle is straightforward: generating returns matters, but the amount of risk taken to generate those returns matters as well.
 
IFTC said no single measurement can fully define a trader’s ability. Instead, TPI provides a common performance reference that can be applied consistently within the IFTC framework, allowing eligible results to be compared using the same measurement principles.
 
Why a Minimum 30-Day Performance Period Matters
 
Time is another important element of the framework. Under IFTC’s latest structure, an eligible TPI performance record must cover a minimum period of 30 days before it can qualify for recognition within the wider IFTC ranking ecosystem.
 
The requirement is intended to reduce emphasis on isolated short-term results and provide a more meaningful period in which risk management, drawdown and trading behaviour can be observed.
 
IFTC Organising Chairman Kayden Chiew said the intention is to recognise demonstrated performance rather than momentary outcomes.
 
“A trader can have an exceptional day or week, but professional performance should be evaluated over a period that allows both return and risk behaviour to become more visible.
 
“The 30-day requirement provides a common minimum period and encourages participants to consider not only returns, but also how they manage performance throughout the competition,” Chiew said.
 
Same Measurement, Same Opportunity
 
IFTC believes a professional competition should create an environment where performance can speak for itself. Within such an environment, established traders and emerging participants should ultimately be evaluated against the same defined criteria.
 
Personal reputation, social media following or commercial influence should not determine performance ranking. Measurable results should. This philosophy forms part of IFTC’s broader effort to move trading competition from claims towards evidence, and from headline returns towards measurable performance.
 
Transparent rules and consistent competition requirements are intended to provide participants with greater clarity on how their performance is assessed. For IFTC, the purpose of a common performance framework extends beyond identifying winners. It also seeks to encourage a healthier understanding of trading performance, where risk management, discipline and consistency are recognised alongside profitability.
 
Chang said such standards are important to the longer-term professional development of the trading community.
 
“A credible trading ecosystem should not encourage the assumption that the highest return automatically represents the strongest trader.
 
“We want to encourage a culture where performance can be demonstrated, risk can be understood and results can be evaluated under common standards.
 
“From claims to evidence, and from returns to performance — that is the direction we believe professional trading competition should move towards,” he said.
 
Having established record recognition at the Malaysia, ASEAN and Asia levels, IFTC said the next stage of its development will apply these performance principles across a broader competition ecosystem.
 
Further details on how different competitions, industry partners and traders can participate within the IFTC framework will be introduced as part of its next phase.
 

SOURCE: International Financial Trading Championship (IFTC)

Sapient Intelligence Launches PRAXIST (Beta) to Accelerate a New Era of Autonomous AI-led Research and Development

• 49 gold-medal outcomes across 75 machine learning competitions from MLE-Bench achieving approximately US$3,000, versus 34 for Claude Code at US$38,000
• Rocket-landing accuracy reached 100% within 12 hours, demonstrating a proof-of-concept capability at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3

SINGAPORE, Aug 28 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Singapore-headquartered artificial general intelligence research company Sapient Intelligence today announced the launch of PRAXIST (Beta), an autonomous AI research and development (R&D) system that takes on complex technical problems and independently tests and validates potential solutions.

While AI has rapidly accelerated productivity in content generation and other well-defined workflows, R&D remains inherently difficult to automate and scale. Breakthroughs require testing multiple hypotheses, learning from successes and failures, and continuously determining which paths to pursue. Organizations must address this all while balancing specialist expertise, time, cost, and infrastructure.

A capacity multiplier

PRAXIST addresses this challenge as an R&D capacity multiplier. Rather than executing a predefined path, it independently explores which technical approach can best achieve a measurable objective. Users define the goal, parameters, and budget; PRAXIST then autonomously experiments and evaluates the strongest solution.

The approach has demonstrated promising results in controlled internal evaluations. On 75 challenging Kaggle competitions from MLE-Bench, a benchmark designed to test how well AI systems tackle complex, real-world machine learning problems across, PRAXIST achieved the highest-level result in 49 competitions at an approximate recorded model cost of US$3,000, compared with 34 highest-level results for Claude Code at approximately US$38,000 under the same evaluation conditions.

“Unlike general coding agents, which are built primarily to execute a specific task, PRAXIST is designed for long-horizon R&D, where the problem-solving approach itself may need to be discovered and adapted,” says William Chen, Co-Founder at Sapient Intelligence. “A conventional research team is ultimately constrained by the number of experiments its researchers can realistically run and evaluate. PRAXIST is designed to provide organizations with the ability to augment their existing teams with additional research capacity, enabling them to explore problems with a breadth and speed that would otherwise require significantly greater specialist resources.”

From autonomous research to cumulative scientific discovery

PRAXIST deploys multiple autonomous research peers to explore approaches in parallel, test hypotheses, investigate failures, and validate promising results. Unlike the tree-like search used by other similar systems, where each candidate inherits from one parent and weaker branches are pruned, PRAXIST uses a generation-layered research graph that preserves what every experiment teaches. This allows later generations to combine valuable mechanisms, evidence, and constraints across different lineages, including failed attempts. Rather than searching for the single best branch, PRAXIST constructs stronger solutions from discoveries made across branches.

Expansion and scale at speed

For organizations with limited AI or machine learning capabilities, PRAXIST can provide an AI research layer alongside existing domain expertise; for sophisticated teams, it can augment existing capabilities and increase the scale and breadth of R&D. A traditional robotics company, for example, can define problems, objectives, and constraints from an engineering perspective while PRAXIST conducts the AI research, experimentation, and validation needed to develop solutions, effectively serving as an in-house AI research team without requiring the company to build one.

Partner engineering results further illustrate this potential. In a partner-provided rocket-landing simulation, PRAXIST improved baseline to 100% within 12 hours, demonstrating a proof-of-concept capability at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3. In an industrial robotic SLAM problem, a partner team achieved 9.37cm of accumulated error after several months of development. PRAXIST reduced the error to 5.01cm within three days.

System application

PRAXIST can operate with proprietary data in private or customer-controlled environments, giving organizations greater control over their research infrastructure and sensitive intellectual property.

Initial applications are focused on sectors with intensive R&D requirements or highly measurable or simulatable optimization problems, including AI, engineering and robotics, manufacturing, finance, and health and drug discovery. Over time, Sapient Intelligence aims to extend PRAXIST beyond traditional R&D into broader business optimization, from inventory and sales to logistics and shipping.

“AI has mastered executing what we know. The next frontier is discovering what we don’t,” said Jin Li, Chief Scientist of PRAXIST. “PRAXIST is our first step toward making autonomous discovery a practical capability for organizations tackling complex problems. As we continue to develop the platform, we will look to expand beyond traditional R&D. Our ambition is to give organizations a fundamentally greater capacity to explore what is possible, enabling existing teams to pursue more experiments, approaches, and innovations while keeping human expertise and judgment at the center.”

About Sapient Intelligence

Founded and headquartered in Singapore, Sapient Intelligence is developing a new generation of AI systems that move beyond answering questions and executing predefined tasks to autonomously discover, reason, and optimize across complex problems without predefined solutions. By combining autonomous research systems with novel foundation-model architectures, Sapient Intelligence advances autonomous discovery through deeper reasoning, self-evolving capabilities, greater adaptability, and enhanced interpretability.

At the center of this vision is PRAXIST, the company’s flagship autoresearch system enabling breakthroughs in real-world R&D and business challenges. Sapient is also the creator of the Hierarchical Reasoning Model (HRM), a novel, brain-inspired foundation model architecture designed to enable deep reasoning with substantially greater training efficiency.

With a global team of more than 50 researchers and engineers operating across Singapore, Palo Alto, and Beijing, Sapient brings together experience from leading AI organizations and research institutions. The company connects foundational AI research with demanding applications in finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics, developing original AI systems for enterprises, researchers, and institutions worldwide.

Learn more about PRAXIST here.

View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260827080331/en/

Contact

The Hoffman Agency on behalf of Sapient Intelligence
Sapient@hoffman.com

Source : Sapient Intelligence

--BERNAMA

LEARNING TREE INTRODUCES ANTHROPIC'S CLAUDE CERTIFICATION PREPARATION COURSES

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 (Bernama) -- Learning Tree International has announced a new suite of live, instructor-led preparation courses for Anthropic’s Claude certifications, giving organisations a structured path to build role-based Claude expertise across business, developer, and architecture teams.

As organisations move from artificial intelligence (AI) experimentation to enterprise implementation, they need teams that can use AI tools responsibly, securely, and effectively in real business workflows.

In a statement, Learning Tree said Anthropic’s Claude has become a leading enterprise AI solution, recognised for advanced reasoning, large-context analysis, coding support and an emphasis on responsible AI.

Learning Tree’s Claude Certification Preparation courses help organisations develop validated, role-based expertise for business professionals, developers, and architects.

Aligned to Anthropic’s certification portfolio, the programmes combine exam preparation with practical instruction on designing, developing, governing, and operationalising Claude-powered solutions in enterprise environments.

The new courses support preparation for Anthropic’s four current role-based certifications, namely Claude Certified Associate – Foundations, Claude Certified Architect – Foundations, Claude Certified Architect – Professional and Claude Certified Developer – Foundations.

The courses include hands-on labs, enterprise-focused use cases, expert coaching and mock examinations, providing learners with practical experience applying Claude to business challenges while preparing for certification exams.

Learning Tree said Anthropic certification exams are currently available to eligible individuals employed by organisations in the Claude Partner Network, with final exam eligibility determined by Anthropic.

-- BERNAMA

TRM LABS APPOINTS ZIQING ANG TO LEAD APAC POLICY EFFORTS

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 (Bernama) -- TRM Labs (TRM), an artificial intelligence (AI)-focused provider of solutions for combating financial crime and national security threats, has appointed Ziqing Ang as Head of Policy, APAC.

In this role, Ang will work with regulators, policymakers, law enforcement agencies and private institutions across Asia-Pacific (APAC) to strengthen efforts against illicit networks and address emerging threats.

“Ziqing brings deep expertise and experience working across both the public and private sectors, and the credibility to bring regulators and industry together around this work,” said TRM Labs Global Head of Policy, Ari Redbord.

TRM in a statement said APAC is becoming an increasingly important region for digital asset and AI policy as criminal networks use the technologies to operate at greater speed and scale.

The company tracked adjusted crypto crime volume rising from approximately US$123 million in 2020 to over US$103 billion in 2025, while investment scams accounted for 62 per cent of fraud inflows last year. (US$1=RM4.02)

Meanwhile, Ang said APAC is at an important stage in how it regulates technology in the age of AI, and the decisions made over the next few years will shape the safety of the ecosystem.

Ang brings more than a decade of experience spanning policy, financial markets, digital assets and institutional business development. She spent more than eight years at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), working on financial markets development and reserve management before moving into the digital asset industry.

Ang's appointment reflects TRM's continued investment in APAC and follows last month's appointment of former MAS regulator Claudia Hui as Head of Compliance Advisory, APAC, as part of the company's broader expansion of its policy and compliance presence in the region.

-- BERNAMA

NABEP STRENGTHENS SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM, LEGAL EXPERTISE WITH NEW APPOINTMENTS

Sara Chouraqui joins NABEP as its General Counsel, bringing decades of legal expertise.

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 (Bernama) -- North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), an oil and gas exploration and production company, has appointed Sara Chouraqui as General Counsel, with Elizabeth Collery and Victoria Jacobson joining as Deputy General Counsel.

NABEP in a statement said the appointments significantly strengthen its senior leadership team and legal expertise as the company improves its operations, increases production and develops new strategic and commercial partnerships.

“Sara understands the complex legal and regulatory environment in which global businesses operate and, equally importantly, how a strong legal function can help a business grow, pursue opportunities and build lasting partnerships.

“This expertise will be critical as NABEP enters an important new phase of its development, expanding our operations and establishing new strategic relationships,” said NABEP Chief Executive Officer, Alejandro Betancourt.

Meanwhile, Chouraqui said the company remains committed to operating with integrity, upholding the highest legal and compliance standards and setting a benchmark for responsible leadership in the energy industry in Latin America, adding that she, Collery and Jacobson look forward to bringing their collective experience to support NABEP as it contributes to the revitalisation of the Venezuelan economy.

With her experience navigating complex cross-border legal and regulatory matters, Chouraqui will lead NABEP’s global legal function and advise the company’s leadership on legal, regulatory and corporate priorities, including major transactions and partnerships, governance, compliance and the management of legal and regulatory risk across its operations.

Chouraqui joins NABEP following a distinguished career at the United Kingdom’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO), where she served as Head of a Fraud, Bribery and Corruption division, overseeing some of the office’s most significant international investigations.

NABEP said Collery and Jacobson also held senior positions at the SFO, closely assisting Chouraqui in her work.

-- BERNAMA

SHAPE MEMORY MEDICAL CLOSES US$10 MLN FINANCING FOR CLINICAL TRIALS

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 (Bernama) -- Shape Memory Medical Inc, a California-based global medical device company, has closed a US$10 million convertible note financing led by new investor August Global Partners (AGP), joined by fellow new investor Taiwania Capital. (US$1=RM4.03)

The financing provides capital to support continued clinical development of the company’s aortic portfolio, including patient follow-up and data collection in the AAA-SHAPE Pivotal Trial, and advancement of the False Lumen Treatment for Prevention of Aortic Growth Using Shape Memory Polymer (FLAGSHIP) feasibility trial.

The company said it is backed by a global syndicate of healthcare investors, including HBM Healthcare Investments (Cayman) Ltd, Earlybird Venture Capital and WexMed II LLC. The financing was also supported by HEAL Venture Lab.

“With enrolment recently completed in our AAA-SHAPE Pivotal Trial and continued progress in FLAGSHIP, we are focused on generating the clinical evidence needed to support the broader adoption of our shape memory polymer technology in aortic applications,” said Shape Memory Medical President and Chief Executive Officer, Ted Ruppel.

He said the company was pleased to welcome AGP and Taiwania Capital as investors and appreciated the continued support of its existing shareholders.

The AAA‑SHAPE Pivotal Trial is evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the IMPEDE‑FX RapidFill Device when used alongside endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) to proactively manage the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) sac.

Shape Memory Medical in a statement said the randomised, multicentre study recently completed enrolment and will follow patients for five years.

FLAGSHIP is a first-in-human clinical study evaluating the company’s investigational False Lumen Embolisation (FLE) System for treatment of aortic dissection false lumen. The study is designed to evaluate safety and preliminary signs of efficacy and will follow patients for two years.

AGP is a Singapore-based independent fund management firm investing across healthcare and advanced manufacturing, while Taiwania Capital is a venture capital firm focused on early- to growth-stage companies.

-- BERNAMA

INTERSYSTEMS TO HIGHLIGHT AI-READY HEALTHCARE AT BANGKOK EVENT

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 (Bernama) -- InterSystems will bring healthcare leaders from across Asia for InterSystems Asia READY 2026, focusing on how trusted data, interoperability and practical artificial intelligence (AI) can support smarter healthcare delivery and strengthen Thailand's position as a regional medical hub.

The invitation-only event will be held at The Ritz-Carlton, Bangkok, from Aug 31 to Sept 1, bringing together healthcare executives, clinicians, digital health leaders and technology experts to share practical experiences and best practices in connected healthcare.

InterSystems Regional Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Luciano Brustia said Thailand has an opportunity to become a regional leader in connected, intelligent healthcare, but achieving this will depend on trusted data that can move securely and reliably across the healthcare ecosystem.

"Asia READY 2026 will demonstrate how healthcare organisations can move beyond AI experimentation and deliver measurable improvements through practical AI built on interoperable data," he said in a statement.

The global creative data technology provider said the programme will feature keynote presentations by Brustia and InterSystems President Don Woodlock, alongside healthcare leaders from Thailand and across Asia.

The programme will explore practical AI, next-generation electronic health records (EHRs), interoperability and real-world healthcare transformation, with case studies from Thai hospitals including BNH Hospital and Vejthani International Hospital.

The company said healthcare organisations across the region continue to face challenges, including fragmented legacy systems, inconsistent data standards, infrastructure modernisation and workforce readiness, which could hinder the safe and effective adoption of AI.

Key themes will include the integration of AI into EHRs to support clinical decision-making; data management and interoperability across healthcare providers and payers; and the use of real-time data and AI to improve workforce efficiency, hospital operations and patient outcomes.

-- BERNAMA

JAPAN MARITIME DAILY TO HOST SINGAPORE SEMINAR ON EMERGING TRANSPORT DEMANDS

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 (Bernama) -- The Japan Maritime Daily (JMD), Japan’s leading maritime newspaper, will host an international seminar in Singapore on Oct 5, focusing on “Emerging Transport Demands”.

JMD said in a statement the event supported by Singapore Exchange (SGX), will examine major shipping initiatives and the future of maritime transport through presentations and a panel discussion.

Registration is now open for “Charting the Course for the Future of Maritime” seminar, featuring senior maritime leaders from Ocean Network Express (ONE), SGX, Kpler and other international organisations.

ONE Chief Executive Officer, Till Ole Barrelet will deliver the keynote address, while SGX Group Director, Kenneth Ng will give a presentation, and Kpler Principal Heavy Distillates Analyst, Roslan Khasawneh will speak on “How Geopolitical Disruption Is Reshaping Asian Shipping”.

A panel discussion moderated by JMD Principal Editor Yohei Misaki will examine emerging transport demands and key industry challenges amid an increasingly uncertain global environment.

The panel will feature MOL Energia Managing Director, Miki Ogura; Wallem Ship Management Managing Director, Ioannis Stefanou; Tokyo Century Corporation Joint General Manager, Jigo Hayashi; and Baltic Exchange Asia Head, Cheong Jin Yu.

-- BERNAMA

ARLA FOODS INGREDIENTS INVESTS IN HEATING SYSTEM TO CUT CARBON EMISSIONS

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- Arla Foods Ingredients has taken a major step towards reducing its carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions at dairy level with a newly completed investment of about eight million euros in a new heating system at the Danmark Protein plant in Videbæk. (1 Euro = RM4.69)

The system for Production Tower 4 at the plant will deliver an annual reduction of approximately 2,500 tonnes of CO₂, equivalent to the annual heating consumption of more than 900 households using natural gas.

“In addition to delivering substantial CO₂e savings, this investment also represents a very strong business case. We will also seek to scale across our other sites,” said Arla Foods Ingredients Vice President, Supply Chain, Paul van Rooij in a statement.

As part of the project, the tower is being converted from operating with a gas heater to being able to switch between heat from the plant’s existing steam system and a new electric heater.

The company said this initiative will reduce the use of natural gas and allow renewable electricity to take over part of the operation. Calculations show that Tower 4 will be able to operate 100 per cent on renewable electricity for 23 per cent of the time.

Switching between steam and electricity allows Arla Foods Ingredients to use electricity when wind and solar power drive prices down and reduce consumption when prices rise, supporting flexible consumption in the Danish power grid while creating a strong financial business case.

The new solution is an important part of Arla’s strategy to electrify production and provides greater flexibility in energy consumption, enhanced reliability and opportunities for future development.

While the new heating system in Tower 4 is now operational, a similar project is being planned for Tower 5. Together, the investments in Towers 4 and 5 will reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 5,200 tonnes annually, equivalent to the annual heating consumption of more than 1,900 households.

-- BERNAMA

ASIA PACIFIC SHOWS STRONGEST GOVERNANCE IMPROVEMENT, SINGAPORE TOPS CHANDLER INDEX

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- Asia Pacific recorded the strongest improvement of any region in the latest 2026 Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI), with 79 per cent of governments in the region recording higher scores, while Singapore retained the top global ranking for the fourth consecutive year.

The CGGI, now in its sixth year, assesses the capabilities and effectiveness of 133 governments across seven pillars, namely Leadership & Foresight, Robust Laws & Policies, Strong Institutions, Financial Stewardship, Attractive Marketplace, Global Influence & Reputation, and Helping People Rise.

The findings were presented by Chandler Governance Group (CGG) Director (Knowledge), Dinesh Naidu, at a joint session on future-ready governance in Asia and the Pacific, held as part of the OECD-UNDP-OPDC “Transforming Public Services in Thailand” programme in Bangkok.

Naidu said the region's progress demonstrated that sustained investment in institutions and public service delivery could deliver improvements despite a difficult global environment.

“The region improved across six of the Index's seven pillars since 2021, which suggests deliberate, sustained capability building in areas that matter most to citizens,” said Naidu in a statement.

The 19 Asia Pacific countries assessed recorded the largest improvement in average overall score of any region since 2021, with five countries ranking among the global top 20, namely Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan.

The region's strongest gains were recorded in the Strong Institutions and Helping People Rise pillars, although progress was uneven. Thailand ranked 58th globally, with its Financial Stewardship performance ranking 18th.

The session also introduced the Future-Ready Governance Index (FRGI), a new benchmarking tool being jointly developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and CGG to help governments across Asia Pacific respond to uncertainty, structural transformation and growing complexity.

Naidu said the CGGI provides governments with an evidence base to identify areas requiring stronger capabilities, while the FRGI is intended to help governments build capabilities to prepare for future challenges.

-- BERNAMA

GLOBAL LOGISTICS FORUM 2026 TO BE HELD IN RIYADH FROM NOV 29

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- The Global Logistics Forum 2026 will be held in Riyadh from Nov 29 to Dec 1, under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and hosted by the Ministry of Transport and Logistics Services.

The second edition will take place at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center and will be held alongside the UN Trade and Development Global Supply Chain Forum 2026 at the same venue during the same week.

According to a statement, the two forums are expected to bring together policymakers, industry executives and investors from around the world, making them a major regional gathering for the transport, supply chain and trade sectors.

The announcement follows the inaugural forum in 2024, which attracted more than 13,000 participants from over 30 countries, 140 speakers and 80 exhibitors. The event also resulted in 67 cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding worth more than 16 billion Saudi riyal (US$4.3 billion). (US$1=RM4.05)

The 2026 forum will focus on innovation in logistics services, integrated global connectivity and supply chain sustainability, while supporting Saudi Arabia's ambition to strengthen its position as a global logistics hub under Vision 2030.

The Ministry of Transport and Logistics Services said the forum's co-location with the UN Trade and Development Global Supply Chain Forum 2026 will provide a platform for launching strategic initiatives and developing international partnerships.

-- BERNAMA

ABNORMAL AI SECURES IMDA ACCREDITATION FOR GOVERNMENT, ENTERPRISE ADOPTION

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- Abnormal AI, a behavioural artificial intelligence (AI) security platform, has been accredited by the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA) and recognised as a trusted solution for government and enterprise adoption.

The accreditation status, effective July 1, positions Abnormal to pursue expanded engagement with Singapore government agencies and enterprises through IMDA's streamlined procurement process and market access channels.

Abnormal Regional Director, ASEAN, Sebastian Murphy said the accreditation reflected that the company’s platform has undergone IMDA’s robust evaluation process, giving Singaporean agencies and enterprises a validated path to adopt behavioural AI security.

“It reflects the investment we have made in this region over the past several years. We are looking forward to deepening our work with IMDA and the customers and partners we serve here,” added Murphy in a statement.

The IMDA Accreditation programme helps enterprise technology companies scale in the region. IMDA-accredited companies undergo independent evaluation across business and operations, technical capability and financial standing, giving government agencies and large enterprises confidence to adopt their solutions.

Being enrolled in the programme also gives companies access to IMDA's "Greenlane" procurement track, which is designed to substantially shorten typical government procurement timelines, as well as introductions to government decision-makers through IMDA's ecosystem.

Abnormal's accreditation status comes as organisations across Singapore and the broader ASEAN region contend with a rise in AI-generated social engineering, business email compromise, and identity-based attacks that typically bypass traditional, rules-based defences.

By establishing per-entity baselines across identities and environments, the company’s platform is designed to detect and stop sophisticated attacks, including many that have not been seen before, without relying on static rules or threat signatures.

Abnormal intends to continue evaluating opportunities to grow its presence in Singapore and across ASEAN, with additional investment in local go-to-market resources and government engagement expected in the near term.

-- BERNAMA

XSOLLA ADDS OVER 15 PAYMENT METHODS TO EXPAND GLOBAL REACH

Graphic: Xsolla

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- Xsolla, a global video game commerce company, has added more than 15 new payment methods to Xsolla Payments ahead of Gamescom 2026, spanning Asia and Oceania; Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA); and the Americas.

“Players in these markets are ready to spend. They just need to pay the way they already pay everywhere else. Every method we add is one more market where a developer can capture a sale they would have lost at checkout,” said Xsolla President, Chris Hewish.

Xsolla in a statement said game developers and publishers can now accept the local payment methods players already use across markets from Indonesia and the Philippines to Germany, France, and the United States, without additional integration.

According to Xsolla, the shift towards local payment methods is reshaping the digital payments landscape well beyond emerging markets. Across Europe, banks and regulators are building account-to-account and instant-payment alternatives to international cards, while the demand for local and instant payment options is growing worldwide.

Merchants that add a market’s top payment methods alongside cards have seen sales grow by up to 35 per cent, based on Xsolla data. Integrating more than 15 new methods helps developers capture previously unreachable revenue and reduce checkout abandonment, while allowing studios to expand their global reach without additional development complexity.

In Asia and Oceania, new methods include Mandiri in Indonesia, ShopeePay in the Philippines, LINE Pay in Taiwan, Octopus in Hong Kong, 7/11 (Konbini) in Japan and Zip Co in Australia. China UnionPay also expands its coverage into new regions and adds 35 local currencies.

Meanwhile, in EMEA, developers gain Wero in Germany and Belgium; Pay by Bank in Romania and Bulgaria; FLOA Pay, a buy-now, pay-later option in France; Bancomat Pay and MyBank in Italy; IRIS Commerce in Greece; and CliQ in Jordan.

In the United States (US), Aeropay brings Pay by Bank to Xsolla Payments, allowing players to pay directly from their bank accounts, one of the fastest-growing ways US consumers pay online.

The new methods are delivered through the existing Xsolla Payments integration, so developers already using the platform can enable options relevant to their markets without additional development work.

-- BERNAMA

CROSSBOW NAMED AS GEAR MEMBER, CONTRIBUTING PAYMENT SECURITY EXPERTISE

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- Crossbow Enterprise Cybersecurity, an enterprise cybersecurity partner, has been selected to serve on the PCI Security Standards Council’s (PCI SSC) 2026–2028 Global Executive Assessor Roundtable (GEAR) for its third consecutive term.

The roundtable is a direct channel between payment security assessors and PCI SSC leadership, and Crossbow is one of 33 organisations selected for the 2026–2028 term, according to a statement.

“Continuing as a GEAR member for a third consecutive term is a meaningful milestone for Crossbow and reflects our ongoing engagement with the global payment security community,” said Crossbow Enterprise Cybersecurity Head of GRC Operations, Sabeena Job.

Meanwhile, PCI Security Standards Council Executive Director, Gina Gobeyn said GEAR brings together experienced industry leaders whose expertise and perspectives help guide the continued evolution of PCI security standards and programmes.

“We look forward to working with Crossbow Enterprise Cybersecurity as we continue advancing our shared mission of helping organisations protect payment data around the world,” added Gobeyn.

Crossbow’s continued role on GEAR enables it to contribute practical perspectives on evolving payment technologies and global compliance standards, helping support security frameworks that remain effective and relevant.

The company brings nearly 12 years of experience across cybersecurity consulting, payment security, assessment, compliance and advisory services, spanning India, Asia Pacific, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States.

-- BERNAMA

Dark Horse Consulting Group Expands Into China With Shanghai Practice

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 (Bernama) -- Dark Horse Consulting Group (DHCG) has established a China practice in Shanghai and appointed Kang Liu as Senior Director and Head of China and its first hire, marking the life sciences consulting firm's expansion into the Chinese biotechnology market.

DHCG Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Anthony Davies said biotechnology has become a global industry and that companies that incorporate China into their development strategies are likely to gain a competitive advantage.

In a statement, DHCG said the expansion reflects China's growing importance in the global life sciences industry, with its advanced contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) and contract research organisation (CRO) infrastructure, evolving regulatory environment and increasing role in generating clinical data.

The new practice will support biotherapeutic developers seeking to access China's CDMO and CRO infrastructure, regulatory pathways for first-in-human (FIH) studies and clinical data generation capabilities.

The firm said Liu brings more than 13 years of experience in life sciences, CRO and CDMO operations, and cell and gene therapy. He most recently served as Director of Business Development, Asia at AGC Biologics, where he supported biologics and CAR-T development programmes across several Asian markets.

DHCG China will provide services including regulatory strategy, chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) planning, CDMO and CRO selection, hospital and principal investigator identification, supply-chain management, and fundraising and licensing support for companies conducting investigator-initiated trials in China.

The practice will guide developers through different stages of investigator-initiated trials, from strategic and regulatory planning to clinical, manufacturing and commercial considerations.

-- BERNAMA

SBC MEDICAL REPORTS 13 PCT RISE IN Q2 REVENUE, NET INCOME JUMPS 335 PCT

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 (Bernama) -- SBC Medical Group Holdings Inc (SBC Medical) reported a 13 per cent year-on-year (yoy) increase in consolidated revenue to US$49 million for the second quarter (Q2) of fiscal 2026 ended June 30. (US$1 = RM4.08)

Net income attributable to SBC Medical surged 335 per cent yoy to US$11 million, while adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased 32 per cent to US$20 million.

Basic earnings per share jumped 400 per cent year-on-year to US$0.10, while net income margin increased 16 percentage points to 22 per cent and adjusted EBITDA margin climbed six percentage points to 41 per cent.

In a statement, SBC Medical Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Yoshiyuki Aikawa said the company was increasingly confident that its growth reacceleration reflected strengthening underlying fundamentals, with the convergence of healthcare and artificial intelligence (AI) becoming a source of competitive advantage.

He said the company is leveraging more than 26 years of accumulated management data to develop AI-enabled services, including AI-powered call centres, AI-driven marketing and AI-assisted site selection for new clinics.

The company said the quarter marked a reacceleration in growth, supported by the expansion of its points business following a change in operating policy and higher service fees driven by enhanced AI-enabled support capabilities.

The medical corporations supported by SBC Medical also continued to expand, with the number of locations increasing by 34 yoy to 287 as of end-June. Last-12-month patient visits reached 6.9 million, up 10 per cent yoy, while average spending per visit rose nine per cent to US$287.

The company said fee revisions for call centre services provided to five affiliated medical corporations, together with separate fee revisions reflecting expanded support for Rize Clinic and Gorilla Clinic, are expected to increase annual service fees by approximately US$15 million if their impact is realised for a full year.

Looking ahead, SBC Medical said it will deepen its multi-brand strategy in aesthetic dermatology in Japan, expand its non-aesthetic business and accelerate international growth through its collaboration with OrangeTwist in the United States and expansion in Southeast Asia, anchored in Thailand. The company also plans to enter the longevity market.

-- BERNAMA

84% of Singapore Consumers Say Age-Gated Content Can Harm Minors, Putting Pressure on Platforms to Strengthen Age Assurance

 

^{84% of Singapore Consumers Say Age-Gated Content Can Harm Minors, Putting Pressure on Platforms to Strengthen Age Assurance}


New Jumio research also finds 81% of consumers in Singapore are willing to verify their age online and reveals growing support for reusable identity as a proportionate path to protecting minors and personal data


SINGAPORE, Aug 14 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Jumio, the leading provider of AI-powered identity intelligence, today released new findings from its 2026 Online Identity Study, revealing strong consumer support for protecting minors online and growing expectations for platforms to implement effective, proportionate age assurance.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260812013936/en/ 

The research found that 81% of global consumers and 84% in Singapore think access to age-gated materials online is harmful to minors. Consumers also indicated that they are open to participating in age verification efforts, with 75% globally and 81% in Singapore saying they are willing to verify their age online to ensure minors cannot access adult products and platforms.

While 83% of consumers in Singapore also believe age verification is an important tool for preventing access to harmful or restricted content, opinions vary on who bears the ultimate responsibility. When asked who they hold most responsible for protecting minors online, respondents pointed primarily to parents (68%), followed by government agencies (36%), individuals themselves (29%) and tech marketplaces (18%). Notably, 84% in Singapore also support government action to regulate access.

While consumers support stronger protections for minors online, effective age assurance also requires their participation. The findings reveal a challenge for digital platforms: consumers in Singapore want stronger safeguards, but some remain hesitant to complete identity checks or share personal information to enable them.

• 36% of respondents said they would avoid a platform entirely if asked to provide personal data for age verification.
• 46% of respondents said they would choose a less secure or less convenient platform if it meant avoiding identity checks altogether.
• 78% said they would feel more comfortable if they only had to share proof of eligibility rather than full personal details.

The findings underscore the balancing act facing digital platforms: delivering the level of assurance needed to effectively protect minors while making the verification experience proportionate to the risk and minimizing unnecessary friction for legitimate users. This confirms the importance of modern digital IDs, which can provide age assurance without sharing personal data. Building trust in the age assurance experience also requires organizations to explain why verification is necessary and how personal information is handled and protected.

“There’s still a major trust gap around what happens to personal data during age verification. Stronger age assurance doesn’t necessarily mean collecting and permanently storing large amounts of sensitive data, but consumers need to understand what information is required and why,” said Joe Kaufmann, global head of privacy at Jumio. “Transparency and responsible data handling are critical to building trust and encouraging consumers to participate in the verification process.”

Consumers also signaled strong interest in verification models such as reusable identity solutions that reduce repetitive checks while maintaining strong assurance. Notably, 65% globally and 70% in Singapore said they would prefer to verify their age once and reuse that verification across multiple platforms, rather than repeating the process each time.

The research also highlights why there is no one-size-fits-all approach to age assurance. Age estimation uses a selfie to predict a person’s age and produces a probabilistic signal, while age verification confirms that an individual meets a specific age threshold using information from a government-issued ID, typically supported by identity and liveness checks. While some platforms are experimenting with AI-powered age estimation tools, identity experts caution that estimated age signals may not provide enough assurance for regulated environments or higher-risk platforms.

“There’s an important distinction between estimating someone’s age and truly verifying it,” said Jumio CEO Mark Lorion. “Age estimation may reduce friction in lower-risk situations, but when platforms require high assurance, especially where minors are involved, the strongest age assurance is a multi-layered approach using a government-issued ID and a selfie check to confirm the real person behind the credential. The focus now must be on delivering that assurance while minimizing the amount of data collected and stored.”

As age verification requirements continue to expand globally, the research suggests consumers are willing to participate in stronger identity checks, but only if organizations can demonstrate transparency, privacy protection and responsible data handling. For digital platforms, building trust may depend as much on explaining how data is protected as on the verification technology itself.

Learn more about age assurance trends and modern techniques businesses can use to best protect minors online while also protecting data privacy by downloading Identity, Privacy, and Protection: The Future of Online Age Assurance.

To learn more about Jumio and its award-winning, AI-powered identity intelligence solutions, visit jumio.com.

About the Research

The Jumio 2026 Online Identity Study surveyed 8,003 adult consumers evenly distributed across the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Mexico. Censuswide fielded the survey between April 14 and April 27, 2026. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles and are members of The British Polling Council.

About Jumio

Jumio helps organizations to know and trust their customers online. From account opening to ongoing monitoring, the Jumio Platform provides AI-powered identity intelligence anchored in biometric authentication, automation and data-driven insights to accurately establish, maintain and reassert trust.

Leveraging powerful automated technology including biometric screening, AI/machine learning, liveness detection and no-code orchestration with hundreds of data sources, Jumio helps to fight fraud and financial crime, onboard customers faster and meet regulatory compliance including KYC and AML. Jumio has processed more than 1 billion transactions spanning over 200 countries and territories from real-time web and mobile transactions.

Based in Sunnyvale, California, Jumio operates globally with offices and representation in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East, and has been the recipient of numerous awards for innovation. Jumio is backed by Centana Growth Partners, Great Hill Partners and Millennium Technology Value Partners.

For more information, please visit www.jumio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260812013936/en/

Contact

Media Contact
Luke Nazir
FINN Partners
Luke.Nazir@finnpartners.com
+65 8139 2504

Source : Jumio

IHERB MARKS 30TH ANNIVERSARY WITH GLOBAL SALE, PLATFORM EXPANSION

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 (Bernama) -- iHerb, a global eCommerce retailer of vitamins, minerals, supplements and health and wellness products, is celebrating its 30th anniversary with its biggest sales event of the year and the addition of 10 newly supported languages to its shopping platform.

In a statement, the company said the milestone comes as it serves well over 16 million customers across approximately 180 countries, reflecting growing consumer interest in proactive health and wellness.

The anniversary promotions will begin on Aug 19 ahead of the company's September anniversary, offering discounts of up to 30 per cent across more than 600 brands, alongside daily flash deals and other customer rewards.

iHerb Chief Executive Officer, Emun Zabihi said the company's 30-year milestone reflects the growth of its customers and team members, adding that it remains focused on improving the customer experience and investing in trust, access and convenience.

The platform's newly supported languages include European Spanish, European Portuguese, Georgian, Bosnian, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Armenian, Farsi, Hindi and Cantonese, bringing its total language offerings to 46.

iHerb said each language experience is localised to enable customers across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia to browse products and complete purchases in their preferred language.

Founded in 1996, iHerb has grown from selling its first supplement online from an apartment in Pasadena, California, into a global direct-to-consumer wellness platform, supported by a logistics network of climate-controlled and GMP and/or ISO-compliant facilities.

-- BERNAMA

AM BEST: RECORD REINSURANCE CAPITAL TESTS UNDERWRITING DISCIPLINE

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 (Bernama) -- Global reinsurers are facing increased pressure on pricing as strong earnings since 2023 have driven capital to record levels, raising questions over whether underwriting discipline can be maintained amid growing competition, according to a new report by AM Best.

The Best’s Market Segment Report, titled “Global Reinsurance at an Inflection Point: Can Discipline Survive the Temptation of Record Capital?”, stated that the global non-life reinsurance segment continues to benefit from strong capitalisation, favourable earnings generation and supportive market conditions.

However, growing competition is putting pressure on reinsurance pricing, particularly in property lines. Unlike previous hard markets, capital has largely accumulated within existing organisations rather than through a wave of new entrants, giving reinsurers multiple opportunities to deploy capital.

According to the report, casualty reinsurance is also emerging as an important strategic concern, with some reinsurers pursuing growth opportunities supported by enhanced rates, while others remain cautious amid uncertainty surrounding social inflation, litigation funding, larger jury awards and adverse legal environments.

“Casualty exposures often develop over many years, meaning that decisions being made today may not be fully understood until well into the next decade,” said AM Best director, Dan Hofmeister in a statement.

AM Best expects the non-life reinsurance market to maintain favourable earnings profiles barring an outsized catastrophe event, but says the ability to preserve underwriting discipline and pricing integrity amid record capital will be critical to sustaining recent profitability.

The report also noted that reinsurance renewal trends intensified during the April and midyear renewals, with United States (US) property catastrophe placements, led by Florida, recording widely estimated reductions of 15 per cent to 20 per cent.

Meanwhile, US and Bermuda reinsurers have improved their combined ratios to the mid-80s to low-90s range under US generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) from an underwriting loss position in 2020.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is also increasingly expected to become a differentiating factor for reinsurers that successfully integrate the technology, although limited and inconsistent data can constrain model effectiveness while increasing exposure to cyber and systemic risks.

-- BERNAMA

SPACE42, AUTONOMOUS A2Z SIGN US$7 MLN AGREEMENT FOR UAE LEVEL-4 MOBILITY

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 (Bernama) -- Space42, a United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based artificial intelligence (AI)-powered SpaceTech company, and South Korea’s Autonomous A2Z (A2Z) have signed a US$7 million commercial agreement to deploy Level-4 autonomous mobility solutions in the UAE. (US$1=RM4.09)

In a statement, the company said this is the first commercial agreement under the two companies’ broader partnership and is a direct supply contract separate from the joint venture announced in 2025 to support the long-term commercialisation of intelligent mobility solutions in the UAE.

The agreement combines A2Z’s Level-4 autonomous driving technology with Space42’s AI, geospatial and connectivity capabilities. For A2Z, the agreement marks a step in its international expansion, while Space42 said it advances its efforts to enable safe and reliable driverless vehicle operations at scale.

Space42 chief executive officer (CEO) of Smart Solutions, Hasan Al Hosani said autonomous mobility is critical infrastructure for smart city development and that the UAE has created conditions for its integration into everyday transport.

Meanwhile, A2Z CEO, Han Ji-hyung said the agreement demonstrates that autonomous driving technology developed and validated in South Korea is ready for international deployment.

Pilot robo-shuttle services using A2Z’s ‘ROii’, along with other modified and retrofitted autonomous vehicles, will undergo operational testing and demand assessment. The companies expect the rollout to expand into demand-responsive transport (DRT) and tourism shuttle operations.

The project aligns with the UAE’s broader efforts to advance AI-enabled transportation and intelligent mobility under its National Smart Mobility Strategy.

Space42 said its mobility portfolio includes TXAI, an autonomous taxi service that has travelled more than 600,000 kilometres (km) across 20,000 trips with zero recorded accidents since operations began in 2021.

A2Z has conducted autonomous driving trials across 13 cities and provinces in South Korea and operates 91 permitted autonomous vehicles with over 1.02 million km of cumulative driving experience. Commercial execution of the agreement was led by Autonomous to Global (A2G), A2Z’s Singapore-based joint venture with Kilsa Global.

-- BERNAMA

Mary Kay Reaffirms Global Women Empowerment Commitment

 

Mary Kay China supports the Hope for Pearl Program, providing financial assistance to girls from economically disadvantaged areas to receive a life-changing education, opening doors to new possibilities and bright futures. (Photo Courtesy: Mary Kay China)

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 (Bernama) -- Mary Kay Inc has reaffirmed its commitment to enriching women’s lives worldwide through its signature Pink Changing Lives Program, a global initiative that combines purpose-driven giving with cause marketing to create meaningful and measurable impact across communities.

Mary Kay in a statement said since 1996, the programme has provided over US$230 million in monetary and product donations to nonprofit organisations that empower women, improve women’s health and safety, and protect natural resources. (US$1=RM4.08)

“Through Pink Changing Lives, every market, consumer, Independent Beauty Consultant and designated purchase has the power to uplift a woman, support a family, and strengthen a community.

“This programme reflects who we are at our core – a company committed to turning purpose into action and creating a world where every woman can thrive,” said Mary Kay Inc Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, Allison Levy.

More than US$19 million has been channelled back into local communities through a portion of sales from designated products across participating markets.

According to Mary Kay, each purchase of a Pink Changing Lives-designated product directly contributes to charitable efforts, allowing consumers to participate in giving back through their everyday choices.

In China, Mary Kay beauty consultants help fund educational opportunities for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds through the Hope for Pearl Program, linking beauty experiences with life-changing access to education.

Its global outreach efforts in Germany include partnerships with organisations such as the Reiner Meutsch FLY & HELP Foundation, supporting education through the construction and renovation of 12 schools in underserved regions.

The company's partnership in Colombia with Fundación Colombianitos supports safe spaces for children, including the restoration of community facilities for after-school activities and youth development.

Present in 40 markets worldwide, Mary Kay ranked eighth among 5,500 brands on Forbes’ 2026 Best Brands for Social Impact list, improving from ninth place in 2025.

-- BERNAMA