New Zealand´s UniMed records excellent Credit Ratings - AM Best

KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 (Bernama) -- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ‘a’ of Union Medical Benefits Society Limited (UniMed), New Zealand.

The stable outlook of these Credit Ratings reflects UniMed’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best has categorised as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

The company’s balance sheet strength is underpinned by risk-adjusted capitalisation that is categorised as strongest, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio, reflecting its low underwriting leverage and conservative investment approach.

UniMed has a five-year average combined ratio of 94 per cent (2014-2018). Prospectively, AM Best expects UniMed to maintain strong operating results, supported by steady premium growth, adequate product pricing and robust investment returns.

It is a small-sized not-for-profit insurer with a market share of less than four per cent in New Zealand’s health insurance industry based on 2018 gross written premiums, according to a statement.

UniMed’s membership count is expected to increase gradually over the medium term, driven mainly by its newly launched retail offering and a recent portfolio transfer from The Education Benevolent Society Incorporated.

AM Best is a global rating agency and information provider with a unique focus on the insurance industry. For more information, contact www.ambest.com.

-- BERNAMA

SmartStream reports importance of managing intraday liquidity to generate revenue

KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 (Bernama) -- SmartStream Technologies, the financial Transaction Lifecycle Management (TLM) solutions provider has released a white paper to inform financial institutions of the regulatory pressures imposed on intraday liquidity requirements.

This has now moved beyond reporting positions to actively managing and controlling intraday liquidity to reduce costs and increase profitability, according to a statement.

The white paper, entitled ‘Intraday Liquidity Management: From a costs discussion to a revenue opportunity’, explores the benefits for financial institutions when transforming intraday discussions from an operational burden into adding true business value.

It also analyses how institutions can leverage next-generation technologies like Cloud, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to achieve the goals of real-time and active management of global intraday liquidity.

The paper has reviewed the regulators’ views and the monitoring tools available, including stress testing scenarios, and discussing the current status of where banks are now with their monitoring of intraday liquidity.

For more information, contact https://www.smartstream-stp.com.

-- BERNAMA

Tradewind Markets Adds Former BNY Mellon Executive as Chief Technology Officer

20 year tech leader brings financial services depth and development expertise

NEW YORK, July 11 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Tradewind, a financial technology company focused on blockchain solutions, has appointed Leon Shklar as Chief Technology Officer. Leon, who was most recently Managing Director (Technology) at BNY Mellon, will be responsible for all aspects of the firm’s technology including architecture, infrastructure, business applications and innovation.

“Having started with precious metals, our mission is to make alternative assets more accessible to investors, lenders, and borrowers through digitization. We are excited to welcome Leon to our executive team to accelerate our execution,” said Michael Albanese, Chief Executive Officer, who joined the company from J.P. Morgan in April. “Leon is a highly accomplished technologist with a history of successful implementation of web, mobile, and retail platforms across notable technology, finance, and media firms. He has a proven track record of delivering large-scale internet applications and has built and led global software development teams.”

During his tenure at BNY Mellon, Leon led the development of a platform that facilitated the integration of business applications across the bank. He spearheaded the acquisition of a technology company in Israel and was a board member of BNY Mellon Tel Aviv. Previously, Leon worked for Bridgewater Associates, one of the largest hedge funds globally. Leon also held technical leadership roles at the New York Times, Thomson Reuters, and Wall Street Journal / Dow Jones, where he was responsible for developing and scaling software across a global, distributed user base. In addition to his corporate success, he is a co-author of the textbook Web Application Architecture: Principles, Protocols and Practices and holds two US patents on representation and search of heterogeneous data. Leon graduated from Rutgers University with a Ph.D. in Computer Science.

Leon will lead Technology as the company continues to enable assets to be traded, settled and held in custody more securely and cost-effectively. Tradewind launched the first of its solutions for alternative asset classes last year. Tradewind's VaultChain^TM Gold and VaultChain^TM Silver products provide investors direct ownership of physical gold and silver, with custody and settlement recorded on a blockchain.

“Blockchain and distributed ledger technology bring transparency, trust and immutability to multiple asset classes -- and that’s a game-changer” said Leon. “I’m pleased to join Tradewind’s talented team. Together, we are strengthening the ecosystem for precious metals and other alternative assets -- enabling clearer title of ownership, smooth deployment as collateral, and more secure custody.”

As CTO, Leon will be based in New York City and will report to the CEO.

About Tradewind Markets

Tradewind Markets is a financial technology company that enables alternative assets to be traded, settled, and mobilized with increased security, transparency, and cost efficiency. Tradewind created a digital precious metals market that uses blockchain technology to streamline custody, trade execution, settlement and the maintenance of supply chain information. The Tradewind platform has been adopted by leading institutions in the precious metals market, including the Royal Canadian Mint. Shareholders include IEX Group, Sprott, Goldcorp, Agnico Eagle Mines, IAMGOLD, Wheaton Precious Metals, and Sapphire Ventures.

For more information, please visit: https://tradewindmarkets.com/

View source version on businesswire.com:  https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190709005495/en/

Contact

Wes Kaplan
Email: wes@tradewindmarkets.com 
Phone: 929-519-6334

Source : Tradewind Markets

​PURECIRCLE NAMES NEW TOP ADDITIONS TO ITS COMMERCIAL TEAM TO HELP FURTHER FUEL ITS GROWTH

CHICAGO, July 10 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Having solved the challenges of taste and supply, PureCircle (LSE: PURE), the leading global producer and innovator of stevia sweeteners, is now better poised than ever to help beverage and food companies reduce sugar without using artificial sweeteners. To further maximize that growth potential, PureCircle is enhancing its commercial team:

Alina Slotnik joins the company as its new Vice President of Global Marketing. She most recently led global marketing at Glanbia Nutritionals, a provider of nutritional solutions for food and beverage companies. She formerly worked at Johnson & Johnson, Baxter International and Forest Laboratories. She is a proven and skilled marketer.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=34953

APTORUM GROUP’S SUBSIDIARY ANNOUNCES TOKEN AVAILABILITY ON EXCHANGE PLATFORMS

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Bernama) -- Aptorum Group Limited subsidiary, Smart Pharmaceutical has announced the Smart Pharma Token (SMPT token) will be available for trading on IDAX and LATOKEN cryptocurrency exchange platforms.

According to a statement, SMPT token will commence trading on IDAX on or around July 10, and shortly thereafter, on LATOKEN.

The SMPT token is an ERC-1404 security compliant token with ERC-20 and ERC233 compliance on the Ethereum blockchain.

It tokenises rights to a portion of the royalty income derived from the eventual commercialisation of intellectual property rights of drug candidates to be discovered under Smart-ACTTM platform.

The Smart-ACTTM platform is a re-purposed and new drug discovery platform launched by the Smart Pharma Group which intends to revolutionise drug discovery, re-purposing and re-positioning.

Aptorum Group Limited is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercialising a broad range of therapeutic and diagnostic technologies to tackle unmet medical needs.

For more information, contact http://www.aptorumgroup.com.

-- BERNAMA

TERNS PHARMACEUTICALS APPOINTS ANKANG LI, PH.D., J.D., CFA AS CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

FOSTER CITY, Calif. & SHANGHAI, July 1 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a global biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative therapies to treat non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and cancer, announced today the appointment of Ankang Li, Ph.D., J.D., CFA as Chief Financial Officer.     “Dr. Li joins Terns with over 10 years of experience in investment banking, business development, legal advisory, and biomedical research,” said Weidong Zhong, Ph.D., President and CEO of Terns. “We are pleased to welcome Dr. Li to Terns. He has a strong record of driving growth in the biopharma industry.” At Terns, Dr. Li will be responsible for corporate financing, financial reporting, accounting, risk management, business development, and investor relations. Prior to joining Terns, Dr. Li was the Executive Director of Healthcare Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs, where he was responsible for Asia ex-Japan investment banking and led many high-profile IPOs for biotechnology and other healthcare clients. Before that, Dr. Li was a Director at the Asia Pacific Innovation Hub at Merck (known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada), overseeing business development and licensing transactions in the region. Dr. Li also worked at both Davis Polk and Ropes & Gray, advising clients on capital markets and M&A transactions. Early in his career, he conducted biomedical research at the Salk Institute.  Ankang Li received a Juris Doctor degree from The University of Chicago Law School, a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Baylor College of Medicine, a Master of Science degree in Biological Sciences from the National University of Singapore, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from Fudan University. He is a CFA charter holder. “Terns has emerged as one of the leading biopharmaceutical companies developing therapeutics for liver disease,” commented Dr. Li. “I look forward to working with Terns’ board and the leadership team to help advance their innovative pipeline and programs to benefit patients in China and worldwide.” About Terns Pharmaceuticals  Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that is focused on the discovery and development of medicines for chronic liver disease and cancer. Based in China and the United States, the company is advancing a pipeline of drug candidates for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and cancer, across multiple modalities. Terns leverages world class expertise in disease biology, medicinal chemistry, and clinical development in order to bring promising new therapies to patients in China and other global markets.   View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190701005203/en/  Contact  US Media Contact:  Margaret Robinson +1 (415) 690 0084 China Media Contact:   Yan Wan +86 186 1196 5371 Source : Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

New CEO onboard Australia´s largest health brand Blackmores

KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 (Bernama) -- Alastair Symington is Blackmores Limited’s new chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director, effective Oct 1, as announced by chairman, Brent Wallace.

According to a statement by Australia's largest natural health company, Symington is a global business leader and brand builder who brings over 23 years of consumer goods experience in beauty, health and grooming.

Currently based in Dubai, he is a senior vice-president of Consumer Beauty leading the ALMEA region (including Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Australia) for Coty – a large manufacturer and retailer of consumer products.

Wallace said: “Alastair has an extensive sales and marketing background in the fast moving consumer goods category and importantly, he has significant in-country Asia and China experience including cross-border e-commerce and retail.

“His deep understanding of China and proven track record in product innovation would enable the company to continue growing.”

Meanwhile, Symington said: “I am committed to delivering on the company's strategy to drive substantial top-line growth via a greater presence of Blackmores throughout the region, and ensuring that we are more efficient as a business, delivering superior results for shareholders.”

The newly-appointed CEO has a Bachelor of Economics and a Post Graduate Diploma in International Business (Asian Studies) from the Monash University.

-- BERNAMA