NEW NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SERIES CHASING ANSWERS SPOTLIGHTS KAUST'S EMERGENCE AS A GLOBAL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH HUB

Four-part documentary delves into groundbreaking work conducted by teams of staff and students

THUWAL, Saudi Arabia, May 26 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- National Geographic is shining the spotlight on Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Chasing Answers, a new four-part series that explores the emergence of the Thuwal-based institution as a hub for groundbreaking scientific research and development in the region and the world. The documentary, produced by National Geographic, will premiere on National Geographic (English) and National Geographic Abu Dhabi (Arabic) on Wednesday, June 1st at 9pm KSA.

Home to elite scientists from all over the world, KAUST focuses on research that applies science and technology to areas of global concern. The series delves into three areas in particular - human need, social advancement and environmental sustainability - highlighting important projects with significant impact on both nature and mankind.

Episodes include Powering the Future, which will take a look at a team of KAUST researchers, as they spend countless hours tackling climate change and testing alternative energy solutions. Red Sea Explored is a deep dive into projects that include underwater internet and coral spawning.

The episode (Feeding) The 10 Billion Challenge shows the inroads being made by the KAUST team in answering the ever-daunting question of how to feed the world’s growing population. We Are Doers focuses on a group of problem-solvers as they look for ways to use technology to help overcome issues ranging from the global microchip shortage to filling knowledge gaps in our understanding of the past and our ambitions for the future.

Chasing Answers will air at 9pm KSA time each Wednesday for four weeks starting June 1st.

About King Abdullah University of Science & Technology 

Established in 2009, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is a graduate research university devoted to finding solutions for some of the world’s most pressing scientific and technological challenges in the areas of food and health, water, energy, environment and the digital domain. KAUST is a curiosity-driven, interdisciplinary problem-solving environment, with state-of-the-art labs, distinguished faculty talent, and 20 research areas related to these themes.

KAUST brings together the best minds from around the world to advance research. More than 100 different nationalities live, work and study on campus. KAUST is a catalyst for innovation, economic development and social prosperity in Saudi Arabia and the world, with research resulting in novel patents and products, enterprising startup businesses, collaborative regional and global initiatives, and original published papers.

To learn more visit kaust.edu.sa.

For more information, please contact global.pr@kaust.edu.sa

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9353a626-6d54-4841-a1e8-52956bd1b5d7
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8c88619e-5dd6-4684-9134-a08379b51659

A video accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4304d1e8-8ce2-45c6-9a8a-6b4babe0a0c6 

Source: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Saudi Arabia 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43248

NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS ENDORSES RECOMMENDATIONS OF TASK FORCE ON CLIMATE-RELATED FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES (TCFD)

TOKYO, May 24, 2022 /Kyodo JBN-AsiaNet --

Nippon Express Holdings, Inc. has recently expressed its support for the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) (*) established by the Financial Stability Board (FSB).   Logo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202205191426-O1-YACGnK0u   Image: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M103866/202205191426/_prw_PI2fl_0GFn2dJi.jpg     The NX Group has identified climate change initiatives as one of the key issues (materialities) to be addressed in realizing its long-term vision of becoming "a logistics company with a strong presence in the global market," and it is working to reduce CO2 emissions in its own business operations as well as creating products and services that help customers cut their CO2 emissions.   The NX Group will be utilizing the TCFD's recommendations henceforth to analyze the risks and opportunities presented by climate change to its business, evaluate their financial impacts, and disclose relevant information. The NX Group is scheduled to make the first such disclosure following endorsement of the recommendations in its integrated report to be issued this fiscal year (in June 2022).   (*) Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD): An international initiative established by the FSB in 2015 to encourage companies to disclose information on the financial impact of climate change risks and opportunities on their businesses. The TCFD recommends assessing the financial impacts of climate change risks and opportunities on management and disclosing information on "governance," "strategies," "risk management," and "indicators and targets." TCFD website: https://www.fsb-tcfd.org/   The NX Group will continue practicing sustainable management from a long-term perspective to help realize a sustainable society by tackling climate change.   Nippon Express website: https://www.nipponexpress.com/   NX Group's official LinkedIn account: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nippon-express-group/     Source: Nippon Express Holdings, Inc.  http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43228

JUNIPER RESEARCH: MULTI-ACCESS EDGE COMPUTING SPEND TO REACH $23 BILLION GLOBALLY BY 2027; DRIVEN BY LOW LATENCY REQUIREMENTS

BASINGSTOKE, England, May 23 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- A new study from Juniper Research has predicted that global MEC (Multi-access Edge Computing) spend will grow from $8.8 billion in 2022, to $22.7 billion by 2027. This growth of 260% will be driven by increasing requirements for on-premises machine learning and low-latency connectivity; enabled by 5G technology.

MEC is a network architecture that moves processing power and digital content to mobile network edges to provide lower latency and faster processing to end users.

The new research, Edge Computing: Vertical Analysis, Competitor Leaderboard, and Market Forecasts 2022-2027, predicts that over 3.4 million MEC nodes will be deployed by 2027; rising from less than 1 million in 2022. It identifies autonomous vehicles and smart cities as key beneficiaries of increasing MEC roll-outs, by enabling the handling of data generated by connections in these markets to be processed at network edges. This will reduce network strain by decreasing the physical distance that cellular data will need to travel.

For more insights, download the free whitepaper: Multi-access Edge Computing – The $23 Billion Opportunity

Global MEC Reach to Grow Exponentially as Operators Expand

The report found that operator partnerships with agile technology companies, such as AWS, IBM and Microsoft, will be essential in achieving the growth of MEC node roll-outs. It forecasts that over 1.6 billion mobile users will have access to services underpinned by MEC nodes by 2027; rising from only 390 million in 2022. Furthermore, mobile cloud computing is anticipated to be a highly valued MEC service amongst mobile users over the next 5 years. By migrating processing power to the cloud, via MEC nodes, users will benefit from faster processing power and devices with smaller form factors.

MEC to Ease Network Bottlenecking

Additionally, the report predicts that the delivery of digital content, including video streaming, cloud gaming and immersive reality, will benefit from the geographical proximity of MEC nodes and increase value proposition by improving video caching and computational offload. It urges operators to maximise the user reach of MEC by focusing on urban deployments first.

Edge Computing market research: https://www.juniperresearch.com/researchstore/operators-providers/edge-computing-research-report

Download the whitepaper: https://www.juniperresearch.com/whitepapers/multi-access-edge-computing-the-23bn

Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector, providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43216

GALLIUM SEMICONDUCTOR CELEBRATES THE GRAND OPENING OF ITS NIJMEGEN R&D CENTER

NIJMEGEN, Netherlands, May 19 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Gallium Semiconductor is pleased to announce the grand opening of its European R&D center in a ceremony at Kerkenbos 1224 in Nijmegen.

Today’s ceremony was hosted by Gallium Semi’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kin Tan and its Vice President of Operations, Mr. Henk Thoonen. Mr. Thoonen also serves as the Nijmegen site director. Gallium Semi welcomed many of its valued customers, partners and vendors from the Europe region to dedicate the R&D center.

“Nijmegen was an obvious choice for Gallium Semi’s new European R&D center,” said Kin Tan, CEO of Gallium Semi. “The city of Nijmegen continues to invest in the knowledge economy and is an attractive location for high tech companies and its employees.”

The Nijmegen office is a fitting home for Gallium Semi’s European engineers designing and developing RF semiconductor solutions to support 5G and beyond networks. Nijmegen is at the heart of Europe’s RF power technology and enables Gallium Semi to expand its team with world class talent.

Ben van den Broek, Project Manager International for the East Netherlands Development Agency was in attendance for the grand opening. "Gallium Semi is a great addition to the vibrant semiconductor industry in the Netherlands. Their choice of Nijmegen as its European R&D center further elevates our region’s global attractiveness for its talented pool of professionals and proximity to customers.”

“We are very proud of our new activities here,” said Henk Thoonen, Gallium Semi’s VP of Operations. “The center is designed to support the growth of our R&D team who will focus on the development of innovative products and technologies to power next generation mobile communications.”

About Gallium Semiconductor

Gallium Semiconductor’s mission is to enable mass commercialization of Gallium Nitride (GaN) based semiconductor solutions for 5G mobile communications, aerospace and defense and industrial, scientific and medical applications. We combine the best global talents from engineering to manufacturing operations with experienced business leaders to cost effectively deliver the highest performance and efficiency semiconductors for next generation RF, microwave and millimeter-wave systems. Visit us at www.galliumsemi.com to learn more. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43194

STARR INSURANCE COMPANIES EXPANDS IN THAILAND

NEW YORK, May 18 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Starr Insurance Companies (Starr) announced an agreement with FPG Insurance Holdings Limited (HK) (FPG) and local Thai shareholders to purchase FPG Insurance Public Company Limited (FPG Thailand), a Thai non-life insurance company, together with local Thai parties.

Starr’s investment will be held by its Bermuda insurance company, Starr Insurance & Reinsurance Limited. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022, subject to certain customary closing conditions, including any necessary regulatory approvals.

“Thailand is an important, fast-growing insurance market — one of the cornerstones of the Southeast Asia economy,” said Maurice R. Greenberg, Starr’s Chairman & CEO. “Asia is both commercially and culturally important to Starr, as we trace our roots to an American-owned company founded in Shanghai more than 100 years ago. We look forward to serving the needs of local Thai companies and consumers through this new insurance capability.”

David Zuellig, FPG regional chairman, said, “This transaction reflects the standing of our franchises and is the product of the hard work, persistence, and determination of the FPG Thailand team despite challenging market conditions. The team is excited and ready to work with Starr in bringing the company to the next level.”

Starr expects to strengthen local product offerings with tailored commercial insurance and Accident & Health (A&H) products and plans to further maximize its growth by recruiting and developing local Thai insurance talent. Previously, Starr supported the Thai insurance market primarily through its provision of reinsurance products, including Technical Risks, Casualty, Marine, and A&H products.

Gerard Pennefather from Huntington, strategic advisors to FPG, said, “This is a fantastic outcome for both Starr and FPG. We believe Starr is the ideal home for FPG Thailand to build scale, and expand capabilities and distribution, whilst bringing innovation to the market.”

According to a recent report by rating agency AM Best, in 2021 Thailand’s non-life insurance market was estimated to be THB 253 billion (USD $8.3 billion) in terms of direct premium written.

The operation’s headquarters are expected to remain in Bangkok.

About Starr Insurance Companies

Starr Insurance Companies (or Starr) is a marketing name for the operating insurance and travel assistance companies and subsidiaries of Starr International Company, Inc. and for the investment business of C. V. Starr & Co., Inc. and its subsidiaries. Starr is a leading insurance and investment organization with a presence on six continents; through its operating insurance companies, Starr provides property, casualty, and accident and health insurance products as well as a range of specialty coverages including aviation, marine, energy and excess casualty insurance. Starr’s insurance company subsidiaries domiciled in the U.S., Bermuda, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, U.K., Switzerland, and Malta each have an A.M. Best rating of “A” (Excellent). Starr’s Lloyd’s syndicate has a Standard & Poor’s rating of “A+” (Strong).

About FPG Insurance Group

Established for over half a century, FPG Insurance Group is an ASEAN based non-life insurance group.

About Huntington

Huntington and its associated companies are an integrated strategic advisory/start-up capital and private equity group focused on (re)insurance, based in Singapore and Turkey.

Visit us at www.starrcompanies.com or follow us LinkedIn and Twitter. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43177

CELMATIX ANNOUNCES ACHIEVEMENT OF KEY PRECLINICAL MILESTONES IN PREMATURE MENOPAUSE PREVENTION DRUG PROGRAM

Lead AMHR2 agonist compound demonstrates high specific activity in biological assays and desired pharmacokinetic profile in preclinical animal studies

NEW YORK, May 17 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Celmatix Inc. a biotechnology company focused on ovarian biology, today announced the identification of a novel AMHR2 agonist compound that has demonstrated robust biological activity in multiple therapeutically relevant preclinical assays and a pharmacokinetic profile consistent with the desired product profile for an injectable drug. The program, which was a product of Celmatix’s decade-long focus on identifying novel biomarkers and drug targets for women’s health, has a planned first clinical indication in the prevention of premature menopause in women undergoing chemotherapy. Loss of ovarian function and menopause are accelerated by approximately 1.5 years for each month a woman receives chemotherapy treatment.

“Demographically speaking, menopause is a relatively new phenomenon and is the result of medical breakthroughs that allow women to now routinely outlive their ovarian function” remarked Dr. Piraye Yurttas Beim, Celmatix founder and CEO. “A century ago, the average life expectancy for women globally was under 50, so most women did not live long enough to experience menopause. Today, it is the single most significant accelerator of age-related conditions such as osteoporosis and heart disease in women. The risk for developing multiple of these chronic diseases by age 70 increases by 300% for women who experience premature loss of ovarian function and menopause. At Celmatix we are committed to helping women maximize their health by optimizing and extending ovarian function. Our team has worked for over a decade to uncover the molecular drivers of ovarian health and related conditions like infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and endometriosis. Through this work, it became clear to us that Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH), the natural ligand of AMHR2, is a fundamental regulator of ovarian function, much like estrogen. Unlike estrogen, however, AMH cannot be purified from natural sources like urine or chemically synthesized, and previous attempts failed to generate recombinant AMH analogs with high specific activity or pharmacokinetic stability necessary for therapeutic applications.”

"One of the things that attracted me as a drug developer to Celmatix was the potential of the AMHR2 agonist program to address significant unmet needs in women's health” explained Dr. Stephen Palmer, Chief Scientific Officer of Celmatix. "It was clear to me that Celmatix’s AMHR2 agonist program is on track to be a 21st century breakthrough, equivalent to the development last century of the birth control pill and IVF drugs. Our lead indication is chemotherapy induced ovarian failure (CIOF), but we believe that an AMHR2 agonist may also have applications in a broad range of women’s health indications. Our results demonstrate that our lead AMH analog has the desired in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters and causes the desired cellular signaling events in traditional ovarian follicular assays and regression of the Müllerian ducts in ex vivo urogenital ridge culture systems. Demonstrating high specific activity in both our target tissue (the ovary) and in the most well-established assay for AMH function gives us confidence to progress this program forward closer to the clinic.”

This announcement closely follows Celmatix’s achievement of the third milestone in its five-year, multi-target alliance with Evotec in January. The milestone was triggered by Evotec and Bayer AG advancing a drug program, centered around a novel Celmatix-identified drug target, into hit-identification.

About Celmatix

Celmatix Inc. is a preclinical-stage women’s health biotech focused uniquely on ovarian biology. With a lead “pipeline-in-a-pill” AMHR2 agonist program focused on ovarian senescence, and collaborations in PCOS and non-hormonal contraception with industry leaders, Celmatix is addressing areas of high unmet need by developing the next generation of interventions and pioneering advancements in ovarian health. Celmatix’s proprietary multi-omic ovarian health platform, the world’s largest of its kind, is the foundation of the company’s novel pipeline of first-in-class therapies. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.celmatix.com 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43170

MATRIXX SOFTWARE SELECTED BY STARHUB FOR REAL-TIME CHARGING CAPABILITY TO POWER DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND 5G FUTURE

SINGAPORE & FOSTER CITY, Calif., May 17 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- MATRIXX Software, a global leader in 5G and real-time monetization solutions, today announced it has deepened its partnership with StarHub (SES:CC3.SI), a leading, homegrown Singapore digital service provider that delivers world-class communications, entertainment and the most enriching experiences. MATRIXX will now provide its cloud native, converged charging system (CCS) as a key component of StarHub’s transformed digital IT infrastructure that supports its mobile postpaid and prepaid customers, for both existing 4G and 5G Standalone (5G SA) services.

These developments are a key part of StarHub’s DARE+ five year strategic transformation, going beyond telco and becoming a well-loved digital service provider with frictionless digital engagement at the core. StarHub’s investments in market agility, flexibility and scalability are essential to transforming customer experiences, shortening time to market and reducing operating costs as it delivers new and exciting connectivity, entertainment, lifestyle and business solutions for customers. This continued partnership between both companies builds upon the award-winning success achieved by giga!, StarHub’s digital fighter brand and Singapore’s first fully digital mobile service.

“Playing to our strengths as a leading digital service provider, we are boldly scaling up agility across our systems, building a fully-digital ecosystem that is ready to evolve for whatever customers want next, from speed and responsiveness to truly personalised experiences as part of our DARE+ strategy,” said Johan Buse, Chief, Consumer Business Group, StarHub. “MATRIXX has been a proven partner with giga!, and we look forward to working together to embed game-changing flexibility in our platforms, to deliver end-to-end, enriching experiences to our entire customer base.”

“We see this expanding partnership as a tremendous vote of confidence in what we’ve already achieved together. Powered by our industry-leading 5G monetization platform, we will enable StarHub with the operational agility they need today to redefine customer experience for the entire Singapore market now and into the future,” said Glo Gordon, CEO, MATRIXX Software. “We are proud of the transformative success we’ve achieved to date, and appreciate the significance of this new responsibility to bring exciting new experiences to all of StarHub’s customers.”

MATRIXX is an industry-leading product-based monetization solution providing operators a platform on which to quickly innovate with new services and offerings. StarHub deployed MATRIXX for its all-digital brand giga! in less than six months. With the success of that offering, StarHub is now expanding its use of MATRIXX’s cloud native architecture to serve both 4G and 5G services on a single platform with unmatched flexibility, scalability and efficiency. With its innovative click-not-code configuration for business rules and use cases, MATRIXX will empower StarHub with the commercial agility it needs to drive new revenue.

About MATRIXX Software

MATRIXX Software delivers a modern converged charging and commerce solution proven at scale. Its cloud native Digital Commerce Platform provides network-grade, mission critical software that unlocks new network monetization opportunities. With its no-code configuration capabilities, MATRIXX empowers service providers with the agility necessary to easily develop, deploy and monetize new products and services. MATRIXX is the platform of choice powering many of the world’s leading communications companies, IoT players and emerging network infrastructure providers. MATRIXX makes it possible to harness commercial innovation and on-demand customer experience to better compete and drive new revenue and growth opportunities across markets and verticals. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43172

AM BEST AFFIRMS CREDIT RATINGS OF CENTURY INSURANCE COMPANY (GUAM) LIMITED

HONG KONG, May 17 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “bbb+” (Good) of Century Insurance Company (Guam) Limited (CIC Guam) (Guam). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect CIC Guam’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

CIC Guam’s risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), is assessed at the strongest level supported by its low net underwriting leverage. In addition to the modest size of its capital base, key offsetting balance sheet factors include moderate common stock leverage, which adds a certain level of potential volatility to its capital. Nonetheless, these factors are mitigated partially by the company’s high risk-based capital with no debt obligations and strong liquidity.

CIC Guam’s operating performance has been consistently profitable, mainly supported by its low loss ratio that benefits from the company’s disciplined underwriting and pricing, while its expense ratio and net investment margin lag behind its industry peers. Although the company continued to demonstrate a favorable underwriting margin, a reduced premium base in recent years led to some contraction in its underwriting profits and overall bottom line, which (together with enlarged capital base) consequently, resulted in return on surplus measures that compare less favorably with the composite benchmarks. However, AM Best also notes the strong business growth in 2021, which led to some improvement in the expense ratio from a year before.

CIC Guam is a domestic property/casualty insurer on the island of Guam, and its main lines of business include fire, motor, workers’ compensation, and liability insurance. There is no significant concentration in its product mix; however, the company’s narrow geographic focus in a small and highly competitive market is a major factor that has constrained the business profile assessment. Its distribution concentration risk on one broker was mitigated partially following the acquisition of the main broker partner by CIC Guam’s parent, Tan Holdings Corporation (THC), in October 2019, and as the company tries to diversify its distribution partnerships.

Positive rating actions could occur if CIC Guam can expand its insurance business in a profitable manner, such that it can improve its expense ratio and demonstrate return on surplus measures that outperform its industry peers in a sustainable manner. Negative rating actions could occur if the company’s risk-adjusted capitalization declines significantly or if there is a material shift in its risk appetite. Negative rating actions also could arise if there is significant deterioration in credit profile of its ultimate parent, THC, including its operating profitability, financial leverage and interest coverage levels.

Ratings are communicated to rated entities prior to publication. Unless stated otherwise, the ratings were not amended subsequent to that communication.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best’s website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best’s Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best’s Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best’s Credit Ratings, Best’s Performance Assessments, Best’s Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best’s Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright © 2022 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43168

ZOOM ENTERS DEFINITIVE AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE SOLVVY

KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 (Bernama) -- Zoom Video Communications Inc announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Solvvy, a leading conversational AI and automation platform for customer support.

Together, Zoom and Solvvy will offer elevated customer service experiences to a global enterprise base and work quickly to capitalise on new opportunities in contact centre and customer support.

Adding Solvvy’s proprietary technology will broaden Zoom Contact Center’s offering with scalable self-service and conversational AI, according to a statement.

With Solvvy, Zoom Contact Center customers will benefit from an automated, integrated, and easy-to-deploy contact centre that helps answer end-customers’ questions and solve issues faster, improves the overall customer experience, and drives operational savings.

“The nature of customer experience is transforming fundamentally, as enterprises increasingly need to deliver exceptional, personalised, and effortless customer experiences. Solvvy understands this shift and is the ideal platform to enhance our Zoom Contact Center offering,” said President of Product and Engineering at Zoom, Velchamy Sankarlingam.

“Together, we are excited to help businesses of all sizes improve their customer retention, increase operating efficiency, and set new standards for customer service and satisfaction.”

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Solvvy, Mahesh Ram said: “Zoom is poised to redefine the contact centre category with its unique combination of unified communication and customer experience. We could not be more excited to join forces and further scale our unique conversational AI offering.”

Following the close of the transaction, Zoom will incorporate and expand Solvvy’s capabilities across its Zoom Contact Center platform.

Solvvy Founding CEO Mahesh Ram and Co-Founder & CTO Justin Betteridge will be instrumental in driving the combined Advanced Conversational AI and Automation product vision and innovation strategy.

The transaction is expected to close in Q2 FY2023. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

-- BERNAMA

Cloudflare declares D1, simple, instant serverless database

KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 (Bernama) -- San Francisco, CA-headquartered Cloudflare Inc, the security, performance, and reliability company helping to build a better Internet, has announced Cloudflare D1, a simple and instant serverless database.

Cloudflare D1 will enable developers to start building database-backed applications using Cloudflare Workers with just a few clicks. Data will be stored close to where their users are, providing lightning fast performance without any of the complexities of installing or managing a traditional database.

Everything from the apps in the phone to SaaS applications for the enterprise to frameworks like Ruby on Rails use databases for storage. And SQL is the dominant language used to query and update those databases, large and small.

Cloudflare's D1 will offer instant access to one of the most widely deployed database technologies in the world, SQLite, directly from Cloudflare Workers. By combining Cloudflare's serverless development platform with instant databases, developers can build rich, database-backed applications without ever worrying about deploying or managing a database.

In a statement, Cloudflare co-founder and CEO, Matthew Prince said: “Cloudflare D1 is built on Cloudflare’s global network, which we believe will allow us to offer one of the largest and most performant serverless databases on the market so no business needs to be bogged down by the cost and complexity of managing their storage."

Unlike other databases on the market, Cloudflare D1 will use Cloudflare’s global network to optimise a businesses’ database by locating it as close as possible to their customers, providing the fastest possible experience to users.

Additionally, by pairing storage solutions with Cloudflare’s serverless compute platform, Cloudflare is streamlining the developer experience for building full stack applications. Cloudflare D1 will be compatible with the SQLite API—one of the most popular and broadly used API’s in the world.

With Cloudflare D1, developers will be able to, among others, Easily spin up a database with Cloudflare Workers; Import data from other providers to Cloudflare; and, Unlock the power and scale of Cloudflare Workers within their applications.

For more information on Cloudflare, visit www.cloudflare.com.

-- BERNAMA

INTERACTIVE BROKERS OFFERS CARBON OFFSETS TO CLIENTS IN EUROPE AND ASIA

New Tool Helps Investors Participate in a Greener Future 

GREENWICH, Conn., May 12 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR), an automated global electronic broker, today launched Carbon Offsets to clients in Western Europe, Hong Kong, and Singapore. This new feature is available through IMPACT, Interactive Brokers’ mobile trading app for sustainable investing.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006418/en/

 

Air travel and other daily activities produce harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Building on the simplicity of IMPACT, investors can now use the Carbon Offsets tool to select from common greenhouse-gas emitting activities or enter a specific amount of carbon to offset. Interactive Brokers seamlessly sources and retires the Carbon Credits at the appropriate agencies enabling investors to fully or partially reduce their carbon footprints.

“Sustainability and environmental consciousness are not isolated aspects, they speak to a collective culture. A culture that is aware of the interconnected nature of our global community. As a result, we continue to develop products that are in service to this collective culture,” said Will Peterffy, ESG Director at Interactive Brokers. “Carbon Offsets makes it easy for our clients to participate in the emerging collective culture dedicated to stewarding our planet while investing in companies that further align with their values through the IMPACT app.”

Interactive Brokers collaborated with Sustain.Life to provide emissions data for each carbon emitting activity available in the app. Sustain.Life’s SaaS platform helps companies across industries reduce their environmental impact by providing ESG tools that enable the measurement and management of their carbon emissions. The Carbon Offsets tool is available in the IMPACT app for clients of IB IE, IB UK, IB HK and IB SG.

For more information on Carbon Offsets, disclosures, and to download the IMPACT app, visit:

United Kingdom: https://impact.interactivebrokers.co.uk/
Western Europe: https://impact.interactivebrokers.ie/
Hong Kong: https://impact.interactivebrokers.com.hk/
Singapore: https://impact.interactivebrokers.com.sg/

About Interactive Brokers Group, Inc.:

Interactive Brokers Group affiliates provide automated trade execution and custody of securities, commodities and foreign exchange around the clock on over 150 markets in numerous countries and currencies, from a single unified platform to clients worldwide. We service individual investors, hedge funds, proprietary trading groups, financial advisors and introducing brokers. Our four decades of focus on technology and automation has enabled us to equip our clients with a uniquely sophisticated platform to manage their investment portfolios. We strive to provide our clients with advantageous execution prices and trading, risk and portfolio management tools, research facilities and investment products, all at low or no cost, positioning them to achieve superior returns on investments. For the fifth consecutive year, Barron’s ranked Interactive Brokers #1 with 5 out of 5 stars in its March 25, 2022, Best Online Brokers Review. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43138

LeddarTech releases LeddarSteer™ digital beam steering solution

KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 (Bernama) -- LeddarTech®, a global leader in providing the most flexible, robust and accurate ADAS and AD sensing technology, has announced the official release of LeddarSteer™, a digital beam steering solution designed for LiDAR smart sensor developers and Tier 1-2 automotive suppliers.

“For well over a decade, LeddarTech has been a leader in developing sensing solutions that enable our customers to deliver high-performance ADAS and AD sensors,” said Charles Boulanger, CEO of LeddarTech in a statement.

“LeddarSteer is the only digital beam steering smart component designed for mass production with the flexibility, reliability, cost, size and performance required by the most demanding 3D sensing applications and supported by standard automotive manufacturing process.”

LeddarSteer digital beam steering offers a myriad of benefits to LiDAR smart sensor developers and Tier 1 and 2 customers, including Software-controlled on-the-fly adjustment; Multiple LiDAR applications; and, Automotive-grade solid-state technology.

Software-controlled on-the-fly adjustment comprises Frame-by-frame adjustment; Preset or customised configuration; Easy setup and interface; and, Voltage-controlled steering.

Multiple LiDAR applications which are Compatible with a wide range of LiDAR architectures; Enables one LiDAR to address multiple use cases; Field of view adjustable for various actions, including turns, exits, lane changes and slopes; and, Same LiDAR for highway and city driving, among others.

Meanwhile, Automotive-grade solid-state technology, results in a significantly higher MTBF (mean time between failures).

LeddarSteer can be seamlessly integrated into an existing LiDAR to expand the field of view or integrated into new LiDAR development.

The solution provides an enhanced signal-to-noise ratio by concentrating laser power on a small region of interest while reducing the size, cost and complexity of LiDAR components whilst maintaining or increasing the pixel count and resolution.

More details at www.leddartech.com.

-- BERNAMA

OMERS INFRASTRUCTURE ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE ITS FIRST ASIA-PACIFIC DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ASSET

• OMERS Infrastructure to acquire TPG’s telecommunication tower and rooftop portfolio
• Investment will be OMERS Infrastructure’s first 100% owned investment in Australia
• Assets will be underpinned by a long-term revenue contract with TPG

SYDNEY, Australia, May 10 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OMERS Infrastructure today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire, from TPG Telecom Limited, 100% of its mobile towers and rooftop portfolio (the Tower Assets), for an enterprise value of A$950m. After the transaction, the Tower Assets, consisting of over 1,230 sites which are concentrated in metro locations across Australia, will become the largest independent tower company in Australia. The Tower Assets will provide OMERS Infrastructure with contracted revenue streams from a range of high-quality counterparties.

Under the terms of the acquisition, TPG has entered into a 20-year contract to use the Tower Assets, with options to extend. TPG has also committed to building additional towers to further expand the network over the coming years. The transaction will be OMERS Infrastructure’s first 100% owned investment in Australia and its first investment in the digital infrastructure sector in the Asia-Pacific region.

Christopher Curtain, Senior Managing Director, Asia-Pacific for OMERS Infrastructure, said: “Australia and Asia-Pacific more broadly are priority markets for OMERS Infrastructure, where we continue to see significant investment opportunities. We are excited to have the investment in TPG’s Tower Assets join our portfolio of high-quality Australian infrastructure investments, alongside Port of Melbourne, Transgrid and renewable energy developer FRV Australia. In the transaction, we see an excellent opportunity to realize our digital infrastructure thesis in the region. We look forward to working with the TPG team to first transition the business and then support its growth as it provides critical telecommunications infrastructure services to its customers.”

Following the closing of the transaction, the company will become the third global investment for OMERS Infrastructure in digital infrastructure. OMERS has completed investments in two other digital infrastructure transactions in Europe over the last three years – Deutsche Glasfaser in Germany in 2020, and XP Fibre in France in 2019.

OMERS Infrastructure was advised by RBC Capital Markets, Baker McKenzie, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Altman Solon, Grex Consulting and Alvarez & Marsal. The closing of the transaction is expected in Q3 2022, subject to customary regulatory approvals.

OMERS PR Contact
James Thompson
Director of Communications
E: JaThompson@omers.com
T: +44(0)7443 264 154

About OMERS and OMERS Infrastructure:
OMERS Infrastructure manages investments globally in infrastructure on behalf of OMERS, the defined benefit pension plan for municipal employees in the Province of Ontario, Canada. OMERS Infrastructure currently has approximately C$32 billion in assets under management on behalf of OMERS and third-party investors, and over 30 investments, principally in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. More information: www.omersinfrastructure.com.

OMERS has a diversified portfolio of large-scale infrastructure assets in sectors including energy, digital services, transportation and government-regulated services. OMERS infrastructure investments are aimed at achieving steady returns to help deliver sustainable, affordable and meaningful pensions to OMERS members. OMERS has employees in Toronto and other major cities across North America, the U.K., Continental Europe, Asia and Australia. OMERS is one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension funds with C$121 billion in net assets as at December 31, 2021. More information: www.omers.com.  

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43106

TIGERGRAPH: GRAPH FOR ALL MILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE FINALISTS REVEALED

KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 (Bernama) -- TigerGraph, provider of a leading graph analytics platform, has revealed the Graph for All Million Dollar Challenge finalists — a group of innovative projects that offer transformational ways to address social, economic, health, and climate-related issues that affect us all.

Launched in February, the challenge is a global search for innovative ways to harness the power of graph technology with machine learning and AI to solve real-world problems. The competition attracted more than 1,500 registrations from 100+ countries.

Founder and CEO of TigerGraph, Dr Yu Xu said in a statement: “TigerGraph has always recognised graph’s potential to change the world, and we put our claim to the test by creating the Graph for All Million Dollar Challenge.

“The overall participation as well as the quality of submitted projects totally exceeded our expectations. There’s no denying that graph is the technology of the future — and these projects underscore graph’s ability to literally change the world.”

After an extensive review of nearly 150 qualified submissions, judges narrowed it down to the most innovative and world-changing solutions. Participants represent a wide range of backgrounds including data scientists, all types of developers, product managers and designers.

A few standout submissions include TigerGraph for United Nations (UN) Data - Connect the unconnected! Source, clean and load UN data for the environment, the economy, health, refugees, crops, and more into a single graph and make it available for anyone to use.

Fact-Checker: Fighting Misinformation at Scale - Misinformation is everywhere, in social media, websites, and even face-to-face. It’s hard to know what to believe, and even harder to figure out what’s true. This solution is a multi-platform, multi-lingual, real-time fact-checking system powered by machine learning and graph technology.

Also included is ShockNet - Prevent crises by predicting the transfer of shocks through the world economy. Users can adjust assumptions, investigate the predicted chains of shocks, and identify ways to avoid economic crisis.

The 15 winners and recipients of the US$1 million in prizes will be announced and showcased at Graph + AI Summit, the industry’s only open conference focused on accelerating analytics, AI, and machine learning with graph algorithms. (US$1 = RM4.363)

The virtual event, taking place May 24-26, will include speakers from the world’s most innovative organisations and feature keynotes from industry visionaries as well as breakout sessions, use cases, and panels led by data, analytics, and AI professionals.

All of the finalist projects and more details at https://www.tigergraph.com/graph-for-all/

-- BERNAMA

SMARTSTREAM LAUNCH ELIGIBILITY API FOR FAST ACCESS TO COLLATERAL OPTIMISATION

LONDON, May 5 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- SmartStream Technologies, the financial Transaction Lifecycle Management (TLM^®) solutions provider, today announces a new solution, Eligibility API for Collateral Management Optimisation – a faster and more efficient way to get eligibility information contained within collateral agreements like CSA, GMRAs and OSLA’s, for both pre- and post-trade collateral optimisation.

With the impending UMR (Uncleared Margin Rules) phase 6 regulatory regime being implemented in September 2022, volumes of margin calls are expected to increase and there will be an inevitable squeeze on assets being pledged as collateral. This will result in a rise in demand for High Quality Liquid Assets (HQLA). In addition, with Interest rates forecast to rise – firms are looking at pre- and post-trade optimisation so as to efficiently use scarce HQLA and Cash. With this new solution SmartStream will provide firms with a way to publish eligible collateral for each legal agreement, which can then be consumed by their optimisation engines.

To achieve optimisation, a key component is the ability to access eligibility schedules from OTC and repo collateral systems quickly and easily. Seamlessly accessing what is eligible, and what haircuts apply to instruments across all agreements is fundamental. SmartStream’s new API allows fast and easy access to collateral, including the ability to upgrade seamlessly. In addition, the new solution allows the sourcing of eligibility information in real-time.

Jason Ang, Program Manager, Collateral Management, SmartStream, states: “We realise the UMR deadline is fast approaching, and we have made it easy for clients to deploy our new solution, and to manage future versions without the need for lengthy implementation projects. Furthermore, having a public API strategy, lowers the cost-of-ownership of the collateral solution. The demand for this new API is high and we are having conversations with the major banks on how they can use our eligibility to optimise their collateral in preparation for the future”.

SmartStream’s TLM Collateral Management is a comprehensive, automated data management solution that helps financial institutions lower the operational risks associated with collateral management programmes. It offers a variety of functions, with coverage for cleared and non-cleared, OTC derivatives margining, repo margining and securities lending margining.

End

Visit: www.smartstream-stp.com

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220504005070/en/ 

Contact

For further information:
Shamira Alidina, Media Relations Director, Dina Communications
Tel: +44 (0) 7801 590718
Email: shamira@dinacomms.com

Nathan Gee, Marketing Director, SmartStream
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7898 0630
Email: nathan.gee@smartstream-stp.com

Source : SmartStream Technologies

--BERNAMA

FOURKITES LAUNCHES UNIVERSAL APPOINTMENT MANAGER SOLUTION IN APAC TO EASE SUPPLY CHAIN LABOUR SHORTAGE WOES AND REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

Next-generation appointment booking application leverages real-time supply chain visibility to facilitate collaboration between shippers and carriers

CHENNAI, India, May 5 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FourKites^®, the #1 real-time supply chain visibility platform, today announced that it has launched Appointment Manager℠, its universal appointment booking solution, in India, Australia and New Zealand. The cloud-based solution helps warehouses, distribution centres and manufacturing facilities collaborate efficiently on pickup and receiving time slots, saving significant time and improving daily operations and partner relationships. In addition, the highly configurable solution allows shippers and carriers to eliminate excess dwell time on site, eliminating detention fees and significantly reducing carbon emissions.

Facility schedule management is a notoriously time-consuming task for shippers and carriers alike. With carrier dwell averaging over 3 hours per day, according to FourKites data, Appointment Manager improves facility productivity and reduces carrier wait time by more than 50%. Highly configurable for personalised requirements, Appointment Manager enables shippers and carriers to collaborate in real time, and allows carriers to self-book their preferred time based on real-time transit conditions, thereby eliminating hours of daily administrative work and error-prone manual processes.

Specifically, Appointment Manager offers the following benefits:

• Labour optimisation: Leveraging FourKites’ Dynamic ETA^® to provide the most accurate times of arrival, teams can better allocate labour and resources based on real-time data and shifts in expected arrival time.
• Ease and compliance with carrier scheduling: Appointment Manager creates a single appointment layer accessible to both shippers and carriers to streamline communication and facilitate collaboration. Time slots are created by the facility to ensure adherence to preferred scheduling, business rules and specific commodity requirements.
• True end-to-end visibility: Powered by real-time supply chain visibility data from FourKites, Appointment Manager extends visibility even further into the facility via one streamlined interface. With FourKites, stakeholders receive a comprehensive, end-to-end view of shipments from point of origin to predictive insights that help orchestrate activities in the facility.
• Diminished carrier detention costs: With optimised scheduling, carrier dwell on site can be virtually eliminated, helping shippers avoid detention fees and fines for truck queues on public roads.
• Reduced carbon emissions: Scheduling and operational efficiencies driven by Appointment Manager reduce time carriers spend in the yard by hours and eliminate a significant amount of on-site carbon dioxide emissions.

“We are excited to extend the easiest, most flexible appointment booking application to the APAC market,” said Mathew Elenjickal, FourKites Founder and CEO. “This groundbreaking solution helps shippers across the globe optimise end-to-end visibility, efficiency and sustainability, as well as adapt quickly as their business needs change. We’re thrilled to be launching Appointment Manager in Asia Pacific, specifically tailored to the needs of local facilities.”

About FourKites
FourKites^® is the #1 supply chain visibility platform in the world, extending visibility beyond transportation into yards, warehouses, stores and beyond. Tracking more than 2.5 million shipments daily across road, rail, ocean, air, parcel and courier, and reaching more than 200 countries, FourKites combines real-time data and powerful machine learning to help companies digitize their end-to-end supply chains. More than 1,000 of the world’s most recognized brands — including 9 of the top-10 CPG and 18 of the top-20 food and beverage companies — trust FourKites to transform their business and create more agile, efficient and sustainable supply chains. To learn more, visit https://www.fourkites.com/. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=43077

Pluribus Networks, Tech Data declare partnership in Asia Pacific & Japan

KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 (Bernama) -- Tech Data, a TD SYNNEX Company, and Pluribus Networks have announced a new partnership which will leverage Pluribus Networks’ unique vision of Unified Cloud Networking and their Unified Cloud Fabric™ solution to accelerate the digital and network transformation journey for customers across the Asia Pacific & Japan region.

“We are delighted to welcome Tech Data to the Pluribus Partners First Program as a distributor and to tap into Tech Data’s vast reach across the Asia Pacific &Japan region’s Channel Partner Community, while also complementing their existing solutions portfolio,” said Head of APAC Sales, Pluribus Networks, Nitin Acharekar in a statement.

“Both companies are aligned in our vision of incubating and growing disruptive technologies, as well as simplifying the go-to-market for all channel partners in the region.”

Meanwhile, Head of Business Development for Networking, Tech Data Asia Pacific & Japan, Anand Chakravarthy said: “We are excited to introduce Pluribus Networks’ Unified Cloud Fabric solution and Netvisor ONE networking operating system, which we predict will be game-changers for our data centre infrastructure customers and partners.”

The benefits of this new partnership include faster time-to-market & enriched data centre infrastructure offerings for all channel partners; easy access to Pluribus Networks’ uniquely differentiated network solutions; and, value-added services such as pre and post-sales support to partners and customers.

The Pluribus Unifi ed Cloud Fabric solution is a next generation data centre fabric that unifies and automates networking and distributed security across switches and servers, overlay and underlay networks and distributed cloud data centres.

Based on the principles of open networking, the SDN automated fabric reduces network operations tasks by orders of magnitude, strengthens data centre security with microsegmentation and enables pervasive network visibility, all at the lowest total cost of ownership.

-- BERNAMA