Photo courtesy of VIB

Bringing Front Arena onto cloud infrastructure further extends VIB’s cloud-first strategy to critical systems, while strengthening the capabilities of a business area in which the bank has established a solid market position. The new treasury and foreign exchange trading system enables VIB to expand transaction-processing capacity, increase automation, enhance real-time risk management, and support faster, more efficient expansion of treasury and foreign exchange activities, with stronger controls as the bank continues to scale.

Front Arena is a multi-asset trading and risk management platform developed by FIS, drawing on decades of experience serving financial institutions across global markets. The platform is designed to manage the full trade lifecycle – from trade execution, position, and risk management through post-trade processing – on a unified architecture.

This enables VIB to increase automation, shorten processing times, reduce manual data entry, transformation and reconciliation, and access information more promptly for faster decision-making, while supporting larger transaction volumes with more consistent controls.

Selecting Front Arena – a platform developed and proven at international scale – enables VIB to leverage FIS’s technology capabilities and accumulated market expertise in operating treasury and foreign exchange activities, positioning the bank to accommodate larger scale, more sophisticated products, and higher governance requirements in the next phase of development.

“VIB is entering the VIB 3.0 phase, developing at a larger scale, with higher governance requirements as markets become increasingly volatile and complex. Investing in a treasury and foreign exchange trading system powered by Front Arena is one step in our strategy to build the treasury and foreign exchange business capabilities required for the bank’s next stage of development. Building on the position we have established over many years, the new system will contribute to strengthening VIB’s ability to grow sustainably in the next stages ahead,” said Tran Chi Thanh, head of treasury at VIB.

Over the years, VIB has consistently strengthened its position among the leading banks in the capital markets, demonstrating agility and flexibility in trading government bonds and valuable papers issued by credit institutions. At the same time, the bank has continued to expand its foreign exchange trading volumes, ranking among the Top 2 in FX swap trading across the market. Revenue from structured products and derivatives recorded a compound annual growth rate of 45 per cent over 2020–2025.

Photo courtesy of VIB

In international markets, VIB has built its reputation through a network of partnerships with leading banks and financial institutions, while continuously expanding trade finance, international payments, and offshore funding activities. Having participated in the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Trade Finance Programme since 2009 and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) programme since 2011, VIB was recognised by ADB four times for its SME trade finance capabilities, in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019, and has received eight awards from the IFC for trade finance and excellence in issuing bank capabilities, most recently with the “Best GTFP Issuing Bank, East Asia and Pacific” award in 2026. In international funding, as of August 2026, VIB’s total offshore funding had exceeded $1.6 billion, reflecting the confidence of its partners and the bank’s ability to access international sources of capital.

Building on a market position established and consistently strengthened over many years, VIB is continuing to raise the standard of its treasury and foreign exchange capabilities for the next phase of development, with Front Arena representing one of the key investments aimed at advancing scale, market capabilities, and governance standards to a new level.

If Front Arena is the business platform, AWS is the cloud computing infrastructure that enables its deployment and operation. For the treasury and foreign exchange trading system, this combination further extends VIB’s “Mobile First – Cloud First – AI First” strategy to systems that directly generate business and management capabilities, enabling the bank to align technology resources with actual demand, and prepare for changes in transaction volumes and business scope in the next phase.

This can be seen in the way a foreign exchange transaction is processed: the front-office team is responsible for accurately recording the agreed terms – currency, amount, exchange rate, and settlement date; the control function uses the same data to monitor limits and risk before the transaction is approved; and the operations team then receives the transaction for confirmation and settlement processing. Each function has distinct roles and authorities over the same data set, providing the foundation for VIB to raise governance standards, not merely processing speed.

The value of a cloud model therefore does not come simply from infrastructure migration, but depends on how the organisation designs user access controls, monitors activities, and maintains appropriate control mechanisms as transaction volumes grow. The system’s actual effectiveness will continue to be assessed throughout its operation.

“With the treasury and foreign exchange trading system, Cloud First is not merely an infrastructure choice; it is how VIB creates greater scalability, operational capacity, and governance at a higher level, enabling technology to become an integral part of the bank’s growth capabilities,” said Tran Nhat Minh, deputy CEO in charge of Technology, VIB.

Eric Yeo, general manager of AWS Vietnam, said, “Financial institutions consistently demand the highest standards of security, resilience, and compliance for mission-critical systems. We are proud to partner with VIB on its journey to migrate the core systems supporting its treasury and foreign exchange operations to the cloud.”

VIB cards – from trendsetter to a card that grows with customers With more than one million credit cards, ranking among Top 3 market-wide card spending, and total transaction value exceeding $5 billion, VIB continues to reinforce its leading position in Vietnam’s card market.

VIB 30 years: from digital transactions to personalised banking experiences VIB is marking its 30-year journey as the bank moves from digital transactions to personalised banking experiences.

VIB scales up operating footprint over 30 years Across 30 years in the business, VIB has scaled up its operating footprint, strengthening its position across the banking landscape.

IKONIC is an experience-led lifestyle loyalty platform designed to deliver more personalised and rewarding journeys for shoppers. Photo: Keppel

IKONIC will initially be available at Saigon Centre, Estella Place and Hanoi Centre, and then progressively at other retail destinations managed by Keppel in Vietnam and across the region.

More than a conventional loyalty programme, IKONIC enables shoppers to earn and redeem rewards seamlessly through point-of-sale QR scanning. Its features include Mall Quest, which rewards members as they explore Keppel’s retail destinations, as well as exclusive access to events and offers tailored to their preferences.

Joseph Low, chief representative, Vietnam, president, Vietnam Real Estate and CEO, Retail, Real Estate, Keppel, said that the retail landscape is evolving rapidly, with consumers increasingly seeking more personalised and meaningful experiences.

“By creating more meaningful touchpoints between shoppers, brands and retail destinations, IKONIC aims to deepen customer engagement and loyalty while supporting tenant performance across malls managed by Keppel,” said Low.

A customer exploring the IKONIC application. Photo: Keppel

From September 26 to October 1, members can enjoy a launch privilege of 3X reward points on single receipts of VND500,000 or more at participating tenants, as well as other attractive gifts and offers.

During this period, shoppers can also participate in activities across Saigon Centre, Hanoi Centre and Estella Place, including beauty workshops, gaming experiences and exclusive member events.

More information about IKONIC can be found at ikonic.vn. The app is available for download on Android (bit.ly/4gnYhlm) and on iOS (apple.co/4bG0rKJ).

Launched on September 26, the project sits within one of Phu My Hung's most iconic destinations, bringing together commercial, financial, cultural, artistic, dining, entertainment, and community activities in an international urban centre.

Located at the heart of this vibrant area, Triton Crown enjoys a central position within a fully established and developed urban township. It is also the largest apartment and commercial podium project Phu My Hung has developed in The Crescent Lake area to date.

Covering approximately 1.2 hectares, Triton Crown is developed with site coverage of more than 58 per cent and a low-floor area ratio of only 4.68. The project comprises two towers with a limited total of 329 apartments and commercial units, ranging from one- to four-bedroom layouts to cater to diverse housing needs and family profiles.

The project’s scale and limited number of units are identified by the developer as key factors underpinning the constrained housing supply in the core area of The Crescent Lake.

The launch of Triton Crown also comes as Phu My Hung enters a new phase of development – Phu My Hung 2.0 – with plans to further expand its cultural, artistic, healthcare, commercial and service facilities, alongside inter-regional transport infrastructure. As the availability of residential land in the urban core becomes increasingly limited, the supply of new projects is likewise constrained.

According to Truong Quoc Hung, vice president of Phu My Hung Development Corporation, Triton Crown’s first defining value lies in its highly distinctive location - directly overlooking The Crescent Lake, at the heart of a fully established urban township.

“Residential land in the area is inherently limited, while the number of new projects and apartments that can be developed in the future is also expected to remain constrained,” Hung said.

“Therefore, owning an apartment at Triton Crown is about more than having a place to live. It is also about securing a long-term presence in the heart of Phu My Hung – where high-quality amenities and services are within easy reach, an international lifestyle unfolds just beyond the doorstep, while privacy and tranquillity are preserved when residents return home,” Hung added.

Despite its central location, Triton Crown has been developed with a focus on optimising energy and resource efficiency.

At the event, SGS - an organisation accredited to assess and certify Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE), presented four international EDGE green building certifications for the project and its commercial podium.

One of Triton Crown’s key features is an architectural language inspired by the water-based culture of southern Vietnam and the distinctive landscape of The Crescent Lake.

While Tower A takes inspiration from the curved lines of a yatch, Tower B opens up to panoramic views over The Crescent Lake. Photo: Phu My Hung

The project’s architectural design was advised by Handel Architects, an international architecture firm based in New York. Images of the water, the curves of The Crescent Lake, the movement of flowing currents, and yachts have been translated into soft architectural lines, giving the development a distinctive identity.

Triton Crown allocates approximately 1,200 square metres of floor space to dedicated amenities for residents, centred around two key experience groups: wellness, focused on health and recovery, and connection, encompassing social interaction, work, and leisure.

Tower A focuses on wellness, with a gym, yoga and dance studios, Pilates, infrared and red-light therapy sauna, and swimming pool. Tower B centres on connection and lifestyle, offering a library, private workspaces, a right-and-left-hand golf simulator, and skyline-facing dining space. Together, the amenities cater to exercise, relaxation, work, and family time.

On this occasion, the developer also unveiled two mock-up apartments, offering an initial look at the project’s living spaces, interior design, and finishing standards.

The three-bedroom apartment embodies 'Quiet Opulence', with sweeping 180-degree panoramic views overlooking Crescent Lake.

The two-bedroom apartment reflects 'Timeless Prestige', balancing aesthetics, functionality, and technology.

Triton Crown has attracted strong interest from prospective homebuyers. Photo: Phu My Hung

The arrival experience and internal circulation have also been given careful consideration. The open-air arrival lobby is designed in a hospitality-inspired style, meeting the standard of five- and six-star hotels, creating a seamless transition between the urban environment and residential space.

Triton Crown also provides a car parking ratio of more than one space per apartment. The basement features a clear height of up to 2.6 metres and is equipped with a smart parking guidance system to assist residents in locating and parking their vehicles.

Upon completion, Triton Crown is expected to be managed by Nihon Housing, a Japanese brand.

Alongside the professional management team, a smart building management system has been deployed to support the monitoring and management of the development’s technical systems.

According to Phu My Hung, combining technology with professional management services is intended to maintain operational quality, safety, and a consistent living experience for residents over the long term. The developer expects the discipline, attention to detail, and Japanese service standards to help maintain residents’ quality of life while preserving asset value over time.

From its location by The Crescent Lake, Triton Crown residents will have access to Phu My Hung’s established network of schools, healthcare facilities, retail, offices, services, cultural and artistic venues, and entertainment options.

The Crescent area brings together a range of public spaces, waterfront landscapes, as well as dining, retail, leisure, and recreational activities.

Under Phu My Hung 2.0, the urban ecosystem in the area is set to expand further with a range of new developments.

The Crescent Lake landscape is being upgraded into a destination for arts, festivals, and modern waterfront living, scheduled to operate in 2027.

The seven-storey C10-Phu My Hung Art Centre, spanning more than 24,000 sq.m. of floor area with an investment of approximately $30 million, will feature a theatre, art museum, library, and restaurants, with its opening scheduled for 2028.

The Tam Anh General Hospital system is also planned for the area, comprising two towers of 15 and 24 storeys with approximately 1,000 beds. The facility will focus on specialised fields including stem cell therapy, preventive healthcare, and longevity medicine.

By 2031, the 23-storey C1 complex, with nearly 100,000 sq.m. of floor area and an investment of approximately $150 million, is planned to comprise Grade A++ offices, a 5-star hotel, serviced apartments, and a commercial podium.

Together with the inter-regional transport network under development, these projects will add further urban, cultural, commercial, and service functions to The Crescent Lake area.

A key foundation of Triton Crown is Phu My Hung’s established urban ecosystem, which has attracted an international residential community from more than 40 countries and territories.

The area’s network of international and bilingual schools, including Saigon South International School and Korean, Japanese, Taipei, and Wellspring schools, contributes to a multicultural educational and living environment.

Phu My Hung's Triton Crown marks the next stage in the development of high-end residential offerings in the heart of the township, while further contributing to Phu My Hung’s evolving urban landscape as it enters a new phase of development.

Phu My Hung’s urban landscape in the years ahead. Photo: Phu My Hung

Phu My Hung receives two prestigious real estate awards Phu My Hung Urban Area has been named among the Top 10 Most Liveable Urban Areas in Vietnam at the second Vietnam National Real Estate Awards 2026.

Hong Hac City partners with EQuest, opens show home in Bac Ninh Hong Hac City has marked a significant milestone with the signing of a strategic partnership with EQuest Education Group and the opening of the Bespoke Collection show home, underscoring the project's progress and long-term development strategy.

The Bidor store showcases Segi Fresh's refreshed logo and visual identity, a redesigned layout, enhanced presentation of fresh categories and a more modern, organised and customer-friendly shopping environment.

Importantly, the concept introduced in Bidor will be adopted for future Segi Fresh store openings, while existing outlets will be progressively upgraded as part of the company's nationwide transformation.

"The opening in Bidor represents an important milestone for Segi Fresh as we introduce the next generation of our stores," said Mr. Chia Ah Keong, Chief Executive Officer of Segi Fresh.

"Our focus is to continue raising the standard of freshness, value and customer experience as we expand, while ensuring Segi Fresh remains relevant and accessible to the communities we serve."

At the heart of the refreshed concept remains Segi Fresh's commitment to freshness. Fresh products arrive daily from farms and the sea, while the retailer maintains its commitment to fresh chicken rather than thawed poultry, alongside fresh seafood for its customers.

Across its network, Segi Fresh sells more than 12 million kilograms of fresh seafood and over 14 million fresh chickens annually, reflecting expertise in fresh products that dates back to the beginnings of the business in 1984.

The newly opened outlet is Segi Fresh's second store in Bidor, strengthening its presence in the town while serving as the first showcase of the concept that will be progressively introduced across the wider network.

In conjunction with the opening, Segi Fresh also presented Pek Asnaf to selected recipients from the local community, reflecting the company's commitment to growing alongside the communities it serves.

The Bidor store is now open to customers, with opening promotions and activities beginning from 26 September 2026.

The Hidden Bottleneck in Cross-Functional Decision-Making

The HBR article opens with a tariff scenario that many global organizations will recognize: a CEO directs the company to pull forward inventory before a new tariff takes effect, yet weeks later the strategy remains unexecuted. After rounds of revisions and compromises among procurement, logistics, finance, legal, marketing, sales and merchandising, the company implements a patchwork of suboptimal actions.

The article argues that such breakdowns are not caused by bureaucracy or risk aversion, but by a basic limitation: "No single individual's brain can hold all the relevant information, constraints, and scenarios." Information is asymmetric, and issues and risks emerge one by one rather than all at once. Delays in executing cross-functional strategies, the authors argue, are "signals that the organization has exceeded its capacity to orchestrate decisions."

Even companies with task-based AI tools are still struggling, because most agents operate independently within functions. As the article notes, when specialized agents operate independently, "their outputs may conflict."

Xsight Group's Approach: Modular Decisions and Layered AI Orchestration

The HBR article identifies Xsight as one of two companies studied that achieved significant improvement in orchestration by dividing decisions into precise, well-defined tasks. This means specifying inputs, outputs, constraints and objectives of each task and standardizing information and assumptions so that procurement, logistics and finance all work from the same definitions.

With this as the basis, Xsight developed a multi-layered agentic AI orchestration system. At the task level, specialized AI agents handle contract analysis, demand forecasting and capacity planning. At the orchestration level, connectors verify that outputs stay within management-specified guardrails and route validated information across workflows, while a master AI orchestrator structures and coordinates the analyses and human input needed for enterprise decisions.

"This system is not designed to replace management in making final business decisions. Instead, it serves as an operational backbone that handles the heavy lifting of coordination, including task distribution, information synchronization, and conflict validation. By liberating managers from endless alignment meetings, we enable them to focus on high-order commercial judgment. The true value of human-AI collaboration lies in unlocking human experiential judgment to empower organizations to make faster, higher-quality collective decisions in the face of global market volatility," said by Lewis Chan, the founder and CEO of Xsight Group.

From Trade Enterprise to Open Industry Platform

Xsight Group's selection as an HBR research case reflects its long-term investment in cross-border supply chain infrastructure and its ongoing transformation. The group's core business, UX168, is a data-driven cross-border supply chain e-commerce platform serving more than 80 million end consumers globally through over 30 mainstream international sales channels, with R&D, operations and supply chain centers in Hong Kong SAR, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Huizhou, the United States, the Netherlands and Japan.

Over the past two decades, Xsight has built an extensive global supply chain network. The company laid its foundational manufacturing connections between 2009 and 2010 by establishing Shenzhen and Guangzhou subsidiaries, tapping into China's apparel, auto parts, and tools manufacturing clusters. Xsight then accelerated its international expansion with a U.S. overseas warehouse in 2013, followed by its entry into the Japanese market in 2017. The strategic footprint expanded further with the launch of a Netherlands fulfillment center in 2024. By 2025, Xsight marked a milestone by operationalizing a digital origin warehouse in Zhongshan alongside a 120,000-square-meter intelligent mega-warehouse in Huizhou. Powered by IoT, intelligent sorting, and predictive data forecasting, these facilities seamlessly connect manufacturing plants, digital platforms, and global distribution channels.

At the core of this operational excellence is the group's proprietary XsOS operating system, which standardizes and modularizes the entire business value chain. The system seamlessly integrates product selection, sampling, pricing, fulfillment, and marketing into an intelligent closed loop spanning data insights, product proposals, flexible manufacturing, and global warehousing. By transforming traditional workflows, XsOS has successfully doubled the company's new-product hit rate from 10% to over 20%, while consistently fueling a compound annual growth rate that exceeds 40% year-over-year.

With the rapid evolution of AI large language models, Lewis Chan has announced a new strategic upgrade for the group: transforming Xsight from a technology-enabled trading enterprise into an open, vertical industry digital supply chain platform, continuing to reshape global trade through data technology.

The RiskTech100 2027 is a leading industry recognition program that evaluates risk technology companies across a range of categories, assessing their capabilities, innovation, and impact on the broader risk management landscape. The Disruptor category, specifically, highlights organisations that push boundaries and introduce transformative approaches within their specific fields. Chartis analysts reviewed more than 900 companies and engaged with over 200 shortlisted vendors, with only 17 firms recognised as Disruptors.

Talking about the recognition John Ruthven, Chief Executive Officer, Nuix, said: "We're recognized as a disruptor because we bring unstructured data intelligence to risk and compliance. Risk infrastructure has traditionally been built on structured data, yet the information that now drives risk: email, documents, chat and voice, is precisely what conventional platforms can't read. Bringing intelligence to unstructured data at scale is what Nuix has done for 25 years. Nuix Neo carries that intelligence into the risk infrastructure layer, giving regulators, government agencies, and enterprises a foundation they can trust."

Being named a Disruptor in Risk Infrastructure by Chartis reflects the market impact of Nuix Neo, an integrated, AI-enabled Unstructured Data Intelligence platform that unifies large-scale patented data processing engine, with automation and orchestration in a single governed pipeline. With Linkurious graph intelligence integrated, Nuix Neo not only resolves entities it can visualise the connections between them. Providing the intelligence that underpins modern investigations, compliance, and fraud detection so that regulators, government agencies, corporations and professional services firms can surface insight from vast volumes of structured and unstructured in a defensible, auditable way.

Risk Infrastructure is the layer beneath risk and compliance decisions, the data foundation that determines whether analytics and AI can be trusted. Risk signals are typically scattered across different systems, and much of the information that matters is unstructured: email, documents, chat and voice that conventional risk platforms cannot read.

The RiskTech100^® 2027 rankings and category winners were announced on 24 September at RiskLive North America in New York, alongside the RiskTech100^® 2027 Virtual Conference and the publication of the full RiskTech100^® 2027 report. Read the full report: https://www.chartis-research.com/market-analysis/7947547/risktech100r-2027-ranking-and-award-winners or visit: https://www.chartis-research.com/.

For further information, please visit https://www.nuix.com

An internationally recognized management system standard, ISO/IEC 42001 provides a structured framework for managing AI-related risks while promoting responsible governance, transparency, accountability and security throughout the AI lifecycle.

Within this certified management system, GRAVTY® brings together six Agentic Systems designed to help loyalty programs continuously sense, analyze, decide, act and learn:

• Program Intelligence System: Transforms program data into actionable insights, forecasts and strategic recommendations.
• Personalization System: Orchestrates individualized offers and experiences at scale.
• Growth and Retention System: Identifies opportunities to acquire, engage, retain and grow customers.
• Commerce and Experience System: Connects loyalty, commerce and customer experiences across the loyalty ecosystem.
• Trust and Risk System: Detects anomalies, mitigates fraud and strengthens program integrity.
• Productivity and Workflow System: Automates complex operational workflows and augments human decision-making.

"Agentic AI marks a fundamental shift from systems that provide intelligence to systems that interpret conditions, recommend strategies, take coordinated action and learn from outcomes," said Kalpak Shah, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Loyalty Juggernaut. "ISO/IEC 42001 certification validates the rigorous management system behind our AI innovation, giving clients greater confidence that GRAVTY®'s AI capabilities are developed and deployed with strong governance, transparency, security, accountability and human oversight."

"AI will play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of loyalty, but innovation must go hand in hand with trust and responsible governance," said Dr. Nejib Ben Khedher, Head of Emirates Skywards. "Loyalty Juggernaut's ISO/IEC 42001 certification provides an important level of assurance as we explore next-generation capabilities within GRAVTY®. Ultimately, our focus is on using AI to create greater value for our members while ensuring that transparency, accountability and trust remain at the heart of how we innovate."

The certification builds on Loyalty Juggernaut's broader commitment to enterprise-grade security, privacy, reliability and responsible innovation.

A recurring theme on the floor, especially in Thailand, Indonesia and neighbouring markets: many small gas fields and biogas projects clear the geology long before they clear the economics. Much of that gas is stranded not by thin reserves, but by an off-spec composition a conventional train cannot take.

Endurance Energy presented one answer: move the complexity into the factory. Desulfurization, decarbonization, dehydration and mercury removal are integrated with the liquefaction unit into standardized skids. Shipped complete and commissioned quickly on site, they make phased small-field development viable on engineering and economic terms for the first time.

"Small-scale projects rarely fail on engineering," said David Li, the company's Global Business Development Group Vice president. "They fail on schedule, and on who answers when something stops."

The same logic runs across the stand: LNG liquefaction plants, LNG/L-CNG integrated skids, box-type refueling units, mobile CNG equipment and hydrogen solutions, all built to one path: factory prefabrication, whole-station delivery, fast commissioning.

Beyond Southeast Asia, Endurance Energy has an African track record verifiable on the ground. As a core supplier to Nigeria's Abuja CNG Hub programme, it delivers the full equipment package, from compression for CNG mother stations and refueling sub-systems to station integration, plus technical teams for installation, commissioning, O&M standards and local training.

In May, a hub station it supplied entered commercial operation, with the first batch of equipment running stably. Several Nigerian companies have since expressed a clear intent to cooperate.

The company operates 500+ overseas refueling stations across 15+ countries, demonstrating how modular design and localized service accelerate clean energy adoption.

For more information, visit www.endurance-energy.com.

Some destinations have a way of calling travelers back for more. The chance to discover new attractions, revisit fond favorites, or simply enjoy the familiar surroundings keeps travelers booking again and again. Agoda's data shows that these beloved places often attract repeat visits, with some travelers returning multiple times in just the first half of the year.

Tokyo's rise to number one reflects its unique ability to offer something new with each visit, from seasonal spectacles like cherry blossoms to hidden neighborhoods and an unmatched culinary scene. Bangkok, ranking second, continues to captivate with its unparalleled wellness experiences, world-class dining, and cultural landmarks. Bali's climb to third place underscores the island's magnetic appeal with its irresistible beaches, spiritual retreats, and lush landscapes that enchant travelers time and again.

This year's ranking also reveals the rising appeal of Japan and Vietnam as increasingly popular places people love to revisit. Beyond Tokyo's ascent to the top, Fukuoka has entered the top 10 for the first time at number eight, signaling travelers' desire to explore beyond Japan's traditional tourist hubs to experience Fukuoka's renowned ramen culture and laid-back atmosphere. Meanwhile, Vietnam's Da Nang has climbed two spots to sixth place, with its stunning beaches, proximity to UNESCO sites like Hoi An, and excellent value drawing visitors back repeatedly.

Andrew Smith, senior Vice President, Supply at Agoda, shared, "Asia is home to so many destinations that are worth revisiting, and what we're seeing is that travelers are building relationships with their favorite cities. The shift with Tokyo's rise to number one and destinations like Fukuoka and Da Nang gaining ground show that travelers are finding new reasons to return, whether it's seasonal attractions, undiscovered neighborhoods, or simply great food. At Agoda, we're here to make those return trips easy and rewarding."

For travelers looking to revisit their favorite destinations or discover new ones, Agoda offers over 6 million holiday properties, more than 130,000 flight routes, and over 300,000 activities, all of which can be combined in a single booking. Visit the website at www.Agoda.com or download the mobile app for the best deals.

IBS affects approximately 10%–15% of the global population, while more than 10 million people live with IBD. Chronic abdominal pain is a major burden for patients with IBS and can persist in some patients with IBD even when standard therapies control their underlying inflammation. Despite available treatments, additional options that provide sustained pain relief and are suitable for long-term use remain an unmet clinical need. According to BCC Research, the global IBS and IBD therapeutics market is projected to reach US$52.6 billion by 2030.

KQTD-126 targets the TRK family of receptors (TRKA, TRKB, and TRKC), which directly regulate nerve activity and pain-signal amplification in the gut. While inhibiting these pathways can effectively manages this pain, TRK receptors also operate throughout the central nervous system. Consequently, traditional systemic TRK inhibitors carry a high risk of neurological side effects. A viable chronic pain treatment must therefore confine its activity strictly to the gastrointestinal tract.

Achieving this precise biological profile required navigating a vast chemical space to balance target affinity and kinase selectivity with properties governing tissue distribution. To resolve these competing design objectives, XtalPi leveraged its generative and predictive AI models integrated with its fleet of automated chemistry robots. This closed-loop process of computational design, automated synthesis, empirical screening, and molecular refinement allowed the company to iterate across structural variants and achieve robust gut restriction while preserving strong target activity and selectivity.

In preclinical studies, KQTD-126 achieved pan-TRK inhibition at sub-nanomolar concentrations (IC₅₀ < 1 nM) and maintained high selectivity over other kinases. The candidate also demonstrated a gut tissue-to-blood exposure ratio exceeding 1,000:1. Together, these findings support KQTD-126's development as a locally acting treatment intended to deliver sustained pain relief with a wider therapeutic window.

KQTD-126 is the first program in XtalPi's proprietary pipeline to reach an IND submission since the portfolio was unveiled in the company's recent interim results. As a global scientific utility platform, XtalPi draws on a shared foundation of quantum physics, AI, and robotics to deliver discovery capabilities spanning small molecules, antibodies, peptides, siRNA therapeutics, and molecular glues. This comprehensive infrastructure empowers the company and its partners to pursue high-value targets using the modality best suited to the underlying biology. By advancing internal assets alongside established collaborations, XtalPi maximizes the impact of its technology to resolve complex drug design challenges and deliver transformative therapies for patients worldwide.

The evaluation of IBI363/TAK-928 in non-squamous NSCLC will be conducted as a new substudy of MarsLight-11, a global, multicenter, randomized, controlled Phase 3 study. MarsLight-11 will therefore be comprised of two independent substudies—one in squamous NSCLC and the other in non-squamous NSCLC. Each substudy will evaluate the efficacy and safety of IBI363 monotherapy versus docetaxel in patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC whose disease has progressed during or after treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy and anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy.

About IBI363 /TAK-928 (alpha-biased IL-2/PD-1 Bispecific Fusion Protein)

IBI363/TAK-928 is a potential first-in-class alpha-biased IL-2/PD-1 bispecific fusion protein being co-developed by Innovent and Takeda. It functions by both blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway and selectively activating the IL-2 pathway. The IL-2 arm of IBI363/TAK-928 is designed to maintain its affinity for IL-2Rα while reducing binding to IL-2Rβ and IL-2Rγ, with the aim of minimizing toxicity. The PD-1 binding arm not only blocks PD-1 but also selectively delivers IL-2 to the tumor.

IBI363/TAK-928 is being evaluated in a series of clinical trials globally, including

• a pivotal Phase II study in China in previously untreated acral and mucosal melanoma
• a global multi-center Phase III trial in immunotherapy-resistant squamous and non-squamous NSCLC
• a pivotal Phase III study in China in advanced CRC refractory or intolerant to standard therapy.
• In parallel, multiple Phase Ib/II trials are evaluating IBI363/TAK-928 in NSCLC and CRC including the first-line and later line settings, and in additional tumor types.

IBI363/TAK-928 has received two Fast Track Designations (FTD) from the U.S. FDA and three Breakthrough Therapy Designations (BTD) from China NMPA so far.

In October 2025, Innovent entered into a license and collaboration agreement with Takeda, under which Innovent and Takeda will co-develop IBI363 (Takeda R&D code: TAK-928) globally and co-commercialize IBI363/TAK-928 in the U.S., and Takeda will exclusively commercialize IBI363/TAK-928 worldwide other than the U.S. and greater China.

For more information, visit www.innoventbio.com, or follow Innovent on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Statement: (1)Innovent does not recommend the use of any unapproved drug (s)/indication (s).

(2) Ramucirumab Injection (Cyramza^®), Selpercatinib Capsules (Retsevmo^®), Pirtobrutinib Tablets (Jaypirca^®) and abemaciclib (Verzenios^®) are products discovered and developed by Eli Lilly.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements that are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties. The words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to Innovent, are intended to identify certain of such forward-looking statements. Innovent does not intend to update these forward-looking statements regularly.

These forward-looking statements are based on the existing beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates, projections and understandings of the management of Innovent with respect to future events at the time these statements are made. These statements are not a guarantee of future developments and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond Innovent's control and are difficult to predict. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of future changes or developments in our business, Innovent's competitive environment and political, economic, legal and social conditions.

With the theme “Opportunity Amid Uncertainty” the forum will analyse the industrial real estate market amid global transformations, clarify Vietnam's regional investment and supply chain map, and identify emerging growth opportunities.

At the forum, Lee Ark Boon, CEO, Sembcorp Development will deliver the keynote address. The forum then follow continue with three discussion panels.

“Vietnam in the Global Manufacturing Realignment” will examine where Vietnam stands among the global reconfiguration of manufacturing, what will determine Vietnam’s position in this new cycle, and whether the country has what it takes to remain a preferred destination for the next generation of foreign direct investment (FDI).

"Next-Generation Industrial Parks – From Land Banks to Operational Excellence" will explore how industrial parks (IP) developers need to redesign their products and what capabilities they must provide to attract tenants, retain them, and support their expansion.

“Building Competitive Advantage for Next-Generation Industrial Parks” will explore what kind of ecosystem can turn the vision for next-generation IPs into genuine and sustainable operational capabilities.

The organising committee will honour the winners of the “For a Green Future - VIPF Green Future Awards.” This annual awards recognises not only IP developers with sustainable and eco-industrial operations, and secondary investors with green providers, but also solutions in technology, energy, materials, and green manufacturing that contribute to sustainable development.

The awards aim to encourage developers and tenants that adopt green growth strategies, utilise clean energy, develop sustainable infrastructure, and apply smart water and resource management within their ecosystems, thereby advancing the country's sustainability agenda.

On the sidelines of the forum, the organisers will also host an exhibition and networking sessions for IP developers, technology providers, and investors to showcase products, share insights, and explore partnership opportunities.

Moving beyond discussions in the conference hall, the forum will bring participants closer to the realities of the market through a site tour to Thanh Thanh Cong IP in Tay Ninh province on September 30, offering delegates an opportunity to gain first-hand insights into the IP’s development and operations.

Vietnam Industrial Property Forum 2025: “Embracing Change. Positioned To Lead” The 5th Vietnam Industrial Property Forum (VIPF 2025), co-organised by Vietnam Investment Review and the Vietnam Industrial Real Estate Association (VIREA) under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance, will take place in Ho Chi Minh City on the afternoon of October 29 at The Reverie Saigon hotel.

VIPF 2025 highlights Vietnam’s evolving real estate landscape The fifth Vietnam Industrial Property Forum (VIPF 2025) opened in Ho Chi Minh City on October 29, bringing together policymakers, experts, and industry leaders to discuss the latest developments and emerging trends in Vietnam’s industrial real estate sector.

Smarter, greener, and resilient IPs The next wave of foreign investment will be won by industrial ecosystems that are smarter, greener, and more resilient, industry leaders have said.

Announced on September 25, the five-year, unsecured facility will see Nam A Bank prioritise funding for green ventures while expanding lending to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

The loan supports key sectors including agriculture, agricultural value chains, and rural development, as well as farming households and businesses owned by women or young entrepreneurs.

The agreement enables customer groups with considerable demands – yet limited financial means – to access capital at reasonable costs. At the same time, it will help businesses realise their goals of reducing emissions, addressing climate change, and transitioning to sustainable production models. Prioritising support for women- and youth-led initiatives also fosters gender equality, lays the groundwork for comprehensive development, and spreads positive social values.

Vo Hoang Hai, deputy CEO of Nam A Bank. Photo courtesy of Nam A Bank

Vo Hoang Hai, deputy CEO of Nam A Bank, said, "The financing from FMO will be directed towards customer groups that still have considerable unmet financing needs, allowing the bank to expand its social impact alongside its green growth objectives. It is also the result of years of building credibility and reflects Nam A Bank's strategy of diversifying its international funding sources."

Frouke Hoekstra, director of Financial Institutions at FMO, said, "The partnership with Nam A Bank combines two key priorities of FMO, including advancing the green transition and expanding access to finance for underserved businesses. By providing long-term financing for green ventures, MSMEs, including women- and youth-owned businesses, we aim to support a more sustainable and inclusive private sector in Vietnam," she said.

Frouke Hoekstra, director of Financial Institutions at FMO. Photo courtesy of Nam A Bank

Hanna Pors, deputy consul general of the Netherlands in Ho Chi Minh City, said, “The bilateral cooperation between Vietnam and Netherlands is increasingly moving from experience sharing towards developing long-term solutions for sustainable development. Green finance is becoming one of the key drivers for realising this vision.”

She highly appreciated Nam A Bank’s strategic direction of strengthening connections with the international financial community and progressively enhancing its capabilities to meet the increasingly rigorous demands of sustainable finance and the rapidly changing domestic economy.

“The agreement marks a milestone in the partnership between the parties while establishing a platform for channelling capital, knowledge, networks, and international expertise into concrete development opportunities in Vietnam. Hopefully, the cooperation among the parties continue expanding over the long term and generating greater value, helping turn sustainability goals from strategic-level commitments into tangible, impactful outcomes that can create broader positive effects across Vietnam’s economy,” she noted.

On September 22, the Embassy of the Netherlands in Vietnam and FMO held a high-level forum focused on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risk management for bank leaders. The event convened senior executives from FMO's partner banks to share best practices on incorporating ESG into board-level decisions, reinforcing the sustainable development direction of both parties ahead of the financing agreement.

The partnership with FMO marks the next step in Nam A Bank's ongoing strategy to expand its inflow of international green capital. On September 9, Nam A Bank also signed a $30 million credit agreement with Proparco, the development finance institution of the French Development Agency. The bank continues to affirm its position as one of the leading financial institutions in Vietnam in securing international green capital.

In recent years, Nam A Bank has expanded its green credit portfolio and integrated an Environmental and Social Management System into its lending operations. International financing has supported longer-term funding for renewable energy, high-tech agriculture, and SMEs, underscoring confidence among international financial institutions in the bank's financial strength and commitment to sustainable development.

FMO is the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank. As an impact investor, it supports sustainable private sector growth in developing countries and emerging markets by investing in ambitious projects and entrepreneurs. FMO believes a strong private sector drives economic and social development, with more than 55 years of experience helping entrepreneurs make local economies more inclusive, productive, resilient, and sustainable.

FMO focuses on three sectors with high development impact: agribusiness, food and water, energy, and financial institutions. With a committed portfolio of over $18.2 billion spanning more than 85 countries, FMO is one of the larger bilateral private sector development banks globally.

Nam A Bank partners with ADB to promote trade finance Nam A Bank has joined the Asian Development Bank's Trade and Supply Chain Finance Programme (TSCFP), strengthening its trade finance capabilities and expanding its international reach.

Nam A Bank secures green capital from Switzerland, bringing international fundraising to nearly $350 million Nam A Bank signed an international credit agreement with SIFEM AG and secured additional capital from funds managed by responsAbility Investments AG, raising the total mobilised capital since the beginning of the year to nearly $350 million.

Nam A Bank successfully raises $30 million in international funding from Proparco Nam A Bank has signed a $30 million credit agreement with Proparco, the development finance institution of the French Development Agency.

The meetings took place in Ottawa on September 25, as part of Party General Secretary and State President To Lam's state visit to Canada. They opened new opportunities to attract international capital for Vietnam's private sector and sustainable development projects.

At the courtesy meeting, Minister Tuan and Minister Champagne discussed orientations for financial and development cooperation in the period ahead.

The two ministers stressed the importance of translating the contents of the Action Plan into concrete measures to implement the joint declaration on upgrading bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership. Financial cooperation will serve as one of the important pillars, providing a solid foundation for promoting trade and investment and supporting the economic transformation of both countries.

On the occasion, Minister Tuan invited Minister Champagne to visit Vietnam and attend the APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting in 2027, expressing his hope that the two finance ministries would maintain regular exchanges and close coordination to deepen economic and financial cooperation and deliver practical benefits to businesses and individuals in both countries.

Minister Ngo Van Tuan and the leadership of FinDev Canada. Photo: Ha Linh

Continuing his working programme, Minister Tuan held a productive meeting with Nick Anstett, vice-president and chief strategy officer of FinDev Canada, the development finance institution of the government of Canada.

The two sides discussed ways to support Vietnam in achieving its development goals through private-sector investment, particularly in climate finance, sustainable infrastructure, energy transition, and climate-resilient agriculture.

Opening the meeting, he outlined Vietnam’s new development context, with the country seeking to maintain high economic growth while pursuing the green transition, developing clean energy, and strengthening the competitiveness of the private sector.

To achieve these goals, Vietnam has significant demand for long-term investment capital at reasonable costs, particularly in key areas including:

• Strategic transport infrastructure, including seaport development and modern logistics infrastructure;
• Energy and climate, including the clean energy transition and development of climate finance; and
• Sustainable agriculture, with a focus on building a smart agricultural sector capable of flexibly adapting to climate change.

Minister Tuan encouraged FinDev Canada to expand its investment in Vietnam while strengthening substantive links with commercial banks, investment funds, and domestic businesses to identify and develop a pipeline of projects that meet international standards.

In response, Anstett spoke highly of the potential and prospects of the Vietnamese market, particularly recognising Vietnam’s pioneering role in climate finance in Southeast Asia.

Anstett said that in 2025, FinDev Canada successfully made two investments, each worth $75 million, through VPBank and HDBank. The financing packages have contributed to supporting green credit, sustainable agriculture, and Vietnam’s private business sector.

Affirming that Vietnam would remain one of the institution’s priority markets under its five-year strategy, Anstett expressed an interest in expanding investment into high-tech industries and essential infrastructure, including:

• Modernising the national power grid and energy storage systems;
• Developing sustainable infrastructure; and
• Encouraging greater participation by Canadian businesses, investment funds, and major pension funds in key projects in Vietnam.

At the end of the meeting, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and FinDev Canada agreed on a specific coordination mechanism to accelerate the implementation of projects in the coming period.

Under the mechanism, FinDev Canada will provide detailed information on its lending standards and eligibility requirements, technical assistance packages, and criteria for equity and share investments by the institution.

Based on these criteria, the MoF will serve as a bridge between the two sides, coordinating the selection and introduction of a pipeline of potential projects that align with Vietnam’s socioeconomic development objectives and fully meet the international standards set by FinDev Canada.

The meeting concluded in a friendly atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding, laying a solid foundation for further strategic financial cooperation agreements between Vietnam and Canada in the near future.

Machinery and high-tech goods takes Vietnam’s exports to Canada beyond $5 billion Vietnam’s exports to Canada surpassed $5 billion in the first seven months, driven by strong gains in machinery, electronics and high-tech products amid evolving supply chains.

Air transport agreement between Canada and Vietnam expanded Air Canada on September 24 welcomed the government of Canada’s announcement of an expanded air transport agreement with Vietnam.

Vietnam and Canada announce Strategic Partnership Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney have announced a joint statement on the Strategic Partnership between Canada and Vietnam.

IASO206 is designed to generate functional BCMA-directed CAR-T cells directly in patients following a single intravenous infusion, eliminating the need for ex vivo cell manufacturing and lymphodepleting chemotherapy. The results were presented by Dr. Wenqiang Yan of the Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, during a late-breaking oral session at the IMS Annual Meeting^[1] (Abstract No. LBA-11).

Patient Baseline and Study Design

This investigator-initiated trial (IIT) enrolled patients with R/R MM who had received at least two prior lines of therapy and had relapsed or refractory disease following treatment with proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulatory agents, and/or anti-CD38 antibodies.

As of September 26, 2026, a total of 10 patients had received IASO206. Patients had received a median of three prior lines of therapy (range, 2–8); 70% were triple-class exposed, 90% had high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities, and 70% had ultra-high-risk cytogenetic features.

Three dose levels were evaluated, expressed in transducing units (TU): 1×10⁸, 3×10⁸, and 9×10⁸ TU.

Robust In Vivo Expansion and Deep Clinical Responses

Pharmacokinetic analyses demonstrated robust expansion of CAR-positive cells in the absence of lymphodepleting chemotherapy. Peak vector copy number (VCN) occurred between Days 12 and 21 and most remained detectable beyond 60 days and up to six months after treatment.

Among the 10 efficacy-evaluable patients, the objective response rate (ORR) was 90% (9/10), including three stringent complete responses (sCRs). The minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity rate was 90%. One patient in the low-dose cohort who did not achieve MRD negativity still benefit with a very good partial response (VGPR). In the high-dose cohort, both the ORR and MRD negativity rate reached 100%. Follow-up remains limited, and responses in several patients continued to deepen over time.

Manageable Safety Profile

IASO206 demonstrated an overall manageable safety profile. No dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs), immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), or treatment-related deaths were reported.

Infusion-related reactions were mild and consisted primarily of fever, chills, or rigors. All resolved on the day of infusion with standard supportive care.

Two patients experienced no CRS, seven patients experienced Grade 1 CRS, and one patient experienced Grade 2 CRS. The median duration of CRS was 2.5 days (range, 1–3 days).

Most Grade ≥3 hematologic toxicities were recovered within a relatively short period following treatment. Two patients experienced Grade ≥3 viral infections due to hypogammaglobulinemia, both of whom recovered following IVIG treatment.

Conclusion

The first-in-human data from IASO206 demonstrated that a single intravenous administration, without lymphodepleting chemotherapy, could generate functional BCMA-directed CAR-T cells in vivo. IASO206 showed encouraging anti-myeloma activity together with an overall manageable safety profile, supporting its continued clinical development and further evaluation of the optimal dose.

Professor Gang An, Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

"Patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma who have failed multiple lines of therapy, particularly those with triple-class exposure and high-risk disease, continue to face a poor prognosis and substantial unmet medical need.

"As an in vivo CAR-T cell therapy, IASO206 is administered as a single intravenous infusion without the need for apheresis or lymphodepleting chemotherapy. In this first-in-human study, IASO206 achieved a 90% objective response rate and a 90% MRD negativity rate, with both rates reaching 100% in the high-dose cohort.

"Notably, this was a particularly high-risk patient population: 90% had high-risk and 70% had ultra-high-risk cytogenetic features. Some patients also had adverse biological characteristics, including concurrent loss of TP53 and RB1 or low BCMA expression, which are associated with aggressive disease and poor prognosis. Despite these challenging baseline characteristics, meaningful clinical benefit was observed across the study population, providing encouraging preliminary evidence of the therapeutic potential of IASO206. With continued follow-up, we look forward to further characterizing the depth and durability of response."

Yongke Zhang, MD, PhD, chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President, IASO Bio

"The selection of IASO206's first-in-human data for a late-breaking oral presentation at this year's IMS Annual Meeting represents another important milestone in the clinical translation of InTelliCAR™, IASO Bio's proprietary in vivo CAR-T platform, following U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance of the Investigational New Drug application for IASO208.

"The first-in-human study of IASO206 has provided encouraging preliminary evidence that deep antitumor responses can be achieved with an overall manageable safety profile, even in a heavily pretreated R/R MM population enriched for high-risk and ultra-high-risk cytogenetic abnormality. These findings provide an important foundation for further characterizing the dose–response and dose–safety relationships and for determining the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D).

"IASO Bio has established a broad portfolio of investigational therapies based on the InTelliCAR™ platform. We will continue to advance the clinical development of IASO206, IASO208, and subsequent pipeline candidates while exploring their potential across additional disease settings. By combining the potential for efficacy with manageable toxicity and reduced treatment complexity, in vivo CAR-T therapy may ultimately enable CAR-T treatment to move beyond later-line settings and be evaluated earlier in the treatment paradigm, including potentially in first-line disease."

Khoi Le, country director of Meta Vietnam. Image courtesy of Meta Vietnam

Khoi Le: Adoption is already broad and moving fast. Around 96 per cent of small businesses surveyed in Vietnam say they are using AI in some form, and six in 10 want more training for their staff on the technology.

That appetite matters because small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) stand to gain the most from AI, given how much it can do for a business that does not have large teams or big budgets. AI can absorb tasks that once required significant resources to handle manually, freeing owners to focus on growth rather than day-to-day operations.

Vietnam has a genuine opportunity to build on its agentic social commerce model the same way social commerce itself took root here. That is also a chance for SMEs to scale and reach more customers as AI takes on work that used to demand far more manpower.

Vietnamese consumers increasingly expect fast, highly personalised interactions with brands. How do you see AI reshaping the customer journey?

Khoi Le: Messaging is already central to how people in Vietnam shop. About 83 per cent of those surveyed say messaging is their preferred way to reach a business, and 61 per cent message a company every day. At the same time, close to 86 per cent want personalised messages or offers tailored to them, yet 70.2 per cent say they already receive too many irrelevant messages from businesses.

That tension is precisely where AI agents add value. Rather than sending more messages, businesses need to send the right ones, at the right moment, to the right customer. With Meta’s ecosystem of AI-powered tools, a business can run part or all of its sales process on Facebook and Messenger, including payment. Our Pay by Bank feature lets customers settle an order directly inside Messenger through banking apps and e-wallets such as ACB, BIDV, MBBank, Techcombank, MoMo, and ZaloPay and businesses can train their AI agent to guide that final step.

In your view, what are the main barriers preventing businesses, particularly SMEs, from integrating AI into their daily operations?

Khoi Le: Cost is a common concern, and it is worth noting that Meta Business Agent is currently offered free of charge across our platforms. Our approach is to make AI tools accessible to businesses of every size, so nobody is priced out of the benefits.

Beyond cost, the more useful mindset shift is to focus on returns rather than expense. Businesses should ask whether AI is lifting order volumes or revenue growth, conversion rate, operating efficiency, and build their investment plans around those outcomes.

Nguyen Viet Anh, chief technology officer of PMAX. Image courtesy of Meta Vietnam

Viet Anh: Many SMEs still lack a standardised operating process for sales and customer service. Without that foundation, there is nothing concrete to train an AI agent on, and no benchmark to judge whether the deployment is succeeding. Building that structure first is often the real barrier, more than the technology itself.

How will AI change the roles of sales and marketing staff?

A glimpse of the internview. Image courtesy of Meta Vietnam

Khoi Le: AI is changing marketing roles from execution towards design and continuous system improvement. Take livestream shopping as an example, where hosts and AI can complement each other well.

The host focuses on content, engagement and drawing in viewers, while AI handles the messages, product questions and order confirmations that spike once interest builds.

The goal during a livestream is not simply attracting a large audience; it is not losing the buyers hidden inside that audience. A stream can draw huge viewership, but if messages go unanswered during peak interest, that opportunity is wasted.

AI extends a business’s capacity to respond the moment a customer signals intent, while people remain essential for the parts of the interaction that need nuance and expertise.

Viet Anh: AI is moving staff from an 'operating' role to a 'building and upgrading' one. Instead of handling repetitive tasks like answering individual customer messages, teams can use AI to analyse thousands of queries, pinpoint core issues, design new solutions, and refine them continuously.

That also means SMEs can scale without simply adding headcount. So instead of serving 50 customers, one person can now serve 100, 200 or 300, and not just in volume but at higher quality because they can spend time deepening the solution.

Could you share a few success stories of Vietnamese businesses effectively leveraging Meta’s AI-powered business and messaging solutions?

Khoi Le: ELSA Speak, the AI-powered English learning app, combined Meta Business Agent on Messenger with click-to-Messenger ads to better filter potential customers and support users in markets where it does not yet have a local service team.

Drawing on ELSA Speak’s own customer support knowledge base, the agent guided users from initial questions through to signing up. The results were a 26 per cent rise in qualified leads, an 18 per cent drop in cost per qualified lead, and a 32 per cent increase in average order value.

HADAKI, a Vietnamese e-commerce brand specialising in sportswear and protective gear, used Meta Business Agent on Messenger to handle a large volume of customer enquiries and automate its sales advisory process.

The brand saw its conversion rate rise 20 per cent, doubled its message-handling capacity, and lifted average order value thanks to fast, accurate support available around the clock.

Heading into the peak year-end shopping season, how should businesses leverage AI and conversational commerce tools to capture surging consumer demand?

Khoi Le: Vietnam’s shopping calendar has stretched into an extended period of high intent, running from Mega Sales Days such as 10.10, 11.11 and 12.12 through year-end and into Lunar New Year, which 85 per cent of shoppers cite as the country’s dominant occasion. That means businesses need to sustain engagement across the whole stretch, not just react to a single sales day.

This is precisely when an AI agent proves its worth, since it can absorb the surge in enquiries that comes with peak shopping periods, answer questions, recommend products and support sales conversations using content the business already has, all while remaining available around the clock and handing over to a human team when needed.

More than one million businesses already use Meta Business Agents every week on WhatsApp and Messenger for exactly this purpose.

My advice for businesses preparing for Mega Sales Days, year-end shopping and Lunar New Year is to start testing AI-powered solutions now, learn what resonates with their own customers, and treat this season as a chance to convert short-term shopping intent into longer-term growth.

AI agents pave way for greener exports AI agents are emerging as a driving force helping Vietnamese businesses optimise operations, reduce emissions, meet green standards, and strengthen their competitiveness in international markets.

AWS ramps up security tools amid growing AI risks As AI moves rapidly from experimentation into production, Amazon Web Services is expanding its security portfolio to help businesses manage emerging risks while scaling AI capabilities.

USTDA funds study for major Vietnam AI data centre campus The US Trade and Development Agency is supporting the development of the Stavian Digital Park, an AI data centre campus in Vietnam.

Vietnam’s finance sector moves to build an AI-driven digital ecosystem As digital systems across taxation, customs, the State Treasury, and securities become increasingly connected, Vietnam's finance sector is turning to AI and advanced data analytics to extract greater value from its expanding digital infrastructure.

Real-World Patient Population: Heavily Pretreated, with Prominent High-Risk Features

This multicenter real-world study enrolled 281 patients with plasma cell neoplasms treated at multiple centers across China since the launch of FUCASO in June 2023.

Enrolled patients had a median age of 61 years (range 30–82 years; 18.7% ≥70 years) and a median of 4 prior lines of therapy, up to a maximum of 12 lines. 84.0% had received prior anti-CD38 therapy, 27.4% were penta-exposed, and 46.9% had previously undergone autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT); meanwhile, 82.4% had any high-risk cytogenetic abnormality (HRCA), 50.5% were ISS stage III, 7.8% had plasma cell leukemia (PCL), and 47.0% had extramedullary disease (EMD) of varying degrees.

Deep and Durable Responses

Among the 267 efficacy-evaluable patients, FUCASO demonstrated a dual response profile. In terms of depth of response, the objective response rate (ORR) reached 95.9%, with a complete response (CR) or stringent complete response (sCR) rate of 77.2% (sCR rate 42.7%), a very good partial response or better (≥VGPR) rate of 86.9%, and 94.1% of patients achieved minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity. In terms of durability of response, at a median follow-up of 10.97 months, neither median progression-free survival (mPFS) nor median overall survival (mOS) had been reached; the 12-month PFS rate was 71.5% and the 12-month OS rate was 87.8%. Beyond deep and durable responses, these real-world data further corroborate the efficacy and safety demonstrated in the pivotal registration study.

Efficacy of the Pivotal Registration Study Validated in Real-World Practice

Across multiple high-risk subgroups, 12-month PFS rates were comparable to those of the overall cohort, with no additional increase observed in the incidence of grade ≥3 CRS or ICANS: in patients aged >70 years (n=35), the ORR was 94.3% and the 12-month PFS rate was 69.6%; in patients previously treated with anti-CD38 therapy, the ORR was 96.0% and the 12-month PFS rate was 68.5%; in CGS-defined high-risk patients (94/177), the ORR was 98.9% and the 12-month PFS rate was 65.1%.

Clear Real-World Safety Boundaries, with Risks Generally Manageable

The incidence of any-grade cytokine release syndrome (CRS) was 88.2%, of which only 3.8% was grade ≥3; the incidence of any-grade immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) was 6.8%; no parkinsonism was observed.

In addition, the study further conducted a stratified analysis of patients at high risk per the CAR-HEMATOTOX (CAR-HT) score. The results showed that high-risk patients had a lower 12-month PFS rate than low-risk patients (60.3% vs 86.9%), as well as higher incidences of grade ≥3 CRS (6.5%) and ICANS (9.7%). These findings suggest that enhanced safety management and treatment support are warranted for high-risk patients in real-world settings.

Conclusion: Data from this China real-world study show that FUCASO delivers deep and durable responses together with a favorable safety profile in heavily pretreated, high-risk patients with relapsed/refractory plasma cell neoplasms, with consistent benefit across subgroups including elderly patients, those previously treated with anti-CD38 therapy, and those with high-risk cytogenetics — further validating, in real-world practice, efficacy and safety consistent with those of the pivotal registration study.

Professor Jin Lu, peking University People's Hospital

"We are very pleased to present data from the China real-world study of FUCASO at this year's IMS Annual Meeting. Compared with the registration study population, real-world patients were generally higher-risk and more heavily pretreated, with a higher proportion presenting poor prognostic features such as extramedullary disease or plasma cell leukemia; nevertheless, FUCASO still achieved an objective response rate (ORR) of 95.9% and a complete response (CR) or stringent complete response (sCR) rate of 77.2%, with efficacy consistent with the overall cohort across the elderly, prior anti-CD38-treated, and high-risk cytogenetic subgroups. Median PFS has not yet been reached in this study, further confirming the deep and durable efficacy and broad applicability of FUCASO in real-world clinical practice."

The appointment was announced on September 24 and will be effective from December 1. Atina, currently managing director of Ford New Zealand, will relocate to Hanoi and report directly to Andrew Birkic, vice president of Sales and Service at Ford International Markets Group.

“Annaliese brings strong commercial leadership, and a real passion for creating better experiences for customers,” said Birkic, “Her energy and understanding of customers and dealers will be invaluable as Ford Vietnam builds on its momentum. I’m delighted to welcome her to the role.”

As an experienced senior executive with more than 20 years’ leadership experience across automotive, fast-moving consumer goods, telecommunications, and technology, Atina brings a strong combination of commercial leadership, strategic thinking, and stakeholder management, with a proven track record of leading businesses through growth and transformation.

Atina joined Ford New Zealand as managing director and executive director in 2024. During her tenure, she led initiatives to strengthen customer experience, dealer performance, and commercial growth, while developing new revenue opportunities and guiding the business through regulatory change and evolving customer expectations.

Prior to Ford, Atina held senior leadership roles with Vodafone New Zealand and Coca-Cola Amatil, leading large-scale customer, sales, and commercial businesses.

Alongside her executive career, Atina has held governance roles across technology and education and is the founder and head coach of the Ambition Collective, supporting the development of future leaders.

“I’m delighted to be joining Ford Vietnam at an important time for the business,” said Atina. “I look forward to working closely with our employees, dealers, and partners to build on the team’s achievements, strengthen the customer experience and ensure Ford continues to deliver products and services that meet the evolving needs of Vietnamese customers.”

Atina succeeds Ruchik Shah, who elected to leave the company to pursue new opportunities.

“Ruchik made an important contribution to Ford Vietnam, and we thank him for his leadership,” said Birkic. “Vietnam is an important market for Ford, and we are confident in the opportunities ahead. With Annaliese’s leadership and the strength of the local team, we will remain focused on serving our customers, supporting our dealers, and delivering sustainable growth in the market.”

Ford Vietnam launches insurance package Ford Vietnam has launched a strategic partnership with Bao Viet Insurance, BSH Insurance, PVI Insurance, and Tasco Insurance.

Vietnam's EV market shifts focus to software and local tech Vietnam's electric vehicle market is entering a new stage of development, with the focus expanding beyond vehicle adoption to software, connectivity, and local technology development, according to George Chia, sales director for ASEAN region at Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI).

Vietnam records fastest automotive sales growth among ASEAN-6 markets Vietnam recorded the fastest automotive sales growth among the ASEAN-6 markets in the first half of 2026, as electrification, more accessible models, and recovering consumer demand continued to reshape the country’s automotive market, according to PwC’s latest report.

As Australia moves into the warmer months, backyard pools become popular spaces for swimming, family time and weekend entertaining. Keeping them clean, however, can mean frequent manual maintenance as leaves, dust and other outdoor debris accumulate. The K70 is designed to automate more of that routine work, giving homeowners more time to enjoy their outdoor spaces.

Up to 16 Days of Cleaning on a Single Charge

Powered by AI-Inverter technology, the K70 intelligently adjusts its operating power according to pool conditions and delivers up to 16 days of cleaning on a single charge. Its extended runtime reduces the need for frequent charging and hands-on intervention during the swimming season.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

As a global player in lotus root and aquatic vegetables, Huagui has established an international commercial network. The Honghu Lotus Root brand was valued at RMB 25.861 billion in 2025, reflecting its market position. Related products reach more than 50 countries and markets and are present in retail and food conglomerates channels including Costco and Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut. Co-headquartered in Beijing and Hubei, Huagui continues to expand sourcing, international distribution, private-label programs and cross-border supply-chain partnerships. The conference brought together the China Vegetables Association, representatives from Europe, the United States and South Korea, and international guests including a representative member from the Saudi royal family.

Alongside its commercial expansion, Huagui is strengthening its position in the biotech and superfood market. Honghu lotus root naturally contains dietary fiber, vitamin C, potassium and polyphenols. According to a report by China Merchants Securities (CMS), Honghu lotus root ranks first among major lotus-root-producing regions in antioxidant content. The report also notes that the output value of Honghu's lotus root industry is approximately five to six times that of Jiangsu, highlighting its nutritional profile and the scale of its commercial potential across plant-based nutrition, functional foods and health applications. Huagui is also establishing bio-extraction, functional ingredients and wellness products through its biotech business.

"Our strategy is creating a global ecosystem connecting aquatic plants, aquatic animals, food, biotech and longevity," said Melody Zhao, Executive Vice President of Huagui Group. "From natural resources to R&D, and from brand building to global shelves, Huagui is connecting China's aquatic industries with global consumers through products, supply chains and international channels."

Supporting this strategy is a diversified business platform built around four core sectors. Huagui Food anchors food manufacturing and supply, while Huagui Health develops functional foods, wellness products and higher-value ingredients. Huagui's e-commerce, commodities supply-chain finance and import-export operations connect digital channels, financing, global sourcing, international trade and private-label programs under its "Buy Global, Sell Global" approach. On the aquatic-animal side, Huagui's Fishery Joint Venture with Hubei Agricultural Development Group, a China Top 500 enterprise group, extends the platform into fisheries and large-scale open-water operations, covering approximately 666.7 million square meters of fishing and aquaculture waters.

From global food channels to superfoods, Huagui is building an integrated platform across aquatic plants and animals, creating opportunities in international food, biotech and commerce.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

• Product / Service Excellence Awards;
• Product / Service Emerging Star Awards;
• Product / Service Innovation, Sustainability and Digitalisation Awards;
• WiEX Product / Service Excellence Awards; and
• WiEX Product / Service Innovation, Sustainability and Digitalisation Awards.

Chairman of MATRADE, YB Dato' Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican, said the evolution of the MIHAS Awards reflects the changing priorities of the global halal industry and the need for businesses to remain future-ready.

"The MIHAS Awards are no longer only about recognising excellence achieved today. They are also about recognising the capabilities that will shape the halal industry of tomorrow. This year, we have placed greater emphasis on innovation, sustainability, digitalisation and emerging technologies because these are increasingly important to how businesses compete and create value globally.

"The winners recognised today have demonstrated the resilience, creativity and forward-thinking capabilities needed to navigate a rapidly changing global marketplace. Through the MIHAS Awards, we hope to inspire more companies to innovate, embrace technology, compete internationally and contribute meaningfully to the continued growth of the global halal economy," he said.

Chief Executive Officer of MATRADE, YBhg. Dato' Indera Abu Bakar Yusof, said the quality and diversity of entries reflected the increasing sophistication and maturity of businesses within the halal ecosystem.

"The entries received this year demonstrate that businesses in the halal ecosystem are continuously evolving, innovating and adapting to meet the demands of a rapidly changing global market. What stood out this year was the increasing recognition of sustainability, digitalisation and emerging technologies as integral components of business competitiveness and long-term growth".

"The introduction of the WiEX Awards and the strengthened assessment framework further broaden the scope of the MIHAS Awards, while the independent validation of the evaluation process by an external auditor, reinforces our commitment to credibility and transparency. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists for their outstanding achievements and for demonstrating the dynamism and diversity of the global halal industry," he said.

Looking ahead, the MIHAS Awards will continue to evolve in line with developments across the global halal ecosystem, with greater recognition for businesses that demonstrate measurable impact, technological adoption, responsible and sustainable growth, innovation and international market potential.

The awards will continue to serve not only as a platform to celebrate achievement, but also as a catalyst for businesses to raise their standards, embrace new technologies, pursue sustainable growth and strengthen their global competitiveness.

The MIHAS Awards 2026 therefore marks more than a celebration of this year's achievements. It represents a continued commitment to shaping a more innovative, sustainable, digitally enabled and inclusive halal economy – and to recognising the businesses that are helping to build it.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Global Schools Group Marks 25th Anniversary with S$100,000 Multi-Organisation Community Support

• Top Academic Outcomes: In recent International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations, over 150 GSG students achieved top scores of 44 and 45 points, earning the "IB World Topper" designation and securing placements at institutions such as Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, MIT, NUS, and NTU.
• Industry Impact: GSG alumni are actively leading advancements in critical sectors, including Kanika Gakhar, Launch Engineer for the SpaceX/NASA Falcon 9 rocket, and Samanyu Okade, Satellite Design Engineer.
• Student-Led Innovation: Current 15-year-old GSG students recently developed LumaBand, an AI-powered wearable device designed to detect and mitigate fall risks among elderly citizens.
• Next-Generation Curricula: To prepare its 45,000+ students for emerging technological shifts, GSG is establishing specialised research hubs, including the Centre for AI and Quantum Education, alongside a Silicon Valley Innovation Immersion programme for high-performing students.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.