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    <title>Smart Payment Trends</title>
    <description>Smart Payment Trends</description>
    <link>https://vir.com.vn/money/smart-payment-trends</link>
    <lastBuildDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:01:16 +0700</lastBuildDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/hungry-jacks-partners-with-trintech-to-automate-transaction-reconciliation-operations-158594.html</guid>
			<title>Hungry Jack s partners with Trintech to automate transaction reconciliation operations</title>
			<description>Australian fast food operator Hungry Jack s partnered with software provider Trintech on 12 August 2026 to automate high volume transaction matching and streamline financial operations across restaurant networks</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>DALLAS and SYDNEY, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Trintech, the trusted AI platform for governed autonomous finance, today announced that Hungry Jack's, one of Australia's largest quick-service restaurant brands, has selected Trintech to automate and modernize its high-volume transaction matching processes, enabling greater efficiency, visibility, and control across its finance operations.</p>    <p>With close to 500 restaurants across Australia and roughly 300 million transactions processed annually, Hungry Jack's finance team needed to move beyond manual, spreadsheet-based reconciliations.</p>    <p>"Our goal was to eliminate as many manual matching as possible while giving our finance team clear visibility into the exceptions that require attention," said Christine Bletsas Chief Financial Officer. "After evaluating multiple vendors, Trintech stood out for its industry-leading transaction matching capabilities and consistently high match rates. Their ability to automate reconciliation across complex payment ecosystems gave us confidence they were the right partner."</p>    <p>"Today's finance leaders need more than automation. They need a trusted partner that delivers measurable business outcomes while strengthening governance and control," said Claudia Pirko, VP &amp; GM APAC, Trintech. "Hungry Jack's is transforming the way it manages one of the most complex transaction environments in the restaurant industry, and we're excited to partner with them on that journey. By combining industry-leading transaction matching with deep expertise in high-volume restaurant and third-party delivery reconciliation, we're helping their finance team automate more, focus on the exceptions that matter, and build a stronger foundation for future growth."</p>    <p>To learn more about Hungry Jack's, please visit www.hungryjacks.com.au</p>]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/hungry-jacks-partners-with-trintech-to-automate-transaction-reconciliation-operations-158594.html</link>
			<author>PR Newswire</author>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:47:40 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/drontech-asia-2026-exhibition-gathers-global-autonomous-technology-companies-in-thailand-158600.html</guid>
			<title>DronTech Asia 2026 exhibition gathers global autonomous technology companies in Thailand</title>
			<description>International drone and robotics developers convened in Thailand on 12 August 2026 for DronTech Asia 2026 showcasing commercial applications uniting artificial intelligence with autonomous platform design</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>BANGKOK, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Organized by GML Exhibition (Thailand) Co., Ltd., DronTech Asia 2026 is gaining momentum ahead of its third edition, taking place 11–13 November 2026 at IMPACT Exhibition &amp; Convention Center, Thailand, with a growing international line-up of drone, unmanned systems and advanced technology companies confirming their participation.</p>    <p>The growth comes at an important time for the industry. The Asia-Pacific drone market was valued at approximately US$22.6 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach US$54.9 billion by 2033, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.1%, according to Grand View Research. Growth is being driven by expanding commercial applications alongside increasing government and defense demand for unmanned capabilities.</p>    <p>The technology is also changing quickly. Artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, autonomous navigation, advanced communications, cybersecurity, propulsion, batteries and advanced materials are all playing a greater role in how drones are designed, operated and deployed.</p>    <p>DronTech Asia 2026 will bring these technologies together, connecting manufacturers and technology developers with government agencies, defense organizations, operators, system integrators and commercial users from across the region.</p>    <p><b>Global and Regional Technology Companies Join </b><b>DronTech Asia 2026</b></p>    <p>The growing exhibitor line-up reflects the range of technologies now supporting modern unmanned systems.</p>    <p>Companies preparing to participate include <b>T-MOTOR</b>, a global developer of drone propulsion technologies; <b>STM</b>, whose technologies encompass tactical UAV systems, command and control and cybersecurity; <b>Inertial Labs, a VIAVI Solutions Company</b>, specializing in advanced navigation and positioning technologies; <b>Grepow / Tattu Battery</b>, providing advanced battery solutions for UAV applications; <b>CHC Navigation</b>, whose technologies span positioning, surveying, mapping and precision agriculture; and Thailand-based <b>SDT Composites</b>, producing high-performance carbon-fiber UAV structures.</p>    <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Industrial UAV Motor Solutions Provider T-MOTOR Joins DronTech Asia 11-13 November 2026, Thailand" src="https://mmx.prnasia.com/media/MS1967590/20260811031416EDT_image_1.jpg?id=OA2855574&amp;amp;p=medium600" title="Industrial UAV Motor Solutions Provider T-MOTOR Joins DronTech Asia 11-13 November 2026, Thailand" /><br />  <span>Industrial UAV Motor Solutions Provider T-MOTOR Joins DronTech Asia 11-13 November 2026, Thailand</span></p>    <p><i>"Exhibiting at DronTech Asia 2026 is an important opportunity for T-MOTOR to strengthen our presence in Southeast Asia and engage directly with the region's growing drone ecosystem. The event brings together UAV manufacturers, technology developers, government agencies and industry professionals in one platform, allowing us to showcase our latest propulsion technologies, build new partnerships and better understand the evolving needs of the market. We look forward to being part of DronTech Asia 2026 and contributing to the continued advancement of the UAV industry in the <span id="spanHghlt7331">r</span><span id="spanHghltbf32">egion."</span></i></p>    <p class="prntar">- Maria Li, Project Manager T-MOTOR</p>    <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Inertial Labs, a VIAVI Solutions company Joins DronTech Asia 11-13 November 2026, Thailand" src="https://mmx.prnasia.com/media/MS1967589/20260811031416EDT_image_2.jpg?id=OA2855573&amp;amp;p=medium600" title="Inertial Labs, a VIAVI Solutions company Joins DronTech Asia 11-13 November 2026, Thailand" /><br />  <span>Inertial Labs, a VIAVI Solutions company Joins DronTech Asia 11-13 November 2026, Thailand</span></p>    <p><i>"DronTech Asia 2026 provides an important platform for Inertial Labs, a VIAVI Solutions company, to connect with the rapidly evolving drone and unmanned systems ecosystem in Asia. As drones become increasingly integrated into commercial, public safety, and defense applications, reliable communications and resilient navigation are critical to ensuring safe and mission-ready operations. We look forward to showcasing how Inertial Labs' groundbreaking inertial measurement solutions can support the development and deployment of next-generation UAS and Counter-UAS technologies."</i></p>    <p class="prntar">- Heather Vitner-Hurt, Senior Sales and Marketing Specialist Inertial Labs, a VIAVI Solutions Company</p>    <p>They will be joined by companies including Systronics, Thai Sky Vision, NAC Drone Industrial, Shenzhen Hobbywing Technology, Zhejiang Tianze Communication Technology, Icreativesystems, Zhuxun Intelligent Technology and L&amp;S Advanced Equipment, further expanding the range of UAV platforms, components, communications, navigation and autonomous technologies represented at DronTech Asia 2026.</p>    <p>Together, these companies represent technologies across the UAV value chain – from airframes, propulsion and batteries to communications, navigation and autonomous systems.</p>    <p>AI and automation are also changing what unmanned systems can accomplish. Advances in computer vision, intelligent navigation, communications and autonomous decision-making are enabling drones to collect and interpret more information and undertake increasingly complex operations. Improvements in batteries, propulsion, lightweight materials and positioning are allowing UAVs to operate longer, carry more advanced payloads and perform more reliably in demanding environments.</p>    <p><b>"</b>The drone industry is changing very quickly. We are seeing much greater integration of AI, robotics, autonomous navigation and advanced communications into unmanned systems," said Mr. Manu Leopairote, Chairman of GML Exhibition (Thailand) Co., Ltd. "The companies joining DronTech Asia this year reflect that change. We want DronTech Asia to be where these different parts of the industry come together and where companies can build new business opportunities across the region."</p>    <p><b>Connecting Commercial, Public Safety and Defense Applications</b></p>    <p>Many of these technologies are finding applications across both commercial and defense markets.</p>    <p>Across Asia, drones are increasingly being deployed for agriculture, surveying, mapping, infrastructure inspection and industrial monitoring, while governments continue to invest in unmanned technologies for surveillance, public safety, security and defense. These expanding applications are among the factors expected to drive continued growth in the Asia-Pacific drone market over the coming years.</p>    <p>DronTech Asia 2026 brings these communities together, giving visitors the opportunity to discover new technologies, compare solutions, meet manufacturers and developers, build partnerships and explore new applications for unmanned and autonomous systems.</p>    <p><b>Strong Industry and Government Support</b></p>    <p>DronTech Asia 2026 is supported by a broad network of government agencies, regulatory bodies, defense organizations and industry associations, reflecting the growing importance of unmanned technologies to Thailand and the wider region.</p>    <p>Official supporters include the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa), Department of Agriculture, Defence Technology Institute (DTI), Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), Royal Forest Department, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), Drone Association Thailand, Disaster Response Association Thailand, Thai Silicon and World UAV Federation, alongside other defense and industry organizations.</p>    <p>The breadth of support reflects the importance of drone technology across Thailand's aviation, agriculture, digital economy, public safety and defense sectors.</p>    <p>With preparations accelerating toward November, DronTech Asia 2026 continues to welcome drone and robotics manufacturers, AI and autonomous technology developers, software companies, component manufacturers, cybersecurity specialists, communications providers and other technology companies seeking opportunities across Thailand and Southeast Asia.</p>    <p>Join the companies already preparing for DronTech Asia 2026 and be part of the technologies shaping the future of unmanned systems in Asia.</p>    <p><b>DronTech Asia 2026</b></p>    <p><b>11–13 November 2026</b><br />  <b>IMPACT Exhibition &amp; Convention Center, Thailand</b></p>    <p>For more information, visit DronTech Asia.</p>]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/drontech-asia-2026-exhibition-gathers-global-autonomous-technology-companies-in-thailand-158600.html</link>
			<author>PR Newswire</author>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:34:58 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/megazonecloud-becomes-first-korean-amazon-quick-partner-for-artificial-intelligence-deployment-158597.html</guid>
			<title>MegazoneCloud becomes first Korean Amazon Quick partner for artificial intelligence deployment</title>
			<description>AWS Generative AI Innovation Center selected MegazoneCloud on 12 August 2026 as South Korea s first Amazon Quick system integrator to support automated enterprise artificial intelligence agent deployments</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span class="legendSpanClass">SEOUL, South Korea</span>, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- MegazoneCloud (CEO Doug Yeum), a leading AI and cloud company, has been selected as the first system integration (SI) partner in Korea for "Amazon Quick," the next-generation intelligent AI assistant, by the Generative AI Innovation Center (GenAI IC) of Amazon Web Services (AWS).</p>    <p>Amazon Quick is an intelligent workplace assistant that connects to enterprise systems and data to learn how a company works. By connecting internal enterprise data with various business systems, it enables AI to perform tasks such as report writing, data analysis, and task execution through natural language commands alone. It adapts on its own through every interaction, delivering personalized insights and proactive suggestions, and even carrying out actual tasks — thereby supporting employee productivity and workforce transformation. Enterprises can rapidly adopt task automation and AI agent capabilities without having to develop complex AI models themselves.</p>    <p>As an Amazon Quick SI partner, MegazoneCloud designs and supports the deployment of Amazon Quick tailored to enterprise-specific requirements, such as large-scale user environments, internal security policies, and legacy system integration. With this selection, MegazoneCloud supports the entire process — from consulting to deployment and operations — by integrating an enterprise's existing business systems and data with Amazon Quick so that AI agents can deliver results in real-world work.</p>    <p>In particular, MegazoneCloud offers the "Live in 45" program, which completes deployment, operation, and effectiveness validation within approximately 45 days, enabling companies to quickly verify the benefits of AI adoption. This program analyzes an enterprise's business processes and data environment to design an AI application approach, and supports the validation of adoption benefits by building and operating AI agents in an actual work environment.</p>    <p>This partner selection is the result of AWS recognizing MegazoneCloud's generative AI technology capabilities and its experience in building enterprise AI. MegazoneCloud has been expanding its collaboration in the AWS-based generative AI field, including being selected as the official operating partner for AWS's "Agentic AI GameDay" this past May. In addition, the company holds 120 "AWS Certified Generative AI – Developer Professional" credentials, certifying its expertise in designing, developing, and operating AWS's generative AI services and applications.</p>    <p>Jinsung Kim, Unit Leader of the Cloud Tech Unit at MegazoneCloud, said, "Companies considering the adoption of generative AI now place greater importance on how it can be applied to actual work and generate results, rather than on the technology itself. With this selection as an Amazon Quick SI partner, MegazoneCloud will leverage its proven deployment and operations methodology to design an AI agent utilization model that fits an enterprise's work environment and data structure, and implement agentic AI solutions that create tangible business results — from complex workflow automation to insight derivation — so that customers can experience real, faster, and more certain business outcomes."</p>    <p>AWS GenAI IC connects enterprises with AWS AI/ML science advisory and strategy experts so they can envision, discover, and develop generative AI solutions. The center's Partner Innovation Alliance (PIA) combines this support framework with MegazoneCloud's broad industry domain expertise to solve the challenges enterprises face — such as operational inefficiencies, customer experience gaps, and stalled innovation — through scalable generative AI use cases.</p>    <p>MegazoneCloud serves as an enterprise AI orchestrator supporting the AI transformation (AX) and business innovation of some 8,000 customers in Korea and abroad. Based on its ecosystem of major global and domestic CSPs and more than 200 ISV partners, along with its own cloud, AI, data, and security solutions, MegazoneCloud provides end-to-end services — from AI strategy formulation to data building, infrastructure modernization, and the development and operation of AI models and AI agents — so that enterprises can effectively operate complex AI environments and generate business results in the multi-agent era. Under the vision of "Transform Tomorrow, Together," the company has established itself as a strategic partner accompanying customers' AI innovation and growth across 10 countries, including Korea as well as North America, Japan, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East.</p>]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/megazonecloud-becomes-first-korean-amazon-quick-partner-for-artificial-intelligence-deployment-158597.html</link>
			<author>PR Newswire</author>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:30:05 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/quantinuum-partners-with-oracle-to-integrate-quantum-computing-into-cloud-infrastructure-158591.html</guid>
			<title>Quantinuum partners with Oracle to integrate quantum computing into cloud infrastructure</title>
			<description>Quantum computing developer Quantinuum signed a multi year strategic agreement with Oracle on 12 August 2026 to integrate hybrid quantum processing tools into Oracle Cloud Infrastructure for corporate clients</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>BROOMFIELD, Colo. and AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantinuum (NASDAQ: QNT), a leading quantum computing company, and Oracle today announced a multi-year strategic partnership to bring quantum computing to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). Under the partnership, OCI customers will be able to directly access Quantinuum's Helios, the most accurate commercial quantum computer in the world,[1] through OCI's quantum service, alongside OCI's high-performance computing (HPC) and GPU infrastructure.</p>    <p>Together, Quantinuum and Oracle plan to explore how hybrid quantum-AI infrastructure could address some of the most computationally intensive challenges facing enterprises and broaden access for universities and research institutions advancing scientific discovery and education. The partnership reflects a shared vision that the future of enterprise computing will be built on the convergence of AI, classical supercomputing, and quantum computing. Many complex problems across materials discovery, drug development, logistics, energy, and financial modeling already push the limits of today's computing architectures.</p>    <p>"We believe the next phase of enterprise computing will be shaped by bringing quantum, AI, and high-performance computing together," said Dr. Rajeeb Hazra, President and CEO of Quantinuum. "Deploying Helios inside OCI gives Quantinuum and Oracle an opportunity to create a unique deeply integrated environment for hybrid workloads, explore enterprise use cases with customers, and accelerate commercial adoption."</p>    <p>Quantum computing offers a fundamentally different approach to computation with the potential to address problems that are impractical for traditional systems alone. In addition, quantum computing uses significantly less energy than supercomputers. A single Helios system has an estimated power draw of less than one percent of the draw reported for leading supercomputers,[2] offering a lower power complementary resource for suitable hybrid workloads.</p>    <p>"AI has changed what organizations can imagine, and we believe quantum computing can expand what they're able to solve," said Mahesh Thiagarajan, Executive Vice President of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. "By bringing Quantinuum's Helios to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, we want to give developers a practical and secure way to explore how quantum computing could complement their existing AI and HPC workloads on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure while improving compute efficiency and energy use."</p>    <p>With Quantinuum's Helios on OCI, customers can expect to gain managed, secure access to cloud-hosted quantum computing without having to procure, install, or operate dedicated hardware or specialized facilities. Helios, launched commercially in November 2025, is Quantinuum's third-generation quantum computer. The 98-physical-qubit trapped-ion system has been used in demonstrations involving 48 logical qubits and achieves an average two-qubit gate fidelity of 99.921%, exceeding the widely cited "three 9s" threshold. Helios is designed for hybrid integration with classical HPC and AI environments.</p>    <p>By operating on-premises within OCI's infrastructure, Helios is anticipated to be able to integrate seamlessly with existing OCI compute, networking, storage, identity, and data services under the same governance and access controls customers already use. Oracle plans to preview its OCI quantum service in the coming months, giving developers a streamlined way to move from simulation to execution on real quantum computing hardware. The planned OCI quantum service is expected to combine Quantinuum's development stack with support for open-source hybrid-programming frameworks, helping developers build, test, and refine quantum-classical applications more efficiently.</p>    <p><b>New Possibilities for Hybrid Quantum-AI Computing</b></p>    <p>"Our roadmap includes exploring classical-quantum hybrid computing to accelerate scientific discovery," said Johannes Blaschke, Head of Scientific Computing, GBI at Ellison Institute of Technology. "QPUs promise to unlock new insights as they are very different from the hardware that we are used to. So having both GPUs and QPUs available within OCI would provide an all-in-one platform, simplify the operation of novel hardware, and help us move at speed from concept to execution by allowing our researchers to focus on innovation. It could herald in an exciting new phase for our work."</p>    <p>"As quantum computing moves closer to enterprise adoption, simplifying how organizations access and integrate quantum resources has become just as important as advancing the hardware itself," said Heather West, PhD, Global Quantum Research Lead at IDC. "Deploying quantum systems within private cloud environments enables organizations to integrate quantum computing into existing AI and HPC workflows through familiar cloud infrastructure and development tools, reducing barriers to adoption and making hybrid quantum-classical computing a practical part of enterprise IT."</p>    <p>For more information about Oracle, please visit us at www.oracle.com.</p>    <p><sup>[1]</sup> Based on two-qubit gate fidelity as of December 31, 2025.</p>    <p><sup>[2]</sup> According to Tchakoute, R.N., et al. (2026) Energy-Aware Computing in the Year 2026., leading supercomputers use 16 MW to 39 MW of energy, whereas a single Helios unit uses approximately 60 kW without an HVAC system.</p>    <p><sup>[3]</sup> As of December 31, 2025.</p>]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/quantinuum-partners-with-oracle-to-integrate-quantum-computing-into-cloud-infrastructure-158591.html</link>
			<author>PR Newswire</author>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:23:19 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/cambrex-invests-30-million-dollars-in-new-italian-research-facility-158584.html</guid>
			<title>Cambrex invests 30 million dollars in new Italian research facility</title>
			<description>Global contract manufacturer Cambrex started construction on a 30 million dollar research and development facility at its Milan site in Italy on 11 August 2026 to expand services</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p id="temp_ReleaseStart"><span class="legendSpanClass">EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.</span>, <span class="legendSpanClass">Aug. 11, 2026</span> /PRNewswire/ -- Cambrex, a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), today announced the start of construction on a new research and development (R&amp;D) facility at its Milan, Italy site. This $30 million investment will add advanced analytical development and process R&amp;D capabilities, alongside upgrades to multiple production plants, reinforcing Cambrex's commitment to supporting the pharmaceutical industry's most complex small molecule development.</p>    <p class="prntal">The Milan R&amp;D expansion is expected to be completed in the second half of 2027. To accommodate future growth and rising demand for CDMO services, Cambrex has also acquired additional land adjacent to the site, ensuring the capacity to expand and innovate for years to come.</p>    <p class="prntal">The Cambrex Profarmico Milano site, which marks its 80th anniversary this year, has a distinguished legacy of supporting pharmaceutical development and manufacturing for its global client base. The Milan team recently gathered to celebrate this milestone, reflecting on eight decades of scientific achievement and dedication to advancing human health.</p>    <p class="prntal">Claudio Russolo, Chief Operating Officer at Cambrex, commented: "Breaking ground on this new facility is a testament to the enduring legacy and expertise of our Milan team. For 80 years, this site has been a cornerstone of pharmaceutical manufacturing in Europe. With this expansion, we are investing not only in new technologies and capabilities, but in the future of our people and our partners."</p>    <p class="prntal">The investment builds on Cambrex's legacy of scientific expertise and manufacturing excellence while positioning the company for its next chapter of growth. By expanding R&amp;D capabilities in Milan, Cambrex is strengthening its ability to address the increasing complexity of today's small molecule therapies.</p>]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/cambrex-invests-30-million-dollars-in-new-italian-research-facility-158584.html</link>
			<author>PR Newswire</author>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:12:00 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/arctech-secures-425-megawatt-solar-tracking-projects-across-central-asia-158582.html</guid>
			<title>Arctech secures 425 megawatt solar tracking projects across Central Asia</title>
			<description>Solar equipment manufacturer Arctech secured 425 megawatts of utility scale projects in Central Asia on 11 August 2026 including 325 megawatts in Kyrgyzstan and 100 megawatts in Kazakhstan</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p id="temp_ReleaseStart"><span class="legendSpanClass">KUNSHAN, China</span>, <span class="legendSpanClass">Aug. 11, 2026</span> /PRNewswire/ -- Arctech, a global leader in solar tracking and mounting solutions, has secured 425 MW of new utility-scale projects across Central Asia, including a 325 MW SkyLine II project in Kyrgyzstan and a 100 MW SkyLine II project in Kazakhstan. These new projects further strengthen Arctech's presence in the region and build on its track record in one of the world's fastest-growing renewable energy markets.</p>    <p class="prntal">From frost-heave soils and gravel areas to challenging terrain and varying geological conditions, the region presents demanding requirements for solar project design and execution.</p>    <p class="prntal">In Kyrgyzstan, the 325 MW project faces frost-heave soils, gravel areas and complex terrain, creating challenges for both foundation design and on-site construction. Arctech developed a customized foundation solution tailored to the local ground conditions, while SkyLine II's terrain adaptability helped accommodate the complex terrain. Extensive pre-assembly and optimized construction planning further streamlined on-site installation and improved efficiency.</p>    <p class="prntal">In Kazakhstan, the 100 MW project is situated in an environment characterized by frost-heave soils and varying geological conditions. Arctech applied site-specific engineering optimization and foundation verification to ensure the tracking system and foundations were well matched to the local ground conditions, while tailored delivery planning supported efficient project execution.</p>    <p class="prntal">Together, these projects demonstrate Arctech's ability to combine terrain-adaptive tracking technology with site-specific engineering solutions, enabling reliable solar deployment across diverse and challenging environments.</p>    <p class="prntal">The latest awards add to Arctech's growing track record in Central Asia. To date, the company has delivered more than 3.5 GW of solar tracking and mounting systems across the region, including more than 700 MW in Kyrgyzstan and more than 900 MW in Kazakhstan. Backed by its Eurasia team, deep localized engineering expertise and long-standing partnerships, Arctech continues to build strong capabilities to serve the region's evolving solar market.</p>    <p class="prntal">As Central Asia accelerates its renewable energy transition, demand for reliable and adaptable utility-scale solar solutions is expected to continue growing. Moving forward, Arctech remains committed to deepening its regional expertise and collaborating closely with customers and partners to support the region's long-term clean energy goals.</p>    <p class="prntal">For more information about Arctech, visit: https://en.arctechsolar.com/</p>]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/arctech-secures-425-megawatt-solar-tracking-projects-across-central-asia-158582.html</link>
			<author>PR Newswire</author>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:02:53 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/green-sm-launches-indonesian-customer-feedback-program-across-transport-services-158548.html</guid>
			<title>Green SM launches Indonesian customer feedback program across transport services</title>
			<description>Green SM launched its customer listening campaign in Indonesia on 11 August 2026 to collect passenger feedback and refine service standards across urban transport routes</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>JAKARTA, INDONESIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 11 August 2026 - Green SM has officially launched the "Green SM Is Listening" program across Indonesia as part of its ongoing commitment to enhancing service quality and delivering an even better customer experience. Through the program, Green SM aims to establish a new benchmark for ride-hailing service standards, with a focus on greater transparency, consistency, and reliability across Indonesia.</p>    <p><img alt="Green SM has officially launched the &amp;quot;Green SM Is Listening&amp;quot; program across Indonesia as part of its ongoing commitment to enhancing service quality and delivering an even better customer experience." src="https://vir.com.vn/stores/news_dataimages/2026/082026/12/14/796350-photo-jpg-1600x90020260812145733.jpeg" style="text-align: center; width: 100%; margin: 0px;" width="1600" /></p>    <figure align="center" data-image-height="0" data-image-width="0" style="display: block;width: 100%;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;text-align: center">  <figcaption style="text-align: left;font-size: 16px;line-height: 24px;display: block;margin: 0px;width: 100%"><i>Green SM has officially launched the "Green SM Is Listening" program across Indonesia as part of its ongoing commitment to enhancing service quality and delivering an even better customer experience.</i></figcaption>  </figure>  <br />  Starting August 2026, the "Green SM Is Listening" program will be rolled out nationwide, further reinforcing the role of customers in shaping and raising service standards in line with Green SM's previously announced "5 Green Promises" service commitment.<br />  <br />  Through the program, customers are invited to submit feedback, report unsatisfactory experiences, or share suggestions for improvement via Green SM's official email address at listening.id@greensm.com. To support the verification process, customers are encouraged to include relevant photos or supporting documents where applicable. Feedback may cover every stage of the service experience, including pick-up and drop-off, vehicle condition, safety, and driver conduct.<br />  <br />  Green SM's dedicated team will review, verify, classify, and respond to all submissions as quickly as possible. Every case will be assessed based on available data, supporting materials, and relevant evidence to help the company continuously improve its service quality and customer experience.<br />  <br />  Customers whose verified feedback contributes to improving service quality will be eligible to receive appreciation rewards ranging from IDR 300,000 to IDR 5,000,000. Any additional recognition will be provided at Green SM's discretion and in accordance with its applicable policies. Alongside the launch of the customer feedback program, Green SM has also updated its Driver Code of Conduct, incorporated into its partnership agreements with driver-partners, reflecting shared standards for professionalism and behavior to support consistent service quality across the network.<br />  <br />  Through this pioneering initiative, coupled with meaningful appreciation rewards, Green SM aims to encourage customers to actively contribute to the continuous improvement of its services. The program reflects not only the company's customer-first mindset and willingness to listen, but also its commitment to continuously strengthening service standard in line with its partnership agreement, raise service standards across the industry, and foster the continued development of the entire GSM ecosystem.<br />  <br />  <b>Deny Tjia, Managing Director of Green SM Indonesia,</b> said: "<i>We believe that how a company responds when a customer's experience falls short of expectations is one of the fastest and most effective ways to build trust. Through the 'Green SM Is Listening' program, we are turning customer feedback into opportunities to further enhance our service standards while promoting a transparent and fair process. This initiative reflects our long-term commitment to building a safe, reliable, and responsible mobility service in Indonesia."</i><br />  <br />  Nearly two years after entering the Indonesian market, Green SM has expanded its presence to five major cities, including Jakarta, Bali, Surabaya, Makassar, and Bandar Lampung, steadily building an integrated all-electric mobility network across key urban centers. Today, Green SM serves millions of all-electric trips each day, not only meeting growing mobility demand but also contributing to higher service standards across the market, creating a positive impact on urban transportation while accelerating Indonesia's green transition.<br />  <br />  <b>Green SM welcomes and is committed to receiving all customer feedbacks, with appreciation gifts offered for contributions related to:</b>    <ol>  	<li>Service quality issues and driver professionalism, including inappropriate communication, uniform violations, passenger pick-up and drop-off issues, vehicle condition, and assistance in the event of incidents;</li>  	<li>Incorrect fare calculation and payment issues, including unauthorized charges, incorrect toll fees or other additional charges, and requests for cash payments or tips;</li>  	<li>Safety and integrity issues, including harassment, threats, the use of alcohol or prohibited substances, fraud, and theft;</li>  	<li>Failure to safeguard customer privacy and property, including unauthorized recording, dissemination of images, or misappropriation of customer property;</li>  	<li>Application and system issues, as well as suggestions for improving service quality.</li>  </ol>  With a commitment to reviewing all feedback and reports through a transparent and objective process that respects the rights and interests of all parties, Green SM will provide an initial response within two hours of receiving customer feedback.    <p>The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.</p>  <img alt="" height="1" src="//track.media-outreach.com/index.php/WebView/480559/9995" style="width:1px;height:1px;" width="1" />]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/green-sm-launches-indonesian-customer-feedback-program-across-transport-services-158548.html</link>
			<author>Green SM</author>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:59:13 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/hansgrohe-group-marks-125th-anniversary-with-hong-kong-commercial-partnership-158546.html</guid>
			<title>Hansgrohe Group marks 125th anniversary with Hong Kong commercial partnership</title>
			<description>Hansgrohe Group celebrated its 125th corporate anniversary on 11 August 2026 through a commercial partnership agreement with Hong Kong distributor VSC Building Products</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="normalPara">HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 11 August 2026 <i>- </i>Hansgrohe Group, one of the world's leading premium bathroom and kitchen brands, celebrates its 125th anniversary with an official visit to Hong Kong by Christophe Gourlan, Member of the Executive Board and Chief Sales Officer of Hansgrohe Group. As a key stop in the Group's Asia anniversary programme, the visit reaffirms Hansgrohe's long-term commitment to the Hong Kong market and formally introduces VSC Building Products Company Limited as the brand's newly authorised distributor in Hong Kong, marking the beginning of a new phase of growth and collaboration.</p>    <p class="normalPara"><img alt="Mr. Christophe Gourlan, Chief Sales Officer and Member of the Executive Board of Hansgrohe Group (third from left); Mr. Stefan Liebl, Head of Sales, APAC of Hansgrohe (second from left); Mr. Martin Low, Managing Director of Hansgrohe (first from left); Mr. Patrick Lau, Executive Director of Hong Kong Shanghai Alliance Holdings Limited (third from right); Mr. Victor Wong, Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of Hong Kong Shanghai Alliance Holdings Limited (second from right); and Mr. Alan Siu, Managing Director of VSC Greater China (first from right), officiated at the ribbon-cutting ceremony during the cocktail reception, witnessing this important moment together." src="https://vir.com.vn/stores/news_dataimages/2026/082026/12/14/hansgrohe20260812145206.jpeg" style="text-align: center; width: 100%; margin: 0px;" width="100%" /></p>    <figure align="center" data-image-height="0" data-image-width="0" style="display: block;width: 100%;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;text-align: center">  <figcaption style="text-align: left;font-size: 16px;line-height: 24px;display: block;margin: 0px;width: 100%"><span style="font-size:14px;"><i>Christophe Gourlan, Chief Sales Officer and Member of the Executive Board of Hansgrohe Group (third from left); Stefan Liebl, Head of Sales, APAC of Hansgrohe (second from left); Martin Low, Managing Director of Hansgrohe (first from left); Patrick Lau, Executive Director of Hong Kong Shanghai Alliance Holdings Limited (third from right); Victor Wong, Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of Hong Kong Shanghai Alliance Holdings Limited (second from right); and Alan Siu, Managing Director of VSC Greater China (first from right), officiated at the ribbon-cutting ceremony during the cocktail reception, witnessing this important moment together.</i></span></figcaption>  </figure>    <p>The anniversary celebrations in Hong Kong also mark a significant milestone for the premium hansgrohe brand locally — the grand opening of a dedicated hansgrohe display at the VSC A&amp;D Centre, located at 1/F, East Town Building, 41 Lockhart Road, Wanchai. The newly unveiled showroom showcases multiple award-winning collections and the latest innovations, offering architects, designers, developers and consumers an immersive experience of the brand philosophy: "Life is Waterful."<br />  <br />  <b>125 Years of Heritage: Where Design Meets Innovation </b><br />  <br />  Founded in 1901 in Schiltach, Germany, in the Black Forest, Hansgrohe has evolved from a small workshop into a globally renowned premium brand with a presence in over 150 countries. For 125 years, the company has been synonymous with German engineering excellence, technological innovation and award-winning design, earning prestigious international accolades including the iF Design Award, Red Dot Design Award and German Design Award.<br />  <br />  Among its most iconic and celebrated product innovations are:<br />  <br />  Raindance series, including the new Raindance Alive, redefining showering with distinctive spray technology and elegant aesthetics;</p>    <p>Rainfinity, offering a new dimension of immersive showering with ultra-soft PowderRain spray and avant-garde design;<br />  Pulsify, a compact shower solution ideal for urban living, featuring water-saving PowderRain technology;</p>    <p>Finoris faucet collection, equipped with a pull-out spray and dual spray modes, combining flexibility with contemporary design;</p>    <p>Kitchen innovations such as Talis M54 and Metris M71, enhancing kitchen functionality with precision engineering and premium materials.<br />  <br />  Hansgrohe's pioneering technologies include Select technology, enabling intuitive control of water flow at the touch of a button, alongside sustainability-driven innovations such as EcoSmart, AirPower and CoolStart, significantly reducing water and energy consumption without compromising comfort.<br />  <br />  Under its ambitious "ECO 2030" initiative, Hansgrohe aims to equip all products with water-saving technologies by 2030, embedding sustainability at the core of product development.<br />  <br />  Today, approximately 200 employees worldwide are dedicated to research, development and innovation management. The Group operates innovation centres in the Black Forest and, since 2023, in Shanghai, strengthening localisation and responsiveness to the China and Asia-Pacific markets. Products launched within the past three years account for approximately 30% of the Group's total revenue — a testament to its dynamic innovation pipeline and market competitiveness.<br />  <br />  <b>Deepening Presence in Hong Kong: A New Milestone with VSC </b><br />  <br />  Looking ahead, the collaboration between Hansgrohe and VSC will focus on enhancing customer touchpoints and brand visibility across Hong Kong. Key initiatives include strengthening point-of-sale presentation, elevating experiential showroom displays, and supporting trade partners through comprehensive product training, marketing activations and after-sales excellence.<br />  <br />  VSC has also outlined a strategic development plan encompassing showroom enhancements, PR and digital marketing campaigns, product portfolio alignment and sales team training, reinforcing the brand's position in Hong Kong's high-end residential and commercial project segments.<br />  <br />  Commenting on the occasion, Christophe Gourlan, Member of the Executive Board and Chief Sales Officer of Hansgrohe Group, said:<br />  <br />  "Hong Kong remains an important market for Hansgrohe, and our 125th anniversary is a meaningful moment to reaffirm our long-term commitment to the region. With VSC as our new authorised distributor for the hansgrohe brand, we are strengthening our ability to bring premium German quality, innovation and sustainable water experiences closer to customers, designers and trade professionals. We also deeply appreciate the continued support of our long-term partners, including H2O, as we build the next chapter of Hansgrohe's growth in Hong Kong together."</p>    <p>The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.<br />  <img alt="" height="1" src="//track.media-outreach.com/index.php/WebView/480525/9995" style="width:1px;height:1px;" width="1" /></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/hansgrohe-group-marks-125th-anniversary-with-hong-kong-commercial-partnership-158546.html</link>
			<author>Hansgrohe Group</author>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:53:26 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/garvee-offers-10-percent-discount-for-autumn-home-promotion-158549.html</guid>
			<title>GARVEE offers 10 percent discount for autumn home promotion</title>
			<description>GARVEE introduced a 10 percent seasonal discount across its product catalogue while outlining home organisation trends for German households ahead of autumn 2026</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>ONTARIO, CANADA – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 August 2026 - GARVEE, a lifestyle brand offering home, garden and outdoor products, has launched a 10% OFF seasonal promotion while highlighting three key living trends for late summer and early autumn 2026 in Germany. Customers can use the discount code GARVEEDE10 at checkout through December 31, 2026.</p>  <b>Trend 1: The Outdoor Living Room – Relaxation and </b><b>Family Time</b><b> in the </b><b>Garden</b><br />  <br />  Late summer keeps the garden at the heart of family life. Families enjoy sunlight reasonably by using parasols with 360° rotation and stepless tilt adjustments. Paired with ergonomic outdoor furniture, such as rattan egg swing chairs or rocking chairs—patios transform into peaceful sanctuaries.<br />  <br />  For young kids, the action stays outdoors as well: rugged kids' electric ride-ons—ranging from adventurous off-road vehicles to sleek electric sports cars—bring playful driving excitement to lawns and pathways, while parents maintain full control via wireless remote controls.<br />  <br />  <b>Trend 2: Cozy </b><b>Indoor</b><b> Aesthetics and Hospitable Social Spaces</b><br />  <br />  As autumn brings coolness, life shifts indoors. Compact coffee machines bring an authentic café experience into your kitchen while saving space.<br />  <br />  At the same time, flexibility for spontaneous guests takes center stage. 360° swivel bar stools create conversation spots, while space-saving folding chairs offer instant seating that stores away discreetly.<br />  <br />  <b>Trend 3: </b><b>Structuring the Space</b><b>: Garage, Gardening, and Barrier-Free Mobility</b><br />  <br />  Early autumn is ideal for maintenance and organization. Modular trolley toolboxes with off-road wheels bring order to garages, while heavy-duty, weather-resistant aluminum storage boxes provide thief-resistant security outdoors.<br />  <br />  Thoughtful solutions are also emerging in farming and accessibility: 10-compartment galvanized steel chicken nesting boxes with automatic roll-away egg protection simplify poultry care. Meanwhile, non-slip aluminum loading ramps with reflective strips safely bridge steps and trunks for wheelchairs, strollers, and garden carts.  <p>The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.</p>  <img alt="" height="1" src="//track.media-outreach.com/index.php/WebView/480342/9995" style="width:1px;height:1px;" width="1" />]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/garvee-offers-10-percent-discount-for-autumn-home-promotion-158549.html</link>
			<author>Garvee</author>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:37:37 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/vinfast-expands-indonesian-service-network-through-local-automotive-partnerships-158544.html</guid>
			<title>VinFast expands Indonesian service network through local automotive partnerships</title>
			<description>VinFast expanded its authorised service outlet network across Indonesia on 11 August 2026 through strategic partnerships with established local automotive repair providers</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>JAKARTA, INDONESIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 11 August 2026 - VinFast continues to strengthen its aftersales network in Indonesia by expanding its Authorized Service Outlet network through partnerships with reputable automotive service providers across the country. The expansion marks another milestone in VinFast's strategy to develop a comprehensive EV ecosystem in Indonesia, making genuine aftersales services more accessible and convenient for customers while supporting the country's transition to sustainable mobility.</p>    <p><img alt="Representatives of VinFast Indonesia and its partners at the signing ceremony." src="https://vir.com.vn/stores/news_dataimages/2026/082026/12/14/796280-photo-jpg-1600x106720260812142829.jpeg" style="text-align: center; width: 100%; margin: 0px;" width="1600" /></p>    <figure align="center" data-image-height="0" data-image-width="0" style="display: block;width: 100%;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;text-align: center">  <figcaption style="text-align: left;font-size: 16px;line-height: 24px;display: block;margin: 0px;width: 100%"><i>Representatives of VinFast Indonesia and its partners at the signing ceremony.</i></figcaption>  </figure>  <br />  VinFast has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with 10 reputable partners across Indonesia, including PT Lampung Auto Mandiri, PT Karoto Seiko Indonesia, CV Agus Lio Ban, CV Family Auto Motor, PT Motoreko Mobilindo, PT Green Mobilitas Indonesia, PT Global Mobil Indonesia, PT Layanan Prima Sejahtera, CV Karya Indah Motor, and PT Prayoga Tangguh Perkasa.<br />  <br />  Under the agreements, the partners will join VinFast's Authorized Service Outlet network to provide vehicle maintenance, general repair, and body repair services in accordance with VinFast's global standards. They will also distribute genuine VinFast parts and accessories throughout Indonesia.<br />  <br />  Pursuant to the agreements, the Authorized Service Outlets will meet VinFast's stringent requirements for technical capability, facilities, and service quality, while committing to uphold the Company's core values and brand standards.<br />  <br />  The continued expansion of VinFast's Authorized Service Outlet network enables customers across Indonesia to access genuine aftersales services more conveniently, wherever they are. Supported by VinFast-certified technicians and a reliable supply of genuine parts and accessories, customers can be confident that their vehicles will receive consistent, high-quality care, ensuring safety, reliability, and optimal performance throughout the ownership experience.<br />  <br />  To date, VinFast has established a network of more than 100 Authorized Service Outlets across Indonesia. The network extends beyond Greater Jakarta (Jabodetabek) to major cities nationwide, meeting the growing aftersales needs of both individual customers and commercial fleet operators.<br />  <br />  <b>Antonio Zara, Chief Executive Officer of VinFast Southeast Asia</b>, said: <i>"For electric vehicles, a reliable aftersales network is essential to giving customers confidence throughout their ownership journey. The continued expansion of our Authorized Service Outlet network demonstrates VinFast's long-term commitment to customers in Indonesia. By partnering with experienced and trusted automotive service providers, we aim to deliver international-standard aftersales services that are convenient, efficient, and dependable, giving consumers greater confidence in choosing VinFast electric vehicles."</i><br />  <br />  The expansion of the Authorized Service Outlet network is a key pillar of VinFast's strategy to build a comprehensive EV ecosystem in Indonesia. Together with an increasingly diverse product portfolio, a rapidly expanding charging infrastructure, and the continued development of a broader green mobility ecosystem, the nationwide aftersales network will further strengthen VinFast's ability to provide Indonesian consumers with a convenient, reliable, and sustainable EV ownership experience.<br />  <br />  VinFast has also introduced a range of customer-focused initiatives to make EV ownership more accessible and convenient, including its battery subscription program, guaranteed buyback program, and free charging at V-GREEN charging stations through March 31, 2029. Together with its partners across vehicle distribution, financing, charging infrastructure, and aftersales services, VinFast continues to strengthen its integrated EV ecosystem, reaffirming its long-term commitment to accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles in Indonesia.  <p>The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.</p>  <img alt="" height="1" src="//track.media-outreach.com/index.php/WebView/480545/9995" style="width:1px;height:1px;" width="1" />]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/vinfast-expands-indonesian-service-network-through-local-automotive-partnerships-158544.html</link>
			<author>VinFast</author>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:31:28 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/kiddiwinkie-schoolhouse-introduces-90-minutes-daily-outdoor-play-in-singapore-158596.html</guid>
			<title>KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse introduces 90 minutes daily outdoor play in Singapore</title>
			<description>KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse became Singapore s first preschool operator to integrate up to 90 minutes of daily outdoor play into its core early childhood curriculum</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="normalPara">SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 August 2026 – KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse is the first preschool in Singapore to aim for 90 minutes of outdoor play every school day, far exceeding the 30 minutes of daily outdoor time required under national regulations. The 90-minute figure is grounded in research linking sustained outdoor time to stronger executive function, steadier emotional regulation and sharper attention in young children, benefits that compound most powerfully in the preschool years.</p>    <p class="normalPara"><img alt="kiddiwinkie-schoolhouse-outdoor-play-activities" src="https://vir.com.vn/stores/news_dataimages/2026/082026/12/11/outdoor-play-activities-preschoo20260812112304.jpg" style="text-align: center; width: 100%; margin: 0px;" width="100%" /></p>    <p style="font-weight: bold">What Our Children Have Lost</p>  Almost one in five Singaporean parents say their preschooler spends less than an hour outdoors on a typical weekend day. The picture is no better elsewhere: a 2025 UK study found more than a third of children do not play outdoors on school days. For a brain forming roughly a million new neural connections a second in these earliest years, that shrinking outdoor time is a developmental loss exactly when the architecture of attention, memory and self-regulation is still being built.<br />  <br />  Research links repeated outdoor free play to gains in executive function: the inhibitory control, working memory and cognitive flexibility that later show up as a child's ability to regulate their emotions, follow instructions and solve problems. A growing body of research also establishes a direct relationship between outdoor play and healthy childhood development, from stronger working memory and emotional regulation to improved mental health. In the largest study of its kind, tracking more than 4,000 children, those who played outdoors more often as preschoolers were significantly more likely to stay on a healthy mental-health path years later, exhibiting fewer symptoms of anxiety, depression and behavioural difficulty than the children who played outside less.  <p style="font-weight: bold">Aiming for 90 Minutes of Outdoor Playtime</p>  In January 2026, KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse introduced extended outdoor play of up to 90 minutes for every child, every day. It is the first preschool in Singapore to make this commitment across its high-quality early education programmes.<br />  <br />  National regulations require full-day preschools to provide 30 minutes of outdoor time daily; KiddiWinkie aims for up to three times that floor. Currently, preschools in Singapore usually promise "outdoor learning" or "time in nature", or institute "no-screens" and "no-device" rules, which are more open to interpretation.<br />  <br />  The daily outdoor allocation of 90 minutes for preschoolers and 30 minutes for infant care services derives from the third pillar of Sustainable Education™, Nature-Based Learning. Sustainable Education™ is the pedagogical framework of Babilou Family, KiddiWinkie's parent group, under which its centres commit to outdoor play as part of the daycare experience. This commitment aligns with KiddiWinkie's Natural Rhythm® pedagogy, which aims to honour each child's unique developmental journey through sensory play, child-led exploration and an ethos of care.<br />  <br />  As childhood in Singapore moves steadily indoors, the question now is: Who is willing to ensure that children enjoy crucial outdoor play? KiddiWinkie's 90-minute answer is based on the science that the early years are when children most stand to gain from such exposure. This is scientific knowledge made into everyday practice: that a generation given back its outdoor hours grows up steadier, sharper and better prepared for the world waiting beyond the school gate.<br />  <br />  For more information on KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse and its Natural Rhythm® pedagogy, please email info@kiddiwinkie.edu.sg or visit a KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse centre. Full list of centre locations here.<br />  <br />  https://kiddiwinkie.edu.sg/  <p>The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.</p>  <img alt="" height="1" src="//track.media-outreach.com/index.php/WebView/479880/9995" style="width:1px;height:1px;" width="1" />]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/kiddiwinkie-schoolhouse-introduces-90-minutes-daily-outdoor-play-in-singapore-158596.html</link>
			<author>KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse</author>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:25:17 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/ustarpay-launches-payment-application-and-virtual-card-supporting-usdt-deposits-158538.html</guid>
			<title>UstarPay launches payment application and virtual card supporting USDT deposits</title>
			<description>UstarPay launched its mobile application and virtual card infrastructure on 30 July 2026 enabling real world spending powered by Tether crypto deposits</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 11 August 2026 - UstarPay, a PayFi infrastructure platform connecting crypto to real-world payments, announced that the UstarPay App and Virtual Card officially launched on <b>July 30, 2026</b>. The initial launch is available to eligible users, enabling them to deposit and spend USDT through a secure and practical digital payment experience.<br />  <br />  This launch marks an important milestone for UstarPay's mission of <b>"Real Crypto, Real Life."</b> It turns the company's vision into action by allowing users to move beyond simply holding digital assets and begin using them in real-world spending scenarios. UstarPay will continue improving the product experience in future versions, including usability, supported features, payment scenarios, regional coverage, and infrastructure capabilities.<br />  <br />  Digital assets have changed how people store and exchange value, but using crypto in daily life has often remained difficult. UstarPay was created to solve this gap. With the launch of its App and Virtual Card, UstarPay is taking its first step toward making crypto more accessible, spendable, and useful for everyday life.<br />  <br />  A UstarPay spokesperson said: "The UstarPay App and Virtual Card officially launched on July 30, and this is only the beginning. This first version allows users to deposit and spend USDT through the UstarPay App and Virtual Card, but our vision goes far beyond that. We will continue to improve the product in upcoming versions, listen closely to users, and build a smoother, broader, and more powerful payment experience."<br />  <br />  <b>What This Launch Means for UstarPay</b><br />  <br />  The first launch of the UstarPay App and Virtual Card creates a major impact for the UstarPay ecosystem. It moves UstarPay from infrastructure vision to real user experience, giving people a direct way to interact with the platform and use digital assets in practical payment situations.<br />  <br />  For UstarPay, this launch:  <ul>  	<li>Validates the <b>"Real Crypto, Real Life"</b> mission by turning USDT into a usable payment balance.</li>  	<li>Introduces UstarPay to real users in the market, allowing the company to quickly gather market feedback and continuously optimize the product experience.</li>  	<li>Creates the foundation for future product expansion, including more features, broader use cases, and improved payment access.</li>  	<li>Strengthens UstarPay's role in PayFi infrastructure by connecting digital assets with real-world financial activity.</li>  	<li>Builds trust through practical utility, showing users that crypto can be more than an investment or trading asset.</li>  </ul>  This launch is not the final destination. It is the foundation for UstarPay's next stage of growth.<br />  <br />  <b>What UstarPay Changes</b><br />  UstarPay changes the way people interact with crypto by making digital assets easier to use in everyday life. Instead of keeping crypto inside exchanges, wallets, or trading platforms, UstarPay helps users turn USDT into real spending power.<br />  <br />  This launch changes the user experience in several key ways:  <ul>  	<li>From holding to spending: Users can move from simply holding USDT to using it for everyday payments.</li>  	<li>From complex to simple: The UstarPay App provides users with a clearer and more convenient way to manage and use digital assets.</li>  	<li>From digital-only to real life: The Virtual Card helps connect crypto balances with real-world payment scenarios.</li>  	<li>From delayed access to faster usability: Users can deposit USDT and access spending functions through a single platform.</li>  	<li>From fragmented tools to one ecosystem: UstarPay brings wallet and card functions together within one unified payment experience.</li>  </ul>  For freelancers, remote workers, travelers, Web3 users, and digital entrepreneurs, this means crypto can become more practical, flexible, and closely connected to everyday needs.<br />  <br />  <b>Key Features of the First Version</b><br />  The first version of the UstarPay App and Virtual Card includes:  <ul>  	<li>USDT Deposits: Users can deposit USDT into the UstarPay App.</li>  	<li>Virtual Card Access: Users can use the virtual card in supported payment scenarios.</li>  	<li>Everyday Digital Spending: Designed for online shopping, travel bookings, subscriptions, and other digital payment needs.</li>  	<li>Simple Account Experience: Manage digital assets and payment functions within one app.</li>  	<li>Availability for Eligible Users: Open to eligible users.</li>  	<li>Secure Payment Infrastructure: Built with a focus on compliance, transparency, and asset protection.</li>  </ul>  As the first version, UstarPay will continue to develop and improve the platform based on user needs, market feedback, and technical upgrades.<br />  <br />  <b>The UstarPay App and Virtual Card officially launched on July 30, 2026.</b><br />  <br />  <b>Regulated Area Check: </b><br />  Before downloading or using UstarPay services, users should confirm whether their country or region is within UstarPay's supported and compliant service areas. Please refer to the latest regulated area list.<br />  <br />  <b>Download UstarPay &amp; Regulated Area List: </b><br />  https://linktr.ee/UstarPay  <p>The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.</p>  <img alt="" height="1" src="//track.media-outreach.com/index.php/WebView/480455/9995" style="width:1px;height:1px;" width="1" />]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/ustarpay-launches-payment-application-and-virtual-card-supporting-usdt-deposits-158538.html</link>
			<author>UstarPay</author>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:21:15 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/company-net-profit-increases-30-percent-under-revised-operational-strategy-158545.html</guid>
			<title>Company net profit increases 30 percent under revised operational strategy</title>
			<description>The group reported a 30 percent net profit increase after deepening its core business strategy to strengthen regional market competitiveness across key operating segments</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="normalPara">HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 August 2026 – The world's largest telecommunications infrastructure service provider China Tower Corporation Limited ("China Tower", or the "Company") (Stock Code: 0788.HK) is pleased to announce its interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2026.</p>  <b>Performance Highlights</b>    <table style="width: 100%;border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);border-collapse: collapse;overflow: revert">  	<tbody>  		<tr style="margin: 6px;border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left">  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">RMB Million</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">1H 2026</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">1H 2025</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">Change</td>  		</tr>  		<tr style="margin: 6px;border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left">  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">Operating revenue</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">48,693</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">49,601</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">-1.8%</td>  		</tr>  		<tr style="margin: 6px;border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left">  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">EBITDA[1]</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">30,252</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">34,227</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">-11.6%</td>  		</tr>  		<tr style="margin: 6px;border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left">  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">Profit attributable to owners of the Company</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">7,489</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">5,757</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">30.1%</td>  		</tr>  		<tr style="margin: 6px;border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left">  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">Basic earnings per share (RMB yuan)</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">0.4284</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">0.3293</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">30.1%</td>  		</tr>  		<tr style="margin: 6px;border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left">  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">Dividend per share (RMB yuan)</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">0.19122</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">0.13250</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">44.3%</td>  		</tr>  		<tr style="margin: 6px;border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left">  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">Key operating data</td>  		</tr>  		<tr style="margin: 6px;border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left">  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">Number of tower sites (thousand)</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">2,172</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">2,119</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">2.5%</td>  		</tr>  		<tr style="margin: 6px;border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left">  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">Number of tower tenants (thousand)</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">3,871</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">3,844</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">0.7%</td>  		</tr>  		<tr style="margin: 6px;border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left">  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">Tenancy ratio (tenants / tower site)</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">1.78</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">1.81</td>  			<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);text-align: left;padding: 6px;vertical-align: top">-1.7%</td>  		</tr>  	</tbody>  </table>  <br />  In the first half of 2026, the Company's operating revenue reached RMB 48,693 million, a decrease of 1.8% year-on-year. EBITDA amounted to RMB 30,252 million, a decrease of 11.6% year-on-year, with an EBITDA margin[2] of 62.1%. Profit attributable to the owners of the Company reached RMB 7,489 million, an increase of 30.1% year-on-year, with a net profit margin of 15.4%.<br />  <br />  Net cash generated from operating activities amounted to RMB 7,135 million. Capital expenditure stood at RMB 11,650 million. As at 30 June 2026, our total assets amounted to RMB 351,237 million, with interest-bearing liabilities of RMB 101,392 million and a gearing ratio[3] of 31.5%, representing an increase of 3.8 percentage points from the end of 2025.<br />  <br />  The Company attaches great importance to shareholder returns. After considering our profitability, cash flow and capital requirements for future development, the board of directors of the Company has resolved to distribute an interim dividend of RMB 0.19122 per share (pre-tax).[4] We will work towards realizing steady growth in annual dividend payment per share and continue creating greater value for shareholders.<br />  <br />  <b>Enhanced resource sharing consolidated the TSP business foundation</b><br />  <br />  The Company further deployed the Dual-Gigabit network joint-entry implementation and made significant progress in implementing special projects such as upgrading signal strength and extending broadband coverage to all border areas, forests and grasslands. We focused on enhancing resource sharing and coordination of network resources in order to fully satisfy our customers' diverse, high-quality network construction needs, and support the expansion of 5G network penetration and coverage. In the first half of 2026, our TSP business recorded revenue of RMB 40,357 million, a decrease of 5.0% year-on-year.<br />  <br />  <b>Tower business. </b>We deepened the implementation of our embedded service mechanism, aligning with TSPs' network construction planning and comprehensively addressing their demands for network standards/frequency bands. We strengthened the innovative application of regionalized products and comprehensive solutions to fully meet customers' differentiated needs. Leveraging our extensive site resource data, we proactively conducted coverage analysis to enhance network optimization capabilities, helping TSPs achieve precise planning and precise construction. Focusing on customers' most pressing concerns, we leveraged the Company's resource coordination advantages and carried out special initiatives to tackle difficult sites, enhancing construction and delivery efficiency. We fully implemented the integrated coordination of "resources + demand", actively engaging with network coverage needs in key industries such as culture and tourism, education, and transportation. Adhering to a customer-oriented philosophy, we continued to optimize end-to-end business processes and management standards to serve customers' network coverage construction efficiently. Impacted by customers' optimization and adjustment of network deployment, simplified base station upgrades, and the continued development of the unified 4G network by China Telecom and China Unicom, our Tower business revenue in the first half of 2026 reached RMB 35,263 million, a decrease of 6.7% year-on-year. As of 30 June 2026, the Company managed a total of 2.172 million tower sites, an increase of 23,000 sites compared to the end of 2025. TSP tenants reached 3.565 million, a decrease of 2,000 compared to the end of 2025. Our TSP tenancy ratio was 1.69.<br />  <br />  <b>DAS business. </b>We continued to focus on high-value and livelihood-critical scenarios, strengthening resource coordination, joint construction and shared development. In support of the implementation of the Technical Standard for Engineering of Mobile Communication Infrastructure in Buildings, we accelerated engagement with newly constructed building projects and coordinated the synchronized planning and construction of supporting telecommunications facilities, achieving early resource deployment and efficient rollout. We continued to enhance product and service competitiveness, and steadily advanced iterative 5G network upgrades on high-speed railways, upgraded signal strength to tackle coverage in elevators and underground parking lots and deployed shared repeaters at scale in everyday scenarios such as tunnels and residential communities, helping TSPs achieve efficient, intensive and low-cost expansion of indoor and outdoor network coverage. In the first half of 2026, our DAS business revenue reached RMB 5,094 million, an increase of 9.2% year-on-year. As of 30 June 2026, we had covered buildings with a cumulative area of 16.17 billion square meters, while the coverage in railway tunnels and subways reached a cumulative length of 36,111 kilometers.<br />  <br />  <b>Consolidated advantages to drive rapid growth of Two Wings business</b><br />  <br />  The Company continued to strengthen product innovation and optimized business planning to improve core competencies and drive the continued rapid growth of our Two Wings business. In the first half of 2026, revenues from our Two Wings business reached RMB 7,923 million, accounting for 16.3% of our overall operating revenue and representing an increase of 2.3 percentage points over the same period last year.<br />  <br />  <b>Smart Tower business. </b>Focusing on spatial digital intelligence governance, we continued to deepen our presence in key sectors and key scenarios. More than 260,000 "digital towers" now serve over 10 industries, including land and resources, emergency response, water conservancy, and environmental protection, with our market share steadily improving in key areas such as straw burning prohibition, farmland protection, and disaster alert. We deepened resource sharing on the distributed platform and optimized algorithm iteration for mid-to-high points. We continued to implement the "AI+" special project, deepening the application of large models for spatial digital intelligence governance and promoting the innovative upgrading of industry application scenarios. We actively positioned ourselves in emerging fields such as the low-altitude economy, accelerating the R&amp;D of related products. We continued to uphold a customer-oriented philosophy, improved our high-standard service system and the development of local technical support teams, strengthened full-process support for product iteration and development, project construction and delivery, and operation and maintenance, and continuously enhanced customer satisfaction. In the first half of 2026, our Smart Tower business achieved revenue of RMB 5,332 million, a year-on-year increase of 12.8%. Of which, RMB 3,200 million was generated from Tower Monitoring business, accounting for 60.0% of our Smart Tower business.<br />  <br />  <b>Energy business. </b>We focused on developing key business segments including battery exchange and power backup. By leveraging our core strengths in product, service, and platform, we continued to refine the quality of our operations and solidify our competitive advantages in the market. For the battery exchange business, we strengthened our presence in the consumer express delivery and food delivery sectors and strengthened the refined operation of our user base, reinforcing customer retention with high-quality service. As of 30 June 2026, we had approximately 1.493 million battery exchange users, an increase of 16,000 from the end of 2025, further maintaining our leading position in the market. We accelerated the deployment of our community charging infrastructure network for low-speed electric vehicles, enabling service upgrades and continuously expanding our service coverage and user base. For the power backup business, we focused on key industry sectors, analyzed customers' core needs, strengthened platform and service capability development, stepped up the promotion of comprehensive industry solutions, and continued to enhance the influence of the China Tower "energy butler" brand. In the first half of 2026, our Energy business achieved revenue of RMB 2,591 million, a year-on-year increase of 17.3%. Of which, the battery exchange business accounted for RMB 1,595 million, up by 20.6% year-on-year, contributing 61.6% of the Energy business revenue.<br />  <br />  <b>Innovation-driven development with steadily enhanced technological capabilities</b><br />  <br />  Focused on the "One Core and Two Wings" strategy, the Company concentrated its resources on solving technological challenges, accelerating the commercialization of research achievements, and fostering the development of new quality productive forces. In the first half of the year, our R&amp;D investment and R&amp;D team size increased by 23% and 22%, respectively, while patent applications and patent authorizations grew by 15% and 132%, respectively, compared to the same period last year. One technological achievement received the second prize of the State Science and Technology Progress Award, and we led the initiation of two additional international standards. A series of innovative products achieved large-scale commercial application, including new 5G leaky cables, the Tower Monitoring platform, video AI algorithms for mid-to-high points, and the integrated energy service platform. The cumulative number of technological achievements and the number of achievements deployed at scale increased by 43% and 57%, respectively, from the end of 2025. The spatial governance data set of our Tower Monitoring network was recognized as an outstanding achievement among the high-quality industry data sets of central state-owned enterprises, while our digital intelligence IoT integrated governance scenario was included among the strategic high-value AI scenarios for central state-owned enterprises. Our technology innovation system continued to improve, with the high-quality development of our six technological innovation centers. We joined the innovation consortia and technology commercialization consortia of central enterprises for fields including the low-altitude economy, robotics, and quantum technology.<br />  <br />  <b>Zhang Zhiyong, Chairman of China Tower </b>said, "In the first half of 2026, we actively seized the opportunities brought about by the national strategies of 'Cyberpower', 'Digital China', and 'Dual Carbon' goals. Looking ahead, we will remain anchored in the 'One Core and Two Wings' strategic positioning, focusing on strengthening our core capabilities and competitiveness, further deepening resource sharing, and improving operating efficiency, to create greater value for shareholders, customers, and society."    <hr align="left" /> <span style="font-size:14px;">[1] EBITDA is calculated by operating profit plus depreciation and amortization.<br />  <br />  [2] EBITDA margin is calculated by dividing EBITDA by operating revenue, and multiplying the resulting value by 100%.<br />  <br />  [3] Gearing ratio is calculated as net debt (Interest-bearing liabilities minus the amount of cash and cash equivalents) divided by the sum of total equity and net debt, then multiplied by 100%.<br />  <br />  [4] The Company's share consolidation and capital reduction took effect on 20 February 2025. The Company's total issued share capital was reduced from 176,008,471,024 shares to 17,600,847,102 shares. Taking into account the aforementioned change in total issued share capital, the growth rate is calculated based on the total amount of dividends.</span>    <p><span style="font-size:14px;">The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.</span></p>  <img alt="" height="1" src="//track.media-outreach.com/index.php/WebView/480412/9995" style="width:1px;height:1px;" width="1" />]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/company-net-profit-increases-30-percent-under-revised-operational-strategy-158545.html</link>
			<author>China Tower Corporation Limited</author>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:17:19 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/dhl-express-launches-daily-shanghai-bangkok-cargo-flight-on-boeing-767-158529.html</guid>
			<title>DHL Express launches daily Shanghai Bangkok cargo flight on Boeing 767</title>
			<description>DHL Express launched a direct daily Boeing 767 freighter service between Shanghai and Bangkok on 11 August 2026 to expand air cargo capacity across regional trade routes</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="normalPara">SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 August 2026 – DHL Express has added a new direct flight between Shanghai and Bangkok, increasing capacity on a trade lane linking China and the rapidly growing economies of Indochina. The new flight route, Shanghai-Bangkok-Bahrain*-Brussels-Shanghai, significantly enhances connectivity among manufacturing, sourcing, and consumption markets across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.</p>    <figure align="center" data-image-height="0" data-image-width="0" style="display: block;width: 100%;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;text-align: center"><img alt="DHL Express boosts Indochina connectivity with new Shanghai-Bangkok flight" src="https://vir.com.vn/stores/news_dataimages/2026/082026/12/11/796028-dhl-express-supports-grow20260812110959.jpeg" style="width: 100%;margin: 0px" width="1600" />  <figcaption style="text-align: left;font-size: 16px;line-height: 24px;display: block;margin: 0px;width: 100%">  <p style="text-align: center;"><i>DHL Express boosts Indochina connectivity with new Shanghai-Bangkok flight</i></p>  </figcaption>  </figure>  Operated by a DHL Boeing 767 freighter with a maximum payload of 50 tons, the new daily service demonstrates DHL Express's ongoing investments in network capacity and infrastructure to strengthen connectivity for customers in high-growth markets. Equally, it also reflects DHL's constant review of evolving trade patterns and swift action to adapt to those changes.<br />  <br />  "This route is a direct response to how trade flows in Asia are shifting," said Peter Bardens, Senior Vice President for Network Operations &amp; Aviation – Asia Pacific, DHL Express. "We're seeing increasing movement of goods between China and Southeast Asia, alongside continued demand from customers in Europe and the Middle East for products manufactured across the region. This new route boosts our network where customers need it most, providing additional capacity and more direct connections between key production and consumption markets."<br />  <br />  Bangkok serves as a strategic gateway to the Indochina region, while Bahrain and Brussels are key DHL Express hubs. The introduction of the Shanghai-Bangkok route enables DHL Express to efficiently consolidate shipments originating from China and Southeast Asia before connecting them to destinations across Europe and the Middle East.<br />  <br />  The direct flight comes at a time when manufacturers and traders in markets such as Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are sourcing more from China. For many customers, those shipments are part of production chains that stretch across multiple countries. As trade links between China and Southeast Asia deepen, DHL Express is improving speed, flexibility and network resilience for customers moving materials, components and finished products across Asia and onward to global markets. Last month, DHL Express also expanded its Shenzhen gateway, located at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport. The facility can handle 900 tons of cargo daily – approximately three times the original throughput – as it supports booming cross-border trade and e-commerce shipments in China.<br />  <br />  At the same time, businesses in Europe and the Middle East continue to trade heavily with their peers in China and Southeast Asia for a wide range of products, from electronics and industrial components to consumer goods. As international business activity remains highly dispersed across global markets rather than concentrating within regions, the new route opens more trading opportunities for businesses while strengthening access for both regions.<br />  <br />  As both intra-Asia and global trade flows continue to show resilience, DHL remains focused on investing in its dedicated air network. Another recent example includes the introduction of a new transpacific service by DHL Global Forwarding that connects Southeast Asia and the United States. These expansions seek to better connect businesses to global markets as well as build more agile supply chains.<br />  <br />  https://group.dhl.com/en.html  <p>The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.</p>  <img alt="" height="1" src="//track.media-outreach.com/index.php/WebView/480377/9995" style="width:1px;height:1px;" width="1" />]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/dhl-express-launches-daily-shanghai-bangkok-cargo-flight-on-boeing-767-158529.html</link>
			<author>DHL</author>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:11:22 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/merck-expands-singapore-biosafety-testing-laboratory-to-over-1000-square-metres-158531.html</guid>
			<title>Merck expands Singapore biosafety testing laboratory to over 1 000 square metres</title>
			<description>Merck has expanded its Singapore BioReliance laboratory to over 1 000 square metres adding cell line characterisation and GMP next generation sequencing capabilities for regional biopharma clients</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 August 2026 – Merck, a leading science and technology company, is expanding its Singapore lab to further strengthen analytical and biosafety testing services for customers across the Asia Pacific region. Biosafety testing is a critical step in the drug development and manufacturing process, helping to ensure that biologics are safe, effective, and compliant with regulatory requirements.</p>    <p style="text-align: justify;">The expansion builds on Merck's global testing expertise of more than 75 years and marks a significant milestone in providing an advanced, local contract testing services portfolio for the region's growing biopharma industry.<br />  <br />  "Localizing these BioReliance® testing capabilities means our Asia Pacific biopharma customers can accelerate their development timelines, improve operational efficiency, and meet evolving regulatory and sustainability standards" said Paolo Carli, Head of Advanced Solutions for the Life Science business of Merck. "This investment underscores Merck's commitment to empowering medicine makers by providing industry-leading analytical and biosafety testing services and technical expertise."<br />  <br />  Merck's Singapore laboratory will become the first BioReliance® facility in Asia-Pacific to offer both Cell Line Characterization services and GMP next-generation sequencing (NGS) capabilities. It will also offer advanced molecular methods including Blazar®, a proprietary platform for rapid virus detection.<br />  <br />  The expanded facility aims to support the industry's move towards state-of-the-art quality control testing of biologics and 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement of animal use) through advanced molecular methods.<br />  <br />  "Merck's expansion of the BioReliance® lab will bring world-class and next-generation testing services to biopharmaceutical companies in Singapore and the region. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Merck to strengthen Singapore's ecosystem, build new capabilities within our local workforce, and enable the delivery of innovative therapies to patients," said Goh Wan Yee, Senior Vice President and Head of Healthcare, Singapore Economic Development Board.<br />  <br />  The Singapore BioReliance® lab was opened in 2018, and the expansion will bring the total lab area to over 1,000 square meters. This expansion is also a key step in Merck's broader strategy to support the region's dynamic life science ecosystem and drive scientific progress.</p>    <p style="text-align: justify;">The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.</p>    <p style="text-align: justify;">Please go to www.merckgroup.com/subscribe to register online, change your selection or discontinue this service.</p>    <p style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" height="1" src="//track.media-outreach.com/index.php/WebView/480405/9995" style="width:1px;height:1px;" width="1" /></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/merck-expands-singapore-biosafety-testing-laboratory-to-over-1000-square-metres-158531.html</link>
			<author>Merck</author>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:03:37 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/vinspace-signs-spacex-launch-contract-for-satellite-missions-in-2027-158523.html</guid>
			<title>VinSpace signs SpaceX launch contract for satellite missions in 2027</title>
			<description>Vietnamese aerospace company VinSpace signed a launch agreement with SpaceX on 11 August 2026 to send its first microsatellites into orbit in 2027</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>HANOI, VIETNAM - Media OutReach Newswire - 11 August 2026 - VinSpace Joint Stock Company ("VinSpace") announced the signing of a launch contract with U.S.-basedSpaceX. The agreement marks a significant milestone in VinSpace's roadmap to build comprehensive aerospace capabilities, advancing its mission to foster the development of Vietnam's space industry.</p>    <figure align="center" data-image-height="0" data-image-width="0" style="display: block;width: 100%;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;text-align: center"><img alt="VinSpace's satellites will launch aboard a Transporter rideshare mission in 2027 as part of SpaceX's rideshare program." src="https://vir.com.vn/stores/news_dataimages/2026/082026/12/10/photo-620260812104736.jpg" style="width: 100%;margin: 0px" width="100%" />  <figcaption style="text-align: left;font-size: 16px;line-height: 24px;display: block;margin: 0px;width: 100%"><i>VinSpace's satellites will launch aboard a Transporter rideshare mission in 2027 as part of SpaceX's rideshare program.</i></figcaption>  </figure>  <br />  Under the agreement, VinSpace's satellites will launch aboard a Transporter rideshare mission in 2027 as part of SpaceX's rideshare program, which enables multiple customers to share a single launch. VinSpace is responsible for the research, development, manufacturing and on-orbit operation of its satellites. The satellites will support the on-orbit demonstration of in-house developed technologies, strengthen VinSpace's satellite engineering capabilities, and pave the way for future commercial space applications.<br />  <br />  The agreement provides an important foundation for VinSpace's first satellite missions. In April 2026, the company announced its plan to develop and launch its first satellites into orbit in 2027.<br />  <br />  The agreement represents another important step in VinSpace's long-term vision to become a full-stack aerospace company, developing capabilities across the entire space value chain - from satellite design and manufacturing to Assembly, Integration and Testing (AIT), launch mission management, satellite operations, and downstream space data products and services.<br />  <br />  Selecting SpaceX as its launch service provider reflects VinSpace's strategy of working with the world's leading technology companies to realise its first space missions.<br />  <br />  <strong>Thu Vu</strong><b>, Chief Executive Officer of VinSpace</b>, shared that:<i>"Reliable access to space is fundamental to turning satellite innovation into operational missions. This contract with SpaceX is an important milestone in VinSpace's long-term strategy to help build Vietnam's space ecosystem and strengthen the country's position within the global space economy."</i><br />  <br />  VinSpace's upcoming satellite missions are expected to provide an important platform for in-orbit technology validation, accelerate the development of Vietnam's aerospace talent, deepen international collaboration, and support the commercialisation of space technologies. As satellites, low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations and other space technologies become increasingly important to economic growth, infrastructure resilience and national technological competitiveness, VinSpace is committed to strengthening Vietnam's sovereign space capabilities while delivering commercially sustainable solutions for customers across Vietnam, Southeast Asia and international markets.  <p>The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. <img alt="" height="1" src="//track.media-outreach.com/index.php/WebView/480384/9995" style="width:1px;height:1px;" width="1" /></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/vinspace-signs-spacex-launch-contract-for-satellite-missions-in-2027-158523.html</link>
			<author>VinSpace</author>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:47:36 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/ericsson-repurchases-class-b-shares-in-weekly-buyback-158503.html</guid>
			<title>Ericsson repurchases Class B shares in weekly buyback</title>
			<description>Ericsson repurchased Class B shares between August 3 and August 7 under its corporate share buyback scheme</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>STOCKHOLM, Aug. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- During the period August 3 - August 7, 2026, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) ("Ericsson") (LEI code 549300W9JLPW15XIFM52) repurchased own Class B shares (ISIN: SE0000108656) as follows:</p>    <table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="9" cellspacing="9" class="prnbcc">  	<tbody>  		<tr>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">Date </span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen3" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">Aggregated daily volume<br />  			(number of shares)</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen3" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">Weighted average share<br />  			price per day (SEK)</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen3" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">Total daily transaction<br />  			value (SEK)</span></p>  			</td>  		</tr>  		<tr>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">03/08/2026</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">500,000</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">95.7186</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">47,859,300.00</span></p>  			</td>  		</tr>  		<tr>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">04/08/2026</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">500,000</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">97.6833</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">48,841,650.00</span></p>  			</td>  		</tr>  		<tr>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">05/08/2026</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">1,000,000</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">97.4855</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">97,485,500.00</span></p>  			</td>  		</tr>  		<tr>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">06/08/2026</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">1,000,000</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">96.6100</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">96,610,000.00</span></p>  			</td>  		</tr>  		<tr>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">07/08/2026</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">1,000,000</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">96.6658</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">96,665,800.00</span></p>  			</td>  		</tr>  		<tr>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">Total</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">4,000,000</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">96.8656</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen2" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">387,462,250.00</span></p>  			</td>  		</tr>  	</tbody>  </table>    <p>The share repurchases are a part of the share buyback program of up to SEK 15,000,000,000 which Ericsson announced on April 16, 2026, and which runs between April 23, 2026, and March 31, 2027, at the latest. The Board of Directors intends to propose to the 2027 Annual General Meeting that the repurchased shares, other than those used to fulfil Ericsson's obligations under its share-related incentive programs, are cancelled.</p>    <p>The share buyback program is executed in accordance with the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on market abuse (MAR) and the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 of 8 March 2016 supplementing MAR (the Safe Harbour Regulation).</p>    <p>All acquisitions have been carried out on Nasdaq Stockholm by Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE on behalf of Ericsson. A full breakdown of the transactions is attached to this announcement.</p>    <p>Following the repurchases above, Ericsson's holding of treasury stock amounts to 95,169,316 Class B shares. There are in total 3,371,351,735 shares in Ericsson, 261,755,983 shares of Class A and 3,109,595,752 shares of Class B.</p>    <p>This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com</p>    <p>https://news.cision.com/ericsson/r/share-buybacks-in-ericsson-during-the-period-august-3---august-7--2026,c4381365</p>    <p>The following files are available for download:</p>    <table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0">  	<tbody>  		<tr>  			<td class="prngen4" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">https://mb.cision.com/Main/15448/4381365/4212639.pdf</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen4" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">Share buybacks in Ericsson during the period August 3-August 7 2026</span></p>  			</td>  		</tr>  		<tr>  			<td class="prngen4" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">https://mb.cision.com/Public/15448/4381365/acae6b8830f84a7d.xlsx</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen4" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">Daily Ericsson Share Buyback Report</span></p>  			</td>  		</tr>  	</tbody>  </table>]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/ericsson-repurchases-class-b-shares-in-weekly-buyback-158503.html</link>
			<author>PR Newswire</author>
			<pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:16:20 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/minesto-dragon-4-power-plant-sets-tidal-electricity-production-record-158506.html</guid>
			<title>Minesto Dragon 4 power plant sets tidal electricity production record</title>
			<description>Minesto reported record summer electricity generation at its Dragon 4 tidal power plant after completing a power take off system upgrade</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Aug. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Minesto today announces that the Dragon 4 power plant, upgraded with a new power-take-off (PTO) system that improves energy production throughout the tidal flow cycle, has delivered record breaking electricity generation over the summer in Vestmannasund, Faroe Islands. "We have now demonstrated what we believe to be the most efficient tidal energy power plant in the world in terms of energy conversion performance. This is proven through continuous production over several months," says Dr Martin Edlund, CEO of Minesto.</p>    <p>Minesto's microgrid-scale power plant Dragon 4 has generated record breaking electricity production over the summer in Vestmannasund, Faroe Islands.</p>    <p>The tidal flows in Vestmanna have proven to be stronger than historically modelled and anticipated, creating additional potential for energy production. Combined with the enhanced hydrodynamic efficiency of Minesto's second-generation kite technology, the Dragon Class, this meant that the original power-take-off system did not fully capitalize on the inherent potential. In response, Minesto's engineering team developed a more powerful PTO.</p>    <p>This upgraded PTO system has successfully demonstrated improved energy production throughout all tidal flow cycles while simultaneously reducing system costs.</p>    <p>The graph below/attached is a power production graph comparing daily energy production from the Dragon 4 power plant before and after the upgrade.</p>    <p><i>"The published power production data illustrates stable generation that closely follows the intensity of the tidal currents in Vestmanna at the production site. We can clearly see that the upgraded Dragon 4 captures energy in proportion to the predicted available resource. Both curves are produced by our Dragon 4 "Saga" in Q2 and Q3 this year, the only hardware difference is the PTO"</i> says Bernt Erik Westre, CTO at Minesto.</p>    <p><i>"With the results from this upgrade, we claim to have demonstrated the most efficient tidal energy power plant in the world in terms of energy conversion performance, proven over several months of production. The production performance is fully in line with our simulation models, further validating our ability to specify power plant configurations that maximize energy extraction at a given site,"</i> says Martin Edlund.</p>    <p><i>"The know-how and technology we have built over the years in integrating a power-take-off system into our unique Dragon systems has been hard-earned. The demanding and dynamic operating conditions created by tidal cycles and ocean environments make this expertise truly unique. With this new proven performance level, the commercial value of our intellectual property related to Dragon hardware and software has multiplied over the summer,"</i> Martin Edlund concludes.</p>    <p>This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com</p>    <p>https://news.cision.com/minesto-ab/r/dragon-power-unleashed--minesto-s-tidal-energy-power-plant-sets-electricity-production-record-over-s,c4381466</p>    <p>The following files are available for download:</p>    <table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0">  	<tbody>  		<tr>  			<td class="prngen1" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">https://mb.cision.com/Main/14621/4381466/4212924.pdf</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen1" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">PR 260810 Dragon Power unleashed -the Minesto's Tidal Energy Power Plant sets electricity production record</span></p>  			</td>  		</tr>  		<tr>  			<td class="prngen1" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">https://news.cision.com/minesto-ab/i/power-production-graph-minesto,c3556176</span></p>  			</td>  			<td class="prngen1" colspan="1" rowspan="1">  			<p class="prnml4"><span class="prnews_span">Power Production graph Minesto</span></p>  			</td>  		</tr>  	</tbody>  </table>]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/minesto-dragon-4-power-plant-sets-tidal-electricity-production-record-158506.html</link>
			<author>PR Newswire</author>
			<pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:11:16 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/hana-bank-unit-gln-expands-payment-network-to-15-million-merchants-158501.html</guid>
			<title>Hana Bank unit GLN expands payment network to 1 5 million merchants</title>
			<description>Hana Bank subsidiary GLN expanded its Korean merchant acceptance network to 1 5 million locations after integrating with the Seoul Pay network</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span class="legendSpanClass">SEOUL, South Korea</span>, <span class="legendSpanClass">Aug. 10, 2026</span> /PRNewswire/ -- GLN International (CEO Lee Suk, "GLN"), a subsidiary of Hana Bank, has expanded its QR payment acceptance network in Korea from approximately 1 million to 1.5 million merchants by integrating with the Seoul Pay network in partnership with Coocon. As a result, visitors to Korea can now use QR payments at even more merchants in Seoul while retaining access to GLN's existing nationwide merchant network across major tourist destinations, including Busan and Jeju.</p>    <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="GLN expands its QR payment network to approximately 1.5 million merchants nationwide through Seoul Pay integration." src="https://mmx.prnasia.com/media/MS1966735/20260810033245EDT_image_1.jpg?id=OA2850928&amp;amp;p=medium600" title="GLN expands its QR payment network to approximately 1.5 million merchants nationwide through Seoul Pay integration." /><br />  <span style="font-size:14px;">GLN expands its QR payment network to approximately 1.5 million merchants<br />  nationwide through Seoul Pay integration.</span></p>    <p>Seoul Pay is a QR-based payment service introduced to reduce payment processing costs for small businesses. As an open payment platform, it enables multiple domestic and international payment services to operate through a single standardized QR code.</p>    <p>Beginning August 3, GLN secured access to approximately 500,000 Merchant Presented Mode (MPM) QR merchants through a partnership with Coocon, the operator of Seoul Pay. Combined with approximately 1 million Customer Presented Mode (CPM) QR merchants built through partnerships with Hana Card and other payment providers, the expanded network enables international visitors to make QR payments using their existing banking or fintech apps from their home countries — without exchanging currency or carrying physical payment cards.</p>    <p>GLN's transaction data shows that QR payment usage by inbound international travelers increased significantly during the first half of 2026 compared with the second half of 2025. Both transaction volume and transaction value through GLN's QR payment network grew by approximately 1,000%.</p>    <p>The company began expanding its nationwide QR payment network in the second half of 2025 by launching Hana Card QR merchants and integrating with payment terminals operated by Toss and Naver Pay, securing approximately 1 million QR payment merchants. With the addition of Seoul Pay's merchant network, the total number of QR payment merchants has increased to approximately 1.5 million, further accelerating QR payment adoption among international visitors to Korea.</p>    <p>Spending patterns among international travelers are expanding beyond the traditional shopping district of Myeong-dong to emerging commercial areas such as Seongsu. QR payment usage has grown significantly at popular retail brands in Seongsu, including Musinsa, Daelim Warehouse, Blue Elephant, NyuNyu, rom&amp;nd and Ready Young Pharmacy.</p>    <p>QR payment usage has also increased across merchants frequently visited by international travelers, including Shinsegae Duty Free, Galleria Department Store, Daiso, as well as convenience stores, fashion retailers, restaurants and cafés, and the Seoul Metropolitan Subway.</p>    <p>In addition, international visitor spending is expanding beyond Seoul to major tourism destinations such as Busan and Jeju. As demand for Korea's beauty and medical tourism continues to grow, QR payment usage has also increased rapidly at dermatology clinics, plastic surgery clinics and pharmacies in these regions.</p>    <p>GLN currently provides QR payment services for visitors from Taiwan (China) and plans to expand the service to travelers from the United States, Canada, Singapore, Vietnam and Mongolia later this year. By 2027, the company aims to extend the service to more than 10 countries while expanding its QR payment merchant network in key tourist destinations such as Busan and Jeju, making it easier for international travelers to pay seamlessly across Korea.</p>    <p>"We will continue expanding our QR payment merchant network to provide inbound international travelers with a simple and convenient payment experience while contributing to the growth of local businesses and Korea's tourism industry," said Lee Suk, CEO of GLN.</p>    <p>GLN also provides outbound Korean travelers with QR payment and QR cash withdrawal services in 15 countries, including Vietnam, China, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos, Japan and Indonesia. Supported by a global network of more than 230 million QR merchants, GLN continues to strengthen its position as one of Asia's leading cross-border QR payment platforms.</p>]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/hana-bank-unit-gln-expands-payment-network-to-15-million-merchants-158501.html</link>
			<author>PR Newswire</author>
			<pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:04:52 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/naver-d2sf-completes-follow-on-investment-in-ndotlight-158513.html</guid>
			<title>NAVER D2SF completes follow on investment in NdotLight</title>
			<description>NAVER D2SF executed a follow on investment in NdotLight to support data infrastructure required for physical AI training simulations</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span class="legendSpanClass">SEONGNAM, South Korea</span>, Aug. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- NAVER D2SF, the corporate venture capital arm of NAVER, has made a follow-on investment in NdotLight (CEO, Jinyoung Park), a data infrastructure company for physical AI. The KRW 15 billion funding round was led by Korea Development Bank. This marks NAVER D2SF's third investment in NdotLight, following its participation in the company's Pre-Series A round in 2021 and Series A round in 2022. NAVER D2SF decided to make this additional investment based on NdotLight's potential to address data, one of the key bottlenecks in physical AI.</p>    <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="https://mmx.prnasia.com/media/MS1966761/20260810043222EDT_image_1.jpg?id=OA2851018&amp;amp;p=medium600" title="" /></p>    <p>NdotLight has developed TRINIX, a "simulation-ready" 3D data generation solution that can be directly applied to physical AI training simulations. As data becomes increasingly critical to physical AI, various approaches such as teleoperation have been explored. However, significant gaps in data quality, slow collection speed, and high costs have remained major bottlenecks when applying such data to simulation environments where real-world AI training takes place.</p>    <p>NdotLight addresses this challenge through an automated pipeline that generates 3D data with detailed physical properties such as mass and friction, as well as joint structures and collision boundary information. In particular, TRINIX integrates with NVIDIA Omniverse, NVIDIA's simulation platform, enabling the company to supply large-scale, high-quality 3D simulation datasets.</p>    <p>NdotLight currently provides AI training data to humanoid robotics and robotics foundation model companies, including Holiday Robotics, AeiRobot, ROBROS, and RLWRLD. The company is also participating as a data supplier in physical AI projects led by major enterprises such as Hyundai Motor Company and LG Electronics, validating its business potential as data infrastructure that can be applied in real-world industrial settings.</p>    <p>The NdotLight team brings strong technical and business expertise across AI and 3D graphics. CEO Jinyoung Park previously worked on 3D launcher development at Samsung Electronics, while CTO Suntae Kim led AI and 3D engine development at NAVER and Samsung Electronics. NdotLight has also been named by CB Insights, a global venture research firm, as one of the world's notable 3D engine companies. With this latest funding, the company is actively hiring top talent across all functions.</p>    <p>NAVER D2SF has built long-term partnerships with frontier startups by providing venture capital at the early stage and continuing to support their growth through follow-on investments. Since its first investment in NdotLight in 2021, NAVER D2SF has worked closely with the company to build a 3D content creation environment, followed by a subsequent investment in 2022. Through this additional investment, NAVER D2SF plans to explore new collaboration opportunities with NdotLight in physical AI.</p>    <p>"NdotLight is a team that has built deep trust with NAVER D2SF not only through our investments, but also through close collaboration as a resident startup at NAVER 1784," said Sanghwan Yang, Head of NAVER D2SF. "The team has consistently identified key opportunities ahead of fast-changing market shifts and moved quickly to execute on them. We expect NdotLight to take its next leap as a leading physical AI data company and achieve even greater gro<span id="spanHghltb782">wth."</span></p>    <p>NAVER D2SF is NAVER's in-house corporate venture arm, supporting sustainable growth by collaborating with startups. Founded in 1999, NAVER has maintained its position as Korea's leading search engine for over 20 years and operates across commerce, content, <span>fintech</span>, and cloud services. Under the technological vision of D2SF, NAVER is actively developing new technologies and global partnerships to grow as a leading tech company.</p>    <p>To learn more, visit https://d2sf.naver.com</p>]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/naver-d2sf-completes-follow-on-investment-in-ndotlight-158513.html</link>
			<author>PR Newswire</author>
			<pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:57:21 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/greencore-solutions-appoints-former-walmart-director-julia-turley-158511.html</guid>
			<title>GreenCore Solutions appoints former Walmart director Julia Turley</title>
			<description>GreenCore Solutions added former Walmart director Julia Turley to its board to support AI agents for beauty and personal care products</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="prntac" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="legendSpanClass">VANCOUVER, BC and SYDNEY</span>, <span class="legendSpanClass">Aug. 11, 2026</span> /PRNewswire/ -- GreenCore Solutions Corp. ("GSC" or the "Company"), AI Agents that sell Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) and Beauty &amp; Personal Care (BPC) brands into retail grocery procurement, today announced the appointment of Julia Turley to its Board of Directors.</p>    <p style="text-align: justify;">Across the world's ten largest retailers, only a handful of executives at any time hold a Beauty &amp; Personal Care buying P&amp;L at the director level. Turley held one — at the largest of them all — for years. She spent more than 20 years at Walmart U.S. — Bentonville, Arkansas, inside a retailer with fiscal 2026 global revenues of US$713 billion — in Beauty &amp; Personal Care buying and merchandising leadership, most recently as Director of Merchandising — Beauty, running a US$2 billion P&amp;L. She made the decision GSC's AI Agents are built for: what gets bought.</p>    <p style="text-align: justify;">Only a handful of executives across the world's largest retailers hold Beauty &amp; Personal Care buying expertise at the level Turley brings — more than 20 years at Walmart U.S. (fiscal 2026 revenues US$713 billion), most recently as Director of Merchandising — Beauty, running a US$2 billion P&amp;L. She now pairs that expertise with the fastest-scaling AI Agent procurement platform in CPG — GSC's AI Agents and the CPG Knowledge Graph, carrying brands into retail procurement at 11.5 million+ transactions a month. Her buyer judgment lands on an AI Agent stack already engineered for the buy side — deterministic, procurement-ready, and sustainable by design, resolving answers once instead of burning compute guessing.</p>    <p style="text-align: justify;">"Everyone wins. GSC's makers get AI Agents built against real buyer judgment. Retail buyers get a sell side engineered for their gates — deterministic, procurement-ready, and sustainable by design, resolving answers once instead of burning compute guessing. And the GSC board gains a leader and a mentor — two decades of building winning categories and developing top merchant talent, now guiding the company that sells to the desk she ran. GSC is the first AI Agent company in CPG to appoint a Walmart U.S. merchandising leader to its Board of Directors," said Matthew Keddy, CEO, GreenCore Solutions Corp.</p>    <p style="text-align: justify;">"For more than 20 years at Walmart, I evaluated brands through the lens of the customer, the category and the business—what earns distribution, what creates incremental growth and what ultimately deserves space on the shelf. AI is changing how brands and retailers find, evaluate and transact with one another, but strong retail decisions still require sound merchant judgment. I'm excited to bring that perspective to GSC as it builds technology designed around how retailers actually buy," said Julia Turley.</p>    <p style="text-align: justify;">GSC supplies AI Agents to CPG makers, mounting a maker's SKUs onto GSC AI Agent infrastructure so those products become machine-discoverable, machine-orderable and procurement-ready for retailer, ERP and AI procurement systems. The Company's architecture combines its proprietary CPG Knowledge Graph powered by SPARKS with deterministic classification, sovereign resolution and commerce execution infrastructure — with a human in the loop on every purchase order.</p>]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/greencore-solutions-appoints-former-walmart-director-julia-turley-158511.html</link>
			<author>PR Newswire</author>
			<pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:51:19 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/newland-digital-technology-invests-in-digital-payments-provider-debia-158515.html</guid>
			<title>Newland Digital Technology invests in digital payments provider Debia</title>
			<description>Newland Digital Technology completed a strategic investment in Debia to advance technology systems and expand digital payment platform presence across ASEAN</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span class="legendSpanClass">SINGAPORE</span>, <span class="legendSpanClass">Aug. 11, 2026</span> /PRNewswire/ -- Debia Pte. Ltd. ("Debia"), a Singapore-based financial technology company licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore ("MAS") as a Major Payment Institution, today announced a strategic investment and partnership with Newland Digital Technology Co., Ltd. ("Newland"), a technology and digital commerce group listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE: 000997).</p>    <p>The investment follows the strategic agreement between Debia and Newland signed on June 8 and marks a defining milestone in Debia's growth, establishing a strategic partnership to support its next phase of development across Southeast Asia.</p>    <p><b>Advancing Digital Payments Across ASEAN</b></p>    <p>With ambitions extending beyond payment processing, Debia aims to build a reliable and integrated digital payments ecosystem that enables merchants to accept payments seamlessly, reach customers across borders and participate more actively in ASEAN's rapidly growing digital economy.</p>    <p>This partnership marks an important step towards realising that vision.</p>    <p>Newland contributes expertise in payment technology, artificial intelligence, smart payment terminals, digital commerce and merchant services. Combined with Debia's regulated payments platform and regional market expertise, the partnership creates a strong foundation for innovation and sustainable growth.</p>    <p>In the near term, the partnership will focus on strengthening Debia's technology infrastructure, accelerating the development of new merchant solutions, and deepening collaboration with banks, payment partners and the broader payments ecosystem.</p>    <p>Looking further ahead, the partnership is expected to expand Debia's regional presence, enhance its cross-border payment capabilities and advance the development of increasingly intelligent and integrated payment solutions. Potential areas of collaboration include artificial intelligence applications within the payment ecosystem, merchant digitalisation, international card-scheme initiatives, cross-border acquiring and remittance, and new digital commerce solutions.</p>    <p>Commenting on the investment, <strong>Derrick Tham</strong>, Chief Executive Officer of Debia, said:</p>    <p><i>"Newland's investment is a powerful endorsement of Debia's regulated platform, merchant ecosystem and the long-term vision for Southeast Asia. The partnership brings together two companies with complementary strengths and a shared commitment to advancing digital payments in the region. We believe this partnership will create new opportunities to enhance merchant solutions, strengthen cross-border payment capabilities and contribute to the continued growth of ASEAN's digital payments ecosystem."</i></p>    <p>As Debia enters this next phase of growth, it remains committed to maintaining high standards of regulatory compliance and governance, delivering reliable and transparent merchant services, continuing to innovate, and expanding responsibly across the region. Together with Newland, Debia is well positioned to contribute to the continued growth of digital payments across Southeast Asia.</p>    <p>Website: www.debia.co</p>]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/newland-digital-technology-invests-in-digital-payments-provider-debia-158515.html</link>
			<author>PR Newswire</author>
			<pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:45:01 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/adnoc-gas-reports-665-million-dollar-second-quarter-net-income-158510.html</guid>
			<title>ADNOC Gas reports 665 million dollar second quarter net income</title>
			<description>ADNOC Gas posted 665 million dollars in second quarter net income while approving a 940 million dollar dividend and making final investment decisions</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="prntac"><span class="legendSpanClass">ABU DHABI, UAE</span>, <span class="legendSpanClass">Aug. 10, 2026</span> /PRNewswire/ -- ADNOC Gas plc and its subsidiaries (together referred to as "ADNOC Gas" or the "Company") (ADX: ADNOCGAS) (ISIN: AEE01195A234) today announced its results for the second quarter of 2026, delivering net income of $665 million, above the guidance range of $400-600 million, despite exceptional external disruption during the period. The Company achieved a significant milestone in executing its long-term growth strategy by taking Final Investment Decisions (FIDs) and awarding engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for Phases 2 and 3 of its Rich Gas Development (RGD) Project (collectively, the "Contract Awards").</p>    <p>Fatema Al Nuaimi, Chief Executive Officer of ADNOC Gas, said: "This is a defining moment for ADNOC Gas. With the final investment decision and contract awards for the Rich Gas Development Project, we are not only accelerating one of the world's largest gas-processing growth programs – we are raising our ambition, targeting 60% EBITDA growth by 2030. These strategic investments will significantly expand our natural gas processing and export capacity, unlock lasting value for our shareholders, and position ADNOC Gas at the heart of the UAE's energy future. Beyond their economic impact, they safeguard the nation's energy security, power its industrial growth, and ensure we are ready to meet rising energy demand – at home and around the world.</p>    <p>At the same time, ADNOC Gas delivered resilient second-quarter net income above our guided range, despite a challenging operating environment, reflecting the strength of our business, the discipline of our execution, and the continued delivery of our long-term strategy."</p>    <p>These investment decisions raise ADNOC Gas' targeted EBITDA growth to 60%<sup>[1]</sup> by 2030 versus 2023 – an upgrade from the previously communicated target of more than 40% over 2023-2029. The upgrade reflects the long-term value creation of the Company's project portfolio and its disciplined approach to capital allocation. ADNOC Gas now expects to invest approximately $28 billion between 2026 and 2030 to deliver this growth ambition.</p>    <p>ADNOC Gas has awarded $8.2 billion in EPC contracts for Phases 2 and 3 of the RGD project – $3.9 billion for Phase 2, to Wison Engineering, and $4.3 billion for Phase 3, to Tecnimont. These contracts build on Phase 1, announced in June 2025, which is expanding key processing units to increase throughput and improve operational efficiency, across multiple gas assets.</p>    <p>Phase 2, to be delivered by Wison Engineering, will add a new natural gas processing train at the Habshan facility, expanding ADNOC Gas' natural gas processing capacity, enhancing operational flexibility, and supporting the UAE's expanding downstream and petrochemical sectors. Phase 3, to be delivered by Tecnimont, will add a new natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionation train at Ruwais, increasing the recovery of higher-value liquids from rich natural gas for export, strengthening ADNOC Gas' global customer portfolio.</p>    <p>Together with the $5 billion committed to Phase 1, the new awards bring total investment in the RGD project to $13.2 billion. It will benefit from higher associated gas volumes as ADNOC progresses towards its production capacity ambitions.</p>    <p><b>Delivering one of the industry's largest gas growth programs</b></p>    <p>ADNOC Gas is executing one of the largest gas growth programs in the industry, spanning four megaprojects – Ruwais LNG, Maximizing Ethane Recovery and Monetization (MERAM), RGD and Estidama – which together are expected to generate $13.4 billion in In-Country Value (ICV), reinforcing the Company's contribution to the UAE's industrial development and economic diversification goals. The program continues to progress, with MERAM expected delivery in 2027 and Ruwais LNG and Estidama both advancing as planned. This growth is further underpinned by ADNOC's continued investment across the gas value chain – including the recently announced Bab Gas Cap and Umm Shaif Gas Cap developments – which will bring more natural gas and associated gas liquids into ADNOC Gas' integrated value chain, supporting additional feedstock, processing volumes, LNG exports and higher revenue streams.</p>    <p><b>Scaling AI and robotics across operations</b></p>    <p>ADNOC Gas is also scaling artificial intelligence and robotics – from aerial drones and four-legged inspection robots to tank-climbing crawlers – across its assets, with the potential to cut inspection costs by up to 75%, complete certain inspections up to 15 times faster and remove personnel from hazardous environments as it advances toward increasingly autonomous operations.</p>    <p><b>Results Overview</b></p>    <p>ADNOC Gas delivered net income of $665 million in Q2 2026 - above the upper end of the $400-600 million guidance range provided in the first quarter, reflecting strong operational performance in a challenging operating environment. This was supported by resilient margins in the domestic gas business.</p>    <p>Supported by its robust cash flow from operations, the Board has approved a quarterly dividend of $940 million, payable in September 2026, in line with the commitment to deliver annual dividend growth of 5% through 2030. ADNOC Gas remains the largest dividend payer on the ADX.</p>    <p><b>Habshan Complex Incidents</b></p>    <p>ADNOC Gas responded swiftly to the security-related incidents at the Habshan site on 3 and 8 April, prioritizing safety and minimizing disruptions to customers. The Company has concluded its technical assessment of the impact from these incidents and recovery has progressed ahead of schedule, with gas supply already restored to 85%, surpassing the year-end target set in May.</p>    <p><b>Q3 and Full-Year 2026 Outlook</b></p>    <p>Continued disruption to maritime movements through the Strait of Hormuz affected product liftings during the second quarter. Through proactive inventory, logistics and supply-chain management, ADNOC Gas worked closely with customers and partners to mitigate the impact of these disruptions, manage temporary constraints and fulfil commitments wherever possible.</p>    <p>For the third quarter, ADNOC Gas expects net income in the range of $600 to $800 million, based on the assumption that maritime routes through the Strait of Hormuz continue to be disrupted. Looking further ahead, if maritime operations are fully restored by the fourth quarter of 2026 and pricing realizations normalize, the Company expects full-year 2026 net income to range from $3.5 to $4 billion.</p>    <p><em><b>Cautionary note:</b></em></p>    <p><em>This announcement contains forward-looking statements concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of ADNOC Gas. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties (including, but not limited to, disruptions to maritime routes (including the Strait of Hormuz), geopolitical developments, fluctuations in commodity prices and product realizations, operational risks including those related to the Habshan complex, and the timing and execution of major capital projects) that could cause actual results, performance, or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. ADNOC Gas does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events, or other information. Results could differ materially from those stated, implied, or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.</em></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/adnoc-gas-reports-665-million-dollar-second-quarter-net-income-158510.html</link>
			<author>PR Newswire</author>
			<pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:40:42 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/aureka-biotechnologies-raises-100-million-dollars-in-series-b-funding-158520.html</guid>
			<title>Aureka Biotechnologies raises 100 million dollars in Series B funding</title>
			<description>Aureka Biotechnologies secured 100 million US dollars in Series B financing to scale biological foundation model training and enhance drug discovery infrastructure</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span class="legendSpanClass">LAGUNA HILLS, Calif. and SHANGHAI</span>, <span class="legendSpanClass">Aug. 11, 2026</span> /PRNewswire/ -- Aureka Biotechnologies announced the close of a US$100 million Series B financing on Aug. 10, 2026. Granite Asia funded the first tranche exclusively, and a prominent strategic investor led a subsequent tranche, with participation from HighLight Capital (HLC) and follow-on investment from existing shareholders including MPCi and NRL Capital. Aureka has now raised nearly US$200 million to date.</p>    <p>The company will direct proceeds primarily toward research and large-scale training of its next generation of biological foundation models, further strengthening performance on core tasks such as de novo molecular design, biological structure modeling and function prediction. Aureka will also upgrade Lab-in-the-Loop, its experiment-centered feedback engine, strengthening the closed-loop between those models and its proprietary single-cell functional screening, high-throughput experimental validation and drug development platforms.</p>    <p>With its closed-loop, AI-native infrastructure already built, Aureka is now strengthening the intelligence core of that system: its foundation models. Aureka combines large-scale pre-training, project-specific post-training, AI agents and experiments that run at scale into AI-for-Science infrastructure for the life sciences. In it, models do not just solve individual drug discovery tasks; they learn the rules of biology, to understand, generate, predict and intervene in complex biological systems.</p>    <p>As foundation models and automated R&amp;D converge, Aureka is shifting from using AI to make drug discovery more efficient to using AI to model living systems, pushing both the technical frontier and the commercial ceiling of AI-driven drug discovery.</p>    <p><b>Closed-Loop AI-Native Infrastructure Builds a Stronger Intelligence Core</b></p>    <p>Founded in 2023, Aureka Biotechnologies is an AI-native TechBio company developing a new generation of biological foundation models and closed-loop infrastructure that surrounds them, combining AI models, agents, digital biology and experimental platforms to redesign the drug discovery process end to end.</p>    <p>Biology does not yield to computation alone; it depends on feedback from the physical world. Sustained improvement in large biological models requires more than advances in compute, algorithms and model architecture. It also takes high-quality experimental data that faithfully reflects molecular function, and an experimental system able to continuously test model hypotheses, correcting model bias and feeding results into the next iteration.</p>    <p>Aureka therefore treats Lab-in-the-Loop as core infrastructure for model development, integrating AI agents, high-throughput digital biology, proprietary single-cell functional screening and its in-house experimental platform. The resulting loop runs from molecular generation through experimental design, functional validation and model post-training to candidate development.</p>    <p>In this system, the laboratory is no longer a validation step that follows model output; it is a core part of how the model learns and improves. Models propose experimentally testable molecular designs and scientific hypotheses; the experimental platform generates high-quality functional data; and that data flows back into both the foundation model and project-specific models, driving continuous iteration into the next round of design and validation.</p>    <p>This Lab-in-the-Loop mechanism lets Aureka generate its own large-scale, information-dense functional experimental data for use in foundation model pre-training, reinforcement learning and project-specific post-training. Compared with development paths that rely mainly on public, static datasets, Aureka's models receive experimental feedback from live drug discovery programs and evolve through a continuous design–validation–learning cycle — a flywheel in which data, models, experiments and drug assets reinforce one another.</p>    <p><b>Foundation Model Capability Confirmed by Third-Party Evaluation</b></p>    <p>That infrastructure produced AuraIDE, Aureka's own biological foundation model. Trained at scale on proprietary protein co-evolution data, it learns how protein sequence, structure, evolution and function relate to one another. On biomolecular structure prediction and de novo molecular design, it now ranks among the leaders.</p>    <p>Rather than a single-purpose algorithm, AuraIDE is built to transfer across multiple drug discovery programs through task adaptation and project-specific post-training. Its capabilities extend from protein structure modeling and molecular generation into biomolecular interaction modeling, function prediction and multi-objective optimization under complex design constraints.</p>    <p>OpenDDE, the open-source version of AuraIDE, ranks among the world's leading open-source biomolecular models in independent third-party evaluations.</p>    <p>Together, the third-party evaluations and the wet-lab results indicate that Aureka's models lead on protein structure prediction and de novo design, and can translate that capability into measurable molecular function. Through continuous Lab-in-the-Loop feedback, they are moving from predicting biological structure toward generating biomolecules with intended function.</p>    <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Third-party evaluation of OpenDDE on FoldBench v1, a public antibody–antigen structure prediction benchmark. Source: Tamarind Bio, Open Models Beat AlphaFold3, FoldBench v1 benchmark." src="https://mmx.prnasia.com/media/MS1965754/20260806190032EDT_image_2.jpg?id=OA2834282&amp;amp;p=medium600" title="Third-party evaluation of OpenDDE on FoldBench v1, a public antibody–antigen structure prediction benchmark. Source: Tamarind Bio, Open Models Beat AlphaFold3, FoldBench v1 benchmark." /><br />  <span style="font-size:14px;">Third-party evaluation of OpenDDE on FoldBench v1, a public antibody–antigen structure prediction benchmark.<br />  Source: Tamarind Bio, Open Models Beat AlphaFold3, FoldBench v1 benchmark.</span></p>    <p><b>Diversified Commercialization Turns Model Capability into High-Value Drug Assets</b></p>    <p>Building on its biological foundation models, proprietary single-cell functional screening platform and project-specific post-training, Aureka has produced high-value, differentiated antibodies at scale for problems that conventional approaches struggle with — from difficult target classes such as GPCRs to dual-target antibodies that require a single molecule to engage two targets.</p>    <p>Within a given program, Aureka post-trains its foundation model around target mechanism, functional phenotype and developability objectives, converting general biological intelligence into a dedicated model for a specific drug discovery problem. AI agents then work together across target understanding, molecular generation, computational assessment, experimental design and results analysis, with the resulting experimental data feeding back into that program's model.</p>    <p>The company's end-to-end, agentic R&amp;D infrastructure connects molecular generation, developability assessment, experimental validation, results feedback and candidate development, allowing scientific hypotheses, model capability and experimental capacity to be converted rapidly into developable drug assets that support both internal pipeline programs and external collaborations.</p>    <p>Aureka has established strategic partnerships with multiple leading global pharmaceutical companies to advance the development of differentiated antibody therapeutics, and has generated tens of millions in revenue over the past two years — evidence of the platform's delivery capability, scalability and commercial potential in live drug discovery programs.</p>    <p><b>From Step-Level Efficiency to Simulating Biological Systems: Toward a Biological World Model</b></p>    <p>"When leading biological foundation models are genuinely combined with R&amp;D infrastructure that can run at scale, we are no longer simply making one step of drug discovery more efficient — we are building the next-generation drug discovery engine, one that can understand, generate and predict biological systems," said Dr. Weian Zhao, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aureka Biotechnologies. "This is a critical step in Aureka's progress toward a biological world model."</p>    <p>On Aureka's long-term roadmap, a biological world model does more than predict static molecular structures. It will simulate interactions between molecules, reason about the likely outcomes of molecular design and engineering, and support AI agents that plan, execute and iterate on drug design tasks autonomously.</p>    <p>With this financing, Aureka will further advance the co-evolution of its biological foundation models and closed-loop AI-native infrastructure, accelerate the validation and translation of model capability in live drug discovery programs, and continue to expand what generative AI can do in antibody drug development.</p>    <p><b>Investor Perspectives</b></p>    <p><b>Granite Asia, Yinghui Kuang:</b></p>    <p>"AI-driven drug discovery is moving beyond competition on isolated model capability and into a new phase defined by the co-evolution of data, models and experiments in a closed loop. Aureka has built complete AI-native R&amp;D infrastructure with leading biological foundation models as its intelligence core, giving it the systemic ability to generate high-quality data continuously, iterate its models and convert them into drug assets. We are optimistic about the company's long-term technical ceiling in generative antibody design and its potential to grow globally."</p>    <p><b>HighLight Capital (HLC):</b></p>    <p>"We are delighted to have completed our investment in Aureka. The company is working to deeply integrate generative AI algorithms with high-throughput wet-lab platforms, with the potential to reshape the paradigm for biologics R&amp;D. We think highly of the team's deep technical foundation in AI-enabled drug development and the efficiency of its closed loop. Going forward, we will continue to commit resources to help the company accelerate pipeline progress and technology iteration, and to bring AI to drug innovation worldwide."</p>    <p><b>MPCi, Yuye Wang:</b></p>    <p>"Aureka is a team we backed early and have continued to believe in. OpenDDE, the open-source all-atom model it released, demonstrates this young team's foresight in AI drug discovery and the strength of its technical foundations. Together with the differentiated pipeline the company has now built, we believe a team that combines innovative edge with strategic discipline will keep breaking through bottlenecks in drug development and bring genuine paradigm change to the industry."</p>    <p><b>NRL Capital:</b></p>    <p>"Aureka is defining the infrastructure standard for AI drug discovery. The open-source release of OpenDDE marks a key transition from innovation to systematic platform building, closing the loop between computational models and ultra-high-throughput automated wet-lab work and establishing Aureka's global voice in native infrastructure for broadly accessible drug discovery. We recognize the strategic vision of Dr. Weian Zhao and his team in driving industry change through an open-source ecosystem, and we are firm believers in the exponential gains that a dry-lab/wet-lab closed loop delivers in antibody design efficiency. NRL Capital has completed a follow-on investment in this round and will continue to support the company's global expansion and the realization of the global value of its AI infrastructure."</p>]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/aureka-biotechnologies-raises-100-million-dollars-in-series-b-funding-158520.html</link>
			<author>PR Newswire</author>
			<pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:33:49 +0700</pubDate>
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			<guid isPermaLink="true">https://vir.com.vn/live4well-completes-causeway-bay-health-screening-pilot-programme-158461.html</guid>
			<title>LIVE4WELL completes Causeway Bay health screening pilot programme</title>
			<description>Health platform LIVE4WELL concluded its six day Purple Wellness Day initiative in Causeway Bay after providing non invasive screening services to nearly 1 000 Hong Kong residents</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="normalPara">HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 10 August 2026 – Faced with the dual challenges of a steady rise in chronic disease rates and the immense pressure borne by public health resources in Hong Kong, putting preventive healthcare into practice has become a matter of urgency. To actively respond to the Government's direction of strengthening primary healthcare and district-based service delivery, innovative health management platform LIVE4WELL has picked Causeway Bay as its first community pilot site, demonstrating its vision and practice in contributing to public health. Working with district organizations, the initiative enabled nearly 1,000 members of the public to experience non-invasive, painless and rapid screening. By combining artificial intelligence (AI) with big data, the platform encourages the public to take ownership of their own Bio-wealth Assessment Data, to identify and address potential health risks early.<img alt="Innovative health management platform LIVE4WELL has picked Causeway Bay as its first community pilot site, demonstrating its vision and practice in contributing to public health. Working with district organizations, the initiative enabled nearly 1,000 members of the public to experience non-invasive, painless and rapid screening." src="https://vir.com.vn/stores/news_dataimages/2026/082026/11/15/event-banner20260811151835.jpeg" style="text-align: center; width: 100%; margin: 0px;" width="100%" /></p>    <figure align="center" data-image-height="0" data-image-width="0" style="display: block;width: 100%;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;text-align: center">  <figcaption style="text-align: left;font-size: 16px;line-height: 24px;display: block;margin: 0px;width: 100%"><span style="font-size:14px;"><i>Innovative health management platform LIVE4WELL has picked Causeway Bay as its first community pilot site, demonstrating its vision and practice in contributing to public health. Working with district organizations, the initiative enabled nearly 1,000 members of the public to experience non-invasive, painless and rapid screening.</i></span></figcaption>  </figure>  <br />  As a community force, LIVE4WELL has also submitted policy recommendations to the HKSAR Government, spanning the smarter use of AI in health assessment, the rollout of non-invasive community outreach screening, the inclusion of inflammatory markers in community-level screening, and extending Chinese and Western medicine collaboration into the aspect of wearable devices, thereby supporting the HKSAR Government in aligning with the National 15<sup>th</sup> Five-Year Plan and the policy direction for the year ahead.<br />  <br />  <b>Business and District Leaders Aim to Fill the Gap in Advancing Chronic Disease Prevention and Control</b><br />  <br />  LIVE4WELL's six-day "Purple Wellness Day", a public health screening experience event held in Causeway Bay from August 5 to 10, came to a successful close today. The event transformed a shopping mall space into an innovative health exploration hub, bringing together a wide range of top-tier health screening devices from Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland, and overseas, more than 20 healthy-living partner merchants and various star speakers, enriching the public's journey of health exploration.<br />  <br />  <b>Miranda WONG, Co-founder, LIVE4WELL</b>, said, "The management of chronic diseases should never begin only after the onset of illness. As a digital health partner, LIVE4WELL builds on the Government's primary healthcare policy framework to provide the public with more proactive and accessible preventive healthcare support. By integrating AI and big data technologies into retail and community settings, we are making non-invasive screening part of everyday life, rather than medical procedures that feel out of reach. At its core, this is our long-term commitment to health management and social care — whether it is identifying chronic disease risks early in elderly family members, or helping younger generations catch issues like pre-diabetes in time. We hope technology can make 'early detection, early management' a part of everyone's daily life, rather than something people come to regret only after their condition has worsened."<br />  <br />  <b>LEE Man-lung, Joey, MH, Chairman of Centre Stage Squarer and Wan Chai District Council Member,</b> who attended the opening event and arranged for district residents to take part, said, "Screening that is non-invasive, painless, and delivers results instantly is a major breakthrough in AI technology — one that goes beyond technological progress but more importantly, gives businesses the capacity to create health assessment tools that are more beneficial and relatable to people's lives. Health assessment is no longer a tedious questionnaire or cold clinical equipment, it is a new experience of conversing with one's own body. The event is an excellent demonstration of how community organizations can harness technology to expand district health support services, building a low-cost and easily accessible health platform for the elderly and grassroots families. It is an approach well worth other organizations emulating."<br />  <br />  <b>Non-invasive Screening Helps the General Public in Early Identification of Multiple Potential Health Risks</b><br />  <br />  To encourage citizens to take the first step toward self-health management, approximately 300 free screening slots were reserved during the event, allowing people in need to experience a range of non-invasive, rapid and precise AI health screening, and to receive personalized health reports and expert interpretation on the spot. Visitors took part in non-invasive thematic areas across seven exploration zones, covering liver and kidney metabolism, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and retinal condition, blood glucose and metabolic risks, cell vitality and inflammation, musculoskeletal and postural health assessments, stress and mental balance, as well as hearing and blood pressure. After completing the journey, LIVE4WELL shared with participants a comprehensive body report that clearly presented their individual health indicators and risk assessments.<br />  <br />  The event also featured more than 20 free expert health talks, attended by a cumulative total of nearly 500 participants, covering topics such as chronic disease prevention, nutrition, sleep, emotional well-being and mind-body health, reflecting the public's increasingly keen demand for proactive self-health management.<br />  <br />  <b>From the Causeway Bay Pilot to a Health Vision for All 18 Districts</b><br />  <br />  Held at the SOGO Causeway Bay store, "Purple Wellness Day" was LIVE4WELL's first pilot scheme in bringing health technology into the community. Demonstrating at one of the city's busiest commercial landmarks, the event exemplified how professional health management services can be seamlessly integrated into everyday life. Looking ahead, LIVE4WELL hopes to extend this successful model to all 18 districts of Hong Kong, deepening collaboration with community organizations such as District Councils, Care Teams, residents' associations and district service groups to widen the reach of preventive healthcare. LIVE4WELL is actively connecting with more enterprises and brands that share its vision, so that through corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and in its positioning as a digital health partner, it can contribute to Hong Kong's primary healthcare development and realize the vision of "boosting health for all 18 districts".<br />  <br />  <b>Aligning with Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan to Jointly Build a Forward-Looking Healthy City</b><br />  <br />  In recent years, the Hong Kong Government has continued to strengthen primary healthcare services, promote preventive healthcare, and enhance community-based support for the elderly and of chronic diseases in its Policy Addresses and long-term healthcare planning. As Hong Kong formulates its First Five-Year Plan and proactively aligns with the National 15<sup>th</sup> Five-Year Plan, LIVE4WELL, as a community force, is also committed to contributing its strengths through concrete action. LIVE4WELL believes that AI- and data-driven preventive healthcare technology, coupled with the strengths of the private sector and the community, can complement the public healthcare system. When the public achieves "early detection, early management", the pressure on the public healthcare system can be gradually alleviated, enabling a sustainable health ecosystem for Hong Kong.<br />  <br />  To build a healthier city in the long run, LIVE4WELL recommends progressively introducing inflammatory markers as a new dimension of health monitoring, building on existing health screening. Chronic inflammation is often closely associated with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Continuous tracking of inflammatory markers allows high-risk individuals to be identified early and followed up in a timely manner, easing the long-term healthcare pressure on Hong Kong.<br />  <br />  Given that many citizens have a certain degree of resistance to, or psychological burden associated with, invasive tests such as blood draws, LIVE4WELL believes that the authorities should make good use of AI health assessment tools and roll out non-invasive community outreach screening to raise public participation. Combining existing screening with comprehensive health data analysis would help forecast healthcare demand. LIVE4WELL further recommends that the authorities continue to promote collaboration between Chinese and Western medicine to strengthen Hong Kong's preventive healthcare system.<br />  <br />  LIVE4WELL encourages the public to make good use of wearable devices to continuously track their personal health data, in step with the Government's promotion for collaboration between Chinese and Western medicine — putting into practice the preventive care approach of "Chinese medicine for prevention, Western medicine for treatment" where TCM-based recuperation works hand-in-hand with Western medical diagnosis and treatment.  <p>The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.</p>  <img alt="" height="1" src="//track.media-outreach.com/index.php/WebView/480216/9995" style="width:1px;height:1px;" width="1" />]]></content:encoded>
			<link>https://vir.com.vn/live4well-completes-causeway-bay-health-screening-pilot-programme-158461.html</link>
			<author>LIVE4WELL</author>
			<pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:22:50 +0700</pubDate>
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