China-aided Laos’ first integrated photovoltaic-storage-charging ‘zero-carbon library’ opens ACN Newswire

China-aided Laos’ first integrated photovoltaic-storage-charging ‘zero-carbon library’ opens

HANGZHOU, CHINA, Sept 2, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Laos’ first zero-carbon library, built with support from Zhejiang Electric Power Corporation, officially opened at Luang Prabang Peace Secondary School on August 29. The library integrates solar power, energy storage and charging facilities, bringing a green energy solution to the school.This "green gift" from Zhejiang also carries special significance, coming in the 65th anniversary year of China-Laos diplomatic relations and the jointly declared "China-Laos Friendship Year." In June, Thongloun Sisoulith, General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and President of Laos, visited China, with his first stop in Zhejiang, where both sides reached a series of agreements on deepening a China-Laos community with a shared future. Two months later, those agreements took root along the Mekong River in the form of a library.Inside, the outdoor heat gives way to cool air, with computers, televisions, bookshelves and Chinese-Lao bilingual books neatly arranged. Students can browse books, search the digital library, and study independently in a quiet, comfortable environment."Since the China-Laos Railway opened, we have been exposed to many new things—concepts like artificial intelligence and the digital economy that we rarely heard of before. We are still students with few opportunities to go out, so reading has become our only way to broaden our horizons and gain knowledge," said Zalen, a second-year student at Luang Prabang Peace High School.However, local extracurricular reading resources are scarce; to find books beyond their textbooks, students often had to travel by train more than 200 kilometers to Vientiane, the capital—a two-and-a-half-hour journey one way. "Now the library is right outside the classroom. There are many books I want to read here, and there's air conditioning too. It feels especially convenient and comfortable," Zalen said.Principal Bounkham Vansy believes that this library is not just a reading room, but also a new channel connecting to the outside world. "This is another passage to the outside world after the China-Laos Railway, a path for students to gain new knowledge and ideas. The school will make good use of this library and manage it well, so that it can truly be integrated into daily teaching, provide students with more opportunities to learn and grow, and realize its greatest value," he said.Laos relies heavily on hydropower, and seasonal changes in water flow put pressure on the power supply during the dry season. Luang Prabang, in northern Laos, also has limited grid infrastructure in some areas, adding to the school's electricity challenges.Since upgrading the main power grid was difficult to achieve in the short term, a microgrid solution was adopted. The "Green Energy TO" public welfare team of State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Co., Ltd. decided to use China's mature integrated photovoltaic-storage-charging microgrid technology. The library was manufactured in factories in Zhejiang in the form of prefabricated cabins and completed in Laos in just four days.During the day, rooftop photovoltaic panels generate electricity, storing surplus power in an energy storage system that releases it at night to provide the library a stable energy supply.On the same day, an "Air Classroom" was also launched together with the library. When the big screen lit up, Luang Prabang Peace Secondary School on one side and Gaoqiao Junior High School in Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, on the other, "met" across a distance of 5,000 li.Chinese teachers introduced Lao students to Chinese culture and science through the screen. Zero-carbon engineer Lai Hanbin gave the children a lesson on new-type power systems, and volunteers from State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Co., Ltd. helped the children assemble a robot dog, drawing cheers as it walked across the lawn. Lao students in turn, shared their own culture, introducing the Lao New Year — the Water Splashing Festival.The most popular attraction was the UN Sustainable Development Goals science base beside the library. Students pedaled vigorously on power-generating bicycles, cheering. Looking at the photovoltaic panels and photovoltaic benches, the students said, "So this is green, low-carbon, and sustainable development!""We have innovated a public welfare service model of 'new energy + new education', using green energy to support remote education and interactive learning to spread the concept of green and low-carbon development," said Zhang Jun, head of the "Green Energy TO" public welfare team of State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Co., Ltd. "In the future, the library will join hands with the Zhejiang Provincial Science Popularization Association, the Abin Volunteer Service Center of State Grid Hangzhou Power Supply Company, and Xiaoshan District Library of Hangzhou to provide children on both sides with 21 class hours of air classes across five dimensions, including natural science and traditional culture."From reading to classes, from online exchanges to hands-on experience, the library, the classroom and the science base are now connected—turning green energy into an everyday campus experience that students can read, discuss and practice."This is a green practice that crosses mountains and seas," said Khamla Lianbadi, deputy secretary of the Luang Prabang Provincial Party Committee. "It has not only brought advanced power grid technology to Laos, but also sowed the development philosophy of 'lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets' and the beautiful ideal of jointly building a clean and beautiful world on this land."At the unveiling ceremony, representatives from both China and Laos also jointly planted a Champa tree, the national tree of Laos. A sapling has taken root, and a library has lit up dreams. From Zhejiang to Luang Prabang, this scent of books crossing mountains and seas is witnessing the China-Laos community with a shared future being continuously deepened and consolidated. (Luo Zhen, Zhu Xiaowei)Company: Zhejiang Electric Power CorporationContact Person: Zhen LuoEmail: gwhzgdgs@zj.sgcc.com.cn Website: www.zj.sgcc.com.cn City: Hangzhou Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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Asia’s premier fashion event CENTRESTAGE officially kicks off ACN Newswire

Asia’s premier fashion event CENTRESTAGE officially kicks off

HONG KONG, Sept 2, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, CENTRESTAGE, Asia’s annual premier fashion event and a flagship programme of the third edition of Hong Kong Fashion Fest, officially opened today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Running for four consecutive days until 5 September, the exhibition is open free of charge to both industry buyers and the public, and invites all to immerse themselves in the unique allure of Asia's fashion capital. Stepping into its 11th edition, this year's CENTRESTAGE has attracted a record-breaking convergence of some 270 international brands from 24 countries and regions. This vibrant tapestry of style encompasses renowned labels, emerging designers, and industry elites, showcasing the pinnacle of fashion trends and creative ingenuity. Furthermore, the four-day extravaganza features a rich programme of over 40 captivating events, including an unprecedented lineup of more than 30 runway shows, further cementing the fair’s international influence and sartorial magnetism.The 11th CENTRESTAGE officially opened today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, gathering a record-breaking some 270 international brands.Smilely Lam, Associate Executive Director of the HKTDC, said: “CENTRESTAGE gathers a constellation of global fashion brands and design luminaries. Through this platform, we aim to leverage Hong Kong’s unique advantages as an international business hub and a superconnector. We enable Hong Kong brands to connect with overseas buyers, while simultaneously attracting international labels to use Hong Kong as a springboard into Asia, fostering two-way collaboration and creating more business opportunities. At the same time, it allows the public to experience the latest fashion and creative trends up close, further consolidating Hong Kong's position as Asia's fashion and creative hub.”This year, CENTRESTAGE debuts the Hype² zone, bringing together fashion brands led by local celebrities and KOLs to showcase the diverse charm of Hong Kong's streetwear culture.Hype² pavilion debuts with limited new releasesStreetwear has experienced meteoric growth in recent years, propelled by Gen Z consumers who place a premium on "self-expression" and "emotional resonance". Responding to this cultural shift, CENTRESTAGE debuts Hype² pavilion, a dedicated zone spotlighting fashion labels spearheaded by local celebrities and KOL. The star-studded exhibitor lineup includes Rosita Kwok’s Claro, Vincent Wong’s OGIS, Kelvin Kwan’s PICK AND MATCH, ROSEMA.ESE X Jaime Cheung (a collaboration between Jaime Cheung and Ariel Leung), and Pakho Chau’s XPX. During the fair, some 30 limited-edition and debut products were launched. Additionally, the "Hype² Runway Show" will take centre stage on 4 September, bringing together over 10 streetwear brands with special celebrity guest appearances.KIT WAN STUDIOS headlines grand opening fashion showTonight (2 September), the grand opening fashion show, CENTRESTAGE ELITES, will put the spotlight on KIT WAN STUDIOS, a multidisciplinary design and visual arts studio led by Kit Wan, a Hong Kong-born creative director and visual artist. The studio’s collaborative roster of local artist is formidable, encompassing Miriam Yeung, Hins Cheung, MC Cheung, and Panther Chan. Designing “stage armour” for artists in Los Angeles at the Grammy Awards and Eurovision in the United Kingdom allow Hong Kong design to shine on a global stages. Over 30 brand-new looks will make their debut on the CENTRESTAGE ELITES runway, with select pieces displayed at the fairground. To share the three acts of this collection “MUTANT // MYTHOLOGY” to a wider audience, the show will be livestreamed across multiple platforms. Furthermore, on 4 September, he will engage in a sharing session with Dan Hastings, Editor of The Business of Fashion, to explore his inspirations and insights on operating a fashion brand both from an art studio.Korea joins as "Featured Partner" with largest-ever pavilionCENTRESTAGE’s global footprint continues to expand, welcoming exhibitors from 24 countries and regions, with Austria, Colombia, the Faroe Islands, Malaysia, Slovakia and the UAE making their inaugural appearances. Notably, Korea is serving as CENTRESTAGE's Featured Partner for the first time. Jointly organised by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), HISEOUL SHOWROOM, and the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Hong Kong, the pavilion brings 12 renowned Seoul designer brands, including DOUCAN, ELNORE, and RE RH'EE, alongside the Gyeonggi Fashion Creative Studio, which presents 10 prominent local brands such as ARTS DE BASE, PHENOMENONSEEPER, and VEGANTIGER, showcasing the trendiest Korean styles. The pavilion will host a thematic fashion show, "SEOUListic: The Future is Sustainable," on 4 September, featuring former IZ*ONE member Lee Chae-yeon as a guest performer, blending fashion with entertainment.In addition to Korea, the exhibition features 11 overseas pavilions. The Austrian pavilion, participating for the first time and coordinated by Austrian Trade Commission, brings 7 brands with unique European flair, including Woody, My Magpie and more. The Austrian delegation staged a mini parade today, receiving an enthusiastic response from the audience while showcasing the distinctive European flair and sustainability ethos of Austrian design.The Canadian pavilion, led by the Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong and Macao, gathers several high-end, female-founded and female-led brands, including Iris Setlakwe, known for elegant tailoring, and Devlyn Van Loon, focusing on minimalist and sustainable design, showcasing modern North American women's fashion. The Thai pavilion, organised by the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), returns with 14 brands, including KANZ BY THAITOR. Other pavilions include Quanzhou from the Chinese Mainland, Macao, Australia, and Slovakia.New Perfume Zone with fragrance experience with over 20 brands launching in Hong Kong for the first timeThis year's exhibition features seven thematic zones covering various fashion sectors and design styles. The newly added “Perfume” zone gathers renowned fragrance brands from around the world. Over 20 brands from Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam are making their Hong Kong retail debut, alongside established names like local brand OCO, inviting buyers and fashion enthusiasts on an olfactory journey. The fair also featured a Scent Station, where visitors can sample and test their favourite fragrances.This year's exhibition features seven themed zones, with the Urban Zone highlighting casual city fashion. Brands include 8FIVE2, founded by Julius Brian Siswojo, a member of Hong Kong's hip hop group "24Herbs." He was present on the opening day, engaging closely with the public and adding star power to the zone.Building on last year's success, the "Accessories" zone has been expanded, featuring brands such as local label Bethel. The "Craftsmanship" zone celebrates artisanal excellence with Malaysia’s Maswira Majid and local brand Wanzzz. The "Contemporary" zone showcases avant-garde aesthetics, featuring Colombia’s STUDIO INGRID BURGOS and Chinese Mainland’s premium label Langdeng. The "Urban" zone captures the essence of casual city life, including local label 8FIVE2 by local Hip Hop group ‘’24herbs’’ member Julius Brian Siswojo. The zone also features another local label Petrolhead by artist Louis Cheung and Yorki Fan. Julius Brian Siswojo and Louis Cheung made appearances at the fair on opening day, drawing enthusiastic crowds and creating a lively atmosphere. The “Athleisure” zone merges sportswear with workwear, highlighted by local brand Plan216. Finally, the "Circular Fashion" zone champions sustainability, featuring local brand JESSE LEE, who will present three-dimensional garments crafted from upcycled fabrics and 3D printing technology. Select exhibitors will also offer retail sales, allowing the public to purchase their favourite designer pieces on the spot.Record-breaking runway showsOver 40 exciting events will take place during the exhibition, including a historic high of over 30 fashion shows covering various styles. A key highlight, the Fashion Hong Kong Runway Show organised by the HKTDC, will be held tomorrow (3 September). Inspired by "Hong Kong Dopamine", it will present the creative collections of four local brands: 112 mountainyam, ANGUS TSUI, ARTY:ACTIVE, and Z I D I, showcasing the city's fashion vitality.The first runway show of the event, FASHIONALLY Collection #26, showcased the latest works from local brands MARCCH, MURFI LAU, and OUS.FASHIONALLY, dedicated to promoting young Hong Kong designers, will also host several presentations. FASHIONALLY Collection #26 will showcase the latest works of MARCCH, MURFI LAU, and OUS; while phenotypsetter, Oplus2, and Szmannie will launch their new collections via FASHIONALLY Presentation.Other fashion shows boast equally impressive lineups, gathering numerous renowned and emerging local and overseas brands. Local representatives include KEVYIU, VICTOR CHAN STUDIO x atelierYVF, Cixi Jewelry, Classics Anew, Doris Kath, and Cecilia Yau Couture. The overseas lineup features works by Slovakian designers Bráz Noémi and Mišena Juhász, presenting diverse creative styles to the industry and audience.CENTRESTAGE is not only a brand showcase but also a crucial platform for industry exchange and discussing future developments. The "Meet the Designer" session has invited renowned Korean designer Rok Hwang to share his valuable experience in founding his brand ROKH and stepping onto the international stage. Additionally, organisations such as AiDLab and the Australian Fashion Council will host seminars exploring hot topics like sustainable fashion and fashion technology, further promoting industry cooperation and solidifying Hong Kong's status as an Asian fashion hub.The exhibition also features various thematic shows and industry competitions to promote the preservation and innovation of fashion culture. These include the GBA Fashion Fushion organised by the Fashion Farm Foundation, the "Young Knitwear Designers' RUNWAY 2026" by the Knitwear Innovation and Design Society (KIDS), and the SPARKLE by KAREN CHAN brand show. Meanwhile, the Grand Final of the Redress Design Award 2026, the world's largest sustainable fashion design competition, and the "Create Outside the Box" Fashion Design Competition 2026 will take place consecutively.The grand finale, the Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers' Contest (YDC) 2026, will be held on 5 September. A professional judging panel will select the winners of four major awards—Champion, Excellence Award, Best Art Direction, and My Favourite Collection—from 10 shortlisted designers, unearthing the next generation of fashion luminaries. The public is invited to vote online for the "My Favourite Collection" award, with a chance to win one of five HK$2,000 Lee Gardens e-gift certificates sponsored by Hysan Development. (Voting link: https://www.fashionally.com/en/s/ydc2026-vote)Multiple Interactive Zones with Immersive Trend ExperienceThe exhibition features a variety of interactive zones, offering visitors an immersive fashion journey. Highlights include the Fashion Sound Lab, where participants can record the voice on-site at the Lab installation and download their self-generated songs via QR code for replay. They can also create a souvenir in the form of a vinyl-inspired record design. The SNAPIO Stand captures chic fashion moments, allowing guests to preserve their exclusive style memories. In addition, the French Cultural Salon at FIGARO Café provides a space for fashion enthusiasts to engage in in-depth exchanges, experience the fusion of culture and trends, and appreciate live gigs.The HKTDC continues to invite buyers from around the world to source at CENTRESTAGE, including major retailers such as Chinese Mainland's B1OCK, Dongliang, Italy's 10 Corso Como, Korea's Muninsa, United Kingdom's Dover Street Market London and Selfridges.CENTRESTAGE is held concurrently with the HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and Salon de TE (1–5 September). Attendees can enjoy a one-stop shopping experience for global fashion apparel and luxury timepieces, and participate in the CENTRESTAGE X Watch & Clock Lucky Draw.Photo download: https://bit.ly/3T87B48The 11th CENTRESTAGE officially opened today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, gathering a record-breaking some 270 international brands.This year, CENTRESTAGE debuts the Hype² zone, bringing together fashion brands led by local celebrities and KOLs to showcase the diverse charm of Hong Kong's streetwear culture.This year’s exhibition features seven themed zones, with the Urban Zone highlighting casual city fashion. Brands include 8FIVE2, founded by Julius Brian Siswojo, a member of Hong Kong’s hip hop group “24Herbs.” He was present on the opening day, engaging closely with the public and adding star power to the zone.The first runway show of the event, FASHIONALLY Collection #26, showcased the latest works from local brands MARCCH, MURFI LAU, and OUS.Ronja SCHERZINGER, CEO of FashionTouri International Enterprise, attended a sharing session to introduce how sustainable fashion can accelerate brand value.Korea became the exhibition's "Featured Partner" for the first time, creating its largest-ever pavilion with 22 participating brands.Organised by the Austrian Trade Commission, the Austrian pavilion presented a mini parade featuring seven fashion brands, showcasing the distinctive European flair and sustainability ethos of Austrian design.Some brands at the fair also offered retail sales, allowing visitors to purchase fashion apparel and accessories from around the world. Pictured is Cixi Jewelry from the Accessories zone.The fair also featured a number of interactive settings, including the FIGARO Café, a contemporary French-inspired cultural salon where fashion enthusiasts could connect, exchange ideas and experience the convergence of culture and fashion through an immersive journey.CENTRESTAGE: https://www.hktdc.com/event/centrestage/enCENTRESTAGE buyer online registration: https://bit.ly/4xydTctCENTRESTAGE Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/centrestage_hktdc/?hl=tcFashion Hong Kong: https://www.fashionhongkong.com/Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers' Contest (YDC): https://www.fashionally.com/en/Media enquiriesPURPLE:Fiona WongTel: (852) 9221 1056Email: fiona.wong@purplepr.comYannis SinTel: (852) 6226 3398Email: yannis.sin@purplepr.comHKTDC’s Communications & Public Affairs Department:Katy WongTel: (852) 2584 4524Email: katy.ky.wong@hktdc.orgJane CheungTel: (852) 2584 4137Email: jane.mh.cheung@hktdc.orgHKTDC Newsroom: https://mediaroom.hktdc.com/enAbout HKTDCThe Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The HKTDC is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With over 50 offices globally, including 13 in the Chinese Mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. About Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA)The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA), formerly known as Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) since 2009, was established in June 2024. CCIDA is a dedicated office under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) to provide one-stop services and support to the cultural and creative sectors with a mission to foster a conducive environment in Hong Kong to facilitate development of the arts, culture and creative sectors as industries. CCIDA’s strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, promoting cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary collaboration, promoting industrialisation of the arts, culture and creative sectors under the industry-oriented principle, and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community, thereby reinforcing Hong Kong as Asia’s creative capital and our positioning as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.About Hong Kong Fashion FestAnnounced by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive in the 2023 Policy Address, "Hong Kong Fashion Fest" will be organised to develop Hong Kong into a fashion design hub in Asia. Through consolidating various fashion design events and introducing innovative elements and affiliate activities annually, the Hong Kong Fashion Fest promotes Hong Kong’s fashion and textile design brands and boosts Hong Kong’s position as a prime destination for hosting mega cultural and creative events. Under the theme "Rhythm of the Heart", the third edition of Hong Kong Fashion Fest will be held from 1 to 14 September 2026 at various landmarks in Hong Kong. The event will bring together eight flagship programmes organised by six industry organisations and, for the first time, will be combined with CENTRESTAGE - the annual fashion extravaganza organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council - to generate stronger synergies. The event will attract fashion design industry players from all over the world to come to Hong Kong; foster collaboration, innovation and business opportunities; establish platform for local and international fashion designers and brands and connect with different sectors in the fashion design industry of Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and overseas, thereby consolidating Hong Kong’s position as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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Galaxy Group (Nasdaq: GLXG) Announces Support for Stablecoin Payments for Businesses, Employees and Contractors Starting September 2026 ACN Newswire

Galaxy Group (Nasdaq: GLXG) Announces Support for Stablecoin Payments for Businesses, Employees and Contractors Starting September 2026

HONG KONG, Sept 2, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Galaxy Payroll Group Limited (“Galaxy Group” or “Galaxy”) (Nasdaq: GLXG), an Asia-focused provider of payroll, Employer of Record (EOR), HR outsourcing and cross-border workforce solutions, today announced that it will officially support stablecoin payment options for businesses, employees and contractors beginning in September 2026.The new payment capability is designed to provide Galaxy clients and their global workforces with greater flexibility in managing cross-border payments, particularly where traditional international payment methods may involve longer settlement times, multiple intermediaries or additional transaction costs.Expanding Payment Options for the Modern Global WorkforceUnder the new capability, eligible Galaxy clients will be able to use supported stablecoins as an additional payment method for approved business and workforce-related transactions. Subject to applicable laws, compliance requirements and local availability, eligible employees and contractors may also elect to receive approved payments through supported stablecoin payment channels.Stablecoin payments will operate as an additional payment option alongside Galaxy’s existing traditional banking and payroll payment infrastructure. Clients and workers will not be required to use stablecoins.The initiative forms part of Galaxy’s broader strategy to modernize cross-border workforce infrastructure while maintaining the compliance and operational controls required for payroll, EOR and international employment services.Compliance Remains CentralGalaxy will implement stablecoin payment support within an appropriate compliance and risk-management framework. Availability will be subject to applicable laws and regulations, jurisdictional restrictions, identity and compliance verification, and Galaxy’s internal policies and procedures.Where Galaxy acts as Employer of Record, statutory payroll calculations, tax withholding, social insurance contributions, mandatory benefits and employment reporting will continue to be administered in accordance with applicable local requirements.Stablecoin payment support does not change the underlying employment relationship, payroll calculation methodology or statutory obligations applicable to Galaxy’s EOR and payroll services.Supporting Businesses, Employees and ContractorsThe stablecoin payment capability is intended to support three key groups:Businesses — providing eligible clients with an additional channel to fund approved cross-border payroll and workforce-related payments.Employees — enabling eligible employees, where legally and operationally permitted, to access approved stablecoin payment options while maintaining the required payroll, tax and statutory employment records.Contractors — supporting eligible contractor payments through approved stablecoin channels, subject to appropriate contractual and compliance requirements.Building the Next Generation of APAC Workforce InfrastructureFounded in 2013, Galaxy has built its business around helping international companies manage employment, payroll and workforce operations across Asia-Pacific. The Group provides EOR, global payroll, HR outsourcing, company formation, accounting and cross-border compliance services.The introduction of stablecoin payment support represents another step in Galaxy’s development of flexible payment and workforce infrastructure for companies operating across borders.Galaxy expects to introduce the capability progressively beginning in September 2026, with availability determined by jurisdiction, client requirements, worker eligibility, supported payment channels and applicable regulatory requirements.Further information regarding supported stablecoins, payment procedures, eligibility and geographic availability will be provided through Galaxy’s official channels.About Galaxy Payroll Group LimitedGalaxy Payroll Group Limited (Nasdaq: GLXG) is a Hong Kong-based professional services group specializing in Employer of Record (EOR), global payroll, HR outsourcing, company formation, accounting and cross-border compliance services.Galaxy supports international companies expanding across Asia-Pacific by providing employment infrastructure and regulatory support, enabling businesses to hire and manage workforces across multiple jurisdictions.Media and General Enquiries Galaxy Payroll Group Limited Nasdaq: GLXG Email: info@galaxyapac.com Website: galaxyapac.comForward-Looking StatementThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Forward-looking statements in this press release include statements regarding the expected launch, availability and functionality of Galaxy’s stablecoin payment capability, anticipated customer and worker adoption, and the potential benefits of stablecoin-enabled payments. Factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to, changes in applicable laws and regulations, financing conditions, jurisdictional restrictions, market conditions, customer demand, operational and technological challenges, and Galaxy’s to implement and expand the stablecoin payment capability as planned. Galaxy undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by law.Important NoticeStablecoin payment services and availability may vary by jurisdiction and are subject to applicable laws, regulations, compliance requirements, eligibility criteria and Galaxy’s internal policies. Nothing in this announcement constitutes financial, investment, legal or tax advice, or an offer, solicitation or recommendation to acquire, hold or transact in any digital asset. Stablecoins may involve technology, counterparty, liquidity, regulatory and other risks. Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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Sunshine Insurance Delivers Strong Digital-Intelligence Transformation Results, as Technology Empowerment Steps into a Greater Level

HONG KONG, Sept 2, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - The competitive logic of the insurance industry has shifted from scale expansion to value cultivation. Against this backdrop, the role of technology has also been elevated from efficiency-enhancing tools to a strategic foundation for navigating economic cycles. As a leading privately owned insurance group in China, Sunshine Insurance (6963.HK) has released its interim results, which not only demonstrate solid financial performance but also clearly outline a digital-intelligence transformation path driven by the dual engines of “robot engineering” and “data engineering”.As of June 30, 2026, Sunshine Insurance recorded gross written premiums (“GWPs”) of RMB90.91 billion, up 12.5% year-on-year, with net profit attributable to equity owners of the parent rising 38.5% to RMB4.69 billion. The value of new business in life insurance business increased by 16.4%, while the property and casualty insurance business optimized the underwriting combined ratio to 98.7%. Behind these numbers, a deep-seated technological transformation spanning sales, services and management is unlocking sustained momentum.Sales Revolution: From “Human-Only” to “Human-Machine Collaboration”The traditional insurance industry has been heavily reliant on human resources, where the capability ceiling of the sales force often defines the upper limit of business growth. Sunshine Insurance is now breaking this constraint through AI agent technology.On the life insurance side, sales robots have been deeply embedded across the entire customer engagement lifecycle. According to the Company, the robot is powered by 13 AI agent platforms and nearly 100 vertical AI agents, covering 7 major categories and 60 to 70 sub-scenarios in life insurance sales. The system leverages big data to precisely generate customer profiles, automatically produce personalized marketing plans and communication strategies, and identify customer conversion intent in real time during interactions. As of the end of the Reporting Period, the robot has completed 263,000 instances of assisted customer management, achieving cumulative converted standard premiums exceeding RMB30 million. On the agency-team side, monthly customer outreach and face-to-face visits by marketers rose by more than 20%, the policy addition rate for existing clients climbed by 12%, and the new-agent policy-writing rate more than doubled. This means frontline agents have gained a reliable “digital advisor”, enabling systematic improvements in their operational efficiency and specialization.Practices in the property and casualty insurance segment have achieved greater scale deployment. Leveraging predictive models, the telesales assistant robot covers approximately 200,000 customer leads daily and steadily supports the daily operations of more than 2,000 agents, delivering a shift from a “scatter-gun approach” to “precision targeting”. Furthermore, the renewal prediction model, based on 75 factors, enables high-precision prediction of the renewal probability for each auto insurance customer. It supports automated quotation and differentiated operation, transforming in-depth cultivation of existing clients from experience-driven to algorithm-driven operations.“Autopilot” Moment for the Claims Value ChainClaims handling constitutes the most critical touchpoint of insurance service experience and a core link in operating costs. Sunshine Insurance’s “claims service robot” is driving automation across this sophisticated workflow.At present, the robot has expanded its service scope from auto insurance to third-party claims, bodily injury, and non-auto health and accident insurance. In the first half of the year, it served 1.09 million customers, provided over 400,000 intelligent assisted responses, and achieved a customer satisfaction rate of 98%. Notably, with the robot proactively tracking vehicle repairs and injury recovery status, the average claim settlement cycle for served customers has been shortened by 10 days. In non-auto insurance lines, such as the student safety insurance and supplementary medical insurance, pilot programs for end-to-end automated processing were launched through multi-agent collaboration. On the loss-adjustment side, pilot programs have been launched for intelligent assessment of minor vehicle damage claims. Robots can autonomously guide customers through the document upload process. The full behavioral trajectory from claim reporting to settlement can be traced via the operations monitoring platform, laying a data foundation for continuous optimization of claims service. This represents more than efficiency gains; it signifies a redefinition of service standards.Management Empowerment: Dual Leaps from Actuarial Pricing to Frontline ExecutionBeyond optimizing “the last mile” customer experience, intelligent transformation on Sunshine Insurance’s management side is reshaping the underlying operational capabilities and frontline execution of the insurance business.Risk pricing sits at the core of insurance operations. Built on its “data engineering” foundation, Sunshine Insurance is revamping this core competency. The auto insurance risk pricing robot has completed the construction of a dataset covering the entire process of quoting, underwriting, and claims settlement, reducing data preparation time from 5 days to 1 day and shortening time required to detect anomalies cycle from 8 hours to 1 hour. A closed-loop capability of “automated anomaly inspection + model simulation verification + dynamic solution output” was preliminarily established, enabling actuarial pricing to leap from quarterly-level responses to nearly real-time dynamic adjustments.Meanwhile, the Group has established an integrated plan covering data collection, database construction and data application, and deeply integrated 20 strategic data engineering projects into key business areas. Such foundational investments are transforming data from static resources into fluid, insight-generating strategic assets.In addition, Sunshine Insurance has extended its management reach to the front-line grassroots level. The four-tiered branch management robot empowers grassroots through intelligent agents such as “AI Little Tabulator, AI Little Advisor, and AI Little Designer”. Managers can complete the entire process of tabulation, data querying, and attribution through natural language processing. To date, this system has been deployed across 820 four-tiered branches nationwide, with a cumulative total of 621,000 pushes in the first half of the year. It has standardized and automated management processes that previously relied on manual experience, allowing grassroots managers to conduct routine management analysis at lower cost and greater speed.ConclusionFrom human-machine collaboration at the sales frontline, to the automated restructuring of the reimbursement cycle, and further to the systematic upgrade of actuarial pricing and grassroots management, Sunshine Insurance’s technology deployment has moved beyond the initial phase of process digitalization and entered a phase of deep, coordinated advancement characterized by a multi-intelligent agent architecture and dynamic closed-loop data.As China’s insurance industry enters a critical period of high-quality development, Sunshine Insurance’s practice offers a valuable reference case: the barriers to technology adoption are diminishing, and the true differentiator lies in the depth of integration between technology and core business scenarios, as well as the efficiency with which it transforms the operating value chain. An insurance group with total assets of over RMB700 billion has begun recalibrating its strategic direction through data and algorithms, and its next-phase growth trajectory warrants re-evaluation from multiple dimensions. Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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World No.1 with 56% Profit Surge: Saint Bella Redefines Family Care Economics ACN Newswire

World No.1 with 56% Profit Surge: Saint Bella Redefines Family Care Economics

HONG KONG, Sep 2, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Postpartum care has historically presented a challenging unit economic profile: low purchase frequency, high labor intensity, and significant execution friction across regions. Constrained by these structural headwinds, most industry operators operate near break-even levels.Saint Bella Group (2508.HK), the world’s largest postpartum care provider by market share, has delivered a set of interim financial results that defies these broader sector dynamics. During the first half, profit growth significantly outpaced top-line expansion—demonstrating strong operational leverage.Five core financial metrics outline the mechanics driving this margin expansion:Revenue and Adjusted Profit Growth: H1 revenue grew 36.0% year-on-year (YoY) to RMB 611 million. Adjusted net profit surged 56.2% YoY to RMB 60.58 million, driving adjusted net margin up to 9.9%. Profit growth outstripped top-line gains as fixed-cost absorption improved.Core Brand Expansion (ASP up 15.9% to RMB 171,000): Across its brand portfolio—Saint Bella, Bella Isla, and Baby Bella (spanning ultra-luxury to upper-mid tiers)—group-wide average selling price (ASP) rose 15.9% YoY to RMB 171,000. Pricing power across core brands expanded despite broader macroeconomic discounting pressures in consumer services.Lifecycle Diversification: Postpartum care revenue grew 31.4% YoY to RMB 508 million. Non-postpartum, full-lifecycle services and products increased their revenue share to 31.5%, led by a 59.1% YoY surge in family care services and a 44.4% YoY gain in women’s health nutrition.Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) & Retention Metrics: The repeat-purchase conversion rate across non-postpartum offerings reached a record 96.3%. Conversion from core postpartum care to STB postpartum recovery services reached 94%. Average contract duration for family care extended to 169 days with a 57% renewal rate, indicating a transition from transactional engagements to multi-period recurring revenue.Global Footprint, Consolidation & AI Monetization: Operating centers in New York, Bangkok, and Singapore expanded operations, driving overseas revenue up 244% YoY. The acquisition of Wuhan-based Freya closed during the period. Proprietary AI agents generated RMB 6.9 million in revenue, marking initial financial validation for the group's technology stack.These operational data points signal a fundamental strategic shift: Saint Bella is transitioning from single-event postpartum care delivery to managing long-term customer lifetime value (LTV) across multiple brands and environments. While traditional peers remain focused on local bed-capacity competition, the industry leader is restructuring its growth flywheel.Core Operations: ASP Expansion, Penetration, and M&APostpartum care remains Saint Bella’s foundational anchor and primary customer acquisition channel, generating RMB 508 million in H1 revenue (+31.4% YoY). Across its tiered multi-brand structure—Saint Bella, Bella Isla, and Baby Bella—group ASP increased 15.9% YoY to RMB 171,000. Delivering simultaneous volume and price growth sets the group apart in a consumer sector currently marked by price-cutting.Top-line performance is backed by deep service attach rates and high retention. During the reporting period, 94% of postpartum care clients cross-purchased STB postpartum recovery services. With overall repeat-purchase conversion reaching 96.3%, brand equity continues to reinforce customer retention.Saint Bella is executing a dual organic and inorganic growth strategy. The strategic acquisition of Freya—a premium maternal and infant care operator in Wuhan—added three standalone centers, 160 beds, and approximately 10,000 high-net-worth members, resolving a strategic coverage gap in central China. By integrating its standardized operational workflows and higher-margin recovery services into Freya’s network, Saint Bella expects near-term scale efficiencies. As of H1, Saint Bella’s global footprint stood at 148 operating centers.Strategic Pivot: Capturing Full-Lifecycle Customer ValueWhile postpartum care acts as an efficient acquisition vector, full-lifecycle services drive long-term monetization.The Group's monetization sequence follows a structured funnel:Initial Acquisition & Trust: High-net-worth clients enter the funnel through premium postpartum care, establishing foundational brand trust.Postpartum Recovery Cross-Sell: STB services extend engagement beyond the standard 28-day stay, capturing spend across the full physiological recovery cycle.Family Care Retainers: Yujia’s age-tiered early childhood development framework (ages 0–3) extends average contract duration to 169 days, achieving a 57% renewal rate.Health & Nutrition Recurrence: Women’s health nutrition transitions the engagement model into high-frequency, mid-ticket daily wellness spending.This multi-stage model is driving tangible financial shift. Outpacing the core postpartum segment, family care revenue rose 59.1% YoY while health nutrition grew 44.4% YoY, driving non-postpartum revenue to 31.5% of total revenue. Furthermore, the addition of Freya’s ~10,000 member base provides an immediate addressable pool for cross-selling.Scalable Infrastructure: Global Network, Specialized Talent, and AI ExecutionExecuting this expanded service coverage across geographies relies on three key operational pillars: skilled labor supply, international distribution, and standardized quality controls.Talent Development: The group’s certified family care specialist pool reached 11,495 headcount, adding 1,995 newly certified specialists in H1 (+42% vs. H2 of the prior year). In a labor-intensive sector, maintaining a deep talent bench is essential for cross-regional scaling and quality assurance.Global Footprint & Strategic Partnerships: Operating 148 centers worldwide, international sites in New York, Bangkok, and Singapore are progressively scaling operations. Complementing center-based models, an overseas in-home care program drove a 244% YoY increase in international revenue.To accelerate global expansion, Saint Bella entered into a strategic partnership with L Catterton, the consumer-focused private equity firm backed by LVMH. The partnership drives co-developing international market opportunities, introducing global brands, acquiring cross-border talent, and sourcing target M&A candidates.Proprietary AI Deployment: "Dr. Bella," the group's proprietary domain-specific large language model, is deployed across 60+ affiliated brands and 207 postpartum centers. The system automates clinical consultations, dynamic care plan generation, and customer management.AI-driven operations generated RMB 6.9 million in revenue during H1, validating initial technology commercialization. Over the longer term, codifying human service expertise into scalable software protocols enhances cross-center operational consistency and lowers asset-light expansion costs.OutlookMarket leadership in the family care sector is shifting away from pure center footprint expansion. Future enterprise value will accrue to platforms capable of establishing early client trust, extending service lifecycles, and standardizing service delivery through digital technology and trained talent pools.According to Frost & Sullivan, Saint Bella ranked first globally by revenue in 2025, capturing a 0.5% market share—leading the second-largest operator by over 47%.While legacy operators remain focused on single-center economics, Saint Bella is leveraging high-end postpartum care as a customer acquisition bridge—building a full-lifecycle, omni-channel family care platform with defensible competitive moats. Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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Cornerstone Robotics Announces Strategic Partnership with Medtronic to Expand Global Access to Robotic-assisted Surgery ACN Newswire

Cornerstone Robotics Announces Strategic Partnership with Medtronic to Expand Global Access to Robotic-assisted Surgery

HONG KONG, Sep 1, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Cornerstone Robotics, an innovative surgical robotics company founded and headquartered in Hong Kong, today announced a strategic partnership with Medtronic (NYSE: MDT), a global leader in healthcare technology. As part of the partnership, Medtronic will make an approximately US$700 million strategic investment in Cornerstone Robotics and have rights to distribute Cornerstone Robotics’ SentireTM surgical system in select markets outside the U.S. where the system is market approved.A Shared Vision: Bridging the Global Access Gap in Minimally Invasive CareWith robotic-assisted surgery adoption still in single digits globally, the opportunity to make advanced surgical care accessible to more patients, physicians, and health systems around the world is significant.Addressing this market requires both continuous technical innovation and strong market scaling capabilities. By aligning Cornerstone Robotics’ technology with Medtronic’s comprehensive global presence, the two companies aim to make high-quality robotic-assisted surgery accessible to more patients worldwide.A Strategic Alignment: Scaling Technology Solutions to Reach More PatientsCornerstone Robotics has established a strong strategic foundation through its full-stack in-house R&D and vertically integrated paradigm. By independently developing its core hardware, control software, advanced algorithms, and proprietary imaging and energy platforms, Cornerstone Robotics maintains substantial control over product integration, quality, and supply chain resilience. This underpins the exceptional stability and high-fidelity performance of the Sentire surgical system in demanding clinical environments.In 2024, Cornerstone Robotics’ Sentire surgical system received National Medical Products Administration approval in China. In May 2026, Sentire surgical system received CE Mark in the European Union and approval from Singapore Health Sciences Authority, both covering minimally invasive general, gynecologic, thoracic, and urologic surgical procedures.“This partnership marks an important step in advancing access to robotic-assisted surgery around the world,” said Professor Kwok Wai Samuel AU, Founder and CEO of Cornerstone Robotics. “There remains a significant gap between the growing demand for minimally invasive surgery and the availability of robotic-assisted surgical technologies. At Cornerstone Robotics, we have built a strong foundation through full-stack in-house R&D and vertical integration, enabling us to continuously advance the core technologies of surgical robotics. Our partnership with Medtronic positions us to further accelerate and scale our work to bring the benefits of robotic-assisted surgery to more surgeons and patients around the world.”“This investment and distribution agreement strengthens Medtronic’s ability to further expand access to minimally invasive surgery to more patients around the world. We’re excited to bring more choice in robotics, and Sentire is a strong complement to our Hugo platform," said Matt Anderson, Senior Vice President and President, Surgical at Medtronic.The partnership marks a significant milestone for both companies to collaboratively advance their shared mission of making robotic-assisted surgery more accessible worldwide.AdvisorsKirkland & Ellis and Global Law Office are acting as legal counsel to Cornerstone Robotics. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is serving as exclusive financial advisor to Medtronic, and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is serving as lead legal counsel.About Cornerstone RoboticsFounded and headquartered in Hong Kong, Cornerstone Robotics is an innovative surgical robotics company driven by the vision of leading medical innovations for a healthier world. We advance surgical care with cutting-edge robotic systems that make high-quality healthcare more accessible and efficient globally. With three global R&D hubs and six business centres worldwide, Cornerstone Robotics has established a 30,000-square-meter manufacturing facility in China. Developed entirely in-house, our SentireTM surgical system has completed multi-specialty clinical trials and received market approval across China, the European Union and Singapore, advancing high-quality surgical care worldwide.To find out more information, please visit https://en.csrbtx.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn.About MedtronicBold thinking. Bolder actions. We are Medtronic. Medtronic plc, headquartered in Galway, Ireland, is the leading global healthcare technology company that boldly attacks the most challenging health problems facing humanity by searching out and finding solutions. Our Mission — to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life — unites a global team of 95,000+ passionate people across more than 150 countries. Our technologies and therapies treat 70 health conditions and include cardiac devices, surgical robotics, insulin pumps, surgical tools, patient monitoring systems, and more. Powered by our diverse knowledge, insatiable curiosity, and desire to help all those who need it, we deliver innovative technologies that transform the lives of two people every second, every hour, every day. Expect more from us as we empower insight-driven care, experiences that put people first, and better outcomes for our world. In everything we do, we are engineering the extraordinary. For more information on Medtronic, visit www.Medtronic.com and follow on LinkedIn. Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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45th Watch & Clock Fair and 14th Salon de TIME open today ACN Newswire

45th Watch & Clock Fair and 14th Salon de TIME open today

HONG KONG, Sep 1, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - The 45th Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and the 14th Salon de TIME, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Association Limited and The Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades & Industries Limited, open today under the theme “Sparkling Moments Through Time”. The twin fairs have attracted more than 630 exhibitors from 16 countries and regions, creating the world's largest one-stop watch and clock marketplace. The 45th HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and the 14th Salon de TIME opened today. Guests at the opening ceremony included Algernon Yau (centre), Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong SAR Government; Sophia Chong (fourth from the right), HKTDC Executive Director; SK Chong (first from the right) and Frankie Lam (first from the left), Co-Chairmen of HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair 2026 Organising Committee; and various industry representativesThe physical fairs are taking place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) for five consecutive days from 1 to 5 September. Meanwhile, the Click2Match AI-powered business matching platform will remain open until 12 September, allowing exhibitors and buyers worldwide to continue their business discussions online.The Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair showcases a wide variety of exquisitely crafted timepieces, accessories and components, offering a one-stop sourcing and trading platform for global buyersSalon de TIME will once again open to both industry professionals and the public for free. Selected brands will offer on-site retail sales, allowing visitors to purchase their favourite timepieces during the fair.A “Time Tunnel” has been specially created to celebrate the 45th edition of the Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair, allowing visitors to revisit three key stages in the fair’s development since its inception in 1982The fairs officially opened today with an opening ceremony officiated by Algernon Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong SAR Government. Joining him were Sophia Chong, Executive Director of the HKTDC, and SK Chong and Frankie Lam, Co-Chairmen of the HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair Organising Committee 2026.Speaking at the ceremony, SK Chong said: “This year marks the 45th edition of the Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair, a remarkable milestone for both the fair and Hong Kong’s watch and clock industry. The fair boasts a truly international line-up featuring strong global participation, including group pavilions from Francéclat, the Swiss Independent Watchmakers Pavilion, Guangzhou and Taiwan, as well as a first-time pavilion from Hengyang, Hunan province. In addition, we are pleased to welcome new exhibitors from Norway, Singapore and the US, further reinforcing Hong Kong’s position as a premier international trading hub for the global watch industry.”HKTDC Executive Director Sophia Chong said: “Amid the ongoing reconfiguration of global supply chains and changing market demand, the Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and Salon de TIME continue to provide the industry with an efficient business platform. By leveraging Hong Kong’s unique strengths as a superconnector and super value-adder, we help enterprises explore new markets and seize emerging opportunities. The fairs also support the watch and clock industry in moving up the value chain and strengthening brand development, further reinforcing Hong Kong’s leading position as an international hub for watch and clock trade.”“Time Tunnel” celebrates 45th edition-Salon de TIME reaches a new highThe Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair features multiple thematic zones covering every segment of the watchmaking value chain. Among them, Pageant of Eternity showcases premium finished watches from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs).One exhibitor, Time Grand Ltd, a Hong Kong company with more than 20 years of industry experience, provides product development, engineering design and manufacturing services for watch brands worldwide. The company also collaborates with Swiss watchmaking enterprises to offer one-stop watch production solutions, highlighting Hong Kong's strengths in connecting local expertise with international markets.Other exhibition zones cover a comprehensive range of products and services, including Complete Watches, Clocks, Machinery & Equipment, Packaging & Display, Parts, Components & Accessories, offering buyers a convenient one-stop sourcing platform.A “Time Tunnel” has been specially created to celebrate the 45th edition of the Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair, allowing visitors to revisit three key stages in the fair’s development since its inception in 1982:- 1980s to 1990s: The fair became a premier global sourcing platform for the watch and clock industry.- 2000s to 2020s: As Hong Kong’s watch industry evolved from OEM manufacturing to brand development, the fair became a professional platform for promotion, networking and industry exchange.- From 2020 onwards: The fair has further integrated manufacturing, sourcing and brand promotion, while expanding through cross-sector collaboration into a multifaceted platform that brings together craftsmanship, design, technology, lifestyle, culture and consumer engagement.Salon de TIME has reached a new record this year, attracting more than 150 watch brands from around the world. The event features six thematic zones, including Microbrands, where both the number of participating countries and regions and the number of brands have more than doubled compared with last year.A longstanding highlight of the fair, the World Brand Piazza returns for its 16th consecutive year, in collaboration with Prince Jewellery & Watch, showcasing luxury creations from six internationally renowned watch brands: Baume & Mercier, Corum, DeWitt, Franck Muller, Montblanc and Sarcar.Other themed zones include Chic & Trendy, Craft Treasure, Renaissance Moment and Wearable Tech.This year's exhibitors are introducing distinctive new timepieces that reflect the latest market trends, leveraging the fair to gain exposure and capture new orders.Featured innovative watches include:Sports and outdoor trends drive demand for professional timepiecesTo capitalise on the growing popularity of sports and outdoor lifestyles, exhibitors are showcasing professional sports watches that blend practicality with style.- EDOX presents the “The Water Champion” Delfin 1973 Automatic, featuring a double O-ring crown and pusher system that enhances water resistance to 200 metres. (Booth: 3F-H20)- Making its debut at the fair, Norwegian brand Micromilspec showcases the MILGRAPH, a timepiece developed for special operations forces. Its offset crown design helps reduce the risk of wrist injuries, while the QuadGrip bezel ensures easy operation even when wearing full tactical gear. (Booth: 3F-F22)- A variety of brands are also introducing sports and outdoor performance watches, including ALBA and LORUS by Seiko (Booth: 3G-E18), CAUGHT (Booth: 3F-D05), Quantum (Booth: 3G-C03), SPINNAKER (Booth: 3G-D02) and Slazenger (Booth: 3G-C03).Sustainability trend drives growth in eco-friendly timepiecesAs environmental protection and corporate social responsibility (ESG) continue to gain importance, the fair once again highlights exhibitors offering sustainable watch products through its Green Solutions Suppliers label, making it easier for buyers to identify environmentally conscious suppliers.- Local microbrand Sunrex showcases the Sunrex 611, powered by the brand’s proprietary VILUMINUS™ solar movement. Equipped solely with a solar-powered battery, the watch harnesses light as its energy source and continues to operate even in the absence of light. (Booth: 3F-F17)- Microbrand Robotfigs presents the Cubot watch, crafted from upcycled materials such as metal wires, copper and acrylic. Transforming everyday surplus materials into imaginative robot-inspired creations, each watch comes with a dedicated robot display stand and three exclusive designer toy accessories: a baseball bat, skateboard and dumbbell, redefining the concept of a “time companion”. (Booth: 3F-H24)- Several exhibitors are also showcasing environmentally friendly watches and accessories, including Hip Shing Leather Watch Straps Mfy Ltd (Booth: 1B-C35) and Gordon C & Co Ltd. (Booth: 1E-C09).Cross-sector collaborations and limited editions appeal to niche consumer segmentsMany brands are enhancing the value and artistic appeal of their timepieces through cross-industry collaborations and limited-edition releases.- LINK2CARE has partnered with Swiss watch brand MARVIN to launch a luxury smartwatch featuring a fishing-inspired relief dial and a bi-directional mechanical gear system that showcases MARVIN’s exquisite watchmaking craftsmanship. The watch features LINK2CARE’s patented leather strap, which incorporates medical-grade vital signs sensors, enabling wearers to monitor their health. (Booth: 3G-A07)- Memorigin presents the “Verdant Resonance Tourbillon Watch”, featuring a luminous carbon-fibre case designed to evoke the glow of fireflies under the night sky. A three-dimensional guzheng-inspired small-seconds display at the 9 o’clock position, complemented by green luminous incense-burner motifs, recreates the elegant atmosphere of traditional Chinese scholars’ gatherings. (Booth: 3F-C05)- The Swiss Independent Watchmakers Pavilion showcases the “Corleone Mini Collection” by Pilo & Co Genève, created to celebrate the brand’s 25th anniversary. Reinterpreting the classic Corleone design as a ladies’ watch, each colour variant is limited to just 10 pieces, making it highly collectible. (Booth: 3F-H07).Microbrands win over younger consumers with creative designsIn recent years, microbrands have emerged as a new force in the watch industry, attracting younger consumers with their distinctive designs and competitive pricing.- Making its debut at the fair, US brand BREDA is showcasing the “Pulse Locket” Gold and Metal Bracelet Watch. Featuring a unique locket-style design, the watch dial remains concealed when closed and is revealed only when the wearer chooses to open it. (Booth: 3F-D16)- Other participating microbrands include CIMIER (Booth: 3F-H26), Fayy (Booth: 3F-G19), Leger A. Fah (Booth: 3F-H20), No Identity (Booth: 3F-H25), AISION (Booth: 3F-H20), INANLOU (Booth: 3F-F15), as well as the strap-focused microbrand Monves (Booth: 3F-F16).Exciting activities open to the publicSalon de TIME will present a wide range of signature activities and watch showcases open to the public. On 4 September, renowned watch artist and collector Labeg will host a workshop on crafting watch models from corrugated cardboard.A special “Time Arena” zone has also been introduced this year, blending sports and fine timepieces to offer visitors a fresh, interactive experience. One highlight, “Watch2Care Smart x Lifestyle Experience Days”, will take place from 4 to 5 September and feature a variety of hands-on activities, including yoga and mobility training sessions. Visitors can try their hand at pickleball, one of the fastest-growing sports in recent years.Other highlights include a series of watch parades and new product launch events. Memorigin will welcome several celebrity guests, including celebrity Vic Teo, Hong Kong basketball star Alfred Wong Lut Yiu, and renowned face-changing performer Hathor Wai. A lucky draw will be held daily throughout the fair, offering visitors the chance to win premium watches.Industry leaders share insights on market trendsThis year’s Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair features more than 40 events, including forums, seminars and networking sessions designed to foster industry exchange and knowledge sharing.The Hong Kong International Watch Forum, held today, brought together leaders of watch associations from the Chinese Mainland, Germany, France, Switzerland, Japan and Korea to share the latest trade statistics and industry developments in their respective markets. Discussions also explored new opportunities arising from integrating traditional watchmaking craftsmanship with emerging technologies.The Asian Watch Conference, to be held tomorrow (2 September), will be themed “Hong Kong as the hub of International Watch Trades”. The conference will feature a senior analyst from international research firm Euromonitor International (Hong Kong), who will provide insights into the latest developments in the global watch market. Representatives from online watch resale platform Chrono24 will discuss how to connect with demand across global markets, while a representative from Lazada Hong Kong will share strategies for leveraging e-commerce platforms to accelerate market expansion.On 3 September, FIYTA will hold an aeronautics launch event for a watch specially designed in honour of Lai Ka-ying, Hong Kong’s first female payload specialist. The company’s Chief Designer, Sun Lei, will also share the inspiration and design concepts behind the timepiece.Also taking place that day is the Tick-Tock Showtime: The Media Spotlight Pitch, jointly organised by Watch CataVlog. The event will feature presentations by 10 microbrands, with a judging panel comprising media representatives from Indonesia, the Middle East and Hong Kong, each selecting their favourite brand.On 4 September, the seminar “Off the Beaten Path: Indie Watchmakers vs. Independent Brands – Trends & Trajectories” will explore the distinctions, evolution and future trends of independent watchmaking and independent brands. Speakers include Noel Wong, Founder of Watch The World, Watch Collector & Discerning Commentator; Benjamin Hui, Watch Collector & Founder of Independent Watcher; and Lu Jinzhi, Chairman of ZBIOLAND.Throughout the fair, watch brands including Watch2Care, SAGA, Peacock, Sea-Gull, Shanghai Watch, Franck Muller, Quantum and INANLOU will host a series of new product launch events, unveiling their latest timepieces to an international audience.The 43rd Hong Kong Watch & Clock Design Competition, jointly organised by the HKTDC, the Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Association Ltd and the Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades & Industries Ltd, aims to promote watch design exchange and nurture local talent. This year, the themes for the Open Group and Student Group are “Transcending Time” and “Contours of the Breeze” respectively. The competition will continue to feature The Made-to-Sell Award, recognising student entries with outstanding commercial potential. The award presentation ceremony will be held on 5 September at the fair’s event stage, with celebrity Joey Thye attending as a guest.In addition, CENTRESTAGE, another flagship event organised by the HKTDC, will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 2 to 5 September. Bringing together fashion brands and designer collections from around the world, the event will create strong synergies with the watch fairs and offer visitors a one-stop destination to source prestigious timepieces and stylish fashion apparel from across the globe.Photo download: https://bit.ly/3UOXqBYThe 45th HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and the 14th Salon de TIME opened today. Guests at the opening ceremony included Algernon Yau (centre), Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong SAR Government; Sophia Chong (fourth from the right), HKTDC Executive Director; SK Chong (first from the right) and Frankie Lam (first from the left), Co-Chairmen of HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair 2026 Organising Committee; and various industry representativesThe Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair showcases a wide variety of exquisitely crafted timepieces, accessories and components, offering a one-stop sourcing and trading platform for global buyersA “Time Tunnel” has been specially created to celebrate the 45th edition of the Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair, allowing visitors to revisit three key stages in the fair’s development since its inception in 1982Salon de TIME features over 150 international brands and comprises six major themed zones, all of which are open to the publicSponsored for the 16th consecutive year by Prince Jewellery & Watch, the World Brand Piazza showcases six world-class watch brandsThis year’s Salon de TIME features a strong lineup of Guochao-inspired brands and Chinese watchmakers, showcasing their craftsmanship and creativity. Among them is Zbioland, which presents the Barcelona ZBL1009 timepiece. The watch is powered by the brand’s first in-house developed Calibre 961 movement and draws inspiration from the works of renowned Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí, reflecting distinctive architectural aesthetics in its designThis year's exhibition features an impressive collection of award-winning timepieces. Among them is CIGA Design's AVENTUR·Blue Planet, which features a three-dimensional rotating globe on the dial. The watch was honoured with the “Challenge Watch Prize” at the 2021 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), widely regarded as the "Oscars" of the watchmaking industryDuring the fair period, a series of watch launch events and watch parades are being held, featuring models showcasing exquisite timepieces and bringing these remarkable creations to life on the runwayThe winning and shortlisted entries of the 43rd Hong Kong Watch and Clock Design Competition are currently on display in the foyer of Hall 1, showcasing local creative talentMedia enquiriesPlease contact the HKTDC’s Communications & Public Affairs Department:Johnny TsuiTel: (852) 2584 4395Email: johnny.cy.tsui@hktdc.orgWebsitesHong Kong Watch & Clock Fair: https://www.hktdc.com/event/hkwatchfair/enSalon de TIME: https://www.hktdc.com/event/te/enHKTDC Media Room: mediaroom.hktdc.comAbout HKTDCThe Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The HKTDC is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With over 50 offices globally, including 13 in the Chinese Mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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Hong Kong’s Belt and Road Summit explores new cross-regional opportunities this September ACN Newswire

Hong Kong’s Belt and Road Summit explores new cross-regional opportunities this September

HONG KONG, Sep 1, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - The 11th Belt and Road Summit, co-organised by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), will be held from 9 to 10 September (Wednesday to Thursday) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. For over a decade, Hong Kong has brought together government and business leaders from Belt and Road countries and regions to deepen local, regional economic and trade ties through this signature event. With the theme of Advancing High-quality Development - Embarking on a New Journey, this year’s Belt and Road Summit will explore fresh potential arising from new patterns of regional cooperation in trade, investment and development among Belt and Road and other markets, particularly ASEAN, Central Asia and the Middle East. Presenting insights from nearly 100 distinguished policymakers and business leaders, new multifaceted thematic showcases and business matching activities, this year’s Summit offers a wealth of knowledge, extensive networks and quality investment and business opportunities, facilitated through Hong Kong, the global business platform that connects the Chinese Mainland and the world.The 11th Belt and Road Summit will be held from 9 to 10 September (Wednesday to Thursday) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. In 2025 (shown in photo), the event’s 10th edition attracted 6,200 participants from 70+ countries and regions. The picture shows the Belt and Road Summit in 2025.Anna Cheung, Associate Executive Director of the HKTDC, said: "Amid the reconfiguration of the global economic landscape, Hong Kong has been both an important platform for Mainland enterprises to go global and a preferred gateway for international enterprises to enter the Mainland and Asian markets. As a core member of the GoGlobal Task Force which was established by the HKSAR Government to facilitate enterprises to go global, the HKTDC has been leveraging Hong Kong’s strengths as an international business and investment platform to facilitate cooperation. To further support Mainland enterprises in tapping opportunities in the Belt and Road and other emerging markets, this year’s Belt and Road Summit will introduce a dedicated Go Global Chapter, featuring thematic breakout sessions focusing on go global opportunities and Hong Kong’s professional services strengths, the newly established GoGlobal Connect Zone for service providers, roundtable discussions and the GoGlobal Business Study Mission to Nansha, Guangzhou. These initiatives will further strengthen Hong Kong’s role as a ‘superconnector’ and ‘super value-adder’, promoting high-quality cooperation in Belt and Road and other markets. The HKTDC has also been actively advancing cross-regional economic and trade cooperation. This year, we have organised a business delegation to visit Belt and Road countries and regions and hosted the flagship overseas promotion event ‘Think Business, Think Hong Kong’ in Malaysia, continuing to develop new markets, connect with new partners and explore new opportunities, further leveraging Hong Kong’s strengths in connecting the Chinese Mainland and the world, while deepening Hong Kong’s links with global markets."This year’s Belt and Road Summit will feature a new GoGlobal Connect Zone, showcasing professional services solutions across different sectors in Hong Kong and providing consultation and practical support for enterprises going global. The picture shows the Asia Summit on Global Health held in May 2026, featuring the “GoGlobal Connect” and the Business of Healthcare Advisory Zone.New directions in global economic development from the policy perspectiveThe first day of the Summit will open with exchanges between government and corporate leaders. The Opening Session will feature heavyweights such as John Lee, Chief Executive of the HKSAR, Carolina Cosse, Vice President of Uruguay, Saleumxay Kommasith, Deputy Prime Minister of Laos, and Professor Frederick Ma, Chairman of the HKTDC, sharing their perspectives on global economic and trade development from the policy and international cooperation perspectives.The highly anticipated Policy Dialogue session, with the theme of Building Resilient Trade and Investment Frameworks in a Diverse Global Landscape, will be chaired by Algernon Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the HKSAR. He will exchange views with such government officials as Khandakar Abdul Muktadir, Minister for Commerce, Industries, Textiles and Jute of Bangladesh, Wasantha Samarasinghe, Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Co-operative Development of Sri Lanka, and Dr Kirida Bhaopichitr, Vice Minister for Commerce of Thailand, to discuss strengthening cross-border trade and investment cooperation and enhancing economic resilience, as well as sharing experiences in promoting trade facilitation and investment cooperation.The Business Plenary I: Harnessing Business Opportunities for Sustainable Growth and Shared Prosperity session, with a market focus on ASEAN and Central Asia, will explore how enterprises can promote sustainable development and achieve more inclusive economic growth while expanding business opportunities and advancing investment cooperation. The session will be chaired by Dr Victor K Fung, Chairman of Fung Investments, and feature Dr Jonathan Choi, Chairman of Sunwah Group, Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, CEO of Sintesa Group and Chairman of the Indonesian Employer Association, Vikrom Kromadit, CEO of Amata Corporation PCL, Farkhad Rashidovich Okhonov, Member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Management Board of Halyk Finance, Somboun Phongsavanh, Chairman of Shareholder Committee, Phongsavanh Group. They will share practical experiences from different markets and industries and explore ways to seize cross-border cooperation opportunities and foster mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.The Keynote Luncheon will feature welcome remarks by Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR, opening remarks by Wang Shuguang, Vice Chairman of the Board, President and Member of the Management Committee of China International Capital Corporation Limited, and a keynote address by Dr Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN.Exploring cooperation with Central Asia and the Middle East to support enterprises in going global through Hong KongContinuing to focus on expanding international markets, deepening cross-regional cooperation and advancing high-quality development, this year’s Summit will introduce new thematic chapters, namely, the Go Global Chapter, Central Asia Chapter and Middle East Chapter.The new Go Global Chapter will provide a one-stop platform for Mainland enterprises to exchange ideas and connect with potential partners as they expand overseas. On the first day, the Thematic Breakout Session Hong Kong: Super Connector - World-class Springboard – Professional Services Empowering Global Expansion will explore how Hong Kong’s professional services can support enterprises in expanding into Belt and Road markets. On the second day, the Thematic Breakout Session Chinese Mainland Enterprises Going Global: Driving Mutual Growth Across Belt and Road Economies will further share practical experiences of enterprises expanding into overseas markets.In addition, the Summit will feature a new GoGlobal Connect Zone, showcasing professional services solutions across different sectors in Hong Kong and providing consultation and practical support for enterprises going global. The Summit will also arrange one-on-one meetings between Mainland enterprises seeking to expand overseas and potential partners and service providers, as well as hold roundtable discussions on going global, providing more comprehensive and enhanced support for Mainland enterprises expanding overseas. The Summit will also organise the GoGlobal Business Study Mission to Nansha, Guangzhou, enabling participants to gain first-hand understanding of development and investment opportunities in the Greater Bay Area.Central Asia and Middle East Chapters showcase investment opportunitiesFollowing the successful delegations led by John Lee, Chief Executive of the HKSAR, and organised by the HKTDC over the past two years, Hong Kong, Central Asia and the Middle East have strengthened ties with reciprocal exchanges. The Summit will further enhance these ties by inviting government officials and business leaders from these regions to share their latest development opportunities and investment prospects, and will feature a dedicated Central Asia Chapter and a Middle East Chapter, featuring consulates, business organisations and companies showcasing investment projects and commercial opportunities across the regions. The two-day Project Investment Sessions held during the Summit will also explore investment, infrastructure, smart city and professional services opportunities arising from major development projects in Central Asia and the Middle East. The Cocktail Reception will be officiated by Paul Lam, Secretary for Justice of the HKSAR, who will deliver welcoming remarks. The reception will also feature ethnic music performances, allowing participants to gain a deeper understanding of Central Asia and Middle East from another perspective and promoting cultural exchanges.Global expert insights on finance, technology, green development and youthThe second day of the Summit will open with a special address session, featuring Professor Teresa Cheng, Secretary-General of the International Organization for Mediation and other distinguished guests. Making its debut this year, a Dialogue for Future session themed Think Tank Dialogue: The Belt and Road Initiative and Asia-Pacific Cooperation in a Changing Global Landscape will feature a conversation between Professor Li Cheng, Director of Centre on Contemporary China and the World and Professor of School of Governance and Policy, The University of Hong Kong and Gim Huay Neo, Managing Director of Member of the Managing Board, World Economic Forum. A Business plenary on the same day, themed Unlocking New Market Opportunities along and beyond the Belt and Road, will focus on the Middle East and African markets. Chaired by Professor KC Chan, Chairman of WeLab Bank, the panel of speakers will include Mansoor Rashid Al-Khater, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Financial Centre, Muneer Ali Al Muneeri, Deputy President for Operations of Oman Investment Authority, Dr Mteto Nyati, Chairman of Eskom, Cliff Zhang, CEO & Founding Partner of Templewater Hong Kong Limited and Samaila Zubairu, President and Chief Executive Officer of Africa Finance Corporation. The session will examine the immense potential of emerging markets within and beyond the Belt and Road countries and regions amid evolving global business landscapes, as well as how Hong Kong can support global enterprises in capturing new market opportunities.Alongside themes of Finance, Green Development, Youth and Technology, this year’s summit will introduce brand-new thematic breakout sessions including going global and the low-altitude economy. From corporate global expansion and emerging-industry advancement to talent nurturing, these sessions will explore fresh opportunities for high-quality development. Among them, the Thematic Breakout Session: Dialogue with Youth Business Leaders - Hong Kong as an International Hub for High-Calibre Talent will discuss how Hong Kong can leverage its strengths in local education, research, innovation and technology to attract top talent worldwide and inject new momentum into Hong Kong and regional growth.Project investment enhanced with signature projects and extended deal makingThe Summit will once again host Project Investment Session, Belt and Road Summit Deal Making and Exhibition zone, featuring more than 300 investment projects, with a combined investment value exceeding US$3.7 billion, and over 800 one-on-one project matching meetings to help enterprises connect with potential partners. The Project Investment Session will provide a platform for project owners from different countries to present their projects, giving investors and service intermediaries a comprehensive understanding of the investment opportunities in different sectors. Pitching sessions will focus on five main areas: (1) energy, natural resources and public utilities, (2) urban development, (3) New Market Focus: The Middle East, Africa and Latin America, (4) transport and logistics infrastructure, and (5) innovation and technology. The Signature Projects Session will highlight the massive infrastructure and investment potential of Alatau City and Data Centre Valley in Kazakhstan, as well as the Ankara-Istanbul High-Speed Rail in Türkiye. The Belt and Road Summit Deal Making session will create vital negotiation opportunities for participants. Running in parallel with the Summit and extended online from 14 to 15 September, it pools global resources and facilitates long-term collaboration and resource integration through one-on-one meetings.The exhibition zones bring together over 120 exhibitors. Alongside the Hong Kong Zone and Global Investment Zone, three new zones have been introduced this year. The University Zone assembles local universities to showcase research outputs, innovative technologies and talent-related strengths. The GreenTech Zone features artificial intelligence, green technologies and smart-city solutions, building bridges between technology enterprises and investors. The GoGlobal Connect Zone displays services and resources supporting enterprises’ overseas expansion, connecting businesses to global commercial networks and empowering them to tap into international markets. There are also regional-themed zones, including the returning Chinese Mainland Zone and the ASEAN Zone, which showcase promising investment projects and business opportunities from Belt and Road markets.The 11th Belt and Road Summit is supported by a wide range of partners, including China International Capital Corporation Limited as Strategic Partner, and Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited as the Banking Partner. Other supporters include Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited as Cross-border Business Partner, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited as the Global Connectivity Partner, Huatai International Financial Holdings Company Limited as Innovative Finance Partner, International Financial Centre of Oman as Diamond Sponsor, as well as CCB International (Holdings) Limited and China Mobile International Limited as Platinum Sponsors.New ASEAN Market Day to be held alongside Belt and Road WeekThe Belt and Road Summit is one of the key flagship events of Belt and Road Week, a themed week featuring events related to the Belt and Road Initiative held around Hong Kong.With representatives of ASEAN member states coming to Hong Kong to participate in the Summit, the HKTDC will introduce a new flagship event, ASEAN Market Day, which will be held on the afternoon of 10 September. The event, the first in a series of market days, will bring together business leaders and experts to share practical experience, helping Hong Kong businesses, particularly SMEs, gain a deeper understanding of the latest development trends and business opportunities in different ASEAN markets before taking steps to expand. Following the session, participants can visit the ASEAN Zone at the Summit for consultation sessions with representatives from the HKTDC’s offices in ASEAN and various ASEAN Consulates General and associations to exchange views and connect with potential partners. Looking ahead, the HKTDC will continue with the series of market days focusing on different regions with high business potential, such as Africa and the Middle East, and closer to home, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area in the Chinese Mainland.Held alongside the Summit is the Belt and Road Global Forum Annual Roundtable, a closed-door roundtable held on the morning of 11 September, which brings together Hong Kong, Mainland and international organisations and business associations to share information, interact and explore multilateral cooperation. The 11th Belt and Road SummitDate9 to 10 September 2026VenueHall 5B-E, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition CentreRemarksVideo and audio recordings at the Summit should be used only in the context of media reportingMedia RegistrationPlease contact lsong@yuantung.com.hk or tleung@yuantung.com.hk for media registrationWebsitesBelt and Road Summit: https://www.beltandroadsummit.com/conference/bnr/enProgramme:https://www.beltandroadsummit.com/conference/bnr/en/programmeSpeaker list: https://www.beltandroadsummit.com/conference/bnr/en/speakerMedia representatives who would like to conduct interviews with the speakers, please submit interview requests to lsong@yuantung.com.hk or tleung@yuantung.com.hk by 4 September 2026.Photo download: https://bit.ly/45WBpUoThe 11th Belt and Road Summit will be held from 9 to 10 September (Wednesday to Thursday) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. In 2025 (shown in photo), the event’s 10th edition attracted 6,200 participants from 70+ countries and regions. The picture shows the Belt and Road Summit in 2025.This year’s Belt and Road Summit will feature a new GoGlobal Connect Zone, showcasing professional services solutions across different sectors in Hong Kong and providing consultation and practical support for enterprises going global. The picture shows the Asia Summit on Global Health held in May 2026, featuring the “GoGlobal Connect” and the Business of Healthcare Advisory Zone.Media EnquiriesYuan Tung Financial Relations:Louise Song Tel: (852) 3428 5691 Email: lsong@yuantung.com.hkTiffany Leung Tel: (852) 3428 2361 Email: tleung@yuantung.com.hkFung Wong Tel: (852) 3428 3122 Email: hfwong@yuantung.com.hkHKTDC’s Communications & Public Affairs DepartmentNavin Law Tel: (852) 2584 4525 Email: navin.cm.law@hktdc.orgSerena Cheung Tel: (852) 2584 4572 Email: serena.hm.cheung@hktdc.orgWinnie Kan Tel: (852) 2584 4055 Email: winnie.wy.kan@hktdc.orgHKTDC Media Room: https://mediaroom.hktdc.com/enAbout HKTDC The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The HKTDC is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With over 50 offices globally, including 13 in the Chinese Mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via trade publications, research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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Yuanda China Advancing Steady and Long-Term Growth from Within and Beyond, 2026 Interim Revenue Surged by 23.2% Year on Year to RMB 1.56 Billion ACN Newswire

Yuanda China Advancing Steady and Long-Term Growth from Within and Beyond, 2026 Interim Revenue Surged by 23.2% Year on Year to RMB 1.56 Billion

HONG KONG, Sep 1, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - On 31 August, Yuanda China Holdings Limited (“Yuanda China” or “the Group”; Stock Code: 02789.HK), a global leader in the curtain wall industry, hereby announced its unaudited interim results of the Company for the six months ended 30 June 2026 (the "Reporting Period").For the first half of 2026, in the building curtain wall industry, the trend towards market concentration among industry leaders has become increasingly pronounced, with intensifying competition in the bidding and tendering environment. Against this backdrop, companies were increasingly required to demonstrate comprehensive coordination capabilities across technological barriers, financial resilience, cross-border project execution and full-life cycle operation and maintenance. In response to the complex and ever-changing operating environment, the Group focused on assessing potential operational risks including geopolitical factors, exchange rate fluctuations, project performance, and payment collections. It also established a full-process, routine risk control mechanism to maintain effective risk control throughout every stage of operations. Meanwhile, the Group rigorously curtailed non-essential administrative expenses and streamlined its cost structure. These measures helped mitigate downward market pressure, safeguard the Group’s overall profitability and deliver stable earnings for the period. As a result of the above measures, for the six months ended 30 June 2026, the revenue of the Group increased by approximately 23.2% year on year to RMB 1.56 billion. Adjusted gross profit margin increased by approximately 4 percentage points, compared with the corresponding period of 2025 to 27.3%. Nevertheless, mainly due to foreign exchange losses arising from exchange rate fluctuations, profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Company decreased by approximately 23.9% year on year to RMB 140 million. Basic and diluted earnings per share amounted to RMB 0.0226.Concentrated Delivery of Domestic Projects Drove Performance, While Overseas Markets Achieved Broad-based GrowthAs for the Group’s domestic projects, benefiting from the concentrated delivery of projects on hand and the Group’s continued focus on projects with customers of higher creditworthiness, the Group’s revenue from domestic market increased by 61.0% year on year to approximately RMB 651 million, contributing 41.7% of the total revenue of the Group. Meanwhile, under the Group’s prudent overseas expansion strategy, in the first half of the year, revenue from overseas market increased by 5.4% year on year to RMB 909 million, contributing 58.3% of the total revenue of the Group. Particularly, revenue from Australia surged by 313.57% year on year to RMB 176 million, while markets including United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and Mongolia each recorded double-digit revenue growth.Strengthened Risk Control and Selective Project Acquisition Lay a Solid Foundation for Sustainable DevelopmentIn the first half of 2026, the Group continued to adopt a prudent overseas expansion strategy, prioritising high-quality projects with higher returns and controllable risks. The aggregate contract value of the Group’s newly-awarded projects amounted to approximately RMB 1,732 million. Based on this strategy, as of 30 June 2026, the contract value of backlog of the Group increased by 8.2% from 30 June 2025 to approximately RMB 13,373 million, which could support sustainable development of the Group for the next 2-3 years. At the same time, the Group has continuously strengthened a full-process management of receivables and net contract assets, while implementing various measures to accelerate cash collection. The turnover days of the receivables of the Group decreased by roughly 63 days to approximately 159 days year on year.Looking ahead to the second half of 2026, the Group will adhere to the business strategy of “stabilising operations, enhancing quality, and expanding across segments”. In terms of capital management and control, the Group will continue to strengthen cash management throughout its business processes, strictly control key links such as project receivables, cost outflows, and cash turnover, and mitigate project-related operational risks, with a view to fully safeguarding a healthy and stable cash flow while supporting the sustainable development of its business with a solid financial foundation. In terms of market footprint, the Group will deepen research across domestic and international markets, selectively cultivate additional customers, build differentiated advantages through product and technology innovation, process upgrades, quality enhancement, and tailored services, with a view to meeting the high-end and green requirements of new customers and new markets. Going forward, the Group will continue to optimise its global market footprint, consolidate its competitive strengths and leadership in the industry, fully reinforce operational quality and efficiency to deliver tangible business results, thereby creating long-term, stable value-added returns for various stakeholders and achieving sustainable, healthy development. Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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China Risun (01907.HK) Interim 2026 Profit Surges 376%, New Energy Business Footprint Further Expanded, Interim Dividend Significantly Increased to RMB1.44 Cents per Share ACN Newswire

China Risun (01907.HK) Interim 2026 Profit Surges 376%, New Energy Business Footprint Further Expanded, Interim Dividend Significantly Increased to RMB1.44 Cents per Share

HONG KONG, Sep 1, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - China Risun Group Limited ("China Risun" or the "Company", together with its subsidiaries, the "Group"; Stock Code: 1907.HK), a leading global integrated producer and supplier of coke, coking chemicals, refined chemicals and new energy (including hydrogen energy) products, as well as a relevant operation management services provider, recently announced its unaudited interim results for the six months ended June 30, 2026. During the reporting period, the Group recorded revenue of approximately RMB21,856 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 5.2%; profit for the period reached RMB244.4 million, a substantial surge of 376.0% year-on-year; basic earnings per share was RMB4.77 cents, a sharp increase of 736.8% year-on-year. The board of directors declared an interim dividend of RMB1.44 cents per share, a significant increase of 620% compared to RMB0.20 cents per share in the same period last year, with a dividend payout ratio of not less than 30% of the profit attributable to owners of the Company for the period.Financial Performance: Overall Improvement in Profit Quality, with Gross Margin and Cash Flow Both EnhancedIn terms of profit quality, the Group's gross profit margin increased from 8.1% in the same period last year to 10.6%, with gross profit reaching RMB2,311 million, up 37.7% year-on-year. Profit from operations was RMB1,057 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 34.0%. Net cash generated from operating activities amounted to RMB2,527 million, up 35.8% year-on-year, indicating continuous improvement in cash flow. EBITDA margin increased from 8.9% to 9.8%, and return on equity surged from 0.4% to 3.4%. All core financial indicators improved across the board, reflecting the Group's significant enhancement in operational resilience and profit recovery capability amid industry cyclical fluctuations. In terms of cost control, the Group's selling and distribution expenses as a percentage of revenue remained stable at around 3.5%, while administrative expenses decreased by 8.9% year-on-year to RMB511 million, demonstrating the effectiveness of the Group's continuous efforts in cost reduction and efficiency enhancement.All Business Segments Jointly Driven, Coke Overseas Dual Engines, Refined Chemicals Blossoming in Multiple AreasRevenue from the coke and coking chemicals production business increased by 9.6% year-on-year to RMB6,966 million, mainly benefiting from the average selling price of coke rising by 11.3% year-on-year to RMB1,515 per ton. Leveraging its 31 years of accumulated coal blending technology advantages, the Group effectively maintained the coal-coke price spread at above RMB300 per ton, driving the segment's gross profit margin to a healthy level of 13.7%. During the period, coking coal prices rose in nine rounds and fell in two rounds, with a cumulative increase of RMB385/ton. Relying on its core competitive advantages in "sales-transportation-production-supply-R&D" accumulated over 31 years, the coking coal segment's operating revenue increased by 9.6% year-on-year, and gross profit increased by 10.5% year-on-year. Overseas business became an important growth engine. Risun Wei Shan (Indonesia) Limited recorded year-on-year increases in revenue, net profit attributable to the parent company owners, and sales volume of 976%, 1,854%, and 61%, respectively, benefiting from favorable factors such as global capacity growth from newly added and restarted blast furnaces, as well as India's cancellation of quota policies. With both sales volume and price rising, profitability significantly improved.Revenue from the refined chemicals production business increased by 4.2% year-on-year to RMB9,475 million, gross profit increased by 41.4% year-on-year to RMB926 million, and gross profit margin rose from 7.2% to 9.8%. The average selling price of caprolactam increased by 13.3% year-on-year to RMB9,701 per ton. The industry's self-discipline in reducing production to maintain prices led to a recovery in both prices and profitability. The feedstock for methanol is coke oven gas, and its annual production capacity of 600,000 tons ranks first in the country. During the period, driven by reduced supply and increased demand, methanol prices rose, and the methanol-ammonia production line generated considerable profits. It is worth noting that the Group's self-developed innovative process route for 50,000 tons/year of hexamethylenediamine officially commenced production during the period and achieved full production and sales, with its quality widely recognized by downstream customers. The amino alcohol new material not only achieved year-on-year growth in sales volume and customer numbers, but also expanded its export markets to South America and Southeast Asia, further broadening its downstream application markets. It now supplies to the battery, carbon capture, electronic cleaning, high-end pharmaceutical, and cosmetics fields, continuously expanding its industry influence.Revenue from the operation management services business increased by 46.2% year-on-year to RMB1,863 million, mainly due to the addition of the Wulong Magnesium Industry management and operation project during the period. As of the end of the reporting period, the Group provided operation management services to three coke producers and four refined chemicals producers, continuously consolidating its industry influence. The gross profit margin of the operation management business increased from 4.8% in the same period last year to 8.1%, mainly benefiting from the widened price spread of the Kangnaier aniline production line. Revenue from the trading business decreased by 20.2% year-on-year to RMB2,977 million, but gross profit increased by 116.8% year-on-year to RMB193 million, and gross profit margin rose from 2.4% to 6.5%, reflecting the remarkable results of the Group's strategy of proactively optimizing the trading business structure and reducing low-margin items, achieving the business goal of "reducing volume while increasing profit".Energy New Business via Binhai Energy Acquisition,Anode Materials Grow 63.9%, Becoming the Biggest HighlightDuring the period, the Group completed the acquisition of a 14.5% equity interest in Tianjin Binhai Energy & Development Co., Ltd. ("Binhai Energy"), strategically entering the new energy battery materials industry. Through an acting-in-concert arrangement, China Risun in aggregate controls approximately 23.82% of the voting rights of Binhai Energy, and consolidates its financial statements. Binhai Energy added production lines for green electricity, artificial graphite anodes, and anode materials, expanding the product value chain to six major categories and 63 products, including 58 chemical production lines, 14 coking production lines, 6 graphitization production lines, and 5 high-purity hydrogen production lines. The first phase of the nation's only 580MW power generation, grid, load, and storage project, with a capacity of 150MW, officially commenced grid-connection trial operation, further reducing costs and increasing efficiency, and enhancing the profitability of the new energy business segment.Relying on its Ulanqab industrial base, Binhai Energy has now built an artificial graphite anode production capacity exceeding 100,000 tons. The performance of the new energy products production business became the biggest highlight of the first half of 2026. Revenue from this segment increased by 122.9% year-on-year to RMB523million, and achieved a significant turnaround from a loss of RMB12.95 million in the same period last year to a profit of RMB58.26 million, with the gross profit margin turning from negative to positive at 11.1%. The production/processing volume of lithium battery anode materials was 42,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 63.9%. Graphitization and anode material products not only achieved year-on-year growth in production capacity and sales volume, but revenue also increased by 78% year-on-year.Meanwhile, the 200,000-tonne integrated project is expected to be fully completed and operational by the end of 2026, with full-year shipments projected to reach 130,000 tonnes. Concurrently, the supporting 580,000 kW (580 MW) "source-grid-load-storage" green power project is set to commence operation in phases within the year. With green power coverage exceeding 50%, this rare industry model not only significantly reduces production costs but also meets the carbon accounting requirements for exports. Additionally, the company is expanding into new anode materials, such as silicon-carbon and porous carbon, to perfect its full-category lithium battery materials portfolio.Active Capital Operations, Ample Liquidity, Significant Increase in Shareholder ReturnsIn terms of capital operations, the Group completed the acquisition of Binhai Energy in April 2026, with a total consideration of RMB571.2 million;. This transaction constitutes an optimization of the equity structure within the same actual controller system, with the actual controller remaining unchanged. The parties have signed a concerted action agreement to exercise voting rights in a unified manner. Upon completion of the acquisition, the Group's synergistic strategy of 'overall development via the Hong Kong-listed platform and focus on new energy via the A-share platform' with its dual listing platforms has been officially implemented. This marks a key milestone in the Group's industrial layout of three growth poles: coke, chemicals, and new energy.Meanwhile, in June, the Group introduced a strategic investor, Zhangzhou Gulei Port Economic Development Zone Guozhi Qixu Equity Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership), which injected RMB495 million into Hebei Risun Energy Co., Ltd. During the period, the Group repurchased 22,646,000 shares, involving a total consideration of approximately RMB41.94 million, and granted share awards for the second time to 600 eligible participants. As of the end of the period, the Group held 198,217,000 treasury shares. In terms of liquidity, as of June 30, 2026, the Group held cash and cash equivalents of RMB4,455 million, a significant increase from RMB1,589 million at the beginning of the year. Unutilized banking facilities amounted to RMB9,852 million, of which RMB7,626 million were unconditional credit, indicating ample liquidity reserves. The capital gearing ratio was 2.6 times, and the debt-to-asset ratio was 78.5%, with the overall financial structure being sound and controllable. In terms of shareholder returns, the board of directors declared an interim dividend of RMB1.44 cents per share, a substantial increase of 620% compared to RMB0.20 cents per share in the same period last year. The total dividend amount is approximately RMB61.23 million, with a dividend payout ratio of not less than 30% of the profit attributable to owners of the Company for the period, fully demonstrating the Group's determination to share development achievements with shareholders.Outlook for the Second Half: Accelerating the Advancement of Silicon-Carbon Anode, Porous Carbon Materials, and Energy Storage ProjectsLooking forward to the second half of 2026 and the seventh "Five-Year Plan" period, the Group stated that it will continue to advance the construction of the 2,000-ton/year silicon-carbon material production line, 1,000-ton/year porous carbon material production line, 20-ton/year integrated anode material production line, and the supporting second phase 430MW power generation, grid load, and energy storage project, further improving the product variety in the new energy battery materials field and strengthening the cost and supply chain advantages of "green electricity + materials". The new production capacity will provide strong support for the rapid ramp-up of the Group's third growth curve. Relying on the strategic framework of the seventh "Five-Year Plan", the Group will continuously increase its market share in the fields of coke, refined chemicals, and new energy products through various means such as operation management arrangements, mergers and acquisitions, and establishing joint ventures with regional leading enterprises, promote the green transformation and high-end upgrading of the industry, and strive to achieve a higher level of sustainable development and shareholder value creation. Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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JF SmartInvest Holdings Ltd Announces 2026 Interim Results ACN Newswire

JF SmartInvest Holdings Ltd Announces 2026 Interim Results

HIGHLIGHTS:- Gross billings amounted to approximately RMB1,679.8 million, representing a slight decrease of 1.5% from approximately RMB1,705.4 million in the Corresponding Period, with business fundamentals remaining robust.- Total revenue was approximately RMB1,290.0 million, and profit attributable to Shareholders was approximately RMB32.3 million.- As of the end of the Reporting Period, the balance of contract liabilities was approximately RMB1,889.4 million, which will primarily be recognized as revenue for 2026 and 2027.HONG KONG, Sep 1, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - 31 August, JF SmartInvest Holdings Ltd (the "Company”; together with its subsidiaries, the "Group" or "We") announces its unaudited interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2026 (the "first half of 2026" or the "Reporting Period").Sound Financial Performance with Contract Liabilities Rise Sharply to Support Future PerformanceDuring the Reporting Period, under the dual-driver strategy of “technology + investment research”, the Group continued to advance product innovation, AI application and investment research capabilities, maintaining a stable development momentum. Gross billings amounted to approximately RMB1,679.8 million, representing a slight decrease of approximately 1.5% from the Corresponding Period in 2025. Total revenue was approximately RMB1,290.0 million, the non-HKFRS adjusted profit for the period (i.e. excluding the share-based compensation expense) amounted to approximately RMB113.7 million, the profit for the period was approximately RMB31.9 million, and the profit attributable to Shareholders was approximately RMB32.3 million. The changes in revenue and profit were primarily because the majority of orders during the Reporting Period were derived from repurchases by existing customers, and the provision of services for most of these orders had not yet commenced. Such order amounts are expected to be gradually recognized as revenue in subsequent reporting periods upon the commencement of services. As of the end of the Reporting Period, the balance of contract liabilities amounted to approximately RMB1,889.4 million, representing a substantial year-on-year increase of approximately 133.6%. These contract liabilities will primarily be recognized as revenue for 2026 and 2027, providing solid support for subsequent performance.Leveraging its sound financial position and ample cash reserves, the Group consistently places great emphasis on Shareholder returns. During the Reporting Period, it repurchased a total of 4,440,800 Shares at an aggregate consideration of approximately HK$134 million, fully demonstrating the management’s confidence in the Company’s long-term development prospects.Overseas Business Breakthrough and Globalizations AdvancementDuring the Reporting Period, the Group continued to deepen its strategy of “diversifying product layout domestically + exploring business overseas”. In terms of overseas business, the Group completed the strategic acquisitions of entities including Forthright Securities and Forthright Capital (collectively referred to as “Forthright”) in January 2026. The Group established “dedicated investment advisory”, “in-depth investment research” and “AI intelligent investment” as its core engines, and adopted a dual-track approach to serve mass and private wealth clients by integrating online efficiency with offline trust, advancing various business integrations and infrastructure development in an orderly manner.Since the beginning of 2026, Forthright SmartInvest App successively launched batch trading functions for US stocks and Hong Kong stocks, with core functions such as AI assistant, AI stock diagnosis, intelligent stock selection, and AI account analysis deeply integrated into usage scenarios. The Forthright AI Stock Machine was officially launched in July 2026. The flagship store located in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, has been put into operation, reaching a broader customer base through pop-up stores and shopping mall events. In terms of licences and qualifications, Forthright have been approved by the SFC for the addition of virtual asset-related service qualifications, and virtual asset dealing services were launched in July 2026, forming a full-chain service capability covering virtual asset dealing, investment advisory, and asset management.AI Agent Full-Stack AI Technology System Empowers as Intelligent Investment Advisory Services Enter the Application StageWith “AI+” as its core, the Group focused on the three major pillars of multi-agents, large models, and high-quality financial data to establish a full-stack AI product system, driving the paradigm shift in AI capabilities from “tool-based applications” to an “agent ecosystem”. During the Reporting Period, the number of FinSphere AI Agent users increased by approximately 50.9% year-on-year, with the number of effective interactions reaching 20.335 million, representing a year-on-year increase of approximately 50.5%. The To-C AI Q&A token consumption reached approximately 254.3 billion, roughly 8 times the level in the Corresponding Period, signalling that intelligent investment advisory services have entered the phase of large-scale application. In August 2026, FinSphere AI Agent was officially integrated into Tencent WorkBuddy and Alibaba Qwen Platform, becoming an officially certified securities domain expert on the platforms.In the first half of the year, the Group continued to drive the deep integration of AI technologies with specific business scenarios and product service workflows, extending AI capabilities from single-point products to the full business matrix. The Group concurrently upgraded “AI Xiaojiu Steward”, launching features including AI stock diagnosis, AI stock selection, AI stock monitoring, and AI post-investment review; Decision Master upgraded its exclusive Q&A intelligent agent “AI Xiaoce”; and Forthright SmartInvest App launched exclusive functions such as AI account diagnosis and AI position analysis. During the Period, the Group also launched the digital employee assistant “AIX” and built an AI content centre reaching 3.109 million users, processing a daily average of approximately 1.5 million customer messages. Research and development expenses for the Reporting Period amounted to approximately RMB167.1 million (representing approximately 13.0% of revenue), with 657 R&D personnel. As of the end of the Reporting Period, the Group had 167 software copyrights and patents, representing a year-on-year increase of 28.Upgrading Product Matrix with AI and Quantitative CapabilitiesIn the first half of 2026, the Group continued to deepen its diversified product strategy, and the synergistic effects of its multi-level product system gradually emerged. The VIP products steadily iterated around “AI + Quantitative”, launching the Xingtou Quantitative Platform and introducing multiple quantitative indicators such as the Sentiment Barometer , as well as 6 AI quantitative strategy portfolios. Decision Master launched the “Premium Version”, achieving an upgrade from delivery of viewpoints and content to full-process decision-making support, with AI services covering approximately 55% of active users during the Reporting Period. The Enjoy-Stock Pad launched the new-generation “Intelligent Navigation Edition”, covering six core AI functions. Jiuyao Stocks continuously enriched its small-denomination product matrix, with the AI upgrade coverage rate of its products reaching 43%. Star-tier Services created a closed-loop ecosystem of “tools-services-trading”, continuously enriched premium functional modules. Through its tiered product matrix, the Group precisely addressed the differentiated needs of investors ranging from entry-level to advanced users.The enhancement of product capabilities directly drove steady growth in user scale and operational performance. During the Reporting Period, the number of paying users reached 462,217. The Group operated approximately 1,180 accounts on different internet platforms, attracting over 73 million followers. Monthly active users of SmartInvest App increased by approximately 15% year-on-year, with a 30-day retention rate exceeding 60%. Service quality improved simultaneously, with the refund rate for VIP products further optimized to approximately 19.8%, representing a decrease of 4.8 percentage points from the Corresponding Period, and user satisfaction steadily increased.Deepening Investment Research with Breakthroughs in Density and DepthThe Group continuously deepened its “1 research institute and N business lines” investment research system, with JF Financial Research Institute as the core. It adhered to the “buyer-side investment advisory” philosophy and combined AI technology for service efficiency enhancement. This empowered user service scenarios, product capability optimization, and employees” professional standards. During the Reporting Period, the institute cumulatively conducted 336 research sessions on listed companies, representing a year-on-year increase of approximately 270 sessions. It also undertook on-site visits to more than 20 cities nationwide, covering more than 10 trending industries including biomedical science, mechanical equipment, and electronic semiconductors.Concurrently, the institute newly established a quantitative research team, supported by a supercomputing system and a quantitative factor library covering A-shares and ETFs. The quantitative products have been incorporated into the VIP business service system. As of the end of the Reporting Pemachinriod, the Group had 625 employees who possessed qualifications for securities investment advisors and 2,745 employees who possessed qualifications for securities practitioners. Adopting postdoctoral cultivation as a long-term talent strategy, the Group continuously enhances its competitiveness in investment research.Future OutlookThe chairman of the Board and chief executive officer of JF SmartInvest Holdings Ltd, Mr. Chen Wenbin said: “In the first half of 2026, we consistently adhered to the dual-driver strategy of “technology + investment research”, and our overall development remained robust. During the Reporting Period, gross billings remained generally stable year-on-year, and contract liabilities grew substantially, accumulating ample momentum for subsequent performance release. We successfully completed the strategic acquisitions of Forthright, achieving a key milestone in our overseas expansion. AI capabilities are accelerating their penetration across the entire product matrix, the “1+N” investment research system continues to deepen with significant improvements in research density and depth, and all strategic deployments have made substantial progress.Looking ahead, the Group will firmly implement its Group-wide AI technology strategy, driving the continuous evolution of AI capabilities from “tool-based applications” to an “agent ecosystem”. At the same time, we will deepen our globalization strategy, leveraging Forthright as platforms and taking “dedicated investment advisory”, “in-depth investment research” and “AI intelligent investment” as core engines to build a new generation of internet securities brokerage and cultivate a second growth curve. We will continue upgrading product functions, enriching our product matrix, and precisely addressing investors' diverse needs across all levels and markets. In addition, we will optimize our omni-domain traffic system to drive synergy between public and private channels, further strengthening user stickiness. We are committed to making investment and wealth management simpler and more professional, and enhancing the sense of happiness in investment and wealth management.”About JF SmartInvest Holdings Ltd (Stock Code: 9636)JF SmartInvest Holdings Ltd is a next-generation stock investing assistant, providing individual investors with equity investment tools, securities investment advisory, investor education and other services, with product offerings including Stock Navigator, Super Investor, Decision Master, Enjoy-Stock Pad, Jiuyao Stocks and Star-tier Services. Through the “Technology + Investment Research” model, the Company develops AI products such as FinSphere AI Agent based on artificial intelligence (AI) and big data technology, achieving innovative industry practices and scenario applications. Overseas, the Company conducts securities-related businesses in Hong Kong through licensed entities such as Forthright Securities and Forthright Capital. Taking “dedicated investment advisory”, “in-depth investment research” and “AI intelligent investment” as its core engines, the Company is committed to building a new generation of internet securities brokerage in the AI era.For enquiries, please contact:Financial PR (HK) LimitedEmail: ir@financialpr.hkTel: 852 2610 0846Fax: 852 2610 0842 Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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Xinyi Glass Announces Proposed Spin-off and Separate Listing of Its Automobile Glass Business ACN Newswire

Xinyi Glass Announces Proposed Spin-off and Separate Listing of Its Automobile Glass Business

HONG KONG, August 31, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Xinyi Glass Holdings Limited (“Xinyi Glass” or the “Group”) (stock code: 00868), a leading integrated automobile glass, energy-saving architectural glass and high-quality float glass manufacturer, today announced its wholly-owned subsidiary, Xinyi Automobile Glass Holdings Limited (“Xinyi Automobile Glass”), submitted the listing application (Form A1) to The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited for the listing of and permission to deal with the shares of Xinyi Automobile Glass on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange. The listing application was submitted after the receipt of the Stock Exchange’s letter confirming that Xinyi Glass may proceed with the proposed spin-off of the automobile glass business.With its established operating history of nearly 40 years, the automobile glass business is one of the three business segments of Xinyi Glass, alongside the float glass business and the architectural glass business of Xinyi Glass. In 2025, the automobile glass business ranked first globally by revenue in the aftermarket automobile glass products market. Given its scale of operation and international business coverage, the Directors believe that the separate listing is the most appropriate approach to support the continuous growth of the Automobile GlassBusiness. The separate listing will also unlock the intrinsic value of the automobile glass business and provide investors in both Xinyi Glass and Xinyi Automobile Glass with greater visibility into their respective business developments. The Directors consider that the proposed spin-off will provide clear commercial benefits to Xinyi Glass and Xinyi Automobile Glass.Dr. LEE Yin Yee (S.B.S), Chairman of Xinyi Glass, said, "Following the proposed spin-off, investors will gain enhanced transparency into the respective business performances and strategic trajectories of both Xinyi Glass and Xinyi Auto Glass. We must emphasize that this spin-off does not signify a narrowing of Xinyi Glass’s business scope; rather, it enables each business unit to sharpen its strategic focus, fully leverage its core competencies, and achieve mutually beneficial synergies. Leveraging our enduring strengths in global footprint expansion, technological innovation, and rigorous cost management cultivated over the years, Xinyi Glass has sustained profitability levels in its float glass and architectural glass segments that consistently outperform industry peers, thereby providing the Group with a stable and robust earnings foundation. Despite the severe headwinds of an industry cyclical downturn, Xinyi Glass has not only successfully maintained solid profitability but has also continued to advance capacity expansion—positioning itself as one of the few publicly listed peers that concurrently demonstrates earnings resilience and robust growth momentum.Benefiting from the gradual commissioning and revenue contribution of our overseas production facilities, the Group’s global market share has been steadily climbing. As of the end of August 2026, Xinyi Glass accounted for nearly 17% of Chinese Mainland’s total float glass capacity in operation, and over 10% of global capacity*. We anticipate a further expansion of our international competitive footprint in the coming years. Looking ahead, Xinyi Glass remains steadfast in its commitment to enhancing operational efficiency and broadening its global market presence. We are strategically positioned to capture greater growth opportunities upon the industry’s eventual recovery, thereby delivering sustainable, long-term value to our shareholders."The proposed spin-off is expected to be implemented by way of distribution in specie (the “XYG Distribution”) of the shares of Xinyi Automobile Glass (the “XYA Shares”), pursuant to which each of the Shareholders (other than those who are not qualified to participate) will receive new XYA Shares for nil consideration on a pro rata basis. In addition, Xinyi Glass will sell its XYA Shares and Xinyi Automobile Glass will issue new XYA Shares as part of the proposed spin-off. Based on the current estimation, the XYA Shares to be distributed under the XYG Distribution would represent 80.0% of the total number of the XYA Shares in issue, and the sale of XYA Shares by Xinyi Glass and the issue of XYA Shares by Xinyi Automobile Glass would represent 14.0% and 6.0%, respectively, of the expected size of the offering. The global offering and the separate listing is managed and sponsored by BNP Paribas Securities (Asia) Limited.Xinyi Automobile Glass provides automobile glass and accessory solutions covering design, development, manufacturing, delivery support and service. Its automobile glass products are sold in more than 150 countries and regions across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East and Africa through its sales network and regional sales teams. The automobile glass business is primarily focused on the automobile replacement glass market (ARG) market, while Xinyi Automobile Glass continues to expand its presence in the OEM market. The ARG business benefits from a broad customer base and recurring replacement demand, whereas the OEM business of Xinyi Automobile Glass enables it to participate in new vehicle model development and supply to automobile manufacturers. This business model allows Xinyi Automobile Glass to serve diverse demand drivers across the automobile glass market.About Xinyi Glass Holdings Limited (Stock Code: 00868)Established in Hong Kong and listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in February 2005, Xinyi Glass is one of the largest integrated manufacturers of high quality float glass, automobile glass and architectural glass in China and overseas. Xinyi Glass’ registered trademark was recognized as “China Well-known Trademark” by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce in 2017. Its automobile glass brand was named “China Top Brand” in 2007 by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the PRC. Xinyi Glass has established 15 production complexes in various key economic zones in different provinces in all parts of China, Malacca in Malaysia as well as East Java in Indonesia. The Group has become a constituent of Hang Seng Index as well as 47 Hang Seng Indexes, including Hang Seng Composite Index, Hang Seng Stock Connect Hong Kong (“SCHK”) Index, Hang Seng Large-Mid Cap Quality Comprehensive Index, and HSI ESG Index etc., as well as MSCI Global Small Cap Index, MSCI All Country (“AC”) Far East Ex Japan Index, and MSCI Pacific Small Cap Value Index. Xinyi Glass is the single largest shareholder of Xinyi Solar Holdings Limited (stock code: 00968), holding 23.8% of the number of Xinyi Solar Shares in issue. Also, Xinyi Glass directly holds 5.73% of the number of Xinyi Energy Holdings Limited (stock code: 03868) Shares in issue.For details, please visit www.xinyiglass.com or scan below QR code. Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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Collaborate2Win campaign promotes Hong Kong’s professional services in Central Asia ACN Newswire

Collaborate2Win campaign promotes Hong Kong’s professional services in Central Asia

HONG KONG, August 31, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - 29 August 2026, the ‘Collaborate2Win – Hong Kong’s Professional Services – Your Partner for Global Success’ promotion campaign, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR Government, was held from 24 to 28 August. During the campaign, Paul Lam, Secretary for Justice of the Hong Kong SAR Government, led a high-level delegation on a visit to Xinjiang, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. This built on the outcomes of the Chief Executive’s delegation visit to Central Asia in June, further deepening cooperation between Hong Kong and the region.The ‘Collaborate2Win – Hong Kong’s Professional Services – Your Partner for Global Success’ promotion campaign, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR Government, was held from 24 to 28 August. During the campaign, Paul Lam, Secretary for Justice of the Hong Kong SAR Government, led a high-level delegation on a visit to Xinjiang, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.The delegation comprised representatives from Hong Kong’s professional services sectors, including legal, financial and trade-related organisations, as well as legal professionals from Xinjiang. The delegation promoted the strengths of Hong Kong's professional services through site visits, business exchanges and thematic seminars. It fostered exchanges and cooperation between Hong Kong and Central Asia in related fields, while jointly exploring opportunities arising from the Belt and Road Initiative.The Collaborate2Win seminar, one of the campaign’s key events, was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on 26 August.The Collaborate2Win seminar, one of the campaign’s key events, was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on 26 August. In his opening remarks, Paul Lam, Secretary for Justice of the Hong Kong SAR Government, said: “While Hong Kong is a leading common law jurisdiction providing reliable and top quality international legal services, the city has been making tremendous efforts to use its common law advantages to maintain and promote Hong Kong's status as an international financial centre. Hong Kong can be Kazakhstan's important and even indispensable partner in view of its unique statue as a premier financial hub with common law advantages.”HKTDC Associate Executive Director Anna Cheung said: “The HKTDC has long been committed to promoting global trade and investment through international conferences, exhibitions and business matching as well as a wide range of overseas promotional activities. We help businesses explore new markets and seize emerging opportunities, while advancing the ‘hub-to-hub’ cooperation model. By leveraging Kazakhstan’s role as a gateway to Central Asia and Hong Kong’s unique strengths as a superconnector and super value-adder linking the Chinese Mainland with the rest of the world, we facilitate closer economic and trade ties between regions.”Ms Cheung added: “The 11th Belt and Road Summit, jointly organised by the Hong Kong SAR Government and HKTDC, will be held in Hong Kong on 9 and 10 September. The Summit will bring together government officials, business leaders and representatives of professional services organisations from countries and regions along the Belt and Road. The event will provide a platform to explore collaboration opportunities, facilitate business matching and promote project partnerships. One of the focus areas for this year’s summit will be the Central Asian market. We look forward to welcoming more delegates from Central Asia to Hong Kong and working together to take cross-regional cooperation to new heights.”The Collaborate2Win seminar in Kazakhstan, themed ‘Hong Kong – A Premier Financial Hub with Common Law Advantages – Your Indispensable Partner for Global Success’, featured remarks by Umiraliyev Zhandosv Zhanibekovich, First Deputy Prosecutor General of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Su Fangqiu, the Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Almaty. It also brought together speakers from the government and the financial, legal, tax and international arbitration sectors.Topics discussed included Hong Kong’s role in the Belt and Road Initiative, the latest developments in Hong Kong as an international financial centre, how the common law system safeguards and facilitates corporate financing and investment activities, the advantages of conducting tax planning through Hong Kong, and the city’s position as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre. The seminar, together with the networking luncheon that followed, attracted more than 160 participants.During the visit, the delegation met with a range of government authorities and industry organisations.In Xinjiang, the delegation met with Chen Xiaojiang, Secretary of the CPC Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Regional Committee, Liu Jiansheng, Party Secretary of the Department of Justice of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Naibijiang Yibulayimu, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Director-General of the Department of Justice of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.In Kazakhstan, the delegation visited the Shaanxi Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan and exchanged views with Mainland enterprises and law firms operating in the country. The discussions provided insights into the local business and legal services environment and helped Hong Kong's professional services sector better understand the support that Mainland enterprises need to expand overseas.In Uzbekistan, the delegation met with Yu Jun, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Uzbekistan, Umid Abidhadjaev, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan, and Ilzat Kasimov, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan, as well as the China Enterprise Association in Uzbekistan, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan and Tashkent International Arbitration Centre, and the Chamber of Advocates of the Republic of Uzbekistan. During these exchanges, participants discussed ways to strengthen economic and trade ties as well as cooperation in professional services between Hong Kong and Central Asia. Participants also explored opportunities in cross-border investment, legal services and business development.During its stay in Uzbekistan, the delegation also visited Tashkent State University of Law and the Islamic Civilization Center. These visits provided valuable insights into the latest developments in legal talent development and international exchange, cultural preservation, and urban development. Further, they strengthened economic and trade ties between Hong Kong and Uzbekistan.Photo download: https://bit.ly/46u5drsThe ‘Collaborate2Win – Hong Kong’s Professional Services – Your Partner for Global Success’ promotion campaign, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR Government, was held from 24 to 28 August. During the campaign, Paul Lam, Secretary for Justice of the Hong Kong SAR Government, led a high-level delegation on a visit to Xinjiang, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.The Collaborate2Win seminar, one of the campaign’s key events, was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on 26 August.Paul Lam, Secretary for Justice of the Hong Kong SAR GovernmentAnna Cheung, HKTDC Associate Executive DirectorIn Kazakhstan, the delegation exchanged views with Mainland enterprises and law firms operating in the country.The delegation visited the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan and Tashkent International Arbitration Centre.The delegation met with Umid Abidhadjaev, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Economy and Finance of UzbekistanMedia enquiriesHKTDC’s Communications & Public Affairs Department:Johnny Tsui Tel: (852) 2584 4395 Email: johnny.cy.tsui@hktdc.orgAbout HKTDCThe Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The HKTDC is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With over 50 offices globally, including 13 in the Chinese Mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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Galaxis Technology Announces 2026 Interim Results, Revenue Surges 45.1% YoY and Overseas Business Expansion Accelerates ACN Newswire

Galaxis Technology Announces 2026 Interim Results, Revenue Surges 45.1% YoY and Overseas Business Expansion Accelerates

HONG KONG, August 31, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - The integrated intelligent intralogistics robotics provider - Zhejiang Galaxis Technology Group Co., Ltd. (“Galaxis Technology” or the “Company”, stock code: 2729.HK) is pleased to announce its interim results for the six-month period ended 30 June 2026 (the “Reporting Period”).During the Reporting Period, the Company recorded revenue of approximately RMB504.9 million, representing a YoY increase of 45.1%. The revenue growth was mainly attributable to the increase in the number of large-scale multi-function comprehensive system and AMR deployment projects delivered in PRC. The gross profit was approximately RMB88.2 million, representing a YoY increase of 42.7% and a gross profit margin of 17.5%. The loss for the period decreased to approximately RMB73.3 million, narrowing by 14.7% YoY. As at 30 June 2026, the Company achieved an aggregate backlog value of robots and systems of approximately RMB2.2 billion, which the Company expects to fulfill within the next three years, out of which 56 were ongoing overseas projects with an aggregate backlog value of RMB710 million.During the Reporting Period, the Company has been carrying out its globalization strategy systematically in overseas markets, setting up local teams in North America, Southeast Asia, South America, Europe and other overseas markets. The total number of its overseas partners reached 22, and its business has expanded to 31 countries and regions. Business opportunities sourced from overseas markets increased substantially by 61.5%. The Company made multiple key progress in overseas markets. It entered into the Australian market with very-narrow-aisle fork-type robots (VFRs) and secured project orders for VFR from a health supplement manufacturing company; officially entered the global shuttle system supplier directory of a globally renowned Swedish home goods retailer; secured new VFR projects in Japan with a leading global electronics manufacturer and a domestic furniture retailer, which marked its market presence in Japan; secured a new pallet shuttle project with a Brazilian food processing company, making progress in the development of South American markets.In terms of domestic market development, during the Reporting Period, the Company successfully completed a core exemplary project in the Chinese Mainland. The project deployed 120 MSRs, 98 VFRs and a 15-kilometer-long automated conveyor track, with a daily outbound processing capacity of 320,000 order lines, a daily throughput of 60,000 items, and a shipping accuracy and timely delivery rate above 99.9%, which fully illustrates its strengths in technology implementation and systematic delivery in large-scale and complex projects.The Company adheres to the R&D philosophy of “scenario-oriented, technology-based”, continuously strengthening its integrated hardware and software technical edges and enriching its robot portfolio to meet the diverse needs of intralogistics scenarios. Its R&D expenses during the Reporting Period amounted to RMB38.7 million, representing a YoY increase of 27.3%. As at 30 June 2026, the Company has 965 employees in total, among whom 286 are R&D personnel, accounting for 29.6% of the total headcount. The consistent investment in R&D and talent accumulation is being translated into a core driving force for product iteration and scenario-based deployment, laying a deep and solid foundation for the Company’s long-term competitive advantages.Looking ahead, Dr. GU Chunguang, Chairman of the Board, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Galaxis Technology, stated: “In the first half of 2026, we achieved substantial revenue growth, secured benchmark projects in domestic and overseas markets and narrowed loss, which reflects positive operating momentum. Going forward, we will continue to follow the long-term development path of ‘based in China, best in global’ by maintaining product innovation leadership through continued investment in R&D; strengthening localized execution in overseas markets; expanding into new industries and application scenarios; reinforcing industrial-chain collaboration; and improving management and operating efficiency, and achieve sustainable growth in both domestic and international markets. Thus, we can further strengthen our core competitive strengths.”About Zhejiang Galaxis Technology Group Co., Ltd.Galaxis Technology (Stock Code: 2729.HK) is an intelligent intralogistics robotics provider focused on advancing automation in modern warehouse operations. The Company provides robotics products centred on three core product lines: multi-directional shuttle robots (MSRs), autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), and conveying and sorting robots (CSRs). These products possess core functions of storage, sorting and transport and cover the full scope of intralogistics business operations. Through sustained investment in R&D, the Company has established a comprehensive intellectual property portfolio, including invention patents, utility models, and design patents. Over the years, it built extensive experience in delivering integrated intralogistics solutions across multiple industries.This press release is issued on behalf of Zhejiang Galaxis Technology Group Co., Ltd. by Porda Havas International Finance Communications Group. Should you have any enquiries, please contact:Porda Havas International Finance Communications GroupEmail: ProjectGalaxy.hk@pordahavas.com Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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Gench Education Announces 2026 Interim Results, High-Quality Education Delivers Steady Business Growth ACN Newswire

Gench Education Announces 2026 Interim Results, High-Quality Education Delivers Steady Business Growth

HONG KONG, August 31, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Shanghai Gench Education Group Limited (“Gench Education” or the “Company”, together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”, Stock Code:1525.HK) -- the leading higher vocational education group in East China and the largest higher vocational education group in Shanghai, delightedly announced the unaudited consolidated interim results for the six months ended 30 June, 2026 (the “Reporting Period”).During the Reporting Period, the Group recorded revenue of approximately RMB569 million, representing an increase of 6.6% year-on-year (“YoY”). Gross profit was RMB354 million, up 11.7% YoY; Profit for the year was RMB179 million, a YoY rise of 10.2%. Basic and diluted earnings per share attributable to ordinary equity holders of the parent were RMB0.45, compared to RMB0.41 in the same period last year. The growth in performance was primarily attributable to the rise in average tuition fees, boarding fees per student, and revenue from education-related services during the Reporting Period. The Board has resolved the payment of an interim dividend of HKD$0.04 per ordinary share for the six months ended 30 June 2026, maintaining a stable dividend policy.Policy Dividends Continued to Be Released, Lingang’s Location Advantages Solidified Growth FoundationAs the largest private university in Shanghai, Shanghai Jian Qiao University (the “University”) has fully benefited from dual support from national vocational education policy and Lingang special area policy. In February 2025, the Management Committee of Lingang New Area issued “the Action Plan for High-Quality Development of Industry-Education Integration in Lingang New Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (2025-2027)”, explicitly supporting the University in building itself into an industry-education integration university. In December 2025, “Shanghai Lingang Science and Technology Innovation City Construction Plan” was launched, encouraging universities to participate in regional innovation development and bringing the Group opportunities in terms of policy support and resources.At the national level, in February 2026, the Ministry of Education issued the “Opinions of the Ministry of Education on Deepening the Reform of Key Elements in Vocational Education and Teaching”, which focuses on the key links of industry-education integration. In June 2026, the State Council issued the “Education Development Plan for the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan Period” (the “Plan”), which proposes launching the “Dual Excellence” construction of high-level application-oriented undergraduate universities, and leading and driving universities to focus on cultivating distinctive disciplinary specialty clusters around key industrial chains. Driven by these multiple policies, the University has leveraged its location in Lingang’s emerging industry agglomeration to transform its geographical advantages into institutional competitiveness. As of 31 August 2025, 77.5% of the University’s 2025 graduates were employed in the Yangtze River Delta region and 59.2% in Shanghai, which fully demonstrated the University’s effective integration into the regional development ecosystem through its educational outcomes.Teaching Quality Has Been Steadily Enhanced, While Digital and Intelligent Transformation Has Been Vigorously AdvancedThe University remains committed to teaching quality as its core priority, with ongoing efforts to strengthen faculty capacity building, curriculum development and smart campus construction. In terms of faculty, as of 30 September 2025, among the full-time teachers, the master degree or higher accounted for 86.4%, the doctoral degree accounted for 28.8%, the senior title accounted for 38.6%, and the double-position accounted for 47.8%. Grounded in its positioning as an application-oriented technological university, the University vigorously promotes professional teachers to practice in enterprises, organizes thematic workshops on industry education integration, and enhances teachers’ awareness and competence in industry-education integration.In terms of program and curriculum development, in the 2026/27 school year, the University has introduced two undergraduate majors, namely the Artificial Intelligence and the Electronic Packaging Technology, closely aligning with the demands of key industries such as integrated circuits and artificial intelligence. The University focuses on courses connotative construction, constructs “school level – city level – national level” 3-level courses building system, and enhances practical teaching and quality teaching. In 2025, 12 courses were selected as Shanghai first class undergraduate courses - the number of approved courses showed a YoY increase of 50%, reaching a historic new high. Besides, 26 courses were approved as Shanghai higher education municipal level key courses - the number of approved courses ranked the 7th place among higher education institutions in Shanghai, and thus became the only private university in the top 10. The courses cover various types including “AI+courses” and “industry-education integration courses”. In 2025, the “Fundamentals of Gemstone Geology and Crystallography” course of the College of Jewelry was selected as a “Online/Offline Hybrid First-Class Course”, achieving a breakthrough for the University in the construction of national first-class courses. In May 2026, the “Fundamentals of Intelligent Manufacturing Equipment” course of the College of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering was included in the national case collection of “Excellent Intelligent Manufacturing Courses”.The Group continues to deepen the upgrading and renovation of teaching and research instruments and equipment as well as teaching laboratories. The University has deployed smart classrooms integrated with high-definition cameras, intelligent audio devices and high-speed networks, and has built a smart teaching system covering the entire process of talent cultivation, curriculum teaching and quality monitoring. Furthermore, the Group has actively explored the deep integration of AI and education, embedded technologies such as AI, 5G, and VR into the teaching process, and initiated the construction of a DeepSeek-based large model for vertical-domain educational applications, thereby creating three intelligent agents for services, management, and teaching.Industry-Education Integration Has Been Further Deepened, While the Diversified Education Ecosystem Has Been Continuously ImprovedThe Group is fully committed to building an industry-education integrated university. It implements a tripartite operational model integrating “academic schools + industrial colleges + corporate entities”, striving to achieve the synergistic development of “industry, academia, research, and innovation” as an integrated whole. As of 30 June 2026, the University has successively launched seven key industry-education integration projects covering the College of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, the College of Journalism and Communications, the Business College, the College of Art Design and the College of Jewelry. It has established Medical Engineering Industrial College, the Live Streaming Economy Industrial College, and Big Data Industrial College, is actively preparing for the establishment of the Integrated Circuit Industrial College and the Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial College, and endeavors to create a distinctive educational framework featuring multi-track industry and college collaboration and comprehensive industry-education integration.International cooperation has made steady progress, while external exchanges have continued to expand. The University works with Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, The Kyoto College of Graduate Studies for Informatics, Teesside University, among others, in junior college to master’s program, undergraduate to master’s program, dual bachelor’s program and other programs. In 2025, the University contracted with 11 overseas famous universities/colleges in Germany, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Thailand and other countries, to expand teachers and students’ overseas exchange channels. As the first private university in Shanghai that has obtained the qualification to recruit international students, the University also attracts international students from many countries around the world and forms an international student education system that combines long-term and short-term programs.The University has a well-established lifelong education system. With the Shanghai “Dual-system” Pilot Base for Continuing Education of Employees in Higher Education Institutions (Incubation) as a platform, the University has built an integrated, multi-field and cross-age lifelong education system for knowledge updating and ability enhancement, covering adult higher education, vocational skills training, and youth science and innovation education. As of 30 June 2026, the number of in-service students enrolled in the University’s adult continuing education programs amounted to 3,316, and a total of over 400 types of vocational skill certificate training had been provided.Financial Position Remains Sound, While the Asset-Liability Structure Has Been Continuously OptimizedDuring the Reporting Period, finance costs of the Group decreased by 69.0% YoY, which was primarily due to the result of early repayment of most of long-term interest-bearing bank borrowings by the end of 2025. As at 30 June 2026, the scale of interest-bearing borrowings decreased to RMB276.7 million, with the gearing ratio remaining at 0.1. The financial position has become more robust.Looking forward, Mr. Zhao Donghui, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of Gench Education, stated: “The Group’s performance in the first half of 2026 achieved steady growth, validating the feasibility of its high-quality development strategy. In the future, we will continue to adhere to the educational philosophy of ‘student-oriented, teaching-centred, undergraduate-focused’ and the work ideology of ‘quality as the core, teaching as the centre, students as the base, teachers as the principal’ to promote the high-quality development of our undertakings. We will also fully capitalize on this historic opportunity by proactively aligning with the national strategy of promoting the high-quality development of vocational education and with Lingang’s regional initiative of becoming a ‘Global Hub of Power’, cultivate more high-quality technical and skilled talents, and accelerate the transformation to an industry-education integration university, and strive to build our University into a first-class private university in China with more unique features and international standing and a long-distance runner for the high-quality development of higher education in China.”About Shanghai Gench Education Group LimitedGench Education (Stock Code: 1525.HK) is a higher vocational education group which provides undergraduate education and junior college education, focusing on high-quality schooling for the provision of excellent education for students. The Group operates Shanghai Jian Qiao University, being the domestic leading private university, at Lingang New Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone. As measured by the number of full-time students enrolled in the 2025/26 school year, the University is the largest private university in Shanghai and is also a leading private university in the entire Yangtze River Delta. According to CUAA.net , the University ranked third among all category I private universities in China for five consecutive years and first among private universities in the Yangtze River Delta for seven consecutive years. Over 26 years of operation, the schooling quality of the University ranked in the forefront of peer universities, which has accumulated a solid brand reputation. Since 2004, the University has been consecutively awarded “Shanghai Civilized Unit” over 18 years. The University has won numerous honorary titles such as “National Model Unit of Civilization ”, “Shanghai Garden Unit”, “Shanghai Safe and Civilized Campus”, etc. The University has also been granted reputable title of “Lei Feng Spirit College Demonstration Education Base” among the first batch of universities in the PRC in April 2024, and was awarded the “Contribution Award for Promoting Lei Feng Spirit in the New Era ” in September 2024. In February and March 2025, the University was successively recognized as an “Outstanding Unit in Information Disclosure Work among Shanghai Higher Education Institutions for 2023-2024” and an “Outstanding Unit in Petition Work within the Shanghai Education System for 2024”.This press release is issued by Porda Havas International Finance Communications Group on behalf of Shanghai Gench Education Group Limited. For further information, please contact:Porda Havas International Finance Communications GroupE-mail: gench.hk@pordahavas.com Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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Micot Pharma Reports Positive Operating Cash Flow and Advances Late-Stage Pipeline in 1H 2026 ACN Newswire

Micot Pharma Reports Positive Operating Cash Flow and Advances Late-Stage Pipeline in 1H 2026

HONG KONG, August 31, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Operating Cash Flow Turns Positive for the First Time, with a Significantly Strengthened Capital StructureOn August 28, 2026, Micot Pharma (02335.HK), the first publicly listed peptide-focused innovative drug company in Hong Kong, announced its interim results for the first half of 2026.During the reporting period, the Company recorded research and development expenses of RMB128 million, representing a significant year-on-year increase of 215.9%, reflecting an acceleration in R&D investment. Meanwhile, net cash generated from operating activities reached RMB109 million, marking a turnaround from net operating cash outflow in the corresponding period of 2025.An important contributor to this shift was the commercialization partnership for MT1013.In February 2026, Micot Pharma entered into an exclusive commercialization licensing agreement with Everest Medicines for MT1013, the Company's Core Product. Under the agreement, Everest Medicines was granted exclusive commercialization rights for MT1013 in Greater China and the Asia-Pacific region excluding Japan for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT).Micot Pharma received an upfront payment of RMB200 million and is eligible to receive potential regulatory and commercial milestone payments of up to RMB1.04 billion, as well as tiered royalties based on net product sales.As of the end of June 2026, the Company's cash and financial assets totaled approximately RMB1.227 billion, compared with RMB270 million at the end of 2025. Total equity reached approximately RMB957 million, compared with net liabilities of approximately RMB960 million at the end of 2025. The Company's gearing ratio also declined substantially from 389.6% to 25.2%.For a clinical-stage biotechnology company, the strengthening of liquidity and capital structure provides important financial support for the continued advancement of multiple clinical programs.MT1013 Advances Through Phase III, with a Clearer Path Toward CommercializationBeyond its financial position, the key question for the market remains the progress and clinical potential of Micot Pharma's pipeline.MT1013 remains the Company's most advanced asset and the product closest to commercialization.MT1013 is the world’s first-in-class, new-generation dual-targeting peptide drug being developed for secondary hyperparathyroidism associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD-SHPT).The drug features a pioneering dual mechanism of action—“CaSR agonist + OGP (Osteogenic Growth Peptide) mimetic.”Unlike conventional approaches that primarily focus on suppressing parathyroid hormone (PTH), MT1013 is designed to regulate PTH, calcium and phosphorus metabolism while simultaneously activating osteogenic pathways to promote bone formation and repair. This represents a potential therapeutic shift from indirectly suppressing bone resorption toward actively promoting bone formation.The Phase III clinical study of MT1013 has completed patient enrollment, and the Company expects to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) in early 2027.In a head-to-head clinical study against the calcimimetic etelcalcetide, the composite target attainment rate for serum calcium, phosphorus, and iPTH in the MT1013 groups after 20–27 weeks of treatment was 39.29% and 34.48%, respectively, approximately 2.2–2.5 times that of etelcalcetide (15.63%).In addition, the proportion of patients in the MT1013 groups achieving a reduction of more than 30% in intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) from baseline reached 83.9%–93.3%.Clinical data from MT1013 have also been accepted as Late-Breaking Science by the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week.Against this backdrop, Micot Pharma's commercialization partnership with Everest Medicines represents an important step in translating the clinical and scientific value of MT1013 into potential commercial value.Positive Phase II Data for MT200605 Further Validate Its Potential as an Innovative Stroke TherapyShortly before the release of its interim results, Micot Pharma announced on August 26 that it had completed the Phase II clinical trial of MT200605, its internally developed candidate for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS).The study was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase II trial involving 360 patients, who were randomized at a 1:1:1:1 ratio into three MT200605 dose groups and a placebo group.For the primary efficacy endpoint, the proportion of patients achieving a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0–1 in the high-dose MT200605 group was higher than that in the placebo group, with the odds ratio (OR) for functional recovery improving by more than 100% versus placebo.From a clinical-benefit perspective, the results suggest that approximately one additional patient could achieve functional independence for every six patients treated.The signal is noteworthy in the context of neuroprotection research, a field in which translating biological mechanisms into meaningful improvements in functional outcomes has historically been challenging.For the secondary endpoints, improvement in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores in the high-dose group began to separate from placebo by Day 7. The direction of improvement was consistent with the mRS results, with a more pronounced difference observed by Day 14, suggesting faster early neurological recovery among patients receiving high-dose MT200605.Another differentiated observation involved acute kidney injury (AKI).MT200605 demonstrated the potential to reduce the incidence of AKI among patients with AIS in a dose-dependent manner. In the high-dose group, the incidence of AKI was more than 80% lower than that in the placebo group, indicating potential renal-protective benefits in addition to its neurological effects.A Differentiated BDNF/TrkB-Based Mechanism Supporting Potential Brain and Kidney ProtectionMechanistically, MT200605 is a small molecule compound that acts as a tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) agonist with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-like effects.By activating TrkB, it modulates downstream signaling pathways to protect the structure and function of brain neural tissues. Additionally, it enhances mitochondrial ATP synthesis and exerts antioxidant effects by scavenging oxygen free radicals.This differentiated mechanism may also contribute to the renal-protective signal observed in the Phase II trial.MT200605 has received recognition from both domestic and international scientific and regulatory communities. The program has been selected for China's National Science and Technology Major Project for Innovative Drug Development. Its preclinical and Phase I clinical findings have also been accepted for oral presentation at the 18th World Stroke Congress.In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Orphan Drug Designation to MT200605 for the treatment of Huntington's disease in March 2026.A Multi-Layered Pipeline Strengthens Micot Pharma's Capacity for Sustained R&D OutputBeyond MT1013 and MT200605, Micot Pharma is building a broader pipeline spanning different stages of clinical development.XTL6001, a GLP-1R/GCGR/MasR triple agonist, has completed database lock for its Phase I clinical trial. By incorporating MasR into its mechanism of action, XTL6001 is designed to extend its therapeutic potential beyond weight management and metabolic regulation toward renal protection and anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects.Research relating to XTL6001 has been accepted for presentation at several major international scientific conferences, including the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions 2026, the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting 2026 and ASN Kidney Week 2026.Meanwhile, MT1002 continues to advance across indications including anticoagulation during hemodialysis and acute ischemic stroke, further expanding Micot Pharma's development footprint in cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and renal diseases.Entering an Accelerated Validation Phase for R&D OutcomesTaken together, the most important takeaway from Micot Pharma's 2026 interim results is not whether a clinical-stage biotechnology company can achieve near-term profitability.Rather, three developments are taking place simultaneously.First, MT1013 has entered the critical late-stage clinical development period ahead of a potential NDA submission, while its commercialization partnership with Everest Medicines has established a clearer pathway toward commercialization.Second, the Phase II results of MT200605 have provided further clinical evidence supporting the therapeutic potential of its differentiated mechanism in acute ischemic stroke.Third, proceeds from the Company's Hong Kong listing, together with the upfront payment received under the MT1013 commercialization agreement, have substantially strengthened Micot Pharma's liquidity and capital structure, providing greater financial flexibility to advance its clinical pipeline.For investors and industry observers, these developments may represent the central theme through which Micot Pharma's first interim results following its Hong Kong listing should be understood: the Company is moving from a stage dominated by R&D investment toward one in which clinical progress, external partnerships and pipeline value are increasingly being validated through tangible milestones. Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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GF Securities Releases 2026 Interim Report ACN Newswire

GF Securities Releases 2026 Interim Report

HONG KONG, August 31, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - 28 August 2026, GF Securities Co., Ltd. (“GF Securities” or the “Company”, together with its subsidiaries and consolidated affiliates, the “Group”) officially released its 2026 interim report. The year 2026 marks the opening year of the “15th Five-Year Plan”, and the role of the capital markets in serving the building of a financial powerhouse and Chinese modernization continues to be enhanced. The Company steadfastly adheres to its functional positioning, focuses on doing a good job in the “Five Major Areas” in finance, deepens its focus on its principal responsibilities and core businesses, strengthens professional leadership, deepens efforts to tackle key challenges in transformation, and consolidates its operational foundation, with all businesses achieving balanced and steady development. During the Reporting Period, the Group recorded total revenue and other income of RMB31,751 million and net profit attributable to owners of the Company of RMB11,652 million.GF Securities operates four core business segments: investment banking, wealth management, trading and institution and investment management. The Company has successively set up futures subsidiaries, public fund subsidiaries, private fund subsidiaries, alternative investment subsidiaries and asset management subsidiaries, among others. With its unique value concept and pragmatic business style, the Company has established a full business chain with complete layout and strong capability. Over its 35-year history, the Company has remained deeply rooted in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, while maintaining a nationwide presence and expanding globally, consistently ranking among the top Chinese brokerages across major operating indicators.Anchoring in High-Quality Development, Four Core Segments Achieve Synergistic, Balanced and Steady GrowthDuring the Reporting Period, leveraging its comprehensive business system and balanced structure, the Group’s four core business segments delivered steady performance:Investment banking steadily advanced. The Company steadfastly adhered to its functional positioning, focusing deeply on national strategic priorities and emerging industry clusters. Through enhanced industry research, expanded client coverage, and rich project pipeline development, the Company completed six A share equity financing projects with a lead underwritten amount of RMB3.578 billion; and completed six listings on the NEEQ during the Reporting Period. As at the end of June 2026, the Company continuously supervised a total of 57 listed companies as the lead broker, of which 77.19% were “specialized, sophisticated, distinctive and innovative” enterprises. In debt financing business, the Company focused on tackling market expansion in key regions and continued to improve the quality of project implementation. During the Reporting Period, the Company acted as the lead underwriter for 430 tranches of major credit bonds, with a lead underwritten amount of RMB214.264 billion. In terms of financial advisory business, the Company completed 2 projects of acquiring control of listed companies that had industry and regional influence, and has 1 ongoing and disclosed project of a listed company’s issuance of shares to purchase assets during the Reporting Period.Wealth management transformation deepened further. During the Reporting Period, the Company firmly acted as the “manager” of social wealth and strengthened investment research-driven capacity and accelerated the comprehensive transformation and upgrading from traditional commission-based distribution towards buy-side investment advisory, asset allocation, and solutions driven by research as the core. As of the end of June 2026, a total of more than 4,900 employees were qualified as investment advisors; the total balance of financial products sold by the Company on a commission basis exceeded RMB450.0 billion, representing an increase of approximately 22.07% as compared to the end of last year; the balance of margin financing and securities lending of the Company was RMB173.475 billion, representing an increase of 24.82% as compared to the end of last year, with a market share of 5.74%. From January to June 2026, the turnover of the Company’s SSE and SZSE stock and funds amounted to RMB31.85 trillion (bilateral statistics), representing a year-on-year increase of 110.35%.Trading and institution business steadily continued to improve. During the Reporting Period, the Company achieved good investment performance in both equity and fixed income investments. As a primary dealer of OTC derivatives business, the Company continuously provided institutional customers with asset allocation and risk management solutions through OTC derivatives. The market-making business of the Company continued to be in the first echelon of the market, providing market-making services for more than 1,200 funds and all ETF options of the SSE and SZSE as well as CSI 300 stock index options and CSI 1000 stock index options of the China Financial Futures Exchange. The Company issued and traded 69,281 private placement products through the China Securities Inter-agency Quotation System and OTC market, with a total amount of RMB790.239 billion. As of the end of June 2026, 4,059 products were under the custody of the Company and fund operation outsourcing services were provided for 4,708 products; the existing custody scale of non-money market public funds ranked 4th in the industry (Source: Wind). GF Qianhe, a wholly-owned subsidiary, focused on the development of AI infrastructure and key industries such as AI+ and biomedicine The accumulated number of projects invested by GF Qianhe was 356.Investment management solidified its advantages. In the first half of 2026, the Group’s controlling subsidiary GF Fund and investee company E Fund maintained leading investment research capabilities. The total fund size excluding money market funds of their public fund assets under management (AUM) amounted to RMB1,120.942 billion and RMB1,885.931 billion, ranking third and first in the industry, respectively (Source: Wind, Statistics of the Company). The net value of collective asset management schemes and specific asset management schemes managed by wholly owned subsidiary GF Asset Management increased by 4.99% and 8.23%, respectively, as compared with the end of 2025. There were 85 asset management schemes managed by GF Futures, with total assets under management of RMB5.972 billion. Wholly-owned subsidiary GF Xinde focused on such industries as AI, robotics, biomedicine, intelligent manufacturing, new energy and corporate services. As at the end of June 2026, the paid-in funds under management by GF Xinde exceeded RMB19 billion.Forging Comprehensive Financial Service Capabilities, Reshaping the New Financial Service Ecosystem through “AI+”The Company adhered to an investor-oriented philosophy and continued to improve the quality and efficiency of services for individuals, institutional clients, corporate clients, and other customer segments by refining its full-chain and full-lifecycle comprehensive financial service capabilities.For individual investors, the Company adhered to a “customer-centric” philosophy, accelerated the transformation and upgrading of buy-side investment advisory, strengthened multi-asset allocation capabilities, actively explored the path of online scalable customer acquisition, deepened the service expansion for institutional and corporate client bases, strengthened the services for trading-oriented clients, actively embraced AI technological transformations to promote the improvement of business operation efficiency, and explored a brand-new efficient customer service model, served the growth of residents’ property income, and contributed to high-quality economic and social development. As at the end of June 2026, the Company had 358 branches and business departments nationwide, with a presence in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the PRC, providing solid network support for efficiently reaching and serving clients.For institutional clients, the Company actively promoted the adoption of digital intelligence in its research business, closely tracked cutting-edge technologies and demand changes, further explored and enriched AI applications in intelligent investment and research functions, to empower diverse internal and external demands. As of the end of June 2026, the Group’s equity research covered 28 industries and 894 A-share listed companies in Mainland China, and 261 overseas listed companies. By concentrating on the main theme of building Chinese-style modernization and focusing on the development direction of new quality productive forces, the Company facilitated the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, successfully organized large-scale conferences on investment strategies, such as “New Growth Opportunities, New Asset Narratives” and “Dialogue with Business Leaders”, to establish a platform for exchange between listed companies and institutional investors; at the same time, the Company continuously cultivated core tracks such as the AI+ industry chain, and further enhanced its industrial and market influence.For corporate clients, the Company accelerated digital transformation and the development of an intelligent risk control system, empowering quality and efficiency enhancement of businesses as well as comprehensive risk management with technology. During the Reporting Period, the Company focused on tackling market expansion in key regions, promoted the construction of bond AI intelligent systems, continuously improved project execution quality, and consolidated the foundation of compliant practices. Meanwhile, the Company closely followed major national strategic guidance such as scientific and technological innovation, green and low carbon, and actively promoted the issuance of various innovative bonds. In the first half of 2026, the Company acted as the lead underwriter for 68 tranches of various science and technology innovation bonds with an underwritten amount of RMB20.372 billion; acted as the lead underwriter for 15 tranches of various low-carbon transformation and green bonds with an underwritten amount of RMB6.111 billion; and acted as the lead underwriter for 4 tranches of rural revitalization bonds with an underwritten amount of RMB2.421 billion, taking concrete actions to support national strategies.Furthermore, the Group continued to promote the research-driven development model and strengthened the research on capital market and regional economy. The industrial research institute of the Company continued to build the ecosystem of production, learning, research, investment and financing, focused on the key tracks to deepen industrial research, continuously engaged scientific advisors to lead the upgrade of industrial cognition, integrated multiple resources, built synergistic platforms, empowered the efficient transformation of scientific and technological achievements into actual productivity through finance, assisted the sci-tech innovation economy and empowered the high-quality development of the Company’s business. The industrial research institute also participated in the first batch of construction of the comprehensive key research base of the China Capital Market Institute and contributed wisdom and strength to deepening the comprehensive reform at both ends of investment and financing and enhancing institutional inclusiveness and adaptability.Deepening its Integrated Domestic and Overseas Strategy, Accelerating International Business Growth MomentumBased on the new development pattern, the Company implemented the deployments of the “15th Five-Year” Plan, continued to deepen its integrated domestic and overseas strategy and actively promoted the “One GF” operating model. During the Reporting Period, the Group anchored on international development targets and continuously improved the breadth and quality of coverage of the overseas research business. The Group completed multiple Hong Kong stock benchmark projects and fully upgraded its cross-border comprehensive service capabilities, efficiently assisting Chinese enterprises in expanding overseas.In respect of overseas equity financing, the Company completed 11 overseas equity financing projects, including 9 Hong Kong IPO projects and 2 Hong Kong refinancing projects, with an issue size of HK$45.814 billion; and its equity financing business in Hong Kong ranked fifth among Chinese securities companies in terms of the total issuance size of IPOs and refinancing projects equally distributed among all underwriters (Source: Dealogic, Statistics of the Company). For the Chinese offshore bond business, the Company completed the issuance of 23 bonds with an underwritten amount of HK$32.724 billion.In overseas wealth management, the Company continued to diversify its product offerings, optimized the customer structure, and pushed forward the transformation and upgrading of the wealth management business, with its revenue scale, scale of assets under custody and retained scale of products continuously improving. With the in-depth promotion of international business, the consolidated operating revenue and net profit of GF Futures’ overseas subsidiaries both achieved a year-on-year increase. GF Futures (Hong Kong) won the 2025 Model Chinese Futures Broker, Best Broker (Currency Futures), and Outstanding Participant (Hang Seng Biotechnology Index) awards from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.In the area of overseas asset management business, GFHK is one of the first batch of financial institutions in Hong Kong with the PRC background granted with RQFII qualification. Its subsidiary GF Investments (Hong Kong) managed four equity investment fund products, and has completed investment mainly in fields of high-end manufacturing, TMT, big consumption and biomedical. Several investment projects have successfully exited by way of mergers and acquisitions or been listed on the stock exchanges in Hong Kong, the United States and other regions.In 2026, the reform of the capital market has been comprehensively deepened, the endogenous stability mechanism has been continuously consolidated, and the high-level institutional two-way opening up has steadily expanded. The Company will uphold the political and people-oriented nature of financial work, fully play its functional role as a “service provider” for direct financing and a “gatekeeper” of the capital market, anchor on serving high-quality development of the real economy, implement the deployments of the “15th Five-Year” Plan, intensively and meticulously cultivate the “Five Major Areas” in finance, continuously forge core professional capabilities, and contribute strength to Chinese modernization and the building of a financial powerhouse. Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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China State Construction International Empowers Market Expansion through Technology ACN Newswire

China State Construction International Empowers Market Expansion through Technology

HONG KONG, August 25, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - China State Construction International Holdings Limited (“China State Construction International” or the “Group”, stock code: 03311) has announced its 2026 interim results, recording net profit of RMB4,330 million for the first half of the year and a dividend payout ratio of 35.4%. Notably, the Group’s cash flow performance was particularly strong, with net operating cash flow reaching RMB3,796 million in the first half, while its cash-to-net-profit ratio stood at 87.7%, a near 15-year high. Across its business segments, the Group achieved robust growth, with its MiC (Modular Integrated Construction) business successfully securing a number of landmark projects, reflecting the strategic outcome of the Group’s steadfast efforts over the years to transform its business from traditional on-site construction towards new industrialised construction. Technology empowerment has evolved from a standalone technical advantage into a core competitive strength and a key driver of the Group’s long-term value creation.As one of the earliest companies in the Chinese Mainland to embrace construction industrialisation, the Group has reshaped the traditional construction model through its self-developed “Smart Construction – MiC technology”. By shifting from the construction site to the factory, and converting sequential processes into parallel workflows, the Group has effectively shortened construction periods, strengthened cost control, and reduced reliance on on-site labour and weather conditions. This transformation has become a core foundation for the Group to navigate industry cycles and drive improvement in its operating performance.Hong Kong: Serving Community Needs through MiC, with Landmark Projects Progressing One after AnotherChina State Construction International’s technological practices are closely aligned with the policy direction of the Hong Kong SAR Government. Since 2017, MiC has been included in the Policy Address for eight consecutive years, while the Government has promoted new construction methods through measures such as gross floor area and building height concessions, as well as the Construction Innovation and Technology Fund. These initiatives have provided the Group with clear policy support and market opportunities. During the period, the Group secured a number of landmark projects, including the Kwu Tung North Joint User Complex, the first government facilities cluster in the Northern Metropolis, and the University of Macau campus project in the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone (North District). The Group’s Temple Street project has also topped out successfully. As Hong Kong’s first full-MiC private residential project, it achieved a pace of “one floor every three days” despite stringent road traffic restrictions. The Kai Tak Light Public Housing project, Hong Kong’s largest light public housing development, was delivered ahead of schedule, with 70% of the construction processes completed in factories in the Greater Bay Area. It achieved the installation of one module every 30 minutes and the completion of one floor every three days, substantially shortening waiting time and demonstrating the strategic positioning of “what Hong Kong needs, what the Group excels at”. The project also received a Completion Commendation Letter from the Architectural Services Department.The strategic value of the Group’s technology was demonstrated as early as during the pandemic. In 2020, the Group completed the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre, the world’s first infectious disease hospital with full-MiC negative-pressure isolation wards, in just four months. This showcased the application value of MiC in major public emergencies, deepened recognition from the Government and the market of the Group’s construction capabilities and emergency-response capacity, and laid a strong reputational foundation for undertaking large-scale public infrastructure projects.Looking ahead, the Northern Metropolis is expected to become a new growth engine for the Group. The latest Budget proposed the first transfer of HK$150 billion in investment returns from the Exchange Fund to support infrastructure including the Northern Metropolis, while annual capital works expenditure is expected to increase from approximately HK$90 billion to around HK$120 billion over the next five years. Covering site formation, transport, public facilities and public housing, the Northern Metropolis is expected to involve total investment of more than HK$3 trillion, presenting considerable development potential. MiC modular construction can shorten construction periods by approximately 70%, aligning well with the Northern Metropolis’ need for rapid development. Together with Budget support for the direct procurement of Modular Integrated Construction units, this is expected to further unlock market demand. The Group has established 12 smart housing manufacturing bases nationwide and assembled a team of more than 300 design and R&D professionals, giving it advantages in scaled technology and production capacity. According to forecasts by the Development Bureau and the Construction Industry Council, the total MiC floor area in Hong Kong is expected to reach approximately 2.5 million square metres between 2025 and 2030, indicating substantial market opportunities.Chinese Mainland: Urban Renewal Opens a New Growth Driver as MiC Expands across Multiple CitiesIn May 2026, the State Council issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for Urban Renewal, the first national-level special plan for China’s urban renewal sector. Market estimates that urban renewal could drive investment of RMB15 trillion to RMB20 trillion during the period. Leveraging its MiC technology, the Group has developed benchmark redevelopment projects such as Huapichang Hutong in Beijing and Tianlin Road in Xuhui, Shanghai, achieving first-mover presence in first-tier cities. Going forward, the Group will replicate and scale mature models through its full-chain capabilities in “operation + technology + investment + construction”, positioning urban renewal as a core growth driver for its Chinese Mainland business.During the period, the Group’s newly signed MiC contracts in the Chinese Mainland increased by more than 70%, with progress across multiple first-tier cities and orderly expansion into strong second-tier cities. In Beijing, the Group has secured four rapid classroom construction projects in Fengtai District. In Guangzhou, the Group won its first MiC resettlement housing project in Conghua District. In Shanghai and Suzhou, the country’s largest concrete MiC urban renewal project — the demolition and reconstruction of old housing at Lane 65, Tianlin Road, Xuhui District — was officially delivered and well received by various stakeholders. The Group successively secured Shanghai’s second and Hongkou District’s first MiC in-situ redevelopment projects, and successfully won Suzhou’s first MiC project under an “investment + technology” model, further deepening its market presence.The positive results of the Group’s MiC modular transformation are becoming increasingly evident. Looking ahead, the Group will continue to seize the structural opportunities presented by Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis and the urban renewal market in the Chinese Mainland, further harness technology, reinforce its industry leadership, pursue high-quality growth and create sustainable, long-term value for shareholders. Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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From Non-Electric to Smart Toilets: Australian Bidet Brand Conor Expands Into New Zealand ACN Newswire

From Non-Electric to Smart Toilets: Australian Bidet Brand Conor Expands Into New Zealand

MELBOURNE, Aug 29, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Conor Australia Pty Ltd ("Conor"), an Australian-owned bidet and smart toilet company, today reaffirmed its position as a leading bidet brand in Australia, marking four years of growth across its product range - from entry-level non-electric bidet seats to smart bidet seats, an integrated smart toilet, and portable bidet sprayers for on-the-go hygiene. Conor has also launched conors.co.nz, extending its range into New Zealand for the first time.Founded in 2022 in St Kilda, Victoria, Conor set out to challenge Australia's low awareness of bidets at a time when the country lagged far behind Japan, South Korea and much of Europe in bidet adoption. Since then, the company says it has served more than 15,400 customers and, through its sustainability initiatives, supported the planting of more than 11,000 trees - tying directly into its core mission of reducing Australia's reliance on toilet paper, which the company notes requires significant water and timber resources to produce."When we started, most Australians had never used a bidet and many assumed they weren't even legal here," a Conor Australia spokesperson said. "Four years on, we've built a full ecosystem of bidet products - non-electric, smart electric, integrated smart toilets and portable sprayers - so that every Australian household, regardless of budget or bathroom setup, has an easy way to make the switch to a cleaner, more water-efficient way of life."A Range Built for Every Australian BathroomConor's product lineup spans four core categories, all WaterMark certified for compliance with Australian plumbing standards.Non-electric bidet seats replace a standard toilet seat with one that includes a built-in water spray function, using the home's existing cold water supply line. No electrical wiring or power outlet is required, which keeps installation simple and makes non-electric seats the lowest-cost entry point into bidet ownership for renters and homeowners alike.Smart bidet seats connect to a standard power outlet and use heated water with adjustable temperature and pressure, typically controlled via a remote or side panel. Conor's smart range adds features such as heated seats, warm-air drying, and - on select models - auto open/close lids, offering a level of customisation non-electric seats don't provide. Conor positions its smart bidet seat range as a locally supported alternative to imported models, with Australian-based installation guidance and after-sales service.Integrated smart toilets combine the toilet bowl and bidet function into a single manufactured unit rather than a seat retrofitted onto an existing toilet. Conor's range now includes two such models, the FlushGreen Smart Toilet Integrated and the recently added Viora Smart Bidet Toilet, which adds an auto-open lid and infrared UV hygiene function. These typically suit full bathroom renovations or new builds rather than a quick upgrade.Portable bidets are compact, rechargeable devices designed to replicate a bidet wash away from a fixed bathroom fixture, for travel, camping or office use. Conor's Rinora and Lumora portable ranges are filled from any tap or bottle before use and are aimed at travellers and campers who have historically had no bidet option away from home.Conor also offers a handheld bidet spray range - the product that started the company in 2022 - alongside toilet accessories that round out its bathroom hygiene offering.Certified, Compliant and Built for Australian HomesAll Conor bidet products are WaterMark certified, meeting Australian regulatory requirements for plumbing and water-use products. The company says this compliance, combined with local installation support and Australian-based customer service, has been central to building trust with Australian consumers in a category still newer to the local market than in Asia and Europe.On sustainability, Conor frames bidet adoption as a resource-use decision as much as a hygiene one, citing the water and timber required to manufacture toilet paper as part of the rationale it uses across its product marketing and sustainability reporting.About Conor AustraliaFounded in 2022 and based in St Kilda, Victoria, Conor Australia Pty Ltd is an Australian-owned company specialising in bidet seats, smart bidet seats, smart toilets, portable bidets and bathroom hygiene accessories. Conor's mission is to make bidet adoption simple, affordable and accessible for every Australian household, while reducing the environmental footprint associated with traditional toilet paper use. The company has served more than 15,400 customers to date and supported the planting of more than 11,000 trees as part of its ongoing sustainability commitments. Conor has recently extended its range to New Zealand via conors.co.nz.Media ContactConor Australia Pty Ltd,29 Mitford St, St Kilda VIC 3182, AustraliaEmail: info@conors.com.auWebsite: https://conors.com.au/SOURCE: Conor Australia Pty Ltd Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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CALB (03931.HK) Reports Strong Growth in 1H 2026 Results, with Net Profit Increasing Significantly Year-on-Year by 102.2% ACN Newswire

CALB (03931.HK) Reports Strong Growth in 1H 2026 Results, with Net Profit Increasing Significantly Year-on-Year by 102.2%

HONG KONG, August 28, 2026 - (ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - CALB Group Co., Ltd. (“CALB” or the “Company”, stock code: 3931.HK) announced its unaudited condensed consolidated interim results for the six months ended June 30, 2026 (the “Reporting Period”). During the Reporting Period, the Company recorded revenue of approximately RMB27.08 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 65.0%, and net profit of approximately RMB1.52 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 102.2%. The strong growth in the Company’s results was mainly attributable to the expansion of new customers and application scenarios, as well as the continued ramp-up of new products across passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles and energy storage, driving sustained growth in business scale.According to statistics from leading industry organizations, global power battery installations reached 608.5GWh in the first half of 2026, representing a year-on-year increase of 20%, while global energy storage cell shipments reached 467.84GWh, up 94.76% year-on-year, reflecting the continued rapid growth of the global new energy industry.In recent years, CALB has continued to advance its two core businesses of power batteries and energy storage, while expanding into application scenarios including new energy vessels, low-altitude mobility and robotics. With continued innovation in technologies and products and further expansion into domestic and overseas markets, the Company’s business portfolio has continued to broaden. Broad Coverage of Mainstream Automakers, with Global Power Battery Market Share Continuing to RiseIn the passenger vehicle segment, CALB’s customer portfolio has continued to optimize, with broad coverage of mainstream automakers and steady progress in its premium and internationalization strategies. The Company has become a strategic partner in platform-based battery systems including Huawei’s Giant Whale Battery and Xiaomi’s Dragon Armor Battery, providing core power battery solutions for a range of vehicle models and series, including the LUXEED R7, LUXEED RX, SAIC Z7, and Xiaomi SkyNomad N70 Max and N90 Max, covering both LFP and ternary battery chemistries. CALB’s “UP super-charged” batteries, with their strong and stable fast-charging performance, are exclusively supplied for flagship models including the XPeng GX and G9L, and across the XPeng MONA lineup.During the reporting period, CALB provided stable power battery supplies for customers including XPeng, Huawei, GAC and Leapmotor, while supporting global vehicle models from customers including Toyota and Mazda. New overseas platform projects with Volkswagen and Hyundai are progressing rapidly, and the power battery plant jointly established with Leapmotor is expected to commence operations soon. CALB’s passenger vehicle power battery supply volume continued to grow, with overseas installations increasing by 84% year-on-year, reflecting an accelerated global expansion.In the commercial vehicle segment, CALB’s battery shipments increased by 225% year-on-year in the first half of 2026, with 206 newly announced vehicle models. The Company’s market share in both China and globally continued to increase, while cooperation with major heavy- and light-duty commercial vehicle customers including Sinotruk, XCMG, SANY, SHACMAN, Chery, Geely and Dongfengcontinued to expand, driving further market penetration.CALB’s commercial vehicle business is evolving from battery product sales toward full life-cycle value operations in the new energy commercial vehicle sector. Heavy-duty commercial applications, including heavy trucks and construction machinery, have become key components of the Company’s commercial vehicle business. An integrated “vehicle-battery-charging station-cloud” ecosystem for commercial vehicle applications is gradually taking shape, while business models including battery banking and financial leasing have been successfully piloted. Demonstration projects in green mines and zero-carbon ports have also received strong recognition from customers.Utility-Scale Energy Storage Maintains Leading Position, with Overseas Business Gaining MomentumCALB’s ESS business also maintained healthy growth momentum. In the first half of 2026, the Company ranked among the global top four in utility-scale energy storage, with steadily increasing shipments and continued growth in overseas installations. In the power energy storage segment, cooperation with major energy companies including SPIC, Huadian, Datang and China Three Gorges Renewables continued to progress. CALB also worked with leading system integrators such as Sungrow and Huawei, as well as supply chain partners and end users, to advance technological, product and application innovations across multiple scenarios, reduce operating costs of power systems and improve overall returns.In the zero-carbon ecosystem, the Company has actively explored new business models and made key progress in emerging strategic areas including direct green power supply and zero-carbon cities. Building on these initiatives, CALB is also advancing the development of source-grid-load-storage integration and virtual power plant platforms, while exploring pathways toward city-level zero-carbon development.Meanwhile, CALB has actively expanded its residential and commercial and industrial energy storage businesses, securing project nominations from multiple leading customers and achieving stable deliveries, with market performance ranking among the industry leaders. In emerging areas such as AIDC, the Company has been actively exploring energy storage technologies and product solutions, and has completed the development of 6C high-rate energy storage systems to address the backup power requirements of AIDC applications.To advance its internationalization strategy and further enhance profitability, CALB has accelerated its overseas expansion and achieved positive progress. During the reporting period, the Company’s next-generation 600Ah+ ESS cells entered mass production at scale to meet overseas application requirements. Its liquid-cooled containerized energy storage systems have been deployed and delivered in high-value markets including Europe, Japan and the United States. Its residential and commercial and industrial energy storage products now cover multiple overseas markets, with cooperation established with customers in more than ten countries and regions.Expanding into Multiple Emerging Scenarios, with AI Driving a New Wave of InnovationBeyond the two major application areas of new energy vehicles and energy storage, CALB has actively expanded into emerging application scenarios based on its development philosophy of “shared technology platforms and shared product platforms.”In the new energy vessel sector, the Company has obtained certifications from major international classification societies including DNV, ABS, BV, RINA and CCS, and projects including China’s first CCS-certified carbon-fiber electric official vessel have successfully commenced operations. In the low-altitude mobility sector, CALB’s high-energy cylindrical cells achieve an energy density of up to 310Wh/kg and have secured exclusive nomination for customers’ key aircraft models. Its next-generation 360Wh/kg high-nickel, silicon-carbon cylindrical batteries are gradually entering the preparation stage for commercialization. In the robotics market, high-performance battery products are expected to enter mass deliveries, while 10Ah-class all-solid-state batteries are expected to enter their initial stage of commercial application.Notably, CALB is building new capabilities for AI-driven R&D, manufacturing and operations under its “AI + Energy” strategy. On the R&D side, the Company is exploring the integration of AI with materials science and simulation computing to accelerate breakthroughs in new products. In manufacturing, CALB is integrating AI with industrial big data to drive the evolution of its production lines toward greater intelligence. In operations, the Company is promoting deeper integration of data and intelligent agents to enhance management and decision-making efficiency. By continuously strengthening its capabilities in data, computing power and AI models, CALB is gradually building an intelligent foundation for enterprise operations.From premium expansion in passenger vehicles, to volume growth and business model innovation in commercial vehicles, and accelerated expansion into global energy storage markets and early positioning in emerging markets, CALB has established a multi-layered and progressively expanding growth profile.Against the backdrop of continued strong momentum in the new energy industry, CALB expects its market share and profitability to enter an accelerated growth phase as its customer mix continues to improve and global delivery capabilities are progressively strengthened, further enhancing its global competitiveness and industry influence.About CALBCALB (3931.HK) is a new energy enterprise specializing in the research, production, sales, and market application development of lithium batteries, battery management systems, and related integrated products and lithium battery materials. As Battery Expert, we aim to build a comprehensive energy operation system, to provide complete product solutions and full life-cycle management for the new energy application market, represented by power and energy storage.Currently, CALB has completed an all-round layout in domestic by setting up industrial bases in Changzhou, Xiamen, Wuhan, Chengdu, Hefei, Jiangmen and Meishan. Meanwhile, CALB has set up bases in Europe and ASEAN, vigorously expanding the layout all over the world to become a global leading enterprise with large-scale intelligent manufacturing capabilities. Copyright 2026 ACN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com
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