Thursday, 20 August 2026

JAPAN MARITIME DAILY TO HOST SINGAPORE SEMINAR ON EMERGING TRANSPORT DEMANDS

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 (Bernama) -- The Japan Maritime Daily (JMD), Japan’s leading maritime newspaper, will host an international seminar in Singapore on Oct 5, focusing on “Emerging Transport Demands”.

JMD said in a statement the event supported by Singapore Exchange (SGX), will examine major shipping initiatives and the future of maritime transport through presentations and a panel discussion.

Registration is now open for “Charting the Course for the Future of Maritime” seminar, featuring senior maritime leaders from Ocean Network Express (ONE), SGX, Kpler and other international organisations.

ONE Chief Executive Officer, Till Ole Barrelet will deliver the keynote address, while SGX Group Director, Kenneth Ng will give a presentation, and Kpler Principal Heavy Distillates Analyst, Roslan Khasawneh will speak on “How Geopolitical Disruption Is Reshaping Asian Shipping”.

A panel discussion moderated by JMD Principal Editor Yohei Misaki will examine emerging transport demands and key industry challenges amid an increasingly uncertain global environment.

The panel will feature MOL Energia Managing Director, Miki Ogura; Wallem Ship Management Managing Director, Ioannis Stefanou; Tokyo Century Corporation Joint General Manager, Jigo Hayashi; and Baltic Exchange Asia Head, Cheong Jin Yu.

-- BERNAMA

Gradiant Expands US Operations with New Leadership, Office Openings, and Long-Term Services Contracts

 


Table

Gradiant Expands US Operations with New Leadership, Office Openings, and Long-Term Services Contracts


BOSTON, Aug 20 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Every microchip, data center, and megawatt of AI capacity depends on water. Today, Gradiant, the water layer of the AI economy, announced a series of milestones reinforcing its ability to solve that constraint across the United States: a new US leadership hire, three new offices, a new innovation center, and long-term services contracts, including one with a chip major.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260818449839/en/ 

Gradiant named Dr. Nish Vora as Managing Director, Americas, to accelerate its growth momentum in the region. Dr. Vora is a proven growth leader whose career spans senior leadership roles at GE Water, Suez Water Technologies, and most recently Veolia Water Technologies and Solutions. His technical and commercial leadership is an excellent fit with Gradiant’s culture of Innovation with Speed for its customers. Alongside the appointment, Gradiant opened new offices in Phoenix, Syracuse, and Philadelphia.

The company also launched its Global Innovation Center in Houston dedicated to advancing next-generation treatment technologies for North America, and grew its US headcount by 55% year to date.

Underscoring this momentum, Gradiant secured new long-term operations and maintenance (O&M) contracts, including one to run the ultrapure water (UPW) system for a chip major. Gradiant will manage water quality, reliability, and compliance, freeing the customer to focus on its core manufacturing operations.

The win draws on Gradiant's global UPW expertise, including established teams in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, bolstered by a growing local US presence – an approach the company is applying as it scales O&M capabilities nationwide. Gradiant was selected for its customer-centric approach, speed of deployment, and depth of O&M expertise.

"AI infrastructure doesn't get built without solving for water first, whether that's a fab, a data center, or a power plant," said Prakash Govindan, CEO of Gradiant. "Winning long-term O&M relationships like this one shows customers increasingly want a single accountable partner for water, not just equipment or one-off applications. That's exactly the role Gradiant is built to play as we scale across the US."

Gradiant designs, builds, and operates the water layer underpinning the AI economy, across chips, data centers, energy, and applied industries. As AI infrastructure investment accelerates globally, water availability, reliability, and reuse are becoming as strategic as power and land in determining where, and how fast, that infrastructure gets built.

“Our target is to reach US$1 billion in order book in the United States alone next year,” said Dr. Nish Vora, Managing Director, Gradiant Americas. “With the team I am inheriting and the opportunity set in the market right now – the most activity I have seen in my three decades in the water industry – I am confident we will beat that target.”

About Gradiant

Gradiant is the Water Layer of the AI Economy. Founded at MIT and headquartered in Boston, Gradiant builds the water and wastewater infrastructure behind AI's build-out, from chips and data centers to the energy and industries that depend on them. As AI demand accelerates, water is becoming the resource that determines what can be built. Gradiant's technologies reduce what industry withdraws, reclaim what it would waste, and renew clean water to nature, with more than 3,000 treatment plants built across 92 countries. Learn more at gradiant.com.

View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260818449839/en/

Contact

Corporate Contact
Felix Wang
Gradiant, Global Head of Marketing
fwang@gradiant.com

Source : Gradiant

Tuesday, 18 August 2026

GMO GLOBALSIGN EXPANDS TLS CONNECT TO APAC, MIDDLE EAST

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- GMO GlobalSign Inc, a global Certificate Authority, has expanded the availability of TLS Connect by GMO to businesses in the Asia Pacific (APAC) and Middle East, following its initial launch in Western markets in April.

TLS Connect is a Certificate Lifecycle Management (CLM) tool designed for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), automating the deployment and renewal of public trust Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificates to help strengthen security, maintain regulatory compliance and reduce business risk.

GMO GlobalSign said TLS Connect is designed to address the needs of SMEs that rely on TLS certificates but may lack in-house Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) expertise or a straightforward way to implement a CLM solution.

The company said the expansion comes as businesses face a series of reductions in TLS certificate validity periods. The first reduction took effect on March 15, 2026, shortening certificate lifespans from 398 to 200 days, while further reductions to 100 days and 47 days are scheduled for March 15, 2027, and March 15, 2029, respectively.

In a statement, GMO GlobalSign Head of Business Unit for TLS & CLM CA Division, Aditya Anand said shrinking certificate lifespans mean SMEs face greater risks of missed renewals and unexpected outages, often without the tools to manage certificates efficiently.

He said TLS Connect provides automated certificate lifecycle management specifically for smaller enterprises and offers a simple and affordable way for businesses in APAC and the Middle East to manage changing certificate requirements.

The solution is particularly relevant in APAC and the Middle East, where SMEs account for a significant share of businesses, including approximately 94 per cent in the United Arab Emirates, 97 per cent in Australia, and 99 per cent in Singapore and the Philippines.

According to GMO GlobalSign, cybersecurity regulations in these markets are also increasing the management and oversight requirements for SMEs, while a shortage of cybersecurity professionals is adding to the challenge.

The company said TLS Connect includes certificate discovery, a centralised interface and automated certificate management, and can be deployed on premises for centralised management across endpoints.

-- BERNAMA

ABNORMAL AI SECURES IMDA ACCREDITATION FOR GOVERNMENT, ENTERPRISE ADOPTION

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- Abnormal AI, a behavioural artificial intelligence (AI) security platform, has been accredited by the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA) and recognised as a trusted solution for government and enterprise adoption.

The accreditation status, effective July 1, positions Abnormal to pursue expanded engagement with Singapore government agencies and enterprises through IMDA's streamlined procurement process and market access channels.

Abnormal Regional Director, ASEAN, Sebastian Murphy said the accreditation reflected that the company’s platform has undergone IMDA’s robust evaluation process, giving Singaporean agencies and enterprises a validated path to adopt behavioural AI security.

“It reflects the investment we have made in this region over the past several years. We are looking forward to deepening our work with IMDA and the customers and partners we serve here,” added Murphy in a statement.

The IMDA Accreditation programme helps enterprise technology companies scale in the region. IMDA-accredited companies undergo independent evaluation across business and operations, technical capability and financial standing, giving government agencies and large enterprises confidence to adopt their solutions.

Being enrolled in the programme also gives companies access to IMDA's "Greenlane" procurement track, which is designed to substantially shorten typical government procurement timelines, as well as introductions to government decision-makers through IMDA's ecosystem.

Abnormal's accreditation status comes as organisations across Singapore and the broader ASEAN region contend with a rise in AI-generated social engineering, business email compromise, and identity-based attacks that typically bypass traditional, rules-based defences.

By establishing per-entity baselines across identities and environments, the company’s platform is designed to detect and stop sophisticated attacks, including many that have not been seen before, without relying on static rules or threat signatures.

Abnormal intends to continue evaluating opportunities to grow its presence in Singapore and across ASEAN, with additional investment in local go-to-market resources and government engagement expected in the near term.

-- BERNAMA

Monday, 17 August 2026

CROSSBOW NAMED AS GEAR MEMBER, CONTRIBUTING PAYMENT SECURITY EXPERTISE

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- Crossbow Enterprise Cybersecurity, an enterprise cybersecurity partner, has been selected to serve on the PCI Security Standards Council’s (PCI SSC) 2026–2028 Global Executive Assessor Roundtable (GEAR) for its third consecutive term.

The roundtable is a direct channel between payment security assessors and PCI SSC leadership, and Crossbow is one of 33 organisations selected for the 2026–2028 term, according to a statement.

“Continuing as a GEAR member for a third consecutive term is a meaningful milestone for Crossbow and reflects our ongoing engagement with the global payment security community,” said Crossbow Enterprise Cybersecurity Head of GRC Operations, Sabeena Job.

Meanwhile, PCI Security Standards Council Executive Director, Gina Gobeyn said GEAR brings together experienced industry leaders whose expertise and perspectives help guide the continued evolution of PCI security standards and programmes.

“We look forward to working with Crossbow Enterprise Cybersecurity as we continue advancing our shared mission of helping organisations protect payment data around the world,” added Gobeyn.

Crossbow’s continued role on GEAR enables it to contribute practical perspectives on evolving payment technologies and global compliance standards, helping support security frameworks that remain effective and relevant.

The company brings nearly 12 years of experience across cybersecurity consulting, payment security, assessment, compliance and advisory services, spanning India, Asia Pacific, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States.

-- BERNAMA

Friday, 14 August 2026

SBC MEDICAL REPORTS 13 PCT RISE IN Q2 REVENUE, NET INCOME JUMPS 335 PCT

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 (Bernama) -- SBC Medical Group Holdings Inc (SBC Medical) reported a 13 per cent year-on-year (yoy) increase in consolidated revenue to US$49 million for the second quarter (Q2) of fiscal 2026 ended June 30. (US$1 = RM4.08)

Net income attributable to SBC Medical surged 335 per cent yoy to US$11 million, while adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased 32 per cent to US$20 million.

Basic earnings per share jumped 400 per cent year-on-year to US$0.10, while net income margin increased 16 percentage points to 22 per cent and adjusted EBITDA margin climbed six percentage points to 41 per cent.

In a statement, SBC Medical Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Yoshiyuki Aikawa said the company was increasingly confident that its growth reacceleration reflected strengthening underlying fundamentals, with the convergence of healthcare and artificial intelligence (AI) becoming a source of competitive advantage.

He said the company is leveraging more than 26 years of accumulated management data to develop AI-enabled services, including AI-powered call centres, AI-driven marketing and AI-assisted site selection for new clinics.

The company said the quarter marked a reacceleration in growth, supported by the expansion of its points business following a change in operating policy and higher service fees driven by enhanced AI-enabled support capabilities.

The medical corporations supported by SBC Medical also continued to expand, with the number of locations increasing by 34 yoy to 287 as of end-June. Last-12-month patient visits reached 6.9 million, up 10 per cent yoy, while average spending per visit rose nine per cent to US$287.

The company said fee revisions for call centre services provided to five affiliated medical corporations, together with separate fee revisions reflecting expanded support for Rize Clinic and Gorilla Clinic, are expected to increase annual service fees by approximately US$15 million if their impact is realised for a full year.

Looking ahead, SBC Medical said it will deepen its multi-brand strategy in aesthetic dermatology in Japan, expand its non-aesthetic business and accelerate international growth through its collaboration with OrangeTwist in the United States and expansion in Southeast Asia, anchored in Thailand. The company also plans to enter the longevity market.

-- BERNAMA

Bitget Institutional Launches $300 Million Project Archimedes to Back Quant Firms and Asset Managers


The initiative will boost institutional trading firms' scale strategies, improve capital efficiency and access emerging opportunities across digital assets and tokenized markets.


VICTORIA, Seychelles, Aug 14 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bitget, the world's largest Universal Exchange (UEX), has launched Project Archimedes, a $300 million institutional capital program for quantitative trading firms, asset managers and market makers.

With the vision of backing minds that move markets, Project Archimedes will support firms at different stages of growth through two programs:
  • Capital Provider Program ($100 million): Allocated to accelerate emerging and growing quantitative firms running market-neutral strategies. Bitget will provide capital, with returns shared under an agreed structure and risk framework.
  • Interest-Free Lending Program ($200 million): Available to established institutions with mature strategies and existing trading scale. Eligible firms can access interest-free capital by meeting defined trading volume or position requirements, reducing funding costs while increasing the capital available to their strategies.
Institutional trading is entering a period where access to capital, execution quality and risk control increasingly determine which strategies can scale. Arbitrage returns across established crypto markets have tightened as competition has increased, leading quantitative firms to explore market structures such as basis spreads, funding-rate differences and tokenized assets.

"Strong strategies often reach a point where talent is no longer the constraint but capital might," said Gracy Chen, CEO at Bitget. "Project Archimedes gives capable teams the acceleration it needs to scale, while aligning capital, risk and execution around sustainable performance. Our goal is to boost over fifty projects in the next six months with this capital."

The program takes its name from Archimedes’ principle that the right fulcrum can move the world. For institutional trading firms, capital provides that fulcrum, while product structure and infrastructure determine how effectively it can be used.

Tokenized US stocks offer one example. Arbitrage opportunities can arise from differences in basis and funding rates across spot and derivative markets. These strategies typically require firms to maintain positions on both sides of a trade, which can tie up margin across separate accounts.

Under Bitget’s Unified Account, eligible rToken spot positions can serve as collateral for derivatives trading without requiring transfers between accounts. This structure allows institutions to maintain tokenized stock exposure while deploying related contract strategies through the same account, improving the use of available capital. Weekend collateral valuation follows the underlying stock’s Friday closing price, providing a fixed reference while traditional US markets are closed.

Project Archimedes will focus initially on market-neutral strategies with established operating histories and measurable risk controls. Participating institutions will undergo strategy assessment, due diligence and drawdown reviews.

The program is structured as a long-term capital cooperation framework with rolling admissions and phased deployment. Bitget Institutional plans to disclose program developments over time, including participation figures, deployed capital and strategy distribution. Product specifications, market-structure research and institutional case studies will provide further insight into how participating firms use capital and trading infrastructure.

Project Archimedes also supports Bitget Institutional's broader role as a capital partner with market insight, connecting firms with liquidity, unified trading infrastructure and an international institutional network. Through capital allocation and interest-free lending, the program aims to help emerging teams establish stronger foundations and enable mature institutions to convert proven strategies into greater trading scale.

About Bitget

Bitget is the world's largest Universal Exchange (UEX), serving over 125 million users and offering access to over 2M crypto tokens, 500+ tokenized stocks, ETFs, commodities, FX, and precious metals such as gold. The ecosystem is committed to helping users trade smarter with its AI agent, which co-pilots trade execution. Bitget is driving crypto adoption through strategic partnerships such as MotoGP™. Aligned with its global impact strategy, Bitget has joined hands with UNICEF to support blockchain education for 1.1 million people by 2027. Bitget currently leads in the tokenized TradFi market, providing the industry's lowest fees and highest liquidity across 150 regions worldwide.

For more information, visit: Website | X | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord

For media inquiries, please contact: media@bitget.com

Risk Warning: Digital asset prices are subject to fluctuation and may experience significant volatility. Investors are advised to only allocate funds they can afford to lose. The value of any investment may be impacted, and there is a possibility that financial objectives may not be met, nor the principal investment recovered. Independent financial advice should always be sought, and personal financial experience and standing carefully considered. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Bitget accepts no liability for any potential losses incurred. Nothing contained herein should be construed as financial advice. For further information, please refer to our Terms of Use.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0a56e2e0-f1de-4548-9f53-2892bb7af7ca 

SOURCE: Bitget Limited

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BERNAMA MREM are not accountable for any causes of website defacement, misuse, or illegal activities connected to cryptocurrency, blockchain, tokenisation, or bitcoin. This material should not be considered as guidance or an opinion, as it does not constitute financial or investment advice. Use this information at your own risk; we are not liable for any losses or damages caused by the republication of this article.