Promise of new horizons stirs World Government Summit 2022

  Dubai, United Arab Emirates-Tuesday 29 March 2022 [ AETOS Wire ]

A new dawn for peace in the Middle East dominated talks at the World Government Summit 2022 (WGS2022) today as the UAE president’s diplomatic adviser stressed the need to work with all countries in the region.

The UAE will work with all nations to promote prosperity and stability in the Middle East, His Excellency Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Diplomatic Advisor to the UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said.

“We are reaching out to friends and also adversaries and rebuilding bridges. We are not going to agree with everything they want to do,” he said on the first day of WGS2022.

Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said Russia has not been suspended from the IMF.

Speaking at a plenary session at WGS 2022, she said: “The board can only suspend them if the membership of the Fund says we do not recognise this particular government anymore. There has to be dialogue.”

Umm Al Quwain launched the Sustainable Blue Economy Strategy, which aims to contribute 40% to the emirate’s GDP by 2031. This includes meeting a net-zero emissions target by 2031 and dedicate a fifth of Umm Al Quwain’s land area to nature reserves.

His Highness Sheikh Majid bin Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla, Chairman of the Umm Al Quwain Department of Tourism and Archaeology, announced the intention to establish the Umm Al Quwain Centre for Entrepreneurship and the Blue Economy that will deliver eight transformative projects.

Umm Al Quiwain has seen GDP rise by 34% in the past decade, foreign direct investment nearly double in eight years, and exports increase threefold since 2017.

With “astronomical” demand for flights, Emirates President Sir Tim Clark promised renovation of the airline’s iconic fleet of A380s, which have produced 80% of the Dubai carrier’s profits. “We’re going to refurbish them, refresh them, put more innovation into them, and they’re going to be something really special,” he said.

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Contacts

APCO Worldwide

Raneen Nasrallah 

rnasrallah@apcoworldwide.com

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Avanz Capital Egypt Establishes Avanz Manara

 CAIRO-Wednesday 30 March 2022 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Avanz Capital Egypt announced today the establishment of Avanz Manara for Private Equity, Company Limited by Shares (Avanz Manara), an investment holding company established under the oversight of the Financial Regulatory Authority.

Avanz Manara supports the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Egypt and is designed to help Egyptian banks meet the Central Bank of Egypt’s requirement to provide financing to Egyptian SMEs. Avanz Manara will work in partnership with the growing number of private equity and venture capital funds investing in Egypt to provide capital and global best practices to grow the private equity and venture capital industry in Egypt and attract international investors to support the growth of the country’s private sector.

The authorized capital of Avanz Manara is EGP 2 billion, with initial subscribed capital of EGP 905 million from Egyptian institutional investors. The founding shareholders of Avanz Manara include the National Bank of Egypt, Banque Misr, Banque du Caire, Misr Insurance Holding Company, Suez Canal Bank, Ahli United Bank, The United Bank, and Attijariwafa Bank Egypt.

Hany Assaad, Managing Director of Avanz Capital Egypt stated, “This transaction is the first of its kind in Egypt and will promote the growth of the Private Equity and Venture Capital industries as well as support the development and expansion of SMEs across the country. We are working in partnership with fund managers and companies in Egypt to work together toward meeting the Sustainable Development Goals through our investment activities.”

About Avanz Capital Egypt

Avanz Capital Egypt (ACE) is an Egyptian-domiciled investment manager established to manage Avanz Manara for Private Equity, Company Limited by Shares. ACE is a subsidiary of Avanz Capital Management, LP, an investment manager of private equity and venture capital assets across emerging markets in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220327005064/en/

Contacts

Jamie Foran

Avanz Capital

jforan@avanzcapital.com

+1 (240) 755-6408

SES to Enable European Maritime Safety Agency RPAS Operations via Satellite

 EMSA will be using SES’s multi-band, multi-frequency satellite services for Remotely Piloted Aircraft operations for security, rescue and pollution monitoring missions

LUXEMBOURG-Wednesday 30 March 2022 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- The latest contract awarded by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) will see the agency continue to use SES’s high-performance satellite connectivity services for Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems’ (RPAS) operations, SES and EMSA announced today. Under the new agreement, SES’s managed connectivity service will allow end-users to receive and exchange RPAS data in near real-time and support the operational needs of missions at sea.

SES has been a longstanding partner of EMSA in delivering integrated maritime services that support the EU’s objectives of creating a safe, secure, green and competitive maritime sector. The new multi-year contract follows a previously-awarded agreement that enabled multiple EMSA missions with the guaranteed high-performance connectivity service for pollution monitoring, maritime safety and general maritime surveillance.

Under the new framework agreement, SES will leverage its extensive government SATCOM Ku-, Ka- and military-Ka band capacity and ground segment to continue delivering connectivity services for EMSA’s RPAS missions across multiple coastal regions of the European Union. The service will be enabling Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems for medium and long-range operations. In addition, the GovSatCom-grade service will bring connectivity to the ships, enabling data-intensive applications such as distribution of audiovisual RPAS mission data, secure access to the network and connection to the headquarters on land to ensure timely decision-making.

The connectivity solution provided to EMSA is based on the REACH platform, a new capability developed by SES specifically for European governmental and institutional users requiring fast, flexible, reliable and secure connectivity. The platform allows for GovSatCom-level service for safety, security and emergency response applications.

“With the rise in number of sensors used in the RPAS missions and the subsequent additional data information flow, we require GovSatCom-level capabilities that can quickly and flexibly respond to our growing performance, security and coverage needs to support our users. We are very pleased to continue working with SES to ensure maritime safety of the European Union,” said Maja Markovčić Kostelac, Executive Director of EMSA.

“As the European Union is increasingly adopting RPAS for the maritime missions, it is our priority to deliver the fully-managed high-performance GovSatCom-grade service leveraging SES’s space and ground infrastructure, and global multi-band, multi-frequency coverage. This enables the end user with the information and tools they need to carry out safe and successful missions, including remote monitoring and real-time situational awareness,” said Philippe Glaesener, Senior Vice President for Defence, Security and Institutions at SES. “And we do not stop here. SES continues putting in place innovative multi-orbit solutions, further expanding government services to meet the growing demand.”

The new agreement with EMSA will allow the European Union member states to access SES’s extensive Ku- and Ka- bands on seven SES satellites, as well as the GovSat-1 satellite’s government military-Ka band and GovSat’s secure missions operations centre in Europe. SES is the only company that operates a total of 70 satellites including over 50 geostationary as well as 20 non-geostationary Medium Earth Orbit satellites providing carrier-grade SATCOM connectivity globally.

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About EMSA

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) is a decentralised agency of the EU, based in Lisbon, Portugal. EMSA serves the EU’s maritime interests for a safe, secure, green and competitive maritime sector, delivering value for member states through support for pollution prevention and response, maritime surveillance, safety and security, digitalisation and the provision of integrated maritime services, and technical assistance.

About SES

SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless connectivity around the world. As the leader in global content connectivity solutions, SES operates the world’s only multi-orbit constellation of satellites with the unique combination of global coverage and high performance, including the commercially-proven, low-latency Medium Earth Orbit O3b system. By leveraging a vast and intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES is able to deliver high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to the world’s leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SES’s video network carries over 8,400 channels and has an unparalleled reach of 361 million households, delivering managed media services for both linear and non-linear content. The company is listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220328005693/en/

Contacts

For further information please contact:

Suzanne Ong

External Communications

Tel. +352 710 725 500

suzanne.ong@ses.com

Bluehole Publishes an Industry Comment on the World's First E&L Testing Laboratory in the Vaping Industry

 SHENZHEN, China-Wednesday 30 March 2022 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- China’s leading vaping media, Bluehole New Consumption, today publishes an industry comment on SMOORE‘s establishment of the world’s first E&L testing laboratory in the vaping industry.

Here below is the full article:

SMOORE, a global leader in offering vaping technology solutions, today announced the establishment of the world’s first extractable and leachable (E&L) testing laboratory in the vaping industry.

Built in the last half of 2021, this laboratory conducts qualitative and quantitative analytical testing and health risk assessment of E&L substances of electronic atomization components, including metals, plastics and other polymers.

As China’s first electronic atomization company to develop a PMTA (Premarket Tobacco Product Applications)-compliant assessment system, including physical tests, chemical tests, non-clinical testing and health risk assessment, SMOORE also set up this E&L testing laboratory based on PMTA safety requirements.

Moreover, SMOORE's E&L testing laboratory is in collaboration with SMITHERS, a world-leading provider of testing, consulting, information, and compliance services. For years, the two companies have worked closely on PMTA compliance.

Currently, most companies in the vaping industry rely on third-party laboratories for E&L testing while SMOORE has set up an in-house laboratory with comprehensive and advanced testing equipment. It follows the analytical methodology of the world’s leading E&L testing laboratories for medical devices.

As SMOORE’s flagship atomization tech brand, FEELM is able to make full use of SMOORE’s world-class testing and risk assessment system, including this E&L testing laboratory. Since 2021, FEELM has leveraged the laboratory for the safety assessment of its electronic atomization components, to guarantee the quality and reliability of FEELM's new products.

In October 2021, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) of the UK has planned to integrate medicinally licensed e-cigarettes into the National Health Service (NHS). Other countries, including Australia, have also prescribed adult smokers e-cigarettes to reduce smoking rates. As global regulators started embracing e-cigarettes, they are setting higher safety requirements for e-cigarettes, and SMOORE takes the lead to improve the material reliability of e-cigarettes to medical grade.

E&L analytical testing is widely used in the field of pharmaceutical research and development. The E&L compounds of the packaging materials of pharmaceutical products must be tested before launch, to ensure the product safety compliance.

SMOORE's E&L testing laboratory can provide safety assessment for not only e-cigarettes but also electronic atomization products in other sectors. With one of its R&D focus on the application of atomization technology in healthcare and pharmaceutical fields, SMOORE could leverage this laboratory for the development of healthcare atomization innovations.

"The safety of electronic atomization products primarily depends on the chemical composition of e-liquid and the vapor generated by e-liquid atomization, as well as the E&L substances of other materials in contact with human bodies", said Dr. Long, Director of Analytical Testing and Safety Assessment of SMOORE Fundamental Research Center. "Our E&L testing laboratory specializes in the latter."

According to Dr. Long, SMOORE Fundamental Research Center plans to establish and complete a database of E&L substances in electronic atomization components, and will adopt the principle of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) to ensure the quality and integrity of test data related to non-clinical safety studies. Meanwhile, SMOORE Fundamental Research Center is also looking for partnership with more Chinese medical device providers on E&L testing.

Since 2020, SMOORE has established its own safety standards, SMOORE 3.0, in accordance with the risk assessment guidance of U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). Above the safety requirements of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) of the EU and AFNOR of France, SMOORE 3.0 covers all of the PMTA tests, including both material safety and vapor safety.

To read the original article, please visit: https://www.bluehole.com.cn/news/detail/49078

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220328005929/en/

Contacts

Chen Bianji

(86)13530848319

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i2c Partners with Visa for Fintech Processing in MENA Region

 

i2c and Visa partnered into first of its kind agreement for onboarding fintechs in the MENA region, providing for modern payment and processing services

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- i2c Inc., a leading provider of digital payment and banking technology, today announced its partnership with Visa, the world's leader in digital payments, as fintech processor in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.

Through this arrangement, fintechs in the region will be able to access Visa’s global network as well as i2c’s agile issuing and processing platform by tapping into the combined companies’ suite of digital-first solutions and advanced payments technologies.

“We are honored to have partnered with Visa for Fintech Onboarding in the MENA region,” said Amir Wain, CEO of i2c Inc. “This agreement will allow the region’s financial visionaries to go-to-market quicker and to innovate across a broad range of products and features including virtual cards, debit, prepaid, credit, BNPL, cryptocurrency, loyalty and more – and to do it securely and reliably,” he added.

“We see great opportunity to further accelerate financial access and drive innovation in emerging markets, and are proud to be working with leading partners who bring deep market understanding and fintech expertise,” said Andrew Torre, Regional President, CEMEA, Visa. “We are looking forward to working closely with i2c to accelerate the speed with which fintechs across the Middle East & North Africa region can create innovative payment solutions, built on the foundation of the Visa network.”

This agreement comes at a time of unprecedented fintech growth in the region with an estimated 680 million unbanked persons and 60 million untapped merchants in CEMEA.

About Visa Inc.

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at About Visa, visamiddleeast.com/blog and @Visamiddleeast.

About i2c Inc.

i2c is a global provider of highly-configurable payment and banking solutions. Using i2c's proprietary "building block" technology, clients can easily create and manage a comprehensive set of solutions for credit, debit, prepaid, lending and more, quickly and cost-effectively. i2c delivers unparalleled flexibility, agility, security and reliability from a single global SaaS platform. Founded in 2001, and headquartered in Silicon Valley, i2c's next-generation technology supports millions of users in more than 200 countries/territories and across all time zones. For more information, visit www.i2cinc.com and follow us at @i2cinc.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005788/en/

Contacts

Heather Clifton

Chief Marketing Officer

media@i2cinc.com

ASICS Experiment Reveals Just One Week of Physical Inactivity Has a Similar Impact as a Week of Broken Sleep on Our State of Mind

 Yet Just 15 Minutes and 9 Seconds of Physical Activity Can Trigger a Mental Uplift

LONDON-Wednesday 30 March 2022 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Today, the impact of physical inactivity on our mental state has been revealed for the first time in the Mind Racei – an ASICS experiment in which regular exercisers paused their normal fitness routines for one week. The impact on their state of mind was found to be similar to a week of broken sleepii, with participants reporting a 23% increase in racing thoughts.

Reassuringly, the results of ASICS’ Uplifting Minds Studyiii, involving thousands of participants from across the globe, proves it can take just 15:09 minutes of physical activity to lift our mental state – even after periods of inactivity.i

The Mind Race: just one week of inactivity significantly lowers our state of mind

Professor Brendon Stubbs, a leading researcher in movement and the mind, monitored the State of Mindiv scores of healthy participantsv who agreed to pause their regular exercise routines for just one week. The results are significant with both their cognitive and emotional wellbeing being impacted. When active people stopped moving, their confidence dropped by 20%; positivity fell by 16%, energy levels slumped by 23% and their ability to cope with stress reduced by 22%.

In fact, after just one week of no exercise, participants’ overall State of Mind score dropped by an average of 18% - decreasing from a high 68 out of 100 when physically active to a mediocre 55 out of 100 when they stopped exercising. The effects of this inactivity are captured in the Mind Race experiment film asics.com/mindrace, following a group of study participants.

Just 15 minutes of activity can uplift our state of mind

But there is good news. Participants were monitored when they returned to their regular exercise regime and all experienced immediate improvements in their state of mind – showing how quickly the negative effects of inactivity can be reversed. Professor Brendon Stubbs also analysed data from thousands of people who participated in ASICS' ongoing Uplifting Minds Study since June 2021. The Study uses cutting edge technology to mimic EEG and capture the impact of exercise on people’s state of mind. Based on data from across sports and across regions, just 15.09 minutes of exercise can significantly impact our mental state.

Commenting on the results, Professor Brendon Stubbs said: “We know that exercise is good for our mental health but the impact of rest and restarting exercise is less clear. Now, thanks to new technology and the contribution of thousands of people, we’ve been able to pinpoint just how much exercise is needed to trigger a positive mental impact. This ASICS study helps to quantify the amount of exercise to improve mental health and make it more tangible. Taking time to rest is very important. This study shows that people’s wellbeing bounces back very quickly after a period of rest when people resume regular exercise again.”

Gary Raucher, EVP, ASICS EMEA said: “Our founding philosophy is literally in our name, Anima Sana In Corpore Sano or a Sound Mind in a Sound Body. And we believe our focus on the benefits of sport and movement, not just on the body, but also on the mind, has never been more relevant. We know the last two years have been tough on the mental state of many. And while not the answer for everyone, we know exercise can make a difference. We hope to inspire more people to move with ASICS, even for just 15.09 minutes to feel the benefits on body and mind.”

To be part of ASICS’ ongoing Uplifting Minds Study and see the impact of exercise on your own State of Mind, visit https://minduplifter.asics.com/

Notes to Editors

Download imagery

Watch video link

For further information, images or to organize an interview with Professor Brendon Stubbs, please contact Asics@Golin.com

ASICS’ Uplifting Minds Study enables people all over the world to measure the impact of movement on their mind. Using cutting edge facial scanning technology and self-reported data, ASICS has measured the impact of exercise on thousands of minds from 79 countries over a 10-month period.

ASICS’ Mind Race, a three-week extension of the study, measured what happened to the minds of 58 regular exercisers from 21 countries when they stopped exercising for just one week. Using self-reported data, qualitative questionnaires and cutting-edge technology, the study pinpointed the effects of both physical activity and inactivity on participants mental wellbeing.

___________

i ASICS’ Mind Race Study 2022

ii Comparison drawn from Soomi Lee, Naturally Occurring Consecutive Sleep Loss and Day-to-Day Trajectories of Affective and Physical Well-Being, Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 2021, DOI: 10.1093/abm/kaab055

iii ASICS’ Uplifting Minds Study 2021-2022

iv ASICS proprietary State of Mind score is a rating out of 100 made up of 10 emotional and cognitive metrics, including: composure, resilience, positivity, contentment, relaxation, confidence, alertness, calmness, focus and energy.

v Volunteers who passed the screening criteria and consented to participate. Screening criteria included: adults (age 18+), already physically active (doing more than 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week) and willing to stop exercising for one week with the belief it would not have a detrimental impact on their mental health.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005848/en/

Contacts

Rory Cramsie

asics@golin.com

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Andersen Global Advances Asia Platform with Taiwan Law Firm

 SAN FRANCISCO-Wednesday 30 March 2022 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Andersen Global continues to cultivate its platform in East Asia through a Collaboration Agreement with Eiger, a full-service law firm headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan.

Founded in 2003, Eiger has expertise in areas including tax, corporate, employment, dispute resolution, intellectual property and energy matters. With offices in both Taipei and Shanghai, Eiger advises clients at the local and international levels. The firm is consistently recognized by Chambers Asia-Pacific, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific and IFLR 1000 as a top-performing law firm.

“Our team understands the needs of our clients and is committed to providing best-in-class service,” said Partner and Office Managing Director John Eastwood. “Collaborating with Andersen Global will allow us to drive our firm’s development efforts forward as we continue to build long-lasting client relationships and deliver comprehensive, integrated solutions.”

“John and his team have a strong reputation in the market and their addition is part of our strategy to build out our presence in the region and enhance our global capabilities,” said Mark Vorsatz, Andersen Global Chairman and Andersen CEO. “The firm’s service offerings complement the services provided by our existing member and collaborating firms, and allow us to best serve clients with operations in Taiwan.”

Andersen Global is an international association of legally separate, independent member firms comprised of tax and legal professionals around the world. Established in 2013 by U.S. member firm Andersen Tax LLC, Andersen Global now has more than 10,000 professionals worldwide and a presence in over 336 locations through its member firms and collaborating firms.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005035/en/

Contacts

Megan Tsuei

Andersen Global

415-764-2700