Seaweed a model solution for fighting climate change

Seaweed a model solution for fighting climate change

Researchers from KAUST and Aarhus university believe they have identified a model solution to climate change, biodiversity loss, joblessness, hunger and environmental damage. In a paper published in Nature Sustainability, the co-authors outline how the cultivation and use of seaweed as a carbon capture technology, a job and tax revenue generator, and a food source, can protect and restore the planet. Credit photos from Aarhus to Michael Bo Rasmussen, Aarhus University.

THUWAL, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Seaweed, as its unfortunate name suggests, can be a nuisance. It makes a mess of beautiful beaches. It bobs up and down in the waves in an unsightly blob. And it sticks to unsuspecting swimmers as they try to enjoy a dip. But despite its reputation with some ocean goers, seaweed just might be one of the most powerful tools we have to save the planet from manmade climate change while providing a path to realizing many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Researchers from KAUST and Aarhus University believe seaweed is a model solution to climate change, biodiversity loss, joblessness, hunger and environmental damage. In a paper published in Nature Sustainability the co-authors outline how the cultivation and use of seaweed as a carbon capture technology, a job and tax revenue generator, and a food source, can help protect and restore our planet.

“Our research consolidates seaweed farming as an underpinning of a sustainable future,” Professor Carlos Duarte, study lead author said. “It is scalable, with a 2,000-fold increase potential, it generates valuable products while also contributing to carbon sequestration below the farm, it produces sustainable fuels, and it displaces carbon-intensive products, thereby providing a range of contributions to climate action. While growing at sea, seaweed forms an ecosystem that delivers multiple benefits to the marine environment.”

The cultivation and use of seaweed, the authors believe, will directly support six of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and indirectly support several others. Achieving zero hunger, supporting good health, making clean energy affordable, as well as supporting industrial innovation, climate action, and ocean conservation, are all outcomes of cultivating seaweed. Not only is the plant climate positive, profitable, and edible, but it promises to feed and employ millions while preserving the planet and fostering poverty reduction and gender equality.

“Seaweed provides wonderful materials for a range of applications, grounded in their amazing diversity, as seaweed are as far apart from a genomic perspective as mushrooms and elephants. This genomic diversity provides a phenomenal source of new materials across a range of industries, from food, to fuels and plastics,” Duarte said.

The pitch, as much as there is one, is that seaweed cultivation must be ramped up significantly. This, of course, might encounter roadblocks in legislatures around the world as western regulations, where seaweed farming is just starting, are quite unwelcoming to seaweed aquaculture. The paper outlines in broad terms the objections that could be raised and addresses them in turn.

“Because seaweed farming is a new industry in western nations, existing regulatory frameworks do not facilitate its development. In some nations it is easier to get a concession for marine oil and gas extraction than for a seaweed farm. Creating a friendlier regulatory environment that encourages, rather than deter, seaweed farming will be critical to delivering on its potential.”

“Currently, seaweed farming occupies about 2,000 Km2 of land, compared to about 60 million Km2 land food producing systems occupy. We consider that about 4 million Km2 of ocean can support seaweed aquaculture while delivering positive impacts on the marine environment. In the rump-up to COP26, we consider that scaling seaweed farming can be a wedge of a regenerative approach to our oceans, delivering climate action while alleviating hunger and poverty,” Duarte said.

Professor Dorte Krause-Jensen from Aarhus University adds that sustainability standards and consideration of the carrying capacity for seaweed farming need be in place to avoid potential unattended negative consequences the farming.

“The utilisation of seaweed in a cascading biorefinery extracting biomolecules sequentially, offers a path to maximise the value of the biomass and render seaweed farming profitable, even in Western countries where costs are higher” said senior researcher Annette Bruhn of Aarhus University. “Promoting sustainable seaweed cultivation as an emission capture and utilisation technology supporting the circular bioeconomy, calls for a cross-sectorial approach to solving societal challenges. We need a disruption of the traditional way of thinking climate, environment and resource provision in each their sector and we need partnerships between science, industry and authorities”.

About KAUST

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) advances science and technology through distinctive and collaborative research integrated with graduate education. Located on the Red Sea coast in Saudi Arabia, KAUST conducts curiosity-driven and goal-oriented research to address global challenges related to food, water, energy, and the environment.

Established in 2009, KAUST is a catalyst for innovation, economic development and social prosperity in Saudi Arabia and the world. The University currently educates and trains master’s and doctoral students, supported by an academic community of faculty members, postdoctoral fellows and research scientists. With over 100 nationalities working and living at KAUST, the University brings together people and ideas from all over the world.

To learn more visit kaust.edu.sa.

About Aarhus

Aarhus University has been achieving excellence in research and education since 1928. Being a top 100 university with more than 50 Masters and Bachelors educations in English, Aarhus University is a leading globally oriented university with a strong engagement in the solving the societal challenges on local and global scale.

Department of Bioscience provide teaching, research and consultancy in all aspects of life; from bacteria to whales, from genes to ecosystems and from fundamental research to applied biology in nature management and biotechnology.

To learn more visit https://international.au.dk/

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5141687d-2aea-43e1-bddc-623aab93621f

For more information, please contact global.pr@kaust.edu.sa

Helsinn Group announces oral presentation of data at AACR-NCI-EORTC relating to a potent and highly selective investigational RET inhibitor

Helsinn Group announces oral presentation of data at AACR-NCI-EORTC relating to a potent and highly selective investigational RET inhibitor

Lugano, Switzerland, 7 October 2021  Helsinn Group, a Swiss Biopharmaceutical Group with an innovative R&D pipeline in cancer supportive care and oncology therapeutics, strategically investing in a fully integrated targeted therapy structure to develop, manufacture and commercialize small molecules in precision medicine with higher market potential, today announces the acceptance of two abstracts on a potent and highly selective RET inhibitor at the AACR-NCI-EORTC Virtual International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, taking place from 7-10 October.

One abstract has been accepted for oral presentation and shows findings on TAS0953/HM06, the selective RET inhibitor under investigation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and other cancers. The abstract is entitled Discovery of TAS0953/HM06, a novel next generation RET-specific inhibitor capable of inhibiting RET solvent front mutations. Extensive preclinical data is being developed to assess TAS0953/HM06. Preliminary results demonstrate potency against the RET solvent front mutation resistance mechanism. Full details of the presentation are below:

  • Date: Saturday 9 October
  • Plenary Session 6: New Drugs on the Horizon II
  • Time: 16:25-16:40 ET
  • Presenter: Isao Miyazaki

In addition to the oral presentation, the second abstract has been accepted as a video poster entitled TAS0953/HM06 is effective in preclinical models of diverse tumor types driven by RET alterations. This second abstract highlights the investigational compound’s activity across tumor types such as lung, thyroid carcinomas and soft-tissue sarcoma.

A Phase 1/2 clinical trial is ongoing for TAS0953/HM06, an investigational oral treatment which is evaluating inhibition of several RET abnormalities identified as oncogenic driver alterations in NSCLC, papillary and medullary thyroid cancers, and several other tumor types. This innovative drug candidate offers several differentiating features.

Sergio CantoreggiGroup Chief Scientific Officer and Group Head of R&D commented: “We are pleased to be sharing this important pre-clinical data on TAS0953/HM06 at AACR-NCI-EORTC. Although first-generation selective RET inhibitors show clinical antitumor activity in NSCLC, acquired resistances driven by RET solvent front mutations have emerged. TAS0953/HM06 is currently under investigation in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial and we will continue to work closely with Taiho as further data emerge. We remain hopeful that this investigational compound could offer significant benefits for patients with NSCLC and other tumors that harbor RET abnormalities.”

TAS0953/HM06 is an investigational agent and is not approved for commercial use in any country.

About TAS0953/HM06

TAS0953/HM06 is an oral potent and highly selective RET inhibitor in development for advanced or metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and other tumors which express RET gene abnormalities.

Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Helsinn signed a co-development and commercialization agreement for TAS0953/HM06 in 2017 and will continue to pursue together all preclinical, clinical and CMC developments. This alliance also includes efforts to reach as many patients as possible around the world through their own commercial infrastructures or through valued partners.

About RET abnormalities in NSCLC and other cancers1

RET kinase abnormalities have been identified as targetable oncogenic drivers in NSCLC, papillary and medullary thyroid cancers, and several other tumor types. In NSCLC, RET fusions are more common in younger patients with no prior history of smoking and in those with adenocarcinomas, however the underlying mechanisms remain unknown.

References

1 Helsinn and Taiho research and analysis of ASCO 2018; ASCO 2019; Cancer Biol Ther 2015; Cell Rep 2017; JCO 2018; Johns Hopkins 2019; Nat Med 2012; Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2018; OMIM; Onco Targets Ther 2019

About the Helsinn Group

Helsinn is a Swiss Biopharmaceutical Group with an innovative R&D pipeline in cancer supportive care and oncology therapeutics, strategically investing in a fully integrated targeted therapy structure to develop, manufacture and commercialize small molecules in precision medicine with higher market potential, thanks to a consolidated track record, a solid revenue stream in B2B and strong cash flow and cash position.

Helsinn is building market differentiation in B2C in the U.S. and China and is owned by a third-generation healthcare entrepreneurial family.

Since 1976, Helsinn has been improving the lives of patients, guided by core family values of respect, integrity and quality and through a unique integrated licensing business model, and by collaborating with success in about 190 countries with long-standing partners, who share our values.

The Group’s pharmaceutical business (Helsinn Healthcare S.A.) is headquartered in Lugano, Switzerland with operating subsidiaries in the U.S. (Helsinn Therapeutics (U.S.), Inc.) and China (Helsinn Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co., Ltd) which market the Group’s products directly in these countries. The Group has additional operating subsidiaries in Switzerland (Helsinn Advanced Synthesis S.A., an active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturer) and Ireland (Helsinn Birex Pharmaceuticals Ltd, a drug product manufacturer).

Helsinn Group plays an active and central role in promoting social transformation in favor of people and the environment. Corporate social responsibility is at the heart of everything we do which is reinforced in the company’s strategic plan by a commitment to sustainable growth.

To learn more about Helsinn Group please visit www.helsinn.com

About Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Japan)

Taiho Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd., is an R&D-driven specialty pharma company with a focus on oncology. Taiho Pharmaceutical also has development programs in allergy and immunology, urology and consumer healthcare products. Our corporate philosophy is simple: “We strive to improve human health and contribute to a society enriched by smiles.”

For more information about Taiho Pharmaceutical, please visit: https://www.taiho.co.jp/en/

For more information:

Helsinn Group Media Contact:

Paola Bonvicini

Group Head of Communication

Lugano, Switzerland

Tel: +41 (0) 91 985 21 21

Email: Info-hhc@helsinn.com

For more information, please visit www.helsinn.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn

HELS–0016

Webtel.mobi’s System and TUV Digital Currency – 21st Century Versions of Keynes’s International Clearing Union and Bancor

WM’s independently reviewed system provides the fully-functional and globally operational structures and processes as proposed by John Maynard Keynes at the Bretton Woods Conference – and provide the key to reform the Global Financial System

Webtel.mobi – Connecting the world
WEBTEL.MOBI’s SYSTEM AND TUV DIGITAL CURRENCY – 21st CENTURY VERSIONS OF KEYNES’S INTERNATIONAL CLEARING UNION AND BANCORWM’s independently reviewed system provides the fully-functional and globally operational structures and processes as proposed by John Maynard Keynes at the Bretton Woods Conference – and provide the key to reform of the Global Financial System

ST PETER PORT, Guernsey and NEW YORK, Oct. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Global Telephony Company Webtel.mobi (“WM”) spent several years creating its first operational platform – Platform 1 – which was made live in 2009.

On completion, Platform 1 already had within it all of the components and processes of Keynes’s proposed International Clearing Union and Bancor – the proposed pillars of a post-WW2 new and stable Global Financial System.

However, to fully confirm and refine the system’s capacities, processes, and the thousands of requirements to ensure a safe, stable, legal, and fit-for-purpose Global Financial System in a regulatorily compliant environment – WM spent the next nine years until 2018 in fully operational global testing with limited user groups worldwide.

Thereafter, from 2018 to 2021, WM rebuilt its system in its entirety to incorporate into its new Platform 2 all the required refinements identified during the operational testing phase. WM’s Platform 2 was made fully operational for unrestricted global operations in Q3 2021.

The top-level characteristics of the WM System include the following:

  1. It is a fully 21st Century version of Keynes’s proposed International Clearing Union – powered by an Artificial Intelligence Complex Adaptive System. It functions within the telecommunications Sector – as does SWIFT.
  2. It has within it all components of a fully functional Global Financial System – with over 40 Primary Facilities – of which its TUV Digital Currency is only one.
  3. These 40 Primary Facilities function together within the Complex Adaptive System in a manner enabling convergence to arise in respect of their use. That is, although they are all primarily Telephony-Support Facilities, the Complex Adaptive System enables them, when working together, to facilitate or acquire dual-use capacities, which in turn enables them to act as substitute processes, products, activities, or instruments that can be used for virtually every transaction type that exists. WM’s Platform 2 is not a product or service, it is a System, which has hundreds of products, services and instruments which further facilitate thousands of derivative uses.
  4. All these products, services and instruments are provided from a single global unitary System and Platform, which has the highest standards of security and reliability, the fastest transactions speeds, permanent and 100% liquidity, functioning 24/7/365, worldwide. It also provides all these services at either ultra-low cost or zero cost due to its optimized structure.
  5. It provides these services without threatening the stability of any of the primary pillars of the current Global Financial System, or infringing on the sole rights of Central Banks or States regarding their Monetary Policy, Money Supply or Currency Sovereignty.
  6. The functioning system also – from theoretical and academic perspectives – potentially disproves, proves, or establishes several economic theories and/or laws.

Other than the 30+ thorough due diligences by external parties that WM underwent during its period of fully operational testing and refinement, it also invited the Levy Economics Institute of Bard Colleague – one of the most authoritative Economics Research Organizations in the world – to review its Platform 2.

This review resulted in the Levy Economics Institute’s Head of Research – Professor Jan Kregel – authoring five Research Papers on the WM System, in which he independently described the capacities of the WM Global System, and confirmed its similarity to Keynes’s proposed International Clearing Union (Note: Links to these research reports appear in the “Resources” section of this article).

Although the capacities of the WM System have resulted in it having immense value, this is rather a by-product of the System’s capacities – and was not the primary reason for its creation.

The primary reason was to create a system that positively impacted all people’s lives, by giving them access to reliable and safe, intermediary-free, essential and utility-level services, at ultra-low cost or zero cost. In order to do so, it was necessary to create a system that replicated and reformed – but did not disturb – the current Global Financial System; which WM has now done. Consequently, WM conducts itself with complete transparency.

This is because, firstly, WM follows an “Evolution not Revolution” approach in respect of assisting any entities that require advice on reform of existing structures or processes within the Global Financial or Economic System.

Secondly, it will not be possible for any entity – even with unlimited resources and a detailed roadmap – to replicate the WM System for at least a decade if not longer, and WM is therefore very secure in its situation.

As was stated by Professor Kregel in his Research Paper “New Dimensions for the TUV in the Webtel.mobi System” in June 2021:

“…the WM system represents and provides virtually all capacities (and/or the ability to replicate virtually all capacities) of the existing global financial system. Moreover, it provides them in a more secure, more rapid, less costly and centrally managed manner. The WM system therefore represents an operational and fully functioning global financial system, which does not reform the existing one, but rather functions in parallel to it, and has the capacity to replace it.”

The WM System and its Facilities do not represent aspirational, planned, or hoped-for outcomes.

Rather, the System and its Facilities – and all their attributes – are tested, proven, due diligence, completed and fully operational fact and reality worldwide.

Resources:

Media Contact:
Nick Lambert: wm@thoburns.com

Interview with Professor Jan Kregel on the Capacities of the WM System:
https://youtu.be/XYBrCikUhn8

Research Paper – Another Bretton Woods Reform Moment: Let us look seriously at the Clearing Union
https://www.levyinstitute.org/pubs/ppb_154.pdf

Research Paper – Keynes’s Clearing Union is Alive and Well and Living in Your Mobile Phone
https://www.levyinstitute.org/pubs/pn_21_1.pdf

Research Paper – The Economic Problem: From Barter to Commodity Money to Electronic Money
https://www.levyinstitute.org/pubs/wp_982.pdf

Research Paper – Money and Credit: Potential Expansion of the WM System
https://webtel.mobi/media/info/money-and-credit-potential-expansion-of-the-wm-system-april-2021.pdf

Research Paper – New Dimensions for the TUV in the Webtel.mobi System
https://webtel.mobi/media/info/new-dimensions-for-the-tuv-in-the-webtelmobi-system.pdf

Related article on the WM System:

https://tinyurl.com/yez4x9bf (English Translation)
https://tinyurl.com/5aa3pjnc (Greek Original)

WM’s urls:
https://webtel.mobi/pc (Tablets / Laptops / Desktops)
https://webtel.mobi (Smart Phones)
https://webtel.mobi/wap (Pre-Smart Mobile Phones)

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/60f3de02-dd9c-43a7-9063-046c9aae283d

The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.


CORRECTION – Webtel.mobi (Holdings) Limited

ST PETER PORT, Guernsey and NEW YORK, Oct. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In a release issued earlier today by Webtel.mobi (Holdings) Limited, please note that, due to a typographical error, the headline figure of USD 4 862 Trillion was published as 4.86 Trillion, and the figure of USD 1 716 Trillion was published as USD 1,716 Trillion. The figures in the headline and in paragraphs one through three have been corrected. The corrected release follows:

Default Risk in USD 4 862 Trillion Global FX Gross Payments Can Be Mitigated by Webtel.Mobi’s System

WM’s 21st Century system provides a solution to the increasing risks to global security that the continual rise in unsecured FX Transactions are introducing to the Global Financial System

Global FX Market trading amounts to USD 6.6 Trillion per day or +/-USD 1 716 Trillion per annum – but that number is applicable only to the Trading – and not the Gross Payment obligations arising from that trading.

The Gross Payment obligations are USD 18.7 Trillion per day or USD 4 862 Trillion per annum.

According to the Bank for International Settlements (“BIS”) Quarterly Review of 2019, almost half that USD 4 862 Trillion per annum is at risk of default, due to it not being covered by any secured “Payment versus Payment” (PvP) structure.

Although most people who are not involved in the FX or related markets at a high level are not familiar with these markets, market values or the terms used for these transactions – they should be. This is because any default in these markets – and the risk of default grows every year – will affect every person and business in the world very seriously.

The 2008 Financial Crisis was also the result of a default. A different market – but the same process of default. A default in the Gross Payments process of the Global FX Market will cause a much more serious crisis than in 2008, because the volumes and values involved in this default will be very much higher.

Moreover, defaults initiate chain reactions – just as Facebook’s outage caused a chain reaction that saw many non-Facebook sites to go down, or business hosted on Facebook to experience problems – and these would reverberate globally and significantly.

For the average person or business, a default in the Gross Payment obligations of the FX Market will have far more serious consequences than the 2008 Financial Crisis – one of the largest financial crises in history.

The reason is the advent of 21st Century technology has enabled far more entities internationally to become involved in Global FX Trading. However, the entities primarily responsible for the Settlement of FX Trades are not 21st Century companies. Rather, they are 20th Century companies – with some of them functioning according to 19th Century methodologies or world-views.

This situation is, in its current format, insoluble given the structure of the incumbent settlement companies – and that they cannot stop their operations to rebuild their systems to conform to 21st Century requirements.

WM, on the other hand, built its first platform – Platform 1 – to fit with the changed and modernized landscape that 21st Century Technologies provided, and tested that platform robustly in worldwide operations for nine years.

Thereafter, WM completely rebuilt its platform to conform to modern best practice structures, process-flows and capacities as dictated by its nine years of operational testing, to produce its Complex Adaptive System-driven Platform 2 – which is specifically built to cater for 21st Century capacities and requirements.

An overview comparison of some of the capacity-differences between the legacy systems and the WM System are as follows:

Process Flows
The process-flow in such transactions involves three processes – Execution, Clearing and Settlement.

Legacy Systems: Legacy systems each have 70 to 100 Settlement Member entities that jointly work together to provide these services to 25,000 or more transacting entities worldwide. However, all of these entities – whether Settlement or Transacting – are in different countries, in different time zones, with different internal processes, with varying standards of security, reliability and speed – with hundreds of intermediaries involved in the process. This makes it (comparatively) a very high-cost process. It was necessary to work this way in the 20th Century because there was no other alternative. In the 21st Century – with the capacity for entities globally do conduct transactions worldwide in seconds – this system is so fragmented that it cannot function in any way than “best efforts”. It requires patches and contingencies continually having to be used to cater for the multitude of problems caused by such a huge number of required entities and their varying capacities trying to work together. It is just a matter of time before the “best efforts” and patches run out of the capacity to keep the system afloat.

WM’s System: Execution, Clearing and Settlement is all carried out simultaneously and instantly – in 1/100th of a second – to all, and any, member entities globally, according to uniform and global standards of speed, security, reporting and recording. There are no intermediaries or other entities involved at all, and the cost is either 0.25% to 1% if using WM’s ICLM Currency Swap facility or zero if using WM’s TUV Currency Swap Facility.

Risk
There are two types of default risk. The first is Default Risk – where an entity does not have the funds it claims to have and cannot settle. The second is Settlement Timing Risk that leads to Default – where an entity may have the capacity to acquire the funds, but cannot acquire them in time to settle (i.e., leveraged trading).

Legacy Systems: Legacy Systems are rarely exposed to Default Risk, but they are increasingly in danger of being subjected to Settlement Timing Risk due to more entities engaging in leveraged trading – meaning they carry out FX Trading as liquidity providers without actually having the funds available to cover total exposure. As an indication of how dangerous Settlement Timing Risk is, the 2008 Financial Crisis was caused by it.

WM’s System: WM’s System’s process-flow completely removes both Default Risk and Settlement Timing Risk. All members must have 100% of required funding (as “Stored Credit”) within their accounts prior to executing either an ICLM Currency Swap or TUV Currency Swap, and the Execution, Clearing and Settlement between both parties to the transaction is instantaneous.

Currencies and Timings
Legacy Systems: Currently, Legacy Systems only provide Settlement in the World’s Reserve Currencies (this varies between 18 to 20 currencies depending on the entity) and none of the other 100+ currencies – for which trades, and Gross Payment Obligations are mostly not PvP secured. Moreover, their limited 24/5/365 operational times and the wide disparity in time zones, standards and processes of the tens-of-thousands of entities and intermediaries involved in the processes cause delays to arise in transmission of settlements.

WM’s System: WM’s system provides for the World’s Reserve Currency and nearly 30 others – and is increasing the currencies it caters for rapidly – in order to cover all world currencies. It functions 24/7/365, and its transactions flows for receipt and settlement to all parties in a transaction are instant.

The Recommendations of the Group of 30
As long ago as 2003, an organization known as the “Group of 30” – an eminent persons group comprising former senior members of Central Banks, Large Commercial Banks, and International Financial organizations – published a research paper entitled “Global Clearing and Settlement – A Plan of Action”.

This document described in detail the alarming fragility of the Global Clearing and Settlement systems at that time, and the grave peril that failure to attend to these shortcomings could bring to the entire Global Financial and Economic systems.

In the document, they published a list of 20 very clear requirements for the reform and stabilization of these systems globally.

To date – and despite the situation in respect of stability worsening since then – not one of those 20 requirements has been able to be achieved by any of the legacy systems.

The WM System has – on the other hand – not only conforms to, and has, all the 20 requirements as part of its System, it surpasses them (with the exception of securities lending and borrowing – as WM has electively decided not to include this type of facility on its platform at this time).

Currently, WM is the only entity globally whose structure is built to – and has the capacity to – adequately cater for the security of the Global Clearing and Settlement Markets – for the Global FX Market and a variety of other markets whose sizes and volumes are similar – in a manner conformant with 21st Century requirements.

(Notes: Links to the BIS Report on FX Settlement Risk document and the Group of 30’s document containing its 20 recommendations are available in the “Resources” section below)

Resources:

Media Contact:
Nick Lambert: wm@thoburns.com

BIS Quarterly Review – FX Settlement Risk Remains Significant:
https://www.bis.org/publ/qtrpdf/r_qt1912x.htm

Group of 30 – Global Clearing and Settlement, A Plan of Action:
https://group30.org/images/uploads/publications/G30_GlobalClearingSettlement.pdf

Research Reports on the Capacities of the WM System:
https://tinyurl.com/TUVresearch

Video on the Capacities of the WM System:
https://youtu.be/XYBrCikUhn8

Video on WM’s Regulatory Compliance:
https://youtu.be/u522lVsGIJI

WM’s urls:
https://webtel.mobi/pc (Tablets / Laptops / Desktops)
https://webtel.mobi (Smart Phones)
https://webtel.mobi/wap (Pre-Smart Mobile Phones)

Colliers to acquire best in class Italian investment management business

Further expands Colliers Global Investors’ platform in Europe

TORONTO and MILAN, Italy, Oct. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Leading diversified professional services and investment management company, Colliers (NASDAQ and TSX: CIGI), announced today it has entered into an agreement to acquire a controlling interest in Antirion SGR S.p.A., one of the largest real estate investment management firms in Italy with assets throughout Western Europe. Ofer Arbib, founder and CEO and his team will continue to lead the organization and will retain a significant equity interest in the firm going forward under Colliers’ unique partnership model. The firm will be rebranded as Colliers Global Investors shortly after closing. This investment further expands Colliers Global Investors’ growing platform in Europe and leverages its benefits for existing and new investors. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2009 in Milan, Antirion has become one of the most prominent and highly respected real estate investment management firms based in Italy. With more than €3.8 billion of assets under management (AUM), Antirion has consistently delivered strong returns for investors over the long-term across ten funds primarily through investments in office, hospitality, retail, and residential asset classes. The firm employs 35 professionals that cover the region from offices in Milan and Rome.

“Colliers Global Investors views growth in Italy and Western Europe as a natural progression of its business offering strong benefits for investors,” said Chris McLernon, CEO | EMEA for Colliers. “We are thrilled to be partnering with Ofer and his talented investment team, who have one of the best long-term investing track records in Italy since the firm’s founding in 2009. As partners, we will continue expanding the platform to provide existing and future clients innovative investment products within Europe.”

“Partnering with Colliers dramatically expands Antirion’s potential and offers tremendous benefits to our clients. Colliers’ global investment management platform currently manages more than $45 billion of AUM on behalf of more than 500 institutional investors around the world, giving Antirion’s clients access to a more diverse product set. In addition, we are excited to invite Colliers clients to invest in our top performing funds in Italy and Western Europe,” said Ofer Arbib, CEO of Antirion.

About Colliers
Colliers is a leading diversified professional services and investment management company. With operations in 66 countries, our more than 15,000 enterprising professionals work collaboratively to provide expert advice to real estate occupiers, owners and investors. For more than 25 years, our experienced leadership with significant insider ownership has delivered compound annual investment returns of almost 20% for shareholders. With annualized revenues of $3.3 billion ($3.6 billion including affiliates) and $45 billion of assets under management, we maximize the potential of property and accelerate the success of our clients and our people. Learn more at corporate.colliers.com, Twitter @Colliers or LinkedIn.

Colliers Contacts:

Christian Mayer
Chief Financial Officer
416-960-9500

Chris McLernon
CEO | EMEA
(44) 20 7487 7000

U.S. Polo Assn. Announces Partnership with South African Polo Association

U.S. Polo Assn.

U.S. Polo Assn.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. & SANDTON, South Africa, Oct. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — U.S. Polo Assn., the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), in collaboration with its partner in South Africa, Stable Brands, have announced they will support the South African Polo Association (SAPA) through the current 2021-2022 polo season and serve as the Official Apparel Sponsor of their 2021 Nedbank International Polo Tournament.

The 2021 Nedbank International Polo Tournament event, which had been postponed last year, is hosted by the Inanda Polo Club and will take place on the shores of Sandton, South Africa on April 2, 2022. It is organized by the SAPA to highlight an international sporting event in the country while also continuing to develop the sport of polo in South Africa. The tournament has been played in South Africa for more than 50 years and is the region’s premier international tournament, bringing South Africa’s best players together annually to compete.

“South Africa is one of U.S. Polo Assn.’s emerging markets, and we are thrilled to showcase both the brand and the sport at the premier Nedbank International Polo Tournament,” says J. Michael Prince, President and CEO of USPA Global Licensing, which manages the global, multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand. “And by supporting the South African Polo Association’s 2021-22 Season in such an important region, we continue to reach fans through the brand’s authentic connection to the sport of polo.”

As part of the event sponsorship, U.S. Polo Assn. will provide team jerseys, staff outfitting, field signage, and global promotion of the event across various digital platforms.

“We’d like to thank U.S. Polo Assn. for partnering with the SA Polo Association as the Official Apparel Sponsor of the Nedbank International Polo Tournament,” says Bridget Macduff of South African Polo Association. “We have the shared goal of developing awareness and interest for the sport of polo among youth players and polo fans in South Africa, and this is a wonderful step in that direction for both organizations.”

About U.S. Polo Assn.

U.S. Polo Assn. is the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), the nonprofit governing body for the sport of polo in the United States and one of the oldest sports governing bodies, having been founded in 1890. With a multi-billion-dollar global footprint and worldwide distribution through some 1,100 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores, department stores, sporting goods channels, independent retailers and e-commerce, U.S. Polo Assn. offers apparel for men, women and children, as well as accessories, footwear, travel and home goods in 190 countries worldwide. Recently ranked the fifth largest sports licensor in License Global magazine’s 2020 list of “Top 150 Global Licensors,” U.S. Polo Assn. is named alongside such iconic sports brands as the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. Visit uspoloassnglobal.com

About The South African Polo Association

The South African Polo Association (SAPA) is the official administrative controlling body of polo in South Africa. All clubs affiliate through their provincial bodies to SAPA which, in turn, affiliates to Hurlingham Polo Association (based in the UK) and Federacion Internationale de Polo (based in Argentina). SAPA has a constitution that was first formulated in 1905, making it one of the oldest sporting bodies in the country.

About Stable Brands (Pty) Ltd.:

Stable Brands (Pty) Ltd, a proudly South African company, has decades of experience working with various international apparel brands. The company recently increased its portfolio by securing the distribution rights of the U.S. Polo Assn. brand into South Africa. Stable Brands employs an array of world-class talent to ensure our collections are well-positioned in the South African market to be the lifestyle brand of choice.

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For further information contact:
Shannon Stilson – AVP, Marketing
Phone +001.561.227.6994 – Email: sstilson@uspagl.com

Stacey Kovalsky – Senior Director, Global Communications
Phone +001.561.790.8036 – Email: skovalsky@uspagl.com

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Image 1: U.S. Polo Assn.

U.S. Polo Assn.

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Unibuddy and Studyportals Join Forces to Bring Student Ambassadors to the Center of International Education Choice

Unibuddy x Studyportals

Unibuddy x Studyportals

LONDON, Oct. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The market leader in digital student engagement joins forces with the world’s largest study choice platform to help students looking to study abroad or online. This allows them to interact authentically with their peers to make the most informed decision that they possibly can.

Universities now have the chance to present their student ambassadors to the 52 million students who use Studyportals. These students use the Studyportals platform to find and compare study abroad opportunities at 3,750+ educational institutes across 110 countries.

As the leading student engagement platform through peer-to-peer connections globally, Unibuddy knows that student ambassadors are the heart and soul of an institution.

Through this partnership, universities have the opportunity to provide a massive global pool of prospective students with real-time access to their student ambassadors. It also allows universities to nurture relationships with students and build a community from the very start of their research journey. Students can engage with ambassadors based on a similar course of study, region, or country of origin. This allows them to ask all of the questions best answered by a current student who most closely matches their own profile.

By introducing student ambassadors to Studyportals, institutions can leverage this trusted platform as a source of advice and guidance about study opportunities to increase engagement and boost conversion.

Unibuddy and Studyportals have also signed on to co-sponsor the Global Student Satisfaction Awards, the only global recognition program for universities from the perspective of students. The awards are based on more than 108,000 student reviews and highlight the universities that best support and engage students.

Diego Fanara, Unibuddy CEO, says: “We are absolutely delighted to be working with Studyportals because of their strong partnership network, unique global reach, and intense engagement with prospective students. These students have tough questions that university websites can’t always answer. Together, Unibuddy and Studyportals will help universities to support and reassure students at this initial research stage of their journey.”

Edwin van Rest, Studyportals CEO, says: “A fast-growing number of our partner institutions are using the Unibuddy platform with great satisfaction, and our students have a strong interest in connecting with people like them who’ve been in their shoes before. We are excited about this combination—together we can add a peer-to-peer layer to education choice and help universities to ‘orchestrate’ word-of-mouth.” 

About Studyportals: 

Studyportals is the global study choice platform. We help students find and compare all of their education options globally to make an informed choice. We also help institutions optimise their classroom from a quantity, quality, and diversity perspective on the basis of results. More than 50 million students annually from 220 countries and territories worldwide choose between 207,000+ programmes from 3,700+ universities in almost 120 countries. This allows us to help our clients all over the world with best practices on our mission to empower the world to choose education.

About Unibuddy: 

Unibuddy offers smarter student recruitment to higher education institutions. We do this by enabling prospects and applicants to virtually connect with student ambassadors and school staff through the seamless web integration of our direct messaging platform. Partnering with universities around the world since 2017, Unibuddy has helped more than 770,000 domestic and international prospects make one of the most important decisions of their lives. By personalizing and digitizing students’ higher education journey through chat, live events, and top-tier partnerships with institutions worldwide, Unibuddy has humanized the student decision-making process. The company has 117 employees across New York, London, Bangalore, and Singapore.

To learn more, visit www.unibuddy.com.

For all media inquiries, please contact:

Poppy Fox | Unibuddy

poppy@unibuddy.com

Cara Skikne | Studyportals

caraskikne@studyportals.com

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Feedzai Financial Crime Report: 23% Increase in Online Fraud as Cashless Payments Take Center Stage

  • 146% increase in peer-to-peer (P2P) Payments
  • Number of Online Transactions is Nearly Double the Number of In-Person Transactions
  • “Smishing” Joins the List of Top 5 Fraud Scams for the First Time

SAN MATEO, Calif. and LISBON, Portugal , Oct. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Feedzai, the world’s leading cloud-based financial crime management platform, has released its most recent Quarterly Financial Crime Report. The report analyzes financial crime and consumer spending trends from more than 1.5 billion global transactions from April to July this year. According to the analysis, six months into the second year of a global pandemic, consumers’ shift to digital banking has only gotten stronger. The data reveals continuous move to cashless transactions, with a 146% increase in P2P payments, a 44% decrease in cash transactions, and a 109% increase in online transactions, to nearly double the number of card-present or in-person transactions. With this focus on digital payments, financial criminals have also shifted their targets online. The number of online card fraud attempts increased by 23% in this time period.

“Cashless payments were already on the rise, but the pandemic accelerated all forms of digital transactions when lockdowns hit,” said Jaime Ferreira, Senior Director of Global Data Science, Feedzai. “Millions more people experienced just how convenient digital payments and banking are when they couldn’t go to a bank branch or a restaurant or grocery store. Cashless transactions are not the future anymore, they are today. But the convenience comes with a cost. Financial institutions and retailers need to address the financial risk and higher complexity attacks that arise with the digital evolution.”

Top Fraud Scams

With fraud on the rise, the report also identified the top five fraud scams in the second quarter of 2021. Purchase scams, a type of scam where consumers pay for products or services that never arrive, took the top spot due to the overall increase in online shopping. In another indication of consumers relying more and more on their mobile phones, smishing scams made the top five list for the first time. Smishing is the SMS version of phishing, where fraudsters send text messages to trick consumers into clicking dangerous links and sharing personal information.

The top five fraud scams were:

  1. Purchase scams
  2. Social engineering scams
  3. Impersonation scams
  4. Account Takeover (ATO) Fraud
  5. Smishing scams

Riskiest U.S. Cities for Fraud

With fraud on the rise, the report analyzed fraud rates geographically in the United States to reveal the cities with the highest increase in fraud over the past year. The riskiest cities were:

  1. Las Vegas (with fraud up 411%)
  2. New York (up 396%)
  3. Charleston (up 251%)
  4. Nashville (up 193%)
  5. San Diego (up 97%)
  6. Orlando (up 80%)
  7. Chicago (up 56%)
  8. New Orleans (up 48%)

Consumer Tips to Prevent Online Fraud

The report includes tips for consumers to get some control back and avoid being victims of online fraud. Here are three tips from the report:

  1. Listen to Your Bank – Banks are constantly studying and learning about the latest fraud trends. And they have a vested interest in keeping their consumers safe from fraud. Your bank’s educational resources are designed to protect you. Make sure you read/watch them and heed their advice.
  2. Use Biometrics and 2FA – Enable biometric or two-factor capabilities on your mobile devices, such as facial scans or one-time passwords. Not only do these solutions improve security, they can also ensure a much smoother experience.
  3. Protect Your Information – Be mindful of text messages, emails or websites designed to trick you into revealing personal information. If you receive a suspicious communication claiming to be from your bank, don’t engage. Instead, report your suspicions to the bank.

Access Feedzai’s Quarterly Financial Crime Report to learn more about the latest fraud and consumer trends.

About Feedzai
Feedzai is the market leader in safeguarding global commerce with today’s most advanced cloud-based risk management platform, powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence. Feedzai is securing the transition to a cashless world while enabling digital trust in every transaction and payment type. The world’s largest banks, processors, and retailers trust Feedzai to protect trillions of dollars and manage risk while improving the customer experience for everyday users, without compromising privacy. Feedzai is a Series D company and has raised $282M to date with a current valuation of well over $1B. Its technology protects 800 million people in 190 countries. For more information, visit feedzai.com.

Media Contact:
Igor Carvalho
Head of Global Communications, Feedzai
igor.carvalho@feedzai.com