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Standard Chartered Bank expands its presence in GIFT City

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Offers widest product suite among foreign banks at GIFT City, backed by the largest on-ground team, driving innovation and market expansion

MUMBAI, India, April 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Standard Chartered Bank today announced that it has shifted to larger office premises at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) City, reinforcing its long-term commitment to India’s premier international financial services hub. The new premises reflects the deepening of Bank’s presence in GIFT City, that’s enabling India to become a global financial powerhouse.

Over the last couple of years, Standard Chartered Bank has invested significantly in capability building, involving product suite, talent and technology, across its Corporate & Institutional Banking business. The Bank has one of the largest on-ground team among foreign banks’ International Banking Units (IBUs) at GIFT City, focussing on innovation and market development.

The new premises was inaugurated by P D Singh, CEO, Standard Chartered Bank, India & South Asia, in the presence of Saiju Gandhi, Head of GIFT City, alongside senior leadership from the Bank. The event was also graced by senior officials from IFSCA, GIFT House and British High Commission’s Office.

Standard Chartered Bank is the first foreign bank to commence operations at GIFT IFSC and has played a pivotal role in its development. It currently offers the widest product bouquet to corporate and institutional clients across Lending, Trade Finance, Cash Management and Financial Markets. Standard Chartered Bank was also the first Bank to launch foreign portfolio investor offering at GIFT City and has pioneered many industry-firsts offerings such as launch of structured rate loan, launch of offshore derivative instrument, launch of gold hedging product etc.

Over last two years, the funded assets at the Bank’s GIFT City have grown by over 150% while attaining market leadership in the derivative business. A full suite product bouquet has helped Standard Chartered Bank in bringing many multinational clients to GIFT City by offering them seamless connectivity with Indian market.

Speaking on the expansion, P D Singh, CEO, Standard Chartered Bank, India & South Asia, said, “In line with the Government’s vision of Viksit Bharat, GIFT City is rapidly emerging as a critical gateway for international investors and institutions, looking to be a part of India’s economic growth story. I would like to compliment the Government and IFSCA for the vision and the endeavour to create an enabling environment and infrastructure in GIFT City that’s on par with global markets. Our expansion in GIFT City is a reiteration of Standard Chartered’s long standing commitment towards India.”

Sachin Shah, Managing Director and Head, Strategy, Process, Governance & Subsidiaries, Standard Chartered Bank, India, said, “GIFT City represents a transformative milestone for India’s global financial ambitions. We will continue to strengthen our capabilities, invest in talent, technology and infrastructure, to deliver best-in-class financial solutions to our clients. We are poised to scale our capabilities further, to unlock new opportunities for our clients and support the next phase of growth in offshore banking.”

About Standard Chartered

Standard Chartered Bank has been operating in India with a continuous presence of over 165 years making it one of the oldest foreign banks in the country. The Bank has a network of 100 branches across 42 cities. Key business segments include Corporate and Investment Banking and Wealth and Retail Banking. For more information, visit https://www.sc.com/in/

Globally, we are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 52 of the world’s most dynamic markets. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good.

Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges.

For more stories and expert opinions please visit Insights at sc.com. Follow Standard Chartered on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

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Axis to host industry flagship event: Axis Solution Conference 2025 in Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan region, and Korea

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Unlocking the Limitless Possibilities of AI for Security and Growth

HONG KONG, May 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Axis Communications, a global leader in network video, is excited to announce the Axis Solution Conference 2025, a premier biennial event focused on the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the security industry. Scheduled for June 6 to October 15, 2025, this conference will take place across the Axis North Asia region, covering Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan region, and Korea.

The conference theme, “Protect and Grow Your Business – Harness the Limitless Possibilities of AI for Security and Growth”, emphasizes how AI can unlock new growth opportunities and enhance organizational resilience. Attendees will gain insights into cutting-edge solutions, including the newly introduced ARTPEC-9 system-on-chip, which significantly enhances AI-powered analytics, imaging, and cybersecurity, while reducing storage costs thanks to the AV1 video encoding standard.

Key highlights include:

Next-gen Security Empowered by Axis ARTPEC-9: Explore advancements in AI and imaging technologies that improve detection accuracy and operational efficiency.AI-powered Possibilities of Visual and Non-visual AI Sensors: Discover how AI analytics and image processing enhance video camera performance, enabling the detection of smaller objects and rapid responses. Learn about the integration of thermal imaging, radar, audio and environmental sensors to provide actionable insights while respecting privacy.Panel discussion on Cybersecurity for Business Resilience: Industry experts will discuss key strategies for safeguarding surveillance systems amidst the complexities of IoT integration, focusing on best practices to protect organizations from cyber threats.TCO – The True Cost of a Security System: an interactive session that reveals the long-term expenses associated with surveillance systems. Conference delegates will gain insights into maximizing ROI while aligning their security investments with sustainability goals.

Join us at the Axis Solution Conference 2025 to discover how AI is revolutionizing the surveillance industry. For more information and to register, visit https://tinyurl.com/axis-solution-conferenc-hk

About Axis Communications
Axis enables a smarter and safer world by improving security, safety, operational efficiency, and business intelligence. As a network technology company and industry leader, Axis offers video surveillance, access control, intercoms, and audio solutions. These are enhanced by intelligent analytics applications and supported by high-quality training.

Axis has around 5,000 dedicated employees in over 50 countries and collaborates with technology and system integration partners worldwide to deliver customer solutions. Axis was founded in 1984, and the headquarters are in Lund, Sweden.

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SOURCE Axis Communications Limited

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LONGi Joins Forces with Solar Car World Champion Innoptus Solar Team to Push the Boundaries of BC Technology

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ANTWERP, Belgium, May 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Global solar technology leader LONGi officially announced a strategic partnership with Belgium’s Innoptus Solar Team at the unveiling ceremony held in Belgium on May 5,2025. Together, the two parties unveiled their new-generation high-performance solar racing car”Infinite Apollo” featuring breakthrough back-contact (BC) cell technology and flexible photovoltaic solutions, which has attracted widespread attention. With extreme efficiency and reliability, this cutting-edge solar vehicle will compete in the prestigious Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC) in August this year to challenge for victory. This collaboration marks the first time the two parties have jointly explored new frontiers in cutting-edge photovoltaic technology applications.

“Dual-Champion” Boosts “Solar + Racing” Cross-Border Innovation

Innoptus Solar Team is known as the”king of solar car racing”. Since its establishment in 2002, the team has won numerous international titles, including the BWSC World Championship. Its racing car design is famous for “maximizing energy efficiency” and achieved an impressive range of 780 kilometers on the first day of the 2023 BWSC race. Therefore, Innoptus Solar Team represents the cutting edge of solar PV technology in the field of transportation applications.

LONGi, as a global leading solar technology company, has always been at the forefront of technology innovation. Its multiple key technological innovations have led the development of the industry and have become a benchmark for technological innovation in this sector. Over the past years, LONGi has continuously set new world records for the efficiency of mono-crystalline silicon solar cells and crystalline silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells, becoming the “dual-champion” in the two mainstream tracks of technology. It is also the holder of the world record for the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar modules. In the new wave of solar cell technology iteration, LONGi has persisted in innovation, driving continuous improvement in efficiency and leading the industrial development of BC technology.

As the exclusive designated solar partner for Innoptus Solar Team’s 2025 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC), LONGi will provide comprehensive support to empower their 11th-generation solar race car. Through delivering high-efficiency BC cell technology and co-created vehicle-integrated photovoltaic (VIPV) flexible solutions, LONGi will assist the team in significantly enhancing core performance metrics including power generation efficiency and product reliability for their solar vehicle, even under the extreme conditions of the race.

“Solar-powered racing cars are the ultimate test for PV technology,” said Wout Rubbrecht, the team leader of Innoptus Solar Team. “Racing cars need to maintain efficient power generation under conditions of high-intensity vibration, extreme temperature differences, and curved body shapes. This poses almost stringent requirements for cell efficiency and reliability. LONGi not only has the highest cell conversion efficiency in the industry, but also its stronger reliability and flexible solution guarantee capabilities have given us the possibility of breaking through the limits.”

Advanced BC Technology Empowers Innoptus Solar Team the Efficient and Reliable Energy

The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC), which began in 1987 and is held biennially, is the most prestigious and longest-standing solar car race globally. Participating teams are required to drive their 100% solar-powered cars from Darwin in the northernmost part of Australia to Adelaide in the southernmost part within six days, covering a total distance of over 3,000 kilometers. The extreme weather, complex road conditions, and uncertainties along the route pose stringent demands on the efficiency and reliability of the solar cells used in cars.

To address these challenges, LONGi has partnered with Innoptus Solar Team for in-depth technological collaboration, adopting the BC cell technology, which currently has the highest mass production efficiency in the crystalline silicon sector. LONGi’s BC cells with zero metal contact design seamlessly integrate with the appearance of solar racing cars. Their peak efficiency, superior low-light response, ultra-high power generation capability, and enhanced reliability not only comprehensively improve the efficiency of on-board solar modules but also ensure stable and efficient power output even during high-speed operation and extreme temperature differences. In addition, the flexible packaging process enabled by LONGi’s TaiRay silicon wafers achieves optimal application on curved car body surfaces, complementing the aerodynamic design of the racing cars and providing continuous and robust green power for Innoptus Solar Team’s “arduous journey” at the BWSC.

“Innoptus Solar Team is a highly passionate, challenge-embracing, and goal-oriented group. LONGi’s BC technology is inherently designed to break boundaries, and we firmly believe that our cooperation will bring stronger clean energy propulsion to solar racing cars,” said Zhang Haimeng, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of LONGi. “LONGi is committed to empowering every driver, innovator, and explorer with the power of technological innovation. We aim to let the surging solar energy drive every journey.”

“Innovation is the soul of LONGi,” said Li Zhenguo, Founder and President of LONGi. “We respect every innovation and have the courage to keep challenging ourselves. In the past, we have been dedicated to reaching the pinnacle in the photovoltaic field, pursuing excellence in improving efficiency and reducing the cost per kilowatt-hour. Looking to the future, we hope to further extend our innovative capabilities to explore more possibilities of ‘PV +’and truly bring solar energy into the lives of every individual.”

About LONGi

Founded in 2000, LONGi is committed to being the world’s leading solar technology company, focusing on customer-driven value creation for full scenario energy transformation.

Under its mission of ‘making the best of solar energy to build a green world’, LONGi has dedicated itself to technology innovation and established five business sectors, covering mono silicon wafers cells and modules, commercial & industrial distributed solar solutions, green energy solutions and hydrogen equipment. The company has honed its capabilities to provide green energy and has more recently, also embraced green hydrogen products and solutions to support global zero carbon development. www.longi.com/

 

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Agoda unveils four must-visit festival destinations to soak up K-Culture this summer

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SEOUL, South Korea, May 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — With summer just around the corner, digital travel platform Agoda highlights four cities—Gangneung, Muju, Buyeo and Tongyeong— where local festivals are drawing increased interest from travelers eager to soak up authentic K-Culture.   

According to Agoda’s 2025 Travel Trends Survey, 34% of South Korean travelers cited cultural exploration as one of their top travel motivations. A survey by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization also revealed that meaningful local experiences are a top priority for South Koreans, while experiencing Korean tradition emerged as a top travel trend among international visitors.  

Travelers looking to soak up the magic of K-Culture this summer can look forward to these festival destinations:   

May: Gangneung Danoje Festival

Held May 27 to June 3, Gangneung’s UNESCO-recognized Danoje Festival features the Gwanno Mask Play and traditional activities like rinsing hair in herbal Changpomul water and tasting seasonal surichwi rice cakes. Gangneung was the seventh most-searched South Korean destination on Agoda for summer stays with a 9% increase in interest.  

June: Muju Cultural Heritage Night Festival

Taking place June 13–14, this event showcases heritage sites, art exhibits, and forest trails. Travelers can enjoy artwork by Joseon Dynasty calligrapher Han Seok-bong, traditional cuisine, and explore the Bandi Imagination Forest. Muju saw a 39% increase in interest for summer stays on Agoda.

July: Buyeo Seodong Lotus Festival

With a 57% rise in searches on Agoda for summer travel, Buyeo hosts the Seodong Lotus Festival from July 4 to 6, featuring pink and white lotus blossoms, music performances, and drone shows in a romantic atmosphere.

August: Tongyeong Hansan Battle Festival

Running August 9–14, this seaside celebration honors Admiral Yi Sun-shin with a Turtle Ship Rowing Competition, naval reenactments, and fireworks. With delicious food and coastal charm, Tongyeong has seen a 46% rise in summer travel searches on Agoda.

Joonwhan Lee, Country Director, Korea at Agoda, said: “We are seeing both inbound and domestic travelers interested in culturally motivated trips. Provincial destinations like Gangneung, Muju, Buyeo and Tongyeong offer the perfect getaway to dive into local traditions with summer festivals that promise unforgettable experiences for all ages.” 

Travelers looking to add festivals in South Korea and beyond to their summer itinerary can find over 5 million holiday properties and more than 300,000 activities on Agoda.com.    

-ENDS- 

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SOURCE Agoda

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