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Business Wire India

Parse Biosciences, the leading provider of scalable and accessible single cell sequencing solutions, today announced an alliance with bit.bio to create a comprehensive map of transcription factor-driven cell identity, encompassing both cell state and cell fate. This map will serve as the foundational blueprint for developing highly accurate, human-relevant models at scale. By precisely mimicking in vivo biological responses, these models will significantly advance predictive drug discovery and therapeutic development.

 

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The alliance will leverage cutting-edge techniques in massively parallel causal transcriptomics, which allows scientists to test thousands of genetic variables simultaneously to understand what drives cell behavior. bit.bio will contribute its industry-leading cell programming technology, opti-ox™, as well as its proprietary Discovery platform, The Cell Foundry™, and Parse its scalable single cell technology, Evercode™. The result will build on existing proprietary data to an unprecedented bit.bio dataset that maps how specific genetic inputs lead to specific biological outputs. Ultimately, this dataset will guide not only bit.bio but the wider industry on how therapies are designed and human cells manufactured at scale, while also feeding AI models that can predict how cells respond to drugs or disease.

 

 

“Cells operate on code, and by mapping how specific transcription factors dictate cell fate, we are unlocking that operating system. This collaboration doesn’t just generate data; it provides a foundational map for bit.bio to scale human-relevant models and feed predictive AI systems, moving the entire field closer to reliably replicating and therefore predicting human biology,” remarks Przemek Obloj, CEO of bit.bio.

 

 

“Researchers need insights that they can translate into impact,” states Charlie Roco, PhD, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Parse Biosciences. “Our close alliance with bit.bio will create foundational datasets that establish clear causal links between genetic changes and biological outcomes, the kind of information that predictive medicine needs but has rarely had.”

 

 

To learn more about how these data will shape the future of predictive biology modeling and manufacturing, attend the Parse webinar on June 17 at 7:00 AM Pacific Time.

 

 

About bit.bio

 

 

bit.bio, the global leader in cell programming technology, is creating functional, human-relevant cells and models at industrial scale to accelerate research, drug discovery and development, while facilitating the adoption of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). Product development is fuelled by its AI-enabled discovery platform that identifies unique transcription factor combinations to program desired cell types, and its patented opti-ox™ technology that precisely converts induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into these cell types assuring unprecedented purity, consistency, and scalability. bit.bio’s expanding ioCells portfolio comprises more than 50 products, including ioWild Type Cells, ioDisease Model Cells, ioCRISPR-Ready Cells, and ioTracker Cells.

 

 

Since spinning out from the University of Cambridge in 2016, bit.bio has raised over $200m from leading investors including Arch Venture, BlueYard Capital, Charles River Laboratories, Foresite Capital, M&G, Milky Way, National Resilience, and Tencent.

 

 

About Parse Biosciences

 

 

Parse Biosciences, a QIAGEN company, is a global life sciences company whose mission is to accelerate progress in human health and scientific research. Empowering researchers to perform single cell sequencing with unprecedented scale and ease, its pioneering approach has enabled groundbreaking discoveries in cancer treatment, tissue repair, stem cell therapy, kidney and liver disease, brain development, and the immune system.

 

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260527668821/en/

 

Business Wire India

NIQ (NYSE: NIQ), a global leader in consumer intelligence, today announced the launch of Survey Groups in NIQ Discover, a new capability that enables brands and retailers to understand not just what is changing in the market, but why.

 

Available immediately within NIQ Discover, Survey Groups build on NIQ Panel Surveys by linking attitudinal insights to real-world purchase behavior from NIQ’s consumer panels—helping clients uncover the motivations behind performance shifts, identify opportunity gaps, and act with greater confidence in an increasingly complex consumer landscape.

 

 

What’s New: Survey Groups in Discover

 

 

Survey Groups make NIQ Panel Survey insights easier to access, analyze, and activate within existing workflows. By grouping survey responses with purchase behavior, clients can:

 

 

• Analyze key consumer segments with greater precision
• Understand the drivers behind brand and category performance
• Identify barriers to purchase and causes of brand or category lapsing
• Surface emerging growth opportunities rooted in real behavior
• Create self-serve analyses directly within Discover

 

 

Why It Matters: Moving Beyond Claimed Behavior

 

As consumer decision‑making becomes more fragmented and unpredictable, traditional surveys often based solely on claimed behavior can fall short of explaining real‑world outcomes. Survey Groups address this gap by tying what consumers say directly to what they do. This integration allows businesses to move beyond surface‑level insights and gain a deeper, more reliable understanding of motivations, helping teams prioritize actions that inform growth strategies.

 

 

“NIQ has delivered Panel Survey capabilities for many years, helping clients understand the motivations behind consumer behavior through verified purchase data,” said Troy Treangen, Chief Product Officer at NIQ. “What’s new with Survey Groups is that these insights are now integrated directly into Discover, making them easier to access, analyze, and activate within existing workflows. By bringing survey insights and consumer behavior together in one platform, clients can move faster from insight to action with a more connected view of performance.”

 

 

How It Works: Sentiment Meets Verified Purchase Data

 

 

Survey Groups are powered by NIQ Panel Surveys, which are directly connected to NIQ’s robust consumer panels in the FMCG industry. This linkage provides a more representative view of consumer behavior, grounding insights in transactional purchase data rather than intention alone.

 

 

Within NIQ Discover, the same surveyable population can be analyzed while maintaining consistent sample coverage as Survey Groups are activated for deeper analysis. Teams can independently create and analyze Survey Groups at the question-and answer-level, enabling self-serve segmentation across markets. By bringing these insights into Discover, NIQ enables faster analysis, easier collaboration, and more confident decision‑making across teams.

 

 

What’s Next: Continued Investment in Panel Surveys

 

 

Survey Groups represent the first step in a broader roadmap for NIQ Panel Surveys. NIQ will continue to invest in making these insights more accessible, actionable, and deeply integrated within Discover, with additional enhancements planned throughout 2026 and beyond.

 

 

These advancements support NIQ’s broader strategy to unify measurement, panel, and survey insights within a single platform enabling faster, clearer, and more confident decision‑making for clients worldwide.

 

 

As consumer behavior grows more complex, the ability to connect motivations to outcomes is becoming a critical advantage. By integrating survey sentiment with real-world purchase behavior, Survey Groups help brands and retailers turn insight into action—closing gaps between understanding and execution, and enabling more informed, confident decision-making.

 

 

In a market where knowing why matters as much as knowing what, NIQ is redefining how consumer intelligence powers performance. For more information visit NIQ Discover.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

 

 

Q: What are NIQ Survey Groups?
A: Survey Groups are a new capability within NIQ Discover that connect consumer survey responses directly to real-world purchase behavior from NIQ’s consumer panels, enabling deeper insight into the motivations behind market performance.

 

 

Q: How are NIQ Survey Groups different from traditional surveys?
A: Traditional surveys rely on claimed or self‑reported behavior, which can differ from actual actions. Survey Groups link what consumers say with what they actually buy, providing a more accurate view of consumer decision‑making.

 

 

Q: Who can benefit from Survey Groups?
A: Survey Groups are designed for brands, retailers, and manufacturers looking to understand the drivers behind brand and category performance, identify growth opportunities, reduce churn or lapsing, and make more confident, data‑driven decisions.

 

 

Q: Where are Survey Groups available?
A: Survey Groups are available directly within NIQ Discover, allowing clients to access, analyze, and apply these insights within their existing workflows.

 

 

Q: What types of insights do Survey Groups deliver?
A: Survey Groups help uncover key consumer segments, drivers of brand and category growth or decline, barriers to purchase, reasons for lapsing, and emerging opportunities—grounded in real purchasing behavior.

 

 

Q: How do Survey Groups support faster decision‑making?
A: By integrating survey, panel, and measurement data in a single platform, Survey Groups make insights easier to access and apply, reducing time to insight and enabling teams to move from analysis to action more quickly.

 

 

Q: Is this a standalone launch or part of a broader roadmap?
A: Survey Groups represent the first step in a broader set of enhancements to NIQ Panel Surveys. NIQ will continue to invest in expanding and improving these capabilities throughout 2026 and beyond.

 

 

Q: How does this fit into NIQ’s overall strategy?
A: Survey Groups support NIQ’s mission to deliver the Full View™ of consumer behavior by connecting measurement, panel, and survey insights in a single, integrated platform—helping clients navigate increasingly complex consumer ecosystems with confidence.

 

 

About NIQ
NielsenIQ (NYSE: NIQ) is a leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete and trusted understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing the pathways to growth. By combining an unmatched global data footprint and granular consumer and retail measurement with decades of AI modeling expertise, NIQ builds decision systems that help companies turn complex data into confident action.

 

 

With operations in more than 90 countries, NIQ covers approximately 82% of the world’s population and more than $7.4 trillion in global consumer spend. Through cloud-based platforms, advanced analytics and AI-driven insights, NIQ delivers The Full View™—helping brands and retailers understand what consumers buy, why they buy it, and what to do next.

 

 

For more information, please visit www.niq.com.

 

 

NIQ-GENERAL

 

 

© 2026 Nielsen Consumer LLC. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

 

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Business Wire India

 

The US smartphone market declined 3% year over year to 33.4 million units in 1Q26, according to Omdia’s latest research. The comparison was against an elevated 1Q25 base when vendors and carriers accelerated inventory build-up ahead of potential US tariff actions. Beyond this comparison effect, US smartphone shipments were pressured by a more restrained carrier upgrade environment, rising memory and storage costs, and delayed device launches that compressed sell-through for key premium models. However, anticipated price increases also drove channel pull-forward for some budget models ahead of 2Q26.

 

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“The US smartphone market did not experience a broad demand shock in Q1 2026,” said Eric Chen, Senior Analyst at Omdia. “The decline was modest, but the quarter was shaped by several overlapping factors, including an elevated Q1 2025 comparison, more selective carrier subsidies, rising component costs and later device launches. The result was a market where shipment performance depended heavily on channel execution and timing.”

 

• Apple maintained its leading position in Q126 despite a 3% year over year decline. Apple benefited from Samsung’s delayed Galaxy S26 launch, limiting direct premium Android competition. The iPhone 17 series accounted for 70% of Apple’s shipments, while aggressive iPhone 15 prepaid promotions continued supporting demand in lower price tiers.
• Samsung ranked second in Q126, with shipments declining 5% year over year as the delayed Galaxy S26 launch. Despite the later timing, the S26 series showed strong early traction, with pre-orders up nearly 25% versus the S25 series. Samsung relied heavily on prepaid-driven A-series demand during Q1, led by the Galaxy A17.
• Motorola was the only major vendor to grow in Q126, with shipments rising 18% year over year. Growth was driven primarily by the refreshed Moto G portfolio, which accounted for more than 70% of Motorola’s quarterly shipments. Carrier and prepaid channels also appeared to pull forward inventory ahead of Motorola’s April price increases.
• Google shipments fell 7% year over year in Q126, as the Pixel 10 series failed to replicate the momentum of the Pixel 9 lineup a year earlier. The earlier launch of the Pixel 10a helped offset some of the decline, while aggressive carrier promotions remained central to Google’s strategy to expand Pixel demand beyond its core premium user base.

 

“The US smartphone market is becoming increasingly polarized, with premium and entry-tier devices proving far more resilient,” added Chen. “In 1Q26, the $800+ premium segment declined only 1% year over year, supported by Apple and carrier financing. The sub-$300 segment grew by 8%, helped by prepaid demand, plan-linked promotions, and channel pull-forward ahead of price increases on select value models. Meanwhile, pressure was concentrated in the middle of the market, with the $300–599 segment declining 19% and the $600–799 segment falling 6%. This suggests that rising device costs and more selective carrier subsidies put the most pressure on Android mid-range and mid-to-high-end devices, while premium models and budget devices remained better supported by US channel structures.”

 

“The US smartphone market is entering a phase where carriers are playing a larger role in moderating how rising device costs reach consumers,” added Chen. “While OEM manufacturer’s suggested retail prices (MSRPs) started moving higher in 1Q 26, most consumers have yet to fully feel the impact because carriers continue to manage affordability through financing, promotions and plan-led offers. However, how long carriers can absorb or delay these increases remains a key question for upgrade demand through the rest of 2026.”

 

 

These pressures are expected to continue through the rest of 2026, with Omdia forecasting US smartphone shipments to decline 4% year over year for the full year. Beyond near-term pricing and volume pressure, AI-native devices are emerging as a longer-term strategic watchpoint. While such devices are unlikely to drive immediate smartphone substitution, developments from OpenAI and reported interest from Amazon suggest AI-driven interfaces could gradually reshape how consumers perceive smartphone upgrade value.

 

 

United States smartphone shipment and annual growth
Omdia Smartphone Market Pulse: 1Q26
Vendor	1Q26	1Q26	1Q25	1Q25	Annual
	shipments	market	shipments	market	growth
	(million)	share	(million)	share
Apple	19.9	60%	20.6	60%	-3%
Samsung	7.9	24%	8.3	24%	-5%
Motorola	3.6	11%	3	9%	18%
Google	0.8	3%	0.9	3%	-7%
TCL	0.5	2%	0.7	2%	-17%
Others	0.6	2%	0.8	2%	-28%
Total	33.4	100%	34.2	100%	-3%
Note: “Others” includes Blu, HMD, Kyocera, Nothing, OnePlus and other minor brands.
Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.   Source: Omdia Smartphone Horizon Service, May 2026

 

 

ABOUT OMDIA

 

Omdia, part of TechTarget, Inc. d/b/a Informa TechTarget (Nasdaq: TTGT), is a technology research and advisory group. Our deep knowledge of tech markets grounded in real conversations with industry leaders and hundreds of thousands of data points, make our market intelligence our clients’ strategic advantage. From R&D to ROI, we identify the greatest opportunities and move the industry forward.

 

 

 

 

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Business Wire India

 

News summary:

 

• Developed by euNetworks to deliver the highest levels of protection for sensitive data moving between European data centers
• Built on Adtran’s solution, euNetworks’ new Quantum Shield service enables quantum-safe encryption across private high-capacity connectivity, with continuous optical and fiber plant monitoring
• The new offering supports regulated industries with strong assurance against current and emerging cybersecurity threats

 

Adtran and euNetworks today announced their collaboration on the launch of a new quantum-safe private connectivity service, Quantum Shield. euNetworks has developed Quantum Shield using Adtran’s optical transport technology to augment its broader architecture, which is designed to deliver secure, scalable data center connectivity across euNetworks’ pan-European network.

 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260526610601/en/

 

 

 

The new offering is built for enterprises with stringent security, performance and customer-controlled encryption requirements. The deployment combines high-capacity dedicated infrastructure with real-time fiber monitoring and enhanced optical-layer visibility to safeguard critical traffic. By integrating advanced encryption with continuous monitoring across the optical layer, euNetworks can deliver the highest levels of protection for sensitive data moving across Europe.

 

This comes at a time when organizations across Europe are accelerating plans to secure data in transit in response to evolving cybersecurity regulations and post-quantum security guidance. The EU’s coordinated post-quantum cryptography roadmap* targets migration of high-risk and critical infrastructure environments by 2030, while regulations, including DORA and NIS2, are increasing expectations for encryption, crypto-agility and the protection of sensitive traffic traversing private and third-party infrastructure.

 

 

euNetworks will offer Quantum Shield to customers as an additional security layer for their Private Connect MOFN solution, which provides private, managed network infrastructure for organizations seeking enhanced security, scalability and control over their data. The addition of private quantum-safe connectivity provides the security of the organization’s dedicated fiber, plus quantum-resistant encryption at Layer 1, ensuring all traffic is automatically encrypted.

 

 

The new infrastructure is built on Adtran’s FSP 3000 optical transport platform, incorporating S-Flex^™ technology to support high-capacity encrypted DCI services. euNetworks is harnessing post-quantum cryptography aligned with NIST standards to protect traffic traversing dedicated optical infrastructure. The cryptography is designed to meet current requirements while remaining aligned with emerging cybersecurity standards, supporting a crypto-agile approach as requirements evolve.

 

 

The encryption is coupled with Adtran’s ALM solution to provide continuous assurance by instantly detecting and precisely locating fiber-tapping events. Together, these capabilities deliver an integrated optical system that supports low latency, high throughput and enhanced security while giving customers full transparency and control over how their data is secured across the optical layer.

 

 

“Data center connectivity sits at the heart of our customers’ operations, particularly in environments where security and resilience are non-negotiable,” said Marisa Trisolino, CEO of euNetworks. “We’re committed to providing customers with connectivity that meets increasingly stringent security requirements and chose to partner with Adtran because they bring deep expertise in optical networking and a practical understanding of how private infrastructure is built and operated at scale. Together, we’re providing connectivity that combines strong security, predictable performance and clear visibility into the underlying network, while customers retain control over how their data is encrypted. As customer expectations continue to evolve, having trusted partners and proven solutions is essential to supporting long-term digital growth across Europe.”

 

 

“Operators like euNetworks are setting a clear benchmark for how secure data center connectivity should be delivered,” commented Christoph Glingener, CTO of Adtran. “This deployment shows how purpose-built optical platforms, developed through decades of expertise in secure DCI, can support private network models that prioritize security, transparency and operational control. By combining quantum-resilient encryption with real-time fiber monitoring, we’re helping euNetworks safeguard critical traffic without compromising performance or scalability. This kind of deployment reflects a broader shift in how critical connectivity is being built, giving enterprises confidence that their networks are ready not just for today’s demands, but for the security challenges ahead.”

 

 

About Adtran

 

 

ADTRAN Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTN and FSE: QH9) is the parent company of Adtran, Inc., a leading global provider of open, disaggregated networking and communications solutions that enable voice, data, video and internet communications across any network infrastructure. From the cloud edge to the subscriber edge, Adtran empowers communications service providers around the world to manage and scale services that connect people, places and things. Adtran solutions are used by service providers, private enterprises, government organizations and millions of individual users worldwide. ADTRAN Holdings, Inc. is also the majority shareholder of Adtran Networks SE, formerly ADVA Optical Networking SE. Find more at Adtran, LinkedIn and X.

 

 

Published by
ADTRAN Holdings, Inc.
www.adtran.com

 

 

About euNetworks

 

 

euNetworks is a pan-European provider of bandwidth infrastructure services and a vital enabler of Cloud and AI adoption. We’re the leading connectivity partner for data centre companies and their customers in Europe, directly connecting over 600 data centres today. We own and operate 18 metropolitan city networks connected with a high capacity intercity backbone covering 53 cities in 17 countries. A leading provider of cloud connectivity, we directly connect to all major cloud platforms.

 

 

euNetworks delivers scalable solutions to a customer base that is at the centre of technology transformation, offering a targeted portfolio of metropolitan, private and long haul network services underpinned by Dark Fibre, Wavelengths, Ethernet and Internet technology. We proactively invest in our network to ensure Europe’s demand for bandwidth is met today and into the future.

 

 

euNetworks delivers services with an active commitment to Sustainability, striving towards net-zero carbon emissions, promoting environmentally responsible supply chain practices and engaging collaboratively with the industry to address the environmental challenges ahead.

 

 

Further resources

 

 

*• European Commission – Coordinated Implementation Roadmap for the Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography (published June 2025): EU PQC Roadmap

 

 

• European Commission – Recommendation on a Coordinated Implementation Roadmap for the Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography (Recommendation EU 2024/1101): EU PQC Recommendation 2024/1101

 

 

• UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – Timelines for migration to post-quantum cryptography: NCSC PQC Migration Timelines

 

 

• EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) – ICT risk management and cryptographic controls: DORA Article 6 – ICT Risk Management Framework

 

 

• DORA Regulatory Technical Standards – Encryption and cryptographic controls: DORA RTS Article 6 – Encryption and Cryptographic Controls

 

 

 

 

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Business Wire India

 

• STC-1010 is a first-in-class allogeneic in vivo immunotherapy for which the FDA has authorized clinical evaluation in the U.S. under the BreAK-CRC001 study.
• This strategic milestone enables the company to execute a global clinical strategy following European regulatory approvals (ANSM, AFMPS), first patients dosed with preliminary results and good tolerability observed in early Phase Ia.
• First data are expected to be presented during ESMO annual congress 2026.

 

Brenus Pharma, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel in vivo immunotherapies for solid tumors, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accept the company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application for its first drug candidate, STC-1010, in microsatellite stable (MSS) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

 

STC-1010 is designed to address a critical unmet need worldwide. Approximately 95% of mCRC patients have MSS tumors, which demonstrate minimal response to standard immunotherapies. The FDA validated Brenus Pharma’s advanced regulatory and manufacturing capabilities. This operational readiness will accelerate patient access and data generation across both European and US sites for a Phase II program planned for 2027.

 

 

“FDA’s acceptance of our IND represents a major validation of our program and enables the full execution of our clinical strategy across Europe and the United States. Achieving regulatory alignment across multiple jurisdictions reflects our team’s deep expertise and our commitment to bringing STC-1010 to patients who need it.” said Paul BRAVETTI, CEO.

 

 

“This is an impressive accomplishment for Brenus, opening the door to planned clinical program expansion in the U.S. By generating de novo, multi-specific lymphocyte responses in immunologically ‘cold’ tumors, the therapy promises to address one of oncology’s biggest challenges. I am very excited to contribute to the company’s strategic growth.” said Dr. Diala EZZEDDINE (PhD), US-based Independent Board Director at Brenus Pharma.

 

 

About Brenus Pharma

 

 

Brenus Pharma develops an off-the-shelf platform advancing novel modalities in immuno-oncology. This cutting-edge precision technology mimics tumor protein expression and makes it visible to the immune system, enabling a multi-specific in vivo immune response adapting to tumor evolution in hard-to-treat solid tumors, where current therapies fall short. Combining a data-driven approach with scalable GMP manufacturing, the company brings precision medicine at scale.

 

 

www.brenus-pharma.com

 

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260526852914/en/

 

Business Wire India

SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSNC) today announced that Royal London Asset Management, a leading U.K. fund management company, has extended its relationship with SS&C. SS&C Global Investor & Distribution Solutions will provide fund administration and unit registry services for its new range of Australian active funds, including:

 

• Royal London Global Equity Diversified Fund
• Royal London Global Equity Enhanced Fund
• Royal London Global Equity Select Fund
• Royal London Short Duration Global High Yield Bond Fund

 

RLAM is part of Royal London, the U.K.’s largest mutual life, pensions and investment company. SS&C services approximately £72bn in assets under management across its U.K. fund range.

 

Equity Trustees will serve as the Responsible Entity for RLAM’s new funds, which have launched with around AUD $1 billion in AUM. The unit trusts are structured as feeder funds, providing investors with indirect exposure to RLAM’s range of Dublin-domiciled Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities (UCITS) funds.

 

 

SS&C will provide its full suite of fund administration services to the funds, including fund accounting, unit pricing, transfer agency, valuation and tax/financial reporting.

 

 

“We are thrilled to extend our partnership with SS&C to encompass our new range of Australian funds,” said Ed Venner, Chief Client Officer at Royal London Asset Management. “We’ve been partnering with SS&C for the last three years in the U.K. with positive results. The firm’s global scale and their growing presence in the Australian market made SS&C a natural choice to service our new Australian funds. SS&C’s expertise has streamlined the unit trust launch process for our team, allowing us to focus on building direct relationships with Australian investors and advisers.”

 

 

“We are pleased to further our long-term relationship with Royal London Asset Management as they continue developing their distribution model in the growing Australian market,” said Nick Wright, Global Head of SS&C Global Investor & Distribution Solutions.“SS&C has invested significant time and resources in expanding our local team and offerings to best serve fund managers in the region. We are honored RLAM has entrusted us with supporting their new range of Australian funds and look forward to continuing to work with their team.”

 

 

The announcement follows a wave of recent Australian growth for SS&C, including a number of client wins and renewals across superannuation and wealth. To support growth in the APAC business, the firm recently hired Chrys Wickremeratne to serve as Regional Head of Fund Accounting. Wickremeratne brings 25 years of experience across Australian financial services, and most recently served as Head of Fund Services for Australia and New Zealand at HSBC.

 

 

About Royal London Asset Management

 

 

Royal London Asset Management is an integral part of customer-owned mutual, Royal London, and free from short-term shareholder demands.

 

 

Managing £199 billion* on behalf of a broad range of clients, Royal London Asset Management is committed to active investment excellence and responsible investing. It works in close partnership with clients to deliver a spectrum of investment solutions to help investors navigate complex market conditions and achieve their financial goals.

 

 

*As at 31 December 2025

 

 

About SS&C Technologies

 

 

SS&C is a global provider of services and software for the financial services and healthcare industries. Founded in 1986, SS&C is headquartered in Windsor, Connecticut, and has offices around the world. More than 23,000 financial services and healthcare organizations, from the world’s largest companies to small and mid-market firms, rely on SS&C for expertise, scale and technology.

 

 

SOURCE: SS&C

 

 

Additional information about SS&C (Nasdaq: SSNC) is available at www.ssctech.com.

 

 

Follow SS&C on X, LinkedIn and Facebook.

 

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260526658174/en/

 

Business Wire India

Alipay today introduced its full-stack AI payment solution to partners across industries, ranging from AI companies to traditional retailers, and debuted two new services — the world’s first AI Wallet and Token Pay — to support the agentic economy’s rapid growth.

 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260526337824/en/

 

 

 

This launch extends Alipay’s next-generation AI payment infrastructure, building on its consumer-facing product Alipay AI Pay and its business-facing AI payment processing product.

 

“While the essence of commerce remains unchanged in the age of AI, the emergence of AI agents is reshaping everything. Drawing on 22 years of technological expertise and commercial know-how, Alipay is building a new generation of AI payment services to accelerate the growth of the agentic commerce ecosystem,” said Cyril Han, CEO of Ant Group.

 

 

AI Wallet: Giving Users Visibility and Control Over Agent-Driven Payments

 

 

Alipay AI Pay allows consumers to make secure and seamless transactions through AI agents via voice commands, while Alipay’s AI payment processing product enables businesses and developers to monetize their services on a pay-per-use basis through simple integration.

 

 

The new AI Wallet further extends Alipay’s AI payment system by giving individual users greater visibility and control over payments made through AI agents. Available now by searching “AI Wallet” in the Alipay App, the product allows consumers to manage tasks executed by AI agents before and during payment, and review and analyze their spending afterward.

 

 

To ensure AI agents make trusted transactions on behalf of users, Alipay launched China’s first Agentic Commerce Trust Protocol with partners, creating a “common language” for collaboration between AI and service platforms. Alipay also launched an intelligent security system for AI payments to provide foundational safeguards for every AI agent-driven transaction.

 

 

Token Pay: A Full-Suite Payment Solution for AI Model Companies

 

 

In addition to AI Wallet, Alipay launched Token Pay, the industry’s first platform to provide AI model companies with a one-stop, full-suite solution for global subscription payments, token top-up in AI agents, and related transaction needs.

 

 

At the Alipay AI Payment Ecosystem Conference on May 26, AI model companies MiniMax and Stepfun announced new collaborations with Alipay, adopting its full-stack AI payment solution in use cases such as token top-ups, membership subscriptions and marketing campaigns.

 

 

“Payments play a crucial role in enabling tenfold growth in the AI industry,” said Weiqi Hu, VP of MiniMax, “Together with Alipay, we will strengthen collaboration across multiple areas to accelerate the growth of AI commerce.”

 

 

“AI is redefining every layer of commerce. As AI agents begin helping people search for information, shop, order food, and even make money, payments are no longer just the ‘final step’ — they are becoming a capability embedded from the very beginning,” Lin Zhu, general manager of Alipay AI payment business of Ant Group said. “Only when trusted transactions, seamless payments and secure controls are all in place can agentic commerce truly take off.”

 

 

Record-High 300 Million Transactions Across Diverse Use Cases, Supporting 95% of OpenClaw-like AI Agent

 

 

In February 2026, Alipay AI Pay became the first AI-native payment product globally to exceed 100 million users. With 300 million transactions to date, Alipay AI Pay is the world’s first commercially scaled AI-native payment infrastructure.

 

 

As agentic commerce accelerates in China, Alipay’s AI payment services have expanded across a range of use cases — from AI agents embedded in apps and mini programs for traditional retailers such as Luckin Coffee, to AI smart glasses such as Rokid’s, consumer-facing AI applications like Alibaba’s Qwen, OpenClaw-type AI agents, smart cockpits, AI development platforms like Coze and Qoder, and businesses including One Person Companies (OPCs).

 

 

Accelerating the Development of the Agent Ecosystem

 

 

As a global leader in payment solutions, Ant Group serves customers across a wide range of industries through Alipay and Ant International.

 

 

Alipay will also leverage its Alipay Tap! smart devices and enable the full integration of online and offline commerce through AI upgrades.

 

 

Additionally, Alipay introduced a new developer support program for individual AI developers, offering token incentive and zero payment processing fees.

 

 

About Alipay

 

 

As the world becomes increasingly digital, Alipay has evolved from a trusted e-wallet into an all-in-one digital platform for daily services, connecting more than one billion consumers to over 80 million merchants across China. Alipay offers users a secure, seamless mobile payment experience and integrates over 10,000 services across sectors like travel, healthcare, tourism, and entertainment. With digital tools like Alipay Tap!, mini-programs, lifestyle accounts, Alipay enables merchants, institutions, and independent software vendors (ISVs) to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness. In addition, Alipay is developing a new AI-driven open platform by integrating AI agents to deliver smarter, more personalized services to its users as well as facilitating the digital transformation of the service sector.

 

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260526337824/en/

 

Business Wire India

SLB (NYSE: SLB) will hold a conference call on July 24, 2026, to discuss the results for the second quarter ending June 30, 2026.

 

The conference call is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern time and a press release regarding the results will be issued at 7:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern time.

 

 

To access the conference call, listeners should contact the Conference Call Operator at +1 (800) 715-9871 within North America or +1 (646) 307-1963 outside of North America approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the call and the access code is 3440360.

 

 

A webcast of the conference call will be broadcast simultaneously at https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/157027565 on a listen-only basis. Listeners should log in 15 minutes prior to the start of the call to test their browsers and register for the webcast. Following the end of the conference call, a replay will be available at www.slb.com/irwebcast until July 31, 2026, and can be accessed by dialing +1 (800) 770-2030 within North America or +1 (609) 800-9909 outside of North America and giving the access code 3440360.

 

 

About SLB

 

 

SLB (NYSE: SLB) is a global technology company that has driven energy innovation for 100 years. With a global footprint in more than 100 countries and employees representing almost twice as many nationalities, we work each day on innovating oil and gas, delivering digital at scale, decarbonizing industries, and developing and scaling new energy systems that accelerate the energy transition. Find out more at slb.com.

 

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260526437194/en/

 

Business Wire India

The 2026 ASC Student Supercomputer Challenge (ASC26) Finals recently concluded in Wuxi, China, after five days of exciting, high-intensity competition. Demonstrating exceptional performance, teamwork, and innovation, the teams from Peking University and Tsinghua University stood out among the finalists, proudly earning the championship and runner-up titles, respectively.

 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260526720320/en/

 

 

 

ASC26 drew participation from more than three hundred university teams worldwide. After a rigorous preliminary round, twenty-five outstanding teams advanced to the Finals, gathering at Wuxi University for the ultimate stage of competition. During the Finals, each team was challenged to design, build, and deploy a mini supercomputing cluster under a strict 5,000-watt power limit. The competition featured a demanding set of workloads, including the internationally recognized HPL and HPCG benchmarks, the UnifoLM-WMA-0 world model, AMSS-NCKU gravitational wave numerical simulation, QiboTN quantum circuit simulation, and the LeWorldModel world model. In addition, participants took part in poster presentations and defense sessions. The twenty-five finalist teams were also divided by draw into five groups for the Group Competition, where they collaborated across universities to optimize ICON, the Gordon Bell Prize-winning model, and jointly recreate the “Blue Marble” digital twin Earth.

 

The Finals featured exceptionally intense competition, with twenty-five finalist teams going head-to-head in system design, power optimization, application tuning, and presentation defense. Throughout the event, teams continuously pushed the boundaries of performance, delivering one technical highlight after another.

 

 

The Peking University team demonstrated outstanding all-around strength, achieving excellent results across multiple challenges, including world models, gravitational wave numerical simulation, and quantum circuit simulation. Their performance highlighted the next generation of technology talent’s deep understanding of artificial intelligence, supercomputing systems, and interdisciplinary applications, as well as their exceptional optimization capabilities, earning them the ASC26 championship title.

 

 

The Tsinghua University team also delivered an impressive performance across multiple challenges, including the LeWorldModel world model, the ICON global climate simulation, and gravitational wave numerical simulation, ultimately securing the runner-up title.

 

 

In the e-Prize Challenge, focused on inference optimization for the embodied intelligence world model UnifoLM-WMA-0, the Peking University team conducted extensive low-level code restructuring to build an exceptionally compact, purely functional inference stack. The team deeply customized the underlying graph compilation framework to fully unlock GPU performance, while innovatively separating the sampling processes for action and video generation. Combined with a novel caching strategy, this approach successfully balanced inference speed and output quality, earning the team the e-Prize.

 

 

A joint team composed of students from Qinghai University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, EAFIT University, Beijing Normal University, and other universities demonstrated strong coordination and highly effective cross-university collaboration. The group achieved the highest score in the ICON global climate simulation challenge, jointly winning the Group Competition.

 

 

Three teams, including those from Zhejiang University and Fudan University, received the Application Innovation Award in recognition of their outstanding performance in individual competition challenges.

 

 

The Shanghai Jiao Tong University team received the Best Presentation Award for its clear logic, professional delivery, and highly engaging team presentation.

 

 

Zhang Yonghong, Secretary of the Party Committee, Wuxi University stated: “Hosting the ASC26 Finals represents an important opportunity for the development of Wuxi University. In recent years, the university has focused on modern industrial clusters, supercomputing, artificial intelligence, and other frontier fields, while building an integrated talent development system that combines industry, education, and regional collaboration. The successful hosting of the competition has not only enabled us to gain valuable experience in organizing a world-class technology event, but also allowed the university to engage directly with the latest global developments in supercomputing, providing important guidance for advancing related disciplines and improving talent cultivation.”

 

 

Jack Dongarra, Chair of the ASC Advisory Committee, Turing Award laureate, and Emeritus Professor at the University of Tennessee, said: “High-performance computing and artificial intelligence are rapidly converging. Future breakthroughs will depend on people who understand both HPC and AI. ASC provides an exceptional platform for that kind of growth. It not only teaches students how to solve problems through teamwork, but also challenges them to achieve performance breakthroughs under constraints and turn ideas into results. The technical strength, imagination, teamwork, and global perspective demonstrated by these young participants give me great confidence in the future of computational science.”

 

 

About ASC:

 

 

The ASC Student Supercomputer Challenge serves as an international platform for technical exchange and the development of the next generation of supercomputing talent with broad support from leading experts and institutions across Asia, Europe, and the United States. Through a rigorous, hands-on competitive format, ASC aims to advance academic excellence and practical skills in supercomputing application development and research, positioning high-performance computing as a catalyst for scientific discovery, technological progress, and industrial innovation. Now in its 13th edition, the ASC Student Supercomputer Challenge has engaged tens of thousands of university students from six continents, establishing itself as the world’s largest student supercomputing competition. Learn more about this exciting competition on the official website: http://www.asc-events.net/StudentChallenge/index.html

 

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260526720320/en/

 

Business Wire India

Leading indigenous unmanned combat systems manufacturer, Johnnette Technologies Pvt. Ltd., has announced the signing of a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Munitions India Limited (MIL), a premier Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. The public-private defence partnership marks a significant stride toward complete self-reliance in cutting-edge aerial weapon systems.

Under the terms of the landmark agreement, Johnnette Technologies and MIL will jointly collaborate on the tactical integration of advanced warheads for Johnnette’s flagship JM series Loitering Munitions platforms, as well as its upcoming Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) programs.

Strengthening the Indigenous Defence Ecosystem

As India aggressively modernizes its armed forces amid evolving geopolitical challenges, this collaboration bridges private-sector aerospace innovation with state-owned defence infrastructure. By combining Johnnette’s combat-proven autonomous flight technologies with MIL’s world-class ordnance manufacturing infrastructure and explosive chemical expertise, the partnership targets a 100% indigenous supply chain for next-generation precision-strike munitions.

Key Strategic Verticals of the MoU.

• Next-Gen Integration: Outfitting the Johnnette JM-series loitering munitions and upcoming tactical combat drones with indigenous lethal payloads.
• Aatmanirbhar Bharat Acceleration: Lowering dependence on foreign military components by substituting imported assemblies with custom domestic alternatives.

“We are deeply honored and privileged to partner with Munitions India Limited. This collaboration directly supports the vision of #AatmanirbharBharat by ensuring our armed forces receive mission-ready, highly lethal combat solutions built entirely within the country,” said Lt Cdr John Livingstone (Retd.), Founder, Chairman & CEO of Johnnette Technologies. “We extend our gratitude to the leadership at MIL for their trust. The future of Indian defence aviation is autonomous, indigenous, and powerful.”