Category: Asean

WATERFORD, Ireland, Dec. 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Minimum Deposit Casinos (MDC), a division of the OneTwenty Group, has issued new commentary on the U.S. Federal Reserve’s proposed “payment account” framework and its potential impact on online gambling transactions. The proposal, officially opened for public comment on December 19, would allow eligible non-bank financial institutions limited access to core Federal Reserve payment systems including FedNow and Fedwire, without granting them full banking privileges.

“The Federal Reserve’s push to open its payment infrastructure to fintechs is a historic shift,” said an MDC spokesperson. “While this aims to promote innovation and reduce friction, the impact on licensed gambling operators could be significant. Faster settlements and direct clearing may improve payout speeds, but they also introduce new risk and compliance expectations. These will not be free.”

The proposed accounts, often referred to as “skinny master accounts,” are designed to modernize how money moves through the U.S. economy. They come with strict limits on balances, access, and risk controls, yet they offer a direct path for payment providers to bypass traditional bank intermediaries. This could fundamentally change how funds are deposited and withdrawn on gambling platforms.

While the proposal is still in the public consultation phase, MDC notes it reflects a broader regulatory trend toward increasing scrutiny over digital payments. If implemented, the framework may lead to new auditing and fraud prevention requirements for payment partners, costs that could ultimately impact platform operations and the player experience.

“This is where the real tension lies,” the spokesperson added. “Low-cost payment systems have helped drive accessibility in iGaming. But with increased operational oversight will come new expense, and that could lead to slower withdrawals, more rigorous verification checks, or higher transaction fees.”

MDC encourages licensed casino operators and their payment providers to closely follow the Fed’s initiative and begin evaluating the resilience and compliance-readiness of their current infrastructure.

About MDC

Minimum Deposit Casinos (MDC), a division of the OneTwenty Group, is a trusted global portal that advocates for transparent, licensed, and regulatorily compliant online casino experiences. MDC focuses on reviewing and recommending platforms that adhere to the highest standards of KYC, responsible gaming, and secure payment processing.

Contact Email: [email protected]

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1001156294

DALI Alliance Launches Test and Certification Specifications for Wireless to DALI Gateways

DALI Gateways- standardized gateways for Bluetooth mesh and Zigbee ecosystems

PISCATAWAY, N.J., Dec. 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The DALI Alliance, recognized as the international authority in lighting technology standardization, proudly announces the launch of its new test and certification specifications for Wireless to DALI Gateways. This groundbreaking release allows seamless control of wired DALI devices from either Bluetooth^® NLC (Networked Lighting Control) or Zigbee wireless ecosystems, and provides access to data from DALI systems, paving the way for increased interoperability and flexibility in the lighting industry.

The new specifications allow wired and wireless connectivity within lighting systems and give the flexibility to choose the best lighting control solution for the application. The test and certification specifications will ensure that standardized gateways translate effectively between DALI systems and the wireless protocols, Bluetooth NLC or Zigbee, providing a crucial link between these diverse technologies. These standardized gateways promote market confidence and accelerate the adoption of DALI-based solutions in the evolving world of smart building technologies.

Key Features and Benefits

• The new specifications allow wired DALI products, both DALI-2 and D4i, to be controlled within wireless ecosystems, offering greater flexibility and adaptability.
• Gateways translate seamlessly between DALI and Bluetooth NLC or Zigbee wireless protocols, providing robust interoperability.
• These standardized gateways allow wireless ecosystems to access data from wired DALI devices, including the rich set of luminaire, power and energy and diagnostics data available from D4i luminaires.

As Paul Drosihn, General Manager of the DALI Alliance, explains, “The introduction of these test and certification specifications for Wireless to DALI Gateways is a significant milestone. It opens up new possibilities for integrating DALI with wireless systems, creating a broader range of solutions for the industry. By standardizing these gateways, we’re promoting interoperability and providing a path forward for developers, manufacturers, and professionals in building automation.”

“The completion of the Bluetooth^® NLC to DALI Gateway Specification suite marks a significant milestone for lighting control systems,” said Neville Meijers, CEO of the Bluetooth SIG. “These standardized gateways enable seamless integration between DALI’s trusted wired systems and the leading wireless lighting standard. The collaboration highlights the power of open, industry-defined standards in driving innovation, building market confidence, and untapping the full potential of intelligent lighting systems to deliver consistent, value-added solutions for building management and occupants.”

Together, these standardized gateways extend the reach of DALI into both Bluetooth NLC and Zigbee ecosystems, ensuring interoperability across the industry’s leading wireless platforms.

“The integration of Zigbee and DALI represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of smart lighting and building automation,” said Tobin Richardson, President and CEO of the Connectivity Standards Alliance. “Zigbee’s robust, interoperable wireless mesh technology, combined with the precision and scalability of DALI’s digital lighting control, bridges the gap between field-level lighting devices and wireless IoT networks. The standardized gateways enhance flexibility, lower deployment complexity, and pave the way for more intelligent, energy-efficient buildings.”

The DALI Alliance’s commitment to open, industry-defined specifications is essential to ensure the correct functionality of these gateways. Unlike closed, proprietary solutions, standardized gateways help avoid compatibility issues and ensure a consistent user experience across different systems.

For more information about the test and certification specifications for Wireless to DALI Gateways, visit the DALI Alliance website www.dali-alliance.org/wireless/gateways.html

About DALI Alliance The DALI Alliance is a global, open, not-for-profit industry organization responsible for the development and promotion of DALI technology in the lighting sector. The DALI Alliance offers an ecosystem of standards to encourage compatibility and support a growing range of lighting and building automation applications.

For more information, please contact [email protected]

Visit our website: www.dali-alliance.org

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/44b55d44-0259-40bb-82fb-3f53bf6ee174

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1001156174

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Meltwater, a global leader in media, social, and consumer intelligence, has been recognized with three Comparably Awards underscoring the company’s continued commitment to building a strong culture, investing in leadership, and creating an environment where employees can do their best work.

Based entirely on anonymous employee feedback, Meltwater received recognition in the following categories:

• Best CEOs
• Best Company Culture
• Best Company Compensation

“We’re proud to have our commitment to people, leadership, and total rewards recognized by Comparably,” said Peyton O’Connor, Chief People Officer at Meltwater. “This honor reflects the work we do every day to build a collaborative, inclusive culture. That effort starts at the top with our CEO, John Box, whose commitment to transparency, respect, and accountability helps create an environment where employees are not only supported, but inspired to grow, contribute, and thrive.”

These awards reflect Meltwater’s commitment to providing a workplace culture grounded in collaboration, trust, and shared values. By investing in career growth, Meltwater’s leadership ensures that every team member has the resources and support needed to perform meaningful work.

With a presence in 50 locations across 25 countries, Meltwater’s global culture is rooted in the belief that when the right people are in the right environment, great things happen. Regardless of location, the company is dedicated to providing employees with opportunities to make an impact, learn daily, and receive the support needed to advance their careers.

In total this year, Meltwater has received 13 Comparably awards including Best Career Growth, Best Leadership Teams, Best Engineering Teams, Best HR Teams, Best Product & Design Teams, Best Sales Teams, Happiest Employees, Best Company Perks & Benefits, and Best Company Work-Life Balance. Meltwater remains committed to supporting employee well-being and engagement, recognizing their critical role in the company’s long-term success.

Comparably Awards are determined by sentiment feedback from current employees who anonymously rate their employers on Comparably.com. The data for these awards was collected over the past 12 months, ensuring an accurate representation of employee experiences.

For more information, please contact:
Stacy Slayden
[email protected]

About Meltwater
Meltwater empowers companies with solutions that span media, social, and consumer intelligence. By analyzing approximately 1 billion pieces of content daily and transforming them into vital insights, Meltwater unlocks the competitive edge to drive results. With 27,000 global customers, 50 offices across six continents, and 2,200 employees, Meltwater is the industry partner for global brands making an impact. Learn more at meltwater.com.

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 9605022

The island-wide special customs operations at the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) in south China were officially launched on Thursday. CGTN published an article highlighting how the port’s preferential policies will further stimulate business investment, facilitate cross-border flows of goods and production factors, and position Hainan as a key hub connecting domestic and international markets. 

BEIJING, Dec. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in south China’s Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), the world’s largest FTP by area, allowing freer entry of overseas goods, and expanded zero-tariff coverage and more business-friendly measures.

Hearing a work report on the FTP in early November, Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed the special customs operations as a landmark move to expand high-standard opening up and promote an open world economy. He called for efforts to better facilitate cross-border flows of factors of production and strive to create a first-rate business environment.

The idea of establishing the FTP was first proposed in 2018. Since then, multiple preferential policies – including duty-free shopping and low corporate income tax – have been introduced to make the business friendly FTP gradually take shape.

Starting on Thursday, the share of zero-tariff products in the Hainan FTP will surge from 21 percent to 74 percent, with the number of tariff-free items expanding from about 1,900 to 6,637, covering nearly all production equipment and raw materials.

Lan Zhenzhen, president of public affairs for L’Oréal North Asia and China, is optimistic about the company’s growth following Thursday’s launch.

“As China’s largest free trade pilot zone, Hainan FTP houses the world’s largest single duty-free store and is a major global shopping destination,” Lan said. “In the future, L’Oréal will continue to invest in Hainan to better serve global consumers.”

Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group is also eager to capitalize on the opportunities for further expansion.

Xue Zengyi, a China executive from CP Group, said the group’s coffee business will benefit from the FTP’s zero-tariff policy on raw and auxiliary materials, reducing import costs by 8 percent in tariffs and 13 percent in value-added tax on green coffee beans.

Xue said coffee beans imported from overseas can enter the Chinese mainland tariff-free if they are processed in Hainan with at least 30 percent value added.

Bridging China and global markets

The 30 percent threshold is another key policy introduced by the FTP in recent years, allowing companies to source raw materials globally, add value locally and sell finished products into the mainland market duty-free.

Hainan Weili Medical Technology, a major global catheter supplier, has seen tariff reductions since becoming Hainan’s first pilot for medical device processing and value-added operations in early 2023, previously sourcing most raw materials from Southeast Asia.

He Yongshen, the company’s head, said that they have saved over 4 million yuan (roughly $567,920) in tariffs since 2023 by selling value-added products to the mainland market. With these cost reductions, the company could invest more in R&D and market expansion, He added.

His company is not alone in benefiting from the changes, as preferential policies have drawn a growing number of investors to Hainan. Over the past five years, foreign direct investment in Hainan reached $9.78 billion, growing at an annual rate of 97 percent, with investments from 176 countries and regions.

Feng Fei, secretary of Hainan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, highlighted the island province’s unique position in linking the vast domestic market of 1.4 billion people with the Southeast Asian market with nearly 700 million people.

Echoing Feng, Huang Hanquan, head of the Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research under the National Development and Reform Commission, said Hainan FTP’s policies help create a trade route from Southeast Asian raw materials through Hainan processing to mainland distribution, positioning the island as a hub linking domestic and international markets.

The launch of island-wide special customs operations demonstrates China’s commitment to high-standard opening up, boosting both the domestic economy and global growth, Huang added.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-12-18/China-launches-island-wide-special-customs-operations-in-Hainan-FTP-1Jc62vV8qJ2/p.html

Contact: Jiang Simin [email protected]

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 9604462

The People’s Chain meets mobile-first payments: Spend crypto anywhere, earn MOVE rewards

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Movement Network today announced its partnership with KAST, the mobile-first payment platform that makes spending crypto as easy as using any payment card anywhere in the world. This partnership marks a major milestone in Movement’s mission to build the People’s Chain: a blockchain designed to solve real problems for real people.

Through this partnership, over half a million KAST users can earn $MOVE tokens with every transaction. All KAST card users can spend their crypto in everyday transactions at more than 150 million merchants that accept Visa around the world, all while earning 4% on their spend in $MOVE on top of existing KAST Points incentives.

This partnership introduces the first dual-rewards structure of its kind: users earn both KAST Points and $MOVE tokens on every purchase and can claim their $MOVE rewards directly in the KAST app, making this the first spending rewards program in Move history.

The timing is significant. Stablecoins have hit an inflection point in real-world usage, processing over $9 trillion in adjusted volume over the past year. That utility is now entering the mainstream fintech sector, with Visa reporting a fourfold increase in stablecoin-linked card spending in Q4. But most crypto cards still operate as one-way bridges, letting users spend crypto without giving them reasons to stay in the ecosystem. Movement x KAST changes that fundamentally, creating a true circular economy between everyday commerce and on-chain participation.

KAST is purpose-built for the same audience Movement serves: people who want crypto to work in their daily lives. The platform is mobile-first and designed for seamless real-world payments using stablecoins.

“Move is for money – that was always the vision when Mark Zuckerberg and the Libra team spent billions creating a blockchain language for global payments,” explains Torab Torabi, CEO, Move Industries, a core contributor to the Movement Network. “Traditional financial systems have overlooked the global south for too long, leaving billions without access to basic banking services. KAST is the first payments partner building the complete financial ecosystem we envisioned: mobile-first, borderless financial access that works for anyone, anywhere. This is how Movement becomes the financial rails of tomorrow.”

For more information about Movement, visit Move Industries and follow @Movement_xyz on Twitter.

About Move Industries
Move Industries is building a community-first Move-based blockchain ecosystem. Led by a team of industry veterans, Move Industries maintains a dual focus on technology and community. The organization intends to return to crypto’s radical roots: giving financial power and opportunity back to the people.

About KAST:
KAST is a mobile-first payment platform enabling users to spend crypto anywhere in the world through physical and virtual cards, with a focus on stablecoins and real-world utility.

Media Contact: [email protected]

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 9603579

• Zoom’s new AI Companion web surface leverages work conversations to help save time and boost productivity
• Personal workflows (beta), AI Companion 3.0 features for Zoom Docs (coming soon), and agentic AI features enhance work quality and streamline content creation
• Free-tier and standalone plans enable Zoom Basic users to try AI Companion capabilities or purchase AI Companion as a standalone add-on without a separate paid Zoom Workplace license

SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Zoom Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) unveiled the next evolution of its agentic AI solution, Zoom AI Companion 3.0, including new AI-first capabilities for personal workflows (beta), agentic AI features for Zoom Docs (coming soon), and a new web interface with expanded context to help users uncover insights, optimize their day, and uplevel their work.

AI Companion 3.0 utilizes Zoom’s unique federated AI approach that combines the power of Zoom’s own LLMs and SLMs with leading third-party LLMs from OpenAI and Anthropic. Zoom users can also leverage leading open source models like NVIDIA Nemotron. This federated approach, combined with AI Companion’s ability to deliver better-quality results through more accurate transcription, closed captions, and translated captions, provides users with more relevant information retrieval and task completion.

“The launch of AI Companion 3.0 is a turning point for Zoom, continuing our transformation from a meeting company into a pioneer of AI-first intelligent work orchestration. By empowering our users with new AI Companion capabilities, we’re helping them get even more done so they can focus on connection,” said Velchamy Sankarlingam, president of Product and Engineering at Zoom. “Offering AI Companion’s newest capabilities both as a standalone option and within paid Zoom plans reflects our core belief of democratizing access to AI and providing users with intuitive solutions that can seamlessly understand their work context and help move conversations to completion.”

“AI Companion 3.0 is the type of solution people need to get work done,” said Kevin Kieller, co-founder and lead analyst at enableUC. “People need easy-to-use, consistent, consolidated solutions, and that’s exactly what Zoom is striving to deliver with AI Companion 3.0. Adopting this type of solution will help organizations be more efficient and collaborative, ultimately driving productivity across an organization.”

As AI Companion’s capabilities expand across new surfaces, Zoom continues its commitment to security, privacy, and responsible AI. Zoom encrypts customer data in transit between customers and Zoom, between Zoom data centers and third-party model providers, and at rest within Zoom’s platform. In line with Zoom’s commitment to transparency and privacy principles, Zoom does not use communications-like customer content to train its own or third-party models.

“AI Companion is changing the way teams at Oracle work, helping us turn conversations into clear next steps and actionable insights,” said Christine Sarros, senior vice president, Enterprise Engineering, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. “We look forward to the upcoming AI Companion 3.0 release and the new capabilities it offers to further enhance collaboration and productivity.”

“Through our collaboration with Zoom on AI Companion 3.0, NVIDIA Nemotron open models are helping power the future of work,” said Kari Briski, vice president of generative AI software at NVIDIA. “Nemotron enables advanced reasoning and retrieval-augmented generation within Zoom’s federated AI stack, creating a private, powerful, and personalized work environment that enhances productivity for every enterprise customer.”

AI Companion can now be accessed from a desktop web browser at ai.zoom.us, making it even easier to transform rich meeting discussions into plans, briefs, and insights that help move work forward. Select AI Companion capabilities are also available for Zoom Workplace Basic users to try. They can also purchase AI Companion for $10 per month as a standalone, which does not require a paid Zoom Workplace license.

Conversational work surface uncovers insights from meetings

AI Companion helps people start their day with clarity and alignment, even when dealing with numerous post-meeting tasks and follow-ups. AI Companion’s new conversational work surface is connected to work interactions, transforming scattered meeting conversations and assets into insights, progress tracking, polished documents, and content without requiring users to upload meeting transcripts or additional documents or craft detailed prompts.

“At G42, we’re thrilled about the possibilities that Zoom AI Companion 3.0 brings to us,” said Ali Dalloul, CSO and Americas CEO at G42. “The new web-based work surface allows some of our divisions to experience Zoom’s agentic AI capabilities firsthand. It’s an exciting step toward a more connected, intelligent, and productive workplace.”

New AI Companion 3.0 features include:

• Agentic retrieval capabilities, which can locate information across meeting summaries, transcripts, and notes in Zoom Workplace, as well as connected third-party apps, including Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive, with Gmail and Outlook coming soon.
• The Post Meeting Follow Up prompt template generates follow-up tasks and drafts email messages based on the meeting and to-do items.
• The Daily Reflection Report prompt summarizes meetings, tasks, and updates to bring clarity to the workday, allowing users to focus on what matters.
• Agentic writing mode helps draft, edit, and refine business documents based on specific meetings or resources, and edit alongside AI in a canvas interface.
• Easily export to documents with a multitude of different file types, including MD, PDF, Microsoft Word, and Zoom Docs.
• Continue editing and collaborating in Zoom Docs with teammates using shared commenting, version history, and co‑authoring tools.
• Kick-start new initiatives with an AI brainstorming partner for projects and presentations.
• For Custom AI Companion customers, deep research mode helps save time by analyzing multiple documents and meetings to generate comprehensive insights that power next steps.

Optimize workflows with enhanced notes and automated task management

Maximize engagement, collaboration, and decision clarity with new features to help streamline repetitive tasks and document, act on, and share important decisions.

• With My Notes (coming soon), AI Companion can transcribe in-person meetings, Zoom Meetings, or meetings on other platforms, helping users keep track of critical details in one place.
• Personal workflows (in beta) can help users stay on track by automatically executing follow-up tasks, such as compiling insights from meetings and documents to deliver a daily reflection report or automatically summarizing a user’s Team Chat threads and sending key highlights each morning. (Beta feature availability depends on account type; some usage limitations may apply.)
• Users can start work on the web and seamlessly transition content to Zoom Docs or start within Zoom Docs, leveraging the same conversational, context-aware experience offered in the new AI Companion 3.0 web surface to create content and collaborate on projects with the new agentic writing and data table features (coming soon).

With AI Companion 3.0, Zoom continues to move beyond meetings to pioneer a new era of intelligent work orchestration, democratizing access to powerful AI capabilities across its platform. To learn more about AI Companion 3.0, visit the Zoom website.

About Zoom
Zoom (NASDAQ:ZM) provides the AI-first, open work platform built for human connection and purposefully designed to move conversations to completion. From entrepreneurs to global enterprises, customers choose Zoom to seamlessly collaborate, communicate, and drive outcomes across meetings, chat, phone, contact center, events, and more — all with the built-in assistance of Zoom AI Companion. Founded in 2011, Zoom is headquartered in San Jose, CA. For more information, visit zoom.com.

Zoom Public Relations
Lacretia Nichols
[email protected]

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 9602208