Newmark’s deep regional expertise across urban, nature and wildlife hospitality will expand Banyan Group’s scale and nature-based hospitality platform in one of the world’s fastest-growing tourism regions.

SINGAPORE and CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Sept. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Banyan Group (“Banyan Tree Holdings Limited” or the “Group” – SGX: B58), an independent global hospitality company, today announced a strategic partnership with Newmark Hotels & Reserves (“Newmark”), a Cape Town-headquartered hospitality management company, and the acquisition of a majority stake in Newmark under a phased ownership structure leading to full ownership over time.

As part of the partnership, Newmark joins Banyan Group as a collection brand, bringing its managed portfolio of 26 hotels, lodges and reserves across seven countries including Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe, while retaining its existing brand, teams and local operating approach to preserve the deep market knowledge and long-standing relationships that have contributed to its success. 

With the addition of Newmark Collection, Banyan Group’s portfolio will comprise nearly 130 hotels, resorts and reserves, more than 30 branded residences, and over 140 spas and galleries across 14 hospitality and residential brands in 28 countries.

The partnership brings together Newmark’s regional expertise and established hospitality management platform across urban, nature-based and wildlife hospitality with Banyan Group’s international distribution, development and commercial capabilities, supporting Newmark’s continued growth across Africa and greater international reach.

“We welcome Newmark to Banyan Group with confidence in the strength of the business it has built in Africa and the entrepreneurial spirit that has shaped it,” said Ho Kwon Ping, Founder and Executive Chairman of Banyan Group. “We see in Newmark many of the qualities that shaped Banyan Group from the beginning: independence of thought, a long-term view and the conviction to build something distinctive. We look forward to what we can build together across Africa.”

“Over nearly two decades, Newmark has built its business through strong teams, trusted owner and partner relationships and a portfolio where each property retains its own identity,” said Neil Markovitz, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Newmark Hotels & Reserves. “Joining Banyan Group gives us greater international reach and access to a wider network of expertise while retaining what has made Newmark successful. It also gives us greater scope to introduce travellers around the world to the destinations and experiences across our portfolio.”

From Cape Town to Africa’s Wild Heart

Newmark was founded in 2007 by Neil Markovitz, whose career in Cape Town hospitality dates to 1990 and includes serving as General Manager of the Victoria & Alfred Hotel. Housed in a converted 1904 warehouse overlooking Cape Town’s harbour and Table Mountain, the hotel was the first to open at the V&A Waterfront and later became one of the first properties in Newmark’s portfolio.

Today, Newmark’s collection stretches from Cape Town, beneath iconic Table Mountain, and Victoria Falls, two of the world’s most celebrated natural wonders, to some of Africa’s most remarkable landscapes and destinations. Its curated portfolio spans heritage and city hotels, nature and country lodges, island retreats and private game reserves, offering a diverse mix of urban, nature-based, wellbeing and wildlife experiences.

In South Africa’s Waterberg, QWABI Private Game Reserve spans 11,000 hectares within a UNESCO-designated biosphere, combining a Big Five safari experience with the regeneration of land previously used for agriculture. In the Greater Kruger ecosystem, Motswari Private Game Reserve celebrates its 50^th anniversary in 2026, shaped by a long history of conservation. Motswari has been part of the Newmark portfolio since 2013. Further north, Gorilla Heights Lodge sits on the edge of Uganda’s UNESCO-listed Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to endangered mountain gorillas.

Future Found Sanctuary, set on the slopes of Table Mountain, brings a regenerative wellness dimension through experiences rooted in nature and restoration, while Newmark’s presence in Zanzibar and Mauritius adds Indian Ocean island experiences to the portfolio.

From One Vision to a Wider World of Discovery

From its first flagship Banyan Tree resort in Phuket, developed following the rehabilitation of a former tin-mining site and recognised for pioneering naturally luxurious and ecologically sensitive hospitality, Banyan Group has expanded over more than three decades into a global, multi-brand hospitality business. Its pioneering spirit, design-led experiences and commitment to responsible stewardship continue to shape its growth. In 2025, the Group marked its 100^th resort globally with the opening of Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree, a symbolic homecoming to Singapore.

Africa has been a growing part of that expansion. Banyan Group’s existing footprint in the region comprises four hotels and four spas across Morocco, Mauritius, South Africa and Tanzania, including Banyan Tree Tamouda Bay, Marrakech Riads, Angsana Heritage Collection and Ubuyu, a Banyan Tree Escape, its first safari lodge. The Group is also set to enter West Africa with the upcoming Dhawa Ouidah in Benin. Newmark broadens Banyan Group’s regional network, extending its presence into Namibia, Nigeria, Uganda and Zimbabwe, while adding specialist expertise in wildlife and nature-based hospitality.

The partnership comes amid strong travel demand across Africa. The continent welcomed 81 million international tourist arrivals in 2025, up 8% year on year, the strongest growth among global regions, according to UN Tourism. WTTC expects the region’s Travel & Tourism economy to grow a further 5.4% in 2026, placing Africa among the world’s fastest-growing tourism regions.

Eddy See, President and Chief Executive Officer of Banyan Group, said: “Africa is a long-term growth market for Banyan Group. Newmark brings an established management business, long-standing owner relationships and strong operating capabilities that deepen our presence in the region and strengthen our asset-right model. Its local market knowledge and development pipeline, combined with Banyan Group’s international sales, distribution and development network, give us a stronger platform to pursue the right opportunities across Africa.”

Continuity and the Next Stage of Growth

Newmark will continue to operate under its existing brand and leadership, led by Neil Markovitz and the current management team. Day-to-day operations, property branding, owner relationships and existing commercial arrangements will remain unchanged, with Newmark’s local teams continuing to lead relationships with owners, guests, partners and communities.

“Newmark’s hotels, lodges and reserves are closely connected to the places in which they operate,” said Ho Ren Yung, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Banyan Group. “We want to preserve that local approach, particularly in nature-based and wildlife hospitality, where culture, communities and the natural environment are integral to the guest experience. As we grow together, we want each property to retain the character and sense of place that have shaped its success.”

Newmark will retain its own brand presence and direct channels, including the Newmark website. Guests can continue to book through existing channels, with all confirmed reservations honoured under their existing terms.

Over time, Newmark properties will also become available through Banyan Group’s booking platforms and participate in withBanyan, its guest recognition programme, giving members access to rates and benefits at participating properties while extending Newmark’s reach to Banyan Group’s global audience.

As integration progresses, guests will have a more connected way to discover, book and be recognised across both portfolios, united by a shared commitment to sustainability, conservation and meaningful travel.

Discover more at www.groupbanyan.com and www.newmarkhotels.com.

For high-resolution images, please download here.

ABOUT BANYAN GROUP

Banyan Group (“Banyan Tree Holdings Limited” or the “Group” – SGX: B58) is an independent, global hospitality company with purpose. The Group prides itself on its pioneering spirit, design-led experiences and commitment to responsible stewardship. Its extensive portfolio spans nearly 130 hotels, resorts and reserves, over 30 branded residences and more than 140 spas and galleries in 28 countries. Comprising 14 hospitality and residential brands, including the flagship brand Banyan Tree, each distinct yet united under the experiential membership programme withBanyan. The founding ethos of “Embracing the Environment, Empowering People” is embodied through the Banyan Global Foundation and Banyan Academy. Banyan Group is committed to remaining the leading advocate of sustainable travel, with a focus on regenerative tourism and innovative programmes that elevate the guest experience.

ABOUT NEWMARK HOTELS & RESERVES

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Cape Town, Newmark Hotels & Reserves is an African hospitality management company and part of Banyan Group where it operates a collection brand of nearly 30 properties across Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Newmark lives by the promise of “Experience Authentic”, creating distinctive experiences rooted in the location, culture, natural setting and people of each property. Its portfolio ranges from heritage and city hotels, nature and country lodges, island retreats and private game reserves, offering a diverse mix of urban, nature-based, wellbeing and wildlife experiences. Across South Africa, Newmark’s presence extends from Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront and the Karoo to the UNESCO Waterberg Biosphere, Greater Kruger and the Greater Makalali Private Game Reserve. Further afield, guests can experience gorilla trekking in Uganda, island retreats in Mauritius and Zanzibar, golf in West Africa, and nature and wildlife destinations in Zimbabwe and Namibia.

ABOUT ADVISORS

Moelis & Company UK LLP serves as exclusive financial advisor and White & Case LLP serves legal counsel to Newmark Hotels. WongPartnership LLP serves as legal counsel to Banyan.

SOURCE Banyan Group

ALCOR Scientific’s iSED® analyzers reshape lab logistics and improve patient care for one of medicine’s most widely used tests

• Seven times longer stability, independently validated. ESR samples on ALCOR Scientific’s iSED analyzer remained accurate for up to 28 hours at room temperature and 48 hours refrigerated, outperforming the four-hour limit of traditional Westergren testing.
• A breakthrough for modern lab logistics. The extended sample stability delivers workflow and cost savings for clinical labs navigating scattered blood collection sites, longer courier routes and staffing shortages.
• Improved patient care. With more than a full day of room-temperature stability, delayed and after-hours samples can be tested with confidence, reducing rejections and blood redraws while improving results and the patient experience.

SMITHFIELD, R.I., Sept. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — For a hundred years, one number has quietly governed erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), a test doctors rely on to diagnose and monitor infections, autoimmune conditions and other diseases: four. As in four hours, the narrow window in which a traditional ESR sample had to be tested or refrigerated before its result could no longer be trusted. A new peer-reviewed study published in Diagnostics says that deadline belongs to the past.

The study found that ESR samples measured by photometric rheology on ALCOR Scientific’s iSED® analyzers remained accurate for up to 28 hours at room temperature and 48 hours refrigerated, seven times longer than the traditional Westergren method’s four-hour room-temperature limit.

The impact is significant. One of the most widely used tests in medicine is no longer bound by a four-hour deadline. As clinical labs contend with scattered blood collection sites, longer courier routes and staffing shortages, the extended sample stability delivers immediate benefits to labs and the patients they serve.

The full study “Measuring Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate Using Photometric Rheology Technology Demonstrates Superior Sample Stability as Compared to the Westergren Method,” is available at https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/16/16/2648.

The problem hiding in the back of a courier van

ESR is one of the oldest tests in medicine, and one of the most widely ordered, with millions performed every year. It’s a fast and affordable marker of inflammation that helps detect and monitor a range of conditions, from infections and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis to inflammatory conditions like giant cell arteritis, as well as certain cancers. Unlike tests that measure a specific molecule, ESR measures a behavior: how quickly red blood cells aggregate and settle in a tube, which makes it acutely vulnerable to time and temperature.

That vulnerability collides head-on with how modern labs operate. At the same time, labs are consolidating into centralized, high-volume centers, they’re navigating growing blood collection sites and staffing shortages. Between the needle and the analyzer sits a courier network that batches specimens onto multi-stop routes, often carrying them for hours in vehicles with no meaningful temperature control. Meeting a strict four-hour clock across that chain is often impossible. Worse, the failure is invisible because a degraded sample doesn’t arrive flagged. It arrives looking perfectly normal, and its result gets reported and acted on like any other.

Beyond gravity: a new way to measure inflammation

The iSED analyzer takes a fundamentally different approach to ESR testing. Using photometric rheology technology, it optically captures red blood cell aggregation, the earliest and most critical step of erythrocyte sedimentation, inside a temperature-controlled flow cell, generating a result in less than 20 seconds. Because it reads the very beginning of the aggregation process in a controlled environment, the iSED analyzer is largely insulated from the time-sensitive changes that undermine traditional readings, extending sample stability seven times longer than traditional testing.

From four hours to 28: a breakthrough for labs

Extending sample stability from four hours to 28 in ESR is a breakthrough for laboratory logistics, offering labs and the patients they serve immediate, tangible benefits, including:

• Reliable results: greater confidence in every result, especially when samples travel long distances or are delayed.
• Fewer rejected samples: specimens delayed in transit or received during minimal-staffing hours can still be tested with confidence.
• Fewer needle sticks for patients: sparing patients the burden of repeat phlebotomy for a common blood test.
• One tube, two tests: with longer stability, the same EDTA tube can realistically serve both ESR and CBC testing, and add-on ESR requests become feasible.
• Workflow and cost savings: a meaningful advantage as clinical laboratories navigate deepening workforce shortages.

“For decades, labs have been forced to build their entire ESR workflow around limited sample stability. Extending room temperature stability by an additional 24 hours is a game changer, not only improving logistics but truly improving patient care by ensuring reliable results. Giving labs a full day of reliable stability isn’t a convenience. It’s better medicine,” said Jim Post, CEO, Alcor Scientific.

About the study

The study, “Measuring Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate Using Photometric Rheology Technology Demonstrates Superior Sample Stability as Compared to the Westergren Method,” was published in Diagnostics (2026;16(16):2648) by Koshy, Lamazares, Evans, and Jortani. The research was conducted under Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval at two hospital sites and funded by ALCOR Scientific.

About ALCOR Scientific
ALCOR Scientific develops diagnostic technologies that optimize laboratory efficiency. Founded in 2011, the company leverages its deep understanding of bioscience and state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques to design transformational solutions that help health care providers save time and improve patient care. ALCOR Scientific is one of the only providers to offer a fully automated solution for Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) testing for all laboratory throughputs and workflows. For more information, visit alcorscientific.com.

Media Contact
Megan McCutcheon, ALCOR Scientific
Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Alcor Scientific

 New Automation and Integration Capabilities for Working Capital Portfolios

NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — GSCF, a leading global provider of working capital solutions, today announced significant enhancements to C4: Connected Capital Control Center, its integrated working capital servicing platform. The new capabilities – expanded data integration, an end-to-end dispute management module and automated credit limit management via direct insurer API connectivity – are designed to reduce manual effort, accelerate decision-making, and give corporates, banks and asset managers greater control across their working capital portfolios.

“These enhancements reflect client priorities for – less manual intervention, faster issue resolution and tighter integration across their programs. C4 is the operational layer that achieves these objectives at scale,” said Doug Morgan, Chief Executive Officer of GSCF.

Seamless Data Integration

C4 now offers flexible integration paths that connect clients’ existing systems directly to the platform to eliminate manual steps and enable straight-through processing across the working capital lifecycle. Clients can choose the integration approach that fits their current infrastructure, including APIs, with GSCF providing the expertise and managed services to implement it. The result is a program that operates with greater automation and less operational strain.

End-to-End Dispute Management

GSCF has introduced a purpose-built dispute management module within C4, bringing the full dispute lifecycle under one governed, transparent framework. Suppliers, buyers, funders and operations teams each gain the visibility and workflow tools needed to resolve disputes faster with increased accountability and without the friction of fragmented, manual processes.

Automated Credit Limit Management

For organizations operating insured working capital programs, C4 now automates the synchronization of buyer credit limit decisions with a leading global insurer in near-real time. A process that previously required days of manual replication across systems now happens automatically to reduce operational risk and accelerate the speed at which credit decisions can be executed.

“C4 was built to absorb program complexity so our clients don’t have to. These three capabilities extend that principle to give clients seamless integration, structured dispute resolution and automated credit management reducing operational friction and risk,” said Shannon Dolan, Chief Product Officer of GSCF.

About GSCF

GSCF is the leading global provider of working capital solutions. The Company enables corporates and financial partners to accelerate growth, unlock liquidity and manage the risk and complexity of the end-to-end working capital cycle. We originate, manage and analyze working capital programs through our innovative Working Capital as a Service offering, combining the power of C4, a configurable and comprehensive technology platform, expert services and a Connected Capital ecosystem of alternative capital solutions and bank capital. GSCF’s team of working capital experts operates in over 75 countries to solve global working capital efficiency challenges. Visit www.gscf.com to learn more.

Natalie Silverman
Chief Marketing Officer 
[email protected] 

SOURCE GSCF

World’s Top Honors for Women Professionals to Be Presented in New York City on November 16

FAIRFAX, Va., Sept. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Finalists were announced today in the 23^rd annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business, the world’s top honors for women entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run. Visit http://Women.StevieAwards.com for a complete list of Finalists by category.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business are produced by the Stevie Awards, creators of The American Business Awards® and The International Business Awards®, among other business awards programs. The Stevies are widely regarded as the world’s premier honors for achievement in the workplace.

This year’s Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists will be revealed during an awards banquet at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on Monday, November 16. More than 400 winners, guests, and Stevie Awards judges from around the world are expected to attend the presentations, which will be broadcast live.

More than 1,500 nominations were submitted this year by organizations and individuals for consideration in categories including Executive of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Startup of the Year, Women Helping Women, and Women-run Workplace of the Year, among many others.

Nominations were submitted by organizations in 56 nations including Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Eswatini, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, United States Minor Outlying Islands, and Zimbabwe.

Among the many extraordinary organizations and women who have been recognized as Finalists, the following stand out as those with six or more Finalist nominations:

Cherishers 811 CIC, Rugeley, Staffordshire, United Kingdom — 23 awards
IBM, various locations — 20 awards
Purpol Marketing Ltd, Chippenham, Wiltshire, UK — 16 awards
The Dr Z Functional Medicine Academy LLC, Sheridan, WY, USA — 14 awards
UnitedHealthcare Consumer Services, Eden Prairie, MN, USA — 12 awards
Jared Dunscombe Foundation, Mount Eliza, VIC, Australia — 9 awards
Supernal World Creations, Naples, FL, USA — 9 awards
4 Voices, Queensland, Australia — 8 awards
Adele M Anthony, Kearneys Spring, Australia — 8 awards
Blue Diamond Property Group, New South Wales, Australia — 8 awards
BELBİM, İstanbul, Türkiye — 7 awards
BRYGE AI, New York, NY, USA — 7 awards
Dream Culture, Sydney, NSW, Australia — 7 awards
Empowered Living Care, Sydney, Australia — 7 awards
Epique Realty, Houston, TX, USA — 7 awards
National Talents Company, Khobar, Saudi Arabia — 7 awards
Nikki Langman, Melbourne, Australia — 7 awards
The Audacious Agency, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia — 7 awards
Access Offshoring, Brisbane, Australia — 6 awards
Avahi Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA — 6 awards
Award Writing Services, Bali, Indonesia — 6 awards
Expand Your Empire, Fort Collins, CA, USA — 6 awards
Innovative Leadership Institute, Columbus, OH, USA — 6 awards
Katrina Wurm, Gisborne, Victoria, Australia — 6 awards
Lead & Empower Her, Coronado, CA, USA — 6 awards
Syzygy – Life Directionist, Lake Munmorah, NSW, Australia — 6 awards

Finalists were determined by the average scores of more than 200 professionals around the world, working on seven juries. Their scores will also determine the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie placements from among the Finalists, to be announced on November 16 during the ceremony.

About the Stevie Awards

Since 2002, the Stevie Awards have been among the world’s premier business awards programs, recognizing outstanding achievements in the workplace worldwide. The name “Stevie” is derived from the Greek word stephanos, meaning “crowned.”

The Stevie Awards include nine business awards programs:

• Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards
• German Stevie Awards
• Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards
• The American Business Awards®
• The International Business Awards®
• Stevie Awards for Great Employers
• Stevie Awards for Women in Business
• Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence
• Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service

Each year, the Stevie Awards receive more than 12,000 nominations from organizations in more than 70 nations and territories, recognizing organizations of every size and the professionals behind their success.

Learn more at www.StevieAwards.com.

Media Contact:

Nina Moore
+1 703 547 8389
[email protected] 

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SOURCE The Stevie Awards

ZEISS’ new multimodal solution combines automated OCT and fundus imaging to support simplified and efficient retinal assessment across a broader range of eye care practices.

JENA, Germany, Sept. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ZEISS Medical Technology, one of the world’s leading medical technology companies, announced the expansion of its retinal imaging portfolio with the ZEISS ALTA DUO fully automated, compact, multimodal imaging solution. Combining OCT and fundus photography within a single imaging device, the new solution broadens the ZEISS retinal imaging offering and helps address the needs of practices seeking efficient access to multimodal retinal imaging. Eye care practices operate with different clinical priorities, workflow requirements and patient volumes. The introduction of ZEISS ALTA DUO 300 expands the range of retinal imaging solutions available from ZEISS, enabling eye care professionals to select the imaging platform that best aligns with their practice needs.

The ZEISS ALTA DUO 300 will be showcased at the European Society of Retina Specialists (EURETINA) congress in Vienna, Austria, from Oct. 1 – 4 and will be available in select markets later in 2026.

“With the introduction of the ZEISS ALTA DUO 300, we deliver new customer value by expanding our ZEISS retinal imaging portfolio for eye care professionals, whose needs vary, depending on the patients they serve and services they provide. The ALTA DUO adds an alternative fully automated, multimodal device to the ZEISS OCT portfolio, complementing the comprehensive CIRRUS solution,” says Andreas Völker, Head of the Ophthalmology Strategic Business Unit, ZEISS Medical Technology.

“Many practices are looking for ways to integrate retinal imaging into everyday patient care through workflows that are efficient, consistent and easy to adopt. By bringing OCT and fundus imaging together with automated acquisition capabilities, ZEISS ALTA DUO 300 helps address those needs while allowing practices to benefit from the broader ZEISS ophthalmic portfolio,” says Anuj Kalra, Head of Chronic Disease Management at ZEISS Medical Technology.

ZEISS ALTA DUO multimodal, fully automated OCT, simplified

The ZEISS ALTA DUO 300 is built around four key diagnostic technologies, combined into one automated device that enables users to achieve consistent results with ease. The device offers a fully automated structural OCT with a robust reference database and comprehensive reporting, combined with a true color fundus camera. It also includes high resolution AI enhanced OCT-Angiography capability together with full chamber depth anterior OCT scan capability (without the need for external lens applications), providing eye care professionals with multiple diagnostic functionalities in one simple device.

To learn more about the ZEISS ALTA DUO 300, visit the ZEISS booth B50 in Hall B at the European Society of Retina Specialists (EURETINA) congress in Vienna, Austria, from Oct. 1 – 4.

Not all products, services or offers are approved or offered in every market and approved labelling and instructions may vary from one country to another. For country specific product information, see the appropriate country website. 

Company Profile

Carl Zeiss Meditec AG (ISIN: DE0005313704), which is listed on the TecDAX and SDAx of the German stock exchange, is one of the world’s leading medical technology companies. The Company supplies innovative technologies and application-oriented solutions designed to help doctors improve the quality of life of their patients. The Company offers complete solutions, including implants and consumables, to diagnose and treat eye diseases. The Company creates innovative visualization solutions in the field of microsurgery. With 5,784 employees worldwide, the Group generated revenue of €2,228m in fiscal year 2024/25 (to 30 September).

The Group’s head office is located in Jena, Germany, and it has subsidiaries in Germany and abroad; more than 50 percent of its employees are based in the USA, Japan, Spain and France. The Center for Application and Research (CARIn) in Bangalore, India and the Carl Zeiss Innovations Center for Research and Development in Shanghai, China, strengthen the Company’s presence in these rapidly developing economies. Around 39 percent of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG’s shares are in free float. Approx. 59 percent are held by Carl Zeiss AG, one of the world’s leading groups in the optical and optoelectronic industries.

For further information visit: www.zeiss.com/med.

SOURCE Carl Zeiss Meditec AG

SHANGHAI, Sept. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — At HUAWEI CONNECT 2026, Huawei Cloud Stack Summit, themed “Agentic Hybrid Cloud: Powering a New Era of Intelligence,” brought together leading enterprises from around the world to explore emerging trends in digital infrastructure and AI and share insights from real-world deployments, highlighting how AI can unlock new levels of productivity across industries.

A deterministic hybrid cloud architecture offers enterprises a clear path forward in the agentic AI era

Antonony Gu, President of Huawei Hybrid Cloud, delivered a keynote speech at the summit, highlighting three fundamental changes in the agentic AI era:

• The actors driving business execution are changing: from humans using applications to human-agent collaboration and agent-to-agent (A2A) collaboration. AI agents are emerging at scale as a new class of digital employees.
• Resource provisioning is changing: AI agents are task-oriented, relying on compute, data, and models that are packaged and readily available for invocation. Resource delivery is shifting from layer-by-layer assembly to integrated capabilities organized around agent-driven tasks.
• What’s being managed is changing: The focus is shifting from traditional IT resources, such as compute, storage, and networking, to AI compute, data, and models. Managing these resources through separate systems can create new IT silos.

Addressing these changes, Huawei Cloud has introduced an AI agent-ready hybrid cloud architecture^Next, comprising four key capabilities: an agile, elastic cloud infrastructure designed for continuous evolution and unified general-purpose and AI compute; an AI-native capability hub that connects data, compute, and tokens; an agent-native enablement platform for developing and running AI agents at scale; and intelligent operations and end-to-end security capabilities covering the entire AI agent lifecycle. Antonony Gu emphasized, “As AI agent adoption continues to accelerate over the next three to five years, a deterministic hybrid cloud architecture is a clear path forward for enterprises in the agentic world.”

All for AI: Huawei Cloud Stack evolves for the agentic AI era

As the agentic AI era approaches, Huawei Cloud Stack is evolving across four key areas: infrastructure, data, AI, and ecosystem.

• Infrastructure evolution, building the foundation for AI: Huawei Cloud Stack builds Agentic Infra as the foundation for the AI era. This infrastructure supports the latest A5 SuperPoDs. With technologies like NPU pooling and memory snapshots, compute utilization can increase from 30% to 70%. Huawei Cloud Stack also provides an observable, measurable, and governable operations and management framework for AI agents, turning cloud management platforms into intelligent management hubs. It further provides end-to-end protection for infrastructure, models, and AI agents.
• Unleashing data value, turning enterprise data into intelligent productivity: Huawei Cloud Stack provides end-to-end data lifecycle capabilities for reliable data management, efficient data delivery, intelligent data use, and trusted data circulation. With a decoupled storage and compute architecture, AI DataLake for multimodal data management, and DataArts for intelligent, data-driven decision-making, Huawei Cloud Stack helps turn data from a resource into a source of productivity while laying a solid data foundation for the agentic AI era.
• AI-driven industry, bringing AI into production across industries: Huawei Cloud is increasing its investment in foundation models and integrating such models with industry know-how to drive automated model iteration and continuous evolution. It offers leading domain-specific foundation models, such as Vision-Language Model (VLM), Scientific Computing Model, and Prediction Model, as well as OptVerse AI Solver for optimization and decision-making. Meanwhile, Huawei Cloud Stack leverages its model training and inference platform to deliver high-performance inference and a reliable supply of high-quality tokens, ensuring uninterrupted execution of agent tasks.
• Partner co-creation, building an open AI ecosystem together: Huawei Cloud remains committed to open collaboration on AI, backed by targeted incentives and dedicated AI and service capability improvement programs. Together with partners and developers, Huawei Cloud is building an Industry AI Foundry. By bringing together reference solutions and practices from areas such as Smart Finance and Smart Government, it aims to accelerate the replication of proven AI solutions across enterprise scenarios.

Bridging the last mile of production-grade AI: Success stories across industries

As Africa’s largest bank by assets, Standard Bank operates across more than 20 countries and serves over one-fifth of Africa’s population. The bank has chosen Huawei Cloud Stack to build a new, cloud-based banking core. Khomotso Molabe, CIO for Personal & Private Banking and Group Deputy CIO at Standard Bank Group, said that Huawei Cloud Stack meets the bank’s evolving needs for modernizing its core banking systems while ensuring zero data loss and zero errors. This marks a critical step in Standard Bank’s transition to a cloud-native architecture, laying a solid foundation for greater business agility in the future.

Hassan Abbas, CEO of Sky47, shared how Pakistan is rapidly advancing from cloud to AI-driven transformation. He explained that Sky47 has built a national AI cloud platform on Huawei Cloud Stack, integrating locally deployed cloud infrastructure, AI compute, and model development and management capabilities powered by Huawei Cloud ModelArts. The platform provides unified management of compute, storage, networking, and AI resources, and supports the full model lifecycle, from development and deployment to inference and operations. It currently supports a wide range of AI applications, including intelligent Q&A, AI assistants, and generative AI, across key sectors such as finance, manufacturing, energy, and high-tech. By delivering secure, easy-to-use, and scalable cloud and AI services, the platform is helping drive intelligent transformation and injecting new momentum into Pakistan’s digital economy and AI industry.

The agentic AI era is opening up new possibilities for enterprises. Looking ahead, Huawei Cloud Stack, guided by the principle of “All for AI,” will continue to invest heavily in Agentic Infra, data, and AI. Together with partners, Huawei Cloud Stack will foster an open ecosystem, helping enterprises build, use, and manage cloud environments efficiently and bring AI into production across industries.

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SOURCE HUAWEI CLOUD

ABU DHABI, UAE, Sept. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Cyble, a global AI-native cybersecurity company, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Cyber Security Council of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the federal entity responsible for strengthening the UAE’s cybersecurity posture. The agreement formalizes a strategic collaboration centered on Cyble’s threat intelligence capabilities, marking a significant milestone in Cyble’s engagement with the UAE’s national cybersecurity ecosystem.

The MOU establishes a framework for Cyble to support the Council’s mission of protecting UAE’s digital infrastructure, with a focus on delivering advanced threat intelligence, early warning capabilities, and actionable insights into emerging cyber risks facing government and critical-infrastructure entities across the country.

This collaboration reflects the UAE’s continued commitment to building a resilient, forward-looking cybersecurity posture at the national level, and positions Cyble as a trusted technology partner within that effort. By working closely with the Council, Cyble aims to help strengthen visibility into threat actors, malicious campaigns, and vulnerabilities that could impact the UAE’s most critical systems and services.

“This is not just a partnership announcement. It is a strategic validation of Cyble’s capabilities at the national cybersecurity level and potentially a gateway to the UAE government and critical-infrastructure ecosystem,” said Beenu Arora, CEO and Co-Founder, Cyble. “Working alongside the Cyber Security Council underscores the trust placed in our threat intelligence platform and reflects the growing importance of proactive, intelligence-led defense in protecting nations against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.”

“The Cyber Security Council is committed to building strategic partnerships with world-class technology providers that strengthen the UAE’s cyber resilience at every level,” said H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security for the UAE. “This MOU with Cyble reflects our shared commitment to safeguarding the nation’s digital infrastructure through advanced threat intelligence and proactive, intelligence-led defense — ensuring the UAE remains at the forefront of global cybersecurity readiness.”

The agreement builds on Cyble’s broader strategy of deepening engagement with government and regulatory bodies across the Middle East, reinforcing its position as a trusted partner to national cybersecurity authorities navigating an increasingly complex threat landscape.

Cyble’s threat intelligence platform, Cyble Vision, powered by Blaze AI, will play a central role in the collaboration — delivering rapid detection, automated analysis, and contextual insights into ransomware, phishing, fraud, and other evolving threats relevant to national security priorities.

About Cyble

Cyble is a global, AI-native cybersecurity company specializing in threat intelligence, digital risk protection, and dark web monitoring. Its flagship platform, Cyble Vision, powered by Blaze AI, delivers rapid threat detection, automated analysis, and contextual insights into ransomware, phishing, and fraud.

Media Contacts:
[email protected]
+1 678 379 3241
www.cyble.com

SOURCE Cyble Inc.

NYSE issues a pre-market daily advisory direct from the trading floor.

NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) provides a daily pre-market update directly from the NYSE Trading Floor. Access today’s NYSE Pre-market update for market insights before trading begins. 

Ashley Mastronardi delivers the pre-market update on September 17th

• American Savings Bank scored a winning debut as a publicly traded company.
  • Shares of the American Savings Bank (NYSE: ASBH) rose 6.25% on Wednesday.
  • On NYSE Live, CEO Ann Teranishi discussed the level of responsibility the firm has to support the needs of its customers.
• The Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time since 2023.
  • The central bank raised interest rates by 25 basis points, while policymakers signaled another rate hike could take place later this year.
  • In his news conference, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh emphasized that inflation remains too high.
• Profound secured a $180 million Series D raise earlier this week.
  • The round boosted Profound’s valuation to $1.8 billion
  • Co-founder + CEO James Cadwallader will join NYSE Live to explain how his platform Is uniquely built to win in the era of emerging technologies.
• Sequen AI recently raised $90 million in Series B funding.
  • The company elevated its valuation to $1.44 billion.
  • The behavioral AI and enterprise software startup is launching Recursive Ranking Intelligence (RRI), an autonomous AI researcher.

Opening Bell
The New York Times (NYSE: NYT) marks 175 years since its founding.

Closing Bell
Nomura Holdings (NYSE: NMR) marks 100 years since its founding.

For market insights, IPO activity, and today’s opening bell, download the NYSE TV App and check out the NYSE YouTube: TV.NYSE.com and YouTube.com/@NYSEofficial

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/american-savings-bank-jumps-more-than-6-in-trading-debut-nyse-content-update-302882122.html

SOURCE New York Stock Exchange

SHANGHAI, Sept. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — At HUAWEI CONNECT 2026, David Wang, Deputy Chairman of the Board and Rotating Chairman at Huawei, officially introduced OceanStor M900 Context Memory Storage during his keynote. Designed for AI inference in hyperscale data centers, the product provides SuperPoDs with a fully shared memory space that offers PB-scale capacity and TB/s-level performance. This marks a shift in AI infrastructure from a compute-centric model to deep collaboration among compute, network, and storage. This will help unleash the computing power of SuperPoDs.

2026 has seen the accelerated transition of AI from technological breakthroughs to large-scale implementation. AI applications have evolved from chatbots to agents capable of autonomously completing complex tasks. These agents are widely adopted in critical sectors, marking the beginning of the agentic AI era.

As large models grow to 10 trillion-scale parameters, SuperPoDs are becoming the optimal choice for AI infrastructure. Mainstream large models already support context windows exceeding one million tokens, multi-turn inference and complex tasks have become the norm, and KV cache data generated during inference continues to grow. These trends have pushed on-chip memory and DRAM beyond their limits in capacity and cost-effectiveness. It has become an industry consensus to build a multi-tier storage system that coordinates on-chip memory, DRAM, and SSDs to create a fully shared memory space with massive capacity.

Huawei introduced OceanStor M900 Context Memory Storage to overcome the memory capacity bottlenecks in ultra-long context and multi-turn inference. OceanStor M900 uses the UnifiedBus network to build PB-scale, global multi-tier KV cache with one-hop connections. This fully unleashes the computing power potential of SuperPoDs and accelerates AI inference in hyperscale data centers. OceanStor M900 Context Memory Storage has three key capabilities:

Breaking Capacity Boundaries to Empower Large-Scale AI with Massive Memory

Powered by the high-speed UnifiedBus interconnect network, the KV cache achieves global pooling and sharing with tiered storage. The KV cache of SuperPoDs is expanded from on-chip memory and DRAM to SSDs, enabling a single cluster to deliver 64 PB of capacity. The available KV cache capacity per NPU is upgraded from gigabytes to terabytes, allowing more context to be stored, shared, and reused. This significantly boosts the KV cache hit ratio.

Boosting Inference Performance to Fully Unleash Computing Power

OceanStor M900 is the industry’s first architecture to integrate the CPU, network controller unit, and NAND controller unit. It provides native KV semantics to enable one-hop connection from the SuperPoD’s NPU to SSDs. This eliminates the need for protocol conversion and CPU forwarding, slashing access latency from milliseconds to 60 microseconds, a 90% reduction. A single cluster delivers 40 TB/s of aggregate access bandwidth, 1.5 times higher than peer solutions. In typical AI programming scenarios, this architecture doubles the inference cluster’s token throughput and halves the time to first token, converting computing power into productivity.

Lowering Token Costs to Enable  Economical Large-Scale AI Adoption

OceanStor M900 uses the industry’s first KV-aware adaptive storage technology, which predicts KV cache lifecycles based on data value and intelligently distributes data across storage media. This technology enables up to 24 drive writes per day (DWPD), extending SSD endurance by 16 times and ensuring stability for three years. By reducing media replacement and O&M costs, it lowers the long-term costs of large-scale AI inference infrastructure and enables faster AI adoption.

As AI expands into major production systems in all manner of industries, AI infrastructure is evolving from a compute-centric model toward tighter compute-network-storage collaboration. Context memory storage will be essential for continually enhancing the capacity and access efficiency of hyperscale inference KV caches.

SOURCE Huawei