Company details plan to unify payments, compliance, and AI-driven transaction execution, targeting cross-border commerce and agent-driven transactions

HANGZHOU, China, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On April 17, 2026, Lianlian DigiTech held its 2026 Investor Day in Hangzhou, presenting its updated strategic positioning and a clearly defined path to long-term value creation, and outlining a firm commitment to an AI-native operating model and sustained growth.

Lianlian DigiTech: From a cross-border payments specialist to an AI-native global financial infrastructure provider

Zhang Zhengyu, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Lianlian DigiTech, attended the event alongside the company’s senior management team and delivered a keynote titled Building Trusted Global Intelligent Financial Infrastructure. During the presentation, the company formally outlined its move from a cross-border payments specialist to an AI-native global financial infrastructure provider.

Zhang framed the transition through three interlocking drivers—timing, positioning, and execution—offering investors a clear, structured view of the company’s long-term development.

Strategic Foundations: Timing, Positioning, and Execution

Timing — At a point where advances in computing are reshaping finance, AI is driving a shift in how the company operates.

The global digital payments sector is undergoing structural change, with AI redefining end-to-end commercial processes. Building on more than a decade of cross-border expertise, data capabilities, and compliance experience, Lianlian DigiTech is building an AI-native platform that handles payments, compliance, and transaction logic as a single system—moving beyond standalone payment processing toward full-process orchestration.

Positioning — Connecting Eastern supply chains with global markets, with a differentiated role across cross-border commerce.

As a fintech company linking Eastern supply chains with global markets, Lianlian DigiTech operates across cross-border payments, fund flows, and compliance in multiple jurisdictions. Its global licensing footprint and track record of operating under multiple regulatory regimes have established regulatory credibility. The company is also an early participant in the digital renminbi ecosystem and is expanding its use in cross-border applications.

Execution — A multidisciplinary team shaped by multiple economic and technology cycles.

Over two decades, Lianlian DigiTech has built a team combining deep Web2 operational experience, AI and Web3 capabilities, and strong regulatory understanding. Entering 2026, the company is restructuring its organization around an AI-native approach, while appointing a younger, execution-focused leadership cohort to lead implementation.

Three Growth Pathways

Based on these foundations, Lianlian DigiTech has defined three strategic growth priorities:

Strengthening the core business
The company reported solid performance in 2025, with strong revenue and profitability supporting the sustainability of its model. It will continue to deepen its global payments network and focus on high-value clients, reinforcing a durable, cash-generative growth base.Advancing technology capabilities
With the goal of becoming AI-native financial infrastructure, Lianlian DigiTech is embedding AI across the full transaction lifecycle. Leveraging its global payments and Virtual Asset Trading Platform (VATP) licenses, the company is building integrated Web2 and Web3 financial infrastructure while exploring cross-border applications of the digital renminbi.Expanding the ecosystem selectively
Through strategic investments and M&A, the company will target opportunities at the intersection of AI and fintech to strengthen its ecosystem.

Zhang emphasized the substantive nature of “AI-native,” describing it as a foundational shift—embedding AI across products, risk management, operations, and services as a core business capability.

Looking ahead, Lianlian DigiTech aims to serve as a trusted layer for value exchange in an AI-driven global economy, supported by its global network, compliance framework, and continuously evolving AI capabilities, with a clear focus on long-term, infrastructure-level value creation rather than short-term expansion.

AI-Native Strategy: From connecting funds to driving intelligent decision-making

Zhou Jiangxiang, Chief Architect and Head of the AI Innovation Division, outlined how AI agents are reshaping financial infrastructure and detailed Lianlian DigiTech’s implementation roadmap.

Zhou described the company’s evolution beyond a payments provider toward AI-native financial infrastructure—moving from connecting funds to driving intelligent decision-making and supporting AI-driven commercial systems.

Three Implementation Pillars

1. Payments
From user-initiated payments to automated, system-initiated transactions
Lianlian DigiTech is developing an Agent Wallet designed for agent-driven commerce (agentic commerce). This system will allow AI agents to autonomously complete transactions, addressing machine-to-machine (M2M) value exchange and enabling fully automated payment loops, so that AI agents can initiate, approve, and settle transactions without human intervention.

2. Customer Growth
From a payment channel to a growth driver
The company aims to move beyond payments by offering AI-driven marketing and customer acquisition tools, helping clients generate revenue rather than simply process transactions, moving from a service role to a direct contributor to client growth.

3. Operations
Building a software-driven fintech company.
Lianlian DigiTech is implementing end-to-end agent-based operations across customer service, compliance, and treasury functions. AI-powered compliance systems enable near real-time global regulatory checks, improving efficiency and scalability, while establishing a technology-led operating model.

Technology and Business Model

With large models and AI agents entering practical deployment, companies are accelerating toward AI-native architectures.

Lianlian DigiTech is positioning itself as a neutral provider of AI-native financial infrastructure serving both human and machine-driven commerce.

Technology architecture: A programmable financial operating system for AI agents, enabling automated, intelligent transaction execution.Business model: Modular services including transaction processing, clearing and settlement, credit services, and enterprise subscriptions, delivered through scalable, platform-based interfaces, designed for standardization and reuse across multiple scenarios.

Zhou concluded that, supported by its global licensing network, compliance track record, and cross-border data assets, Lianlian DigiTech is building a defensible position based on trust, data, and network effects—driving long-term, sustainable infrastructure value, with increasing customer stickiness and pricing resilience over time.

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SOURCE Lianlian DigiTech

The continued expansion of the Abacus breach recovery team strengthens the firm’s global “follow-the-sun” coverage model.

LONDON, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Abacus, a leading managed IT and cybersecurity services provider for highly regulated industries, announced today the expansion of its Incident Response (IR) team in the United Kingdom. The move establishes dedicated incident response professionals on the ground in the region, reinforcing Abacus’ partner driven follow the sun model and enabling seamless collaboration in support of clients worldwide.

By extending its IR team presence, Abacus enhances its ability to work alongside regional and global partners, including forensic firms, law firms, and insurers, across EMEA. Local coverage enables faster coordination and closer alignment during every phase of an incident.

Since launching its incident response practice in 2020, Abacus has focused on providing best-in-class rapid recovery services, building a capability designed to integrate cleanly into complex incident response ecosystems. The firm’s approach prioritizes consistency, process discipline, and collaboration, allowing Abacus to serve as a reliable extension of its partners’ teams.

“Having an incident response team based in the UK strengthens our ability to collaborate more closely with our partners across EMEA,” said Tom Cole, Senior Managing Director, EMEA at Abacus. “This expansion ensures we can engage earlier, communicate in real time, and work side-by-side with in-region partners to deliver a coordinated, effective recovery.”

The UK expansion further reinforces Abacus’ global follow the sun model, providing continuous coverage and enabling recovery teams to transition incidents smoothly across time zones.

“Our incident response team is built to work in lockstep with partners around the world,” said Pamela Diaz, Managing Director, Global Partnerships at Abacus. “Over the past several years, we’ve developed an operationally mature, mission-ready practice that is designed to integrate seamlessly into joint response efforts. With teams now established in the UK, we’re even better positioned to support our partners and clients globally, bringing structure, clarity, and trusted execution to complex incidents, wherever and whenever they occur.”

The expanded UK incident response team will support Abacus’ growing international partner ecosystem and client base, enabling faster local engagement, stronger regional collaboration, and consistent execution throughout the incident lifecycle.

About Abacus
Abacus is a global managed IT and cybersecurity service provider built for highly regulated industries. Through deep compliance expertise, AI orchestration, and future-ready innovation, all grounded in a steadfast commitment to client service, Abacus empowers financial services and healthcare organizations to operate securely, efficiently, and at scale.

With capabilities spanning IT operations, multi-cloud management, incident response, and beyond, Abacus is Always Ahead. Turning disruption into direction, they advance and safeguard the critical technologies that power lives and livelihoods. The firm serves clients across regulated markets worldwide, with a global headquarters in New York City and EMEA headquarters in London. For more information, visit abacustechnology.com.

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SOURCE Abacus

10 Years of Expert Knowledge. Now AI-Enabled.

HANGZHOU, China, April 20, 2026 /CNW/ — HIKMICRO is celebrating 10 years of global leadership in smart thermal imaging by introducing SuperScene™ Mode. This AI-powered breakthrough facilitates faster, simpler, and more accessible thermal inspections for trade professionals and DIY enthusiasts of any skill level.

Far more than just a new feature, SuperScene™ Mode represents a transition from simple image capture to instant actionable insight. By embedding a decade of field expertise into AI-driven analysis, HIKMICRO is removing the complexity that has traditionally limited thermal imaging while setting a new benchmark in usability and performance.

“Our vision from day one was to take thermal imaging solutions from niche applications to the mass market, adding more intelligence and accessibility,” says Stefan Li, Overseas General Manager at HIKMICRO. “SuperScene™ Mode marks a new chapter in that vision. This advanced technology embeds the knowledge of experienced trade professionals directly into our products, enabling any user to work like an expert.”

From Detection to Decision

Thermal imaging can reveal hidden issues, but correct device configuration and image interpretation have long-proved barriers. Adjusting parameters, understanding thermal patterns, and making accurate diagnoses typically require training and experience. SuperScene™ Mode eliminates these obstacles through its two-layer architecture.

First, Expert Presets, See like an Expert, automatically optimize camera settings for common inspection scenes that include Water Leak, Insulation, Floor Heating, Electrical, Macro, Solar Panel, and more. This saves time and eliminates guesswork, so every inspection starts with the right settings. For professionals, advanced scenes like Insulation Pro and Condensation deliver enhanced visual alerts and environmental data integration for deeper diagnostic insights.

Second, Smart SuperScene™, Think like an Expert,  applies AI to analyze thermal images. In key scenes like Water leak, Insulation, and Floor Heating, the system detects and flags anomalies on screen, turning raw data into clear, actionable information. The result is an instant step change in ease of use. What once depended on specialist expertise can now be completed with greater speed, consistency, and confidence.

Positive Feedback

Using the technology to see and think like an expert is already delivering gains in the real world.

“The visual indicators, such as anomaly markers, are clear and highly effective,” states Aleksandar Stojanović, a Level 2 certified thermographer. “They streamline the inspection process and make it much easier to communicate findings, as issues are immediately visible and easy to explain.”

Get an AI-Enabled Advantage

Since its foundation in 2016, HIKMICRO has engaged closely with trade professionals that include electricians, plumbers, HVAC service personnel, and energy auditors to understand thermal imaging in practice.

SuperScene™ Mode reflects this collaboration. HIKMICRO AI learns from thousands of real-world examples, adapting to different environments without rigid rules. By combining thermal imaging with visible light, the camera understands what it sees: a wall, a floor, or a pipe. A leak is only flagged when both temperature and scene context make sense. The result? A reduction in false alarms from 90% to near zero, with detection accuracy up by 61%.

Everything runs on-device. There is no cloud, no delay, and no privacy worries, providing real-time answers right in the hand of the user.

Looking ahead, HIKMICRO will continue to extend its product AI capabilities, further reduce false positives, and expand into applications such as solar inspection and automotive diagnostics.

Update to v5.5.112 and unlock SuperScene Mode. With this upgrade, HIKMICRO is setting a new industry benchmark by making smart thermal imaging accessible to all, a fitting way to celebrate a decade of industry-leading innovation. SuperScene Mode is available now on Eco Series, B Series, and Pocket Series (select models only – contact HIKMICRO for specific compatibility) thermal camera devices. For more information visit www.hikmicrotech.com or the official Amazon Store.

SOURCE HIKMICRO