Technology

Record Hits: Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration in Melbourne’s Chinatown

Published

2 years ago

February 13, 2024

MELBOURNE, Australia, Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — On Sunday, 11 February 2024, the jubilant atmosphere filled Australia’s oldest Chinatown, marking the largest Chinese Lunar New Year celebration in Melbourne. Families and friends united to welcome the Year of the Dragon, celebrating with the rich food, music, art, and culture of Melbourne’s Chinese and Asian communities.

“Melbourne’s Chinatown precinct was the only place to be this Lunar New Year,” Acting Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece stated.

This year’s event attracted over 200,000 attendees, providing a significant boost to local Chinatown businesses and traders. This built on the previous year’s attendance, which saw almost 180,000 people celebrating together.

A standout attraction was the parade featuring the Millennium Processional Dragon. Led by the event hosts and sponsors, the 55-metre long dragon meandered through the crowds, spreading New Year blessings.

The Melbourne Chinatown Association, a dedicated, volunteer-run, not-for-profit organization established to support and represent the Chinese and Asian communities in Melbourne, hosted this year’s event. Since its inception in May 2022, the association has been at the forefront of promoting social cohesion and celebrating Chinese and Asian culture within the broader community.

“This year’s festival was the perfect start to the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations,” remarked JJ Heng and Trevor Du, the Co-Founders of the Melbourne Chinatown Association. “Melbourne is the culture and events capital of Australia, and it is precisely the Australian values of freedom, mutual respect, fairness, and equality of opportunity that brings us all together.”

“Today, we, from different backgrounds, come together to celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Dragon in the heart of Melbourne’s vibrant Chinatown, which has long been a symbol of multicultural diversity in Australia,” remarked Xiaodong Chen, Deputy Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Melbourne. “I hope the relations between China and Australia will achieve more new accomplishments in every field.”

The success of this year’s Chinese Lunar New Year festival in commemorating the Year of the Dragon has further fuelled the Melbourne Chinatown Association’s dedication to ensuring the seamless and collaborative delivery of more related events. “Together with the Melbourne Chinatown Association, we wish Melbournians prosperity, growth, resilience, and abundance as we embark on the Year of the Dragon,” said Acting Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece.

Like many other sponsors, HungryPanda, the industrial leading Asian food delivery platform, was thrilled to be part of the event, celebrating cultural heritage. “We are so grateful for the opportunity to be part of this wonderful event,” expressed Kitty Lu, Director of Public Affairs at HungryPanda. “Our goal is to connect food, people and culture, and this celebration certainly achieved all of the above.”

The Melbourne Chinatown Association expresses its gratitude for the generous support and endorsement received from the State Government of Victoria, the City of Melbourne, and the Federation of Chinese Associations in Victoria as the honorary Co-organising Partner and all sponsors and supporters for this year’s celebrations.

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SOURCE HungryPanda

Technology

Hexagon Interim Report 1 January – 31 March 2026

Published

24 minutes ago

April 23, 2026

STOCKHOLM, April 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ —

First quarter 2026

Continuing operations

Operating net sales of 963.8 (961.5) resulting in organic growth of 8%Net sales including acquired deferred revenue amounted to 963.6 MEUR (961.5)Adjusted gross earnings of 606.3 (619.1) resulting in a 62.9% (64.4) gross marginAdjusted operating earnings (EBIT1) of 251.3 MEUR (248.7) resulting in a 26.1% (25.9) EBIT1 marginAdjusted earnings per share of 6.7 Euro cent (6.5)Earnings per share of 58.4 Euro cent (5.0)Cash conversion of 77% (60)Recurring revenue of 289.9 MEUR (308.0), 6% organic growthOctave reported operating net sales of 327.2 MEUR (361.3) and adjusted operating margin of 25.2% (26.6)Adjusted earnings per share including discontinued operations of 9.1 (9.4)Earnings per share including discontinued operations of 59.9 Euro cent (7.0)

For further information, please contact:
Tom Hull, Head of Investor Relations, +44 (0) 7442 678 437, ir@hexagon.com
Anton Heikenström, Investor Relations Manager, +46 8 601 26 26, ir@hexagon.com

This is information that Hexagon AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 08:00 CET on 23 April 2026.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/hexagon/r/hexagon-interim-report-1-january—31-march-2026,c4338783

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/387/4338783/4053482.pdf

Hexagon Interim Report Q1 2026

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hexagon-interim-report-1-january—31-march-2026-302751432.html

SOURCE Hexagon

Technology

Dragonpass Empowers Financial Institutions with End-to-End Loyalty Solutions at Money20/20 Asia

Published

25 minutes ago

April 23, 2026

BANGKOK, April 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Dragonpass, a leading global travel and lifestyle platform, participated in Money20/20 Asia, showcasing its customer loyalty solutions for banks, payment providers, credit card issuers, and fintech companies across APAC and globally.

As one of the most influential fintech events worldwide, Money20/20 Asia gathers decision-makers across the financial ecosystem. At the event, Dragonpass demonstrated how financial institutions can enhance customer engagement and build long-term loyalty through integrated travel and lifestyle experiences.

Established in 2005, Dragonpass has evolved from a lounge provider into a loyalty solutions partner, serving more than 800 global clients and over 40 million members worldwide.

At the core of Dragonpass is a business structure that combines global supply aggregation, a technology-enabled engagement platform, and consumer-facing lifestyle services — providing a one-stop solution across the customer lifecycle.

Leveraging data-driven insights, Dragonpass enables partners to design and optimise loyalty programs, incorporating customer segmentation and tiered incentive structures, alongside curated campaigns and entitlement configuration — driving more effective customer activation, engagement, and retention.

Its offering includes a broad portfolio of travel and lifestyle benefits such as airport lounge access, fast-track, dining, airport transfers, and lifestyle experiences. These are supported by flexible delivery models, including API integration, white-label solutions, and ready-to-deploy digital platforms, enabling seamless integration into clients’ customer journeys.

As customer expectations evolve, the industry is shifting from standardized benefits to more personalized, experience-led loyalty models. Insights from Dragonpass’s Loyalty Index show that customers increasingly value trust, rewards, simplicity, recognition, and exclusivity, with preferences varying across markets.

“Financial institutions today are looking for more effective ways to engage customers beyond traditional rewards,” said Jane Zhu, Co-founder and CEO of Dragonpass. “User engagement is at the core of loyalty, and technology — especially AI — plays a key role in enabling deeper and more relevant customer connections.”

Dragonpass works with leading global brands including Mastercard, Visa, HSBC, and Revolut, supporting them deliver differentiated value propositions and enhance customer engagement through scalable, customizable solutions.

Through its participation at Money20/20 Asia, Dragonpass aims to strengthen its presence in the APAC market and build strategic partnerships with organizations seeking to elevate their customer engagement strategies.

About Dragonpass

Dragonpass is a global travel and lifestyle platform providing premium airport and travel experiences across 140+ countries. By integrating global supply and technology, Dragonpass enables partners to deliver seamless, personalized experiences and drive customer loyalty.

Media Contact

Dragonpass PR
Email: brandmarketing@dragonpass.com
Website: www.dragonpass.com

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SOURCE Dragonpass

Technology

SBI Life Insurance registers New Business Premium of ₹42,551 crores for the year ended on 31st March, 2026

Published

25 minutes ago

April 23, 2026

MUMBAI, India, April 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — SBI Life Insurance, one of the leading life insurers in the country registered a New Business Premium of ₹42,551 crores for the year ended on 31st March, 2026 vis-a-vis ₹35,577 crores for the year ended 31st March, 2025. Single premium has increased by 28% over the year ended on 31st March, 2025.

Establishing a clear focus on protection, SBI Life’s protection new business premium stood at ₹4,622 crores for the year ended 31st March, 2026, marking a growth of 13%. Protection Individual new business premium registered a growth of 23% and stood at ₹973 crores for the year ended 31st March, 2026. Individual New Business Premium stands at ₹29,783 crores with 13% growth over the year ended on 31st March, 2025.

SBI Life’s profit after tax stands at ₹2,470 crores for the year ended 31st March, 2026 with a growth of 2% over the year ended on 31st March, 2025.

The company’s solvency ratio continues to remain robust at 1.90 as on 31st March, 2026 as against the regulatory requirement of 1.50.

SBI Life’s AUM also continued to grow at 9% to ₹4,87,163 crores as on 31st March, 2026 from ₹4,48,039 crores as on 31st March, 2025, with the debt-equity mix of 62:38. 94% of the debt investments are in AAA and Sovereign instruments.

The company has a diversified distribution network of 3,58,506 trained insurance professionals and wide presence with 1,230 offices across the country, comprising of strong bancassurance channel, agency channel and others comprising of corporate agents, brokers, Point of Sale Persons (POS), insurance marketing firms, web aggregators and direct business.

Performance for the year ended March 31, 2026

Private Market leadership in Individual New Business Premium and Individual Rated Premium with market share of 25.5% & 22.9% respectively.Annualized Premium Equivalent (APE) stands at ₹ 24,266 crores with growth of 13%Individual New Business Sum Assured stands at ₹ 4,46,337 crores with 61% growthImprovement in 13M & 49M persistency by 53 bps & 107 bps respectivelyValue of New Business (VoNB) stands at ₹ 6,667 crores with growth of 12%VoNB Margin stands at 27.5%Indian Embedded value (IEV) stands at ₹ 80,791 crores with 15% growthProfit After Tax (PAT) stands at ₹ 2,470 crores with 2% growthOperating Return on Embedded Value stands at 19.7% Assets under Management stands at ₹ 4,87,163 crores with 9% growthRobust Solvency ratio of 1.90

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2672544/SBI_Life_25_Years_Logo.jpg

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