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Government of Canada announces first-of-its-kind biomanufacturing facility in British Columbia

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Opening of cutting-edge biomanufacturing facility creates more than 1,000 Canadian jobs, boosting the domestic life sciences sector

BURNABY, BC, July 9, 2024 /CNW/ – The Government of Canada is investing in a robust, dynamic and resilient life sciences ecosystem capable of responding to current and future health emergencies. Since March 2020, over $2.2 billion has been invested to strengthen our country’s domestic biomanufacturing and life sciences capabilities to ensure Canadians have access to the most cutting-edge medical technologies.

Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, is pleased to announce the opening of STEMCELL Technologies‘ state-of-the-art facility, in Burnaby, British Columbia, which has been supported through a $22.5 million investment by the Government of Canada, matched by the Government of British Columbia. This investment has contributed to the construction of a brand new good manufacturing practices (GMP) biomanufacturing facility where STEMCELL Technologies can now manufacture products at the higher regulatory compliance standard required to support clinical trials for cell therapy, tissue engineering, immunotherapy, gene therapy and regenerative medicine, with the ultimate aim of curing cancer and other serious diseases. With the completion of this project, STEMCELL Technologies created more than 1,000 new full-time jobs in British Columbia, far exceeding the project’s target of 675.

The expansion of STEMCELL Technologies’ presence in British Columbia strengthens the province’s status as a biomanufacturing and life sciences hub and will generate more research and development (R&D) and more collaboration with academia. It will also ensure new intellectual property being developed remains in Canada.

This investment is made possible through the Strategic Innovation Fund, a program to attract and support high-quality business investments across all sectors of the economy by encouraging R&D that will accelerate technology transfer and commercialization of innovative products, processes and services.

Quotes

“Our government is committed to supporting innovation in the life sciences sector to ensure Canadians have access to the most cutting-edge medical technologies to keep them safe. The opening of STEMCELL Technologies’ state-of-the-art facility is another important milestone in achieving a robust domestic life sciences sector in Canada. Through investments such as this, we are securing domestic supply chains and ensuring new intellectual property remains in Canada, while supporting the creation of hundreds of great-paying jobs for Canadian workers.”
– The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

“Supporting research and development expansion, as well as job growth in diverse and dynamic fields, all across Canada is essential to creating stronger local economies. Leaps in progress often happen because of many smaller steps, on many roads leading to the same destination.”
– The Honourable Terry Beech, Minister of Citizens’ Services

“B.C. is home to the fastest growing life sciences and biomanufacturing sector in Canada. Supporting companies like STEMCELL is helping the ecosystem in B.C. continue to grow and thrive, meaning more good jobs for British Columbians and better access to cutting edge research and therapeutics.”
 – Brenda Bailey, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation  

“The opening of this new facility is the culmination of a massive multi-year project unprecedented in STEMCELL’s 31-year history that enables us to meet the needs of scientists advancing medical discoveries globally. This biomanufacturing facility strengthens STEMCELL’s positioning as a Canadian anchor company and will allow us to contribute to the life sciences ecosystem for decades to come.”
– Dr. Allen Eaves, Founder, President and CEO, STEMCELL Technologies

Quick facts

Canada’s Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy presents a long-term vision to protect Canadians against future pandemics and other health emergencies and to grow an innovative, competitive domestic life sciences sector.STEMCELL Technologies was founded in 1993 by CEO Dr. Allen Eaves. The company has since grown into a global biotechnology enterprise, producing high-quality cell culture media, cell separation technologies, instruments, accessory products, educational resources, and contract assay services that are used by scientists performing cancer, stem cell, immunology, regenerative medicine, and cellular therapy research globally.Stem cells were discovered in the early 1960s through the work of Canadian scientists Dr. James Till and Dr. Ernest McCulloch at the University of Toronto.

Associated links

Biomanufacturing: Advancing health sciences industry in CanadaStrategic Innovation FundSTEMCELL Technologies

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IIFL Capital Launches Algo Marketplace with Over 100 Ready-Made Strategies

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MUMBAI, India, June 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — IIFL Capital Services Limited (https://www.iiflcapital.com) today announced the launch of its next-generation algorithmic trading platform. The platform offers access to more than 100 ready-made exchange-approved algorithmic trading strategies, making sophisticated trading tools accessible to a wider investor base.

Algorithmic trading has emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments in global capital markets, driven by advances in technology, data analytics and automation. In India, increasing regulatory clarity and growing investor adoption are accelerating the shift towards systematic and rules-based trading approaches.

Commenting on the launch, Rachit Mehta, Head of Products and Platform, IIFL Capital, said:

“For over three decades, IIFL has been at the forefront of innovation in India’s financial services industry. From pioneering digital investing solutions to building cutting-edge trading infrastructure, technology has been central to our growth journey. The launch of our Algo Marketplace marks another important milestone in that evolution.”

“With access to over 100 ready-made strategies, a robust technology architecture and participation from leading exchange-approved strategy providers, I believe we have created one of the most comprehensive algorithmic trading ecosystems in the country. Our objective is to democratize access to sophisticated trading strategies and empower investors with institutional-grade tools through a simple and intuitive platform.”

The launch further strengthens IIFL Capital’s position as a technology-led financial services institution. Over the past three decades, the company has consistently invested in digital innovation, helping millions of investors access capital markets through advanced yet user-friendly solutions.

As algorithmic trading continues to gain momentum in India, IIFL Capital’s platform aims to bridge the gap between institutional-grade technology and retail investor participation, bringing automation, discipline and data-driven decision-making to a broader audience.

About IIFL Capital Services Ltd

IIFL Capital Services Ltd (formerly known as IIFL Securities Limited) (NSE: IIFLCAPS) (BSE: 542773) is one of the key capital market players in the Indian financial services space. IIFL Capital offers broking services, wealth management, financial products distribution, institutional broking, research and investment banking services.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2997315/IIFL_Algo_announcement.jpg

 

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LUMIQ Raises INR 50 Crore Pre-Series B to Become the AI Decision Layer for Financial Services

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While most AI in financial services remains advisory, LUMIQ has built the layer that owns the decision — autonomous, auditable AI agents making regulated calls in production at leading banks, insurers, and capital markets firms. Today, LUMIQ serves clients across India, the United States, and Southeast Asia — leading institutions across insurance, banking, and capital markets.

NEW DELHI and MUMBAI, India, June 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — LUMIQ, an AI-native financial services company, today announced a strategic funding round to scale auto-decisioning for financial institutions across the United States and Southeast Asia. The round was led by Bajaj Finserv, one of India’s largest and most diversified financial services groups, with participation from existing investor Info Edge Ventures.

Right now, thousands of customers are waiting for a policy to be issued, a loan to be disbursed, a claim to be adjudicated, because somewhere an FSI employee is drowning in decisions, held back by the risk of getting it wrong. Today, when e-commerce delivers the same day, banks and insurers still decide in weeks. We built LiteCone to take that burden: AI decides the routine cases, completely and accountably, so humans spend their judgment on the one case that actually needs it. This round lets us bring that to every financial institution in the markets that matter most.
Shoaib Mohammad, Co-founder and CEO, LUMIQ

From AI that assists to AI that decides

For decades, financial institutions have bought technology that made their people faster — faster data, faster scoring, faster copilots. The decision still landed on a human. LUMIQ is changing that. Through its LiteCone platform, the company deploys AI agents that read the file, apply the institution’s own guidelines, and reach the decision end to end — escalating only the cases that genuinely require human judgment. The output is not a recommendation. It is a decision, with full reasoning attached, cross-referenced to policy, and defensible under audit.

The results in production speak clearly. At a leading life insurer, LUMIQ’s LEO agent decides 75–80% of underwriting cases with zero human touch, reduced policy issuance cost by roughly 25%, and compressed turnaround from days to under eight minutes — running 24×7 with complete auditability. Across its client base spanning insurance, banking, and capital markets in India, the US, and Southeast Asia, LUMIQ now processes millions of decisions annually.

LiteCone turns a real financial-services role into a working AI agent in weeks. Every agent we deploy is consistent, explainable, compliant, and auditable by design — not as an afterthought. This capital lets us go deeper on the platform and broader across roles. And through our cloud and AI lab partnerships, institutions will increasingly find LiteCone already embedded in the platforms they run today.
Vaibhav Dobriyal, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer, LUMIQ

This round funds four priorities: expanding go-to-market in the US and Southeast Asia; deepening LiteCone’s decisioning capabilities; extending the agent workforce across more financial-services roles; and building a partnership ecosystem with cloud hyperscalers, AI labs, and core banking and insurance platforms so LiteCone is embedded where institutions already run.

LUMIQ’s investors backed the round for the same reason its customers adopt LiteCone: agents already deciding in production, with auditability and control built in.

As a financial-services group, we know how much rests on getting regulated decisions right, at speed and at scale. LUMIQ has built AI agents that decide in production with auditability and control built in, the capability the industry has been moving toward. We are proud to lead this round and to support the team’s expansion across the US and Southeast Asia.
Lakshmi Iyer, Group President – Investments & CEO, Bajaj Alternates

Our conviction is grounded in what LUMIQ has already built. Their AI agents aren’t just built for the future. They are operating in production today, at speed. This combination is rare, and its value will only compound as the company scales globally.
Girish Jhunjhunwala, Fund Manager – PE and VC Investments, Bajaj Alternates

Financial services is one of the hardest categories to crack — regulated, risk-averse, and unforgiving of hype. LUMIQ has put agentic AI into live financial-services workflows and earned the trust of large institutions across the US, Southeast Asia and India. That is how a category-defining company in financial-services AI gets built, and we are proud to keep backing the team as they scale globally.
Kitty Agarwal, Partner, Info Edge Ventures

LUMIQ’s goal is to lead one category: auto-decisioning at production scale for financial services. Agents that act, not assist, and never compromise audit, compliance, or predictability.

About LUMIQ

LUMIQ is an AI-native financial services company. Through its LiteCone platform and a growing workforce of production AI agents, LUMIQ turns real financial-services roles — insurance underwriter, credit underwriter, claims adjudicator — into agents that are consistent, explainable, compliant, and auditable. The company pairs deep domain expertise across banking, insurance, and capital markets with frontier AI. LUMIQ employs over 350 AI and data specialists, and has offices in New Jersey, Singapore, and Delhi NCR (India).

Web: www.lumiq.ai

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2997317/LUMIQ_Funding.jpg

 

 

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LUMIQ Raises Strategic Funding to Become the AI Decision Layer for Financial Services

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While most AI in financial services remains advisory, LUMIQ has built the layer that owns the decision — autonomous, auditable AI agents making regulated calls in production at leading banks, insurers, and capital markets firms. Today, LUMIQ serves clients across India, the United States, and Southeast Asia — leading institutions across insurance, banking, and capital markets.

NEW YORK and SINGAPORE, June 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — LUMIQ, an AI-native financial services company, today announced a strategic funding round to scale auto-decisioning for financial institutions across the United States and Southeast Asia. The round was led by Bajaj Finserv, one of India’s largest and most diversified financial services groups, with participation from existing investor Info Edge Ventures.

Right now, thousands of customers are waiting for a policy to be issued, a loan to be disbursed, a claim to be adjudicated, because somewhere an FSI employee is drowning in decisions, held back by the risk of getting it wrong. Today, when e-commerce delivers the same day, banks and insurers still decide in weeks. We built LiteCone to take that burden: AI decides the routine cases, completely and accountably, so humans spend their judgment on the one case that actually needs it. This round lets us bring that to every financial institution in the markets that matter most.
Shoaib Mohammad, Co-founder and CEO, LUMIQ

From AI that assists to AI that decides

For decades, financial institutions have bought technology that made their people faster — faster data, faster scoring, faster copilots. The decision still landed on a human. LUMIQ is changing that. Through its LiteCone platform, the company deploys AI agents that read the file, apply the institution’s own guidelines, and reach the decision end to end — escalating only the cases that genuinely require human judgment. The output is not a recommendation. It is a decision, with full reasoning attached, cross-referenced to policy, and defensible under audit.

The results in production speak clearly. At a leading life insurer, LUMIQ’s LEO agent decides 75–80% of underwriting cases with zero human touch, reduced policy issuance cost by roughly 25%, and compressed turnaround from days to under eight minutes — running 24×7 with complete auditability. Across its client base spanning insurance, banking, and capital markets in India, the US, and Southeast Asia, LUMIQ now processes millions of decisions annually.

LiteCone turns a real financial-services role into a working AI agent in weeks. Every agent we deploy is consistent, explainable, compliant, and auditable by design — not as an afterthought. This capital lets us go deeper on the platform and broader across roles. And through our cloud and AI lab partnerships, institutions will increasingly find LiteCone already embedded in the platforms they run today.
Vaibhav Dobriyal, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer, LUMIQ

This round funds four priorities: expanding go-to-market in the US and Southeast Asia; deepening LiteCone’s decisioning capabilities; extending the agent workforce across more financial-services roles; and building a partnership ecosystem with cloud hyperscalers, AI labs, and core banking and insurance platforms so LiteCone is embedded where institutions already run.

LUMIQ’s investors backed the round for the same reason its customers adopt LiteCone: agents already deciding in production, with auditability and control built in.

As a financial-services group, we know how much rests on getting regulated decisions right, at speed and at scale. LUMIQ has built AI agents that decide in production with auditability and control built in, the capability the industry has been moving toward. We are proud to lead this round and to support the team’s expansion across the US and Southeast Asia.
Lakshmi Iyer, Group President – Investments & CEO, Bajaj Alternates

Our conviction is grounded in what LUMIQ has already built. Their AI agents aren’t just built for the future. They are operating in production today, at speed. This combination is rare, and its value will only compound as the company scales globally.
Girish Jhunjhunwala, Fund Manager – PE and VC Investments, Bajaj Alternates

Financial services is one of the hardest categories to crack — regulated, risk-averse, and unforgiving of hype. LUMIQ has put agentic AI into live financial-services workflows and earned the trust of large institutions across the US, Southeast Asia and India. That is how a category-defining company in financial-services AI gets built, and we are proud to keep backing the team as they scale globally.
Kitty Agarwal, Partner, Info Edge Ventures

LUMIQ’s goal is to lead one category: auto-decisioning at production scale for financial services. Agents that act, not assist, and never compromise audit, compliance, or predictability.

About LUMIQ

LUMIQ is an AI-native financial services company. Through its LiteCone platform and a growing workforce of production AI agents, LUMIQ turns real financial-services roles — insurance underwriter, credit underwriter, claims adjudicator — into agents that are consistent, explainable, compliant, and auditable. The company pairs deep domain expertise across banking, insurance, and capital markets with frontier AI. LUMIQ employs over 350 AI and data specialists, and has offices in New Jersey, Singapore, and Delhi NCR (India).

Web: www.lumiq.ai

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2997283/LUMIQ_Funding.jpg

 

 

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