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3rd Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia Returns in November 2024 to Champion Innovative, Sustainable and Secure Food Systems

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SINGAPORE, July 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Asia’s premier sourcing and networking platform for the region’s agrifood and foodtech industry, Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia (AFTEA), organised by Constellar with international partner DLG (the German Agricultural Society), returns for its 3rd edition from 19 to 21 November 2024 in Singapore at Sands Expo & Convention Centre. Focusing on strengthening the future of food sustainability and security, AFTEA is the only trade exhibition where cutting-edge technologies, innovative food solutions and global investment opportunities converge under one roof.

The impetus to embrace agricultural technology (or agritech) in Asia is ever more critical. Asia expects to more than double its total spending on food from US$4 trillion in 2019 to over US$8 trillion by 2030, driven by limitations in traditional agriculture[1], a rapidly growing middle-class population in Asia and a correspondingly increasing consumer appetite for better quality, fresh and nutritious food options.

Agritech has consequently emerged as an avenue to elevate farming practices to produce higher and better-quality yields more productively. In Southeast Asia, the region alone is already home to more than 270 agrifoodtech start-ups, experiencing significant growth with more than US$3.6 billion invested between 2013 and 2022. The acceleration of agritech adoption[2] in Southeast Asia has also enabled the region’s agrifoodtech ecosystem to grow at a remarkable 54 per cent CAGR, surpassing the 13 per cent CAGR recorded for the global start-up ecosystem between 2019 to 2022. These investment trends reflect the region’s continued commitment towards food technology innovation, with a focus on automation, alternative proteins, controlled environment agriculture, and decarbonisation for more sustainable and efficient food production.

As the cornerstone event of the Singapore International Agri-Food Week (SIAW)[3], AFTEA serves as a premier launch pad for agritech companies to showcase innovative technologies, products and solutions that future-proof the region’s agricultural industries. It also provides a valuable platform for key decision makers – including food manufacturers, processors, policymakers, farmers and growers, and investors – to explore the latest technologies and preview novel and alternative food products designed to sustain and shape the future of food systems.

“In a rapidly evolving landscape where concerns with sustainability and food security, powered by technological advancements are transforming the agrifood sector in Asia, AFTEA serves as a vital platform for dialogue, collaboration and innovation to shape the future of the agrifood industry. I encourage all agribusiness stakeholders to participate in AFTEA 2024, to share and discover groundbreaking innovations in agri and food technology, sustainable and regenerative farming, alternative proteins, aquaculture, and more,” said Mr Chen Yuyuan, Portfolio Director, Constellar.

Key Highlights in 2024

This year, AFTEA will delve into three key aspects of the agritech business – Innovation, Safety and Sustainability – to drive progress and advancement in the region’s agrifood industry.

Innovation: Solutions and latest technologies that can help farmers and food tech companies scale food production, accelerate business transformation, expand distribution channels, and bridge financial support.Safety: Solutions covering aspects of food tracking, traceability, hygienic design, fraud prevention, standards and certification, inspection and detection technologies.Sustainability: Sustainable solutions that transform food production and preserve the environment through energy conservation, resource optimisation, and fresh- and wastewater management.

AFTEA 2024 will feature over 300 exhibitors showcasing cutting-edge advancements and latest innovations in the key exhibit themes[4], including country pavilions from France, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and The Netherlands, alongside key industry players such as DPR, Dragino, Eurofins, Grain Arianetech, JS Biosciences, Nexton, Priva, SCIEX and Shenzhen FY Lighting. Among these exhibitors are about 100 start-ups, contributing to the largest agrifood and agritech start-up ecosystem in Southeast Asia.

Other highlights include:

Cultivated Meat Pavilion: Supported by the Asia-Pacific Society for Cellular Agriculture (APAC-SCA), the pavilion will return after its successful launch last year to showcase the latest in cultivated meat products. This year, the pavilion will feature Avant Meat, Cell Agritech, DPR Construction Asia Pacific, JS Biosciences, and more. 

Founder’s Hub: A dynamic platform fostering innovation and entrepreneurship within the agribusiness sector, the Founder’s Hub will host a pitching stage for start-up competitions and among the featured events will be a global start-up competition organised in partnership with Innovate 360. The space will also house a start-up pavilion led by Innovate 360 and Impact Circle, where start-ups can network, collaborate, and explore opportunities for growth and investment.

Living Lab Tech Showcase: Sananbio, expert in vertical farming and horticultural lighting pioneering sustainable bio-based solutions for a greener future; Inong Agriculture Co Ltd, a Big Data-powered soil microbe expert offering cash-crop-specific solutions that leverage on customised probiotics to increase crop yield sustainably; and Takamiya, manufacturer of high-performance greenhouses for agriculture, will be showcasing their latest collaborative projects. The showcase includes Sanobio’s intelligent plant cultivating system that integrates LED lighting technology. This system is currently deployed in a new-generation automated plant factory in China’s Fujian Province, capable of achieving a daily industrial production of 1.5 tonnes of vegetables to supply to nearby cities Fuzhou, Xiamen and Quanzhou.

Sandbox: Through a variety of engaging formats including solo presentations, fireside chats, and panel discussions, the Sandbox will enable corporates and industry organisations to showcase and discuss the latest agricultural trends and agritech innovations. Attendees will discover practical solutions for improving crop yield, reduce costs, as well as improve their understanding of agritech solutions.   

To visit AFTEA 2024, register here. For latest event updates, follow AFTEA on LinkedIn and Facebook.

For media enquiries and interview requests, contact the Constellar Communications team at comms@constellar.co.

About Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia

Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia (AFTEA) provides a focused exhibition platform with a “living lab” environment, thematic experiential zones, sandbox and community-based learning for emerging and established industry players in the agrifood industry to launch, showcase and testbed their solutions. Organised by Constellar with international content partner DLG (the German Agricultural Society), AFTEA is a key participating event of the Singapore International Agri-Food Week (SIAW), organised by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and Temasek, in partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board, Enterprise Singapore, Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and event organisers Rethink Events and Constellar. Visit agrifoodtechexpo.com for more information.

2023’s edition attracted over 7,500 attendees from 82 countries and regions, with more than 200 global exhibitors. The event also facilitated over 500 business matches and hosted 110 sharing sessions at the Sandbox and Founder’s Hub, conducted by over 140 industry experts.

About Constellar

Constellar is Asia’s preferred partner for convening businesses, curating ideas and creating opportunities for sustainable business growth and global impact. Based in Singapore with a regional footprint in China and Malaysia, we curate and develop influential trade and consumer events for key industries, connecting global marketplaces in sectors such as fintech, industrial transformation and ESG. We also manage the Singapore EXPO, Singapore’s largest purpose-built venue for Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE). Our vision is to be a global leader made in Asia, activating impactful networks to enable cross-industry collaboration and innovation through our holistic portfolio of intellectual properties (IP) in the MICE industry. Visit Constellar.co for more information.

[1] These limitations include inadequate farmable land, global warming creating unfavourable growing conditions, labour shortages, risk of soil-borne pests and diseases, amongst others.   

[2] Key observations include the following:

   •  Malaysia implementing its National Food Security Policy Action Plan 2021-2025 and the National Agrofood Policy 2021-2030 to bolster food production with the adoption of modern technologies and economies of scale;

   •  Thailand’s ‘Future Food’ roadmap from 2022-2027 to support innovations such as alternative proteins and 3D food printing;

   •  Philippines attributing about US$480 million for climate-smart agriculture and food systems from 2022 to 2025;

   •  Indonesia’s agritech industry expected to grow at a CAGR of 31% between 2022-2026 with influx of foreign investors and start-ups and Farming as a Service (FaaS) contributing the most to the growth, and

   •  Singapore launching its “30 by 30” Initiative to build up its agrifood industry’s capability and capacity to sustainably produce 30% of their nutritional needs by 2030, significantly enabling an increase in funding in agrifood-tech investments, from US$5.9 million in 2029 to US$169.8 million in 2022.

[3] AFTEA is the leading event of the Singapore International Agri-Food Week (SIAW), which gathers global industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators to build new partnerships and explore opportunities for agrifood technology development and adoption across the region. SIAW’s other constituent events include Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit, the SFA Global Agri-Food Scientific Symposium, and SFA Roundtable on Novel Food Regulations.

[4] The exhibit themes are Alternative Proteins, Aquaculture, Food Safety & Security, Novel Food Technology, Smart Processing & Packaging, Sustainability & Resource Management, Technological Solutions, Urban & Smart Farming.

 

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SOURCE Constellar

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Truemed and Highmark Benefits Administration Partner to Expand Access to Root‑Cause Healthcare and Enable Employers to Reach Benefits Goals

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AUSTIN, Texas, May 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Truemed, the leading platform enabling qualified health purchases with HSA and FSA dollars, today announced a strategic partnership with Highmark Benefits Administration, a trusted provider of comprehensive, compliance‑driven solutions committed to providing A+ benefits administration services to clients nationwide.

The partnership aligns two organizations focused on delivering innovative, cost-effective solutions that help clients achieve business goals while empowering employees to use their benefits confidently and proactively. By integrating Truemed’s medically-necessary qualification process with Highmark’s service‑driven administrative infrastructure, employers can offer a broader range of eligible health interventions while maintaining clarity, compliance, and operational efficiency.

Through this collaboration, eligible Highmark participants can use pre‑tax HSA and FSA funds on evidence‑based, root‑cause health solutions— including fitness and movement programs, nutrition and supplement options, stress‑management tools, and other medically‑necessary interventions designed to help employees proactively improve their health.

“At Highmark Benefits Administration, we understand that managing employee benefits and plan compliance can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be,” said Dan Bearden, Founder and Director of Highmark. “Partnering with Truemed expands what’s possible with HSA and FSA dollars while maintaining the clarity and compliance confidence our clients rely on. We’re excited to help participants access more meaningful health solutions.”

“Highmark has built a reputation for exceptional service and operational excellence,” said Justin Mares, CEO of Truemed. “This partnership builds on that foundation by giving eligible participants access to root‑cause health interventions that have been shown to improve health outcomes and chronic condition management. Together, we’re helping employers offer benefits that are simple, compliant, and truly impactful.”

Learn more at: truemed.com/a/highmark

Truemed is for qualified customers. See terms at truemed.com/disclosures.

About Truemed

Truemed partners with consumer health brands and benefits administrators to enable HSA and FSA payments for root‑cause healthcare expenses. Through licensed practitioner review and IRS‑aligned documentation, Truemed helps qualified individuals invest in medically necessary products and services using pre‑tax dollars. Learn more at truemed.com.

About Highmark Benefits Administration

Highmark Benefits Administration provides comprehensive, cost‑effective benefits administration services designed to simplify complexity and support employer goals. With expertise in enrollment and eligibility management, COBRA administration, FSA/HSA/HRA programs, compliance reporting, carrier billing, and employee communication, Highmark delivers exceptional service backed by modern technology solutions. Learn more at highmarkbenadmin.com.

Media Contact:
Tom Dahl
tom@truemed.com

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DistrictWON’s uReport Partners with KOIN to Usher Back Local Sports Coverage to Every Community

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PORTLAND, Ore., May 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — KOIN 6 is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with uReport, bringing comprehensive, community-driven sports coverage to every high school across the entire metro Portland and southwestern Washington markets.

Through this initiative, KOIN is offering uReport, a human-powered, AI-assisted platform widely endorsed across high schools and colleges nationwide, fully-funded to all high schools in the region. uReport is ISTE EdTech Index Approved and listed in the ISTE Learning Technology Directory, a vetted resource used by educators to identify high-quality digital learning tools.

This partnership empowers schools, students, and communities to create and share stories, highlights, and updates across all sports, while amplifying that content across KOIN.com. uReport is already endorsed by leading organizations including the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, College Sports Communicators and other groups representing over 17,000 high schools and colleges.

“Local sports coverage has historically reached the biggest schools and the biggest games. uReport flips that. Every school in our market — from the 6A powerhouse to the 1A program with 80 kids — now has a dedicated platform on KOIN.com,” said Tom Keeler, Vice President & General Manager of KOIN.

Key benefits for each school & community include:

A dedicated content platform for every school.The ability to cover every game, every sport at every level and include unlimited pictures and videos.Every school will also be featured on KOIN.com, allowing all schools to consistently make the news!Schools also distribute content onto their own social channels, creating an amazing content library Real-world training for student journalism and responsible use of AI in storytellingA free fan-powered mobile app for real-time contributions from the communityFull customer support for the platform, all year. 

Check out a quick explainer video here: KOIN – Supercharging Your Coverage

KOIN will host three short webinars for Portland market school administrators to learn more. Any administrator is encouraged to participate (administrator, teacher, coach or other, click below to attend):
Tuesday 5/5: 9am PT
Wednesday 5/6: 8am PT
Thursday 5/7: 12pm PT
Schools can self-start and sign-up right now to cover spring events and continue to have access for the entire 2026–27 academic year. Self-start sign-up is easy here: www.ureport.com/koin

For more information, contact uReport Director of Customer Success, Dan McGrath: 216-647-3857; dmcgrath@districtwon.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/districtwons-ureport-partners-with-koin-to-usher-back-local-sports-coverage-to-every-community-302760179.html

SOURCE DistrictWON

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Fuutura Outlines Architecture Built for the Cross-Border Stablecoin Corridors the IMF Now Tracks

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As the IMF’s April 2026 Global Financial Stability Report calls for enhanced regulatory oversight of cross-border stablecoin flows to emerging markets, Fuutura’s compliance-first architecture across identity, payments, and trading is built to support exactly this kind of regulatory oversight

PANAMA CITY, Panama, May 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fuutura, a blockchain infrastructure company building a compliance-first financial ecosystem for the global market, today set out its position on rising cross-border stablecoin flows to emerging markets, following the IMF’s call for enhanced regulatory oversight in its April 2026 Global Financial Stability Report.

 

 

The IMF’s findings reflect a structural shift in how money moves across emerging economies. Cross-border flows of the two largest dollar-pegged stablecoins, Tether and USD Coin, rose from approximately $12 billion in early 2020 to $316 billion by early 2025, outpacing flows of Bitcoin and Ethereum. A significant share of those flows has been directed toward emerging markets, with cumulative net inflows accelerating since late 2023. The IMF’s concern is that rapid stablecoin adoption in emerging markets, absent appropriate regulation and backstops, could lead to currency substitution, weaken the transmission of monetary policy, increase capital flow volatility, and create challenges for capital flow management measures.

The IMF report also acknowledges that stablecoins, with adequate regulation, could offer improved settlement efficiency, faster cross-border payments, increased competition in the payment space, and broader access to digital finance. The same flows that warrant enhanced oversight also reflect genuine demand for financial services that legacy infrastructure has consistently failed to deliver in emerging markets.

Fuutura is being built to make both possible at once. A compliance by design approach facilitates the very regulatory oversight the IMF is advocating. That same architecture allows the platform to serve users in markets unreached by legacy financial infrastructure. What that looks like in practice is best described by the people who have built it.

“The IMF’s findings lay bare something that anyone working in cross-border financial services across emerging markets has been seeing for years. The flows are real, the demand is structural, and the existing infrastructure has not been built to give regulators the kind of visibility they need to do their work properly. That is the gap our infrastructure is built to address, across cross-border payments, identity verification, and the trading layer that connects users to the global financial system. Compliance is not something we have layered on top of an existing platform. It is part of how the system functions at every level.”

Ellis McGrath, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Fuutura

The architectural choice that defines Fuutura is the integration of compliance at a foundational level. Most digital asset platforms operate perimeter compliance, with KYC and AML conducted at onboarding and transaction monitoring sitting on top of an existing technology stack. Fuutura’s design records verified KYC and AML attestations on-chain and ties them to the user’s wallet, so that every interaction with the platform is gated by the presence of that attestation at the smart contract level. This applies across the entire ecosystem. Whether a user is opening a wallet, executing a trade on the exchange, or moving funds across borders, the same compliance design governs every interaction. The result is infrastructure where compliance is enforceable on every transaction and auditable by regulators at the on-chain level.

“The platforms that earn regulators’ trust will be the ones that make their work easier. The IMF’s call for proportionate monitoring of stablecoin flows reflects a broader truth about the relationship between innovators and regulators in this industry. Architecture that is open to inspection by default. A company posture that welcomes the questions responsible oversight requires. We believe the future of digital finance depends on builders and regulators working together, and we have designed Fuutura to support that relationship across every product on the platform.”

Oliver Cook KC, Co-founder and Chief Legal Officer, Fuutura

Fuutura is building for a market where existing financial infrastructure has consistently failed to deliver. The cross-border stablecoin corridors identified by the IMF are one part of that market. The broader scope is the millions of people and businesses across emerging economies who require digital identity, secure custody, and access to global financial markets in a single connected environment. The company’s launch marks the beginning of a phased rollout, with further ecosystem development planned as the platform scales across the markets it was designed to serve.

About Fuutura

Fuutura is a blockchain infrastructure company building a compliance-first financial ecosystem facilitating participation in the global financial system from underserved markets with a focus on the Global-South. The platform combines digital identity verification, a wallet, and a trading exchange into one unified ecosystem, giving users access to crypto and tokenised real-world assets through a single environment. Fuutura is pursuing licensing in multiple jurisdictions. Built with KYC and AML integrated at an architectural level, Fuutura is designed to be open to regulatory oversight by design. Fuutura is building infrastructure to extend digital finance to markets that legacy banking has not reached.

Media Contact
Fuutura
pr@fuutura.com

Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Disclosures

Digital asset risk. Digital assets are high-risk and their value may fall as well as rise. Trading digital assets involves significant risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

Forward-looking statements. This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Fuutura, its technology, products, business plans and future conduct, including statements relating to the phased rollout of the ecosystem, regulatory engagement and licensing outcomes, geographic expansion, and market ambitions. Forward-looking statements are identifiable by words such as “building,” “plans,” “intends,” “expects,” “designed to,” “anticipates” and similar expressions, as well as by statements regarding future outcomes, ambitions or strategic direction.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those expressed. These include, without limitation, changes in the regulatory environment across jurisdictions; the availability and timing of licensing or authorisation; developments in digital asset markets; technological and cybersecurity risks; operational risks; counterparty and third-party risks; the pace of product development; and other factors beyond Fuutura’s control.

No offer or advice. Nothing in this press release constitutes an offer to sell, a solicitation to purchase, investment advice, or a recommendation in respect of any digital asset, crypto-asset, token, security, or financial product or instrument. Fuutura’s products and services may not be available in all jurisdictions and may be subject to regulatory restrictions. Access to Fuutura’s platform is restricted to residents of jurisdictions where its services are permitted.

No duty to update. Fuutura undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

This release is not for distribution in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, or in any other jurisdiction where such distribution would be unlawful.

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/fuutura-outlines-architecture-built-for-the-cross-border-stablecoin-corridors-the-imf-now-tracks-302760188.html

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