Technology

Nium grows presence in Lithuania with local team and office expansion

Published

2 years ago

August 29, 2024

VILNIUS, Lithuania, Aug. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Nium, the global leader in real-time cross-border payments, is expanding its operational hub in Vilnius through new hires and a new office facility that will better serve its growing customer base across Europe. This includes:

Hiring 18 new full-time employees in Lithuania, representing 100% headcount growth over the last 8 monthsMoving to a new state-of the art office in Vilnius to support employees and collaboration among the local fintech communityAppointing a new Chairman of the Board to oversee further investment in Nium’s local operations and offering to customers in the EU

Over the last seven years, Nium has steadily grown its presence in Lithuania following the approval of its Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license by the Bank of Lithuania in 2017. The license has enabled the fintech to better serve its European and global business customers with entities in the EU.

Now, the cross-border payments leader has moved to a new, larger, state-of-the-art office in Vilnius as it continues to hire more local talent and strengthen its operational risk and compliance teams. Nium celebrated the occasion with an informal office launch party for employees on 7th August 2024, with Spencer Hanlon, the firm’s newly appointed Chief Operations Officer and Chariman of the Board of Nium’s Lithuania entity, leading the proceedings. Nium’s Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer, Mike Birmingham, was also in attendance.

“Lithuania is a highly attractive market for fintechs on the world stage. A combination of forward-thinking regulators, world-class talent, and collaborative community members make Lithuania a leading fintech hub in the EU, enabling global fintechs like Nium to accelerate opportunity and innovation in the marketplace. This is an exciting step forward, driving greater investment in the local fintech ecosystem and Nium’s operational efficiencies to better serve our customers across Europe and around the world,” said Spencer Hanlon, Chief Operating Officer at Nium.

Nium is among the earliest members of Fintech Hub Lithuania, a local association that seeks to unite and support the interests of fintech companies in the region.

“Nium has been ever present in the Lithuania fintech landscape for some time. Now, we have a team and physical space that reaffirms our commitment to Lithuania’s dynamic fintech community,” adds Karolis Urbonavicius, Lithuania Country Manager at Nium.

Among its cross-border payment capabilities, Nium enables faster payments in the region, processing transactions through CENTROlink, the payment system operated by the Bank of Lithuania, providing the gateway to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA).

Including licenses issued by the Bank of Lithuania (BOL), UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and Institute of Financial Services Malta (IFSM), Nium holds over 40 regulatory authorizations around the world to serve its customers on a global scale. In addition to Lithuania, the company has a number of local offices across Europe in London, Malta, and Amsterdam, and is co-headquartered in Singapore and San Francisco.

Nium enables banks, financial institutions, and platforms to collect, convert, and disburse money instantly across borders. Today, its global payout network supports low-cost payments in 100 currencies to more than 220 markets, 100 of which in real-time. Its customers serve many industries, including travel, e-commerce, and payroll, among others.

About Nium

Nium, the global leader in real-time, cross-border payments, was founded on the mission to deliver the global payments infrastructure of tomorrow, today. With the onset of the global economy, its payments infrastructure is shaping how banks, fintechs, and businesses everywhere collect, convert, and disburse funds instantly across borders. Its payout network supports 100 currencies and spans 220+ markets, 100 of which in real-time. Funds can be disbursed to accounts, wallets, and cards and collected locally in 40 markets. Nium’s growing card issuance business is already available in 34 countries. Nium holds regulatory licenses and authorizations in more than 40 countries, enabling seamless onboarding, rapid integration, and compliance – independent of geography. The company is co-headquartered in San Francisco and Singapore.

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Technology

Quote.com Announces New Senior Leadership Additions

Published

28 minutes ago

April 22, 2026

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Quote.com, a leading tech-enabled, omnichannel performance marketing organization, today announced the addition of two new executive team members to support the company’s continued growth and strategic expansion. Chase Nichols joins as Chief Marketing Officer and Ben Hochstetler as Senior Vice President of Marketing.

Quote.com announced the addition of two new executive team members, Chase Nichols and Ben Hochstetler.

The appointments strengthen Quote.com’s leadership team as the company continues to invest in execution, growth, and expanding its ability to help consumers access insurance solutions more easily and efficiently. “We are excited to welcome Chase and Ben to the Quote.com leadership team,” said Nick Stommes, Chief Executive Officer at Quote.com. “Both bring deep industry expertise, experienced execution capability, and a strong focus on operational excellence that will help accelerate our growth while improving how consumers access and compare insurance options. Their leadership will play a critical role at Quote.com as we continue scaling our platform and strengthening our partnerships.”

Chase Nichols joins Quote.com as Chief Marketing Officer; Chase is responsible for all performance marketing planning, organization, and execution, and is focused on driving efficient, measurable consumer touchpoints. With nearly two decades of experience in financial services and performance marketing environments, he brings a data-first approach to scaling growth while balancing brand development and direct-response marketing.

Ben Hochstetler joins as Senior Vice President of Marketing, leading digital marketing strategy and execution across Quote.com’s omnichannel performance marketing footprint. He brings more than 15 years of experience building and scaling performance marketing execution in highly competitive and regulated markets.

About Quote.com

Quote.com is a tech-enabled omnichannel performance marketing organization that delivers high-quality, mission-critical demand at scale to industry-leading partners. The company serves customers across multiple insurance verticals, including auto, home, life, and Medicare insurance. Quote.com provides significant value to consumers by providing an independent, third-party comparison-shopping experience.

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SOURCE Quote.com

Technology

Young Voices Across Oceans: Telling China’s Story Fiji Special Showcases GDI Achievements

Published

28 minutes ago

April 22, 2026

SHENZHEN, China, April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This year marks the 5th anniversary of the Global Development Initiative (GDI). Shenzhen Media Group’s “Telling China’s Story” program presents a special Fiji season, taking the perspective of young Chinese people to the Pacific island nation of Fiji. It documents the implementation of numerous cooperative projects which are smaller in scale but well-designed, showcasing the heartwarming stories and broad prospects of China and Fiji working together to promote common development and share the fruits of cooperation, vividly illustrating the practical achievements of the GDI.

The program will air from April 20th to 22nd, 2026. The first episode features Chinese actor Zhao Xiaotong, food blogger Yang Beichuan, and Wu Dongwei, a doctoral student at China Agricultural University, who visit the China-Fiji Juncao Technology Demonstration Center in Nadi, Fiji, to explore how this “Happiness Juncao” from China has taken root and grown in the South Pacific island nation, benefiting people’s livelihoods.

This “Happiness Juncao” has yielded “win-win results” in Fiji, bringing tangible changes to local families. Internet technology engineer Ashmir not only gained a stable income by learning Juncao (a type of grass cultivation) to grow mushrooms, but also successfully paid off his car loan.

During this filming, a “Mushroom Team” of young Chinese people joined Ashmir in a Fijian market to promote mushroom dishes and introduce locals to various new ways to enjoy mushrooms. The humble mushroom became a bond of friendship across mountains and seas, conveying the warm sentiments of mutual understanding between the Chinese and Fijian people amidst the bustling market atmosphere.

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SOURCE Shenzhen Media Group

Technology

Laminar Wins Gold 2026 Edison Award for Physical AI that Powers the Self-Driving Factory

Published

28 minutes ago

April 22, 2026

Top honor recognizes Laminar’s innovation and transformation in the CPG manufacturing industry

BOSTON, April 22, 2026 /CNW/ — Laminar, a physical AI solution helping the world’s leading manufacturers run more productive and sustainable factories, announced that it received a Gold 2026 Edison Award in the Manufacturing & Logistics category. The award recognizes Laminar for enabling food and beverage manufacturers to unlock new levels of productivity and sustainability through innovation – running faster production lines while cutting water, chemicals, and downtime.

“Laminar is leading the way CPG manufacturers implement physical AI on the factory floor with first-of-their-kind self-driving processes,” said Annie Lu, Laminar Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder. “Our patented spectral sensors and complete library of ML models enable a new, transformative approach to closed-loop automation, making the goal of the self-driving factory achievable today. We are honored the Edison Awards recognized our commitment to building a new category of technology and reshaping the future of manufacturing.”

Laminar’s physical AI transforms operations by enabling CPG manufacturers to transition from manual, timer-based operations to self-driving. Deployed across six continents for Coca-Cola, AB InBev, Danone, and Unilever, Laminar delivers measurable sustainability and profitability gains from the same investment. Laminar’s self-driving processes include:

Self-Driving Clean-in-Place Self-Driving Product Changeover Self-Driving Batch Optimization Self-Driving Quality ControlAnd more

The Edison Awards, established in 1987 and named in honor of inventor Thomas Edison, celebrates game-changing innovation across industries worldwide. Drawing a global community of innovators across 60+ countries, the Edison Awards elevate solutions that reimagine our future.

Recognition for Laminar’s Innovation

Headquartered at Greentown Labs in Somerville, MA – North America’s leading cleantech incubator – Laminar is a woman-founded startup backed by top-tier investors, including Greycroft, Construct Capital, 2048 Ventures, and Flybridge Capital.

Recognized for its innovation and impact, Laminar received AB InBev’s 2024 Cheers Award for outstanding startup partnership and was named Unilever’s 2023 Supplier Startup of the Year. Laminar’s solution is also deployed in World Economic Forum Lighthouse factories recognized for their leadership in cutting-edge technology.

About Laminar

Laminar’s physical AI helps the world’s leading manufacturers run self-driving factories with more sustainable, efficient operations. Our patented spectral sensors and complete library of ML models transform manual operations into self-driving processes that cut water, chemicals, and downtime in real-time. Deployed in factories across six continents and trusted by global leaders like AB InBev, Coca-Cola, and Unilever, Laminar is building a new category of physical AI that will power the future of process manufacturing. Learn more at runlaminar.com

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SOURCE Laminar