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LianLian Global Unveils New Payment Platform, Partners with Cyberport at Hong Kong FinTech Week

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HANGZHOU, China, Oct. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The 2024 edition of Hong Kong FinTech Week, a premier financial technology event in Asia, was held on October 28 at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong. Themed “Illuminating New Pathways in FinTech,” the event attracted over 30,000 attendees from more than 100 economies. It brought together key stakeholders from across the banking, securities, investment, insurance, and technology sectors to discuss the future intersections of finance and technology, as the industry enters a new era.

LianLian Global, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed Lianlian DigiTech, participated in the event as a Gold Sponsor and as a representative of the digital technology industry. The company showcased its pioneering solutions and innovative offerings in the global payment sector to an international audience.

At the outset of the conference, Lianlian unveiled its groundbreaking LianLian Global Accounts Service (LGAS). Designed for international trade merchants in Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and beyond, LGAS provides a unified account for managing multi-currency funds and seamlessly addressing the complexities of global receipts.

LGAS enables merchants to receive sales payments in multiple currencies directly into their local accounts, eliminating the need for numerous international bank accounts. This guarantees rapid, secure, and cost-effective fund transfers, significantly reducing operational expenses and enhancing international competitiveness.

In recent years, global trade has experienced a resurgence, driven by the expansion of key economies such as China. The World Trade Organization’s Global Trade Outlook and Statistics report anticipates a 7.4% growth in Asian exports for 2024, outpacing other regions. Hong Kong and Southeast Asia have become favored destinations for traders due to their strategic locations and increasing consumer demand. However, foreign trade merchants, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with frequent transactions, are confronted with a range of internal and external challenges. These include complexities related to multi-currency settlement, difficulties in opening accounts, delays in payment processing, and exchange rate risks.

Lianlian’s LGAS revolutionizes the conventional approach to foreign trade receipts: 

Unified Account for Global Fund Management

Previously, foreign trade companies were required to open several international bank accounts in multiple currencies, resulting in considerable management costs. LGAS’s unified account for streamlined global fund management supports all major currencies, enabling companies to handle multi-currency fund settlements through a single account, reducing administrative burdens and cutting management costs.

Improved Cost-Efficiency and Payment Speed 

LGAS enables foreign trade companies to receive payments directly into their local accounts, eliminating the need for multiple currency conversions. This feature results in reduced foreign exchange losses, lower handling fees by circumventing multiple intermediary banks, simplified cross-border payments, and accelerated repatriation of funds.

Enhanced Security and Compliance 

Lianlian holds over 60 payment service licenses and qualifications, in addition to proprietary anti-money laundering and fraud prevention systems. These capabilities enable us to provide reliable, compliant, end-to-end cross-border financial services, enhancing the safety and reliability of international transactions.

LianLian Global also announced its recent membership in the Cyberport Technology Network (CTN). As a part of the Cyberport community, Lianlian will work with the platform to offer exclusive discounts of up to HK$900,000 to CTN members during FinTech Week. These discounts apply to a range of products and services, including Lianlian’s recently launched B2B receipt solution, LGAS. This initiative allows Cyberport community members to access Lianlian’s payment solutions at reduced rates, providing Hong Kong-based foreign trade companies with seamless, reliable, and cost-effective fund management and global payment experiences, and assisting them in tapping into broader global market opportunities.

As a leading player in cross-border trade, Lianlian has established close partnerships with top global e-commerce platforms and licensed institutions by leveraging its multi-jurisdictional licensing qualifications, robust technology capabilities, and extensive resources. By providing an integrated digital solution encompassing collection, payment processing, merchant services, currency conversion, digital marketing, and operational support, Lianlian has facilitated the access to domestic and international funding channels. This addresses the challenges faced by cross-border e-commerce entities, foreign traders, service providers, platforms, and institutions as they scale internationally, particularly in areas related to financial transactions  and account management. In addition, Lianlian has served over 4.9 million clients, establishing a robust foundation for cross-border firms seeking to expand their global footprint. The company’s contributions to international trade are a testament to its commitment to advancing prosperity and growth in the global economic landscape.

Cyberport is Hong Kong’s digital technology flagship and incubator for entrepreneurship with over 2,100 members including over 900 onsite and close to 1,200 offsite startups and technology companies. Managed by Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, a wholly owned entity of the Hong Kong SAR Government, Cyberport aims to serve as a pivotal hub for digital technology and a new economic driver for Hong Kong. The facility is committed to nurturing a vibrant tech ecosystem by focusing on talent development, fostering youth entrepreneurship, supporting start-ups, and facilitating industry growth through strategic partnerships with local and international partners. It also integrates new and traditional economies by accelerating digital transformation initiatives in public and private sectors.

Shen Enguang, co-CEO of LianLian Global, noted that Hong Kong, as an international financial center and global super connector, serves as a bridge for companies to access the global market and a crucial platform for facilitating the flow of capital, innovation, and technology. In the process of globalization, Lianlian has consistently viewed Hong Kong as a key gateway for expanding into the Asia-Pacific market and establishing a global business ecosystem. Our strategic alliance with Cyberport to jointly market the LGAS product suite will enable foreign traders to leverage the robust resources and payment capabilities of both entities, expanding their global reach and capitalizing on opportunities with greater assurance. “Looking ahead, Lianlian will continue to prioritize user needs for value innovation and creation, optimizing and enhancing our product matrix. In line with our ecosystem approach to value sharing and co-creation, we will work with leading global partners to develop a new international payment ecosystem, ensuring that cross-border payments and international transactions are safer, more convenient, and barrier-free.”

Dr. Rocky Cheng, CEO of Cyberport, said, “Cyberport is pleased to welcome Lianlian to the ‘Cyberport Technology Network’ (CTN), a testament to our longstanding efforts to nurture a dynamic ecosystem. Lianlian’s expertise in payment solutions and extensive experience in  digitizing global trade will grant Cyberport community members access to a wide range of financial innovation solutions, enhancing cross-sector collaboration and contributing to the local fintech innovation ecosystem. As Hong Kong’s largest fintech and Web3.0 community, Cyberport’s CTN connects more than 40 leading technology service companies, offering technical training and dedicated support for Cyberport startups. Looking ahead, Cyberport aims to partner with leading financial institutions to drive transformation and implementation, fostering digital economy growth and reinforcing Hong Kong’s standing as an innovation hub.

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SOURCE LianLian Global

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Miami Startup BOB Raises $5.5M To Build An AI-Powered Banking Platform

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The Miami-based company is building the most useful small business finance agent and banking platform in the world, with participation from Codie Sanchez, Mark Pincus,  and others.

MIAMI, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BOB AI Holdings Corp. (“BOB”), the AI finance employee for small business, today announced it has raised $5.5 million in seed funding. The round was led by Mischief (founder of Plaid, Zak Perret), with funding from Peter Thiel and participation from Codie Sanchez, Mark Pincus, Karman Ventures, and a group of additional investors and operators. BOB will use the capital to expand its product, grow its team in Miami, and bring a free AI finance agent to more of the small business owners who keep the American economy running.

The seed round brings together investors who share a conviction that small businesses deserve the same caliber finance department g that large companies take for granted. Mischief led the round, and Peter Thiel joined as a backer alongside Codie Sanchez, the investor and operator known for championing Main Street business ownership.

The funding follows BOB’s private beta launch in September 2026 and will support three priorities: deepening the product’s financial capabilities, scaling customer onboarding, and growing BOB’s team in Miami.

BOB is an AI finance employee that works alongside small business owners to handle the annoying but necessary financial work that usually eats their nights and weekends. Owners talk to BOB the way they would talk to a trusted bookkeeper or CFO, over WhatsApp, text message, Slack, Microsoft Teams, email, or the BOB app. BOB keeps the books, sends invoices, accepts payments, holds funds in a deposit account, and helps owners see where their cash is headed so they can make decisions with confidence.

BOB’s long-term goal is to be the most useful banking product in the world, and a banking product specifically built for this new world of AI agents, robots, and drones. But they are getting started by building the most useful and safe financial agent for small business owners. And instead of handing owners another dashboard to learn, BOB just does the work for them and communicates in plain language.

BOB’s wedge has been particularly effective because the company is laser-focused on small business owners who have largely been underserved by the wave of financial technology built over the last five to ten years. Many of those products were designed for the general market or for enterprise finance teams, and they assume the owner has time, training, or staff to run them. BOB starts from the opposite assumption. The owner of a roofing company, a restaurant, or a local services firm should be able to get real financial help without hiring a department to get it.

“Small business owners have been an afterthought for most of the financial technology built over the last decade,” said Adam Wininger, CEO of BOB. “They are running the business, doing the work, and then staying up late trying to make sense of their books. We built BOB to take that work off their plate entirely. Our goal is simple: to be the most useful banking platform in the world, and this funding lets us put our free CFO agent, BOB, in the hands of many more owners.”

“We invest in infrastructure that becomes indispensable, and a financial layer for autonomous agents is one of the clearest examples we’ve seen,” said Dustin Moring, General Partner at Mischief. “BOB is attacking an immense market at the exact moment AI is moving from advising on transactions to executing them. We’re proud to lead this round and back Adam and the team as they build the foundation agent banking will run on.”

About BOB

BOB AI Holdings Corp. is a Miami-based company building BOB, the AI finance employee and banking platform for small business. BOB handles bookkeeping, invoicing, payments, and cash flow for small business owners through the channels they already use, including WhatsApp, text message, Slack, and Microsoft Teams. BOB’s mission is to build the world’s most useful banking product in the world. Learn more at joinbob.ai. Disclaimer: BOB AI Holdings Corp is a financial technology company, not a bank.

Media contact

Joel Strauss – joel@strausscomms.com 

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SOURCE BOB AI Holdings Corp

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Union Home Mortgage unveils AI and automation advancements during 2026 Annual Partner Celebration

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The mortgage lender continues to make major technology investments going into 2027

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Union Home Mortgage (UHM), a high-growth independent mortgage banking company with a world-class culture, recently unveiled an array of AI and automation-driven technological achievements during the company’s 2026 Annual Partner Celebration held Oct. 16-17 in Cleveland, Ohio. This world-class event brought over 850 UHM employees, known internally as Partners, together to highlight the lender’s year-to-date business results, set goals to multiply business success, and foster connection between colleagues. Most notably, technology took center stage, highlighting advancements made in 2026 and a sneak peek at what is coming next.

Attendees were given an inside look at the next phase of technology shaping the business, with demonstrations of both newly implemented tools and future-focused prototypes. These innovations, ranging from conversational voice agents for enhanced customer support to the elimination of tedious manual document review, showcased the transformative potential of technology and underscored the lender’s ongoing investment in smarter, more efficient workflows.

“What makes this event so meaningful is the chance to celebrate our Partners and the impact they have on our business and culture,” said Bill Cosgrove, CEO of Union Home Mortgage. “By creating opportunities for open dialogue and idea-sharing, we’re able to strengthen our culture and identify new ways to move our business forward. As we look ahead to 2027, we remain focused on our 3X initiative, empowering our Partners with the resources, technology, and support they need to achieve more while continuing to deliver a world-class experience for our borrowers. Technology will be the key to UHM’s future, and I can’t wait to see what new solutions are developed in time for our next Annual Partner Celebration.”

While this year’s Annual Partner Celebration was heavily focused on technology, the event also featured senior leadership across all departments and business channels taking the stage to share updates on critical areas such as sales performance, servicing, benefits, employee recognition, and more. UHM Partners also took part in a panel discussion and Q&A with CEO Bill Cosgrove and Sr. Vice President of Business Development Al Blank. In addition to those attending in-person, the rest of the mortgage lender’s 2,300 Partners streamed the event virtually across the country. Following the event, attendees were invited to attend a celebratory carnival featuring casino-style games, a golf simulator, Family Feud, a custom t-shirt press, and more – earning raffle tickets to win high-value prizes. The lender also raffled off tickets to the MLB American League Championship Series being played at Progressive Field, as Union Home Mortgage is the Official Mortgage Partner of both teams that played in the series – the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians.

Throughout the week, Partners also attended individualized leadership summits specific to their department or role within the company, as well as a Hard Stops Summit aimed at examining existing hard stops in the loan process to streamline operational efficiency.

Internal loan officer coaching program Partners Coaching Partners (PCP), which pairs each participating loan officer with a high-performing mentor and an accountability partner at their production level, also held their Fall PCP Impact event on October 14-15. The group aims to equip members with the skills and knowledge to increase productivity, generate leads, finetune the origination process, improve teambuilding, and increase profit margins. Next year, the PCP program will celebrate its twentieth consecutive PCP Impact event, cementing its status as a pillar of Partner development at UHM.

About Union Home Mortgage
Union Home Mortgage Corp. (UHM) is a high-growth, full-service retail, wholesale, and consumer direct independent mortgage banking company with branches across the U.S. in 49 states + D.C. UHM is an in-house loan servicer offering world-class customer service through high touch communication & technology. A privately held family business, with a collaborative culture that stands out in the mortgage industry, UHM Partners (employees) are guided by a Code of Conduct that emphasizes respect, open communication, and accountability. All these principles translate to industry-leading customer retention and satisfaction. Some honors include being a Six-Year USA TODAY Top Workplace and a Twelve-Year Northeast Ohio Top Workplace. Learn more at www.uhm.com.

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SOURCE Union Home Mortgage

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Pew Funds 4 Biomedical Research Partnerships in Latin America

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Scientists will team up on interdisciplinary explorations

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Pew Charitable Trusts announced today that four pairs of researchers from Latin America will receive funding to pursue collaborative biomedical research projects.

These eight esteemed scientists, all independent investigators in Latin America, will team up on interdisciplinary explorations that span plant biology, genetics, immunology, and more. Recipients will receive a combined $180,000 per pair—$90,000 annually over two years.

The Partnership Award was created to help advance scientific collaboration and networking among the biomedical research community in Latin America. Recipients include four alumni of Pew’s Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences, which has funded nearly 350 scientists from across the region since 1991. The Partnership awards were made possible by a grant from Biohub.

“Pew is proud to support these exceptional scientists from Argentina, Brazil, and Chile,” said Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Pew’s senior vice president for Philadelphia and scientific advancement. “Their creative ideas and pioneering approaches will undoubtedly lead to important discoveries that advance biomedical research across Latin America and the world.”

Recipients of this year’s Partnership Award are:

Luis F. Larrondo, Ph.D., Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 2004 Pew Latin American Fellow

Gerardo Cárcamo-Oyarce, Ph.D., Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Larrondo and Cárcamo-Oyarce will establish a new, light-based platform for studying the formation of biofilms by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Priscilla Olsen, Ph.D., Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), 2016 Pew Latin American Fellow

Beatriz Patricio, Ph.D., Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO)

Olsen and Patricio will develop and test a new strategy to overcome antimicrobial drug resistance.

Paulo José P. L. Teixeira, Ph.D., Universidade de São Paulo, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, 2013 Pew Latin American Fellow

Antonio Camargo, Ph.D., Universidade de São Paulo

Teixeira and Camargo will examine plant immune receptor specificity.

Marcelo Yanovsky, Ph.D., Fundación Instituto Leloir – CONICET, 2000 Pew Latin American Fellow

Esteban Beckwith, Ph.D., Instituto de Investigación en Biomedicina de Buenos Aires – CONICET – Partner Institute of the Max Plank Society

Yanovsky and Beckwith will study how organisms regulate gene expression in response to environmental stress.

Founded in 1948, The Pew Charitable Trusts uses data to make a difference. Pew addresses the challenges of a changing world by illuminating issues, creating common ground, and advancing ambitious projects that lead to tangible progress. Learn more at pew.org.

Press contact: Liz Lowe, 215-575-4812, elowe@pewtrusts.org

https://www.pew.org/en/about/news-room/press-releases-and-statements/2026/10/22/pew-funds-4-biomedical-research-partnerships-in-latin-america

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SOURCE The Pew Charitable Trusts

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