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76% of Australian Energy Companies Struggle with Data Accessibility

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Appian research reveals that data challenges remain in spite of digital initiatives, impacting efficiency, reporting, customer service, and compliance

SYDNEY, Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — According to new research from Appian (Nasdaq: APPN), Australian energy companies face data accessibility challenges. 78% of them have adopted new digital tools in the past five years but data silos remain a challenge.

As energy prices continue to soar across Australia, scrutiny from consumers, government and businesses has also intensified. Data accessibility shortcomings mean many energy companies struggle to make informed business decisions and meet escalating industry and customer service demands.

The report, Appian Asia-Pacific Data Trends Survey 2024: Opportunities and impediments for data-driven enterprise growth, which surveyed over 300 professionals across the energy, utilities and oil and gas sectors, shows that nearly half (49%) of respondents cited data accessibility as a major challenge. More than 76% of respondents also indicated that they have had to work with incomplete or inaccessible data.

“Energy companies are under more pressure than ever before to streamline operations and respond quickly to market changes and demands,” said Luke Thomas, Area Vice President of Asia-Pacific and Japan at Appian. “This is driven by heightened scrutiny over recent energy price spikes, alongside efforts to support Australia’s goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by 2030 and reaching net zero emissions by 2050.

“Our research results show that digital adoption alone is not enough. Without a unified approach to data management, organisations risk not realising the full value of their digital investments and not keeping up with market demands,” Thomas warned.

The problem: data silos

The survey found that 42% of respondents pointed to data silos as a primary concern. Data often remains in different systems as energy companies grow and acquire new applications. Data locked away in lots of different systems is hard to access and use, posing a major problem for workers.

“For Australian energy companies, the biggest cited problem is that organisational information is inaccessible because it’s regularly stored in different systems and in different formats,” explained Ray Croxon, Area Vice President of Solutions Consulting at Appian. “It’s not so much being able to have the data but having it in a format that’s easy to consume.”

Thomas also raised concern around data silos: “Today, energy companies in Australia heavily rely on digital processes and accurate data to function. Yet due to data silos, their workers operate with incomplete or inadequate information to manage complex and critical operations.”

The business impact

The research underscores how data issues are directly affecting critical business areas:

Operational efficiency. 55% of businesses said data issues caused operational inefficiencies. Poor data management leads to wasted resources, duplicated efforts, and slow response times, creating a ripple effect across the organisation’s core functions.

Customer service. 34% of respondents cited customer service as a major issue. “Fragmented or inaccurate data can lead to poor customer experiences. This can manifest as delays in resolving customer enquiries, incorrect billing, or misaligned service offerings,” said Croxon.

Reporting and analysis. 56% of businesses struggle to derive insights from their data for reporting and analysis. Without a reliable single source of truth, energy companies cannot accurately conduct predictive analytics, operational forecasting, and strategic planning. These are areas where even small errors can lead to significant financial and operational repercussions.

Compliance and auditing. 31% of energy companies said fragmented data impacted compliance and auditing. “In an industry where regulatory scrutiny is intensifying, the inability to maintain a transparent, auditable data trail poses serious risks. Companies may face challenges responding to regulatory requests, leading to delays in filings, fines, or even non-compliance penalties,” said Thomas.

The end of data silos: Appian’s solution to data challenges

To address data challenges, Appian advocates strategically implementing a modern process automation platform with a data fabric. Platforms with data fabric give decision makers a complete picture of their enterprise in real time, at scale.

“A data fabric is an architectural layer and toolkit that seamlessly integrates data across disparate systems, whether on-premises or in the cloud. By creating a centralised, unified view, a data fabric helps … these companies leverage their digital investments for meaningful business outcomes,” concluded Thomas.

Appian’s data fabric unifies, secures, and optimizes enterprise data. It lets organizations use their data to build impactful and data-rich digital solutions combined with automation, AI, and low-code design. It works by connecting and unifying data across enterprise systems in an integrated data layer. And because of Appian’s low-code controls and auto-optimized performance, data fabric reduces the burden of integration and data management, so you can democratize data access and make smarter decisions faster.

Download the Appian Asia-Pacific Data Trends report to see how energy and utilities companies are transforming their data with automation. 

About Appian

Appian is a software company that orchestrates business processes. The Appian Platform empowers leaders to design, automate, and optimise important processes from start to finish. With our industry-leading platform and commitment to customer success, Appian is trusted by top organisations to drive transformational process change. For more information, visit appian.com. [Nasdaq: APPN]

Follow Appian: LinkedIn, X (Twitter)

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SOURCE Appian

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Hanwha Investment & Securities and Chainlink Form Strategic Partnership to Tokenize, Connect, and Collateralize Real-World Assets Worldwide

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Hanwha Investment & Securities adopts the Chainlink data standard and CCIP as the official oracle infrastructure powering its global RWA tokenization platformJoint working group formed to explore institutional use cases for secure onchain execution, standards for using RWAs as collateral, and Korea’s tokenized securities marketChainlink to advance the platform with dedicated technical support and connections to its global network of financial institutions

NEW YORK, Oct. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Hanwha Investment & Securities, a financial affiliate of Hanwha, a Fortune Global 500 company, today announced a strategic partnership with Chainlink, the standard for onchain finance, as it builds a global real-world asset (RWA) tokenization platform.

Hanwha Investment & Securities is adopting the Chainlink data standard and Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) as the official data and interoperability infrastructure of its platform, and, building on them, the two firms are working together to shape the criteria and use cases for tokenizing quality real-world assets, distributing them globally and putting them to work as collateral.

Within the global tokenization platform Hanwha Investment & Securities is building, Chainlink is providing trusted pricing and net asset value (NAV) data for the assets it issues, while CCIP enables those assets and liquidity to move securely across public and private blockchains. Assets can be issued on the chain best suited to their characteristics and, through a single integration, reach more investors and liquidity across global markets without building a custom integration for every new network.

The partnership spans the full path from tokenizing real-world assets to the markets where they are distributed and put to work, including as collateral. Hanwha Investment & Securities brings quality assets from global asset managers, structuring expertise and institutional-grade market infrastructure, while Chainlink brings the data and interoperability standards that connect them across networks.

Hanwha Investment & Securities is in discussions with global asset managers and issuers on tokenizing and distributing a range of RWA products, and plans to bring these assets to institutional investors and onchain markets via Chainlink.

To that end, the two firms are forming a joint working group to explore together: institutional use cases for executing securely into onchain finance while meeting compliance and custody requirements; the valuation and reserve verification methods, use cases and standards needed to use a wide range of RWAs as collateral; and technology and compliance aligned with the institutionalization of tokenized securities in Korea. Chainlink and Hanwha Investment & Securities are building what they learn into standards that institutions can adopt and, through Chainlink’s global network of financial institutions and protocols, plan to widen the circle of institutions taking part. Chainlink is providing dedicated technical support for the Hanwha Investment & Securities platform and priority access to new solutions.

Tokenization is increasingly becoming foundational to global finance, and South Korea, one of Asia’s leading digital asset hubs, is set to introduce its tokenized securities framework in February 2027. As part of Fortune Global 500 company Hanwha, Hanwha Investment & Securities is preparing for both Korea’s tokenized securities market and the global digital asset market, building the platform to lead that shift in Korea, across Asia and in global markets.

“Our goal is to tokenize quality assets that clients have wanted but found difficult to access, and to open a new financial market where they are issued, distributed, and used as collateral across global markets,” said Insung An, Chief Digital Officer at Hanwha Investment & Securities. “Chainlink is our key global strategic partner in realizing this vision, and with Chainlink’s standards at the core of our platform, we can build it on a stable and trusted technology foundation.” He added, “Going beyond technology adoption, the two firms will work together to set the valuation and usage criteria tokenized assets need to be put to work, including as collateral, and build a real-world asset market that connects Korea and global markets.”

“Tokenizing assets is the first step, but connecting them across public and private blockchains is what unlocks access to users, markets, and liquidity worldwide,” said Johann Eid, Chief Business Officer at Chainlink Labs. “Hanwha Investment & Securities, one of our key global strategic partners, brings quality real-world assets and institutional market expertise. By adopting the Chainlink data standard and CCIP as its official oracle infrastructure, Hanwha Investment & Securities is putting institutional-grade security at the center of its global tokenization strategy.” He added, “Together, we will build the standards for markets where tokenized assets are actually put to work, including as collateral, and Chainlink is supporting this with dedicated resources and connections across our global network. This is the model for bringing global finance onchain, connect once and scale globally.”

About Hanwha Investment & Securities

Hanwha Investment & Securities is a Korean securities affiliate of Hanwha, a Fortune Global 500 company. Through its global digital asset business based in Seoul and Abu Dhabi, Hanwha Investment & Securities is building at the frontier of Asia’s real-world asset (RWA) markets, connecting tokenized assets from global asset managers with onchain markets and putting them to work, including as collateral.

About Chainlink

Chainlink is the standard for onchain finance, enabling high-quality data, secure cross-chain interoperability, and compliant connectivity across global markets. Chainlink powers leading tokenized assets, financial institutions, market infrastructures, and decentralized applications by providing secure access to real-world data, cross-chain messaging, and blockchain connectivity across any network. The Chainlink standard has enabled tens of trillions of dollars in transaction value and is helping unify global markets onchain.

Many of the world’s largest financial services institutions have also adopted Chainlink’s standards and infrastructure, including Swift, Euroclear, Mastercard, Fidelity International, UBS, S&P Dow Jones Indices, FTSE Russell, WisdomTree, ANZ, and top protocols such as Aave, Polymarket, Lido, Lighter, and many others. Chainlink leverages a novel fee model where offchain and onchain revenue from enterprise adoption is converted to LINK tokens and stored in a strategic Chainlink Reserve. Learn more at chain.link.

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SOURCE Chainlink

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JustMarkets Examines Whether October Is Really the Most Volatile Month for Financial Markets

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Cross-asset analysis highlights differences in seasonal volatility across currencies, gold, oil, and equity indices

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — October has long carried a reputation as one of the most volatile months in financial markets, shaped by historic events such as the 1929 market crash, Black Monday in 1987, and the 2008 financial crisis. However, historical patterns alone do not necessarily provide reliable trading signals. According to JustMarkets‘ cross-asset analysis, October’s volatility varies across asset classes, underscoring the importance of understanding market-specific risks rather than relying on calendar-based assumptions.

What the Cross-Asset View Shows

JustMarkets analyzed the October reputation in four major CFD asset classes – currencies, gold, oil, and stock indices. It was found out that October is a volatile month, however, it is a question of asset class.

Equity indices are still a vulnerable asset class in October due to their historical association with stock crashes, earnings season, portfolio rebalancing, and heightened policy expectations. Currency volatility largely depends on central bank repricing, inflation figures, and performance of the US dollar rather than the month itself. In the case of gold, volatility is mostly related to real yields, US dollar, and safe haven status. Oil prices can be influenced by geopolitical events, communication from OPEC+, inventories, and demand expectations.

All in all, it creates a more balanced month-wise map of risk factors. In the cross-asset volatility ranking made by JustMarkets, October is still on top, while the next place belongs to September that is often connected with lower equity seasonality and summer position-taking. High volatility is also typical for March due to macroeconomic repricing, monetary policy moves, and quarterly flows. August usually becomes a volatile month because of lower liquidity and increased sensitivity to the news headlines. November often stays active because of October positions unwinding and year-end policy and portfolio considerations.

Why October Still In Focus

October does not only represent a myth or pattern. This month becomes important for the reason that traders expect it to be. The expectations become an element that alters behavior, such as increased hedging, risk control, swift profit taking, and reaction to negative news.

The major point is that volatility doesn’t necessarily come out of the calendar. Catalysts and positioning drive it: inflation surprises, monetary policy announcements, energy disruptions, geopolitical developments, earnings estimates, and liquidity conditions can make a regular month volatile.

What Traders Should Take from This

Rather than being afraid of October out of sheer superstition, what traders must do is make October a risk-awareness month. Traders must pay attention to wide swings, the potential for fake breakouts, intraday reversals, and strong reactions before macro events.

With JustMarkets, traders are able to trade a range of contracts for difference (CFDs) in currencies, commodities, indices, equities, and even cryptocurrencies, which makes it easy to see how volatility plays out on various asset classes. The bottom line is that while October must be considered, one of the best edges in trading lies in preparation.

Risk Warning: Trading Forex and CFDs involves significant risk and can result in the loss of your invested capital. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.

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SOURCE JustMarkets

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Agoda Reveals South Korean Family Travel Trends for the Year-End Holiday Season

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– Phu Quoc, Fukuoka, Osaka, Nha Trang, Tokyo, Da Nang, Okinawa, Cebu, Sapporo and Chiang Mai topped international searches, while Jeju, Busan, Gyeongju, Sokcho, Incheon, Gangneung, Yeosu, Pyeongchang and Jeongseon led domestic destinations

SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As the year-end holiday season approaches, families are beginning to plan getaways to make the most of the winter break. Reflecting this seasonal travel demand, digital travel platform Agoda has unveiled its latest insights on the international and domestic destinations drawing the most interest from families traveling with children.

Families look to Japan and Vietnam for end-of-year escapes

Agoda’s data reveals that South Korean families are most interested in exploring destinations in nearby Japan and Southeast Asia – particularly Vietnam – during the winter months, according to accommodation searches made on Agoda by South Korean travelers with at least one child for check-ins between November 2026 and January 2027. Phu Quoc (Vietnam) emerged as the top choice for overseas travel this winter season, followed by Fukuoka (Japan) in second place, and Osaka (Japan) in third. Nha Trang (Vietnam), Tokyo (Japan), Da Nang (Vietnam), Okinawa (Japan), Cebu (Philippines), Sapporo (Japan) and Chiang Mai (Thailand) complete the top ten.

Phu Quoc saw accommodation searches rise 33% year on year, moving up four places from last year to claim the top spot. With the dry season beginning in November, the island offers favorable weather for families to enjoy a wide range of activities, from island-hopping tours, snorkeling and parasailing to exploring night markets, theme parks and safaris.

Japanese destinations also continue to be popular among South Korean travelers, with five cities making the top ten international destinations. Fukuoka ranked second, climbing four places from last year, with accommodation searches increasing 61%. Easily accessible from South Korea, Fukuoka is a convenient choice for families traveling with children. The city offers a variety of family-friendly attractions, including LaLaport Fukuoka, one of the largest shopping malls with a game center, the Fukuoka Anpanman Children’s Museum and Marine World Uminonakamichi.

Osaka retained its third-place ranking from last year, with accommodation searches increasing 8%. With Trinity Airways set to launch a new daily Incheon–Kobe route from December 18, access to the Kansai region is expected to become even more convenient for South Korean travelers during the upcoming holiday period. The city is also home to a range of attractions for children and families, including Universal Studios Japan, Kids Plaza Osaka, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan and LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka.

Notably, Sapporo made its debut in the top ten this year, ranking ninth with a 46% increase in accommodation searches. Known as a popular winter destination, Sapporo offers families the chance to experience a variety of seasonal activities, from the Sapporo Snow Festival and Sapporo White Illumination to relaxing hot springs.

Beyond Japan and Vietnam, Thailand’s Chiang Mai also saw increased travel interest from South Korean families, with accommodation searches climbing 47%, earning the city its first appearance in the top ten this year. With warm weather year-round, the city offers an appealing getaway for families looking to escape the winter cold, with attractions such as Chiang Mai Night Safari, Grand Canyon Water Park and Lenmaii Playground & Cafe providing plenty of options for children. The destination is also set to become more accessible from South Korea, with Air Busan launching a new Busan–Chiang Mai route on November 11, which could further boost travel demand during the year-end holiday season.

Closer to home, families find fresh winter adventures in well-loved locales

Turning to domestic travel, Jeju ranked first, followed by Seoul, and Busan in the top three. Gyeongju, Sokcho, Incheon, Gangneung, Yeosu, Pyeongchang and Jeongseon round off the top ten.

Retaining the top spot for the second consecutive year, Jeju saw accommodation searches increase 8% year on year. The island offers a wide range of family-friendly experiences that bring children closer to nature and animals, from meeting animals at Flower Bird Park and Dochidol Ranch to dolphin tours and horseback riding. Families can also enjoy child-focused attractions such as Arte Kids Park, Snoopy Garden and Pororo & Tayo Theme Park Jeju, making Jeju a versatile destination for a family getaway.

Notably, Jeongseon entered the top ten for the first time this year, with accommodation searches rising 110%. Emerging as a new winter destination for families, Jeongseon offers snow-covered mountain scenery and hearty local cuisine, making it an appealing choice for a winter retreat. Visitors can take in panoramic snowy views at Manhangjae, while the Jeongseon Arirang Market provides an opportunity to experience the region’s local flavors and culture.

Alex Park, Country Director, South Korea at Agoda shared, “As families look ahead to the year-end holiday season, we’re seeing growing interest in destinations that offer something for every member of the family. From tropical escapes like Phu Quoc and Chiang Mai to winter destinations such as Sapporo and Jeongseon, this year’s travel trends highlight the many unique ways families are looking to make the most of their time together. At Agoda, we’re pleased to help families discover and plan trips that suit their interests and create memorable experiences for travelers of all ages.”

For families planning to travel with children, Agoda offers over 6 million holiday properties, more than 130,000 flight routes, and over 300,000 activities, all of which can be combined in a single booking. Visit the website at www.Agoda.com or download the mobile app for the best deals.

— END —

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