HONG KONG, July 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Lianlian DigiTech, a leading Chinese provider of cross-border payment solutions, has been named the winner of the “Best in Fintech Innovation Award” at the HKMA/HKT Global Innovation Awards 2025/26. The awards are co-organized by the Hong Kong Management Association (HKMA) and Hong Kong Telecom (HKT).

The company secured the honor with its proprietary global payout platform, LGPS (Lianlian Global Payout Service). The award program is a premier annual event in Hong Kong that celebrates outstanding innovation across industries, with this particular category dedicated to fintech projects that are actively transforming financial services through technology.

Lianlian DigiTech distinguished itself among a highly competitive field of entrants. The win not only validates the company’s technological expertise and real-world application value, but also underscores the growing global influence and competitiveness of Chinese fintech solutions in the cross-border payment space. 

Data-Driven Cross-Border Payments: How LGPS Bridges China and Global Markets

As artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and other emerging technologies reshape global commerce, the global payments landscape is undergoing a fundamental shift. Traditional bank wire transfers — with their manual processes, layered intermediary banks, opaque fees, and slow review cycles — are increasingly ill-suited for today’s high-volume, low-value, and fragmented trade flows.

Lianlian DigiTech’s LGPS directly addresses these pain points. Through a unified, standardized API, the platform integrates global payment networks with localized clearing systems, creating a new payment corridor between China and international markets. This enables overseas payment service providers (PSPs), banks, and other financial institutions to seamlessly access payment infrastructure both within China and across multiple jurisdictions — delivering end-to-end transparency, regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, and full traceability for every transaction.

To tackle these long-standing industry challenges, LGPS delivers breakthroughs across four critical areas—use-case coverage, settlement speed, regulatory safety, and operational transparency—fundamentally redefining the cross-border payment experience.

Versatile use-case coverage. LGPS supports a broad range of payment scenarios within a single integrated platform, including B2B trade settlements, cross-border e-commerce merchant collections, foreign trade supplier payouts, personal remittances, and marketplace fund disbursements. This makes it a one-stop solution for virtually any type of China-linked commercial or financial flow.

Speed and cost efficiency. Powered by a global network of localized clearing capabilities, LGPS dramatically reduces the number of intermediary banks in the transaction chain. The result: real-time settlement in many cases, direct RMB deposits ready for immediate use, and significantly lower multi-tier fees—delivering both speed and cost-effectiveness without compromise.

Regulatory-grade compliance and security. Backed by Lianlian DigiTech’s portfolio of 68 payment licenses worldwide, and reinforced by proprietary AI-driven anti-money laundering (AML) and fraud-detection systems, LGPS ensures full-chain regulatory compliance. Every transaction is monitored and secured, giving businesses confidence that funds move safely within legal frameworks.

End-to-end transparency. LGPS provides fully accessible tools including real-time balance inquiries, automated standard report downloads, and complete visibility into transaction initiation and status. Every payment is traceable from start to finish, with a clear digital audit trail. This level of transparency gives financial institutions and merchants robust support for fund management, reconciliation, and auditing—eliminating the guesswork that has long plagued cross-border payments.

LGPS is rapidly expanding its global ecosystem. Leading international players—including Thunes, a global B2B payments infrastructure platform, and 12 Victory, a well-known cross-border remittance service—have already integrated with the platform. Through real-world commercial deployments, LGPS has consistently demonstrated its reliability and technological edge, with its performance now fully validated across diverse global markets and use cases.

Driving “AI Native + Global”: Building Next-Generation Intelligent Financial Infrastructure

As a leading Chinese provider of digital and intelligent cross-border payment solutions, Lianlian DigiTech remains firmly committed to its “AI Native + Global” vision. With AI-native innovation at the heart of its business, the company is embedding AI, blockchain, and other advanced technologies into every stage of cross-border fund flows. By collaborating closely with major global banks, card networks, e-commerce platforms, and a broad range of service providers, Lianlian DigiTech is building an open, collaborative, and globally integrated digital payment ecosystem. Together, these efforts are laying the foundation for a trusted, intelligent financial infrastructure that enables Chinese businesses to connect seamlessly with commercial opportunities worldwide.

To date, Lianlian DigiTech holds a global portfolio of 68 payment licenses and regulatory authorizations. Its operations span more than 100 countries and regions, supporting settlement in over 140 currencies. With more than 10.4 million merchants and businesses served, the company delivers secure, efficient, and fully compliant cross-border collection and payment solutions for a diverse client base — including cross-border e-commerce sellers, foreign trade companies, and multinationals expanding into global markets.

The launch of LGPS represents a critical milestone in Lianlian DigiTech’s “AI Native + Global” initiative—expanding the reach of global payment services and delivering a truly seamless payment experience. Winning this prestigious HKMA fintech award is not only an industry validation of LGPS’s technological innovation and global service value, but also a strong endorsement of Lianlian DigiTech’s combination of AI-native technology and its worldwide payment network.

Looking ahead, Lianlian DigiTech will continue expanding its AI-native capabilities and global payment network while strengthening partnerships with banks and financial institutions worldwide. Drawing on its expertise in AI-native technologies and globally compliant payment infrastructure, the company is developing an end-to-end, fully intelligent payment platform designed to streamline payment flows, boost cross-border efficiency, and help accelerate the digital economy. Together, these efforts will create new opportunities and lasting value for international payments and global cross-border trade. 

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SOURCE Lianlian DigiTech

Multi-year agreement returns 54 local broadcast stations to customers in 36 metro regions

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., July 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — DIRECTV today announced a new multi-year agreement that will return 54 local broadcast stations owned and operated by The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) to DIRECTV streaming, satellite, and U-verse customers, effective immediately.

The agreement ends a five-week blackout affecting millions of customers across 36 Nielsen DMAs, including Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, Nashville, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Tampa-St. Petersburg, and others, with access to local news from their communities, as well as significant cultural events like the annual NBA Finals and NHL Stanley Cup Final, or the ongoing FIFA World Cup.

“We’re grateful to our customers for their patience. Like them, we are frustrated that broadcasters use blackouts as a tool to force us to accept unwarranted rate hikes that consistently exceed normal, inflationary increases, and by a lot,” said Rob Thun, chief content officer at DIRECTV. “At a time when affordability matters more than ever, families are too often asked to pay more while receiving less.

“Local broadcasters were entrusted with serving their communities through local news, weather, emergency information, and hometown sports,” Thun added. “But as ownership becomes concentrated among a handful of ever-larger broadcasters gaining stations across new and within their existing markets, those expanded stations become increasingly powerful and further unbalanced negotiating tools. The more markets and major network affiliations a broadcaster controls, the greater its ability to withhold programming from the very communities it is meant to serve.

“Consumers should never lose access to essential local television because of a carriage dispute. It’s time to modernize the system so it rewards service to local communities—and not consolidated market power—by returning to the original purpose of broadcasting of putting viewers’ interests first,” Thun concluded.

ABOUT DIRECTV

DIRECTV is a premier provider of digital television entertainment in the United States. With a diverse range of programming options and cutting-edge technology, DIRECTV delivers a world-class viewing experience to millions of subscribers. Its commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction keeps it at the forefront of the entertainment industry while providing customers with greater choice, flexibility, and control. For more information, visit www.directv.com.

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SOURCE DIRECTV

MISSION VIEJO, Calif., July 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — PIP, a leading marketing, signs and print services provider, honored top-performing franchisees at its annual PIP Convention and Vendor Show, held recently in San Diego.

The PIP Franchisee of the Year Award – the franchise network’s most prestigious award – was presented to Joe and Geeta Moore, and Amanda Malinowski of PIP in Tampa, Florida. The award is given to a franchisee who represents the PIP brand well in their community, has contributed to improving the network and has supported and fostered his or her fellow franchisees.

“Joe, Geeta and Amanda are true standouts in our network. They consistently embrace new opportunities, deliver exceptional results for their customers and inspire those around them with their leadership and dedication. Their passion for innovation and excellence has fueled remarkable success, and we’re thrilled to honor them as our Franchisee of the Year,” said Richard Lowe, president and CEO of Franchise Services, LLC, the parent company of PIP.

The event welcomed PIP owners from across the country and featured the latest insights and tools to help franchisees grow their businesses. It also provided an opportunity to celebrate the network’s achievements. Awards were given in these categories based on 2025 sales – Top 10, Top 25, Volume Increase Percentage (VIP), Century Club and Million Dollar Club.

These PIP franchisees were recognized as the Top 10 franchisees in the network:

The Fulner Family, PIP Indianapolis, INShelley Bramstedt and John & Jan Tatham, PIP Anchorage, AKJustin Tracy and Sam Tracy, PIP Riverside, CABruce & Linda Pansky and Matt & Nicole Beresford, PIP Downey, CAChris Cochran and Shane Parker, PIP Peoria, ILBob & Claudia Pelzek and Adam Pelzek, PIP East Longmeadow, MAJennifer Allen & Mike Maystead, PIP Palo Alto, CAThe Tiedt Family, PIP Iowa City, IAThe Geller Family, PIP Ft. Lauderdale, FLTony Kistner and Bud Kistner, PIP Carmel, IN

The sold-out Vendor Show drew numerous vendors, who provided a variety of print, signage, and marketing products and services. Xerox, a leader in office and production print technology, was the conference’s signature sponsor and showcased their latest product offerings.

About PIP:
PIP is a marketing, signs and print services provider that specializes in the creation and execution of business communication solutions for small- to medium-sized businesses. Through a worldwide network of independently owned and operated franchises and affiliates, PIP offers digital, offset and variable printing, interior and exterior signage, direct mail and mailing services, promotional products, graphic design, tradeshow and event marketing, online ordering portals, labels and packaging and integrated marketing campaigns. For more than 60 years, PIP has led the industry by offering innovative solutions that help our customers communicate better.

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SOURCE PIP