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AllianceBernstein, Brookfield, and Carlyle Unveil Turnkey Private-Markets Solution for Defined Contribution Plans

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. and NEW YORK, May 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. (NYSE: AB), Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE: BAM), and Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) today announced a collaboration to deliver an innovative, turnkey private markets solution for Defined Contribution (DC) plans providing broader asset class diversification to retirement savers. Designed for implementation alongside an existing target-date fund or managed-account solution, “ABC [ONE]” is intended to be a single source of private-markets exposure for a DC plan’s Qualified Default Investment Alternative (QDIA). The solution will dynamically adjust private asset allocations across private credit, private real assets and private equity, depending on a participant’s stage in their retirement-savings journey.

AB, a leader in glide path design and asset allocation with $105 billion* in AUM in custom target date solutions, will manage the allocation to the three private market asset components alongside the plan’s existing QDIA, based on participants’ ages and preferences.

Global alternative investment firm Brookfield will manage the private real assets component, global investment firm Carlyle will manage the private equity component, and AB will manage the private credit component.  

ABC [ONE] is built to address changing market dynamics, with inflation-adjusted returns expected to be lower in the decade ahead and public markets offering less diversification. By incorporating private market assets with professionally managed DC retirement solutions – such as target-date funds –ABC [ONE] seeks to offer the potential to enhance returns and improve diversification alongside public market exposures.

“We’re pleased to bring together Brookfield, Carlyle and AB to provide a turnkey private markets solution to DC plans that gives retirement savers an allocation to private markets that dynamically adjusts by age,” said Onur Erzan, President of AllianceBernstein. “For more than a decade, AB has been incorporating private assets in custom target-date funds, in both the US and the UK. Based on our investment research and hands-on experience, we believe that when a plan decides to include them, it’s critical to optimize the deployment of these assets for DC participants.”

“We are excited to bring the breadth of Brookfield’s private strategies to the defined contribution space, alongside a market-leading target-date manager,” said Connor Teskey, CEO of Brookfield Asset Management. “With more than 125 years of experience owning, operating and investing in the infrastructure, energy and real estate assets that underpin the global economy, we believe private real assets offer compelling diversification benefits and differentiated return drivers that can support more stable, resilient long-term outcomes for DC participants.”

“We believe private equity can play a meaningful role in enhancing retirement outcomes over time,” said John Redett, Co-President and Head of Global Private Equity at Carlyle. “Our global private equity platform draws on decades of deep experience investing across cycles, sectors, and regions. By combining expertise with a diversified investment approach, we aim to help investors access opportunities aligned with long-term retirement needs. We’re pleased to collaborate to deliver a thoughtfully designed solution that brings together complementary strengths for DC plans.”

ABC [ONE] will use AB’s proprietary DC technology platform, which enables the firm to deliver highly customized default solutions to clients and effectively operationalize them with key business partners such as recordkeepers.

*AUM as of Q1 2026

About AllianceBernstein
AllianceBernstein (AB) is a leading global investment management firm that offers diversified investment services to institutional investors, individuals and private wealth clients in major world markets. As of April 30, 2026, AB had $881 billion in assets under management. AB is a subsidiary of Equitable Holdings, Inc., (EQH), a leading financial services holding company comprised of well-established and complementary businesses. Equitable Holdings, Inc., directly and through various subsidiaries, owns an approximate 68% economic interest in AB as of March 31, 2026. For more information about AB, visit www.alliancebernstein.com.

About Brookfield Asset Management 
Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. (NYSE: BAM, TSX: BAM) is a leading global alternative asset manager, headquartered in New York, with over $1 trillion of assets under management across infrastructure, energy, private equity, real estate, and credit. We invest client capital for the long term with a focus on real assets and essential service businesses that form the backbone of the global economy. We offer a range of alternative investment products to investors around the world — including public and private pension plans, endowments and foundations, sovereign wealth funds, financial institutions, insurance companies and private wealth investors. We draw on Brookfield’s heritage as an owner and operator to invest for value and generate strong returns for our clients, across economic cycles. For more information, please visit brookfield.com.

About Carlyle
Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across three business segments: Global Private Equity, Global Credit, and Carlyle AlpInvest. With $475 billion of assets under management as of March 31, 2026, Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies, and the communities in which we live and invest. Carlyle employs more than 2,500 people in 28 offices across four continents. Further information is available at www.carlyle.com. Follow Carlyle on X @OneCarlyle and LinkedIn at The Carlyle Group.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alliancebernstein-brookfield-and-carlyle-unveil-turnkey-private-markets-solution-for-defined-contribution-plans-302777461.html

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ATTACK SHARK Redefines Esports Response with MEGA B2, Combining TMR Technology and Rapid Trigger

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NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — High-performance gaming peripheral brand ATTACK SHARK today launched the MEGA B2, a flagship gaming mouse featuring TMR-based Magnetic Micro-Switch with Rapid Trigger, customizable haptic feedback, dual 8K connectivity, a flagship sensor, and advanced software tuning. Designed for esports players, it delivers enhanced speed, precision, and control.

Breaking Boundaries for a More Adaptive Input Experience

The standout feature of the MEGA B2 is its use of TMR-based Magnetic Micro-Switch supporting Rapid Trigger technology. Unlike traditional mechanical switches that rely on physical contacts, the TMR system detects button movement through magnetic sensing, enabling actuation distances adjustable down to 0.1mm. With Rapid Trigger, button activation and reset points can respond dynamically to movement, allowing faster repeated inputs without waiting for a fixed reset distance. Combined with adjustable trigger sensitivity, players can tailor responsiveness to different games and personal preferences. The contact-free design also helps reduce switch wear associated with long-term mechanical use.

To further enhance control, the MEGA B2 integrates linear motor haptic feedback into both primary buttons, allowing users to independently adjust trigger sensitivity and tactile feedback intensity.

The mouse is powered by a customized PixArt PAW3955MAX sensor, offering 1-60,000 DPI adjustment, 1-DPI increments, 20,000 FPS, 850 IPS, and 75G acceleration. The sensor is designed to provide reliable tracking during high-speed flicks, low-sensitivity gameplay, and large mouse movements commonly found in competitive shooters and other esports titles.

The flagship Nordic 54LM20 MCU further supports stable performance, efficient processing, and optimized power consumption, helping balance responsiveness with battery life in competitive gaming environments.

Built for High-Speed Competitive Play

The MEGA B2 supports both wired and wireless 8,000Hz polling rates, enabling high-frequency input reporting across connection modes. It is paired with ATTACK SHARK’s shark-fin-inspired 8K receiver, featuring an extended antenna for improved signal performance and LED indicators displaying connection status, polling rate, and battery life.

Weighing just 63±3g, the mouse combines lightweight performance with a reinforced button-module frame designed to improve structural stability and maintain a consistent click feel during extended use.

Customization is available through both a web-based driver and PC software. In addition to standard settings such as DPI, button assignments, and polling rates, users can adjust virtual sensor offset to better match different grip styles, movement patterns, and aiming preferences.

Additional features include a 300mAh high-density battery delivering up to 360 hours of battery life at 1,000Hz polling rate, a high-density injection-molded structure, a cooling glass-like surface coating, and a TTC Gold Wheel encoder for crisp and reliable scrolling feedback.

Driving Innovation Through Competitive Gaming

The launch follows ATTACK SHARK’s recent partnership with Cloud9’s League of Legends team, further strengthening the brand’s connection with professional esports. Through closer engagement with competitive players, ATTACK SHARK continues to gain insights into the demands of high-level gameplay and apply them to product development.

MEGA B2 is a product of that ongoing pursuit. By combining TMR-based Magnetic Micro-Switch with Rapid Trigger technology, it brings a new level of responsiveness and customization to gaming mice while extending magnetic sensing technology beyond keyboards. Trusted by more than 10 million users globally, ATTACK SHARK continues to make professional-grade gaming technology more accessible.

For more information, visit https://attackshark.com/ or connect with the brand on social media and Discord.

To place an order, visit ATTACK SHARK Amazon Store for the US, UK, Europe, Australia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Japan.

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Reap and Visa Collaborate to Launch Stablecoin Card Programs Across 100+ Markets

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This collaboration expands Reap’s Visa stablecoin-linked card programs globally.

SINGAPORE, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Reap, a global financial technology company building stablecoin-enabled infrastructure, and Visa, a global leader in digital payments, today announced a strategic collaboration to bring stablecoin-linked Visa credit card programs to over 100+ markets globally, powered by Reap’s card issuance infrastructure, in compliance with local regulations.

The collaboration will bring Reap’s market-leading Visa credit card issuing infrastructure beyond Asia and Latin America, into EMEA and Africa.

Reap will also become the first fintech in Asia to partner with Visa to enable global stablecoin credit card issuing at scale. Partners can launch and scale globally through Reap’s infrastructure, which provides the card network authorization, card processing, compliance frameworks, and operations so teams can focus on product and growth.

Stablecoin-linked card programs are one of the fastest-growing segments in digital payments. According to Artemis Research, the segment is growing at a 106% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), compared to just 5% for peer-to-peer (P2P) payments, signalling rising demand for infrastructure that bridges digital asset holdings with global merchant acceptance.

“We are excited that Visa is building the stablecoin card category with us in this landmark collaboration from Asia Pacific. What we’ve always wanted is for stablecoins to be as usable and accessible for businesses as any other payment method. We’re proud to collaborate with Visa as our leading go-to-market partner for stablecoin solutions, supporting our international expansion and sharing insights on bringing global card programs to market. Stablecoins opened the door, but the real unlock is the compliant infrastructure pathway that this creates for any company, anywhere in the world, to issue cards and scale through a single partnership.” said Daren Guo, Co-Founder, Reap.

Visa is seeing a $20 billion annual run rate of global stablecoin settlement volume, up 15x year-over-year, with over 160 stablecoin card programs globally. The partnership helps extend Visa’s stablecoin adoption strategy and deepens Visa’s positioning as a hyperscaler, bringing together stablecoins, blockchain and on-chain payments to deliver real world solutions for business.

“Stablecoin-linked card programs are entering a new stage and phase of scale and adoption. The collaboration with Reap reflects the strong momentum we are seeing across the payments ecosystem. Visa is partnering with innovators like Reap to bring trusted and secure payment infrastructure to more markets and use cases, enabling these businesses to move faster while reaching the global acceptance and reliability they need to grow”, said Stephen Karpin, President, Visa Asia Pacific.

Through Reap’s infrastructure, fintechs, businesses, and platforms can offer credit card programs where stablecoins are used to fund and manage spending. Partners can use stablecoins as collateral, enable cardholders to repay balances in stablecoins and support cross-border corporate spending with compliance and program management built in. They can also spend at 175M+ Visa-accepting merchant locations worldwide, which brings the familiarity and global reach of the Visa network to stablecoin-enabled treasury and spend management.

The expanded partnership supports a range of use cases:

Corporate treasury and cross-border spend: Fund credit cards using stablecoins and manage cross-border expenses more efficiently.Global payouts and vendor spend: Enable platforms to support business payments and payouts through a card experience, with stablecoins powering settlement flows.Embedded finance for B2B platforms: Launch branded card programs that integrate stablecoin funding and repayment into existing product experiences.

New settlement and payment pathways

As part of an expanded collaboration, Visa and Reap will explore new settlement and payment pathways, including agentic commerce capabilities. This will include looking at how trusted AI agents can execute authenticated payments within user-defined parameters – ensuring security and compliance remain uncompromised – while laying the groundwork for a new era of programmable, stablecoin-native commerce.

Reap is also a partner for Visa’s stablecoin settlement program in the Asia Pacific region, settling payment obligations with Visa directly using stablecoins. The integration of stablecoin settlement between Reap and Visa unlocks settlement over a blockchain beyond traditional banking hours and weekend delays that have long constrained global card operations. For issuers and card programs, this reduces the need to hold large pre-funded balances. It marks a foundational shift in how modern card networks and their partners manage liquidity at global scale.

Reap also plans to be one of the first in the market to introduce multicurrency stablecoin card capability, enabling card programs to support additional currencies and stablecoin-based funding and settlement options, further broadening the range of digital assets that card programs can utilise.

About Reap

Reap is a global financial technology company that enables financial connectivity and access for businesses worldwide through stablecoin-enabled infrastructure. We transform the financial landscape through more efficient money movement by merging traditional finance with digital assets, bridging disparate economies and connecting key financial markets.

Reap was an early leader in Asia to incorporate stablecoins into our solutions. In 2025, Reap processed billions in stablecoin-funded transaction flows. From stablecoin-enabled credit cards to cross-border payments, we streamline financial operations and empower companies to scale with our integrated business accounts and embedded finance solutions.

Founded and headquartered in Hong Kong, Reap employs around 300 people worldwide. More information about Reap can be found at reap.global.

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, sellers, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/reap-and-visa-collaborate-to-launch-stablecoin-card-programs-across-100-markets-302886930.html

SOURCE Visa Worldwide Pte Ltd

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BRAHMA AI RAISES $150 MILLION ROUND LED BY MULTIPLES

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Funding will accelerate R&D, global go-to-market and a significant Silicon Valley presence as Brahma AI builds the operating system for enterprise audiovisual content

LOS ANGELES and LONDON and MUMBAI, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Brahma AI, the AI-native operating system for enterprise audiovisual content, today announced that it has raised $150 million through the issuance of preferred shares with a $100 million investment by Multiples Alternate Asset Management. The company has also received a further $100 million of investor interest.

Brahma AI is focused on four global verticals: media & entertainment, sports, healthcare and advertising. Global anchor customers include Warner Bros, the NBA and Mayo Clinic and strategic distribution partners include Google, Hakuhodo and DNEG.

Brahma AI was founded and is led by Founder & CEO Prabhu Narasimhan. Brahma AI was born from Narasimhan’s vision to bring together the technology stack and capabilities developed across DNEG, Metaphysic and Prime Focus Technologies to build an AI-native platform for the world’s largest enterprises. Under his leadership, Brahma AI has developed its AI-native platform around Brahma AI Core and Brahma AI Studio, secured major global customers and partnerships, and expanded the application of its technology across media & entertainment, sports, healthcare and advertising.

Today, Brahma AI combines enterprise content intelligence and management with sophisticated AI creation technologies spanning visual AI, digital humans, voice and multilingual performance. Its technology has received significant industry recognition, including a 2026 Technology & Engineering Emmy® Award.

Jo Plaete, Co-Founder & CTO and one of the world’s leading experts in AI, visual AI, digital humans and high-fidelity synthetic media, heads Brahma AI’s technology and R&D division as the company continues to develop and expand its AI platform.

Renuka Ramnath, Founder, MD & CEO of Multiples

“Brahma AI is reimagining the content supply chain in the age of AI. Built on a unique heritage of Hollywood-grade technology and enterprise innovation, the company is helping organizations unlock greater value through AI-powered content, intelligence, localization, digital humans, and workflow automation. Its strong customer traction, differentiated capabilities and recognition thereof, including a 2026 Technology & Engineering Emmy® Award, reinforce our conviction in its ability to appropriate the multi-billion-dollar market opportunity.

Our investment is anchored in the belief that every enterprise is becoming a content enterprise. Prabhu, Jo and the broader team bring a deep understanding of the industries they serve and have translated cutting-edge AI into highly relevant solutions, spanning enabling multilingual visual experiences for films to developing digital twins for physicians. Multiples Private Equity will be an active partner as the company navigates the next phase of growth through investments in R&D, global market expansion, and talent & process build-out. The company has all the ingredients required to build an enduring global institution in a category that is only beginning to take shape.”

Namit Malhotra, Founder & CEO of DNEG

“Brahma AI began with Prabhu’s bold idea: to bring together the technology stacks and capabilities developed across DNEG, Metaphysic and Prime Focus Technologies and create a new, independent technology company built for the AI era. What he and his team have built from those foundations in such a short period of time has been remarkable.

Under Prabhu’s leadership, Brahma AI has developed its own technology and products, won major global customers and partnerships, and established a clear identity and ambition of its own. There is also a special symmetry to this moment. Prabhu, United Al Saqer Group and Thor Björgólfsson backed and invested in Prime Focus Limited, DNEG and me at an important stage in our journey. Today, all of us are backing Brahma AI and Prabhu alongside new investors led by Multiples.”

Prabhu Narasimhan, Founder & CEO of Brahma AI

“What excites me most about this investment is what it allows us to build next. We are close to launching interactive digital humans, we are building Brahma AI to be model agnostic, and we are taking our technology into entirely new use cases. And security, authenticity and provenance are such an important part of what we are building.

What resonated with us about Multiples is our shared belief that category-defining companies are built through a combination of bold ambition, disciplined execution and long-term thinking. I could not be more excited to have Multiples alongside us as we scale globally and continue pushing the boundaries of enterprise AI.”

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. served as sole placement agent on this equity financing.

About Brahma AI

Brahma AI is the AI-native operating system for enterprise audiovisual content. Its platform combines Brahma AI Core, its enterprise content intelligence and management layer, with Brahma AI Studio, its AI-powered creation platform spanning visual AI, digital humans, voice and multilingual performance. Brahma AI works with some of the world’s leading content owners and enterprises and is the recipient of a 2026 Technology & Engineering Emmy® Award for its visual AI technology.

Mind² — Human emotion. Machine execution.

About Multiples

Multiples is India’s leading Alternate Asset Management company, distinguished by its long and successful experience of partnering with entrepreneurs. Multiples has backed over 35 enterprises to build aspirational, distinctive, and responsible businesses. Multiples identifies opportunities that benefit from big shifts in its chosen sectors and partners with exceptional entrepreneurs and management teams in creating transformational growth.

Multiples focuses on core sectors of financial services, pharma & healthcare, consumer and technology and more recently the green economy. Some of Multiples’ distinctive investment partnerships include ACKO, Delhivery, Encube Ethicals, India Energy Exchange, Kogta Financial, Licious, Milltec, MoEngage, PVR, Quantiphi, TI Clean Mobility, Vastu Housing Finance, VIP Industries, and Zenex.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/brahma-ai-raises-150-million-round-led-by-multiples-302886926.html

SOURCE BRAHMA AI

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