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CGTN: China and Pakistan reaffirm ties, vow to advance multipolar world

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BEIJING, May 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — CGTN published an article during Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s official visit to China, highlighting how China and Pakistan are working together to bring tangible benefits to both peoples and uphold regional peace and stability amid a turbulent global landscape.

In a recent letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, a group of Pakistani students studying at China’s Tianjin University made a heartfelt pledge to become builders of cooperation, promoters of exchanges, and guardians of friendship between the two nations.

Xi said he was truly heartened to see that the cause of China-Pakistan friendship has dedicated young successors, a pleasure he shared with visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday.

The two countries, Xi said, should accelerate the development of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era and deliver more outcomes from their all-weather cooperation to better benefit the two peoples, contribute to regional peace and stability, and set a fine example for building a community with a shared future with neighboring countries.

An unbreakable friendship

The Pakistani prime minister’s four-day official visit to China comes on the heels of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which began on May 21, 1951.

Xi said that over the past 75 years, “China and Pakistan have enjoyed mutual understanding, trust and support, and forged an unbreakable traditional friendship.”

The strategic mutual trust and practical cooperation have strongly promoted the development of both nations, he said.

No matter how the international landscape evolves, China will always prioritize the development of China-Pakistan relations in its diplomacy with neighboring countries, Xi added.

He also urged the two sides to advance both major signature projects and “small and beautiful” livelihood programs and deepen all-round cooperation in areas such as agriculture, industry, artificial intelligence, and talent cultivation.

China and Pakistan see bilateral cooperation deepening across all sectors, with rich fruits in trade and economic ties. China has maintained its position as Pakistan’s largest trading partner for 11 consecutive years. It is Pakistan’s largest source of imports and its second-largest export destination, and ranks as the country’s largest source of foreign direct investment, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

As a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has been upgraded to version 2.0, focusing on five key pillars: growth, livelihood enhancement, innovation, green development, and openness. The corridor has injected over $25.9 billion in total investment into Pakistan’s economy and created 260,000 jobs.

Sharif said Pakistan will deepen BRI cooperation with China and advance CPEC development so that the Pakistan-China relationship will continue to grow and benefit both peoples.

He said the ironclad friendship, which was forged personally by the older generation of leaders, is “growing ever stronger and next to none.”

A multipolar world

Far beyond its bilateral scope, China-Pakistan cooperation is widely seen as injecting a dose of stability into an increasingly turbulent global and regional landscape.

During Monday’s talks, Xi said China appreciates Pakistan for demonstrating “a proactive spirit” and for mediating to restore peace in the Middle East, while Sharif said Pakistan appreciates China for supporting its mediation in negotiations between the United States and Iran.

Last month, Xi put forward a four-point proposal to promote peace and stability in the Middle East, advocating a commitment to the principles of peaceful coexistence, national sovereignty, and the international rule of law, as well as a balanced approach to development and security.

These four propositions provide a guiding framework for peace in the region, the Pakistani prime minister told Xi.

Xi said that China and Pakistan should further enhance security cooperation across broader areas and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.

He continued that the two sides should maintain close communication and coordination, jointly oppose unilateralism and the Cold War mentality, and promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and an economic globalization that is universally beneficial and inclusive.

In an interview with China Media Group, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong said that closer cooperation between the two countries serves as both “an anchor” for regional peace and stability and “a firewall” safeguarding international equity and justice.

Against the backdrop of spillovers from the US-Israel-Iran conflict and mounting pressure on the regional landscape and global economy, Jiang said China and Pakistan are standing together to amplify the voice of peace and justice while actively collaborating on practical mediation efforts.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-05-25/China-and-Pakistan-reaffirm-ties-vow-to-advance-multipolar-world-1Nrm01Bnnd6/p.html

SOURCE CGTN

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GLOBAL CONSUMER RWA SUMMIT 2026 Successfully Held at Hong Kong Science Park

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Industry Partners Join Forces to Build the Consumer RWA Ecosystem and Explore New Pathways for AI, Web3 and Real-World Consumption

HONG KONG, June 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The GLOBAL CONSUMER RWA SUMMIT 2026 was successfully held at the Charles K. Kao Auditorium, Hong Kong Science Park. The summit was jointly hosted by RWA.LTD, EOS, PG Protocol, GRIF and RWX, with media support from Feixiaohao.ai, ME, ChainCatcher, Odaily, Foresight News, PANews, MarsBit, CoinDesk, Bitcoin Magazine and other leading domestic and international media platforms. The event brought together distinguished guests from public affairs, finance, real-world industries, technology and Web3 to explore new opportunities in Consumer RWA, digital assets, AI and Web3 integration.

Under the theme “Connecting Global Consumption and Renewing the Value Ecosystem”, the summit focused on “RWA Powers the Next Wave of Real-World Consumption”, exploring the digital transformation of global consumer industries, innovative applications of real-world assets, brand value circulation, AI-driven industrial upgrading and Web3 infrastructure development. More than a single project showcase, the summit served as an industry-level platform for the global Consumer RWA ecosystem, connecting industrial resources, technology platforms, consumer brands, investment institutions, media organizations and Web3 partners to support the transition of Consumer RWA from concept discussion to real-world implementation.

During the opening session, distinguished guests delivered remarks and shared their views on the global digital economy, Hong Kong’s international advantages, consumer industry transformation and the development of the RWA ecosystem. Participants noted that RWA is becoming an important bridge between the real economy and the digital economy, while Consumer RWA, with its strong connection to real consumption scenarios, brand rights and user demand, has broad potential for practical industry adoption.

One of the key highlights of the summit was the official launch of Health Token. Built around the healthcare and consumer ecosystem, Health Token explores new ways to connect quality healthcare resources, consumer rights and digital services, offering a new direction for the digital transformation and value circulation of the healthcare industry. The launch also marked another important step in the application of Consumer RWA within health-related consumption scenarios.

The summit also featured the establishment and certificate presentation ceremony of the GLOBAL CONSUMER RWA SUMMIT 2026 Presidium. Representatives from public affairs, financial investment, Web3 technology, real-world industries, international business and consumer brands joined the ceremony on stage, marking a new stage of structured, organized and international collaboration for the global Consumer RWA ecosystem. The Presidium will focus on compliance research, industry standards, real-world implementation, international cooperation, brand globalization and project incubation, helping the Consumer RWA industry build a more open, practical and sustainable collaboration mechanism.

The summit also presented the Consumer RWA Alliance and its industry collaboration mechanism. Jointly promoted by RWA.LTD, multiple industry organizations, technology platforms and international ecosystem partners, the mechanism aims to connect global consumer brands, real-world enterprises, technology platforms, investment institutions, cross-border industrial resources and media partners. It is designed to help projects with real consumption scenarios complete digital transformation, rights design, brand growth and global market connection. The collaboration will further promote Consumer RWA from individual projects to broader industry coordination, providing real-world enterprises with new pathways for asset circulation, user engagement and brand value release.

During the summit, the concept of a Consumer RWA Sandbox was also introduced. Based on the principles of “compliance first, scenario-based validation, redeemable rights and controllable risks,” the sandbox aims to provide a pilot environment for healthcare consumption, brand membership rights, IP assets, physical goods, cross-border consumer services, supply chain assets and other real consumption scenarios. Through the sandbox mechanism, project owners can test product structures, redemption processes, compliance frameworks, user experience, technical integration and business models before broader market deployment, reducing innovation risks and improving implementation efficiency.

RWA.LTD stated that the development of Consumer RWA should not remain at the level of conceptual packaging. Instead, it should be built on real consumer demand, verifiable assets, redeemable rights and compliant operations. Going forward, RWA.LTD will work with Presidium members, co-hosts, industry partners, technology service providers and global ecosystem resources to bring more projects with real business scenarios and sustainable value into the sandbox, gradually building a replicable, scalable and international development path for Consumer RWA.

In addition, the summit featured a book launch ceremony for “RWA: Reconstructing Financial Business Models”, co-authored by Dou Jun, Secretary General of the Hong Kong RWA Global Industry Alliance. The book explores the industrial logic, business models and practical pathways of RWA, providing industry participants with further theoretical and case-based references.

Tony Fu, Founder and CEO of RWA.LTD, delivered a keynote speech titled “Compliance Process for Consumer RWA”. In his presentation, he explained the core logic of Consumer RWA from the perspectives of product design, compliance framework, rights circulation, real-world implementation and ecosystem collaboration. He noted that Consumer RWA is not simply about putting assets on-chain. Rather, it should be built on real consumer demand and redeemable rights, forming a sustainable, verifiable and implementable value loop. Only by combining compliance with real industry scenarios can Consumer RWA truly serve the real economy and create long-term value for brands, users and ecosystem partners.

The summit also featured multiple keynote sessions, panel discussions and project roadshows covering topics such as verifiable on-chain economies in the AI era, the full lifecycle of RWA implementation, Web3 communities and DApps empowering RWA ecosystems, AI + RWA digital financial services, global payments, IP and AI entertainment ecosystems, new energy, cultural asset trading and Web3 commerce networks.

During the project showcase and roadshow sessions, the summit presented a wide range of representative projects related to Consumer RWA, AI, Web3, payments, IP, green energy and the digital transformation of real-world industries, including GRIF, GWA Web4.0, Ave.ai, DeBox, EOS, Zypher DAO, FizzDragon, Gat Pay, Fufuture, exSat, Thailand New Energy Vehicle Project, HGDAO & YH, Octopus Paul, Tianfu Tianmeishi, Hubei Senpin Youxuan, Tianyuan Group, Phenix, VITAL-X and KTX. These projects demonstrated the application potential of Consumer RWA across on-chain trading, Web3 communities, AI film, global payments, real-world consumption, IP assets, cultural assets, new energy and Web3 commerce ecosystems.

During the panel sessions, guests discussed topics including “Development and Implementation of the Consumer RWA Sector” and “Consumption as Capital: Connecting Industry Liquidity Through Blockchain.” The discussions explored how RWA can help real-world enterprises improve asset efficiency, expand growth channels and build new models of industry collaboration from the perspectives of enterprise pain points, brand globalization, inventory circulation, cross-border resource allocation, on-chain tools and ecosystem development.

During the summit, several partnership signing ceremonies were held, covering cooperation between RWA infrastructure partners and the Singapore RWA Incubation Fund, strategic cooperation between EOS and a Singapore RWA company, collaboration among Korean enterprises, GRIF and RWA infrastructure partners, as well as a three-party partnership among the Singapore RWA Incubation Fund, VITAL-X and RWA.LTD. These partnerships are expected to further promote resource integration across different regions, industries and technology ecosystems, supporting the real-world implementation of Consumer RWA in Asia and global markets.

The successful hosting of GLOBAL CONSUMER RWA SUMMIT 2026 provided a high-quality platform for the global Consumer RWA industry and further brought together forces from Web3, AI, real-world industries, fintech, media and international organizations. With the continued development of the Presidium mechanism, the sandbox mechanism, the Consumer RWA Alliance collaboration mechanism and multiple industry partnerships, Consumer RWA is expected to become an important new infrastructure connecting real-world consumption, brand value and the digital economy.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/global-consumer-rwa-summit-2026-successfully-held-at-hong-kong-science-park-302802557.html

SOURCE RWA.LTD

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Visa and Mintoak Join Forces to Bring Merchant SaaS Capabilities to Acquirers Across Asia Pacific

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Enabling acquirers to build on payments with cloud-native, API-led platforms that scale value-added services and strengthen merchant relationships

SINGAPORE, June 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Visa (NYSE: V), a global leader in digital payments, today announced a partnership with Mintoak, a merchant Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) fintech platform, to enable acquirers across Asia Pacific to strengthen their merchant propositions beyond core payment acceptance.

The partnership enables banks and financial institutions to move beyond transaction-led acquiring towards platform-led models, allowing acquirers to deliver a digital-first merchant experience that integrates omnichannel payment acceptance across card-present and card-not-present environments with value-added services such as reporting, merchant engagement tools, and integrated banking solutions.

By bringing together Mintoak’s cloud-native, API-led platform and Visa’s payments network, data and advisory capabilities, the collaboration is designed to accelerate speed to market and improve merchant activation. It also unlocks new revenue streams through scalable value-added services, including data-driven insights that help clients make informed decisions.

“Acquirers play a critical role in the payments ecosystem, but the expectations of merchants are evolving rapidly,” said Prateek Sanghi, Head of Visa Consulting & Analytics Asia Pacific, Visa. “By partnering with Mintoak, we are empowering acquirers with modular, software-led capabilities that support deeper merchant engagement, more efficient servicing and sustainable, long-term growth.”

Mintoak’s platform delivers a unified merchant interface across payment acceptance, business insights and service management. Built for rapid deployment and modular integration, it enables acquirers to modernise their technology stack while retaining ownership of the merchant relationship.

“This partnership brings together Visa’s global payments leadership and Mintoak’s SaaS capabilities to help acquirers build stronger, more valuable merchant relationships,” said Raman Khanduja, Co-founder & CEO of Mintoak. “By building on the foundation of payments with platform-led engagement, we are enabling acquirers to strengthen competitiveness, enhance merchant lifetime value and unlock new avenues for growth in the SME segment.”

The collaboration supports Visa’s ambition to expand card and digital acceptance among underpenetrated small and medium-sized businesses across Asia Pacific. By unlocking faster, lower-cost onboarding and scalable, cost-effective acceptance, the solution is designed to increase acceptance density, drive transaction growth and accelerate ecosystem digitisation across the region.

It also reinforces Visa’s commitment to supporting acquirers as they navigate evolving market dynamics including margin pressure and rising service expectations through data-driven insights, platform-led capabilities and strategic partnerships.

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, 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.

About Mintoak

Mintoak is a leading merchant SaaS platform that enables merchant acquirers to monetise and empower SMEs through payments and commerce enablement solutions. The platform helps acquirers move beyond payment acceptance to deliver platform-led engagement across the merchant lifecycle, including payments, cross-sell, servicing and engagement campaigns.

Built on a modular, cloud-native and API-first architecture, the platform integrates seamlessly with existing acquiring infrastructure, enabling faster go-to-market and scalable deployment. Today, it operates across 20+ countries, empowering over 4.9 million merchants globally.

Its clients include HDFC Bank, State Bank of India and Axis Bank in India, as well as Absa Bank, Burgan Bank, Ahli United Bank and NMB Bank across international markets.

 

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SOURCE Visa Worldwide Pte. Limited

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SOPHiA GENETICS Announces Pricing of $50 Million Public Offering of Ordinary Shares

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BOSTON and ROLLE, Switzerland, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — SOPHiA GENETICS (Nasdaq: SOPH), a global leader in Ai-driven precision medicine, announced today the pricing of its previously announced underwritten public offering of 10,526,000 ordinary shares at a public offering price of $4.75 per ordinary share. The gross proceeds from the offering, before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by the Company are expected to be approximately $50 million. All of the ordinary shares to be sold in the proposed offering will be sold by the Company. In addition, the Company has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 1,578,900 additional ordinary shares at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The offering is expected to close on June 18, 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.

TD Cowen is acting as the lead book-running manager for the offering. Guggenheim Securities is acting as book-running manager, and BTIG and Craig-Hallum are acting as lead managers for the offering.

A registration statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-289266) relating to the ordinary shares and other securities of the Company has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and was declared effective on August 15, 2025. The offering may be made only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. A preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to this offering has been filed with the SEC and a final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC. Electronic copies of the final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus will be available on the SEC’s website located at www.sec.gov. Copies of the final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to this offering, when available, may be obtained for free by contacting TD Securities (USA) LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717 or by email at TDManualrequest@broadridge.com.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. Any offers, solicitations or offers to buy, or any sales of securities will be made in accordance with the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. There is no intention or permission to publicly offer, solicit, sell or advertise, directly or indirectly, any securities of SOPHiA GENETICS SA, such as the ordinary shares, in or into Switzerland within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act (“FinSA”) and these securities will not be listed or admitted to trading on the SIX Swiss Exchange or on any other regulated trading venue (exchange or multilateral trading facility) in Switzerland. Neither this press release nor any other offering or marketing material relating to these securities, such as the ordinary shares, constitutes or will constitute a prospectus pursuant to the FinSA, and neither this press release nor any other offering or marketing material relating to these securities, such as the ordinary shares, may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

About SOPHiA GENETICS

SOPHiA GENETICS (Nasdaq: SOPH) is a cloud-native healthcare technology company on a mission to expand access to data-driven medicine by using Ai to deliver world-class care to patients with cancer and rare disorders across the globe. It is the creator of SOPHiA DDM™, a platform that analyzes complex genomic and multimodal data and generates real-time, actionable insights for a broad global network of hospital, laboratory, and biopharma institutions.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding our expectations regarding the expected closing of this offering. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “would”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict”, “potential”, “seem”, “seek”, “future”, “continue”, or “appear” or the negative of these terms or similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various factors, including those described in our filings with the SEC. No assurance can be given that such future results will be achieved. Such forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update these forward-looking statements contained in this press release to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which such statements are based, unless required to do so by applicable law. No representations or warranties (express or implied) are made about the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements.

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SOURCE SOPHiA GENETICS

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