Firm adds ~400 beds in under two weeks, including its entry into the University of Arkansas market, underscoring growing investor conviction in the student housing shadow market

NEW YORK, June 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Hackberry Lane (“Hackberry”), a vertically integrated student housing investment and operating company, announced the closing of six separate transactions across Gainesville, Florida (University of Florida) and Fayetteville, Arkansas (University of Arkansas). Collectively representing approximately 400 student housing beds across townhome, cottage, and boutique apartment product types, the acquisitions bring Hackberry’s total owned portfolio to approximately 2,000 beds through 20+ transactions since the firm’s inception in 2023. The Fayetteville acquisitions are the firm’s first in that market, marking the seventh student housing market where Hackberry has established a presence.

The portfolio adds high-quality assets located within walking distance of the University of Florida and University of Arkansas campuses.

Hackberry Lane focuses on townhome, single-family, garden-style, and boutique apartment communities located in walkable, campus-adjacent corridors. While the broader student housing industry has concentrated on mid- and high-rise purpose-built development, Hackberry targets the more fragmented shadow market, where assets remain largely in the hands of local owner-operators.

About Hackberry Lane

Founded in 2023 by Reid Marks, Nick Helfand, and Cameron Koffman, Hackberry Lane is a vertically integrated student housing investment and operating company focused on acquiring and managing townhome, single-family, garden-style, and boutique apartment assets in walkable, campus-adjacent corridors at Power 4 universities. Since its founding, Hackberry Lane has grown to approximately 2,000 student housing beds across seven premier markets. For more information, visit www.hackberrylane.com.

Contact: [Reid Marks | Co-Founder | reid@hackberrylane.com]

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SOURCE Hackberry Lane

Vantage Bank CEO Jeff Sinnott and Custodia CEO Caitlin Long secure the #1 and #2 spots in American Banker’s inaugural “The Most Innovative People in Finance” ranking as live testing for their joint tokenized deposit and stablecoin network advances

SAN ANTONIO and CHEYENNE, Wyo., June 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — American Banker placed the two co-founders of Hazel Network atop its inaugural list of The Most Innovative People in Finance, naming Vantage Bank CEO Jeff Sinnott at #1 and Custodia CEO Caitlin Long at #2 among the top 50 executives reshaping the financial services industry.

The Hazel Network functions as a turnkey tokenized deposit and stablecoin network built by banks for banks and tailored to allow banks of any size to integrate programmable tokenization technology. Built with programmatic compliance and operational controls baked in, Hazel features a unique bidirectional mechanism. All tokens in the system originate as tokenized deposits among member banks. When customers send tokens outside the network, the tokens automatically convert to a GENIUS Act-compliant stablecoin, seamlessly reverting to a tokenized deposit upon return.

The parties released Hazel Network on Ethereum mainnet in April and successfully completed the first of four stages of testing.

“Blockchain and tokenization level the playing field for institutions that listen and respond to their customers’ modern payment needs,” said Jeff Sinnott, CEO of Vantage Bank. “By dedicating nearly half of our technology budget to true innovation, we’ve proven that traditional banking principles and decentralized assets can bridge successfully. Co-founding the Hazel Network alongside Custodia allows us to scale these exact efficiencies—such as slashing cross-border settlement friction—to community and regional banks nationwide.”

“We built Hazel Network to reduce the friction between the traditional banking world and its digital counterpart without creating barriers or causing asset disintermediation,” said Caitlin Long, Founder and CEO of Custodia. “Vantage brings the customer relationships and deep banking architecture expertise, while Custodia provides the digital asset infrastructure. To have our shared vision validated by American Banker as the top two innovators in finance is a testament to what bank-native digital assets can accomplish.”

Hazel Network represents a complementary partnership. Sinnott was recognized by American Banker for spearheading the first U.S. bank-issued stablecoin and driving blockchain-based payment initiatives, including an instant cross-border payment pilot for a commercial trucking firm that cut wire costs by 94 percent. Long was honored for her years of pioneering work building bank-grade digital asset infrastructure and regulatory clarity for stablecoins. The parties jointly pioneered a unified smart contract method that services both tokenized bank deposits and stablecoins within the same smart contract. The foundational token design is protected by US Patents 11,392,906, 12,450,578, 12,579,525 and others still pending. Additional patents are also pending on the unified-token model and still other subject matter.

Multiple member-based organizations in the banking industry, including the Texas Bankers Association and loan participation automation firm Participate, are providing support for banks of any size to join Hazel Network.

Banks interested in joining Hazel Network should contact Shawn Main at shawn.main@vantage.bank.

About Vantage Bank

Vantage Bank is prepared for what’s possible! We are dedicated to delivering sophisticated, innovative financial solutions while maintaining a strong commitment to the communities we serve. Family and employee owned, Vantage Bank is headquartered in Texas and operates through a diverse set of locations across the state. Our suite of powerful digital tools and services rivals those offered by fintechs and similar non-bank financial services companies. We operate within a safe and sound environment—providing peace of mind and the financial security that only a regulated institution can offer. By integrating advanced technology with personalized service, Vantage Bank empowers individuals and businesses to achieve their financial goals while upholding the highest standards of compliance and community engagement. Visit us at www.vantage.bank.

About Custodia

Custodia is a Wyoming special purpose depository institution formed to serve as a compliant bridge to the U.S. dollar payments system and a custodian of digital assets that can meet the strictest level of institutional custody standards. Custodia is required to fully comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including the Bank Secrecy Act and federal “know your customer,” anti-money laundering and related laws and regulations. Custodia also complies with Wyoming’s special purpose depository institution and digital asset laws, which include requirements that fiat deposits be 100% reserved and that Custodia meet the strictest investor protections in the digital asset industry. This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including product offerings, regulatory plans and business plans) and may change without notice. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

Media contact: Leslie Ausburn, 12103268992, leslie@kometcommunications.com

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SOURCE Vantage Bank and Custodia

NEW YORK and NOIDA, India, June 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — HCLTech, (NSE: HCLTECH) (BSE: HCLTECH) a leading global technology company, today announced Guatemala-based CISP – Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli as the winner and Argentina-based Aves Argentinas and Mexico-based Isla Urbana – Lluvia para Todos A.C. as runners-up of the third edition of the HCLTech Climate Action Grant in the Americas. The three nonprofit organizations (NPOs) will collectively receive $1 million to scale innovative climate initiatives across the Americas.

CISP will receive $500,000, while Aves Argentinas and Lluvia para Todos will each receive $250,000. The funding will enable the organizations to expand their work in water security, biodiversity conservation and access to clean water in climate-vulnerable regions.

CISP will focus on improving water security and sustainable land management in Guatemala’s dry corridor with the aim to bring clean water back to 200 families through rainwater harvesting. Aves Argentinas will advance ecological restoration and biodiversity conservation in the Atlantic Forest region of the Iguazú river basin with estimated impact of restoring more than 790 hectares in the community. Lluvia para Todos will expand community-based rainwater harvesting systems in water-stressed regions of Mexico with approximately 2,300 individuals benefitting from rainwater harvesting providing a total of 4.2 million liters of harvested water.

The 2026 edition attracted applications from NPOs across 10 countries in the Americas —Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru and the United States — reflecting a 41% increase since the program’s launch. A seven-member jury comprising of HCLTech leaders and external experts selected the finalists through a multi-stage evaluation process, based on their ability to deliver scalable and locally relevant climate solutions.

“We are inspired by the ingenuity and commitment demonstrated by this year’s recipients, who are driving meaningful climate action in the communities that need it most,” said Dr. Nidhi Pundhir, Senior Vice President, Global CSR, HCLTech. “As the program enters its third year, we are seeing tangible progress in advancing sustainable, community-led solutions, reinforcing our commitment to enabling long-term climate resilience across the region.”

The program builds on the momentum of the previous six NPO recipients, whose initiatives have contributed to ecological restoration, climate resilience and sustainable community development across the Americas. To date, efforts supported through the Grant have enabled the planting of more than 360,000 native trees and mangroves, and empowered more than 1,400 young people, students, and educators through climate leadership. These efforts have strengthened biodiversity and marine ecosystems and advance sustainability education and environmental stewardship programs through AI-enabled environmental monitoring.

Launched in 2023, the HCLTech Climate Action Grant in the Americas is part of the company’s broader sustainability and CSR strategy to invest in and strengthen the communities it serves. HCLTech committed $5 million over five years for this initiative.

HCLTech continues to be recognized for its dedication to combatting climate change and overall sustainability initiatives, including being ranked among the top 15 in Professional Services in the World’s Most Sustainable Companies 2025 list by TIME.

For more information on HCLTech Climate Action Grant in the Americas, its mission and the application process, please visit americas-grant.hcltech.com.

About HCLTech

HCLTech is a global technology company, home to more than 227,000 people across 60 countries, delivering industry-leading capabilities centered around AI, digital, engineering, cloud and software, powered by a broad portfolio of technology services and products. We work with clients across all major verticals, providing industry solutions for Financial Services, Manufacturing, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Technology and Services, Semiconductor, Telecom and Media, Retail and CPG, Mobility and Public Services. Consolidated revenues as of 12 months ending March 2026 totaled $14.7 billion. To learn how we can supercharge progress for you, visit hcltech.com.

For further details, please contact:

Meredith Bucaro, Americas
meredith-bucaro@hcltech.com

Elka Ghudial, EMEA
elka.ghudial@hcltech.com

James Galvin, APAC
james.galvin@hcltech.com

Nitin Shukla, India and MEA
nitin-shukla@hcltech.com

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2648325/HCLTech_Logo.jpg 

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SOURCE HCLTech