Technology

Payroll Moves into Strategic Spotlight as Workforce Complexity Grows: ADP

Published

6 hours ago

June 12, 2026

As regulatory pressure and employee expectations rise, payroll data, technology and governance are reshaping how organisations make critical workforce decisions with greater precision and confidence

CHENNAI, India, June 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Payroll in India is undergoing a significant transformation, moving beyond its traditional administrative remit to become a strategic enabler of workforce planning, compliance and employee experience, according to ADP’s annual Future of Pay 2026: India report.

As artificial intelligence reshapes how work gets done and introduces new layers of workforce complexity, payroll in India is undergoing a significant transformation—moving beyond its traditional administrative remit to become a strategic enabler of workforce planning, compliance and employee experience. This shift underscores the growing need for trusted partners to manage high-stakes payroll and HR processes with accuracy and accountability.

Drawing on insights from senior HR, finance and payroll leaders across India, the report highlights how rising cost pressures, regulatory changes, shifting labour markets and rapid technological advancement are reshaping expectations of payroll. While accuracy and timeliness remain non-negotiable, organisations increasingly view payroll as a source of insight that informs business decisions and builds employee trust. In a context where the cost of getting payroll and compliance wrong continues to rise, the value of getting it right has never been greater.

One of the clearest findings is the growing importance of payroll data in workforce strategy. Over 94% of organisations surveyed report that payroll data now plays a meaningful role in decisions on hiring, retention and cost management reinforcing payroll’s role as a critical source of insight in building an AI-powered workforce. Six in ten organisations already use payroll data for budget simulations, while many also apply it to workforce planning, variable pay modelling and market benchmarking.

“Payroll is no longer a function that organisations consider after decisions are made,” said Rahul Goyal, managing director, ADP India & Southeast Asia. “It has become a starting point for planning, enabling more informed and timely decisions while ensuring the accuracy and compliance that employees rely on.”

The report highlights that, despite its growing importance, accuracy remains the foundation of effective pay practices. Payroll teams are dealing with increasing complexity due to fragmented systems, manual data inputs and evolving regulations, including the Code on Wages. Nearly 45% of organisations view managing payroll compliance across regions as a key challenge, driving greater focus on governance, integration and automation. This is driving a shift toward more integrated, AI-enabled and service-backed payroll models that combine automation with human expertise.

Pay transparency is also gaining prominence, with approximately half of all surveyed organisations identifying it as a strategic priority in the next phase. Employees increasingly expect clarity on how pay decisions are made, including salary ranges, performance linkages and market data. Organisations are responding by introducing clearer pay frameworks and strengthening manager-led communication.

Technology is playing a central role in this evolution. Organisations are investing in integrated payroll and HR platforms, employee self-service tools, predictive analytics and AI-enabled capabilities. More than 96% of respondents report some level of adoption or plans to implement predictive analytics, and one in two organisations plans to introduce AI-powered payroll systems within the next 12 months while emphasising the need for responsible use, strong data governance and continued human oversight to ensure fairness, transparency and quality. In this approach, AI acts as a teammate, automating repetitive tasks, improving accuracy and surfacing insights so people can focus on work requiring judgment and expertise.

Employee financial wellbeing has also emerged as a core payroll outcome. Over half of organisations plan to prioritise financial wellness initiatives, including flexible pay options, educational programmes and earned wage access, reflecting rising expectations for a more flexible, supportive and people-centric employee experience.

“The future of payroll lies in combining reliable execution with insight, governance and technology,” Goyal added. “Organisations that achieve this balance will be better positioned to support workforce confidence, compliance and long-term growth.”

For more details, please download the full report from ADP India’s website here.

About the report

The Future of Pay 2026 report is based on insights from 344 senior HR, Finance, and Payroll leaders across India. It examines how organisations are evolving payroll strategies to meet changing workforce, regulatory, and business demands.

About ADP (NASDAQ – ADP)
ADP has been shaping the world of work with innovation and expertise for more than 75 years. As a global leader in HR and payroll solutions, ADP continuously works to solve business challenges for our clients and their workers, from simple, easy-to-use tools for small businesses to fully integrated platforms for global enterprises — and everything in between. Always Designing for People means we’re focused on just that – people. We use our unmatched AI-driven insights and proven expertise to design innovative solutions that help people achieve greater success at work. More than 1.1 million clients across 140+ countries rely on ADP’s exceptional service to support their people and drive their business forward. HR, Talent, Time Management, Benefits, Compliance, and Payroll. Learn more at ADP.com.

ADP, the ADP logo, and Always Designing for People, are trademarks of ADP, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

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Technology

Climate Solutions Prize unveils 2026 winners

Published

59 minutes ago

June 12, 2026

Under the theme Innovation in Motion, the Festival brought together leading voices in climate, policy and innovation across seven tracks, with more than $1.5 million in prizes.

MONTREAL, June 12, 2026 /CNW/ – The fourth edition of the Climate Solutions Prize Festival came to a close on the evening of June 9 at the Marché Bonsecours. The event drew 1,500 people to Montreal on June 8 and 9 for two days of talks, panel discussions and pitch events bringing together innovators, investors, industry leaders and policymakers from more than 20 countries and 5 continents. The winners of the four 2026 prizes were revealed at the closing ceremony.

“Climate innovation will not be led by slogans, but by builders. Our finalists are proof of that: their solutions do not ask the market to make a sacrifice. They win because they are faster, cleaner and profitable. Thank you to each of them for bringing that ambition to our stage, and my warmest congratulations to Treetack, TerraFixing, Tydra Labs, Local Energy, BeNat, the National Research Council of Canada and Hyperion, the University of Toronto in collaboration with Xatoms, Pirouz Kian and Sanjay Dube. The real race today is no longer about invention, but about the speed of deployment, and this week, we proved that we can lead it,” said Galith Levy, CEO and co-founder of the Climate Solutions Prize.

From a high-level kickoff to a Shark Tank style finale

Pascale Déry, Quebec’s Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, officially launched the event, reaffirming the government’s commitment to accelerating the ecological transition through innovation. She was followed by Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Mayor of Montreal, who underscored the city’s key role as an international hub for research and innovation in the service of climate action, as well as the importance of cities on the front lines of environmental challenges.

The program brought together leading voices, including Sage Lenier, climate educator and founder of Sustainable & Just Future, and Bruce Friedrich, founder and CEO of the Good Food Institute. The Honourable Jean Charest, former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and former Premier of Quebec, spoke with Henry Stern, Senator for the State of California. Their conversation, both clear-eyed and committed, explored a central question: how can democratic institutions respond to the climate emergency in a way that meets today’s challenges? They pointed to the Quebec-California carbon market partnership as an example of how to build sustainable and resilient economies.

The event concluded with a Shark Tank-style pitch competition, where the finalist companies for the Climate Tech Trailblazer Prize defended their solutions before a jury of investors and industry leaders, ahead of the announcement of the winning company at the closing ceremony.

The 2026 winners:

Climate Tech Trailblazer Prize (Canada & Quebec)

Treetack $100,000TerraFixing $100,000Audience choice: Tydra Labs, $25,000

Breakthrough Research Prize

First place : National Research Council of Canada and Hyperion, $250,000Second place : University of Toronto in collaboration with Xatoms, $150,000

Climate Startup Equity Prize, powered by Cycle Momentum – Pre-Seed

BeNat, $150,000

Climate Startup Equity Prize, powered by Cycle Momentum – Seed

Local Energy, $250,000

Student Entrepreneur Innovation Prize

First place : Pirouz Kian, University of Calgary – NanoStrip, $100,000Second place: Sanjay Dube, Memorial University of Newfoundland, $80,000

The Climate Solutions Prize in numbers

The 2026 edition welcomed 1,500 participants, with a 30% increase in prize applications over last year. It featured seven tracks, including three new ones (Nature and Biotechnologies, Resource Technologies, and Energy and Power). Since 2020, the Climate Solutions Prize has awarded more than $12 million in prizes, and its winners have unlocked more than $111 million in follow-on capital.

About the Climate Solutions Prize

Climate Solutions Prize is a climate innovation platform that arms startups and researchers with the funding, global visibility and strategic connections they need to move from proof-of-concept to real-world deployment. It connects climate technology innovators directly with the investors, industry partners, policymakers and decision-makers who can accelerate their path to market. Since 2020, the platform has awarded more than $12 million in prizes, and its winners have unlocked more than $111 million in follow-on capital.

Learn more: climatesolutionsprize.com

SOURCE Climate Solutions Prize

Technology

Ara: History Untold v2.1 Update Adds National Crafting Policy System, Now Available

Published

59 minutes ago

June 12, 2026

Update addresses the most-requested change since launch by letting players set their empire’s crafting priorities at the nation level

PLYMOUTH, Mich., June 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Stardock Entertainment and Oxide Games, in partnership with Xbox Game Studios, released the v2.1 Update for Ara: History Untold today, introducing a new National Crafting Policy System that addresses the most-common piece of player feedback since launch: managing crafting across a large empire took too long. With v2.1, players set their empire’s crafting priorities once at the nation level, and every crafter follows the policy automatically. The free update is available now on Steam for all players.

Ara: History Untold is a turn-based 4X strategy game where players guide a civilization from antiquity to the modern era. Players build cities, run detailed crafting and production chains, lead armies, and shape their nation’s culture and religion as they compete with rival civilizations for power and influence. The depth of Ara’s crafting and civilization-building has been a hallmark of the game since launch, but managing that depth at the scale of a large empire required significant player attention.

The new National Crafting Policy System changes that. Players can set crafting priorities and production goals at the nation level, and every crafter in the empire then follows the policy automatically, without the need to manage individual workshops. Players who want fine-grained control in specific cities can still override the policy whenever they want, through a new three-mode dropdown on the Improvement Panel. The result is a game that asks players to think like rulers, not foremen.

“The biggest piece of feedback we got from Ara players was that managing crafting across a large empire took too long,” said Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock. “The v2.1 Update fixes that without taking control away from the players who want it. You set the direction at the nation level, override the cities that need a different approach, and spend your time on the parts of the game you actually want to play.”

v2.1 Update Key Features

National Crafting Policy System. Set your empire’s crafting priorities once at the nation level, and every crafter in the empire follows the policy automatically. A new three-mode dropdown on the Improvement Panel lets you override the policy for any city or any individual crafter whenever you want.Expanded Culture Traits. Twenty-seven new Culture Traits across all six domains (Commerce, Military, Science, Government, Religion, and Industrial), giving players more meaningful options when spending Influence and more ways to shape their civilization’s identity.New Religious Verses. Seven new verses that pair with the expanded culture options, giving religion-focused civilizations more ways to shape their empire’s character.Balance and Gameplay Refinements. Cities accumulate workers faster as they level up, AI civilizations now settle with more variation in distance from other civilizations, and notification controls have been expanded to reduce noise during the late game.Stability and Performance Improvements. Terrain rendering fixes, CPU optimization through adaptive spin-wait, multiplayer turn resolver updates, font rendering improvements, and UI fixes for dropdown menus.

Beyond the policy system, the v2.1 Update expands the cultural and religious depth of Ara with a large set of new Culture Traits and religious verses, giving players more meaningful choices about how to spend Influence and how to define what their civilization stands for. The update also includes balance refinements tuned to the late-game pace and a round of stability and performance improvements.

Ara: History Untold v2.1 is now available as a free update with purchase or existing entitlement of the base game on Steam and Xbox Game Pass for PC. For the latest information on updates, community initiatives, and future content, visit the official website at www.arahistoryuntold.com.

About Stardock Entertainment
Stardock is a pioneer in the strategy gaming genre headquartered in Plymouth, Mich. that has been developing and publishing strategy and simulation games since 1993, starting with the original release of Galactic Civilizations. Stardock’s recent hits include Sins of a Solar Empire, Ashes of the Singularity, Elemental: Fallen Enchantress, and Offworld Trading Company. Learn more at www.stardock.com.

About Oxide Games
Oxide Games is a video game studio founded in January 2013 by a group of veteran strategy game developers, including Dan Baker, Brian Wade, Marc Meyer, Tim Kipp, and Brad Wardell. Leadership at Oxide Games previously worked on ground-breaking strategy titles, such as Sid Meier’s Civilization V & VI. Oxide Games developed the Nitrous Engine to support the release of Ashes of the Singularity, which continues to set GPU benchmarking standards. Oxide Games released 4X grand strategy title Ara: History Untold alongside Xbox Game Studios in 2024.

Media Contact:
Samantha Miller
smiller@stardock.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ara-history-untold-v2-1-update-adds-national-crafting-policy-system-now-available-302799208.html

SOURCE Stardock Entertainment

Technology

Insta360 Hits Back at DJI Launch-Day Lawsuits With U.S. Patent Countersuits

Published

59 minutes ago

June 12, 2026

LOS ANGELES, June 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Insta360 has filed two countersuits against DJI in the U.S., asserting five utility patents covering technology used in gimbal and 360-degree cameras.

The company asserts that DJI infringed its patents relating to gimbal stabilization, gimbal directional control, camera smooth stabilization, telemetry overlay, and panoramic video stabilization. These technologies are incorporated into several major DJI products, including the Osmo Pocket series, Ronin/RS series, Osmo Mobile series, and Osmo 360.

“At Insta360, we prefer to let our products do the talking. But we are not afraid of a legal battle when challenged,” said JK Liu, Founder of Insta360. “We are fully committed to protecting our innovations and will take decisive action to defend our intellectual property from infringement.”

These countersuits are a direct response to patent lawsuits initiated by DJI on June 10—the day Insta360 launched its Luna Ultra camera. DJI’s legal action seeks a permanent injunction to ban Luna Ultra from the U.S. market.

Insta360 categorically rejects DJI’s infringement claims regarding the new Luna Ultra camera, emphasizing the device’s unique engineering footprint.

“Luna Ultra is the result of years of independent R&D, not a response to any competitor’s product,” added Liu. “Development began in 2020, with earlier Insta360 products including the ONE R, Link Series webcams, and Flow Series gimbals helping shape the technology and design direction behind Luna Ultra. DJI filing lawsuits on the same day we launched Luna Ultra speaks volumes—exposing their fear of competition from a highly competitive product.”

Initial consumer response has been strong, with Luna Ultra seeing significant demand in North America and ranking as the top seller in Amazon’s camcorder category in the U.S. over its first 24 hours of availability. Insta360 remains fully committed to defending its IP portfolio while working to ensure the continued availability of its products for creators worldwide.

Insta360

With a “Think bold” mindset, Insta360 empowers people to capture and share their lives in extraordinary ways. Recognized as a market leader and innovator, Insta360’s vast lineup includes the world’s best-selling 360 cameras in the X Series, the pocket-sized GO Series for everyday capture, as well as an extensive range of action cameras, gimbals, webcams, and professional photography solutions. With intuitive, AI-powered software, Insta360 simplifies the creative process, allowing users to focus on storytelling without technical barriers. Insta360 is dedicated to helping a new generation of athletes, creatives, travelers and professionals bring their ideas to life.

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