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Corastone Brings Permissioned Blockchain Technology to UMB Fund Services’ Alternative Investment Servicing

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StepStone becomes the first UMB client to connect to Corastone’s network, streamlining subscription and lifecycle operations, with recordkeeping support from Envision.

NEW YORK, June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Corastone, the hyperscaler for private-market investing, today announced a partnership with UMB Fund Services, Inc. (UMBFS), a subsidiary of UMB Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: UMBF), a national leader in registered and alternative investment fund administration services, to connect UMBFS to Corastone’s private, permissioned distributed ledger technology (DLT) network. The collaboration between Corastone, UMBFS, and Envision replaces manual, document-based workflows and one-off integrations with a shared data standard that supports straight-through processing for all market participants involved in a given transaction. Corastone will act as the underlying transaction infrastructure, enabling market participants to connect and exchange data while preserving their existing client relationships and service models.  

UMBFS will act as a transfer agent and fund administrator on the platform, enabling straight-through processing of alternative investment transactions across the entire fund servicing lifecycle. UMBFS’s transfer agency operations are supported by Envision Financial Systems‘ investor recordkeeping platform, which helps drive automation and operational efficiency across servicing workflows. StepStone Group (Nasdaq: STEP), a leading global private markets investment firm, is the first UMBFS client to connect to the Corastone network — using Corastone’s shared distributed ledger technology to streamline subscriptions, reduce manual reconciliation, and improve data accuracy across all parties to a transaction.  

After initially connecting to Corastone’s network, UMBFS and any of their clients connected to Corastone can exchange standardized investor and transaction data in real time. This eliminates rekeying and minimizes reconciliation breaks, creating a uniform, trusted source of fund information for every participant in the workflow.

“UMB Fund Services is committed to investing in technology that helps our clients operate more efficiently as the alternative investment market continues to grow,” said UMB Fund Services Director of Transfer Agency Operations Brittany Haiser. “By connecting to Corastone’s permissioned DLT network, we are giving clients like StepStone a more standardized, transparent and scalable way to manage subscription and fund servicing workflows. We are excited to partner with Corastone to bring greater automation, accuracy and operational efficiency to an increasingly complex segment of the market.”  

“Envision is proud to support UMB Fund Services with technology that helps modernize operations, increase automation, and improve the client experience. Together, this collaboration with Corastone reflects a shared commitment to creating a more efficient, scalable model for alternative investment servicing,” says Brian Jones, Envision Chief Operating Officer.

UMBFS’s successful integration builds on growing institutional momentum, including Franklin Templeton’s recent partnership with Corastone to launch Private Market Model Portfolios, along with Fidelity, Hamilton Lane and Future Standard joining the platform as investors. The partnership also demonstrates UMBFS’s continued growth amid increasing demand for alternative investment servicing.  

“Fund administrators and transfer agents are the operational backbone of private markets, and digitizing their workflows is essential to supporting the growth of private assets as investor demand increases,” said Hamid Gayibov, Co-Founder and President of Corastone. “Bringing UMBFS live on our network with StepStone as the first client to transact through it shows how shared, permissioned infrastructure can reduce friction across the investment lifecycle without forcing firms to rebuild their systems. As a neutral infrastructure provider, our role is to serve as the connective layer between market participants, helping them scale more efficiently while preserving the relationships and operating models that differentiate their businesses. ”  ”   

As private markets activity continues to expand across wealth and institutional channels, firms are increasingly seeking transaction technology that performs at scale while reducing manual intervention. Corastone, through its proprietary permissioned blockchain network, functions as shared infrastructure and a common data standard for private markets workflows — connecting general partners, wealth managers, transfer agents, and fund administrators on a single platform, while allowing each participant to maintain ownership of its client relationships, servicing model and operating workflows.

About Corastone
Corastone is the hyperscaler for private market investing, providing the modern infrastructure that enables straight-through processing for GPs, wealth managers and fund administrators. Through a single integration, participants gain access to a vast ecosystem of investment opportunities and counterparties, helping them grow their business with confidence. Solely focused on infrastructure, Corastone enables consistent, repeatable processes throughout the investment lifecycle, fostering visibility, control and seamless operations. Built on a permissioned blockchain, Corastone is purpose-built to support new workflows, innovative products and the rapidly evolving private markets. For more information, visit corastone.us

About UMB
UMB Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: UMBF) is a financial services company headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. UMB offers commercial banking, which includes comprehensive deposit, lending, investment and retirement plan services; personal banking, which includes comprehensive deposit, lending, wealth management and financial planning services; and institutional banking, which includes asset servicing, corporate trust solutions, investment banking and healthcare services. UMB operates branches throughout Missouri, Arizona, California, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin. As the company’s reach continues to grow, it also serves business clients nationwide and institutional clients in several countries. For more information, visit UMB.com, UMB Blog, UMB Facebook and UMB LinkedIn.

About StepStone
StepStone Group Inc. (Nasdaq: STEP) is a global private markets investment firm focused on providing customized investment solutions and advisory and data services to its clients. As of March 31, 2026, StepStone was responsible for approximately $885 billion of total capital, including $233 billion of assets under management. StepStone’s clients include some of the world’s largest public and private defined benefit and defined contribution pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and insurance companies, as well as prominent endowments, foundations, family offices and private wealth clients, which include high-net-worth and mass affluent individuals. StepStone partners with its clients to develop and build private markets portfolios designed to meet their specific objectives across the private equity, infrastructure, private debt and real estate asset classes.  

About Envision Financial Systems
Envision is the leading real-time investor accounting platform provider, helping its clients identify and solve problems with innovative and flexible solutions. For more than 30 years, asset managers, fund sponsors, administrators, 529 program managers, and brokers have relied on Envision’s solutions to automate processing and optimize efficiency. In total, Envision supports more than $8.5 trillion of investor assets. Founded in 1994, Envision is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California and also serves clients from offices in Denver, Colorado, and Bangalore, India. Learn more at https://enfs.com.

Media Contacts
For Corastone: Forefront Communications for Corastone corastone@forefrontcomms.com

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Axon Announces Body 5: Next-Generation Camera Built for the AI Era

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Axon Body 5 delivers 25x the AI processing power of earlier-generation cameras, with upgraded connectivity, audio and battery life to support real-time situational awareness in the field

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Axon (Nasdaq: AXON), the global leader in public safety technology, today announced Axon Body 5, its newest body-worn camera designed to bring more powerful intelligence, connectivity and real-time support directly to officers in the field.

For years, Axon body cameras have helped agencies capture critical evidence and create greater transparency. Body 5 is built to help officers during the call, with information, assistance and backup on the spot.

“Officers shouldn’t have to choose between getting information and watching the scene. With Axon Body 5, they don’t,” said Rick Smith, Axon Founder and CEO. “They capture a license or document with the camera, keep their hands free and eyes up, and get information faster than writing it down and calling it in by radio. An officer fully engaged with the person in front of them, not down at a notepad, is a safer officer and a better-served community.”

Axon Body 5: Built for the AI Era

Built from the ground up for the AI era, Axon Body 5 delivers 25x the AI processing power than earlier generation Axon body cameras, alongside advancements in connectivity, audio, video and battery life. Together, these upgrades give the camera the physical power to run smarter AI features — both today and as new AI tools are developed in the future — while also making it more dependable for officers to use every day. 

For the first time, Axon is also introducing two versions of its latest flagship camera: Axon Body 5 and Axon Body 5 Pro.

Both models feature several key advancements, including:

25x more processing power for AI: A powerful new computing architecture creates the capacity to support current and future AI features directly on the body camera.Enhanced video: Improved video captures clearer evidence across challenging environments, including better low-light performance.Improved connectivity: Seamless connectivity in urban and remote environments – and more precise location capability – helps officers, cameras and remote support teams stay connected when timely information matters most.Longer battery life: 20% more battery life than the previous generation helps keep the camera ready and connected throughout an officer’s shift.

The Axon Body 5 Pro will continue to gain new AI capabilities as they become available, growing along with the AI Era Plan. Additionally, new hardware features include:

A near-focus camera: An additional dedicated camera lens lets officers scan driver’s licenses to check status and search for wants or warrants in seconds, without returning to the patrol vehicle, with relevant information sent to Axon Fusus to support real-time operations.Front-facing speakers: Four additional speakers project even more powerful audio toward the person an officer is speaking with, helping real-time translations from Axon Assistant carry more clearly over heavy traffic or crowd noise. Additional memory: Extra space lets the camera run several AI tools at once, helping officers stay better informed and work faster.

Bringing More of Axon’s AI Era Into the Field

Axon Body 5 helps officers get more out of the Axon AI Era Plan by bringing smart tools right to the scene. Axon’s portfolio already supports public safety professionals across a growing range of tasks. For example, Draft One helps officers turn body-camera audio into high-quality report drafts and Axon Assistant provides voice-based information access and real-time translation.

Increasingly, Axon is also bringing AI into real-time operations.

Axon Guardian is a new category of AI features within the AI Era Plan that was specifically created to work with an officer’s field-based devices – starting with body cameras and in-car cameras – to improve safety. Guardian is designed to flag potential risks as situations unfold and create alerts when additional attention may be needed. Two of the first features include:

Escalation Detection: When an Axon Body 4 or Axon Body 5 camera is activated and recording, Guardian has the ability to detect potential conflicts in real time and create an alert in Axon Fusus. A human reviews the livestream and decides if additional support or action is needed.Approach Alert: When active on Axon Fleet 3, Guardian can detect if the door of a stopped vehicle opens and alert the officer through the in-car display and their body-worn camera.

Combined, Axon Body 5 and the expanding AI Era portfolio demonstrate the importance of AI as a critical resource to assist public safety professionals before, during and after an incident — reducing administrative burden, improving situational awareness and helping protect more lives.

Innovating Responsibly

Axon’s Responsible Innovation framework guides the development of all of its products. Designed with this in mind, Axon Body 5 and Guardian prioritize human oversight and maintain agency control over data. As a key part of the responsible innovation process, Axon’s independent Ethics and Equity Advisory Council was created to help responsibly develop and deploy new technologies with transparency, while aligning with community expectations.

General availability dates for Axon Body 5 and Axon Guardian will be announced soon. Product features and capabilities vary by configuration. For more information on Axon’s current products and services: Axon Product Catalog – Axon.com.

About Axon
Axon (Nasdaq: AXON) is the global leader in public safety technology supporting state, local, federal and international public safety agencies with technology designed to Protect Life. Complementing its mission, Axon’s growing Enterprise market focuses on protecting critical infrastructure and frontline workers across multiple industries including corporate security, hospitality, retail and healthcare. Founder-led since 1993, Axon builds products with transparency and responsibility. From TASER energy devices to today’s connected network of hardware – including cameras, drones, and robotics – cloud software, sensors, and AI-tools, the Axon ecosystem helps seamlessly protect people and places when it matters most. To ensure these technologies align with community expectations, Axon’s independent Ethics & Equity Advisory Council guides the ethical, inclusive, and accountable design of its products and services. Learn more about the EEAC and Axon’s Responsible Innovation framework at Axon Responsibility. 

Non-Axon trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Axon, TASER and the Delta Logo are trademarks of Axon Enterprise, Inc., some of which are registered in the US and other countries. For more information, visit www.axon.com/legal. All rights reserved.

Please visit https://investor.axon.com and https://www.axon.com/newsroom for more information.

Media Contact:
Kate MacKinnon
Vice President, Communications
press@axon.com

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In HelloNation, Custom Fabrication Expert Mark Coyle Explains a Common Mistake in Custom Aluminum Design

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The article explains why smart geometry, not thicker walls, creates stronger, more efficient aluminum components.

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Oct. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — What early design choice causes many custom aluminum projects to become heavier, costlier, or harder to manufacture? That question is addressed in a HelloNation article featuring insights from Custom Fabrication Expert Mark Coyle of American Custom Metals, Inc. in Rochester, New York, that outlines how misunderstanding aluminum behavior leads designers to rely on thick walls instead of stronger geometry.

The article begins by explaining that many people assume thicker walls automatically make aluminum parts stronger. It notes that aluminum does not respond to wall thickness the way steel does. Instead, its performance is shaped by how the metal flows through the extrusion die. The article states that custom aluminum design is more effective when profiles use ribs, chambers, and flanges to create stiffness without adding unnecessary weight. This guidance helps readers understand why adding material often increases cost without improving strength.

The article also highlights that thicker walls change how aluminum moves during extrusion. When heavy areas fill more slowly, the metal cools unevenly and can develop stress that only appears later. The HelloNation piece explains that well-balanced geometry keeps extrusion smooth and predictable. This consistency makes it easier to maintain dimensional accuracy across long production runs. By focusing on geometry, custom aluminum design avoids the problems that come with slow extrusion speeds and uneven cooling.

Another insight in the article centers on how ribs and internal supports influence stability. It describes how a thin wall supported by a properly placed rib often performs better than a thick wall with no reinforcement. This happens because the rib helps distribute load, improve stiffness, and guide the aluminum as it cools. The article explains that this structural approach makes custom aluminum design more efficient and gives designers more control over how the final part behaves under pressure.

The article also shows why early collaboration between designer and fabricator prevents costly changes. It states that a fabricator familiar with extrusion can catch potential issues before a die is built. Small adjustments to corners or transitions can remove weak points or improve metal flow. The article notes that this teamwork keeps the design aligned with real-world production. By working together early, both sides reduce the risk of redesigning the die after the first test run.

Machining is another area where the article explains how wall thickness affects performance. Features such as deep pockets or sharp internal angles may require slow feed rates or special tooling. When walls are thicker than needed, those areas can become difficult to machine cleanly. The article states that thoughtful custom aluminum design makes machining more predictable. Small changes, such as adding radiused edges or sizing features to match standard tools, help shorten cycle times and prevent tool wear.

Thermal behavior receives detailed attention as well. The article explains that aluminum retains heat differently depending on the mass of each section. Thicker walls hold heat longer, which increases the chance of distortion during extrusion, machining, or finishing. When a design uses geometry to create strength, the material cools more evenly. This reduces warping and helps long profiles stay aligned. The article notes that stable cooling is important for components that require a precise fit and consistent shape throughout an entire production run.

Cost is also a key topic in the article. It states that heavier profiles increase material use, extrusion time, and tooling needs. A custom aluminum design that relies on geometry instead of mass lowers material consumption and keeps the fabrication process efficient. The article explains that lighter parts are easier to handle, ship, and assemble. This saves money across multiple stages of production and supports long-term manufacturing efficiency.

The article also notes that smart custom aluminum design creates profiles that behave predictably during extrusion and machining. Smooth transitions, balanced wall dimensions, and structural features help reduce the chance of distortion or dimensional drift. These elements also lower scrap rates and support reliable performance. By using geometry instead of excess material, designers build parts that maintain strength without compromising manufacturability.

As the article concludes, it emphasizes that avoiding thick walls is one of the best ways to improve performance and lower cost. It states that the most dependable custom aluminum components come from designs that use structural features to strengthen the profile. When designers understand how aluminum behaves at each stage of extrusion and machining, they create parts that are strong, efficient, and consistent from batch to batch. This approach turns custom aluminum design into a predictable process rather than a series of uncertain adjustments.

A Common Mistake in Custom Aluminum Design features insights from Mark Coyle, Custom Fabrication Expert of Rochester, NY, in HelloNation.

About HelloNation
HelloNation is America’s Good News Network, a premier media platform built on the idea that good news travels faster when real people tell real stories. Through its community-focused publications and innovative “edvertising” approach, HelloNation delivers content that informs, inspires, and spotlights the leaders making a meaningful impact in their communities.

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World Young Scientist Summit 2026 Opens in Wenzhou, Zhejiang

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WENZHOU, China, Oct. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This is a report by China Daily:

On October 24, the World Young Scientist Summit 2026 opened in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. The event is hosted by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government, and the World Association of Young Scientists. Nearly 800 representatives, including scientists, educators, and entrepreneurs from more than 60 countries and regions, are attending the summit.

He Junke, Vice President of CAST in charge of daily work and First Secretary of its Secretariat; Lian Yimin, Chairman and Party Group Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference; Marcelo Knobel, Executive Director of The World Academy of Sciences; and Zhang Zhenfeng, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee and Secretary of the CPC Wenzhou Municipal Committee, attended the summit and delivered remarks. Yao Gaoyuan, Vice Governor of the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government, presided over the first segment of the plenary session.

With the theme “Gathering Talents Worldwide to Create a Better Future,” the summit’s annual agenda is “Global Youth Action in the AI Era: Building a Sustainable Future.” It aims to draw on the insights of young people around the world, deepen international sci-tech cooperation, and jointly address questions about young people, science, the world and the future.

Efim Zelmanov, Fields Medalist and Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Chen Yunji, Deputy Director of the Institute of Computing Technology, CAS, and Director of the National Key Laboratory of Processor Chips; Mary Garson, President of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; and Lu Chaoyang, Member of the Standing Committee of CAST, Executive Dean of the Shanghai Institute of Advanced Study, University of Science and Technology of China, and Chairman of the Council of the World Association of Young Scientists, delivered keynote speeches respectively on education reform in the AI era, AI and processor chips, young women scientists’ participation in science, and quantum computing. They explored new opportunities for scientific research, talent cultivation, and international cooperation in the AI era.

This year’s summit placed greater emphasis on the growth needs of young scientists, with young talents under the age of 45 accounting for 88 percent of participants. It aimed to build a cluster of international journals, bring together young scientific talent, facilitate a batch of international collaborative projects and advance the application and commercialization of scientific and technological achievements. The summit released the Report on the Distribution and Mobility of Young Scientists in the Field of Embodied Intelligence, launched the World Young Scientist Summit Partner Journal Program and the 2026 World Young Scientist Innovation and Entrepreneurship Growth Support Program. It also published the “Young Scientist Pioneers 2035” list and announced the 2026 Sustainable Development Young Scientist Award. The awards were presented to four Chinese and foreign scientists.

Chen Tianrun, Founder of Hangzhou Moxin Technology Co., Ltd.; Yuan Yang, Assistant to the Dean of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences at Tsinghua University; and two of the 2026 Sustainable Development Young Scientist Award winners, César de la Fuente and Nicola Segata, among other Chinese and foreign young scientist representatives, spoke at the flash-talk session to share their research practices and reflections.

In addition, the conference focused on fields such as future manufacturing, quantum information, embodied intelligence, brain-computer intelligence, environmental science, deep-sea resources, and life and health, and held 12 parallel forums. It also included the “Gravitation π” Future Technology and Concept Products Exhibition and Exchange, local thematic side events, and sci-tech and humanities study visits, further building an interdisciplinary, cross-regional and cross-sector platform for youth sci-tech exchange and cooperation.

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