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International Business University Marks a Transformative First Six Months of 2026 with Convocation Milestone

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TORONTO, July 6, 2026 /CNW/ – For nearly 700 International Business University (IBU) students, Convocation 2026 marked the culmination of years of hard work, determination, and academic achievement. Held across June 11 and 12, the milestone celebrated a graduating class that has grown from just 11 graduates in 2024 to nearly 700 in 2026, reflecting the rapid evolution of IBU and the increasing demand for its career-focused business education.

A Culmination of Student Achievement

Convocation 2026 brought together students, faculty, families, and the broader IBU community to celebrate the achievements of a diverse graduating class. Graduates were formally conferred their degrees and welcomed into IBU’s growing alumni network.

Each graduate crossed the stage and was recognized by Dr. Feridun Hamdullahpur, Chancellor of IBU and Member of the Order of Canada, marking the completion of their academic journey and the beginning of the next chapter in their professional lives.

Six Months of Momentum and Growth

While Convocation celebrated the achievements of the Class of 2026, it also represented the culmination of a period of significant momentum for the university.

During the first half of 2026, IBU expanded its footprint through the opening of new campuses in Toronto and Ottawa, creating additional spaces for learning, collaboration, and community engagement. The university also strengthened its academic offerings with the launch of the Master of Science in Applied Artificial Intelligence (MSc in Applied AI), reflecting its commitment to preparing graduates for emerging industries and the evolving needs of employers.

IBU further enhanced student and graduate opportunities through new pathway partnerships like with Sheridan College, while initiatives such as Bank Your Future, delivered in partnership with Scotiabank, connected students directly with employers and career pathways. Participation in events such as the Black Creator Academy’s Big Pitch showcased the university’s support for entrepreneurship, innovation, and emerging talent.

Beyond academics and career development, IBU continued to strengthen its growing community. The inaugural IBU Alumni Meet brought graduates together to foster professional connections and mentorship opportunities, while the IBU Signal provided a platform for thought leadership and knowledge sharing among students, faculty, alumni, and industry partners.

The university also expanded its engagement within Canada’s innovation ecosystem through participation in Sovereign 2026 with Canurta Therapeutics and Toronto Tech Week and its MOU with Kanata North Business Association, reinforcing its commitment to connecting students with leaders and opportunities at the intersection of business, technology, and innovation.

Together, these achievements reflect IBU’s commitment to building an educational experience that extends beyond the classroom. Convocation 2026 stands as the culmination of these efforts and a powerful reminder that the university’s progress is ultimately measured by the success of its students.

Looking Ahead

As IBU enters the second half of 2026, the university will continue building on the momentum generated during the first six months of the year. With expanded campuses in Toronto and Ottawa, new academic offerings, strengthened industry and academic partnerships, and a growing alumni community, IBU remains focused on creating innovative learning experiences that prepare graduates for an evolving global economy.

The achievements of the first half of 2026 have established a strong foundation for future growth and impact. As the Class of 2026 joins IBU’s alumni network, the university looks forward to continuing its mission of developing business leaders, innovators, and changemakers who will contribute to industries and communities around the world.

https://ibu.ca/press-release/international-business-university-marks-a-transformative-first-six-months-of-2026-with-convocation-milestone/

About International Business University

International Business University (IBU) is Ontario’s first independent, not-for-profit university exclusively dedicated to business education. Guided by its mission to provide accessible, affordable, and personalized learning, IBU prepares graduates to thrive in a global, purpose-driven economy.

With Centres of Excellence such as the Future Talent Research Institute and the Centre for Sustainable Business, IBU ensures its curriculum is continuously aligned with employer demands and emerging workforce needs. Through small class sizes, industry-engaged faculty, and innovative teaching methods, IBU delivers a higher education that is practical, globally relevant, and deeply connected to the real world of business.

From its foundation, IBU has integrated sustainability, innovation, and industry collaboration into every program–positioning itself as a forward-looking institution committed to shaping Canada’s next generation of business leaders.

SOURCE International Business University

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Debevoise Expands Fund Finance Practice with the Return of Zahra Sowder as Partner

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NEW YORK, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Debevoise & Plimpton LLP announced today that Zahra Sowder has joined the firm as a partner in its Fund Finance practice in New York.

Ms. Sowder advises private funds and financial institutions on a broad range of complex fund financing transactions, including subscription lines and NAV facilities, as well as bespoke financing solutions for LP and GP stakes. She also has extensive experience advising corporate borrowers on asset-based financings.

Presiding Partner Peter Furci said, “We continue to invest in our private capital platform to meet growing client demand for sophisticated financing solutions across the fund lifecycle. Zahra’s deep experience in this area, together with her longstanding connection to Debevoise and many of our clients, makes her an exceptional addition to the firm.”

Co-Chair of the Fund Finance Group Ramya Tiller said, “Private capital clients need sophisticated financing advice to support liquidity, fundraising and investment activity. Zahra has deep experience across the products our clients are using most actively, including NAV facilities across all strategies and other complex fund financing solutions. Having previously practiced at Debevoise, Zahra can contribute immediately to our growing practice.”

Ms. Sowder said, “Debevoise played an important role earlier in my career and is ideally suited for this next stage of my practice, especially given its specialized and growing fund finance practice. I look forward to working with colleagues and clients I know well and contributing to the continued growth of the practice.”

Ms. Sowder joins Debevoise from the New York office of another international law firm and previously practiced at Debevoise for more than 15 years as an associate and counsel. She received her J.D. from UCLA School of Law in 2008 and her B.A. from Vassar College in 2002.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/debevoise-expands-fund-finance-practice-with-the-return-of-zahra-sowder-as-partner-302825501.html

SOURCE Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

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As AI Agents Scale, Enterprises Demand Execution Control — Devenex Takes Control

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LAS VEGAS, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — • Inside the world’s largest organisations, AI agents are no longer experimental. They are executing in production — modifying financial records, triggering payments, approving workflows, and acting with the full operational authority of the enterprises that deployed them. By every credible estimate, the volume and consequence of these actions will increase by an order of magnitude within 24 months.

Yet no infrastructure layer exists to govern what these agents actually do. No systematic policy enforcement before action. No immutable audit trail after. No deterministic control between an agent’s intent and its real-world consequence. The most consequential technology shift in enterprise history is unfolding without an accountability layer.

Today, that changes. Devenex — the Execution Control Plane for AI agents — launches at Google Cloud Next 2026, introducing enterprise-grade governance infrastructure that sits between agent intent and real-world execution. Every action is policy-evaluated, explicitly authorised, identity-bound, and recorded as audit-grade evidence — before it takes effect, giving new life to enterprise AI initiatives.

Devenex is not a monitoring tool. It is not a workflow engine. It is the control plane that ensures no AI-initiated action executes without governance — giving CIOs, CTOs, CROs and enterprise security leaders the confidence to deploy agents at scale without sacrificing accountability.

THE STRUCTURAL GAP

Analyst consensus has converged on a single conclusion: enterprise AI execution capability is outpacing the controls designed to keep it accountable.

Gartner projects that by 2028, a third of enterprise software will incorporate agentic AI — up from less than one percent in 2024. McKinsey identifies governance and risk as the primary barriers to scaling enterprise AI, ahead of model quality or talent. Deloitte’s 2026 enterprise survey finds that 80 percent of leaders piloting AI agents cite security and compliance as the leading obstacle — up from 68 percent a year earlier.

The pattern is consistent across every credible source: enterprises are deploying agents faster than they can govern them. An AI agent that modifies a customer record, approves a discount, or initiates a wire transfer without a governing policy layer is not automation. It is an unmanaged compliance event, a latent security exposure, and a board-level liability.

Devenex addresses this gap at the infrastructure level — not as a feature bolted onto existing tools, but as a purpose-built control plane designed for governed enterprise execution from the ground up.

THE EXECUTION CONTROL PLANE

Devenex operates as the authorisation and governance layer between enterprise decision-making — whether initiated by humans, AI agents, or automated systems — and the execution of actions across enterprise systems of record.

Every action processed through Devenex produces four structured artifacts:

Intent Record. 

Execution Plan. 

Governed Execution. 

Execution Evidence. 

This model ensures that enterprises maintain full traceability from intent to outcome — satisfying EU AI Act, SOC 2, ISO 42001, and sector-specific regulatory requirements.

ENTERPRISE CAPABILITIES

Pre-Execution Policy Enforcement.  Every agent action is evaluated against organizational policy before execution. Nothing executes unchecked. Enterprises gain control over what agents are permitted to do — reducing compliance risk and eliminating ungoverned action.

Dynamic Human-in-the-Loop Governance.  High-consequence actions are routed to designated reviewers without halting low-risk automation. Approval workflows are configurable at the agent, action, or policy level — ensuring human oversight where it matters without creating operational bottlenecks.

Immutable Audit Infrastructure.  Every governed execution is recorded to an append-only ledger. Enterprises gain continuous compliance evidence without manual reporting.

Unified Observability Across Agents.  Live and retrospective visibility into agent activity, policy adherence, and anomaly patterns. Security, compliance, and operations teams share a single authoritative view of enterprise execution.

BUILT FOR ENTERPRISE REALITY

Devenex delivers flexible deployment models—SaaS, hybrid, and self-deployed—enabling organizations to adopt at their own pace.

Engineered to be framework-agnostic and cloud-native, Devenex integrates seamlessly across diverse enterprise environments. The platform does not replace existing systems of record, integration platforms, or identity providers. It governs execution across them.

LEADERSHIP

“For four decades, Abacus has earned the trust of enterprises navigating their most consequential technology transitions. Devenex represents the next chapter — purpose-built infrastructure for a world where AI agents execute with the authority of the organisations that deploy them. Governance at this layer is not optional. It is a precondition for enterprise AI at scale.”

— Aly Kuly Khan
Co-Founder & Chairman, Devenex

“For four decades, we’ve built the layers enterprises run on — systems of record, integration, workflow automation, API and iPaaS governance. Each wave solved the problem the previous one created. Today, AI agents are executing actions on architecture that was never designed to govern them. This isn’t an AI problem. It’s an architectural gap — and it’s the one our experience has prepared us to solve. Enterprises cannot answer four questions about any agentic action: who authorized it, what policy governed it, why it executed as it did, and whether they can prove it after the fact. In regulated environments, these aren’t edge cases — they’re the baseline. Devenex is the execution control plane that answers all four, by design, at execution time.”

— Shoaib A. Khan
Co-Founder & CEO, Devenex

AVAILABILITY & ENGAGEMENT

Devenex is available immediately, with deployment support from Abacus teams across the globe.

Enterprise pilot programmes are open to qualified organisations seeking to bring governed execution to production AI workloads.

Learn more at www.devenex.com

THE ROAD AHEAD

Enterprise AI is entering its execution era. The question is no longer whether agents can act — it is whether they can act accountably. The organisations that solve this first will scale AI faster, operate with greater confidence, and carry less risk than those that treat governance as a downstream problem.

Devenex exists to make governed execution the default operating model of the enterprise. Not as an aspiration. As infrastructure.

About DevenEx

Devenex is the Execution Control Plane for AI agents — enterprise infrastructure that governs every action across systems with policy enforcement, explicit authorisation, and audit-grade evidence. Built for the agentic era, Devenex sits between intent and execution so that no enterprise action moves forward ungoverned. Devenex is built by the team behind Abacus, bringing four decades of enterprise trust to AI execution governance.

About Abacus

Abacus is a global professional services leader in technology, outsourcing, and people solutions. With nearly 40 years of experience, 5,000+ professionals across four continents, and 1,500+ enterprise clients, Abacus designs bespoke solutions that enable organisations to create the future of business and embrace change for sustainable growth.

Media Contact

Devenex
www.devenex.com
Shoaib Khan
shoaib.khan@abacuscambridge.com
+1 (347) 701-4221

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/as-ai-agents-scale-enterprises-demand-execution-control–devenex-takes-control-302825507.html

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CASIO Makes Classroom-Ready Calculator Free for Everyone with Launch of fx-300ES PLUS Online Emulator

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Casio’s fx-300ES PLUS Online Emulator is the First Web-Accessible Emulator of the Iconic Scientific Calculator, Giving Students, Parents and Teachers Free, Instant Access

JERSEY CITY, N.J., July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Casio America, Inc. today announced a free online emulator for its fx-300ES PLUS scientific calculator, available now at ClassPad.net. The first web-accessible emulator of its kind for the fx-300ES series gives students and educators instant access to a fully functional digital calculator—at no cost—from any internet-connected device.

“The 300ES PLUS has been a staple in math and science classrooms for years because it’s reliable and easy to use,” said Marko Wityk, Senior General Manager of EdTech at Casio America. “This emulator takes that same experience and makes it available to any student. Whether they’re finishing homework or teachers are walking a class through a problem, this tool removes any barriers standing in the way of learning.”

Designed for Classrooms

The emulator requires only a free login through Google, Google Classroom, Microsoft, or Clever, platforms already in use at schools nationwide. Users gain access to a fully functional digital calculator replicating the fx-300ES PLUS, along with other scientific and graphing calculator options from Casio.

Key features include:

Projection mode – The emulator screen can be enlarged for display on a projector or interactive whiteboard, letting teachers walk the entire class through problems step-by-step.Key log – Displays a running log of each key used in a problem, allowing students to easily follow along with the teacher.Natural Textbook Display – See math problems and fractions exactly as they would appear in textbooks, homework, or exams.Zero cost and instant access – No app download needed and no purchase or subscription required now or in the foreseeable future.Device-agnostic – Compatible with any web-enabled device, from school Chromebooks to home laptops to tablets and other mobile devices.Screenshot – Capture an image of the calculator display to compare results and functions. Screenshots are copied to the clipboard for use in other applications as well.

The fx-300ES PLUS emulator is available now, free of charge, at ClassPad.net. Users can log in with an existing Google, Google Classroom, Microsoft, or Clever account. No additional registration is required.

The physical calculator remains available at major retailers nationwide and online at casio.com, typically priced around $15. Education pricing is available to teachers and schools by contacting edtech@casio.com.

About Casio America, Inc.
Casio America, Inc. is a subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., one of the world’s leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions. Casio’s EdTech division is dedicated to empowering students, educators, and parents with tools that make learning more accessible and effective. Casio products are sold through authorized Casio dealers. For more information, visit casio.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/casio-makes-classroom-ready-calculator-free-for-everyone-with-launch-of-fx-300es-plus-online-emulator-302825523.html

SOURCE Casio America, Inc.

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