Six Industry Testing Opportunities Planned Ahead of December 6 Production Launch

NEW YORK, July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The SEC recently approved CTA and UTP Plan Amendments to allow the Securities Information Processors (“SIPs”) to extend their operating hours beginning in December (https://www.sec.gov/files/rules/sro/nms/2026/34-105779.pdf) and (https://www.sec.gov/files/rules/sro/nms/2026/34-105780.pdf). In response, the Operating Committees of the UTP and CTA Plans that oversee the SIPs have announced the industry testing schedule supporting the implementation of extended trading hours, with production launch on December 6, 2026.

The scheduled testing will provide market participants with multiple opportunities to validate their systems and operational readiness ahead of the launch, when the SIPs will begin operating on an expanded schedule covering approximately 23 hours per day, five days per week.

Industry Testing Begins in October

The Plan Operating Committees, together with their respective Processors, have established the following industry testing schedule for User Acceptance Testing (UAT):

All dates are 2026

October 2October 16October 30November 6November 20December 4

Each testing event will begin at 11:00 p.m. ET on Friday evening and continue through the standard Saturday industry testing window, concluding at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Testing will be conducted over the CTA SIP and UTP SIP production multicast channels, allowing market participants to test under conditions that closely resemble the production environment.

For further details, please see the recent announcements from CTA (https://www.ctaplan.com/announcements#110000958182) and UTP (https://www.nasdaqtrader.com/TraderNews.aspx?id=UTP2026-20).

Preparing for December Implementation

Beginning Sunday, December 6, 2026, the SIPs will support extended trading hours from 9:00 p.m. ET Sunday through 8:00 p.m. ET Friday, with a planned one-hour technical maintenance window each evening between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. ET.

“The transition to extended trading hours continues to progress as planned, and these industry test weekends are an important opportunity for participants to validate their systems in advance of production implementation,” said Jeff Kimsey, Chairman of the SIP Operating Committees. We appreciate the industry’s engagement and look forward to a successful launch in December.”

Additional implementation details, including the revised transmission schedule, will be announced in advance of the December production launch.

Additional SEC Filings

In connection to the shift to extended trading hours, the listing markets have filed with the Commission rules mandating overnight regulatory halts for certain corporate actions. Details are available at the Nasdaq (https://www.nasdaq.com/docs/global-trading-hours-corporate-actions-faqs) and NYSE web sites (https://www.nyse.com/publicdocs/nyse/NYSE_Arca_Corporate_Action_Halt_FAQ.pdf).

While the SIPs are preparing for the planned launch of 23×5 trading, individual Participants seeking to participate in the extended-hours session will be required to obtain SEC approval of any necessary rule changes or regulatory filings.

About the SIPs

The “SIPs” (Securities Information Processors) link the U.S. markets by processing and consolidating all protected equities bid/ask quotes and trades from every registered exchange, as well as FINRA’s Alternative Display Facility (ADF) and Trade Reporting Facilities (TRF), into a single, easily consumable data feed. The SIPs are an asset unique to U.S. market structure and play a critical role in making the U.S. equities markets transparent and accessible to investors worldwide.

Although often referred to in the singular, there are actually two SIPs: the combined CTA (Consolidated Tape Association) and CQ (Consolidated Quotation System) SIP, and the UTP (Unlisted Trading Privileges) SIP. The CTA/CQ SIP is responsible for the dissemination of real‐time quote and trade information in New York Stock Exchange listed securities (sometimes called “Network A” or “Tape A” securities) and Cboe, NYSE Arca, NYSE American, and other regional exchange listed securities (sometimes called “Network B” or “Tape B” securities). The UTP SIP handles Nasdaq-listed securities (sometimes called “Network C” or “Tape C” securities). This structure has been in place since the late 1970s, when the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) mandated that all registered exchanges that trade Network A, B, or C securities send their trades and quotes to the SIPs for consolidated worldwide distribution.

Each SIP is governed by a Plan and run by an Operating Committee (“OC”) comprised of its Plan Participants. The OCs are counseled by an Advisory Committee made up of individuals representing firms from across the industry and representing the diverse viewpoints of the market. Among other duties, the OCs set their individual Plan policies, select a Processor that is responsible for providing the technology to power it, and review the performance of both the Processor and the network administrators, which are responsible for the administrative functions for each SIP, such as contracting, billing, auditing, policy development, and vendor relations. The New York Stock Exchange serves as the Administrator for the CTA/CQ SIP Plans and the Securities Industry Automation Corporation is the Processor. Nasdaq business units serve as the Administrator and Processor for the UTP SIP.

One of the primary objectives of both SIPs is transparency. Both the CTA/CQ Operating Committee and UTP Operating Committee meet quarterly, and the summary of the General Sessions of those meetings are posted to their respective websites: www.ctaplan.com and www.utpplan.com. Also provided on those websites are their Plans’ announcements, policies, quarterly and monthly performance metrics, the pricing schedules, technical specifications, and more. 

Media Contact
Rafi Reguer
Forefront Communications for the CTA/CQ and UTP Plan Operating Committees
+1 (718) 781-4946
rreguer@forefrontcomms.com

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SOURCE SIP Operating Committees

Partnership Marks Another Key Milestone for Expansion of Ecosystem Across ASEAN             

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia, July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Zetrix Layer-1 public blockchain platform is set to serve as the underlying protocol for the public blockchain of the Philippines, following the signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) between Malaysia’s Zetrix AI Berhad group and the Philippines government.

Already operating as a core chain of the Malaysia Blockchain Infrastructure (“MBI”), the Zetrix blockchain, developed by Zetrix AI, will now power a second sovereign-grade blockchain infrastructure.

The MOU was signed between three entities, namely Zetrix Philippines Inc., My Blockchain Infrastructure Sdn. Bhd., which is a Zetrix AI joint venture with Malaysia’s National Research & Development Agency MIMOS Berhad, and the Department of Information and Communications Technology of the Philippines (“DICT Philippines“), to establish a collaboration that seeks to, among other objectives, implement and operationalise the public blockchain infrastructure of the Philippines based on Zetrix protocol.

In today’s agentic AI economy, blockchain technology is increasingly recognised as a critical safeguard in providing tamper-proof provenance for data and verifiable, transparent rails for transactions for both citizens as well as AI agents. As the biggest issuer of trusted credentials, governments have the imperative to provide a platform that enables the issuance, authentication and verification of such credential documents to be performed digitally at scale in a secure, reliable and trustworthy manner, not only within the boundaries of a country but also across borders, capable of efficiently serving individuals, business entities and agentic AI . 

Zetrix serves as the foundational chain of Malaysia’s MBI national blockchain launched in April 2025 and is now being selected in the Philippines to be the primary blockchain infrastructure for the deployment of digitised credentials issued by the Government and applications of national importance. In addition, Zetrix also operates the international supernode to China’s national Xinghuo Blockchain Infrastructure and Facility hence cementing Zetrix’s position as the global leader in sovereign-issued digital IDs and enabling verification to almost 20 percent of the global population.

“The initiative is about making trust portable across systems and borders. Through this collaboration, we can make the verification of government-issued credentials more secure and efficient across systems. More importantly, it helps remove unnecessary friction so citizens can access services faster and with greater confidence wherever they are,” said Henry R. Aguda, Secretary of DICT Philippines.

“We are grateful for the confidence placed in us by the Government of the Philippines for Zetrix to be the prime mover in leading the Web3 revolution for the Filipino people,” said TS Wong, Group Managing Director of Zetrix AI.

“This milestone marks another important step forward in the realisation of our vision of bringing countries in the region onto a common integrated ecosystem, thus playing our part in helping advance economic growth through stronger regional cooperation,” he added.

Launched in April 2022, the Zetrix blockchain has been powering a variety of pioneering real-world use cases ranging from digital ID verification to customs clearance processing, global voting applications and stablecoins, to name a few.

Leveraging this proven track record, the collaboration in the Philippines will also see the partners focusing initial efforts on deploying blockchain applications of a similar nature, including cross-border interoperability between the national digital IDs of Malaysia and the Philippines, the issuance, verification and authentication of Philippines government-issued credentials and trade facilitation.

The adoption of Zetrix as the foundational chain in the Philippines adds a new dimension to Zetrix AI’s presence in the world’s 13th most populous nation, where the Group has been operating for close to a decade as the leading digital government service enabler, counting major government agencies such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue, National Bureau of Investigation, Securities and Exchange Commission, Philippine Ports Authority and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources as among its partners.

About Zetrix AI Berhad

Zetrix AI Berhad (“Zetrix AI”), formerly known as MY E.G. Services Berhad, is leading the way in the deployment of blockchain technology and artificial intelligence in powering the public and private sectors across ASEAN. Headquartered in Malaysia, Zetrix AI started operations in 2000 as a pioneer in the provision of electronic government services and complementary commercial offerings in its home country. Today, it has advanced to the forefront of technology transformation in the broader region, leveraging its Layer-1 blockchain platform Zetrix and embracing the convergence of Web3, AI and robotics to enable optimally-efficient, intelligent and secure cross-border transactions, digital identity interoperability and automation solutions that seamlessly connect people, businesses and governments.

About Zetrix

Zetrix is a layer-1 public blockchain that facilitates smart contracts and delivers privacy, security and scalability. Zetrix’s cryptographic infrastructure can be introduced to multiple industries to connect governments, businesses and their citizens to a global blockchain-based economy. Developed by Zetrix AI Berhad the cross-border and cross-chain integration with China enables Zetrix to serve as a blockchain gateway that facilitates global trade by deploying critical building blocks for Web3 services such as Blockchain-based Identifiers (BID) and Verifiable Credentials (VC).

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SOURCE Zetrix

Automateed, an AI ebook generator, analyzed more than 77,000 books created on its platform. Self-help, health, and business titles dominate, with the US, India, and Brazil leading — and emerging markets close behind.

LEWES, Del., July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Automateed, an AI ebook generator that helps writers, marketers, and self-publishers create full-length books, today released new platform data covering more than 77,000 books generated by users in 216 countries and territories.

The analysis, based on AI-powered categorization of over 63,000 ebook titles, offers a rare look at what the world is actually writing with AI tools:

Non-fiction dominates. Self-Help & Personal Development is the #1 category (10.8% of categorized titles), followed by Health & Fitness (9.6%) and Business & Entrepreneurship (7.2%). Fiction and novels account for just over 5% of categorized titles.

Ebooks are 90% of output. Of all books created, 90% are standard ebooks, 5.4% novels, 2.9% illustrated storybooks, and 1.7% coloring books.

Creation is global. The United States leads with 17.4% of books, but India (10.2%), Brazil (7.5%), Nigeria (5.1%), and Indonesia (4.1%) together account for more than a quarter of all books created — suggesting AI book tools are lowering publishing barriers fastest in emerging markets.

Faith and mind rank high. Religion & Spirituality (6.1%) and Psychology & Mental Health (5.5%) both outrank Fiction, Finance, and Marketing.

“People assume AI writing tools are mostly used for fiction experiments. Our data shows the opposite — users are building practical non-fiction: guides on health, money, faith, and personal growth,” said Stefan Mitrovic, founder of Automateed. “Our goal has always been to build the best AI ebook generator for self-publishers who want to go from idea to published book without a team behind them.”

The data also shows notable regional patterns: Indonesia over-indexes in Education & Academic titles, Brazil in Cooking & Recipes, and the United Kingdom accounts for over a third of all Cybersecurity & IT ebooks created on the platform.

Methodology: Findings are based on anonymized, aggregated platform data from Automateed, covering 77,636 books created by users across 216 countries (IP-based geolocation; about 6% of books had unknown location). Ebook titles were categorized into more than 40 topic categories using AI classification.

About Automateed: Automateed is an AI ebook generator that turns an idea into a complete, publish-ready book — including writing, covers, illustrations, and formatting for platforms like Amazon KDP. The platform supports ebooks, novels, storybooks, coloring books, and online courses, and is used by creators in more than 200 countries. Learn more at https://www.automateed.com.

Media Contact
Stefan Mitrovic, Automateed, 1 7752586902, stefanmitrovic93@gmail.com, https://www.automateed.com 

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/new-data-from-ai-ebook-generator-automateed-77-000-books-created-across-216-countries-302818065.html

SOURCE Automateed