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Newborn Town Announces 1H2026 Operating Data: Global Expansion and AI Drive Revenue Growth of over 34%

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HONG KONG, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Newborn Town, a leading global social entertainment company, released its unaudited operating data for the first half of 2026.

For the six months ended 30 June 2026, the company’s total revenue is estimated to reach US$595 million to US$615 million, representing a year‑on‑year increase of approximately 34.3% to 38.8%, continuing a strong growth momentum. Revenue from social networking business amounted to approximately US$530 million to US$545 million, representing a year-on-year increase of approximately 34.2% to 38.0%. Revenue from innovative business recorded approximately US$65 million to US$70 million, representing a year-on-year increase of approximately 35.4% to 45.8%. This is the first time the company has presented its operating data in United States dollar.

Rapid Growth in Social Networking Business as Flagship Products Expand Globally

According to the announcement, revenue from social networking business continued to grow, mainly driven by the company’s ongoing global expansion and full‑chain AI applications, supporting the steady growth of its flagship products.

Since the beginning of the year, the company has continued to expand its global footprint around its core social networking business, maintaining its leading position in various markets such as MENA and Southeast Asia, while accelerating expansion into high-growth and high-value markets including Latin America, Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States, further reinforcing its position as a leading player in the global social entertainment industry.

The company’s flagship products have made positive progress in new market expansion. TopTop continues to leverage its UGC ecosystem advantage, becoming a household-name app in GCC markets such as Saudi Arabia, and ranking among the top in its category globally. With continually improved product quality and deeper local operations, TopTop made significant progress in high‑value markets such as Japan and Europe. It also entered the iOS Top 10 free casual games in Japan for multiple times during the first half of the year, according to DianDian Data.

The company’s diverse-audience social networking business also maintained steady growth. HeeSay, its global community platform, continued to strengthen its presence in Southeast Asia, consistently ranking among the Top 10 in social app in countries including Vietnam and the Philippines.

A recent research report noted that Newborn Town’s core competitive moat lies in its highly localized and operation‑intensive barriers, its monetization model centered on social spending, and its ability to diversify risk through a “bush-like” portfolio of social apps. Together, these strengths form a differentiated advantage that is difficult for competitors to replicate in the short term.

AI Advancements Fuel Strong Momentum Across Innovation Business

The company’s innovative business delivered strong growth momentum in the first half of the year, primarily driven by the rapid expansion of its short drama business, supported by AI-powered content production and operations.

In the first half of the year, the company steadily advanced its short drama business across multiple global markets, including Europe and the United States, while accelerating the integration of AI technology into short drama production. Playlet, its short-form drama app, continued to broaden its presence in high‑value markets such as the United States, Japan and South Korea, achieving significant growth in its user base. Earlier this year, Playlet became one of the first partner platforms to integrate Seedance 2.0.

According to TikTok’s short drama Q1 revenue report, one of the company’s hit titles ranked second on the platform by first-month revenue. With AI significantly improving short drama production efficiency, Newborn Town is well positioned to capitalize on its strengths in localized operations and user acquisition, while further enriching its social entertainment content ecosystem.

The company’s other innovative businesses also maintained steady progress. Its quality games maintained solid momentum, with flagship titles sustaining long-term operations and generating stable profit contributions, while the commercialization of new titles progressed smoothly. The social e-commerce business continued to deepen its presence in specialized verticals and enhance its product and service capabilities, providing further support for the growth of the innovative business.

In recent years, the company has continued to deepen the application of AI technologies across the entire business chain, spanning R&D and operations, while steadily improving its AI capabilities.

Its self-developed multimodal algorithm model, Boomiix, continues to upgrade, improving the accuracy of social matching and the intelligence of operations.  The company’s Siyu AI, an internal data intelligence platform, significantly shortened turnaround times for data queries, anomaly analysis, and report generation. Its proprietary AI-powered design platform KIVI has also greatly enhanced both the efficiency and diversity of content production, including virtual gifts and marketing creatives.

Alongside strengthening its underlying AI capabilities, the company continued to expand the commercial application of AI. Aippy, an AI-powered gaming community incubated by the company, secured tens of millions of US dollars in independent financing at a post-money valuation of US$250 million. The platform has recorded nearly four million downloads worldwide, with daily active users increasing approximately sixfold since the beginning of the year and user retention ranking among the industry’s strongest.

Meanwhile, NUSD Pay, the company’s AI agent payment initiative, commenced commercial operations, further broadening the range of AI-powered use cases. The company also continued to expand its strategic investment portfolio across the AI sector, investing in projects spanning world models and AI-native game engines, as well as AI interactive gaming and AI-powered advertising and marketing, further strengthening its AI application ecosystem.

During the first half of the year, the company continued its share repurchase and cancellation. In March, Newborn Town announced to allocate approximately HK$ 300 million over the next two years for share repurchases. During the reporting period, the company completed two rounds of share cancellations, involving an aggregate of approximately 10.206 million repurchased shares with total consideration of approximately HK$ 85.126 million. In addition, on July 9, the company announced that it had repurchased shares from the market under the NBT Restricted Share Unit Scheme to support its long-term employee incentive program, for a total consideration of approximately HK$39.838 million.

In March, Newborn Town was officially included in the list of eligible securities under the Stock Connect, further broadening access for mainland investors. Since its inclusion, the company has seen significantly stronger market attention and trading activity, with average trading value increased about twofold compared with the three months prior to inclusion. The company’s shareholder base has continued to diversify, providing a solid foundation for its stable long-term growth.

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SOURCE Newborn Town

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HUAWEI WATCH D3 Debuts at ISH-ECS 2026, Bringing Advanced Blood Pressure Monitoring into Everyday Life

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DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The 31st International Society of Hypertension Scientific Meeting and 17th Emirates Cardiac Society Annual Conference (ISH-ECS 2026) took place in Dubai from 22 to 25 October 2026. As a major international gathering dedicated to hypertension, the conference brought together leading organisations and experts from around the world to discuss the latest research and developments in hypertension prevention and management.

International experts presented findings from their research using HUAWEI WATCH D Series wearable blood pressure monitors, highlighting the potential of wearable technology to support blood pressure monitoring and management. Huawei, a member of the International Society of Hypertension (ISH), also showcased its newly launched HUAWEI WATCH D3 at the event. At the Huawei exhibition area, attendees had the opportunity to experience the new device’s medical-grade blood pressure monitoring capabilities across different scenarios first-hand, offering a closer look at how advanced wearable technology can make blood pressure monitoring more convenient and accessible in everyday life.

Huawei Establishes Wearable Blood Pressure Technology Innovation Fund to Advance Research

Hypertension is one of the most common chronic conditions worldwide and a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Despite advances in prevention and treatment, blood pressure control rates remain low globally, highlighting the need for more effective monitoring and management.

To support further research in this field, Huawei has established the Wearable Blood Pressure Technology Innovation Fund in collaboration with ISH. The fund focuses on two key areas: wearable blood pressure measurement and wearable blood pressure management. It aims to encourage innovation, explore new applications for wearable technology, and support advances in hypertension prevention and management worldwide.

At the conference, researchers leading the first three projects selected for funding, from more than 80 applications, were invited to present their work. The projects involve researchers from the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka and the University of Edinburgh in the UK, Peking University People’s Hospital in China, and the University of Cambridge in the UK. The funding will support further research into blood pressure management using HUAWEI WATCH D series devices.

Airbag-Based Wearables Gain Recognition in Hypertension Guidelines

As wearable health technology continues to advance, wrist-worn blood pressure monitors using inflatable cuffs and oscillometric measurement technology are gaining recognition within the international medical community.

These devices have been addressed in several international guidelines and expert consensus statements, including the European Society of Hypertension’s Wearable Wrist-Watch Type Cuff Oscillometric Blood Pressure Monitors: Consensus Statement, the 2026 ISH Global Hypertension Practice Guidelines, and the HOPE Asia Network Asian Hypertension Guidelines. These publications recognise the potential role of validated wrist-worn oscillometric devices in blood pressure self-monitoring. Experts at the conference also discussed the significance of these developments and their implications for future clinical applications.

In China, the Chinese Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Hypertension (2024 Edition) included wrist-worn oscillometric blood pressure monitoring for the first time. Meanwhile, the Expert Recommendations for Ambulatory Blood Pressure Measurement Using Wearable Devices recommended the use of smart wearable devices validated against international standards for ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Together, these developments reflect growing international recognition of the role wearable technology can play in hypertension management.

During the “HUAWEI Wearable Technology” innovation and HUAWEI WATCH D3 experience sessions, HUAWEI experts introduced the technologies and applications behind the company’s approach to comprehensive health management. International hypertension specialists also shared their perspectives on the HUAWEI WATCH D3 and its potential to make blood pressure monitoring more accessible.

Professor Wang Jiguang, President of the Chinese Hypertension Association, noted: “Innovations like Minimally Disruptive ABPM and environmental monitoring reminder by Huawei Watch D3 may be inspiring for shaping a new direction on how future blood pressure management is automated and seamlessly embedded into daily life, via wearable devices”.

Professor George Stergiou, President of the International Society of Hypertension, described the Huawei Watch D3 as a novel, reliable wearable device that provides insights into blood pressure profiles and patterns. He also noted that the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) and the ISH encourages the clinical use of validated wrist-cuff blood pressure monitors, while calling for further research into their implementation in clinical practice.

Professor Maryam Al Saeed of Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences commented, “Dubai Health and Huawei are collaborating on a clinical research initiative to evaluate non-invasive wearable technology for earlier diabetes risk, leveraging real-world health data to advance personalized prevention, enable proactive healthcare, and improve long-term health outcomes across diverse populations.”

HUAWEI WATCH D3 Combines Monitoring with Everyday Convenience

Gong Yuansong, Vice President of Huawei’s Smart Wearable and Sports Health Product Line (Solutions and Ecosystem), delivered a keynote speech at the conference. He highlighted a growing shift in attitudes towards personal health, with people moving beyond treatment towards proactive monitoring and early prevention. Blood pressure management is also evolving, extending beyond individual measurements and hospital visits to become part of everyday health routines.

He added, “Smart wearables and comprehensive health insight capabilities, such as health glance, trends, and readiness scores, are promising to help users understand and gradually act to improve their health span.”

The HUAWEI WATCH D3 is the latest addition to Huawei’s health-focused wearable portfolio. As the third generation of Huawei’s wrist-worn blood pressure monitors, it combines professional measurement capabilities with a lightweight design and features that support everyday blood pressure management.

Equipped with ultra-narrow airbag oscillometric measurement technology, the HUAWEI WATCH D3 also introduces a new mode for measuring blood pressure before and after exercise. By tracking changes in blood pressure in response to physical activity, the feature helps users identify potentially abnormal responses and provides relevant insights and recommendations to support safer, more informed exercise. This mode is the first of its kind in the industry to receive EU CE certification under the Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and Class II medical device registration in China.

HUAWEI has also partnered with Ruijin Hospital, affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, to launch the Minimally Disruptive ABPM Study. The research initiative is also set to expand to countries including Saudi Arabia and Malaysia through partnerships with local research institutions.

The study explores a hybrid measurement approach that combines all-day photoplethysmography (PPG) monitoring with precise airbag-based oscillometric measurements for calibration. This approach aims to reduce the number of required cuff-based measurements from 27 to 7, helping to minimise disruptions during ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.

The monitoring approach also provides users with a detailed overview of their blood pressure patterns, including 24-hour, daytime and night-time averages, as well as charts showing how their blood pressure changes throughout the day. These insights can help users better understand their blood pressure trends and support long-term management.

From academic exchange to technological innovation, ISH-ECS 2026 highlighted the growing potential of wearable technology to transform blood pressure management. With innovations such as the HUAWEI WATCH D3, Huawei is bringing advanced health monitoring capabilities beyond clinical settings and into everyday life, helping people take a more proactive role in managing their own health.

SOURCE Huawei

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3TREES Shines at Big 5 Construct Kenya, Showcasing Healthy Living Solutions for East Africa

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PUTIAN, China, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — 3TREES recently showcased its green coating solutions at Big 5 Construct Kenya, a major building and construction trade show in East Africa that opened on October 21, 2026, at the Sarit Expo Centre in Nairobi. Guided by its “Create Healthy Life” philosophy, 3TREES presented a broad product portfolio at Hall 1, Booth 1J17, attracting strong interest and active business discussions. The event also strengthened the brand’s visibility among regional customers and industry partners.

The exhibition marked another step in 3TREES’ expansion in East Africa. Continued infrastructure investment and urbanization across the region are driving demand for building materials that are environmentally friendly, healthy, durable and suited to local conditions. Through the exhibition, 3TREES introduced integrated green coating solutions for regional construction needs.

The product showcase covered stone-effect exterior coatings, inorganic interior coatings, artistic finishes, waterproofing membranes and coatings, and floor coatings. Together, these products demonstrated 3TREES’ capabilities across wall and floor applications and helped visitors gain a clearer understanding of the company’s product quality, technologies and service strengths.

The booth welcomed distributors, engineering purchasers, contractors and industry professionals from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and other East African markets. Visitors discussed product performance, application methods, technical standards, local adaptability and distribution cooperation with the 3TREES team. Through one-to-one consultations, the team introduced key technologies and application scenarios while sharing experience from engineering and residential projects in China. The exchanges generated positive feedback and opportunities for further cooperation.

Looking ahead, 3TREES will continue adapting its product formulations and coating solutions to East Africa’s high temperatures, intense ultraviolet exposure, concentrated rainy seasons and local construction standards. The company will also advance regional channel development and strengthen technical support and after-sales services to better serve local customers.

Building on its research and development strengths and broad product portfolio, 3TREES will deepen industry exchange and strategic cooperation, introduce mature green coating technologies and solutions to more overseas markets, and support the green development of East Africa’s building materials industry. Through sustained localization, the company aims to bring healthier and greener products to more households and construction projects across the region.

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Festive Travel Gets More Intentional: Indian Travelers Look Beyond the Traditional Holiday, Agoda Reports

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SINGAPORE, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — For Indian travelers, the October to November festive period is increasingly becoming an opportunity to combine celebrations with a change of scene. With Dussehra, Durga Puja and Diwali approaching, accommodation search trends on digital travel platform Agoda show travelers looking at a mix of international experiences and domestic leisure breaks. Based on searches made between August 1 and September 30, 2026, for stays between October 15 and November 30, Bangkok, Phuket and Tokyo emerged as the top three international cities searched by Indian travelers, while Goa, Puri and Udaipur were the most popular domestic destinations.

Asia remains central to the festive itinerary for international travel

International travel interest for Indian travelers is led by destinations across Asia, with Thailand, Vietnam and Japan emerging among the most searched countries recording 55%, 86% and 125% growth in searches respectively compared to last year. Sri Lanka on the other hand recorded the almost 262% year-on-year growth in searches among the top international destinations, followed by Hong Kong SAR, China at nearly 138% indicating growing interest across a mix of destinations that offer cultural, culinary and leisure experiences.

At the city level, Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand recorded 65% and 51% growth in searches, respectively, offering travelers a combination of cultural landmarks such as the Grand Palace and Wat Pho along with local food and coastal experiences. In Vietnam, Phu Quoc recorded 124% growth in searches by Indian travelers, with its beaches, island-hopping experiences and night markets offering a mix of leisure and local experiences. Hanoi recorded a 94% increase, with attractions such as the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake offering a glimpse of the city’s heritage. Tokyo also recorded 109% growth in searches from India, with the October to November travel window coinciding with its autumn foliage season, when spots such as Shinjuku Gyoen become popular for ‘Kōyō’, Japan’s tradition of enjoying the changing colors of the leaves.

Festive escapes return to perennial favorites

Within India, festive travel trends reflect a mix of leisure, cultural and nature-led getaways. Goa saw nearly 43% year-over-year growth in searches, while Udaipur grew by nearly 29%, reflecting continued interest in established leisure and heritage destinations. Puri recorded 318% growth in searches, followed by Ooty at 166% and Munnar at 107%, pointing to interest in coastal, hill and nature-focused breaks. Varanasi also recorded 92% year-over-year growth, adding to interest in destinations associated with India’s cultural and spiritual heritage.

Gaurav Malik, Country Director, Indian Subcontinent & Indian Ocean Islands, Agoda, shared: “The festive period has traditionally been when travel and celebration come together, but the destinations people are considering reveal that there are now various ways to spend this time. We are seeing interest span beach holidays, city breaks, cultural destinations and hill station escapes, suggesting that travelers are choosing destinations around the experience they want to have, rather than simply following a conventional itinerary. For Agoda, this also means helping people discover the right stay and experiences around increasingly diverse ways of traveling.”

As travelers increasingly shape festive getaways around the experiences they want to discover, Agoda brings stays, flights and activities together in one place, giving travelers access to more than 6 million holiday properties, over 130,000 flight routes and more than 300,000 activities worldwide through its website and mobile app.

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SOURCE Agoda

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