SHERIDAN, Wyo., Aug. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BL Networks, operating under ASN 399629, today detailed its ongoing global infrastructure expansion. Highlighting a multi-year project to strategically meet demand for associated privacy-VPS provider BitLaunch, it reinforces its commitment to deliver high-performance and low-latency networking to a growing global user base of privacy-conscious cloud users.

BLNWX: The Latest Network Expansions

Over the past three years, BL Networks has ramped up its mission to deliver private infrastructure to growing internet populations. Its most recent expansions include:

1. Singapore (May 2026) – BLNWX’s APAC debut

Responding to demand in the Asia-Pacific region, BLNWX launched its newest location in Singapore. The location was selected to deliver low-latency service to BitLaunch customers in the APAC region while maintaining the reliability and performance its users have come to expect.

2. Amsterdam (September 2025) – The 20 Gbps Upgrade

Amsterdam is one of Europe’s most critical routing hubs and therefore one of the most popular hosting locations. To meet significant user demand, BL Networks rolled out a third Amsterdam location with major upgrades. 20 Gbps network speeds built on tier-1 multi-homed bandwidth and modern DELL server hardware ensure that even the most bandwidth-heavy workloads remain stable.

3. Bucharest, Romania (March 2024) – Extending the European footprint

While locations in London and Amsterdam provided BL Networks with excellent coverage across Europe, there was room for improvement in the east. The launch of a new data center region in Bucharest delivered ultra-low latency to users in Eastern Europe. A favorite location for VPNs and web hosting providers, Romania has the fastest internet speeds in the region, enabling BitLaunch to deliver 20 Gbps up/down.

4. Dallas, Texas (February 2024) – Serving the South

Following rollouts in Los Angeles and Chicago, the next logical step was to serve the US’s southern states. Lying in the center of the telecom corridor, Dallas, TX was the natural choice. Strong fiber coverage and a low incidence of natural disasters, combined with proximity to some of the world’s largest networking firms, made it the near-perfect expansion choice.

Hardware specifications and performance standards

Rather than confusing users with varying hardware profiles, BL Networks has opted for strong baseline specifications built on:

Modern Dell server hardware featuring Intel Gold CPUsFast Samsung Enterprise SSDs configured in RAID10 for maximum I/O and redundancyHigh-speed ECC memory (RAM)Hardware-level KVM virtualizationIndustry-leading, heuristic DDoS protection

Just as crucial as the specifications themselves, however, is BLNWX’s philosophy of scaling sustainably with demand. Rather than overselling like many providers, it endeavors to under-promise and over-deliver.

BLNWX’s Eco Commitment

BL Networks’ philosophy of sustainability extends beyond responsible infrastructure scaling. As it expands its physical footprint, it remains committed to environmental sustainability through its Carbon Negative Pledge.

Doubling its commitments until it pays off its historic carbon debt, it has directly funded the planting of almost 25,000 trees and offset 961.54 tons of CO2e. It also endeavors to reduce its e-waste output by purchasing refurbished server hardware whenever it reasonably can without sacrificing quality.

BitLaunch VPN and the Future

BLNWX’s continuing infrastructure expansion enables not only capacity for its VPS customers but also new regions for BitLaunch VPN, which it launched in July 2025. The service allows users to deploy their own, private VPN across multiple regions in seconds.

Looking ahead, BL Networks remains dedicated to expanding its first-party network to more regions while maintaining its rigorous privacy and sustainability standards and continuing to eliminate the barriers associated with traditional payment methods.

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NEW YORK, Aug. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Reuters announced today that Reuters NEXT Gulf will return on October 21, 2026, bringing its definitive live leadership summit back to Abu Dhabi following the success of its inaugural event last year. The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development will continue as the exclusive host city partner for Reuters NEXT Gulf over the next three years, building on the success of the summit’s inaugural edition in 2025.

“In 2025, we brought Reuters NEXT to the Gulf because the region’s trajectory demands a summit equal to its ambition,” said Josh London, Head of Reuters Professional. “In 2026, at a time of uncertainty across the Middle East, Reuters NEXT Gulf will give decision-makers unfiltered access to the people moving markets, shaping policy, managing risk and investing in the future.”

His Excellency Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, said: “Abu Dhabi is a powerful convener of leaders, decision-makers, innovators, senior executives, and media. Such gatherings enable the dialogue and partnerships needed to drive investment and economic growth in a rapidly changing world. Abu Dhabi’s leadership in sectors including financial services, advanced manufacturing, AI, trade, logistics, and new energy makes it a natural platform for global conversations about the future economy.”

Al Zaabi added “The return of Reuters NEXT Gulf reflects Abu Dhabi’s growing role in shaping global economic conversations. As the emirate advances its long-term economic transformation agenda, forums such as Reuters NEXT Gulf provide an important platform to exchange ideas, strengthen partnerships and explore the opportunities that will define the next phase of global growth.”

The decision to bring Reuters NEXT back to Abu Dhabi follows its successful debut in 2025, which convened more than 600 senior executives from 40+ countries in the room and reached 2 million viewers worldwide via livestream. The summit delivered unparalleled access to insights from global leaders, innovators and CEOs tackling defining business and society in a region emerging as a global hub for AI, finance and innovation.

More than 30 elite speakers joined the World Stage to address six core themes: Geopolitics, Economy & Markets, Banking & Finance, Technology & AI, Climate & Sustainability, and Corporate Leadership. Speakers from 2025 include:

United Arab Emirates Advisor to the President H.E. Dr Anwar Mohammed GargashEgypt’s Minister of Planning, Economic Development & International Cooperation H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Yusuf Maitama TuggarUAE Minister of State H.E. Lana NusseibehAbu Dhabi Department of Economic Development Chairman H.E Ahmed Jasim Al ZaabiMohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, President & Executive Managing Director H.E. Razan Khalifa Al MubarakEuropean Union Special Representative for the Gulf Region Luigi Di MaioEmaar Founder and Chairman Mohamed AlabbarHashKey Exchange CEO Haiyang RuSaudi Technology Ventures, Founder & Chief Executive Officer Abdulrahman TarabzouniGulf Research Center Chairman Abdulaziz Al Sager Red Sea Global CEO John PaganoLandmark Group Chairwoman Renuka Jagtiani

Curated by Reuters award-winning journalists in accordance with the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles of independence, accuracy and freedom from bias, Reuters NEXT Gulf will provide the region with access to the ultimate gathering of leading minds across the Gulf and around the world. In 2026, the event will expand the invitation-only gathering with more stages and sessions, executive roundtables and breakouts, vertical-specific strategy sessions and networking opportunities.

Visit our website to stay up to date with event announcements and to apply to attend Reuters NEXT Gulf in October 2026.

About Reuters

Reuters, part of Thomson Reuters, is the leading global provider of business, financial and world news, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Leveraging industry expertise and cutting-edge technology and tools, Reuters global team of trusted journalists delivers fast, accurate and fact-based news, insight and analysis to financial market professionals exclusively via LSEG products, to the world’s media organizations and to professionals via industry events and Reuters.com. Founded in 1851, Reuters is committed to the Trust Principles of independence, integrity and freedom from bias. For more information, visit Reuters.com.

Media Contact

Heather Carpenter
Heather.Carpenter@tr.com

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SOURCE Reuters

Apple Pay brings an easier and more secure way for OnePay customers to pay in person and online with any OnePay card

NEW YORK, Aug. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — OnePay, the consumer fintech trusted by millions of Americans to make money better, today announced that it has expanded its support for Apple Pay, enabling even more of its cardholders in its U.S. card lineup with the ability to make easy, secure, and private purchases with an iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro.

OnePay customers can now add their OnePay CashRewards Card to Apple Wallet and use Apple Pay wherever it’s accepted, including at select Walmart U.S. locations. Later this fall, users with a OnePay Builder Card will also be able to add their cards to Apple Wallet, bringing Apple Pay to OnePay’s full card lineup in the U.S. The expansion builds on the seamless mobile payment experience that customers already know from the OnePay Debit Card, which adopted support for Apple Pay in 2022 and has seen significant growth in recent years.

To pay in-store with Apple Pay, customers simply double-click the side button, authenticate, and hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near a payment terminal to make a contactless payment. Every Apple Pay purchase is secure because it is authenticated with Face ID, Touch ID, Optic ID or a device passcode, along with a one-time unique dynamic security code. Apple Pay is accepted at grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops, and millions of other locations that take contactless payments.

“Everything we do at OnePay is designed to make our customers’ experience easier, simpler, and faster during the checkout process,” said Adi Sharma, Senior Executive, OnePay. “Apple Pay is an undeniable part of how so many consumers pay — and we’re excited to bring that same speed and simplicity to our entire card lineup this year and allow customers to use OnePay seamlessly wherever Apple Pay is accepted.”

Customers can also use Apple Pay on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro to make faster and more convenient purchases in apps or on the web without having to create accounts or repeatedly type in contact information, card details, or shipping and billing information.

Security and privacy are at the core of Apple Pay. When customers use a OnePay credit or debit card with Apple Pay, the actual card numbers are not stored on the device, nor on Apple servers. Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted and securely stored in the Secure Element, an industry-standard, certified chip designed to store the payment information safely on the device.

Apple Pay is easy to set up. On iPhone, simply open the Wallet app, tap the ‘+’, and follow the steps to add OnePay credit or debit cards. Once a customer adds a card to their Apple device, they can start using Apple Pay on that device right away. Customers will continue to receive all of the rewards and benefits offered by OnePay cards.

For more information on Apple Pay, visit: apple.com/apple-pay.

For more information on OnePay, please visit www.onepay.com.

About OnePay

OnePay is an all-in-one financial services platform built on the simple belief that better money makes life better. With banking, high-yield savings, credit cards, point-of-sale lending, investment and crypto offerings, OnePay is providing millions of consumers with the tools they need to holistically manage their financial lives in one place. Alongside its expanding consumer offering, OnePay also partners with employers, HCM providers, gig platforms, and others to deliver embedded financial services to millions of employees and frontline workers.

OnePay is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services through OnePay are provided by Coastal Community Bank or Lead Bank, Members FDIC. OnePay debit and credit cards (including the Builder Mastercard®) are issued by partner banks pursuant to licensing by Mastercard® International. Brokerage services through OnePay are provided by One Growth Securities LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Crypto services through OnePay powered by Zero Hash LLC and Zero Hash Liquidity Services LLC through an agreement with OneProgress Assets LLC. Investment and crypto products are not FDIC Insured, not bank guaranteed and may lose value. One Growth Securities LLC does not provide crypto services and OneProgress Assets LLC is not a member of FINRA/SIPC.

press@onepay.com

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SOURCE OnePay