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Payment Asia Launches Merchant Health Index (MHI) and ARCS Marketing Platform

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Bringing Practical AI Solutions to SMEs

HONG KONG, Oct. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Payment Asia Group (“Payment Asia” or “Group”) today announced the expansion of its artificial intelligence capabilities with the introduction of the Merchant Health Index (MHI) and the ARCS Marketing Platform, reinforcing the Group’s commitment to helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) harness AI to enhance business performance, marketing effectiveness, and operational resilience.

The announcement comes as Hong Kong accelerates its AI agenda, encouraging broader adoption across industries to boost productivity, strengthen competitiveness, and create new opportunities for businesses of all sizes.

“Artificial intelligence is becoming a strategic growth engine, moving decisively from experimentation into business operations,” said Paul Tang, COO of Payment Asia. “For SMEs, the value of AI lies in its ability to support smarter decisions, greater efficiency and long-term business growth. Our strategy focuses on making enterprise-grade intelligence accessible through practical solutions that help merchants anticipate change, strengthen resilience and capture new opportunities.”

Introducing the Merchant Health Index (MHI) and ARCS Marketing Platform

The Merchant Health Index (MHI) is an AI-powered merchant intelligence framework that transforms business and transaction information into meaningful business insights. Designed to provide a forward-looking view of merchant health, it helps businesses identify potential risks, uncover growth opportunities, and respond more effectively to changing market conditions. MHI is a major showcase of Payment Asia’s “More than Payment” strategy, extending the Group’s role beyond payments to deliver intelligence, tools, partnerships, support, and more through an integrated ecosystem focused on long-term merchant success.

Drawing on merchants’ operating metrics from before onboarding, such as compliance records and business registration information, and after their first transaction, such as website activity, transaction behavior, and other relevant indicators, MHI generates a comprehensive financial health score. Its transparent, evidence-based approach offers a broader view of business performance and resilience, helping to identify emerging issues, unusual transaction patterns, and opportunities for operational improvement earlier.

“Through the launch of MHI, Payment Asia aims to contribute to the development of an objective industry benchmark that provides a clearer view of merchants’ financial health,” added Tang. “We believe greater transparency and standardized insights can help drive the industry’s continued growth and development.”

Alongside MHI, Payment Asia has unveiled the ARCS Marketing Platform, an AI-driven tool that helps SMEs streamline content creation and digital marketing. It generates localized text and product imagery tailored to Hong Kong consumers and offers a wide selection of preset prompts and campaign templates for common SME marketing needs, enabling merchants to launch campaigns more efficiently across multiple channels. A payment link generated by Payment Asia will also be included to direct customers to make a purchase. Payment Asia is inviting selected F&B merchants to join its pilot program.

The launch of MHI and ARCS builds on Payment Asia’s broader AI strategy, which advanced significantly with the introduction of AI capabilities for the Group’s mascot, PACO, in 2023.

Founded in 1999, Payment Asia today serves more than 100,000 merchants across Hong Kong and international markets. The Group recorded more than 30% year-over-year growth in global transaction volume in the first three quarters of 2026. Over the past decade, including during the COVID pandemic, Payment Asia has consistently achieved double-digit growth in worldwide transaction volume, supported by its early expansion into international markets and strong positioning in digital payment services as businesses and consumers accelerated their shift toward e-commerce.

At Hong Kong FinTech Week next week (Booth 5FG-TAO4), Payment Asia will present the Merchant Health Index (MHI), the ARCS Marketing Platform, and its latest innovations designed to help businesses unlock growth opportunities. At the booth’s “Insights Lounge,” Payment Asia and its partners will discuss emerging trends in merchant services, intelligent payments, and next-generation commerce, reinforcing the Group’s vision of serving as a gateway to business growth and takeoff.

About Payment Asia

Established in 1999 and based in Hong Kong, Payment Asia Group is a leading e-payment technology and e-commerce management company specializing in offering a secure and prompt payment processing network to local and global businesses. The Group also invests in and operates several fintech companies, building a diversified ecosystem spanning digital payments, asset management, trust services, lending, and other financial services. Driven by professionalism, dedication, and innovation, Payment Asia aspires to grow together with our clients and shape the future together. For more information, please visit: https://paymentasia.com/ 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/payment-asia-launches-merchant-health-index-mhi-and-arcs-marketing-platform-302923276.html

SOURCE Payment Asia

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GAC Wins 8 Awards, Including 4 First Prizes, Showcasing Technological Innovation Strength

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SUZHOU, China, Oct. 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On October 28, GAC won 8 awards at the 2026 China-SAE Science and Technology Award ceremony in Suzhou, Jiangsu. In the fields of automotive chips, electric drive, vehicle safety, intelligent driving governance and body design, four first prizes were awarded to two GAC-led projects and two GAC-participated projects, and one GAC-led project won second prize.

In chips, GAC’s led project built a full-chain path from vehicle definition to scale application, working with 105 partners to apply nearly 400 chip models and over 1,000 domestic chips. The HYPTEC GT Special Edition, China’s first ICV with 100% domestically designed chips, has been launched.

In electric drive, GAC pioneered mass production of amorphous alloy stators and carbon-fiber high-speed rotors, becoming the world’s only company to mass-produce amorphous alloy automotive motors. Its amorphous ribbon is just 0.025 mm thick. The motor reaches 99.03% peak efficiency, 17.29 kW/kg power density (@1000V)—nearly three times the industry mainstream—and 30,000 rpm maximum speed; system CLTC efficiency reaches 94.184%. For users, energy consumption drops 4%, and range rises 30-50 km with the same battery capacity. It has been applied to HYPTEC, AION and AISTALAND models and promoted to other automakers. The related precision manufacturing technology won the Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva.

In safety, the GAC-led project with Tsinghua University won second prize. It developed China’s first ASIL-D fully domestic safety controller, real-time risk quantification, active-suspension side-impact mitigation, a rear-window airbag and an “automaker-traffic police-hospital” integrated rescue model. It has been applied to 20 models with cumulative sales of 1.446 million units.

In addition, GAC’s participated L2-L4 safety governance project helped establish a full-lifecycle system covering pre-admission, in-process supervision and post-event traceability. Its participated BIW project features an AI-based body design system that generates concept schemes within 5 hours, with over 95% stiffness prediction accuracy and over 30% higher design efficiency; it has been applied to the second-generation GAC GS8, GAC ES9 and GAC All-new S7.

Looking ahead, GAC will uphold innovation-driven development, advance core technology breakthroughs and commercialization, and support high-quality development of China’s auto industry.

For further information about GAC, please visit: https://www.gacgroup.com/en or follow us on social.

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SOURCE GAC

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ScienceOra Demonstrates AI-Assisted Hydrogen-Production Catalyst Design Workflow at Tencent Global Digital Ecosystem Summit

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The workflow spans literature analysis, candidate design, experimental planning and industrial decision support, extending AI4S into materials research

SHENZHEN, China, Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Wenge AI demonstrated an AI-assisted hydrogen-production catalyst design workflow supported by ScienceOra at the 2026 Tencent Global Digital Ecosystem Summit. The demonstration showed how AI for Science (AI4S) can connect literature analysis, catalyst candidate design, experimental planning and industrial decision support, helping materials researchers translate scientific evidence into actionable research plans.

ScienceOra is Wenge AI’s intelligent research decision platform, built on the ScienceOne Scientific Foundation Model. For specialist research tasks such as materials development, the platform brings together scientific models, professional literature, research data and tools to support information access, research-plan development and scientific decision-making.

From literature analysis to catalyst candidate design

The demonstration focused on the design of a high-entropy alloy catalyst for the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction. To address the need for high activity and durability, ScienceOra searched professional literature and drew on published research methods and elemental properties to support the development of candidate designs. It also cross-checked optimization proposals against relevant literature, providing researchers with references that could be reviewed and verified.

Rather than simply generating material formulations, the workflow connects documentary evidence, materials knowledge and specific design objectives to support more targeted analysis of candidate solutions. Researchers remain responsible for assessing scientific validity and determining subsequent research directions.

From experimental planning to industrial decision support

For experimental planning, ScienceOra can assist in developing research protocols around candidate designs, helping researchers organize experimental variables and producing testing standard operating procedures (SOPs) and related reference information for subsequent validation.

For industrial applications, the platform can also support comparative analysis across dimensions such as the feasibility of scaled hydrogen production, performance at industrially relevant current densities, durability, raw-material availability and compatibility with mass-production synthesis processes. It can then assist in establishing decision priorities, screening criteria and process-improvement recommendations.

Candidate designs, experimental plans, process recommendations and references can be consolidated into a structured research report, helping R&D teams assess scientific evidence alongside engineering constraints. AI provides analytical and decision support, while experimental testing and scientific validation remain essential parts of materials research.

Previously disclosed collaboration reports design efficiency and activity improvements

In a previously disclosed industry–research collaboration on hydrogen-production catalyst design, ScienceOra supported literature analysis and research-plan development. The collaboration reported a 38% improvement in catalyst activity and reduced the design stage from several months to 30 minutes. The case illustrates the potential of domain-specific AI to connect scientific literature, research design and engineering requirements.

ScienceOra was recently made available on Tencent WorkBuddy, with an initial offering of more than 30 research expert agents and skills covering literature analysis, research hypotheses, plan design, modeling and simulation, validation analysis and research communication. The conference demonstration further illustrated how ScienceOra can be applied to specialist materials research, as AI4S moves beyond general information processing toward support for research workflows and industrial R&D decision-making.

For more information, visit https://www.scienceone.ai/portal/.

About Wenge AI

Wenge AI (1956.HK) is a provider of artificial intelligence technology and service platform products for enterprises. With self-developed large models as its core, the company helps enterprises build practical intelligent platforms and applications. Founded by a team of AI scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenge AI has deep technological expertise in large models, cognitive intelligence and complex-system modeling, and is committed to advancing AI from technological capabilities to enterprise-level applications.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scienceora-demonstrates-ai-assisted-hydrogen-production-catalyst-design-workflow-at-tencent-global-digital-ecosystem-summit-302925517.html

SOURCE Wenge AI

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Cake Digital Bank Wins Gold at Qorus-Infosys Finacle Banking Innovation Awards 2026

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ROME, Oct. 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Cake Digital Bank, a digital-only bank from Vietnam, has won Gold at the Qorus-Infosys Finacle Banking Innovation Awards 2026 for its initiative, “Reinventing Financial Experiences Through an AI-First Banking Model.” Cake was the only financial institution from Vietnam recognized at this year’s awards.

The winners were celebrated in Rome, Italy, during Infosys Finacle Conclave 2026. The 13th edition of the awards attracted 538 submissions from 206 financial institutions across 68 countries, with 37 institutions recognized across ten award categories. The selection process combined voting by industry peers with evaluation by an expert jury of 81 senior banking executives.

The award-winning institutions included leading international banking names such as Santander, Commonwealth Bank, DBS, Maybank, and CaixaBank, reflecting the global scope and competitive landscape of the awards.

John Berry, Chairman of Qorus, observed that the banking industry is entering a new era in which AI is becoming integral to innovation, transforming initiatives and expanding the possibilities of financial services.

Building an AI-First Banking Model from the Ground Up

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly central to banking innovation, financial institutions face a growing challenge: translating technological capabilities into better customer experiences, greater operational efficiency, and sustainable business performance.

Cake’s AI-first approach reflects this industry shift while taking a different starting point. Rather than integrating AI into established banking processes, Cake was built as a digital-only bank from the outset, embedding AI, data, and automation into its technology architecture, operating model, and customer journeys.

This greenfield foundation has enabled Cake to develop an integrated AI-first banking model, where technology supports how the bank makes decisions, manages operations, and delivers financial services at scale.

Supported by its independently developed core banking and card management systems, Cake applies AI across the banking value chain, from customer onboarding, credit assessment, and fraud prevention to risk management, customer service, and personalized financial recommendations.

Beyond operational efficiency, Cake has also invested in localized AI capabilities designed specifically for Vietnamese users, enabling more accessible, responsive, and personalized financial experiences.

Scaling Growth with Efficiency and Sustainable Business Performance

Nearly six years since its launch, Cake has grown to serve more than 8 million customers, demonstrating the scalability of its branchless digital banking model.

Cake achieved positive EBITDA in Q3 2024, just 3.5 years after launch, marking a significant milestone in demonstrating the viability of its digital-only banking model. The bank subsequently recorded 173% year-on-year revenue growth in 2025, followed by a further 121% growth in 2026, reflecting sustained business momentum as it continues to scale. Meanwhile, average revenue per user (ARPU) increased from USD 12 in 2024 to USD 44 in 2026, highlighting Cake’s ability to generate greater value from its growing customer base.

Beyond customer acquisition, Cake’s growth strategy increasingly focuses on deepening customer relationships and expanding the range of financial needs served through its platform and partner ecosystems. This approach reflects the bank’s evolution toward a mature digital banking model, where scale is complemented by stronger customer engagement, operational efficiency, and long-term business sustainability.

Nguyen Huu Quang, CEO of Cake Digital Bank, said:

“Winning Gold at the Qorus-Infosys Finacle Banking Innovation Awards is a meaningful international recognition of Cake’s AI-first banking model. From the beginning, our ambition has been to build a digital bank that combines technological innovation with sustainable business performance, while making financial services simpler, more accessible, and more relevant to customers. This recognition reinforces our commitment to delivering world-class banking experiences for Vietnamese users and continuing to advance our AI-first capabilities.”

The Gold Award marks another milestone in Cake’s development as a next-generation AI-first digital bank. It also demonstrates how a banking model developed and scaled in an emerging market can deliver meaningful customer and business outcomes, contributing practical perspectives to the global conversation on the future of digital banking.

In September 2026, Cake was also named “Vietnam’s Best Digital Bank” by Euromoney under its Group Level Banking Awards, further recognizing the bank’s progress in strategy, technology, and business performance.

About the Qorus-Infosys Finacle Banking Innovation Awards

The Qorus-Infosys Finacle Banking Innovation Awards are jointly organized by Qorus, a global association for retail financial institutions, and Infosys Finacle, a digital banking solutions provider. Now in their 13th edition, the awards recognize innovative initiatives and banking models that deliver meaningful impact across the global financial services industry.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/cake-digital-bank-wins-gold-at-qorus-infosys-finacle-banking-innovation-awards-2026-302925502.html

SOURCE Cake Digital Bank

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