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Top Five Applications Priorities for Technology Leaders in 2024 Published in New Report by Info-Tech Research Group

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Info-Tech’s Applications Priorities 2024 report highlights the transformative strategies technology leaders will need to consider for this year, including digital experience enhancement, AI democratization, predictive solution management, multisource ecosystem integration, and intelligent solution delivery. By embracing the global IT research and advisory firm’s recommended priorities, organizations can better align their application strategies with evolving business goals, fostering innovation and competitive advantage in a rapidly changing digital landscape.

TORONTO, Feb. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ – As organizations continue to navigate the complexities of the digital era, which has been marked by exponential advancements in AI and technology, the strategic deployment of modern, practical applications has become indispensable for sustaining competitive advantage and realizing business goals. Info-Tech Research Group’s recently published Applications Priorities 2024 report offers a comprehensive guide for applications leaders as it outlines the adoption of emerging technologies and practices to enhance organizational capabilities in 2024 and beyond.

Info-Tech’s annual report identifies five key priorities that range from delivering exceptional digital experiences to democratizing AI access. The recommended priorities are set to redefine the role of applications in driving business success this year. By focusing on these areas, IT and applications leaders can ensure their application portfolios are not just current but are also driving innovation and competitive advantage in their industry.

“Applications are critical components in any business strategic plan. They can directly influence an organization’s ability to be dynamic, flexible, and responsive to changing expectations, business conditions, and technologies,” says Andrew Kum-Seun, research director at Info-Tech Research Group. “Business leaders are continuously looking for innovative ways to better position their application portfolios to satisfy their goals and objectives, which is achieved through applications priorities. Given the scope and costs involved, these priorities must be carefully crafted to clearly state achievable business outcomes that satisfy the different needs of diverse groups of customers, stakeholders, and users.”

The Applications Priorities 2024 report outlines the key disruptors applications teams face that have an impact on how work is conducted, how services are delivered, and how organizations interact with their customers. From the democratization of IT enabling more user-driven development through no-code platforms to the constraints of budgets that limit growth and innovation, the digital landscape is rapidly evolving. Info-Tech’s report emphasizes the importance for applications leaders and their organizations to acknowledge these disruptors and adapt to them, which can help not only mitigate risks but also create new opportunities for growth and innovation.

“Expectations on applications teams are increasing because of business operations’ growing reliance on applications, data, and other technologies,” says Bhavya Vora, research analyst at Info-Tech Research Group. “Stakeholders and executives must invest in the alleviation of these application delivery and management challenges to effectively deliver on their organization’s priorities.”

Drawing on a wealth of data and insights, the new report leverages findings from experts in the industry as well as data from Info-Tech’s CEO-CIO Alignment diagnostic and CIO Business Vision diagnostic. Additional data was also gathered and analyzed from Info-Tech’s Tech Trends 2024 report, as well as the HR Trends Report 2024 from the firms’ McLean & Company division.

The Applications Priorities 2024 report provides applications leaders with a comprehensive overview of the applications landscape. The report highlights the following five key initiatives essential for navigating the complexities of today’s digital environment, driving innovation, and aligning application strategies with an organization’s overarching goals for 2024 and the coming years:

Digital Experience – deliver valuable user, customer, employee, and brand experiences. 
At the heart of a modern business strategy, digital experience (DX) refers to the entirety of interactions between a user and an organization through digital products and services. To harness the full potential of DX, the report advises applications leaders to define and build a digital business strategy that prioritizes user, employee, and customer needs. Key recommendations include focusing on DX and quality in product and service delivery, fostering collaborative delivery practices, and continuously monitoring and managing digital products and services. Additionally, the selection and delivery of DX technologies, coupled with strong stakeholder, partner, and vendor relationships, is essential for sustaining a dynamic and responsive digital system.Democratized AI – Extend AI access to everyone in the organization. 
As AI increasingly becomes an executive priority, the push for its widespread adoption throughout organizations is gaining tremendous momentum. According to the report, 40% of organizations have already invested in AI and ML, and 47% anticipate a positive business impact. Democratized AI has emerged as a key step in business process automation and an organization’s AI journey. This initiative aims to make AI tools accessible to a wide range of organizational members, irrespective of their technical expertise, thereby fostering an inclusive environment for innovation. However, scaled AI implementations come with many challenges that must be addressed to fully realize the benefits of this priority. In the report, the firm advises applications leaders to identify potential AI use cases and assess the various AI tooling options. By optimizing AI-supporting capabilities and establishing a scalable AI deployment and governance framework, organizations can gradually integrate AI, unlocking its full potential across various business functions.Predictive Solution Management – Predict, prevent, and mitigate solution issues before they happen. 
Moving beyond traditional application maintenance, predictive solution management proactively addresses potential issues before they impact operations. This advanced approach uses data analytics, statistical models, and forecasting to anticipate and mitigate future system challenges. The report recommends applications leaders reinforce their maintenance strategies by assessing the health and technical debt of their applications. Info-Tech further advises embracing site reliability engineering (SRE) and DevOps methodologies, making IT operations insights widely accessible for broader consumption, and integrating AI within IT operations and applications teams. By adopting these practices, organizations can ensure their applications remain robust, reliable, and aligned with evolving business needs.Multisource Ecosystem – Manage a mutually beneficial ecosystem composed of internally and externally managed solutions and partners.
Info-Tech’s report describes this approach as an integrated network of internally and externally sourced technologies. The essence of a multisource ecosystem lies in its ability to foster mutually beneficial relationships among a diverse array of partners, customers, and technology partners. Multisource ecosystems thrive on the seamless integration of data and workflows across various domains, including departments, tools, systems, customers, suppliers, and external partners. Unlike traditional hierarchical structures, these ecosystems are dynamic, with partnerships that are adaptable and not managed in a manner similar to an integrated organization. They are built on changing and sometimes voluntary partnerships and collaboration among independent entities that can form and break apart suddenly. To take full advantage of a multisource ecosystem, applications leaders should define and articulate clear goals, develop a sourcing partner strategy, strengthen enterprise integration practices, manage their solution architecture and application portfolio, and foster strong relationships with all stakeholders.Intelligent Solution Delivery – Embed AI into your solution delivery practice. 
With mounting demands for high-value solutions amid limited resources and complex environments, embedding AI into solution delivery practices is often viewed as an ideal test pilot. AI’s potential to enhance productivity, generate usable test data, and preemptively identify issues positions it as a transformative force within the solution delivery lifecycle (SDLC). Some of the prominent AI applications that are making strides in the field include synthetic data generation, automated code creation, defect forecasting and debugging, and UI design and prototyping, as well as requirements documentation and elicitation. The firm recommends that applications leaders focus on optimizing their SDLC practice and explore different AI and automated SDLC tools to elevate their solution delivery frameworks this year.

The Applications Priorities 2024 report also includes insights in the form of case studies from organizations and their clients, such as Mastercard, Bloomberg, Carousel, e-Estonia, and GitHub Copilot.

As the digital landscape continues to evolve at an exponential pace, the Applications Priorities 2024 report provides applications leaders with a guide to optimizing their application portfolios and teams. By implementing the outlined priorities, leaders can ensure their application strategies are not only aligned with their organizational objectives but are designed to drive innovation and maintain a competitive edge. This approach will enable applications leaders to transform their application portfolios into dynamic assets that respond effectively to the changing demands of the business environment, fostering a culture of agility and sustained growth.

Those interested in exploring the specific 2024 applications priorities recommended by Info-Tech Research Group are invited to register for the firm’s webinar on Wednesday, March 6, at 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT.

For exclusive media commentary from Andrew Kum-Seun and Bhavya Vora, experts in applications management and SDLC optimization, or to access the complete Applications Priorities 2024 report, please contact pr@infotech.com.

About Info-Tech Research Group

Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world’s leading information technology research and advisory firms, proudly serving over 30,000 professionals. The company produces unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For more than 25 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with IT teams to provide them with everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm’s Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact pr@infotech.com.

For information about Info-Tech Research Group or to view the latest research, visit infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn and X.

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SOURCE Info-Tech Research Group

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Galaxy Digital Inc. Announces Pricing of $3.507 Billion of Senior Secured Notes

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NEW YORK, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Galaxy Digital Inc. (NASDAQ: GLXY) (“Galaxy” or the “Company”), a global leader in digital assets and data center infrastructure, today announced that its indirect wholly owned subsidiary, Galaxy Helios Data Centers II LLC (the “Issuer”), has priced a $3.507 billion private offering (the “Offering”) of 9.875% senior secured notes due 2031 (the “Notes”). The Offering is expected to close on July 28, 2026, subject to market and other conditions.

The Issuer intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to finance a portion of the development and construction of two buildings containing eight data halls with a combined total of 400 megawatts (“MW”) of utility capacity and 260 MW of critical IT capacity (the “Project”) to be built on an approximately 260-acre property in Dickens County, Texas and to fund debt service reserves.

The Notes will bear interest at a rate of 9.875% per annum payable semi-annually in cash in arrears on February 1 and August 1 of each year, beginning on February 1, 2027 and will mature on August 1, 2031. The Notes will amortize at a rate of 4.00% per annum of the original principal amount subject to adjustment, with amortization payments payable semi-annually with the first payment date to occur at least ten months after the completion of the Project.

The Notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by Galaxy Helios II LLC, a wholly owned direct subsidiary of the Issuer (the “Guarantor”), and will constitute the senior secured obligations of the Issuer and the Guarantor. The Notes and related note guarantee will be secured by first-priority liens on (i) substantially all assets of the Issuer and the Guarantor, other than certain excluded property and (ii) all equity interests of the Issuer held by the direct parent company of the Issuer.

The Offering is subject to market and other conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether, when or on what terms the Offering may be completed.

The Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction, and the Notes may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration under the Securities Act and any applicable state securities laws. The Notes will be offered only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A under the Securities Act and outside the United States to non-U.S. persons in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes, nor shall there be any sale of the Notes in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Galaxy

Galaxy Digital Inc. (Nasdaq: GLXY) is a global leader in digital assets and data center infrastructure, delivering solutions that accelerate progress in finance and artificial intelligence. Our digital assets platform offers institutional access to trading, advisory, asset management, staking, self-custody, and tokenization technology. In addition, we develop and operate cutting-edge data center infrastructure to power AI and HPC workloads. Our 1.63 GW Helios campus in Texas positions Galaxy among the largest and fastest-growing data center developers in North America. The Company is headquartered in New York City, with offices across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the completion, size and timing of the Offering, the terms of the Notes and the intended use of proceeds. The Company intends such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and includes this statement for purposes of complying with these safe harbor provisions. Forward-looking statements represent the Company’s current expectations regarding future events and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking statements. Among those risks and uncertainties are market conditions, including market interest rates, the satisfaction of the closing conditions related to the Offering and risks relating to the Company’s business, including those described in periodic reports that the Company files from time to time with the SEC. The Issuer may not consummate the proposed Offering described in this press release and, if the proposed Offering is consummated, cannot provide any assurances regarding the final terms of the Offering or the Notes or its ability to effectively apply the net proceeds as described above. The forward-looking statements included in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update the statements included in this press release for subsequent developments, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

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SOURCE Galaxy Digital Inc.

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The Finish Line that Changed China: Retracing the Long March to Yan’an

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BEIJING, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A news report from China.org.cn on the Long March, and what it means for China today:

 

Every journey has a destination.

But some destinations become the beginning of something even greater.

This is Yan’an.

Over 90 years ago, an army of soldiers embarked from Yudu, Jiangxi Province, on a journey that would go down in history.

They crossed snow-capped mountains, vast grasslands and raging rivers, eventually arriving in northern Shaanxi.

Across this grueling 12,500-kilometer journey, they wrote a magnificent epic in human history with willpower and courage.

Here, their Long March came to a victorious end. But a new chapter of history was only beginning.

In Yan’an, the Red Army found time to recover and rebuild, and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China regrouped, gathering strength for the next chapter.

Here, new ideas were debated, new strategies were shaped, and a vision for China’s future gradually took form.

Today, while preserving its revolutionary legacy, Yan’an has grown into a vibrant, modern city — with a greener environment, thriving industries and happier lives for its people.

Nearly 90 years ago, American journalist Edgar Snow came to northern Shaanxi, seeking to uncover a story that few outside China knew. He later chronicled it in his book “Red Star Over China,” which carried the story of the Long March to the world.

Today, people from around the world are once again retracing those steps.

As part of China International Communications Group (CICG)’s “Together on the Long March” international communication project, participants have spent more than a month retracing the route across six key regions.

From Jiangxi to Shaanxi, they followed the Red Army’s journey and witnessed the remarkable changes that have taken place along the way.

I asked them one simple question: What does this journey mean to you?

Zhavier Harris, marketing and communications manager at the Springfield Urban League, said conversations with local residents and descendants of the Red Army made history feel far more immediate than he had expected.

He said history isn’t as distant as we often think. “We’re only one or two generations from these great sacrifices that led to the development and the greatness that we see from the Communist Party of China and China as a whole.”

David Ferguson, honorary chief English editor at Foreign Languages Press under CICG and a recipient of the 2021 Chinese Government Friendship Award, said the journey deepened his understanding of the Long March.

He said the journey helped him understand not only the historical facts, but also what the Red Army endured. “If you see the Long March merely as a military campaign, it ended in Yan’an. But as a spirit, it has never truly come to an end.”

We came to retrace history. We leave with something more: a deeper understanding of China’s past, a clearer view of its present, and perhaps a greater appreciation for the stories that connect us across cultures.

Edgar Snow called the Long March “an Odyssey unequalled in modern times.” He believed that what sustained it was a flame — consisting of an undimmed ardor, an undying hope and an amazing revolutionary optimism.

Ninety years later, that flame still burns.

Passed down through generations, the spirit of the Long March continues to light China’s path forward.

And as it crosses borders and cultures, it offers the world a glimpse of a nation defined by resilience, perseverance and an enduring drive to move forward.

China Mosaic
http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm 

The Finish Line that Changed China: Retracing the Long March to Yan’an
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2026-07/23/content_118614941.shtml

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SOURCE China.org.cn

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Visa and Lianlian Advance Trusted B2B Agentic Commerce Through LoopXPay’s First Live B2B Agentic Transaction

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First live B2B agentic transaction in Greater China highlights how AI-enabled commerce can help SMBs streamline purchasing and payments, supported by Visa’s Agentic Directory for trusted AI agent interactions

SINGAPORE, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Visa (NYSE: V), a global leader in digital payments, and Lianlian DigiTech Co., Ltd. (“Lianlian”), an AI-native global financial infrastructure provider, today announced the first live B2B agentic transaction completed using LoopXPay, Lianlian’s AI agent. 

Small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) often lack dedicated procurement teams and spend valuable time sourcing, purchasing and making payments themselves. In the transaction, the LoopXPay agent was used to source a product sample from a supplier and complete the purchase in a single workflow. The agent identified the purchasing requirement, recommended suitable suppliers, compared options, placed the order and securely executed the payment within a single workflow, while operating within pre-defined spending controls and approval parameters.

The milestone highlights how AI-powered commerce experiences can help SMBs simplify purchasing and payment activities while maintaining appropriate controls and oversight. By enabling AI agents to operate within pre-defined spending parameters and approval controls, businesses can reduce manual effort while retaining visibility into commercial decision-making.

As AI agents become more involved in purchasing and payment activities, businesses will require confidence that transactions are being executed by verified participants, within approved parameters and with appropriate oversight. Capabilities aligned with Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol can help provide the identity, transparency and controls needed to support these interactions.

As part of the collaboration, LoopXPay has been registered in Visa’s Agentic Directory, enabling participating businesses and merchants to identify verified AI agents within the ecosystem. Supporting the implementation of Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol, the Agentic Directory helps provide greater transparency into agent-driven interactions and confidence that participating agents have met Visa’s requirements.

“AI-powered commerce experiences can help businesses simplify purchasing and payments while maintaining the controls and oversight they require,” said Darren Parslow, Global Head, Visa Commercial Solutions, Visa. “For SMBs, that means less complexity in managing day-to-day commercial activities and more time focused on growth. As businesses increasingly look to embed intelligence into purchasing and payment experiences, trust will become a critical enabler of adoption. Through our collaboration with Lianlian, we are helping advance the trusted foundations that businesses will need to participate in this next era of commerce with confidence.”

Building on this milestone, Visa and Lianlian are exploring how AI agents can support a broader range of commercial activities, including procurement, digital advertising optimisation and B2B platform payments, helping advance trusted commerce through greater efficiency, transparency and control.

Zhang Zhengyu, Founder, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Lianlian DigiTech, said, “AI is reshaping the entire commercial value chain, where a growing number of business activities will be autonomously executed by AI agents, with payments serving as the critical infrastructure connecting them to global commerce. Leveraging its experience in global cross-border payments, compliance, as well as payment network, LianLian is actively building AI-native financial infrastructure, delivering an integrated suite of capabilities for the Agent Economy, spanning identity verification, transaction authorisation, intelligent payment, and global fund settlement. Through this collaboration with Visa, we aim to combine Lianlian’s AI-native capabilities with Visa’s trusted global network and commercial payment expertise to help businesses transact more securely, intelligently and efficiently in an increasingly agent-driven commerce environment.”

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, sellers, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.

About Lianlian

Lianlian DigiTech Co., Ltd. (“Lianlian DigiTech” or “Lianlian”) was founded in 2009 and listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2024 (stock code: 2598.HK). As China’s leading global provider of digital and intelligent payment services, Lianlian adheres to its mission of “Connecting the world, empowering global commerce” and pursues an “AI-Native + Globalization” strategy. The Company is committed to building a trusted global intelligent financial infrastructure, enabling seamless connectivity between Chinese enterprises and global businesses.  As of now, Lianlian has established a global licensing portfolio comprising 68 payment licenses and related qualifications, and holds a VATP license issued by the Hong Kong SFC. It supports services in more than 200 countries and regions and enables transaction settlement in over 140 currencies, connecting over 180 global e-commerce platforms and serving a cumulative total of over 13.3 million customers. Learn more at www.lianlian.com.

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SOURCE Visa Worldwide Pte. Limited

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