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Federal Bank and Tata AIA Life Insurance Announce Strategic Bancassurance Partnership

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Federal Bank’s customers can avail Tata AIA’s comprehensive, consumer centric Life Insurance Solutions

MUMBAI, India, May 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Federal Bank, a prominent private sector bank in India, announced a Bancassurance tie-up with Tata AIA Life Insurance Co Ltd, one of India’s leading life insurance companies. This strategic alliance aims to provide Federal Bank’s customers, access to Tata AIA Life’s comprehensive insurance product suite.

Federal Bank has an extensive network, which will enable Tata AIA to further strengthen its footprint. Both the entities focus on technology enabled, consumer centric business model, adding to the synergies of the partnership.

For Federal Bank customers, the partnership will enable them to benefit from Tata AIA’s diverse, consumer centric life insurance solutions, including term insurance, savings and wealth creation plans, retirement, and pension solutions etc. Further, they can avail Tata AIA’s innovative plans such as Param Rakshak that offer triple benefits of high life cover, market linked returns and health & wellness benefits. The solutions are backed by Tata AIA’s empathy led; tech enabled service experience powered by best-in-class technology solutions.

Shalini Warrier, Executive Director, Federal Bank, said, “We are pleased to announce a strategic Corporate Agency Bancassurance partnership with TATA AIA Life Insurance Company. This partnership aims to bring the best of insurance products to our valued customers. It is a well-known fact that the penetration of insurance amongst Indian consumers is low, and through this partnership, the Bank aims to enhance financial security and wealth management for our customers. The coming together of these two revered brands reflects our commitment to always exceeding customer expectations.”

Ramesh Viswanathan, Chief Distribution Officer- Bancassurance, Tata AIA Life Insurance, said, “At Tata AIA, our endeavour is to partner our consumers, giving them access to best-in-class life insurance solutions, backed by empathy led service experience, to enable them to live a fikar-free life. We are delighted to enter a long-term relationship with a reputed and technology savvy bank like Federal Bank. This association will enable us to offer our diverse insurance solutions to the bank’s customers, empowering them to fulfil their aspirations and secure their loved ones across all stages of life.”

About Federal Bank

Federal Bank (NSE: FEDERALBNK) is a leading Indian private sector bank with a network of around 1504 banking outlets and 2013 ATMs/Recyclers spread across the country and the Bank’s total business mix (deposits + advances) stood at ₹ 4.62 Lakh Crore as on 31st March 2024. Capital Adequacy Ratio (CRAR) of the Bank, computed as per Basel III guidelines, stood at 16.13 % as on 31st March 2024. Federal Bank has Representative Offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi that serve as a nerve center for Non-Resident Indian customers in the UAE. The Bank also has an IFSC Banking Unit (IBU) in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City). Federal Bank is transforming itself, keeping its principles intact, into an organization that offers services beyond par. It has a well-defined vision for the future as a guidepost to its progress.

About Tata AIA Life

Tata AIA Life Insurance Company Limited (Tata AIA) is a joint venture Company formed by Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd. and AIA Group Ltd. (AIA). Tata AIA Life combines Tata’s pre-eminent leadership position in India and AIA’s presence as the largest, independent listed pan-Asian life insurance group in the world, spanning 18 markets in the Asia Pacific region.

Tata AIA reported an Individual Weighted New Business Premium (IWNBP) income of INR 7,092 Cr in FY23, an increase of 59% over FY22. The Individual Death Claims Settlement ratio improved from 98.53% in FY22 to 99.01% in FY23. The Persistency ratio, reflecting the percentage of consumers who choose to renew their policies with Tata AIA, has earned the Company the top rank in four out of five cohorts, including 13th-month persistency.  Compared to FY22, the 13th Month Persistency ratio (based on Premium) of the Company improved to 88.1%.

About the Tata Group  

Founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1868, the Tata group is a global enterprise, headquartered in India, comprising 30 companies across ten verticals. The group operates in more than 100 countries across six continents, with a mission ‘To improve the quality of life of the communities we serve globally, through long-term stakeholder value creation based on Leadership with Trust.’

Tata Sons is the principal investment holding company and promoter of Tata Companies. Sixty-six percent of the equity share capital of Tata Sons is held by philanthropic trusts, which support education, health, livelihood generation and art and culture.

In 2022-23, the revenue of Tata Companies, taken together, was $150 billion (INR 12 trillion). These companies collectively employ over 1 million people. Each Tata company or enterprise operates independently under the guidance and supervision of its own board of directors. There are 29 publicly listed Tata enterprises with a combined market capitalization of $350 billion as of February 2024.  

About AIA  

AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively “AIA” or the “Group”) comprise the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group. It has a presence in 18 markets – wholly-owned branches and subsidiaries in Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR(1), Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan (China), Vietnam, Brunei and Macau SAR(2), and a 49 per cent joint venture in India. In addition, AIA has a 24.99 per cent shareholding in China Post Life Insurance Co., Ltd.

The business that is now AIA was first established in Shanghai more than a century ago in 1919. It is a market leader in Asia (ex-Japan) based on life insurance premiums and holds leading positions across the majority of its markets. It had total assets of US$286 billion as of 31 December 2023.

AIA meets the long-term savings and protection needs of individuals by offering a range of products and services including life insurance, accident and health insurance and savings plans. The Group also provides employee benefits, credit life and pension services to corporate clients. Through an extensive network of agents, partners and employees across Asia, AIA serves the holders of more than 42 million individual policies and over 18 million participating members of group insurance schemes.

AIA Group Limited is listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the stock codes “1299” for HKD counter and “81299” for RMB counter with American Depositary Receipts (Level 1) traded on the over-the-counter market under the ticker symbol “AAGIY”.

Notes:

(1) Hong Kong SAR refers to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

(2) Macau SAR refers to the Macau Special Administrative Region.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2426743/Federal_Bank_with_TATA_AIA.jpg

 

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China Hour Expands Reach of Chinese Audiovisual Content in South Africa Through Multi-Platform Partnership

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NANJING, China, Sept. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — “China Hour,” a year-round media initiative jointly operated by Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation (JSBC) and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), is significantly expanding the footprint and accessibility of Chinese audiovisual content across South Africa.

Marking the first time a Chinese broadcast media institution has established a year-round, dedicated daily broadcast mechanism with an African national public broadcaster, the project leverages SABC’s television network and digital streaming platform, SABC+, bringing over 100 hours of localized Chinese programming directly to South African households since its launch in June 2026.

The initiative first gained momentum in April 2026, when senior SABC leadership attended the 13th China Internet Audio & Video Convention and officially announced the joint project with JSBC. To solidify and expand upon these initial results, JSBC and SABC formally signed a new cooperation agreement on August at the 7th Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation in Beijing. The signing was witnessed by senior leadership from China’s National Radio and Television Administration and South Africa’s Department of Communications and Digital Technologies.

So far, China Hour has already achieved rapid audience engagement. The popular fantasy drama series The Starry Love, which premiered on SABC2 on July in a dedicated 10:30–11:30 p.m. daily broadcast block, entered SABC+’s monthly Top 10 chart in its debut month, becoming the first Chinese television series to achieve a Top 10 ranking on the streaming platform.

Beyond hit drama series, the broader China Hour content catalog spans diverse genres designed to offer South African audiences holistic perspectives on contemporary and historical China. Featured titles include flagship documentary series such as The Grand Canal, Wetlands Our Land, Reading on the Island, and Architecture China, as well as popular short-form productions including A Dream Like True Love and Wildfire, among others.

To streamline content adaptation, JSBC deployed its proprietary Lychee Media AI Module for automated multilingual translation and dubbing adaptation. Integrated with rigorous human editorial review, this hybrid workflow enhances production efficiency while ensuring content complies strictly with local language nuances, cultural contexts, and broadcasting regulations.

The project builds on more than a decade of strategic exchanges between JSBC and African media organizations, including active participation in regional markets. Continuing its commitment to industry collaboration, JSBC will once again co-organize the China Pavilion at MIP Africa in Cape Town this October, showcasing new intellectual properties and exploring cross-border content licensing opportunities.

Looking ahead, JSBC and SABC plan to deepen cooperation across program curation, platform operations, and audience development, while welcoming broader collaboration with media stakeholders across the African continent.

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viaim Rise Receives Two 2026 IFA Innovation Awards; Indiegogo Campaign Launches September 8

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BERLIN, Sept. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — viaim today announced that viaim Rise, its AI Agent Earbuds, won Best in Audio and was named a Best in Design Honoree at the 2026 IFA Innovation Awards. The recognition highlights Rise’s combination of acoustic engineering, AI-assisted work features and a distinctive smart charging case.

The recognition at IFA 2026, one of the world’s most significant technology trade shows, validates viaim’s unique vision for the future of work. Following this successful unveiling in Berlin, viaim has confirmed that the viaim Rise will be available for global consumers via a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, launching on September 8, 2026, at 9:00 AM ET.

Beyond Audio: Listen. Think. Act.

viaim Rise combines premium wireless earbuds with an AI Agent workflow designed for everyday work. Built around Listen. Think. Act., Rise helps users capture conversations they choose to record, understand them in context and prepare next steps that remain under the user’s control.

Engineered for the modern professional, Rise supports user-initiated recording, transcription and translation for phone calls, in-person meetings and multilingual conversations, covering 78 languages and 145 accents. The system’s breakthrough lies in its ability to connect these recordings directly to project context, surface actionable insights, and hand off tasks—by voice—to the AI platforms users already rely on after the user confirms, such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

Award-Winning Hardware Meets Intelligent Software

The dual IFA Innovation Awards reflect the product’s commitment to both sonic excellence and functional design. The ‘Best in Audio’ win acknowledges the product’s premium acoustic architecture. The viaim Rise features a powerful 11mm + 6mm dual-driver configuration, delivering Hi-Res Audio Wireless with LDAC and LHDC support. Coupled with an advanced ANC system featuring transparency and voice pass-through modes, the earbuds ensure high-fidelity sound, while a comprehensive multi-microphone array with bone-conduction VPU guarantees crystal-clear call quality, regardless of the environment.

At the same time, Vision Intelligence officially announced a partnership with Bose, a world-leading audio brand. viaim is working with engineers from Bose’s Audio Technology business to enhance the audio performance of viaim products. Working with Bose, viaim will leverage the company’s decades of technical expertise in active noise cancellation and acoustics to improve AI Agent hardware and enable robust perception and decision-making capabilities.

The ‘Best in Design’ honor recognizes the product’s innovative form factor: a unique dual-device ecosystem. When users press the two side latches, a mechanical structure raises the earbuds from the charging case—a physical expression of the Rise name. The smart charging case also serves as a recording entry point: with at least one earbud inside, users can start a recording without opening the case or reaching for a phone. When connected to a computer over USB-C, its three-microphone array can support desktop meeting capture through the viaim PC app.

Indiegogo Launch Details

The viaim Rise will officially go live on Indiegogo on September 8 at 9 AM ET.

Super Early Bird Offer: Early backers can secure viaim Rise with a $259 pledge, compared with a planned MSRP of $399.Added Value: Every backer will receive a 3-month of the viaim Pro subscription for free, unlocking the complete potential of the AI Agent ecosystem.

“We are honored by the recognition from IFA,” said the viaim team. “Rise is built to move work forward. By merging professional-grade acoustic hardware with a sophisticated AI agent workflow, we are transforming the way professionals capture their ideas and execute their daily tasks.”

For those interested in experiencing the future of AI-powered productivity, join the Indiegogo campaign at https://www.indiegogo.com/en/projects/viaim/viaim-rise, or visit viaim’s official website at https://store.viaim.ai/ to learn more

About viaim

viaim develops AI-native hardware and intelligent agent services designed to help people capture information, understand context and move work forward. As of May 2026, viaim has served more than 1.5 million registered users across over 200 countries and regions worldwide.

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Bringing Local AI Home: UGREEN Introduces Privacy-First HomeAgent for Smarter Living

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BERLIN, Sept. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — UGREEN, a leading global consumer technology brand, announced two new product lineups at a European launch event. The unveiling of the UGREENHomeAgent series of agentic local AI hubs and a new MagFlow lineup marks UGREEN’s next stage of growth. Building on its established presence in digital accessories and smart storage, the company is now dedicated to a broader spectrum of intelligent consumer electronics designed to enhance everyday life.

UGREEN HomeAgent: Agentic Local AI Hub for Homes

At the center of UGREEN’s broader intelligent consumer electronics vision is UGREEN HomeAgent, a groundbreaking Agentic AI Local Hub unifying local storage, computing, and control into one device. It connects a growing ecosystem of UGREEN AIoT devices, including security cameras, smart speakers, and smart photo frames, as well as third-party devices.

UGOS Pro is UGREEN’s in-house operating system built on a Linux architecture, offering professional storage management, robust data security, easy backup and sync, and extensive expandability.

UGREEN HomeAgent is powered by the all-new UGOS Pro, combining NAS-grade storage and data management with integrated home security features, smart home capabilities, and natural voice interaction to deliver a more complete all-in-one experience.

Traditional surveillance cameras usually only document bad news, and their footage is constantly overwritten, so the moments truly worth keeping quietly disappear. That’s why UGREEN set out to redefine the home camera system, not as a surveillance tool, but as a camera for life.

“HomeAgent proactively recognizes moments that are truly worth remembering and organizes them into a personalized daily briefing for every family. Moments that might otherwise be forgotten can return. We want to help families preserve the precious time they spend together.” – Samuel Zhang, CEO of UGREEN

As an agentic local AI hub integrating on-device intelligence, local storage, AI computing and smart-home control, HomeAgent serves as the AI brain of the connected home. Designed to keep data private and local, it enables intelligent file management, proactive home monitoring, voice-driven automation and unified device control. The ecosystem includes the HomeAgent HA100 and HA100 Pro, the NVIDIA® Jetson Thor™-powered MasterAgent MA100, SynCare smart cameras, the UGREEN Smart Speaker for Uliya, and UGREEN Gallery smart frames, while remaining compatible with third-party Matter-enabled devices. Together, they deliver a private, expandable AI platform that helps users preserve memories, monitor their homes and coordinate devices through natural, context-aware interactions.

MagFlow Pro: Active Heat Dissipation and Sustained Fast Charging

Announced alongside HomeAgent, MagFlow Powerbank is the world’s first liquid-cooled Qi2 25W magnetic power bank, featuring CryoPulse™ micro-pump liquid cooling, active heat dissipation and sustained fast charging.

The launch complements UGREEN’s strong range of charging options, outlining the brand’s commitment to true-rated performance and flagship-quality power.

Availability Timeline

Pre-orders for the UGREEN HomeAgent HA100, HA100 Pro and UGREEN MasterAgent MA100 opened on September 4, 2026, via the UGREEN AIoT Official Store, and remain available until the official Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign launches on October 27, 2026. Other AIoT accessories will be introduced as part of the Kickstarter campaign beginning on October 27. During the pre-order period, customers can place a deposit starting at $50 to reserve the UGREEN HomeAgent HA100, HA100 Pro or UGREEN MasterAgent MA100 and secure 50% off with the Super Early Bird discount.

About UGREEN

UGREEN is a leading global tech brand creating innovative products that make everyday life smarter, easier, and more connected. From smart charging and productivity to smart storage and AIoT, UGREEN designs technology around the needs of modern life.

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