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Cathay FHC leads Taiwan’s Renewable Energy Push at LSEG’s Climate Investment Summit During Climate Week London

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Cathay FHC’s Three Arrows for Energy Transition: Renewable Energy Investment and Financing, Innovative Collaboration in Renewable Energy, and Leveraging Core Competencies to Innovate Services.

TAIPEI, June 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Sustainable finance boosts the competitiveness of achieving net-zero transformation. Yesterday (26th), Lee Chang-Ken, President of Cathay Financial Holdings (Cathay FHC), personally attended the “Climate Investment Summit” at the London Stock Exchange (LSEG), marking the second consecutive year he has been the only speaker from Taiwan. Building on the consensus of “Energy System Transformation and Moving Away from Fossil Fuels” reached at the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in 2023, Lee used Asia as an example to discuss the challenges and solutions in promoting renewable energy, sharing Cathay FHC’s cross-industry efforts and tangible results in driving renewable energy initiatives. This demonstrated Taiwan’s financial sector’s success in achieving net-zero transformation on a global scale.

The “Climate Investment Summit” has been an iconic platform of global climate solutions, held at the historical financial hub of LSEG. Cathay FHC not only became the only Taiwanese financial institution invited to the summit again but also acted as a bridge for energy transition dialogue between Europe, America, and Asia. This signifies the international recognition of Taiwan’s financial industry’s commitment and achievements in energy transition. Lee participated in the summit’s discussion on “Renewable Returns: The Business Case for Mature Energy Technologies,” sharing how Cathay FHC supports the development of low-carbon industries through capital and innovative financial services. Cathay FHC has been recognized for two consecutive years as a global best practice case by the “Investor Agenda” for its “Investor Climate Action Plans” (ICAPs), making it the only selected asset owner in Asia.

During the panel, Lee pointed out the pain points and solutions for promoting renewable energy in Southeast Asia, shared the history of the Taiwanese government’s efforts in promoting renewable energy, and discussed Cathay FHC’s role as a pioneer in the field. Cathay FHC continues to lead intrial implementation, guiding the market to understand the feasibility. ‘We are also pleased to support various innovative models that will benefit the future,’ emphasizes Lee. It is noted that Asia is the main source of global electricity demand growth and still heavily relies on fossil fuels. Southeast Asian governments should continue to enhance policy stability and strengthen infrastructure, while making good use of financial tools such as guarantees or blended finance to improve the cost of capital and investment risks in emerging markets. They should also address just transition issues such as labor employment to ensure the success of the energy transition.

Cathay FHC is the sixth financial institution in Asia to set SBT validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). It has pledged to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in its financial assetsby 2050. Cathay FHC is also the first Taiwanese financial industry member of RE100 and a pioneer in renewable energy financing in Taiwan. In the fields of low-carbon transition and renewable energy innovation, Cathay FHC continues to lead in trial implementations, guiding the market to understand feasibility and becoming a key driver of renewable energy in Taiwan. In 2023, Cathay FHC’s renewable energy usage reached 17.95 million kWh, and by the end of 2023, the total amount of low-carbon investments and financing amounted to NT$330.5 billion (approximately equivalent to USD 11.7 billion).

Regarding Cathay FHC’ path to promoting renewable energy development, Lee outlined three major strategies. The first strategy involves “Enhancing Renewable Energy Investments and Financing.” In 2023, Cathay FHC’s total investments and financing in renewable energy reached NT$63.3 billion (approximately USD 2 billion), with a solar installation capacity of 1,504 MW. Cathay United Bank pioneered Taiwan’s first solar and offshore wind power financing; Cathay Life Insurance became Taiwan’s first life insurance company to establish the solar project investment firm “Cathay Power”. Recently, this company has been developing renewable energy on land deemed unsuitable for agriculture by the Ministry of Agriculture, fostering a mutually beneficial scenario for land revitalization and renewable energy development, while increasing power generation to meet market demand.

Secondly, Cathay FHC promotes “Innovative Collaboration in Renewable Energy.” Lee believes that Cathay FHC’s emphasis on stakeholders’ success, active attempts at collaborative innovation, and the pursuit of suitable directions to identify success stories are the reasons why Cathay FHC can continually overcome challenges and accelerate the development of renewable energy. For example, Cathay Power aims to systematically think about agrivoltaics, creating a standardized, scalable, and sustainable agrivoltaics model. The collaboration with the government to launch the “Agri-Light Project” agrivoltaics experiment in Dalin, Chiayi, is an innovative plan that integrates the cultivation of forge grass with photovoltaic technology. This initiative addresses several issues: it is expected to reduces Taiwan’s reliance on imported forage and mitigates the risks of instability of the international supply chain while avoiding negative impact on local agriculture. Furthermore, livestock manure can be utilized for biogas power generation, with the residue serving as organic fertilizer, thereby promoting balanced and circular agriculture in Taiwan.

Thirdly, Lee emphasized the importance of “Leveraging Core Competencies to Innovate Services.” Facing the numerous challenges climate change poses to businesses, Cathay FHC proactively seeks solutions by leveraging its core financial competencies to offer diverse, innovative services, turning challenges into opportunities. For example, Cathay Securities collaborated closely with Cathay FHC’ Digital Data & Technology Center(DDT)’s blockchain team to develop a Security Token Offering (STO) product, Taiwan’s first STO. The issuance involves a 6-year debt-based STO offering a 3.5% annual interest rate. Coupled with a preferential purchase mechanism for electric machinery, the overall investment return rate increases significantly, assisting green energy enterprises in raising funds from professional investors and giving investors more confidence. Small and medium-sized enterprises often struggle to independently purchase green power. As Taiwan’s largest commercial real estate owner, Cathay Life consolidates the purchase and distribution of green power, enabling our tenants to obtain it more efficiently. This approach plays a vital role in bridging the renewable energy supply-demand gap. In 2023, 18 enterprises received a total of 13.49 million kWh of green power.

Lee further stated that Cathay FHC is dedicated to collaborating with partners and customers from various sectors to explore more climate solutions together. On coming July 3rd, the annual “Cathay Sustainable Finance and Climate Change Summit,” will focus on net-zero solutions and sustainable finance. This summit will feature prominent experts and leading companies in sustainability, including Sam Kimmins, Director of Energy at the Climate Group, who will together share forward-looking perspectives and industry practices. The event aims to guide Taiwanese enterprises in accelerating climate action and showcasing Taiwan’s industrial achievements and commitment to net-zero goals on the global stage.

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SOURCE Cathay Financial Holdings

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3M announces collaboration with GSEO to advance Expanded Beam Optical manufacturing and development

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ST. PAUL, Minn., Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — 3M (NYSE: MMM) today announced a collaboration with Genius Electronic Optical Co., Ltd. (GSEO, Taiwan: 3406), an optical technology company, to advance technology development and manufacturing for 3M’s Expanded Beam Optical (EBO) solutions. In support of these efforts, 3M expects to make a strategic investment to acquire approximately 4.7% of GSEO’s common shares as part of the company’s private placement of newly issued shares, subject to customary closing conditions.

The collaboration brings together 3M’s EBO technology leadership, optical interconnect expertise, materials science, manufacturing scale and customer relationships with GSEO’s precision optics manufacturing capabilities and production scale. Together, the companies aim to support EBO commercialization and long-term capacity expansion to meet growing demand from hyperscale data centers and other advanced connectivity applications.

“3M is investing in capabilities and partnerships that can accelerate innovation for our customers,” said William Brown, 3M Chairman and CEO. “By selecting GSEO as a manufacturing partner and investing in the company, we are strengthening the path to scale next-generation optical connectivity solutions for high-performance data center infrastructure.”

GSEO’s existing precision optics manufacturing capabilities and technical development experience are expected to support manufacturing readiness for 3M’s EBO ferrules, co-packaged optics solutions and related optical interconnect applications. The collaboration is part of 3M’s broader EBO ecosystem strategy, which includes continued work with customers and partners across the optical interconnect market.

“GSEO is pleased to expand its relationship with 3M as we work together to advance optical interconnect solutions for next-generation data center infrastructure,” said Micro Kuo, GSEO CEO and President. “This collaboration brings together complementary technology and manufacturing strengths to support continued innovation and help meet the performance demands of high-growth connectivity markets.”

3M expects the strategic investment to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this release are considered “forward-looking statements” under the federal securities laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, and are intended to enjoy the protection of those laws. Forward-looking statements may appear throughout this release and are typically identified by the words “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “evaluate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “future,” “goal,” “guidance,” “impact,” “initial,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “outlook,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “probable,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “strategy,” “target,” “will,” “would,” and other words that are similar to, or have the opposite meanings of, those words. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, 3M assumes no duty to update those statements, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of those statements. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and expectations of future events and trends that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those described in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of 3M’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025.

About 3M
3M (NYSE: MMM) is focused on transforming industries around the world by applying science and creating innovative, customer-focused solutions. Our multi-disciplinary team is working to solve tough customer problems by leveraging diverse technology platforms, differentiated capabilities, global footprint, and operational excellence. Discover how 3M is shaping the future at 3M.com/news.

Contacts
3M
Investor Contact:
Diane Farrow, 612-202-2449
Media Contact:
3MNews@mmm.com 

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SOURCE 3M Company

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Scott Vicknair Personal Injury Lawyers Announces Second Annual Operation Fur-Ever Home Pet Adoption Event at Lafreniere Park

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NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Scott Vicknair Personal Injury Lawyers is excited to announce the return of its second annual Operation Fur-Ever Home, a free community pet adoption event taking place on Saturday, November 14, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Lafreniere Park in Metairie, Louisiana.

The free, family-friendly event will give attendees the opportunity to meet adoptable pets from local animal shelters, learn about responsible pet ownership, and potentially welcome a new furry companion into their homes. Those who preregister for the event will also be entered for a chance to win a Soundcore speaker and a free pet adoption.

“Last year’s event was everything we hoped it would be, and we are incredibly excited to bring Operation Fur-Ever Home back for a second year,” said David Vicknair, founding partner of Scott Vicknair Personal Injury Lawyers. “There is something special about watching a family meet a pet that could become part of their lives for years to come. We wanted to create another opportunity to make those connections while supporting the organizations that work tirelessly to care for animals in our community.”

Building on the success of the first event, this year’s event continues the firm’s commitment to supporting local animal shelters and creating meaningful opportunities for families throughout Southeast Louisiana.

“Giving back to our community has always been an important part of who we are as a firm,” said Vicknair. “Whether we are helping students prepare for school, recognizing deserving teachers, or supporting local animal shelters, our goal is to make a positive difference in the communities we serve.”

Operation Fur-Ever Home is free and open to the public. Families, animal lovers, and anyone interested in adopting a pet are encouraged to attend and preregister.

About Scott Vicknair Personal Injury Lawyers

Scott Vicknair Personal Injury Lawyers is a New Orleans-based personal injury firm committed to providing exceptional legal representation while also investing in the communities it serves. Their experienced team of dedicated attorneys specializes in car accidents, personal injury, and wrongful death cases in New Orleans. With diverse personal and professional backgrounds, they craft legal strategies tailored to each client’s specific case and needs.

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SOURCE Scott Vicknair Personal Injury Lawyers

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Can we produce low-cost omega-3s without relying on fish?

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GOLD COAST, Australia, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Southern Cross University researchers are aiming to halve the cost of producing omega-3 supplements to make these essential nutrients more accessible to pregnant women and infants in low-income countries, backed by the University’s first-ever grant from The Gates Foundation.

The research takes a novel approach: rather than relying on fish oil, the team is going closer to the original source of omega-3. Fish don’t produce omega-3 themselves – they accumulate it from marine microorganisms lower in the food chain.

Led by Professor Dirk Erler from Southern Cross University’s Faculty of Science and Engineering, the team is investigating how these naturally omega-3-producing microorganisms can be grown more cheaply through precision fermentation, including the use of agricultural and food-processing by-products as a source of fermentation sugar.

Omega-3 is an important nutrient during pregnancy and early life, supporting brain and nervous system development in babies. But the cost of supplements remains a significant barrier to access in many low-income countries.

“The main barrier for the uptake of omega-3s as supplements in pregnant women is the cost,” Professor Erler said.

“The whole objective of our project is to reduce that cost and make omega-3 supplements more available.”

The research team at Southern Cross University, which includes biomedical scientist Dr Nedeljka Rosic, Dr Shane McIntosh, postdoctoral researcher Dr Jasmine Haskell and PhD researcher Michael Ingram, is focused on growing omega-3-producing marine microorganisms known as thraustochytrids – or ‘throstys’ for short.

“By growing those microorganisms on land through precision fermentation, we have an alternative way of producing omega-3s that is both reliable and highly targeted,” Professor Erler said.

Precision fermentation allows the researchers to grow thraustochytrids under controlled conditions to produce omega-3 oils. The team is investigating whether expensive feedstocks used in the process can be replaced with lower-cost agricultural and food-processing by-products, helping drive down the overall cost of production.

The approach could also reduce reliance on wild-caught fish as a source of omega-3 oil and create a more reliable, scalable, and local supply.

For biomedical scientist Dr Nedeljka Rosic, the production challenge is ultimately about what greater access to omega-3 could mean for women and babies.

“As a biomedical scientist, my purpose is to find ways to use science to improve people’s health,” Dr Rosic said.

“This project is important because it aims to improve the health of pregnant women and children and reduce preterm births through simple dietary improvements.”

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/can-we-produce-low-cost-omega-3s-without-relying-on-fish-302893631.html

SOURCE Southern Cross University

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