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Metrea Announces Acquisition of French Air & Space Force Tanker Fleet

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WASHINGTON, July 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today Metrea announced that it has completed the acquisition of the French Air and Space Forces (FASF) KC-135 aerial refueling fleet. In an agreement signed on 17 May 2024, Metrea has agreed to acquire all fourteen of the FASF KC-135 tankers, including both the KC-/C-135FR and KC-/C-135RG variants. The FASF is divesting this fleet as they transition to A330-based tankers.

“With this acquisition, Metrea is putting even more ‘skin in the game’ to ensure that we have the necessary fleet capacity to provide our partners with the commercial aerial refueling support they require for training, exercises, and force movement,” said Jon “Ty” Thomas, Head of Metrea’s Air & Space Group. “As the only provider of KC-135 commercial refueling, we ensure that US, allied, and partners forces can train as they are very likely to operate in a contingency — refueling behind KC-135 tankers which remain far and away the most prevalent AAR tanker in service today and for the foreseeable future.”

The acquisition includes an initial tranche of 11 KC-/C-135FR, which were transferred to Metrea on 26 June 2024, and a second tranche of 3 KC-135RG, which will be transferred at a future date to be determined. The additional aircraft join Metrea’s current fleet of 4 KC-135Rs, previously purchased from the Singapore government. With this acquisition, Metrea now has the world’s largest commercial aerial refueling fleet and presents a tanker fleet larger than all but four sovereign countries.

“At Metrea, we are pleased to continue the employment of these KC-135s which served the French armed forces for over 60 years,” said Thomas. “These aircraft were maintained to the highest standard while in French service and we will continue to do the same as we put them to work as commercial assets. We are excited to show that even more commercial AAR can now be provided to receiver units that need our support.”

Metrea is the only company to own and operate a fleet of KC-135 aircraft, offering an air-to-air refueling service that seamlessly, safely, and professionally integrates into military aviation training and operations. Metrea is currently on contract with US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) for commercial aerial refueling support of US Navy, US Marine Corps, US Air Force and NATO/Allied nations. The combined Metrea aviation units have flown over 130,000 hours, across multiple aircraft types, missions, and geographies in support of US, UK, and other allied and partner government national security objectives. Metrea’s tanker aircraft are equipped with two wing-mounted Multi-Point Refueling System (MPRS) pods which facilitate refueling with probe equipped Navy, Marine Corps and partner nation aircraft. To request commercial AAR support, contact info@metrea.aero.

Over the preceding year, Metrea has further broadened the use of commercial aerial refueling through multiple historic “firsts” in 2023:

April 2023 – Metrea conducted the first-ever commercial boom aerial refueling.June 2023 – Metrea conducted the first-ever commercial aerial refueling of US Air Force aircraft.October 2023 – Metrea conducted the first-ever commercial aerial refueling of US Air Force fighter aircraft, refueling USAF A-10’s.

About Metrea

Metrea provides effects-as-a-service to national security partners in five domains and over a dozen mission-centric solution areas, including airborne ISR, electronic warfare, secure communications, aerial refueling, special mission aviation, and advanced simulation.

Metrea is headquartered in Washington, DC with facilities across the United States, the United Kingdom, and the EU.

MEDIA CONTACT:
communications@metrea.aero 

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SOURCE Metrea

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Finloop Becomes Industry Pioneer in HKMA’s EnsembleTX, Exploring Compliant Tokenisation Applications

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HONG KONG, Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Finloop Finance Technology Holding Limited (“Finloop”), an AI-driven global one-stop Web5 (Web2+Web3) wealth technology platform, today announced that it has become an industry pioneer in EnsembleTX, launched by Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), to explore faster, more transparent, and more efficient settlement of real-value tokenised transactions.

HKMA launched the Project Ensemble sandbox in August 2024 to accelerate adoption of tokenisation. In November 2025, it introduced EnsembleTX, marking the commencement of the pilot phase of Project Ensemble. This represented a significant advancement in enabling real-value transactions involving tokenised deposits and digital assets within a controlled pilot environment. In its initial phase, EnsembleTX focuses on empowering market participants to utilise tokenised deposits in tokenised money market fund transactions, and to manage liquidity and treasury needs in real time. Moving forward, EnsembleTX will further support the interbank settlement of tokenised deposit transactions in tokenised Central Bank Money (CeBM) on a 24/7 basis. 

Finloop has built FinRWA Platform (FRP), Asia’s first one-stop RWA (Real-World Asset) technology, issuance, and distribution platform. The platform supports multi-party participation across the full lifecycle of tokenisation, involving issuers, custodians, tokenisation agents, and other institutions. Finloop has achieved several industry breakthroughs in the tokenisation sector, including supporting the distribution of multi-currency tokenised funds and launching Hong Kong’s first technical solution for a unit trust tokenised fund. Finloop has also advanced RWA projects spanning cultural and creative IPs, gold mines, oil and gas fields, and automobiles, leveraging digital assets to empower the real economy. Its subsidiary is also an authorised distributor of the regulated Hong Kong dollar stablecoin HKDAP. Through its integration into the EnsembleTX, Finloop will draw on its technology solutions that bridge Web2 and Web3 to support the compliant and efficient issuance and distribution of tokenised assets among institutions.

Cai Hua, Chief Executive Officer of Finloop, said: “Finloop is honored to participate in the HKMA’s EnsembleTX. Hong Kong is at the forefront globally in the regulatory foresight and ecosystem development of digital assets and RWAs. Finloop will fully leverage its core strengths in tokenisation technology and institutional-grade wealth technology, actively follow the guidance of regulators, and work closely with tokenised deposit banks and other industry pioneers. We aim to provide institutional clients with a secure, compliant, transparent, and efficient trading experience for tokenised assets, and jointly expand Hong Kong’s tokenisation ecosystem.”

Looking ahead, Finloop plans to build on its practical experience in EnsembleTX to actively explore a broader range of compliant use cases, including tokenised money market funds, tokenised ETFs, tokenised private funds, tokenised notes, and related treasury management. It will continue to leverage its technological advantages in connecting Web2 and Web3 to drive the efficient issuance, distribution, trading, and settlement of relevant tokenised assets among institutions, further advancing the development of Hong Kong’s tokenisation ecosystem.

About Finloop Finance Technology Holding Limited

Finloop Finance Technology Holding Limited, along with its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as “Finloop”), is an AI-driven global one-stop Web5 (Web2+Web3) wealth technology platform located in Hong Kong. Finloop offers comprehensive wealth management products and technology solutions to various financial institutions. Its offerings include cash management, mutual funds, alternatives, structured products, bonds, insurance, and virtual assets. As a fintech leader in Asia during the Web3 wave, Finloop has focused on bridging physical and digital assets, developing a one-stop RWA technology, issuance and distribution platform to pioneer new growth pathways in the wealth management industry. For more information, visit www.finloop.hk and www.finlooprwa.com

Follow Finloop on LinkedIn and X for the latest updates. 

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SOURCE Finloop Finance Technology Holding Limited

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Xinhua Silk Road: Foreign journalists explore Yuhang’s innovation-driven development

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BEIJING, Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Journalists from South Korean, Turkish, U.S. and Cuban media outlets visited several hi-tech companies and modern agricultural demonstration parks in Yuhang District, Hangzhou, on October 26-28.

Through site visits and hands-on experiences, they gained firsthand insights into Yuhang’s progress in integrating technological and industrial innovation.

They began their tour at Scantech, a leading comprehensive 3D solutions provider, where they explored and experienced 3D visual digitization technologies on October 26.

After trying out a 3D scanner, Isaura Diez, a journalist with Cuba’s Prensa Latina news agency, said this was her first time using a scanner, and was deeply impressed by both the device and the technology behind it. What particularly impressed her were its wide-ranging applications, including in the medical and industrial fields, she added.

On October 27, the group visited RoboCT Technology, a national high-tech enterprise dedicated to the development and application of exoskeleton robotics, to learn about the research, development and practical applications of exoskeleton robots.

At RoboCT, they learned how exoskeletons help patients with lower-limb impairments from spinal cord injuries and strokes stand and walk again, and saw brain-computer interface technology enabling thought-controlled rehabilitation.

After trying on the GoGo-H Pro exoskeleton, a reporter from Turkish newspaper Aydinlik praised the equipment for its incredibly light weight. It felt just like a part of my own body, he said, adding that what impressed him was experiencing firsthand how China’s advanced technologies are being used to improve people’s lives.

At Xynova, a leading supplier of key components in the humanoid robotics sector, Dan Sandoval, a contract photographer of the Associated Press, put on its high-DoF dexterous hand product Flex 2. He said the product could perform all the movements that a human hand can make and he hoped to see it applied in an increasingly wide range of scenarios in the future.

The journalists later visited the Qianxi eco-friendly agricultural demonstration park in Jingshan Town. There, they learned how digital rice seedling cultivation and AI-powered management systems are being applied throughout the entire rice production process.

As Hangzhou’s new urban center, Yuhang is advancing technological and industrial integration, driving momentum in the digital economy, cutting-edge technologies, urban-rural development and rural revitalization. 

Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/352790.html

SOURCE Xinhua Silk Road

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Oracle Announces Pricing of $20 Billion of Common Stock and Senior Notes

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AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL) today announced the pricing of concurrent underwritten public offerings of 86,206,897 shares of its common stock, par value $0.01 per share, at a public offering price of $116.00 per share (the “common stock offering”) and $2,000,000,000 of its 7.000% notes due 2029, $1,750,000,000 of its 7.450% notes due 2031, $2,250,000,000 of its 7.850% notes due 2033, $2,500,000,000 of its 8.000% notes due 2037 and $1,500,000,000 of its 8.650% notes due 2046 (the “notes offering” and, together with the common stock offering, the “offerings”).

Each of the offerings is expected to close on November 4, 2026, subject to customary closing conditions. The completion of the common stock offering is not contingent on the completion of the notes offering, and the completion of the notes offering is not contingent on the completion of the common stock offering.

The net proceeds from the common stock offering will be approximately $9.9 billion, after deducting the underwriting discounts and Oracle’s estimated offering expenses. The net proceeds from the notes offering will be approximately $10.0 billion, after deducting the underwriting discounts and Oracle’s estimated offering expenses.

The net proceeds of the offerings, if completed, will be used for general corporate purposes, which may include capital expenditures, repayment of indebtedness, future investments or acquisitions and payment of cash dividends on or repurchases of our common stock.

BofA Securities is acting as sole global coordinator of the offerings. Wells Fargo Securities, Citigroup, BNP PARIBAS, Deutsche Bank Securities, J.P. Morgan, PNC Capital Markets LLC, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, HSBC and SMBC Nikko are acting as joint book-running managers of the offerings. BTIG is a joint book-running manager of the common stock offering. U.S. Bancorp is a joint book-running manager of the notes offering. Lloyds Securities is a joint book-running manager of the notes offering and a co-manager of the common stock offering. Intesa Sanpaolo, Mizuho, MUFG, TD Securities, Santander, BNY Capital Markets, CIBC Capital Markets and ING are acting as co-managers of the offerings. Standard Chartered Bank is a co-manager of the notes offering.

Registration Statement and Prospectus

Oracle has filed a registration statement on Form S-3 (including a prospectus) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for the offerings to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in that registration statement and other documents Oracle has filed with the SEC for more complete information about Oracle and the offerings. The offerings may be made only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. Copies of the registration statement, preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus related to each of the offerings can be obtained by visiting the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov or by contacting BofA Securities, Inc., Telephone: 1-800-294-1322.

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

About Oracle

Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud.

“Safe Harbor” Statement: Statements in this press release relating to the anticipated use of the net proceeds from the offerings; our ability to complete the offerings on the anticipated timeline or at all; and other characterizations of future events and circumstances are “forward-looking statements” and are subject to material risks and uncertainties. All information set forth in this press release is current as of November 2, 2026. Oracle undertakes no duty to update any statement in light of new information or future events.

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SOURCE Oracle

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