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Weibo Announces Second Quarter 2024 Unaudited Financial Results

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BEIJING, Aug. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Weibo Corporation (“Weibo” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: WB and HKEX: 9898), a leading social media in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024.

“Our user engagement and operating efficiency have further improved this quarter,” said Gaofei Wang, CEO of Weibo. “On the user front, we emphasized on the acquisition and engagement of high quality users and saw improved user engagement this quarter. On the content front, we further optimized our content ecosystem through reinforcement of our core strength and solid execution of our vertical content strategy. On the monetization front, we are encouraged to see Weibo’s strength in hot trends and vertical content ecosystem has become the key driver of topline recovery. Underpinned by our stabilized overall business and consistent disciplined spending, our operating efficiency has improved this quarter.”

 Second Quarter 2024 Highlights

Net revenues were US$437.9 million, a decrease of 1% year-over-year or an increase of 1% year-over-year on a constant currency basis [1].Advertising and marketing revenues were US$375.3 million, a decrease of 3% year-over-year or a decrease of 1% year-over-year on a constant currency basis [1].Value-added services (“VAS”) revenues were US$62.6 million, an increase of 15% year-over-year or an increase of 18% year-over-year on a constant currency basis [1].Income from operations was US$135.4 million, representing an operating margin of 31%.Net income attributable to Weibo’s shareholders was US$111.9 million and diluted net income per share was US$0.43.Non-GAAP income from operations was US$157.6 million, representing a non-GAAP operating margin of 36%.Non-GAAP net income attributable to Weibo’s shareholders was US$126.3 million and non-GAAP diluted net income per share was US$0.48.Monthly active users (“MAUs”) were 583 million in June 2024.Average daily active users (“DAUs”) were 256 million in June 2024.

[1] We define constant currency (non-GAAP) by assuming that the average exchange rate in the second quarter of 2024 had been the same as it was in the second quarter of 2023, or RMB7.03=US$1.00.

Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results

For the second quarter of 2024, Weibo’s total net revenues were US$437.9 million, a decrease of 1% compared to US$440.2 million for the same period last year.

Advertising and marketing revenues for the second quarter of 2024 were US$375.3 million, a decrease of 3% compared to US$385.7 million for the same period last year. Advertising and marketing revenues excluding advertising revenues from Alibaba were US$342.9 million, a decrease of 4% compared to US$358.9 million for the same period last year.

VAS revenues for the second quarter of 2024 were US$62.6 million, an increase of 15% year-over-year compared to US$54.6 million for the same period last year, primarily driven by the growth of revenues from membership services.

Costs and expenses for the second quarter of 2024 totaled US$302.5 million, a decrease of 5% compared to US$316.8 million for the same period last year. In addition to the foreign exchange impact, the decrease mainly resulted from lower personnel related costs.

Income from operations for the second quarter of 2024 was US$135.4 million, compared to US$123.5 million for the same period last year. Operating margin was 31%, compared to 28% last year. Non-GAAP income from operations was US$157.6 million, compared to US$153.8 million for the same period last year. Non-GAAP operating margin was 36%, compared to 35% last year.

Non-operating income for the second quarter of 2024 was US$11.4 million, compared to non-operating loss of US$13.8 million for the same period last year. Non-operating income for the second quarter of 2024 mainly included (i) net interest and other income of US$11.2 million; (ii) gain from fair value change of investments of US$9.3 million, which was excluded under non-GAAP measures; and (iii) impairment in equity investment of US$9.0 million, which was excluded under non-GAAP measures.

Income tax expenses for the second quarter of 2024 were US$33.3 million, compared to US$25.5 million for the same period last year. The increase was primarily due to withholding tax accrued related to earnings to be remitted to Weibo Hong Kong Limited from its wholly-owned subsidiary in China.

Net income attributable to Weibo’s shareholders for the second quarter of 2024 was US$111.9 million, compared to US$81.4 million for the same period last year. Diluted net income per share attributable to Weibo’s shareholders for the second quarter of 2024 was US$0.43, compared to US$0.34 for the same period last year. Non-GAAP net income attributable to Weibo’s shareholders for the second quarter of 2024 was US$126.3 million, compared to US$126.4 million for the same period last year. Non-GAAP diluted net income per share attributable to Weibo’s shareholders for the second quarter of 2024 was US$0.48, compared to US$0.53 for the same period last year.

As of June 30, 2024, Weibo’s cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments totaled US$2.8 billion. For the second quarter of 2024, cash provided by operating activities was US$132.1 million, capital expenditures totaled US$10.3 million, and depreciation and amortization expenses amounted to US$14.5 million.

Conference Call

Weibo’s management team will host a conference call from 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM Eastern Time on August 22, 2024 (or 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Beijing Time on August 22, 2024) to present an overview of the Company’s financial performance and business operations.

Participants who wish to dial in to the teleconference must register through the below public participant link. Dial in and instruction will be in the confirmation email upon registering.

Participants Registration Link:
https://register.vevent.com/register/BI8263b36dae6d4ec0b241bfee48aa09d0 

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of this conference call will available at http://ir.weibo.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This release contains the following non-GAAP financial measures: non-GAAP income from operations, non-GAAP net income attributable to Weibo’s shareholders, non-GAAP diluted net income per share attributable to Weibo’s shareholders and adjusted EBITDA. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, measures of the Company’s financial performance prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

The Company’s non-GAAP financial measures exclude stock-based compensation, amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions, net results of impairment and provision on investments, gain/loss on sale of investments and fair value change of investments, non-GAAP to GAAP reconciling items on the share of equity method investments, non-GAAP to GAAP reconciling items for the income/loss attributable to non-controlling interests, income tax expense related to the amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions and fair value change of investments (other non-GAAP to GAAP reconciling items have no tax effect), and amortization of issuance cost of convertible senior notes, unsecured senior notes and long-term loans. Adjusted EBITDA represents non-GAAP net income attributable to Weibo’s shareholders before interest income/expense, net, income tax expenses/benefits, and depreciation expenses.

The Company’s management uses these non-GAAP financial measures in their financial and operating decision-making, because management believes these measures reflect the Company’s ongoing operating performance in a manner that allows more meaningful period-to-period comparisons. The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors and others in the following ways: (i) in comparing the Company’s current financial results with the Company’s past financial results in a consistent manner, and (ii) in understanding and evaluating the Company’s current operating performance and future prospects in the same manner as management does. The Company also believes that the non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to both management and investors by excluding certain expenses, gains/losses and other items (i) that are not expected to result in future cash payments or (ii) that are non-recurring in nature or may not be indicative of the Company’s core operating results and business outlook.

Use of non-GAAP financial measures has limitations. The Company’s non-GAAP financial measures do not include all income and expense items that affect the Company’s operations. They may not be comparable to non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. Accordingly, care should be exercised in understanding how the Company defines its non-GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations of the Company’s non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest comparable GAAP measures are set forth in the section below titled “Unaudited Reconciliation of Non-GAAP to GAAP Results.”

About Weibo

Weibo is a leading social media for people to create, share and discover content online. Weibo combines the means of public self-expression in real time with a powerful platform for social interaction, content aggregation and content distribution. Any user can create and post a feed and attach multi-media and long-form content. User relationships on Weibo may be asymmetric; any user can follow any other user and add comments to a feed while reposting. This simple, asymmetric and distributed nature of Weibo allows an original feed to become a live viral conversation stream.

Weibo enables its advertising and marketing customers to promote their brands, products and services to users. Weibo offers a wide range of advertising and marketing solutions to companies of all sizes. Weibo generates a substantial majority of its revenues from the sale of advertising and marketing services, including the sale of social display advertisement and promoted marketing offerings. Weibo displays content in a simple information feed format and offers native advertisement that conform to the information feed on our platform. We are continuously refining our social interest graph recommendation engine, which enables our customers to perform people marketing and target audiences based on user demographics, social relationships, interests and behaviors, to achieve greater relevance, engagement and marketing effectiveness.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology, such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “confidence,” “estimates” and similar statements. Among other things, Weibo’s expected financial performance and strategic and operational plans, as described, without limitation, in quotations from management in this press release, contain forward-looking statements. Weibo may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in the Company’s periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), in announcements, circulars or other publications made on the website of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the “Hong Kong Stock Exchange”), in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, Weibo’s limited operating history in certain new businesses; failure to sustain or grow active user base and the level of user engagement; the uncertain regulatory landscape in China; fluctuations in the Company’s quarterly operating results; the Company’s reliance on advertising and marketing sales for a majority of its revenues; failure to successfully develop, introduce, drive adoption of or monetize new features and products; failure to compete effectively for advertising and marketing spending; failure to successfully integrate acquired businesses; risks associated with the Company’s investments, including equity pick-up and impairment; failure to compete successfully against new entrants and established industry competitors; changes in the macro-economic environment, including the depreciation of the Renminbi; and adverse changes in economic and political policies of the PRC government and its impact on the Chinese economy. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Weibo’s annual reports on Form 20-F and other filings with the SEC and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. All information provided in this press release is current as of the date hereof, and Weibo assumes no obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

Contact:
Investor Relations
Weibo Corporation
Phone: +86 10 5898-3336
Email: ir@staff.weibo.com

 

WEIBO CORPORATION

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In thousands of U.S. dollars, except per share data)

Three months ended

Six months ended

June 30,

March 31,

June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

2023

2024

2024

2023

2024

Net revenues:

     Advertising and marketing

$ 385,674

$ 338,951

$ 375,277

$ 740,974

$ 714,228

     Value-added services

54,566

56,546

62,596

113,044

119,142

Net revenues

440,240

395,497

437,873

854,018

833,370

Costs and expenses:

     Cost of revenues (1)

94,272

86,821

89,790

180,125

176,611

     Sales and marketing (1)

105,425

103,627

114,232

211,919

217,859

     Product development (1)

92,945

80,726

71,689

183,621

152,415

     General and administrative (1)

24,145

24,586

26,777

58,410

51,363

Total costs and expenses

316,787

295,760

302,488

634,075

598,248

Income from operations

123,453

99,737

135,385

219,943

235,122

Non-operating income (loss):

     Investment related income (loss), net

(25,190)

(4,970)

245

1,965

(4,725)

     Interest and other income (loss), net

11,357

(18,611)

11,182

14,039

(7,429)

(13,833)

(23,581)

11,427

16,004

(12,154)

Income before income tax expenses

109,620

76,156

146,812

235,947

222,968

     Less: Income tax expenses

25,450

25,044

33,275

47,302

58,319

Net income

84,170

51,112

113,537

188,645

164,649

     Less: Net income attributable to non-controlling interests

257

548

471

813

1,019

               Accretion to redeemable non-controlling interests

2,526

1,126

1,135

5,953

2,261

Net income attributable to Weibo’s shareholders

$   81,387

$   49,438

$ 111,931

$ 181,879

$ 161,369

Basic net income per share attributable to Weibo’s shareholders

$        0.35

$        0.21

$        0.47

$        0.77

$        0.68

Diluted net income per share attributable to Weibo’s shareholders

$        0.34

$        0.19

$        0.43

$        0.77

$        0.63

Shares used in computing basic net income per share attributable

    to Weibo’s shareholders

235,361

236,694

237,124

235,035

236,909

Shares used in computing diluted net income per share attributable

    to Weibo’s shareholders

237,886

263,644

265,086

237,393

264,365

(1) Stock-based compensation in each category:

Cost of revenues

$      2,238

$      1,773

$      1,527

$      4,774

$      3,300

Sales and marketing

4,113

3,823

3,211

8,726

7,034

Product development

13,256

10,438

8,293

27,056

18,731

General and administrative

6,460

4,978

4,176

13,136

9,154

 

 

WEIBO CORPORATION

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands of U.S. dollars)

As of

December 31,

June 30,

2023

2024

Assets

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

$     2,584,635

$     1,922,371

Short-term investments

641,035

915,637

Accounts receivable, net

440,768

371,291

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

359,881

348,135

Amount due from SINA(1)

486,397

466,915

      Current assets subtotal

4,512,716

4,024,349

Property and equipment, net

220,663

212,451

Goodwill and intangible assets, net

300,565

283,646

Long-term investments

1,320,386

1,281,402

Other non-current assets

926,028

1,300,437

Total assets

$     7,280,358

$     7,102,285

Liabilities, Redeemable Non-controlling Interests and Shareholders’ Equity 

Liabilities:

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable

$        161,493

$        150,456

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

666,833

625,542

Income tax payable

94,507

54,688

Deferred revenues

75,187

88,596

Unsecured senior notes

799,325

799,993

     Current liabilities subtotal

1,797,345

1,719,275

Long-term liabilities:

Convertible senior notes

317,625

319,232

Unsecured senior notes

743,695

744,179

Long-term loans

791,647

793,479

Other long-term liabilities

112,430

112,553

     Total liabilities

3,762,742

3,688,718

Redeemable non-controlling interests

68,728

38,217

Shareholders’ equity :

Weibo shareholders’ equity 

3,398,735

3,325,636

Non-controlling interests

50,153

49,714

Total shareholders’ equity 

3,448,888

3,375,350

Total liabilities, redeemable non-controlling interests and
    shareholders’ equity

$     7,280,358

$     7,102,285

(1) Included short-term loans to and interest receivable from SINA of
US$445.2 million as of December 31, 2023 and US$430.1 million as of June 30, 2024.

 

 

WEIBO CORPORATION

UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP TO GAAP RESULTS

(In thousands of U.S. dollars, except per share data)

Three months ended

Six months ended

June 30,

March 31,

June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

2023

2024

2024

2023

2024

Income from operations

$

123,453

$

99,737

$

135,385

$

219,943

$

235,122

  Add:

Stock-based compensation

26,067

21,012

17,207

53,692

38,219

Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions

4,271

5,059

5,011

8,710

10,070

Non-GAAP income from operations

$

153,791

$

125,808

$

157,603

$

282,345

$

283,411

Net income attributable to Weibo’s shareholders

$

81,387

$

49,438

$

111,931

$

181,879

$

161,369

  Add:

Stock-based compensation

26,067

21,012

17,207

53,692

38,219

Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business
  acquisitions

4,271

5,059

5,011

8,710

10,070

Investment related gain/loss, net (1)

25,190

4,970

(245)

(1,965)

4,725

Non-GAAP to GAAP reconciling items on the share of equity
  method investments 

(11,262)

25,358

(8,412)

(7,079)

16,946

Non-GAAP to GAAP reconciling items for the income/loss
  attributable to non-controlling interests

(156)

(436)

(435)

(313)

(871)

Tax effects on non-GAAP adjustments (2)

(727)

(1,103)

(1,082)

(531)

(2,185)

Amortization of  issuance cost of convertible senior notes, unsecured
  senior notes and long-term loans

1,606

2,314

2,277

3,212

4,591

Non-GAAP net income attributable to Weibo’s shareholders

$

126,376

$

106,612

$

126,252

$

237,605

$

232,864

Non-GAAP diluted net income per share attributable to Weibo’s
  shareholders

$

0.53

$

0.41

*

$

0.48

*

$

1.00

$

0.89

*

Shares used in computing GAAP diluted net income per share attributable
  to Weibo’s shareholders

237,886

263,644

265,086

237,393

264,365

Shares used in computing non-GAAP diluted net income per share
  attributable to Weibo’s shareholders

237,886

263,644

265,086

237,393

264,365

Adjusted EBITDA:

Net income attributable to Weibo’s shareholders

$

81,387

$

49,438

$

111,931

$

181,879

$

161,369

Non-GAAP adjustments

44,989

57,174

14,321

55,726

71,495

Non-GAAP net income attributable to Weibo’s shareholders

126,376

106,612

126,252

237,605

232,864

Interest (income) expense, net

1,366

(9,151)

(9,410)

(8,377)

(18,561)

Income tax expenses

26,177

26,147

34,357

47,834

60,504

Depreciation expenses

9,962

9,417

9,169

20,563

18,586

Adjusted EBITDA

$

163,881

$

133,025

$

160,368

$

297,625

$

293,393

Net revenues

$

440,240

$

395,497

$

437,873

$

854,018

$

833,370

Non-GAAP operating margin

35 %

32 %

36 %

33 %

34 %

(1)

To adjust impairment and provision on investments, gain/loss on sale of investments and fair value change of investments.

(2)

To adjust the income tax effects of non-GAAP adjustments, which primarily related to amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions and fair value
change of investments. Other non-GAAP adjustment items have no tax effect, because (i) they were recorded in entities established in tax free jurisdictions, or (ii) full
valuation allowances were provided for related deferred tax assets as it is more-likely-than-not they will not be realized.

* 

Net income attributable to Weibo’s shareholders is adjusted for interest expense of convertible senior notes for calculating diluted EPS.

 

 

WEIBO CORPORATION

UNAUDITED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

(In thousands of U.S. dollars)

Three months ended

Six months ended

June 30,

March 31,

June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

2023

2024

2024

2023

2024

Net revenues

Advertising and marketing

     Non-Ali advertisers

$      358,894

$      316,400

$      342,868

$      695,925

$      659,268

     Alibaba – as an advertiser

26,780

22,551

32,409

45,049

54,960

         Subtotal

385,674

338,951

375,277

740,974

714,228

Value-added services

54,566

56,546

62,596

113,044

119,142

$      440,240

$      395,497

$      437,873

$      854,018

$      833,370

 

 

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SOURCE Weibo Corporation

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Wenge AI Launches ScienceOra on Tencent WorkBuddy, Making Specialized Research AI More Accessible

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BEIJING, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Wenge AI launched ScienceOra, its research and decision-support platform, on Tencent WorkBuddy, making more than 30 specialist research agents and skills available to users. The initial offering supports literature analysis, hypothesis development, study design, modeling and simulation, validation, and research communication. Users can access ScienceOra through WorkBuddy’s app discovery section for support across the research process, from exploring a new field to conducting advanced research and making informed scientific decisions.

ScienceOra is powered by the ScienceOne Scientific Foundation Model, which was developed as part of a Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)-coordinated initiative. Building on that foundation and on Wenge AI’s long-standing work in scientific data, research tools, and decision AI, ScienceOra brings specialized research knowledge, tools, and agent capabilities into one system, extending AI from knowledge retrieval and content generation to the execution of complex research tasks and support for scientific decision-making.

Covering core scenarios across disciplines

Scientific research involves a great deal of specialized work at every stage, from reviewing the literature and formulating hypotheses to designing experiments, analyzing data, validating findings, and publishing papers. Researchers everywhere face the same questions: how to spot valuable leads in a vast body of literature, how to synthesize scientific evidence and carry complex projects forward, and how to make sound scientific judgments between competing options. ScienceOra on WorkBuddy addresses both general research needs and discipline-specific work, organized around three levels of support — getting started, advanced research, and expert decision-making — for users across disciplines and at different stages of their work.

Getting started in research

At the first level, ScienceOra helps researchers turn a mass of information into a structured understanding of a field. Its agents cover academic literature research, comparative literature analysis, in-depth paper analysis, and literature review mapping; its skills cover literature search, multi-paper comparison, and structured close reading. Together they help researchers trace how a field has developed, compare the core arguments and methods of different studies, and identify research gaps. Beyond finding and summarizing literature, the AI can examine the evidence, conclusions, and limitations of different studies around a specific scientific question, offering reference points for further work.

Advanced research

For advanced research, ScienceOra helps researchers move from analyzing existing knowledge to carrying out specialized tasks. It supports evidence synthesis, study design, and domain-specific data analysis in areas such as systematic reviews and meta-analyses, molecular biology and multi-omics, and drug developability assessment.

In drug development, for example, researchers assessing a candidate molecule’s developability can work with specialist agents to plan experiments, molecular modeling, and simulations, then draw on experimental data to explore validation strategies and opportunities for optimization. ScienceOra also offers manuscript editing, manuscript formatting to meet journal requirements, and research slide deck generation, helping researchers organize, communicate, and present their findings.

Expert decisions

To support expert decision-making, ScienceOra helps researchers weigh scientific evidence and evaluate competing options in rice breeding, materials science, drug development, and research evaluation. Its agents include the Yuandao Siyuan AI breeding scientist, a materials characterization and validation scientist, and an alloy thermodynamics and phase-field simulation scientist.

Yuandao Siyuan is a specialized ScienceOra application for rice breeding. The agent is built on the Yuandao Siyuan intelligent breeding platform, jointly developed by the Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Wenge AI, and launched this month at the Yuelu Mountain Laboratory in Changsha. The name pays tribute to hybrid-rice pioneer Yuan Longping and evokes the Chinese saying “When drinking water, remember its source.” Drawing on dedicated breeding resources and a knowledge graph, it supports searches for variety approval records and germplasm resources, pedigree tracing, and the tracing of research literature to its sources.

In new materials development, researchers can draw on X-ray diffraction (XRD) phase analysis, structural characterization, and published evidence to compare candidate materials in terms of properties, structural stability, fabrication costs, and potential risks, informing materials selection and subsequent experimental validation.

For research evaluation, a general-purpose reviewer agent and a range of peer-review simulation skills help assess the quality of a study, including its originality, performance against existing benchmarks, methodological rigor, and experimental design. These capabilities help researchers efficiently identify key scientific questions and promising avenues for innovation, supporting the choice of research topics and the evaluation of technical approaches.

Extending decision AI into research workflows

By combining domain knowledge, scientific data, research tools, and agent capabilities, ScienceOra extends research AI beyond question answering and content generation to complex research tasks and decision support. This brings AI into day-to-day research workflows, helping researchers work more efficiently.

This integration with Tencent WorkBuddy is another step in Wenge AI’s effort to make specialized research AI available to more users. Through the WorkBuddy app ecosystem, ScienceOra brings its agents and skills into everyday workflows, giving researchers, university faculty and students, and other learners more convenient access to research AI tools.

Going forward, Wenge AI will continue to expand ScienceOra’s research capabilities and deepen the integration of decision AI into research settings, making scientific knowledge easier to access, research more efficient, and professional decisions better grounded in evidence.

ScienceOra Website: https://www.scienceone.ai/portal/

Website: https://www.wenge.com/

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SOURCE Wenge AI

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Visa and Marina Bay Precinct Partners – Marina Bay Sands, UOB and Singapore Tourism Board – Present ‘A Moment to Savour’, Bringing International Restaurant Collaborations to Singapore

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A series of restaurant collaborations across Marina Bay will bring together celebrated culinary talents and restaurants from Singapore and around the world from November 2026 through March 2027

SINGAPORE, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Visa and the Marina Bay precinct partners – Marina Bay Sands, UOB and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) – today announced ‘A Moment to Savour’, a new premium dining programme showcasing Singapore’s vibrant culinary scene through an exclusive series of restaurant collaborations. Launching under the Visa Destinations platform, the collaborations will run from November 2026 to March 2027, pairing renowned restaurants and chefs, from both Marina Bay and around the world, to create distinctive, limited-time dining experiences in the Marina Bay area.

The programme aims to showcase Singapore’s position as a leading global gastronomy hub, while creating compelling new culinary experiences for both visitors and locals to savour, reflecting the city’s diverse and world-class food scene. This experience will be offered to Visa cardholders globally, with pre-sales available to all UOB Visa cardholders and Visa Infinite cardholders.

‘A Moment to Savour’ is launching in Marina Bay as the precinct brings together the full spectrum of Singapore’s visitor appeal – from iconic attractions and world-class dining to premium shopping and entertainment, making it a natural setting to showcase distinctive culinary experiences that can be enjoyed as part of a broader destination journey.

The series will make its debut at Marina Bay Sands with an exclusive two-night dinner, underscoring the integrated resort’s position as a leading culinary destination and platform for world-class collaborations. The experience will bring together the team from one-Michelin-starred Waku Ghin and two-Michelin-starred MOSU Seoul, helmed by Chef Anh Sung Jae, who also served as a head judge on Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars.  

The full list of dining collaborations over the period include:

November 2026 

Waku Ghin (Marina Bay Sands) and MOSU Seoul, Chef Anh Sung-Jae

December 2026

Jin Ting Wan 金蜓湾 (Marina Bay Sands), Chef Albert Li and Jing Xi Hui (菁禧荟), Chef Du Jianqing

黑珍珠 The Black Pearl (Odeon 333), Chef Dee Chan with seven guest chefs from leading restaurants across China (16-hands collaboration)

Labyrinth (Esplanade Mall), Chef Han Li Guang and Masque, Chef Varun Totlani

 

January 2027

Saint Pierre (One Fullerton), Chef Emmanuel Stroobant and Taian Table, Chef Christiaan Stoop

February 2027

Peach Blossoms (PARKROYAL COLLECTION, Marina Bay, Singapore), Chef Edward Chong with
Nusara, Chef Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn and Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2025, Chef Dej Kewkacha (six-hands collaboration)

March 2027

JAAN by Kirk Westaway (Swissôtel The Stamford Singapore), Chef Kirk Westaway and NOBUO, Chef Nobu Lee

Odette (National Gallery Singapore), Chef Julien Royer and L’air du Temps, Chef San Degeimbre

1887 by André (Raffles Singapore), Chef André Chiang and visiting chef to be confirmed 

UOB Visa cardholders in Singapore and across Southeast Asia will receive exclusive priority presale access to all ‘A Moment to Savour’ dining experiences, followed by a presale for all Visa Infinite cards and general sales for Visa cardholders globally. Bookings for the November and December sessions open from 28 October 2026, with limited seats that are subject to availability.

UOB Reserve and Visa Infinite Presale: 28 October 2026, 10am to 4pmUOB Visa Cards Presale: 28 October 2026, 6pm to 29 October 2026, 10amAll global Visa Infinite Cards Presale: 29 October 2026, 12pm to 30 October 2026, 12pmAll global Visa Cards: From 30 October 2026, 2pm onwards

All timings are in SGT.

With exclusive privileges across hotels, dining and attractions as part of the Marina Bay precinct partnership, UOB cardholders can pair their moments to savour with exceptional entertainment and destination propositions only available in the Bay, extending their adventures beyond the dining table to create unforgettable experiences in the precinct. As Visa’s largest card issuer in Southeast Asia[1], this latest partnership also reinforces UOB’s leadership position in the lifestyle and dining space, while leveraging the Bank’s extensive presence and deep customer base in the region especially among the affluent, to drive inbound tourism into Singapore.

“We recently announced the launch of Visa Destinations Singapore, a platform designed to bring together curated experiences and privileges that help visitors discover more of what the city has to offer,” said Adeline Kim, Group Country Manager for Regional Southeast Asia & SVP, Global Clients, Asia Pacific, Visa. “Presented as part of the initiatives under Visa Destinations, ‘A Moment to Savour’ reflects the importance of creating meaningful experiences around the passions that drive travel. With dining continuing to be a significant area of traveller spend and a powerful reason for people to explore a destination, this programme brings exceptional local and international culinary talent together to celebrate the flavours that make Singapore distinctive and strengthen its appeal as one of the world’s leading culinary destinations.”

“Marina Bay’s potential lies in the collective strength of the partners that contribute to its vibrancy. Through our continued partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board and UOB, and with Visa now joining us to elevate the Bay’s culinary offering, ‘A Moment to Savour’ marks another meaningful step in our shared ambition for the precinct,” said Irene Lin, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Resort Marketing at Marina Bay Sands. “By bringing celebrated local and international culinary talent to the Bay, we hope to create distinctive experiences that inspire visitors to discover Singapore’s dynamic dining scene, while strengthening Marina Bay’s position as a leading lifestyle destination on the global stage.”

“‘A Moment to Savour’ is the latest centrepiece of UOB’s feast of dining propositions, with our cardholders first in line to these eclectic and unprecedented experiences from the pinnacle of the gastronomic world. This collaboration with Visa not only reinforces UOB’s regional leadership in the lifestyle space, it also builds on the longstanding success of the Marina Bay precinct partnership to cement Singapore’s reputation as a seminal tourist destination globally. The programme also showcases our ability to bring together like-minded partners in collaborations that synergise the strengths of all parties to create unique and exceptional experiences for our more than eight million customers that money cannot buy,” said Jacquelyn Tan, Head, Group Personal Financial Services, UOB.

“Singapore has long been celebrated for its extraordinary food culture, and ‘A Moment to Savour’ is a wonderful reflection of what makes our culinary scene truly world-class – the ability to bring together the best of local and international talent in one destination. Programmes like this not only create memorable experiences for visitors and locals but also reinforce Singapore’s position as a destination where the world’s finest culinary experiences converge. We are delighted to partner with Visa, together with our precinct partners Marina Bay Sands and UOB to bring this series to life, and look forward to welcoming food lovers from around the world to the Marina Bay precinct,” said Kenneth Lim, Assistant Chief Executive, Marketing Group, Singapore Tourism Board.

For reservations and more details, visit destinations.visa.com/singapore. Details for the 2027 chef collaborations will be announced at a later date.

[1] Largest card issuer by total billings

 

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 UOB

UOB is a leading Asian bank with a global network in Southeast Asia, Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. Operating through our head office in Singapore and banking subsidiaries in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, we have a global network of about 430 branches and offices in 19 markets.

Since its incorporation in 1935, UOB has grown organically and through a series of strategic acquisitions. Today, UOB is rated among the world’s top banks: Aa1 by Moody’s Investors Service and AA- by both S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings.

For more than nine decades, UOB has adopted a customer-centric approach to create long-term value by staying relevant through its enterprising spirit and doing right by its customers. UOB is focused on building the future of ASEAN – for the people and businesses within, and connecting with, ASEAN.

The Bank connects businesses to opportunities in the region with its unparalleled regional footprint and leverages data and insights to innovate and create personalised banking experiences and solutions catering to each customer’s unique needs and evolving preferences. UOB is also committed to help businesses forge a sustainable future, by fostering social inclusiveness, creating positive environmental impact and pursuing economic progress. UOB believes in being a responsible financial services provider and is steadfast in its support of education, children and art, doing right by its communities and stakeholders.

About Marina Bay Sands Pte Ltd

Since its opening in 2010, Marina Bay Sands has stood as an architectural marvel and the crown jewel in Singapore’s skyline. Home to the world’s most spectacular rooftop infinity pool and approximately 1,850 rooms and suites, the integrated resort offers exceptional dining, shopping, meeting and entertainment choices, complete with a year-round calendar of signature events.

Marina Bay Sands is dedicated to being a good corporate citizen to serve its people, communities and environment. It drives social impact through its community engagement programme, Sands Cares, and leads environmental stewardship through its global sustainability programme, Sands ECO360.

For more information, please visit www.marinabaysands.com.

About the Singapore Tourism Board

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is the lead development agency for tourism, one of Singapore’s key economic sectors. Together with industry partners and the community, we shape a dynamic Singapore tourism landscape. We bring the Passion Made Possible brand to life by differentiating Singapore as a vibrant destination that inspires people to share and deepen their passions.

More: www.stb.gov.sg or www.visitsingapore.com   | Follow us: STB LinkedIn, STB Facebook or STB Instagram

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SOURCE Visa

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KaarTech Introduces KEOS to Help Enterprises Scale AI Across Business Operations

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KEOS combines enterprise intelligence and governed AI execution across four offerings: AI-led Transformation, Enterprise AI, Phygital and AI For Growth.

CHENNAI, India, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — KaarTech today announced KEOS, an operating layer for enterprise intelligence designed to help organisations move beyond isolated AI initiatives and embed intelligence across their business. KEOS connects enterprise systems, knowledge and operational context to help organisations make informed decisions and deploy governed AI agents at scale.

As AI adoption expands, enterprises face a common challenge: disconnected systems and fragmented business knowledge prevent AI from understanding how the organisation works. KEOS addresses this by building a shared understanding of enterprise processes, data and assets, providing the context AI needs to support decisions and execute actions within defined controls.

KEOS brings together enterprise discovery, an ontology and knowledge graph, and a Context Lake that combines enterprise knowledge with operational memory. Together, these capabilities form an Enterprise Digital Twin, a living representation of how the organisation operates. An Agent Factory and Enterprise Agent OS build on this foundation to create, orchestrate and operate governed AI agents.

Ratnakumar Nagarajan, CAIO, KaarTech, said:

“Each part of the business has different requirements, but all need reliable context and clear controls. KEOS provides a common architecture that teams can extend to their domain. They can start with a defined use case, validate how agents perform and expand as they establish value.”

KEOS delivers this vision through four offerings:

AI-led Transformation: Embeds specialised AI agents across the SAP Activate lifecycle, from landscape discovery and AI readiness assessment to migration, testing and ongoing operations. The offering helps organisations accelerate transformation while maintaining visibility and control over agent activity.Enterprise AI: Brings enterprise data, AI infrastructure, security and governance together to support contextual AI across applications and operations. It helps organisations establish AI foundations aligned with their sovereignty, deployment and data requirements.Phygital: Connects physical assets and field operations with AI through sensor, operational and enterprise data. Applications include predictive maintenance, digital twins and connected-worker copilots that support maintenance and safety decisions.AI For Growth: Applies AI across marketing, sales and commercial operations, including forecasting, pricing, customer expansion and aftermarket services. It helps organisations connect fragmented workflows and use business intelligence to identify revenue opportunities and improve execution.

KaarTech supports KEOS adoption through its Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) model, with more than 500 FDEs as of October 2026. The company plans to transition 100% of its employees into FDE roles by March 2027, extending this delivery model across its workforce.

Across these offerings, KEOS connects information from enterprise applications such as ERP, CRM and supply chain systems with operational technology, engineering models, documents and external intelligence. This shared business context allows organisations to extend AI across use cases without rebuilding enterprise understanding for each application.

Governance forms part of the KEOS architecture through a common control plane covering identity, access policies, data privacy, auditability and human approval. Evaluation and observability capabilities support oversight of AI behaviour and operating costs, helping organisations define what AI can access, which actions it can take and when people must remain involved.

Organisations can adopt KEOS within one business domain, establish enterprise understanding and initial governed agents, and then expand across additional workflows. Deployment options include customer-cloud environments, isolated air-gapped environments and region-pinned SaaS, selected according to customer policies and data requirements.

About KaarTech

KaarTech is a global AI-led enterprise transformation firm with more than two decades of experience helping organisations modernise their businesses. With over 3,000 professionals across 15 global locations, KaarTech has delivered more than 3,300 projects for 450+ customers across North America, Europe, APAC and the Middle East. The company helps enterprises embed AI into business processes, improve operations and unlock new growth opportunities, combining enterprise expertise, AI innovation and proven delivery capabilities.

For more information, visit www.kaartech.com.

Contact Details: Shrilaxmi N M | Email: nshrilaxmi@kaartech.com

 

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