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Be Friends Holding Announced the 2024 Interim Results, Revenue Increased by over 43%, Net Profit Surged by over 90%

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HONG KONG, Aug. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Be Friends Holding Limited (“Be Friends” or the “Group,” Stock Code: 1450), a leading live-streaming e-commerce platform in China, today announced its interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2024 (the “Interim Period”).

For the first half of 2024, the Group recorded revenue of approximately RMB622.1 million, representing a 43.8% year-on-year increase compared to approximately RMB432.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023 (the “Corresponding Period of the Previous Year”). The Group’s net profit amounted to approximately RMB83.8 million, marking an approximately 93.8% growth compared to RMB43.3 million in the Corresponding Period of the Previous Year.

Business Review

In the first half of 2024, China’s economy steadily recovered, demonstrating an upward trend toward stabilization. The nation’s gradual relaxation of industrial policies and further emphasis on consumption-driven growth positively impacted various industries. Consequently, the Group’s new media services segment experienced sustained robust growth during the Interim Period, generating revenue of approximately RMB563.6 million, representing an increase of approximately 43.9% compared to approximately RMB391.7 million in the Corresponding Period of the Previous Year. This segment contributed roughly 90.6% of the Group’s total revenue. By implementing a standardized and replicable “matrix live-streaming channel” operation model, the Group has been able to cater to consumers’ diverse and nuanced preferences, thereby enabling more precise user engagement and fostering enhanced user conversion efficiency. During the Interim Period, the Group completed gross merchandise volume (GMV) of approximately RMB5.96 billion on the new media platform, representing an increase of approximately 18.2% as compared to the Corresponding Period of the Previous Year, and remained firm in occupying the top spot in the live-steaming e-commerce industry. The number of live-streaming channels independently owned and operated by the Group exceeded 50, which is one of the most significant numbers of live-streaming channels in the new media business area, reflecting the Group’s valuable operational experience, methodology, and data capabilities in the field of live-streaming e-commerce, and demonstrating the successful practice of our standardized and replicable “matrix live-streaming channel” operation model.

The Group’s live-streaming e-commerce business is always committed to building a long-term trust environment for merchants and consumers, creating a shopping channel that satisfies merchants and makes consumers comfortable, and becoming a trustworthy friend of our partners. The Group consistently deepens its efforts in product selection, diligently discovering and promoting high-quality merchandise with solid credentials. On the supply chain front, the Group continues to expand its capabilities, with its self-developed “Friend Cloud” platform providing stable and efficient operational support for multi-platform live streaming across various channels, realizing end-to-end management of the entire chain from merchant recruitment, intelligent product selection, compliance audit, goods management to financial settlement, which has greatly improved the efficiency and standardization of the live-streaming retail business. Concurrently, as the live-streaming e-commerce industry experiences rapid development, the Group actively explores innovative technologies and emerging opportunities to spearhead industry advancement. The Group has formally set up a team to initiate the research and development of artificial intelligence (“AI”) live-streaming project during the Interim Period. The goal of the AI live-streaming project is to realize full-scene decision-making by AI system in the field of live-streaming e-commerce, including product selection decision-making, data analysis, traffic placement decision-making, and data review, etc., to ensure that the entire operation process is highly efficient and intelligent.

The Group’s strategic layout of new media services business has passed the fourth year, “Be Friends” has become a popular brand in the field of new media. During the Interim Period, the Group set up the “Be Friends Industry Research Institute” and were included in the “Specialized, Sophisticated and New Enterprises Cultivation Plan for Improving Quality and Efficiency in Zhejiang Province” as a think-tank. In addition, the Group was awarded the “Best MCN Organization of the Year” by Douyin E-commerce for its outstanding performance and contribution to the field of e-commerce live-streaming.

The Group’s television broadcasting business segment also strongly performed during the Interim Period. With the impact of the pandemic gradually fading and improved annual budget conditions among clients, the Group’s television broadcasting business segment generated approximately RMB58.4 million, representing an approximately 42.6% increase compared to approximately RMB41.0 million in the Corresponding Period of the Previous Year. This segment accounted for roughly 9.4% of the Group’s total revenue. The Group has continued to invest in research and development, responded to the government’s policy of supporting the localization of scientific and technological achievements, and persisted in accumulating self-developed products in the field of communication and transmission. Relying on its strong technical strength, rich industry experience, and sales channels, the Group’s television broadcasting business segment remains in a relatively leading position in the industry.

Looking to the future, the all-media industry has entered a new stage of development. As industry concentration gradually increases, it presents challenges and significant opportunities for the Group. The Group will firmly march towards becoming a technology-driven new retail enterprise. The Group persists in cultivating technological innovation and digital infrastructure development. By leveraging the “Friend Cloud” platform and AI systems, the Group strives to enhance supply chain management and operational efficiency comprehensively. Additionally, the Group actively promotes the new retail model of industrial traceability, explores overseas markets, and aspires to achieve long-term, stable business growth globally.

Meanwhile, to express its gratitude for the unwavering support from the shareholders, the Group announced on July 8 that it intends to use its own funds of up to HK$30 million to repurchase shares of the Company in the open market from time to time to bolster market confidence, enhance shareholder returns, and demonstrate the management’s belief in the long-term value of the Group.

About Be Friends Holding Limited

Be Friends Holding Limited (1450.HK) is dedicated to becoming a technology-driven new retail enterprise with a core focus on all media live-streaming operations within its new media services and television broadcasting business. The Group has successfully established its presence across multiple platforms, including Douyin, Taobao, and JD.com, independently owning and operating over 50 live-streaming channels, with a total live-streaming fan base exceeding 68 million and a standardized and replicable “matrix live-streaming channel” operation model, enabling the Group to become a trusted channel brand for both merchants and consumers, ultimately contributing to steady business growth.

For more information about the Company, please visit: https://www.befriends.com.cn

For inquiry, please contact: IR@befriends.com.cn, or DLK Advisory: +852 2857 7101 pr@dlkadvisory.com

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SOURCE Be Friends Holding Limited

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Workday Adaptive Planning Achieves FedRAMP Moderate Authorization to Support Federal Workforce and Budget Planning

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July 23, 2026

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New Milestone Helps Federal Agencies Plan Workforce and Budgets in One Secure, Modern System

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Workday Government, a wholly owned subsidiary of Workday, Inc. (NASDAQ: WDAY), the enterprise AI platform for HR, finance, and IT, today announced that Workday Adaptive Planning has achieved FedRAMP Authorization at the Moderate Impact Level. The authorization confirms that Workday Adaptive Planning meets the security and compliance standards required to handle sensitive, unclassified federal data, giving agencies a secure, compliant foundation for modern planning.

Federal agencies are under pressure to do more with less, manage costs, and maintain clear records of their decisions. Yet disconnected data, legacy systems, and manual spreadsheet work can make it hard to understand how organizational decisions affect the workforce. Workday Adaptive Planning helps agencies modernize planning by bringing workforce planning, budgeting, and forecasting together so agencies can plan with connected workforce and financial data.

“Federal agencies must align their people, funding, and priorities to deliver their missions effectively,” said Lynn Martin, general manager, Workday Government. “With FedRAMP Moderate authorization, Workday Adaptive Planning gives agencies the secure foundation they need to unify workforce and financial planning. This clarity allows leaders to evaluate trade-offs, allocate resources with impact, and prepare confidently for what lies ahead.”

With Workday Adaptive Planning, agencies can model and assess the workforce implications of organizational change, such as hiring freezes, budget reductions, or reorganizations, to understand the potential effects on headcount, costs, project timelines, and mission readiness. Agencies can also use workforce data to identify talent trends and skills gaps. Finance teams can evaluate competing program requests, allocate costs across funds and programs, monitor budgets throughout the procurement lifecycle, and identify potential overruns earlier. Built-in audit capabilities and FIPS 140-3 compliant security help agencies strengthen fiscal discipline, maintain compliance, and make faster, better-informed decisions.

“Federal agencies need a planning tool they can trust to protect their data and still move fast,” said Ben Pierce, general manager, Workday Adaptive Planning. “With FedRAMP authorization, Workday Adaptive Planning gives them a secure, modern way to make budgeting and workforce planning less painful and a lot more useful.”

As part of Workday Government Cloud, Workday Adaptive Planning works alongside Workday human capital management and financial solutions, helping agencies plan with connected data. By bringing planning into the same platform that powers HR and finance, Workday Government helps agencies move beyond systems that simply record work to a modern, connected foundation for planning safely and collaboratively.

Workday Adaptive Planning is expected to be available to Workday Government customers in early 2027.

For More Information

Explore how Workday Adaptive Planning gives government organizations the power to plan, budget, and forecast the future here.Learn about the mission of Workday Government here.

About Workday Government
Workday Government is a wholly owned subsidiary of Workday, the enterprise AI platform for HR, finance, and IT. Workday Government is dedicated to serving the U.S. government by unifying HR and finance on one intelligent platform with AI at the core, empowering agencies at every level with the clarity, confidence, and insights they need to adapt quickly, make better decisions, and deliver on their missions. Workday Government supports a range of agencies across the civilian, defense, and intelligence communities. For more information about Workday Government, visit workday.com/federal. For more information about Workday visit workday.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements including, among other things, statements regarding Workday’s plans, beliefs, and expectations. These forward-looking statements are based only on currently available information and our current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. If the risks materialize, assumptions prove incorrect, or we experience unexpected changes in circumstances, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements, and therefore you should not rely on any forward-looking statements. Risks include, but are not limited to, risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including our most recent report on Form 10-Q or Form 10-K and other reports that we have filed and will file with the SEC from time to time, which could cause actual results to vary from expectations. Workday assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release, except as required by law.

Any unreleased services, features, or functions referenced in this document, our website, or other press releases or public statements that are not currently available are subject to change at Workday’s discretion and may not be delivered as planned or at all. Customers who purchase Workday services should make their purchase decisions based upon services, features, and functions that are currently available.

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SOURCE Workday Inc.

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Ontinue Wins Gold Stevie® Award for Advancing the Future of Managed Security Operations

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July 23, 2026

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Recognition Honors the Innovation Behind Ontinue’s Agentic SOC, Where AI Agents And Expert Cyber Defenders Work Together to Deliver Autonomous, Governed Security Operations

ZURICH, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ontinue, a leading MXDR partner providing nonstop managed security operations through its Agentic SOC, today announced it received a Gold Stevie® for Technology Excellence Award, recognizing the innovation behind its ION MXDR platform and Agentic SOC. The award was presented in the New Product of the Year – Information Technology (Cybersecurity) category, honoring Ontinue’s continued advancement of AI-powered security operations.

Ontinue was recognized for pioneering the Agentic SOC, a new operating model that treats security decision-making itself as software: governed, measurable, and built to scale with attackers who now operate at machine speed. Rather than layering AI onto existing workflows, Ontinue re-engineered its ION MXDR platform around a multi-agent architecture, with specialized agents spanning threat hunting, investigation, response, and posture hardening, that reason over each customer’s accumulated context and progressively take on more decision-making as trust is earned, while Ontinue’s Cyber Defenders retain governance and accountability throughout.

Ontinue defines an Agentic SOC as a security operations model in which software agents progressively assume responsibility for security decisions and actions, under continuous human governance, using accumulated context, policy, and learned behavior. In December 2024, this model went live in production for every ION MXDR customer, extending autonomous investigation to Tier 2-level incidents for the first time in the industry. The result is a platform that acts less like a tool and more like a team.

Ontinue’s Agentic SOC, by the numbers:

Autonomously investigates incidents within minutesCuts mean time to investigate by 50 percentResolves 99.5 percent of incidents without customer involvementDrives median response time for high-severity incidents under nine minutesPre-approves 97 percent of response actions, based on trust earned directly from customers

For Ontinue’s customers, that translates directly into business outcomes, such has stronger Secure Scores, security teams freed from alert fatigue, and hundreds of analyst hours returned to work that actually moves the business forward.

“The cybersecurity industry doesn’t need more AI features, it needs a fundamentally better way to operate security,” said Moritz Mann, Chief Executive Officer at Ontinue. “This recognition validates the work our teams have done over the past two years to transform AI from an assistant into a trusted operational capability. It’s recognition of an operating model that is already delivering measurable outcomes for customers every day.”

“We congratulate all of the winners in the third annual Stevie® Awards for Technology Excellence for their outstanding achievements,” said Stevie Awards President Maggie Miller. “Their innovations are helping shape the future of technology across every industry, and we look forward to celebrating their success on October 28.”

The Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of individuals, teams, and organizations shaping the future of technology across all industry sectors. More than 700 nominations from organizations of all sizes in 37 nations and territories were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of tech-related categories. More than 180 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year’s honorees.

Details about the Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence and the list of 2026 Stevie winners are available at http://Tech.StevieAwards.com.

About Ontinue
As a leading provider of AI-powered managed security operations, Ontinue is on a mission to give every organization the freedom to focus on what they do best; by making nonstop security excellence accessible, not just aspirational. By combining advanced AI with deep human expertise, Ontinue delivers managed security operations that are tailored to each organization’s unique environment, operational needs, and risk profile.

Ontinue’s ION SecOps Platform integrates AI-driven insights, automation, and real-time collaboration to continuously prevent, detect, and respond to threats. With deep expertise in Microsoft security technologies, Ontinue helps customers maximize the value of their existing investments while achieving stronger, more scalable security outcomes.

Continuous protection. AI-powered Nonstop SecOps. That’s Ontinue.

About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in nine programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.

CONTACT: Alison Raymond, araymond@ontinue.com 

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SOURCE Ontinue

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New Harris Poll and Ruth AI Study: 81% of Americans Would Let an AI Agent Handle Part of Their Job Search

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July 23, 2026

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Nearly half would let AI negotiate their salary, while 76% have never heard that AI can provide biased career guidance

SAN FRANCISCO, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Artificial intelligence has become a mainstream source of career and financial advice for American workers, according to a national survey of 2,131 U.S. adults conducted by The Harris Poll in collaboration with Ruth AI, the AI career strategist built for women.

The full study, The Trust Gap, is available at https://ruthapp.ai/research and has already drawn coverage from Fast Company.

Nearly half of Americans (45%) have used an AI platform such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini for career or work-related advice. That rises to 66% of Millennials and 63% of Gen Z. One in three U.S. adults has used AI for advice about money at work, including salary, raises, bonuses, or negotiating pay.

Americans are also increasingly willing to let AI act on their behalf. Eighty-one percent would be comfortable having an AI agent handle at least one part of a job search, climbing to 90% of Millennials. A majority would let AI search for jobs (67%), conduct pre-interview research (67%), update their resume (65%), or apply for jobs outright (55%). Nearly half would let AI negotiate their benefits (49%) or salary (47%).

Yet awareness of the technology’s documented limitations remains low. Three in four Americans (76%) had never heard that independent research has found AI can produce biased career and salary guidance. Seventy-two percent agree that AI can sound confident even when its advice turns out to be wrong.

“Americans are handing AI some of the most consequential decisions of their working lives, from the job search to the salary ask, while most have never heard that the guidance can carry bias,” said Valerie Chapman, founder and CEO of Ruth AI. “We are delegating faster than we are asking questions. The responsibility now falls on the people building AI to earn the trust users are already giving it.”

About the Survey

The survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll from June 11-13, 2026, among a nationally representative sample of 2,131 U.S. adults, including 420 Gen Z adults, 620 Millennials, 519 Gen X adults, and 572 Baby Boomers. Data were weighted to the U.S. general adult population. Some questions were asked only of respondents who had used AI for the relevant purpose. References to research on biased AI guidance refer to external academic research (Sorokovikova, Chizhov, Eremenko & Yamshchikov, 2025; arXiv:2506.10491) and are not findings measured by this survey.

About The Harris Poll Thought Leadership Practice

Building on more than 60 years of experience pulsing societal opinion, The Harris Poll Thought Leadership Practice designs research that is credible, creative, and culturally relevant, driving thought leadership and uncovering trends for today’s biggest brands.

About Ruth AI

Ruth AI is an AI career strategist built for women, on a mission to close the $1.6 trillion gender wage gap. Based in San Francisco, Ruth AI is building a suite of AI agents that help women build personal brands, negotiate their worth, and launch their businesses. Learn more at https://ruthapp.ai.

Media Contact

Valerie Chapman
Founder and CEO, Ruth AI
419380@email4pr.com
786-375-1110

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SOURCE Ruth AI

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