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Global Fintech Fest 2024 Showcases Wide Spectrum of Innovations

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Three-Day Mega Event Concludes, Attracting 300 exhibitors from across the world, 100000 Footfalls, 1000 Speakers

MUMBAI, India, Aug. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — India’s Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Mr. Piyush Goyal said on Friday that the Indian fintech ecosystem had turned into a hotbed for innovation. Addressing the Global Fintech Fest 2024 in Mumbai, he said, “As our country is poised to become the third largest economy, the success story of a developed India rests on the wonderful work being done by fintech sector.”

The Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2024 was presented by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Ministry of External Affairs, Department of Financial Services (DFS), Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA). The conference was jointly organised by the Payments Council of India (PCI), the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), and the Fintech Convergence Council (FCC).

GFF 2024 featured over 1000 speakers from 70 countries, more than 350 sessions, over 60 product launches, more than 300 exhibitors, and attracted 100,000 footfalls over the three days.

The Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2024, one of the world’s largest fintech gatherings, concluded here on Friday, August 30, showcasing emerging opportunities and issues in the sector. The three-day event, in its fifth edition, brought together global policymakers, regulators, central bankers, industry leaders, and academicians to explore the future of financial technology, aligned with this year’s theme- ‘Blueprint for the Next Decade of Finance: Responsible AI | Inclusive | Resilient’.

In his keynote at the conference, Mr. Shaktikanta Das, Governor, Reserve Bank of India, said, “India is now a fast-growing economy, economic powerhouse with an increasingly tech savvy population. India’s financial sector has witnessed a remarkable transformation, driven, among other factors, by the FinTech sector.”

Mr. Das further emphasized India’s engagement in international fora and bilateral agreements to foster economic cooperation with many countries and said, “Going forward, strengthening financial infrastructure, including cross-border payment systems, will be our key focus areas. India, with its tech talent and evolved financial fintech ecosystem, holds potential to serve as a global hub for digital innovation and fintech startups.”

Mr. Christopher Waller, Member, Federal Reserve Board of Governors of the United States in his address, highlighted the potential role of public and private sectors in advancing cross-border payments. Commenting on the practical aspects of interlinking fast payment systems, Mr Waller said, “Domestic networks need to be developed first. If this condition is not in place, interlinked networks could end up being a road to nowhere.”

Highlighting Federal Reserve’s efforts, Mr Waller added, “We will continue our engagement with international fora to improve the speed and efficiency of cross-border payments and to investigate the issues critical to interlinking payment systems. Our chief focus in the near-to mid-term, however, is continuing to build the FedNow network domestically and increasing participation in the service.”

In a special address on emerging trends in sustainable finance, Mr. Allen Forlemu, Regional Industry Director, Financial Institutions Group, Asia and Pacific, International Finance Corporation (IFC) discussed the critical role of fintech in driving sustainable finance, emphasizing its importance for a greener and more equitable future. “Looking ahead, it is clear that collaboration will be essential and fintech companies, traditional financial institutions, governments and regulators must work together to scale sustainable finance solutions and amplify positive impact on sustainability”, remarked Mr Forlemu.

He further said, “At IFC, we are optimistic, and we believe that by investing in innovation and fostering collaboration across sectors, we can build a financial system that is inclusive, resilient and sustainable for everyone.”

Discussing ‘Recent Developments in Digital Finance – Experiences from German and EU Regulation,’ Dr. Florian Toncar, Parliamentary State Secretary, German Federal Ministry of Finance, commented, “India has shown immense capacity to innovate and spread new technologies at an impressive speed, with UPI being popular far beyond Indian borders.”

Highlighting the importance of cooperation between security agencies and anti-money laundering agencies, Dr Toncar added, “Appropriate resourcing of prosecutors or police, specialized financial investigators, and information exchange across borders and countries is key.”

In his special address, Mr. Harjinder Kang, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for South Asia and the British Deputy High Commissioner for Western India, UK Department for Business and Trade, said, “UK finds India as a very important partner, and it’s not just in fintech, but across different sides of the business.”

During a panel on ‘Innovation in Fintech Regulation: Balancing Innovation and Regulation in Global Financial Services,’ Mr. Ryosuke Ushida, Chief Fintech Officer, Financial Services Agency of Japan provided insights into the country’s regulatory landscape and said, “In Japan, our regulatory scope covers a wide range of financial institutions, including banks, insurance companies, investments, and currency exchange. A key focus has been on blockchain technology, in response to past challenges, particularly incidents involving exchanges in Tokyo. Japan has established a comprehensive regulatory framework for the crypto industry.”

Mr. Ushida further emphasized that these regulations are designed not only to protect the industry but also to create a stable environment that encourages innovation. “The goal is to support the growth of international tech companies and ensure that Japan continues to lead in this field, in line with global counterparts”, he added.

Addressing the session on ‘The Role of Technology in Shaping the Future of Global Finance,’ Mr. Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief Fintech Officer, Monetary Authority of Singapore, said, “The challenges of integrating DPIs across borders—from pricing to technical standards—are significant. Initiatives like Project Nexus are underway to tackle these issues, but achieving seamless connectivity across different markets will take time.”

Mr. Mohanty added, “Fintech must expand beyond payments and lending to include other asset classes such as wealth advisory and capital market infrastructure.”

GFF 2024 also featured a significant global presence, with numerous international leaders contributing to the dialogue on the future of fintech. Among the notable speakers were Mr. Camilo Tellez-Merchan, Deputy Managing Director, UN based Better Than Cash Alliance, United Nations; Mr. Alan Lim, Director, FinTech Infrastructure Office, Monetary Authority of Singapore; Mr. Paul van Sint Fiet, Head of APAC cross-currency solutions, J.P. Morgan Payments; Mr. Edward Bass, Inward Investment Manager, UK Department for Business and Trade; Mr. David Finch, Global Managing Director Fintech, TransUnion CIBIL, and Mr. Jan Pilbauer, Chief Executive Officer, Al Etihad Payments.

The event also saw eminent leaders from the Indian fintech ecosystem. For more information about the conference, visit: Global Fintech Fest 2024.

For further information, please reach out to:
Vipin Chanddra, APCO: +91-9582 731432
Kuldeep Singh, APCO: +91- 97113 06379

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SOURCE APCO Worldwide India

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Crab2B Makes AsiaWorld-Expo Debut, Connecting Hong Kong’s Mobile Wholesalers with Global Buyers

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HONG KONG, Oct. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Crab2B, a pioneering B2B trading platform dedicated to mobile devices and digital products, will make its debut at the HKICEC Global Mobile Exchange Pavilion during the Global Sources Hong Kong Shows, opening at AsiaWorld-Expo on October 18, 2026.

Hong Kong has long been a major hub for electronics wholesale trade, but buyers still often rely on fragmented channels to identify suppliers. Crab2B was created to bridge this gap, bringing Hong Kong-based mobile and digital product wholesalers together on one dedicated B2B platform. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Crab2B combines the manufacturing strength of mainland China and the Greater Bay Area’s extensive supply chain capabilities with Hong Kong’s established global trading network. Together, these strengths enable Crab2B to simplify cross-border sourcing, connect buyers directly with suppliers and make international trade more accessible and efficient.

For its first appearance at a major industry trade show, Crab2B is bringing together more than 200 merchants already registered on the platform, marking a significant milestone in its development. The Crab2B booth is expected to attract electronics traders from Southeast Asia, Europe, the Middle East and beyond. Visitors will be able to discover the app’s capabilities through live demonstrations, register on the platform and connect directly with participating merchants to explore business opportunities.

A buyer who experienced the Crab2B app shared: “With Crab2B, we no longer have to search far and wide for reliable suppliers. The platform brings Hong Kong’s mobile phone wholesalers together in one place, giving us greater visibility into available products and sourcing opportunities. Whether I’m at my desk or on the move, I can find products and connect with suppliers whenever I need to. For businesses like ours that source across borders, that kind of access makes a real difference. It saves time, reduces transaction costs and helps us do business more efficiently.”

Crab2B CEO Luo Yaohong said, “We want to be pioneers in cross-border B2B trading for digital products, creating new opportunities for Hong Kong’s wholesale industry. As Hong Kong places greater emphasis on developing digital trade, we’re addressing a longstanding gap in the market with a dedicated digital platform that connects Hong Kong’s electronics suppliers directly with buyers around the world. Our ambition is to make cross-border trading easier, faster and more accessible, while helping Hong Kong businesses reach new markets.”

The platform’s trade show debut is also attracting attention from international merchants, with exhibitors expressing interest in joining Crab2B to expand their reach into overseas markets. Meanwhile, merchants already registered on the platform are looking forward to the launch of its planned online marketplace, which will create further opportunities for sustained collaboration and business growth.

Building on this debut, Crab2B will remain firmly rooted in Hong Kong while expanding its connections with businesses around the world. The company will continue to enhance its platform with smarter sourcing tools, more comprehensive trading capabilities and an increasingly connected network of suppliers and buyers. By making it easier to discover products, establish business relationships and conduct cross-border transactions, Crab2B aims to open new opportunities for merchants of all sizes and help shape the next chapter of Hong Kong’s digital trade industry.

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SOURCE Crab2B

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Canton Fair Buyers Alliance Launched as the 140th Edition Opens

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GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On October 15, the Canton Fair Buyers Alliance was officially launched at the Canton Fair Complex, marking a significant milestone as the fair celebrates the 70th anniversary of its founding.

More than 140 overseas buyers attended the launch ceremony, highlighting the fair’s enduring role as a bridge connecting global commerce with China’s export sector.

Speaking at the ceremony, Luís Vilariça, CEO of Joinco, Import & Export, Ltd., discussed his company’s long-standing relationship with the Canton Fair. Drawing on years of participation, he reflected on the growth opportunities created through cooperation with Chinese suppliers and highlighted the fair’s role in supporting international business development and global trade exchanges.

The ceremony also featured a joint declaration by alliance members. Representatives from five member companies read the statement in their respective native languages, underscoring the international character of the new organization. Additional members sent video congratulatory messages, joining the celebration and witnessing the official launch of the alliance.

The Canton Fair Buyers Alliance represents one of the fair’s key service innovations. Designed primarily for Fortune Global 500 companies, buyers from the world’s top 250 retailers and leading sourcing enterprises across a diverse range of markets, the alliance aims to offer members a platform for information sharing and resource coordination. The first cohort of alliance members includes 58 companies from 32 countries and regions across 5 continents. Through the alliance, members will gain access to a range of priority benefits spanning four major areas: services, events, resources and information.

 For more convenient attendance, please click here for pre-registration:

https://buyer.cantonfair.org.cn/register/buyer/email?source_type=16

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SOURCE Canton Fair

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Bioethanol from human hair – Indian start-up’s solution to rising prices of grains and sugar

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GUJARAT, India, Oct. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — In what could be called the beginning of the 5G (fifth-generation) of bioethanol or non-cellulosic bioethanol or non-sugar-based biofuels, an Indian start-up, Techofest Global, based out of Gujarat, has developed its own, indigenous, and patented technology for the production of bioethanol from waste human hair. Such processes would significantly reduce the employment of sugars, grains, and agricultural residues, which form the classical first- and second-generation bioethanol feedstocks. As a result, the rising fuel-vs.-food/fodder debate is anticipated to reduce, and instead, ethanol produced from municipal/industrial waste, after trials, can supplement the current supply being used as blends with presently retailed fossil fuels (E20, E27, etc.). 

As stated by Dr. Ravi, the founder-CEO of Techofest Global, the strategic priority and the USP of the start-up is industrial symbiosis, which, typically, involves an ecosystem of up-cycling/valorising the effluents of an industry, thereby creating a value-chain for residues often lacking an end-of-life. With more than three decades of experience in designing customized nuclear fusion reactors for international programmes, such as ITER, JET/UKAEA and SST-1, Dr. Ravi, a seasoned mechanical engineer, spearheads the start-up’s patented technologies’ scale-up and commercialization.

Two biochemical engineers, Dr. Navnit – the former CTO, and Dr. Kabilan – the former CEO of Biomakerz, Chennai, are the brains behind the current technology/process portfolio of the joint-venture between Techofest Global and Biomakerz. They have been working on biorefineries’ process intensification for more than a decade. “Having foreseen the fuel-vs-fodder/food competition as early as the year 2015, we began developing techno-economically feasible and viable in-vitro metabolically-engineered bioprocesses for scaling-up ethanol production from municipal waste streams between 2019–2021”, says Navnit. After developing operational technologies for international biofuel organizations, serving process engineer roles with certain biorefineries-related OMC R&D’s of India, Dr. Navnit, presently works for a premier academic institution.

An on-going fermentation trial at the Techofest Global-Biomakerz JV’s R&D facility

Techofest Global has developed and tested, in its R&D JV’s pilot-facility of ~100-L, 3 innovative and cost-effective technologies, such as 5G ethanol production using human hair, used cooking oil (UCO), and enriched bio-methane production from disposed sanitary napkins.

“With massive CapEx and OpEx, 2G ethanol technology is facing a major commercialization bottleneck, owing to competition with food/livestock fodder, requirement of a cost-intensive pre-treatment procedure, and the requirement of cellulolytic cocktails, which have a poor recycle efficiency. The proprietary 5G SAFE process developed for the start-up circumvents the mentioned constraints, and instead, utilizes a single-stage saccharification followed by fermentation, and records over 85–90% biocatalyst recovery. Likewise, the proprietary SIM process for bio-methane production, exclusively developed for the start-up, is 2x faster with improved intermittent feeding cycles and continuous gas harvest”, says Navnit.

“With on-going pre-commercialization trials, the proprietary ethanol and bio-methane processes of ours are soon being commercialized”, says Ms. Bhumika, the co-founder and the corporate advisor of the start-up. Furthermore, Mr. Ronak pilots the organization’s global market entry and commercialization frontier.

Techofest Global’s veteran Principal Technology Advisors include: Dr VS Tripathi, former Joint Director, DRDE Gwalior, Dr B S Munjal, former Director, Structures and Thermal group, SAC/ISRO, Academician and Advisor CIKS-Dharohar, GTU, and Dr AV Santhanababu, former Scientist at Satish Dhawan Space Centre. With on-going R&D activities, Dr. Munjal says, “the start-up is striving to provide a unique solution along the lines of the Atmanirbhar and Viksit Bharat Vision 2047”.

Media Contact: www.techofestglobal.com; e-mail: info@techofestglobal.com; contact person: The PR team of Techofest Global.

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