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Eastside Distilling, Inc. Provides Update on its Merger with Beeline Financial Holdings, Inc.

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Beeline is well-positioned with its AI platform in an improving mortgage market

Beeline is addressing the Mortgage Needs of 100M Millennials and Gen Z

PORTLAND, Ore. and PROVIDENCE, R.I., Nov. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Eastside Distilling, Inc. (“Eastside“) (Nasdaq: EAST) today announced that the recent merger between Eastside Distilling and Beeline is proving to be beneficial for both companies. For Eastside, its shareholders are now also invested in an emerging AI-driven mortgage platform designed for rapid growth in an industry expected to expand in 2025. Beeline shareholders gain access to a public market for their investment. 

Beeline is a direct-to-consumer mortgage origination and technology company providing mortgages to homeowners and investors seeking an easier path through a digital platform. It processes applications and answers questions for mortgage borrowers 24/7 for both conventional and non-qualified mortgages.  Most of the top 50 lenders will deny a borrower if they cannot qualify for a conventional mortgage. Beeline, however, offers non-qualified mortgages. The underwriting for these loans is often more suited to consumers who earn income in the gig economy or who are self-employed.   Beeline’s platform was built for digital-first consumers – making it the perfect fit for Millennials and Gen Z.  According to Maxwell, nearly 60% of all mortgages generated in 2023 were from Millennials and Gen Z. Combined this class makes up about 100M consumers.  

According to Nick Liuzza, CEO of Beeline, “There is no doubt our team saw the opportunity to address the mortgage needs of a large emerging audience who grew up with mobile devices and the ability to obtain real-time certainty and transact any time of the day.  Our platform, brand, and processes were designed for these generations and many of the platforms out there are not consistently meeting the needs of Millennials and Gen Z.  We are excited to serve these important consumers in a more material way in 2025.”

Beeline was the first mortgage lender to introduce its AI Chabot named “Bob” in June of 2023. “Bob” is currently performing six times better in converting a lead from an initial chat conversation to a completed loan application than its human counterparts. The cost to operate Bob is 90% less than the associated payroll to perform these functions. Bob has his own brain – he speaks in alignment with Beeline’s brand while logically sequencing sophisticated conversations. Unlike other AI chat bots, he is not tied to a set of responses – making him truly unique in his approach. 

The Mortgage industry has experienced tough times since early 2021 when rates rose quickly and those conditions persisted through the first half of 2024.  Many large lenders saw their revenues drop 70-90% from 2021 to 2023. Through all of this, Beeline was building its AI platforms and incurring financial losses intentionally.  Beeline knew that when the market normalized it would be ready to capitalize with a modern solution for Millennials and Gen Z. This decision laid the foundation for an opportunity for Beeline and Eastside Distilling shareholders.

The Mortgage Bankers Association released projections that the mortgage market should grow to $2.6 trillion in 2025, which is a 28% increase over 2024.  Beeline is still small, especially when compared to legacy, well-established lenders but its technology and platform are compelling and the timing of this merger aligns very well with current market demand and dynamics.  

About Eastside Distilling, Inc.
Eastside Distilling, Inc. (Nasdaq: EAST) is a producer of award-winning craft spirits, including whiskey, vodka, and rum. Founded in Portland, Oregon, Eastside is committed to quality, innovation, and sustainability, delivering exceptional products that reflect the spirit of the Pacific Northwest.

About Beeline Financial Holdings, Inc.
Beeline Financial Holdings, Inc. is a technology-driven mortgage lender offering a fully digital, AI-enhanced, platform that simplifies and accelerates the home financing process for homeowners and property investors. Based in Providence, RI, Beeline is dedicated to transforming the mortgage industry through innovative technology and customer-centric solutions.

Important Cautions Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain matters discussed in this press release may be forward-looking statements that reflect our expectations or anticipations rather than historical fact. Such matters involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the following: changes in economic conditions, general competitive factors, the Company’s ongoing financing requirements and ability to achieve financing, acceptance of the Company’s products in the market, the Company’s success in obtaining new customers, the Company’s ability to execute its business model and strategic plans, and other risks and related information described from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). A detailed discussion of the most significant risks can be found in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Company assumes no obligation to update the cautionary information in this press release.

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SOURCE Eastside Distilling, Inc.

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eSign.AI Named Sole Electronic Signature Technology Provider for Hong Kong Government’s CorpID Project, Building the Foundation for Digital Signing Infrastructure in Hong Kong

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May 8, 2026

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HONG KONG, May 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As Hong Kong’s Digital Corporate Identity Platform (CorpID) counts down to its phased launch, eSign.AI has been appointed as the sole electronic signature vendor in the project, responsible for delivering core digital signing capabilities including digital signatures, certificate management, and signature verification services. CorpID is led by Nexify, a seasoned government systems integrator, as the prime contractor. The platform is expected to launch in phases starting late 2026, with multiple CorpID-based e-government services going live in mid-2027.

CorpID: Government-Grade Digital Identity Infrastructure for Hong Kong Enterprises

The Digital Corporate Identity Platform (CorpID) is an enterprise-level digital services platform launched by the Hong Kong SAR Government, developed under the oversight of the Digital Policy Office (DPO). It is designed to serve as the business equivalent of “iAM Smart,” providing a unified digital identity foundation for Hong Kong enterprises. CorpID’s core mission is to build an integrated digital government infrastructure — offering unified identity authentication, digital signing, form pre-filling, and e-licence storage — replacing paper-heavy, cumbersome traditional processes and enabling smart city development through seamless data connectivity.

The platform is open to companies incorporated under the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) and businesses registered under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310), including sole proprietorships and partnerships. The DPO requires all enterprise-related e-government services to support CorpID within 18 months of launch, and will continue expanding ecosystem coverage through sandbox initiatives, cross-industry identity standard interoperability, and fully online registration processes.

eSign.AI: The Digital Signing Engine Behind CorpID

eSign.AI is an AI-native electronic signature and contract automation platform built for enterprises worldwide, offering a complete signing framework from simple electronic signatures to the highest-level compliant digital signatures — meeting diverse regulatory requirements across industries and jurisdictions.

On the identity verification front, eSign.AI has completed integration with iAM Smart, enabling individual identity verification through Hong Kong’s citizen digital identity system, and providing legally valid digital certificate services for both enterprises and individuals.

Looking ahead, the eSign.AI SaaS platform will be deeply integrated with CorpID, providing enterprise and individual identity verification for Hong Kong businesses, and supporting both electronic and digital signing that complies with Hong Kong’s Electronic Transactions Ordinance — connecting the full digital contracting lifecycle for government and enterprise alike.

Getting Ahead of the AI Era: From eSignGlobal to eSign.AI

The electronic signature industry is undergoing a structural shift from “tooling” to “intelligence.” Market data underscores this acceleration: the AI-powered contract analysis tools market has grown from USD 3.32 billion in 2025 to USD 4.3 billion in 2026, at a CAGR of 29.6%. Signing is just one node in the contract lifecycle — document generation, workflow orchestration, compliance tracking, and post-execution management are all being transformed by AI, and the industry window is closing fast.

In April 2026, the company officially rebranded from eSignGlobal to eSign.AI, completing its strategic transformation from an e-signature tool provider to an AI-native contract automation platform. As the company’s spokesperson noted, this rebrand is not cosmetic — it is an acknowledgment of where the product actually is. Customers were already using eSign.AI to automate workflows that go far beyond the signature itself.

eSign Automation Skill was launched alongside the rebrand — an AI-powered signing automation framework for enterprise workflows that enables complete contract signing through natural language interaction, with no manual intervention required. Whether it is single-party approval, multi-party sequential signing, or large-scale parallel execution, an AI Agent can orchestrate the entire workflow in a single call. All signature initiations and status queries return structured JSON outputs, directly parseable by leading large language models and intelligent workflow systems.

eSign Automation is now available in the OpenClaw ecosystem and supports integration via Claude MCP, ChatGPT, and other leading AI platforms.

By combining AI automation capabilities with CorpID’s government-grade digital identity infrastructure, eSign.AI delivers a complete solution for Hong Kong enterprises — from identity verification to intelligent signing to full workflow automation.

About eSign.AI

eSign.AI (formerly eSignGlobal) is an AI-native electronic signature and contract automation platform built for enterprises worldwide. The platform serves over 100 countries and regions, covering core industries including financial services, manufacturing, real estate, human resources, and healthcare — with 1,500+ scenario applications and 3,000+ ecosystem partners. eSign.AI holds ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and ISO 27018 certifications and supports major regulatory frameworks including the U.S. ESIGN Act / UETA, EU eIDAS, HIPAA, GDPR, and 21 CFR Part 11. Infrastructure is anchored by independent data centers in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Frankfurt, Germany.

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SOURCE eSignGlobal

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The 9th AskGamblers Awards Finalists Announced as Voting Starts

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6 hours ago

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May 8, 2026

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The highly anticipated 9th AskGamblers Awards has officially moved into the voting phase. Following a rigorous selection process, the finalists across 5 premier categories have been revealed: Best Casino, Best New Casino, Best New Slot, Best Sportsbook, Best Provider. Players are invited to cast their votes until 11 June.

BELGRADE, Serbia, May 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The voting stage of the 9th annual AskGamblers Awards has officially begun. The list of finalists is announced, and the first votes are already coming in. 

Players will have a chance to vote for their favourites until 11 June, when the winners will be announced at the gala ceremony in Belgrade. There’s a total of 5 categories where popular votes are taken into consideration:

Best CasinoBest New CasinoBest SportsbookBest New SlotBest Game Provider

There aren’t any big changes to the voting process compared to last year. The votes from the prominent members of AskGamblers Forum will be counted in as well, while some award winners will be announced directly by the AskGamblers teams. 

These include: Best Crypto Casino, Best Partner, and Best Manager categories, while the AskGamblers Superstar Award is expected to be handed to the operator that illustrates the brand values best.

Dijana Radunović, General Manager at AskGamblers, is excited for voting to start: “We’re seeing some familiar contestants, but there are a lot of new names, so it will be exciting to see who comes up on top.”

“We invite players to vote for their favourites! This is a chance for you to speak your mind and support operators and games that shape this industry,” Radunović added.

Before the AskGamblers Awards Ceremony that takes place on 11 June, Charity Night is scheduled for 10 June.

About AskGamblers

AskGamblers.com strives to provide current, objective, and accurate information and guide its users towards a safe gaming experience. The way we deliver our services, from the online casino, sportsbook, slot, and bonus reviews to our trusted Complaint Service, is best described by our motto: ‘Get the truth. Then play.’

For more information about AskGamblers and AskGamblers Awards, please contact dijana.radunovic@g2m.com.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/askgamblers/r/the-9th-askgamblers-awards-finalists-announced-as-voting-starts,c4346370

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SUNMI Wins 2026 Red Dot Design Awards with Five Products, Leading Global Commercial Industrial Design

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6 hours ago

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May 8, 2026

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SINGAPORE, May 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The winners of the 2026 German Red Dot Design Award were officially announced. Five of SUNMI Technology’s flagship products won awards: the CPad Business Tablet, CPad PAY, FLEX 3 Interactive Display, the V3 handheld POS Terminal and L3 Industrial PDA. These products stood out with three core design concepts: integration, versatility and human-centricity.

Known as “The Oscars” of global industrial design, the Red Dot Award has strict evaluation criteria covering aesthetics, ergonomics, scenario adaptability and sustainability. SUNMI adheres to original commercial scenario customization, rejecting crudely modified consumer devices. All winning products are originally developed for real commercial scenarios such as cash register, food delivery, industrial inspection and store operations, covering the entire commercial track with high scenario adaptability. Meanwhile, it practices ESG concepts, adopting eco-friendly materials and modular structures to extend equipment service life, reduce consumable consumption, and implement low-carbon and long-term design, which perfectly meets the Red Dot’s sustainability evaluation criteria.

Simplify Complexity: With highly integrated design, SUNMI eliminates the “patchwork feeling” of cluttered devices and tangled cables in traditional commercial scenarios, streamlining store operations and saving space.All-in-One Versatility: Beyond a single tool function, SUNMI’s products achieve flexible transformation through modular and multi-form designs to proactively adapt to changing business needs. The CPad series with modular accessories and FLEX 3’s Lego-style modular design enable multi-scenario application and long-term reuse.Human-Centric Design: Every detail is human-oriented, focusing on real pain points to enhance scenario experience. The L3 Industrial PDA reduces high-frequency work fatigue through scientific weight distribution; the V3 Smart POS Terminal balances large-screen visibility and grip comfort; CPad PAY integrates full-link functions to simplify workflows.

These honors stem from SUNMI’s long-term commitment to a sustainable society, original commercial R&D and ESG. In the future, SUNMI will uphold its core concepts, expand the boundaries of commercial industrial design, and empower global businesses with user-oriented, eco-friendly and high-value products.

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/sunmi-wins-2026-red-dot-design-awards-with-five-products-leading-global-commercial-industrial-design-302766777.html

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