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Benzinga Announces Winners for the 2024 Global Fintech Awards

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NEW YORK, Nov. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Benzinga, the leading financial media platform for next-generation investors, is thrilled to announce the winners and runners-up of its 10th annual Benzinga Global Fintech Awards. The prestigious event, held at Convene Brookfield Place in New York City, celebrated innovation, excellence, and outstanding achievements across over 25 categories, recognizing companies and individuals who are shaping the future of financial technology.

“This year’s finalists and winners embody the transformative power of fintech innovation,” said Jason Raznick, Founder of Benzinga. “We are proud to honor the brightest minds and most innovative companies in the fintech industry. Their contributions are driving significant advancements and shaping the future of finance.”

Lifetime Achievement Award

Winner: Anthony Pompliano

Best of Awards

Best Alternative Investments Platform

Winner: Arrived HomesRunner-Up: Groundfloor: Fractionalized Retail Investing

Best API Solution

Winner: Polygon.ioRunner-Up: DriveWealth

Best Automated Trading Software

Winner: TickblazeRunner-Up: AlgoBulls

Best Broker for Sophisticated Traders

Winner: AlpacaRunner-Up: TradeStation

Best Brokerage App

Winner: WebullRunner-Up: TradeStation

Best Brokerage for Beginners

Winner: StashRunner-Up: eToro

Best Brokerage for Day Trading

Winner: TradeUpRunner-Up: Moomoo

Best Brokerage for Forex in the US

Winner: Trading.comRunner-Up: IBKR

Best Brokerage for Options Trading

Winner: IBKRRunner-Up: Firstrade

Best Brokerage for Short Selling

Winner: TradeZero Holding Corp.Runner-Up: IBKR

Best Brokerage for Trading Futures

Winner: EdgeClearRunner-Up: NinjaTrader

Best Canadian Brokerage

Winner: QuestradeRunner-Up: Qtrade Direct Investing

Best Data Analysis Tool

Winner: Northern Trust Investment Data Science – Equity Data ScienceRunner-Up: PitchBook

Best Day Trading Software

Winner: IBKRRunner-Up: Tickblaze

Best ETF Launch

Winner: iShares Bitcoin TrustRunner-Up: Xtrackers U.S. National Critical Technologies ETF (CRTC)

Best Financial Literacy Tool

Winner: Financial FinesseRunner-Up: MoneyLion Digital Financial Ecosystem

Best Financial Planning Software

Winner: Asset-MapRunner-Up: Origin

Best Financial Research Company

Winner: Toggle AIRunner-Up: EPSMomentum

Best in Financial Education

Winner: Options Industry CouncilRunner-Up: TradeStation

Best Insurtech Company

Winner: infineoRunner-Up: Mylo

Best Investment Research Tech

Winner: Trading CentralRunner-Up: Outprfrm

Best Lending Solution

Winner: Pagaya TechnologiesRunner-Up: Prosper

Best Matching Engine

Winner: Devexperts’ DXmatchRunner-Up: EP3 by Connamara Technologies

Best New Product

Winner: FrecRunner-Up: SoFi Alternative Investments

Best Paper Trading Platform

Winner: TradeZero Holding Corp.Runner-Up: Charles Schwab

Best Payments Solution

Winner: Modern TreasuryRunner-Up: Aeropay

Best Portfolio Tracker

Winner: Delta Investment TrackerRunner-Up: TradeZella

Best Prop Trading Platform

Winner: IBKR

Best RegTech

Winner: Green CheckRunner-Up: Kore

Best Robo-Advisor

Winner: WealthfrontRunner-Up: Titan

Best Social Investing Platform

Winner: Parrot FinanceRunner-Up: Traderverse

Best Software for Longterm Cryptocurrency Investments

Winner: Path CryptoRunner-Up: iTrustCapital

Best Software for Swing Trading

Winner: Autochartist Automatic Trade IdentificationRunner-Up: WealthCharts

Best Software for Trading Cryptocurrency

Winner: Devexperts’ DXtrade

Best Trading Technology

Winner: GTNRunner-Up: Tickblaze

Best Venture Capital Firm

Winner: Tribe CapitalRunner-Up: BankTech Ventures

Breaking Barriers

Winner: GotradeRunner-Up: Apex Trader Funding

Emerging InsurTech

Winner: AspidaRunner-Up: TruStage Payment Guard

Institutional Innovation

Winner: Tipigo InsightsRunner-Up: Quinn

Most Innovative ETF Company

Winner: StockSnips

Most Innovative in Capital Markets

Winner: GTNRunner-Up: OpenYield

Most Impactful Fintech Executive

Winner: Anthony Denier

Peoples Choice

Winner: NVSTly: Social Investing

Chairman’s Awards

Chairman’s Awards: Best AI Analysis Tool

Winner: True Trading Group

Chairman’s Awards: Best AI Chat API

Winner: FinChat

Chairman’s Awards: Best AI Finance Start-up

Winner: WNSTN.ai

Chairman’s Awards: Best AI Research Platform

Winner: Quasar Markets

Chairman’s Awards: Best AI Tool for Software Performance

Winner: TurinTech AI

Chairman’s Awards: Best Backtesting Software

Winner: FX Replay

Chairman’s Awards: Best Fraud Prevention Solution

Winner: ID Dataweb

Chairman’s Awards: Best Gold Broker

Winner: MultiBank Group

Chairman’s Awards: Best Hybrid Trading Solution

Winner: Tickblaze

Chairman’s Awards: Best In Customer Loyalty

Winner: Kartera

Chairman’s Awards: Best Shareholder Engagement Platform

Winner: Tiicker

Chairman’s Awards: Best Stock Scanner

Winner: WealthCharts

Chairman’s Awards: Excellence in Democratizing Options Trading

Winner: SensaMarket

Chairman’s Awards: Excellence in Futures Education

Winner: NinjaTrader

Chairman’s Awards: Excellence in Futures Prop Trading

Winner: Apex Trader Funding

Chairman’s Awards: Excellence in Holistic Trading Education

Winner: Piranha Profits

Chairman’s Awards: Most Innovative Leveraged Issuer

Winner: Microsectors

Chairman’s Awards: Most Innovative Options Brokerage

Winner: Tradier

Chairman’s Awards: Most Innovative Prop Trading Firm 2024

Winner: For Traders

Chairman’s Awards: Best Software for Trading Futures

Winner: Optimus Futures

About Benzinga Fintech Deal Day & Awards 2024:

The Benzinga Fintech Deal Day & Awards celebrate excellence across the fintech industry, honoring the companies, executives, and platforms that are shaping the future of finance. With networking opportunities, panel discussions, and a prestigious awards ceremony, the event provides an unparalleled platform for deal-making and collaboration.

For more information about the winners or to learn more about future events, visit Benzinga Events.

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SOURCE Benzinga

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ModelBest and OpenBMB Open-Source MiniCPM-OCR Series, Delivering High-Performance Document Parsing and AI-Powered Quality Control

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BEIJING, Oct. 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ModelBest and OpenBMB jointly announced the release and open-source availability of the MiniCPM-OCR series, a family of models for efficient document parsing and parsing-quality assessment. The launch includes two models: MiniCPM-OCR 1.0 (1.3B) and MiniCPM-OCR Jev (2B).

As the first OCR-focused model in the MiniCPM family, MiniCPM-OCR 1.0 brings top-tier parsing accuracy to a compact 1.3-billion-parameter architecture optimized for edge deployment, pushing forward the balance between efficiency and performance for open-source OCR models. Built for real-world conditions, it accurately parses scanned, photographed, curved, tilted and screen-captured documents without cumbersome image pre-correction, lowering the barrier to large-scale document digitization.

The model handles dense bilingual Chinese-English content, complex mathematical formulas, and multi-level or borderless tables, consistently performing at a leading level across a broad range of mainstream industry evaluations. Beyond full-page reconstruction, it supports key information extraction (KIE), pulling specified fields from invoices, IDs and financial statements according to business instructions.

Powered by DSpark decoding acceleration, MiniCPM-OCR 1.0 significantly increases end-to-end throughput while lowering per-page latency. For enterprises processing millions of pages—such as financial contract archives, academic libraries and government records—this means processing far more documents with the same hardware and time budget, at a substantially lower computing cost.

To address the long-standing need for page-by-page manual review, ModelBest and OpenBMB also introduced MiniCPM-OCR Jev, the first OCR result decision model that acts as an “AI quality inspector.” Rather than performing OCR itself, Jev compares the source image with OCR output and rapidly assigns confidence scores to text, LaTeX formulas and tables, detecting missing characters, errors and formatting misalignments. Despite its compact 2B-parameter size, Jev delivers judgment accuracy typically associated with far larger models.

Jev supports cross-model deployment and can be integrated into existing OCR workflows without replacing the underlying OCR engine. It can automatically identify reliable results for direct processing, flag potentially inaccurate outputs for human review and select the best result from multiple OCR systems. This enables enterprises to move from full manual inspection toward risk-based, automated quality control.

The MiniCPM-OCR series is available on GitHub, Hugging Face and ModelScope, and supports vLLM, SGLang, llama.cpp and Ollama, along with SDKs, APIs, Agent Skill plugins and open-source fine-tuning code. Day-0 hardware adaptation covers AMD, Arm, Houmo AI, Intel and NVIDIA. Through the FlagOS software stack, it also has Day-0 support for AI and edge chips from CIX Technology, Huawei Ascend, Hygon, Iluvatar CoreX, Kunlunxin, MetaX, Moore Threads, Sunrise, T-Head, TsingMicro, NVIDIA and Apple Mac (Arm).

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SOURCE ModelBest

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Wulcea Elevates Consumer Trust in Heated Apparel Through Multi-National Safety Certifications and Rigorous Technical Testing

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NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As smart heated clothing gains broader adoption, consumers are paying closer attention to the safety and reliability of the technology behind these products. Wulcea, a brand specializing in graphene-powered heated apparel, combines its flexible GrapheneNano™ heating technology with documented safety compliance and durability testing for its heating components and battery systems.

“Trust in smart heated apparel goes beyond warmth—it comes down to confidence in battery safety and heating element reliability,” said John C, Founder of Wulcea. “Our goal is to give users peace of mind through certified technical standards.”

Advanced Graphene Heating Elements Supported by Global Standards

At the core of Wulcea’s thermal architecture is its GrapheneNano™ heating technology. Engineered to eliminate garment stiffness, Wulcea integrates flexible graphene elements that deliver balanced warmth across key upper-body zones while preserving natural garment drape and full freedom of movement.

Wulcea supports its heating components with applicable compliance documentation for major markets. These include CE and FCC compliance documentation addressing relevant electrical and electromagnetic compatibility requirements, as well as PSE compliance for applicable products in Japan. RoHS compliance further addresses restrictions on specified hazardous substances in applicable electrical and electronic components.

Multi-Certified Battery System for Dependable Power

To power its heating elements, Wulcea pairs its heated apparel with rechargeable battery systems designed for convenient everyday use. Featuring a compact design and housed in dedicated interior pockets, the batteries provide portable power while maintaining a streamlined garment profile and comfortable fit.

Wulcea backs its battery options with comprehensive third-party accreditations. UL certification demonstrates that the battery system has been evaluated against recognized power bank safety requirements, covering key areas such as overcharge protection, short-circuit protection, and thermal safety. The battery systems are also supported by applicable CE and FCC compliance documentation, addressing relevant regulatory requirements for electrical and electromagnetic compatibility.

For daily handling and travel, RoHS compliance validates that the battery system meets stringent global standards for material safety. The battery models have also undergone applicable UN 38.3 testing, supporting compliance with international requirements for lithium battery transportation.

Real-World Durability and Practical Usability

Component compliance forms Wulcea’s foundation, but reliability is defined by real-world performance. Built for high-flex endurance, Wulcea’s flexible graphene heating elements are tested through 10,000 active flexing cycles to maintain steady thermal output through repeated bending and everyday body movement.

Everyday convenience is equally essential. Built for hassle-free care, Wulcea’s heating elements withstand 100 machine-wash cycles under standard care guidelines, maintaining internal conductivity and structural stability under repeated laundering.

Integrated NTC temperature sensors provide thermal monitoring and are designed to stop heating if temperatures exceed 131°F (55°C). Combined with runtime of up to 10 hours on the low setting and a discreet interior control button, these features support practical everyday use in cold-weather conditions.

Aligning Technical Standards with Everyday Warmth

By combining graphene-based heating technology with documented battery safety compliance and durability testing, Wulcea continues to focus on the technical foundations of dependable heated apparel. This approach reflects the brand’s emphasis on bringing together safety considerations, practical functionality, and everyday comfort for cold-weather use.

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SOURCE Wulcea

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NIDS Co., Ltd. Confirms CES 2027 Participation, Pursues Expansion of Global Supply Chain for Environmental Sensors

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Company introduced optical and gas sensors at SEDEX and is strengthening its composite sensor business for robotics, home appliances, automotive, and smart building applications

SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Environmental sensor manufacturer NIDS Co., Ltd. has confirmed its participation in CES 2027 and is moving to expand its global business-to-business (B2B) supply chain. Building on its experience supplying sensors to domestic and international home appliance and automotive companies, the company aims to secure overseas customers and extend its applications into smart building HVAC and robotics.

NIDS recently participated in the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association’s Sensor Pavilion at SEDEX 2026, held at COEX in Seoul, where it introduced its next-generation sensor modules. The company said the exhibition allowed it to raise awareness of its technology among domestic home appliance and electronic component industry professionals and to lay the groundwork for collaboration in the sensor field.

The company will use CES 2027 as its next stage. NIDS plans to firm up discussions on sensor module supply with global home appliance makers, HVAC specialists, and robotics companies. It aims to extend the industry contacts gained at the domestic exhibition overseas and to convert product introductions into actual supply opportunities.

Founded in 2000, NIDS develops and manufactures environmental sensors and air quality management solutions. According to the company, it has supplied more than 10 million sensors cumulatively to domestic and international companies, including Dyson, Samsung Electronics, and Hyundai Motor. Drawing on this supply track record, the company intends to showcase its precision sensing technology and mass-production capabilities to overseas customers.

Its main products include particulate matter sensors, optical gas sensors based on non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) technology, composite environmental sensors, and electronic nose sensor modules. The particulate matter sensors measure PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10, while the gas sensor lineup targets carbon dioxide (CO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), and other gases. The electronic nose is used for detecting everyday odors, gas leaks, and fires. The company said it designs the core components required for air quality measurement in-house and has a system in place to mass-produce 5 million units annually.

The area where NIDS will expand development and supply going forward is next-generation composite sensor modules. The company has been pursuing a sensor business that responds to industry-specific demand in home appliances, automotive, and smart building HVAC, and is now concentrating its capabilities on markets such as robotics, industrial safety, and odor detection based on this technology. Building on its experience supplying individual components, NIDS plans to continue developing and supplying, on a B2B basis, modules that handle multiple types of environmental data.

The company will also highlight its sensor product lineup and its newly developed ultra-compact MEMS sensor technology at the exhibition. NIDS plans to introduce its optical and gas sensor lineup along with examples of their application in actual air quality management systems. By explaining both the measurement functions of its components and its experience operating sensors for finished-product services, the company aims to broaden the scope of partnership discussions.

NIDS explained that, because it owns its precision sensors, it can control sensor sensitivity and tune algorithms to suit the system in which they are applied. Drawing on this technical operating experience, the company plans to pursue partnerships with customers and to promote its business capabilities extending from sensor components to air quality and odor management and industrial safety management.

NIDS will also leverage its existing branch network in its overseas market development. Through its overseas bases in the United States, Japan, and China, the company plans to widen its touchpoints with buyers and seek new supply opportunities in conjunction with its CES participation. Its goal is to generate export results by combining exhibition participation with its local networks.

The company intends to keep expanding the global supply of sensor components as a core pillar of its business. Building on the supply experience accumulated in home appliances and automotive, it will broaden its partners to robotics, HVAC, and smart buildings, and respond to industry-specific air quality measurement demand through the development of next-generation modules.

“We plan to continue expanding the development and B2B supply of next-generation composite sensor modules needed across a range of industries, including home appliances, automotive, and smart building HVAC,” NIDS said.

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SOURCE NIDS Co., Ltd.

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