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CGTN: China’s booming ice and snow industry fuels its economic growth

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BEIJING, Feb. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Harbin, capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, exemplifies the country’s thriving ice and snow economy.

During the eight-day 2025 Spring Festival holiday from January 28 to February 4, the city has seen booming snow tourism. As an ice-themed park known for its dazzling ice sculptures, Harbin Ice-Snow World attracted over 610,000 visits. In particular, more than 100,000 visits were made on February 1, setting a new record for single-day attendance.

The increasing popularity of the park is partly attributed to the city’s upcoming role as the host of the 9th Asian Winter Games, which will be held from February 7 to 14, marking China’s second major winter sports event following the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games and host a welcome banquet for foreign leaders in attendance.

Ice and snow economy enters ‘fast lane’

Xi has paid close attention to the development of China’s ice and snow sports and industries, urging efforts to consider ice and snow economy as a new growth point to promote the development of the whole industrial chain involving winter sports and culture, snow-and-ice equipment and tourism.

In recent years, as winter sports and tourism surged in popularity across China, the ice and snow economy has witnessed significant growth.

According to the General Administration of Sport of China, the number of people participating in various ice and snow sports such as skating, skiing, curling and ice hockey nationwide reached 57.35 million in the 2023-2024 snow season. Over 385 million winter leisure visits nationwide were recorded, marking a 38 percent increase from the previous year.

During the last snow season, Harbin alone welcomed over 87 million visitors, marking a 300 percent year-on-year increase and generating 124.8 billion yuan (about $17.4 billion) in tourism revenue – a staggering 500 percent growth.

Meanwhile, the ice and snow consumption is becoming an important growth point to expand domestic demand, transforming the “cold” resources into “hot” engine for economic development.

According to online shopping and tourism platforms, orders for ice and snow equipment surged, while searches and bookings for ice and snow tours saw rapid growth during the “Double 11” shopping festival last year.

On China’s leading e-commerce platform, Tmall, sales of categories such as down jackets, thermal wear and skiing equipment surged by over 200 percent year on year during the “Double 11” shopping festival.

Broad prospects

To harness its abundant ice and snow resources for economic development, China is intensifying efforts to expand its winter economy, encompassing sports, culture, equipment, and tourism.

According to the guidelines issued by the General Office of the State Council, the country aims to promote its ice and snow economy as a new growth point, with the goal of reaching an economic scale of 1.2 trillion yuan (about $169 billion) by 2027, and 1.5 trillion yuan by 2030.

To achieve these goals, various cities and regions are integrating winter sports and tourism into their development plans.

The Heilongjiang Province is promoting the establishment of a China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization winter sports demonstration zone, expediting the development of ice-and-snow equipment and digital industry parks.

In Beijing, the city has launched an action plan, proposing 24 specific measures in areas such as expanding the ice and snow sports and consumption, and advancing the construction of ice and snow venue facilities.

The vigorous growth of the ice and snow economy has also drawn global attention. A slew of measures, including optimizing the visa-free policy and opening new international flight routes, have attracted a number of foreign tourists to start their “China Travel” and enjoy the winter season in the country.

China’s thriving ice and snow economy has also injected new momentum into the global tourism market, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Thursday, extending a warm invitation to friends from around the world to participate in ice and snow events, fostering friendship and cooperation.

For more information, please click:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-02-06/China-s-booming-ice-and-snow-industry-fuels-its-economic-growth–1ALQPnOkxO0/p.html 

SOURCE CGTN

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Chelsea FC announces multi-year sleeve partnership with Sokin, the business payments and FX platform

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October 23, 2026

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Chelsea FC name fast-growing fintech platform as Principal Partner

LONDON, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Chelsea Football Club has today announced a multi-year partnership with Sokin, the embedded finance and payments company used by businesses worldwide. Sokin will be named a Principal Partner and Official Business Payments and FX Partner of Chelsea FC and Chelsea FC Women.

As a Principal Partner, Sokin will be represented on the sleeves of the Chelsea FC men’s, women’s and academy home, away, and third kits from the 2026/27 season.

The partnership brings together two ambitious London-headquartered organisations with worldwide reach – a club with millions of fans across the world and a fintech platform through which businesses move more than $11 billion a year. A club of Chelsea’s scale works in many currencies every day, with partners, competitions and supporters around the world, and needs a financial partner built to handle that.

Sokin gives finance teams business payments, multi-currency accounts, foreign exchange, checkout and treasury in one place, so they spend less time juggling banks and providers and keep more of what they move.

As Official Business Payments and FX Partner, Sokin will simplify how Chelsea FC sends, receives and manages money in the currencies the club operates in.

The Sokin logo will feature on the sleeve of the Chelsea shirt for the first time [when the men’s team host Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 24th October.]

Jason Gannon, President at Chelsea FC said:

“At Chelsea, we seek to partner with organisations that share our ambition and innovative mindset. Sokin’s expertise in business payments, and their focus on making both simpler for the businesses they serve, makes them a natural fit for the Club. We are pleased to welcome Sokin to the Chelsea family and look forward to working together in the years ahead.”

Vroon Modgill, CEO and founder at Sokin said:

“Chelsea plays on the biggest stage in world football, and its business runs in dozens of currencies. Sokin was built for that with regulated, multi-currency payments and foreign exchange for organisations that operate internationally. We’re proud to be the platform behind the business payments and FX of one of the most iconic teams in football. Sokin’s platform serves businesses in more than 170 countries. We’re thrilled to be partners for the season ahead. An organisation as sophisticated as Chelsea doesn’t leave its finances to chance.”

About Sokin

Sokin is the financial layer global business runs on. Businesses can transact, convert and hold money in 70+ currencies across 170+ countries. Some businesses use Sokin to manage global finance in-house. Others build it into their products to power financial experiences for their customers. Businesses move more than $9 billion a year on licenses Sokin holds in 36+ countries and infrastructure Sokin owns. Founded in 2019, Sokin has raised over $100 million from investors including Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital and Prysm Capital.

About Chelsea Football Club

Chelsea Football Club is one of the biggest, most successful football clubs globally and our men’s team are reigning world champions, having won the four-yearly FIFA Club World Cup in 2025. Our women’s team, Chelsea Women, are also multiple trophy winners.

Founded in 1905, Chelsea is London’s most central football club, based at the iconic 40,000-capacity Stamford Bridge stadium. Nicknamed the Blues, the club lifted the Champions League for the first time in 2012 and domestically has won the Premier League five times, the FA Cup eight times, the Football League Cup five times and the Football League Championship once, in 1955.

The Chelsea Women’s team have enjoyed a huge amount of success and in 2025 won the FA Women’s Super League for a sixth consecutive year and the eighth time overall. The Women’s FA Cup has been won on six occasions. We have also captured the FA Women’s League Cup four times as well as reaching the UEFA Women’s Champions League final in 2021. In two seasons, 2020/21 and 2024/25, a domestic treble of trophies was secured.

The Chelsea Foundation boasts one of the most extensive community initiatives in sport, helping to improve the lives of children and young people all over the world.

Media Contacts:

Taina Biggs
taina.biggs@sokin.com 

Nerissa Chesterfield
nerissa.chesterfield@chelseafc.com 

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Amy Johnson Appointed President of GDIT

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October 23, 2026

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RESTON, Va., Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) announced today that Amy Johnson has been appointed as president of GDIT, effective November 3.

Johnson is a 27-year veteran of General Dynamics Mission Systems, where she held increasingly senior roles in engineering, engineering management and business leadership across cybersecurity, defense electronics, space and intelligence systems, most recently as vice president and general manager for Space, Cyber and Intelligence. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science and computer systems engineering. 

“Amy has a proven track record of leading teams to solve complex and highly technical challenges for our customers,” said Phebe Novakovic, CEO of General Dynamics. “I am confident that her dynamic leadership, operational rigor and deep commitment to our values and culture will deliver value to our customers, employees and shareholders.”

GDIT delivers digital modernization, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and software development solutions to the U.S. federal government, defense, intelligence agencies and other customers. It is a business unit of General Dynamics, a global aerospace and defense company that offers a broad portfolio of products and services in business aviation; ship construction and repair; land combat vehicles, weapons systems and munitions; and technology products and services. General Dynamics employs more than 120,000 people worldwide and generated $52.6 billion in revenue in 2025. More information is available at gd.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/amy-johnson-appointed-president-of-gdit-302918411.html

SOURCE General Dynamics

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Yazan Al Homsi Invests US$500,000 in Toronto Drone Maker Arcanus Aerial Systems

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October 23, 2026

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Private investment comes as Arcanus builds out Canadian manufacturing capacity for autonomous aerial systems

DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Yazan Al Homsi, a UAE-based investor and managing partner of Catalyst Communications DMCC, has invested US$500,000 in Arcanus Aerial Systems Inc., a Toronto-headquartered developer and manufacturer of unmanned aerial systems for defence, public safety and critical infrastructure customers. Al Homsi is an investor only and holds no operational, advisory or board role with the company. Other terms were not disclosed.

Arcanus is a Canadian-controlled company. It currently lists more than 15 platforms across heavy-lift, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), cargo, strike and counter-drone missions. According to the company, its published line-up includes:

AB 516e: a long-endurance vertical take-off fixed-wing aircraft rated for three hours of flight.AE 401: a counter-drone interceptor with a top speed of 300 km/h.AC 5250: a cargo platform with a 250 kg payload and a range of more than 2,300 km.

Alongside defence, Arcanus markets its systems for wildfire detection, search and rescue, Arctic sovereignty, border and maritime patrol, and pipeline and power line monitoring.

The company has spent 2026 assembling its domestic production base. In April, Arcanus signed a binding term sheet with Portugal-based Beyond Vision, granting it rights to manufacture, commercialize and support Beyond Vision’s unmanned aerial systems in Canada.

In June, Arcanus announced a five-year agreement appointing FeralX Systems Inc. as a non-exclusive Canadian contract manufacturer for several of its platforms.

“Canada has the engineering talent to build these systems at home, and recent years have shown how much depends on having that capacity domestically,” said Yazan Al Homsi. “What stood out to me about Arcanus was the manufacturing groundwork already in place: licensing, a production partner, and a range of aircraft that serves wildfire crews and search-and-rescue teams alongside defence customers.”

About Yazan Al Homsi

Yazan Al Homsi is a UAE-based investor and managing partner of Catalyst Communications DMCC, which he founded in Dubai in 2018. He was previously based in Vancouver, where he founded Founders Round Capital in 2017 and built a track record of investments in early-stage and small-cap companies. He earned a finance degree from McGill University in 2004 and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Before turning to investing, he spent more than a decade with PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Middle East, rising to director and focusing on transaction due diligence and valuation.

Media Contact
Catalyst Communications DMCC
catalyst-wire@protonmail.com

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SOURCE Yazan Al Homsi

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