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Agoda Unveils Taiwan H1 Travel Insights: Bangkok Exits Top Five; Philippines Leads Inbound Travel Interest Growth

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SINGAPORE, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Digital travel platform Agoda has released the latest insights on travel trends in Taiwan for the first half of 2026, revealing notable shifts in both outbound and inbound travel patterns, based on accommodation searches made between January and June 2026 compared to 2025. While popular destinations in Japan and South Korea continue to see strong travel interest, long-standing favorite Bangkok has unexpectedly dropped out of the top five, as emerging destinations like Miyako Island and even long-haul cities such as New York gain traction.

Bangkok Falls as Busan Enters Top Five; Searches to Miyako Island and New York Rise Nearly 10x and 4x, Respectively

While Thailand has traditionally been a go-to destination for Taiwanese travelers, Agoda reports that Bangkok has dropped out of the top five most popular destinations in H1 2026. Taking its place is Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city. According to Busan Metropolitan Government statistics, Taiwan was the top source market for Busan in the first quarter of the year, with over 200,000 Taiwanese visitors. Busan’s growing popularity can likely be attributed to its diverse offerings, including coastal views, local markets, cable cars, luge rides, and trendy cafés, appealing to a range of Taiwanese travelers’ preferences. Combined with convenient flight connections and short travel distance, Busan has quickly emerged as a leading destination in Northeast Asia.

Meanwhile, newly launched direct flights from Taipei and Taichung to Japan’s Miyako Island earlier this year have driven interest among Taiwanese travelers, making it the fastest-growing destination with searches on Agoda increasing nearly tenfold year-on-year. Long-haul travel is also gaining momentum, with searches for New York rising nearly 4x compared to H1 last year, indicating that Taiwanese travelers continue to expand their travel horizons beyond Asia.

Hong Kong Remains Top Source Market; Philippines Shows Highest Growth in Inbound Travel Interest

On the inbound side, Agoda reports that Hong Kong continues to rank as Taiwan’s largest source market, reflecting strong short-haul travel demand and frequent cross-border movement. The Philippines, meanwhile, has emerged as the fastest-growing inbound market with a 53% increase in travel interest to Taiwan compared to H1 last year. According to Taiwan Tourism Administration data, more than 210,000 Filipino travelers visited Taiwan in the first quarter of 2026, representing a 43% year-on-year increase.

Agoda’s findings not only point to emerging travel interest from Southeast Asian source markets like the Philippines, but also that they are expanding their itineraries beyond Taipei. Searches for Kaohsiung from travelers from the Philippines have increased by nearly 3.5x, while travel interest to Chiayi has doubled.  Additionally, outlying islands such as Kinmen and Green Island are among the fastest-growing destinations, both seeing over 3x growth in searches, suggesting increasing interest in nature-based and island travel experiences among Southeast Asian visitors.

Jishan Chai, Country Director for Taiwan at Agoda shared, Agoda’s data highlights the trends powering Taiwan’s tourism in 2026, with emerging source markets like the Philippines opening new opportunities. We’re also seeing Taiwanese travelers shifting their preferences, moving beyond traditional hotspots to explore a wider range of destinations. It’s an exciting time as both regional gems and long-haul adventures capture the imagination of travelers seeking unique and enriching journeys. We’re looking forward to empowering even more travelers to expand their horizons in the second half of the year.”

Agoda is poised to help connect more Taiwanese travelers to the world and bring the world to Taiwan with over 130,000 flight routes, more than 6 million holiday properties, and over 300,000 activities, all in one convenient platform. Discover the best deals on Agoda’s mobile app and visit Agoda.com.

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SOURCE Agoda

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Binance Marks Nine Years: Nearly Half of All Crypto Holders Use Binance, $156 Trillion in All-Time Volume, and a Growing Vision Beyond Crypto

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From crypto exchange to multi-asset financial platform, Binance marks nine years of growth driven by its global community and sets its sights on three billion users

ABU DHABI, UAE, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, today marks its ninth anniversary with more than 323 million registered users across over 100 countries. When Binance launched in July 2017, fewer than 6 million people worldwide owned cryptocurrency. Today, that number exceeds 741 million, representing growth of more than 12,000% in under a decade. Binance’s user base has grown from zero to 323 million over the same period, meaning roughly 43% of all crypto holders worldwide now use Binance.

The milestone arrives as digital assets move from the margins of global finance to the mainstream. Institutional participation is at record levels, with ETFs and digital asset trusts now holding over 12% of circulating BTC supply. Regulatory frameworks are forming across the G20, the EU, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. The lines between traditional finance and crypto infrastructure are blurring in ways that would have been difficult to predict when Binance launched.

For Binance, the anniversary is more than a reflection of nine years of growth. It is also a statement of intent: to become the world’s leading financial super app, bringing access to global markets to its target of over three billion users worldwide.

Binance’s Scale at a Glance:

323 million registered users globally, up roughly 7% in H1 2026 alone, representing approximately 43% of all crypto holders worldwideOver $156 trillion in cumulative all-time trading volume across all products (up 7.8% from $145T at year-end 2025), a figure that exceeds the combined annual GDP of the United States, China, Japan, Germany, and the United KingdomInstitutional users grew 9% in H1 2026, reflecting continued maturation of the buyer base$80B+ in monthly TradFi trading volume since March 202611% more coins and 3% more trading pairs added in H1 2026, broadening market access

From Crypto Exchange to Multi-Asset Platform
Over the past year, Binance extended its product suite into traditional financial instruments, including stock trading, ETFs, and pre-IPO perpetuals, alongside its existing digital asset offerings. These products are built on Binance’s blockchain-native infrastructure, enabling stablecoin settlement, 24/7 market access, and cross-asset functionality within a single platform.

The early traction has been significant:

Since March this year, TradFi products on Binance have generated over $80B in monthly trading volume.Direct stocks, launched in June 2026, reached $1B in assets under management (AUM) within 30 days of launch, alongside over $3B in cumulative trading volume.bStocks, tokenized 1:1 U.S. securities on Binance that trade 24/7, crossed $100M in AUM within 2 weeks of launch.47% of bStocks trading volume takes place outside U.S. market hours, reflecting demand for round-the-clock market access.

Even as Binance expands into new asset classes, its core crypto business continues to demonstrate the depth and resilience that have defined its market position since year one:

Binance has now processed $156.4 trillion in all-time trading volume, adding roughly $11.4 trillion in the first half of 2026 alone, a 7.8% increase from year-end 2025.Institutional users also grew 9% over the same period, reinforcing the trend of professional capital deepening its participation in digital assets.This growth occurred despite a more challenging market environment in H1 2026, indicating that user engagement is driven by structural participation rather than short-term market cycles.

Building Toward Three Billion Users
The expansion into traditional financial products reflects Binance’s vision of building the world’s leading financial super app that consolidates trading, payments, savings, and access to global markets on a single platform. The path to three billion users runs through markets that traditional institutions have historically underserved, where blockchain-native infrastructure can deliver financial services at a cost and scale that legacy systems cannot match.

Industry data supports the scale of the opportunity. It is estimated that 741 million people own crypto globally, compared to approximately 630 million online brokerage accounts. Crypto infrastructure already reaches more people than traditional equity brokerage, and that gap is widening.

“Nine years ago, we set out to increase the freedom of money globally. What we have built is infrastructure that works for everyone. It works whether you are a retail trader in an emerging market or an institutional investor in a financial centre. When we launched in 2017, fewer than 6 million people owned crypto. Today, 741 million do, and 323 million of them are on Binance. That is not just growth. It is a shift in how the world accesses finance. We are only at the beginning,” said Yi He, Co-CEO of Binance.

“323 million people chose to trust us with their money. That is not something we take lightly. Every decision we make, every product we build, every market we enter starts with the question of whether it serves the people who put their faith in us. Today, 43% of all crypto holders worldwide use Binance. As the financial frontier moves toward the intersection of crypto and traditional finance, that trust becomes even more significant. Expanding beyond crypto into stocks, ETFs, and tokenized securities is part of that same commitment. Users deserve access to global markets, and we intend to give it to them,” said Richard Teng, Co-CEO, Binance.

Built by the Community
This year, Binance marks its anniversary under the theme “Built by You.” The theme reflects the company’s belief that its growth over the past nine years was shaped not by the platform alone, but by the millions of users who traded, learned, built, and participated on it.

To mark the occasion, Binance has launched “Built by You,” a global anniversary campaign celebrating the community that helped shape Binance. The campaign features up to $4.5 million in rewards and an interactive journey across nine landmarks in ‘Binance City’, each tied to a different part of the Binance ecosystem.

Products and services referred to in this press release may not be available in your region.

About Binance 
Binance is a leading global blockchain ecosystem behind the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume and registered users. Binance is trusted by more than 320 million people in 100+ countries for its industry-leading security, transparency, trading engine speed, protections for investors, and unmatched portfolio of digital asset products and offerings from trading and finance to education, research, social good, payments, institutional services, and Web3 features. Binance is devoted to building an inclusive crypto ecosystem to increase the freedom of money and financial access for people around the world with crypto as the fundamental means.

For more information, visit: https://www.binance.com

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SOURCE Binance

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PointsKash Completes Strategic Acquisition of ChainBytes Software Assets and Adds Founder Eric Grill to Accelerate AI-Powered Fintech Platform

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — PointsKash, Inc. (“PointsKash” or the “Company”), an emerging financial technology company developing next-generation financial kiosks, digital payments, cryptocurrency, digital banking, and loyalty rewards solutions, today announced it has completed the strategic acquisition of the proprietary software assets of ChainBytes in an all-stock transaction that closed on Friday, July 10, 2026.

The acquisition expands PointsKash’s proprietary software portfolio while significantly strengthening its engineering organization as the Company accelerates development of its AI-driven financial technology ecosystem. As part of the transaction, ChainBytes Founder and Lead Software Developer Eric Grill has joined PointsKash and will work alongside Peter Keating, PointsKash’s Lead Programming Architect, helping lead the Company’s next generation of software innovation.

The transaction represents what the technology industry commonly refers to as an “acqui-hire,” combining the acquisition of valuable proprietary software assets with the addition of an accomplished software architect and developer. By acquiring both intellectual property and engineering talent, PointsKash believes it has meaningfully strengthened its long-term technology roadmap while expanding its internal software development capabilities.

PointsKash expects to begin integrating key elements of the ChainBytes software platform into its broader technology ecosystem beginning in 2027, supporting future enhancements across its cryptocurrency platform, KashPoint™ self-service financial centers, PK Pay™ digital banking platform, enterprise merchant solutions, and emerging artificial intelligence initiatives.

Beyond the ChainBytes integration, PointsKash continues executing its broader strategy of embedding Artificial Intelligence (AI) throughout virtually every aspect of its enterprise. AI technologies are currently being incorporated into software development, customer support, merchant onboarding, compliance automation, executive reporting, business intelligence, fraud monitoring, operational workflows, cybersecurity initiatives, predictive analytics, and enterprise decision-support systems.

The Company believes these initiatives will significantly improve software development speed, operational efficiency, automation, decision-making, and scalability while reducing repetitive manual processes and administrative overhead. PointsKash also believes these investments will empower its executive leadership team to effectively oversee an organization many times larger than would traditionally be possible, allowing senior management to substantially increase productivity while maintaining disciplined operational control.

Michael Herron, Chief Executive Officer and President of PointsKash, commented:

“From the beginning, this transaction was never simply about acquiring software—it was about acquiring exceptional talent. Great software evolves, but great engineers continue creating value for years. Eric has built an impressive technology platform and earned a strong reputation within the cryptocurrency industry. Bringing both his software and, more importantly, his experience into PointsKash gives us tremendous momentum as we continue building one of the industry’s most comprehensive financial technology ecosystems.”

Herron continued:

“Eric joining forces with Peter Keating creates an exceptional software leadership team for PointsKash. Together, they will help drive our next generation of innovation as we integrate Artificial Intelligence throughout virtually every aspect of our organization. We believe AI will dramatically improve productivity, accelerate software development, streamline operations, reduce labor costs, and ultimately enable our executive leadership team to effectively manage workloads that historically would have required many times the personnel. Our objective is simple: build a smarter company capable of scaling faster than traditional financial technology organizations.”

Eric Grill, Founder of ChainBytes and now Principal Software Architect at PointsKash, said:

“What interested me about PointsKash was the opportunity to build at a much larger scale. I have spent decades designing software, solving difficult operational problems, and building systems that have to work in the real world. PointsKash gives me the resources, team, and platform to apply that experience across payments, digital assets, kiosks, banking, and AI. I am looking forward to working with Peter and building useful technology that actually moves the company forward.”

Peter Keating, Lead Programming Architect for PointsKash, added:

“I’ve always believed the best technology is built by talented people who enjoy solving difficult engineering challenges together. Eric brings extensive cryptocurrency software expertise and a practical engineering mindset that complements our existing architecture extremely well. Together, we’re building an AI-first software platform that will allow PointsKash to innovate faster, automate more intelligently, strengthen security, and deliver exceptional products across our entire financial ecosystem.”

The acquisition further advances PointsKash’s long-term strategy of developing one of North America’s most comprehensive integrated financial technology ecosystems, including:

KashPoint™ Self-Service Financial CentersPK Pay™ Digital Banking & Mobile Wallet PlatformCryptocurrency ServicesLoyalty & Rewards TechnologyEnterprise Merchant Financial SolutionsAI-Powered Executive Command CentersBusiness Intelligence & Operational AutomationConsumer & Enterprise Financial Software

As PointsKash continues expanding its engineering organization, strategic partnerships, enterprise merchant relationships, and proprietary technology portfolio, management believes the combination of experienced software talent, Artificial Intelligence, and internally developed intellectual property provides a strong foundation for future innovation, operational scalability, and long-term shareholder value.

About PointsKash, Inc.

PointsKash, Inc. is a financial technology company developing an integrated ecosystem of AI-enabled self-service financial centers, digital banking, digital payment solutions, cryptocurrency services, loyalty rewards, enterprise merchant technologies, and mobile financial applications. Through proprietary software, Artificial Intelligence, and strategic partnerships, PointsKash is building innovative financial solutions designed to empower consumers, merchants, and enterprise organizations throughout North America.

Media Contact

PointsKash, Inc.
Investor Relations
info@pointskash.com
www.pointskash.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding anticipated technology integrations, Artificial Intelligence initiatives, product development, future commercialization plans, expected operational efficiencies, business strategy, and future growth. These statements are based on current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Factors that could affect actual results include, but are not limited to, technology development timelines, integration efforts, financing, regulatory developments, market conditions, and other risks facing the Company. PointsKash undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.

 

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SOURCE PointsKash Inc.

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Xobin Unveils NURA, an AI Agent Built for Enterprise Hiring

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CHENNAI, India, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Xobin, a pioneer in AI-powered hiring technology, today unveiled NURA, an AI Agent built to transform enterprise recruitment. NURA automates the entire early hiring journey from parsing resumes and conducting AI Interviews to evaluating candidates and scheduling qualified talent with human recruiters.

Recruitment teams are under unprecedented pressure as organizations process thousands, and often millions, of applications across campus hiring, Global Capability Centres (GCCs), staffing engagements, and large-scale expansion initiatives. While AI has accelerated sourcing, the screening and interview process remains one of the largest operational bottlenecks in hiring.

NURA addresses this challenge by combining resume intelligence, AI Interviews, communication assessment, skills evaluation, workflow automation, and recruiter scheduling into a single AI Agent.

The platform can parse up to one million resumes in approximately ten minutes, identify candidates that best match a role, conduct structured AI Interviews, evaluate communication, technical knowledge, behavioral competencies, and overall job readiness, before seamlessly coordinating calendar invitations with human recruiters. NURA is already being adopted by four of the top ten Indian IT services firms and two of the top five Indian banks, reflecting early enterprise trust in agentic hiring at scale.

By eliminating repetitive manual work while maintaining structured and consistent evaluations, NURA enables talent acquisition teams to significantly reduce time-to-hire without compromising hiring quality. Recruiters can spend less time reviewing resumes and coordinating schedules and more time engaging with the most qualified candidates.

“The future of recruitment isn’t AI replacing recruiters, it’s AI working alongside recruiters,” said Guruprakash Sivabalan, Founder and CEO of Xobin. “We spoke to recruiters and candidates, and the problem was never AI or technology. It was opacity. Interviewing into a void. Every apprehension we heard became a design constraint. We built NURA to close that void first and build trust, which is why completion rates go up.”

“NURA handles the repetitive, high-volume tasks that slow hiring down, allowing recruiters to focus on judgment, relationships, and making exceptional hiring decisions,” said Amrit Acharya, Co-founder and COO of Xobin. “We believe AI Agents will become the operating layer of modern recruitment. Great screening isn’t about asking more questions. It’s about asking the right one, every single time.”

Designed for enterprises, staffing firms, Fortune 500 organizations, and high-volume hiring teams, NURA supports technical, business, customer-facing, leadership, and campus recruitment. Organizations can configure role-specific AI Interviews and evaluation frameworks while ensuring every candidate is assessed consistently using standardized criteria.

The launch of NURA represents Xobin’s next step in advancing enterprise hiring through agentic AI. As organizations increasingly adopt AI-native recruitment workflows, intelligent AI Agents are expected to become the foundation for faster, more objective, and skills-first hiring.

About Xobin

Founded in 2016, Xobin is a Talent Intelligence company and one of the early pioneers of AI Interviews. The company helps organizations hire and develop talent through AI-powered assessments, AI Interviews, psychometric evaluations, coding tests, and recruitment automation.

Today, Xobin works with several Fortune 500 companies, leading global recruitment agencies, Global Capability Centres (GCCs), and thousands of organizations worldwide to streamline hiring at scale. By combining AI, scientifically designed assessments, and enterprise-grade hiring workflows, Xobin enables organizations to make faster, fairer, and more data-driven talent decisions.

Media Contact

Guruprakash Sivabalan
Founder and CEO, Xobin
Email: guru@xobin.com
Website: www.xobin.com

 

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