Technology

Korea’s Commercial Real Estate “Data Giant” Attracts NPS, GIC and Blackstone

Published

1 day ago

August 21, 2026

RSQUARE’s Investment Advisory Division recorded a 2.3 times year-on-year increase in assets under advisory in 2025Advisory capabilities extend beyond financial investor matching to identifying corporate owner occupiers and developing value add strategies for alternative assetsProprietary database of more than 400,000 buildings supports a global client base including GIC, DWS, PAG and Blackstone

SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Korea’s commercial real estate market is entering a period of greater asset differentiation following a prolonged cycle of high interest rates and tighter liquidity. As a result, institutional investors are shifting their criteria for selecting advisors away from brand recognition toward access to real asset data and the ability to develop tailored strategies for individual properties.

Against this backdrop, RSQUARE is expanding its presence in the market with a proprietary database covering more than 400,000 buildings across Korea and end-to-end capabilities spanning leasing, transactions and property management. These strengths have attracted major Korean institutions, including the National Pension Service, Woori Bank and Samsung Securities, as well as global investors such as GIC, DWS, PAG and Blackstone.

Structuring Large Core Asset Transactions and Matching Corporate Owner Occupiers

One of the division’s representative transactions was the sale advisory mandate for Centerpoint Gwanghwamun, a prime office asset in Seoul’s Jongno district within the Central Business District.

The property, previously owned by Koramco REITs Management and Trust, was sold in October 2025 for KRW 432 billion, equivalent to KRW 36.7 million per py. RSQUARE formed a consortium with Deloitte Anjin and participated throughout the entire advisory process, including the identification of prospective buyers, transaction structuring and coordination among key stakeholders.

In the KRW 280 billion sale of Humax Village, a landmark property in the Bundang Business District completed in March 2026, RSQUARE identified and connected the seller with a strategic investor seeking to acquire the asset for use as its corporate headquarters, rather than relying solely on conventional financial investors.

The transaction was supported by RSQUARE’s ability to combine its extensive offline leasing network with proprietary corporate demand data, enabling the firm to target businesses with genuine owner occupier requirements.

RSQUARE has also demonstrated its capabilities in developing proactive value add strategies for alternative investment assets. In advising on the KRW 31.5 billion sale of Sejong Telecom’s Bundang IDC in July 2025, RSQUARE focused on the asset’s scarcity as a small to mid-sized data center within the Seoul Metropolitan Area.

The firm proposed an infrastructure enhancement strategy to increase the facility’s incoming power capacity from 6.75 MW to 9.75 MW, helping facilitate a successful private renovation and value add investment by an asset management company.

Strategic Advisory Based on Buyer Specific Scenarios

RSQUARE conducts detailed assessments of the physical limitations and potential of each asset and proactively presents prospective buyers with strategies tailored to their investment objectives.

For investors prioritizing stable rental income, the firm has matched assets such as Tower 107, Fastfive Tower and A One Dangsan, all of which are supported by established anchor tenants in Seoul’s major business districts.

RSQUARE has also secured consecutive advisory mandates for office developments in the Second and Third Pangyo Techno Valleys, strengthening its position across one of South Korea’s leading technology and innovation corridors.

In addition to transactions involving assets with similar characteristics, including the Samseong dong Building and GC Campus Seoul Forest, RSQUARE has developed detailed conversion strategies for properties such as the Cheongdam Hugel Building, Cheongnam Building in Bangbae dong and Samsung Fire Service Building in Mok dong.

These strategies include repositioning the assets immediately after acquisition as single occupier corporate headquarters, senior housing, medical centres or hotels, providing funds and asset managers with clear business plans for unlocking additional value.

Deep Local Data Supporting Full Lifecycle Real Estate Services

RSQUARE’s advisory performance is underpinned by a proprietary commercial real estate database built through direct, property-by-property market surveys.

The company has independently compiled data on more than 400,000 buildings across South Korea and overseas markets including Vietnam and Singapore. This database provides live, highly localized market intelligence that is generally unavailable through public data sources or even global real estate advisory firms such as CBRE and Savills.

The data is consolidated within RSQUARE Analytics (RA), the company’s proprietary real estate intelligence platform. RA provides market intelligence and analytical insights to global investors including GIC, DWS, PAG and Blackstone, as well as leading Korean financial institutions such as National Pension Service (NPS), Woori Bank, Samsung Securities, IGIS Asset Management and Koramco REITs Management and Trust.

Among RA’s 150 cumulative corporate clients, approximately 38% are trust companies and asset managers, 21% are financial institutions and 15% are overseas or institutional investors. Together, financial, investment and asset management clients account for approximately 74% of the platform’s customer base.

Global advisory firms including CBRE, Savills, Cushman & Wakefield and Colliers operate in South Korea. However, within the Korean market, RSQUARE is recognized for the scale and breadth of its coverage across investment advisory, research, acquisitions and disposals, leasing brokerage and property management.

Its deep and differentiated data enables the company to provide the entire commercial real estate service lifecycle through a single platform, from investor matching and transaction structuring to asset operation and management. This integrated service model represents a key distinction from its global competitors.

“The core of commercial real estate investment is having a complete understanding of the demand that will ultimately occupy the space,” said Park Jong Yeol, Professor at Konkuk University’s Institute for Future Knowledge Education.

“By combining living, real-time data generated through Korea’s largest commercial leasing brokerage operation with the execution capabilities of experienced capital markets professionals, RSQUARE is redefining the standards of the Korean commercial real estate advisory market.”

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/koreas-commercial-real-estate-data-giant-attracts-nps-gic-and-blackstone-302856999.html

SOURCE RSQUARE

Technology

OnTime Posts 140.7% Revenue Surge to RMB 4.035 Billion, Gross Profit Tops RMB 500 Million in H1 2026

Published

2 hours ago

August 22, 2026

HONG KONG, GUANGZHOU and SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Chinese mobility technology and service provider OnTime (9680.HK) announced its first-half 2026 financial results on August 19, achieving record highs in revenue, gross profit and order volume. The company posted a 156.3% jump in gross profit, topping RMB 500 million, with gross margin expanding to 12.4% and net losses narrowing 45.2% year-on-year.

For the first half of 2026, OnTime generated revenue of RMB 4.035 billion, a 140.7% increase from the same period last year. Total orders rose 150.6% to 184 million, propelling daily orders past the one-million mark for the first time.

Beyond its core mobility services — which continued to deliver robust revenue growth — OnTime’s technology services segment saw revenue soar 274.4%, with a gross margin of 22.7%, reflecting strong momentum, improved profitability and a more favorable business mix. According to company disclosures, the tech services division expanded into embodied AI in the first half of 2026, a move expected to broaden the company’s prospects in AI and make the segment a key driver of future growth.

Revenue Doubles to RMB 4.035 Billion; Gross Profit Tops RMB 500 Million and Losses Narrow 45.2%

OnTime’s first-half revenue reached RMB 4.035 billion, with year-on-year growth accelerating sharply — up 79 percentage points from the same period in 2025.

The company said it has adopted AI tools and automation across its R&D and operational workflows to improve efficiency, with the benefits of operating leverage beginning to be reflected in its financial performance.

Gross profit surged 156.3% to RMB 501 million, outpacing revenue growth for the period. The company’s gross margin has improved consistently — climbing from 5.1% for full-year 2024 to 11.7% in the first half of 2025, and further to 12.4% in the first half of 2026. Meanwhile, net losses narrowed by 45.2% compared with a year earlier.

Mobility Services Orders Surge 150.6%; Robotaxi Expansion Accelerates

Mobility services and technology services are jointly driving the company’s revenue gains.

OnTime’s core mobility services — including both ride-hailing and Robotaxi — generated RMB 3.92 billion in first-half revenue, up 139.5% year-on-year. Growth was fueled by a 149.2% increase in gross transaction value to RMB 5.064 billion and a 150.6% jump in total orders to 184 million.

Daily orders reached 1.015 million, up 150.7% year-on-year — a critical industry milestone that places OnTime in the “million-daily-orders club,” a benchmark widely recognized as an indicator of scale in China’s ride-hailing market.

During the period, OnTime’s mobility services gross margin improved to 12.1%, driven primarily by greater scale and operational efficiencies that lowered per-order costs.

Robotaxi, a strategic priority for OnTime, has seen significant growth since the start of 2026. The company now operates more than 550 Robotaxi vehicles across key areas including Guangzhou’s Nansha and Science City districts, Shenzhen’s Bao’an and Nanshan districts, and the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone.

OnTime’s “Robotaxi+” industrial ecosystem continues to expand. In March, autonomous driving developer Pony.ai deployed its next-generation Robotaxi vehicles into OnTime’s fleet. In April, OnTime partnered with chipmaker Black Sesame Technologies to co-develop production-ready Robotaxi solutions alongside other ecosystem partners. Most recently in August, OnTime’s Robotaxi services were integrated into Alipay and Tencent’s mobility platforms, accelerating the development of a Robotaxi service network combining its own platform with third-party platforms.

AI-Powered Tech Services Revenue Tops RMB 100 Million; Gross Margin Hits 22.7%

OnTime’s technology services segment — which generates revenue primarily from AI-driven data solutions — surpassed RMB 100 million in first-half revenue for the first time, up 274.4% year-on-year, making it the company’s fastest-growing business line. The segment delivered a gross margin of 22.7%.

According to previously disclosed results, technology services revenue grew 175.8% year-on-year in H1 2024, 207.0% in H1 2025 and 274.4% in H1 2026, demonstrating a clear acceleration in the segment’s growth.

OnTime began building its AI data services business in 2023, leveraging real-world mobility scenarios captured from its ride-hailing platform to develop autonomous driving data solutions. The company offers end-to-end data services — from raw data collection to standardized dataset delivery — with data assets spanning perception data, behavioral data, synthetic data and multimodal training datasets.

According to company filings, OnTime is accelerating the commercialization of its technology services business. The filings also note that its AI data capabilities currently serve autonomous driving data needs and are now extending into emerging fields such as embodied AI and large model training.

In June 2026, OnTime launched a dedicated embodied AI data platform, formally expanding its service scope into this high-growth segment. A month later, the company listed its data assets on the Automotive Industry Trusted Data Space — a China-based data-sharing initiative — further establishing compliant, standardized channels for the exchange of data assets.

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SOURCE Ontime

Technology

Elseland Unveils 20 Games Created with AI, Advancing AI Game Development at Scale

Published

7 hours ago

August 21, 2026

What began as a solo AI experiment has grown into a team production system that turns diverse ideas into playable games faster.

SINGAPORE and LOS ANGELES, Aug. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Elseland today unveiled 20 new original games created with AI across every stage of production. The collection will join the growing catalog on Elseland’s open world game platform and spans match 3, puzzle, arcade, action, hypercasual and interactive narrative genres. It demonstrates how AI game development can help teams explore more ideas and move from concept to playable experience faster.

The titles mark an important step in Elseland’s evolution from a founder led experiment into a team operation built for continuous AI game production. By developing multiple genres in parallel, the team can test concepts earlier, refine gameplay faster and turn more original ideas into complete playable games.

From a Solo Experiment to an AI Game Production System

Elseland’s AI game development journey began in April, when founder Phil Liu started exploring how far one person could take the creation of a 3D open world with AI.

Over the following months, that individual experiment evolved into a team production system supported by specialized AI agents. Under the team’s creative direction, AI is used throughout visual creation, 3D modeling, gameplay logic, level design, balancing and narrative development.

The system allows the team to test concepts earlier, explore several creative directions at once and refine playable builds more efficiently. Instead of using AI for only one part of development, Elseland connects it across the full production process.

The 20 new games represent the clearest demonstration of this capability to date. They show how a single AI production framework can support different visual styles, gameplay systems and narrative formats.

Twenty New Games Across Multiple Genres

The collection highlights the range of games that Elseland can produce through its AI based workflow.

Match 3 and visual world building

Candy Kingdom takes players into a colorful 3D confectionery world created through AI assisted modeling. The game combines match 3 mechanics with storytelling, character skins and environmental exploration.

Spatial and logic puzzles

The collection includes 3D Sudoku and an animal themed sliding puzzle inspired by Klotski. Both games reinterpret familiar logic challenges through new visual styles and spatial interactions.

Social and casual experiences

Capybara Poker Lounge introduces a relaxed card game experience centered on playful characters, humor and a distinctive social setting.

Arcade, action and hypercasual games

The lineup also features runners, action titles and arcade experiences designed for immediate play, short sessions and replayability.

Interactive stories and role playing

A narrative game reverses the familiar cat and mouse chase by placing the mouse in pursuit of the cat. Another title explores AI powered tabletop role playing, allowing the adventure to develop in response to player choices.

Together, these titles show how AI can support not only faster production, but also broader creative experimentation across genres.

An Open World Universe Filled with Playable Experiences

Elseland is an open world game universe where players can explore, discover and instantly enter a growing variety of games.

Players can move through different environments, encounter minigames and switch between experiences whenever they choose. A visit to Elseland might begin with a puzzle, continue with an arcade challenge and lead into a story driven adventure.

By connecting different types of games within one universe, Elseland aims to make discovering a new experience part of the experience itself.

Over time, the platform also plans to introduce more opportunities for creators to test ideas, remix gameplay mechanics and build character driven worlds for others to explore.

The Next Step for Elseland

Following the release of these 20 new games, Elseland plans to introduce a larger AI powered 3D world connecting characters, minigames and explorable locations.

The environment will allow players to discover experiences through places, quests and encounters rather than selecting every game from a conventional menu. This will move Elseland closer to its long term vision of a continuously expanding universe shaped by new games, characters and stories.

“Elseland began with a simple question: how far can one person take game creation with AI?” said Phil Liu, founder of Elseland. “What started as a 3D open world experiment has grown into a team production system. AI helps us explore more ideas and shorten the distance between an idea and something people can actually play. It gives creators more freedom to focus on what makes a game original, engaging and fun.”

To explore Elseland and play the latest games, visit elseland.ai or follow Elseland on X at @Elselandai.

About Elseland

Elseland is an open world online game platform where players can explore, discover and instantly play free online games, minigames and interactive worlds. Its growing catalog spans puzzle, arcade, action, strategy, simulation and story games. Elseland also uses AI across game development to create new mechanics, characters and playable experiences more efficiently.

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SOURCE Elseland

Technology

Zum Appoints Matthew Klein as VP of Software Sales

Published

8 hours ago

August 21, 2026

Klein will lead Zum’s software-only business as the company’s unified, AI-powered Zum CMX solution expands nationwide, reimagining student mobility for 6,500+ schools

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Aug. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Zūm, a leader in student mobility, today announced the appointment of Matthew Klein as Vice President of Software Sales, strengthening its team as Zum scales its AI-powered Zum CMX™ solution nationwide.

Some of the largest school districts in the country, including Boston Public Schools, Los Angeles Unified School District and Virginia Beach City Public Schools, have chosen Zum CMX to modernize their in-house student mobility operations and improve reliability, visibility and the experience for families. As more districts look to modernize their in-house operations, Zum CMX provides the technology and intelligence designed to deliver a safer, more reliable and efficient student mobility experience. Reliable student mobility starts with Zum CMX.

“Zum CMX was built from the ground up for one purpose: transforming student mobility,” said Ritu Narayan, Founder and CEO of Zum. “We built the entire platform around the unique complexities of getting students to and from school. With every new district we serve, our technology gets smarter, learning from an increasingly large and diverse mobility network. That singular focus on student mobility is what makes Zum CMX fundamentally different and has created tremendous momentum for the business. We are excited to have Matt join the team to build on that momentum and help scale Zum CMX to districts across the country.”

Prior to Zum, Klein spent eight years building and leading Coursera’s government business, scaling it to help governments reskill citizens and public workforces. He began his career in public health with the Clinton Health Access Initiative. Klein holds an MBA from UC Berkeley and a BA in Political Science from Haverford College.

“I come from an EdTech background, and Zum’s mission immediately resonated with me,” Klein said. “Reliable student mobility is fundamental to access to education, and Zum has built technology that is dramatically improving the experience for students, families and school districts while making the underlying system more efficient. I’m excited to help scale Zum CMX so districts across the country can benefit from a fundamentally better way to deliver student mobility.”

Zum CMX is a unified, AI-powered system purpose-built for student mobility, connecting routing, dispatch, drivers, schools, families, safety and operations in real time. Rather than layering technology onto fragmented legacy systems, CMX provides districts with a single connected platform to optimize resources and deliver greater visibility, coordination and accountability across their mobility networks.

Today, Zum supports more than 6,500 schools across 19 states, with partnerships spanning many of the nation’s largest school districts, including Los Angeles Unified, San Francisco Unified, Seattle Public Schools, Oakland Unified, Boston Public Schools, the School District of Philadelphia, Omaha Public Schools and St. Louis Public Schools. Zum’s continued investment in CMX and software leadership reflects its next phase of growth: bringing the technology powering its nationwide mobility network to more districts across the country.

To learn more about how Zum is leading the nation in redefining student mobility, visit www.ridezum.com.

About Zum

Zum is redefining mass mobility with Zum CMX, which connects and coordinates people, vehicles, and operations in real time. In the student mobility market, Zum is addressing a daily source of anxiety and disruption by providing a reliable, transparent, and efficient mobility experience for students and families. Learn more at www.ridezum.com. Today, more than 6,500 schools in 19 states have relied on the Zum CMX™ system.

Media Contact

Jenny Mayfield
VP, Communications, Zum

press@ridezum.com

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SOURCE Zūm