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Asia Fintech Forum 2026 to Convene Regulators, Bankers and Fintech Leaders in Kuala Lumpur on 2 October

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Inaugural forum from Singapore’s Responsible Fintech Institute, title-sponsored by Remi Technology, puts AI, stablecoins and financial inclusion on a single agenda

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia and SINGAPORE, Sept. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Responsible Fintech Institute (RFI) today opened registration for the inaugural Asia Fintech Forum 2026, a one-day summit on Friday, 2 October at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur.

The forum will bring together 40 speakers from regulators, banks and fintech firms across Asia, and is expected to draw 1,000 delegates. Remi Technology, the Singapore-headquartered cross-border settlement provider, joins as title sponsor.

Convening under the theme “Architecting Asia’s Financial Frontier: AI, Digital Assets, and Inclusive Banking,” the forum is RFI’s first flagship event outside Singapore. The choice of Kuala Lumpur is deliberate: Malaysia is licensing a new generation of digital banks while ASEAN member states negotiate the Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), and the forum’s regulatory track is built around that gap between national rulemaking and regional interoperability.

Confirmed speakers include Mohammad Ridzuan Abdul Aziz, Chief Executive Officer of Aeon Bank; Aaron Tang, General Manager of Luno Malaysia; Kenneth Chan, Chief Executive Officer of Webull Malaysia; Victoria Wymark of PwC South East Asia; and Affendi Rashdi, Director-General, and Ja’afar Rihan, Head of Islamic Business Development at Labuan Financial Services Authority. The full roster of the speakers is published at https://asiafintech.org/#speakers.

“Asia is writing the rules for digital finance faster than any other region, and it is writing them in several places at once — a stablecoin framework in Hong Kong, digital banking licences in Malaysia, payment corridors out of Singapore,” said Chia Hock Lai, Chairman of RFI. “The risk is not that innovation outpaces regulation. The risk is that a dozen regulators solve the same problem a dozen different ways, and the cost of that lands on consumers and on any firm trying to operate across borders. We chose Kuala Lumpur for our first forum because that conversation has to happen where the market is growing, not only where the rules are already written.”

Main-stage sessions, hands-on workshops, and closed-door roundtables span:

ASEAN fintech and the Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA)Agentic AI in financial servicesStablecoin clearing, settlement and cross-border paymentsIslamic fintech and digital bankingReal-world asset (RWA) tokenisation and its legal frameworksPost-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) migration and defense strategies for banksStrategic fintech branding, positioning, and market communicationGovernance standards and institutional frameworks for permissionless blockchains in APAC (Project Pigeon)Digital banks and financial inclusion

“Banks do not need another payment rail that routes around them. They need settlement infrastructure that runs inside their own compliance perimeter,” said Sam Su, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Remi Technology. “That argument only gets properly tested in a room that has regulators and bank treasurers in it, not just builders. That is why we are title sponsor: this is one of the few forums in the region that puts all three on the same agenda on the same day.”

“Malaysia has long flown under the radar in regional fintech, and hosting this forum in Kuala Lumpur—with the backing of regional regulators and industry leaders—signals its coming of age,” said Farah Jaafar, Co-Chair of the organising committee, Independent Non-Executive Director of Webull Securities (Malaysia), and Co-Chair of the Women in Fintech group within the Asia Fintech Alliance. “We built this agenda for practitioners, not the conference circuit. Malaysia brings critical pillars the regional dialogue needs: a mature Islamic finance ecosystem and proactive regulators willing to give digital models room to scale.”

“Real-world asset tokenisation and next-generation capital markets cannot scale in silos; they require shared liquidity, robust custody, and cross-border regulatory clarity,” said Calvin Ng, Chairman of NexStox. “As both strategic partner and venue sponsor, NexStox is proud to anchor this dialogue at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur. The Asia Fintech Forum provides the institutional bridge APAC needs to transition tokenised assets and digital market infrastructure from pilot concepts into live capital deployment.”

NexStox, RegTank, Sumsub and VerifyVASP join as sponsors.

Supporting partners include the Labuan Financial Services Authority (LFSA), International Digital Economics Association (IDEA), the Digital Assets Association (DAA), Thailand Fintech Association (TFA), Fintech Philippines Association (FPA), Hong Kong Fintech Industry Association (HKFTA), Unified Fintech Forum (India), ACCESS Malaysia, Fintech Association of Malaysia (FAOM) and Taiwan Fintech Space.

Registration is now open at https://asiafintech.org/. Exhibition packages and speaker nomination forms are available on the same site.

Media accreditation: Journalists may request onsite access, interview slots with RFI and sponsor spokespeople, and the full press kit (logos, speaker headshots, agenda) from the contact below.

About Responsible Fintech Institute

The Responsible Fintech Institute (RFI) is a global nonprofit organisation based in Singapore. Its goal is to create a safe, trustworthy and reliable future for digital finance by building the digital utilities that support responsible innovation. RFI brings together public and private sector stakeholders to help build the rules and technology needed for new digital financial tools, and to make the digital asset sector sustainable and inclusive. Learn more at responsiblefintech.org.

About Remi Technology

Remi Technology is a Singapore-based fintech company that delivers stablecoin clearing and settlement infrastructures for banks and financial institutions worldwide. Find us at www.remitech.ai or www.linkedin.com/company/remi-tech.

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SOURCE Responsible Fintech Institute (RFI)

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AIA Australia, Long Service Corporation, New Zealand Police and RMBL Investments Named 2026 Appian APJ Innovation Award Winners

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Four organisations recognised for transforming mission-critical operations through process and AI

SYDNEY, Sept. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Appian [Nasdaq: APPN] today announced AIA Australia, Long Service Corporation New South Wales (NSW), New Zealand Police and RMBL Investments as the winners of its 2026 Asia Pacific and Japan Innovation Awards. The Innovation Awards celebrate customers driving AI automation and process transformation with measurable results on the Appian Platform.

The entrants span financial services, government, public safety, land administration and worker entitlements. The four Australian and New Zealand organisations were recognised for leveraging the Appian Platform to accelerate insurance claims, administer portable long service leave at scale, transform non-emergency police case management, and support the growth of investment and lending operations. They demonstrate how organisations can redesign complex processes, connect fragmented data and apply AI to deliver measurable improvements for employees, customers and communities.

“Real innovation earns its place in an organisation by making critical work faster, simpler and more accountable,” said Charlie Hutchinson, SVP Asia Pacific and Japan at Appian. “This year’s winners have moved beyond incremental improvements to redesign the processes at the heart of their operations. They demonstrate the measurable impact that process and AI can deliver when applied to work that really matters.”

The 2026 Appian APJ Innovation Award winners are:

AIA Australia

AIA Australia, a leading life and health insurer that protects the lives of more than 3 million Australians, is transforming claims management through a digital-first approach that makes the claims experience simpler, more transparent and easier to navigate.

Leveraging the Appian platform, AIA has created a connected ecosystem that streamlines interactions between customers, fund partners and claims teams, enabling greater efficiency and more personalised support for its customers when they need it most.

By innovating across the end-to-end claims journey, AIA is strengthening its ability to deliver timely assistance at critical moments while establishing a foundation for ongoing innovation and future growth.

Long Service Corporation (LSC) NSW

Long Service Corporation, working with Deloitte, built a digital application on Appian to administer the NSW Community Services Industry portable long service leave scheme.

The application connects workers, employers and Long Service Corporation through dedicated digital portals supporting registration, identity verification, worker nominations, service returns, payments and notifications. By bringing these functions together in one platform, the application enables Long Service Corporation to administer the scheme more efficiently and at scale. Since its launch in April 2026, more than 2,200 employers have submitted over 8,800 service returns and more than 220,000 workers have been nominated into the scheme. The platform has also processed more than $110 million in levy payments to fund workers’ portable long service leave entitlements.

New Zealand Police

New Zealand Police built a nationwide case management system on Appian for its 105 non-emergency service, replacing separate regional processes previously managed through Microsoft Outlook and shared folders.

The Appian Platform centralises incoming emails and case information, applies 35,000 assignment rules and intelligently directs cases according to factors including offence type and location. The solution has reduced case processing time from up to two weeks to four hours, cut backlogs from approximately 4,000 cases to fewer than 50 during most shifts and saved 18,000 hours annually in email management. It has also enabled the equivalent of at least 10 full-time employees to move from administrative triage into higher-value frontline support.

RMBL Investments

RMBL Investments, working with Persistent, has used the Appian Platform to connect its investor, borrower, introducer and employee operations.

The Appian environment spans customer self-service, investment and loan applications, portfolio management, servicing, communications, IT service management, document generation and AI-enabled processes. It now supports more than 5,000 clients and approximately A$3 billion in funds under management. The multi-year transformation has helped streamline operations, with efficiency improvements of up to 72% in some areas, giving RMBL greater capacity to grow without manual effort increasing at the same pace.

About Appian

Appian provides AI automation for the most important business processes at the world’s largest organisations.

On the Appian platform, customers build AI-powered processes that accelerate work, reduce cost, and manage risk. Our platform is known for its unique power, reliability, and scale. We’ve been automating processes for more than 25 years and understand enterprise operations like no one else. For more information, visit appian.com. [Nasdaq: APPN]

Follow Appian: LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X.

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SOURCE Appian

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WEPSEA 2026 Concludes, Highlighting Southeast Asia’s Transition Towards Smarter and More Sustainable Packaging

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SHANGHAI, Sept. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — WEPSEA 2026 concluded successfully after three days of exhibitions, conferences, business forums, and industry exchanges, reaffirming the growing importance of Southeast Asia as one of the world’s most dynamic markets for the packaging and printing industry.

As a regional platform rooted in Indonesia and serving the broader Southeast Asian market, WEPSEA 2026 brought together packaging manufacturers, technology providers, converters, brand owners, suppliers, industry associations, and professional buyers to explore how innovation, collaboration, and sustainable development are reshaping the future of the industry.

More than an exhibition, WEPSEA has become a meeting point where technology meets market demand, and where regional businesses connect with global expertise to accelerate industrial transformation.

Reflecting the Next Stage of Industry Development

One of the clearest messages emerging from WEPSEA 2026 was the changing direction of investment across Southeast Asia’s packaging industry.

As consumer markets continue to expand—driven by the growth of food and beverage, e-commerce, healthcare, personal care, and modern retail—the expectations placed on packaging manufacturers are evolving rapidly. Businesses are no longer focused solely on increasing production capacity; they are placing greater emphasis on manufacturing efficiency, product quality, operational flexibility, and sustainable development.

Throughout the exhibition, discussions between exhibitors and visitors increasingly centered on practical production challenges and long-term competitiveness.

How can manufacturers reduce reliance on manual labour through automation? How can production become more flexible to respond to shorter product life cycles and increasingly customized orders? How can companies meet higher standards for food safety, Halal compliance, environmental responsibility, and international supply chains?

These questions were echoed across conference sessions, business meetings, and technical discussions, reflecting a broader transformation taking place throughout the region’s packaging sector.

Innovation Supporting Industrial Transformation

Against this backdrop, WEPSEA 2026 showcased technologies and solutions spanning the entire packaging value chain, from corrugated packaging, folding cartons, and flexible packaging to digital printing, intelligent manufacturing, converting equipment, and packaging materials.

Rather than simply displaying products, exhibitors engaged visitors in discussions on how new technologies can improve productivity, reduce waste, optimize resource utilization, and enhance manufacturing quality. Live equipment demonstrations and face-to-face technical exchanges enabled companies to better understand how innovation can be translated into practical business value.

The exhibition reinforced the growing role of technology as a key driver of industrial upgrading across Southeast Asia.

Knowledge Exchange Driving Industry Progress

Alongside the exhibition, WEPSEA’s conference programme created an open platform for dialogue among industry experts, business leaders, and technology providers.

Topics including smart packaging, artificial intelligence in manufacturing, material innovation, e-commerce packaging, Halal packaging, supply chain resilience, and sustainable production highlighted both the opportunities and the challenges facing the industry.

Practical workshops further encouraged the exchange of operational expertise by focusing on printing quality management, defect prevention, colour consistency, and production optimization. Meanwhile, the Business Forum Pack ID explored digital procurement, consumer brand development, and policy trends influencing the regional printing and packaging market.

Together, these activities demonstrated that future industry competitiveness depends not only on advanced equipment, but also on knowledge sharing, technical collaboration, and continuous innovation.

Building a More Connected Regional Packaging Ecosystem

Another defining feature of WEPSEA 2026 was the strong support and participation of leading packaging and printing associations from across Asia, highlighting the exhibition’s growing role as a regional platform for industry collaboration.

Official delegations and representatives attended from the countries and regions including the Malaysian Corrugated Carton Manufacturers’ Association (MACCMA), Corrugated Box Manufacturers Association, Singapore (CBMA), Asosiasi Kotak Karton Gelombang Indonesia (AKKGI), Thai Corrugated Packaging Association (TCPA), Association Corrugated Converting Indonesia (ACCI), Bangladesh Institute of Packaging (BIP), Indonesian Packaging Federation (IPF), Malaysia Printing Association (MPA), Hong Kong Corrugated Paper Manufacturers’ Association Ltd (HKCPMA), Packaging Development Federation (PDF) and PRINTPACK Indonesia.

Their active participation enriched the exhibition through technical exchanges, delegation visits, conference support, and business networking activities, fostering closer dialogue between industry organisations, manufacturers, suppliers, brand owners, and buyers across the region.

As supply chains become increasingly interconnected, platforms like WEPSEA play an increasingly important role in strengthening regional cooperation, facilitating knowledge exchange, and supporting the sustainable development of Southeast Asia’s packaging and printing industry.

Creating Long-Term Value Beyond the Exhibition

While WEPSEA 2026 has come to a close, the conversations initiated, partnerships established, and ideas exchanged during the event will continue to generate value for the industry long after the exhibition ends.

Looking ahead, WEPSEA will continue to serve as an open platform that connects innovation with industry needs, strengthens regional cooperation, and supports the sustainable development of Southeast Asia’s packaging and printing industry.

As the region continues to embrace smarter manufacturing, greener production, and deeper international collaboration, WEPSEA remains committed to bringing together the people, technologies, and ideas that will help shape the next chapter of the industry’s development.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wepsea-2026-concludes-highlighting-southeast-asias-transition-towards-smarter-and-more-sustainable-packaging-302871000.html

SOURCE RX (China) Investment Co., Ltd.

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XCOTTON Helps Global Brands Protect Every Customer After Purchase

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LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK and LAS VEGAS, Sept. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As IFA 2026 enters its final days in Berlin, global brands are showcasing the next generation of products designed to improve everyday life—from smart home solutions and robotics to personal mobility and connected living. Behind every innovative product, however, is another important challenge: ensuring customers continue to have a positive experience after purchase.

At IFA 2026, Xcotton is connecting with brands, retailers, and technology companies to discuss how businesses can better protect customer purchases, reduce delivery-related risks, and create smoother resolution experiences. From shipping and delivery issues to unexpected damage, loss, and customer support challenges, every post-purchase interaction can influence how customers perceive a brand.

As a U.S.-based post-purchase protection platform, Xcotton helps modern e-commerce brands protect every order after checkout through shipping protection, product protection, extended warranty, and insurance-backed coverage solutions. With over 1,000 five-star ratings on Trustpilot and strong reviews from Shopify merchants, Xcotton has earned recognition for helping brands deliver a more reliable post-purchase experience.

For growing consumer brands, delivering a great product is only the beginning. International expansion, increasingly complex logistics networks, and rising customer expectations require reliable solutions that help protect every order, resolve unexpected issues, and maintain customer trust. Xcotton’s protection capabilities extend beyond the U.S. Through its licensed insurance intermediary in France, Xcotton is authorized to provide compliant insurance solutions to merchants and consumers across the European Union, giving internationally focused brands access to protection solutions designed for their customers and markets.

Protecting the Customer Experience Beyond the Product

Today’s consumer brands compete on more than product innovation. Customers expect a complete experience—from discovering a product and completing a purchase to receiving their order and getting support when something unexpected happens.

For brands selling internationally, challenges can arise at every stage of fulfillment. Packages may be delayed, lost, or damaged during transit. High-value products may require additional protection, while customers may expect fast, straightforward resolutions when delivery issues occur. Without a clear process, these moments can create friction for both customers and merchants.

A delivery problem can leave customers uncertain while increasing support costs, replacement expenses, refunds, and operational complexity for brands. Customers rarely know which carrier handled the package, where the issue occurred, or which operational step failed. They know only one thing: they purchased from the brand. That makes the brand responsible for helping find a solution.

This is where post-purchase protection becomes an important part of the customer experience. Xcotton helps brands address these challenges with a structured post-purchase protection platform designed to simplify resolution, reduce delivery risk, and give customers greater confidence after checkout.

XCOTTON: A Smarter Approach to Post-Purchase Protection

Xcotton helps merchants give customers greater confidence after checkout. Through shipping protection, product protection, extended warranty, and insurance-backed coverage solutions.Here are some of the ways Xcotton helps brands manage the post-purchase experience:

Shipping protection

Packages can face unexpected issues throughout the delivery journey, including loss, damage, theft, and other transportation-related problems. Xcotton provides shipping protection solutions that give customers a clear path to support when delivery problems occur, reducing uncertainty and improving confidence after purchase.

Product protection & Extended Warranty

For higher-value products and complex consumer goods, protection can extend well beyond delivery. Xcotton helps brands offer product protection and extended warranty coverage that supports customers throughout the ownership journey, providing added peace of mind beyond the standard warranty period. These flexible protection options help merchants safeguard products that represent a significant investment while strengthening customer confidence and creating additional value for both shoppers and brands.

Streamlined claims resolution

When something goes wrong, speed and clarity matter. A complicated claims process can frustrate customers while creating additional workload for support teams. Xcotton simplifies post-purchase claims and resolution, giving brands a centralized platform to manage their post-purchase protection and claims activity through one platform.

Flexible protection solutions

Every brand has different products, customers, and business requirements. Xcotton provides flexible protection solutions that can be adapted to different business models and product categories.

For example, eligible claims can remain open beyond 30 days, giving customers more time to report certain post-purchase issues. For eligible product claims, shoppers can also have the option of receiving a replacement or refund, depending on the applicable coverage and claim circumstances. This flexibility allows brands to build a protection experience that better matches their products and customers.

For customers, Xcotton provides greater confidence when placing an order and a clearer path forward when something unexpected happens. For merchants, Xcotton provides a more reliable way to manage delivery and product-related risks, streamline claims resolution, and protect the customer relationships they work hard to build.

The goal is simple: Help brands turn post-purchase protection into a better customer experience and a smarter business advantage.

Supporting Brands Across Consumer Categories

IFA 2026 brings together companies from many different industries, reflecting the diversity of modern consumer commerce. Several brands demonstrate how companies are reimagining everyday products through innovation and customer-focused design.

Belffin is a pioneer in flexible home solutions, specializing in versatile modular sofa designs that transform modern living. Belffin is designed specifically for urban American households and consumers who value efficient space utilization, perfectly blending ergonomic comfort with functional innovation. Our core signature—the modular sectional sofa—features integrated hidden storage, tool-free assembly, and customizable layouts that seamlessly adapt to evolving spatial needs. Combining pet-friendly, easy-to-clean performance fabrics with robust eco-conscious frames, every sectional sofa offers an ideal balance of durability, style, and practical luxury. At IFA 2026, Belffin continues to redefine adaptable furniture, empowering customers to shape living spaces that truly grow with them.

Eskute was founded in 2019 and has grown into a leading global personal mobility brand. Committed to making technology more accessible, Eskute provides high-quality mobility solutions at more affordable prices. Eskute offers an extensive product portfolio covering multiple riding scenarios, including the T Series electric trikes, V Series retro moped-style e-bikes, NOVA Series high-performance electric dirt bikes, C Series urban commuter e-bikes, and F Series urban all-terrain e-bikes. In addition, Eskute has earned an impressive 4.8 rating on Trustpilot. With global phone support and dedicated after-sales service centers, the brand has built strong customer loyalty and consistently high levels of customer satisfaction.

Yarbo is a pioneering global brand in yard robotics, dedicated to making outdoor maintenance smarter and more autonomous. Starting with the Robot Snow Blower, Yarbo expanded its vision to address the limitations of conventional single-purpose yard robots, developing an innovative “1+N” modular system that transforms one universal Core into an All-Season Yard Robot. With interchangeable modules for lawn mowing, leaf collection, snow removal, and more, Yarbo provides a versatile solution for year-round yard care, bringing its vision of smart outdoor living to life.

Turning Post-Purchase Challenges Into Opportunities

For brands, unexpected issues are unavoidable. The difference is how those moments are handled. With the right protection and resolution strategy, brands can transform challenging moments into opportunities to demonstrate reliability and customer commitment.

This is especially important as DTC (direct-to-consumer) businesses expand globally.

More markets mean more customers—but also more complex logistics, more delivery scenarios, and more expectations around service quality. Brands that invest in post-purchase experiences can create stronger relationships and improve customer confidence long after the original purchase.

Xcotton helps brands create better outcomes during these critical moments with protection solutions designed to support both merchants and customers. By turning protection into part of the customer experience, Xcotton helps shoppers feel confident that the brands they choose will stand behind their purchases.

XCOTTON Connects With Global Brands at IFA 2026

IFA 2026 provides an opportunity for companies from around the world to connect, exchange ideas, and shape the future of consumer products. As commerce continues to evolve, protection and customer experience are becoming increasingly important to sustainable growth.

Xcotton connects with global brands across consumer technology, e-commerce, smart home, lifestyle, retail, and logistics to build partnerships and deliver better post-purchase protection. By helping brands reduce operational challenges and streamline resolutions, Xcotton aims to create stronger customer experiences after every purchase.

Xcotton helps businesses make the post-purchase journey more secure, efficient, and customer-focused through protection solutions designed for your business. Every order represents more than a transaction. It represents a customer relationship worth protecting.

Media Contact: merchantsupport@xcotton.ai 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xcotton-helps-global-brands-protect-every-customer-after-purchase-302870944.html

SOURCE XCOTTON

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