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Unlocking APAC Semiconductor Bottleneck Opportunities: CSOP Solactive Asia AI Bottleneck Index ETF to List on HKEX tomorrow

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HONG KONG, Sept. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — CSOP Solactive Asia AI Bottleneck Index ETF (3499.HK) will list on HKEX tomorrow (17th September 2026). 3499.HK seeks to provide investment results that, before deduction of fees and expenses, closely correspond to the performance of Solactive Asia AI Bottleneck Index (net total return version) (the Index). It has a listing price of about HK$7.8 per unit, a board lot size of 100, and management fee of 0.99%.

3499.HK provides focused access to APAC semiconductor bottleneck champions, investing primarily in equities listed in Taiwan (China), South Korea and Japan. The term “Bottleneck” in the ETF’s name refers to companies operating in critical bottleneck segments of the AI infrastructure supply chain, as represented by the Index. In order to achieve the investment objective of CSOP Solactive Asia AI Bottleneck Index ETF, a combination of physical representative sampling and synthetic representative sampling strategy are deployed to closely correspond to the performance of the Index.

Behind the rapid expansion of AI compute lies a highly specialized supply chain, spanning memory, advanced foundry, semiconductor materials and equipment, power and thermal management solutions, and other enabling technologies. Many of the world’s core AI bottleneck segments are anchored in Asia, particularly across Taiwan (China), South Korea and Japan. The strategic importance of Asia’s AI hardware ecosystem is reflected in the leading market positions of its key players. For example, SK hynix accounts for around 58% of the global HBM market, while Samsung Electronics holds approximately 21% in Q1 2026[1]. In advanced foundry manufacturing, TSMC commands around 70% of the global market in 2025[2]. These leading companies are directly represented in the Index. As of 8th September 2026, Samsung Electronics, TSMC and SK hynix are the top three constituents of the Index, with weights of 21.0%, 18.6% and 16.4%, respectively[3]. Beyond the top three, other major constituents include MediaTek, Advantest, Tokyo Electron, Kioxia, Hitachi, Delta Electronics and Murata Manufacturing[3], further underscoring the ETF’s exposure to leading companies across Asia’s AI compute supply chain bottleneck segments. 3499.HK is well balanced across Taiwan (China), South Korea and Japan, with geographic exposure of approximately 43%, 37% and 20%, respectively[3]. Through this ETF, Hong Kong investors can conveniently access a distinctive niche within the global AI infrastructure value chain.

The Index (net total return version) follows a transparent, rules-based methodology to identify AI infrastructure and semiconductor supply-chain bottleneck companies listed in Taiwan (China), South Korea and Japan. It selects up to 30 eligible securities from the Solactive GBS Global Markets All Cap USD Index and weights them by free-float market capitalization, subject to a 20% single-stock cap. This approach aims to provide focused yet diversified exposure to Asia’s AI hardware bottleneck opportunities while mitigating concentration risk. The Index is rebalanced quarterly on the last business day of February, May, August and November, with no ad-hoc adjustments based on short-term market sentiment.

Ms. Ding Chen, CEO of CSOP, said, “We believe Asia’s AI compute supply chain bottlenecks remain strategically important, supported by their scarcity, structural demand growth and persistent supply constraints. The launch of the CSOP Solactive Asia AI Bottleneck Index ETF marks an important step in connecting Hong Kong investors with this highly specialized segment of the Asia AI infrastructure value chain. CSOP remains committed to translating complex and fast-evolving global investment themes into accessible ETF solutions for Hong Kong investors.”

[1] Source: Counterpoint Research, “Global DRAM and HBM Market Share: Quarterly”, accessed 10 September 2026, https://counterpointresearch.com/en/insights/global-dram-and-hbm-market-share.

[2] Source: TrendForce News, “China’s No.3 Foundry Nexchip to Hike Prices 10% from June, Following SMIC, Hua Hong”, accessed 10 September 2026, https://www.trendforce.com/news/2026/03/13/news-chinas-no-3-foundry-nexchip-to-hike-prices-10-from-june-following-smic-as-mature-node-supply-tightens/

[3] Source: Solactive Indices

About CSOP

CSOP Asset Management is the largest ETF/ETP issuer in Hong Kong*. As of 31st August 2026, CSOP’s total AUM stood at about US$34.3 billion (about HK$269.4 billion). Supported by a robust ETF ecosystem, CSOP offers a lineup of 71 ETF/ETPs and 5 mutual funds across Hong Kong and Singapore**. In 2026, 7 of the 10 most actively traded ETPs in Hong Kong were managed by CSOP***.

*Source: HKEX, Bloomberg, CSOP, as of 31st August 2026. Based on assets under management of all share classes of ETFs (including leveraged and inverse products) listed in Hong Kong, excluding ETFs with multiple listings.

** Source: HKEX, Bloomberg, CSOP, as of 31st August 2026.

***Source: Bloomberg, from 1st January 2026 to 31st August 2026.

Disclaimer and Important Notices

Investment involves risks. Investors should refer to the Prospectus and the Product Key Facts Statement for further details, including product features and the full list of risk factors. This material is prepared by CSOP Asset Management Limited and has not been reviewed by the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong. Please read the detailed disclosure and disclaimer carefully by accessing website (https://www.csopasset.com/en/education/disclaimer_en.html).

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SOURCE CSOP Asset Management Limited

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A complex payment risk landscape for North American businesses emerges for North American businesses, Atradius survey finds

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AMSTERDAM, Sept. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — While most businesses across North America report little change in customer payment behaviour, underlying liquidity pressures and growing insolvency concerns point to a more complex risk environment, according to the 2026 Atradius Payment Practices Barometer for North America published today.

The survey of over 600 businesses across the United States, Canada and Mexico shows that business-to-business (B2B) trade remains heavily reliant on supplier financing. Despite conducting 43% of sales on credit terms, North American businesses are becoming increasingly cautious about the economic outlook and its potential impact on payment risk.

Late payment remains a widespread challenge across the region, affecting seven in ten companies. Overdue invoices account for an average 23% of B2B receivables. However, most overdue payments are settled within one month of the due date, helping to limit receivables ageing and maintain relatively stable payment performance overall.

Beneath these stable headlines, signs of financial strain are emerging. Around one in three businesses report reduced cash availability, while customer liquidity constraints are cited as the leading cause of late payment.

Silvia Ungaro, Senior Advisor on B2B Payment Trends at Atradius, says:

“The striking finding is that payment performance and financial confidence are moving in different directions. Businesses are still getting paid and overdue invoices remain relatively contained, but concerns about insolvency are becoming more widespread. This suggests many companies are managing through pressure rather than emerging from it.”

Looking ahead, businesses identify macroeconomic conditions as the greatest threat to payment performance over the coming year. Economic slowdown ranks as the primary concern, followed by inflation and cost pressures, while elevated interest rates continue to affect access to finance and working capital management.

President and Regional Director for Atradius North America, Gordon Cessford comments:

“While inflation has moderated after a mid-2026 spike, businesses are still operating in a higher-cost environment than many had anticipated. Combined with elevated borrowing costs and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, this is creating a more challenging backdrop for decision-making. The result is a business community that remains resilient but is becoming increasingly concerned about the wider operating environment. For businesses, this reinforces the importance of monitoring economic developments closely while maintaining a disciplined approach to customer payment risk management.”

For more information, visit https://group.atradius.com/knowledge-and-research

Press contact:
Pavel Gómez del Castillo | pavel.gomezdelcastillo@atradius.com

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Comviva Appoints Sanjiv Patankar to Lead and Accelerate Growth of its FinTech Business

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NEW DELHI, Sept. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Comviva, a global leader in digital transformation solutions, today announced the appointment of Sanjiv Patankar as product unit head of FinTech business, spanning digital wallets and payments, payment orchestration, embedded finance and tokenisation.

Sanjiv will lead the digital financial business, driving its global fintech growth across digital payments, embedded finance and next-generation financial services. He will spearhead product innovation, accelerate expansion in developed markets, and strengthen strategic customer and ecosystem partnerships.

He brings more than 28 years of global leadership experience across fintech, digital payments, banking technology, mobility, software products and enterprise-wide digital transformation. He joins Comviva from Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) ePayments, where he spent eight years managing the company’s global ePayments product portfolio across digital wallets, tokenisation, digital identity, authentication and next-generation payment solutions. During his tenure, he led strategic initiatives focused on product expansion, innovation and global customer engagement, contributing to the growth and market positioning of the G+D ePayments business.

Commenting on the appointment, Rajesh Chandiramani, Chief Executive Officer, Comviva, said, “We are delighted to welcome Sanjiv to lead our Digital Financial Services business. His extensive experience across digital payments, product innovation and global markets will be valuable as we scale our fintech business and expand our presence across the evolving digital financial services ecosystem. With the rapid convergence of payments, embedded finance, digital identity and AI, Sanjiv’s expertise will further strengthen our ability to build differentiated, scalable solutions for customers globally.”

Sanjiv Patankar, Product Unit Head – FinTech, Comviva, said, “The next phase of digital financial services will be shaped by the convergence of intelligent technology, payments and embedded experiences. I see a significant opportunity for Comviva to build on its strong global fintech foundation and accelerate the evolution from transaction-led platforms to intelligent, connected financial ecosystems. By combining our deep domain expertise, product innovation and global reach with emerging technologies such as AI and tokenisation, we aim to create scalable, secure and differentiated solutions that unlock new value for financial institutions, businesses and consumers. I look forward to working with our teams, customers and ecosystem partners to shape this next chapter of growth for Comviva’s fintech business.”

Comviva’s fintech platforms have established a significant global footprint, with mobiquity® Pay deployed across 50+ countries and serving more than 500 million registered customers across 70+ deployments, processing half a trillion dollars annually. The company is also expanding its capabilities in digital commerce and merchant payments, including through strategic partnerships and payment orchestration capabilities designed to help businesses scale across geographies and payment ecosystems.

About Comviva

Comviva empowers organizations to drive transformative growth with measurable business impact. Our AI-driven digital solutions and intelligent platforms enable our customers to unlock new revenue opportunities, enhance customer experiences, and simplify operational complexities to achieve exponential success.

From maximizing customer lifetime value to enabling large-scale digital transformation, Comviva is trusted by 200+ global communication service providers and enterprises to solve complex challenges and prepare for the future. With our solutions deployed across 100+ countries, Comviva has brought the benefits of digital innovation and mobility to billions worldwide. As a subsidiary of Tech Mahindra and a member of the Mahindra Group, Comviva is committed to driving growth, efficiency, and transformation for tomorrow.

For more information, visit us at www.comviva.com.

 

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WuXi Biologics Named to Forbes China ESG 50 List 2026 for Green CRDMO and Digital ESG Leadership

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SHANGHAI, Sept. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Forbes China recently released the 2026 Forbes China ESG 50 list. WuXi Biologics was named to the list for its outstanding performance in sustainable development, Green CRDMO solutions and ESG digital innovation, and was highlighted by Forbes China as one of the representative companies in ESG data governance.

The 2026 Forbes China ESG 50 list starts with an initial candidate pool composed of the Chinese companies included in the Forbes Global 2000, and then selects 50 companies with outstanding ESG performance and leading practices across environmental, social and governance dimensions. This year’s list is built around three core themes: enhanced disclosure granularity, advanced compliance strategies, and the use of technology tools, including AI. Company practices are systematically reviewed across sectors such as finance, manufacturing, energy, technology, consumer goods and healthcare, with a focus on demonstrated innovation in data governance, global compliance capabilities and AI-enabled sustainable development.

Forbes China highlighted that data governance has become an essential capability for companies to achieve quantified ESG management, traceability and continuous improvement. In its list analysis, the publication noted that WuXi Biologics has established a comprehensive ESG data governance system covering its global operations. The Company achieved a 30% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emission intensity compared with 2020, and reduced water intensity by 32% compared with 2019, exceeding its original 30% target.

As a leading global CRDMO, WuXi Biologics has deeply embedded sustainable development into its corporate strategy. Guided by the Green CRDMO strategy, the Company is committed to creating environmental and social value through innovative technologies and operational excellence, empowering global partners to advance their own sustainability goals. Across governance, environmental and social dimensions, WuXi Biologics integrates ESG principles into biologics research, development, manufacturing, supply chain management and global business operations, contributing to the green transformation of the biopharmaceutical industry.

Dr. Chris Chen, CEO of WuXi Biologics and Chairman of the ESG Committee, said: “WuXi Biologics’ inclusion in the 2026 Forbes China ESG 50 list is a recognition of the Company’s long-standing commitment to sustainable development, deepening Green CRDMO practices and ESG digital innovation. Sustainability has been deeply embedded in our corporate strategy and global operations. Green CRDMO is not only our long-term commitment, but also an important pathway to empowering client growth and unlocking green business value. Looking ahead, we will continue to advance innovation-driven and sustainable development, strengthen ESG governance capabilities and operational resilience, and work with global partners to promote green development across the industry, creating long-term sustainable value together.”

Sustainability Strategy and Governance

To support strategic execution, WuXi Biologics has established a four-tier ESG governance structure, comprising the ESG Committee, made up of Board members to provide oversight; the ESG Steering Group, composed of senior management to offer key insights; a dedicated ESG function to drive implementation; and issue-specific task forces to advance actions across key topics. This structure forms a closed-loop management mechanism from strategic decision-making and target management to execution feedback. The Company aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and — based on the characteristics of the healthcare industry and stakeholder priorities — fosters systematic management across topics such as healthcare access, technology innovation, product quality, climate change, responsible manufacturing, employee development, business ethics, and a sustainable supply chain.

Through target matrices, performance tracking, risk identification and ongoing communication, WuXi Biologics continues to enhance the transparency and execution of its sustainability governance as it advances ESG management from qualitative disclosure to quantitative tracking, using more granular data to support target management, performance evaluation and continuous improvement.

This governance system also echoes the observations made by Forbes China regarding the material topics prioritized by the listed companies. According to Forbes China, companies on the list generally place strong emphasis on climate change, occupational health and safety, product safety and quality, data security and privacy, supply chain security, and compliance operations. In the healthcare sector, climate change, product safety, occupational health, and data security are among the most closely watched topics. WuXi Biologics’ continuous strengthening of management mechanisms around these key areas — supporting implementation through digital data governance, global compliance management and green operations capabilities — is a reflection of its systematic approach and long-term commitment to core sustainability topics in the healthcare industry.

Green CRDMO Solution

Building on its clear sustainability governance structure and material topic management, WuXi Biologics translates strategic requirements into concrete Green CRDMO practices that span biologics research, development, manufacturing and global business operations. Through innovative technologies, process optimization and green operations, the Company successfully integrates environmental performance improvement, operational efficiency and customer value creation, continuously empowering global partners to pursue more resilient sustainability goals.

In green research, WuXi Biologics helps its global partners shorten the path from molecule to patient, and this greater efficiency also leads to a reduction in environmental impact. The WuXiBody™ bispecific antibody platform serves as an example. With this platform, the Company enhances molecular developability and stability while reducing environmental impact by shortening R&D cycles and lowering the natural resources and energy required to maintain development conditions. In green development and manufacturing, the WuXiUI™ ultra-intensified fed-batch production technology platform can improve production efficiency by 3–8 times and reduce life-cycle environmental impact by up to 60% compared with traditional fed-batch processes. The Company also leverages the advantages of single-use technology for biologics manufacturing, which can save up to 70% of water consumption, reduce resource consumption by approximately 33%, and lower the negative impact on climate change by approximately 40% compared with traditional stainless-steel processes. The combination of WuXiUI™ and single-use technology can reduce the product carbon footprint by up to 80%, accelerating the transition of green manufacturing from concept to scalable practice.

In green operations, the Company — guided by its SBTi-based GHG emission reduction targets — advances carbon reduction, water conservation and waste reduction through lean management. In addition, it shares 242 outstanding energy-saving cases through its WuXi Biologics Green CRDMO White Paper to promote the replication of green operations practices across global sites and the broader industry value chain. The Green CRDMO solution was also selected as one of the United Nations Global Compact “20 Case Examples for Sustainable Development Over 20 Years,” further demonstrating the Company’s leadership in empowering industry-wide transformation through green technology innovation.

ESG Digital Innovation

In addition to deepening ESG practices, WuXi Biologics actively applies digital and AI technologies to sustainable development management. The Company has independently developed a digital Smart ESG platform that supports refined and standardized information collection and governance across environmental, social and governance topics, covering annual carbon inventory, energy and water use, waste management, talent development, supply chain management and volunteer activities. The platform shifts ESG information across global sites from decentralized reporting to systematic accumulation, allowing for continuous improvement in quality, traceability and collaboration efficiency.

In daily operations, WuXi Biologics uses digital dashboards to dynamically monitor and centrally visualize key ESG indicators, facilitating timely visibility into site-level performance, target progress and anomalies, and providing transparent and comparable evidence for performance evaluation, operational optimization and management decision-making. For product life-cycle environmental impact and carbon footprint management, the Company — having transformed complex environmental impact assessments into an efficient, accurate and traceable solution — has further developed digital modules to support clients in advancing Scope 3 management and value chain decarbonization, and strengthening long-term competitiveness in green procurement.

WuXi Biologics has received international recognition over the years for its sustainable development performance, including the highest MSCI AAA ESG Rating; the EcoVadis Platinum Medal, placing the Company in the top 1% globally; inclusion in the Dow Jones Best-in-Class World Index and Best-in-Class Emerging Markets Index; inclusion on CDP’s A Lists for Climate Change, Water Security and Supplier Engagement Assessment; Morningstar Sustainalytics’ highest “Negligible Risk” ESG rating, and identification as an industry and regional ESG leader; and inclusion in the FTSE4Good Index Series and the Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Benchmark Index. These recognitions reflect not only the Company’s continued progress across environmental, social and governance dimensions, but also global stakeholders’ acknowledgment of WuXi Biologics’ sustainability strategy, governance capabilities and practical achievements.

About WuXi Biologics

WuXi Biologics (stock code: 2269.HK) is a leading global Contract Research, Development and Manufacturing Organization (CRDMO) offering end-to-end solutions that enable partners to discover, develop and manufacture biologics – from concept to commercialization – for the benefit of patients worldwide*.

With over 14,000 employees in China, the United States, Ireland, Germany, and Singapore, including experts and scientists in biologics R&D and manufacturing, technology innovation, and operational excellence, WuXi Biologics leverages its technologies and expertise to deliver efficient, cost-effective, and scalable biologics solutions tailored to meet clients’ needs. By embedding digital capability and infrastructure across the full biopharmaceutical value chain, the company turns data, computation, and prediction into transparent client experience, faster development, intelligent operations, and more efficient manufacturing. As of June 30, 2026, WuXi Biologics is supporting 1064 integrated client projects, including 78 in Phase III and 28 in commercial manufacturing, with complex modalities representing more than half of the entire project portfolio.

WuXi Biologics regards sustainability as the cornerstone of long-term business growth. The company continuously drives technology innovations to offer advanced end-to-end Green CRDMO solutions for its global partners while demonstrating exemplary Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices. Committed to creating shared value, it collaborates with all stakeholders to foster positive social and environmental impacts, and promote responsible practices that empower the entire value chain.

For more information about WuXi Biologics, please visit: www.wuxibiologics.com.

*The winner of the “2026 Biologics CDMO of the Year” (Large CDMOs) (Life Science Connect / Outsourced Pharma)
*The winner of the “2026 Best Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization Award” (ABEA)

Contacts

ESG
esg@wuxibiologics.com

Media
PR@wuxibiologics.com

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SOURCE WuXi Biologics

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