Fintech PR
AFRICA MEETS KOREA IN PARIS FOR LANDMARK BUSINESS SUMMIT
- Top policymakers and business leaders from Africa and the Republic of Korea gathered in Paris on Tuesday to discuss regional integration, industrial productivity and ways to further economic growth and cooperation.
- Over 150 leaders attended the Africa-Korea Business Summit. Speakers at the event included Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Albert Muchanga, African Union (AU) Commissioner for Trade and Industry, Jang Sung-min, Special Envoy and Senior Secretary to the President for Future Strategy of the ROK, Mzé Abdou Mohamed Chanfiou, Finance Minister of the Union of Comoros, Sim Thsabalala, CEO of Standard Bank and Yu Jeong-joon, Vice Chairman of SK Group
SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The Africa-Korea Business Summit was hosted at the Peninsula Hotel in Paris by the Korea-Africa Foundation and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea. The theme for the business summit was ‘Africa-Korean partnership in an era of great transformation.’
The President of the Korea- Africa Foundation, Lyeo Woon-ki stated ‘This summit was organized to lay the foundation for ‘2024 Korea-Africa Summit’ scheduled for next year and to provide an opportunity for Korean companies to explore market entry strategies into Africa and enhance their understanding of cooperation measures, especially given the full implementation phase of the AfCFTA that commenced in 2021.” The Korean government plans to host the Korea-Africa Summit in 2024 in Korea.
The AfCFTA is the most extensive free trade zone both in terms of geographical coverage and the number of participating countries since the inception of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Fifty-four of the 55 African Union countries (excluding Eritrea) are members of the organization, representing 1.3 billion people and the economic bloc boasts a collective GDP of $3.4 trillion.
The summit featured presentations and in-depth discussions on topics including economic integration, trade, industrialization and productivity gaps, and opportunities for collaboration with Korean businesses and investors across a range of industries including agriculture, mining, energy, renewables, manufacturing and digitalization.
The sessions were attended by over 150 participants, including Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA; Albert Muchanga, Commissioner for Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission; Jang Sung-min, Special Envoy and Senior Secretary to the President for Future Strategy of the ROK; Sim Tshabalala, joint Chief Executive of the Standard Bank Group; Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary-General; Yu Jeong-joon, Vice Chairman and Head of U.S. Government & Corporate Affairs for SK Group; and Seo Sang-hyun, Senior Researcher at POSCO.
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a video message delivered to commemorate the event, said, ‘The Africa-Korea Business Summit is an excellent initiative’, adding that ‘Africa stands at a critical juncture and the continent is entering a new phase of high-powered economic integration.’
Mr. Ban elaborated by saying, “Africa is rapidly emerging as the world’s largest growth market,” and he went on to emphasize, “Without Africa, we cannot supply the impetus for green revolution or address pressing global issues such as the climate crisis.”
Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA, delivered remarks during the session on the day, stating ”Challenges in Africa also act as opportunity for investors. ‘Hyundai’ could build manufacturing bases in Africa and ‘Samsung’ could expand theirs, not just in South Africa and Egypt as they do now.”
Choi Kyong-lim, former Korean representative for WTO CTG stated “Geographically Korea is a very small country, however, our trade volume is the ultimate opposite with being ranked one of the biggest economy in the world. But the trade volume between Africa and Korea is less than 2 percent.” and encouraged the participants “to put efforts for enhancing the economic partnership between Africa and Korea.”
Also, Mr. Choi mentioned 2024 Korea-Africa Summit and urged Africa to support 2030 Busan EXPO which would be a significant business opportunity to Africa.
Jang Sung-min, Special Envoy and Senior Secretary to the President for Future Strategy of the ROK who represented President Yoon Suk-yeol at the event said that ”Africa is being elevated as the biggest and the most important growth hub in the global arena. Major efforts for the regional integration with AfCFTA will be the gateway to Africa’s boundless potential. Prosperous Africa accords with not only international community but also with Korea, creating opportunities of new market to Korean private sectors upon the mutually beneficial genuine partnership”
Albert Muchanga, AU Commissioner for Trade and Industry who participated in a panel on industry and the great productivity gap in Africa stated that “Increasing productivity growth is imperative to achieving inclusive growth and sustainable development across Africa.” and “As Korea’s development experience, overcoming the productivity gap by investing in human capital development and utilization is a lesson to Africa and with the partnership between Korea and Africa, the continent will become a key engine of global economic expansion.”
Vice President Yu for International Cooperation at SK Group, the second-largest conglomerate in Korea, said, ‘I am honored to participate in this business summit, which will explore new opportunities for cooperation between the Korean private sector and African countries.’ He further stated, ‘Given the continent’s unlimited business potential, it is crucial to strengthen bilateral relations and enhance our understanding of African nations.’
‘This summit holds even greater significance as it elevates itself beyond a business forum’, said Lyeo Woon-Ki, President of Korea-Africa Foundation, and he expressed his hope that it would serve as a meaningful opportunity for shaping new cooperation initiatives between Korea and Africa.
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/africa-meets-korea-in-paris-for-landmark-business-summit-301927162.html
JAKARTA, Indonesia, Oct. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Nium, the leading global infrastructure for real-time cross-border payments, is thrilled to announce a partnership with Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) to provide Indonesian customers with real-time international money transfer capabilities. This collaboration aims to enhance the cross-border offerings for BRI’s individual and corporate customers, delivering more accessible and cost-effective financial services across Indonesia.
This partnership empowers more than 150 million BRI account holders, including those in remote regions of Indonesia, to access modern, real-time cross-border payment services. The offering includes a variety of real-time payment mechanisms, supporting bank account destinations, a global electronic card network, and digital wallets. These innovations are closely aligned with BRI’s ongoing mission to provide affordable and customer-focused financial products, particularly for traditionally underserved communities.
BRI’s Corporate Secretary, Agustya Hendy Bernadi, emphasized BRI’s dedication to constantly improving customer convenience through innovations in its global network and cross-border transaction services. “This collaboration reflects BRI’s continuous efforts to enhance productivity and efficiency by expanding its digital payment channel network to meet the growing demand for global transactions,” he said. Agustya added that the partnership with Nium aligns perfectly with BRI’s vision to be Southeast Asia’s most valuable banking group and a champion of financial inclusion by 2025. “With Nium’s global transaction network, BRI strengthens the digitalization of its business processes and enhances retail banking capabilities in line with our 2025 strategic vision.”
Anupam Pahuja, General Manager and Executive Vice President for Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa at Nium, shared his excitement about the partnership, highlighting BRI’s extensive presence across Indonesia’s 17,000 islands. “By integrating Nium’s advanced technology into BRI’s platform, we are dedicated to providing BRI’s customers, no matter where they are, with access to exceptional financial services. This partnership will remove the risks associated with cash handling and provide faster, more cost-effective transactions—whether individuals are sending money to family members abroad or businesses are making international payments.”
Cross-border payments are projected to grow significantly in Indonesia, with a forecasted year-on-year increase of 15% through 2025, driven largely by the digital transformation in financial services (Statista, 2024).
This partnership between BRI and Nium is expected to transform the way Indonesians engage with global financial services, meeting the rising demand for modern payment infrastructure and enhancing the overall experience for BRI’s customers in their international transactions.
About Nium
Nium, the leading global infrastructure for real-time cross-border payments, was founded on the mission to deliver the global payments infrastructure of tomorrow, today. With the onset of the global economy, its payments infrastructure is shaping how banks, fintechs, and businesses everywhere collect, convert, and disburse funds instantly across borders. Its payout network supports 100 currencies and spans 220+ markets, 100 of which in real-time. Funds can be disbursed to accounts, wallets, and cards and collected locally in 40 markets. Nium’s growing card issuance business is already available in 34 countries. Nium holds regulatory licenses and authorizations in more than 40 countries, enabling seamless onboarding, rapid integration, and compliance – independent of geography. The company is co-headquartered in San Francisco and Singapore.
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/bri-partners-with-nium-to-expand-real-time-cross-border-payment-solutions-302279138.html
Fintech PR
Grexie Signchain Launches on November 1st, 2024: Enabling Smart Contract Developers to Bring Off-Chain Data On-Chain with Seamless Gas-Paid Signing
Grexie Signchain enables developers to sign off-chain data into smart contracts, with self-hosted or secure vault signer wallet management.
MANCHESTER, England, Oct. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Grexie Limited proudly announces the launch of its innovative smart contract solution, Signchain, on November 1st, 2024. Designed specifically for developers, Signchain introduces a powerful way to bring off-chain data on-chain through user-paid gas fees and secure signing of data into smart contract methods using its extendable smart contract, Signable.
In the growing landscape of blockchain technology, securely managing off-chain data and integrating it into on-chain smart contracts has posed significant challenges for developers. Signchain eliminates these hurdles by offering a robust, gas-efficient system for signing and authenticating data in real-time.
Key Features of Signchain:
1. Seamless Off-Chain to On-Chain Data Integration
Signchain enables developers to securely bring off-chain data on-chain by signing it directly into smart contract methods through user-paid gas fees. This integration ensures that data authenticity is preserved, and its entry into the blockchain remains tamper-proof, streamlining processes for industries relying on real-world data verification. Signchain also supports integration with Google Sheets, AWS, and Firebase, making it easy to pull data from popular off-chain data sources.
2. Extendable Smart Contract – Signable
The core of Signchain’s technology is its extendable smart contract, Signable, which allows developers to customize and build upon existing smart contracts. With Signable, developers can easily implement contract signatures for any data type, offering flexibility across industries from finance to logistics and beyond.
3. Signer Wallet Management
Signchain offers comprehensive signer wallet management as part of its service, empowering developers to manage and authenticate signers effectively. Wallets can either be self-hosted using Signchain’s Docker container for those who prefer their own infrastructure, or they can leverage Signchain’s network of secure vaults for maximum security.
4. Self-Hosted or Managed Service
For developers who want full control of their infrastructure, Signchain provides a self-hosted option via Docker containers, allowing them to deploy the platform on their own servers. Alternatively, developers can opt to use Signchain’s secure vault network, offering a hassle-free solution with enterprise-grade security and wallet management.
5. User-Paid Gas Fees
By integrating a user-paid gas fee model, Signchain allows users to cover the costs of signing and authenticating their data, ensuring the signing process is efficient and doesn’t overburden developers with additional expenses. This makes Signchain an ideal solution for dApps and platforms handling high transaction volumes.
6. Google Sheets, AWS, Firebase Integration with Serverless Model
Signchain supports integration with Google Sheets, AWS, and Firebase in a serverless model, powered by a hosted Sign In With Ethereum (SIWE) implementation provided by Signchain’s API. Developers can simply connect their Google Sheets and configure the contract parameters associated with each column. Signchain will automatically look up the user’s wallet address in the spreadsheet, sign the transaction data, and execute it in the blockchain along with any user-supplied parameters. This creates an easy, efficient way to manage data inputs from off-chain sources without heavy infrastructure setup.
Revolutionizing Smart Contract Workflows
With Signchain, developers now have the tools to handle the complexities of integrating off-chain data into smart contracts. The extendable nature of Signable offers flexibility, allowing developers to cater to various use cases, whether it’s automating financial transactions, supply chain data, or verifying legal agreements.
Tim Behrsin, CEO of Grexie Limited, said, “Signchain is more than just a signing solution—it’s a platform that empowers developers to securely integrate off-chain data into their smart contracts with minimal effort. The flexibility of Signable and our focus on signer wallet management offers developers control and security at every stage of the process.”
Why Signchain Matters
Signchain addresses critical challenges faced by developers, particularly those dealing with off-chain data. By signing data into smart contracts and enabling user-paid gas fees, the platform significantly reduces friction in managing secure, scalable smart contracts. Whether developers need to manage high volumes of data transactions or create bespoke smart contracts, Signchain offers a scalable and secure solution.
In industries like DeFi, real estate, and supply chain management, data integrity and security are paramount. Signchain’s secure vault network and customizable signing workflows allow businesses to handle sensitive information with confidence.
Launch Event and Future Developments
The official launch of Signchain will take place on November 1st, 2024, alongside a virtual event. The event will showcase live demonstrations of Signable, with detailed walkthroughs of the Docker-based self-hosted solution and signer wallet management features. Attendees will also get an exclusive preview of future enhancements, including multi-signature workflows and advanced blockchain network integrations.
About Signchain
Signchain is a cutting-edge platform developed by Grexie Limited, based in Manchester, Cheshire, United Kingdom. Signchain simplifies smart contract development by offering a secure, scalable, and customizable solution for signing and authenticating off-chain data on-chain. Developers can either self-host the solution using Signchain’s Docker container or rely on the network’s secure vault infrastructure. With an emphasis on security, flexibility, and developer experience, Signchain is set to transform how smart contracts handle off-chain data.
For more information, visit signchain.net.
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View original content:SOURCE Grexie Limited
OXFORD, England, Oct. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — n2 Group, the transformative computing technology investment company, announces the acquisition of high-performance computing (HPC) and AI specialists, X-ISS. The addition of X-ISS expands the Group’s portfolio– joining NAG, VSNi, BioTeam and STAC—as it accelerates advancements in technology and computation, underpinned by innovation, technical excellence, and a focus on long-term growth.
n2 Group invests selectively in technical computing companies with deep business impact in a variety of sectors, providing operational support and a collaborative approach to innovation and business transformation. The addition of X-ISS will further strengthen the Group’s already strong HPC/AI credentials, with NAG, STAC and BioTeam already adding to this space.
X-ISS is a pioneer in Managed Services specifically designed for HPC/AI. With their in-depth understanding of hardware and software complexities within HPC and AI, they deliver highly impactful end-to-end services to clients through the integration, optimization and management of HPC/AI systems. The integration of X-ISS into n2 Group aligns with the Group vision of improving the accessibility, quality and robustness of computing solutions to enable greater productivity in industry.
X-ISS will operate as an autonomous business within the n2 Group, maintaining its brand, identity and ethos. n2 Group’s status as an independent, member-backed organisation with no external financial stakeholders allows X-ISS to continue providing impartial advice based on the technology needs and challenges of its clients. Inter-group synergies will enable greater innovation and collaboration, advancing the Group’s position and long-term HPC/AI market impact.
“X-ISS strengthens the n2 community in the strategically important area of HPC/AI”, said Adrian Scales, Snr Director of Investments and Partnerships at n2 Group. “As a respected boutique HPC service provider, X-ISS is helping clients navigate an increasingly complex landscape in terms of technologies and software integrations with AI and analytics. The acquisition strongly complements the Group’s existing HPC professional services capability, and we are delighted to have them on board.”
“This is an important milestone for X-ISS.”, said Deepak Khosla, CEO X-ISS, “The partnership with n2 Group will enable us to enhance our flagship ManagedHPC solution by leveraging n2‘s complementary services and product developments, allowing us to deliver even greater value to our customers. As businesses face increasing challenges with complex technologies like AI and cloud computing, we’re now better equipped to support them with the same quality, passion, and partnership that defines X-ISS. I am excited about the opportunities this can bring for current and future X-ISS customers.”
About n2 Group
At n2 Group we are transforming computing and technology investment with a radical new approach. Our businesses are all established, purpose-driven market-leaders in computing products or services. We stimulate long-term sustainable growth through group-level support in strategy, business development, innovation, and operations. With no shareholders or external financial interests, we reinvest all profits back into the group or to the community, reinforcing our commitment to positive social impact through technological advancements.
n2 Group companies are at the forefront of computing and IT infrastructure, helping clients in various sectors to be more productive, innovative or reduce risk through advanced software and services. Rapidly expanding in high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and scientific computing, our businesses maintain their unique brands and identities, but benefit from the expanded network available through the group.
n2 Group Companies
• BioTeam: Scientific computing consultancy integrating technologies, data, and cultures to accelerate science.
• NAG: Advanced products and services in algorithms, optimization, high-performance computing and AI.
• STAC: Independent financial services technology research and community events.
• VSNi: Proven statistical solutions and data expertise driving innovation and success.
• X-ISS: Industry leading management and analytics solutions for HPC/AI systems.
For more detailed information and the latest updates, visit n2 Group.
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/n2-group-advances-hpcai-portfolio-by-acquiring-managed-services-company-x-iss-302279433.html
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