Fintech PR
Tony Markel to retire as Vice Chairman of Markel Group in May 2025 and Jon Michael joins Board of Directors
RICHMOND, Va., March 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Markel Group Inc. (NYSE: MKL) announced today that Anthony F. (Tony) Markel, Vice Chairman of the Board, informed the company that he will not stand for re-election at the company’s annual meeting of shareholders in May. Mr. Markel will retire as a director of the company at the end of the meeting, at which time he will assume the honorary position of Chairman Emeritus of the Board.
Markel Group also announced the appointment of Jon Michael to its Board of Directors, effective March 15, 2025. Mr. Michael is a proven specialty insurance leader with more than 40 years of experience in the industry.
Tony Markel to retire from the Board of Directors
Mr. Markel joined the company in 1964 after graduating from the University of Virginia, eventually becoming President and Chief Operating Officer in 1992. He joined the Board in 1978 and became Vice Chairman of the Board in 2009. Mr. Markel, together with Alan Kirshner and Steve Markel, led the effort to take the company public in 1986. Under their leadership, Markel grew from approximately $60 million in total assets in 1986 to roughly $25 billion in 2016 when they turned over the reins to the next generation of Markel leaders.
“Tony is larger than life and it would be hard to overstate his impact on this company,” said Steve Markel, Chairman of the Board. “He was not just a highly effective operator and leader, he was the heartbeat of Markel with an unmatched ability to motivate and connect with people. I’m grateful to have had the chance to work alongside Tony for so many years.”
“In spite of the fact that my meteoric rise to the top of Markel was a blatant example of nepotism, I am extremely proud to have been a part of the growth and success of this organization over the last 61 years,” said Tony Markel. “I am equally proud of the Markel Style, a unique and distinct culture that has, and continues, to attract and guide some of the finest people in the insurance industry and the various industries served by our other Markel Group companies. It truly has been an honor and privilege to have worked with you and number you as friends.”
Jon Michael appointed to Board
Mr. Michael is a seasoned industry executive with a strong track record in the specialty insurance industry. He was the Chairman of RLI Corp., a publicly traded specialty insurance company, from 2011 to 2024 and he was President and CEO of RLI from 2001 to 2021—during which time RLI’s market capitalization increased by a factor of ten. Mr. Michael held various positions at RLI after joining in 1982, including President and Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President, and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining RLI, he worked at the accounting firm Coopers & Lybrand.
Mr. Michael was appointed interim President of Bradley University in June 2024 and has served on its Board of Trustees since 2016, most recently as Board Chair. He currently serves as the lead independent director of SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc.
“As I end my official tenure at Markel, I am extremely enthused about the addition of Jon Michael to the Board,” said Tony Markel. “Jon brings experienced leadership in the specialty insurance sector that I think will prove to be invaluable in the next chapter of the Markel story.”
“Jon is a well-respected and proven specialty insurance industry leader who shares the values in the Markel Style,” said Steve Markel. “His deep financial and operational expertise will be very useful through the remainder of our Board-led business review, and his insights and long-term orientation will serve us well as we continue to grow Markel Group in the years ahead.”
“Markel Group is a company that feels like home,” said Mr. Michael. “Great people, strong values, and so much opportunity for continued growth. I look forward to working with the Board and management team to define the next chapter of Markel Group’s success.”
About Markel Group
Markel Group Inc. (NYSE: MKL) is a diverse family of companies that includes everything from insurance to bakery equipment, building supplies, houseplants, and more. The leadership teams of these businesses operate with a high degree of independence, while at the same time living the values that we call the Markel Style. Our specialty insurance business sits at the core of our company. Through decades of sound underwriting, the insurance team has provided the capital base from which we built a system of businesses and investments that collectively increase Markel Group’s durability and adaptability. It’s a system that provides diverse income streams, access to a wide range of investment opportunities, and the ability to efficiently move capital to the best ideas across the company. Most importantly though, this system enables each of our businesses to advance our shared goal of helping our customers, associates, and shareholders win over the long term. Visit mklgroup.com to learn more.
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BERLIN, March 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — From March 4-6, 2025, ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show—kicked off in Germany, gathering over 5800 exhibitors and industry leaders from 170 countries. This year’s theme, “The World of Travel Lives Here” highlighted the digital transformation shaping the future of global tourism. As a leading enterprise payment provider in the airline and travel industry, YeePay showcased its one-stop global enterprise account solution, demonstrating how seamless payments are at the heart of a connected global travel ecosystem.
At ITB Berlin, Hua Lei, Senior Vice President and Head of International Business at YeePay, shared insights into how evolving visa-free policies are boosting inbound tourism to China, unlocking new business opportunities.
“Payments serve as the bridge, connecting businesses, distributors, and travelers. We are dedicated to creating efficient and secure payment solutions that facilitate seamless transactions between China and global travelers, as well as between Chinese and international businesses,” said Hua Lei.
During the event, YeePay engaged with global airline and travel companies, system providers, and payment technology firms, exploring collaborations to drive digital transformation across the travel industry. YeePay introduced its one-stop global enterprise account solution, designed to streamline complex cross-border transactions with low costs, competitive exchange rates, and fast processing speeds. By leveraging a comprehensive global collection, payment, and FX management system, YeePay enables travel businesses to efficiently handle international payments, foreign exchange management, and financial settlements. All within a single account.
As the travel industry embraces digitalization and globalization, YeePay is accelerating its global expansion to further enhance collaboration and co-innovation with travel businesses worldwide. The company remains committed to driving the evolution of global payment services, making transactions smarter, more seamless, and more efficient.
At ITB Berlin, YeePay not only showcased the strength of China’s payment technology but also reinforced its vision of fostering open, collaborative, and innovative partnerships to support the global travel industry. As the event’s theme suggests, “The World of Travel Lives Here”and YeePay is helping connect the world’s travel ecosystem through payments.
About YeePay
Founded in 2003, YeePay is a leading enterprise payment service provider in China, offering secure, innovative, and intelligent transaction solutions across industries such as airlines & travel, retail, fintech, and cross-border commerce. With a focus on financial inclusion and technological innovation, YeePay empowers businesses with seamless digital financial services.
For more information on YeePay, visit https://global.yeepay.com.
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/yeepay-at-itb-berlin-2025-building-a-digital-bridge-for-global-travel-through-payments-302403791.html
Fintech PR
TVP AND DEMAND POOL ANNOUNCE UPCOMING LAUNCH OF FIRST STRATUM V2 BITCOIN MINING POOL AND CLOSING OF VENTURE CAPITAL INVESTMENT
AUSTIN, Texas, March 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — DMND (“Demand Pool”), the world’s first Stratum V2 Bitcoin mining pool, announced the opening of the application for miners to join DMND as launch partners today. Successful applicants will benefit from a 0% fee for an initial two-month period, as well as a special two-year founding miner agreement. DMND also announced its venture capital financing that took place in Q4 2024, led by Trammell Venture Partners (“TVP”).
Stratum V2 enhances Bitcoin’s decentralization and privacy by enabling miners to construct their own block templates. DMND’s Stratum V2 pool implements end-to-end encryption to prevent hashrate hijacking and features a novel payments system called SLICE that ensures maximum miner payouts with auditable transactions and no hidden fees. Built on open-source, authenticated security, DMND creates a fairer and more profitable Bitcoin mining landscape. DMND is committed to increasing miner profits while strengthening Bitcoin’s decentralization.
“The Bitcoin mining industry has a key problem which I’ve pinpointed over my 10 year career: mining pool centralization,” said Alejandro de la Torre, DMND co-founder and CEO. “This is why it is paramount that we make Stratum V2 a reality. SV2 will help decentralize Bitcoin mining by allowing miners to build their own blocks. With the release of DMND pool—the world’s first Stratum V2 pool—we help combat this problem – a historic moment in Bitcoin.”
“The mining pool industry is one where murky fee payouts and relative centralization have become the norm,” said Christopher Calicott, TVP’s managing director and founding partner. “By empowering mining operators to securely and privately design their own block templates while facilitating radical transparency and fairness of payments to mining pool participants, DMND will bring a new era to the mining industry. Mining operators of any size—from small home miners to publicly traded giants—will all work to enhance Bitcoin’s decentralization.”
Mining operators are encouraged to apply to join the launch event and contribute to mining the first Stratum V2 block on the DMND website here. Applications for launch participants will end March 28, 2025, at midnight PST.
About Demand Pool
DMND is the first Stratum V2 Bitcoin mining pool. DMND’s revolutionary technology empowers miners with greater transparency, higher payouts, and true decentralization via miner block template creation. For more information visit us on the web.
About Trammell Venture Partners
Trammell Venture Partners, founded in 2016, is an Austin-based early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in highly technical companies in three core areas including Bitcoin-native technologies, security and privacy tech, and applied AI. Since 2020, TVP has focused on backing founders building on the layers of the Bitcoin protocol stack via the venture capital industry’s first dedicated Bitcoin-native mandated VC fund series: The TVP Bitcoin Venture Fund series of funds.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Alejandro de la Torre
DMND: Demand Pool
alejandro@dmnd.work
+351 911 833 264
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/tvp-and-demand-pool-announce-upcoming-launch-of-first-stratum-v2-bitcoin-mining-pool-and-closing-of-venture-capital-investment-302403986.html
SAN FRANCISCO, March 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Sensor Tower, a leading provider of digital marketing insights, announced today that it has acquired gaming intelligence platform Video Game Insights. This acquisition strengthens Sensor Tower’s position as the preeminent source for gaming insights and expands its coverage into PC and Console.
“Gaming is a significant part of the digital economy, and with this acquisition, Sensor Tower is excited to offer our customers gaming insights across mobile, PC, XBox, and Playstation,” said Sensor Tower CEO Oliver Yeh. “Video Game Insights has become a trusted name in the industry, providing its customers with reliable estimates on sales, pricing, engagement, and ratings. We look forward to working with the entire Video Game Insights team to continue to innovate and provide Sensor Tower customers with the most comprehensive gaming insights.”
Video Game Insights is a market research company best known for providing game performance data and user trends from Steam, one of the most widely used video game distribution services. As of this year, Video Game Insights has expanded to provide data for Playstation and Xbox.
The addition of PC and Console data to Sensor Tower’s existing mobile gaming solutions unlocks new market opportunities in the $249 Billion gaming landscape. Top game publishers and developers can now track sales, engagement, and advertising across Apple App Store, Google Play, and Steam, enabling them to better understand market shifts, benchmark against competitors, and drive retention and growth.
“We are thrilled to join Sensor Tower and further our goal of providing the industry with a comprehensive view of the gaming ecosystem,” said Karl Kontus, Co-Founder and CEO of Video Game Insights. “The power of our combined datasets provides deeper insights into market trends, competitor strategies, and user preferences, allowing our customers to grow and scale at a faster rate than ever before.”
With this acquisition, Sensor Tower furthers its mission to measure the digital economy, providing global leaders with market analysis and competitive intelligence across mobile app, digital advertising, and website.
Video Game Insights will operate as Video Game Insights by Sensor Tower.
For more information please visit www.sensortower.com
Press contact: Amber Ellis, SensorTower@ccgrouppr.com
About Sensor Tower
Sensor Tower is the leading source of mobile app, digital advertising, retail media, and audience insights for the largest brands and app publishers across the globe. With a mission to measure the world’s digital economy, Sensor Tower’s award-winning platform delivers unmatched visibility into the mobile app and digital ecosystem, empowering organizations to stay ahead of changing market dynamics and make informed, strategic decisions.
Founded in 2013, Sensor Tower’s mobile app insights have helped marketers, app, and game developers demystify the mobile app ecosystem with visibility into usage, engagement, and paid acquisition strategies. Today, Sensor Tower’s digital market insights platform has expanded to include Audience, Retail Media, and Digital Advertising Insights (formerly Pathmatics), helping brands and advertisers understand their competitor’s advertising strategies and audiences across web, social, and mobile. Learn more at www.sensortower.com
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/sensor-tower-acquires-video-game-insights-adds-pcconsole-gaming-data-302404422.html
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