Fintech PR
At HCI 2025 global minds convene to accelerate the future of human capability with over 13,000 participants from 120 countries

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The second edition of the Human Capability Initiative (HCI), has concluded, hosting over 300 influential leaders, policymakers, and global experts from 40 countries, including academia, private sector, international organizations, and non-profits.
HCI 2025 was held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Chairman of the Human Capability Development Program Committee (HCDP), the organization which hosts HCI.
HCI 2025 welcomed over 13,000 participants from 120 countries to the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh under the theme #BeyondReadiness. The conference saw over 100 agreements announced across industry and various economic sectors, with a total investment of SAR8.5bn (US$2.2bn). Among the key agreements, the prestigious London Business School revealed plans to establish a new office in Riyadh.
This year’s event brought together a stellar lineup, with senior government officials such as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education of South Korea, joining leaders from the private and nonprofit sectors. Global organizations and top academic institutions were also represented, including the World Bank, International Labor Organization (ILO), World Economic Forum (WEF), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and UNICEF, as well as Microsoft, Google for Education, Apple Academy, University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy and London Business School. The conference served as a dynamic platform for fostering collaboration and innovation in addressing the challenges of a rapidly changing labor market.
Speaking at the conference, Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Kassabi, Minister of Commerce, said: “Saudi Arabia today is moving…from ambition to action. Vision 2030 is no longer a roadmap, it’s no longer a blueprint. It’s transformation in motion, reflecting the ambitions of the Kingdom’s leadership and reaffirming Saudi Arabia’s commitment to building a prosperous future for its people and strengthening its leadership on both regional and global fronts.”
During his opening remarks on the second day of the conference, H.E. Eng. Ahmed bin Sulaiman AlRajhi, Saudi Minister of Human Resources & Social Development, said: “Throughout history, progress has been driven by those willing to adapt, to innovate, and to embrace change. Today we find ourselves at a time when human capital is not a subset of economy and fiscal policy, it is the defining variable of global prosperity.”
In his closing address, H.E. Yousef Al-Benyan, Minister of Education, said: “Throughout this conference, we engaged in powerful dialogues and shared innovative insights that underscore the extraordinary potential within every individual. HCI 2025 demonstrated that sustainable human capability development and meaningful impact require cross-sector partnerships, collective responsibility, and strategic alignment across governments, private sectors, academic institutions and civil society.”
HCI hosted a ministerial roundtable, bringing together international human capability development officials alongside leading international experts in education and technology, as well as representatives from local and international organizations. The discussion centered on the theme ‘AI Skills for All’, which delved into strategies to ensure equitable access to this transformative technology.
The conference also marked the launch of the ‘Future Skills Initiative’ by H.E. the Minister of Commerce and Chair of the Economic and Social Committee of the Saudi–UK Strategic Partnership Council. This initiative seeks to foster the exchange of expertise to cultivate future-ready skills across 13 high-potential sectors. The launch was attended by 40 government officials and 100 business leaders from Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.
This year’s agenda focused on pioneering innovative learning models to equip individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in an evolving labor market shaped by rapid technological advancements, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI).
At the conclusion of the conference, the Minister of Education and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Human Capability Development Program, alongside Eng. Anas Al-Mudaifer, CEO, and Dr. Bedour Alrayes, Vice President of the Human Capability Development Program (HCDP), extended their gratitude to HCI partners across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors – both within the Kingdom and globally – for their contributions to the event’s success.
The conference also provided speakers and delegates the chance to engage in Saudi culture, with the venue offering musical performances, traditional craft workshops and the taste of world-famous Saudi coffee.
Notes to Editors
About Human Capability Initiative (HCI):
The Human Capability Initiative (HCI) is the first global cooperative platform designed to unify international efforts and enrich global dialogue on the challenges and opportunities for developing human capabilities. Organized by the Human Capability Development Program – a part of the Vision 2030 realization programs – in partnership with Ministry of Education, HCI unites government entities, the private sector, and nonprofit organizations to foster collaboration and drive innovation in the realm of human capabilities.
The conference took place on 13 – 14 April, 2025 at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh under the theme ‘Beyond Readiness’.
For more information, contact media@humancapabilityinitiative.org or visit:
Program: https://humancapabilityinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/HCI-2025-Official-Program.pdf
Website: www.humancapabilityinitiative.org
X: https://x.com/HCI_KSA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hci_ksa/?next=%2F
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HCI_KSA/videos
About the Human Capability Development Program (HCDP):
HCDP is one of the Vision 2030 Realization Programs (VRP) that aims to position the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a global leader. HCDP will prepare citizens with the required skills, values and knowledge to compete globally.
https://www.vision2030.gov.sa/v2030/vrps/hcdp/
About Saudi Vision 2030:
Under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Saudi Vision 2030 was launched by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince, and Prime Minister, with a roadmap to build Saudi Arabia’s prosperous and bright future through a vibrant society, a thriving economy, and an ambitious nation.
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/at-hci-2025-global-minds-convene-to-accelerate-the-future-of-human-capability-with-over-13-000-participants-from-120-countries-302429205.html
Fintech PR
KSL Capital Partners Acquires JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa

Landmark Luxury Resort on Private Venetian Island Joins KSL’s Portfolio of Unforgettable Travel & Leisure Businesses Around the World
DENVER, April 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — KSL Capital Partners, LLC (“KSL”), a leading alternative investment firm, today announced its affiliates have acquired the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa (“JW Marriott Venice”), one of Venice’s premier 5-star hotels, from Aareal Bank Group. JW Marriott Venice represents the first equity transaction completed by KSL’s European Capital Solutions platform, a dedicated European strategy with a versatile mandate to invest across the capital structure in travel and leisure assets in Europe with a focus on high quality urban and resort destinations.
Nestled on its own private island, Isola delle Rose, just minutes from St. Mark’s Square, the JW Marriott Venice is a one-of-a-kind luxury destination that has become a guest favorite since its opening in 2015. Designed by renowned architect Matteo Thun, the resort features 266 contemporary rooms and suites, including the exclusive Uliveto Retreat. With six acclaimed restaurants, extensive conference space and the largest spa in Venice, the resort offers an unmatched blend of wellness, culinary excellence and hospitality in a setting of rich history. Guests can enjoy a range of world-class amenities, from a rooftop pool with sweeping views to lush Mediterranean gardens, a romantic historic church, kids’ club, padel courts and the immersive Sapori Cooking Academy.
“With its private island setting and strong performance, coupled with Venice’s enduring appeal to luxury travelers, the JW Marriott Venice exemplifies the type of irreplaceable real estate we seek to invest in,” said Martin Edsinger, Partner at KSL. “We are excited to further elevate this remarkable resort through thoughtful investment and enhancements that will enrich the guest experience and ensure the JW Marriott Venice continues to stand apart as one of Europe’s premier destinations.”
About JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa
JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa is one of the finest 5-star hotels in Venice. Nestled on the private island of Isola delle Rose, the luxury hotel offers a tranquil retreat from the city’s excitement. Just minutes from St. Mark’s Square, arrive via a complimentary water shuttle to a 40-acre paradise of gardens, olive groves, and world-class amenities. Enjoy light-filled rooms, suites, and private residences, savor award-winning cuisine, or unwind at the JW Venice Spa, one of Venice’s top wellness destinations. As well as being a pet-friendly hotel in Venice, the property offers pools, cooking classes, and family activities. Its stunning venues also provide unforgettable backdrops for weddings, meetings, and special celebrations.
About KSL Capital Partners
KSL Capital Partners, LLC is a private equity firm specializing in travel and leisure enterprises in five primary sectors: hospitality, recreation, clubs, real estate and travel services. KSL has offices in Denver, Colorado; Stamford, Connecticut; New York, New York; and London, England. KSL invests across three primary strategies through its equity, credit and tactical opportunities funds. KSL’s current portfolio includes some of the premier properties in travel and leisure. For more information, please visit www.kslcapital.com.
Media Contact
Kate Thompson / Erik Carlson
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
KSL-JF@joelefrank.com
(212) 355-4449
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/ksl-capital-partners-acquires-jw-marriott-venice-resort–spa-302441387.html
Fintech PR
OWIT Global Announces Advanced Rating and Rules Solution, Taking a Step Beyond Other Vendor Offerings

OWIT Global Architects a High-performant, Tool-based Solution Optimized for the Cloud
WEST HARTFORD, Conn., April 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — OWIT Global (OWIT), the leader in cloud-based insurance-specific microservices architected solutions to digitalize the global insurance industry, is pleased to announce the availability of a newly constructed Rating and Rules solution that differentiates from the existing vendor options.
The new Rating and Rules solution provides the industry with a flexible option that can easily adapt to market trends, regulatory changes, and business requirements and is configured with a business-user-friendly, no-code tool, creating a visual representation of the logic that includes the resultant values such as premiums, rates, and factors.
The solution can run standalone or integrated (via APIs) with existing solutions through the configurable tool, reducing the need for IT involvement.
OWIT’s Rating and Rules solution has been developed on a modern architecture that optimizes a cloud-based framework. This approach ensures a highly scalable solution that can handle varying workloads and data sets seamlessly in a highly efficient manner. Coupled with strong security measures, including encryption and access controls, ensure OWIT’s Rating and Rules solution is highly performant. Features such as “what-if” scenarios and workflow illustrations further enhance the user experience.
Customers leveraging OWIT’s data integrity solution, Insurance Data Management (IDM), can integrate the solution to run rating and rules against incoming data distribution streams. For customers that are leveraging OWIT’s Insurance Process Management (IPM) solution, the Rating and Rules solution can be used for any process-driven operation, such as Submission Management and Point of Sale.
OWIT’s solutions can offer significant cost savings over the traditional model, where Carriers, Reinsurers, Brokers, MGAs, MGUs, TPAs, and other partners attempt to address their respective challenges of data and insurance processing separately.
To learn more about OWIT Global, check out our website at www.owitglobal.com.
About OWIT Global
OWIT Global (OWIT) is an insurance technology company specializing in solutions built on a unique suite of reusable insurance-specific microservices. OWIT’s solutions include Bordereaux and Binder Management, Business to Business/Consumer Portals, User and Point of Sale Portals, Rating, Document-lite Generation, and Insurance Data Transformation. Each OWIT solution is built on a collection of microservices that allow for unprecedented reusability to deliver an array of additional solutions to solve pressing pain points for both immediate and longer-term business benefits. OWIT’s solutions can be deployed standalone or integrated with a Broker’s, Carrier’s, or MGA’s existing environment to maximize investments. To see the power and flexibility of the OWIT catalog of cloud-based microservices, visit www.owitglobal.com.
Media Contact:
Gilda Migliore
gilda@owitglobal.com
1-833-GET-OWIT X708
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/owit-global-announces-advanced-rating-and-rules-solution-taking-a-step-beyond-other-vendor-offerings-302437599.html
Fintech PR
Cision Announces Successful Closing of Financing Transactions

CHICAGO, April 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Cision Ltd. (“Cision“), a leading global provider of earned media software and services to public relations and marketing communications professionals, announced today the successful closing of the financing transactions previously announced on April 14, 2025, including securing approximately $250 million of additional liquidity.
As previously announced, Cision’s affiliate Castle US Holding Corporation (the “Company“) entered into a commitment letter providing for a series of financing transactions (the “Financing Transactions“) that were supported at such time by holders of approximately 95% (the “Committed Noteholders“) of the outstanding principal amount of the Company’s existing unsecured notes due 2028 (the “Existing Notes“) and approximately 99% of lenders under the Company’s existing senior secured term loan facility. Since that time, support increased to (i) holders of approximately 98% of the outstanding principal amount of the Existing Notes who decided to participate in the Private Notes Exchange (as defined below) and (ii) 100% of the lenders under the existing senior secured term loan facility.
“We are extremely pleased with the success of our debt refinancing and the strong support for the transactions from our debt investor base,” said Guy Abramo, CEO of Cision. “By successfully extending debt maturities, and with the additional liquidity these transactions provide, we move forward with the flexibility to focus on our core businesses, execute on our long-term growth strategy and continue to support our 75,000+ partners and customers.”
In connection with the Financing Transactions, the Company has (i) issued approximately $250 million of new money senior secured first lien first-out term loans, (ii) exchanged, on a cashless basis, the term loans previously outstanding under the Existing Credit Agreement (as defined below) for new senior secured first lien second-out term loans in an aggregate principal amount equal to approximately $1,300 million and €430 million, (iii) amended the terms of the existing indenture governing the Existing Notes, dated as of February 5, 2020 (the “Existing Notes Indenture“), to, among other things, eliminate substantially all restrictive covenants therein and make other modifications to facilitate the Financing Transactions, (iv) exchanged, on a cashless basis, the revolving loans previously extended under the Existing Credit Agreement for a new senior secured first lien first-out revolving credit facility in an aggregate commitment amount equal to approximately $137 million, (v) terminated the existing credit agreement, dated as of January 31, 2020 (the “Existing Credit Agreement“) and (vi) exchanged (the “Private Notes Exchange“) approximately $294 million aggregate principal amount of the outstanding principal amount of Existing Notes for approximately $268 million aggregate principal amount of new first lien third-out 10.00% Senior Secured Notes due 2031 (the “Third Out Notes“).
This press release contains important information for remaining holders of the Existing Notes regarding an invitation to participate in the Private Notes Exchange. You are encouraged to read this press release in its entirety.
The proceeds of the Financing Transactions were used to or will be used to (i) repay permanently in full and terminate all outstanding commitments under that certain bridge credit agreement, dated as of January 30, 2025, (ii) repay and terminate, or cause the repayment and termination in full of, all outstanding commitments and obligations under certain intercompany credit agreements and promissory notes, (iii) fund the payment of accrued and unpaid interest on the Existing Notes that have been tendered for cancellation in the Private Notes Exchange and the term loans under the Existing Credit Agreement that are being repurchased in the Financing Transactions and (iv) pay related transaction fees and for working capital and general corporate purposes.
Private Notes Exchange
As previously announced, holders of the Existing Notes are invited to participate in the Private Notes Exchange on the same terms offered to the Committed Noteholders on or before May 12, 2025. Holders who would like to receive more information about the terms of the Private Notes Exchange should contact Cision at Cision@is.kroll.com. Subject in all respects to Cision’s determination and discretion, and in respect of its right to purchase Existing Notes through open market or privately negotiated transactions:
- Additional Fungible Notes. Holders who contact Cision on or prior to May 6, 2025 may be eligible to receive Third Out Notes on May 9, 2025 (the “Additional Issuance Date“). The Company expects that Third Out Notes issued on the Additional Issuance Date will be fungible with the Third Out Notes issued on April 28, 2025 (the “Initial Issuance Date“).
- Additional Non-Fungible Notes. Holders who contact Cision after May 6, 2025 may be eligible to receive Third Out Notes thereafter. However, Third Out Notes issued after May 9, 2025 may not be fungible with Third Out Notes issued on the Initial Issuance Date or the Additional Issuance Date.
As of the date of this press release, approximately 98% of Existing Notes have been tendered into the Private Notes Exchange. Due to the high levels of committed participation, holders of Existing Notes are cautioned that the Private Notes Exchange may have adverse effects on the liquidity and market price of Existing Notes that are not tendered and accepted pursuant to Private Notes Exchange.
In addition, Existing Notes that are not tendered and accepted pursuant to the Private Notes Exchange will remain outstanding and will be subject to the terms of the Existing Notes Indenture, which has been amended such that, among other things, substantially all restrictive covenants therein have been eliminated. Holders are cautioned that the amended Existing Notes Indenture permits the Company and its subsidiaries to take certain actions that were previously prohibited, which may increase the credit risks with respect to the Company, as well as adversely affect the liquidity, market price and price volatility of the Existing Notes or otherwise be adverse to the interests of holders.
The Third Out Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act“), or any other securities laws, and the Third Out Notes cannot be offered or sold except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and any other applicable securities laws.
This press release is for informational purposes only. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state. Holders of the Existing Notes are encouraged to consult their own legal, financial and tax advisers regarding the Private Notes Exchange.
About Cision
Cision is a global leader in consumer and media intelligence, engagement, and communication solutions. We equip PR and corporate communications, marketing, and social media professionals with the tools they need to excel in today’s data-driven world. Our deep expertise, exclusive data partnerships, and award-winning products —including CisionOne, Brandwatch, and PR Newswire —enable over 75,000 companies and organizations, including 84% of the Fortune 500, to see and be seen, understand and be understood by the audiences that matter most.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Cision Public Relations
CisionPR@cision.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that relate to future events and expectations and, as such, constitute “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but only predictions and generally may be characterized by terminology such as “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “outlook,” “target,” “endeavor,” “seek,” “predict,” “intend,” “strategy,” “plan,” “may,” “could,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including any statements that address activities, events or developments that the Cision or the Company intends, expects, projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future.
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which will be important in determining the actual future results of Cision, the Company and their subsidiaries and affiliates. These statements are based on current expectations and the current economic environment, and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly correct or update any forward-looking statement if the Company later becomes aware that such statement is not likely to be achieved.
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/cision-announces-successful-closing-of-financing-transactions-302440355.html
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