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Hong Kong Boosts Fintech Scene with Focus on DeFi and Metaverse
The Hong Kong government is now concentrating on decentralized finance (DeFi) and metaverse technologies to bolster its global fintech reputation.
Recent insights from the Hong Kong Institute for Monetary and Financial Research (HKIMR), the research arm of the Hong Kong Academy of Finance (AoF), back this strategic shift.
According to the HKIMR report, the DeFi sector has seen remarkable growth, with its market capitalization surging from $6 billion in 2021 to over $80 billion in 2023. Despite this rapid expansion, DeFi still accounts for only 4% of the overall crypto-asset market. The report indicates that over 70% of crypto businesses have yet to fully explore DeFi’s potential.
The report also highlights the challenges DeFi faces, such as governance, compliance, and security issues. However, it remains hopeful about DeFi’s ability to offer innovative financial services. These services can increase automation and financial inclusion, making them a significant component of future financial systems.
Metaverse Engagement Among Financial Institutions
Another report from HKIMR delves into the metaverse, showing a moderate level of engagement from Hong Kong’s financial institutions. Despite the interest, more than half of the respondents (51%) expressed doubts about the metaverse’s future potential. Nonetheless, certain segments of Hong Kong’s fintech sector are actively exploring metaverse-related developments, signaling a growing recognition of its potential.
Enoch Fung, CEO of the AoF and executive director of the HKIMR, commented on the integration of emerging technologies with financial services.
“The emerging technologies of DeFi and the metaverse, which are closely connected to the broader virtual asset and Web3 developments, will likely present various opportunities for the financial services industry in Hong Kong.”
Promoting Hong Kong in the International Tech Scene
Hong Kong officials are actively promoting the city as a premier destination for fintech and Web3 startups. They participated in the Collision 2024 tech conference in Toronto, highlighting Hong Kong’s readiness to serve as an offshore technology hub for Canadian crypto and Web3 businesses. This event was co-hosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Toronto (Toronto ETO), Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), and StartmeupHK (SMUHK).
Despite its efforts to position itself as a crypto-friendly hub, Hong Kong has seen a series of crypto exchange closures. In March 2024, HKVAEX, allegedly linked to Binance, withdrew its license application. This was followed by the exits of IBTCEX, QuanXLab, Huobi HK, Gate.HK, OKX HK, and Bybit (Spark Fintech Limited) in May. As a result, 17 virtual asset trading platforms remain on the application list, with 11 companies withdrawing or returning their license applications.
The withdrawal of license applications has sparked concerns about Hong Kong’s cryptocurrency licensing system. Hong Kong Legislative Council member Wu Shuo has publicly criticized the system, claiming it undermines market confidence. These recent closures and withdrawals underscore the challenges crypto businesses face in navigating Hong Kong’s regulatory environment.
Source: coinfomania.com
The post Hong Kong Boosts Fintech Scene with Focus on DeFi and Metaverse appeared first on HIPTHER Alerts.
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Gunvor and Quercus announce landmark solar development partnership in Italy
The partnership aims to develop up to 3GW of solar capacity and marks Gunvor’s expansion into the solar sector alongside renewable energy specialist Quercus
LONDON, July 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Gunvor Group (“Gunvor”), a leading global energy commodities trading company, together with Quercus Real Assets Limited (“Quercus”), the London-based renewable specialist focused on international investments within the Energy Transition, proudly announce a landmark solar development partnership that targets the development of up to 3 gigawatts (GW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in Italy.
Under the terms of the deal, Quercus will draw on its established track record of developing renewable projects—from permitting to “ready to build” status—and combine that with Gunvor’s ability to fund, manage, and optimize assets through power purchasing agreements (“PPAs”). The solar sites will be strategically located across all regions in Italy, granting Gunvor the option to acquire and enter into PPAs with the assets.
“Gunvor’s first material investment in the solar space fully aligns with Nyera’s commitment to the Energy Transition and our ambition to build up a renewable power portfolio.” said Fredrik Törnqvist, Managing Director of Nyera, Gunvor’s renewables investment vehicle.
The Italian solar market is among the most advanced in Europe, thanks to a well-developed regulatory framework and recent legislative changes that support the integration of solar infrastructure with agriculture.
“Given the essential role of agriculture in the Italian economy, it is crucial to align solar investments with agricultural preservation to ensure long-term sustainability,” said Diego Biasi, co-founder and CEO of Quercus. “At Quercus, we have consistently invested in renewables to enhance our surroundings. I am pleased to collaborate with a prominent partner like Gunvor, sharing our values and advancing our successful investment initiatives.”
Aldo Della Valle, Gunvor’s Head of Power & Natural Gas Trading, added: “This landmark solar venture will further complement Gunvor’s recently announced intention to acquire bp’s Spanish powerplant and is another step in our strategy of building up a portfolio in Europe composed of conventional flexibility and renewable power positions to enhance our power and gas trading activities.”
The deal remains subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions.
Note to Editors
About Quercus Real Assets
Quercus Real Assets Limited is a renewable energy specialist focused on energy transition investments, with offices in London and Dubai.
Diego Biasi and Simone Borla founded Quercus by establishing a Luxembourg-based fund which successfully completed over €1bn in gross investments from inception in five different successful strategies. In January 2020, Diego Biasi started to steer Quercus’s business in response to the evolution of the energy sector into a more diversified strategic investment approach. Quercus has successfully completed over 40 deals up to date.
Since 2010 the strategy of the company has been founded on the belief that the creation of long-term environmental and social capital underpins and strengthens investors’ and shareholders’ returns. Quercus is committed to developing business opportunities and supporting responsible investments for sustainable income and capital returns while contributing to a carbon-neutral future.
For further information, please visit www.quercusrealassets.com
About Gunvor Group
Gunvor is one of the world’s largest independent commodities trading houses by turnover, creating logistics solutions that safely and efficiently move physical energy from where it is sourced and stored to where it is demanded most. Gunvor has strategic investments in industrial infrastructure — refineries, pipelines, storage and terminals — that complement our core trading activity and generate sustainable value across the global supply chain for our customers. The company, which in 2023 generated US $127 billion in revenue on 177 million MT of volumes. For more information, visit GunvorGroup.com.
About Nyera
Nyera, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gunvor Group, is dedicated to identifying Energy Transition investments, including new sustainable commodities and businesses. Nyera’s trading and investment activities are performed on a commercial basis, and the company is deliberate in entering areas of opportunity that will ensure a sustainable long-term model. Current areas of investment include solar, biofuel, biogas, green hydrogen, renewable natural gas, and zero-emission maritime transportation, among other renewables-focused projects. For more information, visit Nyera.com.
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Transforming Healthcare with AI: Yidu Tech’s Gong Rujing at Summer Davos
DALIAN, China, July 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — “AI in healthcare is extremely challenging. For companies, it requires not only solving scientific problems but also understanding AI technology and respecting the complexity of the healthcare industry.” At the 15th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as Summer Davos, Ms. Gong Rujing (Yingying), Chairwoman and Founder of Yidu Tech, was invited as a distinguished representative of the healthcare technology sector. She shared her unique insights into the future of AI in healthcare during the thematic dialogue on “Healthcare Analytics, Not Moving Fast Enough.”
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Yidu Tech and Ms. Gong Rujing’s decade-long dedication to the healthcare industry. From the inception of her entrepreneurial journey 10 years ago, she has been driven by the mission to leverage the power of technology to deliver precise healthcare to every individual.
Ms. Gong described the past decade as a journey filled with miracles and achievements. During this period, Yidu Tech has progressively established close collaborations with key stakeholders in the healthcare industry, including government agencies, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, insurance firms, experts, and clinicians. As of March 31, 2024, Yidu Tech’s “AI Medical Brain” YiduCore has been authorized to process and analyze over 5 billion medical records, covering more than 2,500 hospitals.
In AI-powered clinical research, Yidu Tech has supported researchers and clinicians in producing over 240 high-level papers, accelerating the application of research outcomes. Additionally, Yidu Tech provides clinical trial services to globally renowned pharmaceutical companies, helping them optimize trial processes, reduce costs, and bring new drugs to market more swiftly, ultimately benefiting patients. In healthcare management, Yidu Tech’s AI technology plays a crucial role by analyzing vast amounts of medical data to provide comprehensive decision support to healthcare administrators, helping them optimize resource allocation and improve service efficiency.
“We are now entering a new era of AI technology.” The development of large language model technologies has opened up new possibilities across various industries. Yidu Tech has independently developed a large language model specific to the medical field and is advancing its application across the entire healthcare industry chain. The goal is to promote further progress and innovation through new AI technologies. However, Ms. Gong also emphasized that the healthcare industry is professional, complex, and sensitive, and the application of new technologies must address challenges such as data security, privacy protection, and ethics.
“Data security and privacy protection are fundamental to the development of AI technology and medical big data technology. We must ensure that all stakeholders are satisfied with compliance, security, accessibility, and privacy protection.”
“AI technology still has a long way to go.” She called on policymakers, healthcare institutions, and technology companies to work together to realize the immense potential of healthcare data. Ms. Gong highlighted that building trust is key, and enhancing data operability is essential to fully unleash the power of data. “It’s not just about better data quality; it’s about a better future for health.”
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/transforming-healthcare-with-ai-yidu-techs-gong-rujing-at-summer-davos-302186561.html
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Yidu Tech’s FY2024 results: existing business achieves first full-year profit on adjusted EBITDA
HONG KONG, July 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — On June 27, 2024, Yidu Tech Inc. (the ”Company” or ”Yidu Tech”) (2158.HK), a leader in China’s AI medical industry, announced its results for the 2024 fiscal year. During the reporting period, the Company recorded revenue of RMB 807.1 million. Gross profit margin in FY2024 increased to 42.1% from 34.1% in FY2023, representing an increase of 8 percentage points, hitting a record high. Adjusted net loss narrowed from RMB 448.7 million in FY2023 to RMB158.1 million, down 64.8% year-on-year. The management of Yidu Tech said at the annual results conference the next day that excluding strategic investments in proprietary large language model, non-cash items, and non-operating items, the adjusted EBITDA for our current business has achieved profit, moving from a RMB 327 million loss to a profit of RMB 31.1 million for the first time this fiscal year.
Management added that as of market close on June 27, the Company’s P/B ratio has decreased to 1.06. Not including the valuation of its domestic and international businesses, its market value is still lower than its fund reserves on hand. As such, management believes that the Company’s share price is still severely undervalued. Notably, renowned sovereign fund BIA has continually increased its shareholding of Yidu Tech by 21.50% over the past two months. The management is confident in the Company’s long-term growth potential and hopes to continually create innovative technologies and increase returns to its shareholders.
In FY2024, Yidu Tech focused on its core business, improving internal operating efficiency and earning quality. Among its earnings, revenue from its big data platform and solutions segment reached RMB 313.6 million, an increase of 41.4% year-on-year. Revenue from its life science solutions segment reached RMB 324.0 million, up 28.1% year-on-year and the gross margin increased by 14.6 percentage points to a historical high of 32.1%. Revenue from its health management platform and solutions segment reached RMB 169.5 million, and the gross profit margin of this segment was 58.1%, representing a year-on-year increase of 17.4 percentage points.
During the reporting period, the Company has continued the development and training of large language model in the medical vertical field based on 500 billion fine-trained Tokens, with model training for 6B, 13B, and 70B parameters completed.
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/yidu-techs-fy2024-results-existing-business-achieves-first-full-year-profit-on-adjusted-ebitda-302185986.html
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