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Category: Business

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government sets out plans for ‘e-invoicing’ overhaul to cut paperwork

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Government consultation on electronic invoicing launched

    • Government launches 12-week e-invoicing consultation on plans to cut paperwork for businesses and help improve productivity.
    • Proposals expected to save businesses time and money and speed up payments, creating the conditions to grow the economy, part of the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change.
    • Will help businesses get tax right first time with fewer invoicing and VAT return errors.
    • UK stakeholders and businesses urged to comment.

    UK businesses are, for the first time, being invited to have their say on the government’s electronic invoicing (e-invoicing) proposals.

    E-invoicing is the digital exchange of invoice information directly between buyers and suppliers. It could help businesses get their tax right first time, reduce invoicing and data errors, improve the accuracy of VAT returns, help close the tax gap and save time and money. It usually results in faster business to business payments, leading to improved cash flow and less paperwork.

    This will help cut down time and resources businesses spend managing their tax affairs so they can be more productive. It forms part of the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change for a tax system that supports economic growth.

    Examples of where e-invoicing has improved cash flow include:

    • Australian Government agencies who are paying their suppliers within 5 days compared to 20 days for other forms of invoices.
    • a UK NHS trust where e-invoices are ready for processing within 24 hours, compared to 10 days under paper invoicing. Their e-invoices are typically paid almost twice as quickly than paper invoices, with supplier queries reduced by an average of 15%.

    Examples of the wider benefits to business of e-invoicing are highlighted by software providers:

    • Xero see e-invoicing as the next digital revolution for small firms, simplifying how businesses invoice customers and get paid faster. Firms will save money on chasing payments, improve cash flow and reduce fraud risks.
    • a published business research report from Sage* shows that e-invoicing streamlines routine tasks like data entry and tax filing, driving annual productivity gains of around 3% in the UK, supporting the government’s broader growth agenda.

    The 12-week consultation ‘Promoting electronic invoicing across UK businesses and the public sector’ was published today (13 February 2025) by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). The deadline for comment is 7 May 2025.

    James Murray, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury said:

    As part of the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, we have begun our work to transform the UK’s tax system into one that is focused on helping businesses and the economy to grow.

    E-invoicing simplifies processes, reduces errors and helps businesses to get paid faster. By cutting paperwork and freeing up valuable time and money, it will help improve firms’ productivity and their ability to grow and succeed.

    Gareth Thomas, Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports, said:

    Small businesses are at the heart of our economy and vital to our growth mission. The potential of digitising taxes, speeding up payments and streamlining administrative tasks will provide real benefits to the economy, supporting smaller firms and boosting growth.

    This is why we want to make sure e-invoicing works for SMEs, because cash flow can make all the difference between staying afloat or going under.

    The consultation applies to business invoicing. It will gather views on standardising e-invoicing and how to increase its adoption across UK businesses and the public sector. It also explores how different e-invoicing models could align a business with their customers’ businesses. People can take part whether or not they currently use e-invoicing.

    HMRC and the DBT want to hear the opinions of self-employed people, businesses of all sizes, representative and industry bodies, charities and public sector organisations.

    Topics that the government is interested in exploring include:

    • different models of e-invoicing
    • whether to take a mandated or voluntary approach to e-invoicing, and what scope of mandate might be most appropriate in the UK and for businesses
    • whether e-invoicing should be complemented by real time digital reporting.

    The government will also engage with a broad range of businesses and interested stakeholders to secure their views at various events, including face-to-face discussions.

    Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, James Murray, will host a business round table at the Darlington Economic Campus and Government Hub this afternoon (13 February 2025), where he and Business and Trade Minister, Gareth Thomas, will discuss the consultation and listen to the opinions of industry bodies, regional stakeholders and local businesses in the North East.

    It follows a visit earlier in the day by James Murray MP to software developer Sage’s Newcastle headquarters, where he met with accountants to discuss government support for small businesses and how HMRC is working to deliver its priorities. Sage is one of the providers of software for HMRC’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) programme. A full list of software providers for MTD can be found on GOV.UK.

    Further Information

    The consultation ‘Promoting electronic invoicing across UK businesses and the public sector’ is available on GOV.UK.

    A Welsh language version is available on request.

    The consultation will run for 12 weeks from Thursday 13 February to Wednesday 7 May 2025.

    E-invoicing technology has been in use for more than 20 years and an increasing number of countries require businesses to use e-invoices for at least some transactions. There is global recognition for standards in enabling e-invoicing, particularly in international trade. Around 130 countries have or are in the process of implementing e-invoicing structures and standards (including data they should include and their format).

    ‘Failure to take reasonable care’ and ‘error’ accounted for 22% of the VAT tax gap in the 2022 to 2023 tax year. Industry research** shows that 80% of businesses globally manually enter their supplier invoice data into their accounting system, typically around 10% of entered data has some form of error. Adopting e-invoicing can automate this data entry and reduce opportunities for error.

    HMRC and the DBT want to understand how differing approaches may integrate with current business systems. This will support development of a UK approach to e-invoicing that improves business productivity by reducing admin burdens and helping businesses to get their tax right. There will be no immediate change in response to this consultation and responses will be used to inform future decision-making.

    Enquiries about the consultation and responses to it should be sent to: einvoicingconsultation@hmrc.gov.uk or by clicking a link in the consultation document.

    People interested in joining business round tables and other events to contribute to future e-invoicing policy development can contact: einvoicingengagement@hmrc.gov.uk

    A future e-invoicing consultation was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, on 23 September 2024 in a package of reforms to improve the UK’s tax system.

    This was confirmed for ‘early 2025’ in the Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024.

    The published studies as referenced are: *’E-invoicing: Paving the way to a Connected, Real-time Economy’ (Sage)/ **’Billentis – The Global E-invoicing and Tax Compliance Report’

    Updates to this page

    Published 13 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: February achievements of athletes from GUU

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    We haven’t reported anything about the achievements of athletes from the State University of Management for a long time, we are correcting the situation.

    Hockey

    The new 2025 year has started off stunningly for the GUU hockey team! GUUSI won three out of three games in the regular tournament of the Moscow Student Hockey League of the XXXVII Moscow Student Sports Games. The teams of MADI, EMERCOM and the Financial University were defeated (8:4, 15:2, 6:3, respectively). The atmosphere at all the games was simply incredible. The team showed excellent preparation, demonstrating strength and coherence in each attack.

    We wish you to continue in the same spirit and strive for new victories! And to help our guys morally, we invite you to their next game, which will take place on February 15 at 18:15 at the Yuzhny Led arena at the address: ul. Marshal Savitsky, 7. GUSI will play against the RANEPA team.

    Basketball

    On February 2, the GUU women’s basketball team defeated the Eagles Team with a score of 70:64. The game was held in the WBL LOV Division of the Amateur Basketball League – ABL.

    Volleyball

    On February 11, the women’s team of the State University of Management confidently beat the team from Moscow University of Finance and Law with a score of 3:1. The game was held as part of the 2nd stage of the XXXVII Moscow Student Sports Games.

    eSports

    On February 9, a friendly tournament “Battle of Universities” was held in the Tekken 8 competitive program. The following universities took part in the competition: GUU, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, RANEPA, MAI, MSU, HSE. Our team of cyber athletes took 8th place out of 16 possible. This is the golden mean, and we know that many more victories await us ahead.

    We wish all our athletes good luck and high results in future tournaments!

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 02/13/2025

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Nineteenth International Capacity-building Seminar on Trade and Transport Facilitation and data sharing

    Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

    This event is organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the Government of Turkmenistan, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), with the participation of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the Organisation for Cooperation of Railways (OSJD), the railway agencies of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Iran, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Eurasian Development Bank, and other partners from the States participating in the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA).

    This event is part of the implementation of the for the Digitalization of Multimodal Data and Document Exchange along the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor Using UN Legal Instruments and Standards, which was adopted by the SPECA Summit on 24 November 2023 in Baku. It follows up on the request of the SPECA Governing Council for capacity-building on the UN/CEFACT standards.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Most SEARCHED Army questions 2024

    Source: US Army (video statements)

    About the U.S. Army:
    The Army Mission – our purpose – remains constant: To deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt & sustained land dominance by Army forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force.
    Interested in joining the U.S. Army?
    Visit: spr.ly/6001igl5L
    Connect with the U.S. Army online:
    Web: https://www.army.mil
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/USarmy/
    X: https://www.twitter.com/USArmy
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usarmy/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-army
    #USArmy #Soldiers #Military #Shorts #2024 #MostAskedQuestions

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgG6hGDPO1s

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Crime down in Finsbury Park as police work with local authorities and the community

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    A coalition of local authorities, police and partner organisations have worked together for over a year to significantly reduce violent crime, robbery and burglary in the Finsbury Park area.

    Love Finsbury Park was launched on 6 December 2023 as a partnership between the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police, three local authorities and other organisations determined to work together and make the area safer.

    In the project’s first year, violent crime, robbery and burglary have significantly reduced in the Finsbury Park area, including:
    Business Burglary – reduction of 27%
    Residential Burglary – reduction of 24%
    Personal Robbery – reduction of 21%
    Violent Crime with Injury – reduction of 14%

    During the year, officers from the Met and British Transport Police made over 600 arrests as the number of police patrols in the area was significantly increased.

    Police officers have seized a significant number of weapons, stolen phones and drugs, as well as locating individuals in the area who were wanted on warrant for previous offences.

    Inspector Ross Hickman, one of the senior officers policing Finsbury Park, explained: “A policing framework called ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ is being used to deliver positive outcomes as part of Love Finsbury Park. The ‘Clear’ phase involves targeted arrests and crime disruption through partnership working. Accordingly, much of the Met’s focus has been on identifying and arresting those involved in organised crime, the vast majority relating to the supply of drugs.

    “Since December 2023, a total of 17 search warrants were executed at addresses in the Finsbury Park area in intelligence-led operations targeting organised crime. Further operations are being planned as we continue to work at pace in the ‘Clear’ phase of this ‘Clear Hold Build’ framework.

    “I am looking forward to moving on with the project, and into the next phases. ‘Hold’ means stabilising the area to stop offenders moving in to fill the void. The ‘Build’ phase is focused on community-driven action to address the causes of criminality and prevent it from happening again.

    “Our work with partners, including the London Boroughs of Hackney, Haringey and Islington, will become increasingly crucial. Joint action – like our recent success in securing funding to improve lighting under the bridge on Stroud Green Road – is central to the success of Love Finsbury Park.”

    Caroline Woodley, Mayor of Hackney, said: “We’re already seeing positive results. Love Finsbury Park is building long-term improvements to community safety by driving out crime and tackling the issues that make residents feel unsafe.

    “Alongside the police interventions, we’ve been working with residents, local councillors, businesses and partners to understand and address these local concerns. During this first phase, we have increased our enforcement patrols and CCTV surveillance, and created campaigns calling out street-based harassment like catcalling. We’ll continue building on our progress as we move into the next phases focused on preventative actions.”

    Cllr Angelo Weekes, Executive Member for Community Safety at Islington Council said: “Islington has supported the police’s targeted operations and arrests as we take action to protect our residents and ensure their safety. We meet weekly with the police, sharing intelligence and CCTV footage and work together to engage with businesses, colleges and places of worship in Finsbury Park.

    “We commission a patrol service to detect, deter and disrupt anti-social behaviour in Finsbury Park station, Blackstock Road and certain estates. We know there is more work to be done and look forward to continuing to work together to make Finsbury Park safer and more welcoming for everyone.”

    Haringey Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Cllr Ajda Ovat, commented: “It’s fantastic to see the success that the ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ project is having in tackling serious and organised crime in the Finsbury Park area.

    “As the scheme progresses and moves from stage to stage, it remains fundamentally important that community groups, residents and stakeholders continue to engage with our police partners and council staff from Haringey, Hackney and Islington as part of a tri-borough approach.

    “That way, we can continue to create a far safer Finsbury Park for residents and visitors to experience and enjoy.”

    The first police operation tackling organised crime took place on the very first day of the project, in December 2023. 70 officers executed three search warrants on shops on Blackstock Road which were believed to be linked to criminal activity in which seven people were arrested.

    A recent co-ordinated police operation took place on 12 December 2024, and led to the recovery of 112,000 tablets of Pregabalin (a Class C drug), dozens of wraps of cocaine, £3,000 in cash and several Rolex watches. One man was arrested at an address in Sotheby Road and, acting quickly on evidence recovered there, a subsequent seven males were arrested nearby.

    Love Finsbury Park is a true partnership involving the community at every stage. Anyone with information about those involved in the supply of drugs, burglary or robbery in the Finsbury Park area is urged to speak with local officers, call police on 101, message @MetCC or share what you know anonymously with Crimestoppers.

    British Transport Police Chief Inspector Cheryl Ling, who oversees Finsbury Park, said: “I’m extremely pleased with what we’ve been able to achieve so far with the significant reduction in violent crime, but there is still plenty of work to do to keep those numbers down.

    “We will continue to work closely with the Metropolitan Police and our other policing and local partners to deter crime, and we are determined to make our communities and the railway network safer for everyone.”

    Inspector Hickman concluded: “My colleagues are focused on continuing to deliver results. I am pleased to see these much improved crime statistics, but I want to hear local people saying that they actually feel safer. That’s a real incentive for us to come to work every day to protect the public, deter or arrest those who want to profit from criminal activity and build on this successful first year.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Kaltura Recognized in the 2025 Gartner® Market Guide for Meeting Solutions

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    New York, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Kaltura (Nasdaq: KLTR), the Video Experience Cloud, today announced that it has been recognized as a Representative Vendor in the Gartner Market Guide for Meeting Solutions.  
     
    Kaltura’s AI-infused, real-time-conferencing experience component, Kaltura Room, powers a wide array of synchronous meeting experiences, from marketing, sales, and customer success to teaching, learning, training, certification, corporate communication, collaboration, and more. Kaltura Room is embedded into numerous Kaltura products, including Video Portal, Virtual Events & Webinars, Virtual Classroom, and LMS & CMS extensions, and is tightly integrated into other experience components that support on-demand and live video streaming.
     
    For virtual events and webinars, Kaltura Room adds powerful synchronous engagement functionalities beyond video, including chat, Q&A, quizzes, and polls along with flexible settings. These settings enable organizers to customize attendee participation, such as the ability to easily bring audience members to the stage or create breakout rooms, add lower thirds and interludes, leverage an advanced scene manager, and more. Event organizers can integrate session content with peace of mind through storyboards, content-sharing integrations, and collaborative whiteboards.   

    Kaltura Room is also infused with AI-powered tools that enhance real-time engagement, content creation, and accessibility. The AI-driven engagement agent continuously monitors session dynamics, provides real-time insights, alerts organizers when participation levels drop and proactively recommends tailored interactive strategies such as polls and notifications to boost re-engagement. Additionally, sentiment analysis monitors chat discussions, helping moderators gauge audience reactions and adjust the session dynamics accordingly. AI-driven Automated Speech Recognition (ASR) ensures accurate captions for recordings, AI-driven while real-time noise cancellation enhances audio clarity during live meetings, creating a seamless and immersive experience for all participants. 
     
    Within Kaltura’s Video Portal, Kaltura Room enables organizations to create a unified learning environment that bridges between live and on-demand content, converting real-time sessions into structured, searchable training modules.  

    In Kaltura’s Virtual Classroom, Kaltura Room is the main experience component. It is used by customers like Berlitz, which delivers language and cultural training to students and professionals across over 70 countries, to provide live synchronous teaching and learning for instructors and students. 

    Kaltura Room generates comprehensive and granular engagement analytics that help marketers and learning and development professionals evaluate participation and knowledge retention, optimize content and campaigns, and adjust workflows. Kaltura Room also offers flexible customization options that enable organizations to create highly branded, bespoke engaging experiences. 

    “At Kaltura, we’re transforming meeting solutions with AI. By embedding real-time engagement analytics, dynamic sentiment analysis, and automated speech recognition, we’re creating adaptive, intelligent meeting experiences that redefine digital collaboration. Our AI-driven approach empowers organizations to connect and innovate more effectively, anticipating needs and driving engagement in ways that traditional solutions simply can’t match. We are honored by Gartner’s recognition and are committed to continue leading the AI transformation in this space, and set new standards for interactive, data-powered communication,” said Navi Azaria, Chief Product and Engineering Officer at Kaltura.  

    To learn more about Kaltura’s interactive, AI-infused video solutions that increase engagement and boost business outcomes, visit here. To view a complimentary copy of the Gartner Market Guide for Meeting Solutions, click here.  

    Gartner Disclaimer 

    Gartner, Inc. Market Guide for Meeting Solutions. Christopher Trueman, Lacy Lei, etl. 28 January 2025.

    GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

    Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
     
    The Gartner content described herein (the “Gartner Content”) represents research opinion or viewpoints published, as part of a syndicated subscription service, by Gartner, Inc. (“Gartner”), and is not a representation of fact. Gartner Content speaks as of its original publication date (and not as of the date of this Earnings Call Script), and the opinions expressed in the Gartner Content are subject to change without notice. 

    About Kaltura 
    Kaltura’s mission is to power any video experience for any organization. Kaltura’s AI Video Experience Cloud offers live, real-time, and on-demand video products for enterprises of all industries, as well as specialized industry solutions, currently for educational institutions and for media and telecom companies. Underlying our products and solutions is a broad set of Media Services that are also used by other cloud platforms and companies to power video experiences and workflows for their own products. Kaltura’s Video Experience Cloud is used by leading brands reaching millions of users, at home, at school, and at work, for events, communication, collaboration, training, marketing, sales, customer care, teaching, learning, and entertainment experiences. For more information, visit www.corp.kaltura.com. 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Notice of the Annual General Meeting of Nokia Corporation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Nokia Corporation
    Stock Exchange Release
    13 February 2025 at 15:00 EET

    Notice of the Annual General Meeting of Nokia Corporation

    Notice is given to the shareholders of Nokia Corporation (“Nokia” or the “Company”) of the Annual General Meeting to be held on Tuesday, 29 April 2025 at 13:00 EEST at Finlandia Hall, Mannerheimintie 13e, Helsinki, Finland.

    The reception of persons who have registered for the Meeting and the distribution of voting tickets will commence at 12:00 noon EEST. After the Meeting coffee will be served.

    Shareholders can also exercise their voting rights by voting in advance. Instructions for advance voting are presented in this notice under section C.

    Shareholders may follow the Annual General Meeting through a webcast. Following the webcast is not considered participation or exercise of shareholders’ rights in the Meeting. Instructions regarding the webcast are available in this notice under section C. and later on the Company’s website at www.nokia.com/agm2025.

    A. Matters on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting

    At the Annual General Meeting, the following matters will be considered:

    1. Opening of the Meeting

    2. Matters of order for the Meeting

    3. Election of a person to scrutinize the minutes and a person to supervise the counting of votes

    4. Recording the legal convening of the Meeting

    5. Recording the attendance at the Meeting and adoption of the list of votes

    6. Presentation of the Annual Accounts, the review by the Board of Directors and the auditor’s report for the financial year 2024

    – Review by the President and CEO and presenting the auditor’s report and the assurance report of the sustainability statement

    7. Adoption of the Annual Accounts

    8. Resolution on the use of profit shown on the balance sheet and authorization of the Board of Directors to decide on the distribution of dividend and assets from the reserve for invested unrestricted equity

    The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that based on the balance sheet to be adopted for the financial year ended on 31 December 2024, no dividend is distributed by a resolution of the Annual General Meeting. Instead, the Board proposes to be authorized to resolve in its discretion on the distribution of an aggregate maximum of EUR 0.14 per share as dividend from the retained earnings and/or as assets from the reserve for invested unrestricted equity.

    The authorization would be used to distribute dividend and/or assets from the reserve for invested unrestricted equity in four installments during the period of validity of the authorization unless the Board of Directors decides otherwise for a justified reason. The authorization would be valid until the opening of the next Annual General Meeting. The Board would make separate resolutions on the amount and timing of each distribution of the dividend and/or assets from the reserve for invested unrestricted equity so that the preliminary record and payment dates will be as set out below. The Company shall make a separate announcement of each such Board resolution.

    Preliminary record dates Preliminary payment dates
    5 May 2025 12 May 2025
    29 July 2025 7 August 2025
    28 October 2025 6 November 2025
    3 February 2026 12 February 2026

    Each installment based on the resolution of the Board of Directors will be paid to a shareholder registered in the Company’s shareholders’ register maintained by Euroclear Finland Oy on the record date of the payment.

    9. Resolution on the discharge of the members of the Board of Directors and the President and CEO from liability for the financial year 2024

    10. Presentation and adoption of the Remuneration Report

    The Remuneration Report 2024 will be available on the Company’s website at www.nokia.com/agm2025 on week 11 of 2025. The Remuneration Report is presented to the AGM and adopted through an advisory resolution.

    11. Presentation and adoption of the Remuneration Policy

    The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting shall adopt the updated Remuneration Policy. The updated Remuneration Policy is available on the Company’s website at www.nokia.com/agm2025 as of today and published as an attachment to this notice. The Remuneration Policy is adopted through an advisory resolution.

    12. Resolution on the remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors

    On the recommendation of the Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee, the Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the annual fees payable to Board members for a term ending at the close of the next Annual General Meeting are kept at the current levels:

    • EUR 440 000 for the Chair of the Board;
    • EUR 210 000 for the Vice Chair of the Board;
    • EUR 185 000 for each member of the Board;
    • EUR 30 000 each for the Chairs of the Audit Committee and the Personnel Committee and EUR 20 000 for the Chairs of the Technology Committee and the Strategy Committee as an additional annual fee; and
    • EUR 15 000 for each member of the Audit Committee and the Personnel Committee and EUR 10 000 for each member of the Technology Committee and the Strategy Committee as an additional annual fee.

    The Board proposes that approximately 40% of the annual fee be paid in Nokia shares. The rest of the annual fee would be paid in cash to cover taxes arising from the remuneration. The Directors shall retain until the end of their directorship such number of shares that they have received as Board remuneration during their first three years of service on the Board. If the term of a Board member terminates before the Annual General Meeting of 2026, the Board has a right to decide upon potential reclaim of the annual fees as it deems appropriate.

    In addition, the Board proposes that the meeting fees for Board and Committee meetings remain at their current level. The meeting fees are based on travel required between the Board member’s home location and the location of a meeting and paid for a maximum of seven meetings per term as follows:

    • EUR 5 000 per meeting requiring intercontinental travel; and
    • EUR 2 000 per meeting requiring intracontinental travel.

    Only one meeting fee is paid if the travel entitling to the fee includes several meetings of the Board and the Committees. Moreover, it is proposed that members of the Board shall be compensated for travel and accommodation expenses as well as other costs directly related to Board and Committee work.

    13. Resolution on the number of members of the Board of Directors

    On the recommendation of the Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee, the Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the number of Board members be ten (10). However, should any number of the candidates proposed by the Board not be available for election to the Board, the proposed number of Board members shall be decreased accordingly.

    14. Election of members of the Board of Directors

    On the recommendation of the Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee, the Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting that for a term until the close of the next Annual General Meeting, the following persons are elected as Board members in an individual election:

    1)    Timo Ahopelto (current member);
    2)    Sari Baldauf (current member, Chair);
    3)    Elizabeth Crain (current member);
    4)    Thomas Dannenfeldt (current member);
    5)    Pernille Erenbjerg (new member candidate);
    6)    Lisa Hook (current member);
    7)    Timo Ihamuotila (new member candidate);
    8)    Mike McNamara (current member);
    9)    Thomas Saueressig (current member); and
    10)    Kai Öistämö (current member).

    The biographical details of all Board member candidates are presented on the Company’s website at www.nokia.com/agm2025.

    The Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee has assessed that the proposed Board members enable the efficient functioning of the Board and are qualified both collectively and individually based on their skills, experience and other personal qualities, taking into account the diversity principles established by the Board as well as the current and anticipated future needs of the Company.

    All proposed Board members have given their consent to be elected to the Board and been determined to be independent of Nokia and its significant shareholders under the Finnish Corporate Governance Code and the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, as applicable.

    The Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee intends to propose in the assembly meeting of the new Board of Directors to be held after the Annual General Meeting that Sari Baldauf be re-elected as Chair of the Board and Timo Ihamuotila be elected as Vice Chair, subject to their election to the Board.

    15. Resolution on the remuneration of the auditor

    On the recommendation of the Audit Committee, the Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the auditor to be elected for the financial year 2026 be reimbursed based on the purchase policy approved by the Board’s Audit Committee and the invoice approved by the Company.

    16. Election of auditor for the financial year 2026

    The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the shareholders would elect the auditor for the financial year commencing next after the election. On the recommendation of the Audit Committee, the Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that Deloitte Oy be re-elected as the auditor of the Company for the financial year 2026.

    Deloitte Oy has informed the Company that the key audit partner would be Authorized Public Accountant Jukka Vattulainen.

    17. Resolution on the remuneration of the sustainability reporting assurer

    On the recommendation of the Audit Committee, the Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the assurer of the sustainability reporting elected for financial year 2026 be reimbursed based on the purchase policy approved by the Board’s Audit Committee and the invoice approved by the Company.

    18. Election of the sustainability reporting assurer for the financial year 2026

    The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the shareholders would elect the assurer carrying out the assurance of the sustainability reporting for the financial year commencing next after the election. On the recommendation of the Audit Committee, the Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that Authorized Sustainability Audit Firm Deloitte Oy be re-elected as the sustainability reporting assurer for the financial year 2026.

    Deloitte Oy has informed the Company that in the event it is elected, the key sustainability partner will be Authorized Public Accountant (KHT) and Authorized Sustainability Auditor (KRT) Jukka Vattulainen.

    19. Authorization to the Board of Directors to resolve to repurchase the Company’s own shares

    The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting authorize the Board of Directors to resolve to repurchase a maximum of 530 million shares, which corresponds to less than 10% of the Company’s total number of shares. The repurchases under the authorization are proposed to be carried out by using funds in the unrestricted equity, as resolved by the Board of Directors, which means that the repurchases will reduce the distributable funds of the Company.

    The price paid for the shares under the authorization shall be based on the market price of the Nokia shares on the securities markets on the date of the repurchase or a price otherwise formed in a competitive process. Shares may be repurchased to be cancelled, held to be reissued, transferred further or for other purposes resolved by the Board of Directors. The Company may enter into derivative, share lending or other arrangements customary in capital market practice. The shares may be repurchased otherwise than in proportion to the shares held by the shareholders (directed repurchase). The Board shall resolve on all other matters related to the repurchase of Nokia shares.

    It is proposed that the authorization be effective until 28 October 2026 and terminate the authorization for repurchasing the Company’s shares granted by the Annual General Meeting on 3 April 2024 to the extent that the Board has not previously resolved to repurchase shares based on such authorization.

    20. Authorization to the Board of Directors to resolve to issue shares and special rights entitling to shares

    The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting authorize the Board of Directors to resolve to issue in total a maximum of 530 million shares through issuance of shares or special rights entitling to shares under Chapter 10, Section 1 of the Finnish Companies Act in one or more issues during the effective period of the authorization. The Board of Directors may issue either new shares or treasury shares held by the Company. The proposed maximum amount corresponds to less than 10% of the Company’s total number of shares.

    Shares and special rights entitling to shares may be issued in deviation from the shareholders’ pre-emptive rights within the limits set by law. The authorization may be used to develop the Company’s capital structure, diversify the shareholder base, finance or carry out acquisitions or other arrangements, settle the Company’s equity-based incentive plans or for other purposes resolved by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall resolve on all terms and conditions of the issuance of shares and special rights entitling to shares under Chapter 10, Section 1 of the Finnish Companies Act.

    It is proposed that the authorization be effective until 28 October 2026 and terminate the authorization for issuance of shares and special rights entitling to shares resolved at the Annual General Meeting on 3 April 2024.

    21. Closing of the Meeting

    B. Documents of the Annual General Meeting

    This notice and all the proposals by the Board of Directors relating to the agenda of the Meeting, including the updated Remuneration Policy, are available on the Company’s website at www.nokia.com/agm2025. The Remuneration Report as well as the “Nokia in 2024” annual report, which includes the Company’s Annual Accounts, the review by the Board of Directors including the sustainability statement, the auditor’s report and the assurance report of the sustainability statement, are available on the above-mentioned website on week 11 of 2025. The proposals by the Board of Directors and all other meeting documents will be available also at the Meeting. The minutes of the Annual General Meeting will be available on the Company’s above-mentioned website at latest on 13 May 2025.

    C. Instructions for the participants of the Annual General Meeting

    1. The right to participate and registration

    Each shareholder who is registered on the record date of the Meeting on 15 April 2025, in the register of shareholders of the Company maintained by Euroclear Finland Oy, has the right to participate in the Annual General Meeting 2025. A shareholder, whose shares are registered on their Finnish book-entry account, is automatically registered in the register of shareholders of the Company. The shareholders who do not have a Finnish book-entry account, please refer to the section 4. Holders of nominee-registered shares or the section 5. Holders of American Depositary Receipts (ADR) for further instructions.

    The registration period for the Annual General Meeting commences on 11 March 2025 at 10:00 EET. A shareholder, with a Finnish book-entry account, who wishes to participate in the Annual General Meeting, must register for the Meeting by giving prior notice of attendance no later than on 22 April 2025 at 16:00 EEST by which time the registration needs to be received by the Company. Such notice of registration can be given:

    a)   through the Company’s website at www.nokia.com/agm2025

    Registration by natural persons requires strong electronic authentication. In connection with the online registration the shareholder may also authorize a proxy representative and vote in advance. Registration by legal persons as shareholders requires them to provide the business identification code and the number of their Finnish book-entry account. For further information, please refer to the section 3. Proxy representatives and powers of attorney.

    b)   by letter to Nokia Corporation, Register of Shareholders, P.O. Box 226, Fl-00045 NOKIA GROUP; or

    c)   by telephone to +358 20 770 6870 from Monday to Friday at 09:00 to 16:00 (Finnish time).

    In connection with the registration, a shareholder is required to notify their name, personal identification number / birth date or the relevant business identification code, address, telephone number, the name of a possible assistant and the name and the personal identification number/birth date of a possible proxy representative.

    2. Advance voting

    Shareholders with a Finnish book-entry account may vote in advance on certain items on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting through the Company’s website at www.nokia.com/agm2025, either in connection with their registration or separately.

    The advance voting will open on 11 March 2025 at 10:00 EET and end on 22 April 2025 at 16:00 EEST.

    For natural persons, voting in advance requires strong electronic authentication through personal online banking credentials or a mobile certificate.

    Legal entities voting in advance requires them to provide the business identification code and the number of their Finnish book-entry account. In case a legal entity uses the electronic Suomi.fi authorization service, strong electronic authentication of the authorized individual is required either with personal online banking credentials or a mobile certificate. For further information, please refer to the section 3. Proxy representatives and powers of attorney.

    A proposal subject to advance voting is considered to have been presented unchanged at the Annual General Meeting.

    Shareholders who have voted in advance who wish to exercise their right to ask questions, demand a vote at the Annual General Meeting or vote on a possible counterproposal under the Finnish Companies Act must participate in the Annual General Meeting at the meeting venue in person or by way of proxy representation.

    Further instructions relating to the advance voting will be later available on the Company’s website at www.nokia.com/agm2025.

    For holders of nominee-registered shares, please note that the voting is carried out via the account manager of their custodian. The account manager may cast votes on behalf of the holders of nominee-registered shares that they represent in accordance with the voting instructions provided by the holders of nominee-registered shares during the registration period for the nominee-registered shares.

    3. Proxy representatives and powers of attorney

    A shareholder may participate in the Annual General Meeting by proxy. A proxy representative shall produce a dated proxy authorization document or otherwise in a reliable manner demonstrate their right to represent the shareholder. Should a shareholder participate in the Meeting by means of several proxy representatives representing the shareholder with shares in different book-entry accounts, the shares by which each proxy representative represents the shareholder shall be identified in connection with the registration for the Meeting.

    Proxy authorization documents should be delivered by email to agm@nokia.com or by letter to Nokia Corporation, Register of Shareholders, P.O. Box 226, Fl-00045 NOKIA GROUP at the latest by 22 April 2025 at 16:00 EEST. In case the proxy document is sent as a copy, we kindly ask the authorized person to present the original document at the Meeting venue. In addition to the delivery of proxy documents the shareholder or their proxy shall separately register for the Annual General Meeting.

    A template for the proxy document is available on the company’s website at www.nokia.com/agm2025.

    Shareholders may also use the electronic Suomi.fi authorization service instead of the traditional proxy authorization document. In this case, the shareholder authorizes a representative in the Suomi.fi service by using the mandate theme “Representation at the General Meeting”. More information available at www.suomi.fi/e-authorizations.

    4. Holders of nominee-registered shares

    A holder of nominee-registered shares has the right to participate in the Annual General Meeting by virtue of such shares, based on which they on the record date of the Annual General Meeting, i.e. on 15 April 2025, would be entitled to be registered in the shareholders’ register of the Company held by Euroclear Finland Oy. The right to participate in the Meeting requires, in addition, that the shareholder on the basis of such shares has been registered into the temporary shareholders’ register held by Euroclear Finland Oy at the latest by 24 April 2025 by 14:00 EEST. As regards nominee-registered shares this constitutes due registration for the Annual General Meeting.

    A holder of nominee-registered shares is advised to request without delay necessary instructions regarding the temporary registration in the shareholders’ register of the Company, the issuing of proxy authorization documents and registration for the Annual General Meeting from their custodian bank.

    The account manager of the custodian bank shall temporarily register a holder of nominee-registered shares, who wants to participate in the Annual General Meeting, into the shareholders’ register of the Company, and if necessary, arrange advance voting on behalf of the holder of nominee-registered shares in accordance with their voting instructions at latest by the time stated above, 24 April 2025 at 14:00 EEST.

    In order to take into consideration possible voting instructions of a holder of nominee registered shares at the Annual General Meeting, it is required that the shareholder has registered and is present or represented at the Annual General Meeting.

    For the sake of clarity, it is noted that holders of nominee-registered shares cannot register for the Annual General Meeting on the Company’s website, but they must be registered by their custodians instead. Further information on these matters can also be found on the Company’s website www.nokia.com/agm2025.

    5. Holders of American Depositary Receipts (ADR)

    A holder of American Depositary Shares (ADR) intending to vote at the Meeting shall without delay notify the Depositary Bank of Nokia, Citibank, N.A., of their intention and shall comply with the instructions provided by Citibank, N.A.

    6. Other instructions and information

    Information on the General Meeting required by the Finnish Companies Act and the Securities Markets Act is available on the Company’s website at www.nokia.com/agm2025. Pursuant to Chapter 5, Section 25 of the Finnish Companies Act, a shareholder who has given prior notice of attendance and is present at the Annual General Meeting has the right to request information with respect to the matters to be considered at the Meeting.

    The shareholders, their representatives and possible assistants are required to prove their identity at the entrance. The personal data collected will only be used in connection with the identity authentications and necessary registrations at the Annual General Meeting and related to it. For more information, please refer to the privacy statement of the Annual General Meeting on the Company’s aforementioned website.

    The Meeting venue can be easily reached by public transportation connections. The shareholders are asked to note that parking is subject to a charge at the nearby parking facilities.

    The Meeting will be conducted primarily in Finnish, but some presentations, such as the review by the President and CEO, will be held in English. Simultaneous translation will be available into Finnish, English and Swedish.

    Shareholders may follow the Meeting via a webcast and ask questions on the agenda items during the AGM through the webcast platform. Following the webcast is not considered participation or exercise of shareholders’ rights in the Meeting. No questions asked through the webcast are deemed to be presented pursuant to Chapter 5, Section 25 of the Finnish Companies Act. The questions may be considered in the Annual General Meeting in connection with each agenda item to the extent deemed appropriate by the Chair of the Meeting. More information on following the webcast will be later available on the Company’s website at www.nokia.com/agm2025.

    Changes in the number of shares held after the record date of the Annual General Meeting shall not have an effect on the right to participate in the Meeting nor on the number of votes held by a shareholder in the Meeting.

    On the date of this notice of the Annual General Meeting the total number of shares in Nokia Corporation is 5 605 850 345, representing the same number of votes.

    13 February 2025

    Nokia Corporation
    BOARD OF DIRECTORS

    About Nokia
    At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

    As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs, which is celebrating 100 years of innovation.

    With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

    Inquiries:

    Nokia Communications
    Phone: +358 10 448 4900
    Email: press.services@nokia.com
    Maria Vaismaa, Global Head of External Communications

    Nokia Investor Relations
    Phone: +358 931 580 507
    Email: investor.relations@nokia.com

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: GraniteShares launches new leveraged ETFs on Intel, Dell and Qualcomm

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    GraniteShares 2x Long QCOM Daily ETF (QCML)

    GraniteShares 2x Long DELL Daily ETF (DLLL)

    GraniteShares 2x Long INTC Daily ETF (INTW)

    New York, New York, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GraniteShares launches another three leveraged single stock ETFs to its growing suite of funds. The ETFs provide investors leveraged exposure to Dell (DELL), Intel (INTC) and Qualcomm (QCOM).

    On February 13, 2025, GraniteShares introduces:

    • GraniteShares 2x Long QCOM Daily ETF (QCML)
    • GraniteShares 2x Long DELL Daily ETF (DLLL)
    • GraniteShares 2x Long INTC Daily ETF (INTW)

    Each of these funds is designed for those who are bullish on the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution and are looking for enhanced ways to trade Qualcomm, Dell Technologies, and Intel. By leveraging their performance with a two-times multiplier, investors have an opportunity to amplify gains or losses on upward or downward movements.

    GraniteShares continues to be a pioneer in the leveraged single-stock ETFs space. This launch expands its offerings significantly to twenty three short and leveraged single stock ETFs.

    Link to Prospectus: https://graniteshares.com/media/iyrbedwg/graniteshares-etf-trust-s-l-single-stock-etfs-prospectus.pdf

    What Makes These ETFs Unique?

    These three new ETFs represent the first leveraged single stock ETFs on these names. Leveraged single stock ETFs have proved themselves to be popular with investors as they can be bought and sold from ordinary brokerage accounts. Although the ETFs are leveraged, there are no margin calls for investors and investors control when to buy or sell. Many leveraged single stock ETFs have an active options ecosystem allowing for futher ways to trade around the underlying stock.

    YieldBoost: https://graniteshares.com/institutional/us/en-us/etfs/tsyy/

    Graniteshares recently entered the options income space with an innovative new offering called YieldBoost. The first ETF in the YieldBoost offering; GraniteShares YieldBoost TSLA (TSYY) is an ETF that sells put options to generate income for investors. TSYY made its first distribution in late January and as at Feb 7th, 2025 has an annualized yield of 35.11%, a 30-Day SEC Yield of -3.03%, & 7.9% Total Return in Just Over a Month as of January 31, 2025!

    About GraniteShares:

    GraniteShares is a global investment firm dedicated to creating and managing ETFs. Headquartered in New York City, GraniteShares provides products on U.S., U.K, German, French & Italian stock exchanges. The firm is a market leader in leveraged single-stock ETFs and provides innovative, cutting-edge investment solutions for the high conviction investor.

    Founded in 2016, GraniteShares is an ETF provider focused on providing innovative, cutting-edge alternative investment solutions. Its U.S. ETF offerings include a broad-based commodity index fund, physically backed gold and platinum funds and a high-income pass-through securities index fund.

    GraniteShares also offers a suite of leveraged single stock ETFs, including those targeting NVIDIA, Coinbase and Tesla. The company has over $9 billion in assets under management as of February 6th, 2025.

    For complete information about GraniteShares YieldBOOST ETF, please visit:
    https://graniteshares.com/institutional/us/en-us/

    Media Contact:

    GraniteShares Inc.
    Attn: Media Relations
    222 Broadway, 21 Floor,
    New York, NY, 10038
    844-476-8747
    info@graniteshares.com

    RISK FACTORS AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION

    This material must be preceded or accompanied by a Prospectus. Carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risk factors, charges and expenses before investing. Please read the prospectus before investing.

    The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The investment program of the funds is speculative, entails substantial risks and include asset classes and investment techniques not employed by most ETFs and mutual funds. Investments in the ETFs are not bank deposits and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day.

    The Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results and is intended to be used as short-term trading vehicles. This Fund attempts to provide daily investment results that correspond to the respective long leveraged multiple of the performance of its underlying stock (a Leverage Long Fund).

    Investors should note that such Leverage Long Fund pursues daily leveraged investment objectives, which means that the Fund is riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage because the Fund magnifies the performance of its underlying stock. The volatility of the underlying security may affect a Funds’ return as much as, or more than, the return of the underlying security.

    Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Stock over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day.

    Shares are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the ETF. There can be no guarantee that an active trading market for ETF shares will develop or be maintained, or that their listing will continue or remain unchanged. Buying or selling ETF shares on an exchange may require the payment of brokerage commissions and frequent trading may incur brokerage costs that detract significantly from investment returns.

    An investment in the Fund involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The Fund is non-diversified and includes risks associated with the Fund concentrating its investments in a particular industry, sector, or geographic region which can result in increased volatility. The use of derivatives such as futures contracts and swaps are subject to market risks that may cause their price to fluctuate over time. Risks of the Fund include Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk, Leverage Risk, Market Risk, Counterparty Risk, Rebalancing Risk, Intra-Day Investment Risk, Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk, and risks specific to the securities of the Underlying Stock and the sector in which it operates. These and other risks can be found in the prospectus.

    This information is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy shares of any Funds to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Fund shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws. You could lose money by investing in the ETFs. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Funds will be achieved. None of the Funds should be relied upon as a complete investment program.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Locafy Introduces Localizer, a Powerful Solution to Boost Local Search Visibility and Drive Partner-Led Growth

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Recurring revenue growth from partners exceeds $35,000 per month after a few weeks
    • $25,000 in monthly cost reductions anticipated after converting salaried sales staff to Partners program
    • Scalable-location based digital marketing solution appeals to multi-location businesses

    PERTH, Australia, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Locafy Limited (Nasdaq: LCFY, LCFYW) (“Locafy” or the “Company”), a globally recognized leader in location based digital marketing solutions, with market leading SEO capabilities, today announced the launch of Localizer, a powerful solution designed to help businesses improve their online visibility and rank higher in local search results.

    With 46% of Google searches seeking local products and services, businesses absent from Page 1 search results miss substantial revenue opportunities. While traditional SEO approaches demand significant time and resources, Localizer provides an innovative, scalable solution to enhance local search visibility—at a fraction of the time and cost.

    “The majority of organic traffic to local businesses websites comes through Google’s Local Pack or via organic search results – our Localizer product delivers local search prominence and visibility in both,” said Locafy CEO Gavin Burnett.

    Transition to a Partner-Led Model
    As part of Locafy’s broader strategic shift, the Company is transitioning its resellers into its partner program “Partners,” where partners manage the client relationship. At the same time, Locafy oversees technology service delivery and maintains the billing relationship. This model fosters a more scalable approach while empowering partners to grow their businesses with Locafy’s innovative solutions without having to worry about service delivery.

    Additionally, key salespeople of the Company have transitioned from salaried positions to partners, further reducing fixed costs while creating a direct incentive to drive revenue. This shift has already begun yielding results, with Locafy’s new partners generating over $35,000 in new monthly recurring revenue and a strong pipeline of additional opportunities. At the same time, cost reductions in direct sales staff of more than $25,000 per month will come into full effect in the June quarter.

    Localizer: A Smarter Approach to Local SEO
    Locafy’s Localizer is a turnkey local SEO solution that accelerates businesses’ search rankings by optimizing their presence across multiple digital touchpoints. The four-step approach includes:

    • Syndicating Business Listings – Distributing consistent, authoritative business profiles across 120+ directories, apps, maps, and voice search platforms
    • Deploying Optimized Landing Pages – Creating independent, high-ranking web pages that target valuable local keywords without modifying existing business websites
    • Enhancing Google Business Profile Visibility – Optimizing GBP and applying SEO technology to boost Local Pack rankings, where nearly 44% of mobile search clicks occur
    • Publishing Relevant Articles – Producing high-quality content that targets key search intent categories to increase brand authority and organic search prominence

    The Localizer product is at the forefront of Partners as Locafy winds down older product versions, focusing on a standard location-based digital marketing solution with articles available as an add-on module. The combination of listings, landing pages and local pack covers all the search query intent of consumers – transactional, navigational, commercial and information. Each component provides the opportunity for online visibility depending on the search intent of the consumer.

    Scalable Solutions for Multi-Location Businesses
    Locafy anticipates strong demand for Localizer, particularly among larger, multi-location businesses. The platform provides a comprehensive, cost-efficient digital marketing solution that can be deployed at scale, helping brands improve their local search performance while ensuring consistency across multiple locations.

    “With Localizer, we’re not only offering a cutting-edge location based digital marketing solution but also redefining how businesses engage with digital marketing and SEO through our partner program, Partners,” added Burnett. “By aligning incentives and streamlining service delivery, we are positioning Locafy for accelerated growth while empowering our partners to succeed.”

    “We’ve only just started with the transition process and we believe it has yielded great results so far. We aim to get across all existing resellers by the end of the March quarter and complete the transition process by then.”

    For more information about Locafy’s technology, including educational blogs and case studies, please visit Locafy’s investor relations website at investor.locafy.com.

    About Locafy
    Locafy (Nasdaq: LCFY, LCFYW) is a globally recognized software-as-a-service technology company specializing in local search engine marketing. Founded in 2009, Locafy’s mission is to revolutionize the US$700 billion SEO sector. We help businesses and brands increase search engine relevance and prominence in a specific proximity using a fast, easy, and automated approach. For more information, please visit www.locafy.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as “subject to”, “believe,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “project,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “can,” the negatives thereof, variations thereon and similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed with the SEC on November 12, 2024, as amended, and available on its website (www.sec.gov). All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.

    Investor Relations Contact
    Matt Glover
    Gateway Group, Inc.
    (949) 574-3860
    LCFY@gateway-grp.com 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: 1m Launches Risk Intelligence Network to Help Healthcare Providers Respond to Federal Policy Changes

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Initiative equips providers with critical data and intelligence to navigate shifting federal policies on healthcare funding, reimbursement and eligibility

    More than fifteen health systems engaged in the first week

    NEW YORK, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — 1m, a data and analytics technology company serving the risk management needs of healthcare organizations, today announced the launch of a national standardized risk assessment to help healthcare providers stay ahead of critical changes in federal healthcare policy. The initiative will include leading healthcare providers across the country to provide an objective and data-based analysis of emerging risks and their potential impact. More than fifteen health systems are already engaged and preparing to participate.

    The assessment will be made available to participating healthcare providers. Interested parties can contact intelligence@1mplatform.com to inquire about participating.

    “Health systems are scrambling to assess the flurry of policy shifts and emerging risks independently,” said Chris Giuliano, co-CEO and CTO of 1m. “We’ve seen this reactive cycle before—in response to COVID-19, cybersecurity threats, and inflation. It’s time to break the cycle. This intelligence network will standardize risk assessments and help providers align on responsive strategies.”

    1m will survey a consortium of health systems to create an anonymized national healthcare risk dataset. That data will be used to create standardized reports and executive-ready guidance for risk managers, business leaders and boards. The initial assessments will focus on the recent policy changes proposed by Congress and the new administration, and their potential impact on providers, e.g.:

    • Medicaid funding cuts and eligibility requirements
    • Medicare funding cuts and drug pricing negotiations
    • Reductions related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
    • Inflationary pressures as a result of new tariffs
    • Cuts in funding for public health agencies
    • Impact of immigration policy on staffing

    All participating health systems will have access to the in-depth, data-driven outputs, including:

    • Consensus risk assessments
    • Information on risk quantification methods
    • Benchmarking insights showing the distribution of responses across peer organizations
    • A catalog of common mitigation strategies for each risk
    • Highlighted expert insights summarizing the most valuable qualitative feedback
    • Executive and Board-ready presentations summarizing results
    • The option for 1m to customize the results for their organization

    The initial survey will be conducted during the month of February, with results available to participating organizations in early March.  

    1m recently raised a Series A financing, announced in December 2024, which included participation from five leading healthcare systems.

    About 1m

    1m is a data and analytics technology company serving large healthcare organizations through a B2B SaaS model. Led by former Goldman Sachs healthcare investment bankers Jeff Ellis and Chris Giuliano, 1m is setting the standard for risk management in healthcare, with an end-to-end risk management solution designed for Enterprise Risk, Internal Audit, Compliance, and Finance teams. The platform leverages robust data, analytics and monitoring tools that integrate seamlessly into existing risk management workflows to deliver timely, high-ROI decision support.

    For more information, visit https://www.1mplatform.com/.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Magnite to Participate in the Susquehanna Financial Group 14th Annual Technology Conference

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Magnite (Nasdaq: MGNI), the largest independent sell-side advertising company, today announced that members of its executive team will host in-person investor meetings at the Susquehanna Financial Group 14th Annual Technology Conference in New York City on Thursday, February 27, 2025.

    About Magnite

    We’re Magnite (NASDAQ: MGNI), the world’s largest independent sell-side advertising company. Publishers use our technology to monetize their content across all screens and formats including CTV, online video, display, and audio. The world’s leading agencies and brands trust our platform to access brand-safe, high-quality ad inventory and execute billions of advertising transactions each month. Anchored in bustling New York City, sunny Los Angeles, mile high Denver, historic London, colorful Singapore and down under in Sydney, Magnite has offices across North America, EMEA, LATAM, and APAC.

    Investor Relations Contact
    Nick Kormeluk, 949-500-0003
    nkormeluk@magnite.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Expand Energy Corporation Appoints Dan Turco Executive Vice President, Marketing & Commercial

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    OKLAHOMA CITY, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: EXE) (“Expand Energy”) today announced that Dan Turco has been appointed Executive Vice President, Marketing & Commercial, effective February 18, 2025.

    “With nearly two decades of experience in global upstream natural gas marketing and trading, Dan is a key addition to our team as we work to expand energy access to markets in need and grow our customer base to power, industrial and LNG markets,” said Nick Dell’Osso, Expand Energy’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “His leadership will be instrumental in building a world-class marketing organization to capitalize on our role as the leading natural gas producer in the United States.”

    “Expand Energy has a bold vision to address global energy insecurity, and I am honored to join the team as they lead the industry in this effort,” Turco said. “I believe this company, given its team, portfolio and financial strength, is uniquely positioned to deliver affordable, reliable, lower carbon energy to meet growing domestic and international demand.”

    Prior to joining Expand Energy, Mr. Turco spent nearly 20 years with ExxonMobil in various leadership roles in upstream natural gas marketing and trading, spanning LNG, U.S., Europe and Asia gas markets. Most recently, he served as Head of Global LNG Trading / Head of Asia Gas & Power Marketing in Singapore. Mr. Turco earned an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University (Canada) and an Honors Bachelor of Applied Science, Civil Engineering & Management Science from the University of Waterloo (Canada).

    About Expand Energy
    Expand Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: EXE) is the largest independent natural gas producer in the United States, powered by dedicated and innovative employees focused on disrupting the industry’s traditional cost and market delivery model to responsibly develop assets in the nation’s most prolific natural gas basins. Expand Energy’s returns-driven strategy strives to create sustainable value for its stakeholders by leveraging its scale, financial strength and operational execution. Expand Energy is committed to expanding America’s energy reach to fuel a more affordable, reliable, lower carbon future.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to Expand Energy marketing organization and customer base, as well as statements reflecting expectations, intentions, assumptions or beliefs about future events and other statements that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements often address our expected future business, financial performance and financial condition, and often contain words such as “expect,” “could,” “may,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “ability,” “believe,” “seek,” “see,” “will,” “would,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “target,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “opportunity” or “strategy.” The absence of such words or expressions does not necessarily mean the statements are not forward-looking. Although Expand Energy’s management believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, they are inherently subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond Expand Energy’s control. No assurance can be given that such forward-looking statements will be correct or achieved or that the assumptions are accurate or will not change over time. Particular uncertainties that could cause Expand Energy’s actual results to be materially different than those expressed in such forward-looking statements include commodity price volatility and other factors described in Expand Energy’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, Expand Energy’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents that Expand Energy files with the SEC. For a discussion of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, investors are urged to refer to Expand Energy’s documents filed with the SEC that are available through Expand Energy’s website at www.expandenergy.com or through EDGAR at www.sec.gov. We caution you not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this release, which speak only as of the date of the release, and we undertake no obligation to update this information. We urge you to carefully review and consider the disclosures in this release and our filings with the SEC that attempt to advise interested parties of the risk and factors that may affect our business.

    INVESTOR CONTACT: MEDIA CONTACT:
    Chris Ayres Brooke Coe
    (405) 935-8870 (405) 935-8878
    ir@expandenergy.com media@expandenergy.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Flirting with Fraud: Why Sextortion Is the Most Devastating Dating Scam

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RESTON, Va., Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sextortion has emerged as one of the most dangerous forms of romance scams, preying on online daters and, tragically, claiming the lives of teenagers. Fraudsters use fake profiles to lure victims into sharing intimate content, only to threaten exposure unless a ransom is paid. Regula, a global developer of identity verification (IDV) solutions, shares a vision of how social media and dating platforms can strengthen protections to safeguard users.

    Romance scams come in many forms, exploiting trust and emotional vulnerability to defraud victims. Their common tactics include:

    • Catfishing: Scammers create fake identities to build trust and manipulate victims.
    • Military Scams: Fraudsters pose as deployed soldiers seeking financial assistance.
    • Inheritance Scams: Victims are deceived with false claims of large inheritances requiring upfront fees.
    • Pig-Butchering (Crypto Investment) Scams: Scammers feign romantic interest to lure victims into fraudulent investment schemes.

    However, according to reports from leading child safety organizations, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Thorn, sextortion is one of the most severe threats, with cases surging at an alarming rate. The FBI reported over 12,000 complaints in 2023 alone, resulting in millions in financial losses, severe psychological trauma, and, in some cases, even fatalities. Younger users and those new to online dating are particularly vulnerable.

    Common sextortion tactics include:

    • Fake Identities: Scammers pose as attractive singles, influencers, or even celebrities to build quick trust.
    • Rapid Escalation: Conversations quickly shift from introductions to intimate exchanges.
    • Blackmail Threats: Once explicit content is shared, scammers demand money, cryptocurrency, or further compromising images under the threat of exposure.
    • AI-Driven Deception: Some scams leverage deepfake videos or AI-powered chatbots to manipulate victims.

    The Role of Identity Verification in Preventing Sextortion

    Sextortion thrives in environments where fake profiles and anonymity enable bad actors to operate freely. Social media and dating platforms play a critical role in combating this threat—through proactive moderation, AI-powered content monitoring, and user education. Stronger identity verification during registration is also a valuable tool in this arsenal, but it must be implemented thoughtfully, balancing fraud prevention with user privacy and accessibility.

    Different online platforms use varying levels of verification, ranging from strongest to weakest:

    1. ID & Biometric Verification – Matching government-issued IDs with real-time selfies for authentication.
    2. Real-Time Selfies Without ID Validation – Confirming a live presence but without a verified identity document.
    3. Basic Checks – Verification through phone numbers, email, or linked social media accounts.
    4. Self-Reported Identity Without Validation – The least secure method, relying solely on user-provided information.

    How Biometric and ID Verification Strengthens Security:

    • Eliminating Fake Profiles: Biometric checks make it significantly harder for scammers to create fake accounts.
    • Anti-Spoofing Technology: Prevents impersonation by detecting fraudulent attempts using photos or masks.
    • Liveness Detection: Confirms a real person is present, preventing AI-generated deception.

    “When faced with strong verification measures, scammers don’t simply disappear—they move to less secure platforms where they can continue their schemes unchecked. Standardizing biometric ID verification across multiple platforms would make it significantly harder for them to do so, creating a safer ecosystem across social media, dating apps, and other online services.” – Jan Stepnov, Identity Verification Expert at Regula.

    Empowering Users to Stay Safe

    While platforms must take stronger security measures, users can also protect themselves by:

    • Being Cautious of Fast-Moving Relationships: Avoid engaging in intimate exchanges early in conversations.
    • Interacting with Verified Users: Prioritize connections with verified profiles.
    • Reporting Suspicious Activity: Flagging blackmail attempts and scam behavior.
    • Never Paying Ransoms: Complying with extortion often leads to further threats.

    For more insights on how identity verification is transforming online dating security, visit Regula’s blog.

    About Regula
    Regula is a global developer of forensic devices and identity verification solutions. With our 30+ years of experience in forensic research and the most comprehensive library of document templates in the world, we create breakthrough technologies for document and biometric verification. Our hardware and software solutions allow over 1,000 organizations and 80 border control authorities globally to provide top-notch client service without compromising safety, security, or speed. Regula has been repeatedly named a Representative Vendor in the Gartner® Market Guide for Identity Verification. Learn more at www.regulaforensics.com.

    Contact:
    Kristina – ks@regulaforensics.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8d16b999-71c6-46ed-a789-1848992ac0a1

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Economic Conditions Mount Supporting “Peak Truck” as Trend to Watch in 2025, as Identified in Dave Cantin Group’s Market Outlook Report

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Survey of U.S. Consumers Shows 3% Year-over-year Decrease in Intent to Buy Trucks, SUVs
    • U.S. Consumers Indicate 3% Increase in Intent to Buy Cars
    • Main Reason Consumers Indicate Changing Purchase Intent is Affordability
    • Inflation at 7-month High Adds to American Consumer Affordability Issues
    • “Peak Truck” One of Several 2025 Trends to Watch as Identified in Dave Cantin Group’s 2025 Market Outlook Report

    NEW YORK, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Evidence is mounting that “peak truck” is a U.S. economic trend to watch in 2025 as American consumers struggle with vehicle affordability, according to the Dave Cantin Group Market Outlook Report.

    Dave Cantin Group (DCG), a leading mergers and acquisitions advisory company to retail automotive groups and their owners, identified “peak truck” as one of its key trends to watch in its 2025 Market Outlook Report issued this month. Rather than reflecting a lack of interest in trucks and SUVs among American consumers, the DCG report, as discussed on CNBC yesterday, reflects American consumers’ growing struggle to afford a new vehicle. The average purchase price for cars now hovers around $37,400, for SUVs and CUVs is more than $43,600 and for pickups is $54,600.

    “This isn’t just an automotive story, it’s an American consumer story,” Dave Cantin Group President and CEO Dave Cantin said. “It’s not a declining interest in trucks. We’re not saying that segment is going away. But the consumer survey we conducted as part of our Market Outlook Report finds that the American consumer is feeling the cost pressure of rising prices.”

    “In response, we see a decline in the number of people who believe their next purchase will be a truck or SUV and an equivalent increase in the number who intend to purchase a car. Add to that the report that inflation hit a 7-month high in January, and we’re seeing even more evidence that peak truck is a real trend to watch.”

    Peak Truck Indicators:

    • A Shift in Consumer Spending: Consumers’ intent, not necessarily interest, is shifting toward cars because of rising average prices and the need for more affordable monthly payments.
    • Affordability Drives the Shift: Data from the DCG Market Outlook Report, conducted by Kaiser Associates, captured the perspectives of roughly 1,100 consumers and reveals that consumer intent to purchase cars increased by 3%, reaching 29%, in 2024, while intent to buy trucks has decreased by 2%. While SUVs remain the most popular body type, consumer intent to buy dropped 1% for SUVs from 2023.
    • Changing Demographics and Preferences: The report highlights a pronounced shift among older consumers, with the 35–54 and 75+ age groups increasingly favoring sedans. Additionally, tighter budgets — especially among buyers earning between $75,000 and $100,000 — are prompting a move from SUVs to more affordable car options.
    • Marketwide Impact: The “peak truck” phenomenon is just one manifestation of broader affordability issues. With prolonged high interest rates pushing consumers to closely scrutinize their monthly expenses, the record average age of vehicles on the road (12.6 years overall and 14 years for passenger cars, according to S&P Global Mobility) further illustrates the reluctance to invest in new, higher-priced vehicles.
    • Inflation’s Role: Compounding these trends, U.S. inflation unexpectedly rose to 3 percent in January, a 7-month high. This inflationary spike confirms that consumers continue to face cost pressures, reinforcing their focus on affordability and likely accelerating the shift away from higher-priced trucks and SUVs toward sedans and lighter-trim models that offer lower monthly payments.
    • Broader Industry Implications: Manufacturers are responding to these market signals by shipping vehicles with fewer bells and whistles to dealers, an approach designed to help reduce costs for buyers. Additionally, value-driven brands such as Hyundai and Kia are seeing increased interest as consumers search for quality vehicles that align with their tightened budgets.

    “The automotive industry has always been an early economic barometer, and what we’re seeing now – that Americans may have hit max capacity for the largest, most expensive vehicles, at least for now – is a clear indicator of the cost-of-living pressures facing the American consumer and the overall economy,” DCG Chief Business and Strategy Officer Brian Gordon said. “This is a trend that will continue to play out and has the potential to fundamentally reshape manufacturer strategies and what ends up on dealer lots. It’s a trend we see continuing to define the market into 2025.”

    For additional details, please refer to the Dave Cantin Group Market Outlook Report here.

    About Dave Cantin Group

    The Dave Cantin Group is a leading automotive M&A advisory company specializing in acquisitions, divestitures, intelligence, and other advisory services. The company is the M&A services provider of choice for North America’s top automotive dealership groups, advising on approximately 40 transactions annually. DCG is differentiated by its advisory approach, long-term lens on client relationships, and commitment to market intelligence tools that inform DCG and client strategies. In 2023, DCG became the only retail automotive M&A company with a significant strategic investor, welcoming Kaltroco to the DCG family.

    Through its M&A intelligence division, DCG produces automotive content and delivers relevant, timely marketing intelligence, including the automotive industry Market Outlook Report (MOR). Together with CBT News, DCG produces the Inside M&A studio show and podcast to share stories, news and trends impacting the retail automotive industry. DCG’s proprietary AI-enabled software, Jump IQ, anchors its advisory services that support retail automotive dealers in developing informed M&A strategies and making smarter M&A decisions.

    The company’s nonprofit initiative, DCG Giving, funds child and adolescent cancer research and treatment in communities nationwide and other worthy charitable initiatives. DCG team members regularly feature on the industry speaking circuit and are regularly cited by top national and global news outlets. For more information, please visit davecantingroup.com.

    Media Contact:
    Katie Merx
    katiemerx@gmail.com
    313.510.5090

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0f489265-1e2d-43b6-9891-d702f7cdb352

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: red violet to Announce Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Financial Results on February 27, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BOCA RATON, Fla., Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Red Violet, Inc. (NASDAQ: RDVT), a leading analytics and information solutions provider, announced today that it will report its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024 after the close of the U.S. financial markets on Thursday, February 27, 2025.

    The Company will host its earnings call on Thursday, February 27, 2025 at 4:30pm ET to discuss its quarterly and full year results and provide a business update.

    The participant registration and webcast information are listed below. The earnings call will be simultaneously webcast on the Investors section of the red violet website at www.redviolet.com. Please login at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the call to ensure adequate time for any downloads that may be required.

    Please note participants must register to receive their unique dial-in number credentials. A general dial-in number will not be provided.

    PARTICIPANT REGISTRATION & WEBCAST INFORMATION
    WHEN: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2025 at 4:30pm ET
    Participant Registration:  Click Here
    Webcast URL:  Click Here

    Following the completion of the earnings call, an archived webcast of the earnings call will be available on the Investors section of the red violet website at www.redviolet.com.

    About red violet®

    At red violet, we build proprietary technologies and apply analytical capabilities to deliver identity intelligence. Our technology powers critical solutions, which empower organizations to operate with confidence. Our solutions enable the real-time identification and location of people, businesses, assets and their interrelationships. These solutions are used for purposes including identity verification, risk mitigation, due diligence, fraud detection and prevention, regulatory compliance, and customer acquisition. Our intelligent platform, CORE™, is purpose-built for the enterprise, yet flexible enough for organizations of all sizes, bringing clarity to massive datasets by transforming data into intelligence. Our solutions are used today to enable frictionless commerce, to ensure safety, and to reduce fraud and the concomitant expense borne by society. For more information, please visit www.redviolet.com.

    Company Contact:
    Camilo Ramirez
    Red Violet, Inc.
    561-757-4500
    ir@redviolet.com

    Investor Relations Contact:
    Steven Hooser
    Three Part Advisors
    214-872-2710
    ir@redviolet.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: LaunchDarkly Announces Snowflake Native App for Data Warehouse Native Experimentation and Product Analytics

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LaunchDarkly, the leading platform for feature management, today announced the private preview of Warehouse Native Experimentation, its Snowflake Native App, to offer Data Warehouse Native Experimentation. In addition, the company announced the acquisition of Houseware, a leader in warehouse-native product analytics and winner of the 2022 Snowflake Startup Challenge. Together, these initiatives enable LaunchDarkly to deliver experimentation designed for engineering teams and loved by product teams, while providing AI-powered analytics for deeper insights into how customers engage with products.

    Today, engineering, product, and data teams want to centralize their source of performance metrics into a single data warehouse. While centralized data is critical, these teams also want to democratize data-driven decision-making and experimentation. Currently in private preview, LaunchDarkly is leveraging the Snowflake Native App framework to integrate its advanced experimentation capabilities within the robust Snowflake data environment, enhancing data governance, scalability, and flexibility. By centralizing data sources and experimentation analysis, this collaboration empowers teams to generate deeper and more actionable insights, accelerating and improving product development cycles.

    Key solutions offered through the Snowflake Native App:

    • Data Seamlessly Available in Snowflake: Data engineers, scientists, analysts, and product managers often face challenges in conducting sophisticated analyses due to data being siloed across tools. With custom warehouse analysis, users can leverage advanced targeting and assignment capabilities in the LaunchDarkly Snowflake Native App. They can then seamlessly export the results back into their Snowflake table for downstream analytics, using their preferred data tools and workflows to enhance decision-making processes.
    • Warehouse Native Experimentation: Users frequently lack a unified platform to design, run, and analyze experiments with enriched warehouse data. Warehouse Native Experimentation is a Snowflake Native App that centralizes comprehensive experimentation data inside customers’ Snowflake accounts. This Snowflake Native App streamlines metric creation and results visualization, making it easier for teams to conduct and analyze experiments alongside data in their environment, fostering quicker and smarter business decisions.

    “With organizations looking to make a greater business impact through new features, it’s now more crucial than ever to not only control these feature releases but also to measure and experiment with them to determine the best ROI,” says Dan Rogers, CEO of LaunchDarkly. “Our integration with Snowflake, combined with the product analytics expertise brought by our acquisition of Houseware, elevates our ability to deliver actionable insights and transform software delivery practices for engineering, product and data teams alike.”

    “Working with LaunchDarkly enhances both companies’ commitment to empowering businesses through data-driven decision-making to drive innovation forward,” said Kieran Kennedy, Global Head, AI Data Cloud Products at Snowflake. “By developing a Snowflake Native App, LaunchDarkly is on a path to making advanced experimentation and analysis more accessible to a wider range of teams, enabling smarter, faster business decisions.”

    The acquisition of Houseware is a major step toward unifying experimentation and analytics within a single platform. Houseware’s warehouse-native, no-code solution sits on top of Snowflake, enabling developers, product, and data teams to integrate analytics into their daily workflows and tools. By monitoring critical release metrics in real-time and measuring feature impact against key business objectives, teams can ensure scalable, reproducible experiments while confidently making data-driven decisions.

    Upcoming Event
    Click here to learn more about this partnership, visit LaunchDarkly.com and see the power of LaunchDarkly and Snowflake together in a joint webinar on March 6, to register, click here.

    About LaunchDarkly:
    LaunchDarkly is a comprehensive feature management platform that equips software teams to proactively reduce the risk of shipping bad software and AI applications while accelerating their release velocity. By progressively rolling out features, monitoring critical metrics in real-time, instantly rolling back flawed code, easily conducting targeted experiments, and quickly iterating on AI prompts and models, development teams can ship innovation consistently and confidently. Serving over 5,500 of the most innovative enterprises, including a quarter of the Fortune 500, LaunchDarkly is trusted around the globe to deliver exceptional customer experiences and maximize business outcomes.

    Media Contact
    Spencer Anopol
    Head of PR
    sanopol@launchdarkly.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Salsify Customers Drive Valuable Business Outcomes Through Organizational Efficiency, Increased Performance, and AI Impact in 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BOSTON, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Salsify, the Product Experience Management (PXM) platform empowering brand manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to win on the digital shelf, today announced another year of double digit ARR growth in 2024, driven by the business value created by its customers using Salsify. In 2024, 70,000 Salsify PXM users in 149 countries used 511 million automated workflow tasks to help publish over 2 billion products across more than 950 destinations worldwide with increased efficiency and performance impact. The number of automated workflow tasks, a critical component of driving efficiency, represents a 40% increase over 2023.

    The early 2024 announcement of Salsify PXM Advance, the company’s new AI-propelled version of its platform, was a significant driver of customer investment in Salsify. The platform’s Grocery Accelerator, which uses AI and automation to speed accurate, validated, and high-quality product data to market, became the company’s fastest-adopted capability ever.

    Over 200 new customers began their partnership with Salsify in 2024, including Virbac and Riviana Foods, Inc. By the end of 2024, 47% of Salsify’s customers had migrated to the new PXM Advance platform, a record-breaking adoption rate. Customers increasing their commitment to Salsify in 2024 included Coty and Fortune Brand Innovations. Driven by the power of the new platform and the excellence of Salsify’s customer success and services teams, the company is extremely proud that its customers continue to make recurring investments in the Salsify platform with a gross retention rate in the mid 90s. Salsify also achieved historic profitability in 2024 with double-digit EBITDA margins, ending the year with over $200 million in cash and cash equivalents on its balance sheet.

    “In my first six months as Salsify CEO, customers have consistently cited two reasons why they continue to invest in Salsify: our platform and our people,” said Piyush Chaudhari, CEO of Salsify. “In 2025 and beyond, we will continue to direct our own investments to help them achieve both top-line and bottom-line growth through product experiences that truly matter – to their customers, end consumers, and B2B buyers.”

    In 2024, Salsify invested $32 million in product innovation to advance the business value realized by its customers. This investment helped enable documented valuable outcomes across the Salsify customer base, including:

    • Speed to market: Salsify’s investments in automated workflows and AI helped decrease the time it takes to bring products to market.
      • In three months, a global food brand reduced the time to market from seven days to minutes.
      • Using Grocery Accelerator, an ecommerce associate at a global CPG can verify the accuracy of 15 SKUs in 40 minutes, versus eight hours with their prior solution.
      • A national household goods company reduced time to market from six weeks to one week by using Salsify to syndicate content to Dollar General.
    • Performance Improvements: Accurate, complete, optimized product content created and syndicated to retailers using Salsify drives improved SEO and conversions, while increasing retail media Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).
      • A global electronics manufacturer improved their content scores on Walmart, rising from an average score of 86% to 94% across their portfolio.
      • A global wine and spirits brand saw their volume grow 24% at one of the largest grocers in the US after implementing a new Salsify direct connection that offered more robust content capabilities.
      • KIND has experienced significant improvement on the digital shelf since implementing Salsify, including a 10% sales lift on Kroger. They’ve also seen average compliance for bullet point product data increase from 17% to 96% and average image compliance from 57% to 90%.
      • A European food manufacturer was receiving daily fines due to submitting product data through a manual excel upload which was both time consuming and open to errors. Since implementing Salsify’s GDSN solution, they have reached 100% compliance with the packaging requirements and zero penalties.
      • Dorel Juvenile invested in several major initiatives to improve their Enhanced Content quality and effectiveness that they saw paid off by more than doubling their conversions at Target.

    “We have always believed in the value that publishing Enhanced Content through Salsify provides to enhance the customer experience and provide more information to help customers feel confident in their decision to buy our products,” said Daniel Desimone, Digital & Ecommerce Product Manager at Dorel Juvenile. “Their Enhanced Content Analytics has taken that a step further, allowing us to make more data-driven decisions about our content development. We invested in several major initiatives around Enhanced Content that we can see paid off by more than doubling our conversions at Target.”

    • Tech Consolidation: In a time when IT organizations are looking to streamline their tech stack for greatest efficiency and ROI, Salsify’s investments in enterprise-scale data governance, global IT administration, and industry-leading workflows has enabled customers to replace legacy PIM solutions and consolidate on Salsify.
      • In 2024, a global CPG brand expanded their use of Salsify PXM Advance to replace their separate legacy PIM solution and launched seven markets in five months.
    • Global PXM Network Growth: The reach and impact of our customers is directly tied to the continually expanding network of retailer, distributor, and commerce endpoints they can reach through Salsify’s network. In 2024, Salsify expanded reach and impact at commerce destinations around the globe:
      • Salsify’s investment in Amazon success paid off in 2024, expanding to 16 markets and launching the Amazon Feedback Status Report, now used by hundreds weekly to optimize listings.
      • In 2024, Salsify connected directly to Walmart’s OmniSpec API Suite, enabling seamless content publishing—over 2.3 million SKUs were uploaded by 1P and 3P sellers.
      • The company also introduced eight new bi-directional retailer connections, breaking down existing walled gardens that prevent the continual collaboration and optimization of product content.
      • Enhanced content expanded with 13 new destinations, enhancing the shopping experience and driving conversions, including Ulta, Staples, and more.
      • Meanwhile, Salsify’s free Open Catalog saw 40% more products added and 41% growth in retailer engagement, ensuring continual access to the industry’s most up-to-date content.

    In addition in 2024, Salsify was recognized as a “Leader” in the IDC’s latest PIM market evaluation, “IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Product Information Management Applications for Commerce 2024-2025 Vendor Assessment”, which stated, “Salsify’s PIM provides strong governance, taxonomy, and hierarchy capabilities while remaining flexible enough to support omnichannel data management. It can store a golden product information record while transforming those records to meet endpoint requirements quickly and at scale.”

    As a reflection of their innovation and success with Salsify, many customers shared the stories of their success with the industry. The latest case studies appear on the Salsify website. The most outstanding examples of customer performance, growth, and innovation during 2024 will be recognized with Digital Shelf Transformer Awards at the Digital Shelf Summit in New Orleans from April 7th-9th.

    For more information, visit www.salsify.com.

    About Salsify

    Salsify helps thousands of brand manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in over 140 countries collaborate to win on the digital shelf. The company’s Product Experience Management (PXM) platform enables organizations to centralize all of their product content, connect to the commerce ecosystem, and automate business processes in order to deliver the best possible product experiences across every selling destination.

    Learn how the world’s largest brands, including Mars, L’Oreal, Coca-Cola, Bosch, and ASICS, as well as retailers and distributors such as DoorDash, E.Leclerc, Carrefour, Metro, and Intermarché use Salsify every day to drive efficiency, power growth, and lead the digital shelf. For more information, please visit: www.salsify.com.

    Contact:

    Carolyn Adams
    carolyn@bluerunpr.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Automating intelligence tradecraft to stop more illegal freight

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Case study

    Automating intelligence tradecraft to stop more illegal freight

    Home Office Intelligence and Border Force work together to seize suspect freight consignments at the UK border but wanted to automate some of the risk analysis.

    Home Office Intelligence provides information to Border Force so suspect freight consignments arriving at the UK border can be stopped and seized. 

    A novel detection approach has been developed by a team of Home Office Intelligence investigators which queries the HMRC Compliance and Risk Engineering Solutions Team (CREST) for specific types of customs declarations and enriches this with other information including Companies House data.  

    The team of three is identifying 70 potentially suspicious companies each month, and there has been a 30-40% success rate in finding illegal commodities including cocaine, tobacco and synthetic opioids in containers compared to the 7% average for freight searches. 

    However, this risk analysis work – including filtering and analysing spreadsheets and desk research – is highly manual.

    So, Home Office Intelligence came to the Accelerated Capability Environment (ACE) to explore how technology can be used to help automate this process.

    The aim was to expand the number of companies assessed and maximise insights to both increase the rate of companies being referred for special inspection and the hit rate of those correctly identified as importing contraband. 

    Developing intelligence packages

    ACE worked with Home Office Intelligence and Border Force and Vivace supplier Faculty over 12 weeks to develop a rules-based proof of concept risk model that could develop intelligence packages. 

    By allowing intelligence officers to upload raw HMRC data and combining this with automated retrieval of Companies House data, it reduces the risk analysis process from around one week to minutes.  

    The risk model scores companies on their likelihood of being an importer of contraband according to 11 weighted rules. It can be used by the current operational team and presents results immediately. 

    Successful stops

    An operational trial identified hundreds of new companies for investigation out of which there were a number of successful stops.

    Initial forecasting shows the tool has the potential to almost double the seizures of contraband from suspicious shipments over the coming months by increasing both volume and hit rate.

    Additionally, data captured during this time will enable machine-learning approaches to be added to increase accuracy even further. 

    A roadmap and recommendations for how this risk model could be moved into wider operation was developed and further commissions focused on ongoing refinement and development are underway.

    Updates to this page

    Published 13 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: WhiteBIT Freezes Over $150M: How the Exchange is Fighting Crypto Crime

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VILNIUS, Lithuania, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — WhiteBIT cryptocurrency exchange announced today that it has successfully secured over $150 million in at-risk cryptocurrency funds in 2024, further solidifying WhiteBIT’s role as a key partner in the fight against digital crime.

    According to the Chainalysis 2024 Crypto Crime Report, stolen crypto funds reached $2.2 billion globally, a 21.07% increase from the previous year. The number of hacking incidents rose from 282 in 2023 to 303 over the same period, reflecting an ongoing challenge for the industry in preventing and addressing security breaches.

    High-Profile Recoveries

    WhiteBIT’s efforts have been central to resolving several significant cases involving stolen crypto assets. As a result of these efforts, the company has safeguarded $4.8 million in stolen funds.

    The exchange successfully secured funds tied to XRP in an investigation involving Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen. In response to the Coinspaid breach, WhiteBIT froze significant amounts of cryptocurrency, helping to mitigate losses for the affected users. Additionally, the exchange acted swiftly during the TAO Holder case, identified by blockchain investigator ZachXBT, blocking a large sum of USDC and supporting law enforcement efforts in their recovery process.

    In April, cryptocurrency exchange Rain.com fell victim to a $16 million hack orchestrated by the North Korean hacking group Lazarus. Investigators collaborating with the FBI traced $760,000 in stolen SOL to WhiteBIT. In September, WhiteBIT had successfully returned the funds to the FBI pursuant to a Court Order, further aiding in the recovery process.

    Anti-Money Laundering Practices 

    WhiteBIT is dedicated to collaborating with law enforcement agencies globally to enhance security and protect users from fraudulent activities. The team places a strong emphasis on transparency and streamlined communication, ensuring that law enforcement can easily connect when needed.

    “Our approach goes beyond standard AML practices,” stated a representative from WhiteBIT’s Compliance department. “We leverage OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) to uncover suspicious activities meticulously, utilize custom-built monitoring systems to detect and halt fraudulent transactions, and conduct manual investigations to ensure detailed and accurate assessments of flagged cases.”

    Insights on Cybercrime in 2024

    According to experts from WhiteBIT’s Compliance Department, the most common types of incidents on the exchange are as follows:

    1. Hacking of wallets through technical means—such as phishing, viruses, keyloggers, and direct hacking—accounts for 40% of the incidents on the exchange;
    2. Social engineering scams: Another 40% is attributed to scams involving promises of easy investment returns, often disguised as legitimate opportunities. They typically involve sophisticated tactics, including fake websites and multiple individuals interacting with victims to build trust;
    3. Scrolling scams: 10% of victims are lured through crypto-related Telegram channels. Initially, they make small profits, which leads to repeated investments, but eventually, the scammers disappear with the funds;
    4. The remaining 10% of incidents involve fake versions of the WhiteBIT website and compromised accounts.

    WhiteBIT’s Compliance department representative explains: “Weak passwords and lack of two-factor authentication (2FA) significantly increase the risk of compromising the accounts. At WhiteBIT, we mitigate these risks by storing 96% of funds in cold wallets, enforcing 2FA, and securing private keys with advanced encryption protocols.”

    Security Standards

    WhiteBIT is ranked among the top 5 most secure crypto exchanges globally by CER.live and is the first crypto exchange to achieve the CCSS Level 3 certification—the highest security standard in the crypto industry at the moment. This distinction underscores the exchange’s proactive efforts to safeguard users and assets against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

    WhiteBIT remains at the forefront of crypto security, combining innovation, compliance, and swift action to tackle emerging threats. In a year marked by record-breaking crypto crime, WhiteBIT’s efforts have not only safeguarded millions but also set a benchmark for the entire industry.

    About WhiteBIT

    WhiteBIT is the second largest exchange globally by traffic, offering over 700 trading pairs, 330 assets, and supporting 9 fiat currencies. Founded in 2018, the platform is a part of WhiteBIT Group that serves more than 35 million customers worldwide. WhiteBIT collaborates with Visa, FACEIT, FC Barcelona, and the Ukrainian National Football team. WhiteBIT is among the five most secure crypto exchanges according to CER.live and is the first and only crypto exchange to achieve the CCSS Level 3 certification — the highest cryptocurrency security standard in the industry to date. The company is dedicated to driving the widespread adoption of blockchain technology worldwide.

    This material does not pertain solely to the company’s European transactions but applies to the activities of all WhiteBIT Group companies globally.

    Contact
    WhiteBIT
    pr@whitebit.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e47ba98c-787c-4782-97d1-09ac56e68207

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Arbitral tribunal appointed for the arbitration proceedings concerning the redemption of minority shares in Innofactor Plc

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Innofactor Plc | Stock Exchange Release | February 13, 2025 at 14:50 EET

    Arbitral tribunal appointed for the arbitration proceedings concerning the redemption of minority shares in Innofactor Plc

    As previously announced, Onni Bidco Oy (“Onni Bidco”) has, by submitting an application to the Redemption Board of the Finland Chamber of Commerce dated December 2, 2024, commenced redemption proceedings in respect of Innofactor Plc’s (“Innofactor”) minority shares by initiating arbitration proceedings in accordance with Chapter 18, Section 3 of the Finnish Companies Act in order to obtain ownership of all the issued and outstanding shares in Innofactor. Onni Bidco served its application to appoint an arbitral tribunal and to initiate arbitration proceedings in accordance with Chapter 18, Section 5 of the Finnish Companies Act on January 7, 2025.

    Onni Bidco has today been informed that the Redemption Board of the Finland Chamber of Commerce has appointed an arbitral tribunal consisting of three members for the arbitration proceedings concerning the redemption of the minority shares in Innofactor. The arbitral tribunal consists of Independent Arbitrator Heidi Merikalla-Teir (chair), Professor Emeritus, LL.D., Trained on the bench Raimo Immonen and D.Sc. (Econ.), CVA Harri Seppänen.

    Investor and media enquiries:

    Veera Vitie (Innofactor), ir@innofactor.com, +358 44 331 0207
    Lasse Lautsuo (Innofactor), ir@innofactor.com, +358 50 480 1597

    Distribution:
    NASDAQ Helsinki
    Main media
    www.innofactor.com

    ABOUT INNOFACTOR

    Innofactor is the leading promoter of the modern digital organization in the Nordic countries for its approximately 1,000 customers in the commercial and public sectors. Innofactor has the widest solution offering and leading know-how in the Microsoft ecosystem in the Nordics. Innofactor’s offering includes planning services for business-critical IT solutions, project deliveries, implementation support and maintenance services, as well as own software and services. Innofactor employs nearly 600 experts in Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Innofactor’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki with the ticker symbol IFA1V.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Envisioning Tomorrow: The Role of CBDCs in Europe’s Digital Financial Ecosystem | Frankfurt Digital Finance Conference

    Source: Bundesbank

    Check against delivery.

    1 Introduction

    Good morning ladies and gentlemen and thank you very much for your warm welcome.

    I am honoured to have been invited back to this year’s Frankfurt Digital Finance Conference in this wonderful building here in Frankfurt’s Palmengarten and to have been asked to hold a keynote to kick off today’s event.

    Allow me to begin my keynote this morning with a quote attributed to Oscar Wilde: The future belongs to those who recognise opportunities before they become obvious. These words, ladies and gentlemen, could not be any better suited to our financial ecosystem. 

    And it is precisely opportunities that I wish to address in my keynote today – the opportunities provided by central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs for short. A subject that is as timely as it is significant.

    2 The future is digital

    We are at the cusp of a new era. One in which the digitalisation of the financial sector is not just an option but a necessity. New technologies are venturing into the realm of payments and new forms of money, such as digital central bank currencies and stablecoins, are also emerging as alternatives to physical cash.

    These developments all pose new challenges for central banks. Ultimately, central banks must continue to ensure secure and efficient payments in line with their mandate and redefine their role in an increasingly digitalised world in order to maintain the public’s trust in our monetary system.

    The question that we therefore now face is: how do we respond to these technological challenges?

    And that is precisely why we in the Eurosystem – by that I mean the European Central Bank and the national central banks of the euro-area member states, including the Bundesbank – are taking a proactive approach to actively help shape the future of Europe’s digital financial ecosystem.

    3 What are we aiming to achieve with the introduction of a digital euro?

    One could argue that the Eurosystem already offers enough sufficiently well-functioning products, be it physical banknotes and coins or cashless payment instruments. After all, these have proven their worth for decades. Yet at the same time, we cannot simply ignore the evolving world around us. In an increasingly digitalised society, we must adapt to the changing needs and demands of consumers and rethink our payment services. 

    Let me outline the three key motivations behind the possible introduction of a retail CBDC in Europe – a digital euro, which we sometimes like to summarise as resilience, autonomy and efficiency.

    Let me first start with resilience. The foundation of an independent and efficient monetary policy is the adoption and use of the euro. By providing our common currency – the euro – in its form as legal tender and as a modern “all-in-one” digital payment solution, we are paving the way for our currency to enter the digital age, making it “future-proof” and fit for purpose in an increasingly digital society.

    The digital euro would thereby help to preserve the euro’s fulfilment of the core monetary functions and shield the euro area from competing foreign currencies as well as foreign – and potentially unregulated – stablecoins by safeguarding the anchor function of central bank money.

    Second, the digital euro is necessary to improve the autonomy of the European payment system. In its current form, the European payments landscape is highly dependent on non-European providers. Almost 25 years after the introduction of the euro, we still do not have a digital payment solution that can be used across the entire euro area and that runs on a European infrastructure, which, in my view, is not compatible with the concept of a single European market. Although a small number of successful payment innovations have emerged across the euro area over the past years, such as iDEAL in the Netherlands or BIZUM in Spain, the reach of these payment solutions usually ends at national borders.

    As a result, payments in Europe are largely dependent on international schemes, primarily those in the United States. At present, just under two thirds of all card payments in the euro area are processed by non-European providers. And I believe that Europe’s dependencies in the digital age are likely to increase if we do not fundamentally take matters into our own hands. 

    Third, is the issue of efficiency. By creating a pan-European payment rail in a technically modern form, we would foster competition and innovation in payments across Europe, which we believe is the best path towards efficiency in payments. The payment initiatives we have today, such as BIZUM or WERO, would be able to integrate the digital euro into their payment applications, thereby enabling them to gain instant European reach.

    4 What would a digital euro be for the common citizen?

    Although the issues I have just touched upon are very important, they are not necessarily of primarily relevance for the daily life of a majority of citizens in Europe. Hence, what would the digital euro be from the perspective of the customer?

    I believe that the digital euro would not just be a commitment to Europe’s autonomy, increase the resilience of our payment system and foster competition and innovation, it would also improve payments and make life easier for the 350 million residents of the euro area.

    The digital euro would serve as an additional means of payment alongside cash. As a digital upgrade of banknotes and coins, it would be an “all-in-one payments solution”, as we like to call it, which means it can be used in almost all everyday payment situations, including at retail checkouts, transactions among family and friends, online purchases, and payments to or from public authorities. Furthermore, it would be the first digital currency which could be used both online and offline. That is to say, also in the event of a loss of internet reception.

    Moreover, the design of the digital euro would ensure that it would offer the highest possible level of user privacy, comparable only to cash. No other digital means of payment in Europe currently offers all these features.

    Despite the many benefits the digital euro would bring for Europe as a whole, we must, nevertheless, proceed with caution. The introduction of a digital euro raises important questions about privacy, security, and the impact on financial stability and monetary policy. We must ensure that the digital euro upholds the highest standards of data protection, that it is resilient against cyber threats, and that it does not have a negative impact on financial stability.

    5 Wholesale CBDC

    Digitalisation raises questions not only in terms of how we intend to continue providing access to central bank money for our European citizens in future, but also in terms of how we intend to supply money to our wholesale customers. It is and will remain essential that we are able to settle digital transactions using new and innovative technologies, such as distributed ledger technology (DLT) in central bank money. An entire ecosystem is currently evolving around the tokenisation of securities, which involves all parts of the financial system.

    Like other financial players, the Bundesbank, and also the Eurosystem as a whole, see the significant benefits that the use of these new technologies can bring. The advantages of DLT, such as automated settlement by means of smart contracts and reduced reconciliation needs, are clear.

    But to fully harness this potential, we also need an innovative settlement mechanism for the cash leg – one which settles transactions in central bank money. We are therefore working on developing wholesale solutions that enable banks to settle DLT–based financial market transactions in central bank money. 

    The Eurosystem recently completed an exploration phase together with the market, which ran from May to November 2024, during which we tested various new technologies for wholesale central bank money settlement using real transactions. The Bundesbank also participated in this exploration phase with its “Trigger solution”, which builds a bridge between DLT platforms and the conventional TARGET payment system. The feedback we have received from the market so far has been very positive. I think we can already say that the exploration phase was a complete success.

    The anticipated benefits of DLT are seen as having the potential to address and overcome the ecosystem’s current shortcomings, such as fragmentation, complexity, over-intermediation, and technological inefficiencies, which hinder the growth of a digital capital markets union. 

    By developing a new ecosystem from the ground up, it could be made more integrated and harmonised, featuring a “common set of rails” – a shared ledger or a network of fully interoperable ledgers – that would guarantee reachability, open access, and compatibility across the services of all participants.

    Our primary focus is now on implementing a short-term wholesale solution to meet the immediate and growing demands of the market. This will buy us some much-needed time to continue working on a vision for a long-term solution for wholesale CBDC. A solution which must ultimately go hand in hand with the evolving financial market ecosystem.

    6 Business-to-business (B2B) payments

    Alongside its work into the possible introduction of a digital euro and the exploration of wholesale CBDC, the ECB, together with the Eurosystem, has also been turning its focus to another area of payments – one which is increasingly gaining traction: business-to-business payments, or B2B payments for short.

    To fully leverage the potential of the evolving payments landscape in the area of CBDCs, last October the ECB organised a special focus workshop on innovations in B2B payments and the role central bank money could play. 

    This workshop provided a one-of-a-kind platform to learn more about the potential use cases out there in the market. Given the high level of interest shown in the first focus workshop, I’m sure this will not be the last one of its kind.

    7 Outlook

    Ladies and gentlemen,

    The introduction of the digital euro and the exploration of wholesale CBDC and B2B use cases are not just a technical exercise, but a clear commitment to the innovative strength and competitiveness of Europe.

    The Bundesbank and the Eurosystem are determined to play an active role in shaping this digital transformation.

    It is, however, crucial that we continue working together and pool our resources and expertise in order to fully exploit the opportunities offered by digitalisation to create a strong, stable and future-proof digital financial ecosystem for Europe.

    Thank you for your attention.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Frank Elderson: From concept to delivery: accounting for climate and nature in maintaining price stability and keeping banks safe and sound

    Source: European Central Bank

    Introductory remarks by Frank Elderson, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB and Vice-Chair of the Supervisory Board of the ECB, at the MNI Webcast on Climate Change: Impact on Monetary Policy and Bank Supervision

    Frankfurt am Main, 12 February 2025

    Central banks and supervisors are not climate and nature policymakers.

    Central banks and supervisors are climate and nature policy takers.

    And we face an ever-increasing volume of climate and nature-related factors that we must take into account in order to successfully deliver on our mandate.

    This is the fundamental principle that underpins all our climate and nature-related activities at the European Central Bank.

    It is a principle grounded in irrefutable facts established by the scientific community and transposed to make their implications clear for the economy and financial system. At the ECB, we have translated this principle into our monetary policy and supervisory work as a strategic commitment to account for the ongoing climate and nature crises, irrespective of shifts in the macroeconomic tides and no matter what direction the political winds may blow.

    This is why, both in our monetary policy and in our banking supervision, we have meticulously formulated strategies that are robust and resilient in all weathers. In the face of changing climates, be they macroeconomic, political or indeed at the level of our planetary ecosystem, we will continue to deliver on our mandate to keep prices stable and ensure Europe’s banks are safe and sound.

    Climate and nature in monetary policy

    Let me start with what we our doing when it comes to accounting for climate and nature in our monetary policy.

    When the ECB concluded its strategy review in the summer of 2021, our new strategy explicitly acknowledged the profound implications of climate change for the economy and therefore its relevance for monetary policy. In our strategy, we also formulated a concrete action plan, and we are delivering on that plan.

    First, we have made significant progress in improving our ability to take climate considerations into account in the macroeconomic analyses that inform our policy discussions.

    Second, with respect to our monetary policy instruments, we started tilting our purchases of corporate bonds towards issuers with a better climate performance to avoid undue exposures to climate-related risks. While the last remaining purchases were suspended at the start of this year, if any corporate bond purchases were to be needed for monetary policy purposes in the future, the established direction of the tilt would set the minimum benchmark. With respect to the collateral we require for our lending operations, further technical work on incorporating climate change collateral considerations is still ongoing.

    Our current actions aim to support a high degree of confidence in the alignment of our activities, within our mandate, with the goals set by the Paris Agreement. We have committed to regularly reviewing all our measures to assess their impact. If necessary, we will adapt them to ensure they continue to fulfil their monetary policy objectives and support the decarbonisation path to reach the goals set by the Paris Agreement and the EU’s climate neutrality objectives. Within our mandate, we will also look into addressing additional nature-related challenges.

    Climate and nature in banking supervision

    Let me move to the steps we have taken in banking supervision.

    Our supervisory strategy was formulated after we learnt in 2019 that less than a quarter of the banks under our supervision had demonstrably reflected on how the climate and nature crises were affecting their risk management. This observation was obviously concerning, so in 2020 we published a guide setting out our supervisory expectations. These expectations outline the ECB’s understanding of the safe and prudent management of climate and nature-related risks under the prevailing prudential framework. Since then, we have consistently taken these risks into account in our supervisory work.

    Considering the requirements clearly set out in the Capital Requirements Directive as implemented in national law, and the need for banks to implement a regular process for identifying all material risks, banks must ensure that practices are in place for the sound management of climate and nature-related risks. They had to achieve this by the end of last year and, in the run-up to that deadline, we also set interim deadlines for banks to remediate certain shortcomings related to the management of these risks. These deadlines were informed by what the banks themselves considered reasonable when we first started discussing climate and nature-related risk management with them.

    We are still following up on the two earlier interim deadlines while we begin assessing banks’ practices in light of their final end-2024 deadline.

    After the first interim deadline back in March 2023, we saw that many banks still had not implemented an adequate materiality assessment of the impact of climate and nature-related risks across their portfolios. The ECB imposed binding supervisory decisions on 28 banks, with 22 of them being told that if they did not remedy their shortcomings by a certain date, they would incur a periodic penalty payment for each day they remained in breach of our requirements. Encouragingly, almost all banks submitted an adequate materiality assessment in time, which shows that our supervisory efforts have been effective in almost all cases. For a few banks, the process to determine whether penalties have been incurred is ongoing.

    For the second interim deadline of the end of 2023, we asked banks to clearly include climate and nature-related risks in their governance, strategy and risk management. As with the first interim deadline, we found weaknesses in banks’ practices that we communicated to them in the form of further feedback letters. In a small group of outliers, foundational elements for the adequate management of climate and nature-related risks are still missing. These banks received binding supervisory decisions in autumn 2024, again outlining the potential imposition of periodic penalty payments if they fail to meet the requirements in a timely manner.

    To avoid any doubt, we will proceed in exactly the same way with respect to the third and final deadline that fell due at the turn of the year. We want to see evidence that banks’ risk management practices ensure the sound management of climate and nature-related risks across all areas of our supervisory expectations. For instance, this means that banks need to consider these risks in their stress-testing frameworks, including in plausible baseline and adverse scenarios that are in line with scientific evidence. Thereafter, banks will have to keep updating their practices in accordance with advances in data availability, methodologies and legislative and regulatory requirements. Banks need to ensure that their risk management practices remain commensurate with the magnitude of the climate and nature-related risks that they face. As supervisors, it is our job to make sure they do. To deliver on this, we will use – obviously always in a proportionate way – all supervisory instruments that we have at our disposal.

    Conclusion

    Let me conclude.

    While the fundamental principle – that climate and nature are relevant for both monetary policy and banking supervision and, therefore, must be taken into account in the exercise of our tasks – is independent of the actions of climate and nature policymakers, the intensity and configuration of the risks that will ultimately materialise is not. The choices that climate and nature policymakers make will determine what combination of transition and physical risks materialises in the years to come. Regrettably, the prevailing consensus among climate scientists is that the goal of limiting global heating to 2 degrees Celsius, as set out in the Paris Agreement, is not currently being met. Last October the UN Emissions Gap Report concluded that the world is on track for an average increase of 3.1 degrees.[1] And even that dramatic number will only be achieved if all governments stick with their current policies. The physical risks of climate and nature hazards are currently materialising at an ever-increasing scale and frequency.[2] These physical risks will continue increasing or transition policies will have to be implemented more abruptly to secure a timely transition which will cause an increase in transition risks.

    To identify climate and nature-related risks, central banks, supervisors and the banks we supervise are reliant on good data. Reporting requirements in the EU’s sustainable finance framework will improve the availability of reliable and comparable data that are needed to identify and manage financial risks. This is essential to ensure that the broader sustainable finance framework can serve its purpose of unlocking finance for the green transition and thereby contributing to Europe’s competitiveness agenda.

    It is inevitable that climate and nature-related risks will increase. Concealing them will not make them disappear. And ignoring them will not make them less threatening for monetary policy and banking supervision. This is why we are delivering on our strategic commitment to take them into account in our work.

    Robust to any shifting tides or changing winds.

    Faithful to our mandate.

    Thank you for your attention.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Thales, Amelia and Breakthrough Energy Contrails launch one of world’s largest Contrail Avoidance campaigns

    Source: Thales Group

    Headline: Thales, Amelia and Breakthrough Energy Contrails launch one of world’s largest Contrail Avoidance campaigns

    • Thales, in collaboration with the airline Amelia, and Breakthrough Energy Contrails, announces the large-scale deployment of a contrail avoidance solution, which has already been tested on the flight routes from Paris and Valladolid (Spain). Contrails are one the major challenges in the ecological transition in aviation and this initiative has helped avoid more than 20 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2eq) in 2024, reducing the climate impact1 of each flight by up to 40%.
    • By modifying the altitude of the planes rather than their lateral trajectory, the solution optimizes flight plans and thus limits the potential overconsumption of fuel to under 3%. Amelia plans to further expand this initiative in 2025, progressively applying it to most of its eligible flight operations, making this experiment one of the largest in the world.
    • With this solution, Thales, a key player in more sustainable aviation, offers a systematic approach that can be quickly integrated by all airlines, seeking to reduce their environmental impact as of today.
    Embraer ERJ145 ​ © Nuno SELETTI” id=”image-1c147064-50ec-4ee9-986b-d5d9003dca99″ data-id=”1c147064-50ec-4ee9-986b-d5d9003dca99″ data-original=”https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/1c147064-50ec-4ee9-986b-d5d9003dca99/-/inline/no/%28c%29+Nuno+SELETTI.png” data-mfp-src=”https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/1c147064-50ec-4ee9-986b-d5d9003dca99/-/resize/1200x/-/format/auto/” alt=”Embraer ERJ145 © Nuno SELETTI”/>
    Embraer ERJ145 ​ © Nuno SELETTI

    Thales, in partnership with Amelia and Breakthrough Energy Contrails, takes a major step towards more environmentally friendly aviation, by implementing an innovative contrail avoidance solution.

    Since June 2024, Thales’ contrail avoidance solution has been deployed on all Paris-Valladolid flights operated by Amelia, using Embraer ERJ145 aircraft. This initiative is part of the DECOR project, supported by France’s 2030 investment plan.

    Contrails, the artificial clouds produced by aeroplanes, trap heat from the sun, playing a role similar to that of greenhouse gases and thus significantly contributing to global warming. The impact of contrails can represent a significant part of the total climate footprint of aviation, rivalling even that of CO2.

    By integrating its solution with Amelia’s Operational Control Center (OCC) tools, Thales enables OCC operations agents to directly obtain alternative trajectories to their flight plans, combining controlled operational impact and a significant reduction in contrails.

    When a significant impact of contrails is detected, the Thales solution, Flights Footprint, suggests flight alternatives that allow for a significant reduction in climate impact, with a minimum average decrease of up to 40% in the total climate impact of the flight. This flight optimization relies solely on adjustments to the aircraft’s altitude, without changing their route, which helps to keep additional fuel consumption to below 3%.

    Yannick Assouad, Executive Vice-President, Avionics, Thales said: “Thales’ contrail avoidance solution is a first for France. It is fully aligned with Thales’ strategy aiming to transform the aerospace industry towards a more environmentally-friendly future through technology, for more sustainable and responsible aviation”.

    Based on proven scientific principles, this innovative solution utilizes the latest weather forecasts and the most advanced climate models provided by Breakthrough Energy Contrails to optimize the flight plan. At the end of each flight, these climate models, enriched by meteorological reanalysis data, are applied to the actual flight path of the aircraft to assess the effectiveness of avoiding contrail formation areas. Additionally, the installation of a ground camera, supplied by Reuniwatt, enables the solution’s effectiveness to be validated through the direct observation of contrails, thanks to the analyses conducted in partnership with the digital services company SII.

    This project has prevented an average of more than 4 tons of CO2 equivalent (CO2eq) per flight, initially affected by contrails. Amelia has decided to extend this system to eligible flights in 2025, becoming the first airline to systematically implement a contrail avoidance approach.

    Adrien Chabot, Director of Sustainable Development at Amelia said: “Taking condensation trails into account allows for the analysis of the total climate impact of our operations and thus a better optimization of them. The challenge is to significantly and quickly reduce our impact on climate change by continuing the deployment of the Thales solution initiated in 2022. Today, it is probably one of the most promising approaches in terms of cost/benefit regarding climate impact.”

    This solution, accessible and easily deployable, creates new horizons for all airlines, paving the way for more sustainable and responsible aviation on a global scale.

    Matteo Mirolo, Head of Strategy at Breakthrough Energy Contrails said: “The impact of contrails on the climate, similar to that of CO2, is one of the major challenges of the ecological transition in aviation. We are delighted to collaborate with Thales to implement large-scale pilot avoidance campaigns, like this one done with Amelia, which are crucial when considering the eventual deployment of systematic avoidance measures.”

    1 Cumulative impact of CO2 and non-CO2 effects.

    About Thales

    Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies specialized in three business domains: Defence & Security, Aerospace, and Cyber & Digital.

    It develops products and solutions that help make the world safer, greener and more inclusive.

    The Group invests close to €4 billion a year in Research & Development, particularly in key innovation areas such as AI, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, cloud technologies and 6G.

    Thales has close to 81,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2023, the Group generated sales of €18.4 billion.

    About Amelia

    A major player in the aviation industry in Europe and Africa since 1976, Amelia is a French aeronautics group that ensures flight operations and the monitoring and maintenance of its aircraft.

    Amelia’s fleet, consisting of 18 aircraft, meets the needs of its various activities, chartering on behalf of major international airlines, medical evacuations, and charter flights.

    Amelia is a member of IATA since November 2022, endorsing the wider Fly Net Zero commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

    Press contact : communication@flyamelia.com

    About Breakthrough Energy Contrails

    Breakthrough Energy Contrails is a non-profit initiative aimed at transforming contrail research into climate action. 

    Partnering with academic institutions, airlines, and technology companies, the team develops forecasting and flight planning tools to help airlines avoid high-impact contrail formation. 

    As part of the Breakthrough Energy platform, the initiative integrates technology, operations, and policy expertise to deliver scalable solutions for a clean aviation future.

    For more information, visit contrails.org.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Business Secretary sets out ambition for further, faster growth

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds spoke at Samsung KX in London on 13 February 2025.

    Good morning, and thank you very much for that warm introduction, Alan, and my sincere thanks to the whole team here at Samsung for so generously hosting us, today. 

    It’s actually quite emotional to be honest, it would have been someone like my grandfather who dug out that coal, sent it down here, and a few generations later I get to be on this stage doing this.

    But Samsung is a company synonymous with the best in cutting-edge design and innovation;  and much of it is on full display here within these four walls. 

    It is a fitting venue to discuss this government’s ambition to go further and faster in our growth mission…ensuring that your investments that you outlined here in the UK pay dividends. 

    Three years ago, I gave my first speech as the then Shadow Business Secretary – and I promised we would be both a pro-business and a pro-worker party…  

    …A party rooted not just in the experience of working people, but which recognises, above all else, that you cannot rebuild an economy without a flourishing private sector; backed by an unapologetically pro-business government.  

    I committed to partnering with you in making our offer to the country one you could get behind.  

    And you gave us the ideas, energy and, in some cases, explicit support that was needed to win a strong majority and an even stronger mandate from the British people. A mandate to deliver our Plan for Change.  

    Today, I want to reflect on the progress that we have made as a government. I want to talk candidly about what I believe we need to do; 

    …And I want to provide a clear direction, some reassurance and – I hope – some excitement and optimism about the future.  

    Now I am extremely proud of the work that my department has done in the first seven months of this Government.  

    That includes our record-breaking International Investment Summit…where we secured £63bn of inward investment commitments for the UK… 

    …that was where we published our Industrial Strategy Green Paper… 

    …and where we launched our Industrial Strategy Council expertly led by Clare Barclay. I’m so glad Clare could join us ahead of the council’s meeting later today.  

    Building on from the investment summit, at Davos last month, the Chancellor and I sent a clear message to the international community: that the UK is a great place to invest and do business. We have the lowest corporation tax in the G7, uncapped R&D tax credits, and 100% full expensing on capital allowances.  

    And ahead of our Trade Strategy’s publication, we are leveraging our relationships with Europe, China, India and the Gulf and beyond so businesses can make the UK their base to connect with global markets.  

    And this is important, because in response to the announcements made by the US this week, I want to reiterate that under this government, the UK will always champion free, fair and open trade. That is what is in our national interest. 

    And where we have seen the opportunity for an active government to bring business and workers together, my department has always been on the pitch… 

    …Whether that’s securing a better deal for the workforce at Port Talbot

    …engaging on the takeover of Royal Mail…  

    …Or the renegotiated deal that saw Navantia acquiring Harland and Wolff and protect 1,000 jobs at shipyards across the UK. I will always roll up my sleeves and get involved.

    But – being candid – none of this work in itself is sufficient, if it does not lead across the board to improved business confidence, to greater investment, and to higher household income, in every part of the country. 

    And on that I, and the whole government, recognise the challenge, and we accept it. 

    In the Budget the government had a responsibility to fix the foundations and restore economic stability.  

    And while I recognise that the Budget capped corporation tax, extended capital allowances, and raised the employment allowance threshold from this April, I know it asked a great deal of business. I don’t underestimate that for a second.  

    We will never take that contribution – your contribution – for granted. 

    You are playing your part in fixing this country, in stabilising the public finances, in investing in our people and helping us rebuild our crumbling infrastructure.   

    And we know it is imperative that therefore we clear the path for the private sector to thrive… that we deliver the right conditions for growth.  

    It’s why, on top of the £100 billion of investment unveiled at the Budget, this Government has thrown its full support behind a third runway at Heathrow. 

    It’s why we’re making the Oxford Cambridge growth corridor a success with the right transport and public services to foster growth. 

    It’s why through our expanded Office for Investment and the National Wealth Fund we will be supporting transformative investments throughout the country from West Yorkshire to the West Midlands, and Glasgow and Greater Manchester. 

    The challenges we face as government make all the things we promised to do even more critical.  

    And I relish that. 

    And I don’t believe there are easy answers to complex problems. 

    But I do believe that good policy, good strategies, and good government working hand-in-hand with the private sector, can make a difference. 

    And I want my constituents to feel, and to be, better off. 

    And only a pragmatic, business-orientated government can deliver that. 

    And that to me is what being pro-worker, and pro-business means. 

    And I believe this national UK Government is able to deliver on this mission because, fundamentally, we can offer what no-one else can:  

    First of all, political stability – sadly, a rare commodity in many countries these days. 

    Secondly, openness to the rest of the world – at a time where that is clearly coming under pressure. 

    And most importantly of all, we are offering a willingness to use our mandate in Parliament to transform the business and investor environment. 

    And we are using our Industrial Strategy to ensure that our policies are made with business, for business. 

    As you know, in October last year, we consulted on our Industrial Strategy Green Paper; our blueprint to channel investment and support into our country’s high-growth sectors and high potential places. 

    In that green paper, we posed a series of questions, and you answered in great detail. You told us that you need access to a high-skilled workforce.  

    And that is why we have launched Skills England, bringing in flexibilities for the Growth and Skills levy, allowing for shorter apprenticeships and giving employers more control over training. 

    Meanwhile our Great Britain Working White Paper has already set out detailed plans to support people back into work.  

    And for key sectors such as AI and life sciences, we’ve committed to looking at visa routes for the most highly skilled, ensuring those routes continue to work for the UK. The upcoming Immigration White Paper will set out plans to make our immigration, skills, and visa systems work better and more coherently.   

    You told us that planning has become a by-word for inefficiency.   

    So, we’re making it quicker and simpler for developers to build on brownfield land. 

    We’re making it much easier to build laboratories, gigafactories, data centres, and digital network grid connections.  

    And we’re preventing campaigners from repeatedly launching hopeless legal challenges against planning decisions.   

    You have also told us that access to capital needs drastic improvement.  

    Here again we’re listening and we’re responding. That is why the Government is creating pension megafunds, unlocking billions of pounds of investment. At the same time, we’re delivering on Lord Hill’s Listing Review to allow the FCA to rewrite the UK’s Prospectus Regime for faster fund-raising.

    And, finally, you told us that we need a ‘regulation reset’ in this country.  

    Day in, day out I hear from business leaders who say to me that regulation and regulators are too cumbersome.  

    They’re too slow.  

    They’re too focused on theoretical issues, with little understanding of how businesses and markets actually operate. 

    And I’ve heard that message loud and clear.  

    One of our foremost regulators, the Competition and Markets Authority, has recently made great strides in addressing some of these issues. 

    And today, my department is publishing a consultation on a new Strategic Steer for the CMA to accelerate this work.  

    This isn’t about meaningless platitudes – about the ‘cutting of red tape.’  

    It’s about effective consumer protection, competition law and digital market powers so that we create a level-playing field for businesses to compete on. We need to address genuine harm done by those who are not playing by the rules.  

    Our Strategic Steer asks the CMA to minimise uncertainty for business – by being proactive, transparent, timely, predictable and responsive in its engagement.  

    And I know, under Sarah Cardell and the new Interim Chair, Doug Gurr, the CMA has already taken significant steps in adopting this approach…in always having growth and investment in mind.  

    Its extensive work around the merger of Vodafone and Three is a fantastic example of that…as is the CMA’s launch of a Growth and Investment Council to identify opportunities for greater competition.  

    And there is more to come. 

    I know Sarah and the CMA have set out their plans to deliver real, meaningful reforms to the merger control processes already today. Its eyes are trained firmly on more direct engagement with businesses. On speeding up its decision-making to deliver more certainty for investors. On adopting a faster, more agile approach to protecting competition.  

    I fully endorse these measures because this Government believes in effective, independent institutions. In promoting competition and protecting competition – that is fundamental to our growth mission. And with the current CMA team in place, we want to support them every step of the way in the changes they’re making.  

    I want to see that same level of ambition from our other regulators because right now, I don’t think our regulatory environment is doing enough to drive investor confidence and support growth.  

    So, I’m taking this first step today but watch this space.  

    I’m serious about delivering our wider regulatory reform over the coming weeks and months… 

    …I’m also serious about building the pro-innovation, pro-worker, pro wealth creation economy that we promised at the general election. I know you in the room share that commitment, too. 

    I’m proud of the reforms that we’ve set out in the Employment Rights Bill – of the opportunities they will afford working class families and working-class communities like the one I grew up in.  

    I want everyone to benefit from the stronger economy I know we can have.

    But I always said, however, that we would work with – and not against – business to deliver these generational reforms.  

    I said that we would never introduce changes that would make it harder for firms to hire with confidence.  

    And this is precisely why my department is consulting on many of the key aspects of our Make Work Pay reforms – not least on probationary periods.  

    I want a statutory probation period that lets businesses get a good sense of how new employees are performing.  

    And it’s common sense to ensure that there are lighter touch standards for dismissal during those initial months of people starting a job. 

    I know how important this is for employers. And I get it.  

    It’s why my department will continue to engage face-to-face with business to develop a sensible, balanced proposal before we go out for formal consultation.  

    And we will also consult on the length of the statutory probation period, with our preference being 9 months.  

    We have also made clear that the changes we make to unfair dismissal will come into effect no sooner than the autumn of next year.  

    I want there to be a buffer – a proper, business readiness period – so employers fully understand the details of our reforms, and can prepare long before they enter into force.  

    That is the right thing to do – for both employers and employees.  

    So, let there be no doubt – we are still the party of business.  

    And we are willing to do the difficult things.  

    Be that a third runway at Heathrow, a step change at the CMA, or stopping endless court challenges over the job-creating projects this country needs. 

    We can share our ideas and ambition with each other. 

    Take the big bets.         

    Take some risks.

    Be the disruptors.

    My desire to be your champion in government has never wavered.  

    And it is as resolute now as ever. 

    We have to go further and faster in driving growth.  

    And, friends, together, I know that we will.   

    Thank you very much.

    Updates to this page

    Published 13 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Bitget’s Protection Fund Average Hits $648M in January 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VICTORIA, Seychelles, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitget, the leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company, has announced that its Protection Fund achieved a valuation of $648 million in January 2025, reflecting sustained growth and stability in the crypto market. The fund, designed to provide financial security for users during volatile market conditions, continues to demonstrate its resilience and importance as Bitcoin and other digital assets experience significant price movements.

    In January 2025, Bitget’s Protection Fund reached a peak valuation of $690 million, maintaining its upward trajectory as Bitcoin traded within a range of $87,000 to $105,000. Throughout January, the Protection Fund maintained an average valuation of approximately $648 million, playing its vital role as a reliable safeguard for user assets amid fluctuating market conditions.

    “The consistent growth of our Protection Fund aligns with our focus on advancing security and building user trust,” said Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget. “As the crypto market evolves, we remain committed to providing a secure and transparent environment for our users, enabling them to navigate the market with confidence.”

    Launched in 2022 with an initial commitment of $300 million, the Protection Fund has grown steadily, offering users enhanced security during periods of market volatility. This latest valuation reflects Bitget’s robust risk management framework, which ensures the fund remains well-capitalized to protect user assets even during heightened market activity. The fund’s performance in January aligns with broader market trends, including increased institutional interest and regulatory developments that continue to shape the crypto landscape.

    In addition to the Protection Fund, Bitget’s Proof of Reserves maintains a 1:1 reserve ratio, further reinforcing transparency and trust. Recently Bitget was announced on the list of top trusted crypto platforms by Forbes. These initiatives collectively position Bitget as a leading exchange that prioritizes user security and confidence in an ever-changing market environment.

    For detailed Protection Fund and Proof of Reserves reports, visit here.

    About Bitget

    Established in 2018, Bitget is a leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company, serving over 100 million users across 150+ countries and regions. The Bitget exchange is dedicated to empowering users with innovative trading solutions, including its pioneering copy trading feature, while providing real-time access to Bitcoin price, Ethereum price, and other cryptocurrency prices. Formerly known as BitKeep, Bitget Wallet is a world-class multi-chain crypto wallet offering comprehensive Web3 solutions, including wallet functionality, token swaps, an NFT marketplace, and a DApp browser.

    Bitget continues to drive crypto adoption through strategic partnerships, including its role as the Official Crypto Partner of LALIGA in the EASTERN, SEA, and LATAM markets, as well as its collaboration with Turkish National athletes Buse Tosun Çavuşoğlu (Wrestling world champion), Samet Gümüş (Boxing gold medalist), and İlkin Aydın (Volleyball national team). These partnerships aim to inspire global communities to embrace the future of cryptocurrency.

    For more information, visit: 

    Website | Twitter | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord | Bitget Wallet

    For media inquiries, please contact: 

    media@bitget.com

    Risk Warning:* Digital asset prices are subject to fluctuation and may experience significant volatility. Investors are advised to only allocate funds they can afford to lose. The value of any investment may be impacted, and there is a possibility that financial objectives may not be met, nor the principal investment recovered. Independent financial advice should always be sought, and personal financial experience and standing carefully considered. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Bitget accepts no liability for any potential losses incurred. Nothing contained herein should be construed as financial advice. For further information, please refer to our *Terms of Use.

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d2b64ea6-fbca-44ae-9700-7e5940d7e572

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/57c8be45-47b5-4832-a5b8-4a0be2096c4e

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Abaxx Will Expand Battery Metals Product Suite with Launch of Lithium Carbonate Futures on March 7, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Abaxx Technologies Inc. (CBOE:ABXX)(OTCQX:ABXXF) (“Abaxx” or the “Company”), a financial software and market infrastructure company, indirect majority shareholder of Abaxx Singapore Pte Ltd. (“Abaxx Singapore”), the owner of Abaxx Commodity Exchange and Clearinghouse (individually, “Abaxx Exchange” and “Abaxx Clearing”), and producer of the SmarterMarkets™ Podcast, today announced that it will be expanding its battery metals product suite with the launch of 3 regional physically-deliverable Lithium Carbonate futures on March 7, 2025.

    Abaxx Lithium Carbonate futures mark a significant development as the world’s first physically deliverable lithium carbonate contracts priced in US dollars. These new contracts provide market participants with standardized and globally accessible pricing benchmarks, better aligning trade flows with physical market realities. By introducing a reliable and transparent mechanism for price discovery, the contracts enhance participants’ ability to manage risk in an increasingly dynamic and critical market. Each regional contract is a US dollar-denominated, DAP contract representing 1 tonne of lithium carbonate and is deliverable at ports in either Singapore, Rotterdam, or Baltimore.

    “The launch of Abaxx’s Lithium Carbonate futures introduces much-needed, physically deliverable benchmarks that reflect real market conditions, providing traders with a precise hedging instrument and greater optionality in managing supply chains,” said Sacha Lifschitz, Director of Metals Markets at Abaxx Exchange. “With contracts deliverable in Singapore, Rotterdam, and Baltimore, we’re aligning with global trade flows to offer more effective risk management and price transparency in a rapidly evolving battery metals market.”

    About Abaxx Technologies
    Abaxx is building Smarter Markets — markets empowered by better financial technology and market infrastructure to address our biggest challenges, including the energy transition. In addition to developing and deploying financial technologies that make communication, trade, and transactions easier and more secure, Abaxx is an indirect majority-owner of subsidiaries Abaxx Exchange and Abaxx Clearing, recognized by MAS as a “recognised market operator” (RMO) and “approved clearing house” (ACH), respectively.

    Abaxx Exchange and Abaxx Clearing are a Singapore-based commodity futures exchange and clearinghouse, introducing centrally cleared, physically deliverable commodities futures and derivatives to provide better price discovery and risk management tools for the commodities critical to our transition to a lower-carbon economy.

    For more information please visit abaxx.tech, abaxx.exchange and smartermarkets.media.

    For more information about this press release, please contact:

    Steve Fray, CFO
    Tel: +1 647-490-1590

    Media and investor inquiries:

    Abaxx Technologies Inc.
    Investor Relations Team
    Tel: +1 246 271 0082
    E-mail: ir@abaxx.tech

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

    This press release includes certain “forward-looking statements” which do not consist of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe Abaxx’s future plans, objectives, or goals, including words to the effect that Abaxx expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as “seeking”, “should”, “intend”, “predict”, “potential”, “believes”, “anticipates”, “expects”, “estimates”, “may”, “could”, “would”, “will”, “continue”, “plan” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Since forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to Abaxx, Abaxx does not provide any assurance that actual results will meet respective management expectations. Risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.

    Forward-looking information related to Abaxx in this press release includes, but is not limited to: Abaxx’s objectives, goals or future plans; completion and timing of the launch of its lithium carbonate contracts; benefits of the introduction of its lithium carbonate contracts; introduction of new battery materials products; and, positive impacts from the growth of global battery metal demand. Such factors impacting forward-looking information include, among others: risks relating to the global economic climate; dilution; Abaxx’s limited operating history; future capital needs and uncertainty of additional financing; the competitive nature of the industry; currency exchange risks; the need for Abaxx to manage its planned growth and expansion; the effects of product development and need for continued technology change; protection of proprietary rights; the effect of government regulation and compliance on Abaxx and the industry; acquiring and maintaining regulatory approvals for Abaxx’s products and operations; the ability to list Abaxx’s securities on stock exchanges in a timely fashion or at all; network security risks; the ability of Abaxx to maintain properly working systems; reliance on key personnel; global economic and financial market deterioration impeding access to capital or increasing the cost of capital; and volatile securities markets impacting security pricing unrelated to operating performance. In addition, particular factors which could impact future results of the business of Abaxx include but are not limited to: operations in foreign jurisdictions, protection of intellectual property rights, contractual risk, third-party risk; clearinghouse risk, malicious actor risks, third- party software license risk, system failure risk, risk of technological change; dependence of technical infrastructure; and changes in the price of commodities, capital market conditions, restriction on labor and international travel and supply chains, and the risk factors identified in the Company’s most recent management discussion and analysis filed on SEDAR+. Abaxx has also assumed that no significant events occur outside of Abaxx’s normal course of business.

    Abaxx cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. In addition, although Abaxx has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. When relying on forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Abaxx has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraphs will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Abaxx as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Abaxx undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements and information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and information. Cboe Canada does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Bitget Lists Story Protocol (IP) with Exclusive Launchpool Rewards and Spot Trading

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VICTORIA, Seychelles, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitget, the leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company, has announced the listing of Story Protocol (IP) on its platform, with trading available on the spot market and the launch of an exclusive Launchpool rewards campaign.

    Spot trading for IP will go live on 13 February 2025, 9:00 (UTC) under the IP/USDT pair, allowing users to trade the token seamlessly. In addition, the Launchpool campaign, starting from 13 February 2025, 12:00 (UTC) to 15 February 2025, 12:00 (UTC), will enable users to lock BGB and earn a share of 554,500 IP in rewards. Users can lock a maximum of 30,000 BGB while adhering to a minimum requirement of 5 BGB. Airdrops for both pools are calculated on an hourly basis, determined by each participant’s locked volume in relation to the total locked volume of the pool. This real-time distribution mechanism ensures fairness and transparency throughout the campaign.

    Story is a Layer1 Blockchain that empowers creators by enabling them to register their IP on-chain, ensuring control over their work while streamlining licensing and monetization processes. IP is the native cryptocurrency of Story’s ecosystem. This token is the key to securing the network, processing transactions, and allowing users to participate in governance decisions. With Story, from artists and scientists to businesses and AI developers can fairly and efficiently exchange IP without intermediaries.

    Bitget continues to solidify its role as a top-tier cryptocurrency exchange, offering over 800 listed tokens across spot and derivatives markets. The addition of IP to Launchpool highlights Bitget’s ongoing effort to support innovative projects that value and protect creators’ work in the digital future. Launchpool participants can stake specific tokens to unlock early access to IP, showcasing the platform’s commitment to delivering valuable assets and fostering active engagement.

    For more details on IP Launchpool, users can visit here.

    About Bitget
    Established in 2018, Bitget is the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company. Serving over 100 million users in 150+ countries and regions, the Bitget exchange is committed to helping users trade smarter with its pioneering copy trading feature and other trading solutions, while offering real-time access to Bitcoin price, Ethereum price, and other cryptocurrency prices. Formerly known as BitKeep, Bitget Wallet is a world-class multi-chain crypto wallet that offers an array of comprehensive Web3 solutions and features including wallet functionality, token swap, NFT Marketplace, DApp browser, and more.

    Bitget is at the forefront of driving crypto adoption through strategic partnerships, such as its role as the Official Crypto Partner of the World’s Top Football League, LALIGA, in EASTERN, SEA and LATAM market, as well as a global partner of Turkish National athletes Buse Tosun Çavuşoğlu (Wrestling world champion), Samet Gümüş (Boxing gold medalist) and İlkin Aydın (Volleyball national team), to inspire the global community to embrace the future of cryptocurrency.

    For more information, users can visit: Website | Twitter | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord | Bitget Wallet

    For media inquiries, users may contact: media@bitget.com

    Risk Warning: Digital asset prices are subject to fluctuation and may experience significant volatility. Investors are advised to only allocate funds they can afford to lose. The value of any investment may be impacted, and there is a possibility that financial objectives may not be met, nor the principal investment recovered. Independent financial advice should always be sought, and personal financial experience and standing carefully considered. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Bitget accepts no liability for any potential losses incurred. Nothing contained herein should be construed as financial advice. For further information, please refer to our Terms of Use.

    Contact

    Simran Alphonso
    media@bitget.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at:
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/104236c4-8b97-45fc-9786-6da4fc56ceda

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – [LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES GROUP PLC – 11 02 2025] – (CGWL) – CORRECTION

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    This disclosure supersedes the previous one which contained the wrong date in section 1(e)

    FORM 8.3

    PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY
    A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
    Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)

    1.        KEY INFORMATION

    (a)   Full name of discloser: CANACCORD GENUITY WEALTH LIMITED (for Discretionary clients)
    (b)   Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):
            The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.    		 N/A
    (c)   Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
            Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree    		 LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES GROUP PLC
    (d)   If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A
    (e)   Date position held/dealing undertaken:
            For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure    		 11 FEBRUARY 2025
    (f)   In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
            If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”    		 N/A

    2.        POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

    (a)      Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

    Class of relevant security: 0.375p ORDINARY
      Interests Short positions
    Number % Number %
    (1)   Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 9,641,106 1.2166    
    (2)   Cash-settled derivatives:        
    (3)   Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:        
    TOTAL: 9,641,106 1.2166    

    All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

    Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

    (b)      Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)

    Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:  
    Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:  

    3.        DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

    The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

    (a)        Purchases and sales

    Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit
    0.375p ORDINARY SALE 3,620 99.2p

    (b)        Cash-settled derivative transactions

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. CFD    		 Nature of dealing
    e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position    		 Number of reference securities Price per unit
    NONE        

    (c)        Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

    (i)        Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

    Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type
    e.g. American, European etc.    		 Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit
    NONE              

    (ii)        Exercise

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. call option    		 Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit

    (d)        Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

    Class of relevant security Nature of dealing
    e.g. subscription, conversion    		 Details Price per unit (if applicable)
    NONE      

    4.        OTHER INFORMATION

    (a)        Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

    Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:
    Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

    NONE

    (b)        Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

    Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:
    (i)   the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or
    (ii)   the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:
    If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

    NONE

    (c)        Attachments

    Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO
    Date of disclosure: 12 FEBRUARY 2025
    Contact name: MARK ELLIOTT
    Telephone number: 01253 376539

    Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

    The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

    The Code can be viewed on the Panel’s website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – [LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES GROUP PLC – 12 02 2025] – (CGWL)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FORM 8.3

    PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY
    A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
    Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)

    1.        KEY INFORMATION

    (a)   Full name of discloser: CANACCORD GENUITY WEALTH LIMITED (for Discretionary clients)
    (b)   Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):
            The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.    		 N/A
    (c)   Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
            Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree    		 LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES GROUP PLC
    (d)   If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A
    (e)   Date position held/dealing undertaken:
            For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure    		 12 FEBRUARY 2025
    (f)   In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
            If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”    		 N/A

    2.        POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

    (a)      Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

    Class of relevant security: 0.375p ORDINARY
      Interests Short positions
    Number % Number %
    (1)   Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 9,494,764 1.1981    
    (2)   Cash-settled derivatives:        
    (3)   Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:        
    TOTAL: 9,494,764 1.1981    

    All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

    Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

    (b)      Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)

    Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:  
    Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:  

    3.        DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

    The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

    (a)        Purchases and sales

    Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit
    0.375p ORDINARY SALE 100,000 99.24p
    0.375p ORDINARY SALE 50,000 99.241p
    0.375p ORDINARY PURCHASE 3,658 99.3869p

    (b)        Cash-settled derivative transactions

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. CFD    		 Nature of dealing
    e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position    		 Number of reference securities Price per unit
    NONE        

    (c)        Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

    (i)        Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

    Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type
    e.g. American, European etc.    		 Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit
    NONE              

    (ii)        Exercise

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. call option    		 Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit

    (d)        Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

    Class of relevant security Nature of dealing
    e.g. subscription, conversion    		 Details Price per unit (if applicable)
    NONE      

    4.        OTHER INFORMATION

    (a)        Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

    Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:
    Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

    NONE

    (b)        Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

    Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:
    (i)   the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or
    (ii)   the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:
    If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

    NONE

    (c)        Attachments

    Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO
    Date of disclosure: 13 FEBRUARY 2025
    Contact name: MARK ELLIOTT
    Telephone number: 01253 376539

    Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

    The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

    The Code can be viewed on the Panel’s website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Form 8.3 – [ALLIANCE PHARMA PLC – 12 02 2025] – (CGWL)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FORM 8.3

    PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY
    A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE
    Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”)

    1.        KEY INFORMATION

    (a)   Full name of discloser: CANACCORD GENUITY WEALTH LIMITED (for Discretionary clients)
    (b)   Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):
            The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.    		 N/A
    (c)   Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:
            Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree    		 ALLIANCE PHARMA PLC
    (d)   If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A
    (e)   Date position held/dealing undertaken:
            For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure    		 12 FEBRUARY 2025
    (f)   In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?
            If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state “N/A”    		 N/A

    2.        POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

    (a)      Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

    Class of relevant security: 1p ORDINARY
      Interests Short positions
    Number % Number %
    (1)   Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 12,245,709 2.2654    
    (2)   Cash-settled derivatives:        
    (3)   Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:        
    TOTAL: 12,245,709 2.2654    

    All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

    Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

    (b)      Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors’ and other employee options)

    Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists:  
    Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:  

    3.        DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

    Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

    The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

    (a)        Purchases and sales

    Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit
    1p ORDINARY SALE 7,373 61.4084p

    (b)        Cash-settled derivative transactions

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. CFD    		 Nature of dealing
    e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position    		 Number of reference securities Price per unit
    NONE        

    (c)        Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

    (i)        Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

    Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type
    e.g. American, European etc.    		 Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit
    NONE              

    (ii)        Exercise

    Class of relevant security Product description
    e.g. call option    		 Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit

    (d)        Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

    Class of relevant security Nature of dealing
    e.g. subscription, conversion    		 Details Price per unit (if applicable)
    NONE      

    4.        OTHER INFORMATION

    (a)        Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

    Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:
    Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

    NONE

    (b)        Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

    Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:
    (i)   the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or
    (ii)   the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:
    If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state “none”

    NONE

    (c)        Attachments

    Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO
    Date of disclosure: 13 FEBRUARY 2025
    Contact name: MARK ELLIOTT
    Telephone number: 01253 376539

    Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

    The Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code’s disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

    The Code can be viewed on the Panel’s website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.

    The MIL Network –