NewzIntel.com

Category: Economy

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australians generate mountains of waste, and we need more help to recycle and resuse it

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melita Jazbec, Research Director at the Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney

    Boy Anthony/Shutterstock

    Australians largely support transforming the economy to increase recycling, repurpose products and reduce waste, according to a new report from the Productivity Commission, but they are being impeded by inconsistent regulations.

    The interim report of the commission’s inquiry into Australia’s circular economy, released Wednesday night, also finds consumers need more information about the durability and repairability of products.

    The report says that despite increased awareness of the benefits of a circular economy, the transformation has been complex and progress has been slow.

    What is a circular economy?

    A circular economy is based on three principles.

    The first is designing and making goods without waste and pollution. This includes using renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions.

    The second is keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible. This can be achieved by maintaining or repairing products to extend their life.

    The third principle is regeneration. This means promoting activities with positive outcomes. This could include activities to deal with biodiversity loss, or social benefits through food relief and donations.

    Some businesses are already using circular economy practices but compared to other developed countries, Australia is well behind. The recent CSIRO study found only 3.7% of the Australian economy is circular, half of the world’s average of 7.2%.

    In December last year the Federal government released the National Circular Economy Framework providing guidance how to increase circularity.

    Coinciding with this, the Productivity Commission evaluated circular economy opportunities in six priority sectors – built environment, food and agriculture, textiles and clothing, vehicles, mining and electronics.

    Priority areas

    The priority areas were selected based on the impact their materials has on the environment and the economy.

    For example, the construction sector uses large quantities of materials which are expensive to recycle. While the increased use of electric vehicles is a bonus for the environment, the lithium-ion batteries they use pose a fire risk if incorrectly managed.

    How much impact a particular area has on Australia, was also taken into account.

    For example, Australians are the largest consumers of textiles in the world per capita. But most of these are imported, limiting our influence on how they are made.

    Also, the impact and effectiveness of policies and regulations was also considered. Stakeholders across government and community sectors provided detailed submissions that informed the commission’s assessment.

    Getting consumers, government and business onboard

    The Productivity Commission noted material consumption and waste generation has not changed since 2010. This is because consumers are not repairing and reusing appliances or recycling which is important to a circular economy.

    Australia generates some of the highest amounts of waste per capita in the world, including food waste, plastic waste, e-waste and textile waste.

    While the report recommends how food waste should be managed, consumers need to change their behaviour to reduce the waste they generate.

    To do this, however, consumers need information about making informed purchasing decisions. For e-waste, they need easy access to repair services to extend the life of their products rather than buying new.

    The report repeats earlier recommendations about repairs and reuse from the Productivity Commission’s 2021 Right to Repair inquiry.

    That inquiry recommended the government develop a product labelling scheme giving consumers information about how durable household appliances are and whether they can be repaired.

    We believe implementing these recommendations would bring Australia in line with global best practice reflected in the European Eco-design Sustainable Product regulations.

    Impeded by regulations

    This report highlights the importance of consistent policies and regulations. These currently vary across sectors and jurisdictions.

    Standards enabling the use of recycled materials in construction, consistent rules on the disposal of lithium-ion batteries and consistent kerbside recycling guidelines were all needed.

    The Circular Economy Ministerial Advisory Group recommended in their final report in December new legislation, a governance model and investment in innovation to help Australia move to a circular economy.

    Help for business

    When designed well, circular business models have the potential to reduce waste materials and carbon emissions.

    Comparing the circular and linear economies.
    Productivity Commission, CC BY-SA

    However, changing industry and consumer practices represents a big change. As well as inconsistent regulations slowing the transformation, making processes more innovative and experimenting with new technologies can be costly.

    The Productivity Commission report says government can help reduce barriers to implementation of circular business models given business has a pivotal role in
    driving this transition.

    It also supports product stewardship, an approach where producers, importers and brands are responsible and liable for the impact their products have on the environment and on human health across the product life cycle.

    Regulations for product stewardship was identified in the report as important, particularly in textiles and clothing, vehicles, EV batteries, solar panels and consumer electronics.

    Towards net zero

    Several international studies have reported that a circular economy will be needed to achieve net zero targets.

    In Australia, the industry sector including mining, manufacturing and construction is responsible for around 34% of total emissions. Using materials more efficiently will help reduce them.

    Agriculture, despite its small contribution to the GDP (2.4%), alone contributes 18% to greenhouse gas emissions.

    As the report notes, most of these emissions (80%) come from livestock and use of synthetic fertilisers (15%). But only food waste is identified as one of the priority areas.

    It should be noted though that food waste only accounts for 3% of emissions. So reducing emissions from agriculture, switching to renewable fertilisers and changing livestock diets should also be a priority.

    The Productivity Commission will send its final report to government by August this year.

    Melita Jazbec receives research funding from various government and non-government sources. Melita Jazbec is currently conducting research projects on circular economy funded by Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and by AgriFutures.

    Melita Jazbec made a submission to the Productivity Commission inquiry which also interviewed her.

    Monique Retamal receives research funding from federal DCCEEW, Circular Australia and state government environment departments. Monique was interviewed by the Productivity Commission inquiry.

    Nick Florin receives funding from government and non-government organisations, including the Federal department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water, and the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation. Nick is also a Director of the Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence.

    Stuart White receives research funding from various government and non-government sources.

    – ref. Australians generate mountains of waste, and we need more help to recycle and resuse it – https://theconversation.com/australians-generate-mountains-of-waste-and-we-need-more-help-to-recycle-and-resuse-it-251354

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Local businesses come together to support community through circular economy model

    Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh

    Samantha McCartney and Jordan Wilson from Cafe IncredABLE and Chris Leech from ABC Community Food Hub.

    A remarkable collaboration among local businesses has recently demonstrated the power of community spirit and corporate social responsibility, supporting the local community through a circular economy model.

    The project involved several businesses working together to provide fresh soup for 128 clients of the social supermarket – an initiative that helps local families access food and resources.

    Karri Kitchen generously donated containers, AMK contributed fresh vegetables and Café IncredAble, provided valuable training on soup-making. This hands-on training allowed individuals to gain important cooking skills while contributing to a larger community goal of helping those in need.

    The ABC Community Food Hub then coordinated the distribution efforts, ensuring the meals reached clients of the Social Supermarket.

    “This collaboration highlights how businesses can work together to create a sustainable and impactful solution to food insecurity,” commented the Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Councillor Sarah Duffy.

    “By donating resources and time, these businesses have made a tangible impact on the lives of 128 Social Supermarket clientele – and we, as a council. Are proud to be part of such an inspiring effort. This is what community spirit is all about.”

    The main ‘soup maker’ is Jordan Wilson who has volunteered with Café IncredABLE for two years, making soup for the customers of the café and now for this project too.

    The businesses involved in this initiative are committed to continuing their collaboration and exploring new ways to support the community through circular economy practices.

    They hope to inspire others in the local business community to join in making a positive difference.

    For more information on the project or to get involved, please contact: 0300 0300 900 or visit: Social Supermarket – Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: BLOG | How we’re tackling fly-tipping, littering, and dog fouling

    Source: City of Liverpool

    Councillor Laura Robertson-Collins, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Neighbourhoods and Streetscene, discusses the importance of a well-staffed Environmental Enforcement team when it comes to tackling fly-tipping and littering. 

    No-one likes to see rubbish lying around on our streets. Whether it’s fly-tipped furniture, littering at the side of the road, or dog fouling in the middle of a pavement, it doesn’t belong in our city. Liverpool is an incredible place to live and visit, and we should all be proud to call it home, but illegally dropping or dumping rubbish is disrespectful and selfish. 

    Recently, we announced that we were going to crack down on fly-tipping by appointing an external team to support with enforcement across the city. The truth is, we’ve already invested a lot into preventative measures and we’re starting to see a real difference.  

    In the 2024/25 financial year, the Council invested £475,000 to employ an internal Environmental Enforcement team, which is currently made up of six people. In 2025/26, we’re investing another £475,000 to be able to double the size of that team and have more officers working within the community to help prevent fly-tipping, littering, and dog fouling.  

    These officers have been out on the streets seven days a week since they joined the Council last summer. They patrol all areas of the city throughout the day, not just the city centre. It can be easy to assume that their main role is handing out fines to people who drop waste, but there’s so much more to what they do. They inspect businesses to make sure they manage their waste correctly and work alongside Merseyside Police to conduct waste carrier licence checks and trade waste inspections.  

    What’s more, they play a crucial role in educating our communities. By engaging with residents and businesses, they raise awareness about responsible waste disposal and prevent waste from being dumped in the first place. Did you know that if you hire a private company to take away your waste without checking they have the correct licence and it gets fly-tipped, you could be held responsible? These are the sorts of messages our team is passing on to residents.  

    By working closely together, our Environmental Enforcement team and LSSL ensure that all reported fly-tipping incidents are investigated and cleared in an average of 3.8 days. 

    The numbers speak for themselves. Since June last year, our officers have engaged with 617 residential properties and businesses about waste management, issuing almost 150 warnings where needed. They’ve also handed out 106 Fixed Penalty Notices and assisted with four prosecutions. Each of these investigations take a lot of time, but by doubling the size of the team, we know that we’ll have more time and more manpower to crack down on offenders.

    From 2023 to 2024, reports of fly-tipping dropped by 5.7 per cent, and requests to clean streets decreased by 25 per cent. Their efforts, and the work of LSSL, make a tangible difference in keeping Liverpool cleaner and safer. 

    Liverpool City Council’s commitment to cracking down on illegal fly-tipping, littering, and dog fouling is unwavering. The new Environmental Enforcement Team, appointed last year, has already made significant strides in investigating and addressing these issues. With the addition of six new internal enforcement officers, we’re poised to enhance our efforts even further. 

    And there’s more good news on the horizon. An external team is set to start early this summer, providing extra support to tackle fly-tipping blighting our streets. They’ll work closely with the existing taskforce, raising awareness about correct waste management and investigating environmental crimes. 

    While we do work closely with the police to utilise our expansive CCTV network across the city, we can’t be everywhere at once.  We ask anyone who spots illegal waste on our streets to report it to us so that we can investigate. And, if you have any information to help us with our investigation, please speak out. We know that the majority of people would like to keep their streets free of rubbish.

    With the Great British Spring Clean coming back at the end of next month, now is the perfect time to join in with community litter-picking events, or even create one of your own. For more information, or to tell us about a clean-up event you’re planning, reach out to our Keep Liverpool Tidy team. Together, we can achieve a litter-free, waste-free city that we can truly be proud of. 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: ‘Open University Culture’ to Get Boost from National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Says Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh at the 38th Convocation of IGNOU Regional Centre Jammu

    Source: Government of India (2)

    ‘Open University Culture’ to Get Boost from National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Says Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh at the 38th Convocation of IGNOU Regional Centre Jammu

    NEP 2020 allows students to change subjects or combine subjects to diversify learning as per their choice and changing employment needs- a practice followed by IGNOU

    Hails Mudra Yojana and PM Vishwakarma Yojana which foster youth with self-employment and livelihood opportunities, rather than waiting for formal jobs

    Dr. Jitendra Singh credits Prime Minister Modi’s leadership for the new state of the art IGNOU campus in Jammu

    Posted On: 05 MAR 2025 4:55PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister of State for Science & Technology, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh, affirmed that the ‘Open University Culture’ will receive a significant boost from the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 at the 38th Convocation of the IGNOU Regional Centre Jammu today.

    Addressing the convocation in online mode, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space, MoS Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted the role of IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University) in transforming the education landscape, particularly for those unable to access formal educational setups due to socio-economic constraints. He emphasized that NEP 2020’s progressive features, such as flexible entry and exit, choice-based credit systems, and diverse learning opportunities, align with the objectives of Open Universities like IGNOU.

    Dr. Jitendra Singh elaborated on the importance of NEP 2020 in enabling students to diversify their learning paths by changing subjects or combining them based on personal choice and changing employment needs—an approach already practiced by IGNOU.

    The Minister expressed his admiration for IGNOU’s remarkable growth since its inception in 1985. He underscored that it is now the largest university in the world by student enrollment and has earned an A++ accreditation.

    Highlighting key features of IGNOU’s programs, such as flexible entry and exit, modular program design, and multimedia-based learning, Dr. Singh noted that these innovations cater to students’ diverse needs, enabling them to learn at their own pace and convenience.

    “Many of these features, including flexible degrees, choice-based credits, and the ability to change or combine subjects, are incorporated into NEP 2020, making IGNOU a true pioneer in the educational landscape,” said Dr. Singh.

    The Science and technology Minister praised IGNOU for its global outreach, citing its 25 overseas study centers in 15 countries, with a robust international presence. Additionally, IGNOU’s collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Central Hindi Directorate (CHD) to offer a three-month online Basic Hindi Awareness program to foreign nationals in nine countries was also acknowledged.

    Furthermore, he noted that through the e-VidyaBharati and e-Aarogya Bharati (e-VBAB) Network Project, 45 online programs are being offered in 19 African countries.

    Dr. Singh also credited Prime Minister Modi’s leadership for securing a strategic alliance between IGNOU and the Open University of Kenya (OUK), enhancing the global education ecosystem.

    During his address, Dr. Jitendra Singh hailed government initiatives such as the Mudra Yojana and PM Vishwakarma Yojana, which empower youth by providing self-employment and livelihood opportunities. He explained that the Mudra Yojana offers skilled youth collateral-free loans of up to Rs. 20 lakhs to start their ventures, while the PM Vishwakarma Yojana supports traditional artisans by providing advanced toolkits and stipends during training, easing the financial burden on their families. Dr. Singh also emphasized the importance of skill development and recognized the special skill-based bachelor’s degree programs designed to enhance the skills required for serving in the defense forces.

    Acknowledging the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in modern education, Dr. Singh lauded IGNOU’s efforts in integrating technology into learning. He specifically mentioned the six SWAYAM PRABHA channels operated by IGNOU, which provide students with access to quality educational content and resources online.

    Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh expressed his delight and satisfaction with the new state-of-the-art IGNOU campus in Jammu, inaugurated on February 7, 2024calling it a significant milestone for the region. Recalling that the establishment of the campus was a long-awaited dream since the center’s inception in 1998, he described the new campus as a gift from Prime Minister Modi to the youth and aspiring learners of Jammu. He further highlighted the cumulative enrollment of nearly 6 lakh students at the Jammu Regional Centre, with over 2 lakh learners enrolled since 2020.

    In his closing remarks, Dr. Singh urged the youth to contribute actively to the vision of a “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India) as envisioned by Prime Minister Modi for the year 2047, marking the centenary of India’s independence. “Today’s graduates are the fortunate ones who are witnessing India’s transformative growth, and I urge them to be a part of this monumental journey toward a brighter future for the nation,” Dr. Singh concluded.

    38th Convocation – A Historic Moment for 11,293 Graduates

    A total of 11,293 students from the IGNOU Regional Centre Jammu successfully completed their respective programs, marking a significant achievement. The program-wise breakdown of the successful graduates is as follows:- Bachelors: 5,852, Masters: 4,988, Diplomas: 316, Certificates: 137

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     NKR/PSM

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Department Of Financial Services (DFS) Hosts a Post Budget Webinar On Theme “Regulatory, Investment, And Ease Of Doing Business (EODB) Reforms”

    Source: Government of India

    Department Of Financial Services (DFS) Hosts a Post Budget Webinar On Theme  “Regulatory, Investment, And Ease Of Doing Business (EODB) Reforms”

    Government remains committed to  ensuring of timely implementation of all budget announcements for the year 2025-26- Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman

    Jan Vishwas Bill 2.0 to decriminalize more than 100 provisions in various laws, simplifying processes for businesses- Finance Minister

    Several important suggestions given by experts  on different sub-themes during the Post Budget Webinar

    Posted On: 05 MAR 2025 1:43PM by PIB Delhi

    Addressing a post-budget webinar on the theme  “Regulatory, Investment, And Ease Of Doing Business (EODB) Reforms” organized by the Department of Financial Services, Union Minister of Finance and Corporate affairs,  Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman emphasized that the  government is committed to encouraging global economic partnerships, leveraging technology to strengthen traditional sectors and to significantly enhance the export potential of India.

    The Finance Minister  added that the government remains committed to  ensuring  timely implementation of all budget announcements for the year 2025-26.  This is consistent with the government’s track record of delivering on promises made in previous budgets, the Minister said.

    The Finance Minister explained how recent budget announcements are being implemented promptly. Under the MUDRA loans, the loan limit under the Tarun category has been increased from Rs10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh, with implementation completed via notification dated 24th October 2024, the Finance Minister added.

    The new MSME Credit assessment model announced in Budget 2024-25 has progressed well. 11 Public Sector Banks have extended it to existing customers and 7 Banks have extended it to new ones also, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman said.

    Second, 21 new SIDBI branches have already been opened in MSME clusters during 2024-25 in line with the budget announcement made in 2024-25.

    The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has implemented the pilot project for the PM Internship scheme. The scheme was announced in the budget of 2024-25 creating over 1.25 lakh internship opportunities in top companies with over six lakh applicants. The government remains steadfast in reducing regulatory burdens and enhancing trust based governance to improve the ease of doing business.

    Through the budget announcements, the government is  taking various steps towards making India a seamless export friendly economy, one where businesses are free to focus on innovation and expansion and not on paperwork and penalties. Decriminalization of business related laws reduces the legal risks, allowing industries to operate with greater confidence.

    Giving details, the Finance Minister said that the robust manufacturing sector, free from unnecessary regulatory bottlenecks, will further attract both domestic and foreign investments, driving economic growth, positioning India as a trusted global player. The government has over 42,000 compliances removed, and over 3700 legal provisions have been decriminalized since 2014. In the Jan Vishwas act 2023, more than 180 legal provisions were decriminalized.

    The government will now bring up the general Vishwas Bill 2.0 to decriminalize more than 100 provisions in various laws. It will further simplify processes for businesses, the Minister added.

    Highlighting the focus laid on capex, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman said that the pathway for reforms are complemented by the government’s unwavering focus on capital expenditure as a driver of economic growth. For the year 2025-26, total effective capex is proposed at 15.48 lakh crores, which is 4.3% of the GDP, with 11.21 lakh crores allocated as core capital expenditure by the centre, which is 3.1% of the GDP. This unprecedented investment in infrastructure development is already creating jobs, strengthening industries and laying the foundation for private sector participation in India’s growth story.

    The Minister said that today’s webinar has brought together stakeholders from ministries like Finance Department, Industry policy, internal trade, corporate affairs regulators, state governments, public sector banks, insurance companies, SIDBI, NABARD and industry associations to ensure smooth policy implementation.

    The Finance Minister appreciated that various important inputs have been received during the course of discussion, and they will be looked into suitably. The inputs will help align our strategies, address possible implementation challenges and ensure that budgetary announcements efficiently translate into tangible actions, the Minister said.

    Speaking on the occasion, the Minister of State for Finance, Shri Pankaj Chaudhary in his concluding remarks said that increasing the FDI limit will not only attract foreign capital and advanced technology but will also improve insurance penetration, providing increased insurance coverage at affordable premiums to a larger section of the population. This move is also expected to improve technology advancements as well as better customer engagement processes.

    Further the Minister added that department of financial services is in advanced stages of finalisation and the Draft Insurance Laws Amendment Bill which will be presented, shortly.

    Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications, Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani in his concluding remarks during the webinar underlined that India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) is set to revolutionize last-mile financial access by integrating its services with Post Office Savings Accounts, creating a unified, technology-driven financial ecosystem.

    With 35 crore Post Office Savings Account holders and 11 crore IPPB customers, this integration will enhance accessibility, efficiency, and innovation in banking services. Key initiatives include expanding Aadhaar-enabled payment systems, increasing UPI transactions, introducing AI-driven microfinance, and launching vernacular digital platforms to empower rural communities. The Department of Posts and Communications is committed to enabling these changes, and collaboration with the Department of Financial services will further accelerate India’s journey toward a seamless and inclusive financial landscape, the minister added.

    In his Thematic session of the Post budget Webinar, Shri M. Nagaraju, Secretary DFS said that under the MUDRA Scheme, ₹33 lakh crore loan amount has been sanctioned. Under the Stand-Up India initiative, the department has sanctioned ₹59,000 crore to 2.62 lakh accounts. Additionally, under the PM SVANidhi scheme,  ₹14,000 crore has been sanctioned across 99 lakh accounts. Shri Nagaraju also mentioned that to ensure greater consistency, consumer protection, transparency, and grievance redressal, DFS is proposing setting up a unified forum where regulators and authorities in the pension sector can collaborate.

    The Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance organized a Post Budget Webinar on Theme 7 titled Regulatory, Investment and EODB reforms on Tuesday 4th March, 2025 to understand the unique perspectives from various stakeholders that can help implement the budget announcements for the year 2025-26, ensuring synergy among stakeholders. The webinar comprised of deliberations on 3 parallel breakout sessions on the following sub-themes as below:

    Sub-Theme 1: Making India investment friendly

    Sub-Theme 2: Ease of access to Financial Services/ Credit

    Sub-Theme 3: Rationalization of Legal & Regulatory Compliances

    Simultaneously,  2 more post budget webinars with themes of ‘MSME as an engine of growth’ and ‘Manufacturing, Exports and Nuclear Energy Missions’ were also organised. Prime Minister  addressed these 3 webinars , emphasizing the importance of manufacturing and export. Highlights of his address may be accessed at

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2108027

    For the webinar on Regulatory, Investment and EODB reforms, the sessions witnessed participation of Ministers of respective ministries, senior government officials, subject matter experts, industry leaders, bankers, FPOs and other related stakeholders. The deliberations  focussed on budget announcements related to FDI in Insurance Sector, Credit Enhancement Facility by NaBFID , Merger of Companies, Bilateral Investment Treaties, Investment Friendliness Index of States, Expanding Services of India Post Payment Bank, Grameen Credit Score, KYC Simplification, Pension Sector, Regulatory Reforms  & High-Level Committee for Regulatory Reforms, FSDC Mechanism, Jan Vishwas Bill 2.0 .

    The sub-theme “Making India investment friendly” covered budget paras on FDI in Insurance Sector, Credit Enhancement Facility by NaBFID, Merger of Companies, Bilateral Investment Treaties, and Investment Friendliness Index of States. Valuable suggestions were received from Panelists, Intervenors and Industry experts. The suggestions received during the panel discussion on this theme, inter alia, included, tax rationalization, Ease of Doing Business such as simplification of licensing process for new entrants, liberalizing investment norms, robust dispute resolution mechanism, use of e-governance in streamlining processes, minimize domestic regulatory bottlenecks, creating awareness within the government and build capacities, dedicated national law for foreign investment promotion in India, deepening of bond markets through participation of Insurance and pension funds,retail investors etc.

    During the breakout session on sub theme Ease of access to financial services / Credit, the discussions were held on 3 budget announcements regarding expanding services on India Post payment bank (IPPB), KYC simplification and Grameen credit score. Experts lauded the budget announcements and opined that expansion of IPPB will take banking services to remote areas, empower rural communities by providing access to essential financial tools and will deepen financial inclusion. Grameen credit score will provide an accurate credit profile of rural borrowers. It will not only give opportunities to rural population in availing affordable credit but will also provide opportunities to banks for increasing their business.  KYC simplification will enhance the ease of customers in availing banking and other financial services. The discussions held during the webinar enriched large number of attendees.

    In the Sub Theme: ” Rationalization of Legal & Regulatory Compliances”, Forum for Regulatory Coordination and Development of Pension Products, high-level committee for regulatory reforms, FSDC Mechanism and Jan Vishwas Bill 2.0 were discussed. It was emphasised by the speakers that ‘Viksit Bharat@2047’ will need a regulatory framework that is based on trust and is responsive to technological changes and global policy developments. Speakers highlighted that, Government needs to reduce compliance burden and Imprisonment and / or fine should be substituted with penalties, which are civil in nature, for all minor, procedural and technical non-compliances. Such a framework will facilitate the ease of doing business for all citizens.

    The recommendations on the respective sub-themes of the webinar were presented in the concluding session in presence of Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs, Minister of State for Finance and Minister of State for Communication.

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI: Hyperscale Data, Inc. Announces Acceptance of Plan by NYSE

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LAS VEGAS, March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hyperscale Data, Inc. (NYSE American: GPUS), a diversified holding company (“Hyperscale Data” or the “Company”), today announced that on March 4, 2025, the NYSE American, LLC (the “NYSE”) notified the Company that it has been granted a listing extension until June 18, 2026 on the basis of the plan recently submitted by the Company to regain compliance with the NYSE American Company Guide (the “Listing Standards”). Specifically, the Company has demonstrated how it intends to regain compliance with Sections 1003(a)(ii) and (iii) of the Listing Standards by having stockholders’ equity be $6.0 million or more. The Company will be subject to periodic review by NYSE during the extension period. Failure to make progress consistent with the plan or to regain compliance with the continued Listing Standards by the end of the extension period could result in the Company being delisted from the NYSE.

    For more information on Hyperscale Data and its subsidiaries, Hyperscale Data recommends that stockholders, investors and any other interested parties read Hyperscale Data’s public filings and press releases available under the Investor Relations section at hyperscaledata.com or available at www.sec.gov.

    About Hyperscale Data, Inc.

    Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Hyperscale Data owns and operates the Data Center at which it mines digital assets and offers colocation and hosting services for the emerging AI ecosystems and other industries. Hyperscale Data’s subsidiary, ACG, is a diversified holding company pursuing growth by acquiring undervalued businesses and disruptive technologies with a global impact.

    Hyperscale Data intends to completely divest itself of ACG on or about December 31, 2025, at which time, it would solely be an owner and operator of data centers to support HPC services. Until that happens, the Company provides, through ACG and its wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries and strategic investments, mission-critical products that support a diverse range of industries, including an artificial intelligence software platform, social gaming platform, equipment rental services, defense/aerospace, industrial, automotive, medical/biopharma and hotel operations. In addition, ACG is actively engaged in private credit and structured finance through a licensed lending subsidiary. Hyperscale Data’s headquarters are located at 11411 Southern Highlands Parkway, Suite 240, Las Vegas, NV 89141.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains “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. These forward-looking statements generally include statements that are predictive in nature and depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and include words such as “believes,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “potential,” or similar expressions. Statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties.

    Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any of them publicly in light of new information or future events. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors. More information, including potential risk factors, that could affect the Company’s business and financial results are included in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Company’s Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. All filings are available at www.sec.gov and on the Company’s website at www.hyperscaledata.com.

    Hyperscale Data Investor Contact:
    IR@hyperscaledata.com or 1-888-753-2235

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. Announces Reporting Date for Q4 and Full-Year 2024 Earnings Conference Call

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Midland, Texas, March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:NGS), a leading provider of natural gas compression equipment, technology and services to the energy industry, will host a conference call to review its fourth-quarter and fiscal 2024 financial results on March 18, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. (EST), 7:30 a.m. (CST). The Company’s Q4 2024 financial and operating results for the full year ending in December 31, 2024 will be disseminated via press release and made available on the Company’s website (www.ngsgi.com) after market close on March 17, 2025.

    To join the conference call, kindly access the Investor Relations section of our website at www.ngsgi.com or dial in at (800) 550-9745 and enter conference ID: 167298 at least five minutes prior to the scheduled start time. Please note that using the provided dial-in number is necessary for participation in the Q&A section of the call. A recording of the conference will be made available on our Company’s website following its conclusion. Thank you for your interest in our company’s updates.

    About Natural Gas Services Group, Inc.

    Natural Gas Services Group is a leading provider of natural gas compression equipment, technology and services to the energy industry. The Company designs, rents, sells and maintains natural gas compressors for oil and natural gas production and plant facilities, primarily using equipment from third-party fabricators and OEM suppliers along with limited in-house assembly. The Company is headquartered in Midland, Texas, with a fabrication facility located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a rebuild shop located in Midland, Texas, and service facilities located in major oil and natural gas producing basins in the U.S. Additional information can be found at www.ngsgi.com.

    For Additional Information:

    Anna Delgado-Investor Relations
    (432) 262-2700
    ir@ngsgi.com
    www.ngsgi.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Text of the Vice-President’s address at the Annual Convocation of Jan Nayak Ch. Devi Lal Vidyapeeth, Sirsa (Excerpts)

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 05 MAR 2025 4:29PM by PIB Delhi

    I’m here for my dear students and let me tell you, dear students, those who are in the last benches, there are no back benchers here. Only they sit on back benches so, my greetings to those at the end also.

    It is an absolute privilege and honour to impart convocation address at an institution that bears the name it does. The last century had not seen stalwarts of the nature, very few of them, like Chaudhary Devi Lal. When I look at them, they have served India and done their mission, time for us to resolve, We will do the same, we will serve the Nation. हम भारतीय हैं, भारतीयता हमारी पहचान है, राष्ट्रधर्म सर्वोपरि है।

    We have to put nation first always. There can be no interest higher than national interest. Personal and political interests are insignificant.

    A convocation address is not easy to deliver because students expect something really amazing. I will make an earnest effort. My first sermon to you is, I have throughout been a gold medalist, that was an obsession with me. I was always in fear what will happen if I don’t come at number one. Let me share it with you, कुछ नहीं होता, थोड़ा खेल ज्यादा खेल लेता, दोस्तों से बात कर लेता। Therefore do not be obsessed, allow your life to go like a river not like a canal built by parents.

    ज़माना था बच्चा पैदा हुआ मा बाप ने तय कर दिया डॉक्टर बनेगा, इंजीनियर बनेगा, आईएएस बनेगा।  If you look around, boys and girls, your basket of opportunities is ever-enlarging. It is there in blue economy, it is there in space economy. You are in Bharat at a time when no Nation in last decade has grown as fast and as large as Bharat. Big economic upsurge, phenomenal infrastructure growth, deep digitisation, technological penetration.

    If I share some figures with you, you will be surprised. Per capita internet consumption of Bharat is more than that of China and USA taken together. If we go about our digital transactions, the digital transactions are four times the combined transactions of USA, UK, France, and Germany.

    If you examine our economy, that was very fragile a decade ago. When I with the blessings of Chaudhary Devi Lal, had the occasion to enter Parliament as a Member of Parliament and became a Minister with his blessings and guidance, what was the economic situation? सोने की चिड़िया कहलाने वाले देश का सोना विदेश में गिरवी रखना पड़ा।  It was placed to two banks of Switzerland, airlifted to sustain our credibility. Our foreign exchange reserves today are over 700 billion.

    You are lucky to be living in times when Bharat is dotted with hope and possibility. There is an ecosystem in place of affirmative government policies, hand-holding policies that allow you full legroom to exploit your talent and potential, realise your ambitions and aspirations. Meritocracy prevails now. When that is the scenario, you must think big. Never be under stress, never be under tension. Fear of failure is the worst fear in life because it is a myth. There is nothing like failure, it is an attempt that has not succeeded. Some people were so pessimistic that Chandrayaan-2 was called by them as failure.

    I was governor of the state of West Bengal. I was in the Science City, boys and girls of your age was with me, it was around 2 a.m. I remember September 2019. Chandrayaan-2 came very close to the lunar surface but could not touch it. It was, according to me, more than 90% success. And that is why Chandrayaan-3 became a success and therefore, failure is a myth. Failure gives you an opportunity to further improve. Many greatest accomplishments in history have never succeeded in the first attempt.

    If you have boys and girls, a brilliant idea in your mind, don’t allow that idea to be parked in your mind. That will be the greatest injustice to you and to humanity. Experiment, think out of the box. Look at what has happened in this country, particularly last decade. Startups, unicorns, and of huge dimensions.

    Therefore, never fear, never have tension, never have stress. Go for experimentation; go as per your attitude. You will have enough to contribute for the Nation. If International Monetary Fund called India as a favorite global destination of investment and opportunity, boys and girls, it was not for government jobs. It was on account of the opportunities and those opportunities today are available at sea surface, deep sea, ground, deep ground, sky and space. You only have to think big. Take a leap.

    Convocation is not an end of education because education is always about learning. Let me quote a pre Socrates era, I am quoting Heraclitus. Heraclitus, a great philosopher, gave us one aspect in life which is often quoted. ‘The only constant in life is the change,’ and he buttressed it by an illustration. ‘The same person cannot be in the same river twice, because neither the river is the same, nor the person is the same.’

    So change has to be there, and right now the change is epochal, change is much beyond any hurricane. Disruptive technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Blockchain, Machine Learning, and every moment we are having paradigm shift. Every moment is a change that brings huge challenges and every challenge has to be converted into an opportunity that is to be done by you, boys and girls.

    When you will step into the new building of Parliament, you will come to know that, in the face of COVID, the greatest pandemic we faced in the century, in less than 30 months the building came up, the entire infrastructure came up. And our 5,000 years of civilizational reflection is there in Parliament.

    Boys and girls, no Nation in the world has grown as fast with such a big leap as Bharat in last decade. This has given one situation, people have tasted development, they have seen development. They are there, for aspirational mode and if people are in aspirational mode, there can be restive situation, there can be restlessness, a problem but that problem has to be addressed by each and every individual.

    Let me give you certain suggestions. Dear boys and girls, always put Civic Duties, Fundamental Duties over rights. Always nurture your family, your teachers, your elders, your neighborhood, because that is our civilizational culture. Believe in the environment, because that is something we are concerned. Alarmingly, a worrisome scenario is there. We do not have another earth to live in. The situation is cliff hanging. We are virtually collapsing. We have to find a way out.

    I will conclude by leaving a thought with you. We all need to promote economic nationalism. Gandhi Ji gave us the slogan Swadesi. The Prime Minister has given, ‘Be Vocal for Local.’ If we do not have avoidable imports, we’ll be saving more than hundreds of billions of dollars in our foreign kitty. That will give work to our people. Entrepreneurship will blossom. You can do it. In this room, if you’ll find out our clothing, you’ll come to know that they are stitched outside the country. Better quality is available here so, national interest, national economic interest can never be compromised on fiscal gains.

    Always take pride in the person, in whose name, in whose memory the institutions are there. People have glorified human beings very rarely, you can get Padma Bhushan, you can get Bharat Ratna, you can get all awards but where do you get title of Rashtrapita? Where do you get title of Sardar? Where do you get title of ‘Tau? Tau is here, Tau oversees us.

    I have been mentored in politics by Tau. What I learned from him is keep on working for development of the society and never ignore rural landscape and the farmers.

    ****

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Gene Bank to be established to ensure food security and genetic resources for future generations: Shri Narendra Modi

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Gene Bank to be established to ensure food security and genetic resources for future generations: Shri Narendra Modi

    Aims to ensure genetic resources and food security for future generations

    Establishment of the second GenBank will strengthen India’s position as a leader in global biodiversity conservation

    This initiative reflects India’s commitment to preserving agricultural biodiversity, securing the future of food, and supporting sustainable farming systems

    Posted On: 05 MAR 2025 4:21PM by PIB Delhi

    Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, during a post-budget webinar held via video conferencing today, has announced that a Gene Bank will be established to conserve the country’s genetic resources. This initiative aims to ensure genetic resources and food security for future generations.

    The webinar fosters collaboration among government, industry, academia, and citizens encouraging discussions to help translate the transformative Budget announcements towards the same into effective outcomes. With a key focus on empowering citizens, strengthening the economy, and fostering innovation, the deliberations will aim at paving the way for sustainable and inclusive growth; leadership in technology and other sectors; and a skilled, healthy workforce working towards realising the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047. The key themes of the webinar include Investing in People, the Economy, and Innovation

    A gene bank is a repository of genetic material, such as seeds, pollen or tissue samples, collected from different plant species in order to protect them from potential extinction and preserve vital varieties for future generations.

    India’s first gene bank was set up in 1996 by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBPGR) in New Delhi. This bank is comprised of 12 regional stations across the country for collection and storage of vital crop germplasms. These germplasms are the genetic constituents of plants or animals that is used in research, conservation and crop breeding.

    As on January 15, 2025, the bank currently stores 0.47 million accessions (plant material stored and used for breeding) — according to the database maintained by ICAR-NBPGR. These include cereals (0.17 million accessions), millets (more than 60,600 accessions), legumes (over 69,200 accessions), oilseeds (more than 63,500 accessions) and vegetables (nearly 30,000 accessions).

    The Ministry of Finance has announced the establishment of a second National GenBank in the 2025-26 budget to safeguard India’s agricultural biodiversity. This facility will house 10 lakh (1 million) germplasm lines, offering critical conservation support for both public and private sectors involved in genetic resource management.

    India is recognized as a biodiversity-rich country with a wide variety of cultivated crop species and their wild relatives. With over 811 cultivated crop species and 902 crop wild relatives, the nation plays a pivotal role in preserving plant genetic resources (PGR), which are essential for agricultural resilience, food security, and combating the challenges posed by climate change. The existing National GenBank, led by ICAR-NBPGR, conserves over 4.7 lakh accessions and supports the global effort of PGR conservation through partnerships and distributions to researchers, breeders, and scientists.

    The establishment of the second GenBank will strengthen India’s position as a leader in global biodiversity conservation. This new facility will not only safeguard India’s invaluable plant genetic resources but also support international biodiversity initiatives, especially for countries in SAARC and BRICS regions, offering conservation assistance to those lacking well-established PGR networks.

    With growing threats like climate change, natural disasters, and geopolitical challenges that jeopardize the security of genetic diversity worldwide, the creation of the safety duplicate GenBank is vital. This redundancy structure will provide a fail-safe for India’s irreplaceable germplasm, ensuring long-term sustainability and global food security.

    This initiative reflects India’s commitment to preserving agricultural biodiversity, securing the future of food, and supporting sustainable farming systems both domestically and internationally.

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addresses the Post-Budget Webinar on boosting job creation- Investing in People, Economy, and Innovation

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addresses the Post-Budget Webinar on boosting job creation- Investing in People, Economy, and Innovation

    This year’s Union Budget paves the way for a stronger workforce and a growing economy: PM

    We have given People, Economy and Innovation same priority as infrastructure and industries in investment: PM

    The vision of Investment in People stands on three pillars – Education, Skill and Healthcare!: PM

    Today we are seeing India’s education system going through a huge transformation after several decades: PM

    Telemedicine facility is being expanded in all Primary Health Centres: PM

    Through day-care cancer centres and digital healthcare infrastructure, we want to take quality healthcare to the last mile: PM

    Many decisions have been taken in this budget to promote domestic and international tourism: PM

    50 destinations across the country will be developed focusing on tourism: PM

    Giving infrastructure status to hotels in these destinations will increase the ease of tourism and will also boost local employment: PM

    India will establish National Large Language Model to develop AI capabilities: PM

    In this direction, our private sector also needs to be one step ahead of the world: PM

    The world is waiting for a reliable, safe and democratic country that can provide economic solutions in AI: PM

    The government has taken several steps in this budget to promote startups,A corpus fund of Rs 1 lakh crore has been passed to promote research and innovation: PM

    This will increase investment in emerging sectors with deep tech fund of funds: PM

    The announcement to preserve India’s rich manuscript heritage through Gyan Bharatam Mission is very important: PM

    More than one crore manuscripts will be converted into digital form through this mission: PM

    Posted On: 05 MAR 2025 2:59PM by PIB Delhi

    The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the Post-Budget Webinar on Employment via video conferencing today. Addressing the gathering on the occasion, he highlighted the importance of the theme of the webinar, “Investing in People, Economy, and Innovation,” which defines the roadmap for Viksit Bharat. He remarked that this year’s budget reflects this theme on a large scale and serves as a blueprint for India’s future. He emphasized that investments have been prioritized equally across infrastructure, industries, people, economy, and innovation. Underlining that capacity building and talent nurturing are foundational for the nation’s progress, Shri Modi urged all stakeholders to step forward and invest more in these areas as the next phase of development requires it. He stressed that this is essential for the country’s economic success and forms the basis of every organization’s success.

    “The vision of investing in people stands on three pillars: education, skill, and healthcare”, said Shri Modi, remarking that India’s education system is undergoing a significant transformation after several decades. He emphasized key initiatives such as the National Education Policy, the expansion of IITs, the integration of technology into the education system, and the utilization of AI’s full potential. Underlying the efforts like the digitization of textbooks and the availability of learning materials in 22 Indian languages, the PM said, “these mission-mode efforts have enabled India’s education system to align with the needs and parameters of the 21st-century world”.

    Highlighting that since 2014, the government has provided skill training to over 3 crore youth, the Prime Minister mentioned the upgrade of 1,000 ITIs and the establishment of 5 Centers of Excellence. He emphasized the goal of equipping youth with training that meets the needs of industries. He remarked that with the help of global experts, efforts are being made to ensure that Indian youth can compete at the world level. Shri Modi underlined the critical role of industry and academia in these initiatives and urged industries and educational institutions to understand and fulfill each other’s needs, providing youth with opportunities to adapt to the rapidly changing world, gain exposure, and access platforms for practical learning. Highlighting the launch of the PM-Internship Scheme to provide youth with new opportunities and practical skills, he stressed the importance of ensuring maximum industry participation at every level in this initiative.

    Touching upon the medical field, Shri Modi mentioned the addition of 10,000 new medical seats in this budget and a target of adding 75,000 seats in the medical field over the next five years has been set. He highlighted the expansion of telemedicine facilities across all Primary Health Centres. He also emphasized the establishment of daycare cancer centers and the development of digital healthcare infrastructure to ensure quality healthcare reaches the last mile. He said that these initiatives will have a transformative impact on people’s lives. The Prime Minister said that these efforts will create numerous new employment opportunities for youth and urged stakeholders to work swiftly to implement these initiatives, ensuring the benefits of budget announcements reach the maximum number of people.

    Pointing out that over the past decade, investments in the economy have been guided by a futuristic vision, the Prime Minister remarked that by 2047, India’s urban population is projected to reach approximately 90 crore, necessitating planned urbanization. He announced the initiative to establish a ₹1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund, focusing on governance, infrastructure, and financial sustainability, while also boosting private investment. “Indian cities will be recognized for sustainable urban mobility, digital integration, and climate resilience plans”, emphasized the Prime Minister. He urged the private sector, particularly the real estate and industrial sectors, to prioritize and advance planned urbanization. He also stressed the importance of collaborative efforts to further initiatives like AMRUT 2.0 and the Jal Jeevan Mission.

    Emphasising the need to focus on the potential of the tourism sector while discussing investments in the economy, Shri Modi highlighted that the tourism sector has the potential to contribute up to 10% of India’s GDP and create employment opportunities for crores of youth. He mentioned several measures in the budget to promote domestic and international tourism. “50 destinations across the country will be developed with a focus on tourism”, said the Prime Minister adding  that granting infrastructure status to hotels in these destinations will enhance ease of tourism and boost local employment. Highlighting the expansion of the Mudra Yojana to support homestays, Shri Modi also stressed that initiatives like ‘Heal in India’ and ‘Land of the Buddha’ to attract global tourists. “Efforts are being made to establish India as a global tourism and wellness hub”, he added.

    Underscoring that tourism offers opportunities beyond the hotel and transport industries, extending to other sectors as well, the Prime Minister urged stakeholders in the health sector to invest in promoting health tourism. He stressed the need to fully utilize the potential of yoga and wellness tourism, remarking on the significant scope for growth in education tourism. He expressed his desire for detailed discussions in this direction and called for the development of a strong roadmap to advance these initiatives.

    “The future of the nation is determined by investments in innovation”, exclaimed Shri Modi, highlighting that artificial intelligence has the potential to contribute several lakh crore rupees to India’s economy, underscoring the need for rapid progress in this direction. He mentioned the allocation of ₹500 crore in the budget for AI-driven education and research. Mentioning the plans to establish a National Large Language Model to develop AI capabilities in India, the Prime Minister urged the private sector to stay ahead of the global curve in this field. “The world awaits a reliable, safe, and democratic nation that can provide economical AI solutions”, he added, emphasising that investments made in this sector today will yield significant advantages in the future.

    “India has become the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world”, said the Prime Minister, adding that several measures have been introduced in this budget to promote startups. He mentioned the approval of a ₹1 lakh crore corpus fund to boost research and innovation. The Prime Minister emphasized that this will increase investments in emerging sectors through the ‘Deep Tech Fund of Funds’. He noted the provision of 10,000 research fellowships at IITs and IISc, which will foster research and provide opportunities for talented youth. The Prime Minister also highlighted the role of the National Geo-spatial Mission and the National Research Foundation in accelerating innovation. He stressed the need for collective efforts at all levels to elevate India to new heights in research and innovation.

    Underlining the significance of the Gyan Bharatam Mission in preserving India’s rich manuscript heritage, Shri Modi announced that over one crore manuscripts will be digitized under this mission, leading to the creation of a National Digital Repository. This repository will enable scholars and researchers worldwide to access India’s historical, traditional knowledge and wisdom, he added. The Prime Minister also mentioned the establishment of a National Gene Bank to preserve India’s plant genetic resources. He emphasized that this initiative aims to ensure genetic resources and food security for future generations. He urged for the expansion of such efforts and called on various institutes and sectors to actively participate in these initiatives.

    Citing the remarkable observations made by the IMF regarding India’s economy in February 2025, Shri Modi noted that between 2015 and 2025, India’s economy has recorded a 66% growth, making it a $3.8 trillion economy. He emphasized that this growth surpasses that of several major economies, and that the day is not far when India will become a $5 trillion economy. He stressed the importance of making the right investments in the right direction to continue expanding the economy. He underlined the critical role of implementing budget announcements in achieving this vision and acknowledged the significant contributions of all stakeholders. He mentioned that the tradition of working in silos was broken and now the Government has both pre-budget consultations as well as post-budget discussions for better implementation of the schemes and initiatives with the stakeholders, highlighting the ‘Jan-Bhagidari’ model. He concluded by expressing hope that the fruitful discussions of the webinar will play a remarkable role in fulfilling the aspirations of 140 crore Indians.

    Background

    Employment generation has been one of the key focus areas of the government. Driven by the vision of the Prime Minister, the government has taken multiple steps to promote job growth and generate greater avenues of employment. The webinar will foster collaboration among government, industry, academia, and citizens encouraging discussions to help translate the transformative Budget announcements towards the same into effective outcomes. With a key focus on empowering citizens, strengthening the economy, and fostering innovation, the deliberations will aim at paving the way for sustainable and inclusive growth; leadership in technology and other sectors; and a skilled, healthy workforce working towards realising the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047.

     

     

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: NITI Aayog announces Frontier Tech Hub and releases a paper on “Quantum Computing: National Security Implications & Strategic Preparedness”

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 05 MAR 2025 2:56PM by PIB Delhi

    India stands at a pivotal moment in its journey toward becoming a developed nation (Viksit Bharat) by 2047. Achieving this ambitious vision demands more than two decades of sustained, accelerated growth—it requires an exponential transformation. We must fundamentally rethink and reimagine every facet of our society and economy.

    In any other era, such a transformation might have seemed impossible. But today, in the era of Frontier Technologies, it is within our reach. We now have technologies powerful enough to drive this transformation—and they are advancing at an unprecedented pace. However, to unlock their full potential for India, we must proactively embrace emerging technologies before they become mainstream. Strategic investments in research, innovation, and global partnerships will be key to positioning India at the forefront of technological advancements.

    NITI Aayog’s Frontier Tech Hub: A Catalyst for Transformation

    The NITI Frontier Tech Hub (NITI-FTH) has been established as a Frontier Tech Action Tank to accelerate India’s transition into a Frontier Tech Nation. Its key objectives are:

    • Enabling India’s Readiness to advance Frontier Tech Innovation and Use for Accelerated Economic and Societal Development towards Viksit Bharat.
    • Championing India’s Human-Centric Approach worldwide by advancing development and adoption of emerging technologies that benefit humanity and the environment.

    As part of its charter, the Hub will engage with experts across Industry, Academia and Government to create a deeper understanding of the tech trends early and their implications on India.  It will also come out with action plans and recommendations to drive India’s readiness.

    Today, NITI FTH in partnership with Data Security Council of India released a strategic paper on the rapid evolution of Quantum Computing, its implications on National Security and what is needed for India to get ahead of the curve to shape its trajectory.

    The paper’s insights will serve as a foundation for India’s strategic preparedness and policy formulation in the evolving quantum landscape.

     

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: TRIFED’s Role in Tribal Development From Local Artisans to Global Markets

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 05 MAR 2025 2:30PM by PIB Delhi

    Introduction

    India is home to over 10.45 crore Scheduled Tribe (ST) individuals—comprising 8.6% of the total population—representing a vast and diverse tribal heritage. The Government of India has demonstrated a strong commitment to the socio-economic development of Scheduled Tribes by taking several initiatives based on a multi-pronged approach.

    The overall budget for the development of Scheduled Tribes has risen from ₹10,237.33 crore in 2024-25 to ₹14,925.81 crore in 2025-26, marking an impressive 45.79% increase. A long-term perspective reveals significant progress: from ₹4,497.96 crore in 2014-15 to ₹7,411 crore in 2021-22, and now a 231.83% increase since 2014-15, demonstrating the government’s sustained focus on tribal welfare.

    In line with this commitment, the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd (TRIFED), under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, has been actively working to enhance the marketing and economic conditions of tribal communities. TRIFED’s mission is to promote the socio-economic development of tribal communities through the marketing development of tribal products.

    Van Dhan Yojana: Transforming Tribal Livelihoods

     

    [4]Launched on 14th April 2018, the Van Dhan Yojana is a flagship initiative under the ‘Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) & Development of Value Chain for MFP.’ Implemented by TRIFED as the nodal agency, the scheme aims to generate livelihood opportunities for tribal gatherers by transforming them into entrepreneurs. Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKCs) have been established in tribal-dominated districts, where tribal Self-Help Groups (SHGs) engage in the collection, value addition, and marketing of MFPs. Each VDVK cluster comprises 15 tribal SHGs with about 300 beneficiaries. The initiative, 100% funded by the Central Government, provides ₹15 lakhs per cluster to support tribal entrepreneurship, ensuring a sustainable source of income for forest-dwelling communities.

    Since its inception, the Van Dhan Yojana has significantly improved the livelihoods of tribal communities across India. The initiative has benefited over 11.83 lakh tribal individuals, enhancing their income and fostering sustainable development. With substantial funding of ₹587 crores, the scheme has provided economic opportunities and empowered forest-dependent communities to become self-reliant.

     

    The implementation of the Van Dhan Yojana follows a structured approach to empower tribal communities. The process involves the formation of 20-member Self-Help Groups (SHGs), training, provision of value addition equipment, establishment of storage and logistics systems, and branding and marketing support. These steps ensure that the tribal gatherers move up the value chain from mere raw material suppliers to producers of high-value finished goods, significantly enhancing their incomes and economic stability.

    TRIBES INDIA- Bridging Tribal Products with Global Markets

    TRIFED aims at accelerating economic development of tribal people, the poorest among the poor, through the marketing of their products on sustainable basis and providing wider exposure to their art and craft in domestic as well as international markets. More than 200 tribal communities, residing in remote regions, strive to preserve their traditional arts and crafts. To support their economic welfare, TRIFED launched TRIBES INDIA in 1999, opening its first retail outlet in New Delhi.

    Today, TRIBES INDIA has expanded to 117 retail outlets across India. TRIFED operates 15 Regional Offices to source handicrafts, handlooms, and natural food products from tribal artisans, Self-Help Groups (SHGs), and affiliated organisations. These products are sold through 35 own showrooms and 8 consignment showrooms, as well as exhibitions. Expanding its reach, TRIFED now markets tribal products globally via www.tribesindia.com, ensuring fair pricing and wider exposure for artisans.

     

    Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives: Empowering Tribes Through Collaboration

    To further its mission, TRIFED has entered into several strategic partnerships aimed at facilitating tribal entrepreneurship and enhancing market access for tribal products.

    Partnership

    Date

    Objective

    National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) & Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation Ltd (HPMC)

    24th February 2025

    Facilitating product curation and design development of handloom and handicraft products by tribal artisans (NIFT). Augmenting technology and tertiary processing of horticulture and minor forest products (HPMC).

    Rooftop

    24th February 2025

    Providing art workshops and skill enhancement opportunities for tribal artisans.

    Meesho, Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA), and Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Industrialisation (MGIRI)

    18th February 2025

    Enabling onboarding of tribal products on Meesho’s platform, long-term collaborations with culinary professionals (IFCA), and capacity-building for artisans (MGIRI).

    Tea Trunk

    17th February 2025

    Boosting the tribal economy through market presence, sustainable development, and skill-building for tribal producers.

     

    Aadi Mahotsav – Celebrating Tribal Excellence and Entrepreneurship

    Aadi Mahotsav, the flagship initiative of TRIFED, is an annual event that celebrates India’s rich tribal heritage, culture, arts, crafts, cuisine, and commerce. The 2025 edition, held from 16th to 24th February at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi, brought together over 600 tribal artisans from 30+ States and Union Territories, 500 performing artists showcasing various tribal dance forms, and 25 tribal food stalls presenting indigenous cuisines from different regions. The event also featured live painting sessions by tribal artisans, collaborations with 20 Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and 35 training institutes, and the signing of 25+ MoUs with design institutes and corporate houses. The theme of the festival, “A Celebration of the Spirit of Entrepreneurship, Tribal Craft, Culture, Cuisine and Commerce,” represents the basic ethos of tribal life.

    Building a Self-Reliant Tribal Economy

    TRIFED’s initiatives, including Van Dhan Yojana, TRIBES INDIA, and Aadi Mahotsav, are driving tribal empowerment by fostering entrepreneurship, enhancing market access, and preserving traditional crafts. With strategic partnerships, retail expansion, and cultural events, these programs create sustainable livelihoods and economic self-reliance for tribal communities, ensuring their integration into the mainstream economy while celebrating their rich heritage.

    References

    Click here to see PDF:

    Santosh Kumar/Sarla Meena/ Anchal Patiyal

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: The government has expanded the list of major projects financed from the National Welfare Fund and subject to special state control

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Document

    Order dated March 4, 2025 No. 498-r

    The list of projects financed under state programs, as well as from the National Welfare Fund (NWF), has been supplemented with 12 new items. The order to this effect was signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

    We are talking about projects that are already being implemented in the fields of transport, healthcare, education, culture and environmental management.

    Thus, the list includes the construction of a new stage for the Academic Maly Drama Theatre – the Theatre of Europe in St. Petersburg, the reconstruction of the building of the Institute of Experimental Cardiology in Moscow, and the reconstruction of the Fyodorovsky pressure hydroelectric power station on the Kuban River in the Krasnodar Territory.

    The updated list also includes the creation of new railway infrastructure on the Vladislavovka – Sem Kolodezey section in Crimea, the construction of a depository, restoration and exhibition center in Maly Znamensky and Kolymazhny lanes in Moscow, and the construction and reconstruction of the Solnechny children’s camp, which is part of the Artek International Children’s Center in Crimea.

    The projects presented in the list are subject to special control by state bodies. Such monitoring allows to exclude violations and to increase the efficiency of spending budget funds and funds of the National Welfare Fund.

    The adopted document introduced changes toGovernment Order of March 18, 2016 No. 449-r.

    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 Russia: Financial news: Almost 200 thousand people concluded transactions on the Moscow Exchange futures market in February

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    In February 2025, 193 thousand individuals concluded futures and options transactions on the Moscow Exchange (153 thousand in February 2024). Their share in the total volume of exchange derivatives trading was 63%.

    The total volume of transactions on the Moscow Exchange futures market as of the end of February 2025 amounted to 12 trillion rubles (7 trillion rubles in February 2024). The volume of open positions at the end of the month was 2.5 trillion rubles (2 trillion rubles in February 2024).

    The most popular instruments in individuals’ portfolios as of the end of February were quarterly futures on the Chinese yuan – Russian ruble (CNY), US dollar – Russian ruble (Si) currency pairs, perpetual futures on the Chinese yuan – Russian ruble (CNYRUBF) and US dollar – Russian ruble (USDRUBF) currency pairs, as well as quarterly futures on silver (SILV).

    The share of the evening trading session in the total trading volume on the futures market was 17%. Morning trading in February accounted for 4% of the total trading volume.

    Most often during morning trading, clients traded quarterly futures on the US dollar-Russian ruble (Si), natural gas (NG), gold (GOLD), futures on the Moscow Exchange Index (MIX) and on the Chinese yuan-Russian ruble (CNY) currency pair.

    The top 5 popular instruments of the evening trading session on the futures market included quarterly futures on natural gas (NG), futures on the Moscow Exchange Index (MIX), futures on the US dollar – Russian ruble currency pair (Si), futures on gold (GOLD) and the RTS Index (RTS).

    The Moscow Exchange Derivatives Market is the leading platform for trading derivative financial instruments in Russia and Eastern Europe, which combines a developed infrastructure, reliability and guarantees, as well as the most modern technologies for trading futures and options. Today, 27 stock options, three currency options, an option on gold, over 150 futures contracts and options on them are traded on the Moscow Exchange derivatives market, the underlying assets of which are stock indices, shares, currency pairs, precious and industrial metals, oil, gas and other goods, interest rates.

    Contact information for media 7 (495) 363-3232Pr@moex.kom

    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.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //VVV. MOEX.K.M.M.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s 2025 economic growth target demonstrates resolve, confidence

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, March 5 — China’s 2025 GDP growth target of around 5 percent, alongside the measures the country will implement to meet this goal, demonstrates its confidence and prowess in securing new achievements in high-quality development.

    The world’s second-largest economy will sustain its encouraging momentum and remain a key anchor in an uncertain global economic landscape.

    Taking all factors into account, the target of around 5 percent is practical, underscoring China’s resolve to meet difficulties head-on and strive hard to deliver. It is well aligned with the country’s mid- and long-term development goals. Meeting this year’s goal is expected to ensure a success of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), while laying a solid foundation for the next five years.

    Growth will be underpinned by measures such as launching special initiatives to boost consumption, issuing more ultra-long special treasury bonds, allocating a greater share of science and technology expenditures to basic research, and developing new quality productive forces — as mentioned in the government work report submitted Wednesday to the national legislature for deliberation.

    A more proactive fiscal policy and a moderately loose monetary policy adopted this year will promote structural adjustment and bolster economic growth. A booming landscape in fields including artificial intelligence, robotics, new energy and smart manufacturing will unlock the long-term potential of high-quality development.

    China’s consistent and significant reform efforts will further facilitate market access and level the playing field. Institutional reform measures related to the construction of a unified national market, as well as policy measures to promote the private sector’s development, will unleash new market vitality.

    China’s development is inseparable from its unwavering push to open up to the outside world. The country will steadily expand institutional opening up, take the initiative to open wider, and advance unilateral opening up. The Chinese market is never short of opportunities for shared progress and prosperity.

    China’s ability to weather headwinds and maintain long-term economic growth stems from its distinctive institutional strengths and many advantages, including an enormous market, a complete industrial system, a wealth of manpower and talent, and effective governance mechanisms such as long-term plans. The country has vast space for further growth through demand upgrades, structural improvements, and a shift to new growth drivers.

    With its strengths, potential, and ample support measures, the Chinese economy will continue to defy skepticism and deliver certainty for itself and the world.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China to facilitate private firm financing: official

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, March 5 — China will step up efforts to facilitate financing for private enterprises and micro and small enterprises, Li Yunze, head of the National Financial Regulatory Administration, said Wednesday.

    China will increase the supply of credit to private enterprises, and reduce overall financing costs to deliver more benefits to businesses, Li said on the sidelines of the ongoing session of the national legislature.

    Private enterprises account for over 92 percent of all companies in China, and their share in micro and small enterprises is even higher, Li noted.

    In a government work report unveiled Wednesday, China has pledged to refine and develop new structural monetary policy instruments to provide stronger support for private businesses and micro and small enterprises.

    Half a month before the annual sessions of China’s top legislature and political advisory body, China held a high-level symposium on private enterprises, sending a signal of strong support for private businesses.

    As part of its latest efforts to ramp up the growth of the private sector, the country is also advancing the private economy promotion law, in a move to dismantle barriers, unlock the sector’s full potential and create a fairer and more dynamic business environment.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Commission funding of Mercosur countries – E-000586/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-000586/2025/rev.1
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Piotr Müller (ECR)

    On 6 December 2024, the EU and Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) concluded negotiations on a partnership agreement, which had been ongoing intermittently since 2000. The agreement covers three main areas: trade, political dialogue and sectoral cooperation, including migration, the digital economy and human rights.

    The Commission has announced that it will provide EUR 1.8 billion to support the green and digital transitions in Mercosur countries. These funds are to come from the EU budget as part of the Global Gateway initiative. This decision has caused controversy because some observers believe it may be a form of incentive or pressure to finalise the trade agreement.

    In this context, I would welcome answers to the following questions:

    • 1.Is the allocation of EUR 1.8 billion to Mercosur countries in any way dependent on the eventual signing and ratification of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement?
    • 2.Do these funds form part of the political conditions attached to the negotiation of the trade agreement? If so, who made this decision and how was it made?
    • 3.Did the Commission consult the Member States on the decision to allocate funds to the Mercosur countries before it was taken? If so, what procedure was followed and which countries were consulted?

    Please provide precise answers to these questions.

    Submitted: 9.2.2025

    Last updated: 5 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Protection of human health in connection with the construction of the C0 sewer – E-000825/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-000825/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Milan Zver (PPE)

    The C0 sewer project, which will discharge waste water via groundwater along the Sava river and endanger the health and safety of the residents of Ljubljana, is opposed by many experts and by civil society. A committee of inquiry to identify abuses and illegalities in the construction of the sewer has heard a number of expert witnesses, including the former environment minister, who warned of the risk to health and the ecosystem which the project poses. The experts are calling for the construction of the sewer to be immediately halted so as to prevent a risk to public health involving a large number of people. They point out that parts of the C0 sewer that have already been built are visibly leaking, that the executive has failed to protect the aquifer, that the construction is prohibited under the VVO water protection regulation, and that the entire project will not meet the planned objective of ensuring sufficient waste water treatment and will not meet the conditions under which it is financed with EU funds.

    I would therefore like to ask the Commission, which approved the project in 2017:

    • 1.Will it examine the testimony given to the committee of inquiry to identify abuses and illegalities in the construction of the C0 connecting sewer by experts who identified such abuse and illegality?
    • 2.Will it halt the C0 sewer construction project, and when?
    • 3.What will be done to protect human health, given that the aquifer across which the C0 sewer is being built supplies 90% of Ljubljana, is critical infrastructure and is the only source of drinking water for 300 000 inhabitants and 150 000 daily visitors?

    Submitted: 24.2.2025

    Last updated: 5 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: New EU programme launched with banking sector to support women entrepreneurs across Europe

    Source: European Investment Bank

    EIB

    • EIB and European Commission launch first-ever “Gender Finance Lab for commercial banks” under the InvestEU Advisory Hub
    • So far 25 European banks committed to joining new masterclass programme to boost funding for women entrepreneurs
    • Launch takes place on the margins of the EIB Group Forum

    The European Investment Bank and the European Commission have launched today a first of its kind advisory programme aimed at helping EU commercial banks improve access to finance for women-owned and women-led SMEs in Europe.

    Women make up a third of Europe’s entrepreneurs and yet many of them face major financial barriers.

    The InvestEU Gender Finance Lab, developed by the EIB Group with funding from the InvestEU Advisory Hub, aims to support financial intermediaries, including commercial banks and fund managers. 

    A tailored masterclass programme is being launched to seize the opportunity of increasing investments in female entrepreneurs. It will help banks leverage the investment opportunities presented by women entrepreneurs, create more innovative and relevant financial products, and share good practice among fellow financial institutions to better serve women entrepreneurs and bridge the gender finance gap.

    Research shows women-led and -owned businesses exhibit lower risk profiles, higher repayment rates, and greater customer loyalty. They also thrive in management, innovation, and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG). Globally, the women’s market represents a significant $700 billion global revenue opportunity. Beyond the business case, helping commercial banks close the gender finance gap will also address the potential economic impact of women-owned and women-led businesses.

    EIB President Nadia Calviño said: “Partnering to nurture Europe’s potential is at the heart of what the EIB Group is doing here alongside the European Commission and our partners in Europe’s banking sector. Investing in women entrepreneurs is not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do; driving growth, prosperity, and stability across the European economy.”

    The Gender-Smart Finance Master Class will be delivered as an eLearning programme. Its first cohort will start in March 2025, bringing together representatives from EU commercial banks, including practitioners on SME business, product development, business strategy and Environmental, Social and Governance professionals. A second session is foreseen in Autumn 2025.

    The programme will include live webinars, interactive discussions, and access to a virtual knowledge hub.

    Key components of the programme include:

    • Exploring the market potential of women-owned and women-led SMEs and their contributions to economic growth.
    • Designing gender-responsive financial and non-financial products and services.
    • Implementing gender-smart data analysis, result measurements, and reporting mechanisms.
    • Staying informed about global gender finance initiatives such as Gender lens investing with the EIB Group, including the 2X Criteria as a global standard for gender-lens investing.
    • Enhancing professional networks, building connections and gaining insights from distinguished professionals and experts in gender-smart SME banking

    This Programme is financed by the EIB InvestEU Advisory Hub Gender Finance Lab and free of charge for participating institutions. Managed by the European Commission and funded by the EU, the InvestEU Advisory Hub connects project promoters with advisory partners, with the European Investment Bank Group as the main advisory partner under InvestEU.

    For more information, please contact genderfinancelab@eib.org 

    Background information:

    EIB Group

    The EIB Group is the financing institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It supports investment contributing toward EU policy goals, including sustainable growth, social and territorial cohesion, innovation and security. It finances its operations in global capital markets and has been consistently profitable in its operations since its inception. The EIB Group is the pioneer and one of the largest issuers of green bonds, while all of its operations are aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement.

    The EIB Group signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 projects in 2024. These commitments are expected to mobilise around €350 billion in investment, supporting 400 000 companies and 5.8 million jobs.  

    To enhance the positive impact of its activities on gender equality and empower women and girls, the EIB Group adopted a Strategy on Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Empowerment and a Gender Action Plan, with the aim of embedding gender equality and in particular women’s economic empowerment in the EIB’s business model. It covers its lending, blending and advisory work within and outside the European Union. The EIB Group is also committed to driving gender equality in the workplace.

    InvestEU

    The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with crucial long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery and growth. It helps mobilise private investments for the European Union’s policy priorities, such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. The InvestEU programme brings together under one roof the multitude of EU financial instruments currently available to support investment in the European Union, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. InvestEU has three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is implemented through financial partners that invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee worth €26.2 billion. That guarantee will back investment projects of the implementing partners, increase their risk-bearing capacity and thus mobilise at least €372 billion in additional investment.

    New EU programme launched with banking sector to support women entrepreneurs across Europe
    New EU programme launched with banking sector to support women entrepreneurs across Europe
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Spain: EIB and CBNK launch pioneering initiative to support women entrepreneurs in the pharmacy sector

    Source: European Investment Bank

    • The EIB is set to invest €150 million in the European Union’s first intermediated financing programme aimed exclusively at women. It will provide a loan to CBNK, the bank for key engineering and health professionals formed by the merger of Banco Caminos and Bancofar.
    • The operation is focused on supporting women who want to set up or grow businesses in the pharmacy sector, potentially involving 600 pharmacies across the country.

    The European Investment Bank (EIB) and CBNK, a Spanish bank serving key professionals and formed through the merger of Banco Caminos and Bancofar, have announced a landmark initiative to empower women entrepreneurs in the pharmacy sector in Spain. The operation, signed today during the EIB Group Forum in Luxembourg, is the EIB’s first intermediated loan within the European Union exclusively supporting women entrepreneurs.

    It will involve access to loans averaging €450 000 that can be used by women entrepreneurs to finance the formation of their business (purchase of licences), working capital (inventory) or equipment such as counters, shelves or computers.

    This €150 million EIB investment – implemented through the purchase of a covered bond issued by CBNK and rated Aa1 by Moody’s – aims to improve access to finance for women-owned or led small and medium enterprises (SMEs), including self-employed professionals.

    Despite making up a majority of the workforce in the pharmacy sector, women continue to face barriers such as limited access to finance, wage gaps and underrepresentation in leadership positions. This operation seeks to address these challenges by providing tailored financial support to women entrepreneurs and business leaders, enabling them to scale their businesses and contribute to Spain’s economic growth.

    “This operation represents a significant milestone in our commitment to the strong European values of gender equality and inclusive economic growth. By supporting women entrepreneurs in the pharmacy sector, we are unlocking opportunities and strengthening the Spanish healthcare system.” “Investing in female leadership is not just the right thing to do – it is the smartest thing to do. The evidence is clear: Gender equality leads to better decisions and better economic outcomes, and drives progress, stability and prosperity,” said EIB President Nadia Calviño.

    CBNK CEO Enrique Serra González said: “This operation expands CBNK’s commitment to the healthcare sector and women’s entrepreneurship, and is intended to be the starting point of an ongoing intermediation partnership with the EIB.”

    The signature of this operation will also open the conference launching the Gender Finance Lab commercial bank advisory programme. Launched by the EIB and funded by the European Commission under the InvestEU Advisory Hub mandate, the programme is a pioneering initiative to create a community of commercial banks committed to boosting women’s entrepreneurship and contributing to inclusive economic growth in the European Union.

    Background information

    EIB

    The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. It finances investments that contribute to EU policy objectives. EIB projects bolster competitiveness, drive innovation, promote sustainable development, enhance social and territorial cohesion, and support a just and swift transition to climate neutrality.

    The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security. All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, as pledged in our Climate Bank Roadmap. Almost 60% of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and a healthier environment.

    In Spain, the EIB Group signed new financing worth €12.3 billion for over 100 high impact projects in 2024, contributing to the country’s green and digital transition, economic growth, competitiveness and better services for its people.

    To enhance the positive impact of its activities on gender equality and empower women and girls, the EIB Group adopted a Strategy on Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Empowerment and a Gender Action Plan, with the aim of embedding gender equality and in particular women’s economic empowerment in the EIB’s business model. It covers its lending, blending and advisory work within and outside the European Union. The EIB Group is also committed to driving gender equality in the workplace.

    CBNK

    CBNK is one of Spain’s largest specialised banking financial groups. In 2014, Banco Caminos acquired Bancofar. Both entities had longstanding experience in serving professional collectives. Founded in 1977, Banco Caminos has always had connections with road, canal and port engineers, as well as other professional activities and associated sectors, while Bancofar was created in 1964, supporting pharmacy professionals since then. Caminos Group was formed in 2018.

    Bancofar was absorbed by Banco Caminos in 2023, with these two group entities changing their name to CBNK. This new brand was created to extend its value proposition to other collectives, with a focus on high social impact professionals specialising in its areas of expertise (engineering and healthcare).

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Euro area bank interest rate statistics: January 2025

    Source: European Central Bank

    5 March 2025

    Bank interest rates for corporations

    Chart 1

    Bank interest rates on new loans to, and deposits from, euro area corporations

    (percentages per annum)

    Data for cost of borrowing and deposit interest rates for corporations (Chart 1)

    The composite cost-of-borrowing indicator, which combines interest rates on all loans to corporations, decreased in January 2025. The interest rate on new loans of over €1 million with a floating rate and an initial rate fixation period of up to three months decreased by 13 basis points to 4.18%. The rate on new loans of the same size with an initial rate fixation period of over three months and up to one year fell by 18 basis points to 3.88%, driven by both the interest rate and the weight effects. The interest rate on new loans of over €1 million with an initial rate fixation period of over ten years increased by 9 basis points to 3.51%. In the case of new loans of up to €250,000 with a floating rate and an initial rate fixation period of up to three months, the average rate charged fell by 30 basis points to 4.33%.
    As regards new deposit agreements, the interest rate on deposits from corporations with an agreed maturity of up to one year fell by 13 basis points to 2.67% in January 2025. The interest rate on overnight deposits from corporations stayed almost constant at 0.76%.
    The interest rate on new loans to sole proprietors and unincorporated partnerships with a floating rate and an initial rate fixation period of up to one year decreased by 7 basis points to 4.56%.

    Table 1

    Bank interest rates for corporations

    i.r.f. = initial rate fixation
    * For this instrument category, the concept of new business is extended to the whole outstanding amounts and therefore the business volumes are not comparable with those of the other categories. Outstanding amounts data are derived from the ECB’s monetary financial institutions balance sheet statistics.

    Data for bank interest rates for corporations (Table 1)

    Bank interest rates for households

    Chart 2

    Bank interest rates on new loans to, and deposits from, euro area households

    Data for cost of borrowing and deposit interest rate for households (Chart 2)

    The composite cost-of-borrowing indicator, which combines interest rates on all loans to households for house purchase, decreased in January 2025. The interest rate on loans for house purchase with a floating rate and an initial rate fixation period of up to one year decreased by 10 basis points to 4.06%. The rate on housing loans with an initial rate fixation period of over one and up to five years fell by 8 basis points to 3.49%. The interest rate on loans for house purchase with an initial rate fixation period of over five and up to ten years decreased by 48 basis points to 2.88%. The rate on housing loans with an initial rate fixation period of over ten years fell by 12 basis points to 2.97%, driven by both the interest rate and the weight effects. In the same period the interest rate on new loans to households for consumption increased by 23 basis points to 7.64%.
    As regards new deposits from households, the interest rate on deposits with an agreed maturity of up to one year decreased by 12 basis points to 2.33%. The rate on deposits redeemable at three months’ notice stayed almost constant at 1.72%. The interest rate on overnight deposits from households remained broadly unchanged at 0.34%.

    Table 2

    Bank interest rates for households

    i.r.f. = initial rate fixation
    * For this instrument category, the concept of new business is extended to the whole outstanding amounts and therefore the business volumes are not comparable with those of the other categories; deposits placed by households and corporations are allocated to the household sector. Outstanding amounts data are derived from the ECB’s monetary financial institutions balance sheet statistics.
    ** For this instrument category, the concept of new business is extended to the whole outstanding amounts and therefore the business volumes are not comparable with those of the other categories. Outstanding amounts data are derived from the ECB’s monetary financial institutions balance sheet statistics.

    Data for bank interest rates for households (Table 2)

    Further information

    The data in Tables 1 and 2 can be visualised for individual euro area countries on the bank interest rate statistics dashboard. Additionally, tables containing further breakdowns of bank interest rate statistics, including the composite cost-of-borrowing indicators for all euro area countries, are available from the ECB Data Portal. The full set of bank interest rate statistics for both the euro area and individual countries can be downloaded from ECB Data Portal. More information, including the release calendar, is available under “Bank interest rates” in the statistics section of the ECB’s website.

    For media queries, please contact Nicos Keranis, tel.: +49 69 1344 7806

    Notes:

    • In this press release “corporations” refers to non-financial corporations (sector S.11 in the European System of Accounts 2010, or ESA 2010), “households” refers to households and non-profit institutions serving households (ESA 2010 sectors S.14 and S.15) and “banks” refers to monetary financial institutions except central banks and money market funds (ESA 2010 sector S.122).
    • The composite cost-of-borrowing indicators are described in the article entitled “Assessing the retail bank interest rate pass-through in the euro area at times of financial fragmentation” in the August 2013 issue of the ECB’s Monthly Bulletin (see Box 1). For these indicators, a weighting scheme based on the 24-month moving averages of new business volumes has been applied, in order to filter out excessive monthly volatility. For this reason the developments in the composite cost of borrowing indicators in both tables cannot be explained by the month-on-month changes in the displayed subcomponents. Furthermore, the table on bank interest rates for corporations presents a subset of the series used in the calculation of the cost of borrowing indicator.
    • Interest rates on new business are weighted by the size of the individual agreements. This is done both by the reporting agents and when the national and euro area averages are computed. Thus changes in average euro area interest rates for new business reflect, in addition to changes in interest rates, changes in the weights of individual countries’ new business for the instrument categories concerned. The “interest rate effect” and the “weight effect” presented in this press release are derived from the Bennet index, which allows month-on-month developments in euro area aggregate rates resulting from changes in individual country rates (the “interest rate effect”) to be disentangled from those caused by changes in the weights of individual countries’ contributions (the “weight effect”). Owing to rounding, the combined “interest rate effect” and the “weight effect” may not add up to the month-on-month developments in euro area aggregate rates.
    • In addition to monthly euro area bank interest rate statistics for January 2025, this press release incorporates revisions to data for previous periods. Hyperlinks in the main body of the press release lead to data that may change with subsequent releases as a result of revisions. Unless otherwise indicated, these euro area statistics cover the EU Member States that had adopted the euro at the time to which the data relate.
    • As of reference period December 2014, the sector classification applied to bank interest rates statistics is based on the European System of Accounts 2010 (ESA 2010). In accordance with the ESA 2010 classification and as opposed to ESA 95, the non-financial corporations sector (S.11) now excludes holding companies not engaged in management and similar captive financial institutions.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: REPORT on the proposal for the appointment of the Vice-Chair of the Single Resolution Board – A10-0026/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    PROPOSAL FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DECISION

    on the proposal for the appointment of the Vice-Chair of the Single Resolution Board

    (N10-0006/2025 – C10‑0032/2025 – 2025/0903(NLE))

    (Approval)

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to the proposal of the Commission of 19 February 2025 for the appointment of Miguel Carcaño Saenz Cenzano as Vice-Chair of the Single Resolution Board (C10‑0032/2025),

    – having regard to Article 56(6) of Regulation (EU) No 806/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 July 2014 establishing uniform rules and a uniform procedure for the resolution of credit institutions and certain investment firms in the framework of a Single Resolution Mechanism and a Single Resolution Fund and amending Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010[1],

    – having regard to its resolution of 14 March 2019 on gender balance in EU economic and monetary affairs nominations[2],

    – having regard to its resolution of 16 January 2020 on institutions and bodies of the Economic and Monetary Union: preventing post-public employment conflicts of interest[3],

    – having regard to Rule 135 of its Rules of Procedure,

    – having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (A10-0026/2025),

    A. whereas Article 56(4) of Regulation (EU) No 806/2014 provides that the Vice-Chair of the Single Resolution Board referred to in Article 56(3) of that Regulation is to be appointed on the basis of merit, skills, knowledge of banking and financial matters, and of experience relevant to financial supervision, regulation and bank resolution;

    B. whereas Parliament is committed to ensuring gender balance in top positions in the field of banking and financial services; whereas all Union and national institutions and bodies should implement concrete measures to ensure gender balance;

    C. whereas in accordance with Article 56(6) of Regulation (EU) No 806/2014, on 15 January 2025 the Commission adopted a shortlist for the position of a Vice-Chair of the Single Resolution Board;

    D. whereas in accordance with Article 56(6) of Regulation (EU) No 806/2014, the Commission provided the shortlist to Parliament;

    E. whereas on 19 February 2025, the Commission adopted a proposal to appoint Miguel Carcaño Saenz Cenzano as Vice-Chair of the Single Resolution Board and transmitted that proposal to Parliament;

    F. whereas the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs then proceeded to evaluate the credentials of the proposed candidate for the functions of Vice-Chair of the Single Resolution Board, in particular in view of the requirements laid down in Article 56(4) of Regulation (EU) No 806/2014;

    G. whereas on 3 March 2025, the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs held a hearing with Miguel Carcaño Saenz Cenzano, at which he made an opening statement and then answered questions put by members of the Committee;

    1. Approves the appointment of Miguel Carcaño Saenz Cenzano as Vice-Chair of the Single Resolution Board for a period of five years;

    2. Instructs its President to forward this decision to the European Council, the Council, the Commission and the governments of the Member States.

    EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

    This report has been drawn up following the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs’ exercise of the powers granted to Parliament under Regulation (EU) No 806/2014, in particular Article 56 thereof, and following the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs’ established procedures in the matter of appointments to regulatory and supervisory bodies in the economic and financial domain.

    ANNEX: ENTITIES OR PERSONS FROM WHOM THE RAPPORTEUR HAS RECEIVED INPUT

    The rapporteur declares under her exclusive responsibility that she did not receive input from any entity or person to be mentioned in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.

    INFORMATION ON ADOPTION IN COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

    Date adopted

    3.3.2025

     

     

     

    Result of final vote

    +:

    –:

    0:

    41

    2

    1

    Members present for the final vote

    Georgios Aftias, Francisco Assis, Fabio De Masi, Engin Eroglu, Marco Falcone, Jonás Fernández, Dirk Gotink, Enikő Győri, Eero Heinäluoma, Kinga Kollár, Tomáš Kubín, Marlena Maląg, Siegfried Mureşan, Fernando Navarrete Rojas, Denis Nesci, Luděk Niedermayer, Nikos Papandreou, Gaetano Pedulla’, Lídia Pereira, Sirpa Pietikäinen, Pierre Pimpie, Jaroslava Pokorná Jermanová, Paulius Saudargas, Pasquale Tridico, Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, Auke Zijlstra

    Substitutes present for the final vote

    Regina Doherty, Niels Fuglsang, Michael Gahler, Alexander Jungbluth, Fernand Kartheiser, Camilla Laureti, Morten Løkkegaard, Eva Maydell, Maria Ohisalo

    Members under Rule 216(7) present for the final vote

    Nikola Bartůšek, Jaroslav Bžoch, Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Jens Geier, Borja Giménez Larraz, Elisabeth Grossmann, Villy Søvndal, Anna Strolenberg, Lara Wolters

     

     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: REPORT on the proposal for the appointment of a member of the Single Resolution Board – A10-0024/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    PROPOSAL FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DECISION

    on the proposal for the appointment of a member of the Single Resolution Board

    (N10-0004/2025 – C10‑0030/2025 – 2025/0901(NLE))

    (Approval)

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to the proposal of the Commission of 19 February 2025 for the appointment of Radek Urban as Member of the Single Resolution Board (C10‑0030/2025),

    – having regard to Article 56(6) of Regulation (EU) No 806/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 July 2014 establishing uniform rules and a uniform procedure for the resolution of credit institutions and certain investment firms in the framework of a Single Resolution Mechanism and a Single Resolution Fund and amending Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010[1],

    – having regard to its resolution of 14 March 2019 on gender balance in EU economic and monetary affairs nominations[2],

    – having regard to its resolution of 16 January 2020 on institutions and bodies of the Economic and Monetary Union: preventing post-public employment conflicts of interest[3],

     – having regard to Rule 135 of its Rules of Procedure,

    – having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (A10-0024/2025),

    A. whereas Article 56(4) of Regulation (EU) No 806/2014 provides that the members of the Single Resolution Board referred to in Article 43(1), point (b), of that Regulation are to be appointed on the basis of merit, skills, knowledge of banking and financial matters, and of experience relevant to financial supervision, regulation and bank resolution;

    B. whereas Parliament is committed to ensuring gender balance in top positions in the field of banking and financial services; whereas all Union and national institutions and bodies should implement concrete measures to ensure gender balance;

    C. whereas in accordance with Article 56(6) of Regulation (EU) No 806/2014, on 15 January 2025 the Commission adopted a shortlist for the position of Member of the Single Resolution Board;

    D. whereas in accordance with Article 56(6) of Regulation (EU) No 806/2014, the Commission provided the shortlist to Parliament;

    E. whereas on 19 February 2025, the Commission adopted a proposal to appoint Radek Urban as Member of the Single Resolution Board and transmitted that proposal to Parliament;

    F. whereas the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs then proceeded to evaluate the credentials of the proposed candidate for the functions of Member of the Single Resolution Board, in particular in view of the requirements laid down in Article 56(4) of Regulation (EU) No 806/2014;

    G. whereas on 3 March 2025, the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs held a hearing with Radek Urban, at which he made an opening statement and then answered questions put by members of the Committee;

    1. Approves the appointment of Radek Urban as Member of the Single Resolution Board for a period of five years;

    2. Instructs its President to forward this decision to the European Council, the Council, the Commission and the governments of the Member States.

    EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

    This report has been drawn up following the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs’ exercise of the powers granted to Parliament under Regulation (EU) No 806/2014, in particular Article 56 thereof, and following the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs’ established procedures in the matter of appointments to regulatory and supervisory bodies in the economic and financial domain.

    ANNEX: ENTITIES OR PERSONS FROM WHOM THE RAPPORTEUR HAS RECEIVED INPUT

    The rapporteur declares under her exclusive responsibility that she did not receive input from any entity or person to be mentioned in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.

    INFORMATION ON ADOPTION IN COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

    Date adopted

    3.3.2025

     

     

     

    Result of final vote

    +:

    –:

    0:

    41

    1

    2

    Members present for the final vote

    Georgios Aftias, Francisco Assis, Fabio De Masi, Engin Eroglu, Marco Falcone, Jonás Fernández, Dirk Gotink, Enikő Győri, Eero Heinäluoma, Kinga Kollár, Tomáš Kubín, Marlena Maląg, Siegfried Mureşan, Fernando Navarrete Rojas, Denis Nesci, Luděk Niedermayer, Nikos Papandreou, Gaetano Pedulla’, Lídia Pereira, Sirpa Pietikäinen, Pierre Pimpie, Jaroslava Pokorná Jermanová, Paulius Saudargas, Pasquale Tridico, Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, Auke Zijlstra

    Substitutes present for the final vote

    Regina Doherty, Niels Fuglsang, Michael Gahler, Alexander Jungbluth, Fernand Kartheiser, Camilla Laureti, Morten Løkkegaard, Eva Maydell, Maria Ohisalo

    Members under Rule 216(7) present for the final vote

    Nikola Bartůšek, Jaroslav Bžoch, Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Jens Geier, Borja Giménez Larraz, Elisabeth Grossmann, Villy Søvndal, Anna Strolenberg, Lara Wolters

     

     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: REPORT on the proposal for the appointment of a member of the Single Resolution Board – A10-0025/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    PROPOSAL FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DECISION

    on the proposal for the appointment of a member of the Single Resolution Board

    (N10-0005/2025 – C10‑0031/2025 – 2025/0902(NLE))

    (Approval)

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to the proposal of the Commission of 19 February 2025 for the appointment of Slavka Eley as Member of the Single Resolution Board (C10‑0031/2025),

    – having regard to Article 56(6) of Regulation (EU) No 806/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 July 2014 establishing uniform rules and a uniform procedure for the resolution of credit institutions and certain investment firms in the framework of a Single Resolution Mechanism and a Single Resolution Fund and amending Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010[1],

    – having regard to its resolution of 14 March 2019 on gender balance in EU economic and monetary affairs nominations[2],

    – having regard to its resolution of 16 January 2020 on institutions and bodies of the Economic and Monetary Union: preventing post-public employment conflicts of interest[3],

    – having regard to Rule 135 of its Rules of Procedure,

    – having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (A10-0025/2025),

    A. whereas Article 56(4) of Regulation (EU) No 806/2014 provides that the members of the Single Resolution Board referred to in Article 43(1), point (b), of that Regulation are to be appointed on the basis of merit, skills, knowledge of banking and financial matters, and of experience relevant to financial supervision, regulation and bank resolution;

    B. whereas Parliament is committed to ensuring gender balance in top positions in the field of banking and financial services; whereas all Union and national institutions and bodies should implement concrete measures to ensure gender balance;

    C. whereas in accordance with Article 56(6) of Regulation (EU) No 806/2014, on 15 January 2025 the Commission adopted a shortlist for the position of Member of the Single Resolution Board;

    D. whereas in accordance with Article 56(6) of Regulation (EU) No 806/2014, the Commission provided the shortlist to Parliament;

    E. whereas on 19 February 2025, the Commission adopted a proposal to appoint Slavka Eley as Member of the Single Resolution Board and transmitted that proposal to Parliament;

    F. whereas the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs then proceeded to evaluate the credentials of the proposed candidate for the functions of Member of the Single Resolution Board, in particular in view of the requirements laid down in Article 56(4) of Regulation (EU) No 806/2014;

    G. whereas on 3 March 2025, the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs held a hearing with Slavka Eley, at which she made an opening statement and then answered questions put by members of the Committee;

    1. Approves the appointment of Slavka Eley as Member of the Single Resolution Board for a period of five years;

    2. Instructs its President to forward this decision to the European Council, the Council, the Commission and the governments of the Member States.

    EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

    This report has been drawn up following the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs’ exercise of the powers granted to Parliament under Regulation (EU) No 806/2014, in particular Article 56 thereof, and following the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs’ established procedures in the matter of appointments to regulatory and supervisory bodies in the economic and financial domain.

    ANNEX: ENTITIES OR PERSONS FROM WHOM THE RAPPORTEUR HAS RECEIVED INPUT

    The rapporteur declares under her exclusive responsibility that she did not receive input from any entity or person to be mentioned in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.

     

    INFORMATION ON ADOPTION IN COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

    Date adopted

    3.3.2025

     

     

     

    Result of final vote

    +:

    –:

    0:

    41

    1

    2

    Members present for the final vote

    Georgios Aftias, Francisco Assis, Fabio De Masi, Engin Eroglu, Marco Falcone, Jonás Fernández, Dirk Gotink, Enikő Győri, Eero Heinäluoma, Kinga Kollár, Tomáš Kubín, Marlena Maląg, Siegfried Mureşan, Fernando Navarrete Rojas, Denis Nesci, Luděk Niedermayer, Nikos Papandreou, Gaetano Pedulla’, Lídia Pereira, Sirpa Pietikäinen, Pierre Pimpie, Jaroslava Pokorná Jermanová, Paulius Saudargas, Pasquale Tridico, Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, Auke Zijlstra

    Substitutes present for the final vote

    Regina Doherty, Niels Fuglsang, Michael Gahler, Alexander Jungbluth, Fernand Kartheiser, Camilla Laureti, Morten Løkkegaard, Eva Maydell, Maria Ohisalo

    Members under Rule 216(7) present for the final vote

    Nikola Bartůšek, Jaroslav Bžoch, Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Jens Geier, Borja Giménez Larraz, Elisabeth Grossmann, Villy Søvndal, Anna Strolenberg, Lara Wolters

     

     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI: Radware and CHT Security Join Forces to Deliver AI-Powered Application Security in Taiwan

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MAHWAH, N.J., March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Radware® (NASDAQ: RDWR), a global leader in application security and delivery solutions for multi-cloud environments, today announced it signed a managed security service provider (MSSP) agreement with CHT Security (stock code: 7765). The new agreement represents an expansion of an existing relationship. CHT Security, one of Taiwan’s leading MSSPs, is a subsidiary and security arm of Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd., the largest telco in the country.

    CHT Security is leveraging Radware’s AI-powered Cloud Application Protection Services to further enhance its product portfolio and offer customers across Taiwan state-of-the-art application security. CHT Security also uses Radware’s on-prem DefensePro® DDoS Protection to defend its customers against cyber attacks.

    The agreement comes at a time when the frequency and intensity of cyber attacks is increasing in the region. According to a Radware threat advisory, Pro-Russian hacktivist groups, including NoName057(16), RipperSec, and the Cyber Army of Russia, launched a series of DDoS attacks against more than 50 targets in Taiwan, including government sites, airports, and financial services organizations. In addition, the rapid development of network technology and continuous software and hardware updates are creating security gaps for enterprise websites and applications, leaving them vulnerable to zero-day attacks and exposing them to the risk of hacker extortion and data leakage.

    To address organizations’ application security needs, Radware’s Cloud Application Protection Service offers a one-stop shop that includes an industry-leading web application firewall (WAF), bot detection and management, API protection, client-side protection, and application-layer DDoS protection. Combining end-to-end automation, AI-powered algorithms, behavioral-based detection, and 24/7 managed services, the solution defends against 150+ known attack vectors. This includes the OWASP’s Top 10 Web Application Security Risks, Top 10 API Security Vulnerabilities, and Top 21 Automated Threats to Web Applications.

    “We are looking forward to partnering with Radware to expand our product offering and engage with customers at an even higher level of service,” said Jeff Hung, general manager from CHT Security. “Combined with CHT Security’s rich practical experience and 24X7 expert SOC team, we can provide our customers with multi-layered defense services against today’s most sophisticated threats.”

    Today, CHT Security offers cybersecurity services to more than 300 large-sized enterprises, more than 40,000 small and medium-sized enterprises, and a million individual and household clients. The company’s clientele includes government agencies, financial institutions, high-tech companies, healthcare, retail, and critical infrastructure sectors.

    “We are excited to expand our long-standing relationship with CHT Security,” said Yaniv Hoffman, Radware’s vice president of sales in APAC. “It is becoming increasingly difficult for already short-staffed security teams to defend against a threat landscape that is constantly evolving with more frequent and complex attacks. Through our joint efforts, we can not only help organizations solve these challenges and increase the security around their critical assets, but also create a win-win for the Taiwan market.”

    Radware has received numerous awards for its solutions. Industry analysts such as Aite-Novarica Group, Forrester Research, Gartner, GigaOm, IDC, KuppingerCole, and Quadrant Knowledge Solutions continue to recognize Radware as a market leader in cyber security.

    About Radware
    Radware® (NASDAQ: RDWR) is a global leader in application security and delivery solutions for multi-cloud environments. The company’s cloud application, infrastructure, and API security solutions use AI-driven algorithms for precise, hands-free, real-time protection from the most sophisticated web, application, and DDoS attacks, API abuse, and bad bots. Enterprises and carriers worldwide rely on Radware’s solutions to address evolving cybersecurity challenges and protect their brands and business operations while reducing costs. For more information, please visit the Radware website.

    Radware encourages you to join our community and follow us on: Facebook, LinkedIn, Radware Blog, X, and YouTube.

    ©2025 Radware Ltd. All rights reserved. Any Radware products and solutions mentioned in this press release are protected by trademarks, patents, and pending patent applications of Radware in the U.S. and other countries. For more details, please see: https://www.radware.com/LegalNotice/. All other trademarks and names are property of their respective owners.

    Radware believes the information in this document is accurate in all material respects as of its publication date. However, the information is provided without any express, statutory, or implied warranties and is subject to change without notice.

    The contents of any website or hyperlinks mentioned in this press release are for informational purposes and the contents thereof are not part of this press release.

    Safe Harbor Statement
    This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements made herein that are not statements of historical fact, including statements about Radware’s plans, outlook, beliefs, or opinions, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “estimates,” “plans,” and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “should,” “would,” “may,” and “could.” For example, when we say in this press release that through our joint efforts, we can not only help organizations solve these challenges and increase the security around their critical assets, but also create a win-win for the Taiwan market, we are using forward-looking statements. Because such statements deal with future events, they are subject to various risks and uncertainties, and actual results, expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, could differ materially from Radware’s current forecasts and estimates. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: the impact of global economic conditions, including as a result of the state of war declared in Israel in October 2023 and instability in the Middle East, the war in Ukraine, and the tensions between China and Taiwan; our dependence on independent distributors to sell our products; our ability to manage our anticipated growth effectively; a shortage of components or manufacturing capacity could cause a delay in our ability to fulfill orders or increase our manufacturing costs; our business may be affected by sanctions, export controls, and similar measures, targeting Russia and other countries and territories, as well as other responses to Russia’s military conflict in Ukraine, including indefinite suspension of operations in Russia and dealings with Russian entities by many multi-national businesses across a variety of industries; the ability of vendors to provide our hardware platforms and components for the manufacture of our products; our ability to attract, train, and retain highly qualified personnel; intense competition in the market for cyber security and application delivery solutions and in our industry in general, and changes in the competitive landscape; our ability to develop new solutions and enhance existing solutions; the impact to our reputation and business in the event of real or perceived shortcomings, defects, or vulnerabilities in our solutions, if our end-users experience security breaches, if our information technology systems and data, or those of our service providers and other contractors, are compromised by cyber-attackers or other malicious actors or by a critical system failure; outages, interruptions, or delays in hosting services; the risks associated with our global operations, such as difficulties and costs of staffing and managing foreign operations, compliance costs arising from host country laws or regulations, partial or total expropriation, export duties and quotas, local tax exposure, economic or political instability, including as a result of insurrection, war, natural disasters, and major environmental, climate, or public health concerns, such as the COVID-19 pandemic; our net losses in the past two years and possibility we may incur losses in the future; a slowdown in the growth of the cyber security and application delivery solutions market or in the development of the market for our cloud-based solutions; long sales cycles for our solutions; risks and uncertainties relating to acquisitions or other investments; risks associated with doing business in countries with a history of corruption or with foreign governments; changes in foreign currency exchange rates; risks associated with undetected defects or errors in our products; our ability to protect our proprietary technology; intellectual property infringement claims made by third parties; laws, regulations, and industry standards affecting our business; compliance with open source and third-party licenses; and other factors and risks over which we may have little or no control. This list is intended to identify only certain of the principal factors that could cause actual results to differ. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting Radware, refer to Radware’s Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the other risk factors discussed from time to time by Radware in reports filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and, except as required by applicable law, Radware undertakes no commitment to revise or update any forward-looking statement in order to reflect events or circumstances after the date any such statement is made. Radware’s public filings are available from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or may be obtained on Radware’s website at www.radware.com.

    Media Contact:
    Gerri Dyrek
    Radware
    Gerri.Dyrek@radware.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: GDS to Report Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Financial Results Before the Open of the U.S. Market on March 19, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SHANGHAI, China, March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GDS Holdings Limited (“GDS Holdings”, “GDS” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: GDS; HKEX: 9698), a leading developer and operator of high-performance data centers in China, today announced that it will report its fourth quarter and full year 2024 unaudited financial results after the close of the Hong Kong market and before the open of the U.S. market on March 19, 2025.

    The Company’s management will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 (8:00 PM Hong Kong Time on the same day).

    Participants should complete online registration using the link provided below at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start time. Upon registration, participants will receive the conference call access information, including dial-in numbers, a personal PIN and an e-mail with detailed instructions to join the conference call.

    Participant Online Registration:
    https://register-conf.media-server.com/register/BI4cc739e1f3c748ffa22f7df4125e5079

    Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company’s investor relations website at https://investors.gds-services.com.

    About GDS Holdings Limited

    GDS Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: GDS; HKEX: 9698) is a leading developer and operator of high-performance data centers in China. The Company’s facilities are strategically located in and around primary economic hubs where demand for high-performance data center services is concentrated. The Company’s data centers have large net floor area, high power capacity, density and efficiency, and multiple redundancies across all critical systems. GDS is carrier and cloud-neutral, which enables its customers to access the major telecommunications networks, as well as the largest PRC and global public clouds, which are hosted in many of its facilities. The Company offers co-location and a suite of value-added services, including managed hybrid cloud services through direct private connection to leading public clouds, managed network services, and, where required, the resale of public cloud services. The Company has a 24-year track record of service delivery, successfully fulfilling the requirements of some of the largest and most demanding customers for outsourced data center services in China. The Company’s customer base consists predominantly of hyperscale cloud service providers, large internet companies, financial institutions, telecommunications carriers, IT service providers, and large domestic private sector and multinational corporations. The Company also holds a non-controlling 35.6% equity interest in DayOne Data Centers Limited which develops and operates data centers in International markets.

    For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

    GDS Holdings Limited
    Laura Chen
    Phone: +86 (21) 2029-2203
    Email: ir@gds-services.com

    Piacente Financial Communications
    Ross Warner
    Phone: +86 (10) 6508-0677
    Email: GDS@tpg-ir.com

    Brandi Piacente
    Phone: +1 (212) 481-2050
    Email: GDS@tpg-ir.com

    GDS Holdings Limited

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Community organisations invited to submit Expressions of Interests for Community Regeneration Funding

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    The Highland Council is inviting community groups and organisations to submit Expressions of Interest for Community Regeneration Funding (CRF) to finance capital projects that will respond to the needs of their local areas and deliver positive impacts.  

    Community Regeneration Funding is an umbrella term being used to cover multiple community-led external funding programmes being administered by the Highland Council.  This includes the Highland Coastal Communities Fund, Place-Based Investment Programme and Community-Led Local Development funds.

    The deadline to submit an Expression of Interest is 12pm Friday 28 March and the projects must be community-led.

    Chair of The Highland Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Cllr Ken Gowans said: “This first round of CRF has specific criteria in which applicants can bid into, and projects must be concluded and claimed by the end of February next year. We are encouraging shovel ready capital projects that will support community development to come forward and submit an Expression of Interest before the deadline of 28 March.

    “The demand for funding year on year highlights the huge effort from the community and the third sector in striving to achieve positive outcomes for local communities so I encourage anyone interest to get their expressions of interest submitted to the team by the deadline.”

     Applications that deliver against the following priorities are particularly sought:

    • Projects that support volunteers/volunteering initiatives
    • Projects that build capacity in community groups
    • Projects that promote or raise awareness of existing initiatives to support groups or individuals with the cost-of-living crisis
    • Projects that create jobs or build economic growth in an area
    • Projects that are actively tackling the climate emergency and working towards net zero

    Applicants are reminded that this first round of CRF is for capital only projects.  Project approvals are anticipated to be announced in April/May (pending confirmation of funds availability from Scottish Government) and applicants must be in a position to start from May 2025 and concluded and claimed no later than 28/02/2026.

    Applicants can apply for up to 100% project costs however they must demonstrate that there is a need for this level of intervention and that match funding options have been explored. 

    It is generally expected that funding requests should be a minimum of £5,000, and a maximum of £100,000.  Applicants should apply for the amount that is required for their project to be delivered. 

    Expressions of Interest should be submitted by 12pm Friday 28 March and a copy of the form can be found on the Council’s website where further information about the scheme is provided

    5 Mar 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The capital will improve the territories of more than 60 schools and kindergartens

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Specialists from the city economy complex will put the territories of more than 60 educational institutions in order. This was announced by the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Housing and Public Utilities and Improvement Petr Biryukov.

    “Comprehensive measures are planned to improve the territories of over 60 educational institutions, including 51 within the framework of the modernization program “My School”. The main task is to create comfortable and safe spaces for students in accordance with modern standards. Children spend a lot of time on the territory of schools and kindergartens, so it is important that there are all the conditions for comprehensive development and recreation near the buildings,” said Pyotr Biryukov.

    Specialists will repair and add, where necessary, children’s and sports grounds with trauma-safe surfaces. Play equipment and exercise machines will be installed there.

    Special attention will be paid to security issues. Video surveillance systems and energy-efficient lamps will be installed on the territory of educational institutions. In addition, outdoor recreation areas will be organized, existing pedestrian paths will be repaired and new ones will be laid, street furniture will be installed and additional landscaping will be carried out.

    All work will be completed by September 1.

    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.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/150955073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: ThinkMarkets Becomes Platinum Partner on TradingView

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LONDON, March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ThinkMarkets, a global leader in online CFD trading, has announced its new status as a Platinum partner on TradingView. Following its launch on TradingView earlier this year, ThinkMarkets has seen significant interest from both existing and new clients eager to trade on the platform. 

    To continue this growth and provide even better service to its clients worldwide, ThinkMarkets has upgraded to TradingView’s Platinum partnership level. This move enhances ThinkMarkets’ presence on TradingView by expanding its reach to a broader range of targeted countries and brings valuable benefits to clients, including an ad-free trading experience and exclusive trade ideas from ThinkMarkets’ expert analysts.

    Commenting on the news, Nauman Anees, CEO of ThinkMarkets, said: “We’re delighted to now have a Platinum plan on TradingView. At ThinkMarkets, our clients are the cornerstone of our success. This move allows us to further expand our reach in the active trader community on TradingView and demonstrates our commitment to providing a unique product tailored for traders and empowering them with the best trading services.” 

    Clients trading on TradingView with ThinkMarkets can expect exceptional trading conditions, access to thousands of products, and ultra-fast execution speeds, all the while having access to TradingView’s advanced charting tools and features. 

    To learn more about trading with ThinkMarkets on TradingView, users can click here. 

    About ThinkMarkets   
    ThinkMarkets is a global, multi-regulated online brokerage established in 2010 offering clients quick and easy access to 4,000+ CFD instruments across FX, indices, commodities, equities, and more. ThinkMarkets has offices in London, Melbourne, and Tokyo and hubs in the Asia-Pacific, Europe, and South Africa. It also operates with several financial licences around the globe and delivers some of the industry’s most recognised trading platforms, including its award-winning platform, ThinkTrader.

    For more information, users can visit ThinkMarkets website here.    

    Contact

    Chantelle Lea
    ThinkMarkets
    pr@thinkmarkets.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8d2ad0da-9754-4c76-8da7-788ff1fdaa70

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: RBI appoints Dr. Ajit Ratnakar Joshi as new Executive Director

    Source: Reserve Bank of India

    The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed Dr. Ajit Ratnakar Joshi as Executive Director (ED) with effect from March 03, 2025.

    Prior to being promoted as ED, Dr. Joshi was serving as Principal Adviser in Department of Statistics and Information Management.

    Dr. Joshi has experience of over three decades in the areas of statistics, information technology, and cyber risk management. He also served as member of faculty at the Institute of Development and Research in Banking Technology, Hyderabad. He has also served as member of several committees and working groups relating to compilation of macroeconomic statistics and policy issues.

    As Executive Director, Dr. Joshi will look after Department of Statistics and Information Management and Financial Stability Department.

    Dr. Joshi has a master’s degree in statistics from Nagpur University, Ph.D. in monetary economics from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Diploma in Development Policy and Planning from the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi and is a certified associate of the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance (CAIIB).

    (Puneet Pancholy)  
    Chief General Manager

    Press Release: 2024-2025/2302

    MIL OSI Economics –