Category: Economy

MIL-OSI: Teads Unveils Connected Ads: A New Premium Brand and Performance Solution for the Open Internet
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Teads (NASDAQ: TEAD), the omnichannel outcomes platform for the open internet, today announced the beta launch of Connected Ads, an innovative branding solution which expands creative possibilities and engagement across premium publisher environments while reinforcing the company’s core value proposition: to deliver brand-to-performance outcomes at scale.

Connected Ads introduces a unified ad experience featuring two complementary ad placements within the same publisher page – the first embedded within the article and the second at the end of the article. As users scroll through publisher pages, the second ad placement appears, creating a canvas for more opportunities for brands to stand out. Advertisers can use this space for high-impact messaging or introduce interactive elements to deepen engagement. This exclusive format gives advertisers two sequential, high-attention opportunities in a single content session, helping brands build awareness and drive measurable outcomes on the open internet.

“With this unique ad experience, we’re giving brands the ability to cut through the noise and tell new impactful stories,” said Remi Cackel, EVP of Global Demand Product at Teads. “Fully rooted in Teads’ creative excellence, it’s the first step in achieving brandformance goals in one seamless experience, powered by high-quality environments and user-first design.”

Key benefits of Connected Ads include:
- A premium open-web branding format that enables sequential storytelling and deeper engagement.
- High-attention placements that maximize impact without disrupting the user experience.
- An exclusive creative solution, only available on the Teads platform.
- Built for brands that value premium environments, innovation, and brand-to-performance outcomes.
Connected Ads reflects Teads’ ongoing commitment to innovation at the intersection of brand and performance outcomes, enabling advertisers to capitalize on multiple stages of the marketing funnel within a single integrated solution.

The beta launch is live across leading publishers in Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US and is being tested by several enterprise advertisers.

About Teads
Teads is the omnichannel outcomes platform for the open internet, driving full-funnel results for marketers across premium media. With a focus on meaningful business outcomes for branding and performance objectives, Teads ensures value is driven with every media dollar by leveraging predictive AI technology to connect quality media, beautiful brand creative, and context-driven addressability and measurement. One of the most scaled advertising platforms on the open internet, Teads is directly partnered with more than 10,000 publishers and 20,000 advertisers globally. The company is headquartered in New York, with a global team of nearly 1,800 people in 30+ countries.

For more information, visit www.teads.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements generally relate to possible or assumed future results of our business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, plans and objectives. You can generally identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “foresee,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions that concern our expectations, strategy, plans or intentions.

We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections regarding future events and trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The outcome of the events described in these forward-looking statements is subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, including but not limited to: the risk that advertisers may not adopt our new Connected Ads solution at the rate we expect or that the beta program may not be successful; the risk that our new ad formats, including Connected Ads, may not deliver the anticipated benefits of enhanced attention, storytelling, and brand-to-performance outcomes; risks related to the successful development and scaling of new and complex advertising products; our ability to compete effectively and maintain any technological or creative advantages in the competitive digital advertising market; and the other important risks described in the section entitled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed for the year ended December 31, 2024, in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, and in subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), which are available on our website at https://investors.teads.com/ and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Accordingly, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We cannot assure you that the results, events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur, and actual results, events or circumstances could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Media Contact
press@teads.com

Investor Relations Contact
IR@teads.com
(332) 205-8999

The MIL Network –
August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI: TAB Bank Adds Sam Cirelli to Strengthen Northeast Lending Team

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

OGDEN, Utah, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TAB Bank has added Sam Cirelli as Vice President, Business Development, to strengthen the Northeast lending team. Based in New York, Cirelli has spent over 30 years as a corporate lender and advisor to small and mid-sized companies. He managed, directed, and closed more than $10 billion in loan commitments across 700 transactions in multiple industries.

“I’m excited to help TAB grow its business in the Northeast region and use my expertise to develop reliable and creative financial solutions for clients,” said Cirelli. “I’m honored to be part of the TAB Bank team and be a trusted advisor in helping businesses achieve their goals.”

Cirelli has extensive experience in executive management, portfolio management, underwriting, loan origination and structuring. He was previously an originations manager and sales manager at Triumph, where he grew the Northeast region’s business. He has also founded and led two prominent asset-based lending startups.

Cirelli was a founding managing partner of Northern Lights Partners, a boutique investment bank raising capital and debt and advising on mergers and acquisitions. He has also served as global loan origination director for General Motors Finance, where he was responsible for the US, UK and Canadian markets.

Cirelli has been an adjunct professor at New York University, teaching Harvard Case Studies in corporate finance, and at Wagner College, teaching undergraduate and MBA programs in corporate finance. He received a bachelor’s degree in finance and an MBA from St. John’s University.

About TAB Bank
At TAB Bank, our mission is to unlock dreams with bold financial solutions that empower individuals and businesses nationwide. We are committed to building value in all we do through our innovative banking products. Our dedication drives us to continuously improve, ensuring that we meet the evolving needs of our clients with excellence and agility. For over 25 years, we have remained steadfast in offering tailored, technology-enabled solutions designed to simplify and enhance the banking experience.

For more information about how we can help you achieve your financial dreams, visit www.TABBank.com.

Contact Information:
Trevor Morris
Director of Marketing
801-710-6318
trevor.morris@tabbank.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c9726fbb-6563-49b7-a042-061dab830f6a.

The MIL Network –

August 5, 2025

MIL-OSI Banking: Lending and Deposit Rates of Scheduled Commercial Banks – July 2025

Source: Reserve Bank of India

Data on lending and deposit rates of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) (excluding regional rural banks and small finance banks) received during the month of July 2025 are set out in Tables 1 to 7.

Highlights:

Lending Rates:

The weighted average lending rate (WALR) on fresh rupee loans of SCBs declined to 8.62 per cent in June 2025 from 9.20 per cent in May 2025.
The WALR on outstanding rupee loans of SCBs dropped to 9.48 per cent in June 2025 from 9.69 per cent in May 2025.¹
1-Year median Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate (MCLR) of SCBs moderated to 8.75 per cent in July 2025 from 8.90 per cent in June 2025.

Deposit Rates:

The weighted average domestic term deposit rate (WADTDR) on fresh rupee term deposits of SCBs stood at 5.75 per cent in June 2025 as compared to 6.11 per cent in May 2025.
The weighted average domestic term deposit rate (WADTDR) on outstanding rupee term deposits of SCBs was 6.99 per cent in June 2025 (7.07 per cent in May 2025).¹

Ajit Prasad
Deputy General Manager
(Communications)

Press Release: 2025-2026/818

MIL OSI Global Banks –

MIL-OSI: CERo Therapeutics Doses Second Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patient with CER-1236

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Second patient in the first cohort is now advancing through protocol-defined evaluations as Company provides promising update on first patient pharmacokinetic results

SOUTH SAN FRANSCISCO, Calif., July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CERo Therapeutics Holdings, Inc., (Nasdaq: CERO) (“CERo” or the “Company”) an innovative cellular immunotherapy company seeking to advance the next generation of engineered T cell therapeutics that employ phagocytic mechanisms, announces it has dosed the second patient in the first cohort of its Phase 1 CER-1236 clinical trial focused on patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The patient was dosed at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) at Colorado Blood Cancer Institute (CBCI) in Denver, Colorado, with Yazan Migdady, M.D., an associate member physician at CBCI acting as principal investigator for the study. With more than seven days passed following the second patient’s infusion, monitoring continues for key safety, tolerability, and efficacy endpoints.

Dr. Migdady noted, “The dosing of the second patient in this Phase 1 first-in-human trial is an important indicator, representing a key clinical development milestone for CER-1236, a novel autologous CAR-T therapeutic candidate targeting TIM 4L. We believe that CER-1236 may be an important advancement in cancer immunotherapy and this second patient reflects steady progress in our clinical evaluation. We are now conducting protocol-specified evaluations of safety, pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic, and efficacy endpoints, and expect to communicate progress over the course of the study.”

Previously CERo reported that the first patient treated in CertainT-1 had no dose-limiting toxicities during the 28-day DLT observation period. Further analysis of CER-1236 pharmacokinetics in this patient reveals that the therapy of infused cells expanded (e.g., the cell number multiplied) as expected upon infusion, reaching a peak at 14 days post infusion with a 20.8-fold expansion of infused cells. These are early insights into how CER-1236 functions in AML patients, and CERo will be monitoring pharmacokinetics in subsequent patients.

The first-in-human, multi-center, open label, Phase 1/1b study is designed to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of CER-1236 in patients with acute myeloid leukemia that is either relapsed/refractory, or in remission with measurable residual disease, or newly diagnosed patients with TP53 mutated MDS/AML or AML. The two-part study has begun with dose escalation to determine the highest tolerated dose and recommended dose for Phase 2, followed by an expansion phase to evaluate safety and efficacy. Primary outcome measures include incidence of adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs), incidence of dose limited toxicities and estimation of overall response rate (ORR), complete response (CR), composite complete response (cCR), and measurable residual disease (MRD). Secondary outcome measures include pharmacokinetics (PK).

CERo CEO Chris Ehrlich said, “We are encouraged that in our very first patient treated we saw rapid and significant expansion in CER-1236 cells after infusion, a positive sign that we’re on the right track in our Phase I study, based on the extensive experience and history of the clinical development of CAR T cells. We continue to believe that CER-1236 is a novel approach to treating cancer, and we are grateful for the participation of our first and second patients, and to the many people who have worked tirelessly to reach this milestone, including our CERO team, our consultants and study sites. We look forward to discussing additional outcomes, which we anticipate will validate the scientific work performed to date with CER-1236.”

About CERo Therapeutics Holdings, Inc.

CERo is an innovative immunotherapy company advancing the development of next generation engineered T cell therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. Its proprietary approach to T cell engineering, which enables it to integrate certain desirable characteristics of both innate and adaptive immunity into a single therapeutic construct, is designed to engage the body’s full immune repertoire to achieve optimized cancer therapy. This novel cellular immunotherapy platform is expected to redirect patient-derived T cells to eliminate tumors by building in engulfment pathways that employ phagocytic mechanisms to destroy cancer cells, creating what CERo refers to as Chimeric Engulfment Receptor T cells (“CER-T”). CERo believes the differentiated activity of CER-T cells will afford them greater therapeutic application than currently approved chimeric antigen receptor (“CAR-T”) cell therapy, as the use of CER-T may potentially span both hematological malignancies and solid tumors. CERo has commenced clinical trials for its lead product candidate CER-1236 for hematological malignancies.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains statements that are forward-looking and as such are not historical facts. This includes, without limitation, statements regarding the financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations of CERo. These statements constitute projections, forecasts and forward-looking statements, and are not guarantees of performance. Such statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. When used in this communication, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “strive,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. When CERo discusses its strategies or plans, it is making projections, forecasts or forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on the beliefs of, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to, CERo’s management.

Actual results could differ from those implied by the forward-looking statements in this communication. Certain risks that could cause actual results to differ are set forth in CERo’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and the documents incorporated by reference therein. The risks described in CERo’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission are not exhaustive. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all such risk factors, nor can CERo assess the impact of all such risk factors on its business, or the extent to which any factor or combination of factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. You should not put undue reliance on these statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements made by CERo or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. CERo undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Contact:
Chris Ehrlich
Chief Executive Officer
chris@cero.bio

Investors:
CORE IR

investors@cero.bio

The MIL Network –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI: Inuvo to Host Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results Conference Call on Thursday, August 7th at 4:15 P.M. ET

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Inuvo, Inc. (NYSE American: INUV), a leading provider of artificial intelligence AdTech solutions, will host a conference call on Thursday, August 7, 2025, at 4:15 PM Eastern Time to discuss its financial results and provide a business update for the second quarter ended June 30, 2025.

Conference Call Details:
Date: Thursday, August 7, 2025
Time: 4:15 p.m. Eastern Time
Toll-free Dial-in Number: 1-800-717-1738
International Dial-in Number: 1-646-307-1865
Conference ID: 1148531
Webcast Link: HERE

A telephone replay will be available through Thursday, August 21, 2025. To access the replay, please dial 1-844-512-2921 (domestic) or 1-412-317-6671 (international). At the system prompt, please enter the code 1148531 followed by the # sign. You will then be prompted for your name, company, and phone number. Playback will then automatically begin.

About Inuvo

Inuvo^®, Inc. (NYSE American: INUV) is a market leader in Artificial Intelligence built for advertising. Its IntentKey AI solution is a first-of-its-kind proprietary and patented technology capable of identifying and actioning to the reasons why consumers are interested in products, services, or brands, not who those consumers are. To learn more, visit www.inuvo.com.

Inuvo Company Contact:
Wally Ruiz
Chief Financial Officer
Tel (501) 205-8397
wallace.ruiz@inuvo.com

The MIL Network –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Burkina Faso: African Development Bank supports youth entrepreneurship in rural areas

Source: APO – Report:

The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) and the Government of Burkina Faso launched the third phase of the incubator program of the Support Project for Youth Employment and Skills Development in Rural Areas (PADEJ-MR in the French acronym) on July 15, 2025, in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.

Ms. Franceline Kaboré, representing the country’s Minister of Sports, Youth, and Employment, and Ms. Mouna Diawara, Head of Operations both attended.

The PADEJ-MR aims to promote the economic empowerment and resilience of young people in rural areas through entrepreneurship. The project, with a total cost of €13.62 million, mainly financed by a €12.25 million grant from the African Development Bank, has supported the establishment of an incubator mechanism providing practical training in financial education and safeguards, personalized coaching, and local technical support.

The initiative aims to help young people convert their ideas into viable businesses in promising sectors such as agriculture, agri-food, services, crafts, and new technologies. In the third phase of the incubator program, 65 young people from the four regions covered by the Project are receiving support to help them prepare business plans that are eligible for financing.

Ms. Franceline Kaboré commended the African Development Bank’s commitment to the PADEJ-MR. She noted that youth entrepreneurship is a national priority enshrined in the strategic vision of the government of Burkina Faso.

Ms. Mouna Diawara emphasized that “the Project to Support Youth Employment and Skills Development in Rural Areas is a concrete and integrated response to the problem of youth unemployment in rural areas. The African Development Bank is ready to continue supporting Burkina Faso in its economic transformation efforts, with a particular focus on opportunities for young people and women.”

Sévérine Lankouandé, speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries of the incubator, expressed gratitude to the government and to the African Development Bank for the opportunities that the incubator program had already provided. A cohort of young entrepreneurs have already received training that will enable them to launch transformative enteprises.

– on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Media contact:
Department of Communication and External Relations
media@afdb.org

Media files

.

MIL OSI Africa –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Government launches project for investors in energy sector

Source: Government of South Africa

Government launches project for investors in energy sector

As part of ongoing efforts to unlock infrastructure investments and strengthen the energy sector, government is calling on investors to invest in the country’s transmission infrastructure through the Independent Transmission Projects (ITPs) Programme.

This initiative marks the first time private investment will be allowed in South Africa’s transmission infrastructure, paving the way for a faster rollout of new high-voltage power lines across the country.

“This will support the efforts already underway by the National Transmission Company of South Africa to implement the Transmission Development Plan, which calls for more than 14 000 km of new lines to be built over the next decade.

“The introduction of ITPs is a key objective of Operation Vulindlela Phase II and will play an important role in the broader reform of the energy system. This reform includes the introduction of a competitive electricity market, which will allow multiple generators and traders to compete to provide electricity to consumers at the lowest cost and with the greatest efficiency,” Deputy Minister of Finance Dr David Masondo said on Thursday.

Addressing the launch of the Request for Pre-Qualifications for Independent Transmission Projects (ITPs) in Johannesburg, the Deputy Minister said the reform of the energy system is advancing rapidly, and its commitment remains unwavering.

“We will not allow any vested interests to delay or obstruct this reform process, including Eskom itself. Indeed, today’s release of the Request for Quotation (RFQ) demonstrates that government, led by [Electricity] Minister Dr [Kgosientsho] Ramokgopa and his team, is working hard to implement the reforms that are needed to ensure long-term energy security and expand access to affordable electricity for all South Africans.

“National Treasury has supported this process through the design of a Credit Guarantee Vehicle, as an innovative mechanism to unlock private capital and complement public financing for infrastructure while minimising contingent liabilities,” he said.

South Africa is faced with a significant infrastructure financing need.

It is estimated that South Africa’s infrastructure gap is around R3.5 to R4 trillion by 2025, or around R400 billion per annum.

“This substantial need calls for scaling up of public financing for infrastructure as well as crowding in private capital through public-private partnerships (PPP). The objective of the Credit Guarantee Vehicle is to mobilise and leverage private capital to address South Africa’s infrastructure financing gap by mitigating offtake risk for private investors.

“This vehicle will also support the efficient deployment of development partner funding under the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and the achievement of the country’s decarbonisation commitments,” the Deputy Minister said.

While the Credit Guarantee Vehicle will focus on the initial phase on enabling investments in transmission infrastructure, it will be expanded into other areas such as logistics and water over time.

“The vehicle will be incorporated as a private company in South Africa, regulated by the Prudential Authority. It will operate as a standalone entity with an independent balance sheet and will target a minimum credit rating of AAA.

“A professional executive management team and board of directors with relevant experience and expertise will be appointed to operate and manage the fund,” he said.

The Credit Guarantee Vehicle will issue a combination of payment and termination guarantees to a Special Purpose Vehicle established for the project.

This will substantially derisk early investments in ITPs until the model has been proven and established.

“We are targeting an initial capital raise of US$500 million for the vehicle, spread across a range of development partners. National Treasury has committed to providing first loss capital of 20%, which will be an initial US$100 million increasing to US$500 million (R9 billion) if needed.

“In February 2025, the Minister of Finance [Enoch Godongwana] wrote to a range of development partners asking them to submit an expression of interest to invest in the vehicle. The responses received have been overwhelmingly positive, with 32 development partners engaged thus far,” the Deputy Minister said.

Formal engagements with participating partners are continuing and will lead to the delivery of conditional equity participation commitment letters in the third quarter of 2025.

This will enable the Credit Guarantee Vehicle to be operationalized by July 2026 to align with the first phase of ITP projects.

“South Africa’s ITP programme, backed by credit guarantees, represents a globally innovative model which has been designed with our own context and needs in mind.

“It will not only result in massive new investment in infrastructure but will enable thousands of megawatts of new renewable energy capacity to be connected in areas where grid capacity is limited. This will support economic growth, create jobs, and power our economy into the future,” Masondo said. –SAnews.gov.za

nosihle
Thu, 07/31/2025 – 13:14

MIL OSI Africa –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Labour 20 Summit places fairness under the spotlight

Source: Government of South Africa

Labour 20 Summit places fairness under the spotlight

Employment and Labour Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya has called for the dismantling of the misconception that competitiveness and fairness cannot co-exist in the global labour market.

The Deputy Minister was delivering remarks at the Labour 20 (L20) South Africa 2025 Summit.

“Let us be clear: fair wages, decent work and strong social protection are not barriers to growth, but they are the foundations of resilient , future ready economies. The anticipated Employment Working Group declaration lays groundwork for these efforts.

“It recognises that full and productive employment, adequacy and sustainability of social protection systems, wage settings mechanisms, grounded in rights and fairness, are essential to build a just and inclusive societies. It calls on all of us to expand formalisation and reverse decoupling of wages from productivity,” Sibiya said on Tuesday.

The summit was held under the theme: ‘Fostering solidarity, equality and sustainability through a new social compact”.

The L20 represents workers’ interests at the G20 level, bringing together trade union representatives from G20 countries and international trade union federations. It is coordinated by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The G20 labour component has also been active since the global financial crisis in 2008.

Through its existence, L20 aims to ensure that the voices of workers are heard in discussions on issues of economic policies and labour rights. South Africa’s labour federations – Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa), National Council of Trade Unions (Nactu) and the South African Federation of Trade Unions Saftu – attended the summit.

Sibiya commended the L20’s commitment to tackling major labour market challenges, including inequality, declining real wages, and the shrinking labour income share of gross domestic product (GDP).

“The issues strike at the very heart of our societies and also manifest in growing hardship for working families, the erosion of social cohesion as well as pervasive sense among workers that growth is no longer working for them.

“For the global south, the value of labour has been steadily diminishing. Productivity had risen but workers, particularly those at the lower end of the wage distribution, have not benefitted. The disconnect between the creation of wealth and its distribution is not only unjust, but also unsustainable.”

Priorities

Sibiya said South Africa’s employment track has been anchored in four key priorities:
•    Promoting inclusive growth and youth employment to ensure that every young person has access to a decent job.
•    Accelerating gender equality in the workforce by addressing systemic barriers to women’s full and equal participation.
•    Reversing the decline in labour income share, so that workers regain the dignified and fair share of the value they help to generate.
•    Harnessing digitalisation to create an inclusive future of work rather than deepening the digital divide.

“Genuine economic growth is closely tied to decent work. This calls for us to actively shape policies and institutions to achieve fair labour market results, necessitates establishing wage systems whether through legislation or collective bargaining that assure a living wage, alongside investment and social protection for life-long income, security and strengthen social dialogue to empower both workers and employers,” he said.

The importance of financial literacy among workers was also emphasised with the Deputy Minister saying there is a need to “capacitate workers of the world on how to take responsibility of their livelihood, making sure that they use their hard-earned salaries properly.”

He added that South Africa’s own experiences offered valuable lessons in addressing inequality and unemployment.
According to Sibiya, social partners continue to play a vital role in shaping labour market reforms – this amidst structural constraints.

“We strongly believe that when working together as government with social partners that is where solutions can be found. Our work is far from over. We must recommend social justice in our economic strategies,” he said.

The L20 component engagements were also held alongside the 4th G20 Employment Working Group meeting held at Fancourt in George earlier this week.

The aim of the L20 session was to have a dialogue between trade unions and certain G20 labour and employment Ministers to discuss joint approaches to tackling inequality, fostering wage increases, and increasing the labour income share, as a key priority of this year’s employment track. – SAnews.gov.za

DikelediM
Thu, 07/31/2025 – 13:16

MIL OSI Africa –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: 31 July 2025 Departmental update Redefining the HIV response in Africa through local production of medicines and diagnostics

Source: World Health Organisation

While Sub-Saharan Africa bears the highest HIV burden globally and is home to almost 65% of all people living with HIV, for decades, access to HIV treatment across the African region depended almost entirely on imports of lifesaving drugs and diagnostic tests manufactured thousands of miles away.

To boost supply chain resilience and regional self-reliance, WHO’s Global HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections Programmes Department, in collaboration with the Regulation and Prequalification Department, has been actively advocating for locally manufactured quality-assured medicines and diagnostics. This work is carried out in close partnership with countries, manufacturers in Africa and partners such as the Global Fund and Unitaid.

In 2023, Universal Corporation Ltd (UCL), a Kenya-based pharmaceutical company led by Mr Palu Dhanani, became the first African manufacturer to receive WHO prequalification to produce tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, lamivudine and dolutegravir (TLD), a WHO-recommended first-line antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection.

“Local production of quality-assured health products is an urgent priority. With every African manufacturer that meets WHO prequalification standards, we move closer to a more self-reliant, resilient, and equitable health system. Regulation and prequalification are not just technical processes; they are catalysts for health sovereignty and timely access to lifesaving medicines and diagnostics,” said Dr Rogerio Gaspar, WHO Director for Regulation and Prequalification.

A first for the continent

As recently announced, the Global Fund now procures UCL’s TLD for Mozambique, marking the first time TLD is manufactured on African soil. This milestone reflects ongoing collaboration between WHO and the Global Fund to support essential HIV services, through the NextGen market shaping approach.

“The procurement of the African-manufactured first-line HIV treatment by the Global Fund for Mozambique is a great milestone towards strengthening supply chain systems in Africa. This will contribute to better health outcomes for people living with HIV who need uninterrupted medicine supplies,” said Dr Meg Doherty, Director of WHO’s Global HIV, Hepatitis and STIs Programmes.

However, production alone isn’t enough. To ensure sustainable and resilient supply chains, critical enablers are needed, such as advanced market commitments, fair procurement policies and continued technical support.

WHO shares the vision of a world where every region has the capacity to secure its own health. Locally manufactured TLD is a major step towards that goal, but more action is needed. African manufacturers should be prioritized in global supply chains, and guaranteed equitable access to health technologies that meet quality, safety and efficacy/performance standards.

HIV testing: another critical frontline

HIV testing is a critical health service and a vital gateway to both prevention and treatment. With current shifts in donor funding, many countries are facing financial strain, putting testing programmes at risk. Keeping people living with HIV on treatment is important and requires affordable and reliable access to HIV rapid tests.

WHO is urging governments to shift towards low-cost, quality-assured HIV rapid tests, especially the first test in their national testing algorithms, for significant cost savings.

Codix Bio, a Nigerian in-vitro diagnostics company, has received a sublicense to manufacture rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), with an initial focus on RDTs for HIV, using technology transferred from the global in-vitro diagnostics company SD Biosensor. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of WHO’s Health Technology Access Programme and the Medicines Patent Pool, this new local manufacture of HIV RDTs will improve access to affordable diagnostic tests and help mitigate disruptions of HIV testing services.

“Having locally produced HIV RDTs will help increase affordability, and more broadly address supply chain vulnerabilities and delays in access to diagnostics,” said Dr Meg Doherty, Director of WHO’s Global HIV, Hepatitis and STIs Programmes.

In addition to switching to low-cost quality-assured HIV tests, WHO encourages countries to use HIV self-tests to mitigate gaps in human resources for health as well as stockouts for the first RDT in national algorithms.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Nuclear Science and Nuclear Security Infrastructure to Protect Rare Rhinos: IAEA-Supported Project Marks a Milestone

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

In a pioneering effort to combat wildlife trafficking of the threatened rhinoceros, a South African University today began implementing a project supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The project combines the safe insertion of radioactive isotopes into rhino horns and available nuclear security infrastructure to deter and detect illegal poaching.

With over 10,000 rhinos lost to poaching in the past decade, South Africa – home to the world’s largest population of rhinos – remains a target for criminals driven by the illegal trade of rhino horn. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, the South African Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment reported 103 rhinos poached. In response, this project run by the University of the Witwatersrand is using radiation to support conservation and enforcement efforts.

After two years of initial tests, the Rhisotope Project was created in 2021 with the idea to tag rhino horns with radioactive material. This makes the horns detectable by radiation portal monitors (RPMs) already deployed at borders, ports and airports worldwide. These RPMs, commonly used to detect nuclear and other radioactive material, can now be harnessed against wildlife crime.

The IAEA’s support to the Rhisotope Project leverages its central role in strengthening the global nuclear security framework. With millions of vehicles and people crossing borders every day, the use of an estimated 10,000 RPMs worldwide has become a critical tool for detecting unauthorized transboundary movements of nuclear and other radioactive material.

“The Rhisotope Project shows how nuclear science and nuclear security infrastructure can be used in new ways to address global challenges,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. “The IAEA is supporting countries to maximize the benefits of nuclear. By using already installed nuclear security infrastructure in novel ways, we can help protect one of the world’s most iconic and endangered species.”

At an event today in the Waterberg, Limpopo, about 250 kilometres north of Johannesburg, the University of Witwatersrand announced the results of the rigorous safety assessments conducted during the pilot phase of the project. In June last year, radioisotopes were inserted into 20 rhinos. Health monitoring and cytological examinations of 15 treated animals and a comparison of five animals not treated were conducted by Ghent University in Belgium. The test results proved that the method is non-invasive and does not pose a risk to the rhinos’ health.

“This has been an international collaboration of likeminded individuals who are trying to make a real difference to this poaching crisis,” said James Larkin, Director, Radiation and Health Physics Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand. “We started with the question – what if radiation could protect rather than harm, by turning rhino horns into traceable markers that stop poachers before they trade? After two years of digital modelling, safety testing and detection simulations, we’re ready to roll out a solution that could truly reduce rhino poaching.”

The success of project also opens the door for future applications to other endangered species.

“The methodology could be adapted to protect other endangered species like elephants or pangolins,” said Larkin.

The IAEA is providing both technical and financial support to the project under its Coordinated Research Project titled Facilitation of Safe and Secure Trade Using Nuclear Detection Technology – Detection of RN and Other Contraband. As part of the project, the Agency also supports countries in their efforts to optimize the detection of radiation by the use of its Minimum Detectable Quantity and Alarm Threshold Estimation Tool, thereby allowing detection of the tagged with radiation rhino horns.

“The Rhisotope Project brings the entire global nuclear security network into play,” said Elena Buglova, Director of the IAEA Division of Nuclear Security. “The nuclear security infrastructure that exists in many countries around the world to detect smuggling of nuclear and other radioactive material can be used to pick up the trafficking of rhino horn, and any other contraband that might be carried alongside it. Committing to nuclear security pays off in multiple ways.”

B-roll and photos will be made available here.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Nuclear Science and Nuclear Security Infrastructure to Protect Rare Rhinos: IAEA-Supported Project Marks a Milestone

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The Rhisotope Project team inserting radioactive isotopes into rhino horns. (Martin Klinenboeck/IAEA)

In a pioneering effort to combat wildlife trafficking of the threatened rhinoceros, a South African University today began implementing a project supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The project combines the safe insertion of radioactive isotopes into rhino horns and available nuclear security infrastructure to deter and detect illegal poaching.

With over 10,000 rhinos lost to poaching in the past decade, South Africa – home to the world’s largest population of rhinos – remains a target for criminals driven by the illegal trade of rhino horn. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, the South African Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment reported 103 rhinos poached. In response, this project run by the University of the Witwatersrand is using radiation to support conservation and enforcement efforts.

After two years of initial tests, the Rhisotope Project was created in 2021 with the idea to tag rhino horns with radioactive material. This makes the horns detectable by radiation portal monitors (RPMs) already deployed at borders, ports and airports worldwide. These RPMs, commonly used to detect nuclear and other radioactive material, can now be harnessed against wildlife crime.

The IAEA’s support to the Rhisotope Project leverages its central role in strengthening the global nuclear security framework. With millions of vehicles and people crossing borders every day, the use of an estimated 10,000 RPMs worldwide has become a critical tool for detecting unauthorized transboundary movements of nuclear and other radioactive material.

“The Rhisotope Project shows how nuclear science and nuclear security infrastructure can be used in new ways to address global challenges,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. “The IAEA is supporting countries to maximize the benefits of nuclear. By using already installed nuclear security infrastructure in novel ways, we can help protect one of the world’s most iconic and endangered species.”

At an event today in the Waterberg, Limpopo, about 250 kilometres north of Johannesburg, the University of Witwatersrand announced the results of the rigorous safety assessments conducted during the pilot phase of the project. In June last year, radioisotopes were inserted into 20 rhinos. Health monitoring and cytological examinations of 15 treated animals and a comparison of five animals not treated were conducted by Ghent University in Belgium. The test results proved that the method is non-invasive and does not pose a risk to the rhinos’ health.

“This has been an international collaboration of likeminded individuals who are trying to make a real difference to this poaching crisis,” said James Larkin, Director, Radiation and Health Physics Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand. “We started with the question – what if radiation could protect rather than harm, by turning rhino horns into traceable markers that stop poachers before they trade? After two years of digital modelling, safety testing and detection simulations, we’re ready to roll out a solution that could truly reduce rhino poaching.”

The success of project also opens the door for future applications to other endangered species.

“The methodology could be adapted to protect other endangered species like elephants or pangolins,” said Larkin.

The IAEA is providing both technical and financial support to the project under its Coordinated Research Project titled Facilitation of Safe and Secure Trade Using Nuclear Detection Technology – Detection of RN and Other Contraband. As part of the project, the Agency also supports countries in their efforts to optimize the detection of radiation by the use of its Minimum Detectable Quantity and Alarm Threshold Estimation Tool, thereby allowing detection of the tagged with radiation rhino horns.

“The Rhisotope Project brings the entire global nuclear security network into play,” said Elena Buglova, Director of the IAEA Division of Nuclear Security. “The nuclear security infrastructure that exists in many countries around the world to detect smuggling of nuclear and other radioactive material can be used to pick up the trafficking of rhino horn, and any other contraband that might be carried alongside it. Committing to nuclear security pays off in multiple ways.”

B-roll and photos will be made available here.

MIL Security OSI –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI: Vivakor Confirms Special Dividend of Adapti, Inc. Record Date Set for August 20, 2025

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Dallas, TX, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vivakor, Inc. (Nasdaq: VIVK) (“Vivakor” or the “Company”), an integrated provider of energy transportation, storage, reuse, and remediation service, today announced the record date of August 20, 2025 for its previously disclosed plan to issue a special dividend to Vivakor shareholders.

Vivakor currently holds 206,595 (approximately 13.5% of the outstanding common) shares of Adapti, Inc. (OTCID: ADTI), a company that manages the marketing of products, data and companies through its AdaptAI software platform that leverages advanced AI technology to match products and brands with influencers to attempt to generate superior marketing results.

Based on Vivakor’s current shares outstanding of approximately 47,297,347 and excluding 20,963,229 shares held by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and former Chief Financial Officer who waived their right to the dividend, each Vivakor shareholder will be entitled to receive approximately 0.0079 shares of Adapti, Inc. common stock per Vivakor share. Based on the current $3.50 share price of Adapti’s common stock, the special dividend is currently valued at approximately $0.75 million.

Adapti, Inc., formerly known as Scepter Holdings, Inc., filed its Form 10 Registration Statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in September 2024 and has since become a mandatory SEC reporting company. Adapti, Inc. filed its Annual Report on 10K for the period ended March 31, 2025 on July 3, 2025.

The Ballengee Group, LLC, a Dallas-based baseball sports management agency which represents approximately 200 professional athletes, an entity previously controlled by Vivakor’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. James Ballengee, was acquired by Adapti, Inc. on July 14, 2025. Additional information regarding this transaction can be found in Adapti, Inc.’s filings with the SEC.

About Vivakor, Inc.

Vivakor, Inc. is an integrated provider of sustainable energy transportation, storage, reuse, and remediation services, operating one of the largest fleets of oilfield trucking services in the continental United States. Its corporate mission is to develop, acquire, accumulate, and operate assets, properties, and technologies in the energy sector. Vivakor’s integrated facilities assets provide crude oil and produced water gathering, storage, transportation, reuse, and remediation services under long-term contracts.

Once operational, Vivakor’s oilfield waste remediation facilities will facilitate the recovery, reuse, and disposal of petroleum byproducts and oilfield waste products.

For more information, please visit our website: http://vivakor.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond our control. Actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified but not limited by the use of the words “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “may,” “will,” “believes,” “estimates,” “potential,” or “continue” and variations or similar expressions. Our actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, , the expected transaction and ownership structure, the valuation of the transaction, the likelihood and ability of the parties to successfully and timely consummate planned acquisitions, the risk that any required regulatory approvals are not obtained, are delayed or are subject to unanticipated conditions that could adversely affect Vivakor or the expected benefits of the such transaction, our ability to maintain the listing of our securities on The Nasdaq Capital Market, the parties failure to realize the anticipated benefits of pending transactions, disruption and volatility in the global currency, capital, and credit markets, changes in federal, local and foreign governmental regulation, changes in tax laws and liabilities, tariffs, legal, regulatory, political and economic risks, our ability to successfully develop products, rapid change in our markets, changes in demand for our future products, and general economic conditions.

These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties discussed in Vivakor’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which factors may be incorporated herein by reference. Actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially, and potentially adversely, from any projections and forward-looking statements and the assumptions on which those forward-looking statements are based. There can be no assurance that the data contained herein is reflective of future performance to any degree. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a predictor of future performance as projected financial information and other information are based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to various significant risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. All information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof in the case of information about Vivakor and the Endeavor Entities or the date of such information in the case of information from persons other than Vivakor and the Endeavor Entities, and we disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this communication. Forecasts and estimates regarding the Endeavor Entities industries and markets are based on sources we believe to be reliable; however, there can be no assurance these forecasts and estimates will prove accurate in whole or in part.

Investors Contact:
P:949-281-2606
info@vivakor.com

The MIL Network –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI: Fold and Blackhawk Network Bring Bitcoin to Major U.S. Digital Retail Platforms

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

PHOENIX, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fold Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLD) (“Fold” or the “Company”), the first publicly traded bitcoin financial services company, today announced it has teamed up with Blackhawk Network, Inc. (BHN) to expand distribution of the Fold Bitcoin Gift Card™, significantly increasing mainstream consumer access to bitcoin across a growing portfolio of major U.S. digital retailers. The offering marks a key milestone in bringing bitcoin into everyday commerce and positions Fold to meaningfully increase user and transaction growth through one of the nation’s most extensive retail distribution networks.

The Fold Bitcoin Gift Card is now available through select online platforms, with additional online retailers set to launch in the coming weeks. The card is also available directly at foldapp.com/bitcoin-gift-card. In-store retail availability is planned for later this year as part of a broader multi-channel expansion strategy.

The launch is powered by BHN, a leading branded payments provider whose global footprint spans over 400,000+ consumer touchpoints, including top retailers, e-commerce platforms, loyalty programs and enterprise rewards. Fold is rapidly expanding within this ecosystem, positioning the Fold Bitcoin Gift Card to become one of the most broadly distributed bitcoin gift products in the U.S. market.

“Until now, bitcoin was difficult for the average person to access, let alone share,” said Will Reeves, Chairman and CEO of Fold. “By making bitcoin available as a gift card, we’re opening access to the millions of consumers who already buy, send, and use gift cards. This isn’t about novelty. It’s about meeting people where they are and integrating bitcoin into the financial tools and channels they already understand. We’re building infrastructure for everyday adoption. BHN gives us that path into mainstream retail, opening access to bitcoin across the $300 billion U.S. gift card market, something the ecosystem has struggled with for over a decade.”

The Fold Bitcoin Gift Card launched in May 2025, enabling consumers to gift bitcoin in a simple and familiar format without requiring technical knowledge or a crypto wallet. Recipients redeem their gift card through the Fold App, ensuring a smooth onboarding experience for both newcomers and experienced bitcoin users.

“At BHN, we understand that consumers today expect more flexibility in how they give and store value, and cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are becoming part of that equation,” said Jennifer Philo, GVP, global commerce, BHN. “Fold exemplifies the kind of forward-looking partner BHN is proud to support—they are creating products that bring bitcoin into the center of how consumers engage with money and build long-term value. By bringing the Fold Bitcoin Gift Card into our expansive retail ecosystem, we’re delivering yet another practical, accessible way for shoppers nationwide to embrace cryptocurrency by helping them earn, save, and spend smarter.”

Momentum is building for crypto-based gifting. According to the Incentive Gift Card Coalition, 47% of executives expect crypto gift cards to grow as a category in 2025, reflecting a broader shift in consumer preferences toward digital assets.

About Fold
Fold (NASDAQ: FLD) is the first publicly traded bitcoin financial services company, making it easy for individuals and businesses to earn, save, and use bitcoin. With over 1,492 BTC in its treasury, Fold is at the forefront of integrating bitcoin into everyday financial experiences. Through innovative products like the Fold App, Fold Credit Card™, Fold Bitcoin Gift Card™, and Fold Debit Card™, the company is building the bridge between traditional finance and the bitcoin-powered future.

About Blackhawk Network (BHN)
Today, through BHN’s single global platform, businesses of all kinds can tap into the world’s largest network of branded payment solutions. BHN helps businesses grow revenue, increase loyalty, motivate and reward their teams, disburse funds and engage consumers. Branded payment solutions include the issuance and distribution of gift cards, eGifts, corporate payouts and rewards, along with the technology to deliver these products in seamless, integrated ways. BHN’s network spans the globe with more than 400,000 consumer touchpoints. Learn more at BHN.com.

For investor inquiries, please contact:
Orange Group
Samir Jain, CFA
FoldIR@orangegroupadvisors.com

For media inquiries, please contact:
Jessica Starman, MBA
media@foldapp.com

The MIL Network –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI: Yuenglings Ice Cream Corp (OTC YCRM) Is Now Frequency Holdings Inc (OTC FRQN) as Strategic Evolution Takes Hold

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

CHICAGO, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Frequency Holdings Inc (OTC: FRQN) today announced it has officially completed its corporate name and symbol change from Yuenglings Ice Cream Corp (OTC: YCRM) following final approval by FINRA. This milestone marks the formal transition into a modern holding company structure with a portfolio that includes cybersecurity-first IT services through ReachOut and upcoming ventures in decentralized identity and artificial intelligence.

The new name and symbol hit the market this morning.

Frequency Holdings is building a multi-brand platform modeled after Berkshire Hathaway and Alphabet with each subsidiary operating independently while benefiting from shared strategic leadership. The flagship operating company ReachOut is actively acquiring and scaling cybersecurity-focused MSPs across the US while new brands like TRUSTLESS aim to bring privacy and authentication innovation into new digital verticals.

“This is more than a name change” said Rick Jordan CEO of Frequency Holdings. “This is about building something bigger than one brand. We are creating a structure that can hold multiple companies each with their own identity and velocity while sharing the same DNA of performance protection and technology that works. The market has asked what we’re building. This is it. A public platform with room for massive upside and real-world relevance.”

Kevin Harrington, original Shark from ABC’s Shark Tank and longtime board member of the company added, “I joined the board because Rick’s vision was bold, and both the industry and timing are right. ReachOut was just the beginning, and now Frequency is turning the vision into a machine with the team we have in place.”

David Meltzer, global entrepreneur, Chairman of the Napoleon Hill Institute and the newest addition to the board commented, “Your frequency is your neighborhood, and Frequency Holdings is about raising the signal in every sense. This is a company tuned into innovation, tuned into value, and tuned into service. I’m honored to be part of this next chapter and proud to support the expansion of its platform and purpose.”

The Company previously operated under the name Yuenglings Ice Cream Corp and traded under the symbol YCRM. The new name and symbol are effective immediately with full updates in place across OTC Markets and all investor communications. Frequency Holdings will continue to execute on its rollup strategy through ReachOut and plans to unveil additional ventures in the coming quarters.

ABOUT FREQUENCY HOLDINGS INC. (OTC: FRQN)

Frequency Holdings is a modern holding company focused on high-growth ventures in cybersecurity, AI, digital identity, and IT infrastructure. Through its lead operating brand, ReachOut, Frequency is building the first nationally recognized name in cybersecurity-first IT services for SMBs. Additional holdings, including TRUSTLESS, are structured to contribute long-term equity value via independent growth and strategic alignment.

ABOUT RICK JORDAN

Rick Jordan is a resilient entrepreneur, cybersecurity expert, and media personality known for leading companies through high-growth transformations. He founded ReachOut Technology and is the architect of Frequency Holdings Inc., a multi-brand technology holding company focused on scaling ventures in cybersecurity, digital identity, and AI. Rick has advised in the White House on national cyber policy, appeared on major networks including Bloomberg and NewsNation, and hosts the globally ranked podcast ALL IN with Rick Jordan, soon to be renamed FREQUENCY. His leadership bridges bold vision with operational precision, in addition to bringing clear signal and communication to the public markets.

ABOUT KEVIN HARRINGTON

Kevin Harrington is a globally recognized entrepreneur, original Shark on ABC’s Shark Tank, and a pioneer of the infomercial industry. Over his career, he has launched more than 20 companies to over $100 million in sales and helped generate over $15 billion in market value–including his early leadership in Celsius Holdings, Inc. As a board member of Frequency Holdings Inc., Kevin brings deep strategic insight, brand-building expertise, and decades of experience scaling disruptive ventures into household names.

ABOUT DAVID MELTZER

David Meltzer is Chairman of the Napoleon Hill Institute and former CEO of Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment, the inspiration for Jerry Maguire. A globally recognized entrepreneur, investor, and business coach, he’s been named Variety’s Sports Humanitarian of the Year and is a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. As Executive Producer of Apple TV’s 2 Minute Drill and Office Hours, and Entrepreneur’s top digital show Elevator Pitch, David brings media fluency and business expertise to global audiences. His mission—to empower more than 1 billion people to be happy–drives his work across coaching, content, and leadership.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events, performance, and financial expectations. These statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions, and are subject to risks and uncertainties–many of which are beyond the Company’s control–that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Factors that may affect results include the Company’s need for capital, changes in regulatory environments, market competition, demand for services, and other risks detailed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update them except as required by law.

PR and Investor Relations Contacts

For press inquiries or to book media interviews, TV appearances, and speaking engagements for CEO Rick Jordan:

Email: pr@frequencyhold.com — pr@reachoutit.com
Phone: 312-288-8008

Rick Jordan on Social Media–
Instagram: @mrrickjordan
X: @mrrickjordan

Kevin Harrington on Social Media–
Instagram: @realkevinharrington
X: @harringtonkevin

David Meltzer on Social Media–
Instagram: @davidmeltzer
X: @davidmeltzer

The MIL Network –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI: KraneShares AI ETF AGIX Celebrates a 1-Year Track Record
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — KraneShares is proud to announce the 1-year anniversary of its KraneShares Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF (Ticker: AGIX), highlighting a year marked by strong performance and private market access.

Since its inception on July 18, 2024, AGIX has delivered an impressive 29.55% total return, outpacing the Nasdaq 100’s 18.63% over the same period.¹

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed or sold, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. For performance data current to the last month-end, please visit https://kraneshares.com/agix.

AGIX aims to provide investors with exposure to both public and private companies at the forefront of AI. AGIX broke new ground by becoming one of the first US-listed ETFs to make direct investments in private AI companies. Following its addition of Anthropic in early 2025, AGIX expanded its private AI exposure further by acquiring shares of xAI. AGIX, a series of the KraneShares Trust, appears on both respective cap tables as a direct holder of shares in these companies.

As of July 29, 2025, xAI represents 3.72% and Anthropic represents 2.96% of AGIX’s net assets.²

KraneShares launched AGIX in collaboration with Etna Capital Management, an established pioneer in AI venture investing. Etna’s expertise is underscored by its early-stage investments in groundbreaking AI innovators, including Anthropic, xAI, and Perplexity.

“Not only has AGIX delivered a standout year of performance, but its unique structure gives investors access to both public and private companies contributing to the future of artificial intelligence,” said Derek Yan, Senior Investment Strategist at KraneShares. “Direct holdings in Anthropic and Elon Musk’s xAI underscore our dedication to bringing groundbreaking opportunities to our investors.”

“The artificial intelligence industry is experiencing a rapid pace of innovation, with new breakthroughs and applications emerging at an unprecedented rate,” said Max Chen, Partner at Etna Capital Management. “It’s incredibly exciting to witness companies like xAI and Anthropic participate in this transformation, pushing the boundaries of what AI can achieve and help establish a foundation for profound changes across sectors worldwide.”

Join us for an AGIX webinar on August 6th, 2025, where we will discuss access to private AI unicorns, examine the latest valuation trends, and provide an outlook for the AI sector. To register, click here.

For more information on the KraneShares Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF (Ticker: AGIX), top 10 holdings, and its innovative structure, please visit https://kraneshares.com/agix.

About KraneShares

KraneShares is an investment manager focused on providing innovative, high-conviction, and first-to-market ETFs based on extensive investing knowledge. KraneShares identifies groundbreaking capital market opportunities and offers investors cost-effective and transparent tools for gaining exposure to diverse asset classes. Founded in 2013, KraneShares serves institutions and financial professionals globally.

Holdings are subject to change.

Citations:
1. Data from Bloomberg as of 7/29/2025.
2. Data from Bloomberg as of 7/29/2025. Up to the 15% private exposure limit permitted by the Investment Advisors Act of 1940.
Carefully consider the Funds’ investment objectives, risk factors, charges and expenses before investing. This and additional information can be found in the Funds’ full and summary prospectus, which may be obtained by visiting: www.kraneshares.com/agix. Read the prospectus carefully before investing.

Risk Disclosures:

Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. There can be no assurance that a Fund will achieve its stated objectives. Indices are unmanaged and do not include the effect of fees. One cannot invest directly in an index.

This information should not be relied upon as research, investment advice, or a recommendation regarding any products, strategies, or any security in particular. This material is strictly for illustrative, educational, or informational purposes and is subject to change. Certain content represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific time and is not intended to be a forecast of future events or a guarantee of future results; material is as of the dates noted and is subject to change without notice.

AGIX may invest in derivatives, which are often more volatile than other investments and may magnify AGIX’s gains or losses. A derivative (i.e., futures/forward contracts, swaps, and options) is a contract that derives its value from the performance of an underlying asset. The primary risk of derivatives is that changes in the asset’s market value and the derivative may not be proportionate, and some derivatives can have the potential for unlimited losses. Derivatives are also subject to liquidity and counterparty risk. AGIX is subject to liquidity risk, meaning that certain investments may become difficult to purchase or sell at a reasonable time and price. If a transaction for these securities is large, it may not be possible to initiate, which may cause AGIX to suffer losses. Counterparty risk is the risk of loss in the event that the counterparty to an agreement fails to make required payments or otherwise comply with the terms of the derivative.

AI-exposed companies face profitability challenges due to high research costs, competition, IP reliance, and regulatory risk. Product failures or safety concerns could be detrimental. Identifying AI companies accurately is complex. Tech firms face risks of product failure, obsolescence, regulatory impact, and uncertain profitability due to technological advancements and government policies. Certain tech investments may lack current profitability and future success is uncertain. AGIX is subject to non-U.S. issuers risk, which may be less liquid than investments in U.S. issuers, may have less governmental regulation and oversight, are typically subject to different investor protection standards than U.S. issuers, and the economic instability of the non-U.S. countries. Fluctuations in currency of foreign countries may have an adverse effect to domestic currency values. AGIX may invest in Initial Public Offerings (IPOs). Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. In addition, the prices of securities sold in IPOs may be highly volatile. In addition, as AGIX increases in size, the impact of IPOs on AGIX’s performance will generally decrease.

Large capitalization companies may struggle to adapt fast, impacting their growth compared to smaller firms, especially in expansive times. This could result in lower stock returns than investing in smaller and mid-sized companies. In addition to the normal risks associated with investing, investments in smaller companies typically exhibit higher volatility. AGIX is new and does not yet have a significant number of shares outstanding. If AGIX does not grow in size, it will be at greater risk than larger funds of wider bid-ask spreads for its shares, trading at a greater premium or discount to NAV, liquidation and/or a trading halt. Narrowly focused investments typically exhibit higher volatility. AGIX’s assets are expected to be concentrated in a sector, industry, market, or group of concentrations to the extent that the Underlying Index has such concentrations. The securities or futures in that concentration could react similarly to market developments. Thus, AGIX is subject to loss due to adverse occurrences that affect that concentration.

A large number of shares of AGIX are held by a single shareholder or a small group of shareholders. Redemptions from these shareholders can harm Fund performance, especially in declining markets, leading to forced sales at disadvantageous prices, increased costs, and adverse tax effects for remaining shareholders. AGIX is non-diversified.

ETF shares are bought and sold on an exchange at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the Fund. However, shares may be redeemed at NAV directly by certain authorized broker-dealers (Authorized Participants) in very large creation/redemption units. The returns shown do not represent the returns you would receive if you traded shares at other times. Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns. Beginning 12/23/2020, market price returns are based on the official closing price of an ETF share or, if the official closing price isn’t available, the midpoint between the national best bid and national best offer (“NBBO”) as of the time the ETF calculates the current NAV per share. Prior to that date, market price returns were based on the midpoint between the Bid and Ask price. NAVs are calculated using prices as of 4:00 PM Eastern Time.

The KraneShares ETFs and KFA Funds ETFs are distributed by SEI Investments Distribution Company (SIDCO), 1 Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, PA 19456, which is not affiliated with Krane Funds Advisors, LLC, the Investment Adviser for the Funds, or any sub-advisers for the Funds.

Contact:
KraneShares Investor Relations
info@kraneshares.com

The MIL Network –
August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI: Currenc Group Inc. Initiates Investigation into Suspected Illegal Short Selling Amid Global Expansion

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SINGAPORE, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Currenc Group Inc. (Nasdaq: CURR) (“Currenc” or the “Company”), a fintech pioneer empowering financial institutions worldwide with artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, today announced that it has retained Shareholder Intelligence Services, LLC (“ShareIntel”) to assist the Company in monitoring and investigating potential naked short selling of its shares. This is part of Currenc’s broader initiative to protect shareholder value as the Company executes its growth strategy and scales its operations globally.

ShareIntel’s patented DRIL-Down™ process aggregates, analyzes and monitors repository data from reporting entities, broker-dealers and shareholders, enhancing Currenc’s shareholder communication, regulatory compliance and trading surveillance capabilities with actionable intelligence. Together with ShareIntel, Currenc intends to actively investigate what it believes may be potential irregularities in the trading patterns of its shares, and intends to pursue every available avenue—including regulatory and legal recourse, if appropriate—to ensure that there is no illegal trading or market manipulation involving the Company’s shares.

“As we continue to expand our global business footprint with new partnerships and innovative AI-driven solutions, Currenc remains committed to protecting our investors and maximizing shareholder value,” said Alex Kong, Founder and Executive Chairman of Currenc. “Based on the trading patterns we have observed, we believe Currenc may have been the target of naked short selling and are taking action to understand these trading patterns, ensure transparent trading practices and maintain the integrity of our share price. Leveraging ShareIntel’s proprietary processes will allow us to closely track ownership, monitor any irregular trading behavior, and swiftly implement corrective measures.”

About Currenc Group Inc.

Currenc Group Inc. (Nasdaq: CURR) is a fintech pioneer dedicated to transforming global financial services through artificial intelligence (AI). The Company empowers financial institutions worldwide with comprehensive AI solutions, including SEAMLESS AI Call Centre and other AI-powered Agents designed to reduce costs, increase efficiency and boost customer satisfaction for banks, insurance, telecommunications companies, government agencies and other financial institutions. The Company’s digital remittance platform also enables e-wallets, remittance companies, and corporations to provide real-time, 24/7 global payment services, advancing financial access across underserved communities.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “target,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties, or factors is included in the Company’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

Investor & Media Contact

Currenc Group Investor Relations
Email: investors@currencgroup.com

SOURCE: Currenc Group Inc.

The MIL Network –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI: Live Ventures to Issue Fiscal Third Quarter 2025 Financial Results and Hold Earnings Conference Call on August 7, 2025
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

LAS VEGAS, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Live Ventures Incorporated (NASDAQ: LIVE) (“Live Ventures” or the “Company”), a diversified holding company, will issue its financial results for its fiscal third quarter ended June 30, 2025, before the market opens on Thursday, August 7, 2025. The Company will hold a conference call to discuss the results on Thursday, August 7, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time).

The dial-in numbers are as follows:
- 800.231.0316 (U.S.)
- +1.314.696.0504 (International/caller-paid)
- Conference Title: Live Ventures FY 2025 Third Quarter Earnings Conference Call
Please dial in at least 15 minutes in advance, but no sooner than 30 minutes, to ensure you are connected. To listen to the discussion after the call, please visit the “Investor Relations” page of the Live Ventures website (https://ir.liveventures.com/) for a recording.

About Live Ventures Incorporated
Live Ventures is a diversified holding company with a strategic focus on value-oriented acquisitions of domestic middle-market companies. Live Ventures’ acquisition strategy is sector agnostic and focuses on well-run, closely held businesses with a demonstrated track record of earnings growth and cash flow generation. The Company seeks opportunities to partner with management teams of its acquired businesses to build increased stockholder value through a disciplined buy-build-hold long-term focused strategy. Live Ventures was founded in 1968. In late 2011, Jon Isaac, CEO and strategic investor, joined the Board of Directors of the Company and later refocused it into a diversified holding company. The Company’s current portfolio of diversified operating subsidiaries includes companies in the textile, flooring, tools, steel, and entertainment industries.

Contact:
Live Ventures Incorporated
Greg Powell, Director of Investor Relations
725.500.5597
gpowell@liveventures.com
www.liveventures.com

Source: Live Ventures Incorporated

The MIL Network –
August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI: NowVertical’s Integrated Model Drives Cross‑Market Growth in Strategic Accounts

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

TORONTO, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NowVertical Group Inc. (TSXV: NOW) (“NowVertical” or the “Company”), a leading data and AI solutions provider, today provided an update which highlights geographic expansion in two marquee engagements that illustrate how a single operating framework converts early local wins into scales enterprise‑wide programmes.

During the first half of 2025, NowVertical substantially deepened its work with one of the world’s largest insurers—a strategic account client that operates in more than forty countries. Leveraging the Company’s status as Google Cloud Partner of the Year, the engagement has evolved from a single‑country project into a Latin‑American data‑modernisation and AI initiative that migrates fragmented estates onto a common cloud architecture, delivers advanced analytics to business users and applies robust data governance. The approach delivered by NowVertical is a central, consistent, high-quality delivery capability providing services which can be tailored to meet the specific needs of each geography. Revenue generated from this account in the first six months of 2025 already surpasses the client’s full‑year 2024 spend with NowVertical, demonstrating both the speed and scale at which the integrated model can grow strategic relationships.

A similar growth trajectory is underway with a global media and telecommunications group, where NowVertical’s solution has been adopted as the enterprise standard for managing and modernizing legacy data assets in preparation for AI adoption. Initially launched in the UK & Ireland market in 2024, the solution has now been implemented across eight projects within the group, including recent expansions into Italy and Germany, with additional deployments scheduled for H2 2025. By integrating legacy and modern data through standardized schemas, automated archival processes, and unified retention and compliance controls, the platform not only delivers measurable cost savings but also unlocks significant strategic value. The transformed data estate serves as a compliant, AI-ready foundation for advanced analytics and model training—supporting both regulatory requirements and long-term innovation objectives. This rollout reflects the repeatability of NowVertical’s delivery playbook, its ability to scale across complex enterprise environments, and its alignment with clients’ global data modernization and AI-readiness agendas.

Sandeep Mendiratta, Chief Executive Officer of NowVertical, commented: “Clients are choosing to scale with NowVertical because we can help them bring one architecture, one governance model and one integrated team that can deliver quickly from country to country. These engagements prove that our ‘One Brand, One Business’ strategy is translating early successes into broad, multi‑region programmes that drive measurable value for customers and sustainable growth for NowVertical.”

Management believes that the growing contribution from these cross‑market engagements supports the Company’s ability to grow it’s strategic account base while reinforcing NowVertical’s position as a trusted, full‑stack data and AI partner.

About NowVertical Group Inc.

NowVertical is a global data and analytics company which helps clients transform data into tangible business value with AI, fast. Offering a comprehensive suite of solutions and services, the Company enables clients to quickly harness the full potential of their data, driving measurable outcomes and accelerating potential return on investment. Enterprises optimize decision-making, improve operational efficiency, and unlock long-term value from their data using the Company’s AI-Infused first party and third-party technologies. NowVertical is growing organically and through strategic acquisitions.

For further details about NowVertical, please visit www.nowvertical.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information, please contact:

Andre Garber, CDO 
 IR@nowvertical.com 

Investor Relations: Bristol Capital Ltd.

Stefan Eftychiou

 stefan@bristolir.com

+1(905)326-1888 x60 

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws (together “forward-looking statements“), including, with respect to the availability of funds under the Facilities, the ability of NowVertical to utilize funds under the Facilities, the effect of the Facilities on NowVertical’s operations contemplated in this press release on NowVertical’s business, finances and operations. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties, and contingencies, certain of which are unknown. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “may”, “should”, “will”, “could”, “intend”, “estimate”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “believe” or “continue”, or the negative thereof or similar variations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the estimated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and the forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by inherent risks and uncertainties, including: adverse market conditions; risks inherent in the data analytics and artificial intelligence sectors in general; regulatory and legislative changes; that future results may vary from historical results; inability to service the Company’s debt; any inability to realize the expected benefits and synergies of acquisitions or dispositions; that market competition may affect the business, results and financial condition of the Company and other risk factors identified in documents filed by the Company under its profile at www.sedarplus.com, including the Company’s management’s discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2024. Further, these forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, except as expressly required by applicable law, the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

The MIL Network –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI NGOs: Nuclear Science and Nuclear Security Infrastructure to Protect Rare Rhinos: IAEA-Supported Project Marks a Milestone

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

The Rhisotope Project team inserting radioactive isotopes into rhino horns. (Martin Klinenboeck/IAEA)

In a pioneering effort to combat wildlife trafficking of the threatened rhinoceros, a South African University today began implementing a project supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The project combines the safe insertion of radioactive isotopes into rhino horns and available nuclear security infrastructure to deter and detect illegal poaching.

With over 10,000 rhinos lost to poaching in the past decade, South Africa – home to the world’s largest population of rhinos – remains a target for criminals driven by the illegal trade of rhino horn. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, the South African Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment reported 103 rhinos poached. In response, this project run by the University of the Witwatersrand is using radiation to support conservation and enforcement efforts.

After two years of initial tests, the Rhisotope Project was created in 2021 with the idea to tag rhino horns with radioactive material. This makes the horns detectable by radiation portal monitors (RPMs) already deployed at borders, ports and airports worldwide. These RPMs, commonly used to detect nuclear and other radioactive material, can now be harnessed against wildlife crime.

The IAEA’s support to the Rhisotope Project leverages its central role in strengthening the global nuclear security framework. With millions of vehicles and people crossing borders every day, the use of an estimated 10,000 RPMs worldwide has become a critical tool for detecting unauthorized transboundary movements of nuclear and other radioactive material.

“The Rhisotope Project shows how nuclear science and nuclear security infrastructure can be used in new ways to address global challenges,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. “The IAEA is supporting countries to maximize the benefits of nuclear. By using already installed nuclear security infrastructure in novel ways, we can help protect one of the world’s most iconic and endangered species.”

At an event today in the Waterberg, Limpopo, about 250 kilometres north of Johannesburg, the University of Witwatersrand announced the results of the rigorous safety assessments conducted during the pilot phase of the project. In June last year, radioisotopes were inserted into 20 rhinos. Health monitoring and cytological examinations of 15 treated animals and a comparison of five animals not treated were conducted by Ghent University in Belgium. The test results proved that the method is non-invasive and does not pose a risk to the rhinos’ health.

“This has been an international collaboration of likeminded individuals who are trying to make a real difference to this poaching crisis,” said James Larkin, Director, Radiation and Health Physics Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand. “We started with the question – what if radiation could protect rather than harm, by turning rhino horns into traceable markers that stop poachers before they trade? After two years of digital modelling, safety testing and detection simulations, we’re ready to roll out a solution that could truly reduce rhino poaching.”

The success of project also opens the door for future applications to other endangered species.

“The methodology could be adapted to protect other endangered species like elephants or pangolins,” said Larkin.

The IAEA is providing both technical and financial support to the project under its Coordinated Research Project titled Facilitation of Safe and Secure Trade Using Nuclear Detection Technology – Detection of RN and Other Contraband. As part of the project, the Agency also supports countries in their efforts to optimize the detection of radiation by the use of its Minimum Detectable Quantity and Alarm Threshold Estimation Tool, thereby allowing detection of the tagged with radiation rhino horns.

“The Rhisotope Project brings the entire global nuclear security network into play,” said Elena Buglova, Director of the IAEA Division of Nuclear Security. “The nuclear security infrastructure that exists in many countries around the world to detect smuggling of nuclear and other radioactive material can be used to pick up the trafficking of rhino horn, and any other contraband that might be carried alongside it. Committing to nuclear security pays off in multiple ways.”

B-roll and photos will be made available here.

MIL OSI NGO –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: The quiet war: What’s fueling Israel’s surge of settler violence – and the lack of state response

Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Arie Perliger, Director of Security Studies and Professor of Criminology and Justice Studies, UMass Lowell

An Israeli soldier prays in the Evyatar outpost in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on July 7, 2024. AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg

Since Oct. 7, 2023, as Israel’s war against Hamas drags on in the Gaza Strip, a quieter but escalating war has unfolded in the West Bank between Israelis and Palestinians.

While precise figures are elusive, United Nations estimates indicate that Jewish settlers have carried out around 2,000 attacks against Palestinians since the war in Gaza began. That number represents a dramatic surge compared with any previous period during the nearly six decades Israel has controlled the West Bank.

Attacks include harassment of Palestinian villagers trying to access their crops or work outside their villages, as well as more extreme and organized violence, such as raiding villages to vandalize property. While many of the attacks are unprovoked, some are what settlers call “price tag” actions: retaliation for Palestinian violence against Israelis, such as car-rammings, rock-throwing and stabbings.

Settlers’ attacks displaced more than 1,500 Palestinians in the first year of the war in Gaza, and gun violence is increasingly common. Since October 2023, more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed. While most of these fatalities resulted from military operations, some were killed by settlers.

Mourners attend the funeral of three Palestinians who were killed when Jewish settlers stormed the West Bank village of Kafr Malik, on June 26, 2025.
AP Photo/Leo Correa

As a scholar who has studied Jewish religious extremism for over two decades, I contend this campaign is not merely a result of rising tension between the settlers and their Palestinian neighbors amid the Gaza conflict. Rather, it is fueled by a confluence of ideological fervor, opportunism and far-right Israelis’ political vision for the region.

Religious redemption

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967’s Six-Day War against Egypt, Jordan and Syria, transforming this small region of around 2,000 square miles (5,200 square kilometers) to an amalgam of Jewish and Palestinian enclaves. Most countries other than Israel consider Jewish settlements illegal, but they have rapidly expanded in recent decades, becoming a major challenge for any settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The ideological roots of violence lie within religious Zionism: a worldview embraced by about 20% of Israel’s Jewish population, including most West Bank settlers.

The great majority of the leaders of the early Zionist movement held strong secular views. They pushed for the creation of a Jewish state over the objections of Orthodox figures, who argued that it should be a divine creation rather than a human-made polity.

Religious Zionists, on the other hand, view the creation of modern-day Israel and its military victories as steps in a divine redemption, which will culminate in a Jewish kingdom led by a heaven-sent Messiah. Adherents believe contemporary events, particularly those asserting Jewish control over the entire historical land of Israel, can accelerate this process.

In recent decades, influential religious Zionist leaders have argued that final redemption requires Israel’s total military triumph and the annihilation of its enemies, particularly the Palestinian national movement. From this perspective, the devastation of Oct. 7 and the subsequent war are a divine test – one the nation can only pass by achieving a complete victory.

This belief system fuels most religious Zionists’ opposition to ending the war, as well as their advocacy for scorched-earth policies in Gaza. Some hope to rebuild the Jewish settlements in the strip that Israel evacuated in 2005.

Some religious Zionists hope to reestablish Jewish settlements in Gaza.‘
Sally Hayden/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The violence in the West Bank reflects an extension of the same beliefs. Extreme groups within the settler population aim to solidify Jewish control by making Palestinian communities’ lives in the region unsustainable.

Opportunistic violence

Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre, which killed over 1,200 Israelis, traumatized the nation. It also hardened many Jewish Israelis’ conviction that a Palestinian state would be an existential threat, and thus Palestinians cannot be partners for peace.

This shift in sentiment created a permissive environment for violence. While settler attacks previously drew criticism from across the political spectrum, extremist violence faces less public condemnation today – as does the government’s lack of effort to curb it.

This increase in violence is also enabled by a climate of impunity. Israeli security forces have been stretched thin by operations in Gaza, Syria, Iran and beyond. In the West Bank, the military increasingly relies on settler militias known as “Emergency Squads,” which are armed by the Israeli military for self-defense, and army units composed primarily of religious Zionist settlers, such as the Netzah Yehuda Battalion. Such groups have little incentive to stop attacks on Palestinians, and at times, they have participated.

This dynamic has dangerously blurred the line between the state military and militant settlers. The Israeli police, meanwhile, under the command of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, appear focused on protecting settlers. Police leadership has been accused of ignoring intelligence about planned attacks and failing to arrest violent settlers or enforce restraining orders. Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights group, asserts that just 3% of attacks have resulted in a conviction.

In June 2025, military attempts to curb settler militancy triggered a violent backlash, as extremist settlers attacked military commanders and tried to set fire to military facilities. Settlers view efforts to restrict their actions as illegitimate and a betrayal of Jewish interests in the West Bank.

Political vision

Violence by extremist settlers is not random; it is one arm of a coordinated pincer strategy to entrench Jewish control over the West Bank.

Emergency volunteers put out a fire during an attack by Israeli right-wing settlers on the West Bank village of Turmusaya on June 26, 2025.
Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance via Getty Images

While militant settlers create a climate of fear, Israeli authorities have undermined legal efforts to stop the violence – ending administrative detention for settler suspects, for example. Meanwhile, the government has intensified policies that undermine Palestinians’ economic development, freedom of movement and land use. In May, finance minister and far-right leader Bezalel Smotrich approved 22 new settlements, calling it a “historic decision” that signaled a return to “construction, Zionism, and vision.”

Together, violence from below and policy from above advance a clear strategic goal: the coerced depopulation of Palestinians from rural areas to solidify Israeli sovereignty over the entire West Bank.

Levers for change

The militant elements of the settler movement constitute a fractional segment of Israeli society. When it comes to improving the situation in the West Bank, broad punitive measures against the entire country, such as economic boycotting and divestment, or blocking access to scientific, economic and cultural programs and organizations, have historically proved ineffective.

Instead, such policies seem to entrench many Israelis’ perception of international bias and double standards: the sense that critics are antisemitic, or that few outsiders understand the country’s challenges – particularly in light of threats from entitles like Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, which openly seek Israel’s elimination.

More targeted policies aim specifically at the Israeli far right, including sanctions – economic, political or cultural – directed at settler communities and their infrastructure. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and the U.K. have imposed travel bans on Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, and frozen their assets in those countries. Similarly, I believe decisions to ban goods produced in the West Bank settlements, as Ireland has recently debated, would be more effective than banning all Israeli products.

This targeted approach, I would argue, would allow the international community to cultivate stronger alliances with the many Israelis concerned about the settlements and Palestinians’ rights in the West Bank.

Arie Perliger does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. The quiet war: What’s fueling Israel’s surge of settler violence – and the lack of state response – https://theconversation.com/the-quiet-war-whats-fueling-israels-surge-of-settler-violence-and-the-lack-of-state-response-261990

MIL OSI –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: What is personalized pricing, and how do I avoid it?

Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Jay L. Zagorsky, Associate Professor Questrom School of Business, Boston University

Recently, Delta Air Lines announced it would expand its use of artificial intelligence to provide individualized prices to customers. This move sparked concern among flyers and politicians. But Delta isn’t the only business interested in using AI this way. Personalized pricing has already spread across a range of industries, from finance to online gaming.

Customized pricing – where each customer receives a different price for the same product – is a holy grail for businesses because it boosts profits. With customized pricing, free-spending people pay more while the price-sensitive pay less. Just as clothes can be tailored to each person, custom pricing fits each person’s ability and desire to pay.

I am a professor who teaches business school students how to set prices. My latest book, “The Power of Cash: Why Using Paper Money is Good for You and Society,” highlights problems with custom pricing. Specifically, I’m worried that AI pricing models lack transparency and could unfairly take advantage of financially unsophisticated people.

The history of custom pricing

For much of history, customized pricing was the normal way things happened. In the past, business owners sized up each customer and then bargained face-to-face. The price paid depended on the buyer’s and seller’s bargaining skills – and desperation.

An old joke illustrates this process. Once, a very rich man was riding in his carriage at breakfast time. Hungry, he told his driver to stop at the next restaurant. He went inside, ordered some eggs and asked for the bill. When the owner handed him the check, the rich man was shocked at the price. “Are eggs rare in this neighborhood?” he asked. “No,” the owner said. “Eggs are plentiful, but very rich men are quite rare.”

Custom pricing through bargaining still exists in some industries. For example, car dealerships often negotiate a different price for each vehicle they sell. Economists refer to this as “first-degree” or “perfect” price discrimination, which is “perfect” from the seller’s perspective because it allows them to charge each customer the maximum amount they’re willing to pay.

Wanamaker’s department store in Philadelphia was a pricing pioneer.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Currently, most American shoppers don’t bargain but instead see set prices. Many scholars trace the rise of set prices to John Wanamaker’s Philadelphia department store, which opened in 1876. In his store, each item had a nonnegotiable price tag. These set prices made it simpler for customers to shop and became very popular.

Why uniform pricing caught on

Set prices have several advantages for businesses. For one thing, they allow stores to hire low-paid retail workers instead of employees who are experts in negotiation.

Historically, they also made it easier for stores to decide how much to charge. Before the advent of AI pricing, many companies determined prices using a “cost-plus” rule. Cost-plus means a business adds a fixed percentage or markup to an item’s cost. The markup is the percentage added to a product’s cost that covers a company’s profits and overhead.

The big-box retailer Costco still uses this rule. It determines prices by adding a roughly 15% maximum markup to each item on the warehouse floor. If something costs Costco $100, they sell it for about $115.

The problem with cost-plus is that it treats all items the same. For example, Costco sells wine in many stores. People buying expensive Champagne typically are willing to pay a much higher markup than customers purchasing inexpensive boxed wine. Using AI gets around this problem by letting a computer determine the optimal markup item by item.

What personalized pricing means for shoppers

AI needs a lot of data to operate effectively. The shift from cash to electronic payments has enabled businesses to collect what’s been called a “gold mine” of information. For example, Mastercard says its data lets companies “determine optimal pricing strategies.”

So much information is collected when you pay electronically that in 2024 the Federal Trade Commission issued civil subpoenas to Mastercard, JPMorgan Chase and other financial companies demanding to know “how artificial intelligence and other technological tools may allow companies to vary prices using data they collect about individual consumers’ finances and shopping habits.” Experiments at the FTC show that AI programs can even collude among themselves to raise prices without human intervention.

To prevent customized pricing, some states have laws requiring retailers to display a single price for each product for sale. Even with these laws, it’s simple to do custom pricing by using targeted digital coupons, which vary each shopper’s discount.

How you can outsmart AI pricing

There are ways to get around customized pricing. All depend on denying AI programs data on past purchases and knowledge of who you are. First, when shopping in brick-and-mortar stores, use paper money. Yes, good old-fashioned cash is private and leaves no data trail that follows you online.

Second, once online, clear your cache. Your search history and cookies provide algorithms with extensive amounts of information. Many articles say the protective power of clearing your cache is an urban myth. However, this information was based on how airlines used to price tickets. Recent analysis by the FTC shows the newest AI algorithms are changing prices based on this cached information.

Third, many computer pricing algorithms look at your location, since location is a good proxy for income. I was once in Botswana and needed to buy a plane ticket. The price on my computer was about $200. Unfortunately, before booking I was called away to dinner. After dinner my computer showed the cost was $1,000 − five times higher. It turned out after dinner I used my university’s VPN, which told the airline I was located in a rich American neighborhood. Before dinner I was located in a poor African town. Shutting off the VPN reduced the price.

Last, often to get a better price in face-to-face negotiations, you need to walk away. To do this online, put something in your basket and then wait before hitting purchase. I recently bought eyeglasses online. As a cash payer, I didn’t have my credit card handy. It took five minutes to find it, and the delay caused the site to offer a large discount to complete the purchase.

The computer revolution has created the ability to create custom products cheaply. The cashless society combined with AI is setting us up for customized prices. In a custom-pricing situation, seeing a high price doesn’t mean something is higher quality. Instead, a high price simply means a business views the customer as willing to part with more money.

Using cash more often can help defeat custom pricing. In my view, however, rapid advances in AI mean we need to start talking now about how prices are determined, before customized pricing takes over completely.

Jay L. Zagorsky does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. What is personalized pricing, and how do I avoid it? – https://theconversation.com/what-is-personalized-pricing-and-how-do-i-avoid-it-262195

MIL OSI –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Strengthening collective labor rights can help reduce economic inequality

Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Skip Mark, Assistant professor of political science, University of Rhode Island

Only about 1 in 10 U.S. workers belong to unions today. champc/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Despite the strength of the U.S. economy, the gap between rich and poor Americans is increasing.

The wealthiest 1% of Americans have more than five times as much wealth as the bottom 50%, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve. That’s up from four times as much in the year 2000. In 2024 alone, the wealthiest 19 families got a total of US$1 trillion richer – the largest one-year increase on record.

And yet 59% of Americans don’t have enough money saved up to cover an unexpected $1,000 expense.

We are political scientists who study human rights and political economy.

In a 2023 study, our team looked at 145 countries, including the U.S., to understand the link between labor rights and inequality. We found evidence that strengthening collective labor rights may reduce economic inequality.

Empowering workers

Collective labor rights include the rights to form and join a union, bargain collectively for higher pay and better working conditions, go on strike, and get justice if employers punish workers who exercise these rights.

In the U.S., where less than 10% of workers belong to unions, union members typically earn higher wages than their nonunion counterparts.

Through negotiations on behalf of their members, unions can pressure employers to provide fair wages and benefits. If negotiations break down, the union can call for a strike – sometimes winning better benefits and higher wages as a result.

Some U.S. unions don’t have the right to strike, including air traffic controllers, teachers and those working on national security issues. But most unions have some ability to implement work stoppages and impose costs on employers to negotiate for raises and better benefits and conditions.

Reducing inequality

For our study, we analyzed the human rights in the CIRIGHTS dataset, which uses human rights reports from the U.S. State Department, Amnesty International and other sources to measure government respect for 24 human rights, including the rights to unionize and bargain collectively. The dataset is produced by the University of Rhode Island, Binghamton University and the University of Connecticut. One of us, Skip Mark, serves as a co-director of the project.

Using a scoring guide, a team of researchers reads human rights reports and gives each country a score of zero if they have widespread violations, one point if they have some violations, or two if they have no evidence of violations. The team has assigned scores for all 24 rights from 1994 through 2022.

Using this data, we created a measure of collective labor rights by adding scores for the right to workplace association and the right to collective bargaining. The resulting collective labor rights score ranges from zero to four.

Countries where workers’ rights are routinely violated, such as Afghanistan, China and Saudi Arabia, scored a zero. The United States, Macedonia and Zambia, three countries with little in common, were among those that tended to get two points, placing them in the middle. Countries with no reported violations of the rights to workplace association and collective bargaining, including Canada, Sweden and France, got four points.

According to the CIRIGHTS dataset, the strength of respect for collective labor rights around the world declined by 50%, from 2.06 in 1994 to 1.03 in 2022.

At the same time, according to the World Inequality Dataset, the share of income earned by the 1% with the biggest paychecks increased by 11%.

We used advanced statistical methods to figure out whether better worker protections actually reduce inequality or are just associated with it.

Gaps between individuals and ethnic groups

We also measured what’s been happening to economic inequality, using two common ways to track it.

One of them is vertical inequality, the gap between what people earn within a country – the rich versus the poor. The more unequal a society becomes, the higher its vertical inequality score gets. We measured it using the disposable income measure from the Gini index, a commonly used indicator of economic inequality that captures how much money individuals have to spend after taxes and government transfers.

We found that a one-point increase in collective labor rights on our four-point scale reduces vertical inequality by 10 times the average change in inequality. For the U.S., a one-point increase in collective labor rights would be about enough to undo the increase in inequality that occurred between 2008 and 2010 due to the Great Recession and its aftermath. It would also likely help stem the growing wealth gap between Black and white Americans. That’s because income disparities compound over time to create wealth gaps.

We also assessed the connection between horizontal inequality, which measures income inequality between ethnic or other groups, and collective labor rights.

Negative horizontal inequality measures the amount of a country’s income held by the poorest ethnic group. Higher scores for this metric indicate that the lowest-earning ethnic group has less income relative to the rest of society. Black Americans have the lowest median income of any racial or ethnic group, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Positive horizontal inequality measures the income earned by the richest ethnic group. When positive horizontal inequality rises, that means the richest ethnic group has more income relative to the rest of society. According to the same Census Bureau report, Asian Americans had the highest median earnings.

We found that stronger collective labor rights, both in law and in practice around the world, also reduce both types of horizontal inequality. This means they raise the floor by helping to improve the income of the poorest ethnic groups in society. They also close the gap by limiting the incomes of the richest ethnic group, which can reduce the likelihood of conflicts.

That is, our findings suggest that when workers are free to advocate for higher wages and better benefits for themselves, it also benefits society as a whole.

Stephen Bagwell is a researcher with the Human Rights Measurement Initiative, a charitable trust registered in New Zealand

Skip Mark does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Strengthening collective labor rights can help reduce economic inequality – https://theconversation.com/strengthening-collective-labor-rights-can-help-reduce-economic-inequality-254258

MIL OSI –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Yosemite embodies the long war over US national park privatization

Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Michael Childers, Associate Professor of History, Colorado State University

The Ahwahnee is a privately run hotel inside Yosemite National Park. George Rose/Getty Images

The Trump administration’s cuts to the National Park Service’s budget and staffing have raised concerns among park advocates and the public that the administration is aiming to further privatize the national parks.

The nation has a long history of similar efforts, including a wildly unpopular 1980 attempt by Reagan administration Interior Secretary James Watt to promote development and expand private concessions in the parks. But debate over using public national park land for private profit dates back more than a century before that.

As I explain in my forthcoming book, no park has played a more central role in that debate than Yosemite, in California.

Early concerns

In early 1864, Central American Steamship Transit Company representative Israel Ward Raymond wrote a letter to John Conness, a U.S. senator from California, urging the government to move swiftly to preserve the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoia trees to prevent them from falling into private hands. Five months later, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant Act, ceding the valley and the grove to the state of California, “upon the express conditions that the premises shall be held for public use, resort, and recreation.” This was years before Yellowstone became the first federal land designated a national park in 1872.

For centuries, the natural beauty of the Yosemite Valley has impressed visitors.
Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Controversy arose quickly at Yosemite. Two men – James Lamon and James Hutchings – had claimed land in the valley before the federal government gave it to California. Both began commercial operations, Lamon growing cash crops and Hutchings operating a hotel.

California said their businesses threatened the state’s ability to develop roads and trails in Yosemite by competing for tourist dollars. A legal battle ensued and was not resolved until an 1872 U.S. Supreme Court ruling found that the men’s land claims had not been fully validated according to the procedures of the time. The California legislature paid both men compensation for their land, and both left the park.

In 1890, neighboring parts of the Yosemite area became America’s third national park – and in 1906, the federal government again took possession of the Yosemite Valley itself and the Mariposa Grove, specifically to incorporate them into an expansion of the national park.

Development rights

Yet, as my research has found, the role of private interests in the park remained unsolved. Private companies under contract to the National Park Service have long provided needed amenities such as lodging and food within the national parks. But questions over what is acceptable in national parks in the pursuit of profit have shaped Yosemite’s history for generations.

In 1925, I found, the question centered on the right to build the first gas station inside the park, in Yosemite Valley. Two private businesses, the Curry Camping Company and the Yosemite National Park Company, had long competed for tourist dollars within the park. Each wanted to build a gas station to boost profits.

Frustrated over the need to decide, National Park Service Director Horace Albright ordered the rival firms to simplify management of the park’s concessions. The companies merged, and the newly formed Yosemite Park and Curry Company was granted the exclusive rights to run lodges, restaurants and other facilities within the park, including the new gas station.

But as I found in my research, the park service and the concessions company did not always see eye to eye on the purpose of the park. The conflict between profit and preservation is perhaps most clearly illustrated by the construction of a ski area within the park in the early 1930s. The park service initially opposed the development of Badger Pass Ski Area as not conducive to the national park ideal, but the Yosemite Park and Curry Company insisted it was key to boosting winter use of the park.

In 1973, the Music Corporation of America, an entertainment conglomerate, bought the Yosemite Park and Curry Company. The company already had a tourist attraction operating near Hollywood, where visitors could pay to tour movie sets, but had not yet changed its name to Universal Studios or launched major theme parks in Florida and California. Its purchase of the park’s concessions set off a firestorm of controversy over fears of turning Yosemite into a theme park.

That didn’t happen, but annual park visitor numbers climbed from 2.5 million to 3.8 million over the 20 years MCA ran the concessions, which sparked concerns about development and overcrowding in the park. Conservationists argued the park service had allowed the corporate giant to promote and develop the park in ways that threatened the very aspects of the park most people came to enjoy.

With three restaurants, two service stations with a total of 15 gas pumps, two cafeterias, two grocery stores, seven souvenir shops, a delicatessen, a bank, a skating rink, three swimming pools, a golf course, two tennis courts, kennels, a barbershop, a beauty shop, Badger Pass Ski Area and three lodges, the Yosemite Valley was a busy commercial district. Critics argued that such development contradicted the park service’s mandate to leave national parks unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.

Crowds gather at some of Yosemite’s most popular sites, such as the California Tunnel Tree.
David McNew/AFP via Getty Images

Who owns the names?

Falling profits and consolidation within the music industry led MCA to sell its concessions rights in Yosemite in 1993. The Delaware North Companies, a global hospitality corporation, took over and ran the park’s concessions until 2016, when it sold the rights to Aramark.

But in that sale, the question of public resources and private profits arose again. Delaware North demanded $51 million in compensation for Aramark continuing to use the names of several historic properties within the park, such as the Ahwahnee, a hotel, and Curry Village, another group of visitor accommodations. The company claimed those names were a part of its assets under its contract with the park service.

The park service rejected the claim, saying the names, which dated back more than a century, belonged to the American people. But to avoid legal problems during the transition, the agency temporarily renamed several sites, including calling the Ahwahnee the Majestic Yosemite Hotel and changing Curry Village to Half Dome Village. Public outrage erupted, denouncing the claim by Delaware North as commercial overreach that threatened to distort Yosemite’s heritage. In 2019, the park service and Aramark agreed to pay Delaware North a total of $12 million to settle the dispute, and the original names were restored.

Protesters unfurl an upside-down U.S. flag from the top of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in February 2025, protesting Trump administration changes to the National Park Service.

Renewed interest in commercial efforts

In June 2025, Yosemite again took center stage in the dispute over the role of federal funding versus private interests at the start of the second Trump administration when a group of climbers unfurled an American flag upside down off El Capitan in protest of the administration’s cuts in personnel and slashing of the park service’s budget.

Conservationists, including former National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis, argued that by defunding the park service and laying off as much as a quarter of its workforce, the Trump administration was “laying the groundwork to privatize” the national parks by allowing corporate interests more access to public lands. Those concerns echo ones raised during the first Trump administration, when the White House argued privatization would better serve the American public by improving visitor experiences and saving federal dollars.

Whichever side prevails in the short term, the debate over the role of private interests within national parks like Yosemite will undoubtedly continue.

Michael Childers does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Yosemite embodies the long war over US national park privatization – https://theconversation.com/yosemite-embodies-the-long-war-over-us-national-park-privatization-261133

MIL OSI –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK Government backs Ford’s global transformation
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

UK Government backs Ford’s global transformation

UK Export Finance announces a new £1 billion export guarantee, supporting Ford UK’s transition to electric vehicle production.
Iconic car manufacturer Ford continues global transformation as government backs new loan

Financing assists Ford’s operations in developing world-leading products, including cleaner engines and electric power units while supporting thousands of jobs

Latest action in the government’s Plan for Change and in support for the UK’s automotive sector as part of the Industrial Strategy

UK Export Finance (UKEF) is providing a £1 billion export development guarantee to Ford UK, supporting the car giant’s long-term growth ambitions around the world.

Ford operates various sites across the country including the UK’s largest automotive research & development (R&D) centre based in Essex and directly employs more than 5,500 workers across the country.

The loan will help Ford continue its global transformation, engineering and manufacturing smart, connected and electrified vehicles for customers around the world.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said:

Ford has been the pride of Essex since 1911, over a century of innovation and industry. The R&D centre in Basildon employs thousands of people in well-paid, highly skilled jobs.

This £1 billion loan guarantee is a major boost for Britain’s auto sector. It will help develop world-leading products, open new export markets, and secure jobs. This is our Plan for Change in action – delivering growth and putting more money in people’s pockets.

Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said:

We’re proud of our historic auto sector, and the commitment that global companies like Ford have made to make cars and create jobs in the UK.

I’m delighted that UKEF is backing Ford in supporting the company’s ambitions for growth, helping to cement our position as a global leader for manufacturing and backing our Plan for Change.

This Government has taken significant action to back auto firms – including by securing landmark trade deals with the US and India to bring down tariffs for British car manufacturers and create new export opportunities, measures to lower electricity prices in our Industrial Strategy, and updating the ZEV mandate to support UK manufacturers and safeguard jobs of the future.

In recent years, the company has invested heavily into electric vehicle development, including a £380 million transformation of its Halewood manufacturing plant from producing transmissions to electric motors for iconic vehicles like the Ford Transit van and Ford Puma. Ford has also invested £70 million in state-of-the-art testing and development labs at its R&D site in Essex.

This follows several significant announcements in recent months showing the government backing the UK’s automotive sector. This includes launching an Electric Car Grant to support the transition to zero emission vehicles and incentivise sustainable manufacturing, and the publication of the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan and Modern Industrial Strategy, which commits £2 billion capital and R&D funding to 2030, and an additional £500 million to extend the R&D support to 2035. This support is giving innovative manufacturers the confidence to pursue technological advancements needed in the automotive sector.

UKEF is guaranteeing 80 per cent (£800 million) of the £1 billion loan provided by Citi and a syndicate of lenders. Citi is the sole coordinator and agent on the loan to Ford.

This announcement forms part of the government’s Plan for Change to kickstart economic growth and raise living standards across the United Kingdom by supporting businesses to export and grow.

British car manufacturers now benefit from major tariff reductions when exporting to the US, thanks to the landmark trade deal secured with the US. The UK is the only country to have secured this deal with the US, which reduces car export tariffs from 27.5% to 10%, saving manufacturers hundreds of millions each year and protecting hundreds of thousands of jobs, backing the Plan for Change.

UKEF Chief Executive Tim Reid said:

This is a great example of UKEF’s collaboration with the automotive industry, which is a key sector of the government’s Industrial Strategy. Our export development guarantee is a versatile product that has lasting impact on businesses. Boosting growth, securing key jobs, growing the UK’s export potential and doing so sustainably – that’s what UKEF does best.

Lisa Brankin, Chair, Ford Britain, said:

Recent investments in the UK have proved crucial to our European operations and have expanded our UK export capability, on top of supporting Ford’s investment in an all-electric product line-for Europe. This new UKEF facility will play an important role in supporting our UK exporting footprint, especially amid the continued uncertainty in the trade landscape and the disconnect between electric vehicle targets and customer demand.

Richard Hodder, Global Head of Export and Agency Finance at Citi, said:

Citi is pleased to partner with Ford and UK Export Finance on this significant transaction. This third UKEF Guarantee loan under the EDG program demonstrates our dedication to supporting Ford’s global innovation and UK export operations. This transaction showcases both the cross-border expertise and local knowledge that Citi’s Services business provides clients in the UK, and around the world.

This is the third EDG awarded by UKEF to Ford, taking total financing to almost £2.4 billion (£1.9 billion guaranteed by UKEF) since 2020:

June 2022: £750 million UKEF EDG (UKEF guarantee of £600 million) supported phase two of Ford’s electric vehicle plans. The investment significantly expanding Ford’s electric power unit production line capability.

June 2020: a £625 million UKEF EDG facility (UKEF guarantee on £500 million). This helped to finance Ford’s global vehicle research and development headquarters in Dunton in Essex, securing key of jobs and supporting the development of electric vehicle technologies.

This latest announcement follows the recent publication of UKEF’s annual report & accounts for 2024/25.

Over the last financial year, UKEF provided a record £14.5 billion in new financing, helping over 667 UK companies to export and grow and supported up to 70,000 jobs.

Contact

Media enquiries:

Email newsdesk@ukexportfinance.gov.uk

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Published 31 July 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Wolves at Work helps local residents grab starring roles at new city centre cinema

Source: City of Wolverhampton

Independent commercial operator, PDJ, opened the doors to the state of the art 4 screen venue inside the iconic Chubb Building earlier this month.

It will ultimately employ a local workforce of 3 permanent and 20 part time staff – with 9 of the vacancies now filled by recruits from council led employment service, Wolves at Work.

Roles include front of house service to ensuring the safety of customers watching films to offer the best experience possible.

Working with city partners, Wolves at Work offers one to one support for residents living in Wolverhampton who are looking for work or to progress in their careers and is a free service available for people of any age to access.

Residents are offered their own dedicated Work Coach who provides support with CVs, help to complete job applications and interview practice, advice on training courses and in work benefits and access to hundreds of local jobs through links with employers.

Deon Marcel Millen from Bradmore in Wolverhampton, a Lockworks Cinema employee supported by Wolves at Work, said: “Wolves at Work were very, very helpful. I contacted them in April/May because I needed help finding a job and I got signed in which was nice and easy. A lady called Michelle helped me with my CV and within 3 weeks to a month I was able to get this job.

“It’s really good here and the team and staff are great. It’s a well balanced job for me and I’m enjoying helping people.”

Councillor Chris Burden, City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Development, Jobs and Skills, said: “Supporting our residents into jobs, skills and training is one of the key priorities for the city and Wolves at Work is producing positive employment outcomes for our residents.

“PDJ has delivered an exciting new city centre cinema and by connecting with Wolves at Work it has ensured the new jobs available are going to local people.

“The cinema, alongside other popular venues like the art gallery, Grand Theatre and University of Wolverhampton at The Halls, will also drive footfall to support neighbouring local businesses and help them grow – creating further job opportunities.”

James Jervis, Director at PDJ Management, said: “We have been delighted to work with Wolves at Work. They have provided a brilliant service and the staff we have taken on have impressed from day one with an excellent attitude, big smiles and ensuring the Lockworks Cinema has best in class customer service.

“The connection to the local area from our employees is a key part of what makes us a true independent cinema for the city.”

To register for employment support visit the Wolves at Work office at i10, Railway Drive, Wolverhampton, WV1 1LH (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm), calling 01902 554400 or emailing wolvesatwork@wolverhampton.gov.uk.

Local employers looking for support to fill roles can call on Wolves at Work’s team of dedicated Recruitment Managers. They can help by finding the right candidates for vacant roles and offer a range of support, from mapping potential candidates against your criteria through to arranging interviews. They also offer ongoing support to ensure that candidates stay in employment – from assisting with initial travel costs to providing advice on childcare and finances.

Employers can advertise their vacances for free on Wolves Workbox, an online skills and employment website dedicated to the City of Wolverhampton. Anyone interested in doing this should visit Wolves Workbox or email recruitment@wolverhampton.gov.uk.

Check out the Lockworks Cinema website to buy tickets for the latest Hollywood blockbusters.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: House Republicans Hit the Road to Spotlight Historic Wins for Americans in the One Big Beautiful Bill

Source: US House of Representatives Republicans

The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI –

WASHINGTON— House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) is hitting the road during the August district work period to kick off the One Big Beautiful Tour, highlighting the wins the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) delivers for working-class families, manufacturers, farmers, ranchers, and every hardworking American.

For the first leg of the tour, Chairwoman McClain—the top messenger for House Republicans—is partnering with the National Association of Manufacturers to visit small and mid-sized manufacturers in the districts of Reps. Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07), Rob Bresnahan, Jr. (PA-08), and Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07).

“It’s a privilege to help carry the message of President Trump and the American people’s agenda,” Chairwoman McClain said. “I have been sharing with my constituents in Michigan all the incredible things the One Big Beautiful Bill delivers for them. As Conference Chair, I have the opportunity to join my colleagues during this district work period and share that message across the country. I’m excited to help bring our results directly to more people and communities.”

“This once-in-a-lifetime historic tax bill is the investment of a generation in America’s manufacturers,” NAM Executive Vice President Erin Streeter said. “These important tax provisions provide businesses of all sizes—across every state and congressional district—with the certainty they need to invest, innovate and grow. The NAM is proud to partner with Chairwoman McClain to tell the story of how these pro-growth tax policies are improving the quality of life for Americans all across the country. Because when manufacturing wins, America wins.”

“The newly signed reconciliation package delivers real results for the American people,” Rep. Kean said. “By eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay, this bill helps workers keep more of what they earn and strengthens our local economy. I am looking forward to welcoming Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain and the National Association of Manufacturers to NJ-07 for a tour of Bihler of America in Phillipsburg. Their facility, known for its precision metal stamping and automated assembly systems, is a prime example of American manufacturing in action. This visit is a chance to see firsthand how the legislation is already making a difference for hardworking Americans and the manufacturers who employ them.”

“I’m honored to welcome Chairwoman McClain to Northeastern Pennsylvania to highlight the real results House Republicans are delivering for our region,” Rep. Bresnahan said. “NEPA is built on the grit and work ethic of our families, small businesses, and local manufacturers that keep our region and our country moving forward. This reconciliation bill delivers meaningful wins for our community, and I’m proud to highlight how we are fighting in Washington for the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania during our visit to i2M next week.”

“I’m looking forward to welcoming Chairwoman McClain to the Greater Lehigh Valley to showcase the incredible work being done at AMPAL. For decades, AMPAL has supported our local economy and played a key role in powering American manufacturing, defense, and innovation,” Rep. Mackenzie said. “Her visit underscores our shared commitment to growing jobs, strengthening American manufacturing, and highlighting the investments of the One Big Beautiful Bill. I’m proud to work together to deliver results that move our region and our country forward.”

MIL OSI USA News –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI: Arctic Pablo Coin Presale Roars Past $3.16M as Final Countdown Begins: 16k% Gains Projected

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

LONDON, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Arctic Pablo Coin ($APC) presale has entered its 34th stage, breaking past $3.16 million raised and delivering early investors a jaw-dropping 4,033% ROI. With only two stages left before the presale ends, urgency is at an all-time high as analysts project potential 16,029% gains if the coin hits its long-term target of $0.10. For those searching for the top crypto presale to join now, the window to act is closing fast.

A Meme Coin With Teeth, Not Just Talk

Arctic Pablo Coin started as a meme coin with a story, but it has evolved into a full-blown crypto ecosystem. Unlike countless meme projects that rely solely on hype, $APC blends viral appeal with a deflationary token model, staking rewards, and community-driven governance. The project has burned millions of tokens, building scarcity while keeping long-term holders hungry for more.

The narrative? Arctic Pablo is an adventurer exploring icy blockchain frontiers, and its followers are along for the treasure hunt. That kind of branding, paired with robust tokenomics, explains why Arctic Pablo has become a top crypto presale to join now as it inches toward the finish line.

Tokenomics That Bite Into Supply

The Arctic Pablo Coin presale isn’t just raising funds—it’s reshaping supply and demand dynamics. Weekly token burns eliminate unsold tokens, permanently reducing supply and creating upward pressure on price. Staking rewards offer a 66% APY for early supporters, while liquidity is locked to prevent rug pulls and maintain investor trust.

At Stage 34’s presale price of $0.00062, early buyers are positioned to see 1,190% gains at launch when APC lists at $0.008, with long-term projections eyeing 16,029%. That kind of growth potential has catapulted APC into conversations as one of the top crypto presales to join now, giving retail investors a rare early-access opportunity.

Presale Mechanics That Reward Early Action

Each stage of the presale runs for one week, with automatic price increases when stages unlock. That means every delay in buying costs investors both tokens and potential ROI. With Stage 34 already live and Stage 35 on deck, the presale is only two steps from its conclusion. Early birds are stacking tokens while they’re still cheap because, in crypto, hesitation often equals regret.

This staged model is what has helped APC raise $3.16 million and counting, even as meme coin markets become increasingly crowded. The numbers speak for themselves: this isn’t just another presale; it’s one structured to reward speed and conviction.

Community Energy That Can’t Be Ignored

Arctic Pablo Coin has built one of the most engaged meme coin communities in 2025, spreading its arctic-themed adventure narrative across Twitter, Telegram, Discord, and beyond. Investors are sharing memes, price predictions, and presale milestones in real time, fueling a grassroots movement that’s helping drive momentum.

This organic hype is why Arctic Pablo has gained a reputation as one of the top crypto presales to join now. Unlike corporate-driven projects, this is a community-powered movement—a critical factor in meme coin success stories.

The Final Call Before the Snowball Rolls

With only two stages left and billions of tokens already burned, Arctic Pablo Coin presale is entering its endgame. The presale price of $0.00062 offers a direct path to 1,190% ROI at launch—with much more upside if long-term predictions hold. For those still sitting on the fence, the clock is ticking.

If history has shown anything, meme coins with this kind of narrative power, deflationary supply, and community backing often become market movers. Arctic Pablo is proving to be no different. For investors seeking the top crypto presale to join now, this is a chance to jump on before the snowball becomes an avalanche.

For More Information:

Arctic Pablo Coin: https://www.arcticpablo.com/

Telegram: https://t.me/ArcticPabloOfficial

Twitter: https://x.com/arcticpabloHQ

About Arctic Pablo Coin

Arctic Pablo Coin ($APC) is a blockchain-based meme coin designed to combine digital storytelling, decentralized finance, and community governance. Built on deflationary tokenomics, NFT integration, and staking incentives, APC aims to evolve meme culture into a functional crypto ecosystem.

Contact:
Team@arcticpablo.com

Disclaimer: This content is provided by Arctic Pablo Coin. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page.

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The MIL Network –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI: Top Mortgage Recruiter Tina Jablonski Joins Rate as SVP, Market Growth

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

CHICAGO, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rate, a leading fintech company, today announced that seasoned mortgage recruiter Tina Jablonski has joined the company as Senior Vice President, Market Growth. Jablonski will focus on expanding Rate’s reach by recruiting high-performing loan officers across the company’s Midwest presence.

Jablonski brings more than 30 years of mortgage industry experience to the role. She most recently led national growth initiatives for NewRez’s distributed retail division, where she helped scale teams in competitive markets nationwide. Throughout her career, Jablonski has built a reputation for cultivating lasting relationships and identifying top talent that drives performance.

“I made the move to join a dynamic organization that’s truly committed to growth, opportunity, and a people-first culture,” said Jablonski. “I couldn’t imagine a better scenario, doing what I love while being surrounded by longstanding industry friends. These relationships have been foundational to my career and in many ways, the industry itself.”

“We could not be prouder to welcome Tina to Rate,” said Jim Eboli, EVP, Divisional Manager. “Her leadership will take us to the next level in several of our ‘must-win’ markets. She brings an amazing skill set for cultivation.”

This appointment comes at a time when Rate is accelerating its investment in talent and growth across priority markets nationwide.

About Rate
Rate Companies is a leader in mortgage lending and digital financial services. Headquartered in Chicago, Rate has over 850 branches across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Since its launch in 2000, Rate has helped more than 2 million homeowners with home purchase loans, refinances, and home equity loans. The company has cemented itself as an industry leader by introducing innovative technology, offering low rates, and delivering unparalleled customer service. Recent honors and awards include: a Best Mortgage Lender of 2025 by Fortune; Best Mortgage Lender of 2025 for First-Time Homebuyers by Forbes; a Best Mortgage Lender of 2025 for FHA Loans, Home Equity Loans, and Lower Credit Scores by NerdWallet; Best Mortgage Lender of 2025 for Digital Experience and Down Payment Assistance by Motley Fool; Chicago Agent Magazine’s Lender of the Year for seven consecutive years. Visit rate.com for more information.

Media Contact
press@rate.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5eb258e2-5fb2-406c-a4bf-0584b76ae080

The MIL Network –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI: Kody Miller Returns to Rate from CrossCountry Mortgage, Bringing Elite Tech and Client Focus as VP of Mortgage Lending

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

DENVER, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rate, a leading fintech company, today announced that Colorado-based loan officer Kody Miller has rejoined the company. Miller, who has served homebuyers in the Denver area and beyond for more than a decade, brings a deep commitment to client service, strong community ties, and a proven record of leadership in the local business community.

A Colorado native, Miller previously held board leadership positions with the Colorado Springs Executives Association and The Pikes Peak Club. His team now serves clients nationwide, though he continues to be a trusted resource for families across Colorado.

“I made the move back to Rate after exploring other opportunities because of its unmatched technology, elevated professionalism, and commitment to excellence,” said Miller. “Simply put, Rate operates at a higher level, and it’s where I know I can best serve the market, given my own skills and talents. I’m proud to be back with a company that sets the standard in every area and at every touch point, serving customers with the best tools and people in the industry.”

“We’re excited to welcome Kody back to Rate,” said Shant Banosian, President of Rate. “He’s been a trusted resource for borrowers in the Denver area for years, and his deep community involvement reflects the values we prioritize as a company. We’re proud to have him on the team again.”

Miller’s return comes as Rate continues to build momentum by investing in technology, service, and local leadership to grow its reach and impact in top markets across the country.

About Rate
Rate Companies is a leader in mortgage lending and digital financial services. Headquartered in Chicago, Rate has over 850 branches across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Since its launch in 2000, Rate has helped more than 2 million homeowners with home purchase loans, refinances, and home equity loans. The company has cemented itself as an industry leader by introducing innovative technology, offering low rates, and delivering unparalleled customer service. Recent honors and awards include: a Best Mortgage Lender of 2025 by Fortune; Best Mortgage Lender of 2025 for First-Time Homebuyers by Forbes; a Best Mortgage Lender of 2025 for FHA Loans, Home Equity Loans, and Lower Credit Scores by NerdWallet; Best Mortgage Lender of 2025 for Digital Experience and Down Payment Assistance by Motley Fool; Chicago Agent Magazine’s Lender of the Year for seven consecutive years. Visit rate.com for more information.

Media Contact
press@rate.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a46d50a3-ec99-4408-91ef-4c83840f0f81

The MIL Network –

August 5, 2025
MIL-OSI: Grayscale® Launches Grayscale® Story Trust

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

STAMFORD, Conn., July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Grayscale^®, the world’s largest digital asset-focused investment platform, today announced the creation and launch of Grayscale^® Story Trust (the “Trust”). The Trust provides investors with exposure to $IP, the native token of the Story network.

Story is a blockchain network that powers programmable intellectual property, making real-world data a licensable, attributable subset of intellectual property for the artificial intelligence (AI) era. Designed to support the growing needs of AI, the creator economy, and digital rights management, Story enables ownership that is secure, scalable, and easily integrated across blockchain applications. Specifically, Story is designed to make intellectual property, including music, media, personal likeness, and real-world data like video and speech, traceable, enforceable, and monetizable on-chain. By transforming intellectual property and real-world data into fully programmable on-chain assets, Story is laying the foundational infrastructure for the global intellectual property economy, which has been reported to be worth as much as $80 trillion.¹

Although traditional intellectual property systems have served important roles, they can be fragmented, intermediary-dependent, and sometimes struggle to keep pace with the rapid evolution of digital content and AI. Story offers a new perspective designed to meet these emerging challenges. At the core of its architecture is a framework for representing intellectual property as smart contract-enabled non-fungible tokens, embedding licensing logic, attribution rules, and royalty flows, informed by intellectual property law, directly into the assets themselves. This aims to allow creators, companies, and even AI agents to register, remix, and monetize intellectual property compliantly.

Today, adoption of Story is accelerating, driven by real-world use cases across cultural and technical ecosystems, from major artists and global brands to next-generation AI platforms. With over 1.7 million intellectual property transactions and more than 200,000 monthly users,² Story is demonstrating growing demand for infrastructure that treats intellectual property as a programmable, on-chain primitive.³ Story also develops original initiatives like Poseidon, which brings real-world data to AI systems, including robots, surgical assistants, and autonomous vehicles. These partnerships and projects reflect the protocol’s broad and transformative potential.

“Grayscale Story Trust gives investors exposure to a protocol shaping the foundational intellectual property layer for the information and AI era,” said Rayhaneh Sharif-Askary, Head of Product & Research at Grayscale. “That includes not just creative content, but real-world data — the force powering one of today’s most advanced intelligent systems.”

“This launch marks a significant milestone in bringing programmable intellectual property to institutional markets. Story was designed to support the full lifecycle of intellectual property; from music and media to the real-world datasets that power intelligent systems. The launch of Grayscale Story Trust reflects growing recognition that intellectual property, in all forms, has the potential to become one of the most important assets of the AI era. With $IP now available via a Grayscale Trust, investors can gain exposure to the infrastructure layer that enables programmable licensing and attribution across AI and creative applications,” said SY Lee, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of PIP Labs, an initial core contributor to Story.

The Trust is now open for daily subscription by eligible individual and institutional accredited investors.* The Trust functions like Grayscale’s other single-asset investment trusts and is solely invested in the $IP token underpinning the Story protocol. For additional information regarding the seeding of the Trust and other ways in which an investment in the Trust might differ from an investment in Grayscale’s other single-asset investment trusts, please refer to the Private Placement Memorandum relating to the Trust.

This press release is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security in any jurisdiction where such an offer or solicitation would be illegal, nor shall there be any sale of any security in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of that jurisdiction.

*An accredited investor, as defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, is an individual with income over $200,000 ($300,000 with spouse) in each of the past two years, an individual with net worth over $1 million, excluding primary residence, an individual holding certain financial licenses (e.g., Series 7, 65, or 82), or an entity with over $5 million in assets or all equity owners who are accredited.

Grayscale may attempt to have shares of new products quoted on a secondary market. However, there is no guarantee that Grayscale will be successful. Although the shares of certain products have been approved for trading on a secondary market, investors in the new products should not assume that the shares will ever obtain such an approval due to a variety of factors, including questions regulators, such as the SEC, FINRA, or other regulatory bodies may have regarding such products. As a result, shareholders of such products should be prepared to bear the risk of investment in the shares indefinitely. To date, certain products have not met their investment objective, and the shares of such products quoted on OTC Markets have not reflected the value of the digital assets held by such products, less such products’ expenses and other liabilities, but have instead traded at a premium over such value, which at times has been substantial. There have also been instances where the shares of certain products have traded at a discount.

Private placement securities are speculative, illiquid, and entail a high level of risk, including the risk that an investor could lose their entire investment. The Story protocol was relatively recently conceived and its particular underlying technological mechanisms may not function as intended, which could have an adverse impact on the value of IP and an investment in the Shares.

Extreme volatility of trading prices that many digital assets have experienced in recent periods and may continue to experience, could have a material adverse effect on the value of the Trust and the shares could lose all or substantially all of their value.

^[1]According to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s 2025 Global Innovation Index, the estimated value of intangible assets — including intellectual property, data, software, brands, and human capital — held by publicly listed companies worldwide exceeds $80 trillion. Source: WIPO, The Value of Intangible Assets of Corporations (2025).

^[2]Story Blockchain Explorer, as of July 7, 2025

^[3] “On-chain primitive” refers to a foundational building block of blockchain-based systems, like a token or NFT, that is natively programmable and usable within blockchain applications.

About Grayscale
Grayscale enables investors to access the digital economy through a family of future-forward investment products. Founded in 2013, Grayscale has a decade-long track record and deep expertise as a digital asset-focused investment platform. Investors, advisors, and allocators turn to Grayscale for single asset, diversified, and thematic exposure. For more information, please follow @Grayscale or visit grayscale.com.

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August 5, 2025