BAI announced the finalists for the BAI Global Innovation Awards, a prestigious awards program celebrating innovation in the financial services industry. Winners will be announced at BAI Beacon in Atlanta on October 4-5.

The BAI Global Innovation Awards recognizes industry leaders changing the industry and positively impacting profitability, efficiency and customer experience. Since 2011, BAI’s Global Innovation Awards has grown from two to 10 categories plus three special awards recognizing outstanding achievements across the primary Awards categories. Nominations are evaluated by the Innovation Circle Judging Panel, a worldwide roster of leaders who carefully weigh each application to uncover the brightest in innovative offerings based on originality and the impact to consumers and the industry.

The 2017 BAI Global Innovation Awards finalists are:

Additionally, all nominees are considered for BAI’s Outstanding Achievement Awards. The finalists are:

For more information, visit www.BAIGlobalInnovations.com.

About BAI

As a nonprofit, independent organization, BAI delivers the financial services industry’s most actionable insights, enabling leaders to make smart business decisions every day. BAI is passionate about the trusted information and powerful tools that provide leaders with the clarity and confidence needed to drive positive change and move the financial services industry forward. For more information, visit www.bai.org.

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Boston-based law firm Markham & Read today announced that in the case of Bruce Cahill et. al. versus Paul Pejman Edalat et. al. (U.S. Federal Court Docket: 8:16-cv-00686), a federal jury has determined that Edalat deliberately acted with oppression, fraud or malice toward Cahill, the former CEO by of Pharma Pak, Inc. who claimed Edalat had launched a smear campaign against him on social media over a year-long period.

The jury issued an award of $600,000 in damages suffered by Cahill and ruled that Edalat is liable for punitive damages. A hearing will take place in U.S. District Court, Central District of California (Santa Ana division) on August 22^nd to determine the extent of punitive damages.

The jury also found that Edalat was liable for damages to Pharma Pak investors Greg Cullen, Ron Franco and Shane Scott.

“We are pleased that the jury sent a clear message to Paul Edalat while fully supporting Bruce Cahill and his longstanding good reputation in the community,” said John J. Markham, attorney for Cahill and the Pharma Pak investors. “The verdict and resulting damages are proof positive that Mr. Cahill was completely vindicated against Edalat’s unscrupulous actions and defamatory statements, along with others who the jury determined were damaged by Edalat.”

During the trial, Markham and attorney Bridget A. Zerner set forth evidence and testimony showing that Edalat induced more than $4 million of investment into Pharma Pak from Cahill, Cullen, Franco, Scott and others by making numerous claims regarding the company’s value, its intellectual property, its existing customer base and roster of prospective clients.

Throughout the proceedings, jurors heard direct evidence that Edalat, an Orange County native who previously filed bankruptcy in Southern California (U.S. Bankruptcy Court Docket: 8:14-bk-14529-TA) and in 2014 was “permanently restrained and enjoined … from directly or indirectly manufacturing, preparing, packing, labeling, holding, or distributing any dietary supplements” by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (U.S. Federal Court Docket: SACV 14-01759-JLS), used investment money to pay for gambling debts in Las Vegas and other lavish expenses. They also reviewed many postings Edalat made on social media regarding the former Pharma Pak CEO’s personal life, which formed the basis of Mr. Cahill’s claims in court that Edalat sought to defame him after litigation was filed in federal court.

Further, the jury ruled that Edalat’s co-defendant, Olivia Karpinski, was liable for $11,000 in damages to Cahill based on defamatory claims she made on social media.

During the trial, the jury heard the testimony of an Irvine police officer that discredited Karpinski’s attempt to falsely claim that she was a victim of sexual battery. Karpinski went to the Irvine Police Department on October 13, 2016, the day before she was deposed in the case and filed a report (Irvine CA Police Department Record #16-15720) claiming she was the victim of “stalking” and returned to the station two hours later to make an additional claim of sexual battery. According to the report, the officer explained her account was not sexual battery and questioned why she waited 11 months to report the allegations. Karpinski had previously posted the false battery claims against Cahill on her Instagram account, where they remained visible to the public for several months.

“As an entrepreneur and philanthropist in Southern California for over 30 years, I am grateful that the jury acknowledged my reputation as an honest, successful businessman in sectors such as technology, semiconductors, publishing, and real estate industries,” said Cahill. “I’m also pleased that they recognized the damages caused by the numerous false claims and defamatory statements made against me by Paul Edalat.”

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Moody’s Corporation (NYSE: MCO) announced today that it has completed its acquisition of Bureau van Dijk, a global provider of business intelligence and company information. The acquisition strengthens Moody’s position as a leader in financial risk data and analytical insight.

Moody’s announced that it had agreed to acquire Bureau van Dijk on May 15, 2017 and, on July 28, 2017, that it had received clearance under the EU Merger Regulation from the European Commission.

Bureau van Dijk aggregates, standardizes and distributes one of the world’s most extensive private company datasets, with coverage exceeding 220 million companies. It has partnerships with more than 160 independent information providers, creating a platform that connects customers with data that addresses a wide range of business challenges. Bureau van Dijk’s solutions support the credit analysis, investment research, tax risk, transfer pricing, compliance and third-party due diligence needs of financial institutions, corporations, professional services firms and governmental authorities worldwide.

Starting today, Moody’s financial results will include Bureau van Dijk’s operations. Moody’s expects to provide updated full year 2017 guidance, inclusive of the impact of Bureau van Dijk, in its third quarter 2017 earnings release. In addition, beginning with the third quarter 2017 earnings release, Moody’s will present adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS measures as well as results in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The adjusted measures will exclude all of Moody’s acquisition-related amortization expenses, as well as other costs associated with the purchase of Bureau van Dijk, such as the accounting impact of purchase price hedging, transaction fees and certain integration costs. Adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS will also exclude the previously reported gain from the strategic realignment and expansion of Moody's Chinese affiliate, China Cheng Xin International Credit Rating Co. Ltd. (CCXI).

ABOUT MOODY'S CORPORATION

Moody's is an essential component of the global capital markets, providing credit ratings, research, tools and analysis that contribute to transparent and integrated financial markets. Moody’s Corporation (NYSE: MCO) is the parent company of Moody's Investors Service, which provides credit ratings and research covering debt instruments and securities, and Moody's Analytics, which offers leading-edge software, advisory services and research for credit and economic analysis and financial risk management. The corporation, which reported revenue of $3.6 billion in 2016, employs approximately 11,500 people worldwide and maintains a presence in 41 countries. Further information is available at www.moodys.com.

“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

Certain statements contained in this release are forward-looking statements and are based on future expectations, plans and prospects for Moody’s business and operations that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof, and Moody’s disclaims any duty to supplement, update or revise such statements on a going-forward basis, whether as a result of subsequent developments, changed expectations or otherwise. In connection with the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Moody’s is identifying certain factors that could cause actual results to differ, perhaps materially, from those indicated by these forward-looking statements. Those factors, risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, world-wide credit market disruptions or an economic slowdown, which could affect the volume of debt and other securities issued in domestic and/or global capital markets; other matters that could affect the volume of debt and other securities issued in domestic and/or global capital markets, including regulation, credit quality concerns, changes in interest rates and other volatility in the financial markets such as that due to the U.K.’s referendum vote whereby the U.K. citizens voted to withdraw from the EU; the level of merger and acquisition activity in the U.S. and abroad; the uncertain effectiveness and possible collateral consequences of U.S. and foreign government actions affecting world-wide credit markets, international trade and economic policy; concerns in the marketplace affecting our credibility or otherwise affecting market perceptions of the integrity or utility of independent credit agency ratings; the introduction of competing products or technologies by other companies; pricing pressure from competitors and/or customers; the level of success of new product development and global expansion; the impact of regulation as an NRSRO, the potential for new U.S., state and local legislation and regulations, including provisions in the Financial Reform Act and regulations resulting from that Act; the potential for increased competition and regulation in the EU and other foreign jurisdictions; exposure to litigation related to our rating opinions, as well as any other litigation, government and regulatory proceedings, investigations and inquires to which the Company may be subject from time to time; provisions in the Financial Reform Act legislation modifying the pleading standards, and EU regulations modifying the liability standards, applicable to credit rating agencies in a manner adverse to credit rating agencies; provisions of EU regulations imposing additional procedural and substantive requirements on the pricing of services; the possible loss of key employees; failures or malfunctions of our operations and infrastructure; any vulnerabilities to cyber threats or other cybersecurity concerns; the outcome of any review by controlling tax authorities of the Company’s global tax planning initiatives; exposure to potential criminal sanctions or civil remedies if the Company fails to comply with foreign and U.S. laws and regulations that are applicable in the jurisdictions in which the Company operates, including sanctions laws, anti-corruption laws, and local laws prohibiting corrupt payments to government officials; the impact of mergers, acquisitions or other business combinations and the ability of the Company to successfully integrate acquired businesses; currency and foreign exchange volatility; the level of future cash flows; the levels of capital investments; and a decline in the demand for credit risk management tools by financial institutions. Other factors, risks and uncertainties relating to our acquisition of Bureau van Dijk could cause our actual results to differ, perhaps materially, from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including risks relating to the integration of Bureau van Dijk’s operations, products and employees into Moody’s and the possibility that anticipated synergies and other benefits of the acquisition will not be realized in the amounts anticipated or will not be realized within the expected timeframe; risks that the acquisition could have an adverse effect on the business of Bureau van Dijk or its prospects, including, without limitation, on relationships with vendors, suppliers or customers; claims made, from time to time, by vendors, suppliers or customers; changes in the European or global marketplaces that have an adverse effect on the business of Bureau van Dijk; and other factors, risks and uncertainties relating to the transaction as set forth under the caption “‘Safe Harbor’ Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 ” in Moody’s report on Form 8-K filed on May 15, 2017, which are incorporated by reference herein. These factors, risks and uncertainties as well as other risks and uncertainties that could cause Moody’s actual results to differ materially from those contemplated, expressed, projected, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements are described in greater detail under “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, and in other filings made by the Company from time to time with the SEC or in materials incorporated herein or therein. Stockholders and investors are cautioned that the occurrence of any of these factors, risks and uncertainties may cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those contemplated, expressed, projected, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements, which could have a material and adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition. New factors may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict new factors, nor can the Company assess the potential effect of any new factors on it.

# # #

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• Acquired the largest, New England service contractor, a leading EDA, and a storage company as clients in the US.
• Won contract extensions for four onsite resources for a Swedish company that provides radiation therapy, radiosurgery, related equipment and clinical management.
• Won a new ZigBee stack development project with a company involved in innovative and high-performance RF solutions for advanced wireless devices, defence radar and communications in Belgium.
• Obtained new MS opportunities with an electronic manufacturing services company, and a life sciences company, in APAC.

• PC and Smart Devices business maintained industry-leading profitability; PCSD average unit selling price up 7.8 percent year-over-year
• Data Center business introduced its most comprehensive new product portfolio ever including new ThinkSystem and ThinkAgile lines; revenue grew 14.2 percent quarter-to-quarter, up in both Europe and North America
• Mobile business introduced cutting-edge new phones including Z2 Force available on all major U.S. carriers; revenue up 2.4 percent year-over-year; pre-tax income margin improved 2.2 pts.
• Revenue was US$10 billion, flat year-over-year; up 4.5 percent quarter-to-quarter
• Operating profit improved US$110 million quarter-to-quarter; net loss was US$72 million
• Basic loss-per-share of 0.66 US cents or 5.15 HK cents

Behind the strength of its 3-wave strategy, Lenovo’s business transformation continued to gain traction during the first quarter, delivering solid profitability in its core PC and smart devices business, and revenue and profit improvements in targeted growth areas, including the data center and mobile businesses.

Fueled by new investments in people and products, Lenovo’s Data Center Group (DCG) introduced the most comprehensive product lineup in its history, with the new ThinkSystem and ThinkAgile portfolio, and continued to build out its end-to-end sales organization. Similarly, Lenovo’s Mobile Business Group launched significant new products led by the Moto Z2 Force, available now on all major U.S. carriers, and ramped up its branding efforts worldwide.

“In the first quarter this fiscal year, we had stable performance as we executed our 3-wave strategy with commitment. We maintained our industry leading profitability in PC, built the foundation in mobile and data center, and further invested in ‘Device + Cloud’ and ‘Infrastructure + Cloud’ powered by Artificial Intelligence,” said Yang Yuanqing, Lenovo Chairman and CEO. “We have made solid progress on every front of our strategy. Particularly MBG continued to improve, and is on track to breakeven by second half of this fiscal year. DCG gained good momentum as well. As the two new growth engines gain speed, we believe the sustainable results will soon follow.”

For its first fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2017, Lenovo’s quarterly revenue was US$10 billion, flat year-over-year, but an increase quarter-to-quarter of 4.5 percent. First quarter pre-tax loss was US$69 million, with a net loss of US$72 million.

Operating profit was up US$110 million quarter-to-quarter. The Company’s gross profit for the first fiscal quarter decreased 11 percent year-over-year to US$1.4 billion, yet remained flat quarter-to-quarter, with gross margin at 13.6 percent. Basic loss per share for the quarter was 0.66 US cents, or 5.15 HK cents.

Lenovo introduced its 3-wave strategy, namely balancing PCSD growth and profit, accelerating our DCG and MBG growth engines, and investing in non-hardware areas, to both meet today’s market dynamics while positioning the Company for longer-term profitable growth. Lenovo is investing in core technology and next-generation platforms that will help customers move towards a smart internet era where all smart devices will be connected to the cloud and powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

While Lenovo is focused on new technologies with our ‘Device + Cloud strategy’, the Lenovo Capital and Investment Group (LCIG), the Company’s provider of IoT solutions, reached a first quarter milestone of over three million users on its Global API platform.

In addition, as Lenovo continued to expand its ecosystem, LenovoID (a unique identification of directly reachable users across Lenovo devices) reached 225 million users in the first quarter. The progress Lenovo is making in its non-hardware businesses, such as software, services, and big data, is already gaining significant traction and winning new customers.

At its third annual Tech World event, held last month in Shanghai, Lenovo demonstrated several new consumer and commercial products, such as SmartVest wearable technology and daystAR glasses to help with industrial maintenance. Lenovo also announced a US$1.2 billion investment in AI research and development, and is pursuing smart solutions and partnerships in the manufacturing, healthcare and transportation sectors.

Business Group Overview

In our PC and Smart Devices(PCSD) business group, which includes PCs, tablets and smart devices, the average selling price of our PC + tablet products improved 7.8 percent year-over-year, meaning that customers were gravitating to Lenovo’s more innovative, higher-end products. Despite industry-wide component shortages and subsequent cost-hike pressures, Lenovo maintained its industry-leading profitability.

PCSD revenue was US$7 billion, with flat growth year-over-year. However, quarter-to-quarter, PCSD revenue grew 4.8 percent. Pre-tax income was US$291 million and pre-tax income margin fell to 4.2 percent, mainly due to the industry-wide increased component costs.

Lenovo’s PC business in the first quarter recorded share gains in Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America, and worldwide shipped 12.4 million units. In China, where Lenovo still enjoys almost 36 percent market share, the Company appointed a strong new consumer-focused leader to run its PCSD business. In North America as well, where the PCSD business has been flat, new leadership is now in place to help boost sales.

Lenovo’s Mobile Business Group (MBG), which includes Moto and Lenovo-branded smartphones, saw encouraging revenue growth outside of China to US$1.7 billion, 7.6 percent increase year-over-year. As an example of the Company’s continuing momentum in this business, Lenovo achieved its publically-stated goal of selling three million Moto Z smartphones within the first 12 months.

For the second consecutive quarter MBG has continued to grow revenue and improve profitability, with revenue up two percent year-over-year to US$1.7 billion and a pre-tax income margin improvement of 2.2 pts. during the same period.

With 11 million smartphones shipped in the first quarter, Lenovo grew 12.3 percent year-over-year outside of China, driven by significant gains in both Western Europe and Latin America, up 137 percent and 56 percent respectively year-over-year.

Lenovo’s Data Center Group (DCG), which includes servers, storage, software and services, continued to focus on the transformative actions that will help drive long-term DCG competitiveness, such as strengthening our sales teams, investing in the channel, revamping our product lines, building our brand strategy, and adding new partnerships.

These actions helped to stabilize the business outside of China in the first quarter with quarter-to-quarter revenue growth of 14 percent. Particularly encouraging was the year-over-year revenue growth in Western Europe and North America of 11 percent and eight percent respectively, including quarter-over-quarter revenue growth of 22 and 19 percent respectively. In both geographies, new leadership, a restructured sales organization, and new products are beginning to pay the expected dividends, and we expect that trend to accelerate into other geographies, including China, as we execute our DCG transformation worldwide.

Another positive sign in DCG was a pre-tax income margin improvement of 1.7 pts. quarter-to-quarter. In addition to these financial indicators, DCG set 42 world-record benchmarks on the new Intel platform, more than any of our competitors and Lenovo continued to be the world’s fastest-growing super-computing provider, number #1 in China and under recent new leadership there, secured a major win with Peking University.

Lenovo (HKSE: 0992) (PINK SHEETS: LNVGY) is a US$43 billion global Fortune 500 company and a leader in providing innovative consumer, commercial, and enterprise technology. Our portfolio of high-quality, secure products and services covers PCs (including the legendary Think and multimode YOGA brands), workstations, servers, storage, smart TVs and a family of mobile products like smartphones (including the Motorola brand), tablets and apps. Join us on LinkedIn, follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@Lenovo) or visit us at www.lenovo.com.

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The Valence Group has provided a fairness opinion to SK Capital Partners, LP in connection with its recapitalization of Archroma, including investments made by various affiliates of SK Capital. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About SK Capital

SK Capital is a private investment firm focused on the specialty materials, chemicals and pharmaceutical sectors. The firm builds strong and growing businesses that generate substantial long-term value for its investors. SK Capital utilizes its industry, operating and investment experience to identify opportunities to transform businesses into higher performing companies with improved strategic positioning, growth, profitability and risk profiles. The firm currently has approximately $1.9 billion of assets under management and its portfolio companies generate revenues of over $5.0 billion annually and employ approximately 8,700 people.

About Archroma

Archroma is a global color and specialty chemicals company headquartered in Reinach near Basel, Switzerland. It operates with 3,000 employees in over 35 countries and with 24 production sites. Its three businesses – Brand & Performance Textile Specialties, Packaging & Paper Specialties, and Coatings, Adhesives & Sealants – deliver specialized performance and color solutions to meet customers’ needs in their local markets, touching and coloring people’s lives every day, everywhere.

About The Valence Group

The Valence Group is a specialist investment bank offering M&A advisory services exclusively to companies and investors in the chemicals, materials and related sectors. The Valence Group team includes a unique combination of professionals with backgrounds in investment banking and strategy consulting within the chemicals and materials industries, all focused exclusively on providing M&A advisory services to the chemicals and materials sector. The firm’s offices are located in New York and London.

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Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc. (NYSE: NSM) (“Nationstar”) officially unveiled a new brand name, Mr. Cooper^SM, on Monday for its mortgage servicing and originations operation. The new brand is a tangible expression of the company’s dedication to making the mortgage process more rewarding for its more than 3 million customers.

“We’re excited to officially become Mr. Cooper and will continue our efforts to transform the way we do business,” said Jay Bray, Chairman and CEO of Nationstar. “We took a look in the mirror and realized that in order to build trust with homeowners and those who wish to own a home one day, our organization and our industry needed a change. Mr. Cooper is a symbol of the transformation we’re undergoing to create an incredible customer experience.”

More than just a brand name change, the company has made significant investments in its team, technology and processes to ensure customers have a caring, transparent and seamless experience that best fits their needs.

Customer Experience:

• The company eliminated all online transaction fees for on-time payments, enhancing the customer experience.
• Additionally, in the past year alone, team members across the entire company engaged in more than 50,000 hours of incremental customer experience training to ensure everyone is equipped with the tools and resources needed to deliver the Mr. Cooper promise.

Tools and Technology:

• Mr. Cooper is investing in research and development, coupling the latest technology with a personal and customized experience. On top of a completely upgraded user-friendly website, the company rolled out Street Smarts^TM from Mr. Cooper^SM, a digital home loan advisor that can deliver custom insights on a customer’s loan, home and neighborhood all through the ease of the company’s website and mobile app.
• In the near future, Mr. Cooper will be launching an exciting new technology that will further help current customers and prospective homeowners optimize their household finances.
• Mr. Cooper will be offering a unique service to homebuyers and sellers that allows them access to a panel of qualified local real estate agents in their area and may also allow them to earn cash rebates at the sale or purchase of a home.

Mr. Cooper Home Rewards Credit Card:

• Mr. Cooper customers will soon be able to apply for a credit card that offers rewards to be applied to the principal balance of their home loan with Mr. Cooper.

After vetting name options with customers, the name Mr. Cooper was selected to personify the next generation of home loan servicing and lending. It represents a more personal relationship customers can have with their home loan company by recognizing the critical role of a customer advocate in delivering a positive home loan experience.

“Driven by our purpose to keep the dream of homeownership alive, each of our 7,000 team members strives every day to emulate the core values of Mr. Cooper as we continue on our journey to put the service back in servicing,” said Bray.

Mr. Cooper Team in Chennai:

Nationstar commenced operations in Chennai, India, in late 2015 and currently employs approximately 600 team members on the Mr. Cooper team supporting product development, technology and corporate functions. To celebrate the launch of Mr. Cooper, Ramesh Lakshminarayanan, Executive Vice President and Chief Business and Analytics Officer, will visit the Chennai office.

“With a focus on technology development and process reengineering, our team in Chennai plays a meaningful and important role in our transformation to Mr. Cooper,” said Lakshminarayanan. “Our customers want to manage their mortgage digitally, so we are building tools using the latest technology to give our customers a better home loan experience.”

Customers can visit www.mrcooper.com to learn more about the brand transformation. Other Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc. brands that will not be impacted and will continue operating under their current brand names include Champion Mortgage and Xome®.

About Mr. Cooper

Mr. Cooper is the consumer brand for the forward mortgage servicing and originations operation of Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc. (NYSE: NSM). Based in Dallas, Texas, Mr. Cooper is one of the largest home loan servicers in the country focused on delivering a variety of servicing and lending products, services and technologies to make the home loan process more rewarding and less worrisome. Please visit www.mrcooper.com for the latest news and information.

About Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc.

Based in Dallas, Texas, Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc. (NYSE: NSM) provides quality servicing, origination and transaction based services related principally to single-family residences throughout the United States. Please visit www.nationstarholdings.com for the latest news and information about Nationstar.

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Mr. J A Chowdary, IT Advisor to the Government of Andhra Pradesh addressing the Fintech Valley Vizag press conference in Mumbai

• Launches BFSI Use Case Repository and Fintech Valley Accelerator Program
• Rolls out the strategic program in collaboration with 14 corporate partners 

BMI Research today announced that it has been named to The Silicon Review’s ‘50 Innovative Companies to Watch’ list for 2017. Published annually, the list recognises companies around the world that successfully deliver creative and innovative solutions and add value to their core constituents. BMI Research has been recognised for its customer retention record, approach to customer solutions and track record of collaboration.

“The 50 Innovative Companies to Watch list identifies companies that successfully bring solutions to the IT and Business world,” said Sreshtha Banerjee, Editor-in-Chief of The Silicon Review Magazine. “Winning a spot on this list indicates the company has distinguished itself from peers and demonstrated value in terms of service quality, vast customer base, innovation, and market position,” Ms. Banerjee added. “We selected BMI Research based on its customer retention health, open innovation, partnerships/collaborations, financial status, and the ability to overcome uncertainties.”

“We are honoured to be recognised by The Silicon Review Magazine as the one of the 50 Innovative Companies to Watch in 2017,” said Ranjit Tinaikar, President of Fitch Information Services. “From producing unique market insights to delivering client focused solutions through our Fitch Connect platform, BMI is committed to innovation at every step of the way.”

“The Silicon Review is a highly respected publication in the technology space, and this recognition is a wonderful testament to our people and their relentless focus on our clients,” added Terry Alexander, Managing Director, BMI Research.

The Silicon Review is a platform that shares innovative enterprise solutions developed by established and up-and-coming providers. Its community of readers includes CEOs, CIOS, CTOs and IT professionals.

To read more about BMI Research in The Silicon Review, please visit the website (http://thesiliconreview.com/magazines/bringing-a-unique-approach-to-understand-the-changing-market-environment-bmi-research/)

About BMI Research:

BMI Research is an independent provider of country risk and industry analysis, covering 22 industries and 200 global markets. A unit of Fitch Group’s information services business, BMI Research is committed to delivering comprehensive data, analytics and forecasting solutions to help improve the financial and operational performance of its clients. The world’s most renowned financial institutions, corporations and governments rely on BMI’s macroeconomic and political risk coverage, breadth of industry data and financial market analysis to inform their decision making. www.bmiresearch.com

About Fitch Group:

Fitch Group is a leading independent provider of essential financial information and services to the global financial markets, including credit ratings, research, analytical tools, data, and education. With operations in more than 30 countries, Fitch Group is comprised of: Fitch Ratings, a global leader in credit ratings and research; Fitch Solutions, a leading provider of credit market data, analytical tools and risk services; BMI Research, an independent provider of country risk and industry analysis specializing in emerging and frontier markets; and Fitch Learning, a preeminent training and professional development firm. Fitch Group is majority owned by Hearst.

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MetLife announced today that Joyce Au-Yeung has joined the company as vice president, Head of Health covering the Asia region. Au-Yeung will be based in Hong Kong and will report to Serge Raffard, MetLife senior vice president and Regional Head of Strategy, Product, Health for Asia.

"I am pleased that Joyce is joining the MetLife Health team in Asia," said Raffard. "Health is a centre piece of our regional strategy, and we are investing in resources and capabilities to adapt our offering to suit the changing needs and wants of the customer. Joyce’s broad based expertise and understanding of the health insurance business will be advantageous as we bolster the range of health services along the Care Pathway for serious diseases and develop our digital capabilities around health."

Au-Yeung joins from FWD Insurance where she served as the Group Vice President, Distribution strategy focusing on the development and regional deployment of the omni –channel distribution model across Asia. Prior to that role, she was the Chief Officer – Health Business at Sovereign, the insurance arm of Commonwealth Bank of Australia and was based in New Zealand where Au-Yeung was responsible for the establishment of their vertically integrated health business and digital platform. Earlier in her career, Au-Yeung held various roles in areas such as M&A, strategy and actuarial consulting.

Au-Yeung holds a Bachelor of Laws/ Bachelor of Commerce (Actuarial Studies) from the University of Melbourne, Australia and is an alumnus from Melbourne Business School, Australia from where she holds an MBA (Senior Executive). She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries Australia (FIAA) and a legal practitioner admitted in the Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia.

About MetLife

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates (“MetLife”), is one of the world’s leading financial services companies, providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to help its individual and institutional customers navigate their changing world. Founded in 1868, MetLife has operations in more than 40 countries and holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com.

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EMQ and Globe Telecom's mobile commerce subsidiary G-Xchange Inc.,announced a partnership that would further expand EMQ’s reach in the Philippines through GCash, offering overseas workers greater flexibility and convenience.

“Remittances provide a lifeline for millions of households and drive financial inclusion in the developing countries such as the Philippines, currently the third largest recipient of remittances according to the World Bank,” said Max Liu, Co-founder and CEO of EMQ. “Our expansion with GCash complements our existing capabilities in the Philippines, while offering the best possible choices and flexibility for the overseas workers to send money home effortlessly within minutes.”

With the partnership, EMQ users can now send money to users with GCash accounts, where the recipients can pay bills and make online purchases, buy load or cash out at over 7,000 GCash payment outlets across the Philippines.

“We always strive to create the highest customer value with our innovative solutions and EMQ shares our passion,” said Albert Tinio, CEO of G-Xchange, Inc. “Our strategic partnership with EMQ would further boost mobile wallets usage and accelerate local economic growth. But most importantly, we want to ensure that Filipinos who rely on remittances from their loved ones overseas will receive their money fast and securely without any hassle.”

EMQ currently has footprint in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines, with plans underway to expand across other key business markets first in Asia and then globally, covering North America, Europe and the Middle East. GCash international partners has over 1,000,000 outlets worldwide with over 7,000+ GCash Partner Outlets across the Philippines.

About EMQ

Headquartered in Hong Kong, EMQ is a financial technology startup that is building a financial network across Asia with a focus on remittance. With a footprint across Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines, the company partners with financial institutions and other strategic partners in each country to enable and settle cross-border remittance via banks and various modes for top-up and cash pickup. The company received its Money Service Operator license from the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department in September 2014 and its Fund Transfer Operator license from Bank Indonesia in March 2017. For more information, www.emq.com

About GCash

GCash is an internationally-acclaimed micropayment service that transforms the mobile phone into a virtual wallet for secure, fast, and convenient money transfer. GCash can be used to buy prepaid load, pay bills, send money, make donations, shop online, and even purchase goods without the need to bring any cash. For more information, please visit https://www.globe.com.ph/gcash.

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