Healthcare Holding Schweiz AG, a leading service provider and distributor of medical technology in Switzerland, expands its portfolio through the acquisition of a majority stake in Medddbase International AG, which includes Medddbase Schweiz AG and Medddbase Deutschland GmbH. Healthcare Holding Schweiz is managed by Winterberg Advisory GmbH and KKA Partners.

BAAR, Switzerland, Jan. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Healthcare Holding Schweiz AG has successfully acquired a majority interest in Medddbase International AG, headquartered in Buchs, St. Gallen. Medddbase is a highly specialized service provider for the commercialization and logistics of medical products across Switzerland, the European Union, and the United Kingdom. For nearly 20 years, the company has exclusively supported more than 50 global medical technology manufacturers through a network of five locations (including partner sites), handling close to half a million product shipments annually. Medddbase offers a comprehensive suite of services, including company domiciliation, customer support, warehousing and logistics, accounting, legal and regulatory advisory, required ISO certifications, as well as Swiss and EU importer services (CH-IMP, EU-IMP).

Closing in Baar, Switzerland with:Jonas Oggier, Fabian Kröher, Manfred Menzi-Weder, Fabio Fagagnini, Luigi Bivi, Marco Novoselac, Moritz Kornherr, Nick Hartmann

Fabian Kröher, Chairman of the Board of Healthcare Holding Schweiz AG and Partner at Winterberg Group, commented: “With Medddbase International, we are significantly strengthening our value proposition for international medical technology manufacturers. In addition to exclusive distribution capabilities, we will now offer a modular, end-to-end service platform – ranging from CH- and EU-MDR-compliant import services to logistics backbone solutions, customer support, and financial accounting. This allows us to selectively provide individual service components such as logistics or customer service independently of distribution. Through our Healthcare Holding Schweiz subsidiary QUNIQUE, we can also cover key regulatory roles such as Swiss and EU Authorized Representative (CH-REP, EU-REP). As a result, we further consolidate our position as Switzerland’s leading medical technology distributor while creating a highly attractive gateway into the European market – particularly valued by suppliers from North America and Asia.”

Luigi Bivi, Member of the Board of Directors of Medddbase International AG, added: “Over recent years, we have successfully established Medddbase across the DACH region and further strengthened our presence in the UK and other European markets through local partners. Together with Healthcare Holding Schweiz, we can now systematically build on this strong foundation and further expand our role as a go-to-market backbone for international MedTech manufacturers – from import and logistics services to scalable market access models. With such a strong partner at our side, our development will become even faster and more dynamic, which we very much look forward to. Together with my co-founder Manfred Menzi, I will continue to actively support the management team in our role as members of the Board of Directors.”

About Medddbase International AG

Medddbase International AG, headquartered in Buchs, St. Gallen, is a specialized service provider for the commercialization and logistics of medical products for the Swiss, EU, and UK markets. For almost 20 years, the company has exclusively supported more than 50 global medical technology manufacturers across five locations (including partner sites) and manages nearly half a million product deliveries per year. Its service offering includes domiciliation, customer support, warehousing and logistics, accounting, legal and regulatory advisory, ISO certifications, and Swiss and EU importer services (CH-IMP, EU-IMP).

About Healthcare Holding Schweiz AG

Healthcare Holding Schweiz AG is a Buy, Build & Technologize platform and a leading provider of medical technology products and services in Switzerland. The group is based in Baar and pursues an ambitious growth strategy through acquisitions, often in the context of succession arrangements, partnerships, and organic growth. Healthcare Holding Schweiz and its group companies are committed to the highest standards of innovation and customer satisfaction. The group consistently leverages technology to make business processes safer and more efficient. As a market leader, the company sets new standards for the industry and offers employees attractive development opportunities. All of the management team holds shares in Healthcare Holding Schweiz, thus forming a dynamic community of entrepreneurs. Since 2023, the group has been led by CEO Fabio Fagagnini.

About KKA Partners

Founded in 2018, KKA Partners is a Berlin-based lower mid-market private equity firm that invests in leading companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland – the so-called “Mittelstand”. The Founding Partners all have a deep-rooted family and professional heritage in the Mittelstand developed over 20 years in working closely with Mittelstand companies. KKA is at the forefront of the next wave of value creation through Technology Enabled Transformation of the Mittelstand.

About Winterberg Advisory GmbH and Winterberg Group AG

Winterberg Group AG, based in Zug, operates as an independent family office for its founders. Winterberg mainly invests in SMEs in the German-speaking region and selectively considers investments in startups and real estate. Winterberg Advisory GmbH is a general partner and fund manager regulated by the German BaFin. Winterberg Advisory has launched numerous private equity funds and is invested in Healthcare Holding Schweiz AG through its funds Winterberg Investment VIII and Winterberg Investment IX. The two Managing Partners, Fabian Kröher and Florian Brickenstein, manage Healthcare Holding Schweiz AG via its board of directors.

For press inquiries, please contact presse@healthcare-holding.ch

Note for Editors: Please reference Healthcare Holding Schweiz AG for any provided quotes and information.

For more information about Medddbase International AG, visit www.medddbase.com 

For more information about Healthcare Holding Schweiz AG, visit www.healthcare-holding.ch 

For more information about other portfolio companies of Healthcare Holding, visit www.senectovia.ch, www.winthermedical.ch, www.mikrona.com, www.orthowalker.ch, www.mcm-schaublin.ch, www.mvb-med.ch, www.dentalaxess.ch, www.effectum-chrep.com, www.cdpswiss.com, www.aestheticbedarf.ch, www.ftcdental.ch, www.inomedicalsolutions.ch, www.quniquegroup.com, www.kundenservicemanagement.ch, www.sevikamedical.com

For more information about KKA Partners visit www.kkapartners.com and about Winterberg www.winterberg.group.

This press release is issued and distributed by Winterberg Advisory GmbH on behalf of Healthcare Holding Schweiz AG.

LONDON, Jan. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Pole Star Global, a world leader in maritime intelligence and regulatory compliance solutions, today announced the launch of the Maritime Transparency Index (MTI) — a machine learning-powered risk scoring system that transforms maritime compliance from complexity into clarity.

MTI assigns vessels, voyages, and associated parties transparent scores from 0 (Hard Dark) to 5 (Transparent), distilling complex vessel histories, ownership structures, and behavioral anomalies into credit-style ratings that compliance teams, port authorities, and ship owners can act on immediately.

Credit ratings for maritime risk

Similar to financial credit ratings, MTI delivers intuitive risk assessment through a 0-5 scoring scale that compliance and financial teams immediately understand. The proprietary machine learning algorithm analyzes 40,000+ vessels on a quarterly basis — representing 80% of the active commercial fleet — transforming complex vessel behavior, ownership patterns, and operational history into a single, actionable intelligence layer.

MTI’s comprehensive scoring model evaluates maritime risk across three distinct transparency pillars:

Vessel Score — Historical and structural risk indicators including vessel age, ownership transitions, flag changes, sanctions history, port detentions, and recorded deficiencies. Identifies vessels with opaque or high-risk operational histories.

Vessel Position — Analysis of reporting gaps and spoofing activity collected via a mesh of vessel position data including AIS. Evaluates the number of such events, total gap time, number of spoofing events, and other behavioral indicators essential to understanding vessel conduct when underway.

Voyage Score — Behavioral anomalies including port call patterns, time in port, ship-to-ship transfers, slow steaming, unexplained delays, and geographic risk exposure. Critical for detecting suspicious activities during transit.

Machine learning algorithms detect flag hopping, AIS manipulation, dark vessel activity, ownership changes, and deceptive shipping practices automatically — delivering timely intelligence as vessels and behaviors change.

Multi-sector applications

Flag State Administrators leverage MTI to prioritize registry oversight by identifying high-risk vessels requiring immediate inspection. MTI scores enable data-driven intervention strategies and demonstrate registry commitment to international compliance standards.

Port State Control Officers focus inspection resources on vessels with low transparency scores. Pre-arrival risk assessment reduces port congestion while increasing detection of non-compliant vessels and sanctioned activity.

Sanctions Compliance Teams layer transparency scoring with sanctions screening for enhanced due diligence. Low MTI scores trigger deeper investigation into ownership structures, voyage patterns, and associated party relationships.

Shipping Companies — beneficial owners, vessel operators, and managers — leverage high MTI scores to unlock premium charter rates, reduce insurance premiums, minimize port delays, and differentiate fleets in competitive markets requiring validated transparency.

Executive comment

Saleem Khan, Chief Data & Analytics Officer of Pole Star Global, commented:

“Maritime Transparency Index represents a fundamental shift in how the industry approaches vessel risk assessment. By combining machine learning and advanced analytics with 25 years of maritime intelligence expertise, we’ve created a tool that’s as powerful as it is simple to use. MTI applies credit-style scoring to maritime operations, transforming complex data patterns into clear, actionable scores that give compliance teams, flag states, and ship owners a common language for transparency. What once required hours of analysis now takes seconds, enabling our customers to make faster, more informed decisions while reducing exposure to sanctioned vessels and deceptive shipping practices.”

About Pole Star Global

Founded in 1998, Pole Star Global is a leading provider of maritime intelligence and regulatory technology solutions, supporting governments, shipowners, and financial institutions in achieving safety, security, and compliance at sea. Pole Star’s products deliver vessel monitoring, sanctions screening, AI-driven analytics, and data services to over 1,200 organisations worldwide. Headquartered in London, Pole Star operates offices across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Visit www.polestarglobal.com

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Jan. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Perceiving China & Cambodia Cultural Activities were held in Cambodia from December 13 to 16, 2025, injecting new vitality into China–Cambodia friendship and people-to-people exchanges.

Organized by China Intercontinental Press & Media Co., Ltd., the activities featured a cultural bazaar, a China–Cambodia relation symposium, and the launch of the “China–Cambodia Youth Speak” Vlog Competition. The events were supported by multiple Cambodian institutions, including the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia, the National Television of Cambodia, the Royal Academy of Cambodia, and the APSARA National Authority.

The cultural bazaar, featuring nearly 40 booths, attracted large crowds with displays of intangible cultural heritage, cultural and creative products, technological innovations, and specialty foods. Chinese elements such as Hanfu, calligraphy, robots, and intelligent dolls were presented alongside Cambodian traditional crafts, including leather carving, palm-leaf weaving, sampot, and traditional masks, drawing enthusiastic participation and interaction from visitors.

Lasting for two days, the cultural bazaar adopted a people-centered, down-to-earth, and warm approach, attracting a large number of local residents and tourists from various countries to participate voluntarily. It served as a vivid platform for promoting mutual learning among civilizations and enhancing people-to-people friendship.

Va Bophary, an official from Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, said the event not only showcased the distinctive cultures and civilizations of Cambodia and China, but also reflected the long-standing friendship between the two peoples, helping to deepen cultural and emotional ties between the two countries.

Vinh Bun Eang, an official from Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, noted that the joint presentation of Cambodian traditional costumes, exquisite leather carvings and specialty foods alongside Chinese Hanfu, calligraphy and cuisine created a harmonious and vibrant atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges.

During the activities, a China–Cambodia relation symposium was held at the Royal Academy of Cambodia. Co-hosted by the Royal Academy of Cambodia, China Intercontinental Press & Media Co., Ltd., and Jiujiang University, and organized by the Confucius Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, the event focused on the themes of “Deepening Understanding for Balanced Development” and “Cultural Connectivity for Mutual Learning among Civilizations.”

Experts and scholars engaged in in-depth discussions on topics including China–Cambodia strategic cooperation, balanced international relations, people-to-people connectivity, Chinese language education, and tourism cooperation, while also sharing insights within the framework of Belt and Road cooperation.

Dr. Tang Qifang, an associate researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, said that as China–Cambodia relations have been elevated to an all-weather China–Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era, the two sides should further deepen political mutual trust at a higher level, expand higher-quality mutually beneficial cooperation, consolidate higher-level security safeguards, conduct people-to-people exchanges more frequently, and strengthen strategic coordination to higher standards.

Dr. Ka Mathul, Deputy Director International Relations Institute of Cambodia, Royal Academy of Cambodia, shared views on how Cambodia can balance international relations and maintain sound development amid the current geopolitical environment. H.E. Dr. Hong Kim Cheang, Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia, introduced the current situation and future prospects of Chinese language education within Cambodia’s national education system. The symposium provided an important platform for the two countries to deepen strategic coordination and promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges, demonstrating their firm commitment to building a China–Cambodia community with a shared future.

The “China–Cambodia Youth Talk” Vlog Competition was officially launched during the event, with Chinese and international young participants organized to conduct field visits and creative filming at Angkor Wat. The competition aims to encourage youth from both countries to tell stories of China–Cambodia friendship through visual storytelling and showcase achievements in people’s livelihood cooperation. Outstanding entries collected in the follow-up will be showcased on major domestic and international mainstream media as well as new media platforms. Guan Hong, deputy general manager of China Intercontinental Press & Media Co., Ltd., the organizer of the event, said that youth are the hope and backbone of China–Cambodia friendship, expressing the expectation that more touching stories of “China and Cambodia as one family” will be told from a youthful perspective.

Through sustained and diverse activities and multi-dimensional communication, the Perceiving China & Cambodia Cultural Activities will continue to expand the breadth and depth of China–Cambodia people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, consolidate the social foundation of bilateral friendship, promote mutual learning among civilizations, and inject lasting momentum into the long-term and stable development of China–Cambodia relations.

BANGKOK and ANTWERP, Belgium, Jan. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Thailand is set to become the stage for a brand-new chapter in the story of Tomorrowland, as preparations officially bring one of the world’s most iconic music festivals to Asia for the very first time this December 11–13, 2026.

© Tomorrowland

The festival organization has confirmed its partnership with the Thai Government, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), and the operational structure for Tomorrowland Thailand. Chosen over several other Asian destinations, Thailand’s appointment underscores its growing influence on the global stage of music, innovation, and experience-driven tourism. A festival of this magnitude is expected to generate a significant impact on the local and national economy, boosting tourism, hospitality, and creative industries while welcoming festivalgoers from across the globe.

“Hosting Tomorrowland in Thailand marks an important milestone in our ambition to position the country as a leader in global tourism and creative experiences. We look forward to welcoming people from all over the world to discover the beauty, culture, and hospitality of Thailand.”
— Governor Tourism Authority of Thailand

Tomorrowland has confirmed Wisdom Valley in Pattaya (Khao Mai Kaew, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province) as the home of the festival. The 237-acre site (600 rai) will feature several spectacular stages, The iconic CORE and Freedom stages will also appear in Asia for the first time, alongside new stages and experiences created exclusively for Thailand. The festival aims to welcome over 50,000 people per day across three days.

“Expanding Tomorrowland to a new continent is a milestone we approach with great respect and excitement. Thailand feels like the right place, not only because of its beauty and energy, but also because of the shared ambition to create something meaningful and world-class together. This is the beginning of a long-term story.”
— Bruno Vanwelsenaers, CEO WEAREONE.world. 

As preparations accelerate, Tomorrowland’s Belgian organization is working closely with a dedicated local team to bring the festival’s world-renowned expertise in electronic music, stage design, storytelling, and large-scale production to Thailand. The collaboration will ensure that the full signature Tomorrowland experience, known for its groundbreaking stages, imaginative worlds, and exceptional attention to detail, is fully brought to life in Asia. With two festivals in Europe, one in South America, and now the first full-scale Asian edition taking shape, a new piece of the Tomorrowland story is being written. 

APIA, Samoa, Jan. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Phemex, a user-first crypto exchange, has unveiled a strategic dual-track program designed to bolster the trading ecosystem amidst a resurgent crypto landscape in early 2026. By simultaneously launching Apex Competition Season 3 and the New Year Futures Boost, the exchange reinforces its commitment to fostering a meritocratic and resilient trading environment for both professional and emerging traders.

As Phemex’s signature recurring league, Apex Season 3 breaks the traditional “winner-takes-all” mold often dominated by high-capital whales. Through a sophisticated multi-track ranking system — spanning Daily, Weekly, and Monthly leaderboards — the competition levels the playing field. This inclusive structure with a  $450,000 prize pool ensures that success is defined by trading acumen rather than capital depth, allowing truly insightful traders to claim the prestige and rewards they deserve, regardless of their portfolio size.

Complementing the competitive arena, the New Year Futures Boost acts as an incubator for emerging talent. Backed by a $200,000 risk-mitigation fund, this initiative lowers the psychological barriers to entry through profit optimization and loss protection mechanisms. It empowers newer traders to gain real-market experience and build confidence, preparing them for future competitive participation.

The New Year Futures Boost runs until Jan 19, while the Apex Competition continues through Feb 1, 2026. Together, they reflect Phemex’s broader product and platform philosophy: to design trading environments that adapt to different user needs, experience levels, and risk profiles. Phemex aims to create a more accessible, sustainable, and user-centered trading ecosystem, consistent with its positioning as a platform built for users first.

About Phemex
Founded in 2019, Phemex is a user-first crypto exchange trusted by over 10 million traders worldwide. The platform offers spot and derivatives trading, copy trading, and wealth management products designed to prioritize user experience, transparency, and innovation. With a forward-thinking approach and a commitment to user empowerment, Phemex delivers reliable tools, inclusive access, and evolving opportunities for traders at every level to grow and succeed.

For more information, please visit: https://phemex.com/