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Choco Up Appoints Head of Corporate Strategy, Chief Risk Officer, and Country Head Australia Ahead of APAC Expansion


SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 8 January 2026 – Choco Up, Asia’s leading growth financing platform for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), today announced three strategic leadership appointments as part of its ambitious expansion across Asia-Pacific. These hires position the company to scale sustainably as a trusted financing partner within the region for the SME ecosystem.

Leadership changes span corporate strategy, risk governance, and market execution to drive hyper business growth
Leadership changes span corporate strategy, risk governance, and market execution to drive hyper business growth

To date, the company has supported 1,000 SMEs across Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia. It has deployed growth capital to businesses in e-commerce, software-as-a-service, and technology-driven sectors.

With the expanded leadership structure in place, strategic planning and risk governance will be centralised. Local market execution will be strengthened to support disciplined regional scale.

Strengthening Strategy and Governance
Koichi Saito has been appointed Head of Corporate Strategy, bringing over 20 years of experience across corporate planning, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), capital markets, and venture building in Asia-Pacific.

As Founder and General Partner of KK Fund, a leading seed-stage VC firm focused on Southeast Asia, Mr Saito has worked closely with founders across scaling operations, entering new markets, and navigating complex cross-border environments. His earlier career includes roles at ORIX Group, private equity with George Soros’ IHG, investment banking at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, and venture capital at IMJ Investment Partners, where he backed category-defining startups. Across his investment career, he has led investments in more than 30 companies and advised on cross-border expansion across the region.

With the new appointment, Mr Saito will shape the company’s long-term strategy, forge strategic alliances, and drive the company’s next phase of regional dominance.

Elevating Risk as a Core Growth Function
Kitti Chiraseivinupraphand has been promoted to Chief Risk Officer as the company scales transaction volume and expands across multiple Asia-Pacific markets.

Mr Chiraseivinupraphand joined the company in 2021 as Head of Risk and brings over 20 years of experience in corporate banking risk management across Asia. Prior to joining, he held senior roles at Bangkok Bank Co. and holds an MBA from Boston College. Since joining, he has played an instrumental role in developing Choco Up’s AI-powered credit assessment framework, enabling same-day approvals while maintaining rigorous controls.

In his expanded role, Mr Chiraseivinupraphand will continue to advance risk governance and risk technology, ensuring consistency, resilience and control as operations accelerate.

Strengthening Market Execution in Australia
Bart Joanilho will take on the role of Country Head, Australia, as the company continues to deepen its presence and operating footprint in the Australian market.

He has led the Australian business since its market entry in 2023. Mr Joanilho brings over 15 years of experience as a serial entrepreneur across property, food and beverage and e-commerce, combined with deep expertise in tech ecosystem partnerships. Since spearheading Choco Up’s market entry, he has driven enormous growth to the Australian businesses through innovative go-to-market strategies and localisation efforts.

As Country Head, Mr Joanilho will continue to deepen local partnerships and oversee market execution in Australia, ensuring alignment with the company’s broader priorities.

“Koichi, Kitti, and Bart each bring experience that is important to how we operate today,” said Percy Hung, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Choco Up. “As we expand across markets, aligning strategy, risk management and local execution becomes increasingly important. This leadership structure gives us the confidence to support SMEs more effectively as we propel towards becoming the go-to financing partner for APAC’s SMEs and e-commerce merchants.”
Hashtag: #ChocoUp #Leadership



The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Choco Up

Choco Up is a global technology and financial services platform that offers alternative financing and growth solutions for SMEs. With data analytics and machine learning at its core, Choco Up employs vast integrations to automate fund deployment, providing fast-growing companies with zero-equity funding in a quick and seamless manner. Choco Up has offices in Singapore and Hong Kong and serves businesses with smart-growth analytics and global payment solutions to fuel their growth.

Invitation to presentation of EQT AB’s Year-end Report 2025

STOCKHOLM, Jan. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — EQT AB’s Year-end Report 2025 will be published on Thursday 22 January 2026 at approximately 07:00 CET. EQT will host a conference call at 08:30 CET to present the report, followed by a Q&A session.

The presentation and a video link for the webcast will be available here from the time of the publication of the Year-end Report.

To participate by phone and ask questions during the Q&A, please register here in advance. Upon registration, you will receive your personal dial-in details.

The webcast can be followed live here and a recording will be available afterwards.

Information on EQT AB’s financial reporting

The EQT AB Group has a long-term business model founded on a promise to its fund investors to invest capital, drive value creation and create consistent attractive returns over a 5 to 10-year horizon. The Group’s financial model is primarily affected by the size of its fee-generating assets under management, the performance of the EQT funds and its ability to recruit and retain top talent.

The Group operates in a market driven by long-term trends and thus believes quarterly financial statements are less relevant for investors. However, in order to provide the market with relevant and suitable information about the Group’s development, EQT publishes quarterly announcements with key operating numbers that are relevant for the business performance (taking Nasdaq’s guidance note for preparing interim management statements into consideration). In addition, a half-year report and a year-end report including financial statements and further information relevant for investors is published. Finally, EQT also publishes an annual report including sustainability reporting.

Contact:
Olof Svensson, Head of Shareholder Relations, +46 72 989 09 15
EQT Shareholder Relations, shareholderrelations@eqtpartners.com
Rickard Buch, Head of Corporate Affairs, +46 72 989 09 11
EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com, +46 8 506 55 334

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https://news.cision.com/eqt/r/invitation-to-presentation-of-eqt-ab-s-year-end-report-2025,c4289352

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Elitery Secures Second Great Place To Work® Certification, Strengthening Its Foundation for Regional Expansion

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Jan. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Elitery (PT Data Sinergitama Jaya, Tbk, IDX: ELIT), a leading IT Managed Services provider, announces its official recertification as a Great Place to Work® (GPTW) for 2026. This recognition arrives during a milestone year marked by rapid international expansion and multiple industry accolades.

Elitery Great Place To Work 2026
Elitery Great Place To Work 2026

Based on an independent Trust Index© survey, 88% of Elitery employees confirmed the company is a great place to work, far exceeding the global average of 59%. This reflects ELIT‘s success in maintaining a high-trust, people-centric culture while scaling operations globally.

Elitery’s strong workplace foundation has also supported its expansion into the Malaysian market through the establishment of Elitery Global Technology Sdn. Bhd. and key local partnerships. The company is extending its advanced cloud, cybersecurity, and AI-driven solutions to empower regional digital transformation. In line with its vision to foster innovation and education, Elitery also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sunway University to advance digital learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiatives across Southeast Asia.

Beyond its cultural and regional achievements, the year 2025 has further underscored Elitery’s commitment to excellence and leadership across multiple sectors. A major highlight was receiving the Jakarta Investment Award (JIA) 2025, which recognizes Elitery’s significant contribution to the city’s economic growth and investment climate. This was complemented by winning the Indonesia Industrial Services Awards (IdSAs) 2025, solidifying Elitery’s position as a premier provider of industrial-grade IT managed services.

Earlier in the year, Elitery achieved the Google Cloud Security – Services Partner Specialization, demonstrating its deep expertise in cloud security. This excellence is also reflected in individual leadership recognition across the organization. Erwin Damar Prasetyo, Director of Elitery, was honored as Indonesia’s Best CFO 2024, while Astrid Erawan, Corporate Secretary of Elitery, was named a Corporate Secretary Champion 2025 by the SWA Awards, recognizing her role in strengthening governance and transparency.

“2025 has been a milestone year for Elitery. Receiving our second Great Place to Work® certification with an 88% satisfaction rate, reaffirms that our growth is driven by the happiness, trust, and commitment of our people.” said Kresna Adiprawira, President Director of Elitery. “At Elitery, we believe that empowering our people through our 5C’s DNA and a flexible ‘Work-From-Anywhere’ culture is what enables us to achieve such significant milestones, from expanding into Malaysia to being recognized as leaders in corporate governance and cloud security. As we grow internationally, our people remain our greatest competitive advantage.”

By nurturing an environment of Credibility, Respect, Fairness, Pride, and Camaraderie, Elitery continues to attract top tech talent, driving digital transformation across the region.

About Elitery

Elitery (PT Data Sinergitama Jaya Tbk, IDX: ELIT) is a leading IT Managed Services provider specializing in cloud and cybersecurity. With 14+ years of experience and a strategic partnership with Google Cloud, ELIT manages mission-critical systems for millions of users. Recognized as a Great Place to Work and a two-time Google Cloud Public Sector Partner of the Year (2023-2024), ELIT is committed to driving secure digital transformation across the Asia-Pacific region.

Media Contact: Astrid Erawan, Corporate Secretary PT. Data Sinergitama Jaya, Tbk. Email: corsec@elitery.com Website: www.elitery.com

CHiQ Named One of the “2025-2026 Global Smart Home Brands Top 10” at CES


LAS VEGAS, US – Media OutReach Newswire – 8 January 2026 – On January 7 local time, CHiQ was honored with the “2025-2026 Global Smart Home Brands Top 10” award at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. The award underscores CHiQ’s ongoing progress in smart home innovation and its commitment to enhancing the user experience.

CHiQ Named One of the “2025-2026 Global Smart Home Brands Top 10” at CES

As one of the world’s largest and most influential technology exhibitions, CES brings together leading tech companies and industry experts across the globe. The award evaluates brands based on technological innovation, product experience, commercial scalability, and industry impact, offering insight into trends within the global smart home and consumer electronics markets.

The recognition reflects CHiQ’s steady progress in smart home innovation and its growing presence on the global tech stage. With a long-term focus on core household scenarios, CHiQ continues to build intelligent home solutions across key categories—including TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, and washing machines—integrating AI technology, smart connectivity, and human-centric design.

Mr. James Wu, General Manager of Changhong International Brand Communication Center, remarked: “Earning a place among the ‘2025-2026 Global Smart Home Brands Top 10’ highlights CHiQ’s steady advancement in smart‑home innovation. We will continue building on this momentum, developing user‑focused products and services that enhance everyday living for households worldwide.”

At CES 2026, CHiQ showcased a full portfolio of AI-powered home appliances, including TVs, air conditioners, refrigerators, and washing machines. Through intelligent sensing, natural interaction, and multi-scenario coordination, CHiQ’s AI appliances enhance convenience and comfort in everyday living. The display reflects the brand’s holistic vision for smart home and its deep systematic understanding of user needs, drawing strong interest from international visitors and industry professionals.

Powered by AI-driven innovation, CHiQ is steadily building a global smart-living ecosystem. Its products and services now span major markets across Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, supported by a robust global channel network and a growing user base. With a coordinated online and offline strategy, the brand continues to deepen its engagement with consumers worldwide.

Looking ahead, CHiQ will accelerate its global expansion, connecting with more users through youthful, intelligent products and refined experiences. With high-quality offerings and reliable services, CHiQ aims to explore the limitless possibilities of smart living together with consumers around the world.

Hashtag: #Changhong

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Astronergy Launches ASTRO N7 Pro to Unleash Pro Performance

HANGZHOU, China, Jan. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On January 7th, Astronergy officially launched ASTRO N7 Pro, the company’s next-generation PV modules designed to set new benchmarks in power output, efficiency, and long-term system value. Featuring a power output of up to 670W and a maximum efficiency of 24.8%, ASTRO N7 Pro addresses the evolving demands of utility-scale and C&I distributed solar projects globally.

ASTRO N7 Pro
ASTRO N7 Pro

ASTRO N7 Pro is powered by Astronergy’s upgraded TOPCon 5.0+ solar cell technology, integrating industry-leading technologies such as ASP, PF, SNOP. A key upgrade is the adoption of quarter-cut design: quarter-cut cell tech reduces internal current of cells, lowering power loss. Meanwhile, quarter-cut cell layout design effectively reduces the peak hot spot temperature and power loss, improving module reliability and system safety.

In practical operating environments, ASTRO N7 Pro demonstrates strong resilience under partial shading conditions. Its unique circuit design effectively reduces shading impact, enabling up to 20% more power output than half-cut-cell modules when shading occurs.

These modules also deliver reliable performance in low-irradiance and high-temperature conditions. Improved Rsh and fewer current leakage paths enable ASTRO N7 Pro to achieve 6.05% increase in single-watt power gain compared with BC products. This ensures stable energy production during early mornings, late afternoons and cloudy weather. Supported by a temperature coefficient of –0.26%/°C, ASTRO N7 Pro can maintain consistent power generation in regions with high temperatures.

With bifaciality reaching up to 85±5%, ASTRO N7 Pro earns 1–3% additional bifacial power gains over BC products. Its reliability is further reinforced through the quarter-cut cell layout, 20BB design, and a low-temperature & low-stress manufacturing process without flux, which together lead to a more uniform stress distribution, reduced hidden crack risks, and durable long-term performance.

Designed for higher returns across the project lifecycle, ASTRO N7 Pro comes with a 30-year linear power warranty and a 15-year product warranty. Compared with same-size BC modules, there’s a 1.2% increase in both first-year power generation and 30-year cumulative power generation, and LCOE is cut by 1.2%.

ASTRO N7 Pro is more than just a new product series, but Astronergy’s continued focus on customer needs across diverse application scenarios. With the launch of ASTRO N7 Pro, Astronergy keeps powering a sustainable future through innovation, reliability and greater profits.

CHAGEE Releases “2025 Year-End Tea Friends Review”: Global Stores Span 8 Countries Across 2 Continents, Annual Tea Procurement Exceeds 10,000 Tons

SHANGHAI, Jan. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On January 8, 2026, CHAGEE released its 2025 Year-End Tea Friends Review. The Review outlines the company’s growth over the past year, with its store network now operating in eight countries across two continents. Annual tea sourcing volume surpassed 10,000 tons, covering six major tea categories as well as key Pu’er-producing regions, supported by partnerships with more than 100 tea factories.

Global Footprint Reaches Eight Countries; Asia-Pacific Overseas Membership Climbs 177%

The 2025 Year-End Tea Friends Review shows that CHAGEE’s store network currently operates in China, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and the United States. In April, CHAGEE completed its public listing on the NASDAQ exchange (Ticker: CHA), becoming the first freshly made tea beverage brand from China to list on a U.S. stock exchange and one of the largest food and beverage IPOs globally since 2022, according to publicly available market data.

Overseas growth has supported the expansion of CHAGEE’s customer base. According to the Report, membership in Asia-Pacific overseas markets rose 177% year-on-year in 2025, with 61% of members under the age of 30. Member counts in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines increased by approximately 4-fold, 5.4-fold, 20-fold, and 11-fold, respectively. Online engagement related to CHAGEE across international social platforms increased by approximately 250% compared with the prior year. Terms like “tea”, “tea culture”, and “tea-inspired lifestyle” have become popular among young local consumers, positioning tea as a shared point of cultural interest among younger audiences across markets.

BO•YA JASMINE GREEN MILK TEA Gains Worldwide Popularity

As CHAGEE’s global presence grows, BO•YA Jasmine Green Milk Tea continued to gain recognition across international markets. Data from Frost & Sullivan shows that sales of the beverage surpassed 1.25 billion cups between January 2022 and June 2025. The Review indicates BO•YA Jasmine Green Milk Tea ranks among the top-selling products in Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. Preferences vary by region—for instance, consumers in Malaysia and Singapore show greater interest in Peach Oolong Milk Tea—reflecting the company’s strategy of tailoring offerings to local preferences as international operations expand.

In the past year, more than 30 million customers placed single orders for two or more cups of BO•YA Jasmine Green Milk Tea, highlighting shared consumption occasions. Group orders rose notably, with orders exceeding 20 cups increasing by more than 15% and orders over 100 cups rising by more than 40% year-on-year.During the Spring Festival holiday, orders of 50–100 cups surged by as much as 259% year-on-year.

In 2025, BO•YA Jasmine Green Milk Tea received the Best Natural/Organic Beverage award at the World Beverage Innovation Awards. CHAGEE was also recognized in the Best Processing/Production Innovation category and named a finalist for several additional international innovation awards.

Annual Tea Sourcing Holds at 10,000 Tons; Modern Tea Approach Supports Supply Chain Development

Within the tea industry, CHAGEE continues to deepen partnerships with upstream producers. In 2025, the company’s annual tea sourcing remained at approximately the 10,000-ton scale, with partnerships extending to more than 100 tea factories.

Product innovation further links industry capabilities with consumer preferences. Last year, CHAGEE introduced over 20 new products. Within the Fresh Milk Tea series, more than 50% of new releases featured floral or fruit elements. By applying its Fresh Brew technology system, CHAGEE has integrated contemporary extraction techniques into freshly made tea beverage preparation, bringing new flavor expressions to traditional tea leaves.

In 2025, CHAGEE also completed over 10 craftsmanship and process innovation initiatives in collaboration with tea gardens, factories, and research institutions.

The 2025 Year-End Tea Friends Review further notes that CHAGEE now operates more than 25 pet-friendly stores, has supported the construction of 23 children’s playgrounds this year, opened 14 deaf-inclusive silent stores, added 219 new 24-hour locations, and opened new stores at an average rate of one every 1.7 days. Approximately 1340 stores joined CHAGEE’s Night Clean Project, supporting 18,000 store partners complete end-of-day operations on schedule.

“Making Friends Through Tea” is more than a tagline—it reflects CHAGEE’s ongoing approach of building lasting, respectful connections centered on shared tea experiences. Each day, CHAGEE brings people together through a cup of tea.

KLN Received Directors of the Year Awards from HKIoD, Established Excellence and Leadership in Corporate Governance and Sustainable Development

HONG KONG, Jan. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — KLN Logistics Group Limited (‘KLN’; Stock Code 0636.HK) is pleased to announce that Vic Cheung, Executive Director and CEO of KLN has been honoured with the Directors of the Year Awards (the ‘Awards’) in the Listed Companies Executive Directors category at The Hong Kong Institute of Directors (the ‘HKIoD’) Awards for Director Excellence 2025. It recognises KLN’s outstanding performance in corporate governance, director professionalism and sustainable development.

Vic Cheung, Executive Director and CEO of KLN, said, “We are deeply honoured to be recognised by the HKIoD for our commitment to corporate governance and directorship. This recognition serves as a humbling reminder for us to continuously pursue sustainable growth and lead by example. KLN strives to deepen our global coverage while cultivating a fair, inclusive and open workplace culture. Transparent communication across our board and business verticals enables us to build synergy with partners and customers alike, amplifying our international presence. By harmonising responsive action with forward-looking strategies, we strive to balance profitability service excellence and corporate accountability in driving a more sustainable global supply chain.”

The Awards are organised by the HKIoD to honour companies demonstrating excellence across multiple aspects of directorship. Candidates are open to public nomination, with data processed in well-defined and stringent procedures, followed by interviews with independent consultants in utmost due diligence, and finally selected by independent judges with high standards and fair judgment. This makes the Awards one of the highest benchmarks for corporate governance in the industry.

About KLN Logistics Group Limited (Stock Code 0636.HK)
KLN is an Asia-based, global 3PL with a highly diversified business portfolio and extensive coverage in Asia. It offers a broad range of supply chain solutions from integrated logistics, international freight forwarding (air, ocean, road, rail and multimodal) and e-commerce to industrial project logistics and infrastructure investment.

With a global presence across 59 countries and territories, KLN has established a solid foothold in half of the world’s emerging markets. Its diverse infrastructure, extensive coverage in international gateways and local expertise span across the Chinese Mainland, India, Southeast Asia, the CIS, Middle East, LATAM and other locations.

KLN generated a revenue* of close to HK$60 billion in 2024. It is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Benchmark Index.

* For continuing operations only

About The Hong Kong Institute of Directors 
The Hong Kong Institute of Directors aspires to be recognised locally and internationally as an authoritative advocate, influential promoter and dynamic facilitator of excellence in director practices in a multi-cultural environment through education, information, accreditation, value-added service, community integration and communicating cumulative practical experiences. The Hong Kong Institute of Directors aims to advance corporate sustainability to create long-term value for companies, owners, stakeholders, humankind, and Planet Earth, through advocacy and standards-setting in corporate governance and director professionalism.

PROMISE Technology to showcase AI-Ready Storage Infrastructure for Smart City and IVA Surveillance at Intersec Dubai 2026

DUBAI, UAE and HSINCHU, Jan. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — At Intersec Dubai 2026, PROMISE Technology will present live demonstrations of storage systems engineered for the performance demands of AI-driven Intelligent Video Analytics (IVA) surveillance applications. The growing use of AI cameras increases metadata; along with video streams, this amplifies data volume, operational complexity, throughput, and IOPS requirements. As enterprise storage has become a foundational component of modern AI surveillance, the shift from passive video recording to real-time analytics has transformed storage from a simple archive into a high-performance processing engine.

With more than 35 years of experience designing specialized storage for video-intensive applications—including video surveillance, broadcast, and post-production—PROMISE has long focused on enabling real-time data streaming at scale. Across these markets, core performance requirements consistently converge around low latency, sustained throughput, and high IOPS under continuous workloads.

As video surveillance has evolved toward AI-centric architectures, these demands have intensified. Before the widespread adoption of GPUs, NVMe, or ultra-high-speed networking, PROMISE was developing storage architectures optimized to reduce bottlenecks and deliver predictable performance for mission-critical video workloads. PROMISE SmartBoost™ Technology is engineered to support continuous, non-stop video streaming with no frame drop, even under sustained, high-density recording and analytics workloads.

PROMISE combines this deep domain expertise with modern hardware technologies—including NVMe storage, PCIe® 5.0 connectivity, the latest Intel® processors, and high-performance GPUs—to deliver storage platforms optimized for IVA surveillance, AI training, inference, and enterprise data center applications.

At Intersec Dubai 2026, PROMISE Technology will demonstrate solutions designed to address the storage challenges faced by smart city and public safety deployments, including:

  • An AI/IVA-optimized Vess A8110 storage platform running ISS software, designed for sustained high-resolution video ingest and real-time analytics, including face recognition
  • A Vess A8340 system featuring Intel® Xeon® 6 dual CPUs, Milestone VMS, and BriefCam, showcasing low-latency, high-IOPS performance for GPU-accelerated AI/IVA workloads
  • A parallel file system configuration within an EOS (Entirely Open Storage) environment—featuring Metadata Gateway (MGM), QuarkDB (QDB), and File Storage Service (FSS)—using Vess A8110 and GreenBoost™ poweredVTrak J5960 High-Density JBOD, highlighting scalable architecture for continuous surveillance operations and AI training and inference

Visit PROMISE Technology at SA Booth F23 at the Dubai World Trade Centre from January 12 to January 14, 2026.