SINGAPORE, Nov. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Yokogawa Engineering Asia (“Yokogawa”) and Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have signed a Master Research Collaboration Agreement (MRCA) to jointly explore climate technology solutions and next-generation process manufacturing innovations in sensing, measurement, control, and automation.

Through this strategic partnership, the organisations aim to co-develop technologies that reduce emissions, optimise operations, and improve energy efficiency, helping to accelerate decarbonisation across key process manufacturing sectors. These include oil and gas, petrochemical, chemical, and pharmaceutical production that transform raw materials through continuous chemical or physical processes.

A key focus of the collaboration is fostering early industry adoption. Yokogawa and A*STAR will work towards collaborating with innovative partners to co-develop and promote these solutions ready for large-scale adoption of sustainable industrial operations.

The partnership also aims to advance process automation through open, interoperable, and modular systems that help industries transition to smarter, more autonomous operations. These solutions will be positioned for deployment across industrial clusters in Singapore and the broader Southeast Asia region.

“We are bridging the gap from ideation to commercialisation with AI-powered and data-driven technologies that enhance operational efficiency and cut carbon emissions. This collaboration strengthens our commitment to helping customers across Asia achieve their sustainability goals and turning innovation into impact while building future-proof resilient operations,” said Mr. Chay Kin Wah, President and CEO of Yokogawa Engineering Asia.

With more than 110 years of experience and a regional presence spanning Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Taiwan, Yokogawa delivers automation and control solutions across the energy, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. In Singapore, Yokogawa’s Co-Innovation Centre and newly launched Sustainability Incubation Hub drive R&D and co-creation in AI, IoT, data analytics, and clean technology, building on the company’s 51-year commitment to the region’s innovation ecosystem.

“A*STAR works closely with global technology leaders like Yokogawa to translate innovation into real-world industrial impact. By combining A*STAR’s multi-disciplinary strengths with Yokogawa’s deep industry expertise and strong innovation presence in Singapore, we hope to co-develop solutions that help companies reduce emissions, improve efficiency, and accelerate their journey towards net zero.”, said Dr Lim Keng Hui, Assistant Chief Executive, Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC), A*STAR 

About Yokogawa

Yokogawa provides advanced solutions in the areas of measurement, control, and information to customers across a broad range of industries, including energy, chemicals, materials, pharmaceuticals, and food. Yokogawa addresses customer issues regarding the optimization of production, assets, and the supply chain with the effective application of digital technologies, enabling the transition to autonomous operations.

Founded in Tokyo in 1915, Yokogawa continues to work toward a sustainable society through its 17,000+ employees in a global network of 128 companies spanning 62 countries. For more information, visit www.yokogawa.com.

An Urban Ecotourism Destination Where Nature and People Coexist

ULSAN, South Korea, Nov. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Samho Migratory Bird Park in Ulsan’s Nam-gu District is an ecological destination where nature and people coexist within the city. Every winter, approximately 40,000 rooks flock, filling the sky in mesmerizing formations at sunset.

From early October to early March, these rook murmurations create a natural spectacle that attracts visitors, establishing the area as a premier winter ecotourism site.

Positioned in the lower basin of the Taehwagang River, the park offers an ideal environment for migratory birds, with its mild climate, abundant food sources, and predator-free surroundings. More than just a habitat, it integrates ecology, culture, and tourism, providing a space for education, recreation, and sustainable interaction with nature.

A standout attraction is the “Sound Walking” program offered in the Samho Bamboo Forest. Participants wear directional microphones and headsets to immerse themselves in the sounds of wind, water, and bird calls, guided by ecological interpreters. This experience has become a signature healing program for visitors seeking peace in nature.

Located near the park’s south entrance, the Migratory Bird Center serves as both an educational and experiential facility highlighting the ecology of the Taehwagang River and the dynamic movements of migratory birds. The five-story building features an exhibition hall, 5D theater and VR experience zone, a bird café, and an observatory. It regularly hosts exhibitions, birdwatching programs, and educational activities. Since 2023, it has also operated the Children’s Birdwatching Club in collaboration with local elementary schools, encouraging students to observe migratory birds and record ecological journals to foster environmental awareness.

Nearby, the Samho Migratory Bird Guesthouse allows visitors to watch the murmurations from a rooftop observatory and enjoy early-morning birdwatching. Combining accommodation with nature activities, it offers a stay-over ecotourism model.

Nam-gu continues to protect its natural environment through various initiatives – from deploying cleaning vehicles to minimize rook droppings, to conducting habitat research and conservation. These efforts have established the rook murmurations above Samho Bamboo Forest as a symbol of the district’s winter ecotourism appeal and its broader vision as a model eco-city.

Anchored by VisionX Engine, a real-time risk-intelligence engine, StableX Network bridges traditional finance and Web3 through a regulated, interoperable network that delivers instant, compliant, and cost-efficient settlements, empowering SMEs and financial institutions to move liquidity seamlessly across borders.

SINGAPORE, Nov. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — MetaComp Pte Ltd (MetaComp), the digital payment arm of Alpha Ladder Group Pte Ltd (Alpha Ladder Group), announced the official launch of its StableX Network at the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) 2025, marking a new chapter in cross-border finance where compliance, intelligence, and interoperability converge to make payments faster, safer, and smarter.

StableX Network is built on MetaComp’s Web2.5 integrated model, representing a milestone in the company’s mission to build a trusted bridge between traditional finance and Web3. At the heart of the StableX Network are two proprietary engines that power its intelligence and efficiency — StableX Engine and VisionX Engine.

StableX Engine is the network’s proprietary FX infrastructure and the essential Web 2.5 bridge that enables instant, low-cost liquidity movement. The Engine executes T+0 settlement across all major conversion types — fiat-fiat, fiat-stablecoin, and stablecoin-stablecoin. Leveraging smart programming, it automatically selects the most cost- and time-efficient pathway, whether through traditional SWIFT rails or regulated stablecoin networks.

Complementing it is VisionX Engine, MetaComp’s proprietary real-time risk-intelligence system that connects Web2/Fiat monitoring with Web3/Stablecoin/Crypto behavioural analytics, ensuring that bad actors cannot exploit gaps between the two worlds. VisionX Engine continuously screens, scores, and validates every transaction so that instant settlements remain not only fast but fully compliant across both traditional and blockchain rails.

As one of the industry’s first unified compliance intelligence systems, VisionX Engine embeds Know-Your-Transaction (KYT) insights directly into the payment flow, delivering the transparency and trust that make real-time payments truly institution-grade. By building this compliant bridge between traditional banking rails and blockchain liquidity pools, MetaComp delivers sophisticated financial engineering that makes complexity invisible to users — keeping the experience instant, transparent, and secure.

StableX Network is designed for and with partners of MetaComp, including Banks, Payment Service Providers (PSPs), Stablecoin Issuers, Web3 Institutions, and Database Providers. StableX Network connects regulated financial systems with blockchain-based infrastructure, transforming dormant liquidity into continuous, 24/7 cross-border efficiency — all within institutional-grade compliance frameworks.

Bridging the Global Payments Gap — Especially for Payment Service Providers

Global trade continues to expand, projected by the World Trade Organization to exceed USD 33 trillion in 2025, yet cross-border payments remain fragmented and costly. Transactions can take up to two days to clear, with average fees as high as 6.2%, and delays and costs that hit Payment Service Providers and their clients, including small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs), the hardest.

By combining instant settlement, integrated compliance, and Web2.5 interoperability, StableX Network directly addresses these structural inefficiencies, offering PSPs and their clients a smarter, more inclusive way to transact globally.

Key features of StableX Network include:

StableX Engine –

• T+0 settlement at a fraction of the cost of traditional cross-border payments
• Smart Path Selection using both SWIFT and stablecoin rails
• Built-in regulatory adherence for smooth transactions

VisionX Engine –

• Unified Web 2.5 intelligence linking fiat and crypto for comprehensive compliance monitoring
• Multi-source KYT engine to unify data and standardize risk
• Web 2.5 risk engine & dynamic CRR for end-to-end monitoring
• Shared Intelligence Network for a unified and real-time collaboration for compliance purposes
• Global Know-Your-Customer (KYC) account with a single verified identity that can access multiple services, reducing duplication and cost.

“We’re not just speeding up payments,” said Ms Tin Pei Ling, Co-President of MetaComp. “We’re reshaping the foundation of financial connectivity, where real-time, regulated, and risk-intelligent transactions become the new global standard. For Payment Service Providers, that means faster access to capital, improved cash flow, and a level playing field in international trade.”

Singapore’s Blueprint for Regulated Innovation

The launch of StableX Network comes as global regulators define new frameworks for stablecoin and digital asset oversight. From Europe’s MiCA regime to Asia’s progressive sandbox models, the next phase of financial evolution hinges on balancing speed with safety.

By embedding real-time compliance intelligence into its core, StableX Network positions MetaComp at the forefront of regulated fintech innovation, ensuring financial inclusion for both institutions and emerging-market SMEs that have historically struggled with liquidity gaps and high settlement costs.

“Singapore has demonstrated that regulation and innovation can advance together,” said Dr Bo Bai, Chairman and Co-Founder of Alpha Ladder Group. “StableX Network embodies that philosophy, creating the infrastructure where trust is programmable, compliance is continuous, and cross-border finance becomes truly borderless.”

Beyond Payments: Powering the Next Layer of Institutional Finance

MetaComp’s longer-term roadmap extends beyond payments, with infrastructure that can power future services such as treasury management, liquidity optimisation, and risk analytics across an integrated Web2.5 financial ecosystem.

MetaComp and its affiliated entities under Alpha Ladder Group hold a portfolio of licenses across 3 licence categories covering 10 regulated activities under the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). These include Dealing in Digital Payment Tokens (DPT), Cross-border Money Transfer, Capital Market Services and Recognised Market Operator reinforcing StableX Network’s credibility as a regulated, bank-friendly cross-border rail.

As a regulated innovation born in Singapore, StableX Network reflects the nation’s role as a proving ground for the future of finance, where financial intelligence and institutional integrity move as one. As MetaComp expands across APAC, the Middle East, and Latin America, it remains focused on enabling every enterprise, from global banks, payment services providers, and Web3 Institutions to enterprises, to participate in a smarter, faster, and more trusted financial network.

About MetaComp Pte. Ltd.

MetaComp is a leading licensed cross-border FX and digital assets infrastructure provider headquartered in Singapore and licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) under the Payment Services Act 2019. Operating on a P2B2C (platform-to- business/partners-to-clients) model, MetaComp empowers institutions, payment service providers, fintechs, and global enterprises to navigate the evolving cross-border payments and the digital asset economy with confidence.

With a strong emphasis on compliance, security, and institutional-grade infrastructure, MetaComp delivers an end-to-end suite of digital finance solutions — including OTC and exchange trading, fiat payment rails, regulated digital asset custody, and prime brokerage services. MetaComp is a subsidiary of Alpha Ladder Finance Pte. Ltd., a MAS-licensed Capital Markets Services (CMS) licensee and Recognised Market Operator (RMO).

Through its proprietary Client Asset Management Platform (CAMP), MetaComp provides a secure, integrated environment that bridges traditional finance with digital assets.

MetaComp’s latest innovation, StableX, is a next-generation cross-border FX and liquidity routing infrastructure designed to simplify and accelerate global fund flows. Powered by stablecoins and USD, StableX intelligently optimises multi-currency conversions and settlements, enabling faster, more cost-effective, and highly competitive cross-border transactions. As the FX layer within CAMP, StableX combines the programmability of digital assets with the reliability of regulated infrastructure, delivering a scalable, compliant and seamless ecosystem for the future of global finance.

To learn more about MetaComp and its regulated infrastructure and solutions, visit www.mce.sg or follow us on Twitter @MetaCompHQ.