Winners in Thirteenth Annual Competition to Be Celebrated at 17 April Award Ceremony in Macau

FAIRFAX, Va., Feb. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Winners have been announced in the thirteenth annual Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the only awards program to recognize innovation in the workplace throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region. The list of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners is available at https://Asia.StevieAwards.com.

The Stevie Awards are widely considered the world’s premier business awards, conferring recognition for achievement over the past 24 years through programs such as The International Business Awards® and The American Business Awards®. The name Stevie is derived from the Greek word for “crowned.”

More than 1,000 nominations about innovative achievements from the 29 markets of the APAC region were considered by the judges this year in categories such as Innovative Achievement in Product Innovation, Award for Innovative Management, and Award for Excellence in Innovation in AI Strategy & Implementation, among many others.

The 2026 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards have recognized organizations in 23 markets, including Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, mainland China, France, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan region, Thailand, United States, and Vietnam.  Winners in attendance will be celebrated on stage during a gala event at the Venetian Hotel in Macau, China on Friday, 17 April.

Among the top overall winners in the 2026 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are SM subsidiaries including SM City La Union, SM Foundation, Inc., SM Supermalls and Ripple8, Inc. with 32 Stevie wins from their facilities in China and the Philippines. They won in categories including Award for Innovation in Cultural or Community Events, Award for Innovation in Purpose-Driven Marketing, Innovative Achievement in Diversity & Inclusion, Award for Innovation in Cultural or Community Events, and Award for Innovation in Non-Profit/NGO Publications, among others.

Megaworld Corporation of Taguig City, Philippines and its subsidiaries, including Megaworld Foundation, Inc. and Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, won 19 Stevie Awards in categories including Award for Innovation in AI-Driven Customer Service, Award for Innovation in Lifestyle Videos, Award for Excellence in Innovation in Non-Profit Organizations or NGOs, and Award for Excellence in Innovation in Education, among others.

Other winners of five or more Stevie Awards include IBM (12), Watsons (10), Manila Electric Company (9), PJ Lhuillier Inc. (Cebuana Lhuillier) (9), Tata Consultancy Services / Tata Consumer Products (9), The Catalyst For Lenovo Legion, Lenovo, and Lenovo Technology Sdn Bhd (9), Globe Telecom (8), IntouchCX (8), Kenny Rogers Roasters (7), PLDT and Smart / PLDT Global (7), Cisco Systems Inc. (6), Singapore Telecommunications Limited (6), Aboitiz Construction, Inc. (5), ACCOR (5), Bank of the Philippine Islands (5), and Samsung Electronics Philippines Corporation (5).

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 250 executives worldwide who served as judges from December through February.

The 2026 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards also includes the People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Companies, a worldwide public vote for all nominees in the competition’s Company/Organization categories. Voting will be open 16 February through 13 March 2026. Category winners in the public vote will receive a crystal People’s Choice Stevie Award.

“The thirteenth Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards drew a highly competitive and impressive range of submissions,” said Stevie Awards President Maggie Miller. “Judges noted the strong emphasis on innovation, execution, and measurable impact throughout the nominations. We congratulate this year’s Stevie Award winners and look forward to formally honoring them in Macau on 17 April.”

For details about the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the 17 April awards ceremony in Macau, and the list of Stevie Award winners, visit http://Asia.Stevieawards.com.

About the Stevie® Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in nine programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations and territories. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.

PR Newswire Asia is the official news release distribution partner of the 2026 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.

Contact: Nina Moore, Nina@StevieAwards.com, +1 (703) 547-8389

The new Beyond Borders report identifies five major trends shaping payments in emerging markets: UPI driving local schemes in India, cards growing through installments and debit across LatAm and Africa, Pix leading e-commerce in Brazil, crypto adoption via stablecoins, and AI advancing toward autonomous buying

CURITIBA, Brazil, Feb. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — In the home of UPI, the world’s most-used instant payment system and the backbone of how Indians shop online, the fastest-growing e-commerce payment method is credit cards. Led by domestic networks like RuPay, local cards are expected to expand at a CAGR of 23% through 2028, outpacing UPI itself (15%) and international cards (6%).

The projections are featured in the new edition of Beyond Borders, EBANX’s annual comprehensive study on digital market and payment trends in emerging economies, published today, and are based on Payments and Commerce Market Intelligence (PCMI) data. The business intelligence report offers an in-depth analysis of payment trends in India, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa, with data and expert perspectives on Alternative Payment Methods (APMs), cards, shopping behaviors, B2B e-commerce, and the rise of stablecoins and AI agents as personal buyers.

Click here to access the full Beyond Borders 2026 report for free.

“Our report shows that the global payments industry is undergoing a structural shift, led by emerging markets,” said Eduardo de Abreu, Chief Product Officer (CPO) at EBANX. “To meet the demands of the world’s fastest-growing digital customers, these regions have turned complex local challenges into a blueprint for the future, creating faster and more inclusive ways to pay and shifting the competitive dynamics worldwide.”

The growth of credit cards in India directly reflects this trend. In a country where APMs like UPI account for 75% of e-commerce volume, local providers found new opportunities by embedding themselves into the same rails that consumers already use daily. Under this hybrid model, domestic card schemes are linked to the UPI system, allowing real-time transactions to draw directly on credit limits. As a result, RuPay holds 33% of the Indian card market, ahead of Mastercard (20%) and American Express (4%), trailing only Visa at 43%.

“This is less about displacement and more about convergence,” Abreu emphasized. “As APMs raise the bar by reducing checkout friction and streamlining payment flows, local card schemes are responding by combining card-based credit with instant payments, wallets, and domestic infrastructure—leveraging their deeper understanding of local consumer behavior to scale faster than global rails.”

Cards’ winning moves in LatAm and Africa: installments and debit

Beyond India, this shift is turning cards into more specialised tools within broader, multi-rail payment ecosystems focused on higher-value purchases. In Latin America, they have sustained growth by leveraging the region’s longstanding installment payment culture. EBANX data shows this approach boosts average order values up to 2.7x, allowing cards to remain the backbone of e-commerce in countries like Mexico, Chile, and Peru, accounting for more than 60% of online transactions, per PCMI.

In Nigeria and Egypt, card expansion is being driven by debit, with ownership rising over 10 percentage points from 2021 to 2024, according to Global Findex. As in India, this growth is fueled by the rise of local schemes that leverage their deep understanding of domestic markets to offer tailored solutions, such as reliable processing of very low-value transactions and support for multiple refund paths. Nigeria’s leading scheme, Verve, has issued 100 million cards in a country of 232 million people.

“What determines success for payment methods in emerging markets is how well each system understands local reality,” said Abreu. “Local schemes succeed because they are built around domestic spending habits, regulatory frameworks, and technical constraints. Whether it is an instant payment system, a digital wallet, or a card, scale comes from local intelligence, not global standardisation.”

Pix overtakes cards in Brazil

Unlike UPI in India, Pix remains the fastest-growing payment method among digital consumers in Brazil. The system became the most-used option for online shopping in 2025, ending cards’ long-standing dominance. Last year, 42% of the total value of purchases in the country were paid with Pix, edging out cards at 41%. The new leader will continue to accelerate at a CAGR of 18% through 2028, when it will account for 50% of transactions compared to 36% for cards—a 14 percentage-point gap.

This sustained growth stems not only from volume but from Pix’s rapid evolution beyond one-off payments to support more complex commerce models. Last year, the system introduced recurring transactions with Pix Automático. In operation since June 2025, the feature has been growing at a rate of 41% per month, according to EBANX internal data, driven by the roughly 60 million Brazilians without credit cards who can now access services such as video and audio streaming.

“This growth reinforces that high adoption does not mean saturation. Pix is used by 95% of Brazil’s adult population, yet new demand is unlocked with each additional functionality introduced,” Abreu explained. “That momentum is now extending to businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, which are increasingly adopting Pix and reducing their reliance on corporate credit cards for their B2B purchases.”

EBANX data shows that eight out of ten companies in Brazil using Pix through EBANX are micro-businesses, with 84% of them relying on it to purchase software, opening a previously inaccessible market for global providers.

A similar dynamic is unfolding across other emerging economies. In India, a major global software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that enabled UPI Autopay via EBANX attracted more than 4,000 new customers daily during the first three months. APMs like GCash (Philippines), Mercado Pago (Latin America), Nequi (Colombia), Yape (Peru), OPay (Nigeria), and Capitec Pay (South Africa) are also expanding their ecosystems and seeing growing adoption.

Stablecoins and AI agentic buyers as the next evolution of digital payments

Beyond Borders also highlights how emerging markets are exploring crypto’s value for real-world commerce through stablecoins. They’re used to preserve value, move money efficiently, and enable cross-border transactions in economies facing inflation, currency controls, or high banking costs.

Data from Triple A analysed in EBANX’s study shows that more than 15% of the population in Brazil, Argentina, Thailand, and Vietnam already owns digital currencies, rising to 20% in Turkey. In Argentina, nearly 90% of crypto purchases are made up of dollar-pegged stablecoins.

Another trend explored in Beyond Borders is agentic commerce, where artificial intelligence evolves from a discovery tool to an autonomous buyer. In this model, AI compares prices, selects merchants, and executes transactions end-to-end—often without users visiting websites—making prompt quality and consumer context more decisive than sophisticated storefronts or visual design. Competition shifts towards pricing, availability, reliability, and trust.

McKinsey reports that 20% of consumers would be comfortable having agents complete purchases on their behalf, while Deloitte projects that up to 30% of global e-commerce value could be influenced by this technology by 2030.

“Stablecoins and agentic commerce may seem like separate trends, but they point in the same direction: payments are becoming more programmable, more automated, and less dependent on legacy assumptions. Like APMs before them, these technologies are solving problems traditional rails can’t address—and once again, emerging markets are positioned to lead adoption and shape how they evolve,” Eduardo de Abreu stated.

ABOUT EBANX

EBANX is the leading payments platform connecting global businesses to the world’s fastest-growing digital markets. Founded in 2012 in Brazil, EBANX was built with a mission to expand access to international digital commerce. Leveraging proprietary technology, deep market expertise, and robust infrastructure, EBANX enables global companies to offer hundreds of local payment methods across Latin America, Africa, and Asia. More than just payments, EBANX drives growth, enhances sales, and delivers seamless purchase experiences for businesses and end-users alike.

For further information, please visit:

Website: https://www.ebanx.com/en/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ebanx

Media Contact: 
Shan Huang
shan.huang@ahgstrategies.com 

MANILA, Philippines, Feb. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Fuse Financing Inc., the lending arm of GCash, are set to spur the growth of the Philippine micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) sector with a $30-million landmark loan program, a first-of-its-kind partnership in the Asean fintech landscape.

“This fintech partnership is the first-of-its kind for ADB in the Asean region and marks a significant step in advancing financial inclusion in the Philippines,” said Isabel Chatterton, Director General, Private Sector Operations Department of Asian Development Bank.

There are 1.24 million registered business establishments as of 2024, over 99 percent of which are MSMEs. Yet, access to financing remains a key barrier. According to an ADB study, access to credit and capital ranks as the second most significant challenge for MSMEs, after access to markets. With the lack of access to reliable funding, some small businesses are forced to shut down operations in less than 12 months^[1].

“This investment enables us to accelerate our support for women entrepreneurs and small businesses in underserved areas, sectors with immense potential to drive the country’s long-term growth,” Fuse Financing Inc. President and CEO Tony Isidro said.

“Our partnership with ADB strengthens our company’s foundation for sustainable and inclusive growth. This underscores our commitment to supporting MSMEs’ impact and scale,” Mynt President and CEO Martha Sazon said.

The Mastercard Impact Fund, administered by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth also extended funding  to support Fuse in effectively reaching and serving the priority MSME segments.

This milestone partnership was witnessed by over 250 MSMEs at an event in Taguig City. 10 MSMEs nominated by the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) were awarded capitalization support to help advance their business operations. “More than the scale of financing, what makes this partnership meaningful is its intent: to ensure that capital reaches entrepreneurs who are ready to grow but have long been underserved by traditional systems. By aligning public-sector priorities with private-sector innovation, this collaboration helps widen the path to formal, fair, and sustainable access to finance for MSMEs.” DTI  Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque said.

For more information, please visit www.gcash.com. 

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Feb. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — From 6–8 February 2026, Samurai Paint successfully hosted Asia’s Biggest Automotive Aerosol Spraying Event, a landmark three-day challenge that redefined conventional automotive spray painting. Over the course of the event, 30 full car bodies were resprayed using aerosol cans within a single organised challenge, earning official recognition from Asia Records and ASEAN Records for achieving the Highest Number of Full-Body Car Spray Paints Using Aerosol in a Single Event.

The achievement marks a significant milestone in an industry traditionally dominated by professional workshops reliant on compressor systems and spray guns.

Samurai Paint Chief Executive Officer Ian Ong Yoke En said the initiative was designed to challenge this long-standing norm by introducing an alternative driven by aerosol innovation. Years of research and product development, he explained, have enabled the brand to demonstrate that aerosol spray paint can deliver results comparable to traditional methods, while remaining more accessible to everyday users.

“The challenge provided clear, large-scale proof that full car body respraying no longer needs to be confined to professional workshop environments,” Ong said.

A Challenge Designed for the DIY Community

A defining feature of the event was its participant selection. Rather than engaging professional painters, Samurai Paint invited DIY enthusiasts to take part, reflecting the brand’s commitment to empowering individuals to take control of their own automotive projects.

Careful planning ensured that selected vehicles and participants could complete the full spray process within three days while adhering to structured procedures. Participants were guided through proper surface preparation and application techniques to ensure consistent, high-quality results.

The successful completion of all 30 vehicles demonstrated that, with correct technique and systematic workflows, aerosol-based car painting can achieve professional-level outcomes beyond traditional workshop settings.

Challenging Industry Perceptions

Recognition from Asia Records and ASEAN Records represented more than a numerical milestone. It directly challenged the long-standing perception that aerosol spray paint is unsuitable for full vehicle body applications.

By integrating Samurai’s 2K aerosol spray paint, the patented Aero Gun and Tintatek colour-matching technology, the company demonstrated a new level of precision and performance in aerosol-based automotive finishing. Engineered to deliver professional results straight from the can, Samurai 2K features a built-in two-component system that allows paint and hardener to mix internally, producing durable, bodyshop-quality finishes without specialised equipment.

With proper surface preparation and adequate ventilation, automotive enthusiasts can achieve high-quality, long-lasting results independently. Executed publicly and at scale, the record attempt strengthened confidence in aerosol technology and positioned Samurai Paint as a credible alternative to conventional spray systems.

Sustainability and Long-Term Vision

In conjunction with the event, Samurai Paint reaffirmed its commitment to sustainability through a tree plantation programme at Sireh Park, Iskandar Puteri. Thirty trees were planted to symbolise the 30 vehicles resprayed, underscoring the belief that innovation and environmental responsibility must progress hand in hand.

Education remained central to the Samrai Paint’s strategy, with participants gaining hands-on insights into spray techniques and standard operating procedures. Although held exclusively in Malaysia, Ong described the challenge as the foundation of a long-term initiative, with plans to establish it as an annual event.

With official recognition from Asia Records and ASEAN Records, Samurai Paint has set a new benchmark for aerosol-based automotive painting — reshaping perceptions and expanding the possibilities of modern automotive finishing.

https://samurai2kaerosol.com/#30cars3days

BRISBANE, Australia, Feb. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ —

VisitScotland_Brisbane_Tartan

A bold cultural showcase sparks travel to Scotland in 2026
Scotland brings its iconic tartan and cultural heritage to the Southern Hemisphere as part of a global invitation to visit in 2026. With the Commonwealth Games taking place in Glasgow this year, alongside major new attractions, Scotland is stepping into the international spotlight.

Scotland paints Brisbane tartan
As The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo prepares to take centre stage in Brisbane and Auckland, VisitScotland has illuminated the historic pillars of Brisbane City Hall with the Tattoo tartan. The striking display celebrates Scotland’s deep-rooted traditions and cultural pride, creating a moment of connection with Australia.

Marking its 75^th anniversary, the Tattoo brings massed pipes and drums, military precision and contemporary storytelling to audiences in Australia and New Zealand, having captivated more than 100 million people worldwide.

Why Scotland in 2026?
With global attention on Scotland in 2026, travellers are encouraged to look beyond postcard moments and discover a destination evolving in exciting new ways. New and reimagined experiences launching across the country include The Inverness Castle Experience, the reopening of Paisley Museum, a transformed Calanais Standing Stones Visitor Centre on the Isle of Lewis, and landmark exhibitions in Glasgow and Dundee.

Scotland is closely aligned with the travel preferences of Australian and New Zealand visitors, who are increasingly seeking wellbeing–focused, community–minded and immersive experiences. This growing appetite for wellness, noctourism and slow travel is reflected across the country from floating saunas on Highland lochs to new dark sky observatories in southern Scotland.

The Tattoo’s visit to Australia and New Zealand provides a platform for VisitScotland to connect with local partners and promote Scotland as a must-visit destination. Jill Walker, Director of Marketing at VisitScotland, said: “The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is a globally recognised symbol of Scotland’s culture and a compelling platform to engage audiences in Australia and New Zealand. Alongside these high–profile cultural moments, we are working closely with media, travel trade and partners to showcase the breadth of Scotland‘s visitor offer and encourage future travel.“

Australia also shares a longstanding connection with Scotland through whisky, craftsmanship and storytelling. The country was Johnnie Walker’s first major export market in the 1870s, a legacy continuing to draw Australian travellers to Scotland.

For more on holidays in Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com

Notes to Editors   

• Follow us on X: @visitscotnews or @VisitScotland on Linkedin 
• VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to drive the visitor economy, growing its value in Scotland.  
• As an economic growth agency, VisitScotland’s activity focuses on three key priorities – market development, place development and business and experience development.    
• VisitScotland’s work helps deliver the ambitions of the national tourism strategy, Scotland Outlook 2030, for Scotland to be a world leader in 21st century tourism, and the national events strategy, Scotland the Perfect Stage.   
• It leverages tourism and events as a force for good for all of Scotland’s people and places and builds Scotland’s international profile as a leading place to visit, live, work, study and do business. 
• VisitScotland is a proud signatory of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism and Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency.   
• For VisitScotland’s press releases go to Media Centre (visitscotland.org) tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/ 
• For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com