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Yup, The Southeast Asia “Nubank”, Raises $32 Million in C-1 Round, Bringing Total Equity Funding to over $100 million

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Sept. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Southeast Asia’s digital bank Yup has recently secured $32 million in their latest equity funding through its C-1 round, backed by US investment firms including Moore Strategic Ventures, Spice Expeditions and Platanus, with participation from other institutional investors and existing shareholders. The raise marks a pivotal moment for the company as it accelerates efforts to expand its customer base and edge closer to profitability.

Since founded in 2021, Yup has demonstrated robust financial performance and consistent growth, cementing its position as one of Southeast Asia’s most promising platforms in Fintech space. The company now serves millions of credit card holders and expects to reach break-even by the end of 2025—an achievement that reflects both operational discipline and strong market demand.

Beyond financial performance, Yup is advancing financial inclusion by expanding access to affordable, technology-driven financial services for underbanked and underserved populations in Southeast Asia. By providing working- and middle-class consumers with reliable credit and digital banking solutions, the company is unlocking new economic opportunities while reinforcing the region’s financial resilience.

“We have a very clear vision since our Day 1, which is to be the principal payment tool for the working-class / middle-class customers in Southeast Asia. We have seen our revenue approximately double each year for the past three years, and we expect that momentum to accelerate even further in 2026 and 2027.” said Donny Zhang, Co-Founder and CEO of Yup. “This round gives us the firepower to scale our reach and deepen engagement with our users. We’re thrilled to have Moore Strategic Ventures, Spice and Platanus onboard as strategic partners in our next phase.”

The C-1 round brings Yup’s total equity funding to over $100 million, positioning the company for further expansion and potential strategic moves in 2026. “Over the past 4 years, we have successfully closed 6 rounds of equity fundraising, even during periods of capital market volatility. The continued support from global investors speaks volumes about their confidence in our long-term vision and execution.” added by Gavin Guo, CFO of Yup. ” This funding will be used to take our customer base to the next level and further refine our product experience.”

Yup’s fundraising comes as global investors increasingly look to Southeast Asia for resilient, tech-enabled growth stories in the Payment industry. Investors cited that the great market potential from Indonesia, which is one of the most promising emerging markets, and the company’s disciplined execution are the key reasons for them to bet on Yup. With macroeconomic tailwinds continuing and digital adoption surging, companies like Yup are drawing renewed attention from capital markets.

DAR AL ARKAN PLANS TO LAUNCH “MANHATTAN” MASTERPLAN IN JEDDAH, A LANDMARK DESTINATION ON KING ABDULAZIZ ROAD FEATURING ‘TRUMP PLAZA’

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Dar Al Arkan, Saudi Arabia’s leading real estate developer, is planning to launch its landmark masterplan, named Manhattan.

DAR AL ARKAN PLANS TO LAUNCH “MANHATTAN” MASTERPLAN IN JEDDAH, A LANDMARK DESTINATION ON KING ABDULAZIZ ROAD FEATURING ‘TRUMP PLAZA’
DAR AL ARKAN PLANS TO LAUNCH “MANHATTAN” MASTERPLAN IN JEDDAH, A LANDMARK DESTINATION ON KING ABDULAZIZ ROAD FEATURING ‘TRUMP PLAZA’

 

Covering 1 million sqm of prime land in the heart of Jeddah, this record-value site, the highest land transaction ever recorded in the city, is strategically located on King Abdulaziz Road. With its unparalleled scale and location, the development is set to transform the heart of Jeddah with a vibrant, world-class mixed-use community.

The Manhattan masterplan is designed as a diverse, sustainable community divided into four districts, each anchored by a central park and seamlessly connected by a grand boulevard and an expansive green spine running the length of the site. Generous open spaces, pedestrian-friendly streets, and integrated commercial and residential zones will create a dynamic environment where living, working, and leisure converge.

Given the exceptional scale and record value of the Manhattan masterplan, the site has been attracting some of the world’s most renowned real estate brands. At its centrepiece will be Trump Plaza Jeddah, developed by Dar Global in collaboration with The Trump Organization and set to become one of the Kingdom’s most iconic addresses. Positioned on the most prominent 28,000 sqm corner of the site, Trump Plaza will bring together Manhattan-style offices, premium residences, serviced apartments, exclusive townhouses, and a Central Park-inspired park, capturing the spirit of New York with a distinctly Jeddah character.

Yousef Al Shelash, Chairman of Dar Al Arkan, commented: “The Manhattan masterplan is built on one of the most extraordinary land plots in Jeddah — a record-value site on King Abdulaziz Road. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime development opportunity. Because of the strength of this location, we are creating a world-class community that will redefine urban living in Saudi Arabia, creating a walkable, sustainable, and connected community that offers a new benchmark for lifestyle and investment in the Kingdom.”

Eric Trump, Executive Vice President of The Trump Organization, previously commented on Trump Plaza Jeddah: “We are honoured to expand our footprint in Saudi Arabia with the launch of Trump Plaza Jeddah. This project embodies our vision of excellence by blending world-class hospitality, modern living, and dynamic business environments. Together with Dar Global, we are creating a destination that will set a new benchmark for prestige and innovation in the Kingdom.”

 

Eightco Holdings Inc. (ORBS) Announces 16.9 Million Verified World Humans, Adding 1.9 Million Since Launching Worldcoin Treasury Just 3 Weeks Ago

Unveils ‘Power of 8’ Initiative: 800M Worldcoin (WLD) Tokens and 8B Verified Humans

Dan Ives, renowned technology and AI expert and Wall Street analyst, serves as Chairman of the Board

World is the single sign-on for the AI era

“If we succeed on our mission, World might become the largest network of real people online, fundamentally changing how we interact and transact throughout the Internet,” says Sam Altman

Investors include MOZAYYX, BitMine Immersion (BMNR), World Foundation, Wedbush, Coinfund, Discovery Capital Management, FalconX, Kraken, Pantera, GSR, Brevan Howard and more

EASTON, Pa., Sept. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Eightco Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ORBS) today unveiled its ‘Power of 8’ initiative, targeting 800 million Worldcoin (WLD) and 8 billion verified humans. Since launching its Worldcoin treasury strategy on September 8, World has added over 1.9 million verified humans, bringing the total to 16.9 million, with a goal of reaching 100 million within the next 12 months.

“World is the single sign-on for the AI era, making it possible to trust and transact anonymously online for the first time,” said Dan Ives, newly appointed Chairman of Eightco Holdings Inc. (ORBS). “In the AI value chain, LLMs are valued at $3 trillion, hyperscalers $3 trillion, cybersecurity $1-2 trillion and the most important of these, ‘Proof of Human,’ or human cybersecurity is $10 billion. Over time, ‘Proof of Human’ verification should easily match the value of a single LLM, or have a value of $200 to $300 billion, implying the Worldcoin value of $20 to $30 per WLD coin.”

Ives continues, “We believe in the ‘Power of 8‘: ORBS reaching 800 million WLD tokens and verifying 8 billion humans. The momentum of the past few weeks is only the beginning.”

The issue of trust in the agentic age and the urgent demand for digital verifications systems is more important than ever before, recently voiced by President Trump in his address to the United Nations announcing that he’ll be “meeting with the top leaders of the world by pioneering an AI verification system that everyone can trust.”

“We also talked a lot about the need to include a financial network of some sort. It was clear to us that authentication and proof of humanity was an important component,” said Sam Altman, Co-founder of World and OpenAI, on the creation of World. “But it was also clear that one of the most important problems, one of the reasons you needed this was for people to be able to exchange value, for people and AI’s to exchange value, someday for AI’s and AI’s to do it.”

Blockchain technology enables the safest solution to secure human verifications in the digital age, echoed by industry leaders, “The internet-native money is crypto. It’s a bearer instrument,” said Ben Horowitz, Co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, “So crypto is kind of like the economic network for Al.”

Eightco Holdings Inc. (ORBS) is committed to establishing a universal foundation for digital identity. World’s proprietary verification Orb technology is designed to meet the security and identity challenges of the future, offering a path to a universally trusted digital identity and the foundation for the next generation of online trust, verification and economic exchange. The Orbs are the hardware backbone of Worldcoin, verifying unique humans, distributing tokens fairly, and creating a trusted digital identity system. World will be the leading verification platform for consumers around the world.

ABOUT EIGHTCO HOLDINGS INC.

Eightco Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ORBS) is delivering a first-of-its-kind Worldcoin (WLD) treasury strategy. With this digital asset treasury (DAT), Eightco is advancing the AI revolution, implementing a technology infrastructure layer that is integral to the future of authentication, verification and Proof of Human (PoH). In an increasingly agentic world, Eightco aims to achieve a universal foundation for digital identity.

For additional details, follow on X:
https://x.com/iamhuman_orbs
https://x.com/divestech
 

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact could be deemed forward looking. Words such as “plans,” “expects,” “will,” “anticipates,” “continue,” “expand,” “advance,” “develop” “believes,” “guidance,” “target,” “may,” “remain,” “project,” “outlook,” “intend,” “estimate,” “could,” “should,” and other words and terms of similar meaning and expression are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such terms. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors, including, without limitation: Eightco’s ability to maintain compliance with the Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements; unexpected costs, charges or expenses that reduce Eightco’s capital resources; Eightco’s inability to raise adequate capital to fund its business; Eightco’s inability to innovate and attract users for Eightco’s products; future legislation and rulemaking negatively impacting digital assets; and shifting public and governmental positions on digital asset mining activity. Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause Eightco’s actual results to differ from those contained in forward-looking statements, see Eightco’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including in its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 15, 2025. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and Eightco undertakes no duty to update this information or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of such statements to reflect future events or developments, except as required by law.

 

DAR GLOBAL PLANS TO LAUNCH TRUMP PLAZA JEDDAH IN SECOND COLLABORATION WITH THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION, FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF TRUMP TOWER JEDDAH

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Dar Global (LSE: DAR), the London-listed international luxury real estate developer, has announced its second collaboration in Jeddah with The Trump Organization, and plans to launch Trump Plaza Jeddah. The project represents the second Trump-branded development in Saudi Arabia, following the launch of Trump Tower Jeddah in December 2024.

DAR GLOBAL PLANS TO LAUNCH TRUMP PLAZA JEDDAH IN SECOND COLLABORATION WITH THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION, FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF TRUMP TOWER JEDDAH
DAR GLOBAL PLANS TO LAUNCH TRUMP PLAZA JEDDAH IN SECOND COLLABORATION WITH THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION, FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF TRUMP TOWER JEDDAH

 

Strategically located along King Abdulaziz Road in the heart of the city, Trump Plaza Jeddah is valued at over USD 1 billion and will transform the skyline with a world-class mixed use community. The development will include premium residences, serviced apartments, Grade-A office space, and exclusive townhouses. At the center of the masterplan will be a Central Park-inspired green spine, a landscaped park running the length of the development, anchoring the residences and serviced apartments and bringing the essence of Manhattan to Jeddah.

Designed to redefine urban living in Saudi Arabia, Trump Plaza Jeddah integrates living, working, and leisure into one seamless destination. It will feature offices adjacent to serviced apartments and premium residences, creating a community where people can live and work in one place. Thoughtfully designed home offices will be incorporated as an extension of private residences, while a premium retail courtyard and a curated mix of F&B concepts will enrich the lifestyle offering.

Eric Trump, Executive Vice President of The Trump Organization, commented: “We are honored to expand our footprint in Saudi Arabia with the Trump Plaza Jeddah. This project embodies our vision of excellence by blending world-class hospitality, modern living, and dynamic business environments. Together with Dar Global, we are creating a destination that will set a new benchmark for prestige and innovation in the Kingdom.”

Ziad El Chaar, CEO of Dar Global, added: “Trump Plaza Jeddah is a pioneering concept in Saudi Arabia and one of the most ambitious developments Dar Global has undertaken to date. By combining residential, serviced, and office components with a Central Park-inspired landscape, we are delivering a unique lifestyle destination that reflects both Manhattan’s vibrancy and Jeddah’s strategic role as a cultural and commercial hub.”

Trump Plaza Jeddah will become a defining destination for the Kingdom’s evolving real estate landscape, further elevating Jeddah’s role as a center for premium living and international investment.

Xiao-I Corporation Renews Strategic Partnership with Premier Automotive Manufacturer, Marking Decade-Long Collaboration in AI-Driven Customer Experience

SHANGHAI, Sept. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Xiao-I Corporation (NASDAQ: AIXI), a global leader in artificial intelligence solutions, today announced the renewal of its strategic partnership with a leading multinational automotive manufacturer, extending a collaboration that began in 2015. This milestone underscores a decade of sustained innovation and trust in Xiao-I’s cognitive intelligence technologies to enhance customer engagement and operational excellence across the automotive sector. The renewed agreement focuses on further optimizing the client’s customer service ecosystem through Xiao-I’s flagship solutions. These technologies have been instrumental in delivering seamless, intelligent, and scalable support throughout the customer lifecycle—from sales and aftersales assistance to technical support and loyalty programs.

 Key Outcomes of the Solutions: 

  • Unified Omnichannel Support: Deployment of 24/7 AI-powered assistance across websites, mobile apps, social platforms, and call centers, ensuring consistent and instant responses to customer inquiries regarding vehicle features, maintenance, warranty, and more.
  • Enhanced Technical Support: Field technicians and service advisors are equipped with AI-augmented tools for rapid diagnostics, repair guidance, and parts identification, reducing resolution time and improving first-visit fix rates.
  • Sales and Marketing Enablement: Intelligent virtual assistants facilitate personalized product recommendations, test drive scheduling, and promotional campaign management, boosting conversion rates and customer satisfaction.
  • Operational Efficiency: Automation of high-frequency routine queries has significantly reduced operational costs while enabling human agents to focus on high-value interactions and complex problem-solving.

Xiao-I’s cognitive intelligence platform has consistently evolved to meet the manufacturer’s expanding needs, incorporating advancements in natural language processing, machine learning, and multimodal interaction capabilities. The ongoing collaboration reflects a shared vision for innovation and customer-centric transformation.

About Xiao-I Corporation

Xiao-I Corporation is a leading cognitive intelligence enterprise in China that offers a diverse range of business solutions and services in artificial intelligence, covering natural language processing, voice and image recognition, machine learning, and affective computing. Since its inception in 2001, the Company has developed an extensive portfolio of cognitive intelligence technologies that are highly suitable and have been applied to a wide variety of business cases. Xiao-I powers its cognitive intelligence products and services with its cutting-edge, proprietary AI technologies to enable and promote industrial digitization, intelligent upgrading, and transformation. For more information, please visit: www.xiaoi.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. When the Company uses words such as “may,” “will,” “intend,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “estimate” or similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters, it is making forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations discussed in the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the following: the Company’s ability to achieve its goals and strategies, the Company’s future business development and plans for future business development, including its financial conditions and results of operations, product and service demand and acceptance, reputation and brand, the impact of competition and pricing, changes in technology, government regulations, fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China, and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing and other risks contained in reports filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). For these reasons, among others, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional factors are discussed in the Company’s filings with the SEC, including under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in its annual report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on May 15, 2025, as well as its current reports on Form 6-K and other filings, all of which are available for review at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof.

NYSE Content Advisory: Pre-Market Update + Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings unveils loyalty program

NEW YORK, Sept. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) provides a daily pre-market update directly from the NYSE Trading Floor. Access today’s NYSE Pre-market update for market insights before trading begins. 

 

NYSE Content Advisory: Pre-Market Update + Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings unveils loyalty program

Kristen Scholer delivers the pre-market update on September 29th

  • Equities are fractionally higher early Monday after the S&P 500 rallied 0.6% Friday on the back of in-line inflation data. The inflation gauge showed core inflation rose 2.9% last month.
  • Traders will have more data to digest as September’s Jobs Report comes out on Friday. Economists estimate 45,000 jobs were added last month, above the 22,000 positions added in August.
  • Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NYSE: NCLH) will ring the opening bell to celebrate the New York City arrival of Oceania Cruises’ newest ship, Oceania Allura, and the launch of its loyalty status honoring program across its portfolio of brands.

Opening Bell
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NYSE: NCLH) honors Oceania Cruises’ newest ship, Oceania Allura

Closing Bell
Yalla (NYSE: YALA) celebrates its 5th anniversary of listing on the NYSE

Click here to download the NYSE TV App

Video – https://mma.prnasia.com/media2/2784399/NYSE_Market_Update_sept_29.mp4

Bybit Launches Dedicated VIP Portal for Stolen Fund Inflow Reporting

DUBAI, UAE, Sept. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Bybit, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, announced the launch of a new VIP-level reporting service designed to streamline stolen fund inflow case submissions. The “Report Stolen Funds” portal, now accessible via Bybit’s official website, allows victims to submit stolen fund cases of suspected stolen assets entering Bybit directly to the exchange’s Lazarus Security Lab, a dedicated 24/7 team for expedited review within 2-4 hours. This initiative underscores Bybit’s commitment to invest in robust risk control measures and user protection frameworks, reinforcing its vision of building trust and transparency in the crypto economy.

The services can be accessed through multiple points on Bybit’s platform, including the Help Center, Customer Support portal, and the Bybit Authenticity Check page. Once inside, VIP users are able to provide details such as the stolen asset type, transaction information, and the suspected hacker’s address. The portal is specifically intended for inflow cases where stolen funds are suspected to have reached Bybit.

lt provides VIP clients with a secure entry point to report stolen fund inflows involving Bybit. Cases submitted through the system will be prioritized for internal review before victims engage law enforcement, enabling Bybit to act swiftly in preserving evidence and protecting client interests.

Submitted cases will be reviewed within 2-4 hours, and temporary internal restrictions may be placed on suspicious accounts as a precaution. These measures are discretionary and do not replace a legal freezing order. These measures are discretionary and apply only to inflow reports; they do not replace official freezing orders required for recovery. Victims remain responsible for filing with law enforcement and obtaining official freezing orders to pursue enforceable recovery.

“Our priority is to ensure that our VIP clients have fast and direct access to trusted tools when they need them most,” said David Zong, Head of Group Risk Control and Security at Bybit. “This service focuses on stolen fund inflows, giving us the ability to act quickly to secure evidence while clients prepare their law enforcement filings. It represents both our responsibility to our clients and our duty to regulators and the wider ecosystem.”

The launch of the VIP portal marks another step in Bybit’s ongoing investment in risk controls and user protection. Bybit is also exploring ways to expand this service to retail users in the future, reinforcing its commitment to accountability and alignment with evolving global regulatory expectations.

For more information, please visit: https://www.bybit.com/en/help-center/article/How-to-Report-Stolen-Assets

Bybit Launches Dedicated VIP Portal for Stolen Fund Inflow Reporting
Bybit Launches Dedicated VIP Portal for Stolen Fund Inflow Reporting

Note: While recovery cannot be guaranteed, Bybit may place temporary holds on accounts as a precaution and will cooperate fully with law enforcement.

#Bybit / #TheCryptoArk 

About Bybit

Bybit is the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, serving a global community of over 60 million users. Founded in 2018, Bybit is redefining openness in the decentralized world by creating a simpler, open and equal ecosystem for everyone. With a strong focus on Web3, Bybit partners strategically with leading blockchain protocols to provide robust infrastructure and drive on-chain innovation. Renowned for its secure custody, diverse marketplaces, intuitive user experience, and advanced blockchain tools, Bybit bridges the gap between TradFi and DeFi, empowering builders, creators, and enthusiasts to unlock the full potential of Web3. Discover the future of decentralized finance at Bybit.com.

For more details about Bybit, please visit Bybit Press
For media inquiries, please contact: media@bybit.com
For updates, please follow: Bybit’s Communities and Social Media

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Confluence Legacies of Hetao Culture

BEIJING, Sept. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — A news report from China.org.cn on the Hetao Culture in Northern China:


Confluence Legacies of Hetao Culture

The surging Yellow River has sculpted the fertile Hetao Plain across the northern frontier, where Bayannur gleams like a pearl upon its banks—eagerly awaiting the lens to capture the luminous essence of its distinctive Hetao Culture.

In the primordial dawn, the silhouettes of the “Hetao People” emerge—the land’s earliest pioneers. Amidst ancient chaos, their tenacity and adaptability etched humanity’s early traces along the Yellow River. These ancient vestiges pierce the horizon like the first light through clouds: faint yet brimming with boundless promise. They laid the cornerstone for Hetao’s cultural flourishing, becoming the wellspring from which diverse traditions took root.

Modern Hetao today resonates with the harmony of contemporary life and ancestral heritage. Ancient cultural sites, meticulously preserved and revitalized, now stand as timeless landmarks; cutting-edge agricultural technology amplifies the bounty of this “Northern Granary,” its produce efficiently reaching global markets through seamless logistics; ethnic traditions, reinvigorated by cultural industries, merge age-old craftsmanship with modern design to forge innovative cultural creations. Today’s Hetao strides steadily forward—anchored in profound history yet pulsing with vibrant vitality—embracing the currents of the times.

The Cultural Sit-Down with Wang Xiaohui
http://cul.china.com.cn/node_1008104.htm
Confluence Legacies of Hetao Culture
https://x.com/chinaorgcn/status/1972128327449341989