Appointment marks the next phase of Alpha Ladder Wealth Management Solutions and the Group’s international expansion, as Alpha Ladder advances its ambition to support Chinese enterprises going global with a broader financial services platform

SINGAPORE, Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Alpha Ladder Group Pte. Ltd. (“Alpha Ladder”), today announced the appointment of Jade Lu as Wealth CEO and International CEO, reporting directly to Dr Bo Bai, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Alpha Ladder Group.

Jade brings more than 20 years of international banking experience and was previously President and Executive Director of Shanghai Innovation Bank (Previously known as SPD Silicon Valley Bank) and, concurrently from 2020 to 2023,  with Silicon Valley Bank Asia. She previously held senior leadership roles at Standard Chartered Bank and Citibank.

In her dual role, Jade will lead two strategic growth priorities for Alpha Ladder: the development and international expansion of Alpha Ladder’s Wealth Management Solutions and the build-out of Alpha Ladder’s international financial services capabilities across key global markets.

Her appointment also marks the next phase of Alpha Ladder’s international growth ambitions, including building a broader financial services platform to support the growing needs of Chinese enterprises expanding globally. As these businesses establish and grow their operations overseas, Alpha Ladder aims to support their increasingly complex financial needs across markets.

Building the next generation of wealth through Alpha Ladder’s Wealth Management Solutions

Wealth creation is undergoing a historic paradigm shift. Accelerated by AI and next-generation technologies, global economic and industrial structures are being fundamentally reshaped. Alpha Ladder’s Wealth Management Solutions is built to empower investors to capture these multi-dimensional opportunities.

Alpha Ladder defines the next generation of wealth as a powerful fusion: uniting strict regulatory compliance and the fundamental risk discipline inherent to finance with the agility and innovation of new digital paradigms.

Through its Wealth Management Solutions, Alpha Ladder delivers an integrated, multi-dimensional platform. It enables clients to seamlessly access, manage, and diversify their portfolios across traditional and future-facing assets.

Jade will champion the platform’s global proposition and ecosystem, cementing it as a core pillar of Alpha Ladder’s international expansion.

Supporting Chinese enterprises as they go global

As International CEO, Jade will lead Alpha Ladder’s international strategy across Hong Kong, the Middle East & Africa, Europe, the United States and Latin America, building the Group’s capabilities and partnerships in markets where its clients increasingly operate.

A major focus will be supporting Chinese enterprises through the increasingly complex financial requirements that come with international expansion.

As companies enter new markets, their needs extend well beyond moving capital across borders. They require financial partners that understand both their home-market context and the regulatory and commercial environments in which they are expanding, while being able to support their evolving requirements as their international businesses grow.

Alpha Ladder’s ambition is to build a full-spectrum international financial services platform for cross-border enterprises, spanning four core areas: financing, payment, wealth and compliance. Together, these capabilities are intended to support Chinese enterprises across different stages of their global journey, from establishing in new markets to managing increasingly complex financial requirements as they scale.

Dr Bo Bai, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Alpha Ladder Group, said:

“Jade joins Alpha Ladder at an important stage of our development, as we accelerate both our wealth and international strategies.

She brings more than two decades of international banking experience, together with a deep understanding of China’s innovation economy and the financial needs of companies as they grow beyond their home markets. Her leadership experience at Shanghai Innovation Bank and Silicon Valley Bank Asia is particularly relevant as we build for this next phase.

With Jade leading Alpha Ladder’s Wealth Management Solutions and our international expansion, we aim to build a differentiated wealth proposition while strengthening Alpha Ladder’s capabilities across financing, payment, wealth and compliance. Our ambition is to support enterprises with the financial capabilities they need as they expand and operate across markets.”

During her tenure at Shanghai Innovation Bank and Silicon Valley Bank Asia, Jade played a leading role in China’s innovation finance ecosystem, working with high-growth companies and venture capital institutions and providing full-lifecycle financial services across different stages of their development.

Jade Lu, Wealth CEO and International CEO of Alpha Ladder Group, said:

“Chinese companies are entering a new phase of international growth. As they expand into more markets, their financial needs are becoming broader and more complex. They need financial partners that understand where they come from, the markets they are entering, and how their requirements evolve as they grow internationally.

Wealth management is evolving at the same time. Technology is changing how clients access, manage and diversify wealth across markets, while trust, regulatory discipline and institutional standards remain fundamental.

I look forward to working closely with Dr Bai and the team as we build the next phase of Alpha Ladder’s growth. My focus will be on building Alpha Ladder’s Wealth Management Solutions into a distinctive wealth proposition and strengthening our international financial services platform to support companies and clients as they grow across markets.”

Jade holds a Bachelor of Economics from Fudan University and an International MBA from the University of Hong Kong, and served as a member of the first Sci-Tech Innovation Advisory Committee of the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

About Alpha Ladder Group

Headquartered in Singapore, Alpha Ladder Group Pte Ltd (Alpha Ladder) is a technology and financial services group driving Digital Green Transformation. We operate on the conviction that the future of financial infrastructure is neither purely centralised nor distributed, but a Hybrid.

From our first member subsidiary founded in 2016, we have grown into a multi-vertical ecosystem that operationalises this conviction across four critical sectors:

• Digital Financial Services
  In digital financial services, our businesses operate one of Asia’s leading licensed digital financial services platforms, providing compliant payment and wealth services, with annualised transaction volume of US$14 billion (FY26 run rate).
• Sustainable Investment
  Our sustainable investment business is an award-winning impact investment firm with around US$2.9 billion AUM*, focusing on investing in deep-tech companies for decarbonisation.
• AI-Powered Green Technology
  In green technology, our businesses provide end-to-end carbon SaaS solutions, including an AI emission factor search engine, Scope 1, 2 & 3 measurement, decarbonisation rating, AI ESG reporting, and green asset development & trading.
• AI-Native Energy Intelligence
  In AI-native energy intelligence, our businesses are advancing AI for energy by forging hybrid models that ground graph transformers in deterministic physics and high-throughput real-world validation. Our platforms deploy this intelligence to address the pressing energy challenges constraining AI and other mission-critical infrastructure, providing speed, resilience and sustainability to the systems that power the compute age.

At Alpha Ladder Group, our name reflects our commitment to continuous evolution. We believe that by engineering the intersection of Digital and Green, we move the world forward to pursue sustainable alpha—one particle at a time.

Phase 1 testing identified key thermal, noble-gas and material signatures in the Lattice Confinement Fusion (LCF) reactor, with Hylenr now advancing to Phase 2 studies focused on reproducibility, quantitative measurement and commercialization.

HYDERABAD, India, Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Hyderabad based Deeptech company Hylenr today announced the completion of Phase 1 of an independent validation study of Lattice Confinement Fusion (LCF), conducted at Texas A&M University, marking an important step in the company’s efforts to independently evaluate its lattice-based energy technology and advance its roadmap toward commercialization.

The validation study focused on the Hylenr BRT-NiUCS-2 reactor, a small modular system based on hydrogen-loaded nickel-palladium catalyst materials. Multiple devices and catalyst samples were prepared and tested under controlled laboratory conditions in the Nuclear Engineering Department at Texas A&M University.

Titled ‘Validation of Anomalous Heat and Nuclear Signatures in the BRT-NiUCS-2 Reactor: Phase 1 LCF Investigation’, the research examined the reactor’s thermal performance, radiation emissions, residual gas composition, and post-reaction material characteristics. The Phase 1 research paper, co-authored by Hylenr and Texas A&M University, was presented at the 27th International Conference on Condensed Matter Nuclear Science (ICCF-27), held in Niagara Falls, Canada, from August 31 to September 4.

“Our objective has always been to move beyond internal observations and subject the technology to rigorous, independent testing. The validation study conducted at Texas A&M University provides an important external data point across thermal measurements, gas analysis, and material characterization,” said Ram Ramaseshan, Co-Founder and CEO, Hylenr. “These results provide a basis for the next phase of validation while reinforcing our focus on reproducibility, quantitative measurement, and scientific transparency.”

Prof. Lin Shao, Professor of Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M University said, “The Phase 1 research provided an opportunity to examine the BRT-NiUCS-2 reactor using a range of complementary analytical techniques. The combination of thermal measurements, residual gas analysis, nuclear diagnostics and post-reaction materials characterization broadens the experimental basis for assessing the observed phenomena and determining priorities for further investigation.”

Among the principal diagnostics was Residual Gas Analysis (RGA), conducted using an SRS RGA 100 system under high-vacuum conditions. The study observed elevated helium, argon and neon signals in the active reactor relative to background measurements, with helium and argon signals reported at levels approximately two to three orders of magnitude above background. No corresponding increase in nitrogen was observed, providing evidence against atmospheric leakage as the sole explanation for the measurements.

Thermal measurements using thermocouples and calibrated infrared imaging also showed the active reactor operating at consistently higher temperatures than the calibration device under comparable input-power conditions. The study further reported post-reaction morphological and compositional changes in catalyst samples based on SEM/EDX analysis.

Radiation monitoring using Geiger–Müller and neutron detectors found no detectable gamma or X-ray emissions, while neutron counts remained statistically indistinguishable from background during the approximately five-day monitoring period.

Hylenr will now move toward Phase 2, focusing on testing multiple independent reactors, quantitative calorimetry and improved characterization of loading parameters, alongside isotopic-ratio measurements and advanced analytical techniques including SIMS and ICP-MS.

The company views this staged validation process as a critical bridge between laboratory observations and eventual commercialization, with future development aimed at establishing repeatability, quantifying energy output and defining the engineering requirements for scalable systems.

About Hylenr

Hylenr develops small, modular energy systems using hydrogen-loaded materials and lattice confinement. Its research focuses on material transformation and excess-heat phenomena under controlled conditions, progressing these findings through independent validation toward potential commercial energy applications.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Financial markets in 2026 face several key influences, including geopolitical risks, energy price swings, interest rate expectations, and uneven economic growth. According to IMF estimates, global GDP will grow by 3.0% in 2026, while energy importers, exporters, and countries benefiting from the technology cycle will face divergent market conditions.

With such changes occurring in the financial markets, traders increasingly focus on different asset classes: currencies, commodities, and indices. In Asia-Pacific, regional currencies, monetary policy, technology, and equity markets are among the key areas shaping trading activity.

Regional Currencies Reveal Diverging Economic Contexts

There is a clear example of Japan’s economy. According to the Bank of Japan, underlying inflation will gradually rise to levels that are compatible with its target of 2%. The BoJ will keep on fine-tuning monetary accommodation depending on changes in economic activity, prices and financial conditions. The Bank also mentions foreign exchange rate movements, crude oil prices and AI-related demand as key factors.

However, the economy of China looks different. Based on official estimates, China’s GDP grew by 4.3% year on year in Q2 2026, compared to 5.0% in Q1. Year-to-date growth was estimated at 4.7%.

Changes in economic growth estimates can influence the yuan’s rate, as well as sentiment among the economies associated with Chinese trade and commodity demand.

Indices Reflect Growth and Technology Trends

Regional stock indices offer traders another perspective on these trends. Indices in Japan, China, Hong Kong and other APAC markets may reveal changes in the expectations of growth, exports, consumer spending, manufacturing and technological progress.

The latter becomes especially relevant. According to the IMF, AI-driven demand supports the economies integrated in the technology production chain. Furthermore, the Bank of Japan highlights growing AI-related demand as a positive contributor to domestic economic activity.

Commodities Are Still Important

Both gold and oil belong to the APAC story. Rising energy prices may increase the cost pressure for importing economies, whereas Asia still plays a major role in the gold market.

World Gold Council expects investment activity in APAC to make a bigger contribution to gold-demand growth in H2 2026. During the first six months of the year, gold ETFs in Asia posted net inflows of 70 tons.

For APAC traders, Forex tends to reflect differences in monetary policies, indices highlight shifts in growth and technology, while commodities often tie back to global inflation and geopolitics.

Trade Across Markets with JustMarkets

Different conditions require different strategies, so traders should pay as much attention to flexibility as to the choice of assets. This is where JustMarkets comes in. It’s a global multi-asset broker providing access to more than 260 CFD instruments across Forex, gold, oil, indices, stocks, and other markets within one trading environment.

This broad access allows traders to adjust their focus as market conditions change. With MT4, MT5, Web Terminal, and the JustMarkets Trading mobile app, traders can enter these markets through the platform that best fits their trading style.

Risk Warning: Trading financial instruments involves significant risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Market conditions can change rapidly, and losses may exceed deposits. Ensure you understand the risks involved and trade responsibly.

First 120MW building expected to enter service from early 2027, supporting liquid-cooled AI workloads of up to 500kW per rack.

SINGAPORE and JAKARTA, Indonesia, Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BDx Data Centers (“BDx”) today broke ground on AI Campus 2 (CGK4), a 640MW AI data center campus in Jatiluhur, West Java, Indonesia. Dedi Mulyadi, Governor of West Java, and Saepul Bahri Binzein, Regent of Purwakarta, attended the groundbreaking ceremony alongside BDx and BDx Indonesia leadership.

The campus is backed by 845MVA of grid capacity from state utility PLN, part of BDx’s 1.2GVA+ secured power position across its AI-ready campuses in Indonesia. CGK4 is expected to be developed over approximately three years, with buildings commissioned sequentially to support accelerating demand for high-density AI capacity.

CGK4 reflects BDx’s evolution into an AI-first digital infrastructure platform, delivering secured power, high-density capacity, and faster time-to-market for AI workloads across Asia-Pacific.

CGK4 achieved certification under the NVIDIA DGX™-Ready Colocation Data Center program in April 2025. Located approximately five kilometers from the Jatiluhur Dam, the campus will receive power through PLN under Indonesia’s national grid framework and is actively pursuing lower-carbon power pathways, including a hydroelectric power arrangement with PJT, to support the region’s growing AI infrastructure with cleaner, more sustainable energy.

Construction has begun on Building 1, the first of six planned buildings at the site. Building 1 will deliver 120MW of IT capacity in phases, with the first contracted phase expected to enter service in early 2027. The facility is being built with a direct-to-chip liquid-cooling architecture engineered to support up to 500kW per rack for current and future AI accelerator generations.

CGK4 is already attracting strong interest from multiple hyperscalers, along with global technology companies, AI-native cloud providers and enterprises seeking AI-ready capacity across Southeast Asia and beyond. Demand at this pace reflects how quickly customer requirements are scaling.

“Indonesia is entering a new phase of digital and AI development, and CGK4 is a long-term investment in the infrastructure that phase requires. It anchors a growing AI ecosystem in West Java: scalable, high-density capacity built to bring advanced AI workloads into production faster, with a reliable path for customers as demand grows,” said Mayank Srivastava, Chief Executive Officer, BDx Data Centers.

CGK4 forms part of BDx’s AI-focused campus expansion in Indonesia, supported by a US$320 million loan facility secured in 2026.

“This is a practical step forward for Indonesia’s digital economy. We are putting sovereign, high-density AI infrastructure in place with our national partners. It allows local enterprises, government agencies, and developers to run advanced AI workloads domestically while creating skilled jobs and long-term value in West Java,” said Agus Hartono Wijaya, Chief Executive Officer, BDx Indonesia.

Indonesia is among the few Asia-Pacific markets that combine available grid capacity, campus-scale land, and strong domestic AI demand, supported by Special Economic Zone incentives for large-scale infrastructure investment. BDx’s Indonesia platform includes AI Campus 1 (CGK3/3A), AI Campus 2 (CGK4), and AI Campus 3 (CGK5), with 1.2GVA+ of secured grid capacity across its AI-ready campuses in Indonesia.

About BDx Data Centers

BDx Data Centers develops and operates AI-ready data center infrastructure across Asia-Pacific for hyperscale, cloud, AI, and enterprise customers. Transformed for AI and proven at speed, BDx is focused on converting secured power into powered, cooled, and operational capacity for customers scaling next-generation workloads. With operations in Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong SAR, and Taiwan region, BDx combines secured power access, high-density design, advanced cooling capabilities, standardized engineering, and local market execution to accelerate delivery across key digital markets. Backed by I Squared Capital, BDx provides the infrastructure platform customers need to move from power availability to live AI and cloud deployments across the region. For more information, visit www.bdxworld.com.

SINGAPORE, Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) announced the launch of its inaugural Hong Kong Shopping Festival in Singapore, marking the first time the event has expanded into an ASEAN market.

The festival runs from 21 to 27 September 2026, spotlighting some 100 brands and more than 350 featured products from Hong Kong across Beauty & Personal Care, Fashion, Food & Supplement, Fun & Smart Living, and Senior Wellness Essentials. Singapore consumers can explore participating brands and products through Shopee, Lazada and the official Hong Kong Shopping Festival website.

Themed “Hong Kong Highlights, One Click Away”, the campaign brings the energy and variety of Hong Kong’s shopping scene closer to Singapore consumers. From familiar household names to emerging brands and new finds, it offers shoppers a fresh way to experience the breadth of Hong Kong products while reconnecting with favourites they already know and love. Participating brands include Lee Kum Kee, CATALO, Chow Tai Fook, Chow Sang Sang, Wai Yuen Tong and Chicks, alongside a wider selection of brands and products.

Singapore marks the first step into ASEAN

The Singapore launch forms part of the initiative’s first expansion into ASEAN, with Singapore and Malaysia serving as its initial target markets. Following previous editions focused on the Chinese Mainland, the move marks a new phase for the programme as HKTDC looks to connect Hong Kong businesses with new consumers and markets across the region.

Supported by the HKSAR Government, the event gives consumers a trusted way to explore a curated selection of quality Hong Kong products. Throughout the week, shoppers can enjoy limited-time discounts of up to 50%, shopping vouchers and exclusive livestream offers as they discover participating brands across various online platforms.

Mr. Leung Kwan Ho, Regional Director, Southeast Asia & South Asia, HKTDC, said, “Hong Kong has always had a strong connection with Singapore consumers, from the brands they grew up with to the new products they continue to discover. Through the Hong Kong Shopping Festival, we hope to bring that experience closer to shoppers here, giving them an easy way to rediscover familiar favourites, uncover new brands and experience the diversity of what Hong Kong has to offer today.”

Bringing the shopping experience to life

Beyond browsing, the online shopping event will feature more than 30 hours of livestream shopping content led by popular livestream hosts and influencers in Singapore and Malaysia, giving consumers a more interactive way to engage with participating brands.

Through product demonstrations, first-hand reviews and real-time interaction, viewers can get a closer look at featured products and learn more about the brands behind them, while selected livestream sessions will also feature exclusive offers.

Dedicated campaign pages on Shopee and Lazada will also bring selected products and promotions together in one place, while the official festival website will feature participating brand information, promotional offers and curated recommendations throughout the week.

The Hong Kong Shopping Festival is the flagship annual event under HKTDC’s E-Commerce Express programme, which aims to help Hong Kong companies expand their cross-border e-commerce business and reach new markets. Through collaborations with leading e-commerce platforms, livestream promotions, and integrated marketing activities, HKTDC aims to help participating businesses enhance market visibility, gain practical cross-border e-commerce experience, and explore opportunities arising from the continued growth of ASEAN’s digital economy and e-commerce market.

The Hong Kong Shopping Festival (ASEAN) runs from 21 to 27 September 2026. For more information about the event, please visit Hong Kong Shopping Festival (ASEAN).

*Editor’s Note: For high-res images, please refer to the link: https://tinyurl.com/mb8ectm4

About HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) celebrates its 60^th anniversary this year. The HKTDC is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong’s trade. With over 50 offices globally, including 13 in the Chinese Mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and  business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on @hktdc and LinkedIn