PM Edition: Top 10 Business Articles on LiveNews.co.nz for October 1, 2026 – Full Text

• Effective October 1, 2026, Julian Neo succeeds Andy Chiang as Managing Director for DHL Express Hong Kong and Macau; Andy will retire from DHL Group on January 1, 2027
• Julian brings more than 25 years of experience across sales, commercial and general management roles at DHL Express in Asia Pacific

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 30 September 2026 – DHL Express, the world’s leading international express service provider, has appointed Julian Neo as Managing Director for DHL Express Hong Kong and Macau, effective October 1, 2026. He succeeds Andy Chiang, who will retire from DHL Group on January 1, 2027, following more than 34 years of service with the company.

Julian brings more than 25 years of experience with DHL Express across sales, commercial and management roles in Malaysia, Singapore and Asia Pacific. As Managing Director of DHL Express Malaysia and Brunei since 2019, he has achieved sustained revenue and EBIT growth, strengthened market leadership and delivered outstanding customer quality results. Under his leadership, the company has fostered a high-performance culture, earning Great Place to Work® certification for seven consecutive years and being recognised as the No. 3 Best Workplace in Malaysia in 2026. Prior to his leadership role in Malaysia, Julian served as Vice President for Global Multinational Customers for the Asia Pacific region, where he led strategic relationships with multinational customers, driving profitable growth and strengthening long-term customer partnerships in diverse markets.

Ken Lee, CEO for Asia Pacific, DHL Express, said, “Julian has demonstrated exceptional leadership throughout his career with DHL Express. His strong commercial acumen, customer-centric mindset and proven track record of developing high-performing teams have consistently delivered outstanding results across the region. Hong Kong’s position as a major international trade and logistics hub, particularly for growing intra-Asia trade, presents significant opportunities for businesses across the region. I am confident Julian’s extensive experience across Asia Pacific will enable him to build on our strong foundation and further strengthen our market leadership, customer partnerships and growth in Hong Kong and Macau.”

Julian Neo, incoming Managing Director for Hong Kong and Macau, DHL Express, said, “I am honored to take on this role and lead our talented team in Hong Kong and Macau. As one of the world’s most connected economies and a critical gateway for international trade, Hong Kong is uniquely positioned to capture emerging opportunities in the region. Supported by our world-class international network, we are well placed to help customers navigate evolving supply chains and expand across borders. I look forward to working closely with our employees, customers and partners to deliver exceptional service, support business growth and animate our purpose of ‘Connecting People, Improving Lives’.”

Reinforcing Hong Kong’s role as a gateway to global trade
In his new role, Julian will be based in Hong Kong to focus on strengthening DHL Express’s position as the partner of choice for businesses pursuing international growth. Hong Kong is one of the world’s most connected economies, ranking sixth¹ globally for international connectedness, and is a leading international logistics and aviation hub. Leveraging these strengths, Julian will support customers, particularly SMEs, in accessing global opportunities and expanding into new markets.

Building on his extensive commercial and leadership experience, Julian will also drive closer collaboration across DHL’s business units to deliver integrated logistics solutions and support customers’ evolving supply chain needs, including newly introduced offerings such as Heavyweight Express services. These efforts will help customers unlock new growth opportunities while further strengthening Hong Kong’s competitiveness as a global logistics hub.

DHL Express was established in Hong Kong in 1972 and boasts a robust network, including the Central Asia Hub, one of DHL’s three global hubs, three service centers, approximately 750 retail outlets and service points and a committed team of more than 1,700 employees.

Hashtag: #DHL

DHL – The logistics company for the world

Guided by the themes of innovation, intelligence, sustainability and high-end development, and committed to “building a new platform for upgrading the entire liquid food industry chain while writing a new chapter of high-quality development,” CBB 2026 will bring together leading enterprises from every segment: baijiu (Chinese spirits), beer, beverages, dairy, condiments and packaging equipment. More than 900 exhibitors from China and abroad will make a joint appearance, and over 60,000 professional visitors from around the world are expected to attend for business discussions, across an exhibition area exceeding 100,000 square meters.

After more than three decades of development, CBB has long been more than a trade fair. It continuously connects the entire chain — from raw materials, brewing and filling to packaging and digital smart manufacturing — creating an integrated industry platform for business matching, technical exchange and innovation. Step into CBB and you will see an exhibition; look closer and you will read the present and the future of an entire industry chain.

01 Leading Enterprises from Every Segment — One Show for the Entire Industry Chain

This year’s exhibitor lineup can truly be described as a full mobilization of the industry chain.

From upstream raw and auxiliary materials, brewing and processing, to midstream filling, packaging equipment and production line integration, and on to downstream labeling and coding, smart warehousing and digital solutions — leading enterprises from every segment, including baijiu, beer, beverages, dairy and condiments, will take the stage together, forming a complete map of the industry.

Whether you are sourcing turnkey production lines or comparing individual machines, whether you focus on a single process or evaluate complete smart-manufacturing solutions, you will find your answer at this show.

02 Four Highlights: Unlocking the 2026 Trends of the Liquid Food Industry

Closely aligned with industry development trends, this edition focuses on four main themes — internationalization, localization, intelligentization and green development — bringing together cutting-edge technologies and innovations from around the world to present a clear picture of where the industry is heading.

Highlight 1 | Global Giants Gather as Frontier Technologies Take the Stage

The international zone boasts a stellar lineup: world-renowned brands including BarthHaas, Fermentis, Krones, HEUFT, CIMC Enric, SACMI, ifm, Endress+Hauser, SEW-Eurodrive, Alfa Laval and Grundfos will all be present, covering core supporting technologies that range from hops, raw and auxiliary materials and pre-treatment processes to filling and packaging equipment and integration, end-of-line packaging and conveying, smart factory solutions and water treatment — spanning the entire liquid food production and packaging chain. A number of brand-new machines and solutions will make their on-site debuts, showcasing the latest achievements in smart manufacturing and green sustainability for the liquid food industry.

Highlight 2 | Chinese Smart Manufacturing Breaks Through as Homegrown Equipment Goes Global

Leading Chinese liquid food equipment manufacturers — Tech-Long, Newamstar, Lehui, Zhongya, Zhongchen, SUNRISE, Hermann and Talos — will exhibit in force, showcasing independently developed core equipment and technologies such as high-speed filling, aseptic packaging, intelligent inspection and integrated smart production, covering the entire production process from raw material pre-treatment, brewing and processing to filling and sealing, labeling and coding, and smart warehousing. These achievements not only help small and medium-sized food producers cut costs, boost efficiency and optimize their production systems, but will also accelerate the expansion of Chinese high-end equipment into global markets.

Highlight 3 | Smart Upgrading Across All Scenarios: Building a New Ecosystem of Digital Production

Digital transformation is one of the defining features of this edition, addressing smart-upgrading needs across the entire liquid food industry chain. From automated and intelligent production scheduling, predictive maintenance and big-data quality control throughout the process, to complete digital-twin factory solutions, every scenario is covered. Core intelligent equipment — including smart sensors, automated control systems and unmanned sorting machines — will be on display, helping the industry move from traditional manual control toward fully digital, intelligent and unmanned production.

Highlight 4 | Green and Low-Carbon Empowerment: Sustainable Production Solutions That Deliver

Aligned with global dual-carbon strategies and the industry’s low-carbon transition, exhibitors will launch a range of low-carbon technologies and equipment, including energy-efficient filling machines, circulating water treatment technologies, equipment for biodegradable packaging, and waste heat recovery systems. While optimizing production costs and efficiency, these solutions comprehensively support energy conservation and emission reduction, offering practical, full-coverage green production solutions for producers of alcoholic drinks, beverages, water, dairy products, condiments and other liquid foods — and helping the industry build a sustainable future.

03 More Than Ten High-Level Forums: Decoding the Trends Shaping the Industry

More than ten high-quality concurrent events will be held during the show, bringing together authoritative industry experts, chief engineers of leading enterprises and industry leaders for in-depth discussions on segment trends, technological innovation and industrial transformation.

04 Why Attend? Three Audiences, Three Answers

• If you are a business owner or procurement decision-maker: compare leading solutions from across the industry chain in one place, connect with quality suppliers, and identify practical paths to lower costs, higher efficiency and transformation.
• If you are an engineer or part of a production technology team: experience live demonstrations of cutting-edge equipment, meet manufacturers’ technical experts face to face, and be among the first to grasp the trends in smart manufacturing and green, low-carbon technologies.
• If you are an industry observer or investor: read the next three to five years of the liquid food industry through the exhibitor lineup, technology directions and forum topics.

05 See You in Shanghai This October

A biennial rendezvous — and a shared point on the calendar for the entire industry.

From October 12 to 15, 2026, CBB 2026 looks forward to welcoming you at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. For more information, please visit www.chinabrew-beverage.com.

Hashtag: #CBB2026

Source: Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission

Sorted, New Zealand’s free and independent money guide, is celebrating a quarter of a century of helping New Zealanders sort their finances.

Launched on 30 September 2001, Sorted was the country’s first free, independent online money guide, giving New Zealanders trusted information to make informed financial decisions.

It’s grown from a website centred on calculators into a national financial capability platform offering trusted information, practical tools, educational programmes and digital services, including KiwiSaver tools, Smart Investor, Retirement navigator, and the recently launched Sorted Buffer builder app, which uses open banking.

Sorted was established by New Zealand’s first Retirement Commissioner, Colin Blair, who served from 1995 to 2001.

Colin says he considered where the commission could make the greatest difference and decided it should take on an educational role and help people make informed choices about saving and preparing for retirement.

He originally wanted to call it Dollars and Sense, but an advertising agency suggested Sorted.

“So, after a long discussion they convinced me that Sorted, just one word, would be a very good name, and they turned out to be right. It’s a fantastic name,” Colin says.

The concept of the Sorted Mouse mascot was also suggested. People would be using their computer mouse to access the Sorted website, and it would be a nice, friendly character that people would get to know and like, Colin says.

The early Sorted website used calculators to help people understand how much they might need for the retirement they wanted.

Colin says Sorted’s popularity grew because people liked and understood it. He says he’s delighted that successive Retirement Commissioners have continued to improve and enhance the service.

“The central question people had when Sorted began was whether they would have enough money to enjoy the standard of living they wanted in retirement,” Colin says.

Twenty-five years later, that question remains at the forefront as New Zealanders continue to ask how they can manage their spending, reduce debt, build emergency savings, make good KiwiSaver decisions and prepare for retirement.

Current Retirement Commissioner David Boyle says Sorted’s purpose is as important today as when it began.

“The financial challenges New Zealanders face have changed over 25 years, but the need for clear, trusted and independent money guidance remains,” he says.

“For 25 years, Sorted has been there to give people practical, impartial guidance that helps them take the next step with their money. The tools have evolved, but the promise hasn’t changed. We’re not selling anything. We’re here to help New Zealanders make informed decisions on their own terms.”

David says Sorted’s history demonstrates the value of making financial information accessible.

“Sorted has stood the test of time because it takes complicated money topics and makes them easier to understand and act on,” he says.

Sorted’s latest user research shows that New Zealanders continue to value free, independent support that does not sell products, carry advertising or earn commission.

In the 2026 Sorted user survey, nearly 90% of users rated sorted.org.nz as valuable, 70% said it had improved their financial confidence, 69% said it had motivated them to take action, and 55% said they were in a better financial position.

Sorted now has more than two million sessions a year across its tools, guides and calculators.

Tom Hartmann, Personal Finance Lead at Sorted, sees this value every day. “The Sorted calculators and practical tools remain the leading reasons people visit Sorted, followed by information about budgeting and saving,” he explains.

“The one thing that has remained constant is that people need trusted, independent information to help them understand their options and make confident money decisions,” Tom says.

Sorted has continued to evolve as the financial lives of New Zealanders and technology have changed. Its services now include information and tools covering budgeting, debt, saving, investing, KiwiSaver, mortgages and retirement planning. Its current resources include 68 guides, 468 blogs, thousands of social posts, 12 tools and its latest app, Sorted Buffer builder.

David says Sorted will continue to adapt while protecting the qualities that have earned New Zealanders’ trust.

“Our job for the next 25 years is to keep Sorted useful, accessible and independent, while finding better ways to help people understand their finances and see the difference their decisions can make over the long term.”

He says the anniversary is also an opportunity to recognise the people who created Sorted and those who have continued to develop it.

“Colin Blair and the people who worked with him created something genuinely innovative,” he says.

“It’s a privilege to carry that legacy forward and make sure Sorted continues to serve the next generation of New Zealanders.”

The anniversary is a reminder for New Zealanders to take one small money step today, whether that’s starting a buffer fund, checking their KiwiSaver fund type or working out what they may need in retirement.

Notes to Editors:

About Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission

Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission aims to help New Zealanders to retire with confidence. Retiring with confidence means New Zealanders feel secure they’ll have resources to live and the know-how to make ends meet. We focus on three areas: Retirement Income Policies, Retirement Villages and Financial Capability. Te Ara Ahunga Ora runs Sorted, Sorted at Work, Sorted in Communities, and Te whai hua – kia ora Sorted in Schools, and is responsible for the National Strategy for Financial Capability.

About Sorted

Sorted is a free service run by Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission, the government-funded, independent agency dedicated to helping New Zealanders get ahead financially. As New Zealand’s trusted personal finance site, Sorted has the information needed to tackle debt, plan and budget, save and invest, optimise KiwiSaver, plan for retirement, protect wealth, and manage a mortgage. Providing tools, guides and blogs, Sorted serves 1.5 million New Zealanders each year.

Source: KOF Economic Institute

UPDATE: The KOF Economic Barometer rises in September. After its consecutive increases over the previous months, it continues to stay above its medium-term average. The outlook for the Swiss economy remains favourable.

In September, the KOF Economic Barometer increases by 1.6 points to a level of 109.1 (after a revised 107.5 in the previous month). Among the indicator bundles included in the Economic Barometer, the indicator bundles for manufacturing, services, as well as for construction show particularly positive developments. A slightly weakened outlook, however, is shown by the indicators for foreign demand and financial and insurance services.

Within the producing industry (manufacturing and construction), the majority of the sub-indicators for the different aspects of business activity exhibit positive developments. In particular, the sub-indicators for exports, for stockpiling of intermediate products, and for the general business situation indicate a brightened outlook. The sub-indicators for employment prospects, however, are under pressure.

The positive developments are supported by most of the sub-indicators within manufacturing. While the sub-indicators for machinery and equipment manufacturing are slowing down, the sub-indicators for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, for paper and printing products, as well as for the textile industry develop particularly favourably.

KOF Economic Barometer and Reference Series: Annual Update

The annual 2026 revision took place in September. These updates always comprise the following steps: a redefinition of the pool of indicators that enter the selection procedure, an update of the reference time series and a renewed execution of the automated variable selection procedure. For further background information, we refer to the document ‘Background Information KOF Economic Barometer September 2026 Revision’.

The updated pool of indicators now consists of 538 economic time series. The updated reference series is the smoothed growth rate of Swiss GDP distributed across the three months of a quarter from 2016 until and including 2025, based on the official quarterly real GDP statistics, adjusted for the effects of major international sporting events, as released by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) at the beginning of September 2026. SECO in turn takes the release of the previous year’s annual GDP data published by the SFSO into account.

The 2025 vintage of the KOF Economic Barometer (published until August 2026) comprised 342 indicator variables. The current 2026 vintage, which is now replacing the 2025 vintage, consists of 327 indicator variables. Compared to the previous vintage, 33 indicators are new and 48 indicators dropped out of the set of selected indicators. The Barometer is the rescaled weighted average of the selected indicators, where the weights correspond to the loadings of the first principal component.

KOF Economic Barometer: Economic outlook remains favourable

The KOF Economic Barometer rises in September. After its consecutive increases over the previous months, it continues to stay above its medium-term average. The outlook for the Swiss economy remains favourable.

In September, the KOF Economic Barometer increases by 1.6 points to a level of 109.1 (after a revised 107.5 in the previous month). Among the indicator bundles included in the Economic Barometer, the indicator bundles for manufacturing, services, as well as for construction show particularly positive developments. A slightly weakened outlook, however, is shown by the indicators for foreign demand and financial and insurance services.

Within the producing industry (manufacturing and construction), the majority of the sub-indicators for the different aspects of business activity exhibit positive developments. In particular, the sub-indicators for exports, for stockpiling of intermediate products, and for the general business situation indicate a brightened outlook. The sub-indicators for employment prospects, however, are under pressure.

The positive developments are supported by most of the sub-indicators within manufacturing. While the sub-indicators for machinery and equipment manufacturing are slowing down, the sub-indicators for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, for paper and printing products, as well as for the textile industry develop particularly favourably.

KOF Economic Barometer and Reference Series: Annual Update

The annual 2026 revision took place in September. These updates always comprise the following steps: a redefinition of the pool of indicators that enter the selection procedure, an update of the reference time series and a renewed execution of the automated variable selection procedure. For further background information, we refer to the document ‘Background Information KOF Economic Barometer September 2026 Revision’.

The updated pool of indicators now consists of 538 economic time series. The updated reference series is the smoothed growth rate of Swiss GDP distributed across the three months of a quarter from 2016 until and including 2025, based on the official quarterly real GDP statistics, adjusted for the effects of major international sporting events, as released by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) at the beginning of September 2026. SECO in turn takes the release of the previous year’s annual GDP data published by the SFSO into account.

The 2025 vintage of the KOF Economic Barometer (published until August 2026) comprised 342 indicator variables. The current 2026 vintage, which is now replacing the 2025 vintage, consists of 327 indicator variables. Compared to the previous vintage, 33 indicators are new and 48 indicators dropped out of the set of selected indicators. The Barometer is the rescaled weighted average of the selected indicators, where the weights correspond to the loadings of the first principal component.

iMotion will adhere to its overseas expansion strategy by serving Chinese OEMs’ overseas business on the one hand, and actively developing international customers on the other. Based on its established presence, iMotion’s products and solutions have followed its customers and been deployed across regions and countries including Europe, Southeast Asia, South Korea and Japan. This has enabled iMotion to accumulate extensive on-the-ground experience in overseas applications and develop strong localized service capabilities.

In the first half of 2026, iMotion for the first time obtained nominated projects from a customer in the Taiwan region of China and an overseas direct-supply customer, marking significant breakthroughs in both customer coverage and overseas expansion. With the establishment in Tokyo, iMotion’s Japanese Branch will serve as a bridge between Japan and iMotion in relevant business, expanding long-term business cooperation with Japanese OEM and strengthen iMotion’s global brand presence.

From product expansion to system globalization, iMotion is rapidly building an end-to-end global delivery system. iMotion’s joint venture in Malaysia has completed trial production and is currently undergoing the final customer audit process. It is expected to commence full-scale production and mass deliveries to customers in the third quarter of 2026.

Looking ahead, iMotion plans to continue strengthening its global sales and service network. Through its overseas business units and production bases, technical adaptation, ecosystem collaboration, and data compliance capabilities, iMotion aims to accelerate its integration into the direct supply chains of international automakers. In addition, iMotion will leverage the resources provided by its strategic overseas shareholders to explore new international business opportunities and establish more international strategic alliances.

Hashtag: #iMotionTechnology

87. AND EVERYTHING THOSE TWO DIGITS SAY ABOUT THE WORLD.

87seconds is not a name chosen at random. It carries both a cultural conviction and a strong business ambition.

In many Asian cultures, the number 8 symbolizes prosperity, success, and forward momentum. In the West, the number 7 is associated with luck, achievement, and success. Together, 8 and 7 bring two continents and two worldviews together around a single ambition: helping brands succeed everywhere, while respecting every culture. They reflect what the group has always been: a bridge between East and West, between markets, cultures, and audiences.

87seconds is also a unit of time that says everything there is to know about the attention challenge brands face today.

Choosing this name expresses the ambition to go beyond those few seconds, to create content and experiences that make people want to stop, discover, watch, engage, and remember.
It is no longer enough to be seen. Brands must earn more time and more attention: turning a fleeting exposure into emotion, and an interaction into a lasting connection.

This name carries forward the group’s founding conviction: Everyone Matters. Every culture, every market, every audience, every platform matters. And so does every second it takes to reach them.

CREATE, DEPLOY, MANAGE: A THREE-PILLAR ORGANIZATION

With this name change, 87seconds is clarifying its organization around three major, complementary areas of expertise, making its offering easier to understand without affecting the identity or independence of its agencies:

• CREATE, which brings together the expertise of 87seconds Creative and Switching-Time in content creation, production, and amplification;
• DEPLOY, which unites Datawords and Wezen around the orchestration, management, and governance of content on an international scale;
• MANAGE, which brings together Vanksen and Whatsquare around visibility, monitoring, digital performance, and conversational experiences.

The brands 87seconds Creative, Switching-Time, Datawords, Wezen, Vanksen, and Whatsquare continue to exist under their respective identities, with their expertise, teams, and organization intact.

“We didn’t change our name to change our image. We changed our name because we have changed. The group 87seconds represents 27 years of work, culture, and conviction, finally with a name capable of carrying it all.” Alexandre Crazover, CEO and Co-Founder of the Group.

Hashtag: #87seconds #Datawords

WHO IS 87S ?

WHO IS 87S CREATIVE ?

Markets, not savings, powering the gain

Global financial assets increased by 8.6% in 2025 to a record EUR268.4trn, despite a challenging geopolitical and economic backdrop. Markets did the heavy lifting in 2025, as rising asset prices accounted for roughly 4 out of every 5 euros of new household wealth. Fresh savings fell 5.4% to EUR4.1trn. “Global wealth set another record in 2025, but that only tells half of the story,” said Ludovic Subran, Chief Economist and Chief Investment Officer at Allianz. “Since 2019, nominal financial assets are up 50%, but in real terms, stripped of inflation, they only grew 23%. The situation is worse in Western Europe where financial assets in real terms are up 0.5% compared to 2019. It is 21% in North America and 70% in China.”

Portfolios set the tone

Portfolio composition increasingly determines who captures the gains from wealth creation. Securities increased by 12.4% in 2025, more than twice as fast as deposits (5.7%) or insurance and pensions (5.0%), pushing their share of global financial assets to a record 46.9%. North American households, with 60.7% of their portfolios invested in securities, benefited particularly strongly from rising markets; their region generated 51.4% of the global increase in financial assets. Over the past decade, valuation gains accounted for 71% of North American financial-asset growth, compared with only 36% in Western Europe, reflecting the importance of investing savings over holding them in low-earning accounts.

2026-27: AI as a swing factor amid slowing GDP growth

We estimate that global financial assets could grow by a solid 9% in 2026, but the medium-term backdrop is turning tougher as slower growth, persistent inflation, fragmentation and high public debt weigh on returns. Going forward, AI is therefore the key swing factor: stronger productivity and earnings could sustain asset returns, but the growing reliance on AI-powered markets to drive household wealth also creates vulnerability. With the S&P 500 up around 95% since end-2022, much of the recent wealth boost rests on elevated market valuations and AI expectations. We find that a 25% correction in the S&P 500 would erase around USD27trn of US household wealth in the year of the shock, equivalent to almost 14% of total net worth, weighing on confidence and consumption, and pushing the US economy into recession.

But the AI wealth story is not only about how much wealth is created, it is also about who captures the gains. “AI could become the next great wealth engine, but the key question is who gets a stake in it,” said Katharina Utermöhl, Head of Thematic & Policy Research at Allianz Research. “As AI potentially shifts more value creation towards capital, broader participation in capital returns and policies that help workers adjust will be key to making the AI wealth dividend more widely shared.”

Singapore: The world’s 4th-richest country by net wealth per capita

Gross financial assets of Singapore’s private households increased by 9.1% in 2025 to EUR1.4trn, up from 8.5% growth in 2024, modestly above the global average (8.6%) though just below the average for the surveyed Asian countries excluding Japan and China (9.8%).

Securities grew fastest among all asset classes, up 12.7%, ahead of insurance and pensions (9.3%) and deposits (6.8%). However, due to Singapore’s strong capital-funded pension system, insurance and pension remained the dominant asset class in the average private household’s portfolio, with a share of 47.2%, followed by deposits with 33.2%. Securities accounted for just 19.6% of Singaporean portfolios – well below both the regional average of 30.8% and the global figure of 46.9%.

Adjusted for inflation, Singaporean financial assets grew by 8.1% in real terms in 2025, up from 6.0% in 2024. They have increased by a cumulative 33.3% since 2019 – below the regional average of 39.6%, though well above the global average of 22.9%.

Private households’ liabilities rose by 7.4% to EUR269.9bn, growing more slowly than gross financial assets. As a result, net financial assets increased by 9.5% to EUR1.1trn. With net financial assets of EUR192,840 per capita, Singapore ranked 4th among the world’s richest countries in 2025.

Net financial assets per capita in 2025

The interactive “Allianz Global Wealth Map” can be found here on our homepage:
https://www.allianz.com/en/economic_research/research-data/interactive-wealth-map.html

You can find the study here on our homepage:
https://www.allianz.com/en/economic_research/insights/publications/global-wealth-report-2026.html

Hashtag: #AllianzResearch

About Allianz

From “Buying Products” to “Buying Lifestyles”: The Logic of Consumption Is Being Rewritten

Ms. Chang noted that the underlying logic of home appliance consumption is shifting from “purchasing home appliance bundles and choosing features based on price” to “making targeted upgrades, addressing specific pain points, and paying for genuine experiences.” What has changed is not what consumers buy but why they buy—and what value they expect appliances to create. This shift is pushing competition beyond end-product manufacturing toward long-term competition in core technologies and cross-scenario system solutions. Hisense believes that the home, automotive, energy, health, and office sectors together form a single integrated living system—and that corporate boundaries will inevitably expand from “product boundaries” to “consumer lifestyle boundaries.” This is the underlying logic behind Hisense’s expansion from traditional home appliances into semiconductors and automotive electronics.

Service as Growth: Products Are No Longer the Endpoint but the Entry Point

Addressing the idea of “making service itself a growth engine,” she explained that this means redefining products not as “one-time hardware deliveries” but as entry points into “long-term user relationships that can be continually nurtured and sustained.” Products are no longer the endpoint of a transaction—they are the entry point for service. In the past, products were defined by the question, “What technology do we have?” In the future, they must be defined by the question, “What problems and needs do consumers have?” Once a user purchases a Hisense product, that product becomes an ongoing point of connection: software upgrades, maintenance, and trade-in services are all available through Hisense. In ASEAN, Hisense has built its brand around three core lifestyle scenarios: Technology, Health, and Art. Technology enhances efficiency; Health improves quality of life; and Art meets aesthetic needs. Together, they correspond to consumers’ progression from “getting by” to “living well” to “living life on their own terms.”

Technology Benefits People; Industry Benefits People: The “Two-Way Journey” of Manufacturing and Consumption Upgrading

The story of Hisense Laser TV exemplifies the value of long-term technological investment. Hisense began investing in laser display technology in 2007 and became a global leader in the field over the next 17 years. By 2024, Hisense Laser TV accounted for 65.8% of global shipments, ranking No. 1 worldwide for six consecutive years. At CES 2025, Hisense unveiled RGB-Mini LED technology, advancing RGB technology toward industrialization and mass production. Hisense believes that Chinese manufacturing and Chinese consumption are forming a new symbiotic relationship—a “two-way journey”: consumption determines why we innovate; manufacturing determines how far we can innovate; and true innovation, in turn, creates new forms of consumption. The two reinforce each other in a spiraling process.

30 Years of Going Global: True Globalization Must Be Localized

At the forum, Ms. Chang shared three layers of experience from Hisense’s 30-year overseas journey. The first layer is “Take root first, then bloom.” Hisense entered the South African market in 1996—30 years ago. Today, Hisense operates 32 R&D centers, 41 industrial parks and manufacturing bases, and 65 overseas companies and offices, forming a “7+1” regional network with integrated R&D, manufacturing, and sales. Since 2018, Hisense has helped more than 40 supply chain partners expand overseas. The second layer encompasses 20 years of building its own brand. Hisense adheres to “Local for Local,” establishing regional headquarters, factories, and local teams in ASEAN. Hisense broke ground on the Thailand HHA Smart Manufacturing Industrial Park—its largest overseas industrial park—in September 2025. The third layer concerns the present and the future: ASEAN serves as a testing ground for brand globalization. Major projects involving commercial displays for the Indonesian government and Kelin Electric have been successfully implemented in ASEAN, marking B2B as Hisense’s second growth curve and driving its evolution from a home appliance brand to a technology group.

Globalization Upgraded: From “Made in China” to “Created for the World”

She noted that the underlying logic has shifted from exporting products and capacity to exporting technological value and localized scenario solutions. The narrative has evolved from “affordable Chinese manufacturing” to “a global brand that takes root locally and solves local users’ problems.” Today’s globalization harnesses global resources, innovation, and manufacturing to serve consumers worldwide. Hisense’s experience in ASEAN reinforces one conviction: the best approach to globalization is not to replicate the Chinese model but to use China’s technology, manufacturing, and brand capabilities to respond to the real needs of each local market and grow alongside local partners. As Ms. Chang concluded: “Quality is character; quality is morality; quality is values. Enterprises that hold fast to conscience amid the noise are the foundation and future of China’s high-quality development.” Looking ahead, guided by confidence, determination, a commitment to its original aspirations, and craftsmanship, Hisense will continue to uphold its “user-centric” philosophy as it deepens its roots in ASEAN, expands its global reach, and shares its experience, channels, and localization resources with more Chinese brands. Together, they will help Chinese brands move from “going global” to “becoming truly global.” https://hisense.sg/

Hashtag: #hisense

About Hisense

Founded in 1969, Hisense is a global technology group operating in 160+ countries, with a strong portfolio across TVs, home appliances, air-conditioning and commercial solutions. Recognised as one of the Top 2 TV brands worldwide, Hisense continues to strengthen its global presence through innovation, quality manufacturing and major international partnerships, including its role as an Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026

Security teams can now investigate AI agent activity, including prompts, responses and tool calls, alongside the rest of their security telemetry

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 30 September 2026 – TrendAI, the global AI security leader and enterprise business unit of Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), today expanded support for Claude’s Compliance API in TrendAI Vision One. The integration now covers Claude Code and Cowork session transcripts from Claude Enterprise. It builds on the integration TrendAI announced with Anthropic in June 2026, adding visibility into how engineering and knowledge-work teams use AI agents day to day.

AI agents now write code, call tools and reach into business systems on behalf of employees. Security teams usually know these agents are running, but not what they were asked to do, what they did or whether it followed policy.

Claude’s Compliance API returns session records for Claude Code and Cowork, including prompts, responses and tool calls, each tied to a verified user. With today’s expanded integration, TrendAI brings these records into TrendAI Vision One, where security teams can investigate AI activity in context, correlate it with endpoint, identity, cloud and network signals, and build custom detections for the agent behavior that matters to them.

“We understand security teams need transparency to validate AI agent activity against company policy and integrate that intelligence with their existing endpoint, identity, network and cloud signals,” said Rachel Jin, Chief Platform and Business Officer, Head of TrendAI. “Coding and knowledge-work agents are now doing real work inside the business, and security teams should be able to see and investigate that work the same way they do everything else. This is about making informed decisions and maintaining control as these tools scale. Organizations can now move faster with AI while keeping proper oversight in place.

What security teams can do:

• Flag agent tool calls outside expected boundaries
• Tie AI session activity to specific users during investigations
• Check whether agent workflows follow required processes
• Correlate AI activity with other security events instead of treating it as a separate silo
• Keep an auditable record of AI session activity for compliance review

TrendAI Vision One also continues to ingest activity logs from Claude Enterprise, covering user logins, admin actions and configuration changes, and from Claude Platform, covering admin, system and resource events. Claude’s Compliance API integration in TrendAI Vision One is available now for TrendAI Vision One customers using Claude Enterprise.
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About TrendAI

TrendAI, the global AI security leader and enterprise business unit of Trend Micro, empowers organizations with full AI visibility, governance, and consolidated security that inspires confidence, drives innovation, and eliminates risk. Trusted by the largest enterprises and governments across 185 countries, TrendAI secures the entire organization, from identities, to infrastructure, to data. Global Fortune 500 companies rely on TrendAI to stop threats up to 115 days earlier, powered by world-leading threat and attack intelligence. Through deep ecosystem partnerships with market leaders like NVIDIA, Anthropic, AWS, Google, and Microsoft, TrendAI enables teams to securely move at the speed of AI. These alliances deliver results, as TrendAI became the first APJ-based AI security partner to surpass US $1 billion in AWS Marketplace sales.

With TrendAI, organizations can clearly see how AI is used across environments, identify emerging risks, and take action faster. CISOs can simplify their security stack while giving business leaders the confidence to innovate, securely. AI Fearlessly. trendaisecurity.com