Automation

Automation, Uncategorized

Finshape accelerates global growth with new CEO

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Finshape accelerates global growth with new CEO Finshape, a leading provider of digital banking solutions, announced the appointment of Neil Budd as the company’s new CEO. PRAGUE, Jan. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Budd joins Finshape an experienced executive with 25+years in banking, technology and consulting. He will focus on the company’s continued international growth, strengthening value delivery for clients, and expanding activities primarily across Western Europe, the Middle East and the APAC region. Current CEO Petr Koutný will move to position of the Chairman of the Board. Neil Budd, CEO of Finshape Financial institutions today are working out how to turn their investments in digitalisation into measurable outcomes in conjunction with understanding how to harness the potential of artificial intelligence in a meaningful way. “Banks are looking for technology partners they can trust for the long term. Finshape has a strong, relevant product portfolio, experienced teams, and stable, trusted relationships with banks. With our ADBO System and new capabilities in loyalty and personalisation, we will continue to help banks deliver tangible value to their customers and accelerate our growth journey to new markets” said Neil Budd. Finshape has been growing for the long term, particularly in CEE, where it works with major financial institutions including Erste Group, Raiffeisen Bank International AG, OTP Bank Group or Banca Transilvania. In 2025 Finshape generated EUR 55 million in revenue according to its consolidated results and grew 30% year-on-year. The company is also expanding its international footprint. Further growth has been supported by the recent acquisition of the loyalty platform Realtime-XLS from Collinson Group, and a strategic partnership with Dubai Islamic Bank, the largest Islamic bank in the United Arab Emirates. These steps strengthen Finshape’s role in global digital banking. Finshape intends to be a market leader in implementing technologies, specifically focusing on the meaningful integration of AI into the operations and into client offerings to deliver measurable outcomes for banks. Before joining Finshape, Neil worked at various leading global consulting and advisory firms. At Finastra, he served as Vice President Global Head Strategic Partnerships Ecosystem and Alliances as well as Global Head Managed Services. At Accenture, he was Managing Director. Today, Finshape serves 100+ financial institutions in 25 countries across four continents.  The company’s team includes 600+ specialists, supporting tens of millions of end users worldwide. Finshape’s growth is driven by a combination of organic development and targeted acquisitions.  Read More

Automation, Uncategorized

Johnson Controls and Thamrin Nine now power southern hemisphere’s highest building with green technology

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Johnson Controls and Thamrin Nine now power southern hemisphere’s highest building with green technology  Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, safe, healthy and sustainable buildings, celebrated the successful completion of a multi-year collaboration with Thamrin Nine, a flagship multi-purpose complex in central Jakarta’s central business district that spans commercial, hospitality and retail spaces. The project, which helps reduce energy use by up to 30 percent, recently achieved BCA (Building and Construction Authority) Green Mark Platinum certification, recognizing its outstanding environmental performance. As part of the project, Johnson Controls provided chiller plant design and implementation, engineering services and building automation systems for two of Thamrin Nine’s skyscrapers—the Autograph Tower, the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere at 382.9 meters, and the Luminary Tower. With building systems fully deployed across both towers, Johnson Controls will continue supporting the development through ongoing service and maintenance to ensure long-term efficiency, comfort and enhance equipment lifespan. Smart Building Technologies for a Future-Ready Urban Icon Johnson Controls designed, supplied and installed a full suite of integrated building solutions tailored to the complex’s high-performance needs. Thamrin Nine marks the company’s first chiller plant optimization project in Indonesia, which aims to make cooling systems work smarter through advanced technologies and improved operations. Through turnkey project management that covered design, implementation, and integration across systems, Johnson Controls was able to deliver significant energy and cost savings. These included: “This project is a defining milestone for urban development in Jakarta,” said Michael Wiener, Design Director, Thamrin Nine. “Our goal was to change the way people live, work and play in Jakarta —delivering an integrated destination that combines scale, choice, convenience, and sustainability. Johnson Controls has been the ideal partner to help us achieve that vision, and we appreciate their continued support in maintaining performance at the highest standards.” “Our partnership with Thamrin Nine exemplifies how future-forward engineering and digital optimisation can deliver not just iconic buildings, but greener, smarter cities. By integrating advanced building technologies, we’re creating healthier, more sustainable indoor environments that reduce operational costs, lower carbon emissions, and enhance occupant well-being,” said Wibawa Jati Kusuma, General Manager, Malaysia & Indonesia, Johnson Controls. “With ongoing service and support, we’re committed to helping Thamrin Nine maintain optimised performance and set the pace for sustainable urban development in Indonesia.” A Model for Sustainable Development in ASEAN The Thamrin Nine partnership builds on Johnson Controls’ 140-year legacy of innovation and leadership in smart, safe, healthy and sustainable technologies and is part of its expanding portfolio of sustainability-driven projects across Southeast Asia, including: These proven technologies and approaches, adapted for the Jakarta context, support Indonesia’s Net Zero Emissions by 2060 vision—demonstrating how global expertise can address local environmental challenges at scale. As it celebrates its 140th anniversary in 2025, Johnson Controls continues to redefine building performance, driving the next era for commercial buildings, transforming industries and powering its customers’ missions. (Adapted from press release)

Automation, Uncategorized

Tata Communications’ key predictions shaping Asia’s tech landscape in 2026

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Tata Communications’ key predictions shaping Asia’s tech landscape in 2026 By Amitabh Sarkar, Vice President & Head of Asia Pacific and Japan – Enterprise at Tata Communications As we move into 2026, the stakes for getting data foundations right have shifted dramatically in Asia Pacific. AI has already moved beyond proof-of-concept, with AI-related investments in Asia/Pacific expected to grow 1.7x faster than overall digital technology spending, according to IDC. Data remains the first bottleneck and the biggest multiplier. Organisations will need to invest early in data governance, quality management and building a single source of truth across silos. This will go hand-in-hand with investing in the right digital infrastructure: environments that are elastic, scalable and performant, and able to support the heavy compute demands of AI across cloud and edge. As more real-time use cases emerge, we will see a stronger push toward processing data closer to where it is generated, reducing latency and improving the speed of insight. Equally important is culture. AI programmes only succeed when people understand how to work with these systems — when there is clear ownership, the right skills in place, and a mindset that encourages experimentation, learning and responsible use. Voice AI is entering a new phase in Asia Pacific — one shaped by three converging forces: the surge in enterprise AI investment, the region’s linguistic and cultural complexity, and rising expectations for real-time, empathetic customer service. While AI innovation has historically focused on text-based chat and automation pilots, we’re entering a stage where enterprises are no longer experimenting with conversational AI but enabling systems that can handle live dialogue, context retention, sentiment understanding, and multilingual switching as the default, not the exception. A report on 2026 Asia Pacific predictions notes over 90% of enterprises will prioritise quantum-safe security, reflecting growing recognition that future-proofing data and communications is essential for competitiveness and trust. Building on the momentum of previous years, organisations in finance, healthcare, and other data-sensitive industries are moving beyond proofs-of-concept to implement quantum-resilient algorithms, quantum key distribution (QKD), and secure quantum communication channels. In 2026, this shift signals a turning point: quantum technologies are no longer niche research projects—they will become a core part of enterprise risk strategy, compliance frameworks, and long-term innovation roadmaps across APAC. As enterprises across Asia Pacific scale AI adoption, threat actors are increasingly leveraging AI to automate attacks, craft hyper-targeted exploits, and weaponise synthetic content. In 2026, cybersecurity will become inseparable from the infrastructure that powers AI and cloud workloads. Zero-trust architectures and continuous verification are now critical foundations for enterprise security, particularly as AI workloads expand across cloud, edge, and hybrid environments. Networks themselves are evolving to support both performance and security at scale. For example, large-scale AI-ready networks demonstrate how high-capacity, low-latency infrastructure can enable compute-intensive AI applications while embedding robust access controls, data integrity measures, and compliance standards.

AI, Automation

Smart manufacturing gets smarter with industrial AI

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nternally, companies are also grappling with workforce challenges, rising operational costs, and growing demands for agility and productivity.

Automation

FedEx collaborates with QuikBot to revolutionise last-mile deliveries in Singapore

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FedEx collaborates with QuikBot to revolutionise last-mile deliveries in Singapore Federal Express Corporation (FedEx), one of the world’s largest express  transportation companies, has collaborated with Singapore-based QuikBot Technologies, the world’s  first Autonomous Final-Mile Delivery (AFMD) Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), to introduce autonomous  delivery robots at selected commercial buildings in Singapore. This marks FedEx’s first deployment of  delivery robots in the country, leveraging autonomous tech floor-to-floor, last-mile commercial  deliveries. FedEx is also QuikBot’s first commercial partner, paving the way for innovative logistics  solution.  Following a successful 6-month pilot at South Beach Tower and Mapletree Business City, the delivery  robots are now fully operational at both sites, with more commercial clusters expected to be  integrated by the end of 2025. The collaboration allows FedEx couriers to drop off multiple parcels at  QuikBot’s Forward Fulfillment Depot within each building cluster. There, QuikBot staff verify and load  the parcels into secured QuikBoxes. Once loaded, QuikBot’s autonomous mobile robots take over,  navigating lifts and accessing individual floors to complete secure, contactless deliveries with no  further human assistance. Guided by AI agents, QuikCat manages short-distance, floor-to-floor  deliveries, while QuikFox handles mid-distance transfers between buildings, carrying up to three  QuikBoxes per trip. The platform enables fully autonomous operations within a 1.5km radius,  seamlessly transitioning between indoor and outdoor environments to service multiple buildings. This automation streamlines courier operations by minimising downtime and maximising agility. By  eliminating wait times at lift lobbies and security checkpoints, couriers can swiftly move on to their  next destination, priortising time-sensitive deliveries with ease.  Eric Tan “Delivering in dense urban environments like Singapore requires fresh perspectives and cutting-edge technology,” said Eric Tan, Managing Director of FedEx Singapore. “Our collaboration with QuikBot embodies FedEx’s commitment to revolutionising urban logistics through automation and data-driven  insights. It is empowering us to scale efficiently, and build a more agile, sustainable and future-ready  network that exceeds customer expectations.  “This milestone partnership with FedEx marks the commercial launch of the world’s first Agentic-AI Powered Interoperable Robotics Platform for Urban Logistics,” said Alan Ng, Founder and CEO of  QuikBot Technologies. “Last-mile logistics is one of the most expensive and inefficient segments in the  supply chain, plagued by labour shortages, rising emissions, and mounting delivery demands. Alan Ng Our  Autonomous Final-Mile Delivery Platform-as-a-Service tackles this head-on by integrating robotics,  IoT, and smart infrastructure into a scalable, city-ready solution. It not only accelerates operational  efficiency and supports ESG goals but also provides a long-term answer to workforce sustainability in  dense urban areas. This collaboration demonstrates how cross-sector innovation can reshape the very  foundation of logistics for the cities of tomorrow.”  This initiative is part of FedEx’s efforts to revolutionise last-mile delivery in Singapore. By integrating autonomous in-building deliveries, FedEx is streamlining operations in high-rise commercial hubs and  advancing its vision of making supply chains smarter for everyone.  About Federal Express Corporation  Federal Express Corporation is one of the world’s largest express transportation companies, providing  fast and reliable delivery to more than 220 countries and territories. Federal Express Corporation uses  a global air-and-ground network to speed delivery of time-sensitive shipments by a definite time and  date.  About QuikBot Technologies  QuikBot Technologies is transforming urban logistics with the world’s first Agentic-Powered  Interoperable Robotics Platform for Smart Cities and beyond. Its flagship solution, the Autonomous  Final-Mile Delivery (AFMD) Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), seamlessly integrates AI, robotics, 5G, IoT,  and smart building infrastructure to enable autonomous floor-to-floor deliveries across complex  urban environments. Headquartered in Singapore, QuikBot has successfully launched commercial operations locally and is  expanding into Japan and the United Arab Emirates. Learn more at https://www.quikbot.ai. 

AI, Automation

Informatica launches Agentic AI offerings and expands cloud partnerships

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Informatica launches Agentic AI offerings and expands cloud partnerships AI Agent Engineering, a new service within Informatica’s Intelligent Data Management Cloud platform™, empowers organizations to build, connect and manage intelligent multi-agent AI systems and compose business applications quickly, securely and at scale. Informatica  an AI-powered enterprise cloud data management leader, announced its comprehensive strategy for Agentic AI, building on the company’s position as the industry’s first AI-powered cloud data management platform. Informatica’s strategic approach to Agentic AI expands on the company’s AI innovation history, which includes the launch of CLAIRE® GPT, CLAIRE® Copilot and GenAI blueprints for major cloud ecosystem partners. As the resilient backbone of enterprise data and AI strategies, Informatica provides the critical metadata system of intelligence that enhances decision-making and AI outcomes through a comprehensive catalog of an organization’s data assets. “As the world of AI agents proliferates, the winners will be those who can connect, govern and manage agents at scale while providing enterprise-wide access to trusted data,” said Amit Walia, CEO at Informatica. “With the launch of CLAIRE® Agents and AI Agent Engineering, we are redefining what is possible in data management and AI orchestration. By combining the deep intelligence of our CLAIRE Agents with a no-code, enterprise-grade foundation, Informatica empowers businesses to turn autonomous agents into a strategic advantage, securely and confidently. With AI Agent Engineering, we’re enabling organizations to rapidly build, connect and orchestrate intelligent agent workflows across complex hybrid ecosystems, all without writing a single line of code.” According to Gartner®, “Through 2026, those organizations that don’t enable and support their AI use cases through an AI-ready data practice will see over 60% of AI projects fail to deliver on business SLAs and be abandoned.”[1] New AI Agent Engineering Service to Build, Connect and Manage Multi-Agent AI Systems Agents offer more resilient solutions that reason rather than depend on rigid and rule-based code. In an AI Agent world, trusted data becomes even more critical as agents will make autonomous decisions based on it. While many application vendors are building domain-specific agents, the solution to meaningful enterprise business problems often requires connecting siloed sources of information. As AI Agents proliferate across enterprises, the ability to connect, manage and govern them is paramount to ensure enterprise service quality (performance, scale), security and compliance. AI Agent Engineering, a new service within Informatica’s Intelligent Data Management Cloud platform™, empowers organizations to build, connect and manage intelligent multi-agent AI systems and compose business applications quickly, securely and at scale. It provides a unified, no-code environment to seamlessly orchestrate agents across ecosystems like AWS, Azure, Databricks, Google Cloud, Microsoft, Salesforce, Snowflake and more—bridging the gap between innovation and enterprise operations. Key Capabilities: Metadata-aware and context-intelligent: Ensures AI agents operate on trusted, governed data for context-rich automation leveraging Informatica’s  metadata system of intelligence. Leverage existing investments from Informatica’s cloud platform as skills: Includes mappings, business processes and other assets, into third party agents. Enterprise-grade performance: Built on Informatica’s proven scalable and secure AI-ready platform, supporting mission-critical workloads globally. No-code, AI-native interface: Enables both technical and non-technical users to register and discover enterprise-wide agents, build and manage AI agents without writing code. Availability: AI Agent Engineering is expected to be available globally in fall of 2025 as part of the Informatica’s cloud data management platform. Early previews and partner engagement opportunities will be announced at Informatica World this week in Las Vegas. “At Wescom Financial, our mission is to deliver innovative, member-focused solutions while ensuring operational excellence and data integrity across every channel,” said Desigan Reddi, VP IT and Operations at Wescom Financial. “Informatica’s new AI Agent Engineering service is a game-changer for organizations like ours, enabling us to build and orchestrate intelligent AI agent workflows securely and at scale—without the need for complex coding. The ability to connect agents across our hybrid ecosystem, leveraging trusted data, empowers both our technical and business teams to accelerate automation and drive real-time, data-driven decisions. This no-code, metadata-aware approach aligns perfectly with our vision of making advanced AI accessible and actionable, helping us enhance member experiences and streamline operations as we continue to lead in digital transformation for the credit union industry.” CLAIRE ® Agents: The Next Evolution in Autonomous Data Management Informatica announced CLAIRE® Agents, a suite of autonomous digital assistants designed to augment enterprise data management. These agents harness advanced AI reasoning and planning models to automate complex data operations—ranging from data ingestion and lineage tracking to data quality assurance. Built on open standards that include support for Model Context Protocol (MCP) and fully integrated with Informatica’s Intelligent Data Management Cloud platform, CLAIRE Agents deliver a new level of productivity, data accuracy and scale. CLAIRE Agents redesign how users interact with Informatica’s cloud platform. Instead of an interface built around specific tasks, the new experience will dynamically adapt based on the current context, giving users a personalized, fluid experience to achieve the goal at hand. Addressing Modern Data Challenges with Intelligent Autonomy Today’s data teams face escalating demands driven by AI adoption, governance complexity and increasing regulatory oversight—all while navigating siloed data environments and budget constraints. CLAIRE Agents can address these challenges head-on by executing end-to-end data management goals with intelligent autonomy. Key features include: Data Quality Agent: Continuously monitors and remediates data quality across cloud warehouses, master data management (MDM) systems and third-party repositories. Data Discovery Agent: Rapidly identifies relevant, trusted and compliant data assets for analytics and AI. Data Lineage Agent: Automatically generates granular data lineage across diverse coding environments. Data Ingestion Agent: Simplifies building complex ingestion and replication pipelines. ELT Agent: Automates optimized ELT jobs for Snowflake, Databricks, Google BigQuery, Amazon Redshift and Microsoft Fabric. Modernization Agent: Automates data engineering and integration workflows to Informatica’s AI-powered cloud data management platform. Product Experience Agent: Enrich product data attributes from a hierarchy/taxonomy in Informatica MDM. Data Exploration Agent: Automates goal-based data exploration of structured enterprise datasets in cloud data warehouses and data lakes. “AI agents hold great promise to transform business models and usher in new ways of working and, through our collaboration with Informatica, our joint clients can unlock the potential of AI agents

Automation, Events

Dubai’s global ambitions drives synergy with Singapore’s innovation ecosystem

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Dubai’s global ambitions drives synergy with Singapore’s innovation ecosystem Dubai presence at the Inaugural edition of GITEX Asia x AI Everything Singapore shines spotlight on increased collaboration between the two cities. Dubai and Singapore’s thriving tech and innovation ecosystem took centre stage at the inaugural edition of GITEX Asia x AI Everything Singapore, spotlighting the deepening synergy between two of the world’s most dynamic gateway markets for technology-driven growth.  At the event, a coalition of leading innovation enablers- Dubai Internet City, in5, Ignyte, DMCC, Oraseya Capital, Emirates, Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority, the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy and the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), came together to showcase the city’s platforms designed to empower tech companies — from early-stage startups to high-growth scale-ups — to scale regionally and globally.  The delegation’s presence at GITEX Asia reflects the rising trend of cross-market collaboration between Dubai and Singapore. According to the latest FT FDI Markets data, Singapore ranked among the top 10 sources of inbound foreign direct investment (FDI) projects into Dubai’s economy in 2024, highlighting a growing appetite among Singaporean companies to tap into Dubai’s strategic position linking Asia, Africa, and Europe. Notably, 22% of FDI project announcements from Singapore were in the Software and IT Services sector followed closely by Food & Beverage (19.5%), Financial Services (14.6%). At GITEX Asia x AI Everything Singapore, Singapore-based QuikBot Technologies, a pioneer in autonomous final-mile logistics, announced a strategic partnership with the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ) to deploy its cutting-edge Autonomous Final-Mile Delivery Platform-as-a Service (AFMD PaaS) at Dubai Silicon Oasis. The agreement signed during the event, marks QuikBot’s entry into the Middle East market and reinforces Singapore’s growing position as a global exporter of smart urban technology.  Bridging Two Gateways to Global Growth Both Dubai and Singapore have built their global reputations as launchpads for international expansion. Discussions throughout GITEX Asia reaffirmed how companies based in Singapore can leverage Dubai’s platforms to seamlessly access fast-growing markets across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA). Conversely, businesses and startups from the UAE and wider region continue to consider Singapore as a hub to expand into Southeast Asia’s flourishing digital economy. In 2023, the Dubai International Chamber launched their international representative office in Singapore with the aim of solidifying new cross border opportunities for business and investment. Opportunities for Tech Talent and Industry Collaboration Beyond company expansion, the Dubai Stand also spotlighted opportunities for tech talent mobility. Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, was present to showcase career opportunities for tech professionals within the aviation giant’s expanding innovation and digital teams — offering Singapore’s skilled workforce new avenues to work with one of the region’s most iconic brands. Mohamed Sharaf, Chief Operating Officer (COO, Investment Attraction of the Dubai Economic Development Corporation (DEDC), the economic development arm of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), said: “Dubai and Singapore have long been connected as strategic hubs for the movement and exchange of goods and services. Now, as we continue to work towards achieving the ambitions set out by the D33 agenda, we build on those foundations to forge even closer ties as leading innovation-first economies. GITEX Asia was an opportunity to showcase how our complementary ecosystems enable tech companies, investors and skilled professionals to expand their global ambitions by leveraging both Dubai and Singapore as launchpads for growth.” With vibrant innovation ecosystems, business-friendly environments, and strategic geographic positioning, Dubai and Singapore are poised to deepen ties and create a more connected future for global tech entrepreneurship. About the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) With the ultimate vision of making Dubai the world’s leading commercial centre, investment hub and tourism destination, the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) is mandated to support the Government in positioning the emirate as a major hub for global economy and tourism, and in boosting the city’s economic and tourism competitiveness indicators, in line with the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, which aims to double the size of the emirate’s economy and consolidate its position among the top three global cities over the next decade. Under this remit, DET is driving efforts to further enhance Dubai’s diversified, innovative service-based economy to attract top global talent, deliver a world-class business environment and accelerate productivity growth. Additionally, DET is supporting Dubai’s vision to become the world’s best city to visit, live and work in by promoting its diverse destination proposition, unique lifestyle and outstanding quality of life, overall. DET is the principal authority for planning, supervising, developing and marketing Dubai’s business and tourism sectors. It is also responsible for licensing and classifying all types of businesses, including hotels, tour operators and travel agents. DET’s portfolio includes Dubai Economic Development Corporation (DEDC), Dubai Business Registration and Licensing Corporation (DBLC), Dubai Corporation for Consumer Protection and Fair Trade (DCCPFT), Dubai SME, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) and Dubai College of Tourism (DCT). (Adapted from press release)

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