Tag: MENA

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FreedomPay Announces Integration with Castles Technology to Expand Commerce Offering Globally

The partnership brings a unique consumer experience powered by loyalty and value-added services to millions of merchants globally.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FreedomPay, the commerce technology partner of choice for global leaders across hospitality, retail, restaurants and sports and entertainment, announce today a partnership with Castles Technology, a globally recognized and industry-leading manufacturer of payment hardware solutions.

“FreedomPay creates a world-class experience for consumers through optimized speed, security, and personalization,” said Chris Kronenthal, President of FreedomPay. “By partnering with Castles, merchants can provide a best-in-class commerce experience for consumers globally.”

Available beginning Q1 2023, FreedomPay will offer Castles’ all-in-one Android SmartPOS terminal to create a secure, frictionless and unified shopping experience for consumers while also supporting merchants with robust loyalty and data analytics capabilities. The move furthers its commitment towards an open and accessible ecosystem for FreedomPay’s merchants and industry partners alike. “Ultimately, FreedomPay’s proposition to the market is innovation based around choice and flexibility – we take another step forward with this announcement,” said Kronenthal.

“This partnership with FreedomPay brings together world-class commerce technology with industry-leading payment acceptance hardware solutions that drive global commerce by serving consumers and businesses to securely pay and get paid. Delivering innovation and trust is part of our DNA, and we are thrilled to be working with FreedomPay, who shares our ambitions to keep pushing our industry forward for our clients,” said Ben Love, President & CTO of Castles Technology North America.

Castles devices offer merchants many benefits including:

  • FreedomPay’s PCI-Validated P2PE solution and PCI PTS v6 firmware
  • Front and rear cameras for QR code payment acceptance and loyalty programs
  • Laser scanner for fast product scanning
  • 5” touchscreen with PIN on glass

Supported by Castles, FreedomPay continues its global expansion across 130+ countries, more than one hundred currencies and thousands of commerce partners.

About FreedomPay
FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

About Castles Technology
With thirty years of worldwide market experience, Castles Technology has established itself as a top global manufacturer of next-generation payment acceptance hardware. Our goal is to create simple, innovative, and secure payment solutions that provide mobility and flexibility for a diverse range of attended and unattended payment environments such as retail, vending, micro markets, restaurants, transportation, finance, lodging, and hospitality. We pride ourselves on crafting accessible payment solutions, reducing the lifetime cost of payment acceptance hardware, and providing robust integration options. Our North American headquarters are in Atlanta, GA, and Castles Technology has 11 regional offices across Asia, Europe, and North and South America.

Jennifer Tayebi
Hill+Knowlton Strategies
Jennifer.tayebi@hkstrategies.com
(734) 395-0780

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8697871

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ICANN Investment in Africa Enables Safer, Faster Internet Access Across the Continent

Fifth Worldwide ICANN Managed Root Server Cluster Goes Live in Nairobi, Kenya.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Internet users in Africa will soon have faster access to services on the Internet and better protection from cyberattacks. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), in cooperation with its regional partners, is deploying a new ICANN Managed Root Server (IMRS) cluster in Nairobi, Kenya. ICANN is a global non-profit organization that coordinates the Domain Name System (DNS) and plays a key role in ensuring a global, interoperable, and secure Internet.

ICANN logo

An IMRS cluster helps improve DNS infrastructure in any country, territory, or region of the world. It is key to stimulating Internet access and strengthening Internet stability. The IMRS cluster will reduce the impact of potential cyberattacks across Africa. One of the most common types of attacks, distributed denial-of-service attacks, works by overwhelming servers with a flood of queries or Internet traffic. IMRS clusters provide higher bandwidth and data processing capacity to alleviate some of that traffic.

“Improving users’ access to the Internet in Africa, and their safety while using it, is part of ICANN’s mission to help make the Internet more secure, stable, and resilient across the world,” said Göran Marby, ICANN President and CEO. “The installation of this new IMRS cluster would not have been possible without the participation of the local community. We are grateful to the Kenyan government for its support and commitment to advancing Internet accessibility across Africa.”

“The installation of the IMRS cluster aligns with our mission to digitally transform not only our own country but the entire continent, through regulation, partnership, and innovation. We are proud to help bring a more resilient Internet to a larger audience in Africa,” said Hon. Eliud Owalo, Cabinet Secretary for Information, communications and the Digital Economy – Republic of Kenya.

Installing this IMRS cluster in Africa ensures that Internet queries can be answered within the region, which limits its dependence on networks and servers in other parts of the world. The IMRS cluster also boosts national and regional resiliency by helping root server traffic stay local.

“This project is the result of years of collaboration between the local and regional technical community, ICANN, and others. We recognize that having the IMRS cluster at the Kenya exchange point (KIXP) will improve Internet services on our continent for Internet users due to the presence of carriers from across the continent at KIXP,” said Fiona Asonga, Chief Executive Officer of the Technology Service Providers of Kenya, a non-profit organization representing the interests of technology service providers in Kenya.

ICANN has been actively engaging with the African technical community since the early 2000s. It provides capacity development for many technical organizations, working closely with the African Network Operators Group and partners such as the Africa Top Level Domains Organization and African Network Information Centre.

There are five IMRS clusters in the world, two in North America, one in Europe, one in Asia, and the newest one in Africa. Three additional IMRS clusters will be installed in the next two years.

ICANN encourages qualified network operators to host IMRS instances in their country or region to serve root data. Interested parties in Africa may contact ICANN at: queries.nairobiec@icann.org.

Media Resources:

ICANN in Africa FAQ

ICANN Managed Root Server (IMRS) FAQ

About ICANN

ICANN’s mission is to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you have to type an address – a name or a number – into your computer or other device. That address must be unique, so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation and a community with participants from all over the world.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1810953/ICANN_Logo.jpg

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Ahead of COP27 Energy Day, African Forests in Crosshairs of Oil and Gas Expansion: A Threat Facing Ecosystems and Communities Globally

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — As global leaders gather for ‘Energy Day’ at COP27 on Tuesday November 15, a new report highlights how fossil fuel expansion threatens Africa’s climate-critical tropical forests and casts doubt over how this will serve the region’s energy needs. Congo in the Crosshairs, a new analysis of oil and gas blocks in Africa and the Congo Basin clearly shows the growing threats posed by oil and gas development to critical ecosystems in Africa. Findings show:

  • The area of land allocated to oil and gas production on the African continent may quadruple.
  • Oil and gas exploration blocks overlap with 30% of dense tropical forests in Africa, of which 90% are in the Congo Basin.
  • In the Congo Basin, 64 million hectares (an area nearly twice the size of Germany), now overlap with oil and gas blocks.
  • Over 150 distinct ethnic groups call the Congo Basin home and over 35 million people, or 20% of populated places in the region are now in oil and gas blocks.

Whilst it is clear that no new fossil fuel development can take place anywhere if the world is to avoid surpassing internationally agreed climate goals, there are also few details about how this plan will address the energy needs of a continent that contains 90 percent of the world’s people lacking electricity.

Joe Eisen, Executive Director of the Rainforest Foundation UK, said, “The risk is that this push for oil in Africa’s forests will benefit foreign companies, export markets and politicians over rural communities. The time it will take to build the infrastructure necessary to extract oil from these remote and sensitive areas could also leave them as stranded assets as the world transitions to renewables. Africa has abundant potential in this area but currently only receives 2% of global investment. This needs to change.”

Solutions presented in the report focus on pushing G20 economies to accept their historical responsibility for climate change by committing to debt forgiveness and expanding financial resources that will enable the conditions for keeping fossil fuels in the ground and trees standing as well as promoting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and other local communities.

Report Links: English / French

Map Infographics Available for Use Linked Here
 Images Available for Use Here

Francois BILOKO, General Secretary of Réseau CREF, a leading environmental network in the Congo Basin, offered a reality check at COP27:

“We must not let a chaotic expansion of fossil fuels risk our precious tropical forests, biodiversity hotspots, and the rights and livelihoods of forest communities who are already feeling the impacts of climate change. With a focus on realizing our potential in renewable energies, Africa and Congo Basin countries can lead the way to a prosperous green future,” he said .

“What the world needs now are 21st century solutions that put people, nature, and climate stability first. Critical ecosystems like the Congo and Amazon Basins and other regions must be prioritized for preservation along with the expansion of rights and territories for indigenous and local communities,” said Tyson Miller, Executive Director of Earth InSight

More can be found at: Earth Insight Web Portal (w usable maps, etc.) or Rainforest Foundation UK Site

Info – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1946597/Earth_InSight___Congo_In_The_Crosshairs___Infographic.jpg

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Government of St Kitts and Nevis does NOT accept cryptocurrency as a form of payment for its Citizenship by Investment programme

Basseterre, Nov. 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The government of St Kitts and Nevis, along with the Citizenship by Investment Unit of the country, have refuted claims that investors interested in gaining citizenship to the country can pay using cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

The St Kitts and Nevis citizenship by investment programme is the oldest in the world, having been established in 1984 – it has been providing investors from across the globe with one of the quickest, easiest, and most affordable routes to second citizenship.

Underpinned by a robust multi-layered due diligence process undertaken by international security firms from the USA and the UK, investors need to go through a formal application process consisting of eight main steps, which include:

  • Step 1: Pre-approval by a verified St Kitts and Nevis government agent and preparation of the application
  • Step 2: Submission of the citizenship application
  • Step 3: Application processing by the Citizenship by Investment Unit and internal and external due diligence checks
  • Step 4: Approval in principle letter issued
  • Step 5: Contribution to either the Sustainable Growth Fund or pre-approved real estate
  • Step 6: Bank clearance of source of funds
  • Step 7: Certificate of Registration issued
  • Step 8: Citizen can apply for a St Kitts and Nevis passport

Throughout the whole process, an investor will engage with an approved government agent who will facilitate the application and any payments will be made via registered banks using fiat money – a government-issued currency that is not backed by a commodity such as gold. An example would be the United States Dollar, Euro or Chinese Yuan.

Investors cannot make payments to a government-approved agent or the Citizenship by Investment Unit by using cryptocurrencies directly. These would need to be liquidated into fiat currency first and an applicant would need to provide a supporting affidavit regarding their source of funds as part of the application process.

St Kitts and Nevis has not yet passed any legislation regarding cryptocurrency. The country is participating in the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) pilot program, which aims to study the utilisation of cryptocurrency as a fiat currency.

The program’s purpose is to provide a safe and secure digital financial system by utilising the advantages of blockchain and is designed to exemplify the viability and functionality of the ECCB’s ability to issue Digital Eastern Caribbean Dollars.

The ECCB is the fiscal authority for the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU).

Speaking at the Electronic Cash Conference 2022, which was held on November 12 2022, Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Terrance Drew, expressed that while Bitcoin Cash – another form of cryptocurrency – is used as a method of tender by some businesses in the country, due diligence checks are presently being prioritised by his government ahead of any major decision concerning that cryptocurrency’s official use.

Prime Minister Drew stated that the financial safety and security of citizens is a matter of high priority, and the government, with the guidance of the ECCB, is prepared to explore the possibility of Bitcoin Cash being introduced as legal tender in the local financial space.

The Prime Minister explained that once all the crucial financial safeguards were in place, Bitcoin Cash could become accepted legal tender in St Kitts and Nevis by March 2023.

Benefits of gaining second citizenship to St Kitts and Nevis

Citizenship by Investment is a legal process to grant individuals – and, in some cases, their families – dual citizenship in exchange for a financial contribution to the country’s economy. The initiative permits countries to channel generated funds into developing healthcare, education, infrastructure, and more.

Being a citizen of St Kitts and Nevis offers investors a myriad of benefits including family reunification, global mobility, enhanced security, and increased economic opportunities.

St Kitts and Nevis offers award-winning and internationally acclaimed education institutions like veterinary and medical universities, attracting global-minded professionals. People from all over the world come to St Kitts and Nevis, over a million a year to be exact, because of its booming tourism sector.

In recent years, the nation has seen growing numbers of American visitors. Around 1,000 US citizens currently reside on the islands. Now, with more work-from-home policies than ever, many see the Caribbean as the perfect destination to get away from the bustle of big cities while continuing to be connected when business calls.

In addition to citizenship and global mobility, St Kitts and Nevis offers its citizens who choose to become tax residents a wide variety of insurance services in a tax-friendly environment. For example, the country guarantees financial privacy by not making any information about offshore business owners and top managers public.

Portfolio diversification is the first step in dispersing your investments so that your exposure is not limited to just one type of asset. An investment in property in St Kitts and Nevis would allow you to diversify your investment portfolio and potentially make a return upon selling that your share in real estate after the end of the minimum hold period.

This will also ensure that you retain a certain amount of your wealth outside of your home country. In uncertain political and economic climates, knowing that a portion of your portfolio is free from the grips of a potentially corrupt government can give you tremendous peace of mind.

PR St Kitts and Nevis
Government of St. Kitts and Nevis
mildred.thabane@csglobalpartners.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8696223

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Winners in the 19th Annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business Announced

Women-Owned Businesses and Professionals Were Honored at an Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas

Winners named in 19th Stevie Awards for Women in Business program

Top female entrepreneurs, executives, and employees from around the world were named as Stevie Award winners at a ceremony in Las Vegas, NV U.S.A. on Friday, November 11.

FAIRFAX, Va., Nov. 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Shining a spotlight on women executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations run by women, winners in the 2022 Stevie® Awards for Women in Business were announced on Friday, November 11.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business is an international competition produced by the creators of the prestigious International Business Awards® and American Business Awards®. The Stevie is widely considered to be the world’s premier business award.

With nominated working women and their guests in attendance, the awards were announced during a gala event at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 2022 competition attracted nominations from 27 nations.

The presentations were broadcast live via Livestream.

More than 1,500 nominations from organizations and individuals around the world were submitted to the awards this year for consideration in categories including Entrepreneur of the Year, Executive of the Year, Most Innovative Company of the Year, and Startup of the Year, among others. More than 200 business professionals working in seven specialized judging committees determined the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners.

Grand Stevie Award trophies were presented to five organizations that submitted the best body of entries to the competition, in their own names or in the names of one or more clients. Winners were determined by the number of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards won in the competition. The Grand Stevie Award winners are:

  • The Audacious Agency, Coombabah, QLD, Australia (#1)
  • IBM, Armonk, NY, U.S.A. (#2)
  • Megaphone, Melbourne, Australia (#3)
  • Melissa Sones Consulting, New York, NY U.S.A. (#4)
  • Global Press Institute, Washington D.C., U.S.A. (#5)

The 2022 Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners reflect a diverse group of large and small organizations from around the globe. Notable Gold Stevie Award winners in this year’s competition include:

  • Sandrine Pons, Regional Vice President, Head of Solutions Sales & Innovation, SAP, Paris, France, for Women Helping Women – Business
  • Ann Kaplan, Las Vegas, NV U.S.A, for Woman of the Year – Accounting and Finance
  • Susan McLaughlin, Senior Innovative Media and Creative Operations Manager, Vanguard, Malvern, PA U.S.A, for Woman of the Year – Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations
  • Fatima Sultan Al-Kuwari, Group Chief Human Resources Officer, Ooredoo, Qatar, for Female Executive of the Year – Business Products –More Than 2,500 Employees
  • Shama Hyder, CEO and Founder, Zen Media, Plano, TX U.S.A., for Most Innovative Woman of the Year – Social Media
  • Stephanie Wernick Barker, President, Mondo, New York, NY U.S.A, for Female Thought Leader of the Year – Business Services
  • Gehad Hamdy, Founder, Speak Up, Giza, Egypt, for Social Change Maker of the Year – Gender
  • Michelle John, Founding Director, PEGS, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, United Kingdom, for Woman of the Year – Government or Non-Profit
  • Kelley Higney, Founder & CEO, Bug Bite Thing, Port Lucie, FL U.S.A, for Best Female Entrepreneur – Consumer Products –11 to 2,500 Employees
  • Allison Grafton, President and Founder, Rockwood Custom Homes, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, for Best Female Entrepreneur in Canada

Organizations that won more than one Gold Stevie Award include Anheuser-Busch InBev, Babylist, Brandless, But Bite Thing, Caroline Kennedy Group, Everise, Flock DC, Global Press Institute, Halkbank, Harman International, LickYourPhone Media, Luma Brighter Learning, Megaphone, Primrose Schools, Rockwood Custom Homes, Rubi Laboratories, Sidus Space, and The Tambellini Group.

HCLTech, the global technology company delivering industry-leading capabilities centered around digital, engineering and cloud, powered by a broad portfolio of technology services and products, sponsored awards in four categories called HCLTech Women in Technology Awards. Among notable Stevie winners in those categories are:

  • Monica Williams, Senior Vice President – Digital Products and Content Distribution, NBCUniversal, for New Normal Digital Transformer
  • Karen Oerter, Director of Information Technology, Land O’Lakes, for New Normal Digital Transformer
  • Abby Knowles, Vice President Global Technology Solutions, Verizon, for Leading Through Uncertainty
  • Susan Doniz, CIO & SVP of Information Technology & Data Analytics, The Boeing Company, for Leading Through Uncertainty
  • Tia Ballard, Head of Cloud and Automation, Sempra, for Leadership in Next Gen Technology
  • Constance Metcalfe, Associate Vice President – Enterprise Infrastructure Transformation, Canadian Tire Corporation, for Excellence in Transforming Business

For a complete list of Stevie Award winners and more information, visit http://www.StevieAwards.com/Women.

The Stevie Awards staged the fifth edition of its Women|Future Conference virtually on November 8-10 in conjunction with the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. More than 250 women shared three days of programming highlighted by a keynote presentation by Rashmi Verma, head of D&I at Hugo Boss.

Entries for the 2023 (20th) edition of the awards will open in May. The 2023 awards ceremony will be held at the Marriott Marquis in New York, NY USA in November.

About the Stevie Awards

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

Contact:
Maggie Miller
Maggie@StevieAwards.com
+1 (703) 547-8389

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9aca97a3-922e-46f1-b2cd-9dcf4a1efcb8

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8695848