Media OutReach
Atlas Consolidated Secures USD 18.1 Million Series B Funding led by Tin Men Capital to Accelerate Global Adoption of HugoHub
The Asia-based Banking-as-a-Service provider aims to significantly accelerate the growth of HugoHub, Atlas’s modular cloud-native digital banking platform
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 27 August 2025 – Atlas Consolidated announced the closure of an USD18.1 million Series B funding round. The round was led by Tin Men Capital and includes follow-on investment from strategic investors, Getz, Inc. and Woodside Holdings Investment Management.
David Fergusson, Chief Executive Officer, Atlas Consolidated, said “This investment marks a pivotal step in our mission to build better banks through technology. With Tin Men Capital’s support, we can accelerate HugoHub’s expansion to new markets, helping traditional financial institutions create more efficient, inclusive and sustainable systems.”
“Banks are under immense pressure to transform digitally while still relying on decades-old core systems that are costly, rigid, and fragmented. HugoHub’s full-stack ‘bank-in-a-box’ solution gives banks the flexibility to launch new products, integrate services where they matter most, and refine features without disrupting the wider system. In turn, they can innovate faster, compete with neo and challenger banks, and operate with radically better economics. Tin Men Capital is proud to support Atlas Consolidated as they scale this next-generation approach, helping more forward-leaning banks in their digitalisation journey. Built in Southeast Asia and designed to be deployed globally, Atlas’ solution exemplifies the kind of ambitious innovation we are excited to back in our region,” said Jeremy Tan, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Tin Men Capital.
Building Banks That Work for Everyone
Across the world, millions remain unbanked, lacking access to appropriate, sophisticated financial services like bank accounts, pensions and credit facilities. This highlights a massive untapped financial services market. Expanding access to this group represents a compelling commercial opportunity and a vital step toward inclusive economic development in Asia Pacific.
The banking industry is undergoing a profound transformation. Digital banking technology spend was USD650 billion in 2023 (1), yet a vast majority of existing banks are still reliant on outdated, legacy systems that are ill-equipped for the demands of modern digital finance. These legacy architectures are increasingly untenable in a world demanding agility and digital-first customer experience.
HugoHub was designed to address this gap. As a complete core-to-customer Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform, it cuts technology spending by up to 90%, reduces overall operating expenses by 75 to 80% and enables significantly higher customer-to-staff ratios than traditional banking models. Its modular step-by-step deployment approach avoids disruptive “rip and replace” overhauls while making financial inclusion sustainable by lowering the cost of delivering modern banking to underserved markets. By decoupling digital banking infrastructure from high overhead and complexity, HugoHub empowers institutions to extend services swiftly and cost effectively across Southeast Asia and beyond.
“The future of banking is in agile, cloud-based solutions,” said Surya Tamada, Chief Technology Officer, Atlas Consolidated and Chief Architect, HugoHub. “Our platform drives innovation and efficiency, opening up access to financial services and improving outcomes for consumers globally. This new investment will sharply increase our ability to meet the growing demand and deliver our solutions to more markets around the world.”
Braham Djidjelli, Chief Product Officer of Atlas Consolidated, added “Demand for HugoHub’s modular core-to-customer solution has exceeded expectations. Tin Men’s support allows us to scale faster, empowering more institutions to deploy digital banks or enhance existing infrastructure at a fraction of the time and cost.”
Born in Singapore, HugoHub is successfully being deployed in both emerging and developed markets. The company’s platform empowers financial institutions to move beyond their legacy infrastructure, offering a more responsive, secure, and user-friendly experience for their customers.
Source (1) Unlocking Value from Technology in Banking, McKinsey & Company, 2024
Hashtag: #AtlasConsolidated #TinMenCapital #BankingasaService #HugoHub #Banking-as-a-Service(BaaS) #DigitalBanking #Fintech #Cloud-NativeBanking #FinancialTechnology #BankingInfrastructure #ModularBankingPlatform #AIinBanking #SeriesBFunding #VentureCapital #StartupFunding #GrowthCapital #FinancialInclusion #EmergingMarkets
https://www.atlasconsolidated.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/atlas-consolidated/
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About Atlas Consolidated
The cornerstone of Atlas’s business is HugoHub, a highly flexible and modular business-to-business (B2B) digital banking platform. Designed as a complete “core-to-customer” banking-as-a-service (BaaS) solution,
HugoHub allows clients to build and manage full digital banks or seamlessly integrate specific modules into their existing systems. A key differentiator is its “no-code Product Factory,” which enables clients to configure and launch new financial products autonomously. The platform also boasts a cloud-agnostic architecture, addressing data sovereignty concerns, and incorporates a unique “Behaviour Engine” and an AI interface to drive customer engagement and provide personalized insights.
HugoHub dramatically reduces the cost and complexity of deploying a new digital bank, cutting ongoing operating expenses by orders of magnitude. The platform’s streamlined technology and operational model can reduce a bank’s annual tech spending by approximately 90% and lower overall operational costs by 75% to 80%. This efficiency is realized by enabling a significantly higher customer-to-staff ratio compared to traditional banking models.
For existing financial institutions, HugoHub offers a strategic alternative to costly and high-risk core replacement projects. Instead, its modular design allows banks to implement gradual technological and operational reforms, modernizing their infrastructure without the disruptive and expensive process of a full-scale system overhaul.
In addition to its technology platform, Atlas Consolidated strategically invests in financial institutions. This includes Hugosave, a “Wealthcare” app in Singapore that serves as a demonstration of HugoHub’s capabilities, and its leading role in the HugoBank consortium in Pakistan, which recently received a digital banking license to promote financial inclusion in the region.
The company is supported by its recent Series B funding round, led by Tin Men Capital, with participation from strategic partners like Getz, Inc. and Woodside Holdings Investment Management. This capital will be used to accelerate the global growth of the HugoHub platform into new markets.
www.atlasconsolidated.com
www.hugohub.com
www.hugosave.com
www.hugobank.com.pk
Tin Men Capital
Tin Men Capital is a Southeast Asia venture capital firm licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. It is led by Murli Ravi (formerly at Temasek Holdings and JAFCO) and Jeremy Tan (formerly at Morgan Stanley and Puma Energy).
Tin Men invests in enterprise technology and B2B marketplace startups. Their portfolio companies address opportunities in large, traditional industries. Some examples include manufacturing, logistics, construction, maritime, agriculture and real estate. Portfolio companies include Globaltix, Hubble, Ailytics and Glife.
For more information, visit www.tinmen.asia.
Media OutReach
The Ocean Connects Us All! Grand Opening of the “Formosa-Hawaii Cultural Festival” Marking the CIP’s 30th Anniversary, Taiwan Joins Hands with Hawaii to Bring Indigenous Culture to the World
Speaking at the opening ceremony, CIP Minister Ljaucu‧Zingrur said that cultural experiences often move people deeply, and that sound policy can turn that emotion into lasting institutions. As the CIP marks its 30th anniversary this year, the opening ceremony of the Formosa-Hawaii Cultural Festival featured a special tribute honoring individuals who have made outstanding contributions to Indigenous affairs. Among these forerunners and partners are those who advocated internationally for the rights of their people, devoted their lives to rescuing endangered Indigenous languages, brought international acclaim to Taiwan through music, dance, and sport, and even those who became guardians of their communities for leading the swift evacuation of an entire village amid a raging storm and rebuilding it in the aftermath. In paying tribute to these unsung heroes, the Minister expressed hope that this honor will be passed on, inspiring more talented citizens to join in advancing Indigenous affairs. He also expressed that this cultural celebration is powerful proof that Indigenous culture is not only flourishing on Taiwan’s own soil, but is also embracing the world with the utmost confidence and openness as it steps onto the international stage.
The festival’s biggest draw is its lineup of top international music and dance performances from across the Pacific, alongside Golden Melody Award-winning stars, paired with a lively, delicious, and fun Austronesian-themed marketplace, together creating the most exuberant summer party of the season! The whole venue is awash in the romance of Aloha. Visitors can savor Hawaiian Kona coffee and Indigenous delicacies in the Austronesian-themed exhibition area, try their hand at Hula dancing and lei making, and enter a daily lucky draw for limited-quantity market vouchers. Families of all ages can spend a leisurely afternoon into the evening enjoying live music while browsing the market stalls, experiencing firsthand the distinctive cultural charm and way of life shared by Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples and Hawaii.
The three-day program offered one highlight after another. During the day, the State of Hawaii Office in Taipei brought in the internationally acclaimed Ke Kai O Kahiki, a dance group known for powerful, masculine hula performances, to showcase the depth of Hawaiian culture. Furthermore, the CIP has invited music and dance troupes from Palau and Tuvalu to share the profound bonds of Pacific heritage. As night falls, Golden Melody Award-winning stars took the stage in succession. On July 31, “The Call of Mountains and Sea” kicked off with performances by Usay Kawlu, Utjung Tjakivalid, and Kasiwa; on August 1, “The Night of Island Sounds” brought Princess Ai and Abao back-to-back; and on August 2, “Aloha Night” closed the festival with a grand finale by Biung and Abus, pouring out the soul of the ocean through the most contemporary electronic beats and rhythms.
The CIP and the State of Hawaii Office in Taipei warmly invited people across Taiwan to bring family and friends to the New Taipei City Citizen Plaza this weekend, to enjoy live music, explore the marketplace, and experience firsthand this not-to-be-missed summer party rich in culture.
Photo: Chairperson Ljaucu Zingrur (Tseng Chih-Yung) of the Indigenous Peoples Council delivered opening remarks at the Aloha Taiwan Cultural Festival, expressing the hope that cultural exchanges between Taiwan and Hawaiʻi will deepen Austronesian cultural connections and help preserve the invaluable cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples.
Hashtag: #CouncilofIndigenousPeoples
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Media OutReach
Truecaller Ads Launches ‘Truecaller Pulse’; An Industry First Declared Intent Media Solution
The Big Idea: Consumer Choice Is the Most Valuable Signal in Modern Advertising
Digital advertising has long relied on inferred signals like browsing history. Truecaller Pulse replaces guesswork with declared choice, allowing brands to ask consumers directly what they want.
When consumers declare their intent, every part of a campaign; planning, targeting, and messaging becomes significantly smarter and more efficient.
Truecaller Pulse: a new category of consumer intelligence transforming real-time declared choice into activation-ready audiences at massive scale
How It Works: Declare. Analyse. Activate.
Embedded within Truecaller’s high-attention, privacy-safe environments and reaching over 500 million active users,
- Declare: Brands deploy interactive ads asking direct questions about purchase plans or preferences.
- Analyse: Responses are converted into signals across Preferences, Discovery, and Purchase Intent.
- Activate: Real-time audience segments enable immediate retargeting with tailored messaging while intent is fresh.
The result is an always-on Continuous Consumer Intelligence Loop with research, audience-building, and media activation unified into a single, self-reinforcing workflow.
Built for the Full Range of a Marketer’s Strategic Needs
- Product Launches — Capture early consumer reactions and validate demand before scaling spend.
- Category Discovery — Surface emerging preferences and whitespace opportunities across segments.
- Competitive Switching — Identify consumers actively in-market for alternatives and win them with precision conquesting.
The platform provides a layered intelligence stack: Pulse Signals for real-time responses, Pulse Insights for regional data, and Pulse Trends for shifting sentiment.
What This Means for the Industry
“Truecaller Pulse gives marketers something extremely valuable: direct consumer answers at unprecedented scale. When consumers tell you what they want, media becomes more precise, campaigns become more efficient, and every marketing decision becomes better informed,” said Hemant Arora, VP & Global Head, Truecaller Ads.
“The intelligence outputs from Truecaller Pulse extend well beyond campaign activation. Pulse Signals deliver real-time declared responses. Pulse Insights surface aggregated intelligence, regional preferences, emerging product trends, category shifts. Pulse Trends reveal what’s changing in consumer sentiment before it shows up in sales data. All of this feeds back into smarter future campaigns,” added Athul Prabhu, Product Director, Truecaller Ads.
With Truecaller Pulse, Truecaller Ads isn’t just adding a feature to its stack, it’s making the case for a new industry standard: to stop inferring intent. Start capturing it.
Hashtag: #Truecaller
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Truecaller and Truecaller Ads
Truecaller is an essential part of everyday communication for over 500 million active users, with more than a billion downloads since launch and 68 billion spam and fraud calls identified in 2025 alone. The company has been headquartered in Stockholm since 2009 and has been publicly listed on Nasdaq Stockholm since October 2021. Advertising is the primary revenue stream for Truecaller. Truecaller Ads serves over 5 billion impressions every day and is trusted by over 10,000 brands.
Visit 
https://advertisers.truecaller.com for more information.
Anchored by the TIGER framework, CUHK leaps toward new heights of academic excellence and global impact
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 6 August 2026 – The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) today (6 August) unveiled its new five-year strategic plan, titled “CUHK 2026–2030: Leaping to Greatness” (the “CUHK 2026-2030“), outlining the University’s development priorities and strategic direction for the next five years. With the ambition to create greater impact on humanity and global communities, CUHK adheres to its vision of becoming a first-class comprehensive research university whose scholarly output, bilingual and multicultural education, and community contributions consistently meet global standards of excellence. As a publicly funded university, CUHK will leverage its strengths in talent cultivation, knowledge innovation and global engagement to contribute to the development of China and the Hong Kong SAR in alignment with priorities in the national 15th Five-Year Plan and the city’s first five-year planning.
The “TIGER” action framework of CUHK 2026–2030 forms five interconnected strategic directions. It reflects a united, well-coordinated and actionable commitment from the entire University to progressively realise our vision of “Leaping to Greatness” that symbolises CUHK’s continued evolution to pursue purpose-driven excellence, impact-oriented outcomes and lasting societal contributions with innovation, rigour and responsibility.
The five interconnected strategic pillars in CUHK 2026–2030 include:
- T – Talent Attraction and Development
- I – Institutional Development
- G – Global and Alumni Engagement
- E – Education and Student Experience
- R – Research and Innovation
Embracing the new vision with agility characterised in the spirit of a tiger
In his remarks, Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK, said: “The five key areas of the Strategic Plan form the ‘TIGER’ action framework that embodies courage, agility and drive, underscoring CUHK’s development vision which will be realised through precise planning and rigorous execution. CUHK will continue to drive breakthroughs in life and health sciences, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum science and other frontier fields, and participate in national scientific research initiatives, leveraging Hong Kong’s unique advantages and position as China’s most international city, with an aim of cultivating world-class talent and new knowledge that benefit the world.”
Aligning with the strategic planning of China and the Hong Kong SAR
Professor Lo said: “CUHK 2026–2030is the first five-year strategic plan formulated since I assumed office in 2025. It marks a major milestone in the University’s development in timely alignment with the five-year planning of China and the Hong Kong SAR. At a time of profound global transformation, technological advances are reshaping the world and redefining the role of universities in society. CUHK has joined the world’s top 20 for the first time in the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings, rising to the 18th place. This is a testament to the University’s progress in the past 63 years signifying our global academic influence.”
Professor John Chai Yat-chiu, Chairman of the CUHK Council; Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK, Professor Isabella Poon Wai-yin, Provost of CUHK, Professor Anthony Chan Tak-cheung, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Alumni / Community Engagement & Institutional Advancement), Professor Jiang Liwen, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research & External Affairs) and Mr Albert Chow Hing-pong, Vice-President (Administration), together with other members of the University’s senior management, attended the media luncheon today to mark the official launch.
Creating value to benefit humanity
Professor Isabella Poon Wai-yin, Provost of CUHK, introduced the University’s priority areas and said: “In face of global challenges such as the AI revolution, sustainable development and climate change, universities carry an unprecedentedly vital mission. A truly impactful university does not merely respond to the present needs of the era, but will also actively shape the direction of our future. Through interdisciplinary, cross-regional and cross-sector collaborations, we aim to translate CUHK’s deep academic foundation, unique collegiate system and global network into a driving force for social progress and innovation.”
Team spirit of CUHK leadership in co-creating the development blueprint
The formulation of CUHK 2026–2030 was a year-long collaborative effort overseen by the Strategic Plan Steering Committee chaired by Professor Lo with support from the senior management team and consultation from the broad CUHK community, from conceptualisation, drafting to visual design. This multi-faceted collaboration fully demonstrates the team spirit of the CUHK community in propelling the University toward a new chapter. The visual design of the Strategic Plan agenda features circular lines and patterns representing the letters “C” and “U” for CUHK. The concentric-circle motif also symbolises CUHK members coming together like concentric circles, uniting their strengths to work towards common goals. The visual palette centres on the university colours of purple and gold, representing passion and loyalty (purple), alongside perseverance and resolve (gold). For details of the Strategic Plan, please refer to https://www.cuhk2030.cuhk.edu.hk.
Key Initiatives
Establishing the 10th College for postgraduates
CUHK will establish a postgraduate college as its 10th college. This initiative will extend the University’s long-standing collegiate system to the postgraduate community, creating a vibrant, international environment for cross-disciplinary dialogue, holistic development and lifelong networking.
In addition, CUHK will develop flagship international undergraduate programmes and signature schemes embedding innovation, entrepreneurship and concepts of sustainability into the curriculum. It will also strengthen industry-academia collaboration and knowledge transfer to attract and nurture outstanding local and international innovative talents. CUHK will also revitalise its General Education curriculum with national and global perspectives. Moreover, the University will strengthen collaboration with CUHK-Shenzhen and other institutions in the GBA and expand opportunities for exchange and internships abroad to support students’ holistic development and lifelong learning.
Attracting global talent and expanding international impact
CUHK will leverage its strengths as an international research university to attract outstanding students, scholars and researchers from around the world, fostering a diverse and inclusive academic community. Currently, approximately 56% of CUHK’s professors come from outside Hong Kong while the University achieved a perfect score in the QS international faculty ratio indicator, demonstrating its success in attracting top academic talent globally.
This year, applications from non-local students increased by about 20% compared with last year. Applications from regions outside the Chinese Mainland rose even more significantly, by 75%, with most applicants coming from Southeast Asia and the Middle East, reflecting CUHK’s growing international appeal. To attract exceptional students, CUHK launched the Fenghuang Scholarship this year. The scholarship offers outstanding students who achieve excellent results in local and overseas public examinations financial support, together with overseas exchange opportunities. Through this initiative, the University aims to attract high-calibre young talent and nurture future leaders with a global vision, innovative capabilities and a strong sense of social responsibility.
Driving interdisciplinary research to address global challenges
CUHK will seize opportunities arising from the Northern Metropolis, the Hetao Cooperation Zone and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, while focusing on frontier fields including life and health technologies, AI, quantum science and green technology. The University will further integrate into the national research and innovation ecosystem and actively participate in major scientific initiatives spanning space, polar research and deep-sea studies, fostering comprehensive development from Antarctic expeditions and space missions to the translation of world-class innovations.
In recent years, CUHK has been actively demonstrating its research excellence. Notable achievements include the successful launch of CUHK Sat-1, the world’s first AI satellite dedicated to urban sustainable development, and leading the development of the laser heterodyne spectrometer selected for the nation’s Tianwen-3 Mars exploration mission. These accomplishments underscore the University’s pivotal role in supporting national strategic science and technology development. Furthermore, the Hong Kong Centre for Logistics Robotics, an InnoHK centre established by CUHK, founded Hong Kong’s first full-stack embodied intelligence laboratory in 2026 to drive frontier technologies in embodied AI and robotics, further consolidating Hong Kong’s position as an international innovation and technology hub.
Hashtag: #CUHK #2026-2030 #five-year #strategicplan
https://www.cuhk.edu.hk/
https://www.linkedin.com/school/13045
https://x.com/cuhkofficial
https://www.facebook.com/CUHKofficial
https://www.instagram.com/thechineseuniversityofhongkong/
https://www.youtube.com/user/CUHKchannel
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Founded in 1963, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a leading comprehensive research university with a global reputation and world-leading rankings. Located in the heart of Asia, CUHK has a vision and a mission to combine tradition with modernity, and to bring together China and the West. Under the University’s unique collegiate system, the programmes and activities offered by its nine colleges complement the formal curricula by delivering whole-person education and pastoral care. The University has eight faculties: Arts, Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Science, and Social Science. Together with the Graduate School, the University offers over 300 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. All faculties are actively engaged in research in a wide range of disciplines, with an array of research institutes and research centres specialising in interdisciplinary research of the highest quality.
