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Cyberport Chairman Joined CE’s Business Delegation to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
Partnership with the Countries’ Largest Tech Parks to Propel “Hub-to-Hub” Collaborations Supporting HK and Chinese Mainland Enterprises to Tap Central Asian Markets
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 8 June 2026 – Simon Chan, Chairman of Cyberport, joined the business delegation led by Chief Executive John Lee, on a visit to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan from 1 to 5 June 2026 to strengthen innovation technology (IT), economic and trade cooperation between Hong Kong and the Central Asia. During the visit, Cyberport signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with leading technology organisations in both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, establishing strategic partnerships with the two countries’ key innovation and technology platforms and promoting “hub-to-hub” collaboration to jointly capture opportunities in emerging markets.
As part of the programme, Simon Chan, Chairman of Cyberport, met with key innovation and technology stakeholders in both countries. He visited the Astana Hub, a local technology and innovation park in Kazakhstan, including its Artificial Intelligence Supercomputing Centre, to gain deeper insights into the latest developments in artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure in the region. He also visited IT Park Uzbekistan to learn more about the country’s rapidly growing digital economy ecosystem, and to explore opportunities for deeper collaboration in innovation and technology development, talent cultivation and market expansion. These engagements further strengthened Hong Kong’s exchanges with Central Asia and supported the development of closer cross-regional collaboration in innovation and technology.
Simon Chan, Chairman of Cyberport, said, “Central Asia is a strategically important market under the Belt and Road Initiative. Both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are actively advancing digital transformation, digital upgrading and technological innovation. From national artificial intelligence development blueprints to large-scale digital infrastructure projects, both countries have demonstrated strong growth momentum, a pressing demand for cutting-edge innovation and technology solutions, and immense market potential.
As Hong Kong’s digital technology hub and AI accelerator, Cyberport is home to over 2,300 companies, including 18 listed companies with a combined market capitalisation of over HK$500 billion, as well as 9 unicorns with a total valuation exceeding HK$150 billion. Its innovation ecosystem spans areas such as AI, data science, fintech, digital assets and blockchain, cybersecurity, smart living, and digital entertainment. This aligns closely with Central Asia’s demand for technological innovation, creating extensive opportunities for collaboration through complementary strengths. Cyberport has also established partnerships with Astana Hub and IT Park Uzbekistan to actively promote bilateral business expansion, deepen ties between Hong Kong and Central Asia in innovation and technology, finance and trade, and support enterprises from Hong Kong and the Mainland in jointly expanding into high-potential emerging markets.
Leveraging Hong Kong’s unique role as a ‘super-connector’ and ‘super value-adder’, Cyberport will continue to support Hong Kong and Mainland enterprises in expanding into Belt and Road and international markets. At the same time, we will actively attract Central Asian companies to establish a presence in Hong Kong, injecting fresh momentum into the development of the digital economy and smart cities across the three regions, and further strengthening Hong Kong’s position as an international innovation and technology centre and a leading AI hub.”
Signs MoUs with the Countries’ Largest Tech Parks Leveraging “Hub-to-Hub” Collaboration Advantages
Among them was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 1 June 2026 between Cyberport and Autonomous Cluster Fund “Astana Hub” (Astana Hub) of Kazakhstan, the largest international innovation cluster in Central Eurasia. Astana Hub is currently home to more than 1,800 IT companies, including over 450 international members, generating a collective income of US$3.9 billion. It has established a comprehensive innovation ecosystem that provides acceleration programmes, supports technological business incubation, offers educational initiatives, and hosts a wide range of industry events. This strategic partnership aims to promote technology transfer, support tech companies in areas such as AI, fintech, smart city solutions and Web 3, and facilitate overseas expansion and global market access for innovation and technology companies from both regions.
Another key highlight of the delegation was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 4 June 2026 between Cyberport and The Administration of Technology Park of Software and IT (IT Park) of Uzbekistan, a national IT ecosystem operator dedicated to advancing the country’s digital industry development. IT Park Uzbekistan is a government-supported technology hub and one of the largest tech parks in Central Asia, with more than 2,800 member companies spanning IT services, software development, game development, creative industries and education. The MoU focuses on providing mutual soft-landing support, infrastructure access and regulatory incentives to facilitate technology companies’ expansion between Hong Kong and Central Asian markets, while fostering deeper collaboration in innovation and technology development between the two regions.
As an ideal gateway for Central Asian technology companies seeking to expand into East and Southeast Asia, Cyberport leverages Hong Kong’s international business environment and robust regulatory framework, together with its extensive network of enterprises, investors, technology companies, professional service providers and industry partners. This enables Cyberport to serve as a strategic base for Central Asian enterprises looking to access the Mainland, ASEAN, Asia-Pacific and global markets, accelerating their commercialisation journey and transforming innovative solutions into tangible business collaborations and investment opportunities.
At the same time, Cyberport companies can leverage the two leading technology parks in Central Asia as launchpads into emerging markets, bringing technology solutions from Hong Kong such as artificial intelligence, fintech and smart city technologies to support the region’s digital economy and smart city development. These collaborations will further enrich the innovation and technology ecosystems of both regions. Cyberport has been actively supporting local enterprises in establishing and expanding their presence in Central Asian market. Cyberport’s community is also highly international, with founders of one-third of its onsite companies coming from 27 countries and regions, while Cyberport companies have expanded into more than 35 global markets.
Cyberport received delegations from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to Cyberport for exchanges in tech innovation and entrepreneurship over the past year, laying foundations for cross-regional partnerships and collaborations. Cyberport will continue to align with the national 15th Five-Year Plan and support the HKSAR Government’s development strategies by strengthening ties with emerging markets and innovation and technology hubs along the Belt and Road. As a vital bridge between Hong Kong and Central Asia, Cyberport facilitates cross-regional exchanges and collaboration, helping local enterprises capture global business opportunities while simultaneously attracting outstanding overseas technology talent and leading enterprises to establish a presence in Hong Kong. These efforts will inject diversified momentum into Hong Kong’s economy and further reinforce the city’s position as an international innovation and technology hub.
Hashtag: #Cyberport
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About Hong Kong Cyberport
Wholly owned by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, Cyberport is Hong Kong’s digital tech hub and AI accelerator, with a vision to empower industry digitalisation and intelligent transformation, to promote digital economy and AI development, and to foster Hong Kong to be an international AI, innovation and technology (I&T) hub. Cyberport gathers over 2,300 companies, including 18 listed companies and 9 unicorns. One-third of onsite companies’ founders come from 27 countries and regions, while Cyberport companies have expanded to over 35 global markets.
Cyberport, with Hong Kong’s largest AI Supercomputing Centre and AI Lab as the engine, has been building the AI ecosystem with industry-leading AI companies and over 500 AI and data science start-ups. Through development of tech clusters, namely AI, data science, blockchain and cybersecurity, Cyberport empowers industries across smart city and government, banking and finance, digital entertainment, culture and tourism, healthcare, education and training, property management, construction, transportation and logistics, green environment and more, while hosting Hong Kong’s largest FinTech community. Commissioned by the HKSAR Government, Cyberport has implemented proof-of-concept and sandbox schemes, subsidisation for digital tech adoption, industry tech training and start-up incubation, to drive technology R&D, translation and commercialisation, thus propelling digital transformation and intelligent upgrade across industry and society.
Also as “State-level Scientific and Technological Enterprise Incubator” and Hong Kong’s key incubator, Cyberport supports entrepreneurs with funding and office space, extensive networks of enterprises, investors, technology corporations and professional services for business growth and expansion to Chinese Mainland and overseas markets, all-round facilitation for landing in Hong Kong, talent attraction and cultivation, ready as a launchpad to take start-ups in any stages of development to the next level.
For more information, please visit 
https://www.cyberport.hk/en
Investment by leading industry institute supports Tracr’s evolution to becoming an independent, industry-wide platform for natural diamond provenance
LAS VEGAS, US – Media OutReach Newswire – 9 June 2026 – De Beers Group and GIA (Gemological Institute of America) today announced the signing of a definitive agreement for GIA to acquire a 30 per cent shareholding in Tracr, the De Beers Group-backed company behind the development of the pioneering diamond provenance blockchain-driven platform.
The agreement marks a significant milestone in Tracr’s evolution towards independence and reflects GIA’s confidence in the platform’s role as an industry-wide infrastructure to advance natural diamond provenance and traceability at scale.
GIA’s investment – which builds on a 2023 initiative to include diamond provenance information registered on Tracr’s platform on eligible GIA diamond grading reports – represents a significant step in this transition, reinforcing Tracr’s long-term credibility across the diamond value chain.
Al Cook, CEO of De Beers Group, said: “Consumers deserve to know where their diamonds come from and they should feel more confident in their understanding of each diamond’s source. At De Beers we have been providing provenance data on diamonds through Tracr for several years and we believe that delivering provenance should become an industry standard. Following our promise to open Tracr up to broad ownership, we are proud to be partnering with GIA as Tracr evolves into an independent, industry-wide platform. We will work alongside GIA to advance provenance transparency for the entire diamond sector.”
Pritesh Patel, President and CEO of GIA, said: “At GIA, our mission has always been rooted in trust, integrity, and consumer confidence. Our collaboration with Tracr over the past several years reinforced our belief that combining source-based blockchain provenance with GIA’s independent grading and identification expertise can help unlock a new level of transparency for the diamond industry. As Tracr continues to scale globally, we see a tremendous opportunity to deliver meaningful, verifiable provenance information from the source to the consumer. We are proud to deepen our commitment through this investment and help shape the next evolution of transparency, traceability, and trust across our industry.”
Jillian Wolk, CEO of Tracr, said: “The start of Tracr’s evolution into an independent platform, as a result of GIA’s investment, creates a strong foundation for the future. I am excited to continue scaling the platform and bringing more producers on board, which will support Tracr in enabling the individual journey of every registered diamond to come to life. Each stone carries its own narrative, defined by its source and the craftsmanship that has shaped it, and as Tracr continues to grow we have a fantastic opportunity to help reveal those unique stories.”
Today, more than five million rough diamonds have been registered on Tracr at source, representing around two-thirds of De Beers’rough diamond production by value. Since January 2025, single country of origin for De Beers diamonds has been available on Tracr, with all newly sourced De Beers rough diamonds of one carat and above being registered on the platform.
Hashtag: #NaturalDiamonds #Diamonds #DeBeersGroup #GIA #Tracr
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About De Beers Group
Established in 1888, De Beers Group is the world’s leading diamond company with expertise in the exploration, mining, marketing and retailing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers Group employs more than 20,000 people across the diamond pipeline and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with diamond mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. Innovation sits at the heart of De Beers Group’s strategy as it develops a portfolio of offers that span the diamond value chain, including its jewellery houses, De Beers Jewellers and Forevermark, and other pioneering solutions such as diamond sourcing and traceability initiatives Tracr and GemFair. De Beers Group also provides leading services and technology to the diamond industry in the form of education and laboratory services via De Beers Institute of Diamonds and a wide range of diamond sorting, detection and classification technology systems via De Beers Group Ignite. De Beers Group is committed to ‘Building Forever,’ a holistic and integrated approach for creating a better future – where safety, human rights and ethical integrity continue to be paramount; where communities thrive and the environment is protected; and where there are equal opportunities for all. De Beers Group is a member of the Anglo-American plc group. For further information, visit www.debeersgroup.com.
About GIA
An independent nonprofit organization, GIA (Gemological Institute of America), established in 1931, is recognized as the world’s foremost authority in gemology. GIA invented the famous 4Cs of Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat Weight and, in 1953, created the International Diamond Grading System™ which is recognized around the world as the standard for diamond quality.
Through research, education, gemological laboratory services and instrument development, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science and professionalism.
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Smart Design Global 2026 Awards Presentation Ceremony Proudly Unveils 52 Original Award-Winning Designs International Tour Highlights Hong Kong’s Creative Design Power
Set to Appear at Bangkok Mega Show and Paris Maison&Objet
HONG KONG SAR –
About The Hong Kong Exporters’ Association
Founded in 1955, The Hong Kong Exporters’ Association (The HKEA) is a non-profit making trade association registered under the Hong Kong Companies Ordinance as a company limited by guarantee. The HKEA is committed to creating new business opportunities and enhancing market value for Hong Kong exporters, aiming to position Hong Kong as a premier trading hub. The HKEA focuses on serving the industry and taking export trade as its core value, helping members expand their business by closely liaising with the government, initiating different projects, and organising seminars, business gatherings, business delegation trips and exhibitions. The HKEA also disseminate the latest local and international trade information and provides online product display and search services for additional publicity, to further promote Hong Kong’s export trade and enhance market competitiveness.
The HKEA website:
About Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency
The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA), formerly known as Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) since 2009, was established in June 2024. CCIDA is a dedicated office under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) to provide one-stop services and support to the cultural and creative sectors with a mission to foster a conducive environment in Hong Kong to facilitate development of the arts, culture and creative sectors as industries. CCIDA’s strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, promoting cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary collaboration, promoting industrialisation of the arts, culture and creative sectors under the industry-oriented principle, and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community, thereby reinforcing Hong Kong as Asia’s creative capital and our positioning as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.
CCIDA’s website: www.ccidahk.gov.hk
Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organisers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.
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Disney Garden of Wonder blooms to life again at Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay with all-new character topiaries
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 8 June 2026 – Disney magic blooms anew at Singapore’s premier horticultural destination Gardens by the Bay as the second edition of Disney Garden of Wonder, opens today. Featuring 23 vibrant topiaries inspired by beloved Disney and Pixar characters, the enchanting showcase transforms Floral Fantasy into a world of floral artistry and imagination through 14 March 2027.
Organised in collaboration with Disney and supported by the Singapore Tourism Board, Disney Garden of Wonder is inspired by Disney and Pixar stories that have charmed generations of fans around the world, inviting people of all ages to re-discover their favourite stories of courage, kindness, friendship and love through the beauty of plants. Following the success of its debut at Gardens by the Bay in 2024, the enthralling floral showcase returns in an even more special second edition.
Visitors can look forward to five themed areas:
- Frozen, in which topiary versions of Anna, Elsa and Olaf preside over an enchanting snowy landscape, brought to life through themed lighting that imagines a frost-kissed world of wonder. Inspired by Elsa’s Ice Palace, visitors can step on a floor where magical snowflakes dance and respond to movement.
- Disney princesses, where Rapunzel appears alongside her best friend Pascal the chameleon; Belle is with the Beast and their enchanted companions; and Jasmine is accompanied by her loyal tiger Rajah.
- Hundred Acre Wood, where Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger gather in a cheerful party scene. Tigger bounces up and down while Piglet twirls, and visitors can picture themselves joining everyone at the table!
- Toy Story 5, where Woody, Jessie and Buzz Lightyear appear as topiaries in a playful setting inspired by Bonnie’s Room, alongside displays of new characters Lilypad and Smarty Pants.
- Go Local, a Singaporean-themed zone where Disney characters are reimagined in familiar local settings. Chip ‘n Dale perch atop a giant ice cream sandwich; Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck share the spicy rice noodle dish laksa; and Mickey Mouse makes the traditional beverage teh tarik with Donald Duck.
Outside Floral Fantasy, a 4m-tall Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey marks the entrance and welcomes visitors to Gardens by the Bay.
The hand-assembled topiaries are crafted from more than 40 species of preserved and dried floral materials, which took more than 16,000 man hours.
Each material was selected for its colour, texture and form, helping to reflect each character’s features. Plenty of flowers are used for the Disney princesses for example, while Rapunzel’s hair is crafted from Stipa, a perennial grass that has fluffy or oat-like flowerheads.
The surrounding landscapes also use plant palettes that reflect the mood of each zone — sunflowers and marigolds reflect the honey-toned meadow setting of Winnie the Pooh, while lilies and roses bring out the romantic and jewel-toned settings of Disney Princess stories. Hydrangeas and dusty miller evoke the icy blues, whites and silvers of Frozen.
Throughout the duration of Garden of Wonder, visitors can enjoy select weekend Meet and Greet sessions with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in outfits inspired by Singapore’s national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim. Donald Duck and Daisy Duck will also join the experience on select weekends, dressed for a sunny getaway on our tropical island. Meet and Greet dates are available at www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/disneygardenofwonder.
Visitors can round off their experience with shopping at the gift shop, which carries items launching exclusively at Disney Garden of Wonder.
Hashtag: #DisneyGardenofWonder #FloralFantasy #GardensbytheBay
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Gardens by the Bay
An integral part of Singapore’s “City in Nature” vision, Gardens by the Bay is a national garden and premier horticultural attraction that showcases the best of garden and floral artistry for all to enjoy. Spanning 101 hectares in the heart of Singapore’s downtown Marina Bay, it comprises three waterfront gardens – Bay South, Bay East, and Bay Central. Bay South, the largest at 54 hectares, officially opened on 29 June 2012.
Guided by the vision to be a world of gardens for all to own, enjoy and cherish, the Gardens’ extensive plant collection, ever-changing floral displays, and myriad of engaging programmes have captured the imagination of many, while its Gift of Gardens community initiative, with Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of the Republic of Singapore as Patron, reaches out to people from all walks of life.
Since opening, Gardens by the Bay has welcomed more than 115 million visitors and garnered numerous international accolades including the third Top Attraction in the World in Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best 2026, Outstanding Achievement in Sustainability at the Singapore Tourism Awards 2024, Best Theme Attraction at TTG Travel Awards 2022 and 2023, and Best Attraction Experience at the Singapore Tourism Awards 2019. The Gardens continues to refresh and refine its offerings, to be a place that everyone can enjoy – a garden where wonder blooms.
For more information, visit www.gardensbythebay.com.sg.
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