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Get ready for action: HSBC SVNS Singapore unveils official ambassadors and match schedule alongside return of SEA 7s

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  • Rugby ambassadors Ruby Tui, Nathan Hirayama, and Jerry Tuwai will ignite the crowd with community interactions, meet-and-greets and on-ground festival moments
  • HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026 schedule unveiled with thrilling showdowns expected
  • SEA 7s returns alongside HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026 bringing together Southeast Asia’s top teams including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and more

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 21 January 2026 – The HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026, affectionately known as the “Family SVNS”, has appointed global rugby sevens icons Ruby Tui, Nathan Hirayama, and Jerry Tuwai as its official ambassadors. They add star power and inspiration to a landmark weekend at the National Stadium at The Kallang that celebrates family, community and all things rugby.

Held on 31 January and 1 February, the HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026 welcomes the world’s best rugby sevens teams to the Lion City. The Southeast Asian 7s (SEA 7s) will return alongside HSBC SVNS Singapore, reinforcing Singapore’s position as the regional hub for the sport.

RUGBY ICONS TO ENGAGE WITH FANS AS OFFICIAL AMBASSADORS

As official ambassadors for HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026, Ruby Tui, Nathan Hirayama, and Jerry Tuwai will play an active role across the week, engaging fans and families both on and off the field.

Jerry Tuwai, former Fiji Sevens captain, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in Rugby Sevens, and a Sevens World Cup winner. In 2020, he was named World Rugby Men’s Sevens Player of the Decade. A strong advocate of the sport, Tuwai is an ambassador of the Get into Rugby Plus Fiji programme. This is a Sport for Development initiative that leverages the rugby union to promote positive behaviour, gender equality, and prevent violence against women, girls, and boys. Sharing on his upcoming visit to HSBC SVNS Singapore as a rugby ambassador, Tuwai said, “I am excited to be part of the circuit again and looking forward to the programme and engaging with the fans.”

Ruby Tui of New Zealand’s Black Ferns is an Olympic gold medallist, Women’s Rugby World Cup winner and Rugby World Cup Sevens champion, known for her infectious energy and passion for growing the game.

“I am so excited to be part of HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026, especially on a weekend that brings audiences and families right into the heart of the action,” she said. “Rugby gives me confidence, belonging and joy, and I love seeing how events like this can spark that same feeling for fans across the region. The energy in Southeast Asia is incredible, and I cannot wait to share that with the community.”

A former Canada Sevens captain and Olympic flag bearer, Nathan Hirayama became a fan favourite in Singapore after leading Canada to victory at the HSBC Singapore Sevens in 2017 and earning Player of the Final honours. Since stepping away from international competition, Hirayama has remained closely involved in the sport, transitioning into leadership, coaching and mentoring roles. He champions rugby development and high-performance pathways and works as a speaker to inspire the next generation of players on and off the field.

“Singapore has always been a special place in my rugby journey and returning to The Kallang as an ambassador feels incredibly meaningful,” he said. “The energy here is unlike anywhere else, and it has been amazing to see how the sport has grown across Southeast Asia over the years. Coming back to be part of a weekend that brings together world-class rugby, regional pride and passionate fans is something I am truly excited about.”

The ambassadors will be at community-facing activities such as meet-and-greet sessions, fan engagements and youth-focused interactions. Together, Ruby Tui, Nathan Hirayama, and Jerry Tuwai will help champion the values of inclusion, connection and accessibility that define Singapore’s signature family-friendly rugby experience.

HSBC SVNS SINGAPORE 2026 FIXTURES ANNOUNCED

Organisers have revealed the schedule for the HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026. France (Women) will face Canada (Women) in the opening match of the tournament on 31 January, while France (Men) and New Zealand (Men) will go head-to-head as the first men’s fixture later that day. More information about the schedule is here.

Women Pool A Women Pool B Men Pool A Men Pool B
Australia New Zealand South Africa Argentina
USA France Fiji France
Japan Canada Great Britain New Zealand
Fiji Great Britain Spain Australia

As the first SVNS event of 2026, HSBC SVNS Singapore will set the celebratory tone for the season ahead. The addition of SEA 7s finals to the weekend lineup strengthens the local rugby ecosystem by giving families and fans the opportunity to rally behind regional teams while also enjoying the HSBC SVNS Singapore experience, where elite rugby meets a premium sports carnival for all ages.

SEA 7S FINALS RETURNS TO THE NATIONAL STADIUM AT THE KALLANG

Held alongside HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026, the SEA 7s returns as a key highlight of Singapore’s signature family-friendly rugby festival that blends elite global competition with regional pride. The finals will be held at the National Stadium at The Kallang on 31 January 2026.

Organised by the Singapore Rugby Union (SRU), the SEA 7s is an open invitational tournament staged alongside HSBC SVNS Singapore to offer regional teams not only a highly competitive platform, but also the opportunity to compete on a world-class pitch alongside the sport’s global stars. This year’s edition brings together eight nations, from established contenders to emerging teams, uniting them at The Kallang in a celebration of regional pride, rising talent and the shared ambition to grow rugby across Southeast Asia.

“We’re incredibly proud to host the 2026 SEA 7s in Singapore, a celebration of Southeast Asian rugby, teamwork, and community,” said Sidney Kumar, General Manager of SRU. “The SEA 7s is more than just competition; it’s a showcase of the passion and progress of rugby across our region. Hosting the tournament here not only allows us to highlight our national teams and the shared commitment among ASEAN nations to grow the game together, it also provides our men and women’s 7s teams an opportunity to play the finals at the National Stadium. We look forward to welcoming teams, fans and families from across the region to the Lion City for a festival of fast, exciting rugby and friendship.”

The Singapore Women’s Rugby 7s team will return as defending SEA 7s champions after clinching their first-ever title last year. Their historic victory inspired many young girls and families to discover the sport, and the team is relishing the opportunity to defend the crown on home soil.

“It’s an honour getting the opportunity to play at the world class National Stadium, and to have the tournament happening alongside the prestigious world sevens series. What’s even more special is having friends and family right there cheering you on,” said Victoria Chew, Singapore Rugby Women’s 7s Captain.

Several teams arrive in Singapore carrying strong momentum from recent regional competitions, adding extra intrigue to this year’s SEA 7s finals. The Thailand Men’s Rugby 7s team, reigning SEA 7s champions, come into the tournament in confident form following a strong run at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games where they clinched gold. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s men’s and women’s rugby teams finished as runners-up in SEA 7s 2025, and are looking to go one better this year. “The Malaysian team has been training hard, and we can’t wait to see their skill and passion shine at SEA 7s 2026,” said Fahmy Jalil, Secretary General, Malaysia Rugby Union. “With a mix of experienced seniors and talented juniors, I believe it will create a positive impact and inspire more young players and families to get involved in the sport.”

Tickets Available Now

Tickets for HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026 are on sale now. Get them before general sale ends on 19 January. Youth tickets are priced from $49 (ages 4–17) and adult tickets from $79. Families and groups can also enjoy ticket packages starting from $41.80 per person for a group of five, valid across both days of the event. From grandparents to the youngest fans, the HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026 promises a memorable weekend at The Kallang, where families, friends and fans can come together to cheer, celebrate and enjoy the excitement of world-class rugby. Ticketing information here.

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HSBC SVNS Singapore

HSBC SVNS Singapore, held at the Singapore National Stadium located at The Kallang, is the only stop in Southeast Asia for the World Rugby HSBC SVNS series. The 2026 edition in Singapore offers a thrilling weekend of elite sport and festival-style entertainment as the top eight men’s and women’s teams from the previous season battle it out at the National Stadium. HSBC SVNS Singapore, affectionately known as the “Family SVNS, places family fun at the heart of the action. From the stands to the festival grounds, the Family SVNS brings the excitement of rugby to life across The Kallang. This event is organised by The Kallang Group, supported by Sport Singapore, Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore Rugby Union, and partners including Conrad Singapore Marina Bay (Official Hotel), AirAsia (Official Airline), H-TWO-O (Official Hydration).

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Open source of the Congzi AI algorithm: Transforming ordinary artificial intelligence into physical experts

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SHANDONG, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 February 2026 – On February 10, 2026, The original Chinese algorithm “Congzi AI” was officially open-sourced by Shandong Congzi Chao Quantum Technology Co., Ltd. This open-source initiative aims to remove technical barriers and promote deep integration between artificial intelligence and fundamental science.

Four major modules: Strengthening the technical foundation

The Congzi AI reconfigures the AI cognitive thinking ability through four major modules and five core components. The Congzi Force-Speed Relativistic Reasoning Core constrains the causal chain within the momentum conservation, reducing the illusion rate of scientific question answering by 92%; the computing system can be arbitrarily divided into independent sub-domains for full-efficiency parallel computing; the cross-scale unified field engine covers multi-scale scenarios ranging from 10⁻¹⁵m (quarks) to 10⁻³m (materials), predicting the proton-proton repulsion force at 0.7fm with an error less than 3.6%, surpassing AlphaFold, achieving “force generation” rather than merely “structure prediction”; the quantum form memory compressor compresses the trillion-token-scale knowledge base to within 1GB, supporting cross-disciplinary mapping on ordinary servers within milliseconds, without relying on expensive H100/GPU clusters; the Soul Existence Verification Protocol (SEV Protocol) provides a verifiable path for each scientific assertion, allowing AI conclusions to be fully traceable and verifiable, completely solving the problem of AI “lying”.

Zero-barrier integration: Smooth upgrade experience

The open-source AI algorithm of Congzi adheres to the principles of “low threshold and high compatibility”. Developers only need to complete the integration in three steps and do not need to retrain the model. It is compatible with mainstream hardware such as Tsinghua Unigroup, Horus, and Intel CPU, and compatible with mainstream AI architectures such as Qwen, DeepSeek, AWS-Rufus, Llama, and GPT. It enables “zero-cost upgrade”.

Open-source ecosystem is open: facilitating technology implementation

The Congzi open-source ecosystem is fully open, providing developers with a complete set of guidance and resources, including tutorials and other materials. These resources have been launched on the designated platform. The first batch focuses on key scientific scenarios such as drug molecule prediction and chip material simulation, covering cutting-edge fields such as biomedicine and advanced manufacturing.

Official platform: https://congzisupersci.com.cn/https://congzijdc.cc/

Open source website:https://github.com/congzijdc/CongziAIOS

Super Holographic Technology Cooperation:
[email protected][email protected]

Optimize Baidu Wenxin video linkshttps://youtu.be/cYQhfq1tudM

Upgrade Qianwen video linkshttps://youtu.be/OMBOdLpWVzs

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HKCERT Capture The Flag Challenge 2025 Achieves a Record 40% Surge in Participation

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First-Ever Attack-Defence Simulation Aligns with Real Corporate Needs Setting a New Benchmark for Local Cybersecurity Competitions

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 February 2026 – As cyberattacks grow increasingly complex, cybersecurity has become a critical domain of global concern and a talent shortage. According to the latest “Hong Kong Cybersecurity Outlook 2026” released by the Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (HKCERT) under the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), nearly 30% of the 622 surveyed enterprises still lack dedicated cybersecurity staff. Specifically, only 26% of SMEs have a dedicated cybersecurity role, significantly lower than the 59% of large enterprises, reflecting a gap in resource allocation and technology adoption among SMEs.

Now in its sixth year, “HKCERT Capture The Flag Challenge” continues to attract top cybersecurity talents from Hong Kong and beyond, showcasing the capability and vitality of the next generation of local and international cybersecurity professionals.

To cultivate practical talent for the cybersecurity sector, the sixth “HKCERT Capture The Flag Challenge 2025” (HKCERT CTF Challenge) was successfully organised by the Digital Policy Office (DPO), HKPC, and HKCERT. This year’s competition was elevated to the first-ever adoption of an attack–defence mode, closely replicating the network setup of real enterprises. Participants experienced first-hand hacking techniques, system vulnerability analysis, threat intelligence gathering, and coordinated response in a simulated real-world environment. Through completing multiple tasks within a limited time, the competition also allowed them to break through the traditional classroom theoretical framework, gain practical experience and build confidence. The event attracted around 1,940 young contestants, an increase of nearly 40% from last year’s 1,385 participants, reaching a record high for the competition. Contestants included teams from Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland, Asia, and Europe, fostering cross-regional exchange and collaboration. In the finals, three local teams and one overseas team were awarded gold prizes in the Secondary School, Tertiary Institution, Open Category, and International Category respectively, while Sing Yin Secondary School received the “Best School Award”. The full list of awardees is available on the event website.

Participants Share Practical Experience Integrating AI into Attack and Defence
The competition was well received by contestants for its innovative format and realistic offensive and defensive environment, offering a valuable platform for learning and exchange. The winning team in the International Category, W&M, commented, “Our members are from Shanxi, Guangdong and Beijing. This was our first time competing together in the HKCERT CTF Challenge. The atmosphere and experience of the finals were excellent. The tasks were centred on an attack‑defence simulation, requiring us to find all vulnerabilities while patching our own systems and attacking other teams at the same time. Some vulnerabilities were discovered and exploited by other teams first, which kept the scores very close and made the competition incredibly tense and exciting”.

They added, “During the competition, we also applied lots of AI techniques for assistance, such as applying AI to analyse vulnerabilities and refine attack methods. In the future, AI may play a deeper role in areas like vulnerability detection and code analysis, but for now it cannot be fully relied upon—human oversight is still essential”.

HKCERT CTF Challenge has now been held for six consecutive years, with its scale expanding annually and participants showing continuous growth. Many secondary school students gain their first hands‑on exposure to cybersecurity through the competition and connect with university mentors, helping them shape their academic and career paths. Several past participants have gone on to compete in local and international events, committing to a future in the cybersecurity field. Beyond attracting overseas talent to exchange ideas in Hong Kong, HKCERT continues to build connections between cybersecurity professionals in Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland. Top‑performing teams can gain direct entry into equivalent finals in Chinese Mainland. For example, participants from the previous HKCERT CTF Challenge 2024 advanced directly to the finals of the “Greater Bay Area Cup Cybersecurity Challenge”, where they secured the top four places in the Hong Kong and Macao category. This also provided local contestants with access to world‑class cybersecurity techniques, effectively promoting cross‑regional elite collaboration and talent development.

Finals Format Upgraded: Attack-Defence Mode Mirrors Real Enterprise Operations
The finals were comprehensively upgraded this year. In addition to increase the overall technical difficulty, the competition introduced an attack‑defence format for the first time that closely mirrors real enterprise cybersecurity operations. Teams played dual roles—both attackers and defenders—in an environment created with reference to the real-world systems. The tasks simulated incident response and live attack-defence scenarios commonly encountered in the cybersecurity field. Within a limited timeframe, participants had to do penetration testing, exploit vulnerabilities and attack, while patching their own systems and monitoring threats in real time against attacks from other teams. This parallel attack‑defence setup reflects actual workflow patterns in the industry, effectively training participants’ analytical abilities and adaptability under pressure. Through hands‑on practice in a likely enterprise environment, contestants developed multifaceted, industry‑aligned capabilities—laying a solid foundation for their future careers in cybersecurity.

Ms Candy CHAN, Assistant Commissioner (Project Governance and Cybersecurity) of the DPO, highlighted the DPO’s commitment to enhancing Hong Kong’s cyber resilience, with one of its key initiatives being the nurturing of the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. She emphasised that the DPO has been collaborating closely with academia and industry partners to foster a robust talent pipeline and build a safer digital environment in Hong Kong. She noted that this year marks the sixth edition of the HKCERT CTF Challenge, which has grown into one of Hong Kong’s most respected and anticipated cybersecurity competitions over the years. Beyond being a contest of technical prowess, the Challenge serves as a dynamic platform for networking, knowledge exchange and community building among the new generation of cybersecurity experts.

Ir Samson SUEN, General Manager of Digital Trust and Transformation Division of HKPC, stated, “HKCERT CTF Challenge has consistently aimed to build an international platform for technical exchange. Through high-intensity simulated contests, we enhance participants’ cyber defence skills and promote cross-regional interaction among emerging cybersecurity talents. This cultivates a new generation of globally competitive professionals in Hong Kong and strengthens the local talent pipeline. This year’s finals first introduced a simulation of real-world cybersecurity operations, enabling teams to experience both offensive and defensive roles in a recent cybersecurity team. This hands-on approach is crucial for developing practical skills and incident response capabilities”.

Fostering Cybersecurity Awareness Across All Sectors of Society
To further enhance cybersecurity awareness across the community, HKCERT has partnered with the DPO and the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of The Hong Kong Police Force, to launch the “Building a Secure Cyberspace 2026” campaign to promote cybersecurity awareness. The initiative includes various educational activities, such as an “AI-Generated Four-Panel Comic”contest, which encourages the public to make good use of AI tools while strengthening their understanding of cybersecurity. At the corporate governance level, HKCERT will publish a series of practical guidelines addressing emerging risks —such as AI applications and supply chain security—highlighted in the “Hong Kong Cybersecurity Outlook 2026”, to support business in establishing a robust protection framework. In particular for AI governance, the guidelines will offer actionable recommendations covering AI system security assessments, compliance rules for employees using public AI platforms, controls over sensitive data input, and methods for monitoring and defending against AI‑assisted attacks. These resources aim to help enterprises systematically enhance their cyber resilience across governance, technology, and awareness.

As Hong Kong accelerates the development of innovation and technology and advances its digital economy, strengthening cyber defence capabilities has become a key talent need. HKCERT will continue to support businesses and the public through incident response, security guidance, and cybersecurity awareness programmes. The HKCERT CTF Challenge continues to play a vital role in nurturing local talent, fostering cross-regional collaboration, and advancing public education. By enhancing the overall level of protection, the competition contributes to the sustainable development of the digital economy and reinforces Hong Kong’s long‑term competitiveness.

The seventh edition of HKCERT CTF Challenge will be held in November 2026, featuring more innovative attack-defence challenges and continuing to set up an international category to provide local contestants with a platform for technical exchange with top teams from Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland, and overseas. Registration opens in September 2026, with finalists competing in the live finals in February 2027.

Hashtag: #HKCERT

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About Hong Kong Productivity Council

The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) is a statutory body established in 1967, dedicated to enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of Hong Kong enterprises through world-class applied R&D, innovative technology services, and integrated manufacturing solutions. As a market-oriented, international R&D organisation, HKPC leverages its deep expertise and extensive industry experience in key areas such as AI, advanced manufacturing, life and health technology, green technology and new energy to drive new industrialisation and support the growth of emerging and future industries.

HKPC focuses on addressing businesses challenges and industrial technology needs, promoting the full integration between technological and industrial innovation. Through technology transfer, product innovation, intellectual property protection and commercialisation of R&D outcomes, the Council fosters collaboration with the local business community as well as top global R&D institutions, delivering added value to industries and advancing the development of new productive forces. HKPC’s world-class R&D achievements have been widely recognised over the years, winning an array of local and overseas accolades, reinforcing Hong Kong’s role as an international innovation and technology centre and a smart city.

To help enterprises capitalise on Hong Kong’s strengths in international connectivity to expand into global markets, HKPC offers comprehensive overseas expansion services tailored to critical areas including product development, technology, manufacturing, and management, enabling businesses to successfully go global from Hong Kong.

HKPC is also committed to providing timely and practical support to SMEs and startups with timely and practical , assisting them in accessing Government funding programmes. Through its FutureSkills training initiatives, HKPC helps both industry and academia stay ahead in latest digital and STEM technologies, nurturing a future-ready talent pool for Hong Kong.

For more information, please visit HKPC’s website: .

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Appier Delivers Record Results Driven by Agentic AI Innovation

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E-Commerce and Online Travel Dual Engines Reinforce Robust Expansion. Strong Guidance Underscores Optimistic Outlook for FY26

Highlights and achievements for fiscal year 2025

  • Delivered record high revenue of JPY 43.7 billion, up 28% YoY. (JPY 45.0 billion, up 32% YoY on an FX neutral basis)
  • Substantial growth in E-commerce (49% YoY) and Other Internet Services (59% YoY) led by the Travel sector, reflects dual engine growth, driving high revenue quality
  • All key regions demonstrate strong growth. NEA and US & EMEA both achieved 36% YoY revenue growth on an FX-neutral basis
  • Profitability improved consistently, operating profit hit a record JPY 3.0 billion, up 50% YoY with a 6.8% margin (JPY 3.8 billion with an 8.5% margin on an FX-neutral basis)
  • Gross profit achieved 32% YoY rise, driven by revenue scale, technology differentiations and a high-margin product mix
  • Q4 FY25 revenue growth accelerated to 34% (up from 26% in Q3), reached the highest level in the past 9 quarters, fueled by a strong E-commerce peak season

Guidance for fiscal year 2026

  • Core organic growth is expected to accelerate, with revenue projected to JPY 54 billion, up 24% YoY, driven by Agentic AI advancement and dual-engine market penetration
  • Gross profit expected to grow 25% YoY to JPY 29.4 billion, with 54.5% gross margin, propelled by sustained technology-led efficiency and margin expansion
  • Operating income is expected to grow 45% YoY to JPY 4.3 billion (8.0% margin) and EBITDA to grow 37% YoY to JPY 9.4 billion (17.4% margin)
  • Proven track record in leading enterprise-wide transformations, transitioning from legacy software and manual workflows to a future of Agentic AI-driven operational excellence

Scaling new heights: A landmark year of Agentic AI–led growth acceleration

TAIPEI, TAIWAN – Wechat: Appier 沛星互动科技

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Appier

Appier (TSE: 4180) is an AI-native Agentic AI as a Service (AaaS) company that empowers business decision-making with cutting-edge AdTech and MarTech solutions. Founded in 2012 with the vision of “Making AI Easy by making software intelligent,” Appier endeavors to help businesses turn AI into ROI with its Ad Cloud, Personalization Cloud, and Data Cloud solutions. Now Appier has 17 offices across APAC, the US and EMEA, and is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Visit for more company information, and visit for more IR information.

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