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Archive: September 3, 2026

Core System Partners Announces Public Rollout of Banking Intelligence Service, Which Interprets Operational and Technology Developments Affecting the Banking Industry

Weekly and monthly reports go beyond the headlines and offer insights into AI adoption, regulatory shifts, vendor activity, M&A signals, and core banking developments

NEW YORK, Sept. 3, 2026: Core System Partners, the independent advisory firm that helps banks and credit unions modernize their technology, operations, and core banking environments, today announced the public rollout of its Banking Intelligence Service (BIS). Following an initial publishing period, BIS is now being formally rolled out to a broader audience on a subscription basis. It is an intelligence service for banking executives, consultants, and investors. Each week, it tracks and interprets the operational and technology developments moving banking, including AI adoption, regulatory shifts, vendor activity, M&A signals, and core banking developments. Its regular reports explain what those events could mean for an institution over the next 90 days.

“Banking leaders have plenty of headlines. The gap is context: which developments matter, how they connect, and what they could mean for the institution over the next 90 days,” explained Rick Mavrovich, CEO and Managing Director of Core System Partners. “I created BIS to close that gap.”

BIS reports connect the signals across the market and give banking leaders a practical view of what they should be watching next. BIS currently includes a Weekly Intelligence Brief and the Monthly Signal Recap. The Weekly Intelligence Brief is published through Don’t Blink, Core System Partners’ publishing platform for the free weekly Don’t Blink video, selected public commentary, and subscriber-only intelligence.

 

The Royal Mint Boldly Goes Where No Coin Has Gone Before With New Star Trek 50p Coins

LLANTRISANT, Wales, Sept. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Six decades since Star Trek first beamed onto television screens across the world, The Royal Mint is unveiling two collectable 50p coins to celebrate the global phenomenon and its intergalactic legacy.

Star Trek's intergalactic legacy is set to be immortalised on UK coins, as The Royal Mint marks 60 years of the franchise with two collectable 50p coins.

This marks the first time Star Trek has featured on UK 50p coins, following the success of the Mint’s previous sci-fi collectable coin series, first introduced in 2023. This previous collection saw close to 800,000 coins find their way into collections across 60 countries worldwide.

The first coin, available from 3 September, features the iconic Vulcan salute alongside the phrase “Live Long & Prosper” and “Star Trek 60,” marking the franchise’s landmark anniversary. The second coin, available in November, showcases four spacecraft spanning different eras of the franchise: U.S.S Voyager NCC-74656, the U.S.S Enterprise NCC-1701, Enterprise – NCC-1701-D and the Klingon Bird of Prey along with the phrase “Star Trek 60″.

A selection of the coins will also feature colour, echoing the franchise’s own television history. When Star Trek first aired in 1966, the cast’s vivid uniforms were deliberately designed to stand out on the new colour television sets just becoming available to audiences at the time. That same spirit of colour has now been beamed onto the coins themselves, with swirling blue and purple nebulas capturing the vast, uncharted reaches of space that Captain Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S Enterprise set out to explore, ensuring the coins stand out just as strikingly today as those iconic uniforms once did on screen.

Tim Mulhall, Head of Fandom at The Royal Mint, said: “It’s a privilege for The Royal Mint to boldly go, celebrating 60 years of Star Trek with a keepsake that’s out of this world. Both collectable 50p coins are designed for fans who’ve grown up with the franchise and want a piece of that history to treasure. It’s a collectable built to live long and prosper in any collection and is a fitting way to mark six decades of a franchise that continues to inspire fans across the Galaxy.”

Ruth Henriquez, Vice President of Products & Experiences, Paramount EMEA, said: “Star Trek has one of the most dedicated collector communities in the world, and these coins are a tribute to 60 years of the franchise. The Royal Mint carefully selects the brands it works with, and the affection generations of British fans have for Star Trek makes it a natural fit for this collaboration. Our partnership with The Royal Mint brings some of Star Trek’s most iconic symbols and spacecraft to fans through a unique collection created exclusively to mark this milestone anniversary, giving collectors a lasting keepsake to treasure for years to come.”

Since its first episode transmitted onto screens in September 1966, Star Trek has grown into one of the most influential franchises in pop culture history, spanning 12 series, totalling more than 950 episodes and 14 movies that took more than $2 billion at the box office. The Star Trek phenomenon continues today with 413,000 people currently learning Klingon on Duolingo and has eight asteroids and the first space orbiter named in its honour.

Fans can secure both coins from 9am on 3 September at www.royalmint.com, with prices starting from £19.95.

The Royal Mint Logo

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Shell completes acquisition of ARC Resources

CALGARY, AB, Sept. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Shell plc has completed the previously announced agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) to acquire ARC Resources Ltd. (“ARC”) (TSX: ARX), an energy company focused in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, following receipt of all required shareholder, court and regulatory approvals. The acquisition accelerates Shell’s strategy by adding approximately 370 kboe/d immediately across liquids and gas, supporting a production compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 4% through to 2030 compared with 2025.

Shell Oil Company Logo. (PRNewsFoto/Shell Oil Company)

“Today we welcome ARC colleagues to Shell and look forward to building on their high-performance culture, operational excellence and technical expertise in Canada’s Montney basin,” said Shell’s Chief Executive Officer, Wael Sawan. “The acquisition increases Shell’s exposure to long-duration, low-cost liquids production. Through disciplined integration, we will build on the strengths of both organizations to unlock the value that underpins this transaction.”

In accordance with terms of the Arrangement Agreement, ARC’s shareholders will receive CAD $8.20 in cash and 0.40247 ordinary shares of Shell plc (each whole share, a “Shell Share”) for each ARC common share (each, an “ARC Share”).

Based on Shell’s closing share price of GBP £34.43 on September 2, 2026, and latest FX rates, this equates to an updated equity value of approximately US$13.9 billion. Shell will take on approximately US$2.5 billion in net debt and leases resulting in an enterprise value of approximately US$16.5 billion. The equity value of US$13.9 billion will be funded via US$3.3 billion in cash and US$10.6 billion in new Shell shares.

The transaction is expected to generate double-digit returns, bolster long-term cash flows and be accretive to free cash flow share from 2027 onwards.

Notes to editors 

  • As defined in the Arrangement Agreement, the effective date of the transaction is September 2, 2026 (the “Effective Date”).
  • The process for delivery of Shell Shares in exchange for ARC Shares is anticipated to be completed several days following the Effective Date of the transaction.
  • More information can be found at Information for shareholders | Shell Global
  • The acquisition grows Shell’s producing interests in Canada and complements its existing LNG footprint and extensive downstream businesses including refining, chemicals, fuel retail, aviation, lubricants and low-carbon solutions.
  • In connection with the Arrangement Agreement, Shell obtained an exemption order from the Alberta Securities Commission, as principal regulator on behalf of the securities regulatory authority or regulator in each of the provinces of Canada other than Ontario, and the Ontario Securities Commission, providing relief from the formal issuer bid requirements of National Instrument 62-104 Take-Over Bids and Issuer Bids in connection with purchases by Shell of the outstanding Shell Shares through marketplaces outside of Canada (the “Canadian Exemption”), which applies so long as the Shell Shares are not listed or posted for trading on any stock exchange or marketplace in Canada, and residents of Canada do not beneficially own more than 10% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shell Shares. The Canadian Exemption is also subject to the following conditions: the share buybacks under its issuer bid programs are carried out under applicable securities laws in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the European Union, as well as the trading rules of the applicable exchanges and markets; and the aggregate number of Shell Shares acquired by Shell within any period of 12 months does not exceed 10% of the outstanding Shell Shares, excluding treasury shares.
  • Measurement of acquired assets and liabilities for accounting purposes will be subject to a purchase price allocation exercise following completion.
  • Equity value and net debt do not sum to enterprise value due to rounding.

Cautionary Note

The companies in which Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this news release “Shell”, “Shell Group” and “Group” are sometimes used for convenience to reference Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ”Subsidiaries”, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this news release refer to entities over which Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. The terms “joint venture”, “joint operations”, “joint arrangements”, and “associates” may also be used to refer to a commercial arrangement in which Shell has a direct or indirect ownership interest with one or more parties. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

Forward-Looking statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “aim”; “ambition”; ”anticipate”; “aspire”, “aspiration”, ”believe”; “commit”; “commitment”; ”could”; “desire”; ”estimate”; ”expect”; ”goals”; ”intend”; ”may”; “milestones”; ”objectives”; ”outlook”; ”plan”; ”probably”; ”project”; ”risks”; “schedule”; ”seek”; ”should”; ”target”; “vision”; ”will”; “would” and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this news release, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell’s products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks, including climate change; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, judicial, fiscal and regulatory developments including tariffs and regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; (m) risks associated with the impact of pandemics, regional conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict in the Middle East, and a significant cyber security, data privacy or IT incident; (n) the pace of the energy transition; and (o) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Shell plc’s Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2025 (available at www.shell.com/investors/news-and-filings/sec-filings.html and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this news release and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this news release, September 2, 2026. Neither Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this news release.

Shell’s net carbon intensity

Also, in this news release we may refer to Shell’s “net carbon intensity” (NCI), which includes Shell’s carbon emissions from the production of our energy products, our suppliers’ carbon emissions in supplying energy for that production and our customers’ carbon emissions associated with their use of the energy products we sell. Shell’s NCI also includes the emissions associated with the production and use of energy products produced by others which Shell purchases for resale. Shell only controls its own emissions. The use of the terms Shell’s “net carbon intensity” or NCI is for convenience only and not intended to suggest these emissions are those of Shell plc or its subsidiaries.

Shell’s net-zero emissions target

Shell’s operating plan and outlook are forecasted for a three-year period and ten-year period, respectively, and are updated every year. They reflect the current economic environment and what we can reasonably expect to see over the next three and ten years. Accordingly, the outlook reflects our combined Scope 1 and 2 target, NCI target and our oil products ambition over the next ten years. However, Shell’s operating plan and outlook cannot reflect our 2050 net-zero emissions target, as this target is outside our planning period. Such future operating plans and outlooks could include changes to our portfolio, efficiency improvements and the use of carbon capture and storage and carbon credits. In the future, as society moves towards net-zero emissions, we expect Shell’s operating plans and outlooks to reflect this movement. However, if society is not net zero in 2050, as of today, there would be significant risk that Shell may not meet this target.

Forward-Looking non-GAAP measures

This news release may contain certain forward-looking non-GAAP measures such as free cash flow, net debt and enterprise value. We are unable to provide a reconciliation of these forward-looking non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures because certain information needed to reconcile those non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures is dependent on future events some of which are outside the control of Shell, such as oil and gas prices, interest rates and exchange rates. Moreover, estimating such GAAP measures with the required precision necessary to provide a meaningful reconciliation is extremely difficult and could not be accomplished without unreasonable effort. Non-GAAP measures in respect of future periods which cannot be reconciled to the most comparable GAAP financial measure are calculated in a manner which is consistent with the accounting policies applied in Shell plc’s consolidated financial statements.

The contents of websites referred to in this news release do not form part of this news release.

We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this news release that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.

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Helfie AI Appoints John Rego as Chief Financial Officer

Veteran CFO with more than $10 billion raised across six public and private companies joins Helfie AI to lead financial strategy

MELBOURNE, Australia, Sept. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Helfie AI (“Helfie”), an AI-powered preventative network transforming global healthcare by delivering personalised screening for all via mobile, today announced the appointment of John Rego as Chief Financial Officer.

Helfie - blue logo

John brings more than 25 years of senior leadership experience across a range of high-growth technology and communications companies and joins Helfie from Wide Open West (WOW), a US broadband provider (NYSE: WOW), where he served as CFO from 2020 until the company’s sale in 2026. Prior to WOW, he served as CFO of Telaria Inc. (NASDAQ: TLRA), an advertising technology company, and as CFO of Virgin Galactic and CFO of Vonage Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: VG). John has operated in businesses with global reach, raising over $10 billion in capital, and has closed more than two dozen M&A transactions.

George Tomeski, CEO, Helfie AI, said: “John’s track record speaks for itself. He has taken companies from startup to IPO, navigated major M&A transactions, built finance functions from the ground up, and operated at the highest levels of public market scrutiny. As Helfie enters its next phase of growth, John’s experience and discipline in the CFO seat gives us enormous confidence.”

John Rego, Chief Financial Officer, Helfie AI, said:I am delighted to join Helfie AI at such an exciting phase of growth. Helfie AI is one of those rare businesses where the mission and the market opportunity are genuinely aligned. I am looking forward to leading the company in its mission to build a science-backed, AI-powered personalised preventative healthcare platform accessible to everyone in the world.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

ABOUT HELFIE

Helfie AI is a global human health platform designed for early detection, proactive prevention, and optimised wellbeing for 8 billion+ humans. The platform is science-backed and AI-powered, providing a suite of 30+ easy, instant, and affordable health checks. Delivered via smartphone, it combines powerful medical insights with data ownership, universal access, and freedom of choice for the individual. Helfie AI works with governments and businesses worldwide to make preventative health accessible to everyone. 

More details at www.helfie.ai

 

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Bybit Names Sean Ballard as Head of Derivatives and Institutional Business Amid Continued Institutional Expansion

DUBAI, UAE, Sept. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Bybit, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, is pleased to announce the appointment of Sean Ballard as Head of Derivatives and Institutional Business. Ballard will play a central role in strengthening the exchange’s trading infrastructure, risk frameworks and institutional capabilities, with a broader remit spanning trading risk and exchange technology.

Ballard brings more than 25 years of experience in global financial markets, with deep expertise across derivatives, high-frequency trading, trading risk, market structure and exchange technology. He joins Bybit from Jump Trading, where he led the firm’s high-frequency futures trading business across the US,  EMEA, and LATAM, managing significant investment portfolios and working closely with exchanges and regulators globally on market structure, trading performance and infrastructure developments.

While at Jump Trading, Ballard was a senior trader on the Jump Crypto team managing trading initiatives on centralized exchanges and also leading the strategic partnership initiatives to support ecosystem growth.

At Bybit, Ballard will focus on advancing the institutional trading experience through robust market infrastructure, disciplined risk management and scalable product development. His cross-market background across traditional finance and digital assets brings a distinctive perspective to the evolution of institutional trading and the infrastructure required to support the next generation of global digital asset markets.

The appointment builds on Bybit’s continued investment in its derivatives and institutional trading business as digital assets increasingly converge with global financial markets.  Bybit Institutional has also expanded significantly over the past year, with additions of professional services including Bank Triparty arrangements, allowing institutions to manage counterparty risk through regulated custody while retaining full trading access, alongside a Market Maker Gateway that has cut round-trip latency for high-frequency and quant clients from 4ms to 1.5ms.

In the RWA (real-world asset) race, Bybit has also moved ahead of the curve with a diversity of tokenized real-world financial products through Bybit RWA Earn. Since July 2026, FUIDL by Finloop, an AAA-rated USD money market fund, has been available on Bybit as collateral for trading, unlocking access to Asia’s first end-to-end RWA ecosystem.

The appointment reinforces Bybit’s broader transformation into the New Financial Platform, a unified financial platform connecting crypto, traditional markets and real-world financial services. 

Bybit Names Sean Ballard as Head of Derivatives and Institutional Business Amid Continued Institutional Expansion

#Bybit  / #NewFinancialPlatform

About Bybit

Bybit is The New Financial Platform.

We believe every person should have access to every financial opportunity on earth. That’s why we’re building the first intelligent platform that connects anyone, anywhere to the world’s finance.

Trusted by more than 80 million users worldwide, Bybit brings together investing, trading, payments, and wealth-building in a single secure and intelligent ecosystem. Through the combination of AI-powered technology, deep global liquidity, robust security, and transparent operations, Bybit makes global finance more accessible, efficient, and empowering for everyone.

Built for everyone. Powered by intelligence. Open to the world.

Learn more at Bybit.com

For more details about Bybit, please visit Bybit Press

For media inquiries, please contact: media@bybit.com

For updates, please follow: Bybit’s Communities and Social Media

Discord | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Reddit | Telegram | TikTok | X | Youtube

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FP Markets: Global bond market alarm bells are ringing

LIMASSOL, Cyprus, Sept. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Global government bond yields have been thrust into the limelight, reaching levels not seen in decades. Unquestionably, these are the most important interest rates in the world, serving as the bedrock of the financial system. Almost every financial asset – either directly or indirectly – is derived from government yields. And right now, that bedrock is shifting.

FP Markets Logo

When government bond yields surge and clock multi-year highs, the world sits up and pays attention. It raises fresh questions not only about their impact on governments, businesses, and consumers, but also on other key asset classes, such as stocks and currencies. 

This is not just a US story. The US 10-year Treasury yield has pushed above 4.8% – its highest level since late 2023 – while UK 10-year Gilt yields also reached levels not seen since 2008, and the 10-year Japanese JGB yield rose to its highest since 1996.

Underpinning rising yields is a combination of drivers, chief among them are persistent inflationary pressures fuelled by elevated energy prices; Brent crude is up more than 30% from July lows. Other factors include growing government budget deficits, rising ‘term premium’, and competition from technology companies issuing their own debt.

FP Markets Chief Market Analyst Aaron Hill commented: ‘I do not believe what we are witnessing is a one-off spike in the bond market. Instead, we may be observing a repricing of risk. Investors are demanding a higher return to hold longer-dated government debt as they are less confident inflation is under control and increasingly doubtful that fiscal deficits are sustainable at current levels. That has knock-on effects for everything’.

Markets are interconnected, meaning that a move higher in oil often impacts bonds and currencies, as well as gold. Investors at FP Markets can trade CFDs not only on government bonds, but on over 70 currency pairs, key stock indices, a range of commodities, and ETFs, all through world-class trading platforms.

About FP Markets:

FP Markets is a global, multi-regulated, award-winning broker established in Sydney, Australia in 2005. The broker offers 10,000+ CFD instruments across seven asset classes, available on industry-leading platforms including MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView, and cTrader.

FP Markets’ regulatory presence includes the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in Seychelles, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) of South Africa, and the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) of Kenya.

For more information, visit www.fpmarkets.com

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Helfie AI Appoints John Rego as Chief Financial Officer

Veteran CFO with more than $10 billion raised across six public and private companies joins Helfie AI to lead financial strategy

MELBOURNE, Australia, Sept. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Helfie AI (“Helfie”), an AI-powered preventative network transforming global healthcare by delivering personalised screening for all via mobile, today announced the appointment of John Rego as Chief Financial Officer.

Helfie - blue logo

John brings more than 25 years of senior leadership experience across a range of high-growth technology and communications companies and joins Helfie from Wide Open West (WOW), a US broadband provider (NYSE: WOW), where he served as CFO from 2020 until the company’s sale in 2026. Prior to WOW, he served as CFO of Telaria Inc. (NASDAQ: TLRA), an advertising technology company, and as CFO of Virgin Galactic and CFO of Vonage Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: VG). John has operated in businesses with global reach, raising over $10 billion in capital, and has closed more than two dozen M&A transactions.

George Tomeski, CEO, Helfie AI, said: “John’s track record speaks for itself. He has taken companies from startup to IPO, navigated major M&A transactions, built finance functions from the ground up, and operated at the highest levels of public market scrutiny. As Helfie enters its next phase of growth, John’s experience and discipline in the CFO seat gives us enormous confidence.”

John Rego, Chief Financial Officer, Helfie AI, said:I am delighted to join Helfie AI at such an exciting phase of growth. Helfie AI is one of those rare businesses where the mission and the market opportunity are genuinely aligned. I am looking forward to leading the company in its mission to build a science-backed, AI-powered personalised preventative healthcare platform accessible to everyone in the world.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

ABOUT HELFIE

Helfie AI is a global human health platform designed for early detection, proactive prevention, and optimised wellbeing for 8 billion+ humans. The platform is science-backed and AI-powered, providing a suite of 30+ easy, instant, and affordable health checks. Delivered via smartphone, it combines powerful medical insights with data ownership, universal access, and freedom of choice for the individual. Helfie AI works with governments and businesses worldwide to make preventative health accessible to everyone. 

More details at www.helfie.ai

 

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WV Connect 2026 Begins in Hyderabad, Bringing the Wedding & Film Ecosystem Together

Hyderabad, September 2, 2026: WV Connect 2026 — Weddings & Films Edition opened today in Hyderabad, marking the fourth consecutive edition of Asia’s largest B2B wedding summit. A flagship event by Wedding Vows, India’s leading wedding industry magazine, WV Connect was founded by N DakshinaaMurthi with a single conviction: that the Indian wedding industry deserves a world-class business platform where its professionals can learn, connect and grow.

Each year, WV Connect travels to a different Indian city — Chennai in 2019, Mamallapuram in 2023, Jaipur in 2024. This year, Hyderabad was the only choice. Home to Ramoji Film City, the world’s largest film studio complex, and one of India’s fastest-growing luxury wedding markets, Hyderabad is the one Indian city where the wedding industry and the film industry are both genuinely world-class. The theme — Weddings & Films — could not have found a more fitting home.

WV Connect 2026 Puts Hyderabad in the Spotlight with Weddings & Films Edition

 

The premise is both simple and commercially significant. India’s wedding industry is valued at ₹3.86 lakh crore, growing at 25 per cent year on year. Its film and OTT industry adds another ₹1.97 lakh crore. The two industries share the same designers, cinematographers, lighting crews, fabricators and venues — yet have never had a formal business platform to collaborate, exchange knowledge or build joint opportunities. WV Connect 2026 is India’s first attempt to change that.

Now in its fourth year, WV Connect has grown from 400 delegates in its inaugural edition to 800+ professionals across India and internationally. It is not a trade fair or an awards ceremony. It is a knowledge-sharing summit — three days of sessions, panels, masterclasses and conversations led by the wedding industry’s most respected practitioners and, for the first time, the film industry’s most celebrated creative minds. The goal is the same every year: send every delegate home with ideas, connections and business opportunities they could not have found anywhere else.

WV Connect 2026 Puts Hyderabad in the Spotlight with Weddings & Films Edition

 

How the Three Days Unfold

Day 1 — Tuesday, 1 September • Ramoji Film City

The summit opens not in a conference hall but on the sets of Ramoji Film City — the world’s largest film studio complex and the most cinematic possible backdrop for a Weddings & Films edition. Delegates experience a private tour of the studio’s iconic sets, followed by the summit’s signature opening event: Movie Blind Date Night, an evening cinema experience where the film is not revealed until the lights go down. The day closes with a VVIP Networking Dinner under the stars at Ramoji.

Day 2 — Wednesday, 2 September • Arth Resorts & Spa • Main Ballroom

The main conference begins at Arth Resorts with the inaugural keynote by Sabbas Joseph, co-founder of Wizcraft — the force behind IIFA and India’s most landmark live productions. The day brings together some of India’s most celebrated creative minds: Sabu Cyril, four-time National Award-winning production designer of Baahubali and RRR; K.K. Senthil Kumar, acclaimed cinematographer and long-standing collaborator of S.S. Rajamouli; Kumar Raja, Founder of Design by Raja; and Lauren Rodgers, Director of Events at Warner Bros. Abu Dhabi.
Sessions explore the intersection of cinematic production and luxury weddings — from immersive set design and projection mapping to AI-powered guest experiences and destination wedding production. The WV Connect EXPO runs through the day, bringing together exhibitors from across the wedding, film and hospitality industries. Speed networking, curated introductions and panel discussions round out the conference programme.

The evening shifts register entirely. Vaikuntam Kalyanam — the sacred ceremonial wedding of Lord Srinivasa and Goddess Padmavati, performed by priests specially invited from Tirumala Thirupathi Devasthanam — is followed by Bhajan Clubbing, a contemporary devotional music experience. The pairing is deliberate: a summit about the future of Indian weddings, anchored in the timeless spiritual tradition that defines the Indian wedding at its deepest level.

Day 3 — Thursday, 3 September • Arth Resorts & Spa • Mini Banquet + Awards Night

The final day opens with a Networking Brunch, followed by WedX and Masterclasses — the most intimate and intellectually rigorous sessions of the summit. WedX is WV Connect’s signature short-talk format: one speaker, one idea, ten minutes, one spotlight. No panel. No moderator. No Q&A. Ideas Worth Celebrating. Each WedX talk is filmed as a standalone piece and released after the summit, extending the reach of every idea beyond the room.

Masterclasses led by film and wedding industry professionals offer hands-on sessions in cinematic storytelling, virtual production, projection mapping, advanced lighting and production design — practical knowledge that delegates can apply directly to their work.

WV Connect 2026 Puts Hyderabad in the Spotlight with Weddings & Films Edition

 

The summit concludes with the WV Awards 2026 Gala Night — India’s most credibly adjudicated wedding recognition platform. This year’s awards span 80+ categories across 16 industry segments, from photography, videography and decor to technology, entertainment and hospitality. All entries are scored by an independent international jury and processed by TABS — the Awards Tabulation Intelligence System — an AI-powered engine that makes every result timestamped, tamper-proof and fully auditable. The evening features a red carpet arrival, live awards ceremony and gala dinner at Arth Resorts.

Speakers and Participants

Among the prominent names at WV Connect 2026: Sabbas Joseph (Co-founder, Wizcraft); Sabu Cyril (Film Production Designer, Baahubali / RRR); K.K. Senthil Kumar (Cinematographer, Baahubali / RRR); Kumar Raja (Founder, Design by Raja); Lauren Rodgers (Director of Events, Warner Bros. Abu Dhabi); Rituraj Khanna (Founder, Q Events and President, WV Connect); Rahul Kumar and Maggi Kewlani (Vivaah Celebrations); Ruchi Pant (Chief Business Officer, Ramoji Film City); Aarti Mattoo (MD, Momentum Experiences & Events LLP); Punam Chadha Joseph (Author, Poet and Painter); Parul Sharma Wallbrown, Tarun Agarwal, Reema Thakkar Tiwari, Gauri Chadha, Photriya Venky, Laadi Sangeet Maker, Sandeep Molugu, Vishnu Vardhan Indur, Sri Koundinya and Ashok Kumar Koralath.

Weddings and films have always shared the same ingredients… storytelling, emotion, visual spectacle and exceptional craftsmanship. What has been missing is a common business platform. WV Connect 2026 brings these two ecosystems together not merely to celebrate their similarities, but to explore what they can create and build together. Every edition of WV Connect is designed around one question: what does this industry need to hear, see and do differently? In Hyderabad, with weddings and films in the same room, that question has never had a more powerful answer.

 

ST Engineering iDirect Demonstrates Multi-Waveform 5G NR-NTN User Equipment Pilot

INT3000 modem pilot marks next milestone in phased multi-waveform user equipment development

HERNDON, Va., Sept. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ST Engineering iDirect, a global leader in satellite communications, today demonstrated a pilot version of the INT3000, its multi-waveform 5G New Radio Non-Terrestrial Network (NR-NTN) User Equipment (UE) modem, at the European Space Agency (ESA) 5G NTN Forum. The INT3000 is being developed to support both 5G NR NTN and DVB-S2X/MRC waveforms in a single device, enabling operators to deploy native 5G NR-NTN services while also supporting DVB and hybrid network architectures during migration and modernization.

NT3000 modem pilot marks next milestone in phased multi-waveform user equipment development

The INT3000 modem pilot provided the ESA 5G NTN community a look at ST Engineering iDirect’s progress in advancing 5G NR-NTN UE, with the demonstration conducted over a satellite simulator. On the network side, the pilot connected through the Intuition ground system, which implements native 5G NR-NTN gNodeB capabilities.

“This pilot demonstration is another important step in our multi-waveform, multi-orbit user equipment roadmap,” said Shravan Gaddam, Vice President, CTO Office, ST Engineering iDirect. “The industry is moving toward standards-based 5G NTN connectivity, but at the same time, operators must support existing satellite networks. Our vision for the INT3000 is to bring these worlds together in a single user equipment, providing a practical path for operators to evolve their networks while leveraging existing investments.”

The INT3000 modem pilot provides the foundation for extending ST Engineering iDirect’s satellite networking capabilities into the broader 5G ecosystem, bringing together the technology, ecosystem partnerships and product framework required to support future interoperability between satellite and terrestrial communications networks.

As part of its broader 5G NTN strategy, ST Engineering iDirect is also advancing 5G NR waveform innovations designed to reduce reliance on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and satellite position data for timing and synchronization. These enhancements are intended to improve resiliency and operational flexibility across multi-orbit satellite environments while supporting the continued evolution of 5G NTN technologies.

Built on the cloud-native, multi-orbit Intuition ground system, the developments in the INT3000 modem pilot support the industry’s evolution toward globally interoperable 5G NTN satellite connectivity and future 6G networks.

ST Engineering iDirect, a subsidiary of ST Engineering, is a global leader in satellite communications (satcom) providing technology and solutions that enable its customers to expand their business, differentiate their services and optimize their satcom networks. With over 40 years of delivering innovation focused on solving satellite’s most critical economic and technology challenges we are committed to shaping the future of how the world connects. The product portfolio, branded iDirect, represents the highest standards in performance, efficiency and reliability, making it possible for its customers to deliver the best satcom connectivity experience anywhere in the world. ST Engineering iDirect is a leader in key industries including mobility, broadcast and military/government. In 2007, iDirect Government was formed to better serve the U.S. government and defense communities. For more information visit www.idirect.net.

ST Engineering iDirect

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