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Half Of Consumers Wish Banks Were More Proactive About Delivering Relevant Advice and Products—Blend Says Its Cloud Banking Software Makes That Possible

Blend Labs Inc.

By Rachael Green, Benzinga Amid the highest inflation since 1981, consumers across the United States are not only struggling to keep up with their savings goals, many are falling deeper into debt to cover the rising cost of living. One study by LendingTree last year found that 43% of Americans were likely to resort to credit cards and loans to pay for necessities or emergencies in the six months following the survey. This situation has caused many to look to banks to do more to promote financial wellness and education to help their customers navigate these challenges while staying on track to meet their financial goals. Blend Labs, Inc. (NYSE: BLND) is one player helping banks to empower their customers with greater access to resources and providing an easier/simplified method for entry with a more streamlined digital experience and manage their financial well-being. Here’s how the cloud banking software developer’s platform is enabling financial institutions like PNC (NYSE: PNC) and US Bancorp (NYSE: USB) to deliver more personalized, proactive service to their customers. Consumers Want Financial Institutions To Do More For Their Financial Well-being A Forrester Consulting survey of over 2,000 banking consumers and over 100 lending strategy leaders found that 72% of customers want to see offers that are tailored to their personal needs and 71% are open to switching to a new bank if presented with a relevant product offer. As a result, two-thirds already have financial products from multiple different financial institutions. Despite that fragmented banking landscape, the survey found that more than 50% of consumers would rather stick to one primary bank for all their needs if they could. However, they expect their banks to do more to make that possible. 52% said they rely on alerts from the bank about important changes to their financial health and half of all respondents wished their bank took a more proactive approach to deliver relevant information and advice about their financial well-being. How Blend’s Cloud Banking Platform Makes Proactive, Personalized Service Possible Blend’s cloud banking software leverages consumers’ application information, credit score and other third-party data that banks have access to in order to help banks present personalized offers for financial products to help customers meet their goals. A consumer whose application for an unsecured credit card was denied could be presented with an offer for a secured credit card, for example. Similarly, a mortgage lender could send an offer for a home equity loan to a consumer who’s shown interest in remodeling their home. Automation is one of the key advantages of Blend’s software, not just for banks but also for consumers. Key features like single sign-on (SSO) authentication allow customers to fill out applications in a fraction of the time by pre-filling them with information that the bank already has. For example, consumers who already have a credit card with the bank have already provided a lot of the information that would be needed in an auto loan application when they applied for the card. Blend’s SSO authentication would save them the hassle of filling out all that same information over again. In addition to pre-filled information, banks can use Blend’s instant income verification to process applications faster. For example, this and other automation tools eliminate 11.9 hours of work per loan on average and shorten the overall loan cycle by 7.3 days for banks that are using Blend’s mortgage technology, according to a Blend-commissioned survey by MarketWise. These and many other digital tools could help banks develop a more proactive, customer-focused approach amidst the current economic uncertainty –- helping build deeper relationships with customers while empowering those same customers to make more informed decisions about their financial well-being. This article was originally published on Benzinga here. Powering the Future of Banking Blend is the infrastructure powering the future of banking. Financial providers—from the largest banks, fintechs, and credit unions to community and independent mortgage banks—use Blend’s platform to transform banking experiences for their customers. Blend powers billions of dollars in financial transactions every day. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. This article contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements generally relate to future events, future performance or expectations and involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this article may include, but are not limited to, our expectations regarding our product roadmap, future products/features, the timing of new product/feature introductions, market size and growth opportunities, macroeconomics and industry conditions, capital expenditures, plans for future operations, competitive position, technological capabilities and strategic relationships. The forward-looking statements contained in this article are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from the outcomes predicted. Further information on these risks and uncertainties are set forth in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements in this article are based on information available to Blend and assumptions and beliefs as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, Blend does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise. Contact Details Investor Relations IR@blend.com Company Website https://blend.com/

January 25, 2023 08:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Cisco’s Cybersecurity Resolutions Everyone Needs to Make

YourUpdateTV

A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/0zh5C-cLOgk While cybersecurity has become a top concern among consumers, especially as scammers and hackers have grown more creative, many struggle with how to practically protect themselves – what can they do to protect their identities, savings and credit? The security team at Cisco is on the cutting edge of cybersecurity – battling hackers, uncovering the latest scams and seeking out the weaknesses that leave people and businesses vulnerable. The team at Cisco has revealed its first-ever list of cybersecurity resolutions – the top hacks they expect to see targeting consumers and what the average person can do to protect themselves. In conjunction with the release of the cybersecurity resolutions J. Wolfgang Goerlich conducted a nationwide media tour providing expert insights and shared the top tips and tricks to help anyone create their own cybersecurity resolutions. Topics that Wolfgang discussed included: What do individuals need to know about current cybersecurity threats? What are the most persistent cyber threats for individuals? Unveiling of Cisco’s first-ever list of cybersecurity resolutions How the average person can protect themselves Top cybersecurity tips included: You Need to be Diligent Don’t click links from unknown sources - including text messages which have become a leading attack vector. No longer are suspicious links primarily sent through phishing emails If you get a suspicious text message or phone call, look for where it’s coming from. The way hackers have adapted - we must as well Consider Your Privacy Don’t connect to public networks or access sensitive data on your mobile devices. Do you need to grant an app access to your contacts, location or photos? Know what companies are asking of you - major companies, like Apple and Google, tell you the permissions upfront what they need; however, if the company doesn’t clarify what it can do with your data, don’t just click the agree to terms and conditions box; read it. Consider The Apps You and Your Kids Use Look at the news around TikTok - with local governments putting bans/restrictions in place, the future of the platform for all users remains up in the air Stay informed - have conversations with your kids around what you say and do online Consider the Security Efforts of the Apps you Use When you download an app, you’ve likely been asked, “Allow ‘app’ to track activity across other companies’ apps and websites?” notification from Apple - be mindful of what this means about your personal data before making a decision For example - does your banking app require multi-factor authentication? What about other apps that have access to your most private info? Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

January 25, 2023 08:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Video

DevZero Raises $26M, Launches Platform Enabling Developers to Code in the Cloud

DevZero

DevZero today announced it raised $26M in funding, with a Series A round led by Anthos Capital and a Seed round led by Foundation Capital. Fika Ventures, Foundation Capital, and Madrona Venture Group participated in the Series A round. DevZero also announced the general availability of its Developer Environment Platform, which empowers software developers to ship applications better and faster by writing and testing code in environments that are exactly like production. DevZero will use the funding to develop the platform by building out their growing engineering and go-to-market teams. DevZero was founded by Debo Ray and Rob Fletcher, who worked on Uber's infrastructure and security teams before starting DevZero. Ray and Fletcher built a team with extensive experience developing advanced DevOps tools for the most innovative companies of the last decade including Uber, Meta, Carta and Twilio. With the massive growth of microservices, Ray and Fletcher saw first-hand the productivity and product delivery boost that strong internal developer tooling offers, as well as the gaps between in-house tools and the tools available to the larger enterprise market. "Developers have reached peak microservices, Kubernetes, serverless and general cloud-native development pain,” said Debo Ray, co-founder and CEO of DevZero. “The developer experience has deteriorated due to cloud programming models which outpace the capacity of today’s development tools. And bloated integrated development environments (IDEs) overload developers’ laptop resources, slowing the computers to a crawl. Recent advances in IDE technologies and cloud availability make it possible to have a seamless experience of developing and testing by pairing local tooling with cloud-based compute.” “I saw the magic of Developer Environment Platforms first-hand when I joined Meta,” said co-founder and COO, Rob Fletcher. “I could get a fully functional environment up and running within an hour of starting at the company. Centralized environments like these make it easier for engineers to roll out core infrastructure changes while causing minimal engineer downtime.” DevZero also addresses the fundamental security concerns of enterprise customers. In addition to various infrastructure platforms, the founders were in charge of DevOps security at Uber, a company that conducts $30B in transactions annually. Since every developer has their laptop - and the enterprise is responsible for ensuring they are all locked down - security risks are substantial. As microservice architectures are being increasingly adopted, the local developer experience suffers quite drastically. DevZero’s platform also enables teams that have embraced Kubernetes or serverless architectures to give their developers production-like environments to write and test code. "Serverless infrastructure is the direction the industry is moving in, but solutions for making it easy to develop are almost nonexistent," said Matthew Schrepel, Senior Manager of Developer Experience at Extend. "DevZero is giving our developers tools to make cutting-edge development easy again - serverless can't go mainstream without tools like these." "Spinning up ephemeral developer environments where engineers can perform end-to-end testing is a game-changer," said Nitant Vaidya, Senior Director of Engineering at Turing.com. "DevZero lets us onboard new engineers, globally, in minutes, giving each their own standalone environment that they continue to use with their local tools.” In the current market climate, software teams must focus on revenue-generating activities to serve their users best. Existing development tooling and processes are stifling creativity and increasing developer toil. Time that could be spent collaborating and innovating on products is instead spent making the development environment consistent with production environments. “In an increasingly hybrid work environment, the likelihood that an engineer will continue to use a laptop that is bulky, powerful, and in need of constant updates to code seems slim,” said Bryan Kelly, Managing Partner at Anthos Capital. “The future will be one of cloud-based development environments, and we believe DevZero will drive this vision." "Developer productivity and collaboration is a critical area for most companies, and as infrastructure moves to the cloud, so too will the engineering pipeline,” said Sid Trivedi, Partner at Foundation Capital. “CTOs have consistently shared with us that today it takes 90 days to onboard a new engineer. This is a top 3 problem impacting the engineering pipeline. DevZero gives developers this ramp time back so that they can focus on building innovative revenue-generating products that create happy customers." About DevZero: DevZero's mission is to make engineers happier and more productive than they've ever been. They do this by letting engineers ship better products by writing code in environments that are exactly like production. DevZero was founded by former engineers at some of the most disruptive companies of the last decade. DevZero redefines various stages of the software development lifecycle, allowing engineers to focus on revenue-generating products while simplifying the workflows for DevOps and Platform Engineering teams. Contact Details Owen Media Forrest Carman +1 206-859-3118 forrestc@owenmedia.com Company Website https://www.devzero.io/

January 24, 2023 09:00 AM Pacific Standard Time

NowSecure Completes Record Year in 2022, Reaffirming Position as Leader in Mobile Security

NowSecure

NowSecure, the recognized experts in mobile security and privacy, today announced record growth in the 2022 calendar year. With our best-in-class mobile security automation powering 87% growth in mobile app assessments, NowSecure customers reported the ability to release and monetize mobile apps 30% faster, reduce testing and delivery costs by 30% and reduce appsec risk by 40%. Built on a foundation of industry standards and observability, informed by the experience of over 11,000 pen tests and millions of automated scans of mobile apps conducted over more than a dozen years, NowSecure has the most comprehensive experience and technology to help enterprises deliver secure mobile apps faster. Across all facets of the business and industry, NowSecure sustained substantial growth, further solidifying its status as a leader in mobile application security. Growing Mobile App Threat Landscape The global app economy saw record growth in 2022 with over 255 billion mobile apps downloaded globally and $469 billion generated in revenue. The continued deployment of IoT devices controlled via mobile apps and the rollout of 5G capabilities will add more fuel to the fire. This year also saw a significant number of mobile app-related breaches disclosed, including My2022 Olympic Games, Tim Hortons, TikTok, Hyundai and Kurbo by WW. More alarming, mobile apps for U.S. government agencies including the Army and CDC disclosed the discovery of Russian-owned Pushwoosh embedded software that potentially posed a national security surveillance threat. Multi-year trends show risks are getting worse. The NowSecure Mobile Risk Tracker shows more than 85% of mobile apps have security and privacy vulnerabilities and 70% leak private data. In many instances, that statistic is worse depending on the industry. Yet shockingly, the majority of organizations are not taking this risk profile seriously. As the economic slowdown continues to affect IT budgets, outsourced pen testing is typically the first to get cut. A Spiceworks Ziff Davis’ 2023 State of IT survey found that 43% of organizations plan to reduce non-essential spending, 30% are reevaluating vendors or contracts, 29% are decommissioning infrastructure, and 27% are planning a hiring freeze or slowdown. Industry observers expect cyberattacks to grow in a recession as organizations cut corners on security expenses, setting the stage for potential disaster in the global app economy. Mobile apps act as a key sales channel, means of customer engagement, employee productivity tool and are pervasive in the supply chain, thus protecting them remains critical. Insecure mobile apps can have a disastrous effect on the bottom line through damaged brand reputation, loss of customer trust, diminished company value, regulatory fines and legal settlements. “The current state of the art is failing consumers, organizations and government agencies, " said NowSecure CEO Alan Snyder. “Status quo uses inferior tools and techniques of web static tools and an annual pen test, even though mobile apps are typically updated at least once per month. This means that 11 out of 12 yearly releases of the mobile app are vulnerable, putting both the developer and user at risk. Business leaders must get serious about deploying the right technology and processes to address mobile app risks. The best way to truly ensure a mobile app is safe and secure is through the deployment of automated, continuous standards-based security testing, periodic pen testing and dev training that is purpose-built for mobile.” NowSecure Business Momentum In the wake of the increased threat landscape and economic slowdown, NowSecure achieved several key milestones in the growth across all facets of the business, including: Proven Value to Customers: With our security automation tools and services, customers reported the ability to release and monetize 30% faster, reduce testing and delivery costs by 30% and reduce appsec risk by 40%. Equally important, development productivity soared due to integration with developer environments, detailed remediation instructions and a less than 1% reported false positive rate. Business Growth: Massive increase of 87% in mobile app assessment licenses year over year, driven by market demand for mobile security automation. Customer Momentum: With the addition of new product offerings and significant customer-reported value, NowSecure saw customer expansion grow by 53%. Record Testing: NowSecure processed a record-setting 5 million mobile app assessments, more than 400 pen tests and identified millions of vulnerabilities. As an ADA Authorized Lab, NowSecure supported the ongoing initiative to enhance the security and privacy posture of mobile apps in the Google Play ecosystem by partnering with over 115 development teams to help them achieve an independent security review through the MASA validation process. Headcount: NowSecurians welcomed 66 new employees to the team in 2022, expanding company diversity and global reach. Our Research and Development team saw exceptional growth, increasing headcount by over 200%. Expanded Executive Team: To help bolster our product portfolio, we made the strategic executive hire of Adam Goodman as Senior Vice President of Product Management. “2022 marked a pivotal year for mobile app security and privacy. Tech giants like Apple and Google embraced their commitments to a more secure and private app ecosystem with the launches of Apple Privacy Labels and Google Play Data safety section. In the public sector, software mandates now include mobile apps in the CISA BOD 23-01 for vulnerability monitoring / reporting and OMB 22 M-22-18 for secure development practices and SBOM tracking," said NowSecure Chief Mobility Officer Brian Reed. “I am encouraged by the continued momentum of NowSecure and broader industry milestones. Yet, as statistics show, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done and it is ultimately the responsibility of dev and security teams to prioritize security and privacy in the developer workflow.” New Product Innovation 2022 ushered in new products and significant improvements to the current NowSecure portfolio, further bolstering improved mobile app security, accelerated mobile releases and reduced cost to deliver. Key highlights included: OWASP MASVS Compliance Pen Testing - NowSecure expanded its pen testing solution to offer OWASP MASVS compliance and incorporated OWASP MASVS findings into NowSecure Platform software for automated mobile application security testing. NowSecure GitHub Actions - In partnership with GitHub, NowSecure launched the NowSecure GitHub Action for Mobile App Analysis, an automated dynamic mobile app security testing solution integrated into GitHub Advanced Security’s code scanning interface as well as the NowSecure GitHub Action for Mobile SBOM to support SBOM generation into GitHub Dependabot. ADA MASA Validation - As part of the Google Play Data safety section requirement, Google selected NowSecure as an ADA Authorized Lab to perform independent security reviews to validate mobile apps compliant with the highest standards of security. NowSecure Platform Update - The latest update to our core platform and its UX brought new capabilities, Policy Engine and Guided Testing, automating policy-driven security testing and expanding mobile security assessment coverage for faster, higher-quality mobile app software delivery at lower cost. NowSecure Pen Testing as a Service (PTaaS) - NowSecure launched a new pen testing solution that combines periodic expert manual assessments with automated continuous testing to optimize coverage, cost and frequency. NowSecure Mobile verse ™ - NowSecure introduced a first-of-its-kind mobile security online virtual community for customer connections, information sharing, onboarding, advocacy, rewards and more. Continued Commitment to the greater AppSec Community As pioneers in mobile app security, NowSecure is committed to continue to help drive the industry to evolve as the mobile threat and security landscape evolves. NowSecure evangelists contributed to this mission in 2022 across several sectors of the company. Specifically through: NowSecure Academy: Over 1,100 new students registered for the NowSecure Academy free upskilling program, with over 3,700 course enrollments in 2022. DevSecOps Bunch Webinar: The NowSecure monthly webinar series averaged over 130 registrants per episode and welcomed expert guests from organizations like IBM, GitHub, Qualitest, Contrast Security, Synopsys and more. NowSecure Connect: NowSecure hosted its annual free community event, drawing over 1,100 participants and speakers from companies including T-Mobile, Cisco, GitHub, Squarespace, Digital.ai and more. OWASP Participation: As a God Sponsor, NowSecure participated and spoke across 12 OWASP community events in 2022. We were also a key contributor in the MASVS refactoring community effort, with the next version set to launch this year. Mobile Breach Tracker and NowSecure MobileRiskTracker: To provide the most up-to-date analysis of the mobile app security risk landscape, these free tools offer real-time mobile security and privacy risk benchmarking and the latest mobile-related breach news. Frida and Radare: Created by NowSecure researchers, Frida and Radare offer a free open-source dynamic instrumentation toolkit for developers, reverse engineers and security researchers. Black Girls Hack and Cyversity Partnerships: NowSecure is committed to increasing diversity and inclusion in the cybersecurity community. Through our partnerships with Black Girls Hack and Cyversity, we provide free training, resources and mentorships to beneficiaries of each organization. Learn more about how NowSecure is committed to providing its customers with the highest standards of mobile app security across industries through our 2022 case studies with Camelot Lottery, Tidepool, Habit Mastery Consulting, Everyone Social and the financial services industry. About NowSecure: As the recognized experts in mobile security and privacy, NowSecure protects the global mobile app economy and safeguards the data of millions of mobile app users. Built on a foundation of standards, NowSecure empowers the world’s most demanding organizations with security automation to release and monetize 30% faster, reduce testing and delivery costs by 30% and reduce appsec risk by 40%. Only NowSecure offers a full solution suite of continuous security testing for DevSecOps, mobile app supply-chain monitoring, expert mobile pen testing as a Service (PTaaS) and training courseware. NowSecure actively contributes and supports the mobile security open-source community, standards and certification including OWASP MASVS, ADA MASA, NIAP and is recognized by IDC, Gartner, Deloitte Fast 500, and TAG Cyber. Contact Details NowSecure Hannah LaCorte press@nowsecure.com Company Website https://www.nowsecure.com/

January 24, 2023 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Travel Technology Association Files Comments with DoT Supporting Transparency & Consumer Protections

Travel Tech

The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech), the voice of the travel technology industry and consistent advocate for public policy that supports a competitive and transparent marketplace, filed comments today in response to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on “ Enhancing Transparency of Airline Ancillary Service Fees ” (DOT-OST-2022-0109). “Travel Tech has long supported the U.S. Department of Transportation’s efforts to ensure consumers have access to critical ancillary fee information. We did so in 2014 and are doing so again in 2023,” stated Laura Chadwick, President & CEO of the Travel Technology Association. “For too long, consumers have lacked the consistent ability to know the true cost of different flight options.” In its comments, Travel Tech addresses how ancillary fee information should be provided to ticket agents. In its proposed rule, the DOT seeks to omit global distribution systems from receiving mandatory ancillary fee data from airlines. “Travel Tech strongly recommends that ancillary fee data be shared with all channels that distribute fare and schedule information,” Chadwick continued. “It is the most simple and direct way to solve the issue of ancillary fee transparency for consumers.” Travel Tech also filed a petition today requesting a hearing on DOT’s proposed requirement to display the critical ancillary fee information on the first page of online search results. Travel Tech addresses this matter in its comments. “Our members are the leading innovators in creating consumer-friendly online travel information sites. We are deeply concerned about the DOT’s first-page search results requirements included in the proposed regulation. These rules, if adopted as written, will clutter and confuse the online air travel shopping experience for consumers. This is especially true for travel comparison sites that display multiple airlines’ schedules and fares,” said Chadwick. “In our comments and hearing petition, we argue that the Department should not displace ticket agents’ well-established expertise with a government-regulated website design mandate. Ticket agents should have the flexibility to design appropriate displays of ancillary fees and develop innovative new methods for consumers as well,” Chadwick continued. ### About Travel Tech The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) is the voice of the travel technology industry, advocating for public policy that promotes transparency and competition in the marketplace to encourage innovation and preserve consumer choice. Travel Tech represents the leading innovators in travel technology, including global distribution systems, online travel agencies and metasearch companies, travel management companies, and short-term rental platforms. To schedule an interview with a Travel Tech spokesperson, contact Dan Rene of kglobal at 202-329-8357 or daniel.rene@kglobal.com. Contact Details Travel Technology Association Dan Rene +1 202-329-8357 daniel.rene@kglobal.com Company Website https://www.traveltech.org.

January 24, 2023 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

6WIND Partners with Telecom District to Expand their Footprint in Latin America

6WIND

6WIND, a leading green-tech company delivering high-performance virtualized & cloud-native networking software to global CSPs today announced their partnership with Telecom District to help expand its outreach in Latin America. 6WIND is pleased to welcome Telecom District to their partner eco-system to expand their footprint within Latin America. Telecom District is a System Integrator who specializes in Carrier-Class Platform services for Telcos, Services Providers and Enterprises in Mexico. The company's capabilities include SP Networking, Network Security, NFV, Network and Cloud Automation and Cloud Networking. Telecom District bundles their experience and technical knowledge in a single pane offering: the Core Platform Set-Up (CPS), a solution to deliver a modular E2E offering and high-performance professional services with specific Telcos and SP technologies like 6WIND VSR. "With 6WIND, we shall boost the Digital Transformation and 5G adoption for Telcos and Service Providers in LATAM. The VSR is a versatile software solution to deploy better and more robust network services across massive network infrastructures. This new partnership will allow our customers to move critical workloads to Public Clouds, in a more cost-effective and reliable way, with the same network security and network granularity they have On-Premises. Together we will build a more powerful virtualized infrastructure for Digital Companies in LATAM." commented Javier Bamio, CEO, Telecom District. 6WIND’s high-performance and secure Virtual Service Router (VSR) Software Solutions are the leading virtualized and cloud-native solutions used by global telecommunication operators that can be deployed bare-metal, virtualized, or containerized on COTS servers in private and public clouds. The 6WIND VSR Software Solutions help lowers the energy consumption by more than 50%, cost effectively without sacrificing performance by drastically reducing the hardware required. The 6WIND VSR product suite consisting of Virtual Provider Edge Router, Virtual Cell Site Router, Virtual Security Gateway, Virtual CGNAT Router, Virtual Border Router and Virtual CPE Router have helped Operators around the globe accelerate their virtualization and 5G adoption whilst retaining high performance, security, scalability, flexibility, openness and agility. “We are delighted to partner with Telecom District to expand our footprint in LATAM. Service Providers in this region are very keen to accelerate their network virtualization and cloud-native journey to meet their efficiency and sustainability goals. With Telecom District as our partner, we are confident that we will be able to help the CSPs in the LATAM region to successfully migrate to disaggregated 5G networks cost-effectively and seamlessly.” said Julien Dahan, CEO, 6WIND. About 6WIND 6WIND is a leading Green Tech company delivering Virtualized & Cloud-Native networking software. It is the worldwide leader for Virtual Service Router software solutions. 6WIND software is deployed globally by CSPs, MNOs, Cloud Providers, Data Centers & Enterprises, allowing them to replace expensive hardware & build highly optimized and sustainable 5G networks with virtualized networking software solutions for routing and security use cases. 6WIND has a global presence with Headquarters based in Paris - France, Santa Clara, CA - USA and Singapore. Visit www.6wind.com for more information. Contact Details 6WIND Neelam Bahal, VP Global Marketing +44 7805 090701 neelam.bahal@6wind.com Company Website https://www.6wind.com

January 24, 2023 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Agora Data Attains SOC 2 Compliance Certification, Also Meets FTC Safeguards Rule for Protecting Customer Information

Agora

Agora Data, Inc., received a compliance certification with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA’s) System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2. Agora Data’s SOC 2 Type II standard for information security was certified by an independent, trusted third party CPA firm on January 13, 2023. The SOC 2 compliance certification is an industry-recognized designation that further reinforces Agora Data’s ongoing commitment to automotive dealer customers, vendors, partners, and personnel connected to Agora Data’s systems. Agora Data met the rigorous and high industry standards set by the AICPA for information security to receive the SOC 2 Type II designation. “Agora Data has always prioritized the importance of protecting customer information. The SOC 2 certification is an industry gold standard for security for technology companies that work with sensitive information,” said Chad Stilwell, Chief Technology Officer, Agora Data. “This accomplishment further validates the security measures we’ve already put in place to protect our infrastructure and is one of many best-in-class initiatives the company has implemented to optimize business security and performance for all stakeholders.” SOC 2 is an auditing measure that ensures service providers securely manage user data and requires a clean audit to receive certification. Compliance of SOC 2 Type II covers multiple categories for operational effectiveness including: Information and systems are protected against unauthorized access, unauthorized disclosure of information, and damage to systems that could compromise the availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of information or systems and affect the entity’s ability to achieve its objectives. Audit controls are in place such as system and security monitoring, employee onboarding and termination processes, background check on all employees, data encryption in transit and at rest, multi-factor authentication, segregation of duties, and ongoing risk assessments. Agora Data’s SOC 2 compliance goes beyond the requirements of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, a congressional law known as the Safeguards Rule overseen by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The Safeguards Rule requires financial institutions – companies that offer financial products or services like loans, financial or investment advice, or insurance – to explain their information-sharing practices to safeguard sensitive data, including personally identifiable information. Under the 2021 amendment to the Act, or Safeguards Rule, U.S. auto dealers are required to undertake a series of procedural, technical, and contractual steps to protect customer and other personal data. The requirements must be in place by June 9, 2023. Information to help auto dealers understand their obligations under the Safeguards Rule can be found on the National Automotive Dealers Association website at this link. Agora Data is a fintech company transforming automotive financing for U.S. auto dealers offering in-house financing for non-prime customers. The company provides auto dealers with access to ample, affordable capital with precision loan performance data and analytics. Agora Data, Inc. Agora Data, Inc., an automotive industry fintech, is the nation’s leading resource for auto dealers and finance companies. Auto loan originators can secure affordable capital to build their own non-prime captive finance solution, obtain actionable loan performance data to improve their lending portfolios, and use other products to grow their business safely. Powered by patent pending technology, originators can access real-time data analytics and planning resources to help optimize the performance of their portfolios. Agora Data made history by closing the first-ever crowdsourced non-prime auto securitization in 2020 and continually brings groundbreaking products to an underserved market. For more information, visit www.agoradata.com or contact us at 1-877-592-4672. # # # Contact Details Shelly Vandeven +1 682-282-4130 media@agoradata.com Company Website https://agoradata.com/

January 24, 2023 09:06 AM Eastern Standard Time

Twinco Capital raises $12 million led by Quona Capital to expand its next-gen supply chain finance platform

Twinco Capital

Twinco Capital, the first global supply chain finance solution that covers the production cycle from purchase order to final invoice payment, announced today it has closed a $12 million equity and debt round. The investment was led by Quona Capital, and included participation from Working Capital Innovation Fund, as well as existing investors Mundi Ventures and Finch Capital. Zubi Capital provided the venture debt portion. The funds will be used to accelerate the company’s expansion within the major sourcing countries and strengthen its technology and data capabilities, in particular in relation to ESG. Twinco Capital is on a mission to reduce the world’s estimated $1.7 trillion trade finance gap, which disproportionately affects small and medium-sized companies in emerging countries and hinders their ability to access business opportunities and grow. Through its solution, the company engages with large corporations—mostly in the retail and apparel sectors—and offers funding to their suppliers worldwide, advancing up to 60% of the purchase order value upfront and paying the remainder upon delivery. The process is designed to be a fully transparent, no-hassle experience that provides the suppliers with funding for its purchase orders within 48 hours. The Amsterdam and Madrid-based fintech was founded in 2019 by Sandra Nolasco (CEO), an experienced banker and specialist in trade finance with an international career spanning over 20 years in major European commercial banks, and Carmen Marín (COO), who has over 16 years of management experience in both equity investing and project finance at Banco Santander. Since its inception, Twinco has grown rapidly, and today has programs in place which serve engaged European and LatAm retailers who buy more than $10 billion per year of manufactured products, mostly from SMEs in emerging markets. With Twinco, SMEs all over the world can access affordable liquidity, when they most need it—when they receive an order and need to start production. On the back of its financing programs, Twinco continuously collects data that stems from the intersection of commercial, financial and ESG performance of the thousands of manufacturers involved in these supply chains. As a result, Twinco is well positioned to provide its customers not only with funding but also with the benefit of unique business intelligence that can enable SMEs to produce products competitively and responsibly. “Twinco is focused on a significant pain point in the massive and underpenetrated market that is supply chain finance,” said Monica Brand Engel, co-founder and Managing Partner at Quona. “At Quona, we’ve been incredibly impressed by the strength of this founding team and its business model, and we’re excited to be part of their journey to provide much-needed and affordable supply chain finance to help responsibly fuel the economic gains of emerging market suppliers.” The key to Twinco’s success is its unique risk model, which complements the traditional view on financial risk with commercial performance and ESG data. In other words, it uses machine learning to evaluate the quality and strength of the commercial relationships between buyers and their suppliers. “Suppliers that value human capital and treat their workers well are better businesses, presenting a lower risk to their banks and lenders. We’re thrilled to invest in Twinco because they will assess ‘ESG’ risk and incorporate it into their investment decision-making — we think this will open up new areas of impact and commercial success for them" said Paarul Dudeja, Managing Director at Working Capital Innovation Fund. The technology enabled user experience was designed to accommodate the complexities of ever-changing trade transactions. Purchase orders can be canceled, replaced or changed, and the Twinco financing flow accompanies these changes without a glitch. “If we are to have competitive and socially responsible supply chains on a global scale, suppliers need access to affordable financing from the very beginning of production, starting with the purchase order,” said Twinco Capital CEO Sandra Nolasco. “Extraordinary events, such as those experienced these past years, have revealed the fragility of supply chains, which are historically unable to adapt to the complexity of global production networks. At Twinco, we propose a radical change in how to use finance as a tool to proactively transform global supply chains, to foster the participation of SMEs, improve efficiency and ensure responsible sourcing practices.” “Twinco’s ambitious mission can only be achieved by bringing together all the relevant parties: Buyers, Suppliers and Investors,” said Twinco Capital COO Carmen Marin. “In this way, Twinco is a catalyst for change. With our new funding, we will be extending our geographic scope and data capabilities. We are also very excited to launch the very first sustainable-native supply chain finance program—the Twinco ESG Tilt, where business intelligence is directly linked to beneficial purchasing and funding conditions.” The company is growing fast. It has onboarded more than 100 suppliers, located in 12 different countries including Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, South Korea, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Spain. Since its launch in December 2019, the company has been growing by multiples of 5, supporting trade through the pandemic and funding millions of purchase orders. About Twinco Capital Twinco Capital, cofounded by Sandra Nolasco (CEO) and Carmen Marín (COO), is one of the few European high-growth fintechs led by women.Twinco engages with large corporate partners to reduce financing costs and improve supply chain reliability by offering their suppliers access to affordable funding. Through its data analytics-powered platform, Twinco is able to provide suppliers across the globe with competitive liquidity from purchase order to final invoice. Twinco’s unique model benefits both suppliers and buyers, contributing to the construction of competitive and socially responsible supply chains. Learn more: www.twincocapital.com About Quona Quona Capital is a venture firm focused on fintech that can expand access for underserved customers and small businesses in emerging markets including Latin America, Africa and the Middle East (MENA), and India and Southeast Asia. Quona’s global partners are experienced investors and operators in both emerging and developed markets, and invest in entrepreneurs whose companies have the potential to provide outstanding financial returns and promote breakthrough innovation in financial inclusion for both consumers and SMEs. More at quona.com About Working Capital Innovation Fund Working Capital Innovation Fund is an early-stage equity venture fund that invests in scalable innovations to meet the growing demand for more transparent and ethical supply chains – addressing the urgent need to protect vulnerable workers and source responsibly. It was initially incubated by The Omidyar Group, a diverse collection of independent organizations and initiatives. For more information, visit: https://workingcapitalfund.com/ Contact Details Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://www.twincocapital.com/

January 24, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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BridgeFT Launches WealthTech API to Power Digital Wealth Transformation by Creating a New Cloud-Based, API-First Infrastructure for Data, Analytics, and Applications

BridgeFT

BridgeFT, a cloud-native, API-first Wealth Infrastructure software company that enables financial institutions, FinTech innovators, and registered investment advisors to deliver better, data-driven outcomes for their clients, announced today the launch of WealthTech API, a WealthTech-as-a-Service platform offering a single, open API to trade-ready, multi-custodial data, analytics, and applications. In conjunction with the launch of WealthTech API and to amplify the cloud-native, API-first focus of the company, Bridge Financial Technology is also formally rebranding to BridgeFT. BridgeFT’s WealthTech API empowers clients to reimagine the potential of their financial data and technology stack, using the power of the cloud. As the industry’s only API-first, cloud-native wealth infrastructure platform, WealthTech API removes the need for individual data feeds from a range of custodians and back-office providers, allowing wealth management firms and FinTech companies to create differentiated, next generation wealth management applications. “Technology should solve problems, but legacy systems and unwieldy tech stacks add complexity, cost, and confusion,” said Joe Stensland, Chief Executive Officer of BridgeFT. “WealthTech API allows for a new approach to innovation by allowing firms to control their own digital experiences without having to build cumbersome functionality and infrastructure. This new, turnkey architecture is a true accelerator, allowing firms to more easily create novel investment-driven solutions, expand or enhance existing functionality, and bring innovative ideas to life, faster.” Custodians hold a range of data that drives the investment ecosystem, from positions and balances to client holdings and trades. Each individual custodian has its own data policy, structure, and systems, forcing FinTech companies and other financial institutions to build custom programs for each custodian to ingest the data. This adds both development time and cost. By simplifying access to the underlying data, WealthTech API allows financial innovators to rethink and streamline their own tech stacks and create differentiated tools and solutions for their own clients with BridgeFT’s applications and developer-to-developer support. Among its core features, WealthTech API: Represents the first platform to deliver trade-ready, accurate data from multiple custodians through a single API. Removes virtually all need for manual reconciliation. Provides data enrichment to deliver powerful performance calculations, insights, and analytics across all accounts, no matter the source. Streamlines channels to support investment product or strategy distribution. Eliminates the time and resources typically spent on in-house custodial data aggregation. Empowers mission-critical business applications like billing and client reporting. “We are in an era of unprecedented technological growth in financial advisory and asset management,” Stensland said. “Financial technology innovators deserve a WealthTech-as-a-Service solution partner that moves at the speed of their own innovation. Our WealthTech API transforms the way clients can access and maximize the most critical financial data, helping fuel the entrepreneurial spirit in our industry.” About BridgeFT BridgeFT is a cloud-native, API-first WealthTech infrastructure platform that enables registered investment advisors (RIAs), financial institutions, and FinTech innovators to deliver better, data-driven outcomes for their clients. More than 300 leading firms trust BridgeFT to automate critical back-office operations and power their digital wealth management ecosystems—seamlessly aligning essential wealth data, proactive client insights and reporting, and portfolio management automation to deliver a truly personalized client experience. From an integrated advisor platform to flexible, open APIs, BridgeFT delivers the infrastructure needed for success. Reimagine your approach to wealth infrastructure at bridgeft.com. Contact Details Media Inquiries For BridgeFT media@bridgeft.com Company Website https://www.bridgeft.com/

January 24, 2023 08:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Technology