Sam Altman-Backed Meanwhile Raises $37.5M as Families Across Asia, Europe and the Middle East Turn to Bitcoin Life Insurance

 HAMILTON, Bermuda - Friday, 09. October 2026

Existing investors, led by Bain Capital Crypto, back the first licensed Bitcoin life insurer after its single-premium policy for international clients drives a record year

 

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Meanwhile, the first life insurer licensed to operate entirely in Bitcoin, today announced $37.5 million in new funding from its existing investors. Bain Capital Crypto led the round, alongside Haun Ventures, Framework Ventures, Pantera Capital, Apollo, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, and Morgan Creek Digital. Meanwhile, whose backers also include Sam Altman, has now raised more than $180 million.

The round follows a surge in international demand for Meanwhile’s Bitcoin life insurance policies, particularly in Asia, Europe and the Middle East amid broader macro instability. In early 2026, Meanwhile launched BTC Life 1-Pay, a single-premium whole life policy built for high-net-worth clients outside the United States. It is the company's second product line after BTC 10-Pay, which is purposely designed for US taxpayers. As the company eyes further international growth, Meanwhile has signed 15 brokers serving wealthy families since launch, including in the insurance hubs of Singapore, Hong Kong, the UAE, and Switzerland.

Those broker partners include Lioner, an insurance, trust and family office group with offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Zurich, and Apeiron Group, a marketplace for high-net-worth life insurance.

"Digital assets are moving into the mainstream of wealth planning, and Lioner is equipped to evolve with them," said Giorgio Jeni, Partner and Head of Switzerland at Lioner, who spent more than 27 years in high-net-worth life insurance and wealth management at HSBC, UBS, Julius Baer and Credit Suisse. "As Bitcoin and other digital assets become part of the wealth landscape, high-net-worth individuals with international interests and ties are thinking more broadly about how they manage wealth for the future. Transparency, sound governance and strong regulation will remain important as new solutions emerge."

"We're reaching a turning point where more high-net-worth clients are asking not just how to hold Bitcoin and digital assets, but how to plan around them and ultimately transfer that wealth to the next generation," said Justin Man, CEO of Apeiron Group. "Life insurance has always been a powerful tool for wealth transfer, but digital assets introduce additional friction around ownership, liquidity and seamless transfer. Meanwhile is the first insurance carrier to pioneer this space and has made a serious investment in serving high-net-worth clients, helping bridge that gap."

BTC Life 1-Pay is life insurance for families who hold some of their wealth in Bitcoin. A client pays one premium in Bitcoin and receives a guaranteed death benefit in Bitcoin for life. The policy's value grows in Bitcoin, and after the first year the owner can borrow up to 90% of it with no repayment schedule and no margin calls. Policies can be owned by individuals, trusts or companies, which makes them a fit for succession and estate planning.

"Wealthy families around the world already hold Bitcoin. What they haven't had is a regulated way to pass it on," said Zac Townsend, co-founder and CEO of Meanwhile. "Brokers came to us because their clients kept asking. This round lets us keep up with them."

The growth shows up in Meanwhile's results. Net long-term underwriting income has already passed last year's total and is on track to more than double in 2026.

"Meanwhile owns every layer of a regulated life insurer and builds it like an AI-enabled startup," said Stefan Cohen, Partner at Bain Capital Crypto. "The growth this year proves the model, and we're glad to back them again."

Meanwhile Insurance Bitcoin (Bermuda) Limited holds the first Class IILT license the BMA has granted, received in July 2024 after two years in the regulator's sandbox. Its balance sheet, reserves and audited financial statements are all denominated in Bitcoin. All policyholder Bitcoin is held with regulated institutional custodians.

How to get in touch

Brokers, private banks and family offices interested in distributing Meanwhile's products can contact Michael Grob at michael.grob@meanwhile.bm.

About Meanwhile

Meanwhile's mission is to enable anyone, anywhere to save, protect and build wealth across generations. Meanwhile Incorporated is the parent company of Meanwhile Insurance Bitcoin (Bermuda) Limited, the first licensed long-term insurer denominated entirely in Bitcoin. Meanwhile was co-founded by Zac Townsend and Max Gasner and is backed by Sam Altman, Bain Capital Crypto, Haun Ventures, Pantera Capital, Apollo, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, MS&AD, Framework Ventures, Morgan Creek Digital, Fulgur Ventures and others.

Meanwhile Insurance Bitcoin (Bermuda) Limited is licensed by the Bermuda Monetary Authority to transact long-term business with Sophisticated Persons only. Products are not available in all jurisdictions and are offered only through appropriately licensed intermediaries where permitted. This release is not an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction.

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NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS and Classiq Enter Strategic Business Partnership to Accelerate Enterprise Adoption of Quantum Computing

 

TOKYO - 

Combining Classiq’s quantum software development platform with NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS's real-world implementation expertise to accelerate enterprise quantum adoption

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc. (formerly NTT Communications Corporation) and Classiq Technologies G.K., the Japanese subsidiary of Classiq Technologies Ltd., today announced a memorandum of understanding establishing a strategic business partnership aimed at accelerating enterprise adoption of quantum computing1 in Japan.

Under the partnership, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS will propose and sell the Classiq quantum software development platform and work with Classiq to help enterprises identify, develop and validate quantum computing use cases. Classiq will provide the platform, along with expertise and technical support related to quantum algorithms and quantum software technologies. The two companies will combine Classiq’s quantum software technology with NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS’s experience bringing advanced technologies into real-world enterprise environments.

Quantum computing is attracting growing interest across many industries for its potential to address computational challenges in areas including materials development and drug discovery, financial risk analysis, and logistics and network optimization. In Japan, expanding cloud access to gate-based quantum computers2 is enabling more organizations to move beyond research and begin evaluating potential applications.

Developing quantum software, however, requires specialized expertise. Quantum developers must account for concepts such as superposition and entanglement, while quantum circuits3 may also need to be adapted and optimized for different hardware architectures.

The Classiq platform is designed to abstract much of that complexity. It combines agentic AI interfaces, Qmod,4 Classiq’s high-level quantum modeling language, and an automated synthesis engine5 that transforms high-level functional models into optimized quantum circuits. This approach enables developers and technical teams to focus on algorithmic and business requirements while the platform handles many lower-level implementation decisions.

In addition, the Classiq platform supports simulators as well as quantum hardware based on diverse operational principles, including superconducting, neutral-atom, trapped-ion, and photonic architectures. Developers can execute algorithms across multiple types of quantum hardware directly from the Classiq platform without rewriting their code. By allowing organizations to select hardware targets based on their specific application requirements and machine time availability,⁶ the platform enables customers to advance their quantum initiatives and safeguard their digital assets without being locked into any single modality.

“Enterprises are increasingly interested in quantum computing, but turning that interest into concrete use cases requires both accessible development technology and the ability to integrate new capabilities into existing business environments,” said Yuichi Ikejiri, Head of the Innovation Center, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS. “Through this partnership with Classiq, we will work with customers to identify where quantum computing can create value and help them build the capabilities needed to evaluate and develop practical applications.”

Through joint customer engagements, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS and Classiq plan to assess business challenges where the Classiq platform can be applied and support the development and execution of quantum algorithms. The companies will work together to develop new use cases, build enterprise quantum readiness and facilitate access to quantum computing resources.

“Japan has a strong base of enterprises already exploring how quantum computing can contribute to their long-term technology strategies,” said Akira Tanaka, VP, Head of APAC at Classiq. “By combining NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS’s enterprise implementation experience with Classiq’s high-level quantum software development technology, we can help more organizations move from learning about quantum computing to developing and evaluating applications around their own business challenges.”

NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS works with customers across industries including manufacturing, financial services, logistics and the public sector, drawing on its experience deploying and operating networks, cloud services and AI infrastructure. The company is also pursuing quantum-related technology validation and implementation initiatives, including the development of a wide-area quantum-secure communications network using quantum key distribution (QKD)7,8 and security technologies leveraging post-quantum cryptography (PQC).9

Going forward, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS and Classiq aim to expand quantum computing beyond specialized domains and help enterprises develop the capabilities needed to pursue practical business applications.

1

 

Quantum computing is a computing technology that applies principles of quantum mechanics, such as superposition and quantum entanglement, and has the potential to efficiently address problems that are difficult for conventional computers to solve within a practical timeframe.

2

 

Gate-based quantum computing is a general-purpose approach in which basic operations (gates) are applied to qubits in combination to execute a wide range of algorithms. Unlike Ising-machine approaches specialized for combinatorial optimization, gate-based systems are expected to support a broad range of applications, including machine learning and simulation.

3

 

A quantum circuit is an ordered sequence of basic operations (gates) applied to qubits, representing the set of instructions executed by a quantum computer.

4

 

Qmod is a high-level modeling language developed by Classiq for describing quantum algorithms. It enables quantum algorithm concepts to be expressed intuitively and at a high level of abstraction, from which quantum circuits are automatically generated.

5

 

The synthesis engine automatically translates high-level quantum models into quantum circuits while optimizing them against defined constraints and target hardware requirements.

6

 

Machine time refers to the allocated computing time available to execute jobs on a quantum computer.

7

 

Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a technology that uses principles of quantum mechanics to securely share cryptographic keys and can detect attempts by a third party to intercept the key exchange.

8

 

Announced June 30, 2026: “Construction Begins on Japan’s First Wide-Area Quantum-Secure Communications Network Spanning Approximately 600 km Across Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka.” See https://www.ntt.com/about-us/press-releases/news/article/2026/0630_2.html (in Japanese)

9

 

Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) refers to cryptographic methods designed to provide protection against decryption attacks using quantum computers.

About NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS

NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc. is Japan’s leading comprehensive global ICT solutions provider. We are an Industrial and Regional AX Platformer driving digital transformation across industries and communities, enabling the development of a decentralized, autonomous, and collaborative society where businesses and communities can thrive sustainably. Our mission is to unlock new value and help create prosperity for all. For more information, please visit https://www.ntt.com/en/.

About Classiq

Classiq, a leading quantum computing software company, provides an enterprise-grade platform that makes it practical to develop scalable, efficient quantum applications. Used by dozens of global enterprises including Rolls Royce, Comcast, The BMW Group, Intesa Sanpaolo, the Classiq platform combines AI agents, Qmod (a high-level quantum programming language) and synthesis-based design automation to accelerate the development of optimized, hardware-ready quantum software. The platform also supports hardware benchmarking, cost and performance optimization, and execution via the cloud across quantum hardware platforms.

Classiq, a Fast Company ‘Next Big Thing in Tech’ award winner, is backed by leading global investors and collaborates with quantum cloud providers, hyperscalers and quantum hardware companies. Follow Classiq on LinkedIn, X or YouTube, visit the Slack community, GitHub repository and www.classiq.io to learn more.

 

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Media Contacts

NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc.

Corporate Planning Department, Public Relations Office

pr-cp@ntt.com

Classiq

Rainier Communications on behalf of Classiq

Michelle Allard McMahon

classiqPR@rainierco.com

Customer Inquiries

NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc.

Innovation Center

ic-quantum-tech@ntt.com

Tecnotree Named a Visionary in the Inaugural 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for CSP AI-Enabled Marketing and Sales Solutions

 We think Gartner recognizes Tecnotree's open, governed approach to agentic AI as operators make AI the engine of their revenue operations

 

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tecnotree, a global digital platform and services leader for AI, 5G, and cloud-native technologies, today announced that Gartner has positioned it as a Visionary in the first-ever Magic Quadrant for AI-Enabled CSP Marketing and Sales Solutions.

A new category for a new operating model. CSPs are fighting saturated markets, rising acquisition costs, and accelerating churn. They are responding with AI-driven automation across the full revenue cycle, from segmentation and campaigns to lead management, CPQ, and renewals, increasingly executed by autonomous agents. According to us, Gartner creation of this Magic Quadrant confirms the shift has moved from pilot to boardroom priority.

According to Gartner, Visionaries "understands where the market is going or has a vision for changing market rules, but does not yet execute comparatively well or dies so inconsistently.”

One governed AI architecture, from insight to revenue. Tecnotree's position is built on two platforms. Sensa Fabric is its AI engine: a low-code platform with a built-in control layer that governs and audits every AI model an operator runs, with full model choice and full control. Tecnotree Moments is its customer value management platform, turning that intelligence into revenue by personalizing and triggering offers in real time. Its highest-rated capabilities are AI Marketing Campaigns, Agentic Multi-channel Campaigns, and Agentic Micro Segmentation.

Our Strengths:-

Open standards. TM Forum Diamond Badge, 59 certified Open APIs, and 17 GSMA CAMARA APIs, giving operators architectural freedom with no lock-in.

Flexible pricing. A modular, consumption-based commercial model that scales AI investment with realized value.

Closed-loop retention. Sensa Fabric identifies churn risk, and Moments automatically generates tailored offers and rep scripts, acting before the customer leaves.

Built-in trust. Certifai explainability, model audit trails, and AI output verification deliver accurate, traceable decisions.

One architecture across consumer and enterprise revenue. Tecnotree is bringing the same governed agentic model to enterprise sales, with AI agents for pipeline auditing and RFI/RFP response, integrated with real-time OSS/BSS and billing. As domain-specific language models and multiagent systems mature over the next two years, operators will need a control layer to run them at scale. Sensa Fabric is that control layer.

"From our understanding, Gartner creating this Magic Quadrant confirms what our customers already know: AI in marketing and sales is now core revenue infrastructure for operators," said Prianca Ravichander, CMO & CCO of Tecnotree. "The operators who win this decade will own their AI rather than rent it. That means open, governed, and provably effective. Sensa Fabric gives CSPs command of every model they run, our open APIs guarantee their freedom to evolve, and Moments turns that foundation into measurable growth: sharper campaigns, precise segmentation, and retention that acts before a customer churns. We feel being named a Visionary in the inaugural edition tells us we are defining where this market goes."

Gartner Disclaimer

Gartner, Magic Quadrant for CSP AI-Enabled Marketing and Sales Solutions, Pulkit Pandey, Khurram Shahzad, 15 September 2026

Gartner and Magic Quadrant are trademarks of Gartner, Inc., and/or its affiliates.

Gartner does not endorse any company, vendor, product or service depicted in its publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s business and technology insights organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this publication, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.”

About Tecnotree

Tecnotree is a 5G-ready digital BSS player with AI/ML capabilities and multi-cloud extensibility. It leads TM Forum Open API Conformance with 59 certified Open APIs, including 9 real-world open APIs. Its open-source digital BSS stack covers order-to-cash and subscription management for telecom and digital services; Tecnotree Moments delivers Fintech and B2B2X marketplace capabilities across gaming, health, education, OTT, and other ecosystems. Tecnotree is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki as TEM1V.

 

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Media Contact

Prianca Ravichander, CMO Tecnotree

Email: marketing@tecnotree.com www.tecnotree.com

Bentley Systems Announces Winners of the 2026 Year in Infrastructure Awards

 SINGAPORE - Thursday, 08. October 2026 AETOSWire  

New cycle of AI-enabled innovation is helping engineers solve harder problems faster

 

(BUSINESS WIRE)--(The Bentley Systems 2026 Year in Infrastructure Event) – Bentley Systems, Incorporated (Nasdaq: BSY), the infrastructure engineering software company, today announced the winners of the 2026 Year in Infrastructure Awards. For more than 20 years, the awards have honored the extraordinary work of infrastructure professionals and their innovative use of Bentley software to improve how infrastructure is designed, built, and operated.

In 2026, over 300 projects were nominated by organizations in 53 countries. Winners were selected across 12 categories spanning the infrastructure lifecycle, industries, and disciplines by a panel of independent judges during the Bentley Systems 2026 Year in Infrastructure Event, held October 6-7 in Singapore.

Cate Lochead, chief marketing officer at Bentley Systems, said, “Every year, our users impress us with incredible projects that advance the world’s infrastructure. This year’s finalists went well beyond digitalizing traditional workflows. By connecting data across lifecycle phases and engineering disciplines, they used AI to unlock potential that was previously out of reach. That new cycle of AI-enabled innovation requires an open ecosystem, where infrastructure professionals can connect their data and preferred software to make better, faster decisions. Bentley enables that openness, giving engineers the freedom to solve complex challenges faster and build a more resilient, sustainable future.”

Winners of the Year in Infrastructure 2026 Awards

Bridges and Tunnels

AYESA Engineering (Portugal): Porto Metro 3.0: Optimized Integrated Digital Tunnel Design Workflow

Cities and Facilities

Pinnacle Future Build Pvt. Ltd. (India): Pinnacle Infotech Digital Twin Madurai Campus

Construction

Wills Bros (Ireland): Dublin Port MP2 Berth 52 and 53

Energy Production

South-to-North Water Diversion (Chongqing) New Energy Development Co, Ltd and POWERCHINA Zhongnan Engineering Corporation Limited. (China): Chongqing Yunyang Jianquan Pumped Storage Digital Power Station

Geospatial and Reality Modeling

Aboitiz Renewables Inc. (Philippines): GeoShield

Project Delivery

Port Polska (Poland): Port Polska

Rail and Transit

SUDOP PRAHA a.s. (Czech Republic): HSR Central Bohemia (RS 1 VRT Poricany – Svetla nad Sazavou)

Roads and Highways

Torrens to Darlington Alliance (John Holland, Bouygues, Arcadis, Jacobs, Ventia) in partnership with the South Australian Government, Department for Infrastructure and Transport (Australia): River Torrens to Darlington (T2D) Project

Structural Engineering

PT Wijaya Karya Bangunan Gedung Tbk (WIKA Gedung) (Indonesia): Jakarta International Stadium – Engineering Largest Retractable Roof

Subsurface Modeling and Analysis

Intertechne Consultores S.A. (Brazil): Leapfrog and PLAXIS for Tailings Dam Modeling and Assessment

Transmission and Distribution

APD Global (Australia): Clean Energy Link-North: AI-Driven Digital Delivery for Renewables

Water and Wastewater

Evides N.V. (Netherlands): Water Distribution Operational Digital Twins at Scale

Founders’ Honors

Bentley also recognized 17 projects with Founders’ Honors. Chosen personally by Bentley’s founders and executives, Founders’ Honors are presented to a select number of stand-out projects, individuals, and organizations that reflect the company’s purpose of advancing the world’s infrastructure for better quality of life.

The 2026 Founders’ Honors recipients are:

Asset Intelligence

Empresas Públicas de Medellín (Colombia): EPM Water Secondary Distribution System Digital Twin

Connected Data

WSP Global Inc. (India): iTwin AI Project Lifecycle Intelligence Platform

Constructioneering

PT Hutama Karya (Persero) (Indonesia): The Parliamentary Complex of Nusantara

Design Optimization

POWERCHINA Fujian Electric Power Survey and Design Institute Co., Ltd. (China): Automatic Modeling and Optimization Software for Offshore Jacket Structures

Digital Champion

COBA - Consultores de Engenharia e Ambiente (Portugal): Santos Station – Extension of Lisbon Metro Yellow and Green Lines

Digital Infrastructure

Ampirical (United States): Powering the Western Hemisphere's Largest Data Center

Digital Twin at Scale

Almondz Global Infra Consultant Limited (India): NAKSHA

Education - Excellence in Hands-on Teaching using AI

Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE (Ecuador): Intelligent Leak Management with Autoencoders

Education - Excellence in Teaching System of Systems Thinking

University of Glasgow - Smart Systems Group (United Kingdom): Glasgow City Region: Cocreation of Transport and Multi-Energy Futures

Ground-Informed Design

T.Y.Lin International Pte. Ltd. (Singapore): North-South Corridor – 800m Long Dual 3-Lane Road Tunnel

Model-Based Delivery

WSP USA Inc. (United States): I-35 Capital Express Central – Downtown (CapEx Central)

Resilience / Sustainability — Powering Tomorrow's Mobility

Fs Engineering S.p.A. (Italy): Energy Sustainability: Self-Production for Green Mobility System

TTC (Brazil): Electromobility in the Southern Region

Resilience / Sustainability — Restoring our Environment

Norconsult Norge AS (Norway): Mongstad Refinery – Contaminated Groundwater Risk and Mitigation Review

Resilience / Sustainability — Resilient Cities

Communauté d’Agglomération Pau Bearn Pyrénées – CAPBP (France): Urban Data Intelligence: A CDE for Climate Resilient Infrastructure

Resilience / Sustainability — Securing our Water Future

Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Philippines): Scaling Leak Detection at Maynilad from DMA to System‑Wide Analysis

For more information about the 2026 Year in Infrastructure Awards, visit Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure website.

# # #

About Bentley Systems

Around the world, infrastructure professionals rely on software from Bentley Systems to help them design, build, and operate better and more resilient infrastructure for transportation, water, energy, cities, and more. Founded in 1984 by engineers for engineers, Bentley is the partner of choice for engineering firms and owner-operators worldwide, with software that spans engineering disciplines, industry sectors, and all phases of the infrastructure lifecycle. Through our digital twin solutions, we help infrastructure professionals unlock the value of their data to transform project delivery and asset performance.

© 2026 Bentley Systems, Incorporated. Bentley, the Bentley logo, iTwin, Leapfrog, and PLAXIS, are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

 

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Bentley Investors: Eric Boyer, IR@bentley.com

Gaétane Baudry Appointed Senior Vice President/Global General Manager, Bobbi Brown

 

NEW YORK - 

(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL) today announced the appointment of Gaétane Baudry as Senior Vice President/Global General Manager, Bobbi Brown, effective October 8, 2026. Based in New York, she will report to Lisa Sequino, Global President, Makeup Brands.

In this role, Gaétane will lead Bobbi Brown’s global strategy and continued evolution, strengthening the brand’s distinctive equity, advancing innovation and creativity, and deepening consumer engagement around the world.

“Gaétane is an inspiring and highly collaborative leader who brings experience, energy and a strong focus on execution,” said Lisa Sequino, Global President, Makeup Brands. “Her global brand-building record, strong commercial leadership and passion for creating meaningful consumer experiences will be invaluable as Bobbi Brown builds on its unique brand equity focused on effortless natural beauty, while accelerating its digital evolution, moving into new channels and deepening its ability to connect with women around the world. I am excited to welcome her to The Estée Lauder Companies and look forward to all that Gaétane and the Bobbi Brown team will accomplish together.”

Gaétane is a global luxury beauty executive with more than two decades of experience building brands, leading transformations and driving growth across international markets. She was most recently Global Brand President of Shu Uemura at L’Oréal Luxe, where she oversaw the brand’s marketing, communications, retail, e-commerce, education and business development activities.

During her time at Shu Uemura, Gaétane redefined the brand platform and category strategy, strengthened its cultural relevance and advanced its retail and omnichannel experience. Under her leadership, the brand achieved a top position among makeup artist brands in Asia, gained prestige beauty share in highly competitive markets and increased its online business. Earlier in her career, she held senior leadership roles at Giorgio Armani Beauty, Helena Rubinstein and Lancôme, building expertise across luxury beauty, makeup, innovation, consumer engagement and global brand strategy.

With a distinctive heritage, powerful point of view and globally beloved products, Bobbi Brown is well-positioned to deepen its connection with women around the world. Gaétane will build on these strengths by sharpening the brand’s expression, enhancing its relevance across markets and creating compelling experiences for today’s consumers, while preserving the effortless authenticity at the heart of Bobbi Brown.

About The Estée Lauder Companies

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers, marketers, and sellers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products, and is a steward of luxury and prestige brands globally. The company’s products are sold in approximately 150 countries and territories under brand names including: Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Lab Series, Origins, M·A·C, La Mer, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Darphin Paris, TOM FORD, Smashbox, AERIN Beauty, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, GLAMGLOW, KILIAN PARIS, Too Faced, Dr.Jart+, the DECIEM family of brands, including The Ordinary, NIOD, Avestan and Loopha, and Balmain Beauty.

ELC-L

 

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Media Relations:

Brendan Riley

briley@estee.com

Investor Relations:

Rainey Mancini

rmancini@estee.com

 

SLB Awarded Digital Drilling Contract by TotalEnergies

 Deployment will connect subsurface insights with well engineering and drilling planning workflows

 

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global energy technology company SLB (NYSE: SLB) today announced a 15-year agreement with TotalEnergies to use the DrillPlan™ coherent well planning and engineering solutions. The agreement will support TotalEnergies’ transition to a digital planning environment, connecting subsurface insights with well planning and engineering.

Enabled by SLB’s DrillPlan solutions and the expertise of both companies, the agreement marks a significant step in the companies’ digital collaboration and reflects a broader shift across the industry as operators move toward scalable, interoperable digital platforms to improve engineering and well construction execution.

The DrillPlan solutions will enable TotalEnergies to streamline well design and engineering activities by integrating offset well data, trajectory designs, casing and completion inputs, and planning assumptions used throughout the well construction process, enabling cross-functional teams to work from a common foundation of data, plans and assumptions.

“Operators are increasingly looking for scalable technologies that can support more consistent planning decisions across large and diverse portfolios,” said Rakesh Jaggi, president of SLB’s Digital business. “This agreement demonstrates how customers are moving toward digital solutions that improve consistency, strengthen collaboration and provide a foundation for future workflow innovation.”

Drawing on domain expertise from both companies, the environment is designed to connect workflows, integrate custom processes, scale across operations, and enable ongoing deployment of new digital technologies.

Built on SLB’s strengths in well construction and digital technology, the DrillPlan solutions help integrate established customer workflows within a broader enterprise digital ecosystem. The agreement reflects a growing industry focus on combining the domain expertise embedded in internally developed digital solutions with the scale, resilience and interoperability of commercial platforms.

Key Points:

SLB has been awarded an agreement by TotalEnergies to deploy the DrillPlan™ coherent well planning and engineering solutions across its global upstream portfolio.

The deployment will connect subsurface insights with well planning and engineering, supporting a standardized digital drilling planning environment.

DrillPlan solutions integrate offset well data, trajectory designs, casing and completion inputs, and planning assumptions used throughout the well construction process.

The agreement supports an approach that combines established customer workflows and internally developed digital expertise with SLB’s well construction and digital domain expertise.

The agreement builds on the long-standing collaboration between SLB and TotalEnergies and supports continued innovation in digital well construction planning.

About SLB

SLB (NYSE: SLB) is a global technology company that has driven energy innovation for 100 years. With a global footprint in more than 100 countries and employees representing almost twice as many nationalities, we work each day on innovating oil and gas, delivering digital at scale, decarbonizing industries, and developing and scaling new energy systems that accelerate the energy transition. Find out more at slb.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws — that is, statements about the future, not about past events. Such statements often contain words such as “expect,” “may,” “can,” “estimate,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “will,” “potential,” “projected" and other similar words. Forward-looking statements address matters that are, to varying degrees, uncertain, such as forecasts or expectations regarding the deployment of, or anticipated benefits of, SLB’s new technologies and partnerships; and improvements in operating procedures and technology. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the inability to recognize intended benefits of SLB’s strategies, initiatives or partnerships; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in SLB’s most recent Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. If one or more of these or other risks or uncertainties materialize (or the consequences of such a development changes), or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual outcomes may vary materially from those reflected in our forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and SLB disclaims any intention or obligation to update publicly or revise such statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

 

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Media

Josh Byerly – SVP of Global Communications

Moira Duff – Director of External Communications

SLB

Tel: +1 (713) 375-3407

media@slb.com

Investors

James R. McDonald – SVP of Investor Relations & Industry Affairs

Joy V. Domingo – Director of Investor Relations

SLB

Tel: +1 (713) 375-3535

investor-relations@slb.com

 

Bacardi Climbs to #32 Among the World’s Top Companies for Women

 Family-owned Bacardi is highest-ranked spirits company

 

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bacardi Limited has climbed to #32 on the Forbes list of the World’s Top Companies for Women 2026, rising from #60 the previous year and earning a place on the prestigious global ranking for the fifth consecutive year. The family-owned company is the highest-ranked spirits company on this year’s list and ranks #2 in the “Food, Soft Beverages, Alcohol & Tobacco” category. The recognition reflects a continued commitment to creating opportunities, championing career development and cultivating a workplace where people feel valued, empowered and able to do their best work.

“The most meaningful measure of our progress is seeing talented women choose to join Bacardi, build their careers here and advance into leadership roles,” says Nicole Zukowski, Chief Supply Chain Officer and Executive Sponsor of the Bacardi Limited Good Spirited Corporate Sustainability initiative. “At Bacardi, we're committed to providing opportunities, championing development and fostering a culture where people feel they belong, because when our people flourish, so does our business.”

Among some of the many ways Bacardi supports the development of women both inside and outside the company are:

Advancing leadership: Women hold 45% of leadership positions (manager and above) at Bacardi. The company also reports gender equity across recruitment, turnover, pay and engagement.

Investing in development: Bacardi maintains balanced representation in its core development programs, helping talent build the skills and experience needed to advance their careers.

Strengthening industry connections: Bacardi participates in organizations that support female talent, including Women of the Vine & Spirits, Women Leading Rum & Spirits, the OurWhisky Foundation and the LEAD Network.

Supporting economic independence: In the United States, Bacardi supports Dress for Success Miami, which provides skills, tools and professional attire to help people secure employment and achieve financial independence.

Opening doors to hospitality careers: In India, Bacardi hosts a women-only cohort of Shake Your Future, its free bartending program, to encourage more women to pursue opportunities in the hospitality and drinks industry. This complements other Shake Your Future cohorts in the market which are open to all.

Building awareness and support: In the United Kingdom, a network of Menopause Champions leads conversations and builds awareness for those experiencing menopause and the people who support them.

To create the list, Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to survey approximately 140,000 women working for multinational corporations across 61 countries. Surveys were conducted primarily through anonymous, independent online panels, allowing participants to answer freely. Access details and the complete 2026 list here.

Bacardi was also recently named by Forbes among 2026 World’s Best Employers, where it took the top spot among pure spirits companies, and Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work for in Europe 2026.

About Bacardi Limited

Bacardi Limited, the world’s largest privately held international spirits company, produces, markets, and distributes spirits and wines. The Bacardi Limited portfolio comprises more than 200 brands and labels, including BACARDÍ® rum, PATRÓN® tequila, GREY GOOSE® vodka, DEWAR’S® Blended Scotch whisky, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® gin, MARTINI® vermouth and sparkling wines, CAZADORES® 100% blue agave tequila, and other leading and emerging brands including D’USSÉ® Cognac, ANGEL’S ENVY® American straight whiskey, and ST-GERMAIN® elderflower liqueur. Founded more than 164 years ago in Santiago de Cuba, family-owned Bacardi Limited currently employs more than 7,000, operates production facilities in 10 countries and territories, and sells its brands in more than 160 markets. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. Visit http://www.bacardilimited.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Instagram.

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261008127263/en/

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Contacts

 

Media Contacts:

Jessica Merz, VP Global Corporate Communications

jmerz@bacardi.com