New UK Independent Power Producer Created with Investment from EIG

 

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, England -Thursday 2 September 2021 [ AETOS Wire ]

EIG completes acquisition of 1332 MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power station and 49 MW battery in Nottinghamshire, England

West Burton Energy, a newly created company, is well-positioned to support the energy transition

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- West Burton Energy has been created today as a leading supplier of electricity in the United Kingdom after EIG, an institutional investor to the global energy sector and one of the world’s leading infrastructure investors, acquired a portfolio of power generation assets from EDF Energy. The transaction, which closed on August 31, 2021, includes West Burton B, a 1332 MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (“CCGT”) power station, and a 49 MW battery in Nottinghamshire, England.

R. Blair Thomas, EIG’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, “This transaction is consistent with our strategy to invest in high-quality assets, best-in-class teams and critical energy infrastructure. Gas-fired power stations have demonstrated their strategic importance in the U.K.’s electricity supply system, and our investment in West Burton Energy underscores our confidence in the continued role that gas will play in facilitating the energy transition.”

West Burton B is a highly flexible and efficient CCGT Plant with three combined cycle units, which can generate enough electricity to power approximately 1.5 million homes, and is linked to one of Europe’s largest battery storage assets. Together, these technologies provide essential on-demand energy products, critical in supporting the UK’s changing grid landscape and transition to a low carbon economy.

“The station’s high efficiency means less fossil fuel is consumed and lower levels of emissions are produced for every unit of electricity generated,” explained Mike Nason, West Burton Energy’s Station Manager. “Considering this, along with the fact that our newly independent station is one of the most recent builds in the country, West Burton Energy is well-positioned at the forefront of the U.K.’s evolving energy market.”

Walid Mouawad, Managing Director at EIG, added, “This is a fantastic opportunity for our investors as West Burton Energy embarks on a path forward to deliver solutions capable of supporting a net-zero future. With the strong growth of renewable generation, we believe that battery storage technology will continue to support the stability of the U.K.’s national grid network. EIG is delighted to partner with this incredible team and to be a part of West Burton Energy’s exciting next chapter.”

Cantor Fitzgerald acted as financial advisor to EIG in connection with the transaction, and White & Case served as legal advisor.

About West Burton Energy

West Burton Energy is a newly formed independent power producer and a leading supplier of electricity in the United Kingdom. The Company operates a 1332 MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power station, a 49MW battery and has a permitted site for a planned Open Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) project, located in Nottinghamshire, England. For additional information, please visit West Burton Energy’s website at www.westburtonenergy.com.

About EIG

EIG is a leading institutional investor to the global energy sector with $22.5 billion under management as of June 30, 2021. EIG specializes in private investments in energy and energy-related infrastructure on a global basis. During its 39-year history, EIG has committed over $38.0 billion to the energy sector through more than 373 projects or companies in 38 countries on six continents. EIG’s clients include many of the leading pension plans, insurance companies, endowments, foundations and sovereign wealth funds in the U.S., Asia and Europe. EIG is headquartered in Washington, D.C. with offices in Houston, London, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong and Seoul. For additional information, please visit EIG’s website at www.eigpartners.com.

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210831005838/en/

Contacts

Media
West Burton Energy
FTI Consulting
Stephanie Randall
+1 212-850-5603
WestBurtonEnergy@fticonsulting.com

EIG
Sard Verbinnen & Co.
Kelly Kimberly / Brandon Messina
+1 212-687-8080
EIG-SVC@sardverb.com

Permalink : https://www.aetoswire.com/news/new-uk-independent-power-producer-created-with-investment-from-eig/en

Nearly One-Third of Major Retailers Say the Pandemic’s Impact Will Be Permanent, According to Taulia

 New research suggests a permanent consumer shift to digital and online retail channels


SAN FRANCISCO-Wednesday 1 September 2021 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Following the unprecedented effects of COVID-19, retail businesses are focused on permanently shifting to online retail channels, according to Taulia, the leading fintech provider of working capital solutions. Taulia surveyed more than 50 of the largest retail businesses globally to understand the retail ecosystem’s current trends, sentiment, and views following the pandemic in a new research paper.

The research has found that nearly one-third of the largest global retailers believe the impact of the pandemic on their industry will be permanent. The study suggests that businesses must prioritize building out their online retail channels and investing in the digital technologies required to facilitate these channels.

The research also highlighted the various ways retail businesses have adapted, or plan to adapt, in response to the turbulent past 24 months:

    90% of retailers believe online transactions will continue at their current levels or increase over the next few years

    90% of retailers said that supplier retention was critically important to their business strategy

    Nearly 70% of retailers have used or plan to use Supply Chain Finance, Dynamic Discounting, and early payment to support suppliers with their financial requirements

    60% of retailers plan to transform their procurement strategy in order to adapt to geopolitical and social factors

Alexander Mutter, Head of EMEA Sales at Taulia, commented: “The past twenty-four months have placed a huge strain on many retailers, whether that strain was caused by a sudden need to pivot to focus on digital retail or pressures impacting their supply chain. Our survey has highlighted that not only is the retail industry embracing the need to adapt and be flexible, but it is also finding the necessary support to do so. The retail industry’s actions are ensuring the global supply chain responds to difficulties rather than breaking under the strain.

“The use of financial tools and technology across the retail supply chain has been and will continue to be crucial in protecting and strengthening the global economy. Supplier relationships are core to this and financial tools such as Supply Chain Finance and Dynamic Discounting enable this relationship to provide financial flexibility and ensure business continuity.

Taulia’s white paper ‘A Paradigm Shift in Retail’ can be downloaded here: https://taulia.com/resources/whitepapers/trends-affecting-the-retail-industry/

About Taulia

Taulia is a fintech provider of working capital management solutions headquartered in San Francisco, California. Taulia helps companies access value tied up in their payables, receivables and inventory. A network of more than 2 million businesses use Taulia’s platform to determine when they want to pay and be paid. Taulia processes more than $500 billion each year and is trusted by the world’s largest companies including Airbus, AstraZeneca, Nissan and Vodafone.

For more information, please visit www.taulia.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210831005552/en/

Contacts

Media contacts

Vested
taulia@fullyvested.com

Alex Bayliss
Vested
alex@fullyvested.com


 
Permalink : https://www.aetoswire.com/news/nearly-one-third-of-major-retailers-say-the-pandemicrsquos-impact-will-be-permanent-according-to-taulia/en
 

OwnBackup Acquires RevCult, Enhancing Their Cloud Data Protection Platform With Proactive Data Security

 The combined solution will provide customers with a holistic approach to protect, secure and manage their SaaS data

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J.-Thursday 2 September 2021 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- OwnBackup, the leading cloud data protection platform, today announced the acquisition of RevCult, a California-based software company that provides Salesforce security and governance solutions, often known as SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM). SSPM helps organizations more easily secure data that is growing in volume, velocity and variety by continuously scanning for and eliminating configuration mistakes and mismanaged permissions, which are the top causes of cloud security failures.

While SaaS providers have invested heavily in solidifying their own security posture, data resiliency and security remain real and present concerns for all companies leveraging cloud services. In addition to external security breaches, the overwhelming majority of cloud security failures and resulting data loss are actually the customer’s responsibility, according to Gartner.

“Although we’ve equipped customers to be more resilient with proactive data backup, monitoring, compare and restore capabilities, many of the problems we help them recover from are preventable through the addition of proactive SSPM,” said Sam Gutmann, CEO of OwnBackup. “The addition of RevCult will allow us to innovate faster in the cloud and protect customers against the primary security issues that lead to data loss and corruption, such as lax permissioning, social hacking, insider threats, poor physical security controls and other vulnerabilities.”

The announcement is OwnBackup’s latest step toward growing their world-class data protection platform and empowering customers to own and protect their data on any cloud platform. The RevCult acquisition follows the recent purchases of Nimmetry, a SaaS data management company, as well as Merlinx, a top cybersecurity firm based in Tel Aviv. And just this month, OwnBackup announced a $240 million Series E at a $3.35 billion valuation. These actions tell a compelling story of the growing need for SaaS data protection and OwnBackup’s position as the clear leader in the category.

“We’ve partnered with OwnBackup for several years providing SaaS data protection, and we couldn’t be happier to officially be part of their team at this high-growth stage,” said Andreas Schenck, CEO and Founder of RevCult. “I’m excited to take the product to the next level to provide even more value to customers. Not only do both companies share a passion for protecting companies’ SaaS data, but the company's culture and values align well with OwnBackup.”

Nearly 4,000 customers trust OwnBackup across every industry, such as AECOM, Aston Martin, Ciena, Delivery Hero, Guidewire Software, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Medtronic, Navy Federal Credit Union, Singapore Economic Development Board and the University of Miami.

About OwnBackup

OwnBackup, the leading cloud-to-cloud data protection platform, provides secure, automated, daily backups and rapid data restore tools of SaaS and PaaS data. Helping nearly 4,000 businesses worldwide safeguard critical cloud data, OwnBackup covers data loss and corruption caused by human errors, malicious intent, integration errors, and rogue applications.

Co-founded by seasoned data-recovery, data-protection, and information-security experts, OwnBackup is a backup and restore independent software vendor (ISV) on the Salesforce AppExchange. Headquartered in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, with research and development (R&D), support, and other functions in Israel, EMEA and APAC, OwnBackup is the partner of choice for some of the world’s largest users of SaaS applications.

© 2021 OwnBackup. “OwnBackup” and “RevCult” are registered trademarks of OwnBackup Inc. Other company or product names used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210831005185/en/

Contacts

Media:

Joshua Kroon

press@ownbackup.com

Permalink : https://www.aetoswire.com/news/ownbackup-acquires-revcult-enhancing-their-cloud-data-protection-platform-with-proactive-data-security/en

MATRIXX Re-Signed by Telstra to Sharpen 5G Charging Strategy and Power Next-Gen Commerce Capabilities

 MATRIXX to collaborate on the development of 5G customer experiences and monetization of new 5G services

FOSTER CITY, Calif.-Thursday 2 September 2021 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- MATRIXX Software, a global leader in 5G monetization solutions, today announced that it had renewed its partnership with Australian telecommunications company Telstra to provide monetization across their 4G and 5G networks.

As the market leader, Telstra is making significant 5G investments to extend its place as the nation’s go-to service provider for consumers, SMBs and enterprises.

MATRIXX has been an integral part of Telstra’s digital transformation for the last seven years. With the telco now working on its deployment of 5G standalone, MATRIXX has been tasked to support the development of new revenue streams, new services and new business models.

Shailin Sehgal, Telstra Product Enablement Technology Executive, said that Telstra was developing its 5G network to deliver the next generation of products and services. “Delivering on that mission demands collaborative, forward-thinking partners and MATRIXX has proven to be exactly that, delivering mission-critical capabilities for Telstra since 2014. We look forward to continuing our journey together with them as a charging provider for both our current T22 and our emerging transformation initiatives.”

The MATRIXX platform has continuously scaled in response to Telstra’s digital journey. Today, MATRIXX supports Telstra’s postpaid services on its 4G/LTE and 5G non-standalone network.

The new agreement will see MATRIXX extend its support of Telstra in its mission to reduce complexity, improve customer experiences and capitalize on 5G infrastructure investments. This will include the deployment of cloud native, agile monetization platforms to take advantage of the programmability, dynamic capacity and rich information that 5G core networks provide.

MATRIXX's partnership with Telstra will also expand to include the use of its 5G converged charging system (CCS) to enable monetization of new 5G services across consumer, SMB, IoT and enterprise services.

“As both an early customer and investor in our company, we are proud of the track record of success we’ve earned at Telstra,” said Glo Gordon, MATRIXX Software CEO. “Together with their team, we have continually innovated to deliver to their strategic initiatives for digital transformation and improved customer experience. Now, with this latest expansion, we look forward to helping Telstra move beyond the limitations of time and volume-based pricing and unlock the value of their 5G investments.”

MATRIXX is the industry’s only product-based monetization solution providing operators a platform on which to quickly innovate with new services and offerings.

Powered by MATRIXX’s cloud native architecture, Telstra will now be using MATRIXX Digital Commerce to serve both 4G and 5G services on a single platform. With its innovative click-not-code configuration for business rules and use cases, MATRIXX will empower Telstra with the commercial agility it needs to drive new revenue from its 5G network investments.

About MATRIXX Software

MATRIXX Software is the global leader in 5G monetization for the communications industry. Serving many of the world’s largest operator groups, regional carriers, and emerging digital service providers, MATRIXX delivers a cloud native digital commerce solution that enables unmatched commercial and operational agility. Unifying IT & networks, MATRIXX delivers a network-grade converged charging system (CCS) enabling efficient hyper-scaling of infrastructure to support consumer services, wholesale and enterprise marketplaces. Through its relentless commitment to product excellence and customer success, MATRIXX empowers businesses to harness network assets and business agility to succeed at web scale.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210831005350/en/

Contacts

Jennifer Kyriakakis

mediainquiry@matrixx.com

Permalink : https://www.aetoswire.com/news/matrixx-re-signed-by-telstra-to-sharpen-5g-charging-strategy-and-power-next-gen-commerce-capabilities/en

Premier UAE aesthetics clinic to accept payment in cryptocurrency

  Idoneus & Skin111 ink historic deal making it the first clinic to accept the cryptocurrency

Dubai, United Arab Emirates -Thursday 2 September 2021 [ AETOS Wire ]

Industry-leading blockchain-based luxury asset ecosystem Idoneus announced today a strategic partnership with aesthetic and medical services provider Skin111 Clinic that will allow its customers to pay for its bespoke medical and wellbeing services in IDON Tokens.

The IDON Token is a digital payment token - also known as cryptocurrency, that is widely used to buy, sell, rent and otherwise experience luxury assets, goods and services available on the Idoneus Platform, as well as from any individual or company that accepts IDON as a means of payment.

According to the Idoneus spokesperson, the partnership with Skin111 Clinic demonstrates the growing acceptance of cryptocurrency in the region mainly due to its value-addition, unmatched security and discretion.

“Idoneus is delighted to be partnering with Skin111 Clinic - a first-of-its-kind partnership that will provide its customers with an opportunity to pay for medical service using our IDON Tokens. The Idoneus Platform will offer Skin111 Clinic clients a secure and efficient blockchain platform to make purchases at a fraction of the costs of traditional finance,” said Blaise Carroz, Vice President, Global Acquisitions, Idoneus.

On his part, Dr. Shahram Nabili, CEO, Skin111 Clinic said that the partnership with Idoneus will enhance the company’s customer experience significantly.

“Our historic partnership with Idoneus is in line with our strategy to boost our digital payment options by offering all our clients an opportunity to pay using the IDON Token. We identified the IDON Token as our preferred cryptocurrency partner that will give our customers peace of mind when using our digital payment option.”

Skin111 Clinic, which was ranked among Dubai’s top 6 at the Pro Beauty Awards GCC in March 2021, also specializes in bespoke in well-being, anti-aging, dermatology and general medicine and offers IV Vitamin Drips, Glutathione Detox Drips, Oxygen therapy, Laser Hair Removal, Skin Laser Treatments and Aesthetics Dermatology. In June 2021, Skin111 Clinic was voted The Best IV Provider in the UAE by MEA markets UAE business awards.

About Idoneus

Idoneus is reinventing access to, and the value of, luxury. A new secure digital economy, that makes it simple and easy for luxury assets, goods and services to be purchased, sold, rented or otherwise experienced. This frictionless society is using a new common unit of value: a smart currency called IDON. Combined with a world-class user portal, providing secure visibility of and access to the market leading high-end asset portfolio, the IDON Token has the potential to increase the total value of the Luxury Asset Market, allowing greater participation from new sources of wealth and creating new value flows. At the same time enabling private investors, family offices and institutions greater speed and security of trading regardless of the physical complexities of the asset in question. Idoneus has been created by leading industry professionals representing over a century of experience.

Contacts

For Media Enquiries please contact Matrix PR

Shirin Zemmo: Shirin@matrixdubai.com

Melwyn Abrahams: melwyn@matrixdubai.com

Or call 04 343 0888

Permalink : https://www.aetoswire.com/news/premier-uae-aesthetics-clinic-to-accept-payment-in-cryptocurrency/en

Kava Labs Introduces Kava Swap

 Expands Portfolio of Institutional-Grade Crypto Native Financial Products 

SAN FRANCISCO-Thursday 2 September 2021 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Kava Labs™, an open source and non-custodial developer of financial products and services for decentralized finance (DeFi), announced the successful launch of its newest platform project, Kava Swap™.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210831005132/en/

Kava Swap is a cross-chain Autonomous Market Making (AMM) protocol designed to provide an efficient and safe way to swap natively between the world’s largest assets. The new protocol is built on the Kava Platform™ and is backed by low fees, high efficiency, and the ability to generate strong returns for liquidity providers. Kava Swap gives both retail and institutional users access to the over $1 billion of on-chain liquidity on the Kava ecosystem to efficiently trade assets, extend earning opportunities and maximize yields. The new product comes as part of the Kava Mainnet 8 upgrade and has successfully completed a full security audit with CertiK.

“From our inception four years ago, Kava Labs’ mission has been to build a portfolio of decentralized products and services that allow users to gain access to all of the benefits of DeFi, but without the risks present in the current marketplace,” said Scott Stuart, Co-Founder and Head of Products at Kava Labs. “As we expand our ecosystem, Kava continues to deliver on the promise of constructing an open and scalable institutional-grade platform that provides the same level of efficiency, security and ease of use as main street financial products.”

Kava Swap is the third protocol built on the Kava Platform and is an open and permissionless application accessible by anyone, anytime, anywhere in the world. It joins Kava Mint™, which allows users to take out USDX stablecoin loans using their assets as collateral, and Kava Lend™, which allows users to earn rewards by supplying and borrowing assets from money markets. All three protocols come complete with interoperable cross-chain tooling, secure price feeds and institutional-grade safety and reliability. In addition, the Platform’s upgrade to Kava Mainnet 8 will strengthen token holder participation and governance across all applications on the Kava Platform by activating voting on the HARD™ and SWP™ tokens. This gives token investors direct access to governance over the Kava Platform and the Mint Protocol through the KAVA™ token, the Kava Lend Protocol through the HARD token and the Kava Swap Protocol with the SWP token.

“Kava has been focused on developing the safest way for users to grow their cryptocurrency portfolios,” continued Stuart. “We believe that accessing the wealth creating opportunities inside of DeFi does not need to mean increased exposure to risks. Our guiding product principle is to develop an institutional-grade DeFi ecosystem that unlocks the massive growth opportunities available in the crypto marketplace in a de-risked model that helps to evolve our marketplace into the mainstream.”

For more information please visit https://www.kava.io
To Access Kava Swap, please visit: https://app.kava.io
Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kava_labs
Follow on Telegram: https://http://t.me/kavalabs

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210831005132/en/

---

Contacts

Martin Allen Frosage
+1.650.489.5124
kava@kava.io

Permalink : https://www.aetoswire.com/news/kava-labs-introduces-kava-swap/en

JEOL: Release of Schottky Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope JSM-IT800(i)/(is) Versions

 - FE-SEM with Intelligence Technology (IT) Platform -

TOKYO-Wednesday 1 September 2021 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- JEOL Ltd. (TOKYO:6951) (President & COO Izumi Oi) announced that it has developed semi-in-lens versions (i)/(is) which are optimal for the observation of semiconductor devices of the Schottky Field Emission Electron Microscope JSM-IT800 (launched in May 2020), and began selling them in August 2021.

Development Background

Scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) are used in a wide range of fields, such as nanotechnology, metals, semiconductors, ceramics, medicine, and biology. As SEM applications are expanding to not only cover research and development, but also address quality control and product inspection at manufacturing sites, SEM users are in need of fast high-quality data acquisition, as well as simple compositional information confirmation with seamless analytical operation.

To meet these demands, the JSM-IT800 incorporates our In-lens Schottky Plus field emission electron gun for high resolution imaging, and an innovative electron optical control system "Neo Engine", as well as a system of seamless GUI "SEM Center" for fast elemental mapping with a fully embedded JEOL energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), as a common platform. Furthermore, the JSM-IT800 allows for the replacement of the objective lens of the SEM as a module, offering different versions to satisfy various users requirements.

The JSM-IT800 is available in five versions with different objective lenses: a hybrid lens version (HL), which is a general-purpose FE-SEM; a super hybrid lens version (SHL/SHLs, two versions with different functions), which enables higher resolution observation and analysis; and the newly-developed semi-in-lens version (i/is, two versions with different functions), which is suited for the observation of semiconductor devices.

The JSM-IT800 can also be equipped with a new Scintillator Backscattered Electron Detector (SBED). The SBED enables easy observation of live images with high responsiveness and produces sharp material contrast even at a low accelerating voltage.

Features

1. In-lens Schottky Plus field emission electron gun

Enhanced integration of the electron gun and low-aberration condenser lens provides higher brightness. An ample probe current is available at a low accelerating voltage (100 nA at 5 kV). The unique In-lens Schottky Plus system allows for a variety of applications, from high resolution imaging to fast elemental mapping, and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis.

2. Neo Engine (New Electron Optical Engine)

Neo Engine is a cutting-edge electron optical system that accumulates many years of JEOL core technologies. Users can perform a stable observation even when changing different observation or analytical conditions. High operability for automatic functions is greatly enhanced.

3. SEM Center / EDS Integration

A GUI "SEM Center" fully integrates with SEM imaging and EDS analysis for providing seamless and intuitive operations. The JSM-IT800 can be enhanced by incorporating optional software add-ons, such as SMILENAVI to assist and provide a learning path for novice users and the LIVE-AI filter (Live Image Visual Enhancer – AI) to acquire a higher quality of live images.

4. Semi-in-lens versions (i/is)

A semi-in-lens achieves ultra high resolution by converging electron beams with the strong magnetic field lens formed below the objective lens. Moreover, the system efficiently collects the low energy secondary electrons emitted from a specimen and detects the electrons with the upper in-lens detector (UID). Thus, it enables high resolution observation and analysis of tilted specimens and cross-sectional specimens, which are required for failure analysis of semiconductor devices. In addition, it is very useful for voltage contrast observation.

5. Upper electron detector (UED)

An upper electron detector can be mounted above the objective lens. The advantage of the system is the ability of acquisition of backscattered electron image, and acquisition of secondary electron image in combination with specimen bias. The electrons emitted from a specimen are selected by an UID filer inside the objective lens. UED and UIT allow multiple information to be acquired in a single scan.

6. New Backscattered Electron Detector

The scintillator backscattered electron detector (SBED, optional) has high responsiveness and is suitable to acquire material-contrast images at a low accelerating voltage.

Sales target

1) JSM-IT800i version: 5 units/year

2) JSM-IT800is version: 40 units/year

Product URL: https://www.jeol.co.jp/en/products/detail/JSM-IT800.html

JEOL Ltd.

3-1-2, Musashino, Akishima, Tokyo, 196-8558, Japan

Izumi Oi, President & COO

(Stock code: 6951, Tokyo Stock Exchange First Section)

www.jeol.com

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210830005228/en/

Contacts

JEOL Ltd.

Science and Measurement Instruments Sales Division

Yoshiki YAMASAKI

TEL: +81-3-6262-3567

E-mail: yyamasak@jeol.co.jp

https://www.jeol.co.jp/en/support/support_system/contact_products.html

Permalink : https://www.aetoswire.com/news/jeol-release-of-schottky-field-emission-scanning-electron-microscope-jsm-it800i-is-versions/en