CI Financial Corp. Announces Private Offering of Euro Notes

CI Financial Corp. (“CI” or the “Company”) today announced that it intends, subject to market and other conditions, to offer and sell (the “Offering”) in a private placement to eligible purchasers a series of its senior unsecured Euro-denominated notes (the “Notes”).

Separately, the Company intends to commence an offering of senior unsecured Canadian dollar-denominated debentures (the “Concurrent CAD Offering”). The Offering is not conditional on the completion of the Concurrent CAD Offering.

CI intends to use a specified portion of the net proceeds from the Offering and the Concurrent CAD Offering to repay any amounts drawn on its unsecured revolving credit facility of $950.0 million with a syndicate of six banks, maturing in May 2028, for purposes of repaying the $400,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 7.000% Debentures of the Company which matured on December 2, 2025, and to use a portion to repurchase, redeem or otherwise settle the remaining outstanding preferred equity of Corient Holdings Inc. (approximately US$960,000,000) not held by CI Financial Holdings Ltd.

The Notes have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction, including Canada, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or Canada absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. The Notes will be offered in the United States only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in reliance on the exemption from registration set forth in Rule 144A under the Securities Act and outside the United States, including on a private placement basis in Canada to “accredited investors” who are not individuals and are “permitted clients” under applicable Canadian securities laws, in reliance on the exemption from registration set forth in Regulation S under the Securities Act.

This press release does not and shall not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About CI Financial Corp.

CI Financial Corp. is a diversified global asset and wealth management company operating primarily in Canada, the United States and Australia. Founded in 1965, Toronto-based CI has developed world class portfolio management talent, extensive capabilities in all aspects of wealth planning, and a comprehensive product suite. CI operates in three segments:

CI’s head office is located at 15 York St., 2nd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5J 0A3, Canada.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning anticipated future events, results, circumstances, performance or expectations with respect to CI and its products and services, including its business operations, strategy and financial performance and condition. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as “believe”, “expect”, “foresee”, “forecast”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “estimate”, “goal”, “plan” and “project” and similar references to future periods, or conditional verbs such as “will”, “may”, “should”, “could” or “would”. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent management beliefs regarding future events, many of which by their nature are inherently uncertain and beyond management’s control. In particular, these statements include, without limitation, statements about the Offering, the intended use of proceeds from the Offering and the Concurrent CAD Offering.

Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements involve risks and uncertainties. The material factors and assumptions applied in reaching the conclusions contained in the forward-looking statements include that asset levels will remain stable. The foregoing list is not exhaustive and the reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors carefully and not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Other than as specifically required by applicable law, CI undertakes no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statement after the date on which it is made, whether to reflect new information, future events or otherwise.

This media release has been prepared on the basis that any offer of Notes in any member state of the European Economic Area (“EEA”) will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Regulation from a requirement to publish a prospectus for offers of Notes. For these purposes the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129, as amended. This media release does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation and does not constitute an offer to the public in the EEA.

The Notes are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the EEA. For these purposes, a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of (i) a retail client as defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU (“MIFID II”), (ii) a customer within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2016/97 (as amended, the “Insurance Distribution Directive”), where that customer would not qualify as a professional client as defined in point (10) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II, or (iii) not a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Regulation. Consequently, no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No. 1286/2014 (as amended, the “PRIIPs Regulation”) for offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the EEA has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the EEA may be unlawful under the PRIIPs Regulation.

This media release has been prepared on the basis that any offer of the Notes in the United Kingdom (the “UK”) will be made pursuant to an exemption under the UK Prospectus Regulation from a requirement to publish a prospectus for offers of Notes. For these purposes, UK Prospectus Regulation means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law in the UK by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the “EUWA”). This media release does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of the UK Prospectus Regulation and does not constitute an offer to the public in the UK.

The Notes are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the UK. For these purposes, a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2 of Regulation (EU) No 2017/565 as it forms part of domestic law in the UK by virtue of the EUWA; (ii) a customer within the meaning of the provisions of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended, the “FSMA”) and any rules or regulations made under the FSMA to implement Directive (EU) 2016/97, where that customer would not qualify as a professional client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 as it forms part of domestic law in the UK by virtue of the EUWA, or (iii) not a qualified investor as defined in Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation. Consequently, no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 as it forms part of domestic law in the UK by virtue of the EUWA (the “UK PRIIPs Regulation”) for offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the UK has been prepared and, therefore, offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the UK may be unlawful under the UK PRIIPs Regulation.

UK MiFIR product governance / Professional investors and ECPs only target market. Manufacturer target market (UK MiFIR product governance) is eligible counterparties and professional clients only (all distribution channels).

In the United Kingdom, this media release is only being distributed to and is only directed at “qualified investors” as defined in the UK Prospectus Regulation that are (i) “investment professionals,” as such term is defined in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended, the “Order”); (ii) high net worth entities or other persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order, or (iii) persons to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the FSMA) in connection with the issue or sale of any Notes may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). This media release is directed only at relevant persons and must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not relevant persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this media release relates is available only to relevant persons and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such Notes will be engaged in only with relevant persons.

CI Financial Corp. Euro-denominated notes private offering announcement on financial news platform

Contact

Investor Relations
Jason Weyeneth, CFA
Vice-President, Investor Relations & Strategy
416-681-8779
jweyeneth@ci.com

Media Relations

Canada
Murray Oxby
Vice-President, Corporate Communications
416-681-3254
moxby@ci.com

United States
Jimmy Moock
Managing Partner, StreetCred
610-304-4570
jimmy@streetcredpr.com
ci@streetcredpr.com

Abstract

CI Financial announces an offering of senior unsecured Euro-denominated notes to be sold via private placement.

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ThetaRay Report Warns Europe’s AML System at ‘Breaking Point’ as New Regulations Make AI Adoption Inevitable

ThetaRay, a global leader in Cognitive AI financial crime compliance, today released a landmark study on the future of anti-money laundering in Europe. The study warns that Europe’s anti-money laundering (AML) system is approaching structural failure, and that financial institutions will be unable to meet upcoming supervisory expectations without advanced AI-driven monitoring and customer screening systems.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251202058684/en/

Next Generation AML Solutions

The report, “Next-Generation AML Solutions: An Analysis of AI-Based Tools vis-à-vis the Reform of the European AML Institutional and Substantive Architecture,” offers some of the most comprehensive examinations to date of how the EU’s sweeping AML reform package and the Artificial Intelligence Act will reshape compliance across the region.

Co-authored by Prof. Andrea Minto, a leading authority on EU financial regulation at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and the University of Stavanger, and Yaron Hazan, ThetaRay’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Advisory board member at the AI APAC Institute and former Head of Compliance at HSBC Israel, the study blends academic rigor with supervisory and operational expertise rarely found in a single publication.

The report finds that despite rising budgets and stronger enforcement, Europe’s AML framework continues to underperform:

According to the study, the global AML system suffers from persistent structural inefficiencies, high false-positive rates, and poor conversion from alerts to meaningful intelligence, the result of legacy rule-based systems that generate low-quality alerts, rely on siloed architectures, and lack the cross-border visibility required to detect modern networked financial crime.

“The data is clear: Europe’s AML system is no longer keeping pace with financial complexity,” said Yaron Hazan, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at ThetaRay. “For years, institutions have been trapped in a cycle of rule tuning, manual investigations, and defensive reporting, without materially improving outcomes. Under the new regulatory regime, failing to adopt AI will become a compliance vulnerability.”

The report highlights how the EU’s two major regulatory initiatives, the AML Package and the AI Act, together represent the most consequential shift in AML expectations in decades. The AML Package strengthens due diligence obligations, expands governance requirements, and establishes a new EU-level Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA), harmonizing obligations across Member States. At the same time, the AI Act classifies transaction monitoring and sanctions screening as “high-risk” uses of AI, imposing strict requirements on transparency, human oversight, data governance, and model lifecycle management.

The authors also highlight heightened vulnerabilities in correspondent banking and crypto-asset flows, where traditional rule engines struggle to detect hidden network behaviour across complex cross-border transaction chains. The study further identifies growing friction between the AML Regulation (AMLR) and GDPR data processing constraints, warning that without clearer guidance, institutions could face overlapping regulatory and legal risks.

“Europe’s new AML framework fundamentally raises the standard for what effective compliance means,” said Andrea Minto, Professor of Law and Regulation of Financial Markets at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and the University of Stavanger. “The AML Package and the AI Act make clear that the integration of AI into customer due diligence and AML monitoring is inevitable. Financial institutions must now prepare for a world in which technological capability and legal obligation are inseparable.”

The report ultimately calls for a fundamental shift from volume-driven alerting to intelligence-led detection, emphasizing hybrid human-AI oversight, robust data governance aligned with the AI Act, transparent and explainable models, integrated customer and transaction screening workflows.

Read the report here.

About ThetaRay

ThetaRay harnesses the power of Cognitive AI for financial crime compliance, enabling financial institutions to precisely identify legitimate customers while flagging bad actors. The SaaS solutions overcome the limitations of traditional rule-based systems by shortening long implementation lifecycles, enabling efficient, risk-aware compliance operations. By transforming compliance from a regulatory obligation into a driver of growth, ThetaRay allows institutions to scale faster and expand confidently into new markets. By uncovering hidden criminal networks and delivering actionable insights, ThetaRay empowers organizations to combat evolving threats, maintain positive regulator relationships, and enhance customer experiences. Implemented at some of the world’s leading financial institutions including Santander, Clear Bank, Mashreq Bank, Payoneer, Onafriq and Travelex, ThetaRay helps financial institutions thrive, fostering trust and confidence across the global financial ecosystem. For more information, visit www.thetaray.com.

Europe AML system challenges highlighted by ThetaRay report, emphasizing AI regulation adaptation needs, experts discuss s...

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Study reveals Europe’s AML regime is failing and shows why AI-driven monitoring and customer screening will be critical under new EU regulations.

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“The AML Package and the AI Act make clear that the integration of AI into customer due diligence and AML monitoring is inevitable. Financial institutions must now prepare for a world in which technological capability and legal obligation are inseparable.”

Next Generation AML Solutions

Next Generation AML Solutions

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Tech Leaders Brace for 2026: Security, Connectivity and Data Sovereignty at Stake, According to Expereo

2025 has been a transformative year for global technology. Rapid deployment of advanced connectivity infrastructure, AI-driven solutions and increased focus on data sovereignty have all redefined how enterprises operate.

Looking ahead, 2026 promises another fast-paced year of change. Expereo’s leadership team shares their predictions on the technology trends that will most influence business strategy, decision-making and resilience in the year ahead.

Security Moves to the Top of the C-Suite Agenda

After several high-profile outages in 2025, enterprise leaders are placing security and resilience at the forefront of their priorities. Ben Elms, CEO at Expereo, explains why:

“CEOs are feeling more pressure than ever when it comes to security and resilience. The threat landscape has become too complex, too targeted and too relentless for reactive strategies.

“Cybercriminals are increasingly going after executives directly, exploiting devices, accounts and personal data to bypass corporate defences. CEOs can no longer delegate responsibility when it comes to security, they must embed digital security into every decision and across every layer of the business. Companies that fail to protect both their people and their systems will face immediate financial, reputational and operational consequences.”

NaaS Moves Into the Mainstream

Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) is poised to become a core component of enterprise connectivity strategies. Julian Skeels, CDO at Expereo, highlights its strategic significance:

“In 2026, NaaS will no longer be a niche concept, it will be a cornerstone of enterprise connectivity strategies.

“As organisations embrace cloud-native architectures, hybrid work and AI-driven automation, NaaS delivers the flexibility and security, technology leaders need to remain competitive. Moving from Capital expenditure-heavy models to flexible, subscription-based services isn’t just a cost decision, but a strategic shift that enables CIOs and CTOs to focus on experience and policy, rather than infrastructure. In a world where the network truly becomes the computer, NaaS is the future.”

Connectivity Becomes a Strategic Priority

Reliable connectivity is no longer a background concern – it is a key business differentiator. Jean-Philippe Avelange, CIO at Expereo, explains the impact for 2026:

“Connectivity is no longer a background service – it’s now a boardroom issue. By 2026, a single outage could wipe out billions in market value and trigger extremely public and disruptive scandals. Networks have often been overlooked, only drawing attention when a failure causes significant disruption.

“In a cloud-first economy, resilience isn’t optional – it’s a measure of leadership credibility. Global CIOs will be expected to set direction for businesses to take – particularly when it comes to maintaining resilience and competitiveness through connectivity and AI. CEOs and boards must learn to recognise that digital infrastructure is now a strategic asset, not an IT afterthought.”

Data Sovereignty Shapes APAC Strategies

In APAC, regulatory requirements will increasingly shape IT and cloud strategies. Eric Wong, President of APAC at Expereo, emphasises the need for tailored approaches:

“In 2026, regulatory break-up will hinder global-first transformation projects. With India’s DPDPA mandating in-country data storage and Vietnam’s PDPL taking full effect on January 1, the global-first cloud strategy is no longer practical. Geopatriation will force CIOs to adopt hybrid, in-country architectures, dividing their global IT footprint as a result – digital sovereignty will continue to impact enterprise’s infrastructure strategy on a global scale. Enterprises must find partners who can navigate this regulatory maze effectively, because failure to comply with local data laws is no longer just a business risk, it will become a direct barrier to market access and revenue.”

2026: The Year Enterprises Must Adapt – or Get Left Behind

As 2025 draws to a close, one thing is clear: technology is no longer just an enabler – it is central to business resilience, credibility, and competitiveness.

From the rise of NaaS to the increasing scrutiny of connectivity and security, 2026 will challenge leaders to embed responsiveness, resilience, and trust into every layer of their digital strategy. The companies that act decisively now will define the next era of global business.

About Expereo

Expereo is a world-leading Managed Network as a Service provider that connects people, places, and things anywhere. Solutions include Global Internet, SD-WAN/SASE, and Enhanced Internet. With an extensive global reach, Expereo is the trusted partner of 60% of Fortune 500 companies. It powers enterprise and government sites in more than 190 countries, with the ability to connect to any location worldwide, working with over 2,300 partners to help customers improve productivity and empowering their networks and cloud services with the agility, flexibility, and value of the Internet, with optimal network performance.

Expereo was acquired in Feb 2021, by Vitruvian Partners which acquired a majority shareholding from Seven2.

Expereo leadership discussing 2026 tech trends, featuring security, connectivity, and data sovereignty innovations

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Scarlett King
+44 7534252295

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AI Promises Breakthroughs, but Organizations Are Stuck in Implementation Silos

Miro®, the AI Innovation Workspace for teams, today released findings from a commissioned Forrester Consulting study. The study, “Collaboration is AI’s Biggest Opportunity”, found that enabling effective collaboration is a top priority for business leaders. But for many, their organization’s technology and tool choices are having a negative impact — complicating teamwork and hindering transformation.

Respondents — made up of 500+ global business leaders — agreed overwhelmingly that improving collaboration and teamwork is key to achieving their organizational goals (89%). They also agreed that AI has a critical role to play — 54% of leaders stated they are optimistic about the potential for AI to enhance teamwork and collaboration.

But many also expressed concern that AI implementations could contribute to an increasingly complex tech stack and act as a barrier to success. Three-quarters of leaders felt that most AI tools focus too much on supporting individual work, rather than team productivity. Critically, 39% said this individual emphasis negatively impacts returns on their organization’s AI investments.

Despite these challenges, leaders remain confident in AI’s potential to positively impact business outcomes, and they’re seeking solutions that embed AI where teamwork happens to augment collaboration, creativity, and innovation.

“There is tremendous potential for AI to support collaboration,” said Andrey Khusid, CEO and founder of Miro. “But in the AI revolution, teamwork has been left behind. To be truly effective, AI should operate where teams work: supporting collaboration in the flow of work, informing decisions with full team context, and driving towards results faster. Embedding AI where teamwork happens achieves more than just improving productivity, it enables team- and organization-wide collaboration, innovation, and transformation.”

Summary of key findings:

About the Research

Miro commissioned Forrester Consulting to explore the current state, challenges, and future state of AI in workflows across engineering, product, design, IT, and other lines of business. The study surveyed 518 director-level and above cross-industry leaders in organizations based in North America, EMEA, and APAC. Respondents were decision-makers for their organization’s SaaS solutions and were from organizations currently integrating or planning to integrate AI into at least one department’s workflow. The survey was conducted in Q3 2025.

About Miro

Miro is the AI Innovation Workspace that brings teams and AI together to plan, co-create, and build the next big thing, faster. Serving more than 100 million users across 250,000 customers, Miro empowers cross-functional teams to flow from early discovery through final delivery on a shared, AI-first canvas. With the canvas as the prompt, Miro’s AI capabilities keep teams in the flow of work, scale shifts in ways of working, and drive organization-wide transformation. Founded in 2011, Miro currently employs more than 1,600 people in 14 hubs around the world. To learn more, visit https://miro.com.

Miro and the Miro logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of RealtimeBoard, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Business leaders discussing AI implementation challenges in a meeting room, highlighting focus on individual work and silo...

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press@miro.com

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Leaders remain confident in AI’s potential to positively impact business outcomes, and they’re seeking solutions that embed AI where teamwork happens to augment collaboration, creativity, and innovation.

The University of Bergen Uses Gingerbread Houses to Defend Research on Gender, Climate Change and Diversity

A surreal Christmas ‘Hygge’ experience in Bergen: This December, the University of Bergen invites the public to experience a unique blend of festive cheer and powerful values with the opening of The Academic Gingerbread Town – a celebration of academic freedom, diversity, and democratic principles.

The Academic Gingerbread Town is located in the beloved University Museum of Bergen, Norway and represents a fantasy version of the University campus. It includes both lifelike models of well-known UiB buildings and also gingerbread models of universities in ruins, Sauron’s eye paired with the EU Parliament, the storming of the U.S. Capitol, and flood-damaged houses due to climate change. The town consists of nearly 200 gingerbread creations.

The structures are peppered with slogans such as “pussy power”, “censorship”, “freedom of speech”, “trans rights”, “Palestine”, “women’s health”, “climate change”, “sexual freedom”, and “animal welfare”.

The town is built by students and staff and is meant to be much more than just seasonal decorations. It’s an edible expression of the values that define the university and its global academic community.

According to the Academic Freedom Index, academic freedom has declined in a number of countries over the past 10 years. The Academic Gingerbread Town aims to highlight this issue.

“Academic freedom has never been more important. We stand in solidarity with everyone experiencing restrictions on their academic freedom. We also want to show that academic freedom will always have a home with us,” says Rector at the University of Bergen, Margareth Hagen.

The university has distributed nearly 300 kilos of dough, gingerbread building kits, icing sugar, and decorations to students and staff.

Visitors of all ages are welcome to explore The Academic Gingerbread Town throughout December, enjoy the festive atmosphere, and reflect on the importance of academic freedom, all while soaking in the cozy charm of Bergen’s Christmas season.

Location: The University Museum of Bergen

Opening Date: December 1st, 2025

Here you find pictures of The Academic Gingerbread Town – free to use. All photos must be credited: Eivind Senneset / UiB. https://uib.mediebank.no/p/kommunikasjonsavdelingen/album/z9pJr4gIMdQpFbdJh2DO

Gingerbread houses symbolizing academic freedom and diversity at University of Bergens festive Academic Gingerbread Town

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Press office, UiB: desk@uib.no

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This December, the University of Bergen invites the public to experience a unique blend of festive cheer and powerful values with the opening of The Academic Gingerbread Town – a celebration of academic freedom, diversity, and democratic principles.

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UMA Launches from Europe to Shape the Global Future of Physical AI

UMA (Universal Mechanical Assistant), a new robotics intelligence company founded by former leaders from Tesla, Google DeepMind, Nvidia and Hugging Face, launches today with a clear goal: to bring advanced AI into the physical world and build humanoid robots ready for real work, in real environments, at scale.

UMA’s founders were instrumental in shaping the last decade of breakthroughs in deep learning, robotics and open-source AI. They are convinced that the next era of artificial intelligence won’t unfold on screens, it will happen in warehouses, hospitals, labs, factories and homes, where machines must face friction, unpredictability and human complexity. UMA is built for this transition: from digital intelligence to physical autonomy.

AI Is Moving Off the Screen and into the World

The past ten years gave rise to generative models, multimodal systems and language-based intelligence. The next decade will be defined by robotics, powered by an AI that can see, move, manipulate and make decisions in dynamic environments. Analysts project the humanoid and mobile robotics market to reach $243 billion by 2035, climbing to more than $5 trillion by 2050, fueled by structural labor shortages, rising operational costs and the need for resilient, always-on production.

UMA’s founders firmly believe this shift requires a new kind of robotic intelligence: one that is data-driven, adaptable, self-improving and safe enough to operate shoulder-to-shoulder with human teams.

Built by Engineers and Researchers Who Helped Define Modern AI

UMA’s founding team represents decades of breakthroughs across the US, Europe and Asia: Remi Cadene pioneered Tesla Autopilot and Optimus, and democratized robot learning with LeRobot at Hugging Face, Pierre Sermanet advanced deep learning and robotics research for two decades at New York University and Google DeepMind, Simon Alibert co-founded LeRobot and brings expertise in scalable learning infrastructure, Robert Knight designed humanoid robots for 25+ years and open-sourced the widely used SO-100 robot.

Together, they bring deep technical expertise and a shared belief: the world needs robots that aren’t just impressive in demos, but reliable in production.

Solving the Hardest Global Operational Challenges

Industrial and societal pressures are making advanced robotics not just desirable, but inevitable.

Across logistics, healthcare and aging societies, the constraints are structural:

These are not abstract statistics. They determine whether hospitals stay staffed, whether supply chains keep moving, and whether older adults can live safely and independently.

UMA wants robotics to be a lever for resilience: machines that handle physical strain, repetitive tasks and environmental unpredictability, so people can focus on higher-value, human work.

Two Systems Designed for Complementary Real-World Use

UMA is developing two complementary systems.

  1. A mobile industrial robot with dual arms designed for environments such as warehouses and assembly lines, where precision and repeatability are essential.
  2. A compact humanoid robot designed to navigate human-centric spaces and collaborate directly with workers.

Together, these systems offer a pragmatic path toward high-reliability robotics deployment, balancing innovation with the real operational need of industry.

A Human-Centered Vision to Robotics

UMA’s approach is intentionally grounded in durability, safety and real-world performance. The company builds systems that are lightweight, repairable, with a commitment to full civilian use. UMA believes robotics should enhance human capability; bringing more safety to people, time and new possibilities.

Built for Global Scale, Backed by Global Leaders

UMA is now hiring engineers, researchers and operational specialists from around the world who want to push the boundaries of physical intelligence. The company values high standards and firmly believes world-class innovation thrives on diverse perspectives and backgrounds.

UMA is supported by global investors such as Greycroft, Relentless, Unity Growth, >Commit, Factorial, ALM Ventures and Drysdale, along with leading figures in AI including Olivier Pomel, Yann LeCun, Thomas Wolf, Soumith Chintala and Nicolas Rosberg.

Sources (selection)

Gartner, Hype Cycle for Advanced Mobile Robots 2024 ; Gartner Press Releases 2024-2025 ; Data Bridge Market Research (Warehouse Robotics, Service Robotics, Cloud Robotics) ; United Nations World Urbanization Prospects ; European Commission Eurostat 2025 ; European Data Journalism Network ; EFN – European Federation of Nurses ; Le Monde ; Euronews ; MWPVL International ; Capstone Logistics ; INSEE 2022 ; DREES ; Ministry of Ecology ; Oxfam France ; ONU ; ADEME ; Sami Éco.

About UMA

Founded in Paris in 2025, UMA develops mobile and humanoid robots powered by advanced physical intelligence and designed for real-world performance. Its team brings experience from Tesla, Google DeepMind, Nvidia and Hugging Face. Backed by a significant first round, UMA is accelerating development and preparing pilot programs in logistics, manufacturing and healthcare in 2026. UMA’s vision is to deliver intelligent robots that make work safer, that improve productivity, and make daily life better for millions.

UMA robotics intelligence team with humanoid robots at European launch event, showcasing AI innovation for real-world appl...

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Press Contacts
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Ubigi Voted Most Reliable eSIM for Mobile Professionals According to Latency Report 2025

Ubigi, a pioneer in eSIM solutions for travellers and connected professionals, has been ranked number one worldwide for connection quality according to the Latency Report 2025. This independent study evaluates eSIMs based on three key criteria: latency, jitter and packet loss.

Thanks to its cutting-edge international network infrastructure, Ubigi has established itself as the benchmark for reliability for mobile professionals. Its architecture is based on seven Packet Gateways (P-GWs) spread across Europe, Asia and the Americas, allowing data to transit through the Internet point closest to the user. The result: latency reduced by a factor of two to five depending on the area and optimal stability for video conferencing, VPN and cloud services.

Ubigi’s performance, validated by the Latency Report 2025, stands out:

These results, confirmed by tests in Lisbon, Bangkok, Mexico City and Cape Town, place Ubigi well above market standards. Four new P-GWs will be deployed over the next 12 months in North America, Europe and Africa.

Ubigi also benefits from exclusive agreements with leading operators such as Orange and AIS, ensuring seamless connectivity. “This ranking confirms our strategy: combining global infrastructure and local partnerships to guarantee a smooth and uncompromising experience,” emphasises Jacques Bonifay, President of Transatel.

Designed for international teams, travelling consultants and global SMEs, Ubigi for Business meets the connectivity needs of businesses seeking to combine quality, security and cost control.
Where others promise theoretical speeds, Ubigi guarantees a smooth, reliable and continuous connection – anywhere in the world.

Ubigi eSIM ranked top for reliability in Latency Report 2025, highlighting superior connection quality for professionals.

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Press contact: Christelle Alamichel – christelle@aplusconseils.com

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MVNO Europe – Europe’s Competitiveness Depends on a Truly Open Telecoms Market, Not on Increased Concentration That Benefits a Handful of Mobile Operators

This is the warning that MVNO Europe – through its President Jacques Bonifay – has issued to the European Commission in an open letter to Ursula von der Leyen and Vice-President Henna Virkkunen. As discussions on the Digital Networks Act (DNA) enter their decisive phase, the association, which brings together alternative mobile operators in Europe, points out that the EU’s digital ambition can only be achieved if competition remains a structuring principle, not an adjustment variable.

While some players are calling for “necessary” consolidation in the sector, MVNO Europe warns against a simplistic and economically dangerous vision. “Reducing the number of operators has never guaranteed innovation, access for European industries, or fair conditions for new digital services. On the contrary, the historical driver of European competitiveness has always been the diversity of players, models, technologies and services,” says Jacques Bonifay, President of MVNO Europe and CEO of Transatel.

Regularly recognised for their customer satisfaction, MVNOs are essential drivers of this diversity. However, they continue to face restrictive practices that limit their access to networks, hamper their ability to innovate and slow down the development of a truly single European market for connectivity. In his letter to the Presidency of the European Commission, Jacques Bonifay stresses that this environment directly hinders the digital transformation of strategic sectors such as the automotive industry, the Industrial Internet of Things, cross-border services and connected infrastructure.

To avoid this scenario, MVNO Europe calls on the Commission to strictly maintain the pillars of the existing framework: non-discrimination obligations in spectrum licences (Article 52(2) of the EECC), maintenance of the relevant market and significant market power (SMP) regime, and harmonisation of definitions for IoT, M2M and connected vehicles. The association is also calling for the introduction of guarantees allowing permanent roaming access for industrial services and the possibility for all operators to connect to multiple networks in each Member State, which is essential for the resilience and continuity of critical services such as connected cars and automated production lines.

For MVNO Europe, the message is clear: the DNA must be an accelerator of innovation, not a pretext for a step backwards. Europe will only remain competitive if it protects an open, contestable market that is conducive to investment for all.

Jacques Bonifay addressing telecom market competition in open letter to EU leaders during Digital Networks Act discussions

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MVNO Europe press
Manuel De Simone (MVNO Europe)
manuel@mvnoeurope.eu

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Sokin Raises $50M Series B Following 100% Year-on-Year Growth

Sokin today announced it has secured $50 million in Series B funding to accelerate its global expansion and product capabilities. The round was led by Prysm Capital (“Prysm”) and joined by Watershed Ventures, with continued participation from investment funds managed by Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital, Aurum Partners, Gary Marino, former Chief Commercial Officer at PayPal and Mark Britto, former Chief Product Officer at PayPal.

Following Prysm’s investment, Sokin’s valuation has grown substantially from last year to $300 million, with the company’s revenues increasing 100% year-on-year and up 8x since 2022.

Prysm invested in Sokin because of its rapid and profitable growth, demonstrating its potential to become the leader in global business payments, a market projected to see $56 trillion in transaction volume by 2030.

“Prysm’s investment validates what we’ve built and gives us the capital to scale rapidly,” said Vroon Modgill, CEO and founder of Sokin. “We’ve spent the past six years building a comprehensive financial infrastructure that makes global business faster and more efficient. For too long, payments, treasury management, and international accounts have been fragmented and outdated. We’ve built the platform that brings it all together, and this funding lets us accelerate that vision globally.”

Sokin has built a comprehensive platform that streamlines cross-border accounts payable, receivable, and treasury operations for global businesses. The company provides access to more than 70 currencies for transfers and exchanges, with the ability to hold balances in 26 currencies through multi-currency IBAN and local currency accounts, and transaction capabilities across more than 170 countries.

In the coming 12 months, the company will further build out its global infrastructure and secure additional regional licenses and banking partnerships, further extending Sokin’s global reach in markets across Asia, the Middle East and South America. Sokin also plans to invest in its platform and embedded solutions, including expanding its leading accounts payable and receivable capabilities.

“Sokin is at a transformative stage having demonstrated impressive year-on-year business growth. The company is perfectly positioned to become the definitive leader in cross-border payments. Critically, Sokin has already built the infrastructure to capitalize on what we see as a huge addressable market,” said Muhammad Mian, co-founder and partner at Prysm Capital.

“Sokin has continued to demonstrate exceptional execution and impressive growth over and above our expectations. We have every confidence the company will continue on its trajectory and spearhead the transformation of business payments and fast and efficient global commerce,” said Lincoln Isetta, managing director at Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital.

Other early investors in the company include former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand and May Capital.

About Sokin

Sokin was founded in 2019 with a simple vision to remove borders, barriers and burdens associated with international payments. Today it enables global businesses to send and exchange more than 70 currencies and hold balances in 26 currencies with its multi-currency IBAN and local currency accounts — all through one comprehensive platform that streamlines cross-border accounts payable, receivable, and treasury operations.

The company offers end-to-end payment solutions directly to business clients, and enables other organizations to offer Sokin’s payment infrastructure to their own customers, through embedded finance solutions. The company supports businesses across a wide range of verticals, from freight and logistics through to Premier League football clubs, giving them the clarity and control to run faster, scale smarter, and manage global payments with speed, efficiency and transparency.

Headquartered in the United Kingdom, the company has offices in the United States, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Mexico, Norway and India. For more information, visit www.sokin.com.

About Prysm Capital

Prysm Capital seeks to partner with disruptive and generational companies at the inflection point of accelerated growth. With offices in New York, Princeton and San Francisco, Prysm serves as a flexible source of growth capital to founders and management teams building companies in the technology and consumer sectors. For more information, visit www.prysmcapital.com.

Sokin executives celebrate $50M Series B funding led by Prysm Capital, boosting valuation to $300M for global expansion

Contact

James Hannaford, Chief Growth Officer – james.hannaford@sokin.com

Abstract

Sokin has secured $50 million in Series B funding to accelerate its global expansion and product capabilities.

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Ares Management Introduces Marq to Further Unify its Global Logistics Platform Within its Real Estate Business

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) (“Ares”), a leading global alternative investment manager, announced today that it is consolidating its global logistics real estate platforms under a single brand, Marq Logistics (“Marq”). The newly launched brand, Marq, will represent Ares’ vertically integrated global logistics real estate platform managing facilities that total more than 600 million square feet across the Americas, Europe and APAC.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251201173799/en/

Marq brings together Ares’ vertically integrated logistics real estate platform in North America and Europe, including Ares Industrial Management, with the global GLP logistics real estate platform outside of China. This follows Ares’ acquisition of the international business and certain affiliates of GLP Capital Partners Limited, which closed in March 2025.

With Marq, Ares combines its scale, expertise and integrated logistics real estate capabilities to deliver consistent, best-in-class solutions to its tenants globally as a landlord of choice.

“Marq represents an exciting next chapter for the Ares Real Estate business, building on our top three global leadership position in one of our highest conviction sectors,” said Julie Solomon, Co-Head of Ares Real Estate. “At its core, Marq aims to deliver global scale and local operational excellence to our logistics tenants through a commitment to a simple but powerful mission—to be a strategic partner in their success.”

Ares Real Estate is one of the world’s most scaled and diversified vertically integrated real estate managers with approximately $110 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2025.

About Marq Logistics

Marq is a global leader in the development and operation of modern logistics facilities and manages a portfolio of approximately 2,000 properties totaling more than 600 million square feet. With a mission to deliver institutional-quality logistics facilities and a consistent, best-in-class experience to tenants around the world, Marq’s highly specialized and dedicated team provides a powerful combination of global scale with local experience. Learn more at https://us.glp.com/ or https://eu.glp.com/.

About Ares Management Corporation

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, real estate, private equity and infrastructure asset classes. We seek to advance our stakeholders’ long-term goals by providing flexible capital that supports businesses and creates value for our investors and within our communities. By collaborating across our investment groups, we aim to generate consistent and attractive investment returns throughout market cycles. As of September 30, 2025, Ares Management Corporation’s global platform had over $595 billion of assets under management, with operations across North America, South America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.aresmgmt.com.

Ares Management unveils Marq brand for global logistics platform integration in real estate business strategy

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media@aresmgmt.com

🎥 Ares Management Introduces Marq

VIDEO: Ares Management Introduces Marq

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