Day: 4 October 2021

Purchase Empowers Bernhard to Continue its Leadership in the Energy-as-a-Service Market

NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”), a leading global independent infrastructure investment fund manager, through its fund DIF Infrastructure VI, today announced an agreement to acquire Bernhard, LLC (“Bernhard”) the largest privately-owned Energy-as-a-Service (“EaaS”) solutions company in the United States, from an affiliate of Bernhard Capital Partners.

Bernhard has provided solutions to its customers’ energy and infrastructure needs for more than 100 years and shifted its focus in 2014 to becoming a leading Energy-as-a-Service provider. As part of this business model, Bernhard enters into long-term turnkey EaaS concession contracts to upgrade, retrofit and service large existing building energy facilities in order to achieve substantial energy savings. Clients are currently predominantly higher education and healthcare institutions. To date, Bernhard has closed 15 EaaS transactions, including the largest EaaS concession in U.S. history. Senior management will retain a meaningful ownership position and continue its groundbreaking work leading Bernhard.

“Bernhard delivers distributed energy through its unique EaaS model which provides clients access to fully integrated and efficient energy solutions, thereby significantly reducing the carbon footprint of their buildings and utility systems. Bernhard’s approach fits perfectly with DIF’s Public-Private Partnership expertise and ambition to invest in clean energy infrastructure solutions around the globe,” said Gijs Voskuyl, Partner and Head of Investments for DIF Infrastructure VI. “We are excited to partner with Bernhard’s outstanding management team and support the company in their rapid growth at the forefront of the energy transition.”

“As Bernhard continues pushing to new heights in the EaaS market, we are excited to join forces with DIF Capital Partners given its extensive experience with Public-Private Partnerships, district energy, Energy-as-a-Service projects, and a shared commitment to efficiency, ESG and sustainability,” said Ed Tinsley, Bernhard CEO. “The support and strategic counsel from DIF will help to guide Bernhard through the next chapter of its story.”

With DIF’s acquisition of Bernhard, the company will continue the acceleration of its market leading core EaaS business to healthcare and higher education facilities while expanding those services to other markets and geographies.

“The future of Bernhard has never been brighter,” said Tinsley. “Our track record proves we have the expertise and capabilities to push the industry to places it has never been before. With this announcement, we are truly at the forefront of a new era for energy solutions that will shape the world for generations to come.”

About Bernhard
Bernhard, a portfolio company of Bernhard Capital Partners, is a leading Energy-as-a-Service company delivering turnkey projects and custom solutions in the United States with 100+ years of energy and infrastructure project experience servicing higher education, healthcare, commercial and specialty markets. Bernhard combines development, financing, design, construction and operations to deliver turnkey Energy-as-a-Service solutions that reduce energy use, risk and cost so that our clients can focus on their everyday work. Headquartered in Metairie, Louisiana, Bernhard has more than 2,000 employees in more than 20 office locations across the country. For more information, visit Bernhard.com.

About DIF Capital Partners
DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent fund manager, with more than €9.0 billion in assets under management across nine closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF has invested in more than 100 Public-Private Partnership projects over the past 16 years in sectors such as healthcare, government, and education, where the provision of energy, management of energy systems and efficiency of outputs are often a key feature of projects. DIF Capital Partners invests in greenfield and operational infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

• Traditional DIF funds, of which DIF Infrastructure Fund VI is the latest vintage, target equity investments with long-term contracted or regulated income streams including public-private partnerships, concessions, utilities, and (renewable) energy projects.
• DIF CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized economic infrastructure assets in the telecom, energy, and transportation sectors.

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 170 professionals, based in ten offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, New York, Paris, Santiago, Sydney, and Toronto. For more information please visit DIF.eu.

About Bernhard Capital Partners
Bernhard Capital Partners is a services and infrastructure-focused private equity management firm established in 2013. Bernhard Capital Partners has deployed capital in three funds across five strategies and has approximately $2.5 billion of gross assets under management and is ranked as one of Private Equity International’s 300 largest private equity firms worldwide. Bernhard Capital Partners seeks to create sustainable value by leveraging its experience in acquiring, operating, and growing services and infrastructure businesses.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC served as Bernhard’s financial advisor, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided legal counsel. Macquarie Capital (USA) Inc. served as financial advisor, White & Case LLP served as legal advisor, Black & Veatch Management Consulting served as technical advisor, RWDI served as energy advisor, Deloitte LLP (Canada) served as financial, accounting and tax advisor and Oliver Wyman as commercial advisor to DIF.

— Safeguards and future-proofs enterprise access by extending perimeter security across endpoints

— RevBits PAM and ZTN include unified visibility and analytics

MINEOLA, N.Y., Oct. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — RevBits, a software provider for a complete 360-degree cyber defense, today announced availability of RevBits Zero Trust Network (ZTN). RevBits ZTN is a thin-client application providing authenticated access for remote users and devices to applications, services and data, with comprehensive network security.

The remote workforce and third-party access are elevating the security risk for business. Moving network protection to endpoints, RevBits ZTN isolates and protects internal assets, without implementing complicated network segmentation. Supporting a default no-trust security posture, RevBits ZTN provides in-transit data security through encryption, secure access to applications and services, and network security through user and device authentication.

“As enterprise threat levels rise, rethinking cybersecurity and perimeter control is paramount,” said David Schiffer, CEO at RevBits. “It is no longer a matter of ensuring data encryption for remote users through a VPN as a complement for network security; organizations must adopt a default no-trust posture.”

Building upon its technological innovation in the access management marketplace, through the award-winning RevBits Privileged Access Management (PAM), RevBits ZTN expands access management and control to the individual user level, with unified visibility and analytics, from a single vendor.

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have been the main security tool for remote access. However, VPN protection stops at the network perimeter, leaving the internal network vulnerable. VPN provides a level of protection by encrypting data in transit and a layer of obfuscation. However, it doesn’t authenticate users or their devices, leaving the network open to attackers if VPN credentials are stolen.

RevBits ZTN provides data security with encryption and granular access control to digital assets, by authenticating all users and devices. “Based on our unique architecture and patent-pending technologies, RevBits ZTN provides best in class protection,” said Mucteba Celik, CTO at RevBits. “By combining the principles from our PAM solution, RevBits ZTN delivers data encryption, comprehensive obfuscation, granular user and machine access control, and monitoring to protect digital infrastructure.”

RevBits ZTN feature highlights

• Proxy servers located in 24 globally distributed cloud regions for fast, secure connections and automatic scaling.
• Multiple options for user authentication, including fingerprint, facial recognition, YubiKey, SAML, MFA and others.
• Control every aspect of a remote session, including monitoring, reviewing, recording and killing sessions with one click.

About RevBits

RevBits delivers new levels of security IQ through context-rich behavioral analysis, artificial intelligence and machine learning. RevBits Cyber Intelligence Platform (CIP) is a unified security platform that integrates a best-in-class suite of Detection and Response, Privileged Access Management, Email Security, Deception Technology, and Zero Trust Network solutions. RevBits empower security operations with a complete cyber defense; encrypting, authenticating, authorizing, and intelligently analyzing layered context-rich security data across the security stack. RevBits dashboard unifies cross-functional security presenting an intuitive 360-degree view. Taking cybersecurity to the next level, RevBits is innovating new capabilities, with multiple patented technologies to ensure enterprises have a security advantage. For more information, visit RevBits.

For more information contact:
Neal Hesterberg
Vice President of Business Development
RevBits
Neal.hesterberg@revbits.com

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Proprietary Index Products to be Exclusively Listed and Traded on MIAX Group Futures and Options Exchanges

PRINCETON, N.J. and MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — MIAX^®, creator and operator of high-performance securities exchanges, products and services, today announced expected launch dates for cash-settled futures contracts on BRIXX™ Commercial Real Estate (CRE) Indexes developed by Advanced Fundamentals.  BRIXX CRE Indexes track real-time changes in property values through a unique methodology using REITs as inputs to support benchmarking, hedging and portfolio allocation strategies for investors across multiple sectors.

BRIXX CRE Indexes are the first family of real estate indexes to incorporate commodity pricing to overcome the limitations of appraisal lag, self-reporting, and leverage disparities to establish an accurate view of the real estate market.  The performance of the BRIXX CRE Indexes is calculated on an unlevered basis using real-time pricing sourced from over $750 billion of institutional quality real estate.

Expected launch dates for BRIXX futures contracts are as follows:

Cash-settled futures contracts will be listed on Minneapolis Grain Exchange, LLC (MGEX™) via the CME Globex® platform and will be cleared by MGEX, a wholly owned subsidiary of MIAX’s parent holding company, Miami International Holdings.  The launch of BRIXX Futures contracts remain subject to regulatory approval.

For more information about the BRIXX CRE Indexes and BRIXX CRE derivatives, please visit https://www.miaxoptions.com/brixx/overview.

Corporate Communications Contacts:

MIAX
Andy Nybo, SVP, Chief Communications Officer
609-955-2091
anybo@miami-holdings.com

About MIAX
MIAX’s parent holding company, Miami International Holdings, Inc., owns Miami International Securities Exchange, LLC (MIAX^®), MIAX PEARL, LLC (MIAX Pearl^®), MIAX Emerald, LLC (MIAX Emerald^®), the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, LLC (MGEX), and the Bermuda Stock Exchange (BSX).

MIAX, MIAX Pearl and MIAX Emerald are national securities exchanges registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that leverage MIAX’s industry-leading technology and infrastructure to provide U.S. listed options trading to their member firms. MIAX serves as the exclusive exchange venue for cash-settled options on the SPIKES^® Volatility Index (Ticker: SPIKE), a measure of the expected 30-day volatility in the SPDR^® S&P 500^® ETF (SPY). In addition to options, MIAX Pearl facilitates the trading of cash equities through MIAX Pearl Equities™.

MGEX is a registered exchange with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and is a Notice Registered Securities Futures Product Exchange with the SEC. MGEX serves as the exclusive market for a variety of products, including Hard Red Spring Wheat and SPIKES Futures. In addition, MGEX is a Designated Contract Market (DCM) and Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO) under the CFTC, providing DCM, DCO and cash market services in an array of asset classes.

The BSX is a leading electronic international securities market regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA) specializing in the listing and trading of capital market instruments such as equities, debt issues, funds, hedge funds, derivative warrants and insurance linked securities. A full member of the World Federation of Exchanges and affiliate member of the International Organization of Securities Commissions, the BSX is globally recognized, including by the SEC.

MIAX’s executive offices and National Operations Center are located in Princeton, NJ, with additional offices located in Miami, FL, Minneapolis, MN, and Hamilton, Bermuda.

To learn more about MIAX visit www.MIAXOptions.com.

To learn more about MGEX visit www.mgex.com.

To learn more about the BSX visit www.BSX.com.

Disclaimer and Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities of Miami International Holdings, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, the Company), and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer; solicitation or sale would be unlawful. This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “may”, “future”, “plan” or “planned”, “will” or “should”, “expected,” “anticipates”, “draft”, “eventually” or “projected”. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

All third-party trademarks (including logos and icons) referenced by the Company remain the property of their respective owners. Unless specifically identified as such, the Company’s use of third-party trademarks does not indicate any relationship, sponsorship, or endorsement between the owners of these trademarks and the Company. Any references by the Company to third-party trademarks is to identify the corresponding third-party goods and/or services and shall be considered nominative fair use under the trademark law.

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NEW YORK, Oct. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The United Nations has announced that it will approve designating 7 October of each year as World Cotton Day on its permanent calendar. First launched in 2019 at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) headquarters in Geneva, World Cotton Day continues to grow each year.

On World Cotton Day, stakeholders from the global cotton community come together to speak on the many benefits of cotton including the facts that:

• Cotton is grown in over 70 countries and provides an income to hundreds of millions of people every year.
• A single ton of cotton provides year-round employment for an estimated 5 or 6 people (often in some of the most impoverished places on earth.)
• Cotton is the only agricultural crop to provide both food and fiber.
• Cotton has a negative carbon footprint and degrades 95% more than polyester in wastewater helping to keep our land and water clean.

The event theme for 2021 is ‘Cotton for Good’ to celebrate the fiber’s enduring positive impact. A virtual celebration will feature notable speakers such as Bert Jacobs, CEO and Co-Founder of Life is Good, and Maxine Bédat, Director of New Standard Institute. Other global industry experts include Cotton Council International, Viterra India, International Cotton Advisory Committee, Better Cotton Initiative, and African Cotton Foundation. Keynote topics include responsible fashion, sustainability, and the importance of cotton in countries around the world.

With the cotton industry’s focus on sustainability, attendees will learn about the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol®, which aligns with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals to bring quantifiable and verifiable goals and measurement to sustainable cotton production.

To learn more about the activities planned for World Cotton Day, please visit www.worldcottonday.com. Follow #WorldCottonDay on social media and join the global conversation.

نيويورك, 4 أكتوبر 2021 — /PRNewswire/ أعلنت الأمم المتحدة أنها ستصادق على تخصيص يوم 7 أكتوبر من كل عام يومًا عالميًا للقطن في تقويمها الدائم. وقد تم إطلاقه لأول مرة في عام 2019 في المقر الرئيسي لمنظمة التجارة العالمية (WTO) في جنيف، ويستمر اليوم العالمي للقطن في النمو كل عام.

في اليوم العالمي للقطن، يجتمع أصحاب المصالح من مجتمع القطن العالمي للتحدث عن المزايا العديدة للقطن بما في ذلك حقائق:

• أن القطن تتم زراعته في أكثر من 70 دولة ويوفر دخلاً لمئات الملايين من الناس كل عام.
• يوفر طن واحد من القطن فرص عمل على مدار العام لما يُقدَّر بـ 5 أو 6 أشخاص (غالبًا في بعض أكثر الأماكن فقرًا على وجه الأرض).
• القطن هو المحصول الزراعي الوحيد الذي يوفر كلاً من الغذاء والألياف.
• يمتلك القطن بصمة كربونية سلبية ويتحلل بنسبة 95٪ أكثر من البوليستر في مياه الصرف الصحي مما يساعد في الحفاظ على نظافة أرضنا ومياهنا.

موضوع الحدث لعام 2021 هو ‘القطن من أجل الخير’ من أجل الاحتفال بالتأثير الإيجابي الدائم للألياف. وسيضم الاحتفال الافتراضي متحدثين بارزين مثل بيرت جاكوبس، الرئيس التنفيذي والمؤسس المشارك لشركة لايف إز جود (Life is Good)، وماكسين بيدات، مديرة معهد نيو ستاندرد. ومن بين خبراء الصناعة العالميين الآخرين مجلس القطن الدولي وفيترا إنديا (Viterra India)، واللجنة الاستشارية الدولية للقطن، ومبادرة القطن الأفضل (Better Cotton)، ومؤسسة القطن الأفريقي. وتشمل الموضوعات الرئيسية الموضة المسؤولة، والاستدامة، وأهمية القطن في البلدان حول العالم.

ومع تركيز صناعة القطن على الاستدامة، سيتعرف الحاضرون على بروتوكول الثقة في القطن الأمريكي®، والذي يتماشى مع أهداف التنمية المستدامة للأمم المتحدة من أجل تحقيق أهداف قابلة للقياس والتحقق منها والقياس لإنتاج القطن المستدام.

لمعرفة المزيد عن الأنشطة المخطَّط لها لليوم العالمي للقطن، يُرجى زيارة www.worldcottonday.com. تابع WorldCottonDay# على وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي وانضم إلى المحادثة العالمية.

GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Lifestyle product retailer MINISO (NYSE: MNSO) has opened its new flagship store in United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sept 24. Located in Dubai Mall, one of the most prestigious shopping malls in UAE, the 387 square meters flagship store set a new sales record for the opening day

The Dubai Mall’s flagship store is the fifth MINISO’s new store since the pandemic began in 2020. So far, MINISO has opened 25 stores in UAE and five stores in Oman.

“Since January 2020, we have experienced varying degrees of restrictions in this market, including lockdowns and curfews. The pandemic has also prompted a shake-up of the entire offline retail industry. We seized the opportunity by entering some of UAE’s top malls and opening new stores that create an enjoyable shopping experience for our customers,” said Jack Li, Regional Director of MINISO.

MINISO has adapted to the challenges posed by the pandemic in the UAE. When customers are not able to visit the offline stores during the pandemic, MINISO allows new communication using social media. To increase digital transformation amid the pandemic, since March 2020, MINISO has also worked with locally well-known online platforms such as Amazon, NOON, and MAF for selling its products. This becomes MINISO’s commitment to strengthen relationships with enterprise customers while establishing cooperation with more local online platforms.

The new physical stores: adapting to the changing customer needs

For physical stores, MINISO has also changed its in-store layout and product structure. In response to the surging demand for online learning during the pandemic, MINISO set up a digital learning products area in its stores. Special areas are also set up for popular hygiene products.

MINISO has conducted regular market research and identified the changing customer needs in UAE, such as home furnishing and accessories products. As a result, MINISO has built up a wall of accessories in the stores, which has become an attraction and led to the good sales performance of corresponding categories.

Through close conversations with customers, keeping an eye on the changing customer needs, and taking initiative actions in response to the uncertainties, MINISO continues its exploration with the UAE market. Going forward, MINISO aims to strengthen collaboration with UAE’s internet celebrities, in order to increase brand awareness across the UAE market and provide local customers with a more pleasant shopping experience.

About MINISO Group

MINISO is a lifestyle product retailer, offering high-quality household goods, cosmetics, food, and toys at affordable prices. Since its first store opened in Guangzhou in 2013, MINISO has 4,749 stores in 99 countries and regions as of June 30, 2021. With a focus on sleek design and fun trends, its mission is to enable everyone to enjoy life’s little surprises.

For more information, please visit
https://www.instagram.com/miniso.official/
www.miniso.com

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JAKARTA, Indonesia, Oct. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — DESTEN, an ultra-fast charging battery pack and solution provider, is introducing the world’s first ultra-fast charging solution alongside a DESTEN designed and engineered electric car which can charge from 0% to 80% state of charge in 4 minutes and 40 seconds.

This breakthrough technology showcase will be introduced to the world in Jakarta this week. Later, DESTEN plans to showcase these innovations in a global roadshow starting in Asia, then The Middle East, Europe, and North America.

DESTEN’s ultra-fast charger, packed with 900kW of power, will be able to charge a DESTEN battery-powered car to achieve 500 km of range in less than 5-minutes.

Electric car adoption

The rollout of ultra-fast charging technology aims to overcome the major challenges in EV adoption, addressing drivers’ range and charging anxiety. DESTEN’s ultra-fast charging solutions enable drivers to charge an electric car as quickly as refueling a traditional combustion engine-powered car.

DESTEN’s ultra-fast charging makes charging more accessible for EV drivers in urban and high-density areas, as well as reducing the total number of charging systems required to service EV charging demand.

“Five-minute charging can make electric cars far more appealing than they are today as we don’t require a change in driving behaviors, leveraging the same publicly available petrol station infrastructures. Soon you will be able to purchase electric cars with DESTEN batteries inside, you will not have to wait to charge your car at a charging station any longer than it takes you to fuel your combustion car today,” said Siamak Kia, CEO of DESTEN Group.

Innovative battery technology

DESTEN’s ultra-fast charging capability is the result of its breakthrough discoveries in materials and cell structures, featuring novel chemical formulations produced on a custom manufacturing line. The cell can achieve an industry-leading 3,000 cycles and over 1.5 million kilometres of total driving range.

Fast charging usually entails high levels of heat build-up within batteries. Despite ultra-fast charging speeds, DESTEN batteries retain high thermal stability, remaining cool throughout operation. The batteries are also certified by external testing organizations to maintain temperatures of less than 15 degrees centigrade above ambient temperatures during operation.

Unlike other batteries, DESTEN battery cells do not require water cooling. This reduces costs and battery cooling systems’ weight, resulting in energy and cost savings.

DESTEN’s ultra-fast charging cells also allow for much-improved energy recuperation from driving. This creates the opportunity to design smaller battery packs for electric vehicles which cost less, making EVs more affordable.

With UN 38.3 certification, the battery has passed all safety tests, making it an ideal technology for automotive-grade battery solutions.

Better for the environment

The environment is one area in particular which DESTEN believes its eco-friendly battery technology can make a positive contribution to fighting climate change.

DESTEN’s battery cell technology is produced from primarily renewable energy sources, resulting in a smaller carbon footprint.

“As our batteries last many times longer than typical electric car batteries, our technologies are environmentally friendlier and more sustainable. At the end of their life in an electric car, our batteries can be used in energy storage systems for various applications, expanding their useful life,” said Kia.

Cities of the future

DESTEN’s technology provides advanced solutions for the ‘Smart Grid’ infrastructures for Future Cities.

These solutions address key challenges in energy transmission and management, such as frequency regulation and solving increased energy demand resulting from the proliferation of electric vehicles on the roads. DESTEN’s energy storage solutions also provide access to power for remote communities and off-grid industrial sites.

“DESTEN and Indonesia’s government have common goals to electrify mobility and integrate more sustainable energy projects into the existing grid. With the shift towards renewable energy in Indonesia and huge economic potential from the development of the entire battery value chain, Indonesia will strengthen its position as a global hub in energy innovation and one of the leaders of the international sustainability movement,” said Kia.

With the innovative technology from DESTEN, local governments, industries and academic institutes will be able to drive innovation in partnership with DESTEN to bring ultra-fast charging solutions and battery packs for electric cars to local and global markets.

For more information, visit www.Desten.com

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