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Ethereum Rollups Need to Improve in These Four Areas: Huobi Research Institute Report

Huobi Research Institute

Huobi Research Institute, the leading blockchain research organization, today published a 23-page report on Ethereum rollup solutions, titled “ How Far is Rollup from Maturity: A Dive into Rollup’s Development Path.” In the report, Huobi Research Institute analyst Barry Jiang points out some of the drawbacks of Ethereum rollup solutions, and what’s needed for them to reach mass adoption. Layer 2 rollups build virtual “super highways” on top of Ethereum that process transactions off-chain and post the corresponding data back on the blockchain. This enables the on-chain reconstruction of the off-chain transactions, and enables them to have the same security as those conducted on the Ethereum chain. These rollups are designed to help solve scaling problems on the Ethereum blockchain, which has recently seen a rise in traffic bottlenecks and lost market share to emerging competitors such as Solana and Terra. Yet rollups have not been growing as fast as predicted – their total value locked (TVL) only occupies around 5% of the Ethereum market. Less than 20% of Ethereum projects have been migrated using rollups, and active addresses using them account for less than 1%. In short, adoption of layer 2 rollup solutions has yet to take off. Four Reasons Why Rollups Aren’t Taking Off In the report, analyst Barry Jiang breaks down four main reasons that are preventing rollups from taking off in the market: Poor user experience. Optimistic rollups such as Optimism and Arbitrum, in which off-chain transactions are validated with fraud proofs, can only complete cash-outs when the dispute resolution period closes, which can take days. Its transaction fees are also not low enough to entice users. Additionally, interoperability among various rollup types is low, making the inflow of funds inconvenient. Low capital efficiency. This is related to the above, in that users’ funds are locked up during the dispute resolution period. Security issues. Users are concerned with potential security incidents that may arise with rollup transactions. More centralized project operations aggravate the risk of single point of failure, and the use of fast cross-chain bridges increases security risks. Compatibility issues with EVM. ZK Rollups, which are supposed to solve some of the abovementioned problems with optimistic rollups, are incompatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), the software platform that developers use to create decentralized applications (DApps). This means that applications cannot migrate. What Needs to Happen for Rollups to Go Mainstream The author raises four possible solutions for rollups, and how they could be improved: To improve user experience, efforts need to be focused on bridging and enabling more convenient deposits via exchanges. Fees could be reduced due to smaller data uploads, increasing off-chain processing efficiency. Capital efficiency could be enhanced by concentrating liquidity. To elevate the level of security, a focus should be placed on decentralized operations and the insertion of forced cash-out rules. Application migration difficulties could be mitigated by more R&D on zkEVM, the first EVM-compatible ZK Rollup on the Ethereum network, which just announced its test network release at the end of February. The development of zkEVM is promising in that it can cover a wider range of applications, would have a lower fee structure, and is capable of more complex calculations and transactions. Its testnet now supports cash-out and transfers, and will add more functions in the future. However, research and development on zkEVM will take time, and a fully functional version would require compatibility with other EVM-friendly tools. To download the full report, click here. About Huobi Research Institute Huobi Blockchain Application Research Institute (referred to as "Huobi Research Institute") was established in April 2016. It is committed to researching and exploring new developments in the global blockchain industry. Its goal is to accelerate the research and development of blockchain technology, promote its applications, and improve the global blockchain industry ecosystem. Huobi Research Institute covers industry trends, emerging technologies, innovative applications, new business models, and more. Huobi Research Institute partners with governments, enterprises, universities and other institutions to build a research platform that covers the entire blockchain industry. Its professionals provide a solid theoretical basis and analyze new trends to promote the development of the industry. Contact Details Huobi Group Ker Zheng media@global-hgroup.com Company Website https://huobiresearch.medium.com/

March 14, 2022 05:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Investis Digital Announces Strategic Hires

Investis Digital

Investis Digital, a leading global digital communications company, announced that it has expanded its European leadership team with the addition of Ian Gardiner, UK Head of Client Services; Khaleelah Jones, Director of Digital Marketing, and Al Loehnis, an Investis Digital co-founder who is returning to the company in the position of Director of Strategic Business Development, Europe. All appointments will be based in London. Ian Gardiner joins from Homeflow, a leading provider of managed digital services to the real estate sector. At Investis Digital, Ian will serve as Head of UK Client Services and will be responsible for the delivery and development of the company’s 24/7 client service model. Khaleelah Jones is the founder and former CEO of Careful Feet Digital, a boutique London-based digital agency that was acquired by Cohesis in 2021. Khaleelah has a track record of Digital leadership and she joins Investis Digital to build out and lead the European performance marketing capabilities. Al Loehnis will focus on Investis Digital’s IR and Corporate Communications solutions as Director of Strategic Business Development. In this new role, Al will oversee the UK arm of the company’s business development team and he will support key strategic growth initiatives across the region. “We are delighted to welcome Ian, Khaleelah, and Al to the team” said Adrian Goodliffe, Senior Managing Director, Europe. “These appointments come at a time of continued growth and expansion for the company, and they reflect our commitment to increased client service, keeping our solutions ahead of the market, and delivering measurable business value. We are looking forward to a great 2022!” Commenting on his return to the business he helped start, Al Loehnis said “The experience of the last two years has forced companies to think fresh about a digital-first communications approach and we can play a pivotal role in helping our clients realise that opportunity. It’s been great to reconnect with some old colleagues and to meet so many new, talented people. It’s an exciting time to be re-joining the business and I’m really looking forward to the next leg of the Investis Digital journey.” Investis Digital has been at the forefront of digital communications for two decades. Over time we have gained deep sector knowledge, invested in leading technologies, and built lasting and trusted relationships with more than1600 global companies, including Ascential, Anglo American, Rolls-Royce, Fruit of the Loom and Vodafone. Through a proprietary approach we call Connected Content™, we unite compelling communications, intelligent digital experiences, and performance marketing to help companies build deeper connections with audiences and drive business performance. We tell brand stories through strategic and engaging content that meets your audiences at the right time, in the right place, with the right message. We build and run intelligent websites and digital experiences that are rapidly deployed and strategically measured, underpinned by our secure, world-leading Connect.ID technology and 24/7 service. We find the audiences that matter most through powerful performance marketing solutions that optimize and amplify your brand across all touchpoints. This unique blend of expertise, technology and “always on” service allow clients to trust that their digital footprint and brand reputation is secure and protected 24/7 by our dedicated team of 500 digital experts across 9 global offices. To learn more on how Investis Digital has been powering digital communications since 2000, please visit: www.InvestisDigital.com Contact Details Investis Digital MaryAlina Mathew +1 646-766-9040 maryalina@investisdigital.com Company Website https://www.investisdigital.com

March 14, 2022 04:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

ibble Announces General Availability and Super Event Feature

ibble

Learn more at www.getibble.com or sxsw.getibble.com ibble, the social media app focused on authentic conversations and engagement, is coming out stealth in style as the unofficial app of SXSW. Making the partnership even more powerful and expanding on ibble's ability to facilitate conversations, the social media app also announces the Super Events feature. "When you ask a marketer what the best way is to market, they almost always say 'word of mouth' marketing. But when you ask where they spend their money it is rarely on word-of-mouth marketing," said Raymond Kaminski, CEO, and co-founder of ibble. "The way we built ibble, companies can now see and hear the power of word-of-mouth marketing. Our Super Events feature only adds to this by showing what was most talked about at SXSW, removing the hype and getting into the conversations that matter most – yours," "We're big believers in ibble because it allows creators and brands to connect with their audience in a more authentic way compared to the social media platforms of the last decade," said Mitch Morales, Founding Partner, Managing Director at Unknown Ventures. "The new Super Event feature is a great example of how the app generates new valuable touchpoints for users by blending digital and IRL experience." ibble is built with distinct features that positively impact how, when, and why people communicate on the social media app. With ibble, you do more than simply follow, explore and share. ibble makes conversations better by allowing users to learn and gain new perspectives through friends "sparking" conversations sharing news to the ibble community or a private group of friends. Because ibble bases conversations and questions on audio or video, it is easier to see others' true perspectives, connect at a deeper level, ask questions. Experts and influencers have the freedom to choose how and when to talk with their community without losing the conversation. "Our Super Event feature allows people to dive deeper into events, connecting with brands and participants at a deeper level," said Irving Lee, Co-founder, and Head of Partnerships. "We have built an innovative platform that bridges social media, engagement, and events with Super Events that captures experiences and conversations in one single place, and that is something that has never been available before." The Super Event feature was built to connect event participants deeper with brands, the event itself, and other participants. Super Event also removes FOMO (fear of missing out) by allowing people to be everywhere at once by showcasing everything happening at the event and giving the end-user the ability to move between experiences fluidly and virtually. Through ibble, users are given the unique experience to ask event experts questions before getting on stage. With the spark feature, ibble users can spin-off conversations to share their perspectives with video or audio. More importantly, these sparked conversations continue to grow and gain depth long after the event or presentation has ended. "The Super Event feature will improve the participant experience, speaker experience, and overall event. With ibble event badge holders, creators and partners will be able to take full advantage of the event without feeling the pain of being pulled in too many directions," added Mr. Kaminski. About Ibble.io Ibble.io is the social media app that enables experts and their communities to directly engage through audio and video conversations. Ibble makes events more accessible and adds depth through back-and-forth video and audio posts. Learn more at https://www.getibble.com/ Contact Details Jason Jepson +1 949-394-7033 press@ibble.io Company Website https://www.getibble.com/

March 11, 2022 10:30 AM Eastern Standard Time

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100ms secures $20M funding round to enable the next generation of live video apps

100ms

Live Video infrastructure startup, 100ms, today announced their Series A funding round of $20M led by Falcon Edge's Alpha Wave Incubation, with participation from Matrix Partners India and LocalGlobe, along with existing investors Accel and Strive.vc. 100ms is enabling product creators to add live video interactions for online classrooms, virtual events, audio rooms, online communities, telehealth, and more. “Zoom and similar products helped us through the surge in digital adoption. We are missing one very important fact though - real 1:1 experiences cannot always be boxed into Zoom video tiles. Our belief is, going forward all companies will embed video experiences into their apps. 100ms provides the best-in-class infrastructure to power these video experiences.”, shares Abhinav Chaturvedi, Partner at Accel, on the continuation of the partnership from the seed stage. “Online gyms are asking trainees to report their injuries. Online schools are adding libraries, and enabling 1-1 help sessions. Online dating apps are looking to recreate better virtual meeting experiences. 100ms is enabling product makers to imagine and add sophisticated live-engagement, by abstracting the complexities of video streaming.” Anirudh Singh, Managing Director at Falcon Edge's Alpha Wave Incubation, commented on leading the round. With customers like WhiteHat Jr, Circle, Paytm Insider, Frontrow, and Kutumb, 100ms announced that it has witnessed over 20X growth in usage metrics over the last quarter. With this round of funding, the company aims to allow developers to build and deploy enterprise-class video applications in hours. "Mainstream video conferencing solutions are good enough, but not best-in-class for someone building a video-first business. Whether it’s online fitness, e-learning, gaming, or shopping, we’re very early in the journey of video-first experiences and the 100ms team has built a great product with phenomenal early traction. We’re excited to partner with Kshitij and Aniket in building a video-first future." said Pranay Desai, Principal, Matrix India. “Building and managing video infrastructure at scale is a non-trivial problem for most organizations”, said Kshitij Gupta, CEO at 100ms and former VP, Engineering at Disney-Hotstar. “Our goal is to make it easy for businesses of all sizes to deliver deeper-than-physical live video experiences within their products in less than half-dozen lines of code.” About 100ms 100ms aims to bring real-life interactions to the virtual world by providing world-class developer tooling for live video. Founded by engineers that built the video infrastructure at Facebook and Disney, 100ms has the vision to build rich, bespoke, and deeper-than-physical experiences for businesses and people. For more information, visit https://100ms.live or follow @100mslive. About Matrix Partners India Matrix Partners India is an investment firm with approximately $1 billion under management. Founded in 2006, the firm invests in Indian companies targeting the consumer and enterprise market at seed, early, and early growth stages. Matrix India has invested in several market-leading companies such as Ola (mobility), Dailyhunt (mobile local language platform), Razorpay (payments), OfBusiness (B2B Commerce, fintech), Five Star Business Finance (SME lending), Ola Electric (electric vehicles), DealShare (social commerce platform), Stanza Living (tech-enabled student housing platform), OneCard (mobile-first credit card), Country Delight (D2C dairy & fresh foods brand), GoKwik (e-commerce enablement platform), Captain Fresh (seafood marketplace), Bijnis (B2B platform for factories), MoEngage (intelligent marketing cloud platform), Superops (MSP software), Zupee (skill-based gaming app), Rocketlane (Customer onboarding software) and Itilite (corporate travel SaaS platform) among others. Matrix India has advisory offices in Bangalore, Delhi, and Mumbai. Matrix Partners has a global network of funds investing in the US, China, and India, with approximately $5 billion under management. Further information is available at www.matrixpartners.in. To know more about our investment philosophy & ideologies, check out the #MatrixMoments podcast. About Accel Accel is a global venture capital firm that is the first partner to exceptional teams everywhere, from inception through all phases of private company growth. Accel has been operating in India since 2008, and its investments include companies like BookMyShow, Browserstack, Flipkart, Freshworks, FalconX, Chargebee, Clevertap, Cure Fit, Musigma, Moneyview, Myntra, Moglix, Ninjacart, Swiggy, Stanza Living, Urban Company, Zetwerk, and Zenoti, among many others. We help ambitious entrepreneurs build iconic global businesses. For more, visit www.accel.com or https://twitter.com/Accel_India. About Strive.vc STRIVE is a B2B/SaaS-focused fund with over 80 investments across India, Southeast Asia, and Japan, and managing over $200M in AUM. The firm has invested in several dev infra and SaaS companies in India including Hasura, Testsigma, and Classplus. Contact Details Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://www.100ms.live/

March 11, 2022 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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Alexanders Grace Secures Angel Funding for New Automated Influencer Marketing Platform

Alexanders Grace

First-of-its-kind platform brings transparency, hyper-targeting, and attribution to marketing and e-commerce, connecting social influencers, brands, and agencies; AG empowers celebrity through micro influencers to grow and monetize social presence Alexanders Grace, a first-of-its kind automated influencer marketing platform, today announced that it has received funding from angel investor and Baltimore business icon, Steven DeCastro. For businesses that want to leverage social influencers for marketing to target audiences, Alexanders Grace is a free solution that matches brands with influencers using pre-determined filters, organizational campaign goals, and assigns a publicly accessible Influencer Trust Score (ITS) that reflects an individual’s effectiveness and value. “AG provides brands with choice and control while compensating users for their engagement,” said Alexanders Grace CEO and Co-founder, Brad Bergersen. “For influencer marketing agencies, our platform offers a new channel for increasing their respective clients’ visibility and for creating new streams of recurring revenue.” Influencer engagement is a widely popular marketing practice, yet many brands struggle with attribution and measuring campaign ROI. Alexanders Grace not only solves transparency issues with its proprietary technology, but also incentivizes average citizens to monetize their social presence. According to industry data, engagement rate, such as the total number of likes, comments, and shares, is the best indicator of campaign effectiveness. Higher engagement rates lead to more awareness, conversions, and quantifiable ROI. “In a world where Facebook generates four million likes every minute, and in which more than 100 million photos are uploaded to Instagram daily, both influencers and brands need to build a following of targeted, engaged consumers to be relevant. The alternative is obscurity and no brand recognition. “Alexanders Grace helps you stand out on social media, providing a pipeline for consistent growth,” added Bergersen. “In addition, Alexanders Grace lets brands and users search influencers for free, which is something nobody else is offering.” AG serves as a pipeline for organic engagement with brands’ products and services. Influencers with the highest engagement rates are not famous people, but rather micro and nano influencers: ordinary people with under 10,000 followers for whom net engagement rates are between three to six times higher than that of a celebrity. AG aggregates myriad nano and micro influencers to create the perfect profile. “Imagine a smaller influencer with 10,000 followers who runs a coffee lovers review site that sells specialty products such as French presses, custom branded beans, organic filters, and other related items,” said Alexanders Grace Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Scott Mitchell. “While this person may not have a global presence comparable to actors, professional athletes, or high-profile media personalities, she does, however, have dedicated fans who comprise a highly-targeted audience that trusts and acts on her recommendations. “By leveraging big data and automation, AG has revolutionized the process of how influencers, brands, and customers interact.” Influencers on AG are compensated for supporting campaigns with posts from their respective social media accounts that funnel traffic to a brand’s web store. Important to note is that Alexanders Grace covers all costs from post to store checkout, in addition to managing communications, logistics and shipping. AG will also pay users for participating in surveys. To sign up for Alexanders Grace, please visit www.AlexandersGrace.com. ABOUT ALEXANDERS GRACE Headquartered in Baltimore, MD, Alexanders Grace is an automated influencer marketing and engagement platform that connects brands with the people who can reach their respective target audiences. Visit www.AlexandersGrace.com to launch your influencer journey! Contact Details Mostafa Razzak +1 917-912-0623 m.razzak@jmrconnect.net

March 10, 2022 10:32 AM Eastern Standard Time

BNPL fintech in3 secures $11.1m Series A from Finch Capital; partners with Worldline of offer free BNPL services

in3

in3, a leading Dutch Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) fintech business, has today announced a $11.1m funding round from Finch Capital as growth soars. In addition to this, in3 are today launching free BNPL services for consumers, starting in the Netherlands, through an innovative partnership with global digital payments leader Worldline. Working with payment service partners, in3 offers consumers the ability to pay for purchases in three instalments at zero costs: no interest or transaction costs and without credit registration. Current customers include Kwik Fit, EP, La Souris, Matt sleeps, Dekbed-Discounter. Through their partnership with WorldLine, in3 will provide them with a technology stack that will allow both online and offline merchants, who are part of the Worldline network, to offer BNPL payment services to its customers without additional integrations. The BNPL payment in the Netherlands is expected to grow by 74.8% in 2022 reaching $7.6b. This growth has been spurred on businesses moving online and by the growth of ecommerce, more generally. The pandemic certainly helped propel the move to online. Looking ahead, the BNPL payment adoption is expected to grow steadily at a CAGR of 32.8% over the next 6 years. The BNPL Gross Merchandise Value in the country will increase from $4.3b in 2021 to reach $41.7b million in 2028. Hans Langenhuizen, CEO in3: “We will be supporting Worldline’s merchants by enabling them to offer BNPL to consumers at no fee. We look forward to working with their team and customers. This is testament to the robust platform of in3 and our dedicated team to create seamless integrations with all our partners.” in3 was created in 2018 as an antidote to the traditional BNPL market, Hans Langenhuizen reflected on the early days: “Our founding team was part of the early wave of the BNPL movement in the early 2010s. It quickly became a crowded market so we stood back and took a fresh look at the BNPL model and saw several limitations in all of the available products. First, you need to pay the full amount within 14 days and there are very low spending limits. At the same time we noticed a demand to pay larger expenses in instalments. But paying in instalments has even more disadvantages for consumers such as high interest rates and they are documented in their national credit register. These products benefit from people who cannot afford to buy at one time. This was not sustainable from perspective.” “in3 was our honest approach to offer BNPL to consumers without costs which effectively allowed people to pay in 3 instalments within sixty days, with 0% interest. Because of the term of 60 days, a registration in the credit registers is not required. This gives the consumer the possibility to buy what they want instead of compromising on quality products. For example, you can buy that refrigerator at no extra cost and then you have three salaries to pay for it. Our merchants profit from in3 in their checkout as well: it results in a substantial increase in transactions and importantly, a higher average transaction value. We see that the buyer more often goes for the more expensive product.” Erwin Oudshoorn, Manager Direct Sales Netherlands: “BNPL is a tremendous value add for merchants in today’s uncertain times and we are thrilled to work with the team at in3 to expand our service offerings.” To support the company’s rapid growth, In3 has secured a $11.1m funding round from Finch Capital. The capital will be used to further build out the technology platform and continuously invest in improved customer satisfaction through strategic hiring across the entire team. Radboud Vlaar, MD Finch Capital: ‘’in3 has demonstrated a steady and consistent growth trajectory due to its strong technological capabilities and management which has enabled it to provide BNPL to Dutch consumers through integrations with payments providers. The company is enabling a truly omnichannel payments solution.’’ About In3 In3, founded in 2018, provides more than 1,500 online and offline merchants with Buy Now Pay Later payment solutions. Working with payment partners, it offers consumers the ability to pay for purchases in three instalments at zero costs: no interest - or transaction costs and without credit registration. With its seamless technology platform and consumer friendly approach, in3 scores an average customer satisfaction of 9.3/10 according to kiyoh.com. This year’s goals are to enter the German market and roll-out an in-store solution. For more information: http://www.payin3.eu/. About Finch Capital Founded in 2013, Finch Capital is a series A/B investor in high-growth financial technologies companies run by exceptional entrepreneurs. Our mission is to fund and support the best entrepreneurs creating products that will shape the future of finance. We leverage our international network and industry expertise to enable our portfolio companies to grow into leaders in their field. We have a track-record of backing future industry champions including AccountsIQ, Aylien, BUX, Brickblock, Brytlyt, Fixico, Fourthline, Goodlord, Grab, Hiber, Twisto and ZOPA. Finch Capital consists of a team of 12 investment professionals with wide entrepreneurial experience (e.g. Adyen, Deliveroo, Deepmind), prior investment experience (e.g. Accel, Atomico, Egeria) and industry backgrounds (e.g. Facebook, Google and McKinsey), located across offices in Amsterdam, London and Jakarta. Finch Capital is an active producer of original research on the State of European Fintech and the Fintech sector post Covid-19. For more information see www.finchcapital.com. About Worldline Worldline [Euronext: WLN] is the European leader in the payments and transactional services industry and #4 player worldwide. With its global reach and its commitment to innovation, Worldline is the technology partner of choice for merchants, banks and third-party acquirers as well as public transport operators, government agencies and industrial companies in all sectors. Powered by over 20,000 employees in more than 50 countries, Worldline provides its clients with sustainable, trusted and secure solutions across the payment value chain, fostering their business growth wherever they are. Services offered by Worldline in the areas of Merchant Services; Terminals, Solutions & Services; Financial Services and Mobility & e-Transactional Services include domestic and cross-border commercial acquiring, both in-store and online, highly-secure payment transaction processing, a broad portfolio of payment terminals as well as e-ticketing and digital services in the industrial environment. In 2020 Worldline generated a proforma revenue of 4.8 billion euros. worldline.com Contact Details in3 Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://payin3.eu/en/

March 10, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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ibble Launches Social Networking App Landing One Of The Largest Series Seed Funding In Texas History

ibble

ibble, a new social media app empowering people to spark conversations and ignite new ideas has received $12.7MM, the largest series seed funding round in Texas history. Leading the seed round was Drive Capital followed by TTV Capital, Unknown Ventures, and Get Engaged Media. The investment in ibble comes amidst societies overwhelming frustrations with current social media platforms as they increasingly cut content; remove conversations and restrict engagement. “ibble is a Social Media App built on the idea of learning through conversations and having the ability to talk directly with the experts without the friction that currently exists on traditional social media apps and platforms,” said Raymond Kaminski, CEO and Co-founder of ibble. “We believe that talking with your community, not at your community, through the power of audio and video can spark more meaningful conversations and create more insightful engagement." ibble’s mission is to help people connect with and learn from experts through the power of video and audio conversations. Users are able to ask experts questions directly as well as spark conversations with their peers, naturally expanding candid conversations without friction. Is an expert always right? No, of course not. We believe what makes someone an "expert" is their relentless pursuit of the truth about a certain subject and their willingness to share it. For people who have been frustrated by structured and ad focused social media platforms that stifle conversations and are not easily suited to video and audio conversations, the solution is ibble – the social media app built by a distinguished team of entrepreneurs who believe that conversations and connections must have a healthy environment to thrive and grow in this digital age. “Brands, celebrities, influencers, the news, sports figures and more are looking for new ways to engage but that is almost impossible when dealing with the limits of current social media apps and platforms,” said Irving Lee, Co-Founder and Head of Partnerships at ibble. “We built ibble knowing that authenticity is not found in a like, comment or status update, and how could it? ibble provides a platform that celebrates real conversations with real people and threads that mirror real life conversations; conversations you can jump in and out of." With ibble anything is possible through the power of conversation. Users can start a video or audio conversation about their favorite show. They can also ask their favorite influencer or celebrity a question and get a response back with a simple click of a button. ibble makes conversation easy because ibble has made conversation through social media possible, with a focus on the natural flow of conversations and questions. For brands, shows, influencers, celebrities and others, ibble has made it easy to talk with their community members directly while not having to worry about being throttled or competing brands advertised to them while they are communicating with them. About ibble ibble is the social media app that enables experts and their communities to directly engage through audio and video conversations. ibble makes events more accessible and adds depth through back-and-forth video and audio posts. Learn more at https://www.getibble.com/ Contact Details ibble Jason Jepson +1 949-394-7033 press@ibble.io Company Website https://www.getibble.com/

March 10, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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CSG Inspires Social Impact Through Partnership with We Make Change

CSG

DENVER, March 10, 2022 – CSG ® ’s (NASDAQ: CSGS) purpose is to envision, invent and shape a better, more future-ready world. Through community partnerships, the company is giving back and channeling the power of all to make a difference in the communities CSG serve around the world. Today, CSG joined forces with We Make Change, a global volunteering platform that connects skilled volunteers with social enterprises, to host a series of Change Days that allow CSG employees to share their knowledge and skills with social enterprises to help drive social change. Over two Change Day, CSGers dedicated more than 150 hours to support nine social enterprises committed to reducing inequalities and increasing digital inclusion. Most participants signed up to continue their volunteer service with their dedicated social enterprise. In 2022, CSG aspires to reach 40,000 hours of employee volunteer time. “As a global technology leader, CSG aims to dream bigger, where we create a more connected, inclusive and future-ready world that delivers greater impact for our colleagues, customers, and communities,” said Channing Jones, chief diversity and social responsibility officer, CSG. “By volunteering with organizations like We Make Change, our employees gain a better understanding of critical issues facing our communities while leveraging their experience to drive more meaningful impact. Adding social enterprises to our social impact program empowers us to not only serve with our time and intellectual capital but measure the positive impact CSG is making in communities across the globe. We are proud to think globally and act locally with partners like We Make Change that helps us accelerate real-world progress towards solving some of the most vital issues facing our world today.” The two CSG Change Days supported a total of nine social enterprises, including: Empowr: Teaches black youth students about software development foundations, how to build simple apps, and critical leadership techniques to showcase how their skills can impact the world and help increase the number of black-owned businesses. Leiho: Connects essential goods to vulnerable communities that are living without them - from socks that help the homeless stay warm to groceries that feed children in need. LocalPurse: Local Purse connects travelers with experienced local guides and artisans globally through virtual cultural and shopping experiences, having a minimal carbon footprint, and providing a sustainable way of supporting the travel industry. ZigWay: Gives low-income families and disadvantaged populations access to the everyday goods and services they need to break free from poverty. "This Change Day was a game-changing opportunity for Leiho to reignite our confidence and motivation towards making a difference where it truly matters,” said Joey Li, co-founder, Leiho. "Connecting with kind-hearted, sharp-minded CSGers helped us to make our brand messaging clear and concise and inject the transparency we desire for our mission. The added value of having access to the rich skills and expertise Leiho needs to implement greater change is critical for our young organization. CSG's originality and commitment to our success primed our imagination to evolve Leiho for massive social impact and influenced our vision of organic growth." “Employees giving just four hours of skilled volunteer time as part of a Change Day can significantly accelerate the positive impact of a social enterprise,” said James Sancto, co-founder and CEO, We Make Change. “For the social enterprise, they gain access to a vast pool of knowledge and expertise that can help advance their cause and deliver faster results to groups in need. For conscientious companies like CSG, it’s a chance to do more for the world and give their employees meaningful ways to give back to their communities and connect deeply to social issues where they have the power to affect change.” The upcoming CSG Change Days will focus on improving gender equality. By year’s end, CSG will have supported dozens of social enterprises from all corners of the world. # # # About CSG CSG is a leader in innovative customer engagement, revenue management and payments solutions that make ordinary customer experiences extraordinary. Our cloud-first architecture and customer-obsessed mindset help companies around the world launch new digital services, expand into new markets, and create dynamic experiences that capture new customers and build brand loyalty. For 40 years, CSG’s technologies and people have helped some of the world’s most recognizable brands solve their toughest business challenges and evolve to meet the demands of today’s digital economy with future-ready solutions that drive exceptional customer experiences. With 5,000 employees in over 20 countries, CSG is the trusted technology provider for leading global brands in telecommunications, retail, financial services, and healthcare. Our solutions deliver real world outcomes to more than 900 customers in over 120 countries. To learn more, visit us at csgi.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter. About We Make Change We Make Change connects skilled volunteers with Social Enterprises changing the world. We enable individuals and employees to volunteer their skills online to support the causes they care about with the time they can give. Our Change Day online volunteering events bring together corporate teams to develop their skills, connect with colleagues, and make change in just a few hours. With a fast-growing community of over 25,000 volunteers supporting more than 650 Social Enterprises in over 100 countries across the world, We Make Change enables anyone, anywhere to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. To learn more or get involved, visit us at wemakechange.org and connect with us on LinkedIn. Copyright © 2022 CSG Systems International, Inc. and/or its affiliates (“CSG”). All rights reserved. CSG® is a registered trademark of CSG Systems International, Inc. All third-party trademarks, service marks, and/or product names which are referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners, and all rights therein are reserved. Contacts: Kristine Østergaard Public Relations +44 (0)79 2047 7204 kristine.ostergaard@csgi.com John Rea Investor Relations +1 (210) 687-4409 john.rea@csgi.com Contact Details Kristine Østergaard +44 7920 477204 kristine.ostergaard@csgi.com Company Website https://www.csgi.com

March 10, 2022 06:30 AM Mountain Standard Time

Luxury without compromise: OPPO's engineers pioneered the ceramic back for Find X5 Pro

OPPO

SHENZHEN, CHINA - Media OutReach - 10 March 2022 - The new OPPO Find X5 Pro — a premium flagship handset born from never-before-seen pioneering engineering methods. Available in stunning ceramic and vegan leather, the curved nature of Find X5 Pro's rear wraps elegantly and organically around the camera housing in an innovative volcano-like design to create an utterly seamless experience, look, and feel, that no other device comes close to matching. Building on the knowledge of creating a similar curved glass rear for Find X3, engineers had to overcome even more substantial challenges to help create a zero-compromise result that met the exact specifications (while surpassing and creating many industry standards in the process). Find X5 Pro's ceramic back is made from a microcrystalline material that's calcined at a temperature of 1000-degrees Celsius to create a texture that reduces fingerprints while being twice as strong as glass, with double the heat dissipation. The downside, however, is that due to its strength, it's a very tricky and unforgiving material to work with. The thought of creating Find X5 Pro's precise, organic curved back from such a material seems impossible, but OPPO's engineers have invented a process which sees the ceramic rear panel carved like a work of art with over 2,000 individual control points used to create its seamlessly organic curves. Taming the ceramic panel posed some crucial hurdles for engineers to solve, and it took six months of research and development in molding, machining and polishing process to create Find X5 Pro's iconic curved rear. A material that's both incredibly strong and resistant to scratches and drops, ceramic is superior to glass in multiple ways, and was therefore the natural choice for a premium handset like Find X5 Pro, further pushing the boundaries of Find X3's glass design. The downside to ceramic's robust properties, however, is that it's difficult to machine, which is clearly problematic when it comes to producing Find X5 Pro's unique curved rear design. Using known existing manufacturing methods resulted in too large a cap between the ceramic rear cover and the camera housing, with less of a smooth curve gradient to boot — an unacceptable outcome. To combat this problem, engineers created a more precise machining method using two blades arranged at a precise 90-degree angle. While this improved the accuracy of the final product, however, the appearance of a straight-edged cutting line surrounding the sides of the ceramic cover, along with visible cutting marks from the machine blade lines. The solution was the creation of a completely new lift edge polishing process which refined the machined edges for a smoother, properly finished look. Initially, however, it was apparent that removing the manufacturing marks also ended up taking away too much of the ceramic material itself away, making the rear panel too small to properly fit the handset. To overcome this, engineers had to meticulously polish the ceramic's edges in multiple stages, using a four-axis polishing machine and micron-level diamond powder. Results from polishing stages were checked at regular intervals to then make minute, precise adjustments down to a staggering 0.005mm. A perfectly machined, premium ceramic rear cover that takes five whole days to produce, with a yield of 97% compared to 87%. One of the major design pain points in smartphones are their camera housing solutions. Most phones have unsightly raised bumps that dominate the design without adding excitement or finesse. Beyond the shape, OPPO's engineers had to decide how to blend the lenses into the housing itself without any ugly protrusions or camera rings. Removing the camera lens ring for a cleaner look means that the lens itself must be precisely positioned so that it's neither too high nor too low. Too high and the lens will be vulnerable to damage. Too low, it will lose the premium feeling of flushnessflow, while being able to feel a dip in the surface. The upshot of this is that the perfect placement of the camera lenses under the ceramic housing was determined to be 0.10mm, or the thickness of a human hair. As a result of direct assembly, however, this number would often reach the thickness of two hairs. This seems utterly insignificant on paper, but anything less than perfect was simply not good enough. To combat this, ceramic battery covers were split into three groups based on their incredibly small variations of thickness. The three lenses for Find X5 Pro were also grouped based on their thickness, and then matched to their closest ceramic cover to reach the perfect, precise depth in the camera housing. OPPO has invested millions to develop specialised automated equipment to group matching lenses and rear covers automatically. In a world where smartphones are churned out to offer a minimal viable experience, however, OPPO's commitment to precision and perfection stands out. Devices like Find X5 Pro are the embodiment of hard work, dedication, and countless hours spent in the pursuit of the absolute very best product possible. With new strides and discoveries being made continuously, OPPO will continue to lead the way for smartphone innovation, with new generations being built on the years of experience and learning before them. #OPPO Contact Details OPPO Media Contact press@oppo.com

March 10, 2022 08:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

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