Events

Espoo – September 29, 2026 -- Valmet Oyj's Board of Directors has confirmed that the second instalment of its 2025 dividend, EUR 0.67 per share, will be paid on October 7, 2026.

Shareholders on record October 1 qualify for payout

The dividend will go to shareholders registered in Valmet's shareholders' register held by Euroclear Finland Oy on the record date of October 1, 2026.

Total 2025 dividend reaches EUR 1.35 per share in two tranches

Valmet's Annual General Meeting in 2026 approved a total dividend of EUR 1.35 per share for the 2025 financial year, split into two instalments. The first tranche of EUR 0.68 per share was paid on April 9, 2026.

Payout ratio hits 89%, well above policy floor

Valmet's dividend policy commits to distributing at least 50% of the period's profit as dividend. The 2025 payout ratio stands at 89%, substantially exceeding that minimum threshold.

Shenzhen, China – September 29, 2026 -- i2Cool has expanded its passive radiative cooling fabric line with two electricity-free products, i2Umbrella Fabric-Hyber and i2Tarpaulin, that lower surface temperatures without power or refrigerants.

New umbrella fabric cuts ambient temperature by 5.2°C without electricity

i2Umbrella Fabric-Hyber, engineered for umbrellas, patio shades and outdoor canopies, achieves solar reflectivity of up to 76% and mid-infrared emissivity of up to 96%. In controlled outdoor testing, the fabric produced internal temperatures 5.2°C cooler than unshaded areas and 2.4°C cooler than conventional silver-coated sun-protection fabrics. The material also blocks 99% of UV radiation and offers full blackout capability with high water repellency.

Washington D.C. – September 29, 2026 -- Implantica AG launched its FDA-approved RefluxStop device in the U.S. market at the American Foregut Society (AFS) 2026 Annual Meeting, drawing an over-capacity crowd of more than 120 surgeons and gastroenterologists that forced organizers to turn away additional attendees.

FDA approval opens U.S. market for non-encircling GERD device

Following its recent Premarket Approval (PMA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, RefluxStop entered a U.S. GERD treatment market estimated at 78 million patients. Unlike conventional anti-reflux surgeries that wrap around the esophagus, RefluxStop is designed to restore natural anatomy without encircling the food passageway, aiming to reduce side effects such as dysphagia and inability to belch or vomit.

Linköping – – September 29, 2026 -- Swedish medical imaging IT firm Sectra (STO: SECT B) has signed a partner agreement with S&S Partners to enter Brazil, Latin America's largest healthcare market, with an initial focus on its cloud-based enterprise imaging platform Sectra One Cloud.

Brazil's 7,100 hospitals drive shift from on-premise to cloud imaging

Brazil operates approximately 7,100 hospitals, with the private sector accounting for the majority of advanced imaging investment. Major private hospital groups are pushing the market away from on-premise capital purchases toward subscription-based cloud platforms, a shift Sectra says is already gaining momentum.

Torbjörn Kronander, President and CEO at Sectra, said the partnership with S&S Partners provides access to the relationships and local market knowledge required for entry into Brazil.

Indianapolis – September 29, 2026 -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) reported that its oral GLP-1 drug Foundayo (orforglipron) at 17.2 mg produced 1.5% greater weight loss and 0.3% greater A1C reduction than oral semaglutide 25 mg over 52 weeks in adults with type 2 diabetes, based on an indirect treatment comparison presented at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Milan.

Indirect analysis draws on ACHIEVE-3 and PIONEER PLUS trial data

The comparison, covariate-adjusted for gender, age, baseline A1C and baseline weight, found weight-loss differences ranging from 1.5% to 2.4% and A1C reductions of 0.3% to 0.6% in favor of Foundayo 17.2 mg across multiple statistical methods. The 95% confidence interval for weight loss was -2.7% to -0.2%, and for A1C reduction was -0.6% to -0.1%.

Valencia – – September 29, 2026 -- Arthex Biotech has appointed Glenn Sblendorio, former CEO of IVERIC bio, as Chairman of its Board of Directors as the clinical-stage RNA therapeutics company advances its lead program ATX-01 through Phase I/IIa trials for myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1).

Sblendorio brings three decades of biotech exit experience to Arthex's board

Sblendorio most recently led IVERIC bio, Inc. as CEO until its acquisition by Astellas Pharma, Inc. He previously served as President and Chief Financial Officer of The Medicines Company through its acquisition by Novartis, and as Executive Vice President and CFO of Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. until it was acquired by OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Earlier in his career he was a Managing Director at MPM Capital Advisors.

Oslo, Norway – September 29, 2026 -- Nel ASA has secured a purchase order worth approximately USD 12 million from Collins Aerospace for PEM electrolyser stacks destined for US Navy submarine life-support systems. The order was placed through Nel Hydrogen US, a subsidiary of the Oslo-listed hydrogen technology company (OSE: NEL).

Collins Aerospace extends long-running defence procurement with Nel

The stacks will generate oxygen for submarine crews, an application where equipment failure carries direct safety consequences. Nel's Chief Commercial Officer, Todd Cartwright, said the order extends a long-standing cooperation with Collins Aerospace built around reliable oxygen generation for demanding submarine applications, and confirms the continued relevance of the company's PEM technology and manufacturing capabilities.

Fremont, Calif. – September 29, 2026 -- Leopard Imaging will unveil eight new camera and AI perception platforms at VISION 2026, the machine vision trade show running October 6-8 in Stuttgart, Germany, at Hall 10, Booth 10G79.

Sirius Max combines Lumotive beam-steering with iToF depth sensing for long-range robotics perception

The compact RGB + depth platform supports programmable beam-steered illumination and embedded synchronization for software-defined 3D scanning in autonomous systems.

ASTRO Stereo Camera runs on NVIDIA Jetson Thor with dual 5.1MP global-shutter sensors

The system integrates IR projection, illumination, and NVIDIA Holoscan 10GigE connectivity to deliver synchronized RGB + IR stereo imaging, depth mapping, and 3D reconstruction for AI perception pipelines.

Amsterdam – September 29, 2026 -- Nearly $300 million in European spend has now moved through Arkestro's predictive procurement platform, with regional volume growing 93% year over year, the company announced at DPW Amsterdam 2026.

Baseline spend in international procurement events surged 330% from 2024 to 2025

Arkestro projects a further 47% increase in 2026 as existing global customers extend the platform into additional European teams, categories and supplier networks. The company said the growth reflects enterprises seeking faster procurement decisions amid market volatility.

Platform users across Europe grew 78% year over year

Arkestro's buyer and supplier interactions now span 34 countries, and customers running completed European procurement events have generated approximately 10% average savings, the company said.

Tokyo – – September 29, 2026 -- Advanet Inc., a member of the Eurotech Group, has launched three new industrial computing products built on Renesas Electronics' RZ/G3L MPU, targeting OEMs in HMI, industrial automation, edge computing and building automation.

Three-tier platform spans module, motherboard and box PC

The lineup consists of the Adsmc7101 SMARC module, the AdiMB7103 industrial motherboard and the AdiCS7102 industrial Box PC, all designed, developed and manufactured in Japan on a shared hardware and software platform. The structure lets customers move from a System-on-Module to a fully integrated system without redesigning core architecture, cutting development risk for long-lifecycle deployments.

Los Angeles – September 29, 2026 -- Explore The Trades, a Minnesota-based nonprofit founded in 2005, has placed classroom poster kits reaching more than 1.3 million students since 2021 across over 3,400 U.S. school districts, roughly a quarter of the country, as part of a national push to rebuild the plumbing, HVAC, and electrical talent pipeline.

Public Television Feature Set to Film October 2 in Boca Raton

The organization will be profiled in an upcoming segment of "All Access hosted by Andy Garcia," a short-form documentary series distributed to Public Television stations nationwide. Filming is scheduled for October 2, 2026, at the program's Boca Raton, Florida studio, with the segment examining how the nonprofit works at the classroom level to reintroduce trades careers before students choose a path.

Irvine, Calif. – – September 29, 2026 -- Performance Brokerage Services has brokered the sale of Genesis of Glenview, Illinois, to Joe Ghaben, adding a fifth franchise point to the Chicago-area Ghaben Auto Group.

Ghaben Auto Group expands Chicago footprint with Genesis acquisition

Ghaben Auto Group, founded in 2004, already operates Volkswagen of Oak Lawn, Volkswagen of Orland Park, and the two-location Ultimo Motors luxury pre-owned brand in Northbrook and Westmont. The Genesis acquisition marks the group's entry into the Genesis franchise network.

Dealership will relocate to a new facility on Patriot Boulevard

Genesis of Glenview will retain its name but move operations to a newly built facility at 2929 Patriot Boulevard in Glenview, Illinois.

Shanghai – – September 29, 2026 -- Hengrui Pharma has licensed its investigational obesity and diabetes drug HRS-1596 to Novo Nordisk in a deal worth up to 2.6 billion US dollars, including a 300 million dollar upfront payment.

Novo secures global rights excluding Greater China

Under the agreement, Novo obtains exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialise HRS-1596 worldwide, excluding the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR and Taiwan Region. Hengrui Pharma retains eligibility for royalties on net sales of the drug within Novo's licensed territory, on top of the milestone-based payments tied to development, regulatory and commercial targets.

Shanghai – September 29, 2026 -- YR Fitness plans to expand its one-stop commercial gym supply model by adding design and fit-out services, letting gym owners manage equipment sourcing and physical build-out through a single partner.

YR Fitness will phase in design and fit-out services based on market demand

The company, which has manufactured strength equipment in-house for nearly 30 years, said the rollout will occur in phases tied to specific market and project needs rather than a single simultaneous launch.

George Yang says the goal is consolidating more of the gym-build process under one team

"Opening a gym already means managing enough moving parts," said George Yang, founder and chief designer of YR Fitness. "If we can make equipment sourcing, planning, delivery and after-sales easier, we should. The next step is helping customers manage more of the project through the same team."

Shanghai – – September 29, 2026 -- Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd. has signed a US$300 million portfolio credit insurance policy alongside an initial US$50 million non-recourse factoring agreement, creating a tiered financing structure for the company's overseas installment receivables. The deals were finalized at the Zoomlion 2026 Global Financial Partners Summit in Shanghai on September 11.

New framework converts overseas receivables into standardized, investment-grade assets

Developed over six months with international insurers and financial institutions, the arrangement lets overseas installment receivables covered by the credit insurance policy be factored with an overseas bank on a non-recourse basis. The structure replaces transaction-by-transaction handling of overseas receivables with a scalable, replicable financing model.

Copenhagen – September 29, 2026 -- NKT used its Investor Day 2026 in Karlskrona, Sweden, to unveil a formal capital allocation framework and confirm that commercial operation at its expanded Karlskrona facility will begin in Q2 2027, slightly ahead of the original schedule.

NKT ties cash generation to a four-priority capital allocation framework

The company said it will maintain a robust balance sheet, targeting net interest-bearing debt to operational EBITDA below 0x. Beyond balance-sheet discipline, NKT will direct capital toward organic growth and strategically aligned, value-accretive acquisitions, commit to a minimum annual dividend of 20% of adjusted net profit with an ambition for a stable payout per share, and return excess cash via share buybacks or extraordinary dividends when conditions allow.

Chengdu, China – September 29, 2026 -- iRegene Therapeutics has secured clinical trial clearances in both China and the United States for NouvSight001, an off-the-shelf cell therapy targeting retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a retinal disease affecting roughly 1.5 million people worldwide.

China's NMPA clears Phase I/III trial while FDA grants Phase I/II clearance with special exemption

China's National Medical Products Administration authorized a Phase I/III trial to assess safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of NouvSight001 in RP patients. The U.S. FDA separately cleared a Phase I/II trial for the same indication and granted a special exemption, building on the Orphan Drug Designation the agency awarded the program in 2024.

Changzhou, China – September 29, 2026 -- Segway Powersports brought 14 media representatives and creators from Canada, Chile, Peru, Panama, Brazil and Argentina to its Changzhou manufacturing facility and off-road testing grounds in Xinjiang from September 14-19 under the SEGWAY POWERSPORTS CHINA TOUR-2026 LATAM & CANADA EDITION program.

Factory tour exposes production, assembly and quality-control processes

Participants toured the company's manufacturing site in Changzhou, examining assembly lines, vehicle testing protocols and final inspection procedures used across Segway Powersports' ATV and side-by-side (SxS) product lines. The visit provided visibility into traceability practices tied to the company's vehicle output.

London – September 29, 2026 -- JOE Media Group has launched a heart-health awareness campaign built around a Viking folk character named Jordic, using erectile dysfunction (ED) as an entry point to warn men about underlying cardiovascular disease risk.

Campaign ties ED symptoms to a two-to-five-year cardiovascular warning window

The 'Listen to Jordic' campaign, created by Havas Lynx UK for JOE Media Group, launched on World Heart Day exclusively on JOE.co.uk. Medical literature cited in the campaign indicates ED can precede cardiovascular symptoms by two to five years, offering a critical window for men to seek diagnosis.

Cannes – September 29, 2026 -- KT&G's ultra-slim cigarette brand ESSE surpassed KRW 1 trillion (approximately USD 700 million) in global sales in 2025, the South Korean tobacco maker announced at TFWA World 2026 in Cannes, France, running September 27 to October 1.

KT&G products now reach 179 duty-free stores across roughly 110 airports worldwide

The company entered the duty-free channel in 1995 with the launch of 88 Light in China. Three decades later, its flagship brands -- ESSE, RAISON, and BOHEM -- hold shelf space at 179 duty-free outlets spanning approximately 110 airports, including facilities in South Korea.