News

Toronto – October 01, 2026 -- Manulife Financial Corporation has closed a reinsurance transaction transferring biometric risk on a block of long-term care policies carrying $3.2 billion in reserves to Munich American Reassurance Company, a US subsidiary of Munich Re Group.

Manulife offloads $3.2 billion in long-term care reserves to Munich Re Life US

The deal shifts biometric risk exposure tied to the long-term care block off Manulife's balance sheet and onto Munich Re Life US, a subsidiary specializing in life and disability reinsurance for North American carriers. The transaction was first announced on August 5, 2026, and has now reached formal closing.

San Clemente, Calif. – October 01, 2026 -- Angelalign Technology Inc. (6699.HK) has launched Pressure Points in the European market, a feature that replaces its existing Torque Ridges and delivers a 25% increase in tooth surface contact in its single pressure point configuration.

Angelalign replaces hand-made dimples with a digitally scalable force-control feature

Pressure Points is engineered to apply force at or near the center of the contact point, a departure from the hand-made dimples orthodontists have long used to correct torque and rotation. The company states the simplified dimple shape improves predictability of force application compared with current methods.

St. Louis – October 01, 2026 -- DOOR (OTC: LTCH) has finalized a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, closing a four-year investigation into legacy revenue recognition and key performance indicator practices with a $1.0 million civil penalty payable in quarterly installments.

SEC closes investigation that began in 2022

The SEC approved the previously disclosed settlement, which the Company first announced in principle on August 10, 2026. DOOR consented to an administrative order without admitting or denying the regulator's findings.

Company filed seven years of restated financial statements

Since late 2024, DOOR has filed seven years of financial statements, including restated prior periods, becoming current with its SEC reporting obligations in February 2026 for the first time since mid-2022.

Phoenix – October 01, 2026 -- RedHammer Partner Scott Franchini has joined Intuit's newly formed Lighthouse Construction Customer Advisory Board (CAB), giving contractors a direct channel into the development of Intuit Enterprise Suite (IES) as the software maker expands AI across its mid-market platform.

RedHammer brings data from 150 construction clients across 25 states to Intuit's product teams

Franchini said RedHammer works across the financial, project management and field platforms used by more than 150 construction clients in 25 states, giving the firm a view that spans software needs from small contractors to larger middle-market firms. The CAB role builds on RedHammer's existing participation in the Intuit Lighthouse community, a customer success group made up of select Intuit customers and partner firms.

Mansfield, Massachusetts – October 01, 2026 -- Samsonite Group S.A. has completed its acquisition of BÉIS, LLC, the digitally native lifestyle and travel brand founded in 2018 by actress and entrepreneur Shay Mitchell.

Samsonite adds a digitally native brand to its portfolio of iconic names

The deal brings BÉIS, headquartered in Los Angeles, into Samsonite Group's stable of brands alongside Samsonite, TUMI and American Tourister. Samsonite Group, listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong under stock code 1910, traces its heritage to 1910 and positions itself as the world's largest travel luggage company.

BÉIS will operate as a standalone brand under its existing leadership

Adeela Hussain Johnson will continue as Brand President and CEO of BÉIS, retaining her management team. Shay Mitchell remains Founder and Head of Creative and Design, continuing to guide the brand's long-term creative and product direction.

Dallas – – October 01, 2026 -- Sekisui Specialty Chemicals will raise prices on its Selvol Polyvinyl Alcohol, Selvol Ultiloc, Selvol Ultalux, and Selvol Premiol product lines effective October 15, 2026, or as existing contracts and agreements permit.

Price hike targets four Selvol product families used across packaging and construction

The increase applies globally to Selvol Polyvinyl Alcohol, Selvol Ultiloc copolymers, Selvol Ultalux, and Selvol Premiol grades. These polymers and copolymers serve customers in paper, adhesive, packaging, construction, and personal care formulations.

Customers directed to local sales representatives for contract-specific terms

Sekisui Specialty Chemicals advised buyers to contact their regional sales representative to confirm how the increase applies to individual supply agreements. The company did not disclose a specific percentage or dollar figure for the increase in its announcement.

Granite Bay, Calif. – October 01, 2026 -- GMP Labeling Inc. is marking Manufacturing Day 2026 by positioning its nearly 40-year domestic production history as a hedge against global supply chain disruption for pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacturers. The California-based company, founded in 1987, manufactures quality control labels, sample identification tags, and equipment status markers used across regulated production lines.

Label failures can halt regulated production lines

Material inconsistencies or shipping delays in compliance labeling can interrupt manufacturing workflows, complicate federal audits, and compromise quality records, according to the company. Robin Kalsbeek, General Manager of GMP Labeling, said a label functions as a critical element of traceability and compliance rather than a minor supply item in biotechnology and medical manufacturing settings.

Sydney – October 01, 2026 -- Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC) and Schneider Electric have advanced to Stage 2 of Australia's Critical Technologies Challenge Program (CTCP), securing A$3.6 million (US$2.5 million) in government funding after their quantum-enhanced forecasting trial delivered an average 20% accuracy improvement, with peak gains of 41%.

Quantum chip lifted next-day energy forecasting accuracy by up to 41%

In Stage 1, the partners applied SQC's atomically engineered Watermelon chip to Schneider Electric's next-day forecasting models over a 12-month dataset. Watermelon generates quantum features that combine with classical inputs to produce richer, more predictive models, outperforming the classical benchmark by an average of 20%.

Chicago – October 01, 2026 -- Relativity named the winners of its 2026 Innovation Awards at RelFest Chicago, honoring law firms, corporations and legal technology providers for custom AI-driven eDiscovery solutions built on its legal data intelligence platform.

Ten winners split across Best Innovation and Best Innovator categories

The awards spanned two tracks, each with five categories. Best Innovation winners included Complete Discovery Source for its AI Empowered Forensic Triage tool, Bayer for its Bluefin workflow, Troutman Pepper Locke for its eMerge SearchCraft discovery tool, JND eDiscovery for an AI-assisted redaction tool built on Relativity aiR, and ModeOne for its workflow solution.

London – October 01, 2026 -- Curaleaf International's Que Medical Inhalation Device (QMID) has become the first cannabis inhalation device to secure registration from Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration, clearing the way for clinicians to prescribe a standardized-dosing device in a market that has treated more than one million patients since 2016.

TGA Grants Class IIb Status to QMID on September 15, 2026

The device, developed with Jupiter Research LLC, was listed in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods as a Class IIb Medical Device, marking the first regulatory approval in Australia for a device delivering Cannabis Sativa L. extracts via patient inhalation. The approval follows a multi-year regulatory process and arrives one year after QMID received EU Medical Device Registration.