News

Oakland – – September 28, 2026 -- Blue Shield of California has pledged a $300,000 multi-year investment to Alameda County Community Food Bank (ACCFB), marking the first deployment under the nonprofit insurer's new statewide Food as Health initiative.

Blue Shield becomes the first and largest corporate sponsor of ACCFB's Food as Medicine program

The funding will expand a program that delivers medically supportive food and nutrition education to eligible Medi-Cal members managing chronic conditions. The investment strengthens infrastructure, data collection, and evaluation systems needed to scale the model beyond its current reach.

London – September 28, 2026 -- jaam automation has launched M. by jaam, an Agentic Work Management platform designed to close the gap between AI adoption and measurable business impact. The launch responds to McKinsey data showing 88% of organisations now use AI, yet only 7% have fully scaled it across operations.

Adoption outpaces execution, McKinsey data shows

McKinsey research cited by jaam found that while 80% of employees report AI has improved their individual productivity, only 37% of organisations see a positive impact on EBIT. jaam positions M. as a fix for this disconnect, arguing that fragmented processes across people, applications and systems prevent AI agents from understanding what needs to happen next in a workflow.

Phoenix – September 28, 2026 -- AZP Insurance Specialists has awarded Platinum certification to Gateless' Smart Underwrite®, marking the first technology provider to clear AZP's new AI Mortgage Technology Certification framework at its highest of four tiers.

Gateless earns top rating after 230,000 loans processed with zero claims

The Platinum designation reflects the performance of more than 230,000 loans manufactured and sold by lenders using Smart Underwrite®, all without a single claim filed. AZP said the certification evaluated the platform's governance, controls, auditability and operational maturity before granting the top rating.

Las Vegas – September 28, 2026 -- Aristocrat Gaming secured three top honors at the Global Gaming Awards Americas, including Class 2 and Class 3 Land-Based Supplier of the Year and Slot of the Year for MONOPOLY Big Board Bucks.

Aristocrat extends eight-year winning streak in land-based supplier category

The company has now claimed the Class 3 Land-Based Supplier of the Year title for eight consecutive years and Slot of the Year for the same eighth-year streak. The Class 2 award marks the second straight year Aristocrat has topped that category.

CEO cites product performance as driver of repeat recognition

Craig Toner, CEO of Aristocrat Gaming, said the recognition reflects the company's focus on developing products and experiences that drive measurable performance outcomes for casino operators.

Roggwil, Switzerland – September 28, 2026 -- Honest Lasers has launched the Honest Pro, a Swiss-manufactured diode laser system combining three wavelengths and integrated contact cooling for aesthetic and medical clinics worldwide.

Three wavelengths operate within a single clinical platform

The Honest Pro integrates 755 nm, 808 nm, and 1064 nm wavelengths in one system, each targeting melanin at different tissue depths to allow practitioners to treat varied hair and skin types without switching devices. The system runs at a maximum pulse rate of 10 Hz, which Honest Lasers designed for stable fluence delivery across repeated treatments during a full clinic workday.

Detroit – September 28, 2026 -- Rocket Mortgage will become the first mortgage lender to adopt VantageScore 4.0 as its preferred credit scoring model for eligible loans, starting in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Rocket Mortgage found VantageScore 4.0 qualifies more clients while cutting scoring costs

Following roughly four months of testing, the lender determined VantageScore 4.0 helped more clients move forward in the mortgage process and reduced credit scoring costs. So far in 2026, Rocket Mortgage pulled 1.4 million credit reports using both VantageScore and FICO models to compare outcomes.

Clients who saved with the new model averaged $1,600 at closing

The lender's internal study found VantageScore 4.0 opens access for some clients who would otherwise go unserved and allows many to secure mortgages on better pricing terms. For those who benefited, average savings totaled $1,600 at closing.

Pune – September 28, 2026 -- The global ethylene oxide market reached USD 62.95 billion in 2025 and is forecast to grow at a 4.59% CAGR through 2034, hitting USD 94.28 billion, according to a new report from Maximize Market Research.

Asia-Pacific dominates production and consumption, led by China, India, Japan and South Korea

The region's scale in petrochemical manufacturing, PET resin output and polyester fiber production has made it the largest ethylene oxide market as of 2025. Continued capital deployment into petrochemical facilities, healthcare infrastructure and industrial manufacturing is expected to sustain the region's lead through the forecast period.

Pune, India – September 28, 2026 -- The global glycolic acid market is projected to grow from USD 723.75 billion in 2025 to USD 1,267.06 billion by 2034, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 6.42%, according to a new report from Maximize Market Research.

North America dominates demand as dermatology and pharmaceutical use expand

North America leads the global market, driven by strong uptake of glycolic acid in skincare, cosmetics, dermatology, and pharmaceutical formulations. The U.S. remains the largest consumer market as chemical peels, anti-aging creams, exfoliating serums, and acne treatments built on alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) chemistry gain wider adoption. The U.S. FDA identifies glycolic acid as one of the most common AHAs used in cosmetic products for exfoliation and pH adjustment.

Washington – September 28, 2026 -- Widehall will convene its second annual American Growth Summit on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, gathering senior White House officials, members of Congress, and chief executives from Citi, NVIDIA, Siemens, and Coinbase at the Willard InterContinental in Washington, D.C. to address policy shaping America's economic trajectory.

Los Angeles and Toronto – September 28, 2026 -- BRC Group Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: RILY) has agreed to acquire Sangoma Technologies Corporation (TSX: STC; NASDAQ: SANG) in a deal valuing the communications provider at an enterprise value of approximately $204 million, or C$289 million.

Combined communications revenue reaches $441 million on a trailing-twelve-month basis

BRC's existing communications businesses and Sangoma generated a combined $441 million in trailing-twelve-month revenue as of June 2026, with $241 million from BRC's units and $200 million from Sangoma. BRC's communications portfolio alone produced approximately $52 million in segment income over the same period.