KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 (Bernama) — Synchronoss Technologies Inc (Synchronos), a global leader and innovator in personal cloud platforms, has launched Jelly Toast in India, a new app designed for shared celebrations and group memories.
According to Synchronoss in a statement, Jelly Toast enables users to create event invitations, collect photos and help groups relive shared moments in one dedicated space for occasions such as birthdays, weddings, festivals, office outings, concerts and weekend trips.
“Jelly Toast is built on the same secure and scalable cloud architecture that powers our global personal cloud platforms.
“We are bringing that reliability and intelligent content organisation to everyday celebrations. Our goal is simple—to make it easy for people to gather, share, and keep the moments that matter,” said Synchronoss Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President, Pat Doran.
With Jelly Toast, hosts can create a celebration in seconds and generate a shareable link for guests to join instantly via a browser, upload photos in real time and contribute to a continuously updated memory stream, without requiring any app download or installation.
The platform offers three pricing options, including a Free plan supporting one event with up to five gigabytes (GB) of storage for seven days, an Event Pro pay-per-event option supporting between 50 and 500 guests, and a Memory Saver monthly subscription for frequent hosts that includes unlimited events and ongoing storage.
Optimised for India’s mobile-first environment and engineered to perform reliably across varying network conditions, the platform is initially launched in Bangalore, with expansion to Mumbai and Delhi planned later this year.
As part of its broader strategy to expand its consumer cloud footprint, Synchronoss plans to explore partnerships and integrations across the events ecosystem.
Amazon Pay Japan, Zain Cash, Tamara, M-Pesa, Zamtel, and the Aircash app and vouchers are now available through Xsolla
LOS ANGELES, March 4 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) — Xsolla, a global video game commerce company that helps developers launch, grow, and monetize their games, today announced a major expansion of its global payments portfolio across 18 markets in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. As developers continue to expand into high-growth and emerging markets, this expansion enables developers to reach new paying users, improve conversion rates, and deliver payment experiences tailored to local player preferences.
Local Amazon Pay in Japan, with over 100 million registered Amazon Japan accounts, provides fully localized checkout experiences in Japanese Yen
Zain Cash in Iraq is expanding access to mobile-first payment options in a rapidly growing economy, where mobile numbers serve as primary digital identities and mobile adoption is broad across a population of 40+ million
Tamara operates in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, offering flexible buy now, pay later (BNPL) options that serve more than 15 million users in two of the Middle East’s highest-spending markets, where BNPL adoption rates reach 31–42% among consumers, making it a preferred online payment method
M-Pesa in Tanzania, unlocking access to the country’s leading mobile money ecosystems with over 26 million accounts – representing about 40% of the market
Zamtel in Zambia supports mobile money transactions in an increasingly connected market, reaching over 4.3 million subscribers and accounting for a 20.5%+ market share, helping bring digital payment access to broader parts of the population
The Aircash app and vouchers are available across 12 European countries, including Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, and Austria, offering localized digital wallet and voucher options. With a leading ~12.6% market share in Croatia and a network of 200,000+ cash-loading points across Europe, Aircash is expanding across CEE and key European markets to reach new users in digital finance
These integrations provide a localized, frictionless checkout experience, enabling players to pay in familiar currencies and with trusted local methods, thereby increasing confidence and improving conversion rates for in-game purchases. For game developers, this translates into expanded global reach across emerging and high-growth markets while simplifying operations and removing the need for local infrastructure or custom payment integrations.
“Localized payments are one of the most powerful drivers of conversion and growth for video game developers,” said Chris Hewish, President at Xsolla. “By expanding our payment coverage across 18 markets, we’re giving developers all the things they need to reach players with the payment methods they already trust without adding complexity to their operations.”
Xsolla is a global commerce company with robust tools and services to help developers solve the inherent challenges of the video game industry. From indie to AAA, companies partner with Xsolla to help them fund, distribute, market, and monetize their games. Grounded in the belief in the future of video games, Xsolla is resolute in the mission to bring opportunities together, and continually make new resources available to creators. Headquartered and incorporated in Los Angeles, California, Xsolla operates as the merchant of record and has helped over 1,500+ game developers to reach more players and grow their businesses around the world. With more paths to profits and ways to win, developers have all the things needed to enjoy the game.
TOKYO, March 4 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) — Starting on International Women’s Day, March 8, Kao Corporation (TOKYO:4452) will launch new brand communication campaign in nine Asian countries and regions for its feminine sanitary product brand, Laurier, which is the core of its Asian business.
Laurier aims to help create more supportive and understanding environments around menstruation, so that women can feel more at ease, both physically and emotionally, under the key message “Comfort, Made Together,” which will be implemented simultaneously across Asia. Kao aims to further develop Laurier as a global brand.
Laurier, one of the core brands supporting Kao’s consumer care business in Asia, has been promoting globally integrated operations since 2023. Across all nine Asian countries and regions including Japan, Laurier has been working to unify product specifications and consolidate production sites to improve asset turnover ratio. Moreover, Laurier has promoted discussions to unify interpretations of the brand purpose and worldview, which varied across regions, and has renewed the global guidelines.
Through these efforts, in order to simultaneously communicate its value throughout Asia, Laurier is currently initiating a new brand communication initiative. By returning to Kao’s founding principle of a consumer perspective, Laurier will further strengthen brand equity by offering products designed for long-term use and advancing empathy-driven marketing through consistent communication across regions.
Laurier conducted a survey on attitudes toward menstruation among 4,500 women across nine Asian countries and regions.* The findings revealed that across Asia, many women feel that menstrual symptoms, concerns, and the limitations associated with menstruation have an impact on their overall sense of comfort in daily life. *An online survey on attitudes toward menstruation was conducted by Kao among women aged 15–44 in nine Asian countries and regions, including Japan, in November–December 2023 and October–November 2024 (valid responses: 4,500).
Through this initiative, Laurier will further its efforts toward creating an inclusive environment where women can live lives full of possibilities without feeling restricted by their periods. As a global brand, Laurier not only provides products but also supports women throughout their lives by providing information and educational support, contributing to the creation of a society where each woman can continue to live in a way that feels true to herself.
About the Brand Communication Initiative
– Key Message Comfort, Made Together ―Laurier is here to listen. It’s natural to find it difficult to be your normal self while you’re on your period. A woman shouldn’t have to find menstrual comfort on her own. We may not be able to completely eliminate physical discomfort or pain. But by encouraging understanding from those around us and shaping more supportive environments, we believe periods can feel a little more comfortable. – Overview This campaign will unify the brand’s worldview across nine Asian countries and regions, and will implement the following initiatives:
Development of a common key visual and message across Asia
Release of anthem films (9 country/regional versions) conveying Laurier’s message of menstrual support
– Countries/Regions: Kao Corporation / Kao Commercial (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. / Kao (Hong Kong) Ltd. / Kao (Taiwan) Corporation / Kao Vietnam Co., Ltd. / Kao Industrial (Thailand) Co., Ltd. / Kao (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. / Kao Singapore Pte. Ltd. / PT Kao Indonesia – Start Date: March 4, 2026
Ongoing Social Initiatives
As a brand that supports women, Laurier is continuously engaged in the following activities in each country and region.
Japan: “Laurier in Workplace” and “Laurier in School,” making sanitary napkins available as standard supplies at workplaces and schools
Indonesia: “Dr. Laurier,” providing expert knowledge on menstrual concerns that are hard to discuss with others
In addition to the above, Laurier provides menarche education to deliver accurate knowledge to individual in all nine countries and regions. Through these activities, Laurier will continue to be more than just a feminine sanitary product brand; it will continue to be a presence that supports women at all stages of their lives and in their social environments.
Comment from Kazuya Miyashita, President of the Sanitary Business, Kao Corporation
Laurier has been striving to strengthen its globally integrated operations. The launch of this new brand communication across nine Asian countries and regions marks the next stage in building a consistent global brand―one that transcends borders, listens to the voices of individual, and shares Laurier’s vision and values across Asia. While menstrual concerns and feelings vary from person to person, there are many aspects of menstruation that have been discussed as something to be endured or a personal issue. Through this communication campaign, Laurier aims to elevate menstrual concerns beyond a personal issue, encourage understanding from others, and foster an environment in which women can live with greater peace of mind. As a core brand in Kao’s Asian business, Laurier will continue to contribute to sustainable growth and the realization of a society where women can live their lives with comfort, confidence, and fewer limitations—no matter the day.
About Kao
Kao, a Japan-based manufacturer of personal care and household products, cosmetics, and specialty chemicals creates high-value-added products and services that provide care and enrichment for the life of all people and the planet. Through its brands such as Attack laundry detergent, Bioré and Jergens skin care products, Laurier sanitary products, Curél, SENSAI, and MOLTON BROWN cosmetics, and Oribe hair care products, Kao is part of the everyday lives of people across Asia, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Combined with its chemical business, which contributes to a wide range of industries, Kao generates about 1,630 billion yen in annual sales. Kao employs about 32,600 people worldwide and has more than 130 years of history in innovation. As an enterprise that provides products people use on a daily basis, the Kao Group takes responsibility to actively reduce the environmental footprint of its products throughout the product lifecycle. This is laid out in Kao’s ESG strategy, the Kirei Lifestyle Plan, which launched in 2019. Please visit the Kao Group website for additional information.
New portfolio-ready building certification delivers proven tools to achieve credible sustainability and performance outcomes worldwide
PORTLAND, Ore., March 4 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Green Building Initiative (GBI) announces the global launch of Ascent Building Certification™, a science-based whole building certification designed to evaluate sustainability, health, and resilience practices for all types of commercial real estate across regions and portfolios. Ascent will be used for new and existing projects in the EU, the UK, and elsewhere outside Canada and the United States to improve the built environment’s impact on climate and society.
Ascent Building Certification™ is a global expansion of GBI’s trusted third-party assessment and certification programs. GBI has certified over 93 million square meters (1 billion square feet) of commercial real estate, leading with its flagship certification, Green Globes®. Strong adoption of Green Globes combined with market demand for a robust, proven, and transparent certification that delivers consistent methodology across borders and portfolios led GBI to expand its flagship certification globally under the Ascent™ brand.
Designed for owners and project teams managing assets in all lifecycle phases, Ascent provides a consensus-based framework, consistent with Green Globes, that adapts to local standards and regulatory requirements. The certification responds to growing market demand for certification systems that combine transparency, a trustworthy independent assessment, and practical usability—without unnecessary administrative burden.
“Building owners and investors are facing increasing pressure to demonstrate measurable performance and return on investment across global portfolios,” said Vicki Worden, CEO of GBI. “GBI’s Ascent Building Certification answers that demand with a practical, transparent, and ESG-aligned approach.”
Ascent is designed to serve organizations seeking user-friendly, portfolio-ready certification. Key features include:
Global consistency with local relevance through a unified framework adaptable to regional regulations and environmental conditions
Transparent scoring and results that support credible reporting and stakeholder confidence
Independent third-party assessment conducted through GBI’s established assessor network
User-friendly software tools with centralized reporting dashboards and aggregated portfolio scoring
Dedicated expert support from GBI’s team of green building specialists and project managers
Certification levels align with the Green Globes One through Four rating system, and performance categories address critical building outcomes and Environmental Assessment Areas, including project management and responsible business practices, site, energy, water, materials, and indoor environment.
By combining transparent scoring, independent certification, structured expert guidance, and user-friendly tools, Ascent reduces friction in the certification process while maintaining rigorous performance standards.
GBI is an international nonprofit organization and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Accredited Standards Developer dedicated to improving the built environment’s impact on climate and society. Founded in 2004, the organization is the global provider of the Green Globes®, Journey to Net Zero™, Guiding Principles Compliance, and Ascent Building Certification™ and assessment programs. GBI also issues professional credentials, including the Green Globes Professional (GGP) and Guiding Principles Compliance Professional (GPCP). To learn more about opportunities to become involved with GBI, contact info@thegbi.org or visit the GBI website at www.thegbi.org.
MEDIA CONTACT Megan Baker, GBI Vice President of Engagement, megan@thegbi.org, (971) 256-7174
KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 (Bernama) — Medical Korea 2026, the 16th Global Healthcare & Medical Tourism Conference, will take place from March 19 to 22 at COEX in Seoul under the theme “AI-Powered Global Healthcare: Bringing the Future and the World Closer”.
Hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and organised by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), the conference will bring together global healthcare leaders, policymakers, and industry experts to discuss the future of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered healthcare and cross-border medical services.
Since its launch in 2010, Medical Korea has provided a platform for global dialogue on healthcare innovation and medical tourism, with this year’s event focusing on how AI is influencing healthcare delivery, digital transformation and international medical collaboration.
“Medical Korea 2026 will bring together global leaders and experts to address the latest trends and key issues in AI-driven healthcare. Through AI-powered innovation, the conference aims to strengthen global collaboration and bring the future of healthcare closer,” said KHIDI Director of the Department of Global Healthcare Business (Inbound), Andy Hong.
According to a statement, the programme includes an Opening Ceremony, eight Conference Sessions, Business Meetings, G2G Meetings, an Exhibition, FAM Tours, and the Medical Korea Gala Dinner.
At the Opening Ceremony, keynote speeches will be delivered by the Ministry of Health and Welfare Director General for Healthcare Industry Policy, Eun-Young Jung and Marx Advisory Chief Executive Officer, Edward Marx.
Meanwhile, the Conference Sessions will feature more than 40 domestic and international speakers discussing AI-driven healthcare innovation, medical tourism strategies, digital health trends and developments in AI-based medical technologies.
Business Meetings will provide structured networking opportunities for overseas patient attraction and international expansion, while G2G Meetings will facilitate discussions on healthcare and medical tourism cooperation between governments and related organisations.
The Exhibition will operate through three pavilions highlighting global healthcare collaboration, the competitiveness of Korea’s medical services industry and the Medical Korea platform, offering an overview of international medical capabilities and partnership opportunities.
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