Market Newsdesk

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Dalrada Financial Corp. (OTC Pink: DFCO “Dalrada”) announced today that its portfolio company, Scotland-based Likido Limited (“Likido“) — that focuses on energy efficient cooling-enabled safe transport and on-site mobility of biomaterials — has ramped production of the Company’s Likido®CRYO chiller low temperature, small footprint freezer units. Likido®CRYO chiller units incorporate an innovative 2-stage technology that produces very low temperatures below -103°F, (-75°C) with a single ultra-low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerant (1,357) that is 90% less than R-23. The unit’s small size is Ideal for safe container shipments of biomaterial transported by land and sea as well as on-site biomaterial mobility and storage. Likido®CRYO certified units will be available by the end of the year.

Energy efficient Likido®CRYO chillers save as much as 75% of energy cost and was recently awarded an Innovate UK grant for “repurposing environmentally damaging HFC cryogenic chillers to environmentally inert natural refrigerant”. Likido®CRYO chillers enable “greening” of  laboratories, hospitals, and facilities including manufacturing, hotels, and residences.

Dalrada is also ramping production of LikidoONE® heat units for shipment by January 2021. Accelerating manufacturing and operational plans, Dalrada is in discussions to procure facilities, parts supply, and engineering staff in the U.S.A. (Texas and California).

GREENING LABORATORIES

Currently, mechanical compressor-based low-temperature refrigeration systems use high cost and environmentally damaging hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerant gases. Under the UK-EU and UN climate change policies, HFC gasses are to be phased-out over the next 10-years. A U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health report details the energy use of laboratory refrigeration units at minus 70 degrees versus minus 80 degrees:

• The daily energy consumption for just one standard-efficiency freezer at −80 °C can equal the daily average electricity consumption for one U.S. single-family home
• Freezers use up to 40% less energy when set to −70°C rather than −80 °C
• −70 °C is enough to keep samples such as antibodies and antioxidant assays stable, with even −20 °C being sufficient for certain applications, such as storing extracted RNA for one month

LIKIDO REDUCES GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIAL

Likido’s proprietary low-carbon, industrial and residential, all-in-one heating and cooling pump design implements supercritical CO₂  as a “natural non-toxic, non-flammable and CFC/HFC-free working fluid”. This future-proof technology enhances the energy efficiency of both fossil and renewable power sources using only 25% of the energy of traditional boilers and electric heaters. Likido’s cost-saving design has proven to be a strategic element in the global challenge to decarbonize heating.

GREENING HOTELS, HOSPITALS, MANUFACTURING SAVES COST AND SPACE

Deploying Likido^®ONE, a combined heating and cooling unit, can save hotel owners the cost of total energy consumption of hot water and air conditioning systems while reducing carbon emissions.  For example, based on a 250-bed hotel in California, a single Likido^®ONE module will save an average of $110,000 USD/year in energy costs operating at the currently exceptionally low oil prices.

The standard approach to provide heating and cooling in hotels has been with hot water heaters/boilers coupled with environmentally damaging HFC-based conventional cooling towers or HFC-based heat pumps. The average energy used by hotels is in the range 305-330 kWh/m₂/yr. In warmer climates, hotel air conditioning is the largest single use of energy accounting for approximately half of the total consumption. Domestic hot water is commonly the second largest use at hotels, accounting for around 17 percent of the total energy demand.

The Likido®ONE system uses a “natural non-toxic, non-flammable and CFC/HFC-free working fluid” and operates in a combined heating and cooling mode. Likido®ONE produces 160kW of high-grade heat while it extracts -120kW of cooling at traditional temperatures for an electrical input of just 37kW, a coefficient of performance (COP) 1:8. Likido®ONE’s all-in-one small footprint replaces hot water heaters, refrigerators, and cooling towers; this frees up valuable floor space.

For additional information, visit https://likido.net  

About Likido Limited

Likido is an international technology company, developing advanced solutions for the harvesting and recycling of energy. Using its novel heat pump systems (patent pending), Likido is revolutionizing the renewable energy sector with the provision of innovative modular process technologies to maximize the capture and reuse of thermal energy for integrated heating and cooling applications. With uses across industrial, commercial, and residential sectors Likido seeks to provide cost savings and to minimize carbon emissions across supply chains. Likido’s novel technologies enable the effective recovery and recycling of process energy, mitigating against climate change and enhancing quality of life through the provision of low-carbon heating and cooling systems.  For more information, please visit www.likido.net.

About Dalrada (DFCO)

Dalrada Financial Corp. (OTC Pink: DFCO) solves real-world problems by producing innovation-focused and technologically-centered solutions on a global level. Delivering next-generation manufacturing, engineering, and healthcare products and services designed to propel growth, Dalrada is a team of industry experts and an organization built upon a strong foundation of financial capital. The Company and its subsidiaries are positioned for stable long-term growth through intelligent market research, sound business acumen, and established operational infrastructure. For more information, visit www.dalrada.com or call 1-858-283-1253.

Disclaimer

Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding future revenues and sales projections, plans for future financing, the ability to meet operational milestones, marketing arrangements and plans, and shipments to and regulatory approvals in international markets. Such statements reflect management’s current views, are based on certain assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results, events, or performance may differ materially from the above forward-looking statements due to a number of important factors, and will be dependent upon a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, our ability to obtain additional financing that will allow us to continue our current and future operations and whether demand for our products and services in domestic and international markets will continue to expand. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof or to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations with regard to these forward-looking statements or the occurrence of unanticipated events. Factors that may impact the Company’s success are more fully disclosed in the Company’s most recent public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including its annual report on Form 10-K. 

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SOURCE Dalrada Financial Corp.

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Today, PT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (“Telin”), a subsidiary of PT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia, Tbk (“Telkom”) (NYSE: TLK) launched a connectivity marketplace for Wholesale Voice, SMS and Virtual Numbers trading called NeuTrafiX.

NeuTrafiX is the only public exchange in the world that transparently connects Buyers and Sellers using a simple Pay As You Go (PAYG) model. This innovative community-based marketplace was developed by Telin to revolutionize the present state of the connectivity business, in response to the challenges that both Wholesale/Carrier and Enterprises face in the form of declining legacy business margins, a lack of data and information, and manual wholesale operations & processes.

“Looking at the current trend, we believe these duplicate interconnects should be shared and streamlined for the benefits of the industry. We are a firm believer that “as a Service” should extend beyond connectivity to auxiliary services including testing tools, fraud management tools, traffic financing and so forth to avoid heavy capital expenditures which I described above as a burden to most carriers and operators. We believe in a universal collaborative platform where the industry can operate by taking advantage of the economies of scale on the connectivity marketplace” said EVP Voice and Mobility Sales Telin, Nicholas Soo. “A single agreement with NeuTrafiX is all a Buyer needs to start trading with Sellers globally and vice versa.”

With NeuTrafiX, users have access to a prepaid solution that enables them to establish direct deals, improve their margins, increase their customer satisfaction, speed up go-to-market with API access, elimination of human error and fraud protection—all on one platform.

The marketplace is up and running since the release of this announcement. Interested Buyers and Sellers can simply sign on at www.neutrafix.net to start. For more detailed information, Buyers and Sellers can also contact Telin at [email protected] to learn more.

About Telin

Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (Telin) is a subsidiary of PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia, Tbk (Telkom), a state-owned telecommunication and network service provider. Telin focuses on international telecommunication business to manage and develop its business lines abroad. With its vision of To become “Global Digital Hub,” Telin owns subsidiaries in Singapore, Hong Kong, Timor Leste via its Telkomcel brand, Australia, Malaysia, USA, Taiwan, and a branch in Myanmar. The company owns 59 Points of Presence (PoP) located globally. Through Telkom Group strategy together with reliable networks and infrastructures, Telin is able to provide high-quality services that reach all parts of the world in order to Enable Your Global Digital Business and Solution. Learn more about us in www.telin.net.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/telin-launches-neutrafix-the-future-of-the-connectivity-business-301185542.html

SOURCE PT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (Telin)

TORONTO, Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ – Battle North Gold Corp. (TSX: BNAU) (OTCQX: BNAUF) (“Battle North” or the “Company“) has filed a new technical report for the Project reflecting the Feasibility Study for the Bateman Gold Project, in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (the “Technical Report“). The Technical Report, effective December 1, 2020, was prepared by T. Maunula & Associates Consulting Inc., which is independent of Battle North. The Company issued a news release on October 21, 2020 announcing the results of the Feasibility Study for the Bateman Gold Project, which are reflected in the Technical Report. A copy of the October 21, 2020 news release and the new Technical Report can be viewed online under Battle North’s profile at www.sedar.com and on the Company’s website at www.battlenorthgold.com.

About Battle North Gold Corporation

Battle North is a Canadian gold mine developer led by an accomplished management team with successful underground gold mine operations, finance, and capital markets experience. Battle North owns the significantly de-risked and shovel-ready Bateman Gold Project, located in the renowned Red Lake gold district in Ontario, Canada and controls the strategic and second largest exploration ground in the district. Battle North also owns a large gold exploration land package on the Long Canyon gold trend near the Nevada–Utah border in the United States. Battle North’s shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the OTCQX markets. For more information, please visit our website at www.battlenorthgold.com.

BATTLE NORTH GOLD CORPORATION

George Ogilvie, P.Eng.
President, CEO, and Director

Cautionary Statement regarding Forward-Looking Statements
 

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained or incorporated by reference in this news release constitute “forward-looking statements” and “forward-looking information” (collectively, “forward-looking statements“) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “de-risked”, “exploration”, “feasibility”, “shovel-ready”, “strategic” and “study”, and similar such words, expressions or statements that certain actions, events or results can, could, may, should, will or would (or not) be achieved, demonstrate, occur, provide, result or support in the future.  Forward‑looking statements include the results of the Feasibility Study. In some cases, forward-looking information may be stated in the present tense, such as in respect of current matters that may be continuing, or that may have a future impact or effect. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, estimates, expectations and opinions, which are considered reasonable and represent best judgment based on available facts, as of the date such statements are made.  If such assumptions, estimates, expectations and opinions prove to be incorrect, actual and future results may be materially different than expressed or implied in forward-looking statements. The assumptions, estimates, expectations and opinions referenced or contained in this news release which may prove to be incorrect include those set forth in the Company’s Annual Information Form dated March 27, 2020 (the “2020 AIF“), the Company’s October 21, 2020 news release regarding the Feasibility Study (the “FS News Release“) and the new Technical Report for the Project referenced herein (the “FS Technical Report“), all available under the Company’s profile at

www.sedar.com

and on its website at

www.battlenorthgold.com

.
Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Battle North and the Project to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors include, among others, the “Risk Factors” in the 2020 AIF, the FS News Release and the FS Technical Report.  Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors are not exhaustive.  Readers should consult the more complete discussion of the Company’s business, financial condition and prospects that is provided in the 2020 AIF and, of the Project, in the FS Technical Report.  The forward-looking statements referenced or contained herein are expressly qualified by these Cautionary Statements as well as the Cautionary Statements in the 2020 AIF, the FS News Release and the FS Technical Report.  Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release (or as otherwise expressly specified) and Battle North disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.

Qualified Person

The content of this news release related to the FS Technical Report has been read, verified and approved by Tim Maunula, P.Geo., of T. Maunula & Associates Consulting Inc., who is independent from the Company and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 of the Canadian Securities Administrators.

The Toronto Stock Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/battle-north-gold-files-the-ni-43-101-technical-report-for-the-bateman-gold-project-feasibility-study-301185628.html

SOURCE Battle North Gold Corporation

SEATTLE, Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — (NASDAQ: RDFN) — People moving to the Atlanta area from pricey, liberal metros like New York, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles is likely one factor helping tilt Georgia blue in the 2020 presidential election for the first time in 28 years, according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. Other factors include activism and a coordinated get-out-the-vote effort.

Joe Biden won Georgia by roughly 13,000 votes after President Trump won the state by about 211,000 votes in 2016. In Fulton County, home to Atlanta, Biden won by 46 percentage points, an uptick from Democrats’ 40.6 percentage-point victory four years ago. Georgia’s next-most populous counties, Gwinnett, Cobb and DeKalb, all voted Democratic by bigger margins than 2016 (Gwinnett: 18 points, up from 5.8 in 2016. Cobb: 14 points, up from 2.2. DeKalb: 67 points, up from 62.9).

About 50,000 more people moved into Georgia from other states than left in 2019, the sixth biggest net increase of any state in the U.S., according to the U.S. Census.

In the Atlanta metro, 26% of Redfin.com home searches were from users outside the state in October. Atlanta was the fifth-most popular destination in the U.S. for Redfin.com users looking outside their home metro in October, behind Sacramento, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Austin. Atlanta is perennially on the list of most popular destinations for people looking to move to a different area, and the net inflow of people looking to move to Atlanta has increased 43% since last year. A net inflow means more people are looking to move in than leave.

“Atlanta has grown tremendously in the last two decades, which is one reason why Georgia is turning blue,” said local Redfin real estate agent Cynthia Little. “The area is a magnet for people from all over the country because in addition to having a lower cost of living than most big cities, Atlanta is home to many big companies like Delta, Home Depot and Coca Cola, plus a fast-growing film and television business. Put it all together and the population is shifting away from older, Republican-minded residents and toward a younger, more diverse group of people, many who are migrating from Democratic states like California and New York.”

The New York City metro was the top origin for people looking to move into Atlanta from out of state in October, with 37.3% of searches from outside the area coming from New York. Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, the Bay Area and Chicago round out the top five most common origins for people moving to Atlanta.

Affordability is a key reason people are moving to Atlanta from outside the area, particularly as people become more free to move to different metro areas with pandemic-driven remote work opportunities. The typical home in the Atlanta metro sold for $285,000 in October, compared with $550,000 in the New York metro (excluding Manhattan), $458,000 in Washington, D.C., $735,000 in Los Angeles, $1.43 million in San Francisco and $275,000 in Chicago.

The Atlanta suburbs, key to flipping Georgia blue, are more Democratic and more diverse than they were a decade ago

Joe Biden won the Atlanta suburbs by a margin of 30.5 percentage points, up from Hillary Clinton’s 23.4-point margin in 2016 and Barack Obama’s 13.2-point margin in 2012. That increase in the Democratic margin in the suburbs helped Biden take the state, and it helped the Democratic Senate candidates advance to a runoff election in January.

The Atlanta suburbs have also become more racially and ethnically diverse over the last decade, with people of color making up 46.1% of the suburban population in 2018, up from 43.4% in 2010. That increase was driven by a 24.4% increase in the number of people of color living in the suburbs over that time period. That’s a bigger share of people of color in the suburbs than the nationwide share, and a bigger increase: People of color made up 28% of the suburban population nationwide in 2018, up from 26.2% in 2010, driven by a 15.3% increase in the number of people of color.

“The pandemic has caused people who are moving to the Atlanta area from out of state—and people who currently live in the city—to flock to the suburbs,” Little said. “Priorities have changed, with people looking for room to work, homeschool and entertain themselves on their own property. Now suburbs are attracting people from all walks of life who want more space for less money.”

The uptick in people of color is one reason the Atlanta suburbs became more Democratic in 2020; preliminary data from the New York Times shows that 87% of Black Americans, 65% of Hispanic/Latino Americans and 61% of Asian Americans nationwide voted for Joe Biden, versus 41% of white Americans. In Georgia specifically, Asian American/Pacific Islander voter turnout increased by 91% since 2016, Latino turnout increased by 72%, Black turnout increased by 20% and white turnout increased by 16%.

People of color making up a larger share of the suburban Atlanta population has not translated to an increase in Black homeownership. In Fulton County, 37.8% of Black households owned their homes in 2018, down from 44.1% in 2010. The homeownership rate for white households in Fulton County also declined, from 69.8% to 66.2%.

The city of Atlanta and its suburbs have also become more dense over the last decade, which is partly a reflection of the area’s increasing popularity. There were 16% more people living in the city of Atlanta in 2018 than 2010, and 13% more people living in the Atlanta suburbs over that same time period. That’s a significantly bigger uptick than the country as a whole, which saw a 5.1% increase in city population and a 4.4% increase in suburban population.

Home prices are up, supply is tight in the Atlanta metro

The typical home in the Atlanta metro sold for a record $285,000 in October, up 16.3% from the year before. That’s a more affordable price than the national median of $335,000, but a larger year-over-year increase than the 14.1% national uptick.

“The trend toward remote work has given many people the freedom to move to different parts of the country and the ability to prioritize affordability over living close to a job center,” said Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather. “Atlanta and its suburbs exemplify what people are looking for right now, with spacious homes for affordable prices in a warmer climate than the Northeast. And given the choice to live anywhere in the country, some homebuyers prefer southern living to the East or West coast.”

There was a 17.4% increase in Atlanta-area home sales in October from the year before, with 28% fewer homes for sale than the year prior.

Competition is also up significantly in Atlanta, with the typical home spending just 25 days on the market before going under contract, 12 fewer days than a year ago. Nearly 31% of homes that sold in October went for above list price, an 11.7 percentage-point increase from the year before.

To view the full report, including charts and methodology, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/news/2020-election-migration-atlanta-georgia/

About Redfin
Redfin (www.redfin.com) is a technology-powered residential real estate company, redefining real estate in the consumer’s favor in a commission-driven industry. We do this by integrating every step of the home buying and selling process and pairing our own agents with our own technology, creating a service that is faster, better and costs less. We offer brokerage, iBuying, mortgage, and title services, and we also run the country’s #1 real estate brokerage search site, offering a host of online tools to consumers, including the Redfin Estimate. We represent people buying and selling homes in over 90 markets in the United States and Canada. Since our launch in 2006, we have saved our customers over $800 million and we’ve helped them buy or sell more than 235,000 homes worth more than $115 billion.

For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent, visit www.redfin.com. To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin Data Center. To be added to Redfin’s press release distribution list, email [email protected]. To view Redfin’s press center, click here.

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SOURCE Redfin

BEIJING, Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Luokung Technology Corp. (NASDAQ: LKCO) (“Luokung” or the “Company”), one of the global leading spatial-temporal big-data processing technology companies, a leading interactive location-based services company in China, today announced that Luokung and Hainan Broadcasting International Media Center engaged into a cooperation agreement to jointly launch local tourism and business services in Hainan, HiGo, which includes mobile application and interface services, covers entire Hannan island’s business, culture, tourism and travel service facilities and provides location as a service in Hainan province.

HiGo is built on the open platform and API services of Luokung Map while leveraging special features of Hainan International Free Trade Port. It provides users with comprehensive business interactive services based on locations in social, travel, shopping and other scenarios. A large amount of location-related audio and video content is presented in the HiGo map service in Fusion Media Center. Merchants and users can directly publish the latest business and service information at their location, display it on HiGo map in real time, and conduct online transactions. Additionally, the display of truly personalized maps for HiGo users by Luokung map affords users a unique experience of location as a service.

Hainan Broadcasting International Media Center is affiliated to Hainan Radio and Television General Station and has the richest content and media promotion resources in Hainan. Hainan Province is China’s largest pilot free trade zone and has begun to build a free trade port across the island. In 2019, the number of tourists in the whole year exceeded 80 million, and the annual tourism income exceeded 100 billion yuan.

About Luokung Technology Corp.

Luokung Technology Corp. is one of the global leading spatial-temporal big-data processing technology companies and a leading interactive location-based services company in China. It provides integrated DaaS, SaaS, and PaaS services for Internet and Internet of Things of Spatial-Temporal big data based on its patented technology. Based on geographic information systems and intelligent Spatial-Temporal big data, it establishes city-level and industry-level digital twin holographic data models to actively serve smart cities, intelligent transportation, smart industry, LBS. http://www.luokung.com

Business Risks and Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “future”, “intends”, “plans”, “believes”, “estimates”, “target”, “going forward”, “outlook” and similar statements. Such statements are based upon management’s current expectations and current market and operating conditions and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company’s control, which may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under law.

CONTACT:

The Company:

Mr. Jay Yu 
Chief Financial Officer
Tel:  +86-10-5327-4727
Email: [email protected]

INVESTOR RELATIONS
PureRock Communications Limited
Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Luokung Technology Corp.

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — INOVIO (NASDAQ:INO), a biotechnology company focused on bringing to market precisely designed DNA medicines to treat and protect people from infectious diseases and cancer, today announced the execution of an agreement with Kaneka Eurogentec S.A., an affiliate of Kaneka Corporation, for Eurogentec to manufacture INOVIO’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate INO-4800 at their industry-leading GMP plasmid production scales. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Kaneka Eurogentec joins existing partners Thermo Fisher Scientific, Richter-Helm BioLogics and Ology Biosciences in INOVIO’s global manufacturing consortium. Each contract development and manufacturing organization that has been selected to join the consortium is compliant with commercial GMP standards and capable of supporting INOVIO’s future large-scale global manufacturing needs across its portfolio of DNA medicines and vaccines.

INOVIO’s President & CEO, Dr. J. Joseph Kim, said, “Our partnership with Kaneka Eurogentec, one of the world’s largest and most experienced plasmid manufacturers, provides additional scale to our growing global manufacturing coalition. Kaneka Eurogentec will be a crucial member of INOVIO’s global manufacturing consortium, supporting our plans to produce, manufacture and scale our COVID-19 vaccine candidate, INO-4800.”

Dr. Lieven Janssens, Kaneka Eurogentec’s President and CEO, said, “We are excited to join INOVIO’s growing global manufacturing consortium and look forward to supporting the manufacturing needs of DNA medicines and vaccines across INOVIO’s platform. We are pleased that our large-scale manufacturing technologies are well-recognized by INOVIO, a leading player in the DNA plasmid field.”

INOVIO’s Senior Vice President of Biological Manufacturing and Clinical Supply Management, Robert J. Juba Jr., said, “Kaneka Eurogentec brings a wealth of DNA plasmid manufacturing expertise and innovation to INOVIO’s global consortium to manufacture INO-4800. We look forward to working with them to utilize their state-of-the-art, large-scale manufacturing capabilities towards our goal of producing hundreds of millions of doses of INO-4800 for worldwide distribution.”

INOVIO recognizes the importance of having a robust coalition to support its broader development platform for DNA medicines as well as its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, INO-4800. As a result, the company continues to build the coalition to ensure timely, cost-effective and scalable production of DNA medicines and vaccines. INOVIO’s third-party manufacturers will produce the patent-protected formulation for INO-4800, developed to enhance stability of the vaccine with a favorable tolerability profile. Importantly, INO-4800 has shown an excellent thermo-stability profile. INOVIO’s other platform DNA vaccine candidates have also demonstrated a shelf life of greater than 5 years when refrigerated and stability for more than 30 days at 37 degrees Celsius, and more than one year at room temperature. INOVIO’s candidates also do not need to be frozen during transport or storage, a vital factor when implementing immunizations on a global scale. INO-4800 is administered via INOVIO’s proprietary CELLECTRA® smart delivery device, which delivers the vaccine locally into the patient’s skin, a process that takes only a few seconds.

INOVIO is conducting a Phase 2 segment of its planned Phase 2/3 clinical trial for INO-4800, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The planned Phase 2/3 clinical trial, called INNOVATE (INovio INO-4800 Vaccine Trial for Efficacy), is a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled safety and efficacy trial of INO-4800 to be conducted in adults in the U.S. The INNOVATE trial will be funded by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) in coordination with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (OASD (HA)) and the Defense Health Agency (DHA).

The DoD has agreed to provide funding for both the Phase 2 and Phase 3 segments of the INNOVATE clinical trial, in addition to the $71 million of funding previously announced in June for the large-scale manufacture of the company’s proprietary smart device CELLECTRA® 3PSP and the procurement of CELLECTRA® 2000 devices.

About the INO-4800 “INNOVATE” Phase 2/3 Clinical Trial

The lead Principal Investigator for the INNOVATE trial is Dr. Pablo Tebas, Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. The Phase 2 segment of the trial is designed to evaluate safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of INO-4800 in a 2-dose regimen (1.0 mg or 2.0 mg), in a three-to-one randomization to receive either INO-4800 or placebo for each dose, to confirm the more appropriate dose(s) for each of three age groups (18-50 years, 51-64 years and 65 years and older) for the subsequent Phase 3 efficacy evaluation. The company intends to work diligently to ensure diversity in enrollment, targeting specific populations that are working or residing in environments with high infection rates and/or areas where there is greater risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, for whom exposure may be relatively prolonged or for whom personal protective equipment (PPE) may be inconsistently used, especially in confined settings.

In the Phase 3 segment of the trial, INOVIO intends to enroll healthy men and non-pregnant women 18 years and older, to evaluate the efficacy of the proposed dose(s) based on the data from the Phase 2 evaluation. Participants will be enrolled in a one-to-one randomization to receive either INO-4800 or a placebo. The Phase 3 segment will be case-driven with the final number of enrollees to be determined by the incidence of COVID-19 during the Phase 3 segment. The primary endpoint of the Phase 3 segment will be virologically-confirmed COVID-19 disease.

About INOVIO’s Global Coalition Advancing INO-4800

INOVIO has assembled a global coalition of collaborators, partners and funders to rapidly advance the development of INO-4800. R&D collaborators to date include the Wistar Institute, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Texas, Fudan University and Laval University. INOVIO has partnered with Advaccine and the International Vaccine Institute to conduct clinical trials of INO-4800 in China and South Korea, respectively. INOVIO is also assessing nonclinical efficacy of INO-4800 in several animal challenge models with Public Health England (PHE) and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Australia. INOVIO is working with a team of contract manufacturers including Kaneka Eurogentec, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Richter-Helm BioLogics, and Ology Bioservices to manufacture INO-4800 on a commercial scale and is seeking additional external funding and partnerships to further scale up manufacturing capacities to satisfy the urgent global demand for safe and effective vaccines. To date, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Defense have contributed significant funding to the advancement and manufacturing of INO-4800.

About INO-4800

INO-4800 is INOVIO’s DNA vaccine candidate intended to protect against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. INOVIO has extensive experience working with coronaviruses and was the first company to initiate a Phase 2a trial for INO-4700, a vaccine for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), another coronavirus related to SARS-CoV-2.

INO-4800 is the only nucleic-acid based vaccine that is stable at room temperature for more than a year and does not need to be frozen in transport of storage, which are important factors when implementing mass immunizations.

About INOVIO’s DNA Medicines Platform

INOVIO has 15 DNA medicine clinical programs currently in development focused on HPV-associated diseases, cancer, and infectious diseases, including coronaviruses associated with MERS and COVID-19 diseases being developed under grants from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the U.S. Department of Defense. DNA medicines are composed of optimized DNA plasmids, which are small circles of double-stranded DNA that are synthesized or reorganized by a computer sequencing technology and designed to produce a specific immune response in the body.

INOVIO’s DNA medicines deliver optimized plasmids directly into cells intramuscularly or intradermally using INOVIO’s proprietary hand-held smart device called CELLECTRA®. The CELLECTRA device uses a brief electrical pulse to reversibly open small pores in the cell to allow the plasmids to enter, overcoming a key limitation of other DNA and other nucleic acid approaches, such as mRNA. Once inside the cell, the DNA plasmids enable the cell to produce the targeted antigen. The antigen is processed naturally in the cell and triggers the desired T cell and antibody-mediated immune responses. Administration with the CELLECTRA device ensures that the DNA medicine is efficiently delivered directly into the body’s cells, where it can go to work to drive an immune response. INOVIO’s DNA medicines do not interfere with or change in any way an individual’s own DNA. The advantages of INOVIO’s DNA medicine platform are how fast DNA medicines can be designed and manufactured; the stability of the products, which do not require freezing in storage and transport; and the robust immune response, safety profile, and tolerability that have been observed in clinical trials.

With more than 2,000 patients receiving INOVIO investigational DNA medicines in more than 7,000 applications across a range of clinical trials, INOVIO has a strong track record of rapidly generating DNA medicine candidates with potential to meet urgent global health needs.

About Kaneka Eurogentec

Eurogentec was founded in 1985 as a spin-off of the University of Liège (Belgium). Kaneka Eurogentec contributes to improving health and fighting diseases by supplying products and services to scientists involved in life science research, molecular diagnostics, and therapeutic developments. The Liège-based company is recognized as one of the major suppliers in the field of genomics and proteomics as well as a trusted US FDA inspected Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) for the bio-production of pharmaceuticals vaccines and medicines. Kaneka Eurogentec is a leading company in large scale production of GMP DNA Plasmid for DNA vaccines and starting materials for vector-based gene medicines. In parallel, Kaneka Eurogentec offers CDMO services for GMP mRNA, the active molecule of RNA vaccines and RNA based gene therapy. In 2010, Eurogentec, renamed Kaneka Eurogentec in April 2017, became part of Kaneka Corporation, a large Japanese chemical company focusing on technology and innovation. For more information, visit https://www.eurogentec.com/

About INOVIO

INOVIO is a biotechnology company focused on rapidly bringing to market precisely designed DNA medicines to treat and protect people from infectious diseases, cancer, and diseases associated with HPV. INOVIO is the first and only company to have clinically demonstrated that a DNA medicine can be delivered directly into cells in the body via a proprietary smart device to produce a robust and tolerable immune response. Specifically, INOVIO’s lead candidate VGX-3100, currently in Phase 3 trials for precancerous cervical dysplasia, destroyed and cleared high-risk HPV 16 and 18 in a Phase 2b clinical trial. High-risk HPV is responsible for 70% of cervical cancer, 91% of anal cancer, and 69% of vulvar cancer. Also in development are programs targeting HPV-related cancers and a rare HPV-related disease, recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP); non-HPV-related cancers glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and prostate cancer; as well as externally funded infectious disease DNA vaccine development programs in Zika, Lassa fever, Ebola, HIV, and coronaviruses associated with MERS and COVID-19 diseases. Partners and collaborators include Advaccine, ApolloBio Corporation, AstraZeneca, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)/Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND)/Department of Defense (DOD), HIV Vaccines Trial Network, International Vaccine Institute (IVI), Kaneka Eurogentec, Medical CBRN Defense Consortium (MCDC), National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Ology Bioservices, the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Plumbline Life Sciences, Regeneron, Richter-Helm BioLogics, Thermo Fisher Scientific, University of Pennsylvania, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and The Wistar Institute. INOVIO also is a proud recipient of 2020 Women on Boards “W” designation recognizing companies with more than 20% women on their board of directors. For more information, visit www.inovio.com.

CONTACTS:

Media: Jeff Richardson, 267-440-4211, [email protected]
Investors: Ben Matone, 484-362-0076, [email protected]

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to our business, including our plans to develop and manufacture DNA medicines, our expectations regarding our research and development programs, including the planned initiation and conduct of the Phase 2/3 clinical trial of INO-4800, and our ability to successfully manufacture and produce large quantities of our product candidates if they receive regulatory approval. Actual events or results may differ from the expectations set forth herein as a result of a number of factors, including uncertainties inherent in preclinical studies, clinical trials, product development programs and commercialization activities and outcomes, our ability to secure sufficient manufacturing capacity to mass produce our product candidates, the availability of funding to support continuing research and studies in an effort to prove safety and efficacy of electroporation technology as a delivery mechanism or develop viable DNA medicines, our ability to support our pipeline of DNA medicine products, the ability of our collaborators to attain development and commercial milestones for products we license and product sales that will enable us to receive future payments and royalties, the adequacy of our capital resources, the availability or potential availability of alternative therapies or treatments for the conditions targeted by us or our collaborators, including alternatives that may be more efficacious or cost effective than any therapy or treatment that we and our collaborators hope to develop, issues involving product liability, issues involving patents and whether they or licenses to them will provide us with meaningful protection from others using the covered technologies, whether such proprietary rights are enforceable or defensible or infringe or allegedly infringe on rights of others or can withstand claims of invalidity and whether we can finance or devote other significant resources that may be necessary to prosecute, protect or defend them, the level of corporate expenditures, assessments of our technology by potential corporate or other partners or collaborators, capital market conditions, the impact of government healthcare proposals and other factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020 and other filings we make from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. There can be no assurance that any product candidate in our pipeline will be successfully developed, manufactured or commercialized, that final results of clinical trials will be supportive of regulatory approvals required to market products, or that any of the forward-looking information provided herein will be proven accurate. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise these statements, except as may be required by law.

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SOURCE INOVIO Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Talend (NASDAQ: TLND), a global leader in data integration and integrity, today announced an expanded partnership with Snowflake, provider of the Data Cloud through Snowflake Partner Connect. The platform offers Snowflake customers a two-week trial through which they can now seamlessly experience Talend Data Fabric, including the recently announced Talend Trust Score that enables companies to easily assess and improve data reliability in their cloud environment.  

With Talend and Snowflake, joint customers can make business-critical decisions with confidence.  Talend Data Fabric is a single platform that delivers complete, clean and uncompromised data in near real time. The Talend Trust Score assesses data stored on Snowflake’s platform for reliability and measures data health by intelligently diagnosing and resolving data integrity issues in multi-cloud environments.

“With Talend, Snowflake and Tableau Software, we have a modern, agile, high-performance, secure and trusted data architecture,” said Arnaud Maton, Head of Data Management, Kiloutou. “This means our business divisions can be autonomous in how they run self-service reports with qualified data and also promote a test and learn approach to their use of trusted data.” 

The importance of data health and trust was discussed during a session with Talend and Snowflake executives at Snowflake’s Data Cloud Summit 2020. Talend Trust Score will help companies confidently drive insights using their Snowflake data to quickly make decisions that can accelerate revenue, help innovate faster, and can reduce cost and risk.

“Trusted data is an essential for businesses to make mission critical decisions,” said Rolf Heimes, Global Head of Business Development, Talend. “The combination of Talend and Snowflake enables customers to quickly mobilize their data to achieve better business outcomes, with clean, governed, and accessible data at each stage of their Snowflake adoption. We’re thrilled to add Talend Data Fabric to Snowflake Partner Connect.”

Talend was one of the first partners to support Snowflake Partner Connect with the availability of Stitch on the portal. Additionally, Talend is certified as “Snowflake Ready Technology” and is one of only nine Elite Technology partners in the Snowflake Partner Network.

“We’re excited to offer joint customers the ability to review, improve and certify the reliability of their data with Talend Trust Score on Snowflake’s platform,” said Colleen Kapase, VP of WW Partner & Alliances, Snowflake. “With Talend and Snowflake, customers can confidently make business decisions with data that is clean, concise, and uncompromised.”

To learn more about our Talend Snowflake partnership, please visit here or Talend’s website.

About Talend  

Talend (NASDAQ: TLND), a leader in data integration and data integrity, is changing the way the world makes decisions. 

Talend Data Fabric is the only platform that brings together all the data integration and governance capabilities to simplify every aspect of working with data. Talend delivers complete, clean, and uncompromised data in real-time to all. This unified approach to data has made it possible to create the Talend Trust Score™, an industry-first innovation that instantly assesses the reliability of any dataset to bring clarity and confidence to every decision. 

Over 5,000 organizations across the globe have chosen Talend to run their businesses on trusted data. Talend is recognized as a leader in its field by leading analyst firms and industry media. For more information, please visit www.talend.com and follow us on Twitter: @Talend. 

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SOURCE Talend Inc.

TORONTO, Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ – XTM, Inc. (“XTM” or the “Company”) (CSE:PAID) (FSE:7XT), a Toronto-based Fintech company in the neo banking space, providing mobile banking and payment solutions around the world is pleased to announce its plan to offer micro-credit to its Today™ Cardholder community.  The Today program has been adopted and rolled out to thousands of hospitality, personal care and food delivery staff through their employers as a way of eliminating cash from the gratuity and earnings disbursement ecosystem. 

This micro-credit product delivers an overdraft protection on a subscription model and reports the good repayment history to the bureaus thereby increasing the subscribers’ credit score.  With an opt-in via the Today mobile app, each subscriber will be given access to their credit score in real-time and in-app credit-building tips to help increase their credit score.  The service will be offered free of charge for the first 60-days followed by a small monthly subscription fee.  Repayment of the overdraft is made each time the user receives a new deposit from their employer. The Company is in beta stage and expects a full roll-out by Q2 2021. 

“Our Today users are a dynamic group of people looking to enhance their credit score, enabling them to take advantage of credit opportunities such as loans and mortgages,” said Marilyn Schaffer, CEO, XTM.  “XTM is a Fintech innovator and we are committed to our roadmap of driving exceptional value to our users.  This announcement reflects our response to our users’ quest for financial inclusion.”

About XTM Inc.

XTM, www.xtminc.com is a Toronto-based fintech innovator in the challenger banking space helping business and workers alike expedite earnings payout and reduce or eliminate banking fees.   We are a global card issuer and payment specialist providing free technology to business to automate and expedite worker payouts that can eliminate cash.  XTM integrates businesses to a payment ecosystem that is coupled with a free mobile app and Mastercard debit card with free banking features. XTM drives enterprise value and creates a positive user experience. 

This news release contains “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws (the “forward-looking statements”), within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation, including expected performance of XTM, the expectation that the Vert credit business will launch in the expected timeline, the program will be successful, XTM can obtain the necessary credit facilities, users will continue to use the program or that any business will actually private label the program. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as “expect”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “project”, “target”, “potential”, “schedule”, “forecast”, “budget”, “estimate”, “intend” or “believe” and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions “will”, “would”, “may”, “could”, “should” or “might” occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the future circumstances, outcomes or results anticipated in or implied by such forward-looking statements will occur or that plans, intentions or expectations upon which the forward-looking statements are based will occur.

The CSE has not approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release, and the CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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SOURCE XTM Inc.

CSE: VYGR
OTCQB: VYGVF
Borse Frankfurt: UCD2

Voyager receives grant from Algorand Foundation to expand DeFi offerings; 8.5% interest on USDC supported on Algorand available through Voyager

NEW YORK, Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ – Voyager Digital  Ltd. (“Voyager” or the “Company”) (CSE: VYGR) (OTCQB: VYGVF) (FRA: UCD2), a publicly traded, licensed crypto-asset broker that provides investors with a turnkey solution to trade crypto assets, today announced that the Company will provide new financial offerings through enhanced integration of the Algorand Protocol. Voyager will also enable users to earn 8.5% on USDC supported on Algorand, when lent through Voyager’s services.

Voyager’s support for USDC and Algorand Standard Assets (ASA) will seamlessly enable users to avail of the transaction speed and guaranteed finality of the Algorand protocol, with full integration on the Voyager platform. Voyager will develop USDC payment rails on the Algorand protocol, such that consumers will have the ability to buy, hold, trade, and self-custody their USDC, ALGO, and Alogrand Standard Assets on Voyager. The Algorand Protocol will make USDC transactions more efficient and less costly for consumers, as well as bring interest-bearing benefits to customers. Going forward, this development will facilitate future ASA tokens to be bought, sold, or transferred through the Voyager platform.

This adds to the growing Decentralized Finance and new financial applications coming to the Algorand ecosystem, as well as the Voyager Platform.

“Voyager is excited to partner with the Algorand Foundation and honored that the Foundation has recognized Voyager’s technological expertise and capabilities,” said Steve Ehrlich, Co-Founder and CEO of Voyager Digital. “Voyager has built, from the ground up, the most consumer-friendly, easy to use agency brokerage for trading over 50 digital assets, commission-free. We look forward to a strong relationship with the Algorand Foundation.”

“The Algorand Foundation is delighted to announce that Voyager is a recipient of an AlgoGrant,” said Sean Lee, CEO of the Algorand Foundation. “Voyager will match their innovative App-based service with the speed and flexibility of USDC on Algorand, to create a greater experience for their users and the wider Algorand community.”

Mr. Ehrlich added, “As Voyager’s platform continues to rapidly garner widespread acceptance by mainstream investors and crypto enthusiasts alike, the Company will continue to partner with leading industry players, such as the Algorand Foundation, to provide consumers with the most robust and consumer-friendly digital asset investing experience available.”

For more information on Voyager Digital, please visit https://www.investvoyager.com. The Voyager App is available for Android and iPhone.

About Voyager Digital Ltd.

Voyager Digital Ltd. is a crypto-asset broker that provides retail and institutional investors with a turnkey solution to trade crypto assets. Voyager offers customers best execution and safe custody on a wide choice of popular crypto-assets. Voyager was founded by established Wall Street and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who teamed to bring a better, more transparent and cost-efficient alternative for trading crypto-assets to the marketplace. Please visit us at https://www.investvoyager.com for more information and to review the latest Corporate Presentation.

 About Algorand Foundation
The Algorand Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that has a vision of a borderless, frictionless economy built on public, decentralized blockchain technology. The Foundation, in partnership with Algorand Inc, has built the Algorand blockchain protocol — initially designed by cryptography pioneer and Turing award winner Silvio Micali and a team of leading scientists — as the cornerstone of achieving this vision. The Foundation envisions a wide breadth of applications being built on this protocol by a new, wider community of mainstream developers. The Foundation is committed to facilitating this innovation in a sustainable and eco-friendly manner by utilizing the Proof of Stake consensus algorithm.

For more information, visit https://algorand.foundation.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this press release.

This news release contains “forward-looking statements” that are based on expectations, estimates, projections and interpretations as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as “plan”, “expect”, “project”, “seek”, “intend”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “suggest”, “indicate” and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions “may” or “will” occur, and include, without limitation, statements regarding the use of proceeds of the Financing and Concurrent Financing, the expected timing for obtaining a Final Receipt and receipt of all requisite regulatory approvals, the ability to raise the funds to finance the Company’s ongoing business activities and expected financial performance and customer growth. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to, the ability to obtain all requisite regulatory approvals including the approval of the Exchange and those of the securities regulatory authorities in respect of a (final) short form prospectus, the ability to apply the proceeds as intended, the results of business operations; the ability of the Company to acquire further customers; timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms and those risk factors outlined in the Company’s Management Discussion and Analysis as filed on SEDAR. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

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SOURCE Voyager Digital (Canada) Ltd.

SANTA CLARITA, Calif., Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Princess Cruises announced that upon approval to return to service in 2021 its global fleet will feature the MedallionClass Experience, offering a number of new features that leverage touchless technologies and significantly enhance and personalize the guest experience, as well as support new health protocols.

The line of smart ships is expanding as ship transformation has continued during the pause. Coral Princess, Diamond Princess, Emerald Princess, Grand Princess, Island Princess, Majestic Princess, and Sapphire Princess will return as MedallionClass ships along with the new Enchanted Princess.

The cruise line’s OceanMedallion™ wearable device replaces the traditional cruise card and pairs with embedded IoT (“Internet of things”) -driven innovative technology to significantly expand touch-free options and personalization on board Princess MedallionClass™ ships including:

• touchless embarkation and disembarkation
• keyless stateroom entry
• completely contactless commerce
• simplified safety training
• on-demand food, beverages and retail items delivered anywhere on board
• guest service requests via mobile device chat
• location-based gaming and wagering
• entertainment content via smart devices

Princess MedallionClass ships also offer the best Wi-Fi at sea, MedallionNet™, so guests can stay connected to the things and people they love and share vacation memories with ease. MedallionNet  offers unprecedented connectivity that’s fast, unlimited and affordable, so guests can stream favorite movies, shows, games and music; connect to favorite social media sites; and video chat from anywhere on the ship. 

“Innovation is allowing us to pair guidance from public health experts with the unparalleled touch-free capabilities of the OceanMedallion honoring our commitment to health and safety, while continuing to reinvent and simplify the experience all together,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises. “During this down-time we’ve worked behind the scenes to re-engineer our operation to give guests maximum control of their cruise vacation, as well as to activate the Princess MedallionClass Experience on all of our ships.”

A noted breakthrough in the vacation industry, the OceanMedallion™ connects guests and crew to an experiential “IoT” platform through a network of sensors and readers that help recognize individuals in locations throughout the ship, facilitating extraordinary touchless capabilities that include highly-personalized service and interactive entertainment, while also reducing contact between guests and crew on board and in ports.

“The same technology we’ve used to simplify and personalize the guest experience on our Princess MedallionClass ships for the past three years is now being further leveraged to safeguard our guests and crew as well,” said John Padgett, chief experience and innovation officer for Carnival Corporation. “That means that the smartest ships at sea are now enabling intelligence-driven safety processes via the OceanMedallion.”

Medallion-Enabled Touchless Experiences

TrulyTouchless™ Arrival and Embarkation
Princess is transforming embarkation day by leveraging OceanMedallion technology to reduce friction, remove contact, and avoid crowds, streamlining arrival and check-in, as well as completely reinventing the traditional muster drill.

OceanReady
Upon return, all guests will be required to become OceanReady before leaving home, creating a touchless, expedited arrival experience and embarkation. Guests will use the MedallionClass app to upload travel documents (i.e. passport information) and complete a health questionnaire in advance as well as provide important emergency information and form of payment, take a security image, personalize their Medallions and order accessories to be shipped to their home or ready for pick up upon arrival.

Simplified Safety Training
A new approach to the safety assembly on embarkation day lets travel parties watch an important safety video on their mobile device anytime on embarkation day or from the comfort of their cabin via their stateroom TV and verify their designated muster station with a quick, contactless check-in at their convenience anytime between boarding and sail away. The OceanMedallion and xIoT provide the verification needed by the ship’s captain to confirm muster drill check-in while strengthening safety and security operations onboard, safe-guarding guest and crew health, and increasing operational efficiency.

Keyless stateroom entry
Access to staterooms is a seamless experience where each guest is securely validated as their cabin door automatically unlocks as they approach – no fumbling for a phone or key card.  The traditional do-not-disturb sign also becomes a thing of the past as the feature is integrated with the personalized portal outside each cabin, allowing guests to request privacy or designate their room for service by touching the display or using the MedallionClass app.

TrulyTouchless Commerce

MedallionPay transforms shopping on vacation by eliminating the need to carry cash and credit cards on board and in Princess Cays. MedallionPay allows for effortless payment when purchasing anything on the ship – food, beverages, merchandise, excursions, even laundry tokens. Because the proximity of the Medallion associates a guest’s photo with their location, crew members can quickly transact purchases without requiring the guest to handover, tap, swipe or insert a card, sign or enter a pin number.

OceanNow
™
 Service On-Demand

Food, beverage, retail orders and service are delivered
 directly to a guest’s location.  Guests can place orders using their smart device, their stateroom TV or with a crew member, as the Medallion continuously ensures great service wherever a guest may go on board.

Service Always Available
The location-based capabilities of the Medallion are allowing Princess to completely reinvent onboard guest service. Instead of queuing at the guest service desk for help or support, guests sailing on MedallionClass ships will now be able to request assistance from their mobile device, stateroom TV or any crew member using OceanNow. Requests will then be routed to a crew member to chat or locate the guest to provide personal assistance.  

“Our guests have always loved the convenience of OceanNow, but because the pandemic has expanded people’s appreciation of direct delivery, we think even more guests will embrace the ability to order food, drinks and more to meet them where they want to be – whether that’s a meal or a request for service,” added Swartz. “Not only does it prevent unnecessary queuing, it elevates our service delivery.”

Contactless Experiences Accessible from the MedallionClass App

On board Princess MedallionClass ships and throughout the guest journey, a portfolio of exceptionally fun and convenient experiences put guests in control.  Contactless capabilities are accessible from guests’ smart phones and tablets, and include shipboard wayfinding, family and friends locator, first-run movies, an interactive events and activities planner, wager-based gaming, and interactive fun.

• Locate Travel Companions, Chat Using
  OceanCompass™: The Medallion helps guests easily locate and chat with friends and family on board, as well as enables proprietary and industry-exclusive person-to-person wayfinding throughout the ship.
• First-run movies on the go*: With OceanView™, guests can watch recently-released films, the world’s most popular travel series, and live TV featuring broadcasts of select onboard events and more, from anywhere on board using their smart phone or tablet at no additional cost.
• Reserve Events/Interactive Voyage Timeline*: An interactive timeline within JourneyView™ lets guests see all ship events scheduled during their voyage and reserve activities they are interested in attending, adding it to their own personalized itinerary.
• Wager-based gaming*: With Ocean^® Casino guests wager real money on games including slots, poker, bingo, roulette, keno and lottery from anywhere on board, blackjack on stateroom TVs.
• Interactive fun*:
  PlayOcean™ puts entertainment at guests’ fingertips with interactive trivia, a ship-wide bar adventure, customizable avatars and more. PlayOcean also transforms guests’ mobile devices into game controllers for interactive gaming on the massive Movies Under the Stars screen near the ship’s main pool.
   
  *Experiences are also available on portal displays around the ship or via stateroom TVs

About Princess Cruises
One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is an international premium cruise line and tour company operating a fleet of 15 modern cruise ships, carrying two million guests each year to 380 destinations around the globe, including the Caribbean, Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera, Europe, South America, Australia/New Zealand, the South Pacific, Hawaii, Asia, Canada/New England, Antarctica and World Cruises. A team of professional destination experts have curated 170 itineraries, ranging in length from three to 111 days and Princess Cruises is continuously recognized as “Best Cruise Line for Itineraries.” In 2017 Princess Cruises, with parent company Carnival Corporation, introduced MedallionClass Vacations enabled by the OceanMedallion, the vacation industry’s most advanced wearable device, provided free to each guest sailing on a MedallionClass ship. The award-winning innovation offers the fastest way to an effortless personalized vacation giving guests more time to do the things they love most. The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE:CUK).

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SOURCE Princess Cruises