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Finacity, a White Oak Company, Facilitates Consumer Loan Funding Program for Express Credit Group’s African Lending Operations

STAMFORD, Conn., Oct. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Finacity Corporation, a White Oak Company, ("Finacity") announced that it has successfully completed the facilitation of a new consumer loan funding program for Express Credit Group's Botswana specialty finance operations ("Express Credit"). The new facility will purchase loans from Express Credit through a newly created special purpose corporation. The first tranche consisted of the purchase of USD 9.0 million pool of payroll deduction loans. Additional tranches are expected to follow. Finacity developed the program in coordination with Africa based financial advisor Africa Growth Capital.

About Express Credit Group

Express Credit Group operates specialty finance businesses in several African nations, including Botswana and Namibia. Express Credit offers payroll deduction loans, unsecured loans and real estate secured loans to consumers. Charlotte Mathula, CEO of Express Credit Botswana said that "the new loan funding program enhances our liquidity and our ability to serve our customers. Express Credit Botswana anticipates additional loan demand which could be supported by this new facility."

About Finacity, a White Oak Company

Finacity, a White Oak Company, specializes in the structuring and provision of efficient capital markets receivables funding programs, supplier and payables finance, back–up servicing, and bond administration. Finacity currently facilitates the financing and administration of an annual receivables volume of approximately US $100 billion. With resources in the USA, Europe Latin America and Asia, Finacity conducts business throughout the world with obligors in 175 countries. Finacity is affiliated with White Oak Global Advisors, LLC, a leading alternative debt manager specializing in originating and providing financing solutions to facilitate the growth, refinancing and recapitalization of small and medium enterprises. For further information, please visit www.finacity.com.

About White Oak Global Advisors

White Oak Global Advisors, LLC ("WOGA"), together with its financing affiliates, provides over twenty lending products to the market, including term, asset–based, and equipment loans, to all sectors of the economy. Since its inception in 2007, WOGA and its affiliates have deployed over $9 billion across its product lines, utilizing a disciplined investment process that focuses on delivering risk–adjusted investment returns to investors while establishing long term partnerships with our borrowers. More information can be found at www.whiteoaksf.com.

For more information on this transaction, please contact:

FINACITY CORPORATION, a White Oak Company

Paul Jenison
Tel: +1 203 428 3511
Mobile +1 917–833–1827
pjenison@finacity.com


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 8369066)

Singapore to Leverage the Global Cyber Alliance’s IoT Threat Analytics Platform

SINGAPORE and NEW YORK, Oct. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) has announced that it will partner with the Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) to leverage the capabilities of GCA's Automated IoT Defence Ecosystem (AIDE) platform to monitor and address IoT threats and safeguard the cybersecurity of the IoT space. The project will be the first large–scale application of the AIDE platform.

The global number of IoT devices is expected to rise to more than 50 billion by 2030. This presents a huge attack surface for malicious actors, which may lead to consequences like the theft of personal data and the disruption of services using IoT devices as botnet nodes to conduct distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. There is a need to proactively watch for global IoT threats and attack data, so that nations can be better prepared before the next wave of botnet attacks hit their shores.

The IoT threat analytics platform can provide CSA visibility on the types of IoT–related cyber threats that may affect the country's cyberspace. The insights from the platform allow partners to put in place policies and technical measures to safeguard against threat vectors through the conduit of IoT devices. The result is a better prepared and safer IoT cyberspace.

“The use of IoT devices is growing exponentially. CSA has introduced several initiatives to improve IoT security, including the world's first multi–level labelling scheme for consumer IoT devices"" the Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme. This latest initiative ""our partnership with GCA on AIDE"" will help us be better prepared against potential IoT attacks. Cybersecurity is a team sport where everyone has a part to play. CSA will continue to work with stakeholders to look for ways in building a more resilient and secure IoT space,” said Mr. David Koh, Commissioner of Cybersecurity and Chief Executive of CSA.

GCA's AIDE ecosystem is a central component of the project. This large repository of IoT threat intelligence relies on a globally distributed honeyfarm and on data feeds from partners.

According to Mr. Philip Reitinger, President and CEO of GCA, “This is a unique opportunity to increase GCA's international collaboration and expand our network of partners, from cybersecurity agencies and large internet players to academia and research institutions. This project ""and CSA's support as a whole"" is a crucial milestone in our roadmap for the AIDE ecosystem and in our long–term vision on IoT cybersecurity. The fact that this effort is happening in Singapore, a global flagship for technology, will pave the way to expand the initial scope of the project to other international smart cities.”

To learn more about AIDE visit: https://www.globalcyberalliance.org/aide/.

About the Global Cyber Alliance
The Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) is an international, cross–sector effort dedicated to reducing cyber risk and improving our connected world. We achieve our mission by uniting global communities, implementing concrete solutions, and measuring the effect. GCA, a 501(c)(3) in the US and a non–profit in the UK and Belgium, was founded in September 2015 by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, the City of London Police, and the Center for Internet Security. Learn more at www.globalcyberalliance.org.

Contact at GCA:
Alejandro Fernndez–Cernuda Daz
Director of Engagement, Internet Integrity Program
afcernuda@globalcyberalliance.org


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 8367477)

Atos becomes 01Talent's technology partner in Africa to identify, train and connect the digital talent of tomorrow to jobs

Press Release

Atos becomes 01Talent's technology partner in Africa to identify, train and connect the digital talent of tomorrow to jobs

Praia (Cape Verde) and Paris (France) – October 6, 2021 – Atos and 01Talent announce the launch of a strategic partnership to support the acceleration of the digital transformation in Africa, by enabling the dissemination of a high–quality, innovative and inclusive training program on the continent.

01Talent's ambition is to identify, train and connect one million high–level developers to the professional world by 2035. Through this partnership, 01Talent will be able to draw on Atos' technological resources to support the many projects underway.

In order to complete the pan–African campaign designed to identify future digital talent, 01Talent, in partnership with the Didier Drogba Foundation and UCLG Africa (United Cities and Local Governments Africa), will rely on a technological platform developed by Atos to host cognitive tests.

These online tests will be mini–games accessible to all, requiring no prior coding experience. They will provide a measure of the cognitive skills, creativity and motivation of candidates, and to identify high–potential profiles who could not have been spotted by traditional education systems.

The students of the future “Zone01”, selected this way by the tests, will be trained for 2 years to become high–level creative “Full Stack” developers, with a job at stake.

Zone01 Cabo–Verde, will be the first “Zone01” collective intelligence zone on the African continent, and is scheduled to open at Praia Techno Park in Cape Verde, early 2022. 200 young talent from Cape Verde and from 26 other African partner countries will be welcomed in this "Zone01"and will be supplied with laptops by Atos. This first “Zone01” will be the foundation for the deployment of the education program which aims to create more than 200 “Zone01” on the African continent.

Atos will also mobilize its employees around the world through a mentoring program to share expertise and give personal guidance to the students. This will give Atos an opportunity to create ties with Zone01 talent, and to hire many students during and after their training.

It has also been agreed that Atos will develop within the educational platform, a curriculum to improve and develop the skills of its employees, in immersion with the students of the future “Zone01”.

“With this partnership, we reaffirm Atos' ambition to support the dynamics of the economic, social and environmental transformation of the African continent through training in digital skills. 01Talent's particularly inclusive and innovative educational offer is a concrete expression of this ambition, and we are proud to be able to support its deployment. This is an important step in the development of a digital sector in Africa” commented Nourdine Bihmane, EVP and Director of Growing Markets at Atos.

“We are very happy to give life to a partnership that will allow us to support and integrate the most promising digital talents into Atos' teams. Atos and 01Talent share the same values and the same goal: to develop human capital through an inclusive and sustainable approach in order to facilitate the digital and social transition of the African continent,” adds David Sultan, Vice President of 01Talent in charge of Global Operations.

“Atos in Africa is fully mobilized to ensure the success of the student selection campaign and to continue this collaboration over the long term. At a time when the continent is going digital, attracting talent is becoming a major strategic focus for our development,” adds Alpha Barry, Director of Atos in Africa.

After Cape Verde, Atos and 01Talent will develop their partnership with the opening of new “Zone01” on the African continent, in particular in Senegal.

***

Photo: left to right: David Sultan, Global COO (01Talent); Nourdine Bihmane, EVP and Director of Growing Markets (Atos); Deror Sultan, Co–founder & CEO (01Talent)

About Atos
Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 105,000 employees and annual revenue of over 11 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high performance computing, the Group provides tailored end–to–end solutions for all industries in 71 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products, Atos is committed to a secure and decarbonized digital for its clients. Atos operates under the brands Atos and Atos|Syntel. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea), listed on the Next 20 Paris stock index.

The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space. www.atos.net

Press contact:
Laura Fau | laura.fau@atos.net | +33 6 73 64 04 18 | @laurajanefau

About 01Talent
01Talent is both a Talent factory and a Talent agency which aims to identify, develop and connect to the professional world 1 million high–level developers in the world by 2035 through the combination of a proven pedagogical model and a sustainable and exponential business model.

01Talent deploys globally some Centers of Collective Intelligence named Zone01 which include teacherless coding schools, IT Talent Agencies and Digital Reskilling services.
Its curriculum is based on 01Edu, the ultimate upgrade of the “peer–to–peer” (teacherless) and gamified pedagogical approach developed by Nicolas Sadirac and his team, a learning platform designed to address the growing global shortage of IT developers.

This pedagogical model which develops entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and collective intelligence has already been deployed by our co–founder Nicolas Sadirac and his Alumni in more than 40 countries around the world, training more than 100,000 digital Talents in the last 10 years.https://01–edu.org

Contact presse :
Valerie Gagliano | valerie@zone–01.com | +33 6 33 73 24 89 | @valeriegagliano

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