New US probe targets Instagram’s impact on children

Published by
AFP

Washington (AFP) – A consortium of US states announced a joint probe Thursday of Instagram’s parent company Meta for promoting the app to children despite allegedly knowing its potential for harm, in fresh regulatory trouble for the scandal-hit network. The social media giant is battling one of its most serious reputational crises yet after a whistleblower leaked reams of internal documents showing executives knew of their sites’ risks for teens’ well-being, prompting a renewed US push for regulation. “Facebook, now Meta, has failed to protect young people on its platforms and instead chose to… Continue reading “New US probe targets Instagram’s impact on children”

Exclusive: Venezuelan petrochemicals arrive in U.S. despite Washington trade curbs

Published by
Reuters

By Marianna Parraga and Deisy Buitrago HOUSTON/CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan petrochemicals produced by joint ventures between state-run chemical firm Pequiven and foreign partners have arrived in the United States, despite Washington’s efforts to limit trade with the OPEC oil and gas producer. At least two cargoes of methanol, a widely used industrial product whose prices have soared this year, have discharged at Houston area ports since October amid a rapid expansion of the South American country’s global sales of petrochemicals and oil byproducts, according to tanker tracking and U.S. cust… Continue reading “Exclusive: Venezuelan petrochemicals arrive in U.S. despite Washington trade curbs”

KaMin to Acquire BASF Kaolin Minerals Business

MACON, Ga., Nov. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — KaMin LLC, a global performance minerals company owned by IMin Partners, and BASF announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement in which KaMin will acquire the BASF kaolin minerals business. Currently, the kaolin minerals business is part of BASF’s Performance Chemicals division.

The transaction includes production hub sites in Daveyville, Toddville, Edgar, Gordon and related mines, reserves and mills in Toomsboro and Sandersville in Georgia, USA. The co-located refinery catalysts operations will continue to be owned and operated by BASF’s refinery catalysts business and are not part of the divestiture.

“The acquisition of BASF’s kaolin business is a transformative step forward in KaMin’s strategy. The combination of these two complementary businesses allows us to further diversify our company into growth-oriented markets and augment our overall manufacturing and technical capabilities,” said Michael W. Nelson, President and Chief Executive Officer of KaMin. “By combining BASF’s calcine portfolio with KaMin’s hydrous products, we will be able to provide a compelling suite of kaolin-based performance mineral solutions to our distributor partners and customers globally.”

C. Rankin Hobbs, Partner and Co-Founder of IMin Partners, added, “This deal extends IMin’s portfolio in the industrial minerals sector and creates a significant opportunity to deliver enhanced value to all stakeholders — investors, employees, customers and suppliers.”

“BASF’s kaolin minerals business is a well-positioned player in the growing specialty industrial minerals market. Joining a global performance minerals player will provide a more conducive environment for longer term profitable growth for the business,” added Dr. Thomas Kloster, President of BASF’s Performance Chemicals division.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory clearances. Pending approval by the relevant merger authorities, closing of the transaction is expected in the second half of 2022. The parties have agreed not to disclose financial details of the transaction.  Grace Matthews, Inc. is serving as the exclusive financial advisor to KaMin and IMin Partners.

About KaMin – KaMin is recognized in the industry as a global supplier with more than 90 years of experience in delivering performance mineral solutions in a broad spectrum of end-use markets including: building & construction, automotive & catalyst, agriculture, health & beauty, packaging, and specialty & graphic paper. The company mines, produces, and distributes its products from its three U.S. plants located in Georgia — Macon, Sandersville and Wrens — and internationally through their Cadam subsidiary facilities in Brazil and Europe. www.kaminsolutions.com

About IMin Partners – IMin Partners is a capital source and a strategic partner to businesses, owners and management teams in the specialty raw materials industry. With an exclusive focus on the industrial minerals and specialty chemicals industries, our core competencies include equity capital investments, operational and market expertise, alignment of interests and development of culture. www.iminpartners.com

Media Contact: Eve London eve.london@kaminsolutions.com

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

 

Iveco Group presents its Business, Strategy and 2026 Financial Ambitions

Advertisement: This announcement is an advertisement for the purposes of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129, as amended (the “Prospectus Regulation”) relating to the intention of Iveco Group N.V. (the “Company”) to proceed with the proposed first admission to listing and trading of all of the common shares of the Company on the regulated market of Euronext Milan (the “Admission”). This announcement does not constitute or form part of a prospectus within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation and has not been reviewed nor approved by any regulatory or supervisory authority in any jurisdiction, including any member state of the European Economic Area (each, an “EEA Member”), the United Kingdom and the United States. This announcement is for information purposes only and is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, an offer by or invitation by or on behalf of, the Company, CNH Industrial N.V (“CNH Industrial”), any of their advisors or any representative of the Company or CNH Industrial or any of their advisors, to purchase any securities or an offer to sell or issue, or the solicitation to buy securities by any person in any jurisdiction, including any EEA Member, the United Kingdom or the United States.

A prospectus has been prepared by the Company in connection with the Admission in the context of the intended separation of the relevant business segments from CNH Industrial to the Company by way of a Dutch law statutory demerger (afsplitsing) (the “Demerger”), which prospectus was approved by the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (Autoriteit Financiële Markten, the “AFM”) on November 11, 2021 (the “Prospectus”). Potential investors should read the Prospectus before making an investment decision in order to fully understand the potential risks and rewards associated with the decision to invest in the shares in the Company. The approval of the Prospectus by the AFM should not be understood as an endorsement of the quality of the shares in the Company or the Company. Additionally, the Prospectus may be amended or supplemented prior to the date of Admission in relation to, amongst other things, any significant new factors which may have arisen after the date of publication of the Prospectus. A copy of the Prospectus is available on the website of the Company (www.ivecogroup.com/investor_relations/demerger_documents).

Iveco Group presents its Business, Strategy and 2026 Financial Ambitions

Demerger will create a leading, global Commercial and Specialty Vehicles, Powertrain
and related Financial Services company

Focus on sustainable value creation through the continued embrace of new technologies and smart partnerships for a step change in financial performance

2026 Ambitions:

  • Total net revenues of Industrial Activities at between €16.5 – 17.5 billion (2019: €11.8 billion)
  • Adjusted EBIT margin of Industrial Activities at between 5.0% – 6.0% (2019: 3.6%)
  • Adjusted Net Profit at between €0.6 – 0.8 billion (2019: €0.3 billion)

Shareholders to receive 1 new Iveco Group N.V. share for every 5 CNH Industrial N.V. shares owned

Iveco Group signed The Climate Pledge, a commitment co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism to reach net zero carbon by 2040
Turin, November 18, 2021

In the context of the demerger (the “Demerger”) of Iveco Group (“Iveco Group” or “the Group” or “the Company”) from CNH Industrial N.V. (“CNH Industrial”), Iveco Group’s senior management is meeting today with the financial community to present the Company’s business, strategy, and 2026 financial ambitions, as well as the terms of the Demerger that will result in the listing of its common shares on the regulated market of Euronext Milan stock exchange expected on January 3, 2022, subject to shareholders and regulatory approvals.

Demerger Rationale
For full details on the Reasons for the Demerger, please refer to section 4.1 of the Prospectus, which is available on the Company’s website, at the url:
www.ivecogroup.com/investo_relations/demerger_documents

The Demerger of Iveco Group from CNH Industrial will create an independent ‘pure player’ focused on its leading Commercial and Specialty Vehicles, Powertrain, and Financial Services businesses. The intention to separate its “On-Highway” (now named “Iveco Group”) and “Off-Highway” (Agriculture and Construction) businesses was first announced by CNH Industrial at its Capital Markets Day, held on September 3, 2019.

The reasons presented for the Demerger remain valid and follow the completion of a deep portfolio review process, taking into account, among other things, strategic, investor, and synergy considerations. This review highlighted that the “On-Highway” and “Off-Highway” businesses have diverging regulatory and customer requirements and are impacted differently by the accelerating industry megatrends. The Demerger is intended to maximize management focus and flexibility, aligns investment priorities and incentives, better meets respective business needs, and optimizes the cost and capital structure of each Company to drive profitable growth.

The creation of Iveco Group is expected to allow the intrinsic value of the Company to be properly expressed for the first time and to better enable it to capture the significant opportunities of an industry undergoing fundamental changes. Specifically, it is expected that Iveco Group will be better able to anticipate its customers’ changing mobility needs, investing and partnering in the technologies of the future to address, amongst other things, the requirements of ever-stricter emissions standards worldwide.

The Iveco Group believes it is well-placed to benefit from these trends thanks to:

  • Its strong, historic presence across the full range of Commercial and Specialty Vehicles;
  • Its focus on innovation and the development of advanced and sustainable solutions, including reduced- and zero-emissions powertrains, the development of advanced, cloud-connected driver assistance systems, and the exploration of emerging autonomous driving technologies; and
  • A proven ability to reinforce these existing competitive strengths through the creation of innovative and mutually beneficial partnerships.

A New, Independent Leader with a Well-Balanced, Diversified Business
For full details on the Business Description, please refer to section 10 of the Prospectus, available at the url:
www.ivecogroup.com/investor_relations/demerger_documents

As a result of the Demerger, Iveco Group N.V. will become the holding company of a leading global capital goods group engaged in the design, production, marketing, sale, servicing, and financing of trucks, commercial vehicles, buses and specialty vehicles for firefighting, defence and other uses, as well as combustion engines, alternative propulsion systems, transmissions and axles for those vehicles and engines and alternative propulsion systems for agricultural and construction equipment and for marine and power generation applications.

In particular, Commercial and Specialty Vehicles designs, manufactures, and distributes a full range of light, medium, and heavy vehicles for the transportation and distribution of goods under the IVECO brand; city and intercity buses and tourist coaches under the IVECO BUS and HEULIEZ brands; vehicles for civil defense and peace-keeping missions under the Iveco Defence Vehicles brand; quarry and mining equipment under the ASTRA brand; firefighting vehicles under the Magirus brand.

Powertrain designs, manufactures, and distributes, under the FPT Industrial brand, a range of combustion engines, alternative propulsion systems, transmission systems and axles for on- and off-road applications, as well as for marine and power generation.

Financial Services offers a range of financial products and services to Iveco Group dealers and customers under the IVECO CAPITAL brand. Additionally, Financial Services, leveraging on its specific expertise, will grant support to CNH Industrial post-demerger financial services in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, by providing business process services and receiving fees for the services rendered.

The Company’s statutory seat is in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and its principal office and business address is via Puglia 35, Turin, Italy. Following the Demerger, the Group will employ some 33,500 people, with manufacturing, commercial, and financial services companies in 36 countries.

Iveco Group’s Strengths and Strategies
For full details on the Group’s Strength and Strategies, please refer to section 10.3 of the Prospectus, available at the url: www.ivecogroup.com/investor_relations/demerger_documents

Guided by a strong and talented management team led by designated Chief Executive Officer Gerrit Marx, the Company will strive to deliver the best value performance and quality across its business areas and superior customer service delivery, while leveraging on a strong ecosystem of mutually beneficial partnerships.

  • Diversified Business Portfolio with Strong Market Positions

The Group is a leading Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) player, with strong brand positions in Europe and South America. In Europe, it is number three in the >3.5-ton LCV segment through the IVECO Daily product line, one of the most successful light commercial vehicles, especially in the body-on-frame segment (6.01 tons ‒ 7.49 tons) where it has a consolidated #1 leadership position.

It has a longstanding presence in the Medium and Heavy-Duty truck segments, as a full-line, value-for-money manufacturer. It offers applications for both on- and off-road usage, and it is the leader in the fast-growing natural gas-powered long-haul commercial vehicles market in Europe, with a 50% share.

The Group further enjoys a strong bus business, being the market leader in European intercity and city segments.

  • Complete Powertrain Offering Gives the Group an Edge for the Upcoming Powertrain Revolution

Iveco Group’s Powertrain business is a competitive and innovative player with a diverse customer base, holding a leading market position globally in non-captive powertrain sales, and a strong core offering in internal combustion diesel and natural gas engines.

Thanks to in-house capabilities and smart partnerships, the complete powertrain offering is complemented by a synergistic driveline business which enhances the technological intellectual property (IP) and usability of its innovative powertrains (e.g., e-Axle).

The Group is well positioned for the Low-to-Zero-Emission future of propulsion. This is thanks to a balanced strategy, leveraging its consolidated presence in highly efficient and low-emission internal combustion diesel engines, its leadership in Liquefied and Compressed Natural Gas (LNG/CNG) technology, and Battery Electric/Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (BEV/FCEV) technologies for the future, with the goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2040.

  • Enabler of Disrupters, at the Core of a Strong Collaboration and Partnership Ecosystem

Iveco Group is successfully pursuing a distinctive partnership approach to execute and capitalize on the structural changes in the transportation and commercial vehicles industry, with a sizable part of its portfolio connected to a broad spectrum of primary partners. More specifically, the Group has developed a strong ecosystem of mutually beneficial collaborations and partnerships with selected emerging transportation technology leaders to enhance growth and value creation, and to exploit mid- to long-term disruptive technologies.

In the context of a strategic and exclusive Heavy-Duty Truck partnership with Nikola Corporation announced by CNH Industrial on September 3, 2019, IVECO and Nikola Corporation are jointly developing Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) and hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) cab-over trucks, which will be manufactured in Europe through a 50/50 joint-venture, and in the U.S. by Nikola Corporation. IVECO will be the manufacturer for any EU emission-related purposes of the vehicles produced and distributed in EU by the European joint-venture and will be responsible for their distribution in the different jurisdictions of the EU.

In 2021, the Group started a program with Plus AI, with the aim of building self-driving trucks by 2027. If successful, this project could deliver improvements of up to 20% in productivity and up to 5% in fuel consumption.

The Group also has a joint program with EasyMile to develop a self-driving bus by 2025.

With a focus on development acceleration, investment risk sharing, and “best-of-the-breed” solutions, the Group, together with its alliance partners, is paving the way to build up an impressive partnership ecosystem.

Performance-Driven Mindset with a Commitment to Sustainability
For full details on Sustainability Centricity, please refer to section 10.3.V of the Prospectus, available at the url: www.ivecogroup.com/investor_relations/demerger_documents

Iveco Group inherits from CNH Industrial a strong commitment to a sustainable future and is announcing today that it signed The Climate Pledge, a commitment co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism to reach net zero carbon by 2040, ten years ahead of the goal set by the Paris Agreement. This intention is an integral element of the Company’s wider ESG commitments, including those related to workplace and on-road safety, inclusivity & diversity, and environmentally friendly product lifecycle management.

More specifically, to tackle climate change issues, the Company has integrated a range of carbon-reduction initiatives and specific climate-related topics into the sustainability plan disclosed in the 2020 Sustainability Report of CNH Industrial, defining long-term strategic targets that will drive its business strategy.

Examples of targets are:

  • 2022: development of next-generation alternative fuel engines running on CNG and LNG, and compatible with biomethane, to further reduce CO2 emissions and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
  • 2022: focus on natural gas (NG) engine technologies to achieve ultra-low NOX emissions in urban applications.
  • 2023: development of the next generation Electric Daily (including in-house production of e-drivelines and battery packs).
  • 2023: development of a full electric bus range.
  • 2023: implementation of mild hybrid solutions on diesel and CNG vehicles.
  • 2024: development of a new full electric and fuel cell heavy range (including in-house production of e-axles).
  • 2030: implementation of alternative (electric/hybrid) driveline technologies on all vehicles, to achieve -50% in CO2 emissions.

A Step Change in Financial Performance
The Company’s post-Demerger strategy sets out a step change in financial performance over the next five years to 2026.

As a separately listed, independent company, Iveco Group has the following key financial ambitions for 2026:

  • Targeted total Net Revenues of Industrial Activities at between €16.5 – 17.5 billion compared to €11.8 billion in 2019, a compound annual growth rate up to 5.0%.
  • The 2026 Adjusted EBIT margin of Industrial Activities is targeted to reach between 5.0 – 6.0%, up to +240 bps increase compared to the 3.6% recorded in 2019.
  • Targeted Adjusted Net Profit at between €0.6 – 0.8 billion, compared to €0.3 billion in 2019.
  • Over the same period, Industrial Activities Investments (Property, plant and equipment and intangible assets – including capitalized R&D) are targeted to increase 80 bps from 4.2% to ~5.0%.
  • Targeted Free Cash Flow from Industrial Activities of €0.5 billion in 2026, compared to €30 million in 2019.

These ambitions will be achieved through the implementation of the Company’s DRIVE Operational Excellence Programme that is designed to deliver across the board improvements in all aspects of operational performance and specifically in the areas of quality, capex and R&D, pricing, and product mix.

Experienced Board of Directors
For full details on Board and Employees, please refer to section 11 of the Prospectus, available at the url:
www.ivecogroup.com/investor_relations/demerger_documents

On completion of the Demerger, the Company’s Board of Directors, chaired by Suzanne Heywood, will consist of eight members, comprising two Executive Directors and six Non-Executive Directors, as follows:

Executive Directors:
Suzanne Heywood, Chair
Gerrit Marx, Chief Executive Officer

Non-Executive Directors:
Tufan Erginbilgic, Independent Director
Essimari Kairisto, Independent Director
Linda Knoll, Director
Alessandro Nasi, Director
Olof Persson, Independent Director
Lorenzo Simonelli, Independent Director

Demerger Terms and Timing
For full details on the admission to listing and trading on Euronext Milan, please refer to the Prospectus, available at the url: www.ivecogroup.com/investor_relations/demerger_documents

Following today’s presentation, the Company’s senior management will undertake a non-deal roadshow between November 19 and 24, 2021. As already communicated, an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of CNH Industrial will take place on December 23, 2021 at which final shareholder approval for the Demerger will be sought and, should this be given and other regulatory approvals be obtained, it is expected that the Demerger would become effective on January 1, 2022 and that the first day of trading of Iveco Group shares on Euronext Milan would be January 3, 2022.

As part of the Demerger and by operation of law, each holder of common shares in the share capital of CNH Industrial (the “CNH Common Shares”) will receive one Common Share for every five CNH Common Shares which it holds (the “Allotment Ratio”) on December 31, 2021 (the “Demerger Record Date”) (such holder of CNH Common Shares on the Demerger Record Date being a “CNH Shareholder”). If such CNH shareholder also holds special voting shares in the share capital of CNH Industrial (the “CNH Special Voting Shares”), it will, by operation of law, receive a number of Special Voting Shares in the share capital of the Company that is equal to the number of Common Shares for which it will be registered in the Loyalty Register.

The number of CNH Common Shares (and CNH Special Voting Shares, when applicable), held by the CNH Shareholders, will not change as a result of the Demerger and the related allotment of Common Shares (and Special Voting Shares, when applicable). As a result of the Demerger and Admission, CNH Shareholders at the Demerger Record Date will therefore become shareholders of two independent public companies: CNH Industrial and Iveco Group.

Commenting on the Demerger, Gerrit Marx, Iveco Group designated Chief Executive Officer said: “Today is another milestone on the road to our New Energy Future. This New Energy goes towards the advanced technologies we will continue to pioneer to power development across the full range of our vehicle and propulsion businesses. And just as significantly, this New Energy goes towards our ambitious plans as an independently listed, global leader in our sector. With a highly motivated team and a growing ecosystem of like-minded and ambitious partners, we’re ready to capture the many exciting opportunities of a fast-changing industry for the benefit of all our stakeholders.”

CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI / MI: CNHI) is a global leader in the capital goods sector with established industrial experience, a wide range of products and a worldwide presence. Each of the individual brands belonging to the Company is a major international force in its specific industrial sector: Case IH, New Holland Agriculture and Steyr for tractors and agricultural machinery; Case and New Holland Construction for earth moving equipment; Iveco for commercial vehicles; Iveco Bus and Heuliez Bus for buses and coaches; Iveco Astra for quarry and construction vehicles; Magirus for firefighting vehicles; Iveco Defence Vehicles for defence and civil protection; and FPT Industrial for engines and transmissions. More information can be found on the corporate website: www.cnhindustrial.com

Media contacts:
E-mail: mediarelations@cnhind.com
Francesco Polsinelli, Tel: +39 335 1776091
Fabio Lepore, Tel: +39 335 7469007

Investor contacts
E-mail: investor.relations@cnhind.com
Federico Donati, Tel: +44 207 7660 386                           

Risk Factors
Investing in the Company involves certain risks. A description of these risks, which include risks relating to the Company as well as risks relating to the Demerger and the Common Shares (and Special Voting Shares) is included in the Prospectus. Potential investors should read the Prospectus before making an investment decision in order to fully understand the potential risks and rewards associated with the decision to invest in the Shares.

Earlier announcements related to the Demerger and Admission
On September 3, 2019, CNH Industrial announced the intention to separate the relevant business segments of the Company’s from CNH Industrial and to admit the Company’s shares to listing and trading on a regulated market. On June 11, 2021 and on July 5, 2021, CNH Industrial announced management changes for the Company in view of the Demerger and Admission. On October 18, 2021, CNH Industrial further announced that an Investor Day in respect of Iveco Group, ahead of the Demerger and Admission, is to be held on November 18, 2021. On November 11, 2021 CNH Industrial announced the approval of the Prospectus by the AFM and calling of the EGM in relation to the Demerger and the Company announced the publication of the Prospectus. These press releases are available on the corporate website of CNH Industrial (www.cnhindustrial.com/en-us/investor_relations).

DISCLAIMER

This announcement does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 14, 2017 (the “Prospectus Regulation”), and shares in Iveco Group N.V. (the “Company”) will be distributed in circumstances that do not constitute “an offer to the public” within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation. This announcement is not intended for distribution in jurisdictions that require prior regulatory review and authorization to distribute an announcement of this nature.

The release, publication or distribution of this announcement in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law and therefore persons in such jurisdictions into which they are released, published or distributed, should inform themselves about, and observe, such restrictions. This announcement is not for release, publication or distribution in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, in or into any jurisdiction in violation of the relevant laws of such jurisdiction.

This announcement is an advertisement and not a prospectus within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation. With respect to the member States of the European Economic Area, no action has been undertaken or will be undertaken to make an offer to the public of the securities referred to herein requiring a publication of a prospectus in any relevant member State. As a result, the securities may not and will not be offered in any relevant member State except pursuant to a prospectus approved by the relevant market authorities in that member State or in accordance with the exemptions set forth in Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Regulation, if they have been implemented in that relevant member State, or under any other circumstances which do not require the publication of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation and/or to applicable regulations of that relevant member State. Additionally, the prospectus prepared by the Company in relation to the Demerger (as defined in this announcement) and Admission (as defined in this announcement) may be amended or supplemented prior to the date of Admission in relation to, amongst other things, any significant new factors which may have arisen after the date of publication of the Prospectus.

This announcement is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, an offer by or invitation by or on behalf of, the Company, CNH Industrial N.V. (“CNH Industrial”), any of their advisors or any representative of the Company or CNH Industrial or any of their advisors, to purchase any securities or an offer to sell or issue, or the solicitation to buy securities by any person in any jurisdiction, including any EEA Member, the United Kingdom or the United States.

The securities referred to herein may not be offered or sold in the United States of America absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Company and CNH Industrial do not intend to register all or any portion of the offering of the securities in the United States of America or to conduct a public offering of the securities in the United States of America.

This announcement does not constitute an offer of securities to the public in the United Kingdom. This announcement is being distributed to and is directed only at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) persons who are investment professionals within the meaning of Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the “Order”) and (iii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “Relevant Persons”). Any investment activity to which this announcement relates will only be available to and will only be engaged with, Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.

This announcement may include statements, including with respect to CNH Industrial’s and the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, business, strategy, plans and outlook, including the impact of certain transactions. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “believes”, “estimates”, “anticipates”, “expects”, “intends”, “plans”, “targets”, “may”, “will” or “should” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this announcement. Although CNH Industrial and the Company believe that such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. Such forward-looking statements are included for illustrative purposes only. Actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside CNH Industrial and the Company’s control.

CNH Industrial and the Company expressly disclaim any intention or obligation to provide, update or revise any forward-looking statements in this announcement to reflect any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based.

The price and value of securities may go up as well as down. Persons needing advice should contact a professional adviser. Information in this announcement or any of the documents relating to the Admission and the Demerger cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. The Company may decide not to go ahead with the Admission and CNH Industrial may decide not to go ahead with the Demerger and there is therefore no guarantee that the Admission and the Demerger will occur. You should not base your financial decision on this announcement. Acquiring investments to which this announcement relates may expose an investor to a significant risk of losing all of the amount invested.

Attachment

OTA Insight Raises $80M Series B Funding From Spectrum Equity to Bring Data-Driven Decisions to Hospitality Industry

The dynamic market intelligence platform empowers hospitality providers across the globe to make better-informed commercial decisions

LONDON, England, Nov. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — OTA Insight, the global leader in cloud-based hospitality business intelligence, has raised $80 million from Spectrum Equity, a leading growth equity firm focused on internet-enabled software and transformational data companies. Spectrum Equity joins existing OTA Insight investors Eight Roads, F-Prime Capital and Highgate Technology Ventures. This latest investment will support the company in furthering its mission to enable smarter commercial decisions and outputs across the industry as it expands its global footprint.

OTA Insight delivers powerful data and analytics to optimize commercial decision-making across the hospitality industry. As the industry rebounds in the wake of the global pandemic, many hospitality operators are embracing new technologies to gain a competitive edge. Over 55,000 hotel properties in 185 countries use OTA Insight’s commercial platform, which includes Market Insight, Rate Insight, Revenue Insight and Parity Insight, to make complex pricing decisions and understand rapidly evolving market, channel and competitor dynamics in real time.

“Prior to the pandemic, the hospitality industry had been open to gradually adopting new technology. Our business experienced significant growth through 2020 despite the industry headwinds, but 2021 has been a breakthrough year for us as the recovery accelerated the pace of technology adoption. We anticipate unprecedented opportunities and growth as the recovery continues,” says OTA Insight’s CEO, Sean Fitzpatrick. “For global chains and independent hotels alike, we have made the use of data simple and intuitive to drive better commercial decisions and provide a real competitive advantage.”

“We are thrilled to add Spectrum Equity as an investor to partner with us in our mission. We feel privileged to have a world-class group of investors supporting our growth strategy,” added Fitzpatrick.

The investment by Spectrum Equity will fuel OTA Insight’s growth in key areas of product innovation, engineering, sales, and global expansion. “We are very excited about the response from our customers to our latest products and innovations,” said Gino Engels, co-founder and CCO. “With this investment, we will accelerate our expansion across all regions in 2022 but  particularly in the Americas, where we have seen an incredible recovery.”

“We are so grateful to the OTA Insight team, our customers and our partners who have continued to trust and support us through the global crisis,” said Matthias Geeroms, co-founder and CFO. “We strive to be a business with a great culture and strong core values that put our team members and customers first. This investment marks the next milestone on our journey as we continue to build a world-class company to serve the changing needs of the industry.”

“We have a long history of partnering with leading data intelligence and decision support companies,” said Steve LeSieur, Managing Director at Spectrum Equity. “We’re excited to join forces with the entire OTA Insight team as they grow the company and develop new products and tools to meet the demands of an industry that is hungry for new technology.”

As part of the transaction, Steve LeSieur from Spectrum Equity will join the OTA Insight Board of Directors.

-ENDS-

About OTA Insight 

OTA Insight is widely recognized as the leader in hospitality business intelligence, empowering hoteliers to deliver smarter revenue, distribution and marketing outcomes through its market-leading commercial platform. With live updates, 24/7 support, and highly intuitive and customizable dashboards, OTA Insight integrates with industry tools including hotel property management systems, leading RMS solutions and data benchmarking providers. OTA Insight’s team of international experts support more than 55,000 properties in 185 countries. For more information, visit www.otainsight.com.

Contact Adam Swart:

adam@otainsight.com

About Spectrum Equity

Spectrum Equity is a leading growth equity firm providing capital and strategic support to innovative companies in the information economy. For over 25 years, the firm has partnered with exceptional entrepreneurs and management teams to build long-term value in market-leading Internet-enabled software and information services companies. The firm is investing its ninth fund with $1.5 billion in capital. Representative investments include Ancestry, Bats Global Markets, Definitive Healthcare, GoodRx, Grubhub, Lynda.com, SurveyMonkey and Verafin. For more information, including a complete list of portfolio investments, visit www.spectrumequity.com.

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Nasdaq Releases Data Fabric, New Managed Data API Service Available from Nasdaq Data Link

Cloud-Based Platform Brings Seamless Data Management to Financial Professionals

NEW YORK, Nov. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nasdaq today announced the launch of Data Fabric, a managed data solution to help investment management firms scale their data infrastructure with enhanced quality, governance and integrity. Built off Nasdaq Data LinkData Fabric enables firms to significantly improve data time-to-value and can power investment processes and strategies with new datasets in a matter of days or weeks instead of months. The platform provides secure, end-to-end data hosting through fully managed infrastructure and data onboarding services, enabling firms to integrate internal and external data sets quickly to focus on their competitive edge.

Through its integration with Nasdaq Data Link, Data Fabric allows clients to use a single API to access hundreds of datasets from Nasdaq and its partners alongside their own internal datasets. The Data Fabric team further supports clients throughout the entire data deployment life cycle: developing ingestion pipelines, processing and data quality assurance, and deploying and maintaining any structured dataset.

Smaller organizations can use Data Fabric to immediately take advantage of data without having to build production-ready infrastructure from scratch. Larger organizations can utilize Data Fabric’s rich enterprise feature set, including a central data catalog, documentation, granular entitlement control and auditing and reporting capabilities.

“For many financial institutions, it is extremely expensive and time-consuming to build out a full data stack and develop reliable internal infrastructure,” said Bill Dague, Head of Alternative Data and Nasdaq Data Link. “We developed Data Fabric to empower firms to leapfrog that entire process. Financial services firms are already grappling with attracting and retaining the best technology and data science talent and Data Fabric ensures that those individuals can spend their time developing meaningful insights from data – not overseeing the infrastructure that should already exist.”

To discuss the state of data infrastructure in investment management, Nasdaq will be co-hosting the Rapid Data Deployment Summit, a roundtable discussion with Databricks on Monday, December 6, 2021. The hybrid event, hosted from the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City and streamed online, will include a live demonstration of Data Fabric’s capabilities and an exclusive look at Databricks’ Delta Sharing data sharing protocol, along with an exploration of best practices in developing scalable and cost-effective data management solutions. To register for the event, please use this link https://nd.nasdaq.com/Rapid-Data-Deployment-Summit_Registration-Page.html.

To learn more, go to https://data.nasdaq.com/datafabric.

About Nasdaq
Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) is a global technology company serving the capital markets and other industries. Our diverse offering of data, analytics, software, and services enables clients to optimize and execute their business vision with confidence. To learn more about the company, technology solutions and career opportunities, visit us on LinkedIn, on Twitter @Nasdaq, or at www.nasdaq.com.

Media Contact
Mark Scott
Mark.scott@nasdaq.com
+1 (646) 899-0149

HTEC Group Acquires Momentum Design Lab – Surpassing 1,000 Employees, HTEC fuses Silicon Valley’s Highest-rated Digital Product Design Studio to its Top Engineering Talent

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HTEC Group, the global consulting, software engineering, and digital product development company founded in Serbia, today announces the acquisition of Momentum Design Lab, an award-winning Silicon Valley product design studio.

The acquisition, which will further strengthen HTEC’s product design capabilities alongside its core engineering offering, means the company now employs over 1,000 people globally across offices in the US, UK, Netherlands, Sweden, and Slovenia. Since its inception in 2008, as a start-up in the Business Technology Incubator at the University of Belgrade, the company has grown from 250 employees in four development centers at the beginning of 2020, to now over 1,000 full-time employees spread across twelve locations in six countries across Southeast Europe.

Momentum will help HTEC build digital products that transform industries and businesses and improve the lives of people globally. Momentum’s client roster ranges from 40 of the Fortune 500 companies to exciting start-ups. The company has propelled their technology clients to generate over 41 billion USD in exits or valuation.

Established in 2002, Momentum Design Lab is a pioneer of UX, CX, and product design. Rated as the top UX agency globally on B2B research platform Clutch five years in a row, the company operates from four offices across the world: Silicon Valley, New York, London, and Sydney. Momentum’s industry expertise spans key areas such as financial services, healthcare, martech, media and entertainment, enterprise software and consumer products, complementing HTEC’s existing engineering competencies in these fields.

“I am delighted to welcome Momentum into our fast-growing team. In Momentum we found values and a culture that matches our own — the urge for continuous learning and professional growth, a stellar reputation among its existing customers, and a clear passion for delivering excellence when designing digital platforms and products that matter. By merging top tech talent from our engineering centers in Europe with this Silicon Valley product innovation and design-thinking mindset, we are well-positioned to offer complete digital product development and digitization services to the best companies in the world. We will continue to look for companies that share our values and culture, as part of our broader growth strategy and goal of becoming the first company from Serbia to IPO on the NYSE.” comments, Aleksandar Cabrilo, the CEO of HTEC Group.

Momentum’s founder, David Thomson, commented, “We’ve been meshing technology, empathy and imagination in our pursuit of product value and have been looking for the right partner to help scale our capabilities for several years. As a company who is inventing the possible for our customers, it was important to find a partner that matched our design expertise and customer base with world class technology talent. HTEC’s deep technical knowledge exceeded our expectations and we’re excited to join forces to build disruptive products, drive innovation and transform the way business is done from the inside out.”

About HTEC Group

HTEC Group is a global consulting, software engineering and digital product development company that empowers the world’s best high-tech companies, disruptive startups, corporations, and Fortune 500 enterprises with innovative product design thinking and sophisticated engineering services. With headquarters in San Francisco and local offices in the US, the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Slovenia, as well as 12 tech development centers across Southeast Europe, HTEC is well-positioned to deliver sophisticated digital products and platforms across domains including Healthcare, Retail, Transportation and Mobility, Logistics, FinTech, Green Energy, Media and Deep Technology.

About Momentum

Momentum is a Silicon Valley design studio headquartered in San Mateo, with offices in New York, London and Sydney. The company offers design thinking-based and technology-driven services in digital product innovation, customer experience management, and digital transformation for which it was rated the #1 UX Agency globally on Clutch.co for 5 years in a row. Its customers range from startups to the Fortune 100 companies.

For media enquiries please contact Jovana Osterday, HTEC PR Manager, jovana.osterday@htecgroup.com

HTEC Group เข้าซื้อกิจการของ Momentum Design Lab – HTEC ผนวกรวมสตูดิโอออกแบบผลิตภัณฑ์ดิจิทัลที่ได้รับการจัดอันดับสูงสุดของซิลิคอนแวลลีย์เข้ากับความสามารถด้านวิศวกรรมระดับแนวหน้า ซึ่งผลการควบรวมนี้ทำให้บริษัทมีพนักงานรวมมากกว่า 1,000 คน

ซานฟรานซิสโก , Nov. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HTEC Group บริษัทที่ปรึกษาระดับโลกด้านวิศวกรรมซอฟต์แวร์และการพัฒนาผลิตภัณฑ์ดิจิทัลที่ก่อตั้งขึ้นในประเทศเซอร์เบีย ประกาศเรื่องการเข้าซื้อกิจการของ Momentum Design Lab ซึ่งเป็นสตูดิโอออกแบบผลิตภัณฑ์ในซิลิคอนแวลลีย์ที่ได้รับรางวัลรับรองความสามารถ

การเข้าซื้อกิจการครั้งนี้จะช่วยเพิ่มความแข็งแกร่งด้านความสามารถในการออกแบบผลิตภัณฑ์ของ HTEC ควบคู่ไปกับข้อเสนอด้านวิศวกรรมหลัก ซึ่งหมายถึงต่อไปนี้บริษัทมีพนักงานรวมมากกว่า 1,000 คนทั่วโลก กระจายอยู่ในสำนักงานต่าง ๆ ในสหรัฐอเมริกา สหราชอาณาจักร เนเธอร์แลนด์ สวีเดน และสโลวีเนีย ในฐานะบริษัทสตาร์ทอัปซึ่งก่อตั้งขึ้นตั้งแต่ปี 2008 ในโครงการ Business Technology Incubator ที่มหาวิทยาลัยเบลเกรด บริษัทได้เติบโตขึ้นตั้งแต่มีพนักงาน 250 คนในศูนย์พัฒนาสี่แห่งเมื่อต้นปี 2020 จนถึงปัจจุบันมีพนักงานประจำมากกว่า 1,000 คนกระจายอยู่ในที่ตั้ง 12 แห่งในหกประเทศทั่วยุโรปตะวันออกเฉียงใต้

Momentum จะช่วย HTEC สร้างผลิตภัณฑ์ดิจิทัลที่เปลี่ยนแปลงอุตสาหกรรมและธุรกิจ รวมถึงยกระดับวิถีชีวิตของผู้คนทั่วโลก กลุ่มลูกค้าของ Momentum ประกอบด้วยบริษัท 40 แห่งที่ติดอันดับ Fortune 500 ไปจนถึงบริษัทสตาร์ทอัปที่น่าตื่นเต้น บริษัทช่วยลูกค้าในกลุ่มเทคโนโลยีขับเคลื่อนการสร้างรายได้กว่า 41,000 ล้านดอลลาร์สหรัฐเมื่อจบโครงการหรือประเมินมูลค่าความสำเร็จของโครงการ

Momentum Design Lab ก่อตั้งขึ้นในปี 2002 เป็นผู้บุกเบิกด้านการออกแบบ UX, CX และการออกแบบผลิตภัณฑ์ บริษัทได้รับการจัดอันดับเป็นหน่วยงานออกแบบ UX ระดับชั้นนำของโลกจากเว็บไซต์จัดอันดับ Clutch ในด้านแพลตฟอร์มการวิจัยสำหรับ B2B เป็นเวลา 5 ปีติดต่อกัน โดยบริษัทมีการดำเนินธุรกิจจากสำนักงานสี่แห่งทั่วโลก ได้แก่ ซิลิคอนแวลลีย์ นิวยอร์ก ลอนดอน และซิดนีย์ Momentum มีความเชี่ยวชาญในอุตสาหกรรมต่าง ๆ ครอบคลุมสาขาที่สำคัญ เช่น บริการทางการเงิน การดูแลสุขภาพ เทคโนโลยีการตลาด สื่อและความบันเทิง ซอฟต์แวร์ระดับองค์กร และผลิตภัณฑ์สำหรับผู้บริโภค ซึ่งช่วยเสริมความแข็งแกร่งด้านวิศวกรรมที่ HTEC มีอยู่ในสาขาเหล่านี้

“ผมยินดีเป็นอย่างยิ่งที่ได้ต้อนรับ Momentum เข้าสู่ทีมของเราที่กำลังเติบโตอย่างรวดเร็ว ใน Momentum เราพบว่ามีค่านิยมและวัฒนธรรมที่ตรงกับเรา — แรงผลักดันเพื่อการเรียนรู้อย่างต่อเนื่องและการเติบโตในเส้นทางอาชีพ ชื่อเสียงที่โด่งดังในกลุ่มลูกค้าที่มีอยู่ และความมุ่งมั่นที่ชัดเจนในการส่งมอบความเป็นเลิศในการออกแบบแพลตฟอร์มและผลิตภัณฑ์ทางดิจิทัลที่สำคัญ ด้วยการผนวกรวมผู้มีความสามารถด้านเทคโนโลยีระดับชั้นนำจากศูนย์วิศวกรรมของเราในยุโรปเข้ากับศูนย์นวัตกรรมผลิตภัณฑ์และแนวคิดเพื่อการออกแบบในซิลิคอนแวลลีย์ เราจะอยู่ในตำแหน่งที่ดีที่จะนำเสนอบริการพัฒนาผลิตภัณฑ์ดิจิทัลและการแปลงสู่ระบบดิจิทัลให้กับลูกค้าในกลุ่มบริษัทที่ดีที่สุดในโลก เราจะยังคงมองหาบริษัทที่มีค่านิยมและวัฒนธรรมคล้ายกับเรา ซึ่งเป็นส่วนหนึ่งของกลยุทธ์การเติบโตในวงกว้าง และเป้าหมายในการเป็นบริษัทแรกจากเซอร์เบียที่จะเสนอขายหุ้น IPO ในตลาดหลักทรัพย์ NYSE” Aleksandar Cabrilo ซีอีโอของ HTEC Group แสดงความคิดเห็น

David Thomson ผู้ก่อตั้ง Momentum แสดงความคิดเห็นไว้ว่า “เราได้เชื่อมโยงเทคโนโลยี อารมณ์ร่วม และจินตนาการในการแสวงหาคุณค่าของผลิตภัณฑ์ และมองหาพันธมิตรที่เหมาะสมเพื่อช่วยยกระดับขีดความสามารถของเรามานานหลายปี ในฐานะบริษัทที่ประดิษฐ์คิดค้นสิ่งที่เป็นไปได้สำหรับลูกค้าของเรา การหาพันธมิตรที่เข้ากันได้กับความเชี่ยวชาญด้านการออกแบบและฐานลูกค้าที่มีความสามารถด้านเทคโนโลยีระดับโลกเป็นสิ่งสำคัญ ความรู้ด้านเทคนิคเชิงลึกของ HTEC เกินความคาดหมายของเรา เรารู้สึกตื่นเต้นที่ได้ร่วมมือกันเพื่อสร้างผลิตภัณฑ์ที่พลิกเปลี่ยนตลาด ขับเคลื่อนนวัตกรรม และปรับเปลี่ยนวิธีการดำเนินธุรกิจจากภายในสู่ภายนอก”

เกี่ยวกับ HTEC Group

HTEC Group เป็นบริษัทที่ปรึกษาระดับโลกด้านวิศวกรรมซอฟต์แวร์และการพัฒนาผลิตภัณฑ์ดิจิทัล ที่ขับเคลื่อนบริษัทไฮเทคที่ดีที่สุดในโลก บริษัทสตาร์ทอัปที่พลิกเปลี่ยนตลาด และองค์กรธุรกิจที่ติดอันดับ Fortune 500 ด้วยแนวคิดการออกแบบผลิตภัณฑ์ที่เป็นนวัตกรรมและบริการด้านวิศวกรรมที่เชี่ยวชาญอย่างครอบคลุม บริษัท HTEC มีสำนักงานใหญ่ตั้งอยู่ในเมืองซานฟรานซิสโก และมีสำนักงานท้องถิ่นในสหรัฐอเมริกา สหราชอาณาจักร เนเธอร์แลนด์ สวีเดน และสโลวีเนีย รวมถึงศูนย์พัฒนาเทคโนโลยี 12 แห่งทั่วยุโรปตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ บริษัทอยู่ในตำแหน่งที่ดีในการส่งมอบผลิตภัณฑ์และแพลตฟอร์มดิจิทัลที่เชี่ยวชาญครอบคลุมทุกโดเมนที่สำคัญ ได้แก่ การดูแลสุขภาพ การค้าปลีก การขนส่งและการเคลื่อนที่ โลจิสติกส์ ฟินเทค พลังงานสีเขียว สื่อและเทคโนโลยีเชิงลึก

เกี่ยวกับ Momentum

Momentum เป็นสตูดิโอการออกแบบในซิลิคอนแวลลีย์ ซึ่งมีสำนักงานใหญ่ในเมืองซานมาเทโอ และมีสำนักงานสาขาในนิวยอร์ก ลอนดอน และซิดนีย์ บริษัทนำเสนอบริการที่ขับเคลื่อนด้วยแนวคิดการออกแบบและเทคโนโลยีด้านนวัตกรรมผลิตภัณฑ์ดิจิทัล การบริหารจัดการประสบการณ์ลูกค้า และการเปลี่ยนแปลงสู่ระบบดิจิทัล ซึ่งบริษัทได้รับการจัดอันดับเป็นหน่วยงานออกแบบ UX อันดับ 1 จากทั่วโลกจากการจัดอันดับของเว็บไซต์ Clutch.co เป็นเวลา 5 ปีติดต่อกัน ลูกค้าของเรามีตั้งแต่บริษัทสตาร์ทอัปไปจนถึงบริษัทที่ติดอันดับ Fortune 100

หากมีข้อสงสัยเกี่ยวกับสื่อประชาสัมพันธ์ โปรดติดต่อ Jovana Osterday ผู้จัดการฝ่ายประชาสัมพันธ์ HTEC jovana.osterday@htecgroup.com