Finance, Banking & Insurance

NEW YORK – – September 17, 2026 -- Wealth Management crowned the winners of its 2026 Industry Awards before more than 600 executives at Cipriani 42nd Street, capping a program that drew a record 1,392 nominations from 508 unique companies.

Nominations climb nearly four-fold since program launch

The 2026 field represented a 15% jump from 1,210 nominations in 2025 and nearly four times the 350 submissions logged in the inaugural 2015 edition. Finalists numbered 315 unique companies competing across 107 categories, with almost 40% of entries recognizing entirely new initiatives.

St Cyrus, Scotland – September 17, 2026 -- ECOSSE has moved into its public phase following a September 4 launch, shifting the project from pre-launch activity to live platform operations built around its $ECOS token and a separate whisky-focused real-world-asset (RWA) initiative.

Public phase follows September 4 launch and prior token sale activity

The $ECOS Token Sale was already live ahead of the official launch date. With the public phase now active, participants can track vesting schedules and claim allocations as scheduled portions become available.

$ECOS token underpins digital participation across the ECOSSE platform

ECOSSE says $ECOS supports eligible platform participation, select services, and marketplace functions where available, forming the utility layer of its digital ecosystem separate from any future physical-asset offering.

Amsterdam – September 17, 2026 -- Atradius Surety has launched operations in Canada, marking its first branch outside Europe as it targets rising demand for surety guarantees in construction, real estate and commercial sectors.

Atradius appoints Sam Halilovic to build Canadian surety business

On September 17, 2026, Sam Halilovic was appointed Senior Manager, Surety Canada. He will oversee the development of the company's Canadian operations, including broker and customer relationships, and drive Atradius Surety's long-term growth ambitions in the market.

London – September 17, 2026 -- Mayer Brown has recruited Scott Ashton as partner and Brian Bates as senior counsel into its Capital Markets practice, adding two attorneys who have represented issuers on roughly 30 percent of total cross-border U.S. private placement debt issuance in recent years. Both will be based in the firm's London office.

New hires specialize in cross-border private placements for infrastructure and energy funding

Ashton and Bates focus on cross-border securities offerings, representing issuers and placement agents on debt and equity transactions. Their practice centers on advising non-U.S. entities placing private debt with U.S. and other large institutional investors and pension funds, a funding channel that continues to expand for infrastructure and energy projects.

Singapore – September 17, 2026 -- Alpha Ladder Finance Pte. Ltd. has launched access to Payward's xStocks tokenised equities for institutional and accredited investors through its Alpha Ladder WealthX platform, becoming one of the first licensed wealth management firms in Asia to offer such access.

Alpha Ladder becomes a regional distribution partner for xStocks under a new MOU

The launch follows a Memorandum of Understanding between Alpha Ladder, MetaComp and Payward to advance tokenised capital markets across APAC. Under the arrangement, Alpha Ladder will distribute xStocks to institutional and accredited investors in selected regional markets, subject to eligibility, onboarding and compliance requirements.

Los Angeles – September 17, 2026 -- DJS Law Group has reminded shareholders of a class action lawsuit filed against EquipmentShare.com Inc. (NASDAQ: EQPT), alleging the company violated federal securities law by concealing related-party transactions from investors.

Class Period Covers January 23 to September 17, 2026

The lawsuit, brought under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and SEC Rule 10b-5, covers investors who purchased EquipmentShare stock between September 17, 2026 and September 17, 2026. Shareholders who suffered losses on trades within this window may be eligible to join the litigation.

Hong Kong – September 17, 2026 -- Nearly 300 government officials, consuls general and business leaders convened in Hong Kong for a conference positioning the city as the primary financial and innovation gateway linking the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) to global markets, ahead of two major APEC meetings the region will host later this year.

Hong Kong to host APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting in October, Shenzhen to hold Leaders' Meeting in November

Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in a video address that the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held in Shenzhen in November — a first for the GBA — while Hong Kong separately hosts the APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting in October. Lee said the city's deep, liquid capital markets and professional talent pool have made it Asia's premier hub for fundraising, asset management and risk management.

San Ramon, Calif. – September 17, 2026 -- California's surplus lines sector now writes roughly $24 billion in annual premium, with Lloyd's holding an 18% share of the state's excess & surplus (E&S) market in 2025, according to a new on-the-record discussion released by the Surplus Line Association of California (SLACAL).

The conversation, the inaugural episode of SLACAL's Executive Forum video series, features SLACAL CEO & Executive Director Benjamin J. McKay and Lloyd's Americas President Marc Lipman, moderated by SLACAL Chief Industry & Regulatory Officer David Kodama Jr.

Shenzhen – September 17, 2026 -- Tencent Music Entertainment Group has closed a US$1,000 million senior unsecured notes offering, netting approximately US$991.9 million after underwriting discounts and expenses.

TME splits offering into two tranches maturing 2031 and 2036

The offering consists of US$500 million in 5.050% notes due 2031 and US$500 million in 5.650% notes due 2036. The notes are registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and are set to list on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited on September 17, 2026.

Proceeds earmarked for offshore debt refinancing and share repurchases

TME plans to direct the net proceeds toward general corporate purposes, including refinancing existing offshore indebtedness and funding share buybacks. The company, dual-listed as NYSE: TME and HKEX: 1698, operates China's QQ Music, Kugou Music, Kuwo Music, WeSing and Ximalaya platforms.

New Orleans – – September 17, 2026 -- First Horizon Bank has appointed Jennifer Feske as Senior Commercial Portfolio Manager for its New Orleans market, tasking her with managing the bank's Northshore commercial portfolios.

Feske brings 15 years of banking experience to St. Tammany Parish accounts

Feske's background spans commercial banking and portfolio management, and she will now oversee client relationships across the Northshore region of the New Orleans market.

Jimmy Dunn cites market expertise as key to regional growth

Jimmy Dunn, New Orleans Market President for First Horizon Bank, said Feske's banking experience and market knowledge would benefit clients as the bank expands relationships throughout St. Tammany Parish.