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JUMO and Standard Bank launch Social Finance Framework to scale inclusive finance in Africa

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Cape Town, South Africa, September 11th, 2026, FinanceWire

Designed to support the mobilisation of sustainable funding for financial inclusion and economic empowerment across Africa.

Banking technology company JUMO has launched a new Social Finance Framework (SFF) in partnership with Standard Bank’s Sustainable Finance team. The framework aligns with internationally recognised sustainable finance guidelines and provides a transparent structure for raising social finance, such as social loans and social bonds.

This will fund financially inclusive lending activities on JUMO’s technology platform to positively impact underserved individuals, micro enterprises and SMEs across the nine African markets JUMO operates in. With an addressable lending opportunity and a scalable, technology-enabled platform, JUMO is well positioned to deploy capital efficiently across high-growth African markets. The framework is also supported by a positive second party opinion from Endiligence.

Founded with a vision to close the access gap in financial systems for emerging markets, JUMO has built AI-powered technology and lasting partnerships with financial institutions and telcos to expand access to financial services for communities traditionally excluded from formal banking systems. JUMO has demonstrated rapid and accelerating scale, with over $10bn in lifetime disbursements and more than 317 million loans delivered since inception. This is underpinned by 79% year-on-year growth in disbursements and record monthly volumes. The platform delivers measurable inclusion outcomes, with millions of new-to-bank customers, significant participation from youth, women and rural populations, and meaningful exposure to low-income segments often excluded from formal finance.

The framework supports funding for eligible social activities including:

  • SME and microenterprise financing
  • Employment generation
  • Economic empowerment
  • Access to responsible digital financial services

JUMO operates digital financial ecosystems across multiple African markets, with further expansion planned across the continent.

“The launch of the framework represents an important milestone in JUMO’s sustainable finance journey and underpins our core commitment to responsible lending,’ says JUMO CEO Paul Whelpton. ‘It enables a broader pool of development finance institutions, impact investors and sustainability-focused funders to access transparent and measurable social impact opportunities in Africa.”

“The framework standardises the governance, reporting and impact measurement processes intended to provide investors with confidence that financing is directed towards eligible social activities aligned with global sustainable finance standards,’ says George Karamitsos, VP of Sustainable Finance for Standard Bank. ‘The framework provides a credible, transparent vehicle to channel institutional capital into JUMO’s proven platform at scale.”

By combining JUMO’s technology-driven banking infrastructure with sustainable finance principles, the jointly established framework aims to accelerate access to responsible credit and unlock economic opportunity for millions of underserved consumers and businesses across the continent.

Capital directly supports underserved populations, including youth, women, rural communities, and low-income individuals, with clear evidence of improved livelihoods.

About JUMO

JUMO has developed AI-led financial technology that enables banks to offer a new generation of digital credit and savings products to millions of entrepreneurs in Africa. JUMO works with partners, such as banks, e-money operators and payments providers, to facilitate high-tech information and money management systems.

Since its founding in 2015, JUMO has disbursed over $10 billion to 40 million people in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, Benin and Cameroon. JUMO’s administration of over 317 million individual loans has proven that microcredit in Africa is imperative, impactful and sustainable.

With unmatched speed to market and low infrastructure costs, JUMO aims to bring banking to everyone, everywhere, at any time.

www.jumo.world

Media enquiries

comms@jumo.world

About Standard Bank

The Standard Bank Group is the largest African bank by assets, operating in 21 African countries, 4 global financial centres and 2 offshore hubs.

Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, we are listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, with share code SBK, and the Namibian Stock Exchange, share code SNB. Standard Bank has a 163-year history in South Africa and started building a franchise outside southern Africa in the early 1990s. Our strategic position, which enables us to connect Africa to other select emerging markets as well as pools of capital in developed markets, and our balanced portfolio of businesses, provide significant opportunities for growth.

As at 30 June 2026, Standard Bank Group had 19.5 million clients, employed over 50 000 people (including Liberty) and had over 1 200 points of representation and over 5 600 ATMs across the African continent. The group’s largest shareholder is the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the world’s largest bank, with a 19.7% shareholding. In addition, Standard Bank Group and ICBC share a strategic partnership that facilitates trade and deal flow between Africa, China and select emerging markets.

For further information, go to http://www.standardbank.com

Social Finance Framework Objectives

The framework serves five key strategic purposes:

Unlock Institutional & Impact Capital

The framework creates a credible structure through which global investors, DFIs and banks can fund sustainable lending activities on JUMO’s platform with confidence.

Scale Financial Inclusion and Social Impact

It supports funding for underserved individuals and SMEs who often lack access to traditional banking products.

Create Credibility Through International Standards

Alignment with globally recognised sustainable finance principles provides transparency, governance and market credibility.

Enable Repeat Sustainable Funding

The framework streamlines future social financing transactions and creates long-term fundraising efficiencies.

Position JUMO as a Sustainable Fintech Leader

The framework elevates JUMO beyond a fintech lender into a recognised sustainable finance platform supporting inclusive growth across Africa.

Contact

Head of Content and Communications
Rose Cohen
JUMO
rose.cohen@jumo.world
+27 83 6750354

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Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.

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Press Release

Clear Choice System Helps Salons and Home Services Businesses Get Found in AI Search

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As customers ask AI where to go, Clear Choice System puts salons and home services businesses at the top

Riverside, CA, United States, 3rd Nov 2026 — Clear Choice System today announced the launch of Hyper SEO system, which helps local businesses like salons and home services businesses get discovered through AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews. The launch comes after the company was acquired by Ismael Ramirez, previously a partner in the firm, who bought out the company’s previous owner at the end of 2025 and is now its owner. Terms were not disclosed.

Ramirez said he made the purchase because he saw the AI boom coming and believed answer engine optimization, or AEO, would become essential for local businesses. AEO helps businesses appear in answers from AI tools. He saw the company’s Google’s shift shows why. In May 2026, Google said AI Overviews had more than 2.5 billion monthly active users and that AI Mode, launched a year earlier, had passed 1 billion. Because those AI answers draw on the same local signals Hyper SEO was built to strengthen, such as business listings, reviews and website content, Ramirez saw the system as ready for AI search.

“When I bought out the previous owner at the end of 2025, I was buying the future of local search,” Ramirez explained. “Customers don’t just search anymore. They ask AI where to go. Our Hyper SEO system was already built for that shift, and now we’re packaging it so every salon, flooring company and home services business we serve can get found the same way.”

Clear Choice System first tested the approach on itself. In searches conducted the week of Oct. 12, 2026, ChatGPT listed Clear Choice System first for “best all-in-one marketing for nail salons in the United States,” and the company topped ChatGPT’s list for “best all-in-one marketing for salons in the United States.”

Clients, including a flooring company with three locations and nail salons across the U.S., now report that they are appearing at the top of ChatGPT’s answers and that customers say they found them through ChatGPT.

Ramirez leads the company with partners Geraldine Cabanas and Dejonne “DJ” Lofton.

Clear Choice System is not affiliated with or endorsed by OpenAI or Google.

About Clear Choice System: Based in Riverside, California, Clear Choice System provides all-in-one marketing and automation for salons and home services businesses, with services spanning Google Maps visibility, ads, websites, reviews, text campaigns, AI receptionists and answer engine optimization. 

For more information, visit https://clearchoicesystem.com 

Media Contact

Organization: Clear Choice System

Contact Person: Ismael Ramirez

Website: https://clearchoicesystem.com

Email: Send Email

Contact Number: +19514984717

Address: 3600 Lime St.

Address 2: #314

City: Riverside

State: CA

Country: United States

Release id: 50441

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Press Release

SEAIN IND Concludes Participation in International Fastener Expo 2026

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Company holds roughly 45 buyer meetings, gains insight into North American fastener market trends, and advances follow-up business discussions

INCHEON, South Korea, 3rd Nov 2026 —  SEAIN IND Co., Ltd. (“SEAIN IND”) said it held approximately 45 buyer meetings with visitors from the United States, Canada, Mexico, India and other countries at the International Fastener Expo 2026 (IFE), held October 7-9 at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The company’s booth exhibition ran for two days, October 8-9. SEAIN IND also served as a sponsor of the International Fastener & Assembly Summit (IFAS), held on October 7, and took part in buyer-matching meetings and seminars held during the event.

 

SEAIN IND’s booth at the International Fastener Expo 2026, held October 7–9 at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo: SEAIN IND)

At the show, SEAIN IND presented its general and special washer lineup, precision press components, and copper busbars for electric-vehicle battery packs, showcasing its product supply capabilities. The company received new quote inquiries for washers and precision press components during the event and is continuing to review product specifications and hold follow-up discussions with the buyers involved.

A SEAIN IND representative consults with a buyer at the company’s booth during the International Fastener Expo 2026. (Photo: SEAIN IND)

Beyond product promotion and new customer development, the event gave SEAIN IND an on-the-ground opportunity to assess the fast-changing North American fastener market. Through exchanges with buyers and industry contacts, the company tracked shifts in the market, and said the seminars held during the event provided practical insights that will help inform its future sales strategy.

Regarding the event, which was held in Phoenix for the first time this year, SEAIN IND said it observed an increase in visitor traffic on-site, with active consultations and exchanges taking place amid a positive response from participants.

The exhibition floor of the International Fastener Expo 2026 at the Phoenix Convention Center. (Photo: SEAIN IND)

SEAIN IND operates an IATF 16949-certified quality management system and supplies washers to bolt-and-nut and other fastener manufacturers within domestic and overseas automotive supply chains. Building on its accumulated production and quality-management experience, the company is expanding cooperation with overseas customers while actively preparing for digital transformation (DX), AI transformation (AX), and carbon-emission reduction and verification.

SEAIN IND plans to review the inquiries gathered at the show and continue follow-up discussions with individual buyers. Drawing on local customer support and supply capabilities through its U.S. subsidiary, SAC Fasteners Inc., the company intends to continue expanding its customer base and supply opportunities in the North American fastener market.

SEAIN IND staff at the company’s booth at the International Fastener Expo 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo: SEAIN IND)

 

About SEAIN IND Co., Ltd.

SEAIN IND Co., Ltd. is a South Korea-based manufacturer specializing in washers and precision press components, founded in 1988 and headquartered at the Namdong National Industrial Complex in Incheon, South Korea. The company produces general and special washers, precision press components, and copper busbars, supplying products to overseas markets including the United States and Japan. Through its U.S. subsidiary, SAC Fasteners Inc., SEAIN IND supports customer engagement and local supply in North America.

Media Contact

Organization: SEAIN IND Co., Ltd

Contact Person: Global Sales Department

Website: https://www.seain.kr/en/seain

Email: Send Email

Country: Korea South

Release id: 50440

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SEAIN IND Concludes Participation in International Fastener Expo 2026

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Press Release

Diamond Powder Particle Size Tradeoffs in Thermal Interface Materials

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China, 3rd Nov 2026 – A thinner thermal interface looks like a straightforward way to reduce resistance between a processor and its cooling hardware. For the engineer developing the material, that goal quickly becomes a formulation problem. The filler has to fit the gap, and the mixture still has to flow into place. Choosing a finer diamond powder can help with the first requirement while making the second harder.

Suppose a TIM formulation contains coarse particles that keep an assembly from reaching its intended bond-line thickness. Moving to a finer distribution seems reasonable. At the same filler volume, however, smaller particles expose more surface for the matrix to wet. Viscosity may rise, and a mixture that worked through the dispensing equipment may become difficult to process. The thinner layer now depends on solving a different problem.

This is where Diamond Powder belongs in thermal management: as a filler dispersed in a matrix for thermal interface materials, thermally conductive adhesives, gap fillers, encapsulants, or potting compounds. It is a formulation ingredient, distinct from a CVD diamond sheet attached near a chip. The finished material gets its behavior from the combination of filler and matrix, including how they are mixed and assembled.

Thermally conductive diamond powder for evaluation as a filler in thermal management formulations.

A smaller particle changes the whole mixture

The nominal particle size tells only part of the story. A small population of oversized particles can hold a thin interface open. Agglomerates can interfere with dispensing even when the individual particles are fine enough. Looking at the full particle-size distribution and the dispersion after mixing helps explain behavior that an average size can hide.

Heat also has to cross the boundaries between diamond and the surrounding matrix. Diamond’s intrinsic thermal conductivity describes the solid material; the formulation contains polymer between particles and resistance at their interfaces. Changing particle size changes that network. A finer powder can therefore improve the achievable bond line without necessarily improving the mixture’s bulk thermal conductivity. Those are separate effects, and either can influence the assembled interface.

Adding more filler introduces another tradeoff. Higher loading can improve conductive pathways, yet it also leaves less matrix available to wet the particles and carry them through processing. Poor flow or trapped air can undermine the expected benefit. A formulation engineer has to find a workable balance between thermal transport and the consistency needed on the production line.

A blend of sizes offers room to adjust that balance. Smaller particles can occupy spaces between larger ones, changing packing behavior and potentially allowing more solids. Whether that helps depends on the proportions and surface condition as well as the mixing process. An added fine fraction may instead raise viscosity. Packing is useful because of what it enables in the formulation, rather than as an isolated target.

The application determines how much processing freedom is available. A thin TIM over a processor faces a different gap and assembly pressure from a thick gap filler. A potting compound has to flow around components inside a cavity. Carrying the same powder choice across these applications can overlook the feature that made it useful in the original recipe.

Surface treatment deserves a place in that discussion. A change intended to improve wetting can also affect adhesion or electrical behavior, so it needs evaluation in the selected matrix.

Find out which change produced the result

For the thin-interface project, the first comparison can hold the matrix and filler volume constant while changing the particle-size distribution. Keeping preparation and cure conditions consistent makes the result easier to interpret. If the finer material then needs a lower loading to dispense, that becomes a second formulation comparison. Report loading consistently as a weight or volume fraction so the difference remains clear.

Measure thermal behavior at comparable thickness, pressure, and temperature. Thermal impedance includes the layer and its contacts; measurements at several thicknesses can help distinguish bulk behavior from contact resistance. Pair those results with the bond-line thickness actually achieved during assembly. A value from a thick specimen alone leaves the original thin-gap question unresolved.

Electrical insulation and durability belong in the finished-material evaluation. The matrix and any other additives affect dielectric behavior, while aging can change the interface after assembly. Pump-out may matter for a compliant TIM; adhesion or cracking may be more relevant to a cured adhesive. These checks follow the application rather than the powder description.

Engineers reviewing Yorsuma’s diamond material range for a formulation trial can start with the matrix and the gap they are trying to fill. Explaining whether the current limit is dispensing, bond-line thickness, or measured thermal resistance gives the material discussion a useful direction. The better powder is the one that helps the formulation work in that assembly, with the result established through formulation trials and representative hardware testing.

 

Media Contact

Organization: SHENZHEN YORSUMA TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD

Contact Person: Wang Hongyuan

Website: https://www.yorsuma.com/

Email: Send Email

Contact Number: +8615516071929

Address: Room 703, Tower C, Phase II, Excellence Baozhong Times Plaza, Xinan Street, Bao’an District, Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, China (Shenzhen Office).

Country: China

Release id: 50261

View source version on King Newswire:
Diamond Powder Particle Size Tradeoffs in Thermal Interface Materials

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Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.

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