Finance & Investment

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – August 5, 2025 – Europe’s premier B2B event for the games development community, the devcom Developer Conference 2025 (#ddc2025), has officially announced its first wave of speakers and sessions, signaling a robust start to what is expected to be its most comprehensive program yet. Alongside the content reveal, devcom is also recruiting its on-site support team, offering paid, short-term positions for professionals eager to be part of the behind-the-scenes operations.

Confirmed sessions highlight devcom’s leadership in industry dialogue

The announcement of the first confirmed speakers and sessions marks the beginning of the detailed conference program rollout. While the full schedule continues to evolve, this early insight underscores devcom’s role as a central platform for sharing expertise in game design, development, production, and publishing.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – July 25, 2025 – Philips Foundation has announced the results of its 2024 activities in a newly published Annual Report, celebrating a milestone year that brought quality healthcare access to 46.5 million people globally—up from 28 million in 2023. The results mark a significant stride toward the Foundation’s 2030 goal of reaching 100 million underserved individuals each year.

Strategic Projects and Investments Drive Expansion

Throughout 2024, the Foundation initiated 22 new healthcare projects and five early-stage impact investments, with a strategic focus on primary care in underserved regions, particularly in India and Latin America. These initiatives leveraged Philips' health technology expertise to address rising non-communicable disease burdens and maternal health challenges.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – July 25, 2025 – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) has confirmed the exchange ratio for its 2024 dividend, announcing a share-based conversion rate of one new common share for every 23.6353 existing shares. The ratio was determined based on the volume-weighted average price of Philips shares traded on Euronext Amsterdam across May 30, June 2, and June 3, 2025, which stood at EUR 20.0600.

The final exchange ratio ensures that the gross value of the dividend in shares equates to approximately EUR 0.85, aligning with the company’s stated dividend target. As a result of this share-based payout, Philips will issue 22,980,748 new common shares.

Strategic Shareholder Participation and Dividend Structure

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – July 25, 2025 – Roche has announced a significant step in the modernization of its capital structure, as its Board of Directors proposes to exchange the company's non-voting equity securities ("Genussscheine") for newly issued participation certificates. The proposal, which will be submitted to shareholders for approval at the 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM), aims to align Roche’s capital instruments with current Swiss corporate law and modern market practices.

The proposed participation certificates will carry a nominal value of CHF 0.001 each and be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, offering the same economic value and entitlements as the Genussscheine they replace. In tandem, Roche also plans to reduce the nominal value of its bearer shares from CHF 1.00 to CHF 0.001 per share. This will result in a cash repayment of CHF 0.999 per bearer share, totaling approximately CHF 106.6 million, contingent on shareholder approval.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – July 25, 2025 – Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HEIDELBERG) has signed an agreement with the Polar Group to acquire the technology, brand rights, and intellectual property (IP) of the renowned postpress specialist Polar Mohr, marking a pivotal step in its expansion strategy for the packaging and label market. The acquisition will give HEIDELBERG exclusive global rights for sales, service, and marketing of Polar Mohr postpress products, further solidifying its position as a comprehensive systems integrator.

Strategic Growth through Consolidation

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – June 13, 2025 – The Industrieverband Garten (IVG) e.V. has announced new leadership within its Profigartenbau (PGB) division, signaling a renewed strategic direction in representing Germany’s professional horticulture suppliers across national and international markets.

Peter Hölzer, Sales Director Germany at Birchmeier Sprühtechnik AG, has been elected as the new spokesperson of the IVG Fachabteilung Profigartenbau. He succeeds Frank Lock, Managing Director of Lock GmbH. Malte Specht, Sales Manager at Rabensteiner GmbH, will serve as deputy spokesperson. Both newly elected representatives will also serve as board members of IVG.

Continuity and Expertise at the Helm

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – June 13, 2025 – The Industrieverband Garten (IVG) e.V., representing over 150 companies in Germany’s horticulture and garden supply sector, has responded positively to the CDU-SPD coalition agreement, while calling for swift and comprehensive implementation to support industrial and environmental progress.

The association commended the general direction of the newly presented agreement, particularly its references to industrial policy, climate protection, and water strategy. However, it also highlighted missing topics vital to the garden industry — such as rainwater management and professional horticulture — and positioned itself as a constructive partner for the upcoming legislative period.

Strategic Opportunities for the Green Sector

The IVG sees several promising elements in the coalition agreement that align with its advocacy efforts, especially regarding:

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – June 12, 2025 – The BHB (German DIY, Building and Garden Trade Association) has released its Q1 2025 sales figures, showing a decline across the D-A-CH region — yet industry leaders are cautiously optimistic, with positive signals emerging from April and high hopes pinned on the upcoming garden season.

Q1 Sales Slide Amid Tough Comparisons and Economic Headwinds

The overall sales performance for building and garden retailers in Germany dropped by -4.0% year-over-year (-3.5% like-for-like). Austria and Switzerland mirrored the trend with declines of -2.0% and -2.7% respectively. However, these figures are influenced by an exceptionally strong first quarter in 2024, particularly in March, which posted a significant +4.4% growth.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – June 10, 2025 – Ecolab Inc. has introduced a groundbreaking addition to its advanced cooling management portfolio: the 3D TRASAR™ Technology for Direct-to-Chip Liquid Cooling. This innovation is designed to meet the evolving demands of data center operators facing skyrocketing energy needs driven by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI). With U.S. data center energy demand projected to surge from 25 GW in 2024 to over 80 GW by 2030, the solution arrives at a critical juncture for the digital infrastructure sector.

Supporting Performance Under Pressure

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – June 10, 2025 – As artificial intelligence reshapes modern industry, the rapid expansion of data centers is placing unprecedented stress on water resources and energy grids. Ecolab is calling for immediate adoption of smart water management and cooling efficiency strategies to ensure sustainable and scalable operations across the tech sector.

Driven by explosive demand for compute power, U.S. data center energy usage is forecasted to more than triple — from 25 GW in 2024 to over 80 GW by 2030, according to McKinsey. While AI’s digital transformation is widely celebrated, its physical footprint — including water consumption for cooling — remains largely unrecognized outside the tech industry.

Cooling Efficiency Is Critical to Sustainable Growth