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, /PRNewswire/ -- Canadian Solar Inc. (the "Company" or "Canadian Solar") (NASDAQ: CSIQ) today announced that e‑STORAGE, its energy storage solutions business, has signed an agreement to supply and commission a 100 MW/200 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) for OX2's Muswellbrook Solar Farm and Battery, a solar-plus-storage project in New South Wales, Australia. Shipments are scheduled to begin in Q3 2027, with commercial operation targeted for Q3 2028. The battery cells and SolBank system will be produced in-house at Canadian Solar's manufacturing facilities, giving the customer end-to-end supply chain visibility and ensuring strict quality control across the product.

e‑STORAGE will deliver an integrated solution built on SolBank 3.0 battery containers, paired with Power Conversion Systems (PCS), plant controls, and the Company's proprietary EQ-S Energy Management System (EMS) developed and built in-house by e‑STORAGE's North American software team. e‑STORAGE will be responsible for the R1 grid connection studies, supply the hybrid power plant controller that coordinates the battery with the co-located solar farm, and lead the overall integration and commissioning of the hybrid project. The arrangement is backed by a 20-year long-term service agreement (LTSA), placing hardware, proprietary software, and long-term performance under a single accountable partner.

The project sits roughly 2.5 kilometers east of Muswellbrook, on land at a former coal mine within the Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone. The location is significant: as the region's aging coal generators wind down toward retirement in the early 2030s, the dispatchable capacity they once provided must be replaced. Two-hour storage fills that gap directly, holding midday solar output and releasing it into the evening demand peak when supply from retiring thermal plants tightens.

Once operational, the system will support the long-term hybrid power purchase agreement OX2 has signed for the project, converting variable solar output into firm, contracted supply. By storing and dispatching solar energy on demand, the BESS strengthens grid reliability in a region transitioning away from coal and helps deliver firm renewable power to the communities in the Hunter Region.

Steve Symons, Vice President, OX2 Australia, said: "This battery storage system is what turns Muswellbrook into a true hybrid facility — pairing solar generation with storage so we can capture energy when the sun is shining and deliver it when the grid needs it most. It's a key step in providing firm, reliable renewable power to the Hunter region."

Jeff Roy, President of e‑STORAGE, said:  "Australia's energy transition is being decided in regions like the Hunter, where storage now has to carry the load that retiring coal once did. We control this project from the cell through to our own energy management software and 20 years of service, which means OX2 has one partner accountable for how the system performs over its full life."

About Canadian Solar Inc.

Canadian Solar is one of the world's largest solar technology and renewable energy companies. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario, the Company is a leading manufacturer of solar photovoltaic modules; provider of solar energy and battery energy storage solutions; and developer, owner, and operator of utility-scale solar power and battery energy storage projects. Over the past 25 years, Canadian Solar has successfully delivered nearly 180 GW of premium-quality solar photovoltaic modules to customers across the world. Through its energy storage solutions business e-STORAGE, Canadian Solar has shipped over 23 GWh of battery energy storage solutions to global markets and had a contracted backlog of $3.5 billion as of June 30, 2026. Since entering the project development business in 2010, Canadian Solar has developed, built, and connected approximately 12.4 GWp of solar power projects and 6.4 GWh of battery energy storage projects globally. Its geographically diversified project development pipeline includes approximately 22 GWp of solar and 84 GWh of battery energy storage capacity in various stages of development. Canadian Solar is one of the most bankable companies in the solar and renewable energy industry, having been publicly listed on the NASDAQ since 2006. For additional information about the Company, follow Canadian Solar on LinkedIn or visit www.canadiansolar.com.

About e-STORAGE

e-STORAGE is a subsidiary of Canadian Solar and a leading company specializing in designing, manufacturing, and integrating battery energy storage systems for utility-scale applications. e-STORAGE offers proprietary battery energy storage systems (BESS) spanning battery cells, battery PACKs, power conversion systems (PCS), energy management systems (EMS) and system integration. It also provides comprehensive EPC services and full-lifecycle station operation and asset management, helping customers improve grid operations across the project lifecycle. For more info, please refer to the Media&PR section of www.csestorage.com and follow our LinkedIn page.

Safe Harbor/Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release, including those regarding the Company's expected future shipment volumes, revenues, gross margins, and project sales are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These statements are made under the "Safe Harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by such terms as "may", "will", "expect", "anticipate", "future", "ongoing", "continue", "intend", "plan", "potential", "prospect", "guidance", "believe", "estimate", "is/are likely to" or similar expressions, the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, our expectations regarding global electricity demand and the adoption of solar and battery energy storage technologies; our growth strategies, future business performance, and financial condition; our transition to a long-term owner and operator of clean energy assets and expansion of project pipelines; our ability to monetize project portfolios, manage supply chain fluctuations, and respond to economic factors such as inflation and interest rates; our outlook on government incentives, trade measures, regulatory developments, and geopolitical risks; our expectations for project timelines, costs, and returns; competitive dynamics in solar and storage markets; our ability to execute supply chain, manufacturing, and operational initiatives; access to capital, debt obligations, and covenant compliance; relationships with key suppliers and customers; technological advancement and product quality; and risks related to intellectual property, litigation, and compliance with environmental and sustainability regulations. Other risks were described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F filed on April 10, 2026. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance, or achievements. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All information provided in this press release is as of today's date, unless otherwise stated, and Canadian Solar undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

Canadian Solar Inc. Investor Relations Contact

Wina Huang
Investor Relations
Canadian Solar Inc.
[email protected]

e-STORAGE MEDIA CONTACT
[email protected] 

SOURCE Canadian Solar Inc.

August orders increase 16.4%, while estimated backlog grows 145.1% to approximately $898,000. Preliminary net sales reach $2.34 million, extending the Company's eight-month sales climb

WEST SENECA, NY / ACCESS Newswire / October 6, 2026 / Worksport Ltd. (Nasdaq:WKSP) ("Worksport" or the "Company"), a U.S.-based innovator and manufacturer of hybrid and clean energy solutions primarily for the light truck, overlanding, and global consumer goods markets, today announced preliminary August 2026 sales orders of approximately $2.92 million, an increase of 16.4% from July 2026, representing an annualized sales-order run rate of $35.05 million. Preliminary net sales increased 5.6% to $2.34 million, while estimated month-end backlog rose to approximately $898,000, reflecting order intake that exceeded invoicing during August.

Monthly Net Sales Extend Eight-Month Climb

Worksport's preliminary monthly net sales increased from approximately $937,000 in January to $2.34 million in August, representing growth of approximately 150%. Each successive month exceeded the previous month across the January-to-August period, with monthly growth averaging approximately 14.6% across 2026.

Orders Outpace Invoicing; Estimated Backlog Increases 145.1%

August sales orders increased 16.4% from approximately $2.51 million in July to approximately $2.92 million, while invoiced sales increased 5.6% from approximately $2.27 million in July to approximately $2.39 million. August orders exceeded invoicing by approximately $532,000, increasing Worksport's estimated backlog from an updated July balance of approximately $366,000 to $898,000, a 145.1% increase.

Annualized Sales-Order Run Rate Increases to $35.05 Million

Based on August sales orders, Worksport's annualized sales-order run rate increased to approximately $35.05 million, compared with approximately $30.13 million using the updated July order figure. This represents an increase of approximately $4.93 million, or 16.4%.

August marked the fourth consecutive month with preliminary gross margin above 30%, as higher sales generated additional gross profit alongside margin expansion.

CEO Commentary

"Our approximately $35 million annualized sales-order run rate reflects growing demand and a meaningful opportunity to move Worksport toward positive operating cash flow," said Steven Rossi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Worksport. "We have now maintained preliminary gross margin above 30% for four consecutive months. If we sustain that margin strength while growing revenue, we can generate more gross profit to cover operating expenses and narrow the gap to positive operating cash flow. Higher production volumes should also help us spread fixed manufacturing costs across more units, supporting further margin improvement as we scale. Our priority is to convert this higher order pace into shipments and cash while keeping spending disciplined, so revenue growth translates into a financially stronger business for shareholders."

Stay tuned for more information and join our mailing list to stay up to date with the latest: Join Worksport's Newsletter

Contacts

Investor Relations, Worksport Ltd. T: 1 (888) 554-8789-128

W: investors.worksport.com W: www.worksport.com E: [email protected]

Connect with Worksport Chief Executive Officer, Steven Rossi

Steven Rossi LinkedIn | Note: CEO Steven Rossi has terminated the use of X (formerly Twitter)

About Worksport

Worksport Ltd. (Nasdaq:WKSP), through its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and owns the intellectual property on a variety of tonneau covers, solar integrations, portable power systems, and clean heating & cooling solutions. Worksport has an active partnership with Hyundai for the SOLIS Solar cover. Additionally, Worksport's hard-folding cover, designed and manufactured in-house, is compatible with all major truck models and is gaining traction with newer truck makers including the electric vehicle (EV) sector. Worksport seeks to capitalize on the growing shift of consumer mindsets towards clean energy integrations with its proprietary solar solutions, mobile energy storage systems (ESS), and Cold-Climate Heat Pump (CCHP) technology. Terravis Energy's website is terravisenergy.com.

Connect with Worksport

Please follow the Company's social media accounts on X (previously Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram, the links of which are links to external third-party websites, as well as sign up for the Company's newsletters at investors.worksport.com.

Social Media Disclaimer

The Company does not endorse, ensure the accuracy of, or accept any responsibility for any content on these third-party websites other than content published by the Company. Investors and others should note that the Company announces material financial information to its investors using its investor relations website, press releases, Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filings, and public conference calls and webcasts. The Company also uses social media to announce Company news and other information. The Company encourages investors, the media, and others to review the information the Company publishes on social media. The Company does not selectively disclose material non-public information on social media. If there is any significant financial information, the Company will release it broadly to the public through a press release or SEC filing prior to publishing it on social media.

Supplemental Operating Metrics and Preliminary Results

The Company presents sales orders, invoiced sales, estimated backlog and annualized run rates to provide additional context on demand and operating trends alongside its U.S. GAAP financial results. Management uses sales orders, invoiced sales, backlog and annual run rates to evaluate operating performance and support strategic decisions. These metrics are not substitutes for recognized net sales and may differ from similarly titled metrics used by other companies.

Sales orders represent the value of orders received and recorded during the applicable month. Invoiced sales reflect monthly invoicing before applying certain discounts. Estimated backlog is derived from sales orders and invoicing totals using a first-in, first-out allocation assumption, rather than an order-level analysis of fulfillment dates. These metrics are distinct from recognized net sales; conversion of sales orders and estimated backlog to revenue depend on fulfillment and satisfaction of applicable revenue-recognition requirements.

Annualized run rates multiply the applicable month's sales orders or preliminary net sales by twelve. The annualized run rates for sales orders calculation includes all sales orders received during that month, some of which may be in backlog. These calculations assume a constant monthly pace and are illustrative. The calculations do not reflect annual recurring revenue, a committed 12-month order book, full-year revenue guidance, or forecasts of future performance.

The monthly financial information in this release is preliminary and unaudited, remains subject to accounting close and review procedures, and may differ from final reported results.

Forward-Looking Statements

The information contained herein may contain "forward‐looking statements." Forward‐looking statements reflect the current view about future events. Forward-looking statements in this release include expectations regarding order conversion, production volumes, gross margin improvement and progress toward positive operating cash flow. When used in this press release, the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "scheduled," "expect," "future," "intend," "plan," "project," "envisioned," "should," or the negative of these terms and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management, identify forward‐looking statements. These statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial situation may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: (i) supply chain delays; (ii) acceptance of our products by consumers; (iii) delays in or nonacceptance by third parties to sell our products; (iv) competition from other producers of similar products; and (v) order cancellations or fulfillment delays, production constraints and working-capital requirements. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's filings with the SEC, including, without limitation, our latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov. As a result of these matters, changes in facts, assumptions not being realized or other circumstances, the Company's actual results may differ materially from the expected results discussed in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. The forward-looking statements made in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update them to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE: Worksport Ltd.

Comprehensive power modes, enhanced stamina metrics, a ComfortFit Fabric Band and Garmin Epic help endurance athletes and multiday adventurers train, race and explore even farther

, /PRNewswire/ -- Garmin (NYSE: GRMN) today announced Enduro™ 4, its longest-lasting GPS smartwatch with solar charging, which includes dynamic features and capabilities to take endurance enthusiasts farther on their next expedition. Utilizing an energy-efficient 1.4" MIP display in combination with a solar lens, Enduro 4 has up to 320 hours of battery life in activity mode1 or up to 90 days of battery life in smartwatch mode2. It also leverages innovative updates like grade-adjusted pace-based workout targets, grade-adjusted rolling pace, stamina zones, stamina curve and Garmin Epic multiday activity logging.

Comprehensive power modes, enhanced stamina metrics, a ComfortFit Fabric Band and Garmin Epic help endurance athletes and multiday adventurers train, race and explore even farther. "As interest and participation in ultra-endurance activities continue to grow, Enduro 4 is designed for athletes and adventurers who want gear they can trust to perform through every mile, every climb and every challenge. Intuitive features like comprehensive power modes make the most of the long-lasting battery life, while grade-adjusted metrics add a new dimension to preparing for hilly or mountainous terrain."
—Susan Lyman, Garmin Vice President of Consumer Sales and Marketing

Grade-adjusted features, stamina metrics and more

In addition to 100+ activity profiles, Enduro 4 introduces new capabilities to the Enduro line, optimized for trail runners, multiday hikers and backpackers, and endurance athletes.

Comprehensive power modes provide preset options to optimize battery life and performance based on the needs of the user. Configurations include Max Accuracy, which offers full-feature tracking for shorter efforts, and Max Battery, ideal for extended activity recording (up to 320 hours with solar charging). Grade-adjusted pace-based workout targets help athletes maintain the right effort range on hilly terrain, while grade-adjusted rolling pace provides a real-time view of pace over varying terrain. Stamina zones show athletes how their stamina impacts an activity, and stamina curve helps users understand how their endurance changes over time based on fitness and training history. With 50% more RAM than Enduro 3 and a more powerful, updated map engine, navigation is easier than ever with 30% faster panning and a smoother, more intuitive map interface for built-in routable maps. Perspective view provides more detail, both close-up and further away, allowing users to better anticipate what comes next. Garmin Epic allows athletes to combine multiple activities into one cohesive story in Garmin Connect™. Activities can be grouped together over days, weeks or months to create an "Epic", which enables users to add photos and share with family and friends, as well as see health and performance data aggregated during that period. Enhanced rowing tools provide additional training insights like VO2 max and power curve for indoor rowing activities, while expanded rucking features let users adjust pack weight during an activity and set target metrics like calories burned. Premium design for maximum versatility

Enduro 4 weighs in at an incredible 66 grams, making it one of the lightest ultraperformance smartwatches on the market. With a 51mm case, Power Sapphire™ scratch-resistant lens, titanium bezel and lightweight fiber-reinforced polymer case, it is built for the demands of the longest races and most taxing adventures, remaining remarkably light on the wrist. An integrated LED flashlight includes both white and red-light options, while a 10 ATM water resistance rating enables confident use in challenging environments.

New to Enduro 4, the ComfortFit Fabric Band combines exceptional comfort, durability and moisture-wicking performance with QuickFit™ functionality, making adjustments and swapping bands even simpler. 64 GB of memory gives users more room for onboard maps, music and data, making it easier to stay prepared for extended adventures away from home.

Available now, Enduro 4 has a suggested retail price of $899.99. Learn more at Garmin.com. 

Engineered on the inside for life on the outside, Garmin products have revolutionized life for adventurers, athletes, off-road explorers, road warriors and outdoor enthusiasts everywhere. Committed to developing products that enhance experiences, enrich lives and help provide peace of mind, Garmin believes every day is an opportunity to innovate and a chance to beat yesterday. Visit the Garmin Newsroom, email our media team, connect with @garminoutdoor on social, or follow our blog.  

1 Assumes continuous use for entire period in 50,000 lux conditions and typical use with activity mode (extended battery) selected
2 Assumes all-day wear with 3 hours per day outside in 50,000 lux conditions

About Garmin International, Inc. Garmin International, Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (NYSE: GRMN). Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Garmin is a registered trademark and Enduro, Garmin Connect, Power Sapphire and QuickFit are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Notice on Forward-Looking Statements:
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. Such statements are based on management's current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 27, 2025, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). Copies of such Form 10-K are available at https://www.garmin.com/en-US/investors/sec/. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Elliott Scott
913-397-8200
[email protected]

SOURCE Garmin International, Inc.

New SailPoint Human Fabric capabilities and SailPoint IdentityIQ 9.0 release deliver security and governance built for enterprise scale, ensuring no customer is left behind in their security evolution  | Source: SailPoint Technologies, Inc.

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today at its annual flagship conference, Navigate, SailPoint, Inc. (Nasdaq: SAIL), a leader in enterprise identity security, announced a significant modernization across its entire identity platform. The company unveiled new enterprise-scale capabilities for SailPoint Human Fabric and the release of IdentityIQ 9.0, a major update to its on-premises solution. These updates demonstrate a unified commitment to modernizing identity security for every customer, whether in the cloud, on-premises, or in a hybrid environment.

The announcements address a challenge facing the industry as a whole: most identity governance infrastructure can't keep pace with how enterprises operate today. SailPoint is closing that gap with substantive updates that re-platform core services for scale and strengthen governance, not simple UI refreshes.

Chandra Gnanasambandam, EVP of Product and Chief Technology Officer at SailPoint, said:
"Most vendors ask their customers to choose between a growth story or a stewardship story, but the reality of the modern enterprise is not that simple. Today, we are delivering on both fronts. We are advancing the frontier of cloud identity security with Human Fabric while also demonstrating our commitment to the customers who rely on IdentityIQ for identity security. This is one modernization effort on two fronts, ensuring every customer has a path forward without compromise.”

Governance built for enterprise scale: The SailPoint Human Fabric
SailPoint announced three new major updates for Human Fabric, its cloud-native identity security product, designed to operate at enterprise scale:

Access certifications enhancements: A completely re-platformed certification engine built to handle enterprise-scale access reviews without record limits or data delays. The new engine removes the need for administrators to manually split large campaigns and includes a faster, more intuitive reviewer interface and cryptographic, GxP-compliant sign-off for regulated industries.Proactive Separation of Duties (SoD): Moving beyond after-the-fact alerting, SailPoint’s enhanced SoD engine provides real-time evaluation that proactively blocks toxic access combinations at the moment of request. It uniquely flags conflicts created by other pending requests still in-flight, preventing violations before they occur.Conversational Access Requests: A new AI-powered agent allows users to make access requests in natural language directly from their chat tools. With support for custom forms, employees can provide necessary business justifications and compliance details seamlessly within the chat flow.
No customer left behind: IdentityIQ 9.0
For customers with extensive data residency requirements, strict regulatory constraints, or deeply customized programs, SailPoint is delivering IdentityIQ 9.0. The release provides a parallel modernization path for hybrid and on-premises deployments, centered on three pillars: a stronger governance, including granular, time-based access for roles and entitlements, and a rebuilt technical foundation running on modern application servers, with a refreshed user experience that streamlines access reviews and application definition.

Critically, SailPoint is also offering an automated upgrade tool with the release. This utility scans a customer’s environment and automates much of the manual work required to update, addressing the primary risk that stalls on-premises upgrades and proving that customers can confidently evolve their existing deployments.

Learn more about all the new products announced today at Navigate here.

About SailPoint
SailPoint (Nasdaq: SAIL) is defining the new era of adaptive identity security. In a world where non-human identities now significantly outnumber humans, our AI-powered platform unifies identity, security, and data intelligence to protect today’s enterprise from advanced identity-based threats. We deliver the identity solution that spans both the breadth of identities and the depth of context needed to drive real-time access with confidence. Built on principles like zero-standing privilege and contextualized risk, our SailPoint platform transforms identity from a point of vulnerability into a powerful security advantage. Trusted by many of the world's leading organizations, SailPoint secures the enterprise with intelligent, autonomous identity security.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including with respect to SailPoint’s expectations regarding announcements made at Navigate. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “may,” “will,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “would,” “plan to,” “intend to,” “believe,” or “goal” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern our expectations, strategy, plans or intentions. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, but are based on management's current expectations, assumptions and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effect on us, which are inherently subject to uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Our expectations expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements may not turn out to be correct. The development, release, and timing of any features or functionality described for SailPoint’s products that are not currently available remain at SailPoint’s sole discretion on a when, and if available, basis, may not be delivered at all and should not be relied on in making a purchasing decision, and could be materially different from our expectations because of various risks.

Important factors, some of which are beyond our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical results or those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements include the following: our ability to deepen our relationships with existing customers; the growth in the market for identity security solutions; our ability to maintain successful relationships with each of our partners; our ability to compete successfully against current and future competitors; the increasing complexity of our operations; our ability to maintain and enhance our brand or reputation as an industry leader and innovator; unfavorable conditions in our industry or the global economy; our ability to successfully introduce, use, and integrate artificial intelligence (AI) with our solutions; breaches in our security, cyber attacks, or other cyber risks; interruptions, outages, or other disruptions affecting the delivery of our SaaS solution or any of the third-party cloud-based systems that we use in our operations; our ability to adapt and respond to rapidly changing technology, industry standards, regulations, or customer needs, requirements, or preferences; real or perceived errors, failures, or disruptions in our platform or solutions; and the ability of our platform and solutions to effectively interoperate with our customers’ existing or future IT infrastructures.

More information on these risks and other potential factors that could affect our financial results is included in our reports and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission including in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date as of which such statement is made, and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events, or otherwise.

The development, release, and timing of any features, functionality, capabilities, or services described for SailPoint's products that are not currently available remain at SailPoint's sole discretion on a when, and if, available basis and may not be delivered at all and must not be relied on in making a purchasing or investing decision.

Media relations for SailPoint
Shannon Paulk
Sr. Manager, Corporate Communications
303-748-2275
[email protected]

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - October 6, 2026) - NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) ("NANO Nuclear" or "the Company"), a leading advanced nuclear micro modular reactor and technology company focused on developing clean energy solutions, nuclear fuel cycle capabilities and nuclear transportation solutions, today announced that it has hired Jennifer Charlton, Ph.D., as its Vice President of Fuel Technology.

Dr. Charlton brings nearly two decades of experience in nuclear materials, uranium processing, fuel-cycle technology, and advanced manufacturing to NANO Nuclear. Prior to joining NANO Nuclear, Dr. Charlton held several senior technical and leadership positions at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Notably, she served as Chief Scientist and U.S. Lead for Nuclear Material Verification, leading technical initiatives and providing comprehensive technical expertise across the nuclear fuel cycle, from uranium mining and milling through conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication, and finished fuel and weapons component operations.

"NANO Nuclear's strategic focus on building capabilities across key areas of the nuclear fuel cycle is an important part of supporting its long-term microreactor deployment strategy," said Jennifer Charlton, Ph.D., Vice President of Fuel Technology of NANO Nuclear Energy. "I'm excited to join the team at this important stage of its growth and leverage my experience leading complex technical initiatives to help advance this strategy and strengthen NANO Nuclear's capabilities across the fuel cycle."

Figure 1 - NANO Nuclear Energy Hires Former Y-12 Leader and Nuclear Fuel Cycle Expert, Jennifer Charlton Ph.D. as its Vice President of Fuel Technology.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11703/317616_08bb19ec343c59a3_002full.jpg

Dr. Charlton earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Tennessee, a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of North Florida, and an Associate of Arts from Florida State College. Her graduate research encompassed automated radiochemical separations, nanofabrication, surface-enhanced spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, instrumentation development, nuclear forensics, trace-level materials analysis, and materials characterization.

"It is a pleasure to welcome Dr. Charlton to the NANO Nuclear team," said Jay Yu, Founder and Chairman of NANO Nuclear Energy. "Her addition marks another step towards ensuring that we have the right personnel to oversee NANO Nuclear's long-term strategic focus on vertical integration. Her experience within the Y-12 National Security Complex will be invaluable as we look to expand our capabilities across the nuclear fuel cycle."

Dr. Charlton joins a growing list of former senior nuclear leaders and builds on NANO Nuclear's recently announced addition of Marylin Diaz to support the Company's expansion across the nuclear fuel cycle. In her role as Vice President of Fuel Technology, Dr. Charlton will be responsible for evaluating opportunities to expand NANO Nuclear's capabilities across the nuclear fuel cycle and leading the design, engineering, and development of related technologies, with a focus on the uranium conversion, deconversion, and fuel fabrication processes. She will also provide technical expertise to inform strategic decisions regarding NANO Nuclear's broader vertical integration strategy in support of future advanced reactor deployments and nuclear logistics activities.

"As our core, proprietary technology, the KRONOS MMR™ Energy System, continues along its development pathway, we are working to expand across the nuclear fuel cycle to help de-risk the marketplace as well as support the energy sovereignty of the United States," said James Walker, Chief Executive Officer of NANO Nuclear Energy. "Dr. Charlton's appointment is a key step in that effort, and I am delighted to welcome her to the Company. I believe that Dr. Charlton's addition, as well as her experience and knowledge of the inner workings of the fuel cycle will prove to be incredibly important as we continue to put together the building blocks for our next stages of growth."

About NANO Nuclear Energy, Inc.

NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) is a North American advanced technology-driven nuclear energy company seeking to become a commercially focused, diversified, and vertically integrated company across five business lines: (i) cutting edge portable and other microreactor technologies, (ii) nuclear fuel supply chain, (iii) nuclear fuel transportation, (iv) nuclear applications for space and (v) nuclear industry consulting services.

Led by a world-class nuclear engineering team, NANO Nuclear's reactor products in development include the proprietary KRONOS MMR™ Energy System, a stationary high-temperature gas-cooled reactor that is in construction permit pre-application engagement U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in collaboration with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the ZEUS™ system, a portable solid core battery reactor, and the space focused, portable LOKI MMR™ system, each representing advanced developments in clean energy solutions that are portable, on-demand capable, advanced nuclear microreactors.

Advanced Fuel Transportation Inc. (AFT), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, bolstered by the May 2026 acquisition of Secured Transportation Services (STS), is led by former executives from the largest transportation company in the world and provides nuclear engineering and materials transport services in the U.S. and globally. Through NANO Nuclear, AFT is the exclusive licensee of a patented high-capacity HALEU fuel transportation basket developed by three major U.S. national nuclear laboratories and funded by the Department of Energy.

HALEU Energy Fuel Inc. (HEF), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is focusing on the future development of a domestic source for a High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel fabrication pipeline for NANO Nuclear's own microreactors as well as the broader advanced nuclear reactor industry.

NANO Nuclear Space Inc. (NNS), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is exploring the potential commercial applications of NANO Nuclear's developing micronuclear reactor technology in space. NNS is focusing on applications such as the LOKI MMR™ system and other power systems for extraterrestrial projects and human sustaining environments, and potentially propulsion technology for long haul space missions. NNS' initial focus will be on cis-lunar applications, referring to uses in the space region extending from Earth to the area surrounding the Moon's surface.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release and statements of NANO Nuclear's management and collaborators in connection with this news release contain or may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In this context, forward-looking statements mean statements related to future events, which may impact our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "explore," "plans", "aim," "goal," "believes", "potential", "future," "will", "should", "could", "would" or "may" or derivations of these words and other words of similar meaning about the future, although forward-looking statements could be denoted by other terms as well. In this press release, forward-looking statements relate to the anticipated benefits of Dr. Charlton joining the Company, as well as the Company's vertical integration and other operational plans and goals. These and other forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this news release and represent management's current views and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, events or results and involve significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control. For NANO Nuclear, particular risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include but are not limited to, risks associated with conditions to closing the asset purchase agreement, which may not be satisfied, including for reasons beyond NANO Nuclear's control, as well as the following: (i) risks related to our U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE"), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ("NRC"), Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission ("CNSC") or related state or other U.S. or non-U.S nuclear licensing submissions, (ii) risks related the development of new or advanced technology and the acquisition of complementary technology or businesses, including difficulties with design and testing, cost overruns, regulatory delays, integration issues and the development of competitive technology, (iii) risks related to our ability to obtain key vendor, technology and customer contracts and the significant funding necessary to execute on our business plan, (iv) risks related to uncertainty regarding our ability to technologically develop and commercially deploy a competitive advanced nuclear reactor or other technology in the timelines we anticipate, if ever, (v) risks related to the impact of U.S. and non-U.S. government regulation, policies and licensing requirements, including by the U.S. Department of Energy, and the NRC, including those associated with the recently enacted ADVANCE Act and the May 23, 2025 Executive Orders seeking to streamline nuclear regulation, and (vi) similar risks and uncertainties associated with the operating a developing business a highly regulated, competitive and rapidly evolving industry, including that our plans may change and we may use our cash on hand faster or in different ways than anticipated as our business requires. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this news release. These factors may not constitute all factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in any forward-looking statement, and NANO Nuclear therefore encourages investors to review other factors that may affect future results in its filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov and at https://ir.nanonuclearenergy.com/financial-information/sec-filings. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a predictor of actual results. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this news release, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/317616

Source: NANO Nuclear Energy Inc.

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 | Source: Galectin Therapeutics Inc.

NORCROSS, Ga., Oct. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Galectin Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: GALT), the leading developer of therapeutics that target galectin proteins, today announced participation in the upcoming AASLD Liver Meeting 2026. The Company will deliver three presentations, including an oral presentation, a Poster of Distinction presentation, and one poster presentation, highlighting new risk analyses on noninvasive prediction of variceal development from the NAVIGATE and GT-026 Phase 2b trials of belapectin for the treatment of MASH cirrhosis and portal hypertension. The meeting will be held November 5-9, 2026, in Denver, Colorado.

In addition, the Company also announced today that it has submitted a registrational protocol for the Phase 3 trial of belapectin for the prevention of disease progression in patients with MASH cirrhosis and portal hypertension to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“We are excited to have our ANTICIPATE-NASH analysis selected for oral presentation and the recognition of our Baveno and ELF analysis as a Poster of Distinction. These selections reflect not only the depth of the NAVIGATE trial datasets but also underscores the importance of non-invasive assessments in diagnosis of portal hypertension in patients with MASH cirrhosis who are at increased risk of developing serious complications such as varices. This represents the fourth consecutive major liver meeting where the Company has been selected for an oral presentation, and I want to thank our entire team led by Dr. Khurram Jamil, our Chief Medical Officer, for their efforts in this achievement. We have also submitted the registrational Phase 3 protocol, an important step forward in the advancement of our belapectin program for patients who today have no approved treatment options,” said Joel Lewis, Chief Executive Officer and President of Galectin Therapeutics.

Presentation Details
Oral Presentation

Title: ANTICIPATE-NASH Risk Stratification Predicts Variceal Development in Compensated MASH Cirrhosis: Results from the NAVIGATE Trial
Publication Number: 0253
Presenter: Naim Alkhouri, M.D., FAASLD
Date & time: November 8, 2026, 9:15 am - 9:30 am MST

Poster Presentations

Poster of Distinction:
Title: Baseline Baveno Portal Hypertension and ELF Risk Stratification Predict Variceal Development in Compensated MASH Cirrhosis: Findings from the NAVIGATE Trial
Session: MASLD/MASH - Therapeutics: New Agents and Approved/Available Agents
Presenter: Naim Alkhouri, M.D., FAASLD
Date & time: November 7, 2026 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm MST

Title: Correlation of Baveno VII and ANTICIPATE-NASH Noninvasive Models with HVPG in Patients with MASH Cirrhosis: Findings from a Phase 2b Belapectin Trial
Session: Portal Hypertension and Other Complications of Cirrhosis
Presenter: Naim Alkhouri, M.D., FAASLD
Date & time: November 5, 2026 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm MST

The presentations will be available for viewing by AASLD attendees and will be posted on our website under the “Events & Presentations” page shortly after the congress.

        About Galectin Therapeutics
Galectin Therapeutics is dedicated to developing novel therapies to improve the lives of patients with chronic liver disease and cancer. Galectin’s lead drug belapectin is a carbohydrate-based drug that inhibits the galectin-3 protein, which is directly involved in multiple inflammatory, fibrotic, and malignant diseases, for which it has Fast Track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The lead development program is in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH, formerly known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH) with cirrhosis and portal hypertension, the most advanced form of MASH-related fibrosis. Liver cirrhosis is one of the most pressing medical needs and a significant drug development opportunity. Additional development programs are in treatment of combination immunotherapy for advanced head and neck cancers and other malignancies. Advancement of these additional clinical programs is largely dependent on finding a suitable partner. Galectin seeks to leverage extensive scientific and development expertise as well as established relationships with external sources to achieve cost-effective and efficient development. Additional information is available at www.galectintherapeutics.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relate to future events or future financial performance, and use words such as “may,” “estimate,” “could,” “expect”, “look forward”, “believe”, “hope” and others. They are based on management’s current expectations and are subject to factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the statements. These statements include those regarding the hope that Galectin’s development program for belapectin will lead to the first therapy for the treatment of MASH, formerly known as NASH, with cirrhosis and those regarding the hope that our lead compounds will be successful in cancer immunotherapy and in other therapeutic indications. Factors that could cause actual performance to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include, among others, full analysis of the NAVIGATE trial data may not produce positive data; Galectin may not be successful in developing effective treatments and/or obtaining the requisite approvals for the use of belapectin or any of its other drugs in development; the Company may not be successful in scaling up manufacturing and meeting requirements related to chemistry, manufacturing and control matters; the Company’s current clinical trial and any future clinical studies may not produce positive results in a timely fashion, if at all, and could require larger and longer trials, which would be time consuming and costly; plans regarding development, approval and marketing of any of Galectin’s drugs are subject to change at any time based on the changing needs of the Company as determined by management and regulatory agencies; regardless of the results of any of its development programs, Galectin may be unsuccessful in developing partnerships with other companies or raising additional capital that would allow it to further develop and/or fund any studies or trials. Galectin has incurred operating losses since inception, and its ability to successfully develop and market drugs may be impacted by its ability to manage costs and finance continuing operations. For a discussion of additional factors impacting Galectin’s business, see the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, and subsequent filings with the SEC. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Although subsequent events may cause its views to change, management disclaims any obligation to update forward-looking statements.

Company Contact:

Jack Callicutt, Chief Financial Officer
(678) 620-3186
[email protected]

Investors Relations Contacts:
Kevin Gardner
[email protected] 

Galectin Therapeutics and its associated logo is a registered trademark of Galectin Therapeutics Inc. Belapectin is the USAN assigned name for Galectin Therapeutics’ galectin-3 inhibitor belapectin.

A federal judge just cleared billions in ad-tech damages claims against Google to proceed to trial, where antitrust law would automatically multiply whatever a jury awards. But the real threat to Alphabet shareholders may not be this case at all.

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On September 30, 2026, a federal judge in New York signed an 88-page opinion. The opinion denied most of Google’s motions to dismiss advertising-technology damages claims. That leaves about $3.2 billion in claims for a jury to hear.

The ruling was first reported on October 1, 2026. Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG | GOOG Price Prediction, NASDAQ:GOOGL) shares closed the most recent session at $346.47, up 0.86%.

The dollar figure is what plaintiffs seek, and US antitrust law automatically triples whatever a jury awards. No trial date has been set.

Shareholders face a key question. Can a bill this size hurt a company worth $4.2 trillion, or is the bigger risk the copycat claims that may follow?

What the Court Allowed and What It Dismissed Plaintiffs claim about $1.72 billion for a certified class of about 5,000 publishers. They also claim about $900 million for USA Today Co. (NYSE:TDAY), formerly Gannett, and about $600 million for the Daily Mail.

USA Today Co.’s chief legal counsel spoke about the ruling. He said it lets the company go after “$1 billion in worldwide damages (before trebling under the antitrust laws)”. That $1 billion figure is the company’s own framing. The opinion shows the smaller amount.

Google also won some ground. The court dismissed claims from publishers who used other advertising tools, along with a separate $479 million claim. Google said it will “defend the rest in court.”

No damages have been awarded. If a jury granted the full amount, trebling (the automatic tripling) would push it to a theoretical $9.6 billion.

How Big $9.6 Billion Is Against Alphabet Alphabet earned $40.77 billion in operating income in the second quarter of 2026 alone, on revenue of $119.80 billion. Even the tripled maximum is smaller than one quarter of operating profit.

Alphabet absorbed a $3.5 billion European Commission competition fine in its third-quarter 2025 results, which shows the company has paid penalties of this scale before.

Cash flow is where a large payment would matter. Free cash flow was -$5.855 billion in the second quarter because capital spending reached $44.924 billion.

Why Publisher Claims Are Harder to Escape A 2025 ruling in Virginia found that Google illegally monopolized parts of the ad-tech market. That finding carries over to New York, which is why the damages phase is under way. On September 2, 2026, a judge turned down a request to break up the ad business and ordered operational changes instead.

Harm from search antitrust spreads across consumers and is hard to price, but publishers are direct customers with measurable lost revenue, so a court can calculate their damages.

That makes this case a model. Other publishers can copy the structure of one large class plus two big individual plaintiffs. Future claims may matter more than this case.

What the Lawsuit Means for Alphabet’s Valuation The market’s calm looks correct. The stock trades at 23x forward earnings, and analysts hold 13 strong buys and 43 buys, with 0 sells.

For now, the case is a cost Alphabet can absorb. It would become a reason to rethink the stock only if copycat suits multiplied the exposure while free cash flow stayed negative. Then legal payments would be stacked on long-term debt that has already grown to $98.2 billion.

The business case outweighs the litigation. Google Cloud grew 82% in the second quarter, and that growth matters far more to the valuation than this litigation does.

Watch for a trial date on the schedule and the legal reserve reported with third-quarter results expected October 28, 2026. Also watch whether the stock holds its 200-day moving average of $338.92.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Stifel expects a beat-and-raise quarter, though AMD's valuation leaves investors focused on the MI450 ramp and longer-term AI growth. Summary

Stifel raised its AMD price target to $700 from $635 and maintained a Buy rating.

Stifel set a higher price objective for Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD, Financials), a semiconductor business that competes in server CPUs and AI accelerators, as anticipation grows for yet another successful quarter.

While keeping a buy rating, analyst Ruben Roy increased his objective from $635 to $700. He anticipates that AMD will improve its forecast and produce better-than-expected third-quarter earnings. For investors, however, the quarter itself might not be the main problem.

Roy anticipates that the focus will be on the management's 2027 data-center projection, the timing of MI450 revenue, and the fourth-quarter guidance. In the past, AMD predicted that data-center revenue would rise by around 60% annually, with AI data-center revenue growing by about 80%.

While server-build capacity and DRAM supply continue to be limitations, Stifel also views EPYC server chips as a possible source of short-term gain.

There are already high expectations. Currently trading at nearly 29 times Stifel's projected 2028 earnings, AMD shares have increased by about 195% this year. The company's updated 2028 adjusted EPS projection is multiplied 32 times by its $700 objective.

The investing argument is moved beyond a single earnings beat by this price. According to Stifel, the optimistic argument rests more and more on AI data-center income ultimately surpassing management's current "tens of billions" framework.

AMD's third-quarter report, especially the fourth-quarter outlook and any more information on MI450 and the 2027 data-center ramp, will be the next trigger.

Disclosures I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and have no plans to buy any new positions in the stocks mentioned within the next 72 hours.

Click for the complete disclosure

Boeing just landed a Navy fighter contract, a multibillion-dollar missile deal, and an FAA all-clear in a single week, yet analysts still see the stock trading at a 40-plus percent discount to where they think it belongs.

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Four pieces of good news reached Boeing (NYSE:BA | BA Price Prediction) in seven days, yet the stock trades at $192.74 against an average analyst price target of $273.42. That leaves an implied upside of about 41.9%.

A gap above 40% is unusual for a company valued near $152.3 billion. Of 28 analysts, 6 rate the stock a Strong Buy, 18 rate it a Buy, and 4 rate it a Hold, with no Sells.

The week brought a Navy fighter selection, an approved engineering labor contract, an FAA finding on a MAX software bug, and a large missile-seeker order. The shares gained 4.52% over the week but remain down 11.24% this year, while the S&P 500 is up 13.62%.

Boeing reports third-quarter results before the market opens on October 27, 2026, a date it confirmed on September 30, 2026. Until then, the market is pricing this news as promises that take years to become cash. I think that discount is partly earned.

Why a $20 Billion Fighter Award Pays Slowly On September 29, 2026, the Navy selected Boeing to build its next carrier-based fighter under a development contract worth about $20 billion. Winning a next-generation fighter usually brings decades of production, upgrade, and maintenance work.

One analyst firm cut its Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) target to $525 from $640 after the award, evidence that the contract carries real economic weight. But the money covers development, and production revenue is years away. A protest by the losing bidder would likely move the calendar by months without changing the long-term economics, unless the award were reversed.

Ceilings, Obligations and Revenue Are Different Numbers On October 5, 2026, Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) awarded Boeing a contract worth up to about $14.7 billion over seven years to raise Patriot interceptor seeker output toward 2,000 a year from about 600.

That figure is a ceiling, the most the customer can spend. Obligated value is money committed through actual orders, and revenue is what Boeing records as it ships seekers. Congress has not yet appropriated the funds, and ceilings are routinely underspent, so treat the headline figure as an upper bound.

Only the FAA Finding Touches What Drives the Stock Boeing’s valuation runs on commercial deliveries and free cash flow. Last quarter it delivered 171 airplanes and generated $631 million in free cash flow, and management guided to $1 billion to $3 billion for the year.

On October 2, 2026, an FAA review board found the MAX flight-computer bug is not a safety issue. The bug had threatened to delay certification of the stretched MAX, and because airlines pay most of a jet’s price at delivery, a certification slip leaves finished planes parked and cash unpaid.

The contract covering about 17,000 engineering and technical workers removes strike risk at a company whose troubles have come from execution. However, its immediate 10% raise adds cost to a commercial unit that posted a negative 2.7% operating margin last quarter.

Boeing Carries the Widest Gap Among Defense Peers Some defense peers have sold off too. Northrop trades at $476.11, down 16.5% this year, against a consensus target of $639.23 that implies about 34.3% upside, though that average may precede the post-award cut. Analysts split 4 Strong Buy, 10 Buy and 10 Hold.

Lockheed is up 6.66% this year at $506.54, with a $636.74 target implying about 25.7% upside. Its ratings tilt cautious, with 2 Strong Buy, 5 Buy, 13 Hold, and 1 Sell. Boeing shows the largest implied upside of the three, although targets carry no guarantee and its wider spread reflects heavier execution risk.

What Would Confirm or Break the Boeing Turnaround At this price, Boeing trades closer to its 52-week low of $176.77 than its high of $254.35. The bull case needs the 737 ramp toward 47 a month to hold, certification of the 737-7 and 737-10, and positive free cash flow every quarter, starting with management’s call for third-quarter cash in the low hundreds of millions.

It becomes a value trap if the October 27 report shows cash flow turning negative, if stretched-MAX certification slips again, or if fixed-price defense programs take more charges as last quarter’s $280 million VC-25B hit.

Northrop offers defense exposure without commercial-aircraft risk at about 15 times trailing earnings. Boeing’s gap to its consensus target is the widest of the three, and the October 27 report will show whether the turnaround clears it.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

BELVIDERE, NJ, Oct. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Edible Garden AG Incorporated (“Edible Garden” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: EDBL, EDBLW), a leader in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), organic and sustainable produce, and developer of the Zero-Waste Inspired® mission and Farm-to-Formula® platform, today announced that it has been awarded a new fresh herb program with Walmart for the upcoming Thanksgiving through New Year holiday season.

The new holiday program represents incremental business in addition to Edible Garden’s significant existing Walmart distribution and three recently awarded Walmart distribution centers, further expanding the Company’s relationship with one of the world’s largest retailers. Together, these awards strengthen Edible Garden’s position across the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, strategically important markets where the Company believes the combination of Walmart’s substantial retail presence and Edible Garden’s growing fresh herb platform creates a meaningful opportunity to capture additional market share.

The holiday program is designed to meet increased consumer demand during one of the most important selling periods of the year for fresh herbs, as holiday cooking typically drives demand for many of Edible Garden’s core offerings, including rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley, and poultry-blend herbs. Edible Garden is working closely with Walmart on the holiday program across product assortment, production planning, packaging, merchandising, logistics, and replenishment, and preparations for the season are already underway.

To support the new program and the Company’s growing Walmart distribution footprint, Edible Garden plans to leverage its vertically integrated production facilities, strategically located contract grower network, advanced demand-planning capabilities, and proprietary GreenThumb 2.0 technology. Together, these capabilities are designed to provide the flexibility and dependable fulfillment required during periods of elevated demand.

“This award is particularly significant because it represents new business layered onto our already substantial Walmart distribution and follows three recent distribution center wins,” said Jim Kras, Chief Executive Officer of Edible Garden. “Collectively, these programs are strengthening Edible Garden’s position across the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast and expanding our participation in some of Walmart’s most important markets. We believe that growing geographic alignment creates an opportunity for both Walmart and Edible Garden to capture additional fresh herb market share while providing consumers with fresher, locally sourced products.

“The Thanksgiving-through-New Year period is one of the most demanding periods of the fresh herb calendar, and our industry-leading fulfillment rate demonstrates our ability to execute at scale. We believe Walmart’s continued expansion of our programs validates the investments we have made in production, distribution, and GreenThumb technology, while deepening our relationship with Walmart and further establishing Edible Garden as a trusted, scalable supply-chain partner to major retailers.”

Edible Garden’s GreenThumb 2.0 platform, together with its network of Company-operated facilities and strategically located contract growers, is designed to more closely align production with anticipated retail demand. This data-driven, localized approach supports the Company’s Zero-Waste Inspired® strategy by helping maintain product freshness and availability while reducing food miles, excess inventory, and shrink throughout the supply chain.

Key Performance Indicator

This press release contains reference to the Company’s fulfillment rate, which is a key performance metric management uses to analyze and measure the Company’s financial performance and results of operation. Management uses fulfillment rate as a measure of current and future business and financial performance, and it may not be comparable with measures provided by other companies. The Company defines fulfillment rate as the percentage of orders filled in full, relative to the total number of orders received during the period.

ABOUT EDIBLE GARDEN®

Edible Garden AG Incorporated is a leader in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), delivering organic, better-for-you, sustainable produce and products through its Zero-Waste Inspired® next-generation farming model. Available in over 6,000 retail locations across the United States, Caribbean, and South America, Edible Garden is at the forefront of the CEA and sustainability technology movement, distinguished by its advanced safety-in-farming protocols, sustainable packaging, patented GreenThumb software, and innovative Self-Watering in-store displays. The Company operates state-of-the-art, vertically integrated greenhouses and processing facilities, including Edible Garden Heartland in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Edible Garden Prairie Hills in Webster City, Iowa; and its headquarters at Edible Garden Belvidere in New Jersey. It also partners with a network of contract growers strategically located near major U.S. markets to ensure freshness and reduce environmental impact. The Company is also expanding its Prairie Hills facility in Webster City, Iowa, into a dedicated ready-to-drink (RTD) clean nutrition manufacturing hub, supporting its Farm-to-Formula® strategy and its transformation into higher-margin, shelf-stable nutrition categories.

Edible Garden’s proprietary GreenThumb 2.0 software—protected by U.S. Patents US 11,158,006 B1, US 11,410,249 B2, and US 11,830,088 B2—optimizes vertical and traditional greenhouse growing conditions while aiming to reduce food miles. Its patented Self-Watering display (U.S. Patent No. D1,010,365) is designed to extend plant shelf life and elevate in-store presentation. In addition to its core CEA operations, Edible Garden owns three patents in advanced aquaculture technologies: a closed-loop shrimp farming system (US 6,615,767 B1), a modular recirculating aquaculture setup with automated water treatment and feeding (US 10,163,199 B2), and a sensor-driven ammonia control method utilizing electrolytic chlorine generation (US 11,297,809 B1).

The Company has been recognized as a FoodTech 500 firm by Forward Fooding, is a multi-year participant in Walmart’s Project Gigaton and a Giga Guru designee and has received NRG’s Excellence in Energy Award for its commitment to measurable environmental performance and energy stewardship. Edible Garden also develops and markets a growing line of nutrition and specialty food products, including Vitamin Way® and Vitamin Whey®—plant and whey protein powders—and Kick. Sports Nutrition, a premium performance line for health-conscious athletes seeking cleaner, better-for-you options. The Company’s offerings further include fresh, sustainable condiments such as Pulp fermented gourmet and chili-based sauces, as well as Pickle Party, a collection of fermented fresh pickles and krauts.

Learn more at https://ediblegardenag.com.
For Pulp products, visit https://www.pulpflavors.com.
For Vitamin Whey® products, visit https://vitaminwhey.com.
For Kick. Sports Nutrition products, visit https://kicksportsnutrition.net/.
Watch the Company’s latest corporate video here.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Words such as “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “expand,” “advance,” “designed to,” “opportunity,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s holiday fresh herb program with Walmart, the expected benefits of the Company’s recent Walmart distribution center awards, the Company’s ability to expand its presence and capture additional market share in its key markets, the Company’s available capacity and ability to service additional retail volume, the Company’s ability to deepen its relationship with Walmart and other major retailers, the development of the Company’s ready-to-drink manufacturing facility in Webster City, Iowa, and the Company’s Farm-to-Formula® strategy. There can be no assurance that the holiday program or the Company’s distribution center awards will result in the anticipated volume, revenue or market share gains. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied, including those described in the “Risk Factors” section and other sections of the Company’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company undertakes no duty to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investor Contacts:
Crescendo Communications, LLC
212-671-1020
[email protected]

PayPal stock has remained in a narrow range since September as investors wait for the next move after Stripe and Advent International decided to abandon its buyout. PYPL was trading at $54.41 on Monday, lower than the August high of $62.45. It has formed an island reversal pattern, pointing to a rebound as its third-quarter earnings report loom.

PYPL stock has moved sideways in the past few weeks as investors reacted to the decision by Stripe and Advent decided to abandon their takeover bid. According to Bloomberg, PayPal’s management saw the takeover bid as being highly inadequate. They believe that the company can achieve a better valuation if its turnaround measures work.

PayPal has then reacted to reports that other bidders may be interested in PayPal. Besides, it is one of the most popular companies in the fintech industry. It is also a highly undervalued company with a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 9.80, lower than the sector median of 11. It is also much lower than the five-year average of 16. 

A potential acquirer has several ways of boosting shareholder value. For example, PayPal can opt to spin off the highly valuable Venmo product into a separately traded company. It may also decide to sell its non-core assets and cut costs. 

PayPal's ongoing PayPal’s weakness is mostly because its growth has stalled following the surge that happened during the pandemic. 

Its most recent results showed that the number of PayPal accounts remained flat at 439 million, with the number of active accounts rising by just 1% to 228 million. PayPal’s number of payment transactions rose by 8%, while the number of transactions per active account rose by 3%.

Venmo’s transaction growth continued as it experienced the second consecutive quarter of mid-teens growth.

Analysts expect the company’s revenue growth to remain under pressure for a while. The average estimate among analysts is that its annual revenue will grow by 4.76% this year and 4.2% next year. Its earnings-per-share is also expected to remain under pressure. 

Most analysts have a neutral outlook for the company, with the average estimate being $56, a few points about where it is today. 34 analysts have a hold rating, while 9 and 4 have a buy and sell rating, respectively.

PayPal stock chart | Source: TradingView

The daily chart shows that the PYPL stock has struggled in the past few months. It formed a big down-gap in February after releasing weak earnings. It also formed another down-gap in April and an up-gap in July after Stripe and Advent made their bid. 

The stock then made a big down-gap in August after the two companies walked away. A closer look shows that it has formed an island reversal pattern, which happens when an asset makes a gap and then consolidates. It has remained above the 100-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA).

Therefore, the stock will likely rebound ahead of its earnings. If this happens, it may rebound to the next key resistance at $62.45, its highest point in August.

Joule Work, Joule Assistants and SAP Business AI Platform help organizations turn business AI into trusted outcomes across every core function.

, /PRNewswire/ -- SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today showcased the Autonomous Enterprise in action at SAP Connect, demonstrating how Joule Work and Joule Assistants generate value for customers across every line of business.

"This is a breakthrough moment for business AI," said Christian Klein, CEO of SAP SE. "The Autonomous Enterprise has arrived. With Joule and SAP Autonomous Suite, built on SAP Business AI Platform, we're helping organizations like Novartis, Morgan Foods, Nestlé and PwC connect intelligence across every function to deliver trusted business outcomes."

At SAP Connect, these customers shared how the Autonomous Enterprise is already driving measurable value across their businesses.

"We've co-developed and recently launched a pilot of SAP's Joule Sourcing Assistant," said Christoph Buerki, Head of Procurement, Novartis. "Our vision is for AI agents to handle the manual heavy lifting, enabling sourcing professionals to focus on strategy, supplier engagement and value creation." "At Morgan Foods, we're already putting the pieces in place for agentic adoption, especially through our technical foundation. The biggest shift will be moving from reactive to predictive, where agents can connect demand signals, inventory levels and supplier status faster than ever before," said Steve Hankins, Chief Financial Officer, Morgan Foods, "Our superpower will come from people on top of agents. Our approximately ~1,000 employees are what make our supply chains work – the technology helps make them even better." "Our SAP S/4HANA transformation across 140 countries is creating a connected digital core with consistent processes, trusted data and greater visibility across markets and functions. With that foundation, Joule and the Accounts Receivable Assistant can automatically prioritize collections work based on risk and business context, recommend the next best action and help our finance teams respond faster to change," said Luca Dell'Orletta, Global Head IT Innovation & Enterprise Architecture, Nestlé. "In professional services, billing can be one of the more error-prone processes, with accuracy playing an important role in the client experience. SAP's Billing Assistant brings greater intelligence to this critical process, helping identify potential issues earlier so our people can deliver better client outcomes and build stronger relationships," said Jill Notz, Chief Accounting Officer, Controller, Business Services Leader, PwC. Building on the success of the Billing Assistant, PwC and SAP are extending their collaboration into new areas of joint AI innovation. SAP's Autonomous Enterprise Scales Up

Joule Work is beginning its customer rollout as a new AI user interface that lets employees interact with SAP solutions in their own language and complete work across SAP and third-party data. Grounded in business context from SAP Knowledge Graph, which maps more than 7 million data fields, Joule provides information users can rely on. At SAP, Joule Work is already live with 110,000 employees, with the company seeing 20% productivity gains across finance, HR and procurement. A select group of customers also is using Joule Work in their business environments.

"After 28 years as an SAP customer, partnering with SAP on our AI journey and the Joule Work Desktop early adopter program has delivered more momentum in just a few months than we saw in all the years before," said Peter Wied, Director of Complexity Management, Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen. "What once required up to an hour of manual effort across our S/4HANA environment is now accessible in seconds through natural language – fundamentally changing how our teams interact with business data." "The dedicated team has been phenomenal. Their proactive communication, focus on accelerating architecture activation, rapid remediation of defects, and overall support have enabled us to become Joule ready much sooner than would have been possible had we needed to navigate these challenges on our own," said Keith Smith, SAP Platform Architect, CONA Services. "The CONA team is excited about the progress made to date and looks forward to exploring and testing Joule's capabilities in greater depth over the coming months as we continue our adoption journey." When a query is not enough, Joule Assistants execute operational work directly within business workflows, using established data, authorizations and audit trails. Customers control the level of autonomy. SAP's approach is also open: through the Agent2Agent protocol, Joule can connect with third-party AI and agents, bringing governed business context into broader AI workflows.

At SAP Connect, SAP showcased how these capabilities generate outcomes across SAP Autonomous Suite:

In finance, controllers can automate revenue recognition, disclosures and trade compliance, with early deployments of the International Trade Assistant reducing trade classification effort by up to 50%.   In supply chain, planners can turn multi-hour disruptions into one-click resolutions across planning, manufacturing and logistics. In HR, leaders can determine the best way to close workforce gaps, while employees can make smarter benefits choices tailored to their needs. In procurement, decision makers can identify savings opportunities against peer benchmarks and manage the full contingent workforce lifecycle. In customer experience, organizations can turn customer engagement into sales opportunities with AI-powered campaigns, quoting and customer workflows. Across industries, SAP is collaborating with customers to apply AI to specialized industry processes, helping organizations in manufacturing, retail, commodity trading and asset-intensive industries improve decision-making, automate routine actions and build more resilient operations. The Platform Powering Business AI You Can Trust

SAP Business AI Platform gives organizations one place to build, contextualize and govern AI across SAP and third-party environments. With Joule Studio, business users and developers can build and extend skills and agents from no-code to pro-code workflows, choosing from more than 70 AI models. SAP Business Data Cloud and SAP Knowledge Graph ground those agents in trusted business data and context, helping organizations select the right model for each use case and better manage AI value and consumption.

SAP-managed governance helps organizations scale AI with transparency, accountability and control. AI Agent Hub in SAP LeanIX solutions provides a central inventory of enterprise agents, while SAP's independently ISO/IEC 42001-certified governance architecture supports regulatory requirements, established authorizations and auditable AI operations.

To help organizations adopt AI at scale, SAP's Business Transformation Management portfolio, including SAP Signavio, SAP LeanIX and SAP WalkMe solutions, provides the toolchain to analyze processes, govern applications and agents, and drive adoption across the enterprise.

SAP Brings Embedded Payments to Cloud ERP

SAP also announced that it is entering the payments market with SAP Pay, powered by Tereina, an SAP company. Embedded directly in SAP Cloud ERP, SAP Pay executes and reconciles payments within the same workflow when an invoice is due, reducing manual file handling and external processing dependencies, while giving customers greater control.

Partners Expand the Reach of Autonomous Business

SAP is extending the Autonomous Enterprise beyond SAP's own application portfolio through new partnerships that bring specialized intelligence directly into SAP workflows.

A new partnership between SAP and Moody's Corporation is designed to embed Moody's supplier risk monitoring data into SAP Ariba Supplier Lifecycle and Performance. This gives procurement teams continuously updated insights into supplier financial health, operational risk and regulatory status at the point of decision. Organizations will be able to move from periodic risk reviews toward continuous monitoring, enabling Joule Agents to flag supplier risk signals and surface alternatives before disruption affects the business.

An expanded partnership with ORO Labs brings procurement orchestration to SAP customers as a solution extension. SAP Ariba Procurement Orchestration by ORO Labs is a purpose-built orchestration layer that connects procurement workflows end to end across heterogeneous enterprise environments, giving business users a seamless experience for intake, actions and visibility.

Visit the SAP News Center. Get SAP news via LinkedIn and Bluesky.

About SAP
As a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, SAP (NYSE:SAP) stands at the nexus of business and technology. For over 50 years, organizations have trusted SAP to bring out their best by uniting business-critical operations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer experience. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

This press release was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence and has been reviewed by the editorial team.

This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risk factors section of SAP's 2025 Annual Report on Form 20-F.

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Over the past 10 years, Costco (COST +0.31%) shares have climbed sixfold (as of Oct. 2). This has been an exceptional investment. That's true even though the retail stock trades 16% off its peak.

Is Costco a smart buy with $1,000 in October?

Image source: The Motley Fool.

There's no question that this is a high-quality business. Costco's warehouses see durable demand, as indicated by steady same-store sales growth. The company's massive size, with net sales totaling $297 billion in fiscal 2026 (ended Aug. 30), gives it a scale that supports a cost advantage, keeping prices low for shoppers.

Furthermore, the profitability streak is impressive. Costco consistently increases its earnings stream. Net income rose at a solid compound annual rate of 14.7% in the past decade.

Premium Feature

Moneyball Superscore

81/100

Today's Change

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0.31

%) $

2.87

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923.52

The business continues to open new warehouses around the globe, which will drive future revenue and profit gains. At its current size, though, it's reasonable to assume that the growth will normalize. Plus, competition in the retail sector is always fierce.

Investors who haven't already should add Costco to their watch lists for now. It's not a screaming buy because the valuation is steep, with shares trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.3. Market participants who favor quality over price, however, will have no issue adding the company to their portfolios.

But I believe that being patient is the best move right now.

Neil Patel has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Micron is accusing a Chinese chip rival of a brazen scheme: poach its engineers, extract their confidential knowledge, then file patents on that knowledge to turn around and sue Micron with its own technology.

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Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU | MU Price Prediction) alleges that Chinese memory maker Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) hired away its engineers, took confidential know-how, and patented versions of Micron’s technology to sue Micron. In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Idaho on September 15, 2026, Micron claims the patents being used against it were built on its own engineering.

Micron shares sit at $1,063.96, up 273.01% this year. The case concerns NAND flash (storage chips in phones and data centers), while most of Micron’s record $54.23 billion in quarterly revenue comes from DRAM, the working memory inside servers and computers.

What Micron Alleges in Idaho The complaint names eight former employees and claims some hid their new roles on professional networking profiles. News reports indicate at least 20 employees moved from Micron to YMTC.

Micron alleges YMTC used patents listing those former employees as inventors to sue Micron. It asks the court to transfer ownership of four US patents to Micron, plus injunctions and damages. No damages figure has been disclosed.

Memory is especially exposed to this kind of transfer because knowledge of manufacturing processes lives in engineers’ heads more than in documents. That is why engineers changing employers is common in memory trade-secret cases.

Three days after Micron filed in Idaho, a Munich court ruled for YMTC in two cases and ordered Micron to stop selling certain NAND products in Germany. Micron has appealed.

YMTC first sued Micron in California in November 2023 and has since filed in China, Texas, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Venue shopping explains Germany, where injunctions are relatively easy to obtain. A win there shows leverage more than it proves the underlying claims.

Last quarter Micron earned $39.8 billion from DRAM against $14.1 billion from NAND. The litigation impacts the smaller business.

A German sales ban on certain NAND products poses little threat to the investment case. That changes with an injunction in a larger market, an adverse ruling on patent ownership, or NAND growing into a larger share of revenue.

China Builds What It Cannot Buy US export controls have pushed Chinese producers to build memory capacity at home. That competition will grow regardless of this suit’s outcome, and over several years matters more to Micron than any single injunction.

Micron’s results also reflect an unusually strong pricing cycle. On September 30, 2026, management said: “we do not have line of sight to when supply and demand will return to balance.” Multi-year customer agreements now cover “over 35% of our revenue through 2030,” suggesting part of this boom is structural.

What Could Shift the Outlook for Micron The fundamentals look strong relative to the legal risk. Shares trade at 7 times forward earnings, and legal exposure is relatively small.

Guidance calls for fiscal first-quarter revenue of $61.5 billion ± $1.5 billion. The consensus analyst price target is $1,520.02.

That view would change with a loss on the German appeal, a YMTC injunction in the US or UK, or a court refusing to hand Micron the four patents. Watch YMTC’s response in Idaho and the DRAM-versus-NAND split in the next earnings report.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

MercadoLibre's revenue is growing at its fastest pace in four years, yet the stock keeps sliding while profits shrink and earnings estimates drift lower. One Wall Street analyst sees a massive rebound ahead, but his case depends on a single…

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MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI | MELI Price Prediction) currently trades at $1,860.61, while Wall Street’s average price target stands at $2,269.94. That leaves a gap of roughly 22% separating the stock from where analysts think it belongs.

MercadoLibre runs Latin America’s dominant e-commerce marketplace alongside Mercado Pago, a fintech arm spanning payments, credit cards and lending. Quarterly revenue just reached $10.17B, up 49.8%, its fastest growth in four years.

The most bullish analysts goes further. Scotiabank’s Hector Maya holds a Street-high $2,800 target with a Sector Outperform rating. That implies about 50.5% upside, a gap large enough to demand scrutiny.

Record Sales, Shrinking Profits Sent MercadoLibre Lower Margins drove the decline. Operating margin contracted 550bps to 6.7% in Q2, and operating income fell 17.2% to $683M even as sales surged. Management calls it deliberate: lower free shipping thresholds in Brazil, heavy credit card issuance, first-party inventory, cross-border trade from China, PIX discounts, and AI spending roughly $80 million higher than a year ago.

Back-to-back misses had already worried investors. Q3 2025 EPS of $8.32 missed by 10.51%, and Q4 2025 EPS of $11.03 missed by 6.92%. Argentine peso weakness, Mexico tax reform and net debt rising to $6.4B from $4.7B added pressure. Even the Q2 beat failed to help, with shares slipping from $1,893.20 to $1,820.69 a day later.

22 of 26 Analysts Still Call MercadoLibre a Buy Of 26 analysts, 5 give it a Strong Buy, 17 a Buy and 4 a Hold, with zero Sells. Their evidence: ecosystemic users grew 37%, assets under management rose 68% to $23B, and advertising grew 62% FX-neutral. In Brazil, conversion improved 1.1 percentage points after the free shipping change.

Maya cut his target from $3,500 after the margin reset but kept his Outperform call, viewing the dip as an entry point. His thesis rests on the Mercado Envios logistics moat, Mercado Pago converting unbanked users into credit customers, high-margin ads offsetting fulfillment costs, and barriers that keep Shopee and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) at bay.

Credit cards set the timeline. Management says each cohort breaks even after 12 to 18 months, and Brazil issuance jumped to 2.6 million cards from 1.6 million a year earlier. Card NIMAL stands at -2.5%, so maturing cohorts are the swing factor for 2027 earnings.

Estimates are drifting lower, though. The 2026 EPS consensus of $38.167 drew 12 downward revisions against 2 upward over 30 days. Targets are opinions, and the inputs behind them are moderating.

Sea Limited Fell Harder While Amazon Climbed MercadoLibre has company in its decline, but the peer group split sharply.

Sea Limited (NYSE:SE), whose Shopee competes directly in Brazil, dropped 48.89% over 12 months to $96.85. Its average target of $155.11 implies roughly 60.2% upside, with 27 of 29 analysts at Buy or Strong Buy. The story rhymes: revenue grew 48.1% while credit loss provisions jumped 71.5%.

Amazon rose 13.81% over the year to $251.40. Its average target of $330.59 implies about 31.5% upside, and 58 of 60 analysts rate it Buy or better.

Sea holds the group’s largest consensus-implied upside. MercadoLibre’s consensus gap trails both peers, and only Scotiabank’s target pushes it near Sea’s territory.

A 14% Slide Against a Rising S&P 500 At $1,860.61, MercadoLibre sits roughly 22% below its $2,269.94 consensus target from 26 analysts. Shares are down 14.37% over one year and 7.63% year to date. The S&P 500 gained 15.78% over one year and 13.62% year to date.

Momentum just turned. The stock rose 8.65% in the past week, including a 9.67% jump in the latest session. The forward P/E of 33 compares with a trailing 46, inside a 52-week range of $1,495 to $2,428.

MercadoLibre Rewards Patience, but the $2,800 Target Is a Stretch The outlook improves if credit card cohorts mature on schedule and margins steady near current levels while revenue keeps growing above 40%. That path, plus ads and AI efficiencies (customer-service reps fell from 10,000 to 7,000), could revive earnings growth in 2027. The thesis weakens if EPS revisions keep falling, Argentina’s currency weakens again, or rising debt funds a loan book that sours in a Brazilian slowdown.

My take is bullish. The consensus target looks reachable as cohorts mature, while the $2,800 call needs everything to go right. Investors should keep an eye on margins and credit quality in the next earnings report.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Late-breaking Phase 3 C-POST data provide longer-term survival outcomes for adjuvant Libtayo® (cemiplimab) in high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) after surgery and radiation

Final Phase 2 analysis explores potential of Libtayo before surgery (neoadjuvant treatment) for patients with resectable CSCC

New data explore inhibition of Factor XI for cancer-associated thrombosis, a leading cause of cancer death, where bleeding risk limits use of anticoagulants

TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Oct. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) today announced the presentation of new clinical research at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2026, taking place from October 23-27 in Madrid, Spain. Highlights from the company’s 10 abstracts will cover new data and analyses from trials in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), ovarian cancer, melanoma and cancer-associated thrombosis.

“At ESMO, we look forward to sharing data across a range of conditions reflecting the breadth of our research,” said Israel Lowy, M.D., Ph.D., Clinical Development Unit Head, Oncology, at Regeneron. “For the first time, we’re showcasing how our work extends beyond the treatment of cancer itself, and addresses some of the complex challenges patients face as a result of their disease. Together, these data reflect our broader commitment to advancing comprehensive cancer care for patients.”

Highlights include:

Adjuvant treatment with Libtayo in adults with CSCC with high risk of recurrence after surgery and radiation: Late-breaking overall survival (OS) data at approximately 3.5 years follow-up from the C-POST Phase 3 trial will provide further evidence supporting Libtayo as the standard of care in this indication. Neoadjuvant treatment with Libtayo in stage II-IV CSCC: Data include the final analysis of Phase 2 results, which represent the most mature data set in patients treated with Libtayo prior to surgery.Factor XI antibodies (cenvacibart and amrecibart) as a potential approach to reducing thrombosis in patients with cancer: Data include a Phase 2 sub-analysis and modeling in catheter-related VTE, plus an update on the Phase 3 ROXI-CAT-II trial. The full list of Regeneron presentations at ESMO are as follows:  

Abstract TitleAbstractPresenterSession Date/Time (CET)Skin CancerC-POST Phase 3 trial of adjuvant cemiplimab vs. placebo for high-risk CSCC: OS update at approximately 3.5 years' median follow-upLBA: 59
Danny RischinSunday
October 25,
10:15-11:45A Phase 2 study of neoadjuvant cemiplimab for Stage II--IV CSCC: final analysisPoster presentation: 2490PNeil D. GrossSaturday
October 24,
12:00-12:45Long-term Overall Survival (OS) with Fianlimab (FIAN) plus Cemiplimab (Cemi) in Advanced Melanoma (aMel): Survival Follow-up of a Phase 1 StudyPoster presentation: 2091POmid HamidSaturday
October 24,
12:00-12:45Lung CancerImpact of objective response on PROs in patients receiving cemiplimab + chemotherapy vs. placebo + chemotherapy for aNSCLC: EMPOWER-Lung 3 Part 2Poster presentation: 2714PKonstantin PenkovMonday
October 26,
12:00-12:45CEMI-LUNG, a European-based observational study to assess cemiplimab real world effectiveness and safety in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancerPoster presentation: 2580PJesus Corral JaimeMonday
October 26,
12:00-12:45Ovarian CancerCirculating tumor DNA (ctDNA), cancer antigen 125 (CA125) and human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) associate with survival outcomes in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer treated with ubamatamabPoster presentation: 1957PJung-Yun LeeSaturday
October 24,
12:00-12:45A Phase 1/2 study of REGN5668 (ubamatamab) (mucin 16 [MUC16] × cluster of differentiation [CD]28 costimulatory bispecific antibody), in combination with other targeted therapies, in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer or endometrial cancer: Trial in progress updateePoster presentation: 1445eTiPRoisin E. O'CearbhaillN/AThrombosis (cenvacibart [REGN7508] and amrecibart [REGN9933])Phase 3 trial-in-progress evaluating cenvacibart for the treatment and secondary prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in participants with solid and hematologic cancers (ROXI-CAT-II)ePoster presentation: 1534eTiPAndrés J. MuñozN/ASub-analysis of a Phase 2 study investigating amrecibart and cenvacibart for the prevention of contact-mediated VTE in participants with active cancer undergoing peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) placement (ROXI-CATH)Poster presentation: 1468PJeffrey I. ZwickerMonday
October 26,
12:00-12:45Population pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling of REGN7508Cat in patients with a PICC from ROXI-CATH who have active cancer supports maximal Factor XI pathway inhibitionPoster presentation: 3968PJeffrey I. ZwickerSaturday
October 24,
12:00-12:45
The potential uses of neoadjuvant Libtayo in CSCC, ubamatamab, cenvacibart and amrecibart described above are investigational, and their safety and efficacy have not been evaluated by any regulatory authority.

About Regeneron in Cancer 
We aspire to turn revolutionary discoveries into medicines that can transform the lives of those impacted by cancer. Our team around the world is driven to solve the needs and challenges of those affected by one of the most serious diseases of our time.  

Backed by our legacy of scientific innovation and a deep understanding of biology, genetics and the immune system, we’re pursuing potential therapies across more than 30 types of solid tumors and blood cancers. Our cancer strategy is powered by cutting-edge technologies and therapies that can be flexibly combined to investigate potentially transformative treatments for patients. Oncology assets in clinical development comprise nearly half of Regeneron’s pipeline, and include checkpoint inhibitors, bispecific antibodies and costimulatory bispecific antibodies. Our approved PD-1 inhibitor Libtayo serves as the backbone of many of our investigational combinations.  

To complement our extensive in-house capabilities, we collaborate with patients, healthcare providers, governments, biopharma companies and each other to further our shared goals. Together, we are united in the mission to serve as a beacon of transformation in cancer care. 

About Libtayo  
Libtayo is a fully human monoclonal antibody targeting the immune checkpoint receptor PD-1 on T cells and was invented using Regeneron's proprietary VelocImmune® technology. By binding to PD-1, Libtayo has been shown to block cancer cells from using the PD-1 pathway to suppress T-cell activation. Libtayo has been approved by regulatory authorities in more than 30 countries in one or more indications, including for certain adult patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC), CSCC that is advanced or at high risk of recurrence, advanced NSCLC and advanced cervical cancer.

In the U.S., the generic name for Libtayo in its approved indications is cemiplimab-rwlc, with rwlc as the suffix designated in accordance with Nonproprietary Naming of Biological Products Guidance for Industry issued by the U.S. FDA. Outside of the U.S., the generic name of Libtayo in its approved indications is cemiplimab.

The extensive clinical program for Libtayo is focused on difficult-to-treat cancers. Libtayo is currently being investigated in trials as a monotherapy, as well as in combination with either conventional or novel therapeutic approaches for other solid tumors. These potential uses are investigational, and their safety and efficacy have not been evaluated by any regulatory authority.

U.S. FDA-approved Indications
Libtayo is a prescription medicine used to treat:

Adults with a type of skin cancer called cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC): that has spread or cannot be cured by surgery or radiation, orto help prevent CSCC from coming back if your CSCC is at high risk of coming back after it has been removed by surgery and radiation. Adults with a type of skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma (BCC) when your BCC cannot be removed by surgery (locally advanced BCC) or when it has spread (metastatic BCC) and have received treatment with a hedgehog pathway inhibitor (HHI), or cannot receive treatment with a HHI.Adults with a type of lung cancer called non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). LIBTAYO may be used in combination with chemotherapy that contains a platinum medicine as your first treatment when your lung cancer has not spread outside your chest (locally advanced lung cancer) and you cannot have surgery or chemotherapy with radiation, or your lung cancer has spread to other areas of your body (metastatic lung cancer), and your tumor does not have an abnormal “EGFR,” “ALK,” or “ROS1” gene.LIBTAYO may be used alone as your first treatment when your lung cancer has not spread outside your chest (locally advanced lung cancer) and you cannot have surgery or chemotherapy with radiation, or your lung cancer has spread to other areas of your body (metastatic lung cancer), and your tumor tests positive for high “PD-L1,” and your tumor does not have an abnormal “EGFR,” “ALK,” or “ROS1” gene. It is not known if Libtayo is safe and effective in children.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR U.S. PATIENTS

What is the most important information I should know about LIBTAYO?
LIBTAYO is a medicine that may treat certain cancers by working with your immune system. LIBTAYO can cause your immune system to attack normal organs and tissues in any area of your body and can affect the way they work. These problems can sometimes become severe or life-threatening and can lead to death. You can have more than one of these problems at the same time. These problems may happen anytime during treatment or even after your treatment has ended.

Call or see your healthcare provider right away if you develop any new or worsening signs or symptoms, including:

Lung problems: cough, shortness of breath, or chest painIntestinal problems: diarrhea (loose stools) or more frequent bowel movements than usual, stools that are black, tarry, sticky or have blood or mucus, or severe stomach-area (abdomen) pain or tendernessLiver problems: yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes, severe nausea or vomiting, pain on the right side of your stomach-area (abdomen), dark urine (tea colored), or bleeding or bruising more easily than normalHormone gland problems: headache that will not go away or unusual headaches, eye sensitivity to light, eye problems, rapid heartbeat, increased sweating, extreme tiredness, weight gain or weight loss, feeling more hungry or thirsty than usual, urinating more often than usual, hair loss, feeling cold, constipation, your voice gets deeper, dizziness or fainting, or changes in mood or behavior, such as decreased sex drive, irritability, or forgetfulnessKidney problems: decrease in your amount of urine, blood in your urine, swelling of your ankles, or loss of appetiteSkin problems: rash, itching, skin blistering or peeling, painful sores or ulcers in mouth or nose, throat, or genital area, fever or flu-like symptoms, or swollen lymph nodesProblems can also happen in other organs and tissues. These are not all of the signs and symptoms of immune system problems that can happen with LIBTAYO. Call or see your healthcare provider right away for any new or worsening signs or symptoms, which may include: chest pain, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath or swelling of ankles, confusion, sleepiness, memory problems, changes in mood or behavior, stiff neck, balance problems, tingling or numbness of the arms or legs, double vision, blurry vision, sensitivity to light, eye pain, changes in eyesight, persistent or severe muscle pain or weakness, muscle cramps, low red blood cells, or bruisingInfusion reactions that can sometimes be severe or life-threatening. Signs and symptoms of infusion reactions may include: nausea, vomiting, chills or shaking, itching or rash, flushing, shortness of breath or wheezing, dizziness, feel like passing out, fever, back or neck pain, or facial swellingRejection of a transplanted organ or tissue. Your healthcare provider should tell you what signs and symptoms you should report and monitor you, depending on the type of organ or tissue transplant that you have hadComplications, including graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), in people who have received a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant that uses donor stem cells (allogeneic). These complications can be serious and can lead to death. These complications may happen if you underwent transplantation either before or after being treated with LIBTAYO. Your healthcare provider will monitor you for these complications Getting medical treatment right away may help keep these problems from becoming more serious. Your healthcare provider will check you for these problems during your treatment with LIBTAYO. Your healthcare provider may treat you with corticosteroid or hormone replacement medicines. Your healthcare provider may also need to delay or completely stop treatment with LIBTAYO if you have severe side effects.

Before you receive LIBTAYO, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:

have immune system problems such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or lupushave received an organ or tissue transplant, including corneal transplanthave received or plan to receive a stem cell transplant that uses donor stem cells (allogeneic)have received radiation treatment to your chest areahave a condition that affects your nervous system, such as myasthenia gravis or Guillain-Barré syndromeare pregnant or plan to become pregnant. LIBTAYO can harm your unborn baby
Females who are able to become pregnant: Your healthcare provider will give you a pregnancy test before you start treatmentYou should use an effective method of birth control during your treatment and for at least 4 months after your last dose of LIBTAYO. Talk to your healthcare provider about birth control methods that you can use during this timeTell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant or think you may be pregnant during treatment with LIBTAYO are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if LIBTAYO passes into your breast milk. Do not breastfeed during treatment and for at least 4 months after the last dose of   LIBTAYO Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

The most common side effects of LIBTAYO when used alone to treat CSCC that has spread or cannot be cured by surgery or radiation, BCC, or NSCLC include tiredness, muscle or bone pain, rash, diarrhea, and low levels of red blood cells (anemia).

The most common side effects of LIBTAYO when used alone to help prevent CSCC from coming back include rash and itching.

The most common side effects of LIBTAYO when used in combination with platinum-containing chemotherapy to treat NSCLC include hair loss, muscle or bone pain, nausea, tiredness, numbness, pain, tingling, or burning in your hands or feet, and decreased appetite.

These are not all the possible side effects of LIBTAYO. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. You may also report side effects to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals at 1-877-542-8296.

Please see full Prescribing Information, including Medication Guide.

About Regeneron's VelocImmune® Technology
Regeneron's VelocImmune technology utilizes a proprietary genetically engineered mouse platform endowed with a genetically humanized immune system to produce optimized fully human antibodies. When Regeneron's co-Founder, President and Chief Scientific Officer George D. Yancopoulos was a graduate student with his mentor Frederick W. Alt in 1985, they were the first to envision making such a genetically humanized mouse, and Regeneron has spent decades inventing and developing VelocImmune and related VelociSuite® technologies. Dr. Yancopoulos and his team have used VelocImmune technology to create a substantial proportion of all original, FDA-approved fully human monoclonal antibodies. This includes Dupixent® (dupilumab), Libtayo® (cemiplimab-rwlc), Praluent® (alirocumab), Kevzara®, Evkeeza® (evinacumab-dgnb), Inmazeb® (atoltivimab, maftivimab and odesivimab-ebgn), Veopoz® (pozelimab-bbfg) and Pasatru™ (garetosmab-grts). In addition, REGEN-COV® (casirivimab and imdevimab) had been authorized by the FDA during the COVID-19 pandemic until 2024. A total of 11 antibody and bispecific products have been approved or authorized worldwide that were invented or derived using VelocImmune technologies.

About Regeneron
Regeneron (NASDAQ: REGN) is a leading biotechnology company that invents, develops and commercializes life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded and led by physician-scientists, our unique ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to numerous approved treatments and product candidates in development, most of which were homegrown in our laboratories. Our medicines and pipeline are designed to help patients with eye diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, hematologic conditions, infectious diseases, and rare diseases.

Regeneron pushes the boundaries of scientific discovery and accelerates drug development using our proprietary technologies, such as VelociSuite®, which produces optimized fully human antibodies and new classes of bispecific antibodies. We are shaping the next frontier of medicine with data-powered insights from the Regeneron Genetics Center® and pioneering genetic medicine platforms, enabling us to identify innovative targets and complementary approaches to potentially treat or cure diseases.

For more information, please visit www.Regeneron.com or follow Regeneron on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or X.

Forward-Looking Statements and Use of Digital Media
This press release includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties relating to future events and the future performance of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Regeneron” or the “Company”), and actual events or results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate,” variations of such words, and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These statements concern, and these risks and uncertainties include, among others, the nature, timing, and possible success and therapeutic applications of products marketed or otherwise commercialized by Regeneron and/or its collaborators or licensees (collectively, “Regeneron’s Products”) and product candidates being developed by Regeneron and/or its collaborators or licensees (collectively, “Regeneron’s Product Candidates”) and research and clinical programs now underway or planned, including without limitation Libtayo® (cemiplimab) as an adjuvant or neoadjuvant treatment for high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, Regeneron’s Factor XI antibodies (cenvacibart and amrecibart) as a potential approach to reducing thrombosis in patients with cancer, and the other clinical programs discussed or referenced in this press release; the likelihood, timing, and scope of possible regulatory approval and commercial launch of Regeneron’s Product Candidates and new indications for Regeneron’s Products, such as those referenced above; uncertainty of the utilization, market acceptance, and/or commercial success of Regeneron’s Products and Regeneron’s Product Candidates and the impact of studies (whether conducted by Regeneron or others and whether mandated or voluntary), including the studies discussed or referenced in this press release, on any of the foregoing or any potential regulatory approval of Regeneron’s Products and Regeneron’s Product Candidates (such as those referenced above); the ability of Regeneron’s collaborators, licensees, suppliers, or other third parties (as applicable) to perform manufacturing, filling, finishing, packaging, labeling, distribution, and other steps related to Regeneron’s Products and Regeneron’s Product Candidates; the ability of Regeneron to manage supply chains for multiple products and product candidates and risks associated with tariffs and other trade restrictions; safety issues resulting from the administration of Regeneron’s Products and Regeneron’s Product Candidates (such as those referenced above) in patients, including serious complications or side effects in connection with the use of Regeneron’s Products and Regeneron’s Product Candidates in clinical trials; determinations by regulatory and administrative governmental authorities which may delay or restrict Regeneron’s ability to continue to develop or commercialize Regeneron’s Products and Regeneron’s Product Candidates; ongoing regulatory obligations and oversight impacting Regeneron’s Products, research and clinical programs, and business, including those relating to patient privacy; the availability and extent of reimbursement or copay assistance for Regeneron’s Products from third-party payors and other third parties, including private payor healthcare and insurance programs, health maintenance organizations, pharmacy benefit management companies, and government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid; coverage and reimbursement determinations by such payors and other third parties and new policies and procedures adopted by such payors and other third parties; changes to drug pricing regulations and requirements and Regeneron’s pricing strategy, including in connection with Regeneron’s April 2026 agreements with the U.S. government; other changes in laws, regulations, and policies affecting the healthcare industry; competing products and product candidates (including biosimilar products) that may be superior to, or more cost effective than, Regeneron’s Products and Regeneron’s Product Candidates; the extent to which the results from the research and development programs conducted by Regeneron and/or its collaborators or licensees may be replicated in other studies and/or lead to advancement of product candidates to clinical trials, therapeutic applications, or regulatory approval; unanticipated expenses; the costs of developing, producing, and selling products; the ability of Regeneron to meet any of its financial projections or guidance and changes to the assumptions underlying those projections or guidance; the potential for any license, collaboration, or supply agreement, including Regeneron’s agreements with Sanofi and Bayer (or their respective affiliated companies, as applicable), to be cancelled or terminated; the impact of public health outbreaks, epidemics, or pandemics on Regeneron's business; and risks associated with litigation and other proceedings and government investigations relating to the Company and/or its operations (including the pending civil proceedings initiated or joined by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts), risks associated with intellectual property of other parties and pending or future litigation relating thereto (including without limitation the patent litigation and other related proceedings relating to EYLEA® (aflibercept) Injection), the ultimate outcome of any such proceedings and investigations, and the impact any of the foregoing may have on Regeneron’s business, prospects, operating results, and financial condition. A more complete description of these and other material risks can be found in Regeneron’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 and its Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2026. Any forward-looking statements are made based on management’s current beliefs and judgment, and the reader is cautioned not to rely on any forward-looking statements made by Regeneron. Regeneron does not undertake any obligation to update (publicly or otherwise) any forward-looking statement, including without limitation any financial projection or guidance, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Regeneron uses its media and investor relations website and social media outlets to publish important information about the Company, including information that may be deemed material to investors. Financial and other information about Regeneron is routinely posted and is accessible on Regeneron's media and investor relations website (https://investor.regeneron.com) and its LinkedIn page (https://www.linkedin.com/company/regeneron-pharmaceuticals).

Contacts:

Media Relations 
Taylor Ramsey Skott
Tel: +1 914-409-2381
[email protected] Relations
Mark Hudson
Tel: +1 914-847-3482
[email protected]

A lymphoma patient on Medicaid can face four separate insurance permission slips before her first treatment begins, and every one of those gates is a chance for her care to stall. Aetna is rethinking that process in eight states, but…

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A grandmother on an Aetna Medicaid plan diagnosed with lymphoma faces a treatment plan that builds fast: chemotherapy or immunotherapy, radiation, and CT or MRI scans. Her oncology office could expect to file four separate prior authorizations to get that plan approved, which is Aetna’s own average for a member needing cancer treatment.

Aetna is cutting that stack down to one. CVS Health (NYSE:CVS | CVS Price Prediction) says its Aetna unit now bundles those approvals into a single request for eligible Medicaid members in Oklahoma, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, Kentucky and West Virginia. The expansion covers all cancer types and took effect September 1.

How Aetna’s Oncology Bundle Turns 4 Requests Into 1 Prior authorization is the insurer’s permission slip. Before the plan pays for an expensive drug, scan or procedure, the doctor’s office sends clinical records and waits for approval. Cancer care generates enough of these slips to cover a waiting room because treatment rarely involves just one service.

Aetna’s bundle combines medical oncology, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy where appropriate, and/or radiation oncology services with associated high-tech imaging needs, such as MRI or CT scans, into one request submitted through a single portal. That portal is Eviti. The eight-state eligibility applies to providers that utilize the Eviti portal to submit prior authorizations.

Aetna tested the idea on a narrower rollout first. In that phase, almost 25% of eligible members received a bundled authorization, according to the company’s September 17, 2026 announcement.

“By approving a broader set of treatments and related services upfront, we’re removing barriers that can delay care,” said Katerina Guerraz, Aetna’s chief operating officer and president of Medicaid, in the announcement. “Oncologists have the flexibility to make care decisions as treatment plans evolve.”

Fewer Approval Cycles Mean Fewer Chances for Treatment to Stall Every separate authorization creates a gate. The office files, waits, answers follow-up questions and sometimes appeals. A patient who just finished a chemo cycle can face another wait while the radiation request moves through approval.

Bundling those services can reduce paperwork and the chances that treatment stalls while the office goes back for another authorization. Fewer cycles mean fewer fax-machine standoffs between clinic and plan reviewer.

Doctors feel the drag, too. In Aetna’s latest provider survey, 74% of providers called administrative burden the top challenge facing clinical staff, and 31% named prior authorization management as the single largest cause. 80% expect to save more than 30 minutes a day through tools like bundles.

Medicaid is the joint federal-state program serving eligible people with limited income, including millions enrolled through state Medicaid plans. For now, the expanded bundle applies to eligible Aetna Medicaid members in the eight participating states whose providers submit through Eviti. Aetna expects to extend eligibility to Medicare and commercial members in the first half of 2027.

Geography matters as well. Each state runs its own Medicaid program, so covered drug lists, imaging rules and provider networks shift from state to state. Aetna Medicaid members outside the eight listed states, or whose oncologist doesn’t file through Eviti, fall outside the current rollout.

Coverage, Network and Medical-Necessity Rules Still Apply The bundle speeds up the paperwork and leaves the rulebook intact. It does not override covered-benefit rules, network requirements or medical-necessity standards.

In practice, a drug the state’s Medicaid plan bars stays bars. An out-of-network radiation center stays out of network. A reviewer still checks that the proposed treatment fits the clinical evidence before the approval comes through.

Families who ask a few direct questions early tend to avoid surprises later. The first set goes to the plan and the oncology practice:

Does this practice submit through Eviti and use the bundled process for Medicaid members? Does this patient’s plan qualify for the bundle in her state? The second set covers each piece of the treatment plan:

Is every drug on the plan’s covered list? Are the imaging center and the radiation facility in network, along with the oncologist? If the treatment plan changes midway, does the existing bundle cover the new service, or does the office need a fresh request? Adult children helping a parent through treatment can handle these calls. Reaching out to the plan’s member services line before the first infusion beats discovering a coverage problem three weeks in.

One authorization removes the repeat gates that slow cancer care, while coverage, network and medical-necessity rules still mark the boundaries. Families who confirm those details at the first appointment should receive the full benefit of the faster process.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

LayerZero price has climbed roughly 41% over seven days to around $2.13 as another reported ZRO buyback and rising derivatives activity coincide with the token’s strongest rally in months.

Summary

ZRO price has climbed roughly 41% in seven days as LayerZero’s latest buyback draws attention. LayerZero repurchased 162,000 ZRO worth about $347,000, lifting reported cumulative open-market purchases to 2.538 million. Weekly RSI near 68 shows strong momentum while ZRO trades above its upper Bollinger Band. LayerZero says ATLAS will direct 75% of post-venue fees toward buying and burning ZRO tokens. ZRO futures open interest stands near $279 million as leveraged trading activity rises across exchanges. CoinGecko data shows ZRO trading near $2.13 at the latest reading, up about 11.8% over 24 hours and 41.1% over seven days. The token has gained roughly 97% in 30 days, while its market capitalization stands near $840 million. Twenty-four-hour spot trading volume was around $158 million.

The rally has pushed ZRO back above $2 after spending much of recent months below that level. Its latest 24-hour range sits between roughly $1.91 and $2.18, making the 2.18–2.20 area the first resistance test before traders can assess a possible move toward $3.

LayerZero price now needs to clear $2.20 ZRO’s weekly structure has improved sharply after recovering from its July and August lows. On the latest weekly chart, price is trading around 2.10–2.13 after reaching roughly $2.19, leaving the token close to its current local high.

The Bollinger Bands show how quickly the move has developed. ZRO is trading above the upper weekly band near $1.84, while the middle band sits around $1.08. Trading above the upper band points to strong momentum, although it can leave price vulnerable to consolidation when buying slows.

Weekly RSI has climbed to about 67.6, up from much weaker readings during the earlier part of the recovery. The indicator remains below the traditional 70 overbought threshold, but it is close enough to show that momentum has become elevated.

LayerZero (ZRO) price chart, source: TradingView For the current breakout to extend, ZRO first needs to establish support above the recent 2.18–2.20 high. A sustained break would leave $3 as the next visible psychological level. Failure to hold the breakout would put the upper Bollinger Band near $1.84 back into focus as the first technical support area.

Crypto analyst Pentoshi described ZRO as a “great weekly chart” and said the project’s fundamentals had improved with ATLAS approaching. His comments are an analyst view, not a confirmed price target.

$ZRO, this is a great weekly chart, and the FA has clearly improved dramatically with Atlas coming in the next few weeks and 75% of fees will be going to buying the native token. These aren't small volumes either. There is a very high ceiling potential imo overall

Will take it… pic.twitter.com/L8hBb6C8pZ

— 🐧 (@Pentosh1) October 5, 2026 ZRO buybacks have returned as price moves higher On-chain monitoring reported another LayerZero purchase on Oct. 6.

BlockBeats reported that LayerZero bought roughly 162,000 ZRO worth around $347,000, taking the reported cumulative total to approximately 2.538 million tokens. The figure was based on on-chain monitoring from TradingBeats.

LayerZero’s own buyback tracker has not yet incorporated the latest reported transaction. The Foundation page currently lists 2,375,357 ZRO purchased at a cost basis of approximately $3.33 million through August. The additional 162,000-token purchase would bring that running total close to the 2.538 million figure cited by on-chain monitors.

Existing purchases are tied mainly to Stargate revenue. LayerZero said Stargate revenue funds recurring ZRO purchases, with revenue collected from cross-chain swaps and transfers used to buy tokens on the open market.

LayerZero has used buybacks before during periods of weak ZRO pricing. As crypto.news previously reported, LayerZero Labs bought $10 million worth of ZRO on the open market in November 2025, when the token was recovering from a sharp decline.

Not every recent on-chain movement points in the same direction. On Oct. 3, two addresses linked to a LayerZero strategic partner transferred 8 million ZRO, worth approximately $14.98 million, to Coinbase Prime. The addresses had received 40.57 million ZRO from a strategic-partner multisig roughly one year earlier.

A transfer to Coinbase Prime does not establish that the tokens were sold. Coinbase Prime can be used for custody and institutional transactions, and no public statement from the wallet owner has identified the purpose of the transfer.

ATLAS could create another source of ZRO demand Attention around ZRO has increased since LayerZero introduced ATLAS in August.

LayerZero describes ATLAS as a trading infrastructure system that combines matching, clearing, settlement and risk management for open and institutional markets. The product runs on Zero, LayerZero’s planned blockchain for financial-market workloads.

The fee structure gives ZRO a direct role. Trading venues using Open ATLAS can receive rebates ranging from 20% to 65%, depending on trading volume and ZRO staking. After the venue rebate is deducted, 25% of the remaining economics go to the market creator and 75% are allocated to buying and burning ZRO.

As crypto.news reported when ATLAS was unveiled, the design gives ZRO another fee-linked mechanism beyond existing Stargate buybacks. ZRO rose more than 16% following the original ATLAS announcement in August.

LayerZero has not published a firm ATLAS mainnet date. Its official website currently says the system is “coming later this year.” Pentoshi’s reference to a launch in the next few weeks therefore remains an analyst expectation, not a confirmed company timetable.

Futures traders are building larger ZRO positions The derivatives market has expanded alongside the spot rally.

CoinGlass shows ZRO futures volume near $308 million over 24 hours and open interest around $279 million at the latest reading. The derivatives price was near $2.11, up roughly 10.6% over the same period.

Open interest measures the value of outstanding futures positions. Its rise alongside price shows traders are adding leveraged exposure, although the figure does not establish whether the next move will be higher or lower.

Recent liquidation data points to pressure on bearish positions during the advance. CoinGlass data showed roughly $51,000 in short liquidations compared with around $29,000 in long liquidations in the latest snapshot, with Binance accounting for most of the short liquidations.

LayerZero perpetual liquidations, source: CoinGlass The amounts remain small compared with earlier ZRO liquidation events. The price move therefore appears to involve more than forced short covering alone, while growing open interest means liquidations could increase if volatility accelerates.

The next ZRO unlock arrives on Oct. 20 ZRO’s next supply event is scheduled for Oct. 20, giving traders another date to monitor if the price continues toward $3.

DefiLlama’s unlock tracker shows approximately 23.63 million ZRO scheduled to unlock across core contributors and strategic partners. At current prices, the tokens are worth roughly $50 million and represent about 5.9% of the circulating float shown by the tracker.

The scheduled release includes around 10.63 million ZRO for core contributors and 13 million for strategic partners. LayerZero previously bought back 50 million tokens from early investors, which reduced the strategic-partner release schedule.

A year earlier, crypto.news reported that ZRO faced selling pressure around its October 2025 unlock while Stargate-related buybacks were beginning to provide another source of market demand.

The Oct. 20 release is scheduled for approximately 05:33 UTC, according to DefiLlama, with 10.63 million ZRO allocated to core contributors and 13 million ZRO assigned to strategic partners.

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.

 | Source: Knight Therapeutics

MONTREAL, Oct. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Knight Therapeutics Inc. ("Knight") (TSX: GUD), a pan-American (ex-US) pharmaceutical company, announced today it has received expedited regulatory approval under ANVISA’s rare disease pathway for NIKTIMVO® (axatilimab), for the treatment of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) after failure of at least two prior lines of systemic therapy in adult and pediatric patients 6 years and older weighing at least 40 kg.1

“For patients living with chronic graft-versus-host disease who have exhausted two prior lines of therapy, access to a new treatment option can be life-changing. NIKTIMVO® offers a first-in-class mechanism that targets the underlying drivers of this debilitating condition, and we are proud to bring it to patients in Brazil. This approval reflects the strength of our partnership with Incyte and our shared commitment to ensuring that patients in Brazil have access to innovative therapies that can make a meaningful difference in their lives,” said Samira Sakhia, President and CEO of Knight Therapeutics.

In September 2021, Knight and Incyte (NASDAQ: INCY) had entered into an exclusive supply and distribution agreement for MINJUVI® (tafasitamab) and PEMAZYRE® (pemigatinib) in Latin America. In August 2025, Knight expanded its existing relationship with Incyte, to add exclusive rights to distribute ZYNYZ® (retifanlimab) and NIKTIMVO® (axatilimab) in Latin America. Under the terms of the amended agreement, Incyte is responsible for the development, manufacture and supply of such products to Knight, and Knight is responsible for seeking the necessary regulatory approvals and commercializing such products in Latin America.

About NIKTIMVO®

NIKTIMVO® (axatilimab-csfr) is a first-in-class colony stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF-1R)-blocking antibody approved for use in the U.S. for the treatment of chronic GVHD after failure of at least two prior lines of systemic therapy in adult and pediatric patients weighing at least 40 kg (88.2 lbs).2

In September 2021, Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Incyte entered into an exclusive worldwide co-development and co-commercialization license agreement for axatilimab in chronic GVHD and any future indications.

Axatilimab is being studied in frontline combination trials in chronic GVHD – a Phase 2 combination trial with ruxolitinib (NCT06388564) and a Phase 3 combination trial with steroids (NCT06585774) are underway. Axatilimab is also being studied in an ongoing Phase 2 trial in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (NCT06132256).

NIKTIMVO®, MINJUVI®, PEMAZYRE® and ZYNYZ® are trademarks of Incyte. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About cGVHD

Chronic GVHD is a serious complication of allogeneic stem cell transplantation in which the donor’s immune cells attack the recipient’s tissues, often occurring during the first-year post-transplant.3 Chronic GVHD involves features of autoimmunity and immunodeficiency, multiple organs (such as the skin, liver, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract), irreversible fibrotic manifestations, and systemic toxicities complicated by the use of immunosuppressants which all contribute to devastating health consequences such as mortality, morbidity, and decreased quality of life in patients.4 There are approximately 1400 – 1800 reported allogeneic transplants in Brazil every year.5 Chronic GVHD is the most common late complication after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation affecting 30%-70% of recipients, globally.4 Based on a recent analysis by the Brazilian National hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) Registry, in collaboration with Brazilian Society of Cellular Therapy and Bone Marrow Transplantation (SBTMO), Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Brazilian Registry (HCTBR), the 2-year cumulative incidence cGVHD was determined to be 29.5%.6

About Knight Therapeutics Inc.

Knight Therapeutics Inc., headquartered in Montreal, Canada, is a pharmaceutical company focused on acquiring, in-licensing and commercializing pharmaceutical products for Canada and Latin America. Knight’s Latin American subsidiaries operate under United Medical, Biotoscana Farma and Laboratorio LKM. Knight Therapeutics Inc.'s shares trade on the TSX under the symbol GUD. For more information about Knight Therapeutics Inc., please visit the company's website at www.knighttx.com or www.sedarplus.ca.

Forward-Looking Statements for Knight

This document contains forward-looking statements for Knight Therapeutics Inc. and its subsidiaries. These forward-looking statements, by their nature, necessarily involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Knight Therapeutics Inc. considers the assumptions on which these forward-looking statements are based to be reasonable at the time they were prepared but cautions the reader that these assumptions regarding future events, many of which are beyond the control of Knight Therapeutics Inc. and its subsidiaries, may ultimately prove to be incorrect. Factors and risks which could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations are discussed in Knight Therapeutics Inc.’s Annual Report and in Knight Therapeutics Inc.’s Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2025, as filed on www.sedarplus.ca. Knight Therapeutics Inc. disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information or future events, except as required by law.

References

ANVISA, Prescribing Information. Approved on October 5, 2026.Incyte Corporation. NIKTIMVO (axatilimab-csfr) injection, for intravenous use: Highlights of prescribing information / full prescribing information. Revised August 2024. Accessed June 10, 2026. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2024/761411s000lbl.pdfJagasia M, Giglia J, Chinratanalab W, et al. Incidence and outcome of chronic graft-versus-host disease using National Institutes of Health consensus criteria. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2007;13(10):1207-1215. doi:10.1016/j.bbmt.2007.07.001Kitko CL, Arora M, DeFilipp Z, et al. Axatilimab for Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease After Failure of at Least Two Prior Systemic Therapies: Results of a Phase I/II Study. J Clin Oncol. 2023;41(10):1864-1875. doi:10.1200/JCO.22.00958Associação Brasileira de Transplante de Órgãos. (2024). Registro Brasileiro de Transplantes (RBT): Dados numéricos da doação de órgãos e transplantes realizados por estado e instituição no período: janeiro/setembro 2024 (Ano XXV, nº 3) [Report]. Retrieved May 26, 2026, from https://site.abto.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/RBT2024-3t-abto-populacao.pdfSimione, Anderson Joao, et al. “Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in Brazil: A National Benchmarking Study Focused on the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) Performance Indicators.” Journal of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (JBMTCT), vol. 6, no. 1, 2025, pp. 1–13. doi: 10.46765/2675-374X.2025V6N1P270. CONTACT INFORMATION FOR KNIGHT:

Investor Contact:  Knight Therapeutics Inc.
     Samira Sakhia Arvind UtchanahPresident & Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial OfficerT: 514.484.4483 T: 514.484.4483Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]: www.knighttx.com Website: www.knighttx.com

From Digital Collectibles to Boba ShopsPudgy Penguins has taken a notable step beyond the blockchain, striking its first quick-serve restaurant partnership with Kung Fu Tea. The collaboration, which went live on October 1, 2026, spans 330 participating Kung Fu Tea locations across the United States, bringing the brand's characters into everyday consumer culture for the first time at this scale.

At the center of the activation are two limited-edition drinks inspired by the brand's beloved "Collector Couple," Pax Pengu and Polly. Both items are available for a limited run through mid-October.

Collectibles, TCG Cards, and a Comic Con Moment

The Afternoon Breeze promo card was distributed at the collaboration's launch. Vibes is a physical and digital trading card game built on the Pudgy Penguins IP and developed by Orange Cap Games.

Qualifying Little Treats Blind Box purchases at the booth come with an exclusive Kung Fu Tea buy-one-get-one voucher, redeemable at participating New York City stores during Comic Con weekend.

The move signals a broader push by Pudgy Penguins to embed its characters into physical retail and everyday consumer touchpoints, a strategy the brand has been building across plush, fashion, beauty, and entertainment.

Sources:
Kung Fu Tea Official Announcement
License Global: Pudgy Penguins x Kung Fu Tea
PR Newswire Press Release

Aster has completed another round of its fee-powered buyback and burn cycle, removing an additional 3.1 million $ASTER tokens from supply. The latest update brings total all-time burns across all programs to more than 207 million tokens, the project said on October 6.

How the Burn Works The most recent burn covered activity between September 21 and October 5, with the buyback funded by 99% of platform fees collected over that period. Bought-back tokens are distributed to stakers, while a matching number of $ASTER is permanently destroyed from reserves.

Building Toward a Smaller Supply Under Aster's upgraded tokenomics, cumulative burns have now reached 29.6 million $ASTER.

With each biweekly cycle adding to the cumulative burn tally, the protocol continues to use its own trading revenue as the primary engine for supply reduction.

Sources:
Crypto Briefing: Aster executes first token burn under upgraded tokenomics
Aster DEX Official Tokenomics Documentation
AMBCrypto: Aster directs 99% of platform fees to ASTER buybacks

Table of contents

Japanese bitcoin treasury firm Metaplanet added a net 1,000 Bitcoin in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 44,000 BTC worth about $3.8 billion as of September 30, according to the company’s disclosures reported by CoinDesk. The Tokyo-listed firm has become one of Asia’s most aggressive public bitcoin accumulators since it began buying the asset in April 2024, and the latest gain came through a sale and repurchase designed to demonstrate liquidity rather than simple accumulation. The move extends a buying streak that has made the firm one of the region’s most closely watched bitcoin treasuries.

The Sale-and-Repurchase Behind the Quarter Metaplanet sold 10,000 BTC for roughly $789.2 million at an average of $78,925 per coin, then bought 11,000 BTC for $948.7 million at an average of $86,246. The firm temporarily held the proceeds in cash to show it could cover interest-bearing debt, though those obligations were not repaid, before repurchasing at higher prices. Executives framed the move as proof the company can access liquidity quickly while keeping its long-term bitcoin exposure, a point lenders scrutinize on crypto treasury balance sheets. Its total position now carries a cost basis of about $4.33 billion, or $98,454 per coin.

A New Income Strategy The company also introduced a Net Interest Income Strategy targeting investments principally in preferred securities issued by bitcoin treasury companies, with plans to allocate about 10% to 15% of total assets to the effort. The program is intended to generate returns above Metaplanet’s funding costs, helping service existing obligations while supporting further bitcoin purchases, and runs alongside a bitcoin options operation that has generated revenue for eight consecutive quarters. Its options-based Bitcoin income business produced roughly $5.4 million in Q3 revenue, down 51% from the prior quarter and 65% year over year, while nine-month revenue reached about $35.2 million. The third-quarter sale exceeded the size of the company’s entire debt, underscoring the scale of the liquidity demonstration. “Our objective has been to build the leading Bitcoin financial company in Asia,” CEO Simon Gerovich said.

The quarter strengthens Metaplanet’s position among Asia’s largest corporate bitcoin holders, following a path that Strategy and other public treasury firms have pursued with income-generating strategies alongside their holdings. Shares closed 2% higher on Monday at 297 yen ($1.88).

AUTHOR

A freelance writer with a passion for crypto, delivering insightful and accurate content on blockchain and fintech. With a knack for translating complex concepts into accessible content, Eric produces well-researched articles, blog posts, and thought leadership pieces that cover the latest trends and developments in the digital finance space. His writing is aimed at educating and engaging both newcomers and industry experts, offering fresh insights into the world of cryptocurrencies, decentralized finance (DeFi), and blockchain innovations. Eric’s dedication to quality and accuracy makes him a trusted voice in the fintech and crypto communities

Bitcoin (BTC USD) fell about -0.5% to about $85,800 after sellers rejected a move above $87,000 for the third time since September 23. The setback came as Strategy bought 334 BTC and Strive added 2,000.

This creates a clear contrast: corporate accumulation continues, but Bitcoin’s price has not yet turned that demand into a confirmed breakout.

Strive acquired 2,000 $BTC for $169M at an average cost of $84,422 per bitcoin, bringing total holdings to ₿29,462.

61.5% of capital raised came from SATA, with warrants generating $56.7M.

Today’s 8-K also highlights key metrics and KPIs through 3Q26.$ASST $SATA pic.twitter.com/HS4ADPQ8mJ

— Matt Cole (@ColeMacro) October 5, 2026

Those purchases matter as evidence that both companies are still directing capital toward Bitcoin. They do not guarantee that enough buyers will step in at $87,000 to absorb the sellers waiting there.

The immediate test is technical; the larger question is whether corporate buying can persist without adding financing and shareholder risks.

Why Does Bitcoin Keep Rejecting $87K Even Amid Continued Corporate Buying? $BTC is hovering around the $86,000 level.

Until Bitcoin breaks above $87,000, every upside rally will be capped. pic.twitter.com/Uh2B84nHCs

— Ted (@TedPillows) October 6, 2026

BTC USD hit resistance just above $87,000 on October 5 and traded around $86,000 on the morning of October 6. This level has capped rallies multiple times since September 23, indicating a significant resistance zone. Notably, Bitcoin has formed higher local lows, suggesting that buyers are stepping in, but it hasn’t generated enough momentum to break through the resistance.

FxPro analyst Alex Kuptsikevich noted that Bitcoin is nearing the apex of a triangle pattern, which could lead to increased volatility, although it doesn’t predict the direction of the breakout. Meanwhile, the overall crypto market dipped to approximately $2.93 trillion, just below a resistance level identified at $2.95 trillion.

While the Nasdaq 100 hit a record and the S&P 500 neared an all-time high, Bitcoin faced pressure as interest rates climbed slightly. Other major cryptocurrencies also struggled, with Ethereum, XRP, Solana, and Dogecoin falling 1-2%, while ADA gained 11%. The market reflects a mix of constructive short-term signals and ongoing resistance, so traders need confirmation through price action.

EXCLUSIVE: Trade Cardano and Earn $10 USDC Via Binance Sign-Up

Corporate BTC USD Buying is Real, but Here is Why Funding Matters

(SOURCE: CoinGecko)

Strategy and Strive recently acquired 2,334 BTC USD, signaling corporate demand but not necessarily indicating that market selling has ceased. Strategy’s purchase of 334 BTC brought its total to 848,000 BTC, funded by approximately $28.7M from Class A common stock sales. This financing model highlights that increasing Bitcoin holdings may dilute existing shareholders.

Strive’s purchase of 2,000 BTC raised its holdings from 27,462 to 29,462 BTC, reported at around $169M, primarily funded through its Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Preferred Stock (SATA). This structure prioritizes investor dividends and adds complexity to Strive’s Bitcoin strategy.

Additionally, Strive has a $500M facility for possible SATA repurchases, which could affect future financing costs. The different funding approaches affect dilution and cash reserves. Consequently, buying shares in a Bitcoin treasury company carries different risks than holding BTC directly, as share prices can be influenced by financing decisions and corporate structure.

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Alex is a seasoned cryptocurrency trader and market analyst with over seven years of active experience in the digital asset space. Since entering the markets in 2017, Alex has specialized in identifying emerging "meta" trends and high-volatility narratives. Notably, Alex... Read More

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After El Salvador's Extended Fund Facility was evaluated for the second and third time, the executive board of the International Monetary Fund approved an immediate payment of about $138 million to the country on October 1.

The verdict released 101.96 million Special Drawing Rights (equal to approximately $137.93 million (using the IMF exchange rate of SDR 1 = $1.352830) under a 40-month plan, about a $1.4 billion scheme that was approved in February 2025.

Payment was accompanied by a waiver. El Salvador broke a continuous performance condition that limited the government sector's ability to voluntarily accumulate Bitcoin.

With its "strong corrective measures and renewed commitments," the IMF offered financial aid. But there are nuances to the reality.

The Donation Loophole

The Bitcoin reserve of El Salvador has grown substantially since the initiative began with the International Monetary Fund.

In February 2025, when the EFF was adopted, the country's Bitcoin holdings were between 5,968 and 6,070 BTC. That amount has increased by more than 1,700 BTC by the end of September 2026, reaching 7,760 to 7,792 BTC. Depending on the exact snapshot used, the current valuation of the reserve ranges from $598 million to $660 million.

Public sector voluntary Bitcoin accumulation is consistently limited to zero in the initial program documents. Assets seized by law enforcement were expressly not included in that definition; however, purchases and mining operations were plainly covered.

In its defense, El Salvador stresses that the new coins did not come from the government but rather from private donations. The claim was supported by the statement published by the IMF staff on September 3, which confirmed that no funds from the government were used.

"No further Bitcoin accumulation is envisaged beyond the documented donations," the board stated in October, adding a new restriction and formalizing the waiver already in place.

This is not meant to be taken as a recommendation in any way. It is a small adjustment in terms of technology.

The IMF has acknowledged the significant transparency gap caused by the categorization of donations.

But this issue of the categorization of the people who donate Bitcoin to a country's government has not been resolved.

These concerns have not been addressed, and the International Monetary Fund has shown its concern by requesting more information about Bitcoin assets held by the public sector.

The Chivo Retreat

Although the Bitcoin waiver is receiving a lot of attention, the real change is the gradual dismantling of El Salvador's cryptocurrency framework by the government.

With the introduction of Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021, the government digital wallet Chivo underwent a major privatization push.

According to the International Monetary Fund, a private operator is now in charge, with the government having a minority interest and the responsibility of safeguarding client assets.

"Residual public-sector exposure should be fully unwound," stated Dan Katz, the First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, who voiced his acceptance of the transfer.

This is a change from the original plan.

At the time of its inception, Chivo was touted as the go-to platform for Bitcoin transactions in El Salvador.

At first glance, nothing was amiss.

The failure of Salvadorans to use Bitcoin for their everyday transactions was acknowledged by President Nayib Bukele in 2024.

Not only did regulatory demands contribute to the wallet's demise, but there was also a mismatch between the product and the market.

But the state's departure was accelerated by the structural requirements set by the IMF.

Separating state-sector stablecoin operations from private-sector ones, the government has stated categorically that it does not intend to develop or operate any stablecoin wallet.

Macroeconomic Foundation

There is a more basic reason why the IMF is willing to ignore the Bitcoin breach: El Salvador's macroeconomic performance has been strong enough to handle the variance.

In 2025, real GDP growth accelerated to 3.9% from 2.6% the previous year.

Due to factors such as falling remittance growth and the effect of rising oil costs on demand, Fitch Ratings predicts that growth would decelerate to 3% in 2026.

Nonetheless, there is hope for improvements due to private investment momentum and continuing public infrastructure projects.

This year, El Salvador's Central Reserve Bank expects growth to surpass the 2.5% average seen over the prior thirty years, with a range of 3% to 3.5%.

The effort to reduce government spending has advanced.

With a primary surplus of $706 million (1.9% of GDP) in 2025 - a significant improvement from a primary balance of 0% of GDP in 2024 - the non-financial public sector was able to meet the IMF target and show improvement.

In contrast to primary expenditure, which fell by 1.8 percentage points, revenue rose by 0.8 percentage points of GDP due to strong growth and improved tax collection.

From 4.6% in 2024 to 2.9% in 2025, the entire NFPS deficit fell short of the "B" median of 3.1% of GDP.

According to Fitch, the trend of consolidation is expected to persist and reach around 2.4% by 2026.

The national debt remains elevated.

The International Monetary Fund predicts that El Salvador's general government gross debt would surpass the median among "B" countries at 84.5% of GDP by 2026.

The National Flood Insurance Program's debt is expected to decrease from around 90.2% of GDP in 2025 to 87.4% of GDP by 2026 and even further to 85.2% in 2027, according to Fitch.

Interest payments made up 18.1% of revenue in 2025, which was much more than the median of 13.7% for "B" categories.

As pension bond grace periods expire in 2027, this number is projected to rise even further.

Deferred Reforms

The Bitcoin waiver solves a short-term problem, but it does nothing to address the long-overdue structural changes.

Reforming pensions is of paramount importance.

The actuarial assessment that was issued in December 2025 showed that from 2024 to 2070, there would be a system deficit of 59% of GDP in present value terms.

The private sector would contribute 45.4% of this deficit.

It is expected that the Solidarity Guaranty Account, which is in charge of providing minimum pensions, will reach its limit by the year 2029.

By February 10, 2026, the administration has promised to unveil a plan for reform.

There was no proposal before the Legislative Assembly on that date.

By the end of December 2025, the federal government owed pension fund managers a total of $11.24 billion.

Midway through 2026, lawmakers are expected to introduce civil service reform, which aims to simplify the public salary bill and reduce about 1.5% of GDP by 2027.

That was still being thought about in September 2026.

Aligning public sector compensation with qualifications and productivity while preventing needless expansion in employment is the goal of the approach, which is being supported technically by the World Bank.

The political ramifications of these changes are substantial.

With over 90% support and 54 of the 60 parliamentary seats under President Bukele's control, El Salvador is well-positioned for the 2027 election cycle.

Constitutional changes in 2025 extend presidential tenure to six years and make it possible to serve a third consecutive term.

There may be less opportunity for politically contentious changes this year due to the election cycle, according to Fitch.

Energy Wildcard

Energy prices are a short-term financial worry that the markets might not be giving enough attention to.

El Salvador imports a lot of energy, specifically petroleum products, which account for about 6.4% of its GDP. As of April 2026, the price of premium gasoline has risen 21% and surpassed $4 per gallon.

In 2022, the government enacted subsidies and temporary tax relief of 1.1% of GDP in response to a comparable spike in prices.

The government has not announced any plans for similar steps in 2026, but Fitch warns that continuing pressures on energy prices would force a reaction.

The fiscal momentum is starting to lose steam.

The primary surplus for the first quarter of 2026 was $185 million, falling short of the IMF projection of $300 million and 0.3% of GDP.

Although tax income growth remained stable at 9%, current spending increased at a faster rate, reaching 11.4%.

An additional payment equal to half of the monthly income for workers earning up to $1,500, known as "Quincena 25," is the main reason for this increase in spending.

Fitch predicts that in the second half of 2026, with elections approaching and the likelihood of a prolonged oil shock, compliance with IMF targets may become more difficult to achieve.

What the Waiver Actually Means

The IMF has made it clear that they do not support sovereign entities' stockpiling of Bitcoin through the Bitcoin waiver.

El Salvador's macroeconomic policy is usually moving in the predicted direction, and the Bitcoin incident was small enough to be considered inconsequential.

This modification takes both of those factors into consideration. There is still a lot of focus on the donation route.

The accumulation limits will be put back in place if private donors' future contributions to the reserve cannot be clearly identified.

Although it has not specified the verification procedure to be used, the IMF has stated that it will thoroughly investigate the sources of new coins.

According to Bukele, the waiver ensures that the Bitcoin brand remains politically significant, even when the government's engagement in cryptocurrencies becomes less viable.

Chivo was privatized and there was no plan for a digital currency that is backed by the government.

As seen on-chain, the reserve is still there, but it is no longer used as currency but rather as a symbol.

What this means for other countries thinking about using Bitcoin is anybody's guess.

When program-wide success is strong, the IMF has demonstrated flexibility about minor infractions.

Nevertheless, it has also resulted in structural compromises that reduce the role of the state in crypto infrastructure.

No precedent for sovereign entities to freely amass Bitcoin has been established by the waiver. For planned withdrawal, it is a major precedent-setter.

In This Article What Changes in the CPOOL-to-CLEAR Migration?More Ledger Utility Does Not Automatically Mean More XRP Ripple DemandWhat Would Make the XRP Catalyst Stronger? Clearpool holders approved an expansion to the XRP Ripple Ledger with 97% support, backing a one-for-one conversion from CPOOL to the new CLEAR token.

But the institutional credit product tied to the move lends and repays in RLUSD, not XRP-a distinction that could lift activity on the ledger without creating much direct demand for XRP.

Governance vote passed ✅

The Clearpool community has approved expansion to the XRP Ledger and the 1:1 migration of CPOOL → CLEAR with 97.16% in favor.

Migration is targeted for Q4. More details on next steps to come 🙏 pic.twitter.com/fyb7hcg5eB

— Clearpool (@ClearpoolFin) October 5, 2026

According to multiple reports, the migration was reported on October 5, 2026, with the transition expected in the fourth quarter. XRP was about $1.51 that day, up 0.8% over 24 hours and 1.9% over seven days.

Clearpool is adding credit infrastructure to XRPL, but the announced product’s dollar-based settlement does not require borrowers to use XRP Ripple tokens, a caveat that investors should be taking note of.

What Changes in the CPOOL-to-CLEAR Migration? CPOOL, Clearpool’s token, will convert to CLEAR at a 1:1 ratio on the XRP Ledger, with an initial circulation of 1.1 billion CLEAR tokens. The token migration changes how transactions are recorded but does not affect Clearpool’s borrowers or loan sizes, as the Ethereum marketplace will continue to operate alongside the XRPL expansion.

Clearpool partners with Ripple and Cicada Partners: Clearpool provides lending infrastructure, Cicada assesses borrowers, and Ripple is a limited partner without loss guarantees. Target borrowers include fintechs and payment processors seeking working capital. Since 2021, Clearpool has facilitated over $930M in loans, while Cicada has underwritten over $ 860M.

Loans are processed in RLUSD, a dollar-pegged stablecoin, with XRP used for network fees that are burned. Clearpool plans to allocate half of its protocol fees to buy back and burn CLEAR, benefiting CLEAR holders but not creating direct demand for XRP. The distinction between RLUSD usage and XRP demand is significant, as using a dollar stablecoin does not equate to needing XRP for loans.

🔥 CLEARPOOL EXPANDS TO XRPL 🔥

Clearpool’s community has approved its expansion to the XRP Ledger with 97.16% support, alongside the migration from CPOOL to CLEAR.

Another institutional credit project is moving toward XRPL.

The infrastructure keeps expanding. pic.twitter.com/Du2sXKTzyC

— John Squire (@TheCryptoSquire) October 6, 2026

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More Ledger Utility Does Not Automatically Mean More XRP Ripple Demand Clearpool’s governance forum describes the XRPL initiative as part of a broader move toward institutional credit, with the lending infrastructure still subject to technical rollout. Its proposal says the product was being tested on XRPL Devnet and that the XLS-65 Single Asset Vaults and XLS-66 Lending Protocol were in the amendment process. Those details make execution-not just the vote-an important part of the story.

For the XRP price case, the primary article’s October 5 snapshot provides difficult context: XRP was down 50% over the prior year and about 59% below its reported $3.65 all-time high from July 2025. It put XRP’s market capitalization near $95 billion, with approximately 63.1 billion tokens circulating against a maximum supply of 100 billion.

A project migration alone is a small demand signal for an asset of that scale. The primary article also notes that Ripple continues to release XRP from escrow reserves over time, another supply factor investors may weigh alongside any new demand.

XRPL activity and XRP demand are related, but they are not interchangeable. The use of RLUSD across Ethereum and the XRP Ledger helps illustrate why a stablecoin can support ledger activity without making XRP the principal asset in a transaction.

(SOURCE: DefiLlama)

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What Would Make the XRP Catalyst Stronger? Bull case: Future Clearpool or Ripple products could use XRP as collateral, require XRP liquidity, or connect currencies through XRP. Those uses would create a more direct link between credit activity and demand for the token, but the current RLUSD-denominated product doesn’t establish them.

Base case: The migration brings a credit platform and more RLUSD activity to XRPL, while XRP’s role remains mainly transaction fees. In that scenario, the ledger gains utility but the price effect stays limited.

Bear case: Loans remain in RLUSD and protocol-fee buybacks support CLEAR, leaving little incremental reason for borrowers or lenders to hold XRP. That would reinforce the distinction between network growth and token demand highlighted by XRP Ledger activity and demand for XRP.

The 97% vote is meaningful evidence that Clearpool intends to expand institutional credit on XRPL. It is not, on its own, evidence of a strong XRP-price catalyst: the announced loans use RLUSD, while the planned fee buybacks target CLEAR.

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Why you can trust 99Bitcoins

10+ Years

Established in 2013, 99Bitcoin’s team members have been crypto experts since Bitcoin’s Early days.

90hr+

Weekly Research

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Monthly readers

50+

Expert contributors

2000+

Crypto Projects Reviewed

Follow 99Bitcoins on your Google News Feed

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Alex Ioannou

On-Chain Journalist

Alex is a seasoned cryptocurrency trader and market analyst with over seven years of active experience in the digital asset space. Since entering the markets in 2017, Alex has specialized in identifying emerging "meta" trends and high-volatility narratives. Notably, Alex... Read More

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