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Lango and Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) take a lead in propelling Africa’s sustainability agenda

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3 years ago

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RMB

The generation of compelling and sustainable investor returns through the acquisition of prime commercial real estate assets in key gateway cities across Africa is central to Lango’s business model

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, September 29, 2023/APO Group/ — 

Leading pan-African real estate firm Lango has proactively appointed RMB (www.RMB.co.za) to act as sole sustainability advisor and coordinator for its first sustainability-linked financing package.

The generation of compelling and sustainable investor returns through the acquisition of prime commercial real estate assets in key gateway cities across Africa is central to Lango’s business model. Lango has recognised that to promote growth and secure the long-term sustainability and longevity of its assets, a sustainability strategy in line with international best practice is required.

Lango owns a diversified and growing portfolio worth more than USD600 million comprising of prime commercial assets in select African countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, and Angola. RMB, who also have a minority shareholding in the business, has acted as a funding partner to Lango since inception and has an aligned interest in enabling Lango’s sustainability strategy.

As sustainability advisor, RMB has been instrumental in supporting Lango’s establishment of a holistic sustainable finance framework (SFF), which considers both use of proceeds loans (such as green and social loans) and sustainability-linked loans. In reference to the SFF, RMB as sole sustainability coordinator implemented a USD325 million sustainability-linked loan (SLL) package jointly funded with Standard Bank – one of the largest sustainability-linked loans implemented to date in Africa.

Lango’s commitment and utilisation of sustainable finance as a leading African real estate organisation will prove transformative for the sector

The development of the SFF is a significant milestone for Lango in its sustainability journey, as it integrates Lango’s financial strategy and sustainability goals, along with enhancing the transparency of sustainability reporting.

Says Thomas Reilly, CEO of Lango: “The implementation of a sustainable finance framework not only allows Lango to take a leading role in furthering the sustainability agenda in Africa, but also allows Lango the opportunity to credibly tap the impact-related financial markets internationally in order to secure additional growth capital.  The framework tangibly demonstrates our commitment to sustainability, not only to our stakeholders, but also to the various communities across the continent in which we operate. We have worked together with RMB to develop a SFF that enables Lango to repeatedly access the sustainable finance market in an efficient manner, thereby facilitating further growth, value creation and the positive impact of the business.” 

In establishing the SFF, RMB worked with Lango’s senior management to identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will catalyse Lango’s decarbonisation and overall sustainability ambitions. These KPIs include increasing the use of renewable energy sources, ensuring buildings are green certified, and improving Lango’s gender diversity. The renewable energy that is expected to be installed over the period of the sustainability linked loan is anticipated to equate to the power requirement for approximately 2,437 homes. Lango will also aim to achieve 20% improvements in energy, water, and embodied energy in materials in most of their buildings by 2025.

The real estate sector has a significant environmental footprint in term of energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste generation. In support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, it has become important for funders internationally to financially incentivise real estate developers and investors to prioritise environmentally friendly practices such as renewable energy adoption and sustainable construction practices. Not only can this help to mitigate climate change, but it also enhances the long-term value and marketability of real estate assets. 

“Lango has cemented its commitment to achieving ambitious sustainability goals, with the aim of ensuring all their assets are managed through the lens of corporate responsibility, accountability, and sustainability. With a growing sustainability agenda in Africa, Lango’s commitment and utilisation of sustainable finance as a leading African real estate organisation will prove transformative for the sector, while ensuring a meaningful contribution to the continent’s sustainability goals,” says Reinhard Winsauer, head of RMB’s broader Africa Real Estate Investment Banking division.

“The close relationship we have developed with Lango over time enabled us to deliver a bespoke transaction that meets Lango’s ongoing financing needs and strategic imperatives, while also supporting our commitment to reduce financed emissions and achieve net zero financed emissions by 2050. In addition, this funding package is a substantial contribution to RMB’s commitment to facilitate over R200 billion in sustainable finance,” he concludes.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Rand Merchant Bank.

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RusselSmith Formally Transitions to Arridex

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3 hours ago

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June 15, 2026

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Nigeria

The change reflects the significant expansion of the organisation’s capabilities and the breadth of industries it now serves

LAGOS, Nigeria, June 12, 2026/APO Group/ –Arridex (www.Arridex.com), formerly RusselSmith, recently announced its formal change of name, registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria. The change reflects the significant expansion of the organisation’s capabilities and the breadth of industries it now serves, which extend well beyond the oil and gas services with which it began operations in the early 2000s.

 

Founded as an asset integrity company serving Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, the organisation has grown into a multi-sector industrial technology group operating across oil and gas, maritime, aerospace, defence, construction, and manufacturing. Its subsidiaries cover engineering and construction delivery, autonomous systems development, and advanced technology products, in addition to its industrial additive manufacturing and asset integrity operations.

Arridex is the name of the company built over two decades and raised intentionally to enable industrial resilience in Africa

The organisation holds Pioneer Status in additive manufacturing, granted by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), and is the first company qualified by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) for additive manufacturing deployment in the oil and gas sector. Both represent formal recognition of Arridex’s capabilities and its role in building indigenous industrial capacity at scale. With more than twenty years of continuous delivery, Arridex holds certification to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018, underpinning an integrated management system that governs its operations across all sectors, and has recorded zero lost time incidents across over seven million man hours of operations.

The name change coincides with a significant operational milestone. The Arridex Omnifactory, West Africa’s first multi-technology industrial additive manufacturing facility, has been commissioned in Lagos. The Omnifactory integrates multiple additive manufacturing technologies including Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF), Cold Spray, Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) under one roof, enabling on-demand production of industrial components, spares, and improved part designs for critical industries. The Omnifactory’s large-format additive manufacturing capabilities also enable the production of large-scale structures, including full-size marine components. Its commissioning is the clearest measure of the distance that Arridex has travelled from its origins.

Africa’s critical industries have for decades depended on components and specialist expertise imported from outside the continent, with supply chains that routinely extend across multiple jurisdictions and lead times that affect operational continuity for asset owners when dealing with legacy parts. The Omnifactory manufactures industrial components and parts on demand in Lagos, helping to build operational resilience in critical industries.

Kayode Adeleke, Group Chief Executive Officer of Arridex, said: “The name RusselSmith defined what we were at the start. Arridex defines what we have built. The dependency of African industry on fragile supply chains is a structural problem that this continent has accepted for too long. The Omnifactory is a concrete answer to the challenge of manufacturing sovereignty. Arridex is the name of the company built over two decades and raised intentionally to enable industrial resilience in Africa.”

Arridex is a Designated Strategic Partner of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) and serves clients across Nigeria and the wider African region. The organisation has a joint venture partnership with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) for military-grade additive manufacturing, is a member of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and is also a member of the Defence Industries Association of Nigeria (DIAN). With the Omnifactory commissioning in June 2026, Arridex enters its next phase of operations under a name that reflects the full scope of what it has built.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Arridex.

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New Quality, Shared Future – Beijing CBD Extends a Global Invitation for Cooperation

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3 hours ago

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June 15, 2026

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Beijing

If there are only three days to understand China’s economic development, Beijing CBD is a good place to start.
BEIJING, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 June 2026 – In mid-June this year, 2026 Beijing CBD Forum Annual Conference will be held as scheduled. Nearly ten thousand participants from five continents will gather here, with international speakers accounting for more than 50% of the lineup. Yet the Forum is but a window; the true landscape worth the world’s attention lies just outside – the central business district itself.

“International Density” on Seven Square Kilometers

In the core area of Beijing CBD – a mere seven square kilometers – nearly 16,000 foreign-funded institutions and 125 regional headquarters of multinational corporations (MNCs) are located. This represents half of all MNC headquarters resources in Beijing.

This is no coincidence. The district is one of China’s most internationally oriented, service-rich, and mature international business zones. From law firms and consultancies to financial institutions, the world’s top professional services firms have formed a complete ecosystem here.

What makes the area even more valuable for overseas companies and organizations is that policies here are not just written on paper – they are embedded in actual processes.

From pilot schemes on cross-border data flows, to facilitated access for foreign financial institutions, to one‑stop service desks for international talent – Beijing CBD has long served as a pilot zone for institutional opening‑up. Foreign enterprises find that issues they encounter here tend to be addressed and resolved more quickly.

During this year’s Beijing CBD Forum annual conference, the Ambassadors’ Roundtable Dialogue will establish a regular communication mechanism, and the “International Delegations’ China Tour” will allow overseas business representatives and zone managers to conduct in‑depth site visits and exchange experiences. What is even more noteworthy, however, is that such exchanges are not confined to the Forum – they continue year-round here.

Beijing CBD: A Sincere and Pragmatic Invitation

Artificial intelligence, the digital economy, green technologies – these areas, known as “new quality productive forces,” are not empty buzzwords here. The Forum includes dedicated sessions on technological innovation, financial opening‑up, law-business integration, cultural industries, and international consumption. Yet what truly deserves the attention of potential international partners is the industrial foundation behind these topics.

Beijing CBD is home to the densest concentration of foreign financial institutions and cross‑border capital in China. A large number of tech companies are engaged in cross‑sector collaboration with traditional industries here. High‑end professional services – international law, arbitration, compliance – are highly concentrated, providing support for both inbound and outbound business activities. Moreover, as the starting area of the city’s international demonstration zone for law-business integration, the district continues to focus on strengthening the rule of law in commercial affairs, improving its legal services framework, enhancing the resolution of international commercial disputes, and fostering a stable, transparent, predictable, and internationally competitive business environment. In the future, Beijing CBD will build a one‑stop legal and commercial service platform that integrates legal, auditing, intellectual property and other professional resources to precisely serve companies going global and managing cross‑border operations.

Here, you will find that its vitality derives mainly from genuine business judgments about market opportunities. For enterprises, the cooperation logic here is predictable, commercial, and sustainable.

Beijing CBD is not merely a striking poster – it is a real‑world district where hundreds of thousands of business people move every day, thousands of foreign‑funded institutions operate, and countless cross‑border transactions take place.

If you are looking for a stable gateway to the Chinese market, or a high-level hub to connect global resources with local applications, it deserves your consideration.

The Forum’s 2026 annual conference lasts only three days. But Beijing CBD is open all year round.

 

 

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20th Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Global Forum on Islamic Finance to Convene in Azerbaijan

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3 days ago

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June 12, 2026

By

IsDBI

Marking its 20th edition, the forum serves as a flagship platform for high-level dialogue, convening policymakers, regulators, development practitioners, academics, and industry leaders to advance innovation and development in Islamic finance

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, June 11, 2026/APO Group/ —

The Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) (https://IsDBInstitute.org/) will host the 20th IsDB Global Forum on Islamic Finance in Baku, Azerbaijan on 17 June 2026 under the theme “Achieving Sustainable Prosperity through Islamic Finance,” in conjunction with the IsDB Group Annual Meetings.

 

Marking its 20th edition, the forum serves as a flagship platform for high-level dialogue, convening policymakers, regulators, development practitioners, academics, and industry leaders to advance innovation and development in Islamic finance. This year’s forum will focus on strengthening regional integration and unlocking sustainable growth across IsDB member countries through Islamic finance solutions.

The forum will examine how Islamic finance can help address structural development challenges, including “development traps” that constrain inclusive growth and resilience. It will also highlight innovative Islamic social finance mechanisms, particularly Awqaf Free Zones, as tools for mobilizing sustainable resources to support food and energy security.

Key highlights of the forum include keynote speeches, launch of a new report on the prospects of Islamic Finance in Azerbaijan alongside other flagship publications, announcement of a memorandum of understanding between IsDBI and Labuan Financial Services Authority, distinguished panel discussion sessions, and unveiling of top achievers in the Applied AI in Islamic Finance Competency Challenge.

H.E. Taleh Kazimov, Governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan, will deliver the first keynote speech, followed by Eng. Adeeb Yousuf Al Aama, Chief Executive Officer of ITFC, whose speech will be on behalf of the IsDB Group. Dr. Sami Al-Suwailem, Acting Director General of IsDBI, will deliver the welcome remarks.

The first panel session will explore how Islamic finance can help countries overcome development barriers and achieve sustainable economic transformation. The panelists include Mr. Shahin Aydin Mahmudzade, Executive Director, Central Bank of Azerbaijan; Mr. Adnan Zaylani, Deputy Governor, Bank Negara Malaysia; Ms. Mihoko Kumamoto, Director, Division for Prosperity, UNITAR; Dr. Bambang Brodjonegoro, Dean, Asian Development Bank Institute; and Dr. Areef Suleman, Chief Economist, IsDB Group. The session will be moderated by Mr. Mustafa Adil, Head of Islamic Finance, London Stock Exchange Group.

The second panel session will examine innovative approaches to mobilizing Islamic social finance, particularly through Awqaf Free Zones, to address global food and energy challenges. The speakers include Mr. Valeh Alasgarov, Chairman of the Board, AFEZ Authority, Azerbaijan; Dr. Mansur Muhtar, Chairman of the Board, Bank of Industry, Nigeria; Professor Emeritus Dato’ Dr. Azmi Omar, President & CEO, INCEIF University; and Mr. Orkhan Vidadi oglu Mammadov, Chairman, Small and Medium Business Development Agency of Azerbaijan (KOBİA). The session will be moderated by Mr. Yahya Rehman, Associate Manager, IsDBI.

The forum is expected to generate actionable recommendations, strengthen partnerships, promote stakeholder collaboration, and advance innovative, AI-enabled tools to support the growth of Islamic finance globally.

More information about the forum is available on IsDBI website here.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI).

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