Tag: 3BL

Savitri’s busy cosmetics and grocery store in Nasopur village, located in Rajasthan, India, hasn’t always been as large and well-stocked as it is today. A few years ago, she ran her business from a small room, offering limited items with little opportunity to expand. After losing her husband, Savitri became the sole breadwinner for her family but struggled to grow her business while managing her household. Today, however, Savitri runs a thriving store, fully stocked with a variety of products, and attracts 50 to 70 customers daily.

When asked how she got here, Savitri highlights that her lack of financial, business, and digital capabilities, and her limited knowledge of how to access credit, savings, and insurance products, held her back from seizing business opportunities in the past. With the support of our partner Frontier Markets and training from Ovante, a digital financial capability program supported by FedEx, she gained the resources and skills needed to sustainably grow her business.

Savitri isn’t alone in her struggle to expand her business. Many of India’s microenterprises are constrained by a lack of financial and business development knowledge. Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) contribute around 30 percent of India’s GDP, with rural microenterprises providing valuable employment opportunities and financial stability for business owners. However, many enterprises find it difficult to expand. Ovante’s digital tools help these microentrepreneurs gain the confidence and skills they need to grow their businesses with training programs and access to tools for savings, credit, and insurance.

Building rural microentrepreneurs’ opportunities through education and innovation

To bring learning opportunities to India’s rural last mile, Accion Advisory has partnered with Frontier Markets. Frontier Markets provides products, services, and entrepreneurship opportunities to rural India through a network of women entrepreneurs, field agents, and a robust tech stack. Frontier Markets introduced Ovante, Accion’s digital financial capability program designed to strengthen the financial, business, and digital capabilities of microentrepreneurs, to 11 districts in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Through Ovante, Frontier Markets has reached over 6,400 rural women entrepreneurs, with more than 3,500 rural women actively participating in Ovante’s programs.

The Ovante training modules are delivered via Frontier Markets’ Meri Saheli app, which also offers solutions for e-commerce, customer data, lead generation, marketing, and order fulfillment to entrepreneurs in rural areas.

To implement Ovante within their network of rural women entrepreneurs, Frontier Markets uses field agents to motivate microentrepreneurs and facilitate training sessions. With education through Ovante, in-person support from field agents, and the digital tools Frontier Markets provides, microentrepreneurs can increase their rural communities’ access to products and services, achieving financial stability for their households and strengthening their communities. To date, the partnership has resulted in over 3,500 active users, with 75 percent of users completing the entire Ovante program, including three core programs: “Make More Money,” “Get Access to Credit,” and “Buy and Sell Online.”

The Ovante modules have had tangible benefits for users. For example, before receiving support from Frontier Markets, Savitri had an average daily footfall of 10 to 20 customers. Frontier Markets enabled her to set up a bigger store with more products. To manage this store, Savitri needed to understand how to manage her sales and purchases, accurately market and price her products, and utilize the profits to invest in her business. With the introduction of Ovante, Savitri learned more about credit, sales tracking, online purchases, and savings, resulting in a thriving business. Her confidence in using digital tools has also increased. For instance, she now uses UPI to accept payments and pay her suppliers. She is an active WhatsApp user, using the platform to communicate with her customers. Savitri is also carefully tracking her sales and profits, giving her insight into her shop’s performance so she can make informed decisions about her business.

More than 3,500 Ovante users like Savitri now have access to the guidance and knowledge to grow their businesses. Of women surveyed, 91 percent reported feeling more confident managing their day-to-day business activities after taking the modules, and two-thirds said the training improved how they manage their money. Notably, 76 percent of respondents from Uttar Pradesh and 51 percent from Rajasthan reported earning additional income directly linked to the skills and behaviors they learned on Ovante. The relevance of the content was particularly strong in Rajasthan, where 95 percent of users said they were able to apply the learnings from the coursework into their business operations.

These insights show that while digital literacy and business confidence remain major barriers for rural entrepreneurs, practical, mobile-friendly education, combined with trusted last-mile support from partners like Frontier Markets, can drive meaningful improvements in income, decision-making, and financial resilience.

Opportunities and the growth of Ovante

Ovante has helped more than 150,000 customers across the globe gain the confidence and necessary skills to grow their businesses, whether through learning modules or an interactive chatbot, as launched earlier this year in Mexico. Our visit to Jaipur highlighted how quickly rural entrepreneurs adopt digital tools and the need for tailored content and better delivery channels for relevant learning experiences. Frontier Markets’ increasing use of digital and AI-enabled tools for data collection, training, and engagement inspired us to think deeply about how Ovante can evolve: becoming more localized, easier to navigate, and accessible, even for first-time smartphone users.

In the next phase of Ovante for India, Accion Advisory is building a user-centric interface, informed by the most recent challenges Indian MSMEs face in accessing credit, designed to deliver personalized content as per an entrepreneur’s needs. When rural microentrepreneurs strengthen their financial, digital, and business capabilities, these business owners can become leaders and changemakers within their communities, gaining financial independence and creating opportunities for future success.

Click here to learn about FedEx Cares, our global community engagement program.

Savitri’s busy cosmetics and grocery store in Nasopur village, located in Rajasthan, India, hasn’t always been as large and well-stocked as it is today. A few years ago, she ran her business from a small room, offering limited items with little opportunity to expand. After losing her husband, Savitri became the sole breadwinner for her family but struggled to grow her business while managing her household. Today, however, Savitri runs a thriving store, fully stocked with a variety of products, and attracts 50 to 70 customers daily.

When asked how she got here, Savitri highlights that her lack of financial, business, and digital capabilities, and her limited knowledge of how to access credit, savings, and insurance products, held her back from seizing business opportunities in the past. With the support of our partner Frontier Markets and training from Ovante, a digital financial capability program supported by FedEx, she gained the resources and skills needed to sustainably grow her business.

Savitri isn’t alone in her struggle to expand her business. Many of India’s microenterprises are constrained by a lack of financial and business development knowledge. Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) contribute around 30 percent of India’s GDP, with rural microenterprises providing valuable employment opportunities and financial stability for business owners. However, many enterprises find it difficult to expand. Ovante’s digital tools help these microentrepreneurs gain the confidence and skills they need to grow their businesses with training programs and access to tools for savings, credit, and insurance.

Building rural microentrepreneurs’ opportunities through education and innovation

To bring learning opportunities to India’s rural last mile, Accion Advisory has partnered with Frontier Markets. Frontier Markets provides products, services, and entrepreneurship opportunities to rural India through a network of women entrepreneurs, field agents, and a robust tech stack. Frontier Markets introduced Ovante, Accion’s digital financial capability program designed to strengthen the financial, business, and digital capabilities of microentrepreneurs, to 11 districts in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Through Ovante, Frontier Markets has reached over 6,400 rural women entrepreneurs, with more than 3,500 rural women actively participating in Ovante’s programs.

The Ovante training modules are delivered via Frontier Markets’ Meri Saheli app, which also offers solutions for e-commerce, customer data, lead generation, marketing, and order fulfillment to entrepreneurs in rural areas.

To implement Ovante within their network of rural women entrepreneurs, Frontier Markets uses field agents to motivate microentrepreneurs and facilitate training sessions. With education through Ovante, in-person support from field agents, and the digital tools Frontier Markets provides, microentrepreneurs can increase their rural communities’ access to products and services, achieving financial stability for their households and strengthening their communities. To date, the partnership has resulted in over 3,500 active users, with 75 percent of users completing the entire Ovante program, including three core programs: “Make More Money,” “Get Access to Credit,” and “Buy and Sell Online.”

The Ovante modules have had tangible benefits for users. For example, before receiving support from Frontier Markets, Savitri had an average daily footfall of 10 to 20 customers. Frontier Markets enabled her to set up a bigger store with more products. To manage this store, Savitri needed to understand how to manage her sales and purchases, accurately market and price her products, and utilize the profits to invest in her business. With the introduction of Ovante, Savitri learned more about credit, sales tracking, online purchases, and savings, resulting in a thriving business. Her confidence in using digital tools has also increased. For instance, she now uses UPI to accept payments and pay her suppliers. She is an active WhatsApp user, using the platform to communicate with her customers. Savitri is also carefully tracking her sales and profits, giving her insight into her shop’s performance so she can make informed decisions about her business.

More than 3,500 Ovante users like Savitri now have access to the guidance and knowledge to grow their businesses. Of women surveyed, 91 percent reported feeling more confident managing their day-to-day business activities after taking the modules, and two-thirds said the training improved how they manage their money. Notably, 76 percent of respondents from Uttar Pradesh and 51 percent from Rajasthan reported earning additional income directly linked to the skills and behaviors they learned on Ovante. The relevance of the content was particularly strong in Rajasthan, where 95 percent of users said they were able to apply the learnings from the coursework into their business operations.

These insights show that while digital literacy and business confidence remain major barriers for rural entrepreneurs, practical, mobile-friendly education, combined with trusted last-mile support from partners like Frontier Markets, can drive meaningful improvements in income, decision-making, and financial resilience.

Opportunities and the growth of Ovante

Ovante has helped more than 150,000 customers across the globe gain the confidence and necessary skills to grow their businesses, whether through learning modules or an interactive chatbot, as launched earlier this year in Mexico. Our visit to Jaipur highlighted how quickly rural entrepreneurs adopt digital tools and the need for tailored content and better delivery channels for relevant learning experiences. Frontier Markets’ increasing use of digital and AI-enabled tools for data collection, training, and engagement inspired us to think deeply about how Ovante can evolve: becoming more localized, easier to navigate, and accessible, even for first-time smartphone users.

In the next phase of Ovante for India, Accion Advisory is building a user-centric interface, informed by the most recent challenges Indian MSMEs face in accessing credit, designed to deliver personalized content as per an entrepreneur’s needs. When rural microentrepreneurs strengthen their financial, digital, and business capabilities, these business owners can become leaders and changemakers within their communities, gaining financial independence and creating opportunities for future success.

Click here to learn about FedEx Cares, our global community engagement program.

SAVANNAH, Ga., February 1, 2026 /3BL/ – The Early Childhood Learning Center is a public-private partnership involving Chatham County, the City of Savannah, and East Savannah United (ESU).

ESU announced Wednesday that it has received a $20,000 grant from Georgia-Pacific Savannah to help support construction of the new Early Childhood Learning Center.

The 20,000-square-foot facility, funded through SPLOST, will include a health clinic and a public library and is expected to serve 144 children in the east Savannah community.

“While public funding has made this project possible, additional private support is essential to fully open the center,” said Executive Director of ESU Derek Mallow. “This gift helps close that gap and brings us closer to delivering a high-quality, community-anchored resource that will benefit children and families for generations.”

Information on East Savannah United: https://www.eastsavannahunited.org/

SAVANNAH, Ga., February 1, 2026 /3BL/ – The Early Childhood Learning Center is a public-private partnership involving Chatham County, the City of Savannah, and East Savannah United (ESU).

ESU announced Wednesday that it has received a $20,000 grant from Georgia-Pacific Savannah to help support construction of the new Early Childhood Learning Center.

The 20,000-square-foot facility, funded through SPLOST, will include a health clinic and a public library and is expected to serve 144 children in the east Savannah community.

“While public funding has made this project possible, additional private support is essential to fully open the center,” said Executive Director of ESU Derek Mallow. “This gift helps close that gap and brings us closer to delivering a high-quality, community-anchored resource that will benefit children and families for generations.”

Information on East Savannah United: https://www.eastsavannahunited.org/

Arrow Electronics (NYSE:ARW), a global technology solutions provider, is collaborating with Romanian startup .lumen to scale intelligent guide glasses designed to replicate the key functions of a guide dog.

.lumen’s Glasses for the Blind replicate the essential functions of a guide dog by combining artificial intelligence (AI), six integrated cameras, and real-time haptic feedback on a single wearable headset. The glasses continuously scan and understand the environment in real time, detecting obstacles, identifying safe paths, and guiding the user with gentle directional vibrations.

The entire navigation system runs locally on the device, making it fully independent from the cloud. This architecture delivers ultra-low latency, which is essential for safe, reliable navigation in fast-changing environments such as crowded streets or unfamiliar indoor spaces.

.lumen exhibited on Jan. 5-9, 2026, at CES, Las Vegas, where they were named a CES Innovation Awards 2026 Honoree in the Accessibility and Longevity category, and also won the CTA Foundation’s 2026 Pitch Competition.

Arrow Electronics (NYSE:ARW), a global technology solutions provider, is collaborating with Romanian startup .lumen to scale intelligent guide glasses designed to replicate the key functions of a guide dog.

.lumen’s Glasses for the Blind replicate the essential functions of a guide dog by combining artificial intelligence (AI), six integrated cameras, and real-time haptic feedback on a single wearable headset. The glasses continuously scan and understand the environment in real time, detecting obstacles, identifying safe paths, and guiding the user with gentle directional vibrations.

The entire navigation system runs locally on the device, making it fully independent from the cloud. This architecture delivers ultra-low latency, which is essential for safe, reliable navigation in fast-changing environments such as crowded streets or unfamiliar indoor spaces.

.lumen exhibited on Jan. 5-9, 2026, at CES, Las Vegas, where they were named a CES Innovation Awards 2026 Honoree in the Accessibility and Longevity category, and also won the CTA Foundation’s 2026 Pitch Competition.

Download the report

Addressing climate change can help to support the economic development and long-term growth in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs). EMDEs require trillions of dollars to address climate change, yet only a fraction of this funding is currently mobilized.

Developing nations face significant barriers to accessing climate finance, including inadequate technology, insufficient data, and structural challenges such as fragmented project pipelines, regulatory uncertainty, and weak financial markets. These obstacles deter private investment and slow progress.

The consequences of insufficient climate finance are far-reaching: EMDEs continue to struggle with weather-related disasters, poor air quality, food insecurity, and limited access to clean water and energy. These challenges contribute to weak rural development, poverty, poor health, inequality, and declining productivity — further hindering economic growth.

To address this gap, KPMG and the World Economic Forum (WEF) conducted a global study, ‘From Risk to Reward: Unlocking Private Capital for Climate Growth,’ with the intention of identifying practical strategies to help to scale private investment.

The report outlines six priority actions and sixteen strategies designed to reduce risk, improve project bankability, and enhance data transparency, aligning incentives for both public and private stakeholders.

These challenges set the stage for understanding the systemic shortfall in climate finance and the urgent need for innovative approaches. Scaling private climate capital in EMDEs should be acted on directly. This roadmap by KPMG and WEF highlights the necessary interventions, which can bridge the finance gap and help unlock development opportunities.

In this KPMG International summary document, we outline the key findings from the WEF white paper, ‘From Risk to Reward: Unlocking Private Capital for Climate Growth,’ and showcase how KPMG firms have supported clients globally in addressing climate finance challenges.

Click here to download this report on kpmg.com

Download the report

Addressing climate change can help to support the economic development and long-term growth in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs). EMDEs require trillions of dollars to address climate change, yet only a fraction of this funding is currently mobilized.

Developing nations face significant barriers to accessing climate finance, including inadequate technology, insufficient data, and structural challenges such as fragmented project pipelines, regulatory uncertainty, and weak financial markets. These obstacles deter private investment and slow progress.

The consequences of insufficient climate finance are far-reaching: EMDEs continue to struggle with weather-related disasters, poor air quality, food insecurity, and limited access to clean water and energy. These challenges contribute to weak rural development, poverty, poor health, inequality, and declining productivity — further hindering economic growth.

To address this gap, KPMG and the World Economic Forum (WEF) conducted a global study, ‘From Risk to Reward: Unlocking Private Capital for Climate Growth,’ with the intention of identifying practical strategies to help to scale private investment.

The report outlines six priority actions and sixteen strategies designed to reduce risk, improve project bankability, and enhance data transparency, aligning incentives for both public and private stakeholders.

These challenges set the stage for understanding the systemic shortfall in climate finance and the urgent need for innovative approaches. Scaling private climate capital in EMDEs should be acted on directly. This roadmap by KPMG and WEF highlights the necessary interventions, which can bridge the finance gap and help unlock development opportunities.

In this KPMG International summary document, we outline the key findings from the WEF white paper, ‘From Risk to Reward: Unlocking Private Capital for Climate Growth,’ and showcase how KPMG firms have supported clients globally in addressing climate finance challenges.

Click here to download this report on kpmg.com

SANTA ROSA, Calif., February 2, 2026 – Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) announced two new electric vehicle (EV) charging test solutions that support the industry’s move to high-power and megawatt-level charging. As electrification accelerates and charging applications grow more complex, these solutions help manufacturers and engineers speed development, ensure reliability, and meet evolving global standards.

The rapid growth of electrification is driving demand for advanced charging infrastructure capable of supporting everything from fast charging for passenger vehicles to megawatt-level charging for heavy-duty transport and industrial fleets. At the same time, engineers and manufacturers face increasing complexities due to interoperability challenges, stringent safety requirements, and the need to comply with evolving international standards such as MCS, CCS, ISO 15118, GB/T, and CHAdeMO. Without comprehensive and scalable testing, manufacturers risk development delays, costly redesigns, and inconsistent real-world performance.

Keysight addresses these challenges with future-ready test solutions that combine high-power hardware, software-defined scalability, and standards compliance. The new solutions deliver flexibility and scalability, enabling customers to accelerate development and stay ahead of emerging testing requirements.

The SL2600A Megawatt Charging Discovery System enables validation of next-generation megawatt charging for heavy-duty applications, supporting voltages up to 1,500 V and currents up to 1,500 A. Its modular, upgradable architecture allows engineers to test both electric vehicles and charging stations within a single system, increasing flexibility and reducing total cost of ownership. Designed with future standards in mind, including NACS and CCS, the SL2600A helps ensure readiness for evolving charging ecosystems while safeguarding long-term test infrastructure investments.

Complementing this offering, the enhanced SL1047A Scienlab Charging Discovery System – High‑Power Series delivers software‑scalable performance starting at 400 A and 1,000 V, with the ability to expand up to 800 A and 1,500 V without requiring hardware replacement. With support for all global charging standards, including full compliance with GB/T 2024, the system enables comprehensive conformance and interoperability testing for worldwide EV charging ecosystems. It also introduces enhanced charging communication test capabilities, featuring significant improvements and extended functionality to address increasingly complex EV charging requirements.

Together, these solutions help customers reduce development risk, accelerate time-to-market, and deliver reliable, standards-compliant charging systems for next-generation EVs.

Luis Hurtado, PHD and Chief Technology Officer, Milence, said: “To drive the transition to sustainable heavy-duty transport, we need charging solutions that are fast, scalable, and future-ready. Our partnership with Keysight helps us ensure that our infrastructure meets the highest standards from day one.”

Thomas Goetzl, Vice President and General Manager for Keysight’s Automotive & Energy Solutions, said: “The transition to high-power and megawatt-level charging is a pivotal moment for the EV industry. Our latest test solutions give manufacturers and engineers the confidence to innovate quickly and deliver reliable charging systems that meet global standards. This launch reinforces Keysight’s commitment to enabling the future of e-mobility and supporting a sustainable transportation ecosystem.”

 

Resources 

Product Page: SL2600A Megawatt Charging Discovery System
Product Page: SL1047A Scienlab Charging Discovery System – High-Power Series

About Keysight Technologies 

At Keysight (NYSE: KEYS), we inspire and empower innovators to bring world-changing technologies to life. As an S&P 500 company, we’re delivering market-leading design, emulation, and test solutions to help engineers develop and deploy faster, with less risk, throughout the entire product life cycle. We’re a global innovation partner enabling customers in communications, industrial automation, aerospace and defense, automotive, semiconductor, and general electronics markets to accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world. Learn more at Keysight Newsroom and www.keysight.com.

Contacts

Andrea Mueller
Americas/Europe
andrea.mueller@keysight.com

Fusako Dohi, Asia
+81 42 660–2162
fusako_dohi@keysight.com

SANTA ROSA, Calif., February 2, 2026 – Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) announced two new electric vehicle (EV) charging test solutions that support the industry’s move to high-power and megawatt-level charging. As electrification accelerates and charging applications grow more complex, these solutions help manufacturers and engineers speed development, ensure reliability, and meet evolving global standards.

The rapid growth of electrification is driving demand for advanced charging infrastructure capable of supporting everything from fast charging for passenger vehicles to megawatt-level charging for heavy-duty transport and industrial fleets. At the same time, engineers and manufacturers face increasing complexities due to interoperability challenges, stringent safety requirements, and the need to comply with evolving international standards such as MCS, CCS, ISO 15118, GB/T, and CHAdeMO. Without comprehensive and scalable testing, manufacturers risk development delays, costly redesigns, and inconsistent real-world performance.

Keysight addresses these challenges with future-ready test solutions that combine high-power hardware, software-defined scalability, and standards compliance. The new solutions deliver flexibility and scalability, enabling customers to accelerate development and stay ahead of emerging testing requirements.

The SL2600A Megawatt Charging Discovery System enables validation of next-generation megawatt charging for heavy-duty applications, supporting voltages up to 1,500 V and currents up to 1,500 A. Its modular, upgradable architecture allows engineers to test both electric vehicles and charging stations within a single system, increasing flexibility and reducing total cost of ownership. Designed with future standards in mind, including NACS and CCS, the SL2600A helps ensure readiness for evolving charging ecosystems while safeguarding long-term test infrastructure investments.

Complementing this offering, the enhanced SL1047A Scienlab Charging Discovery System – High‑Power Series delivers software‑scalable performance starting at 400 A and 1,000 V, with the ability to expand up to 800 A and 1,500 V without requiring hardware replacement. With support for all global charging standards, including full compliance with GB/T 2024, the system enables comprehensive conformance and interoperability testing for worldwide EV charging ecosystems. It also introduces enhanced charging communication test capabilities, featuring significant improvements and extended functionality to address increasingly complex EV charging requirements.

Together, these solutions help customers reduce development risk, accelerate time-to-market, and deliver reliable, standards-compliant charging systems for next-generation EVs.

Luis Hurtado, PHD and Chief Technology Officer, Milence, said: “To drive the transition to sustainable heavy-duty transport, we need charging solutions that are fast, scalable, and future-ready. Our partnership with Keysight helps us ensure that our infrastructure meets the highest standards from day one.”

Thomas Goetzl, Vice President and General Manager for Keysight’s Automotive & Energy Solutions, said: “The transition to high-power and megawatt-level charging is a pivotal moment for the EV industry. Our latest test solutions give manufacturers and engineers the confidence to innovate quickly and deliver reliable charging systems that meet global standards. This launch reinforces Keysight’s commitment to enabling the future of e-mobility and supporting a sustainable transportation ecosystem.”

 

Resources 

Product Page: SL2600A Megawatt Charging Discovery System
Product Page: SL1047A Scienlab Charging Discovery System – High-Power Series

About Keysight Technologies 

At Keysight (NYSE: KEYS), we inspire and empower innovators to bring world-changing technologies to life. As an S&P 500 company, we’re delivering market-leading design, emulation, and test solutions to help engineers develop and deploy faster, with less risk, throughout the entire product life cycle. We’re a global innovation partner enabling customers in communications, industrial automation, aerospace and defense, automotive, semiconductor, and general electronics markets to accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world. Learn more at Keysight Newsroom and www.keysight.com.

Contacts

Andrea Mueller
Americas/Europe
andrea.mueller@keysight.com

Fusako Dohi, Asia
+81 42 660–2162
fusako_dohi@keysight.com