HAMBURG, Germany

New initiative aims to increase female representation in maritime careers, with at least 20% of new trainee intakes targeted for female cadets

Hapag-Lloyd (ETR: HLAG) has launched its new Shefarer Program, a long-term initiative designed to sustainably increase the share of women working at sea and strengthen career opportunities for women across the maritime industry.

Developed in cooperation with partners Jebsen PTC, Anglo-Eastern Ship Management (Germany) GmbH and Marlow Navigation Co. Ltd, the program introduces targeted measures to attract more women to maritime careers, support their professional development on board and improve visibility for women seafarers across Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet.

A central part of the Shefarer Program is the promotion of young talent. Hapag-Lloyd said that, going forward, at least 20% of new trainee intakes will be female cadets. The target will also apply to the company’s international crew pipeline, with a particular focus on young Filipino talent.

The program will also introduce selected Shefarer vessels, where several women seafarers will be deployed together across different ranks and functions. The goal is to ensure that women on board are seen as an integral part of the crew, whether serving as cadets, officers, engineers, oilers or captains.

In addition, Hapag-Lloyd is investing in separate changing rooms, showers and toilets on all newbuildings scheduled to enter service in the coming years, further improving working and living conditions for women at sea.

“With the Shefarer Program, we are creating concrete structures to help more women enter the maritime industry and build long-term careers at sea,” said Silke Lehmköster, Managing Director Fleet at Hapag-Lloyd. “Mixed crews strengthen communication, collaboration and mutual respect on board. Our goal is to increase the visibility of women at sea and to create more career opportunities for them across our fleet.”

Women currently represent 5.71% of Hapag-Lloyd’s crew. The company also has four women captains currently sailing for Hapag-Lloyd, representing 4.6% of its captains.

The Shefarer Program forms part of Hapag-Lloyd’s broader strategy to make maritime careers more attractive and visible while helping the industry attract qualified young talent for the future.

About Hapag-Lloyd

With a fleet of 302 modern container ships and a total transport capacity of 2.5 million TEU, Hapag-Lloyd is one of the world’s leading liner shipping companies. In the Liner Shipping segment, the company has 15,200 employees and 400 offices in 140 countries. Hapag-Lloyd has a container capacity of 3.6 million TEU, including one of the largest and most modern fleets of reefer containers. A total of 133 liner services worldwide provide fast and reliable connections between 600 ports on all continents.

In the Terminal & Infrastructure segment, Hapag-Lloyd has equity stakes in 24 marine terminals in Europe, Latin America, the United States, India and North Africa. The segment has 4,400 employees and provides complementary logistics services at selected locations in addition to terminal activities.

Tyler, Texas.

Paywint adopts the use of stablecoins to settle global payments instantly. The fintech facilitator ensures the optimum use of stablecoins in its payment processing model to adequately support real-time settlements. This capability from the established fintech operator will open new doors in payment technology solutions and assist in onboarding business partners based on their custom pay-in/payout requirements.

Explaining the Context of Stablecoin Payments in Cross-Border Transactions

The use of real-world operations in a stablecoin-based payment model covers optimum alignment between local payment rails and specific compliance metrics required for rails. They offer a faster and cheaper alternative to traditional banking measures that works 24/7.

Popular stablecoins used in U.S. settlements include USDC by Circle and USDT by Tether.

Major Components of Paywint’s Cross-Border Stablecoin Solutions

The mechanics and workflow of Paywint’s stablecoin solutions in the cross-border network involve the use of on-ramp and off-ramp services in over 100 countries. The local fiat currency is converted into a stable coin in an on-ramp model by covering the major jurisdictions in the USA. Similarly, off-ramp solutions convert stablecoins to fiat currencies without compromising the compliance features of the partner bodies in APAC, MENA, LATAM, or Europe.

The transfer of stablecoins happens through blockchain technology that the company uses by integrating the recipient’s wallet. The application process will reflect in B2B payments, global money transfers or remittances, and industry-backed settlements. The solution is already launched for business models embracing blockchain technology and payment services integrations that align with the established fintech infrastructure.

How Paywint Avoids the Barriers in Cross-Border Stablecoin Functions

The business model of Paywint’s technology platform adopts the cross-border stablecoin features without big challenges. Some of the steps to avoid the barriers in this regard are:

•  Implementation of regulatory compliance – Adherence to compliance norms and regulatory checks in active intervals can improve the stablecoin activity in the business workflow.
•  Risk mitigation practices – The addition of a dedicated risk prevention, assessment, and mitigation practice is necessary for cross-border transactions to facilitate optimum stablecoin integrations.
•  Integration of the payment tracking system – Dynamic integrations of the payment tracking system are a feasible option for building the essential elements and blocks in stablecoin transactions.
•  Boost in operational and technical efficiency – The use of high liquidity networks, core API integrations, and the presence of payment infrastructure providers can improve the technical and operational efficiency of businesses.
• Instant & transparent solutions – Another revolutionary step that engages stablecoins and cross-border transactions is the top-notch application of instant and transparent solutions.

Integrating Stablecoins within Payments – The Paywint Model

Businesses need seamless fiat and crypto management services to aid in their payment processing model. While integrating stablecoins within an existing payments module, it gives rise to smoother, borderless transaction flow with near-instant settlements.

With the right flow, treasury management and programmable payments also make sense in the implementation part. Whether it’s with global payments or regional supplier models, businesses can consider core infrastructure components for integration. The common parameters to include are wallet services, on and off-ramping solutions, and compliance tools for transactions and automation.

Paywint imbibes the features of speed, cost, transparency, and inclusion to ensure the best services and solutions in the domain of stablecoin payments. Even with regulatory compliance requirements in higher volumes, the company can deliver value in cross-border solutions globally. This is enhanced with the assistance of a dynamic model with technology innovations and practical risk assessment.

In a Nutshell: How Paywint Helps Businesses with Cross-Border Transactions

Paywint helps the partner businesses to follow a dynamic cross-border solutions model by integrating with the local payment rails in different regions for a promising and competitive experience. The seamless technology helps the fintech provider to serve its partners in the fintech ecosystem by delivering potential for success. The project also covers top-notch compliance integrations and streamlined integrations with existing financial processes and systems.

Leadership Perspective

As per Dr. Saheer Nelliparamban, Founder & CEO of Paywint, “Paywint’s foray into the cross-border solutions opened up a multitude of options for the fintech facilitator to perform and excel in. Stablecoin integrations and services are just one of the working solutions in this regard. Our on-ramp and off-ramp solutions help us serve our partners in the payments collection and payouts in a streamlined flow. We take care of this with higher settlement speeds, leveraging custom partner demands, engaging in flexible treasury and liquidity flow, and infrastructure modernization to meet global payouts of any volume.”

About Paywint

Paywint is the digital wallet built for businesses. We help you collect, hold, pay, and settle funds instantly. From one wallet, businesses can access instant ACH, same-day ACH, RTP, wire, and instant virtual bank accounts to receive payments faster and reconcile cleanly. Paywint supports flexible payouts, along with bank transfers and card-based payouts. Paywint also includes virtual and physical cards for spending, employee distribution, and controlled budgets, making it easy to issue, manage limits, and track activity in real time. For businesses going global, we enable cross-border transactions with a growing corridor roadmap and multiple settlement options. Paywint supports crypto payments and wallets, giving businesses additional flexibility for settlement and treasury workflows. Whether you’re a marketplace, SaaS platform, gig economy business, or an SMB scaling to new regions, Paywint helps you move money faster, safer, and with total visibility from onboarding to payout to settlement.

Media detail

Saheer Nelliparamban

[email protected]

SHANGHAI

Curio Collection by Hilton to debut in Nanjing and Tapestry Collection by Hilton to enter Wuxi, with both hotels expected to open in 2028

Hilton (NYSE: HLT) announced the signing of two new lifestyle hotels in China’s Yangtze River Delta, expanding its presence in Jiangsu province with a Curio Collection by Hilton property in Nanjing and a Tapestry Collection by Hilton hotel in Wuxi.

The additions reflect Hilton’s continued investment in the region and its strategy to grow distinctive, experience-led hospitality offerings in key travel destinations. Both hotels are expected to open in 2028 and will strengthen Hilton’s luxury and lifestyle portfolio across Greater China.

The planned Curio Collection by Hilton hotel in Nanjing will feature 232 rooms and mark the brand’s debut in the city. Located in Xianlin, Qixia District, the property will draw inspiration from local culture and surroundings to offer a destination-focused experience for leisure and business travelers.

The Tapestry Collection by Hilton hotel in Wuxi will introduce the brand to the Yangtze River Delta. Located in Huishan New Town, the 150-room property will transform an existing U-shaped building into an upscale hotel designed around local character, storytelling and independent hospitality.

“Lifestyle brands are an important strategic pillar for Hilton,” said Nong Xia, president, development, Greater China and Mongolia, Hilton. “Jiangsu offers both deep cultural heritage and diverse tourism offerings. By introducing distinctive, experience-driven lifestyle hotels, we aim to meet guests’ personalized needs and to create resilient, long-term value for owners.”

The signings build on Hilton’s expanding lifestyle footprint in Greater China, following recent openings including Canopy by Hilton Shanghai Belfry Plaza, Motto by Hilton Hong Kong Soho, Canton Hotel Guangzhou, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, and The Reserve Hotel Luoyang, Curio Collection by Hilton.

The new hotels will participate in Hilton Honors, Hilton’s guest loyalty program, offering members access to benefits including flexible Points and money payment options, exclusive member discounts, complimentary standard Wi-Fi, digital check-in, room selection and Digital Key through the Hilton Honors mobile app.

About Hilton

Hilton is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 27 world-class brands comprising more than 9,200 properties and over 1.3 million rooms in 144 countries and territories. With a history spanning more than 100 years, Hilton has welcomed more than 4 billion guests and continues to expand its hospitality offerings through its global brand portfolio and Hilton Honors loyalty program.