A detailed medical book that explains awareness using neuroscience and explores how artificial systems may develop consciousness

Louisville, Kentucky, United States, 17th Jul 2026 – Byron Bernal is excited to announce the release of Awareness and Consciousness: A Journey from Biology to Artificial Intelligence, a thought-provoking new science book available now on Amazon. Drawing from neuroscience, brain research, philosophy, and artificial intelligence, the book examines one of humanity’s most enduring questions: What is consciousness, and how does it arise?

About the Book

In Awareness and Consciousness, the subject is the human mind and how it transforms awareness into consciousness. This science book explores the processes that allow living systems to move beyond simple awareness and develop the rich subjective experiences associated with human consciousness.

Readers will discover how the brain processes information and how increasingly complex forms of awareness emerge across different organisms. The book examines both simple and advanced forms of awareness, from animals to humans, and even explores the possibility of artificial consciousness.

The author also presents neurological cases in which awareness and consciousness are altered by brain lesions or injury. Using the scientific “lesional model,” readers gain insight into how scientists study the organization of the brain and uncover the mechanisms that give rise to conscious experience. These real examples help readers understand how the brain controls awareness and consciousness in everyday life.

What Makes This Science Book Unique

This science book stands out because it brings together neuroscience, philosophy, linguistics, and real clinical evidence in a clear and accessible way. Rather than relying on speculation, it examines consciousness through the lens of brain function and scientific observation.

The book explores important questions that continue to challenge researchers. Can animals possess consciousness? What separates awareness from consciousness? Could artificial intelligence eventually become conscious? These questions are addressed through evidence-based discussion and modern neuroscience.

Whether you are interested in the brain, consciousness studies, cognitive science, or artificial intelligence, this book offers a thoughtful and engaging perspective.

Author Background

Byron Bernal is a physician and neurologist with many years of experience. He studied at the National University of Colombia and trained in neurology at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. He is also a professor at Florida International University in Miami, Florida.

For over 20 years, he has worked with brain imaging, especially using functional MRI. His work has helped doctors understand how the brain controls language and other functions. He has published many research papers in international journals.

His real-life experiences shaped this science book. During his training, he worked with patients who had unusual brain conditions, such as split brain and hemi-inattention. These cases showed how the brain can affect awareness in surprising ways. They inspired him to study consciousness in a deeper and more scientific way.

Purpose and Message

The goal of this book is to place the study of consciousness where the author believes it belongs: within neuroscience. Byron Bernal argues that consciousness is not primarily a metaphysical mystery or a religious concept but an emergent property of the brain’s information-processing architecture.

Drawing on decades of neurological research and clinical observation, this science book presents a framework for understanding consciousness through neurobiology, linguistics, and the study of complex systems. It challenges readers to examine consciousness through evidence-based inquiry while remaining open to new scientific possibilities.

Who Should Read This Book

This science book is ideal for neuroscientists, psychologists, philosophers, students of medicine or cognitive science, and educated readers who are curious about the nature of consciousness.

The book is written for both specialists and thoughtful non-specialists seeking a rigorous but accessible explanation of awareness and consciousness. Readers interested in neuroscience, philosophy of mind, artificial intelligence, and human cognition will find valuable insights throughout its pages.

Availability

Awareness and Consciousness: A Journey from Biology to Artificial Intelligence is available now on Amazon. Readers can choose from multiple formats based on their preference.

Ebook Version:
Paperback Version:
Hardcover Version: 

You can also connect with the author on Instagram and Facebook.

For media inquiries, please contact:

 Byron Bernal
 Email: Byron.bernal@gmail.com

Media Contact

Organization: Crescent Hill Publishers

Contact Person: Peter Kim

Website: https://crescenthillpublishers.com/

Email: Send Email

Contact Number: +12702328710

Address:312 S 4th St Suite Number 700

City: Louisville

State: Kentucky

Country:United States

Release id:47191

The post New Book Explores Consciousness Through Neuroscience and AI appeared first on King Newswire. This content is provided by a third-party source.. King Newswire makes no warranties or representations in connection with it. King Newswire is a press release distribution agency and does not endorse or verify the claims made in this release. If you have any complaints or copyright concerns related to this article, please contact the company listed in the ‘Media Contact’ section

Explora Books has released The Genome of Faith podcast by Dr Ulysses Lagrimas Labilles, documenting his transition from healthcare professional to patient through reflections and readings drawn from his book of the same title. Now streaming on Spotify and YouTube, the six-episode series invites listeners into a personal story shaped by faith, empathy, and the experience of navigating stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer with brain metastases.

Across its debut season, Dr Labilles—an epidemiologist and former CDC Foundation COVID-19 Response Corps member—turns the perspective shaped by his scientific career toward his most personal challenge: living through a terminal cancer diagnosis. Recorded from his writing space in St. Louis, Missouri, each short episode combines candid reflection with readings from The Genome of Faith: A Life Unfolding Between Heaven and Earth, published by Explora Books.

Throughout the series, Dr Labilles reflects on how illness reshaped his understanding of identity, care, and human connection, while introducing listeners to Fidempathia, a term he coined to describe the fusion of faith and empathy that helped him move from the shock of diagnosis toward a renewed sense of community, meaning, and peace.

The season opens with Dr Labilles recovering from a craniotomy and explaining the origins of Fidempathia as a framework intended to give clinicians, caregivers, and patients a shared language for hope. Later episodes revisit specific chapters from the book, including “Petals of Grace, Shadows of Silent Wars,” which reflects on his experiences as a pandemic-era epidemiologist, and “Gathered in Grace,” which explores how practical acts of support and everyday compassion can sustain someone through serious illness.

The final episode draws a connection between Dr Labilles’s own circumstances and the historical figure he was named after, Ulysses S. Grant, while reflecting on how a data-driven scientist learned to understand time differently once treatment schedules replaced long-term certainty.

Summarizing the perspective that shapes both the podcast and the book, Dr Labilles wrote, “I began this journey through science, but I finished it in Grace.”

At the center of the series is The Genome of Faith, which follows Dr Labilles’s life from his upbringing in the Philippines and early career as a dental clinician through graduate studies in epidemiology and frontline public health work during the COVID-19 pandemic with the Navajo Nation. It also reflects on his cancer diagnosis and treatment in St. Louis. The book combines clinical realities—including his MET exon 14 mutation and precision oncology treatment—with an account of the faith, family, and relationships that sustained him through multiple brain surgeries. It concludes with letters to his four children and reflections on the legacy he hopes to leave behind.

Dr Labilles holds a PhD in Applied Public Health Epidemiology and has worked as a research affiliate and federal contractor in cancer and infectious disease research, including roles supporting the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. His writing and advocacy work has also been featured on the People of Distinction podcast with Benji Cole.

The full podcast for the memoir The Genome of Faith: A Life Unfolding Between Heaven and Earth is now streaming on Spotify and YouTube. The book is available on Amazon and other major digital bookstores. 

About Explora Books 

Explora Books is a book marketing firm located in the heart of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The company specializes in self-publishing and marketing, taking pride in its exhaustive research and creative strategies that provide wider avenues for aspiring authors to gain recognition for their works. Explora Books aims to guide authors through the complexities of self-publishing, offering convenient solutions to navigate this process. The firm fosters and redefines creativity and innovation, setting new industry standards. Explora Books is dedicated to empowering authors globally.

Media Contact

Organization: Explora Books Ltd

Contact Person: Simon Pratt

Website: https://explorabooks.com/home

Email: Send Email

Contact Number: +16043306795

Address:Jameson Offices, 838 W Hastings St w, Vancouver, BC V6C 0A6, Canada

City: Vancouver

State: British Columbia

Country:Canada

Release id:47188

The post From Physician to Patient: Dr. Ulysses Labilles Launches Cancer Journey Podcast, The Genome of Faith appeared first on King Newswire. This content is provided by a third-party source.. King Newswire makes no warranties or representations in connection with it. King Newswire is a press release distribution agency and does not endorse or verify the claims made in this release. If you have any complaints or copyright concerns related to this article, please contact the company listed in the ‘Media Contact’ section

Mutsamudu, Comoros, July 16th, 2026, Chainwire

MEXC, a pioneer in 0-fee digital asset trading, today released its May–June bimonthly security report, reinforcing its role as a trusted global gateway where security and trust always come first. The audit indicates that MEXC’s Futures Insurance Fund surpassed a landmark threshold of 750 million USDT as of June 29, marking a substantial 34% expansion over the preceding reporting period. Concurrently, reserve verification data confirm that the coverage ratios for BTC, ETH, USDT, and USDC all remained safely above 100%, with Bitcoin delivering a reserve ratio of 269.35%.

During May–June, crypto security incidents remained elevated across the industry. According to aggregated data from major blockchain monitoring agencies, 142 independent security incidents were confirmed during the period, resulting in approximately US$194 million in verifiable financial losses. DeFi security incidents accounted for 55% of total incidents, with related losses of approximately US$150 million. Cross-chain bridges, private key management, and user endpoints emerged as the three major weak points in the industry’s security landscape during the period.

Against this backdrop, asset reserve transparency and risk-buffering capacity have become important foundations for user protection across trading platforms.

Futures Insurance Fund Grows to 751 Million USDT

Quantifying this safety buffer, the total balance of MEXC Futures Insurance Fund reached 751 million USDT by the June 29 close, marking a net capital inflow of over 191 million USDT relative to the prior bimonthly disclosure. This dedicated capital reserve serves as a primary systemic countermeasure designed to absorb unexpected liquidation slippage during periods of heightened market volatility.

By neutralizing excess delta risk, the fund systematically reduces the likelihood of activating Auto-Deleveraging (ADL) protocols, thereby ensuring orderly clearing conditions across all active derivatives markets. Real-time solvency tracking and live reserve balances remain continuously auditable via the public MEXC Proof of Trust interface.

Major Assets Continue to Maintain Excess Reserves, with BTC Reserve Ratio Reaching 269.35%

In addition to providing a risk buffer for the futures market, MEXC continues to enhance asset transparency through its Proof of Reserves mechanism, allowing users to verify asset backing directly on-chain.

As of the reporting date, reserve ratios for major assets were as follows:

• BTC: Reserve ratio of 269.35%, with 12,656.63 BTC held in wallets, corresponds to 4,698.90 BTC in user assets.
• ETH: Reserve ratio of 118.14%, with 77,527.30 ETH held in wallets.
• USDT: Reserve ratio of 113.95%, with approximately 2.139 billion USDT held in wallets.
• USDC: Reserve ratio of 125.41%, with approximately 95.41 million USDC held in wallets.

These reserve figures are publicly verifiable through on-chain wallet addresses and MEXC’s Merkle Tree-based Proof of Reserves system, enabling users to independently verify asset coverage.

Maintaining platform-wide custody standards, the MEXC Guardian Fund continues to operate its rigorous dual-reserve architecture consisting of USDT and BTC allocations. Every underlying crypto-asset remains fully segregated, verifiable, and tied to on-chain addresses that are permanently open to public audit. The strategic asset expansion roadmap previously disclosed by the corporate risk team remains fully underway.

Guardian Fund Wallet Addresses:

• USDT: https://etherscan.io/address/0x469AfE803C54A36674C55231489Cf4b61da8c1bC#tokentxns
• BTC: 1MDVjZdX8QD212pT8Z8EMP7DuFQHKqN3mx

From risk identification to asset recovery, throughout the Entire Trading Journey

During May–June, user-side attacks also continued to increase. Phishing scams and endpoint & supply chain security incidents resulted in approximately US$28.59 million in related losses, highlighting the growing importance of account risk identification, external support for suspicious fund investigations, and asset recovery capabilities.

In terms of related user protection mechanisms, risk mitigation within the MEXC infrastructure extends far beyond baseline asset reserves, integrating advanced account risk identification, external forensic investigations into funds, and systematic recovery protocols for misdirected transfers. 

During the May–June performance window, the platform’s financial intelligence unit successfully flagged and restricted 9,518 accounts linked to organized illicit syndicates, effectively dismantling 4,394 distinct fraudulent networks.

Geographically, these illicit operations exhibited high concentration vectors within two primary jurisdictions:

• Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Region: 2,096 fraudulent networks neutralized.
• Indonesia: 1,229 fraudulent networks neutralized.

In parallel with internal containment, MEXC significantly expanded its judicial and law-enforcement cooperation protocols. The compliance department processed 497 external statutory investigation requests, which included the successful execution of 53 judicial asset-freezing mandates. Furthermore, the platform’s real-time transaction monitoring systems intercepted 7 high-risk inbound illicit fund transfers, freezing a total of 303,277 USDT before it could contaminate the exchange’s broader liquidity pools.

Addressing user-side transactional errors, MEXC manually processed 812 individual asset recovery requests involving erroneous cross-chain deposits and misdirected transfers, successfully remediating assets valued at 343,515 USDT. Every sub-case was subjected to a dual-layer review protocol that combined manual asset verification with on-chain forensic auditing. Compliance teams deployed advanced multi-ledger cross-chain tracing techniques to locate, isolate, and safely return the misrouted capital to its rightful owners.

Vugar Usi, CEO of MEXC, said, “True trust is not built on promises made before risks emerge, but on whether protection remains visible and verifiable when challenges arise. With our Futures Insurance Fund surpassing 750 million USDT, together with publicly verifiable Proof of Reserves, we are reinforcing MEXC’s role as a trusted global gateway where security and trust always come first, ensuring all user’s assets are safeguarded.”

About MEXC

MEXC is the world’s fastest-growing cryptocurrency exchange, trusted by more than 40 million users across 170+ markets. Built on a user-first philosophy, MEXC offers industry-leading 0-fee trading and access to over 3,000 digital assets. As the Gateway to Infinite Opportunities, MEXC provides a single platform where users can easily trade cryptocurrencies alongside tokenized assets, including stocks, ETFs, commodities, and precious metals.

MEXC Official Website｜ X ｜ Telegram ｜How to Sign Up on MEXC

Contact

MEXC PR team
media@mexc.com

Mutsamudu, Comoros, July 16th, 2026, Chainwire

MEXC, a pioneer in 0-fee digital asset trading, today released its May–June bimonthly security report, reinforcing its role as a trusted global gateway where security and trust always come first. The audit indicates that MEXC’s Futures Insurance Fund surpassed a landmark threshold of 750 million USDT as of June 29, marking a substantial 34% expansion over the preceding reporting period. Concurrently, reserve verification data confirm that the coverage ratios for BTC, ETH, USDT, and USDC all remained safely above 100%, with Bitcoin delivering a reserve ratio of 269.35%.

During May–June, crypto security incidents remained elevated across the industry. According to aggregated data from major blockchain monitoring agencies, 142 independent security incidents were confirmed during the period, resulting in approximately US$194 million in verifiable financial losses. DeFi security incidents accounted for 55% of total incidents, with related losses of approximately US$150 million. Cross-chain bridges, private key management, and user endpoints emerged as the three major weak points in the industry’s security landscape during the period.

Against this backdrop, asset reserve transparency and risk-buffering capacity have become important foundations for user protection across trading platforms.

Futures Insurance Fund Grows to 751 Million USDT

Quantifying this safety buffer, the total balance of MEXC Futures Insurance Fund reached 751 million USDT by the June 29 close, marking a net capital inflow of over 191 million USDT relative to the prior bimonthly disclosure. This dedicated capital reserve serves as a primary systemic countermeasure designed to absorb unexpected liquidation slippage during periods of heightened market volatility.

By neutralizing excess delta risk, the fund systematically reduces the likelihood of activating Auto-Deleveraging (ADL) protocols, thereby ensuring orderly clearing conditions across all active derivatives markets. Real-time solvency tracking and live reserve balances remain continuously auditable via the public MEXC Proof of Trust interface.

Major Assets Continue to Maintain Excess Reserves, with BTC Reserve Ratio Reaching 269.35%

In addition to providing a risk buffer for the futures market, MEXC continues to enhance asset transparency through its Proof of Reserves mechanism, allowing users to verify asset backing directly on-chain.

As of the reporting date, reserve ratios for major assets were as follows:

• BTC: Reserve ratio of 269.35%, with 12,656.63 BTC held in wallets, corresponds to 4,698.90 BTC in user assets.
• ETH: Reserve ratio of 118.14%, with 77,527.30 ETH held in wallets.
• USDT: Reserve ratio of 113.95%, with approximately 2.139 billion USDT held in wallets.
• USDC: Reserve ratio of 125.41%, with approximately 95.41 million USDC held in wallets.

These reserve figures are publicly verifiable through on-chain wallet addresses and MEXC’s Merkle Tree-based Proof of Reserves system, enabling users to independently verify asset coverage.

Maintaining platform-wide custody standards, the MEXC Guardian Fund continues to operate its rigorous dual-reserve architecture consisting of USDT and BTC allocations. Every underlying crypto-asset remains fully segregated, verifiable, and tied to on-chain addresses that are permanently open to public audit. The strategic asset expansion roadmap previously disclosed by the corporate risk team remains fully underway.

Guardian Fund Wallet Addresses:

• USDT: https://etherscan.io/address/0x469AfE803C54A36674C55231489Cf4b61da8c1bC#tokentxns
• BTC: 1MDVjZdX8QD212pT8Z8EMP7DuFQHKqN3mx

From risk identification to asset recovery, throughout the Entire Trading Journey

During May–June, user-side attacks also continued to increase. Phishing scams and endpoint & supply chain security incidents resulted in approximately US$28.59 million in related losses, highlighting the growing importance of account risk identification, external support for suspicious fund investigations, and asset recovery capabilities.

In terms of related user protection mechanisms, risk mitigation within the MEXC infrastructure extends far beyond baseline asset reserves, integrating advanced account risk identification, external forensic investigations into funds, and systematic recovery protocols for misdirected transfers. 

During the May–June performance window, the platform’s financial intelligence unit successfully flagged and restricted 9,518 accounts linked to organized illicit syndicates, effectively dismantling 4,394 distinct fraudulent networks.

Geographically, these illicit operations exhibited high concentration vectors within two primary jurisdictions:

• Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Region: 2,096 fraudulent networks neutralized.
• Indonesia: 1,229 fraudulent networks neutralized.

In parallel with internal containment, MEXC significantly expanded its judicial and law-enforcement cooperation protocols. The compliance department processed 497 external statutory investigation requests, which included the successful execution of 53 judicial asset-freezing mandates. Furthermore, the platform’s real-time transaction monitoring systems intercepted 7 high-risk inbound illicit fund transfers, freezing a total of 303,277 USDT before it could contaminate the exchange’s broader liquidity pools.

Addressing user-side transactional errors, MEXC manually processed 812 individual asset recovery requests involving erroneous cross-chain deposits and misdirected transfers, successfully remediating assets valued at 343,515 USDT. Every sub-case was subjected to a dual-layer review protocol that combined manual asset verification with on-chain forensic auditing. Compliance teams deployed advanced multi-ledger cross-chain tracing techniques to locate, isolate, and safely return the misrouted capital to its rightful owners.

Vugar Usi, CEO of MEXC, said, “True trust is not built on promises made before risks emerge, but on whether protection remains visible and verifiable when challenges arise. With our Futures Insurance Fund surpassing 750 million USDT, together with publicly verifiable Proof of Reserves, we are reinforcing MEXC’s role as a trusted global gateway where security and trust always come first, ensuring all user’s assets are safeguarded.”

About MEXC

MEXC is the world’s fastest-growing cryptocurrency exchange, trusted by more than 40 million users across 170+ markets. Built on a user-first philosophy, MEXC offers industry-leading 0-fee trading and access to over 3,000 digital assets. As the Gateway to Infinite Opportunities, MEXC provides a single platform where users can easily trade cryptocurrencies alongside tokenized assets, including stocks, ETFs, commodities, and precious metals.

MEXC Official Website｜ X ｜ Telegram ｜How to Sign Up on MEXC

Contact

MEXC PR team
media@mexc.com

California, USA – Bee Protocol Limited has officially unveiled its global ecosystem strategy, introducing the AI Financial Network, a next-generation financial ecosystem designed for users worldwide. By integrating artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, and real-world utility, Bee Protocol is building a Web3 Financial Super App that combines AI assistance, on-chain yield generation, global payments, digital spending, communication services, and community governance into a unified platform.

As the digital asset market continues to grow, demand for yield management, payment solutions, and real-world utility is increasing rapidly. Bee Protocol aims to bridge the complete journey from earning to transferring and spending digital assets through a unified ecosystem, enabling digital assets to become part of everyday life for users around the world.

The Bee Protocol ecosystem consists of six core products:

BeeBot – An AI-powered MEV arbitrage engine that leverages on-chain data analysis and intelligent execution strategies to help users discover and participate in on-chain yield opportunities.

BeePay – A global digital payment network that collaborates with local e-wallets and payment service providers worldwide, offering digital asset settlement, fiat off-ramp services, cross-border remittances, and merchant payment solutions.

BeeCard – A digital asset spending gateway that enables convenient online and offline payments using digital assets.

BeeSim – A global communication platform providing both eSIM and physical SIM card services, delivering convenient, secure, and cost-effective mobile connectivity worldwide.

Bee-AI – An AI Assistant powered by Large Language Models (LLMs), supporting intelligent conversations, content creation, image generation, ecosystem navigation, information retrieval, and asset management assistance, providing users with a smarter and more intuitive experience.

BeeDAO – A community governance and protocol treasury system designed to support community participation, ecosystem incentives, and long-term sustainable development.

Together, these six products form a complete ecosystem covering yield generation, payment settlement, consumer spending, global connectivity, AI-powered services, and decentralized governance.

About Bee Protocol

Bee Protocol Limited is a California-registered fintech company with a registered capital of USD 1 Billion and holds a U.S. Money Services Business (MSB) license.

The company focuses on AI, digital payments, and Web3 financial innovation. Through its six core products, Bee Protocol is building an AI Financial Network that connects digital assets with real-world applications, delivering a more open, efficient, and intelligent one-stop financial experience for users worldwide.

With the vision of “Empowering Digital Assets for Everyone,” Bee Protocol is committed to accelerating the adoption of digital assets across payments, commerce, communication, and artificial intelligence applications.

Media Contact

Email: Beeprotocol@outlook.com

Website: https://beeprotocol.io/

Telegram: https://t.me/Bee_Protocol

Los Angeles, United States, July 16th, 2026, FinanceWire

Proven on US$20M in Philippine SME loans with a sub-3% NPL rate, Jia’s AI underwriting infrastructure Ossicone is now available for banks, cooperatives and lending companies to deploy under their own brand 

Jia, a financial platform serving businesses across emerging markets, today announced a landmark partnership with Netbank, a bank regulated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, marking the first time Jia has opened its lending infrastructure to an outside institution. As part of the partnership, Netbank has extended Jia a $2 million credit facility, Jia’s first institutional credit facility in the Philippines, to fund working capital loans for up to 500 SMEs over the next 12 months, and is powering Jia Accounts, a new business banking product for Philippine SMEs that lets borrowers receive funds and manage repayments in a single regulated flow

The partnership is the latest milestone in Jia’s expansion from lender to platform. Since 2022, Jia has originated more than US$20 million in SME loans in the Philippines with a non-performing loan rate below 3% and zero write-offs, against an industry average of 10% to 15%. That track record was built lending to the businesses most institutions overlook such as retailers, distributors, and inventory-heavy companies with proven order flow and a history of repayment, underserved not by their own performance but by the limitations of conventional credit assessment.

At the center of Jia’s infrastructure is Ossicone, its proprietary AI underwriting engine. Ossicone reads the documents that define how emerging market businesses actually operate – purchase orders, supplier invoices, delivery receipts – and returns a credit decision in under 30 minutes at 97% accuracy. No public training set exists for how Philippine SMEs trade, pay, and borrow. Jia has spent three years building one, sharpened by every loan on its book. With Jia Accounts now live, real-time cashflow data feeds directly into Ossicone’s models, compounding its accuracy over time.

SMEs across emerging markets face an estimated US$8 trillion credit gap that legacy banks are structurally unable to close. Jia is now making the infrastructure it built and proved on its own balance sheet available to the banks, cooperatives, and lending companies that want to close it. Through Ossicone via API and a white-label product, any financial institution can deploy Jia’s accounts, underwriting, and capital connectivity under its own brand, without rebuilding core infrastructure. Netbank is the first institution to build on that infrastructure — pairing the banking rails behind Jia Accounts with Ossicone-powered underwriting — validating a model Jia is now extending to banks, cooperatives, and lending companies across the region.

“Every emerging market has thousands of businesses growing fast, paying on time, and waiting for a bank that can see them clearly,” said Zach Marks, CEO of Jia. “We spent three years building the infrastructure to do that and proving it on our own balance sheet. Now we’re opening it to other institutions, because the opportunity is too large for any one lender to capture alone.”

“There is no public dataset for Philippine SME financial documents. That’s the moat,” said Krizanne Ty, President and Country Head at Jia Philippines. “Every loan has sharpened Ossicone’s accuracy, and now that businesses bank with Jia, their live cashflow feeds directly into the models — making them better for every SME on our book and every institution building on our platform.”

Financial institutions interested in deploying Jia’s infrastructure can reach the team at partners@jia.xyz. 

About Jia

Jia is the financial operating system for emerging market businesses, combining business banking, AI-powered underwriting, and capital connectivity in a single platform. Validated on its own live loan book in the Philippines since 2022, Jia now makes the same infrastructure available for banks, cooperatives, and lending companies to deploy under their own brand. Jia is led by a team that has scaled fintech businesses and managed more than US$10 billion in assets across emerging markets, and is backed by leading global fintech investors. Users can learn more at jia.xyz.

Contact

Partner
Maggie Philbin
VSC for Jia
press@jia.xyz

Los Angeles, United States, July 16th, 2026, FinanceWire

Proven on US$20M in Philippine SME loans with a sub-3% NPL rate, Jia’s AI underwriting infrastructure Ossicone is now available for banks, cooperatives and lending companies to deploy under their own brand 

Jia, a financial platform serving businesses across emerging markets, today announced a landmark partnership with Netbank, a bank regulated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, marking the first time Jia has opened its lending infrastructure to an outside institution. As part of the partnership, Netbank has extended Jia a $2 million credit facility, Jia’s first institutional credit facility in the Philippines, to fund working capital loans for up to 500 SMEs over the next 12 months, and is powering Jia Accounts, a new business banking product for Philippine SMEs that lets borrowers receive funds and manage repayments in a single regulated flow

The partnership is the latest milestone in Jia’s expansion from lender to platform. Since 2022, Jia has originated more than US$20 million in SME loans in the Philippines with a non-performing loan rate below 3% and zero write-offs, against an industry average of 10% to 15%. That track record was built lending to the businesses most institutions overlook such as retailers, distributors, and inventory-heavy companies with proven order flow and a history of repayment, underserved not by their own performance but by the limitations of conventional credit assessment.

At the center of Jia’s infrastructure is Ossicone, its proprietary AI underwriting engine. Ossicone reads the documents that define how emerging market businesses actually operate – purchase orders, supplier invoices, delivery receipts – and returns a credit decision in under 30 minutes at 97% accuracy. No public training set exists for how Philippine SMEs trade, pay, and borrow. Jia has spent three years building one, sharpened by every loan on its book. With Jia Accounts now live, real-time cashflow data feeds directly into Ossicone’s models, compounding its accuracy over time.

SMEs across emerging markets face an estimated US$8 trillion credit gap that legacy banks are structurally unable to close. Jia is now making the infrastructure it built and proved on its own balance sheet available to the banks, cooperatives, and lending companies that want to close it. Through Ossicone via API and a white-label product, any financial institution can deploy Jia’s accounts, underwriting, and capital connectivity under its own brand, without rebuilding core infrastructure. Netbank is the first institution to build on that infrastructure — pairing the banking rails behind Jia Accounts with Ossicone-powered underwriting — validating a model Jia is now extending to banks, cooperatives, and lending companies across the region.

“Every emerging market has thousands of businesses growing fast, paying on time, and waiting for a bank that can see them clearly,” said Zach Marks, CEO of Jia. “We spent three years building the infrastructure to do that and proving it on our own balance sheet. Now we’re opening it to other institutions, because the opportunity is too large for any one lender to capture alone.”

“There is no public dataset for Philippine SME financial documents. That’s the moat,” said Krizanne Ty, President and Country Head at Jia Philippines. “Every loan has sharpened Ossicone’s accuracy, and now that businesses bank with Jia, their live cashflow feeds directly into the models — making them better for every SME on our book and every institution building on our platform.”

Financial institutions interested in deploying Jia’s infrastructure can reach the team at partners@jia.xyz. 

About Jia

Jia is the financial operating system for emerging market businesses, combining business banking, AI-powered underwriting, and capital connectivity in a single platform. Validated on its own live loan book in the Philippines since 2022, Jia now makes the same infrastructure available for banks, cooperatives, and lending companies to deploy under their own brand. Jia is led by a team that has scaled fintech businesses and managed more than US$10 billion in assets across emerging markets, and is backed by leading global fintech investors. Users can learn more at jia.xyz.

Contact

Partner
Maggie Philbin
VSC for Jia
press@jia.xyz

Los Angeles, United States, July 16th, 2026, FinanceWire

Proven on US$20M in Philippine SME loans with a sub-3% NPL rate, Jia’s AI underwriting infrastructure Ossicone is now available for banks, cooperatives and lending companies to deploy under their own brand 

Jia, a financial platform serving businesses across emerging markets, today announced a landmark partnership with Netbank, a bank regulated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, marking the first time Jia has opened its lending infrastructure to an outside institution. As part of the partnership, Netbank has extended Jia a $2 million credit facility, Jia’s first institutional credit facility in the Philippines, to fund working capital loans for up to 500 SMEs over the next 12 months, and is powering Jia Accounts, a new business banking product for Philippine SMEs that lets borrowers receive funds and manage repayments in a single regulated flow

The partnership is the latest milestone in Jia’s expansion from lender to platform. Since 2022, Jia has originated more than US$20 million in SME loans in the Philippines with a non-performing loan rate below 3% and zero write-offs, against an industry average of 10% to 15%. That track record was built lending to the businesses most institutions overlook such as retailers, distributors, and inventory-heavy companies with proven order flow and a history of repayment, underserved not by their own performance but by the limitations of conventional credit assessment.

At the center of Jia’s infrastructure is Ossicone, its proprietary AI underwriting engine. Ossicone reads the documents that define how emerging market businesses actually operate – purchase orders, supplier invoices, delivery receipts – and returns a credit decision in under 30 minutes at 97% accuracy. No public training set exists for how Philippine SMEs trade, pay, and borrow. Jia has spent three years building one, sharpened by every loan on its book. With Jia Accounts now live, real-time cashflow data feeds directly into Ossicone’s models, compounding its accuracy over time.

SMEs across emerging markets face an estimated US$8 trillion credit gap that legacy banks are structurally unable to close. Jia is now making the infrastructure it built and proved on its own balance sheet available to the banks, cooperatives, and lending companies that want to close it. Through Ossicone via API and a white-label product, any financial institution can deploy Jia’s accounts, underwriting, and capital connectivity under its own brand, without rebuilding core infrastructure. Netbank is the first institution to build on that infrastructure — pairing the banking rails behind Jia Accounts with Ossicone-powered underwriting — validating a model Jia is now extending to banks, cooperatives, and lending companies across the region.

“Every emerging market has thousands of businesses growing fast, paying on time, and waiting for a bank that can see them clearly,” said Zach Marks, CEO of Jia. “We spent three years building the infrastructure to do that and proving it on our own balance sheet. Now we’re opening it to other institutions, because the opportunity is too large for any one lender to capture alone.”

“There is no public dataset for Philippine SME financial documents. That’s the moat,” said Krizanne Ty, President and Country Head at Jia Philippines. “Every loan has sharpened Ossicone’s accuracy, and now that businesses bank with Jia, their live cashflow feeds directly into the models — making them better for every SME on our book and every institution building on our platform.”

Financial institutions interested in deploying Jia’s infrastructure can reach the team at partners@jia.xyz. 

About Jia

Jia is the financial operating system for emerging market businesses, combining business banking, AI-powered underwriting, and capital connectivity in a single platform. Validated on its own live loan book in the Philippines since 2022, Jia now makes the same infrastructure available for banks, cooperatives, and lending companies to deploy under their own brand. Jia is led by a team that has scaled fintech businesses and managed more than US$10 billion in assets across emerging markets, and is backed by leading global fintech investors. Users can learn more at jia.xyz.

Contact

Partner
Maggie Philbin
VSC for Jia
press@jia.xyz

Nova Junk, a family-owned junk removal company based in Alexandria, Virginia, celebrates two decades of responsible hauling, recycling, and donation services across the Washington DC metro region.

Washington, United States, 16th Jul 2026 – Nova Junk, a locally owned junk removal company serving Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland, is marking its 20th year in business. Founded on September 11, 2005, according to information published on the company website, the company has grown from a two-person family operation into a multi-service hauling company with a team that includes extended family members and long-tenured employees.

Nova Junk provides junk removal, estate cleanouts, office cleanouts, construction debris removal, yard debris hauling, shed removal, hot tub disposal, and labor-only services, according to the company website. The company serves communities throughout the Washington DC metro area, including Alexandria, Fairfax, Arlington, Bethesda, Montgomery County, and Prince George County.

A distinguishing feature of Nova Junk’s operating model is its three-stage disposal process: donate, recycle, and landfill. According to information published on the company website, the team sorts through all collected material, first setting aside items that can be donated to local charities and then separating recyclable materials such as batteries, printers, and refrigerators. Only the remainder goes to the landfill, and the company states that it typically sends just one third of collected material to the dump.

The company is licensed and fully insured, according to the company website, and places a strong emphasis on punctuality and transparent pricing. Nova Junk states that final charges are adjusted downward when a load turns out to be smaller than estimated, a policy highlighted repeatedly in customer reviews published on the company website.

“We started this company as a family and grew it the same way – by treating every customer’s home and business the way we would want ours treated,” said Norman Elbekri, Co-founder at Nova Junk. “After 20 years we are still committed to the same values we started with: honest pricing, responsible disposal, and service that people can count on.”

Nova Junk serves both residential and commercial clients. Services extend to de-cluttering and hoarding solutions, moving and foreclosure cleanouts, and demolition site cleanup. The company operates from two locations – 2000 Duke Street in Alexandria, Virginia and Smoketown Road in Woodbridge, Virginia – and can be reached at novajunk.com.

About Nova Junk

Nova Junk is a family-owned junk removal company founded in 2005, serving Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland. The company provides residential and commercial hauling, estate cleanouts, construction debris removal, and specialty services including shed and hot tub removal. Nova Junk is committed to responsible disposal through a donate-recycle-landfill approach that minimizes landfill impact. Learn more at https://www.novajunk.com

Media Contact

Organization: Nova Junk

Contact Person: Norman Elbekri Co-founder

Website: https://www.novajunk.com/

Email:
info@novajunk.com

City: Washington

Country:United States

Release id:47175

The post Nova Junk marks 20 years of eco-friendly junk removal in the Washington DC area appeared first on King Newswire. This content is provided by a third-party source.. King Newswire makes no warranties or representations in connection with it. King Newswire is a press release distribution agency and does not endorse or verify the claims made in this release. If you have any complaints or copyright concerns related to this article, please contact the company listed in the ‘Media Contact’ section