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    • 3 min read

EU and Indo-Pacific: natural partners

September 16, 2021. BRUSSELS.

The Commission and the High Representative adopted a Joint Communication on the EU Strategy for the cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

Today, the Commission and the High Representative adopted a Joint Communication on the EU Strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. The Joint Communication contains concrete actions to reinforce the strategic engagement with the region, as tasked by the Council on 19 April 2021.


President Ursula von der Leyen said: “The economic, demographic, and political weight of the Indo-Pacific region is expanding, from the east coast of Africa to the Pacific island states. With today's proposals, and guided by our values, we are offering a strengthened partnership to advance trade, investment and connectivity, while addressing common global challenges and reinforcing the rules-based international order.”


High Representative/Vice-President, Josep Borrell, said: “The world's centre of gravity is moving towards the Indo Pacific, both in geo-economic and geo-political terms. The futures of the EU and the Indo-Pacific are interlinked. The EU is already the top investor, the leading development cooperation partner and one of the biggest trading partners in the Indo-Pacific region. Our engagement aims at maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific for all, while building strong and lasting partnerships to cooperate on matters from the green transition, ocean governance or the digital agenda to security and defence.”


Implementing the strategy


The EU and the Indo-Pacific are highly interconnected, with many shared interests and solid ties, from trade and investments to research and innovation, as well as sustainable development, climate change, biodiversity protection and security.


The EU is stepping up its strategic engagement with the Indo-Pacific region. This region is increasing in strategic importance for Europe. Its growing economic, demographic, and political weight makes it a key player in shaping the rules-based international order and in addressing global challenges. The EU aims to contribute to the region's stability, security, prosperity and sustainable development, in line with the principles of democracy, rule of law, human rights and international law.


The implementation of the EU Strategy will include in particular the following actions:

  • Completing EU trade negotiations with Australia, Indonesia and New Zealand; resuming trade negotiations and starting investment negotiations with India; completing an Economic Partnership Agreement with the East Africa Community; assessing the possible resumption of trade negotiations with Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, and the eventual negotiation of a region-to-region trade agreement with ASEAN.

  • Concluding Partnership and Cooperation Agreements (PCA) with Malaysia and Thailand; starting PCA negotiations with the Maldives, and bringing the EU's upcoming new Partnership Agreement with the African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (ACP) to full fruition.

  • Concluding Green Alliances and Partnerships with willing and ambitious Indo-Pacific partners to fight against climate change and environmental degradation. The first has been agreed with Japan in May 2021.

  • Strengthening ocean governance in the region, including increasing the EU's support for Indo-Pacific countries' fisheries management and control systems, the fight against Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and the implementation of Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements.

  • Expanding the network of digital partnerships with Indo-Pacific partners, as well as exploring the possibility of new Digital Partnership Agreements with Japan, the Republic of Korea and Singapore.

  • Stepping up implementation of the Connectivity Partnerships with Japan and India; supporting partners in establishing an appropriate regulatory environment and facilitating the mobilisation of the necessary funding to improve connectivity on the ground between Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

  • Strengthening cooperation on research and innovation under ‘Horizon Europe'; explore the association to this programme of eligible likeminded Indo-Pacific partners such as Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand and Singapore.

  • Exploring ways to ensure enhanced naval deployments by EU Member States to help protect the sea lines of communication and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific while boosting Indo-Pacific partners' capacity to ensure maritime security.

  • Reinforcing support to healthcare systems and pandemic preparedness for the least-developed countries in the Indo-Pacific region, enhancing collaborative research on communicable diseases in the context of the Horizon Europe research programme.

Background


The adoption of the Joint Communication follows Council Conclusions on an EU Strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific adopted on 19 April 2021.


The EU will deepen its engagement with partners in the Indo-Pacific to respond to emerging dynamics that are affecting regional stability. We wish to promote multilateral cooperation, including with ASEAN, working on global challenges, from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate, from ocean governance to digital.


The EU's engagement with the Indo-Pacific region will be principled and long-term, promoting inclusive and effective multilateral cooperation grounded in a rules-based international order, shared values and principles, including a commitment to respecting democracy, human rights and the rule of law.


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    • 2 min read

UBS Asset Management to sell its holding in its Japanese real estate joint venture, Mitsubishi Corp.

March 17, 2022. ZURICH.

The transaction concludes the successful 20-year joint venture between Mitsubishi Corporation and UBS Asset Management’s Real Estate & Private Markets business in Japan

  • The transaction concludes the successful 20-year joint venture between Mitsubishi Corporation and UBS Asset Management’s Real Estate & Private Markets business in Japan

  • UBS expects to record a gain in Asset Management and a CET1 capital increase related to the sale of approximately USD 0.9 billion upon close of the transaction, expected to be in April 2022

  • UBS’s asset management, wealth management and investment banking businesses operating in Japan are not affected by the sale

UBS Group and UBS AG (“UBS”) today announced that UBS Asset Management has agreed with its joint venture partner, Mitsubishi Corporation, to sell Mitsubishi Corp.-UBS Realty Inc. (“MC-UBSR”) to KKR & Co. Inc (“KKR”). The transaction is expected to close in April 2022, subject to required filings and regulatory approvals.


MC-UBSR was established in 2000 in the initial days of the J-REIT market as a joint venture between Mitsubishi Corporation and UBS Asset Management’s Real Estate & Private Markets business. MC-UBSR has grown into one of the largest real estate asset management companies in Japan today. MC-UBSR manages two Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed J-REITs – Japan Metropolitan Fund Investment Corporation (JMF) and Industrial & Infrastructure Fund Investment Corporation (IIF) – with total assets under management of approximately USD 15 billion.


KKR is committed to further developing the MC-UBSR business, while ensuring continuity with the existing strategy, and is committed to leveraging its network and global resources to create value for JMF and IIF unitholders.


Suni Harford, President of UBS Asset Management, said; “In partnership with Mitsubishi Corporation, we are proud to have developed MC-UBSR into a leading real estate platform in Japan. We are confident that KKR is well placed to take this business forward and wish the MC-UBSR team every success for the future. The Japanese market remains a cornerstone of our Real Estate & Private Markets business in Asia Pacific, and we remain focused on serving the needs of our clients and capturing growth opportunities in this strategically important region. Through our rapidly growing real estate investment unit, UBS Japan Advisors, we will continue to advise our clients on Japanese property investments.”


UBS Investment Bank acted as exclusive financial advisor to UBS Asset Management, Mitsubishi Corporation and MC-UBSR on the transaction.


UBS Group AG and UBS AG

    • 4 min read

UFC and DraftKings Extend Strategic Relationship to Include Gamified NFTs

June 10, 2022. BOSTON, LAS VEGAS.

(GLOBE NEWSWIRE) Reignmakers UFC Gamified NF Series to Debut Ahead of UFC 276 in July.

Today, UFC® and DraftKings Inc. (Nasdaq: DKNG) announced plans to launch a new iteration of DraftKings’ “Reignmakers” gamified digital collectibles franchise focused on UFC. Reignmakers UFC will allow fans to build collections of their favorite UFC fighters and utilize them in games to compete for prizes. The first season of Reignmakers UFC NFT-based games is expected to go live later this year.


Ahead of the launch of the game, fans can soon begin collecting the initial NFTs of fighters via auctions and drops in DraftKings’ “Heatwave Series,” which will be based around this summer’s UFC events schedule, beginning with UFC® 276: ADESANYA vs. CANNONIER on July 2.


Collectors will receive rewards both leading into and following the game rollout based on the utility of the NFT which could include entries into special daily fantasy contests for cash, custom merchandise and more. Under the new agreement with UFC, DraftKings Marketplace will have access to fighter IP from over 500 different athletes on the active UFC roster from which to choose to create the Reignmakers UFC collection.


“UFC has been a tremendous collaborator over the years, and we are delighted for the organization to represent our latest installment within DraftKings’ burgeoning Reignmakers gamified digital collectibles franchise,” said Beth Beiriger, SVP of Product Operations for DraftKings Marketplace. “Fight fans are already among the most engaged audiences, and we see these immersive technologies as bolstering the unique sports entertainment ecosystem we provide for consumers while also rewarding their undeniable passion.”


Already UFC’s first-ever “Official Sportsbook and Daily Fantasy Partner” in the United States and Canada, DraftKings now extends the collaboration between these leading organizations into blockchain and intends to merge collectability with event-based benefits.


The exclusive Reignmakers UFC game is in development now, and at launch it will include familiar features and functionality related to missions, achievements, level-ups, leaderboards and other underlying game mechanics. In the meantime, the inaugural collection of fighter NFTs will provide collectors with timely digital and physical rewards tied to corresponding UFC events. All fighter collections will eventually become playable, in-game items, while maintaining this rewards system for holders.


“We’re excited to expand our relationship with DraftKings to incorporate UFC into their highly anticipated Reignmakers gamified NFT collection,” said Tracey Bleczinski, UFC Senior Vice President of Global Consumer Products. “Reignmakers UFC will be a unique, innovative opportunity to create fan engagement that combines DraftKings’ expertise in digital sports entertainment with pioneering technology that features hundreds of UFC athletes, including some of the biggest names in the sport.”


These digitally-ownable UFC collections will drop on DraftKings Marketplace with tiers of varying scarcity that include entry-level NFTs for a mainstream accessible experience. Reignmakers UFC NFTs will be available to buy and sell within DraftKings’ secondary market.

For more information on DraftKings Marketplace, Reignmakers and upcoming drops, customers can visit marketplace.draftkings.com. More in-depth details about Reignmakers UFC are available here.


About DraftKings

DraftKings Inc. is a digital sports entertainment and gaming company created to fuel the competitive spirit of sports fans with products that range across daily fantasy, regulated gaming and digital media. Headquartered in Boston, and launched in 2012 by Jason Robins, Matt Kalish and Paul Liberman, DraftKings is the only U.S.-based vertically integrated sports betting operator. DraftKings is a multi-channel provider of sports betting and gaming technologies, powering sports and gaming entertainment for operators in 17 countries. The company operates iGaming in 5 states through its DraftKings brand, as well as operating Golden Nugget Online Gaming, an award-winning iGaming product and iconic gaming brand, in 3 states. DraftKings’ Sportsbook is live with mobile and/or retail betting operations in the United States pursuant to regulations in 18 states and in Ontario, Canada. DraftKings’ daily fantasy sports product is available in 6 countries internationally with 15 distinct sports categories. DraftKings is both an official daily fantasy and sports betting partner of the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, PGA TOUR and UFC as well as an official daily fantasy partner of NASCAR. Launched in August 2021, DraftKings Marketplace is a digital collectibles ecosystem designed for mainstream accessibility that offers curated NFT drops and supports secondary-market transactions. DraftKings also owns Vegas Sports Information Network (VSiN), a multi-platform broadcast and content company.


About UFC®

UFC is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 688 million fans and 198 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to nearly 900 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 75 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is owned by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.


DraftKings Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this release are “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words “estimates,” “projected,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “future,” “propose” and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside DraftKings’ control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see DraftKings’ Securities and Exchange Commission filings. DraftKings does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.


UFC ContactChris Bellitti at cbellitti@ufc.com or Brian Smith at bsmith@ufc.com





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