ThreatLocker® Raises $115M Series D to Continue Delivering Zero Trust Endpoint Security to More Organizations

Round led by global growth equity firm General Atlantic, along with StepStone Group and the D. E. Shaw group, to accelerate product innovation and increase reach of Zero Trust endpoint security to organizations globally.

ORLANDO, Fla., April 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ThreatLocker®, a global cybersecurity leader that offers a Zero Trust endpoint security solution, today announced it has raised $115M in Series D funding led by existing investor General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm, with participation from other major investors StepStone Group and the D. E. Shaw group. With the new investment, ThreatLocker® will continue to focus on driving product innovation to bring the power of Zero Trust security to more organizations and accelerating the company’s global expansion.

ThreatLocker® provides organizations with the ability to protect their IT operations with an effective Zero Trust approach to cybersecurity. The product suite provides enterprise-level server and endpoint security by blocking untrusted software, including ransomware, scripts and libraries, and exploits of known and unknown application vulnerabilities through Default Deny Application Control, Ringfencing™, Storage Control, Privileged Access Management, Network Access Control, as well as its new Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) and Managed Detection & Response (MDR) solutions. ThreatLocker® believes that its customers should have complete control over their network and devices, know what is trying to infiltrate their stack, and not live in fear of the next cyberattack. With a powerful security tool suite designed to enable organizations to easily and directly control exactly what applications run on their endpoints, ThreatLocker® customers can rest assured knowing that their businesses are protected using the Zero Trust model framework that protects them from various cyber threats, including unknown malware, ransomware, and exploits for known and unknown vulnerabilities.

ThreatLocker® CEO Danny Jenkins commented, “ThreatLocker has made a huge impact in the industry in driving a least-privilege approach forward over the last few years and has introduced new EDR and MDR products within a single cybersecurity platform for our customers. We believe this new injection of capital will enable us to continue to develop Zero Trust products and grow ThreatLocker’s market presence. We are very excited to be partnering again with General Atlantic, as well as with new investors, StepStone Group & the D. E. Shaw group, and look forward to leveraging their teams’ deep experience in bringing products to market and scaling technologically-disruptive businesses.”

To add to this, ThreatLocker® COO Sami Jenkins commented, “We are thrilled to extend our partnerships with General Atlantic and look forward to working with StepStone and the D. E. Shaw group.” 

The new investment follows another year of growth as ThreatLocker® doubled its revenue and added 50% to its workforce. Today, ThreatLocker® has thousands of partners and protects over 50,000 organizations. Serving companies who are serious about security, ThreatLocker® partners with Enterprises and Managed Service Providers (and MSSPs), including many financial institutions, healthcare organizations, and airlines such as Emirates and JetBlue Airways.

Gary Reiner, Operating Partner at General Atlantic, continued, “ThreatLocker effectively takes the guesswork out of threat detection with its Zero Trust approach. As companies of all sizes increasingly focus on filling in gaps in their security stacks, Zero Trust is becoming a necessity – and we view ThreatLocker as an emerging leader in this paradigm shift. We are thrilled to further our partnership with the team to accelerate ThreatLocker’s growth as an endpoint security disruptor.”

About ThreatLocker® 
ThreatLocker® is a global cybersecurity leader, providing enterprise-level Zero Trust cybersecurity tools to improve the security of servers and endpoints. Founded in 2017 by Danny Jenkins, Sami Jenkins, and John Carolan, ThreatLocker® now serves thousands of organizations globally and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, USA. For more information, visit: https://www.threatlocker.com/

About General Atlantic
General Atlantic is a leading global growth investor with more than four decades of experience providing capital and strategic support for over 520 growth companies throughout its history. Established in 1980 to partner with visionary entrepreneurs and deliver lasting impact, the firm combines a collaborative global approach, sector-specific expertise, a long-term investment horizon, and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great entrepreneurs and management teams to scale innovative businesses around the world. General Atlantic has approximately $84 billion in assets under management inclusive of all products as of March 31, 2024, and more than 300 investment professionals based in New York, Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Mexico City, Miami, Mumbai, Munich, San Francisco, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Stamford and Tel Aviv. For more information on General Atlantic, please visit: www.generalatlantic.com.

About The D. E. Shaw Group
The D. E. Shaw group is a global investment and technology development firm with more than $60 billion in investment capital as of March 1, 2024, and offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. Since our founding in 1988, our firm has earned a reputation for successful investing based on innovation, careful risk management, and the quality and depth of our staff. We have a significant presence in the world’s capital markets, investing in a wide range of companies and financial instruments in both developed and developing economies. For more information, visit www.deshaw.com.

Media Contacts

ThreatLocker®
Spencer Ford
(689) 217-4246
spencer.ford@threatlocker.com

General Atlantic
Emily Japlon & Sara Widmann
media@generalatlantic.com

The D. E. Shaw group
media-inquiries@deshaw.com

Spencer Ford
ThreatLocker Inc.
+16892174246
spencer.ford@threatlocker.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 9104839

UK businesses must prioritise payment technology to build customer loyalty and stay competitive: New research from Lloyds Bank and FreedomPay

London, United Kingdom, April 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —
  • Less than a third (27%) of businesses are confident they offer seamless payments experiences.
  • Almost two-thirds of businesses (59%) across Retail, Food & Beverages and Hospitality believe a good checkout experience offers the same competitive advantage as having the best products.
  • Customer preference is the factor most likely to influence businesses’ investment in payment technologies.

New research from Lloyds Bank and FreedomPay highlights the importance of UK businesses investing in new payment technology.

Two-thirds (59%) of UK Retail, Food & Beverage (F&B) and Hospitality companies were found to already put payments at the heart of their customer experience strategy, reflecting the growing importance of payment options to customers.

For retail-focused businesses, 59% believe that a good checkout experience is essential to building customer loyalty, with respondents believing it is as much a competitive advantage as having the best products.

Meanwhile, 57% of retailers said that a poor payment experience could have a detrimental effect on their business, pushing customers to competitors who offer a better experience.

The findings come as payment infrastructure is increasingly viewed as a critical part of customers’ shopping experience. As high inflation takes its toll on both independent venues and enterprise chains, this research demonstrates the need for businesses to prioritise customer satisfaction and build brand loyalty.

A Chip Off the Old Block

However, despite understanding the importance of providing a good payment experience for customers, making this a reality appears to be a challenge for many businesses.

Half of all business surveyed (49%) said they had not invested in payment solution updates at all, and only 27% of respondents felt confident in their omnichannel payment experience offering.

This disparity highlights that businesses have a lot of room for growth, as investment in new payment technology could lead to significantly enhanced customer experiences and result in increased sales.

Data leads to better customer engagement

Other findings highlighted how businesses are using data, with many understanding that payments data can help them to make more informed decisions. 80% of respondents said they are using payments data to learn more about their customers to tailor services and products for them, which can be crucial to maintaining customer engagement and driving brand loyalty.

FreedomPay’s President Chris Kronenthal said:
“What is evident from our research is that brands must focus on payments innovation now more than ever. Understanding what customers expect and want from a payment experience is fundamental to ensuring that customers keep coming back. Choosing the right payments partner can support strategic business decisions and streamline checkout to help to deliver a personalised, seamless, and data-driven experience any time, any place.”

Melinda Roylett, Managing Director, Lloyds Bank Merchant Services said:
“The way we pay has undergone rapid shifts in the past few years. Accelerated by the pandemic, technological advancements and innovative ways of using open banking have led to the increasing adoption of contactless, digital wallet solutions and embedded finance options such as Buy Now, Pay Later. Consumers now have more choice than ever. This means that businesses also need to think about how they use the payment experience at checkout to build business growth.”

We hope you enjoy the full Report at lloydsbank.com/paymentsinsight

ABOUT FREEDOMPAY

FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce™ platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

ABOUT LLOYDS BANKING GROUP

  • Lloyds Banking Group is a leading UK based financial services group providing a wide range of banking and financial services, focused on personal and commercial customers.
  • We are proud to be by the side of British business, supporting more than 1 million UK businesses with leading digital and relationship banking services, as they start up, grow, thrive and trade internationally.
  • As part of the Group, Lloyds Bank Cardnet Merchant Services offers leading end-to-end payment acceptance solutions. We help businesses from all parts of the UK, and across all different sectors and sizes, giving them the support they need to take payments online, in store, or over the phone at any time.
  • For more information on how we help businesses to receive payments please visit: www.lloydsbank.com/cardnet

Attachments

Adam Charles, Media Relations
Lloyds Bank
0207 356 2374
Adam.charles@lloydsbanking.com

Hill & Knowlton for FreedomPay
freedompayUK@hillandknowlton.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 9104694

EduFi Gets NBFC License to Offer Easy Loans to Students

In a momentous development, EduFi Financial Services Private Limited, a pioneering education lending FinTech company, has been granted its Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) license by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).

This landmark achievement propels them into an exciting phase as EduFi formally launches its operations in the Pakistani market.

EduFi is at the forefront with its groundbreaking education lending app. Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI), the app revolutionizes the process that not only streamlines the application process but also ensures fairness and objectivity in lending decisions. The app provides tailored financial offerings that align with the individual’s educational aspirations and capacity to repay.

As a result, students gain access to necessary funds, empowering them to pursue their academic goals without the burden of financial uncertainty.

This innovative solution is set to transform the education finance sector, making it more access
ible, efficient, and responsive to the needs of a diverse student population.

‘Our vision has always been to revolutionize the educational landscape of Pakistan to enhance our adult literacy rate and provide accessible and innovative financial solutions to a deprived sector of our economy. With the NBFC license in hand, we are now fully equipped to turn this vision into reality. We are set to embark on a mission to empower students, educators, and institutions with the financial tools they need to succeed. Education is the cornerstone of progress, and we believe that financial constraints should never be a barrier to learning. Our suite of products is designed to bridge the gap between ambition and opportunity, offering tailored financial solutions packages that will open doors for countless learners across Pakistan. We invite all Pakistani students to join us on this journey and fund their future with EduFi.’ said company CEO and founder Aleena Nadeem.

Source: Pro Pakistani

Here’s How To Pay Your IESCO Bill Online Starting April 2024

Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) is facing disruption in its online bill payment system, hence payments through banking apps or 1link are not working at the moment. This has resulted in people forming long queues outside of IESCO offices everywhere.

Other than IESCO offices, banks are accepting bill payments through physical visits, but online payment systems are not accessible.

However, there is a workaround that appears to be working for most banking apps.

We have an example video that shows how it is done through the Allied Bank (ABL) mobile app. Through the ABL app, users simply have to head over to the ‘Payments’ option on the top left. Select ‘New Payments’ at the top, but instead of selecting ‘Utility’, select the ‘1 Bill’ option. Scroll down to the ‘Others’ option here.

Under the ‘Reference No/Customer ID’, add a prefix such as 111444 and then add a reference number. This will show the relevant bill which can be paid from the same tab.

This method should work with banking apps that have
the 1 Bill payment option.

Reference numbers can be found near the top right corner of an IESCO bill.

The reason behind IESCO’s online bill payment disruption remains unclear and we don’t know when the issue will be fixed. We have reached out to IESCO for a comment on the matter and will update the article once we have a response.

IESCO has made no announcements or informed the public by any means as of yet. Users are able to view data for their older bills, but not their recent ones.

Free Solar Systems

In related news, Punjab has announced free solar systems for 50,000 households to help save electricity bills and promote renewable energy. Each of these systems will include two solar panels, a battery, and wiring, and will be provided to power consumers with less than 100 units of consumption per month.

Source: Pro Pakistani

FBR to Disallow Input Tax Adjustment to 1,680 Unregistered Retailers

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) will disallow input tax adjustment of 1,680 Tier-1 retailers in case they fail to integrate with the FBR’s computerized system for real-time reporting of sales till May 31, 2024.

A Sales Tax General Order No. 01 of 2024 issued on Wednesday revealed that the Finance Act, 2019 added sub-section (6) to section 8B of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 (‘the STA, 1990’) which provided that input tax of a Tier-1 Retailer ‘(T-1R)’ who did not integrate its retail outlet in the manner prescribed under subsection (9A) of section 3 of the STA, 1990 during a tax period, would be reduced by 15 percent.

The figure of 15 percent was subsequently raised to 60 percent vide the Finance Act, 2021.

In order to streamline the process of registration and integration of Tier-1 retailers, FBR has issued S.R.O 1842(I)/2023, dated 21st December 2023, whereby retailers, whose deductible withholding tax under section 236H of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 during immediate preceding twelve consecutive months
has exceeded Rs 100,000 have been prescribed as Tier-1 retailers under clause (g) of section 2(43A) of the Sales Tax Act, 1990.

Such retailers are liable to be registered and integrated with the Board’s computerized system for real-time reporting of sales under the Sales Tax Act, 1990 and rules made thereunder.

The FBR has issued a new STGO for the integration of such retailers who fulfill the conditions laid down in section 2(43A)(g).

In order to operationalize this important provision of law, a system-based approach has been adopted whereby all T-1Rs who are liable to integrate but have not yet integrated, w.e.f. June-2024 (Sales Tax Returns filed in July 2024) are to be dealt with as per the procedure.

A list of 1,680 identified T-IRs, enclosed with this STGO has also been placed on FBR’s web portal at www.fbr.gov.pk allowing them to integrate with the FBR’s POS System by 31st May 2024.

In case a notified T-1R claims that it is not a T-1R as per the definition provided in Section 2(43A) of the Sales T
ax Act 1990, and therefore not liable to integrate, it shall apply to the Commissioner concerned for exclusion from the list, and the Commissioner would decide in this regard in accordance with the procedure laid down in STGO 17 of 2022, dated 13.05.2022.

Upon filing of Sales Tax Return for June 2024 for all hereby notified T-1Rs not having yet integrated, their input tax claim would be disallowed as above, without any further notice or proceedings, creating tax demand by the same amount, FBR added.

Source: Pro Pakistani

Customs Intelligence Detects Fraudulent Import of Artificial Leather Worth Rs. 220 Million

The Directorate of Customs Intelligence, Karachi has detected a fraudulent import of artificial leather worth Rs. 220 million.

According to information obtained by ProPakistani, the Directorate of Customs Intelligence, Karachi through Director General Faiz Ahmad Chadhar received credible information that the Clearing Agency M/s Ayyaz Enterprises was involved in imports of artificial leather without payment of duty and taxes in the name of fake companies including M/s Awami Textile, M/s Fraz Enterprises and M/s Pak Asia for manufacture of goods for exports but was fraudulently selling it illegally.

The investigation carried out by the Directorate of Customs Intelligence, Karachi revealed that Awami Textile, Fraz Enterprises, and Pak Asia having addresses in different parts of the country did not physically exist and that the artificial leather imported without duties and taxes for manufacture of goods for export on their names was illegally sold in the market.

These companies were fake, only existed in doc
uments, and had been created for evasion of massive duties and taxes through misuse of the Exports Facilitation Scheme introduced by the government for the promotion of exports.

Ayyaz Enterprises have so far imported artificial leather worth Rs. 220 million in the name of these fake companies by evading duties and taxes of Rs. 110 million and fraudulently sold it in the market.

One of the shipments of artificial leather valuing Rs. 16 million involving duty and taxes of Rs. 0.86 million imported by Ayyaz Enterprises in the name of fake company Awami Textile has also been seized at KICT West Wharf, Karachi port by the Directorate of Customs Intelligence, Karachi which has lodged FIR against the Clearing Agent as well as the fake companies on whose name huge quantity of artificial leather was imported without payment of duties and taxes and has initiated further investigations.

The Directorate of Customs Intelligence, Karachi is of the view that this timely cognizance of the misuse of the Export Facilitation
scheme introduced by the government for bonafide exporters will help in preventing its misuse by unscrupulous elements in the future.

Source: Pro Pakistani

PSX Breaks All Records to Close Above 72,000 As Momentum Continues

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) rose to a new all-time high on Wednesday, surpassing its previous high of 71,500 seen on Tuesday.

After opening trade at 71,359 points, the benchmark KSE-100 index went up by 1.48 percent or 1,055 points at 10:35 AM to a new high of 72,414.

It closed at 72,051, up 0.97 percent or 692 points.

The KMI 30 index gained 1,486 points settling at 121,162, while the KSE All share index increased by 306 points to close at 47,172.

Top Volumes

The highest participation was witnessed in Pakistan International Bulk Terminal (PSX: PIBTL) with over 54.5 million shares traded, followed by K-Electric Limited (PSX: KEL) and Air Link Communication Limited (PSX: AIRLINK). The scrips had 40.1 million shares and 25.9 million shares traded, respectively.

SCRIP PRICE HIGH LOW CHANGE VOLUME

PIBTL 7.02 7.07 6.79 0.38 54,513,000

KEL 4.16 4.23 4.1 0.09 40,123,957

AIRLINK 78.39 78.39 72.5 5.42 25,939,673

WTL 1.34 1.36 1.32 0.02 24,114,567

TELE 9.14 9.27 8.9 0.15 17,620,891

UNITY 24.53 24.55
23.61 0.6 16,685,503

PRL 27.74 28.25 27.4 -0.48 16,645,816

Source: Pro Pakistani

Pakistan, Iran Agree to Expeditiously Finalize Free Trade Agreement

Pakistan and Iran have agreed to expeditiously finalize the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), a joint statement said on Wednesday as Iranian President Dr. Seyed Ebrahim Raisi concluded his three-day official visit to Pakistan.

According to the joint statement, with a view to further strengthening bilateral economic cooperation, both sides agreed to expeditiously finalize the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and hold the next sessions of Annual Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) and Joint Business Trade Committee (JBTC) as well as the 22nd round of the negotiations of the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) in the near future.

The statement said that the two countries also agreed to facilitate regular exchange of economic and technical experts, as well as delegations from Chambers of Commerce from both countries to intensify economic cooperation. The declaration of ‘Reemdan border point’ as an international border crossing point under TIR and opening of the remaining two border sustenance markets was also agreed.

Bot
h sides agreed to enhance mutual interaction through regular exchange of high-level visits to strengthen fraternal relations, the statement added.

Further, the two sides agreed to further expand trade and economic cooperation and affirmed their commitment to transform their common border from ‘border of peace’ to a ‘border of prosperity’ through joint development-oriented economic projects, including setting up of joint border markets, economic free zones, and new border openings.

They also reiterated the importance of cooperation in the energy domain, including trade in electricity, power transmission lines and IP Gas Pipeline Project. The two leaders agreed to boost their bilateral trade to $10 billion over the next five years.

Both sides underscored the imperative of a long-term durable economic partnership and collaborative regional economic and connectivity model, particularly for socio-economic development in Iran’s Sistan-Balochistan Province and Pakistan’s Balochistan Province, the statement added.

The joint statement said that there was consensus to fully operationalize barter trade mechanisms between the two sides to facilitate economic and commercial activity, particularly under ongoing collaborative endeavours, such as border sustenance markets, which would contribute towards improvement of the economic situation of local residents, and further constitute a step towards enhancing border security.

Pakistan and Iran stressed the importance of harnessing their respective geographic locations for promoting connectivity between the two countries as well as with the broader region. The two sides noted with satisfaction the progress made in the regular shipment of goods under the TIR Convention and agreed to fully operationalize the Convention to further promote efficient, speedy and barrier-free trade between Pakistan and Iran. It was agreed that full operationalization of the TIR Convention would also enhance regional integration and connectivity across the wider ECO region, the statement said.

It adde
d that as members of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the two countries expressed firm resolve to enhancing cooperation in connectivity, infrastructure development and energy sectors. The two countries also agreed to expand mutually beneficial and enduring linkages between the sister ports of Gwadar and Chahbahar.

It is pertinent to mention here that, at the invitation of the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Iranian President paid an official visit to Pakistan from 22-24 April 2024. The president o was accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising the Foreign Minister of Iran as well as other members of the cabinet and senior officials.

Source: Pro Pakistani