Company Briefs: Suzhou Abogen Biosciences

China's Suzhou Abogen Biosciences said on Thursday that it has raised over US$700 million (S$954 million) to support clinical development of its potential Covid-19 vaccine.

Abogen's potential shot against the coronavirus, which it is developing with a research institute affiliated with the Chinese military and Walvax Biotechnology, adopts the messenger RNA technology. The candidate, ARCoV, is being tested in a phase three clinical trial. The fund raising was led by seven investors, including Singapore's investment firm Temasek.

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Binance

Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, said yesterday that it was bringing in stricter customer checks for anti-money laundering requirements.

Binance said on its website that users would, with immediate effect, have to complete a verification process to access its products and services. Those who have not done so will be able to only withdraw funds, cancel orders and close positions.

The exchange has been under pressure in recent months from regulators worldwide.

REUTERS

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Mizuho Financial Group

Mizuho Financial Group's main banking unit suffered a system glitch that left branches throughout Japan unable to process transactions yesterday, the latest in a series of embarrassing system errors.

The glitch in Mizuho's core "Minori" banking system prevented in-person transactions yesterday morning, with service mostly restored by 9.50am local time.

The outage is the latest blow to the reputation of Japan's third-largest lender.

REUTERS