Latest news with #Paragon
Time Out
2 days ago
- Business
- Time Out
Blue Bottle Coffee now has a standalone café outlet in Singapore at Paragon
It seems like Blue Bottle Coffee is here to stay in Singapore. The world-renowned specialty coffee chain first landed on our shores last August, opening as a gift shop in the Japanese retail store Lumine Singapore at Raffles City. About seven months later, the space was converted into a full-fledged 42-seater dine-in café, much to the delight of coffee lovers and fans of the brand. Thanks to its soaring popularity, Blue Bottle now has a second outlet at Paragon Shopping Centre – its first standalone store in Singapore. That's not all. The brand also has plans to expand and open at least 10 more cafés across the island by 2027, making its artisanal coffee accessible to more Singaporeans. For now, the latest Blue Bottle café in Orchard seats 70 customers across its indoor and alfresco dining areas, which combined, span a total of more than 980 square feet. The space is decked out in the same iconic minimalist design as other Blue Bottle outlets, with simple yet classy elements of stainless steel, oak wood and terra cotta-toned plaster. Here, you'll find the regular range of espresso-based beverages, cold brew and pour-over selections on the menu. And on top of coffee, there are two exclusive food items on the Paragon menu – the Liège Waffle ($8.50) and yoghurt bowl ($12) topped with granola and strawberries. Those who want to get their hands on Blue Bottle drip (no, not the coffee) can also purchase merchandise like the embroidered Blue Bottle tote ($50), designed in collaboration with Japanese bag brand Ball & Chain and exclusively sold at the Paragon outlet. This new café is the result of Blue Bottle's partnership with Malaysian lifestyle specialist Valiram, and the two will be working together to roll out some 10 more outlets over the next two years. In the meantime, you can visit Blue Bottle Coffee's second outlet at 290 Orchard Road, Paragon Shopping Centre, #01-37, Singapore 238859, from 8am to 9pm daily.
AU Financial Review
14-07-2025
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Australia's top stocks fund seals golden year with rare 100pc return
Boutique manager Paragon has topped Morningstar's list of Australia's best stock-pickers for the 2025 financial year after its hedge fund achieved the rare feat of doubling investors' money. The $69.2 million commodity-focused long short strategy rode the blistering rally in precious metals, and wave of deal activity, to generate a whopping 102.5 per cent return for the 12-month period. That was nearly double the next best Australian-domiciled equity fund tracked by Morningstar.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Can an ‘ethical' spyware maker justify providing its tech to ICE?
Paragon, an Israeli spyware company that claims to operate as an 'ethical' surveillance vendor, faced scrutiny when earlier this year Italy was caught using Paragon's tools to spy on the phones of two journalists. Paragon responded by cutting Italy off from its surveillance products, becoming the first spyware company to ever publicly name one of its customers after the misuse of its products. Now, Paragon might face a new ethical dilemma: whether or not it will allow ICE agents to use its spyware. A $2 million one-year contract that Paragon signed in September 2024 with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) remains under review and has not yet taken effect, and Paragon has so far not supplied ICE's Homeland Security Investigations with its spyware tools, the company told TechCrunch. Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has authorized ICE to carry out large-scale immigration raids across the U.S., leading to the detention of thousands of migrants — and numerous U.S. citizens — in part thanks to data stored in federal databases and using technology provided by govtech giant Palantir. Considering ICE is poised to get a significantly larger budget following the passing of Trump's flagship Big Beautiful Bill Act into law, spyware could serve as a powerful surveillance tool in the Trump administration's immigration enforcement operations. With two months left before the contract expires, Paragon may never supply its spyware to ICE. But until the contract runs out on September 29, the U.S. government could approve it at any moment, forcing Paragon to make a decision about the use of its tools on U.S. soil. Right now, the company doesn't want to talk about this dilemma at all. When asked by TechCrunch, Paragon would not say what it plans to do if the contract passes review, or clarify what will happen with its relationship with ICE if the contract goes forward. Do you have more information about Paragon? From a non-work device, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or email. You also can contact TechCrunch via SecureDrop. Paragon's contract with ICE has been on pause since the paperwork was signed. Homeland Security issued a near-immediate stop-work order with the goal of reviewing whether the contract complied with a Biden-era executive order. The order restricts U.S. government agencies from using commercial spyware that could (or has been) abused by foreign governments to violate human rights, or to target Americans abroad. At the time, a Biden administration official told Wired that the U.S. government had 'immediately engaged' top leadership at Homeland Security, which houses ICE, to determine if the contract met the requirements of the executive order. Nine months on, Paragon's contract with ICE remains in limbo, and officials in the Trump White House did not have an update on its status. Trump administration spokesperson Abigail Jackson referred TechCrunch's questions to Homeland Security, and would not comment, when asked, about the Trump administration's position on the Biden-era spyware executive order, which remains in effect. A spokesperson for Homeland Security and ICE did not provide comment when contacted by TechCrunch. Spyware companies have historically been reticent to name their customers in any context, often for fear of reputational damage or risking lucrative government contracts. After WhatsApp revealed earlier this year that around 90 of its users, including journalists and human rights dissidents, had been targeted with Paragon's spyware, the company sought to distance itself from the hacks. Paragon's executive chairman John Fleming told TechCrunch then that it only sells to 'a select group of global democracies — principally, the United States and its allies.' In other words, Paragon wanted the world to know that it would sell to responsible government customers, and its response to the Italy scandal appears to reinforce the company's position. But in calling itself an ethical spyware vendor, Paragon has put the onus on itself to judge who it deals with. In doing so, the company has also opened the door for others to scrutinize its government customers and their ethics — whether they are the Italian government or ICE. As governments and their leaders change over time, Paragon may face the choice of having to re-evaluate who it works with. 'Given this administration's record of attacks on human rights and civil society organizations, we hope that Paragon would reconsider the agreement,' said Michael De Dora, the U.S. advocacy manager at Access Now, a nonprofit that has worked to expose spyware abuses. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
TechCrunch
11-07-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
Can an ‘ethical' spyware maker justify providing its tech to ICE?
Paragon, an Israeli spyware company that claims to operate as an 'ethical' surveillance vendor, faced scrutiny when earlier this year Italy was caught using Paragon's tools to spy on the phones of two journalists. Paragon responded by cutting Italy off from its surveillance products, becoming the first spyware company to ever publicly name one of its customers after the misuse of its products. Now, Paragon might face a new ethical dilemma: whether or not it will allow ICE agents to use its spyware. A $2 million one-year contract that Paragon signed in September 2024 with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) remains under review and has not yet taken effect, and Paragon has so far not supplied ICE's Homeland Security Investigations with its spyware tools, the company told TechCrunch. Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has authorized ICE to carry out large-scale immigration raids across the U.S., leading to the detention of thousands of migrants — and numerous U.S. citizens — in part thanks to data stored in federal databases and using technology provided by govtech giant Palantir. Considering ICE is poised to get a significantly larger budget following the passing of Trump's flagship Big Beautiful Bill Act into law, spyware could serve as a powerful surveillance tool in the Trump administration's immigration enforcement operations. With two months left before the contract expires, Paragon may never supply its spyware to ICE. But until the contract runs out on September 29, the U.S. government could approve it at any moment, forcing Paragon to make a decision about the use of its tools on U.S. soil. Right now, the company doesn't want to talk about this dilemma at all. When asked by TechCrunch, Paragon would not say what it plans to do if the contract passes review, or clarify what will happen with its relationship with ICE if the contract goes forward. Contact Us Do you have more information about Paragon? From a non-work device, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or Do you have more information about Paragon? From a non-work device, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or email . You also can contact TechCrunch via SecureDrop Paragon's contract with ICE has been on pause since the paperwork was signed. Homeland Security issued a near-immediate stop-work order with the goal of reviewing whether the contract complied with a Biden-era executive order. The order restricts U.S. government agencies from using commercial spyware that could (or has been) abused by foreign governments to violate human rights, or to target Americans abroad. At the time, a Biden administration official told Wired that the U.S. government had 'immediately engaged' top leadership at Homeland Security, which houses ICE, to determine if the contract met the requirements of the executive order. Nine months on, Paragon's contract with ICE remains in limbo, and officials in the Trump White House did not have an update on its status. Trump administration spokesperson Abigail Jackson referred TechCrunch's questions to Homeland Security, and would not comment, when asked, about the Trump administration's position on the Biden-era spyware executive order, which remains in effect. A spokesperson for Homeland Security and ICE did not provide comment when contacted by TechCrunch. Spyware companies have historically been reticent to name their customers in any context, often for fear of reputational damage or risking lucrative government contracts. After WhatsApp revealed earlier this year that around 90 of its users, including journalists and human rights dissidents, had been targeted with Paragon's spyware, the company sought to distance itself from the hacks. Paragon's executive chairman John Fleming told TechCrunch then that it only sells to 'a select group of global democracies — principally, the United States and its allies.' In other words, Paragon wanted the world to know that it would sell to responsible government customers, and its response to the Italy scandal appears to reinforce the company's position. But in calling itself an ethical spyware vendor, Paragon has put the onus on itself to judge who it deals with. In doing so, the company has also opened the door for others to scrutinize its government customers and their ethics — whether they are the Italian government or ICE. As governments and their leaders change over time, Paragon may face the choice of having to re-evaluate who it works with. 'Given this administration's record of attacks on human rights and civil society organizations, we hope that Paragon would reconsider the agreement,' said Michael De Dora, the U.S. advocacy manager at Access Now, a nonprofit that has worked to expose spyware abuses.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The £725bn Infrastructure Strategy can't succeed without SME delivery
The Government's new 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy sets out national priorities and spending commitments through 2034, including £725 billion in planned investment and inflation-linked capital spending increases from 2029. But as John Phillipou, Managing Director of SME Lending at Paragon, argues, unlocking its full potential for SMEs will require credible delivery, procurement reform, and strategic coordination across sectors. The Government's newly unveiled £725 billion 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy has the potential to reshape the country's economic landscape – and could unlock significant opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across several key sectors. But potential is the operative word. While the ambition is welcome, the UK has seen bold infrastructure promises before, many of which have struggled to materialise at scale or pace. Projects like HS2, which has seen costs spiral and key northern sections scrapped, and the abandoned Garden Bridge, which consumed over £50 million without ever being built, serve as reminders that delivery is just as important as aspiration. At Paragon Bank, we keep a regular dialogue with our customers across manufacturing, construction and other vital industries. Across the board, they consistently tell us that infrastructure and housing are key drivers for capital investment. A long-term strategy like this, if implemented effectively, can provide the visibility and confidence businesses need to plan ahead, invest in equipment and grow their workforce. The Government's pledge to invest at least £9 billion annually from 2025, rising to over £10 billion by 2034, could stimulate demand across supply chains. For construction SMEs, this may translate into a steady pipeline of public sector projects—from school refurbishments to hospital upgrades. The shift toward preventative maintenance over reactive repairs is also a positive step, potentially enabling longer-term contracts and more sustainable business planning. In housing, the ambition to build over 500,000 new homes with £16 billion in public investment - leveraging a further £53 billion in private capital – could also be transformative. But delivery will depend on how effectively local authorities and developers can mobilise. SME developers that specialise in energy-efficient, modern housing could be well-positioned, provided they are given fair access to contracts and planning processes. What's more, the recent launch of the Government's new industrial strategy – the first in nearly a decade - adds further weight to this long-term vision. With a focus on eight high-growth sectors, including advanced manufacturing, clean energy and digital technologies, the strategy aims to double business investment in key areas and build regional clusters across the UK. For SMEs, this could mean new opportunities in industries like aerospace and agricultural technologies, provided the right support systems are put in place. The Government's commitment to reducing electricity costs for energy-intensive industries and streamlining grid access is particularly welcomed by manufacturers, many of which face significant operating costs and delays in scaling. These interventions, if delivered effectively, promise to help level the playing field and enable smaller firms to compete in global markets. Encouragingly, the British Business Bank's latest £6.6 billion commitment to back innovation and support the industrial strategy adds another layer of support. This funding could help SMEs invest in the technologies, skills, and capabilities needed to deliver on both infrastructure and industrial ambitions. But coordination between these initiatives will be key. Too often, funding streams operate in silos, which limit impact. To ensure SMEs are not left behind, Government must ensure deliberate action. Procurement reform is essential. Personally, I'd like to see contracts be broken into smaller, accessible groups, with simplified bidding processes and clear SME participation targets. The creation of the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) is a step in the right direction, but it must ensure transparency and accountability. Local authorities and delivery bodies also need the resources and autonomy to engage regional SMEs meaningfully. That includes early visibility of projects, technical support for tendering, and prompt payment practices. At Paragon, we're ready to support this next chapter. We're investing in tech to ensure faster and more seamless approvals – reducing approval times by more than 60 percent in the last year alone - expanding our lending to sectors aligned with the strategies and developing tailored products to help SMEs grow and scale sustainably and seize opportunities that do arise. This strategy could mark the beginning of a new chapter for UK infrastructure, and for the SMEs that power our economy. If Government can deliver, SMEs – and Paragon – will be ready to do the same. "The £725bn Infrastructure Strategy can't succeed without SME delivery" was originally created and published by Leasing Life, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. 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