Ascent Resources plc (U.K.) provided an update on disputes stemming from the insolvency of its former Slovenian joint venture partner, Geoenergo d.o.o. Ascent’s subsidiary Ascent Slovenia Ltd. received a domestic arbitration award confirming entitlement to approximately €7.8 million in hydrocarbon proceeds owed by Geoenergo. The company also defended related claims by Petrol Geo d.o.o., a connected entity, resulting in partial award of about €240,000. Ascent is pursuing further recovery and exploring a mediated settlement under the Framework Build Operate Transfer Agreement, which could include a complete exit from remaining Slovenian assets.

Source: Ascent Resources plc (Regulatory Announcement, London Stock Exchange)

Lithium Americas (Canada) finalized amendments to its US$2.23 billion DOE loan supporting construction of processing facilities at the Thacker Pass Project, a joint venture with General Motors (U.S.). Under the new terms, the DOE will defer US$184 million in early loan repayments and receive a 5% equity stake in Lithium Americas and 5% economic interest in the joint venture through warrants. General Motors and the joint venture also amended their lithium off take agreement to permit additional third-party sales. The project remains one of the world’s largest known lithium resources and a key pillar in the U.S. EV supply chain strategy.

Source: Business Wire (Lithium Americas Corp. press release)

Ubisoft formally launched Vantage Studios, a new subsidiary jointly backed by Tencent, which holds a 25% equity stake and advisory role. Co-led by Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot, Vantage Studios consolidates Ubisoft’s development teams across Montréal, Quebec City, and Barcelona. The studio will oversee Ubisoft’s flagship franchises, Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six, and operate with increased creative and business autonomy under a decentralized model.

Source: Inven (via Byungho Kim translation)

India’s ideaForge Technology, via its U.S. subsidiary ideaForge Technology Inc., formed a 50-50 joint venture with Delaware-based First Breach Inc. to establish First Forge Technology Inc. in the United States. The joint venture combines ideaForge’s UAV intellectual property and technical expertise with First Breach’s capital investment and market access, targeting design, engineering, production, and distribution of drones in the U.S. defense and commercial sectors. Each partner will appoint two directors to the board.

Source: NSE Corporate Filings (ideaForge Technology Ltd.) (via HDFC SKY)

Shinsegae Group’s Market (Korea) and Alibaba’s AliExpress Korea (China) launched Grand Opus Holdings, a 50-50 joint venture approved by Korea’s Fair Trade Commission. The joint venture integrates Gmarket and AliExpress Korea as subsidiaries, aiming to expand Korean SMEs’ overseas sales via Alibaba’s global platform, starting with Southeast Asia and extending to 200+ markets. By combining Gmarket’s seller base (600,000 sellers, 20M items) with AliExpress’s international logistics, the joint venture is positioned as the No. 2 player in Korea’s e-commerce market by monthly active users, challenging Coupang and Naver.

Source: Korean Herald (translated)/ News1

Avant Technologies (United States) and Austrianova (Singapore) have signed a joint venture and license agreement to establish Kothonova, Inc., a Nevada-based company, focused on therapies using encapsulated Klotho-producing cells. The joint venture, structured as a 50-50 entity, will commercialize therapies using Austrianova’s proprietary cell encapsulation technology to deliver Klotho protein—linked to anti-aging and treatment of Alzheimer’s, kidney disease, heart disease, and cancer. Avant contributes capital and resources, while Austrianova provides IP and technical expertise. This collaboration positions Klothonova as a new entrant in longevity-focused biotech.

Source: Avant Technologies press release (PR Newswire)

Velo Protocol (British Virgin Islands), Lightnet Group (Singapore), and OpenEden (Singapore, via regulated entities in BVI and Bermuda) formed a joint venture to launch a Treasury-as-a-Service (TaaS) platform and an ASEAN settlement network. The initiative will support compliant stable coin issuance, cross-border payments, and institutional treasury services. Built on OpenEden’s TBILL (tokenized U.S. Treasuries, rated Moody’s “A” and S&P “AA+”), the joint venture will provide modular APIs, custodial and FX solutions, and real-time settlement infrastructure for banks, fintechs, and enterprises across Asia.

Source: Velo Labs Technology Ltd. (via CNW)

Toyota Tsusho (Japan) acquired a 25% stake in LG-HY BCM, the joint venture of Huayou Cobalt (China) and LG Chem (South Korea), which produces nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) and nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA) cathode materials for EV batteries. The move secures Toyota Tsusho’s access to critical metals and strengthens supply resilience for Japanese automakers under global EV supply chain restructuring. The investment also supports stable supply for North American markets under the U.S. IRA framework.

Source: Shanghai Metal Market

Alchemy Properties (United States), Breakers Capital (United States), and Galapagos Capital (Brazil) formed a joint venture to launch a 12-story mixed-use condominium and retail project in Miami’s Wynwood district. The US$18 million site acquisition in 2022 will be transformed into a 206,000 sq. ft. residential building with 186 units, 13,500 sq. ft. of retail, and extensive amenities. Sales begin in early 2026, with construction slated for Q1 2027. This marks Galapagos Capital’s first ground-up U.S. development.

Source: PROFILEmiami

Wah Kwong Maritime Transport (Hong Kong) and NatPower Marine (United Kingdom) launched Wah Kwong NatPower Holdings, a joint venture to develop electric shore power infrastructure across Asian ports. Operating under a charge point operator mode, the joint venture will fully fund, build, and manage grid-connected charging systems enabling vessels to cut fossil-fuel use while docked. Initial projects will begin in Hong Kong in 2026, with expansion to over 30 ports by 2030, creating Asia’s first international clean charging corridor for ships.

Source: Lloyd’s List Intelligence; Offshore Energy

Reliance Industries (India) and Meta (U.S.) will invest about US$96 million in a joint venture to develop enterprise applications using Meta’s open-source Llama AI platform for India and other markets. Reliance also announced a separate collaboration with Google (U.S.) to deploy AI technologies at its new gigawatt-scale data center hub in Jamnagar, Gujarat. The initiatives will support Reliance’s newly created Reliance Intelligence unit, as the company prepares for the IPO of its telecom arm, Jio.

Source: Forbes

Singapore’s Origgin Ventures and Japan’s Interuniversity Ventures have launched Origgin Ventures Japan, a US$30 million joint-venture fund based in Fukuoka. The fund will target university spin-offs and deep-tech commercialization, bridging Japan’s R&D strengths with Southeast Asia’s growth markets. The joint venture has signed two MOUs with Japanese partners and is collaborating with GxPartners to accelerate corporate venture co-creation.

Source: Asia Business Outlook

Musinsa (South Korea) and Anta Sports (China) have formed a joint venture, Musinsa China, to oversee the expansion of Musinsa’s private label and retail operations in the Chinese market. Musinsa will hold a 60% stake, and Anta will hold 40%. The venture will manage both online and offline growth, including the planned launch of a multi-brand store in Shanghai, while supporting the entry of Korean designer labels into the Chinese market.

Source: The Korea Herald; Musinsa

Lum Chang Holdings (Singapore) and L&K Engineering (Taiwan) have established the L&K–LCB Joint Venture LLP to undertake civil, structural, and architectural works for a project in northern Singapore. Lum Chang holds a 30% stake and L&K a 70% stake. The joint venture aims to expand Lum Chang’s market presence and capacity in Singapore’s construction sector.

Source: TipRanks

Osaka Organic Chemicals Industry (Japan) and Shin-Nakamura Chemical (Japan) concluded a joint venture agreement to establish Visnex Chemicals Corporation in New Jersey, U.S. The company will focus on the sales of specialty acrylic acid esters used in coatings, adhesives, inks, cosmetics, and electronic materials. The joint venture, scheduled for establishment in September 2025, will be capitalized at USD 2.75 million, with Osaka Organic holding 70% and Shin-Nakamura 30%.

Source: MarketScreener