Group 1001 Insurance has named George Haj as chief communications officer. He joins the executive leadership team and reports to president and chief executive officer Dan Towriss. Haj will lead corporate communications and content across the group's brands, including executive and CEO communications, employee communications, and media relations. He comes from Haj Media, the strategic communications firm he founded and led for nine years. He previously worked as business editor at the Miami Herald and the Houston Chronicle. Towriss said Haj has worked with the company's teams as a consultant for several years, so "he already knows our business, our people, and our story." As of June 30, 2026, Group 1001 had more than 1,500 employees and $87.1 billion in combined assets under management.

Altera Corporation has expanded its Agilex FPGA and SoC FPGA portfolio to serve more aerospace and defence programmes. The company announced the move on October 19, 2026. The defence-grade devices operate from -55°C to 125°C. Leaded-ball and ruggedised packaging options are built to withstand temperature cycling, vibration, and shock. The chips are fabricated in the US, which Altera says supports supply resilience and long service lives. Defence-grade versions will cover the full Agilex line, from low-power Agilex 3 to mid-range Agilex 5, high-performance Agilex 7, and Agilex 9 Direct RF-Series. Uses range from edge systems to electronic warfare. "Our focus is on giving customers a programmable foundation they can build on for years," said Farhad Shafai, head of business solutions and marketing at Altera. Initial shipments are due in the first quarter of 2027, with software support targeted for Quartus Prime Design Software 27.1.

PharmaEssentia, a Taiwan-based biopharmaceutical company, is expanding abroad through new drug approvals, clinical trials, and overseas investment. In August, it won US and Japanese approval for its drug Ropeg to treat essential thrombocythemia, a rare blood cancer. Taiwan approved it in May. The company says Ropeg, sold as BESREMi, is the first new treatment approved for the disease in nearly three decades. It is also the only drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for both essential thrombocythemia and polycythemia vera. The drug is approved for polycythemia vera in about 50 countries. PharmaEssentia is running a global Phase 3 trial of Ropeg for early-stage primary myelofibrosis. In 2026, it acquired Canada's FORUS Therapeutics Inc. and announced plans to invest about $46 million in a Puerto Rico plant. Its market capitalisation approached $20 billion in 2026.