Jockey Club's PBC 2026 forum marks its 10th anniversary with global leaders gathering to "Leap for Impact"

HONG KONG, Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The opening day of PBC 2026 took place at West Kowloon Cultural District today (7 September). Convened by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust in association with the Institute of Philanthropy (IoP), the two-day forum brings together some 2,000 delegates and leaders from the worlds of philanthropy, sport, business, government, academia and the social sector to explore the transformation, challenges and opportunities shaping philanthropy today.

Marking the event's 10th anniversary and as one of the highlights of the Club's Year of the Horse campaign, PBC 2026 has adopted the theme "Leap for Impact". Drawing inspiration from the world's leading sports and top athletes, PBC 2026 explores how qualities essential to success in sport - discipline, focus, resilience and teamwork - can drive enduring, tangible social change. It aims to examine how these qualities can be transformed into a powerful force for philanthropy, generating deeper and more enduring social impact. The Trust has long sought to transform lives and strengthen communities through the power of sport. This aligns with the National 15th Five-Year Plan's emphasis on talent cultivation, youth development and the advancement of a strong and healthy sporting nation.

Officiating at the forum's opening ceremony was HKSAR Government Chief Secretary for Administration The Hon Chan Kwok-ki; the Club's Chairman The Hon Martin Liao; and Club CEO and IoP Director Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, HKSAR Government Chief Secretary for Administration The Hon Chan Kwok-ki said, "The Hong Kong SAR Government is fully committed to raising our city as a global centre for philanthropy. Under the 'one country, two systems' principle, and as a bridge between East and West, we are uniquely positioned to deploy global capital for the greater good." He added, "With our enabling tax regime, dedicated family office strategy, and our unwavering commitment to doing good, we can make a difference for you and your philanthropic legacy. This year's Forum is the perfect place to start."

Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao said, "Including this year, PBC will have engaged more than 10,000 participants over the past decade and featured more than 380 speakers from over 40 countries and regions – making it one of the world's largest philanthropic assemblies. PBC 2026 examines the need for systems change, new approaches to capital and the capabilities required to deliver impact. It explores how cross-sector collaboration and multi-stakeholder partnerships can drive sustainable and lasting outcomes. Together, these contributions reflect PBC's continuing role as a platform for sharing ideas, advancing understanding and connecting leaders around the practical solutions needed to address the challenges of our time."

He mentioned that the Club and its Charities Trust today officially released the first edition of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Impact Report, detailing the many ways in which the Club has improved lives and strengthened communities since its earliest recorded donation in 1915. The Club has developed a new three-tier hierarchical measurement framework, evaluating impact at project, programme and Trust levels.

The report highlights three key insights. First, resources should be more precisely targeted towards the most marginalised and underserved populations to maximise the impact of philanthropy. Second, initiatives should be designed with long-term sustainability in mind, delivering intensive and sustained interventions that empower beneficiaries to achieve lasting positive behavioural change. Third, impact measurement must incorporate flexible, prolonged follow-up periods tailored to the life cycle of each programme, enabling a more comprehensive assessment of long-term outcomes. The report sets out the Trust's approach to impact measurement and illustrates the social impact generated by the many initiatives it has created or supported.

Leading foundations participating in PBC 2026 include the Gates Foundation, The D.H. Chen Foundation, the Lee Hysan Foundation, the Yao Foundation, the Sanofi Foundation, the Tencent Charity Foundation, The Majurity Trust, the Lien Foundation and the Essl Foundation.

The day's opening keynote was delivered by Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former United Nations Development Programme Administrator, who shared her insights on "A New Era for Philanthropy: Leading Through Complexity." Moderated by Club Steward The Hon Bernard Chan, the keynote explored the leadership qualities needed for philanthropy in today's world.

One of the forum's highlight sessions was "Two Playbooks, One Goal: Navigating Social Mobility in Asia's Twin Cities", which brought together The Hon Chris Sun, Secretary for Labour and Welfare of the HKSAR Government, and Tan See Leng, Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy & Industry) & Former Minister for Manpower, Singapore. The conversation was moderated by The Hon Regina Ip, Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council of the HKSAR Government. The discussion focused on how Hong Kong and Singapore as international cities can convert the benefits of economic growth into opportunities for social mobility, creating more pathways for the next generation.

Another highlight session, "Expanding the Arena: Philanthropy, Leadership, and Pathways Beyond Sport," brought together leading sports figures from the Chinese Mainland – Li Xiaopeng, Deng Yaping, Yang Yang, and Ma Ning. The speakers shared how sporting excellence can evolve to shape institutions, nurture emerging talent and widen access to opportunities.

The Commission on Asian Philanthropy, co-convened by IoP and the Asian Philanthropy Congress ("APHIC"), today launched its Interim Report, presenting the first comprehensive research on the scale and scope of philanthropic ecosystems across participating Asian jurisdictions. The report estimates that domestic philanthropic giving across participating jurisdictions reached US$109 billion in 2024 and could exceed US$1 trillion over the next decade. It highlights how philanthropy in Asia is shaped by everyday giving, business contributions and public investment, and how philanthropic ecosystems can serve as a strategic asset for national development.

** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **

Jockey Club's PBC 2026 forum marks its 10th anniversary with global leaders gathering to "Leap for Impact"

Jockey Club's PBC 2026 forum marks its 10th anniversary with global leaders gathering to "Leap for Impact"

Jockey Club's PBC 2026 forum marks its 10th anniversary with global leaders gathering to "Leap for Impact"

Jockey Club's PBC 2026 forum marks its 10th anniversary with global leaders gathering to "Leap for Impact"

Jockey Club's PBC 2026 forum marks its 10th anniversary with global leaders gathering to "Leap for Impact"

Jockey Club's PBC 2026 forum marks its 10th anniversary with global leaders gathering to "Leap for Impact"

Jockey Club's PBC 2026 forum marks its 10th anniversary with global leaders gathering to "Leap for Impact"

TROMSO, Norway and MADRID, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) and Xoople have entered into a partnership under which Xoople has selected KSATlite, KSAT's fully automated Ground Segment-as-a-Service, to support the deployment and operation of its pioneering constellation of satellites.

KSATlite was launched in 2016 to give satellite operators standardized, scalable access to the ground. Ten years on, it supports missions ranging from single satellites to large constellations with an average contact success rate above 99.8%. Xoople is building Earth's System of Record™, a continuously updated representation of physical change across the planet.

By combining trusted Earth data, scalable cloud infrastructure and advanced AI, Xoople's end-to-end system creates a foundation for organizations to understand, monitor and respond to change across the natural and built environment. The platform is designed to integrate seamlessly into government and enterprise systems, workflows and AI applications, transforming complex geospatial data into operational intelligence at global scale.

Through the partnership, Xoople will use the global KSATlite network, including new sites, to support the downlink of large volumes of Earth observation data and enable rapid delivery of information from space to users on the ground.

The collaboration will also drive the continued development of the KSATlite service. To support the requirements of Xoople's program, KSAT is adding new ground station sites and developing two key capabilities together with Xoople: faster delivery of data from the ground station to the cloud, and new service endpoints that let operators further automate their own operations. These capabilities will become part of the standard KSATlite service and benefit future customers across the network.

"Through our collaboration, Xoople has challenged us with ambitious requirements that continue to drive the development of KSATlite, including faster data delivery and increased automation capabilities. Because KSATlite is a standardized service, these enhancements will strengthen the offering available to future customers across the network. We look forward to continuing the partnership as the program progresses," says Marte Indregard, President and CEO of KSAT.

"Reliable, scalable access to Earth data is a critical part of building the infrastructure behind Earth's System of Record. By working with KSAT and its global KSATlite network, we are strengthening the data supply chain that enables us to continuously capture, process and understand physical change on Earth. This partnership helps ensure we can support the scale, frequency and reliability required to deliver trusted intelligence into enterprise workflows and AI-driven decision-making," says Fabrizio Pirondini, CEO of Xoople.

The partnership represents an important milestone for both organizations, bringing together Xoople's ambition to build Earth's System of Record ™with KSAT's global ground segment expertise. Together, they are helping establish the infrastructure needed to transform Earth data into a trusted enterprise asset, powering operational intelligence, automation and AI-driven decision-making around the world. For KSAT, the partnership extends both the reach and the capabilities of the KSATlite network, strengthening its ability to support high-volume Earth observation missions in the years ahead.

About Xoople
Xoople is building Earth's System of Record™ - the largest continuously updated source of daily physical-world ground truth for the AI era. Powered by a proprietary constellation with NASA-grade optical sensors and a fully integrated space-to-cloud network, Xoople generates 100x more data than the current gold standard. We transform calibrated global Earth measurements into structured, machine-readable, open tabular formats that integrate directly into AI agents, enterprise workflows and operational platforms. Designed in collaboration with users across industries, Xoople closes the physical-world knowledge gap that limits AI performance, enabling organizations to detect change, uncover predictive insight and make faster, more confident decisions at global scale.

About KSAT
Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) is a global provider of ground network services, Earth observation services and government programs. Headquartered in Tromsø, Norway, and co-owned by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and Space Norway, KSAT operates the world's largest commercial satellite ground station network, including sites in Svalbard and Antarctica, and delivers mission-critical infrastructure for government, civil and commercial space customers worldwide. Its fully automated Ground Segment-as-a-Service, KSATlite, supports everything from single small satellites to mega-constellations. Machine-to-machine interfaces, a customer portal and state-of-the-art anomaly detection help it maintain a contact success rate above 99.8%.

CONTACT: Mediacontact@ksat.no 

** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **

KSAT and Xoople Partner on Ground Network for Xoople Constellation