Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

08 JANUARY 2026 – Equinor awards framework agreements to seven supplier companies with a total value of around NOK 100 billion. These agreements lay the foundation for safe and competitive operations at Equinor’s offshore installations and onshore plants in the years to come.

Equinor awards twelve new framework agreements for maintenance and modifications on the company’s offshore installations and onshore plants. The agreements commence in the first half of 2026, have a duration of five years, and include extension options of three and two years. The total annual value is approximately NOK 10 billion. The agreements create predictability and ripple effects for the Norwegian supplier industry across the country.

“The Norwegian continental shelf will remain the backbone for Equinor for a long time. Our ambition is to maintain a high production level and predictable energy deliveries to Europe towards 2035. At the same time, the shelf is entering a mature phase that will require new solutions. To succeed, we must, together with the supplier industry, find new ways of working that strengthen our competitiveness. These agreements facilitate long-term collaboration and continuous improvement on core tasks at Equinor’s offshore installations and onshore facilities in Norway,” says Kjetil Hove, executive vice president for the Norwegian continental shelf at Equinor.

“These are strategically important agreements, and collectively among the largest Equinor has awarded. The agreements will ensure long-term activity and value creation across Norway, with job creation estimated at around 4,000 man-years at the suppliers. The goal is close, long-term, and predictable cooperation that strengthens the culture for safety and security and our shared competitiveness. Together, we will work safer and smarter, and scale up the use of new technology,” says Jannicke Nilsson, chief procurement officer at Equinor.

To support the ambition of maintaining production around 1.2 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (2020 level) on the Norwegian continental shelf towards 2035, Equinor plans to:

• Invest about NOK 60–70 billion annually in increased recovery and new fields on the Norwegian continental shelf.
• Drill around 250 exploration wells and about 600 wells for increased recovery.
• Perform 300 well interventions annually and around 2,500 modification projects.
• Mature and develop over 75 subsea developments that can be tied to existing infrastructure.
• Reduce own greenhouse gas emissions towards nearly 50% by 2030 (compared to 2015 figures), while delivering stable and predictable energy supplies to Europe.
• Invest in maintenance and modifications at installations and onshore facilities to strengthen safety and maintain high regularity, while reducing climate and environmental footprints.

The agreements cover seven suppliers, three of which are new players in maintenance and modifications.

Agreements and allocation

Maintenance and modifications for installations on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS):

• Aibel AS: Sleipner, Gudrun, Draupner, Gullfaks, Visund, Oseberg, Martin Linge, Aasta Hansteen, Norne, Johan Castberg and Snøhvit.
• Aker Solutions AS: Johan Sverdrup, Grane, Troll, Kvitebjørn, Valemon, Kristin, Åsgard, Heidrun and Njord.
• Wood Group Norway AS: Snorre.

Maintenance and modifications for onshore plants in Norway:

Aibel AS: Hammerfest LNG, Mongstad, Kårstø and Tjeldbergodden.
Aker Solutions AS: Øygarden (Kollsnes and Sture).

Large modifications (extended projects) for installations on the NCS and the onshore plants:

Aibel AS, Aker Solutions AS, Apply AS, Wood Group Norway AS: The suppliers are qualified as bidders for upcoming tenders.

Maintenance and simple projects for selected installations on the NCS:

• Rosenberg Worley AS: Sleipner and Johan Sverdrup.
• Head Energy AS: Gullfaks, Oseberg and Troll.
• IKM Gruppen AS: Åsgard and Heidrun.

The final portfolio distribution will be assigned when the contracts are signed. Signing is planned in week four.

What is maintenance and modifications?

Maintenance and modifications involves planning, engineering, installation, and completion of modification and maintenance projects, as well as maintenance on installations on the Norwegian continental shelf and onshore plants.
Many different disciplines are involved in the work, including mechanical, electrical, and automation. The work involves approximately 4,000 direct man-years.
The last time Equinor entered into contracts for VEM was in 2015.

The World Economic Situation and Prospects 2026 will present global and regional economic outlooks for the year ahead, highlighting the need for global cooperation and policies to support growth and advance progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

The report finds that the world economy faces the risk of a prolonged period of slower growth compared with the pre-pandemic era, with current growth failing to deliver broad-based development gains, leaving many countries, communities, and households behind.

Geopolitical risks, continuing policy uncertainty and fiscal challenges cloud the global economic outlook. In 2025, a sharp rise in United States tariffs unsettled the trade environment, but the world economy proved more resilient than expected. In 2026, global growth is expected to moderate as weaker international trade is only partially offset by continued support from monetary easing.

Inflation has eased considerably in most economies, yet rising cost of living continues to strain household budgets and exacerbate inequality. Risks of renewed supply disruptions remain elevated — stemming from conflicts, climate related disasters, trade fragmentation, and geopolitical tensions — adding to global uncertainty.

In East Asia, economic growth is expected to moderate in the near term. Export performance in 2025 benefited from front-loading of shipments ahead of U.S. tariffs, while private consumption was supported by resilient labour markets and easing inflationary pressures. Looking ahead, the temporary export boost from front-loading will fade, but domestic demand is expected to remain relatively robust, underpinned by supportive monetary and fiscal measures. Regional inflation is projected to edge up modestly in 2026 but remains at a low level.

Speakers:

Hamza Ali Malik
Director, Macroeconomic Policy and Financing for Development Division

 January 7 2026

Wealth migration out of the UK is set to intensify sharply in 2026, with the number of high-net-worth individuals leaving the country “potentially doubling” as internationally mobile families, entrepreneurs and executives reposition for greater certainty, competitiveness and long-term opportunity.

This is the warning from Nigel Green, CEO of global financial advisory giant deVere Group as advisers across major financial centres report a sustained rise in enquiries from UK-based clients exploring relocation options, alternative residency programmes and cross-border structuring.

He says: “Strategic relocation planning now sits at the centre of decision-making for globally mobile wealth.

“We're not guessing. We're watching behaviour change. Enquiries including relocating out of the UK picked up strongly at the end of last year and they have not slowed.

“On that basis, we believe the number of wealthy people leaving in 2026 could potentially double.”

He adds: “When families and business owners start asking how to move rather than whether to move, intent becomes clear. Those conversations are increasingly happening every day.”

The acceleration reflects a build-up of pressures reshaping how Britain is assessed by internationally mobile wealth.

Tax changes introduced in recent times, including measures confirmed in the 2025 Budget, altered the UK's competitive standing. The end of the non-dom regime, higher capital gains and inheritance taxes, and the expansion of worldwide income taxation for long-term residents now sit alongside wider concerns over regulatory burden, economic direction and quality-of-life considerations.

Nigel Green says, “Policy sets the backdrop, but confidence drives decisions. Wealth follows opportunity, stability and clarity about the future.

“Mobility now plays a central role in financial planning. High-net-worth individuals increasingly compare jurisdictions on access to global markets, infrastructure strength, family security and the ability to operate across borders with minimal friction.”

Countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Australia and Hong Kong are positioning themselves aggressively to attract mobile capital through predictable tax frameworks, investor-friendly residency schemes and policies designed to welcome international entrepreneurs.

“Competition for global wealth has become deliberate and highly focused.

“This has turned into a contest for capital and talent. Governments which understand how mobile wealth has become are now shaping policy accordingly. The UK remains a major financial centre, but relative advantage matters more than reputation when people have genuine choice,” explains the deVere CEO.

External forecasts from wealth-migration analysts point to a record net outflow of millionaires from the UK in 2025, underlining the scale of the shift already underway.

deVere Group says those projections are becoming only a starting point as the drivers of outward mobility gather pace into 2026.

Nigel Green says: “Figures attached to last year or this year matter less than what lies ahead. Every signal points to acceleration rather than slowdown.”

The economic implications extend well beyond headline numbers. High-net-worth individuals play a disproportionate role in private investment, entrepreneurship, venture funding and philanthropy. Their relocation reshapes domestic liquidity, business formation and the long-term depth of capital markets.

“When wealth moves, economic gravity moves with it. Capital takes more than tax revenue. Investment energy, risk appetite and long-term commitment travel with it.”

Some affluent families will maintain a presence in the UK through dual-base lifestyles and diversified structures. Even so, the overall pattern points to a structural rise in outward mobility rather than a temporary adjustment.

Looking ahead to 2026, deVere Group expects the interaction between tax policy, regulatory direction and global competition for talent to remain a defining force in investor behaviour. Decisions being taken now will shape where capital, innovation and influence concentrate over the next decade.

Nigel Green concludes: “International mobility now sits at the centre of financial planning, and entrepreneurs and investors are aligning themselves with environments that offer clarity, tax efficiency, ambition and long-term confidence.”

deVere Group is one of the world's largest independent advisers of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients.  It has a network of offices around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement.

07 JANUARY 2026 – Artificial intelligence (AI) contributed to value creation and savings for Equinor and its partners amounting to USD 130 million in 2025. AI is now utilized on offshore platforms and land facilities to solve industrial tasks on a large scale in a safe, efficient, and profitable manner.

To achieve Equinor's ambition for the Norwegian continental shelf by 2035, and to contribute to energy security and continued value creation, AI is crucial.

“AI is a central part of our operations. Moving forward, AI will become even more important for solving industrial tasks safely, faster, more profitably, and at scale. With AI, we can analyse seismic data ten times faster, plan wells and field development in new and better ways and operate our facilities more efficiently. Industrial processes generate vast amounts of data, and we can use AI to 'produce' knowledge from this data. This has already been transformative and profitable, even though we are still early in the AI revolution,” says Hege Skryseth, executive vice president for Technology, Digital, and Innovation in Equinor.

Equinor currently has a range of AI solutions in use, and over a hundred new use cases have been identified.

Here are three valuable contributors that have been implemented:

• Monitoring of over 700 rotating machines with 24,000 sensors across all facilities. This predicts failures and maintenance needs, known as predictive maintenance. It improves safety, provides more stable operations, and reduces the risk of sudden shutdowns that can lead to flaring and increased CO2 emissions. This alone has created value of USD 120 million since 2020.
• AI-driven planning of wells and field development generates thousands of alternatives, allowing the experts to focus on the best proposals. In the Johan Sverdrup phase 3, AI found a solution that no one had considered, saving the partnership USD 12 million.
• AI is also used as a tool to interpret more seismic data, faster. The tool provides a tenfold increase in interpretation capacity. With AI, that more data can be interpreted, covering more square kilometres and enhancing the overall understanding of an area and of the Norwegian continental shelf. A good geological understanding is key to new discoveries, and this is an important tool. In 2025, 2 million square kilometres were interpreted using the AI tool.

“Since 2020, we have realized values of over 330 million USD with artificial intelligence in industrial processes, of which 130 million USD came in 2025. We primarily use 'traditional' machine learning on our operational data. Our employees can use AI tools like copilots, chatbots and agentic AI to solve tasks and work in new ways,” says Skryseth.

Equinor aims to maintain production on the Norwegian continental shelf at 2020 levels through 2035, which means around 1.2 million barrels of oil equivalents per day.

“We use AI to interpret more seismic data, plan and drill more wells, and operate our facilities safely and profitably, while also using the technology to optimize energy consumption and reduce CO2 emissions,” explains Skryseth.

The Northwest Choiseul Constituency (NWCC) has invested $687,162.84 from its 2025 Constituency Development Funds (CDF) allocation in education, supporting 358 students in their educational pursuits and contributing to the country’s human resource development.

Under the constituency’s 2025 budget, the funds were paid directly to educational institutions in the form of tuition fees. These supported students are undertaking studies at SINU, USP, Rural Training Centres (RTCs), and various senior high schools in Choiseul and Honiara.

Apart from the essential and social sectors, which include school fee support, the constituency office also commits ongoing support to other sectors, such as productive, resource, cultural, and cross-sectoral initiatives.  

Support to the education sector is an ongoing commitment of the NWCC office under the leadership of the Member of Parliament (MP) and the Minister for Commerce, Honourable Harry Kuma.  

“Education is one of our top priorities,” said Constituency Project Officer (CPO) Mala Poloso, speaking on behalf of the constituency office.  

“The constituency office has, over the years, invested a significant portion of its CDF allocation in this sector (education) with the aim of contributing to the development of human resources in the constituency and the country as a whole.  

“Investing in our children’s education is paramount, and the constituency office under Honourable Kuma’s leadership will continue supporting this sector to ensure students excel in their education,” added CPO Poloso.  

“This is not the first time for the NWCC office to undertake such support; it has always been our ongoing commitment to support our constituency’s human resource development.  

“Under the strategic direction from Hon. Kuma, the NWC office will continue prioritise resources for this sector.

“We undertake this activity together with the CDF and the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD) through the constituency education grant. We thank our MP for this strategic commitment of resources towards this sector and the outcome in the future will be of huge benefit in terms of trained manpower and the opportunities for individuals and communities to venture into other social and economic undertakings with skills and knowledge acquired through the various training and learning institutions.”

Over the years, the NWCC office has assisted students studying at SINU, the University of the South Pacific (USP), vocational schools including, Rural Training Centres, and other tertiary institutions in the country.  

Mr. Poloso, on behalf of the NWC Office, acknowledged the national government through the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) for its unwavering commitment and support for the Constituency Development Program, which allows constituencies to access much-needed CDF to support the various development undertakings throughout the country.

Australia’s beloved dolphin populations face growing pressures from environmental changes and human activity, increasing the need for reliable, accessible and non-invasive tools to monitor their health and support conservation and management.

In a new study published in the Journal of Thermal Biology, marine mammal experts from Flinders University analysed more than 40,000 drone-based thermal images to test how accurately drones fitted with thermal cameras can measure dolphin surface temperature and respiration rates without the need for capture or invasive probes.

The research tested whether drones equipped with thermal cameras could reliably measure dolphin surface temperature and breathing rates

“Monitoring the health of dolphins is important for assessing environmental impacts and supporting conservation, but because they spend most of their lives underwater traditional health checks often require capture, restraint or invasive probes, which can be logistically challenging and potentially stressful for the animals,” says PhD candidate Charlie White, from the Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab (CEBEL) at Flinders University.

“At the optimal flight conditions – 10m to 15m directly overhead of a dolphin – we confirmed that the drone measurements were precise enough to detect biologically meaningful changes in surface temperature and respiration rate – two important indicators of physiological state and health.”

Working with 14 bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) under human care at Queensland’s Sea World, the researchers flew a drone at different heights and compared the drone’s thermal readings with close-range temperature measurements to validate accuracy.

“We found that the drone could reliably measure the heat coming from the dolphins’ blowholes, body surfaces and dorsal fins, as well as accurately count their respiration rate,” says Ms White, from the College of Science and Engineering at Flinders University.

Senior author Associate Professor Guido Parra says the study demonstrates that drone-based infrared thermography is a promising tool for wildlife health assessment, opening the door to safer and less invasive health monitoring of marine mammals in both managed care and wild settings.

“Our findings show that drone-based infrared thermography can accurately and reliably estimate dolphin vital signs under controlled conditions,” says Associate Professor Parra.

“With continued refinement and testing under a wider range of wild conditions, the approach has the potential to support safer and less intrusive health monitoring of marine mammals in both managed care and the wild.”

The article, 'Using drone-based infrared thermography for monitoring vital signs in dolphins' (2026), by Charlie White, Andrew P Colefax (Sci-Eye and Queensland Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation) and Guido J Parra has been published in the Journal of Thermal Biology DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104353

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104353

Acknowledgements:  The project was supported by the CEBEL research group at Flinders University. All research was carried out under an animal ethics permit from Flinders University (BIOL5505), Australia. We thank the Dolphin Beach and Dolphin Bay teams at Sea World, Gold Coast, for their essential support in data collection, and the Sea World Foundation for their in-kind contributions.

The Law Council of Australia exists to uphold the rule of law and to promote confidence in Australia’s legal system. 

January 5 2026 – Investors will now be eyeing Venezuela as a once-sealed economy looks likely to reopen to global capital, creating a “rare convergence of political change, asset repricing, and reconstruction demand that is already reshaping emerging-market strategies”.

This is the assessment of the CEO of one of the world's largest independent financial advisory organizations following Washington's strike over the weekend which removed the President in Caracas.

Nigel Green of deVere Group says Venezuela is going to move “abruptly from the periphery of investment thinking to the centre of it”, following the removal of Nicolás Maduro and clear signals from Washington that the country's economic reintegration is no longer theoretical.

“Markets respond when isolation gives way to access,” says Nigel Green. “Venezuela has spent years cut off from capital, expertise, and trade. The moment investors believe that wall is coming down, valuations start to reset.”

The scale of what is at stake explains the urgency. Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves, estimated at more than 300 billion barrels, alongside substantial deposits of gold, iron ore, bauxite, and strategic minerals.

Yet years of sanctions, chronic underinvestment, and operational collapse have left infrastructure across energy, power, transport, and industry in severe disrepair.

Oil production, which peaked at more than 3.4 million barrels a day in the late 1990s, remains well under one million barrels a day today.

Power generation is unreliable, ports are degraded, and pipelines, refineries, and housing stock require extensive rebuilding.

For investors accustomed to crowded trades in developed markets, the contrast is stark.

“This is an economy priced for failure but endowed for recovery,” Nigel Green says. “When assets have been excluded for this long, even modest improvements in governance and access can produce outsized market reactions.”

That repricing has already begun. Venezuelan sovereign and state-linked debt, long written off by global investors, has rallied sharply over the past year as expectations shift from permanent default toward restructuring and normalization.

Distressed bonds that once traded deep in the teens have moved materially higher, reflecting a reassessment of long-term recovery prospects.

“Debt markets tend to move first,” says Nigel Green. “They're signalling that the probability of Venezuela re-entering the financial system has risen.”

He says early interest is focused on several fronts. Public market exposure to companies positioned to benefit from rising resource output is drawing attention. Private credit is emerging as a critical channel, offering financing to local firms starved of capital.

Infrastructure investment, particularly in energy, power generation, ports, and logistics, is viewed as unavoidable if production is to recover.

“The rebuilding effort will require vast sums of capital. Energy alone demands sustained investment measured in the tens and hundreds of billions over time,” notes the deVere CEO.

He cautions that risk remains elevated.

“Political stability is still being tested, legal frameworks need restoration, and security concerns cannot be dismissed.

“Investor protection, contract enforceability, and asset control will be decisive factors in determining which capital participates and at what scale

“This is not an indiscriminate opportunity. Returns will depend on structure, jurisdiction, and local insight. Investors who treat Venezuela as a headline trade will be disappointed.”

Those constraints help explain why larger institutions such as pension funds and sovereign wealth vehicles may move more slowly. Their mandates and risk thresholds require clarity that may take time to emerge.

“By contrast, hedge funds, family offices, and specialist investors are expected to already be positioning, seeking exposure before broader participation lifts prices further.

“Timing matters,” says Nigel Green. “History shows that the largest gains tend to accrue before full consensus forms.”

Beyond Venezuela itself, he says the implications extend across global energy and emerging markets. Any sustained recovery in Venezuelan output would alter crude supply dynamics, influence regional trade balances, and shift capital flows across Latin America.

“Markets price the future, not the past,” Nigel Green says. “If Venezuela succeeds in restoring production and attracting capital, the effects will be felt far beyond its borders.”

He concludes. “Venezuela's return to investor focus underscores a wider reality that's going to shape markets in 2026: geopolitics is once again going to be a dominant driver of capital allocation.”

deVere Group is one of the world's largest independent advisors of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients.  It has a network of offices around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement.

Next-generation AI-powered devices and experiences to be showcased at the company’s exclusive exhibition through January 7

LAS VEGAS – Jan. 4, 2026 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today unveiled its “Companion to AI Living” vision at The First Look, its CES® 2026 event held in the Latour Ballroom at the Wynn Las Vegas. The focus of the event was on AI as Samsung’s philosophy, a foundation that connects the company’s R&D product development, operations, and user experience.

TM Roh, CEO and Head of Samsung’s Device eXperience (DX) Division, opened The First Look by describing the company’s AI leadership and how due to its vast, AI-enabled, connected ecosystem, Samsung can provide users with a true AI companion experience in their daily life. This approach gives users a chance to access more than just the basics from their technology and instead, provides opportunities to find more meaningful moments everywhere.

“Samsung is building a more unified, more personal experience across mobile, visual display, home appliances and services,” said CEO TM Roh. “With our global connected ecosystem, and by embedding AI across categories, Samsung is leading the way to offer more meaningful everyday AI experiences.”

Entertainment Companion: Extending the Experience Beyond Simple Viewing

SW Yong, President and Head of the Visual Display (VD) Business at Samsung Electronics, and Sukhmani Mohta, Chief Marketing and Partnerships Officer, VD Business at Samsung Electronics America took the stage to describe how Samsung’s displays are combining hardware excellence and visual intelligence to provide a true entertainment companion. Drawing from twenty years of leading the TV industry, Samsung has built a full AI TV line-up that provides an entirely new way for users to interact with their TV.

The centre of the display line-up is the 130-inch Micro RGB, which represents a monumental leap in scale and picture quality. The 130-inch Micro RGB marks a new era of colour, featuring the widest and most detailed spectrum ever seen in Samsung TVs while its Timeless Frame design minimises distractions and allows the picture to take centre stage with understated elegance. A micro-sized RGB light source drives the unprecedented picture quality, with each microscopic red, green, and blue diode shining independently to produce colour in its purest, most natural form. Micro RGBAI Engine Pro enables precise control of RGB colours and creates overwhelmingly vivid picture quality in every scene.

Elevating this next-level viewing experience, Vision AI Companion (VAC)[1] uses AI technology to work alongside users as a full entertainment companion to enhance viewing, dining, and mood, anywhere in the home. With it, users can receive guidance on what to watch, what to eat, and what music to listen to, enhancing the overall TV experience in a way that extends far beyond simple viewing.

Samsung also offers intuitive modes to personalise the viewing experience. For soccer fans, AI Soccer Mode Pro delivers a more exciting gameday experience through AI-driven picture and sound tuning to stadium-level quality. AI Sound Controller Pro lets you raise or lower the volume of the crowd, commentary, or background music, providing a personalised listening experience for TV shows and movies. Users can simply make verbal requests, and any TV equipped with VAC – which includes Micro LED, Micro RGB, OLED, Neo QLED, Mini LED and UHD TV – contextually carries out those requests.

Across different types of programming, VAC also boosts the overall lifestyle experience. It allows users to find recipes for meals they see on TV by simply asking and uses the most up-to-date information to make recommendations that align with health and fitness goals. VAC offers multi-device functionality, as well, sending recommended recipes directly to other devices like the newly-unveiled The Movingstyle, designed to move easily throughout the home and kitchen appliances, for a multi-device experience achieved through complete ecosystem integration.

Samsung has led the global soundbar market for 11 consecutive years. This year, it is introducing two new WiFi speakers, the Music Studio 5 and 7, to further expand its integrated ecosystem. These models support a wider range of sound system combinations, enhance audiovisual quality, and improve the aesthetics of any space. Each model shares a timeless, dot design concept by renowned designer Erwan Bouroullec, inspired by a universal symbol in music and art and grounded in Samsung’s signature design language.

Samsung also unveiled a host of new products that blend beautifully with users’ homes and aesthetics.  The new, ultra-thin OLED S95H features a refined bezel that gives it art gallery elegance, and Samsung’s new portable projector, The Freestyle+, is powered by VAC and allows users to view content on walls and ceilings, as well as uneven surfaces like corners and curtains.

The 2026 TV line-up[2] supports HDR10+ ADVANCED, delivering enhanced brightness, genre-based optimisation, intelligent motion smoothing, advanced local tone mapping, and improved gaming experience.

As HDR10+ adoption grows among major OTT providers, Samsung will be the first to launch HDR10+ ADVANCED in its 2026 TV line-up. Samsung also features Eclipsa Audio, the company’s new spatial sound system, introduced across all 2026 TVs.

Samsung also unveiled its most advanced Odyssey gaming monitor line-up yet, introducing five new models that push the boundaries of resolution, refresh rate, and immersive visual performance. Led by Samsung’s first 6K 3D Odyssey G9, the 2026 line-up debuts world-first display technologies for gamers and creators, including the next-generation Odyssey G6 and three new Odyssey G8 models.

At the centre of all these display innovations is the most powerful Tizen OS yet. Users can now enjoy seven years of Tizen OS upgrades, ensuring that TVs continue to evolve long after they have entered the home.

Home Companion: Connected Smart Appliances That Guide You Through Your Day

Cheolgi Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of Digital Appliances (DA) Division at Samsung Electronics, and Elizabeth Anderson, Head of Integrated Marketing, DA at Samsung Electronics America (SEA) outlined Samsung’s vision to evolve from providing home appliances to true home companions that work to eliminate the stress of daily chores. Cheolgi Kim also announced that as of December 2025, SmartThings now serves more than 430 million users, empowering Samsung with a significant scale and depth of insight that sets it apart from other brands.

This insight comes to life with the Family Hub. The AI-enabled refrigerator is the centrepiece of the home and now, with an upgrade to AI Vision built with Google Gemini[3], it redefines living for an AI future. With this update, AI Vision unlocks existing limitations in recognising food items, seamlessly tracking what is placed into and taken out of the refrigerator, making meal planning and food management simpler than ever[4]. The Family Hub has won 10 CES Innovation Awards so far, and Samsung’s AI-enabled fridges have received the award for the past three years.

Through a gamified feature called “What’s for Today?”[5], select refrigerators provide recipe recommendations based on what is in the refrigerator or also random recommendations, reducing the stress caused by choosing what to cook. When selected, recipes show up through SmartThings Food, where users receive a step-by-step guide to help them get started instantly. The selected recipe can also be sent to connected cooking appliances to begin the process seamlessly. Video to Recipe4 adds even more simplicity, providing users with recommended cooking videos and converting those videos into easy-to-follow steps, allowing users to follow along while they cook without pausing the video or backtracking.

Samsung also unveiled FoodNote4, a new, weekly report that recaps users’ food intake patterns, from most-used ingredients and recipe recommendations, and which items it’s time to restock. Additionally, Now Brief[6] includes more widgets on the Family Hub screen and with Voice ID[7], can distinguish between family members and display content relevant to each individual. Ultimately, these features come together to provide various helpful insights and information throughout the week.

In the laundry room, the Bespoke AI Laundry Combo removes the need to transfer loads of laundry, solving a major pain point for households. This year’s model comes with enhanced features, like a faster super speed cycle and enhanced drying performance. Moreover, Samsung’s new Bespoke AI AirDresser is here to solve another common problem with your clothes. It features Auto Wrinkle Care, which blasts strong air and steam jets to smooth out shirts. All users have to do is hang their shirt and wait, reducing the burden in busy mornings.

Around the house, the Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam Ultra, powered by a Qualcomm Dragonwing™ processor, features an Active Stereo 3D Sensor to recognise liquids[8] like coffee, juice, or even transparent liquids like water. While its camera helps with navigation, it also allows the robot vacuum to serve as a monitoring device for when users are away from home, notifying them about their pets and whether there is any suspicious activity[9]. Plus, with a smarter Bixby[10], users can speak conversationally to their robot vacuum to carry out tasks with ease. For the deep level of connectivity and integration that forms the backbone of a holistic, AI-powered experience, Samsung’s Bespoke AI appliances have received a CES Innovation Award.

Additional benefits include a first-of-its-kind partnership with Hartford Steam Boiler (HSB) to help unlock real, meaningful savings to the smart home experience. HSB President and CEO Greg M. Barats joined the presentation to discuss the partnership, explaining the potential benefits of having smart appliances connected to SmartThings to reduce insurance premiums. This is the best of the AI era – increased protections and reduced costs for users. After a successful pilot run in the U.S. in 2025, the collaboration is expanding to more states across the U.S., as well as to leading home insurance carriers in other global regions.

Care Companion: Shifting From Reactive to Proactive Care

Finally, Praveen Raja, Vice President and Head of Digital Health at Samsung Research America (SRA), introduced Samsung’s long-term vision for intelligent care enabled by Samsung’s integrated device ecosystem, redefining care as a reactive need to a proactive opportunity. With AI, phones, appliances, wearables, and other connected devices will help users prevent potential health concerns before they occur.

For example, Samsung aims to provide personalised health coaching, offering effective exercise and sleep coaching to help decrease risk for major chronic diseases and also suggesting appropriate recipes based on ingredients available in connected refrigerators. Additionally, if any abnormal signs or patterns are detected, it will alert users while allowing their health metrics to be shared with providers via the Xealth platform and to facilitating virtual professional consultations.

Recognising the importance of preventative health, Samsung is also expanding its capabilities in dementia detection through research partnerships, with wearable devices registering subtle changes to mobility, speech and engagement that can be indicative of long-term cognitive changes.

Samsung Knox and Knox Matrix serve as the foundation of this hyper-personalised ecosystem, safeguarding user data at every turn. As AI is constantly evolving, so are Knox and Knox Matrix. To maintain security despite constant changes, Samsung’s security systems are consistently identifying AI risks by advancing to protect data in AI training processes and approving models through red team analysis.

The Samsung Exhibition Zone at CES is available to the public Jan. 4-7. For more information, visit the Samsung Newsroom.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. 

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, digital signage, smartphones, wearables, tablets, home appliances and network systems, as well as memory, system LSI and foundry. Samsung is also advancing medical imaging technologies, HVAC solutions and robotics, while creating innovative automotive and audio products through Harman. With its SmartThings ecosystem, open collaboration with partners, and integration of AI across its portfolio, Samsung delivers a seamless and intelligent connected experience. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at news.samsung.com.

[1] Feature available in certain regions and models. Availability and supported features may vary by region and watching conditions. Voice commands recognise English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, and Korean, but not all accents, dialects, and expressions are recognised. This feature provides AI-created content, with accuracy not guaranteed, so results should be confirmed. Requires a specific Bluetooth remote (TM2660H/TM2661H) (sold separately on some models). In-box remote for some models (M70H/U800H) does not support voice recognition. Requires either a Mobile Quick Remote or separately purchased Bluetooth remote. Feature accessible with the AI button or the Home button (via long press) on remote controls without an AI button.

2 HDR10+ ADVANCED will be available on the following models: QN990H, R95H, S95H, S90H, R90H, S85H, LS03HW, LS03H, and QN80H.

3 Google Gemini is provided by Google LLC. Service availability, supported functions, and accuracy may vary by country, language, device model, and OS/One UI version. Users must be 18 or older. Some functions may require additional app settings, and features or results may vary by subscription.

4 AI Vision refers to the refrigerator’s internal camera and AI-based processing that helps recognise food items. A Wi-Fi connection and a Samsung account are required. If a food item is not recognisable, it may be listed as an unknown item. AI Vision cannot identify or list any food items in the freezer. Recognition uses AI models that may be updated periodically to help improve performance. The user may need to manually check and adjust the list to ensure its accuracy.

A red light turns on when the camera is operating. The user’s appearance may be captured, but areas other than the food item are automatically blurred.

5 A Wi-Fi connection and a Samsung account are required

6 A Wi-Fi connection and a Samsung, Google, or Microsoft account may be required. You must use the same log-in account on each of the devices. Availability of certain apps may vary by country, region, service provider, network environment, or device, and may change without notice.

7 Each user must register for a Samsung Account on screen appliances in advance. Up to six accounts can be registered on a single device. To use Voice ID, users must have agreed to the Bixby terms and conditions. Voice ID registration is available on select appliances, TVs and mobiles, and only one voice can be registered per account.

8 A liquid spill is defined as a coloured or transparent liquid, such as water or juice, having a size of 7cm x 7cm (15 ml in volume) or larger. Identification may be affected by the size of the liquid or the environmental conditions of the floor, such as the floor pattern, colour of the floor, direct or reflected light, or shape of the liquid. Excessive amount of liquid on the floor may cause secondary contamination

9 Must download the SmartThings app available on Android and iOS devices. A Wi-Fi connection and a Samsung account are required. Only cats and dogs can be recognised. The recognition capabilities may be limited by the posture or position of a pet. The ability to recognise your pet may vary depending on the type of animal and the living environment. It only recognises a pet presence based on generic visual indicators, and cannot identify individual pets. Each appliance needs to be set to be optimised for pets by the SmartThings App.

10 Bixby is Samsung’s brand of Internet of Things (IoT) voice assistant. Bixby service availability may vary depending on the country. Bixby recognises selected languages and certain accents/dialects, including Korean, English (US/GB/IN), Spanish (MX/ES), German, French, Italian, and Portuguese (BR). The user interface may change and differ by device. The availability of Bixby features and content providers may vary depending on the country/carrier/language/device model/OS version. A Samsung account log-in and data network connection (Wi-Fi or data network) are required.

January 3 2026 – Oil prices are expected to face muted immediate impact after the US attack on Venezuela, but that assessment masks where the real market risk is building, warns the CEO of one of the world's largest independent financial advisory organizations.

The dominant view across energy markets is that crude prices will absorb the shock.

Nigel Green, CEO of deVere Group says: “Global supply remains ample, Venezuelan production represents a small share of worldwide output, and there's no clear evidence yet of sustained disruption to physical flows. On those terms, restraint in headline pricing looks rational.”

He notes that logic explains the short-term calm, but not the broader significance.

“Limited price impact reflects where the barrels go and how much spare capacity exists. It doesn't mean the risk is negligible.”

A central reason expectations remain contained lies in destination. The majority of Venezuelan crude exports flow to China, with limited exposure to US or European refiners.

“This concentration reduces the immediate sensitivity of Western benchmarks and dampens the likelihood of a sharp spike in Brent or WTI. It contains the headline reaction, but it doesn't remove systemic risk.”

In the short term, oil pricing reflects arithmetic. Oversupply cushions disruption. Alternative barrels remain available and inventory levels provide cover. From a volume perspective, the system copes.

“This is why prices may hold in the immediate aftermath of today's strike,” Nigel Green says. “It isn't proof that the market is comfortable, it's proof that the market is liquid.”

The pressure point sits elsewhere. Venezuelan crude is heavy, specialized, and harder to substitute quickly.

Exports rely on ageing infrastructure, exposed ports, and politically sensitive shipping routes. Even without a sharp fall in production, friction can emerge through insurance, freight, financing, and compliance channels.

“Oil markets tighten through logistics before they tighten through shortages,” Nigel Green says. “Those costs show up unevenly and often away from the headline contract.”

Medium-term expectations depend on duration. If tension proves short-lived, the episode fades into background noise. If pressure persists, operational strain compounds.

“Venezuela's energy system has limited resilience after years of underinvestment, leaving little tolerance for prolonged uncertainty.

“Time is the multiplier. Short events test sentiment. Extended pressure tests capacity.”

The distinction matters because today's oversupply is conditional. It assumes steady flows elsewhere, disciplined producers, and no overlap with other geopolitical strains. History shows those assumptions can unwind faster than expected.

Over the longer term, oil prices respond less to individual headlines and more to confidence in energy security. When confidence holds, premiums stay suppressed. When it weakens, protection costs rise, even without visible shortages.

Why oil prices matter extends far beyond crude itself. Oil feeds directly into transport costs, food production, manufacturing inputs, and household budgets. It anchors inflation expectations and influences policy constraints across economies.

“Energy risk shapes behaviour before it shapes data,” Nigel Green says.

Governments feel the effect through trade balances, currencies, and fiscal planning. Energy-importing nations face higher cost exposure when stability weakens. Exporters confront revenue uncertainty that complicates budgeting and investment.

“Oil connects geopolitics to public finance,” the CEO comments.

Corporates feel the impact through margins, logistics, and delayed capital decisions. Energy uncertainty raises operating risk and weakens earnings visibility across supply chains.

“When energy confidence weakens, business caution follows.

“Investors watch oil because it signals more than price. It reshapes correlations, shifts sector leadership, and influences defensive positioning. Energy shocks rarely remain confined to a single market.”

He concludes: “The focus on a limited immediate impact risks missing the broader signal.

“Oil doesn't need to surge to matter. It only needs to unsettle confidence, and that process is likely already underway.”

deVere Group is one of the world's largest independent advisors of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients.  It has a network of offices around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement.