Trident Digital Tech Holdings (Nasdaq: TDTH) Executes Joint Venture to Deploy the IRMA AI Engine to Three Continents and Markets Representing Approximately 9.4 Million Businesses With Digital Innovations Group

Executed agreement establishes Singapore-based IRMA Asia Pte. Ltd. with a contractually fixed territory spanning the entirety of Asia, the Middle East and Africa — Trident’s first commercial entry into the Middle East — positioning the venture in a global artificial intelligence market that projects will reach US$3.64 trillion by 2033

Trident Digital Tech Holdings (Nasdaq: TDTH) Executes Joint Venture

Executed agreement establishes Singapore-based IRMA Asia Pte. Ltd. with a contractually fixed territory spanning the entirety of Asia, the Middle East and Africa

SINGAPORE, Aug. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trident Digital Tech Holdings Ltd (Nasdaq: TDTH) ("Trident," "TDTH" or the "Company"), a Singapore-headquartered digital infrastructure holding company, today announced that it has signed a definitive joint venture agreement with U.S.-based Digital Innovations Group, Inc. ("DIG"), developer and owner of the proprietary IRMA AI Engine, establishing IRMA Asia Pte. Ltd. as a 50/50 joint venture to deploy and commercialize the IRMA Engine under the commercial name IRMA Engine Asia.

The agreement carries the parties from a binding letter of intent and a strategic equity investment into a definitive operating structure, with executed terms governing ownership, territory, exclusivity, capital, governance and intellectual property.

A Territory Spanning Three Continents

The executed agreement fixes the venture’s territory as all countries, jurisdictions and territories comprising Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The agreement expressly provides that the territory is not limited by any geographic classification system or by the IRMA Asia name, that no country within those regions is excluded, and that no country-by-country activation or further grant is required. Any subsequent change to the territory requires the written approval of both parties.

The Middle East represents Trident’s first commercial entry into the region and extends the Company’s reach beyond the Asia-Pacific and African markets previously disclosed. Upon completion, the joint venture company becomes the parties’ exclusive vehicle for the business throughout that territory for so long as the DIG license remains in effect and the venture meets its approved delivery milestones.

The Market Opportunity

IRMA Engine Asia will sequence its entry across five initial markets — Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Middle East and Africa — which together represent approximately 9.4 million small and medium-sized businesses based on third-party market data and the Company’s internal analysis. Those markets sit inside a contractual territory covering the entirety of three continents, giving the venture room to expand well beyond its initial sequence without further grant or negotiation.

Small and medium-sized businesses across these markets have historically been priced out of enterprise-grade marketing and customer-acquisition technology. The venture is designed to reach them through three distinct commercial channels:

• Platform onboarding — businesses join the IRMA platform under pricing calibrated to each market’s local economic conditions, so the same capability is offered at a level appropriate to Vietnam or Africa as to Singapore.
• Cross-border market entry — a higher-value engagement helping companies establish and commercialize operations in a new country using the IRMA engine.
• Recurring subscriptions — onboarded businesses transition to an ongoing subscription for continued platform access, building a compounding recurring-revenue base behind one-time onboarding activity.
  

Where national digitalization support programs are available to qualifying businesses, the venture intends to structure its offering so that eligible merchants can access the platform at a reduced net cost, lowering the barrier to adoption in markets where price, not appetite, has been the constraint.

These channels operate against a global artificial intelligence market that projects will grow from approximately US$601.93 billion in 2026 to US$3.64 trillion by 2033, a compound annual growth rate of 29.3%. That figure describes the global market as a whole and is not a measure of the venture’s addressable market or expected revenue.

Inside the IRMA Engine

IRMA Engine Asia will be an AI-powered marketing, customer-acquisition and enterprise-execution platform combining DIG’s proprietary data layer with the IRMA Brain, AI agents, campaign planning, predictive simulation, research and analysis agents, workflow automation and multi-channel execution. The architecture is designed to bring together six layers within a unified operating environment:

• A data layer, drawing on DIG’s proprietary data assets
• An AI-agent layer, running campaign planning, predictive simulation, research and analysis
• An execution layer, carrying campaigns across channels
• A transparency layer, for measurement and reporting
• A monetization layer, connecting execution to revenue
• A white-label layer, allowing partners and agencies to deploy under their own brands

Supporting capabilities include unified email infrastructure, SMS and chat messaging, professional-network and social-media workflows, community automation, IRMA Action Forms, analytics and reporting, the IRMA Affiliate Execution Layer, customer and agency dashboards, payment processing and wallet connectivity.

A central component of the platform is the planned Integration Execution Layer and Integration Hub, through which approved systems may operate as data inputs, workflow triggers, execution actions, outputs or performance-feedback sources. Using plug-and-play API connectivity, REST APIs, webhooks, OAuth, API keys, event triggers, SDKs and custom connectors, the architecture is intended to connect CRM and ATS platforms, AI and LLM providers, advertising networks, email and messaging infrastructure, analytics systems, websites, e-commerce platforms, meeting applications, customer-support tools, payment services and other approved technologies without extensive redevelopment.

This modular approach is designed to accelerate customer and white-label implementation, allow connected systems to be managed through a unified interface, and enable IRMA Engine Asia to identify audiences, enrich data, generate and validate communications, execute campaigns, schedule interactions, update customer systems, measure conversion activity and continuously improve subsequent execution through planned platform upgrades.

A Contractually Fixed 50/50 Ownership Structure

Trident and DIG will each own exactly 50% of the joint venture company on a fully diluted basis, with identical voting, dividend, distribution and liquidation rights. The agreement establishes what it terms permanent equality: no change to the 50/50 ownership may occur except by written agreement of both parties, and it provides that Trident’s shares are not subject to automatic forfeiture, cancellation, a discretionary call option or dilution. Neither party may force a sale, transfer or winding-up of the venture without the other’s express approval. These provisions take effect at completion in accordance with the definitive agreement.

Trident’s interest is issued in consideration of a binding commitment to contribute equity capital to the venture over the twenty-four months following completion. Contributions are held in segregated escrow with a Singapore-licensed bank or regulated escrow agent and released only against verified delivery milestones, giving Trident staged control over the deployment of its capital. Complete terms will be described in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

DIG retains ownership of its pre-existing IRMA technology and background intellectual property. Subject to DIG’s continuing ownership of that background technology, the definitive agreement provides that the joint venture company will own IRMA Engine Asia and the technology, integrations, localizations, configurations, workflows, customer-facing platforms and documentation specifically created for the venture and funded through Trident’s investment, together with the venture’s customer contracts and customer records. Ownership and licensing are governed in all respects by the intellectual-property provisions of the definitive agreement.

Commercial Scope and Path to Go-Live

Under the executed agreement, IRMA Engine Asia will localize, market, license, sell, implement and support IRMA-enabled enterprise marketing, automation, customer acquisition, analytics, managed-service, white-label and reseller products across the territory. The venture is built to serve businesses, marketing organizations, agencies and strategic partners seeking to connect artificial intelligence to measurable commercial execution rather than analysis alone.

Within thirty days of the effective date, the parties will approve a twelve-month business plan and funding target, budget, territory market-entry sequence, roadmap, pricing, staffing plan and performance dashboard. Commercial go-live is contemplated within ninety days following completion. Singapore will serve as the venture’s regional headquarters, supported by a dedicated India-based development and support operation ring-fenced for IRMA Engine Asia.

Built on Infrastructure Already Running for a National Government

Trident enters the venture with digital infrastructure in production for a sovereign government. In Ghana, the Company’s 50/50 joint venture Trident Aliska Digital Tech Ghana Ltd. operates the national digital tax platform built for the Ghana Revenue Authority, which launched on June 24, 2026. The platform carries a previously disclosed onboarding target of approximately 530,000 businesses in its first twelve months against an addressable base reported as exceeding two million. Trident has previously disclosed a potential combined revenue opportunity of up to US$800 million over five years in connection with that platform; that figure is a previously disclosed estimate relating to a 50/50 joint venture in which the Company holds a proportionate economic interest, is not realized revenue or contracted backlog, and actual results may differ materially. In June the Company launched Sikaflow on that foundation, a digital financial infrastructure platform bringing commerce, bookkeeping, tax automation and financial record creation to Ghanaian businesses across mobile, web, point-of-sale and USSD channels.

That is the operating experience Trident brings to IRMA Engine Asia: government relationships, deployed distribution and commercial channels already established in markets within the venture’s territory. The relevance and scalability of that experience to the venture will depend on execution, market conditions, customer adoption and other factors.

Management Commentary

“The documents are signed and the structure is fixed by contract, not by interpretation,” said Soon Huat Lim, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Trident Digital Tech Holdings. “Trident holds half of a venture whose territory covers the entirety of Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Under the agreement, neither party’s fifty percent may be changed without the written agreement of both. That is the foundation we wanted before putting capital to work.”

“We did not arrive here from a standing start,” Mr. Lim added. “We have built and operated digital infrastructure for a national government at a scale most companies our size never attempt. The Middle East is the next market, not the first. IRMA Engine Asia is how we intend to carry enterprise AI into markets where we already have the relationships and the distribution.”

“The execution of the definitive agreement gives IRMA Engine Asia a clear mandate to move forward,” said Anshuman Dash, President-designate of IRMA Engine Asia. “Our focus now is execution: building the operating organization, deploying the technology, establishing enterprise and distribution relationships, and putting the IRMA Engine to work for customers across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Singapore provides a strong strategic headquarters for the region, while India will be an important center for technology, operations and talent. We believe IRMA Engine Asia has the foundation to become a bridge between the pace of AI innovation and the real-world commercial execution businesses are demanding.”

“The definitive documents are executed and the focus now is building the business,” said Michael Woloshin, Founder of Digital Innovations Group and creator of the IRMA Engine. “Trident brings regional infrastructure, relationships and market access; DIG brings the IRMA technology, the development organization and the AI execution platform. The 50/50 structure aligns both organizations around one objective: building IRMA Engine Asia into a significant AI commercialization platform.”

About Trident Digital Tech Holdings Ltd.

Trident Digital Tech Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq: TDTH) is a Singapore-headquartered digital infrastructure holding company focused on building and operating sovereign-scale technology platforms across emerging markets. The Company’s strategy centers on entering high-growth economies through trusted digital identity infrastructure and expanding across adjacent government technology, digital commerce, cybersecurity, AI and transaction-driven service verticals.

Through strategic partnerships, joint ventures, acquisitions and technology-driven platform deployment, Trident aims to establish scalable long-term digital infrastructure ecosystems serving both public and private sector markets.

For more information visit: tridentity.me and for potential partnerships contact: AI@PhoenixMGMTconsulting.com

About Digital Innovations Group

Digital Innovations Group ("DIG") is a U.S.-based artificial intelligence and technology company and the developer and owner of the proprietary IRMA AI Engine. IRMA is being developed as an AI-powered marketing, customer acquisition and enterprise execution platform designed to coordinate artificial intelligence, data, automation, communications and digital execution within a unified ecosystem.

The foregoing description of the definitive joint venture agreement is a summary and does not purport to describe all of its terms. The rights and obligations of the parties are governed by the executed definitive agreement.

Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including, but not limited to, the satisfaction of conditions to completion and formation of the joint venture company; the implementation and commercialization of IRMA Engine Asia; the design, development, integration and availability of planned platform capabilities, layers and integrations described in this release, certain of which are planned or in development and may not be delivered as described or at all; the timing and achievement of funding milestones; technology deployment; hiring and staffing; customer acquisition; strategic partnerships; market acceptance; the accuracy of market-size estimates; potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships; adverse changes in general economic or market conditions; actions by third parties or government agencies; cybersecurity risks; geopolitical, economic, social and legal developments in jurisdictions in which the Company operates or intends to expand; and the Company’s ability to maintain and enhance its brand. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this announcement is as of the date of this announcement, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

References in this release to market size, addressable business populations and previously announced project value describe the total size of markets in which the Company or the venture intends to operate and previously disclosed project parameters. Such figures are estimates or targets, are not booked revenue, contracted backlog or guidance of the Company’s or the venture’s financial results, and no assurance can be given that the Company or the venture will realize any portion of such amounts or capture any portion of such markets. The Company has not issued financial guidance in connection with IRMA Engine Asia. Platform capabilities and integrations described in this release reflect the intended architecture of IRMA Engine Asia and include planned functionality; references to third-party system categories describe intended interoperability and do not imply any endorsement, partnership or agreement with any third party.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/49ff91b0-713b-433e-97ab-ca21d9ea88ff