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Dassault Systèmes announced the general availability of SOLIDWORKS 2026, its portfolio of AI-powered 3D design, collaboration and data management applications, enabling millions of SOLIDWORKS users to transform how they innovate for the generative economy.

SOLIDWORKS 2026 features  hundreds of enhancements across design, simulation, electrical and product data management solutions that respond to user requests for improved efficiency and productivity.  The portfolio builds on 30 years of research and development know-how, integrating technologies throughout the year and connecting to Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform.  SOLIDWORKS 2026 users can address complexity, time to market, workforce shortages, knowledge search and generation, and other challenges in the creation of products that align sustainability and experience.  

19 November 2025

• Patrick Amis appointed Director General Horizontal Line Supervision
• Korbinian Ibel appointed Director General Systemic and International Banks
• Thijs van Woerden appointed Director General Universal and Diversified Institutions

The Executive Board of the European Central Bank (ECB) has appointed Patrick Amis, Korbinian Ibel and Thijs van Woerden as Directors General for Horizontal Line Supervision, Systemic and International Banks, and Universal and Diversified Institutions, respectively. They will take up their duties on 1 March 2026.

Patrick Amis, Korbinian Ibel and Thijs van Woerden currently serve as Directors General for Specialised Institutions and Less Significant Institutions, Universal and Diversified Institutions, and Horizontal Line Supervision, respectively.

Korbinian Ibel will replace Ramón Quintana, who has been Director General since the start of European banking supervision in 2014 and will retire from the ECB in February 2026 to join Banco de España.

At the ECB, bank-specific supervision falls under three directorate generals, structured according to the business models of supervised banks: systemic and international banks, universal and diversified institutions, and specialised institutions and less significant institutions.

This bank-by-bank supervision is supported by thematic teams of risk and subject matter experts in the Directorate General Horizontal Line Supervision. These teams conduct benchmarking and industry-wide assessments such as thematic reviews, develop supervisory policy stances, and maintain supervisory methodologies.

Today’s appointments reflect the ECB’s commitment to encouraging internal mobility up to the highest management levels. Mobility between thematic supervision and bank-specific supervision promotes greater collaboration and enhances the ECB’s ability to address identified issues effectively.

The ECB has started the recruitment process for a new Director General Specialised Institutions and Less Significant Institutions.

For media queries, please contact François Peyratout, tel.: +49 172 8632 119.

Notes

• Patrick Amis has served as Director General Specialised Institutions and Less Significant Institutions since 2020 and has been Director General responsible for overseeing the supervision of less significant institutions since 2018. He joined the ECB at the start of European banking supervision in 2014 as Deputy Director General responsible for the direct supervision of the largest and most complex significant banks. He has held senior roles at the French banking and insurance supervisory authority (ACPR) and the Committee of European Banking Supervisors (CEBS).
• Korbinian Ibel has served as Director General Universal and Diversified Institutions since 2020. He joined the ECB at the start of European banking supervision in 2014 as Director General responsible for the horizontal function. Before joining the ECB he worked in various management roles at Commerzbank, as a strategy consultant at Boston Consulting Group and as an IT consultant with Accenture.
• Thijs van Woerden has served as Director General Horizontal Line Supervision since early 2024. He was previously responsible for all De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) staff belonging to Joint Supervisory Teams for the supervision of Dutch significant banks. Prior to that, he held managerial roles in DNB’s Insurance Supervision and Supervision Policy Divisions and worked at Accenture for several years.
• The list of managers can be found on the ECB’s website.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 19 November 2025 – Silk Way West Airlines based in Baku, Azerbaijan has signed a firm contract for an additional two A350F freighter aircraft. The agreement, which takes the total order to four A350Fs, forms the backbone of Silk Way West Airlines’ fleet modernisation and expansion strategy.

“We are delighted to extend our partnership with Airbus on the A350F programme. This order, bringing our total commitment to four aircraft, marks a major milestone in our company’s growth and reflects our confidence in the future of sustainable air freight. The A350F will strengthen our leading position in the global air freight market as we continue to modernise our fleet and reduce our carbon footprint,” said Wolfgang Meier, President of Silk Way West Airlines.

“This repeat order from Silk Way West Airlines, the largest cargo airline in the Caspian Sea region, is a great vote of confidence at a time when the A350F is physically taking shape in our assembly lines. The A350F will ensure the airline maintains its leading position in the global air freight market and further enables its key role in developing Azerbaijan as a major global cargo hub at the heart of the Silk Road,” said Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus EVP Sales of the Commercial Aircraft business.

The A350F features the largest main deck cargo door in the industry, with fuselage length and capacity optimised around the industry’s standard pallets and containers. Over 70% of the airframe is made of advanced materials, resulting in a 46 tonne lighter take-off weight than the competing derivative. The A350F is also the only freighter aircraft that will fully meet ICAO’s enhanced CO₂ emissions standards, coming into effect in 2027. Currently, the assembly of test aircraft in Toulouse is underway.  

The A350F can carry a payload of up to 111 tonnes and will fly up to 4,700 nautical miles / 8,700 kilometres. Powered by the latest Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, the aircraft will bring a reduction in fuel consumption and carbon emissions of up to 40% when compared to previous generation aircraft with a similar payload-range capability. The A350F will be able to operate with up to 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) at entry-to-service, with the aim for 100% capability by 2030, as with all Airbus aircraft. 

At the end of October 2025, the all-new A350F had registered 74 orders from 12 customers.

@SilkWayWest @Airbus #A350F