29.7 C
Vientiane
Thursday, May 29, 2025
spot_img
Home Blog Page 2737

Kenanga Investment Bank’s 1H21 net profit increases 4-fold to RM64.7 million

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 26 August 2021 – Malaysia’s leading independent investment bank, Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad (“Kenanga” or the “Group”) today announced a 49.4% rise in profit after tax and non-controlling interest (“PATNCI” or “net profit”) for the second quarter ended 30 June 2021 (“2Q21”) to RM30.6 million, as compared to RM20.5 million in the same period last year (“2Q20”). For the six months period ended 30 June 2021 (“1H21”), net profit increased four-fold to RM64.7 million, from RM13.5 million in 1H20.

Datuk Chay Wai Leong, Group Managing Director of Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad

Consolidated revenue for 2Q21 stood at RM212.6 million, marginally higher from RM210.6 million in 2Q20. Annualised Return on Equity (ROE) is at 12.8%, compared to full year 2020 of 10.7%.

The stronger earnings were largely attributed to higher contributions from the stockbroking and investment and wealth management businesses, as well as higher share of profits from the joint venture with Rakuten Trade.

More than half of the Group’s profit before tax (“PBT”) was contributed by the stockbroking segment, which continued to remain as the Group’s major earnings contributor. PBT from this segment rose 45.3% to RM20.0 million in 2Q21, as compared to RM13.7 million in the same period last year. The improvement was mainly due to higher net interest income as well as trading and investment income.

Likewise, PBT contribution from the investment & wealth management division more than doubled to RM6.2 million due to higher management fee income generated on the back of increased asset under management and sales agency force.

Rakuten Trade, the Group’s joint venture (“JV”) and Malaysia’s first full-fledged online equity broker, continued to record solid average monthly account opening at 6,800 accounts for 2Q21. At the end of June 2021, Rakuten had a total of 217,400 accounts, 51,600 more than it had a year ago. That, coupled with the scalability of the business have also contributed to the increase in the Group’s bottom-line.

Group Managing Director of Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad, Datuk Chay Wai Leong commented, “We are pleased that the Group continued to report a set of commendable results in the second quarter. Economies of scale, particularly in our stockbroking division and Rakuten Trade, have helped improve the Group’s profitability. With the digital infrastructure well in place, the cost of acquiring and maintaining new customers has been decreasing as we grow.”

“While the average daily trading value on Bursa Malaysia has moderated in the third quarter due to lockdown concerns arising from the resurgence of Covid-19 infections in Malaysia, we remain hopeful that the economy will rebound swiftly as the roll-out of the national vaccination programme gains momentum.”

“Looking forward, we will remain focused on strengthening our business fundamentals and expanding our current offerings to ensure we remain resilient and agile in responding to the changing needs within the core businesses we operate in.”

For more information on Kenanga, please visit www.kenanga.com.my

About Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad 197301002193 (15678-H)

Established for more than 45 years, Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad (“the Group”) is a financial group in Malaysia with extensive experience in equity broking, investment banking, treasury, Islamic banking, listed derivatives, investment management, wealth management, structured lending and trade financing.

The Group has garnered a host of awards and accolades reflecting its strong market position. It was awarded under the categories of Best Overall Equities Participating Organisation by Bursa Malaysia, Best Overall Derivatives Trading Participant, Best Structured Warrant Issuer, Best Retail Equities Participating Organisation, Best Institutional Equities Participating Organisation Investment Bank; along with Best Trading Participant and Best Institutional Equities Participating Organisation and for Equity and Financial Derivatives for 18 consecutive years. The Group was also accorded the title of Best Institutional Derivatives Trading category by Bursa Malaysia.

The Group continues to be a regular and repeat recipient of distinguished industry accolades, such as the Lipper, Fundsupermart and Morningstar awards. For its continued efforts towards community outreach and employee volunteerism, the Group was awarded the coveted company of the year award for environmental awareness and sustainability at Sustainability & CSR Malaysia Awards 2020.

Today, Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad is an award-winning leading independent investment bank in the country with a continuous commitment towards driving collaboration, innovation, and digitalization in the marketplace.

#Kenanga

CIFI Group Announces 2021 Interim Results

Revenue grew by 58.0% year on year to RMB36.4 billion and

Interim dividend amounted to HK12 cents per share

Rental income grew significantly by 79% year on year to RMB391 million

Contracted sales increased by 53% year on year to RMB157.03 billion for the first seven months, representing 59% of full year target

Net debt-to-equity ratio and weighted average cost of indebtedness improved to 60.4% and 5.1% respectively


Results Highlights:

Revenue and net profit increased continuously and declared dividend for seven consecutive years since IPO

  • Recognised revenue increased by 58.0% year on year to RMB36.4 billion. Rental income grew significantly by 79.0% year on year to RMB391 million.
  • Core net profit to equity owners of the Company increased by 4.8% year on year to RMB3.35 billion.
  • Gross profit margin and core net profit margin stood at 20.7% and 9.2% respectively.
  • Core return on average equity was 22.3%, maintaining the industry’s leading level.
  • Proposed interim dividend of RMB10.0 cents or equivalent to HK12 cents per share (2020 Interim results: RMB9.8 cents or equivalent to HK11 cents per share). Achieved sustainable earnings growth since IPO, with accumulated dividends of HK$1.96 per share.

Ensuring the achievement of annual sales targets with abundant quality land bank

  • Proactive implementation and deepening of diversified channels to acquire lands, deep cultivation in advantageous regions and expansion in potential cities.
  • For the first seven months of 2021, the Group achieved contracted sales of RMB157.03 billion, increased by 53% year on year, representing 59% of its 2021 full year contracted sales target of RMB265 billion. The contracted average selling price was approximately RMB17,800 per sq.m. (excluding car parks and storage spaces).
  • Achieved a cash collection ratio of over 90% from contracted sales, maintaining the industry’s leading level.
  • Since the beginning of 2021, the Group has strategically entered 8 new cities, including Yancheng, Luan, Xuancheng, Liaocheng, Dezhou, Rizhao, Putian and Zhuzhou.
  • Its high-quality land bank has covered 85 cities in different geographical regions, over 90% of which was located at first-, second- and prosperous third-tier cities with sustained economic recovery. The Group expects the saleable resources in the second half of the year to be approximately RMB260 billion. Management is confident of completing its 2021 contracted sales target.

Continued to optimize a healthy debt structure and debt maturity

  • Carried out the major financing transactions, optimized the debt maturity structure and reduced financing costs through increasing the issuance of green US Dollar Bonds, which was expected to be sufficient to meet our needs of refinancing.
  • Abundant cash on hand, reaching RMB52.41 billion.
  • Net debt-to-equity ratio and weighted average cost of indebtedness improved to 60.4% and 5.1% respectively, comparing with those as at the end of 2020.

Diversified real estate plus business layout with continuous implementation to drive growth

  • By the end of July, CIFI Commercial has entered 16 cities, and opened 9 shopping malls, with a total GFA of 630,000 sq.m., and over 30 commercial complexes reserved in total laid a solid foundation for achieving rapid rental income growth in the next three years.
  • As of August, LingYu International, a long-term leasing apartment business company, has entered more than 10 cities, focusing on 6 core cities, with nearly 80,000 rooms. It was ranked TOP3 in the development category of long-term leasing brands.
  • Recently, CIFI has signed benchmarking projects under entrusted development, including the headquarters of the world’s top 500 companies and commercial complexes, as well as residential projects.
  • Successfully obtained the Wuzhou Hospital project in Chaoyang District, Beijing, which will converge Beijing’s outstanding medical rehabilitation resources to create the features of intensive rehabilitation. Accordingly, a duel project layout of “medical care + elderly care” has been completed in Beijing.

Recognized by international and onshore credit rating agencies

  • Standard & Poor, Fitch and Moody’s maintained the Company’s credit ratings at “BB” (with “Stable” outlook), “BB” (with “Stable” outlook) and “Ba2” (with “Stable” outlook) respectively. Lianhe Global maintained the Company’s credit rating at “BBB-” (with “Stable” outlook).
  • China Chengxin Credit Rating, United Ratings and China Lianhe Credit Rating, each assigned “AAA” onshore credit ratings to the Company and CIFI PRC.

Fulfilled high standards of ESG management and become a model of ESG enterprise

  • CIFI issued the first green finance report, proactively disclosing the use and allocation of proceeds from the green bonds and the environmental benefits generated, and obtaining independent third-party’s assurance, which set another benchmark among industrial peers.
  • In August, Hang Seng Indexes announced that CIFI would be included to Hang Seng ESG 50 Index for the first time.
  • Issued its first syndicated green loan of nearly HK$2.8 billion.
  • In May 2021, the Company issued two batches of green US dollar senior notes with an aggregate amount of US$500 million. The 5.25-year maturity green senior notes bore an interest rate of 4.45% per annum with an amount of US$350 million; while the 7-year maturity green senior notes bore an interest rate of 4.8% per annum with an amount of US$150 million, representing the longest maturity among offshore bonds issued by CIFI.
  • Donated RMB100 million to Xiamen University to establish the “CIFI Education Development Fund” to support university education.
  • After a devastating rainstorm disaster hit in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, CIFI Charity Foundation announced a donation of RMB10 million to urgently assist the local flood prevention and disaster relief work and actively participate in post-disaster reconstruction.

Received various domestic and international awards and recognitions; CIFI’s market position in the industry has been further enhanced

  • CIFI was ranked at 766th in the “Forbes Global 2000 List”, 142 places higher than last year. In the list, a total of 395 companies come from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
  • CIFI was listed in the top 13 of “Comprehensive Competitiveness List of 2021 Listed Real Estate Enterprises in China”, 2 places higher than last year.
  • CIFI was ranked 38th in the “2021 Forbes China Philanthropy List”, and the rankings had improved for three consecutive years.
  • CIFI has won multiple awards in the “2021 All-Asia Executive Team” of real estate industry comprehensive ranking held by the international financial magazine Institutional Investor for the fifth consecutive year, and also won the third position of “Honored Companies in Asia”.

Financial Summary:

For the six months ended 30 June

2021

2020

YoY Growth

Contracted sales

Contracted sales (RMB’ million)

136,150

80,730

+68.6%

Contracted GFA (sq.m.)

7,973,300

4,895,900

+62.9%

Contracted ASP (RMB/sq.m.)

17,100

16,500

+3.6%

Key financial performance (RMB’ million)

Recognized revenue

36,373

23,022

+58.0%

Gross profit

7,525

5,901

+27.5%

Profit for the period attributable to equity owners

3,603

3,369

+6.9%

Core net profit attributable to equity owners

3,346

3,194

+4.8%

Core basic earnings per share, RMB cents

41

41

As at

30 June 2021

As at

31 Dec 2020

Key balance sheet data (RMB’ million)

Total assets

439,991

379,299

+16.0%

Bank balances and cash

52,406

51,155

+2.4%

Total indebtedness

110,747

104,715

+5.8%

Total equity

96,528

83,642

+15.4%

Equity attributable to equity owners

37,369

36,052

+3.7%

Net debt-to-equity ratio

60.4%

64.0%

-3.6 p.p.

Weighted average cost of indebtedness

5.1%

5.4%

-0.3 p.p.

Land bank (GFA, million sq.m.)

– Total

58.4

56.5

+3.4%

– Attributable

32.3

30.8

+4.9%


HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 26 August 2021 – CIFI Holdings (Group) Co. Ltd (“CIFI” or the “Group”, HKEX stock code: 884), a leading real estate developer engaged in property development and investment business mainly in the first-, second- and quality-third-tier cities in China, is pleased to announce its interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2021.

Looking forward to the second half of 2021, with the solid progress in the national systematic pandemic prevention and control and the development of economy and society, the resilience of economic development will continuously be shown. However, the global pandemic deteriorated due to new varieties of COVID-19, and the overall environment at home and abroad is still complex and severe. It is expected that the central government will adhere to prudent real estate financial management policies in order to prevent financial risks. Furthermore, regulatory measures system at the supply end will be continuously improved and deepened, and irregular flow of funds into the real estate market will be strictly monitored to ensure the realization of the goal of stabilizing land prices, housing prices and the expectations.

For the seven months ended 31 July 2021, the Group already achieved contracted sales of RMB157.03 billion, representing 59% of its 2021 full year contracted sales target. Thanks to the Group’s proactive implementation and deepening of diversified channels to acquire lands, deep cultivation in advantageous regions and expansion in potential cities, its high-quality land bank has covered 85 cities in different geographical regions, over 90% of which was located at first-, second- and prosperous third-tier cities with sustained economic recovery. The Group expects the saleable resources in the second half of the year to be approximately RMB260 billion, and its management is confident of completing its 2021 contracted sales target.

Mr. Lin Zhong, Chairman and Executive Director of the Group said, “2021 is the closing year of the Group’s “Second Five-Year Plan”. Through the unremitting efforts of all employees, the Group continued to pursue steady and high-quality development, and achieved balance among scale expansion, profitability, and financial safety, and consolidated CIFI’s leading position as a top developer in China’s real estate industry. Looking forward, CIFI is still firmly optimistic about its principal business of property development, and is committed to incubating property related businesses to help development and to complement each other. Meanwhile, the management is also optimistic about the development of self-owned rental generating properties. The management will continue to explore the transformation from solely residential development to development + investment properties, and adheres to the commercial development route of “pursuing high quality in first- and second-tier cities and pursuing scale in third-tier cities”. The Group also puts great significance on promoting its management standard on environmental protection, social responsibility, and corporate governance. From the level of the Group’s strategic planning, we pledge full commitment to forge CIFI as one of the Fortune Global 500 enterprises with outstanding results, persistent performance of social responsibility and excellent corporate governance.”

About CIFI (Group)

Headquartered in Shanghai, CIFI is one of China’s top real estate developers. CIFI principally focuses on developing high-quality properties in first-, second-, and quality-third-tier cities in China. CIFI develops various types of properties, including residential, office and commercial complexes.

To learn more about the Company, please visit CIFI’s website at: http://www.cifi.com.cn

#CIFI

HOPE Telecare seeks volunteer doctors to join telemedicine task force, Offering free virtual medical consultation for the public

YANGON, MYANMAR – Media OutReach – 26 August 2021 – In conjunction with its launch, HOPE Telecare, Myanmar’s latest all-in-one digital healthcare platform, is calling doctors available to join the HOPE Task Force, a voluntary telemedicine service to provide free virtual medical consultation amidst the Ministry of Health’s stay-at-home order across the country and to reduce patient-medical healthcare specialist contact in view of the soaring COVID-19 cases.

The service allows the general public to obtain virtual medical consultation for free.

Dr Saw Mra Aung, co-founder of HOPE Telecare said, “With the recent daily new COVID-19 cases reaching all time high, we understand that more state resources need to be channeled to combat the infection spread. Therefore, we call for volunteer doctors to join our virtual health advisory task force to reduce the burden on the public healthcare system. This is an opportunity for doctors to volunteer their time and expertise without putting themselves at risk. We believe that the efforts of our volunteers from the task force will help contribute positively in the midst of this public health crisis”

“In times like this, the public would try to avoid visiting high risk places like clinics and hospitals. HOPE Telecare would like to help ease public concern and offer easy access, via no fuss messaging platforms such as Facebook Messenger and via our own HOPE app for mobile phones, to information from verified experts at the safety of their own home,” Dr Saw added.

HOPE Telecare is a joint-venture by Myanmar’s Blue Ocean Investment Limited, Dr Saw Mra Aung, and Malaysia’s “First Digital Signature Electronic Prescription System” DOC2US owned by Heydoc International Sdn Bhd as their technical partner.

Htun Htun Naing, Chairman of HOPE Telecare explained, “HOPE is the acronym of “Helping Our People Everyday” which stems from our mission to help the people of Myanmar to get accessible, affordable, and equitable healthcare services anytime, anywhere,”

“About 70% of our population living in the rural area where doctors are not easily found, while our internet penetration rate is growing at more than 10% year-on-year from the current 43%, we believe telemedicine is the way forward to improve the quality of care in the country. It would complement the physical healthcare ecosystem by freeing up physical medical resources to those who need it.” said Htun.

#HOPETelecare

Inmate Dies of Covid-19 at Savannakhet Prison

Inmate dies of Covid-19 at Savannakhet Prison

Laos has confirmed its 12th death as a result of Covid-19 after the death of an inmate at a prison in Savannakhet Province.

Laos Reaches Over 14,000 Cases of Covid-19 as Community Spread Continues

Covid-19 Update

Laos has recorded 195 cases of Covid-19 today, bringing the total number of cases to 14,104.

Authorities to Convert University and National Stadium to Field Hospitals in Vientiane

Field hospital at Lane Xang Indoor Stadium
A field hospital at Lane Xang Indoor Stadium (Photo: Happy Sisomphone)

Authorities in Vientiane Capital are considering converting the club hall of the National University of Laos (NUOL) in Dongdok, Xaythany District, and the National Stadium at Km 16 of Xaythany into field hospitals to accommodate people infected with Covid-19.

DHL Supply Chain recognized as a Great Place to Work® across Asia

  • Its commitment to build a team of #ConnectedPeople has won itself this accolade across nine countries in the region, including a re-certification in four countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam) which also won this accolade in 2020
  • Notably, this marks the first time the company has earned this honor in Australia, the Philippines and Thailand

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 26 August 2021 – DHL Supply Chain (“DHL”) has been recognized as a Great Place to Work® in a record number of nine countries across Asia Pacific including Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The global market leader in contract logistics has steadfastly promoted a #ConnectedPeople culture in the past year, which contributed to this accolade where respect, pride, credibility, camaraderie and fairness are encouraged and celebrated.

Terry Ryan, CEO, DHL Supply Chain Asia Pacific said, “The pandemic has upended the way we live, work, play and interact with one another as different countries in the region continue to battle the rollercoaster waves of infections. Throughout this testing period, the management team prioritized the well-being of our employees so they can deliver the best results for our customers by working in a world-class safe and healthy working environment. By keeping our people at the heart of our business, it fills me with pride to know how hard-fought our success is, and how much further we can go as one.”

Despite the ongoing constraints and restrictions posed to workplace arrangements across the region due to Covid-19, DHL has continued to maintain high employee engagement levels. To promote team spirit in the hybrid workplace that defines current practices, the company has been actively engaging its workforce by organizing virtual get-togethers and team-building exercises. In fact, over the last 20 months, employees have continued to participate in different community initiatives such as beach cleaning, meal preparation and food delivery to underserved communities – all while maintaining strict social distancing.

“Engagement with our employees and their wellbeing take centerstage at DHL pre- or post-pandemic. Constantly adapting and innovating, we now leverage digital tools and platforms more than ever to maintain camaraderie and promote learning and development,” said Declan J Byrne, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, DHL Supply Chain Asia Pacific. “We have been very successful in rolling out fully-virtual internal training program to on-board new joiners, upskill managers and conduct regular virtual town halls and feedback sessions to lean in to employees on the business, ask questions, share feedback and provide insights.”

Every year, Great Place to Work®, a global people analytics and consulting firm, assesses the work experience of employees through their certification program. This time around, more than 15,000 DHL employees participated in the Great Place to Work survey to provide their feedback about the company. Submissions were judged according to the following criteria: Credibility, Fairness, Pride and Camaraderie.

DHL – The logistics company for the world

DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. Our DHL divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With about 400,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global sustainable trade flows. With specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and healthcare, engineering, manufacturing & energy, auto-mobility and retail, DHL is decisively positioned as “The logistics company for the world”.

DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 66 billion euros in 2020. With sustainable business practices and a commitment to society and the environment, the Group makes a positive contribution to the world. Deutsche Post DHL Group aims to achieve zero-emissions logistics by 2050.

#DHL

Military Sheep Farming Program Continues in Xieng Khouang

Army Sheep Farming Program in Xieng Khouang
Mongolian embassy officials observe farming of donated sheep in Xieng Khouang Province (Photo: Lao People's Army Newspaper)

A sheep farming program conducted by the Lao military in Xieng Khouang Province is producing well, according to reports by state media.