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Prime Minister Calls for Better Conditions and Opportunities for Children

Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh

Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh called on society to come together in creating better conditions and opportunities for children’s development to ensure they can see a brighter future.

Datang Debuts Issuance of USD300 Million Senior Notes, Diversified Funding to Enhance Debt Profile

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 1 June 2021 – Chinese property developer ─ Datang Group Holdings Limited (“Datang” or the “Company”; together with the subsidiaries, the “Group”; HKEx stock code: 2117) is pleased to announce its debut issuance of USD300 million 12.50% senior notes due 2022. The completion of this offshore financing reflects the Group’s strong financing capabilities and its more diversified funding channels, which enhance the debt profile.

Response from capital markets towards the issuance senior notes was strong with total subscription amount over USD 600 million. The order book was oversubscribed for over one time with 63% of allocation to funds and institutional investors in Asia and 37% to private banks. The issuance received strong response from many well-known international institutional investors, which signals market’s recognition of Datang’s improving financial condition and promising results outlook.

The financial institutions involved in this issuance included Guotai Junan Securities (Hong Kong) Limited, China International Capital Corporation Hong Kong Securities Limited, Haitong International Securities Company Limited, CCB International Capital Limited, CHINA GALAXY INTERNATIONAL SECURITIES (HONG KONG) CO. LTD, Glory Sun Securities Limited, BNP PARIBAS, CMB International Capital Limited, China Everbright Securities (HK) Limited, AMTD Global Markets Limited, Vision Capital International Holdings Limited, JQ Securities (Hong Kong) Limited, Central Wealth Securities Investment Limited, Soochow Securities International Brokerage Limited, GLAM Capital Limited, Valuable Capital Limited and China Merchants Securities (HK) Co., Limited.

Mr. Wu Di, Chairman of the Group said, “After the ratings granted by S&P and Moody’s, the debut issuance of USD senior notes served as a proof that the Group’s proactive efforts in improving its capital structure. We are thrilled by good responses from the capital market towards the senior note issuance. It also reflects their recognition of the Group’s sound business strategy and their confidence in the Company’s improving credit profile. Looking ahead, Datang will continue to broaden financing channels of domestic and overseas capital markets, increase cooperation with financial institutions, and expand credit scale. Meanwhile, we will reasonably control the debt scale and continue to maintain a stable growth under the Three Red Lines.”

About Datang Group Holdings Limited

Datang Group Holdings Limited is a property developer in China focused on the development of residential and commercial properties in selected economic regions. Headquartered in Xiamen, the Group has expanded its business into major regions in China, including Haixi Economic Region, Beibu Gulf Region and Yangtze River Delta Region and neighboring cities, etc. As of December 31, 2020, the Group has 123 major projects in various stages of development in six large economic zones. In 2020, the Group was ranked 73th among the Top 200 Real Estate Property Developers in China in terms of contracted sales by CRIC, a real estate research institute. The Group’s shares were listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited on 11 December 2020 and was included in MSCI Small Cap Index on 27 May 2021.

# DatangGroupHoldingsLimited

Vientiane Residents Confused by Expressway Opening

Vang Vieng Expressway Now Open (Photo: somsavanh Somsavard)
The Vientiane to Vang Vieng Expressway officially opened on 20 December, 2020.

Vientiane residents have expressed confusion on social media after photos and video of the Vientiane to Vang Vieng Expressway operating as normal appeared online.

MOVE Network Launches Its First NFT Incubator in Hong Kong

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 31 May 2021 – MOVE Network has officially launched its first NFT (Non-Fungible Token) incubator in Hong Kong.

Non-fungible Token has recently become a social buzzword, while the relationship of NFT and digital art has aroused debates among the industry and the public. MOVE Network is committed to bringing unprecedented possibilities to the industry through fintech and blockchain technology. The newly launched MOVE Network will focus on one-stop NFT IP agents and distribution services as its core business, including NFT format conversion, product hosting, IP agents, and decentralized distribution to different NFT trading platforms. The local KOL.shop is an example of NFT content incubated by MOVE Network, in which KOL’s digital photos and videos will be tokenized as NFT, while the new NFT products will be launched on the platform to provide a newer and more competitive sales channel. MOVE Network will also enhance the NFT industry chain to offer a wider range of applications on music, entertainment, sports, eSports and e-books etc. The diverse and comprehensive service package will also provide a new value as well as a business model and experience on intellectual property protection for the customers.

MOVE Network was co-founded and is led by experienced serial entrepreneurs. One of the co-founders, Ricky Ng, who is also Co-founder and Group CEO of Aladdin Technology Group, said that MOVE Network had linked up with many industry pioneers for collaboration, including the well-known film company The H Collective. The H Collective has been working with top producers and creative talents in Hollywood, and now it will work with MOVE Network to make a facelift through NFT on the business ecosystem in the film industry. Ricky also revealed that MOVE Network will announce the collaborative heavyweight partner at a later stage. He believes that the capabilities of MOVE Network will attract spotlights as a world-class NFT incubator.

Ricky added that MOVE Network not only aims to assist users to convert their digital content into digital assets but also provides a flexible sales solution for a more diversified auction category and combats intellectual property right infringements. In addition, most of the NFT products nowadays are based on several common public chains for decentralization. It is expected that MOVE Network can reduce the cost of each decentralized transaction and make transactions of the existing NFT product universal.

NFT is a blockchain-based technology that can tokenize digital content. Blockchain technology can form a unique signature to certify the ownership of the digital assets. The emergence of NFT is expected to introduce new business ideas and models to provide a standardized and anti-infringement trading platform for creators to enhance their autonomy and value.

About MOVE Network

MOVE Network sets out to be the world’s largest NFT aggregator covering a wide spectrum of NFT products. MOVE Network allows enterprises and start-ups to capture value today by using blockchain technologies to trade, stake, create and auction assets. The MOVE Network comprises of the MOVE market, the $MOVD token and the MOVE Chain. Users can use MOVE Network to own NFT IPs covering entertainment, music, artwork and also eSports. The MOVE team collaborates with different IP distribution partners for NFT issuance in Asia and North America.

Join the MOVEment Now!

● Website: http://www.MOVEnetwork.io/

● Twitter: https://twitter.com/MOVEMOVEnetwork

● Medium: https://MOVEnetwork.medium.com

#MOVENetwork

China Signs USD 1.5 Billion Deal to Purchase Agricultural Products from Laos

A peanut plantation along the Mekong River (Jason Rolan)
A peanut plantation along the Mekong River (Photo: Jason Rolan)

Chinese businesses have signed an agreement to purchase nine types of agricultural produce from Laos in a deal worth over USD 1.5 billion.

Kenanga Sustains Profit Momentum, Bolstered by Digital Strategy

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 31 May 2021 – Malaysia’s leading independent investment bank, Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad (“Kenanga” or the “Group”) today announced its first quarter financial results for the period ended 31 March 2021 (“1Q21”). The Group recorded profit after tax and non-controlling interest (“PATNCI” or “net profit”) of RM34.2 million for the quarter, an increase of RM41.1 million relative to RM6.9 million net loss from 1Q20. The previous net loss was mainly due to provision of credit loss expenses which has progressively been reversed over the quarters.

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

Consolidated revenue for the quarter under review increased by 51.3% year-on-year (“YoY”) to RM250.1 million in 1Q21. Annualised Return on Equity (ROE) is at 13.8%, compared to full year 2020 of 10.7%.

The strong performance was mainly attributed to higher contributions from the stock broking segment and the investment & wealth management segment, as well as, higher share of profits from the joint venture with Rakuten Trade.

Kenanga’s stock broking division continued to benefit from the high trading activities on Bursa Malaysia. In 1Q21, the local bourse saw its average daily trading value (“ADV”) reach RM10.0 billion, which was higher than the ADV of RM8.6 billion recorded in the whole of 2020. As a result, 1Q21 profit before tax (“PBT”) from the segment jumped to RM34.3 million, as compared to a loss before tax (“LBT”) of RM13.6 million in the same period last year.

PBT from the investment & wealth management division surged almost fifteen-fold to RM7.6 million in 1Q21 from RM0.5 million in 1Q20. The significant increase was attributed to the higher management fees income generated.

In 1Q21, the monthly average of new accounts opened was 10,457 for the Group’s joint-venture, Rakuten Trade, higher against the monthly average of 9,893 new accounts registered in the bumper year of 2020.

Group Managing Director of Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad, Datuk Chay Wai Leong commented, “Our digital strategy has proven invaluable in these trying times. Technology investments made in earlier years such as the remisier portal have allowed us to implement remote working before it became the norm. Today, we continue to handle high volume of account registrations and manage the servicing of our clients seamlessly in the face of the various Movement Restriction Orders implemented nationwide.”

“With the roll-out of the national vaccination programme gaining momentum, we are cautiously optimistic about the health of the overall economy for the second half of the year. Bolstered by our digital initiatives that are in the pipeline, we are on track to boost our ecosystem, sustain growth and deliver against targets for 2021,” Datuk Chay added.

Last month the Group’s fully owned subsidiary, Kenanga Investors Berhad, launched Kenanga Waqf Al-Ihsan Fund, further expanding on its Shariah-compliant investments. Waqf is an Islamic philanthropic-based vehicle that focuses on areas such as education, healthcare, economic empowerment, and environmental preservation. The fund will serve as the launchpad for other similar ESG-linked products as part of Kenanga Investors’ move towards sustainable and socially responsible investing.

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.

This Press Release was issued by Kenanga Group’s Marketing & Communications department.

Rhenus Clinches EcoVadis Silver Award For Six Years Running

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 31 May 2021 The Rhenus Group is among the top 10% of service providers in the logistics industry rated by the sustainability ratings specialist. In particular, Rhenus was among the top 6% among its industry in terms of its sustainability performance in the “Environment” category.

Leading global logistics service provider Rhenus has received a Silver medal in the EcoVadis Sustainability Rating for the sixth consecutive year. The award recognises the quality of Rhenus’ sustainability management system – ranking it in the top 10% of its industry. Rhenus scored above-average results from the individual areas of assessment, which included environment (top 6%), labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement.

“As the Rhenus Group, we focus on resource-saving services to enable our customers to have sustainable transports and supply chains. The good result at EcoVadis confirms our continuous commitment, which was only made possible by the support of all employees from all units,” said Karsten Obert, Board Member of the Rhenus Group.

Green thinking is entrenched in Rhenus’ company philosophy, from resource-saving initiatives in its services, developing innovative projects that reduce the company’s global emissions and energy records, to solutions in alternative drive technologies and multimodal logistics solutions. This includes RHEGREEN, the first worldwide air freight carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction programme, which was launched in 2019. The free-of-charge service aims to create awareness to lower CO2 emissions throughout the logistics chain by offering customers the opportunity to choose a “greener” aircraft.

EcoVadis is the world’s largest provider of business sustainability ratings with a network of more than 75,000 rated companies across over 160 countries. Backed by a technology platform and a global team of domain experts, its sustainability scorecards span 190 purchasing categories with insights into environmental, social and ethical risks.

About Rhenus

The Rhenus Group is one of the leading logistics specialists with global business operations and annual turnover amounting to EUR 5.4 billion. 33,500 employees work at 820 business sites and develop innovative solutions along the complete supply chain. Whether providing transport, warehousing, customs clearance or value-added services, the family business pools its operations in various business units where the needs of customers are the major focus at all times.

Laos Reports Only One New Case of Covid-19

Laotian Times Covid-19 Update

Laos has reported just a single case of Covid-19 today, imported to Champasack across the border with Thailand.