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Hang Lung Celebrates Construction Milestone with Heartland Residences in Wuhan Topped Out

HONG KONG SAR and WUHAN, CHINA – Media OutReach – 25 November 2021 – Heartland Residences in Wuhan, the inaugural project of Hang Lung Properties‘ premium serviced residences brand on the Mainland, held a topping-out ceremony, marking an important construction milestone toward the Company’s vision of creating compelling spaces that enrich lives. The ceremony was hosted by Mr. Peter Leung, Director – Project Management; Mr. Patrick Chan, General Manager – Project Management; Mr. Billy Ip, General Manager – Heartland 66; and Mr. Ming Mak, General Manager – Property Sales (Mainland) of Hang Lung Properties, with representative from Shanghai Construction Group also in attendance.

Mr. Peter Leung, Director – Project Management (fifth from the right); Mr. Patrick Chan, General Manager – Project Management (third from the left); Mr. Billy Ip, General Manager – Heartland 66 (second from the right); and Mr. Ming Mak, General Manager – Property Sales (Mainland) of Hang Lung Properties (fourth from the left), with government officials and representative from Shanghai Construction Group, officiated at Heartland Residences Topping-out Ceremony in Wuhan

 

Heartland Residences Overview (Under Construction)

Mr. Weber Lo, Chief Executive Officer of Hang Lung Properties, said, “The launch of Hang Lung Residences forms a crucial part of our long-term business development strategy. By extending the Company’s existing business while realizing our goal to be the ‘pulse of the city’, we aim to drive sustainable growth while maximizing the value of our Mainland investment properties. We are confident that Heartland Residences, with its prime location in the business center, seamless connectivity network, and world-class design and construction, will further enhance the premium positioning of Heartland 66 and herald a new era in premium living on the Mainland.”

 

Mr. Peter Leung, Director – Project Management of Hang Lung Properties said, “As we celebrate the topping out of Heartland Residences, we pay tribute to everyone involved in making this inaugural project a success. We would like to thank the government departments for providing their invaluable advice and support as well as our main contractor, Shanghai Construction Group, and our sub-contractors, who have strived for the highest quality standards in the construction. Together with our teams, here in Wuhan and at our Hong Kong headquarters, the dedication to this project clearly demonstrates Hang Lung’s commitment to enriching the lives of the communities we serve by building a sustainable future together.”

 

Located in the inner ring of Wuhan, Heartland Residences covers 130,000 square meters with 500 units and a luxurious three-story clubhouse of 5,000 square meters. Seamlessly connected to the Heartland 66 shopping mall and office towers, Heartland Residences benefits from a range of educational and medical facilities, greeneries, 5-star hotels, and other amenities with a one-to-three-kilometer radius. Engaging internationally renowned award-winning architects and designers, the project’s interiors, landscaping, rooftop pool, and luxurious clubhouse reflect a premium urban living experience.

 

Heartland Residences, as the inaugural project of Hang Lung Residences, will be open for pre-sale in the first half of 2022. Pre-sales of the Residences projects in Wuxi, Kunming and Shenyang will be scheduled in 2022 and 2023. As the Hang Lung Residences brand gains momentum and extends its reach across our national network, the Company will further strengthen its position as a leading commercial property developer.

 

About Hang Lung Properties

Hang Lung Properties Limited (stock code: 00101) creates compelling spaces that enrich lives. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Hang Lung Properties develops and manages a diversified portfolio of world-class properties in Hong Kong and the nine Mainland cities of Shanghai, Shenyang, Jinan, Wuxi, Tianjin, Dalian, Kunming, Wuhan and Hangzhou. With its luxury positioning under the “66” brand, the company’s Mainland portfolio has established its leading position as the “Pulse of the City”. Hang Lung Properties is recognized for leading the way in enhanced sustainability initiatives in real estate as it pursues sustainable growth by connecting customers and communities.

At Hang Lung Properties – We Do It Well.

For more information, please visit www.hanglung.com.

#HangLungProperties

Kenanga Investment Bank Announces 37.4% Rise In Net Profit for First Nine Months Ended 30 Sept 2021

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

9M2021 vs 9M2020

  • Net Profit at RM86.5 million, up by 37.4%
  • Net Income at RM586.3 million, up by 1.4%
  • Operating Expense at RM490.7 million, down by 1.7%
  • Return on Equity at 11.3%, up from 9%
  • Earnings Per Share at 11.86 sen, up by 32.1%
  • Net Equity Trading Investment Income at RM56.0 million, up by 40.2%
  • Market Share of Retail Stockbroking at 23.5%, up from 21.9%
  • Asset Under Administration (AUA) at RM16.3 billion up by 18.4%

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 25 November 2021 – Malaysia’s leading independent investment bank, Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad (“Kenanga” or the “Group”) today announced a net profit of RM86.5 million for the nine months period ended September 30, 2021 (“9M21”), a 37.4% jump from RM63 million for the same period last year (“9M20”).

 

Year-to-date (YTD) net income stood at RM586.3 million, up by 1.4% from the previous corresponding period, while operating expense reduced marginally to RM490.7 million.  Annualised Return on Equity (ROE) based on 9M21 is at 11.3% compared to 9.0% at 9M20.

 

The strong earnings were mainly due to higher contribution from stockbroking and investment management businesses, as well as, share of profits from the joint venture with Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd.

Its Stockbroking division achieved a PBT of RM68.8million for 9M21 vis a vis RM52.7million from the same period last year, mainly due to higher net interest, improved net trading and investment income, as well as, lower credit loss expenses. Net equity trading investment income increased to RM56.0 million, up 40.2% from the corresponding period. The division continued to grow its market share, particularly in the retail segment, from 21.9%, to 23.5%, reinforcing its position as one of the largest retail brokers in the marketplace. During the same period, Rakuten Trade, achieved yet another milestone, with the fast-growing online trading platform surpassing 200,000 registered accounts. 

 

Its Investment and Wealth Management division registered record high PBT, surging over three folds to RM20.6 million in the nine-month period compared to RM7.6 million in the same period last year. The significant increase was attributed to higher performance fee and management fee income generated on the back of increased assets under administration (AUA) and sales agency force. AUA stood at RM16.3 billion, up 18.4% from the same period last year.

 

For the quarter under review, net revenue and profit before tax were impacted by the weakening trading volumes on Bursa Malaysia, which resulted in lower net brokerage and trading and investment income. For Q3 2021, net revenue stood at RM202.6 million, while profit before tax stood at RM26.3 million.

 

“With the gradual reopening of all economic sectors and lifting of restrictions, underpinned by the progress of COVID-19 vaccination campaign, deployment of stimulus measures and the unleashed pent up demand, we remain cautiously optimistic of the country’s economic outlook into the new year,” commented Datuk Chay Wai Leong, Group Managing Director, Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad.

 

“Having said that, we are witnessing a deceleration in trading activities not just on Bursa Malaysia, but also on some of the other major bourses around the world. This will likely have some impact on our following quarter’s revenue, but on the whole, benefiting from the strength of our diversified revenue streams, we are on track to conclude the year on a footing comparable to the performance last year,” added Datuk Chay.

 

“With our business model centred on digitalisation, and the continued practice of prudence throughout our operations, we are in a good position to continue growing the business and deliver long-term shareholder value,” said Datuk Chay.

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

 

About Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad (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

Laos Confirms 1,504 New Cases of Covid-19

Covid-19 Update


Laos has recorded 1,504 new cases of Covid-19 across the country today and one death.

Bank of Laos Orders Phousy Group Suspend Welnance Cryptocurrency Operations

Bank of the Lao PDR


The Bank of Laos has ordered Phousy Group to cease operations of its Cryptocurrency exchange known as Welnance.

Apical is Second Most Transparent Palm Oil Company in the World

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 25 November 2021 – Apical Group, one of the largest palm oil processors and exporters in Indonesia and a member of the Singapore-headquartered RGE group of resources-based companies, has been rated the second most transparent palm oil company globally in the SPOTT (Sustainable Palm Oil Transparency Toolkit) Assessment 2021. Apical improved from a score of 82.5% in 2020 to 89.4% this year, moving up the ranks from eighth to second place.

 

“Apical remains dedicated to ensuring sustainable practices are adopted across the entire value chain of our palm oil production, from cultivation to consumption. As part of our commitment to transparency, we have been participating in the SPOTT Assessment, a framework developed by ZSL’s (Zoological Society of London) since 2019. Our recent score reflects the proactive initiatives and emphasis we have been placing on the three pillars of environmental, social and governance (ESG),” said Bremen Yong, Director of Sustainability for Apical Group.

 

The assessment which spans 12 months, evaluates 100 palm oil producers, processors and traders on their public disclosure regarding their organisation, policies and practices related to ESG matters. Companies assessed on SPOTT are ranked according to their overall SPOTT score. The scores are also broken down further into three disclosure types; organisation, policy and practice. A total of 182 indicators, spread over 10 categories, were used in the assessment of the SPOTT scores for palm oil producers, processors and traders.

 

The 10 categories are as follows:

 

1.     Sustainability policy and leadership;

6.     Peat, fire and GHG emissions;

2.     Landbank, maps and traceability;

7.     Water, chemical and pest management;

3.     Certification standards;

8.     Community, land and labour rights,

4.     Deforestation and biodiversity;

9.     Smallholders and suppliers; and

5.     HCV, HCS and impact assessments;
 

10.  Governance and grievances

“Apical recognises the importance of SPOTT as a platform for promoting industry transparency and accountability to drive the adoption of social and environmental best practices, especially in sectors with high biodiversity impacts,” added Breme n Yong.

 

This is the third consecutive year that Apical Group has been rising up the ranks among palm oil companies globally, based on transparency, commitments and overall execution of its ESG initiatives.

About Apical Group

Apical Group is one of the largest palm oil processors and exporters in Indonesia. It owns a broad spectrum of the palm oil business value chain including downstream processing into oleochemicals, functional fats, and biodiesel among others for domestic use and international export. Its operations are located in Indonesia, China and Spain, and include six refineries, four biodiesel plants, two oleochemical plants and two kernel crushing plants. Through its joint ventures, Apical also has processing and distribution operations in India, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar and Brazil.

Apical’s business is built on an extensive sourcing network in Indonesia with integrated refinery assets in strategic locations. This is reinforced by efficient logistics channels supported by Apical’s own infrastructure to deliver to local and international industrial clients comprising of food, feed and fuel brands among others. With its unique business model, Apical has been able to control product quality and address sustainability and food safety concerns, while running highly efficient operations in integrated world-class refineries and downstream processes.

For more information, please visit www.apicalgroup.com

#ApicalGroup

About RGE

RGE manages a group of resource-based manufacturing companies with global operations. Our work ranges from the upstream, comprising sustainable resource development and harvesting, to downstream, where our companies create diverse value-added products for the global market. Our commitment to sustainable development underpins our operations, as we strive towards what is good for the community, good for the country, good for climate, good for customer, and good for company.

RGE was founded in 1973. The assets held by RGE companies today exceed US$20 billion. With more than 60,000 employees, we have operations in Indonesia, China, Brazil, Spain and Canada and continue to expand to engage newer markets and communities.

www.rgei.com

About ZSL

ZSL (Zoological Society of London) is an international conservation charity working to create a world where wildlife thrives. From investigating the health threats facing animals to helping people and wildlife live alongside each other, ZSL is committed to bringing wildlife back from the brink of extinction. Our work is realised through our ground-breaking science, our field conservation around the world and engaging millions of people through our two zoos, ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. For more information, please visit www.zsl.org.

A1W:D Provides One-stop Interior Design and Renovation Service to Create Ideal Home with Ease

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 25 November 2021 – There are many beautiful interior design can be found on the web, but they may not be suitable for everyone’s house or offices. However, it will take a toll when designing and renovating a new home or a working place. To save time and effort, A1W:D, a Hong Kong interior design company, offers a one-stop renovation service, from interior design to renovation, to create the ideal interior space with ease.

Free House Call Home Measurement to Help You Managing Your Budget

If planning the interior space just based on the floor plan, the result could be disappointing. To solve the problem, A1W:D provides a home measurement for free, clients can select the model of their ideal interior space from at least 30 styles or contact A1W:D to measure your interior space and make a quotation. The designer will give clients a detailed design for each room, this step is complimentary, and it will help to find the desired style easily.

Make Interior Design Perfectly Matched to the Renovation Project

Nowadays, people are demanding a better quality of life, and with the further development of intelligent equipment, interior design is no longer just making a fine look of interior space, the practical and humanized design is increasingly important. And the one-stop interior design and renovation service of A1W:D may meet the further needs for interior design and renovation. The CEO of A1W:D said that they hire workers of over 10 years of experience, and each worker is strictly qualified, which provides professional service for consumers to help them easily solve the problems of planning an interior space.

Select the Quality Materials of Well-known Brands to Ensure the Satisfaction of Each Project

The quality of the renovation is closely related to the living or working environment. However, the quality of building materials is a concern for many consumers. Thus, the CEO of A1W:D said that they have worked with A1 Workman, the decoration engineering company, to strictly select quality materials from major brands which are certified by the authority, to make a safe interior space for consumers.

About A1W:D

A1W:D is a professional interior design company in Hong Kong, providing interior design and renovation services, including home decoration, living room designing, public housing renovation, shop decoration, warehouse renovation, etc. The services are available all around Hong Kong. https://a1wd.com/

#A1W:D

Etiqa’s Protection survey finds millennials the new ‘Sandwich Generation’

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 25 November 2021 – Etiqa Insurance Singapore‘s 2021 Protection Survey Report, identifies millennials as Singapore’s new ‘sandwich generation’.

 

The underlying survey was conducted in July this year, gathering responses from 815 individuals aged 25 to 40. The study aimed to shed light on millennials’ financial commitments and considerations when purchasing life insurance. This resulting report coincides with the first launches of protection products, to be progressively rolled out over the next 6 months.

 

With the youngest millennials now members of the workforce, the need for protection is more pressing than ever. Mounting commitments in domestic and professional spheres place millennials under growing financial and emotional pressure to fulfil their duties to family and work. The pandemic has made it even more difficult to plan for the future – a position that older generations may not understand.

 

Among the foremost sources of financial concern listed by respondents were providing for their ageing parents financially (48%) and funding their own retirement (60%). Both worries could be linked to the rising costs of living and life expectancy here.

 

In just a decade from 2010 to 2020, local life expectancy increased from 81.54 to 83.90 years. As this figure rises, so lengthens the time millennials need to support their parents and eventually themselves in old age.

 

As is symptomatic of hectic modern life, national statistics demonstrate that millennials are putting off getting married and having children to a later age than their predecessors. As millennials juggle responsibilities to younger children and ageing parents, the insurer’s challenge lies in providing competitive life insurance and critical illness coverage tailored to millennials’ emergent needs.

 

With regard to caring for ageing parents, 4 in 5 worried about affording their healthcare expenses (82%), and 3 in 5 worried about caregiving costs (60%). Few older parents may recognise the risk of outliving their savings, or be willing to augment protection in old age due to high cost. Millennials can nonetheless ensure that their parents will have the funds they need, mishap or otherwise, by purchasing sufficient life insurance coverage for themselves.

 

Meanwhile, the annual medical inflation rate of 10% provides little comfort to those already struggling to manage their finances. Accordingly, 1 in 2 millennials consider their own healthcare expenses (54%) a major source of financial worry, with almost as many concerned about losing their ability to work due to critical illness (45%) and subsequently losing their income.

 

The Protection Survey results reveal a picture of millennials at odds with their reputation, perceived by their older counterparts as ill-disciplined, entitled and overly materialistic. Instead, millennials personify a generation under increasing pressure in all aspects of life.

 

Shirley Tan, Etiqa’s Chief Marketing Officer, shares, “Our findings show that millennials are unfortunately still misunderstood in Singapore, and their financial needs still under-documented. In order to move with the times, financial institutions must begin by recognising each generation’s unique and diverse needs and structure financial planning solutions to meet them. We believe that the results of our Protection Survey better position us to provide such solutions for our millennial customers, such as through our recent and upcoming protection launches. We look forward to introducing more innovative plans in the near future to cater to millennial lifestyles.”

 

To read the full Protection Survey Report, click here.

 

Information is accurate as at 24 November 2021.

 

About Etiqa Insurance Pte. Ltd. (Etiqa Singapore)

Protecting customers since 1961, Etiqa Singapore is a licensed life and general insurance company regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and governed by the Insurance Act.

The local insurer is the Singapore operating entity of Etiqa Insurance Group – a leading insurance and takaful business in ASEAN offering life and general insurance as well as family and general takaful products through its agents, branches, offices and bancassurance network in the region. Etiqa is rated ‘A’ by credit ratings agency Fitch for the group’s ‘Favorable’ business profile and ‘Very Strong’ capitalisation.

Etiqa is owned by Maybank Ageas Holdings Berhad, a joint venture company that combines local market knowledge with international insurance expertise. The company is 69% owned by Maybank, the fourth largest banking group in Southeast Asia, and 31% by Ageas, an international insurance group with footprints across 16 countries and a heritage that spans over 190 years.

#EtiqaSingapore

Sangfor Technologies Named in the 2021 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Hyperconverged Infrastructure Software for the Third Consecutive Year.

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 24 November 2021 – Sangfor Technologies is proud to announce its HCI (Hyperconverged Infrastructure) product inclusion Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Hyperconverged Infrastructure Software, published on the 17 November 2021, for the Third Consecutive Year, and as the one of the only two vendors located its HQ in Asia.

Sangfor HCI clients are spread across the APAC and EMEA regions. Sangfor believes that their solutions, popular with SMBs and multi-national clients alike, are a proven success in a variety of verticals including healthcare, government, manufacturing and education.

What Sangfor HCI Customers Are Saying(Source: Gartner Peer Insights)

“High service standards for manufacturers, simple product use and high stability” from an engineer, Enterprise Architecture and Technology Innovation in Government institution. (December 22, 2020)

“Excellent security features embedded HCI in the market” from a consultant, Enterprise Architecture and Technology in a 500M – 1B USD firm size. (June 1, 2021)

Sangfor’s HCI solution can be deployed very quickly and operate easily ” from an IT Manager, Security and Risk Management in a 3B – 10B USD firm size. (April 28, 2021)

The Hyper converged Infrastructure Market

According to Gartner, “The HCI software market is demonstrating increasing maturity. Indications of this are some vendor consolidation and slowing growth. An additional factor is the rationalization of the most predominant use cases now to four: cloud-native, edge, hybrid cloud and VDI. It should be noted that VDI may not have remained as a predominant use case if it was not for the impact of COVID-19 in the form of an ongoing need for many organizations to support remote working.” *1

The global Virtualization Infrastructure Software Market is expected to grow up to 8 billion USD by 2025 (Source: Gartner Forecast: Enterprise Infrastructure Software, Worldwide, 2019-2025, 3Q21 ). In another Gartner report, it says “Gartner expects integrated systems to grow to $19.9 billion in 2025, a five-year CAGR of 10.8%, reflecting growth in hyperconverged integrated systems and reference architecture systems. This growth rate is up from the prior forecast of a five-year CAGR of 9.7% for the 2020 through 2025 period” (Source: Gartner Forecast Analysis: Integrated Systems, Worldwide ). Such growth is a direct by product of the pressing need for more public cloud-like speed, efficiency and security – a need HCI fills, with simplified datacentre operations and easy scalability.

Sangfor Cloud Solutions

Sangfor’s hyperconverged infrastructure solution, HCI, is next-generation cloud IT architecture, with converged storage, compute, networking and security on a single stack. Its well-earned reputation is due to its 0-RPO, 99.99% availability, 50% higher IOPS than other solutions on the market, and it’s single-pane-of-glass management.

Sangfor HCI uses an aServer appliance to enable quick and easy deployment, melding easily with most 3 rd party software. Sangfor customers use Sangfor HCI to build their own private cloud, extend an existing public cloud, and helps enterprise achieve a true hybrid cloud, if they are so inclined. Its own hypervisor makes it an ideal choice for midsize organizations that look for a secured and easily manageable hybrid cloud solution. The success of Sangfor’s HCI solution, along with their suite of security, cloud and infrastructure solutions, have built Sangfor a loyal following, and attracted high-value partners, tasked with enabling Sangfor’s Managed Cloud Service offerings and products. Our commitment to excellence and meeting customer needs continues to open doors in every region and vertical across the globe, with Sangfor’s most extensive work in the APAC and EMEA regions.

For more in-depth information from Gartner on Hyperconverged Infrastructure Software, click HERE! (Gartner Subscription Required)

Source: *1 Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Hyperconverged Infrastructure Software, by Jeffrey Hewitt, Philip Dawson, Julia Palmer, and Tony Harvey, 17 November 2021

Gartner, Forecast: Enterprise Infrastructure Software, Worldwide, 2019-2025, 3Q21 Update, Vanitha Dsiva et al., 27 September 2021  Virtualization Infrastructure Software market, revenue basis.

Gartner, Forecast Analysis: Integrated Systems, Worldwide, Naveen Mishra et al., 29 Oct 2021

Gartner, Peer Insights, Sangfor HCI Reviews https://www.gartner.com/reviews/market/hyperconverged-infrastructure-software/vendor/sangfor/product/sangfor-hci

Disclaimer: Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Gartner and Magic Quadrant are registered trademarks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

Gartner Peer Insights reviews constitute the subjective opinions of individual end users based on their own experiences and do not represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates.

About Sangfor Technologies

Sangfor Technologies is an APAC-based, global leading vendor of IT infrastructure solutions specializing in network security, cloud computing and network optimization. Visit us at www.sangfor.com to learn more about Sangfor’s solutions and let Sangfor make each user’s digital transformation easier and more secure.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sangfor

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#Sangfor #HyperconvergedInfrastructure #CloudComputing #Hyperconverged #SangforTechnologies #SangforHCI #SangforCloud #SangforMCS