The Ferrero Group continues its growth trajectory with an 8.9% increase in turnover to EUR18.4 billion.
Continued innovation across new products and categories including the launch of Nutella Ice Cream in the same year the brand turns 60 years old.
Total capital investment for the financial year saw an increase of 18% to EUR958 million including in the United States, Italy, Germany and Chile.
LUXEMBOURG, Feb. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Ferrero Group, through its holding company Ferrero International S.A., approved the Consolidated Financial Statements for the 2023/2024 financial year, which ended on August 31, 20241. The Group closed the financial year with a consolidated turnover of EUR18.4 billion, an increase of 8.9% compared to the previous year, thus continuing the growth strategy driven by Executive Chairman Giovanni Ferrero and executed by Chief Executive Officer Lapo Civiletti.
The 2023/2024 financial year was again marked by a challenging economic environment, with volatile commodity prices and continued inflationary pressures. Despite this, the Ferrero Group continued its strong growth thanks to the resilience of its people, brands and business model. Ferrero maintains its global presence, with 37 manufacturing plants, and ended the financial year with a global workforce reaching 47,517 as of August 31, 2024.
Daniel Martinez Carretero, Chief Financial Officer at Ferrero Group, said: “We are pleased to report another strong year of growth for the Group, despite the continued headwinds the industry is facing. Although the economic environment remains complex, our brands and products continue to perform well. This is testament to the way we continue to innovate our products to meet the changing needs of consumers. To spur this innovation on and to increase our manufacturing capabilities, this financial year saw us increase total capital investment by 18% on the previous period.”
The Group’s continued product innovation has enabled further expansion across categories, including ice cream and biscuits. Highlights in the 2023/2024 financial year include:
– the launch of Nutella Ice Cream, the first packaged ice cream by the brand, driving the continued growth of the ice-cream category; – further expansion into the biscuit category with the launch of Kinderini in key markets; – the successful rollout of Eat Natural and FULFIL brands into further European markets, illustrating how the Group is meeting changing consumer trends and the growth of the better-for-you category.
To support the portfolio and geographic expansion, the Group is working hard to increase its manufacturing capacity. Highlights include:
– the opening of the Group’s first chocolate processing plant in the United States. The new 70,000 square feet facility in Bloomington, Illinois produces chocolate for Ferrero leading brands in North America, including Kinder, Ferrero Rocher, Butterfinger, and CRUNCH, and now house a new Kinder Bueno production facility; – modernization of our Stadtallendorf facility; – building out our hazelnut sourcing and processing capacity in Chile.
The Group’s long-term growth strategy continues to be guided by our commitment to sustainability and having a positive impact throughout the value chain.
1 From 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024.
About Ferrero Group
Ferrero began its journey as a pastry shop in the small town of Alba in Piedmont, Italy, in 1946. Today, it is one of the world’s largest sweet-packaged food companies, with much loved brands sold in more than 170 countries. The Ferrero Group brings joy to people around the world with much-loved products including Nutella®, Kinder®, Tic Tac®, and Ferrero Rocher®.
About 47,000 employees are passionate about helping people celebrate life’s special moments. The Ferrero Group’s family culture, now in its third generation, is based on dedication to quality and excellence, heritage and a commitment to the planet and communities in which we operate.
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Landmark Collaboration Redefines Enterprise Data Management and Unleashes the Full Potential of Agentic AI
NEW YORK, Feb. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today announced SAP Business Data Cloud, a groundbreaking solution that unifies all SAP and third-party data throughout an organization, providing the trusted data foundation organizations need to make more impactful decisions and foster reliable AI. The solution harmonizes data from organizations’ most mission-critical applications with data engineering and business analytics capabilities, paving the way for next-level innovation and insights.
This landmark partnership between SAP and Databricks marks a new era in enterprise data management as two leaders in their domains come together to redefine how applications and data platforms work together. The new solution natively embeds Databricks technology for data engineering, machine learning and AI workloads.
“SAP Business Data Cloud unleashes the full value of enterprise data for Business AI,” said SAP CEO Christian Klein. “It combines SAP’s unique expertise in mission-critical, end-to-end processes and semantically rich data with Databricks’ world-class data engineering capabilities to create a ground-breaking solution that helps organizations do more with their data than ever before.”
“Every company on the planet wants to get more value out of their data and greater returns on their AI investments,” said Ali Ghodsi, Co-founder and CEO of Databricks. “By joining forces with SAP, we’re helping organizations bring together all their data — regardless of format or where it lives — to govern, analyze and build domain-specific AI applications on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform.”
Introducing the data product economy
SAP Business Data Cloud also helps SAP foster the growth of a data product economy. It delivers fully-managed SAP data products across all business processes – from finance, spend and supply chain data in SAP S/4HANA and SAP Ariba, to learning and talent data in SAP SuccessFactors. These data products maintain their original business context and semantics, providing immediate access to high-quality data without costly extraction processes. For example, if a CFO wants to assess the impact of rising inflation on profitability, SAP Business Data Cloud integrates real-time external data such as the consumer price index with financial data products such as general ledger accounts or cost centers to create a comprehensive financial snapshot.
SAP Business Data Cloud will also offer new capabilities called insight apps that use data products and AI models connected to real-time data to deliver advanced analytics and planning across all lines of business, including core enterprise analytics, finance and human resources.
“SAP Business Data Cloud will help us unlock the value of our data and drive innovation across our business,” said Markus Hartmann, Corporate Vice President and Head of Business Technology and regions Europe, APAC and IMEA, at Henkel, a multinational chemical and consumer goods company. “Its semantically rich data products and deep Databricks integration will enhance our existing data products and empower us to model scenarios and leverage AI insights, building a sustainable future for our data ecosystems.”
Delivering on the full promise of AI agents
SAP Business Data Cloud will improve how Joule, SAP’s generative AI copilot, accelerates cross-functional workflows and improves business decision-making with AI agents. Powered by the highest-quality enterprise dataset in the industry – and the SAP Knowledge Graph solution, which provides a business-friendly model of data – Joule agents deeply understand end-to-end processes and can collaborate across functions to solve complex business challenges, something no other agent builder technology can do out of the box.
Underscoring today’s announcement and its significance for AI innovation, SAP also unveiled a series of ready-to-use Joule agents across finance, service, sales and more to come across the SAP Business Suite. In finance, for example, agents will work together across a variety of tasks to process claims faster and improve cashflow. Joule sales agents, meanwhile, will accelerate multi-step business processes to resolve disputes and process customer inquiries faster.
SAP today also announced a powerful new agent builder capability, so customers can build and deploy their own AI agents alongside SAP’s library of ready-to-deploy Joule agents. SAP’s decades of business process expertise are built into the guided workflow so users can ground their custom agents in the most relevant data and business context.
About SAP As a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, SAP (NYSE:SAP) stands at the nexus of business and technology. For over 50 years, organizations have trusted SAP to bring out their best by uniting business-critical operations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer experience. For more information, visit www.sap.com.
This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risk factors section of SAP’s 2023 Annual Report on Form 20-F.
For customers interested in learning more about SAP products: Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24 United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727)
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Databricks announces new product natively integrated into the SAP Business Data Cloud
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Databricks, the Data and AI company, today announced the launch of SAP Databricks, a strategic product and go-to-market partnership with SAP that natively integrates the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform within the newly launched SAP Business Data Cloud. The partnership combines the most important business data that is in SAP with the Databricks platform for data warehousing, data engineering, and AI all governed by Databricks Unity Catalog. Databricks recently announced $15B in fundraising and intends to earmark a quarter of a billion dollars ($250M) to help make customers and system integrator partners successful with SAP Databricks across deployment and migrations, ultimately unlocking the tremendous business value of SAP data.
SAP applications power enterprises’ most important decisions around business planning, procurement, HR and travel management. Every enterprise wants to maximize the value of their SAP data by combining it with data from their other business-critical systems. Yet, those systems are varied, and many still sit on-premises in legacy platforms, making it difficult to develop advanced analytics and AI applications. SAP Databricks will have all the relevant datasets enriched and ready to be used for everything from data warehousing to building AI that can reason on that data.
“Every organization is searching for a faster, more reliable way to translate their data into strategic advantage,” said Ali Ghodsi, Co-founder and CEO of Databricks. “Together with SAP, we’re helping businesses seamlessly unify their data sources, streamline analytics, and accelerate the development of domain-specific AI applications.”
“Our partnership with Databricks represents a turning point in how enterprise data is harnessed,” said Muhammad Alam, Executive Board Member at SAP. “Together, we’re fusing SAP’s proven expertise in mission-critical applications with Databricks’ cutting-edge data engineering and AI capabilities to help our customers unlock the next era of digital innovation.”
Databricks + SAP: Domain-specific AI
The power of SAP Databricks is that it allows customers to combine their SAP data with the rest of their enterprise data easily. Through bi-directional sharing of data via Delta Sharing between their SAP Databricks environment and their native Databricks (non-SAP) environment, they can unify all their data without complicated data engineering. This dramatically increases the productivity of teams trying to innovate with their most valuable data. The entire data estate is then consistently governed and secured with Unity Catalog so enterprises can build on a trusted foundation, allowing enterprises to conduct exploratory data science and SQL analytics at scale with a full understanding of the business semantics. Additionally, Mosaic AI capabilities will allow companies to easily develop domain-specific AI trained on their private SAP data to unlock agent systems for the most important functions in their businesses.
Partner Quotes “Generative AI is a catalyst for reinvention across the enterprise, but to build and scale AI applications effectively, organizations need to have a complete understanding of their data,” said Karthik Narain, Group Chief Executive – Technology and CTO, Accenture. “We’re working closely with SAP and Databricks to help our clients maximize the convenience of integrated and open data, draw better insights faster, create new personalizations and launch AI-based innovations.”
“A strong data foundation remains the cornerstone of all successful AI integrations. SAP Databricks will enable clients to seamlessly merge ERP data with operational insights to maximize the value of AI for organizations and drive critical business benefits,” said Niraj Parihar, CEO of Insights and Data Global Business Line at Capgemini and member of the Group Executive Committee. “The recent acquisition of Syniti reinforces Capgemini’s data-driven digital core business transformation services, notably large-scale SAP transformations. Combined with our long-standing partnership with SAP, Capgemini is expertly placed to drive intelligent decision-making for our clients.”
“Breaking down silos between structured and unstructured data is a crucial step in unlocking true value from data-driven AI investments – especially amid constant industry disruption,” said Jessica Kosmowski, Global Ecosystems and Alliances Leader and Principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP. “The new SAP Databricks offering can address that need for our shared clients, combining the power of the SAP business suite and Databricks with rich SAP data to drive business transformation and data modernization.”
“EY is focused on helping clients connect data from across the enterprise to realize transformative business opportunities,” said EY-Databricks Alliance Leader Hugh Burgin. “We are excited to leverage the combined strengths of SAP and Databricks to transform data into trusted business insights.”
Availability The new offering, SAP Databricks, is sold by SAP as part of SAP Business Data Cloud, and will be available in a staged rollout on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud. Learn more about SAP Business Data Cloud and SAP Databricks during the SAP Business Unleashed virtual event.
About Databricks Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 10,000 organizations worldwide — including Block, Comcast, Condé Nast, Rivian, Shell and over 60% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform to take control of their data and put it to work with AI. Databricks is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the globe and was founded by the original creators of Lakehouse, Apache Spark™, Delta Lake and MLflow. To learn more, follow Databricks on X, LinkedIn and Facebook.
GUANGZHOU, China, Feb. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — As China’s No.1 platform for international trade, the 137th Canton Fair has successfully hosted a Southeast Asia roadshow with trade promotion events in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in January.
“The 137th Canton Fair will further optimize trade theme structures, exhibits, supporting activities and services to provide premium exhibition experiences and promote international exchanges,” said Su Bin, Deputy Secretary-General of the Canton Fair and Deputy Director General of China Foreign Trade Centre. “As an important milestone in building the online platform of the fair, Canton Fair APP now brings integrated online and offline experience for exhibitors and buyers, and provides a 365-day, uninterrupted supply and sourcing matching platform, a strong boost to facilitate the exchange and cooperation between Chinese and foreign enterprises.”
On January 15, the 137th Canton Fair Cambodia Promotion Conference was successfully held in Phnom Penh, which was attended by about 150 guests from local trade promotion departments, industry and commerce organizations, business representatives and more. Mainstream local media including CNC, TVK, BTV covered the event.
The Canton Fair working group held in-depth discussions with the Ministry of Commerce of Cambodia, the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and China Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia and renewed cooperation agreement with CCC, as well as visited local retail enterprises Lucky supermarket and Chipmong Group.
In Laos, the Canton Fair’s promotion event in Vientiane was attended by local trade promotion departments, commerce organizations and business representatives, the working group visited leading local retailer Sky Supermarket group.
On January 21, the event in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam was attended by 180 local representatives. Boasting great business potentials, the Vietnamese market offers significant opportunities, and the Canton Fair working group exchanged with Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE) of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Investment & Trade Promotion Centre of Ho Chi Minh City on establishing cooperative relations and supporting more Vietnamese enterprises to participate in the tradeshow, as well as conducted survey at the Hanoi International Convention and Exhibition Center and local retail giant Coopmart.
Integration of LSEG’s Data & Analytics AI-powered sentiment analysis and news feeds will help traders react quickly and with authority
LONDON, Feb. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Capital.com, the high-growth global trading platform and fintech group whose trading volumes surpassed USD$1.7trn in 2024, today announced an expansion of its collaboration with LSEG.
Capital.com, which serves more than 750,000 traders globally and handles $147 billion of trading volume every month, will integrate LSEG’s real-time news, data and market psychology sentiment feeds to help clients make timely and informed trading decisions. The agreement follows previous success in leveraging LSEG’s solutions to offer clients the tools and support they need to make quick and confident trading decisions.
Under the deal, a broad spectrum of analysis and news products – including global news wire Reuters – will be made available to Capital.com clients who trade derivatives on more than 3,000 markets across multiple asset classes including shares, commodities, indices, FX, and cryptocurrencies* (not available to clients in the UK*). LSEG Data & Analytics is one of the world’s largest providers of data and market-moving financial news, serving over 40,000 institutions in over 150 countries.
Commenting on the collaboration, Christoforos Soutzis, Chief Executive Officer, Capital.com Europe, said:
‘Our strategic collaboration with LSEG marks an ongoing commitment to partner with the very best organisations to support our clients. We understand how much our clients value the speed and efficiency of our platform, and this partnership allows us to enhance these qualities even further. By integrating LSEG’s powerful data & analytics features directly into our trading platform, clients can access a comprehensive range of market-moving news and analysis quickly and effortlessly, empowering them to make informed decisions faster than ever before.”
Stuart Brown, Group Head of Data & Feeds, LSEG, said:
“We are excited to expand our partnership with Capital.com, a leading digital-first broker. By integrating our comprehensive and trusted data sets with their client-centric digital channels through our market-leading, cloud-enabled technology services, we empower users to effectively monitor the markets, generate ideas tailored to their risk tolerance and personal values, and achieve improved portfolio outcomes. Together, we are dedicated to driving innovation and delivering exceptional value to the investment community.”
Under the expanded collaboration with LSEG, clients will be able to access:
Comprehensive stock reports, equity market news feeds and alerts: Capital.com traders will receive up-to-the-minute information affecting global equity markets that can impact market movements. They can also access company ownership and fundamental data for a deeper understanding of the companies they might want to trade or invest in.
Breaking news & top news feeds: Traders will receive global breaking news coverage, including coverage from Breakingviews, Reuters allowing them to react quickly to unfolding new events.
ESG metrics: Traders can directly access real-time ESG scores and financial data to help them make sustainable investment and trading decisions.
Market psychology sentiment: Traders will have access to exclusive insights, as well as AI-enabled sentiment analysis across different geographies and key markets such as commodities and cryptocurrencies (cryptocurrencies are not available to clients in the UK).
Events calendars: Traders can easily plan ahead with LSEG’s comprehensive list of key global economic and corporate events.
To support traders with their decisions, Capital.com provides an extensive repository of information, insights and analysis. The company has strategic partnership agreements with a host of leading providers including TradingView and Newsquawk, enabling clients to access institutional-grade breaking news, and advanced charting tools for a better trading experience. The Capital.com platform also hosts a demo site, regular news feeds, and provides clients with a sprawling collection of financial content available on its website, and through its free learning app, Investmate.
Features of the LSEG product integration will be progressively rolled out over the coming months. For more information about capital.com, please visit www.capital.com
Notes to editors
About LSEG
LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group) is a leading global financial markets infrastructure and data provider, playing a vital social and economic role in the world’s financial system. With our open approach, trusted expertise and global scale, we enable the sustainable growth and stability of our customers and their communities. We are dedicated partners with extensive experience, deep knowledge and a worldwide presence in data and analytics; indices; capital formation; and trade execution, clearing and risk management across multiple asset classes. LSEG is headquartered in the United Kingdom, with significant operations in 70 countries across EMEA, North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific. We employ 23,000 people globally, more than half located in Asia Pacific. LSEG’s ticker symbol is LSEG.
About Capital.com
Capital.com is a high-growth fintech company empowering people to participate in financial markets through simple and innovative online trading platforms. Launched in 2016, its intuitive award-winning platform —available on web and app —enables investors to trade thousands of world-renowned markets. To help investors trade with confidence, the platform is fitted with robust risk management controls, transparent pricing and extensive educational content to support clients in their trading journeys.
Capital.com is one of the fastest-growing trading platforms in the sector with client trading volumes exceeding $1trillion. In 2024, the company was recognised as the fastest growing tech-enabled platform in the Middle East and Cyprus for the third-straight year by Deloitte Technology’s Fast 50 programme.
Capital.com has a global network with offices located in leading business and financial centres including London, Dubai, Warsaw, Nassau, Sofia, Limassol, and Melbourne. Capital Com (UK) Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under registration number 793714. Capital Com SV Investments Limited is Authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), under licence number 319/17. Capital Com Australia Pty Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) under AFSL Number 513393. Capital Com Online Investments Ltd is a Company registered in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and authorised to carry out Securities Business by the Securities Commission of The Bahamas with licence number SIA-F245. Capital Com Mena Securities Trading LLC is authorised and regulated by the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), under license number 20200000176.
This press release is for media use only. It’s not intended for individual investors and doesn’t include personal advice or recommendations.
DISCLAIMER
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Depending on the company, between 63% – 83.51% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with Capital.com Group. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Crypto Derivatives are not available to Retail clients registered with Capital Com (UK) Ltd. Spread bets are available only to UK clients.
The value of shares and ETFs bought through a share dealing account can fall as well as rise, which could mean getting back less than you originally put in. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Capital Com (UK) Limited (“CCUK”) is registered in England and Wales with company registration number 10506220. CCUK is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), under registration number 793714. Capital Com SV Investments Limited (“CCSV”) is registered in Cyprus with company registration number 354252. CCSV is regulated by Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) under licence number 319/17. Capital Com Australia Pty Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) under AFSL Number 513393. Capital Com Online Investments Ltd is a limited liability company (company number 209236B) registered in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and authorised to carry on Securities Business by the Securities by the Securities Commission of The Bahamas (“SCB”) with licence number SIA-F245. Capital Com Mena Securities Trading LLC is authorised and regulated by the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), under licence number 20200000176.
Capital.com is an execution-only brokerage platform and the content provided on the Capital.com website is intended for informational purposes only and should not be regarded as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the products or securities to which it applies. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of the information provided.
The information provided does not constitute investment advice nor take into account the individual financial circumstances or objectives of any investor. Any information that may be provided relating to past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results or performance.
To the extent permitted by law, in no event shall Capital.com (or any affiliate or employee) have any liability for any loss arising from the use of the information provided. Any person acting on the information does so entirely at their own risk.
Any information which could be construed as “investment research” has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication.
Preference for Spontaneous Travel, Grabbing Cheap Flights and Travelling on a Whim
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 February 2025 –Blue Cross (Asia-Pacific) Insurance Limited (“Blue Cross”) today announced the results of a survey1 of young people’s travel habits and preferences, as well as their level of protection awareness. The survey found that young people love to travel, with nearly 70% planning to travel2 twice or more a year. 74% of the respondents hope to explore and try unique, novel and exciting experiences during their travels. However, one-third would not purchase travel insurance, implying a lack of awareness of risk management and protection.
Ms. Bonnie Tse, Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross (2nd from left), Ms. Sylvia Chow, Director of Marketing of Blue Cross (2nd from right), Mr. Aiden Hung, young Hong Kong singer (left), and Ms. Akina Fong (right) at Blue Cross’s Press Conference
The survey was conducted by Blue Cross earlier through online questionnaires. The key findings are as follows:
New Generation Loves to Travel, Prefers Novel and Exciting Experiences
69% of the respondents plan to travel twice or more in the next 12 months; 22% plan to travel three times or more. In other words, one in five young people plans to travel three times or more in the coming year.
74% of the respondents aspire to explore and try unique, novel and exciting experiences during their travels, and about one-third (32%) prefer to explore lesser-known destinations.
Preference for Spontaneous Travel, Travelling on a Whim after Grabbing Cheap Flights, Following Travel KOLs Suggestions for Itinerary, “Checking in” and “Happy Sharing” on Social Media
Nearly 60% (58%) of the respondents prefer improvised travel to planning an itinerary in advance. Two-thirds (66%) of the respondents’ travel plans depend on the availability of cheap flights. As for planning their itinerary, 70% of the respondents said they would refer to the suggestions and recommendations of travel KOLs
62% of young people travel to “check in” and are keen on “happy sharing” on social media, highlighting the close connection between their offline and online activities.
Most Worried about Flight Delays, Cancellations or Lost Luggage, Yet Lacks Protection Awareness
When asked about travel-related concerns, 71% of the respondents cite flight delays or cancellations as their top worry; half (50%) of the respondents are concerned about lost or damaged luggage. These are common risks that travellers occasionally face.
Two-thirds (66%) of the respondents said they would purchase travel insurance to protect themselves and their families, of which 80% considered premium and promotional offers as the key factor when choosing travel insurance. One-third (34%) would not acquire insurance, of which 42% considered it unnecessary, showing that the new generation has inadequate awareness of their protection needs.
Blue Cross to Actively Tap the Youth Market in Line with its Young and Dynamic Brand Image
Ms. Bonnie Tse, Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross, said, “Today’s young people love to travel, seeking out fresh and exciting experiences. They are fearless, innovative and willing to take on challenges. However, their lack of protection awareness is concerning. In addition to common travel disruptions such as flight delays and lost luggage, comprehensive travel insurance provides crucial protection and mitigates the risks against accidents, injuries, and illness during the journey.
“We hope to inspire the new generation to balance living fully with protecting themselves and their families. As young people grow and progress through different stages of life, their priorities, concerns, and aspirations evolve, and a thoughtful awareness and understanding of risk management becomes increasingly important.”
Blue Cross values the youth market. Its business data reflect a growing base of younger customers, with a 108% increase in policyholders aged 18 to 29 and a 164% increase in the number of policies. Moreover, the number of policyholders and policies for the age group 18 to 22 jumped 150% and 191% respectively.
Ms. Tse said, “This market research is focused on local university students. This new generation has huge market potential and matches Blue Cross’s young and dynamic brand positioning. The survey results help us further understand young people’s preferences, consumption patterns, habits and protection awareness, and enable us to enhance our product design and marketing strategy. For example, we will introduce more flash sales and collaborate with travel platforms and KOLs that meet the preferences and lifestyles of young people. We will tailor our offerings to the needs and pain points of the new generation, providing better value for money, and creating ‘Just Right’ protection for them.”
In addition, today’s young people are growing up in a digital environment. Blue Cross has been keeping up with the pace of digital life. For example, it has optimised its company website to create a one-stop, seamless digital insurance service experience. It has also established affinity partnerships with different digital platforms to connect with young customers at various touch points across their daily activities, from online shopping and travel bookings to payment systems and financial management services. This year, Blue Cross plans to launch a series of marketing activities catering to young people, further engaging the young customer segment online and offline.
Blue Cross Business Performance in First Three Quarters of 2024 Surpassed Market Average
Blue Cross also announced its business performance for the first three quarters of 2024. Its overall performance showed a 22% rise compared with the same period in 2023, which is significantly higher than the market’s 2% increase3. Its non-medical insurance business soared by 33%, while the market fell4 by 6% during the same period; of which, travel and personal accident insurance business surged by 44%, more than twice the market’s 21% increase5. Blue Cross’s medical insurance also outperformed the market, with a 19% increase over the same period, higher than the market’s 16% increase6.
Note:
Blue Cross conducted a survey from 9 December 2024 to 19 January 2025 through online questionnaires. A total of 823 Hong Kong residents aged 18 or above who are currently receiving post-secondary education were interviewed to understand the travel preferences, habits and protection awareness of young people.
Excludes travelling to mainland China and Macau.
Source: Insurance Authority Quarterly Release of Provisional Statistics for General Business (direct business) from January to September 2024, excluding Mortgage Guarantee.
Source: Insurance Authority Quarterly Release of Provisional Statistics for General Business (direct business) from January to September 2024, excluding Medical and Mortgage Guarantee.
Source: Insurance Authority Quarterly Release of Provisional Statistics for General Business (direct business) from January to September 2024, non-medical part under Class of Business “Accident & Health”.
Source: Insurance Authority Quarterly Release of Provisional Statistics for General Business (direct business) from January to September 2024, medical part under Class of Business “Accident & Health”.
Disclaimers:
This press release is for distribution in Hong Kong only. The distribution of this press release is not and shall not be construed as an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy or a provision of any insurance product outside Hong Kong.
Blue Cross (Asia-Pacific) Insurance Limited is a subsidiary of AIA Group Limited. It is not affiliated with or related in any way to Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association or any of its affiliates or licensees.
Hashtag: #BlueCross
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Blue Cross (Asia-Pacific) Insurance Limited
Blue Cross (Asia-Pacific) Insurance Limited (“Blue Cross”) is a subsidiary of AIA Group Limited. With over 50 years of operational experience in the insurance industry, Blue Cross provides a comprehensive range of products and services including medical, travel and general insurance, which cater to the needs of both individual and corporate customers. Blue Cross distributes its products through various channels, including AIA agency force, online platform, direct sales, BEA network, insurance agents and brokers, as well as travel agencies.
In 2024, Blue Cross is assigned financial strength rating of A+ (stable outlook) and issuer credit rating of A+ (stable outlook) by S&P Global Ratings.
BANGKOK, Feb. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Agoda reveals Thai couples to be leading in domestic travel compared to couples from other Asian markets this Valentine’s Day. Thai couples are followed by those from Japan and the Philippines, following in second and third place, respectively.
This year, Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday, providing a great opportunity for a weekend getaway. The most popular domestic destinations are Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Khao Yai (a newcomer in the rank), and Hua Hin. In 2024, Bangkok, Pattaya, and Chiang Mai also held the top three positions, but were then followed by Hua Hin and Phuket, respectively.
For international travel, the top destinations for Thai couples this year are Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei, and Osaka. Tokyo maintains its number one spot.
Pierre Honne, Country Director Thailand at Agoda, shared: “Valentine’s Day may not be a public holiday, but it’s a special time for couples to celebrate with loved ones. Whether through a romantic dinner or a weekend getaway, it is a great reason to travel. This year especially since Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday. Agoda offers great value deals for flights, accommodations, and various travel activities to help couples celebrate the day of love with joy and memorable experiences.”
For couples planning Valentine’s Day travel, Agoda provides access to over 5 million accommodations, more than 130,000 flight routes, and over 300,000 activities, all available on the platform. Download the Agoda app for the latest special deals or visit www.agoda.com/deals.
XPOVIO® is the first XPO1 inhibitor approved in Taiwan for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (R/R MM).
After the mainland of China, South Korea, Australia and Singapore, Taiwan market is the fifth APAC market in which XPOVIO® has been approved for public health insurance coverage.
XPOVIO® is expected to extend public health insurance coverage across APAC markets.
SHANGHAI and HONG KONG, Feb. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Antengene Corporation Limited (“Antengene“, SEHK: 6996.HK), a leading innovative, commercial-stage global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing first-in-class and/or best-in-class medicines for cancer, today announced that XPOVIO® (selinexor) in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone (XVd) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (R/R MM) who have received at least two prior therapies, has been approved for reimbursement in Taiwan. Starting from March 1, 2025, XPOVIO® will be officially included in the NHI drug reimbursement scheme.
With a novel mechanism of action, XPOVIO® is the world’s first approved orally-available, selective XPO1 inhibitor, which has already been approved in nine countries and regions in APAC, and included in the public insurance schemes in five of those markets (the mainland of China, Taiwan market, Australia, Singapore and South Korea). Moving forward, XPOVIO® is expected to extend public health insurance coverage across APAC markets.
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignancy caused by the dysregulated proliferation of plasma cells. According to epidemiology data, MM is the second most prevalent hematologic malignancy in Taiwan market, accounting for approximately 700 to 800 newly diagnosed cases and around 400 relevant deaths each year.[1] Most patients with MM have to face a range of challenges in treatment, including high propensity to relapse, short period of survival, and limited treatment options. The inclusion of XPOVIO® for reimbursement coverage in Taiwan market, will further reduce the financial burden on many patients, benefiting more patients and their families.
While bringing XPOVIO® to more APAC markets, Antengene is also striving to expand the indications of XPOVIO®. Leveraging the drug’s novel mechanism of action, XPOVIO® is currently being developed with multiple combination regimens for the treatment of various additional indications including myelofibrosis (MF) and endometrial cancer.
About XPOVIO® (selinexor)
XPOVIO® is the world’s first approved orally-available, selective inhibitor of the nuclear export protein XPO1. It offers a novel mechanism of action, synergistic effects in combination regimens, fast onset of action, and durable responses.
By blocking the nuclear export protein XPO1, XPOVIO® can promote the intranuclear accumulation and activation of tumor suppressor proteins and growth regulating proteins, and down-regulate the levels of multiple oncogenic proteins. XPOVIO® delivers its antitumor effects through three mechanistic pathways: 1) exerting antitumor effects by inducing the intranuclear accumulation of tumor suppressor proteins; 2) reducing the level of oncogenic proteins in the cytoplasm by inducing the intranuclear accumulation of oncogenic mRNAs; 3) restoring hormone sensitivity by activating the glucocorticoid receptors (GR) pathway. To utilize its unique mechanism of actions, XPOVIO® is being evaluated for use in multiple combination regimens in a range of indications. At present, Antengene is conducting multiple clinical studies of XPOVIO® in the mainland of China for the treatment of relapsed/refractory hematologic malignancies and solid tumors (3 of these studies are being jointly conducted by Antengene and Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. [Nasdaq:KPTI]).
About Antengene
Antengene Corporation Limited (“Antengene”, SEHK: 6996.HK) is a leading commercial-stage R&D-driven global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, manufacturing and commercialization of innovative first-in-class/best-in-class therapeutics for the treatment of hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, in realizing its vision of “Treating Patients Beyond Borders”.
Since 2017, Antengene has built a pipeline of 9 oncology assets at various stages going from clinical to commercial, including 6 with global rights, and 3 with rights for the APAC region. To date, Antengene has obtained 31 investigational new drug (IND) approvals in the U.S. and Asia, and submitted 10 new drug applications (NDAs) in multiple Asia Pacific markets, with the NDA for XPOVIO® (selinexor) already approved in Mainland of China, Taiwan China, Hong Kong China, Macau China, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia.
Forward-looking statements
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Reference
2019 Cancer Registry Annual Report, Health Promotion Administration of Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare