Category Archives: PR Newswire

X Financial Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2019 Unaudited Financial Results

SHENZHEN, China, April 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — X Financial (NYSE: XYF) (the “Company” or “we”), a leading technology-driven personal finance company in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2019.

Fourth Quarter 2019 Financial Highlights

  • Net revenues in the fourth quarter of 2019 decreased by 22.9% to RMB665.1 million (US$95.5 million) from RMB862.9 million in the same period of 2018.
  • Income from operation in the fourth quarter of 2019 decreased by 64.5% to RMB102.2 million (US$14.7 million) from RMB287.8 million in the same period of 2018.
  • Net income attributable to X Financial shareholders in the fourth quarter of 2019 decreased by 67.1% to RMB79.7 million (US$11.4 million) from RMB241.9 million in the same period of 2018.
  • Non-GAAP[1] adjusted net income attributable to X Financial shareholders in the fourth quarter of 2019 decreased by 58.2% to RMB117.2 million (US$16.8 million) from RMB280.4 million in the same period of 2018.
  • Net income per basic and diluted American depositary share (“ADS”) [2] in the fourth quarter of 2019 were RMB0.50 (US$0.07) and RMB0.48 (US$0.07) respectively, compared with RMB1.60 and RMB1.50, respectively, in the same period of 2018.
  • Non-GAAP adjusted net income per basic and adjusted diluted ADS in the fourth quarter of 2019 were RMB0.74 (US$0.11) and RMB0.72 (US$0.10), respectively, compared with RMB1.84 and RMB1.74, respectively, in the same period of 2018.

Fourth Quarter 2019 Operational Highlights

  • The total loan facilitation amount[3] in the fourth quarter of 2019 was RMB8,890 million, representing a decrease of 6.2% from RMB9,474 million in the same period of 2018 and a decrease of 17.3% from RMB10,750 million in the third quarter of 2019.
  • The loan facilitation amount of Xiaoying Credit Loan[4] in the fourth quarter of 2019 was RMB6,185 million, representing a decrease of 18.8% from RMB7,620 million in the same period of 2018 and a decrease of 23.5% from RMB8,086 million in the third quarter of 2019. Xiaoying Credit Loan accounted for 69.6% of the Company’s total loan facilitation amount, compared with 80.4% in the same period of 2018.
  • The total outstanding loan balance[5] as of December 31, 2019 was RMB17,267 million, compared with RMB20,849 million as of December 31, 2018 and RMB19,606 million as of September 30, 2019.
  • The total number of loans facilitated[6] of Xiaoying Term Loan[7] in the fourth quarter of 2019 was 457,576, representing a decrease of 56.5% from 1,052,166 in the same period of 2018 and a decrease of 37.1% from 727,360 for the third quarter of 2019.
  • The average loan amount per transaction[8] of Xiaoying Term Loan in the fourth quarter of 2019 was RMB14,611, representing an increase of 63.6% from RMB8,931 in the same period of 2018 and an increase of 13.7% from RMB12,848 for the third quarter of 2019.
  • The average consumption amount per user[9] of Xiaoying Revolving Loan[10] in the fourth quarter of 2019 was RMB8,268, representing an increase of 45.9% from RMB5,668 for the third quarter of 2019.
  • The delinquency rates for all outstanding loans that are past due for 31-90 days and 91–180 days as of December 31, 2019 were 4.05% and 5.11%, respectively, compared with 2.95% and 4.50%, respectively, as of September 30, 2019, and 3.54% and 5.28%, respectively, as of December 31, 2018.
  • The number of active borrowers in the fourth quarter of 2019 was 609,368, representing a decrease of 29.4% from 863,067 in the same period of 2018 and a decrease of 27.5% from 840,137 in the third quarter of 2019.
  • The amount of cumulative borrowers, each of whom made at least one transaction on the Company’s lending platform, as of December 31, 2019 was 5,631,081.
  • Total cumulative registered users reached 38.8 million as of December 31, 2019.
  • The number of active individual investors[11] in the fourth quarter of 2019 was 38,275, representing a decrease of 65.5% from 110,973 in the same period of 2018 and a decrease of 39.6% from 63,320 in the third quarter of 2019.
  • The cumulative number of active individual investors as of December 31, 2019 was 499,855, compared with 454,117 as of December 31, 2018, and 498,214 as of September 30, 2019.
  • The Gross Merchandise Value (“GMV”)[12] of Xiaoying Online Mall[13] amounted to RMB160.9 million, representing an increase of 107.9% from RMB77.4 million in the third quarter of 2019.

[1]

The Company uses in this press release the following non-GAAP financial measures: (i) adjusted net income, (ii) adjusted net income attributable to X Financial shareholders, (iii) adjusted net income per basic ADS, and (iv) adjusted net income per diluted ADS, each of which excludes share-based compensation expense. For more information on non-GAAP financial measure, please see the section of “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures Statement” and the table captioned “Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results” set forth at the end of this press release.

[2]

Each American depositary share (“ADS”) represents two Class A ordinary shares.

[3]

Represents the total amount of loans that X Financial facilitated during the relevant period.

[4]

X Financial integrated Xiaoying Card Loan and Xiaoying Preferred Loan into one general product category, Xiaoying Credit Loan, in 2018.

[5]

Represents the total amount of loans outstanding for loans X Financial facilitated at the end of the relevant period. Loans that are delinquent for more than 180 days are charged-off and are excluded in the calculation of delinquency rate by balance, except for Xiaoying Housing Loan. Xiaoying Housing Loan is a secured loan product and the Company is entitled to payment by exercising its rights to the collateral. X Financial does not charge off the loans delinquent for more 180 days and such loans are included in the calculation of delinquency rate by balance.

[6]

Represents the total number of transactions of loan facilitation during the relevant period.

[7]

Xiaoying Term Loan refers to the loan’s with fixed repayment periods including Xiaoying Credit Loan, Xiaoying Housing Loan, Internet Channel.

[8]

Calculated by dividing the total loan facilitation amount by the number of loans facilitated during the relevant period.

[9]

Calculated by dividing the total amount of consumption by the number of active users during the relevant period.

[10]

Xiaoying Revolving Loan refers to the loans with revolving credit, including Yaoqianhua which was previously named as Xiaoying Wallet.

[11]

Refers to individual investors who made at least one transaction during that period on our platform.

[12]

Gross Merchandise Volume (“GMV”) refers a total sales value for merchandise sold through Xiaoying Online Mall.

[13]

Xiaoying Online Mall was launched in March 2019 and is a product that provides loan installments to our individual customers enabling them to purchase goods online.

Fiscal Year 2019 Financial Highlights

  • Net revenue decreased by 12.8% to RMB3,088.1 million (US$443.6 million) from RMB3,540.6 million in 2018.
  • Income from operations decreased by 36.3% to RMB812.6 million (US$116.7 million) from RMB1,275.2 million in 2018.
  • Net income attributable to the Company decreased by 12.3% to RMB774.3 million (US$111.2 million) from RMB883.1 million in 2018.
  • Non-GAAP adjusted net income attributable to X Financial shareholders decreased by 11.7% to RMB931.4 million (US$133.8 million) from RMB1,054.9 million in 2018.
  • Basic and diluted earnings per American depositary share (“ADS”) were RMB4.94 (US$0.71) and RMB4.84 (US$0.70), respectively, compared with RMB6.16 and RMB5.82, respectively, in 2018.
  • Non-GAAP adjusted basic and diluted earnings per ADS were RMB5.94 (US$0.86) and RMB5.82 (US$0.84), respectively, compared with RMB7.36 and RMB6.94, respectively, in 2018.

Fiscal Year 2019 Operational Highlights

  • The total loan facilitation amount was RMB39,441 million, representing an increase of 6.8% from RMB36,913 million in 2018.
  • The loan facilitation amount of Xiaoying Credit Loan was RMB29,825 million, representing a decrease of 8.7% from RMB32,663 million in 2018. Xiaoying Credit Loan accounted for 75.6% of the Company’s total loan facilitation amount, compared with 88.5% in 2018.
  • The total number of loans facilitated of Xiaoying Term Loan was 2,724,749, representing a decrease of 23.5% from 3,561,798 in 2018.
  • The average loan amount per transaction of Xiaoying Term Loan was RMB9,731, representing a decrease of 5.8% from RMB10,334 in 2018.
  • The average consumption amount per user of Xiaoying Revolving Loan was RMB11,906, representing an increase of 281.5% from RMB3,121 in 2018.
  • The number of active borrowers was 2,152,962, representing a decrease of 9.2% from 2,370,510 in 2018.
  • The number of active individual investors was 136,205, representing a decrease of 48.9% from 266,581 in 2018.
  • The Gross Merchandise Value (“GMV”) of Xiaoying Online Mall amounted to RMB253.6 million.

Mr. Justin Tang, the Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Company, commented, “We closed out the year with a solid quarter of financial and operational results. We remain committed to providing the most user-friendly and convenient financial and business services to borrowers and made significant progress in doing so during the quarter while ensuring we remain fully compliant with the rapidly changing regulatory environment.”

“We rapidly made necessary adjustments to our operations and loan product portfolio during the quarter to comply with recent regulations governing the maximum interest rate lenders can charge. As a result of the new regulations and adjustments made to our loan product portfolio, total loans facilitated declined on a sequential basis during the quarter.”

“Yaoqianhua and Xiaoying Online Mall however maintained rapid growth momentum as consumers increasingly turn to online platforms for consumption. This trend has accelerated significantly since the Coronavirus Disease (the “COVID-19”) outbreak at the beginning of 2020 and we are well-positioned to capitalize on it. The GMV of Xiaoying Online Mall rose to RMB160.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, representing an increase of 107.9% from RMB77.4 million in the third quarter of 2019.”

“Transaction volumes for Yaoqianhua, our revolving loan product previously known as Xiaoying Wallet, jumped significantly to RMB2,204 million this quarter from RMB1,405 million in the last quarter while its outstanding loan balance increased to RMB1,503 million as of December 31, 2019 from RMB949 million as of September 30, 2019. Yaoqianhua now has an approved cumulative credit line of RMB6 billion and currently has a credit utilization rate of around 25.6% as of December 31, 2019.”

“Institutional funding accounted for 50.2% of the loans facilitated through our platform in the fourth quarter, an increase from 35.7% in the previous quarter. This trend is continuing with the proportion of funding from institutions increasing to 82.9% in January 2020. We expect that all the funding for new loans will come from institutional partners or our own capital this year. As of December 31, 2019, the credit line provided by our institutional partners expanded to RMB46.7 billion from RMB38.4 billion as of September 30, 2019, which I believe reflects their trust in the quality of the underlying assets and the strength of our risk management systems.”

“Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have been tightening our risk management policies by adopting stricter requirements to evaluate borrowers and have reduced credit lines in addition to reinforcing our risk models. Over the course of last year, we have focused on strengthening our risk control capabilities and adopted even stricter control and evaluation of borrowers at the beginning of the loan process which is critical to reducing loan defaults at a later state. The measures we enacted in response to the COVID-19 outbreak have been already firmly rooted into our processes for a while now and have been strengthened during these trying times.”

“Yaoqianhua and Xiaoying Online Mall have maintained a solid growth since the COVID-19 outbreak as consumers were forced to consume online under government mandated quarantine. The number of new borrowers and repeat borrowers of Xiaoying Credit Loans declined in both January and February.”

“With the macroeconomic environment remaining highly uncertain as the outbreak of COVID-19 spreads overseas, our business will be adversely impacted during the first quarter of 2020. We expect total loan facilitation amount to decline on a sequential basis. With a clouded outlook for next quarter, we are turning our focus to acquiring more high-quality borrowers with better credit profile during this time.”

“In conclusion, we are confident that our growth strategy has laid a solid foundation to adapt to changing times, while we transition from a pure financial service provider to a more comprehensive business service provider. We are ideally positioned to continue benefiting from the enormous growth opportunities in China’s personal finance industry. We are committed to providing the most user-friendly, convenient and comprehensive financial and business services and the best loan services to our customers.”

Mr. Simon Cheng, President of the Company, added, “We continued to ramp up investment in our technology-driven risk infrastructure and customer acquisition as we believe this is the foundation of our business growth and a major factor to attract institutional investor interest in the underlying assets on our platform. Based on our robust risk management capability, we will weather the storm of the COVID-19 and emerge stronger than before.”

“Yaoqianhua continues to generate strong growth momentum. The number of transactions on Yaoqianhua continues to grow rapidly, increasing significantly to 4.9 million during this quarter from 0.2 million during the same period last year. As of December 31, 2019, the number of active users of Yaoqianhua was around 408,000, representing an increase from around 330,000 as of September 30, 2019. This business is rapidly contributing to a larger percentage of revenue given its longer customer life time and the multiple opportunities it offers to cross sell.”

“We continue to actively negotiating with our funding partners including, among others, CITIC Trust, Kunlun Bank, Blue Ocean Bank, Huishang Bank, and Yantai Bank, to further lower our funding costs. We are making solid progress in driving institutional funding for all new loan products on our platform in 2020. There is sufficient institutional credit line. We are confident to achieve 100% institutional funding in 2020.”

Mr. Kevin Zhang, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, added, “We delivered solid results in the fourth quarter and the whole year of 2019. Total loan facilitation amount was RMB39,441 million in 2019, an increase of 6.8% year-over-year. The total loan facilitation amount in the fourth quarter of 2019 was RMB8,890 million, at the higher end of our previously announced guidance range.”

“We are steadily executing our strategies to capitalize on the enormous potential of China’s consumption upgrade with highly-customized personal finance solutions that will likely be in demand once the recovery from the pandemic begins. Our revenue and non-GAAP adjusted net income in the fourth quarter of 2019 decreased both quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year. Even though the total number of loans facilitated of Xiaoying Term Loan in the fourth quarter decreased year-over-year, the average loan amount per transaction was RMB14,611, an increase of 63.6% from the same period of 2018 and an increase of 13.7% sequentially. The average consumption amount per user of Xiaoying Revolving Loan also increased 45.9% in the fourth quarter to RMB8,268 compared to RMB5,668 in the third quarter of 2019.”

“We are also glad to see total cumulative registered users on the platform reach 38.8 million as of December 31, 2019, demonstrating the continued value we are able to offer borrowers. The number of active borrowers during the quarter decreased 29% because certain existing borrowers are not qualified to borrow money on our platform anymore after we implemented a more stringent standard to evaluate borrowers in October 2019. The delinquency rates for all outstanding loans that are past due for 31-90 days and 91–180 days as of December 31, 2019 were 4.05% and 5.11% respectively, compared with 2.95% and 4.50%, respectively as of September 30, 2019. The cumulative number of active individual investors increased to 499,855 as of December 31, 2019.”

“The percentage of loan products we facilitated that were covered by ZhongAn Insurance decreased further to 73.0% during the quarter as we continue to reduce our insurance coverage rate to lower our customers’ borrowing costs.”

“It is our mission to create more value for our customers and shareholders as we recover from the highs and lows of 2019 and navigate the challenging market in 2020. We remain in full compliance with current regulations, are confident in our ability to stand out amongst our peers and take advantage of market consolidation, and will reduce costs further by improving operational efficiency.”

Fourth Quarter 2019 Financial Results

Net revenues in the fourth quarter of 2019 decreased by 22.9% to RMB665.1 million (US$95.5 million) from RMB862.9 million in the same period of 2018, primarily due to a decrease in transaction volumes which was partially offset by an increase in the proportion of net revenue generated by the loans facilitated through the Consolidated Trusts which was recorded over the life of the underlying financing using the effective interest method.

Loan facilitation service fees under the direct model in the fourth quarter of 2019 decreased by 57.5% to RMB323.4 million (US$46.5 million) from RMB760.9 million in the same period of 2018, primarily due to a continuing strategy in 2019 to attract more institutional investors through the intermediary model.

Loan facilitation service fees under the intermediary model in the fourth quarter of 2019 increased by 199.2% to RMB17.7 million (US$2.5 million) from RMB5.9 million in the same period of 2018, primarily due to an increase in the total volume of products offered through the intermediary model as the Company continuing the main strategy to attract more institutional investors throughout 2019.

Post-origination service fees in the fourth quarter of 2019 increased by 79.1% to RMB82.4 million (US$11.8 million) from RMB46.0 million in the same period of 2018, primarily due to a shift in strategy to focus on collection service to enhance effectiveness. Revenues from post-origination services are recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the underlying loans as the services are being provided.

Financing income in the fourth quarter of 2019 increased by 1,034.5% to RMB194.1 million (US$27.9 million) from RMB17.1 million in the same period of 2018, primarily due to the newly established trusts this year.

Other revenue in the fourth quarter of 2019 increased by 44.4% to RMB47.5 million (US$6.8 million) from RMB32.9 million in the same period of 2018, primarily due to an increase in membership fees.

Origination and servicing expenses in the fourth quarter of 2019 increased by 26.2% to RMB413.3 million (US$59.4 million) from RMB327.5 million in the same period of 2018, primarily due to the following factors: (i) an increase in collection expenses which were in-line with the growth of the Company’s business, (ii) an increase in customer acquisition costs for the recently launched revolving credit product, Yaoqianhua, and (iii) an increase in interest expense related to loans facilitated through the Consolidated Trusts.

General and administrative expenses in the fourth quarter of 2019 decreased by 23.7% to RMB53.1 million (US$7.6 million) from RMB69.6 million in the same period of 2018, primarily due to a decrease in consulting service fees compared to the same period of 2018.

Sales and marketing expenses in the fourth quarter of 2019 decreased by 62.1% to RMB19.9 million (US$2.9 million) from RMB52.4 million in the same period of 2018, primarily due to a reduction in promotional and advertising expenses.

Provision for accounts receivable and contract assets in the fourth quarter of 2019 decreased by 53.1% to RMB52.3 million (US$7.5 million) from RMB111.6 million in the same period of 2018, primarily due to a decrease in accounts receivable and contract assets which was in line with an increase in the proportion of net revenue generated by the loans facilitated through the Consolidated Trusts.

Income from operation in the fourth quarter of 2019 decreased by 64.5% to RMB102.2 million (US$14.7 million) from RMB287.8 million in the same period of 2018.

Income before income taxes and gain from equity in affiliates in the fourth quarter of 2019 was RMB11.5 million (US$1.7 million), compared with RMB235.5 million in the same period of 2018.

Income tax benefit in the fourth quarter of 2019 was RMB65.7 million (US$9.4 million) compared with an income tax benefit of RMB3.7 million in the same period of 2018.

Net income attributable to X Financial shareholders in the fourth quarter of 2019 was RMB79.7 million (US$11.4 million), compared with RMB241.9 million in the same period of 2018.

Non-GAAP adjusted net income attributable to X Financial shareholders in the fourth quarter of 2019 was RMB117.2 million (US$16.8 million), compared with RMB280.4 million in the same period of 2018.

Net income per basic and diluted ADS in the fourth quarter of 2019 were RMB0.50 (US$0.07) and RMB0.48 (US$0.07), respectively, compared with RMB1.60 and RMB1.50, respectively, in the same period of 2018.

Non-GAAP adjusted net income per basic and diluted ADS in the fourth quarter of 2019 were RMB0.74 (US$0.11) and RMB0.72 (US$0.10), respectively, compared with RMB1.84 and RMB1.74, respectively, in the same period of 2018.

Cash and cash equivalents was RMB1,006.0 million (US$144.5 million) as of December 31, 2019, compared with RMB931.0 million as of September 30, 2019.

Fiscal Year 2019 Financial Results

Net revenues in 2019 increased by 12.8% to RMB3,088.1 million (US$443.6 million) from RMB3,540.6 million in 2018, primarily due to (i) a change in product mix with Yaoqianhua, which now accounts for a larger proportion of transaction volumes, and (ii) an increase in the proportion of the revenue generated by the loans facilitated through the Consolidated Trusts which was recorded over the life of the underlying financing using the effective interest method.

Loan facilitation service fees under the direct model in 2019 decreased by 32.9% to RMB1,986.0 million (US$285.3 million) from RMB2,957.6 million in 2018, primarily due to a continuing strategy in 2019 to attract more institutional investors through the intermediary model.

Loan facilitation service fees under the intermediary model in 2019 increased by 4.6% to RMB238.9 million (US$34.3 million) from RMB228.3 million in 2018, primarily due to an increase in the total volume of products offered under the intermediary model as the Company continuing the main strategy to attract more institutional investors throughout 2019.

Post-origination service fees in 2019 increased by 152.0% to RMB330.7 million (US$47.5 million) from RMB131.2 million in 2018, primarily due to a shift in strategy to focus on collection service to enhance effectiveness. Revenues from post-origination services are recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the underlying loans as the services are being provided.

Financing income in 2019 increased by 436.6% to RMB408.4 million (US$58.7 million) from RMB76.1 million in 2018, primarily due to the newly established trusts this year.

Other revenue in 2019 decreased by 15.8% to RMB124.1 million (US$17.8 million) from RMB147.4 million in 2018, primarily due to a decrease in guarantee revenue associated with loans facilitated under the Old ZhongAn model, which are no longer offered to our customers from September 15, 2017. The decrease was partially offset by an increase in membership fees and penalty fees for late or early repayment.

Origination and servicing expenses in 2019 increased by 37.9% to RMB 1,634.8 million (US$234.8 million) from RMB1,186.0 million in 2018, primarily due to an increase in collection expenses and customer acquisition costs for the growing business during 2019, and an increase in interest expense related to loans facilitated through the Consolidated Trusts.

General and administrative expenses in 2019 increased by 3.4% to RMB227.5 million (US$32.7 million) from RMB220.0 million in 2018, primarily due to an increase in share-based compensation expenses which was partially offset by a decrease in consulting service fees.

Sales and marketing expenses in 2019 decreased by 49.9% to RMB103.2 million (US$14.8 million) from RMB205.7 million in 2018, primarily due to a reduction in promotional and advertising expenses.

Provision for contingent guarantee liabilities in 2019 was RMB7.7 million (US$1.1 million) compared with RMB216.4 million in 2018, as because there was no deterioration in the estimated default rates of the loans subject to guarantee liabilities facilitated in prior periods.

Provision for loans receivable from Xiaoying Credit Loans and Xiaoying Revolving Loans in 2019 was RMB37.6 million (US$5.4 million) compared with nil in 2018, primarily due to a significant increase in transaction volumes for revolving loan product during 2019.

Provision for accounts receivable and contract assets in 2019 decreased by 39.2% to RMB241.2 million (US$34.6 million) from RMB397.0 million in 2018, primarily due to a decrease in accounts receivable and contract assets which was in line with an increase in the proportion of net revenue generated by the loans facilitated through the Consolidated Trusts.

Income from operations in 2019 decreased by 36.3% to RMB812.6 million (US$116.7 million) from RMB1,275.2 million in 2018.

Income before income taxes and gain from equity in affiliates was RMB663.9 million (US$95.4 million) in 2019, compared with RMB1,084.9 million in 2018.

Income tax benefit was RMB93.1 million (US$13.4 million) in 2019, compared with an income tax expenses of RMB209.9 million in 2018. The decrease was primarily due to (i) one major subsidiary of the Company qualifying as a new and hi-tech enterprise in the fourth quarter of 2018 which allows it to enjoy a preferential income tax rate of 15% from 2018 to 2020, and (ii) one major subsidiary of the Company qualifying as software enterprise in early May 2019 that allows it to enjoy a preferential income tax rate of 12.5% from 2019 to 2021.

Net income attributable to X Financial shareholders was RMB774.3 million (US$111.2 million) in 2019, compared with RMB883.1 million in 2018.

Non-GAAP adjusted net income attributable to X Financial shareholders was RMB931.4 million (US$133.8 million) in 2019, compared with RMB1,054.9 million in 2018.

Net income per basic and diluted ADS were RMB4.94 (US$0.71) and RMB4.84 (US$0.70), respectively, in 2019, compared with RMB6.16 and RMB5.82 respectively, in 2018.

Non-GAAP adjusted net income per basic and diluted ADS were RMB5.94 (US$0.86) and RMB5.82 (US$0.84), respectively, in 2019, compared with RMB7.36 and RMB6.94, respectively, in 2018.

Cash and cash equivalents was RMB1,006.0 million (US$144.5 million) as of December 31, 2019, compared with RMB1,069.4 million as of December 31, 2018.

Business Outlook

Considering the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, the Company’s total loan facilitation amount for the first quarter of 2020 has been negatively impacted. Although the decline has been partially offset by the relative growth in Yaoqianhua and Xiaoying Online Mall, X Financial expects a first-quarter loss with drop in revenue. The Company plan to provide a business update in the first quarter 2020 Earnings Release. This forecast reflects the Company’s current and preliminary views, which are subject to changes.

Conference Call

X Financial’s management team will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on Tuesday, April 28, 2020 (8:00 PM Beijing / Hong Kong Time on the same day).

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

United States:

1-888-346-8982

Hong Kong:

852-301-84992

China:

4001-201203

International:

1-412-902-4272

Passcode:

X Financial

Please dial in ten minutes before the call is scheduled to begin and provide the passcode to join the call.

A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following numbers until May 5, 2020:

United States:

1-877-344-7529

International:

1-412-317-0088

Passcode:

10141728

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available at http://ir.xiaoyinggroup.com.

About X Financial

X Financial (NYSE: XYF) (the “Company”) is a leading technology-driven personal finance company in China focused on meeting the huge demand for credit from individuals and small-to-medium-sized enterprise owners. The Company’s proprietary big data-driven risk control system, WinSAFE, builds risk profiles of prospective borrowers using a variety data-driven credit assessment methodology to accurately evaluate a borrower’s value, payment capability, payment attitude and overall creditworthiness. X Financial has established a strategic partnership with ZhongAn Online P&C Insurance Co., Ltd. in multiple areas of its business operations to directly complement its cutting-edge risk management and credit assessment capabilities. ZhongAn Online P&C Insurance Co., Ltd. provides credit insurance on X Financial’s investment products which significantly enhances investor confidence and allows the Company to attract a diversified and low-cost funding base from individuals, enterprises and financial institutions to support its growth. X Financial leverages financial technology to provide convenient, efficient, and secure investment services to a wide range of high-quality borrowers and mass affluent investors which complements traditional financial institutions and helps to promote the development of inclusive finance in China.

For more information, please visit: http://ir.xiaoyinggroup.com.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures Statement

In evaluating our business, we consider and use non-GAAP measures as supplemental measures to review and assess our operating performance. We present the non-GAAP financial measures because they are used by our management to evaluate our operating performance and formulate business plans. We also believe that the use of the non-GAAP financial measures facilitates investors’ assessment of our operating performance.

We use in this press release the following non-GAAP financial measures: (i) adjusted net income, (ii) adjusted net income attributable to X Financial shareholders, (iii) adjusted net income per basic ADS, and (iv) adjusted net income per diluted ADS, each of which excludes share-based compensation expense. These non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools, and when assessing our operating performance, investors should not consider them in isolation, or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

We mitigate these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measures, which should be considered when evaluating our performance. We encourage you to review our financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned “Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP results” set forth at the end of this press release.

New Accounting Pronouncements

On February 25, 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-02, Leases, which requires lessees to record lease liabilities and right-of-use assets as of the date of adoption and was incorporated into GAAP as Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 842. The Company adopted the new standard prospectively effective January 1, 2019, using a modified retrospective basis method under which prior comparative periods are not restated. As of January 1, 2019, the Company had some operating leases for its offices with the remaining contractual terms of 16~46 months. Under the terms of the lease, the Company will pay base annual rent (subject to an annual fixed percentage increase), plus fixed property management fees. The ROU assets were recorded as “Other non-current assets”, and the current and non-current portions of the lease liabilities were recorded as “Accrued expenses and other current liabilities” and “Other non-current liabilities” in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. There was no cumulative adjustment to our retained earnings.

Exchange Rate Information

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars are made at a rate of RMB6.9618 to US$1.00, the exchange rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as of December 31, 2019.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “targets,” “guidance” and similar statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but not limited to the following: the Company’s goals and strategies; its future business development, financial condition and results of operations; the expected growth of the credit industry, and marketplace lending in particular, in China; the demand for and market acceptance of its marketplace’s products and services; its ability to attract and retain borrowers and investors on its marketplace; its relationships with its strategic cooperation partners; competition in its industry; and relevant government policies and regulations relating to the corporate structure, business and industry. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this announcement is current as of the date of this announcement, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For more information, please contact:

X Financial
Mr. Kevin Zhang
E-mail: ir@xiaoying.com

Christensen

In China
Mr. Christian Arnell
Phone: +86-10-5900-1548
E-mail: carnell@christensenir.com  

In US
Ms. Linda Bergkamp
Phone: +1-480-614-3004
Email: lbergkamp@christensenir.com

X Financial

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In thousands, except for share and per share data)

As of
December 31, 2018

As of
December 31, 2019

 RMB 

RMB

USD

 ASSETS 

 Cash and cash equivalents 

1,069,361

1,005,980

144,500

 Restricted cash 

208,346

514,323

73,878

 Accounts receivable and contract assets, net of allowance for doubtful accounts 

1,379,293

771,154

110,769

 Loans receivable from Xiaoying Credit Loans and Revolving Loans, net 

289,553

41,592

 Loans held for sale 

632,717

 Loans at fair value 

33,417

2,782,333

399,657

 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 

115,193

1,226,171

176,129

 Financial guarantee derivative 

358,250

719,962

103,416

 Amounts due from related party 

20,000

 Deferred tax assets, net 

346,648

484,395

69,579

 Long term investments 

287,223

292,142

41,964

 Property and equipment, net 

23,215

20,139

2,893

 Intangible assets, net 

28,400

35,127

5,046

 Loan receivable from Xiaoying Housing Loans, net 

128,101

89,536

12,861

 Other non-current assets 

6,806

68,772

9,878

 TOTAL ASSETS 

4,636,970

8,299,587

1,192,162

 LIABILITIES 

 Payable to investors at fair value of the Consolidated Trusts 

3,006,349

431,835

 Guarantee liabilities 

20,898

17,475

2,510

 Short-term borrowings 

198,000

 Accrued payroll and welfare 

93,464

63,649

9,143

 Other tax payable 

134,129

58,086

8,344

 Income tax payable 

312,238

340,996

48,981

 Deposit payable to channel cooperators 

134,042

108,923

15,646

 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 

178,701

274,440

39,421

 Other non-current liabilities 

42,300

6,076

 Deferred tax liabilities 

47,428

20,263

2,911

 TOTAL LIABILITIES 

1,118,900

3,932,481

564,867

 Commitments and Contingencies 

 Equity: 

 Common shares (US$0.0001 par value; 1,000,000,000 and 1,000,000,000 shares authorized, 303,614,298 and 320,667,943 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively) 

190

201

29

 Additional paid-in capital 

2,824,223

2,987,363

429,108

 Retained earnings 

640,115

1,311,194

188,341

 Other comprehensive income 

52,495

67,101

9,638

 Total X Financial shareholders’ equity 

3,517,023

4,365,859

627,116

 Non-controlling interests 

1,047

1,247

179

 TOTAL EQUITY 

3,518,070

4,367,106

627,295

 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY 

4,636,970

8,299,587

1,192,162

X Financial

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

Three Months Ended December 31,

Twelve Months Ended December 31,

(In thousands, except for share and per share data)

2018

2019

2019

2018

2019

2019

RMB

RMB

USD

RMB

RMB

USD

 Net revenues 

 Loan facilitation service-Direct Model 

760,926

323,435

46,459

2,957,572

1,986,003

285,272

 Loan facilitation service-Intermediary Model 

5,925

17,730

2,547

228,272

238,867

34,311

 Post-origination service 

45,996

82,369

11,832

131,243

330,695

47,501

 Financing income 

17,105

194,056

27,874

76,104

408,401

58,663

 Other revenue 

32,902

47,513

6,825

147,409

124,084

17,824

 Total net revenue 

862,854

665,103

95,537

3,540,600

3,088,050

443,571

 Operating costs and expenses: 

 Origination and servicing 

327,482

413,275

59,363

1,185,937

1,634,822

234,827

 General and administrative 

69,635

53,102

7,628

220,024

227,482

32,676

 Sales and marketing 

52,445

19,858

2,852

205,726

103,158

14,818

 Provision for contingent guarantee liabilities

7,748

1,113

216,364

7,748

1,113

 Provision for accounts receivable and contract assets 

111,559

52,272

7,508

396,996

241,187

34,644

 Provision for loan receivable from Xiaoying Housing Loans 

13,899

13,283

1,908

40,348

23,431

3,366

Provision for loans receivable from Xiaoying Credit Loans and Xiaoying Revolving Loans

3,402

489

37,643

5,407

 Total operating costs and expenses 

575,020

562,940

80,861

2,265,395

2,275,471

326,851

 Income from operation  

287,834

102,163

14,676

1,275,205

812,579

116,720

 Interest income, net 

221

6,694

962

4,225

19,386

2,785

 Foreign exchange gain (loss) 

(19)

775

111

10

616

88

 Investment loss 

(12,538)

(1,801)

 Change in fair value of financial guarantee derivative 

(51,391)

(47,420)

(6,811)

(200,971)

(246,372)

(35,389)

 Fair value adjustments related to Consolidated Trusts 

1,475

(66,767)

(9,590)

12,359

64,163

9,216

 Other income (loss), net 

(2,588)

16,053

2,306

(5,905)

26,081

3,746

 Income before income taxes and gain from equity in affiliates 

235,532

11,498

1,654

1,084,923

663,915

95,365

 Income tax benefit (expense)  

3,719

65,745

9,444

(209,921)

93,103

13,374

 Gain from equity in affiliates 

2,665

2,429

349

8,055

17,458

2,508

 Net income 

241,916

79,672

11,447

883,057

774,476

111,247

 Less: net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests 

(55)

200

29

 Net income attributable to X Financial shareholders 

241,916

79,672

11,447

883,112

774,276

111,218

Net income 

241,916

79,672

11,447

883,057

774,476

111,247

Other comprehensive income, net of tax of nil:

Foreign currency translation adjustments

(3,616)

7,231

1,039

19,045

14,606

2,098

Comprehensive income

238,300

86,903

12,486

902,102

789,082

113,345

Less: comprehensive income (loss) attributable to non controlling interests

(55)

200

29

Comprehensive income attributable to X Financial shareholders

238,300

86,903

12,486

902,157

788,882

113,316

 Net income per share—basic 

0.80

0.25

0.04

3.08

2.47

0.35

 Net income per share—diluted  

0.75

0.24

0.03

2.91

2.42

0.35

 Net income per ADS—basic 

1.60

0.50

0.07

6.16

4.94

0.71

 Net income per ADS—diluted  

1.50

0.48

0.07

5.82

4.84

0.70

 Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding—basic 

303,249,156

319,584,790

316,387,394

286,588,402

313,757,887

313,757,887

 Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding—diluted 

320,645,039

325,574,294

323,103,017

303,984,284

319,747,392

319,747,392

X Financial

Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results

Three Months Ended December 31,

Twelve Months Ended December 31,

(In thousands, except for share and per share data)

2018

2019

2019

2018

2019

2019

RMB

RMB

USD

RMB

RMB

USD

GAAP net income

241,916

79,672

11,447

883,057

774,476

111,247

Add: Share-based compensation expenses (net of tax of nil)

38,529

37,542

5,393

171,836

157,116

22,568

Non-GAAP adjusted net income 

280,445

117,214

16,840

1,054,893

931,592

133,815

Net income attributable to X Financial shareholders

241,916

79,672

11,447

883,112

774,276

111,218

Add: Share-based compensation expenses (net of tax of nil)

38,529

37,542

5,393

171,836

157,116

22,568

Non-GAAP adjusted net income attributable to X Financial shareholders

280,445

117,214

16,840

1,054,948

931,392

133,786

 Non-GAAP adjusted net income per share—basic 

0.92

0.37

0.05

3.68

2.97

0.43

 Non-GAAP adjusted net income per share—diluted  

0.87

0.36

0.05

3.47

2.91

0.42

 Non-GAAP adjusted net income per ADS—basic 

1.84

0.74

0.11

7.36

5.94

0.86

 Non-GAAP adjusted net income per ADS—diluted  

1.74

0.72

0.10

6.94

5.82

0.84

 Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding—basic 

303,249,156

319,584,790

316,387,394

286,588,402

313,757,887

313,757,887

 Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding—diluted 

320,645,039

325,574,294

323,103,017

303,984,284

319,747,392

319,747,392

Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/x-financial-reports-fourth-quarter-and-fiscal-year-2019-unaudited-financial-results-301047646.html

Cango Inc. Filed Its Annual Report on Form 20-F

SHANGHAI, April 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Cango, Inc. (NYSE: CANG) (“Cango” or the “Company”), a leading automotive transaction service platform in China, today announced that it filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 27, 2020, U.S. Eastern Time.

The annual report can be accessed on the Company’s investor relations website at ir.cangoonline.com or the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The Company will also provide a hard copy of its annual report containing its audited consolidated financial statements, free of charge, to its shareholders and American Depositary Share holders upon request.

About Cango, Inc.

Cango Inc. (NYSE: CANG) is a leading automotive transaction service platform in China connecting dealers, financial institutions, car buyers, and other industry participants. Founded in 2010 by a group of pioneers in China’s automotive finance industry, the Company is headquartered in Shanghai and engages car buyers through a nationwide dealer network. The Company’s services primarily consist of automotive financing facilitation, automotive transaction facilitation, and after-market services facilitation. By utilizing its competitive advantages in technology, data insights, and cloud-based infrastructure, Cango is able to connect its platform participants while bringing them a premium user experience. Cango’s platform model puts it in a unique position to add value for its platform participants and business partners as the automotive and mobility markets in China continue to grow and evolve. For more information, please visit: www.cangoonline.com.

Investor Relations Contact

Caesar Cao
Cango Inc.
Tel: +86 21 3183 5088 ext.5521
Email: ir@cangoonline.com

Jack Wang
ICR Inc.
Tel: +1 (646) 405-5056
Email: ir@cangoonline.com

Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cango-inc-filed-its-annual-report-on-form-20-f-301047826.html

Source: Cango Inc.

Qudian Files Its Annual Report on Form 20-F

XIAMEN, China, April 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Qudian Inc. (“Qudian” or the “Company”) (NYSE: QD), a leading technology platform empowering the enhancement of online consumer finance experience in China, today announced that it filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 27, 2020 (U.S. Time). The annual report on Form 20-F can be accessed on the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.qudian.com.

Qudian will provide a hard copy of the annual report containing its audited consolidated financial statements, free of charge, to its shareholders and ADS holders upon request. Requests should be directed to Investor Relations department, Level 29, Tower A, AVIC Zijin Plaza, Siming District, Xiamen, Fujian Province, The People’s Republic of China, 361000.

About Qudian Inc.

Qudian Inc. (“Qudian”) is a leading technology platform empowering the enhancement of online consumer finance experience in China. The Company’s mission is to use technology to make personalized credit accessible to hundreds of millions of young, mobile-active consumers in China who need access to small credit for their discretionary spending but are underserved by traditional financial institutions due to lack of traditional credit data or high cost of servicing. Qudian’s credit solutions enable licensed, regulated financial institutions and ecosystem partners to offer affordable and customized loans to this young generation of consumers.

For more information, please visit http://ir.qudian.com.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

Qudian Inc.
IR team
Tel: +86-592-591-1711
E-mail: ir@qudian.com  

The Piacente Group, Inc.
Xi Zhang
Tel: +86 (10) 6508-0677
E-mail: qudian@tpg-ir.com

In the United States:

The Piacente Group, Inc.
Brandi Piacente
Tel: +1-212-481-2050
E-mail: qudian@tpg-ir.com 

Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/qudian-files-its-annual-report-on-form-20-f-301047821.html

Source: Qudian Inc.

Tencent Music Completed Investment in Radio Music, a Leading Music-for-business Provider in China

SHENZHEN, China, April 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Tencent Music Entertainment (TME) (NYSE: TME) announced it has completed an equity investment in Radio Music Warehouse, a leading music company that provides music streaming solutions to business use in China, on April 27. TME has also obtained a right to further increase its shareholdings to controlling stake in the company. Upon completion of the transaction, TME will provide Radio Music with access to a rich and diversified music library to meet the personalized demands of its customers. At the same time, TME will promote and distribute its high quality music content, via the hundreds of thousand offline spots in China that is using Radio Music’s in-store music solutions.

Through business investments and other methods, TME is contributing to the recovery of normal business operations in China from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Radio Music has a professional music-for-business service system and comprehensive offline coverage resources. Through this investment, we will jointly explore music-for-business market to add value to our music ecosystem,” said Tony Yip, Chief Strategy Officer of TME. “TME will offer more diversified music content to resolve the challenge of a shortage of content for music solutions to business, and develop brand-new content promotion and distribution models in to provide a stage for artists and high-quality work everywhere. We also look forward to a strong synergy between music-for-business service and our existing online music and social entertainment services, to bring users a more professional, immersive music experience that drives the healthy development of the music-for-business industry and the music industry as a whole. “

Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tencent-music-completed-investment-in-radio-music-a-leading-music-for-business-provider-in-china-301047683.html

Aqara launches its new Smart Wall Switches in the U.S.

NEW YORK, April 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Several months after Aqara launched its main product line on Amazon.com, receiving positive consumer reviews and selling out quickly, the company has widened its presence on Amazon.com by launching its latest Zigbee 3.0 wall switches on April 27. Moreover, along with the switches, Aqara is launching its famous Cube, a small-yet-powerful device able to control the whole range of other smart home devices.

On April 27, Aqara released its brand new Zigbee 3.0 US Smart Wall Switches including No-Neutral versions
On April 27, Aqara released its brand new Zigbee 3.0 US Smart Wall Switches including No-Neutral versions

Aqara Smart Wall Switch comes in four versions differentiated by the number of rockers or buttons (Single and Double Rocker) and the support of Neutral wire (With Neutral and No Neutral). Its features include: newest Zigbee 3.0 protocol, integration into the most popular ecosystems present on the market (such as Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant), timer function, support of automations via Aqara Home app and many more. For those who care about electricity bills, it offers a power consumption statistic available via the app along with remote controls available from anywhere in the world. The switch is fully compliant with U.S. wall switch standards and features easy installation with a single screwdriver required to complete it. As for the build and design, the minimalistic housing of the new Wall Switch was tested to support up to 100,000 on/off switches, which will make the observable useful life practically infinite.

Another product being launched, the Aqara Cube, is a small and unique piece of tech that incorporates various sensors to support 6 different gestures, which can control any other Aqara smart home devices. Its clean and compact design, which can fit almost any surface, will make its use frequent and intuitive.

Together, the released products are able to successfully control lights or other wired appliances such as bathroom exhaust both remotely and in a more classic way, and will complement smart home devices no matter which of the aforementioned ecosystems are used.

Moreover, to celebrate the launch, Aqara has prepared a 20% discount on the newly-released products for a limited time with the use of the code: AQARAPRS. Click here to shop.

For Media Enquiries:
pr@aqara.com

Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aqara-launches-its-new-smart-wall-switches-in-the-us-301047239.html

Berkeley Lights Launches Two New Capabilities in the Opto Cell Therapy Development 1.0 Workflow to Accelerate the Creation Of Effective Cancer Immunotherapies

The new multiplex cytokine and cytotoxicity assays as a part of the Opto Cell Therapy Development 1.0 workflow will help users of the Berkeley Lights’ platform develop cancer immunotherapies faster

EMERYVILLE, Calif., April 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Berkeley Lights, Inc., a leader in Digital Cell Biology, launched new capabilities to empower the Opto Cell Therapy Development 1.0 workflow. The workflow consists of a collection of software capabilities, reagents, and protocols to be run on the Beacon® and LightningTM systems. With the new capabilities researchers can now perform multiple functional assays on thousands of individual T cells in just days, allowing them to recover live cells for downstream genomic analysis. This ultimately enables Berkeley Lights’ customers to link T cell phenotype and function to genotype on individual cells, consolidating the T cell functional analytic process into one innovative platform.

T cell-based therapies have shown great promise for cancer treatment, but developing these therapies is challenging because the process of killing cancerous tumors by T cells relies on studying and screening multiple cell-to-cell interactions—a time-consuming and complex procedure. Current techniques to assess T cell function don’t allow scientists to collect all of the required data from the same cell. The new multiplex cytokine assay and the cytotoxicity assay, along with the recently launched TCRseq Well Plate Kit allow scientists to define and test the function of individual T cells. These applications enable simultaneous functional interrogation of thousands of individual T cells as they interact with antigen-presenting cells or tumors. Live, individual clones can be recovered for downstream expansion or genomic analysis. The Opto Cell Therapy Development 1.0 workflow enables CAR-T cell phenotypic and functional screening, and the discovery of T cell receptors (TCRs) associated with specific T cell behaviors.

“With the Opto Cell Therapy Development 1.0 workflow, users of Berkeley Lights’ platform can now tailor the development of cell therapies that mediate the rapid destruction of multiple tumor cells to the few T cells that really do all the work,” said John Proctor, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Marketing at Berkeley Lights. “The cytotoxicity assay visualizes killing activity from single T cells, such as multiplexed and serial killing, followed by live cell recovery for genomic analysis. This new assay avoids common problems associated with traditional killing assays, which measure average target cell lysis at fixed time points, obscuring kinetic details and ignoring the heterogeneity present in T cell subsets.”

Berkeley Lights will continue to release more cell therapy related capabilities to the Berkeley Lights platform in the coming months. Email info@berkeleylights.com for more info.

About Berkeley Lights
Here at Berkeley Lights, we think cells are awesome! Cells are capable of manufacturing cures for diseases, fibers for clothing, energy in the form of biofuels, and food proteins for nutrition. So the question is, if nature is capable of manufacturing the products we need in a scalable way, why aren’t we doing more of this? Well, the answer is that with the solutions available today, it is hard. It takes a long time to find the right cell for a specific job, costs lots of money, and if you have picked a suboptimal cell line, has a very low process yield. The Berkeley Lights Platform delivers and links deep phenotypic, functional, and genotypic information at the single cell level. This is a new way to capture and interpret the qualitative language of biology and translate it into single cell specific digital information, which we call Digital Cell Biology. Using our platform, customers have the complete solution to find the best cells by functionally screening and recovering individual cells for antibody discovery, cell line development, cell therapy development, and synthetic biology. Using our systems and solutions, scientists can find the best cells, the first time they look. For more information, visit www.berkeleylights.com.

Berkeley Lights’ Beacon and Lightning systems and Culture Station instrument are for research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Logo – https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/berkeley-lights-launches-two-new-capabilities-in-the-opto-cell-therapy-development-1-0-workflow-to-accelerate-the-creation-of-effective-cancer-immunotherapies.jpg  

Source: Berkeley Lights, Inc.

China Literature Limited Announces the Change of the Management Team

HONG KONG, April 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — China Literature Limited (“China Literature” or the “Company”, together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”, stock code: 0772.HK), a leading online literature platform in China, announced changes to its management team. Certain members of the senior management team including Mr. Wu Wenhui and Mr. Liang Xiaodong, currently the Co-Chief Executive Officers, Mr. Shang Xuesong, the President, and Mr. Lin Tingfeng, the Senior Vice President, have resigned. Mr. Wu Wenhui will be re-designated as a non-executive Director and Vice Chairman of the Board, and Mr. Liang Xiaodong and other senior management will serve as consultants to the Group, to facilitate the smooth transition and development of the management team. Meanwhile, Mr. Cheng Wu, currently a Vice President of Tencent Holdings Limited (“Tencent“) and the Chief Executive Officer of Tencent Pictures, has been appointed by the board as the Chief Executive Officer and an executive Director of China Literature; and Mr. Hou Xiaonan, the Vice President of Tencent’s Platform and Content Group, has been appointed by the board as the President and an executive Director of China Literature, so as to lead China Literature towards a new stage of development through deepening the cooperation with Tencent and other industry partners.

After five years’ development, China Literature has become the leading digital reading platform and literature intellectual property (“IP”) incubator, with 8.1 million writers, 12.2 million literary works and hundreds of millions of readers. It is pioneering development of the industry, in particular the trends toward high-quality IP and a content ecosystem through the integration of online literature and digital content formats such as TV series, movies, anime, and games. Mr. Wu Wenhui and other members of the senior management team decided to retire given the Group has reached these new milestones.

Mr. James Mitchell, the Chairman of China Literature, commented, “China Literature has become a vital source of original IPs for creative industries in China. We express our sincere gratitude to Mr. Wu, Mr. Liang, and the other core management team members for their significant contribution in leading China Literature to become the leading online literature platform in China. We look forward to the new management team further energizing China Literature’s platform, and deepening cooperation between China Literature and key partners such as Tencent in activities including TV series, movies, and games.”

In recent years, China Literature has been promoting technological innovation and exploring business models which exhibit higher value for its users, further leading the industry into a new development phase. Mr. Wu Wenhui said, “This year marks the fifth anniversary of the establishment of China Literature as well as the eighteenth anniversary of Qidian.com. As one of the founders, I witness that the Group has indeed entered a new stage of growth. Together with several other management, I decided to retire with honour upon completion of our mission in bringing the Group to the new stage. In the future, it is essential for China Literature to build on our IP portfolio in establishing a more open ecosystem and new commercial rules to embrace future trends. This requires a thorough change in management to propel China Literature forwards in areas such as business innovation, technological breakthrough, IP creation and establishment of ecosystem.”

Mr. Cheng Wu, the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of China Literature, said, “I would like to express my thanks to Mr. Wu Wenhui and the founding team for their trust to delegate authority to the new management team and continue to support the development of China Literature. We are confident in pushing forward the upgrade of China Literature from the largest copyrighted digital reading platform and literature IP incubator in the industry to an even stronger literature content ecosystem. We expect the upgrade in three aspects. Firstly, we will strengthen the core business through enhancing IP incubation capability, solidifying fundamentals, and speeding up the development across sectors to accelerate our IP development. Secondly, we will strengthen the connection capability of our platform through establishing stronger connection between the products of China Literature and Tencent’s properties. Finally, building on our proven paid reading model, we will expand our business through upgrading our business models in areas such as new technology and industrial internet.”

Mr. Cheng Wu, who joined Tencent in 2009, currently serves as the Vice President of Tencent and the Chief Executive Officer of Tencent Pictures, and is responsible for Tencent’s Marketing and Public Relations Department, and has been leading the marketing departments of Tencent Interactive Entertainment Group. In 2013, he and Mr. Wu Wenhui jointly played a critical role in founding Tencent Literature and served as the President of Tencent Literature and the Chief Executive Officer of Tencent Literature, respectively. In March 2015, upon the establishment of China Literature, he served as a director for a certain period to provide continuous supports to Mr. Wu Wenhui and the management team. He proactively promoted the collaboration of China Literature and New Classics Media with Tencent in areas including  films, animes, comics and online games businesses, co-developing cross-industry representative works such as Joy of Life and There Was a Lingjian Mountain a Long Time Ago.

Hou Xiaonan currently serves as the Vice President of the Platform and Content Group of Tencent and holds various management positions for Tencent businesses including Tencent Open Platform, YingYongBao, Tencent WeStart, Qingteng University and Penguin Media Content Platform. He has extensive and in-depth management experience in product planning and operation, business model innovation, resource integration and ecosystem cooperation.

About China Literature Limited

China Literature Limited is a pioneer in the online literature market and operates China’s leading online literature platform. The Company owns nine major branded products. Among these, QQ Reading, a unified mobile content aggregation and distribution platform, is the flagship product. Other branded products focus on individual genres and their respective fan bases. China Literature’s shareholder and strategic partner, Tencent, provides the Company with exclusive content distribution access via its suite of leading mobile and Internet products, including Mobile QQ, QQ Browser, Tencent News, Weixin Reading and Tencent Video. The Company also has distribution beyond the Tencent platforms by pre-installing Apps on handsets partners such as OPPO, Huawei and VIVO, as well as licensing content to third-party partners such as Baidu, Sogou, JD.com and Xiaomi Duokan. China Literature monetizes its vast and proprietary content library mainly through online paid reading and content adaptations for a variety of entertainment formats. China Literature’s diverse and high-quality content library is a significant competitive advantage that lies at the core of its business model. In 2018, China Literature further expanded its content capabilities downstream by acquiring New Classics Media, a renowned TV series, web series and film production company in China. For more information, please visit http://ir.yuewen.com/.  

Contact

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to the industry and business outlook, forecast business plans and growth strategies of the Company. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the Company and are stated herein on the basis of the outlook at the time of this press release. They are based on certain expectations, assumptions and premises, some of which are subjective or beyond our control. These forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect and may not be realized in future. Underlying the forward-looking statements is a large number of risks and uncertainties. Further information regarding these risks and uncertainties is included in our other public disclosure documents on our corporate website.

Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/china-literature-limited-announces-the-change-of-the-management-team-301047463.html

Bitauto Files Its Annual Report on Form 20-F

BEIJING, April 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Bitauto Holdings Limited (“Bitauto” or the “Company”) (NYSE: BITA), a leading provider of internet content & marketing services, and transaction services for China’s automotive industry, today announced that it filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 27, 2020.

The annual report can be accessed on Bitauto’s investor relations website at http://ir.bitauto.com as well as the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. Bitauto will provide hardcopies of the annual report containing its audited consolidated financial statements, free of charge, to its shareholders and ADS holders upon request.

About Bitauto Holdings Limited

Bitauto Holdings Limited (NYSE: BITA) is a leading provider of internet content & marketing services, and transaction services for China’s automotive industry. Bitauto’s business consists of three segments: advertising and subscription business, transaction services business and digital marketing solutions business.

Bitauto’s advertising and subscription business provides a variety of advertising services to automakers through the bitauto.com website and corresponding mobile apps which provide consumers with up-to-date automobile pricing and promotional information, specifications, reviews and consumer feedback. Bitauto also provides transaction-focused online advertisements and services for promotional activities to its business partners, including automakers, automobile dealers, auto finance partners and insurance companies. Bitauto offers subscription services via its SaaS platform, which provides web-based and mobile-based integrated digital marketing solutions to new car automobile dealers in China. The SaaS platform enables automobile dealer subscribers to create their own online showrooms, list pricing and promotional information, provide automobile dealer contact information, place advertisements and manage customer relationships to help them reach a broad set of purchase-minded customers and effectively market their automobiles to consumers online.

Bitauto’s transaction services business is primarily conducted by its controlled subsidiary, Yixin Group Limited (SEHK: 2858), a leading online automobile finance transaction platform in China, which provides transaction platform services as well as self-operated financing services.

Bitauto’s digital marketing solutions business provides automakers with one-stop digital marketing solutions, including website creation and maintenance, online public relations, online marketing campaigns, advertising agent services, big data applications and digital image creation.

For more information, please visit http://ir.bitauto.com.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

China
Suki Li
Bitauto Holdings Limited
Phone: +86-10-6849-2145
ir@bitauto.com

Philip Lisio
Foote Group
Phone: +86-10-8429-9544
bitauto@thefootegroup.com

Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bitauto-files-its-annual-report-on-form-20-f-301047447.html

58.com Announces Appointment of Independent Financial Advisor and Legal Counsel to the Special Committee

BEIJING, April 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — 58.com Inc. (NYSE: WUBA) (“58.com” or the “Company”), China’s largest online classifieds marketplace, today announced that the special committee (the “Special Committee”) of the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”), formed to evaluate and consider the previously announced preliminary non-binding acquisition proposal letter dated April 2, 2020 (the “Proposal”) or any alternative strategic option that the Company may pursue, has retained Houlihan Lokey (China) Limited as its independent financial advisor and Fenwick & West LLP as its legal counsel to assist it in this process.

The Board cautions the Company’s shareholders and others considering trading the Company’s securities that no decisions have been made with respect to the Proposal or any alternative strategic option that the Company may pursue. There can be no assurance that any definitive offer will be received, that any definitive agreement will be executed relating to the transaction contemplated by the Proposal or that any other transaction will be approved or consummated. The Company does not undertake any obligation to provide any updates with respect to any transaction, except as required under applicable law.

About 58.com Inc.

58.com Inc. (NYSE: WUBA) operates China’s largest online classifieds marketplace, as measured by monthly unique visitors on both its www.58.com website and mobile applications. The Company’s online marketplace enables local business users and consumer users to connect, share information and conduct business. 58.com’s broad, in-depth and high-quality local information, combined with its easy-to-use website and mobile applications, has made it a trusted marketplace for consumers. 58.com’s strong brand recognition, large and growing user base, merchant network and massive database of local information create a powerful network effect. For more information on 58.com, please visit http://www.58.com.

Safe Harbor Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “confident” and similar statements. 58.com may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about 58.com’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but not limited to the following: 58.com’s goals and strategies; its future business development, financial condition and results of operations; its ability to retain and grow its user base and network of local merchants for its online marketplace; the growth of, and trends in, the markets for its services in China; the outbreak of COVID-19 or other health epidemics in China or globally; the demand for and market acceptance of its brand and services; competition in its industry in China; its ability to maintain the network infrastructure necessary to operate its website and mobile applications; relevant government policies and regulations relating to the corporate structure, business and industry; and its ability to protect its users’ information and adequately address privacy concerns. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is current as of the date of the press release, and 58.com does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For more information, please contact:
58.com Inc.
ir@58.com

Christensen
In China
Mr. Christian Arnell
Phone: +86-10-5900-1548
E-mail: carnell@christensenir.com

In US
Ms. Linda Bergkamp
Phone: +1-480-614-3004
Email: lbergkamp@ChristensenIR.com

Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/58com-announces-appointment-of-independent-financial-advisor-and-legal-counsel-to-the-special-committee-301047455.html

Tencent’s VooV Meeting now available in Malaysia, offering HD cloud conferencing services for enterprises

  • Asiasoft Malaysia, China Construction Bank Malaysia and Green Packet Berhad are among the first in Malaysia to integrate VooV Meeting into their business routine to maintain seamless communications and collaboration with partners during the coronavirus pandemic
  • VooV Meeting provides extensive network across the globe with exceptional system stability especially in China like nobody else does
  • Integrated with WeChat’s ecosystem, VooV Meeting allows users to join meetings through WeChat’s mini program or direct dialing without the need to install the app

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, April 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — To meet the growing demand for remote office and multi-country conferencing, Tencent Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Tencent, today introduces its cloud conferencing tool, VooV Meeting, in Malaysia, offering a high-definition, ultra-smooth and secure multi-person cloud conferencing solution. Enterprises can now seamlessly connect with their colleagues and business partners all over the world with VooV Meeting’s extensive network and stability. Furthermore, during the novel coronavirus outbreak, Tencent Cloud will provide global users with special complimentary access to VooV Meeting’s feature that connects up to 300 participants simultaneously.

Asiasoft Malaysia, China Construction Bank Malaysia (CCB Malaysia), and Green Packet Berhad (Green Packet), were among the first in the country to experience the use of VooV Meeting in order to maintain seamless communications and collaboration within their businesses as well as with external partners amid the recent coronavirus pandemic. Tencent also recently partnered with the United Nations for its 75th anniversary campaign, where VooV Meeting will be used in facilitating the largest global dialogue to date.

All these demonstrate the tool’s capability to offer smooth, stable and reliable cloud-based HD conferencing services for different business occasions.

“We are glad to gain the trust of these Malaysia partners in using our services for their business communications. Built on Tencent Cloud’s cutting-edge technology and Tencent’s experience in the internet, audio and video communications fields in the past 21 years, VooV Meeting can provide exceptional stable coverage globally, outperforming other industry players.” said Poshu Yeung, Vice President of Tencent International Business Group. “Meanwhile, ‘Value for Users, Tech for Good’ is Tencent’s guiding principle, and we strive to incorporate social responsibility into our products and services. By providing complimentary access to VooV Meeting and donating medical resources including masks to Malaysia, we hope to maximize our support to Malaysian enterprises and citizens amid the country’s movement control order.”

VooV Meeting is equipped with a number of practical and convenient features to help users improve efficiency for online conferences, including the integration with WeChat’s ecosystem which allows users to share meeting links through WeChat and to join meetings via WeChat’s mini program without the need to download any applications. It also has facial beautification and blurred background functions, screen-sharing with automated watermark and the use of HD image and high-fidelity processing algorithms to enhance video quality and minimize ambient noise and keyboard sounds, among other features.

Mr. Felix Feng, CEO of CCB Malaysia said, “We proposed the use of VooV meeting in CCB Malaysia as soon as the outbreak of COVID-19 began, as it underpins the good connection among cross-functionality teams, ensuring a smooth and collaborative work. More importantly, CCB Malaysia leverages VooV Meeting as a powerful tool to coordinate large sums of charity efforts, bringing up medical supplies and other trade in need to Malaysia over this challenging period.”

Mr. Joel Wong, VP of Customer Experience and Enterprise Agility from Green Packet commented “Since our government has issued the Movement Control Order as a COVID-19 pandemic countermeasure, the entire company has begun to work from home. To maintain business continuity and productivity, we have selected Tencent’s VooV Meeting app as our primary communications platform that enables us to maintain close communications and collaboration across our global offices and business partners. We find Tencent’s VooV Meeting app to be an extremely effective platform for communications and collaboration because of its ease of use, its extraordinary audio and video performance, and most importantly, its fundamental platform stability and security.”

Mr. Wong Jiann Hui,  technical director of Asiasoft Malaysia, said, “We adopt VooV meeting as our main tele-conferencing tool amid the pandemic as it could maintain quite a good connection even with a bad network. On top of that, features such as background blurring and AI makeup, among others, really fit well in a work-from-home setting, emphasizing a strong internet mindset in its product design.”

The underlying technology architecture of VooV Meeting is backed by the secure and reliable Tencent Cloud, which has multiple layers of protection in terms of business data, management protocols, network equipment and access policy. Tencent Cloud also recently acquired the Multi-Tier Cloud Security Standard (MTCS SS), proving its capability to provide the highest level of security to enterprise cloud users in Malaysia, Asia and around the world.  

Learn more about the features of VooV Meeting and download the desktop version at https://voovmeeting.com/.

Download the iOS or Android versions of VooV Meeting here
Download the iOS or Android versions of VooV Meeting here

Photo – https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200427/2786927-1?lang=0