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World Trade Centers Association Focuses on Business Opportunities in Africa at its 2022 General Assembly “Exploring New Horizons”


Artificial Intelligence-powered matchmaking platform to once again foster global B2B networking during 100% virtual business conference

NEW YORK, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The World Trade Centers Association® (WTCA®) — an international trade organization connecting more than 300 World Trade Center® (WTC®) locations in nearly 100 countries — will host its annual 2022 WTCA General Assembly (GA) with a focus on business opportunities in Africa. This year’s event will once again be complimentary and held virtually with an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered B2B matchmaking platform to maximize time spent establishing business connections between attendees around the world. Hosted by the WTCA team in New York, the business conference will be held from Monday, April 18 to Friday, April 22.

The GA will bring together WTCA Members and their global business networks consisting of leaders from business, government, academia, media and international organizations, reflecting the WTCA’s diverse global footprint. With the theme of “Exploring New Horizons,” the 2022 GA promises to be a unique and engaging week-long event, demonstrating the strength of the WTCA network and offering attendees the opportunity to learn from leading experts and connect with each other virtually through the matchmaking platform.

“For the second year in a row, we are pleased to host the GA virtually and offer AI-powered B2B matchmaking to all attendees free of charge. This platform is an efficient and effective way to find business prospects around the world, and has become a huge benefit to enhance our network’s ability to connect and facilitate trade for our Members and their business networks,” said John E. Drew, Chair, Board of Directors of the WTCA. “Also, with a renewed focus on business in Africa, we hope this GA provides a glimpse into the opportunities available at next year’s GA – which will be hosted in Accra, Ghana by World Trade Center Accra.”

This year’s GA will feature two half-days of livestream programming, kicking off on April 19 with WTCA Members-only programming to provide updates from the WTCA Board of Directors and senior leadership, as well as from the nine Member Advisory Councils (MACs) covering Agriculture, Business Clubs, Conferences & Exhibitions, Real Estate and Trade Services. On April 20, the last day of the GA’s mainstage programming – which is open to all attendees – will include a keynote address with Atsuko Toda, Acting Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development of the African Development Bank; a fireside chat with Soji Awogbade, Partner and Lead of the International Trade, Energy & Natural Resources and Agriculture Practice Groups at ǼLEX, on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA); as well as a panel discussion on doing business in Africa with WTCA Members from Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mauritius and Nigeria. The day will conclude with the kick-off to the 2023 General Assembly. Livestream programming is open to all attendees unless otherwise noted for “WTCA Members only” and will be hosted in English with simultaneous translations in French and Spanish.

Available to GA attendees 24/7 for the whole week from April 18 to April 22 across all time zones, the AI-powered matchmaking platform uses an algorithm to collect and process individual interests of every event attendee, providing them with the means to discover the right content, foster meaningful connections with relevant matches and achieve individual goals. The tool also has the ability to learn from attendee interactions, further improving match relevance in real time and scheduling virtual one-on-one meetings instantaneously. Business sectors represented by attendees at the 2022 GA include: Agriculture; Automation & Automotive; Construction & Engineering; Energy, Power, Gas, Petroleum, Renewables; Fintech, Enterprise Software, Data, IT; Food & Beverage; Metals & Mining; Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Medical Devices; Real Estate Development, Rental, Leasing, Sales; Tourism & Hospitality; and Transportation, Logistics, Telecommunications.

“With the addition of the AI-powered matchmaking tool to our annual offerings, the association now provides 24/7 matchmaking on a global level, across all industries and sectors,” said Robin van Puyenbroeck, Executive Director-Business Development of the WTCA. “The platform is seamless and easy-to-use, allowing attendees to participate in relevant B2B meetings while its algorithm does the work for them. We strongly encourage all businesses looking for new connections to participate in this year’s GA. It is an opportunity you do not want to miss.”

For more information about the 2022 WTCA General Assembly, please visit https://wtca.swoogo.com/2022wtcageneralassembly. Also, follow along on social media #WTCAGeneralAssembly.

MEDIA CONTACT:

World Trade Centers Association (WTCA)
Chanelle Kasik
Phone: +1 212 432 2644
Email: ckasik@wtca.org

About World Trade Centers Association (WTCA)
The World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) is a network of more than 300 highly connected, mutually supporting businesses and organizations in 92 countries. As the owner of the “World Trade Center” and “WTC” trademarks, the WTCA licenses exclusive rights to these brands for Members to use in conjunction with their independently-owned, iconic properties, facilities and trade services offerings. Through a robust portfolio of events, programming and resources that it offers its Members, the goal of the WTCA is to help local economies thrive by encouraging and facilitating trade and investment across the globe through Member engagement. To learn more, visit www.wtca.org.

Zhihu Inc. Files Its Annual Report on Form 20-F

BEIJING, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Zhihu Inc. (“Zhihu” or the “Company”) (NYSE: ZH), the operator of Zhihu, a leading online content community in China, today announced that it filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 8, 2022. The annual report can be accessed on the Company’s investor relations website at https://ir.zhihu.com/.

The Company will provide a hard copy of its annual report containing the audited consolidated financial statements, free of charge, to its shareholders and ADS holders upon request. Requests should be directed to Investor Relations, Zhihu Inc., A5 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China.

About Zhihu Inc.

Zhihu Inc. (NYSE: ZH) is the operator of Zhihu, a leading online content community in China, dedicated to empowering people to share knowledge, experience, and insights, and to find their own answers. Zhihu fosters a vibrant online community where users contribute and engage while respecting diversity and valuing constructiveness by promoting a culture of sincerity, expertise, and respect developed through years of cultivation. Zhihu is China’s largest Q&A-inspired online community and one of the top five Chinese comprehensive online content communities, both in terms of average mobile monthly average users and revenue in 2021. For more information, please visit https://ir.zhihu.com.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:
Zhihu Inc.
Email: ir@zhihu.com

The Piacente Group, Inc.
Helen Wu
Tel: +86-10-6508-0677
Email: zhihu@tpg-ir.com

In the United States:
The Piacente Group, Inc.
Brandi Piacente
Phone: +1-212-481-2050
Email: zhihu@tpg-ir.com

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Source: Zhihu Inc.

VMware Launches New Regional Digital Hub to Foster Greater Innovation and Inclusive Growth in Asia

Interactive, state-of-the-art technologies are key for enabling businesses to tap VMware’s solutions and global expertise in realizing innovation aspirations in the region

SINGAPORE, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — VMware, Inc. (NYSE:VMW), a leading innovator in enterprise software, today announced the launch of its new Regional Digital Innovation Hub in Singapore. Singapore’s government is a driver of smart nation initiatives with a strong digital policy agenda which VMware applauds. The government was today represented by Mr. Alvin Tan, Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Culture, Community and Youth, who officially opened VMware’s digital innovation hub. In attendance was also Chad Norberg, Economic Unit Chief, United States Embassy.

The Regional Digital Innovation Hub will bolster Southeast Asia’s growth as a burgeoning, vibrant technological hub and is dedicated to empowering businesses to navigate the new future of work. It also joins nine other Virtual Briefing Centers located in key markets around the world including Bangalore, Beijing, Tokyo, and Sydney in the Asia Pacific. Tapping into Singapore’s strategic location as the No.1 innovation epicenter outside of Silicon Valley[1] and a critical gateway for businesses to access the rest of Southeast Asia, the new center aims to empower businesses with a clear vision on how to implement technology frameworks and solutions that addresses their unique business challenges across the region.

“With ASEAN on track to become a USD 1 trillion digital economy by 2030[2] and the region’s emergence as an innovation powerhouse, we are committed to accelerating businesses to the future by helping them visualize and implement their digital roadmaps,” said Paul Simos, Vice President and Managing Director of Southeast Asia and Korea at VMware.

“The future of business is digital, and we hope to create a competitive edge for our customers by building a secure place for them to experiment and experience how future technologies can be built into their systems before they are enacted in real life, so that they can anticipate what lies ahead and attain full autonomy on their innovation cycle,” said Simos.

The state-of-the-art hub is equipped with cutting-edge tools like digital whiteboarding, virtual reality (VR) and a personalized experience utilizing radio-frequency identification (RFID). Using the Virtual Briefing Center (VBC), business leaders can explore VMware solutions, collaborate with experts, and experience in-depth demonstrations through both hybrid and online briefings. Hybrid briefings leverage physical engagement with the center’s wall-size display with navigational touch controls and interactive whiteboarding functions to better visualize ideas and concepts, while flexible collaborative tools facilitate discussions with online attendees. Additionally, mixed spaces for small group collaborations and a digital lounge for private meetings can be customized to meet needs of each meeting.

The VBC features four state-of-the-art and next-gen technologies that foster inventive idea exchange and brings to life a modern vision that highlights an organization’s strengths and unpacks specific challenges and constraints by designing a customized roadmap with solutions that address one’s top business priorities. 

The four demo zones showcase the possibilities with technology around the areas of:

  • Advanced IT in a digital hub for the future of work
  • Accelerating the digital employee experience
  • Moving towards Zero IT and Tanzu Labs
  • Enabling innovation with Tanzu Labs

Connected to all of VMware’s other VBCs across the globe, the center also allows for businesses to connect with technical experts and teams from anywhere in the world to unpack technical constraints and design customized technology roadmaps with glove-fit solutions. This will enable business leaders to test current technologies, concepts, and pilot projects before official rollouts, serving as a secure innovation sandbox to build new innovative concepts and transformation roadmaps.

Expanding on its commitment to being an innovation and inclusivity center of excellence for the region, VMware also recently reopened its Singapore office redesigned with versatile, new facilities that focus on collaboration and autonomy to provide employees with greater options for how and where they work. With sustainability and inclusivity as a big focus, the WELL-certified office features air purifiers, recycling areas, yoga rooms with lockers, a jamming studio, and maternity rooms on select floors.

About VMware

VMware is a leading provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise control. As a trusted foundation to accelerate innovation, VMware software gives businesses the flexibility and choice they need to build the future. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to building a better future through the company’s 2030 Agenda. For more information, please visit www.vmware.com/company.

Disclaimer: This article may contain hyperlinks to non-VMware websites that are created and maintained by third parties who are solely responsible for the content on such websites.

Denali Capital Acquisition Corp. Announces Pricing of $75 Million Initial Public Offering

NEW YORK, April 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Denali Capital Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: DECA, the “Company”) announced today that it priced its initial public offering (“IPO”) of 7,500,000 units at a price of $10.00 per unit. The units have been approved for listing on The NASDAQ Global Market (“NASDAQ”) and trade under the symbol “DECAU” beginning on April 7, 2022. Each unit issued in the IPO consists of one share of Class A ordinary share and one redeemable warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable to purchase one whole share of Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share. After the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, Class A ordinary shares and warrants are expected to be listed on NASDAQ under the symbols “DECA” and “DECAW”, respectively. The offering is expected to close on or about April 11, 2022, subject to customary closing conditions.

The Company has granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 1,125,000 additional units at the IPO price to cover over-allotments, if any.

US Tiger Securities, Inc. and EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC are acting as the joint book-running managers in the offering. Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC is acting as qualified independent underwriter.

A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and declared effective on April 6, 2022.  A final prospectus relating to this Offering will be filed with the SEC. The offering is being made only by means of a prospectus, copies of which may be obtained, when available, by contacting US Tiger Securities, Inc., 437 Madison Avenue, 27th Floor, New York, New York 10022; email: IB@ustigersecurities.com. Copies of the registration statement can be accessed through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Denali Capital Acquisition Corp.

Denali Capital Acquisition Corp. is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. The Company has not selected any business combination target and have not, nor has anyone on its behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. While the Company may pursue an initial business combination target in any business or industry, it intends to focus its research on technology, hospitality and consumer services sector.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, risks and changes in circumstances, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s registration statement, as amended from time to time, and prospectus for the offering filed with the SEC. Such forward-looking statements include the successful consummation of the Company’s initial public offering or exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. The Company expressly disclaims any obligations or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations with respect thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based.

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Source: Denali Capital Acquisition Corp.

CICC Announces 2021 Annual Results

Net Profit Increases by 49.54% to RMB10.78 Billion

Realizes Comprehensive High-quality Development in Various Businesses, While Serving the Real Economy Through Multiple Channels

BEIJING, March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — China International Capital Corporation Limited (“CICC” or “the Company”, 601995.SH, 3908.HK) today announced its annual results for the year ended December 31, 2021. As of the end of 2021, total assets of the Group reached RMB649.80 billion, up 24.57% year on year; the net assets(note) amounted to RMB84.42 billion, up 17.85% year on year. The Group recorded operating revenue of RMB30.13 billion, up 27.35% year on year; and net profit(note) of RMB10.78 billion, increasing by 49.54% year on year, with a weighted average return on net assets of 14.64%. The Company has further consolidated its market position, continued to create sound values and returns for shareholders, and steadily improved its comprehensive strength and market competitiveness.

Staying true to the original aspiration of “For the Nation”, CICC serves national strategies with high-quality and high-standard. In 2021, CICC completed direct financing totaling RMB4.2 trillion, assisted science and technology enterprises in equity financing of nearly RMB410 billion, and supported PRC-based enterprises in overseas financing of nearly US$120 billion, completed green bond issuance of nearly RMB120 billion, and participated in resolving risky debts of nearly RMB2 trillion.

The Company has clearly developed and effectively implemented its key strategies of internationalization, regionalization and digitization. By actively serving the national “dual-circulation” economic strategy, the Company has further expanded its global presence according to its own strategic needs, so as to win more voice and pricing power in the international capital markets. Revenue of the Company’s international business now accounts for approximately one quarter of the total. Throughout the year, the Company assisted many Chinese-funded enterprises in issuing overseas equity and overseas bonds, ranking first in the market. It also assisted the Ministry of Finance (MoF) of the People’s Republic of China in issuing sovereign bonds, and assisted the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in issuing global sustainability bonds, thus playing a leading role in cross-border capital flows. The strategy of regionalization enables the Company to “remain committed to the Chinese market”, and be aligned with the central government’s major regional strategies. It also allows more regions in China to promote economic and social progress with financial assistance. Furthermore, the Company intensified efforts to provide regional services in 15 cities and provinces in key regions, such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, the Yangtze River Delta, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Yangtze River Economic Belt. As for digitization, the Company has invested substantial financial resources, manpower and time to implement digital transformation, build the “Digital CICC”, and embrace technology and the future. Through digitization, the Company sought to upgrade its service model and customer experience, and significantly enhance the integration of business and technology.

Coordinated Development Across All Business Lines Thanks to Enhanced Professional Capabilities

Investment banking business continued to consolidate its key strength and take the lead in various business lines. Both A-share IPO underwriting amount and A-share follow-on offerings projects underwriting amount of CICC ranked second, and Hong Kong IPO underwriting amount ranked first as a JGC. CICC ranked fifth in onshore bonds underwriting amount, second in underwriting amount of onshore convertible bonds, and first in overseas bond underwriting amount among PRC-based companies. The Company completed the issuance of milestone deals in the field of publicly-offered infrastructure REITs, “carbon-neutral” bonds and more. Its M&A business continued to focus on state-owned enterprises reform, new economy market-driven transactions, and cross-border transactions. As a result, CICC maintained its leading position and ranked first in the PRC M&A market for the eighth consecutive year. Furthermore, the Company established the Debt Restructuring Management Group (DRM) to support the government and corporate clients to defuse risks and secure employment.

Equities business maintained high-quality growth in the domestic and overseas as well as on-exchange and OTC business lines. In 2021, the equities business continued to enhance its capabilities to provide excellent customer services. The domestic and overseas business recorded significant growth, outperforming the overall market. The Equities Department promoted both on-exchange and OTC business, and continued to optimize the business structure. A multi-layered and all-round risk control and compliance system has been established, and the digitalization process for technology-driven development has been accelerated. As for institutional business, the Equities Department expanded the coverage of diversified client types, with the turnover hitting a record high. The QFII client coverage has maintained the leading position for 18 consecutive years. In terms of product business, the domestic businesses of CICC, as a core dealer of derivatives, continued to improve product and service capabilities throughout the whole life cycle and maintained its market advantage. The overseas businesses continued to diversify the product and client structure. Regarding international business, overseas teams participated in the implementation of more than 90 projects in overseas primary and secondary markets, and, therefore, kept a leading position in the market share of connectivity trading. Meanwhile, equities business continued to expand its presence in Germany, Switzerland and other international markets.

FICC business has achieved breakthroughs in multiple aspects. The business showed strong growth in bond underwriting and trading volume. More specifically, FICC ranked first in the market in underwriting amount of USD bonds of PRC-based companies and the spot transaction volume of book-entry government bonds, and ranked second among securities firms in underwriting amount of asset-backed securities products. FICC further enhanced the coverage of international clients and transaction service capabilities, and established a global sales network that covers New York, London, Singapore and Tokyo with the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong SAR as centers, ranking second among securities firms in cross-border market making amount. In 2021, FICC improved its product innovation and customer services and continued to develop derivatives business, and expand the interest rate and foreign exchange businesses, ranking among the leading market makers in key categories of commodities.

The scale of the asset management business grew rapidly, with its industry ranking hitting a new high. As the transitional period for the new asset management regulations entered its final year, the asset management business continued to diversify its product lines, and strengthened the product mix regarding green finance and technological innovation. CICC Fund Management was actively engaged in industry innovation and participated in the first batch of C-REITs pilot projects. The asset management business continued to strengthen team building and talent training, improve the investment research management system and layout, enhance cumulative performance of products, and rapidly advance the building of an institutional service platform and an integrated investment and research platform so as to accelerate the transformation of financial technology, expand the depth and breadth of client services, and strengthen cooperation with retail and overseas channels. As a result, the AUM of the asset management business of the Company exceeded trillion-scale.

Private equity business has further consolidated its leading position. As of the end of 2021, the subscribed asset under management was RMB327.82 billion. CICC Capital completed the fundraising for a number of funds focusing on national strategies of technological innovation and carbon neutrality, and the newly-raised funds exceeded RMB55 billion. Meanwhile, CICC Capital introduced the National Social Security Fund through the CICC Genesis National FoF, and obtained the controlling interest of the management company of Beijing Science & Technology Innovation Fund. CICC Capital accelerated the deployment of USD-denominated funds, M&A funds, venture capital funds and other key businesses, and established cooperation with local governments in various fields to rapidly promote the internationalization and regionalization process of CICC Capital.

Wealth management business was fully integrated, and product allocation business has witnessed a significant growth, becoming more capable to “retain long-term money”. The size of existing products topped RMB300 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of approximately 90%. CICC Wealth Management continued to lead the industry transformation of fee generating assets business, and created the industry-leading low-threshold allocation product “Mini 50” in the brokerage industry. The buy-side fee-based assets reached RMB80 billion, up over 180% year on year. CICC Wealth Management continued to consolidate the full-spectrum customer base. Private wealth management business rose rapidly, and the business for the mass and affluent customers grew steadily. In addition, CICC Wealth Management implemented a fully agile organizational structure, and completed the integration of 20 domestic securities offices engaged in wealth management business with CICC Wealth Management, as the first synchronized integration of OTC system and legal person in the industry.

Research business continued to leverage its advantage of research and play its role of a think tank. CICC Research and CICC Global Institute (CGI) are committed to working side by side to become one research platform with comprehensive advantages. The research team employed over 300 highly experienced professionals, and covered more than 40 sectors and 1,300 companies listed on stock exchanges in Chinese mainland, Hong Kong SAR, New York, Singapore, Frankfurt, London and Paris, delivering services to its clients both at home and abroad through its offices and platforms across the world. The scope of its investment analysis and research products ranges from macro economy and market strategy to fixed income, financial engineering, asset allocation, equities, commodities, and foreign exchange. Thanks to its professional, independent and unbiased research products, CICC Research has won recognition from major domestic and overseas investors. The CGI, as a new think tank, focuses on the New Development Concept, aiming to provide support for public policy research and decision-making and build a domestic and global exchange platform through research papers, themed forums and field survey.

Fulfilling CSR Initiatives and Practicing ESG Concept

The Company is committed to fulfilling its corporate social responsibility and implementing the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) development concept. In 2021, CICC continued to enhance its philosophy of ESG management and improve its top-level design. The Company is dedicated to incorporating the ESG management into all aspects of its operation and management, ranging from promoting low-carbon development and environmental protection, innovation-driven growth, to employee development and serving the society. Depending on its unique professional capabilities, CICC brought into full play the role of the financial industry in optimizing resource allocation. The Company worked with ChinaBond Pricing Center to jointly launch the first rural revitalization bond index in the market. Financial empowerment has been made possible through the issuance of special bonds for rural revitalization and special financial bonds for “agriculture, rural areas and farmers”, which injected new vigor and vitality into the development of local areas. As of the end of 2021, CICC issued domestic green bonds as the underwriter with a cumulative amount (on all basis) of over RMB120 billion, and issued green themed funds with a total amount of approximately RMB15 billion. In 2021, CICC actively factored ESG elements into the decision-making process of relevant businesses and investments. The Company has also established a ESG business development plan and product layout that integrates “passive index, index enhancement, and active management”, so as to implement the concept of sustainable investment with market-based approaches.

Meanwhile, CICC continued to “teach people the skills” and “provide necessary assistance” to underdeveloped areas in China using its professional capabilities, and conducted field research on “Rural Revitalization in the Digital Age”. The Company is committed to serving national development and strategies, and upholds the culture concept of “By the People and For the Nation”. Furthermore, the Company has been actively involved in social welfare programs to help implement 25 new public welfare projects, with its public welfare activities’ footprints covering 12 cities and provinces across the country. The Company took practical actions to help China achieve the carbon peaking and neutrality goals, and contributed to green development. The Company has cooperated with China Green Carbon Foundation in carrying out ecological protection and restoration projects. By promoting coworking, green travel, low-carbon travel, and the “Zero Plastic Waste” initiative, CICC hopes to help China achieve its carbon peaking and neutrality goals.

Outlook

We firmly believe that the global trend of being optimistic about China’s future growth and investing in China will remain unchanged. Going forward, CICC will maintain its strategic focus, and invest for the future. As people are always the most valuable assets, CICC will continue to regard “people and culture” as the central parts of building a century-old company, and further integrate people and culture so as to maximize the engagement and creativity of its employees, who can follow strategies and principles while remaining dynamic and innovative. The new round of deepening reform and opening up of China’s economy and capital markets will provide key opportunities for the Company. By offering higher-quality products and comprehensive supporting services for customers, the Company will concentrate all efforts to overcome difficulties, enabling the businesses of CICC to go fast and go far.

Note: Net assets refer to total equity attributable to shareholders of the parent company. Net profit refers to net profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company.

China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC)

China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC, 601995.SH, 3908.HK), as the first joint-venture investment bank in China, provides comprehensive one-stop investment banking services for domestic and overseas companies, institutions and individuals. Since its inception in 1995, CICC has adhered to the core values of “by the people and for the nation, professionalism and diligence, innovation and entrepreneurship, client first, and integrity”, and is committed to making itself a first-class international investment bank based in China and a critical player in the future financial system. CICC is qualified for both domestic and overseas securities business operations, having set up a broad range of international business network. Headquartered in Beijing, CICC has set up a number of branch companies and subsidiaries in the Chinese Mainland, owned more than 200 securities branches in 30 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China, and established offices in a series of international financial hubs including Hong Kong SAR, New York, London, Singapore, San Francisco, Frankfurt, Tokyo etc., which enables CICC to provide one-stop domestic, overseas, and cross-border financial services. CICC has a comprehensive and balanced business structure including investment banking, equities, FICC, asset management, private equity investment, wealth management and research.

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Qeeka Home Reports Solid Growth of 20.8% YoY in 2021

The firm’s SaaS platform is driving an industry-wide digital transformation

SHANGHAI, March 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — On March 22, Qeeka Home (01739.HK, operator of Jia.com in China) (the “Company”), a SaaS enabled solution platform serving China’s interior design and construction (IDC) sectors, released its 2021 full-year financial results. For the past financial year, the Company reported revenue of RMB 1,107 million, a year-on-year increase of 20.8%, with net profit attributable to shareholders reaching RMB 74 million, surging 82.3% compared to the prior year.

The strong growth was a result of the success of Qeeka Home’s total SaaS-enabled strategy, a driver to an industry-wide digital transformation that has delivered higher overall efficiency and allowed the Company to redeploy the best of its resources to address the pain points and challenges facing the supply and demand sides in terms of the sales and delivery process, helping the Company realize robust growth.

Revenue increased 20.8% year-on-year, with huge potential in the market for housing stock

As an industry heavily dependent on physical operations, the home improvement sector has been hit hard by the recurring epidemic, especially in in-person scenarios such as home visits to take measurements as well as delivery and installation of the completed product. As China further tightens regulation and supervision of the real estate market, both the supply of new homes and the resale of existing homes have witnessed a significant downturn, affecting to various degrees the steady growth of the home improvement industry. To make matters worse, soaring prices of raw materials have led to a dramatic cost increase for stakeholders and an ever more competitive market. Taken together, many industrial players experienced growth stagnation and are facing the dilemma where profit margins decline despite an increase in revenue. The industry now stands at an inflection point where a transition to the market for existing housing stock is a must-do.

According to data from China Index Academy, the country’s property sales increased 1.9% year on year to 1.79 billion square meters in 2021, while investments in real estate development and new construction both witnessed a dramatic decline compared to the prior year. Yet when China’s substantial economic development and the increase in disposable income among consumers are taken into consideration, a step up in what shoppers expect from their home improvement initiative shows that demand for quality product is clearly on the rise. In response to the shrinking new housing market, renovating existing accommodations or upgrading newly purchased second-hand homes has proven to be an effective means of improving the quality of home life. Based on the calculation of planning the renovation of a home every 10 to 15 years, owners who purchased a home between 2007 and 2020 will be looking to improve at some point over the next 10 years. That 13-year period was a golden age for the country’s property market, pointing the way to a soon-to-begin similar golden age for the home improvement and renovation segment.

Despite the huge potential in the market for existing housing, there’s a very big difference between refurbishment of an older residence, partial improvement, and renovation of a more recently built home. Refurbishment of older buildings presents tougher challenges as such customers are more dispersed, their needs are more diversified while both the customer acquisition and necessary construction work are more challenging. In other words, to establish a presence in the market, installers need to shift from a “rough” business model to one that is much more refined, where customer expectations are met in all respects through upgrading of product quality, improvement in supply chain efficiency, optimization of organization management, strengthening of digital capabilities, and addition of quality-focused services.

As a leading platform in the industry, with superior data and technology capabilities, Qeeka Home has been committed to offering SaaS solutions and extended services to home improvement firms, helping them improve their abilities to manage their businesses, reduce operating costs and reap higher efficiency. The platform facilitated the standardization of the industry by developing relevant benchmarks and giving premium merchants the tools what they need to bring in more customers by upgrading its Qijia Bao consumer protection plan and launching a merchant star rating system. The data shows that the number of active paying merchants on the Jia.com platform rose by 18.3% year on year to 5,799 in 2021, including 2,242 newcomers. The merchant retention rate climbed to 73%, while the retention rate of new paying merchants reached 81%, representing strong growth across-the-board.

Despite the downward pressure faced by the industry, the Qeeka Home platform has served to empower home improvement firms as they cope with the uncertainty and the necessary upgrade process. The platform also acts as a stabilizer for the industry’s small and medium-sized merchants who need a powerful partner to get them through the rough patch. For the full year of 2021, Qeeka Home booked total revenue of RMB 1,107 million, a year-on-year surge of 20.8%, with gross profit amounting to RMB 590 million, up 14.0%. Net profit attributable to shareholders reached RMB 74 million, a significant increase of 82.3%, representing a solid growth.

SaaS strategy drives the transition to digitalization for installers

Due to inherent weaknesses, coupled with fierce competition, the industry saw a sharp rise in the number of firms that called it quits. Installers need to reduce costs and improve efficiency and the only way to get there is through digitalization. According to research data, the digitalization rate of the IDC industry right now stands a paltry 10%, with massive headroom for growth. As a long-established platform, Qeeka Home is poised to be the first choice among installers once they opt for a digital upgrade.

Qeeka Home’s offering covers two major business segments: the SaaS-based home improvement empowerment platform and a range of interior design and decoration brands. Revenue from SaaS and extended services totaled RMB 630 million for the year, up 17.3%. The growth of core businesses was, for the most part, driven by the steady advancement of its digitalization-focused SaaS-enabled strategy, including providing a one-stop solution that covers the gamut from marketing services to supply chain procurement assistance to innovative value-added services. The solution will help them cope with real-world problems and improve operational efficiency.

When it comes to digital marketing, Qeeka Home generates leads through its own brands, reputation and general recognition across the market, and helps installers convert prospects through big data matching and upgrading consumer protection products to enhance customer acquisition. In terms of supply chain empowerment, Qeeka Home has adopted a hybrid of centralized purchasing and new retailing, allowing firms to reduce back-end procurement costs and improve efficiency through digital processes.

As the bulk of potential customers shifts to Gen Z, online brand visibility and consumer reviews are going to become the determining factors when a purchase is made. To optimize the user experience, Qeeka Home has put much effort into making sure the platform delivers the most optimized shopper experience during the home improvement purchasing process. Ongoing positive reviews from shoppers led the platform to record a year-on-year increase of 8.3% in the customer demand rate in 2021, while the average marketing revenue per lead stood at RMB 707, up 7.6% year-on-year.

According to a report by the Lead-Leo Research Institute, second-hand housing and existing housing stock are expected to be the main drivers of the growing demand for home improvement in the future. This is a sign that acquiring and serving the customer have become much more difficult for installers, combined with a new set of expectations from consumers that have just entered the market. Digitalization is an inevitable must-do for industry growth, as online platforms will appeal more to future buyers than traditional home improvement firms. With the benefits that can be generated from digitalization literally staring the industry in the face, Qeeka Home has made it a top priority to meet the expectations of Gen Z shoppers, offer installers more empowerment initiatives based on the SaaS platform, further strengthen R&D and optimize the in-house organizational structure. All of these steps will go a long way in helping home improvement shoppers avoid making costly mistakes, while acting to fully protect the rights and interests of consumers as well as optimize the customer experience end-to-end, with the end goal being the realization of the Company’s vision of the satisfied customer who lives in a beautiful and comfortable home.

About Qeeka Home 

Qeeka Home (01739.HK, domestic operator of Jia.com) is one of the largest SaaS enabled solution platforms in Interior Design & Construction (IDC) Industry in China. The company provides marketing service, supply chain service and other innovative value-added services to thousands of IDC service providers through the SaaS platform. Qeeka also operates several well-known IDC brands in China and provides consumers with capital protection and independent inspection services. Qeeka Home was founded in 2007 and listed on the main board of HKSE on 2018.

For more information, please contact:

Qeeka Home
Phone: (+86) 021-61740163 
E-mail: ir@qeeka.com

Cision View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/qeeka-home-reports-solid-growth-of-20-8-yoy-in-2021–301511399.html

Mocasa Hits First Milestone: Partnered with 10,000 merchants in Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines, March 24, 2022 — Mocasa ("the Company"), the new provider of Buy Now, Pay Later service for Filipinos announced on March 18 that its platform has surpassed 10,000 merchant partnerships in Metro Manila since launching its service in January 2022. This milestone is achieved with a recent surge of interest from merchants in the food, groceries, health and beauty, mobile top-up, and other services sectors. The Company has gained tremendous traction in the buy now pay later market and cashless solutions for merchants and has received an increasing number of inquiries from merchants interested in offering their customers the ability to pay over time.

MOCASA Buy Now, Pay Later, 0% Interest.
MOCASA Buy Now, Pay Later, 0% Interest.

Mocasa App really stepped into the new normal by switching to lesser face-to-face transactions. Achieving the App’s 10,000 merchants milestone just have shown beyond doubt that Mocasa effectively shows how true the App helped individual to pull through.

Over the months, Mocasa App has released new features on its App available in Google Play Store that gives its customer the flexibility to get what they want, when they want, with more control over their budget and cash flow. Mocasa Merchants are now rolling all over Metro Manila, most merchants can be found at the heart of the Philippines specifically Manila, Quezon City and Pasig.

Merchant benefits from Mocasa’s buy-now-pay-later services because the Merchant’s customers can now pay in credit upfront and repay over time without incurring interest charges. It provides the Merchant’s customers with a streamlined, intuitive, and adaptable shopping experience. It also provides maximum flexibility and keeps the Merchant’s customers returning for more. Mocasa keeps bringing new customers to the partnered Merchants via Mocasa App, website, and paid traffic, among other channels. For all sizes of businesses. Users are free to pay their purchases on Mocasa app in online stores via the embedded Mocasa payment option; for payment that happened in-store, users can just pay by scanning the QR code over the counter.

"Mocasa will be dedicated in onboarding all kinds of daily-life scenarios, and double the merchant amount in the next quarter, so that our users can shop in Mocasa partnered merchants in every corner of Metro Manila", said Julien Chien, the COO of Mocasa, "from Q3 of 2022, Mocasa service will be available in areas outside Metro Manila when we onboarded merchants there to make every Filipino can enjoy the benefits of buying now and paying later."

 For more information about Mocasa, please visit https://www.mocasa.com/.

FENIX360, a revolutionary social media fintech platform with advanced features launches globally to provide artists, creators, and fans a brand-new experience and monetization model

SINGAPORE, March 24, 2022 — FENIX360, an artist-centric platform, is disrupting the traditional artists business with its 360 experiential ecosystem and pay model that will allow artists and creators to retain the majority revenue on the platform. Traditionally, the industry has typically favored middleman, creating a bulk of redundant and unnecessary costs incurred, leaving almost close to nothing for artists and creators, an irony that FENIX360 is set to change.

FENIX360 App - Where Blockchain and Art Meet. FENIX360 revolutionary blockchain platform is designed to better connect artists and fans in a way where everybody benefits. Designed to give musicians and other artists multiple new income sources, FENIX provides artists with direct access to the merchandise and ticketing industries - in a way that’s never been done before.
FENIX360 App – Where Blockchain and Art Meet. FENIX360 revolutionary blockchain platform is designed to better connect artists and fans in a way where everybody benefits. Designed to give musicians and other artists multiple new income sources, FENIX provides artists with direct access to the merchandise and ticketing industries – in a way that’s never been done before.

Artists from across all arts – musicians, actors, models, comedians, dancers, and painters – can expect 80% of the platform’s advertising revenue, and 95% of NFTs, merchandise, tickets and livestream revenue in this new ecosystem powered by blockchain technology. The experience is simple, direct, and secured.

"We’ll be very happy if others defensively duplicate our obsession with the welfare of artists. We are adding powerful tools and untapped sources to expand the possibilities of artists’ revenue." says Allan Klepfisz, Founder and CEO of FENIX360. 

The highly anticipated and user-friendly platform has created quite a stir in the artists community even before launch as "the ONE social media application for everything", allowing artists to integrate original content easily from their YouTube, Instagram, and Meta accounts. Unlike any social media, FENIX360 embraces artists growth on their existing social media platforms, and on top, provides an advanced capability for the artist, or anyone, to create a shareable application in less than 20 minutes. For fans and users, this means just using ONE powerful application to view all videos and content from the artist, and the ability to enter the artist’s universe on their self-constructed application. At launch, the platform has amassed 6000 FENIX Global Artists Ambassadors and 2.9M combined social media connections.

Lance Ford, Founder and President of FENIX360 observed, "With this simplicity, we hope to create a generation of enthusiastic app builders. It is a great way to present yourself to fans and friends and excites them continuously with a media property that you control."

The Singapore incorporated startup is the brainchild of an international team with massive expertise and track records in technology, music, arts, financial and media sectors. The founders have seen billions of dollars flow into the art and music industry, while artists struggle financially, and is determined to change this with blockchain technology.

"We eliminate all barriers in the crypto world. You can easily purchase FNX360 coin on the app and use it for any purchase. Artists can easily get paid without the complexity to set-up an e-commerce system, mint their own NFTs without the usual tech challenges, access to dashboards and a suite of services to elevate their careers such as live touring, ticketing, marketing, productions. There is real utility and it’s as close to frictionless as one can get." says Tomas Varga, Partner and Head of Blockchain Strategy of FENIX360.

FENIX360 is now available globally on web, Apple iOS and Android stores.

About FENIX360

FENIX360 is a revolutionary, artist-centric social media platform that provides multiple ways for artists to significantly improve their income while providing users with a more engaging and fun experience. The Fenix360 ecosystem is powered by the FNX coin. Learn more on https://www.fenix360.net/

Follow FENIX360:
Instagram 
YouTube

Media Contact & Inquiries:
Esther Leck, RELE
Esther.leck@rele.asia 

 

Matrixport Expands CeDeFi Offerings with ‘AMM Farming’


Access to yield farming made easier while affording wider choices for active crypto investors seeking to earn yield

SINGAPORE, March 23, 2022 — Matrixport, Asia’s fastest growing digital assets financial services platform, has announced the launch of the ‘Automated Market Maker (AMM) Farming’. The new product enables easy and secure access to quality DeFi liquidity pools for active crypto investors seeking more ways to generate yields.

AMMs are autonomous protocols that allow anyone to become a market maker on a decentralized exchange. Fees are earned by depositing two assets represented in the liquidity pool at the same time. The algorithm will always quote a bid or ask price anytime for these two assets.

Cynthia Wu, Head of Sales and Business Development, Matrixport said, "AMM is an amazing innovation of DeFi, as it enables decentralized market making which is a fundamental expression of crypto’s vision and decentralized nature.  Matrixport’s ‘AMM Farming’ pays homage to this decentralized way of market making. The product lowers the entry barrier, enabling a wider  base of users to participate in DeFi liquidity farming while earning attractive yields in a secure manner."

‘AMM Farming’ adopts a user-friendly App interface that removes the technical knowledge needed to navigate DeFi protocols, allowing users seamless one-click access to DeFi AMM yield opportunities.

Yield from the ‘AMM Farming’ is generated from two sources:

  • Liquidity Provider (LP) Fees: As a LP to the liquidity pool, users earn trading fees from the protocol. Matrixport will collect the trading fee and settle it in both currencies in corresponding weighting on behalf of users.
  • Token Rewards: Some DeFi projects issue token rewards to LPs. Matrixport will help users automatically sell token rewards (if any) in every period and settle or reinvest to boost earnings. Token rewards are generally settled in USDT or USDC (the currency with the lower market price in the liquidity pool)

Product sale window opens weekly, with a 7-day tenor, while the deposit window opens from 12:00 Friday to 12:00 Tuesday(UTC+8). Existing token pairings include ETH/USDT, ETH/USDC, BTC/USDT and BTC/USDC.

To find out more, please refer to the product factsheet.

About Matrixport

Matrixport is one of Asia’s fastest growing digital asset financial services platforms. With $10 billion in assets under management and custody, it provides one-stop crypto financial services with over $5 billion in average monthly trading volumes. The offerings include Cactus Custody™, spot OTC, fixed income, structured products, lending as well as asset management.

Headquartered in Singapore, Matrixport’s mission is to make crypto easy for everyone and its motto is "Get More From Your Crypto". The company holds licenses in Hong Kong and Switzerland with over 290 employees serving both institutions and retail customers across Asia and Europe. For more information, visit www.matrixport.com.

Twitter: @realMatrixport

LinkedIn: @Matrixport

Instagram: @matrixport_

Annature announces global ID verification solution built on Stripe

BRISBANE, Australia, March 23, 2022 — In a remarkable first, Australia’s premier electronic signature, ID verification and payment solution, Annature, has taken its eSigning platform to the next level – announcing a fully integrated Identity (ID) verification solution powered by Stripe.

"Our expanded integration with Stripe gives any organisation or individual the prevention and protection technology they need for eSigning and more. And their customers an exceptional low-friction experience." Amreeta Abbott, Annature CEO
"Our expanded integration with Stripe gives any organisation or individual the prevention and protection technology they need for eSigning and more. And their customers an exceptional low-friction experience." Amreeta Abbott, Annature CEO

Built for the digital age on a highly secure blockchain model, the feature rich Annature eSigning platform is recognised for more than digital signing capabilities. Its ISO 27001 data management accreditation provides peace of mind for thousands of customers worldwide.

Previously, Annature has integrated Stripe Payment, Billing and Invoicing technology to easily accept subscription payments for its eSigning business growing at scale. Stripe is ideal for continued development of Annature’s billing and subscriptions engine, easily embedding its powerful Payment APIs – and now ID APIs, into Annature’s workflow for a holistic contract execution experience. 

Annature CEO Amreeta Abbott said: "For Annature, this is a groundbreaking development. We are particularly proud of the new integration of eSigning and Stripe Identity verification into the same workflow, providing greater value in lightning-fast seamless, secure service."

"eSigning is swiftly becoming the norm as the world continues to become more digital," says Hayley Hopwood, Head of Growth, Australia and New Zealand, at Stripe. "Like many other digital transformation trends, eSigning accelerated especially during Covid lockdowns when it was near impossible to get the right people in your office to put pen to paper and sign documents. We are thrilled to see Annature’s solution, powered by Stripe Identity, enable businesses of all sizes, from SMBs to enterprises, to confidently, securely and quickly verify their user’s identity with eSignatures, freeing up bottlenecks and allowing them to focus on other parts of their business."

Annature moved to provide identity verification after seeing Stripe successfully launch its identity product with an automated range of internal and client-facing processes.

Amreeta added: "As a technology company, we found that by using Stripe’s well-documented platform, we were able to easily embed their powerful ID and Payment APIs into our API-driven eSigning process – meaning we are now able to provide a complete contract execution experience of the kind required by many fintech, insurance and other companies."

"It’s not often that you’re able to plan such a big component to an application and have everything go to plan with no surprises. That’s because Stripe works perfectly. It does a huge amount automatically, behind the scenes."

The pandemic has accelerated the shift towards digital onboarding – and forecasters estimate the global market for Identity Verification will grow by more than 20 per cent over the next five years, with close to four billion digital identity verification checks conducted annually by 2026. Generating around $20 billion in revenue for vendors and service providers.

Annature is forecasting 300% growth in the next year – and expects additional major company integration announcements in Q1 2022.

Key software companies are expected to make Annature their default eSigning solution, attracted by its competitive price, bank-grade security and onshore data storage in Australia. Its reputation for ease of use and easy access to local customer support teams is praised for being more knowledgeable and responsive than overseas multinationals operating in many markets worldwide.

With enhanced ID verification and an embedded payment process, Annature’s multi-jurisdictional compliance and reporting capacity provides renewed focus on Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance.

The alignment with Stripe is expected to attract considerable uptake among accounting firms, where KYC/AML requirements are growing in demand.

"By partnering with Stripe, we are able to advance our mission of providing all organisations with the eSigning, ID verification and KYC/AML technology they need, with maximum prevention and protection to give them and their customers an exceptional low-friction and trusted experience,’ added Ms Abbott.

Launched in 2020, Annature already has thousands of direct and white label customers ranging from SMEs to Australia’s fastest-growing legal and accounting firms.

About Amreeta Abbott

Amreeta Abbott is the award-winning entrepreneur behind NowInfinity. This industry-leading platform provided its cloud-based Documentation Suite, Corporate Messenger, Trust Register, and Super Comply products to more than 4,000 accounting firms responsible for around 750,000 entities. The company was sold to ASX-listed Class Limited (ASX: CL1) in 2020 for $25 million. Today, as a born innovator, she is either at the helm or on the board of a dynamic ecosystem of impressive multiple fintech organisations. For more visit www.amreetaabbott.com.au

About Annature

Annature is the leading Australian-owned electronic signature, ID verification and payment solution for small and enterprise businesses throughout Australia and New Zealand. Founded by Amreeta Abbott in 2020, Annature integrates with the world’s leading document management solutions and cloud storage providers for easy adoption. Being purpose-built for all industries – and working seamlessly with existing business tools – Annature helps business owners’ lower costs, improve engagement and elevate customer satisfaction. Annature has been designed for the secure digital age and is the first ISO 27001 certified electronic signature solution in Australia. It now offers ID verification for AML and KYC functionality.  For more visit www.annature.com.au