3/31/22

エーザイ、デジタルソリューションビジネスの基盤強化と迅速な拡大をめざしたArteryexの株式取得(子会社化)に関するお知らせ

TOKYO, Apr 1, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - エーザイ株式会社は、このたび、医療情報プラットフォームの提供をはじめとしたデジタルソリューションに関するソフトウェア企画・開発会社である Arteryex 株式会社について、株式買取ならびに第三者割当増資の引受けによって過半数の株式を取得し、2022 年3 月 31 日付で子会社化したことお知らせします。今後、患者様や医療従事者、さらには一般生活者の皆様向けの PHR(Personal Health Record)関連サービスの開発・提供に両社が協力して取り組みます。

当社は、2021 年 4 月にスタートした中期経営計画「EWAY Future & Beyond」において、視点を患者様から生活者一人ひとりである「The People」に転換し、「The People の“生ききる”を支える」をビジョンとして、AI など最新のデジタル技術を用いて医薬品のみならずソリューションをお届けし、「The People」の憂慮を取り除くことをめざしています。

Arteryex は、優れたソフトウェア開発能力を有し、自社開発した PHR 関連プロダクトとして、治療中の患者様や一般生活者の皆様向けの健康関連情報のデータ化・管理アプリ、企業向けの従業員健康管理アプリなどのサービスを展開しています。

当社は、Arteryex を子会社化し、同社が持つ開発能力ならびに優良な PHR プロダクトを獲得することで、デジタルソリューションビジネスの基盤強化と迅速な拡大をめざします。既存のプロダクトのさらなる利用者拡大に加え、同社の画像データからの入力技術・システムを活用した新たなアプリなどのプロダクト開発を推進します。また、当社の創薬活動や疾患啓発活動で実践してきたデータマネジメントのノウハウを生かし、PHR 関連プロダクトを通じて取得するデータについて当社グループとして利活用を進めます。

当社は、これらの取り組みにより、エコシステム・プラットフォーム(Eisai Universal Platform:EUP)の構築において、健康維持・改善、予防および疾患啓発に関するソリューションパッケージの創出とそのデリバリー基盤を強化し、「The People」への貢献を拡大してまいります。

なお、本子会社化後も、Arteryex の経営は現経営陣が引き続き執行します。本件による連結業績への影響は軽微です。

本リリースの詳細は下記をご参照ください。
https://www.eisai.co.jp/news/2022/pdf/news202225pdf.pdf

概要:エーザイ株式会社

詳細は www.eisai.co.jp をご覧ください。


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VOOPOO and ZOVOO Shine as Joint Exhibitors at the 2022 Malaysia Vape Show

SHENZHEN, CHINA, Apr 1, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - The two-day Malaysian Vape Show (MIVAS) concluded successfully on March 27. The show brought together more than 100 exhibiting brands worldwide and attracted over 5000 professional visitors.

As the pioneer of technological change in the industry, VOOPOO and ZOVOO jointly exhibited at the 2022 MIVAS, discussing the future development trend of the industry and the upgrade and innovation of product experience with many partners, fans and users, and business competitors.

Joint exhibition attracts widespread attention

As two of the most influential VAPE brands in Southeast Asia, VOOPOO and ZOVOO attracted the most visitors to the exhibition hall with their unique booth design, simple brand image, and amazing product experience. Many local fans lined up in long queues to participate in the on-site interaction and product experience.

At the same time, many local distributors and retailers appreciated VOOPOO and ZOVOO's extensive product lines, especially VOOPOO's newly developed ARGUS GT 2 and ZOVOO's DRAGBAR5000 and DRAGBAR5000C sugar-free concept products. They kept asking for and showing strong interest in cooperation.

The feedback from the dealers on site said, "The VOOPOO ARGUS GT 2 is extremely powerful with its 200W power and stunning triple defense design. ZOVOO's product design is bold and innovative, taking into account not only the user's feelings but also the aesthetic design, and the price is quite competitive."

The pinnacle of brand-new research and development

The ARGUS GT 2, VOOPOO's first MOD product of 2022, inherits the classic style of the ARGUS GT and brings the best of technology and design to the show floor, which numerous vapers have well received since its launch at the show.

ARGUS GT 2 has a sense of technology and design from appearance to usage. It is designed with leather and metal, and every texture is solid and powerful. From the distinctive metal body to the finely crafted leather texture, every detail is a classic. The new ARGUS GT 2 combines luxury craftsmanship and technology for a comfortable grip and a solid visual impact.

It has up to 200W high power constant voltage stable output, IP68 tri-proof design, innovative volcano air channel mouth leak-proof design, GENE.TT 2.0 chip, 6.5ml large capacity, 3A TYPE-C fast charging, etc. The newly developed MAAT TANK NEW atomizer has defined a new height of experience. The unveiling of the new ARGUS GT 2 has also amazed the audience and has been well received.

ZOVOO DRAGBAR innovative sugar-free products

As a disruptor in the overseas Pod market, ZOVOO launched the industry's first sugar-free disposable e-cigarettes, DRAGBAR 5000 and DRAGBAR 5000C, which innovatively use ethyl malt alcohol to provide sweetness of the vape oil. As an alternative to cane sugar certified by authorities in many countries, ethyl malt alcohol ensures sweetness without additional sugar intake, effectively avoiding the harmful effects of sugar addiction on the body. It is a great choice for those who are sugar-free or less sugar-intensive.

As ZOVOO's flagship product, the DRAGBAR range has gained attention and interest from users worldwide since its inception. The use of ethyl malt alcohol in ZOVOO is not only a demonstration of ZOVOO's deep understanding of user needs but also a new definition of disposable e-cigarettes. It will become a major milestone in the industry and open up a new era of sugar-free e-cigarettes.

It is understood that the ZOVOO team discovered the spitting and bursting problems of disposable e-cigarettes after surveying 3,000 global users. After a year of research and tens of thousands of trial tests, the ZOVOO team found a solution. ZOVOO's mesh coil dramatically improves the atomization performance of disposable e-cigarettes and solves the spitting and bursting problem of disposable e-cigarettes. Meanwhile, DRAGBAR 5000 employs silicone preservation technology to lock in freshness extremely well and guarantee its fullness.

The ZOVOO team's optimization of product details and taste guarantee has made ZOVOO DRAGBAR popular among a wide range of users in North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and other regions.

In future, VOOPOO and ZOVOO will always adhere to the original intention, sticking to the "user first" product concept. They will pursue innovation and breakthroughs in technology and continue to launch a richer and more diversified product selection, committed to providing a safer and more enjoyable product experience for consumers worldwide. They will work with partners to continue to layout offline channels at home and abroad and provide partners with a full range of support solutions in the product, logistics, branding, and marketing to build an innovative and diversified ecological cooperation.

WARNING: This product may be used with e-liquid products containing nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

Media contact:
Wind Chen, VOOPOO
E: wind.chen@voopoo.com
U: https://www.voopoo.com/
T: +86-18718743237


Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com Via JCN Newswire https://ift.tt/vCVlF5J

InvesTech Holdings Announces 2021 Annual Results

HONG KONG, Apr 1, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - InvesTech Holdings Limited ("InvesTech Holdings", together with its subsidiaries, the "Group"; stock code: 1087.HK), a leading integrated smart IT solutions provider in China, announces its audited consolidated results for the year ended 31 December 2021 (the "Year").

During the Year, the Group continued to focus on its core business of the IT infrastructure system integration and the sales of smart office software solutions, with the majority of its revenue generating from the market in the People's Republic of China (the "PRC" or "China"). With operations gradually resuming normal in particular in the first half of the Year while capturing the surging demand in the market, the Group grew its sales considerably. During the Year, the Group's total revenue remained steady with a slight increase of approximately 3.3% to approximately RMB484.6 million (2020: approximately RMB469.1 million). Yet, certain deliveries were deferred due to late deliveries of goods by suppliers and urban lockdowns, which in turn led to a delay in the recognition of revenue, in addition, a sizable government contract was concluded during the Year, resulting in a 340.3% increase in total contracted sales backlog to approximately RMB802.9 million as compared to that of 2020. The Group's gross profit increased by approximately 11.3% to approximately RMB57.1 million (2020: approximately RMB51.3 million), broadly in line with revenue growth. Net loss for the year substantially narrowed to RMB21.0 million from the loss of RMB86.7 million in last year, mainly attributable to the absence of the recognition of an impairment of loan receivables and the impairment of goodwill in relation to the network system integration cash-generating unit for the Year.

Mr. Ringo Chan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of InvesTech Holdings, said, "Thanks to the favourable national policies, investment in IT-related industries began to soar. Meanwhile, the market for smart office solutions has seen explosive growth as companies have rushed to adapt to restrictions imposed to control the COVID-19 (the "pandemic"). During the Year, leveraging robust demand for IT infrastructure system integration and smart office software solution services in the Chinese market, the Group spared no effort to enhance its business development and achieved business growth."

Business Review
IT Infrastructure System Integration Business
The Group continued to expedite the development of its traditional IT infrastructure system integration business, which remained a major source of revenue during the Year. Leveraging its solid foundations in the industry and strong customer relationships, the Group's revenue from the IT infrastructure system integration segment increased by approximately 0.4% to approximately RMB448.6 million for the Year. In addition to strengthening its core competitiveness in the provision of a wide range of products and services through the traditional IT infrastructure system integration business, the Group also joined forces with various tech giants, with the aim of acquiring new clients through strategic alliances to deliver cutting-edge IT infrastructure solutions.

Smart Office Software Solutions Business
As office closures and work-from-home arrangements were adopted across various industries during the Year, demand surged for the Group's smart office software solutions and property technology ("PropTech") solutions, which operate with Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The number of orders for, and sales of, smart office software solutions increased significantly, delivering revenue growth of approximately 60.7% to approximately RMB36.0 million for the Year. During the Year, the Group also allocated more resources on its research and development team and centre located in Xi'an, the PRC. To further capture market opportunities, the Group will expand the scope of its services and continue to upgrade Virsical, its flagship smart office software solutions product.

Contract Awarded to the Group - Hong Kong Smart Library System Project
In September 2021, a government contract for the provision of a smart library system for the Hong Kong government's Leisure and Cultural Services Department with contract sum of approximately HK$693.1 million was awarded to an unincorporated joint venture, which was formed by the Group in proportion to the contribution of 70%. The project involves the design, supply, delivery, installation, commissioning, implementation, system support and maintenance of core library systems, alongside the provision of other services. The estimated project duration is from September 2021 to March 2026, with a warranty and maintenance period running until March 2036. The project is set to broaden the Group's revenue stream and expand its business in Hong Kong in coming years.

Outlook
Looking ahead, the Group will maintain the stable development of its IT infrastructure system integration business, with a focus on expediting the development of its smart office software business. The Group will also foster relationships and alliances with additional large enterprises to reach new customers while continuing its investment in the research and development centre in Xi'an, the PRC, to enhance its capabilities. In Hong Kong, the Group will continue to bid for and acquire public and private projects, and look forward to increased cooperation with government departments in the future.

In recent years, a number of technology giants have allocated immense resources to metaverse investments. Also, the pandemic has prompted the development of enterprise metaverse solutions, which deliver advantages such as increased access to talent, enhanced productivity and reduced operating costs. Taking the latest market development into consideration, the Group believes that it has entered the inflection point to the development of the up-and-coming global trend towards virtual experience, powering the enterprise metaverse with its IT infrastructure and software solutions. Currently, the Group offers a "hybrid" smart office solution allowing users to work partly in the physical workplace and partly remotely, permitting enterprises to better tap their true potential, ensuring smooth business operations and management, and fostering their overall productivity and competitiveness. Leveraging the strong capabilities of the Group's internal resources, as well as its formidable experience in IT solutions, the Group aims to further modify and enhance its software products through built-in compatibility with the latest technology, and at the same time collaborate with tech industry leaders with the ultimate goal of providing highly realistic, virtual smart-office solutions that can be used in financial institutions, new economy companies and multinational enterprises.

Mr. Chan concluded, "Riding on the favourable backdrop of the industry, coupled with our ample experience in the market, we are cautiously optimistic about the prospects of our principal businesses. We have always actively sought opportunities to build a new business ecosystem and to become a leading integrated smart IT solutions provider. Looking ahead, we will actively identify suitable acquisition and investment targets in the markets to broaden revenue base and diversify business, while progressing enterprise metaverse development and achieving breakthroughs in the industry."

About InvesTech Holdings Limited
InvesTech Holdings Limited (Stock code: 1087.HK) was listed on the main board of Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2010. As a leading integrated smart IT solutions provider with more than 30 years of experience in IT industry, the Group is principally engaged in IT infrastructure system integration and smart office software solutions businesses. The Group has strong presence in China, with more than 10 offices nationwide with a research and development centre in Xi'an.

Website: http://www.investech-holdings.com/




Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

source https://www.acnnewswire.com/press-release/english/74389/

HG Semiconductor Announces 2021 Annual Results

HONG KONG, Mar 31, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - HG Semiconductor Limited ("HG Semiconductor", together with its subsidiaries, "the Group"; stock code: 6908.HK) is pleased to announce its audited consolidated results for the year ended 31 December 2021 (the "Year").

While operating its light-emitting diode (LED) bead business, the Group is working hard to explore diversification opportunities. Recognising the strong potential of third-generation semiconductor gallium nitride (GaN) and its vast number of applications, the Group officially entered the third-generation semiconductor industry during the Year. Leveraging its industry expertise in LED manufacturing, the Group expanded its business to third-generation semiconductor and system application design and manufacturing activities. In line with its business development strategies, the Group has changed its company name to "HG Semiconductor Limited" since October 2021.

HG Semiconductor is committed to strategically allocating resources for the development of its GaN business during the Year, hence LED business remained the main contributor of the Group's annual results. During the Year, the total revenue of the Group increased by approximately 3.4% to approximately RMB126.1 million (2020: approximately RMB122.0 million). Due to the loss arising on acquisition of intangible assets and the recognition of equity-settled share-based payment expenses for the share options granted on 17 June 2021, loss for the Year was approximately RMB446.8 million (2020: net profit of approximately RMB 4.6 million). Excluding the impact of the abovementioned one-off loss and expenses, the Group's loss for the Year was approximately RMB18.4 million. Basic and diluted loss per share was RMB0.92 (2020: basic and diluted earnings per share was RMB1.14 cents).

The management of the Group revealed that COVID-19 pandemic continued to affect all around the globe during the Year, coupled with the disruption of global supply chains and escalating inflation, hindering the full recovery of the economy. However, during the pandemic, the recovery of the global semiconductor market has become more optimistic. With the strong market demand for chips, the Group expanded its business to third-generation semiconductor and system application solutions during the Year. Leveraging its expertise, the professionalism of its teams, and its research and development (R&D) capabilities in semiconductor manufacturing, the Group successfully transformed its business strategy and strategically deployed capital to invest in the world's leading GaN companies.

Business Review
During the Year, the revenue of LED beads was approximately RMB126.1 million (2020: approximately RMB121.1 million), accounting for approximately 100.0% (2020: approximately 99.3%) of the total revenue. The increase in revenue during the Year was mainly attributable to the increase in sales volume driven by the strong demand for semiconductor products in China in the first half of 2021.

In addition, the Group expedited the business transformation of the third-generation semiconductor business in various repects to build its core capabilities of GaN during the Year, including creating breakthroughs in core technologies, strengthening industry R&D and production management, etc., and achieving phenomenal progress.

Strategic investments in leading technology companies to drive rapid business growth
During the Year, the Group actively entered into strategic and framework cooperation agreements with a number of third-generation semiconductor companies and made strategic investments in a number of leading firms to accelerate breakthroughs in core technologies as it strived to technologically outperform its competitors. In May 2021, the Group completed the acquisition of GSR GO Holding Corporation, mainly engaging in R&D involving fast-charging solutions for battery systems, helping the Group to capturing the market potential of electric bicycle battery systems and related fast-charging solutions. The Group also invested in VisIC Technologies Limited and GaN Systems Inc., the world's leading GaN companies, in August and November 2021 respectively.

Strong technological advantages and solid progress towards complete production layout
The Group has been actively enhancing GaN core equipment, R&D, and production facilities to optimise production management to cater for customers' needs and produce more chips to meet that demand. The Group has set up a new factory in the Xuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone that includes 7,000 square metres of ultra-clean chambers and 850 square metres of office space, and acquired machinery to expand its semiconductor production capacity. Meanwhile, the Group has set up a R&D centre in Shenzhen with its own design and R&D team to enhance the design and production of materials and devices, and accordingly strengthen its R&D capabilities industry-wide. During the Year, the Group obtained six fast-charging battery system patents for charging stations, charging conversion systems, charging modules and fast-charging equipment for electric vehicle charging stations.

Strategic cooperation with target customers to generate early-stage profits
The Group has successfully entered into strategic cooperation arrangements with target customers, laying solid foundations for business expansion in the long run. The Group entered into the three-year strategic cooperation agreement with Shenzhen Romoss Technology Co., Ltd. and Beijing Hongzhi Electric Technology Co., Ltd. to jointly provide solutions for semiconductors, GaN-related products and chipsets for fast-charging batteries.

Building a world-class science and management team
To accelerate R&D involving the Group's third-generation semiconductors, the Group successfully invited a number of senior semiconductor experts to join the management and technology team during the Year. Moreover, the Group has established a Global Strategic Advisory Committee to strengthen and promote the development of its GaN business. The committee comprises three initial members: Mr. Sonny Wu, its chairman, and Mr. Kenneth James Bradley and Mr. Tang Yin Man, members of the Global Strategic Advisory Committee. The committee is responsible for reporting to and advising the management of HG Semiconductor on issues that the Group may face from time to time.

Outlook
Third-generation semiconductors are regarded as presenting an opportunity to secure rapid growth for the semiconductor industry in China. The country has also introduced a number of policies to support the R&D of key core technologies for high-end chips to develop independent control of the semiconductor industry. In the future, the Group will spare no effort to become a pioneer integrated device manufacturer (IDM) in semiconductor that spans the whole industry chain, including R&D, manufacturing, packaging and package testing, and sales. In addition to actively seeking cooperation with other enterprises, the Group will strengthen its own capabilities. The Group will continue to enhance its core equipment and various R&D and production support facilities, and is committed to renovating its Xuzhou factory, while continuing the construction and commissioning of production lines at the factory and enhancing its production capacity to satisfy future market demand. The Group will leverage the advantages brought about by its internal integration of resources, as it always does to enhance the efficiency of its operational management and shorten the time required to progress from product design to mass production, further consolidating its presence in existing markets and its R&D capabilities. The Group will continue to seek more collaboration opportunities with suitable third parties, and recruit more semiconductor talents to accelerate its R&D and create more applications for GaN-related products. The Group will also build a stronger sales team by recruiting sales professionals with extensive experience in the industry, which will help it to obtain cutting-edge advantages when approaching new customers.

The management of the Group believe that, leveraging the Group's strong technological advantages and the favourable national policies, the Group is poised to strategically transform its business in order to seize the opportunities arising from the huge market demand. The Group will allocate more resources and continue to build the broadest and deepest technological platform, while continuously improve its industry and product chains and further enhance its brand reputation. The management is confident in the Group's future business performance, and believe that its GaN business will gradually support the Group's revenue growth and become its growth engine in the future, thereby creating long-term returns for shareholders.

About HG Semiconductor Limited
HG Semiconductor Limited (6908.HK) is principally engaged in semiconductor product business in China, including the design, development, manufacturing, subcontracting services and sales of light-emitting diode ("LED") beads, new generation of semiconductor gallium nitride ("GaN") chips, GaN components and related application products, as well as fast charging products. Leveraging its industry expertise in LED manufacturing, the Group is dedicated to accelerating its research and development and expansion in the application of GaN related products, with an aim to become a leading semiconductor company with the integration of design, manufacturing and sales of semiconductor chips, as well as providing total solutions with higher efficiency and competitive system cost.

For more details, please visit www.hg-semiconductor.com


Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

source https://www.acnnewswire.com/press-release/english/74386/

VC Holdings Announces 2021 Annual Results

HONG KONG, Mar 31, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - Value Convergence Holdings Limited ("VC Holdings", together with its subsidiaries, the "Group"; Stock Code: 0821.HK), a well-established and one-stop financial services institution in Hong Kong, is pleased to announce its annual results for the year ended 31 December 2021 ( the "Reporting Year").

During the Reporting Year, the Group delivered strong performance in its financial service business. Boosted by its promising business performance, revenue from continuing operations increased by approximately 32% to approximately HK$90.6 million during the Reporting Year (2020: HK$68.4 million). The Group successfully achieved a business turnaround with profit for the year attributable to the owners of the Company of approximately HK$15.2 million, against a loss of approximately HK$31.7 million in 2020. Basic earnings per share from continuing and discontinued operations were HK0.81 cents (2020: Basic loss per share of HK2.36 cents).

Mr. Peter Fu, Chairman and Executive Director of Value Convergence Holdings Limited, said, "VC Holdings has always been dedicated to offering premier financial services and products that fulfil various investment and wealth management needs of clients in the Great China region . During the Reporting Year, we seized opportunities amidst the challenges brought about by the complex and volatile market environment, while achieving breakthroughs in several business segments and enhancing operational efficiency. Our improved results were mainly attributable to the increase in commission from placing and underwriting transactions by VC Brokerage Limited, the increase in interest income money lending due to increase in loan book, increase in net realised and unrealised gain on investment in trading securities and substantial reduction of impairment in accounts receivables and other receivables. The successful turnaround was also a testimony of the dedication and hard work of our staff."

Business Overview
Financial service business
The financial service business remained the Group's core business during the Reporting Year and contributed approximately 99.7% of the Group's total revenue. The business segment recorded a proimising performance, with a 32% year-on-year growth in revenue, driven by the Group's client base established over the years, diverse premium services that cater to clients' needs, competitive fees and a proactive and professional team. The Group continued to provide local and overseas securities dealing, futures trading, derivatives and other structured products trading, placement and underwriting, margin financing and money lending, etc. Besides, the Group offered corporate finance advisory services, including mergers and acquisitions advisory and company secretarial services. The Group also focused on achieving sound development in the financial market and aggressively pursued innovations, among which financial technology is considered a fundamental part of innovations and remains a major focus of investment in the industry. Since the rise of digital era, the Group has introduced its online securities transaction platform, which has been well recognized by the industry.

Proprietary trading business
Hong Kong's securities market remained vibrant in 2021, with total funds raised and average daily turnover reaching HK$770.7 billion and HK$166.7 billion, representing year-on-year increases of 3.0% and 29.0% respectively. Benefitting from this, the performance of proprietary trading business segment remained strong. As of 31 December 2021, the Group held equity securities listed in Hong Kong of approximately HK$423.5 million as financial assets held-for-trading, marking a 71% appreciation of market value as compared with that of 31 December 2020.

Sale and marketing of digital assets
The Group commenced the sales and marketing of digital assets business in December 2021, with a view to capturing the potential growth in the digital era. The joint venture Shenzhen Huiwei Duoying Technology Co. Ltd. was established in December 2021, marking the Group's first step to expand its business to digital assets segment. Subsequent to the establishment of the joint venture Shenzhen Huiwei Duoying Technology Co. Ltd., a sales and marketing team has been established in Shenzhen to facilitate the boost of the sale and marketing of digital assets segment. The Group plans to enhance the business of sales and marketing of digital products of Tencent, with an expectation to obtain exclusive sales rights from digital product distributors of Tencent.

The Group discontinued its healthcare business as a result of the disposal during the Reporting Year.

Outlook
Capitalizing on the strategic partnership and in-depth business collaboration between the Group and its partners, VC Group will continue to adopt its dual-track business strategy to bolster a stable development of its financial operations in Hong Kong and allocate more resources to further expand digital assets business in China, with a view to enhancing flexibility of business, broadening revenue streams and bringing new impetus for sustainable growth of the Group. The Group will also remain vigilant to the potential impact brought about by COVID-19-related uncertainties and continued inflation.

Mr. Fu concluded, "We are optimistic about the prospects of new business, which is expected to start contributing to the Group's revenue in this financial year and make up the shortfall in Hong Kong business resulting from market uncertainties and volatility. Looking ahead, leveraging our deep customer knowledge and comprehensive portfolio of financial products and services, the Group will fully unleash its strengths as a professional financial service provider and continue to move forward towards its strategic goal of building a professional, market-oriented and international investment platform, so as to bring long-term returns for shareholders."

About VC Holdings Limited
Value Convergence Holdings Limited (Stock code: 0821.HK) was listed on the GEM board of Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2001, and completed transfer of listing to the Main Board in 2008. Being a well-established financial services group committed to delivering premier financial services and products in the Great China region, the Group's services include (i) provision of financial services comprising securities, futures and options brokering and dealing, financing services, corporate finance and other advisory services, asset management and insurance brokerage; (ii) proprietary trading; and (iii) sale and marketing of digital assets.

For more details, please visit www.vcgroup.com.hk.


Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

source https://www.acnnewswire.com/press-release/english/74383/

The Power of AI adds Corporate Identity Colors to simpleshow Video Maker with Just the Click of a Button

BERLIN, Germany, Mar 31, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) – The explainer video platform, simpleshow, is known for the easy creation of explainer videos. With the introduction of a new smart illustration style, users can now create videos using a modern look that matches their corporate colors with the click of a button.

Dr. Sandra Böhrs, CMO of simpleshow, explains: "One of the main focuses of this year's roadmap is to add more visual variety and CI conformity to simpleshow video maker. The ability to incorporate more CI elements improves brand recognition for our clients and allows them to elevate their creativity. We've made it easier than ever with an intelligent illustration style that automatically reflects the look and feel of their business."

The new illustration style is a useful addition to the well-known black and white "classic" style. If the user chooses the new "clean" style, modern and clear illustrations with realistic proportions will help bring the video to life. The style is particularly intelligent because it automatically recognizes the type of illustration and balances up to four CI colors, even applying the color in the right places. The artificial intelligence handles all the hard work, making it easier than ever for simpleshow users.

About simpleshow: simpleshow is the pioneer platform for digital products and services around explainer videos. Guided by the mission to make modern communication simple and concise, the market leader enables everyone to explain complex topics in a clear and engaging way. The AI powered SaaS solution, simpleshow video maker, allows users to create professional explainer videos in more than 20 languages within just a few clicks. A magic that comes from years of experience in producing tens of thousands of videos and eLearning courses, in over 50 languages. The simpleshow team caters to clients from offices in Berlin, Luxembourg, London, Miami, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. Large international companies value simpleshow as a partner for the ability to provide simple, effective explanations.

Press contact
simpleshow gmbh | Am Karlsbad 16 | 10785 Berlin | Germany
simpleshow.com
Contact person: Erin Hmielewski
pr.int@simpleshow.com | Phone: (239) 691-0705

SOURCE: simpleshow gmbh



Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

source https://www.acnnewswire.com/press-release/english/74382/

The Power of AI adds Corporate Identity Colors to simpleshow Video Maker with Just the Click of a Button

BERLIN, Germany, Mar 31, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) – The explainer video platform, simpleshow, is known for the easy creation of explainer videos. With the introduction of a new smart illustration style, users can now create videos using a modern look that matches their corporate colors with the click of a button.

Dr. Sandra Böhrs, CMO of simpleshow, explains: "One of the main focuses of this year's roadmap is to add more visual variety and CI conformity to simpleshow video maker. The ability to incorporate more CI elements improves brand recognition for our clients and allows them to elevate their creativity. We've made it easier than ever with an intelligent illustration style that automatically reflects the look and feel of their business."

The new illustration style is a useful addition to the well-known black and white "classic" style. If the user chooses the new "clean" style, modern and clear illustrations with realistic proportions will help bring the video to life. The style is particularly intelligent because it automatically recognizes the type of illustration and balances up to four CI colors, even applying the color in the right places. The artificial intelligence handles all the hard work, making it easier than ever for simpleshow users.

About simpleshow: simpleshow is the pioneer platform for digital products and services around explainer videos. Guided by the mission to make modern communication simple and concise, the market leader enables everyone to explain complex topics in a clear and engaging way. The AI powered SaaS solution, simpleshow video maker, allows users to create professional explainer videos in more than 20 languages within just a few clicks. A magic that comes from years of experience in producing tens of thousands of videos and eLearning courses, in over 50 languages. The simpleshow team caters to clients from offices in Berlin, Luxembourg, London, Miami, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. Large international companies value simpleshow as a partner for the ability to provide simple, effective explanations.

Press contact
simpleshow gmbh | Am Karlsbad 16 | 10785 Berlin | Germany
simpleshow.com
Contact person: Erin Hmielewski
pr.int@simpleshow.com | Phone: (239) 691-0705

SOURCE: simpleshow gmbh




Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com Via JCN Newswire https://ift.tt/vCVlF5J

Thought Leaders and Early Adopters of AI to Share Insights at the 35th Global Edition of #WorldAIShow Dubai

DUBAI, UAE, Mar 31, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - World AI Show - world's longest and continuously running AI event that extensively highlights latest trends and challenges in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and RPA is now in its 35th global edition and will be taking place on 25th and 26th May 2022, at Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai. The Dubai edition is slated to be the biggest in the series so far and will also host 'World AI Awards' to recognise and encourage latest innovations in the AI ecosystem, thereby aligning the event with the UAE's National Innovation Strategy and AI Strategy 2031.


The show will witness powerful keynotes, workshops, use-case presentations, product exhibitions, panel discussions and tech talks to find solutions for issues and trends within the AI and RPA space. It is an opportunity to hear from the world's leading solution providers about the innovative ways to achieve favourable business results.

The conference sessions that takes place in conjunction with the World AI Show will highlight some of the most sought-after topics such as: 'Driving Automation Maturity with Intelligent Automation'; 'Transforming the Business with Artificial Intelligence; 'Enterprise AI Adoption: Future of AI in Cyber-Security'; 'The use of artificial intelligence within the Internet of Things', and much more.

When speaking about the power and relevance of AI and Automation, Mr Anand Veeramani, VP & Geo Head- Asia and Middle East, Happiest Minds stated that, "The power and relevance of 'AI + Automation' has dramatically increased due to the maturity of these technologies and has now become the foundation of modern IT workplace, digital transformation, and cyber security. Previously an afterthought solution, it is now a driving factor for any new operational and business strategy."

Mr Haytham Bata, Senior Partner at Nuummite Consulting was commenting about the future being digitized, "We at Nuummite Consulting renew our commitment to help our partners and their customers move safely and smoothly to the digital era. Our solutions and products are designed to meet the specific requirements of our partners and exceed their end-users' expectations. As a leading regional service provider of RPA solutions, we are pleased to be part of such a prestigious event where the key industry leaders meet to discuss the latest developments in the industry and explore opportunities of collaborative work.

World AI Show not only explores cutting-edge technology innovations within the AI space but also recognizes the achievements and innovations by individuals, teams and entities in the field of Artificial intelligence. The World AI Awards will be launched as a Gala Award Ceremony and has already garnered tremendous attention from the IT and AI Leaders in the region with over 50 nominations received for 30+ awards in five categories.

Some of the foremost thinkers and thought leaders in AI that are speaking at the show include:
- Dr. Anastassia Lauterbach - Managing Director EMEA, The ExCo Leadership Group; Top 10 AI influencer in the MENA; Professor for AI and Author of The Artificial Intelligence Imperative: A Practical Roadmap for Business.
- Nazareen Ebrahim - Founder, CEO, and AI ethics officer at Socially Acceptable; Top 10 AI influencer in the MENA and Founder & CEO, Naz Consulting International.
- Latifa Alshehhi - Head of Data Management, Road and Transport Authority, UAE.
- Tony Chacko Joseph - Chief Information and Security Officer, Ministry of Finance, UAE.
- Khalifa Aljaziri - Ministry Of Economy, Commercial Affairs Regulatory Sector Projects Advisor, UAE.
- Saeed Alhebsi - Advisor in AI, Ministry of Human Resource and Emritisation, UAE.

More than 20 elite speakers will join this event and discuss the best practices to achieve optimum results in the fast-moving world.

Mithun Shetty, CEO, Trescon said, "World AI show has been a one-of-a-kind event ever since its inception in 2018 and are happy to have such wonderful partners on board this year as well. With AI technology being the future, we aim for this event to be insightful, explore the future prospects of innovation and recognize breakthroughs in the field."

World AI Show - Dubai 2022 is officially sponsored by:
Lead Sponsor - Happiest Minds
Platinum Sponsor - Enterprise Bot
Gold Sponsor - BytePlus
Official Digital Saudi Partner - Nuummite Consulting
Silver Sponsor - ManageEngine
Bronze Sponsors - BEINEX and SoothSayer
Association Partner - IGOAI

About World AI Show:

World AI Show is a thought-leadership-driven, business-focused, global series of events that takes place in strategic locations across the world. The show is a one-of-a-kind gathering of pre-qualified CIOs, CEOs, CTOs, Heads of AI, Chief Digital Officers, Heads of Innovation and International AI experts. Witness powerful keynotes, workshops, use-case presentations, product exhibitions, panel discussions and tech talks to find solutions for issues and trends within the AI and RPA space. For more information about World AI Show, visit: www.worldaishow.com

About Trescon:

Trescon is a global business events and consulting firm that provide a wide range of business services to a diversified client base that includes corporations, governments and individuals. Trescon specialises in producing highly focused B2B events that connect businesses with opportunities through conferences, roadshows, expos, demand generation, investor connect and consulting services. For more information about Trescon, visit: www.tresconglobal.com

For further details, please contact:
Karthik A
Corporate Communications Manager, Trescon
media@tresconglobal.com | +91 81059 75937

Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

source https://www.acnnewswire.com/press-release/english/74372/

Thought Leaders and Early Adopters of AI to Share Insights at the 35th Global Edition of #WorldAIShow Dubai

DUBAI, UAE, Mar 31, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - World AI Show - world's longest and continuously running AI event that extensively highlights latest trends and challenges in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and RPA is now in its 35th global edition and will be taking place on 25th and 26th May 2022, at Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai. The Dubai edition is slated to be the biggest in the series so far and will also host 'World AI Awards' to recognise and encourage latest innovations in the AI ecosystem, thereby aligning the event with the UAE's National Innovation Strategy and AI Strategy 2031.

The show will witness powerful keynotes, workshops, use-case presentations, product exhibitions, panel discussions and tech talks to find solutions for issues and trends within the AI and RPA space. It is an opportunity to hear from the world's leading solution providers about the innovative ways to achieve favourable business results.

The conference sessions that takes place in conjunction with the World AI Show will highlight some of the most sought-after topics such as: 'Driving Automation Maturity with Intelligent Automation'; 'Transforming the Business with Artificial Intelligence; 'Enterprise AI Adoption: Future of AI in Cyber-Security'; 'The use of artificial intelligence within the Internet of Things', and much more.

When speaking about the power and relevance of AI and Automation, Mr Anand Veeramani, VP & Geo Head- Asia and Middle East, Happiest Minds stated that, "The power and relevance of 'AI + Automation' has dramatically increased due to the maturity of these technologies and has now become the foundation of modern IT workplace, digital transformation, and cyber security. Previously an afterthought solution, it is now a driving factor for any new operational and business strategy."

Mr Haytham Bata, Senior Partner at Nuummite Consulting was commenting about the future being digitized, "We at Nuummite Consulting renew our commitment to help our partners and their customers move safely and smoothly to the digital era. Our solutions and products are designed to meet the specific requirements of our partners and exceed their end-users' expectations. As a leading regional service provider of RPA solutions, we are pleased to be part of such a prestigious event where the key industry leaders meet to discuss the latest developments in the industry and explore opportunities of collaborative work.

World AI Show not only explores cutting-edge technology innovations within the AI space but also recognizes the achievements and innovations by individuals, teams and entities in the field of Artificial intelligence. The World AI Awards will be launched as a Gala Award Ceremony and has already garnered tremendous attention from the IT and AI Leaders in the region with over 50 nominations received for 30+ awards in five categories.

Some of the foremost thinkers and thought leaders in AI that are speaking at the show include:
- Dr. Anastassia Lauterbach - Managing Director EMEA, The ExCo Leadership Group; Top 10 AI influencer in the MENA; Professor for AI and Author of The Artificial Intelligence Imperative: A Practical Roadmap for Business.
- Nazareen Ebrahim - Founder, CEO, and AI ethics officer at Socially Acceptable; Top 10 AI influencer in the MENA and Founder & CEO, Naz Consulting International.
- Latifa Alshehhi - Head of Data Management, Road and Transport Authority, UAE.
- Tony Chacko Joseph - Chief Information and Security Officer, Ministry of Finance, UAE.
- Khalifa Aljaziri - Ministry Of Economy, Commercial Affairs Regulatory Sector Projects Advisor, UAE.
- Saeed Alhebsi - Advisor in AI, Ministry of Human Resource and Emritisation, UAE.

More than 20 elite speakers will join this event and discuss the best practices to achieve optimum results in the fast-moving world.

Mithun Shetty, CEO, Trescon said, "World AI show has been a one-of-a-kind event ever since its inception in 2018 and are happy to have such wonderful partners on board this year as well. With AI technology being the future, we aim for this event to be insightful, explore the future prospects of innovation and recognize breakthroughs in the field."

World AI Show - Dubai 2022 is officially sponsored by:
Lead Sponsor - Happiest Minds
Platinum Sponsor - Enterprise Bot
Gold Sponsor - BytePlus
Official Digital Saudi Partner - Nuummite Consulting
Silver Sponsor - ManageEngine
Bronze Sponsors - BEINEX and SoothSayer
Association Partner - IGOAI

About World AI Show:

World AI Show is a thought-leadership-driven, business-focused, global series of events that takes place in strategic locations across the world. The show is a one-of-a-kind gathering of pre-qualified CIOs, CEOs, CTOs, Heads of AI, Chief Digital Officers, Heads of Innovation and International AI experts. Witness powerful keynotes, workshops, use-case presentations, product exhibitions, panel discussions and tech talks to find solutions for issues and trends within the AI and RPA space. For more information about World AI Show, visit: www.worldaishow.com

About Trescon:

Trescon is a global business events and consulting firm that provide a wide range of business services to a diversified client base that includes corporations, governments and individuals. Trescon specialises in producing highly focused B2B events that connect businesses with opportunities through conferences, roadshows, expos, demand generation, investor connect and consulting services. For more information about Trescon, visit: www.tresconglobal.com

For further details, please contact:
Karthik A
Corporate Communications Manager, Trescon
media@tresconglobal.com | +91 81059 75937


Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com Via JCN Newswire https://ift.tt/vCVlF5J

3/30/22

Mengniu Announces 2021 Annual Results

HONG KONG, Mar 30, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - China Mengniu Dairy Company Limited and its subsidiaries (together as "Mengniu" or the "Group") (Stock Code: 2319), a leading dairy product manufacturer in China, has announced its audited annual results for the year ended 31 December 2021.

In 2021, Mengniu seized the development opportunities in the dairy product industry through continuous product innovations and upgrades, rebranding efforts, and expanding online and offline channels for omnichannel development, leading to revenue growth that once again exceeded expectations. For the year ended 31 December 2021, the revenue of the Group amounted to RMB88,141.5 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 15.9%, reflecting the strength and resilience growth of the Group. Benefitting from the increase in revenue and operating efficiency, profit attributable to owners of the Company increased by 42.6% year-on-year to RMB5,025.5 million.

2021 also marked the commencement of the Group's five-year strategic plan, "Creating a New Mengniu", which is of great importance to its future. While the prolonged COVID-19 epidemic continued to impact the global economy adversely, Mengniu delivered remarkable results and achieved steady overall revenue growth due to a combination of effective epidemic control in China, policy support for the industry, and collective efforts of all the Group's employees. Each of the business segments also saw robust growth, laying a solid foundation for achieving its five-year strategic goal and becoming one of the preferred dairy brands for Chinese consumers.

In 2021, the Group continued to drive product innovation, brand elevations, and channel expansion for the room temperature, chilled, and fresh milk businesses, leading to revenue growth of 12.9% from the same period last year to RMB76,514.4 million from the liquid milk business.

High-End Room Temperature Brands Accelerated Faster Than the Industry

Benefiting from the diversified demand of consumers, Mengniu's room temperature product business continued to innovate throughout the year with product upgrades, branding enhancements, strengthened sales channels, and an improving supply chain foundation. The segment recorded five straight years of strong double-digit growth, resulting in a continued increase in market share. In particular, the growth of Milk Deluxe and Mengniu pure milk products was significantly higher than the industry. Since its establishment in 2005, Milk Deluxe has continuously focused on innovation and product upgrades, brand building, and "better" communication with consumers. It now is the first individual product in the global dairy industry with sales exceeding RMB30 billion in 2021.

Innovative Chilled Products and Ice Cream Businesses Outperformed the Market

Mengniu's chilled product business continued to record volume growth, outperforming the market significantly and expanding its leadership position during the year. The chilled products segment has ranked first in the industry for seventeen consecutive years in terms of market share. In 2021, the Group took advantage of the rapidly growing zero-sugar product category supported by the "Three Reductions & Three Kinds of Health" campaigns launched by the Chinese government, and met the growing demand for lower sugar intake of consumers by introducing the Champion zero sucrose and sugar-reduced product. In addition, Yoyi C launched a new reduced-sugar product and a new zero sucrose product. At the end of the year, Yoyi C also launched a probiotic powder product with 100 billion high compound probiotics setting a new industry benchmark. During the year, the Champion and Yoyi C brands were further heightened through product and sales enhancement. With respect to sales channels, Mengniu explored and expanded new sales models and channels proactively. The chilled product business unit collaborated with Sam's Club for the first time to provide customized yogurt products and develop a new business model exclusively for direct sales. These new customized yogurt products became the annual major product of Sam's Club immediately following its launch and have ranked among the top of the best-selling list for e-commerce chilled milk products.

As the consumption upgrade trend continues, innovation of ice cream products has leaned towards more high-end, healthy, and trendy products. The rapid growth of in-home consumption of ice cream products and the e-commerce and new retail channels further promoted the growth of ice cream products. In 2021, the entire product lines of brands such as Suibian, Mood for Green, and Deluxe were modernized and renewed. The Group accelerated the development of new retail channels through deep channel cultivation, further expanding network coverage and strengthening sales terminal control, driving strong growth in the ice cream business. To accelerate the business expansion in the Southeast Asian market, the Group acquired Aice, a leading ice-cream brand in Southeast Asia at the end of March 2021. In 2021, the revenue from the ice cream business increased by 61.0% from the same period last year to RMB4,240.2 million.

Fresh Milk and Cheese Businesses Maintained High Growth Momentum

The fresh milk industry maintained rapid growth in 2021, leading the overall liquid milk industry. Mengniu's fresh milk business has been developing strongly by improving the "freshness" in all stages of the supply chain from the meadows, R&D, processing, logistics to cold chain distribution. The segment also continues to benefit from its solid execution of strategies such as reinforcing its brand, expanding sales channels, and enhancing its supply chain deployment. Mengniu has driven rapid revenue growth of its dual-core brands Shiny Meadow and Modern Meadow and further increased its leading position and market share in the high-end fresh milk market.

In 2021, grasping the growth opportunities in the cheese industry, the Group focused on children's cheese sticks, cheese snacks, cheese, and butter for family consumption, and provided dairy product solutions to customers in the foodservice channel. By exploring new consumption scenarios, the cheese business grew rapidly in both the retail and foodservice sectors. On 9 July 2021, Mengniu became a substantial shareholder of Shanghai Milkground Food Tech Co., Ltd. (600882.SH) ("Milkground"). Moving forward, both the Group and Milkground will be able to create synergies through shared resources and reap the benefits from the enormous potential in the domestic and global cheese market.

Accelerated the Development of New Segments in the Milk Formula Business

For the milk formula business, Yashili, the domestic milk formula platform of the Group, introduced a variety of adult functional milk powder products and expanded the coverage of functional products, focusing on high-end development and accelerating the development of new market segments. In addition, the existing infant formula products were continuously upgraded to refresh brand images, whilst Bellamy's adhered to its brand positioning of "True Organic". Through market segmentation and expansion of sales channels, the revenue from the milk formula business increased by 8.2% from last year to RMB4,949.1 million.

Proactively Fulfill Social Responsibilities to Lead A Green Transformation and Create A Net-Zero Emission Future

Over the years, Mengniu has been highly proactive in fulfilling social responsibilities to create a more responsible Mengniu. The Group's efforts have been highly recognized through numerous awards, including the "China Charity Award", the highest government award in the philanthropic field of China for our outstanding performance in the community in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. In addition, Mengniu was also awarded "The State Scientific and Technological Progress Award" for its Key technologies for safety control and quality improvement of milk and dairy products.

In line with the sustainable development goal of the United Nations, and as part of the strategy of "Creating a new Mengniu by 2025", Mengniu unveiled its new 2025 GREEN sustainable development strategy and developed a set of industry-based "High-quality Green development" solution models, setting the benchmark for sustainable development. Mengniu has actively responded to the national goal of "carbon neutrality" and pledged to be the first to achieve carbon neutrality in the dairy industry. The Group will announce its carbon emission reduction targets and roadmap in 2022. As of the end of the year, Mengniu had 22 factories rated as being a "National Green Factory" by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Mr. Lu Minfang, Chief Executive Officer of Mengniu, said, "We are now confidently moving towards the mission of "Creating a new Mengniu" by 2025 as we strive to continue being Chinese consumers' first choice amongst dairy brands. We will also become a "FIRST Mengniu", one that is beloved by consumers, more international, socially responsible, culturally strong, and digitally transformed by 2025. Based on the strengths of our five core capabilities, we will combine our development goals with promoting the high-quality development of the industry, leading industry upgrades and transformations, creating sustainable value for all stakeholders, making new and more substantial contributions to the long-term development of the dairy industry in China.

About China Mengniu Dairy Company Limited
China Mengniu Dairy Company Limited and its subsidiaries manufacture and distribute quality dairy products in China. It is one of the leading dairy product manufacturers in China, with MENGNIU as its core brand. Mengniu offers diverse products including liquid milk products, ice cream, milk formula and cheese. Mengniu ranked as "Global Dairy Top 10" in 2021, and placed 31th on BrandZ(TM)'s list of most valuable Chinese brands, TOP10 of brand contribution in 2020. Mengniu also made it again among Brand Finance's list of the top 500 most valuable brands of the world in 2020. As at the end of 2021, the Group's annual dairy production capacity reached 10.89 million tonnes. In March 2014, Mengniu became a Hang Seng Index constituent, making it the first blue chip Chinese dairy product manufacturer. In March 2022, Mengniu was included as a constituent of HSI ESG Enhanced Index and HSI ESG Enhanced Select Index. For more information, please visit www.mengniuir.com.

For Investors and Media Enquiries:
Christensen Advisory
Vivian Wang
Tel: +852 2232 3978
E-mail: vwang@christensenir.com

Suri Cheng
Tel: +86 185 0060 8364
E-mail: Scheng@christensenir.com



Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

source https://www.acnnewswire.com/press-release/english/74280/

SEMK (2250.HK) Announces 2021 Adjusted Net Profit Increases by Nearly 30% to HK$77 million, Becomes the Largest Domestic Character IP Company In China

HONG KONG, Mar 30, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - SEMK Holdings International Limited ("SEMK", together with its subsidiaries, the "Group", stock code: 2250.HK), the largest domestic character Intellectual Property (IP) company* engaged in the provision of licensing services, design consultation services and retail of licensed brand products of its self-created B.Duck family characters, announced today the first annual results after its listing on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited on 17 January 2022.

Mr. Eddie Hui, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SEMK.

Together with its licensee, MADworld, SEMK launched its first drop of B. Duck NFT - 4,000 unique and original design 3D B.Duck NFTs as collectibles and potential future gaming celebrities.

Despite the unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic (the "Pandemic"), SEMK's business remains resilient. The Group's total revenue for the year ended 31 December 2021 ("FY2021" or the "Year") was approximately HK$290.0 million (FY2020: HK$233.5 million), representing a year-on-year growth of 24.2%. Excluding listing-expenses, the adjusted net profit for the Year was HK$77.3 million (FY2020: HK$59.8 million), representing a significant increase of 29.1% from the previous year.

The Board has resolved to declare a final dividend of HK$4.8 cents per ordinary share issued for the year ended 31 December 2021.

Mr. Eddie Hui, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SEMK, said, "It is an honor for me, for the first time as Chairman of SEMK, to relate to you our first annual results after listing. I am thrilled to announce that SEMK has become the largest domestic character IP company and ranked the fourth among all character IP companies in China, in terms of character licensing revenue in 2021*. It is our mission to be one of the pioneer Chinese character IP to expand in overseas so that can bring happiness and "Playful" lifestyle worldwide and empower soft power in Chinese cultural style. Indeed, the global licensing market is dominated by American and Japanese IPs, more than 60% of global retail sales of licensed goods attributable to North America. China only occupied less than 4% of global retail value of licensed products in 2021, which is not in same pace of global GDP sharing for China, this implies that the licensing market in China is in a very high growth potential. Our historical pace of growth is much faster than the overall growth rate of licensing market in China. Among other top 10 largest licensors in China, B.Duck is the youngest one and has demonstrated its high growth track records in the past years.

The listing of SEMK on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in early 2022 is undoubtedly an important milestone for us. Looking forward, we will continue to adhere to our product-oriented development strategy, draw on our strong design capabilities and extensive licensees' network to bring more high-quality products to our fans."

Resilient Business Performance
The Group are principally engaged in two major businesses - character licensing business, as well as e-commerce and other business.

Character Licensing Business
The Group's character licensing business can be broadly divided into five service types, namely (i) merchandise licensing; (ii) location-based entertainment ("LBE") licensing; (iii) content and media licensing; (iv) promotion licensing; and (v) design consultation, which are interrelated and complementary to each other, with each of them being provided on a single, multi-service or integrated basis.

The Group's revenue from character licensing business increased by 69.9% to HK$166.6 million during the Year (FY2020: HK$98.0 million), mainly driven by the increase in excess royalties charged from the Group's licencees as a result of their increased sales of goods or services featuring the Group's IP characters. This segment accounted for 57.4% of the Group's total revenue in FY2021. The number of licencees (exclusive of licensing agents) the Group had increased to 385 as at the end of FY2021 (FY2020: 315).

E-commerce and Other Business
The Group' s e-commerce and other business mainly involve the sale of B.Duck family characters-featured products on e-commerce platforms of third parties and through offline sales channels. Seeing the potential synergies to be generated from the character licensing business, the Group began to explore the possibility of designing and selling its own products on e-commerce platforms. In 2015, SEMK launched its first online flagship store on Tmall, a well-known business to customer online shopping platform in China.

Following the success in the opening of such flagship store, the Group subsequently expanded onto other e-commerce platforms, such as JD.com, VIP.com and HKTVmall, to offer its products and allow customers to pay online with products directly shipped to the customers. During the Year, revenue from e-commerce and other business was approximately HK$123.4 million.

Launch of B. Duck NFTs and MOU with MADworld
With robust design capabilities and creativity, over the decades, the Group was able to ride on its self-create characters to launch various kind of licensed products in order to cope with changing consumption habits of B.Duck's fans. Recently, SEMK deployed a globalized business blueprint with an NFT "Non-fungible token" market. Joining hands with MADworld, the launch of B.Duck NFTs was a three-part series. The first drop, which was already launched, included 4,000 unique and original design 3D B.Duck NFTs as collectibles and potential future gaming celebrities. It was well received by the market and was sold out in 5 hours during the public session.

To facilitate strategic moves in this field in the future, SEMK has also entered into a memorandum of understanding (the "MOU") with MADworld Advisory Limited ("MADworld"), which specializes in development of licensed or licensable IPs into NFTs and other digital creatives, and marketing and offering to sell the same on platforms to be developed and/or accessed by such company. Pursuant to the MOU, SEMK and MADworld shall within two (2) months from the date of the MOU, enter into a joint venture agreement to establish a joint venture entity intended to be principally engaged in, amongst others, development of artworks and IPs owned by the Group into NFTs

Mr. Eddie Hui, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SEMK, concluded, "2021 was a peculiar year for us. Against the backdrop of the pandemic, thanks to the robust commitment of our team in delivering the strategic plans, we managed to sustain a resilient performance albeit the market challenges. The opportunities presented by the pandemic prompted us to make sufficient progress in online commercial operations, product flexibility, and B.Duck community online and offline digitalization integration.

Looking forward, through our strong fan base and coverage on social media-and e-commerce platforms, we will continue to accelerate the development of our product design capabilities in different territory, so as to expand to different variety licensing categories, including but not limited to LBE and digital assets projects. We will also proactively look for opportunities of strategic partnerships, alliances and acquisitions to facilitate sustainable business development."

About SEMK Holdings International Limited
SEMK Holdings International Limited (stock code: 2250.HK) is the largest domestic character IP company engaged in the provision of licensing services, design consultation services and retail of brand products of its self-created B.Duck family characters.

With strong in-house artistic design capabilities, SEMK has developed and nurtured a proprietary portfolio of approximately 26 self-created characters created under the motto of "Be Playful". As at 31 December 2021, B.Duck family characters had recorded in aggregate more than 10.5 million subscriptions or follows by B.Duck fans on various e-commerce platforms and social networking platforms, with in aggregate, over 740 million views of various types of content in relation to the elements of B.Duck family characters along with our "Be playful" motto.

Media Enquiries:
Strategic Financial Relations Limited
Heidi So Tel: (852) 2864 4826 Email: heidi.so@sprg.com.hk
Rachel Ko Tel: (852) 2114 2370 Email: rachel.ko@sprg.com.hk
Ivy Chan Tel: (852) 2864 4890 Email: ivy.chan@sprg.com.hk
Website: www.sprg.com.hk


Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

source https://www.acnnewswire.com/press-release/english/74277/

3/29/22

Solargiga Turns Around to Profit in FY2021 With Net Profit at RMB$193.2 Million

HONG KONG, Mar 30, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - Solargiga Energy Holdings Limited ("Solargiga" or the "Group"; HKEX: 757), a leading vertically integrated enterprise that manufactures monocrystalline photovoltaic products for generating solar energy in the PRC, announced today its annual results and that it turned around to profit for the year ended 31 December 2021.

Driven by increase in sales of its major products, photovoltaic modules and monocrystalline silicon wafers, plus the climb in average selling price of silicon wafers, the Group's revenue increased by 17.4% to RMB7,105.0 million, with total external shipment volume up 7.8% year-on-year. It achieved a significant turnaround with profit attributable to owners of the parent at approximately RMB193.2 million when compared with a loss recorded last year, mainly due to substantial increase in its high-efficiency production capacity and economies of scale, which helped widen its overall gross profit margin.

During the year under review, as a result of the increase in sales of monocrystalline solar wafers which boast a higher profit margin, the Group's gross profit rose by 50.1% to RMB879.1 million, with gross profit margin improved to 12.4%. As such, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation ("EBITDA") of the Group surged by 189.7% to RMB799.7 million

In 2021, the Group continued to invest in and upgrade existing production capacity which, together with the economies of scale reaped, saw its operating profit increase significantly, with net cash flows from operating activities up by a substantial 82.8% to RMB1,030.4 million in 2021 (2020: RMB563.5 million).

Business Review

Silicon ingots and wafers business

During the year under review, since monocrystalline products have advantages over multicrystalline products in photovoltaic power generation, the market share of monocrystalline products continued to increase rapidly. With most of the Group's monocrystalline silicon ingot products reserved for internal use, the external shipment volume of them was 414.4 MW (2020: 710.8 MW), whereas that of monocrystalline silicon wafers increased significantly to 4,087.0 MW (2020: 3,145.8MW), an over 30% climb against the previous year.

Apart from traditional monocrystalline P-type products, the Group also manufactures monocrystalline N-type products with higher conversion efficiencies. As TOPCON cells and heterojunction HJT cells with monocrystalline N-type silicon wafer base are expected to become the mainstream next-generation photovoltaic cells, to capture that trend, the Group managed to accomplish technical breakthrough and product marketisation of monocrystalline N-type silicon ingot and has started supplying N-type silicon ingots and wafers to domestic and foreign customers.

The Group's production base for monocrystalline silicon ingot and monocrystalline silicon wafer in Qujing, Yunnan, the PRC, started mass production during the year. As the facility enjoys various local government preferential investment policies, and more importantly, the decrease in local electricity cost, being the major manufacturing cost of ingot-pulling, of more than 50% compared to the major production base in Jinzhou, Liaoning. That can help improve the Group's overall gross profit margin. Therefore, the Group has continued to expand the production capacity there to meet the rapid growth of customer demand. As at year end, the annual production capacity of monocrystalline silicon ingots and monocrystalline silicon wafers of the facility were 4.3 GW and 2.5 GW respectively.

Module business

To concentrate resources on developing more niche products, the Group adjusted its operating strategy, ceasing manufacturing solar cells last year and moved its focus onto upstream monocrystalline silicon wafers (ingot) and downstream modules as its two major products.

During the year, the Group continued to expand module production capacity in Yancheng, Jiangsu, to meet the needs of module customers and further strengthen economies of scale. As at year end, the module production capacity of Yancheng, Jiangsu reached 5.4 GW, out of the 7.2 GW total of the Group. The production base also enjoys various local government preferential investment policies, plus the Group can take advantage of significantly lowering the investment in capital expenditure by renting plant buildings. Moreover, the area around the Yangtze River Delta is where raw and auxiliary materials that the Group needs agglomerate, meaning the Group has advantage in procurement.

Excellent product quality and price competitiveness allow the Group to secure stable and sizeable customers. Modules were mainly sold externally to large state-owned enterprises and international multinational enterprises, such as State Power Investment Corporation ("SPIC"), SHARP Corporation ("SHARP"), Xinyi Glass Holdings Limited and Xinyi Solar Group and CGN New Energy Holdings Co., Ltd., etc. The Group has been SHARP's largest processing service partner for photovoltaic module for nine consecutive years and has been cooperating in continually expanding module sales to foreign customers.

Prospects

The Group embraces the "one base, two wings" strategic layout, with its base in Jinzhou, Liaoning, and Qujing in Yunnan and Yancheng in Jiangsu as its two wings. The layout has given it low-cost and high-efficiency productivity advantages and become one of the driving forces for the gross profit margins growth of its monocrystalline silicon ingots and silicon wafers. It expects that, by the end of 2022, the annual production capacity of monocrystalline silicon ingot and silicon wafers in Qujing, Yunnan will be increased to 6.0 GW and 3.6 GW, representing 81% and 49% of the Group's total annual production capacity of the products, respectively. On top of boosting the Group's gross profit margin, the layout will also enable the Group to fully unleash its technological advantages and achieve progress.

Regarding module production capacity, by the end of 2022, the annual production capacity of the plant in Yancheng, Jiangsu will increase to 6.4 GW, taking the Group's overall annual module production capacity to 8.2 GW.

In addition, the Group has been actively expanding the end-user power plants construction and application business, which has not only driven sales of module products from bottom-up, but also it will spread the profit of construction and operation of photovoltaic system businesses, helping improve the Group's overall profitability. Apart from having internal photovoltaic power plant system established and run by its wholly owned subsidiaries, the Group also plans to form joint ventures with companies from other industries to develop BAPV and BIPV business.

Mr Tan Wenhua, Chairman of Solargiga, said, "In 2022, newly installed photovoltaic power generation capacity is expected to continue to grow rapidly worldwide. That plus supportive government policies will see medium- and long-term demand for photovoltaic products climb robustly in the PRC and the global market. Marketisation will continue for photovoltaic products and the industry will move away from policy subsidies towards self-sustainable development. Technological progress will help reduce power generation cost conducive to achieving grid parity, and in turn will draw explosive demand growth.

"With proven business strategy in place, we are well prepared to apply our existing advantages to capture the tremendous opportunities in the photovoltaic industry in the good times ahead, and also help China achieve her 'carbon neutrality' goal by 2060 and contribute to sustainable development of the world."

About Solargiga Energy Holdings Limited (HKEX: 757)
Solargiga Energy Holdings Limited is one of the leading manufacturers of solar energy monocrystalline photovoltaic products in the PRC. Through advantages in vertical integration, the Group focuses on manufacturing monocrystalline silicon wafers and photovoltaic modules, and designing and installing photovoltaic systems. The majority of the Group's products are currently sold to domestic state-owned enterprises and large multinational corporations with stringent quality requirements.



Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

source https://www.acnnewswire.com/press-release/english/74222/

Blockpass Supports H3RO3S Play-To-Earn System with KYC Identity Solution

HONG KONG, Mar 30, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - Blockpass is delighted to announce a new partnership which is being forged with H3RO3S, the real-life play-2-earn game, for the purposes of identity verification and onboarding. In this, Blockpass will be integrating its unique KYC solution with H3RO3S' platform as the company gears up to launch its app.

Designed to promote entertainment, working and mental well-being in socially distant situations, H3RO3S is a play-to-earn gaming system that attaches incentives to the different products, levels and talents. Primarily targeting students, it allows the users to redeem incentives amidst a backdrop of gaming by completing tasks - such as reading over assignments before submission - for other users. Users on the platform can earn up to $1500 per month by completing tasks on the platform, growing from the Alpha stage with $3+ per task to the Prestige stage where they can choose the tasks they are notified about.

Blockpass is a digital identity verification provider which provides a one-click compliance gateway to financial services and other regulated industries. Through Blockpass, users can create, store, and manage a data-secure digital identity that can be used for an entire ecosystem of services, token purchases and access to regulated industries. For businesses and merchants, Blockpass is a comprehensive KYC & AML SaaS that requires no integration and no setup cost. You can set up a service in minutes, test the service for free and start verifying and on-boarding users. Currently with more than 500,000 verified user identity profiles, Blockpass facilitates instant onboarding, and to date over 3000 services have taken advantage of this opportunity to get access to users with reusable digital identity profiles.

"H3RO3S is creating a new and important way to live in light of the recent COVID pandemic which has forced so many of us to change how we operate," said Adam Vaziri, Blockpass CEO. "We're proud to help in bringing compliance and security to this endeavor which has the opportunity to improve the day-to-day experience for those whose traditional social interaction has been impacted so heavily."

"In H3RO3S we believe that it does not matter who you are or where you come from," said Gregory Crous, CEO of H3RO3S. "We want everyone to become the best version of themselves with the talent they are naturally born with. Help yourself by helping others - Everyone deserves to fly!"

Blockpass has grown significantly in size and use since its inception, both in the number and range of users and organizations it has partnered with and the scope of its work. Blockpass continues to develop its digital identity protocol with updates and additions to improve the compliance experience. The existential need for DeFi projects to be regulatory compliant and the recent integrations have led to a surge in interest for Blockpass' On-chain KYC(TM) solution which promises to change the way blockchains enable compliance. Through its recent work with Animoca Brands, Blockpass is developing the ability to provide KYC where the delivery of the verification result is provably sent and shown on a blockchain without sharing the underlying data. This represents a significant step towards the future Blockpass hopes to bring about where identity verification can be proved without revealing any personal information at all.

About Blockpass

Blockpass, the pioneer of On-chain KYC(TM), is a fast, fully comprehensive KYC & AML screening software-as-a-service for blockchains, Crypto, Defi and other regulated industries. With Blockpass, you get an unmatched set of benefits for any compliance service that includes pay-as-you-go, no setup cost, no integration necessary, free testing, immediate launch and at the lowest cost. Blockpass' KYC Connect(TM) platform enables businesses to select requirements for customer onboarding that can include ID authentication, face-matching, address checking, AML ongoing monitoring and/or screening of sanctions lists, politically exposed persons (PEP), and adverse media. Through Blockpass, end-users easily create a verified portable identity that they can control and re-use to onboard with any service instantly. By integrating with Chainlink Network - a decentralized oracle solution - last year, Blockpass introduced the first On-chain KYC(TM) solution that will service many blockchains in the years to come. Additionally, Blockpass' partnership with Animoca Brands has demonstrated how verification and adherence to standards can be proved on a blockchain without revealing any underpinning data - a significant boon for verifying Animoca Brands' NFT prize winners and a huge step towards securing the ecosystem of the Metaverse.The Blockpass App is available from the App Store and Google Play.

For more information and updates, please visit and sign up to the following:
Promotional video: https://youtu.be/SvO2cw3e-SI
Website: http://www.blockpass.org
Email: sales@blockpass.org

About H3RO3S

H3RO3S is the First Real Life Play 2 Earn. Allowing individuals to discover their talents and gamify their day to day life. If you are a student, family member, or working in the office with your team - your daily tasks are now rewarded and can be reviewed allowing you to accumulate a personal portfolio based on your talents and interests. This means you can now provide real time evidence how engaged you are in your local community by simply doing the things you anyway do. The best part is you are being rewarded for it. Being the biggest advocates of originality and supporting the industry our intention is to make an impact on the perception of crypto.

Website: https://www.h3ro3s.org/
Telegram: https://t.me/coinh3ro3s
Twitter: https://twitter.com/H3RO3SCOIN


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ESPRIT FY2021 Net Profit After Tax Records Turnaround to HK$381 Million, Revenue Increases to HK$8,316 Million

HONG KONG, Mar 30, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - ESPRIT HOLDINGS LIMITED (the "Company", together with its subsidiaries, "ESPRIT" or the "Group"; HKEx: 00330) has announced its audited financial annual results for the year ended 31 December 2021 (the "Current Year"), highlighted by a significant increase in both revenue and profit attributable to shareholders of the Company to HK$8,316 million and HK$381 million respectively, in which the profit attributable to shareholders of the Company also recorded a turnaround versus the loss attributable to shareholders of the Company of HK$414 million for the six months ended 31 December 2020 (the "Corresponding Period"1 ). Gross profit margin was 48.6%, 7.0% higher than the Corresponding Period. Please refer to the Company's results announcement for the Current Year for further details.

Such financial improvement was attributable to various reasons, including (i) the new infrastructure and strategies instituted by the current management team; (ii) improvement in sales with higher gross profit margin; (iii) positive results of efficient cost control measures; (iv) improved inventory management; and (v) growth in E-commerce.

Mr. PAK William Eui Won, Executive Director, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, said, "The remarkable results are definitely a testament to the Company's collective efforts by devoted staff at ESPRIT, including the successful migration of selected strategic functions from Germany back to Hong Kong, ESPRIT's new global headquarters. Combining expertise from the two offices has created a stronger organizational balance and workplace synergy. It is also evident that the current management team has crafted the correct infrastructure to re-establish ESPRIT to become a market leader. We will continue to strengthen ESPRIT by becoming a truly omni-present brand and enhancing our product portfolio that fits with the Company's mission of making our customers 'feel good to look good'."

Although revenue in the Current Year was affected by lockdowns in the Company's major European markets during the first quarter of 2021, and due to increased restrictions on entry requirements into stores during the fourth quarter of 2021, the Group generated revenue via three main channels: E-commerce, wholesale, and owned retail stores. As the ESPRIT brand website and third-party E-commerce partners continued to trade during lockdown, a large portion of the Group's sales were generated online. This business model allowed it to mitigate some of the negative impacts of the Pandemic in the retail segment. Another driver of growth came from selling fewer discounted products from the Company's retail business compared to 2020.

The Group has not forgotten the ESPRIT mission and long-standing commitment to sustainability. The Company has continued to work tirelessly towards developing cutting-edge materials that set new standards in terms of environmental sustainability. The Company has formulated and further advanced its ESG strategies to establish ESPRIT as an industry pioneer. Such strategies involve the greater use of sustainable fibers, developing new and innovative product options that support a circular economy, and ensuring environmental awareness is a key message that underpins all of the Group's projects. To achieve these objectives, the Management has identified four key pillars of growth (Sourcing and Procurement; Marketing and Product; IT, Internet, and E-commerce; and The ESPRIT Brand Story) that are paramount in maintaining the loyalty of existing ESPRIT patrons and attracting new customers.

Looking ahead, the global economy is anticipated to be negatively affected by the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine. The already unstable logistics industry and disrupted supply chain will likely be further impacted, which in turn will result in higher logistic service costs. Despite the unfavorable global economic outlook, the Group believes that under the leadership of its current management and with the support of dedicated staff members, the Company is on track to ongoing profit growth.

Ms. CHIU Christin Su Yi, Chairperson and Executive Director, concluded, "Although there are major uncertainties in the short term for the general global economy, the Group will stay connected and remain agile to react promptly to whatever challenges that may emerge. The Company has already started revitalizing the ESPRIT brand and leveraging the Company's 2021 performance to drive greater sustainable business growth in 2022. The Management will continue to apply its four-pillar approach to its business practices to ensure that the Company remains on the road to success."

[1] Due to a change in the fiscal year end date, the Corresponding Period covered a period of six months from 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2020. Hence, the comparative figures hence are not directly comparable.

About ESPRIT

Fueled by the vision of essential positivity, ESPRIT was founded in California by couple Susie and Doug Tompkins in 1968. Inspired by the revolutionary spirit of the 60s, the brand developed a clear philosophy - always celebrating real people and togetherness, in line with the brand's promise: "We want to make you feel good to look good". The success story of ESPRIT is based on delivering joy every day through laid-back tailored, high-quality essentials and carefully selected fashion-forward pieces while staying true to its core values of sustainability, equality and freedom of choice. Example: In the early 90s, long before "Eco Fashion" became fashionable, ESPRIT debuted its first "E-collection" made of 100% organic cotton and featured its own team instead of models in honor of their "Real People Campaign."

Keeping this spirit alive since day one, today ESPRIT has a presence in over 30 markets around the globe. ESPRIT's headquarters is located in Hong Kong, where the brand has been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 1993.

The information contained herein is not a public issuance of securities. These materials do not contain or constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States or to any "U.S. Person" as defined in Regulation S under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act"). The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the Act, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under such Act or an available exemption from it.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, statements relating to our plans to transform the Company's business, make a significant investment in our businesses and achieve sustainable profitability in the future, and other risks and factors identified by us from time to time. Although the Group believes that the anticipations, beliefs, estimates, expectations and/or plan stated in this document are, to the best of its knowledge, true, actual events and/or results could differ materially. The Group cannot assure you that those current anticipations, beliefs, estimates, expectations and/or plan will prove to be correct and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. The Group undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this document, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited or any other applicable laws and regulations. All forward-looking statements contained in this document are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements.

Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

source https://www.acnnewswire.com/press-release/english/74216/

Universal Medical Announces 2021 Annual Results: Business with Steady Promotion, Net Profit of Hospital Group Increased by 39.5%

HONG KONG, Mar 29, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - Genertec Universal Medical Group Company Limited (the "Company" or "Universal Medical", and together with its subsidiaries, the "Group"; Stock Code: 2666.HK) is pleased to announce annual results for the year ended 31 December 2021.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
-- For the year ended 31 December 2021, the revenue amounted to approximately RMB9,914.3 million, representing an increase of 16.3% as compared with that of approximately RMB8,521.2 million for 2020.
-- For the year ended 31 December 2021, the profit before tax amounted to approximately RMB2,691.8 million, representing an increase of 13.8% as compared with that of approximately RMB2,365.0 million for 2020.
-- For the year ended 31 December 2021, the profit for the year attributable to owners of the parent amounted to approximately RMB1,835.2 million, representing an increase of 11.4% as compared with that of approximately RMB1,647.5 million for 2020.
-- As at 31 December 2021, the total assets amounted to approximately RMB69,899.8 million, representing an increase of 13.6% as compared with that of approximately RMB61,511.0 million as at 31 December 2020.
-- As at 31 December 2021, the equity attributable to owners of the parent amounted to approximately RMB13,104.0 million, representing an increase of 21.7% as compared with that of approximately RMB10,770.5 million as at 31 December 2020.
-- For the year ended 31 December 2021, the return on equity was 15.37%, and the return on total assets was 3.09%.

2021 was the opening year of the "14th Five-Year Plan". The Group fulfilled the responsibilities as a central enterprise, adhered to serving the "Healthy China" strategy, and firmly moved forward in the field of medical and healthcare. In 2021, the Group steadily promoted business and improved overall operating performance with a revenue of RMB9,914.3 million, representing an increase of 16.3% as compared to the previous year; net profit of RMB2,030.5 million, representing an increase of 11.9% as compared to the previous year; net profit attributable to owners of the parent of RMB1,835.2 million, representing an increase of 11.4% as compared to the previous year; return on total assets (ROA) of 3.09%, and return on equity attributable to ordinary shareholders (ROE) of 15.37%.

Hospital Group Improved Quality and Efficiency, with Net Profit Increasing by 39.5%.

In 2021, the Group continued to consolidate the accounts of medical institutions into its own hospital group, and in the context of normalized pandemic prevention and control, the Group orderly advanced the post-investment management of medical institutions, and continuously enhanced the three core capabilities of "discipline", "operation" and "service", to build the overall advantages of the hospital group in terms of safety, effectiveness, accessibility, and humanities as a way to achieve steady progress in operating efficiency. As of 31 December 2021, the number of consolidated medical institutions increased to 45 (including 3 Grade III Class A hospitals and 20 Grade II hospitals), with a total of 10,376 beds. The hospital group launched a total of 372 construction projects, including 10 new outpatient and inpatient multifunction building projects, with a planned number of new beds exceeding 4,000 in total. In 2021, the hospital group contributed a revenue of RMB4,608.4 million to the Company, representing an increase of 27.2% as compared to the previous year, and its proportion in the total revenue from the business of the Group increased from 42.5% in 2020 to 46.5%. Without taking into account the hospital investment platform, the hospital group achieved a total gross profit of RMB585.0 million, representing an increase of 53.9% as compared to the previous year, a total net profit of RMB214.3 million, representing an increase of 39.5% as compared to the previous year, a gross profit margin from operations of 12.7% and a net profit margin of 4.65%.

From the perspective of operation, in the post-pandemic era, the number of beds and the overall operation of its medical institutions have shown a recovery growth. Meanwhile, with the implementation of group management and control of hospitals, the core capabilities of disciplines, operations and services have been gradually improved to lay the groundwork for sustainable growth trends in the healthcare business. Income per bed steadily increased from approximately RMB380,000 in 2019 to approximately RMB420,000 in 2021, and the efficiency of bed use was further improved; the volume of outpatient and emergency businesses increased significantly, overall outpatient and emergency visits in 2021 increased by 945,800 as compared to that of 2019, with a growth rate of 19.9%, which exceeded the market average rate; the structure of hospital expenses was optimized, and the average inpatient expenses of Grade II hospitals increased organically, with an increase of 10% as compared to that of 2019.

The Expansion of the Industrial Chain Achieved Initial Results, and the Advantages of Large-scale Development was Gradually Established

Focusing on the core resources of the hospital group, the Group consolidated the business foundation in various fields such as Internet-based healthcare, equipment maintenance, and medical testing over the past year. While efficiently serving the Group's internal hospitals, the Group actively expanded external customers and gradually established advantages from scalable development. For instance, in terms of Internet-based healthcare, the Internet-based healthcare platform "Universal Healthcare" became a unified Internet portal for the healthcare group, the core carrier of the healthcare industry chain business, and provided support and assistance for the digital management of specialties. As of 31 December 2021, "Universal Healthcare" was officially launched for 34 internal and external medical institutions with more than 3,000 online doctors and 750,000 registered users, and served more than 2 million people. It has developed an online + offline service model, and realized a one-stop medical treatment for patients covering the whole process; in terms of equipment maintenance, the Group actively promoted an advanced business model of "managing medical equipment for a full life cycle" to provide hospitals with standardized maintenance service and comprehensive equipment operation and management services. As of 31 December 2021, the Group maintenance business recorded an annual revenue of RMB36.96 million, representing an increase of 194.8% as compared to 2020; in terms of medical testing, relying on clinicians and medical teams from subordinate medical institutions, the Group has carried out medical testing business to provide more accurate and professional testing services to local medical institutions nearby. Among them, the testing center of Xi'an XD Group Hospital recorded an annual revenue of RMB89.96 million, representing an increase of 48.3% as compared to 2020.

Financial Business Developed Steadily, with an Increase of 15.6% in Gross Profit of Interest Margin

With years of experience in the industry, the Group has built efficient market capabilities, flexible financing capabilities, and professional risk control capabilities to provide customers in public hospitals, public utilities and other fields with comprehensive financial solutions centered on financial leasing, as well as industry, equipment and financing consulting, department upgrade and other services, which has fully guaranteed the continuous profitability of the Group as the hospital group grows. In 2021, as the regulatory system for the financial business of central enterprises was further improved, we further enhanced operation and management capabilities on the basis of sound risk prevention and mitigation to steadily advance financial business. The Group recorded interest income of finance services of RMB4,469.0 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 8.3%, and the gross profit of interest margin of RMB2,640.6 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 15.6%. The net interest spread was 3.56%, and the net interest margin was 4.05%. All of the aforesaid business indicators remained at a leading position in the industry.

While its financial business continues to expand steadily, the asset quality remains at an industry-leading level. As of 31 December 2021, its net interest-earning assets reached RMB61,127.6 million, representing an increase of 11.9% from the beginning of the year; the non-performing asset ratio was 0.98%, representing a decrease of 0.02 percentage point from the end of 2020; the overdue ratio (30 days) was 0.76%, representing a decrease of 0.18 percentage point from the end of 2020; and the provision coverage ratio was 238.29%, representing an increase of 32.77 percentage points from the end of 2020.

Prospect for the Future

In next year, following the overall deployment of the "14th Five-Year Plan", the Group will continue to actively carry out the mission of safeguarding life and health with quality medical care, give full play to the advantages of group-based management and control to comprehensively improve the lean management, and build a digital hospital management group. The Group will build core capabilities in pursuing integrated development of featured specialties such as oncology and nephrology, and extend industrial chain services around the core resources of the hospital group to make breakthroughs in the high-quality development of the entire group, and create greater returns for all Shareholders!

About Genertec Universal Medical Group Company Limited (2666.HK)

Genertec Universal Medical Group Co., Ltd ("Universal Medical") is a publicly listed state-owned enterprise committed to China's healthcare industry. China General Technology (Group) Holding Co Ltd., one of the backbone SOEs directly supervised by the central government is the controlling shareholder of the Company. Universal Medical focuses on the fast-developing healthcare industry in China, with medical services as the core and financial business as the foundation. The Company harvests modern management concepts, professionals, quality medical resources with solid financial strength, and an inclusive corporate culture. Altogether strives to build a reliable healthcare conglomerate and develop a healthcare ecosystem that all can mutually share and benefit. The Company owns 62 medical institutions, distributed in 14 provinces and municipalities such as Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Liaoning, Anhui, Hebei, Beijing, and Shanghai, including 5 Grade III Class A hospitals and 30 Grade II hospitals, with a total of more than 16,000 beds. In the future, Universal Medical will continue to grasp opportunities posed by China's healthcare sector, actively respond to the "Health China" program and make contributions to China's public health industry. www.universalmsm.com.

This press release is released by PEANUT MEDIA LIMITED on behalf of Genertec Universal Medical Group Company Limited.

For further information, please contact:
PEANUT MEDIA LIMITED
Lu Jing / Jing Gao
Direct Line: +0755-61619798+8210
Email: hswh@czgmcn.com



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