Category: Finance

iSend Logistics Malaysia Partners IKOBANA to Expand Delivery Business Nationwide

Customers guaranteed fast and reliable last-mile delivery

iSend Logistics Malaysia (iSend), a logistics and warehousing specialist and a subsidiary of MAA Group Berhad, is expanding its last-mile delivery services through a partnership with Ikobana Sdn Bhd (IKOBANA), a homegrown courier and freight forwarding services provider established in 2006, with 70 outlets across Peninsular Malaysia.

The COVID-19 pandemic, and the lockdowns, has quickened the pace of digital adoption among consumers as well as businesses, with an ensuing boom in e-commerce transactions. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, for the second quarter ended 30 June 2021, e-commerce income grew by 23.3% to RM267.6 billion compared to the same quarter in 2020 while compared to the first quarter ended 31 March 2021, income grew by 5.1%.

For the whole of 2020, e-commerce income grew by 32.7% to RM896.4 billion as the COVID-19 lockdowns boosted not only online retail transactions but also transactions among businesses particularly in the manufacturing and services sectors.

“Set against this backdrop, an important feature in this ‘chain’ is the delivery provider. Whilst online transactions are a fun – and occasionally, therapeutic – way of ‘surviving’ these gloomy times, what’s NOT so fun is waiting for that much anticipated delivery, and if you’re the sender, not knowing whether your items will be delivered safely – and in one piece – to the recipient,” said Zamri Rahman, iSend Logistics General Manager.

Tapping into this current landscape, iSend, a full-suite, land-based logistics provider and warehousing company, which has its main warehousing operations in the Klang Valley, Penang, Johor and soon in Kuantan and Melaka, is offering personalised, cost-efficient, fast and reliable courier delivery services, not only to its corporate clients but also to the public.

“This strategic partnership between iSend and IKOBANA will provide an opportunity for us to demonstrate our position in Malaysia’s first and last mile delivery market. To keep up with the e-commerce boom in Malaysia, iSend will be focusing on partnerships, ramping up investment into technology and strengthening operations. We’ve identified gaps in consumer demand and will be offering exciting and newly improved products and services soon,” explained Zamri.

Elaborating, he shared, “We plan in the next five years to expand across Malaysia by having at least 99 satellite stations with the support of seven hubs in each region. We currently have six distribution centres and 60 satellite stations in Malaysia.” The company also has a presence and originates from the Philippines.

Customers using IKOBANA’s iShop to drop and send off goods can now select iSend as their fast and reliable last-mile delivery provider and enjoy special rates. At the same time, IKOBANA will provide the best shipping comparisons from reputable courier companies online and offline, which is good value for money especially for supply-chain customers, who will also save time in the decision-making process.

Ikobana President, En Nurhazli Ghazali, said, “iSend’s first/last mile operations enables point-to-point delivery service. IKOBANA outlets can now offer home pick-up for parcels using our mobile app. With the pandemic, customers are more familiar doing transactions on the internet and are happy not to go outside”.

Please contact the below for more information:
Hakim Juraimi
Tel: +60 12-318 5410
Email: h.juraimi@swanconsultancy.biz

Yiche’s car-themed super party promotes 43,900 cars in August

Yiche held a car-themed super party, which promoted the sales of 43,900 cars in August

Yiche, China’s leading auto IT company, teamed up with China’s top TV stations to launch the “Super August 18th Car Carnival Night” on August 18. China’s leading auto manufactures and dealers participated in the event, launching a grand August car promotion campaign.

Yiche teamed with China’s top TV stations to launch “Super August 18th Car Carnival Night”, a car-themed super party and grand August automobile promotion campaign. (Image: Yiche).

More than 50 well-known Chinese stars, singers, bands and pianists, including Jay Chou and Lang Lang, were invited to participate in the two-and-a-half-hour party, and provided songs, dances and piano performances. The evening also included 5 Car Super XR shows and interactive Celebrity Car Shows.

The evening showcased the highlights and selling points of the cars through beautiful staging and XR/MR along with other technologies. The gala also offered more than 150 half-price cars and hundreds of millions of dollars in car purchase discounts.

The gala attracted more than 221 million online viewers, making it the biggest August marketing event in China’s auto industry history. According to data at the end of the night, “Super August 18th Car Carnival Night” resulted in 43,900 car orders and a turnover of 6.42 billion yuan. The event was an enormous success.

Yiche believed that a car-themed carnival could activate the market and boost consumption during the summer, which is traditionally an off-season for the Chinese auto market.

Liu Xiaoke, president of Yiche, said he hoped that the event would increase brand influence and sales opportunities for major auto manufacturers and open up the consumer potential of the Chinese auto market.

Yiche, founded in 2000, is a well-known Chinese auto IT company. It was listed on the NYSE in 2010. In 2020, it was acquired by Tencent, a well-known Chinese company, becoming privatized again. Hundreds of millions of Chinese users use the Yiche platform to view auto information and buy new and used cars. Yiche also provides digital marketing solutions for Chinese car manufacturers and car dealers. Visit Yiche at www.yiche.com.

Contact:
Han Xiaotang, Yiche
E: hanying3@yiche.com
U: https://www.yiche.com

Yang Xiaosong: The Institutional Investor’s Road to Carbon Neutrality

Yang Xiaosong, CEO of China Southern Asset Management Co., Ltd. (Southern Asset Management), was asked to deliver the keynote speech at the first ESG Global Leaders Summit on August 26 in Beijing, sponsored by Sina Finance ESG Channel and CITIC Publishing Group.

The Summit presented an opportunity to meet with global regulatory, business, investment and academic circles to discuss the future of ESG. The topic Yang chose for his address was The Road to Carbon Neutrality for Institutional Investors.

Faced with the increasingly severe challenges of the climate crisis, China made the solemn promise of “30.60 Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality” at the UN Climate Summit last year. As the world’s largest developing country, China has actively promoted “carbon peak and carbon neutrality”, which not only demonstrates the country’s broad mind and responsibility, but also points out the direction for China’s economic and social comprehensive green transformation and sustainable development.

“Carbon peak and carbon neutrality” will promote structural changes in the economy and society, including changes in energy structure, industrial structure, and consumption structure. In this process, on the one hand, professional investment institutions will give full play to the function of optimizing resource allocation and provide long-term funding sources for green and low-carbon high-quality enterprises; on the other hand, the carbon neutral industry chain breeds huge investment opportunities. Professional investment institutions can Through the layout of new opportunities for industrial upgrading and technological breakthroughs, it will create returns for investors and create value for society.

As a leading domestic institutional investor, Southern Asset Management attaches great importance to the research and practice of sustainable development finance. As early as 2018, it joined UNPRI (United Nations Responsible Investment Organization) and took the lead in establishing an ESG management structure, an ESG evaluation system and an ESG evaluation system. Investment system, implement active shareholder strategies, and explore the guiding role of investment on the real economy. “Carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” is an important part of ESG investment. Regarding how institutional investors can promote “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality”, we have the following thoughts and explorations:

One is to build a “carbon emissions” database with the help of financial technology.
Carbon emission data is an infrastructure for the financial industry to measure the climate change risks faced by enterprises, and it is also an essential part of asset pricing revaluation. Public funds need to conduct a more comprehensive and three-dimensional analysis of investment targets through big data collection, and fully integrate carbon emission databases with active research. However, the actual situation is that the ESG information disclosure data of domestic companies is incomplete. As of May 2021, there are only 1092 and 149 listed companies that actively disclose ESG data and carbon footprint data, accounting for 25% and 3.6% respectively (Data source: “Statistical Research Report on Information Disclosure of A-Share Listed Companies in 2020”, “Analysis Report on Information Disclosure of A-Share Listed Companies in Response to Climate Change 2021”). In this regard, Southern Asset Management has completed the carbon emission measurement database of all more than 4,000 listed companies in A-shares through external data collection, financial technology, and algorithms. This forms the basis for our in-depth research and investment.

The second is to optimize the investment framework and reduce the carbon footprint of the asset portfolio.
With the opening of the national carbon trading market, a clear carbon pricing mechanism internalizes the social costs incurred by enterprises, and also provides us with an important reference for repricing the risks and returns of enterprises. It can be expected that with the improvement of the carbon credit allocation mechanism, the impact of carbon trading on asset prices will gradually increase. In the past year, Southern Asset Management has significantly reduced the investment ratio of high-polluting and high-energy-consuming companies, and the weighted average carbon emissions of the stock portfolio have fallen by more than 40%. (Internal data of Southern Asset Management).

The third is to enrich the supply of products and promote the research and development of carbon emission products.
Public equity funds help investors share the growth dividends of the carbon neutral industry through investment strategies and product research and development. For example, we have conducted research on the carbon emissions of the CSI 300 component stocks in the past ten years. The low-emission component stock strategy has gradually produced excess returns in 2016, and the excess returns have increased significantly from 2019. In addition, in the future, new energy may be a long-term investment direction centered on technological progress, technological upgrading and energy efficiency improvement of “carbon neutrality”. At the product level, we have deployed Southern ESG theme equity funds, Southern China Securities New Energy ETF and feeder funds, and Southern New Energy Industry Trend Hybrid Fund.

The fourth is to fulfill social responsibilities and improve the carbon emission management system.
Southern Asset Management has established an internal carbon emission management system to account for the company’s carbon emissions in accordance with internationally accepted standards. The company headquarters building received LEED Gold Award-Energy Saving and Emission Reduction Building Certification. In addition, through voluntary carbon emission reduction certified emission reductions (VCUs/Verified Carbon Units) and international green certificates (I-REC/International Renewable Energy Certificate), we have completed the full amount of direct and indirect carbon emissions in the company’s operations. Offset, achieved carbon neutrality of the company’s operating system in July 2021.

The fifth is to establish an ecosystem and continuously enhance the influence of ESG.
We promote the establishment of the ecosystem through the following levels. First, Southern Asset Management is a 100+ member of Climate Action, and is committed to promoting the emission reduction and transformation of 161 major greenhouse gas emitting companies in the world through the implementation of an active shareholder strategy; Southern Asset Management has released the first domestic ESG investment annual report for public funds this year, improving the transparency of ESG investment and promoting industry development by improving information disclosure. At the same time, we are also a signatory member of TCFD (climate-related financial information disclosure) and invest in ESG In the annual report, detailed environmental information is disclosed in accordance with international standards.

“Carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” is a complex, long-term and systematic project. On the way to a “zero carbon future”, Southern Asset Management will firmly focus on the goal of “carbon peak and carbon neutrality”, based on its origins in the asset management industry, and is committed to providing more efficient and professional financial services for green and low-carbon development. We are willing to work with all partners to create a beautiful future in which “green water and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains” and harmonious coexistence of man and nature!

Yang Xiaosong
Chief Executive Officer
China Southern Asset Management Co., Ltd.
August 26, 2021

As a leading mutual fund in China, Southern Asset Management honors its social responsibilities. Apart from taking an active part in environmental protection and public welfare programs, it fully integrates ESG into its operation and investment. Southern Asset Management is a signatory of UN Principles for Responsible Investment and a member of the China ESG Leaders Association and the Climate Action 100+. It was among the first to launch an ESG Equity Fund in China to encourage ESG investment across the country. Its ESG efforts have been widely recognized, as evidenced by the honors it has received over the years, including the China ESG Golden Awards by Sina.com, the Evergreen Award by Caijing and the China Green Finance Award by Asiamoney.

Contact: Zhang Wanyi, Southern Asset Management
E: zhangwanyi@southernfund.com, U: http://www.southernfund.com

The Return of China’s Overseas-listed NEV Companies Accelerates with Li Auto’s Dual Primary Listing in Hong Kong

Along with changes in the domestic and foreign regulatory environments and the policy reform of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), the Hong Kong market becomes increasingly attractive to some China-based US-listed companies.

The return of China-based overseas-listed companies has become a trend now. Li Auto Inc (2015.HK) is among the three major China-based overseas-listed NEV companies listing on HKEX today through a dual primary listing, after Xpeng Motors Inc (9868.HK) was listed in Hong Kong on July 7. The IPO is jointly sponsored by Goldman Sachs and China International Capital Corporation (CICC), with UBS as the financial advisor.

Advanced Smart Automobile Solutions Drive Rapid Sales Growth
Li Auto Inc, incorporated in 2015, is a Chinese NEV (new energy passenger vehicle) automaker, specializing in designing, developing, manufacturing, and sales of premium smart electric vehicles. On July 30, 2020, Li Auto Inc was listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol LI.

Li ONE, as Li Auto’s first extended-range electric passenger vehicle (EREV), is a six-seat large premium electric SUV (sport utility vehicle) equipped with the Company’s independently developed range extension system and advanced smart vehicle solutions. An EREV is purely electric-driven by its electric motor, but its energy source and power come from both its battery pack and range extension system. With its integrated powertrain system, Li ONE delivers a total NEDC range of 1,080 kilometers. Meanwhile, this model’s energy can be replenished by slow charging, fast charging, and refueling. Li ONE can operate even when users have no access to charging infrastructure, thereby completely eliminating range anxiety.

Advanced technology not only improves product quality, but also significantly promotes the Company’s sales. Data after the hearing showed that the total number of vehicles that the Company delivered in the first quarter of 2021 was 12,579, representing an increase of 334.4% YoY. The delivery volume in the first half of this year already represented around 92% of that in the previous year. As of July 31, 2021, total deliveries in 2021 reached 38,743, bringing cumulative deliveries of Li ONE to 72,340 since its market debut. In 2020, Li ONE was recognized as the best-selling new energy SUV model in China with a 9.7% market share according to the CIC Report.

Multi-faceted Comprehensive Layout of Dual Listing to Enhance Competitiveness
Li Auto is accelerating to fully develop its R&D, capacity, and channels, while maintaining the current business. Currently, the Company is developing the X platform, which succeeds the existing EREV platform for Li ONE and is equipped with the next-generation EREV powertrain system. The Company plans to launch the first product on the X platform, a full-size premium extended-range electric SUV – in 2022, and two additional SUVs on the platform in 2023.

In terms of BEV models, Li Auto is investing significantly in the HPC (High-power Charging) BEV technologies, and developing two platforms, Whale and Shark, for its HPC BEVs. Starting from 2023, the Company plans to launch at least two new HPC BEV models every year.

In regard to autonomous driving, Li Auto is strengthening R&D and investing significantly in its proprietary autonomous driving technologies. It is expected that all the new models of the Company will be equipped with necessary hardware compatible with in-house developed, future Level 4 autonomous driving as a standard configuration from 2022. Furthermore, the Company will continue to optimize its autonomous driving solutions leveraging its full-stack proprietary software development capabilities.

China has become the world’s largest NEV market. In recent years, the growth of NEV sales volume has surpassed that of the ICE vehicles in China. According to the CIC Report, the NEV sales volume in China increased from 300,000 in 2016 to 1.2 million in 2020, representing a CAGR of 41.7%. In 2020, the NEV sales volume only accounted for 5.8% of the total passenger vehicle sales volume, implying massive future growth potential.

It is expected that the NEV sales volume in China will continue to rise at the CAGR of 35.8% from 2020 to 2025, driven by favorable policies, constantly developing auto technology, a rapid decrease in battery costs, and higher popularity of NEVs among consumers (due to a deeper understanding of intelligent technology and the Internet and demand growth), the CIC Report showed.

Li Auto Inc, as one of the top three Chinese new auto brands, choosing dual primary listing in Hong Kong, will expand the financing channel and acquire sustainable financial support. The primary listing of Li Auto offers a lot of capital reserves to future technology development and product R&D in order to further reinforce its competitiveness and consolidate and raise its market share.

Source: South China Morning Post

Elegance Optical subscribes 50% of the enlarged issued share capital of the Target Company for China’s Yantai Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal Project investment

Elegance Optical International Holdings Limited (The Company) is pleased to announce that Green Source Global Limited (the Subscriber), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, has entered into the agreement with H. Sterling LNG Terminal Holding Limited (Target Company) and the Existing Shareholder (Existing Shareholder), pursuant to which the Subscriber has conditionally agreed to subscribe for, and the Target Company has conditionally agreed to issue and allot, 10,000 subscription shares, representing 50% of the issued share capital of the Target Company as enlarged at the subscription price of RMB223 million, to be settled in cash (the Agreement).

Completion of the subscription shall take place on the 30th business day after all the conditions precedent under the Agreement having been fulfilled or waived (or such other date as the parties to the Agreement may agree).

Upon the completion, the Company will indirectly own 50% equity interest of the Target Company, representing approximately 10.5% equivalent interest in Yantai LNG Terminal Project Company of which 21.0% equivalent interest is held by the Target Company.

The directors of the Group are optimistic about the prospects of the Yantai LNG Terminal Project that its annual income is estimated at approximately RMB2.5 billion by the top management of the Group. The Yantai LNG Terminal Project is listed as 2021 China’s major project in Shandong Province and will be the 23rd LNG terminal in China. As of now, China has 22 LNG terminals, in which 15 of are owned and operated by government-owned enterprises.

The subscription is in line with the investment strategy of the Group and will allow the Group to diversify its income stream and investment portfolio. The Group will explore opportunities to cooperate on the whole value chain of the natural gas sector covering production, supply, storage and distribution, to further enhance the Company’s foundation in respect of international trade of liquefied natural gas.

Media inquiries:
New Smile Strategic IR & PR Consultancy Tel: +852 2126 7076
Jenny Lai jenny.lai@newsmilehk.com
Jenny Cheung jenny.cheung@newsmilehk.com

Notes to editors:

INFORMATION OF THE COMPANY
Elegance Optical International Holdings Limited is principally engaged in the manufacture and trading of optical frames and sunglasses, property investment, investment in debts and securities, film investment and distribution businesses and energy business. The Group refers to the Company and its subsidiaries.

INFORMATION OF EXISTING SHAREHOLDER AND THE TARGET COMPANY
The Existing Shareholder is Zheng Fang, a PRC resident and a merchant. The Target Company refers to H. Sterling LNG Terminal Holding Limited, an investment holding company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands with limited liability and is wholly-owned by the Existing Shareholder as at the date of the agreement.

INFORMATION OF THE SUBSCRIBER
Green Source Global Limited, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands with limited liability, is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company.

INFORMATION OF YANTAI LNG TERMINAL PROJECT COMPANY
Yantai LNG Terminal Project Company is principally engaged in the gas operation, import and export of goods and technology and import and export agency services, and is a project company established to implement the Yantai LNG Terminal Project.

INFORMATION OF THE YANTAI LNG TERMINAL PROJECT
The Yantai LNG Terminal Project aims to invest in and construct the Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal in Yantai Port in Shandong. It is expected that the Yantai LNG Terminal Project will commence operation in 2023, and will have an operation period of 25 years. The Yantai LNG Terminal Project was formally approved by the National Development and Reform Commission of the PRC in January 2020, and is currently in the phase of port construction.

Legend Capital invests in Series A funding round of BioMap, a biological computing platform

BioMap, a biological computing platform enterprise, has recently completed the Series A funding round worth over a hundred million US dollars, which Legend Capital participated in. The funds will be used to for R&D and talent recruitment.

BioMap is positioned as an innovative medicine R&D platform driven by a biological computing engine. It was co-founded by Robin Li in November 2020 and he currently serves as the Chairman. Through advanced computing and biotechnology, BioMap draws maps on disease targets and drug design to realize the Global First-in-class original drugs. In the future, BioMap will also focus on the field of the immune mechanisms of tumors, autoimmune diseases and fibrotic diseases.

Richard Li, the President of Legend Capital, said: “It is our second cooperation with Baidu this year after the investment in Baidu’s AI chip unit Kunlun in March. We hope to continue to maintain close cooperation with Baidu in the field of scientific and technological innovation in the future. We take a positive long-term view of the integration of IT and life science and technology. BioMap empowers life science with AI, and accelerates the R&D of new drugs and diagnostic products through the integration and innovation of AI technology and cutting-edge biotechnology. In the future, Legend Capital hopes to realize the full potential of the advantages of our enterprise ecosystem in the field of healthcare, and promote BioMap’s cooperation with leading companies in related fields, so as to provide intelligent computing platform support for the healthcare industry, give impetus to industrial upgrading and benefit more patients. “

Legend Capital has been focusing resources to research the deep integration of the healthcare industry and technology. In recent years, it has continued to explore the field of medical AI. In addition to BioMap, Legend Capital has also invested in AI microbial pharmaceutical company Xbiome, AI innovative drug development platform StoneWise, AI medical image assisted diagnosis company Deepwise, Lunit, AI medical pathology diagnosis company Deep Informatics, gene big data company Genowis, AI medical chronic disease management system company Ayshealth Technology, etc.

JWD to acquire 20% stake in ESCO, sealing partnership with PSA

  • Becoming a major international shipping port operator, extending Multimodal Transportation
  • Partnering with fellow ESCO shareholder PSA Singapore, world’s largest terminal operator

JWD InfoLogistics PLC (JWD), specialized in ASEAN logistics and supply chain solutions, announces a major investment, when on July 23 it agreed to acquire a 20% stake in ESCO, a Thai shipping container port operator and supply chain operator, with PSA Singapore, the world’s largest port operator by equity-weighted throughput, as ESCO shareholder.

With the acquisition, JWD will become a major international container terminal operator at Laem Chabang Deep-Sea Port and inland container depot (ICD) service provider at Ladkrabang, increasing its capability for multimodal transportation services, by land, sea and rail.

JWD InfoLogistics (SET: JWD), ASEAN top specialist in supply chain solutions, will acquire up to 20% of ESCO, the operator of international container terminals at 3 locations within Thailand’s Laem Chabang deep-sea port.

Mr Charvanin Bunditkitsada, Executive Committee Chairman and CEO of JWD, said “This investment is in line with our 5-year strategic plan to increase capability for multimodal transportation services. On July 23, our Board of Directors authorized JWD Transport (Thailand) Company Limited, a subsidiary of JWD, to acquire 20% of the shares in Eastern Sea Laem Chabang Terminal (ESCO), a major international container terminal operator at Laem Chabang Deep-sea Port in Chonburi Province and an inland container depot (ICD) service provider at Ladkrabang. With the share acquisition, JWD also becomes a business partner of PSA, manager and operator of Singapore’s world-class transshipment hub, as PSA is also a shareholder in ESCO.

“We consider this significant investment a major undertaking this year, to be funded by the recent issuance of debentures as well as from operating cash flow. Initially, JWD Transport will take a 15% effective share in ESCO, with an option to increase to 20% within the next 6-12 months,” Mr Charvanin said.

ESCO currently operates international container terminals at 3 locations within the Laem Chabang Deep-Sea Port; i) ESCO (B3), where ESCO directly develops and manages a concession from the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT); ii) LCB1 (B1) terminal and iii) LCMT (A0) terminal, with ESCO a shareholder of the company that holds the concession to operate both terminals. In 2020, the three cargo terminals handled about 2 million twenty foot-equivalent units (TEUs), or 20% of the total throughput processed at the Laem Chabang Deep-Sea Port. The demand for services at the international container terminals is expected to grow continuously with the recovery of the world economy following improvements in the pandemic situation in the USA and Europe.

ESCO is also one of 6 inland container depot (ICD) service providers at Ladkrabang handling container traffic for various shipping lines not located within Laem Chabang Port, helping reduce lead time and transportation cost. Revenue is derived from the operation of the container yard and import and export warehouses, along with Customs clearance services, and furbishing and transporting containers by land and rail – which will increase opportunity for JWD’s freight business and offering additional services to users of Ladkrabang ICD Station.

“JWD expects to realize its share of capital gains from ESCO no later than October,” Mr Charvanin added. “The investment in ESCO will serve as an extension of our international freight port operations in Laem Chabang. With our stake in Transimex, a major logistics provider from Vietnam, incoming international shipping port service business will empower us to provide multimodal transportation services, connect a wide range of freight services including by car, rail, water, and increase the opportunity to expand our customer base from container port service and ICD Ladkrabang station service to provide a full range of logistics services.

“JWD is already providing multimodal transportation services, such as transportation and transfer of general cargo, vehicles, hazardous cargo and chemicals, the transportation of cargo from Bangkok to the international container terminal at Laem Chabang, the lifting and transport of containers by rail from the Northeast, from the Eastern Economic Community (EEC), as well as the industries from Rayong Province to Laem Chabang Port. Therefore, this investment will help to expand our customer base as well as both our Bangkok-to-Laem Chabang and ICD Ladkrabang-to-Laem Chabang transportation services. Also significant is the provision for using the cargo traffic data from Laem Chabang international port to further develop our logistics capabilities,” Mr. Charvanin concluded.

Visit: JWD InfoLogistics PLC (SET: JWD); Bloomberg: JWD.TB, Reuters: JWD.BK; https://jwd-group.com/en/.
Media: Yuttachai Praikanahok, MT Multimedia for JWD, T: +66 9 1736 2866, E: yuttachai.p@mtmultimedia.com

Travis Pitt Joins Focus Partner Firm Escala Partners, Expanding Escala’s Investment Advisory Team and Increasing its Presence in the Melbourne and Syndey Wealth Markets

Focus Financial Partners Inc. (NASDAQ:FOCS) (Focus), a leading partnership of fiduciary wealth management firms, announced today that Travis Pitt (Pitt) has joined Melbourne-based Focus partner firm Escala Partners Pty Ltd (Escala).

Travis Pitt has over twenty years of industry experience as a tenured financial adviser providing customized investment and wealth management solutions to ultra-high net worth individuals and families. He is a nationally ranked adviser, having been named to the Barron’s list of Australia’s Top 100 Financial Advisers in 2021 as well as in prior years. Through this transaction, Escala will further increase its presence in the Melbourne market and add to the depth and breadth of its investment advisory team. By joining Escala, Pitt will gain access to Escala’s specialized investment management capabilities and operational infrastructure, continuing his commitment to provide best-in-class services to his clients.

“We are excited to partner with Travis, whom I have known for many years and respect as an outstanding adviser with a commitment to personalized, high-touch client service,” said Pep Perry, CEO and Partner at Escala. “This transaction elevates our organization with the addition of high caliber leadership and further deepens our presence in the attractive Melbourne and Sydney markets. We welcome Travis and his clients to the Escala family.”

“We are very pleased that Travis has joined the Escala team. Talent acquisition is a central component of the value-added support that we provide to our partner firms, particularly in facilitating the addition of highly experienced advisers who have a long track record of success in serving ultra-high and high net worth clients,” said Rajini Kodialam, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Focus. “Helping our partners build scale and accelerate their organic growth are essential elements of our value propoposition.”

About Focus Financial Partners Inc.
Focus Financial Partners Inc. is a leading partnership of fiduciary wealth management firms. Focus provides access to best practices, resources and continuity planning for its partner firms who serve individuals, families, employers and institutions with comprehensive wealth management services. Focus partner firms maintain their operational autonomy, while they benefit from the synergies, scale, economics and best practices offered by Focus to achieve their business objectives. For more information about Focus, please visit www.focusfinancialpartners.com.

About Escala Partners Pty Ltd
Founded in 2013, Escala provides objective advice and investment management solutions to ultra-high net worth individuals, families, foundations and institutional investors. Escala serves its clients through a collaborative, team-based approach focused on the client experience, a relationship built on trust and sustained over time by performance in line with evolving investment objectives. For more information about Escala, please visit https://escalapartners.com.au.

About the List of Australia’s Top 100 Financial Advisers
The Top 100 Financial Advisers list is a collaboration between The Australian and Barron’s. The formula used to calculate the ranking is rooted in three general categories: client assets managed by the adviser, fees and revenue generated by their business, and the quality of the adviser’s business. The asset and revenue numbers are proxies for client satisfaction. The quality of practice category includes a number of factors including an adviser’s experience, credentials and client-service resources.

Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect Focus’ current views with respect to certain current and future events. These forward-looking statements are and will be, subject to many risks, uncertainties and factors relating to Focus’ operations and business environment, including, without limitation, uncertainty surrounding the current COVID-19 pandemic, which may cause future events to be materially different from these forward-looking statements or anything implied therein. Any forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Focus on the date of this release. Focus does not undertake to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes make it clear that any statements expressed or implied therein will not be realized. Additional information on risk factors that could affect Focus may be found in Focus’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investor and Media Contacts
Tina Madon
Senior Vice President
Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
Focus Financial Partners
P: +1-646-813-2909
tmadon@focuspartners.com

Charlie Arestia
Vice President
Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
Focus Financial Partners
P: +1-646-560-3999
carestia@focuspartners.com

SOURCE: Focus Financial Partners

Dook Media, a Full Copyright Operator, invested by Legend Capital Successfully Listed on the China GEM

On July 19th, Dook Media Group Limited (SHE:301025), invested by Legend Capital, was successfully listed on the Growth Enterprise Market in China. With a public offering of 40.01 million shares, the stock closed at RMB31.66 per share, up 1942% from its initial price. Its total market value reached over RMB12.6 billion.

When Dook Media was established in 2009, a “full copyright” operator that takes “inspiring personal growth” as its purpose was born. The company’s core businesses are book planning and distribution as well as related cultural value-added service. With the vision of “cultivate local writers and promote traditional culture under national policies”, Dook Media is committed to becoming a leading creative cultural enterprise with unique creative methods and talent training systems by providing the public with high-quality books that span the fields of literature, arts, social sciences, and children’s book in multiple media formats.

Dook Media has become an enterprise with strong brand influence in the book industry due to the accumulated rich experience in books topic planning and editing, copyright operations, marketing, etc., The company gives priority to content quality, the books’ varieties exceed the industry average by more than 10 times. The main representatives included: Half Hour Comic, The Tibet Code, Galactic Empire, The Storied Life Of A.J. Fikry, The Godfather and etc.

Dook Media also signed a number of well-known e-book copyrights, such as The Three-Body Problem, Naruto and more. The Storied Life Of A.J. Fikry, Everything I Never Told You, Love O2O and other e-books have won best-selling e-book awards on Dangdang and Amazon. In recent years, the company has actively developed the audiobook market in Himalaya, Lazy audio, Qingting FM and WeRead. Some audiobooks have continuously ranked among the top ten bestsellers on Himalaya FM.

Legend Capital was the lead investor in the A round financing of Dook Media in June 2017 and made a follow-on investment in November of the same year. Legend Capital has accompanied Dook Media as a partner after its investment, providing in-depth and comprehensive value-added services in terms of industry resources, talent introduction, business improvement, strategic planning, and capitalization.

Jenking Shao, Managing Director of Legend Capital, said, “As the IP-based pan-entertainment industry has developed rapidly, the value of high-quality Intellectual Property (IP) has become more prominent. Dook Media is in the upstream position of the content industry, it belongs to Legend Capital’s important coverage in this industry and also, it has strong copyright operations capabilities across all channels in the industry, tapping and fully unlocking the value of IP, realizing the diversified monetization of copyright assets. After the listing, Dook Media will gradually enrich their copyright library in the future, while applying existing methodologies to empower more high-quality reserved copyrights and develop an IP incubation platform.”

Legend Capital has always paid attention to the development of the content industry chain, especially the scarce resources of the leading IP. At present, the literary reading market is still one of the important sources of IP incubation. In the field of content, Legend Capital has invested in representative companies such as Bilibili (NASDAQ:BILI), Taihe Music Group, Modern Sky, Wajijiwa, HYBE (KOSE: A352820), Bruco, Qianxun, etc.

7.7% Below IPO Floor Price, Global New Material’s Low Offer Price Reveals Its Ambition to be Global Leader

Global New Material, a leading company in the global new consumable materials market, gave a ‘big gift’ to its investors before officially listing. On July 9, Global New Material (stock code: 6616) announced an IPO price of HKD3.25, 7.67% lower than the previous IPO floor price. From the investors’ perspective, Global New Material lowering its IPO price from that of the IPO period, in fact, has left more room for market share price appreciation in the future.

High-quality companies prefer low-price offerings in mature capital markets
In mature capital markets, the lower-price offering is an effective strategy for information transmission. Those high-quality companies that are confident in their future business operations prefer the low-price offering strategy with higher market awareness, instead of advertising, extended lock-up period, underwriting by high-reputation investment banks or other approaches to deliver their intrinsic value to the markets.

The low-price offering is not harmful to high-quality companies as the low-price offering will attract more investors and will further lay a solid foundation for their post-listing stock price growth. Continuous growth in stock price and market value is extremely conducive to post-listing financing and therefore, will make up the value that companies give to their investors in IPO.

Besides, the low-price offering strategy is unlikely to be copied by poorer-quality companies. Since poorer-quality companies probably “usher in the peak when they go public” and then experience stock price decline, they will not and dare not purposefully lower their offering price. In fact, Global New Material lowering its IPO price is probably not only for this purpose.

Global New Material is preparing for access to Southbound Trading Link
Low-price offering activates stock trading, which probably demonstrates Global New Material’s preparation for access to Southbound Trading Link. Access to Southbound Trading Link is a very essential step to enhance market attention and activate stock trading of stocks listed in Hong Kong. It is learned from the management that Global New Material, which has just completed its IPO, is currently preparing for access to Southbound Trading Link.

The inclusion of Hang Seng Indexes will affect the inclusion of the Southbound Trading Link. According to the inclusion criteria of Hang Seng Indexes, the turnover rate is also considered in addition to the examination of the companies with the top 95% of the market capitalization in the option pool. Global New Material’s low-price offering strategy can facilitate faster meeting the requirements at the market dealing level.

Global New Material, which is preparing for access to Southbound Trading Link, is expected to experience stock price growth. Aftermarket close on August 20, 2021, the results of the latest mid-term review of Hang Seng Index constituent stocks will be released. As calculated by brokerage firms, the average market value threshold for entry into Hang Seng Composite Index this time is approximately HKD8.77 billion.

Global New Material currently applies an offering price of HKD3.25 with a stock market value of HKD3.779 billion, which is lower than that required for access to Southbound Trading Link. However, the company still strongly desires to make access to Southbound Trading Link, indicating that its management is confident in its future business operations and post-listing stock price performance.

Two new materials are of great potential in huge consumer markets
Both pearlescent pigments and synthetic mica, Global New Material’s two main types of new material products, are of great potential in huge markets in the fields of basic necessities of life and other consumer fields.

Pearlescent pigments are penetrating high-end fields at an expedited pace while replacing traditional pigments. As shown in the prospectus, Global New Material’s pearlescent pigments have two major significant advantages over traditional pigments in terms of being colour-lasting, toxic-free, harmless and environmentally friendly. In addition to traditional application fields, there is a fast-growing demand for pearlescent pigments in recent years in various high-end fields such as automobiles and cosmetics.

From 2021 to 2025, the compound annual growth rate of the global pearlescent pigment market will further climb to 23.9%, and the compound annual growth rate of pearlescent pigments in the global automotive and cosmetics sectors will surprisingly reach 47.1% and 32.8% respectively. Therefore, Global New Material’s pearlescent pigment products are expected to be applied in a wider range of application fields and occupy a huge market share with tremendous potential for future growth.

Synthetic mica is also penetrating mid-to-high-end consumer markets, such as the fairly popular field of fuel cells. In view of the exhaustion of natural mica resources in China and synthetic mica products’ advantages in terms of insulation, high-temperature resistance and corrosion resistance, there is an extremely strong demand for synthetic mica products and synthetic mica-based pearlescent pigments which are priced at a medium-to-high level and are mainly applied in mid-to-high-end industrial fields and other fields such as automobiles and cosmetics.

Moreover, according to scientific research findings, synthetic mica materials are being used to improve the existing fuel cell technology by virtue of their high proton conductivity and excellent heat resistance. The existing product prototype, i.e. mica membrane, is recognized as a new proton-conducting membrane with high proton conductivity.

To sum up, pearlescent pigments and synthetic mica, as two new material products, are of tremendous market potential, and Global New Material, as the leader in the fields of such two new materials, has gained dominant competitive advantages.

Comprehensive advantages cement the dominant position in the fields of the scarcest resources
In both pearlescent pigments and synthetic mica, Global New Material has built significant advantages in technology and business scale. In 2020, in terms of corporate revenue, Global New Material was the largest pearlescent pigment manufacturer in China with a market share of 11% and ranked fourth in the global market with a market share of 3%. Global New Material has sold its products to more than 30 countries and regions worldwide, and its technical team is headed by Professor Jiansheng Fu – known as the leading authority on pearlescent materials in China and father of chameleon pearlescent materials.

According to the prospectus, Global New Material is currently the only company in the field of synthetic mica that possesses all the core technologies of synthetic mica. Backed by strong R&D, Global New Material can launch over 100 new products each year, leading the global industry.

Contact:
Haolu Wang, Peanutmedia
E: wanghaolu@czgmcn.com
URL: www.Peanutmedia.com