Category: Australia

  • MIL-OSI: Bitget Named Among Top 12 Finalists for Digital Currency Exchange of the Year at Australia’s 2024 Blockies Awards

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VICTORIA, Seychelles, Oct. 31, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitget, the leading crypto exchange and Web3 company has been selected as a finalist in the Digital Currency Exchange (DCE) of the Year category at Australia’s 2024 Blockies Awards. Only 12 finalists were announced for this competitive category among more than 400 registered crypto exchanges in Australia’s $552 million DCE market.

    The Blockies Awards, officially known as the Australian Blockchain Industry Awards, is an annual event celebrating achievements in blockchain and digital technology across Australia. It was established by Blockchain Australia and the Digital Economy Council of Australia (DECA) to recognize individuals, startups, and organizations contributing to blockchain adoption.

    The Digital Currency Exchange of the Year award recognizes platforms that prioritize seamless transactions, security, compliance, and community engagement. Winners and shortlists are selected based on major developments in user experience and security standards. Bitget has achieved several feats over the past year within this criteria to address the expanding needs of Australia’s crypto market.

    The exchange currently offers over 1,000 trading pairs across spot, futures, and margin trading options in Australia. It also provides a $300+ million protection fund to safeguard users in the case of any unforeseen threats and security breaches.

    Bitget further maintains a high proof-of-reserves ratio to ensure that the platform is able to serve the market even during major liquidations. These high-standard security features demonstrate a strong commitment to user safety – a primary reason why the exchange was shortlisted in this category.

    “Australia is an important market for us, and it’s gratifying to see Bitget’s efforts being recognized at The Blockies.said Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget. “There’s immense potential to grow the blockchain industry in the region by dialogue and collaboration. The country already has a booming financial infrastructure, and blockchain can only make it better. We at Bitget are happy to be part of Australia’s crypto story.

    In terms of user experience, Bitget has emphasized its focus on both newcomers and advanced traders in the Australian market, making sure that there are tangible trading options for everyone. The exchange offers a range of advanced trading tools, such as risk management features and round-the-clock customer support in multiple languages. It also has a Pre-Market Trading Platform, where users can gain early access to new popular tokens and projects before public listing.

    The platform is also making crypto trading simple for the continent’s growing userbase through its signature copy trading feature. Bitget currently has over 180,000 elite traders with 800,000+ followers on its copy trading platform.

    Beyond its business operations, Bitget has made key contributions to increasing blockchain literacy across the market. The platform has launched exclusive blockchain educational projects like the Bitget Academy, Blockchain4Her, and Blockchain4Youth, with substantial investments in lectures and scholarships. These programs issued over 2,000 certificates and facilitated on-campus learning at over 50 universities.

    All of these developments have driven Bitget to be one of the key contenders in the Digital Currency Exchange of the Year category. The award is set to take place in Sydney on the 21st of November, where the final winner will be announced.

    The exchange’s operations have excelled globally throughout the year. As of October 2024, the exchange is serving a whopping of 45 million user base from 150+ countries and regions, with an average daily trading volume of $10 billion, and Bitget also ranked globally the 4th largest crypto exchange by Market Share.

    About The Blockies

    The Digital Economy Council of Australia warmly invites crypto and blockchain enthusiasts to the most prestigious night in the Australian Blockchain calendar. Hundreds of industry professionals from the Australian blockchain, digital assets, and Web3 industry will convene on Thursday, November 21st, 2024, at the stunning Watersedge overlooking the Sydney Opera House.

    This illustrious evening recognizes the exceptional achievements in the blockchain industry and creates a grand platform for networking. There will be plenty of collaboration opportunities between community members, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders to celebrate the transformative impact of blockchain technology on shaping Australia’s digital future.

    About Bitget

    Established in 2018, Bitget is the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company. Serving over 45 million users in 150+ countries and regions, the Bitget exchange is committed to helping users trade smarter with its pioneering copy trading feature and other trading solutions while offering real-time access to Bitcoin price, Ethereum price, and other cryptocurrency prices. Formerly known as BitKeep, Bitget Wallet is a world-class multi-chain crypto wallet that offers an array of comprehensive Web3 solutions and features, including wallet functionality, token swap, NFT Marketplace, DApp browser, and more.

    Bitget is at the forefront of driving crypto adoption through strategic partnerships, such as its role as the Official Crypto Partner of the World’s Top Football League, LALIGA, in EASTERN, SEA and LATAM market, as well as a global partner of Turkish National athletes Buse Tosun Çavuşoğlu (Wrestling world champion), Samet Gümüş (Boxing gold medalist) and İlkin Aydın (Volleyball national team), to inspire the global community to embrace the future of cryptocurrency.

    For more information, visit: Website | Twitter | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord | Bitget Wallet

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/22f29c78-2861-4097-af07-62b5148d8f28

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Statement from Professor Duncan Bentley, Vice-Chancellor and President, Federation University

    Source: Federation University

    “I ask the Federal Government to note the Victorian Government’s calls to allow Federation University Australia to continue our plans to recover from COVID-19 and grow our educational offerings to aspiring learners across regional and outer metropolitan Victoria.

    A social media post from the Minister for Skills and TAFE, the Hon Gayle Tierney MP, about her letter with the Treasurer, the Hon Tim Pallas MP, to the Minister for Education, the Hon Jason Clare MP, and, the Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon Tony Burke, on how recent international student visa migration decisions and policies are impacting Federation University and our role in the Victorian economy.

    I thank the Allan Victorian Government’s support for Federation and acknowledgement that its campuses across regional Victoria – which includes Ballarat, Gippsland and Horsham – and their call for the Federal Government to recognise the damage these decisions could cause.

    These decisions create significant risks to the educational opportunities for regional Victoria and the state’s broader economy, and impact how Victoria’s Skills Plan can be achieved to support vital industries in Gippsland and other regions within the state.

    The Victorian Government’s commitment to the important role international education plays in the Victorian economy and community, and especially in the regions, must be applauded.

    I am equally committed to ensuring Federation’s aspiring and current students are able to study in the communities they live in. The majority of these students are female, part-time learners with caring responsibilities, or are young people seeking higher education locally.

    This is why, despite these challenges, our University is committed to continuing to roll out our Australia’s first fully Co-operative Education Model and growing our domestic program offerings to meet the critical skill shortages across regional Victoria.

    Decisions trying to address student migration issues in other parts of Australia should not inadvertently impact regional Victoria. This is especially the case after Federation has invested significantly in developing a more robust and targeted international student program that meets the needs of regional Victoria.

    I am hopeful that our ongoing engagement with the Federal Government to take imminent action to address student visa settings and restore certainty in international student markets into 2026 will be successful.

    Without this, the impacts on regional communities and industries could be profound. There is a real risk that Federation’s proposed international student level could become meaningless in terms of promoting Federation’s recovery or role in Australia’s international education sector.

    I note that these issues have been acknowledged at senior levels of the Federal Government and local Members of Parliament on all sides, in particular the Member for Ballarat, the Hon Catherine King MP, and the Member for Bruce, Mr Julian Hill MP. I thank them for their strong interest in Federation’s situation and to continuing positive engagement on these issues in the coming weeks. 

    Because of these decisions, the proposed international education legislation must provide certainty for regional universities, who hold just 10,000 of the 240,000 places under the National Planning Level, so universities like Federation can grow their programs and support their local communities’ workforce and skills needs.

    These proposed laws should not risk pushing regional universities further into deficit, create uncertainty for regional students, or make regional investment less attractive.

    Federation has seen strong demand for its domestic programs and our University should not have to choose which courses to prioritise while regional leaders are calling for more growth in skills and course offerings for local domestic students.”

    MIL OSI News

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Australia–Vietnam tourism surge

    Source: Minister for Trade

    Tourist numbers from Vietnam have grown significantly following the pandemic, with nearly 178,000 visitors from Vietnam visiting Australia in the 12 months to August 2024.

    The Albanese Government has been working to boost two-way tourism with Southeast Asia, creating jobs, and contributing to our economy.

    Since launching Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040, a year ago, we’ve been stepping up our efforts across Southeast Asia, and tourism with Vietnam is shaping up to be a huge success story.

    Cooperation between the Australian and Vietnamese governments have delivered benefits for both countries, with Vietnam becoming Australia’s fastest-growing inbound market and more Australians travelling to Vietnam than prior to the pandemic.  

    The Albanese Government has provided funding for a number of initiatives designed to attract more visitors from Vietnam, including the Vietnam Host Program, a new addition to the suite of online training courses delivered by the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC). 

    ATEC’s programs, which are designed by leading industry professionals, help Australian businesses understand the needs of Vietnamese travellers and how to attract them.

    ATEC’s Meeting Place conference on the Gold Coast, which took place earlier this week, will continue to build momentum with Southeast Asia, with expert panels and Austrade briefings to highlight the growing opportunities for the region.

    These opportunities are highlighted in new reports released by Asialink Business and the Griffith Institute of Tourism which identify the potential for continued strong growth in two-way travel between Australia and Vietnam, and provide business with insights and data to help inform their investments.

    The government is supporting Australian businesses to embrace the enormous opportunities right on our doorstep.

    More information about the Government’s efforts to diversify Australia’s visitor markets, including links to the Asialink and Griffith Vietnam reports and the ATEC Vietnam Host program can be viewed at the Austrade website.

    Australian tourism businesses can register for the Vietnam Host Program via the Australian Tourism Export Council’s Tourism Training Hub.

    Quotes attributable to Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell:

    “Boosting tourism between our nations was a key topic of discussions when I visited Vietnam last year for our annual Economic Partnership Meeting, and again earlier this month when Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister His Excellency Bui Thanh Son and Minister of Planning and Investment, His Excellency Dr Nguyen Chi Dung visited Australia.

    “It is very encouraging to see strong growth in visitors from Vietnam to Australia, which is supporting Australian tourism businesses to succeed and grow.

    “Tourism is a key component of our strong relationship with the fast-growing economies of Southeast Asia. For too long we have flown over our friends and neighbours, overlooking the opportunity that is on our doorstep.

    “The Albanese Labor Government is proud to support efforts to increase links with our friends in the region.”

    Quotes attributable to Managing Director of ATEC Peter Shelley:

    “The Vietnam Host program gives Australian tourism businesses the tools they need to better understand and cater to Vietnamese visitors, helping them attract and engage with this growing market.

    “By taking part in the Vietnam Host program, businesses gain valuable insights into the preferences and expectations of Vietnamese travellers, equipping them to offer tailored, high-quality, culturally relevant experiences that will drive future growth from this market.”

    MIL OSI News

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Mayor’s Christmas Appeal 2024

    Source: Government of Western Australia

    Published Thursday, 31st October 2024

    The Mayor’s Christmas Appeal is back for 2024! Help locals doing it tough this Christmas by donating toys, non-perishable food and living essentials to those currently facing hardship.

    Until Sunday 24 November, you can drop donations in one of the Appeal bins at the Civic Centre, the City’s libraries and community centres or at one of 60 participating locations within the City.

    Please donate if you can and help us make this Christmas a special time for all City of Wanneroo residents.

    To find out more about this year’s charities; their desired donations and donation collection points, please click here.

    More articles in the news archive.

    MIL OSI News

  • MIL-OSI Australia: 243-2024: Services Restored: Thursday 31 October 2024 – Telephony services (WA regional office)

    Source: Australia Government Statements – Agriculture

    31 October 2024

    Who does this notice affect?

    Clients attempting to contact the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Western Australia regional office via phone.

    Information

    Restored time:

    As of: 16:50 Thursday 31 October 2024 (AEDT).

    Detail:

    The unplanned outage to the telephony services at the department’s Western Australia (WA) regional office has been resolved.

    Clients are now able to contact the department’s WA…

    MIL OSI News

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Fatal crash – Moulden

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Northern Territory Police are investigating a fatal crash that occurred in Moulden this afternoon.

    Around 2:30pm, police received reports of a collision involving a vehicle and a motorcycle at the Chung Wah Terrace and Elrundie Avenue intersection.

    Upon arrival, St John Ambulance commenced CPR on the 56-year-old motorcycle rider, however he was pronounced deceased at the scene.

    A 28-year-old driver of the vehicle was taken to RDH with non-life-threatening injuries and is assisting Police with their enquiries.

    A crime scene was established, and Major Crash Investigation Unit are investigating.

    Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has dashcam of the incident is urged to contact Police on 131 444 and quote the reference number P24301158.

    Diversions are in place and police urge motorists to drive with caution or avoid the area if possible.

    The Lives Lost on Territory Roads in 2024 now stands at 53.

    MIL OSI News

  • MIL-OSI: SHELL PLC 3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

                                 
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS
           
                                                         
     
    SUMMARY OF UNAUDITED RESULTS
    Quarters $ million   Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   Reference 2024 2023 %
    4,291    3,517    7,044    +22 Income/(loss) attributable to Shell plc shareholders   15,166    18,887    -20
    6,028    6,293    6,224    -4 Adjusted Earnings A 20,055    20,944    -4
    16,005    16,806    16,336    -5 Adjusted EBITDA A 51,523    52,204    -1
    14,684    13,508    12,332    +9 Cash flow from operating activities   41,522    41,622   
    (3,857)   (3,338)   (4,827)     Cash flow from investing activities   (10,723)   (12,080)    
    10,827    10,170    7,505      Free cash flow G 30,799    29,542     
    4,950    4,719    5,649      Cash capital expenditure C 14,161    17,280     
    9,570    8,950    10,097    +7 Operating expenses F 27,517    29,062    -5
    8,864    8,651    9,735    +2 Underlying operating expenses F 26,569    28,635    -7
    12.8% 12.8% 13.9%   ROACE2 D 12.8% 13.9%  
    76,613    75,468    82,147      Total debt E 76,613    82,147     
    35,234    38,314    40,470      Net debt E 35,234    40,470     
    15.7% 17.0% 17.3%   Gearing E 15.7% 17.3%  
    2,801    2,817    2,706    -1 Oil and gas production available for sale (thousand boe/d)   2,843    2,779    +2
    0.69    0.55    1.06 +25 Basic earnings per share ($)   2.39    2.78    -14
    0.96    0.99    0.93    -3 Adjusted Earnings per share ($) B 3.16    3.08    +3
    0.3440    0.3440    0.3310    Dividend per share ($)   1.0320    0.9495    +9

    1.Q3 on Q2 change

    2.Effective first quarter 2024, the definition has been amended and comparative information has been revised. See Reference D.

    Quarter Analysis1

    Income attributable to Shell plc shareholders, compared with the second quarter 2024, reflected lower refining margins, lower realised oil prices and higher operating expenses partly offset by favourable tax movements, and higher Integrated Gas volumes.

    Third quarter 2024 income attributable to Shell plc shareholders also included unfavourable movements relating to an accounting mismatch due to fair value accounting of commodity derivatives, charges related to redundancy and restructuring, and net impairment charges and reversals. These items are included in identified items amounting to a net loss of $1.3 billion in the quarter. This compares with identified items in the second quarter 2024 which amounted to a net loss of $2.7 billion.

    Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA2 were driven by the same factors as income attributable to Shell plc shareholders and adjusted for the above identified items and the cost of supplies adjustment of positive $0.5 billion.

    Cash flow from operating activities for the third quarter 2024 was $14.7 billion, and primarily driven by Adjusted EBITDA, and working capital inflows of $2.7 billion partly offset by tax payments of $3.0 billion. The working capital inflow mainly reflected inventory movements due to lower oil prices and lower volumes.

    Cash flow from investing activities for the quarter was an outflow of $3.9 billion, and included cash capital expenditure of $4.9 billion.

    Net debt and Gearing: At the end of the third quarter 2024, net debt was $35.2 billion, compared with $38.3 billion at the end of the second quarter 2024, mainly reflecting free cash flow, partly offset by share buybacks, cash dividends paid to Shell plc shareholders, lease additions and interest payments. Gearing was 15.7% at the end of the third quarter 2024, compared with 17.0% at the end of the second quarter 2024, mainly driven by lower net debt.


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS

    Shareholder distributions

    Total shareholder distributions in the quarter amounted to $5.7 billion comprising repurchases of shares of $3.5 billion and cash dividends paid to Shell plc shareholders of $2.2 billion. Dividends declared to Shell plc shareholders for the third quarter 2024 amount to $0.3440 per share. Shell has now completed $3.5 billion of share buybacks announced in the second quarter 2024 results announcement. Today, Shell announces a share buyback programme of $3.5 billion which is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter 2024 results announcement.

    Nine Months Analysis1

    Income attributable to Shell plc shareholders, compared with the first nine months 2023, reflected lower refining margins, lower LNG trading and optimisation margins, lower realised LNG and gas prices as well as lower trading and optimisation margins of power and pipeline gas in Renewables and Energy Solutions, partly offset by lower operating expenses, higher Marketing margins and volumes, higher realised Chemicals margins, and higher Integrated Gas and Upstream volumes.

    First nine months 2024 income attributable to Shell plc shareholders also included net impairment charges and reversals, reclassifications from equity to profit and loss of cumulative currency translation differences related to funding structures, unfavourable movements relating to an accounting mismatch due to fair value accounting of commodity derivatives, and charges related to redundancy and restructuring, partly offset by favourable differences in exchange rates and inflationary adjustments on deferred tax. These charges, reclassifications and movements are included in identified items amounting to a net loss of $4.6 billion. This compares with identified items in the first nine months 2023 which amounted to a net loss of $2.2 billion.

    Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA2 for the first nine months 2024 were driven by the same factors as income attributable to Shell plc shareholders and adjusted for identified items and the cost of supplies adjustment of positive $0.3 billion.

    Cash flow from operating activities for the first nine months 2024 was $41.5 billion, and primarily driven by Adjusted EBITDA, the timing impact of payments relating to emission certificates and biofuel programmes of $1.2 billion and cash inflows relating to commodity derivatives of $1.2 billion, partly offset by tax payments of $9.1 billion, and working capital outflow of $0.3 billion.

    Cash flow from investing activities for the first nine months 2024 was an outflow of $10.7 billion and included cash capital expenditure of $14.2 billion, partly offset by divestment proceeds of $2.0 billion, and interest received of $1.8 billion.

    This Unaudited Condensed Interim Financial Report, together with supplementary financial and operational disclosure for this quarter, is available at www.shell.com/investors 3 .

    1.All earnings amounts are shown post-tax, unless stated otherwise.

    2.Adjusted EBITDA is without taxation.

    3.Not incorporated by reference.

    THIRD QUARTER 2024 PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENTS

    Integrated Gas

    In July 2024, we announced the final investment decision (FID) on the Manatee project, an undeveloped gas field in the East Coast Marine Area (ECMA) in Trinidad and Tobago.

    In July 2024, we signed an agreement to invest in the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s (ADNOC) Ruwais LNG project in Abu Dhabi through a 10% participating interest. The Ruwais LNG project will consist of two 4.8 mtpa LNG liquefaction trains with a total capacity of 9.6 mtpa.

    In August 2024, Arrow Energy, an incorporated joint venture between Shell (50%) and PetroChina (50%), announced plans to develop Phase 2 of Arrow Energy’s Surat Gas Project in Queensland, Australia. The gas from the project will flow to the Shell-operated QCLNG LNG (joint venture between Shell (73.75%), CNOOC (25%) and MidOcean Energy (1.25%)) facility on Curtis Island, near Gladstone.

    Upstream

    In July 2024, the operator of the Jerun field in Malaysia, SapuraOMV Upstream Sdn Bhd, announced that first gas has been achieved. Jerun is operated by SapuraOMV Upstream (40%) in partnership with Sarawak Shell Berhad (30%) and PETRONAS Carigali Sdn Bhd (30%).

    In August 2024, we announced the FID on a ‘waterflood’ project at our Vito asset in the US Gulf of Mexico. Water will be injected into the reservoir formation to displace additional oil.

             Page 2


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS

    Marketing

    In July 2024, we announced that we are temporarily pausing on-site construction work at our 820,000 tonnes a year biofuels facility at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam in the Netherlands to address project delivery and ensure future competitiveness given current market conditions.

    Renewables and Energy Solutions

    In October 2024, we signed an agreement to acquire a 100% equity stake in RISEC Holdings, LLC (RISEC), which owns a 609-megawatt (MW) two-unit combined-cycle gas turbine power plant in Rhode Island, USA. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the first quarter 2025.

             Page 2


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS

    PERFORMANCE BY SEGMENT

                                                         
     
    INTEGRATED GAS        
    Quarters $ million   Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   Reference 2024 2023 %
    2,631    2,454    2,156    +7 Segment earnings   7,846    5,325    +47
    (240)   (220)   (375)     Of which: Identified items A (1,379)   (4,625)    
    2,871    2,675    2,531    +7 Adjusted Earnings A 9,225    9,951    -7
    5,234    5,039    4,874    +4 Adjusted EBITDA A 16,410    17,189    -5
    3,623    4,183    4,009    -13 Cash flow from operating activities A 12,518    13,923    -10
    1,236    1,151    1,099      Cash capital expenditure C 3,429    3,000     
    136    137    122    -1 Liquids production available for sale (thousand b/d)   137    134    +2
    4,669    4,885    4,517    -4 Natural gas production available for sale (million scf/d)   4,835    4,744    +2
    941    980    900    -4 Total production available for sale (thousand boe/d)   971    952    +2
    7.50    6.95    6.88    +8 LNG liquefaction volumes (million tonnes)   22.03    21.23    +4
    17.04    16.41    16.01    +4 LNG sales volumes (million tonnes)   50.32    49.01    +3

    1.Q3 on Q2 change

    Integrated Gas includes liquefied natural gas (LNG), conversion of natural gas into gas-to-liquids (GTL) fuels and other products. It includes natural gas and liquids exploration and extraction, and the operation of the upstream and midstream infrastructure necessary to deliver these to market. Integrated Gas also includes the marketing, trading and optimisation of LNG.

    Quarter Analysis1

    Segment earnings, compared with the second quarter 2024, reflected higher LNG liquefaction volumes (increase of $237 million).

    Third quarter 2024 segment earnings also included unfavourable movements of $213 million relating to an accounting mismatch due to fair value accounting of commodity derivatives. These unfavourable movements are part of identified items and compare with the second quarter 2024 which included a charge of $122 million due to unrecoverable indirect tax receivables, and unfavourable movements of $98 million due to the fair value accounting of commodity derivatives. As part of Shell’s normal business, commodity derivative hedge contracts are entered into for mitigation of economic exposures on future purchases, sales and inventory.

    Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA2 were driven by the same factors as the segment earnings and adjusted for identified items.

    Cash flow from operating activities for the quarter was primarily driven by Adjusted EBITDA, partly offset by tax payments of $814 million, net cash outflows related to derivatives of $373 million and working capital outflows of $247 million.

    Total oil and gas production, compared with the second quarter 2024, decreased by 4% mainly due to production-sharing contract effects, and higher maintenance in Trinidad and Tobago. LNG liquefaction volumes increased by 8% mainly due to higher feedgas supply in Nigeria, and Trinidad and Tobago.

    Nine Months Analysis1

    Segment earnings, compared with the first nine months 2023, reflected the combined effect of lower contributions from trading and optimisation and lower realised prices (decrease of $1,787 million), partly offset by higher volumes (increase of $513 million), lower operating expenses (decrease of $171 million), and favourable deferred tax movements ($168 million).

    First nine months 2024 segment earnings also included unfavourable movements of $1,198 million relating to an accounting mismatch due to fair value accounting of commodity derivatives. These unfavourable movements are part of identified items and compare with the first nine months 2023 which included unfavourable movements of $2,821 million due to the fair value accounting of commodity derivatives, and net impairment charges and reversals of $1,700 million. As part of Shell’s normal business, commodity derivative hedge contracts are entered into for mitigation of economic exposures on future purchases, sales and inventory.

    Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA2 were driven by the same factors as the segment earnings and adjusted for identified items.

             Page 3


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS

    Cash flow from operating activities for the first nine months 2024 was primarily driven by Adjusted EBITDA, partly offset by tax payments of $2,320 million and net cash outflows related to derivatives of $1,586 million.

    Total oil and gas production, compared with the first nine months 2023, increased by 2% mainly due to ramp-up of fields in Oman and Australia, and lower maintenance in Australia. LNG liquefaction volumes increased by 4% mainly due to lower unplanned maintenance in Australia.

    1.All earnings amounts are shown post-tax, unless stated otherwise.

    2.Adjusted EBITDA is without taxation.

             Page 4


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS
                                                         
     
    UPSTREAM          
    Quarters $ million   Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   Reference 2024 2023 %
    2,289    2,179    1,999    +5 Segment earnings   6,741    6,388    +6
    (153)   (157)   (238)     Of which: Identified items A 28    (357)    
    2,443    2,336    2,237    +5 Adjusted Earnings A 6,712    6,746   
    7,871    7,829    7,433    +1 Adjusted EBITDA A 23,588    22,750    +4
    5,268    5,739    5,336    -8 Cash flow from operating activities A 16,734    15,663    +7
    1,974    1,829    2,007      Cash capital expenditure C 5,813    5,906     
    1,321    1,297    1,311    +2 Liquids production available for sale (thousand b/d)   1,316    1,313   
    2,844    2,818    2,564    +1 Natural gas production available for sale (million scf/d)   2,933    2,687    +9
    1,811    1,783    1,753    +2 Total production available for sale (thousand boe/d)   1,822    1,776    +3

    1.Q3 on Q2 change

    The Upstream segment includes exploration and extraction of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. It also markets and transports oil and gas, and operates the infrastructure necessary to deliver them to the market.

    Quarter Analysis1

    Segment earnings, compared with the second quarter 2024, reflected lower well write-offs (decrease of $139 million), favourable tax movements ($96 million), lower operating expenses (decrease of $63 million), and lower depreciation charges (decrease of $57 million), partly offset by lower realised liquids prices (decrease of $304 million).

    Third quarter 2024 segment earnings also included charges of $138 million related to redundancy and restructuring and charges of $104 million related to decommissioning provisions. These charges are part of identified items, and compare with the second quarter 2024 which included a loss of $143 million related to the impact of the weakening Brazilian real on a deferred tax position, and a loss of $122 million related to a tax settlement in Brazil, partly offset by a gain of $139 million related to the impact of inflationary adjustments in Argentina on a deferred tax position.

    Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA2 were driven by the same factors as the segment earnings and adjusted for identified items.

    Cash flow from operating activities for the quarter was primarily driven by Adjusted EBITDA, partly offset by tax payments of $2,074 million.

    Total production, compared with the second quarter 2024, increased mainly due to new oil production.

    Nine Months Analysis1

    Segment earnings, compared with the first nine months 2023, reflected unfavourable tax movements ($351 million), higher well write-offs (increase of $327 million) and the net impact of lower realised gas and higher realised liquids prices (decrease of $278 million), partly offset by the comparative favourable impact of $910 million mainly relating to gas storage effects.

    First nine months 2024 segment earnings also included gains of $676 million related to the impact of inflationary adjustments in Argentina on a deferred tax position, partly offset by charges of $179 million related to redundancy and restructuring, net impairment charges and reversals of $171 million and a loss of $164 million related to the impact of the weakening Brazilian real on a deferred tax position. These gains and charges are part of identified items, and compare with the first nine months 2023 which included charges of $188 million from impairments, legal provisions of $169 million and deferred tax charges of $132 million due to amendments to IAS 12, partly offset by favourable movements of $106 million relating to an accounting mismatch due to fair value accounting of commodity derivatives. As part of Shell’s normal business, commodity derivative hedge contracts are entered into for mitigation of economic exposures on future purchases, sales and inventory.

    Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA2 were driven by the same factors as the segment earnings and adjusted for identified items.

    Cash flow from operating activities for the first nine months 2024 was primarily driven by Adjusted EBITDA, partly offset by tax payments of $5,832 million.

    Total production, compared with the first nine months 2023, increased mainly due to new oil production, partly offset by field decline.

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    1.All earnings amounts are shown post-tax, unless stated otherwise.

    2.Adjusted EBITDA is without taxation.

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    MARKETING        
    Quarters $ million   Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   Reference 2024 2023 %
    760    257    629    +196 Segment earnings2   1,791    2,832    -37
    (422)   (825)   (12)     Of which: Identified items2 A (1,255)   314     
    1,182    1,082    641    +9 Adjusted Earnings2 A 3,046    2,518    +21
    2,081    1,999    1,453    +4 Adjusted EBITDA2 A 5,767    4,837    +19
    2,722    1,958    397    +39 Cash flow from operating activities2 A 5,999    3,794    +58
    525    644    959      Cash capital expenditure2 C 1,634    4,406     
    2,945    2,868    3,138    +3 Marketing sales volumes (thousand b/d)2   2,859    3,062    -7

    1.Q3 on Q2 change

    2.Wholesale commercial fuels, previously reported in the Chemicals and Products segment, is reported in the Marketing segment (Mobility) with effect from Q1 2024. Comparative information for the Marketing segment and the Chemicals and Products segment has been revised.

    The Marketing segment comprises the Mobility, Lubricants, and Sectors and Decarbonisation businesses. The Mobility business operates Shell’s retail network including electric vehicle charging services and the Wholesale commercial fuels business which provides fuels for transport, industry and heating. The Lubricants business produces, markets and sells lubricants for road transport, and machinery used in manufacturing, mining, power generation, agriculture and construction. The Sectors and Decarbonisation business sells fuels, speciality products and services including low-carbon energy solutions to a broad range of commercial customers including the aviation, marine, and agricultural sectors.

    Quarter Analysis1

    Segment earnings, compared with the second quarter 2024, reflected higher Marketing margins (increase of $139 million) mainly driven by improved Mobility unit margins and impact of seasonally higher volumes partly offset by lower lubricants and Sectors and Decarbonisation margins. Segment earnings also reflected favourable tax movements ($55 million). These were partly offset by higher operating expenses (increase of $63 million).

    Third quarter 2024 segment earnings also included impairment charges of $179 million, charges of $98 million related to redundancy and restructuring, and net losses of $84 million related to sale of assets. These charges and unfavourable movements are part of identified items, and compare with the second quarter 2024 impairment charges of $783 million mainly relating to an asset in the Netherlands, and charges of $50 million related to redundancy and restructuring.

    Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA2 were driven by the same factors as the segment earnings and adjusted for identified items.

    Cash flow from operating activities for the quarter was primarily driven by Adjusted EBITDA, working capital inflows of $792 million, and the timing impact of payments relating to emission certificates and biofuel programmes of $427 million. These inflows were partly offset by non-cash cost of supplies adjustment of $334 million and tax payments of $241 million.

    Marketing sales volumes (comprising hydrocarbon sales), compared with the second quarter 2024, increased mainly due to seasonality.

    Nine Months Analysis1

    Segment earnings, compared with the first nine months 2023, reflected higher Marketing margins (increase of $582 million) including higher unit margins in Mobility, Lubricants and higher Sectors and Decarbonisation margins. Segment earnings also reflected lower operating expenses (decrease of $170 million). These were partly offset by higher depreciation charges (increase of $128 million) mainly due to asset acquisitions, and unfavourable tax movements ($94 million).

    First nine months 2024 segment earnings also included impairment charges of $965 million mainly relating to an asset in the Netherlands, charges of $163 million related to redundancy and restructuring, and net losses of $140 million related to the sale of assets. These charges are part of identified items and compare with the first nine months 2023 which included gains of $298 million related to indirect tax credits, and favourable movements of $60 million relating to an accounting mismatch due to fair value accounting of commodity derivatives. As part of Shell’s normal business, commodity derivative hedge contracts are entered into for mitigation of economic exposures on future purchases, sales and inventory.

    Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA2 were driven by the same factors as the segment earnings and adjusted for identified items.

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    Cash flow from operating activities for the first nine months 2024 was primarily driven by Adjusted EBITDA, the timing impact of payments relating to emission certificates and biofuel programmes of $966 million, and working capital inflows of $153 million. These inflows were partly offset by tax payments of $432 million, and non-cash cost of supplies adjustment of $256 million.

    Marketing sales volumes (comprising hydrocarbon sales), compared with the first nine months 2023, decreased mainly in Mobility including increased focus on value over volume.

    1.All earnings amounts are shown post-tax, unless stated otherwise.

    2.Adjusted EBITDA is without taxation.

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    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS
                                                         
     
    CHEMICALS AND PRODUCTS        
    Quarters $ million   Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   Reference 2024 2023 %
    341    587    1,250    -42 Segment earnings2   2,085    3,310    -37
    (122)   (499)   (213)     Of which: Identified items2 A (1,078)   (278)    
    463    1,085    1,463    -57 Adjusted Earnings2 A 3,163    3,588    -12
    1,240    2,242    2,661    -45 Adjusted EBITDA2 A 6,308    6,819    -7
    3,321    2,249    2,862    +48 Cash flow from operating activities2 A 5,221    6,364    -18
    761    638    837      Cash capital expenditure2 C 1,898    2,027     
    1,305    1,429    1,334    -9 Refinery processing intake (thousand b/d)   1,388    1,360    +2
    3,015    3,052    2,998    -1 Chemicals sales volumes (thousand tonnes)   8,950    8,656    +3

    1.Q3 on Q2 change

    2.Wholesale commercial fuels, previously reported in the Chemicals and Products segment, is reported in the Marketing segment (Mobility) with effect from Q1 2024. Comparative information for the Marketing segment and the Chemicals and Products segment has been revised.

    The Chemicals and Products segment includes chemicals manufacturing plants with their own marketing network, and refineries which turn crude oil and other feedstocks into a range of oil products which are moved and marketed around the world for domestic, industrial and transport use. The segment also includes the pipeline business, trading and optimisation of crude oil, oil products and petrochemicals, and Oil Sands activities (the extraction of bitumen from mined oil sands and its conversion into synthetic crude oil).

    Quarter Analysis1

    Segment earnings, compared with the second quarter 2024, reflected lower Products margins (decrease of $492 million) mainly driven by lower refining margins and lower margins from trading and optimisation. Segment earnings also reflected lower Chemicals margins (decrease of $189 million) mainly due to lower utilisation and lower realised prices. In addition, the third quarter 2024 reflected higher operating expenses (increase of $88 million). These were partly offset by favourable tax movements ($133 million).

    Third quarter 2024 segment earnings also included charges of $101 million related to redundancy and restructuring, and net impairment charges and reversals of $92 million, partly offset by favourable movements of $95 million relating to an accounting mismatch due to fair value accounting of commodity derivatives. These charges and favourable movements are part of identified items, and compare with the second quarter 2024 which included net impairment charges and reversals of $708 million mainly relating to assets in Singapore, partly offset by favourable movements of $156 million due to the fair value accounting of commodity derivatives. As part of Shell’s normal business, commodity derivative hedge contracts are entered into for mitigation of economic exposures on future purchases, sales and inventory.

    Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA2 were driven by the same factors as the segment earnings and adjusted for identified items. In the third quarter 2024, Chemicals had negative Adjusted Earnings of $111 million and Products had positive Adjusted Earnings of $573 million.

    Cash flow from operating activities for the quarter was primarily driven by working capital inflows of $2,131 million, Adjusted EBITDA, cash inflows relating to commodity derivatives of $88 million and dividends (net of profits) from joint ventures and associates of $63 million. These inflows were partly offset by non-cash cost of supplies adjustment of $331 million.

    Chemicals manufacturing plant utilisation was 76% compared with 80% in the second quarter 2024, due to higher planned and unplanned maintenance.

    Refinery utilisation was 81% compared with 92% in the second quarter 2024, due to higher planned and unplanned maintenance.

    Nine Months Analysis1

    Segment earnings, compared with the first nine months 2023, reflected lower Products margins (decrease of $1,458 million) mainly driven by lower refining margins and lower margins from trading and optimisation. Segment earnings also included unfavourable tax movements ($106 million). These were partly offset by higher Chemicals margins (increase of $516 million) due to higher realised prices and higher utilisation. In addition, the first nine months 2024 reflected lower operating expenses (decrease of $658 million).

    First nine months 2024 segment earnings also included net impairment charges and reversals of $952 million mainly relating to assets in Singapore, charges of $139 million related to redundancy and restructuring, and unfavourable

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    movements of $69 million relating to an accounting mismatch due to fair value accounting of commodity derivatives. These charges and unfavourable movements are part of identified items, and compare with the first nine months 2023 which included losses of $227 million from net impairments and reversals, legal provisions of $74 million and favourable movements of $75 million related to the fair value accounting of commodity derivatives. As part of Shell’s normal business, commodity derivative hedge contracts are entered into for mitigation of economic exposures on future purchases, sales and inventory.

    Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA2 were driven by the same factors as the segment earnings and adjusted for identified items. In the first nine months 2024, Chemicals had negative Adjusted Earnings of $174 million and Products had positive Adjusted Earnings of $3,337 million.

    Cash flow from operating activities for the first nine months 2024 was primarily driven by Adjusted EBITDA, the timing impact of payments relating to emission certificates and biofuel programmes of $257 million, and dividends (net of profits) from joint ventures and associates of $165 million. These inflows were partly offset by working capital outflows of $869 million, cash outflows relating to legal provisions of $203 million, tax payments of $182 million, and non-cash cost of supplies adjustment of $182 million.

    Chemicals manufacturing plant utilisation was 77% compared with 70% in the first nine months 2023, mainly due to economic optimisation in the first nine months 2023. The increase was also driven by ramp-up of Shell Polymers Monaca and lower unplanned maintenance in the first nine months 2024.

    Refinery utilisation was 88% compared with 87% in the first nine months 2023.

    1.All earnings amounts are shown post-tax, unless stated otherwise.

    2.Adjusted EBITDA is without taxation.

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    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS
                                                         
     
    RENEWABLES AND ENERGY SOLUTIONS        
    Quarters $ million   Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   Reference 2024 2023 %
    (481)   (75)   616    -538 Segment earnings   (3)   3,361    -100
    (319)   112    667      Of which: Identified items A 183    2,778     
    (162)   (187)   (51)   +13 Adjusted Earnings A (186)   583    -132
    (75)   (91)   101    +18 Adjusted EBITDA A 101    1,229    -92
    (364)   847    (34)   -143 Cash flow from operating activities A 2,948    4,249    -31
    409    425    659      Cash capital expenditure C 1,272    1,655     
    79    74    76    +7 External power sales (terawatt hours)2   230    211    +9
    148    148    170    0 Sales of pipeline gas to end-use customers (terawatt hours)3   487    563    -14

    1.Q3 on Q2 change

    2.Physical power sales to third parties; excluding financial trades and physical trade with brokers, investors, financial institutions, trading platforms, and wholesale traders.

    3.Physical natural gas sales to third parties; excluding financial trades and physical trade with brokers, investors, financial institutions, trading platforms, and wholesale traders. Excluding sales of natural gas by other segments and LNG sales.

    Renewables and Energy Solutions includes activities such as renewable power generation, the marketing and trading and optimisation of power and pipeline gas, as well as carbon credits, and digitally enabled customer solutions. It also includes the production and marketing of hydrogen, development of commercial carbon capture and storage hubs, investment in nature-based projects that avoid or reduce carbon emissions, and Shell Ventures, which invests in companies that work to accelerate the energy and mobility transformation.

    Quarter Analysis1

    Segment earnings, compared with the second quarter 2024, reflected lower margins (decrease of $86 million) mainly due to lower trading and optimisation in the Americas, partly offset by slightly higher trading and optimisation in Europe.

    Third quarter 2024 segment earnings also included unfavourable movements of $279 million relating to an accounting mismatch due to fair value accounting of commodity derivatives. These unfavourable movements are part of identified items and compare with the second quarter 2024 which included favourable movements of $223 million due to the fair value accounting of commodity derivatives and impairment charges of $155 million. As part of Shell’s normal business, commodity derivative hedge contracts are entered into for mitigation of economic exposures on future purchases, sales and inventory.

    Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA2 were driven by the same factors as the segment earnings and adjusted for identified items.

    Cash flow from operating activities for the quarter was primarily driven by working capital outflows of $136 million, net cash outflows related to derivatives of $107 million, and Adjusted EBITDA.

    Nine Months Analysis1

    Segment earnings, compared with the first nine months 2023, reflected lower margins (decrease of $1,236 million) mainly from trading and optimisation primarily in Europe due to lower volatility and lower prices, partly offset by lower operating expenses (decrease of $427 million).

    First nine months 2024 segment earnings also included favourable movements of $250 million relating to an accounting mismatch due to fair value accounting of commodity derivatives, partly offset by net impairment charges and reversals of $89 million. These favourable movements and charges are part of identified items and compare with the first nine months 2023 which included favourable movements of $2,632 million due to the fair value accounting of commodity derivatives. As part of Shell’s normal business, commodity derivative hedge contracts are entered into for mitigation of economic exposures on future purchases, sales and inventory.

    Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA2 were driven by the same factors as the segment earnings and adjusted for identified items. Most Renewables and Energy Solutions activities were loss-making for the first nine months 2024, which was partly offset by positive Adjusted Earnings from trading and optimisation.

    Cash flow from operating activities for the first nine months 2024 was primarily driven by net cash inflows related to derivatives of $2,479 million, working capital inflows of $570 million, and Adjusted EBITDA, partly offset by tax payments of $415 million.

    1.All earnings amounts are shown post-tax, unless stated otherwise.

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    2.Adjusted EBITDA is without taxation.

    Additional Growth Measures

                                                         
    Quarters     Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023     2024 2023 %
            Renewable power generation capacity (gigawatt):        
    3.4    3.3    2.5    +2 – In operation2   3.4    2.5    +37
    3.9    3.8    4.9    +3 – Under construction and/or committed for sale3   3.9    4.9    -20

    1.Q3 on Q2 change

    2.Shell’s equity share of renewable generation capacity post commercial operation date. It excludes Shell’s equity share of associates where information cannot be obtained.

    3.Shell’s equity share of renewable generation capacity under construction and/or committed for sale under long-term offtake agreements (PPA). It excludes Shell’s equity share of associates where information cannot be obtained.

                                             
     
    CORPORATE      
    Quarters $ million   Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   Reference 2024 2023
    (647)   (1,656)   (497)   Segment earnings1   (2,656)   (2,315)  
    (3)   (1,080)   22    Of which: Identified items A (1,069)   (50)  
    (643)   (576)   (519)   Adjusted Earnings1 A (1,588)   (2,266)  
    (346)   (213)   (186)   Adjusted EBITDA1 A (650)   (619)  
    115    (1,468)   (238)   Cash flow from operating activities A (1,898)   (2,372)  

    1.From the first quarter 2024, Shell’s longer-term innovation portfolio is managed centrally and hence reported as part of the Corporate segment (previously all other segments). Prior period comparatives have been revised to conform with current year presentation with an offsetting impact on all the other segments.

    The Corporate segment covers the non-operating activities supporting Shell. It comprises Shell’s holdings and treasury organisation, headquarters and central functions, self-insurance activities and centrally managed longer-term innovation portfolio. All finance expense, income and related taxes are included in Corporate segment earnings rather than in the earnings of business segments.

    Quarter Analysis1

    Segment earnings, compared with the second quarter 2024, reflected unfavourable movements in currency exchange rate effects, partly offset by favourable tax movements.

    Second quarter 2024 segment earnings also included reclassifications from equity to profit and loss of cumulative currency translation differences related to funding structures resulting in unfavourable movements of $1,122 million. These currency translation differences were previously recognised in other comprehensive income and accumulated in equity as part of accumulated other comprehensive income. This non-cash reclassification is part of identified items.

    Adjusted EBITDA2 was mainly driven by unfavourable currency exchange rate effects and higher operating expenses.

    Nine Months Analysis1

    Segment earnings, compared with the first nine months 2023, were primarily driven by favourable tax movements and favourable net interest movements.

    First nine months 2024 segment earnings also included reclassifications from equity to profit and loss of cumulative currency translation differences related to funding structures resulting in unfavourable movements of $1,122 million. These reclassifications are included in identified items.

    Adjusted EBITDA2 was mainly driven by unfavourable currency exchange rate effects.

    1.All earnings amounts are shown post-tax, unless stated otherwise.

    2.Adjusted EBITDA is without taxation.

    OUTLOOK FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER 2024

    For Full year 2023 cash capital expenditure was $24 billion. Cash capital expenditure for full year 2024 is expected to be below $22 billion.

    Integrated Gas production is expected to be approximately 900 – 960 thousand boe/d. Fourth quarter 2024 outlook reflects scheduled maintenance at Pearl GTL in Qatar. LNG liquefaction volumes are expected to be approximately 6.9 – 7.5 million tonnes.

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    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS

    Upstream production is expected to be approximately 1,750 – 1,950 thousand boe/d.

    Marketing sales volumes are expected to be approximately 2,550 – 3,050 thousand b/d.

    Refinery utilisation is expected to be approximately 75% – 83%. Chemicals manufacturing plant utilisation is expected to be approximately 72% – 80%.

    In the fourth quarter 2023, Corporate Adjusted Earnings were a net expense of $609 million1. Corporate Adjusted Earnings2 are expected to be a net expense of approximately $600 – $800 million in the fourth quarter 2024.

    1.From the first quarter 2024, Shell’s longer-term innovation portfolio is managed centrally and hence reported as part of the Corporate segment (previously all other segments). Prior period comparatives have been revised to conform with current year presentation with an offsetting impact on all the other segments.

    2.For the definition of Adjusted Earnings and the most comparable GAAP measure please see reference A.

    FORTHCOMING EVENTS

               
     
    Date Event
    January 30, 2025 Fourth quarter 2024 results and dividends
    March 13, 2025 Publication of Annual Report and Accounts and filing of Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2024
    May 2, 2025 First quarter 2025 results and dividends
    July 31, 2025 Second quarter 2025 results and dividends
    October 30, 2025 Third quarter 2025 results and dividends

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    UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                                       
     
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INCOME    
    Quarters $ million Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
    71,089    74,463    76,350    Revenue1 218,031    237,888   
    933    898    747    Share of profit/(loss) of joint ventures and associates 3,150    2,957   
    440    (305)   913    Interest and other income/(expenses)2 1,042    2,207   
    72,462    75,057    78,011    Total revenue and other income/(expenses) 222,222    243,052   
    48,225    49,417    49,144    Purchases 144,509    158,138   
    6,138    5,593    6,384    Production and manufacturing expenses 17,541    18,433   
    3,139    3,094    3,447    Selling, distribution and administrative expenses 9,208    9,811   
    294    263    267    Research and development 768    817   
    305    496    436    Exploration 1,551    1,283   
    5,916    7,555    5,911    Depreciation, depletion and amortisation2 19,352    20,069   
    1,174    1,235    1,131    Interest expense 3,573    3,507   
    65,190    67,653    66,720    Total expenditure 196,502    212,058   
    7,270    7,404    11,291    Income/(loss) before taxation 25,717    30,993   
    2,879    3,754    4,115    Taxation charge/(credit)2 10,237    11,891   
    4,391    3,650    7,176    Income/(loss) for the period 15,480    19,102   
    100    133    132    Income/(loss) attributable to non-controlling interest 314    215   
    4,291    3,517    7,044    Income/(loss) attributable to Shell plc shareholders 15,166    18,887   
    0.69    0.55    1.06    Basic earnings per share ($)3 2.39    2.78   
    0.68    0.55    1.05    Diluted earnings per share ($)3 2.36    2.75   

    1.See Note 2 “Segment information”.

    2.See Note 8 “Other notes to the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Interim Financial Statements”.

    3.See Note 4 “Earnings per share”.

                                       
     
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME    
    Quarters $ million Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
    4,391    3,650    7,176    Income/(loss) for the period 15,480    19,102   
          Other comprehensive income/(loss) net of tax:    
          Items that may be reclassified to income in later periods:    
    2,947    698    (1,460)   – Currency translation differences1 1,651    (1,174)  
    35    (12)     – Debt instruments remeasurements 16    13   
    (75)   14    141    – Cash flow hedging gains/(losses) (7)   61   
    —    —    —    – Net investment hedging gains/(losses) —    (44)  
    (2)   (6)   (39)   – Deferred cost of hedging (22)   (94)  
    35    (50)   (72)   – Share of other comprehensive income/(loss) of joint ventures and associates (27)   (118)  
    2,940    644    (1,429)   Total 1,610    (1,357)  
          Items that are not reclassified to income in later periods:    
    419    310    180    – Retirement benefits remeasurements 1,169    125   
    80    (81)   (38)   – Equity instruments remeasurements 77    (15)  
    (53)   44    17    – Share of other comprehensive income/(loss) of joint ventures and associates   (15)  
    446    273    159    Total 1,247    95   
    3,386    917    (1,270)   Other comprehensive income/(loss) for the period 2,857    (1,262)  
    7,777    4,567    5,906    Comprehensive income/(loss) for the period 18,337    17,840   
    177    123    149    Comprehensive income/(loss) attributable to non-controlling interest 357    217   
    7,600    4,443    5,757    Comprehensive income/(loss) attributable to Shell plc shareholders 17,981    17,622   

    1.See Note 8 “Other notes to the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Interim Financial Statements”.

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    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS
                     
     
    CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET
    $ million    
      September 30, 2024 December 31, 2023
    Assets    
    Non-current assets    
    Goodwill 16,600    16,660   
    Other intangible assets 8,188    10,253   
    Property, plant and equipment 191,721    194,835   
    Joint ventures and associates 25,764    24,457   
    Investments in securities 3,062    3,246   
    Deferred tax 6,114    6,454   
    Retirement benefits1 10,564    9,151   
    Trade and other receivables 6,883    6,298   
    Derivative financial instruments² 498    801   
      269,394    272,155   
    Current assets    
    Inventories 24,143    26,019   
    Trade and other receivables 46,782    53,273   
    Derivative financial instruments² 10,233    15,098   
    Cash and cash equivalents 42,252    38,774   
      123,411    133,164   
    Assets classified as held for sale1 2,144    951   
      125,555    134,115   
    Total assets 394,949    406,270   
    Liabilities    
    Non-current liabilities    
    Debt 64,597    71,610   
    Trade and other payables 3,864    3,103   
    Derivative financial instruments² 1,749    2,301   
    Deferred tax 15,487    15,347   
    Retirement benefits1 7,110    7,549   
    Decommissioning and other provisions 22,979    22,531   
      115,786    122,441   
    Current liabilities    
    Debt 12,015    9,931   
    Trade and other payables 61,076    68,237   
    Derivative financial instruments² 6,775    9,529   
    Income taxes payable 4,289    3,422   
    Decommissioning and other provisions 4,171    4,041   
      88,327    95,160   
    Liabilities directly associated with assets classified as held for sale1 1,298    307   
      89,625    95,467   
    Total liabilities 205,411    217,908   
    Equity attributable to Shell plc shareholders 187,673    186,607   
    Non-controlling interest 1,865    1,755   
    Total equity 189,538    188,362   
    Total liabilities and equity 394,949    406,270   

    1.    See Note 8 “Other notes to the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Interim Financial Statements”.

    2.    See Note 7 “Derivative financial instruments and debt excluding lease liabilities”.

             Page 15


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS
                                                         
     
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
      Equity attributable to Shell plc shareholders      
    $ million Share capital1 Shares held in trust Other reserves² Retained earnings Total Non-controlling interest   Total equity
    At January 1, 2024 544    (997)   21,145    165,915    186,607    1,755      188,362   
    Comprehensive income/(loss) for the period —    —    2,815    15,166    17,981    357      18,337   
    Transfer from other comprehensive income —    —    166    (166)   —    —      —   
    Dividends³ —    —    —    (6,556)   (6,556)   (242)     (6,798)  
    Repurchases of shares4 (25)   —    25    (10,536)   (10,536)   —      (10,536)  
    Share-based compensation —    542    (24)   (400)   119    —      119   
    Other changes —    —    —    60    60    (5)     55   
    At September 30, 2024 519    (456)   24,127    163,482    187,673    1,865      189,538   
    At January 1, 2023 584    (726)   21,132    169,482    190,472    2,125      192,597   
    Comprehensive income/(loss) for the period —    —    (1,263)   18,886    17,622    217      17,840   
    Transfer from other comprehensive income —    —    (111)   111    —    —      —   
    Dividends3 —    —    —    (6,193)   (6,193)   (636)     (6,829)  
    Repurchases of shares4 (30)   —    30    (11,058)   (11,058)   —      (11,058)  
    Share-based compensation —    466    (18)   (100)   349    —      349   
    Other changes —    —    —        37      45   
    At September 30, 2023 555    (261)   19,769    171,136    191,199    1,745      192,943   

    1.    See Note 5 “Share capital”.

    2.    See Note 6 “Other reserves”.

    3.    The amount charged to retained earnings is based on prevailing exchange rates on payment date.

    4.     Includes shares committed to repurchase under an irrevocable contract and repurchases subject to settlement at the end of the quarter.

             Page 16


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS
                                             
     
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS    
    Quarters $ million Nine months
    Q3 2024   Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
    7,270      7,404    11,291    Income before taxation for the period 25,717    30,993   
            Adjustment for:    
    554      619    513    – Interest expense (net) 1,749    1,789   
    5,916      7,555    5,911    – Depreciation, depletion and amortisation1 19,352    20,069   
    150      269    186    – Exploration well write-offs 973    626   
    154      (143)   74    – Net (gains)/losses on sale and revaluation of non-current assets and businesses —    (24)  
    (933)     (898)   (747)   – Share of (profit)/loss of joint ventures and associates (3,150)   (2,957)  
    860      792    749    – Dividends received from joint ventures and associates 2,390    2,529   
    2,705      (954)   (3,151)   – (Increase)/decrease in inventories 1,143    2,237   
    4,057      1,965    (1,126)   – (Increase)/decrease in current receivables 5,827    13,105   
    (4,096)     (1,269)   4,498    – Increase/(decrease) in current payables2 (7,314)   (10,881)  
    735      253    (2,807)   – Derivative financial instruments 2,373    (6,050)  
    125      (332)     – Retirement benefits (267)   31   
    359      (332)   282    – Decommissioning and other provisions2 (572)   (210)  
    (144)     2,027    (150)   – Other1 2,392    474   
    (3,028)     (3,448)   (3,191)   Tax paid (9,092)   (10,108)  
    14,684      13,508    12,332    Cash flow from operating activities 41,522    41,622   
    (4,690)     (4,445)   (5,259)      Capital expenditure (13,114)   (16,033)  
    (222)     (261)   (350)      Investments in joint ventures and associates (983)   (1,093)  
    (38)     (13)   (40)      Investments in equity securities (63)   (154)  
    (4,950)     (4,719)   (5,649)   Cash capital expenditure (14,161)   (17,280)  
    94      710    184    Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment and businesses 1,128    2,024   
    94      57    68    Proceeds from joint ventures and associates from sale, capital reduction and repayment of long-term loans 284    425   
            Proceeds from sale of equity securities 576    28   
    593      648    586    Interest received 1,818    1,555   
    1,074      883    701    Other investing cash inflows 2,814    3,308   
    (769)     (920)   (724)   Other investing cash outflows (3,183)   (2,141)  
    (3,857)     (3,338)   (4,827)   Cash flow from investing activities (10,723)   (12,080)  
    (89)     (179)   88    Net increase/(decrease) in debt with maturity period within three months (375)   (185)  
            Other debt:    
    78      132    187    – New borrowings 377    964   
    (1,322)     (4,154)   (3,368)   – Repayments (7,008)   (6,596)  
    (979)     (1,287)   (1,049)   Interest paid (3,177)   (3,076)  
    652      (115)   (26)   Derivative financial instruments 239    22   
    —      (1)     Change in non-controlling interest (5)   (22)  
            Cash dividends paid to:    
    (2,167)     (2,177)   (2,179)   – Shell plc shareholders (6,554)   (6,192)  
    (92)     (82)   (51)   – Non-controlling interest (242)   (636)  
    (3,537)     (3,958)   (2,725)   Repurchases of shares (10,319)   (10,640)  
        (24)   (30)   Shares held in trust: net sales/(purchases) and dividends received (480)   (176)  
    (7,452)     (11,846)   (9,147)   Cash flow from financing activities (27,545)   (26,535)  
    729      (126)   (421)   Effects of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 224    (222)  
    4,105      (1,801)   (2,063)   Increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 3,478    2,785   
    38,148      39,949    45,094    Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 38,774    40,246   
    42,252      38,148    43,031    Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 42,252    43,031   

    1.See Note 8 “Other notes to the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Interim Financial Statements”.

    2.To further enhance consistency between working capital and the Balance Sheet and the Statement of Cash Flows, from January 1, 2024, onwards movements in current other provisions are recognised in ‘Decommissioning and other provisions’ instead of ‘Increase/(decrease) in current payables’. Comparatives for the third quarter 2023 and the nine months 2023 have been reclassified accordingly by $212 million and $40 million respectively to conform with current period presentation.

             Page 17


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS

    NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

    1. Basis of preparation

    These unaudited Condensed Consolidated Interim Financial Statements of Shell plc (“the Company”) and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as “Shell”) have been prepared in accordance with IAS 34 Interim Financial Reporting as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”) and adopted by the UK, and on the basis of the same accounting principles as those used in the Company’s Annual Report and Accounts (pages 244 to 316) for the year ended December 31, 2023, as filed with the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales and as filed with the Autoriteit Financiële Markten (the Netherlands) and Form 20-F (pages 217 to 290) for the year ended December 31, 2023 as filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and should be read in conjunction with these filings.

    The financial information presented in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Interim Financial Statements does not constitute statutory accounts within the meaning of section 434(3) of the Companies Act 2006 (“the Act”). Statutory accounts for the year ended December 31, 2023, were published in Shell’s Annual Report and Accounts, a copy of which was delivered to the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales, and in Shell’s Form 20-F. The auditor’s report on those accounts was unqualified, did not include a reference to any matters to which the auditor drew attention by way of emphasis without qualifying the report and did not contain a statement under sections 498(2) or 498(3) of the Act.

    2. Segment information

    Segment earnings are presented on a current cost of supplies basis (CCS earnings), which is the earnings measure used by the Chief Executive Officer for the purposes of making decisions about allocating resources and assessing performance. On this basis, the purchase price of volumes sold during the period is based on the current cost of supplies during the same period after making allowance for the tax effect. CCS earnings therefore exclude the effect of changes in the oil price on inventory carrying amounts. Sales between segments are based on prices generally equivalent to commercially available prices.

    From the first quarter 2024, Wholesale commercial fuels forms part of Mobility with inclusion in the Marketing segment (previously Chemicals and Products segment). The change in segmentation reflects the increasing alignment between the economic characteristics of wholesale commercial fuels and other Mobility businesses, and is consistent with changes in the information provided to the Chief Operating Decision Maker. Prior period comparatives have been revised to conform with current year presentation with an offsetting impact between the Marketing and the Chemicals and Products segment (see below). Also, from the first quarter 2024, Shell’s longer-term innovation portfolio is managed centrally and hence reported as part of the Corporate segment (previously all other segments). Prior period comparatives have been revised to conform with current year presentation with an offsetting impact on all the other segments (see below).

             Page 18


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS
                                       
     
    REVENUE AND CCS EARNINGS BY SEGMENT    
    Quarters $ million Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
          Third-party revenue    
    9,748    9,052    8,338    Integrated Gas 27,996    27,208   
    1,605    1,590    1,617    Upstream 4,954    5,212   
    30,519    32,005    35,236    Marketing2 92,564    98,799   
    22,608    24,583    22,119    Chemicals and Products2 70,926    72,121   
    6,599    7,222    9,032    Renewables and Energy Solutions 21,558    34,517   
    10    11      Corporate 33    31   
    71,089    74,463    76,350    Total third-party revenue1 218,031    237,888   
          Inter-segment revenue    
    2,131    2,157    2,472    Integrated Gas 6,691    8,946   
    9,618    10,102    10,277    Upstream 30,008    30,282   
    1,235    1,363    1,456    Marketing2 3,953    4,056   
    9,564    9,849    11,942    Chemicals and Products2 29,725    32,653   
    1,131    957    894    Renewables and Energy Solutions 3,093    3,140   
    —    —    —    Corporate —    —   
          CCS earnings    
    2,631    2,454    2,156    Integrated Gas 7,846    5,325   
    2,289    2,179    1,999    Upstream 6,741    6,388   
    760    257    629    Marketing2 1,791    2,832   
    341    587    1,250    Chemicals and Products2 2,085    3,310   
    (481)   (75)   616    Renewables and Energy Solutions (3)   3,361   
    (647)   (1,656)   (497)   Corporate3 (2,656)   (2,315)  
    4,894    3,747    6,152    Total CCS earnings4 15,804    18,901   

    1.Includes revenue from sources other than from contracts with customers, which mainly comprises the impact of fair value accounting of commodity derivatives.

    2.From January 1, 2024, onwards Wholesale commercial fuels has been reallocated from the Chemicals and Products segment to the Marketing segment. Comparatives for the third quarter 2023 and the nine months 2023 have been reclassified accordingly, by $5,659 million and $16,369 million respectively for Third-party revenue and by $(73) million and $22 million respectively for CCS earnings to conform with current period presentation. For Inter-segment revenue the reallocation and revision of comparative figures for the third quarter 2023 and the nine months 2023 led to an increase in inter-segment revenue in the Marketing segment of $1,302 million and $3,616 million respectively and an increase in the Chemicals and Products segment of $11,373 million and $31,011 million respectively.

    3.From January 1, 2024, onwards costs for Shell’s centrally managed longer-term innovation portfolio are reported as part of the Corporate segment. Prior period comparatives for Corporate for the third quarter 2023 and the nine months 2023 have been revised by $37 million and $91 million respectively, with a net offsetting impact in all other segments to conform with current period presentation.

    4.See Note 3 “Reconciliation of income for the period to CCS Earnings, Operating expenses and Total Debt”.

             Page 19


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS

    Cash capital expenditure is a measure used by the Chief Executive Officer for the purposes of making decisions about allocating resources and assessing performance.

                                       
     
    CASH CAPITAL EXPENDITURE BY SEGMENT
    Quarters $ million Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
          Capital expenditure    
    1,090    1,024    958    Integrated Gas 2,971    2,458   
    1,998    1,769    2,013    Upstream 5,533    5,701   
    488    644    935    Marketing1 1,559    4,358   
    748    601    761    Chemicals and Products1 1,822    1,944   
    327    377    523    Renewables and Energy Solutions 1,124    1,382   
    39    30    68    Corporate 104    190   
    4,690    4,445    5,259    Total capital expenditure 13,114    16,033   
          Add: Investments in joint ventures and associates    
    147    127    141    Integrated Gas 457    543   
    (37)   60    (6)   Upstream 268    205   
    37    —    25    Marketing 75    48   
    13    37    76    Chemicals and Products 76    81   
    59    35    114    Renewables and Energy Solutions 103    205   
          Corporate   11   
    222    261    350    Total investments in joint ventures and associates 983    1,093   
          Add: Investments in equity securities    
    —    —    —    Integrated Gas —    —   
    12    —    —    Upstream 12    —   
    —    —    —    Marketing —    —   
    —    —    —    Chemicals and Products —     
    23    13    21    Renewables and Energy Solutions 45    68   
      —    19    Corporate   84   
    38    13    40    Total investments in equity securities 63    154   
          Cash capital expenditure    
    1,236    1,151    1,099    Integrated Gas 3,429    3,000   
    1,974    1,829    2,007    Upstream 5,813    5,906   
    525    644    959    Marketing1 1,634    4,406   
    761    638    837    Chemicals and Products1 1,898    2,027   
    409    425    659    Renewables and Energy Solutions 1,272    1,655   
    45    32    87    Corporate 114    285   
    4,950    4,719    5,649    Total Cash capital expenditure 14,161    17,280   

    1.From January 1, 2024, onwards Wholesale commercial fuels has been reallocated from the Chemicals and Products segment to the Marketing segment. Comparatives for the third quarter 2023 and the nine months 2023 have been reclassified accordingly by $42 million and $133 million respectively for capital expenditure and cash capital expenditure to conform with current period presentation.

             Page 20


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS

    3. Reconciliation of income for the period to CCS Earnings, Operating expenses and Total Debt

                                       
     
    RECONCILIATION OF INCOME FOR THE PERIOD TO CCS EARNINGS    
    Quarters $ million Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
    4,291    3,517    7,044    Income/(loss) attributable to Shell plc shareholders 15,166    18,887   
    100    133    132    Income/(loss) attributable to non-controlling interest 314    215   
    4,391    3,650    7,176    Income/(loss) for the period 15,480    19,102   
          Current cost of supplies adjustment:    
    668    137    (1,304)   Purchases 473    (275)  
    (162)   (36)   327    Taxation (114)   60   
    (2)   (5)   (47)   Share of profit/(loss) of joint ventures and associates (35)   14   
    503    97    (1,024)   Current cost of supplies adjustment 324    (201)  
          Of which:    
    477    89    (969)   Attributable to Shell plc shareholders 302    (162)
    26      (55)   Attributable to non-controlling interest 22    (39)
    4,894    3,747    6,152    CCS earnings 15,804    18,901   
          Of which:    
    4,768    3,606    6,075    CCS earnings attributable to Shell plc shareholders 15,468    18,725   
    126    140    77    CCS earnings attributable to non-controlling interest 336    176   
                                       
     
    RECONCILIATION OF OPERATING EXPENSES    
    Quarters $ million Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
    6,138    5,593    6,384    Production and manufacturing expenses 17,541    18,433   
    3,139    3,094    3,447    Selling, distribution and administrative expenses 9,208    9,811   
    294    263    267    Research and development 768    817   
    9,570    8,950    10,097    Operating expenses 27,517    29,062   
                                       
     
    RECONCILIATION OF TOTAL DEBT    
    Quarters $ million Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
    September 30, 2024 June 30, 2024 September 30, 2023   September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023
    12,015    10,849    10,119    Current debt 12,015    10,119   
    64,597    64,619    72,028    Non-current debt 64,597    72,028   
    76,613    75,468    82,147    Total debt 76,613    82,147   

    4. Earnings per share

                                       
     
    EARNINGS PER SHARE
    Quarters   Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
    4,291    3,517    7,044    Income/(loss) attributable to Shell plc shareholders ($ million) 15,166    18,887   
               
          Weighted average number of shares used as the basis for determining:    
    6,256.5    6,355.4    6,668.1    Basic earnings per share (million) 6,350.3    6,792.5   
    6,320.9    6,417.6    6,736.7    Diluted earnings per share (million) 6,414.0    6,856.7   

             Page 21


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS

    5. Share capital

                             
     
    ISSUED AND FULLY PAID ORDINARY SHARES OF €0.07 EACH
      Number of shares   Nominal value
    ($ million)
    At January 1, 2024 6,524,109,049      544     
    Repurchases of shares (299,830,201)     (25)    
    At September 30, 2024 6,224,278,848      519     
    At January 1, 2023 7,003,503,393      584     
    Repurchases of shares (357,368,014)     (30)    
    At September 30, 2023 6,646,135,379      555     

    At Shell plc’s Annual General Meeting on May 21, 2024, the Board was authorised to allot ordinary shares in Shell plc, and to grant rights to subscribe for, or to convert, any security into ordinary shares in Shell plc, up to an aggregate nominal amount of approximately €150 million (representing approximately 2,147 million ordinary shares of €0.07 each), and to list such shares or rights on any stock exchange. This authority expires at the earlier of the close of business on August 20, 2025, or the end of the Annual General Meeting to be held in 2025, unless previously renewed, revoked or varied by Shell plc in a general meeting.

    6. Other reserves

                                             
     
    OTHER RESERVES
    $ million Merger reserve Share premium reserve Capital redemption reserve Share plan reserve Accumulated other comprehensive income Total
    At January 1, 2024 37,298    154    236    1,308    (17,851)   21,145   
    Other comprehensive income/(loss) attributable to Shell plc shareholders —    —    —    —    2,815    2,815   
    Transfer from other comprehensive income —    —    —    —    166    166   
    Repurchases of shares —    —    25    —    —    25   
    Share-based compensation —    —    —    (24)   —    (24)  
    At September 30, 2024 37,298    154    261    1,284    (14,870)   24,127   
    At January 1, 2023 37,298    154    196    1,140    (17,656)   21,132   
    Other comprehensive income/(loss) attributable to Shell plc shareholders —    —    —    —    (1,263)   (1,263)  
    Transfer from other comprehensive income —    —    —    —    (111)   (111)  
    Repurchases of shares —    —    30    —    —    30   
    Share-based compensation —    —    —    (18)   —    (18)  
    At September 30, 2023 37,298    154    227    1,121    (19,029)   19,769   

    The merger reserve and share premium reserve were established as a consequence of Shell plc (formerly Royal Dutch Shell plc) becoming the single parent company of Royal Dutch Petroleum Company and The “Shell” Transport and Trading Company, p.l.c., now The Shell Transport and Trading Company Limited, in 2005. The merger reserve increased in 2016 following the issuance of shares for the acquisition of BG Group plc. The capital redemption reserve was established in connection with repurchases of shares of Shell plc. The share plan reserve is in respect of equity-settled share-based compensation plans.

    7. Derivative financial instruments and debt excluding lease liabilities

    As disclosed in the Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2023, presented in the Annual Report and Accounts and Form 20-F for that year, Shell is exposed to the risks of changes in fair value of its financial assets and liabilities. The fair values of the financial assets and liabilities are defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Methods and assumptions used to estimate the fair values at September 30, 2024, are consistent with those used in the year ended December 31, 2023, though the carrying amounts of derivative financial instruments have changed since that

             Page 22


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS

    date. The movement of the derivative financial instruments between December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2024 is a decrease of $4,865 million for the current assets and a decrease of $2,754 million for the current liabilities.

    The table below provides the comparison of the fair value with the carrying amount of debt excluding lease liabilities, disclosed in accordance with IFRS 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures.

                     
     
    DEBT EXCLUDING LEASE LIABILITIES
    $ million September 30, 2024 December 31, 2023
    Carrying amount 51,022    53,832   
    Fair value¹ 48,489    50,866   

    1.    Mainly determined from the prices quoted for these securities.

    8. Other notes to the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Interim Financial Statements

    Consolidated Statement of Income

    Interest and other income

                                       
     
    Quarters $ million Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
    440    (305)   913    Interest and other income/(expenses) 1,042    2,207   
          Of which:    
    619    616    618    Interest income 1,824    1,718   
      30      Dividend income (from investments in equity securities) 58    36   
    (154)   143    (75)   Net gains/(losses) on sales and revaluation of non-current assets and businesses   35   
    (189)   (1,169)   168    Net foreign exchange gains/(losses) on financing activities (1,292)   (60)  
    159    74    195    Other 452    478   

    Net foreign exchange gains/(losses) on financing activities in the second quarter 2024 includes a loss of $1,104 million related to cumulative currency translation differences that were reclassified to profit and loss. The reclassification of these cumulative currency translation differences was principally triggered by changes in the funding structure of some of Shell’s businesses in the United Kingdom. These currency translation differences were previously directly recognised in equity as part of accumulated other comprehensive income.

    Depreciation, depletion and amortisation

                                       
     
    Quarters $ million Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
    5,916    7,555    5,911    Depreciation, depletion and amortisation 19,352    20,069   
          Of which:    
    5,578 5,642 5,716 Depreciation 16,874    17,120   
    340 1,984 359 Impairments 2,706    3,438   
    (2) (71) (163) Impairment reversals (228)   (489)  

    Impairments recognised in the third quarter 2024 of $340 million pre-tax ($290 million post-tax) mainly relate to various assets in Marketing and Chemicals and Products. Impairments recognised in the second quarter 2024 of $1,984 million pre-tax ($1,778 million post-tax) mainly relate to Marketing ($1,055 million), Chemicals and Products ($690 million) and Renewables and Energy Solutions ($141 million). The impairment in Marketing principally relates to a biofuels facility located in the Netherlands, triggered by a temporary pause of on-site construction work. The impairment in Chemicals and Products relates to an Energy and Chemicals Park located in Singapore, due to remeasurement of the fair value less costs of disposal triggered by a sales agreement reached. Impairments recognised in the third quarter 2023 of $359 million pre-tax ($299 million post-tax) mainly relate to various assets in Renewables and Energy Solutions and Chemicals and Products.

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    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS

    Taxation charge/credit

                                       
     
    Quarters $ million Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
    2,879    3,754    4,115    Taxation charge/(credit) 10,237    11,891   
          Of which:    
    2,834 3,666 4,115 Income tax excluding Pillar Two income tax 10,026    11,891   
    45 88 Income tax related to Pillar Two income tax 212   

    On June 20, 2023, the UK substantively enacted Pillar Two Model Rules, effective as from January 1, 2024.

    As required by IAS 12 Income Taxes, Shell has applied the exception to recognising and disclosing information about deferred tax assets and liabilities related to Pillar Two income taxes.

    Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

    Currency translation differences

                                       
     
    Quarters $ million Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
    2,947    698    (1,460)   Currency translation differences 1,651    (1,174)  
          Of which:    
    2,912 (406) (1,469) Recognised in Other comprehensive income 524    (1,181)  
    35 1,104 9 (Gain)/loss reclassified to profit or loss 1,127    7

    Amounts reclassified to profit and loss in the second quarter 2024 relate to cumulative currency translation differences that were reclassified to income (refer to Interest and other income above).

    Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet

    Retirement benefits

                     
     
    $ million    
      September 30, 2024 December 31, 2023
    Non-current assets    
    Retirement benefits 10,564    9,151   
    Non-current liabilities    
    Retirement benefits 7,110    7,549   
    Surplus/(deficit) 3,454    1,602   

    Amounts recognised in the Balance Sheet in relation to defined benefit plans include both plan assets and obligations that are presented on a net basis on a plan-by-plan basis. The change in the net retirement benefit asset as at September 30, 2024, is mainly driven by an increase of the market yield on high-quality corporate bonds in the USA, the UK and Eurozone since December 31, 2023, partly offset by losses on plan assets.

    Assets classified as held for sale

                       
       
    $ million      
      September 30, 2024 December 31, 2023  
    Assets classified as held for sale 2,144    951     
    Liabilities directly associated with assets classified as held for sale 1,298    307     

    Assets classified as held for sale and associated liabilities at September 30, 2024 relate to an energy and chemicals park asset in Chemicals and Products in Singapore and various smaller assets. The major classes of assets and liabilities classified as held for sale at September 30, 2024, are Inventories ($1,273 million; December 31, 2023: $463 million), Property, plant and equipment ($544 million; December 31, 2023: $250 million), Decommissioning and other provisions ($634 million; December 31, 2023: $75 million) and Debt ($425 million; December 31, 2023: $84 million).

             Page 24


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS

    Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

    Cash flow from operating activities – Other

                                       
     
    Quarters $ million Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
    (144)   2,027    (150)   Other 2,392    474   

    ‘Cash flow from operating activities – Other’ for the third quarter 2024 includes $432 million of net inflows (second quarter 2024: $620 million net inflows; third quarter 2023: $630 million net outflows) due to the timing of payments relating to emission certificates and biofuel programmes in Europe and North America and $539 million in relation to reversal of currency exchange gains on Cash and cash equivalents (second quarter 2024: $96 million losses; third quarter 2023: $336 million losses). For the second quarter 2024 ‘Cash flow from operating activities – Other’ also includes $1,104 million inflow representing reversal of the non-cash recycling of currency translation losses from other comprehensive income (refer to Interest and other income above).

             Page 25


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS

    ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE (NON-GAAP) MEASURES

    A.Adjusted Earnings, Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (“Adjusted EBITDA”) and Cash flow from operating activities

    The “Adjusted Earnings” measure aims to facilitate a comparative understanding of Shell’s financial performance from period to period by removing the effects of oil price changes on inventory carrying amounts and removing the effects of identified items. These items are in some cases driven by external factors and may, either individually or collectively, hinder the comparative understanding of Shell’s financial results from period to period. This measure excludes earnings attributable to non-controlling interest.

    We define “Adjusted EBITDA” as “Income/(loss) for the period” adjusted for current cost of supplies; identified items; tax charge/(credit); depreciation, amortisation and depletion; exploration well write-offs and net interest expense. All items include the non-controlling interest component. Management uses this measure to evaluate Shell’s performance in the period and over time.

                                       
         
    Quarters $ million Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
    4,291    3,517    7,044    Income/(loss) attributable to Shell plc shareholders 15,166    18,887   
    100    133    132    Income/(loss) attributable to non-controlling interest 314    215   
    477    89    (969)   Add: Current cost of supplies adjustment attributable to Shell plc shareholders 302    (162)  
    26      (55)   Add: Current cost of supplies adjustment attributable to non-controlling interest 22    (39)  
    4,894    3,747    6,152    CCS earnings 15,804    18,901   
                                                   
     
    Q3 2024 $ million
      Total Integrated Gas Upstream Marketing Chemicals and Products Renewables and Energy Solutions Corporate
    CCS earnings 4,894 2,631 2,289 760 341 (481) (647)
    Less: Identified items (1,259) (240) (153) (422) (122) (319) (3)
    Less: CCS earnings attributable to non-controlling interest 126            
    Add: Identified items attributable to non-controlling interest            
    Adjusted Earnings 6,028            
    Add: Non-controlling interest 126            
    Adjusted Earnings plus non-controlling interest 6,153 2,871 2,443 1,182 463 (162) (643)
    Add: Taxation charge/(credit) excluding tax impact of identified items 3,571 949 2,413 322 (73) (1) (39)
    Add: Depreciation, depletion and amortisation excluding impairments 5,578 1,369 2,691 564 862 86 6
    Add: Exploration well write-offs 150 2 148        
    Add: Interest expense excluding identified items 1,173 49 183 13 14 2 912
    Less: Interest income 619 5 8 25 581
    Adjusted EBITDA 16,005 5,234 7,871 2,081 1,240 (75) (346)
    Less: Current cost of supplies adjustment before taxation 665     334 331    
    Joint ventures and associates (dividends received less profit) (62) (146) (90) 51 63 61
    Derivative financial instruments 133 (373) 47 98 88 (106) 380
    Taxation paid (3,028) (814) (2,074) (241) 23 (33) 112
    Other (365) (32) (406) 275 107 (75) (234)
    (Increase)/decrease in working capital 2,665 (247) (78) 792 2,131 (136) 204
    Cash flow from operating activities 14,684 3,623 5,268 2,722 3,321 (364) 115

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    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS
                                                   
     
    Q2 2024 $ million
      Total Integrated Gas Upstream Marketing Chemicals and Products Renewables and Energy Solutions Corporate
    CCS earnings 3,747 2,454 2,179 257 587 (75) (1,656)
    Less: Identified items (2,669) (220) (157) (825) (499) 112 (1,080)
    Less: CCS earnings attributable to non-controlling interest 140            
    Add: Identified items attributable to non-controlling interest 18            
    Adjusted Earnings 6,293            
    Add: Non-controlling interest 122            
    Adjusted Earnings plus non-controlling interest 6,415 2,675 2,336 1,082 1,085 (187) (576)
    Add: Taxation charge/(credit) excluding tax impact of identified items 3,947 940 2,312 359 297 (10) 49
    Add: Depreciation, depletion and amortisation excluding impairments 5,642 1,375 2,750 548 867 95 6
    Add: Exploration well write-offs 269 5 264
    Add: Interest expense excluding identified items 1,149 44 166 10 23 1 904
    Less: Interest income 616 (1) 30 (9) 595
    Adjusted EBITDA 16,806 5,039 7,829 1,999 2,242 (91) (213)
    Less: Current cost of supplies adjustment before taxation 133     74 59    
    Joint ventures and associates (dividends received less profit) (135) 96 (288) (54) 46 64
    Derivative financial instruments 713 (133) 9 7 304 607 (79)
    Taxation paid (3,448) (1,039) (1,955) (17) (186) (138) (113)
    Other (38) (104) (341) (57) 263 180 20
    (Increase)/decrease in working capital (258) 324 484 153 (361) 225 (1,083)
    Cash flow from operating activities 13,508 4,183 5,739 1,958 2,249 847 (1,468)
                                                   
     
    Q3 2023 $ million
      Total Integrated Gas Upstream Marketing Chemicals and Products Renewables and Energy Solutions Corporate
    CCS earnings 6,152 2,156 1,999 629 1,250 616 (497)
    Less: Identified items (149) (375) (238) (12) (213) 667 22
    Less: CCS earnings attributable to non-controlling interest 77            
    Add: Identified items attributable to non-controlling interest            
    Adjusted Earnings 6,224            
    Add: Non-controlling interest 77            
    Adjusted Earnings plus non-controlling interest 6,302 2,531 2,237 641 1,463 (51) (519)
    Add: Taxation charge/(credit) excluding tax impact of identified items 3,621 845 2,160 269 253 70 24
    Add: Depreciation, depletion and amortisation excluding impairments 5,716 1,413 2,771 528 918 82 4
    Add: Exploration well write-offs 186 35 151
    Add: Interest expense excluding identified items 1,130 51 119 23 41 1 895
    Less: Interest income 618 1 5 8 13 1 590
    Adjusted EBITDA 16,336 4,874 7,433 1,453 2,661 101 (186)
    Less: Current cost of supplies adjustment before taxation (1,351)     (624) (727)    
    Joint ventures and associates (dividends received less profit) (13) (40) 43 (19) (19) 21
    Derivative financial instruments (2,549) (454) (20) 10 (375) (1,407) (304)
    Taxation paid (3,191) (679) (2,090) (226) 54 (258) 8
    Other 177 (44) (57) (485) 167 327 269
    (Increase)/decrease in working capital 221 352 28 (960) (354) 1,182 (27)
    Cash flow from operating activities 12,332 4,009 5,336 397 2,862 (34) (238)

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    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS
                                                   
     
    Nine months 2024 $ million
      Total Integrated Gas Upstream Marketing Chemicals and Products Renewables and Energy Solutions Corporate
    CCS earnings 15,804 7,846 6,741 1,791 2,085 (3) (2,656)
    Less: Identified items (4,569) (1,379) 28 (1,255) (1,078) 183 (1,069)
    Less: CCS earnings attributable to non-controlling interest 336            
    Add: Identified items attributable to non-controlling interest 18            
    Adjusted Earnings 20,055            
    Add: Non-controlling interest 318            
    Adjusted Earnings plus non-controlling interest 20,373 9,225 6,712 3,046 3,163 (186) (1,588)
    Add: Taxation charge/(credit) excluding tax impact of identified items 11,642 2,885 7,247 1,039 562 (10) (81)
    Add: Depreciation, depletion and amortisation excluding impairments 16,874 4,154 8,169 1,647 2,599 287 18
    Add: Exploration well write-offs 973 14 959        
    Add: Interest expense excluding identified items 3,485 136 518 35 54 4 2,737
    Less: Interest income 1,824 5 17 1 69 (5) 1,736
    Adjusted EBITDA 51,523 16,410 23,588 5,767 6,308 101 (650)
    Less: Current cost of supplies adjustment before taxation 438     256 182    
    Joint ventures and associates (dividends received less profit) (779) (247) (924) 89 165 138
    Derivative financial instruments 1,153 (1,586) 53 66 (10) 2,479 152
    Taxation paid (9,092) (2,320) (5,832) (432) (182) (415) 89
    Other (500) (90) (978) 612 (8) 75 (111)
    (Increase)/decrease in working capital (344) 352 827 153 (869) 570 (1,377)
    Cash flow from operating activities 41,522 12,518 16,734 5,999 5,221 2,948 (1,898)
                                                   
     
    Nine months 2023 $ million
      Total Integrated Gas Upstream Marketing Chemicals and Products Renewables and Energy Solutions Corporate
    CCS earnings 18,901 5,325 6,388 2,832 3,310 3,361 (2,315)
    Less: Identified items (2,219) (4,625) (357) 314 (278) 2,778 (50)
    Less: CCS earnings attributable to non-controlling interest 176            
    Add: Identified items attributable to non-controlling interest            
    Adjusted Earnings 20,944            
    Add: Non-controlling interest 176            
    Adjusted Earnings plus non-controlling interest 21,120 9,951 6,746 2,518 3,588 583 (2,266)
    Add: Taxation charge/(credit) excluding tax impact of identified items 11,553 2,773 6,720 808 558 345 349
    Add: Depreciation, depletion and amortisation excluding impairments 17,120 4,300 8,358 1,479 2,667 303 13
    Add: Exploration well write-offs 625 59 566
    Add: Interest expense excluding identified items 3,504 110 372 40 39 3 2,941
    Less: Interest income 1,718 2 13 8 33 5 1,657
    Adjusted EBITDA 52,204 17,189 22,750 4,837 6,819 1,229 (619)
    Less: Current cost of supplies adjustment before taxation (261)     (94) (167)    
    Joint ventures and associates (dividends received less profit) (167) 32 (443) 85 85 72 2
    Derivative financial instruments (5,112) (3,071) (18) 225 (1,719) (528)
    Taxation paid (10,108) (2,843) (6,455) (478) (197) (350) 214
    Other 82 (84) (530) 23 284 304 85
    (Increase)/decrease in working capital 4,462 2,700 342 (748) (1,019) 4,713 (1,526)
    Cash flow from operating activities 41,622 13,923 15,663 3,794 6,364 4,249 (2,372)

    Identified Items

    Identified items comprise: divestment gains and losses, impairments, redundancy and restructuring, provisions for onerous contracts, fair value accounting of commodity derivatives and certain gas contracts and the impact of exchange rate movements and inflationary adjustments on certain deferred tax balances, and other items. Identified items in the tables below are presented on a net basis.

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    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS
                                                   
     
    Q3 2024 $ million
      Total Integrated Gas Upstream Marketing Chemicals and Products Renewables and Energy Solutions Corporate
    Identified items included in Income/(loss) before taxation              
    Divestment gains/(losses) (154) 1 (2) (110) (19) (20) (3)
    Impairment reversals/(impairments) (338) (6) (3) (195) (120) (14)
    Redundancy and restructuring (552) (69) (189) (136) (141) (26) 10
    Provisions for onerous contracts (7) (7)
    Fair value accounting of commodity derivatives and certain gas contracts (602) (252) (13) (78) 126 (385)
    Other (136) (141) (1) (11) 16
    Total identified items included in Income/(loss) before taxation (1,789) (327) (348) (526) (165) (430) 7
    Less: total identified items included in Taxation charge/(credit) (530) (87) (195) (104) (43) (111) 10
    Identified items included in Income/(loss) for the period              
    Divestment gains/(losses) (129) 1 (6) (84) (15) (23) (2)
    Impairment reversals/(impairments) (288) (4) (2) (179) (92) (10)
    Redundancy and restructuring (397) (48) (138) (98) (101) (19) 7
    Provisions for onerous contracts (5) (5)
    Fair value accounting of commodity derivatives and certain gas contracts (456) (213) (3) (56) 95 (279)
    Impact of exchange rate movements and inflationary adjustments on tax balances 120 24 104 (8)
    Other (105) (108) (8) 12
    Impact on CCS earnings (1,259) (240) (153) (422) (122) (319) (3)
    Impact on CCS earnings attributable to non-controlling interest
    Impact on CCS earnings attributable to Shell plc shareholders (1,259) (240) (153) (422) (122) (319) (3)

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    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS
                                                   
     
    Q2 2024 $ million
      Total Integrated Gas Upstream Marketing Chemicals and Products Renewables and Energy Solutions Corporate
    Identified items included in Income/(loss) before taxation              
    Divestment gains/(losses) 143 2 131 (60) (8) 79
    Impairment reversals/(impairments) (1,932) (18) (80) (1,055) (619) (161)
    Redundancy and restructuring (211) (9) (56) (69) (30) (45) (2)
    Provisions for onerous contracts (17) (3) (14)
    Fair value accounting of commodity derivatives and certain gas contracts 461 (102) (29) 63 211 318
    Other1 (1,271) (130) (168) 10 113 7 (1,103)
    Total identified items included in Income/(loss) before taxation (2,826) (260) (215) (1,111) (333) 198 (1,105)
    Less: total identified items included in Taxation charge/(credit) (157) (40) (58) (286) 165 87 (25)
    Identified items included in Income/(loss) for the period              
    Divestment gains/(losses) 135 1 114 (45) (6) 71
    Impairment reversals/(impairments) (1,728) (15) (67) (783) (708) (155)
    Redundancy and restructuring (147) (6) (33) (50) (23) (33) (1)
    Provisions for onerous contracts (14) (3) (11)
    Fair value accounting of commodity derivatives and certain gas contracts 319 (98) (7) 45 156 223
    Impact of exchange rate movements and inflationary adjustments on tax balances 49 10 (4) 43
    Other1 (1,284) (111) (148) 7 83 5 (1,122)
    Impact on CCS earnings (2,669) (220) (157) (825) (499) 112 (1,080)
    Impact on CCS earnings attributable to non-controlling interest 18 18
    Impact on CCS earnings attributable to Shell plc shareholders (2,687) (220) (157) (825) (517) 112 (1,080)

    1.Corporate includes reclassifications from equity to profit and loss of cumulative currency translation differences related to funding structures resulting in unfavourable movements of $1,122 million. These currency translation differences were previously recognised in other comprehensive income and accumulated in equity as part of accumulated other comprehensive income.

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    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS
                                                   
     
    Q3 2023 $ million
      Total Integrated Gas Upstream Marketing Chemicals and Products Renewables and Energy Solutions Corporate
    Identified items included in Income/(loss) before taxation              
    Divestment gains/(losses) (75) 6 23 (10) 3 (98)
    Impairment reversals/(impairments) (196) (15) (2) (103) (76)
    Redundancy and restructuring (20) (3) (4) (5) (4) (2) (3)
    Provisions for onerous contracts
    Fair value accounting of commodity derivatives and certain gas contracts 258 (350) 38 (2) (88) 659
    Other 50 (25) (236) (97) 408
    Total identified items included in Income/(loss) before taxation 17 (371) (194) (18) (288) 891 (3)
    Less: total identified items included in Taxation charge/(credit) 166 4 44 (6) (75) 225 (25)
    Identified items included in Income/(loss) for the period              
    Divestment gains/(losses) (68) 4 8 (7) 2 (76)
    Impairment reversals/(impairments) (167) (12) (1) (79) (75)
    Redundancy and restructuring (14) (2) (2) (4) (3) (1) (2)
    Provisions for onerous contracts
    Fair value accounting of commodity derivatives and certain gas contracts 121 (340) 13 (59) 506
    Impact of exchange rate movements and inflationary adjustments on tax balances (51) (13) (62) 24
    Other 29 (25) (184) (74) 312
    Impact on CCS earnings (149) (375) (238) (12) (213) 667 22
    Impact on CCS earnings attributable to non-controlling interest
    Impact on CCS earnings attributable to Shell plc shareholders (149) (375) (238) (12) (213) 667 22

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    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS
                                                   
     
    Nine months 2024 $ million
      Total Integrated Gas Upstream Marketing Chemicals and Products Renewables and Energy Solutions Corporate
    Identified items included in Income/(loss) before taxation              
    Divestment gains/(losses) 155 (185) (35) 68 (3)
    Impairment reversals/(impairments) (2,498) (32) (179) (1,254) (917) (116)
    Redundancy and restructuring (837) (79) (258) (226) (190) (86) 3
    Provisions for onerous contracts (24) (3) (14) (7)
    Fair value accounting of commodity derivatives and certain gas contracts (1,221) (1,421) (44) (9) (79) 332
    Other1 (1,281) (126) (271) 32 148 39 (1,103)
    Total identified items included in Income/(loss) before taxation (5,859) (1,663) (609) (1,649) (1,073) 238 (1,104)
    Less: total identified items included in Taxation charge/(credit) (1,290) (284) (638) (394) 5 55 (35)
    Identified items included in Income/(loss) for the period              
    Divestment gains/(losses) 2 118 (140) (28) 54 (2)
    Impairment reversals/(impairments) (2,201) (24) (171) (965) (952) (89)
    Redundancy and restructuring (597) (55) (179) (163) (139) (63) 2
    Provisions for onerous contracts (19) (3) (11) (5)
    Fair value accounting of commodity derivatives and certain gas contracts (1,032) (1,198) (11) (6) (69) 250
    Impact of exchange rate movements and inflationary adjustments on tax balances 573 8 512 53
    Other1 (1,293) (107) (228) 24 110 30 (1,122)
    Impact on CCS earnings (4,569) (1,379) 28 (1,255) (1,078) 183 (1,069)
    Impact on CCS earnings attributable to non-controlling interest 18 18
    Impact on CCS earnings attributable to Shell plc shareholders (4,587) (1,379) 28 (1,255) (1,096) 183 (1,069)

    1.Corporate includes reclassifications from equity to profit and loss of cumulative currency translation differences related to funding structures resulting in unfavourable movements of $1,122 million. These currency translation differences were previously recognised in other comprehensive income and accumulated in equity as part of accumulated other comprehensive income.

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    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS
                                                   
     
    Nine months 2023 $ million
      Total Integrated Gas Upstream Marketing Chemicals and Products Renewables and Energy Solutions Corporate
    Identified items included in Income/(loss) before taxation              
    Divestment gains/(losses) 35 (1) 76 32 (12) (59)
    Impairment reversals/(impairments) (2,952) (2,274) (199) (49) (300) (130)
    Redundancy and restructuring (54) (10) (22) (4) (1) (16)
    Provisions for onerous contracts (24) (24)
    Fair value accounting of commodity derivatives and certain gas contracts 939 (3,047) 387 66 77 3,455
    Other 116 (25) (445) 298 (119) 408
    Total identified items included in Income/(loss) before taxation (1,941) (5,347) (192) 324 (382) 3,672 (16)
    Less: total identified items included in Taxation charge/(credit) 278 (722) 165 11 (104) 894 34
    Identified items included in Income/(loss) for the period              
    Divestment gains/(losses) 50 80 24 (9) (45)
    Impairment reversals/(impairments) (2,284) (1,700) (188) (50) (227) (119)
    Redundancy and restructuring (35) (3) (17) (3) (1) (11)
    Provisions for onerous contracts (18) (18)
    Fair value accounting of commodity derivatives and certain gas contracts 52 (2,821) 106 60 75 2,632
    Impact of exchange rate movements and inflationary adjustments on tax balances 8 (31) 78 (39)
    Other 7 (74) (431) 297 (96) 312
    Impact on CCS earnings (2,219) (4,625) (357) 314 (278) 2,778 (50)
    Impact on CCS earnings attributable to non-controlling interest
    Impact on CCS earnings attributable to Shell plc shareholders (2,219) (4,625) (357) 314 (278) 2,778 (50)

    The identified items categories above may include after-tax impacts of identified items of joint ventures and associates which are fully reported within “Share of profit/(loss) of joint ventures and associates” in the Consolidated Statement of Income, and fully reported as identified items included in Income/(loss) before taxation in the table above. Identified items related to subsidiaries are consolidated and reported across appropriate lines of the Consolidated Statement of Income. Only pre-tax identified items reported by subsidiaries are taken into account in the calculation of underlying operating expenses (Reference F).

    Provisions for onerous contracts: Provisions for onerous contracts that relate to businesses that Shell has exited or to redundant assets or assets that cannot be used.

    Fair value accounting of commodity derivatives and certain gas contracts: In the ordinary course of business, Shell enters into contracts to supply or purchase oil and gas products, as well as power and environmental products. Shell also enters into contracts for tolling, pipeline and storage capacity. Derivative contracts are entered into for mitigation of resulting economic exposures (generally price exposure) and these derivative contracts are carried at period-end market price (fair value), with movements in fair value recognised in income for the period. Supply and purchase contracts entered into for operational purposes, as well as contracts for tolling, pipeline and storage capacity, are, by contrast, recognised when the transaction occurs; furthermore, inventory is carried at historical cost or net realisable value, whichever is lower. As a consequence, accounting mismatches occur because: (a) the supply or purchase transaction is recognised in a different period, or (b) the inventory is measured on a different basis. In addition, certain contracts are, due to pricing or delivery conditions, deemed to contain embedded derivatives or written options and are also required to be carried at fair value even though they are entered into for operational purposes. The accounting impacts are reported as identified items.

    Impact of exchange rate movements and inflationary adjustments on tax balances represents the impact on tax balances of exchange rate movements and inflationary adjustments arising on (a) the conversion to dollars of the local currency tax base of non-monetary assets and liabilities, as well as losses (this primarily impacts the Upstream and Integrated Gas segments) and (b) the conversion of dollar-denominated inter-segment loans to local currency, leading to taxable exchange rate gains or losses (this primarily impacts the Corporate segment).

    Other identified items represent other credits or charges that based on Shell management’s assessment hinder the comparative understanding of Shell’s financial results from period to period.

             Page 33


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS

    B.    Adjusted Earnings per share

    Adjusted Earnings per share is calculated as Adjusted Earnings (see Reference A), divided by the weighted average number of shares used as the basis for basic earnings per share (see Note 4).

    C.    Cash capital expenditure

    Cash capital expenditure represents cash spent on maintaining and developing assets as well as on investments in the period. Management regularly monitors this measure as a key lever to delivering sustainable cash flows. Cash capital expenditure is the sum of the following lines from the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows: Capital expenditure, Investments in joint ventures and associates and Investments in equity securities.

    See Note 2 “Segment information” for the reconciliation of cash capital expenditure.

    D.    Capital employed and Return on average capital employed

    Return on average capital employed (“ROACE”) measures the efficiency of Shell’s utilisation of the capital that it employs. Effective first quarter 2024, the definition of capital employed has been amended to reflect the deduction of cash and cash equivalents. In addition, the numerator applied to ROACE on an Adjusted Earnings plus non-controlling interest basis has been amended to remove interest on cash and cash equivalents for consistency with the revised capital employed definition. Comparative information has been revised to reflect the updated definition. Also, the presentation of ROACE on a net income basis has been discontinued, as this measure is not routinely used by management in assessing the efficiency of capital employed.

    The measure refers to Capital employed which consists of total equity, current debt, and non-current debt reduced by cash and cash equivalents.

    Management believes that the updated methodology better reflects Shell’s approach to managing capital employed, including the management of cash and cash equivalents alongside total debt and equity as part of the financial framework.

    In this calculation, the sum of Adjusted Earnings (see Reference A) plus non-controlling interest (NCI) excluding identified items for the current and previous three quarters, adjusted for after-tax interest expense and after-tax interest income, is expressed as a percentage of the average capital employed excluding cash and cash equivalents for the same period.

                           
     
    $ million Quarters
      Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023
    Current debt 10,119 12,114 8,046
    Non-current debt 72,028 72,252 73,944
    Total equity 192,943 192,094 190,237
    Less: Cash and cash equivalents (43,031) (45,094) (35,978)
    Capital employed – opening 232,059 231,366 236,250
    Current debt 12,015 10,849 10,119
    Non-current debt 64,597 64,619 72,028
    Total equity 189,538 187,190 192,943
    Less: Cash and cash equivalents (42,252) (38,148) (43,031)
    Capital employed – closing 223,898 224,511 232,059
    Capital employed – average 227,979 227,939 234,154

             Page 34


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS
                           
     
    $ million Quarters
      Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023
    Adjusted Earnings – current and previous three quarters (Reference A) 27,361 27,558 30,758
    Add: Income/(loss) attributable to NCI – current and previous three quarters 376 409 275
    Add: Current cost of supplies adjustment attributable to NCI – current and previous three quarters 56 (25) (12)
    Less: Identified items attributable to NCI (Reference A) – current and previous three quarters 7 7 13
    Adjusted Earnings plus NCI excluding identified items – current and previous three quarters 27,787 27,935 31,008
    Add: Interest expense after tax – current and previous three quarters 2,698 2,650 2,685
    Less: Interest income after tax on cash and cash equivalents – current and previous three quarters 1,392 1,395 1,179
    Adjusted Earnings plus NCI excluding identified items before interest expense and interest income – current and previous three quarters 29,093 29,190 32,514
    Capital employed – average 227,979 227,939 234,154
    ROACE on an Adjusted Earnings plus NCI basis 12.8% 12.8% 13.9%

    E.    Net debt and gearing

    Net debt is defined as the sum of current and non-current debt, less cash and cash equivalents, adjusted for the fair value of derivative financial instruments used to hedge foreign exchange and interest rate risk relating to debt, and associated collateral balances. Management considers this adjustment useful because it reduces the volatility of net debt caused by fluctuations in foreign exchange and interest rates, and eliminates the potential impact of related collateral payments or receipts. Debt-related derivative financial instruments are a subset of the derivative financial instrument assets and liabilities presented on the balance sheet. Collateral balances are reported under “Trade and other receivables” or “Trade and other payables” as appropriate.

    Gearing is a measure of Shell’s capital structure and is defined as net debt (total debt less cash and cash equivalents) as a percentage of total capital (net debt plus total equity).

                           
     
    $ million  
      September 30, 2024 June 30, 2024 September 30, 2023
    Current debt 12,015    10,849    10,119   
    Non-current debt 64,597    64,619    72,028   
    Total debt 76,613    75,468    82,147   
    Of which lease liabilities 25,590    25,600    27,854   
    Add: Debt-related derivative financial instruments: net liability/(asset) 1,694    2,460    3,116   
    Add: Collateral on debt-related derivatives: net liability/(asset) (821)   (1,466)   (1,762)  
    Less: Cash and cash equivalents (42,252)   (38,148)   (43,031)  
    Net debt 35,234    38,314    40,470   
    Total equity 189,538    187,190    192,943   
    Total capital 224,772    225,505    233,414   
    Gearing 15.7  % 17.0  % 17.3  %

    F.    Operating expenses and Underlying operating expenses

    Operating expenses

    Operating expenses is a measure of Shell’s cost management performance, comprising the following items from the Consolidated Statement of Income: production and manufacturing expenses; selling, distribution and administrative expenses; and research and development expenses.

             Page 35


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS
                                                   
     
    Q3 2024 $ million
      Total Integrated Gas Upstream Marketing Chemicals and Products Renewables and Energy Solutions Corporate
    Production and manufacturing expenses 6,138 1,164 2,394 367 1,766 453 (6)
    Selling, distribution and administrative expenses 3,139 (1) (39) 2,408 453 209 110
    Research and development 294 27 75 55 34 22 81
    Operating expenses 9,570 1,190 2,430 2,830 2,253 684 185
                                                   
     
    Q2 2024 $ million
      Total Integrated Gas Upstream Marketing Chemicals and Products Renewables and Energy Solutions Corporate
    Production and manufacturing expenses 5,593 1,050 2,219 320 1,573 422 10
    Selling, distribution and administrative expenses 3,094 64 62 2,295 293 279 101
    Research and development 263 32 61 47 37 24 62
    Operating expenses 8,950 1,146 2,341 2,662 1,902 725 173
                                                   
     
    Q3 2023 $ million
      Total Integrated Gas Upstream Marketing Chemicals and Products Renewables and Energy Solutions Corporate
    Production and manufacturing expenses 6,384 1,125 2,266 335 1,900 760 (1)
    Selling, distribution and administrative expenses1 3,447 50 42 2,448 501 286 121
    Research and development1 267 30 77 60 44 (26) 81
    Operating expenses 10,097 1,204 2,384 2,843 2,444 1,021 201
                                                   
     
    Nine months 2024 $ million
      Total Integrated Gas Upstream Marketing Chemicals and Products Renewables and Energy Solutions Corporate
    Production and manufacturing expenses 17,541 3,170 6,881 1,052 4,973 1,454 10
    Selling, distribution and administrative expenses 9,208 125 80 6,891 1,166 646 300
    Research and development 768 85 194 136 104 58 192
    Operating expenses 27,517 3,380 7,156 8,079 6,243 2,158 501
                                                   
     
    Nine months 2023 $ million
      Total Integrated Gas Upstream Marketing Chemicals and Products Renewables and Energy Solutions Corporate
    Production and manufacturing expenses 18,433 3,341 6,591 1,030 5,579 1,878 14
    Selling, distribution and administrative expenses1 9,811 114 217 6,906 1,494 787 293
    Research and development1 817 84 216 184 129 2 202
    Operating expenses 29,062 3,540 7,024 8,120 7,201 2,667 509

    1.From the first quarter 2024, Wholesale commercial fuels forms part of Mobility with inclusion in the Marketing segment (previously Chemicals and Products segment). Prior period comparatives have been revised to conform with current year presentation with an offsetting impact between Marketing and Chemicals and Products segments (see Note 2). Also, from the first quarter 2024, Shell’s longer-term innovation portfolio is managed centrally and hence reported as part of the Corporate segment (previously all other segments). Prior period comparatives have been revised to conform with current year presentation with an offsetting impact on all the other segments (see Note 2).

    Underlying operating expenses

    Underlying operating expenses is a measure aimed at facilitating a comparative understanding of performance from period to period by removing the effects of identified items, which, either individually or collectively, can cause volatility, in some cases driven by external factors.

             Page 36


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS
                                       
         
    Quarters $ million Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
    9,570    8,950    10,097    Operating expenses 27,517    29,062   
    (552)   (210)   (19)   Redundancy and restructuring (charges)/reversal (834)   (51)  
    (154)   (212)   (343)   (Provisions)/reversal (366)   (376)  
    —    123    —    Other 252    —   
    (706)   (299)   (362)   Total identified items (948)   (426)  
    8,864    8,651    9,735    Underlying operating expenses 26,569    28,635   

    G.    Free cash flow and Organic free cash flow

    Free cash flow is used to evaluate cash available for financing activities, including dividend payments and debt servicing, after investment in maintaining and growing the business. It is defined as the sum of “Cash flow from operating activities” and “Cash flow from investing activities”.

    Cash flows from acquisition and divestment activities are removed from Free cash flow to arrive at the Organic free cash flow, a measure used by management to evaluate the generation of free cash flow without these activities.

                                       
     
    Quarters $ million Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
    14,684    13,508    12,332    Cash flow from operating activities 41,522    41,622   
    (3,857)   (3,338)   (4,827)   Cash flow from investing activities (10,723)   (12,080)  
    10,827    10,170    7,505    Free cash flow 30,799    29,542   
    194    769    259    Less: Divestment proceeds (Reference I) 1,988    2,477   
    —    —    (3)   Add: Tax paid on divestments (reported under “Other investing cash outflows”) —       
    —    189      Add: Cash outflows related to inorganic capital expenditure1 251    2,316   
    10,633    9,590    7,246    Organic free cash flow2 29,062    29,381   

    1.Cash outflows related to inorganic capital expenditure includes portfolio actions which expand Shell’s activities through acquisitions and restructuring activities as reported in capital expenditure lines in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows.

    2.Free cash flow less divestment proceeds, adding back outflows related to inorganic expenditure.

    H.    Cash flow from operating activities and cash flow from operating activities excluding working capital movements

    Working capital movements are defined as the sum of the following items in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows: (i) (increase)/decrease in inventories, (ii) (increase)/decrease in current receivables, and (iii) increase/(decrease) in current payables.

    Cash flow from operating activities excluding working capital movements is a measure used by Shell to analyse its operating cash generation over time excluding the timing effects of changes in inventories and operating receivables and payables from period to period.

                                       
     
    Quarters $ million Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
    14,684    13,508    12,332    Cash flow from operating activities 41,522    41,622   
    2,705    (954)   (3,151)   (Increase)/decrease in inventories 1,143    2,237   
    4,057    1,965    (1,126)   (Increase)/decrease in current receivables 5,827    13,105   
    (4,096)   (1,269)   4,498    Increase/(decrease) in current payables1 (7,314)   (10,881)  
    2,665    (258)   221    (Increase)/decrease in working capital (344)   4,462   
    12,019    13,766    12,111    Cash flow from operating activities excluding working capital movements 41,867    37,160   

    1.To further enhance consistency between working capital and the Balance Sheet and the Statement of Cash Flows, from January 1, 2024, onwards movements in current other provisions are recognised in ‘Decommissioning and other provisions’ instead of ‘Increase/(decrease) in current payables’. Comparatives for the third quarter 2023 and the nine months 2023 have been reclassified accordingly by $212 million and $40 million respectively to conform with current period presentation.

             Page 37


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS

    I.    Divestment proceeds

    Divestment proceeds represent cash received from divestment activities in the period. Management regularly monitors this measure as a key lever to deliver free cash flow.

                                       
     
    Quarters $ million Nine months
    Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023   2024 2023
    94    710 184 Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment and businesses 1,128 2,024
    94    57 68 Proceeds from joint ventures and associates from sale, capital reduction and repayment of long-term loans 284 425
      2 7 Proceeds from sale of equity securities 576 28
    194    769 259 Divestment proceeds 1,988 2,477

             Page 38


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS

    CAUTIONARY STATEMENT

    All amounts shown throughout this Unaudited Condensed Interim Financial Report are unaudited. All peak production figures in Portfolio Developments are quoted at 100% expected production. The numbers presented throughout this Unaudited Condensed Interim Financial Report may not sum precisely to the totals provided and percentages may not precisely reflect the absolute figures, due to rounding.

    The companies in which Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this Unaudited Condensed Interim Financial Report, “Shell”, “Shell Group” and “Group” are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ‘‘Subsidiaries’’, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this Unaudited Condensed Interim Financial Report, refer to entities over which Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. The term “joint venture”, “joint operations”, “joint arrangements”, and “associates” may also be used to refer to a commercial arrangement in which Shell has a direct or indirect ownership interest with one or more parties. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This Unaudited Condensed Interim Financial Report contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “aim”; “ambition”; ‘‘anticipate’’; ‘‘believe’’; “commit”; “commitment”; ‘‘could’’; ‘‘estimate’’; ‘‘expect’’; ‘‘goals’’; ‘‘intend’’; ‘‘may’’; “milestones”; ‘‘objectives’’; ‘‘outlook’’; ‘‘plan’’; ‘‘probably’’; ‘‘project’’; ‘‘risks’’; “schedule”; ‘‘seek’’; ‘‘should’’; ‘‘target’’; ‘‘will’’; “would” and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this Unaudited Condensed Interim Financial Report, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell’s products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, judicial, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; (m) risks associated with the impact of pandemics, such as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, regional conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, and a significant cybersecurity breach; and (n) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this Unaudited Condensed Interim Financial Report are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Shell plc’s Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 (available at www.shell.com/investors/news-and-filings/sec-filings.html and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this Unaudited Condensed Interim Financial Report and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this Unaudited Condensed Interim Financial Report, October 31, 2024. Neither Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this Unaudited Condensed Interim Financial Report.

    Shell’s Net Carbon Intensity

    Also, in this Unaudited Condensed Interim Financial Report we may refer to Shell’s “Net Carbon Intensity” (NCI), which includes Shell’s carbon emissions from the production of our energy products, our suppliers’ carbon emissions in supplying energy for that production and our customers’ carbon emissions associated with their use of the energy products we sell. Shell’s NCI also includes the emissions associated with the production and use of energy products produced by others which Shell purchases for resale. Shell only controls its own emissions. The use of the terms Shell’s “Net Carbon Intensity” or NCI are for convenience only and not intended to suggest these emissions are those of Shell plc or its subsidiaries.

    Shell’s Net-Zero Emissions Target

    Shell’s operating plan, outlook and budgets are forecasted for a ten-year period and are updated every year. They reflect the current economic environment and what we can reasonably expect to see over the next ten years. Accordingly, they reflect our Scope 1, Scope 2 and NCI targets over the next ten years. However, Shell’s operating plans cannot reflect our 2050 net-zero emissions target, as this target is currently outside our planning period. In the future, as society moves towards net-zero emissions, we expect Shell’s operating plans to reflect this movement. However, if society is not net zero in 2050, as of today, there would be significant risk that Shell may not meet this target.

    Forward-Looking Non-GAAP measures

    This Unaudited Condensed Interim Financial Report may contain certain forward-looking non-GAAP measures such as cash capital expenditure and divestments. We are unable to provide a reconciliation of these forward-looking non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures because certain information needed to reconcile those non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures is dependent on future events some of which are outside the control of Shell, such as oil and gas prices, interest rates and exchange rates. Moreover, estimating such GAAP measures with the required precision necessary to provide a meaningful reconciliation is extremely difficult and could not be accomplished without unreasonable effort. Non-GAAP measures in respect of future periods which cannot be reconciled to the most comparable GAAP financial measure are calculated in a manner which is consistent with the accounting policies applied in Shell plc’s consolidated financial statements.

    The contents of websites referred to in this Unaudited Condensed Interim Financial Report do not form part of this Unaudited Condensed Interim Financial Report.

    We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this Unaudited Condensed Interim Financial Report that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.

    This Unaudited Condensed Interim Financial Report contains inside information.

             Page 39


         
     
    SHELL PLC
    3rd QUARTER 2024 UNAUDITED RESULTS

    October 31, 2024

         
    The information in this Unaudited Condensed Interim Financial Report reflects the unaudited consolidated interim financial position and results of Shell plc. Company No. 4366849, Registered Office: Shell Centre, London, SE1 7NA, England, UK.

    Contacts:

    – Sean Ashley, Company Secretary

    – Media: International +44 (0) 207 934 5550; USA +1 832 337 4355

    LEI number of Shell plc: 21380068P1DRHMJ8KU70

    Classification: Inside Information

             Page 40

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Shell plc publishes third quarter 2024 press release

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    London, October 31, 2024

    “Shell delivered another set of strong results. We continue to deliver more value with less emissions, whilst enhancing the resilience of our balance sheet. Today, we announce another $3.5 billion buyback programme for the next three months, making this the 12th consecutive quarter in which we have announced $3 billion or more in buybacks.”

    Shell plc Chief Executive Officer, Wael Sawan


     

    STRONG RESULTS, CONSISTENT DISTRIBUTIONS

    • Q3 2024 Adjusted Earnings1 of $6.0 billion, despite the lower crude prices and weaker refining margins, reflect strong operational performance in Integrated Gas, Upstream and Marketing.
    • CFFO of $14.7 billion for the quarter includes a working capital inflow of $2.7 billion; net debt reduced to $35.2 billion ($9.6 billion excluding lease liabilities).
    • Cash capex for 2024 is expected to be below the lower end of the $22 – 25 billion range.
    • Commencing a $3.5 billion share buyback programme, expected to be completed by Q4 2024 results announcement. Over the last 4 quarters, total shareholder distributions paid were 43% of CFFO. Dividend stable at $0.344 per ordinary share.
    $ million1 Adj. Earnings Adj. EBITDA CFFO Cash capex
    Integrated Gas 2,871 5,234 3,623 1,236
    Upstream 2,443 7,871 5,268 1,974
    Marketing 1,182 2,081 2,722 525
    Chemicals & Products2 463 1,240 3,321 761
    Renewables & Energy Solutions (162) (75) (364) 409
    Corporate (643) (346) 115 45
    Less: Non-controlling interest (NCI) 126      
    Shell Q3 2024 6,028 16,005 14,684 4,950
    Q2 2024 6,293 16,806 13,508 4,719

    1Income/(loss) attributable to shareholders for Q3 2024 is $4.3 billion. Reconciliation of non-GAAP measures can be found in the unaudited results, available at www.shell.com/investors.

    2Chemicals & Products Adjusted Earnings at a subsegment level are as follows – Chemicals $(0.1) billion and Products $0.6 billion.

    • CFFO of $14.7 billion for Q3 2024 includes a working capital inflow of $2.7 billion mainly due to lower prices. CFFO reflects tax payments of $3.0 billion. Net debt reduced by $3.1 billion over the quarter to $35.2 billion ($9.6 billion excluding lease liabilities).
    $ billion1 Q3 2023 Q4 2023 Q1 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2024
    Divestment proceeds 0.3 0.6 1.0 0.8 0.2
    Free cash flow 7.5 6.9 9.8 10.2 10.8
    Net debt 40.5 43.5 40.5 38.3 35.2

    1 Reconciliation of non-GAAP measures can be found in the unaudited results, available at www.shell.com/investors.

    Q3 2024 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE DRIVERS

    INTEGRATED GAS

    Key data Q2 2024 Q3 2024 Q4 2024 outlook
    Realised liquids price ($/bbl) 68 63
    Realised gas price ($/thousand scf) 7.6 7.9
    Production (kboe/d) 980 941 900 – 960
    LNG liquefaction volumes (MT) 6.9 7.5 6.9 – 7.5
    LNG sales volumes (MT) 16.4 17.0
    • Adjusted Earnings were higher than in Q2 2024, due to higher LNG liquefaction volumes. Trading and optimisation results
      were in line with a strong Q2 2024.
    • Q4 2024 production outlook reflects scheduled maintenance at Pearl GTL in Qatar.

    UPSTREAM

    Key data Q2 2024 Q3 2024 Q4 2024 outlook
    Realised liquids price ($/bbl) 78 75
    Realised gas price ($/thousand scf) 6.2 6.6
    Liquids production (kboe/d) 1,297 1,321
    Gas production (million scf/d) 2,818 2,844
    Total production (kboe/d) 1,783 1,811 1,750 – 1,950
    • Adjusted Earnings were higher than in Q2 2024, as lower prices were offset by lower well write-offs than in the previous quarter.

    MARKETING

    Key data Q2 2024 Q3 2024 Q4 2024 outlook
    Marketing sales volumes (kb/d) 2,868 2,945 2,550 – 3,050
    Mobility (kb/d) 2,078 2,119
    Lubricants (kb/d) 84 81
    Sectors & Decarbonisation (kb/d) 706 745

    Wholesale commercial fuels, previously reported in the Chemicals & Products segment, is reported in the Marketing segment (Mobility) with effect from Q1 2024.
    Comparative information for the Marketing segment and the Chemicals & Product segment has been revised.

    • Adjusted Earnings were higher than in Q2 2024 due to improved Mobility unit margins and impact of seasonally higher volumes.

    CHEMICALS & PRODUCTS

    Key data Q2 2024 Q3 2024 Q4 2024 outlook
    Refinery processing intake (kb/d) 1,429 1,305
    Chemicals sales volumes (kT) 3,052 3,015
    Refinery utilisation (%) 92 81 75 – 83
    Chemicals manufacturing plant utilisation (%) 80 76 72 – 80
    Global indicative refining margin ($/bbl) 7.7 5.5
    Global indicative chemical margin ($/t) 155 164

    Wholesale commercial fuels, previously reported in the Chemicals & Products segment, is reported in the Marketing segment (Mobility) with effect from Q1 2024.

    Comparative information for the Marketing segment and the Chemicals & Products segment has been revised.

    • Lower refining margins in Q3 2024 were driven by a stabilising market with increased supply. Chemicals Adjusted Earnings
      were lower than in Q2 2024 due to lower utilisation and lower realised prices.
    • Trading and optimisation results were in line with Q2 2024.

    RENEWABLES & ENERGY SOLUTIONS

    Key data Q2 2024 Q3 2024
    External power sales (TWh) 74 79
    Sales of pipeline gas to end-use customers (TWh) 148 148
    Renewables power generation capacity (GW)* 7.1 7.3
    • in operation (GW)
    3.3 3.4
    • under construction and/or committed for sale (GW)
    3.8 3.9

      *Excludes Shell’s equity share of associates where information cannot be obtained.

    • Adjusted Earnings were in line with Q2 2024.

    Renewables and Energy Solutions includes activities such as renewable power generation, the marketing and trading and optimisation of power and pipeline gas, as well as carbon credits, and digitally enabled customer solutions.
    It also includes the production and marketing of hydrogen, development of commercial carbon capture and storage hubs, investment in nature-based projects that avoid or reduce carbon emissions, and Shell Ventures, which invests in companies that work to accelerate the energy and mobility transformation.

    CORPORATE

    Key data Q2 2024 Q3 2024 Q4 2024 outlook
    Adjusted Earnings ($ billion) (0.6) (0.6) (0.8) – (0.6)
    • The Adjusted Earnings outlook is a net expense of $2.2 – 2.4 billion for the full year 2024.

    UPCOMING ANNOUNCED INVESTOR EVENTS

    January 30, 2025 Fourth quarter 2024 results and dividends
    May 2, 2025 First quarter 2025 results and dividends
    July 31, 2025 Second quarter 2025 results and dividends
    October 30, 2025 Third quarter 2025 results and dividends

    USEFUL LINKS

    Results materials Q3 2024

    Quarterly Databook Q3 2024

    Webcast registration Q3 2024

    Dividend announcement Q3 2024

    ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE (NON-GAAP) MEASURES

    This announcement includes certain measures that are calculated and presented on the basis of methodologies other than in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) such as IFRS, including Adjusted Earnings, Adjusted EBITDA, CFFO excluding working capital movements, Cash capital expenditure, free cash flow, Divestment proceeds and Net debt. This information, along with comparable GAAP measures, is useful to investors because it provides a basis for measuring Shell plc’s operating performance and ability to retire debt and invest in new business opportunities. Shell plc’s management uses these financial measures, along with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, in evaluating the business performance.

    This announcement may contain certain forward-looking non-GAAP measures for cash capital expenditure and divestments. We are unable to provide a reconciliation of these forward-looking non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures because certain information needed to reconcile the non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures is dependent on future events some of which are outside the control of the company, such as oil and gas prices, interest rates and exchange rates. Moreover, estimating such GAAP measures with the required precision necessary to provide a meaningful reconciliation is extremely difficult and could not be accomplished without unreasonable effort. Non-GAAP measures in respect of future periods which cannot be reconciled to the most comparable GAAP financial measure are estimated in a manner which is consistent with the accounting policies applied in Shell plc’s consolidated financial statements.

    CAUTIONARY STATEMENT

    The companies in which Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this announcement “Shell”, “Shell Group” and “Group” are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. “Subsidiaries”, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this announcement refer to entities over which Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. The terms “joint venture”, “joint operations”, “joint arrangements”, and “associates” may also be used to refer to a commercial arrangement in which Shell has a direct or indirect ownership interest with one or more parties. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

    This announcement contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “aim”; “ambition”; “anticipate”; “believe”; “commit”; “commitment”; “could”; “estimate”; “expect”; “goals”; “intend”; “may”; “milestones”; “objectives”; “outlook”; “plan”; “probably”; “project”; “risks”; “schedule”; “seek”; “should”; “target”; “will”; “would” and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this [report], including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell’s products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, judicial, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; (m) risks associated with the impact of pandemics, such as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, regional conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, and a significant cyber security breach; and (n) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Shell plc’s Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 (available at www.shell.com/investors/news-and-filings/sec-filings.html and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this [report] and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement, October 31, 2024. Neither Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement.

    All amounts shown throughout this announcement are unaudited. The numbers presented throughout this announcement may not sum precisely to the totals provided and percentages may not precisely reflect the absolute figures, due to rounding.

    Shell’s Net Carbon Intensity

    Also, in this announcement we may refer to Shell’s “Net Carbon Intensity” (NCI), which includes Shell’s carbon emissions from the production of our energy products, our suppliers’ carbon emissions in supplying energy for that production and our customers’ carbon emissions associated with their use of the energy products we sell. Shell’s NCI also includes the emissions associated with the production and use of energy products produced by others which Shell purchases for resale. Shell only controls its own emissions. The use of the terms Shell’s “Net Carbon Intensity” or NCI is for convenience only and not intended to suggest these emissions are those of Shell plc or its subsidiaries.

    Shell’s Net-Zero Emissions Target

    Shell’s operating plan, outlook and budgets are forecasted for a ten-year period and are updated every year. They reflect the current economic environment and what we can reasonably expect to see over the next ten years. Accordingly, they reflect our Scope 1, Scope 2 and NCI targets over the next ten years. However, Shell’s operating plans cannot reflect our 2050 net-zero emissions target, as this target is currently outside our planning period. In the future, as society moves towards net-zero emissions, we expect Shell’s operating plans to reflect this movement. However, if society is not net zero in 2050, as of today, there would be significant risk that Shell may not meet this target.

    The content of websites referred to in this announcement does not form part of this announcement.

    We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this announcement that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.

    The financial information presented in this announcement does not constitute statutory accounts within the meaning of section 434(3) of the Companies Act 2006 (“the Act”). Statutory accounts for the year ended December 31, 2023 were published in Shell’s Annual Report and Accounts, a copy of which was delivered to the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales, and in Shell’s Form 20-F. The auditor’s report on those accounts was unqualified, did not include a reference to any matters to which the auditor drew attention by way of emphasis without qualifying the report and did not contain a statement under sections 498(2) or 498(3) of the Act.

    The information in this announcement does not constitute the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements which are contained in Shell’s third quarter 2024 unaudited results available on www.shell.com/investors.

    CONTACTS

    • Media: International +44 207 934 5550; USA +1 832 337 4355

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health – General practices welcome fast-track approvals process

    Source: GenPro

    A new fast-track approval process is a good start, but more is needed to fix New Zealand’s chronic GP shortage, says the General Practice Owners Association (GenPro)

    Up to now, all doctors from overseas who applied for specialist registration in New Zealand have needed to have their qualifications, training and experience assessed by the relevant specialist medical college, which the New Zealand Medical Council says could take up to six months.

    “The new fast-track process for specialists from the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia will be completed within 20 working days, which is great news”.

    A GenPro survey carried out in July found that nearly six out of 10 general practices had GP vacancies. Over-stretched general practices were reducing their hours, stopping new enrolments, and reducing their services, while patients in some areas were waiting weeks to see a doctor.

    “While we welcome the fast-track process, the key problem remains. General practices are under- funded by Te Whatu Ora/Health New Zealand and restricted from increasing their patient fees. These long-standing problems and changes in patient health needs have eroded the financial sustainability of general practices, which means GPs are working harder for less money. Fast-tracking is a positive first step, with more work needed to tackle our workforce challenges.

    “In addition to fast-tracking graduates, the government should focus on properly funding general practice so we can rebuild our depleted and over-stretched work force.

    “GenPro agrees with Health Minister Shane Reti that internationally qualified doctors play an important role in providing quality care to New Zealanders, and we look forward to seeing further work on bringing in more suitably-trained doctors”.

    GenPro, which represents about half of all general practices in Aotearoa, is ready to work with the Minister of Health and the Health NZ Commissioner to develop the solutions needed.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Surveys – New Zealand outranks Australia as the country that Americans want to relocate to the most, according to new research

    Source: Journo Research

    New Zealand ranks in eighth place with 11,866 average monthly searches, beating Australia with 10,919 searches.
    Canada is the country that Americans want to relocate to the most, with 28,722 average monthly relocation-related searches.
    The study analysed Google search data for keywords related to relocation inquiries to rank the countries Americans are most interested in moving to.

    New research reveals that Canada is the country Americans want to relocate to the most.
     
    Experts at QR Code Generator ranked countries by the average number of monthly Google searches for relocation-related terms, such as “move to Canada” and “Brazil visa.” The findings identified which countries Americans would like to relocate to the most.
     
    Canada ranks in first place with 28,722 average monthly searches. The country is the most searched in every state except California and Hawaii, where Japan holds the top spot.
     
    Vermont has the highest average monthly searches for Canada-related relocation terms per 100,000 of its population, at 20.34 searches.
     
    With 21,584 average monthly searches, Japan places second. Hawaii searches for Japan the most, with 26.36 average monthly searches per 100,000 locals. This search volume is also the highest out of any state’s interest in any country.
     
    Third place goes to Costa Rica with 15,511 average monthly searches. Montana has the highest average monthly searches for Costa Rica, with 8.90 searches per 100,000 residents.
     
    Brazil ranks in fourth place with 14,613 average monthly searches. With 7.64 average monthly searches per 100,000 locals, Massachusetts is the most interested in moving to Brazil.
     
    Earning fifth place, Mexico has 13,221 average monthly searches. South Dakota is the most interested in moving to Mexico, with 8.52 average monthly searches per 100,000 residents.

    Countries that Americans want to relocate to the most

     

    Ranking 

    Country 

    Average Monthly Google Searches  

    1 

    Canada 

    28,722 

    2 

    Japan 

    21,584 

    3 

    Costa Rica 

    15,511 

    4 

    Brazil 

    14,613 

    5 

    Mexico 

    13,221 

    6 

    Switzerland 

    12,963 

    7 

    Spain 

    12,592 

    8 

    New Zealand 

    11,866 

    9 

    Ireland 

    11,732 

    10 

    Italy 

    11,711 

     
    Switzerland ranks sixth, with 12,963 average monthly searches. With 5.08 average monthly searches per 100,000 locals, Massachusetts is the state that is the most interested in moving to the Central European country.
     
    With 12,592 average monthly searches, Spain takes seventh place. Even though Spain reaches its highest rank of fourth-most searched in New York, the state that has the highest volume of Spain-related searches is Rhode Island, with 7.98 searches per 100,000 residents.
     
    In eighth place, New Zealand has 11,866 average monthly searches. The country in Oceania was the second-most popular in Wyoming, Montana, and Hawaii, with 13.27, 9.42, and 11.85 average monthly searches per 100,000 locals, respectively.
     
    Ireland ranks in ninth place with 11,732 average monthly searches. Ireland was the second-most popular country with Vermont, Maine and West Virginia, receiving 13.77, 8.42, and 5.08 average monthly searches per 100,000 residents, respectively.
     
    Italy just makes the list in tenth place, with 11,711 searches. Alaska, Delaware, and Rhode Island had Italy as their second-most searched destination, with 12.84, 8.80, and 9.88 average monthly searches per 100,000 locals, respectively.  
     
    Marc Porcar, CEO of QR Code Generator PRO S.L, commented on the findings:
     
    “With its proximity and cultural similarities, Canada has emerged as the clear favorite for Americans considering a move abroad.

    “Yet some of the other top choices, like Japan, Costa Rica, and Brazil, are surprising, given the language barriers, unique cuisines, and distinct cultural landscapes they offer.

    “These findings reveal that many Americans aren’t just looking for an easy transition, but are drawn to the adventure of a richer, more diverse experience overseas.”

    If you publish these insights, please credit and link to QR Code Generator, as they conducted this research.
     
    Methodology
     
    To determine which countries have the highest interest for Americans looking to relocate, data from Google Keyword Planner was examined.  
     
    Terms like “move to [country]” and “visa [country]” were searched, and the average monthly search volume over the past 12 months was analysed to rank countries by the frequency of relocation searches.
     
    State data was compared to its respective populations.

    The 193 countries were taken from this United Nations source:

    https://www.un.org/en/about-us/member-states

    The combined search volume for each country’s 22 terms was calculated and used to rank the countries from highest to lowest average monthly searches.

    Full ranking: The countries Americans want to relocate to the most

     

    Ranking 

    Country 

    Average Monthly Google Searches  

    1 

    Canada 

    28,722 

    2 

    Japan 

    21,584 

    3 

    Costa Rica 

    15,511 

    4 

    Brazil 

    14,613 

    5 

    Mexico 

    13,221 

    6 

    Switzerland 

    12,963 

    7 

    Spain 

    12,592 

    8 

    New Zealand 

    11,866 

    9 

    Ireland 

    11,732 

    10 

    Italy 

    11,711 

    11 

    Portugal 

    11,057 

    12 

    Australia 

    10,919 

    13 

    Thailand 

    9,228 

    14 

    Germany 

    9,193 

    15 

    Turkey 

    9,089 

    16 

    Iceland 

    8,557 

    17 

    Norway 

    8,274 

    18 

    Sweden 

    7,696 

    19 

    France 

    7,685 

    20 

    United Kingdom 

    7,523 

    21 

    Greece 

    6,957 

    22 

    Netherlands 

    6,705 

    23 

    Kenya 

    6,632 

    24 

    Philippines 

    6,309 

    25 

    Finland 

    6,079 

    26 

    Denmark 

    6,013 

    27 

    Vietnam 

    6,005 

    28 

    Belize 

    5,838 

    29 

    Ghana 

    5,756 

    30 

    Panama 

    5,647 

    31 

    North Korea 

    5,441 

    32 

    South Korea 

    5,133 

    33 

    Dominican Republic 

    5,098 

    34 

    Russia 

    4,947 

    35 

    The Bahamas 

    4,851 

    36 

    South Africa 

    4,813 

    37 

    Argentina 

    4,769 

    38 

    Singapore 

    4,753 

    39 

    China 

    4,482 

    40 

    Taiwan 

    4,283 

    41 

    Poland 

    4,168 

    42 

    Israel 

    3,913 

    43 

    Colombia 

    3,910 

    44 

    India 

    3,906 

    45 

    Ecuador 

    3,885 

    46 

    Austria 

    3,648 

    47 

    Malaysia 

    3,633 

    48 

    Uruguay 

    3,510 

    49 

    Jamaica 

    3,386 

    50 

    Chile 

    3,356 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News

  • MIL-OSI: CoinShares Appoints Lisa Avellini as Group General Counsel

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    31stOctober 2024 | SAINT HELIER, Jersey | CoinShares International Limited (“CoinShares” or “the Group”) (Nasdaq Stockholm: CS; US OTCQX: CNSRF), the leading European investment company specialising in digital assets, is pleased to announce the appointment of Lisa Avellini as Group General Counsel, effective November 4, 2024.

    Lisa brings a wealth of valuable experience to CoinShares, with an extensive background in legal and compliance roles within leading global financial institutions. She joins CoinShares after three years at Balyasny Asset Management, where she oversaw global legal and compliance requirements for the credit division.

    Prior to her tenure at Balyasny, Lisa spent three years at Citadel, where she provided strategic legal guidance across a range of complex financial transactions and regulatory matters.

    Jean-Marie Mognetti, CEO of CoinShares, commented:

    “As the digital asset ecosystem increasingly aligns with traditional finance and its regulatory frameworks, Lisa’s extensive legal and regulatory experience with established investment firms strengthens our expertise to navigate this evolving landscape.

    Lisa’s appointment reinforces our leadership team and underscores our unwavering commitment to exemplary legal and regulatory compliance. Her arrival not only enhances our capabilities but also signifies CoinShares’ entry into a new growth phase, demonstrating our ability to attract premier talent from the world’s foremost investment companies.”

    Lisa Avellini added:

    “I am excited to join CoinShares at such a pivotal time in the company’s development. My career has always been driven by curiosity and innovation, and the digital asset industry presents unique challenges and opportunities. This is why I have decided to join a leader in this emerging industry. I look forward to contributing my experience to support CoinShares’ strategic objectives and to further enhance its strong compliance culture.”

    In her role as Group General Counsel, Lisa will oversee all legal and regulatory matters for CoinShares globally, providing strategic advice to the executive team and supporting the company’s growth initiatives.

    ABOUT COINSHARES

    CoinShares is the leading European investment company specialising in digital assets, that delivers a broad range of financial services across investment management, trading and securities to a wide array of clients that includes corporations, financial institutions and individuals. Focusing on crypto since 2013, the firm is headquartered in Jersey, with offices in France, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the US. CoinShares is regulated in Jersey by the Jersey Financial Services Commission, in France by the Autorité des marchés financiers, and in the US by the Securities and Exchange Commission, National Futures Association and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. CoinShares is publicly listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm under the ticker CS and the OTCQX under the ticker CNSRF.

    For more information on CoinShares, please visit: https://coinshares.com
    Company | +44 (0)1534 513 100 | enquiries@coinshares.com
    Investor Relations | +44 (0)1534 513 100 | enquiries@coinshares.com

    PRESS CONTACT

    CoinShares
    Benoît Pellevoizin
    bpellevoizin@coinshares.com

    M Group Strategic Communications
    Peter Padovano
    press@coinshares.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Candidates announced for the 2024 TSRA Board Election [31 October 2024]

    Source: Australian Electoral Commission

    AECMedia

    Updated: 31 October 2024

    Candidates in the 2024 Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) elections to be held on Saturday 30 November 2024 have been officially announced today.

    Returning Officer, Jacqueline McHenry said 20 wards in the Torres Strait are involved in the 2024 TSRA elections, with each ward electing one member to the TSRA board.

    The ballot draw for the election took place at 1.00pm (AEST) on Thursday 31 October 2024, and the candidates for the election in the contested wards are as follows:

    Ward

    Candidate Name (in ballot paper order)

    Badu Island

    • BAIRA, Horace
    • NONA, David Lars
    • NONA, Maluwap
    • MORSEU, George

    Bamaga

    • NADREDRE, Yanette (Pepa)
    • NONA, Ugari

    Dauan

    • MOOKA, Patrick
    • ELISALA, Torenzo

    Erub

    • GELA, Jimmy Joe
    • BEDFORD, Kenneth
    • MYE, Nixon Y

    Hammond

    • DORANTE, Seriako
    • TURNER, Regina

    Iama

    • LUI, Getano
    • DAVID, Charles Albert

    Kubin

    • MANAS, Louise
    • SAVAGE, Danie

    Mabuiag

    • FELL, Keith
    • REPU, Cygnet
    • GUISE, Simi

    Masig

    • MOSBY, Hilda Denise
    • MOSBY, Yessie
    • NAAWI, Simon Frederick

    Mer

    • TAPAU, Ellen Cecilia Julie
    • KAIGEY, Bob Kevin
    • TABO, John

    Ngurapai and Muralag

    • LOBAN, Yen N
    • WASAGA, Eliziah
    • BECKLEY (Doolah), Emma

    Port Kennedy

    • FUJII, Thomas Jnr
    • JOHNSTON, Neville
    • AH WANG, Pauline
    • DAVID, Frank
    • NONA, George Timothy
    • HAVILI, Ofa

    Poruma

    • MOSBY, Phillemon
    • FAUID, Frank

    Saibai

    • MATTHEW, Jack
    • WARUSAM, Herbert
    • ANIBA, Chelsea

    Seisia

    • ELU, Damien Mugai
    • MUDU, Sabrina

    St Pauls

    • PAIWAN, John
    • KRIS, John T

    TRAWQ

    • STEPHEN, Sereako
    • HARRY, Abigail
    • KRIS, Ella

    Ugar

    • STEPHEN, Jerry Dixie
    • STEPHEN, Rocky Gabriel

    Warraber

    • TAMU, Kabay
    • MARI, Annie Patricia
    • BILLY, Iris

    In the ward of Boigu only one candidate nominated.  This means voting will not be required in this ward as it is classed as an uncontested ward.

    Uncontested ward:

    Ward

    Candidate

    Boigu

    TOBY, Dimas Pinaith

    All Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people living in the wards where elections will take place, who are 18 years of age or over, can vote in the TSRA election, if they are enrolled on the Commonwealth electoral roll by 5:00pm (AEST) on Friday 15 November 2024.

    If you need to enrol for the first time, or if you have recently moved to any of these wards and have not updated your address, you will need to complete an enrolment form and return it to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) by 5:00pm (AEST) on Friday 15 November 2024.

    Enrolment forms are available from the AEC website at www.aec.gov.au, AEC offices, the TSRA office, and the Returning Officer.

    Polling places will be open on Saturday 30 November 2024 in the wards of:

    • Bamaga
    • Ngurapai and Muralag on Horn Island, and
    • Port Kennedy and TRAWQ on Thursday Island.

    The AEC will conduct mobile polling for contested wards in outer communities.  Communities will be informed of times, dates and polling places prior to the mobile polling teams arriving.

    Information on polling place locations, early voting options or hospital and aged care facility polling places will be available shortly on the AEC website at www.aec.gov.au/tsra or call (02) 9375 6366.

    MIL OSI News

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: SNP must not backtrack on tenants rights or rent controls

    Source: Scottish Greens

    Everyone has a right to a secure and affordable place to call home.

    The Scottish Government must not dilute the commitments it made to private tenants to deliver enhanced protections and rent controls.

    Speaking ahead of a Ministerial Statement on the forthcoming Housing Bill, the party’s equality spokesperson, Maggie Chapman, called for more protective measures to support renters across the country.

    The bill, which would introduce rent controls and new rights for tenants, was a key pledge in the Bute House Agreement between the Scottish Greens and the Scottish Government, with polling showing support from the overwhelming majority of Scotland.

    There have been concerns that the bill may be watered down, with one national newspaper quoting senior government sources pledging a “light touch approach” to regulations

    Ms Chapman said:

    “We all agree that Scotland faces a housing crisis, but words alone won’t do anything to tackle it. Everyone deserves a safe, warm home that gives them peace of mind and security, and we have so much more to do if we are to give tenants the rights and protections they deserve. 

    “Rent controls are normal in many countries – they exist across Europe and beyond. It is time for them to be introduced in Scotland. The SNP must not betray tenants or backtrack on the commitments they made three years ago.

    “By tackling sky high rents, ensuring protection from eviction, providing the rights to decorate and to keep pets, and providing greater support for victims and survivors of domestic abuse rebuilding their lives, we can build a fairer and better housing system.

    “This bill is a huge opportunity to deliver positive change for renters across Scotland. Everyone deserves to feel happy and safe in their homes and to be able to live comfortably without having to choose between eating or paying their rent.

    “MSPs across the Chamber must stand together and send a loud and clear message in support of tenants rights, giving the protections every tenant deserves. Homes should be for living in, not for profiteering.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-Evening Report: Islands Business publisher Samantha Magick – storyteller, risk-taker and community champion

    By Teagan Laszlo, Queensland University of Technology

    For Samantha Magick, journalism isn’t just a job. It is a lifelong commitment to storytelling, advocacy, and empowering voices often overlooked in the Pacific.

    As the managing editor and publisher at Islands Business, the Pacific Islands’ longest surviving news and business monthly magazine, Magick’s commitment to quality reporting and journalistic integrity has established her as a leading figure in the region’s news industry.

    Magick’s passion for journalism began at a young age.

    “I wanted to be a journalist when I was like 12,” Magick recalls. “When I left school, that’s all I wanted to study.”

    She remembers her family’s disapproval when she would write stories as a child, as they thought she was “sharing secrets”. Despite that early condemnation, Magick’s thriving journalism career has taken her across continents and exposed her to diverse media landscapes.

    After completing a Bachelor of Communications with a major in journalism at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst, Australia, Magick began her career at Communications Fiji Limited (CFL), a prominent Fijian commercial network.

    She progressed over 11 years from a cadet to CFL’s news director.

    Guidance of first boss
    Magick attributes some of her early success to the guidance of her first boss and CFL’s founder, William Parkinson. She considers herself fortunate to have had a supportive mentor who led by example and dared to take risks early in life, such as founding a radio station in his 20s.

    After leaving CFL, Magick’s career took her across the globe, including regional Pacific non-government organisations, news publications in Hawai’i and Indonesia, and even international legal organisations in Italy.

    Magick, who is of both Fijian and Australian heritage, returned to Suva in 2018, where she began her current role as Islands Business’s managing editor.

    “I’ve chosen to make my life in Fiji because I feel more myself here,” Magick says, reflecting on her deep connection to the island nation.

    Magick’s vision for Islands Business focuses on delving into the deeper, underlying narratives often overshadowed by breaking news cycles and free, readily available news content.

    “We need to be able to demonstrate the value of investigation, big picture reporting rather than the day-to-day stuff,” Magick says.

    Magick prides herself on creating a diverse and inclusive newsroom that reflects the communities it serves.

    Need for diverse newsroom
    “You have to have a diverse newsroom,” she emphasises, recognising the importance of amplifying marginalised voices. “For example, there is a conscious effort to make sure our magazine is not full of photos of men shaking hands with other men.”

    Magick also believes journalists have a responsibility to advocate for change, as demonstrated by Islands Business’s dedication to tackling pressing issues from climate change to media freedom.

    “Why would I give a climate change denier space?” Magick questions when discussing the need to balance objectivity and advocacy. “Because it’s kind of going to sell magazines? Because it’s going to create a bit of a stir online? That’s not something we believe in.”

    Despite her success, Magick’s career has not been without challenges. Magick worked through Fiji’s former draconian media restriction laws under the Media Industry Development Act 2010, while also navigating the shift to digital media.

    Islands Business managing editor Samantha Magick (right) with Fiji Times reporter Rakesh Kumar and chief editor Fred Wesley (centre) celebrating the repeal of the draconian Fiji media law last year . . . ““Why would I give a climate change denier space?” Image: Lydia Lewis/RNZ Pacific

    Magick emphasises the need to constantly upskill and re-evaluate strategies to ensure she and Islands Business can effectively navigate the constantly evolving media landscape.

    From learning to capitalise on social media analytics to locating reputable information sources when many of them feared to speak to the journalists due to the risk of legal retribution, Magick believes flexibility and perseverance are crucial to staying ahead in media.

    In her early career, Magick also faced sexism and misogyny in the media industry. “When I think back about the way I was treated as a young journalist, I feel sick,” Magick says as she reflects on how she and her female colleagues would warn each other against interviewing certain sources alone.

    Supporting aspiring journalists
    The challenges Magick has faced undoubtably contribute to her dedication to supporting aspiring journalists, as evident through Kite Pareti’s journey. Starting as a freelance writer with no newswriting experience in March 2022, Pareti has since progressed to one of two full-time reporters at Islands Business.

    Pareti expresses gratitude for the opportunities she’s had while working at Islands Business, and for the mentorship of Magick, whom she describes as “family”.

    “Samantha took a chance on me when I had zero knowledge on news writing,” Pareti says. “So I’m grateful to God for her life and for allowing me to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

    Magick reciprocates this sentiment. “Recently, I am inspired by some of our younger reporters in the field, and their ability to embrace and leverage technology — they’re teaching me.”

    Magick anticipates an exciting period ahead for Islands Business, as she aims to attract a younger, professionally driven, and regionally focused audience to their platforms.

    When asked about her aspirations for journalism in the region, Magick says she hopes to see a future where Pacific voices remain at the centre, “telling their own stories in all their diversities”.

    Teagan Laszlo was a student journalist from the Queensland University of Technology who travelled to Fiji with the support of the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan Mobility Programme. This article is published in a partnership of QUT with Asia Pacific Report, Asia Pacific Media Network (APMN) and The University of the South Pacific.

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK approves use of export finance to secure critical minerals

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 4

    UK Export Finance can now provide financial support for overseas projects that source critical minerals for use in major UK industries.

    Lithium, an example of a critical mineral

    • Chancellor announces availability of export credit financing to help British industries access a stable, long-term supply of critical minerals. 

    • There is high global demand for critical minerals which are increasingly vital to long-term industrial growth, emerging technology and the net zero transition. 

    The Chancellor has announced that UK Export Finance (UKEF), the government’s export credit agency, will offer financial support for overseas projects that supply critical minerals fuelling UK industrial growth and the net zero transition.  

    By securing contracts which increase and diversify UK access to critical minerals, this will help the UK to build economic resilience and lower the risk of supply-chain disruption in major industries like automotive, defence and aerospace. 

    ‘Critical minerals’ are raw materials like lithium, graphite and cobalt which are essential to the UK’s largest exporting sectors. They are used in range of emerging and sustainable technologies like electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines. 

    Financing will be offered in the form of credit guarantees to overseas companies, helping them access debt financing for projects which supply UK exporters with critical mineral products – including both raw and processed materials.  

    It is expected that UKEF will work with other ECAs and public financial institutions to finance eligible projects and support investment into new supply routes.   

    This would make it easier for UK manufacturers to secure contracts with critical mineral suppliers in countries with vast mineral deposits, including Australia, which holds large deposits of lithium.  

    Jonathan Reynolds, Secretary of State for Business and Trade, said: 

    There is intense global competition for critical minerals like lithium, tin and cobalt which are essential for industrial growth, British industries and our journey towards net zero. 

    As the energy transition pushes demand to new highs, this financing offer will help UK companies to get a seat at the table, build international partnerships and secure their critical mineral needs.  

    Helping exporters to access these vital resources will support UK industrial growth and our leadership in emerging technology.

    Kirsty Benham, Chief Executive Officer, Critical Minerals Association (UK), said:  

    We welcome the new export finance offering for critical minerals, which supports UK manufacturers and supply chain security. The offer demonstrates the importance of critical minerals to UK Government, and showcases the UK’s strengths as a serious buyer of these strategically important materials.  

    We look forward to working closely with UKEF and supporting the development of this offer into secure, resilient, responsible critical mineral supply chains for the UK and MSP partners.

    Sean Sargent, Chief Executive Officer, Green Lithium, added: 

    Green Lithium’s refinery in Teesside will be a future importer of critical raw materials and, following processing, a UK exporter of battery chemicals. This new export finance offering from UKEF is precisely the sort of initiative that will help UK businesses strengthen relationships with international partners and contribute to the development of stronger international supply chains, while also supporting critical minerals industrial development in the UK.  

    It is a welcome development from the UK Government, and a facility that will be of interest to several of our international supply chain partners.

    The UK government is a founding member of the US-initiated Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), which aims to help member economies secure a stable access to critical minerals. 

    Today’s announcement follows the recent launch of an MSP finance network, in which UKEF is working with other export credit agencies and financial bodies to help de-risk and increase financing for critical minerals projects.  

    UKEF has also used its existing products to support UK capability in critical minerals production. It recently announced a guarantee supporting machinery exports to one of Central Asia’s largest copper-production facilities.

    Contact

    Media enquiries:

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: SED attends China Annual Conference & Expo for International Education in Beijing (with photo)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    SED attends China Annual Conference & Expo for International Education in Beijing (with photo)
    SED attends China Annual Conference & Expo for International Education in Beijing (with photo)
    ******************************************************************************************

         The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, today (October 31) attended the 25th China Annual Conference & Expo for International Education (CACIE) in Beijing to share Hong Kong’s experiences in promoting internationalisation and diversification of higher education, and promote the “Study in Hong Kong” Brand.           CACIE is a high-level and comprehensive platform for global educators to engage in dialogue and practical co-operation. Under the theme “Education for All, the Unknown and the Future”, this year’s Conference aims to forge a consensus on global education development and reform. Thousands of people from different countries and regions attended.           In her keynote speech at the plenary session of CACIE on Hong Kong’s efforts in promoting internationalisation and diversification in the higher education sector, Dr Choi said that Hong Kong has five universities funded by the University Grants Committee which are ranked among the world’s top 100. Coupled with a sound education infrastructure, outstanding research talent and strong research capabilities, Hong Kong’s reputable brand name of quality education is widely recognised and acknowledged both locally and globally.           “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address” announced the establishment of the Committee on Education, Technology and Talents to take forward the work of invigorating the country through science and education, and accelerate the building of an innovative talent pool. At the same time, the Government launched a number of key initiatives, including supporting capacity expansion and quality enhancement of local institutions; stepping up overseas publicity to attract more non-local students to study in Hong Kong; strengthening collaboration with universities from all over the world to broaden students’ international horizons; promoting synergistic development of higher education in Hong Kong and on the Mainland to complement each other’s strengths; and nurturing cross-disciplinary talent, and pressing ahead with the development of universities of applied sciences to create multiple pathways for young people.           She said that the Government has been actively supporting the establishment of alliances between higher education institutions in Hong Kong and on the Mainland to gather high-quality teaching and research resources, and to achieve mutual benefits through deepening co-operation among member institutions in areas such as scientific innovation and talent exchanges, thereby enhancing the level and standard of regional co-operation, and developments on different fronts.           During the Conference, Dr Choi exchanged views on the latest trends and developments in global education with other guests, including Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress Mr Ding Zhongli; the Governor of Victoria, Australia, Professor Margaret Gardner; Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovations of Uzbekistan Mr Otabek Mahkamov; the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of International Education in the United States, Dr Allan Goodman; and the Ambassador of France to China, Mr Bertrand Lortholary.           In addition, Dr Choi met representatives of Hong Kong post-secondary education institutions participating in the Expo to learn about the promotional efforts of publicly funded and self-financing institutions in expanding their international network and recruiting students from around the world to study in Hong Kong.???           Dr Choi will return to Hong Kong in the afternoon.

     
    Ends/Thursday, October 31, 2024Issued at HKT 17:43

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-Evening Report: Grattan on Friday: furore over Anthony Albanese’s Qantas perks chips away at public trust in politicians

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    A major takeout from the inquiry into the national response to COVID is that a lack of trust would likely mean a less cooperative public during a future pandemic.

    Trust spiked early in the crisis, as fear ran high and people turned to known institutions and authority figures. Later, trust declined and frustrations rose, with people reacting against harsh measures.

    Criticism has grown in retrospect. In a 2024 survey, 54% said the government’s handling at the time was appropriate. This had been 80% at the pandemic’s peak. By 2024, 29% said the government had overreacted; they were more likely to rate its performance poorly than were people earlier.

    The review, by an independent panel, stressed the importance of better communication and coordination in planning for future crises. But a few wrinkles should also be considered.

    If we had another pandemic in five years, people would indeed be more resistant to restrictions. But if the next similar crisis was, say, 50 years on, the then-public’s attitude would be anyone’s guess. Trust might surge and subside in a similar pattern.

    The change in views is unsurprising. Looking back, memories of the threat fade somewhat – because overall Australia did well – while those of the restraints (some of them notable overreach) loom larger.

    The pandemic’s lift in public trust was a blip – driven by extraordinary circumstances – in a long-term decline. This decline is a serious intractable problem in our democracy, as in many other countries.

    You’d have to be super optimistic to expect a revival in trust in the foreseeable future. But if it continues to fall away, the foundations of our political institutions and our society will become shakier.

    In the United States, Donald Trump made a huge assault on people’s trust in the electoral system after he lost the 2020 presidential election. There’d be fears he would do the same if he loses next week.

    Thankfully, in Australia trust around election management remains absolutely solid. But there’s mounting concern about the corrosive effect of misinformation and disinformation in the political debate and, equally, distrust of proposals to curb these.

    The polarisation in our media is a much paler version of what we see in the US, but is still wearing away at trust.

    Distrust and cynicism are closely related, and can be fuelled by relatively small things.

    Australians have always been disrespectful of the political class. To a degree this can be positive, if it is healthy scepticism. But if it descends into a belief politicians are more likely to serve themselves than serve the public good, that pulls democracy downwards.

    Independent Helen Haines wrote this week: “in a world of aggressive lobbying, of jobs for mates, and acceptance of pork-barrelling, it is no surprise that in Australia there is diminishing trust in politics and governments”.

    The furore over Anthony Albanese obtaining Qantas upgrades, arising from Joe Aston’s just-published The Chairman’s Lounge, might be seen as small beer, as “scandals” go.

    But it raises suspicions, justified or not, in voters’ minds about decision-making. If big corporations are so cosy with politicians, are the politicians more likely to lend them sympathetic ears?

    After all, the pursuit of access and influence is behind much of the money that’s donated to politics. The same applies to privileges extended.

    Integrity is vital to trust. It didn’t pass the integrity test for Albanese to have accepted upgrades from Qantas, especially for personal travel, when he was transport minister in the former Labor government, overseeing regulation of the airline.

    After dodging for days – he said it took a long time to check his records – Albanese finally denied ever contacting then Qantas chief Alan Joyce (or other executives) to request upgrades. But, it will be asked, did a mates network mean he didn’t need to?

    Albanese is highly sensitive over the Qantas story, insisting to colleagues and others it is just a media beatup.

    The affair has chipped away at public trust not just in the prime minister but, to an extent, more generally, as scrutiny stretched to travel largesse received by opposition figures, including Peter Dutton asking to use Gina Rinehart’s plane.

    Research for the COVID inquiry showed a distrustful public wants more transparency from their politicians.

    It’s a paradox that we’ve seen an expansion of mechanisms for transparency, yet there’s the perception, and often the reality, of things being deeply opaque.

    In the upgrades affair, Albanese has made much of the fact he declared everything on his parliamentary register of interests. Yet that doesn’t get us to the core of the relationship between a senior politician and key people in an airline.

    It’s the same with the gambling industry. What has been going on behind the scenes to delay the government’s decision on gambling reform, expected months ago? We can find from the record the donations the gambling industry gave, but not the influence exerted privately.

    The increasing professionalisation of politics may have worked against trust. It distances voters from the politicians, and provides more tools for manipulating public opinion.

    This may be one reason why “community candidates”, with their grassroots campaigning, have appealed. But the apparent shyness of Simon Holmes à Court, whose Climate 200 fund donates to some of these candidates, about finding himself on the Australian Financial Review’s “covert power” list only turned more attention to the backstory of money and politics.

    Concern about integrity and trust was a driver of the Albanese government’s establishment, with much fanfare, of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). Now a scathing report released this week threatens to undermine public trust in that body.

    It followed the NACC’s decision not to investigate six people referred to it by the royal commission into Robodebt.

    Robodebt had delivered a massive blow to people’s trust in government and the public service, and it was vital full accountability was pursued.

    The NACC head, Paul Brereton, delegated the decision-making on whether to open an investigation to another commissioner, because he’d had a professional relationship with one of the people referred.

    But, in a damning report, the Inspector of the NACC found Brereton had not adequately excused himself.

    “I found that the NACC Commissioner’s involvement in the decision-making was comprehensive, before, during and after the 19 October 2023 meeting at which the substantive decision was made not to investigate the referrals,” the Inspector concluded.

    Brereton’s response has been to say mistakes happen, the important thing is to correct them, and this will be done – through the appointment of an “eminent person” to review whether the referrals should be investigated.

    Both government and opposition are declaring faith in Brereton. But crossbench senator David Pocock argues Brereton should go. Anthony Whealy, former judge and chair of the Centre for Public Integrity, told the ABC that while Brereton hadn’t committed a sackable offence, in his shoes he would step down, to protect the NACC’s reputation.

    Is that the price of maintaining trust in this institution that was supposed to help restore trust?

    Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    ref. Grattan on Friday: furore over Anthony Albanese’s Qantas perks chips away at public trust in politicians – https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-furore-over-anthony-albaneses-qantas-perks-chips-away-at-public-trust-in-politicians-242589

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI: Radware Reports Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results and Highlights

    • Revenue of $69.5 million, an increase of 13% yearoveryear
    • Cloud ARR of $71.6 million, an increase of 15% year-over-year
    • Non-GAAP diluted EPS of $0.23 vs. $0.07 in Q3 2023; GAAP diluted EPS of $0.07 vs. $(0.16) in Q3 2023
    • Cash flow from operations of $14.7 million and $58.9 million year-to-date

    TEL AVIV, Israel, Oct. 31, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Radware® (NASDAQ: RDWR), a leading provider of cyber security and application delivery solutions, today announced its consolidated financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024.

    “We are pleased to report solid third-quarter results, highlighted by 13% year-over-year revenue growth and a significant improvement in profitability and cash flow from operations,” said Roy Zisapel, Radware’s President and CEO. “Our results reflect double-digit growth in subscription revenue, strong sales of software subscriptions, and the ongoing success of DefensePro X, which carries with it more subscription revenue. We are excited about the momentum we’ve built and our future growth prospects.”

    Financial Highlights for the Third Quarter 2024
    Revenue for the third quarter of 2024 totaled $69.5 million:

    • Revenue in the Americas region was $27.7 million for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 11% from $24.9 million in the third quarter of 2023.
    • Revenue in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (“EMEA”) region was $25.2 million for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 30% from $19.3 million in the third quarter of 2023.
    • Revenue in the Asia-Pacific (“APAC”) region was $16.6 million for the third quarter of 2024, a decrease of 5% from $17.4 million in the third quarter of 2023.

    GAAP net income for the third quarter of 2024 was $3.1 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, compared to GAAP net loss of $6.9 million, or $(0.16) per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2023.

    Non-GAAP net income for the third quarter of 2024 was $10.2 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, compared to non-GAAP net income of $2.9 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2023.

    As of September 30, 2024, the Company had cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term bank deposits, and marketable securities of $411.7 million. Cash flow from operations was $14.7 million in the third quarter of 2024.

    Non-GAAP results are calculated excluding, as applicable, the impact of stock-based compensation expenses, amortization of intangible assets, litigation costs, acquisition costs, restructuring costs, exchange rate differences, net on balance sheet items included in financial income, net, and tax-related adjustments. A reconciliation of each of the Company’s non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measure is included at the end of this press release.

    Conference Call
    Radware management will host a call today, October 31, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. EDT to discuss its third quarter 2024 results and fourth quarter 2024 outlook. To participate on the call, please use the following numbers:
    U.S. participants call toll free: 888-510-2008
    International participants call: 1 646-960-0306
    Conference ID: 1864701

    A replay will be available for two days, starting two hours after the end of the call, on telephone number +1-609-800-9099 or (US toll-free) 800-770-2030. Passcode 1864701.

    The call will be webcast live on the Company’s website at: http://www.radware.com/IR/. The webcast will remain available for replay during the next 12 months.

    Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information and Key Performance Indicators
    In addition to reporting financial results in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), Radware uses non-GAAP measures of gross profit, research and development expense, selling and marketing expense, general and administrative expense, total operating expenses, operating income, financial income, net, income before taxes on income, taxes on income, net income and diluted earnings per share, which are adjustments from results based on GAAP to exclude, as applicable, stock-based compensation expenses, amortization of intangible assets, litigation costs, acquisition costs, restructuring costs, exchange rate differences, net on balance sheet items included in financial income, net, and taxrelated adjustments. Management believes that exclusion of these charges allows for meaningful comparisons of operating results across past, present, and future periods. Radware’s management believes the non-GAAP financial measures provided in this release are useful to investors for the purpose of understanding and assessing Radware’s ongoing operations. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for results prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is included with the financial information contained in this press release. Management uses both GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures in evaluating and operating the business and, as such, has determined that it is important to provide this information to investors.

    Annual recurring revenue (“ARR”) is a key performance indicator defined as the annualized value of booked orders for term-based cloud services, subscription licenses, and maintenance contracts that are in effect at the end of a reporting period. ARR should be viewed independently of revenue and deferred revenue and is not intended to be combined with or to replace either of those items. ARR is not a forecast of future revenue, which can be impacted by contract start and end dates and renewal rates and does not include revenue reported as perpetual license or professional services revenue in our consolidated statement of operations. We consider ARR a key performance indicator of the value of the recurring components of our business.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements made herein that are not statements of historical fact, including statements about Radware’s plans, outlook, beliefs, or opinions, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “estimates,” “plans,” and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “should,” “would,” “may,” and “could.” Because such statements deal with future events, they are subject to various risks and uncertainties, and actual results, expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, could differ materially from Radware’s current forecasts and estimates. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: the impact of global economic conditions, including as a result of the state of war declared in Israel in October 2023 and instability in the Middle East, the war in Ukraine, and the tensions between China and Taiwan; our dependence on independent distributors to sell our products; our ability to manage our anticipated growth effectively; a shortage of components or manufacturing capacity could cause a delay in our ability to fulfill orders or increase our manufacturing costs; our business may be affected by sanctions, export controls, and similar measures, targeting Russia and other countries and territories, as well as other responses to Russia’s military conflict in Ukraine, including indefinite suspension of operations in Russia and dealings with Russian entities by many multi-national businesses across a variety of industries; the ability of vendors to provide our hardware platforms and components for the manufacture of our products; our ability to attract, train, and retain highly qualified personnel; intense competition in the market for cyber security and application delivery solutions and in our industry in general, and changes in the competitive landscape; our ability to develop new solutions and enhance existing solutions; the impact to our reputation and business in the event of real or perceived shortcomings, defects, or vulnerabilities in our solutions, if our end-users experience security breaches, if our information technology systems and data, or those of our service providers and other contractors, are compromised by cyber-attackers or other malicious actors, or by a critical system failure; outages, interruptions, or delays in hosting services; the risks associated with our global operations, such as difficulties and costs of staffing and managing foreign operations, compliance costs arising from host country laws or regulations, partial or total expropriation, export duties and quotas, local tax exposure, economic or political instability, including as a result of insurrection, war, natural disasters, and major environmental, climate, or public health concerns, such as the COVID-19 pandemic; our net losses in the past two years and possibility we may incur losses in the future; a slowdown in the growth of the cyber security and application delivery solutions market or in the development of the market for our cloud-based solutions; long sales cycles for our solutions; risks and uncertainties relating to acquisitions or other investments; risks associated with doing business in countries with a history of corruption or with foreign governments; changes in foreign currency exchange rates; risks associated with undetected defects or errors in our products; our ability to protect our proprietary technology; intellectual property infringement claims made by third parties; laws, regulations, and industry standards affecting our business; compliance with open source and third-party licenses; and other factors and risks over which we may have little or no control. This list is intended to identify only certain of the principal factors that could cause actual results to differ. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting Radware, refer to Radware’s Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the other risk factors discussed from time to time by Radware in reports filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and, except as required by applicable law, Radware undertakes no commitment to revise or update any forward-looking statement in order to reflect events or circumstances after the date any such statement is made. Radware’s public filings are available from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or may be obtained on Radware’s website at www.radware.com.

    About Radware
    Radware® (NASDAQ: RDWR) is a global leader in application security and delivery solutions for multi-cloud environments. The company’s cloud application, infrastructure, and API security solutions use AI-driven algorithms for precise, hands-free, real-time protection from the most sophisticated web, application, and DDoS attacks, API abuse, and bad bots. Enterprises and carriers worldwide rely on Radware’s solutions to address evolving cybersecurity challenges and protect their brands and business operations while reducing costs. For more information, please visit the Radware website.

    Radware encourages you to join our community and follow us on: Facebook, LinkedIn, Radware Blog, X, YouTube, and Radware Mobile for iOS.

    ©2024 Radware Ltd. All rights reserved. Any Radware products and solutions mentioned in this press release are protected by trademarks, patents, and pending patent applications of Radware in the U.S. and other countries. For more details, please see: https://www.radware.com/LegalNotice/. All other trademarks and names are property of their respective owners.

    Radware believes the information in this document is accurate in all material respects as of its publication date. However, the information is provided without any express, statutory, or implied warranties and is subject to change without notice.

    The contents of any website or hyperlinks mentioned in this press release are for informational purposes and the contents thereof are not part of this press release.

    CONTACTS
    Investor Relations:
    Yisca Erez, +972-72-3917211, ir@radware.com

    Media Contact:
    Gerri Dyrek, gerri.dyrek@radware.com

    Radware Ltd.
    Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
    (U.S. Dollars in thousands)
           
      September 30,   December 31,
      2024   2023
      (Unaudited)   (Unaudited)
    Assets      
           
    Current assets      
    Cash and cash equivalents 115,416   70,538
    Marketable securities 94,809   86,372
    Short-term bank deposits 111,998   173,678
    Trade receivables, net 19,963   20,267
    Other receivables and prepaid expenses 9,891   9,529
    Inventories 13,543   15,544
      365,620   375,928
           
    Long-term investments      
    Marketable securities 30,991   33,131
    Long-term bank deposits 58,468  
    Other assets 2,104   2,166
      91,563   35,297
           
           
    Property and equipment, net 16,499   18,221
    Intangible assets, net 12,742   15,718
    Other long-term assets 35,312   37,967
    Operating lease right-of-use assets 18,433   20,777
    Goodwill 68,008   68,008
    Total assets 608,177   571,916
           
    Liabilities and equity      
           
    Current liabilities      
    Trade payables 6,551   4,298
    Deferred revenues 109,924   105,012
    Operating lease liabilities 4,333   4,684
    Other payables and accrued expenses 46,427   41,021
      167,235   155,015
           
    Long-term liabilities      
    Deferred revenues 65,916   60,499
    Operating lease liabilities 13,658   16,020
    Other long-term liabilities 14,173   17,108
      93,747   93,627
           
    Equity      
    Radware Ltd. equity      
    Share capital 749   742
    Additional paid-in capital 548,240   529,209
    Accumulated other comprehensive income 593   77
    Treasury stock, at cost (366,588)   (365,749)
    Retained earnings 123,398   119,812
    Total Radware Ltd. shareholder’s equity 306,392   284,091
           
    Non–controlling interest 40,803   39,183
           
    Total equity 347,195   323,274
           
    Total liabilities and equity 608,177   571,916
           
    Radware Ltd.
    Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss)

    (U.S Dollars in thousands, except share and per share data) 
                     
        For the three months ended   For the nine months ended
        September 30,   September 30,
        2024   2023   2024   2023
        (Unaudited)   (Unaudited)   (Unaudited)   (Unaudited)
                     
    Revenues   69,488   61,612   201,849   196,260
    Cost of revenues   13,392   12,838   39,260   38,886
    Gross profit   56,096   48,774   162,589   157,374
                     
    Operating expenses, net:                
    Research and development, net   18,654   20,614   56,251   62,905
    Selling and marketing   30,500   30,532   89,945   94,368
    General and administrative   6,948   7,824   21,271   24,378
    Total operating expenses, net   56,102   58,970   167,467   181,651
                     
    Operating loss   (6)   (10,196)   (4,878)   (24,277)
    Financial income, net   4,957   3,778   12,982   10,688
    Income (loss) before taxes on income   4,951   (6,418)   8,104   (13,589)
    Taxes on income   1,807   433   4,518   2,151
    Net income (loss)   3,144   (6,851)   3,586   (15,740)
                     
    Basic net income (loss) per share attributed to Radware Ltd.’s shareholders   0.07   (0.16)   0.09   (0.36)
                     
    Weighted average number of shares used to compute basic net income (loss) per share   41,956,001   42,261,637   41,854,984   43,232,405
                     
    Diluted net income (loss) per share attributed to Radware Ltd.’s shareholders   0.07   (0.16)   0.08   (0.36)
                     
    Weighted average number of shares used to compute diluted net income (loss) per share   43,573,161   42,261,637   43,199,279   43,232,405
                     
      Radware Ltd.
    Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Information
    (U.S Dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)
                     
        For the three months ended   For the nine months ended
        September 30,   September 30,
        2024   2023   2024   2023
        (Unaudited)   (Unaudited)   (Unaudited)   (Unaudited)
    GAAP gross profit 56,096   48,774   162,589   157,374
      Share-based compensation 81   177   240   403
      Amortization of intangible assets 992   992   2,976   2,976
    Non-GAAP gross profit 57,169   49,943   165,805   160,753
                     
    GAAP research and development, net 18,654   20,614   56,251   62,905
      Share-based compensation 1,421   2,064   4,679   6,200
    Non-GAAP Research and development, net 17,233   18,550   51,572   56,705
                     
    GAAP selling and marketing 30,500   30,532   89,945   94,368
      Share-based compensation 2,548   2,134   7,708   9,065
      Restructuring costs   1,273     1,273
    Non-GAAP selling and marketing 27,952   27,125   82,237   84,030
                     
    GAAP general and administrative 6,948   7,824   21,271   24,378
      Share-based compensation 2,008   2,884   6,480   9,483
      Acquisition costs 159   211   571   769
    Non-GAAP general and administrative 4,781   4,729   14,220   14,126
                     
    GAAP total operating expenses, net 56,102   58,970   167,467   181,651
      Share-based compensation 5,977   7,082   18,867   24,748
      Acquisition costs 159   211   571   769
      Restructuring costs   1,273     1,273
    Non-GAAP total operating expenses, net 49,966   50,404   148,029   154,861
                     
    GAAP operating loss (6)   (10,196)   (4,878)   (24,277)
      Share-based compensation 6,058   7,259   19,107   25,151
      Amortization of intangible assets 992   992   2,976   2,976
      Acquisition costs 159   211   571   769
      Restructuring costs   1,273     1,273
    Non-GAAP operating income (loss) 7,203   (461)   17,776   5,892
                     
    GAAP financial income, net 4,957   3,778   12,982   10,688
      Exchange rate differences, net on balance sheet items included in financial income, net (86)   37   (231)   (770)
    Non-GAAP financial income, net 4,871   3,815   12,751   9,918
                     
    GAAP income (loss) before taxes on income 4,951   (6,418)   8,104   (13,589)
      Share-based compensation 6,058   7,259   19,107   25,151
      Amortization of intangible assets 992   992   2,976   2,976
      Acquisition costs 159   211   571   769
      Restructuring costs   1,273     1,273
      Exchange rate differences, net on balance sheet items included in financial income, net (86)   37   (231)   (770)
    Non-GAAP income before taxes on income 12,074   3,354   30,527   15,810
                     
    GAAP taxes on income 1,807   433   4,518   2,151
      Tax related adjustments 62   62   185   185
    Non-GAAP taxes on income 1,869   495   4,703   2,336
                     
    GAAP net income (loss) 3,144   (6,851)   3,586   (15,740)
      Share-based compensation 6,058   7,259   19,107   25,151
      Amortization of intangible assets 992   992   2,976   2,976
      Acquisition costs 159   211   571   769
      Restructuring costs   1,273     1,273
      Exchange rate differences, net on balance sheet items included in financial income, net (86)   37   (231)   (770)
      Tax related adjustments (62)   (62)   (185)   (185)
    Non-GAAP net income 10,205   2,859   25,824   13,474
                     
    GAAP diluted net income (loss) per share 0.07   (0.16)   0.08   (0.36)
      Share-based compensation 0.14   0.17   0.45   0.57
      Amortization of intangible assets 0.02   0.03   0.07   0.07
      Acquisition costs 0.00   0.00   0.01   0.02
      Restructuring costs 0.00   0.03   0.00   0.03
      Exchange rate differences, net on balance sheet items included in financial income, net (0.00)   0.00   (0.01)   (0.02)
      Tax related adjustments (0.00)   (0.00)   (0.00)   0.00
    Non-GAAP diluted net earnings per share 0.23   0.07   0.60   0.31
                     
                     
    Weighted average number of shares used to compute non-GAAP diluted net earnings per share 43,573,161   43,163,159   43,199,279   44,058,549
                   
    Radware Ltd.
     Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow
    (U.S. Dollars in thousands)
                     
        For the three months ended   For the nine months ended
        September 30,   September 30,
        2024   2023   2024   2023
        (Unaudited)   (Unaudited)   (Unaudited)   (Unaudited)
    Cash flow from operating activities:                
                     
    Net income (loss)   3,144   (6,851)   3,586   (15,740)
    Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:                
    Depreciation and amortization   2,947   3,025   8,918   9,216
    Share-based compensation   6,058   7,259   19,107   25,151
    Amortization of premium, accretion of discounts and accrued interest on marketable securities, net   (234)   161   (227)   1,116
    Loss related to securities, net         244
    Increase (decrease) in accrued interest on bank deposits   (814)   (2,289)   4,645   (3,814)
    Increase (decrease) in accrued severance pay, net   147   (401)   106   (506)
    Decrease in trade receivables, net   5,536   4,448   304   5,380
    Decrease (increase) in other receivables and prepaid expenses and other long-term assets   749   (215)   1,155   (2,541)
    Decrease (increase) in inventories   253   (671)   2,001   (1,566)
    Increase (decrease) in trade payables   2,474   (1,778)   2,253   (395)
    Increase (decrease) in deferred revenues   (6,059)   (12,311)   10,329   (11,095)
    Increase (decrease) in other payables and accrued expenses   259   644   7,052   (10,798)
    Operating lease liabilities, net   248   (804)   (369)   (805)
    Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities   14,708   (9,783)   58,860   (6,153)
                     
    Cash flows from investing activities:                
                     
    Purchase of property and equipment   (1,412)   (1,130)   (4,220)   (4,493)
    Proceeds from other long-term assets, net   46   29   40   77
    Proceeds from (investment in) bank deposits, net   9,731   21,145   (1,433)   51,345
    Investment in, redemption of and purchase of marketable securities, net   5,541   2,228   (4,456)   347
    Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities   13,906   22,272   (10,069)   47,276
                     
    Cash flows from financing activities:                
                     
    Proceeds from exercise of share options       3   308
    Repurchase of shares     (20,648)   (839)   (53,131)
    Payment of contingent consideration related to acquisition     (2,063)   (3,077)   (2,063)
    Net cash used in financing activities     (22,711)   (3,913)   (54,886)
                     
    Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents   28,614   (10,222)   44,878   (13,763)
    Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period   86,802   42,644   70,538   46,185
    Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period   115,416   32,422   115,416   32,422
                     
      Radware Ltd.
    RECONCILIATION OF GAAP NET INCOME (LOSS) TO EBITDA AND ADJUSTED EBITDA (NON-GAAP)

    (U.S Dollars in thousands)
                     
        For the three months ended   For the nine months ended
        September 30,   September 30,
        2024   2023   2024   2023
        (Unaudited)   (Unaudited)   (Unaudited)   (Unaudited)
    GAAP net income (loss) 3,144   (6,851)   3,586   (15,740)
      Exclude: Financial income, net (4,957)   (3,778)   (12,982)   (10,688)
      Exclude: Depreciation and amortization expense 2,947   3,025   8,918   9,216
      Exclude: Taxes on income 1,807   433   4,518   2,151
    EBITDA 2,941   (7,171)   4,040   (15,061)
                     
      Share-based compensation 6,058   7,259   19,107   25,151
      Restructuring costs   1,273     1,273
      Acquisition costs 159   211   571   769
    Adjusted EBITDA 9,158   1,572   23,718   12,132
                     
                     
        For the three months ended   For the nine months ended
        September 30,   September 30,
        2024   2023   2024   2023
      Amortization of intangible assets 992   992   2,976   2,976
      Depreciation 1,955   2,033   5,942   6,240
        2,947   3,025   8,918   9,216
                     

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: WTW Reports Third Quarter 2024 Earnings

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Revenue1 increased 6% to $2.3 billion for the quarter with organic growth of 6% for the quarter
    • Diluted Loss2 per Share was $16.44 for the quarter
    • Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share were $2.93 for the quarter, up 31% from prior year
    • Operating Margin2 was (33.5)% for the quarter
    • Adjusted Operating Margin was 18.1% for the quarter, up 190 basis points from prior year

    LONDON, Oct. 31, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — WTW (NASDAQ: WTW) (the “Company”), a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024.

    “We had another strong quarter fueled by revenue growth, operating leverage and the success of our Transformation program. Our revenue growth of 6% for the quarter is evidence that our value proposition is continuing to resonate in the market and that our investments in talent and technology are succeeding. We are also making ongoing progress on our commitment to improve cash flow. Given our strong performance and momentum, we are entering the fourth quarter with confidence in our ability to deliver on our targets for the year and drive sustainable, profitable growth going forward.”

    Consolidated Results

    As reported, USD millions, except %

    Key Metrics Q3-24 Q3-23 Y/Y Change
    Revenue1 $2,289 $2,166 Reported 6% | CC 6% | Organic 6%
    (Loss)/Income from Operations2 $(766) $159 NM
    Operating Margin2 % (33.5)% 7.3% NM
    Adjusted Operating Income $414 $351 18%
    Adjusted Operating Margin % 18.1% 16.2% 190 bps
    Net (Loss)/Income2 $(1,672) $139 NM
    Adjusted Net Income $299 $236 27%
    Diluted EPS2 $(16.44) $1.29 NM
    Adjusted Diluted EPS $2.93 $2.24 31%
    1 The revenue amounts included in this release are presented on a U.S. GAAP basis except where stated otherwise. This excludes reinsurance revenue which is reported in discontinued operations. The segment discussion is on an organic basis.
    2 Loss from Operations, Operating Margin, Net Loss and Diluted EPS for the third quarter of 2024 include pre-tax non-cash losses and impairment charges of over $1.0 billion each related to the pending sale of TRANZACT.
    NM Not meaningful.

    Revenue was $2.29 billion for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 6% as compared to $2.17 billion for the same period in the prior year. Excluding the impact of foreign currency, revenue increased 6%. On an organic basis, revenue increased 6%. See Supplemental Segment Information for additional detail on book-of-business settlements and interest income included in revenue.

    Net Loss for the third quarter of 2024 was $1.67 billion compared to Net Income of $139 million in the prior-year third quarter. Loss from Operations, Operating Margin, Net Loss and Diluted EPS for the third quarter of 2024 include pre-tax non-cash losses and impairment charges of over $1.0 billion each related to the pending sale of TRANZACT. Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter was $501 million, or 21.9% of revenue, an increase of 15%, compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $436 million, or 20.1% of revenue, in the prior-year third quarter. The U.S. GAAP tax rate for the third quarter was 16.1%, and the adjusted income tax rate for the third quarter used in calculating adjusted diluted earnings per share was 19.7%.

    Cash Flow and Capital Allocation

    Cash flows from operating activities were $913 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to $823 million for the prior year. Free cash flow for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 was $807 million and $707 million, respectively, an increase of $100 million, primarily driven by operating margin expansion, partially offset by cash outflows related to transformation and discretionary compensation payments. During the quarter ended September 30, 2024, the Company repurchased $205 million of WTW outstanding shares.

    Third Quarter 2024 Segment Highlights

    Health, Wealth & Career (“HWC”)

    As reported, USD millions, except %

    Health, Wealth & Career Q3-24 Q3-23 Y/Y Change
    Total Revenue $1,328 $1,282 Reported 4% | CC 3% | Organic 4%
    Operating Income $329 $305 8%
    Operating Margin % 24.7% 23.8% 90 bps

    The HWC segment had revenue of $1.33 billion in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 4% (3% increase constant currency and 4% organic) from $1.28 billion in the prior year. Health had organic revenue growth driven by strong client retention, new local appointments and the continued expansion of our Global Benefits Management client portfolio in International and Europe, along with increased brokerage income in North America. Wealth generated organic revenue growth from higher levels of Retirement work in Europe, an increase in our Investments business due to capital market improvements and growth from our LifeSight solution. Career had organic revenue growth from increased compensation survey sales and advisory services in Work & Rewards and product revenue in Employee Experience. Benefits Delivery & Outsourcing (BD&O) had an organic revenue decline for the quarter primarily as a result of deliberately moderating growth in Individual Marketplace and a stronger comparable in Outsourcing.

    Operating margins in the HWC segment increased 90 basis points from the prior-year third quarter to 24.7%, primarily from Transformation savings. Please refer to the Supplemental Slides for TRANZACT’s standalone historical financial results.

    Risk & Broking (“R&B”)

    As reported, USD millions, except %

    Risk & Broking Q3-24 Q3-23 Y/Y Change
    Total Revenue $940 $855 Reported 10% | CC 10% | Organic 10%
    Operating Income $170 $134 27%
    Operating Margin % 18.1% 15.7% 240 bps

    The R&B segment had revenue of $940 million in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 10% (10% increase constant currency and organic) from $855 million in the prior year. Corporate Risk & Broking (CRB) had organic revenue growth driven by higher levels of new business activity and strong client retention. Insurance Consulting and Technology (ICT) had organic revenue growth for the quarter primarily due to strong software sales in Technology, partially offset by tempered demand for discretionary services in Consulting.

    Operating margins in the R&B segment increased 240 basis points from the prior-year third quarter to 18.1%, primarily due to operating leverage driven by organic revenue growth and disciplined expense management, as well as Transformation savings.

    2024 Outlook

    Based on current and anticipated market conditions, the Company’s full-year targets for 2024, consistent with those targets that have been previously provided, are as follows. Refer to the Supplemental Slides for additional detail.

    • Expect to deliver revenue of $9.9 billion or greater and mid-single digit organic revenue growth for the full year 2024
    • Expect to deliver adjusted operating margin of 23.0% – 23.5% for the full year 2024
    • Expect to deliver adjusted diluted earnings per share of $16.00 – $17.00 for the full year 2024
    • Expect approximately $88 million in non-cash pension income for the full year 2024
    • Expect a foreign currency headwind on adjusted earnings per share of approximately $0.06 for the full year 2024 at today’s rates, down from $0.10 previously
    • Expect to deliver approximately $450 million of cumulative run-rate savings from the Transformation program by the end of 2024 with total program costs of $1.175 billion.

    Outlook includes Non-GAAP financial measures. We do not reconcile forward-looking Non-GAAP measures for reasons explained below.

    In addition, WTW will host an Investor Day on Tuesday, December 3, 2024 beginning at approximately 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. A live webcast presentation will be available at www.wtwco.com and a replay of the webcast will be available on the Company’s website following the event.

    Conference Call

    The Company will host a live webcast and conference call to discuss the financial results for the third quarter 2024. It will be held on Thursday, October 31, 2024, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. A live broadcast of the conference call will be available on WTW’s website here. The conference call will include a question-and-answer session. To participate in the question-and-answer session, please register here. An online replay will be available at www.wtwco.com shortly after the call concludes.

    About WTW

    At WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), we provide data-driven, insight-led solutions in the areas of people, risk and capital. Leveraging the global view and local expertise of our colleagues serving 140 countries and markets, we help organizations sharpen their strategy, enhance organizational resilience, motivate their workforce and maximize performance. Working shoulder to shoulder with our clients, we uncover opportunities for sustainable success—and provide perspective that moves you. Learn more at www.wtwco.com.

    WTW Non-GAAP Measures

    In order to assist readers of our consolidated financial statements in understanding the core operating results that WTW’s management uses to evaluate the business and for financial planning, we present the following non-GAAP measures: (1) Constant Currency Change, (2) Organic Change, (3) Adjusted Operating Income/Margin, (4) Adjusted EBITDA/Margin, (5) Adjusted Net Income, (6) Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share, (7) Adjusted Income Before Taxes, (8) Adjusted Income Taxes/Tax Rate, (9) Free Cash Flow and (10) Free Cash Flow Margin.

    We believe that those measures are relevant and provide pertinent information widely used by analysts, investors and other interested parties in our industry to provide a baseline for evaluating and comparing our operating performance, and in the case of free cash flow, our liquidity results.

    Within the measures referred to as ‘adjusted’, we adjust for significant items which will not be settled in cash, or which we believe to be items that are not core to our current or future operations. Some of these items may not be applicable for the current quarter, however they may be part of our full-year results. Additionally, we have historically adjusted for certain items which are not described below, but for which we may adjust in a future period when applicable. Items applicable to the quarter or full year results, or the comparable periods, include the following:

    • Restructuring costs and transaction and transformation – Management believes it is appropriate to adjust for restructuring costs and transaction and transformation when they relate to a specific significant program with a defined set of activities and costs that are not expected to continue beyond a defined period of time, or significant acquisition-related transaction expenses. We believe the adjustment is necessary to present how the Company is performing, both now and in the future when the incurrence of these costs will have concluded.
    • Impairment – Adjustment to remove the non-cash goodwill impairment associated with our Benefits, Delivery and Administration reporting unit related to the pending divestiture of our TRANZACT business.
    • Provisions for specified litigation matters – We will include provisions for litigation matters which we believe are not representative of our core business operations. Among other things, we determine this by reference to the amount of the loss (net of insurance and other recovery receivables) and by reference to whether the matter relates to an unusual and complex scenario that is not expected to be repeated as part of our ongoing, ordinary business. These amounts are presented net of insurance and other recovery receivables. See the footnotes to the respective reconciliation tables below for more specificity on the litigation matter excluded from adjusted results.
    • Gains and losses on disposals of operations – Adjustment to remove the gains or losses resulting from disposed operations that have not been classified as discontinued operations.
    • Tax effect of significant adjustments – Relates to the incremental tax expense or benefit resulting from significant or unusual events including significant statutory tax rate changes enacted in material jurisdictions in which we operate, internal reorganizations of ownership of certain businesses that reduced the investment held by our U.S.-controlled subsidiaries and the recovery of certain refunds or payment of taxes related to businesses in which we no longer participate.

    We evaluate our revenue on an as reported (U.S. GAAP), constant currency and organic basis. We believe presenting constant currency and organic information provides valuable supplemental information regarding our comparable results, consistent with how we evaluate our performance internally.

    We consider Constant Currency Change, Organic Change, Adjusted Operating Income/Margin, Adjusted EBITDA/Margin, Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share, Adjusted Income Before Taxes, Adjusted Income Taxes/Tax Rate and Free Cash Flow to be important financial measures, which are used to internally evaluate and assess our core operations and to benchmark our operating and liquidity results against our competitors. These non-GAAP measures are important in illustrating what our comparable operating and liquidity results would have been had we not incurred transaction-related and non-recurring items. Reconciliations of these measures are included in the accompanying tables with the following exception: The Company does not reconcile its forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the corresponding U.S. GAAP measures, due to variability and difficulty in making accurate forecasts and projections and/or certain information not being ascertainable or accessible; and because not all of the information, such as foreign currency impacts necessary for a quantitative reconciliation of these forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measure, is available to the Company without unreasonable efforts. For the same reasons, the Company is unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information. The Company provides non-GAAP financial measures that it believes will be achieved, however it cannot accurately predict all of the components of the adjusted calculations and the U.S. GAAP measures may be materially different than the non-GAAP measures.

    Our non-GAAP measures and their accompanying definitions are presented as follows:

    Constant Currency Change – Represents the year-over-year change in revenue excluding the impact of foreign currency fluctuations. To calculate this impact, the prior year local currency results are first translated using the current year monthly average exchange rates. The change is calculated by comparing the prior year revenue, translated at the current year monthly average exchange rates, to the current year as reported revenue, for the same period. We believe constant currency measures provide useful information to investors because they provide transparency to performance by excluding the effects that foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations have on period-over-period comparability given volatility in foreign currency exchange markets.

    Organic Change – Excludes the impact of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, as described above and the period-over-period impact of acquisitions and divestitures on current-year revenue. We believe that excluding transaction-related items from our U.S. GAAP financial measures provides useful supplemental information to our investors, and it is important in illustrating what our core operating results would have been had we not included these transaction-related items, since the nature, size and number of these transaction-related items can vary from period to period.

    Adjusted Operating Income/Margin – (Loss)/Income from operations adjusted for impairment, amortization, restructuring costs, transaction and transformation and non-recurring items that, in management’s judgment, significantly affect the period-over-period assessment of operating results. Adjusted operating income margin is calculated by dividing adjusted operating income by revenue. We consider adjusted operating income/margin to be important financial measures, which are used internally to evaluate and assess our core operations and to benchmark our operating results against our competitors.

    Adjusted EBITDA/Margin – Net (Loss)/Income adjusted for provision for income taxes, interest expense, impairment, depreciation and amortization, restructuring costs, transaction and transformation, gains and losses on disposals of operations and non-recurring items that, in management’s judgment, significantly affect the period-over-period assessment of operating results. Adjusted EBITDA Margin is calculated by dividing adjusted EBITDA by revenue. We consider adjusted EBITDA/margin to be important financial measures, which are used internally to evaluate and assess our core operations, to benchmark our operating results against our competitors and to evaluate and measure our performance-based compensation plans.

    Adjusted Net Income – Net (Loss)/Income Attributable to WTW adjusted for impairment, amortization, restructuring costs, transaction and transformation, gains and losses on disposals of operations and non-recurring items that, in management’s judgment, significantly affect the period-over-period assessment of operating results and the related tax effect of those adjustments and the tax effects of internal reorganizations. This measure is used solely for the purpose of calculating adjusted diluted earnings per share.

    Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share – Adjusted Net Income divided by the weighted-average number of ordinary shares, diluted. Adjusted diluted earnings per share is used to internally evaluate and assess our core operations and to benchmark our operating results against our competitors.

    Adjusted Income Before Taxes – (Loss)/Income from operations before income taxes adjusted for impairment, amortization, restructuring costs, transaction and transformation, gains and losses on disposals of operations and non-recurring items that, in management’s judgment, significantly affect the period-over-period assessment of operating results. Adjusted income before taxes is used solely for the purpose of calculating the adjusted income tax rate.

    Adjusted Income Taxes/Tax Rate – Benefit from/(provision for) income taxes adjusted for taxes on certain items of impairment, amortization, restructuring costs, transaction and transformation, gains and losses on disposals of operations, the tax effects of internal reorganizations, and non-recurring items that, in management’s judgment, significantly affect the period-over-period assessment of operating results, divided by adjusted income before taxes. Adjusted income taxes is used solely for the purpose of calculating the adjusted income tax rate. Management believes that the adjusted income tax rate presents a rate that is more closely aligned to the rate that we would incur if not for the reduction of pre-tax income for the adjusted items and the tax effects of internal reorganizations, which are not core to our current and future operations.

    Free Cash Flow – Cash flows from operating activities less cash used to purchase fixed assets and software for internal use. Free Cash Flow is a liquidity measure and is not meant to represent residual cash flow available for discretionary expenditures. Management believes that free cash flow presents the core operating performance and cash-generating capabilities of our business operations.

    Free Cash Flow Margin – Free Cash Flow as a percentage of revenue, which represents how much of revenue would be realized on a cash basis. We consider this measure to be a meaningful metric for tracking cash conversion on a year-over-year basis due to the non-cash nature of our pension income, which is included in our GAAP and Non-GAAP earnings metrics presented herein.

    These non-GAAP measures are not defined in the same manner by all companies and may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. Non-GAAP measures should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, the information contained within our condensed consolidated financial statements.

    WTW Forward-Looking Statements

    This document contains ‘forward-looking statements’ within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created by those laws. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our operations. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, that address activities, events, or developments that we expect or anticipate may occur in the future, including such things as our outlook, plans and references to future performance, including our future financial and operating results (including our revenue, costs, or margins), short-term and long-term financial goals, plans, objectives, expectations and intentions, including with respect to organic revenue growth, free cash flow generation, adjusted net revenue, adjusted operating margin and adjusted earnings per share; future share repurchases; demand for our services and competitive strengths; strategic goals; existing and evolving business strategies including those related to acquisition and disposition activity; the benefits of new initiatives; the growth of our business and operations; the sustained health of our product, service, transaction, client, and talent assessment and management pipelines; our ability to successfully manage ongoing leadership, organizational, and technology changes, including investments in improving systems and processes; our ability to implement and realize anticipated benefits of any cost-savings initiatives including our multi-year operational transformation program; the potential impact of natural or man-made disasters like health pandemics and other world health crises; future capital expenditures; ongoing working capital efforts; the impact of changes to tax laws on our financial results; and our recognition of future impairment charges or write-off of receivables, are forward-looking statements. Also, when we use words such as ‘may’, ‘will’, ‘would’, ‘anticipate’, ‘believe’, ‘estimate’, ‘expect’, ‘intend’, ‘plan’, ‘continues’, ‘seek’, ‘target’, ‘goal’, ‘focus’, ‘probably’, or similar expressions, we are making forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking disclosure is speculative by its nature.

    There are important risks, uncertainties, events and factors that could cause our actual results or performance to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements contained in this document, including the following: our ability to successfully establish, execute and achieve our global business strategy as it evolves; our ability to fully realize the anticipated benefits of our growth strategy, including inorganic growth through acquisitions; our ability to make divestitures, including the pending sale of our TRANZACT business (inclusive of all the legal entities that comprise such business), or acquisitions, including our ability to integrate or manage acquired businesses or de-integrate businesses to be disposed, as well as our ability to identify and successfully execute on opportunities for strategic collaboration; our ability to consummate the pending sale of TRANZACT, and related incremental risks associated therewith including our ability to obtain approval (or for applicable waiting periods to expire) under the U.S. Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976; our ability to successfully manage ongoing organizational changes, including as part of our multi-year operational transformation program, investments in improving systems and processes, and in connection with our acquisition and divestiture activities, including the pending sale of TRANZACT, and related to changes in leadership in any of our businesses; risks relating to changes in our management structures and in senior leadership; our ability to achieve our short-term and long-term financial goals, such as with respect to our cash flow generation, and the timing with respect to such achievement; the risks related to changes in general economic conditions, business and political conditions, changes in the financial markets, inflation, credit availability, increased interest rates and changes in trade policies; the risks to our short-term and long-term financial goals from any of the risks or uncertainties set forth herein; the risks relating to the adverse impacts of macroeconomic trends, including inflation, changes in interest rates and trade policies, as well as political events, war, such as the Russia-Ukraine and Middle East conflicts, and other international disputes, terrorism, natural disasters, public health issues and other business interruptions on the global economy and capital markets, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and long-term goals; our ability to successfully hedge against fluctuations in foreign currency rates; the risks relating to the adverse impacts of natural or man-made disasters such as health pandemics and other world health crises on the demand for our products and services, our cash flows and our business operations; material interruptions to or loss of our information processing capabilities, or failure to effectively maintain and upgrade our information technology resources and systems and related risks of cybersecurity breaches or incidents; our ability to comply with complex and evolving regulations related to data privacy, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence; the risks relating to the transitional arrangements in effect subsequent to our previously-completed sale of Willis Re to Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.; significant competition that we face and the potential for loss of market share and/or profitability; the impact of seasonality and differences in timing of renewals and non-recurring revenue increases from disposals and book-of-business sales; the insufficiency of client data protection, potential breaches of information systems or insufficient safeguards against cybersecurity breaches or incidents; the risk of increased liability or new legal claims arising from our new and existing products and services, and expectations, intentions and outcomes relating to outstanding litigation; the risk of substantial negative outcomes on existing litigation or investigation matters; changes in the regulatory environment in which we operate, including, among other risks, the impacts of pending competition law and regulatory investigations; various claims, government inquiries or investigations or the potential for regulatory action; our ability to integrate direct-to-consumer sales and marketing solutions with our existing offerings and solutions; disasters or business continuity problems; our ability to successfully enhance our billing, collection and other working capital efforts, and thereby increase our free cash flow; our ability to properly identify and manage conflicts of interest; reputational damage, including from association with third parties; reliance on third-party service providers and suppliers; the loss of key employees or a large number of employees and rehiring rates; our ability to maintain our corporate culture; doing business internationally, including the impact of foreign currency exchange rates; compliance with extensive government regulation; the risk of sanctions imposed by governments, or changes to associated sanction regulations (such as sanctions imposed on Russia) and related counter-sanctions; our ability to effectively apply technology, data and analytics changes for internal operations, maintaining industry standards and meeting client preferences; changes and developments in the insurance industry or the U.S. healthcare system, including those related to Medicare, any legislative actions from the current U.S. Congress, the recent Final Rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for contract year 2025 and any judicial claims, rulings and appeals related thereto, and any other changes and developments in legal, regulatory, economic, business or operational conditions that could impact our Medicare benefits businesses such as TRANZACT; the inability to protect our intellectual property rights, or the potential infringement upon the intellectual property rights of others; fluctuations in our pension assets and liabilities and related changes in pension income, including as a result of, related to, or derived from movements in the interest rate environment, investment returns, inflation, or changes in other assumptions that are used to estimate our benefit obligations and their effect on adjusted earnings per share; our capital structure, including indebtedness amounts, the limitations imposed by the covenants in the documents governing such indebtedness and the maintenance of the financial and disclosure controls and procedures of each; our ability to obtain financing on favorable terms or at all; adverse changes in our credit ratings; the impact of recent or potential changes to U.S. or foreign laws, and the enactment of additional, or the revision of existing, state, federal, and/or foreign laws and regulations, recent judicial decisions and development of case law, other regulations and any policy changes and legislative actions, including those that may impose additional excise taxes or impact our effective tax rate; U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. persons owning at least 10% of our shares; changes in accounting principles, estimates or assumptions; our recognition of non-cash pre-tax losses and related impairment charges in connection with our pending sale of TRANZACT and other future impairment charges or write-offs of receivables; risks relating to or arising from environmental, social and governance practices; fluctuation in revenue against our relatively fixed or higher than expected expenses; the risk that investment levels, including cash spending, to achieve additional expected savings under our multi-year operational transformation program; the laws of Ireland being different from the laws of the U.S. and potentially affording less protections to the holders of our securities; and our holding company structure potentially preventing us from being able to receive dividends or other distributions in needed amounts from our subsidiaries.

    The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive and new factors may emerge from time to time that could also affect actual performance and results. For more information, please see Part I, Item 1A in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, and our subsequent filings with the SEC. Copies are available online at www.sec.gov or www.wtwco.com.

    Although we believe that the assumptions underlying our forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of these assumptions, and therefore also the forward-looking statements based on these assumptions, could themselves prove to be inaccurate. Given the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included in this document, our inclusion of this information is not a representation or guarantee by us that our objectives and plans will be achieved.

    Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and we will not update these forward-looking statements unless the securities laws require us to do so. With regard to these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this document may not occur, and we caution you against unduly relying on these forward-looking statements.

    Contact

    INVESTORS

    Claudia De La Hoz | Claudia.Delahoz@wtwco.com

    WTW
    Supplemental Segment Information
    (In millions of U.S. dollars)
    (Unaudited)
    REVENUE    
                  Components of Revenue Change(i)
                        Less:       Less:    
        Three Months Ended
     September 30,
        As Reported   Currency   Constant Currency   Acquisitions/   Organic
        2024     2023     % Change   Impact   Change   Divestitures   Change
                                     
    Health, Wealth & Career                                
    Revenue excluding interest income   $ 1,320     $ 1,275     4 %   0 %   3 %   0 %   4 %
    Interest income     8       7                      
    Total     1,328       1,282     4 %   0 %   3 %   0 %   4 %
                                     
    Risk & Broking                                
    Revenue excluding interest income   $ 911     $ 830     10 %   0 %   10 %   0 %   10 %
    Interest income     29       25                      
    Total     940       855     10 %   0 %   10 %   0 %   10 %
                                     
    Segment Revenue   $ 2,268     $ 2,137     6 %   0 %   6 %   0 %   6 %
    Reimbursable expenses and other     15       22                      
    Interest income     6       7                      
    Revenue   $ 2,289     $ 2,166     6 %   0 %   6 %   0 %   6%(ii)  
                  Components of Revenue Change(i)
                        Less:       Less:    
        Nine Months Ended September 30,     As Reported   Currency   Constant Currency   Acquisitions/   Organic
        2024     2023     % Change   Impact   Change   Divestitures   Change
                                     
    Health, Wealth & Career                                
    Revenue excluding interest income   $ 3,898     $ 3,766     4 %   0 %   4 %   0 %   4 %
    Interest income     26       18                      
    Total     3,924       3,784     4 %   0 %   4 %   0 %   4 %
                                     
    Risk & Broking                                
    Revenue excluding interest income   $ 2,811     $ 2,607     8 %   0 %   8 %   0 %   8 %
    Interest income     86       52                      
    Total     2,897       2,659     9 %   0 %   9 %   0 %   9 %
                                     
    Segment Revenue   $ 6,821     $ 6,443     6 %   0 %   6 %   0 %   6 %
    Reimbursable expenses and other     56       90                      
    Interest income     18       36                      
    Revenue   $ 6,895     $ 6,569     5 %   0 %   5 %   0 %   5%(ii)  

    (i)  Components of revenue change may not add due to rounding.
    (ii)  Interest income did not contribute to organic change for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024.

    BOOK-OF-BUSINESS SETTLEMENTS AND INTEREST INCOME

        Three Months Ended September 30,  
        HWC     R&B     Corporate     Total  
        2024     2023     2024     2023     2024     2023     2024     2023  
    Book-of-business settlements   $ 3     $     $ 4     $ 1     $     $     $ 7     $ 1  
    Interest income     8       7       29       25       6       7       43       39  
    Total   $ 11     $ 7     $ 33     $ 26     $ 6     $ 7     $ 50     $ 40  
        Nine Months Ended September 30,  
        HWC     R&B     Corporate     Total  
        2024     2023     2024     2023     2024     2023     2024     2023  
    Book-of-business settlements   $ 3     $     $ 8     $ 11     $     $     $ 11     $ 11  
    Interest income     26       18       86       52       18       36       130       106  
    Total   $ 29     $ 18     $ 94     $ 63     $ 18     $ 36     $ 141     $ 117  


    SEGMENT OPERATING INCOME (i)

        Three Months Ended
    September 30,
       
                   
                   
                       
                       
                       
        2024     2023    
                   
                   
                       
                       
                       
                   
                   
                   
                       
                       
                       
    Health, Wealth & Career   $ 329     $ 305    
                   
                   
                       
                       
                       
    Risk & Broking     170       134    
                   
                   
                       
                       
                       
    Segment Operating Income   $ 499     $ 439    
        Nine Months Ended
    September 30,
     
        2024     2023  
                 
    Health, Wealth & Career   $ 941     $ 836  
    Risk & Broking     575       459  
    Segment Operating Income   $ 1,516     $ 1,295  

    (i) Segment operating income excludes certain costs, including amortization of intangibles, restructuring costs, transaction and transformation expenses, certain litigation provisions, and to the extent that the actual expense based upon which allocations are made differs from the forecast/budget amount, a reconciling item will be created between internally-allocated expenses and the actual expenses reported for U.S. GAAP purposes.

    SEGMENT OPERATING MARGINS

        Three Months Ended September 30,
        2024   2023
    Health, Wealth & Career   24.7%   23.8%
    Risk & Broking   18.1%   15.7%
        Nine Months Ended
    September 30,
        2024   2023
    Health, Wealth & Career   24.0%   22.1%
    Risk & Broking   19.8%   17.3%


    RECONCILIATIONS OF SEGMENT OPERATING INCOME TO (LOSS)/INCOME FROM OPERATIONS BEFORE INCOME TAXES

        Three Months Ended September 30,  
        2024     2023  
                 
    Segment Operating Income   $ 499     $ 439  
    Impairment(i)     (1,042 )      
    Amortization     (56 )     (62 )
    Restructuring costs     (8 )     (17 )
    Transaction and transformation(ii)     (74 )     (113 )
    Unallocated, net(iii)     (85 )     (88 )
    (Loss)/Income from Operations     (766 )     159  
    Interest expense     (65 )     (61 )
    Other (loss)/income, net     (1,163 )     66  
    (Loss)/income from operations before income taxes   $ (1,994 )   $ 164  
        Nine Months Ended September 30,  
        2024     2023  
                 
    Segment Operating Income   $ 1,516     $ 1,295  
    Impairment(i)     (1,042 )      
    Amortization     (176 )     (203 )
    Restructuring costs     (29 )     (30 )
    Transaction and transformation(ii)     (296 )     (265 )
    Unallocated, net(iii)     (247 )     (211 )
    (Loss)/Income from Operations     (274 )     586  
    Interest expense     (197 )     (172 )
    Other (loss)/income, net     (1,113 )     126  
    (Loss)/income from operations before income taxes   $ (1,584 )   $ 540  

     (i) Represents the non-cash goodwill impairment associated with our BDA reporting unit related to the pending divestiture of our TRANZACT business.
     (ii) In 2024 and 2023, in addition to legal fees and other transaction costs, includes primarily consulting fees and compensation costs related to the Transformation program.
     (iii) Includes certain costs, primarily related to corporate functions which are not directly related to the segments, and certain differences between budgeted expenses determined at the beginning of the year and actual expenses that we report for U.S. GAAP purposes.

    WTW
    Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Measures
    (In millions of U.S. dollars, except per share data)
    (Unaudited)

    RECONCILIATIONS OF NET (LOSS)/INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO WTW TO ADJUSTED DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE

        Three Months Ended September 30,  
        2024     2023  
                 
    Net (loss)/income attributable to WTW   $ (1,675 )   $ 136  
    Adjusted for certain items:            
    Impairment     1,042        
    Amortization     56       62  
    Restructuring costs     8       17  
    Transaction and transformation     74       113  
    Loss/(gain) on disposal of operations     1,190       (41 )
    Tax effect on certain items listed above(ii)     (396 )     (51 )
    Adjusted Net Income   $ 299     $ 236  
                 
    Weighted-average ordinary shares, diluted     102       105  
                 
    Diluted (Loss)/Earnings Per Share   $ (16.44 )   $ 1.29  
    Adjusted for certain items:(iii)            
    Impairment     10.23        
    Amortization     0.55       0.59  
    Restructuring costs     0.08       0.16  
    Transaction and transformation     0.73       1.07  
    Loss/(gain) on disposal of operations     11.68       (0.39 )
    Tax effect on certain items listed above(ii)     (3.89 )     (0.48 )
    Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share(iii)   $ 2.93     $ 2.24  
        Nine Months Ended September 30,  
        2024     2023  
                 
    Net (loss)/income attributable to WTW   $ (1,344 )   $ 433  
    Adjusted for certain items:            
    Impairment     1,042        
    Amortization     176       203  
    Restructuring costs     29       30  
    Transaction and transformation     296       265  
    Provision for specified litigation matter(i)     13        
    Loss/(gain) on disposal of operations     1,190       (44 )
    Tax effect on certain items listed above(ii)     (492 )     (128 )
    Tax effect of significant adjustments     (7 )     2  
    Adjusted Net Income   $ 903     $ 761  
                 
    Weighted-average ordinary shares, diluted     103       107  
                 
    Diluted (Loss)/Earnings Per Share   $ (13.11 )   $ 4.06  
    Adjusted for certain items:(iii)            
    Impairment     10.17        
    Amortization     1.72       1.90  
    Restructuring costs     0.28       0.28  
    Transaction and transformation     2.89       2.48  
    Provision for specified litigation matter(i)     0.13        
    Loss/(gain) on disposal of operations     11.61       (0.41 )
    Tax effect on certain items listed above(ii)     (4.80 )     (1.20 )
    Tax effect of significant adjustments     (0.07 )     0.02  
    Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share(iii)   $ 8.81     $ 7.13  

     (i) Represents a provision related to potential litigation arising out of a structured insurance program originally placed for a client over 15 years ago. The program is of a type and complexity that was highly bespoke to the client and for that reason is unlikely to be exactly replicated elsewhere. Because of this, while we do not believe the potential litigation is material, we believe excluding this matter from adjusted results makes results more comparable from period to period and more representative of our core business operations.
    (ii) The tax effect was calculated using an effective tax rate for each item.
    (iii) Per share values and totals may differ due to rounding.

    RECONCILIATIONS OF NET (LOSS)/INCOME TO ADJUSTED EBITDA

        Three Months Ended September 30,    
        2024     2023    
                   
    Net (Loss)/Income   $ (1,672 ) (73.0 )% $ 139   6.4 %
    Provision for income taxes     (322 )     25    
    Interest expense     65       61    
    Impairment     1,042          
    Depreciation     60       60    
    Amortization     56       62    
    Restructuring costs     8       17    
    Transaction and transformation     74       113    
    Loss/(gain) on disposal of operations     1,190       (41 )  
    Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin   $ 501   21.9 % $ 436   20.1 %
        Nine Months Ended September 30,    
        2024     2023    
                   
    Net (Loss)/Income   $ (1,336 ) (19.4 )% $ 441   6.7 %
    Provision for income taxes     (248 )     99    
    Interest expense     197       172    
    Impairment     1,042          
    Depreciation     176       184    
    Amortization     176       203    
    Restructuring costs     29       30    
    Transaction and transformation     296       265    
    Provision for specified litigation matter(i)     13          
    Loss/(gain) on disposal of operations     1,190       (44 )  
    Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin   $ 1,535   22.3 % $ 1,350   20.6 %

     (i) Represents a provision related to potential litigation arising out of a structured insurance program originally placed for a client over 15 years ago. The program is of a type and complexity that was highly bespoke to the client and for that reason is unlikely to be exactly replicated elsewhere. Because of this, while we do not believe the potential litigation is material, we believe excluding this matter from adjusted results makes results more comparable from period to period and more representative of our core business operations.

    RECONCILIATIONS OF (LOSS)/INCOME FROM OPERATIONS TO ADJUSTED OPERATING INCOME

        Three Months Ended September 30,    
        2024     2023    
                   
    (Loss)/Income from operations and Operating margin   $ (766 ) (33.5 )% $ 159   7.3 %
    Adjusted for certain items:              
    Impairment     1,042          
    Amortization     56       62    
    Restructuring costs     8       17    
    Transaction and transformation     74       113    
    Adjusted operating income and Adjusted operating income margin   $ 414   18.1 % $ 351   16.2 %
        Nine Months Ended September 30,    
        2024     2023    
                   
    (Loss)/Income from operations and Operating margin   $ (274 ) (4.0 )% $ 586   8.9 %
    Adjusted for certain items:              
    Impairment     1,042          
    Amortization     176       203    
    Restructuring costs     29       30    
    Transaction and transformation     296       265    
    Provision for specified litigation matter(i)     13          
    Adjusted operating income and Adjusted operating income margin   $ 1,282   18.6 % $ 1,084   16.5 %

     (i) Represents a provision related to potential litigation arising out of a structured insurance program originally placed for a client over 15 years ago. The program is of a type and complexity that was highly bespoke to the client and for that reason is unlikely to be exactly replicated elsewhere. Because of this, while we do not believe the potential litigation is material, we believe excluding this matter from adjusted results makes results more comparable from period to period and more representative of our core business operations.

    RECONCILIATIONS OF GAAP INCOME TAXES/TAX RATE TO ADJUSTED INCOME TAXES/TAX RATE

        Three Months Ended September 30,  
        2024     2023  
                 
    (Loss)/income from operations before income taxes   $ (1,994 )   $ 164  
                 
    Adjusted for certain items:            
    Impairment     1,042        
    Amortization     56       62  
    Restructuring costs     8       17  
    Transaction and transformation     74       113  
    Loss/(gain) on disposal of operations     1,190       (41 )
    Adjusted income before taxes   $ 376     $ 315  
                 
    (Benefit from)/provision for income taxes   $ (322 )   $ 25  
    Tax effect on certain items listed above(ii)     396       51  
    Adjusted income taxes   $ 74     $ 76  
                 
    U.S. GAAP tax rate     16.1 %     15.5 %
    Adjusted income tax rate     19.7 %     24.3 %
        Nine Months Ended September 30,
        2024   2023
                 
    (Loss)/income from operations before income taxes   $ (1,584 )   $ 540  
                 
    Adjusted for certain items:            
    Impairment     1,042        
    Amortization     176       203  
    Restructuring costs     29       30  
    Transaction and transformation     296       265  
    Provision for specified litigation matter(i)     13        
    Loss/(gain) on disposal of operations     1,190       (44 )
    Adjusted income before taxes   $ 1,162     $ 994  
                 
    (Benefit from)/provision for income taxes   $ (248 )   $ 99  
    Tax effect on certain items listed above(ii)     492       128  
    Tax effect of significant adjustments     7       (2 )
    Adjusted income taxes   $ 251     $ 225  
                 
    U.S. GAAP tax rate     15.6 %     18.3 %
    Adjusted income tax rate     21.6 %     22.6 %

    (i) Represents a provision related to potential litigation arising out of a structured insurance program originally placed for a client over 15 years ago. The program is of a type and complexity that was highly bespoke to the client and for that reason is unlikely to be exactly replicated elsewhere. Because of this, while we do not believe the potential litigation is material, we believe excluding this matter from adjusted results makes results more comparable from period to period and more representative of our core business operations.
    (ii) The tax effect was calculated using an effective tax rate for each item.

    RECONCILIATION OF CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES TO FREE CASH FLOW

        Nine Months Ended September 30,  
        2024   2023
                 
    Cash flows from operating activities   $ 913     $ 823  
    Less: Additions to fixed assets and software for internal use     (106 )     (116 )
    Free Cash Flow   $ 807     $ 707  
    WILLIS TOWERS WATSON PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
    Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
    (In millions of U.S. dollars, except per share data)
    (Unaudited)
        Three Months Ended
     September 30,
      Nine Months Ended
     September 30,
        2024   2023   2024   2023
    Revenue   $ 2,289     $ 2,166     $ 6,895     $ 6,569  
                             
    Costs of providing services                        
    Salaries and benefits     1,396       1,359       4,135       4,019  
    Other operating expenses     419       396       1,315       1,282  
    Impairment     1,042             1,042        
    Depreciation     60       60       176       184  
    Amortization     56       62       176       203  
    Restructuring costs     8       17       29       30  
    Transaction and transformation     74       113       296       265  
    Total costs of providing services     3,055       2,007       7,169       5,983  
                             
    (Loss)/income from operations     (766 )     159       (274 )     586  
                             
    Interest expense     (65 )     (61 )     (197 )     (172 )
    Other (loss)/income, net     (1,163 )     66       (1,113 )     126  
                             
    (LOSS)/INCOME FROM OPERATIONS BEFORE INCOME TAXES   (1,994 )     164       (1,584 )     540  
                             
    Benefit from/(provision for) income taxes     322       (25 )     248       (99 )
                             
    NET (LOSS)/INCOME   (1,672 )     139       (1,336 )     441  
                             
    Income attributable to non-controlling interests     (3 )     (3 )     (8 )     (8 )
                             
    NET (LOSS)/INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO WTW   $ (1,675 )   $ 136     $ (1,344 )   $ 433  
                             
    (LOSS)/EARNINGS PER SHARE                        
    Basic (loss)/earnings per share   $ (16.44 )   $ 1.30     $ (13.11 )   $ 4.08  
    Diluted (loss)/earnings per share   $ (16.44 )   $ 1.29     $ (13.11 )   $ 4.06  
                             
    Weighted-average ordinary shares, basic     102       105       103       106  
    Weighted-average ordinary shares, diluted     102       105       103       107  
    WILLIS TOWERS WATSON PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
    Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
    (In millions of U.S. dollars, except share data)
    (Unaudited)
        September 30,     December 31,  
        2024     2023  
    ASSETS            
    Cash and cash equivalents   $ 1,372     $ 1,424  
    Fiduciary assets     9,176       9,073  
    Accounts receivable, net     2,118       2,572  
    Prepaid and other current assets     558       364  
    Current assets held for sale     1,089        
    Total current assets     14,313       13,433  
    Fixed assets, net     710       720  
    Goodwill     8,882       10,195  
    Other intangible assets, net     1,360       2,016  
    Right-of-use assets     539       565  
    Pension benefits assets     632       588  
    Other non-current assets     732       1,573  
    Total non-current assets     12,855       15,657  
    TOTAL ASSETS   $ 27,168     $ 29,090  
    LIABILITIES AND EQUITY            
    Fiduciary liabilities   $ 9,176     $ 9,073  
    Deferred revenue and accrued expenses     2,027       2,104  
    Current debt           650  
    Current lease liabilities     122       125  
    Other current liabilities     735       678  
    Current liabilities held for sale     475        
    Total current liabilities     12,535       12,630  
    Long-term debt     5,308       4,567  
    Liability for pension benefits     487       563  
    Deferred tax liabilities     94       542  
    Provision for liabilities     416       365  
    Long-term lease liabilities     556       592  
    Other non-current liabilities     202       238  
    Total non-current liabilities     7,063       6,867  
    TOTAL LIABILITIES     19,598       19,497  
    COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES            
    EQUITY(i)            
    Additional paid-in capital     10,957       10,910  
    (Accumulated deficit)/retained earnings     (650 )     1,466  
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax     (2,810 )     (2,856 )
    Treasury shares, at cost, 15,574 shares in 2024     (5 )      
    Total WTW shareholders’ equity     7,492       9,520  
    Non-controlling interests     78       73  
    Total Equity     7,570       9,593  
    TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY   $ 27,168     $ 29,090  

     (i)  Equity includes (a) Ordinary shares $0.000304635 nominal value; Authorized 1,510,003,775; Issued 100,887,015 (2024) and 102,538,072 (2023); Outstanding 100,871,441 (2024) and 102,538,072 (2023) and (b) Preference shares, $0.000115 nominal value; Authorized 1,000,000,000 and Issued none in 2024 and 2023.

    WILLIS TOWERS WATSON PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
    Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
    (In millions of U.S. dollars)
    (Unaudited)
        Nine Months Ended September 30,  
        2024     2023  
    CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES            
    NET (LOSS)/INCOME   $ (1,336 )   $ 441  
    Adjustments to reconcile net income to total net cash from operating activities:            
    Depreciation     176       184  
    Amortization     176       203  
    Impairment     1,042        
    Non-cash restructuring charges     17       19  
    Non-cash lease expense     76       83  
    Net periodic benefit of defined benefit pension plans     (15 )     (20 )
    Provision for doubtful receivables from clients     13       8  
    Benefit from deferred income taxes     (379 )     (58 )
    Share-based compensation     85       87  
    Net loss/(gain) on disposal of operations     1,190       (44 )
    Non-cash foreign exchange (gain)/loss     (25 )     1  
    Other, net     32       21  
    Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects from purchase of subsidiaries:            
    Accounts receivable     271       261  
    Other assets     (299 )     (175 )
    Other liabilities     (159 )     (191 )
    Provisions     48       3  
    Net cash from operating activities     913       823  
                 
    CASH FLOWS USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES            
    Additions to fixed assets and software for internal use     (106 )     (116 )
    Capitalized software costs     (83 )     (66 )
    Acquisitions of operations, net of cash acquired     (28 )     (6 )
    Proceeds from sale of operations           86  
    Cash and fiduciary funds transferred in sale of operations           (922 )
    Purchase of investments     (13 )     (6 )
    Net cash used in investing activities     (230 )     (1,030 )
                 
    CASH FLOWS FROM/(USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES            
    Senior notes issued     746       748  
    Debt issuance costs     (9 )     (7 )
    Repayments of debt     (653 )     (253 )
    Repurchase of shares     (506 )     (804 )
    Net proceeds/(payments) from fiduciary funds held for clients     934       (71 )
    Payments of deferred and contingent consideration related to acquisitions     (2 )     (8 )
    Cash paid for employee taxes on withholding shares     (30 )     (21 )
    Dividends paid     (265 )     (265 )
    Acquisitions of and dividends paid to non-controlling interests     (10 )     (47 )
    Net cash from/(used in) financing activities     205       (728 )
                 
    INCREASE/(DECREASE) IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED
       CASH
        888       (935 )
    Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash     32       (54 )
    CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH, BEGINNING OF
       PERIOD (i)
        3,792       4,721  
    CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH, END OF PERIOD (i)   $ 4,712     $ 3,732  

    (i)  The amounts of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, their respective classification on the condensed consolidated balance sheets, as well as their respective portions of the increase or decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash for each of the periods presented have been included in the Supplemental Disclosures of Cash Flow Information section.

    SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION

        Nine Months Ended September 30,  
        2024     2023  
                 
    Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:            
    Cash and cash equivalents   $ 1,372     $ 1,247  
    Fiduciary funds (included in fiduciary assets)     3,340       2,485  
    Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash   $ 4,712     $ 3,732  
                 
    (Decrease)/increase in cash, cash equivalents and other restricted cash   $ (54 )   $ 5  
    Increase/(decrease) in fiduciary funds     942       (940 )
    Total (i)   $ 888     $ (935 )

    (i) Does not include the effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-Evening Report: Deaths linked to chatbots show we must urgently revisit what counts as ‘high-risk’ AI

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Fraser, Research Fellow in Law, Accountability and Data Science, Queensland University of Technology

    De Visu/Shutterstock

    Last week, the tragic news broke that US teenager Sewell Seltzer III took his own life after forming a deep emotional attachment to an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot on the Character.AI website.

    As his relationship with the companion AI became increasingly intense, the 14-year-old began withdrawing from family and friends, and was getting in trouble at school.

    In a lawsuit filed against Character.AI by the boy’s mother, chat transcripts show intimate and often highly sexual conversations between Sewell and the chatbot Dany, modelled on the Game of Thrones character Danaerys Targaryen. They discussed crime and suicide, and the chatbot used phrases such as “that’s not a reason not to go through with it”.

    A screenshot of a chat exchange between Sewell and the chatbot Dany.
    ‘Megan Garcia vs. Character AI’ lawsuit

    This is not the first known instance of a vulnerable person dying by suicide after interacting with a chatbot persona. A Belgian man took his life last year in a similar episode involving Character.AI’s main competitor, Chai AI. When this happened, the company told the media they were “working our hardest to minimise harm”.

    In a statement to CNN, Character.AI has stated they “take the safety of our users very seriously” and have introduced “numerous new safety measures over the past six months”.

    In a separate statement on the company’s website, they outline additional safety measures for users under the age of 18. (In their current terms of service, the age restriction is 16 for European Union citizens and 13 elsewhere in the world.)

    However, these tragedies starkly illustrate the dangers of rapidly developing and widely available AI systems anyone can converse and interact with. We urgently need regulation to protect people from potentially dangerous, irresponsibly designed AI systems.

    How can we regulate AI?

    The Australian government is in the process of developing mandatory guardrails for high-risk AI systems. A trendy term in the world of AI governance, “guardrails” refer to processes in the design, development and deployment of AI systems. These include measures such as data governance, risk management, testing, documentation and human oversight.

    One of the decisions the Australian government must make is how to define which systems are “high-risk”, and therefore captured by the guardrails.

    The government is also considering whether guardrails should apply to all “general purpose models”. General purpose models are the engine under the hood of AI chatbots like Dany: AI algorithms that can generate text, images, videos and music from user prompts, and can be adapted for use in a variety of contexts.

    In the European Union’s groundbreaking AI Act, high-risk systems are defined using a list, which regulators are empowered to regularly update.

    An alternative is a principles-based approach, where a high-risk designation happens on a case-by-case basis. It would depend on multiple factors such as the risks of adverse impacts on rights, risks to physical or mental health, risks of legal impacts, and the severity and extent of those risks.

    Chatbots should be ‘high-risk’ AI

    In Europe, companion AI systems like Character.AI and Chai are not designated as high-risk. Essentially, their providers only need to let users know they are interacting with an AI system.

    It has become clear, though, that companion chatbots are not low risk. Many users of these applications are children and teens. Some of the systems have even been marketed to people who are lonely or have a mental illness.

    Chatbots are capable of generating unpredictable, inappropriate and manipulative content. They mimic toxic relationships all too easily. Transparency – labelling the output as AI-generated – is not enough to manage these risks.

    Even when we are aware that we are talking to chatbots, human beings are psychologically primed to attribute human traits to something we converse with.

    The suicide deaths reported in the media could be just the tip of the iceberg. We have no way of knowing how many vulnerable people are in addictive, toxic or even dangerous relationships with chatbots.

    Guardrails and an ‘off switch’

    When Australia finally introduces mandatory guardrails for high-risk AI systems, which may happen as early as next year, the guardrails should apply to both companion chatbots and the general purpose models the chatbots are built upon.

    Guardrails – risk management, testing, monitoring – will be most effective if they get to the human heart of AI hazards. Risks from chatbots are not just technical risks with technical solutions.

    Apart from the words a chatbot might use, the context of the product matters, too. In the case of Character.AI, the marketing promises to “empower” people, the interface mimics an ordinary text message exchange with a person, and the platform allows users to select from a range of pre-made characters, which include some problematic personas.

    The front page of the Character.AI website for a user who has entered their age as 17.
    C.AI

    Truly effective AI guardrails should mandate more than just responsible processes, like risk management and testing. They also must demand thoughtful, humane design of interfaces, interactions and relationships between AI systems and their human users.

    Even then, guardrails may not be enough. Just like companion chatbots, systems that at first appear to be low risk may cause unanticipated harms.

    Regulators should have the power to remove AI systems from the market if they cause harm or pose unacceptable risks. In other words, we don’t just need guardrails for high risk AI. We also need an off switch.

    If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

    Henry Fraser receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    ref. Deaths linked to chatbots show we must urgently revisit what counts as ‘high-risk’ AI – https://theconversation.com/deaths-linked-to-chatbots-show-we-must-urgently-revisit-what-counts-as-high-risk-ai-242289

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: There’s snow place like home

    Source: City of Birmingham

    Join the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, the Mayor of Frankfurt and German Ambassador to the UK at this year’s official opening of the Frankfurt Christmas Market in Victoria Square on Friday 1 November at 5:30pm, as they switch on the city’s festive lights.

    This year the market returns to the city for seven weeks and celebrates its 24th year, featuring 60 festive stalls selling traditional hot gluhwein, schnitzel, spicy sausage, gifts, handcrafted decorations, toys and jewellery.

    The big wheel and popular ice rink will also be returning to Centenary Square, and will open from 1 November 2024 until 5 January 2025, between 10:00am and 10:00pm (except on Christmas Day). For more information and to book tickets visit www.iceskatebirmingham.co.uk.

    There will also be live performances on the bandstand in Victoria Square with Monday ‘open mic’ sessions giving young, up and coming performers and musicians a chance to showcase their talents. The best two acts will perform in a primetime December slot.

    Choirs from local schools, charities and community groups will also feature on the market’s community music programme.

    German musicians will perform weekday lunchtimes and evenings daily, with local performers performing between 12pm and 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

    The market will opens Friday 1 November to Tuesday 24 December 2024.

    • Mondays to Thursdays: 11:00am to 9:00pm
    • Fridays: 11:00am to 9:30pm
    • Saturdays: 10:00am to 9:30pm
    • Sundays: 10:00am to 9:00pm

    The market will be closed until 1:00pm on 10 November for Remembrance Sunday.

    Councillor Saima Suleman, Cabinet Member for Digital, Culture, Heritage and Tourism, said: “This year we welcome the 24th Frankfurt Christmas Market to the city, which brings with it a selection of traditional food, drink and gifts.

    “The market is an event many look forward to this time year and makes a wonderful festive day out for families.

    “We are proud the Christmas market was crowned the best Christmas market in the UK for the second year running which provides a huge economic boost for the city. The market is also ranked eighth in Europe, which usually attracts up to 5 million visitors to the city.”

    For more information about the city’s Frankfurt Christmas Market, visit www.thebfcm.co.uk.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Commission finds Française des Jeux (‘FDJ’)’s exclusive rights contain no state aid after amendments

    Source: EuroStat – European Statistics

    European Commission Press release Brussels, 31 Oct 2024 The European Commission has concluded that the increased remuneration by Française des Jeux (‘FDJ’) to France for the modification of exclusive rights to operate offline and online lottery games and offline sports betting through 2019 PACTE law is in line with EU State aid rules.

    MIL OSI Europe News

  • MIL-OSI: Locate Buyers Agency Rides Brisbane’s Property Boom

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BRISBANE, Australia, Oct. 31, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Brisbane’s property market has been red-hot in 2024, and Locate Buyers Agency has been right in the thick of it. The buyers agency, which specialises in helping buyers navigate the complexities of the real estate market, announced today that it has facilitated over $145 million in property purchases this calendar year to date (Jan – Oct 2024).

    “This milestone is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team,” says Shane Hiscock, Director, Locate Buyers Agency. “We’re proud to have helped so many people achieve their dream of homeownership in a challenging market.”

    Locate Buyers Agency attributes its success to a combination of factors, including:

    • In-depth market knowledge: Their team possesses a thorough understanding of Brisbane’s finest suburbs and property trends.
    • Strong negotiation skills: In a competitive market, securing the best possible price is crucial, and Locate Buyers Agency excels in this area.
    • Access to off-market properties: The agency often identifies properties before they are publicly listed, giving their clients a significant advantage.

    The agency’s success underscores the growing trend of buyers turning to professionals for assistance in navigating today’s complex real estate landscape. With rising interest rates and property values remaining high, expert guidance can be invaluable.

    While the $145 million milestone is significant, Locate Buyers Agency remains focused on its core mission: helping buyers find the perfect property and securing it at the best possible price.

    As the Buyers Agent Brisbane market continues to evolve, the agency is poised to continue its growth by providing essential services to those looking to enter or move within the property market.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: OTC Markets Group Welcomes Brazilian Rare Earths Ltd. to OTCQX

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of regulated markets for trading 12,000 U.S. and international securities, today announced Brazilian Rare Earths Ltd. (ASX: BRE; OTCQX: BRETF, BRELY), an Australian exploration and mining company, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX® Best Market. Brazilian Rare Earths Ltd. upgraded to OTCQX from the Pink® market.

    Brazilian Rare Earths Ltd. begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbol “BRETF, BRELY.” U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

    Upgrading to the OTCQX Market is an important step for companies seeking to provide transparent trading for their U.S. investors.  For companies listed on a qualified international exchange, streamlined market standards enable them to utilize their home market reporting to make their information available in the U.S. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws.  

    Viriathus Capital LLC served as Brazilian Rare Earths Ltd’s advisor.

    “We are thrilled to see our shares and ADRs now trading on the OTCQX market. This quotation broadens our investor base and offers U.S. investors enhanced access to participate in our growth story as we advance our world-class rare earth projects. The increased visibility and liquidity on the OTCQX will accelerate our progress towards developing a leading global supplier of critical rare earth elements.”

    About Brazilian Rare Earths Ltd.
    Brazilian Rare Earths is a critical minerals development company that controls the world-class Rocha da Rocha rare earth province in Bahia, Brazil. Brazilian Rare Earths’ flagship project, Monte Alto, contains some of the highest rare earth grades ever reported globally, along with high concentrations of uranium, niobium, tantalum, and scandium.

    The Monte Alto project is strategically positioned to be an important future source of critical minerals, with the project containing 18 of the 50 critical minerals identified by the U.S. government as essential to economic and national security. Brazilian Rare Earths aims to become a leading global supplier of these critical materials, supporting industries such as renewable energy, electric vehicles, advanced robotics, and defence technologies.

    About OTC Markets Group Inc.
    OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates regulated markets for trading 12,000 U.S. and international securities. Our data-driven disclosure standards form the foundation of our three public markets: OTCQX® Best Market, OTCQB® Venture Market and Pink® Open Market.

    Our OTC Link® Alternative Trading Systems (ATSs) provide critical market infrastructure that broker-dealers rely on to facilitate trading. Our innovative model offers companies more efficient access to the U.S. financial markets.

    OTC Link ATS, OTC Link ECN and OTC Link NQB are each an SEC regulated ATS, operated by OTC Link LLC, a FINRA and SEC registered broker-dealer, member SIPC.

    To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com.

    Subscribe to the OTC Markets RSS Feed

    Media Contact:
    OTC Markets Group Inc., +1 (212) 896-4428, media@otcmarkets.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI USA: ‘It’s Alive!’ (and Guilty?): Student Considers Whether Frankenstein’s Monster Could Be Held Liable in Court of Law

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    For 10 weeks this summer, Gianna Socci worked hard for a sole purpose.

    As if her gift was the plunder of information from the stacks of libraries in southwestern Connecticut, piece by piece she stitched together thoughts, contentions, and beliefs, her own cheeks pale with study, as she infused life into the inanimate body that’s become her very own creation.

    “I’d never taken on a beast this size before,” Socci ’25 (CLAS) says. “I would get very stressed out that I wasn’t going to be able to finish this. I wasn’t going to be able to write something that made sense. I wasn’t going to be able to bring this all together and I feared I bit off more than I could chew.”

    Clinging to the hope the next day or the next would bring success, Socci labored to coax to life the 62 pages that have become her greatest academic triumph to date: “Monstrosity on Trial: Claiming Legal Personhood for Frankenstein’s Monster.”

    This is a project Socci conceived nearly two years ago, when as a sophomore she sought to convert her Introduction to Literary Studies course into an honors credit, which requires a larger research project, namely a more in-depth look at one of the books read that semester.

    “I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health.” – Victor Frankenstein in describing his work in Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein”

    As an English and political science double major who expects one day to take up the study of law, Socci heeded the advice of associate professor Dwight Codr and looked at Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel “Frankenstein” through a legal lens.

    What started as an honors conversion paper became a much larger Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF) grant proposal, replete with a reading plan of an admittedly ambitious 37 works, including dense legal case studies, she says. The funding allowed her the space in June, July, and August to focus on her work, without worrying about money.

    “Research in the humanities is very rare to begin with,” she says, “and I don’t think a lot of people understand what it entails. When you’re a STEM major, you can lay out lab steps, you can show people graphs, diagrams, and lab methods. It’s very quantitative, whereas humanities research is reading, taking notes, thinking, and writing.”

    It’s nonetheless important, she argues.

    Not the Frankenstein you might imagine

    One of the first things Socci says she was shocked to learn when reading “Frankenstein” the first time two years ago was that the character of Frankenstein, contrary to popular belief, is not the monster depicted in the story.

    Gianna Socci ’25 (CLAS) (Contributed photo)

    Victor Frankenstein is the young doctor who brings to life an 8-foot-tall monster – born of inanimate body parts he stole from graves and mortuaries. Most contemporary depictions of Frankenstein wrongly show him as the flat-headed, green, almost zombie-like monster with bolts in his neck.

    That is, in fact, Frankenstein’s “creature,” who in Shelley’s book is never given a name, referred to only by such descriptors as “devil,” “thing,” and “ogre.”

    “The other thing that struck me – and this might just be my poli-sci brain at work – was that she included three legal proceedings in the novel, three specific examples of courtroom trials, and that’s not something that’s talked about. You typically think of ‘Frankenstein’ as a very science-fiction text,” Socci says.

    Those trials, in which the defendants aren’t in fact guilty of the crimes they’re accused, got Socci thinking about how the law weaves itself through the novel and found herself wondering: What if Frankenstein’s monster was granted legal personhood and able to stand trial for his wrongdoings?

    Before she could answer, she needed to tackle the idea of what it means to be a legal person and how that idea has been used over time. She turned to legal theory, philosophy, history, and Shelley’s text for answers.

    “Legal personhood is a status, which means someone has rights and privileges but can also be held responsible for their actions,” she explains. “It’s twofold and it’s been expanded and contracted over time to include and exclude so many different things and people.

    “Slaves had a very limited form of personhood. Women had a very limited form of personhood. Animals at one time were granted legal personhood and could be put on trial, which is completely absurd,” she continues. “The law is flexible and almost subject to the politics of the time. That reminded me, as a citizen, as a woman in contemporary times, the importance of paying attention to that.”

    “My cheek had grown pale with study, and my person had become emaciated with confinement. Sometimes, on the very brink of certainty, I failed; yet still I clung to the hope which the next day or the next hour might realise.” – Victor Frankenstein in describing his work in Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein”

    Things like cognition and competency are used in helping distinguish personhood, even intent and mental capacity. And when Socci looked to the novel for these characteristics as they relate to the monster, her conclusion was clear.

    “He is a completely cognizant being who acted with intent,” she says. “He was very aware of what he was doing. He could express himself. He was extremely human in every way but his physical appearance. Violence is never the answer, and his reasoning for violence is flawed, but it’s reasoning, nonetheless. He’s angry, and he’s acting in a very methodical way. He is totally eligible to stand trial.”

    ‘Abstractions rule our lives’

    Socci says that at the outset of her research, when telling people how she was spending her summer, she started to wonder why she was even bothering. Arguing about whether Frankenstein’s monster could be held criminally liable for his actions is an exercise in the abstract.

    Except it is relevant, she was reminded.

    In an interview with an Australian professor who’d written about personhood, she asked why any of this mattered.

    “He said abstractions rule our lives. These legal definitions, these philosophical foundations are what govern our whole being,” she says. “We don’t really think of ourselves in legal terms that often, so it can seem unimportant. But it’s how we have the right to vote. It’s how we have the right to express ourselves. It’s how we’re seen by the government.”

    Suddenly, what once was hypothetical was much more concrete.

    The European Union this year adopted the AI Act, Socci notes, which, in part, rates various artificial intelligence technologies on their risk level – high-risk AI is more autonomous and can operate with minimal human intervention, for example. The AI Act seeks to regulate high-risk artificial intelligence.

    Consider Hollywood movies like “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” in which the artificial life form, Ultron, seeks to destroy. Technology advances rapidly and might not be that far off from the movies.

    “If an AI is a sentient being and it decides to act out on its own will and is harming someone, we’re going to have to start thinking about liability,” Socci says. “My theory holds the monster accountable and therefore would hold the AI accountable. Then, if you can hold the AI accountable, shouldn’t they also have rights and be able to vote if we’re talking about the dual edge of legal personhood.”

    Illustration from Frankenstein (Adobe stock)

    Socci surmises that humans will be unlikely to put robots and technology on the same level as themselves, but that conversation may very well need to be had, which means the hypothetical turns real.

    In the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision that gave corporations the right to make political donations, the reasoning, Socci says, is that businesses have a right to free speech, in this case through their dollar, and that can’t be infringed upon.

    “Legal personhood is not the reason for that decision, but if you go through the legal text, the chief justice uses very personifying language when talking about corporations, saying they can bring a good perspective into the democratic dialogue. And suddenly, corporations can talk like people. This tendency to personify the inanimate is where we see legal personhood bleeding into our contemporary scheme,” she says.

    A story about injustice

    In a planned career as a lawyer, Socci says she’ll take many of the things she’s learned from this project and apply them to work with abused and neglected children, who oftentimes need an advocate to protect their rights.

    And in a way, children are a little like the monster – seeking to belong, looking to be molded, hungry for learning. Victor Frankenstein’s rejection of the monster, in the same way a parent might reject a child, results in lifelong ramifications.

    “You might feel sad for the monster because all he really wants is to be part of the human community,” Socci says. “There’s a whole segment of the book in which he is watching the DeLacey family from far away in his hovel. He realizes they’re poor, so he starts leaving food on their steps. He shovels their driveway. He helps them out despite the fact he’s been rejected by his creator.”

    Socci says that while there are dozens of ways one could analyze the story, for her, “Frankenstein” boils down to a tale of injustice.

    “We hear the word ‘monster,’ and we think ‘beast.’ We’re scared. Something’s uncivilized. Something is rowdy. Something is dangerous. But the monster, in the beginning, is anything but that,” she says. “He’s a very rational individual who just wants to be close to someone. I think Shelley is asking us to think about the definitions we’ve applied to others.”

    And that interpretation may become part three of “Monstrosity on Trial” – the honors conversion project turned SURF grant award, yet-to-become English honors thesis.

    “I don’t think there’s going to be another time in my life, unless I become an author, when I’ll have dedicated hours for researching and writing, not worrying about the income I’m missing out on,” Socci says of the SURF grant. “It was honestly a privilege to have this experience.”

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: How a House Becomes Legally Haunted: Stambovsky v. Ackley, The “Ghostbuster” Ruling

    Source: US Global Legal Monitor

    The following is a guest post by Mary-Claire Sarafianos, a former intern with the Digital Resources Division of the Law Library of Congress. She is a second-year Ph.D. student in English at the University of Missouri. She studies silence and structure, both as problems in archives and as features of 19th-century American women’s writing.

    In the village of Nyack, New York, an 18-room Victorian estate perches on the edge of the road, looming big and blue above the Hudson River. Local legend proclaimed that the house was haunted. Many a ghost story had been told about this home–a Navy lieutenant from the American Revolution lurking around the basement, an invisible force shaking beds, and a spirit floating and rocking in the middle of the living room. The house and the various spectral presences within it were well-known by the local people of Nyack, but these stories have gone beyond local legend–unlike any other house in American history, 1 La Veta Place was declared, as a matter of law, haunted.

    But before the house’s ghosts became a matter of legal record, 1 La Veta Place was considered haunted by locals. The house was even “included in a five-home walking tour of Nyack and described in a November 27th newspaper article as ‘a riverfront Victorian (with ghost).’” (Stambovsky v. Ackley, 169 A.D.2d 254, 256 (N.Y. App. Div. 1991.) During her time living at 1 La Veta Place, Helen Ackley not only spoke publicly about the ghosts, she wrote about them on both a local and national level. Ackley wrote a story detailing her house’s various phantasmal residents in a local newspaper in 1982, in addition to an article she wrote for Reader’s Digest in 1977 that described the ghosts and their relationship to the human inhabitants of the home. (Stambovsky at 256.) Apparently, the ghosts at 1 La Veta Place were an odd but friendly group of phantoms, but when the house went up for sale, these ghost stories were confronted with the looming figure of the law, leading to the case of Stambovsky v. Ackley, or what is colloquially known as “The Ghostbuster Ruling.”

    When Ackley put the home up for sale, she hired Ellis Realty, who would become her co-defendant in the ensuing legal trouble. Jeffrey Stambovsky, a New York City resident who was unfamiliar with the Nyack folklore and the reputation of the Ackley home, made an offer on the home for $650,000. (Stambovsky at 256.) But some time between making the down payment and closing on the house, Stambovsky discovered the reputation of 1 La Veta Place. According to the majority opinion, when Stambovsky discovered that he was purchasing an allegedly haunted house, he “sought to rescind the $650,000 contract of sale and obtain return of his $32,500 down payment without resort to litigation.” (Stambovsky at 261.) When this did not work, Stambovsky brought his complaint to court and requested not only to cancel the contract to purchase the home but also to request damages for fraudulent misrepresentation by Ackley and her real estate broker, Ellis Realty. (Stambovsky at 256.) And just like that, the house became less of a local legend and more of a legal entanglement.

    [“Spirit” photograph, supposedly taken during a seance, actually a double exposure or composite of superimposed cut-outs, showing woman with portraits of men and women around her head]. Fallis, S. W. 1901. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/ppmsca.40857/.

    Stambovsky’s initial complaint was dismissed by the New York County Supreme Court. The court’s decision was influenced by the fact that New York followed the common law doctrine of caveat emptor, meaning “let the buyer beware” in Latin. The doctrine of caveat emptor “places the burden on buyers to reasonably examine property before making a purchase. A buyer who fails to meet this burden is unable to recover for defects in the product that would have been discovered had this burden been met.” Under this doctrine, sellers are not obligated to disclose information to potential buyers and, according to this doctrine, the supposed hauntings of the Ackley home were Stambovsky’s burden to uncover before making an offer on the house. Consequently, the New York County Supreme Court concluded that Stambovsky would neither receive his down payment nor damages, as there was no fraudulent misrepresentation at play. (Stambovsky at 256.) However, Stambovsky persisted and appealed the court’s decision.

    The appeals court found that caveat emptor did not apply to Stambovsky’s case. As the majority opinion states, “[a]pplying the strict rule of caveat emptor to a contract involving a house possessed by poltergeists conjures up visions of a psychic or medium routinely accompanying the structural engineer and Terminix man on an inspection of every home subject to a contract of sale.” (Stambovsky at 257.) The appeals court allowed Stambovsky to seek rescission of the contract for sale of the home. (Stambovsky at 260-261.) What the case affirms is not that ghosts exist in a legal sense, but that if the house can be considered haunted enough to merit being a stop on a tour of haunted houses and be the subject of an article in Reader’s Digest, then that spooky reputation must be disclosed to potential buyers.

    This verdict presents both sellers and buyers of real estate with complicated questions about the reputations and histories of property and, though not everyone believes in ghosts, houses are often haunted by the crimes, tragedies, and misfortunes that have happened within their walls. Such houses are considered stigmatized properties, which are properties that have been “psychologically impacted by an event which occurred, or was suspected to have occurred, on the property, such an event being one that has no physical impact of any kind.” Whether there is a reputation for ghosts, crime, or misfortune, the public perception of stigmatized property can make it difficult to sell, regardless of the quality of the land or structure. In the case of Stambovsky v. Ackley, the stigmatized nature of the property could actually attract buyers; 1 La Veta Place drew the attention of The Amazing Kreskin, a mentalist who wanted to buy the house, despite its haunted reputation.

    The ghost. Melander & Bro. 1874. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/stereo.1s42592/?loclr=bloglaw.

    The legal responsibilities of both sellers and buyers of stigmatized property vary from state to state. In New York today, deaths, crimes, or stigmatizing features of a property are not required to be disclosed to a seller, but the buyer may inquire as to any of these concerns and the seller may “choose whether or not to respond to the inquiry.” Pennsylvania law has upheld similar requirements, particularly in the case of Milliken v. Jacono, which concluded that “psychological damage to a property cannot be considered a material defect in the property which must be revealed by the seller to the buyer.” (Milliken v. Jacono, 60 A.3d 133, 138 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2012).) While many states follow New York and Pennsylvania, other states require that sellers disclose to buyers whether certain violent crimes were committed on a property. In Alaska, if a licensee knows that a murder or suicide occurred on the property within the last year, they are obligated to disclose this information to the buyer before an offer is made or accepted. In South Dakota, a similar law is in place that requires a property disclosure statement that includes the question: “Since you have owned the property, are you aware of a human death by homicide or suicide occurring on the property?”

    Some states have no requirements or laws on the books that indicate whether a property’s tragic or torrid history needs to be disclosed to the buyer, but certainly no other states have put their caveat emptor doctrines to the test against ghosts in the way that New York has. In the interest of ending on a slightly more humorous note, I turn again to the majority opinion of Stambovsky v. Ackley, which brought a level of humor to the conclusions of the case that have earned it the nickname “The Ghostbusters Ruling.” The majority opinion references the movie Ghostbusters by name and uses even more ghostly puns than I have employed throughout this blog post. (Stambovsky at 257.) The humor of the majority opinion even weaves its way into the logic of the case where the judge states that “if the language of the contract is to be construed as broadly as defendant urges to encompass the presence of poltergeists in the house, it cannot be said that she has delivered the premises ‘vacant’ in accordance with her obligation under the provisions of the contract rider.” (Stambovsky at 260.) In keeping with the humor of the court opinion, this case remains a spot of humor in contract law curricula across the country. Stambovsky v. Ackley and cases like it continue to spark conversation and legislation around caveat emptor and stigmatized property.

    If you are interested in learning about how English law handles the disclosure of hauntings, see the previous In Custodia Legis post, “

    Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Autumn Budget 2024 speech

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Autumn Budget 2024 speech as delivered by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

    Madam Deputy Speaker…

    [redacted political content]

    This government was given a mandate. 

    To restore stability to our economy… 

    … and to begin a decade of national renewal. 

    To fix the foundations… 

    … and deliver change. 

    Through responsible leadership in the national interest.  

    That is our task.  

    And I know that we can achieve it. 

    My belief in Britain burns brighter than ever.  

    And the prize on offer is immense.  

    As my Right Honourable Friend the Prime Minister said on Monday – change must be felt. 

    More pounds in people’s pockets.  

    An NHS that is there when you need it.  

    An economy that is growing, creating wealth and opportunity for all…  

    … because that is the only way to improve living standards.   

    And the only way to drive economic growth… 

    … is to invest, invest, invest.  

    There are no shortcuts. 

    And to deliver that investment… 

    … we must restore economic stability…

    [redacted political content]

    INHERITANCE

    [redacted political content]

    … it is the first Budget in our country’s history to be delivered by a woman.  

    I am deeply proud to be Britain’s first ever female Chancellor of the Exchequer.  

    To girls and young women everywhere, I say:  

    Let there be no ceiling on your ambition, your hopes and your dreams.  

    And along with the pride that I feel standing here today… 

    … there is also a responsibility… 

    … to pass on a fairer society and a stronger economy to the next  

    generation of women.

    [redacted political content]

    A black hole in the public finances… 

    Public services on their knees…. 

    A decade of low growth. 

    And the worst parliament on record for living standards. 

    Let me begin with the public finances. 

    In July, I exposed a £22bn black hole

    [redacted political content]

    The Treasury’s reserve, set aside for genuine emergencies… 

    … spent three times over… 

    … just three months into the financial year.  

    Today, on top of the detailed document that I have provided to the House in July… 

    … the government is publishing a line by line breakdown of the £22bn black hole that we inherited… 

    It shows hundreds of unfunded pressures on the public finances… 

    … this year, and into the future too.  

    The Office for Budget Responsibility have published their own review of the circumstances around the Spring Budget forecast.  

    They say that the previous government – and I quote – “did not provide the OBR with all the [available] information to them”… 

    … and – had they known about these “undisclosed spending pressures that have since come to light”… 

    … then their Spring Budget forecast for spending would have been, and I quote again: “materially different”.  

    Let me be clear: that means any comparison between today’s forecast and the OBR’s March forecast is false… 

    … because the party opposite hid the reality of their public spending plans. 

    Yet at the very same budget… 

    … they made another ten billion pounds worth of cuts to National Insurance.

    [redacted political content]

    That’s why today, I can confirm that we will implement in full… 

    … the 10 recommendations from the independent Office for Budget Responsibility’s review. 

    But, the country has inherited not just broken public finances… 

    … but broken public services too. 

    The British people can see and feel that in their everyday lives. 

    NHS waiting lists at record levels. 

    Children in portacabins as school roofs crumble. 

    Trains that do not arrive. 

    Rivers filled with polluted waste.  

    Prisons overflowing. 

    Crimes which are not investigated… 

    … and criminals who are not punished.  

    That is the country’s inheritance

    Since 2021, there had been no detailed plans for departmental spending set out beyond this year.  

    And [redacted political content] plans relied on a baseline for spending this year which we now know was wrong… 

    … because it did not take into account the £22bn black hole.  

    The previous government also failed to budget for costs which they knew would materialise.  

    That includes funding for vital compensation schemes…  

    … for victims of two terrible injustices…

    [redacted political content]

    … the infected blood scandal… 

    … and the Post Office Horizon scandal.  

    The Leader of the Opposition rightly made an unequivocal apology for the injustice of the infected blood scandal on behalf of the British state… 

    … but he did not budget for the costs of compensation.  

    Today, for the very first time, we will provide specific funding to compensate those infected and those affected, in full… 

    … with £11.8bn in this budget. 

    And I am also today setting aside £1.8bn to compensate victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal… 

    … redress that is long overdue for the pain and injustice that they have suffered.

    [redacted political content]

    … and we will restore stability to our country again. 

    The scale and seriousness of the situation that we have inherited cannot be underestimated. 

    Together, the hole in our public finances this year, which recurs every year… 

    … the compensation schemes that they did not fund… 

    … and their failure to assess the scale of the challenges facing our public services… 

    … means this budget raises taxes by £40bn. 

    Any Chancellor standing here today would have to face this reality. 

    And any responsible Chancellor would take action. 

    That is why today, I am restoring stability to our public finances… 

    … and rebuilding our public services.  

    FISCAL RULES / OBR FORECASTS 

    Economy forecast/growth 

    As a former economist at the Bank of England, I know what it means to respect our economic institutions.  

    I want to put on record my thanks to the Governor of the Bank, Andrew Bailey…  

    … and to the independent Monetary Policy Committee. 

    Today, I can confirm that we will maintain the MPC’s target of two per cent inflation, as measured by the 12-month increase in the Consumer Prices Index. 

    I want to thank James Bowler, the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury, and my team of officials. 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, I would also like to thank my predecessors as Chancellor of the Exchequer… 

    … for their wise counsel as I have prepared for this Budget.

    [redacted political content]

    Finally, I want to thank Richard Hughes and his team at the Office for Budget Responsibility for their work in preparing today’s economic and fiscal outlook. 

    Let me now take the House through that forecast. 

    The cost of living crisis under the last government stretched household finances to their limit, with inflation hitting a peak of above 11%.  

    Today, the OBR say that CPI inflation will average 2.5% this year, 2.6% in 2025, then 2.3% in 2026, 2.1% in 2027, 2.1% in 2028 and 2.0% in 2029.  

    Next, I move on to economic growth.  

    Today’s budget marks an end to short-termism.  

    So I am pleased, that for the first time, the OBR have published not only five year growth forecasts… 

    … but a detailed assessment of the growth impacts of our policies over the next decade, too… 

    … and the new Charter for Budget Responsibility, which I am publishing today, confirms that this will become a permanent feature of our framework. 

    The OBR forecast that real GDP growth will be 1.1% in 2024, 2.0% in 2025, 1.8% in 2026, 1.5% in 2027, 1.5% in 2028 and 1.6% in 2029. 

    And the OBR are clear: this Budget will permanently increase the supply capacity of the economy…

    [redacted political content]

    … boosting long-term growth. 

    Every Budget I deliver will be focused on our mission to grow the economy. 

    And underpinning that mission are the seven key pillars of our growth strategy… 

    … developed and delivered alongside business…  

    … all driven forward by our Financial Secretary to the Treasury.   

    First, and most important, is to restore economic stability. That is my focus today. 

    Second, increasing investment and building new infrastructure is vital for productivity, so we are catalysing £70bn of investment through our National Wealth Fund… 

    … and we are transforming our planning rules to get Britain building again. 

    Third, to ensure that all parts of the UK can realise their potential… 

    … we are working with the devolved governments… 

    … and partnering with our Mayors to develop local growth plans.  

    Fourth, to improve employment prospects and skills we are creating Skills England, delivering our plans to Make Work Pay and tackling economic inactivity.  

    Fifth, we are launching our long-term modern industrial strategy and expanding opportunities for our small and medium sized businesses to grow. 

    Sixth, to drive innovation we are protecting record funding for research and development to harness the full potential of the UK’s science base.  

    And finally, to maximise the growth benefits of our clean energy mission, we have confirmed key investments such as Carbon Capture and Storage to create jobs in our industrial heartlands. 

    Our approach is already having an impact. 

    Just two weeks ago – we delivered an International Investment Summit which saw businesses commit £63.5bn of investment into this country… 

    … creating nearly 40,000 jobs across the United Kingdom.

    [redacted political content]

    Economic growth will be our mission for the duration of this parliament.  

    Stability rule 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, in our manifesto, we set out the fiscal rules that would guide this government. 

    I am confirming those today… 

    Our stability rule… 

    And our investment rule… 

    The “stability rule” means that we will bring the current budget into balance… 

    … so that we do not borrow to fund day to day spending. 

    We will meet this rule in 2029-30, until that becomes the third year of the forecast.  

    From then on, we will balance the current budget in the third year of every budget, held annually each autumn. 

    That will provide a tougher constraint on day to day spending… 

    … so difficult decisions cannot be constantly delayed or deferred.  

    The OBR say that the current budget will be in deficit by £26.2bn in 2025-26 and £5.2bn in 2026-27… 

    … before moving into surplus of £10.9bn in 2027-28, £9.3bn in 2028-29 and £9.9bn in 2029-30… 

    … meeting our stability rule… 

    … two years early.  

    Monthly public sector finances data shows that government borrowing in the first six months of this year… 

    … was already running significantly higher than the OBR’s March forecast. 

    And so the OBR confirmed today, that borrowing in this financial year is now £127bn…

    [redacted political content]

    The increase in the net cash requirement in 24-25 is lower than the increase in borrowing, at £22.3bn higher than the spring forecast.  

    Because of the action that we are taking… 

    … borrowing falls from 4.5% of GDP this year to 2.1% of GDP by the end of the forecast. 

    Public sector net borrowing will be £105.6bn in 2025-26, £88.5bn in 2026-27, £72.2bn in 2027-28, £71.9bn in 2028-29 and £70.6bn in 2029-2930. 

    FIXING THE FOUNDATIONS 

    Spending  

    Madam Deputy Speaker, before I come to tax… 

    … it is vital that we are driving efficiency and reducing wasteful spending. 

    In July, to begin delivering, and dealing with our inheritance… 

    … I made £5.5bn of savings this year.  

    Today we are setting a 2% productivity, efficiency and savings target for all departments to meet next year… 

    … by using technology more effectively and joining up services across government 

    As set out in our manifesto, I will shortly be appointing our Covid Corruption Commissioner, they will lead our work to uncover those companies that used a national emergency to line their own pockets. 

    Because that money belongs in our public services. And taxpayers want that money back.  

    And I can confirm today that David Goldstone has been appointed as the Chair of the new Office for Value for Money…  

    … to help us realise the benefits from every pound of public spending. 

    Welfare 

    Today, I am also taking three steps to ensure that welfare spending is more sustainable.  

    First, we inherited [redacted political content] plans to reform the Work Capability Assessment.  

    We will deliver those savings…  

    …as part of our fundamental reforms to the health and disability benefits system that my Right Honourable Friend the Work and Pensions Secretary will bring forward. 

    Second, I can today announce a crackdown on fraud in our welfare system… 

    … often the work of criminal gangs.  

    We will expand DWP’s counter-fraud teams.. 

    … using innovative new methods to prevent illegal activity…  

    … and provide new legal powers to crackdown on fraudsters… 

    … including direct access to bank accounts to recover debt. 

    This package saves £4.3bn a year by the end of the forecast. 

    Third, the government will shortly be publishing the “Get Britain Working” white paper…  

    … tackling the root causes of inactivity with an integrated approach across health, education and welfare.  

    … and we will provide £240m for 16 trailblazer projects… 

    … targeted at those who are economically inactive and most at risk of being out of education, employment or training… 

    … to get people into work and reduce the benefits bill.  

    Tax avoidance 

    Before a government could consider any change to a tax rate or threshold… 

    … it must ensure that people pay what they already owe. 

    So we will invest to modernise HMRC’s systems using the very best technology… 

    … and recruit additional HMRC compliance and debt staff. 

    We will clamp down on those umbrella companies who exploit workers… 

    … increase the interest rate on unpaid tax debt to ensure that people pay on time… 

    … and go after promoters of tax avoidance schemes. 

    These measures to reduce the tax gap raise £6.5bn by the end of the forecast… 

    … and I want to thank the Exchequer Secretary for his outstanding work on this agenda. 

    PROTECTING WORKING PEOPLE 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, I know that for working people up and down our country… 

    … family finances are stretched… 

    … and pay checks don’t go as far as they once did. 

    So today, I am taking steps to support people with the cost of living. 

    Cost of living

    [redacted political content]

    As promised in our manifesto, we asked the Low Pay Commission to take account of the cost of living for the first time.  

    I can confirm that we will accept the Low Pay Commission recommendation to increase the National Living Wage by 6.7% to £12.21 an hour… 

    … worth up to £1,400 a year for a full-time worker. 

    And for the first time, we will move towards a single adult rate…  

    … phased in over time…  

    … by initially increasing the National Minimum Wage for 18-20 year olds by 16.3% as recommended by the Low Pay Commission… 

    … taking it to £10 an hour.

    [redacted political content]

    Second, I have heard representations from colleagues across this house about the Carer’s Allowance… 

    … and the impact of the current policy on carers looking to increase the hours they work… 

    … including from the Honourable member for Shipley, the Honourable member for Scarborough and Whitby and the Rt Hon Member for Kingston and Surbiton, too. 

    Carer’s allowance currently provides up to £81.90 per week to help those with additional caring responsibilities.  

    Today, I can confirm that we are increasing the weekly earnings limit to the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage per week… 

    … the largest increase in Carer’s Allowance since it was introduced in 1976.  

    That means a carer can now earn over £10,000 a year while receiving Carer’s Allowance… 

    … allowing them to increase their hours where they want to… 

    … and keep more of their money. 

    I am also concerned about the cliff-edge in the current system and the issue of overpayments. 

    My Right Honourable Friend the Work and Pensions Secretary has announced an independent review to look at the issue of overpayments, and we will work across this house to develop the right solutions. 

    Third, we will provide £1bn from next year to extend the Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments, to help those facing financial hardship with the cost of essentials.  

    Fourth, having heard representations from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Trussell and others… 

    … to reduce the level of debt repayments that can be taken from a household’s Universal Credit payment each month… 

    … by reducing it from 25% to 15% of their standard allowance. 

    This means that 1.2 million of the poorest households will keep more of their award each month… 

    … lifting children out of poverty…  

    … and those who benefit will gain an average of £420 a year. 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, our Plan to Make Work Pay will also protect working people.

    [redacted political content]

    It is right that we protect those who have worked their whole lives.  

    In our manifesto, we promised to transfer the Investment Reserve Fund in the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme to members… 

    … and I have listened closely to my Honourable Friends for Easington, Doncaster Central, Blaenau Gwent, and Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock on this issue. 

    Today we are keeping our promise…  

    … so that working people who powered our country receive the fair pension that they are owed. 

    Our manifesto committed to the Triple Lock… 

    … meaning spending on the State Pension is forecast to rise by over £31bn by 2029-30… 

    … to ensure that our pensioners are protected in their retirement.  

    This commitment means that while working age benefits will be uprated in line with CPI, at 1.7%… 

    … the basic and new State Pension… 

    … will be uprated by 4.1% in 2025-26. 

    This means that over 12 million pensioners will gain up to £470 next year… 

    … up to £275 more than if uprated by inflation.  

    The Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee will also rise by 4.1%…  

    … from around £11,400 per year to around £11,850 for a single pensioner.  

    Fuel duty 

    While I have sought to protect working people with measures to reduce the cost of living… 

    … I have had to take some very difficult decisions on tax. 

    I want to set out my approach to fuel duty.  

    Baked into the numbers that I inherited from the previous government… 

    … is an assumption that fuel duty will rise by RPI next year… 

    … and that the temporary 5p cut will be reversed.  

    To retain the 5p cut… 

    … and to freeze fuel duty again… 

    … would cost over £3bn next year.  

    At a time when the fiscal position is so difficult…  

    … I have to be frank with the House that this is a substantial commitment to make. 

    I have concluded… 

    … that in these difficult circumstances… 

    … while the cost of living remains high… 

    … and with a backdrop of global uncertainty… 

    … increasing fuel duty next year… 

    … would be the wrong choice for working people. 

    It would mean fuel duty rising by 7p per litre. 

    So, I have today decided to freeze fuel duty next year… 

    … and I will maintain the existing 5p cut for another year, too. 

    There will be no higher taxes at the petrol pumps next year.

    Madam Deputy Speaker, the last government made cuts of £20bn to employees’ and self-employed national insurance in their final two budgets.

    [redacted political content]

    Because we now know they were based on a forecast which the OBR say would have been “materially different”… 

    … had they known the true extent of the last government’s cover-up.   

    Since July, I have been urged on multiple occasions to reconsider these cuts.  

    To increase the taxes that working people pay and see in their payslips. 

    But I have made an important choice today: 

    To keep every single commitment that we made on tax in our manifesto.  

    So I say to working people: 

    I will not increase your National Insurance… 

    …I will not increase your VAT… 

    …And I will not increase your income tax. 

    Working people will not see higher taxes in their payslips as a result of the choices I make today. 

    That is a promise made – and a promise fulfilled. 

    TAX 

    But any responsible Chancellor would need to take difficult decisions today. 

    To raise the revenues required to fund our public services. 

    And to restore economic stability.  

    So in today’s Budget, I am announcing an increase in Employers’ National Insurance Contributions.  

    We will increase the rate of Employers’ National Insurance by 1.2 percentage points, to 15%, from April 2025.  

    And we will reduce the Secondary Threshold – the level at which employers start paying national insurance on each employee’s salary – from £9,100 per year to £5,000.  

    This will raise £25bn per year by the end of the forecast period.  

    I know that this is a difficult choice. 

    I do not take this decision lightly.  

    We are asking business to contribute more… 

    … and I know that there will be impacts of this measure felt beyond businesses, too… 

    … as the OBR have set out today. 

    But in the circumstances that I have inherited, it is the right choice to make.  

    Successful businesses depend on successful schools. 

    Healthy businesses depend on a healthy NHS.  

    And a strong economy depends on strong public finances.

    [redacted political content]

    That is the choice our country faces too.  

    As I make this choice, I know it is particularly important to protect our smallest companies.  

    So having heard representations from the Federation of Small Businesses and others… 

    … I am today increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. 

    This means 865,000 employers won’t pay any National Insurance at all next year… 

    … and over 1 million will pay the same or less than they did previously. 

    This will allow a small business to employ the equivalent of 4 full time workers on the National Living Wage… 

    … without paying any National Insurance on their wages. 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, let me come now to capital gains tax. 

    We need to drive growth, promote entrepreneurship, and support wealth creation… 

    … while raising the revenue required to fund our public services… 

    … and restore our public finances.  

    Today, we will increase the lower rate of Capital Gains Tax from 10% to 18%, and the Higher Rate from 20% to 24%… 

    … while maintaining the rates of capital gains tax on residential property at 18% and 24%, too.  

    This means the UK will still have the lowest Capital Gains Tax rate of any European G7 economy. 

    Alongside these changes to the headline rates of Capital Gains Tax… 

    … we are maintaining the lifetime limit for Business Asset Disposal Relief at £1m… 

    … to encourage entrepreneurs to invest in their businesses.   

    Business Asset Disposal Relief will remain at 10% this year… 

    … before rising to 14% in April 2025… 

    … and 18% from 2026-27… 

    … maintaining a significant gap compared to the higher rate of Capital Gains Tax.  

    Together, the OBR say these measures will raise £2.5bn by the end of the forecast. 

    In a sign of this government’s commitment to supporting growth and entrepreneurship… 

    …we have already extended the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trust schemes to 2035… 

    … and we will continue to work with leading entrepreneurs and venture capital firms… 

    … to ensure our policies support a positive environment for entrepreneurship in the UK. 

    Next, inheritance tax. 

    Only 6% of estates will pay inheritance tax this year. 

    I understand the strongly held desire to pass down savings to children and grandchildren. 

    So I am taking a balanced approach in my package today. 

    First, the previous government froze inheritance tax thresholds until 2028. I will extend that freeze for a further two years, until 2030. 

    That means the first £325,000 of any estate can be inherited tax-free… 

    … rising to £500,000 if the estate includes a residence passed to direct descendants…. 

    … and £1m when a tax free allowance is passed to a surviving spouse or civil partner. 

    Second, we will close the loophole created by the previous government… 

    … made even bigger when the Lifetime Allowance was abolished… 

    … by bringing inherited pensions into inheritance tax from April 2027. 

    Finally, we will reform Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief.  

    From April 2026, the first £1m of combined business and agricultural assets will continue to attract no inheritance tax at all… 

    … but for assets over £1m, inheritance tax will apply with 50% relief, at an effective rate of 20%. 

    This will ensure we continue to protect small family farms… 

    … and three-quarters of claims will be unaffected by these changes. 

    I can also announce that we will apply a 50% relief, in all circumstances, on inheritance tax for shares on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) and other similar markets… 

    … setting the effective rate of tax at 20%. 

    Taken together, these measures raise over £2bn in the final year of the forecast. 

    Next, I can confirm that the government will renew the Tobacco Duty escalator for the remainder of this Parliament at RPI+2%… 

    … increase duty by a further 10% on hand-rolling tobacco this year… 

    … introduce a flat rate duty on all vaping liquid from October 2026… 

    … alongside an additional one off- increase in tobacco duty to maintain the incentive to give up smoking. 

    And we will increase the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to account for inflation since it was introduced… 

    …  as well as increasing the duty in line with CPI each year going forward. 

    These measures will raise nearly £1bn per year by the end of the forecast period. 

    Madame Deputy Speaker, we want to support the take-up of electric vehicles. 

    So I will maintain incentives for electric vehicles in Company Car Tax from 2028… 

    … and increase the differential between fully electric and other vehicles in the first year rates of Vehicle Excise Duty from April 2025. 

    These measures will raise around £400m by the end of the forecast period. 

    Madam Deputy Speaker let me update the House on our plans for Air Passenger Duty…

    [redacted political content]

    Air Passenger Duty has not kept up with inflation in recent years… 

    … so we are introducing an adjustment… 

    … meaning an increase of no more than £2 for an economy class short-haul flight.  

    But I am taking a different approach when it comes to private jets…  

    … increasing the rate of Air Passenger Duty by a further 50%.

    [redacted political content]

    These measures will raise over £700m by the end of the forecast period. 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, let me turn now to our high street businesses.  

    I know that for them, a major source of concern is business rates.  

    From 2026-27, we intend to introduce two permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties which make up the backbone of high streets across the country… 

    … and it is our intention that is paid for by a higher multiplier for the most valuable properties.

    [redacted political content]

    So I will today provide 40% relief on business rates for the retail, hospitality and leisure industry in 2025-26… 

    … up to a cap of £110,000 per business. 

    Alongside this, the small business tax multiplier will be frozen next year.  

    Next, I can confirm that alcohol duty rates on non-draught products will increase in line with RPI from February next year… 

    … but nearly two-thirds of alcoholic drinks sold in pubs are served on draught. 

    So today, instead of uprating these products in line with inflation… 

    … I am cutting draught duty by 1.7%… 

    … which means a penny off a pint in the pub. 

    Alongside the changes I am making today, I am publishing a Corporate Tax Roadmap.. 

    … providing the business certainty called for by the CBI, British Chambers of Commerce and the Institute for Directors. 

    This confirms our commitment to cap the rate of Corporation Tax at 25% – the lowest in the G7 –  for the duration of this parliament…. 

    … while maintaining full expensing and the £1 million Annual Investment Allowance… 

    …and keeping the current rates of research and development reliefs, to drive innovation. 

    Manifesto 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, in our manifesto we made a number of commitments to raise funding for our public services.  

    First, I have always said that if you make Britain your home, you should pay your tax here. 

    So today, I can confirm… 

    … we will abolish the non-dom tax regime… 

    … and remove the outdated concept of domicile from the tax system from April 2025. 

    We will introduce a new, residence based scheme… 

    … with internationally competitive arrangements for those coming to the UK on a temporary basis… 

    … while closing the loopholes in the scheme designed by the party opposite. 

    To further encourage investment into the UK, we will also extend the Temporary Repatriation Relief to three years and expand its scope… 

    … bringing billions of pounds of new funds into Britain. 

    The independent Office for Budget Responsibility say that this package of measures will raise £12.7bn over the next five years.  

    Next, the fund management industry provides a vital contribution to our economy… 

    …  but as our manifesto set out, there needs to be a fairer approach to the way carried interest is taxed.  

    So we will increase the Capital Gains Tax rates on carried interest to 32% from April 2025… 

    … and – from April 2026 – we will deliver further reforms to ensure that the specific rules for carried interest are simpler, fairer and better targeted. 

    In our manifesto we committed to reforming stamp duty land tax to raise revenue while supporting those buying their first home.  

    We are increasing the stamp-duty land tax surcharge for second-homes… 

    …known as the “Higher Rate for Additional Dwellings”… 

    … by 2 percentage points, to 5%, which will come into effect from tomorrow.  

    This will support over 130,000 additional transactions from people buying their first home, or moving home over, the next five years. 

    Next, we committed to reform the Energy Profits Levy on oil and gas companies. 

    I can confirm today that we will increase the rate of the levy to 38%, which will now expire in March 2030… 

    … and we will remove the 29% investment allowance. 

    To ensure the oil and gas industry can protect jobs and support our energy security… 

    … we will maintain the 100% first year allowances and the decarbonisation allowances too.  

    Finally, 94% of children in the UK attend state schools. 

    To provide the highest quality of support and teaching that they deserve… 

    … we will introduce VAT on private school fees from January 2025… 

    … and we will shortly introduce legislation to remove their business rates relief from April 2025, too.  

    We said in our manifesto that these changes… 

    … alongside our measures to tackle tax avoidance… 

    … would bring in £8.5bn by the final year of the forecast. 

    I can confirm today that they will in fact raise over £9bn… 

    … to support our public services and restore our public finances. 

    That is a promise made – and a promise fulfilled. 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, I have one final decision to take on tax today. 

    The previous government froze income tax and National Insurance thresholds in 2021… 

    … and then they did so again after the mini-budget. 

    Extending their threshold freeze for a further two years raises billions of pounds.  

    Money to deal with the black hole in our public finances…  

    … and repair our public services.  

    Having considered this issue closely… 

    … I have come to the conclusion… 

    … that extending the threshold freeze… 

    … would hurt working people. 

    It would take more money out of their payslips.

    I am keeping every single promise on tax that I made in our manifesto. 

    So there will be no extension of the freeze in income tax and National Insurance thresholds beyond the decisions of the previous government.  

    From 2028-29, personal tax thresholds will be uprated in line with inflation once again.

    When it comes to choices on tax, this government chooses to protect working people every single time.  

    SPENDING 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, these are the choices I have made. 

    To restore economic stability. 

    And to protect working people.  

    The next choice I make is to begin to repair our public services.  

    In recent months, we have conducted the first phase of the Spending Review… 

    … to set departmental budgets for 2024-25 and 2025-26… 

    … and I want to thank my Right Honourable Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury for his tireless work with colleagues from across government.  

    Because I have taken difficult decisions on tax today… 

    … I am able to provide an injection of immediate funding over the next two years… 

    … to stabilise and to support our public services.  

    The next phase of the Spending Review will report in late Spring, and I have set the overall envelope today. 

    Day to day spending from 2024-25 onwards will grow by 1.5% in real terms… 

    … and total departmental spending, including capital spending, will grow by 1.7% in real terms. 

    At the election we promised there would be no return to austerity.  

    Today we deliver on that promise. 

    But given the scale of the challenges that are facing our public services… 

    … that means there will still be difficult choices in the next phase of the Spending Review. 

    Just as we cannot tax and spend our way to prosperity… 

    … nor can we simply spend our way to better public services.  

    So we will deliver a new approach to public service reform… 

    … using technology to improve public services… 

    … and taking a zero-based approach… 

    … so that taxpayers’ money is spent as effectively as possible…  

    … and so that we focus on delivering our key priorities.  

    Spending Review: Phase 1 

    In the first phase of the Spending Review… 

    … I have prioritised day-to-day funding to deliver on our manifesto commitments. 

    I want every child to have the best start in life… 

    … and the best possible start to the school day, too… 

    … and I know my Right Honourable Friend the Education Secretary shares my ambition.  

    So I am today tripling investment in breakfast clubs to fund them in thousands of schools.  

    I am increasing the core schools budget by £2.3bn next year… 

    … to support our pledge to hire thousands more teachers into key subjects.   

    So that our young people can develop the skills that they need for the future… 

    … I am providing an additional £300m for further education. 

    And finally, this government is committed to reforming special educational needs provision… 

    … to improve outcomes for our most vulnerable children and ensure the system is financially sustainable. 

    To support that work, I am today providing a £1bn uplift in funding, a 6% real terms increase from this year.  

    There is no more important job for government than to keep our country safe, and we are conducting a Strategic Defence Review to be published next year. 

    And as set out in our manifesto, we will set a path to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence at a future fiscal event. 

    Today, I am announcing a total increase to the Ministry of Defence’s Budget of £2.9bn next year… 

    … ensuring the UK comfortably exceeds our NATO commitments…  

    … and providing guaranteed military support to Ukraine of £3bn per year, for as long as it takes. 

    Last week, alongside my Right Honourable Friend the Defence Secretary, I announced, in addition to this, further support to Ukraine – on top of our NATO commitment…  

    … through our £2.26bn contribution to the G7’s Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration agreement… 

    … repaid using profits from immobilised Russian sovereign assets. 

    And as we approach Remembrance Sunday…  

    … it is vital that we take time to remember those who have served our country so bravely.  

    So I am today announcing funding to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE and VJ day next year… 

    … to honour those who have served at home and abroad. 

    We must also remember those who experienced the atrocities of the Nazi regime first hand.  

    I would like to pay tribute to Lily Ebert, the Holocaust Survivor and educator who passed away aged 100 earlier this month.  

    I am today committing a further £2m to holocaust education next year… 

    … so that charities like the Holocaust Educational Trust, can continue their work to ensure these vital testimonies are not lost and are preserved for the future. 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, to repair our public services we also need to work alongside our mayors and our local leaders. 

    We will deliver a significant real-terms funding increase for local government next year…  

    … including £1.3bn of additional grant funding to deliver essential services… 

    … with at least £600m in grant funding for social care…  

    … and £230m to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping 

    We are today confirming that Greater Manchester and the West Midlands will be the first mayoral authorities to receive integrated settlements from next year… 

    … giving Mayors meaningful control of the funding for their local areas. 

    And to support our local high streets… 

    … we are taking action to deal with the sharp rise in shoplifting we have seen in recent years. 

    We will scrap the effective immunity for low-value shoplifting introduced by the party opposite. 

    And having listened closely to organisations like the British Retail Consortium and USDAW… 

    … I am providing additional funding to crack down on the organised gangs which target retailers… 

     … and to provide more training to our police officers and retailers to help stop shoplifting in its tracks.  

    Finally, I am today providing funding to support public services and drive growth across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  

    Having discussed the matter with the First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan, and my HFs for Llanelli and Pontypridd… 

    … I am providing a £25m to the Welsh Government next year for the maintenance of coal tips to ensure we keep our communities safe.  

    And to support growth, including in our rural areas, we will proceed with City and Growth Deals in Northern Ireland… 

    … in Causeway Coast and Glens; and Mid-South West.

    And we will drive growth in Scotland [redacted political content] including a City and growth Deal in Argyll and Bute.

    This budget provides the devolved governments with the largest real-terms funding settlement since devolution… 

    … delivering an additional £3.4 billion for the Scottish Government through the Barnett formula… 

    … funding which must now be spent effectively to improve public services in Scotland.  

    This budget also provides £1.7 billion to the Welsh Government… 

    …  and £1.5 billion to the Northern Ireland Executive in 2025-26. 

    I said there would be no return to austerity, and that is the choice I have made today.  

    REBUILDING BRITAIN 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, to rebuild our country we need to increase investment. 

    The UK lags behind every other G7 country when it comes to business investment as a share of our economy. 

    That matters.  

    It means the UK has fallen behind in the race for new jobs… 

    … new industries… 

    … and new technology.  

    By restoring economic stability… 

    … and by establishing the National Wealth Fund to catalyse private funding… 

    … we have begun to create the conditions that businesses need to invest.  

    But there is also a significant role for public investment.

    Hospitals without the equipment they need.  

    School buildings not fit for our children.  

    A desperate lack of affordable housing. 

    Economic growth held back at every turn.  

    Under the plans I inherited… 

    … public investment was set to fall from 2.5% to 1.7% of GDP.  

    But in Washington last week, the International Monetary Fund were clear:  

    More public investment is badly needed in the UK.  

    So today, having listened to the case made by the former Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney… 

    … former Treasury Minister, Jim O’Neill… 

    … and the former Cabinet Secretary, Gus O’Donnell… 

    … among others…  

    … I am confirming our investment rule.  

    As set out in our manifesto, we will target debt falling as a share of the economy. 

    Debt will be defined as Public Sector net Financial Liabilities, or “net financial debt”, for short… 

    … a metric that has been measured by the Office for National Statistics since 2016… 

    … and forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility since that date too. 

    “Net financial debt” recognises that government investment delivers returns for taxpayers…  

    … by counting not just the liabilities on a government’s balance sheet, but the financial assets too. 

    This means that we count the benefits of investment, not just the costs… 

    And we free up our institutions to invest… 

    … just as they do in Germany, France and Japan.  

    Like our stability rule, our investment rule will apply in 2029-2030… 

    … until that becomes the third year of the forecast. 

    From that point onwards, net financial debt will fall in the third year of every forecast. 

    Today, the OBR say that we are already meeting our target two years early… 

    … with “net financial debt” falling by 2027-28…  

    … with £15.7bn of headroom in the final year. 

    So that we drive the right incentives in government investments… 

    … we will introduce four key guardrails to ensure capital spending is good value for money and drives growth in our economy.  

    First, our portfolio of new financial investments will be delivered by expert bodies like the National Wealth Fund which must, by default, earn a rate of return at least as large as that on gilts.  

    Second, we will strengthen the role of institutions to improve infrastructure delivery.  

    Third, we will improve certainty, setting capital budgets for five years and extending them at every spending review every two years. 

    Finally, we will ensure there is greater transparency for capital spending, with robust annual reporting of financial investments… 

    … based on accounts audited by the National Audit Office… 

    … and made available to the Office for Budget Responsibility at every forecast. 

    Taken together with our stability rule… 

    …these fiscal rules will ensure that our public finances are on a firm footing… 

    … while enabling us to invest prudently alongside business. 

    Growth projects  

    The capital plans I now set out… 

    … to drive growth across our country… 

    … and repair the fabric of our nation… 

    … are only possible because of our investment rule.  

    Let me set out those investment plans. 

    Industrial strategy 

    Today we are confirming our plans to capitalise the National Wealth Fund… 

    … to invest in the industries of the future… 

    … from gigafactories, to ports to green hydrogen. 

    Building on these investments, my Right Honourable Friend the Business Secretary is driving forward our modern industrial strategy… 

    … working with businesses and organisations like Make UK… 

    … to set out the sectors with the biggest growth potential. 

    Today, we are confirming multi-year funding commitments for these areas of our economy, including… 

    … nearly £1bn for the aerospace sector to fund vital research and development, building on our industry in the East Midlands, the South-West and Scotland… 

    … over £2 billion for the automotive sector… 

    …  to support our electric vehicle industry and develop our manufacturing base… 

    … building on our strengths in the North East and the West Midlands… 

    And up to £520m for a new Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund. 

    For our world-leading creative industries…  

    … we will legislate to provide additional tax relief for visual effect costs in TV and film… 

    .. and we are providing £25m for the North East Combined Authority… 

    … which they plan to use to remediate the Crown Works Studio site in Sunderland… 

    … creating 8,000 new jobs.  

    Research & Development 

    To unlock these growth industries of the future, we will protect government investment in research and development with more than £20bn worth of funding. 

    This includes at least £6.1bn to protect core research funding for areas like engineering, biotechnology and medical science… 

    …through Research England, other research councils, and the National Academies. 

    We will extend the Innovation Accelerators programme in Glasgow, in Manchester and in the West Midlands.  

    And with over £500m of funding next year, my Right Honourable Friend the Science, Technology and Innovation Secretary, will continue to drive progress in improving reliable, fast broadband and mobile coverage across our country, including in rural areas. 

    Housing 

    We committed in our manifesto to build 1.5 million homes over the course of this parliament… 

    … and my Right Honourable Friend the Deputy Prime Minister is driving that work forward across government. 

    Today, I am providing over £5bn of government investment to deliver our plans on housing next year. 

    We will increase the Affordable Homes Programme to £3.1bn…  

    … delivering thousands of new homes.  

    We will provide £3bn of support in guarantees… 

    … to boost the supply of homes and support our small housebuilders. 

    And we will provide investment to renovate sites across our country… 

    … including at Liverpool Central Docks… 

    … where we will deliver 2,000 new homes… 

    … and funding to help Cambridge realise its full growth potential.  

    Alongside this investment, we will put the right policies in place to increase the supply of affordable housing.  

    Having heard representations from local authorities, social housing providers and from Shelter…  

    … I can today confirm that the government will reduce Right to Buy Discounts… 

    … and local authorities will be able to retain the full receipts from any sales of social housing… 

    … to reinvest back into the housing stock, and into new supply.. 

    … so that we give more people a safe, secure and affordable place to live.  

    We will provide stability to social housing providers, with a social housing rent settlement of CPI+1 percent for the next five years.  

    And we will deliver on our manifesto commitment to hire hundreds of new planning officers, to get Britain building again.  

    We will also make progress on our commitment to accelerate the remediation of homes following the findings of the Grenfell Inquiry… 

    … with £1bn of investment to remove dangerous cladding next year.  

    Transport

    Working with my Right Honourable Friend the Transport Secretary, I am changing that.  

    We are today securing the delivery of the Trans-Pennine upgrade to connect York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester…  

    … delivering fully electric local and regional services between Manchester and Stalybridge by the end of this year… 

    … with a further electrification of services between Church Fenton and York by 2026.… 

    … to help grow our economy across the North of England… 

    … with faster and more reliable services.  

    We will deliver East-West Rail to drive growth between Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge…  

    … with the first services running between Oxford, Bletchley and Milton Keynes next year… 

    … and trains between Oxford and Bedford running from 2030.  

    We are delivering railway schemes which improve journeys for people across our country… 

    … including upgrades at Bradford Forster Square…  

    … improving capacity at Manchester Victoria… 

    … and electrifying the Wigan-Bolton line. 

    My Right Honourable Friend the Transport Secretary has also set out a plan for how to get a grip of HS2. 

    Today, we are securing delivery of the project between Old Oak Common and Birmingham… 

    … and we are committing the funding required to begin tunnelling work to London Euston station… 

    … This will catalyse private investment into the local area. 

    I am also funding significant improvements to our roads network.  

    For too long, potholes have been an all too visible reminder of our failure to invest as a nation. 

    Today, that changes… 

    … with a £500m increase in road maintenance budgets next year… 

    … more than delivering on our manifesto commitment to fix an additional one million potholes each year. 

    We will provide over £650m of local transport funding to improve connections across our country… 

    … in our towns like Crewe and Grimsby… 

    … and in our villages and rural areas, from Cornwall to Cumbria.

    … we understand how important bus services are for our communities… 

    …so we will extend the cap for a further year, setting it at £3 until December 2025. 

    Finally we will deliver £1.3bn of funding to improve connectivity in our city regions, funding projects like…  

    … the Brierley Hill Metro extension in the West Midlands… 

    … the renewal of the Sheffield Supertram… 

    … and West Yorkshire Mass Transit, including in Bradford and Leeds.  

    Energy 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, to bring new jobs to Britain and drive growth across our country… 

    … we are delivering our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, led by my Right Honourable Friend the Energy Secretary. 

    Earlier this month, we announced a significant multi-year investment between government and business into Carbon Capture and Storage… 

    … creating 4,000 jobs across Merseyside and Teesside. 

    Today, I am providing funding for 11 new green hydrogen projects across England, Scotland and Wales – they will be among the first commercial scale projects anywhere in the world… 

    … including in Bridgend, East Renfrewshire and in Barrow-in-Furness 

    We are kickstarting the Warm Homes Plan by confirming an initial £3.4bn over the next three years… 

    … to transform 350,000 homes… 

    … including a quarter of a million low-income and social homes. 

    And we will establish GB Energy… 

    … providing funding next year to set up GB Energy at its new home in Aberdeen. 

    Overall, we will invest an additional £100bn over the next five years in capital spending… 

    … only possible because of our investment rule.  

    The OBR say today that this will drive growth across our country in the next five years… 

    … and in the longer term increase GDP by up to 1.4%. 

    It will crowd in private investment… 

    … meaning more jobs, and more opportunities… 

    … in every corner of the UK.  

    That is the choice that I have made.  

    To invest in our country… 

    … and to grow our economy. 

    Today, I am setting out two final areas in which investment is so badly needed… 

    … to repair the fabric of our nation. 

    Schools

    [redacted political content]

    … schools roofs are crumbling….  

    … and millions of children are facing the very same backdrop as I did. 

    I will be the Chancellor that changes that.  

    So today, I am providing £6.7bn of capital investment to the Department for Education next year… 

    … a 19% real-terms increase on this year. 

    That includes £1.4bn to rebuild over 500 schools in the greatest need… 

    … including St Helen’s Primary School in Hartlepool, and Mercia Academy in Derby… 

    … and so many more across our country. 

    And we will provide a further £2.1bn to improve school maintenance, £300m more than this year… 

    … ensuring that all our children can learn somewhere safe… 

    … including dealing with RAAC affected schools in the constituencies of my HFs the members for Watford, Stourbridge, Hyndburn, and beyond.   

    Alongside investment in new teachers… 

    … and funding for thousands of new breakfast clubs… 

    … this government is giving our children and young people the opportunities that they deserve.   

    NHS 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, I come to our most cherished public service of all: our NHS.

    [redacted political content]

    In our first week in office, he commissioned an independent report into the state of our health service by Lord Darzi.  

    Its conclusions were damning.  

    While our NHS staff do a remarkable job, and we thank them for it… 

    … it is clear that, that in so many areas… 

    … we are moving in the wrong direction.  

    100,000 infants waited over 6 hours in A&E last year.  

    350,000 people are waiting a year for mental health support. 

    Cancer deaths here are higher than in other countries.  

    It is simply unforgiveable. 

    In the Spring, we will publish a 10 year plan for the NHS… 

    … to deliver a shift from hospital to community… 

    … from analogue to digital… 

    … and from sickness to prevention. 

    Today, we are announcing a downpayment on that plan…  

    …  to enable the NHS to deliver 2% productivity growth next year. 

    These reforms are vital.  

    But we should be honest.  

    The state of the NHS we inherited… 

    … after – and I quote Lord Darzi – “the most austere decade since the NHS was founded” –  

    … means reform must come alongside investment. 

    So today… 

    … because of the difficult decision that I have taken on tax, welfare and spending… 

    … I can announce… 

    … that I am providing a £22.6bn increase in the day to-day health budget… 

    … and a £3.1bn increase in the capital budget… 

    … over this year and next year. 

    This is the largest real-terms growth in day to day NHS spending outside of Covid since 2010.  

    Let me set out what this funding is delivering.  

    Many NHS buildings have been left in a state of disrepair. 

    So we will provide £1 billion of health capital investment next year to address the backlog of repairs and upgrades across the NHS.  

    To increase capacity for tens of thousands more procedures next year… 

    … we will provide a further £1.5bn… 

    … for new beds in hospitals across the country…  

    … new capacity for over a million additional diagnostic tests… 

    … and new surgical hubs and diagnostic centres … 

    … so that those people waiting for their treatment can get it as quickly as possible. 

    My Right Honourable Friend the Health Secretary will be announcing the details of his review into the New Hospital Programme in the coming weeks… 

    … and publishing in the new year… 

    … but I can tell the House today… 

    … that work will continue at pace to deliver those seven hospitals affected including… 

    … West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds… 

    … and Leighton Hospital in Crewe.  

    And finally… 

    … because of this record injection of funding… 

    … because of the thousands of additional beds that we have secured… 

    … and because of the reforms that we are delivering in our NHS…  

    … we can now begin to bring waiting lists down more quickly… 

    … and move towards our target for waiting times no longer than 18 weeks… 

    … by delivering our manifesto commitment for 40,000 extra hospital appointments a week.

    [redacted political content]

    CLOSING 

    Madam Deputy Speaker, the choices that I have made today are the right choices for our country.  

    To restore stability to our public finances. 

    To protect working people. 

    To fix our NHS. 

    And to rebuild Britain.  

    That doesn’t mean these choices are easy. 

    But they are responsible.

    [redacted political content]

    This is a moment of fundamental choice for Britain.  

    I have made my choices.  

    The responsible choices. 

    To restore stability to our country. 

    To protect working people.  

    More teachers in our schools.  

    More appointments in our NHS.  

    More homes being built.  

    Fixing the foundations of our economy. 

    Investing in our future.  

    Delivering change.  

    Rebuilding Britain.

    We on these benches commend those choices… 

    … and I commend this Statement to the House.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Celebrate International Games Week with our Games Library | Westminster City Council

    Source: City of Westminster

    International Games Week runs from 7 to 14 November. The week aims to reconnect communities through their libraries around the educational, recreational, and social value of all types of games.

    Last year, our Library service launched its Games Library during International Games Week, but this year, we want to go bigger and better, hosting a range of events across all our libraries in Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea. 

    International Games Week events

    Date, time, location and game information for events across the week.
    Date Time Location Game
    Wednesday 6 November 6pm to 8pm  Paddington Library Board Games Bonanza
    Thursday 7 November 3:30pm to 7:30pm Chelsea Library Candela Obscura with William
    Thursday 7 November 4:30pm to 7:30pm Brompton Library Role Play Haven D&D 
    Thursday 7 November 4:45pm to 6:45pm Church Street Library  Miniature painting with Everstromn
    Thursday 7 November  4:45pm to 6:45pm Church Street Library  Tabletop Games with Michaela 
    Thursday 7 November   5 to 7pm Victoria Library Role Play Haven D&D
    Saturday 9 November  2pm to 4pm Maida Vale Library Role Play Haven D&D 
    Saturday 9 November  3pm to 4pm Kensington Central Library History of Games talk by James Wallis
    Sunday 10 November   1:30pm to 4:30pm  Marylebone Library D&D with Casper 
    Monday 11 November   5pm to 7pm Pimlico Library Miniature painting with Everstromn
    Monday 11 November   5:30pm to 8pm Westminster Reference Library Sherlock Holmes mystery game with Lucy 
    Tuesday 12 November  5pm to 7pm  North Kensington Library Miniature painting with Everstromn
    Tuesday 12 November 5pm to 7pm St. John’s Wood Role Play Haven D&D
    Tuesday 12 November 6pm to 8m  Paddington Library Role Play Haven D&D
    Tuesday 12 November 6pm to 10pm  Charing Cross Library MTG Commander Night with Bowie
    Wednesday 13 November 5pm to 7pm  Queens Park Library Role Play Haven D&D

    Events taking place in Westminster libraries require registration. You can register to attend on Eventbrite.

    What is the Games Library?

    Library members can borrow a variety of tabletop board games to play at home. Games can be borrowed directly from Kensington Central and Pimlico libraries, or reserved for collection at any branch free of charge.

    Tabletop gaming is a fun and sociable way to spend time with family and friends. It can help young people and adults develop social skills, collaboration, creative thinking, strategic thinking, and more.

    The Games Library has over 150 games available for people to borrow and take home. These include Catan, Ticket to Ride, Azul, and many more. A full list of the games can be found in our online catalogue.

    In Westminster, the Games library is based at Pimlico Library only, while at Kensington and Chelsea, Kensington Central Library. However, library members can reserve games to pick up from any of the Westminster Libraries. Please note that library members must be aged 10 or older to reserve and borrow games. 

    Borrowing a game

    What to know when borrowing a game:

    • games are free of charge to borrow 
    • you can borrow one game at a time  
    • the loan period is three weeks 
    • games can be renewed twice, each time for a further three weeks 
    • any library member aged 11 and over can borrow a game 

    For more information on your local Games Library, contact [email protected]  

    Come along to our weekly game events

    Pimlico Library: Dungeons and Dragons club 

    • every Wednesday 
    • from 4pm to 6pm
    • ages 11 to 16
    • advanced booking is required; please get in touch with the library

    Kensington Central Library: Role-play gaming 

    • every Thursday 
    • from 5:30pm to 7:30pm
    • ages 16 to 25
    • advanced booking is required; please get in touch with the library

    Kensington Central Library: tabletop board gaming 

    • every Thursday 
    • from 5:30pm to 7:30pm
    • for ages 11 and over
    • no booking is required, just drop in

    Other ways to get involved

    • If you’d like to become a games volunteer, please get in touch with [email protected]
    • Would your group enjoy visiting the library to play board games? Please contact the selected libraries above. We can arrange a suitable time and advise on the best games for your group’s needs.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI USA: Are Carbon-Free Energy Systems Possible? NREL Has a Way To Find Out

    Source: US National Renewable Energy Laboratory

    Live Power Experiments Using NREL’S ARIES Platform Solve Future Energy Challenges in the Present


    Aerial view of NREL’s Flatirons Campus, where researchers demonstrate clean energy solutions for large-scale systems using the ARIES platform. Photo by Josh Bauer and Taylor Mankle, NREL

    Renewable energy generation has risen for years, now supplying 22% of U.S. electricity. But the next gains will not come easy. Looming obstacles include a lack of energy storage, increasing cybersecurity threats and outages, possible electrical instabilities, and sectors that are hard to electrify.

    It’s a heavy list, but those exact obstacles are well known within NREL’s Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) platform. In fact, researchers replicate these obstacles in both physical and virtual environments every day to vet large-scale energy solutions in action.

    Like constellations that once guided explorers, ARIES helps users to orient their clean energy decisions. Following recent expansions in grid control, hydrogen, and cyber resilience, the platform can help researchers explore the greatest challenges to achieving a clean energy transformation.

    Fine Control Over Experimental Power

    One challenge for clean energy is the integration of diverse technologies. Power systems are becoming hybrid, distributed mixtures of solar, wind, storage, and many other energy resources. Electrically, they are nothing like we’ve had in the past, especially at the sub-second timescales.

    To develop solutions with enough detail, engineers need the real deal for experiments: electricity like it exists in homes, between cities, and during disasters. They need to customize electricity to recreate the big research questions.

    ARIES has that customizability, thanks to the controllable grid interface (CGI), which acts as an envelope on incoming power, shaping it according to scenarios, such as an oil-fired generator failing on an island full of renewables or faults affecting a wind-powered microgrid.

    Past uses include:

    • Validating next-generation transformers that add transmission flexibility in the U.S. Department of Energy project Grid Application Development, Testbed, and Analysis for MV SiC (GADTAMS)
    • Piloting a grid-forming wind turbine with an industry partner
    • Exploring hybrid power plants that mix water, wind, storage, and solar in the multi-laboratory project FlexPower.

    In 2024, the CGI quadrupled in power, and it is better able to answer the many unknowns of clean energy deployed at scale.

    With ARIES, researchers construct fully realistic energy systems to explore solutions for clean energy integrations, both near term and long term. This photo shows a photovoltaic array at right, and just above the array is the CGI, which customizes power flow throughout the research platform. The trailers and boxes in the center are batteries, hydrogen tanks, electrolyzers, fuel cells, direct current devices, and more. Photo by Josh Bauer and Taylor Mankle, NREL

    Clean Energy Demonstrations Get Larger and More Integrated

    With the CGI upgrade, the interface can run two custom scenarios in parallel at 7 megavolt-amperes and 20 megavolt-amperes, and the researchers are taking advantage.

    “It’s bigger, a little faster, and it gives us bandwidth,” said Przemyslaw Koralewicz, an architect of the interface. Prior to CGI2’s completion, projects were bottlenecked by the interface’s availability. Now researchers can switch between two different machines when experiments stack up, or they can even use both in the same experiment.

    “In one interesting experiment as part of the SuperFACTS project, we placed a battery on one interface and a photovoltaic array on the other. Artificially, they were made to act as if they were 1,000 miles away, individually contributing to stability on the same electric grid,” Koralewicz described.

    Przemek Koralewicz, third from left, and colleagues present the latest additions to the CGI. The CGI is housed in a trailer full of power electronic switches that allow researchers to customize real energy system scenarios. Photo by Josh Bauer, NREL

    A top research goal of ARIES is to successfully integrate diverse technologies. The CGI is designed for this purpose, making it possible to catch problems of instability or unreliability within uncommon energy combinations. One example is direct current (DC) microgrids.  

    “It’s becoming popular to explore DC microgrids. I’m pretty excited about the possibility,” Koralewicz said. “DC microgrids could avoid transformers and inject power directly into the grid bus. The CGI uniquely allows us to try this.”

    The DC bus could charge heavy-duty vehicles directly from solar or wind resources, and it could power electrolyzers directly to produce hydrogen, possibilities that ARIES researchers are eager to study for their simpler architectures and unique pathways.

    Although a DC bus is not yet available, other pathways are ready for research at ARIES. Thanks to additional infrastructure, hydrogen energy integration research is underway in a big way.

    From Clean Electricity to Gas and Back

    Hydrogen could singly abate several challenges in future energy systems. It’s a solution for energy storage, a force for grid flexibility, and an energy-dense fuel to rival carbon compounds. It’s a resource with real potential to integrate clean power, but it is lacking in experimental run time. That’s why the ARIES integrated hydrogen capabilities have expanded.

    NREL research technicians Tavis Hanna and Daniel Leighton tighten flanges on a pump for integrated cooling systems. This hardware helps make ARIES a hub for large-scale hydrogen-grid research. Photo by Werner Slocum, NREL

    From storage tanks to fuel cells, and from water deionizers to electrolyzers, ARIES features a full circle of clean hydrogen assets. These capabilities are set apart by their close integration with other renewable assets. At a megawatt capacity, ARIES is also the proper size to pilot hydrogen pathways before going to the full grid scale, the target of the U.S. Department of Energy’s H2@Scale initiative.

    This capability appeals to mining companies and downstream ore processing facilities that want to decarbonize their operations, as well as to automotive companies that are curious about stationary power from fuel cells as an opportunity to enlarge their customer base.

    “We commissioned and built this new equipment, and now we want to answer questions about electrolysis at the relevant scale,” Daniel Leighton, NREL technical lead, said in a public presentation.

    Leighton and colleagues added the new assets so that researchers can explore the options around renewably produced hydrogen.  

    “We’ll have a pipeline that will connect to future underground storage, and we are currently validating a metal hydride storage system for low-pressure hydrogen. To validate electrolysis technologies and how they support other areas, we’re building out a full balance of plant at 6 megawatts for partners to do drop-in validation,” Leighton said.

    Of course, none of this—neither the hybrid power plants nor the underground hydrogen caverns—means anything if integrated energy systems are not secure. It might not be as visible as pipelines, but as another core aim of ARIES, cybersecurity is increasingly everywhere and for good reason.

    Sharper Cybersecurity: Attacking a Wind Turbine, Cloud Security, and Microgrid Communications

    Modern organizations face a daily barrage of cyberattacks and scams, and the situation is similarly problematic for energy systems.

    “We’re seeing hacking software become very cheap and nation states facilitating attacks. At the same time, we see our energy systems becoming much more complex—for example, an increase in the quantity of devices operating as part of the grid,” said Dane Christensen, manager of the Cyber System Assessment group at NREL.

    “A loss of exclusive utility ownership over grid-interactive devices. Less tractable supply chains. A mix of legacy and modern hardware,” Christensen explained. “How do we retain the benefits of all this connectivity and achieve mutual cybersecurity?”

    It’s a question that Christensen and colleagues are answering using the ARIES Cyber Range, which virtualizes, cosimulates, and visualizes energy system experiments.

    An early demonstration of the ARIES Cyber Range was, logically, to attack a wind turbine on NREL’s Flatirons Campus.

    NREL researchers staged a self-cyberattack on a research wind turbine to show a confluence of ARIES capabilities, including cyber-physical emulation, real-time interactivity, power hardware-in-the-loop, and visualization. Photo by NREL

    In front of a live industry audience, NREL researchers established a facsimile of a distribution utility, transmission utility, and independent wind power producer, which the researchers disabled by accessing the wind power plant’s control center through vulnerabilities.

    Using ARIES, they launched an attack to shut down one full-scale turbine at NREL’s Flatirons Campus and an emulated wind power plant. This triggered automated safeties to impact the surrounding transmission system.

    In seconds, NREL’s mock attackers reduced the plant production to zero, cutting power to thousands of (simulated) people, showcasing what consequences could occur if vulnerabilities are left unpatched in energy systems and showing the usefulness of ARIES tools in addressing those vulnerabilities.

    “We leverage the cyber range to employ much more realistic systems and to be able to scale our research,” Christensen said. “We couple the physical and virtual in real time and track it visually. In this way, we can help mitigate the risk inherent in both newly adopted technologies and in the trusted relationships that exist across the energy sector.”

    The cyber-physical union at ARIES has redefined clean energy research. This is evident in a 5G microgrid platform, where utilities can assess wireless operations, and in CloudZero, where they can assess the cloud management of complex energy systems.

    Like all challenges ahead for clean energy systems, cybersecurity becomes surmountable when researchers can have the real systems right in front of them, using ARIES.

    Stay Tuned, Reach Out, Learn More

    New opportunities continually appear for clean energy, which suits the underlying build of ARIES: Its hardware is reconfigurable and with digital simulators, scalable. ARIES researchers have a versatile electric grid at their fingertips, and they are just breaking the surface of what is possible on this research platform.

    Variability in the physical size of new energy technologies being added to the system

    Securely controlling (millions to tens of millions of) interconnected devices

    Integrating multiple diverse technologies that have not previously worked together

    Three key technical challenges guide ARIES research. Partners facing these same challenges can use the ARIES capabilities to evaluate and explore their options.

    Nearing five years of being online, ARIES is equipped for another generation of experiments, and it continues to grow. If you are interested in partnering with NREL, contact ARIES@nrel.gov. These partnering examples are open now:

    Visit nrel.gov/aries to learn more.

    The ARIES platform is supported by the Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Jersey Man Convicted for Stealing COVID-19 Unemployment Benefits

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TRENTON N.J. – A New York man was convicted for conspiring to illegally obtain over $570,000 in COVID-19 unemployment benefits, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.

    Jose Tavares, 37, of Englewood, New Jersey, was convicted on Oct. 28, 2024, on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Tavares was convicted after a five-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch in Trenton federal court.

    Tavares’ conspirators, Yanira Abreu, 43, of Keasby, New Jersey, and Christopher Valerio, 34, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, have each previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced by Judge Kirsch in the same scheme. 

    According to documents filed in this case:

    From July 2020 through February 2021, Tavares, Valerio, Abreu and others submitted fraudulent applications for unemployment insurance benefits to the New York Department of Labor (NYDOL) through fictitious online profiles that they created using personally identifiable information, including names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers, of other individuals without their consent. Once the NYDOL processed and approved the fraudulent applications, Tavares and his conspirators obtained debit cards with illegally obtained funds totaling over $570,000, which they used for personal gain, including vacations, luxury retail purchases, and cosmetic surgery. 

    The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain to the defendant or gross loss to the victim, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for March 4, 2025.

    U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas; special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone, and postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Christopher A. Nielsen, Philadelphia Division, with the investigation leading to the verdict.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Stark and Benjamin D. Bleiberg of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

    The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. 

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

    MIL Security OSI