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Category: Economy

  • MIL-OSI: Change in Bigbank’s 2025 Financial Calendar

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Bigbank announces a change in its 2025 financial calendar.

    Bigbank’s audited Annual Report for 2024 will be published on 7 March 2025. The report was previously scheduled for publication on 5 March 2025.

    Bigbank AS (www.bigbank.eu), with over 30 years of operating history, is a commercial bank owned by Estonian capital. As of 31 January 2025, the bank’s total assets amounted to 2.9 billion euros, with equity of 273 million euros. The bank operates in nine countries, serving more than 168,000 active customers and employing over 500 people. The credit rating agency Moody’s has assigned Bigbank a long-term bank deposit rating of Ba1, along with a baseline credit assessment (BCA) and an adjusted BCA of Ba2.

    Argo Kiltsmann
    Member of the Management Board
    Tel: +372 5393 0833
    Email: argo.kiltsmann@bigbank.ee
    www.bigbank.ee

    The MIL Network –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: MEXC Launches Roam (ROAM) with Spot and Futures Trading, Offering 76,000 ROAM & 66,000 USDT to Drive Decentralized Connectivity

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VICTORIA, Seychelles , March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MEXC, the world’s leading cryptocurrency trading platform, announced the listing of the Roam (ROAM) on both spot and futures markets, scheduled for March 6, 2025, at 10:00 (UTC). The launch on MEXC will be accompanied by Airdrop+ rewards of 76,000 ROAM & 66,000 USDT.

    Unleashing Roam: MEXC Supports the Future of Decentralized Connectivity and Blockchain-Powered WiFi

    Roam is redefining internet connectivity by merging blockchain technology with decentralized networking. Designed as a global WiFi network, Roam enables seamless roaming across locations while prioritizing security, privacy, and user incentives. Every connection and check-in within the network earns users rewards, fostering an ecosystem of engaged participants. At its core, Roam leverages OpenRoaming protocols and enterprise-grade components to provide a secure, high-quality internet experience. With the introduction of Roam Miner, users can further benefit from crypto mining, while Roam Tokens facilitate staking and rewards, integrating financial incentives with real-world connectivity.

    By listing Roam, MEXC underscores the growing synergy between blockchain, decentralized infrastructure, and real-world applications. With deep liquidity, seamless market access, and dedicated trading support, MEXC provides the ideal platform for Roam to expand adoption and drive the future of decentralized internet access.

    Celebrate the ROAM Launch with a prize pool of 76,000 ROAM & 66,000 USDT

    MEXC continues its commitment to supporting innovative blockchain projects with the listing of Roam (ROAM). The ROAM/USDT spot trading market will go live in the Innovation Zone on March 6, 2025, at 10:00 (UTC), followed by the launch of ROAM USDT perpetual futures at 10:10 (UTC), offering up to 50x leverage in both cross and isolated margin modes.

    To celebrate the official listing of $ROAM on MEXC, a 76,000 ROAM & 66,000 USDT reward pool will be available through a series of exclusive activities starting March 5, 2025, at 10:00 (UTC). Participants, both new and experienced, will have the opportunity to engage with Roam, explore its potential, and win ROAM, USDT bonuses, and other exciting rewards while contributing to the future of blockchain-powered connectivity.

    These activities include:
    Event 1: Deposit to Share 64,000 ROAM & 16,000 USDT (New User Exclusive).
    Event 2: Futures Challenge — Trade to Share 50,000 USDT in Futures Bonuses.
    The top 2,000 users with trading volumes over 20,000 USDT will share the reward pool, with individual rewards of up to 5,000 USDT.
    Event 3: Invite New Users and Share 12,000 ROAM.
    Event 4: Spread the Word and Win 2,000 ROAM in Bonus.

    Your Easiest Way to Trending Tokens

    MEXC aims to become the go-to platform offering the widest range of valuable crypto assets. The platform has grown its user base to 32 million by offering a diverse selection of tokens, high-frequency airdrops, competitive fees, and comprehensive liquidity. In 2024, MEXC launched a total of 2,376 new tokens, including 1,716 initial listings and 605 memecoins, with total airdrop rewards exceeding $136 million.

    About MEXC

    Founded in 2018, MEXC is committed to being “Your Easiest Way to Crypto”. Serving over 32 million users across 170+ countries, MEXC is known for its broad selection of trending tokens, frequent airdrop opportunities, and low trading fees. Our user-friendly platform is designed to support both new traders and experienced investors, offering secure and efficient access to digital assets. MEXC prioritizes simplicity and innovation, making crypto trading more accessible and rewarding.
    MEXC Official Website| X | Telegram |How to Sign Up on MEXC

    Contact:
    Lucia Hu
    PR Manager
    lucia.hu@mexc.com

    Disclaimer: This content is provided by MEXC. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector–including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining–complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f7c5199a-8138-4512-92d3-f33f4979eced

    The MIL Network –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Aurora Mobile’s JPush Partners with Bandao News App to Innovate News Delivery Experience

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SHENZHEN, China, March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aurora Mobile Limited (NASDAQ: JG) (“Aurora Mobile” or the “Company”), a leading provider of customer engagement and marketing technology services in China, today announced that its push notification solution, JPush, has partnered with Shandong Dazhong Newspaper Group’s Bandao News App, a regional authoritative media platform, to create new news delivery experiences.

    In today’s era of exploding information, users have higher expectations for instant and personalized news content. Bandao News App has always been committed to driving content innovation through technology. By working closely with JPush, the Bandao News App has made the leap from one-way communication to intelligent interaction with users. With millisecond-level delivery, precise push notifications and full scenario coverage, it has redefined the way users connect with news and set a benchmark for the digital transformation of the media industry.

    With real-time news delivery in seconds, Aurora Mobile enables instant communication with zero-time lag.

    Timeliness is a key factor in the value of news. Leveraging JPush’s high concurrency, low latency technology, the Bandao News App can deliver breaking news and major events to users’ devices in real time. For example, during emergencies such as typhoon warnings or traffic control measures, JPush synchronously delivers critical information through multiple channels, including app pop-ups, lock screen notifications, and SMS. This ensures that critical information reaches users in milliseconds, helping them make quick decisions.

    To address the challenges of message stability in complex network environments, JPush fully supports various operating systems including Android, iOS, HarmonyOS, QuickApp, and Web. It is compatible with JPush channels, APNs (Apple Push Notification service), FCM (Firebase Cloud Messaging) and the system-level push messaging channels of various mobile brands such as Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, VIVO, Meizu, ASUS, NIO Phone, ensuring timely message delivery. In addition, through intelligent channel optimization strategies, the Bandao News App can maintain high push notification success rates of even under weak network conditions, enabling seamless message delivery.

    With personalized content recommendations, JPush delivers a tailored user experience.

    Bandao News App’s user base is diverse, covering audiences from various sectors such as government affairs, public welfare, finance, and culture. JPush’s user labeling system and AI algorithm provide robust support for precise content distribution. By analyzing users’ reading habits, geographical location, and interest preferences, the system automatically builds user profiles and delivers customized content to different user groups. For example, stock market updates are pushed to financial news readers, while local users receive priority recommendations for community news, significantly improving click-through rates and time spent reading.

    To increase user stickiness, the Bandao News App leverages JPush’s scenario-based messaging capabilities to create a closed-loop “news + service” experience. During major social events, the app embeds interactive features such as polls and topic discussions, with JPush sending real-time reminders to increase community engagement. In local public service scenarios, the app pushes public service information linked to news, such as social service policy interpretations, transforming news from mere reading to action.

    JPush enhances the Baodao News APP by revolutionizing the efficiency of content distribution to enable seamless integration of “content-user-scenario”, improving the user interaction experience. In the future, the Baodao News APP will further leverage JPush’s cross-device capabilities to expand more innovative user experiences.

    About Aurora Mobile Limited

    Founded in 2011, Aurora Mobile (NASDAQ: JG) is a leading provider of customer engagement and marketing technology services in China. Since its inception, Aurora Mobile has focused on providing stable and efficient messaging services to enterprises and has grown to be a leading mobile messaging service provider with its first-mover advantage. With the increasing demand for customer reach and marketing growth, Aurora Mobile has developed forward-looking solutions such as Cloud Messaging and Cloud Marketing to help enterprises achieve omnichannel customer reach and interaction, as well as artificial intelligence and big data-driven marketing technology solutions to help enterprises’ digital transformation.

    For more information, please visit https://ir.jiguang.cn/.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “confident” and similar statements. Among other things, the Business Outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Aurora Mobile’s strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Aurora Mobile may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including but not limited to statements about Aurora Mobile’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: Aurora Mobile’s strategies; Aurora Mobile’s future business development, financial condition and results of operations; Aurora Mobile’s ability to attract and retain customers; its ability to develop and effectively market data solutions, and penetrate the existing market for developer services; its ability to transition to the new advertising-driven SAAS business model; its ability to maintain or enhance its brand; the competition with current or future competitors; its ability to continue to gain access to mobile data in the future; the laws and regulations relating to data privacy and protection; general economic and business conditions globally and in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of the press release, and Aurora Mobile undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

    For more information, please contact:

    Aurora Mobile Limited
    E-mail: ir@jiguang.cn

    Christensen

    In China
    Ms. Xiaoyan Su
    Phone: +86-10-5900-1548
    E-mail: Xiaoyan.Su@christensencomms.com

    In US
    Ms. Linda Bergkamp
    Phone: +1-480-614-3004
    Email: linda.bergkamp@christensencomms.com

    The MIL Network –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: KE Holdings Inc. to Report Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Results on March 18, 2025 Eastern Time

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BEIJING, March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — KE Holdings Inc. (“Beike” or the “Company”) (NYSE: BEKE; HKEX: 2423), a leading integrated online and offline platform for housing transactions and services, today announced that it will report its unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2024 before the U.S. market opens on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.

    The Company’s management will hold an earnings conference call at 8:00 A.M. Eastern Time on Tuesday, March 18, 2025 (8:00 P.M. Beijing Time on Tuesday, March 18, 2025).

    For participants who wish to join the conference using dial-in numbers, please complete online registration using the link provided below at least 20 minutes prior to the scheduled call start time. Dial-in numbers, passcode and unique access PIN would be provided upon registering.

    Participant Online Registration:

    English Line: https://s1.c-conf.com/diamondpass/10045435-su5md1.html

    Chinese Simultaneous Interpretation Line (listen-only mode): https://s1.c-conf.com/diamondpass/10045436-c4n72s.html

    A replay of the conference call will be accessible through March 25, 2025, by dialing the following numbers:

    United States: +1-855-883-1031
    Mainland, China: 400-1209-216
    Hong Kong, China: 800-930-639
    International: +61-7-3107-6325
    Replay PIN (English line): 10045435
    Replay PIN (Chinese simultaneous interpretation line): 10045436
       

    A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available at the Company’s investor relations website at https://investors.ke.com.

    About KE Holdings Inc.

    KE Holdings Inc. is a leading integrated online and offline platform for housing transactions and services. The Company is a pioneer in building infrastructure and standards to reinvent how service providers and customers efficiently navigate and complete housing transactions and services in China, ranging from existing and new home sales, home rentals, to home renovation and furnishing, and other services. The Company owns and operates Lianjia, China’s leading real estate brokerage brand and an integral part of its Beike platform. With more than 23 years of operating experience through Lianjia since its inception in 2001, the Company believes the success and proven track record of Lianjia pave the way for it to build its infrastructure and standards and drive the rapid and sustainable growth of Beike.

    For more information, please visit: https://investors.ke.com

    For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

    In China:
    KE Holdings Inc.
    Investor Relations
    Siting Li
    E-mail: ir@ke.com

    Piacente Financial Communications
    Jenny Cai
    Tel: +86-10-6508-0677
    E-mail: ke@tpg-ir.com

    In the United States:
    Piacente Financial Communications
    Brandi Piacente
    Tel: +1-212-481-2050
    E-mail: ke@tpg-ir.com

    The MIL Network –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Economics: Michelle Doyle-Lowe: Effective oversight is vital to the smooth operation of our payments system

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    Good morning everyone and welcome to this important training initiative that is being facilitated by the World Bank, as part of Barbados’ Payments System Modernisation Project. I am Michelle Doyle, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, and Executive Sponsor for this project.  Whether you are joining us in person or online, a warm Monday morning welcome to the World Bank team, the CEO of our sister regulator, the Financial Services Commission (FSC), Warrick Ward, and his team, as well as members of the Central Bank’s Executive, management, and members of staff.

    The modernisation of our payments system is not merely an infrastructural upgrade; it is a leap toward creating a more resilient, responsive, and innovative financial ecosystem that will further serve the evolving needs of Barbadians and our economy. This project represents the Central Bank’s vision for a future where financial transactions are seamless, secure, interoperable, and accessible to all.

    The role of the Central Bank to oversee the development of our payments market is well established in our legislative structures such as the National Payments System Act and the Central Bank Act. This mandate to monitor and regulate the payments system is underpinned by the fact that Payments are the backbone of the financial system and impact on financial system stability and integrity. Effective payments oversight is therefore vital for ensuring the smooth operation of financial transactions to mitigate risks and protect consumers. In addition, the Central Bank’s collaboration with the FSC on payments oversight is vital for adequate governance and regulation of our evolving payments ecosystem.                   

    Let me take this opportunity to introduce and thank key members of the World Bank team who have been supporting us over the last couple of months to advance the five workstreams that are required to make this modernisation project a success. The Payments Oversight workstream is augmented by the legal and regulatory review workstream; the procurement and implementation of an Instant Payment System; the operationalisation of new payment functionality such as QR codes, etc.; and the digital financial literacy workstream to drive the adoption of digital payments in our market. We have Nicholas Smith, Senior Financial Sector Specialist – whom many of us have come to fondly refer to as Nick, given our frequent calls, touchpoint meetings, and WhatsApp messages on all matters related to this project. 

    We are also fortunate to have with us the World Bank experts who will be facilitating this three-day session:

    • Corina Arteche – is a consultant with the World Bank for more than 10 years, specialising in payment system reform strategies and the implementation of the oversight function. Previously, Corina was a manager at the Central Bank of Venezuela where she was responsible for off-site supervision of financial institutions and oversight of the payment and settlement systems. Corina holds a Master’s degree in Information and Communication Technology Applied to Education from the Complutense University of Madrid and a Postgraduate Diploma in Economics from the University of Manchester. She has been integral to the development of our Payments Oversight workstream, and capacity building in this area.
    • Holti Banka – is a Senior Financial Sector Specialist with the Payments Systems Development Group of the World Bank. Some of you may remember Holti as a panellist at last year’s Annual Review Seminar. His work covers different aspects of retail payments including fast payments, national payment strategies, cost measurement of payment instruments, and payments infrastructure interoperability, among others. Holti has participated in numerous payments related conferences, published articles in several academic journals and is on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Payments Strategy and Systems. He received his PhD in International Development/Economic Policy from the University of Maryland.

    Let me also take this opportunity to introduce other members of the World Bank Team joining us online- Ragheb al Buderi (Payment Systems and Procurement Consultant), Elize Jackson (Technical Consultant), Bernardo Barradas (Payment Systems Legal Consultant). 

    Throughout this three-day session, we will cover the key components of the payments oversight function, including: 

    1. Objectives of payments oversight 
    2. Components of the national payment system 
    3. Guidelines for off-site oversight 
    4. Assessment of systemically important payment systems using PFMI 
    5. Assessment methodologies for retail payment systems; and 
    6. Oversight of payment service providers

    Corina, you have a diverse group of participants. Beyond our Bank Supervision team, there are representatives from various departments across the Central Bank, such as Operations, Foreign Exchange and Fund Management, Management Information Systems, and Research and Economic Analysis, to name a few. We are all in your capable hands. Rest assured, we have had our coffee or tea and look forward to your insights and guidance, as we roll-up our sleeves to cover the breadth of material that you have prepared for the next few days.  I encourage each of you to ask questions and to share your thoughts during the presentations and break-out sessions. 

    Whether you are joining us virtually or in person, thank you for your attention and commitment to this important initiative. Let us seize this opportunity to learn, collaborate, and innovate. I wish you a productive, engaging, and enlightening workshop.

    I now turn over to the World Bank team to commence the session, and to Runako Brathwaite, Deputy Director in our Payments Oversight Unit, whom has worked assiduously to make this session a reality.

    Thank you.

    MIL OSI Economics –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Economics: Claudia Buch: Ten years of the banking union – laying the groundwork for the next decade

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    It has been more than 15 years since the global financial crisis, but its lessons are as relevant as ever. Europe reacted to the financial crisis and the European debt crisis by strengthening its institutions and regulations, with the banking union as a key element. Today’s challenges are different, but we still need more European integration and a deeper internal market to face these challenges.

    Let’s look back at what has been achieved in the past ten years. The global financial crisis caused substantial damage to the real economy, with gross domestic product in Europe falling by 4.3% in 2009 alone. Significant state intervention was necessary to stabilise the financial system and prevent even greater losses. Providing direct assistance to banks put a major fiscal strain on the euro area – even more so than the international financial assistance for individual countries during the euro area sovereign crisis.

    Banks in Europe today are more stable and better capitalised than they were ten years ago when the banking union was created, and non-performing exposures have fallen significantly. We now have European banking supervision which can apply common standards, assess risks consistently and take measures when banks show vulnerabilities. The Single Resolution Mechanism – the second pillar of the banking union – ensures that stress in the banking sector can be managed with funds provided by industry, without recourse to taxpayers’ money.

    All of this improves risk management – and the provision of banking services is not possible without taking risk. Banks transform short-term deposits into long-term loans and they diversify risk, which contributes to growth and prosperity. We as supervisors do not want to impede risk-taking. But it is our task to protect depositors and ensure that the financial system runs smoothly. And the larger the risks, the more capital banks need to absorb unexpected shocks so that when crises hit, deposits are secure and funding for the real economy is ensured.

    MIL OSI Economics –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Economics: Jorgovanka Tabaković: Serbia 2027 – striving towards a high-income economy

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    Slides accompanying the speech

    Honourable members of the Government, esteemed representatives of the diplomatic corps, respected business leaders, dear fellow economists, ladies and gentlemen,

    I would like to begin by saying, after the introductory remarks, that we should remember that the word “artificial intelligence” contains an essential falsehood in its name: artificial intelligence does not exist because creativity is inherently human. Artificial intelligence operates based on algorithms and the data input into the tools you have, such as your mobile phone. The trend of applying so-called artificial intelligence in all fields will ultimately have two consequences that are unacceptable for human civilisation – losing the truth and not knowing what is true versus what is a deep fake, and losing the human being, who is the only creative entity capable of making decisions and creating what is called “intelligence”. While artificial intelligence can perform many technical processes faster, easier, and more efficiently, it cannot think.

    Some say that one should not live in the past but always move forward. However, we have an obligation to respect the past to better understand where we are today and to have guidance for the future.

    And the past teaches us that nothing should be taken for granted, as there are no final victories! Neither peace nor stability should be assumed, as they are not a given! That is why I will reiterate my conclusions from the previous two forums – what distinguishes theory from practice is our responsibility towards people, growth and development, and social stability. We depend on the conditions of the times we live in, but also on the decisions which we make and for whose consequences we bear responsibility.

    Ladies and gentlemen,

    (Slide 2) In October 2024, Serbia officially received an investment-grade credit rating! Congratulations to everyone!

    I always emphasise, and I will do so again today, that on the economic front, no one can achieve much alone. No matter how brilliant they may be. This historic success is the result of teamwork by the President, the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and the National Bank of Serbia, and it belongs to all our citizens.

    By joining the ranks of the one-third of the world’s countries characterised by high business certainty, i.e. low investment risk, we have received yet another confirmation of the economic progress made over the past decade.

    Most of those present today surely remember the period when Serbia had one major portfolio investor who invested in the Republic of Serbia’s bonds. Just one. And that investor only invested in our country’s securities because the interest rates were exceptionally high, which brought them excellent returns.

    For many years now, the Republic of Serbia’s bonds have been recognised as comparable to those of countries with investment-grade ratings, sought after by a large number of the world’s largest global investors – those who have recognised our economic reform programme and all the results achieved over the past decade.

    And I will reiterate today that the credit rating is the result of good political and economic decisions in the country, as one cannot be separated from the other. The continuity of political stability is a necessary precondition for the substantial and by no means easy structural reforms that develop the society we are part of.

    We must preserve stability if we want a high-income economy – and I am sure that is the desire of everyone present at this forum today!

    We must preserve stability in this competitive world full of challenges, where changes in the global order are happening faster than ever, and where the economic gap between key economies is widening!

    This stability, along with sound policies, has enabled Serbia, even in the most complex conditions, to achieve numerous records last year!

    • Last year, we returned inflation within the target tolerance band of 3±1.5%, with growth that was among the highest in Europe!
    • We secured the country’s record-high FX reserves of EUR 29.3 bn, which is 120% higher than in the pre-pandemic period. Gold reserves also reached a record-high level, currently standing at 48.7 tonnes.
    • Dinar savings increased by nearly 40% last year.
    • We also saw record-high FDI worth EUR 5.2 bn.
    • Formal employment in the private sector is at a record high, with over 160,000 more people employed than in the pre-pandemic period.
    • The unemployment rate is at its lowest level.

    (Slide 3) The list of achievements is quite long, but the list of global risks is growing longer… That is why today, as we summarise the results and analyse the challenges, I will divide my presentation into four parts:

    1. I will start with inflation factors.
    2. I will continue with the measures of monetary and macroprudential policy.
    3. I will specifically discuss the indicators of our economy’s resilience to external risks.
    4. I will conclude with the National Bank of Serbia’s February projections, with a special focus on risks, various forms of risks, and their different effects on society and the economy.

    I will proceed in order.

    (Slide 4) Excellent news – in June last year, inflation was twice as low compared to end-2023, based on all key components – energy and food prices, as well as prices within core inflation.

    Amid unfavourable global and domestic weather conditions, inflation stabilised at around 4.3% in the second half of last year.

    • (Slide 5) It was precisely the unfavourable weather conditions that caused the prices of certain food commodities, such as cocoa and coffee, to rise sharply on global exchanges, which affected global food prices.
    • Additionally, the rise in prices of personal services remained elevated in many countries, which can be linked to the high growth in real wages, which constitute a significant part of the service sector’s costs.

    (Slide 6) When it comes to inflation factors, in the next few minutes, I will share the findings of our two studies.

    The first analysis provides additional quantitative evidence in support of lower inflationary pressures by comparing the distribution of y-o-y price increases for goods and services in the consumer basket, as seen in the charts. The data confirm that in 2024, there was a significant reduction in the share of goods and services that recorded double-digit growth. Around 25% of goods and services did not become more expensive, and 100 products and services in the consumer basket became cheaper in 2024.

    In the second analysis, we examined the phenomenon of faster price increases for cheaper brands compared to more expensive brands of the same products, creating an impression of higher inflation than the actual rate. This phenomenon has been colloquially termed cheapflation.

    The analysis shows that in Serbia, during the period from 2022 to 2024, which was marked by increased global pressures, the cumulative price increase for cheaper brands within the food and beverages category was 5 pp higher than for more expensive brands of the same products.

    • One of the reasons for this phenomenon is the low elasticity of demand for food, which is the lowest for the cheapest brands.
    • Also, more pronounced price increases often lead to the substitution of more expensive products with cheaper alternatives, thereby increasing demand for the cheapest brands and generating additional price pressures.
    • However, there is also the issue of an imperfect market structure, which makes it easier for increased costs of producers and merchants to be passed on to retail prices more than fully, a problem I have pointed out on several occasions.

    To conclude the first topic.

    Inflation has been curbed both domestically and globally. The good news is that in Serbia, we achieved this result in terms of inflation alongside high GDP growth!

    However, there is no room for complacency. Uncertain and dynamic developments in international commodity and financial markets call for caution, as evidenced by the rise in inflation late last year in many countries.

    (Slide 7) The second topic builds on the first – namely, the measures of monetary and macroprudential policy in 2024.

    With inflation returning within the target band in May last year, and with projections indicating movement around the midpoint by the end of the monetary policy horizon, conditions were created for the start of monetary easing.

    • Namely, we cut the key policy rate three times, by a total of 75 bp, to 5.75%.
    • Our measures were transmitted to money and credit market interest rates, with lending activity increasing by 8.2% and the dinarisation of receivables also going up.
    • Dinar savings recorded a record nominal increase of over RSD 53 bn, reaching over RSD 191 bn. This means that dinar savings are almost eleven times higher than in 2012! Let me remind you that the results of our latest analysis of the profitability of dinar and FX savings confirm that over the past twelve years, dinar savings have been more profitable than FX savings, both in the short and long term.
    • To protect the interests of financial service consumers, we also decided to temporarily cap interest rates on loan agreements concluded with citizens, which will be specifically regulated by law.
    • We also adopted regulations under our jurisdiction that will enable the implementation of the government programme for housing loans for young people.
    • In addition, and thanks to all of this, the share of NPLs in total loans fell to its lowest level of 2.5% in December.

    I conclude this topic by stating that our cautious approach is justified and that this is confirmed by the fact that we have achieved all three goals – low inflation in the medium term, high economic growth, and preserved financial stability of the country!

    (Slide 8) The third topic I will discuss is the resilience of the Serbian economy, which was confirmed even during 2024, amid continuous external shocks.

    • First, in 2024, we maintained relative stability of the dinar exchange rate against the euro, with the dinar gaining 0.1%.
    • Last year, we bought over EUR 2.7 bn net in the FX market, or EUR 11.2 bn since 2017, which has been an important factor behind the growth in FX reserves.
    • FX reserves stood at their record high of EUR 29.3 bn at end-2024, covering over seven months of imports of goods and services and 167% of money supply M1.
    • Gold reserves, which traditionally serve as a safe haven, rose to a record level of 48.7 tonnes, with their value being over seven times higher than in July 2012. The adequacy of our decisions is also confirmed by the fact that the price of gold in the global market increased by around 30% last year, and the rise continues this year.
    • GDP growth of 3.9% in 2024 was among the highest in Europe, driven by fixed investment and private consumption. The investment growth was supported by record-high profitability of the corporate sector, high FDI inflows, and government capital investment. At the same time, the growth in private consumption was driven by further increases in employment and real disposable income of the population.
    • The value of exports of goods and services in 2024 reached EUR 43 bn, which is nearly 85% higher than in the pre-pandemic year of 2019. Within the goods sector, manufacturing exports grew by nearly 3%, despite still weak external demand. The reason for this resilience is the strategic focus on production and geographical diversification of markets and investors. Exports of services are also growing on solid foundations, driven by exports of information and telecommunications services.
    • (Slide 9) FDI inflows were also record-high at over EUR 5.2 bn, despite all the uncertainties in the global market.
    • An important element of resilience is the responsible conduct of fiscal policy, with a fiscal deficit of 2% of GDP, despite strong government capital investment. Particularly important is the fact that the growth in fiscal revenues is based on solid foundations – increased profitability and positive factors in the labour market, while the application of special fiscal rules for pension and public sector wage growth continues.

    Esteemed participants of the Forum,

    All these results we are achieving, even in an environment characterised by low growth among our key trading partners, have secured us, for the first time in history, an investment-grade credit rating from Standard & Poor’s. Once again, congratulating all citizens on this success, I would like to say that we would certainly have received not only a positive outlook from Fitch but also the rating if political circumstances had not led to the agency’s caution.

    (Slide 9) The final topic concerns our expectations going forward and the challenges facing economic policymakers. However, before I move on to the projections, I would like to highlight the trends I have been discussing for years, often at this very place. However, it seems to me that it has never been more important to discuss this!

    “Say goodbye to the world you knew – today we live in a new era!” The conditions in which we operate economically are the most challenging, and technologically the most advanced! This is a time of enormous social divisions in all countries. In diplomatic terms, we define this as an unprecedented polarisation of society. “People always know about misfortune and evil, but good remains hidden”, said Meša Selimović.

    A particular challenge today is conducting policies in the era of fake news, and in an environment where individuals believe that policies can be pursued through social networks. I have been highlighting this phenomenon for several years as a major risk to society and democracy. And it has long been said that people can be divided into two groups: those who move forward and achieve something, and those who follow them and criticise. I will reiterate: healthy scientific and social scepticism that questions everything is always welcome, and that is why we are here. However, scepticism that questions growth and development has no social or economic basis. And any influence that leads to a slowdown in potential growth has a direct negative effect on people’s standard of living and prospects for progress!

    I will now move on to the projections.

    • Regarding inflation, we expect that in Q1, y-o-y inflation will move around the upper bound of the target tolerance band. For the rest of the year, we expect it to gradually slow down and approach the midpoint by the end of the year, which is the level around which it will move until the end of the projection horizon.
    • Such inflation dynamics will be supported by continued restrictive monetary policy conditions, lower imported inflation, an expected slowdown in real wage growth, an expected decline in petroleum product prices, in line with futures, and an expected decline in fruit and vegetable prices, assuming an average agricultural season this year.
    • In terms of economic activity, we expect a further acceleration in GDP growth to 4.5% this year. For the next two years, we project growth between 4% and 5%, i.e. closer to 5% in 2027, when the “Expo” will be held.Such GDP growth will be driven by domestic demand, with growth in private consumption supported by:
      • positive trends in the labour market and further increases in disposable income, as well as
      • more favourable monetary conditions.
        At the same time, we expect that wage growth in the medium term will be in line with productivity growth, contributing to medium-term price stability.
    • Fixed investment growth will be supported by:
      • increased profitability of the corporate sector in previous years,
      • planned high government capital investment in transport, energy, and utility infrastructure, as well as
      • more favourable financial conditions.
    • We also expect continued FDI inflows, which will, through new technologies and more modern equipment, as well as new knowledge, contribute to the growth in total factor productivity.
    • All of this together will contribute to further growth in both private and government investment, as well as its share in GDP of over 25% in the medium term.
    • Due to the acceleration of the investment cycle and growth in private consumption, we expect that this year and the next, imports of goods and services will grow slightly faster than exports, resulting in a negative contribution of net exports to economic growth. On the other hand, in 2027, when the “Expo” will be held, we expect the contribution of net exports to be positive.

    Of course, these, like all macroeconomic projections, are accompanied by numerous global risks, which I will present in a slightly different way than usual. I repeat, I will provide a global context.

    • First, long-standing geopolitical tensions have been further exacerbated by the rise of global protectionism. Along with disruptions related to climate change, they continue to influence the volatility of global energy and other primary commodity prices and may have negative effects on both global economic growth and inflation.
    • Furthermore, one of the growing structural problems, which the IMF particularly highlighted in October, is the widening income gap between Europe and the United States. The income gap reflects declining productivity growth in Europe, which extends to the level of individual enterprises. The response to such movements implies structural changes in the European economy, of which we are a part, with the aim of increasing productivity and competitiveness.
    • This is also supported by the accelerated development of the so-called artificial intelligence, which brings enormous transformative changes, creating both opportunities and challenges! According to the findings of the World Economic Forum, in the period from 2025 to 2030, structural changes driven by artificial intelligence in the labour market will create around 14% of new jobs, while around 7% of existing jobs will be eliminated. Thus, the net effect of these changes will be positive in terms of creating new jobs, but the distribution of these changes across regions and countries remains to be seen. For our region to have such an outcome, we must work together to ensure that the transformation, which is inevitable, proceeds in a way that the closure of some jobs opens doors to others, of higher quality.
    • This also requires a deeper analysis of demographic trends, namely the process of reducing the working-age population, which is a challenge for all countries. And that is why it is important to invest in people and activate that part of the population that is outside the active labour force.

    When it comes to new sources of growth, I first want to state that the current growth model in Serbia has proven to be good. Ten years ago, in 2014, the share of investment in GDP was around 16%, and in 2024 – around 24%. The share of government investment was only 2.2%, and in recent years, it has been over 7%. The unemployment rate has been reduced from over 20% to around 8%, while youth unemployment has more than halved, and the number of formally employed people has increased by almost 400,000! The coverage of the average consumer basket by the average wage is at its highest level, around 95%, and is 30 pp higher than ten years ago! Thus, the current growth model has proven to be good!

    When we talk about the coming period and new sources of growth, it is certainly best to have innovations and new technologies, where domestic companies should also play a significant role. Unfortunately, the key new technologies that will shape the world in the coming decades are in the hands of the United States and China, and the technological gap is widening. And it is precisely here, and for this reason, that there is room for greater cooperation and integration at the level of the entire European market.

    I will also recall the October analysis by the IMF, which highlights that a deeper and larger single European market would stimulate the necessary growth in productivity. It notes that the two previous waves of enlargement – in 1995 and 2004 – brought benefits not only to the countries joining the EU but also to the founding member states of the EU, which experienced significant income growth. Therefore, a joint response in terms of developing new technologies could have a multiplier effect on the growth and development of all European economies!

    Esteemed participants of the Business Forum,

    I have spoken about global risks and potential responses, particularly from policymakers in Europe, of which we are a part. Among domestic risks, I highlight the potentially missed opportunities for high growth and the time needed to return to the trajectory we have secured, which places us at the top of Europe in terms of growth.

    That is why today, as in previous forums, I will remind everyone that we have an obligation never to forget that stability is priceless, and there is no alternative to it. Without stability, any discussion about sustainable income growth and societal development loses its meaning!

    On behalf of the NBS, I can promise:

    • we will continue to work in the public interest,
    • relative exchange rate stability has no alternative,
    • there will be no negative interest rates in Serbia, as money must fulfil one of its fundamental roles – to earn through savings and the concept of interest. “Negative interest rates are a sign of central banks’ desperation, not a solution to economic problems.”

    In every decision we make, we have been and will continue to be guided by the stability of the system! I believe that in these uncertain times, this is the key to duration. We cannot influence the policies and decisions of major powers, but we can and must support our development opportunities.

    Finally, I congratulate the Serbian Association of Economists on their well-deserved selection as the host of the 21st World Congress of Economists, which will be held in June next year!

    And finally, I ask you all, not expecting an answer: how many phone numbers do you know if you were to lose your phone and the contacts stored in it? Do you know how to calculate a discount on prices when you’re out shopping? And how will your children, who rely on ChatGPT and mobile phones to do their homework, manage if, at some point, they can’t charge their phone or if someone, just for fun, takes away their phone and all these devices that represent progress and development? Never forget that, above all, we are human beings who must think for ourselves, make our own decisions, and not forget the most basic things – to use our own brains and our own hearts!

    Thank you all. I wish you a successful 32nd Kopaonik Business Forum.

    MIL OSI Economics –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Africa: TotalEnergies’ Mike Sangster to Headline Invest in African Energy Forum in Paris

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

    PARIS, France, March 5, 2025/APO Group/ —

    Mike Sangster, Senior Vice President for Africa at TotalEnergies, will deliver a keynote address at the Invest in African Energy (IAE) Forum in Paris this May. Sangster will also participate in an exclusive fireside chat, offering critical insights into the company’s vision for Africa’s energy future, its ongoing projects and the evolving role of oil and gas in the continent’s energy mix.

    TotalEnergies continues to drive oil and gas development across Africa, with a strong focus on both emerging and mature markets. In Namibia, the company is advancing its Venus-1 discovery, targeting first oil by the decade’s end, with an FID expected in early 2026 for a development producing 150,000 barrels per day. TotalEnergies is also exploring additional prospects in the Orange Basin, having recently drilled the Marula-1X and Tabmoti-1X wells. In the Republic of Congo, the company is investing $600 million to expand deepwater production at the Moho Nord field, while in Libya, it plans to complete an onshore exploration project and lead new drilling campaigns in the Waha and Sharara fields in 2025.

    IAE 2025 (www.Invest-Africa-Energy.com) is an exclusive forum designed to facilitate investment between African energy markets and global investors. Taking place May 13-14, 2025 in Paris, the event offers delegates two days of intensive engagement with industry experts, project developers, investors and policymakers. For more information, please visit www.Invest-Africa-Energy.com. To sponsor or participate as a delegate, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com.

    Meanwhile, TotalEnergies is expanding its gas processing and midstream infrastructure across Africa, strengthening its role in the continent’s evolving energy landscape. In Mozambique, the company is progressing with the Mozambique LNG project, a $20 billion development expected to secure renewed financial backing from export credit agencies. I Uganda, TotalEnergies is gearing up for first oil from its Tilenga field in 2025, with crude transported via the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). Once operational, EACOP will be the longest heated crude oil pipeline globally, significantly enhancing East Africa’s ability to monetize its hydrocarbon resources and attract further investment into the region’s energy sector.

    TotalEnergies is also expanding its renewable energy footprint in Africa through strategic investments in solar, wind, hydropower and green hydrogen. The company is advancing its 500 MW Sadada solar project in Libya and acquired Scatec’s hydropower portfolio on the continent in July 2024, including the 250 MW Bujagali Hydropower Plant in Uganda and stakes in projects in Malawi, Rwanda and the DRC. In South Africa, TotalEnergies is constructing a 216 MW solar plant with battery storage, along with a 140 MW wind farm and a 120 MW solar facility, set to supply green electricity to Sasol’s industrial operations. In Morocco, the company is developing the Chbika project, a 1 GW wind and solar farm designed to produce 200,000 metric tons of green ammonia annually for export to Europe. These initiatives align with TotalEnergies’ strategy to integrate renewables into its portfolio while supporting Africa’s energy transition.

    Sangster’s participation at IAE 2025 comes at a pivotal time for Africa’s energy sector, as investors and policymakers navigate a shifting global energy landscape. His keynote address and fireside chat will provide valuable perspectives on the role of private investment in African energy, strategies for unlocking new upstream opportunities and how TotalEnergies is adapting to the continent’s long-term energy needs.

    MIL OSI Africa –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government funding for rural communities set out

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Government funding for rural communities set out

    Rural communities are set to benefit from up to £38 million in funding.

    Up to £33 million will be directed to the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF), which is used to improve local infrastructure and essential services that benefit rural communities and help businesses in rural areas to expand, creating jobs and kickstarting the rural economy. 

    Examples of the types of projects that will be eligible for funding from the REPF include: 

    • Creation of rural business hubs providing shared workspace and networking opportunities for rural businesses. 

    • Development of new products, facilities or building conversions to help rural businesses diversify outside of agriculture. 

    • Community gardens and greenspaces.  

    • The creation of new footpaths and development of local visitor trails.  

    • Kitchens in community hubs and improvements to premises used by local volunteering groups, such as youth charities or carers groups. 

    In addition, Defra has also announced up to a further £5 million in funding to go towards the continuation of important services for rural communities. Part of this funding will go towards The Rural Community Assets Fund, which provides capital funding for the refurbishment and development of community-owned assets, such as village halls or community centres. 

    This funding will also support Rural Housing Enablers, who help to bring forward sites to provide affordable housing opportunities in rural areas with people who need them. This comes alongside a grant for Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) to provide advice and support to rural community and voluntary groups that offer social inclusion activities, affordable warmth advice, and community transport. 

    As part of the Plan for Change, the Government is working to promote economic growth across the country, including in rural areas. This funding will help to support local economies and sustain communities across the countryside 

    REPF allocations to individual local authorities will be made in line with the existing allocations methodology, with final confirmed allocations to be published in due course.

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    Published 4 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CE attends NPC session in Beijing

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Chief Executive John Lee attended the opening meeting of the third session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing today, in his capacity as Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

    The third session of the 14th NPC commenced this morning, during which Premier Li Qiang delivered the government work report, reviewing the work for 2024 and outlining the overall requirements for economic and social development and major tasks of the government for 2025.

    He said the principles of “one country, two systems”, “Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong” and a high degree of autonomy in the Hong Kong SAR should continue to be fully, faithfully and resolutely implemented, while maintaining the constitutional order in the Hong Kong SAR as stipulated in the Constitution and the Basic Law and implementing the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong”.

    The Premier expressed support for Hong Kong in strengthening economic development and improving people’s livelihood, deepening international exchanges and co-operation, with a view to better integrating into the overall national development and maintaining the long-term prosperity and stability of the city.

    He also highlighted the need to enhance the innovation capabilities and influence of economically advantageous areas, including the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

    The Chief Executive said he was most encouraged, adding that this year marks the conclusion of the 14th Five-Year Plan and the beginning of the formulation of the 15th Five-Year Plan.

    It is also a crucial year for deepening comprehensive reforms, which are of significant importance for the implementation of “one country, two systems”, he added.

    Mr Lee said the Hong Kong SAR Government will continue to fully, faithfully and resolutely implement the principles of “one country, two systems”, “Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong” and a high degree of autonomy.

    He also noted that it will unite all sectors of society to deepen comprehensive reforms, actively understand, respond to and embrace changes, and better leverage the institutional strengths of “one country, two systems” and Hong Kong’s unique and advantages of internationalisation to open up new development opportunities.

    The Hong Kong SAR Government will spare no effort in pursuing economic development, improving people’s livelihood and exploring new growth areas, the Chief Executive stressed.

    Coupled with market forces, the Hong Kong SAR Government will adopt an innovative mindset to take forward the development of the Northern Metropolis and the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science & Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone, accelerating the development of the international innovation and technology centre, Mr Lee said.

    Additionally, it aims to consolidate and enhance Hong Kong’s status as an international financial, shipping and trade centre, building the city as an international hub for high-calibre talent, concurrently promoting the bay area’s high-quality development and actively integrating into national development.

    It will also enhance Hong Kong’s international competitiveness, deepen international exchanges and co-operation, and strengthen its role to link the Mainland with global markets, so as to achieve better development in Hong Kong and make further contributions to building the great country and advancing national rejuvenation.

    Mr Lee extended his best wishes for the success of the third session of the 14th NPC and the third session of the 14th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Deus X Pay Unveils NeXus: Instant, Zero-Cost Cross-Border Transfers

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VILNIUS, Lithuania, March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Deus X Pay, a regulated stablecoin payment provider, announced the launch of NeXus, enabling instantaneous transfers at zero cost across the Deus X Pay ecosystem. NeXus addresses the challenge of inter- and intra-company transfers, overcoming major pain points, particularly in cross-border transactions. 

    NeXus eliminates these pain points by offering a real-time transfer network, ensuring immediate and frictionless fund movements between Deus X Pay clients. With this innovative solution, businesses can enhance their financial operations and treasury management.

    Deus X Pay CEO Richard Crook shared his thoughts on the new feature: “NeXus is a game-changer, removing the inefficiencies of cross-border transfers while maintaining the security and reliability our clients expect. By aligning with the G20 Roadmap for Enhancing Cross-Border Payments, we actively contribute to the global goal of lowering costs and improving cross-border payments’ speed, access, and transparency.”

    How It Works:

    • Each Deus X Pay client receives a unique NeXus ID.
    • Using this ID, clients can instantly process cross-border payments, supplier payments, and fund transfers with others in the Deus X Pay ecosystem.
    • Funds move in real time, allowing for seamless business operations and treasury management.

    Deus X Pay’s innovative offering, NeXus, supports the evolving needs of institutions and businesses that require rapid, predictable, and cost-efficient transactions.

    About Deus X Pay
    Deus X Pay is a regulated institutional stablecoin payment provider offering secure and compliant digital asset transaction solutions. The company enables businesses to integrate cryptocurrency payments, ensuring fast and efficient financial operations while maintaining regulatory compliance.

    Contact

    Public Relations Manager
    Tshego Tshangela
    Deus X Pay
    media@deusxpay.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ace6b3b7-5d58-495c-bd70-cc34d92e77cc

    The MIL Network –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Hagerty Releases Video Statement in Response to Trump’s Remarks to a Joint Session of Congress

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty

    “The contrast between what we experienced together the last four years under Joe Biden and now could not be clearer… All of these wins, all of this restoration and revitalization, are just the start of a new golden age in America… I will work with President Trump to do everything I can in the United States Senate to advance America’s interests.”

    WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) today released the following video and statement in response to President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress:

    *Click the photo above or here to watch*

    Remarks as prepared for delivery:

    “Good evening. A few moments ago, President Donald Trump concluded his first address to Congress as our nation’s 47th president.

    “After hearing from our President, I walked out of that Chamber beaming with optimism, pride, and hope for the future of our nation. The golden age of America is here in full swing.

    “The contrast between what we experienced together the last four years under Joe Biden and now could not be clearer.

    “We witnessed the greatest political comeback in history during the 2024 election of President Trump. Now we are seeing our nation on a comeback and, as President Trump said tonight, the renewal of the American Dream. Never have I been more excited about being part of a movement like this.

    “The success of the Trump Administration in just the first six weeks has been nothing short of remarkable.

    “In fact, this Administration has done so much in such a short time that many people have likely had a tough time keeping up with all of the wins.

    “Within hours of taking office, President Trump began the critical mission to secure our southern border. Under his instruction, Immigration and Customs Enforcement began apprehending and deporting illegal gang members, rapists, and murderers, and he immediately put an end to the Biden-era tidal wave of immigration. Over 20,000 illegal immigrants were arrested by ICE in a single month — that’s almost as many as Biden’s entire last year in office.

    “Since that decisive and needed action, we have seen a 94 percent drop in attempted illegal crossings year over year across our southern border—let me remind you, Donald Trump has been in office just six weeks. 

    “American sovereignty is back.

    “President Trump’s agenda is spurring action across the board. The Biden Administration’s ‘America Last’ approach is over.

    “Putting ‘America First’ is back.

    “Under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department is now standing up for our nation against our adversaries and standing with our ally Israel, getting it the security assistance that it needs to defend itself against Hamas terrorists, and reversing the anti-Israel and pro-Iran policies of the Biden Administration.

    “American leadership on the world stage is back.

    “The same is happening at the Department of Defense under the leadership of Secretary Pete Hegseth.

    “The days of prioritizing DEI initiatives and pronouns are in the past. Military readiness, lethality, and strength are back.

    “Under Joe Biden and his Administration, respect for America across the globe had deteriorated. Just look at the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021, or Communist China flying a spy balloon over our country for 10 days. Look at Biden destroying our energy independence and enriching and emboldening Russia to invade Ukraine in 2022, or the horrific and evil attack by Iran-backed Hamas terrorists against Israel on October 7, 2023. For every Biden diplomacy disaster, our adversaries were further empowered.

    “But things have changed under President Trump. Foreign nations are no longer taking advantage of us, our President is standing up for our country, and decisions are being made in the best interest of the American taxpayer. You need only to look at President Trump and Vice President Vance’s meeting with President Zelensky last week.

    “America’s worldwide respect is back.

    “Another thing Americans deeply care about that has been a top priority for this Administration is ending the weaponization of our justice system.

    “Thanks to President Trump, Freedom of Speech has prevailed over censorship, and intelligence officials who abused their position to influence an election are finally being held accountable. And I’m confident that this much-needed reform will continue under the leadership of Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

    “Americans’ trust in our Justice system is on its way back.

    “In addition to our foreign policy, our economy is turning around because of President Trump’s pro-growth and pro-business mindset and de-regulatory approach.

    “One of the most critical ways he is already spurring economic growth is by unleashing digital assets innovation and unburdening the industry from predatory, confusing, and often contradictory regulations.

    “And in a broader move, his executive order on regulation states that ten regulations will be repealed for every new regulation proposed. Because of this, many unnecessary, bloated, and burdensome regulations will be repealed in order to restore economic dynamism in America. Optimism is climbing across the country.

    “Economic growth is back.

    “Americans last November overwhelmingly declared that they wanted to see change in Washington. In just six weeks, President Trump is delivering on their mandate.

    “Because of the efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency, we are cutting wasteful, abusive, and fraudulent spending across our federal government—saving millions of hardworking Americans’ tax dollars.

    “Transparency is back.

    “All of these wins, all of this restoration and revitalization, are just the start of a new golden age in America. There is so much more to get done in order to deliver on the promises that were made to the American people—and I look forward to working with President Trump to deliver.

    “These six weeks under the Trump Administration and the President’s address tonight make me incredibly optimistic for what’s to come in the next four years, and I think the American people feel the same way.

    “The State of our Nation—the greatest nation the world has ever seen—is already stronger than it was the last four years, and getting stronger by the day.

    “As your Senator, I will work with President Trump to do everything I can in the United States Senate to place the America people first, making our economy the most competitive it can be, our military as lethal as it can be, and our diplomacy as effective as it can be to advance America’s interests.

    “Thank you, and may God bless.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Bitget Lists Mint Blockchain (MINT) in the Innovation and Public Chain Zone

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VICTORIA, Seychelles, March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitget, the leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company, has announced the listing of Mint Blockchain (MINT), a Layer2 blockchain focusing on the NFT ecosystem. Trading for MINT/USDT will commence on 7 March 2025, 08:00 (UTC)

    Mint Blockchain is built on the OP Stack, positioning it as a native Layer2 solution and a core member of the Optimism Superchain. As a visionary force propelling the NFT industry into a new era, Mint Blockchain’s vision is to connect global consumers with NFTs and build a decentralized network focused on NFT issuance, trading, and settlement, making NFTs the most unrestricted value carrier in the crypto world. The Mint team is actively developing a comprehensive suite of open-source infrastructure around NFT assets on Mint Blockchain, including NIPs Platform, Mint Studio, IP Layer, Mint Liquid, and NFT-AI Agent.

    The Mint mainnet was launched in May 2024, marking the beginning of its ecosystem development phase. With lower gas fees, diverse NFT standards, and a developer-friendly environment, the Mint ecosystem currently has more than 100 applications and more than 6 million wallet addresses on the chain.

    The inclusion of MINT on Bitget’s platform is expected to offer users a new opportunity to explore the most standout project promoting and driving innovation in NFT standards. This listing further strengthens Bitget’s position as a platform for innovative digital assets, enabling users to explore new opportunities in an evolving market.

    Bitget has consistently expanded its market share in both spot and derivatives trading among centralized exchanges. With a focus on providing users with opportunities to invest in different projects, the platform is now one of the top 5 crypto trading platforms with over 900 assets, including tokens from ecosystems such as TON, Ethereum, Solana, Base, and more.

    For more information on Mint Blockchain (MINT), users can visit here.

    About Bitget

    Established in 2018, Bitget is the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company. Serving over 100 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 markets, 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
    For media inquiries, please contact: media@bitget.com

    Risk Warning: Digital asset prices are subject to fluctuation and may experience significant volatility. Investors are advised to only allocate funds they can afford to lose. The value of any investment may be impacted, and there is a possibility that financial objectives may not be met, nor the principal investment recovered. Independent financial advice should always be sought, and personal financial experience and standing carefully considered. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Bitget accepts no liability for any potential losses incurred. Nothing contained herein should be construed as financial advice. For further information, please refer to our Terms of Use.

    Contact

    Simran Alphonso
    media@bitget.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3388787a-402d-4726-9dad-9b323d8e96f7

    The MIL Network –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Russia: Five best articles in Russian for 04.03.2025

    MIL Analysis: Here are the top five Russian language articles published today. The analysis includes five key articles prioritized at the moment.

    Trends seen in today’s analysis include economic performance; Bank of Russia issues a coin in memory of Rear Admiral A.F. Mozhaisky. The economy is developing together with artificial intelligence.

    The Higher School of Economics published a study on the brightest gamma-ray burst in history.

    Humanization of education is developing, and now schoolchildren can decide on a profession from an early age.

    Tourism in Russia is advancing and bringing new business opportunities.

    Below you can read one of the articles.

    1. Financial news: To the 200th anniversary of the inventor of the first Russian airplane Alexander Mozhaisky (03.03.2025).

    Bank of Russia on March 4, 2025 puts into circulation a commemorative silver coin with a nominal value of 2 rubles “Rear Admiral AF Mozhaisky, to the 200th anniversary of his birth” series “Outstanding personalities of Russia” (catalog number 5110-0189).

    The silver coin with a nominal value of 2 rubles (mass of precious metal in purity – 15.55 g, alloy grade – 925) has the shape of a circle with a diameter of 33.0 mm.

    2. Scientists have recorded the brightest ever cosmic gamma-ray burst GRB 221009A.

    “Higher School of Economics” –

    A team of scientists from 17 countries, including physicists from the National Research University Higher School of Economics, has analyzed new photometric and spectroscopic data of the brightest gamma-ray burst in the history of observations – GRB 221009A. They were obtained at the Sayan Observatory 1 hour and 15 minutes after its registration. The researchers recorded photons with an energy of 18 teraelectronvolts. Theoretically, such high-energy particles should not reach the Earth, but analysis of the data showed that it is possible. The findings call into question theories of gamma ray absorption and may point to unknown physical processes. The study is published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

    3. From childhood to career: how the project “Educational Verticals” helps schoolchildren to decide on a profession.

    In Moscow, there are kids who have been conducting scientific research, creating smart equipment and speaking at conferences since the age of 13. They go to regular schools, but study from seventh to ninth grade under a special program of the city project “Educational Verticals”. It has been implemented since 2018 and helps to choose in advance the direction of future activity, to enter a profile or pre-professional class.

    4. GUU held a roundtable discussion on the development of artificial intelligence in China.

    State University of Management and the Center for Broadcasting to Europe and Asia under the Foreign Language Publishing and Distribution Administration of the People’s Republic of China (Zhenmin Huabao Publishing House) organized the Round Table on “High-Quality Development of China’s Economy” and the presentation of the 4th volume of the book “Xi Jinping on Public Administration” in Russian.

    5. The “Winter in Moscow” project allowed businesses to make themselves known and increase sales.

    The capital’s business actively supported the large-scale city project “Winter in Moscow”. Thus, it not only became a major holiday, but also offered a wide range of opportunities and support measures for entrepreneurs. For example, the magic market of the project “Made in Moscow” united more than 500 manufacturers and placed its sites on seven tourist streets of the capital, including Arbat, Novy Arbat, Kuznetsky Most, Rozhdestvenska, as well as Tverskaya Boulevard, Stoleshnikov Lane and Bolotnaya Square.

    Learn more about MIL’s content and data services by visiting milnz.co.nz.

    Regards MIL!

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA News: What They Are Saying: President Trump’s Masterclass Before Congress

    Source: The White House

    Tonight, during his first address to a joint session of Congress in his second term, President Donald J. Trump delivered a powerful, masterful speech highlighting the remarkable accomplishments of his first six weeks in office and charting a course for four years of prosperity.

    The address received widespread acclaim. 76% of Americans approved of the speech, according to a CBS poll, while a CNN poll showed 69% of Americans had a positive reaction.

    Praise immediately poured in:

    Speaker Mike Johnson: “Tonight, President Trump made his triumphant return to Congress to share his bold, optimistic vision for renewing the American Dream.”

    Sen. Ted Cruz: “This is the fifth State of the Union address I’ve seen Trump give — it was by far his best.”

    Fox News’s Bret Baier: “The best moment — emotional moment, was DJ, who’s battling cancer. He wanted to be a police officer and during the speech, the president said the Secret Service has made him an agent.”

    Fox News’s Brit Hume: “If you ever doubted that Donald Trump is the political colossus of our time and our nation, this night and this speech should have put that to rest.”

    Geraldo Rivera: “Trump was strong, defiant and entertaining.”

    Clay Travis: “This is the best speech of Donald Trump’s career. Just a phenomenal litany of common sense and rational leadership. Great and heartwarming guests. It’s a grand slam.”

    Chris Cillizza: “That was a very effective speech. You can hate it or him. But that speech was aimed squarely at issues where the public is with Trump — and filled with made-for-sharing moments. A master image-maker at work (and you can hate him and acknowledge that’s true!)”

    Riley Gaines: “I am just left feeling inspired and hopeful and there’s so much to look forward to.”

    Amber Rose: “Donald Trump just gave the greatest presidential speech of all-time.”

    Reince Priebus: “I thought it was extremely strong. When he talked about… common sense revolution, giving the government back to The People… I thought was really insightful.”

    Breitbart’s Matthew Boyle: “This speech is one of Trump’s best ever, and the Democrat behavior during it has been not only despicable but also colossally politically stupid. Whoever is advising these idiots just steered their party into an even deeper ditch than Joe Biden and Kamala Harris left them in.”

    Pennsylvania resident: “I thought it was very positive… We used to be a country that would just let everything happen… I think now, we’re taking back things that should’ve never been given away. So, I think doing those tariffs… it’s well overdue.”

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “An inspiring and momentous speech. @POTUS returned to the White House with a clear mandate from the American people to renew the American Dream. His address tonight laid out exactly how he is keeping those promises with a vision of peace through strength, and a stronger, safer, and more prosperous United States.”

    Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem: “Tonight, President Trump laid out his vision to renew the American dream. In just a few short weeks, President Trump’s immigration and border security policies have led to an all-time-low in illegal crossings at the southern border. The message is clear: America’s borders are closed to lawbreakers.”

    Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent: “Strength. Prosperity. Peace. Tonight, President Trump shared his historic vision for our nation in renewing the American dream. He has done more in the past six weeks for the American people, than the previous administration in four years.”

    Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum: “The previous administration used a whole-of-government approach to oppose reliable, affordable U.S. energy production in favor of unreliable, unaffordable intermittent sources. The Trump administration is working overtime to undo all the damage done during the Biden years and we are fast-tracking America’s path to a New Golden Age through Energy Dominance!”

    Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth: “Thank you @POTUS it is the honor of my life to serve the American warfighter.”

    Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins: “@POTUS spoke loud and clear on American agriculture. He loves America’s farmers, and they have no more faithful friend nor more powerful champion. He will defend them, and if anyone doubted it — they don’t after tonight.”

    Secretary of Energy Chris Wright: “President Trump is renewing the American Dream, and we here @Energy are with him every step of the way to unleash American energy dominance!”

    UN Ambassador-designate Elise Stefanik: “In just one month under President Trump, Americans have experienced record results and the renewal of the American Dream with the triumphant return of strong leadership to the Oval Office. From securing the border, to cutting wasteful spending of our hard earned taxpayer dollars, to reasserting America First peace through strength leadership to the world stage, President Trump has delivered the most exceptional first month of an American presidency in history. Promises made, promises kept. The American Golden Age is here.”

    Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner: “The American people sent President Trump to enact generational change in Washington. What @POTUS has accomplished in less than two months is nothing short of remarkable. This is what America first feels like.”

    Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler: “This was a tour de force of a President who, in 42 days, has more accomplishments than Joe Biden had in four years — It is a new day in America and people at home had to have loved what they’ve seen from this great President.”

    Secretary of Education Linda McMahon: “Tremendous address by President Trump tonight. America is back, & the work is only beginning. I will work hard to make @POTUS’ vision for education a reality — preparing our students for the workforce & empowering their parents will be vital to our nation’s future success.”

    EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin: “This vision of President Trump will usher in the greatest four years in American history. Honored to be a part of this amazing Cabinet working hard to restore our nation to glory. Will continue to do my part @EPA to Power the Great American Comeback.”

    Sen. Bernie Moreno: “An inspiring, emotional address from @realDonaldTrump!! But crazed partisan Dems refused to applaud even a brave young man like DJ. Appalling!”

    Sen. Rick Scott: “Under President Trump’s strong leadership, our allies respect us, our adversaries fear us, and the world respects us again!”

    Sen. Marsha Blackburn: “What a great night! President Trump gave a fantastic address and laid out the many accomplishments he and his administration have made during these first six weeks back in office for the American people.”

    Sen. Markwayne Mullin: “@POTUS commanded the podium for TWO hours. He’s restoring the American Dream with relentless determination. “The Golden Age of America has only just begun.”

    Sen. John Cornyn: “One of the best lines from President Trump tonight during his state of the union speech: to secure the border we didn’t need any new laws, what we needed was a new president!  Amen.”

    Sen. Shelley Moore Capito: “@POTUS delivered a strong vision for our country—one that prioritizes border security, unleashing American energy, strengthening our military, and providing tax relief for families.”

    Sen. Ted Budd: “Tonight was about promises made, promises kept.”

    Sen. Jim Risch: “Excellent speech, Mr. President! I am proud to work with my Republican colleagues to support President Trump’s renewal of the American Dream. @POTUS is the strong leader America needs!”

    Sen. Pete Ricketts: “It’s time to get our economy back on track. Under @POTUS’ first administration, America’s economy was strong. Tonight, we heard him commit to restoring prosperity and supporting American families. Relief is on its way—and not a minute too soon.”

    Sen. Chuck Grassley: “Pres Trump delivered a strong state of the union address He’s working w Congress to make America safer + stronger + restore common sense in govt After an impactful start to his presidency there’s a lot more work 2do”

    Sen. Jon Husted: “Tonight, the president outlined what he’s doing to make our country secure, strong, and prosperous.”

    Sen. Katie Britt: “Tonight @POTUS made it clear: We’re putting Americans first—securing our nation, making streets safe, growing our prosperity, and unleashing our energy potential.”

    Sen. Lindsey Graham: “My take on President @realDonaldTrump’s address tonight: Inspiring, funny, compelling and the Democrats’ worst nightmare.”

    Chairwoman Lisa McClain: “President Trump’s message to the American people is clear: America is BACK.”

    Rep. Claudia Tenney: “This was one of the most tremendous experiences of my life. Donald Trump hit it out of the park.”

    Rep. Brandon Gill: “Help is here. Hope is here. President Trump is here.”

    Rep. Mark Alford: “What a speech and what a time to be in America.”

    Rep. Stephanie Bice: “President Trump’s speech was a testament to the vision of the American people which was suppressed under President Biden.”

    Rep. Gary Palmer: “President Trump’s speech tonight was the embodiment of ‘promises made, promises kept.’”

    Rep. Troy Downing: “What a speech. It’s never been so clear that a new golden age is upon us. From securing our border, to unleashing American energy, to rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse, @POTUS is delivering on the promises that he ran on. A great night to be an American!”

    Rep. Anna Paulina Luna: “Tonight was historic. President Trump said he was saved by God to Make America Great Again- and THAT is our mandate.”

    Rep. Nancy Mace: “Best speech ever.”

    Rep. Jim Jordan: “Incredible speech by President Trump! Confident. Empowering. Leadership.”

    Rep. Blake Moore: “It was an honor to attend President Trump’s Joint Session tonight. He and his administration have swiftly responded to the call of Americans to secure our border, unleash domestic energy production, address rampant crime, tackle the difficult task to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in our government, and more. There is much to do legislatively in the coming months to ensure a strong economy and defense, and I look forward to working with the Trump administration to accomplish this agenda.”

    Rep. Mike Kennedy: “President Trump has emerged as the leader the United States needs right now. I look forward to working alongside him to advance our nation’s prosperity.”

    Rep. Victoria Spartz: “Great speech by President Trump! The State of the Union is strong!”

    Rep. Julia Letlow: “President Trump delivered a strong message emphasizing the promises he is keeping to secure our border, increase energy production, fix the Biden economy, and reassert American leadership.”

    Rep. Dan Meuser: “Tonight, President Trump reaffirmed his commitment to the Renewal of the American Dream and made clear that Promises Made, Promises Kept is not just a slogan—it’s a reality.”

    Rep. Ron Estes: “It was great to welcome President Trump back to Congress and I look forward to continuing to work with him to advance the America First policy agenda that will restore our nation.”

    Rep. Mike Flood: “President @realDonaldTrump’s speech to Congress was a celebration of America and the renewal our country is experiencing.”

    Rep. Sam Graves: “The Golden Age of America has ARRIVED.  Thank you, President Trump!”

    Rep. Beth Van Duyne: “In just six weeks, President Trump has made incredible progress for America: the most secure borders in our lifetime without any new money or legislation; through DOGE, he has exposed the massive fraud and money laundering of billions of dollars in the federal government; brought in more manufacturing investments (Apple, TSMC, Honda) than the entire Biden presidency; and he is working with Congress to deliver long term reforms to lower costs and expand opportunities for our hard working families.”

    Rep. Brad Finstad: “Tonight, @POTUS made clear he is putting the American people first. Since taking office, he has begun reining in an oversized, inefficient government, brought safety and security back to our communities, and restored common sense to the @WhiteHouse.”

    Rep. Rudy Yakym: “America is back! I look forward to working with President Trump to continue delivering for Hoosiers and all Americans.”

    Rep. Ben Cline: “President Trump just delivered a bold, positive vision to secure our border, revive our economy, and restore American strength. Leadership is back, our enemies are on notice, and we’re making America great again.”

    Rep. Doug LaMalfa: “Tonight, President Trump delivered a strong and optimistic message about the renewal of the American Dream. He highlighted the progress made in rebuilding our economy, securing our border, and restoring America’s leadership on the world stage.”

    Rep. Dale Strong: “President Trump is delivering on his promises. He has secured our borders and is working to revitalize our economy. The United States is seen as a symbol of strength across the globe once again, and tonight’s address proves that this administration is ready and willing to help hardworking American families.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Launch of compulsory acquisition of remaining issued and outstanding shares of Avenir LNG Limited by Stolt-Nielsen Limited

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    London, March 5, 2025 – Reference is made to the stock exchange announcement of January 27, 2025, stating that Stolt-Nielsen Limited (Oslo Børs: SNI), through its subsidiary Stolt-Nielsen Gas Ltd. had entered into a share purchase agreement to acquire all the shares of Avenir LNG Limited (‘Avenir LNG’) owned by Golar LNG Limited and Aequitas Limited (the ‘Transaction’) and subject to completion of the Transaction, Stolt-Nielsen Gas Ltd. intended to offer to buy the shares of all remaining shareholders in Avenir LNG.

    The Transaction has been completed, and Stolt-Nielsen Gas Ltd. now holds more than 95% of the outstanding shares and votes in Avenir LNG.

    As the holder of more than 95% of Avenir LNG’s shares, Stolt-Nielsen Gas Ltd. is able to acquire the remaining shares in Avenir LNG by way of a compulsory acquisition, in accordance with section 103 of the Companies Act 1981 of Bermuda (the ‘Bermuda Companies Act’). The board of directors of Stolt-Nielsen Gas Ltd. has resolved to proceed with this compulsory acquisition, and a notice informing Avenir LNG’s shareholders of the compulsory acquisition has been issued (the ‘Compulsory Acquisition Notice’). The purchase price for the compulsory acquisition is $ 1.00 per Avenir LNG share (the ‘Purchase Price’), which is the same price per Avenir LNG share as in the Transaction.

    Settlement under the compulsory acquisition will occur in accordance with the standard settlement procedures for compulsory acquisition transactions registered in the Euronext Securities Oslo system (the ‘VPS’). The settlement amount per Avenir LNG share that a shareholder will receive is NOK 11.19, representing the equivalent of $ 1.00 using Norges Bank’s mid-rate in the interbank market as published on March 4, 2025.

    Further information about the compulsory acquisition is provided in the Compulsory Acquisition Notice. A copy of the Compulsory Acquisition Notice can also be obtained free of charge during ordinary course of business hours at the offices of DNB Markets, a part of DNB Bank ASA at Dronning Eufemias gate 30, N-0021 Oslo, Norway.

    As outlined in the Compulsory Acquisition Notice, shareholders of Avenir LNG may, within a one-month period of such notice, starting on March 11, 2025, and ending on April 11, 2025, apply to the Supreme Court of Bermuda for an appraisal of the value of their Avenir LNG shares. Stolt-Nielsen Gas Ltd. is entitled and bound to acquire the Avenir LNG shares of shareholders of Avenir LNG on the terms of the Compulsory Acquisition Notice upon the expiry of one month from the date on which such notice is given, unless a shareholder of Avenir LNG applies to the Supreme Court of Bermuda to appraise the value of their shares within the one month period, whereby Stolt-Nielsen Gas Ltd. may within one month of the court appraising the value of the shares acquire all such shares at the price fixed by the court or cancel the Compulsory Acquisition Notice.

    Completion of the compulsory acquisition and settlement of the Purchase Price are expected to occur on or about April 16, 2025 (subject to no shareholder applying to the Supreme Court of Bermuda for an appraisal of the value of their shares).

    Following completion of the compulsory acquisition, Stolt-Nielsen Gas Ltd. will pursue a delisting of Avenir LNG’s shares from Euronext N-OTC.

    Sponsored Norwegian Depository Receipts

    Equro Issuer Services AS (‘Equro’), Avenir LNG’s registrar in the ‘VPS’, is registered as the holder of the underlying common shares in Avenir LNG’s register of members maintained at the registered office of Avenir LNG in Bermuda. It is not Avenir LNG’s underlying common shares issued in accordance with the Bermuda Companies Act and Avenir LNG’s bye-laws but Sponsored Norwegian Depository Receipts (‘SNDR’), representing the beneficial interests in such common shares, that are registered in book-entry form with the VPS. Shareholders of Avenir LNG (i.e. holders of SNDRs) must therefore refer to Equro for exercising their rights as shareholders of Avenir LNG. Should a shareholder (i.e. a holder of SNDRs) wish to apply to the Supreme Court of Bermuda to appraise the value of their Avenir LNG common shares (and SNDRs), the applicable number of common shares of Avenir LNG must first be transferred to such holder, and Equro must be contacted (info@equro.com) for such transfer to be performed (and prior to any application to the Supreme Court of Bermuda being made). Further details are available in the Compulsory Acquisition Notice.

    SNDRs issued in the VPS have certain limitations and risks. You can read more about these limitations and risks in Equro’s general business terms and conditions available at Equro’s webpage. A service description for SNDRs is available at Euronext’s webpage.

    Advisors

    DNB Markets, a part of DNB Bank ASA, is acting as financial advisor to Stolt-Nielsen Limited.

    For additional information please contact:

    Jens F. Grüner-Hegge
    Chief Financial Officer
    UK +44 (0) 20 7611 8985
    j.gruner-hegge@stolt.com

    Ellie Davison
    Head of Corporate Communications
    UK +44 (0) 20 7611 8926
    e.davison@stolt.com

    About Stolt-Nielsen Limited

    Stolt-Nielsen (SNL or the Company) is a long-term investor and manager of businesses focused on opportunities in logistics, distribution and aquaculture. The Stolt-Nielsen portfolio consists of its three global bulk-liquid and chemicals logistics businesses – Stolt Tankers, Stolthaven Terminals and Stolt Tank Containers – Stolt Sea Farm and various investments. Stolt-Nielsen Limited is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (Oslo Børs: SNI).

    The MIL Network –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: ING completes share repurchase for employee compensation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Corporate Communications

    Amsterdam, 5 March 2024

    ING completes share repurchase for employee compensation

    ING Group announced today that it has completed the share repurchase for employee compensation which started on 3 March 2023. The total number of shares repurchased under the programme is 3,674,043 ordinary shares at an average price of €17.44 for a total consideration of €64,08 million. The purpose of the share repurchase is to meet obligations under ING’s share-based compensation plans.

    For detailed information on the daily repurchased shares and individual share purchase transactions, see the ING website at https://www.ing.com/Investor-relations/Share-information/Share-buyback- programme.htm.

    Note for editors

    For further information on ING, please visit www.ing.com. Frequent news updates can be found in the Newsroom. Photos of ING operations, buildings and its executives are available for download at Flickr.

    Press enquiries        Investor enquiries
    Christoph Linke        ING Group Investor Relations
    +31 20 576 5000        +31 20 576 6396
    Christoph.Linke@ing.com        Investor.Relations@ing.com

    ING PROFILE
    ING is a global financial institution with a strong European base, offering banking services through its operating company ING Bank. The purpose of ING Bank is: empowering people to stay a step ahead in life and in business. ING Bank’s more than 60,000 employees offer retail and wholesale banking services to customers in over 100 countries.

    ING Group shares are listed on the exchanges of Amsterdam (INGA NA, INGA.AS), Brussels and on the New York Stock Exchange (ADRs: ING US, ING.N).

    ING aims to put sustainability at the heart of what we do. Our policies and actions are assessed by independent research and ratings providers, which give updates on them annually. ING’s ESG rating by MSCI was reconfirmed by MSCI as ‘AA’ in August 2024 for the fifth year. As of December 2023, in Sustainalytics’ view, ING’s management of ESG material risk is ‘Strong’. Our current ESG Risk Rating, is 17.2 (Low Risk). ING Group shares are also included in major sustainability and ESG index products of leading providers. Here are some examples: Euronext, STOXX, Morningstar and FTSE Russell. Society is transitioning to a low-carbon economy. So are our clients, and so is ING. We finance a lot of sustainable activities, but we still finance more that’s not. Follow our progress on ing.com/climate.

    IMPORTANT LEGAL INFORMATION
    Elements of this press release contain or may contain information about ING Groep N.V. and/ or ING Bank N.V. within the meaning of Article 7(1) to (4) of EU Regulation No 596/2014 (‘Market Abuse Regulation’).

    ING Group’s annual accounts are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union (‘IFRS- EU’). In preparing the financial information in this document, except as described otherwise, the same accounting principles are applied as in the 2023 ING Group consolidated annual accounts. The Financial statements for 2024 are in progress and may be subject to adjustments from subsequent events. All figures in this document are unaudited. Small differences are possible in the tables due to rounding.

    Certain of the statements contained herein are not historical facts, including, without limitation, certain statements made of future expectations and other forward-looking statements that are based on management’s current views 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 such statements. Actual results, performance or events may differ materially from those in such statements due to a number of factors, including, without limitation: (1) changes in general economic conditions and customer behaviour, in particular economic conditions in ING’s core markets, including changes affecting currency exchange rates and the regional and global economic impact of the invasion of Russia into Ukraine and related international response measures (2) changes affecting interest rate levels (3) any default of a major market participant and related market disruption (4) changes in performance of financial markets, including in Europe and developing markets

    (5) fiscal uncertainty in Europe and the United States (6) discontinuation of or changes in ‘benchmark’ indices (7) inflation and deflation in our principal markets (8) changes in conditions in the credit and capital markets generally, including changes in borrower and counterparty creditworthiness (9) failures of banks falling under the scope of state compensation schemes (10) non- compliance with or changes in laws and regulations, including those concerning financial services, financial economic crimes and tax laws, and the interpretation and application thereof (11) geopolitical risks, political instabilities and policies and actions of governmental and regulatory authorities, including in connection with the invasion of Russia into Ukraine and the related international response measures (12) legal and regulatory risks in certain countries with less developed legal and regulatory frameworks (13) prudential supervision and regulations, including in relation to stress tests and regulatory restrictions on dividends and distributions (also among members of the group) (14) ING’s ability to meet minimum capital and other prudential regulatory requirements (15) changes in regulation of US commodities and derivatives businesses of ING and its customers (16) application of bank recovery and resolution regimes, including write down and conversion powers in relation to our securities (17) outcome of current and future litigation, enforcement proceedings, investigations or other regulatory actions, including claims by customers or stakeholders who feel misled or treated unfairly, and other conduct issues (18) changes in tax laws and regulations and risks of non-compliance or investigation in connection with tax laws, including FATCA (19) operational and IT risks, such as system disruptions or failures, breaches of security, cyber-attacks, human error, changes in operational practices or inadequate controls including in respect of third parties with which we do business and including any risks as a result of incomplete, inaccurate, or otherwise flawed outputs from the algorithms and data sets utilized in artificial intelligence (20) risks and challenges related to cybercrime including the effects of cyberattacks and changes in legislation and regulation related to cybersecurity and data privacy, including such risks and challenges as a consequence of the use of emerging technologies, such as advanced forms of artificial intelligence and quantum computing (21) changes in general competitive factors, including ability to increase or maintain market share (22) inability to protect our intellectual property and infringement claims by third parties (23) inability of counterparties to meet financial obligations or ability to enforce rights against such counterparties (24) changes in credit ratings (25) business, operational, regulatory, reputation, transition and other risks and challenges in connection with climate change and ESG-related matters, including data gathering and reporting (26) inability to attract and retain key personnel (27) future liabilities under defined benefit retirement plans (28) failure to manage business risks, including in connection with use of models, use of derivatives, or maintaining appropriate policies and guidelines (29) changes in capital and credit markets, including interbank funding, as well as customer deposits, which provide the liquidity and capital required to fund our operations, and (30) the other risks and uncertainties detailed in the most recent annual report of ING Groep N.V. (including the Risk Factors contained therein) and ING’s more recent disclosures, including press releases, which are available on www.ING.com.

    This document may contain ESG-related material that has been prepared by ING on the basis of publicly available information, internally developed data and other third-party sources believed to be reliable. ING has not sought to independently verify information obtained from public and third-party sources and makes no representations or warranties as to accuracy, completeness, reasonableness or reliability of such information.

    Materiality, as used in the context of ESG, is distinct from, and should not be confused with, such term as defined in the Market Abuse Regulation or as defined for Securities and Exchange Commission (‘SEC’) reporting purposes. Any issues identified as material for purposes of ESG in this document are therefore not necessarily material as defined in the Market Abuse Regulation or for SEC reporting purposes. In addition, there is currently no single, globally recognized set of accepted definitions in assessing whether activities are “green” or “sustainable.” Without limiting any of the statements contained herein, we make no representation or warranty as to whether any of our securities constitutes a green or sustainable security or conforms to present or future investor expectations or objectives for green or sustainable investing. For information on characteristics of a security, use of proceeds, a description of applicable project(s) and/or any other relevant information, please reference the offering documents for such security.

    This document may contain inactive textual addresses to internet websites operated by us and third parties. Reference to such websites is made for information purposes only, and information found at such websites is not incorporated by reference into this document. ING does not make any representation or warranty with respect to the accuracy or completeness of, or take any responsibility for, any information found at any websites operated by third parties. ING specifically disclaims any liability with respect to any information found at websites operated by third parties. ING cannot guarantee that websites operated by third parties remain available following the publication of this document, or that any information found at such websites will not change following the filing of this document. Many of those factors are beyond ING’s control.

    Any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of ING speak only as of the date they are made, and ING assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information or for any other reason.

    This document does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase, any securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction.

    .

    Attachment

    • ING completes share repurchase for employee compensation

    The MIL Network –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Volta Finance Limited – Dividend Declaration

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Volta Finance Limited (VTA/VTAS)

    Dividend Declaration

    NOT FOR RELEASE, DISTRIBUTION OR PUBLICATION,
    IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES

    Guernsey, 5 March 2025

    Volta Finance Limited (“the Company”) hereby announces that it has declared a quarterly interim dividend of €0.155 per share payable on 3 April 2025 amounting to approximately €5.67 million, approximately equating to an annualised 8% of net asset value. The ex-dividend date is 13 March 2025 with a record date of 14 March 2025.

    The Company has arranged for its shareholders to be able to elect to receive their dividends in either Euros or Pounds Sterling. Shareholders will, by default, receive their dividends in Euros, unless they have instructed the Company’s Registrar, Computershare Investor Services (Guernsey) Limited (“Computershare”), to pay dividends in Pounds Sterling.  Such instructions may be given to Computershare either electronically via CREST or by using the Currency Election Form which has been posted to shareholders and a copy of which is also available on the website www.voltafinance.com within the “Investors – Other Documents” section. The deadline for receipt of currency elections is 12:00 (midday) on 17 March 2025.

    CONTACTS
    For the Investment Manager
    AXA Investment Managers Paris
    François Touati
    francois.touati@axa-im.com
    +33 (0) 1 44 45 80 22

    Olivier Pons
    Olivier.pons@axa-im.com
    +33 (0) 1 44 45 87 30

    Company Secretary and Administrator
    BNP Paribas S.A., Guernsey Branch
    guernsey.bp2s.volta.cosec@bnpparibas.com 
    +44 (0) 1481 750 853

    Corporate Broker
    Cavendish Securities plc
    Andrew Worne
    Daniel Balabanoff
    +44 (0) 20 7397 8900

    *****
    ABOUT VOLTA FINANCE LIMITED

    Volta Finance Limited is incorporated in Guernsey under the Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008 (as amended) and listed on Euronext Amsterdam and the London Stock Exchange’s Main Market for listed securities. Volta’s home member state for the purposes of the EU Transparency Directive is the Netherlands. As such, Volta is subject to regulation and supervision by the AFM, being the regulator for financial markets in the Netherlands.

    Volta’s Investment objectives are to preserve its capital across the credit cycle and to provide a stable stream of income to its Shareholders through dividends that it expects to distribute on a quarterly basis. The Company currently seeks to achieve its investment objectives by pursuing exposure predominantly to CLO’s and similar asset classes. A more diversified investment strategy across structured finance assets may be pursued opportunistically. The Company has appointed AXA Investment Managers Paris an investment management company with a division specialized in structured credit, for the investment management of all its assets.

    *****

    ABOUT AXA INVESTMENT MANAGERS
    AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) is a multi-expert asset management company within the AXA Group, a global leader in financial protection and wealth management. AXA IM is one of the largest European-based asset managers with 2,800 professionals and €859 billion in assets under management as of the end of June 2024.  

    *****

    This press release is published by AXA Investment Managers Paris (“AXA IM”), in its capacity as alternative investment fund manager (within the meaning of Directive 2011/61/EU, the “AIFM Directive”) of Volta Finance Limited (the “Volta Finance”) whose portfolio is managed by AXA IM.

    This press release is for information only and does not constitute an invitation or inducement to acquire shares in Volta Finance. Its circulation may be prohibited in certain jurisdictions and no recipient may circulate copies of this document in breach of such limitations or restrictions. This document is not an offer for sale of the securities referred to herein in the United States or to persons who are “U.S. persons” for purposes of Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or otherwise in circumstances where such offer would be restricted by applicable law. Such securities may not be sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration from the Securities Act. Volta Finance does not intend to register any portion of the offer of such securities in the United States or to conduct a public offering of such securities in the United States.

    *****

    This communication is only being distributed to and is only directed at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the “Order”) or (iii) high net worth companies, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). The securities referred to herein are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such securities will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents. Past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance.

    *****
    This press release contains statements that are, or may deemed to be, “forward-looking statements”. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “believes”, “anticipated”, “expects”, “intends”, “is/are expected”, “may”, “will” or “should”. They include the statements regarding the level of the dividend, the current market context and its impact on the long-term return of Volta Finance’s investments. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Volta Finance’s actual results, portfolio composition and performance may differ materially from the impression created by the forward-looking statements. AXA IM does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements.

    Any target information is based on certain assumptions as to future events which may not prove to be realised. Due to the uncertainty surrounding these future events, the targets are not intended to be and should not be regarded as profits or earnings or any other type of forecasts. There can be no assurance that any of these targets will be achieved. In addition, no assurance can be given that the investment objective will be achieved.

    The figures provided that relate to past months or years and past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance or construed as a reliable indicator as to future performance. Throughout this review, the citation of specific trades or strategies is intended to illustrate some of the investment methodologies and philosophies of Volta Finance, as implemented by AXA IM. The historical success or AXA IM’s belief in the future success, of any of these trades or strategies is not indicative of, and has no bearing on, future results.

    The valuation of financial assets can vary significantly from the prices that the AXA IM could obtain if it sought to liquidate the positions on behalf of the Volta Finance due to market conditions and general economic environment. Such valuations do not constitute a fairness or similar opinion and should not be regarded as such.

    Editor: AXA INVESTMENT MANAGERS PARIS, a company incorporated under the laws of France, having its registered office located at Tour Majunga, 6, Place de la Pyramide – 92800 Puteaux. AXA IMP is authorized by the Autorité des Marchés Financiers under registration number GP92008 as an alternative investment fund manager within the meaning of the AIFM Directive.

    *****

    The MIL Network –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: VAALCO Energy, Inc. Enters Into New $300 Million Revolving Credit Facility

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HOUSTON, March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE: EGY; LSE: EGY) (“Vaalco” or the “Company”) announced that it has entered into a new revolving credit facility (“the new facility”) with an initial commitment of $190 million and the ability to grow to $300 million, led by The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited, Isle of Man Branch with other participating banks and financial partners. This new facility, which is subject to customary administrative conditional precedents, replaces the Company’s existing undrawn revolving credit facility that was provided by Glencore Energy UK Ltd. The Company arranged the new facility primarily to provide short-term funding that may be needed from time-to-time to supplement its internally generated cash flow and cash balance as it executes its planned investment programs across its diversified asset base over the next few years.

    Key terms include:

    • Six-year term with facility amortization to begin on September 30, 2026;
    • Initial commitment of $190 million with the ability to grow to $300 million through a $110 million accordion;
    • Amounts drawn bear interest of 6.5% plus SOFR until the Côte d’Ivoire Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel (“FPSO”) Dry Dock Refurbishment Project is completed;
    • Interest rate will decrease to 6.0% plus SOFR once the FPSO project is completed;
    • Undrawn available amounts incur a fee of 35% of margin per annum and undrawn unavailable amounts incur a fee of 20% of margin per annum, with semi-annual borrowing base redeterminations; and
    • Secured with Vaalco’s Gabon, Egypt and Côte d’Ivoire assets.

    “Closing this new credit facility will supplement our internally generated cash flow and cash balance to assist in funding our robust organic growth projects,” said George Maxwell, Vaalco’s Chief Executive Officer. “With $190 million in initial commitment and the ability to grow to $300 million, this facility enables us to fund any short-term capital funding needs that may occur as we execute the significant growth projects across our assets over the next couple of years. We appreciate the support shown by our lending group which we believe affirms the strength of our diverse asset base. We are excited about the major projects that we have planned which are expected to deliver a step-change in organic growth across our portfolio.”

    The Company entered into the new facility with The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited, Isle of Man Branch as the lead bank on the facility. Other participants include Rand Merchant Bank, The Mauritius Commercial Bank Limited and Glencore Energy UK Ltd.

    About Vaalco
    Vaalco, founded in 1985 and incorporated under the laws of Delaware, is a Houston, Texas, USA based, independent energy company with a diverse portfolio of production, development and exploration assets across Gabon, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and Canada.

    For Further Information

       
    Vaalco Energy, Inc. (General and Investor Enquiries) +00 1 713 543 3422
    Website: www.vaalco.com
       
    Al Petrie Advisors (US Investor Relations) +00 1 713 543 3422
    Al Petrie / Chris Delange  
       
    Buchanan (UK Financial PR) +44 (0) 207 466 5000
    Ben Romney / Barry Archer Vaalco@buchanan.uk.com
       

    Forward Looking Statements
    This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created by those laws and other applicable laws and may also include “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law (collectively “forward-looking statements”). Where a forward-looking statement expresses or implies an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “forecast,” “outlook,” “aim,” “target,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “may,” “likely,” “plan” and “probably” or similar words may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this press release may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to (i) estimates of future drilling, production, sales and costs of acquiring crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids; (ii) expectations regarding Vaalco’s ability to effectively integrate assets and properties it has acquired as a result of the Svenska acquisition into its operations; (iii) expectations regarding future exploration and the development, growth and potential of Vaalco’s operations, project pipeline and investments, and schedule and anticipated benefits to be derived therefrom; (iv) expectations regarding future acquisitions, investments or divestitures; (v) expectations of future dividends; (vi) expectations of future balance sheet strength; and (vii) expectations of future equity and enterprise value.

    Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: risks relating to any unforeseen liabilities of Vaalco; the ability to generate cash flows that, along with cash on hand, will be sufficient to support operations and cash requirements; risks relating to the timing and costs of completion for scheduled maintenance of the FPSO servicing the Baobab field; and the risks described under the caption “Risk Factors” in Vaalco’s 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 15, 2024 and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC.

    Inside Information
    This announcement contains inside information as defined in Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 on market abuse which is part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (“MAR”) and is made in accordance with the Company’s obligations under article 17 of MAR. The person responsible for arranging the release of this announcement on behalf of Vaalco is Matthew Powers, Corporate Secretary of Vaalco.

    The MIL Network –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Trifork subsidiary TestHuset partners with Cognizant on Testing-as-a-Service in Denmark

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press release

    Trifork subsidiary TestHuset partners with Cognizant on Testing-as-a-Service in Denmark

    Copenhagen, 5 March 2025 – TestHuset, a leading company in software testing and quality assurance in Denmark, has entered into a partnership with the U.S.-based company Cognizant to introduce a new perspective on software testing and quality assurance in Denmark.

    The partnership was established as part of KOMBIT’s recent tender, which was jointly awarded to Cognizant and TestHuset. Beyond KOMBIT, the collaboration will also extend to support other clients of both Cognizant and TestHuset. The partnership is anchored in TestHuset’s strong local presence in Denmark and is further strengthened by Cognizant’s experience with Testing-as-a-Service (TaaS) and its international reach through both nearshore and offshore resources.

    KOMBIT’s tender is focused locally on TaaS, and TestHuset expects it will set a precedent for how large Danish private and public organizations will approach software quality assurance in the future. TestHuset anticipates growing demand for on-site TaaS teams supported by products that provide complete, data-driven insights into software quality. To meet this demand, TestHuset offers solutions such as Trifork Quality Intelligence, which delivers a holistic and transparent view of quality, along with a new AI-powered tool that accelerates testing and quality assurance for customers’ digital solutions.

    Allan Tange, CEO of TestHuset, comments:

    “KOMBIT’s tender is both ambitious and innovative, setting new standards for how organizations can rethink their approach to testing and quality assurance of their digital solutions. Our partnership with Cognizant has the potential to significantly enhance the quality of digital solutions across many large Danish enterprises. We are very excited to present our new concept to customers of both Cognizant and TestHuset in the near future.”

    Thomas Djursø, Country Manager at Cognizant, adds:

    “Together with TestHuset, we have created a strong setup for TaaS. With TestHuset’s experience and senior specialists working closely with Cognizant’s team in Denmark, we provide a robust on-site foundation for TaaS. This is further enhanced by Cognizant’s ability to scale through nearshore and offshore delivery and our significant investments in test automation and generative AI. Combined, this ensures that our customers can transition to TaaS with a focus on quality, speed of transformation, and efficiency gains.”

    Investor and media contact
    Frederik Svanholm
    Group Investment Director, Head of IR & PR
    frsv@trifork.com, +41 79 357 7317

    About Trifork
    Trifork is a pioneering global technology partner, empowering enterprise and public sector customers with innovative solutions. With 1,229 professionals across 73 business units in 16 countries, Trifork delivers expertise in inspiring, building, and running advanced software solutions across diverse sectors, including public administration, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, energy, financial services, retail, and real estate. Trifork Labs, the Group’s R&D hub, drives innovation by investing in and developing synergistic and high-potential technology companies. Trifork Group AG is a publicly listed company on Nasdaq Copenhagen. Learn more at trifork.com.

    About TestHuset
    Founded in 2005, TestHuset is a leading quality assurance company helping large organizations improve their software quality. Since 2018, TestHuset has been part of the international development company Trifork. TestHuset delivers consulting, services, and competence development on both local and global levels. TestHuset is headquartered in Copenhagen with 75+ employees in Denmark, Sweden, and Spain. Learn more at testhuset.dk.

    About Cognizant
    Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) is a leading global technology and consulting company that transforms modern businesses, enabling them to operate intuitively and proactively. Cognizant has 340,100 employees and generated $19.4 billion in revenue in 2023. Cognizant helps clients modernize technology, rethink processes, and transform experiences to remain competitive in a rapidly changing world. Together, we are improving everyday life. Learn more at www.cognizant.com or follow @cognizant.

    Attachment

    • PR_KOMBIT_EN

    The MIL Network –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI China: Multiple indicators point to sustained recovery of China’s economy

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    China’s economy has started 2025 with renewed vigor, as key indicators spanning manufacturing, consumption and real estate reveal strengthening momentum, thereby signaling continued recovery and stability amid global uncertainties, experts noted.

    PMI signals expansion 

    The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for China’s manufacturing sector rose to 50.2 in February, up 1.1 percentage points from January and back in expansion territory, latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed.

    The non-manufacturing PMI also improved last month, edging up 0.2 percentage points to 50.4, while indices in sectors such as air transport, postal services, telecommunications, radio, television, satellite transmission services, monetary and financial services, and capital market services remained above 55 in February — indicating robust growth in overall business volume, NBS statistician Zhao Qinghe said.

    China’s composite PMI stood at 51.1 in February, up 1 percentage point from the previous month, the NBS confirmed.

    All three key PMI indicators stood in expansion territory in February, driven by post-Spring Festival production resumption and improved market confidence, reflecting that an overall recovery was gathering speed, Zhao noted.

    Robust green consumption 

    China’s green transformation of consumption in key areas has continued in 2025. Looking at new energy vehicles (NEVs) as an example, the country’s passenger car production volume reached 2.11 million units in January, up 3.6 percent year on year, while NEV output and sales soared by 25.8 percent and 10.5 percent from a year earlier to reach 940,000 units and 744,000 units, respectively.

    Complementing this growth, China’s newly-launched insurance platform for NEVs had already covered 114,000 units as of February 25, following guidelines to address challenges and bolster consumer trust in this rapidly expanding sector.

    Notably, in the first two months of 2025, China’s electric bicycle trade-in program generated healthy sales of approximately 1.019 million e-bikes, driving new sales of such bikes amounting to 2.66 billion yuan (about 370 million U.S. dollars), the Ministry of Commerce said on Monday.

    Commenting on China’s recent economic performance, Gabriel Crouse, a South African policy analyst at the Institute of Race Relations, said that compared with the fast economic growth from a relatively low baseline decades ago, China is now operating from a higher baseline and pursuing high-quality development.

    “China is continuing to lead the world in new energy vehicles, artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging sectors,” said Crouse.

    Traditional pillar sees stabilization 

    The real estate sector, a traditional pillar of domestic demand, is showing signs of stabilization, said Ming Ming, chief economist at CITIC Securities — highlighting policy tailwinds, including potential cuts to mortgage rates and relaxed purchasing restrictions in major cities, as keys to restoring market equilibrium.

    Data from E-house China R&D Institute revealed that the average destocking period for new residential homes in 100 Chinese cities was 21.3 months in January, a remarkable drop from the previous peak of 26.8 months.

    New residential home sales in Beijing surged by 47.11 percent year on year in February — with 2,295 units recorded in online sales contracts. Meanwhile, second-hand home transactions, a key segment of the city’s property market, saw a 92.3-percent increase during the same period, according to data from leading real estate website Fang.com.

    As a series of market-stabilizing policies begin to take effect, the upward trend with positive signals across the industry will become increasingly clear, promoting the entire industrial chain in this sector in entering a positive recovery cycle, said Zhang Yan, an analyst from property research institution CRIC.

    Chinese policymakers have since last year introduced a range of measures, including financial stimuli and regulatory adjustments, to bolster the property sector. These include mortgage rate cuts, lower down payment requirements, eased purchasing restrictions and financing coordination mechanisms to enhance funding support for developers.

    “To see China recognize problems and address them properly reassures investors that the Chinese economy remains a safe place to bet on,” said Crouse. 

    MIL OSI China News –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Fourth quarter 2024 results: EUR 233 million net income in Q4 2024 Proposed regular dividend of EUR 1.8 per share

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press release
    05 March 2025 – N° 03


    Fourth quarter 2024 results

    EUR 233 million net income in Q4 2024

    Proposed regular dividend of EUR 1.8 per share

    • Group net income of EUR 233 million in Q4 2024 driven by all business activities (EUR 235 million adjusted1)
      • P&C combined ratio of 83.1% in Q4 2024 including a low Nat Cat ratio and allowing for ongoing reserving discipline
      • L&H insurance service result2 of EUR 119 million in Q4 2024
      • Investments regular income yield of 3.6% in Q4 2024
    • Economic Value per share of EUR 48 (vs. EUR 51 as of 31 December 2023)
    • IFRS 17 Group Economic Value3 of EUR 8.6 billion as of 31 December 2024, down -6.3% at constant economics3,4. Adjusted for one-offs5, Economic Value growth of +9.8% at constant economics3,4
    • Estimated Group solvency ratio of 210%6 as of 31 December 2024, in the upper part of the optimal range of 185%-220%, fully absorbing the impact of the 2024 L&H assumption review
    • Proposed regular dividend of EUR 1.8 per share for 2024
    • Annualized Return on Equity of 22.8% (23.0% adjusted1) in Q4 2024. For the full year 2024, Return on Equity stands at 0.1% (0.2% adjusted1); adjusted for one-offs5, the annualized Return on Equity would stand at 14.9% for the full year 2024

    SCOR SE’s Board of Directors met on 4 March 2025, under the chair of Fabrice Brégier, to approve the Group’s Q4 2024 financial statements.

    Thierry Léger, Chief Executive Officer of SCOR, comments: “I am satisfied with the fourth quarter results. All business activities contribute to a strong consolidated Group net income. On a full year basis, P&C performance is excellent: the Nat Cat ratio is below the 10% budget, and the underlying performance enables us to build significant prudence two years ahead of plan. Investments performance is strong over the year, taking advantage of the current market conditions. In L&H, we took decisive actions to restore profitability. With a solvency ratio of 210% at year-end remaining in the upper part of the optimal range, SCOR demonstrates resilience as well as enhanced underlying capital generation, leading to a proposed dividend of EUR 1.8 per share. In the prevailing market environment, I’m fully confident that SCOR will continue to grow profitably in diversifying lines of business by leveraging its Tier 1 franchise. We are committed to delivering our Forward 2026 ambitions.”

    Group performance and context

    SCOR records EUR 233 million net income (EUR 235 million adjusted1) in Q4 2024, supported by all business activities:

    • In P&C, the combined ratio of 83.1% in Q4 2024 is primarily driven by a low natural catastrophe ratio of 6.4%. Over the full year 2024, the natural catastrophe ratio of 9.4% is better than the 10% budget. The attritional loss and commission ratio stands at 75.9% in Q4 2024, reflecting a very satisfactory underlying performance allowing for continued reserving discipline. The completion of the annual P&C year-end reserve review confirms all lines are at best estimate and our reserve resilience has increased.
    • In L&H, the insurance service result2 stands at EUR 119 million in Q4 2024, driven by a good level of CSM amortization and risk adjustment release, partially offset by a negative experience variance from the US.
    • In Investments, SCOR benefits from high reinvestment rates and an elevated regular income yield of 3.6% in Q4 2024.
    • The effective tax rate stands at 8% for Q4 2024, mainly reflecting the release of Q2 and Q3 tax provisions related to deferred tax assets.

    The annualized Return on Equity stands at 22.8% (23.0% adjusted1) in Q4 2024.

    Over the full year 2024, SCOR delivers a net income of EUR 4 million (EUR 11 million adjusted1), implying an annualized Return on Equity of 0.1% (0.2% adjusted1), impacted by the outcome of the 2024 L&H assumption review accounting for EUR -0.7 billion (pre-tax) in insurance service result and EUR
    -0.9 billion (pre-tax) in contractual service margin (CSM). The Group Economic Value decreases by 6.3% at constant economics3,4 (+9.8% adjusted for one-offs5).

    SCOR’s Solvency ratio stands at 210% at year-end 2024, in the upper part of the optimal range of 185%-220%, fully absorbing the one-off impact of the L&H assumption review, and demonstrating the Group’s balance sheet resilience.

    Proposed regular dividend of EUR 1.8 per share

    SCOR proposes a regular dividend of EUR 1.8 per share for the fiscal year 2024, stable compared to the fiscal year 2023.

    This dividend will be submitted for shareholders’ approval at the 2025 Annual General Meeting, to be held on 29 April 2025. The Board proposes to set the ex-dividend date at 2 May 2025, and the payment date at 6 May 2025.

    On-going very strong P&C underlying performance

    In Q4 2024, P&C insurance revenue stands at EUR 1,929 million, up +0.4% at constant exchange rates (down -0.5% at current exchange rates) compared to Q4 2023, driven by the effect of a large commutation. Excluding this effect, the insurance revenue would grow by +1.7%.

    New business CSM in Q4 2024 stands at EUR -43 million, impacted by limited renewals in Q4 and an early recognition of the cost of some retrocession contracts renewed at 1 January 2025.

    P&C (re)insurance key figures:

    In EUR million
    (at current exchange rates)
    Q4 2024 Q4 2023 Variation FY 2024 FY 2023 Variation
    P&C insurance revenue 1,929 1,940 -0.5% 7,639 7,496 1.9%
    P&C insurance service result 238 353 -32.6% 779 897 -13.1%
    Combined ratio 83.1% 75.6% 7.5pts 86.3% 85.0% 1.3pts
    P&C new business CSM -43 -76 43.8% 1,024 952 7.6%

    The P&C combined ratio stands at 83.1% in Q4 2024, compared to 75.6% in Q4 2023. It includes:

    • A Nat Cat ratio of 6.4%, mainly impacted by the losses related to Hurricane Milton (4.7 pts).
    • An attritional loss and commission ratio of 75.9%, reflecting a very satisfactory underlying performance and continued reserving discipline.
    • A discount effect of -9.5%, impacted by the year-end reserves review.
    • An attributable expense ratio of 9.7%, impacted by an expense accounting true-up.

    The P&C insurance service result of EUR 238 million is driven by a CSM amortization of
    EUR 252 million, a risk adjustment release of EUR 45 million, a negative experience variance of
    EUR -38 million and an impact of onerous contract of EUR -21 million. The negative experience variance reflects the prudence building and a low level of retrocession recoveries.

    The impact of the California wildfires is estimated at circa EUR140m, pre-tax and net of retrocessions, which is in line with the Nat Cat budget level of Q1 2025.

    Improved L&H insurance service result in Q4 2024

    In Q4 2024, L&H insurance revenue amounts to EUR 2,055 million, up +8.4% at constant exchange rates (+8.6% at current exchange rates) compared to Q4 2023. L&H New Business CSM7 generation of EUR 113 million in Q4 is driven by Protection and new deals in Longevity.

    The L&H insurance service result2 amounts to EUR 119 million in Q4 2024. It includes:

    • A CSM amortization of EUR 117 million, including a EUR 16 million exceptional release. Excluding this, the annualized CSM amortization rate is 6.9%8.
    • A Risk Adjustment release of EUR 36 million.
    • An experience variance of EUR -49 million, driven by negative deviations in the US.
    • A positive impact of onerous contracts of EUR 12 million reflecting changes in risk adjustment.
    • Offsetting one-off impacts from the 2024 L&H reviews amounting to EUR 1 million.

    L&H reinsurance key figures:

    In EUR million
    (at current exchange rates)
    Q4 2024 Q4 2023 Variation FY 2024 FY 2023 Variation
    L&H insurance revenue 2,055 1,892 8.6% 8,487 8,426 0.7%
    L&H insurance service result2 119 64 87.5% -348 589 -159.1%
    L&H new business CSM7 113 90 25.4% 485 466 4.1%

    Investments delivering strong results with a regular income yield of 3.6% in Q4 2024

    As of 31 December 2024, total invested assets amount to EUR 24.2 billion. SCOR’s asset mix is optimized, with 78% of the portfolio invested in fixed income. SCOR has a high-quality fixed income portfolio with an average rating of A+, and a duration of 3.8 years (3.0 at year-end 2023) following the implementation of the new ALM strategy.

    Investments key figures:

    In EUR million
    (at current exchange rates)
    Q4 2024 Q4 2023 Variation FY 2024 FY 2023 Variation
    Total invested assets 24,155 22,914 5.4% 24,155 22,914 5.4%
    Regular income yield* 3.6% 3.7% -0.1pts 3.5% 3.2% 0.3pts
    Return on invested assets*, ** 3.3% 3.7% -0.4pts 3.5% 3.2% 0.3pts

    (*) Annualized.
    (**) Fair value through income on invested assets excludes EUR -3 million in Q4 2024 and EUR -9 million in FY 2024 related to the pre-tax mark to market impact of the fair value of the option on own shares granted to SCOR.

    Total investment income on invested assets stands at EUR 1959 million in Q4 2024. The return on invested assets stands at 3.3%9 (vs. 3.7% in Q4 2023) and the regular income yield at 3.6% (vs. 3.7% in Q4 2023).

    The reinvestment rate stands at 4.5%10 as of 31 December 2024, compared to 4.1% as of 30 September 2024. The invested assets portfolio remains highly liquid and financial cash flows of EUR 9.5 billion are expected over the next 24 months11, enabling SCOR to benefit from elevated reinvestment rates.

    *

    *          *

    APPENDIX

    1 – SCOR Group Q4 2024 key financial details

    In EUR million
    (at current exchange rates)
    Q4 2024 Q4 2023 Variation FY 2024 FY 2023 Variation
    Insurance revenue 3,984 3,832 4.0% 16,126 15,922 1.3%
    Gross written premiums1 5,049 4,927 2.5% 20,064 19,371 3.6%
    Insurance Service Result2 357 417 -14.3% 432 1,486 -70.9%
    Management expenses -347 -329 -5.2% -1,250 -1,164 -7.4%
    Annualized ROE3 22.8% 15.0% 7.8pts 0.1% 18.1% -18.0pts
    Annualized ROE excluding the mark to market impact of the option on own shares 23.0% 16.6% 6.4pts 0.2% 17.5% -17.2pts
    Net income3,4 233 162 43.2% 4 812 -99.5%
    Net income4 excluding the mark to market impact of the option on own shares 235 179 31.4% 11 780 -98.6%
    Economic value5,6 8,615 9,213 -6.5% 8,615 9,213 -6.5%
    Shareholders’ equity 4,524 4,723 -4.2% 4,524 4,723 -4.2%
    Contractual Service Margin (CSM)6 4,091 4,490 -8.9% 4,091 4,490 -8.9%

    1: GWP is not a metric defined under the IFRS 17 accounting framework (non-GAAP metric); 2: Including revenues on financial contracts reported under IFRS 9; 3: Taking into account the mark to market impact of the option on own shares. Q4 2024 impact of EUR-3 million before tax, FY 2024 impact of EUR -9 million before tax. 4: Consolidated net income, Group share; 5. Defined as the sum of the shareholder’s equity and the Contractual Service Margin (CSM); 6: Net of tax. A notional tax rate of 25% is applied to the CSM.

    2 – P&L key figures Q4 2024

    In EUR million
    (at current exchange rates)
    Q4 2024 Q4 2023 Variation FY 2024 FY 2023 Variation
    Insurance revenue 3,984 3,832 4.0% 16,126 15,922 +1.3%
    • P&C insurance revenue
    1,929 1,940 -0.5% 7,639 7,496 +1.9%
    • L&H insurance revenue
    2,055 1,892 8.6% 8,487 8,426 +0.7%
    Gross written premiums1 5,049 4,927 2.5% 20,064 19,371 +3.6%
    • P&C gross written premiums
    2,508 2,362 6.2% 9,869 9,452 +4.4%
    • L&H gross written premiums
    2,541 2,565 -0.9% 10,195 9,919 +2.8%
    Investment income on invested assets 195 206 -5.3% 800 711 +12.5%
    Operating results 291 350 -17.0% 298 1,366 -78.2%
    Net income2,3 233 162 43.2% 4 812 -99.5%
    Net income2 excluding the mark to market impact of the option on own shares 235 179 31.4% 11 780 -98.6%
    Earnings per share3 (EUR) 1.30 0.91 42.9% 0.02 4.54 -99.6%
    Earnings per share (EUR) excluding the mark to market impact of the option on own shares 1.31 1.00 31.0% 0.06 4.35 -98.6%
    Operating cash flow 197 588 -66.5% 903 1,480 -39.0%

    1: GWP is not a metric defined under the IFRS 17 accounting framework (non-GAAP metric); 2: Consolidated net income, Group share; 3: Taking into account the mark to market impact of the option on own shares. Q4 2024 impact of EUR -3 million before tax, FY 2024 impact of EUR -9 million before tax.

    3 – P&L key ratios Q4 2024

      Q4 2024 Q4 2023 Variation FY 2024 FY 2023 Variation
    Return on invested assets 1,2 3.3% 3.7% -0.4pts 3.5% 3.2% +0.3pts
    P&C combined ratio 3 83.1% 75.6% +7.5pts 86.3% 85.0% +1.3pts
    Annualized ROE4 22.8% 15.0% +7.8pts 0.1% 18.1% -18.0pts
    Annualized ROE excluding the mark to market impact of the option on own shares 23.0% 16.6% +6.4pts 0.2% 17.5% -17.2pts
    Economic Value growth5 n.a. n.a. n.a. -6.3% 8.6% -14.9pts

    1: Annualized; 2: In Q4 2024 and FY 2024, fair value through income on invested assets excludes respectively EUR -3 million and EUR -9 million pre-tax mark to market impact of the fair value of the option on own shares granted to SCOR; 3: The combined ratio is the sum of the total claims, the total variables commissions, and the P&C attributable management expenses, divided by the net insurance revenue for P&C business; 4: Taking into account the mark to market impact of the option on own shares. Q4 2024 impact of EUR -3 million before tax, FY 2024 impact of EUR -9 million before tax; 5: Not annualized. Growth at constant economic assumptions and excluding the mark to market impact of the option on own shares. The starting point is adjusted for the dividend of EUR 1.8 per share (EUR 324 million in total) for the fiscal year 2023, paid in 2024. Economic Value defined as the sum of the shareholders’ equity and the Contractual Service Margin (CSM), net of tax. A notional tax rate of 25% is applied to the CSM.

    4 – Balance sheet key figures as of 31 December 2024

    In EUR million
    (at current exchange rates)
    As of
    31 December 2024
    As of
    31 December 2023
    Variation
    Total invested assets1 24,155 22,914 +5.4%
    Shareholders’ equity 4,524 4,723 -4.2%
    Book value per share (EUR) 25.22 26.16 -3.6%
    Economic Value2 8,615 9,213 -6.5%
    Economic Value per share (EUR)3 48.03 51.18 -6.2%
    Financial leverage ratio4 24.5% 21.2% +3.3pts
    Total liquidity5 2,466 2,234 +10.4%

    1: Excluding third-party net insurance business investments; 2: The Economic Value (defined as the sum of the shareholders’ equity and the Contractual Service Margin (CSM), net of tax) includes minority interests; 3: The Economic Value per share excludes minority interests; 4: The leverage ratio is calculated as the percentage of subordinated debt compared to the sum of Economic Value and subordinated debt in IFRS 17; 5: Including cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments.

    *

    *         *

    SCOR, a leading global reinsurer

    As a leading global reinsurer, SCOR offers its clients a diversified and innovative range of reinsurance and insurance solutions and services to control and manage risk. Applying “The Art & Science of Risk”, SCOR uses its industry-recognized expertise and cutting-edge financial solutions to serve its clients and contribute to the welfare and resilience of society.

    The Group generated premiums of EUR 20.1 billion in 2024 and serves clients in more than 150 countries from its 37 offices worldwide.

    For more information, visit: www.scor.com

    Media Relations
    Alexandre Garcia
    media@scor.com

    Investor Relations
    Thomas Fossard
    InvestorRelations@scor.com

    Follow us on LinkedIn

     

    All content published by the SCOR group since January 1, 2024, is certified with Wiztrust. You can check the authenticity of this content at wiztrust.com.

    General

    Numbers presented throughout this press release may not add up precisely to the totals in the tables and text. Percentages and percent changes are calculated on complete figures (including decimals); therefore, this press release might contain immaterial differences in sums and percentages due to rounding. Unless otherwise specified, the sources for the business ranking and market positions are internal.

    Forward-looking statements

    This press release includes forward-looking statements, assumptions, and information about SCOR’s financial condition, results, business, strategy, plans and objectives, including in relation to SCOR’s current or future projects.

    These statements are sometimes identified by the use of the future tense or conditional mode, or terms such as “estimate”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “have the objective”, “intend to”, “plan”, “result in”, “should” and other similar expressions.

    It should be noted that the achievement of these objectives, forward-looking statements, assumptions and information is dependent on circumstances and facts that may or may not arise in the future.

    No guarantee can be given regarding the achievement of these forward-looking statements, assumptions and information. These forward-looking statements, assumptions and information are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements, assumptions and information (including on objectives) may be impacted by known or unknown risks, identified or unidentified uncertainties and other factors that may significantly alter the future results, performance and accomplishments planned or expected by SCOR.

    In particular, it should be noted that the full impact of the economical and geopolitical risks on SCOR’s business and results cannot be accurately assessed.

    Therefore, any assessments, any assumptions and, more generally, any figures presented in this press release will necessarily be estimates based on evolving analyses, and encompass a wide range of theoretical hypotheses, which are highly evolutive.

    Information regarding risks and uncertainties that may affect SCOR’s business is set forth in the 2023 Universal Registration Document filed on March 20, 2024, under number D.24-0142 with the French Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) posted on SCOR’s website www.scor.com.

    In addition, such forward-looking statements, assumptions and information are not “profit forecasts” within the meaning of Article 1 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/980.

    SCOR has no intention and does not undertake to complete, update, revise or change these forward-looking statements, assumptions and information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    Financial information

    The Group’s financial information contained in this press release is prepared on the basis of IFRS and interpretations issued and approved by the European Union.

    Unless otherwise specified, prior-year balance sheet, income statement items and ratios have not been reclassified.

    The calculation of financial ratios (such as return on invested assets, regular income yield, return on equity and combined ratio) is detailed in the Appendices of the presentation related to the financial results for the full year 2024 (see pages 25-61). The financial results for the full year 2024 included in this press release have been audited by SCOR’s statutory auditors. Unless otherwise specified, all figures are presented in Euros.

    Any figures or financial results for a period subsequent to December 31, 2024 should not be taken as a forecast of the expected financials for these periods.

    The solvency ratio is not audited by SCOR’s statutory auditors. The Group solvency final results are to be filed to supervisory authorities by April 2025 and may differ from the estimates expressed or implied in this press release

    1 Adjusted by excluding the mark to market impact of the option on own shares.

    2 Includes revenues on financial contracts reported under IFRS 9.

    3 Defined as the sum of the shareholders’ equity and the Contractual Service Margin (CSM), net of tax. 25% notional tax rate applied on CSM.

    4 Growth at constant economic assumptions as of 31 December 2023, excluding the mark to market impact of the option on own shares.

    5 Excluding the mark to market impact of the option on own shares, and the impacts of the 2024 L&H assumption review and the Q3 true-up on identified arbitration positions.

    6 Solvency ratio estimated after taking into account the proposed dividend of EUR 1.8 per share for the fiscal year 2024.            

    7 Includes the CSM on new treaties and change in CSM on existing treaties due to new business (i.e. new business on existing contracts).

    8 Applied to the closing CSM (before amortization) at the half year or the full year.

    9 Excluding the mark to market impact of the option on own shares. Q4 2024 impact of EUR -3 million before tax.

    10 Reinvestment rate is based on Q4 2024 asset allocation of yielding asset classes (i.e. fixed income, loans and real estate), according to current reinvestment duration assumptions. Yield curves & spreads as of 31/12/2024.

    11 As of 31 December 2024. Including current cash balances and future coupons and redemptions.

    Attachment

    • 202503_SCOR_Press+Release_03_Q4+2024_EN+Wiztrust

    The MIL Network –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Atos reports full year 2024 results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press release

    Atos reports full year 2024 results

    Recovery of the commercial activity in Q4 2024

    • Q4 order entry at €2.7 billion
    • Q4 book to bill at 117%, +9 points vs Q4 2023, benefitting from the signature of large multi-year contract renewals and wins
    • FY 2024 book to bill at 82% vs 94% in prior year

    FY 2024 revenue: €9,577 million, down -5.4% organically, impacted by previously-established contract terminations or scope reductions and by market softness in key geographies

    • Eviden: down -6.7% organically
    • Tech Foundations down -4.1% organically

    Operating margin of 2.1% at €199m, with Eviden at 2.0% and Tech Foundations at 2.2%

    • Down -210 bps organically compared with FY 2023, mainly due to the allocation to the business of SG&A costs previously allocated to Other Operating Income & Expenses, as part of the separation project in prior year
    • Operating margin includes circa €40 million of provision for underperforming contracts following negotiations with customers

    Free cash flow at €-2,233 million reflecting the end of one-off working capital optimization actions and higher capex linked to High Performance Computing contracts

    • Working capital optimization at December 2024 of €0.3 billion compared to €1.8 billion in prior year
      • Consisting solely of customer invoices paid in advance without any discount and on a pure voluntary basis;
      • No usage at all of account receivable factoring or specific optimization on trade payables.

    Net income group share of €248 million, including notably:

    • €3,520 million income from the financial restructuring, including a €2,766 million gain on the debt-to-equity swap and €965 million IFRS 9 debt fair value treatment, which will be amortized in subsequent years
    • Goodwill and other non-current assets impairment charge of €2,357 million, reflecting the decrease of the Group’s enterprise value, which takes into account a lower fair value of the financial debts and a lower market capitalization

    Paris, March 5, 2025 – Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, high-performance computing and information technology infrastructure, today announces its 2024 financial results.

    Philippe Salle, Atos Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, declared:

    “It was with great enthusiasm and conviction that I have joined the Atos Group in October 2024. Now that our financial restructuring has been successfully completed in December, the Group can focus on its transformation journey and on providing the highest level of support to our customers through innovation and quality of service. I will present my vision for Atos and our mid-term strategy during a Capital Markets Day on May 14.

    During the fourth quarter, our commercial activity recovered thanks to the positive change of perception of our clients, who took note of the improvement of our credit rating. This positive commercial momentum materialized in renewals or extensions of large strategic multi-year contracts.

    I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the teams involved for their outstanding contribution to the financial structuring of the company and to our employees, customers and partners for their continued support.”

    FY 2024 performance highlights

    In € million FY 2024 FY 2023 Var.   FY 2023* Organic Var.
    Revenue 9,577 10,693 -10.4%   10,124 -5.4%
    Operating Margin 199 467 -268   423 -224
    In % of revenue 2.1% 4.4%   -230bps   4.2%    -210bps
    OMDA 722 1,026 -304      
    In % of revenue 7.6% 9.6%   -200bps      
    Net income 248 -3,441 3,689      
    Free Cash Flow -2,233 -1,078 -1,154      
    Net debt excl. IFRS 9 fair value treatment -1,238 -2,230 992      
    Net debt -275 -2,230 1,955      

    *: at constant scope and December 2024 average exchange rates

    FY 2024 performance by Business

    In € million FY 2024
    Revenue
    FY 2023
    revenue
    FY 2023
    revenue*
    Organic variation*
    Eviden 4,604 5,089 4,937 -6.7%
    Tech Foundations 4,972 5,604 5,187 -4.1%
    Total 9,577 10,693 10,124 -5.4%
    In € million FY 2024
    Operating margin
    FY 2023 Operating margin FY 2023
    Operating margin*
      FY 2024
    Operating margin %
    FY 2023 Operating margin% FY 2023 Operating margin%* Organic variation*
    Eviden 90 294 272   2.0% 5.8% 5.5% -350 bps
    Tech Foundations 109 172 151   2.2% 3.1% 2.9% -70 bps
    Total 199 467 423   2.1% 4.4% 4.2% -210 bps

    *: at constant scope and December 2024 average exchange rates

    Group revenue was €9,577 million, down -5.4% organically compared with FY 2023. Overall, Group revenue evolution in 2024 reflects previously-established contract terminations or scope reductions and market softness in key geographies

    Eviden revenue was €4,604 million, down -6.7% organically.

    • Digital activities decreased high single digit. The business was impacted by previously-established contract terminations and contract scope reductions, as well as by the continued market softness in North America, in the UK & Ireland and in Benelux and the Nordics.
    • Big Data & Security (BDS) revenue was roughly stable organically. Advanced Computing grew mid-single digit with large project deliveries in Denmark and Germany particularly during the fourth quarter. Revenue in Digital Security decreased low single digit due to contract terminations and volume decline.

    Tech Foundations revenue was €4,972 million, down -4.1% organically.

    • Core revenue (excluding BPO and value-added resale (“VAR”)) decreased low single digit. Stronger revenue in Major Events (related to the Paris Olympic & Paralympic games and the UEFA) was offset by previously-established contract terminations and completions in North America and by contract scope and volume reduction in the UK.
    • Non-core revenue declined high single digit as planned, reflecting deliberate reduction of BPO activities in the UK and reduced value-added resale for hardware and software products.

    Group operating margin was €199 million representing 2.1% of revenue, down -210 basis points organically compared with 2023:

    • This margin decrease comes mainly from the allocation to the business of €103 million SG&A costs previously allocated to Other Operating Income & Expenses as they related to the separation project conducted in 2023. The profitability of the Group was also impacted by revenue decrease and lower utilization of resources. Operating margin also includes circa €40 million of provision for underperforming contracts following negotiations with customers
    • Eviden’s operating margin was €90 million or 2.0% of revenue, down -350 basis points organically. Beyond the allocation of SG&A costs to the business for €48 million, profitability was also impacted by revenue decrease and lower utilization of resources.
    • Tech Foundations’ operating margin was €109 million or 2.2% of revenue down by -70 basis points organically. The positive impacts from the continued execution of the transformation program and the accelerated reduction of under-performing contracts via renegotiation were offset by higher allocation of SG&A cost to the business for €55 million.

    FY 2024 performance by Regional Business Unit

    In € million FY 2024
    Revenue
    FY 2023
    revenue
    FY 2023
    revenue*
    Organic variation*
    North America 1,909 2,280 2,177 -12.3%
    UK / IR 1,500 1,770 1,763 -14.9%
    Benelux and the Nordics (BTN) 946 911 905 +4.6%
    Central Europe 2,207 2,506 2,253 -2.1%
    Southern Europe 2,080 2,284 2,119 -1.9%
    Growing markets 924 930 893 +3.4%
    Others & Global structures 11 12 13 -16.3%
    Total 9,577 10,693 10,124 -5.4%
    In € million FY 2024
    Operating margin
    FY 2023 Operating margin FY 2023
    Operating margin*
      FY 2024
    Operating margin %
    FY 2023 Operating margin% FY 2023 Operating margin%* Organic variation*
    North America 161 244 229   8.5% 10.7% 10.5% -200 bps
    UK / IR 72 75 77   4.8% 4.2% 4.3% +40 bps
    Benelux and the Nordics (BTN) 7 23 23   0.8% 2.5% 2.5% -170 bps
    Central Europe 10 31 23   0.5% 1.3% 1.0% -60 bps
    Southern Europe 80 99 82   3.9% 4.3% 3.9% +0 bps
    Growing markets 31 92 88   3.4% 9.9% 9.9% -650 bps
    Others & Global structures -163 -97 -98   N/A N/A N/A N/A
    Total 199 467 423   2.1% 4.4% 4.2% -210 bps

    *: at constant scope and December 2024 average exchange rates

    North America revenue was €1,909 million, down -12.3% organically, impacted by contract terminations and general slowdown in market conditions.

    • Eviden revenue was down double digit, impacted by contract terminations and volume decline in Healthcare, Finance, and Transport & Logistics. BDS revenue remained stable.
    • Tech Foundations revenue was down high single digit due to contract completions and terminations in Media and in Insurance, as well as scope reductions with select customers.

    Operating margin was €161 million or 8.5% of revenue, down -200 basis points organically.

    • Eviden’s margin declined, impacted by volume reduction and contract terminations.
    • Tech Foundations margin declined, due to lower utilization of resources and volume reduction.

    UK & Ireland revenue was €1,500 million, down -14.9% organically.

    • Eviden revenue was down double digit. Digital revenue decreased, reflecting contract completions and volume reduction in the Public Sector. BDS revenue decreased as well, following the discontinuation of the low-margin “computing as a service” offering.
    • Revenue in Tech Foundations was down double digit, due to contract completion in Public Sector BPO activities.

    Operating margin was €72 million, or 4.8% of revenue, up +40 basis points organically. Tech Foundations margin benefited from the extension of a large multi-year contract renewed at better financial terms, while Eviden margin was impacted by revenue decline and lower utilization of resources in Digital.

    Benelux and the Nordics revenue was € 946 million, up +4.6% organically

    • Eviden revenue was up double digit, thanks particularly to BDS, with a new supercomputer sold to an innovation center in Denmark.
    • Revenue in Tech Foundations was down low single digit, with contract completions and volume decline in Healthcare and in Utilities.

    Operating margin was €7 million, or 0.8% of revenue, down -170 basis points organically. Profitability was impacted by project overruns and lower utilization of resources in Digital.

    Central Europe revenue was € 2,207 million, down -2.1% organically.

    • Eviden revenue was down low single digit. Decline in Digital due to volume reduction from Manufacturing and Defense customers was partially offset by the ongoing delivery of a large HPC in Germany.
    • Tech Foundations revenue was down low-single digit, reflecting scope reductions in the Banking and Automotive sectors.

    Operating margin was €10 million or 0.5% of revenue, down -60 basis points organically. Tech Foundations’ margin improvement was offset by Eviden’s profitability decrease.

    Southern Europe revenue was €2,080 million, down -1.9% organically.

    • Eviden revenue was down low-single digit. Digital activities declined due to volume reduction in Automotive, Transport & Logistics and Banking sectors. The delivery of a supercomputer project in Spain provided a higher prior year comparison basis for BDS.
    • Tech Foundations revenue declined low single digit due to contract completions with select customers.

    Operating margin was €80 million or 3.9% of revenue, broadly stable organically. BDS’ margin improvement driven by ongoing contracts deliveries was partially offset by Eviden profitability decrease due to lower utilization of resources in Digital.

    Growing Market revenue was €924 million, up +3.4% organically, reflecting stronger contributions related to the Paris Olympic & Paralympic Games and the UEFA contract.

    Operating margin was €31 million or 3.4% of revenue, down -650 basis points reflecting higher marketing expenses for Major Events.

    Others and Global Structures encompass the Group’s global delivery centers and global structures:

    • Global delivery centers net cost was €-72 million, broadly stable compared with last year.
    • Global Structures net cost was €-91 million and increased by €65 million, impacted by higher SG&A costs allocated to Operating margin in 2024 (rather than allocated to Other Operating Income, as part of the separation project in prior year).

    Order entry and backlog

    FY 2024 commercial activity

    Order entry reached €7.9 billion in 2024. Eviden order entry was €4.1 billion and Tech Foundations order entry was €3.8 billion.

    Book-to-bill ratio for the Group was 82% in 2024, down from 94% in 2023.

    • Eviden reported a book-to-bill ratio of 88% in 2024, down from 94% in 2023
    • Tech Foundations reported a book-to-bill ratio of 76% in 2024, down from 94% in 2023

    Q4 2024 commercial activity

    Order entry reached €2.7 billion in Q4 2024 bringing book to bill ratio to 117% for the quarter, benefitting from renewed client confidence thanks to the completion of the financial restructuring.

    Eviden reported a book-to-bill ratio of 111% for the fourth quarter, increasing strongly by +12 points compared with Q4 2023, notably led by a strong performance of Digital with a book to bill at 127%.
    Main contract signatures in the fourth quarter included an application management services contract with a Ministry of Economy, contract renewals in application management and cybersecurity services with a large American retail company and with a large health provider, as well as a High-Performance Computer (HPC) upgrade with a European scientific community.

    Tech Foundations reported a book-to-bill ratio of 122% for the fourth quarter, increasing by +6 points compared with Q4 2023.
    Main contract signatures in the fourth quarter included a 4-years contract extension for IT and digital transformation services with a state-owned savings bank. Several multi-year strategic contracts were renewed, in particular to provide Digital Workplace and Hybrid Cloud & Infrastructure services for North American and UK & Ireland customers in Financial Services, Public Sector, and Transport & Logistic.

    Backlog & commercial pipeline

    At the end of December 2024, the full backlog reached €13.0 billion representing 1.3 years of revenue.

    The full qualified pipeline amounted to €4.3 billion at the end of December 2024, representing 5.1 months of revenue.

    Human resources

    The total headcount was 78,112 at the end of December 2024, decreasing by -17.9% compared with the end of December 2023 and includes:

    • Transfers of 4,900 employees to new providers in Q3 2024 following contract completions in North America and in the UK. Excluding these transfers, headcount has decreased by circa -13%,
    • Worldgrid disposal in Q4 2024 (-973 employees).

    During the year, the Group hired 9,388 staff (of which 93.3% were Direct employees).

    Employe attrition rate remained in line with historical levels, increasing slightly from 14.5% in 2023 to 15.6% in 2024. FY 2024 retention rate for key employees remained high at 92%.

    Net income

    Net income group share was €248 million, primarily due to a €3,520 million financial gain related to the financial restructuring of the Group and a €2,858 million cost recorded in Other Operating Income and Expenses, which included a €2,357 million impairment charges on goodwill and non-current assets.

    Free cash flow

    Free cash flow was €-2,233 million in 2024 reflecting primarily the end of one-off working capital optimization actions resulting in a negative change in working capital requirement for €1,498 million and higher capex linked to HPC contracts for €239 million.

    Net debt and debt covenants

    At December 31, 2024, net debt was €1,238 million (€275 million including IFRS 9 debt fair value treatment), compared to € 2,230 million as of December 31, 2023. and consisted of:

    • Cash and cash equivalents for €1,739 million
    • Short-term financial assets for €93 million
    • Borrowings for €3,069 million (nominal value) or €2,107 million (IFRS fair value)

    The new credit documentation requires the Group to maintain:

    • from 31 March 2025, a minimum liquidity level of €650 million, to be verified at the end of each financial quarter;
    • from 30 June 2027, as from each half-year end, a maximum level of financial leverage (“Total Net Leverage Ratio Covenant”), which is defined as the ratio of Financial indebtedness (mainly excluding IFRS 16 impacts and IFRS 9 debt fair value treatment) to pre-IFRS 16 OMDA; the ceilings thus applicable will be determined no later than 30 June 2026 with reference to a flexibility of 30% in relation to the Business Plan adopted by the Group at that time; these ceilings will in any event remain between 3.5x and 4.0x.

    As at December 31, 2024, the Group financial leverage (as defined above and pre IFRS 9 debt fair value treatment) was 3.16x.

    Going concern and liquidity

    The consolidated financial statements of the Group for the year ended December 31, 2024 have been prepared on a going concern basis.

    The Group’s cash forecasts for the twelve months following the approval of the 2024 consolidated financial statements by the Board of Directors, result in a cash situation that meets its liquidity needs over that period.

    The cash forecasts, which take into account the latest business forecasts, have been prepared based on the assumptions which were in line with the Group updated business plan communicated on September 2, 2024.

    It is reminded that as part of its financial restructuring and following the completion on 18 December 2024 of the final steps of the Accelerated Safeguard Plan approved by the specialized Commercial Court of Nanterre on 24 October 2024, which resulted in:
    (i)      a €2.1 billion gross debt reduction through the equitization of €2.9 billion of existing financial debts and the repayment of €0.8 billion interim financings with the new money debt provided to the Company;

    (ii)      €1.6 billion of new money debt and €0.1 billion of new money equity from the rights issue and the additional reserved capital increase and

    (iii)      no debt maturities before the end of 2029,

    the Group now has the resources and flexibility to execute its midterm strategy.

    Operating margin to Operating income

    In € million 2024 2023
    Operating margin 199 467
    Reorganization -119 -696
    Rationalization and associated costs -37 -38
    Integration and acquisition costs 3 4
    Amortization of intangible assets (PPA from acquisitions) -57 -108
    Equity based compensation -2 -19
    Impairment of goodwill and other non-current assets -2 357 -2 546
    Other items -288 -169
    Operating (loss) -2 659 -3 106

    Non recurring items were a net expense of €2,858 million.

    Reorganization costs amounted to € 119 million.

    • Workforce adaptation measures relating mainly to restructuring plans launched in previous years were €77 million compared with €343 million in 2023, as the Group limited restructuring expenses to manage its cash position in 2024.
    • Separation and transformation related to the 2023 legal carve-out were incurred mostly at the start of the year for €42 million. In 2023, these costs amounted to €353 million, of which about one third corresponded to internal project costs.

    Rationalization and associated costs amounted to € 37 million compared to € 38 million in 2023, mainly corresponding to the continuation of the data centers consolidation program.

    Integration and acquisition costs amounted to € 3 million as certain earn-out and retention schemes did not materialize and were thus released to the income statement.

    Amortization of intangible assets recognized in the purchase price allocation amounted to €57 million and was mainly composed of Syntel customer relationships and technologies.

    Impairment of goodwill and other non-current assets amounted to € 2,357 million and mostly related:

    • To the impairment of goodwill for € 2,240 million in both Eviden (Americas and Northern Europe & APAC) and Tech Foundations (Northern Europe & APAC), and ;
    • To the impairment of customer relationships for € 109 million in Americas as a result of customer contract terminations.

    In 2024, Other items were a net expense of €288 million compared with €169 million in 2023 and included:

    • €74 million of net capital gain related to the sale of Worldgrid offset by additional losses recognized on past transactions ;
    • €160 million of losses related to onerous contracts that were accounted for in OOI in previous years;
    • €96 million of legal fees and settlement related to major litigations, including the settlement concluded with Unisys in December;
    • €78 million of current assets write offs; and
    • €28 million of costs related to early retirement programs in Germany, the UK and France as well as others non-recurring items.

    As a result, operating loss was at €-2,659 million, compared with a loss of €-3,106 million in 2023, reflecting primarily the €2,357 million impairment charge.

    Operating Income to Net income Group Share

    In € million 2024 2023
    Operating (loss) -2,659 -3,106
    Net financial income (expense) 3,121 -227
    Tax charge -214 -112
    Non-Controlling interests – -1
    Share of net profit of equity-accounted investments – 5
    Net income (loss) Group Share 248 -3,441
    Basic earning per share 0.034 -31.04
    Diluted earning per share 0.031 -31.04

    Net financial income was €3,121 million and was composed of:

    • The net cost of financial debt of €178 million, compared with €102 million in 2023. This €76 million increase mainly resulted from:
      • €38 million higher cost on the old debt (additional portions drawn on the RCF and higher interest rates on the Term Loan A);
      • €13m interests on the interim financing;
      • €12m interests on the new financing structure.
    • Other financial items for a net income of € 3,299 million in 2024 compared to net expense of € 125 million in 2023, composed mainly of:
      • The gain related to the financial restructuring of the Group for €3,520 million, detailed as follows:
    In € million 2024
    Fair value gain on the debt converted into equity 2,766
    Fair value gain on the new debt 965
    Fair value of the issued warrants -45
    Subtotal at financial restructuring date 3,686
    Costs and fees reported in the income statement -165
    Impact reported under the other financial income 3,520
    • Other items of €221 million, including notably:
      • €78 million of exit fees on Interim financing loans repaid as part of financial restructuring on December 18, 2024;
      • €36 million lease liability interest (€26 million in 2023). This variation mainly resulted from the increase in discount rates;
      • €30 million financial expense on pensions(€31 million in 2023). This pension financial cost represents the difference between interest costs on pension obligations and the return on plan assets;
      • €29 million of net foreign exchange loss, including hedges (loss of €19 million in 2023);
      • €15 million of prior year transaction costs included in financial debts, which were fully amortized in 2024 in the context of the financial restructuring of the Group.

    The tax charge for 2024 was €214 million, compared with €112 million in 2023. This €+102 million increase was mainly due to:

    • A €59 million impairment charge on deferred tax assets
    • A €37 million expense related to non-recoverable withholding tax

    Net income group share was €248 million, primarily due to a €3,520 million financial gain related to the financial restructuring of the Group and a €2,858 million cost recorded in Other Operating Income and Expenses, which included a €2,357 million impairment charges on goodwill and non-current assets.

    Earnings per share

    Basic earnings per share were €0.034. per share in 2024 and diluted earnings per share were €0.031 per share.

    Free cash flow and net cash

    In € million 2024 2023
    Operating Margin before Depreciation and Amortization (OMDA) 722 1,026
    Capital expenditures -444 -205
    Lease payments -301 -358
    Change in working capital requirement* -1,192 -391
    Cash from operations (CFO)* -1,214 73
    Tax paid -81 -77
    Net cost of financial debt paid -178 -102
    Reorganization in other operating income -245 -605
    Rationalization & associated costs in other operating income -9 -47
    Integration and acquisition costs in other operating income -3 -8
    Other changes** -504 -312
    Free Cash Flow (FCF) -2,233 -1,078
    Net (acquisitions) disposals 162 411
    Capital increase 3,049 –
    Share buy-back -2 -3
    Dividends paid -18 -35
    Change in net (debt) 958 -705
    Opening net cash (debt) -2,230 -1,450
    Change in net cash (debt) 958 -705
    Foreign exchange rate fluctuation on net cash (debt) 34 -75
    Closing net (debt) excl. IFRS fair value treatment -1,238 -2,230
    IFRS Debt fair value treatment 963 –
    Closing net (debt) -275 -2,230

    * Change in working capital requirement excluding the working capital requirement change related to items reported in other operating income and expense.

    ** “Other changes” include other operating income and expense with cash impact (excluding staff reorganization, rationalization and associated costs, integration and acquisition costs) and other financial items with cash impact, net long term financial investments excluding acquisitions and disposals, and profit sharing amounts payable transferred to debt

    Free cash flow was €-2,233 million in 2024 reflecting primarily the end of one-off working capital optimization actions resulting in a negative change in working capital requirement for €1,498 million and higher capex linked to HPC contracts for €239 million.

    Capital expenditures and lease payments totaled €745 million, up €182 million from the prior year reflecting a significant investment in the energy-efficient Exascale technology.

    Change in working capital requirement was €-1,192 million, primarily from €-1,498 million lower working capital optimization compared with end of fiscal 2023. As at December 2024, working capital benefited from invoices paid in advance by customers for € 319 million, without any discount and on a pure voluntary basis. As at December 31, 2023, total specific optimization carried out by the Group to optimize its working capital amounted to € 1,817 million.

    Cash out related to taxes paid increased by € 4 million and amounted to € 81 million in 2024, including € 6 million of taxes paid in connection with carve-out transactions completed in 2024.

    Net cost of financial debt was €178 million as explained above.

    The total of reorganization, rationalization & associated costs and integration & acquisition costs reached €256 million compared with €660 million in 2023 and included:

    • €135 million of reorganization costs in connection with restructuring measures as well as the continuation of the German restructuring plans; and
    • €110 million of costs related to the outstanding activities on the separation of the Group incurred mostly over the first quarter of the year.

    Cash out related to Other changes was €-504 million compared to € -312 million in 2023, and included:

    • €166 million of costs incurred on onerous contracts (purchase commitments and customer contracts);
    • €144 million of transaction costs paid in the context of the financial restructuring;
    • €78 million of exit fees on interim financing
    • Costs related to litigations

    As a result of the above impacts mainly driven by the change in the working capital requirement, the Group Free Cash Flow was € -2,233 million in 2024, compared to € -1,078 million in 2023.

    The net cash impact resulting from disposals was €162 million mainly related to the net cash proceeds from the Worldgrid disposal of €232 million, partly offset by the write-off of a receivable on a past disposal.

    Capital increase amounted to €3,049 million and were made of :

    • €2,904 million of equitization of financial debts; and
    • €145 million of new money equity raised mainly from the Rights Issue

    In the context of the financial restructuring process of the Group.

    No dividends were paid to Atos SE shareholders in 2024. The €18 million cash out (€35 million in 2023) corresponded to taxes withheld on internal dividend distributions and to dividends paid to minority interests.

    Foreign exchange rate fluctuation determined on debt or cash exposure by country represented a decrease in net debt of €34 million.

    As a result, the Group net debt position as of December 31, 2024 was €275 million (€1,238 million excluding the IFRS 9 debt fair value treatment), compared to €2,230 million as of December 31, 2023.

    Consolidated financial statements

    Atos consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024, were approved by the Board of Directors on March 4, 2025. Audit procedures on the consolidated financial statements have been completed and the audit report will be issued after the review of the 2024 Universal Registration Document.

    Advance Computing sales process update

    On November 25, 2024, Atos announced that it has received a non-binding offer from the French State for the potential acquisition of 100% of the Advanced Computing activities of its BDS division, based on an enterprise value of €500 million, to be potentially increased to €625 million including earn-outs.

    The offer received from the French State provides for an exclusivity period until May 31, 2025. If the exclusive negotiations lead to an agreement and subject to obtaining the customary commercial, employee and administrative authorizations, a Share Purchase Agreement, subject to work councils’, opinion may be signed by that date. An initial payment of €150 million is expected to be made available to Atos upon signing of the Share Purchase Agreement.

    In addition, Atos has engaged into a sale process for its Mission Critical Systems business.

    Capital Markets Day

    Atos will present an update of its strategy and organization during a Capital Markets Day that will be held in Paris on May 14, 2025.

    Dividend

    Atos Board of Directors decided, in its meeting held on March 4, 2025, not to propose a dividend payment to the next Annual General Meeting.

    Conference call

    Atos’ Management invites you to an international conference call on the Group 2024 results, on Wednesday, March 5th, 2025 at 08:00 am (CET – Paris).

    You can join the webcast of the conference:

    • via the following link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/5g7hv4ka
    • by telephone with the dial-in, 10 minutes prior the starting time. Please note that if you want to join the webcast by telephone, you must register in advance of the conference using the following link:

    https://register.vevent.com/register/BIa3f9570d64b4412c8f5192ad4ad6d30b

    Upon registration, you will be provided with Participant Dial In Numbers, a Direct Event Passcode and a unique Registrant ID. Call reminders will also be sent via email the day prior to the event.
    During the 10 minutes prior to the beginning of the call, you will need to use the conference access information provided in the email received upon registration.

    After the conference, a replay of the webcast will be available on atos.net, in the Investors section.

    Forthcoming events

    April 25, 2025 (Before Market Opening) First quarter 2025 revenue
    May 14, 2025 Capital Markets Day
    June 13, 2025 Annual General Meeting
       
    August 1st, 2025 (Before Market Opening)  First semester 2025 results

    APPENDIX

    Q4 2024 revenue

    In € million Q4 2024
    Revenue
    Q4 2023
    Revenue*
    Organic variation*
    Eviden 1,126 1,280 -12.0%
    Tech Foundations 1,182 1,329 -11.0%
    Total 2,309 2,608 -11.5%
    In € million Q4 2024
    Revenue
    Q4 2023
    Revenue*
    Organic variation*
    North America 410 528 -22.3%
    UK / IR 322 447 -28.1%
    Benelux and the Nordics (BTN) 218 232 -6.1%
    Central Europe 586 580 +1.1%
    Southern Europe 519 556 -6.6%
    Growing markets 251 261 -3.9%
    Others & Global structures 2 4 -34.6%
    Total 2,309 2,608 -11.5%

    *: at constant scope and December 2024 average exchange rates

    Group revenue was €2,309 million in Q4, down -11.5% organically compared with Q4 2023.

    Eviden revenue was €1,126 million, down -12.0% organically.

    • Digital activities decreased double digit. The business was impacted by previously-established contract terminations contract scope reductions, as well as the continued market softness in North America and in the UK & Ireland.
    • Big Data & Security (BDS) revenue grew low single digit organically. Advanced Computing grew with large project deliveries in Germany.

    Tech Foundations revenue was €1,182.0 million, down -11.0% organically.

    • Core revenue (excluding BPO and value-added resale (“VAR”)) decreased high-single digit, mainly impacted by contract terminations in North America and previously-established contract scope and volume reduction in UK.
    • Non-core revenue declined double digit reflecting deliberate reduction of BPO activities in the UK and less value-added resale for hardware and software products.

    FY 2023 revenue and operating margin at constant scope and exchange rates reconciliation

    For the analysis of the Group’s performance, revenue and OM for FY 2024 is compared with FY 2023 revenue and OM at constant scope and foreign exchange rates. Reconciliation between the FY 2023 reported revenue and OM, and the FY 2023 revenue and OM at constant scope and foreign exchange rates is presented below, by Business Lines and Regional Business Units.

    FY 2023 revenue
    In € million
    FY 2023
    published
    Internal transfers Scope effects Exchange rates effects FY 2023*
    Eviden 5,089 33 -192 7 4,937
    Tech Foundations 5,604 -33 -401 17 5,187
    Total 10,693 0 -592 24 10,124
               
               
    FY 2023 revenue
    In € million
    FY 2023
    published
    Internal transfers Scope effects Exchange rates effects FY 2023*
    North America 2,280 -1 -96 -6 2,177
    Benelux and the Nordics (BTN) 911 0 -7 0 905
    UK / IR 1,770 0 -53 47 1,763
    Central Europe 2,506 0 -254 2 2,253
    Southern Europe 2,284 0 -164 0 2,119
    Growing Markets 930 0 -18 -19 893
    Others & Global structures 12 1 0 0 13
    Total 10,693 0 -592 24 10,124

    *: at constant scope and December 2024 average exchange rates

    FY 2023 Operating margin
    In € million
    FY 2023
    published
    Internal transfers Scope effects Exchange rates effects FY 2023*
    Eviden 294 0 -25 2 272
    Tech Foundations 172 0 -20 -1 151
    Total 467 0 -45 1 423
               
               
    FY 2023 Operating margin
    In € million
    FY 2023
    published
    Internal transfers Scope effects Exchange rates effects FY 2023*
    North America 244 1 -15 -1 229
    Benelux and the Nordics (BTN) 23 0 -1 0 23
    UK / IR 75 4 -5 2 77
    Central Europe 31 -3 -6 0 23
    Southern Europe 99 -2 -16 0 82
    Growing Markets 92 0 -3 -1 88
    Others & Global structures -97 -1 0 0 -98
    Total 467 0 -45 1 423

    *: at constant scope and December 2024 average exchange rates

    Scope effects on revenue amounted to €-592 million and €-45 million on operating margin. They mainly related to the divesture of UCC, EcoAct, Italy, State Street JV, and Worldgrid.

    Currency effects positively contributed to revenue for €+24 million and €+1 million on operating margin. They mostly came from the appreciation of the British pound, partially compensated by the depreciation of the Brazilian real, the US dollar, the Argentinian peso and the Turkish lira.

    Q4 2023 revenue at constant scope and exchange rates reconciliation

    For the analysis of the Group’s performance, revenue for Q4 2024 is compared with 2023 revenue at constant scope and foreign exchange rates.

    In 2023, the Group reviewed the accounting treatment of certain third-party standard software resale transactions following the decision published by ESMA in October 2023 that illustrated the IFRS IC decision and enacted a restrictive position on the assessment of Principal vs. Agent under IFRS 15 for such transactions. The Q4 2023 revenue is therefore restated by € +48 million. The impact affected Eviden in North America RBU.

    Reconciliation between the 2023 reported fourth quarter revenue and the 2023 fourth quarter revenue at constant scope and foreign exchange rates is presented below, by Business Lines and Regional Business Units:

    Q4 2023 revenue
    In € million
    Q4 2023 published Restatement Q4 2023 restated Internal transfers Scope effects Exchange rates effects Q4 2023*
    Eviden            1,247                   48 1,295     -1 -22 8           1,280   
    Tech Foundations           1,308    –           1,308    1 -1 21           1,329   
    Total 2,555 48 2,602 0 -23 29 2,608
                   
                   
    Q4 2023 revenue
    In € million
    Q4 2023 published Restatement Q4 2023 restated Internal transfers Scope effects Exchange rates effects Q4 2023*
    North America 483 48 531 -1 -1 -1 528
    Benelux and the Nordics 233 0 233 0 -1 0 232
    UK / IR 433 0 433 0 -3 18 447
    Central Europe 582 0 582 0 -2 0 580
    Southern Europe 571 0 571 0 -16 0 556
    Growing markets 250 0 250 0 0 12 261
    Others & Global structures 3 0 3 1 0 0 4
    Total 2,555 48 2,602 0 -23 29 2,608

    *: at constant scope and December 2024 average exchange rates

    Disclaimer

    This document contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including references, concerning the Group’s expected growth and profitability in the future which may significantly impact the expected performance indicated in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are linked to factors out of the control of the Company and not precisely estimated, such as market conditions or competitors’ behaviors. Any forward-looking statements made in this document are statements about Atos’s beliefs and expectations and should be evaluated as such. Forward-looking statements include statements that may relate to Atos’s plans, objectives, strategies, goals, future events, future revenues or synergies, or performance, and other information that is not historical information. Actual events or results may differ from those described in this document due to a number of risks and uncertainties that are described within the 2023 Universal Registration Document filed with the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) on May 24, 2024 under the registration number D.24-0429, as updated by chapter 2 “Risk factors” of the first amendment to Atos’ 2023 universal registration document filed with the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) on November 7, 2024 under the registration number D.24-0429-A01 and by chapter 2 “Risk factors” of the second amendment to Atos’ 2023 universal registration document filed with the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) on December 11, 2024 under the registration number D.24-0429-A02, and the half-year report filed published on August 6, 2024. Atos does not undertake, and specifically disclaims, any obligation or responsibility to update or amend any of the information above except as otherwise required by law.

    This document does not contain or constitute an offer of Atos’s shares for sale or an invitation or inducement to invest in Atos’s shares in France, the United States of America or any other jurisdiction. This document includes information on specific transactions that shall be considered as projects only. In particular, any decision relating to the information or projects mentioned in this document and their terms and conditions will only be made after the ongoing in-depth analysis considering tax, legal, operational, finance, HR and all other relevant aspects have been completed and will be subject to general market conditions and other customary conditions, including governance bodies and shareholders’ approval as well as appropriate processes with the relevant employee representative bodies in accordance with applicable laws.

    About Atos

    Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with circa 78,000 employees and annual revenue of circa €10 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high-performance computing, the Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 68 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products, Atos is committed to a secure and decarbonized digital for its clients. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea) and listed on Euronext Paris.

    The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space.

    Contacts

    Investor relations:

    David Pierre-Kahn | investors@atos.net | +33 6 28 51 45 96

    Sofiane El Amri | investors@atos.net | +33 6 29 34 85 67

    Individual shareholders: +33 8 05 65 00 75

    Press contact: globalprteam@atos.net

    Attachment

    • PR – Atos – FY 2024 results

    The MIL Network –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: ASML publishes agenda Annual General Meeting 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ASML publishes agenda Annual General Meeting 2025
    Nomination Karien van Gennip as new member of the Supervisory Board

      
    VELDHOVEN, the Netherlands, March 5, 2025 – Today, ASML Holding NV (ASML) has published the agenda for the 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM) which will be held in ASML’s TWINSCAN Auditorium in Veldhoven on Wednesday, on April 23, 2025, starting at 10:00 CET.

    The AGM will be organized in a hybrid format. Shareholders may attend the AGM in person or virtually.

    The agenda with the explanatory notes and other meeting documents are available on ASML’s website asml.com/agm2025.

    Changes to Supervisory Board
    ASML furthermore announces that Annet Aris will not stand for re-election as a member of the Supervisory Board at the end of her current term, which ends per the 2025 AGM.

    The Supervisory Board expresses its thanks to Annet Aris, who has served on the Supervisory Board since 2015, for her valuable contributions, in particular as Vice Chair of the Supervisory Board and member of the Remuneration, Selection & Nomination and Technology Committees. The Supervisory Board wishes her all the best for the future.

    The Supervisory Board nominates Karien van Gennip for appointment as a member of the Supervisory Board effective from the 2025 AGM. Karien van Gennip, a Dutch citizen, has a wealth of leadership experience spanning professional services, financial services, and public policy. Most recently, between January 2022 and July 2024, Karien van Gennip served as the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment and Deputy Prime Minister in the Dutch government.

    With an educational background in physics from Delft University of Technology, and an MBA from INSEAD, Karien van Gennip worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company in the early stages of her professional career. She transitioned to leadership roles in the public domain and in finance, serving as a Director Supervision at the Dutch Authority for Financial Markets, Secretary of State of Economic Affairs/Minister for Foreign Trade in the Dutch government between 2003 and 2007, and as a Member of the Dutch Parliament between 2006 and 2008. Karien van Gennip held various management positions at ING between 2008 and 2020, most recently as the CEO of ING France, after which she served as the CEO of Dutch healthcare insurer VGZ until 2022.

    “We are very pleased to nominate Karien van Gennip for appointment to our Supervisory Board. With her broad background and rich experience, the Supervisory Board expects that she will bring great value and new perspectives to the Supervisory Board,” said Nils Andersen, Chair of the Supervisory Board.

    The agenda of the 2025 AGM also includes the nomination to reappoint Birgit Conix as a member of the Supervisory Board for four years, effective April 23, 2025. Terri Kelly has been elected as the Vice-Chair of the Supervisory Board, following the retirement of Annet Aris.

    Media Relations contacts Investor Relations contacts
    Monique Mols +31 6 5284 4418 Jim Kavanagh +31 40 268 3938
    Sarah de Crescenzo +1 925 899 8985 Pete Convertito +1 203 919 1714
    Karen Lo +886 9 397 88635 Peter Cheang +886 3 659 6771

      
    About ASML
    ASML is a leading supplier to the semiconductor industry. The company provides chipmakers with hardware, software and services to mass produce the patterns of integrated circuits (microchips). Together with its partners, ASML drives the advancement of more affordable, more powerful, more energy-efficient microchips. ASML enables groundbreaking technology to solve some of humanity’s toughest challenges, such as in healthcare, energy use and conservation, mobility and agriculture. ASML is a multinational company headquartered in Veldhoven, the Netherlands, with offices across EMEA, the US and Asia. Every day, ASML’s more than 44,000 employees (FTE) challenge the status quo and push technology to new limits. ASML is traded on Euronext Amsterdam and NASDAQ under the symbol ASML. Discover ASML – our products, technology and career opportunities – at www.asml.com.

    Attachment

    • Link to press release

    The MIL Network –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed: Trump’s Speech Fell Flat Because His Rhetoric Failed to Meet Reality & Economy is Backsliding Under Trump

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jack Reed issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s address to Congress:
    “Tonight, the American people heard a lot of hot air from President Trump.  What they didn’t hear was a credible plan to lower prices, help working families, and address middle-class concerns. 
    “President Trump’s speech fell flat because his rhetoric failed to meet reality.  The facts speak for themselves: Trump’s policies are raising costs and weakening America.  He’s laying off air safety and defense workers.  He’s imposing costly tariffs and increasing health care costs by threatening Medicaid and Medicare.  President Trump is undermining confidence in U.S. governance, fueling uncertainty, and stoking inflation.  The economy is backsliding and prices are rising due to Trump’s toxic mismanagement.
    “His misguided actions make it clear he’s prioritizing his fellow billionaires over working Americans.  President Trump is racing to try and jam through a billionaires-first tax cut that will leave everyday Americans behind.
    “You don’t need a fact-checker for all the whoppers he told because people can simply look at their wallets and grocery bills to see Trump sold them a bad bill of goods.  Americans are rightfully frustrated that Donald Trump is breaking promises and giving the working-class a raw deal. 
    “It was incredibly tone deaf to declare ‘the days of being ruled by unelected bureaucrats are over’ and then he went on to spotlight Elon Musk in his guest box.  What Trump and Musk are systematically attempting to do is undermine and politicize institutions and conventions that are foundational to democracy. 
    “Congress must wisely invest in people and infrastructure to effectively serve taxpayers, expand opportunity, and build for the future. 
    “President Trump needs to change course.  Progress is possible.  Not with speeches or gaslighting, but with action, innovation, and a principled commitment to building a stronger, more resilient, competitive, and prosperous United States of America.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Ahead of Joint Address, Senator Murray Highlights Stories of Former Federal Workers at VA, CFPB, National Park Service, Forest Service Fired Without Cause By Trump—Leaving Everyone Worse Off

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ICYMI: Senator Murray statement on why she won’t be attending Trump’s Joint Address
    Murray has been a leading voice raising the alarm on Trump and Musk’s indiscriminate mass firings that are hurting people in Washington state and across the country— holding multiple press calls with WA federal workers, releasing fact sheets, and speaking out at every opportunity
    ***WATCH VIDEO HERE; DOWNLOAD HERE***
    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a virtual press conference with federal workers in Washington state who worked at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), U.S. Forest Service, and National Park Service before being recently fired—through no fault of their own and with zero justification—as part of Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s unprecedented assault on the federal workforce. Joining Senator Murray for the press conference today were: Scott Olson, a disabled veteran in Seattle who previously worked at the VA helping homeless veterans; Jordan Lewis from Seattle, a former landscape architect designing projects for the National Parks Service across Washington state; Ray Beaupre, a former seasonal worker with the U.S. Forest Service in the Methow Valley; and Ambrose Dieringer, an analyst in the supervision division of the CFPB who lives in West Seattle.
    Ahead of President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress, Senator Murray is lifting up the stories of real people in Washington state who are being hurt by Donald Trump’s reckless and illegal moves—from his indiscriminate mass firings across the federal workforce that will undermine services we all rely on and put lives at risk, to his illegal funding freezes that are seriously harming businesses and organizations across Washington state and putting them in financial jeopardy. Senator Murray’s statement on why she won’t be attending the Joint Address tonight is HERE.
    “President Trump is coming here to the Capitol… this evening to give what he is calling the State of the Union. But I expect that he will give his own fantasy version of an update on how he and Elon Musk are running the country. Because it is pretty painfully clear to me… that these two out-of-touch billionaires really have no idea what they are doing… In short, they really have no sense at all of the actual state of our union. Because they have never really taken the time to listen to the people on the frontlines who are serving our communities before they fired them!” Senator Murray said on the press call today. “Elon and Trump may not care about what these workers did; they may not get that it matters—probably because they don’t take commercial flights, or rely on Social Security benefits, or send their kids to public schools, or struggle to get health care, or have to worry about being scammed by predatory lenders. But you know what? Regular people get it. Regular people understand their work has value, it has dignity, and it makes our lives better. And regular people also understand that mass firing people, like the workers we’ll hear from right now, will make their lives worse.”
    “That may not be the narrative Elon Musk and Donald Trump try and spin tonight. But it is the truth, and the people need to hear it,” Murray continued. “I am going to keep doing what I can to lift up federal workers who can share their stories, warn everyone about what is happening, and what it’s going to mean for our country, and push to reverse as much of this damage as possible as fast as possible.”
    “Working at the VA gave me purpose. I understood the struggles veterans faced, whether physical, mental, or emotional. I took pride in being part of something bigger than myself, in continuing to serve even after taking off the uniform,” said Scott Olson, a disabled veteran who served for eight years in the Army, including time in combat, and was diagnosed with cancer twice after serving in Iraq for 15 months. Scott worked at the VA in Seattle in Program Support for VA’s Community Housing Program—helping homeless veterans—before he was suddenly fired without cause last Monday, as part of Trump and Elon Musk’s mass layoffs at VA. “The next chapter in my service led me to working with unhoused Veterans. My role was to serve as the initial contact when they came in looking for help with resources. I supported the social workers ensuring they had the ability to transport Veterans in the community. Limiting roles like mine, means other VA employees will have to take on more and cutting into valuable clinical time directly serving veterans. That’s why it was so devastating when, without warning, without cause, I was terminated. No explanation, no justification just a cold dismissal from a role that meant everything to me. It felt like a betrayal, not just of my dedication but of the values I thought the VA stood for. I had fought through war, through cancer, and through every challenge life had thrown at me only to be cast aside by the very system I had believed in.”
    “The CFPB has been open for less than 14 years, but in that time has returned over $21 billion dollars to harmed consumers in the form of compensation, principal reduction, canceled debts, and other relief. Fo every $1 spent, about $2.85 has been returned to consumers. How is that inefficient?,” said Ambrose Dieringer, an analyst in the supervision division of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) who resides in Seattle. Ambrose and many of his colleagues were suddenly put on administrative leave last month and ordered to cease working after Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought took over as Acting Director of the CFPB, where he is working with Trump and Elon Musk to cripple the nation’s leading agency protecting consumers from financial fraud—raising serious conflict of interest concerns.
    “These recent firings are a disaster for public lands, we are already suffering from years of backlog maintenance and the effects of heavy wildfire damage across the landscape. If we do not act now to save these recreation programs, they will be lost forever along with our beloved trails,” said Ray Beaupre, who was a permanent seasonal volunteer coordinator and trails lead with the U.S. Forest Service in the Methow Valley Ranger District, before being recently laid off without cause by Trump and Musk.
    “In my role with the NPS, I was responsible for planning and implementing critical repair and upgrade projects across national park sites in the Pacific West Region, including Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. My work included renovating campgrounds impacted by wildfires, upgrades to picnic areas and outdoor restroom facilities, implementing trail projects, and much needed visitor center improvements for accessibility,” said Jordan Lewis from Seattle, a former landscape architect with the National Park Service who worked on several important projects across Washington state including: a trail project at San Juan Island National Historical Park to protect endangered Marble Butterfly habitat, a roadway safety project for bicyclists and pedestrians also at San Juan Island National Historic Park, critical upgrades to aging visitor facilities at Ross Lake Overlook and Cascade Pass in North Cascades National Park, and needed accessibility improvements at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site to meet compliance with ADA laws. “On February 14th at 4:50 PM, without warning, I received a generic email terminating me immediately. The letter stated that my skills and abilities did not meet the needs of the Department and that my position was no longer required—despite an exceptional performance review and a backlog of urgent repair projects I was hired to implement. Overnight, my dream job was taken from me and my life has been turned upside down by people I have never met. But beyond my personal loss, these mass firings of probationary employees are already having serious consequences for our national parks. On February 14th, more than 1,000 probationary employees were fired from NPS alone, creating staffing shortages that are now affecting park units nationwide. Our division has been forced to indefinitely suspend several critical projects due to the indiscriminate removal of dedicated NPS employees.”
    Senator Murray has been raising the alarm nonstop about how mass firings at all manner of federal agencies will hurt families, veterans, small businesses, farmers, and so many others in Washington state and across the country. Senator Murray has spoken out on the Senate floor against this administration’s attacks on federal workers and held multiple press conferences to call attention to how Trump and Musk’s mass layoffs are hurting federal workers in Washington state and undermining services for everyone. Earlier this month, she released both a national fact sheet and a Washington state fact sheet detailing what we know about the mass layoffs so far. Senator Murray also sent an open letter to federal workers and a newsletter to her constituents in Washington state outlining her concerns with the administration’s so-called “Fork in the Road” offer.
    Senator Murray has also sent a flurry of recent oversight letters demanding answers about indiscriminate staffing reductions across federal agencies—including letters to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on mass firings across HHS as well as a letter focused specifically on firings at FDA, Energy Secretary Chris Wright on indiscriminate firings at BPA, HUD Secretary Scott Turner on reports of massive staff cuts at HUD, Interior Secretary Doug Burham on National Parks Service staffing cuts, and Acting USDA Secretary Gary Washington on the universal hiring pause for USDA firefighters, among others.
    Senator Murray’s full remarks, as delivered on today’s press call, are below and video is HERE:
    “Thank you to all of you for joining us today. I think as everybody knows, President Trump is coming here to the Capitol, where I am, this evening, to give what he is calling the State of the Union. But I expect that he will give his own fantasy version of an update on how he and Elon Musk are running the country.
    “Because it is pretty painfully clear to me, from all of the contacts we are getting from around our state and everywhere, that it’s pretty clear that these two out-of-touch billionaires really have no idea what they are doing. They have no idea how painful cuts and mass firings they have gone on with such glee—how that’s hurting our families, and in short, they really have no sense at all of the actual state of our union.
    “Because they have never really taken the time to listen to the people on the frontlines who are serving our communities before they fired them.
    “So on this call, today, I am going to make sure we hear from some real people, real federal workers who were actually doing the work of the American people, and know what the damaging effects have been over the last few weeks.  
    “Because the truth is: the state of the union is that Trump fired forest rangers. The state of the union is that he fired cancer researchers. He fired people who keep Social Security running. And he fired thousands upon thousands of veterans who work to serve all of our communities.
    “And at risk of saying the obvious—that will make our country weaker, it will make life a lot worse for folks back home. It is going to mean less safe conditions, longer lines at our National Parks and forests, places like Mt. Rainer, and North Cascades, and Olympic National Park, and Mount St. Helens. […]
    “It’s going to mean longer wait times to get help with Social Security benefits. It is going to mean clinical trials at the Fred Hutch getting canceled, and promising cures will not happen, they’ll just get tossed in the shredder. It is going to mean slower response to disease outbreaks, and slower recalls of contaminated food. It is going to mean less help for people trying to get health insurance, or find child care. Fewer workers supporting air traffic control that keeps our skies safe at SeaTac.
    “And despite what we might hear from Trump tonight, we know it’s not about saving money. Because we actually saw them fire Bonneville Power Administration workers—they are not paid by taxpayers, they are paid by ratepayers in the Pacific Northwest.
    “We also know this is not about merit, because they mass fired so many people who had recently been promoted for doing a good job!
    “Right here in Washington state, they even fired a NOAA employee of the year—someone who worked on saving orcas, and salmon, and wildlife from oil spills.
    “I don’t know who Trump and Musk think they are fooling, but it doesn’t take a lot of common sense to realize: you don’t make the government work better by giving the richest man in the world a baseball bat and letting him smash it to pieces. This has been just heartbreaking, and infuriating.
    “I have spoken to so many federal workers, public servants—who took so much pride in the work they do to strengthen our country, building our communities, supporting families, helping our neighbors.
    “As you will hear this evening, the work they do is because they care. Because they know it’s important. And that’s why they were federal employees.
    “Elon and Trump may not care about what these workers did; they may not get that it matters—probably because they don’t take commercial flights, or rely on Social Security benefits, or send their kids to public schools, or struggle to get health care, or have to worry about being scammed by predatory lenders.
    “But you know what? Regular people get it. Regular people understand their work has value, it has dignity, and it makes our lives better. And regular people also understand that mass firing people, like the workers we’ll hear from right now, will make their lives worse.
    “That may not be the narrative that Elon Musk and Donald Trump try to spin tonight for everybody. But it’s the truth, and it’s really important that people hear it.
    “And I am going to keep doing what I can to lift up our federal workers, help share their stories, warn people about what’s happening, what it will mean for our communities and our country, and really work hard to reverse the damage that’s happening so fast. 
    “So I really appreciate the workers who are on here tonight to share their personal stories. I know it’s been really traumatic and difficult for all of you, so thank you for coming on this evening.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy Reacts to President Trump’s Address to Congress, Ready to Work Together

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    [embedded content]
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) issued the following statement after President Trump’s first address of his second term to a Joint Session of Congress.
    “We have begun securing the border. People attempting to cross the border illegally is way down. We’re sending back criminals who came here illegally and committed a crime. They’re going back to the country from which they came. The Mexican government is finally helping to stop the flow of fentanyl across the U.S.-Mexican border because of President Trump’s pressure,” said Dr. Cassidy. 
    “On the economy, President Trump’s message was one of hope—the American Dream still alive! We will do everything in our power to protect and strengthen it. I am looking forward to continuing to work with President Trump to advance a Pro-America agenda to renew the American Dream,” said Dr. Cassidy. 
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: ASML publishes 2024 Annual Reports

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ASML publishes 2024 Annual Reports
    Sustainability statements reported in accordance with the ESRS for the first time

      
    VELDHOVEN, the Netherlands, March 5, 2025 – Today, ASML Holding NV (ASML) has published its 2024 Annual Reports.

    The 2024 Annual Reports (‘Powering technology forward with you’) highlight ASML’s commitment to bring technology forward by developing the tools that enable faster, more powerful and energy-efficient microchips, allowing our customers to address some of society’s biggest challenges. Our ongoing innovation relies on strong partnerships with our stakeholders, and together, we’re creating sustainable solutions. The 2024 Annual Reports reflect on ASML’s business model and strategy, corporate governance, sustainability and financial performance. For the first time, our Annual Reports include sustainability statements in accordance with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). The full reports and introductory video with CFO Roger Dassen are published on our website www.asml.com.

    ASML’s primary accounting standard is US GAAP, the accounting principles generally accepted in the US. In addition to reporting in accordance with US GAAP, ASML also reports in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union (IFRS) for Dutch statutory purposes. The most significant recurring differences between US GAAP and IFRS that affect ASML concern the capitalization of certain product development costs and accounting for income taxes.

    ASML will file its 2024 Annual Report based on US GAAP on Form 20-F with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and its 2024 Annual Report based on IFRS-EU with the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). ASML’s 2024 Annual Report will also be available at www.sec.gov. The 2024 Annual Report based on IFRS will be available at www.afm.nl.

    Media Relations contacts Investor Relations contacts
    Monique Mols +31 6 5284 4418 Jim Kavanagh +31 40 268 3938
    Sarah de Crescenzo +1 925 899 8985 Pete Convertito +1 203 919 1714
    Karen Lo +886 9 397 88635 Peter Cheang +886 3 659 6771

    About ASML
    ASML is a leading supplier to the semiconductor industry. The company provides chipmakers with hardware, software and services to mass produce the patterns of integrated circuits (microchips). Together with its partners, ASML drives the advancement of more affordable, more powerful, more energy-efficient microchips. ASML enables groundbreaking technology to solve some of humanity’s toughest challenges, such as in healthcare, energy use and conservation, mobility and agriculture. ASML is a multinational company headquartered in Veldhoven, the Netherlands, with offices across EMEA, the US and Asia. Every day, ASML’s more than 44,000 employees (FTE) challenge the status quo and push technology to new limits. ASML is traded on Euronext Amsterdam and NASDAQ under the symbol ASML. Discover ASML – our products, technology and career opportunities – at www.asml.com.

    Attachment

    • Link to press release

    The MIL Network –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: WISeKey WISeID Provides Healthcare Security with Decentralized Digital Identities

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WISeKey WISeID Provides Healthcare Security with Decentralized Digital Identities

    Geneva, Switzerland, March 5, 2025 –WISeKey International Holding Ltd (“WISeKey”) (SIX: WIHN, NASDAQ: WKEY), a leading global cybersecurity, blockchain, and IoT company, today announces that its WISeID.COM introduces a groundbreaking approach to healthcare data security by enabling decentralized consultations through blockchain-secured digital identities, encryption, and self-sovereign identity (SSI) principles. This next-generation platform ensures that patients maintain full control over their medical records, granting access only to authorized healthcare providers through consent-based permissions, eliminating third-party control and significantly reducing risks of data breaches and identity theft.

    Traditional healthcare systems store patient records in centralized databases controlled by hospitals, clinics, and insurers, limiting interoperability while exposing sensitive data to cyber threats. With WISeID.COM, the healthcare industry can shift towards a decentralized, patient-centric model that enhances privacy, security, and accessibility. Patients can securely share specific medical information with healthcare professionals without exposing their entire health history, ensuring seamless telemedicine and cross-border consultations.

    Advanced Security with Post-Quantum Cryptography and Zero-Knowledge Proofs

    WISeID.COM integrates post-quantum cryptography and zero-knowledge proofs to safeguard medical records from emerging cyber threats. This ensures that:

    • Sensitive health data remains encrypted at all times.
    • Patients can selectively share medical records without disclosing unrelated health information.
    • Telemedicine services and cross-border healthcare providers can securely access patient records without manual transfers or centralized intermediaries.
    • Dynamic access controls enable temporary or conditional data sharing, granting permissions for a limited time or specific use cases.
    • Biometric authentication ensures that only the rightful patient can access and manage their health records.

    Addressing the Failures of Centralized Health Systems

    Current electronic health record (EHR) systems create data silos, limiting accessibility and making it difficult for patients to share their information across different providers or jurisdictions. These systems are frequent targets for cyberattacks, often resulting in the hacking, leaking, or unauthorized sale of sensitive medical data. Worse yet, patients typically lack visibility into who accesses their information, creating a lack of trust and control over their own health records.

    By leveraging blockchain-secured digital identities, WISeID.COM provides an alternative that:

    • Empowers patients with full ownership and control of their health data.
    • Reduces bureaucracy by enabling real-time, consent-based access to records.
    • Improves healthcare trust through a transparent and tamper-proof system.
    • Mitigates security risks associated with centralized storage and unauthorized access.

    A New Era for Secure and Interoperable Healthcare

    WISeID.COM represents a paradigm shift for the healthcare industry, bridging the gap between security, privacy, and interoperability. As healthcare increasingly moves towards digitalization, ensuring data sovereignty and patient control is crucial. WISeID.COM enables a future where health information is secure, verifiable, and instantly accessible, without compromising privacy or patient rights.

    About WISeKey

    WISeKey International Holding Ltd (“WISeKey”, SIX: WIHN; Nasdaq: WKEY) is a global leader in cybersecurity, digital identity, and IoT solutions platform. It operates as a Swiss-based holding company through several operational subsidiaries, each dedicated to specific aspects of its technology portfolio. The subsidiaries include (i) SEALSQ Corp (Nasdaq: LAES), which focuses on semiconductors, PKI, and post-quantum technology products, (ii) WISeKey SA which specializes in RoT and PKI solutions for secure authentication and identification in IoT, Blockchain, and AI, (iii) WISeSat AG which focuses on space technology for secure satellite communication, specifically for IoT applications, (iv) WISe.ART Corp which focuses on trusted blockchain NFTs and operates the WISe.ART marketplace for secure NFT transactions, and (v) SEALCOIN AG which focuses on decentralized physical internet with DePIN technology and house the development of the SEALCOIN platform.

    Each subsidiary contributes to WISeKey’s mission of securing the internet while focusing on their respective areas of research and expertise. Their technologies seamlessly integrate into the comprehensive WISeKey platform. WISeKey secures digital identity ecosystems for individuals and objects using Blockchain, AI, and IoT technologies. With over 1.6 billion microchips deployed across various IoT sectors, WISeKey plays a vital role in securing the Internet of Everything. The company’s semiconductors generate valuable Big Data that, when analyzed with AI, enable predictive equipment failure prevention. Trusted by the OISTE/WISeKey cryptographic Root of Trust, WISeKey provides secure authentication and identification for IoT, Blockchain, and AI applications. The WISeKey Root of Trust ensures the integrity of online transactions between objects and people. For more information on WISeKey’s strategic direction and its subsidiary companies, please visit www.wisekey.com.

    Disclaimer
    This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning WISeKey International Holding Ltd and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of WISeKey International Holding Ltd to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. WISeKey International Holding Ltd is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, and it does not constitute an offering prospectus within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act (“FinSA”), the FinSa’s predecessor legislation or advertising within the meaning of the FinSA. Investors must rely on their own evaluation of WISeKey and its securities, including the merits and risks involved. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied on as, a promise or representation as to the future performance of WISeKey.

    Press and Investor Contacts

    WISeKey International Holding Ltd
    Company Contact: Carlos Moreira
    Chairman & CEO
    Tel: +41 22 594 3000
    info@wisekey.com 
    WISeKey Investor Relations (US) 
    The Equity Group Inc.
    Lena Cati
    Tel: +1 212 836-9611
    lcati@equityny.com

    The MIL Network –

    March 5, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Inbank audited Annual Report for 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    The consolidated Annual Report 2024 has been included in the announcement and will be made available on the Inbank investor website at https://inbank.eu/investors/reporting. Compared to the unaudited Interim Report published on 25 February 2025, there are no differences in the audited results. 

    • In 2024, Inbank’s total net income reached 75.5 million euros, increasing by 26% year-on-year, driven by expanding margins and growing portfolio volumes across both the Baltics and CEE regions.
    • The consolidated normalised net profit for the year grew by 51% year-on-year to 15.4 million euros, resulting in a normalised ROE of 11.3%. Including one-off, the net profit  amounted to 12.2 million euros, growing 20% year-on-year and return on equity (ROE) was 9%. 
    • The loan and rental portfolio reached 1.15 billion euros increasing 11% year-on-year, while the deposit portfolio grew by 8% to 1.17 billion euros. At the end of 2024, Inbank’s total assets stood at 1.44 billion euros growing 9% year-on-year.
    • Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) reached a record 715 million euros, reflecting 4% year-on-year growth.
    • By the end of 2024, Inbank had 872,000 active customer contracts and over 6,000 active retail partners. 

    Key financial indicators as of 31.12.2024 

    Total assets EUR 1.44 billion 
    Loan and rental portfolio EUR 1.15 billion 
    Deposit portfolio EUR 1.17 billion 
    Total equity EUR 148 million
    Net profit EUR 12.2 million
    Return on equity 9.0%

    Inbank is a financial technology company with an EU banking license that connects merchants, consumers and financial institutions on its next generation embedded finance platform. Partnering with more than 6,000 merchants, Inbank has 872,000+ active contracts and collects deposits across 7 markets in Europe. Inbank bonds are listed on the Nasdaq Tallinn Stock Exchange.

    Additional information:
    Styv Solovjov
    AS Inbank
    Head of Investor Relations
    +372 5645 9738
    styv.solovjov@inbank.ee

    Attachments

    • Inbank_Annual_Report_2024
    • Inbank_Annual_Report_2024.asice

    The MIL Network –

    March 5, 2025
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