Category: KB

  • MIL-OSI: Descartes Sets Date to Announce Fiscal 2025 Fourth Quarter and Year-End Financial Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WATERLOO, Ontario and ATLANTA, Feb. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Descartes Systems Group (TSX: DSG) (Nasdaq: DSGX), the global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, is scheduled to report its fiscal 2024 fourth-quarter and year-end financial results after market close on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.

    Descartes’ executive management team will hold a conference call to discuss the company’s financial results at 5:30 PM ET on Wednesday, March 5. Designated numbers are +1 289 514 5100 or +1 800 717 1738 for North America Toll-Free, using Passcode 45440#.

    The company will simultaneously conduct an audio webcast on the Descartes website at www.descartes.com/descartes/investor-relations. Phone conference dial-in or webcast login is required approximately 10 minutes beforehand.

    Replays of the conference call will be available until March 12, 2025, by dialing +1 289 819 1325 or Toll-Free for North America using +1 888 660 6264 with Playback Passcode: 45440#. An archived replay of the webcast will be available at www.descartes.com/descartes/investor-relations..

    About Descartes Systems Group
    Descartes is the global leader in providing on-demand, software-as-a-service solutions focused on improving the productivity, security, and sustainability of logistics-intensive businesses. Customers use our modular, software-as-a-service solutions to route, track and help improve the safety, performance and compliance of delivery resources; plan, allocate and execute shipments; rate, audit and pay transportation invoices; access global trade data; file customs and security documents for imports and exports; and complete numerous other logistics processes by participating in the world’s largest, collaborative multimodal logistics community. Our headquarters are in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada and we have offices and partners around the world. Learn more at www.descartes.com, and connect with us on LinkedIn and X (Twitter).        

    Descartes Investor Contact         
    Laurie McCauley
    (519) 746-2969
    investor@descartes.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: QSEC-CEE 2025 Concludes with Breakthroughs in Quantum Cybersecurity

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    KOŠICE, SLOVAKIA, Feb. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Decent Cybersecurity concluded its highly anticipated conference QSEC-CEE 2025 on post-quantum cybersecurity, bringing together experts and innovators at Bistro HÁJE and online, on Jan 31, 2025. The sold-out hybrid event gathered leading cybersecurity professionals from across Central and Eastern Europe, fostering critical discussions on the future of quantum-resistant security solutions.

    The conference, organized by Decent Cybersecurity, a founding member of the Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic (Asociácia kritickej infraštruktúry Slovenskej republiky, AKI), showcased the region’s emerging leadership in quantum security innovation.

    The day opened with powerful keynotes from industry leaders. Matej Michalko, CEO of Decent Cybersecurity, delivered an inspiring vision of Central Europe’s role in quantum security, followed by Michaela Abel, COO, who outlined practical steps for building quantum-ready organizations.

    The program flowed seamlessly through technical and strategic presentations. Ing. Pavol Krcho, PhD. traced the fascinating evolution from punch cards to post-quantum cryptography, while doc. Ing. Jaroslav Sivák CSc. delivered crucial insights on critical infrastructure security. Marek Procháska brought fresh perspectives on the post-quantum future of DevOps.

    The afternoon sessions saw Ing. Hana Krchová, Ph.D., MBA tackling the future of R&D project management, followed by Mgr. Jozef Binder’s exploration of agile methodologies in the quantum era. Certified cybersecurity auditor and manager Ing. Pavol Adámek rounded out the program with a comprehensive overview of NIS2 implementation in Slovakia.

    “The quantum threat isn’t coming – it’s here,” warned Michaela Abel during her keynote. “And today showed that Central Europe isn’t waiting for solutions from Silicon Valley or Tel Aviv. We’re building them ourselves.”

    The carefully curated single-track format ensured all attendees, both in-person and virtual, shared the same powerful experience. Live translation services in English, Slovak, and Czech enabled seamless communication across the region.

    “The energy here is different,” noted one attendee from Prague. “It’s not just another tech conference – there’s real work getting done, whether you’re here in person or joining remotely.”

    The choice of venue proved inspired. Bistro HÁJE, perched in Košice’s Lorinčík district, offered a refreshing break from sterile conference centers. Between sessions, in-person attendees networked over local specialties while taking in panoramic views of the surrounding countryside, while virtual participants engaged through dedicated networking channels.

    About Decent Cybersecurity

    A founding member of the Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic, Decent Cybersecurity leads the charge in European cybersecurity solutions, with a laser focus on post-quantum security and critical infrastructure protection. The company holds ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications from TÜV SÜD, and maintains national, EU, and NATO security clearances at the “Secret” level. As a certified provider of cybersecurity audit by the National Security Authority, Decent Cybersecurity brings the highest level of security expertise to protect critical infrastructure and sensitive data.

    About Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic

    The Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic (Asociácia kritickej infraštruktúry Slovenskej republiky, AKI) unites key players in Slovakia’s critical infrastructure security sector, driving innovation in national security solutions.

    About Bistro HÁJE

    Tucked away at Pod Hájmi 28, Košice-Lorinčík, Bistro HÁJE has become Košice’s go-to venue for high-stakes business gatherings. Its blend of professional facilities and stunning natural surroundings offers a welcome departure from conventional conference spaces.

    For conference materials and future events: www.decentcybersecurity.eu and www.akisr.sk

    Contact

    Decent Cybersecurity s.r.o.

    media@decentcybersecurity.eu

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-Evening Report: Albanese government bans DeepSeek from official devices on security grounds

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

    The Albanese government is banning DeepSeek – the Chinese artificial intelligence model – from all government systems and devices on national security grounds.

    It says this is in line with the actions of a number of other countries and is based on “risk and threat information” from security and intelligence agencies.

    The Chinese platform TikTok is already banned from government systems and devices.

    Under the decision, announced by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, government bodies must immediately remove all DeepSeek products, applications and services from systems and mobile devices. No new installations are allowed.

    But politicians can still have DeepSeek on their personal non-government devices. This presently happens with TikTok – for example opposition leader Peter Dutton has a TikTok account.

    While the direction only applies to official systems and devices, the government is also urging all Australians to inform themselves about how their data can be used online and to carefully review a company’s privacy policy on how customer data is managed.

    Burke said: “The Albanese government is taking swift and decisive action to protect Australia’s national security and national interest.

    “AI is is a technology full of potential and opportunity, but the government will not hesitate to act when our agencies identify a national security risk.

    “Our approach is country-agnostic and focused on the risk to the Australian government and our assets.‘

    The NSW Department of Customer Service acted late last month to ban DeepSeek from official devices and systems.

    The department told Cyber Daily it had “taken a precautionary approach to restrict corporate access to DeepSeek AI, consistent with the approach taken for many new and emerging applications, systems and services”.

    Commenting on the NSW department’s decision Dana Mckay, Senior Lecturer in Innovative Interactive Technologies at RMIT, said: “The reason Chinese-made and-owned tools are being banned is that the data they collect is available to the Chinese government not just when a crime has been committed, but also for economic or social reasons.

    “DeepSeek even collects keystroke patterns, which can be used to identify individuals, potentially allowing them to match in-work searches with leisure time searches, potentially leading to national security risks,” she said.

    “It is fair to ask whether DeepSeek is more dangerous to Australian national security than, say, OpenAI which collects similar data: the difference is that OpenAI will only give data to government to comply with relevant laws, and this typically means where a crime may have been committed.

    “Whether governments should be concerned about the level of data collected by commercial companies, such as OpenAI and Google, is still a significant question, but one that is separate to the national security concerns raised by China’s data sovereignty laws.”

    Among those banning Deepseek are the Pentagon, the United States Navy, NASA, Italy and Taiwan.

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

    ref. Albanese government bans DeepSeek from official devices on security grounds – https://theconversation.com/albanese-government-bans-deepseek-from-official-devices-on-security-grounds-249022

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Archaeological Discoveries on Display at York Explore

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    A display at York Explore Library is showcasing artefacts uncovered during construction of the Environment Agency’s Flood Alleviation Scheme at Clifton Ings.

    Image of a fragment of pottery that was found at the site.

    York Explore Library located at Library Square, Museum Street, York (Y01 7DS) is showcasing remarkable artefacts uncovered during the construction of the Environment Agency’s Flood Alleviation Scheme at Clifton Ings.

    These 19th-century artefacts, originating from a former mental health institution, provide rare insights into the lives of past patients and staff. The display will be available until 27 February 2025. 

    Part of a £21 million investment to protect homes and businesses from flooding, the Clifton Ings Flood Alleviation Scheme not only enhances flood defences but has also led to the discovery of significant historical artefacts.

    The discoveries, made in 2021-2022 by York Archaeology, originate from a rubbish dump associated with Clifton Hospital, formerly the North Riding Lunatic Asylum (established 1847) and later known as North Riding Mental Hospital.

    The hospital was demolished in 1994, making these objects rare physical traces of its history.  

    Among the items on display are a fragment of a hot water bottle with its stopper still in place, an enamelled iron jug, and fragments of ceramic cups, saucers, plates, and dishes, some bearing the hospital’s initials.

    Also featured are a bone toothbrush and dominoes made from bone and wood. These objects provide a rare and valuable insight into the everyday lives of both patients and staff.  

    An image showing an overview of the finds.

    Mental health institutions have historically been overlooked in archaeological research, making these discoveries particularly significant.

    The display sheds light on the lived experiences within Clifton Hospital and highlights the evolving history of mental health care.  

    After the display period at York Explore, the finds will be deposited with the Mental Health Museum in Wakefield, ensuring their preservation and continued study.

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Consultation on permit application for Fleetwood landfill opens

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Environment Agency has opened a consultation on a permit variation application from the operator of Jameson Road Landfill in Fleetwood, Lancashire.

    Transwaste Recycling & Aggregates has applied to the Environment Agency for permission to operate a dedicated tipping bay for waste brought on to the site.

    The tipped waste would be transferred to dump trucks that would take the waste to final disposal in the landfill.

    To be able to do this, the company needs to apply for a change to its existing environmental permit for the site.

    The Environment Agency is seeking views from the local community and interested groups on the application.

    The consultation runs from Monday 3 February until Monday 17 March, 2025.

    John Neville, Area Environment Manager at the Environment Agency, said:

    We understand the ongoing public interest and concerns around this landfill site.

    I’d like to reassure people that we will carry out a detailed and rigorous assessment of Transwaste’s permit variation application

    Our regulatory controls are in place to protect people and the environment.

    We welcome comments from the public and interested groups on local environmental factors related to this permit consultation.

    In its application, the company proposes that the tipping bay would have sealed drainage and containment. It also proposes the bay would be surrounded by nets to minimise the potential for litter escaping.

    The application includes screening, which would act as a wind shield and visual screen for the tipping operation.

    The Environment Agency assesses applications for environmental permits, or to vary existing environmental permits, under the Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR).

    Its role is to assess the application and decide if it meets all requirements under relevant environmental legislation and provides a high level of protection to the environment and human health.

    It will only vary the environmental permit for the site to allow the tipping bay if it is satisfied this would be the case.

    The consultation is live on the Environment Agency’s Citizen Space page.

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Patrushev held a meeting on accelerating the start of electricity supply to the grid from the Svistyagino plant

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Previous news Next news

    Dmitry Patrushev visited the Svistyagino waste energy recycling plant in the Moscow region

    Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev visited the operating Svistyagino waste energy recycling plant in the Moscow Region. The facility was commissioned in December last year.

    At a meeting following the inspection, the Deputy Prime Minister was informed about the progress of the plant certification. After that, the plant will receive the status of a wholesale electricity and capacity market entity. According to the schedule, Svistyagino will be able to become an electricity supplier in the second quarter of this year.

    Dmitry Patrushev was also told about the operating model of Svistyagino and other similar facilities. The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the plant must be financially stable, this will ensure its effective functioning.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Crackdown on illegal wildlife products at the border

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Thousands of unlicensed and illegal wildlife products have been seized by Border Force as part of Operation Thunder.

    Operation Thunder is an intensive international operation to target the criminal networks behind wildlife crime,

    From 11 November to 6 December 2024, Border Force officers taking part in Operation Thunder 24 made 217 seizures of wildlife products which are controlled by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES).

    Seizures included live plants, a range of beauty products containing caviar and cactus extracts, a quantity of bear bile, and clothes and accessories containing animal skins.

    Border Force officers also detected over 400 live birds as part of the operation, including rosella parakeets, king parrots, African grey parrots and blue-fronted Amazon parrots. Where possible, Border Force will rehome any live animals found.

    Operation Thunder is a global effort to target the illegal wildlife trade and is co-led by Interpol and the World Customs Organisation (WCO).

    Wildlife crime is estimated to be worth up to £17 billion globally per year and is the fourth largest international crime according to Interpol, behind only arms, drugs and human trafficking. Strengthening border security and breaking the criminal networks that seek to abuse our borders is a key part of the government’s plan for change.

    Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra said:

    Detecting and seizing illegal wildlife products is not just a matter of enforcement, but a vital act of preservation for this planet’s biodiversity.  

    The work of Border Force in interrupting this serious organised crime is critical to the UK’s efforts to regulate the international trade in endangered species.

    Border Force Director for National Operations, Danny Hewitt said:

    Wildlife crime is a serious organised crime which fuels corruption, threatens species with extinction, deprives some of the world’s poorest communities of sustainable livelihoods, and degrades ecosystems.

    We take an intelligence-led approach to detecting illegal trade and work closely with our partners across the global community to share training, expertise and skills.

    Minister for Nature, Mary Creagh said:

    Tackling wildlife crime is essential to protecting iconic biodiversity at home and abroad. Criminal gangs must face justice for the part they play in nature destruction for self-gain.

    These figures reflect the invaluable role of the Border Force in safeguarding wildlife, and are an example of international collaboration to combat global criminal networks.

    Border Force works closely with other enforcement agencies, both nationally and internationally, to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and keep borders secure. This includes the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), London Heathrow Animal Reception Centre and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, amongst others.

    This year’s Operation Thunder was also supported by the police, who executed 5 warrants in relation to bird egg smuggling. This has so far resulted in the confiscation of over 5,000 bird eggs.

    Operation Thunder 24 led to seizures in the UK which included:

    • over 400 live birds (51 CITES listed)
    • 7kg of ivory
    • 450 live plants
    • 315kg of beauty products containing caviar
    • over 2,500 pills and 21.5kg of powders containing endangered plant and animal species
    • live corals
    • snow leopard garments

    Border Force is responsible for frontline detection and seizure of items covered by the CITES convention, which tackles the illegal trade in endangered animals and plants. The Heathrow-based Border Force CITES team are specialist officers who are recognised as world leaders in their field.

    Border Force’s work to prevent the trade of unregulated and illegal products made from endangered species is helping the government in its safer streets mission by smashing organised crime.

    Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to smuggling and trafficking of any kind can report it online using the report smuggling service.

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Statement on discussion on Devolution and potential creation of a Strategic Authority

    Source: City of Oxford

    Published: Tuesday, 4 February 2025

    “Representatives from councils in Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Swindon met in Oxford on 31 January to discuss the government’s expectations for a possible future mayoral strategic authority (MSA).

    The discussion highlighted the need to focus on health, growth and economic development and ensuring that any Strategic Authority provides the best possible outcome for all our residents, businesses and communities. 

    Further discussion and work will take place on the optimum size, scope and membership of a Strategic Authority.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Zakhar Prilepin visited the production “Cathedral Square” in the Moskino cinema park

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The Moskino cinema park has already shown 38 screenings of the historical play Cathedral Square. Since its premiere, it has been seen by about eight thousand viewers. The famous writer Zakhar Prilepin, who visited the cinema park on February 2, shared his impressions of the play.

    “This performance should definitely be shown to children. And in general, everyone should see it. Spectacular techniques, Christian symbols, cubism, futurism mixed with Russian national style – all this looks amazing. In this performance, there is a synergy of genres and styles – folk theater with elements of buffoonery moves into modern dance theater, and then into classical theater. Our country is developing rapidly, and this performance is a true indicator,” he noted.

    The production tells about the events of the Time of Troubles, revealing to the audience the true reasons for the war between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian Tsardom. This is the first open-air multimedia performance in the Moskino cinema park, it was created specifically for showing in the decorations of the Cathedral Square of Moscow. A large multi-stage stage and heated spectator stands were built there. Artists, designers, engineers and producers headed by director Eduard Boyakov worked on the production.

    “I was very interested to see the Moskino cinema park and these amazing decorations. I have just finished working on a historical novel, and these motives are very close to me. The cinema park made a strong impression, great job to those who came up with and implemented this project,” added Zakhar Prilepin.

    Famous actors take part in the performance: Dmitry Pevtsov, Valery Nikolaev, Ekaterina Guseva, Leonid Yakubovich, Anna Bolshova, Olga Kabo, Irina Lindt, Yulia Takshina and others. Along with young actors, each viewer will have the opportunity to see a famous actor on stage.

    The production is shown every weekend until February 23 inclusive. On February 8 and 9 the performance will take place at 18:00 and 19:30. On February 15, 16, 22 and 23 — at 18:30 and 20:00. Buy tickets you can follow the link.

    The Moskino Cinema Park is part of Sergei Sobyanin’s Moscow — City of Cinema project and an object of the Moscow film cluster. The first stage of development has already been completed: 18 natural sites, four pavilions and six infrastructure facilities have been built, including the sets of Moscow Center, Moscow of the 1940s, Vitebsk Station, Yurovo Airport, Moscow Cathedral Square, Deaf Village, Partisan Village, County Town, Cowboy Town, St. Petersburg Bar and other sites.

    The Moscow Film Cluster is an infrastructure facility, services and facilities for filmmakers, which are being developed by the Moscow Government within the framework of the Moscow — City of Cinema project. Its structure includes the Moskino film park, the Gorky Film Studio (sites on Sergei Eisenstein Street and Valdaisky Proyezd), the Moskino film factory, the Moskino cinema chain, the film commission and the Moskino film platform.

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    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/149664073/

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: A house under the renovation program will appear near the Zyuzino metro station

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    In the Cheryomushki area of the South-West Administrative District, a house will be built under the renovation program. It will be located near the Zyuzino metro station, at the address: Kakhovka Street, Building 20a. This was reported by Juliana Knyazhevskaya, Chairman of the Committee for Architecture and Urban Development of Moscow (Moskomarkhitektura).

    “Moskomarkhitektura has developed a land planning project for a 0.92 hectare site for the construction of a building under the renovation program with a maximum residential development area of 9.5 thousand square meters,” noted Yuliana Knyazhevskaya.

    In addition to the proximity of the transport network, the advantage for residents of the new building will be the presence of developed social and commercial infrastructure around it.

    Previously Mayor of Moscow reported, that 1.2 trillion rubles have been allocated in the draft budget for three years to implement the renovation program.

    Renovation program approved in August 2017. It concerns about a million Muscovites and provides for the resettlement of 5,176 houses.

    Sergei Sobyanin instructed to double the pace of implementation of the renovation program.

    Moscow is one of the leaders among regions in terms of construction volumes. High rates of housing construction correspond to the goals and initiatives of the national project “Infrastructure for life”.

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    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/149657073/

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The second stage of the major repairs of the Krasnopresnensky overpass has begun

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The second stage of the major repairs of the Krasnopresnensky overpass has begun. About 100 workers and specialists are employed at the site. Excavators, loaders, manipulators, rollers, asphalt pavers, a beam dismantling unit, compressors and generators are involved in the work.

    There are currently four lanes for cars: two each in the direction of Begovaya Street and 1905 Street. A temporary dividing barrier with red signal lights has been installed between the oncoming directions. Fences, information boards and temporary road signs have also been erected in the work area. Pedestrians can use the sidewalk located outside the work boundaries. The speed limit on the overpass is 40 kilometers per hour.

    “The dismantling of the bridge deck has now been completed. Specialists have begun dismantling the beams of the superstructure. A total of 90 beams will be dismantled. Each weighs over 50 tons, and is 24.3 to 33.7 meters long. The work is being carried out at night and during the day, depending on the process windows, in agreement with the railway workers. At present, 14 beams have already been dismantled, located on the side of 1905 Goda Street and above the railway tracks,” said the deputy head of the capital’s Department of Capital Repairs.

    Anton Akulov.

    To determine which technology to use for the safe dismantling of each beam, specialists conduct laboratory testing of its condition. For this purpose, special openings are made to provide access. If the defects are significant, the beam will be sawn into pieces and dismantled. In this case, supporting underbridge elements can also be used. If the beam is strong, it can be dismantled entirely.

    To dismantle the beams of the superstructure, an assembly unit is used. This is a specially designed lifting crane that moves along the rails laid on the overpass. After the beams are disconnected using a diamond cutting machine, the unit lifts them with special grips and takes them to the storage site. The dismantled beams are crushed and disposed of at special landfills.

    Anton Akulov added that 60 beams out of 90 will be dismantled using an assembly unit. Then the rails will be dismantled, and the remaining beams will be dismantled using truck cranes. After the repair of the bridge structure supports is completed, they will begin installing new beams that meet modern requirements for strength and load resistance. They will be protected from corrosion using special means. Then they will install expansion joints and begin forming the bridge deck. The beams will be covered with monolithic slabs, leveling layers will be applied, and then waterproofing and asphalt will be performed.

    At the final stage, the builders will install a curb and equip sidewalks, along which they will install lighting poles and put the railings in order. In addition, it is planned to repair the staircases and the granite cladding of the overpass. Specialists will also reconstruct the exit onto Bryansky Post Street.

    Tests were successfully conducted on the Krasnopresnensky overpassMajor repairs of Krasnopresnensky overpass are already half complete

    Krasnopresnensky overpass runs over the railway tracks of the Smolensk direction of the Moscow Railway and connects 1905 Goda and Begovaya streets with Khoroshevskoye Highway. It is part of an important city road. It was decided to carry out major repairs in stages, without closing the bridge completely. The first stage was completed in January of this year.

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    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/149658073/

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: History in a convenient format: six more audio guides have appeared on the “Discover Moscow” portal

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The Discover Moscow portal has six new audio guides for independent walks around the city. Now residents and guests of the capital can go on an audio-guided tour, during which they will be told about iconic architectural sites.

    “We try to make getting to know the history and architecture of Moscow fascinating and accessible to everyone. It is important to us that everyone can explore the city at any time in a convenient format and at their own pace. Therefore, adding audio guides to thematic routes is one of our traditional areas of work to popularize the cultural heritage of the capital,” said the head of the Moscow City Heritage Department.

    Alexey Emelyanov.

    One of the routes is dedicated to the 240th anniversary of the birth of the architect Osip Bove, who restored the center of Moscow after the fire of 1812. Among his significant works are the Gostiny Dvor building and the Theater Square with the Bolshoi Theater. Another route introduces listeners to the work of Fyodor Shekhtel. It is dedicated to the 165th anniversary of the architect’s birth.

    An audio version has also appeared for the route “From Krasnye Vorota to Chistoprudny Boulevard”, which runs along the historic Myasnitskaya Street – once an important commercial artery of the city. It was home to famous shops, theaters and art galleries, as well as buildings mentioned in the works of Russian classics (for example, Anton Chekhov and Fyodor Dostoevsky).

    Another excursion goes along Varvarka, one of the oldest streets in the capital. According to legend, it was along this street that Dmitry Donskoy returned from Kulikovo Field. The Church of All Saints was consecrated in memory of the fallen soldiers. It became the first church-monument to Russian military glory.

    The audio version of the route “Along Sukharevskaya Square and Sretenka Street” is now also available, introducing the history of one of the most famous corners of Moscow. The legendary Sukharev Tower, which served as a symbol of the city for a long time, was located here. Despite the fact that the structure was demolished in 1934, its history continues to attract the attention of researchers and tourists, remaining an important part of the cultural past of the capital.

    The sixth route passes through the territory of the Novodevichy Convent, which celebrated its 500th anniversary in 2024. This architectural monument, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, is associated with the fates of Russian monarchs and holds many legends.

    “Get to Know Moscow” is a joint project of the capital’s departments information technology, cultures, cultural heritage, education and science. On portal and in mobile applicationYou can find more than 280 walking routes, photographs and descriptions of over 2.3 thousand buildings, 700 monuments and 400 museums.

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    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/149666073/

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “Electronic House”: platform specialists answered the five most popular questions from Muscovites

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Platform “Electronic House” has become an indispensable tool for Muscovites. It helps to participate in the life of the house, saving time and effort on solving both routine household issues and those that are important for all residents of an apartment building. Thanks to the platform, you can, for example, hold general meetings of owners (GMOs) and surveys, send requests about problems in the house or in the yard, post ads, transmit meter readings, and also pay utility bills.

    The platform’s specialists help Muscovites understand the functionality and intricacies of the “Electronic House”. They answered the most popular questions from users, which they ask on social networks and in the “Feedback” section on the website and in the application.

    Questions about the OSS: what does an administrator do and who can become one

    Questions related to general meetings of owners are most often received from city residents. Last year alone, the platform hosted more than 10 thousand OSS.

    Experts note that when holding a general meeting of owners in an apartment building using the platform, an important role is assigned to the administrator. He creates a new general meeting of owners in the system at the request of the initiator, notifies residents of the upcoming meeting, and also collects paper ballots if the owners do not want or have the opportunity to vote electronically.

    “Any owner of premises in an apartment building or a management organization can become an administrator of the general meeting of owners. At the same time, according to the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, at the first general meeting of owners in the system, the role of the administrator is performed by the initiator of such a meeting, and for subsequent ones, his candidacy is approved by a decision of the owners also within the framework of the general meeting of owners. The owners can change the candidacy of the administrator by including this issue in the agenda of any subsequent meeting,” said Alena Krutakova, head of the Electronic House project.

    Where to view the results after the completion of the general meeting of owners

    Based on the results of the AGM, a protocol is formed with the decisions of the owners on all issues on the agenda, signed with the electronic signature of the operator of the Electronic House system. All users of the platform can get acquainted with it in the section “Polls and meetings of owners” of the personal account (the “Meetings” tab). There, the initiator of the AGM can also download appendices to the protocol, which contain decisions, powers of attorney for representatives of the owners and other documents.

    Is it possible to hold a general meeting of owners in a house with a homeowners association?

    According to experts, if the management method chosen in the house is through a homeowners’ association (HOA), then the meeting can be held in exactly the same way on the “Electronic House” platform. However, it is worth paying attention to the agenda items.

    “It is important to distinguish between the general meeting of owners and the general meeting of members of the HOA: their competence includes different issues, enshrined in Articles 44 and 145 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation. For example, determining the amount of the contribution for major repairs is an agenda item exclusively for the general meeting of owners; HOA members cannot make such decisions. At the same time, the meeting of HOA members can consider issues of approving the annual plan for the maintenance and repair of common property in an apartment building or changing the chairman of the HOA board. In the “Electronic House”, owners of premises in buildings managed by the HOA can only hold a general meeting of owners; holding a meeting of HOA members on the platform is not provided for,” explained Alena Krutakova.

    Who is responsible for troubleshooting in the house and yard?

    The platform’s specialists explain that the proper condition of the common property in the building is monitored by the management organization or HOA (depending on the chosen management method). They are also responsible for eliminating deficiencies in the yard if the adjacent territory is part of the common property.

    Where to find information about city points received for activity on the platform

    On the platform there are points of the city loyalty program “A Million Prizes” are awarded for active participation in the life of the house. For example, for transmitting meter readings, paying utility bills, holding and participating in the general meeting of owners, or posting an ad for the first time. They are displayed in the user’s personal account in the “My points” section. The total number of city points received for active participation in all electronic projects of the capital is also visible there. It is also convenient to go from this section to the “Million Prizes” website, where city points can be used to receive goods and services from program partners. In addition, points can be donated to charity.

    You can find answers to most questions, as well as get more detailed information about the platform’s capabilities, in the Knowledge Base on the website and in the Electronic Home app. If you cannot find the answer to your question, users can leave a message in the Feedback section on the ed.mos.ru website or in the More tab of the Technical Support section in the mobile app.

    The Electronic Home platform was launched in November 2020. It helps manage your home online using a website or app. Users have the opportunity to receive important notifications about events in the house in a timely manner, such as hot water supply outages or elevator repairs. You can also report problems in your apartment, house, and yard to the management company, pay for utilities, transmit meter readings, communicate with neighbors in a chat, and hold general meetings of owners electronically.

    The project is being developed by the State Institution “New Management Technologies” together withDepartment of Information Technology the city of Moscow.

    The creation, development and operation of the e-government infrastructure, including the provision of mass socially significant, as well as other services and services in electronic form, corresponds to the objectives of the national project “Data Economy and Digital Transformation of the State” and the Moscow regional project “Digital Public Administration”.

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    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: More than 300 ventilation shafts of utility collectors will be modernized in the capital

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    This year, specialists from the city services complex will renew more than 300 ventilation shafts of utility collectors. This was announced by the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Housing and Public Utilities and Improvement Petr Biryukov.

    “The main task was to organically fit these structures into the urban landscape, so the old houses were replaced by modernized lattices,” explained Petr Biryukov.

    Ventilation shafts are above-ground parts of utility manifolds through which air enters. They are necessary for the smooth functioning of underground engineering structures.

    Modernization of ventilation shafts has been carried out in the capital since 2011, when large-scale programs for the improvement of streets and public spaces began to be implemented. Specialists dismantle old metal structures on the shaft heads, thoroughly clean the surfaces, restore the concrete layer and waterproofing. If necessary, they change the fans. At the final stage, the structures are faced with granite. When carrying out the work, the craftsmen use materials and equipment from Russian manufacturers.

    The capital’s collector system is a unique underground city, unparalleled in terms of length, network ramifications, and compactness of the communications laid inside. The total length of the collectors is more than 815 kilometers, and the number of ventilation shafts exceeds 13 thousand.

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dragon Dance and Painted Lanterns: Moskino Cinema Park Celebrates Chinese New Year

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Last weekend, February 1 and 2, the Moskino Cinema Park hosted a grand celebration of the Chinese New Year, in which more than 10 thousand people took part. A varied program was prepared for visitors, which did not leave either children or adults indifferent.

    Chinese Folklore, Dragon Dancing and Mandarin Throwing

    You could learn about Eastern secrets and myths in the quest “The Coming of the Chinese Spirit”. More than two thousand people took part in it, and their task was to catch the hungry Nyan and get a prize. The guests had to find red objects, and to do this, they had to distract the monster from Chinese mythology, make him laugh and make noise. The participants completed the task and won.

    Fun games in Chinese style were held near a natural green screen in the open air. Children and adults assembled puzzles with images of a dragon, rolled balls through a wooden labyrinth, threw oranges at targets, made cubes from multi-colored figures and played tangerine tic-tac-toe.

    In Chalet No. 1 on the Central Square, master classes were held, where those who wanted to painted white Chinese lanterns with patterns, learned calligraphy under the guidance of masters, and molded a dragon from air plasticine. In addition, street classes were held in Chinese national dance with a dragon. A large head and a long tail on sticks were distributed among the participants. They smoothly moved around the square, creating the illusion that the dragon was hovering in the air.

    The scenery of the Gonzaga Theatre featured Chinese folklore. Drummers performed there: the artists were dressed in traditional costumes and performed rhythmic compositions.

    Master classes, performances and excursions

    For winter sports enthusiasts, the skating rink and tubing hill continued to operate. After skating, you could warm up with hot drinks at the fair.

    At master classes in Chalet No. 2, children painted movie clappers, made “Jolly Snowman” magnets, and decorated a field and sea pebble figures for playing tic-tac-toe. The educational center hosted master classes in acting, dancing, and vocals.

    The weekend also saw the performance of the multimedia play “Cathedral Square”. Spectators saw the performance in the open air, sitting on warm heated seats, and learned a lot about the Time of Troubles. On different days, famous theater and film actors Dmitry Pevtsov, Ekaterina Guseva, Leonid Yakubovich, Anna Bolshova, Elena Zakharova and other artists take part in the play. You can see the production in the historical scenery of “Cathedral Square of Moscow” every weekend until February 23 inclusive. Tickets are available on the play’s page on the website of the Moskino cinema park.

    For those who wanted to see the unique scenery of the cinema park and learn new facts about the cinema professions, the excursion “Cinema Expedition” was held, and during the staged filming based on the Soviet films “Gentlemen of Fortune” and “Varvara-Beauty, Long Braid” it was possible to try on the costumes of the characters, learn the roles and act in front of the camera.

    Nature and scenery. Producer Evgeniya Sholokhova on filming in the Moskino cinema parkSpectators shared their impressions of the play “Cathedral Square”A piece of a plate from an excursion: the Moskino cinema park told about an unusual tradition

    The Moskino Cinema Park is part of Sergei Sobyanin’s Moscow — City of Cinema project and an object of the Moscow film cluster. The first stage of development has already been completed here: 18 natural sites, four pavilions and six infrastructure facilities have been built. Among them are the sets of Moscow Center, Moscow of the 1940s, Vitebsk Station, Yurovo Airport, Moscow Cathedral Square, Deaf Village, Partisan Village, County Town, Cowboy Town, St. Petersburg Bar and other sites.

    The Moscow Film Cluster is an infrastructure facility, services and facilities for filmmakers, which are being developed by the Moscow Government within the framework of the Moscow — City of Cinema project. Its structure includes the Moskino film park, the Gorky Film Studio (sites on Sergei Eisenstein Street and Valdaisky Proyezd), the Moskino film factory, the Moskino cinema chain, the film commission and the Moskino film platform.

    Project “Winter in Moscow”— the main event of the season, which until February 28 brings together various events in the capital. Citizens and tourists are invited to remember traditions and history, warm up with tea and hot buns, go ice skating, watch ice shows, give gifts to people who find themselves in a difficult life situation, and show concern for those who need it.

    Muscovites and guests of the capital are offered a huge selection of events in the open air and in cultural and sports institutions. The atmosphere of winter traditions has engulfed the entire city: more than 1.9 thousand sites are open. The project organically intertwined with the largest festivals of the capital “Moscow Estates”, “Moscow Tea Party”, “City of Light” and many others. All information about the project and events of the winter season can be found in a special section of mos.ru.

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    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The My Payments service recommended that residents of the capital pay their utility bills safely

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    You can pay your housing and communal services (HCS) bills quickly, conveniently and, most importantly, safely using the My Payments service. It is available atmos.ru portal and in mobile applications “Gosuslugi Moskvy” and “My Moscow”. When making a payment through this official resource, you can be sure of the authenticity of the invoices, the safety of personal data and the absence of malicious links or programs. This is especially important in connection with cases of fraud using fake receipts for payment of housing and communal services – fakes were dropped into mailboxes.

    “Thanks to the My Payments service, residents of the capital can always be aware of new utility bills and pay them on the mos.ru portal without going to third-party resources. City residents save time by using templates and the batch payment function, and do not worry about the timeliness of payment for services by setting up automatic payments and notifications,” said Vladimir Novikov, Director of the Department for Support of Citywide Payment Systems of the Moscow Department of Information Technology.

    Almost half of the payments that residents make online in city services are for housing and communal services. In 2024 alone, residents of the capital paid more than 8.7 million housing and communal services bills on the mos.ru portal and in mobile applications, and over 46 million in total, they said inDepartment of Information Technology of the City of Moscow.

    Finds accounts automatically

    The My Payments service will automatically find all unpaid utility bills if the user has a standard or full account onmos.ru portal, and the personal account contains the address, the payer code of the single payment document (EPD) and the personal accounts of the resource supplying organizations that issue invoices under direct contracts. If the information in the personal account is not enough, you can find the required account and simultaneously enter the information directly in the service using the widget “Documents and data”.

    To avoid missing a payment, Muscovites are being asked to sign up to receive it notifications about new accounts. To do this, in your personal account on the mos.ru portal, you need to select the “Profile” section and go to the “Subscription settings” tab, and in the section categories, check the box next to the form of receiving notifications that is convenient for you.

    Save time: set up templates, auto payments and batch payments

    Save time on paying bills too templates will help. To create them, you need to activate the “Save as template” option when paying for the service. Then the details and amount for making a regular payment will be saved. All templates are displayed in the “My Payments” service on the invoices page, so then you just need to select the one you need and immediately proceed to payment. This is convenient, for example, when regularly paying for solid municipal waste management services. The name and amount of the template can be changed at any time.

    In addition, for convenient and regular payment of bills in the My Payments service, you can set up auto payment on invoice. This function will simplify regular payment of the EPD. You can connect it after the first payment. To do this, you will need to select the frequency and date of the write-off, specify the amount and bank card details, after which the invoice will be paid automatically.

    The service also allows you to use one-time (package) payment function. Simply select the required invoices from the list by ticking them, and then click “Pay”. You will only need to enter one payment confirmation code for the first invoice in the package, which will be sent to your mobile phone number. Payment receipts will be generated separately for each invoice and will be available in the “Payment History” section.

    Payment of water and electricity bills not included in the EPD

    In addition, in the “My Payments” service on mos.ru you can pay bills for water and electricity issued under direct contracts with resource supplying organizations. You will need a standard or full account. To pay for electricity in your personal account on the portal (in the “Real Estate” section), you need to add the personal account of JSC Mosenergosbyt and the number of the electricity meter, and to pay for water consumption, you need to add the subscriber number of JSC Mosvodokanal. The issued bills for water and electricity will be displayed in the “My Payments” service automatically, you will only need to make a payment at any time.

    Fast and easy: how to pay bills via SBP without commission and with cashback

    Paying bills through the fast payment system (FPS) frees city residents from the need to provide bank card details. And until January 10, 2026, when using the FPS in the My Payments service on the mos.ru portal, residents of the capital can pay bills without commission, as well as receive cashback (partial refund) in the amount of one percent of the payment amount when paying for services in certain categories. To do this, you must register in the loyalty program before making a payment onon the website vamprivet.ruCashback in rubles will be automatically returned within a minute to the bank account from which the payment was made through the SBP.

    The promotion is being held by the National Payment Card System. You can find out more about the organizer, terms and rules of the promotion aton the website vamprivet.ru, as well as in the instructions onmos.ru portal. If any questions arise, participants of the action can contact the support service of the mos.ru portal in the section “Feedback” and by calling the hotline: 7 495 539-55-55 (24-hour information and reference service for the provision of government services).

    The My Payments service on the mos.ru portal, as well as in the city mobile applications Moscow State Services and My Moscow, is one of the most popular ways to pay bills for services among residents, legal entities and entrepreneurs of the capital. It allows you to pay for about nine thousand different services. Over the seven years of operation, city residents paid with it over 107 million accounts. More information about all the features of the My Payments service — in the instructions.

    The creation, development and operation of the e-government infrastructure, including the provision of mass socially significant services, as well as other services in electronic form, correspond to the objectives of the national project “Data Economy and Digital Transformation of the State” and the regional project of the city of Moscow “Digital Public Administration”.

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    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: More than 100 thousand gas stoves have been checked in Moscow since the beginning of the year

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Since the beginning of this year, specialists from the city services complex have checked more than 100 thousand gas stoves installed in Muscovites’ apartments. This was reported by the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Housing and Public Utilities and Improvement Petr Biryukov.

    “In January, we checked the functionality and compliance with safety requirements of over 100 thousand gas stoves. If violations are detected, gas workers eliminate the safety threat and give recommendations for further operation and repair. Information about the dates and times of inspections is posted on stands installed in entrances and courtyards,” noted Petr Biryukov.

    Gas safety issues are under special control. According to the head of the city economy complex, specialists conduct scheduled maintenance of all gasified housing stock annually.

    In the capital, about 1.8 million families use gas stoves. In order for the equipment to operate safely, it is very important to check it in a timely manner. Responsibility for maintaining and replacing gas equipment lies with the owner or tenant of the residential premises.

    The service life of a gas stove is on average 10-12 years. After that, gas taps wear out, burner diffusers become deformed, and the thermal insulation of the oven is damaged. It is impossible to maintain the safe operation of such devices; replacement is necessary.

    The stove must be equipped with a gas control system that stops the gas supply if the flame in the burner goes out.

    You can find out more about dates and times of gas equipment inspections on the official website of Mosgaz and with the help of a special telegram bot companies. In addition, residents of the capital can subscribe to notifications about an upcoming inspection and then evaluate the specialist’s work.

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: A production complex will appear in Yuzhnoye Butovo as part of a large-scale investment project

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The city has leased a plot of land to an investor at a preferential rate of one ruble per year for the construction of an industrial complex in the Yuzhnoye Butovo district. The industrial facility will be built as part of a large-scale investment project (MaIP). This was reported by the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Urban Development Policy and Construction Vladimir Efimov.

    “Large-scale investment projects allow us to develop infrastructure and create jobs in different areas of the capital. In 2024, a record amount of land was allocated for the implementation of the MaIP — more than 360 hectares. Of these, over 177 are for the construction of industrial facilities. As part of one of the large-scale investment projects, a food equipment manufacturing plant with an area of 10.4 thousand square meters will be built on Bartenevskaya Street. The investor will invest 0.9 billion rubles in the implementation of this project,” said Vladimir Efimov.

    The investor will also be provided with a benefit under the program to stimulate the creation of employment opportunities.

    “By order of Sergei Sobyanin, more than 20 measures to support industry are being implemented in the city. Investors can combine these measures and receive the greatest economic effect from the project. Thus, a production complex for the production of food equipment will appear in Yuzhnoye Butovo thanks to two support measures at once – assigning the status of a large-scale investment project and participation in the program to stimulate the creation of employment opportunities. As a result, 240 jobs will be created at the enterprise,” said the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport and Industry

    Maxim Liksutov.

    Since 2022, by decision of the Mayor of Moscow, the city provides land at a preferential rate of one ruble per year for the development of production. This helps attract investment to the capital’s economy and create jobs.

    According to the Minister of the Moscow Government, head of the capital’s Department of City Property Maxim Gaman, the lease agreement for the 0.77 hectare plot was concluded for five years. During this time, the investor must complete the construction of the production complex. The land is provided at a preferential rate of one ruble per year, which will be valid for the entire term.

    A large-scale investment project is a special status that can be obtained by objects whose creation is aimed at developing the capital’s infrastructure. These are, for example, production, sports and business complexes, innovation centers, social institutions. For their construction, the city provides land plots for lease without bidding.

    Previously Sergei Sobyanin said, that since 2022 Moscow has provided entrepreneurs with about 700 hectares of land without bidding for the implementation of large-scale investment projects.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Nearly 20,000 live animals seized, 365 suspects arrested in largest-ever wildlife and forestry operation

    Source: Interpol (news and events)

    4 February 2025

    138 countries and regions join forces to target fauna and flora trafficking worldwide

    LYON, France – Nearly 20,000 live animals, all endangered or protected species, have been seized in a global operation against wildlife and forestry trafficking networks, jointly coordinated by INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization (WCO).

    Operation Thunder 2024 (11 November – 6 December) brought together police, customs, border control, forestry and wildlife officials from 138 countries and regions, marking the widest participation since the first edition in 2017.

    Authorities arrested 365 suspects and identified six transnational criminal networks suspected of trafficking animals and plants protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Such species are illegally trafficked to meet specific market demands, whether for food, perceived medicinal benefits, “luxury” and collector items or as pets and competition animals.

    Globally, more than 100 companies involved in the trafficking of protected species were identified.

    The operation led to the rescue of 18 big cats, including these tiger cubs in the Czech Republic.

    The seized animals were sent to conservation centres, where their health was assessed while awaiting repatriation or rehabilitation.

    Organized crime networks profit from the demand for rare plants and animals, like this bird seized in Mexico.

    More than 5,877 live turtles were seized during Operation Thunder, including these ones in Tanzania.

    Morocco conducted intelligence-led investigations and seized over 50 snakes of various species.

    12 live pangolins were seized during the action weeks, such as this one in Mozambique.

    These Oryx were seized in Iraq. The collection of DNA is a crucial part of supporting prosecutions.

    1,731 other reptiles were seized live, like these blue-tongued lizards in Australia.

    Overall, nearly 20,000 live animals, all endangered or protected species, were rescued.

    33 protected primates were seized during the operation, this one was discovered in Chile.

    An example of a deer seized in North Macedonia during the operation that was jointly coordinated by INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization (WCO).

    This primate was rescued in Indonesia during Operation Thunder.

    The live animals, which included big cats, birds, pangolins, primates and reptiles were rescued in connection with 2,213 seizures made worldwide.

    Where possible, wildlife forensic experts collected DNA samples before transferring the animals to conservation centres, where their health was assessed while awaiting repatriation or rehabilitation, in line with national frameworks and relevant protocols.

    The collection of DNA is a crucial part of supporting prosecutions, as it helps confirm the type of species and its origin or distribution, shedding light on new trafficking routes and emerging trends.

    Large-scale trafficking of animal parts, plants and endangered species

    In addition to the live animals, participating countries seized hundreds of thousands of protected animal parts and derivatives, trees, plants, marine life and arthropods.

    Timber cases represent the most significant seizures, primarily occurring in sea cargo container shipments, while most other seizures took place at airports and mail processing hubs.

    Authorities also investigated online activities and found suspects using multiple profiles and linked accounts across social media platforms and marketplaces to expand their reach.

    More than 100 companies involved in the trafficking of protected species were also identified.

    Valdecy Urquiza, INTERPOL Secretary General said:

    “Organized crime networks are profiting from the demand for rare plants and animals, exploiting nature to fuel human greed. This has far-reaching consequences: it drives biodiversity loss, destroys communities, contributes to climate change and even fuels conflict and instability.

    “Environmental crimes are uniquely destructive, and INTERPOL, in cooperation with its partners, is committed to protecting our planet for future generations.”

    Ian Saunders, WCO Secretary General, said:

    “Operation Thunder continues to shed light on a crime that is often not a priority for enforcement actors. Through our joint efforts we have established cooperation mechanisms that facilitate the exchange of information and intelligence, and we have refined our enforcement strategies.

    “The illegal wildlife trade is still rapidly growing, highly lucrative and has devastating effects. The WCO remains committed to supporting its members and partners to effectively combat this serious crime.”

    This leopard hide was seized in Namibia, during the largest-ever global operation against wildlife and forestry trafficking.

    As well as this leopard skin coat discovered in Poland, Polish authorities also seized 300 seahorse tablets.

    This Mariposa butterfly found in Peru was one of 5,991 pieces and 233kg of arthropods seized globally.

    This wood in Brazil was among 49,572 pieces, 214.9 tonnes and 1340 m3 of timber seized worldwide.

    These sea cucumbers and shark fins were seized in Mozambique.

    Nearly 4.5 tonnes of pangolin scales were seized in Nigeria.

    Mongolia reported the seizure of 40 m3 of timber.

    This skull, discovered by Mexican authorities, was among 53 pieces of big cats seized around the world, including claws, furs, and skulls.

    Python skin products, like this one seized in Italy, are perceived as high-end or luxurious items.

    This coral, found in Italy, was one of 493 pieces and 21.41kg of coral seized globally.

    Indonesia reported two instances of trafficking of African ivory.

    Significant seizures include:

    • Indonesia: 134 tonnes of timber headed to Asia via ocean freight.
    • Kenya: 41 tonnes of exotic timber headed to Asia via ocean freight.
    • Nigeria: 4,472 kg of pangolins scales
    • Türkiye: 6,500 live songbirds discovered during a vehicle inspection at the Syrian border.
    • India: 5,193 live red-eared ornamental slider turtles concealed in passenger suitcases arriving from Malaysia at Chennai Airport.
    • Peru: 3,700 protected plants intercepted en route from Ecuador.
    • Qatar: Eight rhino horns found in a suspect’s luggage while transiting from Mozambique to Thailand.
    • United States: One tonne of sea cucumbers, considered a seafood delicacy, smuggled from Nicaragua.
    • Hong Kong, China: 973 kg of dried shark fins originating from Morocco seized at the airport.
    • Czech Republic: Eight tigers, aged between two months and two years, discovered in a suspected illegal breeding facility.
    • Indonesia: 846 pieces of reticulated python skin, from the world’s longest snake species, concealed on board a ship.
    • More than 300 firearms, vehicles and poaching equipment.

    Building a global intelligence picture of wildlife and timber trafficking

    Regular operations such as Thunder enable investigators to build a comprehensive global intelligence picture and detailed offender profiles, significantly enhancing the effectiveness of enforcement efforts and resolution of cross-border cases.

    Cooperation between various stakeholders is essential for effectively combating transnational criminal networks, from seizure to arrest and prosecution, as the data collected enable customs administrations to refine their risk management and compliance strategies, and stay one step ahead of criminals, ensuring that their contribution to the fight against wildlife crime is dynamic and responsive.

    Ahead of the operation, countries exchanged actionable intelligence on ongoing cases and high-value targets, updating critical information on 21 INTERPOL Red Notices for suspected traffickers wanted internationally. This exchange continued throughout the operation, with officers using the secure channels provided by both INTERPOL and the WCO to communicate in real time.

    The Operation Thunder series is backed by the CITES Secretariat and carried out under the partnership framework of the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC). The 2024 edition was co-funded by the European Union, the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

     

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Lack of accreditation by Tajikistan less than a month before elections makes continuation of OSCE observation mission impossible

    Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE

    Headline: Lack of accreditation by Tajikistan less than a month before elections makes continuation of OSCE observation mission impossible

    Lack of accreditation by Tajikistan less than a month before elections makes continuation of OSCE observation mission impossible | OSCE
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  • MIL-OSI: Apollo Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, Feb. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE: APO) (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, “Apollo”) today reported results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024.

    Marc Rowan, Chief Executive Officer at Apollo said, “Our fourth quarter results punctuate a very strong year of performance for Apollo. 2024 highlights include record origination activity exceeding $220 billion, inflows of more than $150 billion, and assets under management surpassing $750 billion. Entering 2025, our growth strategy is clear, our team is focused on execution, and we are playing to win.”

    Apollo issued a full detailed presentation of its fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024 results, which can be viewed on Apollo’s Investor Relations website at ir.apollo.com.

    Dividend

    Apollo Global Management, Inc. has declared a cash dividend of $0.4625 per share of its Common Stock for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2024. This dividend will be paid on February 28, 2025 to holders of record at the close of business on February 18, 2025.

    Apollo Global Management, Inc. has also declared and set aside for payment a cash dividend of $0.8438 per share of its Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock, which will be paid on April 30, 2025 to holders of record at the close of business on April 15, 2025.

    The declaration and payment of dividends on the Common Stock and the Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock are at the sole discretion of Apollo Global Management, Inc.’s board of directors. Apollo cannot assure its stockholders that they will receive any dividends in the future.

    Conference Call

    Apollo will host a public audio webcast on Tuesday, February 4, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. During the webcast, members of Apollo’s senior management team will review Apollo’s financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024.

    The webcast may be accessed at ir.apollo.com. For those unable to listen to the live broadcast, there will be a replay of the webcast available at the same link one hour after the event.

    Apollo distributes its earnings releases via its website and email distribution lists. Those interested in receiving firm updates by email can sign up for them at ir.apollo.com.

    About Apollo

    Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. In our asset management business, we seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade credit to private equity. For more than three decades, our investing expertise across our fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of our clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, our retirement services business, we specialize in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Our patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees, and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of December 31, 2024, Apollo had approximately $751 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    In this press release, references to “Apollo,” “we,” “us,” “our” and the “Company” refer collectively to Apollo Global Management, Inc. and its subsidiaries, or as the context may otherwise require. This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements include, but are not limited to, discussions related to Apollo’s expectations regarding the performance of its business, its liquidity and capital resources and other non-historical statements. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. When used in this press release, the words “believe,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to have been correct. These statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including risks relating to inflation, interest rate fluctuations and market conditions generally, the impact of energy market dislocation, our ability to manage our growth, our ability to operate in highly competitive environments, the performance of the funds we manage, our ability to raise new funds, the variability of our revenues, earnings and cash flow, the accuracy of management’s assumptions and estimates, our dependence on certain key personnel, our use of leverage to finance our businesses and investments by the funds we manage, Athene’s ability to maintain or improve financial strength ratings, the impact of Athene’s reinsurers failing to meet their assumed obligations, Athene’s ability to manage its business in a highly regulated industry, changes in our regulatory environment and tax status, and litigation risks, among others. We believe these factors include but are not limited to those described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our annual report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 27, 2024, and the quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on November 6, 2024, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our periodic filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this press release and in our other filings with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. This press release does not constitute an offer of any Apollo fund.

    Investor and Media Relations Contacts

    For investors please contact:
    Noah Gunn
    Global Head of Investor Relations
    Apollo Global Management, Inc.
    212-822-0540
    ir@apollo.com

    For media inquiries please contact:
    Joanna Rose
    Global Head of Corporate Communications
    Apollo Global Management, Inc.
    212-822-0491
    communications@apollo.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Within minutes of the booking opening time CBB: Appointments for the second and final batch of Silver Commemorative Coin minted on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, marking 25 years of His Majesty’s reign fully booked

    Source: Central Bank of Bahrain

    Within minutes of the booking opening time CBB: Appointments for the second and final batch of Silver Commemorative Coin minted on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, marking 25 years of His Majesty’s reign fully booked

    MIL OSI Economics

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Mayor launches independent new Nightlife Taskforce to help support capital’s life at night

    Source: Mayor of London

    • Sadiq announces the members of London’s new independent Nightlife Taskforce
    • The Taskforce – a Mayoral manifesto commitment – brings together a wide range of experts from the frontline of the capital’s nightlife to examine and address the issues facing the industries
    • Over six months the taskforce will assess the challenges and opportunities facing London’s ever-evolving nightlife to provide recommendations on how to ensure the capital’s night-time economy can thrive

    The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today revealed the members of a new independent Nightlife Taskforce that has been created to help support the capital’s life at night.

    The Taskforce brings together a range of experts from the frontline of the capital’s nightlife to examine and address the issues facing the industries, and provide recommendations on how to ensure the night-time economy can thrive.

    In recent years London’s nightlife and night-time industries, along with other cities in the UK, have faced a huge range of challenges. These include the long-lasting impact of the pandemic, rising rents and business rates, staffing shortages, licensing and planning issues, and cost-of-living and cost-of-doing business pressures.

    Sadiq is determined to do all he can to work with partners to help the capital’s nightlife communities and industries navigate these challenges and buck global trends, which is why he’s brought together London’s first ever Nightlife Taskforce.

    The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) recently published figures showing a 32.7 per cent decline in nightclubs across the country since 2020. London saw the smallest decline with a 19.7 per cent decrease from March 2020 to November 2024, compared to Manchester which saw a decrease of 33.3 per cent and Birmingham had a drop of 38.5 per cent. 

    Despite these ongoing challenges, the landscape of London’s nightlife continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of Londoners and visitors to the capital. This has seen it diversify from zone one to include a range of other locations including Hackney, Peckham and Tottenham.

    The Taskforce will be chaired by Cameron Leslie, Co-founder and Director of fabric, and includes representatives from the heart of London’s nightlife, including Nadine Noor, Founder of Pxssy Palace, Nathanael Williams, Founder of Colour Factory, and Alice Hoffman Fuller, Head of Operations at Corsica Studios; as well key industry bodies Kate Nicholls CEO of UK Hospitality, Mike Kill CEO of Night Time Industries Association, and Sophie Brownlee, External Affairs Manager at Music Venue Trust.

    Each member brings a wealth of experience and expertise, and over the next six months they will meet regularly to examine and address the challenges and opportunities facing London’s ever-evolving nightlife.

    They will have access to an advisory group that will includes representatives from the Met Police, TfL, London Councils, trade unions, the broader business community and supply chain businesses. They will also be supported by Nightlife Research consultants Vibe Lab who will be calling on Londoners to help provide evidence to the taskforce to help develop their recommendations.

    The Taskforce will provide a series of recommendations to the Mayor that will then help to build on City Hall’s ongoing work to support nightlife. This includes protecting hundreds of venues from closure through the Culture and Community Spaces at Risk office, working with boroughs to develop London’s first ever local Night Time Strategies, introducing the Night Tube and Overground, creating the most night-friendly London Plan to date, cutting red tape with our Business Friendly Licensing Fund, and launching the Women’s Night Safety Charter.

    The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London’s nightlife industries are vital to the success of our capital, but, as with other cities across the country, they have faced a huge range of challenges in recent years. The rising cost of living and operational costs, shifts in consumer behaviour, staffing shortages and licensing issues have all been hitting businesses hard. I’m determined to do all I can to work alongside our night-time industries, which is why I’ve brought together this independent taskforce of experts to examine and address the opportunities and issues facing the industry. Their expertise and unparalleled knowledge garnered from years of working across a range of night-time industries will help to inform and develop our collective efforts to support nightlife, as we continue to build a better London for everyone.”

    Cameron Leslie, Co-founder and Director, fabric, said: “I’m delighted to have been invited to lead this newly assembled independent Nightlife Taskforce. This group that has come together, represents some of the best of what London has to offer, across an incredibly broad spectrum. We are all excited about the future of nightlife in our wonderful city, and are also acutely aware of the stark challenges we face. The Taskforce cannot wave a magic wand to make things better but I truly believe through our experience, expertise, knowledge, relationships and desire we can put forward something meaningful by which all stakeholders and individuals who genuinely want to see London’s vibrant night-time economy thrive and grow can then get behind.”

    Nadine Noor, Founder of Pxssy Palace, said: “I’m looking forward to be part of this Taskforce because I believe collaboration is key. Working together enables us to stay active, hold each other accountable, and drive meaningful change that reflects the vibrancy and diversity of London’s nightlife.”

    Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: “I was delighted to lead the first ground-breaking report into London’s nightlife, and I’m pleased the Mayor is reaffirming his commitment to the night-time economy through this new taskforce. London’s vibrant nightlife is world-renowned and, while there are undoubtedly significant challenges facing our nightlife businesses, it still has the potential to grow and build on that reputation. I look forward to working with the taskforce to develop new solutions that can support businesses in the capital to both survive and thrive.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Seven-year ban for former manager of Chinese takeaway who employed illegal workers

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Director banned for breaching immigration rules

    • Qiqing He employed three people who were not allowed to work in the UK at his takeaway in Aberdeen 
    • The illegal workers were discovered during a visit to the premises by Immigration Enforcement 
    • He has now been banned as a company director for seven years following investigations by the Insolvency Service 

    The former manager of a Chinese takeaway in Aberdeen has been banned as a company director for seven years after employing three illegal workers. 

    Qiqing He, 54, hired the workers at the former Chinese Cooking takeaway on Holburn Street which was visited by Immigration Enforcement officials in 2022. 

    The three workers, all Chinese nationals in their 50s and 60s, had no right to work in the UK. 

    He, of Denburn Court, Aberdeen, was disqualified as a director at a hearing of the Court of Sessions in Edinburgh last month. 

    His director ban started on Tuesday 4 February. 

    Dave Magrath, Director of Investigation and Enforcement Services at the Insolvency Service, said: 

    Company directors have a responsibility to follow all the rules and regulations expected of them. Qiqing He clearly failed to do this, employing three people who had no right to work in the UK. 

    Illegal working puts some of the most vulnerable people in society at risk of exploitation, undercuts honest employers who pay their taxes, and encourages others to break our immigration laws. 

    Improving director conduct is a key priority for the Insolvency Service and we will continue to work with our partners at the Home Office to clamp down on those who do not meet the standards we expect.

    He was the director of QQ Holburn Limited, the company through which the takeaway traded. The company was incorporated on Companies House in October 2019 with He as its sole director. 

    Immigration Enforcement found the illegal workers when they visited the takeaway in September 2022. 

    Despite formally resigning as director of the company four months earlier in May 2022, He had continued to control and manage the business. 

    In interviews with Immigration Enforcement, He also admitted that he had employed the workers and was responsible for paying them. 

    Immigration Enforcement fined the company £30,000 for the immigration breach, which remains unpaid. 

    Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said:  

    These sanctions demonstrate the serious consequences that await business owners who flout employment regulations. 

    All employers have a responsibility to carry out right to work checks on individuals they hire and we’re ramping up enforcement action against those who fail to do so. 

    I would like to thank the Home Office Immigration Enforcement team and our partners at the Insolvency Service for taking robust action in this case. Together we will continue to make sure those who abuse our immigration system face the full consequences.

    The disqualification order prevents He from becoming involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court until February 2032.  

    QQ Holburn stopped trading as a company in March 2024. 

    A Chinese takeaway with a different company and trading name currently operates from the same address as Chinese Cooking. He is not a director of this company. 

    Further information

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Stoke-on-Trent businesses shine with nominations at Tourism Awards

    Source: City of Stoke-on-Trent

    Published: Tuesday, 4th February 2025

    Some of the city’s best hospitality and leisure businesses have been shortlisted for awards at the prestigious Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Tourism Awards 2025.

    The annual awards ceremony – sponsored by the University of Staffordshire – recognises the diverse range of attractions, accommodations and food and drink businesses and will be held in Stoke-on-Trent this year as part of the city’s centenary celebrations.

    This comes as latest figures show that a £2.3 billion tourism boom has seen more visitors flock to the area and numbers using the sector are up 30 per cent since 2019.

    World of Wedgwood has been recognised with several nominations, including for the International Tourism Award, Large Visitor Attraction of the Year and the tea room has been nominated in the Taste of England – Tea Room & Coffee Shop of the Year category.

    Jemma Harrison, Director of Destinations at Fiskars UK Limited, who run World of Wedgwood, said: “We are thrilled to have been shortlisted for three awards this year, especially in the new category of International Attraction of the Year.

    “The team at World of Wedgwood have worked hard to build brand awareness within the inbound travel market as well as creating bespoke itineraries and products for our international guests. It’s fantastic news to be shortlisted for an award which reflects such great collaboration between the marketing and operational teams.”

    Doubletree by Hilton, on Festival Park, has been shortlisted for two awards, in the categories of Large Hotel of the Year and their Revenue, Sales & Marketing team have been nominated for Team of the Year.

    Middleport Pottery has been shortlisted for Small Visitor Attraction of the Year and two restaurants, including Lunar Restaurant, are finalists for Restaurant of the Year.

    Craig Wilkinson, Director and Owner of Lunar Restaurant, said: “Words cannot express how much it means to everyone at Lunar to be finalists in the category of ‘Restaurant of the Year’ in our home city which we are so proud to serve and celebrate.

    “Our guests travel from near and far to experience our wonderful county which as well as being steeped in history has so many wonderful opportunities, people, organisations and places to explore in 2025.”

    Other local businesses that have been shortlisted at the awards include:

    • Adventure Mini Village (New Tourism Business of the Year)
    • Dusk Beaver Safari at Trentham Estate (Experience of the Year)
    • Trentham Estate (Accessible & Inclusive Tourism Award/Large Visitor Attraction)
    • Waterworld Leisure Resort (Large Visitor Attraction)
    • Willow on the Trentham Estate (Restaurant of the Year)

    The hard work and talent of employees has also been recognised with Jodie Knapper being shortlisted for the Unsung Hero Award (Trentham Estate) and Daniel West being shortlisted for the Rising Star Award (The Upper House Hotel).

    Councillor Jane Ashworth, Leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “It is amazing to see so many businesses in Stoke-on-Trent being recognised at the Tourism Awards and the brilliant work of our residents being acknowledged and celebrated.

    “In our centenary year, it is great that we can spotlight the very best that our city has to offer in leisure, hospitality and tourism and we are confident our year-long programme of fantastic events will drive many more people to come and discover what a wonderful part of the world this is.

    “I would like to congratulate all the people and businesses that have been shortlisted at this year’s awards and wish them the best of luck at the ceremony.”

    The winners will be announced live at a ceremony on Thursday 20th March 2025, at the Doubletree by Hilton, Stoke-on-Trent.

    For more information, visit www.enjoystaffordshire.com/awards

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Time to subscribe online to Lancaster City Council’s garden waste collection service for 2025/26 Residents can avoid multiple trips to the tip this year by subscribing online to Lancaster City Council’s fortnightly garden waste collection service for 2025/26.

    Source: City of Lancaster

    Residents can avoid multiple trips to the tip this year by subscribing online to Lancaster City Council’s fortnightly garden waste collection service for 2025/26.

    The opt-in service runs from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026.

    To help cover rising operational costs and ensure the service continues to run efficiently, this year’s subscription fee has increased by £1 to £46.

    Current subscribers will receive reminder letters and emails in the coming weeks with instructions on how to renew their subscriptions online.  However, residents can subscribe online at any time by visiting www.lancaster.gov.uk/garden-waste, where they will also find the terms and conditions of the service and a set of helpful FAQs.

    Councillor Paul Hart, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, said: “Raising fees and charges is never a decision we take lightly.  However, our garden waste collection service is a subsidised service and to maintain the high standard of it, a modest fee increase is necessary this year to address the rising costs of fuel, vehicle maintenance, staffing and demand.”

    Current customers who do not wish to renew their subscriptions don’t need to take any action. Collections will automatically stop after March 31, 2025.

    Residents can request the removal of surplus garden waste bins by completing an online form at www.lancaster.gov.uk/contact-us.

    Last updated: 04 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI: Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation Announces First Fiscal Quarter 2025 Financial Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LOS ANGELES, Feb. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation (NASDAQ: OCSL) (“Oaktree Specialty Lending” or the “Company”), a specialty finance company, today announced its financial results for the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2024.

    Financial Highlights for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2024

    • Oaktree Capital I, L.P. purchased $100.0 million of shares of OCSL common stock on February 3, 2025 at the Company’s net asset value as of January 31, 2025, which was $17.63 per share and represented a 10% premium to the closing stock price and resulted in a nearly 7% increase to NAV. The equity raise will help grow OCSL’s asset base and further diversify the portfolio.
    • Implemented total return hurdle resulting in waived Part I incentive fees of $6.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024. In connection with the institution of this incentive fee cap, the calculation of the Part I incentive fee will consider capital gains and losses when determining Part I incentive fees payable. This new arrangement includes a lookback provision that commences effective October 1, 2024, and will build over time to a rolling 12 quarter lookback by the Company’s 2027 fiscal year-end.
    • Total investment income was $86.6 million ($1.05 per share) for the first fiscal quarter of 2025, as compared with $94.7 million ($1.15 per share) for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2024. Adjusted total investment income was $87.1 million ($1.06 per share) for the first fiscal quarter, as compared with $95.0 million ($1.16 per share) for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2024. The decrease was driven by (i) lower interest income, which was attributable to decreases in reference rates, the impact of certain investments that were placed on non-accrual status, a smaller investment portfolio and lower original issue discount (“OID”) acceleration from investment repayments, (ii) lower fee income from a decrease in prepayment fees and (iii) lower dividend income from the Company’s investment in Senior Loan Fund JV I, LLC (“SLF JV I”).
    • GAAP net investment income was $44.3 million ($0.54 per share) for the first fiscal quarter of 2025, as compared with $44.9 million ($0.55 per share) for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2024. The decrease for the quarter was primarily driven by lower total investment income and higher operating expenses, partially offset by lower interest expense and lower management and income-based (“Part I”) incentive fees (net of fees waived).
    • Adjusted net investment income was $44.7 million ($0.54 per share) for the first fiscal quarter of 2025, as compared with $45.2 million ($0.55 per share) for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2024. The decrease for the quarter was primarily driven by lower adjusted total investment income and higher operating expenses, partially offset by lower interest expense and lower management and Part I incentive fees (net of fees waived).
    • Net asset value (“NAV”) per share was $17.63 as of December 31, 2024, down as compared with $18.09 as of September 30, 2024. The decline from September 30, 2024 primarily reflected losses on certain debt and equity investments.
    • Originated $198.1 million of new investment commitments and received $352.4 million of proceeds from prepayments, exits, other paydowns and sales during the quarter ended December 31, 2024. The weighted average yield on new debt investments was 9.6%.
    • Total debt outstanding was $1,610.0 million as of December 31, 2024. The total debt to equity ratio was 1.11x, and the net debt to equity ratio was 1.03x, after adjusting for cash and cash equivalents.
    • Liquidity as of December 31, 2024 was composed of $112.9 million of unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and $957.5 million of undrawn capacity under the Company’s credit facilities (subject to borrowing base and other limitations). Unfunded investment commitments were $302.3 million, or $275.2 million excluding unfunded commitments to the Company’s joint ventures. Of the $275.2 million, approximately $243.7 million can be drawn immediately with the remaining amount subject to certain milestones that must be met by portfolio companies or other restrictions.
    • A quarterly and supplemental cash distribution was declared of $0.40 per share and $0.07 per share, respectively, payable in cash on March 31, 2025 to stockholders of record on March 17, 2025. The modification to the dividend policy introduces a stable base dividend, which is anticipated to be sustainable across market cycles, amid fluctuations in rates and spreads.

    Armen Panossian, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chief Investment Officer said, “We had several positive outcomes within the portfolio, but continued to face challenges with several names. We remain focused on our underperforming borrowers, working through each situation to identify the appropriate course of action.”

    “We remain committed to our shareholders and growing our business. As part of that process, Oaktree has purchased $100 million of shares at NAV. And, in addition to the permanent fee reduction announced last year and additional support provided via voluntary fee waivers, starting with the quarter ending December 31, 2024, we have instituted a cap in the calculation of our Part I Incentive Fee to consider capital gains and losses, which will build up over time and look back to 12 quarters by our 2027 fiscal year-end. We believe these actions further demonstrate our ongoing commitment to our shareholders while providing the capital to execute on our long-term initiatives.”

    Distribution Declaration

    The Board of Directors declared a quarterly distribution of $0.40 per share, payable in cash on March 31, 2025 to stockholders of record on March 17, 2025. The Board of Directors also declared a supplemental distribution of $0.07 per share, payable in cash on March 31, 2025 to stockholders of record on March 17, 2025. For the quarter ended December 31, 2024 and going forward, in addition to a quarterly base dividend of $0.40 per share, the Company’s Board of Directors expects to declare, when applicable, a quarterly supplemental dividend in an amount to be determined each quarter.

    Distributions are paid primarily from distributable (taxable) income. To the extent taxable earnings for a fiscal taxable year fall below the total amount of distributions for that fiscal year, a portion of those distributions may be deemed a return of capital to the Company’s stockholders.

    Results of Operations

        For the three months ended
    ($ in thousands, except per share data)   December 31, 2024 (unaudited)   September 30, 2024 (unaudited)   December 31, 2023 (unaudited)
    GAAP operating results:            
    Interest income   $ 78,422     $ 83,626     $ 91,414  
    PIK interest income     5,728       6,018       3,849  
    Fee income     1,679       3,897       1,307  
    Dividend income     818       1,144       1,415  
    Total investment income     86,647       94,685       97,985  
    Net expenses     42,082       49,764       53,796  
    Net investment income before taxes     44,565       44,921       44,189  
    (Provision) benefit for taxes on net investment income     (263 )            
    Net investment income     44,302       44,921       44,189  
    Net realized and unrealized gains (losses), net of taxes     (37,063 )     (8,008 )     (33,654 )
    Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations   $ 7,239     $ 36,913     $ 10,535  
    Total investment income per common share   $ 1.05     $ 1.15     $ 1.26  
    Net investment income per common share   $ 0.54     $ 0.55     $ 0.57  
    Net realized and unrealized gains (losses), net of taxes per common share   $ (0.45 )   $ (0.10 )   $ (0.43 )
    Earnings (loss) per common share — basic and diluted   $ 0.09     $ 0.45     $ 0.14  
    Non-GAAP Financial Measures1:            
    Adjusted total investment income   $ 87,070     $ 95,000     $ 98,014  
    Adjusted net investment income   $ 44,725     $ 45,236     $ 44,218  
    Adjusted net realized and unrealized gains (losses), net of taxes   $ (37,124 )   $ (8,322 )   $ (32,858 )
    Adjusted earnings (loss)   $ 7,601     $ 36,914     $ 11,360  
    Adjusted total investment income per share   $ 1.06     $ 1.16     $ 1.26  
    Adjusted net investment income per share   $ 0.54     $ 0.55     $ 0.57  
    Adjusted net realized and unrealized gains (losses), net of taxes per share   $ (0.45 )   $ (0.10 )   $ (0.42 )
    Adjusted earnings (loss) per share   $ 0.09     $ 0.45     $ 0.15  

    ______________________ 
    1 See Non-GAAP Financial Measures below for a description of the non-GAAP measures and the reconciliations from the most comparable GAAP financial measures to the Company’s non-GAAP measures, including on a per share basis. The Company’s management uses these non-GAAP financial measures internally to analyze and evaluate financial results and performance and believes that these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors as an additional tool to evaluate ongoing results and trends for the Company and to review the Company’s performance without giving effect to non-cash income/gain/loss resulting from the merger of Oaktree Strategic Income Corporation (“OCSI”) with and into the Company in March 2021 (the “OCSI Merger”) and the merger of Oaktree Strategic Income II, Inc. (“OSI2”) with and into the Company in January 2023 (the “OSI2 Merger”) and, in the case of adjusted net investment income, without giving effect to capital gains incentive fees. The presentation of non-GAAP measures is not intended to be a substitute for financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered in isolation.

         
        As of
    ($ in thousands, except per share data and ratios)   December 31, 2024 (unaudited)   September 30, 2024     December 31, 2023 (unaudited)
    Select balance sheet and other data:              
    Cash and cash equivalents   $ 112,913     $ 63,966     $ 112,369  
    Investment portfolio at fair value     2,835,294       3,021,279       3,018,552  
    Total debt outstanding (net of unamortized financing costs)     1,577,795       1,638,693       1,622,717  
    Net assets     1,449,815       1,487,811       1,511,651  
    Net asset value per share     17.63       18.09       19.14  
    Total debt to equity ratio     1.11x     1.12x       1.10x  
    Net debt to equity ratio     1.03x     1.07x       1.02x  
                           

    Adjusted total investment income for the quarter ended December 31, 2024 was $87.1 million and included $78.9 million of interest income from portfolio investments, $5.7 million of payment-in-kind (“PIK”) interest income, $1.7 million of fee income and $0.8 million of dividend income. The $7.9 million quarterly decline in adjusted total investment income was primarily due to a $5.4 million decrease in interest income, which resulted from a decreases in reference rates, the impact of certain investments that were placed on non-accrual status, a smaller investment portfolio and lower OID acceleration from investment repayments. Additionally, there was a $2.2 million decrease in fee income driven by lower prepayment fees and a $0.3 million reduction in dividend income from the Company’s investment in SLF JV I.

    Net expenses for the quarter ended December 31, 2024 totaled $42.1 million, down $7.7 million from the quarter ended September 30, 2024. The decrease for the quarter was primarily driven by $6.2 million of lower Part I incentive fees (net of fees waived) and $1.5 million of lower interest expense due to lower reference rates on the Company’s floating rate liabilities.

    Adjusted net investment income was $44.7 million ($0.54 per share) for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, which was down from $45.2 million ($0.55 per share) for the quarter ended September 30, 2024. The decline of $0.5 million primarily reflected $7.9 million of lower adjusted total investment income and an increase in income tax expense of $0.3 million, partially offset by $7.7 million of lower net expenses.

    Adjusted net realized and unrealized losses, net of taxes, were $37.1 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, primarily reflecting realized and unrealized losses on certain debt and equity investments.

    Portfolio and Investment Activity

        As of
    ($ in thousands)   December 31, 2024 (unaudited)   September 30, 2024 (unaudited)   December 31, 2023 (unaudited)
    Investments at fair value   $ 2,835,294     $ 3,021,279     $ 3,018,552  
    Number of portfolio companies     136       144       146  
    Average portfolio company debt size   $ 22,000     $ 22,000     $ 20,200  
                 
    Asset class:            
    First lien debt     81.8 %     81.7 %     77.9 %
    Second lien debt     3.0 %     3.5 %     8.4 %
    Unsecured debt     3.9 %     3.6 %     2.5 %
    Equity     4.8 %     5.0 %     4.8 %
    JV interests     6.5 %     6.1 %     6.4 %
                 
    Non-accrual debt investments:            
    Non-accrual investments at fair value   $ 105,326     $ 114,292     $ 120,713  
    Non-accrual investments at cost     138,703       140,748       174,897  
    Non-accrual investments as a percentage of debt investments at fair value     3.9 %     4.0 %     4.2 %
    Non-accrual investments as a percentage of debt investments at cost     5.1 %     4.9 %     5.9 %
    Number of investments on non-accrual     9       9       7  
                 
    Interest rate type:            
    Percentage floating-rate     87.6 %     88.4 %     84.3 %
    Percentage fixed-rate     12.4 %     11.6 %     15.7 %
                 
    Yields:            
    Weighted average yield on debt investments1     10.7 %     11.2 %     12.2 %
    Cash component of weighted average yield on debt investments     9.5 %     10.0 %     11.1 %
    Weighted average yield on total portfolio investments2     10.2 %     10.7 %     11.7 %
                 
    Investment activity:            
    New investment commitments   $ 198,100     $ 259,000     $ 370,300  
    New funded investment activity3   $ 201,300     $ 232,700     $ 367,600  
    Proceeds from prepayments, exits, other paydowns and sales   $ 352,400     $ 338,300     $ 213,500  
    Net new investments4   $ (151,100 )   $ (105,600 )   $ 154,100  
    Number of new investment commitments in new portfolio companies     5       9       14  
    Number of new investment commitments in existing portfolio companies     8       10       10  
    Number of portfolio company exits     13       23       10  

    ______________________
    1 Annual stated yield earned plus net annual amortization of OID or premium earned on accruing investments, including the Company’s share of the return on debt investments in SLF JV I and Glick JV, and excluding any amortization or accretion of interest income resulting solely from the cost basis established by ASC 805 (see Non-GAAP Financial Measures below) for the assets acquired in connection with the OCSI Merger and OSI2 Merger.
    2 Annual stated yield earned plus net annual amortization of OID or premium earned on accruing investments and dividend income, including the Company’s share of the return on debt investments in SLF JV I and Glick JV, and excluding any amortization or accretion of interest income resulting solely from the cost basis established by ASC 805 for the assets acquired in connection with the OCSI Merger and OSI2 Merger.
    3 New funded investment activity includes drawdowns on existing revolver and delayed draw term loan commitments.
    4 Net new investments consists of new funded investment activity less proceeds from prepayments, exits, other paydowns and sales.

    As of December 31, 2024, the fair value of the investment portfolio was $2.8 billion and was composed of investments in 136 companies. These included debt investments in 114 companies, equity investments in 42 companies, and the Company’s joint venture investments in SLF JV I and OCSI Glick JV LLC (“Glick JV”). 22 of the equity investments were in companies in which the Company also had a debt investment.

    As of December 31, 2024, 94.4% of the Company’s portfolio at fair value consisted of debt investments, including 81.8% of first lien loans, 3.0% of second lien loans and 9.6% of unsecured debt investments, including the debt investments in SLF JV I and Glick JV. This compared to 81.7% of first lien loans, 3.5% of second lien loans and 9.0% of unsecured debt investments, including the debt investments in SLF JV I and Glick JV, as of September 30, 2024.

    As of December 31, 2024, there were nine investments on non-accrual status, which represented 5.1% and 3.9% of the debt portfolio at cost and fair value, respectively. As of September 30, 2024, there were nine investments on non-accrual status, which represented 4.9% and 4.0% of the debt portfolio at cost and fair value, respectively.

    SLF JV I

    The Company’s investments in SLF JV I totaled $135.4 million at fair value as of December 31, 2024, up 0.1% from $135.2 million as of September 30, 2024.

    As of December 31, 2024, SLF JV I had $344.9 million in assets, including senior secured loans to 42 portfolio companies. This compared to $375.8 million in assets, including senior secured loans to 48 portfolio companies, as of September 30, 2024. SLF JV I generated cash interest income of $3.4 million for the Company during the quarter ended December 31, 2024, down from $3.6 million in the prior quarter. In addition, SLF JV I generated dividend income of $0.7 million for the Company during the quarter ended December 31, 2024, down from $1.1 million in the prior quarter. As of December 31, 2024, SLF JV I had $95.0 million of undrawn capacity (subject to borrowing base and other limitations) on its $270 million senior revolving credit facility, and its debt to equity ratio was 1.1x.

    Glick JV

    The Company’s investments in Glick JV totaled $49.6 million at fair value as of December 31, 2024, up 1.4% from $48.9 million as of September 30, 2024. The increase was primarily driven by Glick JV’s use of leverage and unrealized appreciation in the underlying investment portfolio.

    As of December 31, 2024, Glick JV had $127.9 million in assets, including senior secured loans to 39 portfolio companies. This compared to $145.0 million in assets, including senior secured loans to 44 portfolio companies, as of September 30, 2024. Glick JV generated cash interest income of $1.4 million for the Company during the quarter ended December 31, 2024, down from $1.5 million in the prior quarter. As of December 31, 2024, Glick JV had $31.0 million of undrawn capacity (subject to borrowing base and other limitations) on its $100 million senior revolving credit facility, and its debt to equity ratio was 1.2x.

    Liquidity and Capital Resources

    As of December 31, 2024, the Company had total principal value of debt outstanding of $1,610.0 million, including $660.0 million of outstanding borrowings under its revolving credit facilities, $300.0 million of the 3.500% Notes due 2025, $350.0 million of the 2.700% Notes due 2027 and $300.0 million of the 7.100% Notes due 2029. The funding mix was composed of 41% secured and 59% unsecured borrowings as of December 31, 2024. The Company was in compliance with all financial covenants under its credit facilities as of December 31, 2024.

    As of December 31, 2024, the Company had $112.9 million of unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and $957.5 million of undrawn capacity on its credit facilities (subject to borrowing base and other limitations). As of December 31, 2024, unfunded investment commitments were $302.3 million, or $275.2 million excluding unfunded commitments to the Company’s joint ventures. Of the $275.2 million, approximately $243.7 million could be drawn immediately with the remaining amount subject to certain milestones that must be met by portfolio companies or other restrictions. The Company has analyzed cash and cash equivalents, availability under its credit facilities, the ability to rotate out of certain assets and amounts of unfunded commitments that could be drawn and believes its liquidity and capital resources are sufficient to invest in market opportunities as they arise.

    As of December 31, 2024, the weighted average interest rate on debt outstanding, including the effect of the interest rate swap agreements was 6.2%, down from 6.7% as of September 30, 2024, primarily driven by the impact of lower interest rates on the Company’s floating rate liabilities.

    The Company’s total debt to equity ratio was 1.11x and 1.12x as of each of December 31, 2024 and September 30, 2024, respectively. The Company’s net debt to equity ratio was 1.03x and 1.07x as of each of December 31, 2024 and September 30, 2024, respectively.

    Incentive Fee Lookback

    Effective as of October 1, 2024, Oaktree has agreed to waive incentive fees on income to institute an incentive fee cap (also known as a “total return hurdle”) in the calculation of the Part I Incentive Fee, which will consider capital gains and losses. This new arrangement includes a lookback provision that commences effective October 1, 2024, and will build over time to a rolling 12-quarter lookback by the Company’s 2027 fiscal year-end. Additional details regarding this new arrangement can be found in the Company’s Form 10-Q filed on February 4, 2025.

    Purchase Agreement

    On January 31, 2025, the Company and Oaktree Capital I, L.P., an affiliate of the Adviser, entered into a purchase agreement pursuant to which Oaktree Capital I, L.P. purchased 5,672,149 shares of the Company’s common stock on February 3, 2025 for an aggregate purchase price of $100.0 million. These shares were sold at the Company’s net asset value per share as of January 31, 2025, which was $17.63 per share and calculated in accordance with Section 23 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. Oaktree Capital I, L.P. has agreed not to sell the shares acquired in this transaction through February 3, 2026. This transaction represented a 10% premium to the closing stock price on January 31, 2025, and resulted in a nearly 7% increase in net assets, which (coupled with additional leverage) will increase dry powder for deployment, enabling growth and further diversification of the portfolio.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    On a supplemental basis, the Company is disclosing certain adjusted financial measures, each of which is calculated and presented on a basis of methodology other than in accordance with GAAP (“non-GAAP”). The Company’s management uses these non-GAAP financial measures internally to analyze and evaluate financial results and performance and believes that these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors as an additional tool to evaluate ongoing results and trends for the Company and to review the Company’s performance without giving effect to non-cash income/gain/loss resulting from the OCSI Merger and the OSI2 Merger and in the case of adjusted net investment income, without giving effect to capital gains incentive fees. The presentation of the below non-GAAP measures is not intended to be a substitute for financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered in isolation.

    • “Adjusted Total Investment Income” and “Adjusted Total Investment Income Per Share” – represents total investment income excluding any amortization or accretion of interest income resulting solely from the cost basis established by ASC 805 (see below) for the assets acquired in connection with the OCSI Merger and the OSI2 Merger.
    • “Adjusted Net Investment Income” and “Adjusted Net Investment Income Per Share” – represents net investment income, excluding (i) any amortization or accretion of interest income resulting solely from the cost basis established by ASC 805 (see below) for the assets acquired in connection with the OCSI Merger and the OSI2 Merger and (ii) capital gains incentive fees (“Part II incentive fees”).
    • “Adjusted Net Realized and Unrealized Gains (Losses), Net of Taxes” and “Adjusted Net Realized and Unrealized Gains (Losses), Net of Taxes Per Share” – represents net realized and unrealized gains (losses) net of taxes excluding any net realized and unrealized gains (losses) resulting solely from the cost basis established by ASC 805 (see below) for the assets acquired in connection with the OCSI Merger and the OSI2 Merger.
    • “Adjusted Earnings (Loss)” and “Adjusted Earnings (Loss) Per Share” – represents the sum of (i) Adjusted Net Investment Income and (ii) Adjusted Net Realized and Unrealized Gains (Losses), Net of Taxes and includes the impact of Part II incentive fees1, if any.

    The OCSI Merger and the OSI2 Merger (the “Mergers”) were accounted for as asset acquisitions in accordance with the asset acquisition method of accounting as detailed in ASC 805-50, Business Combinations—Related Issues (“ASC 805”). The consideration paid to each of the stockholders of OCSI and OSI2 were allocated to the individual assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on the relative fair values of the net identifiable assets acquired other than “non-qualifying” assets, which established a new cost basis for the acquired investments under ASC 805 that, in aggregate, was different than the historical cost basis of the acquired investments prior to the OCSI Merger or the OSI2 Merger, as applicable. Additionally, immediately following the completion of the Mergers, the acquired investments were marked to their respective fair values under ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements, which resulted in unrealized appreciation/depreciation. The new cost basis established by ASC 805 on debt investments acquired will accrete/amortize over the life of each respective debt investment through interest income, with a corresponding adjustment recorded to unrealized appreciation/depreciation on such investment acquired through its ultimate disposition. The new cost basis established by ASC 805 on equity investments acquired will not accrete/amortize over the life of such investments through interest income and, assuming no subsequent change to the fair value of the equity investments acquired and disposition of such equity investments at fair value, the Company will recognize a realized gain/loss with a corresponding reversal of the unrealized appreciation/depreciation on disposition of such equity investments acquired.

    The Company’s management uses the non-GAAP financial measures described above internally to analyze and evaluate financial results and performance and to compare its financial results with those of other business development companies that have not adjusted the cost basis of certain investments pursuant to ASC 805. The Company’s management believes “Adjusted Total Investment Income”, “Adjusted Total Investment Income Per Share”, “Adjusted Net Investment Income” and “Adjusted Net Investment Income Per Share” are useful to investors as an additional tool to evaluate ongoing results and trends for the Company without giving effect to the income resulting from the new cost basis of the investments acquired in the Mergers because these amounts do not impact the fees payable to Oaktree Fund Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”) under its investment advisory agreement (as amended and restated from time to time, the “A&R Advisory Agreement”), and specifically as its relates to “Adjusted Net Investment Income” and “Adjusted Net Investment Income Per Share”, without giving effect to Part II incentive fees. In addition, the Company’s management believes that “Adjusted Net Realized and Unrealized Gains (Losses), Net of Taxes”, “Adjusted Net Realized and Unrealized Gains (Losses), Net of Taxes Per Share”, “Adjusted Earnings (Loss)” and “Adjusted Earnings (Loss) Per Share” are useful to investors as they exclude the non-cash income and gain/loss resulting from the Mergers and are used by management to evaluate the economic earnings of its investment portfolio. Moreover, these metrics more closely align the Company’s key financial measures with the calculation of incentive fees payable to the Adviser under with the A&R Advisory Agreement (i.e., excluding amounts resulting solely from the lower cost basis of the acquired investments established by ASC 805 that would have been to the benefit of the Adviser absent such exclusion).

    The following table provides a reconciliation of total investment income (the most comparable U.S. GAAP measure) to adjusted total investment income for the periods presented:

        For the three months ended
        December 31, 2024 (unaudited)   September 30, 2024 (unaudited)   December 31, 2023 (unaudited)
    ($ in thousands, except per share data)   Amount   Per Share   Amount   Per Share   Amount   Per Share
    GAAP total investment income   $ 86,647     $ 1.05     $ 94,685     $ 1.15     $ 97,985     $ 1.26  
    Interest income amortization (accretion) related to merger accounting adjustments     423       0.01       315             29        
    Adjusted total investment income   $ 87,070     $ 1.06     $ 95,000     $ 1.16     $ 98,014     $ 1.26  
                                                     

    The following table provides a reconciliation of net investment income (the most comparable U.S. GAAP measure) to adjusted net investment income for the periods presented:

        For the three months ended
        December 31, 2024 (unaudited)   September 30, 2024 (unaudited)   December 31, 2023 (unaudited)
    ($ in thousands, except per share data)   Amount   Per Share   Amount   Per Share   Amount   Per Share
    GAAP net investment income   $ 44,302     $ 0.54     $ 44,921     $ 0.55     $ 44,189     $ 0.57  
    Interest income amortization (accretion) related to merger accounting adjustments     423       0.01       315             29        
    Part II incentive fee                                    
    Adjusted net investment income   $ 44,725     $ 0.54     $ 45,236     $ 0.55     $ 44,218     $ 0.57  
                                                     

    The following table provides a reconciliation of net realized and unrealized gains (losses), net of taxes (the most comparable U.S. GAAP measure) to adjusted net realized and unrealized gains (losses), net of taxes for the periods presented:

        For the three months ended
        December 31, 2024 (unaudited)   September 30, 2024 (unaudited)   December 31, 2023 (unaudited)
    ($ in thousands, except per share data)   Amount   Per Share   Amount   Per Share   Amount   Per Share
    GAAP net realized and unrealized gains (losses), net of taxes   $ (37,063 )   $ (0.45 )   $ (8,008 )   $ (0.10 )   $ (33,654 )   $ (0.43 )
    Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) related to merger accounting adjustments     (61 )           (314 )           796       0.01  
    Adjusted net realized and unrealized gains (losses), net of taxes   $ (37,124 )   $ (0.45 )   $ (8,322 )   $ (0.10 )   $ (32,858 )   $ (0.42 )
                                                     

    The following table provides a reconciliation of net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations (the most comparable U.S. GAAP measure) to adjusted earnings (loss) for the periods presented:

        For the three months ended
        December 31, 2024 (unaudited)   September 30, 2024 (unaudited)   December 31, 2023 (unaudited)
    ($ in thousands, except per share data)   Amount   Per Share   Amount   Per Share   Amount   Per Share
    Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations   $ 7,239     $ 0.09     $ 36,913     $ 0.45     $ 10,535     $ 0.14  
    Interest income amortization (accretion) related to merger accounting adjustments     423       0.01       315             29        
    Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) related to merger accounting adjustments     (61 )           (314 )           796       0.01  
    Adjusted earnings (loss)   $ 7,601     $ 0.09     $ 36,914     $ 0.45     $ 11,360     $ 0.15  
                                                     

    Conference Call Information

    Oaktree Specialty Lending will host a conference call to discuss its first fiscal quarter 2025 results at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time / 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time on February 4, 2025. The conference call may be accessed by dialing (877) 507-3275 (U.S. callers) or +1 (412) 317-5238 (non-U.S. callers). All callers will need to reference “Oaktree Specialty Lending” once connected with the operator. Alternatively, a live webcast of the conference call can be accessed through the Investors section of Oaktree Specialty Lending’s website, www.oaktreespecialtylending.com. During the conference call, the Company intends to refer to an investor presentation that will be available on the Investors section of its website.

    For those individuals unable to listen to the live broadcast of the conference call, a replay will be available on Oaktree Specialty Lending’s website, or by dialing (877) 344-7529 (U.S. callers) or +1 (412) 317-0088 (non-U.S. callers), access code 1211943, beginning approximately one hour after the broadcast.

    About Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation

    Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation (NASDAQ:OCSL) is a specialty finance company dedicated to providing customized one-stop credit solutions to companies with limited access to public or syndicated capital markets. The Company’s investment objective is to generate current income and capital appreciation by providing companies with flexible and innovative financing solutions including first and second lien loans, unsecured and mezzanine loans, and preferred equity. The Company is regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and is externally managed by Oaktree Fund Advisors, LLC, an affiliate of Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. For additional information, please visit Oaktree Specialty Lending’s website at www.oaktreespecialtylending.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Some of the statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements because they relate to future events, future performance or financial condition. The forward-looking statements may include statements as to: future operating results of the Company and distribution projections; business prospects of the Company and the prospects of its portfolio companies; and the impact of the investments that the Company expects to make. In addition, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “seek,” “plan,” “should,” “estimate,” “project” and “intend” indicate forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements include these words. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release involve risks and uncertainties. Certain factors could cause actual results and conditions to differ materially from those projected, including the uncertainties associated with (i) changes in the economy, financial markets and political environment, including the impacts of inflation and elevated interest rates; (ii) risks associated with possible disruption in the operations of the Company or the economy generally due to terrorism, war or other geopolitical conflict (including the current conflicts in Ukraine and Israel), natural disasters, pandemics or cybersecurity incidents; (iii) future changes in laws or regulations (including the interpretation of these laws and regulations by regulatory authorities); (iv) conditions in the Company’s operating areas, particularly with respect to business development companies or regulated investment companies; and (v) other considerations that may be disclosed from time to time in the Company’s publicly disseminated documents and filings. The Company has based the forward-looking statements included in this press release on information available to it on the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, you are advised to consult any additional disclosures that it may make directly to you or through reports that the Company in the future may file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K.

    Contacts

    Investor Relations:
    Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation
    Dane Kleven
    (213) 356-3260
    ocsl-ir@oaktreecapital.com

    Media Relations:
    Financial Profiles, Inc.
    Moira Conlon
    (310) 478-2700
    mediainquiries@oaktreecapital.com

     
    Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation
    Consolidated Statements of Assets and Liabilities
    (in thousands, except per share amounts)
           
      December 31, 2024 (unaudited)   September 30, 2024
    ASSETS      
    Investments at fair value:      
    Control investments (cost December 31, 2024: $374,509; cost September 30, 2024: $372,901) $ 267,782     $ 289,404  
    Affiliate investments (cost December 31, 2024: $37,358; cost September 30, 2024: $38,175)   35,180       35,677  
    Non-control/Non-affiliate investments (cost December 31, 2024: $2,576,053; cost September 30, 2024: $2,733,843)   2,532,332       2,696,198  
    Total investments at fair value (cost December 31, 2024: $2,987,920; September 30, 2024: $3,144,919)   2,835,294       3,021,279  
    Cash and cash equivalents   112,913       63,966  
    Restricted cash   13,159       14,577  
    Interest, dividends and fees receivable   25,290       38,804  
    Due from portfolio companies   408       12,530  
    Receivables from unsettled transactions   55,661       17,548  
    Due from broker   21,880       17,060  
    Deferred financing costs   10,936       11,677  
    Deferred offering costs   162       125  
    Derivative assets at fair value   6,652        
    Other assets   1,437       775  
    Total assets $ 3,083,792     $ 3,198,341  
           
    LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS      
    Liabilities:      
    Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities $ 3,371     $ 3,492  
    Base management fee and incentive fee payable   8,930       15,517  
    Due to affiliate   1,508       4,088  
    Interest payable   17,600       16,231  
    Payables from unsettled transactions         15,666  
    Derivative liabilities at fair value   24,759       16,843  
    Deferred tax liability   14        
    Credit facilities payable   660,000       710,000  
    Unsecured notes payable (net of $4,401 and $4,935 of unamortized financing costs as of December 31, 2024 and September 30, 2024, respectively)   917,795       928,693  
    Total liabilities   1,633,977       1,710,530  
    Commitments and contingencies      
    Net assets:      
    Common stock, $0.01 par value per share, 250,000 shares authorized; 82,245 and 82,245 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2024 and September 30, 2024, respectively   822       822  
    Additional paid-in-capital   2,264,449       2,264,449  
    Accumulated overdistributed earnings   (815,456 )     (777,460 )
    Total net assets (equivalent to $17.63 and $18.09 per common share as of December 31, 2024 and September 30, 2024, respectively)   1,449,815       1,487,811  
    Total liabilities and net assets $ 3,083,792     $ 3,198,341  
     
    Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation
    Consolidated Statements of Operations
    (in thousands, except per share amounts)
     
                 
        Three months ended
    December 31, 2024 (unaudited)
      Three months ended
    September 30, 2024 (unaudited)
      Three months ended
    December 31, 2023 (unaudited)
    Interest income:            
    Control investments   $ 5,226     $ 6,012     $ 6,005  
    Affiliate investments     166       159       324  
    Non-control/Non-affiliate investments     71,809       76,476       82,721  
    Interest on cash and cash equivalents     1,221       979       2,364  
    Total interest income     78,422       83,626       91,414  
    PIK interest income:            
    Control investments     830       765       544  
    Affiliate investments     28       45        
    Non-control/Non-affiliate investments     4,870       5,208       3,305  
    Total PIK interest income     5,728       6,018       3,849  
    Fee income:            
    Control investments           12       13  
    Affiliate investments                 5  
    Non-control/Non-affiliate investments     1,679       3,885       1,289  
    Total fee income     1,679       3,897       1,307  
    Dividend income:            
    Control investments     700       1,050       1,400  
    Non-control/Non-affiliate investments     118       94       15  
    Total dividend income     818       1,144       1,415  
    Total investment income     86,647       94,685       97,985  
    Expenses:            
    Base management fee     8,144       8,550       11,477  
    Part I incentive fee     7,913       8,943       9,028  
    Professional fees     1,067       862       1,504  
    Directors fees     160       160       160  
    Interest expense     30,562       32,058       32,170  
    Administrator expense     437       465       366  
    General and administrative expenses     926       704       591  
    Total expenses     49,209       51,742       55,296  
    Management fees waived     (750 )     (750 )     (1,500 )
    Part I incentive fees waived     (6,377 )     (1,228 )      
    Net expenses     42,082       49,764       53,796  
    Net investment income before taxes     44,565       44,921       44,189  
    (Provision) benefit for taxes on net investment income     (263 )            
    Net investment income     44,302       44,921       44,189  
    Unrealized appreciation (depreciation):            
    Control investments     (23,230 )     (12,909 )     1,339  
    Affiliate investments     320       207       (925 )
    Non-control/Non-affiliate investments     (7,198 )     60,159       (17,615 )
    Foreign currency forward contracts     10,494       (4,278 )     (7,824 )
    Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation)     (19,614 )     43,179       (25,025 )
    Realized gains (losses):            
    Control investments                 786  
    Affiliate investments     (288 )            
    Non-control/Non-affiliate investments     (17,056 )     (50,349 )     (13,340 )
    Foreign currency forward contracts     34       (1,499 )     4,101  
    Net realized gains (losses)     (17,310 )     (51,848 )     (8,453 )
    (Provision) benefit for taxes on realized and unrealized gains (losses)     (139 )     661       (176 )
    Net realized and unrealized gains (losses), net of taxes     (37,063 )     (8,008 )     (33,654 )
    Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations   $ 7,239     $ 36,913     $ 10,535  
    Net investment income per common share — basic and diluted   $ 0.54     $ 0.55     $ 0.57  
    Earnings (loss) per common share — basic and diluted   $ 0.09     $ 0.45     $ 0.14  
    Weighted average common shares outstanding — basic and diluted     82,245       82,245       77,840  

    1 Adjusted earnings (loss) includes accrued Part II incentive fees. As of and for the three months ended December 31, 2024, there was no accrued Part II incentive fee liability. Part II incentive fees are contractually calculated and paid at the end of the fiscal year in accordance with the A&R Advisory Agreement, which differs from Part II incentive fees accrued under GAAP. For the three months ended December 31, 2024, no amounts were payable under the A&R Advisory Agreement.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Unlock Your Trading Edge with Axi at the 2025 Money Expo Mexico

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SYDNEY, Feb. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Leading online FX and CFD broker Axi announced that it is attending this year’s Money Expo Mexico, taking place on February 26-27, 2025, at Centro Citibanamex.

    Event attendees will have the opportunity to learn about Axi Select, Axi’s innovative capital allocation program designed to empower ambitious traders on their trading journey, as well as meet Axi Select traders who are well on their way to reaching the $1million milestone. “We invite all traders to visit our team at Booth 14 and uncover the future of trading with Axi,” says Greg Rubin, Head of Axi Select at Axi, before adding “We look forward to networking with fellow traders and showcasing the exceptional benefits of Axi Select. Our program features zero registration fees, capital funding of up to $1,000,000 USD, the opportunity to earn up to 90% of the profits, and advanced tools to accelerate traders’ trading potential.”

    Additionally, visitors can explore their Introducing Broker (IB) and Affiliate programs or learn more about Axi’s longstanding partnership with Manchester City, Premier League Champions. Man City memorabilia and the club’s mascots will be on-site for photos and attendees stand the chance to win exciting prizes from the broker, including signed player shirts and other merchandise.

    The broker has a longstanding partnership with Premier League club, Manchester City FC, as well as LaLiga club, Girona FC, and Brazilian club, Esporte Clube Bahia. In 2023, they also announced England international John Stones as their Brand Ambassador. More recently, the broker was recognised with the ‘Innovator of the Year’ award at the 2024 Dubai Forex Expo, as well as being named ‘Most Innovative Proprietary Trading Firm’ by Finance Feeds.

    The Axi Select programme is only available to clients of AxiTrader Limited. CFDs carry a high risk of investment loss. In our dealings with you, we will act as a principal counterparty to all of your positions. This content is not available to AU, NZ, EU and UK residents. For more information, refer to our Terms of Service.

    About Axi

    Axi is a global online FX and CFD trading company, with thousands of customers in 100+ countries worldwide. Axi offers CFDs for several asset classes including Forex, Gold, Oil, and more.

    For more information or additional comments from Axi, please contact: mediaenquiries@axi.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Picus Security Finds 3X Increase in Malware Targeting Password Stores

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Picus Security, the leading security validation company, today released The Red Report™ 2025. Based on an in-depth analysis of more than 1 million pieces of malware collected in 2024, the fifth annual report reveals that 25% of malware targets credentials in password stores — a 3X increase from 2023. For the first time ever, stealing credentials from password stores is in the top 10 techniques listed in the MITRE ATT&CK Framework. The report reveals that these top 10 techniques accounted for 93% of all malicious actions in 2024.

    “Threat actors are leveraging sophisticated extraction methods, including memory scraping, registry harvesting and compromising local and cloud-based password stores, to obtain credentials that give attackers the keys to the kingdom,” said Picus Security co-founder and VP of Picus Labs, Dr. Suleyman Ozarslan. “It’s vital that password managers are used in tandem with multi-factor authentication, and that employees never reuse a password, especially for their password manager.”

    Picus observed that attackers are prioritizing complex, prolonged, multi-stage attacks that require a new generation of malware to succeed. Picus Labs researchers coined the term “SneakThief” to represent the evolution of info-stealing malware, which involves increased stealth, persistence and automation. They liken the increasingly sophisticated approach to “the perfect heist,” noting that most malware samples now contain more than a dozen malicious actions designed to help attackers evade defenses, increase permissions and exfiltrate data.

    “Focusing on Top 10 MITRE ATT&CK techniques is the most viable way to stop the kill chain of sophisticated malware strains as early as possible”, said Volkan Ertürk, CTO and co-founder of Picus. “SneakThief malware is not an exception, enterprise security teams can stop ninety percent of malware by focusing on just 10 of MITRE’s entire library of techniques.”

    Additional key findings from the report include:

    • Malware samples now contain an average of 14 malicious actions. This means each individual piece of malware is more complex and can perform more actions in the cyber kill chain.
    • Exfiltration and stealth tactics made up 11.3 million actions in 2024. Adversaries are shifting to covert exfiltration methods — “whispering channels” like encrypted communications (HTTPS, DoH) — and living-off-the-land techniques to blend malicious activity into legitimate traffic. It is more common than ever to see tactics like process injection and application layer protocols used as key enablers, allowing attackers to persist in environments and exfiltrate data without triggering an alert.
    • No evidence that cybercriminals are using AI-driven malware. Despite the widespread hype surrounding AI and its potential applications in cybersecurity, Picus’s analysis revealed no significant increase in the use of AI-driven malware techniques in 2024.

    Methodology
    Picus Labs processed 1,094,744 pieces of malware collected between January and December 2024. From the identified malicious files, 14,010,853 malicious actions were detected, averaging approximately 14 actions per malware sample. These malicious actions were systematically mapped to the MITRE ATT&CK framework. The Picus Red Report offers a more in-depth description of the research methodology.

    To learn more, download the Picus Red Report 2025 and register to explore the report results with the Picus Research team during a (live) webinar on Thursday, February 27, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. EST.

    Resources

    About Picus Security 
    Picus Security, the leading security validation company, gives organizations a clear picture of their cyber risk based on business context. Picus transforms security practices by correlating, prioritizing and validating exposures across siloed findings so teams can focus on critical gaps and high-impact fixes. With Picus, security teams can quickly take action with one-click mitigations to stop more threats with less effort.

    The pioneer of Breach and Attack Simulation, Picus delivers award-winning, threat-centric technology that allows teams to pinpoint fixes worth pursuing, offering a 95% recommendation in Gartner® Peer Insights™ Customers’ Choice for 2024 in the BAS tools category.

    Contact Info:
    Jennifer Tanner
    Look Left Marketing
    picus@lookleftmarketing.com 

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/73c8bf25-cd5e-41a8-8b6d-4561fe99df09

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/009eaa50-d2e3-4bee-aadb-f2140af1864c

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: WTW Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Earnings

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Revenue1 increased 4% over prior year to $3.0 billion for the quarter and increased 5% to $9.9 billion for the year
    • Organic Revenue growth of 5% for both the quarter and the year
    • Diluted Earnings per Share was $12.25 for the quarter, up 105% over prior year, and Diluted Loss2 was $0.96 for the year.
    • Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share was $8.13 for the quarter, up 9% from prior year, and $16.93 for the year, up 17% over prior year 
    • Operating Margin was 29.7% for the quarter, up 300 basis points over prior year, and 6.3% for the year, down 810 basis points from prior year
    • Adjusted Operating Margin was 36.1% for the quarter, up 190 basis points from prior year, and 23.9% for the year, up 190 basis points over prior year

    LONDON, Feb. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — WTW (NASDAQ: WTW) (the “Company”), a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2024.

    “WTW is entering 2025 with considerable momentum after delivering on our 2024 financial targets through solid revenue growth, robust margin expansion and earnings growth,” said Carl Hess, WTW’s chief executive officer. “The successful completion of our Grow, Simplify and Transform strategy has primed all of our businesses to perform, and we are now stronger, more connected and more efficient than we have ever been. I’m confident our new strategy to accelerate our performance, enhance our efficiency and optimize our portfolio will produce innovative solutions for our customers and create more value for shareholders. I’m proud of our team’s dedication and look forward to executing on our strategic and financial goals in the years ahead.”

    Consolidated Results

    Fourth Quarter 2024, as reported, USD millions, except %

    Key Metrics Q4-24 Q4-23 Y/Y Change
    Revenue1 $3,035 $2,914 Reported 4% | CC 5% | Organic 5%
    Income from Operations $901 $779 16%
    Operating Margin % 29.7% 26.7% 300 bps
    Adjusted Operating Income $1,096 $998 10%
    Adjusted Operating Margin % 36.1% 34.2% 190 bps
    Net Income $1,248 $623 100%
    Adjusted Net Income $827 $775 7%
    Diluted EPS $12.25 $5.97 105%
    Adjusted Diluted EPS $8.13 $7.44 9%

    Revenue was $3.04 billion for the fourth quarter of 2024, an increase of 4% as compared to $2.91 billion for the same period in the prior year. Excluding the impact of foreign currency, revenue increased 5%. On an organic basis, revenue increased 5%. See Supplemental Segment Information for additional detail on book-of-business settlements and interest income included in revenue.

    Net Income for the fourth quarter of 2024 was $1.25 billion compared to Net Income of $623 million in the prior-year fourth quarter. Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter was $1.2 billion, or 38.6% of revenue, an increase of 9%, compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $1.1 billion, or 37.1% of revenue, in the prior-year fourth quarter. The U.S. GAAP tax rate for the fourth quarter was 26.0%, and the adjusted income tax rate for the fourth quarter used in calculating adjusted diluted earnings per share was 21.3%.

    Full Year 2024, as reported, USD millions, except %

    Key Metrics FY-24 FY-23 Y/Y Change
    Revenue1 $9,930 $9,483 Reported 5% | CC 5% | Organic 5%
    Income from Operations $627 $1,365 (54)%
    Operating Margin % 6.3% 14.4% (810) bps
    Adjusted Operating Income $2,378 $2,082 14%
    Adjusted Operating Margin % 23.9% 22.0% 190 bps
    Net (Loss)/Income2 $(88) $1,064 NM
    Adjusted Net Income $1,730 $1,536 13%
    Diluted EPS2 $(0.96) $9.95 NM
    Adjusted Diluted EPS $16.93 $14.49 17%
    1 The revenue amounts included in this release are presented on a U.S. GAAP basis except where stated otherwise. This excludes reinsurance revenue which is reported in discontinued operations. The segment discussion is on an organic basis.
    2 Net Loss and Diluted Loss Per Share for the year ended 2024 primarily includes impairment charges of over $1.0 billion related to the sale of TRANZACT.
    NM Not meaningful

    Revenue was $9.93 billion for the year ended December 31, 2024, an increase of 5% as compared to $9.48 billion for the prior year. On an organic basis, revenue increased 5%. See Supplemental Segment Information for additional detail on book-of-business settlements and interest income included in revenue.

    Net Loss for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $88 million, compared to Net Income of $1.1 billion in the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA for 2024 was $2.7 billion, or 27.3% of revenue, an increase of $278 million, compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $2.4 billion, or 25.6% of revenue, in the prior year.

    The U.S. GAAP tax rate for 2024 was 184.7%, and the adjusted income tax rate for 2024 used in calculating adjusted diluted earnings per share was 21.5%.

    Cash Flow and Capital Allocation 

    Cash flows from operating activities were $1.5 billion for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $1.3 billion for the prior year. Free cash flow for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was $1.4 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively, an increase of $184 million, primarily driven by operating margin expansion, partially offset by cash outflows related to transformation and discretionary compensation payments. During the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2024, the Company repurchased $395 million and $901 million of WTW shares, respectively.

    Fourth Quarter 2024 Segment Highlights

    Health, Wealth & Career (“HWC”)

    As reported, USD millions, except %

    Health, Wealth & Career Q4-24 Q4-23 Y/Y Change
    Total Revenue $1,853 $1,798 Reported 3% | CC 3% | Organic 3%
    Operating Income $776 $729 6%
    Operating Margin % 41.9% 40.5% 140 bps

    The HWC segment had revenue of $1.85 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024, an increase of 3% (3% increase constant currency and organic) from $1.80 billion in the prior year. Health had organic revenue growth led by increased project work and brokerage income in North America and the continued expansion of our Global Benefits Management client portfolio in International and Europe. Wealth generated organic revenue growth from higher levels of Retirement work globally, an increase in our Investments business due to growth of our LifeSight solution and capital market improvements. Career had organic revenue growth from increased advisory services and product revenue. Benefits Delivery & Outsourcing (BD&O) had an organic revenue decline for the quarter primarily as a result of deliberately moderating growth in TRANZACT.

    Operating margins in the HWC segment increased 140 basis points from the prior-year fourth quarter to 41.9%, primarily from Transformation savings. Please refer to the Supplemental Slides for TRANZACT’s standalone historical financial results.

    Risk & Broking (“R&B”)

    As reported, USD millions, except %

    Risk & Broking Q4-24 Q4-23 Y/Y Change
    Total Revenue $1,141 $1,076 Reported 6% | CC 7% | Organic 7%
    Operating Income $383 $354 8%
    Operating Margin % 33.5% 32.9% 60 bps

    The R&B segment had revenue of $1.14 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024, an increase of 6% (7% increase constant currency and organic) from $1.08 billion in the prior year. Corporate Risk & Broking (CRB) had organic revenue growth driven by higher levels of new business activity and strong client retention. Insurance Consulting and Technology (ICT) had organic revenue growth for the quarter primarily due to strong software sales in Technology.

    Operating margins in the R&B segment increased 60 basis points from the prior-year fourth quarter to 33.5%, primarily due to operating leverage driven by organic revenue growth and disciplined expense management, as well as Transformation savings which were partially offset by headwinds from book-of-business activity and foreign currency fluctuations.

    Select 2025 Financial Considerations

    Changes to Non-GAAP financial measures:

    • All reported non-GAAP metrics will exclude non-cash net periodic pension and postretirement benefit credits
    • Free cash flow and free cash flow margin will capture cash outflows for capitalized software costs
    • Refer to Supplemental Slides for recast of historical Non-GAAP measures

    Business mix:

    • Divested TRANZACT business, which contributed $1.14 to adjusted diluted earnings per share in 2024, is no longer part of the business portfolio
    • Reinsurance joint venture expected to be a headwind on adjusted diluted earnings per share of approximately $0.25 to $0.35

    Free cash flow:

    • Expect cash outflows in 2025 from the settlement of accrued costs related to the Transformation program which concluded in 2024
    • Cash taxes related to receipt of earnout from reinsurance divestiture will be classified as Cash Flows from Operating Activities on Statement of Cash Flows

    Capital allocation:

    • Expect share repurchases of ~$1.5 billion, subject to market conditions and potential capital allocation to organic and inorganic investment opportunities

    Foreign exchange:

    • Expect a foreign currency headwind on adjusted diluted earnings per share of approximately $0.18 in 2025 at today’s rates

    Adjusted operating margin outlook:

    • ~100 basis points of average annual margin expansion over next 3 years in R&B
    • Incremental annual margin expansion at HWC and enterprise levels

    The 2025 Financial Considerations above include Non-GAAP financial measures. We do not reconcile forward-looking Non-GAAP measures for reasons explained under “WTW Non-GAAP Measures” below.

    Conference Call

    The Company will host a live webcast and conference call to discuss the financial results for the fourth quarter 2024. It will be held on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. A live broadcast of the conference call will be available on WTW’s website here. The conference call will include a question-and-answer session. To participate in the question-and-answer session, please register here. An online replay will be available at www.wtwco.com shortly after the call concludes.

    About WTW

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

    WTW Non-GAAP Measures

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    WTW Forward-Looking Statements

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

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

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

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

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

    Contact

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

     

    WTW
    Supplemental Segment Information
    (In millions of U.S. dollars)
    (Unaudited)
     
    REVENUE    
                  Components of Revenue Change(i)
                        Less:       Less:    
        Three Months Ended
     December 31,
        As Reported   Currency   Constant Currency   Acquisitions/   Organic
        2024     2023     % Change   Impact   Change   Divestitures   Change
                                     
    Health, Wealth & Career                                
    Revenue excluding interest income   $ 1,847     $ 1,791     3%   0%   3%   0%   3%
    Interest income     6       7                      
    Total     1,853       1,798     3%   0%   3%   0%   3%
                                     
    Risk & Broking                                
    Revenue excluding interest income   $ 1,115     $ 1,049     6%   (1)%   7%   0%   7%
    Interest income     26       27                      
    Total     1,141       1,076     6%   (1)%   7%   0%   7%
                                     
    Segment Revenue   $ 2,994     $ 2,874     4%   (1)%   5%   0%   5%
    Corporate, reimbursable expenses and other     37       35                      
    Interest income     4       5                      
    Revenue   $ 3,035     $ 2,914     4%   (1)%   5%   0%   5%(ii)
                  Components of Revenue Change(i)
                        Less:       Less:    
        Years Ended December 31,    As Reported   Currency   Constant Currency   Acquisitions/   Organic
        2024    2023    % Change   Impact   Change   Divestitures   Change
                                     
    Health, Wealth & Career                                
    Revenue excluding interest income   $ 5,745     $ 5,557     3%   0%   3%   0%   4%
    Interest income     32       25                      
    Total     5,777       5,582     3%   0%   4%   0%   4%
                                     
    Risk & Broking                                
    Revenue excluding interest income   $ 3,926     $ 3,656     7%   0%   8%   0%   8%
    Interest income     112       79                      
    Total     4,038       3,735     8%   (1)%   9%   0%   8%
                                     
    Segment Revenue   $ 9,815     $ 9,317     5%   0%   6%   0%   6%
    Corporate, reimbursable expenses and other     93       125                      
    Interest income     22       41                      
    Revenue   $ 9,930     $ 9,483     5%   0%   5%   0%   5%(ii)

    (i)  Components of revenue change may not add due to rounding.
    (ii)  Interest income did not contribute to organic change for the three months and year ended December 31, 2024.

    BOOK-OF-BUSINESS SETTLEMENTS AND INTEREST INCOME

        Three Months Ended December 31,  
        HWC    R&B    Corporate    Total 
        2024    2023    2024    2023    2024    2023    2024    2023 
    Book-of-business settlements   $ 5     $ 1     $ 6     $ 14     $     $     $ 11     $ 15  
    Interest income     6       7       26       27       4       5       36       39  
    Total   $ 11     $ 8     $ 32     $ 41     $ 4     $ 5     $ 47     $ 54  
        Years Ended December 31,  
        HWC    R&B    Corporate    Total 
        2024    2023    2024    2023    2024    2023    2024    2023 
    Book-of-business settlements   $ 8     $ 1     $ 14     $ 25     $     $     $ 22     $ 26  
    Interest income     32       25       112       79       22       41       166       145  
    Total   $ 40     $ 26     $ 126     $ 104     $ 22     $ 41     $ 188     $ 171  


    SEGMENT OPERATING INCOME (i)

        Three Months Ended
    December 31, 
        2024    2023 
                 
    Health, Wealth & Career   $ 776     $ 729  
    Risk & Broking     383       354  
    Segment Operating Income   $ 1,159     $ 1,083  
        Years Ended
    December 31, 
        2024    2023 
                 
    Health, Wealth & Career   $ 1,717     $ 1,565  
    Risk & Broking     958       813  
    Segment Operating Income   $ 2,675     $ 2,378  


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

    SEGMENT OPERATING MARGINS

        Three Months Ended December 31,
        2024    2023 
    Health, Wealth & Career   41.9%   40.5%
    Risk & Broking   33.5%   32.9%
        Years Ended
    December 31,
        2024    2023 
    Health, Wealth & Career   29.7%   28.0%
    Risk & Broking   23.7%   21.8%


    RECONCILIATIONS OF SEGMENT OPERATING INCOME TO INCOME FROM OPERATIONS BEFORE INCOME TAXES

        Three Months Ended December 31, 
        2024    2023 
                 
    Segment Operating Income   $ 1,159     $ 1,083  
    Amortization     (50 )     (60 )
    Restructuring costs     (32 )     (38 )
    Transaction and transformation(i)     (113 )     (121 )
    Unallocated, net(ii)     (63 )     (85 )
    Income from Operations     901       779  
    Interest expense     (66 )     (63 )
    Other income, net     853       23  
    Income from operations before income taxes   $ 1,688     $ 739  
        Years Ended December 31, 
        2024    2023 
                 
    Segment Operating Income   $ 2,675     $ 2,378  
    Impairment(iii)     (1,042 )      
    Amortization     (226 )     (263 )
    Restructuring costs     (61 )     (68 )
    Transaction and transformation(i)     (409 )     (386 )
    Unallocated, net(ii)     (310 )     (296 )
    Income from Operations     627       1,365  
    Interest expense     (263 )     (235 )
    Other (loss)/income, net     (260 )     149  
    Income from operations before income taxes   $ 104     $ 1,279  

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

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

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

        Three Months Ended December 31, 
        2024    2023 
                 
    Net income attributable to WTW   $ 1,246     $ 622  
    Adjusted for certain items:            
    Amortization     50       60  
    Restructuring costs     32       38  
    Transaction and transformation     113       121  
    Pension settlement     23        
    (Gain)/loss on disposal of operations     (853 )     1  
    Tax effect on certain items listed above(i)     216       (67 )
    Adjusted Net Income   $ 827     $ 775  
                 
    Weighted-average ordinary shares, diluted     102       104  
                 
    Diluted Earnings Per Share   $ 12.25     $ 5.97  
    Adjusted for certain items:(ii)            
    Amortization     0.49       0.58  
    Restructuring costs     0.31       0.36  
    Transaction and transformation     1.11       1.16  
    Pension settlement     0.23        
    (Gain)/loss on disposal of operations     (8.39 )     0.01  
    Tax effect on certain items listed above(i)     2.12       (0.64 )
    Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share(ii)   $ 8.13     $ 7.44  
        Years Ended December 31, 
        2024    2023 
                 
    Net (loss)/income attributable to WTW   $ (98 )   $ 1,055  
    Adjusted for certain items:            
    Impairment     1,042        
    Amortization     226       263  
    Restructuring costs     61       68  
    Transaction and transformation     409       386  
    Provision for specified litigation matter(iii)     13        
    Pension settlement     23        
    Loss/(gain) on disposal of operations     337       (43 )
    Tax effect on certain items listed above(i)     (276 )     (195 )
    Tax effect of significant adjustments     (7 )     2  
    Adjusted Net Income   $ 1,730     $ 1,536  
                 
    Weighted-average ordinary shares, diluted(iv)     102       106  
                 
    Diluted (Loss)/Earnings Per Share(iv)   $ (0.96 )   $ 9.95  
    Adjusted for certain items:(ii)            
    Impairment     10.20        
    Amortization     2.21       2.48  
    Restructuring costs     0.60       0.64  
    Transaction and transformation     4.00       3.64  
    Provision for specified litigation matter(iii)     0.13        
    Pension settlement     0.23        
    Loss/(gain) on disposal of operations     3.30       (0.41 )
    Tax effect on certain items listed above(i)     (2.70 )     (1.84 )
    Tax effect of significant adjustments     (0.07 )     0.02  
    Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share(ii)   $ 16.93     $ 14.49  

     (i) The tax effect was calculated using an effective tax rate for each item.
    (ii) Per share values and totals may differ due to rounding.
    (iii) Represents a provision related to litigation arising out of a structured insurance program originally placed for a client over 15 years ago. The program is of a type and complexity that was highly bespoke to the client and for that reason is unlikely to be exactly replicated elsewhere. We believe excluding this matter from adjusted results makes results more comparable from period to period and more representative of our core business operations.
    (iv) When there is a net loss attributable to WTW for the period, basic and diluted shares and earnings per share are the same values.

    RECONCILIATIONS OF NET INCOME/(LOSS) TO ADJUSTED EBITDA

        Three Months Ended December 31,    
        2024    2023   
                   
    Net Income   $ 1,248   41.1% $ 623   21.4%
    Provision for income taxes     440       116    
    Interest expense     66       63    
    Depreciation     54       58    
    Amortization     50       60    
    Restructuring costs     32       38    
    Transaction and transformation     113       121    
    Pension settlement     23          
    (Gain)/loss on disposal of operations     (853 )     1    
    Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin   $ 1,173   38.6% $ 1,080   37.1%
        Years Ended December 31,    
        2024    2023   
                   
    Net (Loss)/Income   $ (88 ) (0.9)% $ 1,064   11.2%
    Provision for income taxes     192       215    
    Interest expense     263       235    
    Impairment     1,042          
    Depreciation     230       242    
    Amortization     226       263    
    Restructuring costs     61       68    
    Transaction and transformation     409       386    
    Provision for specified litigation matter(i)     13          
    Pension settlement     23          
    Loss/(gain) on disposal of operations     337       (43 )  
    Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin   $ 2,708   27.3% $ 2,430   25.6%

     (i) Represents a provision related to litigation arising out of a structured insurance program originally placed for a client over 15 years ago. The program is of a type and complexity that was highly bespoke to the client and for that reason is unlikely to be exactly replicated elsewhere. We believe excluding this matter from adjusted results makes results more comparable from period to period and more representative of our core business operations.

    RECONCILIATIONS OF INCOME FROM OPERATIONS TO ADJUSTED OPERATING INCOME

        Three Months Ended December 31,    
        2024     2023    
                   
    Income from operations and Operating margin   $ 901   29.7% $ 779   26.7%
    Adjusted for certain items:              
    Amortization     50       60    
    Restructuring costs     32       38    
    Transaction and transformation     113       121    
    Adjusted operating income and Adjusted operating income margin   $ 1,096   36.1% $ 998   34.2%
        Years Ended December 31,    
        2024     2023    
                   
    Income from operations and Operating margin   $ 627   6.3% $ 1,365   14.4%
    Adjusted for certain items:              
    Impairment     1,042          
    Amortization     226       263    
    Restructuring costs     61       68    
    Transaction and transformation     409       386    
    Provision for specified litigation matter(i)     13          
    Adjusted operating income and Adjusted operating income margin   $ 2,378   23.9% $ 2,082   22.0%

    (i) Represents a provision related to litigation arising out of a structured insurance program originally placed for a client over 15 years ago. The program is of a type and complexity that was highly bespoke to the client and for that reason is unlikely to be exactly replicated elsewhere. We believe excluding this matter from adjusted results makes results more comparable from period to period and more representative of our core business operations.

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

        Three Months Ended December 31, 
        2024    2023 
                 
    Income from operations before income taxes   $ 1,688     $ 739  
                 
    Adjusted for certain items:            
    Amortization     50       60  
    Restructuring costs     32       38  
    Transaction and transformation     113       121  
    Pension settlement     23        
    (Gain)/loss on disposal of operations     (853 )     1  
    Adjusted income before taxes   $ 1,053     $ 959  
                 
    Provision for income taxes   $ 440     $ 116  
    Tax effect on certain items listed above(ii)     (216 )     67  
    Adjusted income taxes   $ 224     $ 183  
                 
    U.S. GAAP tax rate     26.0 %     15.7 %
    Adjusted income tax rate     21.3 %     19.1 %
        Years Ended December 31, 
        2024    2023 
                 
    Income from operations before income taxes   $ 104     $ 1,279  
                 
    Adjusted for certain items:            
    Impairment     1,042        
    Amortization     226       263  
    Restructuring costs     61       68  
    Transaction and transformation     409       386  
    Provision for specified litigation matter(i)     13        
    Pension settlement     23        
    Loss/(gain) on disposal of operations     337       (43 )
    Adjusted income before taxes   $ 2,215     $ 1,953  
                 
    Provision for income taxes   $ 192     $ 215  
    Tax effect on certain items listed above(ii)     276       195  
    Tax effect of significant adjustments     7       (2 )
    Adjusted income taxes   $ 475     $ 408  
                 
    U.S. GAAP tax rate     184.7 %     16.8 %
    Adjusted income tax rate     21.5 %     20.9 %

    (i) Represents a provision related to litigation arising out of a structured insurance program originally placed for a client over 15 years ago. The program is of a type and complexity that was highly bespoke to the client and for that reason is unlikely to be exactly replicated elsewhere. We believe excluding this matter from adjusted results makes results more comparable from period to period and more representative of our core business operations.
    (ii) The tax effect was calculated using an effective tax rate for each item.

    RECONCILIATION OF CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES TO FREE CASH FLOW

        Years Ended December 31, 
        2024    2023 
                 
    Cash flows from operating activities   $ 1,512     $ 1,345  
    Less: Additions to fixed assets and software for internal use     (136 )     (153 )
    Free Cash Flow   $ 1,376     $ 1,192  
                 
    Revenue   $ 9,930     $ 9,483  
    Free Cash Flow Margin     13.9 %     12.6 %

     

    WILLIS TOWERS WATSON PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
    Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
    (In millions of U.S. dollars, except per share data)
    (Unaudited)
                 
        Three Months Ended
     December 31, 
      Years Ended
     December 31, 
        2024    2023    2024    2023 
    Revenue   $ 3,035     $ 2,914     $ 9,930     $ 9,483  
                             
    Costs of providing services                        
    Salaries and benefits     1,367       1,325       5,502       5,344  
    Other operating expenses     518       533       1,833       1,815  
    Impairment                 1,042        
    Depreciation     54       58       230       242  
    Amortization     50       60       226       263  
    Restructuring costs     32       38       61       68  
    Transaction and transformation     113       121       409       386  
    Total costs of providing services     2,134       2,135       9,303       8,118  
                             
    Income from operations     901       779       627       1,365  
                             
    Interest expense     (66 )     (63 )     (263 )     (235 )
    Other income/(loss), net     853       23       (260 )     149  
                             
    INCOME FROM OPERATIONS BEFORE INCOME TAXES   1,688       739       104       1,279  
                             
    Provision for income taxes     (440 )     (116 )     (192 )     (215 )
                             
    NET INCOME/(LOSS)   1,248       623       (88 )     1,064  
                             
    Income attributable to non-controlling interests     (2 )     (1 )     (10 )     (9 )
                             
    NET INCOME/(LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO WTW   $ 1,246     $ 622     $ (98 )   $ 1,055  
                             
    EARNINGS/(LOSS) PER SHARE                        
    Basic earnings/(loss) per share   $ 12.32     $ 6.02     $ (0.96 )   $ 10.01  
    Diluted earnings/(loss) per share   $ 12.25     $ 5.97     $ (0.96 )   $ 9.95  
                             
    Weighted-average ordinary shares, basic     101       103       102       105  
    Weighted-average ordinary shares, diluted     102       104       102       106  

     

    WILLIS TOWERS WATSON PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
    Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
    (In millions of U.S. dollars, except share data)
    (Unaudited)
     
        December 31,    December 31, 
        2024    2023 
    ASSETS            
    Cash and cash equivalents   $ 1,890     $ 1,424  
    Fiduciary assets     9,504       9,073  
    Accounts receivable, net     2,494       2,572  
    Prepaid and other current assets     1,217       364  
    Total current assets     15,105       13,433  
    Fixed assets, net     661       720  
    Goodwill     8,799       10,195  
    Other intangible assets, net     1,295       2,016  
    Right-of-use assets     485       565  
    Pension benefits assets     530       588  
    Other non-current assets     806       1,573  
    Total non-current assets     12,576       15,657  
    TOTAL ASSETS   $ 27,681     $ 29,090  
    LIABILITIES AND EQUITY            
    Fiduciary liabilities   $ 9,504     $ 9,073  
    Deferred revenue and accrued expenses     2,211       2,104  
    Current debt           650  
    Current lease liabilities     118       125  
    Other current liabilities     793       678  
    Total current liabilities     12,626       12,630  
    Long-term debt     5,309       4,567  
    Liability for pension benefits     615       563  
    Deferred tax liabilities     45       542  
    Provision for liabilities     341       365  
    Long-term lease liabilities     502       592  
    Other non-current liabilities     226       238  
    Total non-current liabilities     7,038       6,867  
    TOTAL LIABILITIES     19,664       19,497  
    COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES            
    EQUITY(i)            
    Additional paid-in capital     10,989       10,910  
    Retained earnings     109       1,466  
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax     (3,158 )     (2,856 )
    Total WTW shareholders’ equity     7,940       9,520  
    Non-controlling interests     77       73  
    Total Equity     8,017       9,593  
    TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY   $ 27,681     $ 29,090  

    ________________________
    (i)  Equity includes (a) Ordinary shares $0.000304635 nominal value; Authorized 1,510,003,775; Issued 99,805,780 (2024) and 102,538,072 (2023); Outstanding 99,805,780 (2024) and 102,538,072 (2023) and (b) Preference shares, $0.000115 nominal value; Authorized 1,000,000,000 and Issued none in 2024 and 2023.

     

    WILLIS TOWERS WATSON PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
    Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
    (In millions of U.S. dollars)
    (Unaudited)
         
        Years Ended December 31, 
        2024    2023 
    CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES            
    NET (LOSS)/INCOME   $ (88 )   $ 1,064  
    Adjustments to reconcile net income to total net cash from operating activities:            
    Depreciation     230       242  
    Amortization     226       263  
    Impairment     1,042        
    Non-cash restructuring charges     41       38  
    Non-cash lease expense     98       105  
    Net periodic benefit of defined benefit pension plans     4       (26 )
    Provision for doubtful receivables from clients     13       6  
    Benefit from deferred income taxes     (213 )     (109 )
    Share-based compensation     121       125  
    Net loss/(gain) on disposal of operations     337       (43 )
    Non-cash foreign exchange (gain)/loss     (31 )     20  
    Other, net     58       31  
    Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects from purchase of subsidiaries:            
    Accounts receivable     (233 )     (206 )
    Other assets     (373 )     (185 )
    Other liabilities     301       16  
    Provisions     (21 )     4  
    Net cash from operating activities     1,512       1,345  
                 
    CASH FLOWS FROM/(USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES            
    Additions to fixed assets and software for internal use     (136 )     (153 )
    Capitalized software costs     (109 )     (89 )
    Acquisitions of operations, net of cash acquired     (107 )     (6 )
    Proceeds from sale of operations     619       89  
    Cash and fiduciary funds transferred in sale of operations     (5 )     (922 )
    Purchase of investments     (12 )     (4 )
    Net cash from/(used in) investing activities     250       (1,085 )
                 
    CASH FLOWS USED IN FINANCING ACTIVITIES            
    Senior notes issued     746       748  
    Debt issuance costs     (9 )     (7 )
    Repayments of debt     (655 )     (254 )
    Repurchase of shares     (901 )     (1,000 )
    Net proceeds/(payments) from fiduciary funds held for clients     785       (234 )
    Payments of deferred and contingent consideration related to acquisitions     (2 )     (12 )
    Cash paid for employee taxes on withholding shares     (56 )     (26 )
    Dividends paid     (354 )     (352 )
    Acquisitions of and dividends paid to non-controlling interests     (13 )     (63 )
    Net cash used in financing activities     (459 )     (1,200 )
                 
    INCREASE/(DECREASE) IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED
       CASH
        1,303       (940 )
    Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash     (97 )     11  
    CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH, BEGINNING OF
       PERIOD (i)
        3,792       4,721  
    CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH, END OF PERIOD (i)   $ 4,998     $ 3,792  

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

    SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION

        Years Ended December 31, 
        2024    2023 
                 
    Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:            
    Cash and cash equivalents   $ 1,890     $ 1,424  
    Fiduciary funds (included in fiduciary assets)     3,108       2,368  
    Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash   $ 4,998     $ 3,792  
                 
    Increase/(decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and other restricted cash   $ 510     $ 163  
    Increase/(decrease) in fiduciary funds     793       (1,103 )
    Total (i)   $ 1,303     $ (940 )

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

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