Category: KB

  • MIL-Evening Report: Cats and dogs shaped our world – and art: the NGV gives us the definitive exhibition

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sasha Grishin, Adjunct Professor of Art History, Australian National University

    Marguerite Mahood, Feline design, 1930s colour linocut, with hand-colouring 36.0 × 22.5 cm (image and block). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Gift of Andrée Fay Harkness through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2020 © MTH Mahood

    After a new relationship with pets was forged during COVID lockdown and the phenomenon of Bluey, we now have the definitive cats and dogs show presented by the National Gallery of Victoria.

    Can there be an intelligent show about canines and felines that goes beyond a collection of feelgood images of our favourite pets? This exhibition sets out to achieve this and, at least in part, succeeds.

    A central question concerning pets and people is how we position ourselves in relationship to animals. If we adopt a Judeo-Christian position – that of Adam naming and having power over all of the animals on earth – then there is the power relationship of ownership.

    Venkat Raman Singh Shyam, The world of the Gonds, 2017. Synthetic polymer paint on canvas 125.0 × 91.0 cm.
    National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Purchased NGV Foundation, 2019 © Venkat Shyam, courtesy of Minhazz Majumdar

    Alternatively, as understood by many First Nations peoples, many Asian civilisations and popularised by such writers as Joseph Campbell, there are common animal powers that mystically unite humankind with nature.

    The dogs and cats that share our lives are also our distant (perhaps not that distant) ancestors. They understand us so intimately because they are part of us and we are part of them.

    Most pet owners already know this. We did not need Rupert Sheldrake to tell us that dogs know when their owners are coming home, but, by him telling us, this confirms in our minds we are not simply crazy.

    Nomenclature also matters – “owners”. As pointed out in the excellent book that accompanies this exhibition, dogs may have masters, while cats have only servants.

    Do we really own our dogs and cats or simply provide for their physical needs while they support us in countless ways?

    Companions over time

    When it comes to dogs and cats represented in art, the weirdness exposed in this exhibition lies in the social and ideological values held in various human societies.

    The Christian tradition saw cats as sinister – Satan’s little helpers and the essential attribute of witches – while dogs are noble and above all else designate fidelity. The dog is a symbol of faith, protection and companionship. The Bible is silent on cats, with a single possible passing reference in the Old Testament, while dogs are mentioned over 40 times.

    Albrecht Dürer, Adam and Eve, 1504. Engraving 25.0 × 19.3 cm (image and sheet)
    National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Felton Bequest, 1956

    Albrecht Dürer’s magnificent engraving Adam and Eve (1504) sums up much of the traditional Christian attitude to cats. The cat at Eve’s foot represents the choleric humour – cruelty and pride – and its tail entwines Eve’s feet echoing that of the serpent who gives her the forbidden fruit that leads to their expulsion from Paradise and the advent of death.

    In the etchings of Rembrandt and the aquatints of Goya, the demonic cat joins witches and other powers of darkness.

    Francisco Goya y Lucientes, Where is mother going? (Donde vá mamá?), 1797–98. Etching, aquatint and drypoint printed in sepia ink 18.2 × 11.9 cm (image) 20.6 × 16.2 cm (plate) 23.9 × 16.4 cm (sheet trimmed within platemark at left edge).
    National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Felton Bequest, 1976

    A mysterious kind of folk

    The cat in many cultures is also associated with seduction, debauchery and eroticism. The NGV exhibition is particularly rich in examples of this category.

    This includes Jan Steen’s tavern interior (1661–65), Henri Toulouse-Lautrec’s May Belfort (1895) and the great painting by Balthus, Nude with cat (1949).

    Balthus, French, 1908-2001, worked in Italy 1961–77. Nude with cat, 1949. Oil on canvas 65.1 x 80.5 cm.
    National Gallery of Victoria Felton Bequest 1952 (2949 – 4)

    While the cat may be omnipresent, its actual participation in the events surrounding it frequently remain ambiguous.

    As the great observer of human behaviour, Sir Walter Scott, once commented: “Cats are a mysterious kind of folk”.

    Man’s best friend

    Dogs, in keeping with their reputation as man’s best friend, are superficially more knowable to people because dogs already know what to expect.

    Rembrandt, in Christ at Emmaus: the smaller plate (1634) has the faithful dog standing at Christ’s feet ready to protect the Saviour.

    Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Christ at Emmaus: the smaller plate, 1634. Etching and touches of drypoint 9.7 × 7.2 cm (image) 10.3 × 7.3 cm (sheet, trimmed to platemark).
    National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Felton Bequest, 1958

    In Dürer’s Saint Eustace (ca.1501), the dogs are not only noble witnesses to the conversion of the Roman general to Christianity, but the five dogs are shown from different angles and positions to celebrate the beauty of the canine.

    This is one of the great dog studies of Western civilisation.

    Albrecht Dürer, Saint Eustace, 1501. Engraving 35.9 × 26.1 cm (image) 36.0 × 26.2 cm (sheet; inlaid onto cream wove sheet 39.6 × 29.9 cm).
    Etching: five dogs, a horse and a man.

    The exhibition features Aboriginal dog dreaming barks and wooden sculptures of dingos. In the coastal community of Aurukun in Far North Queensland, the dingo, or ku’, are ancestral beings that carry a special significance for the artists and their community.

    The dogs are unique with their specific characters but also tap into an ancestral history.

    Installation view of Cats & Dogs on display at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia from November 1 2024 to July 20 2025.
    Photo: Tom Ross

    Throughout human history, dogs were also status symbols and an expression of their owner’s personality from William Hogarth’s pug, called Trump, to David Hockney’s dachshunds, Stanley and Boodgie.

    Many a maiden in 19th and 20th century Europe would establish their reputation through their highly groomed and ridiculously attired poodle or lapdog as richly testified to in this exhibition.

    Dogs also carried their owner’s personality. Pierre Bonnard’s dogs and Grace Cossington Smith’s cats tell us as much about their owners as they do about the personality of the animal.

    Grace Cossington Smith, Quaker girl, 1915. Oil on canvas 67.0 × 51.6 cm.
    National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Presented by the National Gallery Society of Victoria, 1967 © Estate of Grace Cossington Smith

    Humour and reverence

    About 250 furry creatures from the collection of the NGV have been brought together for this exhibition by curators Laurie Benson and Imogen Mallia-Valjan. You meet farm dogs and Felix the Cat with cats and dogs kept separate on different sides of the rooms.

    Thomas Gainsborough, Richard St George Mansergh – St George, c. 1776–80. Oil on canvas 230.2 × 156.1 cm.
    National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Felton Bequest, 1922

    Although this exhibition is raining cats and dogs, they are presented with respect, sometimes with humour and occasionally with reverence.

    In the past we thought about how we shaped the world of our canine and feline companions – now we increasingly are starting to understand how they have shaped and enriched our world.

    This wonderful exhibition explores part of this journey of realisation.

    Disclaimer: Sasha Grishin all of his life has shared his home with dingos and dogs.


    Cats & Dogs is at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia until July 20 2025.

    Sasha Grishin 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. Cats and dogs shaped our world – and art: the NGV gives us the definitive exhibition – https://theconversation.com/cats-and-dogs-shaped-our-world-and-art-the-ngv-gives-us-the-definitive-exhibition-241365

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Timely prevention: veterinarians tell how to protect pets from ticks

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    With the onset of cold weather, the tick season is coming to an end, from the bites of which domestic animals suffer, becoming infected with dangerous infections. According to data as of the end of October 2024, 5,340 dogs bitten by ticks were admitted to the veterinary clinics of the State Budgetary Institution “Mosvetoedinenie”. Of these, 1,857 pets tested positive for babesiosis (piroplasmosis) – they required treatment.

    The largest number of calls were recorded at the animal disease control stations (ADCS) of the Eastern and South-Eastern districts (1309), as well as the Western and South-Western (996). The smallest number of patients were registered at state veterinary clinics – ADCS of TiNAO (300).

    Head of the Kuntsevo State Veterinary Clinic in the capital, Elena Aleshina, said that ticks were most often found on dogs after trips to the region and to the dacha. There were isolated cases in Moscow as well. Moreover, the age and breed of the dogs did not play a role – the patients included a wide variety of pets.

    According to veterinarians, the peaks of visits with tick bites occurred in April-May and September-October. Now the activity of parasites is declining, but nevertheless the risk of “catching a tick” remains, and therefore it is necessary to treat dogs with drugs against ixodid ticks until stable subzero temperatures.

    Ticks affected mainly those pets that had not undergone regular preventive treatment. The majority of affected dogs were completely without it, and other patients received bites due to improper use of drugs against ectoparasites. For example, veterinarians noted violations in the number of treatments or a reduction in the recommended dose of the drug. At the same time, the state veterinary service of the capital explained that most Moscow dog owners are responsible for protecting their pets.

    Babesiosis (piroplasmosis) is a dangerous disease of dogs caused by the bite of an ixodid tick. The protozoa of the genus babesia, getting into the animal’s blood, affect and destroy red blood cells, which leads to severe damage to the liver and other organs, and in the absence of treatment – to death in 95 percent of cases.

    Signs of piroplasmosis include refusal to eat, lethargy, dark urine, pale or yellow mucous membranes and whites of the eyes, increased temperature to 41–42 degrees, weakness or failure of the hind limbs.

    The sooner you notice at least one of these symptoms and start treatment, the easier and more successful your pet’s recovery will be. The course of therapy can last from three to 14 days. It is impossible to cure piroplasmosis at home or with any folk remedies. The best prevention of a tick bite is timely treatment with tablets or drops on the withers.

    There are 26 state veterinary clinics in Moscow where pets can receive the necessary care. You can make an appointment online at mos.ru or by calling the single contact center of the state veterinary service: 7 495 612-04-25 (24 hours).

    What to do if a dog or cat is bitten by a tick: a veterinarian gave advice to owners

    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.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://vvv.mos.ru/nevs/item/145983073/

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Mentorship scheme applications open

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Strive & Rise Programme began the recruitment of 4,000 mentees for its third cohort today.

    Secondary One to Secondary Four students from underprivileged families, particularly those living in subdivided units, can now submit applications through the programme’s mobile application.

    Formulated and implemented by an interdepartmental task force led by the Chief Secretary, the programme comprises three key elements – mentorship, personal development plans and financial support.

    Delivered over the course of a year, it combines mentorship with a structured programme involving orientation, basic training, diverse group activities, and Mainland study and exchange tours. Overall, it aims to help mentees broaden their horizons, build self-confidence, develop a positive outlook on life, set goals for the future, and strive for upward mobility.

    The programme will provide startup financial support of $5,000 for mentees to implement their personal development plans under their mentors’ guidance. Upon successful completion of the programme, mentees will be awarded a $5,000 scholarship and granted Alumni Club membership.

    Applications will close on November 20.

    Interested students may approach their schools or any of the non-governmental organisations that assist the Government in implementing the programme.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Secretary-General’s message on World Cities Day: “Youth Climate Changemakers: Catalyzing Local Action for Urban Sustainability” [scroll down for French version]

    Source: United Nations – English

    n this World Cities Day, we recognize the role of young people in driving climate action and shaping urban futures.

    With more than half of the world’s population and 70 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, cities are at the forefront of the climate crisis. And they need the energy and vision of youth leading the charge for change.

    From grassroots movements to innovation labs, young people are pushing for ambitious climate action.  They are championing renewable energy integration, green jobs, clean public transportation, and climate adaptation measures – contributing to shape sustainable cities where everyone can thrive.

    We must amplify their voices, invest in their ideas, and promote their meaningful participation in urban decision-making. By empowering young people, we can accelerate climate action and drive global progress for the Sustainable Development Goals.

    As we mark World Cities Day, let us celebrate the power of youth to build green, resilient and inclusive cities that meet the needs and aspirations of future generations.

    ***
    À l’occasion de la Journée mondiale des villes, nous saluons le rôle des jeunes dans l’action climatique et la construction de l’avenir des villes.

    Abritant plus de la moitié de la population mondiale, les villes produisent 70 % des émissions mondiales de gaz à effet de serre : elles sont donc en première ligne de la crise climatique. Elles ont besoin des idées et du dynamisme des jeunes, qui mènent la charge du changement.

    Des mouvements locaux aux laboratoires d’innovation, les jeunes réclament une action climatique ambitieuse. Ils militent pour une intégration des énergies renouvelables, des emplois verts, des transports publics propres et des mesures d’adaptation aux changements climatiques – autant de contributions à la construction de villes durables où chaque personne peut s’épanouir.

    Nous devons relayer le message des jeunes, investir dans leurs idées et promouvoir leur participation véritable à la prise de décisions en matière d’urbanisme. En leur donnant les moyens d’agir, nous pouvons accélérer l’action climatique et faire avancer la réalisation des objectifs de développement durable au niveau mondial.

    À l’occasion de la Journée mondiale des villes, célébrons le pouvoir des jeunes de construire des villes vertes, résilientes et inclusives, qui répondent aux besoins et aux aspirations des générations futures.

    MIL OSI Africa

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Sobyanin: Mosconcert held 870 performances in the SVO zone and border regions

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Mosconcert artists have performed over 870 times in the country’s border regions, new territories and in the special military operation (SVO) zone. Sergei Sobyanin reported this in his telegram channel.

    “In military units, in dugouts, in hospitals along the entire front line, artists inspire soldiers with songs and music, bring news from relatives, and distribute humanitarian aid,” the Mayor of Moscow noted.

    Source: Sergei Sobyanin’s Telegram channel @mos_sobyanin

    The capital’s artists always go to the Kursk and Belgorod regions with humanitarian aid. They conduct master classes in acting for children and perform concerts for adults.

    In new regions of Russia, Mosconcert artists delight children with theatrical performances and gifts. For young people, they hold cultural and educational events, including talking about the various development opportunities that the capital offers.

    In addition, Mosconcert constantly invites military personnel and their family members to events in the capital.

    Sergei Sobyanin: SVO participants and their relatives are provided with assistance in career developmentSergei Sobyanin spoke about support for SVO participants and their families in Moscow

    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.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://vvv.mos.ru/major/themes/11973050/

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI: Societe Generale: Third quarter 2024 earnings

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RESULTS AT 30 SEPTEMBER 2024

    Press release                                                        
    Paris, 31 October 2024

    SOLID BUSINESS PERFORMANCE IN Q3 24,
    GROUP NET INCOME OF EUR 1.4 BILLION

    Revenues of EUR 6.8 billion, up +10.5% vs. Q3 231, driven notably by the strong rebound in net interest income in France, in line with end of year estimate, and by another solid performance of Global Banking and Investor Solutions, in particular in Equities and Transaction Banking

    Strong positive jaws, control of operating expenses, down by -0.8% vs. Q3 23

    Cost-to-income ratio at 63.3% in Q3 24, improved by 7.1 points vs. Q3 23

    Stable cost of risk at 27 basis points in Q3 24

    Profitability (ROTE) at 9.6% vs. 3.8% for Q3 23

    9M 24 NET INCOME UP 53% VS. 9M 23 AT EUR 3.2 BILLION,
    DRIVEN BY THE IMPROVEMENT IN OPERATING PERFORMANCE

    Revenues of EUR 20.2 billion, up +5.3% vs. 9M 23

    Stable operating expenses, +0.1% vs. 9M 23

    Cost-to-income ratio at 68.8%, improved by 3.6 percentage points vs. 9M 23

    Profitability (ROTE) at 7.1% vs. 5.0% for 9M 23

    SOLID CAPITAL AND LIQUIDITY RATIOS

    CET 1 ratio of 13.2%2at end of Q3 24, around 300 basis points above the regulatory requirement

    Liquidity Coverage Ratio at 152% at end of Q3 24

    Distribution provision of EUR 1.663per share at end-September 2024

    DECISIVE EXECUTION OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN

    Capital build-up ahead of Capital Markets Day trajectory

    Continuous improvement in efficiency and profitability

    Reshaping of the business portfolio well underway

    Slawomir Krupa, the Group’s Chief Executive Officer, commented:
    “We are publishing solid quarterly results that continue to show strong improvement. It demonstrates that we are executing our strategic plan which is impacting our results in a positive and tangible way. Our revenues are up thanks to the solid performance of our businesses with a strong rebound of the net interest income in France and another remarkable contribution from Global Banking and Investor Solutions. Operating expenses are stable and cost of risk is contained. We are posting a clear improvement of cost-to-income ratio and profitability, and our capital ratio continues to strengthen.
    For the past year we have been working relentlessly. Our teams are mobilized and we have made progress in three fundamental areas: capital build-up, improvement of profitability, and the reshaping of our business portfolio. We continue to implement our various strategic initiatives such as BoursoBank’s development, LeasePlan’s integration within Ayvens and the acceleration of our contribution to the energy transition. Our goal remains unchanged: a sustainable performance that will create long-term value.”

    1. GROUP CONSOLIDATED RESULTS
    In EURm Q3 24 Q3 23 Change 9M 24 9M 23 Change
    Net banking income 6,837 6,189 +10.5% +11.8%* 20,167 19,147 +5.3% +6.5%*
    Operating expenses (4,327) (4,360) -0.8% -0.3%* (13,877) (13,858) +0.1% +0.5%*
    Gross operating income 2,511 1,829 +37.3% +41.0%* 6,290 5,289 +18.9% +22.4%*
    Net cost of risk (406) (316) +28.4% +30.5%* (1,192) (664) +79.6% +81.0%*
    Operating income 2,105 1,513 +39.1% +43.2%* 5,098 4,625 +10.2% +13.9%*
    Net profits or losses from other assets 21 6 x 3.5 x 3.4* (67) (92) +27.5% +27.3%*
    Income tax (535) (624) -14.3% -12.7%* (1,188) (1,377) -13.7% -11.3%*
    Net income 1,591 563 x 2.8 x 3.0* 3,856 2,836 +35.9% +41.3%*
    O.w. non-controlling interests 224 268 -16.5% -16.1%* 696 774 -10.1% -11.2%*
    Reported Group net income 1,367 295 x 4.6 x 5.1* 3,160 2,062 +53.2% +62.2%*
    ROE 8.4% 0.9%     6.2% 3.6% +0.0% +0.0%*
    ROTE 9.6% 3.8%     7.1% 5.0% +0.0% +0.0%*
    Cost to income 63.3% 70.4%     68.8% 72.4% +0.0% +0.0%*

    Societe Generale’s Board of Directors, which met on 30 October 2024 under the chairmanship of Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, examined Societe Generale Group’s results for Q3 24 and for the first nine months of 2024.

    Net banking income 

    Net banking income stood at EUR 6.8 billion, up by +10.5% vs. Q3 23.

    Revenues of French Retail, Private Banking and Insurance were up by +18.7% vs. Q3 23 and totalled EUR 2.3 billion in Q3 24. Net interest income continued its rebound in Q3 24 (+43% excluding PEL/CEL provision vs. Q3 23), in line with latest estimates, in the context of a still muted loan environment and the pursuit of increasing interest-bearing deposits. Assets under management in the Private Banking and Insurance businesses continued to rise, respectively recording a growth of +8% and +10% in Q3 24 vs. Q3 23. Last, BoursoBank continued its controlled client acquisition, onboarding once again more than 300,000 new clients over the quarter, reaching close to 6.8 million clients at end-September 2024. Likewise, assets under administration rose by over 14% vs. Q3 23. As in Q2 24, BoursoBank posted a positive contribution to Group net income in Q3 24.

    Global Banking and Investor Solutions registered a +4.9% increase in revenues relative to Q3 23. Revenues totalled EUR 2.4 billion over the quarter, still driven by strong dynamics of Global Markets’ and Global Transaction & Payment Services’ activities, with revenues increasing by a respective +7.6% and +9.0% in Q3 24 vs. Q3 23. Within Global Markets, revenues of Equity businesses grew by +10.1%. This is the second best third quarter ever. Fixed income and Currencies also recorded a solid performance, with a +6.1% increase in revenues amid a falling interest rates. Financing and Advisory’s revenues totalled EUR 843 million, stable vs. Q3 23. The commercial momentum in the securitisation businesses remained very solid and the performance of financing activities continued to be good, albeit slower relative to an elevated Q3 23. Likewise, Global Transaction & Payment Services’ activities posted an +9.0% increase in revenues vs. Q3 23, driven by a favourable market environment and sustained commercial development in the cash management and correspondent banking activities.

    Mobility, International Retail Banking and Financial Services’ revenues were down by -5.4% vs. Q3 23 mainly owing to base effects at Ayvens. International Retail Banking recorded a +1.4% increase in revenues vs. Q3 23 to EUR 1.1 billion, driven by favourable momentum across all regions. Mobility and Financial Services’ revenues contracted by -11.4% vs. Q3 23 owing to an unfavourable non-recurring base effect on Ayvens.

    The Corporate Centre recorded revenues of EUR +54 million in Q3 24. They include the booking of exceptional proceeds of approximately EUR 0.3 billion4.

    Over 9M 24, net banking income increased by +5.3% vs. 9M 23.

    Operating expenses 

    Operating expenses came to EUR 4,327 million in Q3 24, down -0.8% vs. Q3 23.

    The cost-to-income ratio stood at 63.3% in Q3 24, a sharp decrease vs. Q3 23 (70.4%) and Q2 24 (68.4%).

    Over 9M 24, operating expenses were stable (+0.1% vs. 9M 23) and the cost-to-income ratio came to 68.8% (vs. 72.4% for 9M 23), which is lower than the 71% target set for FY 2024.

    Cost of risk

    The cost of risk was stable and contained over the quarter at 27 basis points, i.e., EUR 406 million. This comprises a EUR 400 million provision for doubtful loans (around 27 basis points) and a provision on performing loan outstandings for EUR +6 million.

    At end-September 2024, the Group’s provisions on performing loans amounted to EUR 3,122 million, down by a slight EUR -56 million relative to 30 June 2024 notably as per the application of IFRS5 accounting standards on activities under disposal. The EUR -450 million contraction relative to 31 December 2023 is mainly owing to the application of IFRS 5 accounting standards for activities under disposal.

    The gross non-performing loan ratio stood at 2.95%5,6 at 30 September 2024, down vs. end of June 2024 (3.03%). The net coverage ratio on the Group’s non-performing loans stood at 84%7 at 30 September 2024 (after netting of guarantees and collateral).

    Net profits from other assets

    In Q3 24, the Group booked net profit of EUR 21 million driven, on the one hand, by the sale of the headquarters of KB in the Czech Republic and, on the other hand, by the accounting impacts mainly owing to the current sale of assets.

    Group net income

    Group net income stood at EUR 1,367 million in Q3 24, equating to a Return on Tangible Equity (ROTE) of 9.6%.

    Over 9M 24, Group net income came to EUR 3,160 million, equating to a Return on Tangible Equity (ROTE) of 7.1%.

    2.   STRATEGIC PLAN FULLY ON TRACK

    Since announcing its strategic plan in September 2023, the Group has made significant progress in its implementation, the benefits of which are starting to materialise, including on financials aspects. Fundamental milestones have notably been reached in three major areas: capital build-up, the continuous improvement in efficiency and profitability and the reshaping of the business portfolio.

    Regarding the business portfolio, the Group has been proactive in recent months, announcing the disposal of several non-core and non-synergistic assets. These latest divestments not only contribute to simplifying the Group but will also reinforce the capital ratio by around 60 basis points, of which around 15 basis points are expected by year-end.

    At the same time, the Group is preparing the future by investing in our core franchises, as demonstrated by the development of BoursoBank, the integration of LeasePlan in Ayvens, the creation of Bernstein, the partnership with Brookfield, the merger of our networks in France and the digitalization of our networks in the Czech Republic.

    The rollout of our ESG roadmap is also progressing well, particularly on the alignment of our portfolio. The Group has already reduced by more than 50% its upstream Oil & Gas exposure at Q2 24 compared to 20198.

    Last quarter, the Group reached its EUR 300 billion sustainable finance target set between 2022-2025. Societe Generale announces today a new sustainable finance target to facilitate EUR 500 billion over the 2024-2030 period that breaks down as follows:
    – EUR 400 billion in financing and EUR 100 billion in sustainable bonds9
    – EUR 400 billion in environmental activities and EUR 100 billion in social

    A major portion of financing will be for dedicated transactions in clean energy, sustainable real estate, low carbon mobility, and other industry and environmental transition topics.

    3.   THE GROUP’S FINANCIAL STRUCTURE

    At 30 September 2024, the Group’s Common Equity Tier 1 ratio stood at 13.2%10, around 300 basis points above the regulatory requirement. Likewise, the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) was well ahead of regulatory requirements at 152% at end-September 2024 (156% on average for the quarter), and the Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) stood at 116% at end-September 2024.

    All liquidity and solvency ratios are well above the regulatory requirements.

      30.09.2024 31.12.2023 Requirements
    CET1(1) 13.2% 13.1% 10.22%
    CET1 fully loaded 13.2% 13.1% 10.22%
    Tier 1 ratio (1) 15.5% 15.6% 12.15%
    Total Capital(1) 18.2% 18.2% 14.71%
    Leverage ratio (1) 4.25% 4.25% 3.60%
    TLAC (% RWA)(1) 27.8% 31.9% 22.29%
    TLAC (% leverage)(1) 7.6% 8.7% 6.75%
    MREL (% RWA)(1) 32.2% 33.7% 27.56%
    MREL (% leverage)(1) 8.8% 9.2% 6.23%
    End of period LCR 152% 160% >100%
    Period average LCR 156% 155% >100%
    NSFR 116% 119% >100%
    In EURbn 30.09.2024 31.12.2023
    Total consolidated balance sheet 1,580 1,554
    Group shareholders’ equity 67 66
    Risk-weighted assets 392 389
    O.w. credit risk 331 326
    Total funded balance sheet 948 970
    Customer loans 453 497
    Customer deposits 608 618

    At 11 October 2024, the parent company had issued a total of EUR 38.0 billion in medium/long-term debt, of which EUR 17.5 billion in vanilla notes. The 2024 long-term vanilla funding programme is completed. The subsidiaries had issued EUR 4.6 billion. In all, the Group has issued a total of EUR 42.6 billion.

    The Group is rated by four rating agencies: (i) FitchRatings – long-term rating “A-”, stable outlook, senior preferred debt rating “A”, short-term rating “F1” (ii) Moody’s – long-term rating (senior preferred debt) “A1”, negative outlook, short-term rating “P-1” (iii) R&I – long-term rating (senior preferred debt) “A”, stable outlook; and (iv) S&P Global Ratings – long-term rating (senior preferred debt) “A”, stable outlook, short-term rating “A-1”.
    4.   FRENCH RETAIL, PRIVATE BANKING AND INSURANCE

    In EURm Q3 24 Q3 23 Change 9M 24 9M 23 Change
    Net banking income 2,254 1,900 +18.7% 6,390 6,090 +4.9%
    Net banking income excl. PEL/CEL 2,259 1,895 +19.2% 6,392 6,090 +5.0%
    Operating expenses (1,585) (1,608) -1.4% (4,962) (5,073) -2.2%
    Gross operating income 669 292 x 2.3 1,428 1,017 +40.5%
    Net cost of risk (178) (144) +23.4% (597) (342) +74.7%
    Operating income 491 148 x 3.3 831 675 +23.1%
    Net profits or losses from other assets (1) 0 n/s 7 4 x 2.1
    Reported Group net income 368 109 x 3.4 631 506 +24.8%
    RONE 9.4% 2.8%   5.4% 4.4%  
    Cost to income 70.3% 84.7%   77.7% 83.3%  

    Commercial activity

    SG Network, Private Banking and Insurance 

    Average outstanding deposits of the SG Network amounted to EUR 236 billion in Q3 24, up by +0.6% vs. the previous quarter (-1% vs. Q3 23), with a continued rise in interest-bearing deposits and financial savings.

    The SG Network’s average loan outstandings contracted by -5% vs. Q3 23 to EUR 195 billion. Outstanding loans to corporate and professional clients were stable vs. Q3 23 (excluding government-guaranteed PGE loans), with the share of medium to long-term loans increasing relative to Q2 24. Home loan production continued its recovery (2.4x vs. Q3 23 and +15% vs. Q2 24).

    The average loan to deposit ratio came to 82.5% in Q3 24, down by -3.3 percentage points relative to Q3 23.

    Private Banking activities saw their assets under management11 reach a new record of EUR 154 billion in Q3 24, up by +8% vs. Q3 23. Net gathering stood at EUR 5.9 billion in 9M 24, the net asset gathering pace (net new money divided by AuM) has risen by +5.5% since the start of the year. Net banking income stood at EUR 368 million over the quarter, stable vs. Q3 23. Over 9M 24, net banking income came to EUR 1,121 million, a +1% increase vs. 9M 23.

    Insurance, which covers activities in and outside France, posted a very strong commercial performance. Life insurance outstandings increased sharply by +10% vs. Q3 23 to reach a record EUR 145 billion at end-September 2024. The share of unit-linked products remained high at 40%. Gross life insurance savings inflows amounted to EUR 3.6 billion in Q3 24, up by +35% vs. Q3 23.

    Personal protection and P&C premia were up by +5% vs. Q3 23.

    BoursoBank 

    BoursoBank registered almost 6.8 million clients at end-September 2024, a +27% increase vs. Q3 23 (an increase of around 1.4 million clients year on year). The pace of new client acquisition (around 310,000 new clients in Q3 24) is fully in line with the target of 7 million clients by the end of 2024. BoursoBank can build on an active, loyal and high-quality client base. The brokerage activity registered two million transactions, up by +18% vs. Q3 23. Last, proof of the efficiency of the model and of the very high client satisfaction level, the churn rate has remained low at around 3% and below the market rate.

    Average loan outstandings rose by +4,2% compared to Q3 23, at EUR 15 billion in Q3 24.

    Average outstanding savings including deposits and financial savings were +13.8% higher vs. Q3 23 at EUR 63 billion. Deposits outstanding totalled EUR 38 billion at Q3 24, posting another sharp increase of +16.2% vs. Q3 23. Life insurance outstandings came to EUR 12 billion in Q3 24 and rose by +7.3% vs. Q3 23 (o/w 47% unit-linked products, a +3.3 percentage points increase vs. Q3 23). The activity continued to register strong gross inflows over the quarter (+55% vs. Q3 23, around 53% unit-linked products).

    For the second quarter in a row, BoursoBank recorded a positive contribution to Group net income in Q3 24.

    Net banking income

    Over the quarter, revenues came to EUR 2,254 million, up +19% vs. Q3 23 and up +6% vs Q2 24. Net interest income grew by +43% vs. Q3 23 (excluding PEL/CEL) and +19% (EUR 169 million) vs. Q2 24. Fee income rose by +5.0% relative to Q3 23.

    Over 9M 24 revenues came to EUR 6,390 million, up by +4.9% vs. 9M 23. Net interest income excluding PEL/CEL was up by +15.9% vs. 9M 23. Fee income increased by +1.7% relative to 9M 23.

    Operating expenses

    Over the quarter, operating expenses came to EUR 1,585 million, down -1.4% vs. Q3 23. Operating expenses for Q3 24 include EUR 12 million in transformation costs. The cost-to-income ratio stood at 70.3% for Q3 24, improving by more than +14 percentage points vs. Q3 23.

    Over 9M 24, operating expenses came to EUR 4,962 million (-2.2% vs. 9M 23). The cost-to-income ratio stood at 77.7% and improved by +5.7 percentage points vs. 9M 23.

    Cost of risk

    In Q3 24, the cost of risk amounted to EUR 178 million or 30 basis points stable on Q2 24
    (29 basis points).

    Over 9M 24, the cost of risk totalled EUR 597 million or 34 basis points.

    Group net income

    Over the quarter, Group net income totalled EUR 368 million. RONE stood at 9.4% in Q3 24.

    Over 9M 24, Group net income totalled EUR 631 million. RONE stood at 5.4% in 9M 24.
    5.   GLOBAL BANKING AND INVESTOR SOLUTIONS

    In EUR m Q3 24 Q3 23 Variation 9M 24 9M 23 Change
    Net banking income 2,422 2,309 +4.9% +5.2%* 7,666 7,457 +2.8% +2.8%*
    Operating expenses (1,494) (1,478) +1.1% +1.3%* (4,898) (5,187) -5.6% -5.5%*
    Gross operating income 928 831 +11.6% +12.0%* 2,768 2,270 +21.9% +21.8%*
    Net cost of risk (27) (14) +95.3% x 2.0* (29) 8 n/s n/s
    Operating income 901 817 +10.2% +10.5%* 2,739 2,278 +20.2% +20.0%*
    Reported Group net income 699 645 +8.2% +8.5%* 2,160 1,814 +19.1% +18.8%*
    RONE 18.0% 16.8% +0.0% +0.0%* 19.0% 15.6% +0.0% +0.0%*
    Cost to income 61.7% 64.0% +0.0% +0.0%* 63.9% 69.6% +0.0% +0.0%*

    Net banking income

    Global Banking and Investor Solutions continued to deliver very strong performances, posting revenues of EUR 2,422 million, up +4.9% versus Q3 23.

    Over 9M 24, revenues climbed by +2.8% vs. 9M 23 (EUR 7,666 million vs. EUR 7,457 million).

    Global Markets and Investor Services recorded a rise in revenues over the quarter vs. Q3 23 of +7.6% to EUR 1,579 million. Over 9M 24, revenues totalled EUR 5,063 million, i.e., a +3.1% increase vs. 9M 23. Growth was mainly driven by Global Markets which recorded revenues of EUR 1,410 million in Q3 24, up by +8.6% relative to Q3 23 amid a positive environment that was particularly conducive to Equities. Over 9M 24, revenues totalled EUR 4,553 million, up by +4.5% vs. 9M 23.

    The Equities business again delivered a solid performance, recording revenues of EUR 880 million in Q3 24, up by a strong +10.1% vs. Q3 23, notably on the back of a very good performance from derivatives amid favourable market conditions. This is the second best third quarter ever. Over 9M 24, revenues increased sharply by +12.9% relative to 9M 23 to EUR 2,739 million.

    Fixed Income and Currencies registered a +6.1% increase in revenues to EUR 530 million in Q3 24, notably owing to robust demand for rates and forex flow activities, particularly from US clients. Over 9M 24, revenues decreased by -6.0% to EUR 1,814 million.

    Securities Services’ revenues were up +0.6% versus Q3 23 at EUR 169 million, but increased by +9.9% excluding the impact of equity participations. The business continued to reap the benefit of a positive fee generation trend and robust momentum in private market and fund distribution. Over 9M 24, revenues were down by -8.2%, but rose by +2.1% excluding equity participations. Assets under Custody and Assets under Administration amounted to EUR 4,975 billion and EUR 614 billion, respectively.

    The Financing and Advisory business posted revenues of EUR 843 million, stable versus Q3 23. Over 9M 24, revenues totalled EUR 2,602 million, up by +2.3% vs. 9M 23.

    The Global Banking and Advisory business posted a -3.2% decline in revenues relative to Q3 23. Securitised products again delivered a solid performance and momentum was strong in the distribution activity. Financing activities posted a good performance, albeit down on the high baseline in Q3 23. Investment banking activities turned in resilient performances. Over 9M 24, revenues dipped slightly by -0.3% relative to 9M 23.

    Global Transaction & Payment Services again delivered a very robust performance compared with Q3 23, posting an +9.0% increase in revenues, driven by strong momentum in cash management and the correspondent banking activities. Over 9M 24, revenues grew by +10.1%.

    Operating expenses

    Operating expenses came to EUR 1,494 million over the quarter and included EUR 21 million in transformation costs. Operating expenses rose by +1.1% compared with Q3 23, equating to a cost-to-income ratio of 61.7% in Q3 24.

    Over 9M 24, operating expenses decreased by -5.6% compared with 9M 23 and the cost-to-income ratio came to 63.9%.

    Cost of risk

    Over the quarter, the cost of risk was low at EUR 27 million, or 7 basis points vs. 3 basis points in Q3 23.

    Over 9M 24, the cost of risk was EUR 29 million, or 2 basis points.

    Group net income

    Group net income increased by +8.2% vs. Q3 23 to EUR 699 million. Over 9M 24, Group net income rose sharply by +19.1% to EUR 2,160 million.

    Global Banking and Investor Solutions reported high RONE of 18.0% for the quarter and RONE of 19.0% for 9M 24.

    6.   MOBILITY, INTERNATIONAL RETAIL BANKING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES

    In EURm Q3 24 Q3 23 Change   9M 24 9M 23 Change
    Net banking income 2,108 2,228 -5.4% -2.8%*   6,403 6,491 -1.4% +1.8%*
    Operating expenses (1,221) (1,239) -1.4% +0.3%*   (3,832) (3,479) +10.2% +12.7%*
    Gross operating income 887 989 -10.4% -6.6%*   2,570 3,013 -14.7% -10.9%*
    Net cost of risk (201) (175) +14.9% +18.1%*   (572) (349) +63.7% +65.9%*
    Operating income 685 814 -15.8% -12.0%*   1,998 2,663 -25.0% -21.2%*
    Net profits or losses from other assets 94 1 x 77.0 x 76.7*   98 0 x 375.7 x 304.1
    Non-controlling interests 223 237 -6.1% -3.6%*   623 674 -7.6% -7.8%*
    Reported Group net income 367 377 -2.4% +3.1%*   956 1,325 -27.8% -22.1%*
    RONE 14.1% 14.9%       12.2% 18.6%    
    Cost to income 57.9% 55.6%       59.9% 53.6%    

    (122)()

    Commercial activity

    International Retail Banking

    International Retail Banking1 posted robust commercial momentum in Q3 24, with an increase in loan outstandings of +4.2%* vs. Q3 23 (+1.8%, outstandings of EUR 68 billion in Q3 24) and growth of +4.1%* vs. Q3 23 (+1.2%, outstandings of EUR 83 billion in Q3 24).

    Activity in Europe was solid across client segments for both entities. Loan outstandings increased by +6.0%* vs. Q3 23 (+3.1% at current perimeter and exchange rates, outstandings of EUR 43 billion in Q3 24), driven by home loans and medium and long-term corporate loans in a lower rates environment. Deposit outstandings increased by +4.6%* vs. Q3 23 (+1.9% at current perimeter and exchange rates, outstandings of EUR 55 billion in Q3 24), mainly on interest-bearing products.

    In Africa, Mediterranean Basin and French Overseas Territories, loan outstandings totalled EUR 25 billion in Q3 24 (+1.2%* vs. Q3 23, stable at current perimeter and exchange rates) on back of a +5.6%* rise vs. Q3 23 in sub-Saharan Africa (stable vs. Q3 23 at current perimeter and exchange rates). Deposit outstandings totalled EUR 27 billion at Q3 24. They increased by +3.0%* vs. Q3 23 (stable at current perimeter and exchange rates) across all client segments in Africa.

    Mobility and Financial Services

    Overall, Mobility and Financial Services maintained a good commercial performance.

    Ayvens’ earning assets totalled EUR 53.1 billion at end-September 2024, a +5.8% increase vs.                                end-September 2023.

    The Consumer Finance business posted loans outstanding of EUR 23 billion for Q3 24, down -4.5% vs. Q3 23 in a still uncertain environment.

    Equipment Finance posted outstandings of EUR 15 billion in Q3 24, the same level as in Q3 23.

    Net banking income

    Over the quarter, Mobility, International Retail Banking and Financial Services’ revenues totalled EUR 2,108 million, a decrease of -2.8%* vs. Q3 23 (-5.4% at current perimeter and exchange rates).

    Over 9M 24, revenues came to EUR 6,403 million, up slightly by +1.8%* vs. 9M 23 (-1.4% at current perimeter and exchange rates).

    International Retail Banking recorded a solid performance over the quarter, with a net banking income of EUR 1,058 million, up by +5.1%* vs. Q3 23 (+1.4% at current perimeter and exchange rates). Over 9M 24, revenues totalled EUR 3,131 million, a +4.0%* increase vs. 9M 23 (stable at current perimeter and exchange rates).

    Europe recorded revenues of EUR 506 million in Q3 24, an increase for both entities (+3.0%* vs. Q3 23, stable at current perimeter and exchange rates).

    The Africa, Mediterranean Basin and French Overseas Territories region continued to post robust commercial momentum with revenues of EUR 552 million in Q3 24. These increased by +7.2%* vs. Q3 23 (+2.8% at current perimeter and exchange rates), driven by a significant rise in net interest income in Africa (+10.5%* vs. Q3 23).

    In Q3 24, Mobility and Financial Services’ revenues decreased by -11.4% vs. Q3 23 to EUR 1,049 million. Over the first nine months of 2024, they contracted by -2.9% to EUR 3,271 million.

    Ayvens’ net banking income stood at EUR 732 million, a decrease of -14,8% in Q3 24 vs. Q3 23 and of
    -4,0% restated from non-recurring items13. The amount of underlying margins was stable vs. Q3 23 at around EUR 690 million1. The average used car sale result per vehicle (UCS) continued to normalise but remained at a high level of EUR 1,4201 per unit in Q3 24 vs. EUR 1,4801 in Q2 24.

    Consumer Finance activities, down by -3.5% vs. Q3 23, have stabilised since Q2 24 with the business posting net banking income of EUR 218 million in Q3 24. Equipment Finance revenues were also stable vs. Q3 23 (EUR 99 million in Q3 24).

    Operating expenses

    Over the quarter, operating expenses were stable (+0.3%* vs. Q3 23, -1.4%) at EUR 1,221 million and included EUR 29 million in transformation costs. The cost-to-income ratio came to 57.9% in Q3 24.

    Over 9M 24, operating expenses totalled EUR 3,832 million, up +12.7%* vs. 9M 23 (+10.2% at current perimeter and exchange rates). They include around EUR 148 million of transformation charges.

    In a context of a strong transformation, International Retail Banking costs rose by +3.4%* vs. Q3 23 (stable at current perimeter and exchange rates, EUR 567 million in Q3 24), notably due to the impact of a new banking tax in Romania which entered into force in January 2024.

    The Mobility and Financial Services business recorded a decrease in operating expenses compared to Q3 23 (-2.4% vs. Q3 23, EUR 654 million in Q3 24).

    Cost of risk

    Over the quarter, the cost of risk normalised at 48 basis points (or EUR 201 million).

    Over 9M 24, the cost of risk stood at 45 basis points vs. 32 basis points in 9M 23.

    Group net income

    Over the quarter, Group net income came to EUR 367 million, down -2.4% vs. Q3 23. RONE stood at 14.1% in Q3 24. RONE was 21.4% for International Retail Banking (positive impact on Group net income of around EUR 40 million related to the sale of KB head office premises), and 9.2% in Mobility and Financial Services in Q3 24.

    Over 9M 24, Group net income came to EUR 956 million, down by -27.8% vs. 9M 23. RONE stood at 12.2% for 9M 24. RONE was 16.4% in International Retail Banking, and 9.5% in Mobility and Financial Services in 9M 24.
    7.   CORPORATE CENTRE

    In EURm Q3 24 Q3 23 Change 9M 24 9M 23 Change
    Net banking income 54 (249) n/s n/s (291) (891) +67.3% +67.8%*
    Operating expenses (27) (35) -22.8% -25.8%* (185) (119) +55.2% +48.2%*
    Gross operating income 27 (283) n/s n/s (476) (1,010) +52.9% +54.2%*
    Net cost of risk 1 17 +95.9% +95.9%* 6 19 +70.6% +70.6%*
    Net profits or losses from other assets (73) 4 n/s n/s (172) (96) -78.9% -79.1%*
    Income tax (26) (214) -87.7% -87.5%* 118 (85) n/s n/s
    Reported Group net income (67) (836) +92.0% +92.2%* (587) (1,582) +62.9% +63.7%*

    The Corporate Centre includes:

    • the property management of the Group’s head office,
    • the Group’s equity portfolio,
    • the Treasury function for the Group,
    • certain costs related to cross-functional projects, as well as several costs incurred by the Group that are not re-invoiced to the businesses.

    Net banking income

    Over the quarter, the Corporate Centre’s net banking income totalled EUR +54 million vs.  EUR -249 million in Q3 23. It includes the booking of exceptional proceeds received of approximately EUR 0.3 billion14.

    Operating expenses

    Over the quarter, operating expenses totalled EUR 27 million vs. EUR 35 million in Q3 23.

    Net losses from other assets

    Pursuant notably to the application of IFRS 5, the Group booked in Q3 24 various impacts from ongoing disposals of assets.

    Group net income

    Over the quarter, the Corporate Centre’s Group net income totalled EUR -67 million vs. EUR -836 million in Q3 23.

    8.   2024 AND 2025 FINANCIAL CALENDAR

    2024 and 2025 Financial communication calendar
    February 6th, 2025 Fourth quarter and full year 2024 results
    April 30th, 2025 First quarter 2025 results
    May 20th, 2025 2024 Combined General Meeting
    The Alternative Performance Measures, notably the notions of net banking income for the pillars, operating expenses, cost of risk in basis points, ROE, ROTE, RONE, net assets and tangible net assets are presented in the methodology notes, as are the principles for the presentation of prudential ratios.

    This document contains forward-looking statements relating to the targets and strategies of the Societe Generale Group.

    These forward-looking statements are based on a series of assumptions, both general and specific, in particular the application of accounting principles and methods in accordance with IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) as adopted in the European Union, as well as the application of existing prudential regulations.

    These forward-looking statements have also been developed from scenarios based on a number of economic assumptions in the context of a given competitive and regulatory environment. The Group may be unable to:

    – anticipate all the risks, uncertainties or other factors likely to affect its business and to appraise their potential consequences;

    – evaluate the extent to which the occurrence of a risk or a combination of risks could cause actual results to differ materially from those provided in this document and the related presentation.

    Therefore, although Societe Generale believes that these statements are based on reasonable assumptions, these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including matters not yet known to it or its management or not currently considered material, and there can be no assurance that anticipated events will occur or that the objectives set out will actually be achieved. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, overall trends in general economic activity and in Societe Generale’s markets in particular, regulatory and prudential changes, and the success of Societe Generale’s strategic, operating and financial initiatives.

    More detailed information on the potential risks that could affect Societe Generale’s financial results can be found in the section “Risk Factors” in our Universal Registration Document filed with the French Autorité des Marchés Financiers (which is available on https://investors.societegenerale.com/en).

    Investors are advised to take into account factors of uncertainty and risk likely to impact the operations of the Group when considering the information contained in such forward-looking statements. Other than as required by applicable law, Societe Generale does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements. Unless otherwise specified, the sources for the business rankings and market positions are internal.

    9.   APPENDIX 1: FINANCIAL DATA

    GROUP NET INCOME BY CORE BUSINESS

    In EURm Q3 24 Q3 23 Variation 9M 24 9M 23 Variation
    French Retail, Private Banking and Insurance 368 109 x 3.4 631 506 +24.8%
    Global Banking and Investor Solutions 699 645 +8.2% 2,160 1,814 +19.1%
    Mobility, International Retail Banking & Financial Services 367 377 -2.4% 956 1,325 -27.8%
    Core Businesses 1,434 1,131 +26.7% 3,747 3,644 +2.8%
    Corporate Centre (67) (836) +92.0% (587) (1,582) +62.9%
    Group 1,367 295 x 4.6 3,160 2,062 +53.2%

    MAIN EXCEPTIONAL ITEMS

    In EURm Q3 24 Q3 23 9M 24 9M 23
    Net Banking Income – Total exceptional items 287 0 287 (240)
    One-off legacy items – Corporate Centre 0 0 0 (240)
    Exceptional proceeds received – Corporate Centre 287 0 287 0
             
    Operating expenses – Total one-off items and transformation charges (62) (145) (538) (662)
    Transformation charges (62) (145) (538) (627)
    Of which French Retail, Private Banking and Insurance (12) (46) (139) (330)
    Of which Global Banking & Investor Solutions (21) (41) (204) (102)
    Of which Mobility, International Retail Banking & Financial Services (29) (58) (148) (195)
    Of which Corporate Centre 0 0 (47) 0
    One-off items 0 0 0 (35)
    Of which French Retail, Private Banking and Insurance 0 0 0 60
    Of which Global Banking & Investor Solutions 0 0 0 (95)
             
    Other one-off items – Total 13 (625) 13 (704)
    Net profits or losses from other assets 13 (17) 13 (96)
    Of which Mobility, International Retail Banking and Financial Services 86 0 86 0
    Of which Corporate Centre (73) (17) (73) (96)
    Goodwill impairment – Corporate Centre 0 (338) 0 (338)
    Provision of Deferred Tax Assets – Corporate Centre 0 (270) 0 (270)

    CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET

    In EUR m   30.09.2024 31.12.2023
    Cash, due from central banks   199,140 223,048
    Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss   528,259 495,882
    Hedging derivatives   8,265 10,585
    Financial assets at fair value through other comprehensive income   93,795 90,894
    Securities at amortised cost   29,908 28,147
    Due from banks at amortised cost   87,153 77,879
    Customer loans at amortised cost   446,576 485,449
    Revaluation differences on portfolios hedged against interest rate risk   (330) (433)
    Insurance and reinsurance contracts assets   438 459
    Tax assets   4,535 4,717
    Other assets   75,523 69,765
    Non-current assets held for sale   39,940 1,763
    Investments accounted for using the equity method   384 227
    Tangible and intangible fixed assets   60,970 60,714
    Goodwill   5,031 4,949
    Total   1,579,587 1,554,045
    In EUR m   30.09.2024 31.12.2023
    Due to central banks   10,134 9,718
    Financial liabilities at fair value through profit or loss   391,788 375,584
    Hedging derivatives   14,621 18,708
    Debt securities issued   162,997 160,506
    Due to banks   105,320 117,847
    Customer deposits   526,100 541,677
    Revaluation differences on portfolios hedged

    against interest rate risk

      (5,074) (5,857)
    Tax liabilities   2,516 2,402
    Other liabilities   93,909 93,658
    Non-current liabilities held for sale   29,802 1,703
    Insurance contracts related liabilities   150,295 141,723
    Provisions   3,954 4,235
    Subordinated debts   15,985 15,894
    Total liabilities   1,502,347 1,477,798
    Shareholder’s equity  
    Shareholders’ equity, Group share  
    Issued common stocks and capital reserves   21,166 21,186
    Other equity instruments   8,918 8,924
    Retained earnings   34,074 32,891
    Net income   3,160 2,493
    Sub-total   67,318 65,494
    Unrealised or deferred capital gains and losses   128 481
    Sub-total equity, Group share   67,446 65,975
    Non-controlling interests   9,794 10,272
    Total equity   77,240 76,247
    Total   1,579,587 1,554,045

    10.    APPENDIX 2: METHODOLOGY

    1 –The financial information presented for the third quarter and nine-month 2024 was examined by the Board of Directors on October 30th, 2024 and has been prepared in accordance with IFRS as adopted in the European Union and applicable at that date. This information has not been audited.

    2 – Net banking income

    The pillars’ net banking income is defined on page 42 of Societe Generale’s 2024 Universal Registration Document. The terms “Revenues” or “Net Banking Income” are used interchangeably. They provide a normalised measure of each pillar’s net banking income taking into account the normative capital mobilised for its activity.

    3 – Operating expenses

    Operating expenses correspond to the “Operating Expenses” as presented in note 5 to the Group’s consolidated financial statements as at December 31st, 2023. The term “costs” is also used to refer to Operating Expenses. The Cost/Income Ratio is defined on page 42 of Societe Generale’s 2024 Universal Registration Document.

    4 – Cost of risk in basis points, coverage ratio for doubtful outstandings

    The cost of risk is defined on pages 43 and 770 of Societe Generale’s 2024 Universal Registration Document. This indicator makes it possible to assess the level of risk of each of the pillars as a percentage of balance sheet loan commitments, including operating leases.

    In EURm   Q3 24 Q3 23 9M 24 9M 23
    French Retail, Private Banking and Insurance Net Cost Of Risk 178 144 597 342
    Gross loan Outstandings 234,420 243,740 236,286 248,757
    Cost of Risk in bp 30 24 34 18
    Global Banking and Investor Solutions Net Cost Of Risk 27 14 29 (8)
    Gross loan Outstandings 163,160 167,057 163,482 170,165
    Cost of Risk in bp 7 3 2 (1)
    Mobility, International Retail Banking & Financial Services Net Cost Of Risk 201 175 572 349
    Gross loan Outstandings 168,182 162,873 167,680 145,227
    Cost of Risk in bp 48 43 45 32
    Corporate Centre Net Cost Of Risk (1) (17) (6) (19)
    Gross loan Outstandings 25,121 22,681 24,356 19,364
    Cost of Risk in bp (1) (31) (3) (13)
    Societe Generale Group Net Cost Of Risk 406 316 1,192 664
    Gross loan Outstandings 590,882 596,350 591,804 583,512
    Cost of Risk in bp 27 21 27 15

    The gross coverage ratio for doubtful outstandings is calculated as the ratio of provisions recognised in respect of the credit risk to gross outstandings identified as in default within the meaning of the regulations, without taking account of any guarantees provided. This coverage ratio measures the maximum residual risk associated with outstandings in default (“doubtful”).

    5 – ROE, ROTE, RONE

    The notions of ROE (Return on Equity) and ROTE (Return on Tangible Equity), as well as their calculation methodology, are specified on pages 43 and 44 of Societe Generale’s 2024 Universal Registration Document. This measure makes it possible to assess Societe Generale’s return on equity and return on tangible equity.
    RONE (Return on Normative Equity) determines the return on average normative equity allocated to the Group’s businesses, according to the principles presented on page 44 of Societe Generale’s 2024 Universal Registration Document.
    Group net income used for the ratio numerator is the accounting Group net income adjusted for “Interest paid and payable to holders if deeply subordinated notes and undated subordinated notes, issue premium amortisation”. For ROTE, income is also restated for goodwill impairment.
    Details of the corrections made to the accounting equity in order to calculate ROE and ROTE for the period are given in the table below:

    ROTE calculation: calculation methodology

    End of period (in EURm) Q3 24 Q3 23 9M 24 9M 23
    Shareholders’ equity Group share 67,446 68,077 67,446 68,077
    Deeply subordinated and undated subordinated notes (8,955) (11,054) (8,955) (11,054)
    Interest payable to holders of deeply & undated subordinated notes, issue premium amortisation(1) (45) (102) (45) (102)
    OCI excluding conversion reserves 560 853 560 853
    Distribution provision(2) (1,319) (1,059) (1,319) (1,059)
    Distribution N-1 to be paid
    ROE equity end-of-period 57,687 56,715 57,687 56,715
    Average ROE equity 57,368 56,572 56,896 56,326
    Average Goodwill(3) (4,160) (4,279) (4,079) (3,991)
    Average Intangible Assets (2,906) (3,390) (2,933) (3,128)
    Average ROTE equity 50,302 48,903 49,884 49,207
             
    Group net Income 1,367 295 3,160 2,063
    Interest paid and payable to holders of deeply subordinated notes and undated subordinated notes, issue premium amortisation (165) (165) (521) (544)
    Cancellation of goodwill impairment 338 338
    Adjusted Group net Income 1,202 468 2,639 1,858
    ROTE 9.6% 3.8% 7.1% 5.0%

    151617

    RONE calculation: Average capital allocated to Core Businesses (in EURm)

    In EURm Q3 24 Q3 23 Change 9M 24 9M 23 Change
    French Retail , Private Banking and Insurance 15,695 15,564 +0.8% 15,602 15,457 +0.9%
    Global Banking and Investor Solutions 15,490 15,324 +1.1% 15,149 15,485 -2.2%
    Mobility, International Retail Banking & Financial Services 10,433 10,136 +2.9% 10,425 9,505 +9.7%
    Core Businesses 41,618 41,024 +1.4% 41,177 40,448 +1.8%
    Corporate Center 15,750 15,548 +1.3% 15,719 15,878 -1.0%
    Group 57,368 56,572 +1.4% 56,896 56,326 +1.0%

    6 – Net assets and tangible net assets

    Net assets and tangible net assets are defined in the methodology, page 45 of the Group’s 2024 Universal Registration Document. The items used to calculate them are presented below:
    1819

    End of period (in EURm) 9M 24 H1 24 2023
    Shareholders’ equity Group share 67,446 66,829 65,975
    Deeply subordinated and undated subordinated notes (8,955) (9,747) (9,095)
    Interest of deeply & undated subordinated notes, issue premium amortisation(1) (45) (19) (21)
    Book value of own shares in trading portfolio 97 96 36
    Net Asset Value 58,543 57,159 56,895
    Goodwill(2) (4,178) (4,143) (4,008)
    Intangible Assets (2,895) (2,917) (2,954)
    Net Tangible Asset Value 51,471 50,099 49,933
           
    Number of shares used to calculate NAPS(3) 796,498 787,442 796,244
    Net Asset Value per Share 73.5 72.6 71.5
    Net Tangible Asset Value per Share 64.6 63.6 62.7

    7 – Calculation of Earnings Per Share (EPS)

    The EPS published by Societe Generale is calculated according to the rules defined by the IAS 33 standard (see page 44 of Societe Generale’s 2024 Universal Registration Document). The corrections made to Group net income in order to calculate EPS correspond to the restatements carried out for the calculation of ROE and ROTE.
    The calculation of Earnings Per Share is described in the following table:

    Average number of shares (thousands) 9M 24 H1 24 2023
    Existing shares 802,314 802,980 818,008
    Deductions      
    Shares allocated to cover stock option plans and free shares awarded to staff 4,548 4,791 6,802
    Other own shares and treasury shares 2,930 3,907 11,891
    Number of shares used to calculate EPS(4) 794,836 794,282 799,315
    Group net Income (in EUR m) 3,160 1,793 2,493
    Interest on deeply subordinated notes and undated subordinated notes (in EUR m) (521) (356) (759)
    Adjusted Group net income (in EUR m) 2,638 1,437 1,735
    EPS (in EUR) 3.32 1.81 2.17

    20
    8 – The Societe Generale Group’s Common Equity Tier 1 capital is calculated in accordance with applicable CRR2/CRD5 rules. The fully loaded solvency ratios are presented pro forma for current earnings, net of dividends, for the current financial year, unless specified otherwise. When there is reference to phased-in ratios, these do not include the earnings for the current financial year, unless specified otherwise. The leverage ratio is also calculated according to applicable CRR2/CRD5 rules including the phased-in following the same rationale as solvency ratios.

    9 – Funded balance sheet, loan to deposit ratio

    The funded balance sheet is based on the Group financial statements. It is obtained in two steps:

    • A first step aiming at reclassifying the items of the financial statements into aggregates allowing for a more economic reading of the balance sheet. Main reclassifications:

    Insurance: grouping of the accounting items related to insurance within a single aggregate in both assets and liabilities.
    Customer loans: include outstanding loans with customers (net of provisions and write-downs, including net lease financing outstanding and transactions at fair value through profit and loss); excludes financial assets reclassified under loans and receivables in accordance with the conditions stipulated by IFRS 9 (these positions have been reclassified in their original lines).
    Wholesale funding: Includes interbank liabilities and debt securities issued. Financing transactions have been allocated to medium/long-term resources and short-term resources based on the maturity of outstanding, more or less than one year.
    Reclassification under customer deposits of the share of issues placed by French Retail Banking networks (recorded in medium/long-term financing), and certain transactions carried out with counterparties equivalent to customer deposits (previously included in short term financing).
    Deduction from customer deposits and reintegration into short-term financing of certain transactions equivalent to market resources.

    • A second step aiming at excluding the contribution of insurance subsidiaries, and netting derivatives, repurchase agreements, securities borrowing/lending, accruals and “due to central banks”.

    The Group loan/deposit ratio is determined as the division of the customer loans by customer deposits as presented in the funded balance sheet.

    NB (1) The sum of values contained in the tables and analyses may differ slightly from the total reported due to rounding rules.
    (2) All the information on the results for the period (notably: press release, downloadable data, presentation slides and supplement) is available on Societe Generale’s website www.societegenerale.com in the “Investor” section.

    Societe Generale

    Societe Generale is a top tier European Bank with more than 126,000 employees serving about 25 million clients in 65 countries across the world. We have been supporting the development of our economies for nearly 160 years, providing our corporate, institutional, and individual clients with a wide array of value-added advisory and financial solutions. Our long-lasting and trusted relationships with the clients, our cutting-edge expertise, our unique innovation, our ESG capabilities and leading franchises are part of our DNA and serve our most essential objective – to deliver sustainable value creation for all our stakeholders.

    The Group runs three complementary sets of businesses, embedding ESG offerings for all its clients:

    • French Retail, Private Banking and Insurance, with leading retail bank SG and insurance franchise, premium private banking services, and the leading digital bank BoursoBank.
    • Global Banking and Investor Solutions, a top tier wholesale bank offering tailored-made solutions with distinctive global leadership in equity derivatives, structured finance and ESG.
    • Mobility, International Retail Banking and Financial Services, comprising well-established universal banks (in Czech Republic, Romania and several African countries), Ayvens (the new ALD I LeasePlan brand), a global player in sustainable mobility, as well as specialized financing activities.

    Committed to building together with its clients a better and sustainable future, Societe Generale aims to be a leading partner in the environmental transition and sustainability overall. The Group is included in the principal socially responsible investment indices: DJSI (Europe), FTSE4Good (Global and Europe), Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, Refinitiv Diversity and Inclusion Index, Euronext Vigeo (Europe and Eurozone), STOXX Global ESG Leaders indexes, and the MSCI Low Carbon Leaders Index (World and Europe).

    For more information, you can follow us on Twitter/X @societegenerale or visit our website societegenerale.com. or visit our website societegenerale.com.


    Asterisks* in the document refer to data at constant perimeter and exchange rates
    1 +5.8% excluding exceptional proceeds recorded in Corporate Centre (~EUR 0.3bn)
    2 Including IFRS 9 phasing, proforma including Q3 24 results
    3 Based on a pay-out ratio of 50% of the Group net income, at the high-end of the 40%-50% pay-out ratio, as per regulation, restated from non-cash items and after deduction of interest on deeply subordinated notes and undated subordinated notes
    4 As stated in Q2 24 results press release
    5 Ratio calculated according to European Banking Authority (EBA) methodology published on 16 July 2019
    6 Ratio excluding loans outstanding of companies currently being disposed of in compliance with IFRS 5
    7 Ratio of S3 provisions, guarantees and collaterals over gross outstanding non-performing loans
    8 Target: -80% upstream exposure reduction by 2030 vs. 2019, with an intermediary step in 2025 at -50% vs. 2019
    9 Only the Societe Generale participation is taken into account
    10 Including IFRS 9 phasing, proforma including Q3 24 results
    11 France and International, including Switzerland and United Kingdom
    1 Including entities reported under IFRS 5
    1 Excluding non-recurring items on either margins or UCS (mainly linked to fleet revaluation at EUR 114m in Q3 23 vs EUR 0m in Q3 24, the net impact related to prospective depreciation and Purchase Price Allocation for ~EUR 35m vs. Q3 23, hyperinflation in Turkey at EUR 46m in Q3 23 vs. EUR 10m in Q3 24 and MtM of derivatives at EUR -82m in Q3 23 vs. EUR -55m in Q3 24)
    14 As stated in Q2 24 results press release
    15 Interest net of tax
    16 The dividend to be paid is calculated based on a pay-out ratio of 50%, restated from non-cash items and after deduction of interest on deeply subordinated notes and on undated subordinated notes
    17 Excluding goodwill arising from non-controlling interests
    18 Interest net of tax
    19 Excluding goodwill arising from non-controlling interests
    20 The number of shares considered is the number of ordinary shares outstanding at end of period, excluding treasury shares and buybacks, but including the trading shares held by the Group (expressed in thousand of shares)
    4 The number of shares considered is the average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period, excluding treasury shares and buybacks, but including the trading shares held by the Group.

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  • MIL-OSI: Šiaulių Bankas results for 9M 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Profit. Šiaulių Bankas earned a net profit of €63.6 million
    • Return on capital. Achieved a return on equity (RoE) of 15.4%
    • Loan portfolio. New loan financing contract volumes grew by 8%, with the loan portfolio exceeding €3.4 billion
    • Asset quality. The quality of the loan portfolio remains strong – the cost of risk (CoR) of the loan portfolio was 0.31%
    • Net fee and commission income. Net fee and commission income amounted to €21.0 million, an increase of 44% compared to the same period last year
    • Capital and liquidity. Two successful bond issues of €300 million and €50 million in the international capital markets strengthened the bank’s capital and liquidity position
    • New dividend policy. Šiaulių Bankas commits to pay out at least 50% of the previous year’s net profit

    “Šiaulių Bankas continues to maintain stable growth. We expanded our market share across all financing segments: the corporate financing portfolio grew, more new contracts were signed, and growth in the mortgage segment gained even stronger momentum. Net fee and commission income also increased, and we made a significant contribution to capital markets by issuing more bonds in the first three quarters than initially planned for the entire year.

    We are focusing on another key area – capital efficiency. Šiaulių Bankas made its international debut with substantial bond issues, strengthening our capital and liquidity position. We have introduced a new dividend policy and are continuing our share buyback program, committed to increasing returns to shareholders while meeting the capital requirements outlined in our strategy,” says Vytautas Sinius, CEO of Šiaulių Bankas.

    Šiaulių Bankas Group earned an unaudited net profit of €63.6 million in in the first three quarters of 2024, which is 3% less than in the corresponding period of 2023. Operating profit before impairment and income tax amounted to €85.4 million, an 8% decrease compared to operating profit of €93.1 million in the first three quarters of 2023.

    Net interest income in the first three quarters of 2024 grew by 4% compared to the corresponding period of 2023 to €121.1 million, while net fee and commission income grew by 44% to €21.0 million.

    All loan book segments grew in the first three quarters of the year, with the total loan portfolio increasing by 17% (€498 million) to €3.43 billion (growth of 8% or €241 million in Q3 alone). New credit agreements worth €1.3 billion were signed during the three quarters of the year, 29% more than in the corresponding period of 2023 (€1.0 billion).

    The quality of the loan portfolio remains strong with provisions of €7.3 million made in the first three quarters of the year due to the strong portfolio growth and model adjustment, compared to provisions of €8.4 million in corresponding period of 2023. The cost of risk (CoR) of the loan portfolio for three quarters of 2024 was 0.31% (0.41% in corresponding period of 2023).

    The deposit portfolio grew by 8% (€240 million) over the three quarter period and exceeded €3.4 billion at the end of September (growth of 2% or €78 million in Q3 alone). The bank’s funding structure was reinforced by a €300 million bond issue on the international market. After the quarter, in October, the bank issued an additional Tier 1 bond of €50 million, which strengthened its funding structure as well as capital structure. This will allow the bank to continue its rapid and sustainable growth and to implement its new dividend policy.

    Šiaulių Bankas maintained a high level of operational efficiency – the group’s cost-to-income ratio in the three quarters of this year reaching 45.6%1 (34.4%1 in the corresponding period of 2023) and the return on equity of 15.4% achieved (18.9% in the three quarters of 2023). The capital and liquidity position remained strong and prudential ratios were met by a wide margin. The capital adequacy ratio (CAR) stood at 21.22%2 and the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) at 156.0%2.

    Income Statement (€’m) 2024 9M YTD  2023 9M YTD % ∆
           
    Net Interest Income 121.1 116.1 4%
    Net Fee and Commission Income 21.0 14.6 44%
    Other Income 24.9 13.6 84%
    Total Revenue 167.0 144.3 16%
           
    Salaries and Related Expenses (35.4) (25.5) 39%
    Other Operating Expenses (46.2) (25.6) 80%
    Total Operating Expenses (81.6) (51.1) 59%
           
    Operating Profit 85.4 93.1 (8%)
    Provisions (6.9) (8.5) (18%)
    Income Tax Expense (14.9) (19.0) (22%)
           
    Net Profit 63.6 65.7 (3%)
           
    Balance Sheet Metrics (€’m) 2024-09-30 2023-12-31 % ∆
           
    Loan Portfolio 3,429 2,932 17%
    Total Assets 4,944 4,809 3%
    Deposits 3,419 3,178 8%
    Equity 577 543 6%
           
    Assets under Management3 1,870 1,556 20%
    Assets under Custody 1,862 1,943 -4%
           
    KPIs 2024 9M YTD 2023 9M YTD
           
    Net Interest Margin (NIM) 3.6% 4.3% -73bps
    Cost-to-Income Ratio (C/I)1 45.6% 34.4% +1125bps
    Return on Equity (RoE) 15.4% 18.9% -357bps
    Cost of Risk (CoR) 0.3% 0.4% -10bps
    Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR)2 21.22% 21.34% -12bps

    Overview of Business Segments

    Corporate Client Segment

    The business loan portfolio grew by 24% year-on-year, driven by an increase in new lending volumes in the first 9 months of the year to €854 million, or 45% compared to the corresponding period last year. In the Q3 alone, the total amounted to €393 million. Since the beginning of the year, the portfolio has grown by €0.3 billion to over €1.8 billion.

    This underlines the favourable business environment in key strategic sectors including energy, manufacturing and retail. Šiaulių Bankas also further strengthens its commitment to green projects by financing a 29.5 MWh wind farm in western Lithuania, boosting the region’s economic growth and further diversifying its loan portfolio.

    Private Client Segment

    Lending activity in the retail segment increased significantly. New mortgage loans signed in the first nine months of 2024 amounted to €187 million and increased by 39% compared to the same period last year. Since the beginning of the year, the total portfolio of housing loans has grown by 16% (€127 million) to over €0.9 billion.

    New consumer loans totaling €191 million were issued in the first nine months of the year, up 12% compared to the same period last year. Since the beginning of the year, the consumer loan portfolio has grown by 21% (€61 million), reaching €0.35 billion.

    Šiaulių Bankas continues to prepare for a growth phase in retail banking segment. Along with implementing new core banking platform, preparations are being made for an active sales promotion phase: the number of direct marketing consents is growing, a new CRM system is being implemented, sales processes are being optimised and the competences of employees are being strengthened.

    Investment Client Segment

    In the first nine months of 2024, the volume of new bond issues reached €185 million, up 16% year-on-year, reflecting consistent investor interest and growing confidence in the bank’s financial products. In the third quarter of the year alone, due to the seasonality of the capital markets, new bond issues amounted to € 31 million.

    In Q3, the Bank also introduced a new option for investors to buy bonds through the Bank’s securities platform. This is an opportunity for customers to acquire bonds conveniently and quickly on their own online.

    Assets managed by SB Asset Management, the asset management company of Šiaulių Bankas Group, reached €1.38 billion at the end of Q3 2024 and increased by almost €200 million this year. Most of this increase was driven by the return on investment of the funds under management, which generated a profit of €142 million for clients.

    Pension funds managed by SB Asset Management maintain competitive performance in both the short and long term. In the Q3 of the year alone, the returns of Tier II pension funds were the highest in 7 out of 8 life cycle funds, and the 4-year performance of the funds was the best in 6 out of 8 life cycle funds, compared to other managers’ funds in the same age group.

    1 eliminating the impact of the client portfolio if SB draudimas
    2 preliminary data
    includes Asset Management and Modernisation Funds AuM

    Šiaulių Bankas invites shareholders, investors, analysts and all interested parties to a webinar presentation of the financial results and highlights for the second quarter of 2024. The webinar will start on 31 October 2024 at 8.30 am (EET). The webinar will be held in English. Please register here. Please find attached the information that will be presented at the webinar.

    If you would like to receive Šiaulių Bankas’ news for investors directly to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter.

    Additional information:
    Tomas Varenbergas
    Head of Investment Management Division
    tomas.varenbergas@sb.lt

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  • MIL-OSI: Societe Generale: Managerial changes within the Group

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SOCIETE GENERALE: MANAGERIAL CHANGES WITHIN THE GROUP

    Press release
    Paris, 31 October 2024

    Societe Generale announces managerial changes within the Group.

    Within General Management:

    Following a proposal by Slawomir Krupa, Chief Executive Officer, the Societe Generale Board of Directors, under the chairmanship of Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, approved on 30 October 2024 the reduction of the number of General Management executive officers to two: Slawomir Krupa, Chief Executive Officer, and Pierre Palmieri, Deputy Chief Executive Officer.

    Philippe Aymerich, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, will step down from his role on 31 October 2024. 

    As part of this change, Slawomir Krupa will assume direct supervision of Retail Banking activities in France (SG Network and BoursoBank), Private Banking, and Insurance.

    Within Retail Banking and Private Banking:

    Bertrand Cozzarolo and Thierry Le Marre are appointed Co-Heads of the SG Retail Banking network in France, effective 1 November 2024. They have been serving Societe Generale and its clients since 2004 and 1998, respectively. Their extensive experience in retail banking activities in France and abroad, as well as their direct contribution to the development of SG Retail Banking, will be essential assets in implementing our ambitious commercial roadmap to deliver sustainable performance.

    They replace Marie-Christine Ducholet, who will pursue projects outside the Group, effective 31 October 2024.

    Mathieu Vedrenne is appointed Head of Private Banking activities, effective 1 November 2024, replacing Bertrand Cozzarolo. At the service of the Group and its clients since 2001, he is currently Deputy Head of Private Banking, with particular responsibility for Private Banking in France, where he has successfully led its many years of sustainable growth.

    Within Financial Management:

    Leopoldo Alvear is appointed Chief Financial Officer of the Group, effective 7 January 2025. He will also become a member of the Group Executive Committee. With over 27 years of banking experience, including 12 years as head of financial departments at banking institutions (successively at Bankia and currently at Banco Sabadell), Leopoldo Alvear has demonstrated outstanding professional and leadership qualities.

    He will succeed Claire Dumas, who will ensure a seamless transition of the Chief Financial Officer duties until the end of January 2025, before pursuing professional opportunities outside the Group.

    The role of the Chief Financial Officer remains a direct report to Slawomir Krupa.

    Slawomir Krupa, Chief Executive Officer, comments: “Over the past 18 months, we have initiated numerous transformation, development and efficiency initiatives to strengthen our Group and increase the sustainability of our performance. We are already realizing the tangible benefits in our results. The trajectory of our improvement is clear, and our determination is unwavering.
    I would like to warmly thank Philippe and Marie-Christine for their commitment throughout the many years they have served our Group, and I wish them every success in their new projects.
    I am proud to promote our internal talents, Bertrand, Thierry and Mathieu, to continue building the new model of our SG Network in France while also developing our Private Banking activities, and strengthening commercial dynamics, synergies, and financial performance of our retail banking activities in France.
    I would also like to thank Claire for all the work she has done for Societe Generale over the past two decades, which she will continue during the transition period until the end of January.
    I am delighted to welcome Leopoldo to our team starting 7 January. His experience as a chief financial officer of other banking institutions, as well as his professional and personal qualities, will be valuable assets in ensuring the flawless execution of our strategic plan.
    Our ambition remains the same: to build a stronger and more profitable bank and create more long-term value for all our stakeholders.”

    Press contact:
    Jean-Baptiste Froville_+33 1 58 98 68 00_ jean-baptiste.froville@socgen.com

    Biographies

      Bertrand Cozzarolo began his career in 2000 in the General Inspection teams of the Ministry of Finance before joining Societe Generale in 2004 as a financial analyst. He subsequently held several management positions within retail banking subsidiaries in Egypt and Bulgaria before returning to France in 2011 as Executive Management Chief of Staff. In 2015, he joined Retail Banking in France, where he held various key positions in commercial management and customer relations before being appointed as the Commercial and Marketing Director in 2021. In December 2022, he was appointed as the Head of Societe Generale Private Banking.
    He is a graduate of the Paris Institute of Political Studies and a former student of the National School of Administration.

     

      Thierry Le Marre began his career in 1990 as a consultant at Coopers & Lybrand before joining the Societe Generale Group in 1998 in the Organization department. In 2002, he became the Chief of Staff of the Chairman and Secretary of the Board of Directors. From 2007 to 2014, he held various management positions in international consumer credit activities. In 2014, he joined retail banking in France, where he successively led two regional delegations. In January 2021, he was appointed co-responsible for the “Clients and network organization” project within the merger project between Credit du Nord and Societe Generale. He has been the Regional Director of SG Societe Generale Ile-de-France Sud since 2023.
    He is a graduate of the Paris Institute of Political Studies.

     

      Mathieu Vedrenne began his career as a consultant at PriceWaterhouseCoopers in 1998 before joining the General Inspection of Societe Generale in 2001, and then the Strategy Department in 2005. In 2008, he was appointed as Executive Management Chief of Staff. He joined Private Banking in 2011, where he held several positions in Switzerland and France and contributed to the commercial development of the activities. He has been Head of Societe Generale Private Banking France since 2019 and Deputy Head of Private Banking since 2023.
    He is a graduate of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL).

     

     

      Leopoldo Alvear has over 27 years of experience in financial services. Since 2021, he has been the General Manager and Chief Financial Officer of Banco Sabadell. Previously, he spent 11 years at Bankia, where he successively held the positions of first Head of Financial Management & Rating, and then, since 2012 Group CFO. He began his career at PWC in Corporate Finance before joining Caja Madrid as head of Equity Capital Markets.
    He is a graduate of the Complutense University of Madrid.

     

    Societe Generale

    Societe Generale is a top tier European Bank with more than 126,000 employees serving about 25 million clients in 65 countries across the world. We have been supporting the development of our economies for 160 years, providing our corporate, institutional, and individual clients with a wide array of value-added advisory and financial solutions. Our long-lasting and trusted relationships with the clients, our cutting-edge expertise, our unique innovation, our ESG capabilities and leading franchises are part of our DNA and serve our most essential objective – to deliver sustainable value creation for all our stakeholders.

    The Group runs three complementary sets of businesses, embedding ESG offerings for all its clients:

    • French Retail, Private Banking and Insurance, with leading retail bank SG and insurance franchise, premium private banking services, and the leading digital bank BoursoBank.
    • Global Banking and Investor Solutions, a top tier wholesale bank offering tailored-made solutions with distinctive global leadership in equity derivatives, structured finance and ESG.
    • Mobility, International Retail Banking and Financial Services, comprising well-established universal banks (in Czech Republic, Romania and several African countries), Ayvens (the new ALD I LeasePlan brand), a global player in sustainable mobility, as well as specialized financing activities.

    Committed to building together with its clients a better and sustainable future, Societe Generale aims to be a leading partner in the environmental transition and sustainability overall. The Group is included in the principal socially responsible investment indices: DJSI (Europe), FTSE4Good (Global and Europe), Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, Refinitiv Diversity and Inclusion Index, Euronext Vigeo (Europe and Eurozone), STOXX Global ESG Leaders indexes, and the MSCI Low Carbon Leaders Index (World and Europe).

    In case of doubt regarding the authenticity of this press release, please go to the end of the Group News page on societegenerale.com website where official Press Releases sent by Societe Generale can be certified using blockchain technology. A link will allow you to check the document’s legitimacy directly on the web page.

    For more information, you can follow us on Twitter/X @societegenerale or visit our website societegenerale.com.

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  • MIL-OSI: Programme for the acquisition of own shares of Šiaulių Bankas AB approved

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    On 30 October 2024, the Management Board of Šiaulių Bankas AB (hereinafter referred to as the “Bank”), implementing the decision of the Bank’s Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders on 29 March 2024 regarding the acquisition of the Bank’s own shares, decided to approve a share acquisition programme for the Bank (ISIN LT0000102253), the sole purpose of which is to reduce the Bank’s capital.

    The shares will be purchased by the Bank by placing orders on the Nasdaq Vilnius regulated market under the following terms and schedule:

    • The maximum purchase price per share shall not exceed the higher of:
      • the last independent trading price, or
      • the highest independent bid price for a particular transaction on Nasdaq Vilnius, where the shares are purchased.
    • Share purchase begins on 4 November 2024.
    • Share purchase ends on 24 January 2025.
    • Purchase schedule: up to 125,000 shares per trading day on the regulated market.
    • The maximum number of shares to be acquired during the program is 6,875,000 units.

    “We are prepared to begin buying back our own shares on the regulated market until 24 January. The Bank aims to purchase up to 125,000 of its own shares each trading day. The Bank’s buy orders will be placed on the trading venue before or during the trading session and may be modified as needed. Upon completion of this buy-back program, we will determine the most efficient approach to continue repurchasing shares to enhance shareholder returns,” says Tomas Varenbergas, Head of Investment Management Division of Šiaulių Bankas.

     The bank will publish information on transactions completed in the previous calendar week on the first working day of each calendar week.

    This share buy-back program will be carried out in compliance with the safe harbour requirements set out in Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on market abuse, as well as Articles 2 to 4 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 2016/1052, which supplements Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 with regulatory technical standards on conditions applicable to repurchase programs and stabilization measures, and in accordance with other applicable legal provisions.

    On 15 August 2024, the Bank received permission from the European Central Bank (ECB) to buy back up to 13,745,114 of its own shares. The Bank has already purchased 6 million shares under this authorization during the share buy-back event held from 11 to 18 October 2024.

    Additional information:
    Tomas Varenbergas
    Head of Investment Management Division
    tomas.varenbergas@sb.lt

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Christine Lagarde: Interview with Le Monde

    Source: European Central Bank

    Interview with Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, conducted by Eric Albert, Philippe Escande and Béatrice Madeline on 28 October 2024

    31 October 2024

    In September, former ECB President Mario Draghi published an alarming report on how the European economy is falling behind. Do you agree with this assessment?

    Europe is falling behind. It’s true. And so is France. Mario Draghi’s report highlights the productivity gap, which is largely due to the tech sector. Tech players in Europe and the United States believe that the gap first emerged during the digital revolution that began in the mid-1990s.

    The question now is whether the boost that the United States got from the mid-1990s will continue with artificial intelligence, the accumulation of data centres and the exploitation of these data. This is the key issue. In Europe we need to roll up our sleeves and make an effort to keep those companies that start out here and then develop themselves elsewhere. We need to try to make them stay.

    So what is the solution? Do you think the gap will remain?

    We need to look at why Europe is falling behind. The energy component is key, especially as regards data centres. Labour is also important, with mobility being much greater in the United States. And regulation is a crucial issue, too. In overly simple terms, the United States is developing AI very quickly, and already has a number of major players. In the meantime, not only is Europe lacking such big players, but it has also become a pioneer in AI regulation. This causes players in this sector to say “OK, let’s do this elsewhere. It’ll be easier and we’ll have fewer obstacles and fewer restrictions”.

    What about the public funding provided to businesses in the United States?

    The fourth factor that is contributing to Europe falling behind is the “light” industrial policy pursued by the United States. It’s not light in terms of money because the Inflation Reduction Act of August 2022 is very large, but there are relatively few criteria to qualify for funding to start a company on US soil. When I ask manufacturers, they pretty much all agree that in Europe, the process is complicated and unwieldy. And on top of the multi-layered European system, you then have those of the Member States.

    The final factor is private funding. In the United States there are pension fund plans and other financial instruments that make it possible to channel savings and get savers (employees or retirees) interested in the future of the economy or the evolution of the stock market. In many European countries, these plans are still a long way off of those mechanisms, especially share participation and company profit sharing. Hence the need to develop a capital markets union.

    But we have been talking about this project for the past 15 years. And when Mario Draghi’s report was published, Germany immediately opposed common borrowing. Is Europe really capable of reacting?

    You’re right. We have been talking about a capital markets union since the time of Jean-Claude Juncker (President of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019), and little progress has been made. The Letta and Draghi reports are a wake-up call for Europeans, a warning. The assessment is severe but fair and provides specific recommendations. It suggests that all Europeans should gear up and be ready to give up a bit of sovereignty to ‘combine the best,’ to paraphrase what Paul Valéry once said. But what gives me hope is the engagement of all European institutions on the capital markets union. The ECB’s Governing Council is firmly engaged as well. We must use this momentum.

    In 2020, the plan for a collective European loan of €750 billion was a major step forward. Four years later, less than half of the loan has been allocated. Should we see this as another example of European slowness?

    We had exactly the same problem during the Greek crisis. The administrations of the different countries are not always able to quickly manage the incoming funds. The finance ministers of countries receiving a lot of funds tell you that they have of course identified what bridge or railway line should be constructed, but that they need to obtain local authorisations as well as permissions to expropriate property, and that environmental organisations are taking court actions. All of this takes a lot of time.

    In this context, what consequences could the US elections on Tuesday 5 November have for Europe?

    I do not want to give an opinion on any particular candidate. But US international trade policy will of course have an impact on economic activity in the rest of the world, and primarily on China. Whoever wins, if trade fragmentation worsens, the effect on global GDP will be negative, with losses reaching 9% in a severe scenario of full decoupling according to ECB simulations. But remember: when Joe Biden was elected, everyone thought that he would remove the customs barriers erected by his predecessor (Donald Trump). Nothing came of that.

    Between China, which is withdrawing towards Asia, and the United States, which is closing up again, isn’t Europe, as a partner to both powers, the big loser?

    That’s why we need to act and roll up our sleeves. Will Europe need to undergo another crisis for it to bring about reforms? It’s always in times of crisis that we are able to make things happen. That may be why Mario Draghi speaks of “agony”, it’s a way of saying “the crisis is here, now, do something!”.

    There is talk of a European decoupling. But isn’t there a French decoupling within Europe?

    If you compare today’s GDP figures with those of 2019, the United States has grown by 10.7%, the European average by 4.8% and France by 3.7%. France is lagging behind the European average.

    What is your view of the surge in the French deficit?

    The prospect of returning in line with European standards by applying European fiscal rules should serve as a binding guideline.

    And are the French promises to restore public finances credible?

    As I said, applying European fiscal rules should serve as a binding guideline.

    Will we be heading towards a recession in Europe in 2025?

    Based on the information now available and our current assessment, we don’t see a recession in 2024, nor in 2025, nor in 2026.

    What will drive this growth, given the weakness in demand?

    The two levers are exports and domestic demand, which is set to pick up. Today, with wages rising and inflation falling, disposable income is increasing. For the moment, this benefits savings more than consumption. But we are convinced, and economic history shows us, that this additional disposable income will ultimately flow towards consumption.

    How do you explain the fact that it is proving so difficult for consumption to recover?

    We can indeed ask why households are choosing to save their money instead of spending it. It could be that people are reluctant to make major purchases owing to geopolitical uncertainty. A second explanation could be related to the return on their savings, which is still fairly high in the euro area. A third could be that people are deciding it’s better to save rather than spend when they expect their taxes or other contributions to go up.

    Euro area inflation was at 1.7% in September, below your 2% target. Is it now under control?

    The target is in sight but I’m not going to tell you that inflation is defeated yet. Inflation stood at 1.7% in September. Excluding energy and food, it was still at 2.7%. We are pleased about the 1.7% figure, but we also know that inflation is going to rise again in the coming months simply because of base effects. In September energy prices were 6.1% lower than a year earlier, bringing down the cost of the consumption basket. Besides, inflation in the services sector – which is highly dependent on wages – is still at 3.9%. So, prudence is warranted.

    How do you respond to those who say the ECB was too late in reacting to the rise in inflation?

    I tell them we should look at the facts. Don’t forget that inflation was at 10.6% two years ago. It has fallen back to 1.7%. Perhaps we could have started a few months earlier. But we raised rates at the fastest pace ever and we managed to bring down inflation considerably in a short period of time. I now want to see inflation reach the 2% target on a sustained and durable basis. Unless there is a major shock, this will happen during the course of 2025.

    And what do you say to those who now accuse you of cutting rates too late and not quickly enough?

    The pace at which interest rates are cut will be determined by the economic data we receive in the coming weeks and months – based on our updated assessment of the inflation outlook, the dynamics of underlying inflation and the strength of monetary policy transmission. And to revitalise growth, urgent action is needed in the area of structural reforms.

    The spread between France and Germany has increased from 0.5% to 0.8% since the French National Assembly was dissolved. The ECB has an instrument that it can use to intervene and calm the markets. Are you ready to use it?

    We have clearly outlined the conditions under which we will use this instrument. And that is not an issue today.

    A number of emerging countries brought together by the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are thinking about a payments system to circumvent the dollar. Is dedollarisation happening?

    That would require another country to be able to take on the role of reserve currency. China is preparing for that, but it isn’t ready yet. I won’t see the renminbi take the place of the dollar in my lifetime.

    MIL OSI Europe News

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: FS explores opportunities in Riyadh

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Financial Secretary Paul Chan, currently leading a delegation on a visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, yesterday attended the listing ceremony for the first Saudi exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks Hong Kong stocks on the Saudi stock exchange.

    The fund is the result of collaboration between Albilad Bank of Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong’s CSOP Asset Management.

    Mr Chan said that, as the largest of its kind in the Middle East, the ETF will create a win-win situation by attracting more investors to the Hong Kong market, while also fostering the development of the ETF market in Saudi Arabia.

    He also highlighted that the fund is Saudi Arabia’s first ETF tracking Hong Kong stocks, after the first ETF invested in the Saudi market was listed in Hong Kong last November.

    He added that he believes more products will emerge in the future to give investors from the Middle East convenient access to the Hong Kong and Mainland markets. Such products will enhance the two-way flow of capital between Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia, fostering greater connectivity and stimulating the development of the capital markets in both regions, he said.

    The finance chief also attended a breakfast meeting hosted by Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing to discuss capital market connectivity between Asia and the Middle East.

    In a keynote speech, he highlighted that Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 has brought major reforms and opportunities, promoting capital investment from Asian markets.

    He added that with its unique advantages under “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong has become the premier international financial centre connecting the Middle East and China, particularly in light of its credentials in fund-raising, asset and wealth management, and green and sustainable finance.

    He explained that Hong Kong provides diverse offerings for investors and enterprises in the Middle East, and can provide financial support for regional economic development and green transformation.

    At noon, Mr Chan called on Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Chang Hua, to brief him on developments in Hong Kong. They also discussed China-Saudi co-operation and economic relations.

    In the afternoon, Mr Chan co-hosted a roundtable with Saudi Capital Market Authority Chairman Mohammed bin Abdullah Elkuwaiz. Participants discussed developments in the financial markets of Asia and the Middle East and explored further opportunities for co-operation.

    Later on, Mr Chan met Saudi Central Bank Governor Ayman Alsayari to discuss connectivity between the financial markets of Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and the Middle East more broadly, as well as co-operation in digital finance.

    In the evening, the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation held an event at which 20 startups showcased research products spanning green technology, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and more, with a view to connecting with investors and business partners.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Public Fertility Care turns two

    Source: Government of Victoria 2

    30/10/24

    Two years on from the launch

    This month Public Fertility Care is celebrating two years of making fertility services more affordable and accessible for Victorians wanting to start or grow their family. Public Fertility Care was established in October 2022 and provides a range of services – including in vitro fertilisation (IVF), intrauterine insemination (IUI) or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) for free. Since its launch, Public Fertility Care has been accessed by more than 4,000 Victorians and over 50 babies have been born.

    Caring for those who need it most

    Public Fertility Care is a government-funded fertility service available to all eligible Victorians, but the service has a particular focus on helping people with limited access to the private fertility sector. This includes lower-income earners, rural and regional Victorians, people who need donor services such as LGBTIQA+ and single people, people who need fertility preservation for medical reasons, and people needing testing for specific genetic conditions.

    Delivering fertility care across Victoria

    Public Fertility Care is led by the Royal Women’s Hospital, who work with partner sites across the state, providing a range of services closer to home for more Victorians. Partner sites enable patients to access consultations with a fertility specialist, diagnostics tests, ultrasounds, and medications closer to home, reducing the need for travel. Patients can access Public Fertility Care via a referral from their GP or specialist which is sent to the Royal Women’s Hospital. The Women’s then organise eligible patients to receive fertility treatment at their nearest partner site. In the past two years over 600 patients have accessed the service through partner sites.

    Launch of the egg and sperm bank

    The service is supported by Australia’s first public egg and sperm bank, which opened in July last year and is located at the Royal Women’s Hospital. The bank provides critical access to donated eggs and sperm for Victorians who need support to start or grow their families. Interest from potential donors in the Victorian community has been strong, with more than 650 people expressing interest since the bank’s launch.

    Visit Public Fertility CareExternal Link on Better Health Channel to find out more.

    MIL OSI News

  • MIL-OSI: ING posts 3Q2024 net result of €1,880 million, supported by commercial growth and strong income

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ING posts 3Q2024 net result of €1,880 million,
    supported by commercial growth and strong income

     

    3Q2024 profit before tax of €2,668 million with a four-quarter rolling average return on equity of 13.8%

    Resilient net interest income, supported by volume growth in lending and deposits
    Fee income increasing 11% year-on-year, surpassing €1 billion, with significant growth in both Retail and Wholesale Banking
    Increase of 189,000 mobile primary customers and strong growth in mortgages
    €2.5 billion distribution announced as we continue to align our capital to our target level
     
    CEO statement
    “In the third quarter of 2024, we have again delivered strong results and are executing well on our strategy to accelerate growth, increase impact and deliver value for all stakeholders,” said Steven van Rijswijk, CEO of ING. “We have grown our customer base and taken important steps in our climate action approach. Our good commercial momentum has led to robust income growth, specifically in fee income. We have also seen increased lending and deposit volumes and resilient margins.

    “Fee income has continued to increase in line with our ambition to diversify our income and surpassed €1 billion for the first time. Fee income from retail investment products has continued to rise, reflecting an increase in assets under management and customer trading activity. Wholesale Banking has in particular benefited from higher deal flow in Global Capital Markets.

    “In Retail Banking, performance was supported by strong core lending growth of €6 billion, mainly in residential mortgages across all Retail markets. Our market share of new mortgage production has increased significantly in the Netherlands, as our quick processing of digital applications and our flexible operations helped us in a very competitive market. This is a clear example of how we increase impact and deliver value for customers.

    “Wholesale Banking income was resilient, supported by volume growth in lending and deposits in addition to strong results in Payments & Cash Management and Financial Markets. Our Capital Markets Advisory business continues to grow following investments to further build on our expertise. We aim to optimise our capital efficiency and during this quarter we have significantly reduced our risk-weighted assets (RWA) in Wholesale Banking.

    “Expenses have risen 2% from the last quarter as we invest in growing our business. Risk costs were €336 million, in line with our through-the-cycle-average. Our four-quarter rolling return on equity came out at 13.8% and our CET1 ratio increased to 14.3%, driven by our strong profitability and lower RWA.

    “We continue to take steps to converge our CET1 capital ratio to our target level of around 12.5%. The share buyback programme announced in May 2024 has been completed and we today announce a next distribution of €2.5 billion, which will have a pro forma impact of 76 basis points on our CET1 ratio. Operating at the right level of capital is in the best interest of all our stakeholders and allows us to support customers and the economy in the countries we operate in.

    “In September, we have published our Climate Progress Update 2024, which shares our sharpened approach to client engagement, our updated energy policy and the latest on our Terra approach. We aim to make an impact by working with clients on their transitions to net zero while financing the technologies and solutions needed for a sustainable future.

    “We are well positioned to continue to execute our strategy and grow our business, and I would like to thank our customers for their loyalty and our employees for their contributions to our excellent third-quarter performance.”

     
    Further information
    All publications related to ING’s 3Q 2024 results can be found at the quarterly results publications page on ING.com. For more on investor information, go to www.ing.com/investors.

    A short ING ON AIR video with CEO Steven van Rijswijk discussing our 3Q 2024 results is available on Youtube.
    For further information on ING, please visit www.ing.com. Frequent news updates can be found in the Newsroom or via the @ING_news X-feed. Photos of ING operations, buildings and its executives are available for download at Flickr.

     
    Investor conference call, Media meeting and webcasts
    Steven van Rijswijk, Tanate Phutrakul and Ljiljana Čortan will discuss the results in an Investor conference call on 31 October 2024 at 9:00 a.m. CET. Members of the investment community can join the conference call at +31 20 708 5074 (NL), or +44 330 551 0202 (UK) (registration required via invitation) and via live audio webcast at www.ing.com.

    Steven van Rijswijk, Tanate Phutrakul and Ljiljana Čortan will also discuss the results in a Media conference call on 31 October 2024 at 11:00 a.m. CET. Journalists can dial-in via +31 20 708 5073 (NL), or +44 330 551 0200 (UK) – quote ING Media Call when prompted by the operator. The conference call can also be followed via live audio webcast at www.ing.com.

     
    Investor enquiries
    E: investor.relations@ing.com

    Press enquiries
    T: +31 20 576 5000
    E: media.relations@ing.com

     
     
    ING Profile
    ING is a global financial institution with a strong European base, offering banking services through its operating company ING Bank. The purpose of ING Bank is: empowering people to stay a step ahead in life and in business. ING Bank’s more than 60,000 employees offer retail and wholesale banking services to customers in over 40 countries.

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

    ING aims to put sustainability at the heart of what we do. Our policies and actions are assessed by independent research and ratings providers, which give updates on them annually. ING’s ESG rating by MSCI was reconfirmed by MSCI as ‘AA’ in August 2024 for the fifth year. As of December 2023, in Sustainalytics’ view, ING’s management of ESG material risk is ‘Strong’. Our current ESG Risk Rating, is 17.2 (Low Risk). ING Group shares are also included in major sustainability and ESG index products of leading providers. Here are some examples: Euronext, STOXX, Morningstar and FTSE Russell.

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

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

    Certain of the statements contained herein are not historical facts, including, without limitation, certain statements made of future expectations and other forward-looking statements that are based on management’s current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Actual results, performance or events may differ materially from those in such statements due to a number of factors, including, without limitation: (1) changes in general economic conditions and customer behaviour, in particular economic conditions in ING’s core markets, including changes affecting currency exchange rates and the regional and global economic impact of the invasion of Russia into Ukraine and related international response measures (2) changes affecting interest rate levels (3) any default of a major market participant and related market disruption (4) changes in performance of financial markets, including in Europe and developing markets (5) fiscal uncertainty in Europe and the United States (6) discontinuation of or changes in ‘benchmark’ indices (7) inflation and deflation in our principal markets (8) changes in conditions in the credit and capital markets generally, including changes in borrower and counterparty creditworthiness (9) failures of banks falling under the scope of state compensation schemes (10) noncompliance with or changes in laws and regulations, including those concerning financial services, financial economic crimes and tax laws, and the interpretation and application thereof (11) geopolitical risks, political instabilities and policies and actions of governmental and regulatory authorities, including in connection with the invasion of Russia into Ukraine and the related international response measures (12) legal and regulatory risks in certain countries with less developed legal and regulatory frameworks (13) prudential supervision and regulations, including in relation to stress tests and regulatory restrictions on dividends and distributions (also among members of the group) (14) ING’s ability to meet minimum capital and other prudential regulatory requirements (15) changes in regulation of US commodities and derivatives businesses of ING and its customers (16) application of bank recovery and resolution regimes, including write down and conversion powers in relation to our securities (17) outcome of current and future litigation, enforcement proceedings, investigations or other regulatory actions, including claims by customers or stakeholders who feel misled or treated unfairly, and other conduct issues (18) changes in tax laws and regulations and risks of non-compliance or investigation in connection with tax laws, including FATCA (19) operational and IT risks, such as system disruptions or failures, breaches of security, cyber-attacks, human error, changes in operational practices or inadequate controls including in respect of third parties with which we do business and including any risks as a result of incomplete, inaccurate, or otherwise flawed outputs from the algorithms and data sets utilized in artificial intelligence (20) risks and challenges related to cybercrime including the effects of cyberattacks and changes in legislation and regulation related to cybersecurity and data privacy, including such risks and challenges as a consequence of the use of emerging technologies, such as advanced forms of artificial intelligence and quantum computing (21) changes in general competitive factors, including ability to increase or maintain market share (22) inability to protect our intellectual property and infringement claims by third parties (23) inability of counterparties to meet financial obligations or ability to enforce rights against such counterparties (24) changes in credit ratings (25) business, operational, regulatory, reputation, transition and other risks and challenges in connection with climate change and ESG-related matters, including data gathering and reporting (26) inability to attract and retain key personnel (27) future liabilities under defined benefit retirement plans (28) failure to manage business risks, including in connection with use of models, use of derivatives, or maintaining appropriate policies and guidelines (29) changes in capital and credit markets, including interbank funding, as well as customer deposits, which provide the liquidity and capital required to fund our operations, and (30) the other risks and uncertainties detailed in the most recent annual report of ING Groep N.V. (including the Risk Factors contained therein) and ING’s more recent disclosures, including press releases, which are available on www.ING.com.

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

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

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

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

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

    Attachment

    The MIL Network

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

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PR No: C3290C

    STMicroelectronics Reports 2024 Third Quarter Financial Results

    • Q3 net revenues $3.25 billion; gross margin 37.8%; operating margin 11.7%; net income $351 million
    • YTD net revenues $9.95 billion; gross margin 39.9%; operating margin 13.1%; net income $1.22 billion
    • Business outlook at mid-point: Q4 net revenues of $3.32 billion and gross margin of 38%
    • Launch of a new company-wide program to reshape our manufacturing footprint accelerating our wafer fab capacity to 300mm Silicon and 200mm Silicon Carbide and resizing our global cost base

    Geneva, October 31, 2024 – STMicroelectronics N.V. (“ST”) (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, reported U.S. GAAP financial results for the third quarter ended September 28, 2024. This press release also contains non-U.S. GAAP measures (see Appendix for additional information).

    ST reported third quarter net revenues of $3.25 billion, gross margin of 37.8%, operating margin of 11.7%, and net income of $351 million or $0.37 diluted earnings per share.

    Jean-Marc Chery, ST President & CEO, commented:

    • “Q3 net revenues were in line with the midpoint of our business outlook range. Our revenues, compared to our expectations, were higher in Personal Electronics, declined less in Industrial and were lower in Automotive. Q3 gross margin of 37.8% was broadly in line with the mid-point of our business outlook range.”
    • “First nine months net revenues decreased 23.5% year-over-year across all reportable segments, particularly in Microcontrollers, which is impacted by a continuing weakness in the Industrial market. Operating margin was 13.1% and net income was $1.22 billion.”
    • “Our fourth quarter business outlook, at the mid-point, is for net revenues of $3.32 billion, decreasing year-over-year by 22.4% and increasing sequentially by 2.2%; gross margin is expected to be about 38%, impacted by about 400 basis points of unused capacity charges.”
    • “The midpoint of this outlook translates into full year 2024 revenues of about $13.27 billion, representing a 23.2% year-over-year decrease, in the low-end of the range indicated in the previous quarter, and a gross margin slightly below that provided in such indication.”
    • “Based on our current customer order backlog and demand visibility, we anticipate a revenue decline between Q4 2024 and Q1 2025 well above normal seasonality.”
    • “We are launching a new company-wide program to reshape our manufacturing footprint accelerating our wafer fab capacity to 300mm Silicon (Agrate and Crolles) and 200mm Silicon Carbide (Catania) and resizing our global cost base. This program should result in strengthening our capability to grow our revenues with an improved operating efficiency resulting in annual cost savings in the high triple-digit million-dollar range exiting 2027.”

    Quarterly Financial Summary (U.S. GAAP)

    (US$ m, except per share data) Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023 Q/Q Y/Y
    Net Revenues $3,251 $3,232 $4,431 0.6% -26.6%
    Gross Profit $1,228 $1,296 $2,109 -5.2% -41.8%
    Gross Margin 37.8% 40.1% 47.6% -230 bps -980 bps
    Operating Income $381 $375 $1,241 1.8% -69.3%
    Operating Margin 11.7% 11.6% 28.0% 10 bps -1,630 bps
    Net Income $351 $353 $1,090 -0.6% -67.8%
    Diluted Earnings Per Share $0.37 $0.38 $1.16 -2.6% -68.1%

    Third Quarter 2024 Summary Review

    Reminder: On January 10, 2024, ST announced a new organization which implied a change in segment reporting starting Q1 2024. Prior year comparative periods have been adjusted accordingly. See Appendix for more detail.

    Net Revenues by Reportable Segment (US$ m) Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023 Q/Q Y/Y
    Analog products, MEMS and Sensors (AM&S) segment 1,185 1,165 1,367 1.7% -13.3%
    Power and discrete products (P&D) segment 807 747 989 7.9% -18.4%
    Subtotal: Analog, Power & Discrete, MEMS and Sensors (APMS) Product Group 1,992 1,912 2,356 4.2% -15.5%
    Microcontrollers (MCU) segment 829 800 1,466 3.6% -43.4%
    Digital ICs and RF Products (D&RF) segment 426 516 605 -17.4% -29.7%
    Subtotal: Microcontrollers, Digital ICs and RF products (MDRF) Product Group 1,255 1,316 2,071 -4.6% -39.4%
    Others 4 4 4
    Total Net Revenues 3,251 3,232 4,431 0.6% -26.6%

    Net revenues totaled $3.25 billion, representing a year-over-year decrease of 26.6%. Year-over-year net sales to OEMs and Distribution decreased 17.5% and 45.4%, respectively. On a sequential basis, net revenues increased 0.6%, in line with the mid-point of ST’s guidance.

    Gross profit totaled $1.23 billion, representing a year-over-year decrease of 41.8%. Gross margin of 37.8%, 20 basis points below the mid-point of ST’s guidance, decreased 980 basis points year-over-year, mainly due to product mix and, to a lesser extent, to sales price and higher unused capacity charges.

    Operating income decreased 69.3% to $381 million, compared to $1.24 billion in the year-ago quarter. ST’s operating margin decreased 1,630 basis points on a year-over-year basis to 11.7% of net revenues, compared to 28.0% in the third quarter of 2023.

    By reportable segment1, compared with the year-ago quarter:

    In Analog, Power & Discrete, MEMS and Sensors (APMS) Product Group:

    Analog products, MEMS and Sensors (AM&S) segment:

    • Revenue decreased 13.3% mainly due to decreases in Imaging and in Analog.   
    • Operating profit decreased by 41.2% to $175 million. Operating margin was 14.8% compared to 21.8%.

    Power and Discrete products (P&D) segment:

    • Revenue decreased 18.4%.
    • Operating profit decreased by 54.0% to $121 million. Operating margin was 15.0% compared to 26.5%. 

    In Microcontrollers, Digital ICs and RF products (MDRF) Product Group:

    Microcontrollers (MCU) segment:

    • Revenue decreased 43.4% mainly due to a decrease in GP MCU.
    • Operating profit decreased by 78.2% to $116 million. Operating margin was 14.0% compared to 36.4%.

    Digital ICs and RF products (D&RF) segment:

    • Revenue decreased 29.7% mainly due to a decrease in ADAS (automotive ADAS and infotainment).
    • Operating profit decreased by 49.5% to $114 million. Operating margin was 26.8% compared to 37.3%. 

    Net income and diluted Earnings Per Share decreased to $351 million and $0.37 respectively compared to $1.09 billion and $1.16 respectively in the year-ago quarter.

    Cash Flow and Balance Sheet Highlights

            Trailing 12 Months
    (US$ m) Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023 Q3 2024 Q3 2023 TTM Change
    Net cash from operating activities 723 702 1,881 3,764 6,062 -37.9%
    Free cash flow (non-U.S. GAAP)2 136 159 707 813 1,725 -52.9%

    Net cash from operating activities was $723 million in the third quarter compared to $1.88 billion in the year-ago quarter.

    Net Capex (non-U.S. GAAP) was $565 million in the third quarter compared to $1.15 billion in the year-ago quarter.

    Free cash flow (non-U.S. GAAP) was $136 million in the third quarter, compared to $707 million in the year-ago quarter.

    Inventory at the end of the third quarter was $2.88 billion, compared to $2.81 billion in the previous quarter and $2.87 billion in the year-ago quarter. Days sales of inventory at quarter-end was 130 days, similar to the previous quarter, and compared to 114 days in the year-ago quarter.

    In the third quarter, ST paid cash dividends to its stockholders totaling $80 million and executed a $92 million share buy-back, as part of its current share repurchase program.

    ST’s net financial position (non-U.S. GAAP) was $3.18 billion as of September 28, 2024, compared to $3.20 billion as of June 29, 2024 and reflected total liquidity of $6.30 billion and total financial debt of $3.12 billion. Adjusted net financial position (non-U.S. GAAP), taking into consideration the effect on total liquidity of advances from capital grants for which capital expenditures have not been incurred yet, stood at $2.82 billion as of September 28, 2024.

    Corporate developments

    Since the beginning of 2024, ST has made significant changes in the way it is structured and operates, including the re-organization of its Product Groups. Since October 1, 2024, Lorenzo Grandi, President and CFO, has taken additional responsibilities, with a perimeter now also covering Supply Chain, Corporate Development and Integrated External Communication in addition to Finance, Global Procurement, Digital Transformation and Information Technology, Enterprise Risk Management and Resilience. ST’s Executive Committee remains unchanged and continues to report to Jean-Marc Chery, ST President and CEO.

    Business Outlook

    ST’s guidance, at the mid-point, for the 2024 fourth quarter is:

    • Net revenues are expected to be $3.32 billion, an increase of 2.2% sequentially, plus or minus 350 basis points.
    • Gross margin of 38%, plus or minus 200 basis points.
    • This outlook is based on an assumed effective currency exchange rate of approximately $1.11 = €1.00 for the 2024 fourth quarter and includes the impact of existing hedging contracts.
    • The fourth quarter will close on December 31, 2024.

    Conference Call and Webcast Information

    ST will conduct a conference call with analysts, investors and reporters to discuss its third quarter 2024 financial results and current business outlook today at 9:30 a.m. Central European Time (CET) / 4:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time (ET). A live webcast (listen-only mode) of the conference call will be accessible at ST’s website, https://investors.st.com, and will be available for replay until November 15, 2024.

    2024 Capital Markets Day

    ST will conduct a live webcast of its 2024 Capital Markets Day meeting from Paris, France, on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Central European Time (CET) / 3:00 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time (ET). The live webcast featuring video, audio and presentation slides will be accessible at ST’s website, https://investors.st.com. Copies of the presentations and a recording of the event will be made available at https://investors.st.com.

    Use of Supplemental Non-U.S. GAAP Financial Information

    This press release contains supplemental non-U.S. GAAP financial information.

    Readers are cautioned that these measures are unaudited and not prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and should not be considered as a substitute for U.S. GAAP financial measures. In addition, such non-U.S. GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to similarly titled information from other companies. To compensate for these limitations, the supplemental non-U.S. GAAP financial information should not be read in isolation, but only in conjunction with ST’s consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

    See the Appendix of this press release for a reconciliation of ST’s non-U.S. GAAP financial measures to their corresponding U.S. GAAP financial measures.

    Forward-looking Information

    Some of the statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are statements of future expectations and other forward-looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 or Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, each as amended) that are based on management’s current views and assumptions, and are conditioned upon and also involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those anticipated by such statements due to, among other factors:

    • changes in global trade policies, including the adoption and expansion of tariffs and trade barriers, that could affect the macro-economic environment and adversely impact the demand for our products;
    • uncertain macro-economic and industry trends (such as inflation and fluctuations in supply chains), which may impact production capacity and end-market demand for our products;
    • customer demand that differs from projections which may require us to undertake transformation measures that may not be successful in realizing the expected benefits in full or at all;
    • the ability to design, manufacture and sell innovative products in a rapidly changing technological environment;
    • changes in economic, social, public health, labor, political, or infrastructure conditions in the locations where we, our customers, or our suppliers operate, including as a result of macroeconomic or regional events, geopolitical and military conflicts, social unrest, labor actions, or terrorist activities;
    • unanticipated events or circumstances, which may impact our ability to execute our plans and/or meet the objectives of our R&D and manufacturing programs, which benefit from public funding;
    • financial difficulties with any of our major distributors or significant curtailment of purchases by key customers;
    • the loading, product mix, and manufacturing performance of our production facilities and/or our required volume to fulfill capacity reserved with suppliers or third-party manufacturing providers;
    • availability and costs of equipment, raw materials, utilities, third-party manufacturing services and technology, or other supplies required by our operations (including increasing costs resulting from inflation);
    • the functionalities and performance of our IT systems, which are subject to cybersecurity threats and which support our critical operational activities including manufacturing, finance and sales, and any breaches of our IT systems or those of our customers, suppliers, partners and providers of third-party licensed technology;
    • theft, loss, or misuse of personal data about our employees, customers, or other third parties, and breaches of data privacy legislation;
    • the impact of intellectual property (“IP”) claims by our competitors or other third parties, and our ability to obtain required licenses on reasonable terms and conditions;
    • changes in our overall tax position as a result of changes in tax rules, new or revised legislation, the outcome of tax audits or changes in international tax treaties which may impact our results of operations as well as our ability to accurately estimate tax credits, benefits, deductions and provisions and to realize deferred tax assets;
    • variations in the foreign exchange markets and, more particularly, the U.S. dollar exchange rate as compared to the Euro and the other major currencies we use for our operations;
    • the outcome of ongoing litigation as well as the impact of any new litigation to which we may become a defendant;
    • product liability or warranty claims, claims based on epidemic or delivery failure, or other claims relating to our products, or recalls by our customers for products containing our parts;
    • natural events such as severe weather, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcano eruptions or other acts of nature, the effects of climate change, health risks and epidemics or pandemics in locations where we, our customers or our suppliers operate;
    • increased regulation and initiatives in our industry, including those concerning climate change and sustainability matters and our goal to become carbon neutral by 2027 on scope 1 and 2 and partially scope 3;
    • epidemics or pandemics, which may negatively impact the global economy in a significant manner for an extended period of time, and could also materially adversely affect our business and operating results;
    • industry changes resulting from vertical and horizontal consolidation among our suppliers, competitors, and customers; and
    • the ability to successfully ramp up new programs that could be impacted by factors beyond our control, including the availability of critical third-party components and performance of subcontractors in line with our expectations.

    Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results and performance of our business to differ materially and adversely from the forward-looking statements. Certain forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, such as “believes”, “expects”, “may”, “are expected to”, “should”, “would be”, “seeks” or “anticipates” or similar expressions or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions.

    Some of these risk factors are set forth and are discussed in more detail in “Item 3. Key Information — Risk Factors” included in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on February 22, 2024. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this press release as anticipated, believed or expected. We do not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update any industry information or forward-looking statements set forth in this release to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

    Unfavorable changes in the above or other factors listed under “Item 3. Key Information — Risk Factors” from time to time in our Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filings, could have a material adverse effect on our business and/or financial condition.

    About STMicroelectronics

    At ST, we are over 50,000 creators and makers of semiconductor technologies mastering the semiconductor supply chain with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. An integrated device manufacturer, we work with more than 200,000 customers and thousands of partners to design and build products, solutions, and ecosystems that address their challenges and opportunities, and the need to support a more sustainable world. Our technologies enable smarter mobility, more efficient power and energy management, and the wide-scale deployment of cloud-connected autonomous things. We are committed to achieving our goal to become carbon neutral on scope 1 and 2 and partially scope 3 by 2027. Further information can be found at www.st.com.

    For further information, please contact:

    INVESTOR RELATIONS:
    Jérôme Ramel
    EVP Corporate Development & Integrated External Communication
    Tel: +41 22 929 59 20
    jerome.ramel@st.com

    MEDIA RELATIONS:
    Alexis Breton
    Corporate External Communications
    Tel: + 33 6 59 16 79 08
    alexis.breton@st.com

    STMicroelectronics N.V.    
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME    
    (in millions of U.S. dollars, except per share data ($))    
         
      Three months ended
      September 28, September 30,
      2024 2023
      (Unaudited) (Unaudited)
         
    Net sales 3,245 4,416
    Other revenues 6 15
    NET REVENUES 3,251 4,431
    Cost of sales (2,023) (2,322)
    GROSS PROFIT 1,228 2,109
    Selling, general and administrative expenses (385) (407)
    Research and development expenses (492) (519)
    Other income and expenses, net 30 58
    Total operating expenses (847) (868)
    OPERATING INCOME 381 1,241
    Interest income, net 55 44
    Other components of pension benefit costs (4) (5)
    INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES AND NONCONTROLLING INTEREST 432 1,280
    Income tax expense (71) (188)
    NET INCOME 361 1,092
    Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest (10) (2)
    NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO PARENT COMPANY STOCKHOLDERS 351 1,090
         
    EARNINGS PER SHARE (BASIC) ATTRIBUTABLE TO PARENT COMPANY STOCKHOLDERS 0.39 1.20
    EARNINGS PER SHARE (DILUTED) ATTRIBUTABLE TO PARENT COMPANY STOCKHOLDERS 0.37 1.16
         
    NUMBER OF WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES USED IN CALCULATING DILUTED EPS 938.6 943.8
         
    STMicroelectronics N.V.    
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME    
    (in millions of U.S. dollars, except per share data ($))    
         
      Nine months ended
      September 28, September 30,
      2024 2023
      (Unaudited) (Unaudited)
         
    Net sales 9,915 12,977
    Other revenues 32 27
    NET REVENUES 9,947 13,004
    Cost of sales (5,980) (6,666)
    GROSS PROFIT 3,967 6,338
    Selling, general and administrative expenses (1,229) (1,215)
    Research and development expenses (1,554) (1,579)
    Other income and expenses, net 123 44
    Total operating expenses (2,660) (2,750)
    OPERATING INCOME 1,307 3,588
    Interest income, net 166 114
    Other components of pension benefit costs (12) (14)
    Loss on financial instruments, net (1)
    INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES AND NONCONTROLLING INTEREST 1,460 3,688
    Income tax expense (231) (547)
    NET INCOME 1,229 3,141
    Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest (13) (6)
    NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO PARENT COMPANY STOCKHOLDERS 1,216 3,135
         
    EARNINGS PER SHARE (BASIC) ATTRIBUTABLE TO PARENT COMPANY STOCKHOLDERS 1.35 3.47
    EARNINGS PER SHARE (DILUTED) ATTRIBUTABLE TO PARENT COMPANY STOCKHOLDERS 1.29 3.32
         
    NUMBER OF WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES USED IN CALCULATING DILUTED EPS 940.2 944.7
         
           
    STMicroelectronics N.V.      
    CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS      
    As at September 28, June 29, December 31,
    In millions of U.S. dollars 2024 2024 2023
      (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited)
    ASSETS      
    Current assets:      
    Cash and cash equivalents 3,077 3,092 3,222
    Short-term deposits 977 975 1,226
    Marketable securities 2,242 2,218 1,635
    Trade accounts receivable, net 1,730 1,708 1,731
    Inventories 2,875 2,810 2,698
    Other current assets 1,062 1,066 1,295
    Total current assets 11,963 11,869 11,807
    Goodwill 303 296 303
    Other intangible assets, net 354 353 367
    Property, plant and equipment, net 11,258 10,869 10,554
    Non-current deferred tax assets 547 575 592
    Long-term investments 20 20 22
    Other non-current assets 1,071 924 808
      13,553 13,037 12,646
    Total assets 25,516 24,906 24,453
           
    LIABILITIES AND EQUITY      
    Current liabilities:      
    Short-term debt 1,003 236 217
    Trade accounts payable 1,585 1,577 1,856
    Other payables and accrued liabilities 1,327 1,344 1,525
    Dividends payable to stockholders 177 257 54
    Accrued income tax 116 131 78
    Total current liabilities 4,208 3,545 3,730
    Long-term debt 2,112 2,850 2,710
    Post-employment benefit obligations 397 375 372
    Long-term deferred tax liabilities 60 37 54
    Other long-term liabilities 935 951 735
      3,504 4,213 3,871
    Total liabilities 7,712 7,758 7,601
    Commitment and contingencies      
    Equity      
    Parent company stockholders’ equity      
    Common stock (preferred stock: 540,000,000 shares authorized, not issued; common stock: Euro 1.04 nominal value, 1,200,000,000 shares authorized, 911,281,920 shares issued, 901,550,639 shares outstanding as of September 28, 2024) 1,157 1,157 1,157
    Additional Paid-in Capital 3,032 2,985 2,866
    Retained earnings 13,118 12,813 12,470
    Accumulated other comprehensive income 657 421 613
    Treasury stock (400) (354) (377)
    Total parent company stockholders’ equity 17,564 17,022 16,729
    Noncontrolling interest 240 126 123
    Total equity 17,804 17,148 16,852
    Total liabilities and equity 25,516 24,906 24,453
           
           
    STMicroelectronics N.V.      
           
    SELECTED CASH FLOW DATA      
           
    Cash Flow Data (in US$ millions) Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023
           
    Net Cash from operating activities 723 702 1,881
    Net Cash used in investing activities (601) (628) (1,756)
    Net Cash from (used in) financing activities (142) (112) (223)
    Net Cash decrease (15) (41) (100)
           
    Selected Cash Flow Data (in US$ millions) Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2023
           
    Depreciation & amortization 440 439 396
    Net payment for Capital expenditures (601) (546) (1,152)
    Dividends paid to stockholders (80) (73) (58)
    Change in inventories, net (17) (136) 147
           

    Appendix
    ST
    New organization

    On January 10, 2024, ST announced a new organization to deliver enhanced product development innovation and efficiency, time-to-market as well as customer focus by end market. This new organization implies a change in segment reporting which is applied from January 1, 2024.

    ST moved from three reportable segments (ADG, AMS and MDG) to four reportable segments as follows:

    • In Analog, Power & Discrete, MEMS and Sensors (APMS) Product Group:
      • Analog products, MEMS and Sensors (AM&S) segment, comprised of ST analog products, MEMS sensors and actuators, and optical sensing solutions.
      • Power and Discrete products (P&D) segment comprised of discrete and power transistor products.

    In this Press Release, “Analog” refers to ST analog products, “MEMS” to MEMS sensors and actuators and “Imaging” to optical sensing solutions.

    • In Microcontrollers, Digital ICs and RF products (MDRF) Product Group:
      • Microcontrollers (MCU) segment, comprised of general-purpose and automotive microcontrollers, microprocessors and connected security products (including EEPROM).
      • Digital ICs and RF Products (D&RF) segment, comprised of automotive ADAS, infotainment, RF and communications products.

    In this Press release, “Auto MCU” refers to Automotive microcontrollers and microprocessors, “GP MCU” to general purpose microcontrollers and microprocessors, “Connected Security” to connected security products (including EEPROM), “ADAS” to automotive ADAS and infotainment, “RF Communications” to RF and communications products.

    Prior year quarters comparative information has been adjusted accordingly.

    (Appendix – continued)
    ST
    Supplemental Financial Information

      Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q1 2024 Q4 2023 Q3 2023
    Net Revenues By Market Channel (%)          
    Total OEM 76% 73% 70% 70% 67%
    Distribution 24% 27% 30% 30% 33%
               
    €/$ Effective Rate 1.08 1.08 1.09 1.08 1.09
               
    Reportable Segment Data (US$ m)          
    Analog products, MEMS and Sensors (AM&S) segment          
    – Net Revenues 1,185 1,165 1,217 1,418 1,367
    – Operating Income 175 144 185 300 298
    Power and Discrete products (P&D) segment          
    – Net Revenues 807 747 820 965 989
    – Operating Income 121 110 138 245 262
    Subtotal: Analog, Power & Discrete, MEMS and Sensors (APMS) Product Group          
    – Net Revenues 1,992 1,912 2,037 2,383 2,356
    – Operating Income 296 254 323 545 560
    Microcontrollers (MCU) segment          
    – Net Revenues 829 800 950 1,272 1,466
    – Operating Income 116 72 185 378 534
    Digital ICs and RF Products (D&RF) segment          
    – Net Revenues 426 516 475 623 605
    – Operating Income 114 150 150 223 226
    Subtotal: Microcontrollers, Digital ICs and RF products (MDRF) Product Group          
    – Net Revenues 1,255 1,316 1,425 1,895 2,071
    – Operating Income 230 222 335 601 760
    Others (a)          
    – Net Revenues 4 4 3 4 4
    – Operating Income (Loss) (145) (101) (107) (123) (79)
    Total          
    – Net Revenues 3,251 3,232 3,465 4,282 4,431
    – Operating Income 381 375 551 1,023 1,241

    (a)  Net revenues of Others include revenues from sales assembly services and other revenues. Operating income (loss) of Others include items such as unused capacity charges, including incidents leading to power outage, impairment and restructuring charges, management reorganization costs, start-up and phase out costs, and other unallocated income (expenses) such as: strategic or special research and development programs, certain corporate-level operating expenses, patent claims and litigations, and other costs that are not allocated to reportable segments, as well as operating earnings of other products. Others includes:

    (US$ m) Q3 2024 Q2 2024 Q1 2024 Q4 2023 Q3 2023
    Unused capacity charges 104 84 63 57 46

    (Appendix – continued)
    ST
    Supplemental Non-U.S. GAAP Financial Information
    U.S. GAAP – Non-U.S. GAAP Reconciliation

    The supplemental non-U.S. GAAP information presented in this press release is unaudited and subject to inherent limitations. Such non-U.S. GAAP information is not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles and should not be considered as a substitute for U.S. GAAP measurements. Also, our supplemental non-U.S. GAAP financial information may not be comparable to similarly titled non-U.S. GAAP measures used by other companies. Further, specific limitations for individual non-U.S. GAAP measures, and the reasons for presenting non-U.S. GAAP financial information, are set forth in the paragraphs below. To compensate for these limitations, the supplemental non-U.S. GAAP financial information should not be read in isolation, but only in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

    ST believes that these non-U.S. GAAP financial measures provide useful information for investors and management because they offer, when read in conjunction with ST’s U.S. GAAP financials, (i) the ability to make more meaningful period-to-period comparisons of ST’s on-going operating results, (ii) the ability to better identify trends in ST’s business and perform related trend analysis, and (iii) to facilitate a comparison of ST’s results of operations against investor and analyst financial models and valuations, which may exclude these items.

    Net Financial Position and Adjusted Net Financial Position (non-U.S. GAAP measures)

    Net Financial Position, a non-U.S. GAAP measure, represents the difference between our total liquidity and our total financial debt. Our total liquidity includes cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, if any, short-term deposits, and marketable securities, and our total financial debt includes short-term debt and long-term debt, as reported in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Starting Q4 2023, ST also presents adjusted net financial position as a non-U.S. GAAP measure, to take into consideration the effect on total liquidity of advances received on capital grants for which capital expenditures have not been incurred yet. Reporting periods prior to Q4 2023 are not impacted.

    ST believes its Net Financial Position and Adjusted Net Financial Position provide useful information for investors and management because they give evidence of our global position either in terms of net indebtedness or net cash by measuring our capital resources based on cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, if any, short-term deposits and marketable securities and the total level of our financial debt. Our definitions of Net Financial Position and Adjusted Net Financial Position may differ from definitions used by other companies, and therefore, comparability may be limited.

    (US$ m) Sep 28
    2024
    June 29
    2024
    Mar 30
    2024
    Dec 31
    2023
    Sep 30
    2023
    Cash and cash equivalents 3,077 3,092 3,133 3,222 3,011
    Short term deposits 977 975 1,226 1,226 506
    Marketable securities 2,242 2,218 1,880 1,635 1,537
    Total liquidity 6,296 6,285 6,239 6,083 5,054
    Short-term debt (1,003) (236) (238) (217) (173)
    Long-term debt (a) (2,112) (2,850) (2,875) (2,710) (2,418)
    Total financial debt (3,115) (3,086) (3,113) (2,927) (2,591)
    Net Financial Position 3,181 3,199 3,126 3,156 2,463
    Advances received on capital grants (366) (402) (351) (152)
    Adjusted Net Financial Position 2,815 2,797 2,775 3,004 2,463

    (a)  Long-term debt contains standard conditions but does not impose minimum financial ratios. Committed credit facilities for $701 million equivalent, are currently undrawn.

    (Appendix – continued)

    Net Capex and Free Cash Flow (non-U.S. GAAP measures)

    ST presents Net Capex as a non-U.S. GAAP measure, which is reported as part of our Free Cash Flow (non-US GAAP measure), to take into consideration the effect of advances from capital grants received on prior periods allocated to property, plant and equipment in the reporting period.

    Net Capex, a non-U.S. GAAP measure, is defined as (i) Payment for purchase of tangible assets, as reported plus (ii) Proceeds from sale of tangible assets, as reported plus (iii) Proceeds from capital grants and other contributions, as reported plus (iv) Advances from capital grants allocated to property, plant and equipment in the reporting period.

    ST believes Net Capex provides useful information for investors and management because annual capital expenditures budget includes the effect of capital grants. Our definition of Net Capex may differ from definitions used by other companies.

    (US$ m) Q3
    2024
    Q2
    2024
    Q1
    2024
    Q4
    2023
    Q3
    2023
    Payment for purchase of tangible assets, as reported (669) (690) (1,145) (1,076) (1,158)
    Proceeds from sale of tangible assets, as reported 2 1 2 1
    Proceeds from capital grants and other contributions, as reported 66 143 149 278 5
    Advances from capital grants allocated to property, plant and equipment 36 18 27
    Net Capex (565) (528) (967) (798) (1,152)

    Free Cash Flow, which is a non-U.S. GAAP measure, is defined as (i) net cash from operating activities plus (ii) Net Capex plus (iii) payment for purchase (and proceeds from sale) of intangible and financial assets and (iv) net cash paid for business acquisitions, if any.

    ST believes Free Cash Flow provides useful information for investors and management because it measures our capacity to generate cash from our operating and investing activities to sustain our operations.

    Free Cash Flow reconciles with the total cash flow and the net cash increase (decrease) by including the payment for purchases of (and proceeds from matured) marketable securities and net investment in (and proceeds from) short-term deposits, the net cash from (used in) financing activities and the effect of changes in exchange rates, and by excluding the advances from capital grants received on prior periods allocated to property, plant and equipment in the reporting period. Our definition of Free Cash Flow may differ from definitions used by other companies.

    (US$ m) Q3
    2024
    Q2
    2024
    Q1
    2024
    Q4
    2023
    Q3
    2023
    Net cash from operating activities 723 702 859 1,480 1,881
    Net Capex (565) (528) (967) (798) (1,152)
    Payment for purchase of intangible assets, net of proceeds from sale (20) (15) (26) (28) (22)
    Payment for purchase of financial assets, net of proceeds from sale (2) (2)
    Free Cash Flow 136 159 (134) 652 707

    1See Appendix for the definition of reportable segments.

    2Non-U.S. GAAP. See Appendix for reconciliation to U.S. GAAP and information explaining why ST believes these measures are important.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: RUBIS: Rubis revises 2024 financial guidance

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Paris, 31 October 2024, 7:00am

    Today, Rubis has revised its 2024 financial guidance as follows:

    • EBITDA: €[675-725]m from €[725-775]m
    • Net income Group share (including a €83m net capital gain from Rubis Terminal disposal): €[340-375]m from “stable” vs €354m in FY 2023
    • Dividend per share: unchanged ie growing vs 2023, in addition to the €0.75 interim dividend related to Rubis Terminal divestment

    The downward revision of the EBITDA guidance stems from a highly volatile macro-environment combined with specific operational headwinds:

    • The recent escalation of conflicts and subsequent regional turmoil in the Middle East over the past months have created a highly volatile environment, with strong upwards and downwards fluctuations and an overall downward trend in oil prices. These evolutions have a direct short-term impact on the value of Rubis inventory in the fuel distribution business.
    • An adjustment in the pricing formula for retail distribution in Kenya was expected to take place in the second half of 2024 and has not happened to date. This revision is taking more time than expected and generates a gap with Rubis initial forecast.
    • Shipping activity stands at a lower level than anticipated. This underperformance comes from the bitumen shipping business where the opportunities for third parties trading are limited, notably in North America.

    Net income Group share guidance is updated with a mid-range in line with what was previously communicated. It includes a higher Rubis Terminal capital gain due to the ticking fee reflecting the delayed closing of the operation.

    The financial result is expected above previous estimates, partially offsetting the EBITDA underperformance:

    • Due to more efficient currency balance sheet management in Nigeria and Kenya, along with more stable currencies, FX losses for H2 2024 are expected to be lower than Rubis’ initial forecast, positively impacting overall financial performance
    • In Kenya, the cost of debt should be lower in H2 2024 when compared to H1 2024 after the debt in local currency has been reduced.

    Dividend remains a priority for the Group and its growth for 2024 is confirmed.

    More details on Q3 & 9M 2024 trading update will be disclosed on 5 November 2024 (after market close), followed by a conference call for analysts and investors.

    Upcoming events

    Q3 & 9M 2024 Trading Update: 5 November 2024 (after market close)

    FY 2024 results: 13 March 2025 (after market close)

    Press Contact Analyst Contact
    RUBIS – Communication department RUBIS – Clémence Mignot-Dupeyrot, Head of IR
    Tel: +33 (0)1 44 17 95 95

    presse@rubis.fr

    Tel: +33 (0)1 45 01 87 44

    investors@rubis.fr

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    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Vantage Drilling Expands Managed Services Business, Enhancing Shareholder Value Through Strategic Asset Sale to ADES

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DUBAI, Oct. 31, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vantage Drilling International Ltd. (“Vantage Drilling” or the “Company”) today announced the successful completion of the sale of two contracted premium jackup rigs to ADES Holding Company (“ADES”), further strengthening Vantage’s position as a global leader in managed services while delivering enhanced value to shareholders.

    The sale includes the Topaz Driller jackup rig, operating in the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Area, and the Soehanah jackup rig, owned by Rig Finance Ltd. (RFL), which operates in Indonesia. The divestment of these high-quality assets underscores Vantage’s strategic focus on expanding its managed services business and maintaining a flexible, asset-light model that optimizes capital allocation.

    Ihab Toma, CEO of Vantage Drilling, commented: “This transaction is a significant step in Vantage’s ongoing strategy to enhance shareholder value. By strategically selling these contracted rigs, we have shifted to a net cash position, allowing us to focus on expanding our managed services portfolio, which remains an area of focus for the Company. We are confident this approach will further strengthen our financial position while providing ongoing, high-quality services to our clients.”

    “We are pleased to continue our strong partnership with ADES through this transaction. Southeast Asia is a key market, and the transfer of these rigs will enable ADES to further its expansion in the region, while Vantage remains well-positioned to grow its asset-light services business and deliver sustainable value to our shareholders.”

    This sale highlights Vantage Drilling’s commitment to maximizing operational efficiency and reinforcing its leadership in the managed services space, aligning with the Company’s strategic priorities of creating value for its shareholders and maintaining a strong, adaptable business model in a competitive market.

    About the Company:

    Vantage Drilling International Ltd., a Bermuda exempted company, is an offshore drilling contractor, with a current owned fleet of two ultra-deepwater drillships and two premium jackup drilling rigs. Vantage Drilling’s primary business is to contract drilling units, related equipment and work crews primarily on a dayrate basis to drill oil and natural gas wells globally for major, national and independent oil and gas companies. Vantage Drilling also markets, operates and provides management services in respect of drilling units owned by others. For more information about the Company, please refer to the Company’s website, www.vantagedrilling.com.

    Contact Info:

    Rafael Blattner

    Chief Financial Officer

    Vantage Drilling International Ltd.

    +971 4 449 34 28

    Attachment

    The MIL Network

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

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    About The Blockies

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

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

    About Bitget

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

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

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

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

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: ING announces shareholder distribution of up to €2.5 billion

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ING announces shareholder distribution of up to €2.5 billion

    ING announced today an additional shareholder distribution of up to €2.5 billion. The distribution consists of a share buyback programme for a maximum total amount of €2 billion and a cash dividend payment of €500 million. The purpose of the additional distribution is to converge our CET1 ratio towards our target of around 12.5%.

    ING Group’s CET1 ratio was 14.3% at the end of the third quarter of 2024, which is well above the prevailing CET1 ratio requirement of 10.71%. The additional distribution will have an expected pro-forma impact of approximately 76 bps on our CET1 ratio. The share buyback programme will commence on 31 October 2024 and is expected to end no later than 30 April 2025. The cash dividend will be paid on 16 January 2025.

    The ECB has approved the distribution, and the share buyback programme will be executed in compliance with the Market Abuse Regulation and within the limitations of the existing authority to acquire a maximum of 20% of the issued shares as granted by the general meeting of shareholders on 22 April 2024. ING has entered a non-discretionary arrangement with a financial intermediary to conduct the buyback.

    ING will provide weekly updates on the progress of the programme via a press release and on the Investor Relations section of the ING website: https://www.ing.com/Investor-relations/Share-information/Share-buyback-programme.htm.

    Note for editors

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

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

    ING PROFILE
    ING is a global financial institution with a strong European base, offering banking services through its operating company ING Bank. The purpose of ING Bank is: empowering people to stay a step ahead in life and in business. ING Bank’s more than 60,000 employees offer retail and wholesale banking services to customers in over 40 countries.

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

    Sustainability is an integral part of ING’s strategy, evidenced by ING’s leading position in sector benchmarks. ING’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) rating by MSCI was affirmed ‘AA’ in July 2023. As of December 2023, Sustainalytics considers ING’s management of ESG material risk to be ‘strong’. ING Group shares are also included in major sustainability and ESG index products of leading providers Euronext, STOXX, Morningstar and FTSE Russell. Society is transitioning to a low-carbon economy. So are our clients, and so is ING. We finance a lot of sustainable activities, but we still finance more that’s not. Follow our progress on ing.com/climate.

    Important legal information

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

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

    Certain of the statements contained herein are not historical facts, including, without limitation, certain statements made of future expectations and other forward-looking statements that are based on management’s current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Actual results, performance or events may differ materially from those in such statements due to a number of factors, including, without limitation: (1) changes in general economic conditions and customer behaviour, in particular economic conditions in ING’s core markets, including changes affecting currency exchange rates and the regional and global economic impact of the invasion of Russia into Ukraine and related international response measures (2) changes affecting interest rate levels (3) any default of a major market participant and related market disruption (4) changes in performance of financial markets, including in Europe and developing markets (5) fiscal uncertainty in Europe and the United States (6) discontinuation of or changes in ‘benchmark’ indices (7) inflation and deflation in our principal markets (8) changes in conditions in the credit and capital markets generally, including changes in borrower and counterparty creditworthiness (9) failures of banks falling under the scope of state compensation schemes (10) non-compliance with or changes in laws and regulations, including those concerning financial services, financial economic crimes and tax laws, and the interpretation and application thereof (11) geopolitical risks, political instabilities and policies and actions of governmental and regulatory authorities, including in connection with the invasion of Russia into Ukraine and the related international response measures (12) legal and regulatory risks in certain countries with less developed legal and regulatory frameworks (13) prudential supervision and regulations, including in relation to stress tests and regulatory restrictions on dividends and distributions (also among members of the group) (14) ING’s ability to meet minimum capital and other prudential regulatory requirements (15) changes in regulation of US commodities and derivatives businesses of ING and its customers (16) application of bank recovery and resolution regimes, including write down and conversion powers in relation to our securities (17) outcome of current and future litigation, enforcement proceedings, investigations or other regulatory actions, including claims by customers or stakeholders who feel misled or treated unfairly, and other conduct issues (18) changes in tax laws and regulations and risks of non-compliance or investigation in connection with tax laws, including FATCA (19) operational and IT risks, such as system disruptions or failures, breaches of security, cyber-attacks, human error, changes in operational practices or inadequate controls including in respect of third parties with which we do business and including any risks as a result of incomplete, inaccurate, or otherwise flawed outputs from the algorithms and data sets utilized in artificial intelligence (20) risks and challenges related to cybercrime including the effects of cyberattacks and changes in legislation and regulation related to cybersecurity and data privacy, including such risks and challenges as a consequence of the use of emerging technologies, such as advanced forms of artificial intelligence and quantum computing (21) changes in general competitive factors, including ability to increase or maintain market share (22) inability to protect our intellectual property and infringement claims by third parties (23) inability of counterparties to meet financial obligations or ability to enforce rights against such counterparties (24) changes in credit ratings (25) business, operational, regulatory, reputation, transition and other risks and challenges in connection with climate change and ESG-related matters, including data gathering and reporting (26) inability to attract and retain key personnel (27) future liabilities under defined benefit retirement plans (28) failure to manage business risks, including in connection with use of models, use of derivatives, or maintaining appropriate policies and guidelines (29) changes in capital and credit markets, including interbank funding, as well as customer deposits, which provide the liquidity and capital required to fund our operations, and (30) the other risks and uncertainties detailed in the most recent annual report of ING Groep N.V. (including the Risk Factors contained therein) and ING’s more recent disclosures, including press releases, which are available on www.ING.com.

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

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

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

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

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

    Attachment

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The metro has switched to winter operating mode

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The Moscow Metro has carried out work to prepare for the cold weather. More than six thousand second doors have been installed in the vestibules, and air conditioners in the carriages have been switched to winter mode. Thanks to this, the stations and trains will remain warm.

    “The Moscow metro prepares its infrastructure for the change of seasons twice a year – summer and winter. We start work in advance so that the temperature at stations and in trains remains comfortable when the weather changes. We make sure that it is convenient to use Moscow transport at any time of the year, this task was set by Sergei Sobyanin,” said Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport and Industry

    Maxim Liksutov.

    Previously, experts checked and washed the air-heat curtains. They provide heating of the air at the exits from the stations.

    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.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://vvv.mos.ru/nevs/item/145919073/

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: A unique center for collective use, Omix Technologies, has opened in Moscow

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    A shared use center (SUC) “Omics Technologies” has opened in Moscow, which will allow research teams from all over Russia to develop advanced methods of diagnosing and preventing diseases. This was reported by Anastasia Rakova, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Social Development.

    “The opening of the Omics Technologies shared use center is a landmark step in the development of Russian medicine. Located in the Moscow Center for Innovative Technologies in Healthcare (Medtech), it unites the efforts of Moscow doctors and leading Russian scientists. The center uses cutting-edge technologies, which allows testing new products and accelerating their introduction into medical practice. Thanks to this comprehensive approach, scientific teams will be able to use the most modern equipment to develop new methods of diagnostics, prevention and detection of diseases at the earliest stages. This creates opportunities for the introduction of a personalized approach to treatment and improvement of medical care. Moreover, the center’s high-tech laboratories are open to research teams from all over the country, which makes it truly unique,” the vice-mayor noted.

    Omics technologies are a modern method for generating large volumes of human biological and biomedical data. Such innovations help doctors more accurately select treatment methods, conduct early diagnostics and detect diseases before their first symptoms appear. To do this, scientists are implementing developments that will allow them to immediately read the entire genome of a specific person and analyze the full spectrum of its biomolecules, such as proteins, lipids and metabolites. As a result of the comprehensive analysis, a database is formed, on the basis of which molecular models of the human body can be created.

    Large-scale research work is carried out on high-precision equipment, which is presented in the new center for collective use of Medtech. To conduct research using omics technologies, the latest equipment was installed for a total of more than 160 million rubles. It includes liquid and gas mass spectrometers, capillary genetic analyzers and high-performance sequencers of the new generation.

    The opening of such a high-tech laboratory makes the shared use center one of the most accessible in Russia for scientific teams in the field of omics data research.

    Conducting research in the new shared use center for residents and supported projects of Medtech, as well as research teams of the capital’s medical organizations within the framework of the grant program of the Mayor of Moscow will be possible on preferential terms.

    Large-scale research work is being carried out on the basis of the Moscow Center for Innovative Technologies in Healthcare, which has become the place for creating innovative solutions and implementing them in the city’s healthcare. To use the services of the shared use center, you must submit an application on the website with a description of the project and the work plan for it.

    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.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://vvv.mos.ru/nevs/item/145984073/

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Remembering Common History and Listening to Folklore: How to Celebrate National Unity Day in the Capital

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    From November 3 to 4, Moscow will celebrate one of the warmest holidays of autumn — National Unity Day. The capital will traditionally be decorated with congratulatory posters. They will be placed on billboards and bus stops. Russian tricolors will appear on the streets and in public transport. Residents and guests of the city will enjoy concerts, plays, reenactors’ performances, exhibitions and master classes. In total, over 200 events will be held. You can join them in parks, libraries, estates, museums and cultural centers. Most of the events will be free, but some will require pre-registration. You can follow the holiday schedule in the section “Poster” on the mos.ru portal.

    Particularly spectacular programs on the occasion of National Unity Day await guests atVDNKh and in the cinema park “Moschino”. At the country’s main exhibition, Muscovites and tourists will see the most famous places, learn about space programs, and will also be able to attend the “Bread Ear – Russia’s Gold” festival. It will include master classes with theatrical performances reflecting different eras in the country’s history. A large tent with four zones will be prepared for guests. They will be transported to the 12th, 17th, 19th and 20th centuries. There they will learn how to bake gingerbread, kalachi and bread according to traditional recipes. Admission is free, with prior registration on the exhibition website. http://vdnkh.ru/specials/day-of-national-unity/

    And on November 3 and 4, the Moskino cinema park will present a large-scale historical reconstruction dedicated to the liberation of Moscow from the Polish-Lithuanian invaders in 1612. It was this event that united the country. Guests of the cinema park will be able to travel back to those times and see how the militia of Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky defeats the invaders in a decisive battle. Additional information and conditions of visit are published on the cinema park website “Moschino”.

    In order to visit several sites and not miss the most interesting, it is worth planning your weekend leisure in advance. You can move around the city comfortably on public transport. On Saturday, November 2, the metro, Moscow Central Circle, trams and ground transport will operate according to the working day schedule. On November 3 and 4 – according to the weekend schedule. For those who use a personal car, the Sunday parking payment regime will be in effect on November 3. You will have to pay only on streets with rates of 380, 450 and 600 rubles per hour, as well as in places where a dynamic rate is in effect. On National Unity Day, November 4, parking on all streets will be free. Parking lots with barriers will continue to operate on a paid basis on both weekends.

    Attend concerts and master classes in parks

    On November 4, the Severnoye Tushino Park is planning an entertainment program called “People’s Games.” Children and adults will be able to get in a good mood, find new friends, and just have fun. The events will start at 11:00 on the central square of the park. At 13:00, a master class on painting wooden spoons will be held in the Development and Creativity Club pavilion. Beautiful painted spoons can be used as interior decoration or as a gift for loved ones. From 15:00, the same pavilion is waiting for those interested in ancient Chinese writing. At the Chinese language master class, you can not only learn words and learn to write hieroglyphs, but also learn more about the rich culture of China. The classes are suitable for children aged six and older and adults. Admission is free.

    Thematic classes will be held in Kuzminki Park on November 4. During the classes, everyone will be taught how to make a traditional toy “Bird” using decoupage technique, making a magnet “Heart” using coffee beans, and will also help you select materials and compose a greeting card “I love Russia”. A festive concert will be held on the park stage. The guests will be treated to performances by the pop song theater “Dream”, dance studio “Pearl” and many others. The concert starts at 11:00. Also, as part of the “Kind Letters” project, you can send good wishes to the soldiers taking part in the special military operation, put handmade souvenirs in the envelopes, or write poems for the soldiers.

    At 16:00 on November 4, a free patriotic concert “In Unity Is Our Strength” will begin at the Fili Hall exhibition center in Fili Park. Musical and dance groups will perform for the guests, and songs about love for the native land will be heard.

    And on the central square of Lianozovsky Park from 18:00 to 20:00 guests will be shown the documentary film “Minin and Pozharsky”.

    A master class on creating national costumes of the peoples of Russia will be held in Krasnaya Presnya Park. First, participants will be told about the types of ornaments and their meaning, and then they will be asked to repeat the patterns in their sketches forcostumes.

    A concert featuring performers from the Tagansky District will be held in Tagansky Park on Monday at 1:00 p.m. The audience will be treated to more than just musical numbers. They will also be given a master class on drawing costumes of the peoples of Russia.

    On November 4, in Sokolniki Park, everyone will be able to take part in the games of the chess and checkers club (6th Luchevoy Prosek, Building 3). Checkers tournaments will start at 12:00. You can register on site at 11:30. And chess tournaments are scheduled for 17:00. You can also register on site half an hour before the start. The number of participants is limited.

    In addition, on November 4 at 11:30 in the pagoda in 4th Luchevoy Prosek there will be a lecture by historian and publicist Evgeny Norin on the topic “The origin of the holiday of National Unity Day. Its historical and modern significance.”

    Exhibitions in museums and elsewhere

    National Unity Day is a great opportunity to organize a themed trip to a museum for the whole family. Especially since Moscow hosts many exhibitions and excursions dedicated to the art, architecture, history and nature of Russia, the traditions and customs of its peoples.

    On November 3 at 12:00, the Moscow State Art Gallery of the People’s Artist of the USSR Ilya Glazunov (Volkhonka Street, Building 13) will host a tour entitled “Defenders of the Russian Land in the Works of Ilya Glazunov.” Art lovers will be taken around the gallery and told about paintings dedicated to great victories, military valor, and glorious pages of Russian history. Participation in the tour is free with an entrance ticket.

    In addition, on November 3 from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm, Gogol’s House (Nikitsky Boulevard, Building 7a) invites you to the world of an old Moscow estate, where you can learn how guests were received in the old days and what a real Moscow tea party is. Admission by prior arrangement registration.

    On November 3 from 15:00 to 16:00 in the Alexander Shilov Gallery (5 Znamenka Street) there will be a thematic excursion “Cultural Heritage of Moscow”. This is a wonderful opportunity to go through the halls of an old mansion accompanied by a guide, look into the gallery’s courtyard and see the back facade of an architectural monument – the creation of one of the most outstanding architects of the 19th century E.D. Tyurin. Guests will visit a cozy park in front of the gallery, admire the view of the historical center and listen to the history of the creation of the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. They will have a fascinating acquaintance with the works of Alexander Shilov. You can register by phone: 7 495 697⁠-73⁠-10.

    On the same day from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM, the Burganov House Museum (Bolshoy Afanasyevsky Lane, Building 15, Building 9) will hold a sightseeing tour called “The Burganov House Surroundings”. Guests will see the sculptor’s works located near the museum building: in the Ecology Park, in the People-Legends Gallery, and on Arbat. Entrance by prior registration: 7 495 695⁠-04⁠-29.

    Not only museums have prepared exhibitions for city residents. On November 4, a joint exhibition with the Russian Geographical Society called “Peoples of Russia” will open at the Dynamo metro station. The public will be presented with photos by participants in the annual photo contest of the Russian Geographical Society “The Most Beautiful Country”.

    Folk art and eternal classics in cultural centers

    The cultural centers on November 3 and 4 are worth visiting for those who are partial to symphonic and instrumental music, as well as folklore.

    On November 3, the Vdokhnovenie cultural center (Litovsky Boulevard, Building 7) will host a concert of the brass band of the Moscow State Institute of Music named after A.G. Schnittke, “On the Day of National Unity.” The musicians, under the direction of conductor Honored Artist of Russia Alexey Karabanov, will perform works by Russian composers. The concert will begin at 19:00.

    And in the cultural center “Zelenograd” (Central Square, Building 1) on November 3 at 12:00 a festival of national cultures of Russia will begin, which will unite the traditions of the peoples living in it.

    On November 4, the Vnukovo Cultural Center (6 Bolshaya Vnukovskaya Street) is hosting a gala concert of the VIII All-Russian Festival of Traditional Folk Art “Narodnoye Siyaniye”. Creative groups and individual performers will take part in it. There will be nominations for amateur folk groups, folk song ensembles and soloists. The event will start at 12:00.

    The ZIL Cultural Center (4 Vostochnaya Street, Building 1) will help prolong the holiday feeling. There will be a large free concert there on November 5. The program includes performances by members of the Ozherelye folklore ensemble, the Karnaval variety and sports dance ensemble, the Children’s Ballet Theater, the Orpheus opera studio, and other groups. The host is theater and film actor Mikhail Dorozhkin.

    National Unity Day is a national holiday that was established in 2005. It is dedicated to an important historical event – the victory of the people’s militia led by Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky over the Polish invaders in 1612. Their feat is considered the embodiment of the courage and unity of the people.

    On National Unity Day, the capital traditionally organizes festive concerts with the participation of popular musicians and folk groups, and holds a variety of cultural and educational events.

    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.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://vvv.mos.ru/nevs/item/146002073/

    MIL OSI Russia News

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

    Source: Federation University

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    MIL OSI News

  • MIL-OSI Security: Farrell Resident Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Firearm Crimes

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Farrell, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to committing firearm and drug trafficking crimes, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

    Tylon Cousin, 38, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV to possessing with intent to distribute cocaine on February 3, 2023, and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime.

    Judge Stickman scheduled sentencing for February 26, 2025. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than five years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $2,250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

    Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.

    The Mercer County Drug Task Force, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Cousin.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Columbus man sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for drug & gun crimes

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man known as “Philly” was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 130 months in prison for narcotics and firearms crimes.

    Bernard Clark McMillon, 32, conspired to distribute and possessed with intent to distribute controlled substances, including 40 grams or more of fentanyl and five grams or more of methamphetamine. McMillon also possessed a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

    According to court documents, from fall of 2022 through February 2023, McMillon and a co-defendant used a series of different houses in central Ohio to traffic fentanyl, crack cocaine and methamphetamine. Their stash houses included residences on South Terrace, Doren, Columbian, Floral and Springmont avenues and McCarley Drive West.

    McMillon and the co-defendant took advantage of people with addictions who were using the defendants’ residences to make drug sales on their behalf.

    Law enforcement seized two pistols and a 12-gauge shotgun as part of this investigation.

    A federal grand jury indicted McMillon in February 2023 and he pleaded guilty in June 2024.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Micheal H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin W. Kelley and Tyler Aagard are representing the United States in this case.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Russia: About 40 thousand Muscovite cards for first-graders were issued in a simplified manner over four years

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Over the past four years, about 40 thousand Muscovite cards have been issued to first-graders in the capital using a simplified procedure.Department of Information Technology of Moscow They said that every year, parents whose children are going to first grade receive notifications with pre-filled applications in their personal account on the mos.ru portal and to the email address specified in their profile.

    “The simplified procedure for obtaining a Muscovite card for a first-grader has been available to Moscow parents since 2019. This service is provided proactively: at the beginning of the school year, draft applications are automatically generated and sent to those users of the mos.ru portal whose children went to first grade this year and who had confirmed data in their personal account. This simplifies the card application process, since parents only need to check the information and upload a photo of their child. Thus, this year alone, thanks to the smart service, more than 11.7 thousand parents of first-graders submitted applications on time so that their children could receive a Muscovite card and use all its capabilities,” said Dmitry Ivanov, Deputy Head of the Moscow Department of Information Technology.

    Today, almost 275 thousand schoolchildren have a Muscovite card. It allows them to use discounted travel on public transport, as well as free visits to museums under the Museums for Children program. In the capital’s libraries, the card can be used as a single library card, and in clinics, it can be used to make an appointment with a doctor through information terminals. The Moskvёnok service identifier can also be connected to the card, so that it can be used to enter school and pay for meals in the cafeteria.

    In addition, the card allows you to receive discounts on goods and services from more than 8.5 thousand partner enterprises. These include supermarkets, bookstores and children’s goods stores, as well as cafes, cultural and entertainment institutions. You can find out more about the Muscovite card in the project’s telegram channel.

    How to apply for a Muscovite card

    The card can be obtained by all students of Moscow schools and colleges with state accreditation, as well as those who are registered in Moscow but are receiving education outside the city. You can apply on the mos.ru portal, you will need a standard or full account. Children over 14 can do this on their own, but for younger children, a parent or legal guardian must apply for the service.

    You can check the status of your card in your personal account on the mos.ru portal. using the service in the section “Applications and notifications”, as well as by calling the hotline: 7 495 539-55-55 and in the official groups on social networks “VKontakte” And“Classmates”.

    The Muscovite card will be ready within 30 days from the date of application. The corresponding notification will be sent to your personal account on the mos.ru portal and by e-mail. Future first-graders over the age of seven, school and college students can pick up the ready card at the educational institution, and those who are studying in private organizations or outside Moscow, and other preferential categories of citizens – at the selected My Documents government services center.

    Receipt of a Muscovite card for a student must be confirmed in the personal account on mos.ru within 90 days. In other cases, this is not required.

    Increasing the availability of mass socially significant services in electronic form corresponds to the objectives of the national program “Digital Economy of the Russian Federation” and the regional project “Digital Public Administration”. More information about this and other national projects implemented in Moscow can be found on a special page.

    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.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://vvv.mos.ru/nevs/item/145961073/

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Regional customers have made over 33,000 purchases based on their needs on the supplier portal since the beginning of the year

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    From January to September 2024, regional customers conducted more than 33.5 thousand purchases on the supplier portal based on their needs. This trading format allowed them to save about 400 million rubles, Maria Bagreeva, Deputy Mayor of Moscow, Head of the City Department of Economic Policy and Development.

    “The capital’s supplier portal is a dynamically developing interregional platform for small-volume purchases. It enables state and municipal customers to post information on operational needs for 350 thousand suppliers. Over the first nine months of this year, regions have concluded more than 33.5 thousand contracts on the portal based on the results of purchases based on needs for a total of 5.9 billion rubles. Reducing the initial maximum price based on supplier proposals allowed them to save about 400 million rubles when concluding contracts,” said Maria Bagreeva.

    Purchases based on needs allow regional customers to quickly purchase various products on the supplier portal: medical and construction goods, household appliances and equipment, food, office supplies, textbooks, and also to conclude contracts for services and work on the security and maintenance of institutions. As part of the purchase based on needs, the customer publishes a list of necessary goods, works or services. At the same time, he specifies the period during which suppliers can submit their price offers. After the specified time, the customer can conclude a contract with the supplier, the terms of which best meet the stated needs.

    “The largest number of purchases based on needs on the supplier portal from January to September were made by customers from the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug: they concluded 9.6 thousand contracts worth 1.76 billion rubles. The top five most active regions also included Perm Krai – customers from this region signed 7.6 thousand contracts worth 864 million rubles, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – 4.7 thousand contracts worth 781 million rubles, Tyumen Oblast – 3.2 thousand contracts worth 664.4 million rubles and Kemerovo Oblast – 2.3 thousand contracts worth 519.6 million rubles,” added the head of the Moscow City Department for Competition Policy.

    Kirill Purtov.

    As noted in the capital Department of Information Technology, for the convenience of users, when visiting the supplier portal, the location is automatically determined and relevant purchases by region are displayed. Thus, by default, an entrepreneur sees local purchases, and when changing the location in the filter, he can offer products to state and municipal organizations from other entities and thereby expand his sales market. Regional users have access to all the digital capabilities of the capital’s platform: customers can unite to conduct joint purchases, suppliers can subscribe to notifications about the publication of suitable purchases in the selected region, and also use analytical tools for working with the product catalog.

    Suppliers portal was created in 2013 to automate small-volume purchases. The list of goods, works and services offered by entrepreneurs includes more than 2.9 million unique items. The platform’s development is facilitated by a technical support service and an AI assistant for prompt consultations. The training section “Supplier School” helps novice specialists quickly master the principles of working on the platform.

    Representative offices are opened in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation to support users of the portal. There, specialists provide training on how to work on the platform, answer questions from customers and suppliers, hold face-to-face meetings, and collect proposals for improving functionality and solving technical problems. In addition, users can contact the support service at a single federal number: 7 800 303-12-34 or leave a request on the website.

    The functional customer of the supplier portal is Moscow City Department of Competition Policy, and technical development is supervised by the capital’s Department of Information Technology.

    The development of electronic services for business corresponds to the objectives of the national program “Digital Economy of the Russian Federation” and the Moscow regional project “Digital Public Administration”. More information about the national projects implemented in Moscow can be found Here.

    More than 35 thousand contracts were concluded by customers on the supplier portal this summerAn effective tool for conducting purchases: another region has been connected to the supplier portal

    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.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://vvv.mos.ru/nevs/item/145963073/

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Residents of two old houses in Losinoostrovsky district will move to a new building under the renovation program

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Almost 200 residents of two old buildings in the north-east of the capital received letters at the end of October with offers of new apartments under the renovation program. They will move to a new building on Startovaya Street. This was reported by the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Urban Development Policy and Construction Vladimir Efimov.

    “In the Losinoostrovsky district, about 200 residents of two houses are starting to inspect new apartments under the renovation program. A modern residential complex located at 3/1 Startovaya Street has been handed over for their settlement. In total, more than 4.6 thousand families from 68 old houses will receive new apartments in the district,” said Vladimir Efimov.

    The area around the new building was landscaped. Trees and bushes were planted, a children’s playground and a sports ground were created, as well as a quiet recreation area for city residents.

    “The city offered modern apartments with improved finishing to 86 residents of building 5, block 2 on Startovaya Street and 100 residents of building 8, block 2 on Taimyrskaya Street. To make the resettlement process more comfortable and faster for them, a resettlement information center will open on November 6, 2024, on the first floor of the new building. There, city residents will be able to consult on issues related to the registration of documents for new housing,” said the Minister of the Moscow Government, Head of the Department of City Property

    Maxim Gaman.

    The two-section residential complex has 141 apartments. It is located 200 meters from the old buildings. This is an example of how the renovation program preserves the social ties of Muscovites, while providing them with new comfortable and spacious housing, added the Minister of the Moscow Government, Head of the Department of Urban Development Policy Vladislav Ovchinsky.

    The new building is the eighth to be handed over for occupancy in this area since the renovation program began. Hospitals, a school, a medical college and public infrastructure facilities are within walking distance.

    Residents can view the offered housing at a date and time convenient for them. To do this, they need to register online on the mos.ru portal.

    Earlier Sergei Sobyanin reported, that since the beginning of the year, 23 new buildings have been commissioned in the capital under the renovation program and 44 residential complexes have been handed over for occupancy.

    The renovation program was approved in August 2017. It concerns about a million Muscovites and provides for the resettlement of 5,176 houses. In 2023 alone, 59 new buildings in the capital were handed over for settlement and the resettlement of over 47 thousand people was ensured. Earlier, 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 rates and volumes. Over the past five years, within the framework of the federal project “Housing” of the national project “Housing and Urban Environment” the volume of construction and commissioning of residential properties in the capital has doubled: from three million to five to seven million square meters per year. More information about this and other national projects being implemented in Moscow can be found Here.

    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.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://vvv.mos.ru/nevs/item/145979073/

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Australia–Vietnam tourism surge

    Source: Minister for Trade

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Quotes attributable to Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell:

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

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

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

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

    Quotes attributable to Managing Director of ATEC Peter Shelley:

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

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

    MIL OSI News

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

    Source: Government of Western Australia

    Published Thursday, 31st October 2024

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

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

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

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

    More articles in the news archive.

    MIL OSI News

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Sweden’s National statement at the Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 16)

    Source: Government of Sweden

    Excellencies, distinguished delegates,

    I warmly thank President Petro and Colombia´s Government for their generous hosting of COP16. Our countries are long-term partners in many areas, including building sustainable and durable peace, green transition and the protection of biodiversity.

    First, we need ambition and delivery.

    At COP16 we all need to ensure that we are on the right track to deliver on the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and recommit to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

    To measure progress we need a comprehensive monitoring framework and a transparent and clear process for the global review of collective progress.

    Sweden has reported more than 60 national targets and objectives, that contribute to achieving the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. In 2025 we will forward our National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP).

    Second, we need mobilization of resources – and engagement.

    Half of worldwide GDP depends directly on nature.

    Without nature, we are nothing. The business case to invest and engage in nature and biodiversity is becoming clearer every day.

    World leading Swedish businesses are present at COP16. We see how business take action to become not only climate smart and circular – but also nature positive.

    Resources from all sources must be mobilized.

    Sweden is proud to be the largest contributor per capita to the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

    Sweden recently launched a generous guarantee instrument to invest in sustainable land management in the Amazon. Action taken on biodiversity and climate must go hand in hand. We need strengthening of synergies, not at least among the three Rio Conventions.

    Colombia has rightly made COP16 into a Peoples´ COP. We must deliver on full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the work under the Convention. We lead by example, the Sami Parliament of Sweden take part in the Swedish delegation as the focal point for 8 (j) and related provisions.

    Finally, we need a healthy “blue marble” to secure our well-being.

    Earth is a blue marble.

    The triple planetary crisis of climate, pollution and biodiversity is clearly seen in our oceans. A legally binding international treaty on plastic pollution, 

    Our survival and well-being depend on the marine biodiversity and ecosystems. We must strengthen the protection of the marine biodiversity. We also need a global action plan on biodiversity and health.

    The Swedish Government has presented a Bill to Parliament to protect 30% of our sea by 2030. We stay committed to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

    Thank you!

    MIL OSI Europe News