News related to
Expansion

Empowering SMEs to Expand Globally

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 4 September 2026 – Ping An Digital Bank (International) Limited (“Ping An Digital Bank”) has launched Purchase Order Financing product that specifically designed for cross-border e-commerce businesses, becoming the first digital bank in Hong Kong to offer dedicated factoring financing solution to export cross-border e-commerce merchants. Requiring no traditional collateral, eligible businesses can obtain financing of up to 95% of their accounts receivable based on eligible invoices, meeting their operational needs and enabling SMEs to take an important step toward global expansion.

Mr. Thomas Tung, Chief Business OfficerofPing An Digital Bank, said, “As the Hong Kong’s first digital bank dedicated to SMEs, Ping An Digital Bank has always been committed to supporting businesses and driving transformation in the trade finance ecosystem through financial technology. By harnessing years of experience in exploring the potential of commercial data, and combining multidimensional data spanning trade and finance, we have redefined the credit assessment process to effectively resolve financing bottlenecks for businesses. The launch of Purchase Order Financing seamlessly integrates credit insurance with risk management, providing cross-border e-commerce merchants with more efficient and flexible liquidity support. Moving forward, we will continue to leverage our fintech prowess and synergistic financial services to help SMEs capture global cross-border trade opportunities, serving as a reliable backer for cross-border trading enterprises.”

Ping An Digital Bank’s Purchase Order Financing is designed specifically for cross-border e-commerce businesses operating on open-account payment term With just eligible invoices, businesses can apply for financing with a ratio of up to 95% of accounts receivable, up to USD 5 million and a repayment period of up to 120 days. To address the urgent cash flow needs of cross-border e-commerce businesses, the approval and drawdown process can be completed as fast as T+1 business day. Unlike traditional approaches that rely on financial statements and collateral, Ping An Digital Bank innovatively utilises real-time sales data from cross-border buyers to gain insights into clients’ actual operational performance, thereby breaking through the cumbersome constraints of traditional credit assessment. The product architecture directly aligns with supply chain liquidity needs, empowering clients to deploy capital with flexibility and mitigate cash flow pressures with ease.

Looking ahead, Ping An Digital Bank will continue to deepen the application of data analytics and financial technology, driving product innovation to empower trade businesses to achieve digital transformation and business upgrades. The Bank remains dedicated to refining its one-stop digital financial ecosystem, spanning business account opening, foreign exchange transactions, cross-border settlement, and flexible credit facilities—delivering holistic support for enterprise operational challenges, facilitating global expansion, and acting as a dedicated and trusted partner for SMEs growing on the international stage.

Hashtag: #平安數字銀行 #PingAnDB #採購貿易融資 #PurchaseOrderFinancing

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Ping An Digital Bank

Ping An Digital Bank (International) Limited (“Ping An Digital Bank,” “PingAnDB”) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lufax Holding Ltd (“Lufax”) (SEHK: 6623; NYSE: LU) and a member of Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. (“Ping An”) (SEHK: 2318; SSE: 601318). Ping An Digital Bank was granted a banking licence by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority in May 2019 to offer retail banking and business banking services. Backed by Ping An’s advanced technology, Ping An Digital Bank is elevating banking experience, serving customer in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, establishing itself as Ping An Group’s comprehensive financial platform in Hong Kong.

The expansion of the CPMZ pipeline will add capacity to transport two billion more litres of fuel annually, strengthening supplies to Zimbabwe and wider regional markets

NHAMATANDA, MOZAMBIQUE – African Media Agency – 3 September 2026 – The President of Mozambique, H.E. Daniel Chapo and the President of Zimbabwe, H.E. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, today broke ground on a major expansion of the Beira-Harare fuel corridor that will increase pipeline capacity by 67% and strengthen energy security across Southern Africa.

The CPMZ project will increase the CPMZ pipeline’s annual transport capacity from 3 million to 5 million cubic metres by the end of 2027, supporting growing fuel demand in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and wider regional markets.

The expansion will add capacity to transport approximately two billion additional litres of fuel annually into Southern Africa’s interior, strengthening a critical supply route connecting the Port of Beira with Zimbabwe and supporting access to diesel, petrol and jet fuel across regional markets, including Zambia, Malawi, Botswana and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The project represents a significant investment in regional energy resilience and Mozambique-Zimbabwe cooperation, while construction and commissioning will take place without interrupting daily pipeline operations or fuel supplies to markets served by the corridor.

H.E. Daniel Chapo, President of the Republic of Mozambique, said:

“The expansion of the CPMZ pipeline is an important investment in Mozambique’s infrastructure and in the energy security of our region. By strengthening the connection between the Port of Beira and the Southern African hinterland, we are reinforcing Mozambique’s role as a strategic gateway for regional trade while deepening our cooperation with Zimbabwe. This is the kind of infrastructure investment that strengthens regional connectivity, supports economic activity and creates greater resilience for the future.”

Read more

Hashtag: #CPMZ

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

YUNNAN, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 3 September 2026 – The Dounan Flower Market in Kunming, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, is strengthening its position as a leading flower trading hub in Asia, with record annual trading volumes, high-speed auction operations and increasingly efficient international logistics.

The Kunming International Flora Auction Trading Center, a key trading platform within Dounan, begins daily trading at 1:00 p.m. Buyers can complete bids within as little as 0.6 seconds as prices decrease on electronic auction screens, enabling large volumes of fresh-cut flowers to be traded rapidly.

The market experienced a significant increase in trading activity ahead of the Qixi Festival, widely regarded as China’s Valentine’s Day. Tens of millions of flower stems were sold to domestic and international markets during the peak trading period.

According to the Kunming International Flora Auction Trading Center, the average price of major fresh-cut flower categories reached 1.1 to 1.3 yuan per stem during the pre-festival period, approximately 15 percent higher than pre-festival levels. Premium flowers recorded substantially higher prices, with high-quality roses reaching nearly 15 yuan ($2.23) per stem.

In 2025, Dounan recorded a trading volume of 15.476 billion fresh-cut flowers, with total transaction value reaching 13.484 billion yuan (approximately $2 billion).

The market currently hosts 3,300 enterprises and more than 15,000 business entities and individual proprietors. Of Dounan’s approximately 70,000 permanent residents, 46,500 are employed in the flower industry.

Approximately seven out of every 10 fresh-cut flowers sold in China originate from Dounan. Its distribution network now reaches markets across China as well as more than 50 countries and regions worldwide.

High-Speed Auction System

Dounan’s auction system is designed to accommodate the highly time-sensitive nature of fresh-cut flowers.

“Field-grown ‘Purple Glow’ (75 percent maturity), 140 stems; field-grown ‘Beloved’ (80 percent maturity), 120 stems; ‘Beloved’ (75 percent maturity), 120 stems…” said Li Qian, a flower auctioneer at the Kunming International Flora Auction Trading Center.

The trading center uses a descending-price auction model, with prices continuously decreasing on electronic screens. Buyers must respond within approximately 0.6 seconds, allowing transactions to be completed rapidly and supporting the high turnover required by the fresh-cut flower industry.

“Since fresh flowers are perishable goods, we use a descending-price auction format. This helps facilitate rapid circulation,” Li said.

The auction process is integrated with sorting, packaging and transportation operations, reducing the time between trading and shipment.

Logistics Network Expands International Reach

Fresh-cut flowers require particularly efficient logistics because their quality is highly sensitive to transportation and storage time.

Tang Minghong, a client manager with the flower logistics division of SF Express Yunnan, said fresh flowers have among the most demanding logistics requirements in the fresh produce sector.

Trading begins in the afternoon, while pickup, packaging and dispatch can be completed as early as 3:00 a.m., allowing flowers to move quickly from auction facilities into domestic distribution networks.

For international shipments, Dounan has established logistics routes to destinations including Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia. Customers in these markets can receive shipments within two days, according to logistics operators.

Strengthening Yunnan’s Global Flower Trade

The combination of large-scale flower production, centralized trading, high-speed auctions and integrated logistics has enabled Dounan to develop a comprehensive supply and distribution network.

The market connects flower growers in Yunnan with buyers and consumers throughout China and overseas, while supporting the expansion of the province’s fresh-cut flower industry into international markets.

With billions of stems traded annually and distribution covering more than 50 countries and regions, Dounan is emerging as an important regional hub for fresh-cut flower trading and distribution, contributing to the international growth of China’s flower industry.

Hashtag: #DounanFlowerMarket #FlowerTrading #Yunnan

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

A distinguished leader who served as the 8^th Governor (Yang di-Pertua Negeri) of the Malaysian state of Penang, Tun Fuzi will advise IMA on its regional growth strategy, strategic partnerships, and institutional engagement as the Publisher accelerates the expansion of its leading business magazine title, The SmartInvestor (TSI) across ASEAN.

“Onboarding Tun Fuzi is a milestone not only for IMA, but Malaysia’s media publication industry. Undoubtedly a seasoned leader fortified by his long diplomatic career experience, we are confident that his strategic insights will pave the way for TSI’s stronger regional voice,” said CT Cheah, IMA’s Managing Director and TSI’s Managing Editor.

Currently, TSI has established its presence in Hong Kong in addition to Malaysia via its magazine content and dedicated website platforms. The publication also recently relaunched https://smartinvestor.com.my and https://smartinvestor.hk and is also in progress to rolling out its China website by the first half of 2027.

Beyond expansion plans, Tun Fuzi also shares a common vision with IMA in empowering communities through financial literacy as the partnership will kickstart initiatives to promote practical grassroots financial education, strengthen awareness on governance and regulatory compliance as well as encourage informed financial-decision making among communities, business and future generations.

“A well-informed society is fundamental to sustainable economic growth. I believe the media has an important role in promoting financial awareness, encouraging good governance, and connecting businesses and communities across borders. Working with IMA, I am committed to supporting its nation-building initiative of advancing financial literacy and responsible investment knowledge across ASEAN,” stated Tun Fuzi.

With its expansion strategy in place and leveraging on the new appointment, IMA is exploring new opportunities for regional collaboration to broaden its reach and relevance across Asia. At the heart of this ambition is a commitment of combining credible journalism with education, contributing to a more informed, resilient and inclusive society.

Hashtag: #InovatifMediaAsia #TheSmartInvestor #TunFuzi

https://smartinvestor.com.my

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Inovatif Media Asia (IMA)

Founded in 2002, IMA has built a reputation for producing high-quality business and lifestyle publications. Apart from its leading business magazine The SmartInvestor, the Publisher also owns titles including Calibre, FENG, The G.Mag and The Real Time.

With a new management onboard in 2023, IMA is slated to expand its regional presence for publications, business dialogues and cross-border collaborations.

Websites:
1.https://smartinvestor.com.my
2.https://smartinvestor.hk

SCX Logistics Reports More Than 240% Revenue Growth in the First Half, Reflecting Demand for Next-Generation Industrial Infrastructure Sets Roadmap to Expand Its Logistics Portfolio Beyond 1,000,000 sq.m. and Further Strengthen Its Presence in Bangna and the EEC

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 1 September 2026 – SCX Corporation, SC Group’s recurring-income business platform, is advancing sustainable growth through the strategic expansion of SCX Logistics. The company has set a roadmap to expand its logistics portfolio to more than 1,000,000 sq.m. by 2029, following strong demand from customers across diverse industries. SCX Logistics reported revenue growth of more than 240% in the first half of 2026, compared with the same period last year.

The company also highlights the completion of SCX Logistics Bangna Km.20, an 80,000 sq.m. logistics development that embodies SC’s three promises: Quality, Care, and Responsibility. Combining a strategic location, total cost efficiency, flexibility, and future readiness, SCX Logistics is designed to meet the increasingly complex needs of the industrial sector. The company plans to expand across the strategic Bangna and EEC corridors by a further 200,000 sq.m. by 2027.

Mr. Rachod Nantakwang, Chief Executive Officer of SCX Corporation Co., Ltd., said that SCX continues to advance SC Group’s recurring-income businesses to build a stronger and more sustainable foundation for long-term growth. SCX Logistics is a key part of this strategy, and the company remains committed to its 2029 roadmap to expand its logistics portfolio from 200,000 sq.m. at the end of 2025 to more than 1,000,000 sq.m. in strategic logistics locations nationwide. The objective is to create greater value for customers while developing infrastructure that genuinely meets business needs.

“The warehouse market continues to experience strong demand. However, customer requirements today are markedly different from the past. Customers no longer assess warehouses solely on rental rates per square metre. They consider the entire production and logistics ecosystem: locations that reduce transportation time, flexible functionality that can adapt to future change, clean-energy solutions that support business sustainability, and, critically, a warehouse partner that can work alongside them to solve their business challenges.

We understand these evolving needs. This understanding has earned us the trust of customers across a wide range of industries and contributed to SCX Logistics achieving revenue growth of more than 240% in the first half of 2026, compared with the same period last year,” Mr. Rachod said.

SCX has consistently upheld SC’s three promises: Quality, Care, and Responsibility. The company also applies SC’s strengths in Design, Function, and Trust to its logistics developments, placing a strong emphasis on understanding each customer’s operations from the outset. This enables SCX Logistics to design spaces around actual business requirements, from building layouts and transportation flows to loading and unloading areas, as well as future energy and technology needs.

This approach is reflected in SCX Logistics Bangna Km.20, which has recently been completed across the full 80,000 sq.m. development. The project demonstrates SCX’s customer-centric approach to warehouse development, beginning with an understanding of customer requirements rather than a building concept. The project is currently fully occupied, with an occupancy rate of 100%.

SCX Logistics Bangna Km.20 is located on Bangna-Trad Road at Km.20 in Samut Prakan, on a site of more than 90 rai. It is a strategic location for logistics and transportation, serving warehouses, distribution centres, and industrial facilities across a range of sectors. The development offers both ready-built buildings and built-to-suit solutions tailored to specific customer requirements.

The project serves international customers from Asia and Europe across industries including logistics, manufacturing, data centres, and digital infrastructure.

Mr. Rachod added that SCX Logistics’ expansion plans for 2026 and 2027 will focus on strategic locations that play an important role in Thailand’s logistics network. Under the concept “Corridor, Not Just Land,” SCX selects investment locations based on the role each area plays in the supply chain and its ability to connect businesses with regional markets, rather than simply on the size of the land plot.

The company plans to add approximately 200,000 sq.m. of logistics space across key locations, including Bangna, Laem Chabang, Amata Chonburi, and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). This expansion is expected to bring SCX Logistics’ total warehouse portfolio to approximately 400,000 sq.m. by the end of 2027.

“Each location plays a distinct role in supporting our customers’ businesses. Bangna is a key connection between Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi Airport, and the EEC. Laem Chabang is an important gateway for international trade, while Amata and the EEC are among the country’s major manufacturing bases.

We therefore do not see ourselves simply as a warehouse developer and operator. We aim to be an infrastructure partner that can deliver solutions tailored to the needs of customers across industries, while contributing to the development of Thailand’s infrastructure and supporting investment that drives national economic growth,” Mr. Rachod said.

SCX Logistics will continue to be a new and recurring source of income for SC Group over the long term. The company expects SCX Logistics’ full-year revenue to grow by approximately 280% from the previous year.

SCX Corporation operates under the vision “The Prospering Expedition” and the mission “The Way Forward,” with a focus on exploring new business opportunities that generate consistent recurring income over the long term.

Its portfolio includes SCX Logistics, which operates the warehouse business and has developed five projects totalling more than 200,000 sq.m. in strategic locations; SCX Hospitality, which operates hotels in Bangkok and other key destinations, including KROMO Bangkok, Curio Collection by Hilton, The Standard Pattaya Na Jomtien, and YANH Ratchawat; and SCX Working Solutions, which operates more than 120,000 sq.m. of office space, including Shinawatra Tower 3.

SCX’s growth is supported by a diverse and capable team, strong strategic partnerships, and a corporate culture that places customers and the environment at the heart of business development.

For more information, please contact [email protected] or visit https://www.scx.co.th.
Hashtag: #SCXcorporation #SCXLogistics #SC #SCWarehouse #Logistics #Engine2 #RecurringIncome

https://www.scx.co.th/en
https://www.linkedin.com/company/scx-corporation
https://www.facebook.com/scxcorporation
https://www.youtube.com/@SCXCorporation

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

SCX Corporation

• Benefiting from sustained strong chip demand across the AI data center (“AIDC”), storage and robotics sectors, the Group’s revenue increased by approximately 98.4% year-on-year to approximately RMB13,249.2 million;

• The Group recorded gross profit of approximately RMB799.7 million and net profit of approximately RMB373.0 million. Profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Company amounted to approximately RMB278.9 million, representing a year-on-year increase of approximately 111.1%;

• The Group has strategically upgraded from an “AI hardware distributor” into a “Token computing power operator”, opening up a second growth curve; and

• The Group has formally entered into Token computing power services contracts worth more than US$1 billion, with delivery expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2026.

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 31 August 2026 – Ingdan, Inc. (“Ingdan” or the “Company”; Stock Code: 400.HK, together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”), an ecosystem services platform anchored in artificial intelligence (“AI”) chips and principally engaged in the businesses of “Comtech” and “Ingdan” today announced its unaudited interim results for the six months ended June 30, 2026 (the “First Half of 2026” or the “Period”).

Financial Highlights for the First Half of 2026

During the Period, benefiting from sustained strong chip demand across the AIDC, storage and robotics sectors, the Group recorded revenue of approximately RMB13,249.2 million, representing an increase of approximately 98.4% from approximately RMB6,676.5 million for the corresponding period in 2025.

The Group’s gross profit amounted to approximately RMB799.7 million, representing a year-on-year increase of approximately 36.5%. Operating profit was approximately RMB517.2 million, representing a year-on-year increase of approximately 87.7%. Net profit after tax amounted to approximately RMB373.0 million, representing a year-on-year increase of approximately 96.3%.

Business Review

Strategic Upgrade Milestone: Token Factory Order Formally Secured, Opening Up a Second Growth Curve

During the First Half of 2026, the Group achieved a landmark breakthrough in its AI-driven strategic upgrade. The previously disclosed intent service orders exceeding US$1 billion have now been formalized into services contracts. Delivery is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2026, with the contracts expected to generate aggregate service revenue of more than US$1 billion over the next five years. This milestone signifies a fundamental evolution in the Group’s growth model—from “selling chips” to “selling computing power”—and its formal upgrade into an “Token computing power operator”, presenting a compelling new value proposition to the capital markets.

Three Growth Drivers for Rapid Expansion

The Group’s performance growth is supported by three core drivers:

• AI computing power: The accelerating development of global data centers continues to drive strong demand for GPUs and CPUs. The Group provides full-stack computing power support, from chips to application solutions, and is deeply involved in the development of cloud-based intelligent computing centers;
• Storage cycle: Surging demand for AI foundation model training and inference is driving expansion in the memory chip market. Leveraging the resources of leading global suppliers, the Group ensures a reliable supply of memory chips and complementary solutions; and
• Embodied intelligence and robotics: As humanoid robots enter the mass-production stage, the Group is strengthening its full-stack deployment, from edge AI computing solutions built around platforms such as NVIDIA Jetson to enterprise-level computing clusters.

Full-Chain Technology Services Platform

As a technology services platform based on AI chips, the Group connects upstream AI chip technologies with the needs of downstream innovative enterprises. Leveraging the resources of leading global chip manufacturers, including NVIDIA, Intel, AMD and SanDisk, the Group has established a comprehensive product portfolio covering GPUs, CPUs, FPGAs, ASICs, memory chips and software ecosystems. With chip distribution serving as its entry point, the Group provides customers with integrated, full-chain services encompassing technology solutions, supply chain management, technical training, and after-sales operation and maintenance. Its services cover a broad range of application scenarios, including cloud-based intelligent computing centers, edge AI, robotics, drones and enterprise-level computing power services.

Global Computing Power Network Deployment

To support the large-scale delivery of its Token factory business, the Group is accelerating the development of a global computing power network. In the near term, it plans to expand its computing centers footprint into multiple Asian countries, with total planned computing capacity exceeding 100 megawatts. Through its proprietary Token computing power scheduling platform, the Group provides one-stop services encompassing computing power scheduling, cluster operation and maintenance, and Token computing power services. Its customers include leading internet cloud service providers and market-leading enterprises in vertical robotics segments, demonstrating the commercial viability of the Group’s business model.

Outlook

Mr. Jeffrey Kang, Chairmanand CEO of Ingdan, Inc., commented: “As demand across AIDC, storage, robotics and AI Token services continue to grow, the Group’s strategic positioning as a ‘Token computing power operator’ has been further strengthened. We expect robust customer demand in the second half of the year, while the AI Token factory business is expected to become the Group’s second growth curve. This will further enhance the capital market’s recognition of the visibility of the Company’s growth and its long-term development potential.”

Cautionary Statement

The information contained in this document has not been independently verified. Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates, advisers or representatives makes any express or implied representation, undertaking or warranty as to the fairness, accuracy, completeness or correctness of the information or opinions presented or contained herein. No person should rely on this document as a basis for any decision.

The information contained in this document should be considered in the context of the circumstances prevailing at the relevant time and is subject to change without notice. The Company undertakes no obligation to update the information contained herein to reflect any developments occurring after the date of this document. This document is not intended to provide, and should not be relied upon as providing, a complete or comprehensive analysis of the Company or its financial or operating condition or prospects. Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates, advisers or representatives shall have any obligation or accept any liability, whether in negligence or otherwise, for any loss arising from any use of this document or its contents or otherwise arising in connection with this document.

This document may contain statements reflecting the Company’s current intentions, beliefs and expectations regarding the future as of the relevant dates indicated herein. Such forward-looking statements do not constitute guarantees of future performance. They are based on certain assumptions concerning the Company’s operations and on factors beyond the Company’s control, and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, actual results may differ materially from those described in such forward-looking statements. Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates, advisers or representatives has any obligation or undertakes to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or unforeseen circumstances arising after the relevant date.

Hashtag: #Comtech #Ingdan #AI #AIDC #TokenFactory #IC #Chips #humanoid #Intel #AMD #Sandisk #NVIDIA #Tech #RevenueGrowth #TechGrowth #AIInvestment #ProprietaryProducts #KeplerLab #Comtech #IngdanTechnology #IngdanAcademy #AIAcceleration #TechTransformation

https://ingdangroup.com/

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Ingdan, Inc.

Ingdan, Inc. (Stock Code: 400.HK) is an ecosystem services platform anchored in artificial intelligence (“AI”) chips. The Group captures the rapidly growing demand across numerous industries, from AI computing centers to AI-powered intelligent terminals, by converting AI chip resources into a broad range of rapidly deployable application solutions that provide the core driving force for customers’ intelligent upgrade. Through its proprietary AI technologies, large models and specialized industry knowledge bases, the Group provides customers with advanced chip application technology solutions and efficient supply chain management services.

Headquartered in Shenzhen, the Group operates offices and branches across major cities in China, including Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou , Suzhou, Wuhan and Chengdu, as well as operations in Singapore and Japan. The Group’s core businesses are Comtech — a technology services platform for the chip industry; and Ingdan — a platform providing Artificial Intelligence of Things (“AIoT”) technology and services.

For further information, please refer to the Company’s website at www.ingdangroup.com

Proposed an interim dividend of HK11.0 cents per share

Highlights:

• Revenue increased to approximately HK$1,450.9 million.
• Gross profit increased to approximately HK$518.8 million.
• Profit attributable to owners of the Company amounted to approximately HK$116.2 million.
• As at 30 June 2026, the Group operated a total of 190 chain retail stores
• Basic earnings per share was approximately HK11.6 cents. The Board recommended the payment of interim dividend of HK11.0 cents per share.

Financial Highlights:

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 31 August 2026 – Best Mart 360 Holdings Limited (“Best Mart 360” or the “Company”, together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”; stock code: 2360.HK), a leading leisure food retailer in Hong Kong, announced its interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2026 (“the Period under Review”). During the Period under Review, the revenue recorded by the Group amounted to approximately HK$1,450,897,000, representing an increase of approximately 1.0% as compared to approximately HK$1,436,576,000 for the six months ended 30 June 2025 (the “Corresponding Period Last Year”).

During the Period under Review, profit attributable to owners of the Company amounted to approximately HK$116,221,000.

For the six months ended 30 June 2026, gross profit of the Group was approximately HK$518,758,000, representing an increase of approximately 0.1%, as compared to gross profit of approximately HK$518,177,000. Gross profit margin during the period was approximately 35.8%. During the Period under Review, basic earnings per share of the Group was approximately HK11.6 cents. The Board recommended the payment of interim dividend of HK11.0 cents per share.

BUSINESS REVIEW

CHAIN RETAIL STORES

As at 30 June 2026, the Group operated a total of 190 chain retail stores, including 184 chain retail stores in Hong Kong and 6 chain retail stores in Macau, respectively. During the Period under Review, the Group continued to implement its store network optimization strategy to fully showcase its diverse product portfolio, further enhance its overall brand image and provide customers with a more comfortable shopping environment.

Since 2021, the Group has launched its brand of global wine and food stores “FoodVille”, which provides mid-to-high-end, premium food products from around the globe. These include fine wines, premium chocolates, health foods, cheese, Western sauces and ingredients from around the world, aming to cater to the market’s pursuit of a quality of life and expanding the Group’s customer base. As at 30 June 2026, the Group operated a total of 8 retail stores under the brand.

During the Period under Review, the rental expenses (on a cash basis) of the Group’s retail stores accounted for approximately 9.7% of its sales revenue.

THE PRODUCTS

During the Period under Review, the Group adhered to its global procurement strategy, sourcing high-quality products from around the world to provide customers with a diversified range of choices. During the Period under Review, the Group sold over 1,045 brands and more than 3,054 stock keeping units (“SKUs“) of products in total. The Group continuously optimised its product portfolio and actively introduced a variety of new products and flavours to meet customers’ ever-changing needs.

To enrich its product mix and maintain effective control over product quality, supply stability and profit margins, the Group continued to actively develop its private label products. During the Period under Review, sales derived from private label products amounted to approximately HK$277,194,000 (six months ended 30 June 2025: approximately HK$251,203,000), which accounted for approximately 19.1% of the Group’s total revenue for the Period under Review. The Group had a total of 12 private labels covering approximately 272 SKUs of products, including masks, canned Chinese delicacies, cereals, milk, honey, nuts and dried fruits as well as a wide range of leisure food products.

MEMBERSHIP SCHEME AND MARKETING & PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES

As at 30 June 2026, the Group had a cumulative total of approximately 2,469,754 registered fans and members (30 June 2025: approximately 2,243,198). As at 30 June 2026, the number of mobile app members reached approximately 1,374,462 (30 June 2025: approximately 1,238,775).

During the Period under Review, the Group continued to carry out a variety of marketing activities, including “Best Price”, “Instant Redemption upon Purchase” and other promotional campaigns, which provided customers with a series of special offers on selected quality products as a way to show its appreciation for their support and effectively enhance customer loyalty. The Group also launched a new brand promotion campaign, namely “Best Mart, Always a Friendly Buy”, in 2026. By integrating online and offline promotional channels, the Group further strengthened its brand image and enhanced its interaction and connection with customers.

The Group also utilised a variety of outdoor media, such as large-scale advertisements at MTR stations and truck wraps, together with marketing strategies on digital media and social platforms, to further increase its brand exposure and market penetration, thereby attracting more new customers to shop at its stores.

In addition, the Group actively fulfilled its corporate social responsibility by partnering with the charitable foundation under China Merchants Group to launch the “Care 360˚” Neighborhood Support Programme, which aids families in need, continuously promotes community care and inclusion and actively puts into practice the core principles of corporate sustainability.

EMPLOYEES

As at 30 June 2026, the Group employed a total of 1,257 full-time and part-time employees (31 December 2025: 1,227). The increase in the total number of employees was primarily due to the Group’s recruitment of additional staff for its newly opened stores. To retain talent and provide its employees with appropriate incentives to enhance their sense of belonging and loyalty, the Group regularly reviews and updates its employee remuneration packages and benefit plans, taking into account labour market supply and remuneration trends as well as individual employee performance. During the Period under Review, the staff costs of the Group (excluding emoluments of the Directors) accounted for approximately 9.6% of its total revenue (six months ended 30 June 2025: approximately 9.7%).

OUTLOOK

Global geopolitical tensions remain high, and uncertainty persists regarding the pace of the external economic recovery. Meanwhile, the active expansion of mainland Chinese e-commerce platforms into Hong Kong has driven the popularity of cross-border online shopping, further intensifying competition in the local retail market. Amid complex and increasingly competitive market conditions, the overall business environment for the retail sector is expected to remain under pressure in the second half of 2026. However, as Hong Kong hosts a series of major international events and exhibitions as well as cultural and sports activities, the number of visitors to Hong Kong and their willingness to spend are steadily recovering. At the same time, consumption of daily necessities has demonstrated strong resilience. Market demand for value-for-money globally sourced food products and healthy snacks continues to grow, presenting the Group with solid development opportunities. Looking ahead, the Group remains cautiously optimistic about its business prospects. To address intense market competition, we are committed to refining operational management, optimizing business processes, and maintaining strict cost controls.

To further strengthen its connection with consumers, the Group officially launched a rebranding campaign in June 2026, adopting “Best Mart, Always a Friendly Buy” as its new core brand value and striving to build a more welcoming, youthful, vibrant and creative brand image. Regarding its store network management, the Group will balance strategic expansion with operational optimization. On one hand, the Group will capitalise on appropriate market opportunities and continue to expand its footprint through a “dual-brand” strategy featuring “Best Mart 360˚” and “FoodVille”, aiming to precisely meet the demand for high-quality food across different customer segments. On the other hand, the Group will adhere to strict capital-return discipline by actively negotiating with landlords for more flexible and reasonable lease terms, while regularly reviewing the operational efficiency of existing stores. Through these efforts, the Group aims to comprehensively enhance the overall profitability of its network and deepen its presence in the mass retail market.

Faced with a complex, ever-changing and highly competitive market environment, the Group is comprehensively exploring and researching the application of artificial intelligence in its business processes, aiming to enhance operational efficiency through innovative technology. The Group will further deepen its online-offline integration strategy, fully leverage the advantages provided by the extensive member database of its mobile app and implement targeted marketing through big data analysis to effectively increase member engagement and overall repeat purchase rates.

In terms of online channels, the Group will strengthen its collaboration with the foodpanda mall platform to ensure a seamless shopping experience. The Group will also remain agile in our operational strategies to optimize overall sales performance.

Guided by its core brand philosophy of “Best Quality” and “Best Price”, the Group will make every effort to expand its upstream supplier network while ramping up the development of its private label products. These initiatives will solidify our competitive pricing advantage while effectively meeting the market demand for daily necessities. The Board is confident that, through prudent yet flexible strategic planning, strong brand appeal and an optimised product portfolio, the Group will successfully enhance customer loyalty. This will steadily drive the business toward sustainable growth, thus creating long-term and robust returns for shareholders.

Hashtag: #BestMart360

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Best Mart 360 Holdings Limited

Best Mart 360 Holdings Limited, mainly operates chain retail stores under the brand “Best Mart 360˚”. It offers a wide collection of imported prepackaged leisure foods and other grocery products, principally from overseas. The Group’s business objective is to offer “Best Quality” and “Best Price” products to customers through continuous efforts on global procurement with a mission to provide comfortable shopping environment and pleasurable shopping experience to customers. As at 30 June 2026, the Group operates 190 retail stores that are strategically located across 18 districts in Hong Kong and Macau. In addition, the Group’s new global gourmet store, “FoodVille”, was officially opened in September 2021, which mainly provides globally sourced medium-to-high-end quality food products.

Devanathan is due to take up the newly created role in October and will be based in Singapore, reporting to Kiran Mani, OpenAI’s managing director for Asia-Pacific. Her responsibilities will cover consumer growth, enterprise adoption and partnerships, regulatory engagement and operations across Southeast Asia and Australia.

The move gives OpenAI an experienced technology executive as competition intensifies among artificial intelligence companies for users, corporate customers, developers and public-sector partnerships. Devanathan has spent more than a decade at Meta and has held senior roles spanning ecommerce, gaming and country leadership across Asia-Pacific.

Devanathan announced her departure from Meta on Friday, describing the decision as “bittersweet” and saying she would take a short break before beginning her next chapter. OpenAI subsequently confirmed that she would join the company in the regional position.

Her departure also reshapes Meta’s reporting structure in one of its largest markets. Arun Srinivas, Meta’s managing director and country head for India, will report directly to Benjamin Joe, the company’s vice-president for Asia-Pacific. Srinivas had been reporting to Devanathan.

Devanathan joined Meta in 2016 and helped build its businesses and teams in Singapore and Vietnam, as well as ecommerce initiatives across Southeast Asia. She moved in 2020 to lead Meta’s gaming business in Asia-Pacific before being appointed vice-president and head of India, taking up that position in January 2023. Her remit was later expanded to include Southeast Asia.

At Meta, her work covered the company’s business and revenue priorities, relationships with major brands, advertisers, creators and partners, and the expansion of digital commerce and messaging services. She has more than 25 years of experience across banking, payments and technology.

OpenAI’s appointment places Devanathan in charge of markets where governments and companies are accelerating investment in generative artificial intelligence while also debating rules on safety, data, copyright and the use of advanced models. Her remit includes regulatory engagement, making her role important to OpenAI’s efforts to navigate differing policy regimes across Southeast Asia and Australia.

The company has been expanding its physical and management presence across Asia-Pacific, with offices in Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney and Delhi. It has also strengthened its leadership in India, where it appointed former Uber executive Prabhjeet Singh as managing director earlier this year.

OpenAI has made India a significant part of its regional growth strategy as demand for generative AI tools rises among consumers, developers and businesses. In February, the company launched OpenAI for India, an initiative focused on artificial intelligence infrastructure, enterprise adoption, skills development and education partnerships.

Devanathan’s appointment extends that regional build-out beyond India, giving OpenAI a senior executive responsible for Southeast Asia and Australia from Singapore. The role combines commercial expansion with policy and operational responsibilities rather than focusing solely on sales or partnerships.

For Meta, the leadership change comes as the company continues to manage its advertising, messaging and social-media businesses across the region while increasing investment in artificial intelligence. Devanathan’s departure removes an executive who had overseen both India and Southeast Asia and had been part of Meta’s Asia-Pacific leadership structure.

When Meta appointed Devanathan to lead its India operations in 2022, the company said she would bring together its business and revenue priorities and strengthen relationships with brands, creators, advertisers and partners. She moved back to India for the role after earlier assignments in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

In her departure message, Devanathan highlighted work involving government citizen services delivered through WhatsApp in India and small businesses using Meta’s applications as digital storefronts in Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand. She also referred to her experience helping technology companies and creators grow across the region.

Figures unveiled at the 2026 China International Big Data Industry Expo in Guiyang, Guizhou province, showed that data-related software products, including AI application software, and data-resource products involving token services generated a combined 4.99 trillion yuan. The two categories accounted for 73.6 per cent of the industry’s total output, underlining the growing commercial connection between data resources and AI development.

The number of data enterprises operating across China reached 482,000 by the end of 2025, an increase of 17.9 per cent from a year earlier. The eastern regions remained the largest concentration of activity, with their data industry valued at about 5.23 trillion yuan.

Growth has accelerated steadily over the past three years. China’s data industry was valued at 5.06 trillion yuan in 2023 and 5.86 trillion yuan in 2024 before climbing above 6.7 trillion yuan last year. Expansion has increasingly shifted from basic data collection and processing towards higher-value services designed for AI models, intelligent agents and industry-specific applications.

High-quality datasets have emerged as a particularly important segment. By August 2026, more than 126,000 such datasets had been established nationwide, containing more than 1,815 petabytes of data. Their combined volume has risen by more than 89 per cent since March, reflecting rapidly expanding demand from developers training and refining AI systems.

The broader supply of digital information is also growing sharply. China generated 52.26 zettabytes of data during 2025, up 27.28 per cent from the previous year and representing roughly 27.4 per cent of global data production. Enterprises accounted for about nine-tenths of the increase, with manufacturing, transport and logistics, software and information technology services recording especially strong gains.

That expansion is occurring alongside rapid growth in AI itself. China’s core AI industry exceeded 1.2 trillion yuan in 2025, with more than 6,200 specialised AI enterprises operating nationwide. More than 30 per cent of large manufacturing enterprises had adopted AI technologies by the end of the year, widening demand for industrial datasets capable of training systems for production, quality inspection, predictive maintenance and automation.

AI development is also changing the composition of the data market. Large language models initially depended heavily on publicly accessible text and image material, but developers are increasingly seeking proprietary industrial, scientific, financial, medical and operational data. The expansion of intelligent agents and embodied AI is adding demand for video, three-dimensional information, sensor readings, physical interaction records and synthetic data.

Intelligent-agent innovation has become another growth area. More than 3,400 patents associated with agent technologies were authorised during 2025, with the pace of growth more than doubling from the previous year. Commercial platforms are simultaneously combining access to multiple AI models with tools that allow companies to select, adapt and deploy systems without developing every component internally.

Policy is increasingly focused on turning China’s vast quantity of information into commercially usable AI resources. A national programme launched this year calls for high-quality industry datasets covering areas including scientific research, manufacturing, agriculture, energy, transport, financial services, healthcare, education, e-commerce, tourism, meteorology, urban governance, autonomous driving, embodied intelligence and biotechnology.

The programme is intended to expand dataset supply, improve annotation and quality assessment, encourage controlled circulation and connect dataset development more closely with practical AI applications. Authorities are targeting significant progress by the end of 2028, including industry datasets tested through real-world applications and specialised companies capable of developing tools and standards around them.