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Strong earnings, expanding EV infrastructure and a growing digital user base reflect OR’s ongoing transformation from traditional fuel retail to integrated mobility and lifestyle services — with OR positioning itself as a scalable platform for regional partnership across Asia.

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 7 April 2026 – PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Limited (OR), Thailand’s largest energy and lifestyle retail operator, reported 2025 EBITDA of 20,357million baht (approximately USD 645 million), a 15.2% increase year-on-year, as net profit rose 47.8% to 11,304 million baht (approximately USD 357 million) despite a 9.0% decline in total revenue. The results reflect stronger cost management and a continued shift in the company’s growth strategy toward ecosystem-led expansion across mobility, retail and digital services.

To support that expansion, OR has committed 58,000 million baht (approximately USD 1.84 billion) under a five-year investment plan running from 2026 to 2030. The plan prioritizes mobility infrastructure development, lifestyle platform enhancement, EV charging network expansion, and innovation investment — with the aim of consolidating OR’s position as an integrated mobility and consumer ecosystem operator across the region.

OR’s existing infrastructure provides a significant base from which to execute that strategy. The company’s nationwide service station network currently serves 3.9 million users per day, one of the consumer touchpoint frequencies in Thailand, with a target to reach 5 million daily users by 2030. The network integrates fuel retail, EV charging under the EV Station PluZ brand, food and beverage, health and wellness, and lifestyle services. Café Amazon, OR’s coffee chain, operates more than 4,600 outlets in Thailand and international markets, contributing to sustained consumer traffic across the network. Most recently, OR announced a joint venture with Centara to develop budget hotels at PTT Stations, targeting 70 to 80 rooms per site alongside existing amenities — a move that extends the network’s role from daily convenience into overnight hospitality.

OR is expanding EV Station PluZ further in step with its existing fuel network as electric vehicle uptake accelerates across Southeast Asia. The move reflects both the region’s shifting policy landscape and growing infrastructure demand, with OR positioning the mobility transition as a long-term growth opportunity and a gateway for partnership-driven market entry across the region.

OR’s digital platform reinforces the physical network’s reach. The blueplus+ loyalty application has accumulated 9.3 million registered members, with a target of 14 million by 2030. Beyond driving repeat visits, the platform gives OR granular visibility into consumer behavior across its entire ecosystem — enabling personalized engagement, cross-selling across business lines, and new revenue streams that a purely physical network could not unlock. With membership scale still growing, OR sees the model as a strong foundation for data-led consumer engagement as it pursues regional expansion across Asia.

OR is also in discussions regarding cross-border expansion models that would allow regional dealers, investors and operators to access its ecosystem infrastructure. OR is positioning itself to potential partners not as a conventional energy retailer but as an integrated lifestyle and mobility platform with the operational scale and digital capabilities to support localized deployment across diverse Asian markets.

“Our strategy is simple: to integrate and create synergy through a scalable and sizable model. We’ve built a profitable digital-physical ecosystem and are now seeking strategic partners to unlock growth in Asia’s fast-moving mobility and consumer sectors.,” said M.L. Peekthong Thongyai, Chief Executive Officer of PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Limited.

Hashtag: #OR

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About OR

PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Limited (OR) is a leading Thai energy and retail company with operations across 10 countries. OR operates through four core business groups: Mobility Business, providing energy solutions via PTT Station, PTT Lubricants, PTT LPG, and EV Station PluZ; Lifestyle Business, featuring Café Amazon, one of Asia’s largest coffee chains, along with convenience stores and space management; Global Business, driving international growth with over 400 PTT Stations and over 300 Café Amazon outlets; and OR Innovation Business, developing new ventures and sustainable solutions through technology and innovation.

The rebound matters because EAF steel has long struggled to gain ground in China despite official support for cleaner production. The route relies mainly on scrap rather than iron ore and coking coal, making it structurally less carbon intensive than the blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace model that still dominates the country’s steel industry. World Steel Association figures show the global production mix is far more tilted towards EAF than China’s, with electric-arc furnaces accounting for 28.6% of world crude steel output, while average carbon intensity for scrap-based EAF steelmaking is markedly below that of the conventional blast furnace route.

For Chinese mills, the immediate story is not only about decarbonisation but about economics. Higher finished-steel prices and steadier demand for construction steel have made it easier for some EAF operators to restart or raise run-rates after a prolonged spell in which many were squeezed by electricity bills, uneven scrap supply and patchy orders. Reuters reported in late February that warmer weather and the resumption of building activity typically support steel demand in March, while temporary production curbs in northern blast-furnace regions also helped firm futures prices. That backdrop has narrowed the gap between scrap-fed mills and traditional producers, even if the advantage remains fragile.

Yet the broader steel market in China remains difficult. Official and consultancy data cited by Reuters show crude steel output in 2025 fell to 960.1 million tonnes, down 4.4% from 2024 and below one billion tonnes for the first time since 2019. That decline reflected a managed effort by Beijing to address overcapacity, but it also underscored softer domestic demand and the long shadow cast by the property downturn. State-backed forecasts cited by Reuters indicate steel demand is expected to slip again in 2026 after contracting sharply in 2025, suggesting that EAF mills are recovering within a shrinking overall market rather than riding a broad-based industrial boom.

That tension helps explain why Beijing continues to press for structural change. The National Development and Reform Commission said in March that China would curb excess capacity in steel and other heavy industries in an orderly way, renewing a campaign that has featured repeatedly in official policy language. The cleaner EAF route fits that policy direction because it uses recycled feedstock and can reduce reliance on imported iron ore, but steelmakers still take their cues from margins first. When profits weaken, producers often retreat to whichever process best matches raw material costs, local power tariffs and available supply chains.

The environmental case for EAF expansion remains strong. Reuters reported last year that China had aimed to raise EAF steel’s share of crude steel production to 15% by 2025 and 20% by the end of the decade, but the actual share had been stuck around 10%. A 2025 review by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air said missing the 15% milestone would add more than 160 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions compared with a stronger shift towards cleaner steelmaking, while high electricity costs, unreliable scrap flows and financial strain had kept many EAF operators on the back foot.

China’s steel industry also faces an external pressure point: trade. Even as domestic demand softened, exports climbed to a record 119.02 million tonnes in 2025, up 7.5% from a year earlier, according to Reuters. That export surge helped keep mills running, but it also intensified complaints abroad over cheap supply and raised the risk of more trade barriers. For EAF producers, this creates a mixed picture. Strong export channels can support domestic steel prices and improve mill economics, yet any escalation in trade restrictions would feed back into the entire sector, including the greener producers now regaining confidence.

The project is a collaboration between Wycombe Abbey, BE Education, and Rabbit Holdings, a subsidiary of BTS Group Holdings Public Company Limited, reflecting the continued expansion of global education networks into Asia and Thailand’s growing relevance as a destination for international schooling.

Founded in 1896 in Buckinghamshire, Wycombe Abbey is widely recognised for its academic excellence and long-standing reputation for combining rigorous British curricula, including IGCSEs and A Levels, with a holistic approach to student development. The model emphasises intellectual curiosity, leadership, and a global perspective.

Wycombe Abbey also represents a rare example of a historic global institution that has successfully maintained its academic standards while expanding internationally. Its schools in Hong Kong and major cities across China have demonstrated the ability to uphold the same quality of education, driven by close collaboration and strict academic oversight from Wycombe Abbey UK. This approach ensures consistency in teaching standards, student outcomes, and the overall educational experience across its international network.

The school’s entry into Thailand comes amid sustained growth in the country’s international education sector. Thailand currently hosts more than 250 international schools serving approximately 70,000 to 80,000 students. The market is valued at over 80 billion baht and continues to expand at an annual rate of around 10%, driven by rising demand from both Thai and expatriate families seeking globally recognised education pathways.

Bangkok’s appeal as an education destination is supported by its quality of life, safety, regional connectivity, and relatively competitive cost of living, positioning the city as a potential regional hub for international families.

Wycombe Abbey’s international network already spans Hong Kong and multiple cities in China, including Changzhou, Hangzhou, and Nanjing. Bangkok will serve as one of its newest strategic locations, with further expansion planned in Singapore and South Korea, strengthening cross-border academic connections and student mobility within Asia.

William Vanbergen, Founder and Chairman of BE Education and Chairman of the Wycombe Abbey International Advisory Board, said the expansion represents more than a geographic extension.

“Wycombe Abbey isn’t just expanding. It is bringing one of the UK’s most respected educational traditions into Asia, while creating a multi-campus network that connects students across locations through shared experiences and collaboration,” he said.

Chotchawal Leetrairong, representing BTS Group Holdings and serving as financial advisor, said the investment aligns with a broader vision of urban development.

“World-class education is a fundamental component of a global city. Our investment reflects a long-term commitment to strengthening Bangkok’s position by supporting international education, talent attraction, and economic development,” he said.

Fiona Angel, Founding Executive Headteacher of Wycombe Abbey International School Bangkok, said the school will focus on developing well-rounded students equipped for a rapidly evolving global environment.

The school will offer a continuous 15-year education pathway from Nursery to Year 13 (ages 2–18), with both day and boarding options. Boarding will remain a central element of the educational model, designed to foster independence, responsibility, and leadership within a structured learning community.

Located near Thana City on Bangna-Trad Road, the campus will span over 66 acres, positioning it among the largest international school campuses in Bangkok. Facilities will include an Olympic-standard swimming pool, FIFA-standard football field, tennis and golf facilities, basketball courts, a full athletics track, and a 1,000-seat stadium, supporting both academic and co-curricular development.

The combination of Wycombe Abbey’s academic reputation and the school’s strategic location is expected to further strengthen Bangkok’s position as an emerging Asian education hub. Situated just 10 minutes from Suvarnabhumi Airport, the campus offers convenient regional access for international families, while its high-quality boarding facilities are designed to meet the needs of students and parents across Asia. This positioning is expected to attract a growing number of families seeking world-class education within the region.

Wycombe Abbey has consistently delivered strong academic outcomes. Over the past decade, 28% of its graduates have secured places at Oxford and Cambridge, with many progressing to leading universities worldwide. Across its international network, 38% of students in its Hong Kong and China campuses have been admitted to QS Top 10 universities, while 74% have gained entry to QS Top 50 institutions globally.

With its established academic track record, international network, and large-scale campus, Wycombe Abbey International School Bangkok aims to position itself as a leading provider of British-curriculum education in Southeast Asia, while contributing to Bangkok’s long-term development as a global education destination.

For more information, please visit https://wycombeabbeyinternational.com/schools/bangkok/

Hashtag: #WycombeAbbey

https://wycombeabbeyinternational.com/schools/bangkok/

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Beijing HyperStrong Technology, one of the country’s biggest battery energy-storage system suppliers, expects shipments to more than double in 2026 as utilities, renewable developers and industrial customers accelerate orders at home and overseas. The company is projecting deliveries of about 70 gigawatt-hours this year, up from 26 gigawatt-hours in 2025, according to comments published on April 6, a jump that underscores how quickly large-scale storage is moving from a supporting technology to a central piece of power infrastructure.

The forecast places HyperStrong among the more aggressive corporate voices in a market that has expanded far beyond its earlier role of smoothing short bursts of solar and wind volatility. Storage is now being bought to stabilise grids, capture cheap midday renewable power, support evening peaks and back up electricity-hungry data centres. Global spending on batteries for power-sector storage is set to reach about $66 billion in 2025, reflecting the scale of investment now flowing into the sector.

HyperStrong’s position helps explain why its target is drawing attention. The company says it has been ranked among the top three global battery energy-storage system integrators and has held a Tier 1 standing with BloombergNEF since 2024. It also says it is the top integrator in China’s mainland market by cumulative installed and contracted project capacity. On its own figures, it has deployed more than 50GWh across more than 400 projects after being founded in 2011.

Demand inside China remains the first pillar of that growth story. The country’s clean-power build-out has been so rapid that storage is becoming essential to absorb output and protect grid reliability. Government data showed wind and solar capacity reached 1.84 billion kilowatts in 2025, accounting for 47.3% of total installed power capacity and overtaking thermal power for the first time. Separate official data showed installed new-type energy storage reached 136 million kilowatts in 2025, after already topping 70 million kilowatts in 2024.

Policy has also shifted in ways that improve the commercial case for storage. Earlier concerns that many projects were being built faster than they could be profitably used have given way to a more market-based system in which capacity payments, peak pricing and wider power-sector reforms are strengthening returns. Analysts have said those changes, combined with subsidies in some provinces, helped turn storage into a far more investable business. That domestic backdrop matters because it gives manufacturers and integrators a large home market from which to scale.

Overseas demand forms the second pillar. Chinese storage suppliers have benefited from orders tied to renewable expansion, ageing grids and the electricity needs of AI-linked data centres in North America, Europe and the Middle East. HyperStrong has been widening its footprint in Europe and said in March that it had projects across 15 countries there. The company has also been visibly pushing its international profile through industry events in Europe and the Americas, a sign that it sees export growth as more than a side business.

Competition, however, is unlikely to ease. China’s battery and clean-tech industries have shown how quickly rapid capacity growth can feed price wars and margin pressure. Rival suppliers ranging from CATL and BYD to other storage specialists are expanding at speed, while trade frictions and policy shifts abroad could complicate the export story. At the same time, technology is moving on: lithium-ion remains dominant for daily cycling, but sodium-ion and longer-duration storage systems are being pushed for specific use cases, especially where mineral costs, safety or duration become bigger factors.

Dentsu has appointed Yusuke Kagohara as chief financial officer for Southeast Asia, handing him a mandate that goes beyond traditional finance oversight as the advertising and marketing group tightens governance and prepares for a more disciplined phase of expansion across one of Asia’s most competitive markets. The appointment took effect immediately, and Kagohara will report to Sanjay Bhasin, chief executive for Southeast Asia.

The move lands at a sensitive point for global agency networks. Growth remains available across Southeast Asia, but margins, client expectations and regulatory scrutiny are all sharpening. Dentsu’s own framing makes clear that this is not merely a replacement hire. Company statements and industry reports describe the post as part of a wider effort to deepen strategic and financial discipline and strengthen governance across the regional cluster, which covers Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The business employs more than 4,000 people in the region under what Dentsu describes as a borderless operating model formed in 2023.

Kagohara arrives with a profile that fits that brief. Before this appointment, he served as group head of risks and controls at Dentsu Group Inc., where he worked on internal controls, enterprise risk management and broader governance and remediation efforts. Earlier assignments included chief financial officer and deputy chief financial officer roles in Beijing and at Dentsu Creative China, experience that gave him exposure to large and complex operating environments in Asia. Industry coverage of the appointment has also highlighted his background in corporate strategy, transformation and all-round finance, suggesting the company wanted someone comfortable with both compliance architecture and commercial execution.

That background matters because agency finance chiefs are no longer judged only on forecasting, cost control and reporting. They are increasingly central to how networks integrate acquisitions, police internal controls, price AI-enabled services and defend profitability while clients demand more measurable returns. Dentsu has been signalling this shift at group level for months. Its global management overhaul announced in February was pitched around stronger execution, while its 2025 integrated report and governance materials emphasised capital discipline, internal investment, productivity and the strengthening of leadership and controls.

Southeast Asia gives that challenge extra complexity. The cluster spans fast-growing but highly uneven markets, each with different media structures, regulatory standards, client mixes and digital maturity. Dentsu has described the region as one of the world’s fastest-growing, and its own ad spend outlook has projected Asia Pacific growth ahead of the wider global economy. In December, the company forecast that global advertising spend would rise 5.1 per cent in 2026 to more than $1 trillion, with Asia Pacific remaining the fastest-growing region. For a network trying to convert that momentum into durable earnings, stronger financial control becomes a strategic tool rather than a back-office function.

Bhasin’s comments underline that point. In remarks carried by multiple reports and company-linked posts, he said growth on its own was not enough and that the business needed expansion that was “accountable, resilient, and built to last”. He described Kagohara’s experience in governance, transformation and complex markets as critical to the next stage of Southeast Asia’s development. Kagohara, for his part, said the region stood out for its scale, complexity and ambition, adding that strong fundamentals were universal even when market conditions varied widely. Those comments indicate a leadership view that the next test for Dentsu is not whether Southeast Asia can grow, but whether it can do so with tighter controls and greater consistency across markets.

The timing also follows a change in the seat Kagohara is filling. Trade reports late last month said Bharti Agrawal, who had served as CFO for Southeast Asia at Dentsu, had moved to Monks as chief financial officer for APAC marketing services. That succession gives the new appointment a sharper operational significance, because it suggests Dentsu moved quickly to avoid drift in a role that sits at the centre of planning, compliance and regional coordination.