Artificial Intelligence
Sampo Group’s Results for 2019
SAMPO PLC FINANCIAL STATEMENT RELEASE 6 February 2020 at 9:40 am
Sampo Group’s Results for 2019
Sampo Group’s profit before taxes for 2019 amounted to EUR 1,541 million (2,094). The profit includes a loss of EUR 155 million incurred when distributing Nordea shares as dividends in the third quarter of 2019. The profit for the comparison year contains a positive non-recurring item of EUR 197 million from the Danske Bank co-operation agreement that Mandatum Life completed in the second quarter of 2018. The total comprehensive income for the period, taking changes in the market value of assets into account, rose to EUR 1,565 million (1,034).
228
221
*) the comparison year includes the contribution of EUR 197 million from the Danske Bank co-operation agreement in the second quarter of 2018.
**) of which non-controlling interests are EUR 107 million (91) for 2019 and EUR 26 million (14) for the fourth quarter of 2019.
The figures in this report are not audited. Income statement items are compared on a year-on-year basis whereas comparison figures for balance sheet items are from 31 December 2018 unless otherwise stated.
Sampo follows the disclosure procedure enabled by the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority and hereby publishes its Full-Year Financial Report attached as a PDF file to this stock exchange release. The Full-Year Financial Report is also available at www.sampo.com/result.
GROUP CEO’S COMMENT
The insurance group Sampo had quite a challenging but successful year 2019. Despite the lower for longer interest rate environment and some headwinds in our banking associate Nordea, the Group performed well in most of its businesses. The Group’s P&C insurance operations continued to show very high quality in underwriting. If P&C had a strong combination of premium growth and low combined ratios. Digital investments over several years together with very competitive cost levels supported this development. Sampo’s other P&C operation, Topdanmark, also reported strong results. The company continued to invest in modern digital channels, and as usual with Topdanmark’s underwriting abilities, I expect the Q4 challenges in the I/A business to be dealt with rapidly.
All our insurance operations, not least Mandatum Life, were helped by favourable development in the equity markets. Mandatum’s unit-linked savings reached an all-time high as equity values appreciated substantially during 2019. At the same time the efforts to shrink the with-profit book bore fruit and the book is now almost EUR 300 million smaller than a year ago. Sampo’s associated company Nordea faced headwinds during the year in the difficult banking environment. The new management adopted revised financial targets in October 2019 and has already shown great determination to take tough decisions and work hard to develop towards those targets. The bank’s fourth quarter 2019 results is the first encouraging step in this process.
As the new CEO I am looking optimistically at the coming period. Sampo will prosper through its underwriting focus, our in-depth knowledge about our markets and our strong balance sheet. I expect the operating environment to provide both challenges and opportunities and look forward to meeting these with enthusiasm and confidence.
Torbjörn Magnusson FOURTH QUARTER 2019 IN BRIEF
Sampo Group’s profit before taxes for the fourth quarter of 2019 amounted to EUR 468 million (451). Earnings per share was EUR 0.66 (0.66) and mark-to-market earnings per share EUR 1.19 (-0.17). Net asset value per share increased EUR 1.81 during the fourth quarter of 2019 and amounted to EUR 20.71.
If’s combined ratio for the fourth quarter of 2019 amounted to 85.0 per cent (83.5). Profit before taxes amounted to EUR 228 million (221). The discount rate applied in Finland was lowered from 1.2 per cent to 0.95 per cent with a negative impact of EUR 62 million on the results.
Topdanmark’s combined ratio for the fourth quarter was 87.1 per cent (81.1) and profit before taxes EUR 58 million (29).
Sampo’s share of Nordea’s fourth quarter 2019 net profit was EUR 143 million (98) and EUR 0 million (-1) of NDX Intressenter’s profit in the same period of time.
Profit before taxes for Mandatum amounted to EUR 68 million (66). Premiums written grew to EUR 772 million (394). A significant part of the growth was due to one-off items caused by changes in tax treatment of life insurance products. BUSINESS AREAS
If
Profit before taxes for 2019 for the If segment was EUR 884 million (848). Combined ratio amounted to 84.5 per cent (85.2) and risk ratio to 62.7 per cent (63.3).
In 2019 EUR 190 million (173) was released from technical reserves relating to prior year claims. Return on equity increased to 34.5 per cent (11.2) and the fair value reserve on 31 December 2019 amounted to EUR 457 million (234).
Technical result was EUR 685 million (643). Insurance margin (technical result in relation to net premiums earned) rose to 15.9 per cent (15.1). Large claims for If were EUR 4 million (29) worse than expected for the full-year 2019. In BA Industrial they were EUR 8 million better and in BA Commercial EUR 13 million worse than expected in 2019. In the fourth quarter of 2019 the large claims were EUR 13 million better than expected.
The Swedish discount rate used to discount the annuity reserves was -0.77 per cent (-0.41) at the end of 2019 and had a negative effect on the full-year results of EUR 22 million. The impact on fourth quarter results was EUR 17 million positive. In Finland the discount rate for annuities was lowered from 1.2 per cent to 0.95 during the fourth quarter which had a negative effect of EUR 62 million on the results.
Gross written premiums amounted to EUR 4,675 million (4,502) in 2019. With fixed currency rates premiums grew 5.7 per cent in January – December 2019 and during the fourth quarter premium growth accelerated to 8.5 per cent. All business areas had growth. The growth was highest in the BA Industrial, at 16.5 per cent. In BA Private the premium growth amounted to 5.1 per cent and in BA Commercial 2.8 per cent. Gross written premiums grew by 5.1 per cent in Sweden, 9.5 per cent in Norway, 2.2 per cent in Finland and 5.0 per cent in Denmark. Positive customer development continued in all business areas in 2019, the customer base in BA Private increased by 2 per cent.
The cost ratio was 21.8 per cent (21.9) and expense ratio 16.1 per cent (16.4).
On 31 December 2019, the total investment assets of If amounted to EUR 10.8 billion (10.9), of which fixed income investments constituted 86 per cent (88), money market 2 per cent (2) and equity 12 per cent (10). Net income from investments amounted to EUR 229 million (229). Investment return marked-to-market for the full-year 2019 was 5.0 per cent (-0.8). Duration for interest bearing assets was 1.3 years (1.4) and average maturity 2.8 years (2.7). Fixed income running yield without taking into account the FX hedging cost as at 31 December 2019 was 1.8 per cent (1.7). If’s solvency position is described in the section Solvency.
Topdanmark
At the end of 2019 Sampo plc held 41,997,070 Topdanmark shares, corresponding to 46.7 per cent of all shares and 48.2 per cent of related voting rights in the company. The market value of the holding was EUR 1,846 million on 31 December 2019.
The Board of Directors recommends to the AGM of 2020 a dividend of DKK 1,530 million (EUR 205 million), i.e. DKK 17 per share. If the AGM approves the proposal, Sampo plc’s share of the dividend payment is EUR 96 million.
Topdanmark’s profit before taxes for 2019 increased in Sampo Group’s profit and loss account to EUR 238 million (199). The combined ratio amounted to 82.1 per cent (82.3) in 2019. The expense ratio was 16.0 per cent (16.3). The following text is based on Topdanmark’s full-year 2019 result release published on 23 January 2020.
In non-life insurance, result was positively impacted by higher run-off profit and an improved claims trend in the SME and the agricultural business. On the other hand, the result from illness and accident and lower yield curve had a negative impact on results. In the life insurance, result was impacted positively by improved investment returns.
Topdanmark’s premium income increased by 2.9 per cent in non-life insurance and by 9.8 per cent in life insurance.
In non-life insurance, the run-off profit of EUR 58 was primarily generated in motor third-party liability, in workers’ compensation, and in illness and accident. Weather-related claims were EUR 13 million below normal level and amounted to EUR 10 million. Large claims were EUR 6 million below normal level and amounted to EUR 7 million.
Topdanmark’s solvency position is described in the section Solvency. Further information on Topdanmark A/S and its January-December 2019 result is available at www.topdanmark.com.
Associated company Nordea
Nordea is the largest bank in the Nordic region and among the ten largest financial groups in Europe in terms of total market capitalization with around 11 million customers. Nordea’s shares are listed on the Nasdaq exchanges in Stockholm, Helsinki and Copenhagen. In Sampo Group’s reporting Nordea is treated as an associated company and is included in the segment Holding.
On 31 December 2019 Sampo plc held 804,922,858 Nordea shares corresponding to a holding of 19.87 per cent. The average price paid per share amounted to EUR 6.46 and the book value in the Group accounts was EUR 8.34 per share. The closing price as at 31 December 2019 was EUR 7.24.
Nordea targets a dividend of EUR 0.40 per share (0.69) for 2019. Sampo plc’s share amounts to EUR 322 million (594) if approved by the AGM. Sampo’s share of Nordea’s 2019 profit before taxes amounted to EUR 290 million (625).
Mandatum Life
Profit before taxes for Mandatum Life in 2019 amounted to EUR 280 million (450). The comparison figure includes the contribution of EUR 197 million from the Danske Bank co-operation agreement in the second quarter of 2018. The total comprehensive income for the period after tax reflecting the changes in market values of assets, increased to EUR 308 million (112). Return on equity amounted to 23.5 per cent (8.7).
Premium income on own account increased to EUR 1,596 million (1,074). Premiums from unit-linked policies increased to EUR 1,476 million (976). Claims incurred increased to EUR 1,492 million (1,116). Both premium income and claims paid include around EUR 400 million one-off items caused by changes in the tax treatment of life insurance products.
Net investment income, excluding income on unit-linked contracts, increased to EUR 358 million (232). Net income from unit-linked contracts was EUR 908 million (-259). During 2019 the fair value reserve increased to EUR 438 million (352). The expense result decreased to EUR 24 million (35). The risk result increased to EUR 35 million (33).
The total technical reserves of Mandatum Life Group were EUR 12.0 billion (11.2). The unit-linked reserves exceeded EUR 8 billion for the first time and were EUR 8.1 billion (7.0) at the end of 2019. Unit-linked reserves corresponded to 67 per cent (62) of total technical reserves.
With-profit reserves decreased as planned during 2019 and amounted to EUR 3.9 billion (4.2) on 31 December 2019. With-profit reserves related to the higher guarantees of 4.5 and 3.5 per cent decreased by EUR 264 million to EUR 2.2 billion at the end of 2019.
Mandatum Life has overall supplemented its technical reserves with a total of EUR 230 million (232), of which EUR 189 million is allocated to years 2020 – 2022. The figure does not take into account the reserves relating to the segregated fund. The discount rate used for 2020 and 2021 is 0.25 per cent. In the fourth quarter of 2019, the rate used for 2022 was lowered from 2.50 per cent to 1.25 per cent.
Discount rate of segregated liabilities was decreased from 0.50 per cent to 0.0 per cent and discount rate reserve of segregated liabilities amounted to EUR 263 million (250). At the end of 2019 Mandatum Life Group’s investment assets, excluding the assets of EUR 8.2 billion (7.0) covering unit-linked liabilities, amounted to EUR 5.7 billion (5.6) at market values.
Mandatum Life’s solvency position is described in the section Solvency.
Holding
Holding segment’s profit before taxes for January – December 2019 amounted to EUR 139 million (618), which includes EUR 155 million loss incurred when distributing Nordea shares as dividends in the third quarter of 2019. Sampo’s share of profits of associated companies Nordea and NDX Intressenter for January – December 2019 amounted to EUR 298 million (621) of which Nordea’s share was EUR 290 million (625) and NDX Intressenter’s EUR 8 million (-4). Nordea’s result in the third quarter of 2019 was impacted by one-off items amounting to EUR 1.3 billion.
The segment’s profit before taxes excluding the associates for January – December 2019 was EUR -159 million (-3). Changes in market values of derivative instruments and currency exchange rates can cause volatility in the net investment income and finance cost lines.
Sampo plc’s holding in Nordea was booked in the consolidated balance sheet at EUR 6.7 billion, i.e. EUR 8.34 per share. The market value of the holding was EUR 5.8 billion, i.e. EUR 7.24 per share, on 31 December 2019.
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
Changes in the Group structure
If P&C Insurance Holding Ltd (publ) signed on 28 November 2019 an agreement to buy Viking Redningstjeneste TOPCO A/S. The acquisition price for 100 per cent ownership was EUR 32 million (NOK 325 million) which was paid in cash. The enterprise value amounted to EUR 114 million. Viking is a Nordic roadside assistance company headquartered in Norway. It serves its customers through an extensive nationwide network of stations in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. The acquisition of Viking will strengthen If’s offering towards its partners and further improve If’s position as the leading Nordic insurance and service provider within the mobility area.
With this strategic acquisition If strengthens its position in the Nordics by providing more comprehensive service for its insurance customers and partners such as carmakers. The financial effect of the acquisition on Sampo Group is not expected to be significant.
The transaction was subject to approval by competition authorities in Norway and Sweden which were received in early January 2020 and the transaction was completed.
On 6 November 2019 Ricard Wennerklint, 50, was appointed Chief of Strategy in Sampo Group as of 1 January 2020. He has held various positions in Sampo Group since 2002 and been a member of the Sampo Group Executive Committee since 2005. In 2019 EUR 18 million (23), including social cost, was paid on the basis of the long-term incentive schemes. EUR 40 million (36), including social costs, was paid as short-term incentives during the same period. The result impact of the long-term incentive schemes in force in 2019 was EUR 12 million (5).
The Annual General Meeting authorized the Board to repurchase a maximum of 50,000,000 Sampo A shares. The price paid for the shares repurchased under the authorization shall be based on the current market price of Sampo A shares on the securities market. The authorization will be valid until the close of the next Annual General Meeting, nevertheless not more than 18 months after AGM’s decision.
Sampo plc made no repurchases during 2019 and has not purchased its own shares after the end of the reporting period. Sampo plc, Sampo Group’s parent company, received more than EUR 1.5 billion in dividends from its subsidiaries and associated company Nordea during 2019. The following dividend payments were received:
– Mandatum Life; EUR 150 million in March 2019, Nordea targets a dividend of EUR 0.40 per share for 2019. Sampo plc’s share amounts to EUR 322 million if approved by the AGM on 25 March 2020.
Topdanmark’s Board of Directors proposed to the Annual General Meeting of 2 April 2020 a dividend of DKK 17 per share. If the AGM approves the proposal, Sampo’s share of the Topdanmark’s total dividend amounts to EUR 96 million. Mandatum Life’s Board proposes a dividend of EUR 150 million to be paid to Sampo plc in the first quarter of 2020. If normally pays its dividend towards the end of the calendar year.
Relevant ratings for Sampo Group companies on 31 December 2019 are presented in the table below.
Sampo plc – Issuer Credit Rating Stable
– Issuer Credit Rating
Sampo’s capital requirement on Nordea holding increased more than EUR 800 million during the first half of 2019 although the underlying risks for Sampo’s holding in Nordea did not change. Sampo took active measures to counter the negative impact by issuing EUR 500 million of hybrid capital in May 2019. More importantly, the Board received from the AGM in April 2019 an authorization to distribute an extra dividend either in cash and/or in financial instruments held by Sampo plc and announced on 13 June 2019 that it planned to resolve on the distribution of an extra dividend in the form of Nordea shares in its meeting scheduled 7 August 2019.
On 7 August 2019 Sampo Board made the formal decision to distribute a total of 55,517,639 shares of Nordea Bank Abp as an extra dividend. As a result of the dividend, Sampo’s ownership in Nordea decreased below 20 per cent.
Hence, the conglomerate rules (FICO) solvency calculation was terminated by a formal approval by the Finnish FSA received on 21 October 2019. After the approval Sampo Group calculates its group solvency only under the Solvency II rules and Nordea is treated as an equity investment. Sampo Group’s solvency ratio according to the Solvency II directive amounted to 167 per cent (140) at the end of December 2019. The proposed dividend has been deducted from own funds in the Solvency II calculation.
The consolidation of Nordea as an associated company in Sampo Group’s Financial Statements (IFRS) will remain unchanged.
The insurance subsidiaries apply Solvency II rules in their regulatory solvency calculations. If Group companies use either partial internal models or standard model for calculation of their solo solvency position. Mandatum Life reports in accordance with standard formula for Solvency II. Topdanmark uses a partial internal model to report its stand-alone solvency position.
If Group has an A+ rating from S&P which will continue to require significantly more capital than the standard formula and therefore the use of standard formula has no practical implications on If Group’s capital position. On 31 December 2019 If Group’s Solvency II capital requirement under standard formula amounted to EUR 1,890 million (1,833) and own funds to EUR 3,592 million (3,599). The solvency ratio amounted to 190 per cent (196).
The S&P A+ rating capital requirement for If Group amounted to EUR 3,083 million (2,949) on 31 December 2019 and the capital base was EUR 3,151 million (3,149).
Topdanmark calculates most of its non-life and health risks and their respective solvency capital requirement by a partial internal model approved by the DFSA. Other risks are calculated by Solvency II SCR standard formula. Topdanmark’s solvency ratio under the partial internal model was 177 per cent (196) at the end of December 2019.
Mandatum Life’s solvency ratio after transitional measures amounted to 176 per cent (176) on 31 December 2019. Own funds were EUR 2,117 million (1,740) and Solvency Capital Requirement (SCR) was EUR 1,204 million (990). The increase in own funds is mainly due to the Tier 2 issue of EUR 250 million in September 2019 and the positive equity market development during the reporting year. SCR grew because of increased market risk due to positive equity market development, a change in the symmetrical adjustment and changes in contract boundary interpretations applied in calculating technical provisions. Without transitional measures, own funds would have amounted to EUR 1,756 million (1,348) and the solvency capital requirement to EUR 1,234 million (1,030) leading to a solvency ratio of 142 per cent (131). Sampo plc’s debt financing on 31 December 2019 amounted to EUR 3,908 million (4,067) and interest bearing assets to EUR 1,725 million (1,959). Interest bearing assets include bank accounts, fixed income instruments and EUR 359 million (489) of hybrid capital and subordinated debt instruments issued by the subsidiaries and associated companies.
At the end of 2019 the interest bearing net debt of Sampo plc amounted to EUR 2,183 million (2,108). The net debt calculation takes into account interest bearing assets and liabilities. Gross debt to Sampo plc’s equity was 51 per cent (52) and financial leverage 34 per cent (34).
On 23 May 2019 Sampo plc issued 30NC10 Fixed/Floating rate subordinated notes of EUR 500 million due 23 May 2049.
On 24 May 2019 Sampo plc repaid EUR 500 million senior notes maturing on that date. On 26 September 2019 Mandatum Life issued 30NC5 Tier 2 notes of EUR 250 million due 4 October 2049.
On 31 December 2019 financial liabilities in Sampo plc’s balance sheet consisted of issued senior bonds and notes of EUR 3,414 million (3,943). In addition Sampo plc has issued subordinated notes of EUR 494 million. No CPs were outstanding (124). The average interest, net of interest rate swaps, on Sampo plc’s debt as of 31 December 2019 was 1.2 per cent (0.8).
More information on Sampo Group’s outstanding debt issues is available at www.sampo.com/debtfinancing.
Outlook for 2020 Sampo Group’s business areas are expected to report good operating results for 2020.
However, the marked-to-market results are, particularly in life insurance, highly dependent on capital market developments. The continuing low interest rate level also creates a challenging environment for reinvestment in fixed income instruments.
If P&C is expected to reach a combined ratio of 85 – 89 per cent in 2020.
With regard to Topdanmark reference is made to the profit forecast model that the company publishes quarterly.
Nordea’s contribution to the Group’s profit is expected to be significant. In its current day-to-day business activities Sampo Group is exposed to various risks and uncertainties mainly through its separately managed major business units.
Major risks affecting the Group companies’ profitability and its variation are market, credit, insurance and operational risks that are quantified independently by the major business units. At the group level sources of risks are the same, but they are not directly additive because of diversification effects.
Uncertainties in the form of major unforeseen events may have an immediate impact on the Group’s profitability. Identification of unforeseen events is easier than estimation of their probabilities, timing and potential outcomes. Currently there are a number of widely identified macro-economic, political and other sources of uncertainty which can, in various ways, affect the financial services industry negatively. In particular the political risks are at an elevated level at the moment.
Other sources of uncertainty are unforeseen structural changes in the business environment and already identified trends and potential wide-impact events. These external drivers may have long-term impacts on how business shall be conducted. Examples of already identified trends are technological development in areas such as artificial intelligence and digitalization, demographic changes and sustainability issues that may have profound effects on financial sector companies as well. DIVIDENDS
The new dividend policy
Sampo has for several years had the ambition of annually increasing its nominal dividend per share. On 24 October 2019 Sampo management, however, concluded that in the present operating environment and with government bond yields expected to remain negative for some time to come, an increase in the dividend would not best serve the company or its shareholders. This view was further reinforced by a change in Nordea’s dividend policy announced earlier on the same day.
Sampo plc’s Board of Directors has today approved a new dividend policy according to which total annual dividends paid will be at least 70 per cent of Group’s net profit for the year (excluding extraordinary items). In addition share buy-backs can be used to complement the cash dividend.
The parent company’s distributable capital and reserves totalled EUR 7,383,547,646.18 of which profit for the financial year was EUR 1,489,678,098.42.
The Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting a dividend of EUR 2.20 per share to company’s 555,351,850 shares. The dividends to be paid are EUR 1,221,774,070.00 in total. The remainder of funds are left in the equity capital.
The dividend will be paid to shareholders registered in the Register of Shareholders held by Euroclear Finland Ltd as at the record date of 27 April 2020. The Board proposes that the dividend be paid on 5 May 2020.
No significant changes have taken place in the company’s financial position since the end of the financial year. The company’s liquidity position is good and in the view of the Board, the proposed distribution does not jeopardize the company’s ability to fulfill its obligations.
SAMPO PLC Knut Arne Alsaker, Group CFO, tel. +358 10 516 0010 Press conference
A press conference will be held in English on 6 February at 12:30 pm Finnish time (10:30 am UK time) at Symposion, Kämp, (2nd floor), Pohjoisesplanadi 29, Helsinki.
The press conference can be followed as a live webcast at www.sampo.com/result. A recorded version will later be available at the same address. Conference call
An English-language conference call for investors and analysts will be arranged at 4 pm Finnish time (2 pm UK time). Please call tel. +1 855 857 0686, +44 333 300 0804, +46 856 642 651, or +358 981 710 310. The conference code is 75249242#.
The conference call can also be followed live at www.sampo.com/result. A recorded version will later be available at the same address.
In addition, the Supplementary Financial Information Package is available at www.sampo.com/result.
Sampo will publish the Interim Statement for January – March 2020 on 6 May 2020. Distribution: Attachment
KEY FIGURES
2019
2018
Change, %
10-12/
201910-12/
2018Change, %
EURm
Profit before taxes *)
1,541
2,094
-26
468
451
4
If
884
848
4
3
Topdanmark
238
199
20
58
29
102
Associates (Nordea & NDX Intressenter)
298
621
-52
143
97
47
Mandatum *)
280
450
-38
68
66
3
Holding (excl. Associates)
-159
-3
–
-29
38
–
Profit for the period **)
1,237
1,778
-30
389
381
2
Change
Change
Earnings per share, EUR
2.04
3.04
-1.00
0.66
0.66
0
EPS (incl. change in FVR) EUR
2.63
1.70
0.93
1.19
-0.17
1.36
NAV per share, EUR
20.71
20.60
0.11
–
–
–
Average number of staff (FTE)
9,813
9,509
304
–
–
–
Group solvency ratio, %
167
140
27
–
–
–
RoE, %
12.0
7.5
4.5
–
–
–
Exchange rates used in reporting
1-12/2019
1-9/2019
1-6/2019
1-3/2019
1-12/2018
EURSEK
Income statement (average)
10.5853
10.5679
10.5181
10.4187
10.2583
Balance sheet (at end of period)
10.4468
10.6958
10.5633
10.3980
10.2548
DKKSEK
Income statement (average)
1.4183
1.4158
1.4090
1.3959
1.3764
Balance sheet (at end of period)
1.3982
1.4326
1.4153
1.3929
1.3733
NOKSEK
Income statement (average)
1.0749
1.0816
1.0810
1.0694
1.0688
Balance sheet (at end of period)
1.0591
1.0809
1.0897
1.0765
1.0308
EURDKK
Income statement (average)
7.4661
7.4644
7.4651
7.4637
7.4533
Balance sheet (at end of period)
7.4715
7.4662
7.4636
7.4652
7.4673
Group CEO and President
Changes in Group Management
Remuneration
Shares and shareholders
Internal dividends
– Nordea; EUR 594 million in April 2019,
– Topdanmark; EUR 84 million in April 2019 and
– If; SEK 7.5 billion (EUR 710 million) in December 2019
Ratings
Rated company
Moody’s
Standard & Poor’s
Rating
Outlook
Rating
Outlook
A3
Stable
A
If P&C Insurance Ltd – Insurance Financial Strength Rating
A1
Stable
A+
Stable
If P&C Insurance Holding Ltd (publ)
–
–
A
Stable
Mandatum Life Insurance Company Ltd – Issuer Credit Rating
–
–
A+
Stable
Group solvency
Solvency position in the subsidiaries
Debt financing
OUTLOOK
The major risks and uncertainties to the Group in the near-term
Dividend proposal
Board of Directors
For more information, please contact:
Jarmo Salonen, Head of Investor Relations and Group Communications, tel. +358 10 516 0030
Maria Silander, Communications Manager, Media Relations, tel. +358 10 516 0031
Nasdaq Helsinki
London Stock Exchange
The principal media
Financial Supervisory Authority
www.sampo.com
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One of the most active tech giants in the AI space is International Business Machines Corporation (IBC) (NYSE: IBM), which recently released a new methodology through its IBM Research® wing called LAB (Large-Scale Alignment for ChatBots), through an open-source project called InstructLab with its subsidiary Red Hat®, which IBM acquired for $34 billion in 2019. The InstructLab project builds on the LAB technique for a community-driven approach to language model development through skills and knowledge training.
As well, IBM has teamed up with WPP and LinkedIn to launch a new business-to-business (B2B) solution powered by IBM’s AI and data platform watsonx, designed to reinvent how B2B markets identify and engage clients and prospects across the buying journey. WPP Open for B2B will help marketers solve complex B2B marketing challenges, accurately identify and engage buying groups, and improve clients’ return on investment.
“B2B marketers have been focused on creating truly personalized, relevant and consistent experiences for buying groups at scale for years,” said Jonathan Adashek, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at IBM. “Our collaboration with WPP and LinkedIn provides real-time, actionable insights that are based on trusted data. We are excited to create and use these new, powerful and trusted AI solutions to deliver a force multiplier for B2B marketing.”
Cloud-based security solution provider Cloudflare, Inc. (NYSE: NET) recently announced the general availability of its AI Gateway platform, dubbed as a unified interface for managing and scaling the generative AI workloads of clients. Since its beta launch in September 2023, AI Gateway has handled over 500 million requests and is now ready for full client use.
The general availability release followed upon another Cloudflare announcement of a collaboration with Hugging Face, the leading open and collaborative platform for AI builders, for a one-click-simple global deployment for AI applications. With its Workers AI platform now generally available, Cloudflare became the first serverless inference partner integrated on the Hugging Face Hub for deploying models, enabling developers to quickly, easily, and affordably deploy AI globally, without managing infrastructure or paying for unused compute capacity.
“Workers AI is one of the most affordable and accessible solutions to run inference,” said Matthew Prince, CEO and co-founder, Cloudflare. “With Hugging Face and Cloudflare both deeply aligned in our efforts to democratize AI in a simple, affordable way, we’re giving developers the freedom and agility to choose a model and scale their AI apps from zero to global in an instant.”
Reporting impressive generative AI revenues in its latest Q3 2024 fiscal results has caused shares of Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) to jump this week, reporting more than $900 million in generative AI bookings in the latest quarter alone.
“Our actions to stay laser-focused on the needs of our clients are clear in our third quarter results,” said Julie Sweet, Chair and CEO of Accenture. “We… achieved two significant milestones this quarter — with $2 billion in Generative AI sales year-to-date and $500 million in revenue year-to-date — which demonstrate our early lead in this critical technology.”
Prior to the financial report, Accenture announced its intent to acquire Italian-based network services company, Fibermind, which specializes in fiber and mobile 5G networks deployment, as well as infrastructure engineering services. Together, Accenture and Fibermind will offer clients network engineering capabilities, deep industry knowledge, and technology assets powered by automation, robotics, data and AI.
Prior to its surge into the position as the world’s most valuable publicly-traded company, NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) made a pair of announcements, further cementing its role in the AI revolution.
The first was the announcement of its NVIDIA Omniverse Cloud Sensor RTX, a set of microservices that enable physically accurate sensor simulation to accelerate the development of fully autonomous machines of every kind, allowing developers to test sensor perception and associated AI software at scale in physically accurate, realistic virtual environments prior to real-world deployment.
The second announcement was the NVIDIA AI Computing by HPE, a portfolio of AI solutions and joint go-to-market integrations that enable enterprises to accelerate adoption of generative AI, co-developed with Hewlett Packard (HP).
“Generative AI and accelerated computing are fueling a fundamental transformation as every industry races to join the industrial revolution,” said Jensen Huang, Founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “Never before have NVIDIA and HPE integrated our technologies so deeply – combining the entire NVIDIA AI computing stack along with HPE’s private cloud technology – to equip enterprise clients and AI professionals with the most advanced computing infrastructure and services to expand the frontier of AI.”
All NVIDIA AI Computing offerings by HPE will be available through a combined marketing strategy involving sales teams, channel partners, and training. This strategy includes a global network of system integrators such as Deloitte, HCLTech, Infosys, TCS, and Wipro. These integrators will assist enterprises across various industries in running complex AI workloads.
Source: https://usanewsgroup.com/2023/10/26/unlocking-the-trillion-dollar-ai-market-what-investors-need-to-know/
CONTACT:
USA NEWS [email protected](604) 265-2873
DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this publication should be considered as personalized financial advice. We are not licensed under securities laws to address your particular financial situation. No communication by our employees to you should be deemed as personalized financial advice. Please consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decision. This is a paid advertisement and is neither an offer nor recommendation to buy or sell any security. We hold no investment licenses and are thus neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice. The content in this report or email is not provided to any individual with a view toward their individual circumstances. USA News Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Market IQ Media Group, Inc. (“MIQ”). MIQ has been paid a fee for Avant Technologies Inc. advertising and digital media from the company directly. There may be 3rd parties who may have shares Avant Technologies Inc., and may liquidate their shares which could have a negative effect on the price of the stock. This compensation constitutes a conflict of interest as to our ability to remain objective in our communication regarding the profiled company. Because of this conflict, individuals are strongly encouraged to not use this publication as the basis for any investment decision. The owner/operator of MIQ own shares of Avant Technologies Inc. which were purchased as a part of a private placement. MIQ reserves the right to buy and sell, and will buy and sell shares of Avant Technologies Inc. at any time thereafter without any further notice. We also expect further compensation as an ongoing digital media effort to increase visibility for the company, no further notice will be given, but let this disclaimer serve as notice that all material disseminated by MIQ has been approved by the above mentioned company; this is a paid advertisement, and we own shares of the mentioned company that we will sell, and we also reserve the right to buy shares of the company in the open market, or through further private placements and/or investment vehicles. While all information is believed to be reliable, it is not guaranteed by us to be accurate. Individuals should assume that all information contained in our newsletter is not trustworthy unless verified by their own independent research. Also, because events and circumstances frequently do not occur as expected, there will likely be differences between any predictions and actual results. Always consult a licensed investment professional before making any investment decision. Be extremely careful, investing in securities carries a high degree of risk; you may likely lose some or all of the investment.
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/key-tech-stocks-optimizing-ai-usability-and-infrastructure-for-a-20-trillion-future-302179234.html
Artificial Intelligence
2024 World Intelligence Expo Begins with a Grand Opening in Tianjin
TIANJIN, China, June 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — On June 20th, Tianjin hosted the opening of the 2024 World Intelligence Expo (WIE). Under the theme “Intelligence: Expansive Development Space, Sustainable Growth Driver,” the event was co-organized by the people’s governments of the Tianjin and Chongqing municipalities.
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the expo, pointing out that AI, as an important driving force for a new round sci-tech revolution and industrial transformation, will have a far-reaching impact on global economic and social development and human civilization progress. In his letter, Xi also noted that China has attached great importance to the development of AI, actively driven the deep integration of the Internet, big data and AI with real economy to cultivate and build the intelligent industry, accelerate the development of new quality productivity, and provide new momentum for high-quality development.
Chen Min’er, secretary of the CPC Tianjin Committee, addressed the opening ceremony of the expo. Wan Gang, chairman of China Association for Science and Technology, delivered the keynote speech. Hu Henghua, mayor of Chongqing; Wu Zhaohui, vice president of Chinese Academy of Sciences; Liu Liehong, head of the National Data Administration; Long Teng, vice minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology; and Shan Zhongde, vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, addressed the expo, respectively. Tianjin Mayor Zhang Gong presided over the opening ceremony.
In his speech, Chen Min’er pointed out that Tianjin has been adhering to sci-tech innovation and industrial innovation at the same time, actively propelling exploration and practical applications in the realm of AI, and accelerating the development of new quality productivity to better empower its high-quality development and living. Chen added, “Leading sci-tech innovation with intelligence, Tianjin will rev up the R&D and application of some key core technologies, vigorously develop the sci-tech service sector, streamline the supply and demand channels for sci-tech achievements, boost sci-tech and innovation parks to improve their quality and efficiency, and accelerate the inter-sector application of AI to help innovation and breakthroughs in the fields of life science, low-carbon technology, and future research.
According to Hu Henghua, Chongqing is speeding up in digital industrialization and industrial digitization to build itself into a new digital economy highland. The 2025 World Intelligence Expo is scheduled to be held in Chongqing. Hu invited everyone to delineate a new AI landscape together, share golden opportunities during the digitization of Chongqing, and co-build a promising future in the AI era.
Wu Zhaohui suggested strengthening the inter-discipline cooperation to consolidate the AI research foundation, enriching AI scenarios with applets, and deepening industry-institute interactions to build an AI innovation ecosystem.
Zeng Yi, chairman of China Electronics Corporation; Chen Zhongyue, chairman of China Unicom; Yang Yuanqing, chairman and CEO of Lenovo; and Zhou Hongyi, founder of Qihoo 360 delivered speeches.
Contact: Xing MeiqiTel: 0086-22-28209030E-mail: [email protected]
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/2024-world-intelligence-expo-begins-with-a-grand-opening-in-tianjin-302179192.html
Artificial Intelligence
Tech Developers Pioneering AI Tools to Revolutionize Future Productivity and Logistics
USA News Group CommentaryIssued on behalf of Scope AI Corp.
VANCOUVER, BC, June 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — USA News Group – How we embrace this surging adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the economy of the future remains up for debate. Already, we’re seeing the impact of AI adoption in the workplace, in culture, and in finance, but it won’t end there. According to Goldman Sachs, AI is showing “very positive” signs of eventually boosting GDP and productivity, while some experts are remarking that the generative AI tech wave is sweeping in much faster (maybe 10x) than early internet. Behind the scenes, tech developers are building AI-powered tools that could potentially revolutionize productivity and logistics in the future, with recent developments coming from Scope AI Corp. (CSE: SCPE) (OTCQB: SCPCF), Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), and SoundHound AI, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOUN, SOUNW).
As deep machine learning evolves rapidly, Scope AI Corp. (CSE: SCPE) (OTCQB: SCPCF) has rebranded and shifted its market focus to target sectors such as advertising, gaming, and neural networks with its advanced GEM (General Enterprise Machine Learning) technology.
Scope AI’s ongoing development of GEM aims to assist businesses in creating custom object detection and visual information systems, maximizing the potential of neural networks. The company’s strategic initiatives are set to potentially revolutionize advertising personalization, gaming enhancements, and various applications of neural networks.
Recently, Scope AI unveiled significant enhancements to GEM, designed to better serve advertising agencies and the gaming industry. These updates aim to optimize advertising content and improve gameplay experiences through advanced neural network functionalities. By the end of May, Scope AI had announced its collaboration with several leading ad agencies and ad networks, to gain insights into the primary challenges these organizations face in analyzing the efficacy of different ad creatives and page layouts, as well as the difficulties and costs associated with testing.
The timing of Scope AI’s assistance in advertising couldn’t be better, as global advertising executives are currently struggling with the injection of AI into their sphere. The worry is that if everyone is using AI for their images, nothing stands out. This is where Scope AI’s potential with GEM rises, in helping these ad execs to better discern their ad campaigns, and how to deliver them.
“Our approach is to start with the pain points of our potential users and build solutions based on those insights,” said James Young, CEO of Scope AI Corp. “We believe in understanding the real-world challenges faced by our partners, rather than falling into the common software trap of ‘build it and they will come.’ This collaboration ensures that GEM is not just another tool, but a solution that addresses the specific needs of the advertising community.”
GEM’s enhanced object visual recognition capabilities are intended to provide businesses with deeper insights and more precise solutions. Consequently, advertisers may potentially analyze consumer behavior more effectively and refine their campaigns, while game developers could create more engaging and immersive user experiences.
“We’re very pleased at how seamless we were able to streamline, enhance, and strengthen our platform with the latest performance and security upgrades made to our infrastructure,” said Sean Prescott, Founder and Non-Executive Chairman of Scope AI. “The next generation of our platform will set us apart in what kind of data and its sensitivity we can process and store. It’s a potential game-changer for the industry.”
Social media platform giant Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META) recently announced an initiative to release new AI research models in order to accelerate innovation at scale. As per the initiative, Meta’s Fundamental AI Research team is publicly releasing several models to accelerate future research and allow others to innovate and apply AI at scale.
According to the accompanying Meta blog post, the company states, “We believe that access to state-of-the-art AI creates opportunities for everyone.”
Meanwhile, however, Meta has also been asked to delay training its AI on data from users in the European Union. After intervention by the Irish Data Protection Commission, Meta now must delay its plan to train its large language models on Facebook and Instagram content from EU users.
“We’re disappointed by the request from the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), our lead regulator, on behalf of the European DPAs, to delay training our large language models (LLMs) using public content shared by adults on Facebook and Instagram — particularly since we incorporated regulatory feedback and the European DPAs have been informed since March,” wrote Stefano Fratta, Global Engagement Director for Privacy Policy for Meta in a blog post. “This is a step backwards for European innovation, competition in AI development and further delays bringing the benefits of AI to people in Europe.”
Meanwhile, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) seems undeterred in Europe, expanding its generative AI listing tools to sellers across the continent. As per the expansion, sellers in France, German, Italy, Spain, and the UK can now leverage the power of generative AI to greatly simplify the process of product listing creation as well as enriching existing product listings to better resonate with customers and help drive sales.
“These generative AI-powered tools simplify the listing creation process, allowing sellers to generate compelling product titles, descriptions, and other details by simply providing a few descriptive words or just uploading a product image,” said Amazon in the accompanying blog post. “We suggest product listings that are high-quality and designed to be engaging for customers in our store. This streamlines operations and allows sellers to focus on other aspects of their business.”
Amazon has long utilized AI to assist its selling partners by pioneering personalized product recommendations based on customer behavior, enabling sellers to highlight relevant products. Advanced machine learning models are used for demand forecasting and inventory management, helping sellers avoid stock shortages. AI-powered pricing tools provide dynamic pricing insights, while recent innovations include generating rich Premium A+ Content and augmented reality visualizations. In fulfillment centers worldwide, AI helps stock products locally to ensure faster deliveries and greater availability of everyday essentials. In Europe, AI reduced the average package travel distance by 25kms in 2023, enhancing delivery speed and sustainability.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) recently decided to delay the release of its Recall AI feature on PCs, based on security concerns. The Recall feature logs activities from web browsing to voice chats, creating a searchable history on the user’s computer. This allows users to easily find and recall actions from months ago.
Experts are already labeling Microsoft as a “frontrunner in the generative AI race”, with analysts expecting big things from the software giant, citing a “strong competitive cloude edge” coming, as they estimate Microsoft’s Copilot deployments could add around $25 billion to the company’s trajectory by fiscal year 2025.
Together with LinkedIn, Microsoft also released the 2024 Work Trend Index on the State of AI at Work, titled “AI at work is here. Now comes the hard part.”
“Generative AI tools have found widespread acceptance in the workplace, and we can see that most employees have placed their trust in AI to help with their daily workloads – without waiting to see if their organization will provide AI tools, services, or directions and guidelines for usage,” said Dhanawat Suthumpun, Managing Director of Microsoft Thailand. “It is critical that business leaders respond to this emerging trend in order to help both the organization and employees make the most beneficial impact from AI – from increased productivity and new capabilities to greater security from well-defined guidance around AI use.”
Global leader in voice artificial intelligence SoundHound AI, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOUN, SOUNW) recently announced the acquisition of key assets from Allset, an online ordering platform that connects restaurants and local customers, to fast-track its vision of a voice commerce ecosystem. Allset is a food ordering platform designed for local pick-up, providing a seamless, cost-effective dining experience that allows both consumers and restaurants to bypass the high fees charged by delivery apps. SoundHound is already a market leader for restaurant voice AI solutions, working with over 10,000 restaurant locations.
“We are thrilled to join forces with SoundHound to combine our established partnerships and marketplace expertise with SoundHound’s class-leading voice AI solutions and capabilities,” said Stas Matviyenko, CEO and Co-Founder of Allset. “From the beginning, we realized that we share the same vision for the voice commerce ecosystem that elevates the consumer experience. This team-up will accelerate our progress toward the next exciting phase of AI-powered ordering convenience.”
Article Source: https://usanewsgroup.com/2024/04/26/the-currency-of-tomorrow-why-investing-in-cutting-edge-ai-recognition-tech-could-mean-big-money/
CONTACT:USA NEWS [email protected](604) 265-2873
DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this publication should be considered as personalized financial advice. We are not licensed under securities laws to address your particular financial situation. No communication by our employees to you should be deemed as personalized financial advice. Please consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decision. This is a paid advertisement and is neither an offer nor recommendation to buy or sell any security. We hold no investment licenses and are thus neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice. The content in this report or email is not provided to any individual with a view toward their individual circumstances. USA News Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Market IQ Media Group, Inc. (“MIQ”). MIQ has been paid a fee for Scope AI Corp. advertising and digital media from the company directly. There may be 3rd parties who may have shares Scope AI Corp., and may liquidate their shares which could have a negative effect on the price of the stock. This compensation constitutes a conflict of interest as to our ability to remain objective in our communication regarding the profiled company. Because of this conflict, individuals are strongly encouraged to not use this publication as the basis for any investment decision. The owner/operator of MIQ own shares of Scope AI Corp. which were purchased as a part of a private placement. MIQ reserves the right to buy and sell, and will buy and sell shares of Scope AI Corp. at any time thereafter without any further notice. We also expect further compensation as an ongoing digital media effort to increase visibility for the company, no further notice will be given, but let this disclaimer serve as notice that all material disseminated by MIQ has been approved by the above mentioned company; this is a paid advertisement, and we own shares of the mentioned company that we will sell, and we also reserve the right to buy shares of the company in the open market, or through further private placements and/or investment vehicles. While all information is believed to be reliable, it is not guaranteed by us to be accurate. Individuals should assume that all information contained in our newsletter is not trustworthy unless verified by their own independent research. Also, because events and circumstances frequently do not occur as expected, there will likely be differences between any predictions and actual results. Always consult a licensed investment professional before making any investment decision. Be extremely careful, investing in securities carries a high degree of risk; you may likely lose some or all of the investment.
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/tech-developers-pioneering-ai-tools-to-revolutionize-future-productivity-and-logistics-302179189.html
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