Artificial Intelligence
Fanhua Reports Third Quarter 2020 Unaudited Financial Results
GUANGZHOU, China, Nov. 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fanhua Inc., (Nasdaq: FANH), (the “Company” or “Fanhua”), a leading independent financial services provider in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 20201.
Financial Highlights for the Third quarter of 2020:
(In thousands, except per ADS) | 2019Q3 (RMB) |
2020Q3 (RMB) |
2020Q3 (US$) |
Change % |
Total net revenues | 823,351 | 812,003 | 119,595 | (1.4) |
Operating income | 151,447 | 73,326 | 10,800 | (51.6) |
Non-GAAP operating income2 | 111,623 | 72,736 | 10,713 | (34.8) |
Net income attributable to the Company’s shareholders |
168,332 | 75,322 | 11,094 | (55.3) |
Non-GAAP net income attributable to the Company’s shareholders3 |
128,508 | 74,732 | 11,007 | (41.8) |
Diluted net income per ADS | 3.12 | 1.40 | 0.21 | (55.1) |
Non-GAAP diluted net income per ADS4 |
2.38 | 1.39 | 0.20 | (41.6) |
Cash, cash equivalents and short- term investments (As of September 30, 2019 and 2020) |
1,760,966 | 1,700,472 | 250,453 | (3.4) |
Commenting on the third quarter results, Mr. Chunlin Wang, chairman and chief executive officer said, “In the third quarter of 2020, our life insurance gross written premiums achieved RMB2.4 billion, with a year-on-year increase of 15.5%, outpacing the industry growth rate of 9.2%. During the same period, first year premiums reached RMB582.7 million and annualized premiums equivalent5 were RMB333.5 million while renewal premiums exceeded RMB1.8 billion. The decline in new policies written is mainly attributable to the ongoing impact from the pandemic, the industry-wide downward pressure and slower recruitment in new agents, which partially offset the increase in renewal premiums.
“In recent years, we’ve seen a gradual transformation in the Chinese insurance industry, catalyzed by the sweeping impact of digital technology, a trend that has been further accelerated by the pandemic. In order to lead Fanhua into the post Covid-19 era, we have adopted a strategy of ‘a professional sales force, digital capability and open platform’. We believe that this strategy will enable Fanhua to strengthen its position as a market leader in the professional intermediary industry. The Company plans to upgrade its sales organization by selecting and developing high-caliber, productive and professional insurance advisor teams in economically developed cities in China. We also intend to build an integrated digital platform utilizing artificial intelligence, big data and cloud computing, enabling us to optimize the use of data to provide the most appropriate products for existing and potential customers and increase agent productivity. Finally, we will build an open platform to facilitate a closer cooperation with various third parties who can monetize their existing customer resources and to strengthen our value proposition to the market.
“While the immediate future remains challenging for the industry, we anticipate year-on-year growth in the first quarter next year and significant incremental contribution from the strategy to our results in the second half of 2021. We are confident in our ability to retain the Company’s position as a leader in the professional insurance intermediary sector over the long run.”
Financial Results for the Third quarter of 2020
Total net revenues were RMB812.0 million (US$119.6 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing a decrease of 1.4% from RMB823.4 million for the corresponding period in 2019.
- Net revenues for the life insurance business were RMB652.4 million (US$96.1 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing a decrease of 6.3% from RMB696.0 million for the corresponding period in 2019. The decrease was mainly due to the 13.6% year-over-year decline in first year commission from RMB502.1 million in the third quarter of 2019 to RMB433.6 million in the third quarter of 2020, offset by 12.8% year-over-year growth in renewal commissions from RMB193.9 million in the third quarter of 2019 to RMB218.8 million in the third quarter of 2020 as a result of the accumulation of renewal business and high persistency ratio. Revenues generated from our life insurance business accounted for 80.3% of our total net revenues in the third quarter of 2020.
- Net revenues for the P&C insurance business were RMB39.2 million (US$5.8 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing an increase of 20.2% from RMB32.6 million for the corresponding period in 2019. Revenues for the P&C insurance business, mainly derived from commissions generated from Baowang (www.baoxian.com), increased primarily due to a higher proportion of higher-commission insurance products. Revenues generated from the P&C insurance business accounted for 4.8% of our total net revenues in the third quarter of 2020.
- Net revenues for the claims adjusting business were RMB120.4 million (US$17.7 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing an increase of 27.0% from RMB94.8 million for the corresponding period in 2019. The increase was mainly due to growth in our medical insurance-related claims adjusting business. Revenues generated from the claims adjusting business accounted for 14.9% of our total net revenues in the third quarter of 2020.
Total operating costs and expenses were RMB738.7 million (US$108.8 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing an increase of 9.9% from RMB671.9 million for the corresponding period in 2019.
- Commission costs were RMB541.4 million (US$79.7 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing an increase of 2.0% from RMB530.8 million for the corresponding period in 2019.
- Costs of the life insurance business were RMB447.6 million (US$65.9 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing a decrease of 0.3% from RMBB449.0 million for the corresponding period in 2019. The decrease reflects lower first year premiums. Costs incurred by the life insurance business accounted for 82.7% of our total commission costs in the third quarter of 2020.
- Costs of the P&C insurance business were RMB24.9 million (US$3.7 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing an increase of 10.2% from RMB22.6 million for the corresponding period in 2019, in line with our increased revenue and favorable product mix. The costs of the P&C insurance business mainly represent commission costs we incurred for operating Baowang (www.baoxian.com). Costs incurred by the P&C insurance business accounted for 4.6% of our total commission costs in the third quarter of 2020.
- Costs of claims adjusting business were RMB68.9 million (US$10.1 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing an increase of 16.6% from RMB59.1 million for the corresponding period in 2019, corresponding to the increase in the medical insurance-related claims adjusting business. Costs incurred by the claims adjusting business accounted for 12.7% of our total commission costs in the third quarter of 2020.
- Selling expenses were RMB78.5 million (US$11.6 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing an increase of 99.7% from RMB39.3 million for the corresponding period in 2019. Excluding the benefit of a fair value adjustment of RMB28.4 million which reflected the lower share-based compensation expenses related to the Company’s 521 Plan in the third quarter of 2019, adjusted selling expenses which excluded share-based compensation expenses in the third quarter of 2020 increased by 16.4% from RMB67.7 million for the corresponding period of 2019 to RMB78.9 million (US$11.6 million) due to increased sales events related to our claims adjusting segment.
- General and administrative expenses were RMB118.9 million (US$17.5 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing an increase of 16.8% from RMB101.8 million for the corresponding period in 2019. Excluding the benefit of a fair value adjustment of RMB11.4 million which reflected the lower share-based compensation expenses related to the Company’s 521 Plan in the third quarter of 2019, adjusted general and administrative expenses which excluded share-based compensation expenses in the third quarter of 2020 increased by 5.1% from RMB113.2 million in the corresponding period in 2019 to RMB119.0 million (US$17.5 million) due to an increase in operating lease expenses.
As a result of the preceding factors, we had an operating income of RMB73.3 million (US$10.8 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing a decrease of 51.6% from RMB151.4 million for the corresponding period in 2019.
Non-GAAP operating income2, which excludes share-based compensation expenses, was RMB72.7 million (US$10.7 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing a decrease of 34.8% from RMB111.6 million for the corresponding period in 2019.
Operating margin was 9.0% for the third quarter of 2020, compared to 18.4% for the corresponding period in 2019.
Non-GAAP operating margin6 was 9.0% for the third quarter of 2020, compared to 13.6% for the corresponding period in 2019.
Investment income was RMB12.9 million (US$1.9 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing a decrease of 23.2% from RMB16.8 million for the corresponding period in 2019. The investment income in the third quarter of 2020 consisted of yields from short-term investments in financial products. Our investment income fluctuates from quarter to quarter because investment income is recognized when investments matured or disposed.
Interest income was RMB3.2 million (US$0.5 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing an increase of 433.3% from RMB0.6 million for the corresponding period in 2019.
Income tax expense was RMB21.3 million (US$3.1 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing a decrease of 29.5% from RMB30.2 million for the corresponding period in 2019. The effective tax rate for the third quarter of 2020 was 22.9% compared with 18.0% for the corresponding period in 2019.
Share of income of affiliates was RMB9.3 million (US$1.4 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing a decrease of 71.5% from RMB32.6 million for the corresponding period in 2019, mainly attributable to the decrease in income from CNFinance Holdings Limited.
Net income was RMB80.8 million (US$11.9 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing a decrease of 52.5% from RMB170.2 million for the corresponding period in 2019.
Net income attributable to the Company’s shareholders was RMB75.3 million (US$11.1 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing a decrease of 55.3% from RMB168.3 million for the corresponding period in 2019.
Non-GAAP net income attributable to the Company’s shareholders3 was RMB74.7 million (US$11.0 million) for the third quarter of 2020, representing a decrease of 41.8% from RMB128.5 million for the corresponding period in 2019.
Net margin was 9.3% for the third quarter of 2020 as compared to 20.4% for the corresponding period in 2019.
Non-GAAP net margin7 was 9.2% for the third quarter of 2020, compared to 15.6% for the corresponding period in 2019.
Basic and diluted net income per ADS were RMB1.40 (US$0.21) and RMB1.40 (US$0.21) for the third quarter of 2020, respectively, representing decreases of 55.1% and 55.1% from RMB3.12 and RMB3.12 for the corresponding period in 2019.
Non-GAAP basic8 and diluted net income per ADS4 were RMB1.39 (US$0.20) and RMB1.39 (US$0.20) for the third quarter of 2020, respectively, representing decreases of 41.8% and 41.6% from RMB2.39 and RMB2.38 for the corresponding period in 2019.
As of September 30, 2020, the Company had RMB1,700.5 million (US$250.5 million) in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments.
Key Operational Metrics for Fanhua’s Online Initiatives in the Third Quarter of 2020:
- Lan Zhanggui – Our one-stop insurance service platform:
- The number of active users of Lan Zhanggui9 was 45,635 in the third quarter of 2020, as compared to 50,248 in the corresponding period of 2019. The number of active users of Lan Zhanggui who have sold at least one life insurance policy was 27,908 in the third quarter of 2020, as compared to 42,051 in the corresponding period of 2019;
- Insurance premiums generated through Lan Zhanggui were RMB693.2 million (US$102.1 million) in the third quarter of 2020, among which life insurance premiums was RMB552.3 million (US$81.3 million) and non-life insurance premiums were RMB140.9 million (US$20.8 million), respectively, as compared to RMB684.4 million total insurance premiums generated through Lan Zhanggui which included RMB665.8 million life insurance premiums and RMB18.6 million non-life insurance premiums in the corresponding period of 2019.
- eHuzhu – Our online mutual aid platform:
- The number of paying members was 3.0 million as of September 30, 2020, as compared to 3.4 million as of September 30, 2019.
- Baowang (www.baoxian.com) – Our direct-to-consumer (“DTC”) online insurance platform for Accident & Short Term Health insurance(“A&H”), travel and homeowner insurance:
- The number of active customer accounts10 was 93,374 in the third quarter of 2020, representing a decrease of 41.0% from 158,275 in the corresponding period of 2019;
- Insurance premiums generated on Baoxian.com was RMB81.7 million (US$12.0 million) in the third quarter of 2020 as compared to RMB86.6 million in the corresponding period of 2019.
Recent Developments
- Given the impact of Covid-19 and the recent evolving dynamics of the insurance industry, the Company estimated that it is not probable that the participants can achieve the performance condition of the 521 Plan for 2020. Accordingly, the Company plans to terminate the 521 Plan. This will include returning the subscribed shares by the Participants to the Company, refunding the share rights deposits amounting RMB260.3 million received by the Company back to the Participants, and terminating the Participants’ obligation to repay the Company the non-recourse loan principal and interest by the end of 2020. The returned shares will be cancelled subsequently.
- On October 16, 2020, Fanhua Insurance Sales Service Group Company Limited was awarded the “Value Star of Insurance Intermediary Brand of the Year 2020” by Insurance Today, a prestigious online insurance trade media. The award was selected by a panel of experts and online and offline media, aiming at researching the industry from various dimensions of insurance companies, insurance intermediaries, insurance products and services and third-party technology support.
- As of September 30, 2020, Fanhua had 424,510 sales agents and 1,615 professional claims adjusters, compared with 658,145 sales agents and 1,319 claims adjusters as of September 30, 2019. The number of performing agents11 in the third quarter of 2020 was 95,101, including approximately 28,135 selling life insurance products, , compared with 111,486 performing agents as of September 30, 2019, including 43,470 selling life insurance products. As of September 30, 2020, Fanhua’s distribution network consisted of 764 sales outlets in 22 provinces and 121 services outlets in 31 provinces, compared with 755 sales outlets in 22 provinces and 144 service outlets in 31 provinces as of September 30, 2019.
Business Outlook
Fanhua expects its operating income to be no less than RMB50 million for the fourth quarter of 2020. This forecast is based on the current market conditions and reflects Fanhua’s preliminary estimate, which is subject to change caused by various uncertainties, including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Conference Call
The Company will host a conference call to discuss its third quarter 2020 financial results as per the following details.
Time: 8:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time on November 24, 2020 |
or 9:00 AM Beijing/Hong Kong Time on November 25, 2020 |
Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, operator-assisted conference calls are not available at the moment. Please pre-register online in advance to join the conference call by navigating to the link provided below and dial-in 10 minutes before the call is scheduled to begin. Conference call details will be provided upon registration.
Conference Call Preregistration: http://apac.directeventreg.com/registration/event/3674096
Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available at Fanhua’s investor relations website https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/2enqmuag
About Fanhua Inc.
Fanhua Inc. is a leading independent financial services provider. Through our online platforms and offline sales and service network, we offer a wide variety of financial products and services to individuals, including life and property and casualty insurance products. We also provide insurance claims adjusting services, such as damage assessments, surveys, authentications and loss estimations, as well as value-added services, such as emergency vehicle roadside assistance.
Our online platforms include: (1) Lan Zhanggui, an all-in-one platform which allows our agents to access and purchase a wide variety of insurance products, including life insurance, auto insurance, accident insurance, travel insurance and standard health insurance products from multiple insurance companies on their mobile devices; (2) Baowang (www.baoxian.com), an online entry portal for comparing and purchasing short term health, accident, travel and homeowner insurance products and (3) eHuzhu (www.ehuzhu.com), a non-profit online mutual aid platform in China.
As of September 30, 2020, our distribution and service network is consisted of 764 sales outlets in 22 provinces and 121 services outlets in 31 provinces.
For more information about Fanhua Inc., please visit http://ir.fanhuaholdings.com/.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature. These statements, including the statements relating to the Company’s future financial and operating results, are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking statements by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “estimates” and similar statements. Among other things, management’s quotations and the Business Outlook section contain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about Fanhua and the industry. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those relating to its ability to attract and retain productive agents, especially entrepreneurial agents, its ability to maintain existing and develop new business relationships with insurance companies, its ability to execute its growth strategy, its ability to adapt to the evolving regulatory environment in the Chinese insurance industry, its ability to compete effectively against its competitors, quarterly variations in its operating results caused by factors beyond its control and macroeconomic conditions in China, future development of COVID-19 outbreak and their potential impact on the sales of insurance products. All information provided in this press release is as of the date hereof, and Fanhua undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although Fanhua believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that its expectations will turn out to be correct, and investors are cautioned that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results. Further information regarding risks and uncertainties faced by Fanhua is included in Fanhua’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F.
About Non- GAAP Financial Measures
In addition to the Company’s consolidated financial results under GAAP, the Company also provides adjusted selling expenses, adjusted general and administrative expenses, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income attributable to the Company’s shareholders, non-GAAP net margin and non-GAAP basic and diluted net income per ADS, all of which are non-GAAP financial measures. Adjusted selling expenses are defined as selling expense before share-based compensation expenses related to shares owned by sales team leaders under the Company’s 521 Plan. Adjusted general and administrative expenses are defined as general and administrative expense before share-based compensation expenses related to shares owned by employees under the Company’s 521 Plan. Non-GAAP operating income is defined as operating income before share-based compensation expenses associated with the Company’s 521 Plan. Non-GAAP operating margin is defined as Non-GAAP operating income as a percentage of net revenue. Non-GAAP net income attributable to the Company’s shareholders is defined as net income attributable to the Company’s shareholders before share-based compensation expenses associated with the Company’s 521 Plan. Non-GAAP net margin is a non-GAAP measure that is defined as Non-GAAP net income attributable to the Company’s shareholders as a percentage of net revenue. Non-GAAP basic net income per ADS is a non-GAAP measure and is defined as net income attributable to the Company’s shareholders before share-based compensation expenses associated with the Company’s 521 Plan divided by total weighted average number of ADS outstanding of the Company during the period. Non-GAAP diluted net income per ADS is a non-GAAP measure and is defined as net income attributable to the Company’s shareholders before share-based compensation expenses associated with the Company’s 521 Plan divided by total weighted average number of diluted ADS outstanding of the Company during the period. The Company believes that both management and investors benefit from referring to these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing the Company’s performance and when planning and forecasting future periods. One limitation of using these non-GAAP financial measures is that such measures exclude items that were significant in the third quarter of 2019.
In light of these limitations, the presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. We encourage investors and other interested persons to review our financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the tables captioned “Reconciliations of GAAP Financial Measures to Non-GAAP Financial Measures” set forth at the end of this release.
FANHUA INC. Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (In thousands) |
|||||
As of December 31, | As of September 30, | As of September 30, | |||
2019 | 202012 | 2020 | |||
RMB | RMB | US$ | |||
ASSETS: | |||||
Current assets: | |||||
Cash and cash equivalents | 169,653 | 208,324 | 30,683 | ||
Restricted cash | 95,952 | 94,593 | 13,932 | ||
Short term investments | 1,612,351 | 1,492,148 | 219,770 | ||
Accounts receivable, net | 682,171 | 527,369 | 77,673 | ||
Insurance premium receivables | 5,067 | 530 | 78 | ||
Other receivables | 61,570 | 155,053 | 22,837 | ||
Other current assets | 54,987 | 42,584 | 6,272 | ||
Total current assets | 2,681,751 | 2,520,601 | 371,245 | ||
Non-current assets: | |||||
Restricted bank deposit – non current | — | 15,243 | 2,245 | ||
Property, plant, and equipment, net | 40,806 | 36,374 | 5,357 | ||
Goodwill and intangible assets, net | 110,191 | 109,932 | 16,191 | ||
Deferred tax assets | 7,327 | 10,217 | 1,505 | ||
Investment in affiliates | 363,414 | 364,146 | 53,633 | ||
Other non-current assets | 46,917 | 45,567 | 6,711 | ||
Right of use assets | 190,437 | 218,356 | 32,160 | ||
Total non-current assets | 759,092 | 799,835 | 117,802 | ||
Total assets | 3,440,843 | 3,320,436 | 489,047 |
Current liabilities: | ||||||||
Accounts payable | 382,882 | 302,605 | 44,569 | |||||
Insurance premium payables | 7,901 | 32,454 | 4,780 | |||||
Other payables and accrued expenses | 220,290 | 189,931 | 27,974 | |||||
Accrued payroll | 101,664 | 90,873 | 13,385 | |||||
Income tax payable | 155,251 | 157,211 | 23,155 | |||||
Current operating lease liability | 79,986 | 88,933 | 13,098 | |||||
Total current liabilities | 947,974 | 862,007 | 126,961 | |||||
Non-current liabilities: | ||||||||
Refundable share rights deposits | 266,901 | 260,299 | 38,338 | |||||
Other tax liabilities | 70,350 | 67,219 | 9,900 | |||||
Deferred tax liabilities | 7,898 | 21,991 | 3,239 | |||||
Non-current operating lease liability | 103,252 | 119,140 | 17,547 | |||||
Total non-current liabilities | 448,401 | 468,649 | 69,024 | |||||
Total liabilities | 1,396,375 | 1,330,656 | 195,985 | |||||
Ordinary shares | 9,235 | 9,235 | 1,360 | |||||
Treasury stock | (1,146 | ) | (1,146 | ) | (169 | ) | ||
Additional paid-in capital | 393 | — | — | |||||
Statutory reserves | 508,739 | 508,739 | 74,929 | |||||
Retained earnings | 1,479,494 | 1,391,705 | 204,976 | |||||
Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (65,429 | ) | (40,262 | ) | (5,930 | ) | ||
Total shareholders’ equity | 1,931,286 | 1,868,271 | 275,166 | |||||
Non-controlling interests | 113,182 | 121,509 | 17,896 | |||||
Total equity | 2,044,468 | 1,989,780 | 293,062 | |||||
Total liabilities and equity | 3,440,843 | 3,320,436 | 489,047 | |||||
FANHUA INC. | ||||||||||||||||||
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income (In thousands, except for shares and per share data) |
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For the Three Months Ended |
For the Nine Months Ended |
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September 30, |
September 30, |
|||||||||||||||||
2019 | 2020 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
RMB |
RMB |
US$ |
RMB |
RMB |
US$ |
|||||||||||||
Net revenues: | ||||||||||||||||||
Agency | 728,524 | 691,593 | 101,861 | 2,439,188 | 2,107,511 | 310,403 | ||||||||||||
Life insurance business | 695,968 | 652,370 | 96,084 | 2,326,746 | 2,006,030 | 295,456 | ||||||||||||
P&C insurance business | 32,556 | 39,223 | 5,777 | 112,442 | 101,481 | 14,947 | ||||||||||||
Claims adjusting | 94,827 | 120,410 | 17,734 | 254,236 | 308,660 | 45,461 | ||||||||||||
Total net revenues | 823,351 | 812,003 | 119,595 | 2,693,424 | 2,416,171 | 355,864 | ||||||||||||
Operating costs and expenses: | ||||||||||||||||||
Agency | (471,668 | ) | (472,512 | ) | (69,593 | ) | (1,639,456 | ) | (1,452,077 | ) | (213,867 | ) | ||||||
Life insurance Business | (449,020 | ) | (447,634 | ) | (65,929 | ) | (1,564,815 | ) | (1,381,898 | ) | (203,531 | ) | ||||||
P&C insurance Business | (22,648 | ) | (24,878 | ) | (3,664 | ) | (74,641 | ) | (70,179 | ) | (10,336 | ) | ||||||
Claims adjusting | (59,102 | ) | (68,851 | ) | (10,141 | ) | (150,461 | ) | (179,917 | ) | (26,499 | ) | ||||||
Total operating costs | (530,770 | ) | (541,363 | ) | (79,734 | ) | (1,789,917 | ) | (1,631,994 | ) | (240,366 | ) | ||||||
Selling expenses | (39,309 | ) | (78,460 | ) | (11,556 | ) | (200,988 | ) | (209,859 | ) | (30,909 | ) | ||||||
General and administrative expenses | (101,825 | ) | (118,854 | ) | (17,505 | ) | (347,286 | ) | (344,006 | ) | (50,667 | ) | ||||||
Total operating costs and expenses | (671,904 | ) | (738,677 | ) | (108,795 | ) | (2,338,191 | ) | (2,185,859 | ) | (321,942 | ) | ||||||
Income from operations | 151,447 | 73,326 | 10,800 | 355,233 | 230,312 | 33,922 | ||||||||||||
Other income, net: | ||||||||||||||||||
Investment income | 16,761 | 12,910 | 1,901 | 69,684 | 27,039 | 3,982 | ||||||||||||
Interest income | 620 | 3,196 | 471 | 2,590 | 11,140 | 1,641 | ||||||||||||
Others, net | (1,028 | ) | 3,359 | 494 | 10,866 | 28,747 | 4,234 | |||||||||||
Income from operations before | ||||||||||||||||||
income taxes and share income of affiliates |
167,800 | 92,791 | 13,666 | 438,373 | 297,238 | 43,779 | ||||||||||||
Income tax expense | (30,241 | ) | (21,286 | ) | (3,135 | ) | (109,969 | ) | (69,910 | ) | (10,297 | ) | ||||||
Share of income of affiliates | 32,596 | 9,279 | 1,367 | 86,839 | 1,427 | 210 | ||||||||||||
Net income | 170,155 | 80,784 | 11,898 | 415,243 | 228,755 | 33,692 | ||||||||||||
Less: net income attributable to noncontrolling interests | 1,823 | 5,462 | 804 | 1,634 | 8,327 | 1,226 | ||||||||||||
Net income attributable to the | ||||||||||||||||||
Company’s shareholders | 168,332 | 75,322 | 11,094 | 413,609 | 220,428 | 32,466 | ||||||||||||
FANHUA INC. Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income-(Continued) (In thousands, except for shares and per share data) |
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For the Three Months Ended |
For the Nine Months Ended | |||||||||||||||||
September 30, |
September 30, | |||||||||||||||||
2019 | 2020 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
RMB | RMB |
US$ |
RMB | RMB |
US$ |
|||||||||||||
Net income per share: | ||||||||||||||||||
Basic | 0.16 | 0.07 | 0.01 | 0.38 | 0.21 | 0.03 | ||||||||||||
Diluted | 0.16 | 0.07 | 0.01 | 0.38 | 0.21 | 0.03 | ||||||||||||
Net income per ADS: | ||||||||||||||||||
Basic | 3.12 | 1.40 | 0.21 | 7.53 | 4.11 | 0.60 | ||||||||||||
Diluted | 3.12 | 1.40 | 0.21 | 7.52 | 4.10 | 0.60 | ||||||||||||
Shares used in calculating net income per share: | ||||||||||||||||||
Basic | 1,077,381,239 | 1,073,891,784 | 1,073,891,784 | 1,098,906,389 | 1,073,891,784 | 1,073,891,784 | ||||||||||||
Diluted | 1,077,780,976 | 1,074,291,392 | 1,074,291,392 | 1,099,443,163 | 1,074,291,409 | 1,074,291,409 | ||||||||||||
Net income | 170,155 | 80,784 | 11,898 | 415,243 | 228,755 | 33,692 | ||||||||||||
Other comprehensive income, net | ||||||||||||||||||
of tax: Foreign currency translation adjustments |
2,631 | 6,302 | 928 | 6,021 | 10,159 | 1,496 | ||||||||||||
Share of other comprehensive | ||||||||||||||||||
gain of affiliates | 1,147 | (1,553 | ) | (229 | ) | 1,270 | (694 | ) | (102 | ) | ||||||||
Unrealized net gains on | ||||||||||||||||||
available-for-sale investments | 3,964 | 3,917 | 577 | 3,964 | 15,702 | 2,313 | ||||||||||||
Comprehensive income | 177,897 | 89,450 | 13,174 | 426,498 | 253,922 | 37,399 | ||||||||||||
Less: Comprehensive income | ||||||||||||||||||
attributable to the noncontrolling interests |
1,823 | 5,462 | 804 | 1,634 | 8,327 | 1,226 | ||||||||||||
Comprehensive income | ||||||||||||||||||
attributable to the Company’s shareholders |
176,074 | 83,988 | 12,370 | 424,864 | 245,595 | 36,173 | ||||||||||||
FANHUA INC. Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow (In thousands, except for shares and per share data) |
|||||||||||||||||
For the Three Months Ended |
For the Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||
September 30, |
September 30, | ||||||||||||||||
2019 | 2020 | 2020 |
2019 | 2020 | 2020 | ||||||||||||
RMB |
RMB |
US$ |
RMB |
RMB |
US$ |
||||||||||||
OPERATING ACTIVITIES | |||||||||||||||||
Net income | 170,155 | 80,784 | 11,898 | 415,243 | 228,755 | 33,692 | |||||||||||
Adjustments to reconcile net | |||||||||||||||||
income to net cash generated from operating activities: |
|||||||||||||||||
Investment income | (11,298 | ) | (8,030 | ) | (1,183 | ) | (56,655 | ) | (13,132 | ) | (1,934 | ) | |||||
Share of income of affiliates | (32,596 | ) | (9,279 | ) | (1,367 | ) | (86,839 | ) | (1,427 | ) | (210 | ) | |||||
Other non-cash adjustments | 859 | 31,153 | 4,587 | 97,946 | 102,090 | 15,035 | |||||||||||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | 993 | 32,625 | 4,806 | (316,084 | ) | (14,465 | ) | (2,128 | ) | ||||||||
Net cash generated from | |||||||||||||||||
operating activities | 128,113 | 127,253 | 18,741 | 53,611 | 301,821 | 44,455 | |||||||||||
Purchase of short term investments | (2,780,221 | ) | (2,326,840 | ) | (342,706 | ) | (5,948,901 | ) | (6,934,962 | ) | (1,021,410 | ) | |||||
Proceeds from disposal of short term investments | 2,460,289 | 1,827,416 | 269,149 | 5,962,606 | 7,078,630 | 1,042,570 | |||||||||||
Cash paid for loan receivables to a third party | — | — | — | — | (90,000 | ) | (13,256 | ) | |||||||||
Others | 1,512 | (3,832 | ) | (564 | ) | (7,050 | ) | (9,575 | ) | (1,410 | ) | ||||||
Net cash (used in) generated from | |||||||||||||||||
investing activities | (318,420 | ) | (503,256 | ) | (74,121 | ) | 6,655 | 44,093 | 6,494 | ||||||||
Dividends paid | (115,078 | ) | (91,865 | ) | (13,530 | ) | (321,820 | ) | (300,695 | ) | (44,288 | ) | |||||
Repurchase of shares from open market | (154,325 | ) | — | — | (484,016 | ) | — | — | |||||||||
Others | (3,790 | ) | — | — | 126,982 | — | — | ||||||||||
Net cash used in financing activities | (273,193 | ) | (91,865 | ) | (13,530 | ) | (678,854 | ) | (300,695 | ) | (44,288 | ) | |||||
Net (decrease) increase in cash, | |||||||||||||||||
cash equivalents and restricted cash |
(463,500 | ) | (467,868 | ) | (68,910 | ) | (618,588 | ) | 45,219 | 6,661 | |||||||
Cash, cash equivalents and | |||||||||||||||||
restricted cash at beginning of period |
702,064 | 786,737 | 115,874 | 848,166 | 265,605 | 39,119 | |||||||||||
Effect of exchange rate changes | |||||||||||||||||
on cash and cash equivalents | 13,469 | (709 | ) | (104 | ) | 22,455 | 7,336 | 1,080 | |||||||||
Cash, cash equivalents and | |||||||||||||||||
restricted cash at end of period | 252,033 | 318,160 | 46,860 | 252,033 | 318,160 | 46,860 | |||||||||||
FANHUA INC. Reconciliations of GAAP Financial Measures to Non-GAAP Financial Measures (In RMB in thousands, except shares and per share data) |
||||||||||||||||||
For the Three Months Ended September 30 | ||||||||||||||||||
2019 | 2020 | |||||||||||||||||
GAAP |
Share-based compensation expenses |
Non-GAAP |
GAAP |
Share-based compensation expenses |
Non-GAAP |
Change% | ||||||||||||
Net revenues | 823,351 | — | 823,351 | 812,003 | 812,003 | (1.4 | ) | |||||||||||
Selling expenses | (39,309 | ) | 28,446 | (67,755 | ) | (78,460 | ) | 421 | (78,881 | ) | 16.4 | |||||||
General and administrative expenses |
(101,825 | ) | 11,378 | (113,203 | ) | (118,854 | ) | 169 | (119,023 | ) | 5.1 | |||||||
Income from operations | 151,447 | 39,824 | 111,623 | 73,326 | 590 | 72,736 | (34.8 | ) | ||||||||||
Operating margin | 18.4 | % | — | 13.6 | % | 9 | % | — | 9 | % | (33.8 | ) | ||||||
Net income attributable to the Company’s shareholders |
168,332 | 39,824 | 128,508 | 75,322 | 590 | 74,732 | (41.8 | ) | ||||||||||
Net margin | 20.4 | % | — | 15.6 | % | 9.3 | % | — | 9.2 | % | (41.0 | ) | ||||||
Net income per share: | ||||||||||||||||||
Basic | 0.16 | — | 0.12 | 0.07 | — | 0.07 | (41.7 | ) | ||||||||||
Diluted | 0.16 | — | 0.12 | 0.07 | — | 0.07 | (41.7 | ) | ||||||||||
Net income per ADS: | ||||||||||||||||||
Basic | 3.12 | — | 2.39 | 1.40 | — | 1.39 | (41.8 | ) | ||||||||||
Diluted | 3.12 | — | 2.38 | 1.40 | — | 1.39 | (41.6 | ) | ||||||||||
Shares used in calculating net income per share: |
||||||||||||||||||
Basic | 1,077,381,239 | — | 1,077,381,239 | 1,073,891,784 | — | 1,073,891,784 | — | |||||||||||
Diluted | 1,077,780,976 | — | 1,077,780,976 | 1,074,291,392 | — | 1,074,291,392 | — | |||||||||||
For the Nine Months Ended September 30 | |||||||||||||||||||
2019 | 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
GAAP |
Share-based compensation expenses |
Non-GAAP |
GAAP |
Share-based compensation expenses |
Non-GAAP |
Change% |
|||||||||||||
Net revenues | 2,693,424 | — | 2,693,424 | 2,416,171 | — | 2,416,171 | (10.3 | ) | |||||||||||
Selling expenses | (200,988 | ) | (2,486 | ) | (198,502 | ) | (209,859 | ) | 281 | (210,140 | ) | 5.9 | |||||||
General and administrative expenses |
(347,286 | ) | (994 | ) | (346,292 | ) | (344,006 | ) | 113 | (344,119 | ) | (0.6 | ) | ||||||
Income from operations | 355,233 | (3,480 | ) | 358,713 | 230,312 | 394 | 229,918 | (35.9 | ) | ||||||||||
Operating margin | 13.2 | % | — | 13.3 | % | 9.5 | % | — | 9.5 | % | (28.6 | ) | |||||||
Net income attributable to the Company’s shareholders |
413,609 | (3,480 | ) | 417,089 | 220,428 | 394 | 220,034 | (47.2 | ) | ||||||||||
Net margin | 15.4 | % | — | 15.5 | % | 9.1 | % | — | 9.1 | % | (41.3 | ) | |||||||
Net income per share: | |||||||||||||||||||
Basic | 0.38 | — | 0.38 | 0.21 | — | 0.20 | (47.4 | ) | |||||||||||
Diluted | 0.38 | — | 0.38 | 0.21 | — | 0.20 | (47.4 | ) | |||||||||||
Net income per ADS: | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
Basic | 7.53 | — | 7.59 | 4.11 | — | 4.10 | (46.0 | ) | |||||||||||
Diluted | 7.52 | — | 7.59 | 4.10 | — | 4.10 | (46.0 | ) | |||||||||||
Shares used in calculating net income per share: |
|||||||||||||||||||
Basic | 1,098,906,389 | — | 1,098,906,389 | 1,073,891,784 | — | 1,073,891,784 | — | ||||||||||||
Diluted | 1,099,443,163 | — | 1,099,443,163 | 1,074,291,409 | — | 1,074,291,409 | — | ||||||||||||
Source: Fanhua Inc.
_________________________________
1 This announcement contains currency conversions of certain Renminbi (RMB) amounts into U.S. dollars (US$) at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars are made at a rate of RMB6.7896 to US$1.00, the effective noon buying rate as of September 30, 2020 in The City of New York for cable transfers of RMB as set forth in the H.10 weekly statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board.
2 Non-GAAP operating income is defined as operating income before share-based compensation expenses.
3 Non-GAAP net income attributable to the Company’s shareholders is defined as net income attributable to the Company’s shareholders before share-based compensation expenses.
4 Non-GAAP diluted net income per ADS is defined as net income attributable to the Company’s shareholders before share-based compensation expenses divided by total weighted average number of diluted ADS outstanding of the Company during the period.
5 Annualized premiums equivalent is a measure used by the Company to compare annual premiums received from life insurance policies with differing tenures by normalizing annual premiums into the equivalent annual premium of a policy with a tenure of 20 years.
6 Non-GAAP operating margin is defined as Non-GAAP operating income as a percentage of net revenue.
7 Non-GAAP net margin is defined as non-GAAP net income attributable to shareholders as a percentage of net revenue.
8 Non-GAAP basic net income per ADS is defined as non-GAAP net income attributable to the Company’s shareholders divided by total weighted average number of ADS outstanding of the Company during the period.
9 Active users of Lan Zhanggui included users who sold at least one insurance policy through Lan Zhanggui (through either its mobile application or WeChat public account) during the specific period.
10 Active customer accounts are defined as customer accounts that made at least one purchase directly through www.baoxian.com, its mobile application, or WeChat public account during the specified period.
11 Performing agents are defined as agents who have sold at least one insurance policy during the specified period.
12 In September 2016, FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, “Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments”. This standard requires entities to measure all expected credit losses of financial assets held at a reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts in order to record credit losses in a timelier manner. ASU 2016-13 also amends the accounting for credit losses on available-for-sale debt securities and purchased financial assets with credit deterioration. ASU 2016-13 adds to U.S. GAAP an impairment model (known as the current expected credit loss (CECL) model) that is based on expected losses rather than incurred losses. The Company adopted the ASU No. 2016-13 on a modified-retrospective basis, the cumulative-effect adjustment reduce opening retained earnings balance by approximately RMB7.5 million in the statement of financial position as of January 1, 2020.
For more information, please contact: Investor Relations Tel: +86 (20) 8388-3191 Email:
Artificial Intelligence
IBM, Government of Canada, Government of Quebec Sign Agreements to Strengthen Canada’s Semiconductor Industry
Up to $187M CAD to be invested to progress expansion of chip packaging capacity and capabilities and to strengthen R&D at IBM Canada’s Bromont plant
BROMONT, QC, April 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — IBM (NYSE: IBM), the Government of Canada, and the Government of Quebec today announced agreements that will strengthen Canada’s semiconductor industry, and further develop the assembly, testing and packaging (ATP) capabilities for semiconductor modules to be used across a wide range of applications including telecommunications, high performance computing, automotive, aerospace & defence, computer networks, and generative AI, at IBM Canada’s plant in Bromont, Quebec. The agreements reflect a combined investment valued at approximately $187M CAD.
“Today’s announcement is a massive win for Canada and our dynamic tech sector. It will create high-paying jobs, invest in innovation, strengthen supply chains, and help make sure the most advanced technologies are Canadian-made. Semiconductors power the world, and we’re putting Canada at the forefront of that opportunity,” said the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
In addition to the advancement of packaging capabilities, IBM will be conducting R&D to develop methods for scalable manufacturing and other advanced assembly processes to support the packaging of different chip technologies, to further Canada’s role in the North American semiconductor supply chain and expand and anchor Canada’s capabilities in advanced packaging.
The agreements also allow for collaborations with small and medium-sized Canadian-based enterprises with the intent of fostering the development of a semiconductor ecosystem, now and into the future.
“IBM has long been a leader in semiconductor research and development, pioneering breakthroughs to meet tomorrow’s challenges. With the demand for compute surging in the age of AI, advanced packaging and chiplet technology is becoming critical for the acceleration of AI workloads,” said Darío Gil, IBM Senior Vice President and Director of Research. “As one of the largest chip assembly and testing facilities in North America, IBM’s Bromont facility will play a central role in this future. We are proud to be working with the governments of Canada and Quebec toward those goals and to build a stronger and more balanced semiconductor ecosystem in North America and beyond.”
IBM Canada’s Bromont plant is one of North America’s largest chip assembly and testing facilities, having operated in the region for 52 years. Today, the facility transforms advanced semiconductor components into state-of-the-art microelectronic solutions, playing a key role in IBM’s semiconductor R&D leadership alongside IBM’s facilities at the Albany NanoTech Complex and throughout New York’s Hudson Valley. These agreements will help to further establish a corridor of semiconductor innovation from New York to Bromont.
“Advanced packaging is a crucial component of the semiconductor industry, and IBM Canada’s Bromont plant has led the world in this process for decades,” said Deb Pimentel, president of IBM Canada. “Building upon IBM’s 107-year legacy of technology innovation and R&D in Canada, the Canadian semiconductor industry will now become even stronger, allowing for robust supply chains and giving Canadians steady access to even more innovative technologies and products. This announcement represents just one more example of IBM’s leadership and commitment to the country’s technology and business landscape.”
Chip packaging, the process of connecting integrated circuits on a chip or circuit board, has become more complex as electronic devices have shrunk and the components of chips themselves get smaller and smaller. IBM announced the world’s first 2 nanometer chip technology in 2021 and, as the semiconductor industry moves towards new methods of chip construction, advances in packaging will grow in importance.
“Semiconductors are part of our everyday life. They are in our phones, our cars, and our appliances. Through this investment, we are supporting Canadian innovators, creating good jobs, and solidifying Canada’s semiconductor industry to build a stronger economy. Canada is set to play a larger role in the global semiconductor industry thanks to projects like the one we are announcing today. Because, when we invest in semiconductor and quantum technologies, we invest in economic security.” — The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
“This investment by IBM in Bromont will ensure that Quebec continues to stand out in the field of microelectronics. An increase in production capacity will solidify Quebec’s position in the strategic microelectronics sector in North America.” — The Honourable Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Minister responsible for Regional Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Metropolis and the Montreal region
About IBMIBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. More than 4,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in semiconductors, AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information.
Media ContactLorraine BaldwinIBM [email protected]
Willa HahnIBM [email protected]
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Artificial Intelligence
HITACHI ACQUIRES MA MICRO AUTOMATION OF GERMANY IN EFFORT TO ACCELERATE GLOBAL EXPANSION OF ROBOTIC SI BUSINESS IN THE MEDICAL AND OTHER FIELDS
HOLLAND, Mich., April 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Hitachi Ltd. (TSE: 6501, “Hitachi”) has signed a stock purchase agreement on April 26 to acquire all shares of MA micro automation GmbH (“MA micro automation”, headquartered in St. Leon-Rot, Germany) from MAX Management GmbH (a subsidiary of MAX Automation SE). MA micro automation is a leading provider of robotic and automation technology (robotic SI) including high-speed linear handling systems, high-precision assembly lines, and high-speed vision inspection technology for Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia, for EUR 71.5M million. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2024, pending completion of the customary regulatory filings. After the acquisition is completed, MA micro automation will join JR Automation Technologies, LLC (“JR Automation”), a market leader in providing advanced automation solutions and digital technologies in the robotic system integration business for North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia as a continued effort to expand the company’s global presence.
MA micro automation is a technology leader for automation solutions within micro-assembly. Through its state-of-the-art proprietary high-speed and high-precision automation know-how, combined with unique optical image inspection capabilities, MA micro automation serves high-growth med-tech automation end-markets, covering the production, assembly, and testing medical and optical components including contact lenses, IVD and diabetes diagnostics consumables, and injection molding for medical use. The company was established in 2003 through a carve-out from Siemens*1 and since 2013 has been part of the MAX Automation group.
JR Automation is a leading provider of intelligent automated manufacturing technology solutions, serving customers across the globe in a variety of industries including automotive, life sciences, e-mobility, consumer and industrial products. With over 20 locations between North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia, the leading integrator offers nearly 2 million square feet (185,806 sq. m) of available build and engineering floorspace. This acquisition allows JR Automation to further grow and strengthen both the company’s geographical footprint and their continued commitment on expanding support capabilities within the European region and medical market vertical.
“MA micro automation provides engineering, build and support expertise with established capabilities in complex vision applications, high-speed and high-precision automation technologies. When integrated with JR Automation’s uniform global process and digital technologies, this partnership will further enhance our ability to deliver added value and support to all of our customers worldwide and continue to grow our capabilities in the medical market,” says Dave DeGraaf, CEO of JR Automation. “As we integrate this new dimension, impressive talents and abilities of the MA micro automation team we further enhance our ability to serve our customers, creating a more robust and globally balanced offering.”
With this acquisition, Hitachi aims to further enhance its ability to provide a “Total Seamless Solution*2” to connect manufacturer’s factory floors seamlessly and digitally with their front office data, allowing them to achieve total optimization and bringing Industry 4.0 to life. This “Total Seamless Solution” strategy links organizations’ operational activities such as engineering, supply chain, and purchasing to the plant floor and allows for real time, data-driven decision-making that improves the overall business value for customers.
Kazunobu Morita, Vice President and Executive Officer, CEO of Industrial Digital Business Unit, Hitachi, Ltd. says, “We are very pleased to welcome MA micro automation to the Hitachi Group. The team is based in Europe, providing robotic SI to global medical device manufacturing customers with its high technological capabilities and will join forces with JR Automation and Hitachi Automation to strengthen our global competitiveness. Hitachi aims to enhance its ability to provide value to customers and grow alongside them by leveraging its strengths in both OT, IT, including robotic SI, and “Total Seamless Solution” through Lumada*3’s customer co-creation framework.”
Joachim Hardt, CEO MA micro automation GmbH says, “Following the successful establishment and growth of MA micro automation within the attractive automation market for medical technology products, we are now opening a new chapter. Our partnership with Hitachi will not only strengthen our global competitive position, but we will also benefit from joint technological synergies and a global market presence. We look forward to a synergistic partnership with Hitachi and JR Automation.”
Outline of MA micro automation
Name
MA micro automation GmbH
Head Office
St. Leon-Rot, Germany
Representative
Joachim Hardt (CEO)
Outline of Business
Automation solutions within micro-assembly
Total no. of Employees:
Approx. 200 (As of April 2024)
Founded
2003
Revenues (2023)
€ 46.5 million
Website
*1
“Siemens” is a registered trademark or trademark of Siemens Trademark GmbH & Co. KG in the U.S. and other countries.
*2
“Total Seamless Solution” is a registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. in the U.S. and Japan.
*3
Lumada: A collective term for solutions, services and technologies based on Hitachi’s advanced digital technologies for creating value from customers’ data accelerating digital innovation. https://www.hitachi.com/products/it/lumada/global/en/index.html
About JR AutomationEstablished in 1980, JR Automation is a leading provider of intelligent automated manufacturing technology solutions that solve customers’ key operational and productivity challenges. JR Automation serves customers across the globe in a variety of industries, including automotive, life sciences, aerospace, and more.
In 2019, JR Automation was acquired by Hitachi, Ltd. In a strategic effort towards offering a seamless connection between the physical and cyber space for industrial manufacturers and distributers worldwide. With this partnership, JR Automation provides customers a unique, single-source solution for complete integration of their physical assets and data information, offering greater speed, flexibility, and efficiencies towards achieving their Industry 4.0 visions. JR Automation employs over 2,000 people at 21 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.jrautomation.com.
About Hitachi, Ltd.Hitachi drives Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society through the use of data and technology. We solve customers’ and society’s challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products. Hitachi operates under the 3 business sectors of “Digital Systems & Services” – supporting our customers’ digital transformation; “Green Energy & Mobility” – contributing to a decarbonized society through energy and railway systems, and “Connective Industries” – connecting products through digital technology to provide solutions in various industries. Driven by Digital, Green, and Innovation, we aim for growth through co-creation with our customers. The company’s revenues as 3 sectors for fiscal year 2023 (ended March 31, 2024) totaled 8,564.3 billion yen, with 573 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 270,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at https://www.hitachi.com.
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Artificial Intelligence
$10 million Artificial Intelligence Mathematical Olympiad Prize appoints further advisory committee members
D. Sculley, Kevin Buzzard, Leo de Moura, Lester Mackey and Peter J. Liu appointed to the advisory committee for the Artificial Intelligence Mathematical Olympiad Prize.
LONDON, April 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — XTX Markets’ newly created Artificial Intelligence Mathematical Olympiad Prize (‘AIMO Prize’) is a $10mn challenge fund designed to spur the creation of a publicly shared AI model capable of winning a gold medal in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).
XTX Markets is delighted to announce the appointment of five further advisory committee members. This group brings great expertise in machine learning, including D. Sculley, the CEO of Kaggle; Lester Mackey, a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research and a Macarthur Fellow; and Peter J. Liu, a research scientist at Google DeepMind.
Prolific mathematicians Kevin Buzzard, who achieved a perfect score in the International Mathematical Olympiad, and Leo De Moura who is the Chief Architect for Lean, the automated reasoning tool, also join the advisory group.
They join the existing advisory committee members Terence Tao and Timothy Gowers, both winners of the Fields Medal, as well as Dan Roberts, Geoff Smith and Po-Shen Loh.
The AIMO Advisory Committee will support the development of the AIMO Prize, including advising on appropriate protocols and technical aspects, and designing the various competitions and prizes.
Simon Coyle, Head of Philanthropy at XTX Markets, commented:
“We are thrilled to complete the AIMO Advisory Committee with the appointments of D., Kevin, Leo, Lester and Peter. Together, they have enormous experience in machine learning and automated reasoning and are already bringing expertise and wisdom to the AIMO Prize. We look forward to announcing the winners of the AIMO’s first Progress Prize soon, and then publicly sharing the AI models to support the open and collaborative development of AI.”
Further information on the AIMO Prize
There will be a grand prize of $5mn for the first publicly shared AI model to enter an AIMO approved competition and perform at a standard equivalent to a gold medal in the IMO. There will also be a series of progress prizes, totalling up to $5mn, for publicly shared AI models that achieve key milestones towards the grand prize.
The first AIMO approved competition opened to participants in April 2024 on the Kaggle competition platform. The first progress prize focuses on problems pitched at junior and high-school level maths competitions. There is a total prize pot of $1.048m for the first progress prize, of which at least $254k will be awarded in July 2024, There will be a presentation of progress held in Bath, England in July 2024, as part of the 65th IMO.
For more information on the AIMO Prize visit: https://aimoprize.com/ or the competition page on Kaggle: https://www.kaggle.com/competitions/ai-mathematical-olympiad-prize/
Advisory Committee member profiles:
D. Sculley
D. is the CEO at Kaggle. Prior to joining Kaggle, he was a director at Google Brain, leading research teams working on robust, responsible, reliable and efficient ML and AI. In his career in ML, he has worked on nearly every aspect of machine learning, and has led both product and research teams including those on some of the most challenging business problems. Some of his well-known work involves ML technical debt, ML education, ML robustness, production-critical ML, and ML for scientific applications such as protein design.
Kevin Buzzard
Kevin a professor of pure mathematics at Imperial College London, specialising in algebraic number theory. As well as his research and teaching, he has a wide range of interests, including being Deputy Head of Pure Mathematics, Co-Director of a CDT and the department’s outreach champion. He is currently focusing on formal proof verification, including being an active participant in the Lean community. From October 2024, he will be leading a project to formalise a 21st century proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem. Before joining Imperial, some 20 years ago, he was a Junior Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge, where he had previously been named ‘Senior Wrangler’ (the highest scoring undergraduate mathematician). He was also a participant in the International Mathematical Olympiad, winning gold with a perfect score in 1987. He has been a visitor at the IAS in Princeton, a visiting lecturer at Harvard, has won several prizes both for research and teaching, and has given lectures all over the world.
Leo de Moura
Leo is a Senior Principal Applied Scientist in the Automated Reasoning Group at AWS. In his spare time, he dedicates himself to serving as the Chief Architect of the Lean FRO, a non-profit organization that he proudly co-founded alongside Sebastian Ullrich. He is also honoured to hold a position on the Board of Directors at the Lean FRO, where he actively contributes to its growth and development. Before joining AWS in 2023, he was a Senior Principal Researcher in the RiSE group at Microsoft Research, where he worked for 17 years starting in 2006. Prior to that, he worked as a Computer Scientist at SRI International. His research areas are automated reasoning, theorem proving, decision procedures, SAT and SMT. He is the main architect of several automated reasoning tools: Lean, Z3, Yices 1.0 and SAL. Leo’s work in automated reasoning has been acknowledged with a series of prestigious awards, including the CAV, Haifa, and Herbrand awards, as well as the Programming Languages Software Award by the ACM. Leo’s work has also been reported in the New York Times and many popular science magazines such as Wired, Quanta, and Nature News.
Lester Mackey
Lester Mackey is a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research, where he develops machine learning methods, models, and theory for large-scale learning tasks driven by applications from climate forecasting, healthcare, and the social good. Lester moved to Microsoft from Stanford University, where he was an assistant professor of Statistics and, by courtesy, of Computer Science. He earned his PhD in Computer Science and MA in Statistics from UC Berkeley and his BSE in Computer Science from Princeton University. He co-organized the second place team in the Netflix Prize competition for collaborative filtering; won the Prize4Life ALS disease progression prediction challenge; won prizes for temperature and precipitation forecasting in the yearlong real-time Subseasonal Climate Forecast Rodeo; and received best paper, outstanding paper, and best student paper awards from the ACM Conference on Programming Language Design and Implementation, the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems, and the International Conference on Machine Learning. He is a 2023 MacArthur Fellow, a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, an elected member of the COPSS Leadership Academy, and the recipient of the 2023 Ethel Newbold Prize.
Peter J. Liu
Peter J. Liu is a Research Scientist at Google DeepMind in the San Francisco Bay area, doing machine learning research with a specialisation in language models since 2015 starting in the Google Brain team. He has published and served as area chair in top machine learning and NLP conferences such as ICLR, ICML, NEURIPS, ACL and EMNLP. He also has extensive production experience, including launching the first deep learning model for Gmail Anti-Spam, and using neural network models to detect financial fraud for top banks. He has degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Toronto.
About XTX Markets:
XTX Markets is a leading financial technology firm which partners with counterparties, exchanges and e-trading venues globally to provide liquidity in the Equity, FX, Fixed Income and Commodity markets. XTX has over 200 employees based in London, Paris, New York, Mumbai, Yerevan and Singapore. XTX is consistently a top 5 liquidity provider globally in FX (Euromoney 2018-present) and is also the largest European equities (systematic internaliser) liquidity provider (Rosenblatt FY: 2020-2023).
The company’s corporate philanthropy focuses on STEM education and maximum impact giving (alongside an employee matching programme). Since 2017, XTX has donated over £100mn to charities and good causes, establishing it as a major donor in the UK and globally.
In a changing world XTX Markets is at the forefront of making financial markets fairer and more efficient for all.
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