Tag: Alternatives

Sapphire to Strategically Divest 43.87% Equity Stake of Subsidiary Ranken Railway for Cash Consideration of RMB 280 Million

SINGAPORE, Jun 2, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – Sapphire is to strategically divest a 43.87% equity stake of subsidiary Ranken Railway for a cash consideration of RMB 280 million; and to retain 48.82% effective interest in Ranken Railway after divestment.

– With Ranken Railway's (excluding the carved-out assets) transaction valuation of approximately RMB 638.2 million, Shandong Hi-Speed will purchase a 43.87% equity stake from Sapphire for RMB 280 million and subscribe for more shares in Ranken Railway, amounting to approximately 10.6% of the enlarged equity capital post-proposed transactions, for approximately RMB 75.7 million.

– Shenzhen-listed Shandong Listco (Shandong Hi-Speed's sole shareholder) has a market capitalisation of approximately RMB 5.24 billion as at 31 December 2019 and it is majority-owned by a wholly-state-owned enterprise in the PRC, hence Ranken Railway will become an indirect and partial SOE and it will be able to tender for key infrastructure projects in the PRC which require contractors or vendors to be state-owned.

– Upon the completion of the proposed transactions, Sapphire will retain 48.82% effective interest of Ranken Railway.

– The total consideration is 314% of Company's market capitalisation based on the closing price of the shares of the trading day prior to the date of this announcement.


Shandong Listco is a listed company on the Main Board of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (stock code:000498) and it is engaged in the business of undertaking infrastructure construction, including highways, bridges, tunnels, municipal works engineering, traffic engineering, ports and waterways.

As at 31 December 2019, Shandong Listco's market capitalisation is approximately RMB 5.24 billion, with an order book of approximately RMB 22.1 billion. Based on Shandong Listco's annual report for the 2019 financial year, the net assets attributable to its holding company amounted to approximately RMB 5.5 billion, and total assets approximately RMB 32.1 billion.

The controlling shareholder of Shandong Listco is Shandong Hi-Speed Group Co., Ltd. ("Shandong HSG"), which holds 60.66% of the shares of Shandong Hi-Speed. Shandong HSG is a wholly-state-owned enterprise ("SOE") headquartered in Jinan City, Shandong Province of the PRC.

From a financial perspective, the proposed transactions has positive financial effects on the Group and in particular, the Group's net tangible assets ("NTA") per share will increase from RMB cents 131.82 to RMB cents 155.51 (where retained interest in Ranken Railway is measured at fair value), and which the NTA of RMB cents 155.51 represents more than 5.6 times the closing price of the shares of the trading day prior to the date of this announcement; and (ii) a gain of approximately RMB 58 million (where retained interest in Ranken Railway is measured at fair value).

And given its status as an indirect SOE following the proposed transactions, Ranken Railway would be placed in a more favourable position to secure project contracts in the PRC, and may be able to enjoy lower interest rates on external borrowings from financial institutions.

In addition, Ranken Railway currently faces strong competitive pressure in tendering for projects in the PRC, with most of the projects it has tendered for awarded to SOEs. Hence, as an indirect and partial SOE, Ranken Railway will be able to tender for key infrastructure projects in the PRC which require contractors or vendors to be state-owned which it was previously ineligible to participate, in addition to projects which it could previously access as a privately-owned enterprise.

Ms Wang Heng, Chief Executive Officer of Sapphire, said, "While unlocking value for shareholders, we believe that this strategic divestment to Shandong Hi-Speed can significantly enhance the value and prospects of Ranken Railway with the combination of both companies' capabilities and resources to tap new market opportunities in urban railway infrastructure and water environmental management projects.

"And by retaining a meaningful stake in Ranken Railway, we have the opportunity to participate in the future growth of Ranken Railway as an indirect and partial state-owned- enterprise in the PRC.

"Notably, the gross cash consideration of RMB 280 million will give the Group's increased financial flexibility to strengthen our balance sheet and create optionality in our other business areas."


About Sapphire Corporation Limited
(Bloomberg Code: SAPP:SP / Reuters Code: SAPP.SI / SGX Code: BRD.SI)

Listed on the Mainboard of the Singapore Exchange since 1999, Sapphire Corporation Limited ("Sapphire" or the "Group") is an investment management and holding company with a business model aligned towards urbanisation trends. Particularly, the Group is principally engaged in the engineering, procurement and construction ("EPC") business related to the land transport infrastructure and water conservancy and environmental projects in China.

The Group owns a 100% stake in China-based EPC business Ranken Holding Co., Limited ("Ranken") and its subsidiaries, which is a full-edged EPC firm and one of the largest privately owned integrated urban rail transport infrastructure groups in China.

Ranken holds full Triple-A qualifications and licences for design, supervision, construction and project consultation in the urban rail sector. Ranken?s expertise includes civil engineering works for metro lines, urban rail transit, expressways, roads and bridges as well as water conservancy and environmental projects. Its track record includes major infrastructure projects in China and South Asia. Ranken's blue-chip customer clientele includes government agencies, consortiums and Fortune 500 companies.


Issued on behalf of Sapphire Corporation Limited by:
Waterbrooks Consultants Pte Ltd, Tel: +65 6958 8002
Mr. Wayne Koo, (M): +65 9338 8166, wayne.koo@waterbrooks.com.sg
Mr. Alex Tan, (M): +65 9451 5252, kai@waterbrooks.com.sg


Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Greenbriar to Seek Uplift to the Nasdaq Global Market

Newport Beach, California, Jun 1, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – Greenbriar Capital Corp. (TSXV: GRB) (OTC: GEBRF) ("Greenbriar") is pleased to announce that Greenbriar is seeking to obtain a full listing on the world class NASDAQ Global Market Select. Conditions to list on the NASDAQ Global Market Select are a minimum US $4.00 share price, at least US $4 Million in net current assets plus the appropriate registration and exemption filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Greenbriar is currently conducting internal non-deal road shows via conference calls with our own 53,000 investors and followers. The Greenbriar story is resonating with a broad spectrum of investors.

Greenbriar is moving ahead to construct the sophisticated 160MWdc/80MWac Montalva solar project in Puerto Rico, which will become the largest solar facility in the Caribbean once completed. Greenbriar is very confident the project will expand to 320MWdc/160MWac in the very near future. A sizeable electro-chemical storage facility as part of the solar field will enable 24/7 dispatch which is unique in ultra-large scale solar generation facilities. Montalva will provide Puerto Rican citizens with lower-cost, clean and reliable electricity and replace some of the current expensive and dirty oil generation.

The company is proudly building the project with the China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), a leading world class premier construction and engineering company, forming part of the USD $40 Billion China National Machinery Industry Corporation (Sinomach) group of companies.

Greenbriar has been informed by its legal counsel Luis Baco, JD, LLM, that the PREPA Governing Board has approved our project and contract this past Thursday May 28 and the contract has been presented to the US FOMB (US Federal Oversight Management Board) for final approval. In 2018 the US FOMB already recommended Montalva to be deemed a critical project to rebuild Puerto Rico. Montalva will provide over 900 construction jobs, an increased tax base and hundreds of millions of dollars of private funds invested to rebuild a new and resilient electrical grid. Greenbriar is proud of this contribution and its existing 12 year non-stop commitment in Puerto Rico.

About Greenbriar Capital Corp

Greenbriar is a leading developer of renewable energy and sustainable real estate. With long-term, high impact, contracted sales agreements in key project locations and led by a successful, industry-recognized operating and development team, Greenbriar targets deep valued assets directed at accretive shareholder value. Greenbriar and its advisors have closed over $180 Billion in renewable energy projects since 2003 with previous companies.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
"Jeff Ciachurski"
Jeffrey J. Ciachurski
Chief Executive Officer and Director

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release may contain forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, constitute "forward-looking statements" and include any information that addresses activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future including the Company's strategy, plans or future financial or operating performance and other statements that express management's expectations or estimates of future performance.

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Greenbriar to Seek Uplift to the Nasdaq Global Market

Newport Beach, California, Jun 1, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – Greenbriar Capital Corp. (TSXV: GRB) (OTC: GEBRF) ("Greenbriar") is pleased to announce that Greenbriar is seeking to obtain a full listing on the world class NASDAQ Global Market Select. Conditions to list on the NASDAQ Global Market Select are a minimum US $4.00 share price, at least US $4 Million in net current assets plus the appropriate registration and exemption filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Greenbriar is currently conducting internal non-deal road shows via conference calls with our own 53,000 investors and followers. The Greenbriar story is resonating with a broad spectrum of investors.

Greenbriar is moving ahead to construct the sophisticated 160MWdc/80MWac Montalva solar project in Puerto Rico, which will become the largest solar facility in the Caribbean once completed. Greenbriar is very confident the project will expand to 320MWdc/160MWac in the very near future. A sizeable electro-chemical storage facility as part of the solar field will enable 24/7 dispatch which is unique in ultra-large scale solar generation facilities. Montalva will provide Puerto Rican citizens with lower-cost, clean and reliable electricity and replace some of the current expensive and dirty oil generation.

The company is proudly building the project with the China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), a leading world class premier construction and engineering company, forming part of the USD $40 Billion China National Machinery Industry Corporation (Sinomach) group of companies.

Greenbriar has been informed by its legal counsel Luis Baco, JD, LLM, that the PREPA Governing Board has approved our project and contract this past Thursday May 28 and the contract has been presented to the US FOMB (US Federal Oversight Management Board) for final approval. In 2018 the US FOMB already recommended Montalva to be deemed a critical project to rebuild Puerto Rico. Montalva will provide over 900 construction jobs, an increased tax base and hundreds of millions of dollars of private funds invested to rebuild a new and resilient electrical grid. Greenbriar is proud of this contribution and its existing 12 year non-stop commitment in Puerto Rico.

About Greenbriar Capital Corp

Greenbriar is a leading developer of renewable energy and sustainable real estate. With long-term, high impact, contracted sales agreements in key project locations and led by a successful, industry-recognized operating and development team, Greenbriar targets deep valued assets directed at accretive shareholder value. Greenbriar and its advisors have closed over $180 Billion in renewable energy projects since 2003 with previous companies.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
"Jeff Ciachurski"
Jeffrey J. Ciachurski
Chief Executive Officer and Director

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release may contain forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, constitute "forward-looking statements" and include any information that addresses activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future including the Company's strategy, plans or future financial or operating performance and other statements that express management's expectations or estimates of future performance.

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

New Study Underscores How Heated Tobacco Products Are Disrupting the Cigarette Industry

MANILA, May 31, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – A new study shows that the entry of heated tobacco products (HTPs) triggered a remarkable reduction in combustible cigarettes sales in Japan. "The decline in smoking rates among adults in Japan is astoundingly impressive when you realize that this has only come about rapidly with the introduction of HTPs," said Nancy Loucas, Executive Director of the Coalition of Asia-Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA).
Prof. David Sweanor, one of the study's authors



Canadian and American researchers looked at how trends in the sale of cigarettes in Japan between 2011 and 2019 correspond to the sales of HTPs that were introduced into the Japanese market in late 2015. Using data from the Tobacco Institute of Japan and Philip Morris International (PMI), the researchers concluded that the accelerated five-fold decline in cigarette only sales in Japan since 2016 corresponds to the introduction and growth in the sales of HTPs. Cigarette sales in Japan were declining slowly and steadily before HTPs were introduced in 2015.

Entitled "What Is Accounting for the Rapid Decline in Cigarette Sales in Japan?", the study was published on May 20, 2020 in the peer-reviewed open access scientific journal International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

HTPs are smoke-free devices that heat, instead of burn, specially-designed tobacco units to release a flavorful nicotine-containing tobacco vapor. As tobacco is not burned, the levels of harmful chemicals produced by HNB products are significantly lower compared to combustible cigarette smoke. The most popular HTP brand is IQOS, a product of PMI.

Consumers' interest and the regulatory environment shape markets, according to Professor David T. Sweanor of the Faculty of Law of University of Ottawa, one of the study's authors. He explained that Japanese regulations precluded alternatives to combustible cigarettes, such as nicotine-containing vaping products. However, HTPs generated huge interest among smokers in Japan. "As more [smokers] adopted the alternative, they helped speed switching by others. I think this gives us an indication of just how much more rapidly countries could reduce cigarette use if there were many different low-risk alternatives available and policies and public education campaigns facilitated a widespread move away from [combustible] cigarettes."

Prof. Sweanor believes Japan is a success story in tobacco harm reduction.

"We have seen the most rapid decline in cigarette sales ever witnessed in a major market. A third of the cigarette market was gone in a remarkably short period of time, and this was accomplished with a non-coercive measure. People who smoke cigarettes were simply provided with a viable alternative."

Governments in the Asia Pacific region that seek to ban or limit the access of smokers to HTPs and other safer nicotine alternatives should look to Sweden which for decades has promoted the shift to low-risk non-combustible alternatives to cigarettes, said Prof. Sweanor. "Now we have evidence that a range of low-risk products can help us rapidly achieve the smoking rate targets of the World Health Organization's Sustainable Development Goals. To seek to ban or limit access to such products protects the cigarette industry rather than public health."

Commenting on the future of smokers in Asia Pacific where HTPs will soon be available, Prof. Sweanor stressed that policies should empower people to take control of their health. "Ensuring that a range of low-risk alternatives are not only on the market but have regulatory and tax advantages over cigarettes has the potential to transform public health. We have long known that people smoke for nicotine but die from the smoke. Cigarette smoking is a public health catastrophe that can be massively reduced through science and technology if policies can be oriented toward replacing rather than protecting the cigarette business."

The publication of the new study is timely as it comes on the heels of the celebration of World Vape Day on May 30, 2020. Observed a day before World No Tobacco Day, World Vaping Day aims to raise awareness on e-cigarettes or vapes and encourage smokers who are unable to quit on their own or with currently available smoking cessation tools to switch to safer nicotine products.

"Safer nicotine products, such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, are the most disruptive influence on smoking in decades. These are the innovations that have the potential to save millions of lives in the Asia Pacific region as well as globally," added Nancy Loucas.

According to Loucas, the most popular form of safer nicotine products in northern Asia are HTPs. Like Japan, Korea has shown similar sales and uptake of HTPs, with corresponding declines in combustible tobacco use. These data show that the substitution of combustible tobacco with reduced-risk products has the potential to be a highly effective tobacco harm reduction strategy, she explained. "So, it is very disheartening that countries in Asia Pacific, like Korea and the Philippines, are looking to either ban and/or reduce access and choice of all forms of tobacco harm reduced products for their smoking citizens."

"Japan's success in reducing smoking prevalence through HTPs should be a wakeup call to local policymakers. Quit or die aren't the only choices for smokers," said Peter Paul Dator, president of The Vapers Philippines.

"This new study lends further credence to adopting tobacco control policies based on a harm reduction model," said Stephanie Thuesen, Director of Stakeholder Engagement at The Progressive Public Health Alliance in Australia.

"Policymakers in Thailand, which has been ranked the worst country in the world to be in if you are a vaper, should listen to Prof. Sweanor. Banning or limiting access to safer nicotine products only serve to protect the cigarette industry rather than public health," said Asa Ace Saligupta who runs the ECST.

About CAPHRA

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) is an alliance of consumer organizations from Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand that aims to educate, advocate and represent the right of adult alternative nicotine consumers to access and use of products that reduce harm from tobacco use.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jena Fetalino (63)9178150324 jena@jfprc.com

Prof. David Sweanor, one of the study's authors
"We have seen the most rapid decline in cigarette sales ever witnessed in a major market."

Related Links
International journal of Environmental Research and Public Health https://www.newsfilecorp.com/redirect/naABf5xr

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Bigtincan(R) Recognized by SIIA as Best Sales Enablement Platform

Waltham, MA, May 21, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – Bigtincan (ASX: BTH), the global leader in sales enablement automation, has been named the best Sales Enablement Platform of 2020 as part of the annual SIIA CODiE Awards. The prestigious CODiE Awards recognize the companies producing the most innovative business technology products across the country, and around the world.

"Our vision of helping every customer-facing person be more confident and effective is even more important as our whole world becomes more digital and mobile," said David Keane, CEO of Bigtincan. "We are proud to help hundreds of thousands of people around the world do more than ever before."

Bigtincan Hub enables organizations to mobilize, structure, and automate sales asset management, skills training, and document creation by automating the activities, tasks, and processes of day-to-day selling. The platform delivers a personalized experience available anywhere, anytime through our cloud-to-mobile delivery platform – built to grow revenue at a global scale.

"Congratulations to this amazing group of 2020 Business Technology CODiE Award winners," said SIIA President Jeff Joseph. "These trying times have underscored the importance of innovative technologies like never before. The products and services we honor today connect us to colleagues and customers, ensure business practices move forward, provide new insights from data, and create new jobs and market opportunities. They represent the best of high-impact, outcome-focused innovation."

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the principal trade association for the software and digital content industries, announced the full slate of CODiE winners during an online winner announcement earlier today in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The SIIA CODiE Awards are the industry's only peer-reviewed awards program. The first-round review of all nominees is conducted by software and business technology experts with considerable industry expertise, including analysts, media, bloggers, bankers and investors. The scores from the expert judge review determine the finalists. SIIA members then vote on the finalist products, and the scores from both rounds are tabulated to select the winners.

Forty-three awards were given this year for products and services deployed specifically for B2B software, information and media companies, including the Best Overall Business Technology Product, awarded to the product with the highest scores of both rounds of judging.

More information about the Awards is available at siia.net/CODiE.

Details about the winning products can be found at https://www.siia.net/codie/2020-Winners.

About the SIIA CODiE(TM) Awards

The SIIA CODiE Awards is the only peer-reviewed program to showcase business and education technology's finest products and services. Since 1986, thousands of products, services, and solutions have been recognized for achieving excellence. For more information, visit siia.net/CODiE.

About Bigtincan

Bigtincan (ASX:BTH) helps sales and service teams increase win rates and customer satisfaction. The company's mobile, AI-powered sales enablement automation platform features the industry's premier user experience that empowers reps to more effectively engage with customers and prospects and encourages team-wide adoption. Leading brands including AT&T, Thermo Fisher, Merck, ANZ Bank, and others rely on Bigtincan to enhance sales productivity and fuel customer engagement. With global sales and marketing headquartered in Boston, Bigtincan also has offices across EMEA, Australia, and Asia. To discover more about how your organization can benefit from the Bigtincan Hub platform, please visit www.bigtincan.com or follow @bigtincan on Twitter.

Media Contact:
Rusty Bishop
Phone: +1-619-548-5129
Email: rusty.bishop@bigtincan.com

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Greenbriar Capital Corp Reaches Commercial Agreement with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority

Coquitlam, British Columbia, May 20, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – Greenbriar Capital Corp. (TSXV: GRB) (OTC: GEBRF) ("Greenbriar") is pleased to announce the following statement from our legal counsel in Washington, DC. Luis Baco, JD, LLM, states:



"Greenbriar Capital Corp ("Greenbriar") is pleased to announce that it has reached agreement with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) on a 25-year Power Purchase and Operating Agreement (PPOA) for the development, construction, and operation of the 80MW to 160MW AC Montalva solar project. The Montalva PPOA now moves on to final approval by the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) and the Puerto Rico Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB). This process is expected to last 4-5 weeks. We are very pleased with this outcome and are eager and ready to get started on building this great and long-overdue project that will help transform the Island's energy sector and bring about great savings to the people of Puerto Rico. Once built to full capacity, the Montalva solar project will become the largest solar energy facilities in the whole Caribbean region."

Greenbriar is proudly working together with CMEC of Beijing to design, build and construct this CDN $200 Million facility. CMEC is part of the USD $40 Billion Sinomach Group of Companies, and is world renown in building large scale high quality energy projects.

About Greenbriar Capital Corp

Greenbriar is a leading developer of renewable energy and sustainable real estate. With long-term, high impact, contracted sales agreements in key project locations and led by a successful, industry-recognized operating and development team, Greenbriar targets deep valued assets directed at accretive shareholder value. Greenbriar and its advisors have closed over $180 Billion in renewable energy projects since 2003.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
"Jeff Ciachurski"
Jeffrey J. Ciachurski
Chief Executive Officer and Director

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release may contain forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, constitute "forward-looking statements" and include any information that addresses activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future including the Company's strategy, plans or future financial or operating performance and other statements that express management's expectations or estimates of future performance.

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Southern Asset Management’s Li Haipeng Sees Promising Future for Bond Index Funds

BEIJING, May 15, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – Since 2018, bond index funds have delivered an eye-catching performance as the bond market goes bullish, and bond index fund products have reported an exponential growth in not only the quantity but also the size, drawing increasing attention from investors. Southern Asset Management, as one of the earliest fund companies in China to develop bond index funds, has scaled up its bond index fund products continuously in recent years. According to Wind and the 1Q product reports, as of 1Q20, bond index funds managed by Southern Asset Management added up to more than RMB30 billion, ranking ahead in the entire market; China Southern China Bond 1-3 Years CDB Bond Index Fund has become one of the largest bond index funds across the whole market with a size of over RMB28 billion.
Mr. Li Haipeng, Deputy General Manager & Chief Investment Officer (Fixed Income) at Southern Asset Management



Mr. Li Haipeng, Deputy General Manager & Chief Investment Officer (Fixed Income) at Southern Asset Management, expects the bond index fund market to continue to grow in size and sophistication with the new business formats of the asset management industry. He says his company will further improve the index fund product line based on customer requirements, and provide customers with more diversified instruments.

Advantageous bond index funds onto a fast growth track

As early as in 2011, a bond index fund, namely China Southern CSI 50 Bond Index Fund, was made debut in China's fund industry. It is the predecessor of China Southern China Bond 10-year Treasury Bond Index Fund. However, it was not until 2018 that the bond index market stepped onto a fast growth track in the real sense. Over the past two years, there has been a growth of more than RMB300 billion in the market size. As of 1Q20, the entire market had 103 bond index funds putting RMB367,953 million under management and covering many different classes of assets, e.g. policy-related financial bonds, local government bonds and unsecured bonds with high credit ratings.

Mr. Li said, rapid development in the past years is an inevitability for China's bond index funds, and this is also an irresistible development trend of global mutual fund industry. According to the statistics of Bloomberg, as of 1Q20, bond index funds (including ETFs) in the U.S. had a size of about USD1.52 trillion, accounting for over 28% of all the fixed-income mutual funds. China's bond index funds share a series of common characteristics with their foreign counterparts but they are also unique in their own ways: First, with a clear risk & return characteristic, bond index funds are an ideal instrument for customers to realize the strategy of allocating assets among major categories and also the timing strategy. Second, the clear and transparent operations of bond index funds make them suitable for penetrated management of underlying assets, which is right in the direction of regulatory policies in the era of new asset management regulations. Third, the management fees of bond index funds are usually lower than traditional money market funds and active bond funds. Therefore, they are more cost-effective. Fourth, from a long-term point of view, the performance of passive products may beat active ones. Especially in the current low-interest rate environment, there are relatively limited opportunities of getting an alpha, i.e. excessive return, and thus passive products stand out with their particular advantages.

Mr. Li also stressed, China's bond index fund sector, in spite of a fast growth in recent years, is still in infancy compared with overseas, typically seen in: (1) a relatively small market size. In the entire market bond index funds account for about 8% of all the bond funds, a big gap from the 28% weight in the U.S.; (2)lack of product diversity. Bond index funds currently available in the market mostly invest in short- and medium-term policy-related financial bonds to reflect the common index performance. Their types and tenors call for innovation.

Promising bond index fund market to further enlarge volume

Mr. Li offered insights into the future development of bond index funds. He predicted the market volume and instrument nature of bond index funds would be further strengthened in the days to come. In the new era of pan-asset management, net worth-based product and penetrated supervision will define the development of financial industry. However, net worth-based product does not mean that customers can tolerate sharp fluctuations of product performance. In consideration of customers' traditional wealth management habit, the ability to create sustained absolute return will become the core competitiveness of mutual fund companies, wealth management subsidiaries of banks and other asset management institutions. Because of the big volatility of single assets and the difficulty for them to get an alpha, to secure a long-term stable return must rely on a portfolio which is made up of different assets and takes asset allocations among major categories as the core strategy.

Mr. Li analyzed, in the above-mentioned context, bond index funds which boast a low cost, clear risk & return characteristic, good liquidity, high transparency, stable return and risk decentralization will possibly become the next type of superb instrument products under the new business formats of the asset management industry in the future and help wealth management subsidiaries of banks and other asset management institutions to construct multi-asset portfolios in a cost-efficient manner. Thus, broad development prospects are expected for bond index funds.

Concerning what kind of competitive landscape China's bond index fund market will show in the future, Mr. Li said, "the development of bond index funds in the rest of the world obviously features 'leader effect' and 'first-mover advantage'. The bond index funds managed by Vanguard Group which has accumulated decades' experiences and been reputable in the industry approximate USD700 billion. iShares is a leader in the bond ETF sector, and bond ETFs managed by it exceed USD400 billion. In our opinion, the main reason lies in the fact that a larger fund decentralizes its liabilities and is thus more stable. This is conducive to the application of different asset strategies. What's more, purchases and redemptions by investors usually have a small impact on fund operations and help to control the tracking errors. Moreover, a larger ETF usually has higher liquidity and lower discount/premium in the secondary market, thus in a better position to meet the trading needs of investors, form a loop of positive feedbacks and continuously push up the size. A leader effect is expected in China's developing bond index fund market, just the same as the foreign markets, and the leading companies will become even stronger.

Southern Asset Management expanding bond index fund size to above RMB30 billion after years' endeavors

Back to 2011, Southern Asset Management began to tap the bond index sector, and issued China Southern CSI 50 Bond Index Fund, which was transformed into China Southern China Bond 10-year Treasury Bond Index Fund in 2016. After nearly a decade's endeavors, Southern Asset Management has become increasingly mature in the management techniques, system development and team building of bond index fund products. Its bond index funds post an annualized tracking error rate far lower than the average of comparable counterparts in the market during the operating period, and are more accurate in tracking indexes.

For many years, Southern Asset Management has made unremitting efforts to enhance the management capabilities of bond index funds and committed itself to building a China-famous bond index fund management brand. The long-term efforts have paid off. The company has accumulated rich experiences in the management of bond index funds and put in place an advanced management system. In addition, Southern Asset Management has continued to accelerate the deployment of index fund product line in a bid to provide institutional bond investors with a wide array of investment instruments. Since 2018, Southern Asset Management has taken faster moves in offering bond index fund products. By successively incepting and issuing index product series including China Southern China Bond 1-3 Years CDB Bond Index Fund, China Southern China Bond 3-5 Years ADBC Bond Index Fund and China Southern China Bond 7-10 Years CDB Bond Index Fund, the company has fully covered the yield curves of short-, medium- and long-term products. It has also successively issued a regional unsecured bond index fund, further enriching the product mix.

The years' endeavors of Southern Asset Management have been well recognized by customers. According to Wind and the 1Q product reports, as of 1Q20, bond index funds managed by Southern Asset Management added up to more than RMB30 billion, ranking ahead in the entire market; China Southern China Bond 1-3 Years CDB Bond Index Fund has become one of the largest bond index funds across the whole market with a size of over RMB28 billion.

Following the general trend of increasing investment in bond index products, Mr. Li introduced, "Southern Asset Management will remain focused on two aspects in the future. At the product level, we will, based on customer needs, further improve the index fund product line and provide customers with more diverse instrument products. On the basis of having extended our interest rate bond products to all yield curves, we will place a high premium on index enhanced products, unsecured bond index products and innovative ETF products to further diversify our product line. Particularly in terms of innovative products, Southern Asset Management will deem the development of inter-market ETFs and inter-bank market convertible bond index funds a key project in line with the policy orientation, and make efforts to become one of the first group of fund companies to pilot and premiere innovative products."

Company Overview
On March 6th, 1998, China Southern Asset Management Co., Ltd. (Southern Asset Management) was officially established as one of the first domestic asset management companies approved and regulated by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), which symbolizes the start of our nation's "New Golden Era for Funds".

Southern Asset Management has stood the tests of time and sweeping change in the Chinese capital markets. By showing stable and sustainable performance and providing improved and professional services, Southern Asset Management has managed to continuously build trust and recognition through a wide range of investors including mutual fund investors, the National Council for Social Security Fund, corporate annuity clients and high-net-worth clients.

Southern Asset Management has grown to become an industry leader, with a diverse range of products, comprehensive business activities, exceptional investment performance and a large scale of assets under management. As of March 31st, 2020, Southern Asset Management and its subsidiaries had combined assets under management (AUM) of USD 160.8 billion. Visit www.southernfund.com.

Media Contact: Si Chen
E: chensi@southernfund.com
China Southern Asset Management
URL: https://southernfund.com


Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Blood on the streets: is it the right time to invest?

SYDNEY, May 14, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – In just about three months, the coronavirus managed to spread across the globe triggering an economic crisis in its wake. As a result, the entire globe has experienced a short-term collapse in productivity hence a global financial crisis that experts predict could be worse than that of 2008.

Even though central banks and financial authorities are trying to soften the blow with policies aimed at increasing liquidity in the global economy, it is evident that a global economic downturn is unavoidable. The big question, however, is: How are you as an investor preparing for the looming global economic crisis?

What should investors do?

In the words of Warren Buffet (the oracle of Omaha), the best move is an "attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful." Fear has gripped the markets and for any seasoned investor, the obvious move is to buy low hanging stocks, shares, and bonds in collapsed markets.

However, while markets can be hard to predict even at the best of times, the coronavirus pandemic makes it even harder to understand. Reports show that investors who are getting back into the market are receiving confusing signals as quarterly earnings continue to shrink and corporate reports provide fewer clues about the future.

The truth however is that while some industries are bound to suffer, some will thrive on this pandemic. Therefore, the best move for smart investors is to jump on a platform that gives them a leg up in the market in terms of access to a set of hybrid trading strategies in multiple markets and in a variety of industries.

The tomato analogy

At this time, most investors will be tempted to sit on cash and wait. Even though signs of a market rebound are evident, most investors consider it too early to buy and too late to sell. However, sitting on cash right now will probably do more lasting damage and here is why.

"Government is the only institution that can take a valuable commodity like paper and make it worthless by applying ink." This famous quote by the renowned Australian Economist Ludwig Von Misses, on inflation, is the main reason why you should not sit on cash.

Governments erode the value of each monetary unit whenever they expand a nation's money supply. As governments across the world resort to extraordinary economic stimulus measures in response to the pandemic, the price of assets is bound to go up.

Here is how it works.

Consider the tomato analogy where you are in a market and have only two tomatoes to exchange with your partner's two seashells. In total there are only four items in that market. This means you can swap one tomato for one seashell to the satisfaction of both parties.

However, if two more seashells are discovered in the market while the number of tomatoes remains constant, the price of tomatoes automatically goes up. Now you will have to exchange two seashells for one tomato. This is assuming you only have access to that one market.

What if you had access to avenues of mitigating inflation? You could probably find the most profitable price for your tomatoes or seashells. Well, trusted investment platforms like STAX help you do just that.

With STAX you won't have to settle for the investment options in an inflated market. STAX gives you democratized access to an alternative asset class while enabling you to identify profitable investments even while there is blood on the streets.

What is STAX?

STAX is the first of its kind for raising equity capital in Australia. Its ethos is predicated on bridging the cryptocurrency markets and the traditional securities market. With an investor first approach, the rigorous screening process gives STAX investors access to attractive capital raising opportunities through the utilisation of FIAT or Digital Currencies.

STAX connects companies to people and paves a way for investors to make an impact by investing in the early stages of businesses. At its core, STAX was designed to be an attractive solution for investors. This rings true especially during uncertain times as is the current case with the coronavirus pandemic.

With an investor first approach, STAX allows investors to either use fiat or digital currencies to take part in equity capital raises. This means that FIAT and Digital Currency holders get to invest in companies to create more value in the market thus increasing overall productivity in the economy in the long run.

With this model, STAX democratises access to investors thus lowering the high barrier of entry that locks out startups and small and medium sized enterprises.

The bottom line

Without an inflation-resistant monetary system, an increase in the supply of money in such a system would lead to diminished wealth for investors who choose to hold currency rather than invest appropriately. As the world continues to fight COVID-19, the jury is still out on whether the market will eventually return to normal after the pandemic.

However, for the modern investor, the current pandemic is an opportunity to identify investment opportunities that can stand the test of time. The best move is to rigorously select investment with recurring revenues and scalable business models even amid an economic crisis.

By bridging securities with digital currencies, STAX offers an attractive proposition to experienced investors as well as new entrants to the investment arena. With the secondary market platform in the works, stay tuned for updates at: www.stax.exchange.

You can check out their offerings here https://www.stax.exchange/about/.


Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Greenbriar Capital Corp Provides Montalva Project Update

Coquitlam, British Columbia, May 8, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – Greenbriar Capital Corp. (TSXV: GRB) (OTC: GEBRF) ("Greenbriar") is pleased to announce the following statement from our legal counsel in Washington, DC. Luis Baco, JD, LLM, states:

"Greenbriar Capital Corp ("Greenbriar") is pleased to announce that significant progress has been achieved in the past weeks towards reaching a final agreement with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) on the revised PPOA for the Montalva Solar Project to be built in the municipalities of Guanica and Lajas, Puerto Rico. PREPA informed its Governing Board on April 30 that it has attained substantial progress on 7 of the 19 remaining amended and restated renewable energy PPOAs, and that they expect to reach a final agreement on these projects on or before the Board's self-imposed deadline of May 15 (which constitutes a COVID-19 triggered 15-day extension from the original April 30 deadline). Greenbriar has been informed by PREPA that Montalva is one of these projects, and the expectation on both sides is that a final resolution on the few remaining commercial issues should be achieved within the next week to ten days. Once built, the 80MW to 160MW AC Montalva solar project will be the largest solar energy facility in the Caribbean region and greatly assist PREPA and the Government of Puerto Rico accomplish its very aggressive policy objective to achieve 40% power generation from renewable sources by 2025.

About Greenbriar Capital Corp

Greenbriar is a leading developer of renewable energy and sustainable real estate. With long-term, high impact, contracted sales agreements in key project locations and led by a successful, industry-recognized operating and development team, Greenbriar targets deep valued assets directed at accretive shareholder value. Greenbriar and its advisors have closed over $180 Billion in renewable energy projects since 2003.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
"Jeff Ciachurski"
Jeffrey J. Ciachurski
Chief Executive Officer and Director

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release may contain forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, constitute "forward-looking statements" and include any information that addresses activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future including the Company's strategy, plans or future financial or operating performance and other statements that express management's expectations or estimates of future performance.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/55578

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Greenbriar Capital Corp Reports $3,230,974 or $0.16 per Share of Net Income for Fiscal 2019

Coquitlam, British Columbia, Apr 30, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – Greenbriar Capital Corp. (TSXV: GRB) (OTC: GEBRF) ("Greenbriar") is pleased to announce that it has recorded net income of $3,230,974 or $0.16 per share for the twelve (12) months ending Dec. 31, 2019. These Audited Financial Statements and the respective Management Discussion and Analysis are available for viewing at www.sedar.com.

About Greenbriar Capital Corp

Greenbriar is a leading developer of renewable energy and sustainable real estate. With long-term, high impact, contracted sales agreements in key project locations and led by a successful, industry-recognized operating and development team, Greenbriar targets deep valued assets directed at accretive shareholder value. Greenbriar and its advisors have closed over $180 Billion in renewable energy projects since 2003.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
"Jeff Ciachurski"
Jeffrey J. Ciachurski
Chief Executive Officer and Director

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release may contain forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, constitute "forward-looking statements" and include any information that addresses activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future including the Company's strategy, plans or future financial or operating performance and other statements that express management's expectations or estimates of future performance.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/55211

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com