Blockchain Press Releases
Trading update and acceleration of strategic actions
KAISERAUGST, Switzerland and HEERLEN, Netherlands, June 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — dsm-firmenich, innovators in nutrition, health, and beauty, provides pro forma consolidated figures, an update on trading for Q2 2023, together with an outlook for full year 2023. In addition, it announces the acceleration of initiatives to structurally improve its performance in vitamins.
The second quarter has seen a further weakening of the vitamin markets, predominantly impacting the performance of Animal, Nutrition & Health, and therefore also affecting the expectations for the company for the second half of 2023.
In response, dsm-firmenich has decided to accelerate a series of actions to restructure its vitamin business. This will result in increased earnings quality and a reduced exposure to vitamins and related earnings volatility.
The merger of DSM and Firmenich created a world-leader in nutrition, health, and beauty, which through its highly integrated portfolio of nutritional, natural, and renewable ingredients, together with complementary science capabilities and technologies, will deliver superior innovation-led growth. Together with the actions announced today, the company remains confident in achieving its mid-term financial targets.
Q2 2023 trading update
Since DSM’s Q1 2023 trading update of 2 May 2023, the challenging conditions in vitamin activities have further deteriorated during June, affecting both pricing and volumes, where the company had expected stable to improving conditions in a normally very strong month. These difficult conditions in vitamins are primarily affecting Animal Nutrition & Health, but also, to a lesser extent, Health, Nutrition & Care.
Consequently, dsm-firmenich expects for Q2 2023, on a pro forma basis, an Adj. EBITDA to be in a range of €400 – 420 million (compared to pro forma Adj EBITDA of €521m in Q1 2023 and €582m in Q2 2022). With this estimated Q2 result, H1 2023 pro forma Adjusted EBITDA will be in the range of €920 – 940 million (compared to € 1,177 million in H1 2022).
This H1 estimate includes an expected negative vitamin effect on Adj. EBITDA of about €200 million as well as a negative foreign exchange effect for dsm-firmenich of about €50 million.
Outlook FY 2023
Given the current weak macro-economic outlook, the company does not anticipate a material improvement in business conditions in the second half of 2023. Vitamin prices are expected to remain at low levels through to the end of the year, with some ongoing destocking through the value chain across its business.
As a result, the company estimates a FY 2023 (pro forma) Adj. EBITDA of between €1,800 –1,900 million (versus €2,275 million FY 2022).
Within this, the company estimates a negative vitamin effect on full year Adj. EBITDA of about €400 million as well as a negative foreign exchange effect for dsm-firmenich of about €100 million. The vitamin effect has been exacerbated by high vitamin inventories, produced at elevated costs, delaying the expected positive impact from lower input costs in H2 2023.
Adapting ANH strategy & accelerating vitamin improvement plans
Confronting these challenges, dsm-firmenich will accelerate its post-merger plans to strengthen the quality of its portfolio of assets, focusing on reducing the earnings impact and volatility from vitamins through clear and impactful actions:
- Restructuring of the vitamin asset footprint, significantly reducing costs. This includes the closure of the Xinghuo vitamin B6 plant in China and the refocusing of the company’s vitamin C activities on its specialty Quali®-C from Dalry (UK) only. The production of Vitamin C in Jiangshan, China, which had already been significantly reduced since the end of 2022, was completely shut down in mid-May and the company is exploring a range of options for the Jiangshan site including partnerships or the repurposing of the manufacturing assets.
- Creating a new separate vitamin unit within ANH that will be tailored to the changed market dynamics. This will result in a simpler, more responsive ‘go-to-market’ model, and a more efficient and agile organization.
- Reducing working capital/inventories, with extended shutdowns of the vitamin A and E plants in Sisseln (Switzerland), scheduled for Q3 2023.
- Establishing a new senior executive role, Vitamin Transformation Program Director, to deliver these performance plans, directly reporting to the CEO Dimitri de Vreeze.
- Accelerating the growth of Animal, Nutrition & Health in its higher-margin Performance Solutions and Precision Services businesses, tackling some of the biggest world challenges related to sustainable food chains, while optimizing its vitamin offerings, using its strong premix base.
Combined, all these actions are expected to result in an estimated saving of around €200 million per year with the full run rate to be reached by the end of 2024. These savings will be in addition to the €350m Adj. EBITDA merger synergies target.
Ingredients plant closure
The Pinova ingredients plant (Georgia, US), part of the Perfumery & Beauty business unit, which was seriously damaged by a fire in April 2023, will not be re-opened. The company will try, where feasible, to secure the supply of these ingredients by leveraging other production units.
Confirmation of dsm-firmenich mid-term financial targets
Further to the specific actions in vitamins as announced today, the company will also take a broader view on all business segments to prioritise and accelerate the company’s high growth/higher margin segments. The company will maintain strict cost controls, accelerated by a wide range of self-help cost saving initiatives, fully focused on maximizing the operational performance of its activities and significantly improve its cash flow generation supported by reducing its working capital.
dsm-firmenich is confident that through principally the quality of its core activities, the targeted €350m Adj. EBITDA synergies, and all actions being taken, it will realize its mid-term financial targets of 22-23% Adj. EBITDA margins and 5-7% annual organic sales growth.
The company remains committed to operating with a strong balance sheet and maintaining a strong investment grade rating, and will prioritise capex, innovation-led organic growth, and dividends in the coming period.
Within all the actions taken, the company remains committed to science, research, sustainability, and innovation, to ensure our growth for the short, mid, and long term and build the company for the future.
Additional financial information
The information above is presented on a pro forma basis. In its report for the first half of 2023 (to be announced on 2 August 2023), the company will report both on a pro forma basis (combined half year performance of DSM and Firmenich as if the deal was closed on 1 January 2023) as well as on IFRS basis (which includes 6 months of DSM activities and almost 2 months of Firmenich activities). The pro forma financial information for the period FY 2022 is disclosed on the website: https://www.dsm-firmenich.com/content/dam/dsm-firmenich/corporate/documents/dsm-firmenich-fy-2022-pro-forma-financials.pdf
The actions listed above in this press release will lead to an estimated impairment of €300-350 million in H1 2023. Total restructuring costs for 2023 incurred as a consequence of this announcement, are estimated at about €200 million. These restructuring costs are additional to the already announced costs related to the merger synergies of €250 million.
About dsm-firmenich,
As innovators in nutrition, health, and beauty, dsm-firmenich reinvents, manufactures, and combines vital nutrients, flavors, and fragrances for the world’s growing population to thrive. With our comprehensive range of solutions, with natural and renewable ingredients and renowned science and technology capabilities, we work to create what is essential for life, desirable for consumers, and more sustainable for the planet. dsm-firmenich is a Swiss-Dutch company, listed on the Euronext Amsterdam, with operations in almost 60 countries and revenues of more than €12 billion. With a diverse, worldwide team of nearly 30,000 employees, we bring progress to life™ every day, everywhere, for billions of people. www.dsm-firmenich.com
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Forward-looking statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements with respect to dsm-firmenich’s future (financial) performance and position. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections of dsm-firmenich and information currently available to the company. dsm-firmenich cautions readers that such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and therefore it should be understood that many factors can cause actual performance and position to differ materially from these statements. dsm-firmenich has no obligation to update the statements contained in this press release, unless required by law. The English language version of the press release is leading.
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Blockchain Press Releases
WSPN Names Austin Campbell CEO of WSPN US to Drive Stablecoin Innovation and Expansion
SINGAPORE, Oct. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Worldwide Stablecoin Payment Network (“WSPN”), a leading digital payments and the issuer of Worldwide USD (“WUSD”), today announced the appointment of Austin Campbell as CEO of WSPN US. Mr. Campbell brings extensive experience in stablecoin markets and digital asset strategy to his new role, including running stable value products at JPM and Citi, managing reserves and risk for the Paxos stablecoins (BUSD, USDP), and having helped to design PYUSD. This appointment signals WSPN’s commitment to building first class financial products and revolutionizing the world of payments with its “Stablecoin 2.0” vision to deliver faster, cheaper, and safer transactions for all.
Building on his significant contributions as Head of Strategy, where he was instrumental in shaping WSPN’s strategic roadmap and identifying new market opportunities for WUSD, Mr. Campbell will now lead the effort in bringing this vision to the US market and beyond. His primary focus will be on:
- Driving the adoption of WUSD: Leveraging his deep understanding of the stablecoin ecosystem, Mr. Campbell will lead initiatives to establish WUSD as a leading solution for businesses globally.
- Leading treasury and risk management: Mr. Campbell will leverage his expertise to ensure the stability and security of WUSD, building trust and confidence among users and partners on a global scale.
- Building a world-class user experience: Mr. Campbell will oversee the development of user-friendly products and services that simplify the use of stablecoins for everyday transactions, regardless of location.
- Fostering strategic partnerships: Mr. Campbell will cultivate relationships with key players in the financial and technology sectors worldwide to expand WUSD’s reach and impact.
“I am incredibly excited to become the CEO of WSPN US,” said Mr. Campbell. “Stablecoins are key to improving the global financial system. We intend to build the best products for consumers and end users, creating a fair system where people control their own money and have global access to dollars. Our goal is to bring world-class user experience to stablecoins, where many users making payments in dollars won’t even have to think about the fact that they’re using blockchain technology. With WSPN, we’re committed to building a better economic model that fosters a virtuous cycle of adoption, benefiting the entire ecosystem.”
Prior to joining WSPN, Mr. Campbell was the founder and managing partner at Zero Knowledge Consulting, advising on market structure and risk management within the crypto ecosystem. Additionally, he is also an adjunct professor at New York University Stern School of Business, educating the next generation of Web3 leaders. His previous experience, including Paxos, Citi, and JP Morgan, coupled with his thought leadership in stablecoin mechanics, uniquely positions him to lead WSPN US towards a future powered by accessible and equitable financial solutions.
“Austin’s expertise and vision have been instrumental in shaping WSPN’s strategic direction,” said Raymond Yuan, Founder and CEO of WSPN. “We are confident that under his leadership, WSPN US will play a crucial role in driving the mass adoption of stablecoins and transforming the financial landscape for the better.”
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About WSPN
WSPN is a leading provider of next-generation stablecoin infrastructure, committed to building a more secure, efficient, and transparent payment solution for the global economy. Their flagship product, WUSD stablecoin, is pegged 1:1 to the U.S. Dollar and aims to optimize secure digital payments for Web3 users. WSPN ‘s Stablecoin 2.0 approach prioritizes user-centricity, community governance, and accessibility, paving the way for widespread stablecoin adoption.
Learn more: www.wspn.io | X | LinkedIn
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Blockchain Press Releases
Common Crawl Foundation and Constellation Network Announce Partnership to Bridge Blockchain and AI
Constellation Network and Common Crawl Foundation are Revolutionizing Web Data Accessibility and AI Development Through Blockchain Technology
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Common Crawl Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 2007, dedicated to providing a copy of the internet to the public, and Constellation Network, a Web3 blockchain ecosystem notable for providing solutions to the US Department of Defense today announced a strategic partnership aimed at democratizing and enhancing the accessibility and utility of web-crawled data on blockchain technology for artificial intelligence (AI) and data applications.
This collaboration will explore potential opportunities for improving large language models used by AI, starting with Common Crawl’s vast dataset that is used by 80% of Large Language Models, crawled over 250 billion web pages to date (19 billion in 2024 alone), and consists of an archive of nearly 9 petabytes of archived crawled data. By leveraging Constellation’s decentralized network, Hypergraph, to add immutability, provenance, and auditability around the data the partnership aligns to provide joint solutions around responsible and transparent AI.
With AI projected to be a $3T industry by 2030, there are growing demands for secure solutions to sharing common data sets being used for the training of large language models, improving storage of queried and cleaned data, monetization opportunities for data, and enhanced transparency with the source of data. With Constellation’s unique approach to providing tools to converge existing infrastructure with distributed and decentralized networks, and Common Crawl’s history of data and growth of data utility, this partnership aligns to further democratize data.
“This partnership represents a significant step forward in securing trusted distribution of Common Crawl” said Rich Skrenta, Executive Director of the Common Crawl Foundation. “By combining our comprehensive web archive with Constellation’s proven implementation of blockchain technology, researchers and developers from around the world can trust what they’re getting from Common Crawl and have a model for authenticating large open data sets, such as those used for AI training”.
Ben Jorgensen, CEO of Constellation Network states, “The partnership between Constellation Network and Common Crawl highlights mainstream adoption of web3 solutions outside the echo chambers of crypto. This alignment continues Constellation’s mission of our zero trust network being used as a public good for a data-focused future”. Jorgensen continues, “Our aim is to further attract new developers by showcasing capabilities, such as integrating immutability throughout digital workflows, and thus further differentiate ourselves from earlier generations of blockchain technology.”
The two organizations will begin a phased approach to implement this initiative, starting with a customizable subnet, called a metagraph, which will integrate a subset of Common Crawl’s data. This subnet is currently live on their test network and will be soon deployed to Constellation’s public network, Hypergraph. Further details of the live metagraph will be featured in the coming weeks along with information on how organizations and developers can participate.
For more information, please visit:
- Common Crawl Foundation: https://commoncrawl.org
- Constellation Network: https://constellationnetwork.io
- X.com @Conste11ation
About Common Crawl Foundation
The Common Crawl Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing a copy of the internet to the public, free of charge. Their web archive consists of petabytes of data collected over years of web crawling, serving as a critical resource for researchers, businesses, and developers worldwide.
About Constellation Network
Constellation Network is a Web3 blockchain ecosystem that bridges crypto economies with traditional businesses. Its flagship network, Hypergraph, provides a solution for fast, scalable, and zero-fee transactions. Constellation’s Network is validated by the US Department of Defense which has been a customer since 2019.
Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those projected.
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Following a management buy-out by the management team at TOKO FZE, the business has been rebranded as Scintilla, the revolutionary platform providing on-chain solutions and services to make investments more inclusive, accessible, and efficient. Having been developed within DLA Piper’s Law& innovation portfolio, TOKO – now Scintilla has a fresh brand identity, new leadership, and innovative product offerings. Scintilla is set to reshape the future of finance by enabling businesses to unlock the power of blockchain technology across various asset classes, with DLA Piper remaining as a minority shareholder.
Regulated by Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), Scintilla is one of the first digital asset companies to gain full market licenses, marking a significant milestone in the sector’s landscape. Being a regulated entity underscores Scintilla’s commitment to the highest standards of compliance and security while pioneering new solutions for tokenization in the global market.
Innovating Finance Through Tokenization
Scintilla offers a comprehensive suite of tokenization services designed to bring liquidity, transparency, and efficiency to traditional finance sectors. From tokenized financial products, and real estate all the way to new legal funding products, Scintilla’s digital asset solutions enable clients to tokenize assets that were previously inaccessible to investors or illiquid.
Scintilla’s services include:
Advisory Services: The gateway to successful market entry. From initial opportunity assessment to strategic development of game-changing tokenization-based solutions.
Use Case Development: Bringing products to life. From initial POC development and iteration towards MVP all the way through to the full market launch.
Broker/Dealer Services: Creating new markets. Regulated primary market trading, ensuring the highest levels of trust and security within the tokenization space.
Exchange Services: Universal participation. Seamless, secure secondary trading of tokenized assets, with industry-leading technology and compliance standards.
Scintilla is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the confluence of Dubai’s world-leading regulatory environment, cutting-edge technology, and the burgeoning RWA market.
A New Era for Scintilla
The relaunch of Scintilla represents more than just a rebranding—it signifies the company’s growing ambition to lead in the digital asset space. With an expanded team of industry experts, including continuing Board representation from DLA Piper, and a clear strategic vision, Scintilla is set to drive the adoption of tokenization in traditional financial markets.
“Our relaunch marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Scintilla and the wider industry. We are committed to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in digital finance while ensuring our solutions are underpinned by strong regulatory compliance,” said Tim Popplewell, CEO of Scintilla. “With our new suite of products and services, we are empowering investors to transform the way they manage and access value.”
Jean-Pierre Douglas-Henry, Managing Director, Sustainability and Resilience, DLA Piper added: “Innovation is a key strand in our business strategy. As our business focuses on developing and nurturing innovations that add significant value to our clients through our Law& innovation program, it is fantastic to see this solution spun out into the thriving digital asset space for the next stage of its growth and development.”
The post DLA Piper’s crypto tokenization engine TOKO relaunches as Scintilla appeared first on HIPTHER Alerts.
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