Nanofilm back in the black with H1 net profit of S$1.6 million
Revenue rose 29.6 per cent to S$107.2 million for the six months ended Jun 30, up from S$82.6 million the year before.
The strong performance was led by the group's advanced materials and industrial equipment business units, Nanofilm said on Wednesday (Aug 13).
The advanced materials business unit posted a 26.1 per cent year-on-year growth, reaching S$89.6 million in revenue and was the largest contributor to group revenue for H1.
The industrial equipment business unit saw a 117.2 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue, driven by project completions and revenue recognition.
Earnings per share stood at S$0.0025, compared with a S$0.0057 loss per share in H1 last year.
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
Sign Up
Sign Up
The group declared an interim dividend of S$0.0033 per share, unchanged from the year-ago period.
Nanofilm said that the strong growth of its advanced materials business unit in H1 was driven by key customers and its expansion into Vietnam.
Nanofilm sees growth momentum continuing in the second half of 2025, supported by demand across South-east Asia, China and newly acquired German operations.
The company is cautiously optimistic about its industrial equipment business unit's prospects for H2, as planned equipment deliveries to key clients and stable after-sales services revenue are expected.
For its nanofabrication business unit, growth is likely to be driven by increased allocations to existing programmes and preparations for new strategic programmes.
Nanofilm added: 'The group had proactively addressed supply chain demands by expanding into new regions and diversifying its production. These initiatives have increased costs over the past two years; costs are under control and no further significant infrastructure investments are anticipated.
'Despite global uncertainties, Nanofilm is well-positioned to navigate these challenges. Diversification across industries and regions, a focus on high-growth sectors, and limited direct US trade enables us to manage risks and capture opportunities in a dynamic market.'
The counter closed flat at S$0.755 before the announcement.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
28 minutes ago
- Business Times
Shifting appetite among Asia's rich could lift investments in alternative assets
[SINGAPORE] More of Asia's richest are viewing private-market investments as a core part of their portfolios, say senior private bankers. With allocations ranging from the single digits up to 15 per cent of their portfolios to the asset class, this could translate to as much as US$1.5 million per investor. If this trend continues, the total assets under management (AUM) in private markets by individuals, each with a net worth of US$10 million, could hit US$1.39 trillion in Asia by 2028, going by a back-of-the-envelope estimate by The Business Times. The sum was derived from Knight Frank's 2025 Wealth Report, which forecasts the number of these wealthy Asia-based individuals to grow to 928,722 in 2028. The report noted that this group stood at 854,465 in 2024, meaning that as much as US$1.28 trillion could be invested in alternative assets . Alternative assets, which comprise private-market investments in equity, credit, real estate and infrastructure, have traditionally been the domain of institutional investors such as pension funds, but rich retail investors are now wanting a piece of the action. As such assets are less liquid and transparent than publicly traded assets such as stocks and bonds, countries generally impose guard rails to restrict the access that retail investors have to these private assets. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up In Singapore, investors who are not private-banking clients – but whose investable assets range from S$5 million at DBS and UOB to US$10 million at Standard Chartered – would generally need to be accredited investors to invest in such instruments. Nicholas Cheng, head of private markets group at Standard Chartered Global Private Bank, told BT that there is a clear trend of private-banking clients in Asia allocating more to alternative assets over the past five years. 'Previously, private-market investments might have been seen as opportunistic, 'nice-to-have' additions. Now, they are increasingly viewed as core, strategic components of a well-diversified portfolio. Clients are actively building long-term allocations, understanding the role these assets play in their overall wealth strategy.' In general, StanChart's private-banking clients allocate 15 per cent of their portfolios to such assets. Diversifying away from public markets Such investors find alternative assets appealing because these instruments allow them to diversify away from equities, which can be volatile in times of uncertainty. In addition, Asia's rich want to increase their exposure to private companies, which may want to stay that way. Chee Jiun Wen, head of alternative investments at Bank of Singapore, said: 'As companies stay private for longer, investors seek alpha generation, and as the emphasis on portfolio diversification grows, we believe opportunities and access to alternative investments should only continue to expand for our clients.' Hamilton Lane, one of the world's biggest private-market investment firms with more than US$958 billion in AUM and supervision, said that 87 per cent of US companies with revenues exceeding US$100 million were private as at early-2022 – and this was just the year following 2021, a record year for initial public offerings, when companies raised US$316.6 billion on US bourses. Private-banking clients are also comfortable with the illiquidity premium that alternative assets offer. This is the premium that these investments offer to investors, to entice them away from publicly traded, more-liquid instruments. Mathieu Forcioli, global and Asia-Pacific regional head of alternatives, wealth and premier solutions at HSBC, said: 'Private-market investing introduces an element of illiquidity in an investment portfolio. Over the past years, our clients have been assessing the amount of illiquidity risk they can take, and have been able to invest outside publicly traded instruments, with the aim of improving the risk/return profile of their portfolio.' HSBC recommends an 11 per cent allocation to alternative assets for those with medium-risk portfolios. As Asia's rich become more familiar and comfortable with investing in alternative assets, they are likely to continue raising their exposure, market observers said. Investing more in alternative assets The private banks that BT approached say their clients' AUM in alternative assets has grown strongly in the past few years. Declining to go into specifics, UOB reported that the figure jumped more than five times between January 2023 and May 2025. At Bank of Singapore, the inflows to alternative investments surged more than 80 per cent in 2024 from the year prior. The Monetary Authority of Singapore's latest annual survey of the local asset-management industry showed the total AUM in alternatives hit nearly S$1.39 trillion in 2024, up 14 per cent from 2023. In private equity and venture capital, the biggest component, AUM rose 20 per cent to S$789 billion. With increasing sophistication in alternative assets, UOB Private Bank's clients are diversifying within private markets. Wong Meng Keet, head of managed products and alternative investments at UOB Private Bank, said: 'Previously, clients interested in alternatives would typically have a combination of investments in hedge funds and private equity. Today, they are spreading their investments across a wider range of options, and it is not unusual for clients to have a combination of private equity, private credit, private real estate and private infrastructure.' Banks are launching more products to cater to the expanding appetite, including the so-called semi-liquid funds that offer periodic redemption opportunities. As open-ended funds that provide ongoing access, investors can stay invested for as long as they choose. They are more palatable to retail investors, compared to the closed-ended funds that cater largely to institutional investors with deeper pockets and longer investment horizons. US$50 million ticket size On the higher end of the wealth spectrum, DBS Private Bank and Hamilton Lane launched a product in June catering to the bank's ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) clients and family offices. With a minimum ticket size of US$50 million, each of these clients can set up a portfolio of private-asset investments tailored by Hamilton Lane, in its first such partnership with DBS. The product has 'garnered strong interest' among DBS' clients since its launch. The bank signed a mandate with a family office where the chief investment officer hails from a commodities trading background and is 'relatively unfamiliar' with investing in private assets, DBS told BT. Kerrine Koh, head of South-east Asia at Hamilton Lane, said the partnership sprung from the firm's observation that UHNW investors often have 'unique objectives, risk tolerance and risk preferences', and that off-the-shelf products may not meet these needs. On the opposite end of the spectrum, accredited investors who are not private-banking clients can access alternative assets at StanChart and OCBC. These are individuals with net personal assets of more than S$2 million, or with an annual income of S$300,000. Priority banking clients at Stanchart with at least S$200,000 in deposits and who are accredited investors in Singapore can make investments in private-market funds. These include a European private-credit fund that the bank launched in February. Accredited investors at OCBC have three private-market funds to choose from. The bank started offering the Blackstone Private Credit Fund in 2022, and added the Apollo Aligned Alternatives Fund this year. This month, the bank added a private-credit fund with a Singapore-dollar share class for the first time, to cater to those who prefer to invest in the local currency, he added. Strong interest in these products 'propelled our private-market funds' AUM 2.5 times in one year', said Timothy Liew, head of investments at OCBC.
Business Times
an hour ago
- Business Times
HSBC plans major global expansion of office, staff surveillance, documents show
[LONDON] HSBC plans to step up surveillance of staff and buildings by adding more cameras and biometric access to its premises globally, internal documents seen by Reuters show, a move that comes amid growing concerns about companies' extensive monitoring of workers. As part of its 'global security strategy', the bank plans a four-fold increase in the number of cameras at its new building in the City of London, a site about half the size of its existing office in Canary Wharf, an internal presentation by the bank's protective security team dated May 2025, seen by Reuters, shows. According to the presentation, the new London building is expected to have an estimated 1,754 cameras, up from about 444 devices installed in its current global headquarters in Canary Wharf in London. It also plans to double its biometric readers to access the new building to 779 from 350. Under the plan, reported here for the first time, access to HSBC's top-tier buildings, including in Britain and the US, should be based on biometric verification, including full-hand recognition. Access can also be 'digital', with employees expected to use their own mobile phones to badge in, the presentation document shows. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up HSBC, Europe's biggest bank by assets, employs more than 210,000 people globally, including more than 31,000 across the UK. Most employees are expected to use personal mobile phones with a firm-installed software on them to gain access. This has met with some resistance from staff, a person with knowledge of the policies said. As of the end of last year, most of the UK staff had yet to adhere to the biometric and digital access policy which the bank started to implement in 2022, in part because of opposition, according to the person. 'The safety and security of our people is at the forefront of everything HSBC does,' an HSBC representative told Reuters. 'We regularly risk assess every building and dependant on the identified risk and vulnerabilities, we continue to invest in the latest cutting-edge technology to safeguard our colleagues, customers and visitors in line with industry standards,' the bank added. Companies have increased surveillance of staff amid a shift to hybrid working, while advances in technology allow for more sophisticated controls. Banks in particular have stepped up monitoring to ensure the parts of their businesses that are heavily regulated comply with conduct rules. National privacy laws determine what companies can monitor. The extensive surveillance enabled by new technologies is raising concerns about risks to workers' rights and wellbeing, according to a May report by the Institute for Public Policy Research, a London-based think tank. In July, HSBC requested that senior staff globally report to the office at least four days a week, starting from October, a bank spokesperson said. Previously, the bank had no global policy on the matter, with approaches varying depending on the country, they said. As demands for office space grow again, the bank has decided to add to its planned City of London HQ, with a new smaller presence in Canary Wharf, Reuters reported. The documents seen by Reuters do not include references to the new Canary Wharf office space. The bank's security project is overseen by Diane Marchena, global head of protective security, who reports to chief operating officer Suzy White, the person with knowledge of the matter said. Marchena and White declined to comment for this article. Israeli surveillance tools HSBC has been working with Israeli firm Octopus since at least 2024, adopting some of its tools for surveillance in the UK and Hong Kong and is planning more rollouts for monitoring, other documents outlining HSBC's global strategy seen by Reuters show. HSBC plans the deployment of Octopus tools in other countries such as India and Mexico this year, the documents, which are undated, show. Israel is one of the world's leading exporters of surveillance. Octopus says it sells its tools to buyers in 28 countries. Its technology has been reportedly used by entities, including the Israeli government to monitor some Israeli cities and a European Union-funded refugee camp on the Greek island of Samos. A representative for Octopus did not take Reuters calls seeking comment and the company did not respond to a Reuters email seeking comment. An HSBC spokesperson said the bank does not comment on vendors or suppliers. Trading floors In HSBC's new London building, the increased video surveillance will include cameras at entry and exit points of trading floors, the May 2025 presentation shows, and the use of artificial intelligence analytics. HSBC's budget for the initial rollout of the new London building surveillance was recently tripled to about US$15 million, the person familiar with the matter said. According to the presentation, 'theft incidents' in its Canary Wharf building 'point to the need for increased CCTV capabilities on working floors,' and that recent 'crime data' showed an increase of incidents, including burglary, within a one-mile radius of the new office. The person familiar with the matter said that theft events on HSBC premises were mostly minor. REUTERS
Business Times
8 hours ago
- Business Times
China Aviation Oil H1 profit rises 18.4% to US$50 million on higher gross profit and associates' share of results
[SINGAPORE] Asia-Pacific's largest physical jet fuel buyer China Aviation Oil (CAO) posted a net profit of US$50 million for the first half of its financial year ended Jun 30. This was an 18.4 per cent year-on-year increase from US$42.3 million. The growth was attributed to increases in gross profit and share of results from associates, the Singapore Exchange-listed group said on Thursday (Aug 14). Earnings per share jumped 18.1 per cent to US$0.0582 from US$0.0493 previously for the company, which is a key supplier of imported jet fuel to China. CAO attributed the rise in business volume to higher trading volumes of crude and fuel oils. The increase in jet fuel supply volume and optimisation gains from trading activities thus led to a jump in revenue and gross profit. Gross profit was US$30.4 million, a 25.7 per cent increase from US$24.2 million recorded in the same period the previous year. Revenue rose 13.6 per cent to US$8.6 billion, from US$7.5 billion in the first half of 2024, underscored by a 'strong uptick' in demand. Total supply and trading volume went up 35.4 per cent to 13.8 million tonnes in H1 FY2025 from 10.2 million tonnes previously. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The share of results from CAO's associates rose 18.6 per cent to US$27.4 million. This was largely down to higher refuelling volumes from the sole supplier of jet fuel at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (leading to a 13.9 per cent increase in contributions to US$25.5 million), and higher contributions from petroleum complex logistics terminal company Oilhub Korea Yeosu. The volume of middle distillates for H1 grew 18.7 per cent to 7.4 million tonnes from 6.2 million tonnes, while the trading volume of other oil products rose to 6.4 million tonnes, from 4 million tonnes in the same period the previous year. This was due to higher trading volumes of fuel and crude oils. CAO also stated that it has zero net-interest-bearing debt. Outlook CAO chief executive Lin Yi said his company is 'cautiously optimistic' about its medium-term outlook. The company pointed out the International Air Transport Association forecast that the total operating profits for the global civil aviation industry are set to grow 6.6 per cent to US$66 billion this year. It added that relaxed visa requirements across countries in the Asia-Pacific mean that the region is expected to account for 52 per cent of the global aviation industry's revenue passenger kilometre increase. China is set to be a 'significant contributor', accounting for more than 40 per cent of the region's aviation traffic, said CAO. 'CAO remains confident about the aviation industry's trajectory amidst a dynamic global landscape,' said Lin, referring to the geopolitical instability, trade tensions and supply-chain disruptions that were seen in the first half of the year. He added: 'Supported by healthy recovery in the global aviation industry, rising demand across our key markets, and new opportunities posed by the low-carbon business, CAO is well-positioned to benefit from these opportunities.' CAO executive chairman Shi Yanliang stated that the company is also 'committed to' its development goals in the sustainable aviation fuel business, alongside business innovation and strengthened risk management. At the mid-day break on Thursday, shares of CAO were flat at S$1.23 compared with its closing price the previous day.