Latest news with #Superform
Crypto Insight
05-08-2025
- Business
- Crypto Insight
DeFi will become the default financial interface
Opinion by: Vikram Arun, co-founder and CEO of Superform DeFi already moves billions of dollars daily, lets anyone create new assets in minutes and rewards users with yields that banks can't match. Using one app to find opportunities, another to bridge, a third to swap, a fourth to deposit and yet another to track your position — all while juggling wallets, chains and gas settings — doesn't feel like a financial revolution. It's more like a flight simulator where most pilots crash on the runway. That complexity must disappear if crypto upgrades global finance and surpasses the earliest risk-takers. But the answer isn't just another protocol. It's a re-architecture of how DeFi is built and used. One that pairs ownerless, composable infrastructure with productized, intuitive interfaces. This depends on two missing layers in today's DeFi stack: the Hyperstructure and the Superapp. Hyperstructures are the internet back-end of money The foundation of this new stack is what we call a hyperstructure. First theorized by Jacob Horne, hyperstructures are protocols that are free to use, valuable to govern and built to last. To support superapps, a hyperstructure must empower builders, as it rewards users and investors. It is permissionless and decentralized, with incentives to improve and add to the protocol. It is also free to use, but valuable to own and govern. Hyperstructures can be created for all kinds of use cases, like trading platforms like Uniswap and Curve, and creator networks like Zora and Farcaster. These platforms began as protocols and are now evolving into ecosystems, offering the backbone for the next generation of applications, aka the superapp. The most urgent frontier is building a hyperstructure for one of money's most basic functions: growing itself. Historically, the ability to grow wealth, through savings, investing and yield, has been heavily permissioned and gatekept. Crypto made transferring money permissionless. With hyperstructures, we can make growing money permissionless, too. DeFi's rapid growth revealed a problem. In scaling yield, many projects adopted models that leaned heavily on centralized APIs, privileged roles and opaque offchain arrangements. The experience appealed to a narrow cohort of users with high risk tolerance and institutional connections. It contradicted the core principles that made crypto valuable in the first place. Superapps support seamless UX on permissionless rails That's where the superapp comes in. It takes the fragmented chaos of DeFi and condenses it into a single, intuitive experience. For this to work, the earn layer needs dedicated infrastructure that expands access to yield while solving two key problems: discovery and execution. Discovery automatically surfaces a comprehensive menu of earning opportunities with reliable onchain data so issuers don't have to apply, promote themselves or rely on centralized listings. Execution compresses complex workflows into one atomic transaction, giving every user the same superpowers. Doing so requires separating the fast-moving product layer from a slower, neutral base that is naturally far more resilient and secure with a lower cost of capital. Anyone can deploy, extend or fork the base without requesting permission. Yet, it must still be able to ship modern primitives that rival the convenience of today's centralized platforms. DeFi that feels like fintech As the base layer standardizes, experience becomes the differentiator. Superapps turn raw infrastructure into products people want to use. You open the app and see familiar tools: 'Cash Now,' 'Savings,' 'Highest Return.' Tap one, and the app automatically bridges, swaps and deposits, all behind the scenes. The best superapps will win on speed, strategy, support and design. The hyperstructure is the engine; users fall in love with the car. Here's the catch: If we optimize only for experience and neglect neutrality, DeFi risks becoming fintech in disguise. Centralized vaults. Opaque risk. Silent governance. That's the danger. And that's exactly what hyperstructures are meant to prevent. Some will argue that users don't care about decentralization. Others will say good design justifies centralization. But crypto was never about short-term convenience; it was about long-term power. If we lose that, we lose the point. In the 2000s, few imagined streaming 4K video across devices over a single protocol. Today, it's second nature. The same will happen with money. People won't ask whether they're 'using DeFi.' They'll just be using money… on open, invisible, and unstoppable rails. DeFi doesn't scale as a patchwork of protocols. It scales as a new financial interface. Hyperstructures provide the foundation. Superapps deliver the experience. When they're aligned, the result is more than just better apps. It's a better system. Opinion by: Vikram Arun, co-founder and CEO of Superform. Source:
Fibre2Fashion
25-06-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
India's Superform achieves ISCC PLUS for eco-friendly production
Superform Chemistries Limited (Brand Name – SUPERFORM), formerly known as UPL Specialty Chemicals Limited, has secured the prestigious 'ISCC PLUS certification' for its manufacturing units in Dahej and Jhagadia, Gujarat. This coveted recognition reinforces the organization's commitment to sustainable manufacturing. The certification is for specialty chemistries like Chlor Alkali, Phosphorous, Sulphur, Cyanide and Phosgene based chemistries manufactured at both sites using renewable energy-based feedstocks. The certified products include Caustic Soda, Chlorine, Hydrogen, Phosphorous Trichloride, Diethyl Phosphite, Triethyl Phosphite, Trimethyl Phosphite, Phosphorous Oxytrichloride, DPMP, Sodium Sulfide, Sodium Hydrogen Sulphide, Sodium Cyanide, Cyanuric Chloride, Phenyl Chloroformate, Methyl Chloroformate, Ethyl Chloroformate, 2- Ethyl Hexyl Chloroformate & Phenyl Isocyanate. In addition to strengthening SUPERFORM's brand positioning, this recognition underscores the organization's commitment to resilient supply chains, full traceability, carbon footprint monitoring, and the advancement of sustainable international trade. Superform Chemistries Limited has received the ISCC PLUS certification for its Dahej and Jhagadia units, recognising sustainable manufacturing of specialty chemistries using renewable feedstocks. The certification enhances brand credibility, supports traceable, low-carbon supply chains, and affirms Superform's commitment to responsible production and global sustainability standards. Speaking about the achievement, Mr. Raj Tiwari, CEO, Superform , said, 'We are honoured to receive the ISCC PLUS certification - a milestone that reflects our steadfast commitment to sustainable manufacturing. This achievement not only strengthens our credibility with stakeholders but also positions us to navigate future regulatory landscapes and meet growing customer demand for environmentally responsible and traceable products. It inspires us to champion sustainable practices across our manufacturing units, aligning with industry-leading benchmarks and setting new standards for responsible production.' The International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) is a globally recognized, independent multi-stakeholder certification system that promotes sustainable, deforestation-free, and climateresilient supply chains. The ISCC PLUS framework supports organizations in implementing strong sustainability strategies, monitoring environmental performance, and optimizing processes to reduce carbon and resource use. Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RM)
Mint
12-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Worst is over; specialty chemicals, new products to drive growth: UPL
Mumbai: Leading maker of agricultural chemicals and seeds UPL Limited is betting on new product launches and further diversification from the agricultural sector to sustain the recovery it recorded in FY25 further in the current fiscal. The company's revenue had grown 8% in FY25 after declining 20% in FY24. It also clocked a ₹ 1,383 crore loss in FY24 due to adverse market conditions, its first annual loss in nearly two decades. Currently, the company also stands to gain from the US-imposed tariff escalation, which would make it a preferable supplier over Chinese companies to American companies, said Jai Shroff, chairman and group CEO, UPL Ltd. 'In the US, there is a fantastic opportunity for us. We are competing without tariffs anyway. With tariffs, we are getting more phone calls from the US customers,' Shroff told the media during a post-earnings conference on Monday. North America accounted for 13% of UPL's FY25 revenue, a shade higher than it earned in India. Latin America is its largest market, accounting for 38% of revenues. To be sure, over the weekend, the Trump administration struck a deal with China to reduce tariffs on Chinese imports from 145% to 30% for 90 days during which the two nations will try to thrash out a trade deal. In return, China has also reduced tariffs on US imports to 10%. Meanwhile, the US has levied a 26% tariff on all Indian shipments. UPL on Monday said it has changed the name of its fully owned subsidiary UPL Specialty Chemicals Ltd to Superform Chemistries Ltd to signal its diversification into specialty chemicals beyond the agriculture industry. It will operate as a fully independent entity, Shroff said. The company logged revenues of ₹ 1 billion in FY25 and UPL expects the business to grow more than 20% in FY26. To bring down its cost of production, UPL had invested in backward integration and started producing a lot of primary chemicals, Shroff said. The company realized that these base chemicals could now be used to manufacture specialty chemicals for sectors beyond agriculture such as pharmaceuticals, paint, polymers and perfumes, he said. 'There is a big need in India (for specialty chemicals) and we have a lot of inquiries. When we looked at the opportunity of Superform (we realized) that we were restricting the growth of Superform. So, we are creating a dedicated, focussed team who runs that business,' Shroff said. The business will be headed by Raj Tiwari as its chief executive officer. UPL will invest ₹ 400-500 crore every year in Superform. On its part, UPL plans to launch 25 new products in FY26, which have a cumulative revenue potential of $130 million (about ₹ 1,100 crore), according to Mike Frank, the chief executive of UPL Corporation. New products brought in $92 million ( ₹ 780 crore) out of the company's total revenue of ₹ 46,640 crore in FY25. The worst is over for UPL now, Shroff said. 'UPL took a very aggressive write down in the previous year. We cleaned up our high-cost inventory. Our teams across the world also got a clear direction that we need to get back to growth after a very tough period,' he said. The company reported a profit of ₹ 897 crore for FY25, ₹ 896 crore of which was accrued in the fourth fiscal quarter. Q4 revenue was up 11% year-on-year to ₹ 15,570 crore. Q4 earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) grew 68% year-on-year to ₹ 3,240 crore. Ebitda margin improved 710 basis points to 20.8%. The company deleveraged its balance sheet by $1 billion in FY25 to end the year with a net debt of $1.62 billion ( ₹ 13,860 crore). Its net debt-to-Ebitda ratio improved to 1.7 from 4 at the end of FY24. Generally an acquisitive company, UPL will continue to focus on deleveraging barring any bargain deal that comes its way, Shroff said. The UPL stock gained nearly 35% since the beginning of the year compared to 5% for the benchmark Sensex. On Monday, the stock closed flat at ₹ 675.9 on the BSE. It is still trading below its 52-week high of ₹ 698.85.
