The WPL 2026 mega auction is set to take place in New Delhi on November 27. The announcement followed the release of the Women’s Premier League retention list for next season earlier this month.
Each cricket team at the WPL 2026 auction will be…
The WPL 2026 mega auction is set to take place in New Delhi on November 27. The announcement followed the release of the Women’s Premier League retention list for next season earlier this month.
Each cricket team at the WPL 2026 auction will be…
NEW DELHI — Dozens of Indian pilgrims are feared dead after a bus was in collision with a diesel tanker on Monday near the holy city of Medina in Saudi Arabia, Indian officials said.
The bus with 46 people onboard was travelling from Mecca to…
(Alliance News) – Sirius Real Estate Ltd on Monday reported mixed results for the first half of its financial year with higher revenue and rental roll growth but lower profitability and a drop in net asset value per share.
The London and Johannesburg-listed property investor said pretax profit fell 6.0% to EUR57.5 million in the six months to September 30 from EUR61.2 million the year prior.
This was primarily due to a net foreign exchange loss of EUR14.2 million on sterling cash reserves held in anticipation of UK investments made in the period, the firm explained.
Revenue grew 3.7% to EUR162.3 million from EUR156.5 million, but administrative expenses jumped 71% to EUR43.9 million from EUR25.7 million, while net finance expenses increased 51% to EUR11.2 million from EUR7.4 million
Basic earnings per share climbed 47% to 5.77 euro cents from 3.92c, and by the same magnitude to 5.67c from 3.87c on a diluted basis.
Adjusted NAV per share fell 0.9% to 117.84c from 118.89c, with valuation gains offset by unrealised foreign currency translation effects in the period on the group’s UK assets being converted into the euro-based reporting currency.
Sirius Real Estate reported just over 15% total rent roll growth to EUR242.5 million from EUR210.5 million a year ago, reflecting the impact of acquisitions in the period.
On a like-for-like basis, rent roll growth was 5.2%, driven by continued strong organic growth and occupier demand in Germany and the UK.
The firm reported portfolio gross and net yields of 7.5% and 6.7% in Germany and 12.3% and 8.8% in the UK.
Funds from operations increased 6.6% to EUR64.7 million from EUR60.7 million last year with FFO per share of 4.30c, little changed year-on-year from 4.29c.
Looking ahead, Sirius said it is trading in line with management expectations and continues to target further growth options, particularly in Germany.
The dividend was increased by 4.0% to 3.18c per share from 3.06c.
Shares in Sirius Real Estate were down 1.9% at 96.95 pence each in London on Monday. In Johannesburg, the stock was down 1.6% at ZAR21.95.
By Jeremy Cutler, Alliance News reporter
Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com
Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
SAVE $25: As of Nov. 17, the Amazon Fire Stick 4K Plus is on sale for $24.99 at Amazon. That’s a 50% discount on the list price.
Forest Lin, Corporate Vice President and Head of Tencent Financial Technology, Tencent, speaking at the panel ‘Building an Intelligent Financial Stack’
At the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) 2025, Tencent unveiled its unified vision for how interoperable payments, intelligent digital services and technologies, and cloud-powered AI solutions can come together to simplify and secure the way people and businesses interact across borders.
Tencent’s return to the event this year illustrated how its technologies operate as a cohesive ecosystem; one designed to make digital finance more intuitive, more inclusive, and more deeply connected. Its media technologies also powered the real-time livestream of SFF, enabling people across the world to watch any of SFF’s six main stages virtually with low latency and smooth playback.
Across discussions, exhibitions, and partnerships, Tencent showcased how its work in global payments and financial technology has evolved from enabling transactions to building seamless everyday experiences. Leaders from Tencent Financial Technology, Weixin, and Tencent Cloud shared perspectives on the growing convergence of interoperable infrastructure and how this convergence is reshaping expectations in global digital finance.
“Every day, we’re looking for use cases that could improve our users’ lives,” said Forest Lin, Corporate Vice President of Tencent and Head of Tencent Financial Technology, at the festival’s premier keynote panel “Building an Intelligent Financial Stack.”
He discussed how Tencent’s technology helps small merchants with AI-based tools for menu scanning and QR code ordering, improving efficiency, and Tencent’s approach to fraud prevention, highlighting use of multiple machine learning models to achieve exceptionally low fraud on Weixin Pay. Lin also highlighted Tencent’s proactive stance in the ongoing technological arms race against fraudsters, such as developing a “world model” for payment systems.
Tencent booth at Singapore FinTech Festival 2025.
The SFF’s 10th Anniversary edition of the Tencent booth allowed visitors to experience how this principle took shape in reality with on-site demonstrations. This includes showcases for Tencent Palm, Weixin Pay, TenPay Global, and Weixin Mini Program Ecosystem integration with local businesses.
Speaking in the panel on “Challenges, Opportunities, and Strategies for Achieving Payments Interoperability”, Daniel Hong, Vice President of Tencent Financial Technology, shared his perspective on interoperability and Tencent’s approach of being collaborative, user-focused, and committed to creating value across different payment ecosystems.
“AI can improve current interoperability, acting as a translator and bridge between different systems; however, it may also create new fragmentation problems and challenges, which deserve advance consideration from all parties,” he said, hoping that the industry can build upon past experience to achieve interoperability-by-design and interoperability-by-default in the field of AI payments.
Daniel Hong, Vice President of Tencent Financial Technology, speaking at the “Challenges, Opportunities, and Strategies for Achieving Payments Interoperability” panel
These capabilities were further reinforced through various initiatives announced at the festival:
Visitors experiencing the Tencent Palm demonstration at Tencent’s booth.
The booth showcase debuted its latest O4 recognition module and PCI-certified PalmDa POS terminal from Tencent Palm, allowing visitors to experience the technology across use-cases like payments, registration, and accessibility. The solution is now operational in Singapore at high-frequency locations such as Resorts World Sentosa’s Adventure Cove and, most recently, the Singapore Institute of Technology’s campuses in partnership with CATES.
Visitors also had the opportunity to discover China through its iconic sites and cuisines, an experience powered by Weixin Pay and TenPay Global, either by linking their cards with Weixin Pay or using their home wallets directly in the mainland of China. Expanding on Weixin’s ecosystem, through new integrations with Singapore’s SGQR+, Malaysia’s DuitNow QR, and Thailand’s PromptPay, local merchants are now also able to accept payments from Chinese travellers directly, enjoying broader reach and simplified payment operations.
Etienne Ng, Country Manager, Singapore & Regional Director, Southeast Asia, Weixin Pay, Tencent, at his presentation on ‘Transformational Tech in Finance – Powered by Tencent’, shared, “Tencent’s Palm Solutions show how innovation can make payments faster, safer, and more intuitive. We’re excited to bring Tencent’s next-generation technologies to Singapore to enhance everyday transactions for both users and merchants alike.”
Powell Li, Vice President and Head of Tencent Cloud Computing Products, Tencent Cloud speaking at the panel “China: Scaling AI Across FinTech and Embedded Finance.”
Deepening Tencent’s tech expertise and presence at SFF through AI thought leadership, Powell Li, Vice President and Head of Tencent Cloud Computing Products, Tencent Cloud, spoke on a panel exploring how China’s ecosystem-led AI model, powered by super-app platforms and cross-border financial networks, is reshaping financial services and offering new insights into AI-driven financial infrastructure.
“Scaling AI in financial services demands a strong ecosystem and robust infrastructure. At Tencent Cloud, we are focused on helping partners across the region harness AI safely and effectively, ensuring they can build agile, intelligent, and resilient systems that put their end users first,” said Li.
Across payments, Mini Programs, and cloud AI, Tencent’s participation at SFF 2025 underscored a single goal: to showcase how trusted, interoperable technologies are essential to unlocking a more connected digital economy. By combining these innovations, Tencent is working toward a future where cross-border digital finance feels simple, intuitive, and accessible to all.
McLaren have announced they are entering a second car into the all-female F1 ACADEMY series for the 2026 season, with Ella Lloyd returning for a second campaign alongside new recruit Ella Stevens.
Lloyd sits third in the 2025 standings with one…