25/08/2025

BIZ & FINANCE MONDAY | AUG 25, 2025

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Johor to host Asean Digital Content Summit next month

Strong recurring income base boosts Go Hub second-quarter performance

THE Malaysian warrants market recorded a total turnover of RM473.8 million last week, marking a 4.5% week-on-week (w-o-w) increase. Hang Seng Index (HSI) warrants continued to dominate the market, contributing over RM295.3 million, or 62%, of the total turnover. HSI August futures began the week with a decline of 0.2%, closing at 25,198 last Monday, before continuing to make small declines through the week. However, strong buying momentum in the final 1½ hours of Friday’s trading session propelled the HSI futures to close higher at 25,354. For the week, HSI futures rose 0.5%, while the HSI itself recorded its third consecutive weekly gain, driven by hopes of fresh stimulus from Beijing following signs of slowing Chinese economic activity in July. The rebound in the HSI was supported by improved investor sentiment across the region, as markets digested mixed global cues and monitored key economic data releases. On the US front, Wall Street’s PETALING JAYA: The Digital Ministry, through Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), will host the Asean Digital Content Summit 2025 (ADCS 2025) on Sept 2-4 at Persada Johor International Convention Centre in Johor Bahru. The event is organised in collaboration with the Johor state government, demonstrating both national and state-level commit ment to advancing Asean’s digital economy. Held in conjunction with Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship this year, the summit will bring together more than 50 global and regional thought leaders, over 100 exhibiting companies and buyers, and country pavilions from more than 10 participating nations. ADCS 2025 aims to drive inno vation and cross-border colla boration in animation, games and creative technology bringing to gether policymakers, industry leaders, studios, startups, in vestors and creators from across Asean and beyond. The summit kicks off with the o Global industry leaders, policymakers, investors, startups and creators to discuss advancing creative economy WARRANTS WATCH

Singapore Special Economic Zone, the summit reflects the state’s growing position as a hub for creative industries and cross border collaboration. “With Malaysia’s Asean Chair manship 2025 as our strategic advantage, we’re championing digital content as a powerhouse of economic growth and cultural influence across Southeast Asia. And with the Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone as our launchpad, Johor is poised to attract investments, unleash world-class talent, and drive cross-border collaborations that will elevate Asean’s creative economy to global prominence,” said Anuar. “MDEC is pleased to be colla borating with the Johor state government, its agencies and organiser GoFluence to ensure the summit delivers impact and meaningful opportunities for creators, investors and industry leaders.” Public visitors can look forward to a dynamic lineup of weekend activities, including e sports tournaments, outdoor movie screenings, exclusive mer chandise giveaways, and family friendly activities at B5 Johor Street Market celebrating Asean’s vibrant pop culture. On Sept 4, the celebration con tinues with a special screening of the Malaysia Animation Film Festival, featuring a selection of Malaysia’s animated shorts. Nationwide public screenings will follow at selected GSC cinemas from Oct 16. construction giant hit an all-time high of RM5.70 on Friday to end the week 1.8% higher. On Wednesday, Gamuda signed an agreement with SD Guthrie to develop solar energy assets with a targeted accumulated capacity of up to 1.2 gigawatts. This project is expected to deliver approximately RM550 million in equity value to the group and generate RM50 million to RM60 million in annual pre-tax recurring income starting from the 2029 financial year, according to media reports. To view the full list of structured warrants available on Bursa Malaysia, visit malaysiawarrants.com.my. Provided for Malaysian residents’ information only. This commentary has not been reviewed by the Securities Commission Malaysia. It is not an offer or recommendation to trade and is not research material. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. You should make your own assessment and seek professional advice. The warrants will not be offered to any US persons.

other Asean nations. This platform offers corporates, SMEs, entrepreneurs and govern ment agencies the opportunity to explore partnerships in animation intellectual property (IP), game solutions and immersive interactive content to expand into Asean markets. In support of talent and research, ADCS 2025 will show case 50 global technical papers and more than 60 local and international university projects and IPs providing a stage for students to present their work, gain industry recognition, and connect with regional leaders. This initiative is organised in collaboration with KL Chapter ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Inter active Techniques and the Digital Innovation Creativepreneur pro gramme. MDEC CEO Anuar Fariz Fadzil ( pic ) said the summit will serve as a defining platform to accelerate the growth of the region’s creative economy. “ADCS 2025 is not just a summit – it’s a game-changer and marks Johor’s bold leap towards becoming the beating heart of Asean’s digital content revo lution. By bringing together the region’s innovators, masterful storytellers, and technology leaders, we are thrusting Johor into the spotlight as the epicenter of gaming, animation, and im mersive content.” Hosted in Johor Bahru against the backdrop of the Johor– investors initially accumulated this call warrant on Monday but gradually disposed of their holdings throughout the week. Meanwhile, call warrants HSI CWIC and HSI-CWIM secured second and third spots with traded volumes of 300.9 million and 169.7 million units, respectively. On the bearish side, investors anticipating a retracement in the HSI actively traded put warrants such as HSI PWJS, HSI-PWH4, and HSI-PWJH. Among local underlyings, Gamuda, Sunway Construction, YTL Corporation and YTL Power were the top performers last week. Bullish investors traded nearly RM22 million in Gamuda call warrants as the

PETALING JAYA: Go Hub Capital Bhd, a key transportation information technology (IT) solutions provider, recorded revenue of RM11.25 million for the second quarter ended June 30, 2025 (Q2’25), a 13.18% increase from RM9.94 million in the corresponding quarter of 2024 (Q2’24) and a 19.55% increase from RM9.41 million in the immediate preceding quarter (Q1’25). For the quarter, Go Hub trans portation IT solutions which includes terminal operating system, bus operating system and automated fare collection system, continued to be the core contributor, accounting for 98% of total revenue. Profit before tax rose to RM2.05 million from RM1.26 million a year earlier, while profit after tax (PAT) climbed to RM1.45 million compared to RM880,000 previously. On a quarter on-quarter basis, PAT surged more than sevenfold against RM180,000 in Q1’25, underscoring stronger opera ting leverage as recurring revenue contributions ramped up. On a half-year basis, Go Hub posted cumulative revenue of RM20.65 million and PAT of RM1.64 million. The group’s gross profit margin improved to 52.51% in Q2 FY’25, supported by the commencement of bus terminal operations in Gombak and the implementation of the Taxi Queue Management System (TQMS) in KLIA Terminal 1 earlier this year. Go Hub executive director and CEO Tan Cherng Thong said: “Q2 FY2025 reflected the strength of our recurring income base. The commencement of new operations such as the Gombak bus terminal and the KLIA TQMS project contributed positively to our financial performance, reinforcing the resilience of our business model. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, we delivered notable improvements in both revenue and profitability, validating the long-term value of our earlier investments in workforce expansion and project readiness.” He added, “The digitalisation of Malaysia’s public transport ecosystem remains a compelling growth avenue. With our expanded operational footprint and upcoming integrated centre in the Klang Valley, we are well positioned to deliver future-ready solutions that enhance the com muting experience and support the nation’s transportation agenda.” Looking ahead, Go Hub remains optimistic as it actively participates in several public and private tenders, with outcomes expected in the second half of 2025. The group sees rising opportunities from the government’s focus on expanding cashless payment systems, rail station extensions, and other infrastructure initiatives. Coupled with its artificial intelligence-driven development roadmap and enhanced workforce capabilities, Go Hub is confident in sustaining long-term growth and creating value for its stakeholders.

Asean Roundtable Meeting on Sept 2 – a high-level dialogue focused on strengthening collaboration in animation, games, and creative technology development. The roundtable will spark deeper part nerships among Asean member states, reinforcing the region’s position as a global creative hub. Attendees can look forward to inspiring sessions featuring inter national icons such as Koji Morimoto, co-founder of Studio 4°C and a creative visionary behind the acclaimed Japanese anime Akira . At the summit, the Kre8tif! Business Xchange will connect Asean creators with local and international broadcasters, distri butors, and investors through curated pitching and match making sessions. Meanwhile, the exhibition hall will feature the latest in digital content from over 100 companies, alongside country pavilions representing leading studios and startups from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and major indices rallied on Friday after US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell hinted at the possibility of an interest rate cut during his highly anticipated Jackson Hole Sympo sium speech. While Powell empha sised the importance of the up coming jobs and inflation data, his comments increased the likelihood of a rate cut at the Fed’s September meeting. Following his remarks, the probability of a September rate cut was boosted to nearly 90%, com pared to about 75% before the speech. Call warrant HSI-CWGX led the pack as the most actively traded warrant for the week, with a traded volume of 493.5 million units. Bullish

Issues over Hang Seng Index dominate while investors look for signs of recovery

Top warrants by volume traded:

Warrant name

Volume

Issuer

Exercise

Expiry date

(mil) 493.5 300.9 169.7 146.3 142.5

level

HSI-CWGX HSI-CWIC HSI-CWIM HSI-PWJS HSI-PWH4

Macquarie Kenanga Macquarie Macquarie Macquarie

30,000.00 28,000.00 31,000.00 22,000.00 23,000.00

29 Sep 2025 29 Sep 2025 30 Oct 2025 30 Oct 2025 29 Sep 2025