aurionpro solutions ltd share price Management discussions


1. OVERVIEW

Aurionpro Solutions Limited ("Aurionpro") financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Indian Accounting Standards ("Ind AS"), as prescribed under section 133 of the Companies Act, 2013 ("the Act"), read with the Companies (Indian Accounting Standards) Rules, 2015, as amended from time to time, and other provisions of the Act to the extent notified and applicable. The management of Aurionpro accepts responsibility for the objectivity and integrity of these financial statements, as well as for the various estimates and judgments used therein. The estimates and judgments relating to the financial statements have been made on a prudent and reasonable basis to ensure that the financial statements reflect the state of affairs in a true and fair manner. The management of Aurionpro is committed to continuously improving the level of transparency and disclosure. Accordingly, an attempt has been made to fully and comprehensively disclose information about the company, its business, operations, outlook, risks, and financial condition. The forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the risks inherent in the companys growth strategy, dependency on strategic clients, and reliance on the availability of qualified technical personnel, among other factors discussed in this report. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as they reflect Aurionpro managements analysis only as of the date hereof.

2. ECONOMIC OUTLOOK

The global recovery is slowing amid widening divergences among economic sectors and regions.

Global growth is projected to fall from an estimated 3.5 percent in 2022 to 3.0 percent in both 2023 and 2024. While the forecast for 2023 is modestly higher than predicted in the April 2023 World Economic Outlook (WEO), it remains weak by historical standards. The rise in central bank policy rates to fight inflation continues to weigh on economic activity. Global headline inflation is expected to fall from 8.7 percent in 2022 to 6.8 percent in 2023 and 5.2 percent in 2024. Underlying (core) inflation is projected to decline further gradually, and forecasts for inflation in 2024 have been revised upward.

The recent resolution of the US debt ceiling standoff and, earlier this year, strong action by authorities to contain turbulence in the US and Swiss banking reduced the immediate risks of financial sector turmoil. This moderated the adverse risks to the outlook. However, the balance of risks to global growth remains tilted to the downside. Inflation could remain high and even rise if further shocks occur, including those from an intensification of the war in Ukraine and extreme weather-related events, triggering more restrictive monetary policy. Financial sector turbulence could resume as markets adjust to further policy tightening by central banks. Chinas recovery could slow, in part as a result of unresolved real estate problems and negative cross-border spillovers. Sovereign debt distress could spread to a wider group of economies. On the upside, inflation could fall faster than expected, reducing the need for tight monetary policy, and domestic demand could again prove more resilient.

In most economies, the priority remains achieving sustained disinflation while ensuring financial stability. Therefore, central banks should remain focused on restoring price stability and strengthening financial supervision and risk monitoring. If market strains materialize, countries should provide liquidity promptly while mitigating the possibility of moral hazard. They should also build fiscal buffers, with the composition of fiscal adjustment ensuring targeted support for the most vulnerable. Improvements to the supply side of the economy would facilitate fiscal consolidation and a smoother decline in inflation toward target levels.

3. INDUSTRY STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENTS

The global information technology market grew from S8179.48 billion in 2022 to S8852.41 billion in 2023 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.2%. The Russia-Ukraine war disrupted the chances of global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, at least in the short term. The war between these two countries has led to economic sanctions on multiple countries, a surge in commodity prices, and supply chain disruptions, causing inflation across goods and services and affecting many markets across the globe. The information technology market is expected to grow to $11995.97 billion in 2027 at a CAGR of7.9%.

An uncertain economy-highlighted by high inflation and increased cost of lending—will force banks to pivot to build momentum and provide high-quality customer experiences in 2023. To stay on top of industry trends, banks must find ways to meet their customers where they are, with precisely what they need, at the right time. Its also more urgent than ever that banks find ways to meet these needs efficiently and in ways that manage risk. By using data and technology, fintechs are challenging the traditional business model of commercial lending with differentiated offerings and services. The next-gen banking transformation is to be led by Corporate Banking; Traditional Transaction Banks will face competition with services that fall underthe wholesale transaction banking umbrella, including domestic and cross-border payments, cash management, and supply chain and trade finance. (Source: https://www.bcg. com/publications/2022/bcg-global-payments-report-2022);

Manual processes still exist in the lending life cycle despite new technology rollouts. Even today, 30 to 40 percent of lending resources time is spent on noncore, automatable tasks due to disaggregated systems and manual tasks. The high degree of manual effort is driven by inefficient processes and inaction around improvement opportunities (including digitization). Fintechs are working hard to affect banking through digitization, with the promise of better client experiences and faster decisions at a lower cost. Commercial lending is no exception to this disruption. According to Research Dive, the Global Commercial Lending Market is expected to generate a revenue of $27,406.6 billion and grow at a striking CAGR of 14.4% overthe forecast period of 2021-2028.

The global Smart Ticketing market size is forecast to reach USD 40.16 billion by 2032, growing at an annual compound growth rate (CAGR) of 14.5% from 2022 to 2032. North America and Asia Pacific are rapidly growing markets in these segments, and Aurionpro, as an integrated player with key wins, has secured key wins in these regions.

The Global Data Centre Market is projected to exceed $ 500 billion in 2030, growing at a CAGR of 10.5%. Indias share in the global DC market is rising with the increased digitization of the economy.

Digital India: India is one of the largest and fast-growing markets in the world with reference to digitization. Indias digital economy is expected to grow 10X over the next decade.

4. SEGMENT-WISE OFFERINGS AND PERFORMANCE

At Aurionpro, we provide world-class advanced technology solutions that help enterprises accelerate Digital Innovation - securely and efficiently. We are "One Platform", guiding businesses to ADAPT to a new paradigm in Digital Transformation across Banking, Transportation, Logistics, and Government sectors.

Our offerings are described below:

a. Banking and Fintech:

Our digital solutions are designed to improve processes and automate manual activities, allowing teams to concentrate on building better experiences for customers.

• Retail Banking:

In retail banking, we have powerfully built solutions connecting every aspect of retail banking and customer touchpoints - from branches to kiosks. Aurionpro offers an array of branch transformation solutions, including Queue Management systems, Self-Service Terminals, Customer Feedback Systems & Digital Signage Solutions to banks, and now this expertise is being leveraged by other verticals such as airlines, telecom, and retail outlets.

• Wholesale Banking:

Aurionpro has a streamlined Corporate Banking practice driven by solutions that optimize processes in Transaction Banking and management of Credit Risks

• iCashpro+, an Integrated Transaction Banking Platform that considers the digital transformation trend to deliver an optimal digital transaction banking solution for regional and superregional banks, benchmarked to handle 5 million transactions per hourwith more than 6,000 concurrent users.

• SmartLender, is a platform that provides an end-to-end comprehensive credit risk management solution that boosts productivity, improves credit quality, and lowers operational risks. SmartLender is a market leader in Southeast Asia serving top banks in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

• FXConnect, a Real-Time FX Branch Transaction Platform that has enabled HDFC Bank FX Branchs business for corporate and retail customers with various inward and outward product flavours by bridging the gap between FX Treasury and Core Banking System.

AuroPay & AuroPaybiz- One stop-shop to manage payments; a trusted partner to solve business payment problems, while you focus on your business, providing personalised experience for your customers for faster receivables.

• Aurionpro Market Systems is one of the leading Murex Business Partners. With immense experience, we offer end- to-end services from installation to upgradation of projects for financial institutions, addressing their Capital markets, Treasury, Risk management, and Regulatory needs.

b. Technology Innovation Group

Smart Mobility: Innovative mobility solutions by our team of mobility experts are redefining the future of transit systems, simplifying the lives of citizens and government functions. To this end, we leverage an open loop methodology, providing greater flexibility and streamlining transit ticketing, their payments, visibility of fleets, eased tracking, route planners, department management, etc.

Data Centre and Hybrid Cloud Services: Aurionpro has also ventured into Data Centre building, consulting and hybrid cloud services in recent years and has built a strong team of industry veterans with over 20 years of experience in the field for this purpose. Aurionpro

has also signed up with some customers to provide consulting and assistance for the rollout of 100 MW data centres within the next few years. Further, Aurionpro is also providing consultancy to the other industry leaders on Data Centre designs and implementation. Recently, Aurionpro has also signed some key partnerships in this segment, which will boost our position and best place us to tap immense opportunities in this segment.

Smart City: Recognizing huge opportunities in digital solutions around our current offerings, we have combined smart city, smart mobility, and data center offerings under a single SBU Tech Innovation Group (TIG). Aurionpro has been at the forefront of smart cities and mobility initiatives across the globe. We work closely with governments to implement Digital Urban Infrastructures that can help citizens realize their aspirations using a combination of disruptive technologies backed by a strong service network. We believe that our vision of Smart Cities enabled, powered, and integrated by Digital Future has the ability to touch and alter the lives of countless residents by providing a safer, more convenient, and desirable environment.

Aurobees: Next-gen Supply Chain Platform: Aurionpro also launched Aurobees, an innovative and integrated digitization, fulfilment and financing platform, focused on helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) transform their businesses for the digital economy.

5. OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS

The monumental challenges we face today, from COVID-19 (coronavirus) to the war in Ukraine, have reminded us that throughout history, turbulent times are often accompanied by innovation. The technology-enabled innovation in financial services—known as fintech— is one such example, accelerating rapidly as pandemic shutdowns amplified its importance for maintaining business activity and financial services during a time of social distancing.

Every day, headlines attest to the seismic shifts that fintech is bringing to the financial services industry, driven by a dramatic expansion of internet access and smartphone use, combined with lower-cost computing and data storage. As financial products, payments, and business models evolve—even the concept of money itself—so too do market players and the structures of the markets in which they compete. Large telecommunications and information technology companies, retail chains, and small start-up companies are joining traditional banks and nonfinancial institutions in providing services.

Digital financial services can play a significant role in maintaining active credit markets to support a resilient and inclusive recovery, leveraging data, analytics, and new business models such as embedded finance. They can also create new opportunities to make the global financial system more efficient and inclusive by overcoming geographic and physical obstacles to services and by making information more widely available to consumers and providers.

Aurionpro has re-invented itself with changing times and has positioned itself as a leading player catering to the Banking and Fintech industry with an arena of IP-based offerings. Aurionpro, through constant technological innovations, has also diversified into newer businesses such as Smart City and Smart Mobility, data centre consulting, etc. Being banking and fintech leaders in Asia, we will continue to innovate to launch newer products that will consolidate and strengthen our market position. The company will also be making inroads into hitherto untrodden geographies. Aurionpro is also the preferred partner for governments in the smart city segment, which is poised for tremendous growth in the coming years. Aurionpro partnered with Webwerks to successfully operationalise Tier 3 data centres (DC) in Navi Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore this year. Aurionpro is supporting Webwerks with DC Design, Consultancy, Master Planning and also DC turnkey build in these projects.

The Smart Transportation Market is expected to undergo significant growth from 2023 to 2028, driven by the growing demand for various types (Ticketing Management System, Parking Management System, Integrated Supervision System, Traffic Management System) and applications (airways, roadways, railways). The markets growth will be fueled by factors such as size, segmentations, emerging trends, sales volume, and the dynamics of demand and supply. Additionally, the increasing adoption of advanced technologies and investments in research and development activities are expected to create lucrative opportunities for the markets progress. Aurionpro, with its robust IP-based solutions in the Automated Fare Collection (AFC) space, coupled with the strategic acquisition of SC Soft and ATASPL, has established itself as the only integrated player in the market. In 2022-23, the successful go-live of the "loT-based Integrated Bus Ticketing System" for the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) was a feather in the Companys cap. With the right partnerships and key wins in some large geographies, Aurionpro is foreseeing healthy gains in this segment. Data centre is another upcoming business with huge growth potential. Aurionpro has built a strong team of skilled and experienced resources, which is expected to drive our future growth in this business.

Overall, with strong financial performance, a healthy balance sheet, and key order wins in recent businesses, Aurionpro is geared to witness a strong growth phase going forward.

6. RISKS AND CONCERNS

The risk of economic recession continues to impact almost all industries, and tech has not been spared, despite the postpandemic boom. The concerns about recession driving other macro risks resonate throughout our analysts primary concerns, such as emerging markets pain, tech earnings retreats, and Chinas recovery path.

In 2022, we also saw an escalation of tensions in the United States-China rivalry. Most prominently, sanctions by US authorities against Chinas fledging semiconductor industry are likely to hold back growth in this strategically important sector, with deep and long-lasting ramifications in China and beyond. Any of these have the potential to plunge the countries into deeper conflicts, but from our point of view, the fragmentation of the global system into potentially two standards is the most serious threat for the tech industry, as innovation will slow while costs go up.

Emerging market pain: The post-pandemic boom is absent in emerging markets, resulting in a notable drop in living standards. A strong US dollar, a lack of inward investments, deteriorating fiscal and monetary positions, and continued volatility in energy and food supplies will hamper emerging markets growth potential.

Tech earnings retreat: Big Tech hired too many workers and took on too many poorly thought-out projects. Now, the withdrawal of easy money is harshly exposing the less robust companies. Sectors exposed to geopolitical tensions, regulatory scrutiny, and business models accused of brewing social ills will be most under pressure.

Cybersecurity: The pandemic and the war in Ukraine ushered in a period of persistent and high-profile cyberattacks, which will continue to pose grave risks to businesses and institutions in the coming years. There is a sense that defenders struggle to catch up with the attackers, who are richly resourced and operate nimbly, with some backed by malevolent state actors.

Supply chain ‘reshoring not living up to expectations: Talk of building a domestic and resilient supply chain continues to gain traction, but the global recessionary environment, the nature of economic principles, and logistical realities pose daunting challenges for those looking to move established supply chains home.

Aurionpro keeps investing in future technologies and enhancement to its offerings, which would dominate the markets. The success of such offerings would largely depend on the ability of Aurionpro to position itself correctly in the market and its focused marketing approach. Aurionpro understands this and adopts the right marketing and promotion activities to educate and apprise the market about Aurionpros innovations.

Attracting and retaining talent is critical for any organization. Aurionpros success depends upon its ability to attract and retain highly skilled resources and managers. The loss of key resources, especially to competitors, could materially impact our business. We adopt a risk-reward model for all our top management and managers, thereby creating additional incentives for them to drive the Companys objectives forward.

The meeting of the customers and markets expectations is the key challenge for any organization and in order to meet this challenge, companies will have to keep investing in their offerings and keep upgrading them as per customer needs and market trends. All the industry players face this challenge. Aurionpro constantly invests in newer technologies and innovations in order to improve the performance of its offerings and the customer experience.

Below are some specific risks that we face at Aurionpro and how we have mitigated them:

• IT services business cant sustain its margins long term—At Aurionpro we have centered our business around differentiated IP assets

• Single product business will be high risk, with lumpy revenue stream—At Aurionpro, we have built a portfolio of multiple IP Assets

• Single sector business will be too exposed to cyclicality—At Aurionpro, we have expanded our IP portfolio to un-corelated sectors where possible

• Expanding across the value chain is crucial to create competitive advantage—At Aurionpro, we have executed strategic vertical integration across the value chain

7. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENTS

We are focussed at stepping up our R&D investments to capitalize on the immense growth opportunities for our products that come with planned market expansion as well as offering expansions. Aurionpro has also built a string of skilled resources focused on research and development. Our R&D teams had an exceptional year with a slew of new product launches across all segments. As we go further, we will continue our focus on driving a large part of

the reinvested capital into enhancing our R&D spend, as well as continuing to invest in expanding capacity to meet the demand from new markets and adjacencies in the value chain.

8. FUTURE OUTLOOK

We have started this year with an excellent performance after two consecutive years of high growth. The performance of FY 23 has exceeded our projections. The momentum is expected to accelerate going forward on the back of a growing pipeline and a strong order book. We are witnessing a strong demand environment in the market for all our core offerings. We are still in the very early stages of tapping into a large global addressable market for each of our strategic bets, and we will remain sharply focused on executing with energy and discipline to continue to deliver strong revenue and profit growth in FY24 and beyond.

The IT Industry to Grow Further During 2023

Worldwide IT spending is projected to be S4.6 trillion in 2023, an increase of 5.1 percent from 2022, according to the latest forecast by Gartner. The demand for IT in 2023 is expected to be very strong as enterprises push forward with digital business initiatives in response to economic turmoil.

One must be wondering: if the major industry outputs are expected to shrink by an average of 15-20 percent in 2023, how come the global IT industry spend can grow at 5.1 percent? Well, the simple reason is in the last two years post-COVID, every company and industry has already realized the value of digital, and there are no doubts about not funding it or ignoring it. The guestion is not about not doing digital, but rather how to fund the digital projects. Most of the digital projects are likely to get funded through the freezing of investment on non-strategic projects and the closure of non-strategic initiatives during 2023. Heading into 2023, the signs of progress that appeared overthe past yearcontinue to blossom. The organizations that have made it through recent and ongoing turmoil are using their newfound resilience as a springboard into the future.

1. Cloud Initiatives will gain further momentum in 2023. It

will serve the dual purposes of business agility and cost rationalization for organizations. Discretionary spending will either vanish or will string to skeleton mode during the first half of 2023.

2. Artificial Intelligence (Al) Initiatives are likely to grow during 2023 to target new products, pricing optimization, channel efficiency, promotional effectiveness, and new customer targeting in the recessionary environment. Most of Al projects will be centered around the monetization of data themes. However, the ticket or deal size of Al initiatives is expected to be small to moderate in size.

3. Automation Theme will pick up steam once again during 2023, which is good news for the vendors operating in this space. The RPA or hyperautomation projects will get further ammunition during 2023. While digital cannot address or reverse the macro-economic challenges, it can definitely bring agility, momentum and push the growth agenda for every business in every industry.

4. Customer Engagement and Service-driven initiatives using platform re/engineering and modern architecture are likely to be the only exception that will get fresh funding amid the uncertain environment.

5. Cybersecurity will automatically get attention due to higher

Cloud adoption. Cloud, Artificial intelligence, Platform Engineering, Automation, and Cybersecurity are going to be the five technology focus pillars for the majority of the companies during 2023.

Attritions, Higher Wages and Skill Shortage Trends Likely to Remain Same

The cost optimization will give further push to outsourcing during 2023 due to cost pressure, which is good news for IT vendors. Europe, which will be impacted the most due to economic volatility and geo-political conditions, is likely to explore outsourcing routes more than other economies. The cost of growing labor will continue to daunt the IT players during 2023 as well, and the higher attrition trends will more or less remain the same. The shortage of in-demand skills across the IT industry will remain a challenge during 2023.

For IT industry players, the technology themes focus on areas and challenges for 2023 are not very different from this year. In a way, it is good news as IT companies need not change their course and strategy dramatically even during these turbulent conditions. Strategic execution is going to be the differentiator as well as a competitive advantage for a majority of IT companies during 2023.

DISCUSSION ON CONSLIDATED FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE WITH RESPECT TO OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE Revenue from operations

Our revenues are derived from Sale of Software Services & Sale of eguipment and product license. During the year, the total revenue from operations (consolidated) was 65,933.16 Lakhs against 50,501.22 Lakhs for the previous year.

Operating and other expense

The operating and other expenses comprise of Software licenses and material costs, Administration and other general functions, travelling, communication, legal and professional charges, rent, repairs and maintenance, recruitment and training and other allocated infrastructure expenses.

During the year, the operating and other expense were 29,474.80 lakhs as against 21,768.52 lakhs in the previous year.

Employee Benefit Expenses

During the year, the Employee Cost was 21,953.81 lakhs as againstRs 17,595.03 Lakhs in the previous year.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) excluding other income.

During the year, our operating Profit was 14,504.55 Lakhs as againstRs 11,158.56 forthe previous year.

Depreciation and amortisation expense

The depreciation and amortisation on Property Plant & Eguipment (PPE), Other Intangible Assets and Right to Use Assets was 1,585.00 Lakhs for the year as against 1,397.91 Lakhs during the previous year. As percentage of revenue, it was 2% and 3% for the year and previous year respectively.

Other Income

Other Income primarily consists of interest income, dividend income, Foreign exchange fluctuation gain, Rental income and other miscellaneous income. Other income for the year was 433.19 Lakhs compared toRs 509.77 Lakhs forthe previous year.

Tax expense

Current tax expense was 2,269.66 Lakhs as against 1,818.56

Lakhs for the previous year and Deferred tax charge/(Credit) was (226.03 lakhs) as against Deferred tax charge of 89.75 lakhs for the previous year.

Profit before tax (PBT)

Net Profit before tax from Operations for the year was 12,232.20 Lakhs, i.e.19 %of revenue,9,465.69 Lakhs, i.e.19 % of Revenue for the previous year.

Profit after tax (PAT)

Net Profit after tax for the year was 10,188.57 Lakhs, i.e. 15% of revenue, 7,557.38 Lakhs, i.e. 15% of revenue for the previous year.

Other Equity

Other Equity as at 31st March 2023 Increased to47,492.40 Lakhs as compared with 37,406.85 Lakhs as at31st March 2022.

Short-term and long-term borrowing

The total short-term and long-term borrowing as at 31st March 2023 was 7,463.72 Lakhs as against 5,729.65 Lakhs as at 31st March 2022.

Trade Payable and other current liabilities

The total Trade Payable and other current liabilities (financial and Non Financials) increased by 6,270.19 Lakhs from 15,515.21

lakhs on 31st March 2022 to 21,785.40 Lakhs on 31st March 2023.

PPE, Other Intangible Assets and capital work in progress

The Net Block of PPE, Other Intangible Assets and capital work in progress Increased by 3,211.03 Lakhs from 8,593.64 Lakhs as on 31st March 2022 to 11,804.67 Lakhs on 31st March 2023.

Other Non-Current Assets (Financials and Non Financials)

There was an increase in Long-term loans and advances from 1,910.26 Lakhs on 31st March 2022 to 2,245.23 Lakhs on 31st March 2023.

Trade receivables

Trade receivables as on 31st March 2023 was 19,939.50 Lakhs against 13,036.72 Lakhs on 31st March 2022. In the opinion of management, all the Trade receivables are good, recoverable and necessary provision has been made for debts considered to be bad and doubtful. The level of receivables is normal and is in tune with business requirements and trends.

Cash and cash equivalents

The cash and bank balances lying with the company as on 31st March 2023 were 2,402.12 lakhs as against 4,044.12 lakhs in the previous year.

Key Financial Ratio:
Sr. No. 1 Consolidated Ratio 31st March, 2023 31st March, 2022 Reasoning as per Financials
Debtors Turnover Ratio 4.00 4.33 Decrease is mainly because the proportion of increase in revenue is less than increase in receivable from Operation.
2 Current Ratio 1.98 2.11 Reduction due to increase in Current Liabilities
3 Debt Equity Ratio 0.14 0.14 There is no significant change.
4 Interest Coverage Ratio 16.2 16.6 There is no significant change.
5 Operating profit margin 29.1% 28.6% Increase is mainly because the operating profit in current financial year as compare to previous year
6 Net Profit Margin 15% 15% There is no significant change.
7 Inventory Turnover Ratio 6.25 4.94 Increase is mainly because the proportion of increase in cost of goods sold is more than increase in average inventory
8 Return on Net Worth (RONW) 19.8% 19.0% Increase is mainly because the net profit after tax in current financial year as compare to previous year.

9. INTERNAL CONTROL SYSTEMS AND THEIR ADEQUACY:

The Directors Report section in the Annual Report discusses the adequacy of our internal control system and procedures.

10. MATERIAL DEVELOPMENTS IN HUMAN RESOUCES / INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS FRONT, INCLUDING NUMBER OF PEOPLE EMPLOYED:

The Employees are critical assets for the company, over a period Aurionpro has built a strong team consisting if domain experts. Our personnel policies are focused on creating an environment which will derive best returns for the organisation as well as the concerned employees. The company has strengthened its workforce by employing more than 2000+ employees at group level.

Conclusion

Digital will continue to drive the IT industry agenda for 2023. Companies must holistically assess their weaknesses and strengthen their digital and governance capabilities. Cloud, Artificial intelligence, Platform Engineering, Automation, and Cybersecurity will drive the agenda for many CXOs globally. Strategic execution becomes very critical in an uncertain environment where attrition, inflation, skill shortages, higher wages, and shrinking demand are inevitable.