ncl research and financial services ltd share price Directors report

OVERALL PERFORMANCE

Total revenue for the year stood at 396.24 lakh in comparison to last years revenue of 197.15 lakh. In term of Profit/(Loss) before taxation, the Company has earned a profit of 80.25 lakh in comparison to last years profit of 105.95 lakh. Profit/(Loss) after Tax and Extra-Ordinary Items stood at 60.07 lakh in comparison to last financial years profit of 104.39 lakh. Your Company is one of the RBI registered NBFC and is engaged in the business of finance and investments. The Company is carrying trading/investment activities in both Equity and FNO Segment and also trading in Commodities market apart from its financing activities.

DIVIDEND

In order to conserve resources and to meet financial requirements to implement its future plans, your Directors do not propose any dividend for the year under review.

GENERAL RESERVES

The General Reserve is used from time to time to transfer profits from retained earnings for appropriation purposes. As the General reserve is created by a transfer from one component of equity to another and is not an item of other comprehensive income, items included in the General reserve will not be reclassified subsequently to the statement of profit and loss.

STATUTORY RESERVES

Statutory Reserve represents the reserve created pursuant to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (the “RBI Act”) and related regulations applicable to those companies. Under the RBI Act, a non-banking finance company is required to transfer an amount not less than 20% of its net profit to a reserve fund before declaring any dividend. Appropriation from this reserve fund is permitted only for the purposes specified by the RBI.

The Company during the year under review, has transferred 20.40 lakh to Special Reserve out of the Retained Earnings.

IMPAIRMENT RESERVES

Impairment Reserve represents the reserve created pursuant to the per RBI circular dated March 13, 2020 on ‘Implementation of Indian Accounting Standards. Under the circular, where the impairment allowance under Ind AS 109 is lower than the provisioning required as per prudential norms on Income Recognition, Asset Classification and Provisioning (including standard asset provisioning) the difference should be appropriated from the net profit to a separate ‘Impairment Reserve. Withdrawals from this reserve is allowed only after obtaining permission from the RBI.

SHARE CAPITAL

Pursuant to the Authority given by Members in the EOGM held on 23^rd November 2021, the Company has issued 48,86,28,000 Equity Shares of 1/- each Right basis during the financial year. Post above referred corporate actions, the paid up Equity Share Capital as on March 31, 2023 was 107.0328 Crore consisting of 1,07,03,28,000 Equity Shares of 1/- each. During the year under review, the Company has not issued any share with differential voting rights; nor granted stock options nor sweat equity, apart from Right Issue of Equity Shares, as stated above. As on March 31, 2023, none of the Directors and/or Key Managerial Person of the Company hold instruments convertible in to Equity Shares of the Company.

FINANCE AND ACCOUNTS

As mandated by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, the financial statements for the year ended on March 31, 2023 has been prepared in accordance with the Indian Accounting Standards (IND AS) notified under Section 133 of the Companies Act, 2013 read with the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014. The estimates and judgements relating to the Financial Statements are made on a prudent basis, so as to reflect in a true and fair manner, the form and substance of transactions and reasonably present the Companys state of affairs, profits and cash flows for the year ended March 31, 2023. Accounting policies have been consistently applied except where a newly issued accounting standard, if initially adopted or a revision to an existing accounting standard requires a change in the accounting policy hitherto in use. Management evaluates all recently issued or revised accounting standards on an ongoing basis. The Company discloses standalone financial results on a quarterly basis which are subjected to limited review and publishes standalone audited financial results on an annual basis. The Company continues to focus on judicious management of its working capital, receivables, inventories and other working capital parameters were kept under strict check through continuous monitoring. There is no audit qualification in the standalone financial statements by the statutory auditors for the year under review.

BUSINESS SEGMENT

Your Company is one of the RBI registered NBFC and is into the business of Finance & Investments in accordance with the Accounting Standard 17 notified by Companies (Accounting Standards) Rules 2006.

PARTICULARS OF LOANS, GUARANTEES & INVESTMENTS

Details of Loans, Guarantees and Investments, if any, covered under the provisions of Section 186 of the Companies Act, 2013 are given in the notes to the Financial Statements.

SUBSIDIARY COMPANY

The Company does not have any Subsidiary, Associates and Joint Venture, whose net worth exceeds 20% of the consolidated net worth of the holding company in the immediately preceding accounting year or has generated 20% of the consolidated income of the Company during the previous financial year. Accordingly, a policy on material subsidiaries has not been formulated. Further, during the year, no Company has ceased to be Subsidiary, Associate or Joint Venture Company.

POLICY FOR DETERMINING MATERIAL SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES

The Company has formulated a “Policy for determining material Subsidiary Companies” of the Company. This policy is available on your Companys website at https://www.nclfin.com/company-policies.html

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

All transactions entered into with related parties as defined under the Companies Act, 2013 during the financial year, were in the ordinary course of business and on an arms length pricing basis and do not attract the provisions of Section 188 of the Companies Act, 2013. There were no materially significant transactions with the related parties during the financial year, which were in conflict with the interest of the Company. The requisite details under Form AOC-2 in Annexure III have been provided elsewhere in this Report. Suitable disclosure as required by the Accounting Standard (Ind-AS 24) has been made in the notes to the Financial Statements. All Related Party Transactions are placed before the Audit Committee for approval. Omnibus approval was obtained on a yearly basis for transactions which are of repetitive nature. Transactions entered into pursuant to omnibus approval are verified by the Risk Assurance Department and a statement giving details of all Related Party Transactions are placed before the Audit Committee and the Board for review and approval on a quarterly basis. None of the Directors has any pecuniary relationships or transactions vis-a-vis the Company The Company has put in place a mechanism for certifying the Related Party Transactions Statements placed before the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors from an Independent Chartered Accountant Firm. The Policy on materiality of and dealing with Related Party Transactions as approved by the Board is uploaded on the website of the Company and is accessible at the website of the Company. None of the Directors has any pecuniary relationship or transactions vis-a-vis the Company except remuneration and sitting fees. In accordance with the provisions of the SEBI Listing Regulations, the Company has in place the Policy on dealing with Related Party Transactions which is available on its website at the link: https://www.nclfin.com/company-policies.html

MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

The Management Discussion and Analysis on the operations of the Company as prescribed under Part B of Schedule V read with regulation 34(3) of the Listing Regulations, 2015 is provided in a separate section and forms part of the Directors Report.

MATERIAL CHANGES AFFECTING THE COMPANY

There have been no material changes and commitments affecting the financial position of the Company between the end of the financial year and date of this report. There has been no change in the nature of business of the Company.

BOARD EVALUATION

The Board of Directors has carried out an annual evaluation of its own performance, board committees and individual directors pursuant to the provisions of the Act and SEBI Listing Regulations. The performance of the Board was evaluated by the Board after seeking inputs from all the directors on the basis of criteria such as the board composition and structure, effectiveness of board processes, information and functioning, etc. The performance of the committees was evaluated by the board after seeking inputs from the committee members on the basis of criteria such as the composition of committees, effectiveness of committee meetings, etc. The above criteria are broadly based on the Guidance Note on Board Evaluation issued by the Securities and Exchange Board of India on January 5, 2017. In Compliance with Section 149 (7) read with Schedule IV of the Companies Act, 2013 and Regulations 25(3) of the SEBI LODR Regulations, 2015, a separate Board Meeting of Independent Directors of the Company was held on March 2, 2023 wherein, the following items in agenda were discussed: reviewed the performance of Non-Independent Directors and the Board as a whole. reviewed the performance of the Chairperson of the company, taking into account the views of Executive Directors and Non-Executive Directors; Assessed the quality, quantity and timeliness of flow of information between the Company Management and the Board that is necessary for the Board to effectively and reasonably perform their duties. The Board evaluates its composition to ensure that the Board has the appropriate mix of skills, experience, independence and knowledge to ensure their continued effectiveness. In the table below, the specific areas of focus or expertise of individual Board members have been highlighted.

NUMBER OF MEETINGS OF THE BOARD

The details of the Board Meetings and other Committee Meetings held during the financial year 2022-23 are given in the separate section of Corporate Governance Report.

BOARD COMMITTEES

All Committees of the Board of Directors are constituted in line with the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and applicable regulations of SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015.

MANAGEMENT

There is no change in Management of the Company during the year under review.

DIRECTORS

During FY 2022-23, Mr. Purushottam Khandelwal & Mr. Raj Kumar Chhakra, Independent Directors have resigned from the Board w.e.f. 11^th October 2022 in order to explore better opportunities. In their places, Board has appointed Ms. Sudipta Bhattacharya and Ms. Haimonti Das. The members of the Company have approved the appointment of both the Directors viz. Mrs. Swagata Dasgupta and Ms. Rajeswari Bangal on dated December 15, 2022 by way of Postal Ballot. Apart from above, there is no change in the composition of Board of Directors of the Company during the current financial year. The details of programme for familiarization of Independent Directors with the Company, nature of the business segments in which the Company operates and related matters are put up on the website of the Company Further, none of the Directors of the Company are disqualified under sub-section (2) of Section 164 of the Companies Act, 2013.

INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS & KMPs

As per provisions of Section 149 of the 2013 Act, independent directors shall hold office for a term up to five consecutive years on the board of a company, but shall be eligible for re-appointment for another term up to five years on passing of a special resolution by the company and disclosure of such appointment in Boards Report. Further Section 152 of the Act provides that the independent directors shall not be liable to retire by rotation in the Annual General Meeting (‘AGM) of the Company. As per requirements of Regulation 25 of Listing Regulations, a person shall not serve as an independent director in more than seven listed entities: provided that any person who is serving as a whole time director in any listed entity shall serve as an independent director in not more than three listed entities. Further, independent directors of the listed entity shall hold at least one meeting in a year, without the presence of non-independent directors and members of the management and all the independent directors shall strive to be present at such meeting. In the opinion of the Board, the Independent Directors possess the requisite expertise and experience and are the persons of high integrity and repute. They fulfil the conditions specified in the Companies Act, 2013 and the Rules made thereunder and are independent of the management. The Independent Directors have confirmed that they have complied with the Companys Code of Business Conduct & Ethics. Neither there was a change in the composition of Board during the current financial however changes in the employees from KMP category are stated herein below-

DETAILS OF DIRECTORS / KMP APPOINTED AND RESIGNED DURING THE YEAR

Matrix setting out the skills/expertise/competence of the Board of Directors

DECLARATION BY INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR(S) AND RE-APPOINTMENT, IF ANY

The Independent Directors of the Company have confirmed compliance of relevant provisions of Rule 6 of the Companies (Appointments and Qualifications of Directors) Rules, 2014. The Nomination and Remuneration Committee had adopted principles for identification of Key Managerial Personnel, Senior Management including the Executive Directors. Further, all the Independent Directors have submitted their disclosures to the Board that they fulfil all the requirements as stipulated in Section 149(6) of the Companies Act, 2013 and Regulation 16(1)(b) of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, so as to qualify themselves to be appointed as Independent Directors under the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and the relevant rules. In terms of Regulation 25(8) of Listing Regulations, they have confirmed that they are not aware of any circumstance or situation which exists or may be reasonably anticipated that could impair or impact their liability to discharge their duties. Based on the declaration received from Independent Directors, the Board of Directors have confirmed that they meet the criteria of Independence as mentioned under Section 149 of the Companies Act, 2013 and Regulation 16(1)(b) of Listing Regulations and they are independent of the management.

EVALUATION OF DIRECTORS, BOARD AND COMMITTEES

The Nomination and Remuneration Committee (NRC) of the Company has devised a policy for performance evaluation of the individual directors, Board and its Committees, which includes criteria for performance evaluation. Pursuant to the provisions of the Act and the Listing Regulations and based on policy devised by the NRC, the Board has carried out an annual performance evaluation of its own performance, its committees and individual directors. The Board performance was evaluated based on inputs received from all the Directors after considering criteria such as Board composition and structure, effectiveness of Board and information provided to the Board, etc. The performance of the committees was evaluated by the Board of Directors based on inputs received from all the committee members after considering criteria such as composition and structure of committees, effectiveness of committee meetings, etc. Pursuant to the Listing Regulations, performance evaluation of independent directors was done by the entire board, excluding the independent director being evaluated. A separate meeting of the Independent Directors was also held for the evaluation of the performance of non-independent Directors, performance of the Board as a whole and that of the Chairman of the Board.

SIGNIFICANT AND MATERIAL ORDERS PASSED BY THE REGULATORS, TRIBUNALS OR COURTS

There are no significant and material orders passed by the Regulators/Courts that would impact the going concern status of the Company and its future operations.

MATERIAL CHANGES AND COMMITMENTS AFFECTING FINANCIAL POSITION BETWEEN THE END OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR AND DATE OF REPORT

There have been no material changes and commitments affecting the financial position of the Company between the end of Financial Year and date of the report.

DIRECTORS RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT

Pursuant to the provisions of Section 134(5) of the Companies Act, 2013 the Board of Directors confirms that:

BUSINESS RISK MANAGEMENT

As an NBFC, the Company is exposed to credit, liquidity and interest rate risk. On the other hand, investment in Stock Market, both in Quoted and Unquoted Shares, have the risk of change in the price and value, both in term of up and down and thus can affect the profitability of the Company. Risk management is embedded in your Companys operating framework. Your Company believes that managing risks helps in maximizing returns. The Companys approach to addressing business risks is comprehensive and includes periodic review of such risks and a framework for mitigating controls and reporting mechanism of such risks. The risk management framework is reviewed periodically by the Board and the Audit Committee. However the Company is not required to constitute Risk Management Committee under Listing Regulations, 2015.

INTERNAL AUDIT AND INTERNAL FINANCIAL CONTROL AND ITS ADEQUACY

Based on the framework of internal financial controls and compliance systems established and maintained by the Company, the work performed by the internal, statutory and secretarial auditors and external consultants, including the audit of internal financial controls over financial reporting by the statutory auditors and the reviews performed by management and the relevant board committees, including the audit committee, the Board is of the opinion that the Companys internal financial controls were adequate and effective during FY 2023.

NOMINATION, REMUNERATION AND BOARD DIVERSITY POLICY

The Board of Directors has framed a policy which lays down a framework in relation to remuneration of Directors, Key Managerial Personnel and Senior Management of the Company. The Policy broadly lays down the guiding principles, philosophy and the basis for payment of remuneration to Executive and Non-executive Directors (by way of sitting fees and commission), Key Managerial Personnel, Senior Management and other employees. The policy also provides the criteria for determining qualifications, positive attributes and Independence of Director and criteria for appointment of Key Managerial Personnel / Senior Management and performance evaluation which are considered by the Nomination and Remuneration Committee and the Board of Directors while making selection of the candidates. The above policy has been posted on the website of the Company.

VIGIL MECHANISM / WHISTLE BLOWER POLICY

In Compliance of the Companies Act, 2013 and Regulation 22 of SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, the Company has adopted a Whistle Blower Policy / Vigil Mechanism and has established the necessary vigil mechanism for Directors, Employees and Stakeholders of the Company to report genuine concerns about unethical behavior, actual or suspected fraud or violation of the Companys code of conduct or ethics policy. The Company has disclosed the policy on the website of the Company i.e. www.nclfin.com

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Innovation and Technology are synonymous with the Company. The investment in technology acts as a catalyst and enables the Company to be innovative.

AUDITORS Statutory Auditors

Messrs DBS & Associates, Chartered Accountants, Mumbai (FRN - 018627N) were appointed as Statutory Auditors of the Company for a period of five consecutive years at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Members held on December 19, 2020 on a remuneration mutually agreed upon by the Board of Directors and the Statutory Auditors. Their appointment was subject to ratification by the Members at every subsequent AGM held after the AGM held on December 19, 2020. Pursuant to the amendments made to Section 139 of the Companies Act, 2013 by the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2017 effective from May 7, 2018, the requirement of seeking ratification of the Members for the appointment of the Statutory Auditors has been withdrawn from the Statute. Hence the resolution seeking ratification of the Members for continuance of their appointment at this AGM is not being sought. The Report given by M/s. DBS & Associates on the financial statement of the Company for the FY 2022-23 is part of the Annual Report. The Notes on financial statement referred to in the Auditors Report are self-explanatory and do not call for any further comments.

The Auditors Report contains qualification, reservation, adverse remark or disclaimer as provided in table below. During the year under review, the Auditors had not reported any matter under Section 143 (12) of the Act, therefore no detail is required to be disclosed under Section 134 (3) (ca) of the Act.

Secretarial Auditors

Pursuant to the provisions of Section 204 of the Companies Act, 2013 and The Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, the Company has appointed Ms. Kriti Daga, Company Secretaries in Practice (C. P. No. 14023) to undertake the Secretarial Audit of the Company. The Report of the Secretarial Audit Report in the prescribed Form MR-3 is annexed in this Annual Report as Annexure II. The details of qualification, reservation or adverse remark in the Report issued by Secretarial Auditors are as under-

During the year, your Company has complied with applicable Secretarial Standards i.e. SS-1 and SS-2, relating to “Meetings of the Board of Directors” and “General Meetings”, respectively. In addition to the above and pursuant to SEBI circular dated 8 February 2019; a report on secretarial compliance (Regulation 24-A of SEBI LODR Regulations, 2015) by Ms. Kriti Daga for the FY2022-23 has been submitted with stock exchanges. There are no observations, reservations or qualifications in these reports.

Internal Auditors

Your Company has an effective internal control and risk-mitigation system, which are constantly assessed and strengthened with new/revised standard operating procedures. The Companys internal control system is commensurate with its size, scale and complexities of its operations. The internal and operational audit is entrusted to M/s A. K. Das & Co., Chartered Accountant Firm, Kolkata (FRN - 325204E). The main thrust of internal audit is to test and review controls, appraisal of risks and business processes, besides benchmarking controls with best practices in the industry.

The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors actively reviews the adequacy and effectiveness of the internal control systems and suggests improvements to strengthen the same. The Company has a robust Management Information System, which is an integral part of the control mechanism. The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors, Statutory Auditors and the Key Managerial Personnel are periodically apprised of the internal audit findings and corrective actions taken. Audit plays a key role in providing assurance to the Board of Directors. Significant audit observations and corrective actions taken by the management are presented to the Audit Committee of the Board. To maintain its objectivity and independence, the Internal Audit function reports to the Chairman of the Audit Committee.

EXTRACT OF ANNUAL RETURN

In terms of Section 92(3) of the Companies Act, 2013 and Rule 12 of the Companies (Management and Administration) Rules, 2014, the Annual Return of the Company is attached as Annexure IV to this report.

DISCLOSURES UNDER SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF WOMEN AT WORKPLACE (PREVENTION, PROHIBITION & REDRESSAL) ACT 2013 READ WITH RULES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 22 of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition & Redressal) Act 2013 read with Rules thereunder, this is to certify and declare that there was no case of sexual harassment during the year under review. Neither there was a case pending at the opening of Financial Year, nor has the Company received any Complaint during the year.

STATUTORY INFORMATION AND OTHER DISCLOSURES

Since the Company is into the business of financing (NBFC activities) and investment activities in Shares and Securities; the information regarding Conservation of Energy, Technology Absorption, Adoption and Innovation, as defined under section 134(3)(m) of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 8(3) of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, is reported to be NIL. The Disclosure required under Section 197(12) of the Act read with the Rule 5(1) of the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, is annexed as Annexure ‘V and forms an integral part of this Report. A statement comprising the names of top employees in terms of remuneration drawn and every persons employed throughout the year, who were in receipt of remuneration in terms of Rule 5(2) of the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014 is annexed as Annexure ‘VI and forms an integral part of this annual report. The above Annexure is not being sent along with this annual report to the members of the Company in line with the provisions of Section 136(1) of the Act. Members who are interested in obtaining these particulars may write to the Company Secretary at the Registered Office of the Company. The aforesaid Annexure is also available for inspection by Members at the Registered Office of the Company, 21 days before and up to the date of the ensuing Annual General Meeting during the business hours on working days. None of the employees listed in the said Annexure is a relative of any Director of the Company. None of the employees hold (by himself or along with his spouse and dependent children) more than two percent of the Equity Shares of the Company.

BUSINESS RESPONSIBILITY REPORT

As the Company is not among top 500 or 1000 Companies by turnover on Stock Exchanges, the disclosure of Report under of Regulation 34(2) of the Listing Regulations is not applicable to the Company for the year under review.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE EARNINGS AND OUTGO

The Company has not earned or used foreign exchange earnings/outgoings during the year under review.

RBI DIRECTIONS

Your Company complies with the direction(s), circular(s), notification(s) and guideline(s) issued by the RBI as applicable to your Company as a systemically important non-deposit taking NBFC. The Company has in place the system of ensuring compliance with applicable provisions of Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 and rules made thereunder.

PUBLIC DEPOSITS

During the period under review, your Company did not accept / renew any deposits within the meaning of Section 73 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the rules made there under and as such, no amount of principal or interest was outstanding as on the balance sheet date. Further, The Company did not hold any public deposits at the beginning of the year nor has it accepted any public deposits during the year under review.

MAINTENANCE OF COST RECORDS

The maintenance of cost records for the services rendered by the Company is not required pursuant to Section 148(1) of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 3 of Companies (Cost Records and Audit) Rules, 2014.

STATUTORY AUDITORS AND AUDITORS REPORT

The Notes on Financial Statement referred in the Auditors Report are self-explanatory and do not call for any further comments. The Auditors Report does not contain any qualification, reservation, adverse remark or disclaimer for the Financial Year 2022-23.

REPORTING OF FRAUDS BY AUDITORS

During the year under review, the Statutory Auditors and the Secretarial Auditors have not reported any instances of frauds committed in the Company by its officers or employees of Audit Committee under Section 143(12) of the Companies Act, 2013, details of which needs to be mentioned in this Report.

REPORT ON CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

As per Regulation 34(3) read with Schedule V of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, a separate section on corporate governance practices followed by the Company, together with a certificate from the Companys Auditors confirming compliance forms an integral part of this Report.

COMPLIANCE WITH SECRETARIAL STANDARDS

The Board of Directors affirms that the Company has complied with the applicable mandatory Secretarial Standards issued by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India.

GENERAL

During the year, there were no transaction requiring disclosure or reporting in respect of matters relating to: (a) details relating to deposits covered under Chapter V of the Act; (b) issue of equity shares with differential rights as to dividend, voting or otherwise; (c) issue of shares (including sweat equity shares) to employees of the Company under any scheme; (d) raising of funds through preferential allotment or qualified institutions placement; (e) significant or material order passed by the Regulators or Courts or Tribunals which impact the going concern status and Companys operations in future; (f) pendency of any proceeding under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016; and (g) instance of one-time settlement with any bank or financial institution.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT

Statements in this Directors Report and Management Discussion and Analysis describing the Companys objectives, projections, estimates, expectations or predictions may be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws and regulations. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied.

APPRECIATION

Your Directors place on record their sincere appreciation for the assistance and guidance provided by the Reserve Bank of India, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, government and other regulatory Authorities, stock exchanges, other statutory bodies, Companys bankers, Members and employees of the Company for the assistance, cooperation and encouragement and continued support extended to the Company. Your Directors also gratefully acknowledge all stakeholders of the Company viz. customers, members, dealers, vendors, banks and other business partners for the excellent support received from them during the year. Our employees are instrumental in helping the Company scale new heights, year after year. Their commitment and contribution is deeply acknowledged. Your involvement as shareholders is also greatly valued. Your Directors look forward to your continuing support.