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REG - Asia Strategic Ltd - Interim results for six months ended 31 March 2022

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RNS Number : 4278Q  Asia Strategic Holdings Limited   28 June 2022

28 June 2022

Asia Strategic Holdings Ltd.

("Asia Strategic" or the "Company" or the "Group")

 

Interim results for the six months ended 31 March 2022

 

The Board of Asia Strategic Holdings Ltd. (LSE: ASIA), the independent
developer and operator of consumer businesses located in emerging Asia, is
pleased to announce its unaudited interim results for the six-month period
ended 31 March 2022.

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

 

All dates refer to the six-month financial period ended 31 March 2022
("6M'22"), unless otherwise stated. The comparative six-month financial period
from 1 October 2020 to 31 March 2021, is referred to as "6M'21".

 

·   Group revenues for the six-month financial period ended 31 March 2022
increased 9% year-on-year ("YOY") to US$8.3 million, of which 64% derived from
Education and 36% from Services (6M'21: 65% derived from Education and 35%
from Services). This growth is a remarkable achievement as the Group's
performance in 6M'22 was severely affected by COVID-19 related closures in
Vietnam between Nov'21 and Feb'22.

 

·   The Group's net loss for the six-month financial period ended 31 March
2022 narrowed to US$2.6 million in comparison to the previous corresponding
period (6M'21: US$2.9 million), primarily due to (i) the relaxation of
COVID-19 restrictions in Feb'22 and Mar'22 and (ii) operational efficiencies
realised throughout the Group.

 

·   The Group's net comprehensive loss (including fair value movement in
minority investments) for the six-month financial period ended 31 March 2022
was US$2.7 million (6M'21: US$3.1 million).

 

·   COVID-19 cases in Myanmar peaked in the second half of 2021 and
recovered by the end of the year. COVID-19 cases in Vietnam peaked towards the
end of 2021 and showed improvement in February 2022. This resulted in an
uneven recovery within the Group's operations wherein the (i) Education
division in Myanmar recovered to pre-COVID-19 levels by Dec'21 whilst Vietnam
student numbers remain depressed, albeit improving, and (ii) EXERA's growth
slowed to low double digits, following stronger growth in the prior year.

 

·   As a result of extensive cost control and cash flow management
initiatives, financial resources continued to be carefully administered. The
Group generated cash inflows from operating activities of ca. US$1.2 million
in 6M'22 vs. cash outflows of US$1.1million in 6M'21. The Group's overall
performance and cash flow generation should further benefit from the expected
economic recovery across ASEAN post COVID-19.

 

·   In November, the Company announced the subscription of convertible
notes totalling US$5.7 million. Through a loan re-organisation exercise, the
Company's corporate shareholder, Macan Pte Ltd ("Macan"), subscribed to a
US$3.5 million Zero Coupon Convertible Note satisfied through a cash
consideration of US$1.0 million and the conversion of one of the shareholder's
loan facilities amounting to US$2.5 million.

 

As part of the loan re-organisation exercise, this loan facility agreement was
terminated with effect from 31 October 2021. After the loan re-organisation
exercise, the Group has a remaining loan facility of up to US$1.5 million with
Macan. As at the date of this report, the Group has drawn down an additional
US$0.25 million and the remaining available facility amounts to US$1.25
million.

 

·   The diversification of the Group's operations between Vietnam and
Myanmar will continue to play an important role in mitigating any further
pandemic risk and single-country exposure to the Group. Management has
assessed that there are sufficient mitigating actions within the control of
the Group, such as undertaking a controlled expansion of its existing and
future businesses, maintaining financial liquidity discipline and unutilised
credit facilities for its working capital requirements for the next 12 months
from the date of this report.

 

OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

 

Education

 

·   Through its Education division, the Group is currently active in (i)
English language learning (Wall Street English), (ii) higher education
(Auston) and (iii) K-12 international schools (Yangon American International
School).

 

Until 30 September 2021, certain businesses in Myanmar were operated by
subsidiaries of the Group through an operating and management agreement with a
related party, TED Limited ("TED"). Following the reorganisation, E Partners
and A Partners will continue to provide operating, management and technical
support services for TED's existing student contracts for a fee over the
remaining period of 12 months. Therefore, these legacy businesses will
continue to be treated as managed businesses and generate management fees to
the Group.

 

·   Group revenues from the owned and managed Education businesses for the
six-month financial period ended 31 March 2022 amounted to US$5.1 million and
US$0.2 million (6M'21: US$4.6 and US$0.4 million), respectively.

 

·   The US$0.3 million increase in Education revenues is mainly
attributable to (i) a US$1.1 million increase in Myanmar revenues (+115% YOY)
driven by an early recovery post COVID-19 and (ii) a US$0.7 decrease in
Vietnam's revenues due to the strict lockdowns imposed in Vietnam between
Nov'21 and Jan'22. It is worth noting that Wall Street English in Vietnam has
further recovered following the removal of COVID-19 restrictions in Feb'22.

 

                                         Financial       Financial       Financial

                                         Period Ended    Period Ended    Year Ended

                                         31 March 2022   31 March 2021   30 September 2021
                                         Unaudited       Unaudited       Audited

                                         (6 months)      (6 months)      (12 months)
                                         US$             US$             US$
 Owned businesses
 Education                               5,103,702       4,567,955       8,810,457
 - English language learning             4,561,170       4,232,353       8,213,641
 - Higher education                      144,872         -               28,834
 - K-12                                  397,660         335,602         567,982

 Managed businesses
 Education (Legacy WSE Myanmar, Auston)  184,700         365,159         497,849
 - English language learning             184,000         355,016         485,819
 - Higher education                      700             10,143          12,030

 

Wall Street English ("WSE")

·   As of 31 March 2022, the Group owned and operated English language
centres under the Wall Street English brand in both Myanmar and Vietnam. The
number of centres and students were as follows:

 

 

 

 

            Number of WSE centres         Number of WSE students
            31 March 2022  31 March 2021  31 March 2022  31 March 2021
 Vietnam    7              7              2,465          4,800
 Myanmar    4              4              1,821          1,600
 Total      11             11             4,286          6,400

 

·   The marked decrease in students during the 6 months period ended 31
March 2022 was mainly due to the strict COVID-19 restrictions imposed in
Vietnam between Nov'21 and Feb'22. Management took the opportunity to
refurbish two language centres during this period, which has further
contributed to Wall Street English's commercial recovery post COVID-19.

 

·   It is worth noting the strong increase in the number of students in
Myanmar. Notwithstanding the complex political and security environment, the
Wall Street English business appears to have fully recovered and even exceeds
its pre COVID-19 performance.

 

·   Revenues at Wall Street English Vietnam and Myanmar for the six-month
financial period ended 31 March 2022 amounted to US$3.3 million and US$1.4
million (6M'21: US$4.0 and US$0.6 million), respectively.

 

Auston

·   Auston University ("Auston") is the result of a strategic collaboration
with the Auston Institute of Management, an operator of private schools in
Singapore that prepares students for careers in Engineering, IT Technology and
Project Management through higher education learning.

 

·   Since February 2020, the Company has had in place a partnership
with Liverpool John Moores University ("LJMU") to provide high quality
engineering training programmes for young, working professionals in Myanmar,
to be taught by Auston's teaching staff at its Junction Square complex
in Yangon. The partnership is of particular relevance to Auston as it enables
a path towards an engineering degree and provides globally recognised degrees
in Myanmar from lecturers with, at a minimum, a master's degree or a PhD from
a recognised awarding body.

 

·   During the six-month financial period ended 31 March 2022, Auston
generated revenues of US$0.1 million (6M'21: Nil) and student numbers grew
exponentially to 165 students as at 31 March 2022 (31 March 2021: 24
students). The first programme commenced in June 2021 and most students are
still at the Foundation level, a pre-requisite to enter the Higher Diploma
programme. It takes approximately 36 months for a student to attain a
bachelor's degree.

 

·   As of 31 May 2022, the number of enrolled students at Auston has grown
to over 200 (30 September 2021: 47) and the cumulative contract value
increased to US$2.0 million (30 September 2021: US$0.1 million). Students are
seeking globally recognised diplomas / degrees in Myanmar to further their
studies abroad in search of better job opportunities locally and abroad.

 

Yangon American

·   The Group owns and operates Yangon American International School
("Yangon American") an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme
("IB PYP") accredited and Myanmar Investment Commission-approved international
school. Yangon American's 3,000 sqm campus has a planned capacity of 400
students and its enrolment for academic year 2021-2022 was ca. 80 students (31
March 2021: 70 students).

 

·   During the six-month financial period ended 31 March 2022, Yangon
American generated revenues of US$0.4 million (6M'21: US$0.3 million). Yangon
American's student enrolment for the 2022/2023 academic year is expected to
increase gradually towards capacity, since enrolment in government schools
remains low and parents are in search of quality education as a path for their
children to study abroad.

 

Services

 

·   Through its Services division, the Group is currently active in (i)
owned security services (EXERA) and (ii) managed hospitality services (Ostello
Bello).

 

·   Group revenues from the owned and managed services businesses for the
six-month financial period ended 31 March 2022 amounted to US$3.0 million and
Nil (6M'21: US$2.7 and US$0.01 million), respectively.

 

EXERA

·   EXERA is an internationally-managed provider of security and risk
management services, operating exclusively in Myanmar. As of 31 March 2022,
EXERA has an experienced workforce of over 1,600 (6M'21: ca. 1,700) security
officers and provides a range of integrated security, guarding, protective
services, journey management, training, and nationwide risk consulting, to a
wide range of international and local clients.

 

·   Its customer base includes multi-national corporations, large oil and
gas companies, established local businesses, governmental bodies and
international organisations and embassies. EXERA's services are essential to
the continued presence of these organisations in Myanmar throughout the
current political and economic instability.

 

·   The Group's revenues for the six-month financial period ended 31 March
2022 were US$3.0 million (6M'21: US$2.7 million). The 12% YOY growth was
attributable to (i) continuous demand for high-margin quality integrated
security and risk management services throughout the current political and
economic instability, (ii) favourable currency mix, and (iii) successful
renegotiation of certain key contracts.

 

·   The ability to continuously maintain and secure new high-profile
customers is mainly due to EXERA's competitive advantage as the only company
in Myanmar with ISO 18788 Management System for Private Security Operations,
ISO 9001, OHSAS 18000, and ANSI/ASIS PSC 1 accreditations.

 

Ostello Bello

·   Ostello Bello, previously operating within the Hospitality Division,
comprises boutique hostels with 423 beds and 105 rooms in four locations
across Bagan, Mandalay and Nyaung Shwe, the most popular tourist destinations
in Myanmar.

 

·   The performance of Ostello Bello has been severely impacted by the
continued COVID-19 related travel restrictions in place between 2020 and 2022.
The Group has recently decided to discontinue its location in Nyaung Shwe from
July 2022, thus reducing the number of beds and rooms managed by the Group. As
at the date of this report, the number of beds and rooms managed are 282 and
73, respectively.

 

·   To address the continued under performance of Myanmar's tourism
industry and to offset the currently challenging operating environment in
Myanmar, the Group's remains focused on reducing operating costs and
generating operational synergies. It is worth noting that through its boutique
hostels the Group provides livelihood for hundreds of individuals in
developing communities such as Bagan. Management takes great pride and
acknowledges its role as a responsible long-term investor in these
communities.

 

New Business Development

·   Asia Strategic continues to develop its business network and expand its
pipeline within the Group's existing sectors and explore new sectors. The
Group is currently focused on building stronger presence on-the-ground in
Vietnam whilst seeking new opportunities throughout emerging Asia to diversify
the Group's geographical exposure.

 

·   Management also routinely conducts in-depth studies of new sectors
(e.g. Healthcare, Retail and Financial Services) to determine whether to
allocate additional human and financial resources to selected initiatives.

 

The Group's minority investments include, among others:

·   A minority interest in Myanmar Investments International Limited
("MIL"), a Myanmar-focused investment company listed on the AIM market of the
London Stock Exchange with investments in the telecommunications and financial
sectors. As at 31 March 2022, the quoted share price was US$0.27 (31 March
2021: US$0.61) per share and the unaudited net asset value reported by MIL as
at 30 September 2021 was US$0.67 (31 March 2021: US$0.74) per share.

 

SIGNIFICANT AND SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

a)  Settlement and termination of shareholder's loans

 

      During the financial period, the Company entered into a loan
re-organisation with the Company's shareholder, Macan Pte Ltd ("Macan") as
detailed below:

 

(i)  Subscribed US$3.5 million Zero Coupon Convertible Notes of the Company
satisfied through cash consideration of US$1.0 million (Note 16) and the
conversion of principal shareholder's Loan Facility 2 amounting to US$2.5
million (Note 15); and

 

(ii) Terminated Loan Facility 2 agreement with the Company with effect from 31
October 2021.

 

b)  Convertible Note Programme

 

      On 4 November 2021, the Company launched a Convertible Note
Programme to raise up to US$10.0 million over a six-month period for working
capital and future investments. The convertible note ("CN") holders have an
option to subscribe to either (i) a 10% coupon option ("10% Coupon Convertible
Note") or (ii) a zero−coupon option ("Zero Coupon Convertible Note").

 

      As of the date of approval of these financial statements, the
Company's existing shareholders have subscribed to CN amounting to US$5.7
million (excluding transaction costs) comprising:

 

(i)  10% Coupon Convertible Notes amounting to US$0.5 million; and

 

(ii) Zero−Coupon Convertible Notes amounting to US$5.2 million including
subscription by Macan as detailed above and in Note 16.

 

c)   Issuance of shares in lieu of bonus payments

 

In December 2021, through recommendations of the Remuneration Committee of the
Company, the Directors approved the payment of annual bonuses to certain key
management personnel of the Group in respect of financial year ended 30
September 2021 of US$640,000 satisfied through the issuance of 80,000 new
ordinary shares in the Company at a price of US$8.00 per share (being the
closing bid price of the Company's ordinary shares as of 10 December 2021).
Refer to Note 19 for further details.

 

d)  Adoption of the 2022 Employee Share Options Scheme

 

At the Annual General Meeting held on 4 March 2022, in order to incentivise
existing and new management and employees, the Company's shareholders approved
a new share option scheme (the "2022 ESOS"), whereby share options in respect
of up to 200,000 ordinary shares in the capital of the Company may be granted
to certain individuals at an exercise price of US$11.00 per share with a
typical vesting schedule of 40% of the option on the first anniversary of the
grant date, 40% of the option on the second anniversary of the grant date and
20% of the option on the third anniversary of the grant date. No option has
been granted under the 2022 ESOS as of the date of this report.

 

e)  Exclusive agreement for Kids&Us School of English

 

On 25 April 2022, the Group entered into an exclusive franchising agreement
with Kids&Us English, S.L.U ("Kids&Us") for the development of English
language centres for children under the brand "Kids&Us School of English"
in Myanmar.

 

Kids&Us is a leading provider of English language education for children
from as young as one-year old through teenagers. Founded in Manresa,
Barcelona, in 2003, Kids&Us has over 155,000 students across 437 schools
in Spain and 90 schools internationally. Kids&Us has developed an
innovative and effective pedagogical method:

 

·   Kids&Us uses a unique teaching method based on the natural process
of developing one's mother tongue, a process which takes place in a specific,
natural and spontaneous order.

·   The courses are adapted to the students' ages and life experiences.

·   Small groups - a maximum of five in the 'Babies' stage (one and
two-year-olds) and eight across the rest of the courses - allow for
personalised attention and a high level of student participation and
interaction in the classroom.

·   Continuity of the courses allows children to learn from one-year old.

·   Classes are conducted entirely in English, ensuring total linguistic
immersion.

·   Students can continue learning English outside of class time:

o The Kids&Us 360º Universe provides an endless range of activities and
stimulating opportunities to continue learning at urban day camps, workshops
(for cooking, science, theatre), summer camps, etc.

o Products created by Kids&Us include books, boardgames, etc.

o Apps, online homework exercises and electronic devices.

 

Under the terms of this exclusive franchising agreement, the Company shall pay
Kids&Us (i) an initial fee of approximately EUR100,000, upon signing of
franchising agreement (ii) ongoing service fees as a percentage of revenues
and (iii) didactic materials based on consumption, among other fees.

 

The Company is planning for its first two centres to in Yangon to be
operational by June 2023.

 

Vietnam Macro-Economic highlights

 

·   The General Statistics Office ("GSO") reported that Vietnam ended 2021
with a 2.6% GDP growth rate, despite witnessing a harsh COVID-19 lockdown in
the second half of 2021. Vietnam is one of very few economies in the world to
post two consecutive years of growth since the start of COVID-19. The GSO
report explained that industries have been impacted in different ways.
Tourism, hospitality, F&B have been struck the hardest whilst export-based
sectors in Vietnam have shown resilience over the past two years. Vietnam
recorded an increase in total export value in 2021 from to US$336 billion
(2021: US$286 billion), according to the GSO. According to Vietnam Agribank,
overall Vietnam remains a resilient economy as the country is expected to
bounce back strongly in 2022 to become the fastest-growing ASEAN economy, with
forecasted GDP growth at 6.6%, followed by Philippines (6.3%) and Malaysia
(6.0%).

 

·   According to the GSO, Vietnam's economy in Q1 of 2022 (January-March)
expanded by 5.0% compared to the same period last year. The growth however was
down sequentially from 5.2% in Q4 of 2021. Nevertheless, the government agency
stated that Vietnam is on track for economic recovery. Q1's GDP structure was
dominated by services at 41.7% followed by industry and construction at 38.0%,
and agriculture, forestry, and fishery at 10.9%. Total retail sales of
consumer goods increased by 4.4% YOY though passenger transport was down.
Vietnam's exports stood at US$89 billion while imports were recorded at US$88
billion. As with previous years, the US remains Vietnam's largest export
market at US$25.2 billion in Q1of 2022.

 

·   Vietnam is now the destination of multiple supply chain and
manufacturing relocations, due to strong economic fundamentals and a
favourable foreign investment environment when compared with neighbouring
countries. According to the Foreign Investment Agency ("FIA"), the country
recorded total new, adjusted capital and share purchases by foreign investors
of US$31 billion as of 20 December 2021, an annual increase of 9.2%.

 

·   In recent years, Vietnam has emerged as a leading hub for manufacturing
electronics in Southeast Asia. Relocations by manufacturing companies such as
Foxconn, Intel, Foster, and Luxshare since 2019 highlight this trend.

( )

Myanmar Macro-Economic Highlights

 

·   The World Bank's Myanmar Economic Monitor January 2022 projects
economic growth of 1.0% in the fiscal year ending September 2022, a single
digit recovery after experiencing a contraction of 18% in fiscal year 2021.
The near-term economic outlook remains weak due to the ongoing impact of the
military coup. The recent Russian war against Ukraine caused additional
economic uncertainties and inflationary pressures globally exacerbating the
economic issues.

 

·   In April 2022, through notifications and directives, the Central Bank
of Myanmar ("CBM") implemented certain foreign exchange control measures
requiring all foreign currency receipts from 4 April 2022 to be converted to
Myanmar Kyat ("Kyat"), restricting conversion of foreign currencies and
limiting offshore remittance. The immediate impact was further weakening of
the Kyat.

 

·   Any future recovery in domestic activity will likely be contingent on
political improvement, the removal of temporary foreign control measures, the
reopening of the country to international travel in a bid to bolster
international tourism and continued engagement with the international business
communities.

 

Enrico Cesenni, Chief Executive Officer of Asia Strategic Holdings, said:

"I am very pleased to report that over the six-month financial period ended 31
March 2022, Asia Strategic Holdings has continued to grow, in a complex
social, economic and political environment.

 

"As the COVID-19 related restrictions were gradually lifted from November 2021
in Myanmar and February 2022 in Vietnam, the Group has experienced a strong
rebound in its operating businesses, particularly within consumer facing
brands such as Wall Street English and Auston. It is worth noting that
revenues grew across both Education (+7% YOY) and Services (+12% YOY) and that
the Group continues to benefit from commercial momentum that is driven by
pent-up demand and the limited spending options available to customers,
particularly in Myanmar.

 

"While global inflation and supply chain shortages may reduce disposable
income and hinder discretionary spending, the Board and I feel that the Group
is strategically positioned in sectors that will attract continued investments
such as Education and that demonstrate less correlation to the broader economy
such as Security services. In turn this allows us to take a long-term view and
pursue a long-term agenda, confident in our capital structure.

 

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank shareholders for their
continued support and all members of staff across the Group for their hard
work and sacrifices through these challenging, uncertain and troubling times."
 

 

For more information, please visit www.asia-strategic.com
(http://www.asia-strategic.com) or contact:

 Asia Strategic Holdings Ltd.                        richard@asia-strategic.com (mailto:richard@asia-strategic.com)

 Richard Greer, Independent Non-Executive Chairman   enrico@asia-strategic.com (mailto:enrico@asia-strategic.com)

 Enrico Cesenni (OSI), Founder and CEO

 Allenby Capital Limited (Broker)                    +44 (0)20 3328 5656

 Nick Athanas

 Nick Naylor

 Freddie Wooding

 Yellow Jersey PR (Financial PR)                     +44 (0) 7951 402 336

 Henry Wilkinson

 James Lingfield

 

Notes to editors

Asia Strategic Holdings Ltd.

Asia Strategic Holdings Ltd. (LSE: ASIA) is an independent developer and
operator of consumer businesses in Vietnam and Myanmar, two of the fastest
growing economies in the world over the last decade. The Company's portfolio
currently focuses on Education and Services with the view to expand within the
broader consumer sector.

Education sector:  the Company currently has exclusive development and
franchising agreements with Wall Street English for up to ten English language
centres across Myanmar. Two centres were opened in 2017, a third in August
2018, and a fourth in February 2020. As of March 2022, Wall Street English
Myanmar served over 1,800 students.

In July 2020, the Company completed the acquisition of the Wall Street English
business in Vietnam. Founded in 2013, the WSE Vietnam business operates
through seven centres in Ho Chi Minh and Binh Dhuong serving ca. 2,500
students.

The Company also operates a joint venture with Auston Institute of Management
to develop and operate the Auston College Myanmar. The private school opened
in May 2018 offering diplomas in Engineering Technology, Mechanical
Engineering and Networking, Information Systems, and Security. English
language learning is also provided by the Company's nearby Wall Street English
centre. In February 2020, the Company announced a partnership with Liverpool
John Moores University to provide high quality engineering training programmes
for young, working professionals in Myanmar, to be taught by Auston College
Myanmar's teaching staff at its Junction Square complex in Yangon.

In August 2019 the Company launched its first private K-12 international
school, the Yangon American International School ("Yangon American") in
Yangon. In July 2021 Yangon American was recognised as an official
International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme ("IB PYP") school by the
International Baccalaureate Organization.

In April 2022, the Company entered into an exclusive franchising agreement
with Kids&Us for the development of English language schools for children
across Myanmar. The first two centres shall be opened in Yangon by June 2023.

Services sector:  through its acquisition of EXERA, the Company offers
security, risk management and secure logistics services, including
cash-in-transit. Founded in 2013, EXERA employs approximately 1,500
well-trained and high-quality security officers making it one of the largest
security services providers in Myanmar.

Furthermore, the Company provides hospitality services, managing over 282 beds
across four boutique hotels in three core tourist locations in Myanmar,
operating under the award winning Ostello Bello budget hospitality brand. The
Company operates an asset light strategy, entering into long-term operating
and management agreements with local hotel owners.

Vietnam and Myanmar were among the fastest growing economies in Asia in
2017-2020 (Source: Asian Development Bank). In 2022, Vietnam's annual GDP
growth is expected to be 6.5% (Source: Asian Development Bank).

The Company is well positioned to provide investors early exposure
to Vietnam's and Myanmar's strong economic fundamentals enhanced
by ASEAN's wider growth prospects.

To receive news alerts on Asia Strategic Holdings please sign up here under
the 'RNS' header:

https://ms-holdings.com/investor-relations/#
(https://ms-holdings.com/investor-relations/)

 

 

FINANCIAL REVIEW

 

·   Group revenues from the owned and managed businesses for the six-month
period ended 31 March 2022 were US$8.3 million (6M'21: US$7.6 million).

 

·   The 9% YOY increase in group revenues reflected the impact of (i) a
strong recovery in Myanmar's education businesses (+115% YOY), (ii) the
sustained performance of EXERA (+12% YOY) and (iii) the underperformance of
Vietnam's education businesses (-17% YOY). It is worth noting that Vietnam's
education businesses have further recovered, thanks to the full re-opening of
Vietnam since Feb'22.

 

                                                                         Financial

                                         Financial       Financial       Year Ended

                                         Period Ended    Period Ended    30 September 2021

                                         31 March 2022   31 March 2021

                                         Unaudited       Unaudited       Audited

                                         (6 months)      (6 months)      (12 months)
                                         US$             US$             US$

 Owned businesses
 Education                               5,103,702       4,567,955       8,810,457
 - Myanmar                               1,790,716       553,681         1,331,422
 - Vietnam                               3,312,986       4,014,274       7,479,035

 Services                                3,025,078       2,707,920       5,664,019

 Total owned businesses                  8,128,780       7,275,875       14,474,476

 Managed businesses
 Education (Legacy WSE Myanmar, Auston)  184,700         365,159         497,849
 Services (Ostello Bello)                −               6,857           13,712
 Total managed businesses                184,700         372,016         511,561

 Total group revenue                     8,313,480       7,647,891       14,986,037

 

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

·   Group gross profit for the six-month period ended 31 March 2022 was
US$3.2 million (6M'21: US$2.2 million), a marked increase in both absolute and
relative terms (38% in 6M'22 vs. 29% in 6M'21). The notable improvement in
gross profit margin was attributable to (i) the recovery of Myanmar's
revenues, (ii) the shift to a more profitable product mix, (iii) positive net
FX exposure and (iv) further cost efficiencies across all divisions.

 

·   The growth in revenue (+9% YOY) and gross profit margin (+44% YOY) was
partially offset by the increase in administrative and other operating
expenses (+12% YOY excluding depreciation and amortisation), primarily due to
higher marketing expenses and employee welfare (e.g. extensive vaccination
campaigns).

 

·   The Group's EBITDA loss for the six-month period ended 31 March 2022
also reduced to ca. US$0.5 million (6M'21: US$0.7 million loss). When adjusted
to include the impact of the Right-of-use assets ("ROUs"), the Group's
Adjusted EBITDA loss amounted to US$2.2 million (6M'21: US$2.4 million).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                         Unaudited      Unaudited      Audited
                                                                         6 months       6 months       12 months

                                                                         ended          ended          ended
                                                                         31 March 2022  31 March 2021  30 September 2021
                                                                         US$            US$            US$

 Revenue                                                                 8,313,480      7,647,891      14,986,037
 Cost of services                                                        (5,130,275)    (5,431,559)    (9,573,568)
 Gross profit                                                            3,183,205      2,216,332      5,412,469
 Gross profit margin                                                     38%            29%            36%

 Other income                                                            85,052         40,080         838,183
 Administrative and other operating expenses                             (5,327,870)    (4,769,401)    (11,213,702)
 Loss from operations                                                    (2,059,613)    (2,512,989)    (4,963,050)
 Finance cost                                                            (452,991)      (449,630)      (999,992)
 Loss before income tax                                                  (2,512,604)    (2,962,619)    (5,963,042)
 Income tax (expense)/credit                                             (82,520)       17,611         114,688
 Loss for after income tax                                               (2,595,124)    (2,945,008)    (5,848,354)

 Selected non-cash items:
 Total depreciation of plant and equipment                               205,506        246,594        419,057
 Total amortisation of right-of-use asset                                1,350,354      1,331,375      2,560,875
 Total amortisation of intangible assets                                 28,268         113,270        113,684
 Impairment of trade and other receivables                               18,421         103,207        1,004,384
 Finance costs (excluding interest on lease liabilities)                 86,027         93,945         243,547
 Total interest on lease liabilities                                     372,105        355,685        756,445
                                                                         2,060,681      2,244,076      5,097,992
 Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation
 ("EBITDA")

                                                                         (451,923)      (718,543)      (865,050)

 Adjusted EBITDA after impact of ROUs                                    (2,174,382)    (2,405,603)    (4,182,370)

 

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

 

·   As at 31 March 2022, the Group's cash and cash equivalents amounted to
US$2.6 million, compared to US$2.2 million as at 30 September 2021, an
increase of US$0.4 million.

 

·   The Group recorded positive cash flows generated from operating
activities of US$1.2 million, compared to cash outflows from operating
activities of US$1.1 million in 6M'21. This is mainly due to the increase in
contract liabilities of US$1.3 million (6M'21: US$0.3 million) arising from
strong collections from WSE Myanmar and Auston where courses are paid in
advance of services being delivered over the duration of the respective
courses. If repayment of leases liabilities were considered, the Group would
record a manageable cash outflow from operating activities of US$0.2 million
(6M'21: US$2.6 million).

 

·   During the six-month financial period ended 31 March 2022, the Group
incurred capital expenditures of US$0.6 million (6M'21: US$0.1 million) mainly
on leasehold improvements for the relocation and space optimisation of three
English language centres in Vietnam and the expansion of the Auston campus in
Myanmar. Such investment is expected to further enhance the Group's commercial
success post COVID-19 and set it apart from its competitors.

 

·   The Group's Convertible Note Programme launched in November 2021,
successfully generated cash subscriptions amounting to US$3.2 million
(excluding transaction costs) which were utilised for working capital and
partial repayment of the shareholder's loan and interests. As part of the
Group's loan re-organisation with Macan, the Group repaid cash of US$1.8
million as part cash settlement of the Loan Facility 1 and full settlement of
the Loan Facility 2 which terminated with effect from 31 October 2021 (6M'21:
drawdown of US$1.5 million).

 

OTHER INFORMATION

 

In support of the nation's effort to achieve a higher vaccination rate in
Myanmar and ensuring the well-being of its employees, the Group, on its own
accord, initiated the COVID-19 vaccination programme for all eligible
employees in Myanmar, and subsequently Vietnam.

 

As of 31 March 2022, 78% of the employees in Myanmar and Vietnam had been
vaccinated and are back in the office and on the sites.

 

As of 31 March 2022, 96% of the total workforce (30 September 2021: 96%) are
local employees in the countries where the Group operates. All employees are
paid at least the local minimum wages and approximately 69% (30 September
2021: 71%) of the Group's workforce are female (excluding EXERA's security
officers).

                                                    31 March  30 September 2021  31 March

 Direct and indirect Full Time Employees ("FTEs")   2022                         2021

 Male                                               231       202                219
 Male (EXERA's security officers)                   1,514     1,580              1,478
 Female                                             512       502                502
 Total employees                                    2,257     2,284              2,199
 Ratio of female representation

    (excluding EXERA's security officers)           69%       71%                70%

 Male                                               122       137                67
 Male (EXERA's security officers)                   241       772                352
 Female                                             196       241                138
 Total new hirers (net)                             559       1,150              557
 Ratio of female new hires

    (excluding EXERA's security officers)           62%       64%                67%

 

Direct and indirect Full Time Employees ("FTEs") marginally decreased to 2,257
(30 September 2021: 2,284) due to a slight decrease in EXERA's security
officers and the hospitality segment.

CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

For the financial period from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022

 

                                                                 Unaudited      Unaudited
                                                                 6 months       6 months

                                                                 ended          ended
                                                                 31 March 2022  31 March 2021
                                                           Note  US$            US$

 Revenue                                                   4     8,313,480      7,647,891
 Cost of services                                                (5,130,275)    (5,431,559)
 Gross profit                                                    3,183,205      2,216,332
 Other income                                                    85,052         40,080
 Administrative and other operating expenses                     (5,309,449)    (4,666,194)
 Loss allowance on trade and other receivables                   (18,421)       (103,207)
 Loss from operations                                            (2,059,613)    (2,512,989)
 Finance cost                                              6     (452,991)      (449,630)

 Loss before income tax                                    7     (2,512,604)    (2,962,619)
 Income tax (expense)/credit                               8     (82,520)       17,611

 Loss for after income tax                                       (2,595,124)    (2,945,008)

 Other comprehensive income:
 Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit

    or loss:
 Exchange difference in translation of foreign operations        8,754          (37,259)

 Items that will not be reclassified subsequently to

   profit or loss:
 Changes in fair value of equity instruments at FVOCI      12    (71,800)       (123,611)

 Other comprehensive income for the period,

    net of tax                                                   (63,046)       (160,870)

 Total comprehensive income                                      (2,658,170)    (3,105,878)

 Loss for the period attributable to:
 Owners of the Company                                           (2,549,665)    (2,885,464)
 Non-controlling interest                                        (45,459)       (59,544)
                                                                 (2,595,124)    (2,945,008)

 Total comprehensive income attributable to:
 Owners of the Company                                           (2,612,711)    (3,046,334)
 Non-controlling interest                                        (45,459)       (59,544)
                                                                 (2,658,170)    (3,105,878)

 Loss per share attributable to the owners of the

    Company (US$)
 - Basic and diluted (US$)                                 21    (0.88)         (1.03)

Changes in fair value of equity instruments at FVOCI

12

(71,800)

(123,611)

Other comprehensive income for the period,

   net of tax

 

(63,046)

 

(160,870)

Total comprehensive income

 

(2,658,170)

(3,105,878)

 

Loss for the period attributable to:

Owners of the Company

(2,549,665)

(2,885,464)

Non-controlling interest

(45,459)

(59,544)

(2,595,124)

(2,945,008)

Total comprehensive income attributable to:

Owners of the Company

(2,612,711)

(3,046,334)

Non-controlling interest

(45,459)

(59,544)

(2,658,170)

(3,105,878)

Loss per share attributable to the owners of the

   Company (US$)

- Basic and diluted (US$)

21

(0.88)

(1.03)

 

 

The above condensed interim consolidated statement of comprehensive income
should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

As at 31 March 2022

 

                                      Unaudited          Audited
                                      As at              As at
                                      31 March 2022      30 September 2021
                                Note  US$                US$
 ASSETS
 Non-current assets
 Plant and equipment            9     1,253,224          868,989
 Intangible assets              10    6,679,424          6,696,483
 Right-of-use assets ("ROU")    11    10,109,980         10,094,291
 Financial assets at FVOCI      12    242,325            314,125
 Trade and other receivables    13    1,406,993          990,616
 Total non-current assets             19,691,946         18,964,504

 Current assets
 Inventories                          78,666             96,366
 Trade and other receivables    13    1,570,166          1,390,303
 Fixed deposits                 14    43,757             100,625
 Cash and cash equivalents      14    2,590,581          2,165,257
 Total current assets                 4,283,170          3,752,551
 Total assets                         23,975,116         22,717,055

 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
 Liabilities
 Non-current liabilities
 Contract liabilities           4     880,567            607,578
 Shareholder's loans            15    1,537,233          5,743,547
 Convertible notes              16    5,750,685          −
 Lease liabilities                    7,841,210          7,911,109
 Total non-current liabilities        16,009,695         14,262,234

 Current liabilities
 Bank loan                      17    120,492            −
 Trade and other payables       18    2,614,243          2,697,681
 Contract liabilities           4     6,270,987          5,284,512
 Lease liabilities                    2,282,475          1,860,070
 Income tax payables                  76,841             65,730
 Total current liabilities            11,365,038         9,907,993
 Total liabilities                    27,374,733         24,170,227

 Equity
 Share capital                  19    21,439,638         20,799,638
 Accumulated losses                   (24,837,900)       (22,288,235)
 Other reserves                       (1,355)            73,874
 Equity attributable to owners        (3,399,617)        (1,414,723)

    of the Company
 Non-controlling interest       20    −                  (38,449)
 Total equity                         (3,399,617)        (1,453,172)
 Total liabilities and equity         23,975,116         22,717,055

The above condensed interim consolidated statement of financial position
should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

For the financial period from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022

 

 

                                                                                                                                         Equity

                                                                                    Share option                Foreign                  attributable to   Non-controlling

                                                             Share       Equity                    Fair value   Exchange   Accumulated   owners of the                       Total
 Unaudited                                             Note  capital     reserves   reserve        reserve      reserve    losses        Company           interest          Equity
 31 March 2022                                               US$         US$        US$            US$          US$        US$           US$               US$               US$

 Balance as at 1 October                                     20,799,638  (128,362)  774,102        (448,629)    (123,237)  (22,288,235)  (1,414,723)       (38,449)          (1,453,172)

    2021

 Total comprehensive income for the financial period:
 Loss for the financial period                                                                                             (2,549,665)   (2,549,665)       (45,459)          (2,595,124)

                                                             −           −          −              −            −
 Other comprehensive income                                                                        (71,800)     8,754      −             (63,046)          -                 (63,046)

                                                             −           −          −
                                                             −           −          −              (71,800)     8,754      (2,549,665)   (2,612,711)       (45,459)          (2,658,170)

 Contributions by owners of the Company
 Issuance of shares                                    19    640,000     −          −              −            −          −             640,000           −                 640,000
 Recognition of share-based payments                   5

                                                             −           −          71,726         −            −          −             71,726            −                 71,726

 Changes in ownership interest in a subsidiary
 Acquisition of non-controlling interest               20    −

                                                                         (83,909)   −              −            −          −             (83,909)          83,908            (1)

 Balance as at 31                                            21,439,638  (212,271)  845,828        (520,429)    (114,483)  (24,837,900)                    −                 (3,399,617)

    March 2022                                                                                                                           (3,399,617)

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                   Equity

                                                                                                              Share option                Foreign                  attributable to   Non-controlling

                                                             Share       Equity                                              Fair value   Exchange   Accumulated   owners of the                       Total
 Unaudited                                             Note  capital     reserves                             reserve        reserve      reserve    losses        Company           interest          Equity
 31 March 2021                                               US$         US$                                  US$            US$          US$        US$           US$               US$               US$

 Equity
 Balance as at 1 October                                     20,553,638  (118,061)                            610,737        (87,180)     (58,714)   (16,517,220)  4,383,200         28,589            4,411,789

    2020

 Total comprehensive income for the financial period:
 Loss for the financial period                                                                                                                       (2,885,464)   (2,885,464)       (59,544)          (2,945,008)

                                                             −           −                                    −              −            −
 Other comprehensive income                                                                                                  (123,611)    (37,259)   −             (160,870)         -                 (160,870)

                                                             −           −                                    −
                                                             −           −                                    −              (123,611)    (37,259)   (2,885,464)   (3,046,334)       (59,544)          (3,105,878)

 Liquidation of a subsidiary                                 −           (10,301)                             −              −            −          10,301        −                 −                 −

 Contribution by owners of the Company
 Recognition of share-based payments                   5

                                                             −                           −                    92,440         −            −          −             92,440            −                 92,440

 Balance as at 31                                            20,553,638  (128,362)                            703,177        (210,791)    (95,973)   (19,392,383)                    (30,955)          1,398,351

    March 2021                                                                                                                                                     1,429,306

 

 

The above condensed interim consolidated statement of changes in equity should
be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

For the financial period from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022

 

                                                             Unaudited       Unaudited
                                                             6 months ended  6 months ended
                                                             31 March 2022   31 March 2021
                                                       Note  US$             US$

 Operating activities
 Loss before income tax                                      (2,512,604)     (2,962,619)

 Adjustments for:
 Interest income                                             1,355           (5,772)
 Lease concession                                      7     (80,745)        (200,000)
 Share-based compensation                              5     71,726          92,440
 Interest expense on lease liabilities                 6, 7  372,105         355,685
 Interest expense on loan due from

    corporate shareholder                              6     65,342          93,945
 Interest on convertible notes                         6     20,685          −
 Plant and equipment written off                             (100)           −
 Depreciation of plant and equipment                   9     205,506         246,594
 Intangible assets written off                               3,011           −
 Amortisation of intangible assets                     10    28,268          113,270
 Amortisation of right-of-use assets                   11    1,350,354       1,331,375
 Impairment loss on trade and other receivables        13    18,421          103,207
 Transfer of plant and equipment to intangible assets        4,528           −
        Unrealised exchange difference                       79,815          89,534
 Operating cash flows before working capital                 (372,333)       (742,341)

    changes
 Working capital changes:
 Trade and other receivables                                 (190,848)       (496,363)
 Inventories                                                 17,700          (76,149)
 Contract liabilities                                        1,259,464       344,728
 Trade and other payables                                    556,562         (120,053)
 Cash generated from/(used in) operations                    1,270,545       (1,090,178)
 Interest received                                           (1,355)         5,772
 Income tax (paid)/refunded                                  (71,409)        22,562
 Net cash flows generated from/(used in)                     1,197,781       (1,061,844)

     operating activities

 Investing activities
 Purchase of plant and equipment                       9     (594,169)       (33,663)
 Advances to related parties                                 (423,813)       (308,269)
 Purchase of intangible assets                               (13,356)        −
 Net cash flows used in investing activities                 (1,031,338)     (341,932)

 

 

 

                                                                     Unaudited      Unaudited
                                                                     6 months       6 months

                                                                     ended          ended
                                                                     31 March 2022  31 March 2021
                                                               Note  US$            US$

 Financing activities
 Acquisition of equity interest from

    non-controlling interest                                   20    (1)            −
 Fixed deposits pledged to bank                                14    56,868         −
 Proceeds from bank loan                                       17    120,492        −
 (Repayment)/drawdown of shareholder's loan                    15    (1,500,000)    1,500,000
 Interest paid on shareholder's loans                          15    (271,656)      −
 Proceeds from convertible notes                               16    3,230,000      −
 Principal payment for lease liabilities                             (990,415)      (1,146,456)
 Interest payment for lease liabilities                              (372,105)      (355,685)
 Net cash generated from/(used in) financing activities              273,183        (2,141)

 Net changes in cash and cash equivalents                            439,626        (1,405,917)
 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents        (14,302)       (33,944)
 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of financial period          2,165,257      3,941,413

 Cash and cash equivalents at end of financial period          14    2,590,581      2,501,552

 

 

The above condensed interim consolidated statement of cash flows should be
read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

NOTES TO THE CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the financial period from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022

 

1       CORPORATE INFORMATION

 

         Asia Strategic Holdings Limited (the "Company" or "Asia
Strategic") (Registration Number 201302159D) is a public company limited by
shares incorporated and domiciled in Singapore with its principal place of
business and registered office at 80 Raffles Place #32-01, UOB Plaza,
Singapore 048624. The Company's ordinary shares are traded on the Main Market
of the London Stock Exchange under the equity ticker ASIA.

 

         The condensed interim consolidated financial statements as at
and for the six-month financial period ended 31 March 2022 comprise the
Company and its subsidiaries (collectively, the "Group"). The primary
activities of the Company are investments and trading in Vietnam and Myanmar.

 

         For Management purposes, the Group is organised into business
units based on its services, and has three reportable operating segments as
follows:

 

a)  Education - Provision of English language training, kindergarten to
primary school education (K-12 education), higher education, consultancy,
advisory and project management services in the education sector in Myanmar
and Vietnam;

 

b) Services - Provision of integrated security services, consultancy, advisory
and project management services in the security and hospitality sectors in
Myanmar; and

 

c)  Others - Corporate services to provide management and marketing support
to respective entities of the Group.

 

These operating segments are reported in a manner consistent with internal
reporting provided to the chief operating decision maker who is responsible
for allocating resources and assessing the performance of the operating
segments.

 

1.1   BASIS OF PREPARATION

 

In the current financial period, the Group changed the presentation format of
its condensed interim consolidated statement of comprehensive income from
classifying expenses by nature to the function in a manner consistent with the
internal reporting provided to the chief operating decision maker to analyse
the financial performance of the Group. Accordingly, the comparative figures
for the condensed interim consolidated statement of comprehensive income for
the previous financial period were re-organised to conform to the current
financial period's presentation.

 

Direct employee benefit expenses, academic expenses, hotel related operating
costs, security service costs and other directly attributable expenses of the
respective businesses are included in the cost of services. This is to compute
and present the gross profit of the Group, a key performance indicator of the
Group.

 

The condensed interim consolidated financial statements as at and for the six
months financial period ended 31 March 2022 have been prepared in accordance
with International Accounting Standards ("IAS") 34 Interim Financial Reporting
as adopted by the European Union.

 

The condensed consolidated interim financial statements do not include all
disclosures that would otherwise be required in a complete set of financial
statements and should be read in conjunction with the annual report for the
financial period from 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2021 ("financial period
ended 2021") which have been prepared in accordance with International
Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") as adopted by the European Union.

 

However, selected explanatory notes are included to explain events and
transactions that are significant to an understanding of the changes in the
Group's financial position and performance of the Group since the last annual
financial statements for the financial period from 1 October 2020 to 30
September 2021 which can be found on the Company's website at
www.asia-strategic.com (http://www.asia-strategic.com) .

 

The consolidated financial statements of the Group are presented in United
States dollars ("US$") which is the functional currency and the presentation
currency for the consolidated financial statements.

 

2       SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

         The condensed financial statements have been prepared under
the historical cost convention, except as disclosed in the accounting policies
in the Group financial statements for the financial year ended 30 September
2021.

 

         Changes in accounting policy

 

         New or amended standards have become applicable for the
current reporting period. The adoption of these new or amended standards did
not result in substantial changes to the Group's accounting policies and had
no material effect on the amounts reported for the current or previous
financial periods.

 

         IFRSs issued but not yet effective

 

         Certain new accounting standards and interpretations have
been issued but are not yet effective for the current financial year ending 30
September 2022 and have not been adopted early by the Group. The Group expects
that the adoption of these IFRSs, if applicable, will have no material impact
on the financial statements in the period of initial application.

 

3       USE OF JUDGEMENTS AND ESTIMATES

 

         In preparing the condensed interim financial statements,
Management has made judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the
application of accounting policies and the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities, income and expenses. Actual results may differ from these
estimates.

 

         The significant judgments made by Management in applying the
Group's accounting policies and the key sources of estimation uncertainty were
the same as those that applied to the consolidated financial statements as at
and for the financial period from 1 October 2021 to 30 September 2022.

 

         Estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an
ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period
in which the estimates are revised and in any future periods affected.

 

         There have been no material revisions to the nature and
estimates of amounts reported in prior periods, except those necessitated by
the changing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and Myanmar's State of
Emergency.

 

3.1  SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AND SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

a)  Updates on Impact of Coronavirus ("COVID-19")

 

Vietnam

 

The number of new COVID-19 daily cases in Vietnam was at a manageable level in
February 2022 which enabled the Government to ease COVID-19 restrictions and
reopen to vaccinated international tourists in mid-March in line with other
ASEAN countries. As at the date of this report, we have no knowledge of
further restrictions being planned.

 

Myanmar

 

Myanmar has largely recovered from the latest surge of COVID-19 with
substantially fewer cases reported and has recently reopened the country to
international travel in a bid to bolster international tourism and engage with
the international business communities.

 

In support of the country's effort to achieve a higher vaccination rate and
ensuring the well-being of its employees, the Group on its own accord
initiated a COVID-19 vaccination programme for all eligible employees. With
employees substantially vaccinated, all Group businesses were able to operate
continuously without any disruptions. This enables management to focus firmly
on operational improvements, planned expansion and capitalize on any new
business opportunities with sufficient preventive measures from past
experiences for future disruptions arising from spikes in COVID-19.

 

In April 2022, through notifications and directives, the Central Bank of
Myanmar ("CBM") implemented foreign exchange control measures requiring all
foreign currency receipts from 4 April 2022 to be converted to Myanmar Kyat
("Kyat"), restricting conversion of foreign currencies and limiting offshore
remittance. The CBM has recently announced exemptions and the relaxation of
certain measures to Myanmar Investment Committee ("MIC") Permitted foreign
investments, investments in Special Economic Zones, Embassies, Airlines and
certain non-profit organisations.

 

The Group owns and operates the Yangon American International School ("Yangon
American"), a Myanmar Investment Commission ("MIC") approved international
school qualified for certain foreign exchange control exemptions. The Group is
assessing the impact of these directives and will continue to manage its
currency exposure proactively in view of the general shortage of USD in the
market.

 

Countries within emerging Asia are navigating through the recovery of the
prolonged pandemic, however the recent Russian war against Ukraine fueled new
economic uncertainties and inflationary pressures globally. The Group will
continuously undertake measured expansion of its existing and future
businesses and maintain financial liquidity discipline.

 

The Group's operations in Vietnam are expected to exceed Myanmar over time,
however contribution from both markets remains an important diversification
strategy to mitigate the overall COVID-19 and geographical risk exposure of
the Group. The Group will closely monitor the developments in Myanmar and
provide regular updates to its shareholders who remain supportive of the
Group's efforts and initiatives.

 

b)    Exclusive agreement for Kids&Us School of English

 

On 25 April 2022, the Group entered into an exclusive franchising agreement
with Kids&Us English, S.L.U ("Kids&Us") for the development of English
language centres for children under the brand "Kids&Us School of English"
in Myanmar.

 

Kids&Us is a leading provider of English language education for children
from as young as 1 year old and teenagers. Founded in Manresa, Barcelona, in
2003, Kids&Us has over 155,000 students across 437 schools in Spain and 90
schools internationally.

 

Under the terms of this exclusive franchising agreement, the Company shall pay
Kids&Us (i) an initial fee of approximately EUR 100,000 (approximately
US$106,044), (ii) ongoing service fees as a percentage of revenues and (iii)
didactic materials based on consumption, among other fees.

 

The Company is planning for its first two centres in Yangon to be operational
by June 2023.

 

c)   Adoption of the 2022 Employee Share Options Scheme

 

At the Annual General Meeting held on 4(th) March 2022, in order to
incentivise existing and new management and employees, the Company's
shareholders approved a new share option scheme ("2022 ESOS"), whereby share
options in respect of up to 200,000 ordinary shares in the capital of the
Company may be granted to certain individuals at an exercise price of US$11.00
per share with a typical vesting schedule of 40% of the option on the first
anniversary of the grant date, further 40% of the option on the second
anniversary of the grant date and further 20% of the option on the third
anniversary of the grant date.

 

3.2   SEASONAL OPERATIONS

 

The Group's businesses were not affected significantly by seasonal or cyclical
factors during the financial period.

 

 

 

4          REVENUE AND SEGMENT INFORMATION

 

Disaggregation of revenue

 

The Group has disaggregated revenue into various categories in the following
table which is intended to:

 

•   depict how the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and
cash flows are affected by economic factors; and

•   enable users to understand the relationship with revenue segment
information provided.

 

                                 Education                       Services                        Total
                                 Unaudited       Unaudited       Unaudited       Unaudited       Unaudited       Unaudited

                                 6 months        6 months        6 months        6 months        6 months        6 months

                                 ended           ended           ended           ended           ended           ended

                                 31 March 2022   31 March 2021   31 March 2022   31 March 2021   31 March 2022   31 March 2021
                                 US$             US$             US$             US$             US$             US$

 Rendering of services           −               −               3,025,078       2,707,920       3,025,078       2,707,920
 Technical support services and  193,625         365,159                                         193,625         372,016

    new centre fees                                              −               6,857
 Student fees                    5,094,777       4,567,955       −               −               5,094,777       4,567,955
                                 5,288,402       4,933,114       3,025,078       2,714,777       8,313,480       7,647,891

 Timing of transfer of services
 Point in time                   7,167           −               143,997         144,446         151,164         144,446
 Over time                       5,281,235       4,933,114       2,881,081       2,570,331       8,162,316       7,503,445
                                 5,288,402       4,933,114       3,025,078       2,714,777       8,313,480       7,647,891

 

The timing of revenue recognition would affect the amount of revenue and
deferred revenue (advances from customers) recognised as at the reporting date
in the consolidated statement of financial position.

 

                       Unaudited       Audited
                       As at           As at

                       31 March 2022   30 September 2021
                       US$             US$

 Contract liabilities
 Deferred revenue      7,151,554       5,892,090

 

a)     Significant changes in contract liabilities are as detailed below:

 

                                                                         Unaudited       Audited
                                                                         As at           As at

                                                                         31 March 2022   30 September 2021
                                                                         US$             US$

 Balance at beginning                                                    5,892,090       5,180,719
 Cash received in advance of performance and not                         6,538,656       9,381,140

     recognised as revenue
                 Revenue recognised during the financial
 period/year:
 - On contract liabilities at beginning of financial period/year         (2,462,538)     (4,566,761)
 - On cash received in advance during financial period/year              (2,817,330)     (4,181,407)
                                                                         (5,279,868)     (8,748,168)
 Foreign exchange difference                                             676             78,399
 Balance at end                                                          7,151,554       5,892,090

 

b)    Remaining performance obligations

 

Non−current deferred revenues are in respect of cash received in advance of
performance which will be recognised according to the following:

 

(i)  The Group recognised deferred revenue for new centres developed by the
related party in prior years for the Education businesses and collected fees
in advance of the performance obligations.

 

(ii) Student fees for Education business segments are generally collected 1 to
12 months (30 September 2021: same) and more than 12 months for certain
students who prepaid in advance of performance with reference to the
individual terms of the student contracts.

 

Deferred revenue from student fees are recognised over the duration of the
respective courses and the remaining contract period ranging from 1 to 6.5 (30
September 2021: 1 to 7) years.

 

 

 

 1 October 2021                                                               Education       Services        Others          Total
 to 31 March 2022                                                             US$             US$             US$             US$

 Revenue                                                                      5,288,402       3,025,078       −               8,313,480
 Cost of services                                                             (3,131,494)(*)  (1,998,781)(*)  −               (5,130,275)
 Gross profit                                                                 2,156,908       1,026,297       −               3,183,205
 Other income                                                                 79,981          341             4,730           85,052
 Administrative and other operating expenses

                                                                              (4,226,923)     (586,113)       (514,834)(**)   (5,327,870)
 (Loss)/profit from operations                                                (1,990,034)     440,525         (510,104)       (2,059,613)
 Finance cost                                                                 (335,741)       (31,223)        (86,027)        (452,991)
 Segment (loss)/profit                                                        (2,325,775)     409,302         (596,131)       (2,512,604)
 Income tax expense                                                           −               (82,520)        −               (82,520)
 (Loss)/profit after income tax                                               (2,325,775)     326,782         (596,131)       (2,595,124)

 Other non-cash items:
 Total depreciation of plant and equipment

                                                                              188,249         16,732          525             205,506
 Total amortisation of right-of-use asset

                                                                              1,238,017       112,337         −               1,350,354
 Total amortisation of intangible assets                                      28,101

                                                                                              167             −               28,268
 Impairment of trade and other receivables                                    −

                                                                                              18,421          −               18,421
 Finance costs (excluding interest on lease liabilities)

                                                                              −               −               86,027          86,027
 Total interest on lease liabilities                                          335,741         36,364          −               372,105
                                                                              1,790,108       184,021         86,552          2,060,681

    Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation    (535,667)                                       (451,923)

                                                                                              593,323         (509,579)

 Reportable segment assets                                                    20,964,082      2,376,447       392,262         23,732,791

 as at 31 March 2022
 Investment in FVOCI                                                          -               -               242,325         242,325
 Total Group's assets                                                                                                         23,975,116

 Included in the segment assets:
 Additions:
 Plant and equipment                                                          580,871         13,298          −               594,169
 Right-of-use assets                                                          1,425,137       −               −               1,425,137

 Reportable segment liabilities

 as at 31 March 2022                                                          (18,667,934)    (1,292,549)     (7,414,250)     (27,374,733)

* Cost of services from "Education" and "Services" segments comprise mainly
employee benefits expenses amounting to US$1,874,606 and US$1,747,784,
respectively for the financial period ended 31 March 2022.

 

** Other operating expenses from the "Others" segment comprise mainly employee
benefit expenses of US$300,355 for the financial period ended 31 March 2022.

 

 

 1 October 2020                                                          Education       Services        Others          Total
 to 31 March 2021                                                        US$             US$             US$             US$

 Revenue                                                                 4,933,114       2,714,777       −               7,647,891
 Cost of services                                                        (3,303,520)(*)  (2,128,039)(*)  −               (5,431,559)
 Gross profit                                                            1,629,594       586,738         −               2,216,332
 Other income                                                            32,754          4,050           3,276           40,080
 Administrative and other operating expenses                             (3,187,326)                                     (4,769,401)

                                                                                         (891,299)       (690,776)(**)
 Loss from operations                                                    (1,524,978)     (300,511)       (687,500)       (2,512,989)
 Finance cost                                                            (338,745)       (16,940)        (93,945)        (449,630)
 Segment (loss)/profit                                                   (1,863,723)     (317,451)       (781,445)       (2,962,619)
 Income tax benefit                                                      7,176           10,435          −               17,611
 (Loss)/profit after income tax                                          (1,856,547)     (307,016)       (781,445)       (2,945,008)

 Other non-cash items:
 Total depreciation of plant and equipment                               230,457

                                                                                         15,734          403             246,594
 Total amortisation of right-of-use asset                                1,250,985

                                                                                         80,390          −               1,331,375
 Total amortisation of intangible assets

                                                                         −               70,160          43,110          113,270
 Impairment of trade and other receivables                               103,207

                                                                                         −               −               103,207
 Finance costs (excluding interest on lease liabilities)

                                                                         −               −               93,945          93,945
 Total interest on lease liabilities                                     338,745         16,940          −               355,685
                                                                         1,923,394       183,224         137,458         2,244,076

 Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation  59,671          (134,227)                       (718,543)

                                                                                                         (643,987)

 Reportable segment assets                                               20,146,346      3,956,113       1,057,939       25,160,398

 as at 31 March 2021
 Investment in FVOCI                                                     −               −               551,963         551,963
 Total Group's assets                                                                                                    25,712,361

 Included in the segment assets:
 Additions:
 Right-of-use assets                                                     3,088,394       354,304         −               3,442,698

 Reportable segment liabilities

 as at 31 March 2021                                                     (17,432,877)    (1,338,537)     (5,324,673)     (24,096,087)
 Deferred tax liabilities                                                (214,445)       (3,478)         −               (217,923)
 Total Group's liabilities                                                                                               (24,314,010)

* Cost of services from "Education" and "Services" segments comprise mainly
employee benefits expenses amounting to US$2,294,150 and US$1,797,508,
respectively for the 6M'21.

 

** Other operating expenses from the "Others" segment comprise mainly employee
benefit expenses of US$447,475 for the 6M'21.

 

Geographical information

 

The Group's business segments operate in three main geographical areas.
Revenue is based on the country in which the customers are located. Segmental
non-current assets consist primarily of non-current assets other than
financial instruments and deferred tax assets. Segment non-current assets are
shown by geographical area in which the assets are located.

 

                             Unaudited       Unaudited
                             6 months        6 months

                             ended           ended
                             31 March 2022   31 March 2021
                             US$             US$

 Revenue
 Vietnam                     3,312,986       4,014,274
 Myanmar                     5,000,494       3,633,617
                             8,313,480       7,647,891

                             Unaudited       Audited

                             As at           As at

                             31 March 2022   30 September 2021
                             US$             US$

 Segment non-current assets
 Vietnam                     12,044,048      9,643,022
 Myanmar                     5,996,584       8,015,138
 Singapore                   1,996           1,603
                             18,042,628      17,659,763

 

Non-current assets consist of plant and equipment, intangible assets and
right-of-use assets in the consolidated statement of financial position of the
Group.

 

5          EMPLOYEE BENEFIT EXPENSES

 

                                                        Unaudited      Unaudited
                                                        6 months       6 months

                                                        ended          ended
                                                        31 March 2022  31 March 2021
                                                        US$            US$

 Wages, salaries and allowances *                       5,192,705      5,664,586
 Contributions to defined contribution plans            61,486         62,656
 Share-based compensation                               71,726         92,440
 Termination benefits                                   35,806         35,407
 Staff insurance and medical expenses                   125,750        113,234
 Staff accommodation and welfares                       145,367        194,106
 Others                                                 25,462         40,317
                                                        5,658,302      6,202,746

       Total employee benefit expenses comprised:
 -   Cost of services                                   3,622,390      4,091,658
 -   Administrative and other operating expenses        2,035,912      2,111,088
                                                        5,658,302      6,202,746

                *Included in these expenses are Director's fees
and remuneration.

 

6              FINANCE COST

 

                            Unaudited      Unaudited
                            6 months       6 months

                            ended          ended
                            31 March 2022  31 March 2021
                            US$            US$

 Interest expenses:
 - Convertible notes        20,685         −
 - Lease liabilities        366,964        355,685
 - Loan from a shareholder  65,342         93,945
                            452,991        449,630

 

7            LOSS BEFORE INCOME TAX

 

In addition to the charges and credits disclosed elsewhere in the financial
statements, the loss before income tax includes the following charges:

 

                                               Unaudited      Unaudited
                                               6 months       6 months

                                               ended          ended
                                               31 March 2022  31 March 2021
                                               US$            US$

 Cost of services:
 Academic expenses                             567,799        223,878
 Student enrolment and support fees            214,755        61,705
 Bank charges on student instalment plans      165,204        182,931
 Depreciation expense                          104,278        181,855
 Security service expense                      81,276         134,790
 Hotel related operating expenses              79,581         152,611
 Amortisation of right-of-use assets           58,522         −
 Amortisation of intangible assets             17,679         56,898
 Interest on lease liabilities                 5,141          −

 Administrative and other operating expenses:
 Amortisation of right-of-use assets           1,291,832      1,331,375
 Marketing expenses                            857,522        534,119
 Professional fees                             322,316        412,878
 Depreciation expense                          101,228        64,739
 Travelling expenses                           81,296         50,999
 Lease expenses on:
 -  Short term lease expense                   124,525        114,728
 -  Lease concession ((1))                     (80,745)       (200,000)
 Amortisation of intangible assets             10,589         56,372

((1)  ) The variable lease payments are related to additional rent
concessions received from landlord due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

8          INCOME TAX EXPENSE

 

The corporate income tax rate applicable to the Company and its subsidiaries
in Singapore is at 17% (6M'21: 17%). The Group has significant operations in
Myanmar and Vietnam, for which the corporate income tax rate applicable are
22% (6M'21: 25%) and 20% (6M'21: 20%), respectively.

 

Taxation for other jurisdictions is calculated at the rates prevailing in the
relevant jurisdictions.

 

The Group calculates the period income tax expense using the tax rate that
would be applicable to the expected total annual earnings of the respective
entities. The material components of the income tax expense in the condensed
interim consolidated statement of profit or loss are:

 

                                                              Unaudited      Unaudited
                                                              6 months       6 months

                                                              ended          ended
                                                              31 March 2022  31 March 2021
                                                              US$            US$
 Current income tax
 - Current year tax                                           (82,520)       −
 -   Under provision in respect of prior financial periods    −              (10,197)

 Deferred income tax
 -   current financial period                                 −              27,808
 Total income tax credit recognised in profit or loss         (82,520)       17,611

 

9          PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

 

During the six-month financial period ended 31 March 2022, the movements in
the net carrying amount of plant and equipment are summarised below.

 

                                                  Unaudited      Unaudited
                                                  6 months       6 months

                                                  ended          ended
                                                  31 March 2022  31 March 2021
                                                  US$            US$
 Purchase of plant and equipment
 -  Computers and books                           125,122        8,563
 -  Furniture and fittings                        14,663         9,855
 -  Leasehold improvements                        2,921          4,080
 -  Construction-in-progress                      451,463        11,165
                                                  594,169        33,663
 Depreciation for the six-month financial period  (205,506)      (246,594)

 

                Construction-in-progress mainly relates to
leasehold improvements for three English language centres in Vietnam and the
Auston campus in Myanmar, respectively.

 

10        INTANGIBLE ASSETS

 

For presentation purposes, the carrying amounts of goodwill (excluding
computer software/license) are allocated to the respective CGU have been group
to the following segments:

 

                       Education                                               Security services
                       Myanmar                     Vietnam                     Myanmar
                       31       30 September 2021  31         30               31         30 September 2021

                       March                       March      September 2021   March

                        2022                        2022                        2022
                       US$      US$                US$        US$              US$        US$

 Goodwill              −        −                  4,938,217  4,937,416        1,438,990  1,438,990
 Area development and  106,668  114,168            172,207    177,300

   centre fees                                                                 −          −

 

As at reporting date, there are no new additions in intangible assets except
for purchase of computer software license. Amortisation for the six months
financial period ended 31 March 2022 amounted to US$28,268 (6M'21:
US$113,270).

 

 

 

11        RIGHTS-OF-USE ASSETS

 

During the six months financial period ended 31 March 2022, the movements in
the net carrying amount of rights-of-use assets are summarised below.

 

                                                 Unaudited       Audited

                                                 As at           As at

                                                 31 March 2022   30 September 2021
                                                 US$             US$

 Additions for the year                          1,425,137       3,541,687
 Amortisation for the 6 months financial period  (1,350,354)     (1,331,375)

 

 

12      FINANCIAL ASSETS AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
("FVOCI")

 

                                                      Unaudited       Audited

                                                      As at           As at

                                                      31 March 2022   30 September 2021
                                                      US$             US$

 Balance at beginning                                 314,125         675,574
 Fair value recognised in other comprehensive income  (71,800)        (361,449)
 Balance at end                                       242,325         314,125

 

Details of the investment is as follows:

 

 Quoted equity instrument
 - London Stock Exchange (AIM)  242,325  314,125

 

The Group designated investment as quoted equity security to be measured at
FVOCI as at reporting date. The Group intends to hold investment for long-term
appreciation in value as well as strategic investment purposes.

 

The investment in listed equity instrument has no fixed maturity date nor
coupon rate. The fair value of the equity instrument is based on quoted bid
market price on the last market date of the reporting date (Level 1).

 

The FVOCI are denominated in United States dollar as at reporting date.

 

 

 

13     TRADE AND OTHER RECEIVABLES

 

                                                              Unaudited       Audited

                                                              As at           As at

                                                              31 March 2022   30 September 2021
                                                              US$             US$
 Current
 Trade receivables
 Third parties                                                775,701         741,036
 Accrued receivables                                          39,658          75,554
 Related party (Note 23)                                      907,930         1,042,614
 Less: Loss allowances                                        (926,352)       (989,688)
 Total trade receivables                                      796,937         869,516

 Third parties((ii))                                          280,327         280,327
 Less: Loss allowances                                        (280,327)       (280,327)
                                                              −               −

 Advances                                                     6,135           3,743
 Sundry receivables                                           −               39,465
 Rental deposits                                              72,390          75,642
 Prepayments for enrolment and support fees                   361,013         229,250
 Other prepayments                                            333,691         172,687
 Total other receivables                                      773,229         520,787
 Total trade and other receivables (current)                  1,570,166       1,390,303

 Non−current
 Rental deposits                                              429,712         442,609
 Prepayments for enrolment and support fees                   49,498          44,037
 Related party (Note 23)                                      4,419,976       3,914,406
 Less: Loss allowances                                        (3,492,193)     (3,410,436)
 Total other receivables (non−current)                        1,406,993       990,616

 Total trade and other receivables                            2,977,159       2,380,919
 Less: Prepayments                                            (744,202)       (445,974)
 Less: Advances                                               (6,135)         (3,743)
 Add: Cash and cash equivalents and fixed deposits (Note 14)  2,634,338       2,265,882
 Financial assets at amortised costs                          4,861,160       4,197,084

 

 

Trade and other receivables

 

Trade receivables are non−interest bearing and are generally on 15 to 60 (30
September 2021: 15 to 60) days credit term. They are measured at their
original invoice amounts which represent their fair value on initial
recognition.

 

Amounts due from subsidiaries and related parties are non−trade in nature,
unsecured, interest−free and are repayable on demand.

 

Expected credit loss allowances

 

i)         Amount due from a related party

 

In the previous financial year, loss allowances of US$1,004,384 were made on
the trade and non−trade amounts due from a related party in respect of
payments made on behalf and advances for the operation of the managed language
centres and Engineering college in Myanmar. The loss allowance made was based
on the financial information of the related party and the expected repayments
from the provision of property management services to the Group over a period
of 8 (30 September 2021: 9) years.

 

No additional allowance for impairment was made on the amount due from a
related party in the current financial period.

 

ii)        Amount due from third parties - hostels

 

In prior years, allowance for impairment of receivables from third parties of
US$280,327 was made in respect of advances to the owners of the hostels under
management as two of the hostels under management experienced continuous
losses and recoverability is in doubt.

 

The Group may commit to provide annual or monthly advances to the owners of
the managed hostels pursuant to each operation and management agreement. If
the managed hostels do not meet the agreed performance measures, such advances
are recognised as hostel related operating expenses in the profit or loss.

 

No additional allowance for impairment was made on the amount due from third
parties in the current financial period.

 

iii)       Amount due from third-parties

 

In the current financial period, loss allowance of US$18,421 were made on the
current third-party trade receivables as the likelihood of recovery is in
doubt.

 

14     CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AND FIXED DEPOSITS

 

For the consolidated statement of cash flows, cash and cash equivalents
comprise the following at the end of the reporting date:

 

                                                                             Unaudited       Audited

                                                                             As at           As at

                                                                             31 March 2022   30 September 2021
                                                                             US$             US$

 Fixed deposits                                                              43,757          100,625
 Cash and bank balances and on hand                                          2,590,581       2,165,257
 Total                                                                       2,634,338       2,265,882
 Less: pledged fixed deposits                                                (43,757)        (100,625)
 Cash and cash equivalents for the purpose of the consolidated statement of  2,590,581       2,165,257
 cash flows

 

Cash at bank earns interest at floating rates based on daily bank deposit
rates. Fixed deposits placed are for a period of up to 365 (30 September 2021:
ranging from 30 to 365) days and bears interest of 5.4% (30 September 2021:
ranging from 4.6% to 5.4%) per annum. The entire fixed deposits were pledged
to a Vietnam bank as security for credit facility and represented restricted
cash.

 

Cash and cash equivalents and fixed deposits are denominated in the following
currencies:

 

 

 

 

 

                       Unaudited       Audited

                       As at           As at

                       31 March 2022   30 September 2021
                       US$             US$

 United States dollar  1,156,491       1,111,559
 Myanmar Kyat          1,051,026       667,072
 Vietnamese Dong       343,473         430,555
 Singapore dollar      82,866          56,181
 Euro                  482             515
                       2,634,338       2,265,882

 

 

15     SHAREHOLDER'S LOANS (UNSECURED)

 

Changes in shareholder's loan balances (interest and principal) arising from
financing activities:

 

                                           Non−cash changes    Non−cash changes
                  As at       Repayment    Conversion          Interest            As at

                  1 October   of loan      of loan             expense             31 March

                  2021                                                             2022
 Group            US$         US$          US$                 US$                 US$

 Facility 1((a))  3,151,576   (1,666,944)  -                   52,601              1,537,233
 Facility 2((b))  2,591,971   (104,712)    (2,500,000)         12,741              -
                  5,743,547   (1,771,656)  (2,500,000)         65,342              1,537,233

 

                                                    Non−cash changes
                  As at       Drawdown   Repayment  Interest            As at

                  1 October   of loan    of loan    expense             30 September

                  2020                                                  2021
 Group            US$         US$        US$        US$                 US$

 Facility 1((a))  2,188,124   1,000,000  (188,124)  151,576             3,151,576
 Facility 2((b))  1,030,083   1,500,000  (30,083)   91,971              2,591,971
                  3,218,207   2,500,000  (218,207)  243,547             5,743,547

 

(a)      Loan Facility 1

 

On 1 July 2019, the Group secured a loan facility of up to US$3,000,000 with
its shareholder, Macan ("Loan Facility 1"). On 1 November 2021, the Group had
repaid outstanding principal loan amounting to US$1,500,000. Accordingly, the
Group has a remaining unutilised credit facility of US$1,500,000 as at 31
March 2022.

 

(b)      Loan Facility 2

 

On 23 March 2020, the shareholder, Macan granted the Group an additional
loan facility of up to US$4,000,000 ("Loan Facility 2").

 

On 20 October 2021, the Company entered into a loan re-organisation with the
Company's shareholder, Macan for the following:

 

i)     Subscribed a total amount of US$3,500,000 Zero Coupon Convertible
Notes (Note 16) of the Company satisfied through cash consideration of
US$1,000,000 and the conversion of Macan's Loan Facility 2 amounting to
US$2,500,000; and

 

ii)    Terminated Loan Facility 2 agreement with effect from 31 October
2021 subsequent to the repayment of all accrued interest under Loan Facility 2
on 31 October 2021.

 

 

These Loan Facilities bear semi−annual interest at 6% (30 September 2021:
6%) per annum and are repayable on demand in full with all accrued interest or
no later than 30 June 2024. As at reporting date, the shareholder has
indicated that it will not demand repayment within the next 12 months from the
date of the audited financial statements of the Group for the financial year
ended 30 September 2022.

 

16     CONVERTIBLE NOTES

 

The salient features of the convertible loans are as follows:

 

 Type                                              Zero-Coupon Convertible Note                                    10% Coupon Convertible Note
 Tenure                                            Up to 3 years                                                   Up to 3 years
 Maturity                                          30 October 2024                                                 30 October 2024
 Coupon                                            Zero-coupon                                                     10% annual
 Discount                                          Between 2.0% and 20.5% based on conversion schedule             10% vs. subscription price for a Qualifying Event
 Floor conversion price                            US$11.9 per share (based on the maximum discount listed above)  US$15.0 per share
 Qualifying event                                  Share issuance in excess of                                     Share issuance in excess of

                                                   US$5 million                                                    US$5 million
 Use of proceeds                                   Development of business                                         Development of business

                                                   Working capital                                                 Working capital
 Limitation to use of proceeds                     Max. 50% of the proceeds for activities in Myanmar              Max. 50% of the proceeds for activities in Myanmar
 Rank                                              Pari passu to all present and future unsecured obligations      Pari passu to all present and future unsecured obligations
 Principal amount in issuance as at 31 March 2022  US$5.23 million                                                 US$0.50 million

 

Convertible Notes with conversion option are accounted for as financial
liabilities with an embedded equity conversion derivative based on the terms
of the contract. On issuance of Convertible Notes, the embedded option is
recognised at its fair value as derivative liability with subsequent changes
in fair value recognised in profit or loss. The remaining proceeds are
allocated to the liability component that are carried at amortised cost until
the liability is extinguished on conversion or redemption. When an equity
conversion option is exercised, the carrying amounts of the liability
component and the equity conversion option are derecognised with a
corresponding recognition of share capital.

 

On 4 November 2021, the Group launched a Convertible Note Programme to raise
up to US$10 million over a six-month period for working capital and future
investments. The convertible note ("CN") holders have an option to subscribe
to either (i) a 10% coupon option ("10% Coupon Convertible Note") or (ii) a
zero−coupon option ("Zero Coupon Convertible Note").

 

As at reporting date, the Group's existing shareholders have subscribed to CN
amounting to US$5,730,000 comprising:

 

(i)  Zero−Coupon Convertible Notes of US$5,230,000 (including subscription
of Macan amounting to US$2,500,000 as detailed in Note 15 of the financial
statements); and

 

(ii) 10% Coupon Convertible Notes amounting to US$500,000.

 

Convertible loans are denominated in United States dollar.

 

17     BANK LOAN (UNSECURED)

 

         On 25 January 2022, the Group secured a short-term interest
free bank loan from a third-party bank, the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies,
amounting to VND901,680,000 (US$120,492). The loan is repayable 11 months from
the date of disbursement of the loan and any overdue balances bears interest
of 12% per annum.

 

18     TRADE AND OTHER PAYABLES

 

                                                  Unaudited       Audited

                                                  As at           As at

                                                  31 March 2022   30 September 2021
                                                  US$             US$
 Trade payables
 Third parties                                    632,166         624,725
 Accrued enrolment expenses                       145,323         55,563
 Total trade payables                             777,489         680,288

 Other payables
 Third parties                                    52,961          18,429
 Related party                                    −               18,512
 Accruals - others                                1,195,064       1,060,038
 Accruals - staff bonus                           96,335          769,195
 Refundable deposits from customers               480,436         131,293
 Sales tax                                        11,958          19,926
 Total other payables                             1,836,754       2,017,393

 Total trade and other payables                   2,614,243       2,697,681
 Add: Shareholder's loan (Note 15)                1,537,233       5,743,547
 Add: Convertible notes (Note 16)                 5,750,685       −
 Add: Bank loan (Note 17)                         120,492         −
 Add: Lease liabilities                           10,123,685      9,771,179
 Less: Sales tax                                  (11,958)        (19,926)
 Financial liabilities carried at amortised cost  20,134,380      18,192,481

 

Trade amounts due to third parties are unsecured, non-interest bearing and are
on a 15 to 60 (30 September 2021: 15 to 60) days credit term.

 

The non-trade amounts due to third parties and a related party are unsecured,
interest−free and repayable on demand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

19     SHARE CAPITAL

 

                                        Unaudited  Audited        Unaudited       Audited

                                        As at      As at          As at           As at

                                        31 March   30 September   31 March 2022   30 September 2021

                                        2022       2021
                                        Number of shares          US$             US$
 Issued and fully paid

     ordinary shares:

 Ordinary shares
 At beginning of financial period/year  2,845,920  2,804,920                      20,553,638

                                                                  20,799,638
 Shares issued during the               80,000     41,000                         246,000

    financial period                                              640,000
 At end of financial period             2,925,920  2,845,920      21,439,638      20,799,638

At beginning of financial period/year

2,845,920

2,804,920

 

20,799,638

20,553,638

Shares issued during the

   financial period

80,000

41,000

 

640,000

246,000

At end of financial period

2,925,920

2,845,920

21,439,638

20,799,638

 

On 10 December 2021, the Company issued 80,000 ordinary shares at US$8 per
share (being the closing bid price of the Company's ordinary shares as at 10
December 2021) in lieu of payment for accrued employee bonus of US$640,000, in
respect of employment services rendered for the previous financial period to
certain key management personnel as detailed in Note 5 to the financial
statements.

 

In the previous financial year, on 24 June 2021, the Company issued 41,000
ordinary shares at US$6 per share (being the closing bid price of the
Company's ordinary shares as at date of issuance) in lieu of payment for
accrued employee bonus of US$246,000, in respect of employment services
rendered for the previous financial period to certain key management personnel
as detailed in Note 6 to the financial statements.

 

The holders of ordinary shares are entitled to receive dividends as and when
declared by the Company. All ordinary shares have no par value and carry one
vote per share without restrictions.

 

The Company did not declare any dividend in respect of the financial period
from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 and financial period from 1 October 2020
to 30 September 2021.

 

20     NON-CONTROLLING INTEREST

 

On 7 February 2022, the Company acquired 3,000 ordinary shares from the
non-controlling interest of MS Auston Pte. Ltd. for a cash consideration of
US$1.00. The carrying value of the net liabilities of the subsidiary company,
MS Auston Pte Ltd as at date of acquisition was US$279,693 and the carrying
value of the additional equity interest of 30% acquired was US$83,908. The
difference of US$83,909 between the consideration and the carrying value of
additional interest acquired resulted in a premium paid on acquisition of
non-controlling interests recognised directly in equity reserve.

 

The following table shows the effect of changes in the Group's ownership
interest that did not result in loss of control, on the equity attributable to
owners of the Company:

 

                                                                  Unaudited

                                                                  As at

                                                                  31 March 2022
                                                                  US$

 Amount paid on changes in ownership interest in subsidiary       1
 Non-controlling interest comprising of net liabilities acquired  83,908
 Total amount recognised in equity reserves                       83,909

 

 

21     LOSS PER SHARE

 

The calculation of the basic and diluted loss per share attributable to the
ordinary equity holders of the Company is based on the following data:

 

                                                     Unaudited      Unaudited
                                                     6 months       6 months

                                                     ended          ended
                                                     31 March 2022  31 March 2021

 Numerator
 Loss for the financial period attributable to the
    owners of the parent (US$)                       (2,549,665)    (2,885,464)

 Denominator
 Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the
    purposes of basic and diluted loss per share     2,895,319      2,804,920

 Loss per share (US$)
 Basic and diluted                                   (0.88)         (1.03)

 

 

In the current financial period and previous financial period, diluted loss
per share is the same as the basic loss per share because the dilutive
potential ordinary shares to be exercised are anti-dilutive as the effect of
the shares' conversion would be to decrease the loss per share.

 

22     COMMITMENTS

 

As at the reporting date, commitments in respect of capital expenditures are
as detailed below:

 

                                                        Unaudited      Unaudited
                                                        6 months       6 months

                                                        ended          ended
                                                        31 March 2022  31 March 2021
                                                        US$            US$

 Capital expenditures contracted but not provided for:
 - Property, plant and equipment                        115,000        −

 

23     SIGNIFICANT RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

During the financial period, in addition to the information disclosed
elsewhere in these financial statements, the Group entered into the following
significant transactions with related parties at rates and terms agreed
between the parties:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                   Unaudited      Unaudited
                                   6 months       6 months

                                   ended          ended
                                   31 March 2022  31 March 2021
                                   US$            US$

 With related parties*:
 - Management fees                 63,881         −
 - Technical support service fees  120,820        361,409

 With a Director of the

 subsidiaries:
 - Professional fees               54,000         54,000

 

*Related parties refer to entities where a Director of the subsidiaries have
beneficial interests.

 

24     FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT

 

Financial instruments and measurements

 

Financial instruments not measured at fair value

 

Financial instruments not measured at fair value includes cash and cash
equivalents and fixed deposits, current trade and other receivables (excluding
prepayments and advances), long term rental deposits (current) and trade and
other payables. Due to their short−term nature, the carrying amount of these
current financial assets and financial liabilities measured at amortised costs
approximate their fair value.

 

The carrying amounts of the non−current loans due to a shareholder and
liability component of the convertible notes approximates their fair values as
the fixed interest rate approximates market interest rates for such
liabilities.

 

The carrying amounts of the non−current liability component of the
convertible notes approximates their fair values as the fixed interest rate
approximates market interest rates for such liabilities.

 

The non-current receivables due from a related party (Note 13) amounting to
US$927,783 (30 September 2021: US$503,970) has an estimated fair value of
US$927,783 (30 September 2021: US$318,328), is measured according to Level 2
of the fair valuation hierarchy. The fair value of the amount due from a
related party is determined based on discounted cash flow method, taking into
consideration the estimated duration required for the related party to repay
and the market interest rate used for discounting to present value.

 

Financial instruments measured at fair value

 

The financial instruments as disclosed in Note 12 to the financial statements
included in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy, are traded in active market
and their fair values are based on quoted market prices at the reporting date.

 

There were no transfers between levels during the financial period.

 

There have been no changes in the valuation techniques of the various classes
of financial instruments during the financial period.

 

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