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Harvest Capital Congratulates Eastroc Beverage on Its Hong Kong Listing
manilatimes64d ago

Harvest Capital Congratulates Eastroc Beverage on Its Hong Kong Listing

Asia's Largest Beverage IPO Marks the Dawn of a New A+H Global EraHONG KONG, Feb. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Eastroc Beverage (09980.HK / 605499.SH), a portfolio company of Harvest Capital, today made its official debut on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, becoming the first functional beverage company in China to be listed on both the A-share and H-share markets.Market capitalization exceeding HKD 140 billion.The offering raised approximately HKD 10.14 billion, with the Hong Kong public offering 57.46 times oversubscribed and the international tranche 15.60 times oversubscribed, setting a new fundraising record for the Asian beverage sector and marking the largest beverage IPO in Asia to date.As Eastroc Beverage's earliest - and at the time, sole - external institutional investor, Harvest Capital is proud to have accompanied the company throughout its journey. This milestone represents not only the success of a portfolio company, but also a validation of long-term conviction investing in consumer brands.From 1994 to No. 1: Building China's Leading Functional Beverage BrandFounded in 1994, Eastroc Beverage's trajectory mirrors the rise of China's homegrown consumer champions. Under the leadership of founder and Chairman Mr. Lin Muqin, the company transformed Eastroc Energy Drink into a household name through sharp market insight and relentless execution.Today, Eastroc Beverage is China's leading functional beverage company. In recent years, its revenue growth rate has ranked first among the world's top 20 listed soft drink companies, underscoring its exceptional momentum.With its iconic slogan - "When you're tired or sleepy, reach for Eastroc" - the brand has become a daily energy companion for long-haul drivers, delivery workers, and late-night office professionals across China, fueling the country's vast community of strivers.A Decade-Long Partnership: Harvest Capital and Eastroc BeverageHarvest Capital's partnership with Eastroc Beverage is rooted in its long-held belief in the consumer logic of high frequency, strong brand loyalty, and scalable flagship products.Drawing on deep experience from earlier investments in the functional beverage category, Harvest Capital recognized early on that functional drinks represented one of the fastest-growing segments within non-alcoholic beverages. The firm first engaged with Eastroc in 2015, and in 2017 invested RMB 350 million, becoming the company's only external shareholder at the time.After nearly a decade of partnership in the A-share market, Harvest Capital once again participated as a cornerstone and anchor investor in Eastroc Beverage's Hong Kong listing, reaffirming its long-term support for the company's global expansion.Industry-Leading Performance: The Fundamentals Behind RMB 20 Billion in RevenueAccording to the company's latest earnings guidance, Eastroc Beverage continues to deliver standout growth:Revenue scale: Full-year 2025 revenue is expected to exceed RMB 20.76 billion, representing year-on-year growth of over 31%;Profitability: Net profit is projected to reach RMB 4.34-4.59 billion, with growth of up to 37.97%;Distribution strength: The company has built a nationwide network covering nearly 100% of China's prefecture-level cities, supported by more than 3,200 distributors and 4.3 million active retail outlets, reaching over 250 million consumers.This powerful, internally driven growth engine underpins Eastroc Beverage's record-breaking IPO and its emergence as Asia's largest beverage listing in recent years.Going Global: From China's Eastroc to Eastroc of the WorldThe H-share listing represents a strategic inflection point in Eastroc Beverage's globalization journey.The company's ambition extends beyond domestic leadership - it aims to evolve into a global, diversified beverage group, comparable to international icons such as Coca-Cola and Suntory.Eastroc products are now sold in more than 30 countries and regions, with overseas subsidiaries established in markets including the United States, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Proceeds from the Hong Kong offering will be primarily allocated toward global production capacity expansion and supply-chain upgrades, advancing a dual-engine model of overseas manufacturing plus overseas distribution.Mr. Alan Song Xiangqian, Chairman of Harvest Capital, commented:"Eastroc Beverage's A+H dual listing is a declaration of China's functional beverage industry stepping onto the global stage. As a cornerstone investor, Harvest Capital will continue to stand behind champions - supporting Eastroc as it spreads its wings across global markets. We firmly believe that the globalization of Chinese brands is not merely about exporting products, but about exporting value chains and management excellence. Today, we witness history; tomorrow, we will continue to build greatness together."Congratulations once again to Eastroc Beverage on this landmark achievement.

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High Cost Of Doing Business Cripples Pakistan’s Exporters & Stagnates Growth
freepressjournal64d ago

High Cost Of Doing Business Cripples Pakistan’s Exporters & Stagnates Growth

Pakistan’s exporters face a 34 percent higher cost of doing business than regional competitors such as India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam, severely eroding price competitiveness and stalling export growth since 2022. High industrial energy tariffs, burdensome tax policies on formal businesses, and the collapse of over 400 cotton ginning units have increased reliance on imported cotton.

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WhatsApp Tips 2026: How To Hide Online Status, Last Seen And Blue Ticks
timesnownews64d ago

WhatsApp Tips 2026: How To Hide Online Status, Last Seen And Blue Ticks

WhatsApp is one of the most widely used messaging apps, often used to share important documents and personal details. As the platform is increasingly targeted by scammers, protecting your activity and privacy from unknown users has become more important than ever.

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Hong Kong to welcome dogs in restaurants with new license program
asianewsnetwork64d ago

Hong Kong to welcome dogs in restaurants with new license program

Hong Kong to welcome dogs in restaurants with new license program Asia News Network (ANN) is the leading regional alliance of news titles striving to bring the region closer, through an active sharing of editorial content on happenings in the region.

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Why XRP Is Bouncing From Multi-Year Lows Despite Epstein Email and Mojaloop Concerns
newsbtc64d ago

Why XRP Is Bouncing From Multi-Year Lows Despite Epstein Email and Mojaloop Concerns

XRP’s recent price rebound has come at an unusual moment. The token is slowly recovering from levels last seen nearly two years ago, even as fresh controversy arises around resurfaced Jeffrey Epstein emails and renewed scrutiny of early XRP-related experiments such as Mojaloop. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s Crash Spells Trouble For Strategy: 10-Month Low Stings Below Average Purchase Price For many traders, the timing raises a simple question, Why is XRP finding buyers now, despite headlines that could have weighed on sentiment? The answer appears to lie less in historical debates and more in present-day market structure, regulation, and real-world use cases that are beginning to show measurable traction. XRP's price trends to the downside on the daily chart. Source: XRPUSD on Tradingview Epstein Emails and Mojaloop Reignite Old Debates Recently released emails linked to Jeffrey Epstein have drawn attention to how early crypto insiders viewed XRP and similar payment networks. Parity involving figures from Bitcoin-centric firms suggested that supporting projects like XRP or Stellar was seen as politically and strategically risky within early crypto circles. Separate leaked discussions from the Mojaloop Foundation compared XRP-based models with Stellar, highlighting push payments and real-time settlement, while also pointing to integration and adoption challenges. Industry figures, including Ripple’s chief technology officer David Schwartz, have stressed that these documents show opinion and proximity, not involvement or control. The emails largely reinforce what was already known, XRP’s design and goals put it at odds with Bitcoin-aligned investors in its early years, slowing adoption despite technical promise. While the renewed attention has stirred online speculation, it has not introduced evidence of misconduct or direct operational ties. XRP Price Rebound Driven by Market and Regulatory Signals Despite the chatters, XRP recently bounced from around $1.50, its lowest level in almost two years, as the broader crypto market staged a modest recovery. Bitcoin and Ethereum also moved higher, helping lift sentiment across major tokens. XRP has since traded near $1.60, even after falling more than 15% over the past month. Beyond market beta, regulatory developments have played a role. Ripple’s approval for a full Electronic Money Institution license in Luxembourg allows it to operate across the European Union and expand its regulated payment services. In parallel, a partnership with DXC Technology is integrating XRP into banking systems for settlement and payments, reinforcing its utility narrative at a time when investors are looking for assets with tangible use cases. Real-World Activity Offers Counterweight to Controversy Another factor supporting sentiment is growing activity on the XRP Ledger beyond payments. In the UAE, more than $280 million worth of polished diamonds have been tokenized using Ripple-backed custody infrastructure and the XRPL. While the project remains in a controlled phase pending regulatory approvals, it highlights how the network is being used for real-world asset experiments rather than speculation alone. Related Reading: Bitcoin Net Taker Volume Sees Third-Largest Bearish Spike In 2 Years Taken together, XRP’s bounce appears to be driven less by the dismissal of historical concerns and more by current fundamentals. Regulatory progress, institutional-facing partnerships, and broader market stabilization have, for now, outweighed renewed debate over old emails and early adoption struggles. Cover image from ChatGPT, XRPUSD chart on Tradingview

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Building for fragmentation: How ASEAN SaaS leaders architect optionality into a paradox
e2764d ago

Building for fragmentation: How ASEAN SaaS leaders architect optionality into a paradox

Ask any B2B SaaS founder scaling across Southeast Asia to name their biggest strategic challenge in 2026, and the answer rarely centres on product-market fit. Instead, it’s something quieter but far more consequential: the region’s simultaneous march toward digital integration and regulatory fragmentation. The ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), expected to be signed this [...]The post Building for fragmentation: How ASEAN SaaS leaders architect optionality into a paradox appeared first on e27.

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Midnight Therapy Has Officially Opened Its Steam Page
cogconnected64d ago

Midnight Therapy Has Officially Opened Its Steam Page

The indie studio Cointinue Games has officially launched the Steam store page for its upcoming title, Midnight Therapy.The post Midnight Therapy Has Officially Opened Its Steam Page appeared first on COGconnected.

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