SINGAPORE, Sep 11, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - China's top executives from state-owned and private enterprises recently gathered for a press conference organised by China's State Council Information Office (SCIO) in Beijing to talk about entrepreneurship and the role of innovation in the development of enterprises. The event saw participation from among China's top business leaders including Ning Gaoning, Chairman of Sinochem; Liu Yonghao, Chairman of New Hope Group; Zhou Yuxian, Chairman of China National Building Materials Group; and Yan Zhi, Chairman of ZALL Group ("ZALL").

Yan Zhi, Chairman of ZALL Holdings Ltd (Photo credit: The State Council Information Office of China)

Yan Zhi, Chairman of ZALL shared, "I feel that it is very important, especially during this unprecedented crisis, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, to promote the entrepreneurial spirit which is a mindset that embraces the love for his or her hometown; social responsibility; positive attitude; and innovation. ZALL has managed to grow our footprint across the world underpinned by our values as we ride the wave of globalisation and innovation, and I envisaged this trend to continue."

As one of the first companies in China to operate traditional wholesale markets, logistics, and ports, ZALL has developed Asia's largest B2B offline-to-online trading ecosystem in China and Southeast Asia. Combining online platforms, offline marketplaces and supply chain networks, ZALL empowers customers, merchants and enterprises with access to more convenient, efficient and accurate services, from trading, logistics to property and finance.

"We are developing a new generation of global intelligent trading platform powered by the application of new advanced technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Big Data, and modern supply chain management that will become the driving force and catalyst for China's "dual-circulation" economy," added Mr Yan.

ZALL Smart Commerce Group., the global e-commerce entity under ZALL, recently reported that 2020 first half-year revenue grew by 3 per cent year-on-year to reach RMB 35.76 billion (USD 5.24 billion), and achieved net profit of RMB 281 million (USD 41.14 million), despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Revenues from supply chain management and trading business largely contributed to the Group's total turnover at around RMB 34.96 billion (USD 5.12 billion).

Commodities Intelligence Centre (CIC), Singapore's first physical commodity B2B e-trading platform powered by blockchain technology also saw revenues cross USD 1 billion in its 2020 first-half revenues, surpassing its entire 12 month revenues from 2019. As a joint venture between ZALL Smart Commerce Group Ltd., Singapore Exchange (SGX) and Global eTrade Services (GeTS), CIC offers a global intelligent trading platform to more than a dozen countries, helping companies to reduce transaction costs, optimise the efficiency of their supply chains across cross-border trading, financing, logistics, compliance and risk management; achieving greater trading synergies globally.

ZALL is also one of the nine bidders who made the shortlist for the Singapore wholesale digital banking license with only three licenses set to be awarded by end-2020. The digital bank foray will mark ZALL's fourth major project in Singapore since 2018, as it aims to bridge the funding gap and support the expansion of local SMEs and micro-SMEs into Asia.

With a strong commitment towards social responsibility, ZALL was the first company to activate and mobilise their global supply chain networks and resources to deliver emergency supplies within 48 hours of the lockdown to the Wuhan epicentre. The Group has provided 11 air cargo shipments of medical supplies, including masks, and personal protective gear to 556 hospitals and medical institutions in Hubei province in China, and has setup seven emergency hospitals and three fangcang sheltered hospitals to alleviate the severe hospital bed shortage at the epicentre.

Beyond supporting China's fight against Covid-19, ZALL has stepped up efforts to empower governments around the world in the fight against Covid-19, and has published two e-books that is translated into more than 20 different languages to share their knowledge and experience with fighting the pandemic in China and Wuhan. The Group also donated a total of RMB 185 million of medical supplies to 16 countries and regions around the world, including Singapore and affected countries, such as Japan, France, Czech Republic, Cambodia, Indonesia, Peru, Ecuador as well as Central And West African countries.

"As an entrepreneur, the basic spirit that one must have is to love one's country and hometown, and if one is not even able to love their hometown, we can't really expect them to love anything else," said Yan Zhi.

About ZALL Smart Commerce Group

ZALL Smart Commerce Group is a leading Chinese B2B e-commerce group (ranked 166th of Fortune China 500 companies) with a global footprint across the world and is listed on three exchanges on HKSE, NYSE and SSE. ZALL Group develops and operates Asia's largest B2B offline-to-online trade ecosystem in China and Southeast Asia, including Singapore, with more than 30 B2B platforms in China, US and Singapore, and a GFA of more than 10 million sqm of wholesale trade centres in China. In 2018, ZALL Group achieved a GMV of more than RMB 600 billion (US$85.2 bn), serving over 1 mil SME customers worldwide.

ZALL has also obtained a virtual banking licence and currently operates Z-Bank in China since 2017, one of China's Top 5 digital banks that has supported more than 5.5 million SME and individual customers. For more information, please visit http://en.zallcn.com/

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