SK Hynix Inc. announced today a new program on shareholder return for the 2025-27 period and the "Value Up" plan aimed at boosting corporate value.According to the new shareholder return program, SK Hynix (or "the company", www.skhynix.com) will maintain the existing principle of allocating half of the accumulated free cash flow for resources for shareholder return, while raising the annual fixed dividend (minimum dividend per share that SK Hynix plans to pay out every year) by 25% to KRW1,500 a share from KRW1,200.With the hike in the dividend, the total amount of the cash dividend is forecast to grow to KRW1 trillion annually.The move is aimed at meeting the expectations of the shareholders who have helped SK Hynix overcome difficulties and challenges and advance to a leading global AI memory provider.Despite the expected continuity of a volatile memory business, SK Hynix will make its utmost efforts to protect corporate value by pursuing a balance between shareholder return and financial soundness.For this, the company established specific targets for financial soundness such as net cash and optimal cash level, while deciding to put aside 5% of the free cash flow for enhancement of the financial structure.Net Cash: a company's cash balance after liabilities are subtractedOptimal Cash Level: resources for annual investment aimed at preparing for future growthSK Hynix plans to proceed with an additional return to shareholders within the extent that its finances are maintained sound if its financial targets are met until 2027 when the three-year program comes to an end. It will also review the possibility of an early return to shareholders prior to the expiration of the program if a better-than-expected business performance brings a meaningful increase in the level of free cash flow.Separately, SK Hynix also introduced its "Value Up" initiative aimed at bringing corporate value a notch higher.The Capex Discipline from the plan stipulates that the total amount of annual investment has to stay at an average mid-30% range, compared with the revenues to ease uncertainties of the future and enable quick decision-making in accordance with market conditions to eventually generate a stable flow of cash.The two plans come at a time when SK Hynix prepares to make its leadership in the AI memory space more concrete by establishing a desirable technology roadmap for the future amid diversifying customer demands and an increasing portion of premium products in the full-fledged AI era.Kim Woohyun, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, said that SK Hynix's corporate value has risen sharply after successfully weathering a downturn amid growing optimism that it will report this year all-time high financial results well above those during a super cycle in 2018."Our goal is to promote the company's long-term prosperity together with our shareholders by carrying out the policies for shareholder return that matches the company's growth and stability of the financial structure," said Kim.

Headquartered in Taipei, a city renowned for its concentration of high-tech companies, the Taiwanese company HONG TONG TECHNOLOGY CO., founded in 2019 as a subsidiary of INSTANT, specializes in Flash controllers, TF card sales, and consumer products. The company has committed to advancing personal digital management and application development for years.For more information, visit the company website: https://www.hong-tong.com.tw.In September 2024, HONG TONG TECHNOLOGY CO. announced the acquisition of Initio's encryption storage product line, which includes Initio's USB BRIDGE (USB-EMMC/SATA/PCIe) controller ICs with embedded crypto engines, along with the associated firmware, ASICs, technical support, and IP ownership. These operations will be managed from HONG TONG's headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan. With this strategic acquisition, the company aims to strengthen its position in the encryption market and accelerate the development of next-generation secure storage solutions.HONG TONG stated that, in addition to our existing key technologies in personal data management and intelligent translation, this acquisition is significant as it complements our capabilities in the increasingly critical area of data encryption. In the face of rapidly increasing data transfer speeds, this will effectively reduce the risk of unauthorized data access and misuse. It will address the long-standing need for robust data confidentiality mechanisms in our products and make encryption a fundamental feature of our new offerings. This acquisition will seamlessly integrate into our personal digital management solutions, with a focus on the diversification and development of encryption applications being a key future goal.Revolutionizing Data Encryption HONG TONG Acquires Initio's Encryption Storage Line to Drive Secure Data Innovation

The market has reacted optimistically to Donald Trump's U.S. election victory, pushing crypto's total market capitalization above $3.2 trillion. Investors view Trump as a pro-crypto replacement for the current administration, which is considered skeptical, at best.While positive moves were expected regardless of who won the election, Trump's victory is viewed as being the most positive outcome. Crypto's market capitalization is the highest it has ever been, coinciding with Bitcoin's record highs, and higher even than November 2021, when capitalization reached nearly $3.1 trillion.Cryptocurrency RiseCryptocurrency is a popular investment vehicle thanks to its potential for substantial daily price increases. It is also becoming increasingly widely accepted by businesses as a payment option for services and products. Modern payment gateways have seen their acceptance at e-commerce and online business websites increase, as well as in the global surge of Bitcoin casino websites.According to crypto casino writer Gary McLellan, Bitcoin casinos are proving popular because they offer faster payouts and higher withdrawal limits than traditional online casinos while still providing access to a varied selection of games.Investors are also taking a gamble on Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. BTC price was $69,000 the day before the election when polls and media claimed it was too tight to call a likely winner. However, once it became apparent that Trump had overperformed these predictions, the world's largest cryptocurrency saw its price start to rise.One week after the election, it rose to $88,000 and on Monday it broke the $90,000 mark. Although it is expected to face a lot of resistance at the $100,000 psychological barrier, many analysts now expect it to push through this mark and go on to a price of $150,000 or more. Some optimistic supporters believe it can eventually reach a price of $1 million due to its increased scarcity and demand.Cryptocurrency's $3.2 trillion market capitalization is impressive, but it still falls some way short of other investment markets. The NYSE, for example, has a total capitalization of $30 trillion. NASDAQ, the second largest stock exchange in the U.S., has a market capitalization of $25 trillion. The global foreign exchange market has a total market cap of $2.4 quadrillion and a daily trading volume of $7.5 trillion.The cryptocurrency market may be some way behind, but considering Bitcoin was only launched in 2009, it has grown considerably, especially following the launch of Bitcoin and Ether ETFs. With Trump in power, many are expecting the launch of further ETFs with Solana being a favorite to have its own fund products hit the market.The Rest Of The MarketBitcoin isn't the only cryptocurrency to have benefited from Trump's victory. Ether's price stood at $2,500 before the election before reaching a high of $3,300 on November 12. ETH prices have corrected since, falling to $3,100, but this still represents an increase of 24% in less than a fortnight.DOGE has seen some of the biggest increases of the largest coins. What was once considered something of a joke within cryptocurrency has seen significant support from crypto enthusiasts, including celebrity names like Snoop Dogg and, of course, Elon Musk. Musk threw his hat in Trump's election bid ring, following him on the last legs of the campaign trail.Musk was rewarded by being made head of the new government department, The Department Of Government Efficiency, or D.O.G.E. for short, effectively giving the meme coin even more credence. Before the election, the DOGE price was $0.15. A week later it peaked at $0.39 and while it has fallen back a little to $0.37 that still represents an increase of nearly 150% since the election.Ripple and Stellar, which are considered bridges between traditional finance and modern cryptocurrencies, were a little slower to take off after the election but have gone on to make consider gains since then.XLM (Stellar) cost $0.091 pre-election and rose to $0.11 after a week (+21%) but is now trading at $0.25, posting an increase of 175%.XRP (Ripple) cost $0.51 on November 4 and added 18% to its price to reach $0.6 seven days later. It is now trading at $1.15, representing a 125% increase.Ripple and Stellar are two currencies that could benefit hugely from a second Trump presidency. Ripple has been in a years-long battle with the SEC over whether it is a security and should be legally treated as such.SEC chair Gary Gensler is adamant that the coin owes the SEC large sums of money, despite the courts recently ruling in favor of the crypto. During Trump's election bid, he vowed to sack Gensler on day one.His ability to do so has been questioned, but, at the very least, Gensler is highly unlikely to remain in place beyond his current tenure which expires in June 2026, and if the president-elect makes Gensler's life especially difficult, he may choose to leave office sooner, with Trump likely nominating a more crypto-friendly alternative to take the main seat.The Crypto ElectionThis election was the first where cryptocurrency was really even discussed. Initially, while incumbent President Joe Biden was still competing for re-election, Trump set himself up as the crypto President to counter Biden's anti-crypto stance. He promised to make the U.S. the crypto capital of the planet and hinted at sweeping changes for the industry.When Vice President Kamala Harris was nominated as a replacement for Joe Biden in the presidential race, her softer stance on cryptocurrency regulation was noted. She especially promised to look after the interests of investors, suggesting the first steps to better regulation could be on the cards.However, it was Trump that found the backing of the industry with major names within the sector donating millions of dollars to his election campaign and Musk firmly taking a seat next to him. It's unclear exactly what changes he will bring, but considering the Trump family has established its own crypto lending platform and Musk's installment in a prominent position within government, it is likely that crypto will see benefits.