TOUCHPANELS
G-Tech plans big share sale
G-Tech Optoelectronics Corp (正達國際), which makes cover glass for touchpanel displays, yesterday said its board had approved plans to sell as many as 29.5 million common shares via a private placement. The company plans to use the proceeds to buy equipment and raw materials, as well as replenish operational capital, G-Tech said in a filing to the Taiwan Stock Exchange. It said it also plans to use the money to repay bank loans. The company, a subsidiary of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), plans to spend between NT$3 billion to NT$4 billion (US$100 million and US$400 million) on new facilities and equipment this year. It is scheduled to hold an extraordinary shareholder’s meeting on Nov. 7 to discuss the share sale plan, but did not name the potential investor in the deal.
TRADE
Taiwan, Britain ink MOU
Taiwan and the UK have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to increase information exchanges and cooperation on intellectual property issues, the British Trade and Cultural Office said yesterday. The memorandum commits the two sides to exchange information and cooperate on issues such as Internet piracy, patent law harmonization and other international intellectual property issues, the British office said. The cooperative effort will be handled by the Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Intellectual Property Office and the UK Intellectual Property Office.
The Eurovision Song Contest has seen a surge in punter interest at the bookmakers, becoming a major betting event, experts said ahead of last night’s giant glamfest in Basel. “Eurovision has quietly become one of the biggest betting events of the year,” said Tomi Huttunen, senior manager of the Online Computer Finland (OCS) betting and casino platform. Betting sites have long been used to gauge which way voters might be leaning ahead of the world’s biggest televised live music event. However, bookmakers highlight a huge increase in engagement in recent years — and this year in particular. “We’ve already passed 2023’s total activity and
BIG BUCKS: Chairman Wei is expected to receive NT$34.12 million on a proposed NT$5 cash dividend plan, while the National Development Fund would get NT$8.27 billion Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday announced that its board of directors approved US$15.25 billion in capital appropriations for long-term expansion to meet growing demand. The funds are to be used for installing advanced technology and packaging capacity, expanding mature and specialty technology, and constructing fabs with facility systems, TSMC said in a statement. The board also approved a proposal to distribute a NT$5 cash dividend per share, based on first-quarter earnings per share of NT$13.94, it said. That surpasses the NT$4.50 dividend for the fourth quarter of last year. TSMC has said that while it is eager
‘IMMENSE SWAY’: The top 50 companies, based on market cap, shape everything from technology to consumer trends, advisory firm Visual Capitalist said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) was ranked the 10th-most valuable company globally this year, market information advisory firm Visual Capitalist said. TSMC sat on a market cap of about US$915 billion as of Monday last week, making it the 10th-most valuable company in the world and No. 1 in Asia, the publisher said in its “50 Most Valuable Companies in the World” list. Visual Capitalist described TSMC as the world’s largest dedicated semiconductor foundry operator that rolls out chips for major tech names such as US consumer electronics brand Apple Inc, and artificial intelligence (AI) chip designers Nvidia Corp and Advanced
Pegatron Corp (和碩), an iPhone assembler for Apple Inc, is to spend NT$5.64 billion (US$186.82 million) to acquire HTC Corp’s (宏達電) factories in Taoyuan and invest NT$578.57 million in its India subsidiary to expand manufacturing capacity, after its board approved the plans on Wednesday. The Taoyuan factories would expand production of consumer electronics, and communication and computing devices, while the India investment would boost production of communications devices and possibly automotive electronics later, a Pegatron official told the Taipei Times by telephone yesterday. Pegatron expects to complete the Taoyuan factory transaction in the third quarter, said the official, who declined to be