Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1123240
30.05.19 2 NEWS GO p.l.c. has announced that revenues reached €171.8 million during 2018, compared to €166.3 million a year ear- lier, whilst earnings before interest, tax and amortisation (EBITDA) was record- ed at €69.5 million compared to €65.6 million in 2017, a year-on-year increase of 6%. e Group's 21st Annual General Meeting, held on Tuesday, highlighted the company's resolve to achieve strong- er results and return on investment. e Group's operating profit reached €33.1 million, an increase of 12% on the €29.5 million recorded in 2017. A divi- dend of €0.14 per share, an increase of 7.7% over 2017 was recommended by the Board and approved by the shareholders. "For the past year we have focused heavily on three main areas: adding val- ue to our customers' lives, developing a learning organization and delivering returns to our shareholders, and I am very proud of my team as we continue to make great progress on all fronts," Nikhil Patil, Chief Executive Officer at GO, said. "Our considerable investment in our networks and our people, and innova- tion in our products and services has driven a very positive performance dur- ing 2018. Our aim is to ensure long term sustainability while finding opportu- nities to provide greater returns to our shareholders." He said 2018 was yet another very pos- itive year for the Group and is the re- sult of a Board with a great vision, and aligned team that is driven and commit- ted to deliver. Patil explained GO's major milestones throughout the past financial year, namely continued customer growth in Malta and Cyprus, innovation in GO's product portfolio and its ongoing invest- ment in technology and its True Fibre rollout, and its mission to strengthen its relationship with customers through ro- bust customer relationship management solutions. "GO continued to deliver a strong per- formance from its core operations, cou- pled with impressive growth from our data and ICT services through BMIT and Kinetix. Our Cypriot subsidiary, Cablenet, has also proved to be a key contributor to the overall growth. Today, 19% of Group revenue is derived from Cablenet. Cablenet delivered a revenue growth of 8% and an EBITDA growth of 10.5%," he said. GO Annual Report and Financial Statements are available online at www. go.com.mt GO holds 21st Annual General Meeting, reports 12% increase in operating profit Nikhil Patil, Chief Executive Officer at GO THE new €100 and €200 bank- notes, the last notes in the Europa series, entered circulation on Tuesday. e banknotes use new and innovative security features and are easy to check using the "feel, look and tilt" method. At the top of the silvery stripe a satellite hologram shows small € symbols that move around the number when the banknote is tilted and become clearer under direct light. e silvery stripe also shows a portrait of Europa, the architectural motif and a large € symbol. e new banknotes also feature an enhanced emer- ald number. While the emerald number is present on all the oth- er notes of the Europa series, this enhanced version also shows € symbols inside the number. e new notes are now the same height as the €50 banknote, which makes them easier to handle and process by machines. ey will also fit better in people's wallets and last longer, as they will be subject to less wear and tear. e €100 is the third most widely used euro banknote, after the €50 and the €20. e demand for €100 and €200 banknotes is increasing at an annual rate of 7.6% for the €100 and 8.6% for the €200. e €100 and €200 banknotes of the first series, like all the other denominations, will remain le- gal tender. ey will continue to circulate alongside the new notes and will be gradually withdrawn from circulation. New €100 and €200 banknotes enter circulation