AXIATA Group Bhd’s net profit for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025 (1Q25) more than doubled to RM159.84 million from RM60.03 million a year earlier, driven by lower depreciation and costs, net forex gains of RM28.4 million and higher contributions from CelcomDigi Bhd.
The improvement came despite an 11.3% drop in revenue to RM5.09 billion, mainly due to currency depreciation in Indonesia and Bangladesh.
The telco firm reported that all its units except XLSMART showed profit after tax and minority interest (Patami) growth.
Without one-off losses, underlying Patami would have risen 7.4%, it said.
While Ebitda fell 12.5%, a sharp RM548.2 million cut in capex lifted cash flow to RM815.4 million.
Axiata highlighted ongoing integration at CelcomDigi and XLSMART, projecting RM700 million in annual synergies by 2027 from CelcomDigi and US$300–400 million from XLSMART.
Its frontier market units (Robi, Dialog, Smart) also posted solid profit and cash flow growth, navigating market volatility effectively.
It group CEO and MD Vivek Sood said the group has taken steps to reposition towards its long and medium-term portfolio objectives.
“We are confident that our strategic framework, focused on strengthening connectivity and convergence businesses while streamlining our portfolio for value creation and monetisation, will enable us to capitalise on significant market opportunities.” — TMR
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