Raffles, Cicada to launch Raffles reserve treasury

Dr. Charlie In reports RAFFLES FINANCIAL GROUP LTD (RICH) AND CICADA FINANCE PARTNER TO LAUNCH RAFFLES CRYPTO TREASURY Raffles Financial Group Ltd. has entered a strategic collaboration with Cicada Finance, a leading on-chain asset management protocol. Together, the two firms will launch the Raffles reserve treasury, an innovative digital asset designed to integrate high-growth cryptocurrencies into trade finance credit facilities for initial-public-offering-ready firms. A new era of digital trade finance This collaboration bridges traditional corporate finance and decentralized finance, creating a unique model for tokenized trade finance. The initiative combines Raffles Financial's record in public listings, compliance and corporate finance with Cicada Finance's expertise in tokenomics, Web3 asset structuring and decentralized asset management. Under this co-operation, both organizations will advance the structuring of tokenized assets, real-world assets, smart contract issuance, token circulation mechanisms, settlement systems, and security and risk control frameworks. The goal is to unlock the exponential demand for crypto assets and decentralized financial markets while providing robust, institutional-grade financial products. The proposed Raffles reserve treasury The RRT will be issued through a Singapore-incorporated special-purpose vehicle, leveraging Singapore's progressive digital finance framework. Token2049, the world's largest cryptocurrency conference, was held in Singapore during the first week of October. The event brought together over 25,000 global crypto-savvy investors to Singapore. The RRT is designed to serve as a core value carrier, offering governance participation, platform access and economic incentives to its holders. Inspired by strategies adopted by pioneers like Microstrategy and Gamestop, the RRT will issue perpetual bond units to finance a diversified cryptocurrency treasury portfolio across assets such as bitcoin, ethereum, Ripple, Solana and Chainlink. The CT portfolio will act as collateral for both stablecoin issuance and revolving trade finance credit facilities, ensuring initial-public-offering-ready clients can accelerate growth while preparing for North American listings. For investors, this model generates value through arrangement fees and opportunities to buy clients' IPO shares at preinitial-public-offering discounts. Leadership commentary Dr. Charlie In, chairman of Raffles Financial, said, "The Raffles reserve treasury combines the rigour of traditional trade finance with the innovation of DeFi, enabling IPO-ready clients to secure scalable capital and stronger valuations for North American listings." Dr. In is a capital market leader with 40-plus years of experience guiding companies to IPOs across Asia and North America. Gary Yang, chief executive officer of Cicada Finance, commented, "The RRT is more than a digital treasury: It's a bridge between institutional finance and decentralized ecosystems, opening new highways for sustainable crypto-backed trade finance." Mr. Yang is a veteran investor with 15 years in venture capital and funds of funds, having backed over 120 companies and 15 funds globally. Iris Yu, incubation investor at Cicada Finance, added, "The RRT offers a new liquidity framework, allowing clients to leverage crypto assets for trade finance while building momentum toward IPOs on North American exchanges." Ms. Yu is a blockchain pioneer and early investor in Binance and Bybit, with a portfolio of 100-plus projects spanning exchanges, infrastructure and DeFi. About Raffles Financial Group Ltd. Raffles Financial is a diversified financial service company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange. Headquartered in Singapore with global reach, the company provides corporate finance advisory, IPO facilitation and investment services to high-growth companies seeking access to international capital markets. Raffles Financial specializes in structuring innovative financing solutions, helping clients achieve successful listings and capital expansion, particularly across North America and Asia. Raffles Financial's securities are listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol RICH. The company's current trading status should be verified through official exchange sources. We seek Safe Harbor.