To
The Members,
Ladderup Finance Limited
Your Directors are pleased to present the Thirty-First Annual Report on the affairs of
your Company along with the audited financial statements, (both Standalone and
Consolidated) for the Financial Year ended 31st March 2024.
FINANCIAL RESULTS
During the year under review, the performance of your company was as under:
(Rs in Lakh)
Particulars |
2023-24 |
2022-23 |
2023-24 |
2022-23 |
|
Consolidated |
Standalone |
Operational & Other Income |
1261.70 |
1117.81 |
83.99 |
129.81 |
Less: Total Expenses |
1064.62 |
1199.17 |
195.65 |
325.43 |
Profit / (loss) before Share of Associate and Tax |
197.08 |
(81.36) |
(111.66) |
(195.62) |
Share of Profit / (Loss) of Associate |
17.57 |
(53.02) |
- |
- |
Profit before Tax |
214.64 |
(134.38) |
(111.66) |
(195.62) |
Less: Tax expenses (includes provision for deferred tax asset/liability) |
607.4 |
(3.28) |
521.20 |
(31.88) |
Profit after Tax |
(392.76) |
(131.10) |
(632.85) |
(163.73) |
Other Comprehensive Income |
1263.06 |
148.51 |
1264.52 |
152.17 |
Total Comprehensive Income for the period |
870.30 |
17.41 |
631.66 |
(11.56) |
The Consolidated Statements provide the results of Ladderup Finance Limited together
with its Subsidiary, Joint Venture and Associate Companies.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS AND STATE OF COMPANY AFFAIRS Consolidated Performance
Your Company earned consolidated revenue of INR 1261.70 lakhs in FY 2023-24 compared to
INR 1117.81 lakhs in FY 2022-2023. However, the Consolidated Total Comprehensive Income
for the FY 2023-2024 is INR 870.30 lakhs as compared to INR 17.41 lakhs in FY 2022-23. The
variation is mainly on account of increase/decrease in fair values of FVTOCI Investments
(net of deferred tax).
Standalone Performance
Your Company earned total revenue of INR 83.99 lakhs in FY 2023-24 as compared to INR
129.81 lakhs in FY 2022-2023. However, the Total Comprehensive Income for the FY 2023-2024
is INR 631.66 Lakh as compared to INR (11.56) lakhs in FY 2022-23. The variation is mainly
on account of increase/decrease in fair values of FVTOCI Investments (net of deferred
tax).
The Company continues to invest in asset-based transactions with good growth prospects.
There has been no change in the Business of the company during the financial year ended
31st March 2024.
AMOUNT TRANSFERRED TO RESERVE
Due to loss in the Financial Year 2023-24 the Company has not transferred any amount to
reserve account.
Statutory Reserve represents the Reserve Fund created under Section 45 IC of the
Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
DIVIDEND
The Board of Directors of your company, after considering holistically the relevant
circumstances, has decided that it would be prudent not to recommend any Dividend for the
financial year 2023-24.
ANNUAL RETURN
In accordance with the provisions of section 92 read with section 134(3) (a) of the
Companies Act, 2013, the Annual Return for financial year 2023-24 is available at
https://www.ladderup.com.
SHARE CAPITAL
During the financial year under review, the issued, subscribed and paid-up share
capital of the Company as March 31, 2024, was Rs 12,85,26,000/- divided into 12,85,2600
equity shares of face value of Rs 10/- each.
MEETINGS OF THE BOARD
During the financial year 2023-24, 4 (four) meetings of the Board were held by the
company on 24th May 2023, 11th August 2023, 9th November 2023, and 2nd
February 2024. For further details of meetings of the Board or its committees, please
refer to the Corporate Governance Report, which is a part of Annual Report.
DIRECTORS AND KEY MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL
During the year under review, the following changes were made in the composition of the
Board of Directors and Key Managerial Personnel of the Company.
a) Mr. Sunil Goyal (DIN:00503570) was re-appointed as Managing Director of the Company
for the period of 5 consecutive years w.e.f. 1st April 2023.
b) Mr. Dhiraj Gupta, was appointed as Company Secretary and Compliance officer of the
Company w.e.f. 24th May, 2023.
c) Mr. T. V. Rao ((DIN: 05273533), Independent Director will complete his second term
on 10th August 2024 or the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting in 2024,
whichever is earlier.
d) The Board has appointed Mr. Mayank Mehta (DIN: 03554733), as Additional cum
Independent Director of the Company w.e.f. 24th July, 2024 who shall hold the
office till the conclusion of ensuing Annual General Meeting. The Board has further
recommended the appointment of Mr. Mayank Mehta as an Independent Director of the Company
in the ensuing Annual General Meeting of the Company.
e) In accordance with the provisions of Section 152 of the Companies Act 2013, and that
of Articles of Association of the Company, Mr. Saurabh Sarayan, Director of the Company
retires by rotation at ensuing Annual General Meeting of the Company and being eligible,
has offered himself for re-appointment.
SEPARATE MEETING OF INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS
Pursuant to Schedule IV of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Rules made thereunder and
Regulation 25(3) of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements)
Regulations, 2015, all the Independent Directors of the Company met on 26th March 2024,
without the attendance of Non-Independent Directors and Members of the Management.
The Independent Directors reviewed performance of Non-Independent Directors, Chairman
of the Company and the performance of the Board as a whole. The Independent Directors also
discussed the quality, quantity and timeliness of flow of information between the Company
management and the Board that is necessary for the Board to effectively and reasonably
perform their duties. The feedback of the Meeting was shared with the Chairman of the
Company.
BOARD EVALUATION
Pursuant to the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and provisions of SEBI (Listing
Obligation and Disclosure Requirement) Regulations, 2015, a separate exercise was carried
out to evaluate the performance of individual Directors including the Chairman of the
Board who were evaluated on parameters such as level of engagement and contribution and
independence of judgment thereby safeguarding the interest of the Company. The performance
evaluation of the Independent Directors was carried out by the entire Board, except the
director being evaluated, the performance evaluation of the Chairman and the
Non-Independent Directors was carried out by the Independent Directors. The Board also
carried out annual performance evaluation of the working of its Audit, Nomination and
Remuneration as well as stakeholder relationship committee. The Directors expressed their
satisfaction with the evaluation process.
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE FROM INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS
The Company has received declarations from all the Independent Directors confirming
that they meet with the criteria of independence as laid down under Section 149 (6) of the
Companies Act, 2013 and Regulation 16(1)(b) of SEBI (Listing Obligations & Disclosure
Requirements) Regulations, 2015.
CODE OF CONDUCT
Your Company has formulated a code of conduct for Board of Directors and Senior
Managerial Personnel. The Declaration duly signed by the Chairman and Managing Director is
given under Corporate Governance Report as a separate section in this Annual Report.
DIRECTORS RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT
Pursuant to the requirement under Section 134(3)(c) and 134(5) of the Act, with respect
to Directors Responsibility Statement, your Directors confirm that:
a. In the preparation of the annual accounts, the applicable accounting standards had
been followed along with proper explanation relating to material departures.
b. The directors had selected such accounting policies and applied them consistently
and made judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent so as to give a true and
fair view of the state of affairs of the company at the end of the financial year and of
the profit and loss of the company for that period.
c. The directors had taken proper and sufficient care for the maintenance of adequate
accounting records in accordance with the provisions of this Act for safeguarding the
assets of the company and for preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities.
d. The directors had prepared the annual accounts on a going concern basis; and
e. The directors had laid down internal financial controls to be followed by the
company and that such internal financial controls are adequate and were operating
effectively.
Explanation.
For the purposes of this clause, the term "internal financial controls" means
the policies and procedures adopted by the company for ensuring the orderly and efficient
conduct of its business, including adherence to companyRss policies, the safeguarding of
its assets, the prevention and detection of frauds and errors, the accuracy and
completeness of the accounting records, and the timely preparation of reliable financial
information.
f. The directors had devised proper systems to ensure compliance with the provisions of
all applicable laws and that such systems were adequate and operating effectively.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
The brief outline of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Policy of the Company as
adopted by the Board and the initiatives undertaken by the Company on CSR activities
during the year under review are set out in "Annexure I" of this report in the
format prescribed in the Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility Policy) Rules, 2014.
For other details regarding the CSR Committee, please refer to the Corporate Governance
Report, which is a part of this report. The CSR policy is available on website
www.ladderup.com.
STATUTORY AUDITOR & STATUTORY AUDITORRsS REPORT
M/s. Shah Gupta & Co., Chartered Accountants, Mumbai (Firm Registration No.
109574W), was re-appointed as statutory auditor of the company for their second term of
five years from the conclusion of 29th Annual General Meeting till the
conclusion of 34th Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in F.Y. 2027-28.
Further, the Auditors have issued Audit Report for the Financial Year 2023-24 pursuant
to provisions of Section 141(2) of the Companies Act, 2013, read with Companies (Audit and
Auditors) Rules, 2014.
The Notes on Accounts referred to in the AuditorsRs Report are self-explanatory and do
not call for any further comments. The AuditorsRs Report does not contain any
qualification, reservation, or adverse remark.
During the Financial year under review no fraud has been reported by the Auditors to
the Audit Committee or the Board. INTERNAL AUDIT & INTERNAL AUDITORRsS REPORT
The Company has in place an adequate internal audit framework to monitor the efficacy
of internal controls with the objective of providing to the Audit Committee and the Board
of Directors, an independent, objective and reasonable assurance on the adequacy and
effectiveness of the organizationRss risk management, control and governance processes.
The Company has appointed M/s. CAS & Co., Chartered Accountants, as Internal Auditors
of the Company for financial year 2023-24. Findings of the Internal Auditor were placed
before Audit Committee, which were reviewed and discussed with the Management.
SECRETARIAL AUDITOR & SECRETARIAL AUDITORRsS REPORT
The Company has appointed M/s. Jajodia and Associate, Practicing Company Secretaries,
as the Secretarial Auditor for the financial year 2023-24, in accordance with Section 204
of the Companies Act, 2013, and M/s. Jajodia and Associate has also been appointed as the
Secretarial Auditor for Ladderup Wealth Management Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of the Company,
for the same financial year.
The Secretarial Audit Reports for both, the Company and its subsidiary have been issued
in Form MR-3, as required by Section 204 of the Companies Act, 2013, and the Companies
(Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014. These reports are
attached as "Annexure II-A" and "Annexure II-B," respectively, and are
part of this Report.
The Secretarial AuditorsRs Report does not contain any qualification, reservation, or
adverse remark.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE
M/s. Jajodia & Associates, Practicing Company Secretary, have examined the
compliance of conditions of Corporate Governance by the Company, for the Financial Year
ended on 31st March, 2024, as stipulated in regulations 17 to 27 and clauses
(b) to (i) of regulation 46(2) and para C and D of Schedule V of the SEBI (Listing
Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 (the Listing Regulations) and
issued a certificate which has been included Annual Report.
PARTICULARS OF LOANS, GUARANTEES OR INVESTMENTS BY THE COMPANY UNDER SECTION 186 OF THE
COMPANIES ACT 2013
The details of Loan, Guarantees and Investments made by the Company under the
provisions of Section 186 of the Companies Act,
2013 are provided in the notes to the Financial Statements.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
During the year under review, all contracts/arrangements/transactions entered by the
Company during the financial year 2023-24 with related parties were in compliance with the
provisions of the Act, and SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements)
Regulations, 2015 (Listing Regulations").
The Company had obtained prior approval of the Audit Committee for all the related
party transactions entered during the Financial Year 2023-24, as envisaged in Regulation
23(2) of the Listing Regulations. Further, the Audit Committee had given prior omnibus
approval under Section 177 of the Act, read with Rule 6(A) of The Companies (Meetings of
Board and its Powers) Rules, 2014 read with Regulation 23(3) of the Listing Regulations,
for related party transactions that are foreseen and of repetitive nature during the
period under review and the required disclosures are made to the Audit Committee and Board
on quarterly basis.
All related party transactions that were entered during the financial year ended March
31, 2024 were on an armRss length basis and were in the ordinary course of business.
Therefore, the provisions of Section 188 of the Act, were not attracted. Accordingly, the
disclosure of Related Party Transactions as required under Section 134(3) of the Act in
Form AOC-2 is not applicable.
The Policy on materiality of related party transactions and dealing with related party
transactions as approved by the Board may be accessed on the CompanyRss website at the
link https://www.ladderup.com/docs/CG/11-related-party-transaction-policy.pdf
The details of the transactions with related parties are provided in the accompanying
financial statements.
DETAILS OF SUBSIDIARIES, JOINT VENTURE & ASSOCIATE COMPANIES
The Company has one subsidiary company i.e. Ladderup Wealth Management Private Limited,
one Joint Venture Company i.e. Waterproof Corporation Private Limited and one associate
company Annapurna Pet Private Limited. During the year, the Board of Directors of your
company has reviewed the affairs of the subsidiary, joint venture and Associate Companies
in accordance with Section 129(3) of the Companies Act, 2013, the Company has prepared
consolidated financial statements of the Company and its subsidiary and Associates
Companies, which form part of the Annual Report. Further, the statement containing the
salient features of the financial statements of its subsidiaries and associate companies
and Joint ventures in the prescribed format Form (AOC-1), is given in notes to financial
statements. The statement also provides the details of performance and financial position
of the subsidiaries and associate companies and Joint ventures.
In accordance with Section 136 of the Companies Act, 2013, the audited financial
statements, including the consolidated financial statements and related information of the
Company and audited accounts of its subsidiaries, are available on website of www.
ladderup.com. These documents will also be available for inspection during the business
hours at the registered office of the Company.
The CompanyRss policy on material subsidiaries as approved by the Board is uploaded on
the CompanyRss website at "Investors" section.
MATERIAL CHANGES AND COMMITMENTS
The Board at its Meeting held on 24th July 2024 has approved the proposal
for buyback of fully paid up equity shares of the Company having a face value of Rs 10/-
(Indian Rupees Ten Only) ("Equity Shares" and such buyback "Buyback")
not exceeding 25,00,000 Equity Shares (representing 19.45% of the total number of Equity
Shares in the total paid-up equity capital of the Company as of March 31, 2024) from all
shareholders/ beneficial owners of the Equity Shares of the Company excluding promoters
and members of the promoter group of the Company, as on record date, which will be decided
subsequently, through the "tender offer" route, on a proportionate basis, using
mechanism for acquisition of shares through stock exchange as prescribed under Securities
and Exchange Board of India (Buy-Back of Securities) Regulations, 2018, subject to the
approval of the shareholders of the Company, at a price of Rs 44/- (Indian Rupees
Forty-Four Only) per Equity Share ("Buyback Price"), payable in cash, for an
aggregate amount not exceeding Rs 11,00,00,000/- (Indian Rupees Eleven Crores only)
ENERGY CONSERVATION, TECHNOLOGY ABSORPTION AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE EARNINGS AND OUTGO
There was no technological absorption and no foreign exchange earnings or outgo, during
the year under review. Hence, the information as required under Section 134(3)(m) of the
Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 8 of the Companies (Accounts) Rules,
2014 is to be regarded as Nil.
The Company has not entered into any technology transfer agreement.
RISK MANAGEMENT POLICY
The Company has laid down the procedures to inform the Board about the risk assessment
and minimization procedures and the Board shall be responsible for framing, implementing,
and monitoring the risk management plan and policy for the Company.
The main objective of this policy is to ensure sustainable business growth with
stability and to promote a pro-active approach in reporting, evaluating and resolving
risks associated with the business. In order to achieve the key objective, the policy
establishes a structured and disciplined approach to Risk Management, in order to guide
decisions on risk related issues.
POLICY ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF WOMEN AT WORKPLACE
The Company has zero tolerance towards sexual harassment at the workplace and towards
this end, it has adopted a policy in line with the provisions of Sexual Harassment of
Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 and the Rules
thereunder.
All employees of the company (permanent, contractual, temporary, trainees) are covered
under the said policy.
An Internal Complaints Committee has also been set up to redress complaints received on
sexual harassment.
During the financial year under review, the Company has not received any complaints
from any of the employees of the Company.
NON-DEPOSIT TAKING NON-BANKING FINANCIAL COMPANY
Your Company is categorized as a non-deposit taking Non-Banking Financial Company.
Accordingly in compliance with RBI Master Directions-Non-Banking Financial Companies
Acceptance of Public Deposits (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2016 the Company has not accepted
any deposits from the public during the year under review.
RBI DIRECTIONS AND GUIDANCE
Your Company complies with the direction(s), circular(s), notification(s) and
guideline(s) issued by the Reserve Bank of India as applicable to your Company as a
non-deposit taking non-systemically important non-banking financial company.
COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD
The Company currently has Seven Mandatory Board Committees, as follows:
1) Audit Committee
2) StakeholdersRs Relationship Committee
3) Nomination & Remuneration Committee
4) Investment Committee
5) Risk Management Committee
6) Corporate Social Responsibility Committee
7) Credit Committee
Details of all the Committees along with their charters, composition and meetings held
during the year, are provided in the Corporate Governance Report. The composition and
applicable policy, if any of all the above committee is available on website
www.ladderup.com.
PARTICULARS OF REMUNERATION OF EMPLOYEES
The information required pursuant to Section 197 read with rule 5 of the Companies
(Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014 in respect of employees
of the Company, will be provided upon request. In terms of Section 136 of the Companies
Act, 2013, the Report and Accounts are being sent to the Members and others entitled
thereto, excluding the information on employeesRs particulars of which is available for
inspection by the Members at the Registered Office of the Company during business hours on
working days of the Company up to the date of the ensuing Annual General Meeting. If any
Member is interested in obtaining a copy thereof, such Member may write to the Company
Secretary in this regard.
The further details regarding the total Remuneration paid to Executive Director &
Non-Executive Director of the Company are stated in the Corporate Governance Report.
PREVENTION OF INSIDER TRADING
As per the provisions of SEBI (Prohibition of insider trading) Regulations, 2015, the
Company has adopted a code of conduct for prevention of insider trading with a view to
regulate trading in securities by the Directors and designated employees of the Company.
The Code requires pre-clearance for dealing in the CompanyRss shares and prohibits the
purchase or sale of Company shares by the Directors and the designated employees while in
possession of unpublished price sensitive information in relation to the Company and
during the period when the Trading Window is closed. The Board is responsible for
implementation of the Code.
All Directors and the designated employees have confirmed compliance with the Code.
SIGNIFICANT AND MATERIAL ORDERS PASSED BY THE REGULATORS OR COURTS
During the year under review there have been no significant and material orders passed
by the regulators or courts or tribunals impacting the going concern status and companyRss
operations in future.
INTERNAL CONTROL SYSTEM AND THEIR ADEQUACY
The CompanyRss internal control system is designed to ensure orderly and efficient
conduct of its business, compliance with law and regulations including adherence to the
CompanyRss policies, safeguarding of its assets, prevention and detection of frauds and
errors, accuracy and completeness of the accounting record, and the timely preparation of
reliable financial information Internal Control system is supported by an Internal Audit
Process. The Internal Audit Plans and Scope are well laid-out to ensure compliance with
various applicable laws and internal policies. The Internal Auditors review the systems
and procedures and advise on further improvements wherever required. The reports of the
Internal Auditors are reviewed by the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors of the
Company.
All the transactions are properly authorized, recorded and reported to the Management.
The Company is following all the applicable Accounting Standards for properly maintaining
the books of accounts and reporting financial statements.
VIGIL MECHANISM / WHISTLE BLOWER POLICY
In order to ensure that the activities of the Company and its employees are conducted
in a fair and transparent manner by adoption of highest standards of professionalism,
honesty, integrity and ethical behavior, the company has adopted a vigil mechanism policy.
This Policy can be viewed on the CompanyRss website viz. www.ladderup.com in the
"Investors" Section.
COMPLIANCE WITH SECRETARIAL STANDARDS ISSUED BY ICSI
In accordance with the provisions of clause 9 of SS-1, The Company has complied with
applicable Secretarial Standards-1 and Secretarial Standards-2 issued by Institute of
Company Secretary of India, during the year under review.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Your directors take this opportunity to express their grateful appreciation for the
excellent assistance and co-operation received from all our Clients, Financial
Institutions, and Bankers, Business Associates and the Government and other regulatory
authorities and thank all stakeholders for their valuable sustained support and
encouragement towards the conduct of the proficient operation of the Company. Your
directors would like to place on record their gratitude to all the employees who have
continued their support during the year.
Date |
: 24th July, 2024 |
For and on behalf of the Board |
Place |
: Mumbai |
|
|
|
sd/- |
|
|
Sunil Goyal |
|
|
Chairman and Managing Director |
|
|
DIN: 00503570 |