THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THE
APPENDICES) AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS RESTRICTED AND
IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN
PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES,
AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, CANADA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR
JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION
OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICES
AT THE END OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE OR CONTAIN ANY INVITATION,
SOLICITATION, RECOMMENDATION, OFFER OR ADVICE TO ANY PERSON TO
PURCHASE AND/OR SUBSCRIBE FOR, OTHERWISE ACQUIRE OR DISPOSE OF ANY
SECURITIES IN ARGENTEX GROUP PLC OR ANY OTHER ENTITY IN ANY
JURISDICTION. NEITHER THIS ANNOUNCEMENT NOR THE FACT OF ITS
DISTRIBUTION, SHALL FORM THE BASIS OF, OR BE RELIED ON IN
CONNECTION WITH ANY INVESTMENT DECISION IN RESPECT OF ARGENTEX
GROUP PLC OR ANY OTHER ENTITY.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE
INFORMATION RELATING TO ARGENTEX GROUP PLC AND ITS SECURITIES FOR
THE PURPOSES OF ARTICLE 7 OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION
(596/2014/EU) AS IT FORMS PART OF THE DOMESTIC LAW OF THE UNITED
KINGDOM BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018
("EUWA") AND AS MODIFIED BY
OR UNDER THE EUWA OR OTHER DOMESTIC LAW, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED
TO THE MARKET ABUSE (AMENDMENT) (EU EXIT) REGULATIONS (SI 2019/310)
("MAR").
2 May 2024
Argentex
Group PLC
Proposed
Fundraise
Argentex Group PLC (AIM: AGFX)
("Argentex"), the provider
of currency management and payment solutions to international
institutions and corporates, is pleased to announce its intention
to issue of up to 11,320,754 New Ordinary shares in the Company.
The Fundraising will be conducted at a price of 45 pence per share
(the "Placing Price"),
which is equal to the Company's closing price on 1 May 2024 (being
the last practicable date prior to this Announcement). The proceeds
from the Fundraising will be used by the Company to fund the
acceleration of the development of its Alternative Banking
Platform.
The proposed fundraise will consist
of:
·
a placing of new Ordinary Shares in the Company
(the "Placing" and the
"Placing Shares");
and
·
a separate retail offer of new Ordinary Shares
(the "Retail Shares") at
the Placing Price (the "Retail
Offer" and, together with the Placing, the "Fundraising").
A separate announcement launching
the Retail Offer and its terms will be made at 7:00 a.m. on 3 May
2024. The Placing is not conditional upon the Retail Offer. For the
avoidance of doubt, the Retail Offer is conditional on, but not
part of, the Placing.
The Placing is being conducted
through an accelerated bookbuilding process (the "Bookbuild") to be undertaken by Singer
Capital Markets Securities Limited ("Singer Capital Markets") which will be
launched immediately following this Announcement. The Placing is
subject to the terms and conditions set out in Appendix III of this
Announcement.
The Placing Shares and Retail
Shares, assuming full take-up, will represent 10 per cent of the
existing issued ordinary share capital of the Company and will be
issued under the Company's existing authority to allot Ordinary
Shares under the authority granted at the 2023 AGM. The Placing
Shares and Retail Shares are expected to be admitted to trading on
AIM on or around 13 May 2024.
The Company has received indicative
support for the Fundraising from certain of its largest
shareholders. All of the Directors have also indicated they will
participate in the Fundraising.
Jim Ormonde, Chief Executive
Officer, commented:
"Since joining Argentex in October
2023, I have led a comprehensive Strategic Review of the business,
which is now complete. We have identified multiple opportunities to
deliver profitable growth and improve revenue visibility and have a
clear and actionable plan to transform the business. We are now
seeking funding to accelerate the implementation of this
plan.
Our core FX business and associated
brand strength provide a strong backbone, however we have
identified a sizeable opportunity to reposition and diversify the
business as a true Cross Border Financial Solutions expert. This
will allow us to take advantage of the ongoing structural changes
in the market and the rapid growth in demand for alternative
transaction banking solutions. By diversifying the product offering
and accelerating the move into Alternative Transaction Banking we
can continue to leverage our reputation in FX, while expanding our
addressable market, reducing volatility and improving visibility
and margin.
I am hugely excited by the scale of
the opportunity and remain fully committed to driving increased
shareholder value as we implement the plan over the next 3-5
years."
Appendix III to this Announcement
sets out further information relating to the Bookbuild and the
terms and conditions of the Placing. This Announcement (including
Appendix III) should be read in its entirety. By choosing to
participate in the Placing and by making an oral and legally
binding offer to subscribe for Placing Shares, investors will be
deemed to have read and understood this Announcement (including
Appendix III) in its entirety and to be making such offer on the
terms and subject to the conditions in this Announcement, and to be
providing the representations, warranties and acknowledgements
contained in Appendix III.
Capitalised terms used in the
Announcement have the meanings given to them in Appendix IV of this
Announcement, unless the context provides otherwise.
Expected Timetable
Launch of the Placing
|
2 May 2024
|
Announcement of the results of the
Placing
|
2 May 2024
|
Launch of the Retail
Offer
|
3 May 2024
|
Announcement of the results of the
Retail Offer
|
9 May 2024
|
Admission of the New Ordinary Shares
to trading on AIM
|
13
May 2024
|
CREST accounts to be credited for
New Ordinary Shares to be held in uncertificated form
|
13
May 2024
|
The Company and Singer
Capital Markets reserves the right to alter the dates and times
referred to above. If any of the dates and times referred to
above are altered by the Company, the revised dates and times will
be announced through a Regulatory Information Service without
delay.
All references to time in
this Announcement are to London time, unless otherwise
stated.
This Announcement should be read in its entirety. In
particular, you should read and understand the information provided
in the "Important Notices" section of this
Announcement.
This announcement contains inside information for the purposes
of the UK version of the Market Abuse Regulation ("MAR") which
forms part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal)
Act 2018; as amended. Upon publication of this announcement,
the inside information is now considered to be in the public domain
for the purposes of MAR.
The person responsible for arranging the release of this
Announcement on behalf of the Company is Jim Ormonde, Chief
Executive Officer of the Company.
For further information, please
contact:
Argentex Group PLC
Jim Ormonde - Chief Executive
Officer
investorrelations@argentex.com
Singer Capital Markets (Nominated
Adviser and Broker)
Tom Salvesen / James Maxwell / Angus
Campbell
020 7496 3000
Teneo
James Macey White / Victoria
Boxall
020 7353 4200
FURTHER INFORMATION
2023 Annual Results
In a separate announcement, the
Company has today published its audited Annual Results for the
twelve months ended 31 December 2023.
Strategic Rationale for the
Fundraising and Use of Proceeds
Following the completion of a
strategic review, the Board has approved a strategic plan to
transform the Group's business. The plan is focused on driving
profitable growth by increasing scale within Argentex's existing FX
market whilst expanding into adjacent complementary markets, both
domestically and internationally.
Once implemented, the Board believe
that the plan should deliver significant revenue growth and margin
improvement, with significant benefits anticipated to be realised
from FY26.
The plan is centred around three
core pillars:
1. Ensuring
operational excellence by driving operational and financial
efficiencies whilst delivering a best-in-class customer
experience.
2. Product
diversification to enhance and complement the Group's existing
offer, specifically through accelerating the Company's move into
Alternative Banking.
3. Focused
geographical expansion, leveraging existing markets and licenses
with targeted expansion into complementary markets.
The proceeds of the Fundraising will
be used to accelerate the Company's move into Alternative Banking,
specifically to build a new, specialist team (comprising senior
personnel and technical experts) and develop supporting
technological infrastructure. The development of a high quality,
scalable and differentiated Alternative Transaction Banking
solution will require significant investment over the next two
years, as a significant proportion of the Company's existing cash
resources are required to support the existing regulatory and
working capital requirements of the business.
The Board believe that accelerated
investment in a differentiated Alternative Transaction Banking
solution should provide the following benefits:
·
The Group has a successful history in providing
large corporates and institutions with high quality FX services and
benefits from a strong brand and reputation. However, the product
suite is narrow and diversification into the broader payments and
alternative banking markets should enable the Company to meet high
value clients' needs for a full-service Alternative Banking
Platform, increasing the overall addressable market and wallet
share and improving customer retention. The Directors believe that
the Group's revenue visibility would improve, as reliance on the
volatile FX market is reduced.
·
The addressable market for Alternative Transaction
Banking capabilities is significant and demand is strong in the
principal market segments that the Company currently operates in.
The Directors believe that businesses within this market are
typically under-served by incumbent banks whose ongoing fees are
high and who lack the detailed treasury and foreign exchange
expertise to serve these clients well.
·
By providing this expanded offering, the Company
will have greater visibility into clients' needs. Accordingly, the
Board believes that the Company would be able to improve customer
retention, diversify its revenue streams and win a greater share of
its customers service provision.
·
The Company would diversify its revenue streams,
also earning bank account fees, payment fees, potential interest
income (which may be shared with the customer) as well as its
traditional revenues from foreign exchange related solutions and
services.
Following completion of the
Fundraising the Company also intends to explore raising
£10-15 million of debt financing, via a revolving
credit facility, to provide further growth funding as the Company
expands geographically, develops new products and also to support
trading volumes on a known tenor basis. This funding would not be
used to support structural investment in the business.
Financial Outlook
In the absence of additional
financing, and as the Group focuses on repositioning and
restructuring the business for profitable growth, the Directors
expect FY24 revenues to be in the mid £40s
million, with an EBITDA margin in the low single digits.
In the medium term, the Directors expect the
business to return to growth, delivering single digit revenue
growth per annum, with high single digit EBITDA margins. In this
base case scenario, revenues will remain volatile as the business
remains significantly exposed to market FX volatility.
With the benefit of the Fundraising,
the Directors anticipate that revenue growth in FY26 should be
within the range of 15-20% per annum, with EBITDA margins in the
mid-teens.[1] Over the longer term,
further significant growth in revenues and EBITDA margin is
anticipated as the benefits of the Group's scalable, full service
Alternative Banking Platform are realised.
Market soundings
Market soundings (as defined in MAR)
were taken in respect of the Fundraising with the result that
certain persons became aware of inside information (as defined in
MAR), as permitted by MAR. This inside information is set out in
this Announcement. Therefore, those persons that received inside
information in a market sounding are no longer in possession of
such inside information relating to the Company and its
securities.
The
Group's performance is dependent on many factors and potential
investors should read the entire of this Announcement and, in
particular, Appendix I (Risk Factors) to this
Announcement.
Appendix II sets out the principal bases and assumptions for
the forecast revenues, revenue growth and EBITDA margins set out in
this Announcement.
Appendix III to this Announcement (which forms part of this
Announcement) sets out further information relating to the
Bookbuild and the terms and conditions of the
Placing.
Unless otherwise stated, capitalised terms in this
Announcement have the meanings ascribed to them in Appendix
IV (which forms part of this Announcement).
This Announcement should be read in
its entirety. In particular, you should read and understand the
information provided in the "Important Notices" section below and
the Appendices to this Announcement (which form part of this
Announcement) which includes the terms and conditions of the
Placing. Persons who have chosen to participate in the Placing, by
making an oral or written offer to acquire Placing Shares, will be
deemed to have read and understood this Announcement in its
entirety (including the Appendices) and to be making such offer on
the terms and subject to the conditions herein and, in respect of
those persons participating in the Placing, to be providing the
representations, warranties, agreements, confirmations,
acknowledgements and undertakings contained in Appendix
III.
IMPORTANT
NOTICES
This Announcement, or any copy of
it, including the appendices, and information contained within it,
is restricted and is not for publication, release, transmission,
distribution or forwarding, in whole or in part, directly or
indirectly, in or into the United States, Australia,
New Zealand, Canada, the
Republic of South Africa or Japan or any other jurisdiction in
which publication, release or distribution would be unlawful (or to
any persons in any of those jurisdictions). This Announcement is
for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to
sell or issue, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, acquire or
subscribe for shares in the capital of the Company in the United
States (including its territories and possessions, any state of the
United States and the District of Columbia), or Australia,
New Zealand, Canada, the
Republic of South Africa or Japan or any other jurisdiction (or to
any persons in any of those jurisdictions) or any other
jurisdiction in which the same would be unlawful. No public
offering of the Placing Shares is being made in any jurisdiction.
This Announcement has not been approved by the London Stock
Exchange, nor is it intended that it will be so approved. Any
failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a
violation of the securities laws of such jurisdictions.
The Placing Shares have not been,
and will not be, registered under the US Securities Act 1933, as
amended (the "US Securities
Act") or with any securities regulatory authority or under
any securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the
United States and may not be offered, sold, resold, pledged,
transferred or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into the
United States. Accordingly, the Placing Shares will be offered and
sold only outside of the United States in "offshore transactions"
(as such term is defined in Regulation S under the US Securities
Act) pursuant to Regulation S and otherwise in accordance with
applicable laws. No public offering of securities is being made in
the United States. The Placing has not been approved, disapproved
or recommended by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, any
state securities commission in the United States or any other U.S.
regulatory authority, nor have any of the foregoing authorities
passed upon or endorsed the merits of the offering of the Placing
Shares.
No public offering of the Placing
Shares is being made in the United States, United Kingdom or
elsewhere. All offers of the Placing Shares will be made pursuant
to an exemption from the requirement to produce a prospectus under
the UK Prospectus Regulation.
This Announcement is not being
distributed by, nor has it been approved for the purposes of
section 21 of FSMA by, a person authorised under FSMA. This
Announcement is being distributed and communicated to persons in
the United Kingdom only in circumstances in which section 21(1) of
FSMA does not apply.
No prospectus has been or will be
made available in connection with the matters contained in this
Announcement and no such prospectus is required (in accordance with
the UK Prospectus Regulation) to be published. Members of the
public are not eligible to take part in the Placing. This
Announcement (including the terms and conditions contained in
Appendix III to this Announcement) is for information purposes only
and (unless otherwise agreed by Singer Capital Markets) is directed
at and is only being distributed to: (a) persons in the United
Kingdom, who are qualified investors, being persons falling within
the meaning of Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus Regulation, and
who (i) have professional experience in matters relating to
investments falling within the definition of "investment
professionals" in article 19(5) of the Financial Services and
Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the
"Order"); or (ii) are
persons falling within article 49(2)(a) to (d) ("high net worth
companies, unincorporated associations, etc") of the Order; or (b)
persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated, (each
such persons in (a) and (b) together being referred to as
"Relevant Persons"). This
Announcement (including the terms and conditions set out in this
Announcement) must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are
not Relevant Persons. Any investment or investment activity to
which this Announcement (including the terms and conditions set out
herein) relates is available only to, and will be engaged in only
with, Relevant Persons.
This Announcement has been issued
by, and is the sole responsibility of, the Company. No
responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by, and no
undertaking, representation or warranty or other assurance, express
or implied, is or will be made or given by Singer Capital Markets
or Singer Capital Markets Advisory LLP ("SCM Advisory"), or by any of their
respective partners, directors, officers, employees, advisers,
consultants or affiliates as to, or in relation to, the accuracy,
fairness or completeness of the information or opinions contained
in this Announcement or any other written or oral information made
available to or publicly available to any interested person or its
advisers, and any liability therefore is expressly
disclaimed.
Singer Capital Markets, which is
authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA is acting
solely for the Company and no-one else in connection with the
Placing and the transactions and arrangements described in this
Announcement and will not regard any other person (whether or not a
recipient of this Announcement) as a client in relation to the
Placing or the transactions and arrangements described in this
Announcement. Singer Capital Markets is not responsible to anyone,
other than the Company, for providing the protections afforded to
clients of Singer Capital Markets or for providing advice in
connection with the contents of this Announcement, the Placing or
the transactions and arrangements described herein.
SCM Advisory, which is authorised
and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, is acting as
nominated adviser to the Company for the purposes of the AIM Rules
and no-one else in connection with the Placing and the transactions
and arrangements described in this Announcement and will not be
responsible to any other person (whether or not a recipient of this
Announcement) as a client in relation to the Placing or the
transactions and arrangements described in this Announcement. SCM
Advisory is not responsible to anyone, other than the Company, for
providing the protections afforded to clients of SCM Advisory or
for providing advice in connection with the contents of this
Announcement, the Placing or the transactions and arrangements
described herein. SCM Advisory's responsibilities as the Company's
nominated adviser under the AIM Rules for Nominated Advisers are
owed solely to the London Stock Exchange and are not owed to the
Company or to any Director or to any other person.
None of the information in this
Announcement has been independently verified or approved by Singer
Capital Markets or SCM Advisory or any of their respective
partners, directors, officers, employees, advisers, consultants or
affiliates. Save for any responsibilities or liabilities, if any,
imposed on Singer Capital Markets and/or SCM Advisory by FSMA or by
the regulatory regime established under it, no responsibility or
liability whatsoever whether arising in tort, contract or
otherwise, is accepted by Singer Capital Markets or SCM Advisory or
any of their respective partners, directors, officers, employees,
advisers, consultants or affiliates whatsoever for the contents of
the information contained in this Announcement (including, but not
limited to, any errors, omissions or inaccuracies in the
information or any opinions) or for any other statement made or
purported to be made by or on behalf of Singer Capital Markets or
SCM Advisory or any of their respective partners, directors,
officers, employees, advisers, consultants or affiliates in
connection with the Company, the Placing Shares or the Placing or
for any loss, cost or damage suffered or incurred howsoever
arising, directly or indirectly, from any use of this Announcement
or its contents or otherwise in connection with this Announcement
or from any acts or omissions of the Company in relation to the
Placing. Singer Capital Markets, SCM Advisory and their respective
partners, directors, officers, employees, advisers, consultants and
affiliates accordingly disclaim all and any responsibility and
liability whatsoever, whether arising in tort, contract or
otherwise in respect of any statements or other information
contained in this Announcement and no representation or warranty,
express or implied, is made by Singer Capital Markets or SCM
Advisory or any of its partners, directors, officers, employees,
advisers, consultants or affiliates as to the accuracy,
completeness or sufficiency of the information contained in this
Announcement.
The distribution of this
Announcement and the offering of the Placing Shares in certain
jurisdictions may be restricted by law. No action has been
taken by the Company, Singer Capital Markets, SCM
Advisory or any of their respective affiliates or any person acting
on its or their behalf that would permit an offering of the Placing
Shares or possession or distribution of this Announcement or any
other offering or publicity material relating to the Placing Shares
in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required.
Persons into whose possession this Announcement comes are required
by the Company, Singer Capital Markets and SCM Advisory to inform
themselves about, and to observe, such restrictions.
Persons distributing this
Announcement must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do so.
Persons (including without limitation, nominees and trustees) who
have a contractual right or other legal obligations to forward a
copy of this Announcement (or any part thereof) should seek
appropriate advice before taking any action.
In connection with the Placing,
Singer Capital Markets and any of its affiliates, acting as
investors for their own account, may take up a portion of the
shares in the Placing as a principal position and in that capacity
may retain, purchase, sell, offer to sell for their own accounts or
otherwise deal for their own account in such shares and other
securities of the Company or related investments in connection with
the Placing or otherwise. Accordingly, references to Placing Shares
being offered, acquired, placed or otherwise dealt in should be
read as including any issue or offer to, or acquisition, placing or
dealing by, Singer Capital Markets and any of its affiliates acting
in such capacity. In addition, Singer Capital Markets and any of
its affiliates may enter into financing arrangements (including
swaps) with investors in connection with which Singer Capital
Markets and any of its affiliates may from time to time acquire,
hold or dispose of shares. Singer Capital Markets does not intend
to disclose the extent of any such investment or transactions
otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory
obligations to do so.
This Announcement contains and the
Company may make verbal statements containing "forward-looking
statements" with respect to certain of the Company's plans and its
current goals and expectations relating to its future financial
condition, performance, strategic initiatives, objectives and
results. Forward-looking statements sometimes use words such as
"aim", "anticipate", "target", "expect", "estimate", "intend",
"plan", "goal", "believe", "seek", "may", "could", "would",
"likely", "outlook" or other words of similar meaning. By their
nature, all forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty
because they relate to future events and circumstances which are
beyond the control of the Company. There are a number of factors
that could cause actual results or developments to differ
materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking
statements and forecasts. As a result, the actual future financial
condition, performance and results of the Company may differ
materially from the plans, goals and expectations set forth in any
forward-looking statements. No representation or warranty is made
as to the achievement or reasonableness of, and no reliance should
be placed on, such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking
statements made in this Announcement by or on behalf of the Company
speak only as of the date they are made. These forward-looking
statements reflect the Company's judgment at the date of this
Announcement and are not intended to give any assurance as to
future results and the Company cautions that its actual results of
operations and financial condition, and the development of the
industry in which it operates, may differ materially from those
made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in
this Announcement or made verbally by the Company and/or
information incorporated by reference into this Announcement. The
information contained in this Announcement is subject to change
without notice and except as required by applicable law or
regulation, the Company, its directors, Singer Capital Markets,
their respective affiliates and any person acting on its or their
behalf each expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to
publish any updates, supplements or revisions to any
forward-looking statements contained in this Announcement to
reflect any changes in the Company's expectations with regard
thereto or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on
which any such statements are based, except where required to do so
under applicable law or regulation or by the FCA or the London
Stock Exchange.
Any investment decision to subscribe
for Placing Shares in the Placing must be made solely on the basis
of this Announcement and Publicly Available Information, which has
not been independently verified by Singer Capital Markets or
Singers Advisory. This Announcement does not constitute a
prospectus or offering memorandum or an offer in respect of any
securities and is not intended to provide the sole basis for any
decision in respect of the Company or other evaluation of any
securities of the Company or any other entity and should not be
considered as a recommendation that any investor should subscribe
for, purchase, otherwise acquire, sell or otherwise dispose of any
such securities. Recipients of this Announcement who are
considering acquiring Placing Shares pursuant to the Placing are
reminded that they should conduct their own investigation,
evaluation and analysis of the business and data described in this
Announcement. The price and value of securities can go down as well
as up and past performance is not a guide to future performance,
and investors may not get back the full amount invested upon the
disposal of such securities. The contents of this Announcement are
not to be construed as legal, business, financial or tax advice.
Each investor or prospective investor should consult with his or
her or its own legal adviser, business adviser, financial adviser
or tax adviser for legal, financial, business or tax
advice.
References in this Announcement to
other materials, such as a website address, have been provided to
direct the reader to other sources of information on the Company
which may be of interest. Neither the content of the Company's
website (or any other website) nor the content of any website
accessible from hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other
website) is incorporated into or forms part of this
Announcement.
The Placing Shares to be issued or
sold pursuant to the Placing will not be admitted to trading on any
stock exchange other than AIM.
In addition, market soundings (as
defined in MAR) were taken in respect of certain of the matters
contained within this Announcement, with the result that certain
persons became aware of inside information (as defined under MAR),
as permitted by MAR. This inside information is set out in this
Announcement and the announcement released earlier today containing
details of the financial results of the Company for the financial
year ended 31 December 2023. Upon the publication of this
Announcement via a regulatory information service, those persons
that received inside information in a market sounding are no longer
in possession of such inside information relating to Argentex Group
PLC and its securities, which is now considered to be in the public
domain.
Appendix III to this Announcement
(which forms part of this Announcement) sets out further
information relating to the terms and conditions of the Placing and
the Bookbuild. Persons who choose to participate in the Placing, by
making an oral or written offer to subscribe for Placing Shares,
will be deemed to have read and understood this Announcement in its
entirety (including Appendix III) and to be making such offer on
the terms and subject to the conditions in this Announcement and to
be providing the representations, warranties, agreements,
acknowledgements and undertakings contained in Appendix
III.
This Announcement has been prepared
for the purposes of complying with applicable law and regulation in
the United Kingdom and the information disclosed may not be the
same as that which would have been disclosed if this Announcement
had been prepared in accordance with the laws and regulations of
any jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom.
FCA
controller regime
Prior approval of the FCA under
section 178 of FSMA is required of any person proposing to acquire
or increase "control" or a "qualifying holding" (respectively) of
an FCA authorised person (being holdings of 10%, 20% and 50% and
accordingly would apply in the case of any person acquiring
Ordinary Shares as a result of which such person's holding
increased through the applicable threshold.
For FCA regulated entities, the FCA
has 60 working days from the day on which it acknowledges the
receipt of a completed change of control notice to determine
whether to approve the new controller or object to the transaction.
However, this period may be extended by a further 30 working days
where the FCA is awaiting the provision of further information that
it may request from an applicant during the approval process. If
approval is given, it may be given unconditionally or subject to
such conditions as the FCA considers appropriate.
Information to Distributors
The distribution of this
Announcement and the offering of the Placing Shares in certain
jurisdictions may be restricted by law. No action has been taken by
the Company, Singer Capital Markets, SCM Advisory or any of its
affiliates that would permit an offering of the Placing Shares or
possession or distribution of this Announcement or any other
offering or publicity material relating to the Placing Shares in
any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Persons
into whose possession this Announcement comes are required by the
Company, Singer Capital Markets and SCM Advisory to inform
themselves about, and to observe, such restrictions.
UK
Product Governance Requirements
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements contained within Chapter 3 of the
FCA Handbook Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook
(the "UK Product Governance
Rules"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether
arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any "manufacturer"
(for the purposes of the UK Product Governance Rules) may otherwise
have with respect thereto, the Placing Shares have been subject to
a product approval process, which has determined that such Placing
Shares are: (i) compatible with an end target market of retail
investors and investors who meet the criteria of professional
clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in paragraphs
3.5 and 3.6 of COBS; and (ii) eligible for distribution through all
permitted distribution channels (the "UK Target Market Assessment").
Notwithstanding the UK Target Market Assessment, distributors
should note that: the price of the Placing Shares may decline and
investors could lose all or part of their investment; the Placing
Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an
investment in the Placing Shares is compatible only with investors
who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who
(either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or
other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of
such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to
bear any losses that may result therefrom. The UK Target Market
Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any
contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation
to the Placing. Furthermore, it is noted that, notwithstanding the
UK Target Market Assessment, Singer Capital Markets will only
procure investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and
eligible counterparties.
For the avoidance of doubt, the UK
Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of
suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of COBS 9A and COBS
10A, respectively; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group
of investors to invest in, or purchase or take any other action
whatsoever with respect to the Placing Shares. Each distributor is
responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in
respect of the Placing Shares and determining appropriate
distribution channels.
APPENDIX I
RISK FACTORS
Any
investment in the New Ordinary Shares is subject to a number of
risks. Accordingly, prior to making any investment decision,
prospective investors should carefully consider all the information
contained in this document and, in particular, the risk factors
described in this Appendix.
This summary of risk factors is not intended to be exhaustive
nor is it an explanation of all of the risk factors involved in
investing in the Company, nor are the risks set out below in any
order of priority. It should be noted that the risks described
below are not the only risks faced by the Company and there may be
additional risks that the Directors currently consider not to be
material or of which they are not currently
aware.
An
investment in the New Ordinary Shares should not be regarded as
short-term in nature and involves a high degree of risk, including
but not limited to the risks referred to below in relation to the
Company and the New Ordinary Shares. If any of the risks referred
to in this document were to occur this could materially and
adversely affect the Company's business, financial condition and
results. If that were to occur, the trading price of the New
Ordinary Shares and/or the level of dividends or distributions
received from the New Ordinary Shares could decline significantly
and investors could lose all or part of their
investment.
References to the Company are also deemed to include, where
appropriate, each member of the Group.
Risks relating to the Alternative Banking
Platform
Significant delays or cost
overruns in the development of the Alternative Banking Platform may
impact the profitability of the Group
Issues may arise in relation to the
development of the Alternative Banking Platform. There is no
certainty that the Alternative Banking Platform will be operational
within the current expected timeframe or within the current
budgeted cost. Factors such as price increases, technical
difficulties or changes in government or regulatory policies may
give rise to delays or cost overruns, which could have an adverse
effect on the Group's financial position and results of
operations.
The Alternative Banking
Platform may not deliver expected benefits to
shareholders
The Alternative Banking Platform may
not deliver the expected financial and non-financial benefits to
Shareholders and wider stakeholders and/or may take longer to
implement. This may mean that revenue does not grow in line
with forecasts and that costs may be higher than expected,
resulting in reduced profits or losses. This could be because of
the Group not being able to deliver on actions in the business
plan, such as new product development, lower interest rates,
political instability and monetary policy decisions and pressures
from a competitive market environment.
The Alternative Banking
Platform may not operate to an appropriate standard, negatively
impacting the Company's customers, financial position and
reputation
Following launch of the Alternative
Banking Platform, the Group will be subject to the increased risk
of loss resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes,
people, systems, or external events. This could include incorrect
inputting or execution of a trade or settlement, internal fraud,
and financial reporting delays or errors.
Argentex may not, following
launch of the Alternative Banking Platform, be able to maintain
enough capital to meet regulatory requirements
As an authorised Group, Argentex
must maintain minimum levels of regulatory capital. Whilst the
Company currently assess all transactions (including spot and
forward transactions) under MiFID 2 and is focused on generating
liquidity benefits from splitting its licence regime between MiFID
2 and EMI, the Company's ability to grow market share following
launch of the Alternative Banking Platform may be restricted if it
does not have sufficient minimum levels of regulatory capital at
that time.
Risks relating to the Group's business
Concentration of key
clients
Whilst the top 10 clients of the
Group do change each year, they accounted for 28 per cent. of the
Group's revenue (financial year ended 31 December 2023). The loss
of one or more of these key clients to a competitor or otherwise,
could lead to a material adverse effect on the Group's revenue and
profitability.
Absence of long-term
contracts with clients
The Group does not have long-term or
exclusive contracts in place with its clients. As a consequence
there is a risk that clients cease to engage the Group's services
and instead transact with a third party provider; as a result, the
Group's revenues are reduced. Notwithstanding that this contractual
arrangement is standard in the foreign exchange market; the Group
has an increasingly diversified and growing customer base with
recurring FX needs.
The Group may incur losses as
a result of liquidity risk
Liquidity risk arises if the Group
is unable to meet its financial obligations when due. For example,
if the Group is unable to deposit margin required by its
institutional counterparties, this could lead to the Group becoming
unable or restricted in its ability to meet trading capital
requirements which in turn could result in the ability of the
institutional counterparties to terminate the financing facilities
with the Group.
Liquidity risk arises if the
Group is unable to deposit margin required by its institutional
counterparties
The Group operates a
matched-principal brokerage model, meaning it executes a matching
trade with its institutional counterparties on receipt of client
orders. The Group has facilities with the institutional
counterparties. These facilities enable the Group to book both
forward and spot contracts on behalf of its clients. The
institutional counterparties mark-to market all of the Group's
forward contracts at the end of each business day.
To calculate the level of margin
required, the Group's institutional counterparties mark to market
the Group's net currency positions. This results in a net claim
payable to (or claim on) the institutional counterparties. If a net
claim is payable, the Group is required to deposit margin with its
institutional counterparties on the following business
day.
The Group funds margin due to its
institutional counterparties through client margin calls and its
own funds. When the Group makes a margin call, clients have one
business day to deposit margin with the Group.
Liquidity risk is primarily driven
by:
·
a sudden sharp movement in exchange rates when a
currency is net long/short; or
·
an over-extension of hedging
facilities.
If the Group were unable to meet its
financial obligations when due, this would have a material adverse
effect on its business, results of operations, financial condition
and prospects.
The markets in which the
Group operate and plans to operate, including the digital banking
platform market, are highly competitive and competition could
intensify in the future
The Group has a significant number
of current and prospective competitors in each of their key
markets. Some of the Group's competitors and potential competitors
have larger customer bases, more established name recognition and
greater financial, marketing, technology and personnel resources,
or may be able to offer services that are or will be disruptive to
the Group's market assumptions. Some of these competitors may be
able to respond more quickly to new or evolving opportunities,
technologies, product lines, customer requirements and industry
standards than the Group, and may be able to undertake more
extensive marketing activities. The Group may also face competition
in the future from new entrants, or from the introduction of new
and more advanced technologies, in its markets.
Competitors may have a greater
ability to offer new services, expand, innovate, hire or provide
existing services to more diverse customers, and this may result in
competitors gaining market share. There can be no assurance that
the Group will have sufficient resources to continue to make
discretionary investment in the development of its services to
customers or that it will otherwise be successful in maintaining
and growing its current market position.
The Group's future success
depends to a significant degree upon the continued contributions of
key personnel, and the Group's ability to recruit, train, retain
and motivate personnel
The Group's future success depends
upon the expertise and continued services of key personnel,
including personnel involved in the management and development of
its business (including the new Alternative Banking Platform),
personnel directly generating revenue, and personnel involved in
the management of control functions, and upon the continued ability
of the Group to recruit, train, retain and motivate qualified and
highly skilled personnel in all areas of its business.
Competition for senior executives
and management personnel in the Group's industry is intense, and
the Group may not be able to attract and retain qualified personnel
or replace members of senior management or other key
personnel.
Geography
Any further expansion by the Group
into new countries brings associated risks. The Group generates
most of its client business from the UK. The Group's head office
and its senior management are based in the UK and there is a risk
that any future overseas growth may result in a reduction in the
quality of control and oversight provided by senior management.
Factors such as different time zones, language barriers, different
regulatory regimes in each country and different working cultures
may all reduce the efficacy of the oversight provided by senior
management and of the effectiveness of the Group's strategy
employed in each country.
Reliance on information
technology
The failure, loss of or disruption
to the Group's key software, infrastructure or information systems
(including any new software, infrastructure or information systems
developed in connection with the new Alternative Banking Platform)
could limit the Group's ability to conduct its
operations
The Group's strategy is highly
focused on digitalisation and the Group is increasing its
investments in IT related resources. The Group is therefore
dependent on the capacity, reliability and performance of the
computer and communications systems supporting its operations,
whether owned and operated internally or by third parties, and on
the integrity of the data held within and used by such
systems.
The Group may experience
incidents with its information technology (IT) systems and
infrastructure.
Although to date cyber security
risks have not materially affected the Group's operations, it is
expected that such risks will continue to increase in line with the
growth in the volume of internet and mobile banking transactions.
This will require the Group to closely monitor such risks. The
Group may experience denial-of-service attacks, and other events or
conditions from time to time that interrupt the availability, or
reduce or adversely affect the speed or functionality, of its
digital platforms. Actual or perceived breaches of the Group's
security could interrupt its operations, resulting in, among other
things, its systems or services being unavailable, improper
disclosure of data and other legal and financial consequences. If
any of the Group's critical processes or systems do not operate
properly, are disabled or are subject to unauthorised access,
misuse, hacking and the release of confidential information or
computer viruses, the Group's ability to perform effective banking
and related services could be materially impaired and the Group may
suffer reputational harm or be subject to litigation and regulatory
inquiries, proceedings or penalties, which may be
material.
Financial services regulation
and legislation has undergone and is anticipated to continue to
undergo significant changes and developments.
Regulators worldwide continue to
adopt an increased level of scrutiny in supervising the financial
markets and have been developing a number of new regulations and
other reforms designed to strengthen the integrity and stability of
the financial system. It is difficult to accurately predict the
timing, scope or form of future regulatory initiatives or reforms,
although it is widely expected that there will continue to be a
substantial amount of regulatory change and a high degree of
supervisory oversight of regulated financial institutions.
Regulators may from time to time have varying approaches to
ensuring market participants meet regulatory outcomes, and the
interpretations of regulators may therefore differ from generally
accepted market practice.
The Group may face material
liabilities as a result of legal and regulatory cases or may incur
significant costs associated with legal action taken to defend its
business, employees, rights and assets, including its intellectual
property
Many aspects of the Group's business
involve substantial risks of liability. The Group may also be
subject to legal and regulatory claims. Accordingly, the Group
could incur significant legal expenses defending claims, even those
without merit. Being involved in any such claim, and in particular
any adverse resolution of any lawsuit or claim against the Group
could result in reputational damage and/or an obligation to pay
substantial damages.
For example, the Group is involved
in litigation from time to time where the outcome and any potential
liability are subject to varying degrees of uncertainty. Any
adverse outcomes from current or future cases against the Group may
lead to negative press and to adverse public perceptions, which may
in turn discourage customers from using the Group's
services.
The Group's market share and
business position may be adversely affected by economic, political
and market factors beyond the Group's control
The market in which the Group
operates and intends to operate is directly affected by many
national and international factors that are beyond its control. Any
of the following factors, among others, may cause a substantial
decline in the market in which the Group offers its services:
economic, stock market and political conditions, including UK
monetary policy; the level and volatility of the currency market;
concerns about inflation; changes in consumer confidence levels;
legislative and regulatory changes; natural disasters and
epidemics; and concerns about terrorism and war. In recent years
markets have been affected by the global financial crisis.
Worsening or volatile economic conditions could impact the demand
for the Group's services.
Uncertain economic prospects or a
decline in the financial markets could:
·
adversely affect the performance of the Group and
its reputation;
·
result in a deterioration of the Group's
competitive position and a reduction in the overall level of its
business; and/or
·
lead to a failure to win new business.
Accordingly, any of these factors
could have a material adverse effect on the Group's business,
sales, results of operations, financial condition and growth
prospects.
Risks relating to the Ordinary Shares
The value and/or market price
of the Ordinary Shares may go down as well as up
Prospective investors should be
aware that the value and/or market price of the Ordinary Shares may
go down as well as up and that the market price of the Ordinary
Shares may not reflect the underlying value of the
Company.
The market price of the Ordinary
Shares may not reflect the value of the underlying business of the
Company and may be subject to wide fluctuations in response to many
factors, including, among other things, variations in the Company's
operating results, additional issuances or future sales of the
Ordinary Shares or other securities exchangeable for, or
convertible into, its Ordinary Shares in the future, the addition
or departure of Board members, expected dividend yield, divergence
in financial results from stock market expectations, general
economic conditions, prevailing interest rates, legislative changes
in the Company's market and other events and factors within or
outside the Company's control. Stock markets experience extreme
price and volume volatility from time to time, and this, in
addition to general economic, political and other conditions, may
materially adversely affect the market price for the Ordinary
Shares. There can be no assurance, express or implied, that
Shareholders will receive back the amount of their investment in
the Ordinary Shares.
Trading market for the
Ordinary Shares
The share price of listed companies
can be volatile and shareholdings illiquid. The market price of the
Ordinary Shares may be subject to wide fluctuations in response to
many factors, some specific to the Company and its operations and
others to the broader equity markets in general, such as variations
in the operating results of the Company, divergence in financial
results from analysts' expectations, changes in earnings estimates
by stock market analysts, general economic conditions or
legislative changes in the Company's sector. In addition, stock
markets have from time to time experienced extreme price and volume
fluctuations which could adversely affect the market price of the
Ordinary Shares.
Future sales of Ordinary
Shares could cause the market price of the Ordinary Shares to
fall
Sales of Ordinary Shares or
interests in the Ordinary Shares by significant investors could
depress the market price of the Ordinary Shares. A substantial
amount of Ordinary Shares being sold, or the perception that sales
of this type could occur, could also depress the market price of
the Ordinary Shares. Both scenarios, occurring either individually
or collectively, may make it more difficult for shareholders to
sell the Ordinary Shares at a time and price that they deem
appropriate.
The interest of any
significant investor may conflict with those of other
shareholders
Significant shareholders will
potentially possess sufficient voting power to have a significant
influence on matters requiring shareholder approval. The interests
of any significant investor may accordingly conflict with those of
other shareholders. In addition, any significant investor may make
investments in other businesses in the sector that may be, or may
become, competitors of the Company.
The Company has not
registered, and will not register, the Ordinary Shares with the US
Securities and Exchange Commission, which may limit the
shareholders' ability to resell them
The Ordinary Shares have not been,
and will not be, registered under the Securities Act or any US
state securities laws. The Company will be relying upon exemptions
from registration under the Securities Act and applicable state
securities laws in offering and selling the Ordinary Shares. As a
consequence, for US Securities Act purposes, the Ordinary Shares
can only be transferred or re-sold in the United States or to a
U.S. Person in transactions registered under the US Securities Act,
or in accordance with exemptions from the registration requirements
of the US Securities Act and exemptions under applicable state
securities laws. Shareholders will not have registration rights
and, therefore, will not be entitled to compel the Company to
register their securities.
APPENDIX II
PRINCIPAL BASIS AND
ASSUMPTIONS OF THE FORECASTS
This Announcement contains forecast
revenues, revenue growth and EBITDA margins for the financial years
ending 31 December 2024 and 31 December 2026 (together the
"Forecasts"). The Directors
have considered the Forecasts, which have been made after due and
careful enquiry, and confirm that they remain valid as at the date
of this presentation and that they have been properly compiled on
the basis of the assumptions and accounting policies set out
below.
Basis of preparation
The Forecasts have been prepared on
a basis consistent with the accounting policies of the Group, which
are in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards
and are those that the Group will apply in preparing its financial
statements for the 31 December 2024 and 31 December 2026 financial
years.
Assumptions
In relation to the Forecast for the
financial year ending 31 December 2024, the Directors
assumed the implementation of a cost control programme
covering opex, headcount and discretionary spend.
In relation to the Forecast for the
financial year ending 31 December 2026 (Base Case), the
Directors have assumed that there would be no change
to the management or operational strategy of the Group and revenue
growth would be underpinned with a focus on improving customer
retention.
In relation to the Forecast for the
financial year ending 31 December 2026 (Equity Raise), the
Directors made the following principal assumptions:
· the
build of the Alternative Banking Platform begins in FY24 and takes
around a year before completion;
· significant investment in headcount during FY24 to FY26 to
support the launch of the Alternative Banking Platform;
and
· all
other assumptions per the Base Case.
The Directors also made the
following principal assumptions in relation to the Forecasts, which
are outside of the Group's influence or control:
· there
would be no material changes to existing prevailing macroeconomic
or political conditions in the markets and regions in which the
Group operates or intends to operate;
· there
would be no material changes to the conditions of the markets in
which the Group operates or intends to operate or in relation to
customer demand or the behaviour of competitors in those markets
and regions;
· the
interest, inflation and tax rates in the markets and regions in
which the Group operates and intends to operate would remain
materially unchanged from the prevailing rates;
· there
would be no material adverse events that would have a significant
impact on the Group's financial performance;
· there
would be no business disruptions that materially affect the Group
or its ability to deliver its business plan, including natural
disasters, acts of terrorism, cyberattack and/or technological
issues or supply chain issues;
· there
would be no material changes in legislation or regulatory
requirements impacting on the Group's operations, accounting
policies or its ability to deliver its business plan;
and
· there
would be no material litigation in relation to any of the Group's
operations, including the implementation of its business
plan.
APPENDIX
III
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE
PLACING
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON THE
PLACING FOR INVITED PLACEES ONLY
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT
ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PLACING
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT (INCLUDING THIS
APPENDIX III) AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN
(TOGETHER, THIS "ANNOUNCEMENT") ARE DIRECTED ONLY AT
PERSONS WHOSE ORDINARY ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THEM IN ACQUIRING,
HOLDING, MANAGING AND DISPOSING OF INVESTMENTS (AS PRINCIPAL OR
AGENT) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THEIR BUSINESS AND WHO HAVE PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS AND ARE: (1) IF IN
THE UNITED KINGDOM, QUALIFIED INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 2(E)
OF THE UK PROSPECTUS REGULATION; WHO (A) FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 19(5)
OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL
PROMOTION) ORDER 2005, AS AMENDED (THE "ORDER") (INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS) OR
(B) FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) (HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES,
UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC.) OF THE ORDER; OR (2) OTHERWISE,
PERSONS TO WHOM IT IS OTHERWISE LAWFUL TO COMMUNICATE IT TO (ALL
SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS "RELEVANT PERSONS").
NEITHER THIS ANNOUNCEMENT NOR THE
INFORMATION IN IT SHOULD BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO
ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. PERSONS DISTRIBUTING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT
MUST SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT IT IS LAWFUL TO DO SO. ANY INVESTMENT
OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES IS
AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH
RELEVANT PERSONS. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN
OFFER FOR THE SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO
BUY OR ACQUIRE OF ANY SECURITIES IN THE COMPANY IN THE UNITED
STATES OR ELSEWHERE.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN OFFER OF
SECURITIES FOR SALE INTO THE UNITED STATES. THE PLACING SHARES HAVE
NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE US SECURITIES ACT OR
WITH ANY SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF ANY STATE OR
JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES OR UNDER ANY SECURITIES LAWS OF
ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES AND MAY NOT BE
OFFERED, SOLD, RESOLD, PLEDGED, TRANSFERRED OR DELIVERED, DIRECTLY
OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES. THE PLACING SHARES ARE
BEING OFFERED AND SOLD ONLY OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES IN
ACCORDANCE WITH REGULATION S UNDER THE US SECURITIES ACT AND
OTHERWISE IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR
RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY
OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, NEW
ZEALAND, CANADA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER
JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION
WOULD BE UNLAWFUL (THE "RESTRICTED
JURISDICTIONS"). NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE PLACING SHARES IS
BEING MADE IN THE UNITED STATES, THE UNITED KINGDOM OR ELSEWHERE.
NO MONEY, SECURITIES OR OTHER CONSIDERATION FROM ANY PERSON INSIDE
THE UNITED STATES IS BEING SOLICITED AND, IF SENT IN RESPONSE TO
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, WILL NOT BE
ACCEPTED.
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS
OWN ADVISERS AS TO ANY LEGAL, TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED ASPECTS OF
A PURCHASE OF PLACING SHARES. THE DISTRIBUTION OF THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT, ANY PART OF IT OR ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED IN IT MAY
BE RESTRICTED BY LAW IN CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS, AND ANY PERSON INTO
WHOSE POSSESSION THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, ANY PART OF IT OR ANY
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN IT COMES SHOULD INFORM THEMSELVES ABOUT,
AND OBSERVE, SUCH RESTRICTIONS.
All offers of the Placing Shares in
the United Kingdom or the EEA will be made pursuant to an exemption
from the requirement to produce a prospectus under the UK
Prospectus Regulation.
The Placing Shares have not been
approved or disapproved by the US Securities and Exchange
Commission, any state securities commission or other regulatory
authority in the United States nor have any of the foregoing
authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the Placing or
the accuracy or adequacy of this Announcement. Any representation
to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States. The
relevant clearances have not been, nor will they be, obtained from
the securities commission of any province or territory of Canada,
no prospectus has been lodged with, or registered by, the
Australian Securities and Investments Commission or the Japanese
Ministry of Finance; the relevant clearances have not been, and
will not be, obtained for the South Africa Reserve Bank or any
other applicable body in the Republic of South Africa in relation
to the Placing Shares and the Placing Shares have not been, nor
will they be registered under or offered in compliance with the
securities laws of any state, province or territory of
Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Republic of South Africa or Japan. Accordingly,
the Placing Shares may not (unless an exemption under the relevant
securities laws is applicable) be offered, sold, resold or
delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into Australia,
New Zealand, Canada, the
Republic of South Africa or Japan or any other jurisdiction outside
the UK or the EEA.
This Announcement should be read in
its entirety. In particular, any Placee should read and understand
the information provided in the "Important Notice" section of this
Announcement and Appendix I (Risk Factors).
Each Placee which confirms its
agreement to Singer Capital Markets (whether orally or in writing)
to subscribe for Placing Shares under the Placing, hereby agrees
with Singer Capital Markets and the Company that it will be bound
by these terms and conditions and will be deemed to have accepted
them.
Singer Capital Markets may require
any Placee to agree to such further terms and/or conditions and/or
give such additional warranties and/or representations as it (in
its absolute discretion) sees fit and/or may require any such Placee
to execute a separate placing letter.
Singer Capital Markets makes no
representation to any Placees regarding an investment in the
Placing Shares. Neither Singer Capital Markets nor any of their
respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers, employees or
consultants make any representation to any Placees regarding an
investment in the Placing Shares. The Placing does not constitute a
recommendation or financial product advice and Singer Capital
Markets has not had regard to particular objectives, financial
situation and needs for each of the Placees.
By participating in the Bookbuild
and the Placing, each Placee, by making an oral or written and
legally binding offer to acquire Placing Shares, will be deemed to
have read and understood this Announcement in its entirety, to be
participating, making an offer and acquiring Placing Shares on the
terms and conditions contained herein and to be providing the
representations, warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements and
undertakings contained herein.
EACH PLACEE SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS OWN ADVISERS AS TO ANY
LEGAL, REGULATORY, TAX, BUSINESS AND RELATED ASPECTS OF A
SUBSCRIPTION FOR THE PLACING SHARES.
In particular, each such Placee
represents, warrants, undertakes, agrees and acknowledges (amongst
other things) that:
1.
it is a Relevant Person and undertakes that it
will acquire, hold, manage or dispose of any Placing Shares that
are allocated to it for the purposes of its business;
2.
in the case of a Relevant Person in the United
Kingdom who acquires any Placing Shares pursuant to the
Placing:
(a) it is a Qualified Investor within the meaning of Article 2(e)
of the UK Prospectus Regulation; and
(b) in the case of any Placing Shares acquired by it as a
financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the
UK Prospectus Regulation:
(i)
the Placing Shares acquired by it in the Placing
have not been acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired
with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in the United
Kingdom other than Qualified Investors or in circumstances in which the prior
consent of Singer Capital Markets has been given to the offer or
resale; or
(ii)
where Placing Shares have been acquired by it on
behalf of persons in the United Kingdom other than Qualified
Investors, the offer of those Placing Shares to it is not treated under the UK
Prospectus Regulation as having been made to such
persons;
3.
it is acquiring the Placing Shares for its own
account or is acquiring the Placing Shares for an account with
respect to which it exercises sole investment discretion and has
the authority to make and does make the representations,
warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements, undertakings and
agreements contained herein;
4.
it understands (or if acting for the account of
another person, such person has confirmed that such person
understands) the resale and transfer restrictions set out in this
Announcement; and
5.
it (and any account referred to above) is outside
the United States acquiring the Placing Shares in offshore
transactions as defined in and in accordance with Regulation S
under the US Securities Act.
The Company and Singer Capital
Markets will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing
representations, warranties, acknowledgements and agreements. Each
Placee hereby agrees with Singer Capital Markets and the Company to
be bound by these terms and conditions as being the terms and
conditions upon which Placing Shares will be issued. A Placee
shall, without limitation, become so bound if Singer Capital
Markets confirms to such Placee its allocation of Placing
Shares.
Upon being notified of its
allocation of Placing Shares, a Placee shall be contractually
committed to subscribe for the number of Placing Shares allocated
to it at the Placing Price and, to the fullest extent permitted by
law, will be deemed to have agreed not to exercise any rights to
rescind or terminate or otherwise withdraw from such
commitment.
No
prospectus
The Placing Shares are being offered
to a limited number of specifically invited persons only and will
not be offered in such a way as to require any prospectus or other
offering document to be published under the
UK Prospectus Regulation. No prospectus or
other offering document has been or will be submitted to be
approved by the FCA in relation to the Placing or the Placing
Shares and Placees' commitments will be made solely on the basis of
their own assessment of the Company, the Placing Shares and the
Placing based on the information contained in this Announcement
(together, the "Placing
Documents") and any Publicly Available Information and
subject to any further terms set forth in the trade confirmation
sent to Placees.
Each Placee, by participating in the
Placing, agrees that the content of the Placing Documents is
exclusively the responsibility of the Company and confirms that it
has neither received nor relied on any information (other than this
Announcement and the Publicly Available Information),
representation, warranty or statement made by or on behalf of
Singer Capital Markets or the Company or any other person and none
of Singer Capital Markets, the Company nor any other person acting
on such person's behalf nor any of their respective affiliates has
or shall have any responsibility or liability for any Placee's
decision to participate in the Placing based on any other
information, representation, warranty or statement (regardless of
whether or not such information, representation, warranty or
statement was given or made by or on behalf of any such persons).
Each Placee acknowledges and agrees that it has relied on its own
investigation of the business, financial or other position of the
Company in accepting a participation in the Placing.
No Placee should consider any
information in this Announcement to be legal, financial, tax or
business advice. Each Placee should consult its own legal adviser,
tax adviser, financial adviser and business adviser for legal, tax,
business and financial advice regarding an investment in the
Placing Shares. Nothing in this paragraph shall exclude the
liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation.
Details of the Placing Agreement and the Placing
Shares
Singer Capital Markets is acting as
sole broker and bookrunner in connection with the Placing and has
entered into the Placing Agreement with the Company under which, on
the terms and subject to the conditions set out in the Placing
Agreement, Singer Capital Markets, as agent for and on behalf of
the Company, has agreed to use its reasonable endeavours to procure
placees for the Placing Shares. The Placing is not being
underwritten by Singer Capital Markets or any other
person.
The price per Ordinary Share at
which the Placing Shares are to be placed is 45 pence (the
"Placing Price"). The final
number of Placing Shares will be determined by the Company and
Singer Capital Markets at the close of the Bookbuild and will be
set out in the executed terms of placing (the "Terms of Placing"). The timing of the
closing of the book and allocations are at the discretion of the
Company and Singer Capital Markets. Details of the number of
Placing Shares will be announced as soon as practicable after the
close of the Bookbuild.
The Placing Shares will be New
Ordinary Shares issued and allotted by the Company. Accordingly, by
participating in the Placing, Placees agree to subscribe for
Placing Shares.
The Placing Shares have been or will
be duly authorised and will, when issued, be credited as fully paid
up and will be issued subject to the Articles of Association and
rank pari
passu in all respects with the existing Ordinary
Shares, including the right to receive all dividends and other
distributions declared, made or paid on or in respect of the
Ordinary Shares after the date of issue of the Placing Shares, and
will on issue be free of all pre-emption rights, claims, liens,
charges, encumbrances and equities.
Application for admission to trading on AIM
Application will be made to the
London Stock Exchange for admission of the New Ordinary Shares to
trading on AIM.
It is expected that Admission of the
New Ordinary Shares will become effective at 8.00 a.m. on 13 May
2024 (or such later time or date as Singer Capital Markets may
agree with the Company, being no later than 8.00 a.m. on 28 May
2024) and that dealings in the Placing Shares on AIM will commence
at that time.
Bookbuild
Singer Capital Markets will today
commence the accelerated bookbuilding process to determine demand
for participation in the Placing by Placees (the "Bookbuild"). This Appendix III gives
details of the terms and conditions of, and the mechanics of
participation in, the Placing.
Singer Capital Markets and the
Company shall be entitled to effect the Placing by such alternative
method to the Bookbuild as they may, in their sole discretion,
determine.
Participation in, and principal terms of, the
Placing
1.
Singer Capital Markets is acting as sole broker
and bookrunner to the Placing, as agent for and on behalf of the
Company, on the terms and subject to the conditions of the Placing
Agreement. SCM Advisory is acting as nominated adviser to the
Company in connection with the Placing and Admission. Each of
Singer Capital Markets and SCM Advisory are authorised and
regulated entities in the United Kingdom by the FCA and are acting
exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the
matters referred to in this Announcement and will not be
responsible to anyone other than the Company in relation to the
matters described in this Announcement. SCM Advisory's
responsibilities as the Company's nominated adviser under the AIM
Rules for Nominated Advisers are owed solely to the London Stock
Exchange and are not owed to the Company, any director of the
Company or to any other person.
2.
Participation in the Placing will only be
available to persons who may lawfully be, and are, invited to
participate by Singer Capital Markets. Singer Capital Markets may
itself agree to be a Placee in respect of all or some of the
Placing Shares or may nominate any member of its group to do
so. Singer Capital Markets and any of their respective
affiliates are entitled to enter bids in the Bookbuild as
principal.
3.
The Bookbuild if successful, will establish the
aggregate amount payable to Singer Capital Markets, as settlement
agents for the Company, by all Placees whose bids are successful.
The final number of Placing Shares will be agreed between Singer
Capital Markets and the Company following completion of the
Bookbuild. Following a successful completion of the Bookbuild, the
Company will confirm the closing of the Placing via the Result of
Placing Announcement.
4.
To bid in the Bookbuild, prospective Placees
should communicate their bid orally by telephone or in writing to
their usual sales contact at Singer Capital Markets. Each bid
should state the aggregate number of Placing Shares which the
prospective Placee wishes to subscribe for at the Placing Price.
Bids may be scaled down by Singer Capital Markets on the basis
referred to in paragraph 6 below. Singer Capital Markets
reserves the right not to accept bids or to accept bids in part
rather than in whole. The acceptance of the bids shall be at Singer
Capital Markets' absolute discretion, subject to agreement with the
Company.
5.
The Bookbuild will open with immediate effect
following release of this Announcement and is expected to close no
later than 5.00 p.m. on 2 May 2024 but may be closed earlier or
later at the discretion of Singer Capital Markets. Singer Capital
Markets may, in agreement with the Company, accept bids that are
received after the Bookbuild has closed. The Company reserves the
right (upon the prior agreement of Singer Capital Markets) to vary
the number of Placing Shares to be issued pursuant to the Placing,
in its absolute discretion.
6.
Allocations of the Placing Shares will be
determined by Singer Capital Markets after consultation with the
Company (and in accordance with Singer Capital Markets' allocation
policy as has been supplied by Singer Capital Markets to the
Company in advance of such consultation). Allocations will be
confirmed orally by Singer Capital Markets and a trade confirmation
will be despatched as soon as possible thereafter. Singer Capital
Markets' oral confirmation to such Placee constitutes an
irrevocable legally binding commitment upon such person (who will
at that point become a Placee), in favour of Singer Capital Markets
and the Company, to subscribe for the number of Placing Shares
allocated to it and to pay the Placing Price in respect of each
such share on the terms and conditions set out in this Appendix III
and in accordance with the Articles of Association. A bid in the
Bookbuild will be made on the terms and subject to the conditions
in this Appendix III (together with any such further terms and
conditions that may be agreed between Singer Capital Markets and
the Placee) and will be legally binding on the Placee on behalf of
which it is made and except with Singer Capital Markets' consent,
such commitment will not be capable of variation, termination,
rescission or revocation after the time at which it is
submitted.
7.
Each Placee will have an immediate, separate,
irrevocable and binding obligation, owed to Singer Capital Markets,
as agent for the Company, to pay to it (or as it may direct) in
cleared funds an amount equal to the product of the Placing Price
and the number of Placing Shares such Placee has agreed to acquire
and the Company has agreed to allot and issue to that
Placee.
8.
Each Placee's allocation and commitment will be
evidenced by a trade confirmation issued to such Placee. The terms
of this Appendix III will be deemed incorporated in that trade
confirmation.
9.
Irrespective of the time at which a Placee's
allocation pursuant to the Placing is confirmed, settlement for all
Placing Shares to be subscribed/purchased for pursuant to the
Placing will be required to be made at the same time, on the basis
explained below under "Registration and Settlement".
10. All obligations under the Bookbuild and the Placing will be
subject to fulfilment or (where applicable) waiver of the
conditions referred to below under "Conditions of the Placing" and
to the Placing not being terminated on the basis referred to below
under "Right to terminate under the Placing Agreement".
11. By participating in the Placing, each Placee will agree that
its rights and obligations in respect of the Placing will terminate
only in the circumstances described below and will not be capable
of rescission or termination by the Placee.
12. To the fullest extent permissible by law, none of Singer
Capital Markets, SCM Advisory, the Company nor any of their
respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees
shall have any responsibility or liability (whether in contract,
tort or otherwise) to any Placee (or to any other person whether
acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise). In particular, none of
Singer Capital Markets, SCM Advisory, the Company, nor any of their
respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees
shall have any responsibility or liability (including to the extent
permissible by law, any fiduciary duties) in respect of Singer
Capital Markets' conduct of the Placing or of such alternative
method of effecting the Placing as Singer Capital Markets and the
Company may agree.
13. The Placing Shares will be issued subject to the terms and
conditions of this Appendix III and each Placee's commitment to
subscribe for Placing Shares on the terms set out herein and in the
trade confirmation or other (oral or written) confirmation will
continue notwithstanding any amendment that may in future be made
to the terms and conditions of the Placing and Placees will have no
right to be consulted or require that their consent be obtained
with respect to the Company's or Singer Capital Markets' conduct of
the Placing.
Conditions of the Placing
The Placing is conditional, amongst
others, upon the Placing Agreement becoming unconditional and not
having been terminated in accordance with its terms. The
obligations of Singer Capital Markets and SCM Advisory under the
Placing Agreement are conditional on customary conditions,
including (amongst others) (the "Conditions"):
1.
the AIM Application and all other documents
required to be submitted with the AIM Application, together with a
cheque for the AIM fee (as defined in the AIM Rules) being
delivered to the London Stock Exchange not later than 9.00 a.m. on
8 May 2024;
2.
the fulfilment by the Company of its obligations
under the Placing Agreement to the extent that they fall to be
performed prior to Admission;
3.
the authorities given to Singer Capital Markets
and SCM Advisory remaining in full force and effect;
4.
none of the warranties or undertakings given in
the Placing Agreement being or having become untrue, inaccurate or
misleading at any time before Admission, and no fact or
circumstance having arisen which would constitute a breach of any
of the Warranties or undertakings given in the Placing Agreement or
which would constitute a specified event;
5.
there having been no material adverse change prior
to Admission;
6.
the Placing Agreement not having been terminated
prior to Admission;
7.
the execution by the Company and SCM of the
placing supplement setting out the final number of Placing Shares
to be issued at the Placing Price pursuant to the Placing and the
allocation of such Placing Shares to Placees by no later than 5.00
p.m. on 2 May 2024 (or such other time and/or date as the Company
and Singer Capital Markets may agree);
8.
Admission occurring by not later than 8.00 a.m. on
13 May 2024 (or such later date as the Company, Singer Capital
Markets and SCM Advisory may agree, in any event being not later
than 8.00 a.m. on 28 May 2024) (the "Long Stop Date"),
9.
the issue and allotment of the New Ordinary Shares
by the Board, conditional only upon Admission, by 12.00 noon on 10
May 2024 (or such later time as may be agreed between the Company,
Singer Capital Markets and SCM Advisory, being not later than the
Long Stop Date); and
10. the delivery by the Company of certain customary documents to
Singer Capital Markets as required under the terms of the Placing
Agreement.
Singer Capital Markets and SCM
Advisory may, at their discretion and upon such terms as they think
fit, waive compliance by the Company with the whole or any part of
any of its obligations in relation to the Conditions or extend the
time or date provided for fulfilment of any such Conditions in
respect of all or any part of the performance thereof, save in
respect of Conditions 1, 8 and 9 above. Any such
extension or waiver will not affect Placees' commitments as set out
in this Appendix III.
If: (i) any of the Conditions are
not fulfilled or (where permitted) waived by Singer Capital Markets
by the relevant time or date specified (or such later time or date
as Singer Capital Markets may agree with the Company, being no
later than 8.00 a.m. on 28 May
2024); or (ii) the Placing Agreement is terminated
in the circumstances specified below under "Right to terminate under the Placing
Agreement", the Placing will not proceed and the Placees'
rights and obligations hereunder in relation to the Placing Shares
shall cease and terminate at such time and each Placee agrees that
no claim can be made by it or on its behalf (or any person on whose
behalf the Placee is acting) in respect thereof.
None of Singer Capital
Markets, SCM Advisory nor the Company, nor any of their respective affiliates,
agents, directors, officers or employees shall have any liability
to any Placee (or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a
Placee or otherwise) in respect of any decision they may make as to
whether or not to waive or to extend the time and/or date for the
satisfaction of any Condition to the Placing (or any part of it),
nor for any decision they may make as to the satisfaction of any
Condition or in respect of the Placing generally (or any part of
it), and by participating in the Placing each Placee agrees that
any such decision is within the absolute discretion of Singer
Capital Markets and SCM
Advisory. Placees will have no rights
against Singer Capital Markets or any of their respective members,
directors or employees under the Placing Agreement pursuant to the
Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 (as amended) or
otherwise.
Right to terminate under the Placing
Agreement
Singer Capital Markets and SCM
Advisory are entitled, at any time before Admission, to terminate
the Placing Agreement in accordance with its terms in certain
circumstances, including (amongst other things) in the event
that:
1.
any of the warranties given under the Placing
Agreement were not true or accurate, or were misleading in any
respect which is material: (a) when given or deemed given; or (b)
at any time if they were to be repeated or deemed repeated (by
reference to the facts and circumstances in each case then
existing) would no longer be true and accurate, or would be
misleading;
2.
the Company has failed to comply with their
obligations under this Agreement, the Companies Act, the FSMA, the
AIM Rules or other applicable law in any respect which is
material;
3.
any statement contained in certain documents used
in connection with the Fundraising has become or been discovered to
be untrue, inaccurate or misleading in any respect which is
material;
4.
there shall have been, occurred, happened or come
into effect any event or omission which (in the opinion of Singer
Capital Markets or SCM Advisory) materially and adversely affects
or might reasonably be expected to (in the opinion of Singer
Capital Markets or SCM Advisory) materially and adversely affect
the financial position and/or prospects of the Group, or which in
the opinion of Singer Capital Markets and/or SCM Advisory, is or
will be or may be prejudicial to the Company or to the Fundraising
or to the subscription for the Placing Shares by Placees;
or
5.
there shall have occurred any change in national
or international financial, monetary, economic, political,
environmental, or stock market conditions which, in the opinion of
either the Singer Capital Markets and/or SCM Advisory will, is or
is likely to be, prejudicial to the Group or to the Fundraising or
to the subscription for the Placing Shares by Placees;
or
6.
the appointment of either Singer Capital Markets
or SCM Advisory as agent of the Company is terminated for any
reason; or
7.
the Group's situation is such that Admission may,
in the opinion of SCM Advisory, be detrimental to the ordinary
operation or reputation of AIM,
Upon termination, the parties to the
Placing Agreement shall be released and discharged (except for any
liability arising before or in relation to such termination) from
their respective obligations under or pursuant to the Placing
Agreement, subject to certain exceptions.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee agrees that (i) the exercise by Singer Capital Markets
and/or SCM Advisory of any right of termination or of any other
discretion under the Placing Agreement shall be within the absolute
discretion of Singer Capital Markets and/or SCM Advisory and that
it need not make any reference to, or consult with, Placees and
that it shall have no liability to Placees whatsoever in connection
with any such exercise or failure to so exercise and (ii) its
rights and obligations terminate only in the circumstances
described above under "Right to
terminate under the Placing Agreement" and "Conditions of the Placing", and its
participation will not be capable of rescission or termination by
it after oral confirmation by Singer Capital Markets of the
allocation and commitments following the close of the
Bookbuild.
Registration and Settlement
Settlement of transactions in the
Placing Shares (ISIN: GB00BJLPH056) following Admission will take
place within the system administered by Euroclear UK &
International Limited ("CREST"), subject to certain exceptions.
Singer Capital Markets reserves the right to require settlement
for, and delivery of, the Placing Shares (or any part thereof) to
Placees by such other means that they may deem necessary if
delivery or settlement is not possible or practicable within the
CREST system or would not be consistent with the regulatory
requirements in the Placee's jurisdiction.
Following the close of the
Bookbuild, each Placee to be allocated Placing Shares in the
Placing will be sent a trade confirmation stating the number of
Placing Shares allocated to them at the Placing Price, the
aggregate amount owed by such Placee to Singer Capital Markets and
settlement instructions. Each Placee agrees that it will do all
things necessary to ensure that delivery and payment is completed
in accordance with the standing CREST or certificated settlement
instructions in respect of the Placing Shares that it has in place
with Singer Capital Markets.
The Company will deliver (or will
procure the delivery of) the Placing Shares to a CREST account
operated by Singer Capital Markets as agent for the Company and
Singer Capital Markets will enter its delivery instruction into the
CREST system. The input to CREST by a Placee of a matching or
acceptance instruction will then allow delivery of the relevant
Placing Shares to that Placee against payment.
It is expected that settlement in
respect of the Placing Shares will take place in respect of the
Placing Shares on 13 May 2024 (or such later date as the Company
and Singer Capital Markets may agree in writing, being no later
than 28 May 2024).
Each Placee is deemed to agree that,
if it does not comply with these obligations, Singer Capital
Markets may sell any or all of the Placing Shares allocated to that
Placee on such Placee's behalf and retain from the proceeds, for
Singer Capital Markets' account and benefit, an amount equal to the
aggregate amount owed by the Placee plus any interest due. The
relevant Placee will, however, remain liable for any shortfall
below the aggregate amount owed by it and will be required to bear
any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or other taxes or duties
(together with any interest or penalties) imposed in any
jurisdiction which may arise upon the sale of such Placing Shares
on such Placee's behalf.
If Placing Shares are to be
delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees should ensure
that the trade confirmation is copied and delivered immediately to
the relevant person within that organisation. Insofar as Placing
Shares are issued in a Placee's name or that of its nominee or in
the name of any person for whom a Placee is contracting as agent or
that of a nominee for such person, such Placing Shares should,
subject as provided below, be so registered free from any liability
to UK stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax. If there are any
circumstances in which any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or
other similar taxes or duties (including any interest and penalties
relating thereto) is payable in respect of the allocation,
allotment, issue, sale, transfer or delivery of the Placing Shares
(or, for the avoidance of doubt, if any stamp duty or stamp duty
reserve tax is payable in connection with any subsequent transfer
of or agreement to transfer Placing Shares), neither Singer Capital
Markets or the Company shall be responsible for payment
thereof.
Representations, warranties, undertakings and
acknowledgements
By participating in the Placing each
Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) irrevocably
acknowledges, confirms, undertakes, represents, warrants and agrees
(as the case may be) with Singer Capital Markets (in its capacity
as bookrunner and placing agent of the Company in respect of the
Placing) and the Company, in each case as a fundamental term of
their application for Placing Shares, the following (save where
Singer Capital Markets expressly agrees in writing to the
contrary):
1.
it has read and understood this Announcement in
its entirety and that its participation in the Bookbuild and
the Placing and its acquisition of the Placing Shares is subject to
and based upon all the terms, conditions, representations,
warranties, indemnities, acknowledgements, agreements and
undertakings and other information contained herein (together with
any such further terms and conditions that may be agreed between
Singer Capital Markets and the Placee) and that it has not relied
on, and will not rely on, any information given or any
representations, warranties or statements made at any time by any
person in connection with Admission, the Placing, the Company, the
Placing Shares or otherwise, other than the information contained
in this Announcement and the Publicly Available
Information;
2.
it acknowledges and agrees that its acceptance of
its participation in the Placing on the terms set out in this
Announcement is legally binding, irrevocable and is not capable of
termination or rescission by it in any circumstances;
3.
it has made its own assessment of the Company, the
Placing Shares and the terms of the Placing based on this
Announcement (including this Appendix III) and any Publicly
Available Information;
4.
the Ordinary Shares are admitted to trading on AIM
and that the Company is therefore required to publish certain
business and financial information in accordance with MAR and rules
and regulations of the London Stock Exchange (including the AIM
Rules) (collectively, the "Exchange Information") which includes a
description of the Company's business and the Company's most recent
balance sheet and profit and loss account, and similar statements
for preceding financial years, and that it has reviewed such
Exchange Information and that it is able to obtain or access such
information, or comparable information concerning any other
publicly traded company, in each case without undue
difficulty;
5.
it has had access to such financial and other
information (including the business, financial condition,
prospects, creditworthiness, status and affairs of the Company, the
Placing and the Placing Shares) concerning the Company, the Placing
and the Placing Shares as it has deemed necessary in connection
with its own investment decision to subscribe for any of the
Placing Shares and has satisfied itself that the information is
still current and has relied on that investigation for the purposes
of its decision to participate in the Placing;
6.
to be bound by the terms of the Articles of
Association;
7.
the person whom it specifies for registration as
holder of the Placing Shares will be:
(a) itself; or
(b) its nominee, as the case may be. Neither Singer Capital
Markets or the Company will be responsible for any liability to
stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or other similar taxes or
duties imposed in any jurisdiction (including interest and
penalties relating thereto) ("Indemnified Taxes"). Each Placee and
any person acting on behalf of such Placee agrees to indemnify
Singer Capital Markets and the Company on an after-tax basis in
respect of any Indemnified Taxes;
8.
none of Singer Capital Markets, SCM Advisory nor
any of its affiliates, agents, directors, officers and employees
accepts any responsibility for any acts or omissions of the Company
or any of the directors of the Company or any other person in
connection with the Placing;
9.
time is of the essence as regards its obligations
under this Appendix III;
10. any document that is to be sent to it in connection with the
Placing will be sent at its risk and may be sent to it at any
address provided by it to Singer Capital Markets;
11. it will not distribute, forward, transfer, duplicate or
otherwise transmit this Announcement or any part of it, or any
other presentational or other material concerning the Placing
(including electronic copies thereof) to any person and represents
that it has not distributed, forwarded, transferred, duplicated, or
otherwise transmitted any such documents to any person;
12. it has not received (and will not receive) a prospectus or
other offering document in connection with the Bookbuild, the
Placing or the Placing Shares and acknowledges that no prospectus
or other offering document (a) is required under the UK Prospectus
Regulation or other applicable law; and (b) has been or will be
prepared in connection with the Placing;
13. in connection with the Placing, Singer Capital Markets and any
of its affiliates acting as an investor for its own account may
subscribe for Placing Shares in the Company and in that capacity
may retain, purchase or sell for its own account such Placing
Shares in the Company and any securities of the Company or related
investments and may offer or sell such securities or other
investments otherwise than in connection with the Placing.
Accordingly, references in this Announcement to the Placing Shares
being issued, offered or placed should be read as including any
issue, offering or placement of such shares in the Company to
Singer Capital Markets or any of its affiliates acting in such
capacity;
14. Singer Capital Markets and its affiliates may enter into
financing arrangements and swaps with investors in connection with
which Singer Capital Markets and any of its affiliates may from
time to time acquire, hold or dispose of such securities of the
Company, including the Placing Shares;
15. Singer Capital Markets does not intend to disclose the extent
of any investment or transactions referred to in
paragraphs 13 and 14 above otherwise than in
accordance with any legal or regulatory obligation to do
so;
16. Singer Capital Markets does not owe any fiduciary or other
duties to any Placee in respect of any representations, warranties,
undertakings or indemnities in the Placing Agreement;
17. its participation in the Placing is on the basis that it is
not and will not be a client of Singer Capital Markets in
connection with its participation in the Placing and that Singer
Capital Markets has no duties or responsibilities to it for
providing the protections afforded to its clients or customers or
for providing advice in relation to the Placing nor in respect of
any representations, warranties, undertakings or indemnities
contained in the Placing Agreement nor for the exercise or
performance of any of its rights and obligations thereunder
including any rights to waive or vary any conditions or exercise
any termination right;
18. the content of the Placing Documents and the Publicly
Available Information has been prepared by and is exclusively the
responsibility of the Company (and such other persons specifically
identified as accepting responsibility to certain parts thereto)
and neither Singer Capital Markets nor any of its affiliates
agents, directors, officers or employees nor any person acting on
behalf of any of them is responsible for or has or shall have any
responsibility or liability for any information, representation,
warranty or statement contained in, or omission from, the Placing
Documents, the Publicly Available Information or otherwise nor will
they be liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the
Placing based on any information, representation, warranty or
statement contained in the Placing Documents, the Publicly
Available Information or otherwise, provided that nothing in this
paragraph excludes the liability of any person for fraudulent
misrepresentation made by such person;
19. the only information on which it is entitled to rely and on
which such Placee has relied in committing itself to subscribe for
Placing Shares is contained in the Placing Documents or any
Publicly Available Information (save that in the case of Publicly
Available Information, a Placee's right to rely on that information
is limited to the right that such Placee would have as a matter of
law in the absence of this paragraph 19), such information
being all that such Placee deems necessary or appropriate and
sufficient to make an investment decision in respect of the Placing
Shares;
20. it has neither received nor relied on any other information
given, or representations, warranties or statements, express or
implied, made, by Singer Capital Markets nor the Company nor any of
their respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or
employees acting on behalf of any of them (including in any
management presentation or research note) with respect to the
Company, the Placing or the Placing Shares or the accuracy,
completeness or adequacy of any information contained in the
Placing Documents, or the Publicly Available Information or
otherwise;
21. neither Singer Capital Markets or the Company nor any of their
respective affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees or
any person acting on behalf of any of them has provided, nor will
provide, it with any material or information regarding the Placing
Shares or the Company or any other person other than the
information in the Placing Documents or the Publicly Available
Information; nor has it requested any of Singer Capital Markets or
the Company or any of their respective affiliates or any person
acting on behalf of any of them to provide it with any such
material or information;
22. neither Singer Capital Markets or the Company will be liable
for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on
any other information, representation, warranty or statement,
provided that nothing in this paragraph excludes the liability of
any person for fraudulent misrepresentation made by that
person;
23. it may not rely, and has not relied, on any investigation that
Singer Capital Markets, any of its affiliates or any person acting
on its behalf, may have conducted with respect to the Placing
Shares, the terms of the Placing or the Company, and none of such
persons has made any representation, express or implied, with
respect to the Company, the Placing, the Placing Shares or the
accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information in the
Placing Documents, the Publicly Available Information or any other
information;
24. in making any decision to subscribe for Placing Shares
it:
(a) has sufficient knowledge, sophistication and experience in
financial, business and international investment matters as is
required to evaluate the merits and risks of subscribing for the
Placing Shares;
(b) will not look to Singer Capital Markets for all or part of any
such loss it may suffer;
(c) is experienced in investing in securities of a similar nature
to the Ordinary Shares and in the sector in which the Company
operates and is aware that it may be required to bear, and is able
to bear, the economic risk of participating in, and is able to
sustain a complete loss in connection with, the Placing and has no
need for liquidity with respect to its investment in the Placing
Shares;
(d) is able to sustain a complete loss of an investment in the
Placing Shares;
(e) has no need for liquidity with respect to its investment in
the Placing Shares;
(f)
is aware and understands that an investment in the
Placing Shares involves a considerable degree of risk;
and
(g) has had sufficient time and access to information to consider
and conduct its own due diligence, examination, investigation and
assessment with respect to the offer and purchase of the Placing
Shares, including the legal, regulatory, tax, business, currency
and other economic and financial considerations relevant to such
investment and has conducted its own due diligence, examination,
investigation and assessment of the Company and Group, the Placing
Shares and the terms of the Placing and has satisfied itself that
the information resulting from such investigation is still current
and relied on that investigation for the purposes of its decision
to participate in the Placing;
25. it is subscribing for the Placing Shares for its own account
or for an account with respect to which it exercises sole
investment discretion and has the authority to make and does make
the acknowledgements, representations, warranties, undertakings and
agreements contained in this Appendix III;
26. it is acting as principal only in respect of the Placing or,
if it is acting for any other person, it is:
(a) duly authorised to do so and has full power to make the
acknowledgments, representations and agreements herein on behalf of
each such person; and
(b) will remain liable to the Company and/or Singer Capital
Markets for the performance of all its obligations as a Placee in
respect of the Placing (regardless of the fact that it is acting
for another person), and
(c) agrees that the provisions of this paragraph shall survive the
resale of the Placing Shares by or on behalf of any person for whom
it is acting;
27. it and any person acting on its behalf is entitled to
subscribe for the Placing Shares under the laws and regulations of
all relevant jurisdictions that apply to it and that it has fully
observed such laws and regulations, has capacity and authority and
is entitled to enter into and perform its obligations as a
subscriber of Placing Shares and will honour such obligations, and
has obtained all such governmental and other guarantees, permits,
authorisations, approvals and consents which may be required
thereunder and complied with all necessary formalities to enable it
to commit to this participation in the Placing and to perform its
obligations in relation thereto (including, without limitation, in
the case of any person on whose behalf it is acting, all necessary
consents and authorities to agree to the terms set out or referred
to in this Appendix III) and will honour such obligations and that
it has not taken any action or omitted to take any action which
will or may result in Singer Capital Markets or the Company or any
of their respective directors, officers, agents, employees or
advisers acting in breach of the legal or regulatory requirements
of any jurisdiction in connection with the Placing;
28. where it is subscribing for Placing Shares for one or more
managed accounts, it is authorised in writing by each managed
account to subscribe for the Placing Shares for each managed
account;
29. it irrevocably appoints any duly authorised officer of Singer
Capital Markets as its agent for the purpose of executing and
delivering to the Company and/or its registrars any documents on
its behalf necessary to enable it to be registered as the holder of
any of the Placing Shares for which it agrees to subscribe or
purchase for upon the terms of this Appendix III;
30. the Placing Shares have not been and will not be registered or
otherwise qualified and that a prospectus will not be cleared in
respect of any of the Placing Shares under the securities laws or
legislation of the Restricted Jurisdictions, or any state,
province, territory or jurisdiction thereof;
31. the Placing Shares may not be offered, sold, or delivered,
directly or indirectly, in or into the Restricted Jurisdictions or
any jurisdiction in which it would be unlawful to do so and no
action has been or will be taken by any of the Company or Singer
Capital Markets or any person acting on behalf of the Company or
Singer Capital Markets that would, or is intended to, permit a
public offer of the Placing Shares in the Restricted Jurisdictions
or any country or jurisdiction, or any state, province, territory
or jurisdiction thereof, where any such action for that purpose is
required;
32. no action has been or will be taken by any of the Company or
Singer Capital Markets or any person acting on behalf of the
Company or Singer Capital Markets that would, or is intended to,
permit a public offer of the Placing Shares in the United States or
in any other country or jurisdiction;
33. unless otherwise specifically agreed with Singer Capital
Markets, it is not and at the time the Placing Shares are
subscribed for, neither it nor the beneficial owner of the Placing
Shares will be, a resident of, nor have an address in, Australia,
New Zealand, Japan, the Republic of South Africa or any province or
territory of Canada;
34. it may be asked to disclose in writing or orally to Singer
Capital Markets:
(a) if he or she is an individual, his or her nationality;
or
(b) if he or she is a discretionary fund manager, the jurisdiction
in which the funds are managed or owned;
35. it is and the prospective beneficial owner of the Placing
Shares is, and at the time the Placing Shares are subscribed for
will be outside the United States and is acquiring the Placing
Shares in an "offshore transaction" as defined in, and in
accordance with, Regulation S under the US Securities
Act;
36. it understands that the Placing Shares have not been, and will
not be, registered under the US Securities Act and may not be
offered, sold or resold, pledged or delivered in or into or from
the United States. No representation is being made as to the
availability of any exemption under the US Securities Act for the
reoffer, resale, pledge or transfer of the Placing
Shares;
37. it (and any account for which it is purchasing) is not
acquiring the Placing Shares with a view to any offer, sale or
distribution thereof within the meaning of the US Securities
Act;
38. if it is within the United Kingdom, it is a Qualified Investor
as defined in Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus
Regulation;
39. it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell any
Placing Shares to persons in the EEA;
40. if it is a financial intermediary, as that term is used in
Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus Regulation, the Placing Shares
acquired by it in the Placing will not be acquired on a
non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor will they be acquired
with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in the United
Kingdom other than Qualified Investors, or in circumstances in
which the express prior written consent of Singer Capital Markets
has been given to each proposed offer or resale;
41. if in the United Kingdom, that it is a person (i) having
professional experience in matters relating to investments who
falls within the definition of "investment professionals" in
Article 19(5) of the Order or (ii) who falls within Article 49(2)
(a) to (d) ("High Net Worth
Companies, Unincorporated Associations, etc") of the Order,
or (iii) to whom it may otherwise lawfully be
communicated;
42. if in the United Kingdom, unless otherwise agreed by Singer
Capital Markets, it is a "professional client" or an "eligible
counterparty" within the meaning of Chapter 3 of COBS and it is
purchasing Placing Shares for investment only and not with a view
to resale or distribution;
43. it will not make an offer to the public of the Placing Shares
and it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell any
Placing Shares to persons in the United Kingdom, except to persons
whose ordinary activities involve them in acquiring, holding,
managing or disposing of investments (as principal or agent) for
the purposes of their business or otherwise in circumstances which
have not resulted and which will not result in an offer to the
public in the United Kingdom within the meaning of section 85(1) of
FSMA;
44. it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will
only communicate or cause to be communicated any invitation or
inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of
section 21 of FSMA) relating to the Placing Shares in circumstances
in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not require approval of the
communication by an authorised person and it acknowledges and
agrees that the Placing Documents have not and will not have been
approved by Singer Capital Markets in its capacity as an authorised
person under section 21 of the FSMA and it may not therefore be
subject to the controls which would apply if it was made or
approved as a financial promotion by an authorised
person;
45. it has complied and will comply with all applicable laws with
respect to anything done by it or on its behalf in relation to the
Placing Shares (including all applicable provisions in FSMA and
MAR) in respect of anything done in, from or otherwise involving,
the United Kingdom);
46. if it is a pension fund or investment company, its
subscription for/purchase of Placing Shares is in full compliance
with applicable laws and regulations;
47. it has complied with its obligations under the Criminal
Justice Act 1993 and Articles 8, 10 and 12 of MAR and in connection
with money laundering and terrorist financing under the Proceeds of
Crime Act 2002 (as amended), the Terrorism Act 2000, the Terrorism
Act 2006 and the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer
of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 and any
related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued,
administered or enforced by any government agency having
jurisdiction in respect thereof (the "Regulations") and the Money
Laundering Sourcebook of the FCA and, if making payment on behalf
of a third party, that satisfactory evidence has been obtained and
recorded by it to verify the identity of the third party as
required by the Regulations;
48. in order to ensure compliance with the Regulations, Singer
Capital Markets (for itself and as agent on behalf of the Company)
or the Company's registrars may, in their absolute discretion,
require verification of its identity. Pending the provision to
Singer Capital Markets or the Company's registrars, as applicable,
of evidence of identity, definitive certificates in respect of the
Placing Shares may be retained at Singer Capital Markets' absolute
discretion or, where appropriate, delivery of the Placing Shares to
it in uncertificated form may be delayed at Singer Capital Markets'
or the Company's registrars', as the case may be, absolute
discretion. If within a reasonable time after a request for
verification of identify Singer Capital Markets (for itself and as
agent on behalf of the Company) or the Company's registrars have
not received evidence satisfactory to them, either Singer Capital
Markets and/or the Company may, at its absolute discretion,
terminate its commitment in respect of the Placing, in which event
the monies payable on acceptance of allotment will, if already
paid, be returned without interest to the account of the drawee's
bank from which they were originally debited. Each Placee agrees to
hold harmless and indemnify on an after-tax basis Singer Capital
Markets and the Company against any liability, loss or cost ensuing
due to the failure to process such application, if such evidence or
information as has been requested has not been provided by it in a
timely manner;
49. the allocation, allotment, issue and delivery to it, or the
person specified by it for registration as holder, of Placing
Shares will not give rise to a stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax
liability under (or at a rate determined under) any of sections 67,
70, 93 or 96 of the Finance Act 1986 (depositary receipts and
clearance services) and that the Placing Shares are not being
acquired in connection with arrangements to issue depositary
receipts or to issue or transfer Placing Shares into a clearance
service;
50. it (and any person acting on its behalf) has the funds
available to pay for the Placing Shares for which it has agreed to
subscribe and acknowledges and agrees that it will make payment in
respect of the Placing Shares allocated to it in accordance with
this Appendix III on the due time and date set out herein, failing
which the relevant Placing Shares may be placed with other
subscribers or sold as Singer Capital Markets may in its sole
discretion determine and without liability to such Placee, who will
remain liable for any amount by which the net proceeds of such sale
falls short of the product of the relevant Placing Price and the
number of Placing Shares allocated to it and will be required to
bear any stamp duty, stamp duty reserve tax or other taxes or
duties (together with any interest, fines or penalties) imposed in
any jurisdiction which may arise upon the sale of such Placee's
Placing Shares;
51. any money held in an account with Singer Capital Markets on
behalf of the Placee and/or any person acting on behalf of the
Placee and/or any person acting on behalf of the Placee will not be
treated as client money within the meaning of the relevant rules
and regulations of the FCA made under FSMA. Each Placee
acknowledges that the money will not be subject to the protections
conferred by the client money rules: as a consequence this money
will not be segregated from Singer Capital Markets' money in
accordance with the client money rules and will be held by it under
a banking relationship and not as trustee;
52. its allocation (if any) of Placing Shares will represent a
maximum number of Placing Shares which it will be entitled, and
required, to subscribe for, and that Singer Capital Markets or the
Company may call upon it to subscribe for a lower number of Placing
Shares (if any), but in no event in aggregate more than the
aforementioned maximum;
53. neither Singer Capital Markets nor any of its affiliates, nor
any person acting on behalf of them, is making any recommendations
to it, advising it regarding the suitability of any transactions it
may enter into in connection with the Placing and Singer Capital
Markets is not acting for it or its clients, and that Singer
Capital Markets will not be responsible for providing the
protections afforded to customers of Singer Capital Markets or for
providing advice in respect of the transactions described in this
Announcement;
54. it acknowledges that its commitment to acquire Placing Shares
on the terms set out in this Announcement and in the trade
confirmation, contract note or other (oral or written) confirmation
will continue notwithstanding any amendment that may in future be
made to the terms and conditions of the Placing and that Placees
will have no right to be consulted or require that their consent be
obtained with respect to the Company's or Singer Capital Markets'
conduct of the Placing;
55. if it has received any 'inside information' (for the purposes
of MAR and section 56 of the Criminal Justice Act 1993) in relation
to the Company and its securities in advance of the Placing, it
confirms that it has received such information within the market
soundings regime provided for in article 11 of MAR and associated
delegated regulations and it has not:
(a) used that inside information to acquire or dispose of
securities of the Company or financial instruments related thereto
or cancel or amend an order concerning the Company's securities or
any such financial instruments;
(b) used that inside information to encourage, require, recommend
or induce another person to deal in the securities of the Company
or financial instruments related thereto or to cancel or amend an
order concerning the Company's securities or such financial
instruments; or
(c) disclosed such information to any person, prior to the
information being made publicly available;
56. the rights and remedies of the Company and Singer Capital
Markets under the terms and conditions in this Appendix III are in
addition to any rights and remedies which would otherwise be
available to each of them and the exercise or partial exercise of
one will not prevent the exercise of others;
57. these terms and conditions of the Placing and any agreements
entered into by it pursuant to these terms and conditions and all
agreements to acquire shares pursuant to the Placing, and all
non-contractual or other obligations arising out of or in
connection with them, shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of England and it submits (on behalf of
itself and on behalf of any person on whose behalf it is acting) to
the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts as regards any
claim, dispute or matter arising out of any such contract
(including any dispute regarding the existence, validity or
termination of such contract or relating to any non- contractual or
other obligation arising out of or in connection with such
contract), except that enforcement proceedings in respect of the
obligation to make payment for the Placing Shares (together with
any interest chargeable thereon) may be taken by either the Company
or Singer Capital Markets in any jurisdiction in which the relevant
Placee is incorporated or in which any of its securities have a
quotation on a recognised stock exchange;
58. if it is acquiring the Placing Shares as a fiduciary or agent
for one or more investor accounts, it has full power and authority
to make, and does make, the foregoing representations, warranties,
acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings on behalf of each
such accounts;
59. that it will (or will procure that its nominee will) if
applicable, make notification to the Company of the interest in its
Ordinary Shares in accordance with the Disclosure Guidance and
Transparency Rules published by the FCA;
60. it confirms that any of its clients, whether or not identified
to Singer Capital Markets or any of its affiliates, will
remain its sole responsibility and will not become clients
of Singer Capital Markets or any of its affiliates for
the purposes of the rules of the FCA or for the purposes of any
other statutory or regulatory provision;
61. that, as far as it is aware it is not acting in concert
(within the meaning given in the City Code) with any other person
in relation to the Company that would result in it (or any
person(s) acting in concert with it) having to make a mandatory
offer for the Company in accordance with Rule 9 of the City Code as
a result of participating in the Placing;
62. that its participation in the Placing does not require prior
approval of the FCA under the FCA 'controller regime' as set out at
section 178 of FSMA;
63. it has not done, and will not do, anything in relation to the
Placing which has resulted in or could result in any person being
required to publish a prospectus in relation to the Company or to
any Placing Shares in accordance with FSMA or the UK Prospectus
Regulation or in accordance with any laws applicable in any part of
the European Union or the EEA;
64. it agrees that the exercise by Singer Capital
Markets of any right of termination or any right of waiver
exercisable by Singer Capital Markets contained in the
Placing Agreement or the exercise of any discretion thereunder is
within the absolute discretion of Singer Capital
Markets and Singer Capital Markets will not have any
liability to it whatsoever in connection with any decision to
exercise or not exercise any such rights. Each Placee acknowledges
that if (i) any of the conditions in the Placing Agreement are not
satisfied (or, where relevant, waived); or (ii) the Placing
Agreement is terminated; or (iii) the Placing Agreement does not
otherwise become unconditional in all respects, the Placing will
lapse and its rights and obligations hereunder shall cease and
determine at such time and no claim shall be made by it in respect
thereof; and
65. a communication that the Placing or the book is "covered"
(i.e. indicated demand from investors in the book equals or exceeds
the amount of the securities being offered) is not any indication
or assurance that the book will remain covered or that the Placing
and securities will be fully distributed by Singer Capital
Markets. Singer Capital Markets reserves the right to
take up a portion of the securities in the Placing as a principal
position at any stage at its sole discretion, among other things,
to take account of the Company's objectives, UK MiFID II
requirements and/or its allocation policies.
The foregoing representations,
warranties, confirmations, acknowledgements, agreements and
undertakings are given for the benefit of the Company as well
Singer Capital Markets and are irrevocable. Singer Capital Markets
and the Company and their respective affiliates and others will
rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations,
warranties, confirmations, acknowledgements, agreements and
undertakings.
Each prospective Placee, and any
person acting on behalf of such Placee, irrevocably authorises the
Company and Singer Capital Markets to produce this Announcement,
pursuant to, in connection with, or as may be required by any
applicable law or regulation, administrative or legal proceeding or
official inquiry with respect to the matters set forth
herein.
By participating in the Placing,
each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) agrees
to indemnify on an after-tax basis and hold the Company, Singer
Capital Markets and their respective affiliates, agents, directors,
officers and employees harmless from any and all costs, claims,
liabilities and expenses (including legal fees and expenses)
arising out of or in connection with any breach of the
representations, warranties, acknowledgements, agreements and
undertakings given by the Placee (and any person acting on such
Placee's behalf) in this Appendix III or incurred by Singer Capital
Markets, the Company or any of their respective affiliates, agents,
directors, officers or employees arising from the performance of
the Placees' obligations as set out in this Announcement, and
further agrees that the provisions of this Appendix III shall
survive after completion of the Placing.
Past performance is no guide to
future performance and persons needing advice should consult an
independent financial adviser.
The Placing Shares will not be
admitted to trading on any stock exchange other than AIM, a market
operated by the London Stock Exchange plc.
Singer Capital Markets Securities
Limited is authorised and regulated by the FCA in the United
Kingdom and is acting as sole bookrunner exclusively for the
Company and no one else in connection with the Placing and will not
be responsible to anyone (including any Placees) other than the
Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients or
for providing advice in relation to the Placing or any other
matters referred to in this Announcement.
Taxation
The agreement to allot and issue
certain of the Placing Shares by the Company to Placees (and/or to
persons for whom such Placee is contracting as agent) free of stamp
duty and stamp duty reserve tax relates only to their allotment and
issue to Placees, or such persons as they nominate as their agents,
direct from the Company for the Placing Shares in
question.
There should be no liability to
stamp duty or SDRT arising on the allotment of the Placing Shares
by the Company. The registration of and the issue of definitive
share certificates to holders of Ordinary Shares should not give
rise to any liability to stamp duty or SDRT.
In addition, neither UK stamp duty
nor SDRT should arise on the transfers/sale of Ordinary Shares on
AIM (including instruments transferring Ordinary Shares and
agreements to transfer Ordinary Shares).
Such agreement also assumes that the
Placing Shares are not being acquired in connection with
arrangements to issue depositary receipts or to issue or transfer
the Placing Shares into a clearance service. If there are any such
arrangements, or the settlement relates to any other dealings in
the Placing Shares, stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or other
similar taxes or duties may be payable, for which neither the
Company nor Singer Capital Markets will be responsible and the
Placees shall indemnify the Company and Singer Capital Markets on
an after-tax basis for any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax or
other similar taxes or duties (together with interest, fines and
penalties) in any jurisdiction paid by the Company or Singer
Capital Markets in respect of any such arrangements or dealings. If
this is the case, each Placee should seek its own advice and notify
Singer Capital Markets accordingly. Placees are advised to consult
with their own advisers regarding the tax aspects of the
subscription for Placing Shares.
The Company and Singer Capital
Markets are not liable to bear any taxes that arise on a sale of
Placing Shares subsequent to their acquisition by Placees,
including any taxes arising otherwise than under the laws of any
country in the EEA. Each prospective Placee should, therefore, take
its own advice as to whether any such tax liability arises and
notify Singer Capital Markets and the Company accordingly.
Furthermore, each prospective Placee agrees to indemnify on an
after-tax basis and hold Singer Capital Markets and/or the Company
and their respective affiliates harmless from any and all interest,
fines or penalties in relation to stamp duty, stamp duty reserve
tax and all other similar duties or taxes in any jurisdiction to
the extent that such interest, fines or penalties arise from the
unreasonable default or delay of that Placee or its
agent.
In addition, Placees should note
that they will be liable for any capital duty, stamp duty and all
other stamp, issue, securities, transfer, registration, documentary
or other duties or taxes (including any interest, fines or
penalties relating thereto) payable, whether inside or outside the
UK, by them or any other person on the subscription, acquisition,
transfer or sale by them of any Placing Shares or the agreement by
them to subscribe for, acquire, transfer or sell any Placing
Shares.
All times and dates in this
Announcement (including this Appendix III) may be subject to
amendment. Singer Capital Markets shall notify the Placees and any
person acting on behalf of the Placees of any changes.
APPENDIX IV
The following definitions apply
throughout this Announcement unless the context otherwise
requires:
"£", "GBP", "pounds", "pound sterling" or "sterling", "p", "penny" or "pence"
|
are to the lawful currency of the
UK;
|
"Admission"
|
admission of the
New Ordinary Shares to
trading on AIM becoming effective in accordance with the AIM
Rules;
|
"after-tax basis"
|
means in relation to any payment
made to the Company, Singer Capital Markets or their respective
affiliates, agents, directors, officers and employees in accordance
with Appendix III, that such payment shall be calculated in such a
manner as will ensure that, after taking into account: (i) any tax
required to be deducted or withheld from the payment; (ii) the
amount and timing of any additional tax which becomes payable by
the recipient as a result of the payments being subject to tax in
the hands of the recipient of the payment; and (iii) the amount and
timing of any tax benefit which is obtained by the recipient of the
payment to the extent that such tax benefit is attributable to the
matter giving rise to the payment or to the entitlement to, or
receipt of, the payment, or to any tax required to be deducted or
withheld from the payment, the recipient of the payment is in the
same after-tax position as that in which it would have been if the
matter giving rise to the payment had not occurred;
|
"AIM"
|
the market of that name operated by
the London Stock Exchange;
|
"AIM Rules"
|
the AIM Rules for Companies
published and amended from time to time by the London Stock
Exchange;
|
"AIM Rules for Nominated Advisers"
|
the AIM Rules for Nominated Advisers
published by the London Stock Exchange as amended from time to
time;
|
"Alternative Banking Platform" or "Alternative
Banking"
|
a platform hosted by a finance
company that is not a traditional bank which enables certain
banking transactions to be provided to customers, considered to be
a more flexible alternative to traditional banks;
|
"Announcement"
|
this Announcement, including the
appendices and the terms and conditions of the Placing set out in
Appendix III;
|
"Articles of Association" or
"Articles"
|
the articles of association of the
Company;
|
"Bookbuild"
|
the bookbuilding process to be
conducted by Singer Capital Markets to arrange participation by
Placees in the Placing;
|
"Certificated" or in
"Certificated
form"
|
in respect of a share or other
security, where that share or other security is not in
uncertificated form (that is, not in CREST);
|
"City Code"
|
The City Code on Takeovers and
Mergers;
|
"COBS"
|
the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business
Sourcebook;
|
"Company"
|
Argentex Group Plc a company registered in England and Wales with registered
number 11965856 and having its registered
office at 25 Argyll Street, London, United Kingdom, W1F
7TU;
|
"CREST"
|
the relevant system for the
paperless settlement of trades and the holding of uncertificated
securities operated by Euroclear in accordance with the CREST
Regulations;;
|
"CREST Regulations"
|
the Uncertificated Securities
Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/3755), including (i) any enactment or
subordinate legislation which amends or supersedes those
regulations; and (ii) any applicable rules made under those
regulations or any such enactment or subordinate legislation for
the time being in force;
|
"Directors" or "Board"
|
the directors of the Company for the
time being, together being the board of directors;
|
"EEA"
|
European Economic Area;
|
|
|
"Euroclear"
|
Euroclear UK & International
Limited, the operator of CREST;
|
"FCA"
|
the UK Financial Conduct
Authority;
|
"FSMA"
|
the Financial Services and Markets
Act 2000;
|
"Fundraising"
|
the Placing and the Retail
Offer;
|
"Group"
|
the Company and its subsidiary
undertakings (and "Group
Company" shall be construed accordingly);
|
"Intermediaries"
|
any financial intermediary that is
appointed by Singer Capital Markets in connection with the Retail
Offer and "Intermediary"
shall mean any one of them;
|
"London Stock Exchange"
|
London Stock Exchange
plc;
|
"MAR"
|
means the EU Market Abuse Regulation
(EU) 596/2014 and all delegated or implementing regulations
relating to that Regulation as amended and transposed into the laws
of the United Kingdom pursuant to the European Union (Withdrawal)
Act 2018;
|
"Material Adverse Change"
|
has the meaning given to such term
in the Placing Agreement;
|
"New Ordinary Shares"
|
the Placing Shares and the Retail
Shares;
|
"Nominated Adviser"
|
has the meaning given to the
expression "nominated adviser" in the AIM Rules;
|
"Ordinary Shares"
|
ordinary shares of £0.0001 each in
the capital of the Company;
|
"Placees"
|
persons who agree to subscribe for
Placing Shares at the Placing
Price;
|
"Placing"
|
the conditional placing by Singer
Capital Markets as agent of the Company of the Placing Shares at
the Placing Price
in accordance with the Placing Agreement;
|
"Placing Agreement"
|
the agreement dated
2 May 2024 between the Company, Singer
Capital Markets and SCM Advisory relating to the
Fundraising;
|
"Placing Documents"
|
this Announcement and the Result of
Placing Announcement;
|
"Placing Price"
|
45p per Ordinary Share;
|
"Placing Shares"
|
means the new Ordinary Shares to be
issued by the Company pursuant to the Placing, in the number to be
agreed between Singer Capital Markets and the Company following
completion of the Bookbuild;
|
"Publicly Available Information"
|
any information publicly announced
through a Regulatory Information Service by or on behalf
of the Company on or prior to the date of this
Announcement;
|
"Regulatory Information Service"
|
the meaning given to it in the AIM
Rules;
|
"Restricted Jurisdictions"
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix III to this Announcement;
|
"Result of Placing Announcement"
|
the announcement of the result of
the Placing;
|
"Retail Investors"
|
residents in the United Kingdom who
are a customer of an Intermediary who agree conditionally to
subscribe for Retail Shares;
|
"Retail Offer"
|
the offer of Retail Shares to Retail
Investors, through Intermediaries on the BookBuild Platform, on the
terms of the retail offer announcement which is expected to be
released by the Company at 7.00 a.m. on 3 May 2024;
|
"Retail Shares"
|
any Ordinary Shares to be issued by
the Company under the terms of the Retail Offer;
|
"SCM Advisory"
|
Singer Capital Markets Advisory
LLP;
|
"SDRT"
|
Stamp Duty Reserve Tax;
|
"Singer Capital Markets"
|
Singer Capital Markets Securities
Limited;
|
"subsidiary" or "subsidiary
undertaking"
|
have the meaning given to such term
in the Companies Act 2006;
|
"Substantial Shareholder"
|
a person who holds any legal or
beneficial interest directly or indirectly in 10 per cent. or more
of the ordinary shares of a company admitted to trading on AIM as
more fully defined in the AIM Rules;
|
"Terms of Placing"
|
has the meaning given to it in
Appendix III to this Announcement;
|
"UK" or "United Kingdom"
|
the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland;
|
"UK
MiFID II"
|
means EU Directive 2014/65/EU as it
forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018;
|
"UK
Prospectus Regulation"
|
means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as
it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018;
|
"Uncertificated" or "in uncertificated
form"
|
in respect of a share or other
security, where that share or other security is recorded on the
relevant register of the share or security concerned as being held
in uncertificated form in CREST and title to which, by virtue of
the CREST Regulations may be transferred by means of
CREST;
|
"US
Securities Act"
|
the US Securities Act of 1933, as
amended; and
|