AQX Aquis Exchange Plc

12 March 2024

Aquis Exchange PLC

("Aquis")

Martley Capital and Aquis Exchange to Set Up New Real Assets Market Segment

Martley Capital Group, the real estate investment company founded by Richard Croft, is working with London-based Aquis Exchange PLC, to establish a new segment of the Aquis Growth Market dedicated to trading in real asset backed investments.

The initiative will see Aquis Technologies - the Group's software and technology division - utilising its state-of-the-art trading platform and London-based point of presence to provide the new segment with connectivity, trading mechanisms and scalability.

The new real assets segment, called Aram, or Aquis Real Asset Market, will, subject to regulatory approval, launch in the second half of the year and will be open to companies owning commercial real estate, other real assets including infrastructure, land and forestry, and debt products in these sectors.  Martley Capital, together with other stakeholders, has established Martley Capital Aram Ltd (Mcaram) as a new specialist adviser to support the market.  

Aram will be the third segment established on the Aquis Growth Market, alongside the two existing segments, Access and Apex. The Aquis Growth Market offers a more accessible route to raising capital, with proportionate costs and ease of admission.

Alasdair Haynes, Chief Executive Officer of Aquis Exchange PLC said:

"Who wouldn't be excited about getting involved with the biggest asset class in the world? We are looking forward to working with Richard Croft and the Martley Capital team, utilising Aquis' innovative technology and primary market expertise to enable investors to access commercial property and other real assets via the public markets."

Richard Croft, Chief Executive Officer of Martley Capital Group said:

"I have been a long-term believer in the fractionalisation of real estate and the need to create a more liquid way to invest in the world's largest asset class. The opportunity to help establish the new segment of the Aquis market to address this need is exciting for both Martley Capital and me personally."

In the ten years since it was set up as a pan-European multilateral trading facility to challenge the status quo of an established equity trading environment, Aquis has grown to become Europe's seventh largest exchange group by volume. Over six thousand major and mid-cap stocks across the UK and Europe trade on its platform, with volumes reaching approximately €2 billion per day. Aquis launched the Aquis Stock Exchange in 2021 to provide a tailored and supportive listings venue for UK growth companies and has since grown to become the most successful growth company exchange in the UK by number of issues.

Founded by Richard Croft, the award-winning co-founder and former Chief Executive of M7 Real Estate, Martley Capital Group launched in December 2023 with several new funds and individual transactions with an opportunistic and value add focus covering credit, equities and direct real estate.

Martley Capital Group, which is also instructed on a number of asset and investment management advisory mandates, has five offices across the UK and Central Europe and around 40 staff including Tony Edgley, former partner at Brockton; Alison Lambert, former head of finance for Europe at Oxford Properties and Jack Thoms, former head of investment management at M7.

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About Aquis Exchange PLC

Aquis Exchange PLC ("Aquis") is a creator and facilitator of next-generation financial markets, through the provision of accessible, simple and efficient stock exchanges, trading venues and technology.

Aquis consists of four divisions:

Aquis Markets operates lit and dark order books, covering 16 European markets. For its lit books, Aquis uses a subscription pricing model which works by charging users according to the message traffic they generate, rather than a percentage of the value of each stock that they trade.

Aquis Technologies is the software and technology division of Aquis. It focuses on building better markets via the creation and licensing of cutting-edge, cost-effective exchange infrastructure technology and services, including matching engine and trade surveillance solutions.

Aquis Data licenses market data from Aquis Markets and Aquis Stock Exchange.

Aquis Stock Exchange (AQSE) is a stock market providing primary and secondary markets for equity and debt products. It is authorised as a Recognised Investment Exchange, which allows it to operate a regulated listings venue. The AQSE Growth Market is divided into two segments 'Access' and 'Apex'; the Access market focuses on earlier stage growth companies, while Apex is the intended market for larger, more established businesses.

Aquis is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority and France's Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution and L'Autorité des marchés financiers to operate Multilateral Trading Facility businesses in the UK & Switzerland markets and in EU27 markets respectively. Aquis Exchange PLC is quoted on the Aquis Stock Exchange and on the AIM Market (AIM) of the LSE. For more information, please go to www.aquis.eu.