This announcement contains inside information for the purposes
of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 as it
forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018 ("MAR"), and is disclosed in accordance with
the company's obligations under Article 17 of
MAR.
30 October 2024
IRONVELD PLC
("Ironveld" or the "Company")
Successful Completion of Conditional
£2.5 Million Fundraise
and Proposed Capital
Reorganisation
Ironveld PLC ("Ironveld" or the
"Company"), the owner of a High Purity Iron ("HPI"), Vanadium, and
Titanium project located on the Northern Limb of the Bushveld
Complex in Limpopo Province, South Africa, is pleased to announce a
conditional placing and subscription with new and existing
investors, raising gross proceeds of £2.5 million at an issue price
of 0.036 pence per share.
Highlights
· Proposed conditional placing ("Placing") and subscription
("Subscription") to raise gross proceeds of £2.5 million, through
the issue of 6,944,444,444 New Ordinary Shares at an issue price of
0.036 pence per share (the "Issue Price");
· Funds
raised will significantly improve the Company's working capital
position and enable Ironveld to advance its key strategic
initiatives and unlock the significant value inherent in its
assets;
· Issue
of a further 2,862,648,017 New Ordinary Shares at the Issue Price
in settlement of certain loan facilities, creditors and Directors'
salaries;
· Proposed Capital Reorganisation to subdivide each Existing
Ordinary Share into one New Ordinary Share of 0.01 pence each and
nine Deferred Share of 0.01 pence each; and
· Investor Warrants to be issued to recipients of New Ordinary
Shares pursuant to the transaction on a 1-for-1 basis, with each
Investor Warrant exercisable at 0.072 pence (being a 100% premium
to the Issue Price) for a period of three years.
The Placing, along with the issue
and allotment of the Subscription Shares, Loan Settlement Shares,
Creditor Shares and Directors' Settlement Shares, and the Capital
Reorganisation are each conditional, inter alia, on the passing of
the Resolutions by Shareholders at the General Meeting. A
circular containing further details on the proposed transaction and
Capital Reorganisation ("Circular") and notice of meeting to
convene the General Meeting, which is to be held at the offices of
Cavendish, One Bartholomew Close, London EC1A 7BL at 10.00
a.m. on 20 November 2024, will be sent to Shareholders today.
Following its publication, the Circular will be available on the
Company's website at www.ironveld.com.
The fundraise will provide the
capital required for Ironveld to advance its key strategic
initiatives and unlock the significant value inherent in its
assets. The Board believes that the current market capitalisation
does not accurately reflect the true potential of the Company's
assets, and the new funds will enable the Company to continue
driving forward on several fronts, including:
· Completion of essential upgrades at the smelter complex to
achieve profitable production capacity.
· Progression towards revenue generation and cash flow
positivity, anticipated by end of Q2 2025.
· Establishing Ironveld as the first producer of high-purity
water-atomised iron in the Southern Hemisphere, opening new market
opportunities.
· Capitalising on our significant untapped asset value, which
remains under appreciated in the current market
valuation.
Ironveld has secured long-term,
renewable Mining Licenses extending to 2045 and 2047, with a range
of potential revenue streams from HPI, vanadium, and titanium
products. In addition, the Company is also actively exploring new
opportunities to diversify its asset portfolio, ensuring long-term
growth and value creation.
The Company will maintain its focus
on operational improvements and the production of high-quality
coarse and water-atomised HPI powders. These efforts are designed
to generate revenue, achieve profitability, and ultimately deliver
long-term growth and increased shareholder value.
Kris Andersson, CEO of Ironveld, said:
"We are incredibly grateful for the strong support
from both our new and existing investors. This fundraise provides
us with the capital needed to advance our strategic initiatives and
address key operational objectives.
"These funds will allow us to complete the necessary smelter
upgrades and work to address the disparity between our assets'
inherent value and their reflection in the Company's market cap. We
are confident this will position us for accelerated growth, value
realisation, and enhanced shareholder returns.
"I
would like to sincerely thank our shareholders for their continued
belief in the Company's vision and for standing by us during this
critical phase."
Further details of the proposed
transaction and Capital Reorganisation have been extracted from the
Circular and are set out below.
Defined terms in this announcement
are set out at the end of the announcement.
For
further information, please contact:
Ironveld plc
Kristoffer Andersson, Chief
Executive Officer
|
|
c/o BlytheRay
+44 20 7138 3204
|
Cavendish Capital Markets Limited (Nomad and
Broker)
Derrick Lee / Adam Rae
|
|
+44 20 7220 0500
|
Turner Pope Investments (TPI) Ltd (Joint
Broker)
Andrew Thacker / James
Pope
|
|
+44 20 3657 0050
|
BlytheRay
Tim Blythe / Megan Ray
|
|
+44 20 7138 3204
|
Notes to Editors:
Ironveld (IRON.LN) is the owner of
Mining Rights over approximately 28 kilometres of
outcropping Bushveld magnetite with
a SAMREC compliant ore resource of some 56 million tons of ore
grading 1,12% V2O5, 68,6% Fe2O3 and 14,7% TiO2.
In 2022 Ironveld agreed to acquire
and refurbish a smelter facility in Rustenburg, South Africa, in
which it can process its magnetite ore into the marketable products
of high purity iron, titanium slag and vanadium slag. This
transaction became unconditional in March 2023.
Ironveld is an AIM traded company.
For further information on Ironveld please refer to
www.ironveld.com.
To the Shareholders and, for
information only, to holders of options / warrants
Dear Shareholder,
CONDITIONAL PLACING AND
SUBSCRIPTION
AT A PRICE OF
0.036 PENCE PER
SHARE
TO RAISE
£2.5 MILLION
NOTICE OF GENERAL
MEETING
1.
Introduction
The Company announced on
30 October 2024 a
conditional placing with new and existing investors, to raise
£2.205 million before expenses through the issue of 6,125,000,000
New Ordinary Shares at the
Placing Price and a conditional subscription with existing
investors and directors to raise £0.295
million before expenses through the issue
of 819,444,444 New Ordinary Shares at the Placing Price.
A further 1,941,852,777 New Ordinary
Shares will be issued by the Company at the Placing Price in
settlement of the Loan Facilities, 276,627,721 New Ordinary Shares
will be issued by the Company at the Placing Price to certain
Directors in settlement of deferred salaries and fees and
644,167,519 New Ordinary Shares will also be issued by the Company
at the Placing Price to certain creditors in settlement in all or
part of outstanding debts owed by the Company. Further details of
the issue of these shares are set out in paragraph 3
below.
The Placing Price was arranged at
the closing middle market price of 0.036 pence per Existing
Ordinary Share on 29 October 2024 (being the last practicable date
before the announcement of the Placing).
The purpose of this document is to
provide you with details of the Placing, the Subscription, the
Capitalisation and the Capital Reorganisation, to explain the
background to and the reasons for the Placing, the Subscription,
the Capitalisation and the Capital Reorganisation and why the
Directors recommend that Shareholders vote in favour of the
Resolutions to be proposed at the General Meeting. As the Placing
Price is below the nominal value of the Company's Existing Ordinary
Shares, the Company needs to effect the Capital Reorganisation to
facilitate the issue of the Placing Shares and the Subscription
Shares. Further details of the Capital Reorganisation are set out
in paragraph 4 below.
The Placing, along with the issue
and allotment of the Subscription Shares, Loan Settlement Shares,
Creditor Shares and Directors' Settlement Shares, and the Capital
Reorganisation are each conditional, inter alia, on the passing of
the Resolutions by Shareholders at the General Meeting, notice of
which is set out at the end of this document. If the Resolutions
are passed, admission of the New Ordinary Shares, including the
Transaction Shares, to trading on AIM is expected to occur at 8.00
a.m. on 21 November 2024.
2.
Background
2.1. Background to Placing
Ironveld (IRON.LN) is the owner of a
High Purity Iron ("HPI"), Vanadium and Titanium project located on
the Northern Limb of the Bushveld Complex in Limpopo Province,
South Africa (the "Project"). This Project includes long-term
mining rights over approximately 28 kilometres of outcropping
Bushveld polymetallic deposit with a JORC compliant ore resource of
some 56 million tons of ore grading 1.12% V2O5, 68.6% Fe2O3 and
14.7% TiO2.
In 2022 Ironveld agreed to acquire a
smelter complex in Rustenburg, South Africa consisting of four
2.5MW furnaces and associated convertors and a granulator, to
process its magnetite ore into marketable products such as
high-purity iron, titanium slag, and vanadium slag. The plan was to
operate three furnaces at a combined capacity of 7.5MW,
while keeping one in reserve. Since then, the Company has
successfully refurbished one furnace, and commissioned the
convertors and the granulator. Whilst initial production started,
operational challenges and necessary modifications have delayed the
ramp-up of production, which was originally expected in late FY23,
and further work is required to bring these components into full
production.
A detailed review of strategy, costs
and objectives for the Project was conducted by John Wardle,
following his move to the role of Executive Chairman of Ironveld in
October 2023. This review identified key changes that were
necessary, and a decision was taken to place the smelter on care
and maintenance to minimise costs and conserve cash until
sufficient funding was available.
The Company has been in prolonged
discussions with a South African-based financial institution
regarding financing of mining and smelting activities at the
Project, which would have enabled Ironveld to invest in Group
operations, including the transition to production of high purity
iron powders. In June 2024 the Company received a communication
which indicated that the finance package potentially available may
be substantially reduced from that originally envisaged and that
the formal offer of funding required further due diligence and
would be delayed due to the South African election process and the
resulting potential impact on policy decisions. Discussions
on this funding are ongoing, with the latest guidance being that in
order to secure a £10 million debt funding package, the Company
must produce both coarse and atomised HPI powders from its smelter
to demonstrate product quality.
As a result of the delay to the
institutional funding process, the Company has recently been funded
by certain shareholders and Directors, with its largest shareholder
Tracarta, an entity in which John Wardle has a 100% beneficial
interest, providing significant support. Despite being capital
constrained, the Company has made progress over the last year,
having identified the changes required to deliver strategic
enhancements at the Project, implemented key changes at Board and
management levels, and the dialogue with the South African
institution on funding for the Project is ongoing.
The Company is now pleased to have
agreed the terms of a conditional placing and subscription with new
and existing investors to raise gross proceeds of £2.5 million. The
proceeds of this capital raise are expected to enable the Company
to progress towards unlocking the value from Ironveld's assets,
which the Board believes is not currently reflected in the
Company's market capitalisation.
Completion of the Placing and the
Subscription, which is subject to obtaining the consent of
Ironveld's Shareholders, will enable the Company to capitalize on
its JORC-compliant polymetallic deposit within the Bushveld Igneous
Complex and commence positive cash flow at the Project from April
2025. Spanning a 28 km strike surface, the Directors believe that
this deposit has the potential to supply 15% of the global vanadium
demand, 3% of the titanium demand, and 10% of the high-purity iron
(HPI) powders demand annually over the next 30 years.
The Company's established offtake
agreements and marketing strategy set the foundation for
sustainable growth across three key revenue streams:
·
High-Purity Iron (HPI) Powder: Exceeding 99.5% Fe,
catering to specialized industrial needs.
·
Vanadium Slag: Serving stable markets through
partnerships that ensure revenue stability and growth.
·
Titanium Slag: With existing agreements and a
strong potential for direct sales, offering diverse market
opportunities.
The Company's short-term goals are
to produce samples of coarse and water-atomized HPI products during
Q1 2025 and construct a small demonstration unit, which will enable
the Company to validate product quality. Production trials have
successfully demonstrated operational capability and market
readiness together with securing offtake agreements with customers
for these HPI products is expected to facilitate access to further
funding to expand operations. A portion of the net proceeds from
the Placing and the Subscription will be used to complete the
operational facilities at the mine and the DMS plant, where the
crushing plant has already been installed.
The Directors expect the Company's
strategic positioning, coupled with robust operational plans and
market demand projections, will enable Ironveld to generate
significant profits and sustainable growth in the years to come
based on coarse iron powder, vanadium slag and titanium slag
production. In addition, the Directors believe there to be
significant future growth potential at the Project, with
exploration targets including phosphates, iron, vanadium and
titanium, potential to double DMS magnetite production, transition
to higher value products in 2025 and plans are being made to expand
the smelter facilities.
2.2. Use of
Proceeds
The Directors intend to use the net
proceeds of the Placing and the Subscription, along with the
Company's existing cash resources, as follows:
·
Smelter
works
£1.108 million
·
To expand operations at the
mine
£0.205 million
·
Partial creditor
repayment
£0.693 million
·
Working capital and contingency
£0.246 million
2.3. Working
capital
At 18 October 2024, the Company had
a cash balance of £17,892 and total creditors of £3,685,410 with
£2,972,711 payable to South African entities (including the
outstanding loan owed to Warmbad) and £757,698 due to creditors in
the United Kingdom, including outstanding fees and/ or salaries
owed to directors and the outstanding Loan Facilities. The
Company has entered into agreements with certain of these creditors
to settle a total of £693,000 from the net proceeds of the Placing
and the Subscription.
The Company has also entered into
agreements with certain of its creditors to settle a further amount
of £231,900 through the issue of 644,167,519 New Ordinary Shares at
the Placing Price, being the Creditor Shares.
Following the above cash and
share-based settlements with certain creditors, the Company will
have total creditors of £2,515,888. The Company intends to reduce
this creditor position from cash flows generated from production,
whilst ensuring the Group's operational objectives can be
met.
In the event that the Company is
unable to complete the Placing and the Subscription or find an
alternative means by which to raise capital, the Company may be
unable to realise its assets and discharge its liabilities in the
normal course of business and in these circumstances, there would
be a significant material uncertainty over the Company's ability to
continue as a going concern.
The Directors are of the view that
there is potential for future growth at the Project, with
exploration targets including phosphates, iron, vanadium, and
titanium. In addition smelter production will focus on
higher-value products in 2025 and there is the potential of
increasing DMS magnetite production.
3.
Details of the
Placing, the Subscription and other shares to be
issued
3.1. Placing and Subscription
Placing
In total, 6,125,000,000 New Ordinary Shares are
proposed to be allotted and issued pursuant to the Placing, at a
price of 0.036 pence per New Ordinary Share to raise gross proceeds of £2.205 million.
Turner Pope has been appointed to
act as agent for the Company in connection with the Placing
pursuant to the Placing Agreement. The Placing is
conditional, inter alia,
on the passing of the Resolutions to provide the relevant
authorities to the Directors to issue and allot further New
Ordinary Shares on a non-pre-emptive basis and Admission. Turner
Pope has the right to terminate the Placing Agreement in certain
circumstances, including a material breach of the warranties being
provided by the Company pursuant to the Placing Agreement, a
material adverse change affecting the current or prospective
financial conditions or business affairs of the Group or a material
breach of the Company's obligations under the Placing
Agreement.
Conditional on the passing of the
Resolutions, application will be made for the Placing Shares to be
admitted to trading on AIM and it is expected that their admission
to AIM will take place on or around 21 November
2024.
The Placing Shares will, when
issued, be credited as fully paid and will rank pari
passu in all respects with the New Ordinary Shares of the
Company, including the right to receive all dividends or other
distributions made, paid, or declared in respect of such shares
after the date of issue of the relevant Placing Shares.
Subscription
819,444,444 New Ordinary Shares are
proposed to be allotted and issued pursuant to the Subscription, at
a price of 0.036 pence per New Ordinary Share to raise gross
proceeds of £0.295 million, with Tracarta subscribing for
708,333,333 New Ordinary Shares and Warmbad subscribing for
111,111,111 New Ordinary Shares each pursuant to subscription
letters between each of Tracarta and Warmbad and the
Company.
Warrants
The Company is proposing to issue
subscribers to the Placing and the Subscription, together with
those receiving the remaining Transaction Shares, with an aggregate
of 9,807,092,461 Investor Warrants to subscribe for New Ordinary
Shares on the basis of one (1) warrant for every one (1)
Transaction Share. The Investor Warrants are exercisable at 0.072
pence for a period of three years from the date of their grant,
being Admission, and are non-transferrable.
In addition, the Company is
proposing to issue 694,444,444 Broker Warrants to subscribe for
694,444,444 New Ordinary Shares, representing 10% of the gross
placing proceeds, with 596,666,667 Broker Warrants to subscribe for
596,666,667 New Ordinary Shares being issued to TPI and 97,777,777
Broker Warrants to subscribe for 97,777,777 New Ordinary Shares
being issued to Hobart. The Broker Warrants are exercisable at the
Placing Price for a period of five years from the date of their
grant, being Admission.
The grant of the Investor Warrants
and the Broker Warrants is conditional on the passing of the
Resolutions to provide the relevant authorities to the Directors to
issue and allot further New Ordinary Shares on a non-pre-emptive
basis. None of the Investor Warrants or the Broker Warrants will be
admitted to trading on AIM or any other stock exchange.
Placing
Agreement
Under the terms of the Placing
Agreement between the Company and Turner Pope, Turner Pope has
agreed to use its reasonable endeavours to procure subscribers for
the Placing Shares at the Placing Price and will receive from the
Company, conditional upon Admission, a corporate finance fee and
commission relating to the placing of the Placing
Shares.
The Company will give customary
warranties and undertakings to Turner Pope in relation, inter
alia, to its business and the performance of its
duties. In addition, the Company has agreed to indemnify
Turner Pope in relation to certain liabilities that it may incur in
undertaking the Placing.
Turner Pope also has the right to
terminate the Placing Agreement in certain circumstances prior to
Admission, in particular, in the event that there has
been, inter alia, a material breach of any of the warranties.
No part of the Placing is being underwritten.
3.2.
Settlement of Loan Facilities and certain creditors
Tracarta Working Capital
Loans and Warmbad Loan
On 18 September 2023, the Company
announced that it had entered into working capital loan agreements
with Peter Cox, Giles Clarke, Nicholas Harrison and Tracarta
providing for the provision of working capital loans up to maximum
of £500,000, of which £250,000 was to be made available by
Tracarta. The loans had a term of six months and carried interest
at 11% per annum on funds drawn, along with an arrangement fee of
2.5% of the loans' value.
Peter Cox's working capital loan up
to a maximum amount of R3,500,000, being circa £151,712, was
provided to Ironveld Holdings (Pty) Ltd via Warmbad. This loan had
a term of 24 months and was interest free during its term.
The outstanding balance of the loan owed to Warmbad is
£144,067.
Whilst the loan agreements with
Giles Clarke and Nicholas Harrison were undrawn, on 2 February 2024
the Company announced that it had agreed to extend the term of the
working capital loan totalling £250,000 with Tracarta by 12 months,
and in addition had entered into a new £125,000 working capital
loan agreement with Tracarta, the latter loan having a term of 6
months, interest at 11% per annum and an arrangement fee of 2.5% of
the loan's value.
On 24 April 2024, the Company
announced that it had entered into a further working capital loan
agreement with Tracarta enabling the Company to draw down up to a
further £125,000 on equivalent terms to the existing loans with
Tracarta.
As at 15 October 2024, the principle
amount of the loans, including the arrangement fees, owed by the
Company to Tracarta is £500,000 all of which, together with
interest in the sum of £55,321, is outstanding.
Tracarta has agreed to capitalise
the working capital loans made to Company, with an outstanding
balance, including interest, of £555,000 into 1,541,666,666 New
Ordinary Shares, with the balance of interest continuing to accrue
until capitalised and then repayable in cash, and Warmbad has
agreed to capitalise its loan made to Ironveld Holdings (Pty) Ltd
for the purpose of assisting with operating expenses and creditor
payments in the latter part of 2023 and during
2024, with an
outstanding balance of £144,067 into 400,186,111 New Ordinary
Shares.
Other
creditors
Additionally, the Company has
outstanding creditors in the sum of £3,685,410, of which certain
creditors, including Westleigh and Kristoffer Andersson in the
amount of £151,972, have agreed to the settlement of the
outstanding balance £46,337 in cash from the net proceeds of the
Placing and the Subscription and the settlement of the outstanding
balance £231,900 by the issue to them of New Ordinary
Shares.
In settlement of the outstanding
balance of £231,900 owed to certain creditors, including Westleigh,
the Company has agreed to issue 644,167,519 New Ordinary Shares at
the Placing Price to those creditors.
Each recipient of Loan Settlement Shares, Directors' Settlement
Shares or Creditor Shares has signed a
lock-in agreement with Turner Pope and the
Company pursuant to which they agree not to, and to use reasonable
endeavours to ensure that their related parties will not (subject
to certain exceptions): (i) dispose of any of their interests in
their Loan Settlement Shares, Directors' Settlement Shares or
Creditor Shares for a period of three months from Admission; and
(ii) subject to certain conditions, following the expiry of the
lock-in period the Loan Settlement Shares, Directors' Settlement
Shares or Creditor Shares must be sold through Turner
Pope.
3.3.
Salary Shares and Related Party Opinion
Each of Giles Clarke, Nicholas
Harrison and John Wardle being directors of
the Company, has deferred a portion of
their salary in order to preserve cash within the business. The
aggregate gross amount owed to Giles Clarke, Nicholas Harrison and
John Wardle in respect of contractual fees is £144,583, of which
£44,997 of tax and employees' national insurance together with
£19,639 of employer's national insurance is to be paid in cash from
the net Placing and Subscription proceeds. Giles Clarke, Nicholas
Harrison and John Wardle have agreed to convert the balance of
their outstanding contractual fees, in the sum of £99,586 into
276,627,721 New Ordinary Shares at the Placing Price.
John Wardle via Tracarta and Peter
Cox via Warmbad are also owed a further
£699,067 in respect
of the Loan Facilities referred to above, and have agreed to
convert such accrued sums into New Ordinary Shares at the Placing
Price.
As referred to above, each of Kris
Andersson and Giles Clarke and Nicholas Harrison via Westleigh as
creditors of the Company are owed a further £151,972 and have
agreed to convert £82,424 of the amount owed into New Ordinary
Shares at the Placing Price.
Each of Giles Clarke, John Wardle,
Kris Andersson, Nicholas Harrison and Peter Cox is a related party
of the Company for the purposes of the AIM Rules by virtue of their
status as directors of the Company.
Following the Capitalisation and
completion of the Placing and the Subscription, the above
Directors' interests in the issued share capital of the Company
will be as follows (assuming no warrants,
options or other rights to subscribe for shares in the capital of
the Company are exercised prior to Completion):
Director's name
|
No.
of Existing Ordinary Shares (as at the date of this
Document)
|
%
of Share Capital (as at the date of this
document)
|
Number of Transaction Shares
|
No.
of New Ordinary Shares (on Admission)
|
%
of Enlarged Share Capital (on Admission)1
|
G Clarke 2
|
67,221,168
|
1.7%
|
297,763,888
|
364,985,056
|
2.66
|
J Wardle 3
|
569,428,567
|
14.5%
|
2,341,416,610
|
2,910,845,177
|
21.18
|
K Andersson
|
0
|
0.0%
|
21,367,521
|
21,367,521
|
0.16
|
N Harrison 2
|
48,562,761
|
1.2%
|
301,613,888
|
350,176,649
|
2.55
|
PJ Cox 4
|
38,785,490
|
1.0%
|
511,297,222
|
550,082,712
|
4.00
|
1Assuming the issue of
all of the New Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Placing and the
Subscription
2G Clarke and N
Harrison's interests in 217,145,803 shares
above are through their shareholding in Westleigh.
3J Wardle's interest in
some shares above is through his beneficial interest in
Tracarta.
4PJ Cox's interest in all
shares above is through his beneficial interest in
Warmbad
John Wardle has a beneficial
interest in Tracarta, Peter Cox has a beneficial interest in
Warmbad and each of Giles Clarke and Nicholas Harrison have
beneficial interests in Westleigh and as such, the issue of the
Loan Settlement Shares (and the relevant number of the Creditor
Shares to Westleigh) constitutes a related party transaction
pursuant to Rule 13 of the AIM Rules for Companies.
Each of Giles Clarke, Nicholas
Harrison and John Wardle is a related party
of the Company for the purposes of the AIM Rules by virtue of their
status as Directors of the Company for the purpose of the issue of
the Directors' Settlement Shares.
Malebo Ratlhagane, being the
independent director for this purpose, considers, having consulted
with the Company's nominated adviser, Cavendish, that the terms of
the Capitalisation and the issue of Transaction Shares and Investor
Warrants to the relevant directors or their associates companies is
fair and reasonable insofar as the Company's shareholders are
concerned.
4.
Capital Reorganisation
4.1. General
The nominal value of the Existing
Ordinary Shares is currently 0.1 pence per share. As a matter of
English law, the Company is unable to issue shares at an issue
price which is below their nominal value and therefore cannot issue
Existing Ordinary Shares at the Placing Price. It is therefore
proposed to sub-divide each Existing Ordinary Share into one
ordinary share of 0.01 pence nominal value each and nine deferred
shares of 0.01 pence nominal value each, thus enabling the Company
to lawfully implement the Placing and the Subscription at the
Placing Price and effect the Capitalisation.
Each New Ordinary Share resulting
from the Capital Reorganisation will have the same rights
(including voting and dividend rights and rights on a return of
capital) as each Existing Ordinary Share except that they will have
a nominal value of 0.01 pence each.
The New Deferred Shares resulting
from the Capital Reorganisation will have the same rights as the
Company's Existing Deferred Shares which, as their name suggests,
are very limited, being deferred to the Ordinary Shares, and
effectively carrying no value as a result. Accordingly, the holders
of the New Deferred Shares will be entitled to receive notice of
and to attend but not vote at general meetings of the Company, they
are not entitled to receive any dividends nor are they entitled to
any payment on a return of capital until at least £1,000,000 has
been paid on each New Ordinary Share. No application will be made
for the New Deferred Shares to be admitted to trading on
AIM.
The Company also has the power to
arrange for all the Deferred Shares to be transferred to a
custodian or to be purchased for 1 pence only without the prior
sanction of the holders of the Deferred Shares. No share
certificates for the New Deferred Shares will be issued.
No new certificates for the Existing
Ordinary Shares will be dispatched if the Capital Reorganisation
becomes effective.
A request will be made to the London
Stock Exchange to reflect on AIM the sub-division of the Existing
Ordinary Shares into New Ordinary Shares of 0.01 pence each. Each
Existing Ordinary Share standing to the credit of a CREST account
will be subdivided into one New Ordinary Share of 0.01 pence each
and nine New Deferred Shares of 0.01 pence each at 6.00 p.m. on 20
November 2024.
Following the Capital
Reorganisation, the ISIN code for the New Ordinary Shares will
remain unchanged.
4.2.
Taxation
Any person who is in any doubt as to
his tax position or who is subject to tax in a jurisdiction other
than the United Kingdom is strongly recommended to consult his
professional tax adviser immediately.
5.
Shareholder Approval
For the Capital Reorganisation, the
Placing and the Subscription
to proceed, together with the issue and allotment
of the Creditor Shares, the Loan Settlement Shares and the
Directors' Settlement Shares and grant of the Investor Warrants and
the Broker Warrants, Shareholder approval is required.
Shareholder approve is therefore being sought (i) to effect the
Capital Reorganisation; (ii) to give the Directors authority to
issue and allot the Placing Shares, the
Subscription Shares, the Creditor Shares,
the Loan Settlement Shares and the Directors' Settlement Shares;
(iii) to give the Directors authority to grant the Investor
Warrants and the Broker Warrants and to issue and allot New
Ordinary Shares pursuant to such warrants; (iv) to dis-apply
statutory pre-emption rights in respect of such allotments and
grants; and (v) in accordance with standard AIM practice, to
provide the Directors with a 20 per cent. general allotment
authority on a non-pre-emptive basis.
Note that the Directors have no
current intention to issue or allot New Ordinary Shares in addition
to the allotments set out in this document.
In order to obtain the necessary
Shareholder approval, a General Meeting of the Company is to be
held at which the Resolutions will be proposed. Further information
regarding the General Meeting is set out in paragraph 7
below.
The
Directors believe that the Placing and the
Subscription is the most appropriate way
to provide the capital necessary to meet the Company's future
requirements. The Directors urge Shareholders to vote in favour of
the Resolutions set out in the Notice.
6.
General
Meeting
A notice convening the General
Meeting to be held at the offices of Cavendish, One Bartholomew Close, London EC1A 7BL
at 10.00 a.m. on 20 November 2024 is set out at
the end of this document.
7.
Action to be
taken by Shareholders
Whether or not you intend to
be present at the meeting you are requested to complete a
proxy vote either online at https://investorcentre.linkgroup.co.uk/Login/Login,
by CREST as set out in the notes below, or in hard copy by
requesting a proxy form from Link Group on the contact details set
out in the notes of the Notice. Hard copy proxy forms and any proxy
votes should be completed, signed and returned to the Registrars,
Link Group PXS 1, Central Square, 29 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1
4DL as soon as possible but in any event so as to arrive not later
than 10.00 a.m. on 18 November 2024. The completion and return of a
proxy vote will not preclude you from attending the General Meeting
and voting in person should you subsequently wish to do
so.
8.
Recommendation
The Directors consider that the
Placing and the Subscription will promote the success of the
Company for the benefit of its members as a whole. Accordingly, the
Directors unanimously recommend and strongly urge Shareholders to
vote in favour of the Resolutions to be proposed at the General
Meeting as they intend to do in respect of their own beneficial
holdings representing approximately 18.4 per cent. of the Existing
Ordinary Shares in issue as at the last practicable date before
publication of this document.
Yours faithfully,
Dr John Wardle
Chairman
EXPECTED TIMETABLE OF PRINCIPAL
EVENTS
|
2024
|
Announcement of the Placing and the
Subscription
|
30
October
|
Date of publication and posting of
this document
|
30
October
|
Last date and time for receipt of
Forms of Proxy
|
10.00 a.m.
18 November
|
General Meeting
|
10.00 a.m.
20 November
|
Announcement of the results of the
General Meeting
|
20
November
|
Capital Reorganisation
effective
|
6.00 p.m.
20 November
|
Admission and commencement of
dealings in Transaction shares (and New Ordinary Shares (post
Capital Reorganisation)) on AIM
|
8.00 a.m.
21 November
|
CREST accounts credited with
Transaction Shares in uncertificated form
|
21
November
|
Definitive share certificates in
respect of Transaction Shares in certificated form
despatched
|
within 10
days of Admission
|
|
|
Certificates in respect of the
Investor Warrants despatched
|
within 10
days of Admission
|
|
| |
KEY STATISTICS
Existing Ordinary Shares in issue as
at the date of the Document
|
3,934,996,886
|
1pence Deferred Shares in issue as
at the date of the Document
|
322,447,158
|
0.1pence Deferred Shares in issue as
at the date of the Document
|
5,894,917,569
|
New Ordinary Shares following the
Capital Reorganisation
|
3,934,996,886
|
0.01pence Deferred Shares in issue
following the Capital Reorganisation
|
35,414,971,974
|
New Ordinary Shares to be issued as
part of the Placing
|
6,125,000,000
|
New Ordinary Shares to be issued as
part of the Subscription
|
819,444,444
|
New Ordinary Shares to be issued in
settlement of the Loan Settlement Shares
|
1,941,852,777
|
New Ordinary Shares to be issued in
settlement of the Creditors Shares
|
644,167,519
|
New Ordinary Shares to be issued in
settlement of the Directors' Settlement Shares
|
276,627,721
|
Enlarged Share Capital following the
issue of the Transaction Shares and the Capital
Reorganisation
|
13,742,089,347
|
Placing Price
|
0.036 pence
|
Gross proceeds of the Placing and
the Subscription
|
£2.5
million
|
Notes: the figures assume that no
options / warrants are exercised prior to Admission.
DEFINITIONS
The following definitions apply
throughout this document unless the context
otherwise requires:
"Admission"
|
the admission of the Transaction
Shares to trading on AIM having become effective in accordance with
the AIM Rules;
|
"AIM"
|
the AIM Market, a market operated by
the London Stock Exchange;
|
"AIM Rules"
|
together, the rules published by the
London Stock Exchange governing the admission to, and the operation
of, AIM, consisting of the AIM Rules for Companies (including the
guidance notes thereto) and the AIM Rules for Nominated Advisers,
published by the London Stock Exchange from
time-to-time;
|
"Broker Warrants"
|
the 694,444,444 warrants to subscribe for 694,444,444 New Ordinary
Shares pursuant to the Broker Warrant
Instrument;
|
"Broker Warrant Instrument"
|
the warrant instrument
creating 694,444,444 warrants to subscribe
for 694,444,444 New Ordinary Shares at the Placing Price within
five years from the date of grant of a warrant;
|
"Capital Reorganisation"
|
the proposed subdivision of each
Existing Ordinary Share with a nominal value of 0.1 pence into one
New Ordinary Share with a nominal value of 0.01 pence and nine
deferred shares each with a nominal value of 0.01 pence, further
details of which are set out in paragraph 4 of the Letter from the Chairman in
this document;
|
"Capitalisation"
|
the capitalisation by the Company of
monies owed by it to Tracarta and Warmbad pursuant to the Loan
Facilities, certain of its creditors including Westleigh and
Kristoffer Andersson and certain Directors in respect of salaries
and fees into an aggregate of 2,862,648,017 New Ordinary Shares as
described in paragraph 3.2
of this document;
|
"Cavendish"
|
Cavendish Capital Markets Limited,
nominated adviser to the Company;
|
"City Code"
|
City Code on Takeover and
Mergers;
|
"Company" or "Ironveld"
|
Ironveld Plc, incorporated and
registered in England & Wales under the Companies Act 1985,
registered number 04095614 and having its
registered office at Unit D, De Clare House, Sir Alfred Owen Way,
Pontygwindy Industrial Estate, Caerphilly, Wales CF83
3HU;
|
"Creditor Shares"
|
the 644,167,519 New Ordinary Shares
to be issued and allotted by the Company at the Placing Price by
way of partial settlement of debts owed to certain of the Company's
creditors, including Westleigh and Kristoffer Andersson, as part of
the Capitalisation;
|
"CREST"
|
the relevant system for paperless
settlement of share transfers and the holding of shares in
uncertificated form, which is administered by Euroclear UK &
International Limited;
|
"CREST Regulations"
|
the Uncertificated Securities
Regulations 2001 (S.I. 2001/3755), as amended from time to
time;
|
"Deferred Shares"
|
as the context requires, 1p Deferred
Shares or 0.1p Deferred Shares issued prior to the Capital
Reorganisation becoming effective and the New Deferred Shares
issued upon the Capital Reorganisation becoming effective at the
Effective Time;
|
"1p
Deferred Shares"
|
deferred shares of 1 pence each in
issue in the capital of the Company;
|
"0.1p Deferred Shares"
|
deferred shares of 0.1 pence each in
issue in the capital of the Company;
|
"Directors" or "Board"
|
the board of directors of the
Company, as at the date of this document, whose names are set out
on page 10 of this
document;
|
"Directors' Settlement Shares"
|
the 276,627,721 New Ordinary Shares
to be issued and allotted by the Company at the Placing Price by
way of full and final settlement of outstanding fees and/ or
salaries owed to directors as part of the
Capitalisation;
|
"Effective Time"
|
6.00 p.m. on 20 November 2024 (or,
if the General Meeting is adjourned, 6.00 p.m. on the date of the
adjourned General Meeting);
|
"Excluded Territory"
|
each and any of Australia, Canada,
Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of South Africa or the United
States
|
"Existing Deferred Shares"
|
1p Deferred Shares and 0.1p Deferred
Shares in issue prior to the Capital Reorganisation;
|
"Existing Ordinary Shares"
|
ordinary shares of 0.1 pence each in
issue in the capital of the Company;
|
"General Meeting" or
"GM"
|
the general meeting of the
Shareholders of the Company to be held at the office of
Cavendish, One Bartholomew Close, London,
EC1A 7BL at 10.00 a.m. on 20 November
2024;
|
"Group"
|
the Company together with its
subsidiaries, both directly and indirectly owned;
|
"Investor Warrants"
|
the 9,807,092,461 warrants to
subscribe for 9,807,092,461 New Ordinary Shares pursuant to the
Investor Warrant Instrument;
|
"Investor Warrant Instrument"
|
the warrant instrument
creating 9,807,092,461 warrants to
subscribe for 9,807,092,461 New Ordinary Shares at a price of 0.072
pence per share within three years from the date of grant of a
warrant;
|
"Loan Facilities"
|
the loan facilities of an aggregate
amount of £555,321 including interest and fees as at 15 October
2024 provided to the Company by Tracarta and of £144,067 provided
to the Company by Warmbad;
|
"Loan Settlement Shares"
|
the 1,941,852,777 New Ordinary
Shares to be issued and allotted by the Company to Tracarta and
Warmbad (as applicable) at the Placing Price by way of full and
final settlement of outstanding amounts owed under the Loan
Facilities as part of the Capitalisation;
|
"London Stock Exchange"
|
London Stock Exchange
plc;
|
"New Deferred Shares"
|
deferred shares of 0.01 pence each
in the capital of the Company resulting from the Capital
Reorganisation;
|
"New Ordinary Shares"
|
ordinary shares of 0.01 pence each
in issue in the capital of the Company upon
the Capital Reorganisation becoming effective at the Effective
Time;
|
"Notice"
|
the notice of the General Meeting,
which is set out at the end of this document;
|
"Ordinary Shares"
|
as the context requires, ordinary
shares in the capital of the Company having a nominal value of 0.1
pence each prior to the Capital Reorganisation becoming effective
and having a nominal value of 0.01 pence upon the Capital
Reorganisation becoming effective at the Effective Time;
|
"Placing"
|
the conditional placing of the
Placing Shares by Turner Pope
with new and existing investors at the Placing
Price;
|
"Placing Agreement"
|
the conditional placing agreement
dated 30 October 2024 and made
between Turner Pope and the Company
in relation to the Placing, further details of
which are set out in this document;
|
"Placing Price"
|
0.036 pence per Placing
Share;
|
"Placing Shares"
|
the 6,125,000,000 New Ordinary
Shares to be issued pursuant to the Placing;
|
"Prospectus Regulation Rules"
|
the prospectus regulation rules of
the Financial Conduct Authority made pursuant to the Financial
Services and Markets Act 2000 (Prospectus) Regulations 2019 (as
amended);
|
"Registrars"
|
Link Group;
|
"Resolutions"
|
the resolutions to provide the
Directors with the relevant authorities to, inter alia, implement
the Capital Reorganisation and issue and allot the Transaction
Shares, which are set out in the Notice;
|
"Shareholder(s)"
|
holder(s) of the Ordinary
Shares;
|
"Subscription"
|
the conditional subscription for the
Subscription Shares pursuant to the terms of subscription
letters;
|
"Subscription Shares"
|
the 819,444,444 New Ordinary Shares
to be issued pursuant to the Subscription;
|
"this document"
|
this document, including the Notice
at the end of this document;
|
"Tracarta"
|
Tracarta Limited, a company in which
John Wardle has a beneficial interest;
|
"Transaction Shares"
|
together the Placing Shares,
Subscription Shares, Loan Settlement Shares, Creditor Shares
and Directors' Settlement
Shares;
|
"Turner Pope"
|
Turner Pope Investments (TPI) Ltd,
the Company's broker for the purposes of the Placing;
|
"United Kingdom" or
"UK"
|
the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland;
|
"Warmbad"
|
Warmbad Investment Holdings (Pty)
Ltd, a Namibian company, in respect of which Dr Peter Cox is a
director and has a beneficial interest;
|
"Westleigh"
|
Westleigh Investments Holdings
Limited, a company in respect of which each of Giles Clarke and
Nicholas Harrison is a director and has a beneficial interest;
and
|
"in uncertificated
form"
|
recorded on the register of Ordinary
Shares as being held in uncertificated form in CREST, entitlement
to which by virtue of the CREST Regulations, may be transferred by
means of CREST.
|