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
26 November 2024
i-nexus Global
plc
("i-nexus", the "Company" or the "Group")
Proposed Voluntary
Cancellation of Admission to Trading on AIM
Re-Registration as a Private
Limited Company & Adoption of New Articles of
Association
Publication of Circular and
Notice of General Meeting
i-nexus Global plc (AIM: INX), a
leading provider of cloud-based Strategy software solutions
designed for the Global 5000, announces the proposed
cancellation of its ordinary shares of £0.10 each in the Company
("Ordinary Shares") to
trading on AIM ("Cancellation"), the proposed
re-registration as a private company ("Re-Registration"), the proposed
adoption of new articles of association (the "New Articles") and the conditional
removal from the Convertible Loan Notes of the covenant given by
the Company that it shall ensure its securities are admitted to
trading on AIM (the "Convertible
Loan Notes Amendment" and, together with the Cancellation
and Re-Registration and the New Articles, the "Proposals").
Following a prolonged period of weak
share price performance and low liquidity in the Company's Ordinary
Shares, coupled with the strategic focus on achieving profitability
and enhancing stability, the Board has conducted an extensive
review of the benefits and drawbacks to the Company retaining the
admission of its Ordinary Shares to trading on AIM.
The Board believes that the
Cancellation is in the best interests of the Company and its
shareholders as a whole. Further
details of the background to and reasons for the Proposals and
other matters are set out in Appendix I to this announcement (the
"Announcement"), which contains extracts from the circular to
shareholders (the "Circular" or the "Document"). References to
'this Document' refer to the Circular.
The Company has secured support for
the Cancellation from shareholders representing 59.8 per cent. of
the existing Ordinary Shares, including irrevocable undertakings
from shareholders holding 36.4 per cent. of the existing Ordinary
Shares.
Richard Cunningham, Chairman of i-nexus,
commented: "Following a prolonged period
of weak share price performance and low liquidity in the Company's
Shares, coupled with the strategic focus on achieving profitability
and enhancing stability, the Board has conducted an extensive
review of the Company's AIM listing and believes
that it is in
the best interests of the Company and our shareholders to delist
and re-register as a private limited company.
With limited sales and marketing budget, the Company has
secured 24 new logos over the past three years, a large percentage
of those customers are growing their usage of the i-nexus software
and have the potential for further expansion. The Directors are
confident that the strength of the existing product suite, customer
base, partner network and this growing market backdrop provides a
solid basis on which to build. In order to accelerate
customer acquisition and adoption, the Directors have agreed a
three-year plan, with the ambition to deliver solutions that equip
thousands of organisations to seamlessly create, plan and execute
their strategies.
The Directors believe the Cancellation will enable greater
focus on these strategic initiatives and increased financial
stability, providing the platform to deliver on the growth
strategy."
The Circular will be published on
the Company's website www.i-nexus.com/company/investor-center
and will be sent to shareholders today, setting
out the background to and reasons for the Proposals. Extracts from
the Circular are included in Appendix I of this Announcement and
shareholders are recommended to read this Document as a whole. The
Company is seeking shareholder approval for the Cancellation,
Re-Registration and adoption Aof the New Articles at a general
meeting of the Company, to be convened at 11.30 a.m. on 13 December
2024 to be held at Radcliffe Conference Centre, University Of
Warwick, Scarman Road, Lakeside Village, Coventry, CV4 7SH (the
"General
Meeting").
The Cancellation resolution is
conditional, pursuant to Rule 41 of the AIM Rules for Companies,
upon the approval of shareholders holding not less than 75 per
cent. of the votes cast by shareholders (whether present in person
or by proxy) at the General Meeting, notice of which is set out in
the Circular. The resolution to approve the Re-Registration and the
adoption of the New Articles also requires the approval of not less
than 75 per cent. of the votes cast by shareholders at the General
Meeting.
If the Cancellation resolution is
passed at the General Meeting, it is anticipated that Cancellation
will become effective at 8.00 a.m. on 27 December 2024.
To facilitate future shareholder
transactions in the Ordinary Shares, conditional upon the
Cancellation resolution being passed, Asset Match Limited has been
appointed to provide a Secondary Market Trading facility, which is
expected to be available from 30 December 2024. Asset Match, a
firm Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
(FRN 579310), will operate an electronic off-market dealing
facility in the Ordinary Shares. This facility will allow existing
shareholders of the Company and new investors to trade the Ordinary
Shares by matching buyers and sellers through periodic
auctions.
A copy of the Circular and the New
Articles to be adopted will be made available later today on the
Company's website at www.i-nexus.com.
Current Trading, Strategy & Prospects
The business continued to execute
against its strategic objectives across FY24, winning new
customers, expanding within existing accounts and developing the
capabilities of its product offerings.
The strong growth in Monthly
Recurring Revenues ("MRR")
in the second half of the year, alongside the progress achieved in
prior years, has provided protection to recurring revenue levels
following the headwinds experienced during H1 due to churn within
accounts controlled via a reseller of i-nexus software.
Importantly, the healthy levels of
renewals within the direct customer base point to the continued
value the Company's customers derive from its software whilst the
cost saving initiatives implemented at the start of the period to
protect the business from the loss of a legacy customer means
trading losses have reduced significantly against prior period
levels.
i-nexus continues to develop its
core Workbench offering, targeting enhanced functionality to enable
customers to extract additional value from the software. Alongside
this has been the continued exploration of an additional adjacent
offering, building on the Company's deep understanding of the
strategy evolution and execution, with an extended period of
valuable customer feedback being received via an initial proof of
concept through the course of FY24.
Further information with regards to current trading, strategy
and prospects can be found in Appendix I below and included in the
Circular.
Expected Timetable of Principal Events
|
2024*
|
Announcement of the proposed
Cancellation pursuant to AIM Rule 41 and Re-Registration
|
7.00 a.m.
on 26 November
|
Notice provided to the London Stock
Exchange to notify it of the proposed Cancellation
|
26
November
|
Publication and posting of the
Circular to shareholders
|
26
November
|
Latest time and date for receipt of
Forms of Proxy for the General Meeting
|
11.30 a.m.
on 11 December
|
Timing and date of General
Meeting
|
11.30 a.m.
on 13 December
|
Anticipated date to announce results
of the General Meeting
|
13
December
|
Expected last day for trading of the
Ordinary Shares on AIM
|
24
December
|
Secondary Market Trading Facility
for Ordinary Shares commence
|
30
December
|
Expected date of Re-Registration as
a private limited company
|
13 January
2025
|
* All times
are references to London times. Each of the above times and dates
is based on the Company's expectations as at the date of this
Announcement. If any of the above times and/or dates change, the
revised times and/or dates will be notified to Shareholders by an
announcement through a Regulatory Information Service. The
timetable assumes that there is no adjournment of the General
Meeting. If there is an adjournment of the General Meeting, all
subsequent dates are likely to be later than those
shown.
The
above summary should be read in conjunction with the full text of
this Announcement and the Circular, extracts from which are set out
in Appendix I below. Please refer to Appendix I to this
Announcement which sets out further details of the Proposals, as
extracted from the Circular.
Unless otherwise stated, capitalised terms in this
Announcement have the meanings ascribed to them in Appendix II to
this Announcement and in the Circular.
For
further information please contact:
i-nexus Global plc
Simon Crowther, CEO
Drew Whibley, CFO
|
Via: Alma
|
Singer Capital Markets (Nominated Adviser and
Broker)
Sandy Fraser / Alex Bond
(Investment Banking)
|
Tel: +44 (0)207 496
3000
|
Alma Strategic Communications
Caroline Forde / Robyn
Fisher
|
Tel: +44 (0)203 405
0205
|
About i-nexus Global plc
i-nexus Global plc
("i-nexus") helps companies accelerate business outcomes
through robust strategic planning, predictable project portfolio
delivery, and real-time performance tracking to ensure results are
achieved. I-nexus' strategy applications replace spreadsheets and
presentations with a single application that promotes
collaboration, alignment, and communication in the pursuit of
improved business outcomes, while providing resource and
accompanying cost efficiencies.
Today, we support organisations in
managing over 200,000 strategic programmes around the
world.
APPENDIX I
Proposals
for:
Cancellation of admission of
Shares to trading on AIM
Re-Registration as a private
limited company and adoption of New Articles
Amendments to the Convertible
Loan Notes
and
Notice of General
Meeting
1. Introduction
As announced by the Company today,
the Directors have concluded that it is in the best interests of
the Company and its Shareholders to cancel the admission to trading
of the Shares on AIM and re-register the Company as a private
limited company and adopt the New Articles.
This Document explains the
background to and reasons for the Proposals and includes the notice
of the General Meeting at which the relevant Resolutions will be
proposed.
Under the AIM Rules, the
Cancellation requires the expiration of a period of not less than
20 clear Business Days from the date on which notice of the
intended Cancellation is notified via a Regulatory Information
Service and is given to the London Stock Exchange. Pursuant to Rule
41 of the AIM Rules, the Directors have notified the London Stock
Exchange of the date of the proposed Cancellation. Subject to the
passing of Resolution 1, Cancellation will occur no earlier than
five clear Business Days after the General Meeting and it is
therefore expected that trading in the Shares on AIM will cease at
the close of business on 24 December 2024, with Cancellation
expected to take effect at 8.00 a.m. on 27 December
2024.
Each of the Cancellation, the
Re-Registration and adoption of the New Articles are conditional on
the Resolutions being passed at the General Meeting to be held at
Radcliffe Conference Centre, University Of Warwick, Scarman Road,
Lakeside Village, Coventry CV4 7SH. The notice of the General
Meeting at which the Resolutions will be proposed is set out at the
end of this Document.
2. Background to, and reasons for, the
Cancellation and Re-Registration
Following a prolonged period of weak
share price performance and low liquidity in the Company's Shares,
coupled with the strategic focus on achieving profitability and
enhancing stability, the Board has conducted an extensive review of
the benefits and drawbacks to the Company retaining the admission
of the Shares to trading on AIM. The Board believes that the
Cancellation is in the best interests of the Company and its
Shareholders as a whole. In reaching this conclusion, the Board has
considered the following key factors:
·
Cost of holding
an AIM listing: The considerable
cost associated with maintaining the admission of the Shares (such
as nominated adviser and broker fees, London Stock Exchange fees
and the costs associated with being a quoted company in having
perceived higher level of corporate governance and audit scope)
are, in the Board's opinion, disproportionately high, compared to
the benefits. The Board has identified circa £250,000 of direct
costs related to maintaining the admission that will be saved
within the first full year after Cancellation, providing an
extended cash runway to capitalise on the expanding market
opportunity.
·
Regulatory and
time burden related to AIM listing:
the Board further believes that the considerable amount of
management time and regulatory burden associated with maintaining
the Company's admission to trading on AIM are, in the Board's
opinion, disproportionate to the benefits to the Company. The
Directors believe the time savings associated with the Cancellation
and Re-Registration could be better utilised for the benefit of the
Company and value creation for its Shareholders.
·
Market
capitalisation not reflective of progress and
prospects: the Directors believe
that the current market capitalisation of the Company does not
reflect the quality of the Company's product suite, the expertise
within the staff, the quality of the customer base nor the
underlying prospects for the business, together representing a
barrier to future growth and funding opportunities. Consequently,
the Directors are of the view that, as a private company, the
Company would, in the future, be able to realise a greater
valuation for the business as a whole, which would serve the best
interests of its Shareholders;
·
Current
challenges regarding liquidity: the
Directors believe that the current levels of liquidity in trading
of the Company's Shares on AIM do not, in itself, offer investors
the opportunity to trade in meaningful volumes or with the
frequency afforded by an active market.
·
Support for
delisting from largest Shareholders:
the Company has secured support for the Cancellation from
Shareholders representing 59.8 per cent. of the existing Shares,
including irrevocable undertakings from Shareholders holding 36.4
per cent. of the existing Shares. Further details can be found in
section 11 of this Appendix I.
Following careful consideration, the
Directors believe that it is in the best interests of the Company
and Shareholders as a whole to seek the Cancellation and
Re-Registration at the earliest opportunity.
Following the Cancellation and
Re-Registration, the Company will continue to review the structure
and composition of the business, the Board and the executive
management team, to ensure the optimal corporate structure is in
place to support the long-term success of the Company.
3. Principal effects of the Cancellation and
Re-Registration
The Company welcomes all
Shareholders who wish to remain Shareholders of the Company in the
event of Cancellation. However, the Directors are aware that
certain Shareholders may be unable, or unwilling, to hold Shares in
a private company in the event that the Cancellation is approved
and becomes effective. Such Shareholders may consider selling their
Shares in the market prior to the Cancellation becoming effective.
Alternatively, should the Cancellation become effective, the
Company has arranged for Asset Match to provide a Secondary Market
Trading Facility to facilitate the buying and selling of Shares by
Shareholders and new investors by matching buyers and sellers
through periodic auctions.
Under the AIM Rules, the Company is
required to give at least 20 clear Business Days' notice of the
Cancellation. Additionally, the Cancellation will not take effect
until at least five clear Business Days have passed following the
passing of Resolution 1. If Resolution 1 is passed at the General
Meeting, it is proposed that the last day of trading in the Shares
on AIM will be 24 December 2024 and that the Cancellation will take
effect at 8.00 a.m. on 27 December 2024.
The principal effects of the
Cancellation and Re-Registration will be that:
·
Shareholders will no longer be able to buy and
sell Shares through a public stock market, further reducing the
liquidity in the Shares;
·
whilst the Shares will remain freely transferable,
it is possible that the liquidity and marketability of the Shares
will, in the future, be even more constrained than at present and
the value of such Shares may be adversely affected as a
consequence;
·
in the absence of a formal market and quote, it
may be more difficult for Shareholders to determine the market
value of their investment at any given time even with a Secondary
Market Trading Facility available to all Shareholders and
investors;
·
the Company will no longer be required to announce
material events or full year or interim results through a
regulatory news service, although the Company may continue to
release important news through its website, Asset Match's website
and through Board and investor meetings;
·
the Company upon the Cancellation becoming
effective, will no longer be required to, but may choose to, comply
with many of the corporate governance requirements applicable to
companies whose shares are traded on AIM;
·
the regulatory and financial reporting regime
applicable to companies whose shares are admitted to trading on AIM
will no longer apply;
·
the Company will no longer be subject to the
Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules and will therefore no
longer be required to disclose significant shareholdings in the
Company;
·
the levels of disclosure and corporate governance
within the Company may not be as stringent as for a company quoted
on AIM;
·
the Company will no longer be subject to UK MAR
regulating inside information and other matters;
·
the Company will no longer be subject to the AIM
Rules, with the consequence that the Shareholders will no longer be
afforded the protections provided by the AIM Rules. Such
protections include a requirement to obtain shareholder approval
for reverse takeovers and fundamental changes in the Company's
business and to announce, inter
alia, certain substantial and/or related party
transactions;
·
the Company will cease to have an independent
nominated adviser and broker;
·
Shareholdings remain in CREST and can be traded
through the Secondary Market Trading Facility during normal
business hours via a UK regulated stockbroker;
·
stamp duty will be due on transfers of shares and
agreements to transfer shares unless a relevant exemption or relief
applies to a particular transfer;
·
the Cancellation may have taxation consequences
for Shareholders. Shareholders who are in any doubt about their tax
position should consult their own professional independent tax
adviser.
·
a public company is required to file its accounts
within six months following the end of its financial year and then
to circulate copies of the accounts to Shareholders. Following the
Re-Registration and the adoption of the New Articles, the period
for the preparation of the accounts is extended to nine months
following the end of the financial year. The Company will still be
required to circulate accounts to Shareholders (although the period
for doing so is extended for private companies);
·
a public company is required to hold an annual
general meeting of Shareholders each year, whereas a private
company is not. Therefore, following the Re-Registration and the
adoption of the New Articles the Company will not hold annual
general meetings. In addition, after the Re-Registration,
resolutions of the Shareholders may be obtained via written
resolutions, rather than via general meetings. This is done by
obtaining the approval in writing to that resolution of the holders
of a majority of voting shares then in issue (in the case of
ordinary resolutions) and the holders of at least 75 per cent. of
the voting shares then in issue (in the case of special
resolutions);
·
the New Articles will not include provisions
requiring the directors of the Company to retire by rotation at
least every three years. In addition, the New Articles will not
require any director appointed by the Board to be re-elected by the
Shareholders at the next annual general meeting following their
appointment, as is currently required;
·
as a public company, there are restrictions on the
ability of the Company to issue new shares, for example, by
requiring the Company to obtain a valuation report in the case of
shares issued for non-cash consideration. These restrictions will
not apply following the Re-Registration and adoption of the New
Articles;
·
as a public company, the Company is currently
prohibited from performing actions which constitute financial
assistance for the acquisition of its own Shares. This limits the
ability of the Company to engage in certain transactions. However,
following the Re-Registration, these restrictions will no longer
apply. In addition, the Company must currently obtain the sanction
of the Court prior to any reduction of capital, which can be a
lengthy and expensive process. However, following the
Re-Registration, the Company will be able to take advantage of more
flexible provisions applicable to private companies, which do not
require the approval of the Court; and
·
there is no requirement for a private company to
appoint a company secretary, although the Company may
retain/appoint one should it wish.
The
above considerations are not exhaustive, and Shareholders should
seek their own independent advice when assessing the likely impact
of the Cancellation on them.
For the avoidance of doubt, the
Company will remain registered with the Registrar of Companies in
England and Wales in accordance with, and subject to, the Act,
notwithstanding the Cancellation and Re-Registration.
4. Cancellation process
Under Rule 41 of the AIM Rules, it
is a requirement that the Cancellation must be approved by not less
than 75 per cent. of votes cast by Shareholders at a general
meeting. In addition, any AIM quoted company that wishes for the
London Stock Exchange to cancel the admission of its shares to
trading on AIM is required to notify shareholders and to separately
inform the London Stock Exchange of its preferred cancellation date
at least 20 clear Business Days prior to such date. In addition, a
period of at least five clear Business Days following Shareholders'
approval of the Cancellation is required before the Cancellation
may become effective.
Accordingly, this Document includes
a notice to convene the General Meeting which is set out at the end
of this Document and requests Shareholders to vote on the
Cancellation. In addition, the London Stock Exchange has been
notified of the Company's intentions, subject to Resolution 1 being
passed at the General Meeting to cancel the Company's admission of
its Shares to trading on AIM on 24 December 2024.
If Resolution 1 is passed at the
General Meeting, it is expected that the last day of trading in
Shares on AIM will be 24 December 2024 and that the Cancellation
will take effect at 8.00 a.m. on 27 December 2024.
Following the Cancellation, there
will be no market facility for dealing in the Shares (save in
respect of the Secondary Market Trading Facility described below in
section 5, which will provide a limited mechanism to facilitate the
trading of Shares off-market) and no price will be publicly quoted
for the Shares.
5. Transactions in Shares prior to and
following Cancellation
Prior to
Cancellation
Shareholders should note that they
are able to continue trading in the Shares on AIM prior to the date
of the Cancellation.
Dealing and settlement
arrangements following Cancellation
The Board is aware that the proposed
Cancellation, should it be approved by Shareholders at the General
Meeting, would make it difficult for Shareholders to buy and sell
Shares should they wish to do so. Accordingly, the Company intends
to introduce a Secondary Market Trading Facility for the Shares, to
help facilitate purchases or sales of shares once it is a private
company. This flexibility is so that Shareholders have the option
to sell their Shares should they wish to do so but do not need to
make that decision immediately.
The Secondary Market Trading
Facility will be provided by Asset Match, which is authorised and
regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 579310). Further
details of the Secondary Market Trading Facility can be found at
www.assetmatch.com. This facility will allow existing Shareholders
and new investors to trade Shares by matching buyers and sellers
through periodic auctions. Investors are encouraged to register on
www.assetmatch.com and add i-nexus to their 'Watchlist' to continue
to receive Company updates and auction/price
information.
Shareholders wishing to trade these
securities can do so through their stockbroker. The Asset Match
trading facility operates under its own code of practice which
governs the behaviour of participants and the running of the
periodic auctions. Asset Match operates an open auction system
where volumes of bids and offers at different prices are displayed
in an order book on its website together with the closing date of
the auction. At the end of each auction period, Asset Match passes
this information through a non-discretionary algorithm that
determines a "market-derived" share price based on supply and
demand and allocates transactions accordingly. Bids and offers may
be made and withdrawn at any time before the closing date of each
auction.
Shareholders will continue to be
able to hold their Shares in uncertificated form (in CREST) and
should check with their existing stockbroker whether they are
willing or able to trade in unquoted shares. Shareholders wishing
to trade shares through Asset Match must do so through a
stockbroker. A comprehensive list of stockbrokers who have signed
up to access the Asset Match platform is available on request from
Asset Match.
Full details will be made available
to Shareholders on the Company's website at www.i-nexus.com and
directly by letter or e-mail (where appropriate). Shareholders may
contact Asset Match in relation to any queries regarding trading
via the secondary market trading facility by emailing
dealing@assetmatch.com.
The Secondary Market Trading
Facility is expected to be available for a period of at least one
year after Cancellation. The Directors' current intention is that
it will continue beyond that time but Shareholders should note that
it could be withdrawn and therefore inhibit the ability to trade
the Shares. Further details will be communicated to the
Shareholders at the relevant time.
Shareholders are invited to retain
their Shares in the Company, but are welcome to participate in the
quarterly auctions under the Secondary Market Trading Facility
operated by Asset Match, which will allow Shareholders to sell down
their holdings should they wish to do so.
The Company expects the Secondary
Market Trading Facility to be available for Shareholders who wish
to sell their Shares to make that instruction from 30 December
2024, with the first auction closing on 14 February 2025 followed by
quarterly auctions thereafter.
6. Re-Registration
The Board believes that the
requirements and associated costs of the Company maintaining its
public company status are overly burdensome and that the Company
will benefit from the more flexible requirements and efficiencies
associated with private limited company status. It is therefore
proposed to re-register the Company as a private limited company.
In connection with the Re-Registration, it is proposed that the New
Articles be adopted to reflect the Company's change in status to a
private limited company. The principal effects of the
Re-Registration and adoption of the New Articles are summarised
above. A copy of the New Articles can be found within the
Shareholder Circular.
The Re-Registration requires the
approval of not less than 75 per cent. of the votes cast by
Shareholders at the General Meeting,
Subject to, and conditional on, the
Cancellation and the passing of Resolution 2, application will be
made to the Registrar of Companies for the Company to be
re-registered as a private limited company. Re-Registration will
take effect when the Registrar of Companies issues a certificate of
incorporation on Re-Registration. The Registrar of Companies will
not issue the certificate of incorporation on Re-Registration until
the Registrar of Companies is satisfied that no valid application
can be made to cancel the resolution to re-register the Company as
a private limited company. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company
will also continue to be bound by the Act following the
Cancellation.
If the Resolutions are passed at the
General Meeting, it is anticipated that the Re-Registration will
become effective before the end of January 2025.
7. Board composition and provision of
information following the Cancellation
Although any Board changes have not
yet been determined, the composition of the Board is expected to
change shortly after Cancellation and the Re-Registration so that
it is appropriate for a private company of its size.
The Company currently intends to
continue to provide certain information, services and facilities to
Shareholders following the Cancellation.
The Company will continue to
communicate information about the Company (including annual
accounts) to its Shareholders, as required by the Act. It also
currently intends to maintain its website (www.i-nexus.com) and to
post periodic updates for investors on the business and key
developments for a period of 12 months following the Cancellation,
although Shareholders should be aware that there will be no
obligation on the Company to include all of the information
required under the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules, UK
MAR or the AIM Rules, nor to update its website as currently
required by the AIM Rules.
The Board intends to retain the
Company's Remuneration and Nomination Committees following the
Cancellation.
8. Amendments to the Convertible Loan Notes
and Related Party Transaction
Upon Cancellation, the Convertible
Loan Notes will need to be amended to remove references to the
covenant that is given by the Company in the Convertible Loan Notes
to its securities continuing to be admitted to trading on AIM. The
Company has received signed written resolutions from a sufficient
number of the holders of the Convertible Loan Notes to undertake
the Convertible Loan Notes Amendments, which are conditional on and
shall take effect from Cancellation.
Other than the Convertible Loan
Notes Amendments, the terms of each of the Convertible Loan Notes
shall remain unchanged.
Richard Cunningham, Non-Executive
Chairman and Director of the Company holds Convertible Loan Notes
with an aggregate par value of £318,000 and Herald Investment
Management Limited, a "Substantial Shareholder" for the purposes of
the AIM Rules, holds Convertible Loan Notes with an aggregate par
value of £1,670,000. Accordingly, the Convertible Loan Notes
Amendments constitute a related party transaction under Rule 13 of
the AIM Rules.
The Directors, other than Richard
Cunningham consider, having consulted with Singer Capital Markets
(the Company's nominated adviser), that the Convertible Loan Notes
Amendments are fair and reasonable in so far as the Shareholders
are concerned.
9. Application of the Takeover Code
following the Cancellation and Re-Registration
Shareholders should note that the
Takeover Code will continue to apply to the Company following the
Cancellation and Re-Registration for a period until 2 February 2027
and, so therefore the Shareholders will remain entitled to the
protections afforded to them by the Takeover Code, provided the
Company continues to have its place of central management and
control in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of
Man.
Brief details of the Takeover Code,
the Panel and the protections given by the Takeover Code are as
follows:
·
The Takeover Code is issued and administered by
the Panel. The Company is a company to which the Takeover Code
applies and Shareholders are accordingly entitled to the
protections afforded by the Takeover Code.
·
The Takeover Code and the Panel operate
principally to ensure that shareholders in companies to which the
Takeover Code applies are treated fairly and are not denied an
opportunity to decide on the merits of a takeover and that
shareholders of the same class are afforded equivalent treatment by
an offeror. The Takeover Code also provides an orderly framework
within which takeovers are conducted. It is designed to promote, in
conjunction with other regulatory regimes, the integrity of the
financial markets.
·
The Takeover Code is based upon a number of
General Principles which are essentially statements of standards of
commercial behaviour. These General Principles are set in Part 1 of
Appendix A within the Shareholder Circular. The General Principles
apply to all transactions with which the Takeover Code is
concerned. They are expressed in broad general terms and the
Takeover Code does not define the precise extent of, or the
limitations on, their application. They are applied by the Panel in
accordance with their spirit to achieve their underlying
purpose.
·
In addition to the General Principles, the
Takeover Code contains a series of rules, of which some are
effectively expansions of the General Principles and examples of
their application and others are provisions governing specific
aspects of the takeover procedure. Although most of the rules are
expressed in more detailed language than the General Principles,
they are not framed in technical language and, like the General
Principles, are to be interpreted to achieve their underlying
purpose. Therefore, their spirit must be observed as well as their
letter. The Panel may derogate or grant a waiver to a person from
the application of a rule in certain circumstances.
·
Completion of the Cancellation and Re-Registration
will not result, in itself, in the Company ceasing to be required
to comply with the Takeover Code.
A summary of key points regarding
the application of the Takeover Code to takeovers generally is set
out in Appendix A to this Document. You are encouraged to read this information
carefully as it outlines certain important protections which you
will be giving up if you agree to the Cancellation and the
Re-Registration, if/when the Company ceases to be subject to the
Takeover Code in the future.
10. Current Trading, Strategy and
Prospects
The Company provides the following
trading update for the financial year ended 30 September 2024
("FY24"). It should be noted that these results are
unaudited and that the Company does not plan to publish its
accounts until after the General Meeting has been held and the
Cancellation has become effective. The Board is considering
whether the Company will undertake an audit of its accounts for
FY24, on the basis of the exemption criteria, and will make a
decision on this in early 2025. Shareholders will be notified of
the Company's decision regarding the audit of its FY24 accounts via
a formal announcement on the Company's website.
These headline results are accurate to the best of the
knowledge and belief of the Directors but without having been
audited and should therefore be reviewed in that
context.
Overview
The business continued to execute
against its strategic objectives across FY24, winning new
customers, expanding within existing accounts and developing the
capabilities of its product offerings.
The strong growth in Monthly
Recurring Revenues ("MRR")
in the second half of the year, alongside the progress achieved in
prior years, has provided protection to recurring revenue levels
following the headwinds experienced during H1 due to churn within
accounts controlled via a reseller of i-nexus software.
Importantly, the healthy levels of
renewals within the direct customer base point to the continued
value the Company's customers derive from its software whilst the
cost saving initiatives implemented at the start of the period to
protect the business from the loss of a legacy customer means
trading losses have reduced significantly against prior period
levels.
i-nexus continues to develop its
core Workbench offering, targeting enhanced functionality to enable
customers to extract additional value from the software. Alongside
this has been the continued exploration of an additional adjacent
offering, building on the Company's deep understanding of the
strategy evolution and execution, with an extended period of
valuable customer feedback being received via an initial proof of
concept through the course of FY24.
Trading
The Company has continued to
successfully deliver a steady flow of new logos during FY24 with
the addition of eight accounts (FY23: seven), generating £26k of
combined MRR, each with expansion potential.
With reference to value, over 95 per
cent. of direct customers renewed their contracts, reflecting the
Company's continued focus on strong account management, and
expanded the use of our software within nine accounts delivering
£22k of MRR. Whilst the average value of these expansions was lower
than prior years, the opportunity for further expansion exists in a
large proportion of these accounts with the increase in volumes
providing strong proof points for the software's ability to deliver
value.
As previously announced at the half
year, these new logo wins and account expansions have been offset
by the loss of a substantial legacy customer, meaning MRR moderated
to £246k at 30 September 2024 (30 September 2023: £289k, 31 March
2024: £227k), and revenue for the year totalled £3,276k (FY23:
£3,528k).
Encouragingly, the business
delivered half on half growth in MRR during H2 of 8 per cent.,
which was driven by a record five logos being signed in the final
quarter of FY24, whilst a notable expansion opportunity was
realised in the opening months of FY25 through a large US
manufacturer taking the final step of their journey to an
enterprise agreement, generating MRR of £3.5k in the
process.
The careful management of costs
following some of the headwinds experienced by the business during
H1 has continued through the course of the year delivering a
much-improved Adjusted EBITDA* loss for the period of £119k (FY23:
£499k).
Cash
The Company closed FY24 with Group
cash of £21k (FY23: £80k), with the end of the financial year
typically representing a cash low point for the business given the
seasonality in cash flows arising from the timing of invoicing and
collection of the Company's recurring revenue, the majority of
which is billed during Q1 and Q2. The Group's net cash balance as
at close of business on 25 November 2024 was £168k. The Company
expects to receive significant annual licence fee receipts through
the course of December, including over £500k from its largest
customer.
Cash Flow
The Directors conducted a
comprehensive review of the Group's forecast and projections
including a scenario testing exercise. This exercise comprised the
preparation of detailed cash flow forecasts that account for
current and anticipated economic conditions over the next twelve
months, incorporating assumptions related to the sales pipeline,
projected revenues, and costs, with various scenarios designed to
reflect growth plans, opportunities, risks, and possible mitigating
actions.
In addition to management's base
case forecast, an extreme downside scenario was modelled, assuming
that any increase in MRR during the period would be offset by
non-renewals, resulting in a £290k annual reduction in total
recurring and services revenue. In response to this scenario, the
Group has identified potential management actions to mitigate the
impact, particularly focusing on discretionary costs, alongside
further contingency measures to ensure continued access to funds.
These actions, together with the stability of the Group's recurring
revenue base, constituting 90 per cent. of total revenue under
multi-year contracts, provide the Directors with a reasonable
expectation that the Group has adequate resources to continue in
operational existence for the foreseeable future, being a period of
at least twelve months from the date of this circular's
publication. However, this scenario would significantly increase
liquidity risk, particularly if any customers delay payments, and
would constrain management's ability to focus on delivering its
growth strategy and other key strategic initiatives. Nevertheless,
based on current trading conditions, the extreme downside scenario
is considered highly unlikely.
* Adjusted EBITDA excludes the
impact of any impairment, loss on disposal of assets, share based
payment expenses and non-underlying items.
If the Cancellation is unsuccessful,
the strain on available cash resources would be heightened,
requiring management to implement mitigating actions even under the
base case forecast. Under the extreme downside scenario, additional
measures beyond those already outlined would be necessary, further
increasing liquidity risk and limiting the flexibility needed to
execute the Group's strategic plans effectively. In such a
scenario, the Directors recognise that securing additional working
capital funding would likely be necessary to ensure the Company's
operational continuity for at least twelve months from the date of
this document's publication.
Strategy and
prospects
i-nexus operates in a growing,
global market, driven by factors such as the growth in hybrid or
remote work, the need for data insights and the desire for AI
assistance.
The Directors are confident that the
strength of the existing product suite, customer base, partner
network and this growing market backdrop provide a solid basis on
which to build. With limited sales and marketing budget, the
Company has secured 24 new logos over the past three years, a large
percentage of those customers are growing their usage of the
i-nexus software and have the potential for further
expansion.
In order to accelerate customer
acquisition and adoption, the Directors have agreed a three-year
plan, with the ambition to deliver solutions that equip thousands
of organisations to seamlessly create, plan and execute their
strategies. This includes launching new products to extend the
addressable market, some of which are already in development,
establishing i-nexus as a go to provider for strategy best practice
and leveraging multiple routes to market, including increased use
of partners.
As detailed in section 2, the
Directors believe the Cancellation will enable greater focus on
these strategic initiatives and increased financial stability,
providing the platform to deliver on the growth
strategy.
11. Shareholder Support
The Company has received irrevocable
undertakings from Shareholders, including those Directors who
directly or indirectly hold 10,761,691 Shares (representing
approximately 36.4 per cent. of the existing Shares) to vote in
favour of the Resolutions. These Shareholders have indicated they
wish to continue to support the Company as ongoing Shareholders as
a private limited company. They have therefore irrevocably
undertaken to vote in favour of the Resolutions.
In addition, certain Shareholders,
who in aggregate hold 6,922,537 Shares (representing approximately
23.4 per cent. of the Existing Shares), have provided written
support to vote in favour of the Resolutions.
In total therefore, the Company has
received support to vote in favour of the Resolutions at the
General Meeting with respect to 17,684,228 Shares (representing, in
aggregate, approximately 59.8 per cent. of the Existing
Shares).
12. General Meeting
In order to comply with the Act and
the AIM Rules, the Cancellation, Re-Registration and adoption of
the New Articles require the approval of Shareholders at a General
Meeting of the Company. The Company is convening a General Meeting
at 11.30 a.m. on 13 December 2024, to be held at Radcliffe
Conference Centre, University Of Warwick, Scarman Road, Lakeside
Village, Coventry CV4 7SH to consider and, if thought fit, pass the
following resolutions as special resolutions:
·
to approve the Cancellation; and
·
to approve the Re-Registration and adoption of the
New Articles.
For the Resolutions to be passed, as
special resolutions not less than 75 per cent. of those
Shareholders whose votes are cast at the General Meeting must be in
favour of each of the Resolutions.
13. Action to be taken
A Form of Proxy for use in
connection with the General Meeting is enclosed with this Document.
Whether or not you intend to be present at the General Meeting, you
are requested to complete, sign and return the Form of Proxy in
accordance with the instructions printed thereon to the Company's
Registrars, as soon as possible and, in any event, not later than
11.30 a.m. on 11 December 2024, being 48 hours before the time of
the General Meeting or, if the General Meeting is adjourned, no
later than 48 hours (excluding non-business days) before the time
for holding the adjourned meeting.
If you hold Shares in CREST, you may
appoint a proxy by completing and transmitting a CREST Proxy
Instruction to Share Registrars Limited so that it is received no
later than 48 hours (excluding non-business days) before the
General Meeting or, if the General Meeting is adjourned, no later
than 48 hours before the time for holding the adjourned
meeting.
14. Importance of Vote
If a sufficient percentage of
Shareholders vote against Resolution 1, such that the resolution is
not passed, then the Company would remain listed and continue to
incur relevant costs, further depleting its available cash
resources. Shareholders should be aware that, in such a scenario,
the Board would need to carefully consider all available options at
its disposal. Each of these options would likely be detrimental to
the Company's operations and execution of its growth strategy,
impacting the ability to realise a greater valuation for the
business as a whole, which would serve in the best interests of
Shareholders.
15. Recommendations
The Board believes that the
Proposals are in the best interests of the Company and its
Shareholders as a whole, and unanimously recommends that
Shareholders vote in favour of the Resolutions to be proposed at
the General Meeting as they intend to do in respect of their own
direct and indirect shareholdings of 2,131,575 Shares, representing
approximately 7.2 per cent. of the Existing Shares.
If you are in any doubt as to the
action you should take, you are recommended to seek your own
independent advice.
Yours faithfully,
Richard Cunningham
Chairman
APPENDIX II
DEFINITIONS
"Act"
|
the Companies Act 2006, as amended
from time to time;
|
"AIM"
|
AIM, the market operated by the
London Stock Exchange from time to time;
|
"AIM Rules"
|
the "AIM Rules for Companies"
published by the London Stock Exchange from time to
time;
|
"Articles"
|
the articles of association of the
Company, as amended from time to time;
|
"Asset Match"
|
Asset Match Limited (company
registration number 07681197) whose registered address is New Broad
Street House, 35 New Broad Street, London, EC2M 1NH;
|
"Board" or "Directors"
|
the board of directors of the
Company as set out on page 5 of this Document;
|
"Business Day"
|
a day (excluding Saturdays, Sundays
and public holidays in England and Wales) on which banks are
generally open for the transaction of normal banking business in
London and the London Stock Exchange is open for
trading;
|
"Cancellation"
|
the cancellation of admission of the
Shares to trading on AIM in accordance with Rule 41 of the AIM
Rules, subject to the passing of Resolution 1;
|
"Company" or "i-nexus"
|
i-nexus Global plc, a company
incorporated in England and Wales with registered number 11321642
and having its registered office at 27-28 Eastcastle Street,
London, England, W1W 8DH;
|
"Convertible Loan Notes"
|
being (i) the convertible loan stock
instrument dated 16 October 2020 as amended and restated from time
to time, (ii) the convertible loan stock instrument dated 29
September 2021 as amended and restated from time to time and (iii)
the convertible loan stock instrument dated 7 July 2023 as amended
and restated from time to time;
|
"Convertible Loan Notes
Amendments"
|
the conditional removal from the
Convertible Loan Notes of the covenant given by the Company that it
shall ensure its securities are admitted to trading on AIM as
currently contained in the Convertible Loan Notes;
|
"CREST"
|
the relevant system (as defined in
the CREST Regulations) in respect of which Euroclear is the
Operator (as defined in the CREST Regulations);
|
"CREST Regulations"
|
the Uncertificated Securities
Regulations 2001 (SI 2001 No. 3755) (as amended);
|
"Disclosure Guidance and Transparency
Rules"
|
the disclosure guidance and
transparency rules made by the UK Financial Conduct Authority
pursuant to section 73A of FSMA;
|
"Euroclear"
|
Euroclear UK & International
Limited, the operator of CREST;
|
"Existing Shares"
|
the 29,571,605 existing Shares in
the capital of the Company as at 25 November 2024, being the latest
practicable date prior to the publication of this
document;
|
"FCA"
|
Financial Conduct Authority of the
United Kingdom including any replacement or substitute thereof, and
any regulatory body or person succeeding, in whole or in part, to
the functions thereof;
|
"Form of Proxy"
|
the form of proxy accompanying this
Document for use by Shareholders relating to the General
Meeting;
|
"FSMA"
|
the Financial Services and Markets
Act 2000, as amended from time to time;
|
"General Meeting"
|
the general meeting of the Company
convened for 11.30 a.m. on 13 December 2024, notice of which is set
out at Part III of this Document, and including any adjournment(s)
thereof;
|
"Group"
|
the Company and its
subsidiaries;
|
"London Stock Exchange"
|
London Stock Exchange
plc;
|
"New Articles"
|
the new articles of association of
the Company to be adopted pursuant to the Resolutions, attached
here as Appendix B;
|
"Panel"
|
the Panel on Takeovers and
Mergers;
|
"Proposals"
|
the Cancellation, the
Re-Registration and the adoption of the New Articles and the
Convertible Loan Notes Amendments;
|
"Registrars"
|
Share Registrars Limited, 3 The
Millennium Centre, Crosby Way, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7XX, the
Company's registrar;
|
"Re-Registration"
|
the re-registration of the Company
as a private limited company;
|
"Resolutions"
|
the resolutions to be proposed at
the General Meeting which are set out in full in the Notice of
General Meeting at Part III of this Document;
|
"Resolution 1"
|
Resolution 1 (Cancellation) as set
out in the notice of the General Meeting;
|
"Resolution 2"
|
Resolution 2 (Re-Registration and
adoption of New Articles) as set out in the notice of the General
Meeting;
|
"Secondary Market Trading
Facility"
|
the unregulated electronic trading
platform operated by Asset Match to be put in place by the Company
subject to the passing of the Resolutions;
|
"Singer Capital Markets"
|
Singer Capital Markets Advisory LLP
of One Bartholomew Lane, London, EC2N 2AX;
|
"Shareholders"
|
holders of Shares;
|
"Shares"
|
the ordinary shares of ten pence
each in the capital of the Company;
|
"Takeover Code"
|
the City Code on Takeovers and
Mergers;
|
"this Document"
|
this Document, including the notice
of General Meeting in Part III, and the enclosed Form of
Proxy;
|
"UK
MAR"
|
Regulation (EU) (No 596/2014) of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on market
abuse to the extent that it forms part of the domestic law of the
United Kingdom including by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020); and
|
"UK" or "United Kingdom"
|
the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland.
|