THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION HEREIN IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT
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UNLAWFUL.
For immediate release
26 September
2024
Gfinity PLC
("Gfinity" or the
"Company")
Trading Update and
funding
The Board of Gfinity plc (AIM:GFIN)
is pleased to provide an update on trading and announce that the
Company has today raised funding of £120,000 through an issue of a
convertible unsecured loan note. In addition, David
Halley has informed the Board that he intends to subscribe £30,000
for 200,000,000 new Ordinary Shares at a subscription price of
0.015p per new Ordinary Share.
Current
trading
On 19 March 2024 the Company announced its
unaudited results for the six-month period ended 31 December 2023
("Half Year Results"). The Company reported in the Half Year
Results that the whole digital media sector had
experienced significant pressure in H2 2023, with several Google
algorithm changes, and the growth of AI generated content brings
additional uncertainty.
The following 6 months have continued to be
uncertain for the digital media sector. During this period, Gfinity
has focussed on further significant cost cuts, reducing employee
overheads of the Digital Media group by over 40%. Whilst the period
has seen a decline in page impressions and CPM rates, the Board has
reduced costs to a monthly run rate of approximately £70k and has
also re-engineered its ad tech platform to increase revenue
opportunities and advertising rates. The Board is cautiously
predicting that these changes will help see some profitable months
in the last quarter of 2024.
The unaudited management accounts for the year
ended 30 June 2024 show revenue for the year of approximately
£1.4m, a gross margin of approximately £550k and breakeven at an
operating level (including the profit on disposal of Athlos Gaming
Technologies, as reported in the Half Year Results, and a one-off
tax credit).
The Board intends to explore new business
opportunities to develop and expand the Company's core focus beyond
the provision of digital media content, further leveraging the
infrastructure commercially available in the Company. The proceeds
from the funding will provide the Company with additional funds to
explore these opportunities as well as to provide general working
capital.
Convertible
Loan Note
The Company has today raised £120,000 by the
issue of a convertible unsecured loan note ("Note") to Charles
Street International Limited ("Charles Street" or "Noteholder"). As
described above, the proceeds from the Note will provide the
Company with additional funds to explore new business opportunities
as well as to provide general working capital. The Note bears no
coupon and has a maturity date of 25 September 2027
("Maturity Date").
The Noteholder has the right to serve a
conversion notice on the Company at any time prior to the Maturity
Date to convert some or all of the Notes outstanding into new fully
paid Ordinary Shares at a conversion price of 0.015p
per Ordinary Share ("Conversion Price"), a discount of
approximately 21 per cent. to the last closing mid-market price of
0.019p per Gfinity Ordinary Share on 25 September 2024 ("Last
Closing Price"), provided that the minimum amount of
Notes in such Conversion Notice shall be £20,000.
Unless otherwise converted, the Note will automatically convert
into new Ordinary Shares at the Maturity Date at the Conversion
Price. A maximum of 800,000,000 new Ordinary Shares will be issued
on full conversion of the Note.
The Note instrument also includes a condition
that the Noteholder's interest (together with any
parties acting in concert) on conversion pursuant either to a
conversion notice or at the Maturity Date shall not exceed 29.9 per
cent. of the Company's issued share capital ("Maximum Interest") at
any time ("Conversion Condition"). The Directors, at their sole
discretion, will only convert such number of Notes on receipt of a
conversion notice or at the Maturity Date as will not result in the
Noteholder's interest exceeding the Maximum Interest and any Notes
which are not converted into Ordinary Shares will be repaid in cash
to the Noteholder on the Maturity Date.
Related Party
Charles Street is indirectly
beneficially owned by Robert Keith, who is currently interested in
704,419,692 Ordinary Shares held by him directly and indirectly and
which represent approximately 20.7% of the Company's existing
Ordinary Share Capital.
The subscription by Charles Street
for the Notes is therefore a related party transaction pursuant to
Rule 13 of the AIM Rules for Companies. Accordingly, the Directors
consider, having consulted with the Company's nominated adviser,
Beaumont Cornish, that the subscription for the Notes by Charles
Street is fair and reasonable insofar as Gfinity's Shareholders are
concerned. In particular the Directors have taken into account the
Conversion Condition, the Note is unsecured and bears no
coupon.
Director
Subscription
David Halley has informed the Board that he
intends to subscribe £30,000 for 200,000,000 new Ordinary Shares
("Subscription") at a subscription price of 0.015p per new Ordinary
Share, being the same as the Conversion Price. A further
announcement will be made.
Other Information
A copy of
this announcement is available at the Company's website:
www.gfinityplc.com
The information contained within
this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside
information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU)
No. 596/2014 as it forms part of UK Domestic Law by virtue of the
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 ("UK MAR"). The person who
arranged for the release of this announcement on behalf of the
Company was David Halley, Chief Executive.
Enquiries:
Gfinity Plc
|
David Halley
|
+44 (0)7516 948427
|
Beaumont Cornish Limited
Nominated Adviser and
Broker
|
Roland Cornish
Michael Cornish
|
+44 (0)207 628 3396
www.beaumontcornish.co.uk
|
Further Information
Beaumont Cornish
Limited ("Beaumont
Cornish"), which is authorised and regulated in
the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority, is
acting as nominated adviser to the Company in connection with this
announcement and will not regard any other person as its client and
will not be responsible to anyone else for providing the
protections afforded to the clients of Beaumont Cornish or for
providing advice in relation to such proposals. Beaumont Cornish
has not authorised the contents of, or any part of, this document
and no liability whatsoever is accepted by Beaumont Cornish for the
accuracy of any information, or opinions contained in this document
or for the omission of any information. Beaumont Cornish as
nominated adviser to the Company owes certain responsibilities to
the London Stock Exchange which are not owed to the
Company, the Directors, Shareholders, or any other
person.
Forward
Looking Statements
Certain statements in this announcement are or
may be deemed to be forward looking statements. Forward looking
statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as
''believe'' ''could'' "should" ''envisage'' ''estimate'' ''intend''
''may'' ''plan'' ''will'' or the negative of those variations or
comparable expressions including references to assumptions. These
forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts but
rather on the Directors' current expectations and assumptions
regarding the Company's future growth, results of operations,
performance, future capital and other expenditures, competitive
advantages, business prospects and opportunities. Such forward
looking statements reflect the Directors' current beliefs and
assumptions and are based on information currently available to the
Directors. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ
materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking
statements including risks associated with vulnerability to general
economic and business conditions competition environmental and
other regulatory changes actions by governmental authorities the
availability of capital markets reliance on key personnel uninsured
and underinsured losses and other factors many of which are beyond
the control of the Company. Although any forward-looking statements
contained in this announcement are based upon what the Directors
believe to be reasonable assumptions. The Company cannot assure
investors that actual results will be consistent with such forward
looking statements.
ENDS