APL Acp Capital

RNS Number:9932A
ACP Mezzanine Ltd
27 July 2007



    ACP Mezzanine agrees to participate in an asset-backed funding facility

ACP Mezzanine Limited ("ACP Mezzanine" or the "Company": ACPM.LN), the
sub-investment grade lender focused on European small and medium sized
enterprises ("SMEs"), today announces that it has agreed in principal to
participate alongside ACP Capital Limited ("ACP Capital":APL.LN) in an
asset-backed funding facility for a total of Euro100 million to finance the growth
of ACP Capital's strategic partner, Leasecom Group SAS, the holding company for
France's leading independent IT lease broker Leasecom SAS (collectively "
Leasecom").

ACP Mezzanine will provide a sub-investment grade portion of this facility,
supported by an equity first loss position and secured on lease assets to be
originated by Leasecom. It is expected that the facility will be increased over
time as the origination capacity of Leasecom increases, and with the addition of
new lending products which ACP Capital intends to develop with Leasecom. The
facility is subject to ACP Mezzanine board approval and further details will be
announced in due course, once the facility is closed, currently expected in
September 2007.

This facility is expected to be the first of many funding lines provided to
finance ACP Capital's localised origination platforms. ACP Mezzanine's strategy
of being a lender to the SME sector with the ability to underwrite, syndicate
and hold loan assets was proved in the recently announced interim results for
the six months to 30 June 2007. This transaction clearly represents the
development to the next stage of growth, in which ACP Mezzanine expects to
benefit from origination arising from ACP Capital's strategic platforms that
will lead to greater diverse funding opportunities alongside ACP Capital in its
integrated finance approach.

ACP Capital is in the process of developing strategic platforms through which it
intends to originate SME loans and assets in its four core markets: France,
Germany, the UK and Italy. These strategic platforms involve partnering with or
acquiring stakes in existing financing specialists that already have SME client
bases and established operations in these target markets. The strategic
platforms will provide ACP Capital with direct access to established origination
channels, while ACP Capital will assist its platform partners in extending and
broadening their existing SME product lines, such as non-recourse/recourse
corporate funding, lease financing, real estate and equity products, through
support from ACP Capital's comprehensive funding capabilities.





Enquiries:


Tim Mickley, Collins Stewart Europe Limited                +44 (0) 20 7523 8350
(Nominated Advisor to the Company)

Rob Bailhache & Nick Henderson, Financial Dynamics          +44 (0) 20 7269 7200
(Media Relations)



For further information on ACP Mezzanine, please visit www.acpcapital.com.





About ACP Mezzanine



ACP Mezzanine Limited (LSE AIM: ACPM) is a Jersey-incorporated company that
listed on AIM in July 2006 after raising Euro100 million. Its strategy is to pursue
opportunities as a mezzanine lender, originating, structuring and underwriting
the majority of its investments primarily in the European small and mid-sized
enterprise (SME) market. ACP Mezzanine's investment strategy is implemented and
managed by ACP Capital through an Investment Management Agreement. ACP
Mezzanine's strategy is different from that followed by a number of participants
in the mezzanine financing market, which focus on acquiring assets directly from
third parties through a syndication process, and can underwrite / syndicate such
loans originated directly.



ACP Mezzanine lends primarily across Europe, with origination arising through a
direct integrated finance approach alongside ACP Capital's strategic platforms
and managed vehicles, and, to a lesser extent, purchases of assets in the
secondary market if the expected risk adjusted returns are attractive. It is
expected that the integrated finance approach will account for at least two
thirds of ACP Mezzanine's investments over time.



ACP Mezzanine's Board includes Derek Vago, Christophe Tanghe, Wolfgang
Mellinghof and two other Non-Executive Directors.



About ACP Capital



ACP Capital Limited (LSE AIM: APL) is a Jersey-incorporated specialist
integrated finance and asset management company focusing on both the
asset-backed and non asset-backed sectors in the European small and mid-sized
enterprise (SME) market. The company's shares were admitted to trading on AIM in
January 2006, raising approximately #50m before costs, followed by a further
#15m share placing in December 2006. In March 2007, the company completed a
further #150m capital raising in order to finance its intended development
plans, including the development of additional funding lines, managed vehicles
and strategic platforms to originate loans and assets in Germany, the UK, France
and Italy.



As an integrated finance specialist, ACP Capital offers a combination of equity,
mezzanine and senior debt to companies in niche markets, such as the German '
Mittelstand' (privately-owned SMEs), and for asset-backed transactions in
sectors like real estate and infrastructure. The company intends to put in place
levered loan and non-investment grade funding vehicles in order to complement
its current product base with a view to providing financing solutions across the
capital structure.



As an asset manager, ACP Capital manages a series of investment vehicles that
can provide the required funding for its integrated finance capabilities. ACP
Capital intends to launch at least two managed vehicles each year in specific
sectors in its target markets. These managed vehicles are intended to take
advantage of the planned flow of asset opportunities from the expansion of the
company's funding capabilities and strategic platforms. ACP Capital intends to
receive management and performance-related fees from these vehicles in addition
to any share price increase as a strategic equity investor. To date, ACP Capital
has launched two such vehicles, ACP Mezzanine Limited and IFR Capital plc. On 8
March 2007 ACP Capital announced that it had raised a committed leverage
facility of #125 million with Deutsche Bank for ACP Senior High Yield, a
soon-to-be-launched managed vehicle focusing on the acquisition of European
senior debt assets originated primarily through ACP Capital's SME-focused
integrated finance business, and through the primary and secondary markets.



ACP Capital's Board includes the highly regarded retail entrepreneur, Heiner
Kamps, the Director General of the international real estate investment and
development company Jesta Group, Francois Georges, the Managing Director of the
full service real estate private equity firm Presidio Partners LLC, Alan
Braxton, an Italian certified barrister and Director of Investimente e Sviluppo
S.p.a., Daniele Discepolo, Derek Vago, Eric Youngblood, Nikolaj Larsen and two
other Non-Executive Directors.




                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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