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17
December 2024
Rome Resources
Plc
("Rome" or
the "Company")
£4.2 Million Strategic
Investment
Expansion of the Company's
current drilling programme
Rome Resources Plc (AIM: RMR), the
DRC-focused tin explorer, is pleased to announce that it has raised
gross proceeds of approximately £4.2 million through a
strategic investment from Stanvic Mining SARL ("Stanvic") via a subscription
(the "Subscription")
of a total of 1,200,000,000 new ordinary shares of
0.1 pence each in the share capital of the Company ("Ordinary Shares") at an issue
price of 0.35 pence per new Ordinary Share (the "Issue Price") (the "Strategic Investment").
As part of the Strategic Investment,
Stanvic will receive one warrant for every one Ordinary Share
subscribed for pursuant to the Subscription, with each warrant
entitling Stanvic to acquire one new Ordinary Share at a price of
0.50 pence (the "Exercise
Price") at any time from the date of issue of the Warrants
up to the date that is three years from the date of Admission (as
defined below) (together the "Warrants").
Highlights
· Subscription to raise approximately £4.2 million (before
expenses) at 0.35 pence per new Ordinary Share; and
· Net proceeds to be used to expand the Company's existing
drilling programme through 2025, further geophysics and
geochemistry exploration and providing additional balance sheet
strength.
Paul Barrett, Chief Executive Officer of Rome Resources Plc,
commented: "The Strategic Investment
demonstrates how highly Rome's Bisie North Project is regarded
within the DRC resource community. We are immensely pleased to have
attracted a strategic partner who is well positioned in the DRC and
who is familiar with the mining industry, which further reinforces
the quality of the Bisie North Project. Not only will the Strategic
Investment allow the Company to continue its drilling efforts
beyond the current drilling programme, but it will also accelerate
the work required to what we believe will add significant value for
the Company's shareholders.''
Background to and reasons for the Strategic
Investment
On 21 November 2024, the Company
announced, inter alia,
that it is engaged in discussions with several parties under
non-disclosure agreements regarding a potential strategic
investment. The Company is pleased to now have entered a strategic
partnership with Stanvic.
Stanvic is a specialist long-term
investor that operates in the DRC mining commodity sector with a
well-established portfolio of resource investee businesses. The
board of directors of the Company (the "Board" or the "Directors") are pleased with Stanvic's
strong conviction in the Company's tin and base metal strategy as
well as Stanvic's deep understanding in the Company's business
model. This is demonstrated through, inter alia, Stanvic's decision to
invest £4.2 million in the Company while it remains in early stages
of growth and therefore recognising the potential for significant
upside.
The Board intend to use the net
proceeds of approximately £4.1 million towards (i) expanding the
current drilling campaign through into 2025; (ii) further
geophysics (including LIDAR* mapping) and surface geochemical
exploration; (iii) regional geological work to support the
exploration model; and (iv) general working capital as well as
providing additional balance sheet strength.
As part of the Strategic Investment,
Stanvic will have the right to nominate one member to the
Board.
*LIDAR is a high-resolution laser topography mapping technique
which will assist surface geological mapping.
Details of the Subscription
The Subscription will result in the
issue of a total of 1,200,000,000 new Ordinary Shares (the
"Subscription Shares") at the Issue Price, subject to
Admission (as defined below), raising gross proceeds of
approximately £4.2 million.
The Subscription Shares will be
issued on a non-pre-emptive basis pursuant to
the authorities granted to the Board at the Company's annual
general meeting held on 25 July 2024.
The Subscription Shares, when issued
and fully paid, will rank pari
passu in all respects with the existing Ordinary Shares in
issue and therefore will rank equally for all dividends or other
distributions declared, made or paid after the issue of the
Subscription Shares.
The issue and allotment of the
Subscription Shares is conditional upon Admission (as defined
below) in respect of the Subscription Shares.
Notwithstanding the Company having
entered into a binding Subscription agreement with Stanvic as well
as receiving proof of payment by Stanvic, the Company will issue a
further announcement once it has received the Subscription
monies.
Details of the Warrants
Stanvic will receive one Warrant for
every one Ordinary Share subscribed for pursuant to the
Subscription, with each Warrant entitling the holder to acquire one
new Ordinary Share at the Exercise Price (0.50 pence per new
Ordinary Share being approximately a 42.9 per cent. premium to the
price at which the Ordinary Shares are issued pursuant to the
Subscription) at any time from the date of issue of the Warrants up
to the date that is three years from the date of Admission (as
defined below). Therefore, a total of 1,200,000,000 Warrants will
be issued to subscribe for up to 1,200,000,000 new Ordinary Shares.
If all the Warrants are exercised in full the Company will receive
gross proceeds of a further approximately £6.0 million.
Any Warrants remaining unexercised
after the end of the Warrant Exercise period shall automatically
expire without compensation. The Warrants are not secured and are
non-transferable by the holders, without the prior consent of the
Company. The Warrants will be in certificated form and none of the
Warrants will be admitted to trading on AIM or any other stock
exchange.
The exercise of the Warrants by
Stanvic is conditional on Stanvic's total investment in the Company
not exceeding 29.99 per cent. of the Company's issued ordinary
share capital.
The issue of the Subscription Shares
utilises a substantial proportion of the existing share authorities
available to the Board to issue new Ordinary Shares for cash on a
non-pre-emptive basis. As a result, the exercise of the Warrants is
conditional on obtaining the requisite authorities to enable the
exercise of the Warrants at the Company's next general meeting of
shareholders. A further announcement will be made by the Company in
this regard in due course.
Changes to significant shareholdings in the
Company
As a result of the issue of the
Subscription Shares, the Company is aware of the following changes
to significant shareholders in the Company on Admission (as defined
below):
Name
|
Position
|
Total Ordinary Shares
currently held
|
Total Ordinary Shares held on
Admission
|
Percentage of enlarged share
capital on Admission
|
Stanvic Mining SARL
|
Investor
|
0
|
1,200,000,000
|
19.76
|
Andreas Reitmeier*
|
Investor
|
490,075,000
|
490,075,000
|
8.07
|
Klaus Eckhof
|
Director
|
439,624,500
|
439,624,500
|
7.24
|
Mark
Gasson
|
Director
|
401,351,600
|
401,351,600
|
6.61
|
*In addition, Manuela Reitmeier and Philip Reitmeier are
interested in 39,080,000 and 977,000 Ordinary Shares respectively.
Accordingly, Andreas Reitmeier, Manuela Reitmeier and Philip
Reitmeier, who are connected by virtue of their family
relationship, in aggregate hold 530,132,000 Ordinary Shares
representing approximately 8.73 per cent. of the enlarged share
capital on Admission.
Admission to AIM
Application has been made to the
London Stock Exchange plc for the Subscription Shares to be
admitted to trading on AIM ("Admission"). It is currently
anticipated that Admission will become effective and that dealings
in the Subscription Shares will commence on AIM at 8.00 a.m. on or
around 23 December 2024.
Total voting rights
Following Admission, the Company's
issued ordinary share capital will comprise 6,071,864,607 Ordinary
Shares with one voting right each. The Company does not hold any
Ordinary Shares in treasury. Accordingly, with effect from
Admission, the above figure may be used by shareholders as the
denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if
they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their
interest in, the Company under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and
Transparency Rules.
For
further information please contact:
Rome Resources Plc
Paul Barrett, Chief Executive
Officer
Mark Gasson, Chief Operating
Officer
Tel. +44 (0)20 3143 6748
Allenby Capital Limited (Nominated Adviser and Joint
Broker)
John Depasquale / Vivek Bhardwaj /
Lauren Wright (Corporate Finance)
Stefano Aquilino / Joscelin
Pinnington (Sales & Corporate Broking)
Tel. +44 (0)20 3328 5656
OAK
Securities (Joint Broker)
Jerry Keen, Head of Corporate
Broking (jerry.keen@oak-securities.com)
Henry Clarke, Head of Sales
(henry.clarke@oak-securities.com)
Tel. +44 (0)20 3973 3678
Camarco (Financial PR)
Gordon Poole / Emily Hall / Sam
Morris
Tel. +44 (0) 20 3757 4980
OAK Securities is a trading name of
Merlin Partners LLP. Merlin Partners LLP is authorised and
regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Reference Number:
449191). Merlin Partners LLP is registered in England and Wales
(Registered Partnership Number: OC317265).
This announcement is made in accordance with the Company's
obligations under Article 17 of UK MAR and the person responsible
for arranging for the release of this Announcement on behalf of
Rome Resources Plc is Paul Barrett, Chief Executive Officer.