• Significant market inefficiencies have left over USD$30 billion of capital trapped in c.300 listed biotech companies worldwide that have experienced clinical or regulatory setbacks
• Fund provides efficient mechanism to help investors recoup and recycle trapped cash, while allowing residual science and IP to be developed
• Fund to be listed on public markets in due course
• Led by highly experienced industry and investment executives Annalisa Jenkins and Nicholas Johnston

LONDON, April 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Alis Biosciences (“Alis”), an investment fund focused on returning capital to investors that is currently trapped in listed, development-stage biotech companies, today formally launches. Founded by highly experienced industry and investment executives, Alis’ goal is to protect public shareholders’ funds while still supporting company management and boards.

Currently, there are nearly 300 listed, development stage life sciences and biotech companies worldwide that have experienced clinical, regulatory or commercial setbacks. These have trapped capital worth over USD$30 billion on their balance sheets, with market caps ranging from USD$5 million to USD$100 million and cash reserves ranging from USD$10 million to USD$400 million.

Alis offers public companies a range of innovative and adaptable structures to return capital to their shareholders, while providing a chance for any residual science and IP to be developed if appropriate.   Alis will approach the board and management of each target company and mutually agree the optimum Alis structure to deploy. Alis will then seek to delist the company from the public market with the agreement of its shareholders in the normal way. Each delisted company’s cash and IP will be held in individual Special Purpose Vehicles (“SPV”) which are managed by Alis. Applicable cash will then be returned to shareholders immediately, with the IP either developed or sold using one of the following structures.

• Structure A returns most of the uncommitted cash to shareholders (e.g. 97%), with the company then sold back to certain shareholders or stakeholders who wish to further develop any residual science. Alis will retain a small stake with any upside from its stake shared across these shareholders.
• Structure B returns the vast majority of uncommitted cash to shareholders (e.g. 95%), leaving just enough to manage the structured wind-down of the company. Alis keeps the IP associated with this company. This process will be far quicker than any bankruptcy process.

In the near term, Alis will seek a public market listing that will allow it to offer a further Structure:

Structure C leaves enough cash in the acquiring vehicle (e.g. 40% of cash balance), to allow Alis to fund further clinical programmes, with the remaining 60% of cash immediately returned to shareholders along with an equity interest in Alis. The proceeds from any clinical success will then be retained by participating contingent value rights and by retaining shares in Alis.

Nicholas Johnston, Board Member and Founder of Alis Biosciences, commented: “We founded Alis Biosciences to alter the status quo, where tens of billions of dollars of investors’ funds are trapped in moribund listed life sciences and biotech companies. Our highly experienced team work collaboratively with shareholders, management, and boards, to provide the optimum mechanism to return capital to shareholders, while also allowing stakeholders the option to further develop residual science and IP where there is potential to do so. This is too big a problem to ignore and Alis is committed to providing a fresh solution.”

Annalisa Jenkins, Chair of Alis Biosciences added: “In this challenging financial market environment, there is a need for greater creativity to find answers to this USD$30 billion problem. This needs to be solved if capital is to be effectively recycled within the capital market ecosystem to finance exciting new science that has the potential to succeed and deliver investor returns. 

“Public and private investors have expressed strong support for Alis Biosciences’ tailored approach, reflecting demand for a new solution to this longstanding problem. We firmly believe that our highly experienced and scientifically knowledgeable investment team can not only help to return value to shareholders but also develop any viable residual science.“ 

Frequently, following a clinical or regulatory set back, publicly listed life sciences and biotech companies experience an often immediate and sharp decline in their stock price, coupled with the immediate and consequent loss of stock liquidity. This leaves cash on their balance sheet far in excess of their current market capitalisation, no commensurate growth or limited alternative near-term clinical development prospects of success, and no efficient and timely mechanism to return cash to shareholders.  

These companies often hope to develop another compound or product in their pipeline or merge with a private company, thereby heavily diluting shareholder equity. These alternatives typically have a very different investment case from the original programme, but investors are left with no option but to follow the direction of management or the board, while tens of millions of dollars of investor capital remains on the balance sheet. Even when a company files for bankruptcy, this process is time consuming and expensive, and further delays the return of any cash to shareholders while failing to adequately capture any residual value in the company’s IP.

About Alis Biosciences

Alis Biosciences (“Alis”) is an investment fund focused on returning capital to investors that is currently trapped in listed, development-stage biotech companies. Alis protects the interests of acquired company shareholders by providing a mechanism to return capital and resuscitate viable science, creating a novel and much-needed market safety net that may end up boosting investment in high tech healthcare.

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Significant market inefficiencies have left over USD$30 billion of capital trapped in c.300 biotechs all of which have experienced setbacks – typically a failure in clinical trials of their lead programme or unsuccessful commercial launch. Following a sharp decline in their stock price, with the concurrent reduction in liquidity, these companies are left with cash on their balance sheet far in excess of their market capitalization, no commensurate growth or limited alternative near-term clinical development prospects of success; and importantly with no efficient and timely mechanism to return cash to shareholders.

Alis has a highly experienced and scientifically knowledgeable team that works collaboratively with shareholders, management, and boards. It has a flexible approach, with different innovative structures, all adaptable, which provide a mechanism to return capital to shareholders, while also allowing stakeholders the option to further develop residual IP if enough stakeholders, in collaboration with external advisors, suggest there is potential.

Multiomic analysis will be used to validate the residual IP within companies to determine whether a positive outcome is achievable. The feedback from this work, carried out over a relatively short period of time, will then be used to determine whether a different path forward is possible for any of the residual IP left within a particular company.

For more information, please visit: www.alisbiosciences.com

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https://www.xlence.com

DUBAI, UAE, April 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Xlence, an international CFD broker with an expanding presence in, MENA, and Asia, officially launched the Xlence Academy, a multilingual teaching portal for traders to study forex concepts and trading tactics.

The Xlence Academy was established to deliver education that efficiently fosters trader development. This is backed by practical, expert-oriented courses that are not solely theoretical but applicable at all levels.

Structured Learning for Traders at Every Level

Aiming at the rising demand for clear, practical teaching, the Xlence Academy offers an educational system that guides traders from fundamental concepts to advanced strategies. The Academy helps users start trading or improve their skills by promoting long-term skill development to build confidence and security in learning.

Key Features of the Xlence Academy:

• Introduction to Forex
  Covering execution, order classifications and currency pairs, it covers the principles of the forex market.
• Fundamental Analysis
  Learn how to include economic data, central bank policies, and world news in trading decisions by understanding how they affect market behaviour and present trading opportunities.
• Technical Analysis
  Investigate price action techniques, technical indicators, and chart patterns to allow you to define entry and exit positions.
• Trading Strategies
  Develop confidence with methodical strategy courses on risk management, trend tracking, and breakout approaches for different market situations.

More Than Education: A Foundation for Success

The Academy offers a reliable foundation based on expert knowledge and practical application in a market setting where trading errors can be expensive.

The Academy helps traders foster the psychological discipline and risk awareness required to succeed, in addition to technical proficiency, by providing a systematic path from beginner to advanced levels. This all-encompassing approach reflects Xlence’s principle that comprehension, consistency, and ongoing learning are the foundations of long-term success.

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 Xlence gives traders the tools to take charge of their journey, make wiser choices, and interact with international markets from a strong position through the Academy.

About Xlence

Xlence is an international CFD broker focused on delivering a comprehensive trading experience through transparency, innovation, and global market access. With a significant footprint across, MENA, and Asia, it strives to meet the diverse needs of contemporary traders while upholding the highest ethical standards.

For more information, visit www.xlence.com and explore our free educational resources to support your trading success. We encourage you to take advantage of these resources and start your journey towards becoming a more informed and strategic trader.

Trade with Xlence, Excel in Trading

All trading involves risk. It is possible to lose all your capital. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

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Media contact:
Nicolas Georgiou 
info@xlence.com 
+357 96199856

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/xlence-introduces-xlence-academy-to-help-traders-learn-and-grow-302431399.html

CGTN published an article highlighting how Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit has promoted the ironclad friendship between China and Cambodia, the fruitful results in economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, and how cultural exchanges boost China–Cambodia ties.

BEIJING, April 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — China and Cambodia set a model for equality, mutual trust and win-win cooperation between countries of different sizes, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday while meeting with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni during his state visit to Cambodia.

Xi said he believes Chinese modernization will bring more opportunities to neighboring countries, including Cambodia, noting that building a China–Cambodia community with a shared future is a choice of history and the people.

China–Cambodia relations have withstood the test of global transformations and have always remained rock-solid. The bilateral ties were forged and nurtured by the older generation of leaders of the two countries.

In February 2023, during the then Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s visit to China, the two sides agreed to develop a “diamond cooperation framework” with six priority areas: political cooperation, production capacity and quality, agriculture, energy, security, and people-to-people exchanges.

In September 2023, Hun Manet chose China as his first official overseas destination after assuming office as Cambodia’s prime minister. During his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Hun Manet pledged to further carry forward the ironclad friendship between Cambodia and China.

In May 2024, a road in Phnom Penh was named “Xi Jinping Boulevard” by the Royal Government of Cambodia to honor the Chinese leader’s historic contributions to the country’s development. At the naming ceremony, Hun Manet highlighted that bilateral ties have entered their best period in history under the leadership and joint efforts of Xi and Cambodian leaders.

Fruitful results in economic and trade cooperation

First, two-way trade has expanded remarkably thanks to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade deal and the China-Cambodia Free Trade Agreement (FTA). China has been Cambodia’s largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years. And in 2024, two-way trade reached $17.83 billion, up by 20.7 percent year-on-year.

The approval for high-quality Cambodian agricultural and fishery products such as rice, bananas, mangoes, longans, coconuts and basa fish to enter the Chinese market has not only graced the dining tables of Chinese consumers but also boosted the incomes of Cambodian people.

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Second, investment cooperation has continued to deepen. China has remained Cambodia’s largest source of foreign investment for 13 consecutive years, with investments spanning a wide range of sectors, including transportation, power, agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, special economic zones, as well as information and communications technology, characterized by extensive coverage, large scale and strong results.

About 95.4 percent of the Cambodian respondents have a positive attitude toward Chinese companies investing or operating in Cambodia. And 95 percent believe that China has made positive contributions to the development of the world economy, according to a recent CGTN poll. 

Cultural exchanges boost China–Cambodia ties

In addition to political and economic cooperation, the two countries have set an example in conducting cultural exchanges, which not only strengthen mutual understanding but also draw closer bonds between the two peoples.

China–Cambodia people-to-people exchanges, as a key pillar of China–Cambodia friendship and cooperation, were boosted by the China-Cambodia People-to-People Exchange Year 2024.

Over the years, the medical cooperation programs, including “Love Heart Journey,” “Bright Journey” and “Smile Journey,” have provided quality health care service to grassroots populations in more than 20 Cambodian provinces and cities.

As a cultural bridge between the two countries, the Confucius Institute has also provided free Chinese courses to more than 100,000 Cambodian learners since its establishment in Cambodia in 2009.

The cultural exchanges between the two countries are expected to continue to expand under the guidance of the China-proposed Global Civilization Initiative, which will benefit areas ranging from culture, youth, media, think tanks, tourism, and technology to healthcare and cultural relics restoration.

“Let us have more frequent people-to-people exchanges. We should uphold solidarity and harmony, have more cultural dialogues, increase experience sharing on state governance, expand diverse forms of cooperation in areas of culture, tourism, youth exchange and protection and restoration of cultural heritages, and promote people-to-people connectivity,” Xi said in a signed article ahead of his arrival in Cambodia for a state visit.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-04-17/Head-of-state-diplomacy-promotes-China-Cambodia-ironclad-friendship–1CE47UnGmt2/p.html

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/cgtn-head-of-state-diplomacy-promotes-ironclad-friendship-between-china-and-cambodia-302432210.html