Fintech PR

Response to possible offer announcement by ABC Technologies Inc. (“ABC Technologies”)

Published

4 weeks ago

September 14, 2024

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY (IN WHOLE OR IN PART) IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OF SUCH JURISDICTION

THIS IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF A POSSIBLE OFFER UNDER RULE 2.4 OF THE CITY CODE ON TAKEOVERS AND MERGERS (THE “CODE”). THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF A FIRM INTENTION TO MAKE AN OFFER UNDER RULE 2.7 OF THE CODE AND THERE CAN BE NO CERTAINTY THAT AN OFFER WILL BE MADE NOR AS TO THE TERMS OF ANY OFFER IF MADE

LONDON, Sept. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Board of TI Fluid Systems notes the recent announcement by ABC Technologies Inc., a company majority-owned by investment funds managed by Apollo Management IX, L.P., regarding a possible offer for the Company.

The Board confirms that on 4 September 2024, it received a second unsolicited, highly preliminary and non-binding all-cash proposal from ABC Technologies to acquire TI Fluid Systems at a price of 176 pence per TI Fluid Systems share (the “Proposal”). This followed a previous proposal at 165 pence per TI Fluid Systems share.

The terms of the second proposal represent a premium of 20.7% to the closing share price of 145.8 pence on 13 September, prior to press speculation about a potential offer for the Company.

The Board of TI Fluid Systems considered the Proposal in detail with its advisers and unanimously concluded that it significantly undervalued TI Fluid Systems and its prospects, and accordingly the Proposal was rejected early last week.

The Board is confident in the strategy and prospects of the Company.

The Board strongly urges shareholders to take no action at this time. A further announcement will be made if and when appropriate.

In accordance with Rule 2.6(a) of the Code, ABC Technologies is required, by not later than 5.00 p.m. (London time) on 12 October 2024, either to announce a firm intention to make an offer for TI Fluid Systems in accordance with Rule 2.7 of the Code, or to announce that it does not intend to make an offer for TI Fluid Systems, in which case the announcement will be treated as a statement to which Rule 2.8 of the Code applies. This deadline can only be extended with the consent of the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers in accordance with Rule 2.6(c) of the Code.

This statement is being made by TI Fluid Systems without the consent of ABC Technologies.

Enquiries:

TI Fluid Systems plc
Kellie McAvoy		[email protected] +44 (0) 7354 846 374

Headland Consultancy
Matthew Denham		+44 (0)7551 825 496
Chloe Francklin		+44 (0)7834 974 624 Advertisement

Goldman Sachs (Joint Financial Adviser and Corporate Broker)		+44 (0) 20 7774 1000
Nimesh Khiroya
Axel Hoefer
Tom Hartley
Ben Duell

Peel Hunt LLP (Joint Financial Adviser and Corporate Broker)		+44 (0) 20 7418 8900
Mike Bell Advertisement
Marc Jones
Pete Mackie
Sam Cann

Important information

Goldman Sachs International (“Goldman Sachs”), which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, is acting exclusively for TI Fluid Systems and no one else in connection with the Proposal or any other matter referred to in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than TI Fluid Systems for providing the protections offered to clients of Goldman Sachs or for providing advice in relation to the contents of this announcement or any matters referred to herein.

Peel Hunt LLP (“Peel Hunt”), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, is acting exclusively as joint financial adviser and corporate broker to TI Fluid Systems and for no one else in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement and will not be responsible to any person other than TI Fluid Systems for providing the protections afforded to clients of Peel Hunt, nor for providing advice in relation to the matters referred to herein. Neither Peel Hunt nor any of its affiliates owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of Peel Hunt in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement, or otherwise.

This announcement is not intended to, and does not, constitute or form part of any offer, invitation or the solicitation of an offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of, any securities whether pursuant to this announcement or otherwise.

The distribution of this announcement in jurisdictions outside the United Kingdom may be restricted by law and therefore persons into whose possession this announcement comes should inform themselves about and observe such restrictions. Any failure to comply with the restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities law of any such jurisdiction.

Disclosure requirements of the Code

Under Rule 8.3(a) of the Code, any person who is interested in 1% or more of any class of relevant securities of an offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror (being any offeror other than an offeror in respect of which it has been announced that its offer is, or is likely to be, solely in cash) must make an Opening Position Disclosure following the commencement of the offer period and, if later, following the announcement in which any securities exchange offeror is first identified. An Opening Position Disclosure must contain details of the person’s interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any securities exchange offeror(s). An Opening Position Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(a) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th business day following the commencement of the offer period and, if appropriate, by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th business day following the announcement in which any securities exchange offeror is first identified. Relevant persons who deal in the relevant securities of the offeree company or of a securities exchange offeror prior to the deadline for making an Opening Position Disclosure must instead make a Dealing Disclosure.

Under Rule 8.3(b) of the Code, any person who is, or becomes, interested in 1% or more of any class of relevant securities of the offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror must make a Dealing Disclosure if the person deals in any relevant securities of the offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror. A Dealing Disclosure must contain details of the dealing concerned and of the person’s interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any securities exchange offeror(s), save to the extent that these details have previously been disclosed under Rule 8. A Dealing Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(b) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the business day following the date of the relevant dealing.

If two or more persons act together pursuant to an agreement or understanding, whether formal or informal, to acquire or control an interest in relevant securities of an offeree company or a securities exchange offeror, they will be deemed to be a single person for the purpose of Rule 8.3.

Opening Position Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company and by any offeror and Dealing Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company, by any offeror and by any persons acting in concert with any of them (see Rules 8.1, 8.2 and 8.4). Details of the offeree and offeror companies in respect of whose relevant securities Opening Position Disclosures and Dealing Disclosures must be made can be found in the Disclosure Table on the Takeover Panel’s website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk, including details of the number of relevant securities in issue, when the offer period commenced and when any offeror was first identified. You should contact the Panel’s Market Surveillance Unit on +44 (0)20 7638 0129 if you are in any doubt as to whether you are required to make an Opening Position Disclosure or a Dealing Disclosure.

Rule 26.1 disclosure

In accordance with Rule 26.1 of the Code, a copy of this announcement will be available (subject to certain restrictions relating to persons resident in restricted jurisdictions) at www.TIFluidSystems.com by no later than 12 noon (London time) on the business day following the date of this announcement. The content of the website referred to in this announcement is not incorporated into and does not form part of this announcement.

Rule 2.9 information

In accordance with Rule 2.9 of the Code, the Company confirms that as at the close of business on 13 September 2024 its issued share capital consisted of 498,204,654 ordinary shares of £0.01 each.

The Ordinary Shares are voting shares (each such Ordinary Share carries one vote per Ordinary Share) and are admitted to trading on the main market of the London Stock Exchange under the International Securities Identification Number GB00BYQB9V88.

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Fintech PR

XA NETWORK EXPANDS TO AFRICA WITH LAUNCH OF XA AFRICA, BACKED BY TECH VETERANS

Published

2 hours ago

October 10, 2024

CISION (PR Newswire)

An exclusive investment network founded by tech alumni in Southeast Asia expands to support and fuel the vibrant African startup ecosystem.

SINGAPORE, Oct. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — XA Network, a leading investment network founded by tech alumni in Southeast Asia, today announced its expansion into Africa with the launch of XA Africa. The move underscores the network’s vision and commitment to fostering innovation and supporting promising startups globally.

XA Africa is founded by a trio of experienced tech professionals:

Nitin Gajria, former MD of Google Sub-Saharan Africa
Jason Scott, venture capitalist and an architect of the Black Founders Fund at Google
Marek Dawidowicz, current Marketing Director at YouTube and South African native

“Founders of technology startups in Africa are uniquely placed to solve some of Africa’s most profound challenges and unlock its greatest opportunities. We see the foray of XA Network into Africa as a natural progression, allowing us to connect amazing founders to experienced and expert operators from the tech industry”, says Nitin Gajria, Co-Founder of XA Africa.

XA Africa aims to connect exceptional African tech founders with seasoned investors and industry experts, primarily from global and regional technology companies, to provide not just capital but also the guidance and support needed to scale their ventures. The newly established XA Africa has already made notable investments in promising African startups, including:

Crop2Cash (Nigeria)
BuuPass (Kenya)
Kaya (South Africa)
Talamus Health (Ghana)

“We are excited to have XA network on board because of their strong network of experts who are open to listening and helping. They’ve introduced us to advisors from Expedia and truly understand the dynamics of emerging markets, making them a valuable investor.” – Sonia Kabra & Wyclife Omondi – Founders of BuuPass

“Partnering with XA Network has been a game-changer for our company. Their strategic guidance and network have opened doors to new opportunities, and we’re excited to see the impact of our collaboration continue to unfold. We’re grateful for their trust in our vision.” – Michael Ogundare – CEO of Crop2Cash

Since its inception six years ago, XA Network has established itself as a significant player in the Southeast Asian startup ecosystem, making nearly 100 investments in the region, and consistent ranked as #1 investment network in the region. XA Network comprises senior leaders from prominent global and regional technology companies and notable company founders. This approach distinguishes XA Network, enabling it to offer portfolio companies unparalleled guidance and support from experienced industry operators.

We also see an opportunity to build a stronger bridge between ecosystems in Africa and Southeast Asia along the way. In fact, this investment hypothesis has already been proven across some of the African founders we are currently supporting.”, Mr Gajria added.

The XA Africa team will be hosting their first public Demo Day webinar on Thursday November 7, 1-2pm GMT+1, where Africa focused investors can meet and invest in four founding companies and learn more about XA Africa. Click here to register for the event.

For more information, please visit https://xanetwork.co/

For media queries, please contact:
Carmelita Lumempouw-Didoné
[email protected]

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/xa-network-expands-to-africa-with-launch-of-xa-africa-backed-by-tech-veterans-302273341.html

Fintech PR

Arta Finance partners with Abu Dhabi’s Wio Invest to launch Wealth-as-a-Service for banks globally, unveils Arta AI Copilot

Published

2 hours ago

October 10, 2024

CISION (PR Newswire)

arta-finance-partners-with-abu-dhabi’s-wio-invest-to-launch-wealth-as-a-service-for-banks-globally,-unveils-arta-ai-copilot

MAS-licensed Arta Finance launches in Singapore and internationally
Arta announces partnerships with Wio Invest for its Wealth-as-a-service offering for banks and financial institutions globally
Arta unveils Arta AI Copilot – a number of AI-enhanced experiences on its wealth platform
Arta welcomes Ralph Hamers as external advisor

SINGAPORE, Oct. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Fast-growing digital wealth management platform Arta Finance today launched globally. Arta’s platform is now open to accredited investors in Singapore and to international investors open to managing their wealth in Singapore – a global wealth hub where an expected 1.6 million offshore investors are expected to manage $4.8 trillion in assets by 2028. The international launch follows Arta’s successful debut in the US in October 2023.

Arta today also took a major step on its B2B journey with the announcement that Abu Dhabi’s Wio Invest would be the first of many to integrate the Arta wealth-as-a-service platform into their digital platform, to create a new wealth management offering for its clients in the Middle East, pending regulatory approval. Wio Invest, a forward-thinking Middle Eastern fintech, is regulated by the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) and backed by Abu Dhabi Development Company (ADQ), a prominent institution.

Commenting on the international launch, Arta CEO Caesar Sengupta said: “Arta is at the intersection of some powerful trends, including the personalisation and democratisation of wealth management, the huge growth and opportunity in private market investing, and the use of AI to create capabilities that have previously only been the preserve of the ultra-wealthy. We are now taking a major leap forward with our international launch and can’t wait to bring the Arta wealth platform and AI Copilot to the global community in the months and years ahead.”

The ‘wealth-as-a-service’ platform for banks and financial institutions is a new B2B offering by Arta. It was done with support from the venture building team of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), which worked closely with Arta to incubate this offering during the early stages of the concept. This cloud-based platform empowers partner banks to serve their clients better and meet evolving demands with faster time-to-market for innovative wealth management products, services, and technology. Banks can choose from integrating Arta AI Copilot capabilities, to embedding Arta’s investment solutions into their platforms, to fully white-labelling the Arta platform — enhancing their digital capabilities and unlocking growth in new wealth segments.

To help integrate a cloud and AI-native wealth platform into legacy systems at partner banks, Arta is also announcing partnerships with leading cloud provider Google Cloud and global management and technology consultancy Capco to provide solutions for banks looking to adopt Arta’s technology.

Amanda Ong, Head of International Expansion commented: “The launch of the B2B business is an extension of Arta’s mission, enabling us to partner with banks and financial institutions in a way that is wholly complementary to their current offering. We are proud to welcome Wio as our launch partner and look forward to growing together.”

AI drives leap in wealth tech

Arta also launched the first-of-its-kind AI Copilot, purpose-built for wealth management and finance. This patent-pending technology empowers Arta’s members to make smarter investment decisions – ideate, analyse, and monitor their portfolios with the tools and insights that usually require large teams of relationship managers, private bankers, and investment analysts.

Unlike commonly available AI chatbots or apps, Arta’s AI systems are purpose-built for applications in wealth and finance and exploit the reasoning capabilities of the latest large language models. Arta’s AI stack employs several models that work in conjunction with each other – including commercially available closed source models, fine-tuned open source LLMs and several custom built AI/ML models created by Arta’s researchers. These models have access to high-quality public and proprietary data including large financial and risk data sets for training and inference. This enables Arta to combine the fluency of LLMs with the time sensitivity, hard mathematical rigour and explainability necessary for investment and financial applications. Its AI stack, like the rest of Arta’s infrastructure, is highly privacy-preserving and uses encryption at rest and in transit for all user data.

Singapore Minister of State for Trade and Industry and MAS board member, Alvin Tan was on hand to help launch Arta in the City State, alongside investors, fund managers, partners, and clients. The company has established key functions in Singapore including engineering, marketing, product, design and operations and a number of its global leads including its CEO are based in Singapore.

Arta welcomes Ralph Hamers as external advisor

Arta also today welcomes Ralph Hamers as an external senior advisor, providing strategic guidance as the company grows internationally. Ralph Hamers is an advisor to established and new players in the global financial sector. He developed a special knowledge in digitalisation of processes and client offerings. Hamers previously was CEO with UBS and ING

Commenting on his role as senior advisor to Arta, Mr Hamers said:

“A central focus of my leadership has been to take legacy businesses and digitalise, integrating front-to-back technology to drive efficiencies and make the lives of clients and colleagues easier. This often needs major and multi-year transformations in well-established organisations. With Arta, I see the enormous opportunity of having incredibly smart people from the worlds of technology and finance coming together to build a platform that is more than ready to take its place amongst the world’s leading wealth managers.”

Mr. Hamers becomes part of a distinguished group of early investors in Arta, which includes more than 140 technology and finance leaders, such as ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach.

The Arta wealth platform is now available globally to all accredited investors on desktop and mobile. Early members will get their first investment up to $100K managed free for life by Arta (terms and conditions apply). To learn more about Arta, please visit artafinance.com.

Important Disclosures
Arta Wealth Management Pte. Ltd. (“Arta Finance”) is licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (“MAS”) whose products and services are only available to Accredited Investors.

Investing in securities involves risk, and there is always the potential of losing money. Certain investments are not suitable for all investors. The content provided herein is for informational purposes only and is not investment or financial advice, tax or legal advice, an offer, solicitation of an offer, or advice to buy or sell or hold securities or investment products. This material has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. For additional disclosures related to Arta Finance, please visit https://artafinance.com/sg/disclosures.

About Arta Finance:
Founded by ex-Google executives, Arta Finance is a digital wealth platform for the savvy that enables more people to access the “financial superpowers” of the ultra-wealthy. The platform provides access to private market investments from elite fund managers, intelligent public market strategies and structured products, and sophisticated financial services such as insurance and estate planning. Headquartered in the US and Singapore, Arta serves its members directly as well as empowering partner financial institutions to expand wealth management to new clients. Arta is backed by Peak XV, Ribbit Capital, Coatue, EDBI, and over 140 luminaries in tech and finance.

Learn more at artafinance.com

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Fintech PR

Arta Finance launches globally via Singapore, unveils Arta AI Copilot, and announces Wealth-as-a-Service for banks

Published

2 hours ago

October 10, 2024

CISION (PR Newswire)

arta-finance-launches-globally-via-singapore,-unveils-arta-ai-copilot,-and-announces-wealth-as-a-service-for-banks

MAS-licensed Arta launches in Singapore and internationally
Arta unveils Arta AI Copilot – a number of AI-enhanced experiences on its wealth platform
Arta announces partnerships with Wio Invest, Google Cloud, and Capco for its Wealth-as-a-service offering for banks and financial institutions globally
Arta welcomes Ralph Hamers as external advisor

SINGAPORE, Oct. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Fast-growing digital wealth management platform Arta Finance today launched globally. Arta’s platform is now open to accredited investors in Singapore and to international investors open to managing their wealth in Singapore – a global wealth hub where an expected 1.6 million non-Singaporeans are expected to manage $4.8 trillion in assets by 2028. The international launch comes after Arta’s successful debut in the US in October 2023, where it has since grown to manage hundreds of millions in assets for thousands of clients.

Arta’s wealth platform offers a curated deal flow that includes private investments from exclusive fund managers, intelligent public market strategies, and innovative structured products, without the sales pressure, opaque pricing and manual processes found in many other financial institutions. Arta’s designed-in-Singapore product has various unique features, including support for philanthropic giving in partnership with Co-Axis – a Temasek Trust initiative, a Founding Member community, and even a Singlish setting in its AI Copilot.

Arta also launched the first-of-its-kind AI Copilot, purpose-built for wealth management and finance. This patent-pending technology, rolling out progressively to members will empower them to make smarter investment decisions – ideate, analyse, and monitor their portfolios with the tools and insights that usually require large teams of relationship managers, private bankers, and investment analysts.

Commenting on the launch, Arta CEO Caesar Sengupta said: “Arta is at the intersection of some powerful trends, including the personalisation and democratisation of wealth management, the huge growth and opportunity in private market investing, and the use of AI to create capabilities that have previously only been the preserve of the ultra-wealthy. We are now taking a major leap forward with our global launch and can’t wait to bring the Arta wealth platform and AI Copilot to the global community in the months and years ahead.”

Wealth-as-a-service launched with Wio, Google Cloud and CapCo tie ups

Arta today also took a major step on its B2B journey with the announcement that Abu Dhabi’s Wio Invest would be the first of many financial institutions to integrate the Arta wealth-as-a-service platform into Wio’s industry leading digital investment platform, to create a new wealth management offering for its clients in the Middle East, pending regulatory approval.

The ‘wealth-as-a-service’ platform for banks is a new B2B offering by Arta. It was done with support from the venture building team of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), which worked closely with Arta to incubate this offering during the early stages of the concept. This cloud-based platform empowers partner banks to serve their clients better and meet evolving demands with faster time-to-market for innovative wealth management products, services, and technology. Banks can choose from integrating Arta AI Copilot capabilities, to embedding Arta’s investment solutions into their platforms, to fully white-labelling the Arta platform — enhancing their digital capabilities and unlocking growth in new wealth segments.

To help integrate a cloud and AI native wealth platform into legacy systems at partner banks, Arta is also announcing partnerships with Google Cloud and global management and technology consultancy Capco to provide solutions for banks looking to adopt Arta’s technology.

Amanda Ong, Singapore Country Director and Head of International Expansion commented: “Singapore is the natural home for Arta’s international business with its rising importance as Asia’s wealth hub. The launch of the B2B business is an extension of Arta’s mission, enabling us to partner with banks and financial institutions in a way that is wholly complementary to their current offering. We are proud to welcome Wio as our launch partner and look forward to growing together.”

Arta welcomes Ralph Hamers as external advisor

Commenting on his role as senior advisor to Arta, Mr Hamers said:

Important Disclosures
Arta Wealth Management Pte. Ltd. (“Arta”) is licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (“MAS”) whose products and services are only available to Accredited Investors.

Learn more at artafinance.com

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2216796/Arta_Finance_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/arta-finance-launches-globally-via-singapore-unveils-arta-ai-copilot-and-announces-wealth-as-a-service-for-banks-302273431.html