Latest news with #Aquis
Finextra
04-07-2025
- Business
- Finextra
SIX closes Aquis acquisition
SIX announces the successful closing of its acquisition of Aquis Exchange plc, a leading European challenger exchange. With this strategic acquisition, SIX is evolving into a truly pan-European exchange innovator at scale, with an aggregated market share of 15% and access to 16 capital markets across Europe. 0 This content is provided by an external author without editing by Finextra. It expresses the views and opinions of the author. This positions SIX as the only exchange group providing listing venues in all major European financial centers, including Switzerland, the EU, and the UK. Together, the two businesses will unlock new revenue streams by offering a seamless trading experience across multiple venues. 'The acquisition of Aquis marks a significant milestone in the evolution of SIX as a pan-European leader,' said Bjørn Sibbern, CEO SIX. 'With Aquis, we gain not only access to new markets but also the technology and expertise needed to drive innovation at scale. We aim to offer our clients a unified experience with 'One Plug, Multiple Trading Venues' – a single connection providing access to Switzerland, Spain, and the UK –, ensuring more liquidity, better market access, and innovative trading solutions.' David Stevens, CEO Aquis, added: 'Joining SIX is an exciting opportunity for Aquis and our clients. Aquis has achieved great momentum in our mission to challenge across European capital markets, and we will be able to go further, faster, and stronger as part of SIX. We will continue to innovate in trading, to deploy cutting-edge technology, and to provide a tailored listings environment for the UK's high-growth smaller companies, while further benefiting from the strength of the European reach and infrastructure of SIX. Together, we are uniquely positioned to shape the future of the European exchange landscape.' Tomas Kindler, Global Head Exchanges SIX: 'Aquis is a key strategic building block for us to become a truly pan-European exchange, listing venue for growth companies, and trading technology provider. I'm excited about the opportunities we will pursue together.' Aquis will continue to operate under its established brand, with its existing management team and business model, preserving its agile execution capabilities. This acquisition sets the stage for SIX to deploy Aquis' next-generation technology as a nucleus for capital markets innovation. SIX works closely with the relevant regulatory authorities to obtain the necessary approvals, ensuring that all required authorizations are in place for further enhancing the trading experience for clients across Europe.
Irish Independent
02-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Deirdre Somers resigns non-executive role as Aquis signs deal with Swiss exchange
It follows the British firm's acquisition under a scheme of arrangement that has just been approved by the UK courts. Ms Somers was appointed a non-executive director of Aquis in 2020. She was appointed CEO of the Irish Stock Exchange in 2007 and led the business until 2018, when the exchange was formally acquired by Euronext. Aquis noted on her appointment that Ms Somers had led the transformation of the Irish Stock Exchange from a 'relatively small domestic equity exchange to a highly profitable PLC with global specialisms'. Last November, Aquis and Switzerland's SIX announced that they had reached agreement on the terms of a recommended cash offer made by SIX for Aquis. It valued Aquis at £194m (€226m) on an enterprise value basis. Six operates the SIX Swiss Exchange, which is currently billed as the third-largest in Europe and features about 250 listed firms. It said that the acquisition of Aquis creates a pan-European exchange 'innovator', with 15pc market share and access to 16 capital markets across Europe. Chief executive of SIX, Bjorn Sibbern, said the acquisition of the UK firm marks a 'significant milestone' in the group's evolution. With Aquis, we gain not only access to new markets, but also the technology and expertise needed to drive innovation at scale 'With Aquis, we gain not only access to new markets, but also the technology and expertise needed to drive innovation at scale,' he said. Mr Sibbern added that the group can now offer clients access to markets in Switzerland, Spain and the UK. Aquis will continue to operate under its established brand, with its existing management team and business model. SIX said it will use Aquis' technology to spur capital markets innovation. Aquis said that the completion of the deal sees Mr Sibbern join the UK firm's board, alongside other SIX executives, Tomas Kindler and Markus Gumpfer. 'Deirdre Somers, Mark Goodliffe, David Vaillant, Dr Ruth Wandhofer and Fields Wicker-Miurin have tendered their resignations and have stepped down from the Aquis board,' it added. The Irish Stock Exchange has seen a decline in the number of companies it has listed, with giants such as CRH, Flutter Entertainment and DCC having left in recent years. Hotel group Dalata is currently up for sale and the outcome of that process could also see it terminate its listing.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Smarter Web Company becomes tech unicorn after stock surges six-fold in two weeks
Smarter Web Company has become the UK's latest tech unicorn, achieving a valuation of more than £1bn after its stock saw a six-fold increase in just two weeks. The web design and online marketing company saw its stock climb 18.3 per cent by the end of the day's trading session on Friday to 500p, ending a week-long run of gains and bringing its total market cap to £1.1bn. That has come off the back of the firm's new Bitcoin treasury policy, in which it invests all its spare cash into Bitcoin, emulating a model made famous four years ago after its adoption by US firm Microstrategy and its billionaire co-founder Mike Saylor. The company now holds 346.63 Bitcoin with a combined market value of £27.2m. The stock surge means that Smarter Web Company has now become one of the 250 most valuable listed companies in the UK, meaning it would rank around the middle of the FTSE 250 index. The Smarter Web Company, which offers web design, web development and online marketing services, has now raised funds five times since its IPO in April, following another £30m raise last week. It is already comfortably the most valuable constituent of the Aquis exchange. 'The company believes that Bitcoin forms a core part of the future of the global financial system and as the company explores opportunities through organic growth and corporate acquisitions is pioneering the adoption of a Bitcoin Treasury Policy into its strategy,' Smarter Web Company said. The company's founder, ex Hargreaves Lansdown head of digital Andrew Webley, controls a 12.4 per cent stake in the business worth over £100m. 'By taking a pioneering approach to treasury management using digital assets, including Bitcoin, we believe we offer investors an excellent opportunity,' Webley said.
Daily Mail
06-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
SMALL CAP MOVERS: Bitcoin treasury firms crowd into London's junior market
Know anything about Bitcoin treasuries? No, me neither. Yet there's a rash of them appearing on AIM and Aquis, and it seems people are willing to back these enterprises with some serious money. Take The Smarter Web Company. Seeking to raise around £8million, it drew in £13.4million from professional and private investors in a massively oversubscribed fundraiser. Part of the investment Smarter has raised will bankroll what it calls its Bitcoin treasury policy. So, let's back up a bit. While the name may be unfamiliar, the concept is fairly easy to understand: A treasury pot of assets (in this case cryptocurrency) that is bought and built, presumably with the aim of asset appreciation. In the case of Bitcoin, this might not be a bad bet. Since April last year, the crypto's value has increased by more than 75 per cent to top out at around $111,000 last month, though it has since eased back to around $103,000. The start of the run coincided with an event called a halving, which effectively puts a choke on the mining of new currency and, by extension, supply - creating a squeeze on the price. Experts reckon the current bull run has legs, with estimates suggesting the price could hit $200,000 by the end of this year and a barely credible $1 million by 2030. Bulls on the cryptocurrency include Cathie Wood, the widely followed American tech investor. Now, The Smarter Web Company isn't the only game in town. Far from it. There's been an explosion of start-ups or pivots to Bitcoin treasury. Helium Ventures (out of one super-hot area and into another), Coinsillium (by AIM's standards a veteran of the crypto sector) Cykel AI and Vinanz, which is soon to change its name to London BTC Company. Bluebird Mining Ventures, meanwhile, is riffing on the theme by becoming a gold and Bitcoin company. Back to reality. The AIM All-Share enjoyed another very solid week as it advanced 1.5 per cent to 757.54, outpacing the FTSE 100, which nudged up 0.5 per cent. Star of the show was Celadon, the weed-based pharma company, which continued its ascent after last week's news of a potential cash injection from an unnamed sugar daddy (or mummy). The stock ended the week 170 per cent higher. Another top performer, up 57 per cent, was tech investor Blue Star Capital, which on Thursday capitalised on the strength of its share price by bagging a £250,000 cash infusion. Shuka Minerals rose 43 per cent after inching closer to the acquisition of a zinc asset in Zambia, having received the green light from local authorities. Empire Metals motored 37 per cent as it revealed progress towards delivering a maiden mineral resource estimate for the Pitfield Project, Western Australia, the world's largest undeveloped titanium discovery. Now to the fallers. There was a familiar story behind the 48 per cent slump in the shares of sports analytics group 4Global, which is quitting the junior market citing a lack of liquidity and access to capital, and also saying, frankly, it is too expensive to maintain a listing. Shares in technology group Trellus Health dropped 48 per cent after it used its prelims to reveal its cash reserves will only last until October. Not ideal. Finally, EMV Capital is quietly carving out a niche in early-stage deep tech investing, and Panmure Liberum thinks the market is missing the story. Core revenues rose around 67 per cent in 2024 to £2.9million, building on 44 per cent growth the year before, as EMV scaled up its operations and expanded assets under management. Panmure points to a 'disproportionate' ability to create value for relatively modest cash input, especially where in-kind services are provided to early-stage holdings. In the wake of results, the broker reiterated its 'buy' rating along with its 133p price target. The shares ended the week up 10 per cent, but well short of Panmure's valuation at 43.04p. For all that's hot in the small- and mid-cap space go to
Daily Mail
04-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
My British bitcoin holding company had its IPO two weeks ago and shares have doubled
'I'd like to be a FTSE 100 company,' Andrew Webley, founder of The Smarter Web Company, told This is Money last month, as the firm launched its retail offering on the Aquis Exchange. Two weeks later it looks like this dream is edging slowly closer to being within his grasp. We spoke to Webley as the Smarter Web Company launched its IPO with a price of 2.5 pence per share, raising £1million through its IPO alone. The Smarter Web Company offers web design and digital marketing services to more than 250 different clients but that's not the driving force behind the IPO and its success. Instead, a major part of its strategy going forward, and undoubtedly the selling point to investors, is the firm's adoption of a digital asset treasury policy centered around bitcoin - making it the UK's answer to US star Microstrategy. As at 2 May, Smarter Web Company shares had almost doubled and were trading at 4.88 pence each, and the firm's market capitalisation has risen from £3.7million to £7.16million. Webley told This is Money: 'We were really pleased that we could do the retail offer, which is a little bit unusual with an IPO for a small company.' While having only commenced trading on the Aquis exchange on 25 April, the Surrey-based web design firm has become the most traded stock on Aquis by volume. The firm's average daily volume since it started trading is 82,861, with 404,415 shares changing hands this week alone and 9,890 on its first day of trading. Webley said: 'It's a bit overwhelming, the response has been brilliant. I've had so many supportive messages, with people saying 'I love what you're doing with your company. 'It's been really nice just to see people in the UK get behind what we believe is a very good story from the UK. I suppose that's the answer to the volume, people see that we're trying our best and we're working hard.' He added: 'Before we decided to be a public company, we've done everything transparently. The prices of our web design packages are on our website. We give people the truth, you know, at all times we're professional with them. 'We don't try and overcomplicate something that doesn't need to be overcomplicated. That's the same approach that we've taken to our investor relations. So we're just trying to be transparent.' The firm this week announced its latest bitcoin purchase worth £244,000, increasing its holdings to 5.74 bitcoin worth £414,000. The company also set out a ten-year plan, indicating that it is looking to grow its client numbers in the short term, as well as its intention to make strategic acquisitions. These sit alongside its other ambition to continue the growth of its digital asset holdings. Webley said: 'We are focused on accelerating short-term growth by scaling our proven core services, while also exploring strategic acquisitions that could unlock compelling value. 'By taking a pioneering approach to treasury management using digital assets, including bitcoin, we believe we offer investors an excellent opportunity.' Webley says the combination of a scalable business as well as the firm's digital asset treasury offers different attractive features for different investors. He said: 'Some people will look at our business and say "I like what you're doing on your organic growth," and others will say, "I like what you're doing with your innovative approach to Treasury management," investors choose the bits of the business that they like, and that's why they invest in it.' Webley added: 'I just want to be very clear about how grateful we are for the support that everyone has shown… if people didn't get behind it, it wouldn't be as exciting as it is. 'With that excitement obviously comes responsibility. We've now got to execute our strategy.'
