Animoca Brands A$4.7 million Share Placement
Well Funded to Execute on Key Growth Initiatives
Highlights:
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Animoca Brands raises A$4.69 million by way of a share placement to sophisticated and professional investors
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Funds raised will be invested in the development of new mobile entertainment products and the launch of subscription based products such as E-books, opening up new revenue streams
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The Company is now well positioned to drive revenue growth and execute on key growth initiatives
Hong Kong – 2 December, 2015: Animoca Brands (ASX: AB1, “The Company”) today announces that placement offers have been accepted to raise A$4.69 million from sophisticated and professional investors. Strong demand and interest was received, representing the Company’s attractive business model, leading brand portfolio, growing user base and strong market position in the growing global mobile gaming and entertainment market.
Placement offers have been accepted for 33,504,141 fully paid ordinary shares at an issue price of A$0.14 cents per share, to raise a total of A$4.69 million before costs. Shares accepted under the Placement are expected to be issued on 9 December 2015. The shares will have the same terms as and rank pari passu with existing ordinary shares. The Company will not seek shareholder approval for the issue of shares under the placement.
The Company will use the money raised to accelerate growth in its existing mobile games business and execute on new growth initiatives currently before the company. These growth initiatives include:
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the development of new mobile entertainment products;
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the development, publishing and launch of new subscription based products, including E-books, across its brand portfolio. E-books are currently among some of the top performers in the Kids category in Apple’s app store and Google Play.
The board of Animoca Brands gave careful consideration to undertaking a capital raising at below the issue price of shares in the RTO and the placement to Ourpalm in August this year. The decision on pricing was made on the basis that the new focus on children’s entertainment with Mattel, and particularly the new lines of revenue to be derived from subscription-based apps, are so strategically important to the company that the dilutive nature of raising capital at A$0.14 per share should be outweighed by the potential value created by applying the monies raised to these new initiatives. The decision on a placement, as opposed to a rights issue, was made on the basis of expediency and certainty, particularly given the proximity to the Christmas holidays and the potential lost opportunity if the timetable of a rights offering was adopted, extending the timetable well past Christmas.
Patersons Securities was the lead manager to the capital raising, with participation by Bell Potter, Koda Capital, and Taylor Collison. The company believes that this involvement of multiple firms will serve to increase investor awareness of the company and ultimately increase trading liquidity of the company’s shares on the ASX.
Robby Yung, CEO, Animoca Brands commented:
“We are extremely pleased with the strong interest received from investors through this Placement, demonstrating confidence in our business model and strategy. The successful capital raise of A$4.69 million is validation of our leading product offering and places the Company in a strong position to accelerate revenue growth and the roll out of its near term and longer term growth initiatives across a rapidly growing mobile gaming industry.”
About Animoca Brands
Animoca Brands listed on the ASX in January 2015 and is the only ASX-listed pure play mobile game developer. Animoca Brands publishes globally a broad portfolio of mobile games, including several games based on popular intellectual properties such as Garfield, Ultraman, and Doraemon. Animoca Brand’s games have been downloaded over 165 million times and are growing at 5–6 million downloads per month. Animoca Brands is based in Hong Kong. For more information visit www.animocabrands.com.
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