Author: Fiona Craig

  • FTSE 100 Edges Lower Ahead of U.S. Payrolls Report

    FTSE 100 Edges Lower Ahead of U.S. Payrolls Report

    The FTSE 100 traded slightly lower on Friday as markets awaited the latest U.S. non-farm payrolls report ahead of the Federal Reserve’s Sept. 16 policy meeting.

    The FTSE 100 was down 0.04% as of 03:18 ET (07:18 GMT). Elsewhere in Europe, Germany’s DAX gained 0.10% and France’s CAC 40 rose 0.04%.

    Sterling strengthened against the U.S. dollar, with GBP/USD up 0.13% at 1.3542.

    U.S. Employment Data in Focus

    Consensus forecasts point to an increase of 55,000 U.S. non-farm payrolls for August, compared with a decline of 23,000 in July. The unemployment rate is expected to remain at 4.1%.

    Analysts at ING said comments from Federal Reserve Governor Waller pushed U.S. Treasury yields lower on Thursday before a stronger ISM services reading subsequently sent yields higher.

    ING said a payrolls increase below 25,000, combined with benign core CPI of less than 0.2% month-on-month next week, would likely be required to delay an interest-rate increase.

    Friday marks the Federal Reserve’s final communication before its blackout period ahead of the Sept. 16 policy decision.

    Middle East Developments Remain in Focus

    South Korea’s presidential office said it was considering “contributions” to U.S.-led security efforts in the Strait of Hormuz, while adding that “nothing has been decided yet.”

    Vice President JD Vance told a White House briefing he was “extremely skeptical” that Iranian claims that a U.S. strike had hit a wedding party were accurate. Asked whether fighting would end by the midterms, he added “I wouldn’t call it a war”.

    Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the European Union had “officially” joined the U.S.-led “Operation Economic Outcast” sanctions campaign against Iran. Bessent reiterated that the campaign aims to “sever every economic lifeline” sustaining Tehran.

    Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained below levels recorded before the conflict, with 102 transits last week compared with more than 130 per day previously. Tanker operators continued to route oil through a U.S.-guided southern corridor near Oman.

    Iranian officials said a recent series of U.S. strikes killed at least 18 people and wounded 142. The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. President Donald Trump was privately considering declaring the war over while the Pentagon extended troop deployments in the region.

    Oil Prices Rise While Gold Declines

    Brent crude rose 0.45% to $95.90 a barrel, while WTI increased 0.43% to $91.68.

    Gold futures declined 0.57% to $4,514.15, while spot gold fell 0.13% to $4,467.71.

  • Arrow Exploration Reports Production Above 6,000 Boe/d and Advances Icaco Drilling

    Arrow Exploration Reports Production Above 6,000 Boe/d and Advances Icaco Drilling

    Arrow Exploration Corp. (LSE:AXL) reported corporate production of more than 6,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, following recent drilling activity, workovers and the addition of the Thorsby field in Alberta.

    The company estimated its cash balance at US$21.8 million after making the payment associated with the Thorsby acquisition.

    At the Icaco field on the Tapir block in Colombia, Arrow said the IC-6 well encountered a fault and was subsequently repurposed as a water disposal well. The company expects the change in use to reduce operating costs and improve production efficiency at the field.

    Arrow has since spud the IC-7 well, which is targeting multiple formations. The company is also expanding drilling capacity on the Icaco pad as it continues development activity in the area.

    Arrow said discussions regarding an extension of the Tapir block are continuing.

    More about Arrow Exploration Corp.

    Arrow Exploration Corp. is an oil and gas company with operations in Colombia and Canada. Its portfolio includes operated light oil assets in the Llanos, Middle Magdalena Valley and Putumayo basins.

    The company holds rights to 50% of production from the Tapir block in Colombia through a private commercial contract and operates in the country through its wholly owned subsidiary Carrao Energy S.A.

    Arrow is listed on London’s AIM market and the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker AXL.

  • Quantum Data Energy Reports 4.7 GWh of H1 Generation as New Projects Advance

    Quantum Data Energy Reports 4.7 GWh of H1 Generation as New Projects Advance

    Quantum Data Energy PLC (LSE:QDE) reported electricity generation of approximately 4.7 GWh during the first half of 2026 as it continued to develop its flexible power generation portfolio.

    The company said its Pyebridge asset achieved an average electricity price of £149 per MWh during the period, approximately 58% above the wholesale market benchmark.

    Pyebridge also secured an additional Capacity Market contract covering the period to 2029-30 and was enrolled in NESO’s new Slow Reserve service.

    Quantum Data Energy said the first half was characterised by record renewable generation and periods of electricity price volatility, with intraday price spreads regularly exceeding £100 per MWh.

    Bordersley and Hindlip Add 12.5 MW of Capacity

    The company also reported progress across two development projects representing a combined 12.5 MW of additional capacity.

    The 5 MW Bordersley project reached financial close and entered construction during the period, while the 7.5 MW Hindlip plant completed construction and commissioning on schedule and within budget.

    According to Quantum Data Energy, the two projects are largely funded by partners, limiting the amount of capital required from shareholders.

    The developments form part of the company’s strategy of developing modular power generation capacity for applications including the U.K. electricity grid and AI data centres.

    More about Quantum Data Energy PLC

    Quantum Data Energy PLC is a U.K.-based independent energy company that develops, operates and owns flexible modular power generation assets connected to the U.K. grid.

    The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange Main Market and develops scalable power infrastructure, including modular generation solutions intended for AI data centres and grid applications.

  • hVIVO to Report Interim Results on 15 September

    hVIVO to Report Interim Results on 15 September

    hVIVO plc (LSE:HVO) said it will publish its interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2026 on 15 September.

    The company will hold an analyst briefing on the same day, led by Chief Executive Yamin ‘Mo’ Khan and Chief Financial Officer Stephen Pinkerton.

    hVIVO will also host a separate online presentation for investors on 15 September. The event will be available through registration and is open to existing and potential shareholders.

    The presentations will accompany the company’s financial and operational update for the first half of 2026.

    More about hVIVO plc

    hVIVO plc is a London-listed clinical development services company specialising in human challenge clinical trials for biopharmaceutical companies.

    The group operates dedicated sites and laboratories in the U.K. and Germany and provides services covering clinical and regulatory consulting, clinical trial execution, human challenge studies and laboratory activities.

    hVIVO operates a quarantine facility in London for human challenge studies, while its laboratory services include virology, immunology, biobanking and sample storage.

    The company’s FluCamp business maintains a specialist participant recruitment database used to support enrolment into clinical studies.

  • Avacta Reduces Convertible Bond Principal to £12 Million Following Cash Repayment

    Avacta Reduces Convertible Bond Principal to £12 Million Following Cash Repayment

    Avacta Group plc (LSE:AVCT) has settled an accelerated payment notice relating to its deferred April 2026 quarterly convertible bond repayment, paying £2.613 million in cash.

    The payment comprises £2.4 million of principal together with associated interest and fees. Following the settlement, both quarterly payments that had previously been deferred have now been satisfied.

    Avacta also made its scheduled July 2026 payment. Following these repayments, the outstanding principal under the company’s convertible bond has been reduced to £12.0 million.

    The remaining principal represents approximately 3.8% of Avacta’s market capitalisation.

    More about Avacta Group plc

    Avacta Group plc, trading as Avacta Therapeutics, is a clinical-stage life sciences company developing targeted oncology treatments.

    Its proprietary pre|CISION® platform uses the tumour-specific protease FAP with the aim of concentrating drug payloads within the tumour microenvironment while limiting exposure to normal tissues.

    The company’s pipeline includes AVA6000, a FAP-enabled form of doxorubicin that has shown preliminary activity in salivary gland cancer and soft tissue sarcoma.

    Avacta is also developing AVA6103, which incorporates a sustained-release mechanism and is being evaluated in the FOCUS-01 Phase 1 trial.

  • Metals One Secures £4 Million Senior Promissory Note Funding

    Metals One Secures £4 Million Senior Promissory Note Funding

    Metals One PLC (LSE:MET1) has secured £4 million in gross funding from YA II PN, a fund managed by Yorkville Advisors Global, through a senior promissory note to support its minerals investment programmes and working capital requirements.

    The funding is structured as non-convertible debt and does not provide for automatic conversion into equity. Metals One will also issue warrants with an aggregate value equivalent to the note, exercisable for three years at 130% of the company’s closing share price immediately before the transaction.

    After fees and a 5% original issue discount, Metals One expects to receive net proceeds of £3.74 million.

    Repayment will take place through monthly instalments beginning 60 days after closing. The company said that, including the new facility, it has more than £11 million in cash and liquid investments.

    Metals One intends to fund repayments partly through the disposal of listed investments that it classifies as non-core and values at approximately £6 million.

    The company said the financing will provide bridging capital for operational activities across its gold-focused project portfolio in Africa and the Americas, including acquisition, exploration and development activities.

    Metals One Appoints New AIM Adviser

    Separately, Metals One has appointed Spark Advisory Partners Limited as its new AIM Nominated Adviser, replacing Beaumont Cornish.

    More about Metals One PLC

    Metals One PLC is a critical and precious metals project developer and investor focused on gold and uranium assets.

    Its portfolio includes a South African gold and energy platform, brownfield gold and copper exploration in Peru, uranium and tailings projects, a U.S. gold exploration project and graphite and copper exploration interests in Tanzania.

    The company’s shares trade on AIM under the ticker MET1 and on the U.S. OTCQB Venture Market as MTOPF.

  • Fiinu Advances Plugin Overdraft Platform With Conister Bank Partnership

    Fiinu Advances Plugin Overdraft Platform With Conister Bank Partnership

    Fiinu (LSE:BANK) has agreed an addendum to its Master Services Agreement with Conister Bank, moving its Plugin Overdraft platform into a production environment ahead of a planned proof-of-concept launch by the end of the year.

    The addendum establishes an implementation timetable and a longer-term commercial framework between the two companies, combining Fiinu’s overdraft technology with Conister Bank’s lending operations.

    Under the initial deployment, the platform will support Conister Bank in providing overdraft facilities to approximately 1.5 million customers of Payment Assist Limited.

    The companies may subsequently extend the offering to new Conister Bank customers and the broader market.

    Fiinu said its Plugin Overdraft technology allows banks to provide overdraft facilities without requiring customers to move their primary current accounts.

    The company is also holding discussions with international financial services organisations regarding potential applications of its technology.

    More about Fiinu Plc

    Fiinu Plc is a U.K.-based fintech group listed on AIM that develops banking technology products, including its Plugin Overdraft platform.

    The platform is designed to allow banks to offer overdraft facilities separately from customers’ primary current accounts.

    Fiinu’s business model involves providing its technology to banking partners that can use the platform to offer credit products to customers while allowing them to retain their existing primary banking relationships.

  • Ferrexpo Raises About US$100 Million in Equity Fundraise as London Trading Set to Resume

    Ferrexpo Raises About US$100 Million in Equity Fundraise as London Trading Set to Resume

    Ferrexpo (LSE:FXPO) has completed an oversubscribed equity fundraise involving 448,848,484 new ordinary shares at an issue price of 16.5 pence per share, raising approximately US$100 million from existing and new institutional investors.

    The financing includes a US$50 million cornerstone commitment from investor Andriy Verevskyi and a subscription from major shareholder Fevamotinico. The issuance of the new shares will increase Ferrexpo’s outstanding share capital and dilute the percentage holdings of shareholders who do not participate in the fundraise.

    Ferrexpo said the proceeds will strengthen its liquidity and support the restart of production in Ukraine and the resumption of exports to customers in Europe and other international markets.

    The company also intends to use the funding to reinstate previously deferred capital expenditure and increase production when operating conditions allow. Management said the restart would support thousands of jobs in Ukraine.

    Fundraise Subject to Shareholder Approval

    The equity financing remains conditional on shareholder approval at a general meeting scheduled for 21 September 2026.

    Subject to approval, admission of the new shares to trading on the London Stock Exchange is expected on 22 September.

    The 16.5 pence issue price represents a discount to Ferrexpo’s share price before its trading suspension.

    Trading in the company’s existing shares is scheduled to resume on 7 September following the publication of its audited annual accounts.

    More about Ferrexpo

    Ferrexpo is a Swiss-headquartered iron ore company with operations in Ukraine and a listing on the London Stock Exchange.

    The group produces iron ore pellets for steel manufacturers and has supplied customers internationally for more than 50 years.

    Ferrexpo’s production and export activities have been affected by operating conditions associated with the war in Ukraine. The company serves customers in Europe and other international markets and plans to use part of the new financing to support the resumption of production and exports.

  • Pan African Resources Reports 9.8 Million Decline in ASX CDIs During August

    Pan African Resources Reports 9.8 Million Decline in ASX CDIs During August

    Pan African Resources (LSE:PAF) reported a decrease in the number of CHESS Depositary Interests over its ordinary shares quoted on the Australian Securities Exchange during August 2026.

    The number of CDIs declined to 61,780,474 at the end of August from 71,610,794 at the end of July, representing a net decrease of 9,830,320 instruments during the month.

    The change reflected net transfers between the company’s ASX-quoted CDIs and ordinary shares traded on the London and Johannesburg exchanges.

    The movement relates to the market through which investors hold the company’s securities rather than a corresponding change in Pan African Resources’ overall share capital.

    More about Pan African Resources

    Pan African Resources PLC is a precious metals producer with a primary listing in London and additional listings in Johannesburg and Australia.

    In Australia, the company’s ordinary shares can be traded through CHESS Depositary Interests, providing investors with an ASX-listed instrument representing the underlying shares.

    Pan African Resources is incorporated in England and Wales and also operates through Pan African Resources Funding Company Limited in South Africa. Its securities are available through several international trading lines, including ADRs.

  • Bluebird Mining Ventures Reports Shift Toward Gold and Bitcoin Streaming Model

    Bluebird Mining Ventures Reports Shift Toward Gold and Bitcoin Streaming Model

    Bluebird Mining Ventures (LSE:BMV) reported interim results covering its transition from legacy exploration activities toward a business model focused on gold streaming, mining and treasury assets.

    During the period, the company expanded its board and advisory team, introduced new incentive arrangements and allocated capital to Bitcoin, tokenised gold and physical gold.

    BMV also completed the disposal of its South Korean gold interests. Under the transaction, the company removed its future funding obligations relating to the assets while retaining a 2.5% net smelter return royalty over the Gubong and Kochang projects.

    During the half-year, Bluebird raised approximately US$1.55 million through equity fundraisings and reduced its warrant liability.

    The company also made its first Bitcoin-linked streaming investment through a 4.8MW mining project in Texas. The project entered production in June and generated initial streaming revenue during the period.

    Treasury Assets Total US$696,144

    As of 30 June 2026, Bluebird reported digital assets valued at US$696,144, comprising holdings including Bitcoin and tokenised gold. The company also held US$207,429 in cash.

    BMV revised its accounting policies during the period with the stated aim of reflecting market values for mining equipment and qualifying digital assets.

    The company is developing gold streaming arrangements under which producers receive capital in exchange for a share of future production. It is also working on a Bitcoin streaming model designed to provide mining infrastructure to counterparties without requiring upfront capital expenditure from them.

    Management is seeking to develop recurring revenue from streaming and royalty arrangements while managing liquidity and capital allocation across the business.

    More about Bluebird Mining Ventures

    Bluebird Mining Ventures Ltd is a London-listed gold streaming, mining and treasury company with activities spanning precious metals and digital assets.

    Its business model includes streaming and royalty arrangements as well as holdings of physical gold, tokenised gold and Bitcoin. The company states that it primarily uses Bitcoin as a payment mechanism and short-term working capital tool rather than as a speculative investment.

    BMV’s strategy includes providing financing to producers through streaming structures in exchange for interests in future production, alongside investments in mining infrastructure and treasury assets.