Author: Fiona Craig

Connecting Excellence Group Plc (AQSE:XCE) announced that its shares have commenced trading on the U.S. OTC Venture Market under the ticker (USOTC:XCELF). The company confirmed that no new ordinary shares were issued in connection with the secondary listing.

The OTCQB is considered a mid-tier marketplace for growth-oriented companies and is recognised by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an established public trading venue.

The board said the OTCQB admission is expected to provide access to a broader pool of U.S. investors, many of whom are already familiar with listed companies operating Bitcoin treasury strategies. Management believes the move could enhance liquidity and expand the shareholder base.

XCE’s core executive search business, Spencer Riley, has an established footprint in the United States, generating approximately 30% of its revenue from U.S. clients over the past year. The company said OTC trading aligns with its growing brand presence in the U.S., particularly across high-growth traditional industries and among firms seeking executive talent with expertise in Bitcoin-focused strategies.

The listing is also intended to support XCE’s broader ambition of promoting Bitcoin education and corporate adoption, integrating its recruitment operations with a disciplined Bitcoin treasury framework.

Chief Executive Officer Scott Ellam described the OTCQB listing as a key milestone. “Our admission to trading on the OTCQB is a strategic milestone for the Company. We are a profitable operating business first, with a proven international executive recruitment platform at our core, and an experienced capital markets team to deliver on our Bitcoin treasury strategy.

“US investors also have a strong understanding of Bitcoin, innovative capital structures and the value of cash-generative businesses that grow as a direct result of their ability to attract high performing revenue generating individuals and cash flowing companies to the organisation. Our business is a people driven business, backed by a Bitcoin treasury strategy so the OTCQB trading opens the opportunity for US investors, along with US clients, US based Executive Recruiters and US based competitor companies to join XCE on the journey as we positively disrupt international executive search and champion Bitcoin corporate adoption.

“The OTC will help to broaden our reach, increase liquidity and align XCE with a shareholder audience that shares our long-term conviction in building sustainable value through people, performance and disciplined Bitcoin accumulation.”

About Connecting Excellence Group Plc

Connecting Excellence Group is an international executive recruitment firm combining a scalable search platform with a long-term Bitcoin treasury strategy. Its flagship subsidiary, Spencer Riley, places senior leaders across global markets including engineering, logistics, life sciences, automation, technology, professional services and B2B industries.

The company’s Bitcoin treasury approach is designed to underpin long-term growth, with performance-linked equity incentives aimed at attracting and retaining top revenue-generating talent. XCE also intends to pursue strategic acquisitions using performance-based equity structures and is developing a specialist Bitcoin executive recruitment division to serve both native Bitcoin companies and traditional businesses seeking digital asset expertise.

Zenith Energy Ltd. (LSE:ZEN) has started construction-phase preparations for three solar installations with a combined capacity of 7 MWp in Italy’s Puglia region, the company said in a press release.

The projects—Andria-1, Andria-3 and Andria-4—are being developed via Zenith’s fully owned Italian subsidiary, WESOLAR S.R.L. Layout designs for the ground-mounted facilities have been finalized, and grid connection requests have been submitted.

The total projected investment for the three plants is about €3.87 million. This includes roughly €3.15 million allocated to solar panels and construction works, along with €720,000 earmarked for land purchases. Zenith expects the projects to generate approximately €14.8 million in gross revenue during their first 10 years of operation, with an anticipated operational life of around 30 years.

Groundbreaking is planned for July 2026. The company is currently running a competitive tender process for construction contractors and is in advanced talks with banks to arrange financing that could cover about 80% of the overall project costs.

In addition, Zenith disclosed the acquisition of two further ground-mounted photovoltaic projects in Puglia with a combined planned capacity of around 5 MWp. The agreed land purchase price is €779,000, subject to obtaining the required regulatory approvals.

Following these additions, Zenith’s solar portfolio now totals approximately 125.5 MWp across several Italian regions, including Liguria, Lazio, Piedmont and Puglia.

The portfolio comprises projects at varying stages of development, from early-phase initiatives to ready-to-build assets. Zenith said it aims to pursue a balanced strategy—progressing projects toward construction readiness while selectively building and retaining assets to establish recurring electricity production revenues.

KR1 plc (LSE:KR1) has initiated a new revenue-generating strategy by deploying 40,000 Nexus Mutual (NXM) tokens—worth roughly £1.5 million—to provide underwriting capacity within Ethereum’s decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem.

The allocation accounts for around 36% of KR1’s total NXM holdings and represents the first implementation phase of its newly unveiled Financial Infrastructure Strategy. The tokens have been assigned to two distinct Nexus Mutual underwriting pools, with lock-up periods running between January 21 and April 22, 2027.

By contributing capital to these pools, KR1 will earn a proportion of insurance premiums generated, while assuming the risk of potential payouts should covered protocols face validated claims. According to the company, annualized returns on NXM underwriting over the past three months have ranged from approximately 2.81% to 13.31%.

KR1 indicated that it plans to deploy the majority of its remaining NXM holdings under the same framework, with further allocations anticipated during the first half of 2026.

Nexus Mutual—an organization KR1 backed at seed stage in 2017—has delivered more than $6 billion in cumulative crypto coverage since inception and has paid out over $18 million in legitimate claims.

“KR1 plc provides public market access to the infrastructure powering the global migration of assets onchain,” said Peter Holsgrove, Head of Investor Relations at KR1 plc. “The commencement of our Financial Infrastructure operations marks an important step in extending the productivity of our digital asset holdings.”

The company noted that it remains exposed to fluctuations in the market value of NXM during the lock-up period, meaning that changes in token prices could affect the fair value of the deployed capital irrespective of underwriting performance.

Halo Minerals has officially adopted its new name following shareholder approval at a 6 January 2026 general meeting, completing its transition from Guardian Metals. The company said the rebrand signals a more focused strategy centered on the production of strategic and battery metals—particularly copper—by reprocessing low-risk, metal-rich historic mine waste already stockpiled at surface.

The name change comes as Halo advances plans to rejoin London’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) after securing pre-IPO funding. Subject to market conditions and final due diligence, the company is aiming to complete an IPO fundraising and resume trading on AIM toward the end of the first quarter of 2026.

Copper-focused “circular economy” model

Chief Executive Andy Dennan described the rebranding as the beginning of a new phase for the company, emphasizing an approach designed to supply critical metals while promoting circular production and environmental restoration.

Halo’s strategy centers on extracting value from legacy mining materials rather than pursuing higher-risk greenfield exploration, positioning the business as aligned with sustainability objectives.

Playa Verde project in Chile

The company’s primary asset is the Playa Verde Project in Chile’s Atacama Region, which it says has the potential to “re-define sustainable mining” by combining copper production with environmental clean-up efforts in the Chañaral Bay area.

Halo acquired Playa Verde in March 2025. The project spans 15.25 square kilometers and is reported to contain a resource of 53 million tonnes grading 0.24% copper.

With copper widely regarded as a key metal underpinning electrification and grid expansion, Halo is presenting Playa Verde as an ESG-focused supply opportunity, targeting material that has already been mined and accumulated rather than initiating new large-scale extraction.

Part of a broader sector trend

The rebranding also reflects a wider trend across the mining industry. Sector data show nearly 300 mining companies changed their names between 2018 and 2024. In Australia alone, close to 70 ASX-listed firms rebranded in 2024, followed by more than 70 additional name changes among ASX-listed companies in 2025, many within the resources space.

Greatland Resources Limited (LSE:GGP) has confirmed a change in its senior leadership team, with Chief Operating Officer Simon Tyrrell stepping down from his position. Tyrrell will remain available to assist with the handover process through 30 June 2026 to ensure a smooth transition.

The company has initiated a formal recruitment process to identify a permanent replacement, underscoring its focus on maintaining operational stability and leadership continuity during the interim period.

In the meantime, long-serving Group Mining Engineer Otto Richter has been appointed Acting COO. Richter brings more than 25 years of experience in both open-pit and underground gold mining and has played a central role in Greatland’s operational planning and development strategy. His appointment is intended to provide steady oversight of the company’s Telfer mine and Havieron project as the board reviews its longer-term executive structure.

Greatland’s outlook is largely supported by a marked improvement in financial performance in FY2025, characterised by strong margins, solid cash generation and low leverage. Technical indicators remain favourable, reflecting a sustained upward trend in the share price, although overbought conditions may introduce short-term volatility. Valuation metrics remain stretched, however, with a high price-to-earnings ratio weighing on the overall assessment.

More about Greatland Resources

Greatland Resources Limited is a gold and copper mining company dual-listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and AIM in London, with operations based in Western Australia. Its core assets include the wholly owned Telfer gold-copper mine, the nearby Havieron development project, and a substantial exploration portfolio in the Paterson Province, positioning the group to build a long-life gold-copper production centre.

Anglo Asian Mining PLC (LSE:AAZ) has released its 2026 production and cost outlook, highlighting what it describes as a landmark year as it operates for the first time as a multi-asset producer in Azerbaijan. The company expects copper to overtake gold as its main revenue driver as production accelerates at the recently commissioned Gilar and Demirli mines, complementing output from its long-standing Gedabek site.

Total copper production for 2026 is projected to almost triple to between 20,000 and 25,000 tonnes. Gold output is forecast at 28,000 to 33,000 ounces, while silver production is expected to reach 170,000 to 210,000 ounces.

Management indicated that all-in sustaining costs should remain competitive, underpinning its objective of delivering another year of strong operational growth and progressing toward its ambition of becoming a mid-tier producer.

The company’s broader outlook remains weighed down by weaker financial performance, including falling revenues, negative profit margins and worsening free cash flow. Valuation metrics are also less attractive given ongoing losses. These challenges are partly counterbalanced by positive technical signals, with the share price trading above major moving averages and momentum indicators pointing upward.

More about Anglo Asian Mining

Anglo Asian Mining is an AIM-listed copper, gold and silver producer with production and exploration assets across Azerbaijan. In 2025, the company produced 7,915 tonnes of copper and 25,061 ounces of gold. It is pursuing a long-term strategy to evolve into a diversified, mid-tier copper and gold producer by 2030, targeting annual copper output of 50,000 to 55,000 tonnes from a portfolio that includes Xarxar, Garadag, Zafar, Gilar and Demirli.

Seeing Machines Limited (LSE:SEE) reported expected first-half FY2026 revenue in the range of US$23.4 million to US$24.0 million, slightly below the previous year as non-recurring engineering revenues declined. However, annualised recurring revenue increased to US$14.0 million, while adjusted EBITDA losses narrowed due to reduced operating costs.

Cash balances stood at US$3.4 million as of 31 December 2025. Liquidity was subsequently strengthened by a US$14.1 million royalty payment received after the reporting period. Management is targeting positive adjusted EBITDA in the third quarter and the second half of FY2026, supported by cost efficiencies and growing recurring income.

The automotive segment continued to expand in advance of the July 2026 implementation of the EU General Safety Regulation. The number of vehicles on the road equipped with the company’s Driver Monitoring System (DMS) and Occupant Monitoring System (OMS) rose 67% year on year. Production volumes increased 62%, while automotive royalty revenue climbed 43% to US$9.0 million.

The company also secured new and expanded automotive programs in Europe and Japan. Additional growth initiatives include the rollout of impairment detection technology and a next-generation cabin perception platform. Meanwhile, rising Guardian aftermarket orders and the establishment of a new Future Mobility Group are expected to position Seeing Machines to benefit from increasing regulation-driven demand and expanding royalty streams.

Despite operational progress, the outlook remains constrained by ongoing losses and negative operating cash flow, alongside weak short-term technical momentum. These challenges are partially balanced by management’s forward guidance, which highlights anticipated regulatory tailwinds and cost measures aimed at achieving cash-flow breakeven.

More about Seeing Machines

Seeing Machines is an AIM-listed company headquartered in Australia, specialising in AI-powered, vision-based monitoring systems designed to enhance transport safety. Its technology integrates artificial intelligence, embedded processing and advanced optics to monitor driver gaze and cognitive state in real time. The company serves automotive manufacturers, commercial fleets, off-road operators and aviation customers with safety-focused monitoring solutions.

AFC Energy Plc (LSE:AFC) has obtained approval from the UK Environment Agency to amend its research and development permit, enabling the company to export and sell low-carbon hydrogen produced at its pilot ammonia cracking facility in Dunsfold.

The updated permit confirms that the plant can generate ISO 14687 Grade D hydrogen at 99.97% purity and recognises the site’s safety standards, allowing operational staff to receive hands-on training in a live production environment.

The regulatory change is expected to bring forward hydrogen-related revenues by several months and offers greater flexibility regarding the potential relocation of the Dunsfold pilot site, which has capacity to produce up to 300 kilograms of hydrogen per day.

At the same time, AFC Energy is collaborating with joint venture partner Industrial Chemicals Group to roll out multiple Hy-5 ammonia cracker units at Port Clarence in Middlesbrough. The partners are also working to establish a permitting framework intended to streamline the future deployment of Hy-5 systems across the UK.

By enabling commercial hydrogen sales from its demonstration facility and progressing plans for scaled deployment through its joint venture, AFC Energy is transitioning from development-stage activity toward revenue-generating operations. The milestone strengthens its positioning within the emerging low-carbon hydrogen sector and supports its ambition to build recurring income streams while assisting industrial and power users in reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

The company’s outlook continues to be shaped by financial headwinds, particularly around profitability and cash flow. While technical indicators point to improving momentum, valuation concerns persist due to a negative price-to-earnings ratio and the absence of a dividend.

More about AFC Energy

AFC Energy Plc is a UK-based developer of ammonia-based low-carbon hydrogen production systems and hydrogen-to-power solutions, listed on AIM and headquartered in Dunsfold, Surrey. Its modular ammonia cracker technology and fuel cell generators are designed to provide scalable hydrogen supply and off-grid power for industrial, transport and temporary energy markets.

The company’s product range includes ammonia crackers capable of producing between 0.5 and 4 tonnes of hydrogen per day, as well as fuel cell generators rated at 30 kW and 200 kW. These solutions are intended to replace diesel generators and contribute to decarbonisation in sectors such as heavy industry, transport, construction, EV charging, maritime, data centres and rail.

Petro Matad Limited (LSE:MATD) has settled a revenue dispute with PetroChina, securing $1.03 million in production payments from 2025 that had previously been withheld. The company said it is nearing completion of its 2026 Oil Sales Agreement while continuing stable production from its Heron-1 and Gazelle-1 wells on Block XX.

Alongside its oil operations, Petro Matad is advancing discussions to farm out interests in Blocks XX and VII. It is also moving forward with a 200MW hybrid renewable energy project combining wind, solar and battery storage, in addition to developing green hydrogen and energy storage initiatives that could expand its footprint in Mongolia’s developing clean-energy export market.

Its renewable subsidiary, SunSteppe Renewable Energy, has completed key feasibility assessments, environmental studies and grid connection work for the 200MW hybrid project in Tuv Province. The project is targeting Ready-to-Build status in 2026, with reported interest from international partners.

Work continues on green hydrogen developments at Oyu Tolgoi and a 50MW battery energy storage system (BESS) project in Choir, although progress has been slower than initially anticipated. Cross-border collaboration with Chinese and Saudi partners is also underway, supporting Mongolia’s positioning as a potential regional exporter of renewable electricity.

The company’s financial outlook remains pressured by weak profitability and persistently negative—and deteriorating—free cash flow, despite strong revenue growth. However, Petro Matad maintains a low-debt balance sheet that provides some resilience. Technical indicators appear mixed to neutral, and valuation remains constrained due to ongoing losses and the absence of dividend data.

More about Petro Matad

Petro Matad Limited is an AIM-listed oil exploration and production company focused on Mongolian assets, particularly Block XX and Block VII. Through its SunSteppe Renewable Energy division, the group is also developing a portfolio of large-scale renewable power, green hydrogen and battery storage projects aimed at serving Mongolia’s domestic demand and potential cross-border energy exports.

Beacon Energy plc (LSE:BCE) has released an admission document detailing a proposed reverse takeover involving the acquisition of a substantial strategic stake in LNEnergy Limited. The transaction is paired with a conditional equity fundraising of £3.79 million through the issuance of 97,191,443 new shares priced at 3.9 pence each.

If completed, the enlarged share capital would total 124,790,040 shares, implying a post-admission market capitalisation of approximately £4.87 million. The company said the move is designed to secure access to proven reserves and accelerate its path toward production, representing a significant milestone in its expansion strategy.

The proposal is subject to shareholder approval at an extraordinary general meeting scheduled for 5 March 2026. Subject to approval, the readmission of the expanded share capital to AIM is expected on 6 March 2026, with definitive share certificates anticipated by 13 March.

Management cautioned that failure to pass the interdependent resolutions relating to both the acquisition and the fundraising would result in the transaction being abandoned. In such a scenario, the company warned that securing alternative financing or an alternative transaction in the near term would be unlikely, and its existing AIM listing could be cancelled, potentially leading to administration.

More about Beacon Energy plc

Beacon Energy plc is an AIM-listed oil and gas exploration and production company focused on upstream energy assets. The group seeks strategic acquisitions capable of delivering proven reserves, near-term production and value-enhancing catalysts, positioning itself as a small-cap energy player pursuing growth through deal-making and capital markets activity.