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Jadestone Energy (LSE:JSE) has delivered a successful start to its 2026 infill drilling campaign in Malaysia, with the first well on the PM323 production sharing contract entering production at approximately 3,000 barrels of oil per day. The well was completed around 20% below budget despite being the longest horizontal well drilled to date in the East Belumut field, highlighting the company’s focus on operational efficiency and cost control.

Encouraged by the performance of the first well and positive subsurface results from the second well in the programme, Jadestone has approved the drilling of a third well. The additional activity will be undertaken without changing the company’s previously announced 2026 capital expenditure guidance of US$50 million to US$80 million.

The results reinforce Jadestone’s strategy of increasing production from existing assets while maintaining disciplined investment across its portfolio. Management noted that the Malaysian programme is benefiting from supportive Brent crude prices and premium pricing achieved for its Malaysian oil production.

The campaign follows other operational milestones achieved across the group’s Asia-Pacific portfolio, including progress in Vietnam and the completion of a recent refinancing initiative that strengthened the company’s financial flexibility.

Jadestone continues to pursue a growth strategy centred on maximising value from mature producing assets through targeted development activity, operational improvements and selective acquisitions. The strong performance of the Malaysian wells demonstrates the company’s ability to enhance production while managing costs, providing improved visibility over near-term cash flow generation.

Management believes the latest drilling success further strengthens Jadestone’s position as a leading independent upstream producer in the Asia-Pacific region and supports its broader objective of delivering sustainable production growth and long-term shareholder value.

More about Jadestone Energy

Jadestone Energy is an independent oil and gas producer focused on the Asia-Pacific region, with producing and development assets across Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. Headquartered in Singapore, the company specialises in acquiring and optimising mature upstream assets, using operational expertise to increase production, improve efficiency and extend field life. Jadestone is also expanding its gas exposure as part of its long-term strategy and has committed to achieving Net Zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2040.

Liontrust Asset Management (LSE:LIO) reported lower profitability for the year ended 31 March 2026 as challenging market conditions continued to affect earnings, although the company maintained its commitment to shareholder returns with a full-year dividend of 19 pence per share.

Gross profit declined to £123 million, while adjusted profit before tax fell to £30.5 million. Despite the reduction in profitability, Liontrust highlighted improving business momentum, with fund flow trends strengthening over the past nine months. Assets under management and advice stood at £21.4 billion as of 19 June 2026, supported by robust institutional inflows, although overall net outflows remained a feature of the year.

A major strategic development was the receipt of regulatory approval from the Financial Conduct Authority for Liontrust’s acquisition of River Global Holdings. The transaction is expected to complete on 30 June 2026 and will add approximately £3 billion of assets under management to the group.

Management believes the acquisition will enhance Liontrust’s investment offering by introducing additional multi-style and recovery-focused strategies, while also strengthening the firm’s investment talent and broadening its distribution capabilities. The deal forms part of a wider strategy aimed at accelerating growth through selective acquisitions and expanding the company’s reach across domestic and international markets.

Alongside the acquisition, Liontrust continues to invest in operational improvements, including the increased use of artificial intelligence and technology to support efficiency, client engagement and business scalability. The company has also reinforced its capital allocation framework through ongoing share buybacks and plans to strengthen board expertise through targeted appointments.

Management sees the combination of an expanded product range, enhanced distribution capabilities and a more diversified investment platform as key drivers of future growth, while continuing to focus on improving fund flows and building long-term shareholder value.

More about Liontrust Asset Management

Liontrust Asset Management is an independent UK-based investment management group specialising in active fund management across a range of asset classes and investment styles. The company serves both retail and institutional clients and has been expanding its international distribution network while investing in technology and AI-driven solutions to improve operational efficiency and client service. Through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions, Liontrust aims to broaden its investment capabilities and strengthen its position within the global asset management industry.

Blue Star Capital (LSE:BLU) has provided an update on portfolio company SatoshiPay, highlighting continued progress in the development of its Vortex fiat-to-crypto infrastructure and Pendulum’s decentralised foreign exchange platform.

A key milestone has been the migration of Pendulum’s FX decentralised exchange and related liquidity pools to the Base blockchain. The move has helped streamline liquidity management for SatoshiPay’s SEPA-to-crypto services while supporting monthly foreign exchange volumes of approximately US$3 million. Pendulum also plans to phase out its Spacewalk bridge, freeing collateral and allowing additional liquidity to be directed into the growing Vortex ecosystem.

SatoshiPay is simultaneously broadening the commercial reach of Vortex by introducing new fiat-to-crypto payment corridors in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and the United States through its partnership with Alfredpay. In Europe, the company has relaunched its SEPA ramp with Mykobo, enabling API-based EURC on-ramping and off-ramping capabilities designed to improve accessibility for businesses and financial service providers.

The company is also investing in the next generation of payment automation tools. Current development work includes programmable transaction workflows, integrations designed for AI-driven agents and pilot programmes that connect traditional banking infrastructure with decentralised finance applications. These initiatives include solutions for direct onboarding into DeFi services and automated stablecoin settlement triggered by conventional bank transfers.

Management believes these developments strengthen Vortex’s position as a scalable infrastructure platform capable of supporting both traditional payment networks and emerging decentralised finance ecosystems. The strategy is focused on creating institutional-grade solutions that bridge fiat and digital asset markets while expanding the practical use cases for blockchain-based financial services.

More about Blue Star Capital

Blue Star Capital is an AIM-listed investment company focused on emerging technology sectors, with particular emphasis on blockchain, payments and digital infrastructure. Its portfolio includes investments in companies such as SatoshiPay, Dynasty Media & Gaming and Paidia, providing exposure to decentralised finance, digital payments, gaming ecosystems and other high-growth technology markets. Through these investments, Blue Star seeks to participate in the development of next-generation financial and digital platforms.

Georgina Energy (LSE:GEX) has reached agreement on an Aboriginal Land Rights Agreement with the Central Land Council, a significant step towards securing exploration permit EP155, which contains the company’s highly prospective Mt Winter helium and hydrogen project in Australia’s Amadeus Basin.

The agreement will now be presented to Traditional Owners for consideration and approval before being submitted to the Northern Territory Minister, who will determine the formal granting of the exploration permit. Completion of this process would provide Georgina with access to one of its key development assets.

The Mt Winter prospect is located close to the long-established Mereenie oil and gas field and is believed to host substantial prospective recoverable resources of helium, hydrogen and natural gas. The project forms a central part of Georgina’s strategy to build exposure to markets where long-term demand is expected to grow, particularly for helium and hydrogen.

Management intends to accelerate plans for the re-entry and development of Mt Winter once permitting is secured. At the same time, the company continues to advance preparatory drilling activities at its Hussar project in Western Australia, creating a parallel development pathway across its two flagship assets.

The progress at Mt Winter marks an important milestone in Georgina’s efforts to establish a presence in emerging helium and hydrogen supply chains. By advancing both projects simultaneously, the company aims to strengthen its position within sectors that are increasingly viewed as strategically important for industrial applications, energy transition initiatives and advanced technologies.

More about Georgina Energy

Georgina Energy plc is a UK-listed energy exploration company focused on the development of helium and hydrogen resources alongside associated hydrocarbon opportunities. Through its wholly owned Australian subsidiary, Westmarket O&G, the company holds interests in the Hussar prospect in Western Australia and is progressing the Mt Winter project in the Amadeus Basin. Its strategy is centred on supplying critical gases that are expected to play an increasingly important role in global energy, industrial and technology markets.

Prologis (NYSE:PLD) has disclosed that it submitted a preliminary all-share proposal to acquire SEGRO (LSE:SGRO) on 16 June 2026, valuing the UK logistics property group at approximately £12.6 billion. The proposal equated to 925 pence per SEGRO share, representing a premium of around 25% to 31% compared with recent market prices and broadly matching SEGRO’s latest reported EPRA Net Tangible Assets value.

According to Prologis, SEGRO’s board rejected the proposal on 23 June. Despite the rejection, the global logistics real estate specialist is encouraging SEGRO shareholders to support further discussions, arguing that a combination would provide investors with ownership in a larger, more diversified business. Under the proposed terms, SEGRO shareholders would hold approximately 10.5% of the enlarged group.

Prologis believes a merger would create one of the leading logistics real estate platforms in Europe, combining two substantial portfolios and generating benefits through greater scale and operational efficiencies. The company also argues that its larger balance sheet and broader access to capital would help accelerate development opportunities across SEGRO’s portfolio.

Management highlighted what it views as the potential to unlock additional value from SEGRO’s development pipeline, including projects linked to logistics infrastructure, power capacity and data centre opportunities. Prologis contends that its financial resources and global operating platform could help bring these projects to market more efficiently.

The US-based REIT also pointed to its long-term shareholder return record and capital strength as key advantages, suggesting that a combined business would be better positioned to pursue growth opportunities across major logistics markets.

While Prologis has made its intentions public, there is currently no certainty that a formal offer will be submitted. Under UK takeover regulations, the company has until 22 July to either announce a firm intention to make an offer or walk away from the process.

More about Prologis

Prologis, Inc. is the world’s largest logistics-focused real estate investment trust, with a market capitalisation of approximately $140.9 billion. The company owns, develops and manages industrial and logistics properties across major global markets, serving customers involved in e-commerce, distribution, supply chain management and data infrastructure. Its portfolio spans warehouse, fulfilment and logistics facilities that support global trade and digital economy growth.

Light Science Technologies Holdings (LSE:LST) has reported a strong start for its passive fire protection division following the acquisition of RLUK Injection, the owner of the Injectaclad system, in April. The business has secured two installation contracts with a combined value of between £390,000 and £775,000, while also accelerating work on a major remediation project in Hull.

Since completing the acquisition, the company has also received approximately £885,000 of orders for Injectaclad materials through its network of approved installers. Combined, the new installation and product supply contracts represent between £1.28 million and £1.66 million of additional business, providing early evidence of the commercial benefits expected from the transaction.

Management believes the performance validates its strategy of creating a vertically integrated passive fire protection business that combines installation services with the supply of proprietary fire remediation products. This model is designed to improve margins, strengthen customer relationships and create additional revenue opportunities across the building safety market.

The company also expects to benefit from improving conditions within the UK remediation sector as the Building Safety Regulator works through a backlog of project approvals. Growing engagement with industry stakeholders and increasing market awareness of Injectaclad’s cavity fire barrier solutions are contributing to a strengthening pipeline of opportunities.

Injectaclad technology is designed to enhance fire safety without requiring the full removal of building façades, offering a potentially faster and more cost-effective solution for remediation projects. Management believes demand for such systems will continue to increase as regulatory requirements and building safety standards evolve.

The group remains focused on securing larger contracts, expanding recurring revenue streams and improving cash generation as it scales its passive fire protection operations.

More about Light Science Technologies Holdings

Light Science Technologies Holdings plc operates across three core divisions: passive fire protection, agricultural technology (AgTech) and contract electronics manufacturing (CEM). Through its passive fire protection business, the company supplies and installs Injectaclad fire-resistant systems designed to improve building safety and support remediation projects. Its AgTech division develops technologies for controlled-environment agriculture, while its electronics manufacturing operation provides specialist PCB-based solutions to a range of industrial customers.

Velocity Composites (LSE:VEL) reported first-half revenue of £8.4 million, compared with £10.4 million in the prior year period, as the timing of programme transfers in the United States and customer ordering patterns impacted sales performance. Despite the lower revenue base, the company delivered its third consecutive reporting period of positive adjusted EBITDA, generating £0.1 million during the half year.

Gross margin remained stable at 28%, demonstrating resilience in the underlying business, although loss before tax increased to £1.0 million. The result was partly affected by exceptional costs associated with the closure of the company’s Fareham facility as part of its ongoing operational restructuring programme.

Financially, Velocity strengthened its balance sheet, ending the period with net cash of £0.5 million. The company also retained access to a £3.0 million invoice discounting facility, which remained fully undrawn at the reporting date.

Operational progress continued across several areas of the business. Additional Airbus A350 programmes have now transitioned into sustained production, while UK operations have been consolidated into the Burnley facility to improve efficiency and reduce overhead costs. The company also reported stronger-than-anticipated demand from established UK customers and secured a number of smaller contract awards during the period.

Management highlighted improving production rates across major commercial aerospace platforms, including the Airbus A350, Boeing 737 and Boeing 787 programmes, while demand from the US defence sector remains robust. However, the company cautioned that an unfavourable product mix is expected to weigh on second-half margins.

As a result, Velocity now expects full-year adjusted EBITDA of approximately £0.5 million, with results anticipated to come in below current market forecasts. Nevertheless, management remains confident in the longer-term outlook as the company continues to expand its presence in the US market and pursue opportunities within the growing defence sector.

More about Velocity Composites

Velocity Composites plc is a UK-based supplier of advanced composite material kits and logistics solutions for the aerospace industry. Working with major manufacturers including Airbus, Boeing and GKN, the company helps customers improve manufacturing efficiency, reduce material waste and lower production costs through its proprietary technologies and services. In addition to aerospace, Velocity is exploring growth opportunities in sectors such as defence, wind energy, urban air mobility and electric vehicles.