26 September 2024
AIM: AAU
ARIANA APPOINTS LEAD MANAGER
FOR PLANNED ASX DUAL-LISTING
Ariana Resources plc ("Ariana" or
"the Company"), the AIM-listed mineral exploration and development
company with gold project interests in Africa and Europe, is
pleased to announce the appointment of Australian capital markets
firm Ord Minnett Limited ("Ord Minnett") as Lead Manager to its
proposed dual-listing on the Australian Securities Exchange
("ASX"), which is targeted for completion by the end of the 2024
calendar year.
The proposed ASX listing will
provide investors in Ariana exposure in a market that understands
and supports small-to-medium-sized gold explorers and developers
and is intended to provide greater access to capital and increased
liquidity, potentially facilitating an improved valuation for the
Company. Ariana investors who wish to trade Ariana securities on
the ASX will also have the opportunity to transfer their existing
shareholdings to the proposed Australian register if they wish to
do so.
Further, Ariana is considering an
equity raising as part of the ASX dual-listing, with any funds
raised to be directed towards the exploration and technical studies
planned at the Company's 100%-owned Dokwe Gold Project in Zimbabwe.
The exact timing of Ariana's ASX listing and the quantum of any
capital raised in conjunction with the listing is to be
decided.
The Company will be providing a
revised Corporate Presentation on the website, which will be made
available later today.
Dr.
Kerim Sener, Managing Director, commented:
"We are very excited with our plans for a dual-listing of
Ariana on the ASX, a market with a strong understanding of mining
developers and explorers, particularly in the gold space. Being
personally based in Perth, Western Australia, I am particularly
looking forward to being able to provide the Australian mining
investment community with an opportunity to become shareholders of
our Company. We see numerous benefits for shareholders in an ASX
dual-listing and look forward to working alongside Ord Minnett to
accomplish our ASX listing."
This announcement contains inside information for the purposes
of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014.
Contacts:
Ariana Resources plc
|
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7407 3616
|
Michael de Villiers,
Chairman
|
|
Kerim Sener, Managing
Director
|
|
Beaumont Cornish Limited (Nominated Adviser)
|
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7628 3396
|
Roland Cornish / Felicity
Geidt
|
|
Ord
Minnett Limited (Lead Manager - Australia)
|
Tel: +61 2 8916 0124
|
Damien Gullone / Robbie Dowling /
Joe Hansen
|
|
Panmure Liberum (Joint Broker)
|
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7886 2500
|
Kieron Hodgson / Atholl Tweedie /
Rauf Munir
|
|
Zeus Capital Limited (Joint Broker)
Harry Ansell / Katy Mitchell /
George Krokos
Yellow Jersey PR Limited (Financial PR)
|
Tel: +44 (0) 203 829 5000
Tel: +44 (0) 7983 521 488
|
Dom Barretto / Shivantha Thambirajah
/
Bessie Elliot
|
arianaresources@yellowjerseypr.com
|
Beaumont Cornish Limited ("Beaumont Cornish") is the Company's
Nominated Adviser and is authorised and regulated by the FCA.
Beaumont Cornish's responsibilities as the Company's Nominated
Adviser, including a responsibility to advise and guide the Company
on its responsibilities under the AIM Rules for Companies and AIM
Rules for Nominated Advisers, are owed solely to the London Stock
Exchange. Beaumont Cornish is not acting for and will not be
responsible to any other persons for providing protections afforded
to customers of Beaumont Cornish nor for advising them in relation
to the proposed arrangements described in this announcement or any
matter referred to in it.
Editors' Note:
About Ariana Resources:
Ariana is an AIM-listed mineral
exploration and development company with an exceptional
track-record of creating value for its shareholders through its
interests in active mining projects and investments in exploration
companies. Its current interests include a major gold development
project in Zimbabwe, gold production in Türkiye and copper-gold
exploration and development projects in Cyprus and
Kosovo.
Ariana owns 100% of the Dokwe Gold Project ("Dokwe") in
Zimbabwe. Dokwe is made up of the Dokwe North and Dokwe Central
gold deposits which are located in the Tsholotsho District near the
city of Bulawayo. The deposits have a combined JORC Measured,
Indicated and Inferred Resource of over 1.83 million ounces of gold
(as at June 2024) and the project represents the largest
undeveloped gold project in Zimbabwe.
The Company holds 23.5% interest
in Zenit
Madencilik San. ve Tic. A.S. a joint venture with Ozaltin
Holding A.S. and Proccea Construction Co. in Türkiye which contains
a depleted total of c. 2.2 million ounces gold equivalent (as at
March 2024, using a price ratio of 90 Ag to 1 Au). The joint
venture comprises the Kiziltepe Mine and the Tavsan and Salinbas
projects.
The Kiziltepe Gold-Silver
Mine is
located in western Türkiye and contains a depleted JORC Measured,
Indicated and Inferred Resource of 171,700 ounces gold and 3.3
million ounces silver (as at March 2024). The mine has been in
profitable production since 2017 and has been producing at an
average rate of c.22,000 ounces of gold per annum. A Net Smelter
Return ("NSR") royalty of 2.5% on production is being paid to
Franco-Nevada Corporation.
The Tavsan Gold
Mine is
located in western Türkiye and contains a JORC Measured, Indicated
and Inferred Resource of 311,000 ounces gold and 1.1 million ounces
silver (as at March 2024). Following the approval of its
Environmental Impact Assessment and associated permitting, Tavsan
is being developed as the second gold mining operation in Türkiye
and is currently in construction. A NSR royalty of up to 2% on
future production is payable to Sandstorm Gold.
The Salinbas Gold
Project is
located in north-eastern Türkiye and contains a JORC Measured,
Indicated and Inferred Resource of 1.5 million ounces of gold (as
at July 2020). It is located within the multi-million ounce Artvin
Goldfield, which contains the "Hot Gold Corridor" comprising several
significant gold- copper projects including the 4 million ounce Hot
Maden project, which lies 16km to the south of Salinbas. A NSR
royalty of up to 2% on future production is payable to Eldorado
Gold Corporation.
Ariana owns 76% of
UK-registered Western Tethyan Resources Ltd ("WTR"), which operates across
south-eastern Europe and is based in Pristina, Republic of Kosovo.
The company is targeting its exploration on major copper-gold
deposits across the porphyry-epithermal transition. WTR is being
funded through a five-year Alliance Agreement with Newmont Mining
Corporation (www.newmont.com) and is separately earning-in to up to
85% of the Slivova Gold Project.
Ariana owns 61% of
UK-registered Venus Minerals PLC ("Venus") which is focused on
the exploration and development of copper-gold assets in Cyprus
which contain a combined JORC Indicated and Inferred Resource of
16.6Mt @ 0.45% to 0.80% copper (excluding additional gold, silver
and zinc.
Ariana owns several investments in
listed and private companies via its Australian subsidiary
Asgard Metals Pty. Ltd. ("Asgard"), which also provides technical input into the
various investee company exploration programmes. Investments have
been made in high-value potential, discovery-stage mineral
exploration companies located across the Eastern Hemisphere and
within easy reach of Ariana's operational hubs in Australia,
Türkiye, UK and Zimbabwe. Its most advanced interest is through a
5.5% holding of Panther Metals Limited (ASX: PNT).
Panmure Liberum Limited and Zeus
Capital Limited are brokers to the Company and Beaumont Cornish
Limited is the Company's Nominated Adviser.
For further information on Ariana,
you are invited to visit the Company's website at
www.arianaresources.com.
Ends.