Corporate Update

RNS Number : 4101T

Alpha Growth PLC

20 July 2020

 

Alpha Growth plc

("Alpha", or the "Company")

Corporate Update

Alpha Growth plc (LSE: ALGW), the financial services specialist in the growing Senior Life Settlement ("SLS") asset class is pleased to provide the market with a corporate update on the Company's business. This release provides an update on the Impact of Covid-19 and addresses shareholder questions that the Company has received since its last update on 27^th April 2020.

BlackOak Alpha Growth Fund - Since the end of April 2020, the Company on the back of successful marketing activity, the Fund has seen a significant rise in interest from registered investment advisors ("RIAs") in the USA and family offices. The Company is marketing through email and telephone to over forty-two thousand RIAs which currently are in the Company's CRM system (with this number increasing). The open, click, and reply rates have increased along with the number of investment conference calls per week. Next steps involve the RIA conducting due diligence on the Fund and manager.  Several major RIAs have commenced this detailed step with the Company.

The Company will be reporting fee revenue received in relation to the Fund for its fiscal year ending in August.

Separate Managed Accounts and Sub-advisory roles - The Company has entered into discussions with sponsors of proprietary funds to manage the longevity assets within those funds or what are known as separate managed accounts.

When shareholders noticed on a third party website that Danny Swick, Alpha's COO, would be speaking at a family office conference in February, as the portfolio manager of a longevity fund, it provided a good example of the Company's activity in this part of the business. The web posting was made by the fund's sponsors and the RIA hosting the conference intended that the conference would be the initial unveiling of a new fund.

The new fund is an open ended limited partnership (which is a typical structure) and to launch involves not only the required legal documentation but also establishing the investment strategy with the sponsor, coordination of marketing material, investor meetings and asset management processes, among other matters.  Alpha's role is to act as an advisor on all of the above functions and its executives take on certain roles in the fund in title only through its agreement with the sponsor.  The cost of all the above functions and raising the capital is the responsibility of the fund's sponsors.  Alpha would collect a percentage of the management and performance fee for its services once a fund is launched.  In the ordinary course, such mandates typically take between nine to twelve months to get to the launch stage if all goes well, however the escalation of Covid-19 has delayed a launch and will be revisited.  The Company will only make a further announcement on its engagement once the sponsor has officially approved the launch.

Warehouse Loan/Short Term Credit Facility - In early July, the Company resumed discussions with the counterparty to determine the next steps in the establishment of the Warehousing facility. The counterparty noted that they are looking forward now and that the internal issues they faced due to Covid-19's effect on their business are being managed.  The Company will provide further updates as discussions progress.

Development of New Strategy - Alpha Growth is pleased to announce the development of the Alpha Growth & Income ("AGI") strategy, a dynamic response to developments in the marketplace over the past several months. The strategy is a combination of life settlements and life contingent structured settlements hedged by a life insurance policy that is suitable for investors seeking cashflow and growth, funded in either a separate managed account or as a co-mingled fund with a minimum investment of $50 million.  A structured settlement is an arrangement whereby the plaintiff, usually aggrieved in an accident, agrees to resolve a tort claim by receiving periodic payments under an annuity contract on an agreed schedule rather than a lump-sum payment at the time of settlement. Payments are typically guaranteed but can become life contingent after the end of the guaranteed payment period, making it a longevity asset and is payable by an insurance company.  A structured settlement can provide positive cashflow during its hold period. The AGI can provide the investor an annual cash flow through the structured settlement asset and growth in the principal invested through the life settlement asset. As part of the development process, it was introduced to select institutional parties .  The Company will continue to promote and seek clients for this strategy.

Operational Update

· The Company continues to maintain a lean operating structure

· Sufficient working capital for its current strategies

· Engaged with Proactive Investors a financial media portal to expand its outreach to existing shareholders and prospective clients

· A lpha has been added to the Pello Capital Spotlight page to provide additional sources of information to shareholders

· Planned improvements to the Company website

· Planned hire of additional director put on hold until increase in corporate activity

The impact of Covid-19 has no doubt had an effect on the timing of various counterparties to transact with the Company. As previously stated, there will be an impact on Company's financial results in FY20 if delays should continue for an extended period of time.

The Company is still confident that, particularly with record low interest rates, continued volatility in the equity markets and the non-correlation of SLS assets, it will be able to continue those discussions in the near terms, and also take advantage of further opportunities as and when they arise.

The Directors thank the shareholders for their continuing support and look forward to making progress on all strategies in as timely a manner as possible.  Further details are provided on the Company website www.algwplc.com .

The information communicated in this announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014.

For more information, please visit www.algwplc.com or contact the following:

 

Alpha Growth plc: Gobind Sahney, Executive Chairman [phone] i nfo @algwplc.com

 

About Alpha Growth plc

Specialist in Longevity Assets

Alpha Growth plc is a financial advisory business providing specialist consultancy, advisory, and supplementary services to institutional and qualified investors globally in the multi-billion dollar market of longevity assets. Building on its well-established network, the Alpha Growth Group has a unique position in the longevity asset services and investment business, as a listed entity with global reach. The Group's strategy is to expand its advisory and business services via acquisitions and joint ventures in the UK and the US to attain commercial scale and provide holistic solutions to alternative institutional investors who are in need of specialised skills and unique access to deploy their financial resource in longevity assets.

 

SLS Assets and Non-correlation

A SLS refers to the sale of an existing life insurance policy to a third party for a cash payment. Such a payment will be in excess of the policy's surrender value, but less than its face value. After the sale, the purchaser becomes the policy's beneficiary and assumes payment of its premiums. There are many reasons why policy holders may choose to sell their life insurance policies and sales are usually only undertaken when the insured person doesn't have a known life-threatening illness. The SLS provides individuals with policies the option to realise value from an asset under a regulated transaction. As a longevity asset, the SLS is non-correlated to the real estate, equity capital and commodity markets.  Its value is a function of time because as time passes the value gets closer to the face value of the policy. Hence creating a steady increase in the net asset value of the investment. This makes it highly attractive to investors wishing to counteract volatility within an investment portfolio and add yield.

Note: The Company only advises on and manages SLS Assets that originate in the USA where the SLS market is highly regulated.

 

Forward Looking Statements Disclaimer

Certain statements, beliefs and opinions in this document are forward-looking, which reflect the Company's or, as appropriate, the Company's directors' current expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. Forward-looking statements contained in this document regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You should not place undue reliance on forward- looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this document.  Readers should not treat the contents of this document as advice relating to legal, taxation or investment matters, and are to make their own assessments concerning these and other consequences, including the merits of information and the risks.  Readers of this announcement are advised to conduct their own due diligence and agree to be bound by the limitations of this disclaimer.

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