Verne Global Iceland $17m Accordion Facility

Digital 9 Infrastructure PLC

15 February 2024

 

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION AS STIPULATED UNDER THE UK'S MARKET ABUSE REGULATION. UPON THE PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, SUCH INSIDE INFORMATION IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.

15 February 2024

DIGITAL 9 INFRASTRUCTURE PLC

("D9" or the "Company" and, together with its subsidiaries, the "Group")

Verne Global Iceland secures $17 million Accordion Facility

under its green loan debt facility

The Board of Digital 9 Infrastructure plc (ticker: DGI9) announces that Verne Global Iceland ("Verne Global") has signed its first increase (the "Accordion Facility") under the terms of its existing green term loan debt facility (the "Facility"). The increase of $17 million, brings the total aggregate capital commitments provided by the bank syndicate (the "Lenders") to $117 million. The debt proceeds from the Accordion Facility will be used to help fund Verne Global's growth capital expenditure pipeline and strengthens its cash position whilst the Company awaits the closing of the Verne Transaction.

The Purchaser has consented to entry into the Accordion facility and associated documents pursuant to the terms of the SPA. The Accordion facility will not result in a variation to the proceeds which D9 will receive from the SPA.

The triggering of the Accordion Facility has no impact on the key commercial terms of the Facility, which remain unchanged.

Capitalised terms used but not defined in this announcement shall have the same meaning as given in prior announcements of the Company.

ENDS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY, PLEASE CONTACT:

Triple Point Investment Management LLP (Investment Manager) Diego Massidda Ben Beaton Arnaud Jaguin Goldman Sachs International (Lead Financial Adviser) Alexandre Lucas Owain Evans Fabrice Francois Alexander Tingle	[phone] [phone]
J.P. Morgan Cazenove (Joint Corporate Broker) William Simmonds Jérémie Birnbaum	[phone]
Peel Hunt (Joint Corporate Broker) Luke Simpson Huw Jeremy	[phone]

The person responsible for making this notification is Helen Richardson, Company Secretary.

About Digital 9 Infrastructure plc:

Digital 9 Infrastructure plc (DGI9) is an investment trust listed on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE All-Share, with the ticker DGI9. The Company invests in the infrastructure of the internet that underpins the world's digital economy: digital infrastructure.

The Investment Manager is Triple Point Investment Management LLP ("Triple Point") which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, with extensive experience in infrastructure, real estate, and private credit, while keeping ESG principles central to its business mission. Triple Point's Digital Infrastructure team has over $300 billion in digital infrastructure transaction experience and in-depth relationships across global tech and global telecoms companies.

The number 9 in Digital 9 Infrastructure comes from the UN Sustainable Development Goal 9, which focuses the fund on investments that increase connectivity globally and improve the sustainability of digital infrastructure. The assets DGI9 invests in typically comprise scalable platforms and technologies including (but not limited to) subsea fibre, data centres, terrestrial fibre and wireless networks.

Since IPO in March 2021, DGI9 has invested in the following data centres, subsea fibre and wireless network assets (other than Verne Global):

·   Aqua Comms, a leading owner and operator of 20,000km of the most modern subsea fibre systems - the backbone of the internet - with a customer base comprising global tech and global telecommunications carriers;

·   Arqiva, the only UK national terrestrial television and radio broadcasting network in the United Kingdom - providing data, network and communications services, as well as a national IoT connectivity platform;

·    Elio Networks (previously Host Ireland) a leading enterprise broadband provider that owns and operates Fixed Wireless Access networks;

·     EMIC-1, a partnership with Meta on a 10,000km fibre system from Europe to India;

·    SeaEdge UK1, a data centre and landing station for the North Sea Connect subsea cable, part of the North Atlantic Loop subsea network, improving connectivity between the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia and North America.

The Company's Ordinary Shares were admitted to trading on the Specialist Fund Segment of the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange on 31 March 2021. The Company's ordinary shares were admitted to the premium listing segment of the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority and to trading on the premium segment of the Main Market on 30 August 2022.

For more information on the Investment Manager please visit www.triplepoint.co.uk. For more information, please visit www.d9infrastructure.com.

Important Notices

Goldman Sachs International, which is authorised by the PRA and regulated by the FCA and the PRA in the United Kingdom, is acting exclusively for D9 and no one else in connection with the matters referred to in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than D9 for providing the protections afforded to clients of Goldman Sachs International, or for providing advice in relation to the matters referred to in this announcement.

 

END