Offer Update

NewMedia SPARK PLC
29 August 2001

                     GlobalNet Financial.com Offer Update


Milan and London, 29 August 2001 - NewMedia SPARK plc ('SPARK') and AISoftw@re
('AIS'), today make the following announcements with respect to GlobalNet
Financial.com, Inc. ('GlobalNet'):


AISoftw@re has decided not to pursue a further bid for GlobalNet and not
attempt unilaterally to present another acquisition proposal to the Board of
Directors of GlobalNet. AISoftw@re has confirmed that it will abide by its
existing agreements with GlobalNet, including an obligation to tender its
shares in GlobalNet (representing 12.9% of the voting power) into the SPARK
offer.


Following AIS's decision, no legal actions will take place between the two
companies with respect to past actions. Furthermore, SPARK and AIS have
decided to explore ways in which the two companies could co-operate and pursue
potential joint investments.


AIS Group will receive approx $1.262.700 from the cash tender at $ 0.45 of
their 2.806.001 GlobalNet shares owned. Their average book value to date is at
approx $0.85 per share.


Joel Plasco, Director of SPARK, said 'Following these announcements, we look
forward to positive co-operation between AIS and SPARK, and to the rapid
conclusion of the tender offer.'


Professor Francesco Gardin, President and CEO of AIS said: 'We have decided
not to make a further bid for GlobalNet but instead to pursue our goals of
expanding AIS's international presence and increasing the value of INFUSION,
our venture capital subsidiary, in advance of its planned de-merger and IPO,
through the exploration of potential opportunities to work together with
SPARK.'


According to information provided to SPARK by the Bank of New York who is
acting as the depository for the tender offer, shares representing
approximately 48% of the combined voting power of GlobalNet have been validly
tendered and not withdrawn as of close of business Monday 27 August 2001; this
excludes the 12.9% stake to be tendered by AIS. The offer is conditional among
other things on shares representing at least 51% of the combined voting power
of GlobalNet having been validly tendered and not withdrawn by the expiration
of the offer.


The SPARK offer of $0.45 per share of common stock and $0.045 per share of
class A common stock of GlobalNet will expire at midnight New York time on
Friday 31 August 2001, unless further extended. For more complete information
on the SPARK offer (including how to tender and withdraw GlobalNet shares),
investors should read the Schedule TO filed by SPARK with the US Securities
and Exchange Commission, as amended to date.


Contacts:


Joel Plasco

NewMedia SPARK                              [phone]


Dott. Marco Mancini

AI Softw@re                                   [phone]

email: [e-mail]




AISoftw@re


AISoftw@re SpA (www.ais.it), founded in 1983 and with consolidated group sales
in 2000 of 23,727,743 Euros ($ 21.6 million), specializes in the development
of technologically advanced software products for decision-support, knowledge
processing, and data mining and Internet and Intranet solutions. Its
proprietary products target the financial and healthcare industries.
AISoftw@re solutions hold a leading positions in these dynamic vertical
markets in Europe. AISoftw@re has been listed on Nasdaq Europe since November
1999 and on the Italian Nuovo Mercato since August 2000. The company is
pursuing a program of growth based on international expansion, aggressive
recruitment, acquisitions and equity investments in software companies working
in the area of Internet applications development.




NewMedia SPARK



Listed on London's Alternative Investment Market, NewMedia SPARK plc is one of
Europe's leading early stage investors in the telecoms, media and technology
sectors. SPARK has a portfolio of investments in over 50 companies in Europe
and India. SPARK focuses its investments on software applications,
communications infrastructure businesses and certain areas of digital media
such as music and financial products, typically investing between £0.5 million
and £2 million. SPARK has operations in London, Stockholm, Berlin and Madrid.
For further information see www.newmediaspark.com.