Supply @ME Capital PLC Strategic Agreement to launch in The United States (9219C)

TIDMSYME

RNS Number : 9219C

Supply @ME Capital PLC

22 October 2020

22 October 2020

Supply@ME Capital plc

(The "Company" or "SYME")

Strategic agreement to launch in the United States

Supply@ME Capital plc, the innovative fintech platform which provides a unique, market leading Inventory Monetisation (c) service to European manufacturing and trading companies, is pleased to announce that, following a joint market assessment, the Company has signed a strategic agreement with Mr. Anthony Brown and The Trade Advisory to launch the Supply@ME platform in the United States.

The Trade Advisory specialises in facilitating US international trade and finance, bringing together global and local lenders and investment funds, and businesses looking to expand their cross-border activities. It has helped its clients to launch new trade finance products generating hundreds of millions of dollars in additional trade finance revenues.

Anthony Brown, Founder and CEO of The Trade Advisory, has more than thirty years of international supply chain finance experience as a trader, lender, shipper, supply chain and business executive. He pioneered Purchase Order Financing in the US and headed International Factoring for GMAC Commercial Finance (now Ally Financial) where he managed a $700m international factoring business, founded and managed the US international divisions of Bibby Financial Services, First Capital, and Delta Trade Finance, and led Maersk Trade Finance in the U.S. Previously, Mr. Brown managed US International Trade Finance, a predecessor bank of JP Morgan Chase.

Both parties believe that there is a unique opportunity to develop the Supply@ME's Inventory Monetisation service in the United States. In this regard, The Trade Advisory has made the following assessment of the potential of the US market:

-- the number of asset-based lending operators in the region is estimated at 114 according to the Secured Finance Network (formerly the Commercial Finance Association), whereas those lenders offering to finance inventory by purchasing it from suppliers and selling it to buyers (the Supply@Me inventory monetisation "true-sale" model) total less than five;

-- In August 2020 the US Census Bureau for manufacturing and trade reported that US inventories in that month were approximately $1.9 trillion;

-- since no specific statistics are published for inventory-based financing, from the above The Trade Advisory believe a conservative estimate of the inventory finance market in the United States to be in excess of $1 trillion - that is, approximately half of the value of US inventories and less than half of the value of Commercial & Industrial loans (excluding real estate).

This Strategic Agreement is an important step towards the roll-out of Supply@ME's platform in the United States, commencing with an inventory monetisation pilot programme involving manufacturing and retailing client companies from The Trade Advisory's commercial network.

Alessandro Zamboni, SYME Chief Executive, commented, "The United States is an enormous potential market for Supply@ME. Our Platform can play a distinctive role supporting US companies via innovative, scalable transactions. Similar facilities have recently been announced by Bank of America and Macy's. This is further evidence that our inventory monetisation platform can really support corporates to manage their working capital more efficiently and continue to grow.

I'm delighted that Mr Brown and his business, The Trade Advisory, share my vision, and recognise the impact that Supply@ME can have in the United States."

Plans for SYME's international expansion are at the core of the Company's business strategy. The Company will continue to update investors as activities progress.

Notes

Supply@ME enables businesses to generate cashflow, without incurring debt, by monetising their existing stock. Before a business has found an end-customer for its inventory, the Supply@ME platform enables them to sell ("monetise") their stock and receive cash immediately to boost their working capital. The Supply@ME service enables strong companies to improve their working capital cycle. SYME does not monetise inventory for companies in financial difficulty or with inventory that they are struggling to sell.

Contacts

Alessandro Zamboni, CEO, Supply@ME Capital plc, [e-mail]

Paul Vann, Walbrook PR Limited, [phone]

Brian Norris, Cicero/AMO, [phone]

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October 22, 2020 05:09 ET (09:09 GMT)