Aquis Exchange PLC Issue of Options and Director/PDMR Notification (1187K)

TIDMAQX

RNS Number : 1187K

Aquis Exchange PLC

20 April 2020

20 April 2020

Aquis Exchange PLC

("Aquis", the "Company" or the "Group")

Issue of Options

and

Director/PDMR Notification

Aquis Exchange PLC (AQX.L), the exchange services group, announces that on 17 April 2020 it issued a total of 737,250 options ("Options") over the Company's ordinary shares of 10p each ("Ordinary Shares") to Directors and employees of the Company. 80,000 Options were issued to each of Alasdair Haynes, CEO of the Company, and Jonathan Clelland, CFO and COO of the Company.

The Options were granted under the Company's existing EMI plan and have an exercise price of GBP3.47, which is the closing mid-market price of the Company's existing ordinary shares on 16 April 2020, the latest practicable date prior to the issue of the Options. The Options will vest in tranches of one third on the first, second and third anniversary of the date of issue and expire 10 years from the date of issue. Vesting or exercise of the Options is not dependent on performance criteria.

Following the grant of the Options, the total number of Ordinary Shares outstanding under all Group EMI option schemes is 1,276,281, representing 4.7 per cent. of the Company's issued share capital.

Enquiries:

 
 Aquis Exchange PLC                           Tel: [phone] 
                                               6321 
 Alasdair Haynes, CEO 
 Jonathan Clelland, CFO and COO 
  Belinda Keheyan, Head of Marketing            Tel: [phone] 
                                                6329 
 
 Liberum Capital Limited (Nominated Adviser   Tel: [phone] 
  and Broker)                                  2000 
 Clayton Bush 
 Chris Clarke 
 Edward Thomas 
 Kane Collings 
 
 Alma PR (Financial PR Adviser)               Tel: [phone] 
                                               0205 
 Caroline Forde                               [e-mail] 
 Susie Hudson 
  Rebecca Sanders-Hewett 
 
 

Notes to editors:

Aquis Exchange PLC is an exchange services group, which operates pan-European cash equities trading businesses (Aquis Exchange), growth and regulated primary markets (Aquis Stock Exchange/AQSE) and develops/licenses exchange software to third parties (Aquis Technologies).

Aquis Exchange is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority and France's Autorité des Marchés Financiers to operate Multilateral Trading Facility businesses in the UK and in EU27 respectively. Aquis operates a lit order book and does not allow aggressive non-client proprietary trading, which has resulted in lower toxicity and signalling risk on Aquis than other trading venues in Europe. According to independent studies, trades on Aquis are less likely to lead to price movement than on other lit markets. Aquis uses a subscription pricing model which works by charging users according to the message traffic they generate, rather than a percentage of the value of each stock that they trade.

Aquis Stock Exchange (AQSE) is a stock market providing primary and secondary markets for equity and debt products. It is authorised as a Recognised Investment Exchange, which allows it to operate a regulated listings venue.

Aquis Technologies is the software and technology division of Aquis Exchange PLC. It creates and licenses cutting-edge, cost-effective matching engine and trade surveillance technology for banks, brokers, investment firms and exchanges.

Aquis Exchange PLC (AQX.L) is listed on the Alternative Investment Market of the LSE (AIM) market. For more information, please go to www.aquis.eu

Notification and public disclosure of transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them

 
 1    Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities 
       / person closely associated 
 a)   Name                          Alasdair Haynes 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 2    Reason for the notification 
     ------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 a)   Position/status              Chief Executive Officer 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 b)   Initial notification         Initial Notification 
       /Amendment 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 3    Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, 
       auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor 
     ------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 a)   Name                         Aquis Exchange PLC 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 b)   LEI                          213800IXJSF5E1SIW150 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 4    Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated 
       for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; 
       (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions 
       have been conducted 
     ------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 a)   Description of the 
       financial instrument,         Options over Ordinary shares of 10 
       type of instrument            pence each 
 
       Identification code           ISIN: GB00BD5JNK30 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 b)   Nature of the transaction    Grant of share options under the 
                                    Company's EMI option scheme 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 c)   Price(s) and volume(s)         Price(s)        Volume(s) 
                                           GBP3.47    80,000 
                                                     ---------- 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 d)   Aggregated information 
 
       - Aggregated volume           N/A 
       - Price                       GBP3.47 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 e)   Date of the transaction      17 April 2020 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 f)   Place of the transaction     Outside a trading venue 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 
 
 1    Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities 
       / person closely associated 
 a)   Name                          Jonathan Clelland 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 2    Reason for the notification 
     ------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 a)   Position/status              Chief Financial Officer and Chief 
                                    Operating Officer 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 b)   Initial notification         Initial Notification 
       /Amendment 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 3    Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, 
       auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor 
     ------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 a)   Name                         Aquis Exchange PLC 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 b)   LEI                          213800IXJSF5E1SIW150 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 4    Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated 
       for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; 
       (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions 
       have been conducted 
     ------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 a)   Description of the 
       financial instrument,         Options over Ordinary shares of 10 
       type of instrument            pence each 
 
       Identification code           ISIN: GB00BD5JNK30 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 b)   Nature of the transaction    Grant of share options under the 
                                    Company's EMI option scheme 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 c)   Price(s) and volume(s)         Price(s)        Volume(s) 
                                           GBP3.47    80,000 
                                                     ---------- 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 d)   Aggregated information 
 
       - Aggregated volume           N/A 
       - Price                       GBP3.47 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 e)   Date of the transaction      17 April 2020 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 f)   Place of the transaction     Outside a trading venue 
     ---------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
 

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact [e-mail] or visit www.rns.com.

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April 20, 2020 02:00 ET (06:00 GMT)