Hansard Regulatory News (HSD)

18 Dec 2006 07:02

Hansard Global plc18 December 2006 This announcement and the information contained herein is not for publication,distribution or release, in whole or in part, in, or into, directly orindirectly, the United States, Australia, Canada and Japan or any otherjurisdiction where such publication, distribution or release would be unlawful. This announcement is an advertisement and not a prospectus. Investors should notpurchase or subscribe for any shares referred to in this announcement except onthe basis of information in the prospectus published on 13 December 2006 (the"Prospectus") prepared in connection with Admission (as defined below) and theoffer of ordinary shares (the "Shares") in the capital of Hansard Global plc("Hansard" or the "Company" and, together with its subsidiaries, the "Group") toinstitutional investors and management (the "Offer"). The Prospectus has beendelivered to the document viewing facility of the Financial Services Authorityand is available from Hansard Global plc's registered office at Harbour Court,Lord Street, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM99 1QL, from the office of Lazard & Co.,Limited ("Lazard") at 50 Stratton Street, London W1J 8LL and from the office ofPanmure Gordon (UK) Limited ("Panmure Gordon") at 155 Moorgate, London EC2M 6XB. 18 December 2006 Hansard Global plc Admission to the Official List of the Financial Services Authority Hansard announces that its Shares have been admitted to the Official List of theFinancial Services Authority and to trading on the main market of the LondonStock Exchange plc ("Admission") and that unconditional dealings in the Sharescommenced at 8:00 a.m. today. Lazard is acting as Financial Adviser to the Selling Shareholder and Dr LeonardPolonsky and Sponsor to the Company in connection with the Offer. Panmure Gordon is acting as Bookrunner to the Offer. Fox-Pitt, Kelton N.V. isacting as Co-Lead Manager to the Offer. Commenting on the listing, Dr Leonard Polonsky, Executive Chairman of Hansard,said: "Following the successful Offer, we are delighted to be joining the main marketof the London Stock Exchange. Today's listing is an important step for Hansardas we move into the next phase of the Company's development. The Board would like to extend a warm welcome to all the Company's newshareholders as we seek to build long-term value and a platform for futuregrowth. We look forward to reporting our progress to the market in the coming months." (ends) For further information Hansard 01624 688 000Dr. Leonard Polonsky, Executive ChairmanGordon Marr, Director and Group Counsel Lazard 020 7187 2000Jon HackStuart MackayNick Millar Panmure Gordon 020 7459 3600Tim LinacreAubrey PowellGilbert EllacombeGiles Stewart Bell Pottinger 020 7861 3232Stephen BenzikieBen WoodfordDaniel de Belder Summary Information on Hansard • The Group is a specialist long-term savings provider, based on the Isle of Man. • The Group offers a range of flexible and tax-efficient investment products within a life assurance policy wrapper, designed to appeal to affluent, international investors. • The Group has designed its products and distribution methods with a view to reducing operational and financial risks. • The Group sells policies exclusively through a network of over 470 financial services intermediaries, independent financial advisers and the retail operations of certain financial institutions, who provide access to their clients in more than 170 countries. • The Group's low-cost distribution model is scaleable and supported by Hansard OnLine, its award-winning, multi-language internet platform. • The Directors believe that the Group has excellent growth prospects, operating within the global wealth management market, which it is estimated will grow in aggregate by 6 per cent per annum between 2005 and 2010. • The Group is well capitalised and has a track record of profitable growth. • The Group has an experienced and long serving management team. Important Information No offer or invitation to purchase or subscribe for securities of the Company isbeing made at this time. Any such offer or invitation will be made solely in orby reference to the Prospectus which is expected to be published in due courseand any acquisition of securities of the Company should be made only on thebasis of the information contained in the Prospectus and any supplement oramendment thereto. The contents of this announcement, which have been prepared by and are the soleresponsibility of the Company, have been approved by Lazard solely for thepurposes of section 21(2)(b) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.Lazard, Panmure Gordon and Fox-Pitt, Kelton Ltd. are regulated in the UnitedKingdom by the Financial Services Authority and Lazard, Panmure Gordon andFox-Pitt, Kelton Ltd, are acting for the Company and the Selling Shareholder andno-one else, and Lazard and Panmure Gordon are acting for Dr. Leonard Polonsky,and Fox-Pitt, Kelton Ltd. is acting for the Company and the Selling Shareholder,and no one else in connection with the Offer and Admission and will not regardany other person (whether or not a recipient of this announcement) as theirrespective clients, nor will they be responsible to anyone other than theCompany, the Selling Shareholder or Dr. Leonard Polonsky for providing theprotections afforded to the respective clients of Lazard and Panmure Gordon andFox-Pitt, Kelton Ltd, nor for providing advice in relation to the Offer, thecontents of this announcement or any transaction, arrangement or other matterreferred to herein. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of anoffer to buy securities of the Company in any jurisdiction in which such offer,solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration, exemption fromregistration or qualification under the securities law of any such jurisdiction. The Offer is being made in the United Kingdom and elsewhere outside the UnitedStates by means of an Offer to institutional investors. This announcement andthe information contained herein is not for publication, distribution or releasein, or into, directly or indirectly, the United States, Australia, Canada orJapan and does not constitute, or form part of, an offer of the securities forsale in or into the United States, Australia, Canada or Japan. The Offer and thedistribution of this announcement may be restricted by law in certainjurisdictions and persons into whose possession any document or otherinformation referred to herein comes should inform themselves about and observeany such restriction. Any failure to comply with these restrictions mayconstitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The securities referred to in this document have not been registered under theU.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") and may not beoffered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption fromthe registration requirements of the Securities Act. The Company does notpresently intend to offer publicly any securities in the United States or toregister any securities under the Securities Act. This announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning the Offer. Thevalue of shares can go down as well as up. Potential investors should consult aprofessional advisor as to the suitability of the Offer for the individualconcerned. Forward looking statements The contents of this announcement include statements that are, or may be deemedto be "forward looking statements". These forward-looking statements can beidentified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including, withoutlimitation, the terms "believes", "estimates", "anticipates", "expects","intends", "may", "will" or "should". By their nature, forward lookingstatements involve risks and uncertainties and readers are cautioned that anysuch forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Anumber of factors could cause the Company's actual results and performance todiffer materially from the impression created by the forward-looking statementsincluding, without limitation, the factors to be described in the risk factorssection of the Prospectus. Save as required by law or by the Listing Rules ofthe Financial Services Authority, the Company undertakes no obligation topublicly update or revise forward-looking statements, except as may be requiredby applicable law and regulation (including the Listing Rules). No statement inthis announcement is intended to be a profit forecast or be relied upon as aguide to future performance. Stabilisation In connection with the Offer, Panmure Gordon (the "Stabilising Manager"), or anyof its agents, may (but will be under no obligation to), at its discretion andto the extent permitted by applicable law, over-allot and effect othertransactions with a view to supporting the market price of the Shares at a levelhigher than that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. TheStabilising Manager is not required to enter into such transactions and suchtransactions may be effected on any stock market, over-the-counter market orotherwise. Such stabilising measures, if commenced, may be discontinued at anytime and may only be taken during the period from the date of publication of theProspectus, until the date 30 days after the announcement of the Offer Price.Save as required by law or regulation, neither the Stabilising Manager nor anyof its agents intends to disclose the extent of any over-allotments and/orstabilisation transactions under the Offer. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange