ABTERRA (www.abterra.com.sg) has secured a strategic partner, a US institutional investor, who will provide it with a US$20 million equity line facility.
The facility from YA Global Masters SPV is to fund Abterra’s regional growth and working capital needs.
YA Global is managed by Yorkville Advisors, LLC of Jersey City, New Jersey, USA (“Yorkville”).
Founded in January 2001, Yorkville specializes in providing flexible and cost-effective debt and equity financing to companies worldwide.
Under the proposed agreement, the Purchaser has agreed that it shall, at the request of the Company and, subject to the terms and conditions of the Agreement, subscribe for up to an aggregate value of S$20,000,000 of tradeable ordinary shares in the Company for a period of up to 24 months.
The subscription price must not be less than 97% of the volume weighted average price of the ordinary shares on a trading day immediately prior to the Group’s use of the facility.
Anthony Chan, Managing Director and Head of Asia at Yorkville HK, said: “We are extremely pleased to start the Year of the Tiger with an investment in a regional leader in the trading of coking coal, coke and iron ore. Abterra’s development of an integrated platform allows it to be an increasingly important participant in the supply chain for these core commodities. In addition, its established operational footprint spans across China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia and Singapore.
“Abterra has a track record of focusing on these specific commodities and has emerged from the financial crisis well-positioned to consolidate its position as a leading provider of coking coal, coke and iron ore.
"We continue to look for similar investment opportunities as the demand prospects for these commodities remain strong, given the long term infrastructure requirements of China and across the Asia Pacific region increases as the economic recovery takes hold.”
For illustration purposes and based on the Company’s consolidated financial statements for its 6 month financial period ended 31 December 2008, and assuming Abterra draws down fully on the US$20 m facility, the effects are as follows:
(i) The Purchaser will purchase new shares for an aggregate subscription amount of S$20,000,000, and
(ii) 412,783,917 new shares, representing 8.09% of the existing issued share capital of the Company, will be issued at the subscription price of S$0.0485 per new share (ie. minimum Issue Price).
Details of the agreement can be read in this company announcement.
Veteran joins Abterra as executive director & strategic business director
In another interesting development at Abterra, a veteran of the coke and coal industry for more than 20 years, Miss Cai Suirong, will join the group as an Executive Director.
She will assume the role of Strategic Business Director from 1 March to oversee the Group’s strategic business development in China and Thailand.
Miss Cai has established concrete business networks in China and Thailand.
In the early 1980s, she handled the distribution of foundry pig iron and coke for a company in Thailand. In the mid 1990s, she joined Tianjin General Nice Coke & Chemicals Co., Ltd. (“GNCC”) in Tianjin, China, where she expanded the company’s metallurgy coke business.
Under her leadership, GNCC became one of the first private companies to be awarded export quotas for coke in China.
The General Nice Group also benefited from her stewardship, winning notable accreditations such as “PRC’s Foreign Investment Enterprise of Double Excellence” and “Best Foreign Investment Enterprise in Tianjin”.
Mr Lau Yu, CEO of Abterra, said, “Miss Cai’s strong business acumen, along with her wide network of contacts in the resources industry, will prove invaluable in strengthening the Group’s position as a coking coal and coke trader. Her role as Strategic Business Director will also help Abterra open up new markets and business opportunities, which we hope will propel the Group’s business to greater heights.”
