Alasdair Haynes of Aquis Exchange discusses their final results which saw revenue up 42% to £16.2 million

Alasdair Haynes, CEO of Aquis Exchange #AQX discusses their final results which saw revenue up 42% to £16.2 million and pre-tax profit up 540% to £3.2 million.

Highlights

· Revenue up 42% to £16.2 million (FY20: £11.4 million)

· Pre-tax profit up 540% to £3.2 million (FY20: £0.5 million)

· Profit after tax up 330% to £4.3 million (FY20: £1.0 million)

· Basic EPS up 300% to 16p (FY20: 4p)

· Cash and cash equivalents at 31 December 2021 of £14.0 million (31 December 2020: £12.3 million)

· Membership of Aquis Exchange (AQX) grew to 39 (FY20: 33) and there was a 24% increase in the average monthly usage, in terms of chargeable orders (4Q 2021 vs 4Q 2020)

· Market share of all pan-European trading at 5.2% in 4Q21 (4.7% 4Q20) reflecting a number of factors including significant market volatility, an industry-wide move to dark trading venues and client trading strategies

· Overall share of available liquidity of 24%, the highest of any European MTF

· Aquis Stock Exchange (AQSE) completed first year under new rule book, with a record 24 admissions completed during 2021

Post-period highlights

· Encouraging start to current trading, with the Company's trading in line with expectations, notwithstanding continued macroeconomic uncertainty and high levels of market volatility

· Agreed transferral of the business activities of UBS MTF, the non-displayed matching pool of UBS AG, to Aquis, as announced on 16 March 2022

· Fields Wicker-Miurin OBE and Dr. Ruth Wandhöfer appointed as independent Non-Executive Directors of the Company, and Richard Fisher appointed to the board and acting as Chief Financial Officer following the AGM

· Completed the dual listing of the Company's shares on the Aquis Stock Exchange Growth Market today, a tangible demonstration of belief in the market

About Aquis Exchange PLC

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/Switzerland and in EU27 respectively. Aquis operates lit order books and does not allow aggressive non-client proprietary trading, which has resulted in lower market impact 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. The AQSE Growth Market is divided into two segments 'Access' and 'Apex', with different levels of admission criteria. The Access market focuses on earlier stage growth companies, while Apex is the intended market for larger, more established businesses.

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.