AegirBio AB calls for payment of Tranche 1 of SEK 7.50 million and intends to carry out a directed set-off issue of 5,175,374 shares to Atlas Special Opportunities, LLC
On April 9, 2024, AegirBio AB ("AegirBio" or the "Company") announced that the Company had entered into a conditional loan facility agreement with Atlas Special Opportunities, LLC ("Atlas") under which the Company can call for loans in seven (7) tranches (hereinafter "Tranches" or each a "Tranche") in an aggregate nominal amount of SEK 45.00 million before deduction of set-up fee (the "Loan Facility") and transaction costs. The entering into of the Loan Facility has been conditional upon the completion of the amendments to the agreement for outstanding convertible bonds of series 2023/2025 (the "Convertible Bonds") and the terms and conditions of the Convertible Bonds, respectively, which were resolved at the extraordinary general meeting on January 20, 2023. The general meeting resolved on April 26, 2024 to amend the terms and conditions of the Convertible Bonds and the amendments have been registered with the Swedish Companies Registration Office. As a result, AegirBio has today requested payment of Tranche 1 amounting to SEK 7.50 million before deduction of set-up fee and transaction costs. As soon as payment of Tranche 1 has been made, the Board of Directors of AegirBio intends to, based on the authorization received from the Annual General Meeting, resolve to carry out a directed issue of 5,175,374 shares to Atlas, to be paid in full by Atlas through set-off against part of the transaction fee. As the authorisation is fully utilised due to this set-off issue, the parties have agreed that Atlas, up to and including the annual general meeting 2024, may convert the Convertible Bonds in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Convertible Bonds and that Atlas, at the annual general meeting or by authorisation after the annual general meeting, shall receive the remaining shares that Atlas otherwise would have received under the agreement to amend the terms and conditions of the outstanding Convertible Bonds.The loan facility accelerates the Company's grant-funded RADx® project under the auspices of the National Institutes of Health ("NIH") aimed at developing a digital multiplex self-testing platform for individuals with disabilities. A successful execution of the Company’s RADx® project will position the Company for potential additional grants from the NIH.
The Loan Facility
The loan facility consists of seven (7) tranches with a total nominal amount of SEK 45.00 million. AegirBio has today called for payment of Tranche 1 corresponding to SEK 7.50 million before deduction of a set-up fee of SEK 0.75 million and transaction costs. Tranches drawn under the Loan Facility are interest-free and mature on April 9, 2027.
Atlas has the right to call for conversion of debt in directed issues of all or part of the nominal amount of the called Tranches and the transaction fee up to and including the maturity date. The minimum amount to convert is SEK 0.50 million. To facilitate the administration of the conversions, the parties have agreed that a new issue under the Loan Facility shall be made when Atlas has called for conversion in an aggregate amount of at least MSEK 2.50 or if the market value of the transaction fee shares is less than MSEK 1.00. The Company will only announce conversions to the market when Atlas has called for conversions that lead to a new share issue.
For more information on the Loan Facility, readers are referred to the press release dated April 9, 2024 (“AegirBio enters into a conditional agreement on a MSEK 45 loan facility with Atlas Special Opportunities and an agreement to amend the outstanding convertible bonds, subject to EGM approval").
Set-off Issue for Transaction Fee
In accordance with the press release on April 9, 2024, a transaction fee of SEK 7,00 million was to be paid to Atlas for the issuance of the Loan Facility, the extension of outstanding Convertible Bonds and the cancellation of outstanding warrants of series TO4, to be paid by set-off against newly issued shares in AegirBio (the "Transaction Fee Shares").
As soon as payment of Tranche 1 has been made, the Board of Directors of AegirBio intends, based on the authorization received from the Annual General Meeting, to resolve to carry out a directed issue of 5,175,374 Transaction Fee Shares shares to Atlas, to be paid in full by Atlas through set-off. The subscription price shall correspond to 100.00 percent of the lowest daily volume-weighted average price according to the Nasdaq First North Growth Markets price list for the share in the Company during the fifteen (15) trading days preceding the date of the resolution of the new share issue, however, not less than the share’s quota value (currently SEK 0.08).
Due to the set-off issue, the share capital in AegirBio increases by SEK 414,029.92 to a total of SEK 2,884,179.68 and the number of shares increases by 5,175,374 to a total of 36,052,246, which entails a dilution of approximately 14.36 percent of the total number of shares and votes in the Company after registration of the new shares at the Swedish Companies Registration Office.
Prior to the decision to enter into the Loan Facility and amendment of the terms of the existing Convertible Bonds, the Company’s Board of Directors has, together with a financial advisor, carefully investigated the conditions for a rights issue to raise the necessary capital. The board’s assessment is that the Company currently, especially considering that the Company has SEK 40.00 million in outstanding Convertible Bonds that are held by Atlas, cannot meet its’ capital needs in any other way than through the Loan Facility with Atlas. The Board of Directors has together with a financial advisor assessed that a rights issue would require significant guarantee commitments from a guarantee syndicate, which has not been deemed possible for the Company to obtain. In addition, a rights issue would probably have been carried out at a significantly lower subscription price than that which Atlas will be able to convert at in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Loan Facility. The Board of Directors’ overall assessment is thus that the reasons for entering into the Loan Facility and subsequently carrying out directed share issues to Atlas in this way outweigh the reasons that justify the main rule of issuing shares with preferential rights for existing shareholders, and that share issues with deviation from the shareholders’ preferential rights in accordance with the Loan Facility are thus in the interest of the Company and all shareholders.
The method for calculating the subscription price in the future share issues has, in consultation with a financial advisor and through analysis of the Company’s debt ratio and several market factors, been determined through arm’s length negotiations with Atlas. It is the Board of Directors’ assessment that the subscription price through this procedure will reflect current market conditions and demand and that it thereby is market-based.
This disclosure contains information that AegirBio is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation (EU nr 596/2014). The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person, on 13-05-2024 15:55 CET.
For additional information please contact:
Christel Dahlberg,, CFO Aegirbio AB
Epost: ir@aegirbio.com
About Aegirbio
AegirBio is a Swedish diagnostics company founded in 2019 to offer tests to monitor and optimize the dosage of biological drugs via its unique patented technology platform. In June 2020, AegirBio was listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market. The company's ambition is, in addition to bringing innovative diagnostic technology to the market, to make diagnostics more accessible, easier to use and to provide accurate and easily transferable results. For more information, see Aegirbio's website www.aegirbio.com
The company's Certified Adviser is Eminova Fondkomission AB, adviser@eminova.se