SPAC
USDC issuer Circle terminates SPAC merger with Concord
Circle, the issuer of USD Coin (USDC), announced the mutual termination of its proposed merger with the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Concord Acquisition on Dec. 5. The deal was announced in July 2021 with a preliminary valuation of $4.5 billion and was then amended in February 2022 when Circle’s valuation ballooned to $9 billion. USDC is currently the second-largest stablecoin in circulation, with a market capitalization of $43 billion. Under the terms of the agreements, Concord had until Dec. 10 to consummate the transaction or seek a shareholder vote for an extension. However, it appears that Concord chose to have the time limit lapse instead. As told by Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire: “Concord has been a strong partner and has added value throughout this process, and we w...
One of Music’s Biggest Wholesalers Is Going Public
Alliance Entertainment, the giant music, video and gaming wholesaler, will be going public and trade on the New York Stock exchange, the company announced Thursday (June 23). The public listing will be done through a reverse merger with Adara Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The deal is subject to the approval of the shareholders of Adara Acquisition Corp., which trades on NYSE under the symbol ADARA. If the deal closes — as expected in the fall — Alliance Entertainment will trade under the symbol AENT. The deal has assigned Alliance Entertainment a pre-deal valuation of $480 million. Alliance Entertainment serves as a one-stop for all titles to brick-and-mortar and online retailers. In the first nine-months of its fiscal year ended March 31, the compan...
Crypto-focused SPAC raises $115M in Nasdaq IPO
Aura FAT Projects Acquisition Corp. (AFARU), a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), has closed its initial public offering (IPO) on Nasdaq and raised $115 million, focusing on crypto industry assets. The Cayman Islands-incorporated SPAC raised an impressive $100 million during its April 13 IPO, with an over-allotment of $15 million, bringing its total to $115 million, according to an announcement from the firm on Tuesday. It also has funding from sponsorships with Singapore-based financial services firms Aura Group and Fat projects. The SPAC’s website states that it has a presence in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. Aura FAT will target acquisitions in the blockchain sector as it has a stated interest in emerging technolo...
After Deezer Failed to Go Public Years Ago, Now Timing Is Everything
Since 2020, nine music-related companies — including the first- and third-largest record labels — have gone public to take advantage of renewed investor interest in a once-struggling industry. Add French music streaming service Deezer to the list. According to a report on Wednesday at The Wall Street Journal, Deezer, which first attempted an initial public offering in late 2015, is planning to go public with a European special purpose acquisition corporation, I2PO, backed by Groupe Artémis, a holding company behind fashion brand Puma and French investment banker Matthieu Pigasse, a partner at Paris-based Centerview Partners. Deezer had no comment to Billboard on the news. Representatives for I2PO did not respond to a request for comment. Deezer — led since last year by CEO Jeronimo Folguei...
Bitcoin mining company PrimeBlock to go public via $1.25B SPAC merger
On Friday, Bitcoin (BTC) mining company PrimeBlock announced that it is merging with special purpose acquisition vehicle (SPAC) company 10X Capital Venture Acquisition Corp II. The deal places PrimeBlock at an enterprise value of $1.323 billion and is expected to close in the second half of the year. The company has installed 1.8 exahash per second of BTC self-mining equipment, accounting for approximately 0.89% of the Bitcoin network’s overall hash rate. According to PrimeBlock, its break-even price for mining is $9,000 per coin. Back in 2020, up to 59% of its energy sources were carbon-free. The firm seeks to become carbon-neutral on a net-zero basis by the year 2050. Last year, PrimeBlock brought in $21.8 million in revenue through mining 356.8 BTC. But in 2022, the firm expects t...
Cathie Wood’s ARK ETF reportedly buys 6.93M shares of SPAC merging with Circle
Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest has reportedly purchased 6.93 million shares of the special purchase acquisition company, or SPAC, that is merging with Circle, for $70.6 million through the company’s ARK Fintech Innovation exchange-traded fund (ETF). This purchase would represent a new position for the ETF, according to MarketWatch. Ark Invest’s ETFs have a history of bold purchases within the tech industry as indicated by their move to buy $80 million in Robinhood shares after the prices dipped back in October 2021. Wood is also bullish on crypto despite passing on buying the first Bitcoin futures ETF that same month. Circle is the principal operator of USD Coin (USDC), which is currently the second-largest stablecoin in terms of market capitalization. Circle announced its inte...
Senate summons ex-NSITF bosses over ‘N84 billion embezzlement’
The Senate has summoned former managing directors of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund over alleged missing financial documents in the agency. The former NSITF bosses are expected to appear before the Senate Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday. The Chairman of SPAC, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, at the last meeting of his panel on Thursday, said 50 queries were issued against the NSITF officials by the office of the Auditor General for the Federation. Urhoghide said the ex-NSITF bosses were being invited following the failure of the officials of the agency to respond to the queries of the AuGF regarding some alleged financial infractions. He said, “Twelve out of the 50 queries of the Auditor General of the Federation so far reviewed by the committee revealed that N84bn had allegedly be...
Liberty Media SPAC Raised $575M With Last Week’s Public Offering
Liberty Media Acquisition Corporation, the special purpose acquisition corporation of Liberty Media Corp. raised $575 million in its Jan. 22 initial offering on the Nasdaq exchange, the company announced Tuesday (Jan. 26). Liberty Media Corp. owns a majority of SiriusXM and about a third of Live Nation. Trading under LMACU, Liberty’s SPAC will “identify, acquire and operate” a business with “attractive risk-adjusted returns” within Liberty’s comfort zone: “digital media, media, music, entertainment, communications, telecommunications and technology industries,” according to the prospectus filed with the SEC on Jan. 21. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful p...
