Britain’s stock market closed in the red on Friday, as escalating conflict in the Middle East pressured investor sentiment and dragged down share prices.
The FTSE 100 ended the session 34 points lower at 8,850, a drop of 0.4% from Thursday’s record closing high. The AIM All-Share closed the week up 0.75% at 762.02, edging ahead of the FTSE 100, which finished broadly unchanged.
Vinanz Launches £1m WRAP Retail Offer to Open Bitcoin Investing to the Public
On Friday, Vinanz—soon to be renamed The London Bitcoin Company—announced plans to raise £1 million through a WRAP Retail share offer, aiming to bring crypto investing to a broader audience of private investors.
For those unfamiliar, WRAP is a relatively new capital-raising platform operated by Winterflood Securities, one of the City’s most prominent market makers. The initiative seeks to democratise equity fundraising by providing retail investors access to opportunities typically reserved for institutions.
Vinanz is using the platform to expand public participation in its growth journey, which has already attracted backing from institutional investors.
On to the other news this week
Karelian Diamonds was the standout performer on AIM this week, soaring 144% after Finland’s Safety and Chemical Agency officially registered the company’s mining rights for the Lahtojoki diamond deposit. The site, estimated to hold over 2 million carats with a notional value of $211 million, represents a major milestone for the company’s development plans.
Haydale Graphene Industries jumped 127%, driven by strong commercial interest in its JustHeat range—a low-power, graphene-based heating solution targeting energy-efficient applications. The surge reflects growing market confidence in the company’s product traction and revenue potential.
Atlantic Lithium rose 55% following a round of leadership changes and cost-cutting measures, signalling a strategic shift toward tighter operational control and improved efficiency.
Phoenix Copper gained 27% after announcing it had signed a non-binding letter of intent with a U.S. investor for a proposed $75 million secured bond. The funding would support development of the company’s Empire Mine project in Idaho and bolster its balance sheet.
Now to the fallers
It was a rough week for Metals One, whose shares halved following confirmation of a $750,000 acquisition of the Swales gold property in Nevada. Although the deal had been flagged previously, the market reacted negatively to the formal announcement. The stock has fallen sharply from a recent high of 48.5p to 12.7p—yet early 2024 investors still sit on an impressive 196% gain.
Premier African Minerals tumbled nearly 40% after unveiling a £1.6 million fundraising to advance its Zulu Lithium and Tantalum Project in Zimbabwe. New shares were issued at 0.012p, a significant discount to the prior close. Further pressure came as the company settled $1.1 million in contractor debt through the issue of over 6 billion new shares—deepening shareholder dilution.
