Qenta Inc., has entered into a definitive business
combination agreement with Blockchain Coinvestors Acquisition Corp.
I (Nasdaq: BCSA) (the "Transaction").
The business combination is expected to be completed in the
first half of 2023.
GRAND
CAYMAN, Cayman Islands and
HOUSTON, Nov. 10,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Qenta Inc., ("Qenta" or the
"Company"), a financial technology company established to digitize
the world's assets and transactions, and Blockchain Coinvestors
Acquisition Corp. I (Nasdaq: BCSA) ("BCSA"), a special purpose
acquisition company ("SPAC"), today announced they have entered
into a definitive business combination agreement. Upon closing of
the transaction, the combined company will continue to operate as
Qenta.
Qenta is a global company that elevates the world's citizens and
businesses through its frictionless, accessible, secure, and
compliant financial ecosystem. With a vision to digitize all the
world's assets and transactions, Qenta started with a focus on the
precious metals sector. By introducing digitized Responsible Gold™,
and multiple recognitions for ESG, innovation, and Shariah
compliance, Qenta brought gold into the digital age as an efficient
store of value and gave it true utility as a medium of
exchange.
Today Qenta operates through three integrated segments: Qenta
Digital Assets, offering provenance, custody, and ownership
tracking of precious metals; Qenta Payments, with newly launched
alternative banking and payment applications; and Qenta Capital
& Risk Management, offering specialized hedging products and
margin financing for soft commodities and precious metals.
Qenta aims to replicate its patented Digital Assets solution for
soft commodities, fiat currencies, and carbon offsets in
multi-asset wallets and continues the geographic expansion of its
Payments and Capital & Risk Management services through organic
growth and acquisition within the fintech vertical.
Qenta's Investment
Highlights:
- A leader in the digitization of assets and transactions
- Massive addressable market boosted by commodity focus
- Pioneer in integrating ESG best practices in the creation of
digital and sustainable products
- Committed to strict regulatory compliance and security
- Promising scalability driven by friction reduction and better
access to financial solutions philosophy
- Led and founded by Brent de
Jong, a successful platform builder with a demonstrated
ability to use acquisitions to build shareholder value
Summary of Transaction
The boards of directors of Qenta and BCSA have both unanimously
approved the Transaction, which is expected to be completed in the
first half of 2023. The Transaction will require the approval of
the shareholders of both Qenta and BCSA and is subject to other
customary closing conditions identified in the business combination
agreement.
Qenta's shareholders will roll their equity holdings into the
new public company. Current shareholders of BCSA will convert their
class A ordinary shares and class B ordinary shares of BCSA into
common stock of the combined company on a one-for-one basis.
Qenta expects to use the proceeds from the Transaction to
accelerate growth and general corporate purposes, in addition to
covering Transaction-related costs.
Upon the closing of the Transaction, and assuming none of BCSA's
public shareholders elect to redeem their shares,
- the current stockholders of Qenta are expected to own
approximately 54% of the combined company,
- BCSA's public stockholders are expected to own 33% of the
combined company, and
- BCSA's sponsor is expected to own 13% of the combined
company.
The Transaction includes an implied combined pro forma total
enterprise value of approximately $622
million, assuming no shareholder redemptions. Further,
assuming a share price of $10.00 per
share, the combined company is expected to have an initial market
capitalization of approximately $904
million.
Forward Purchase
Agreement
BCSA has also entered into a forward purchase agreement with
Vellar Opportunity Fund SPV LLC – Series 5 ("Vellar"), a client of
Cohen & Company Financial Management, LLC ("Cohen"). Entities
and funds managed by Cohen own equity interests in BCSA's sponsor.
Pursuant to the forward purchase agreement, Vellar has agreed to
purchase in the open market and not redeem up to 12,000,000 BCSA
class A ordinary shares in advance of the consummation of the
business combination, subject to certain conditions, including its
receipt of the trust proceeds related to the shares it purchases
less 10% following the consummation of the business combination.
Vellar will pay the combined company the proceeds from its sales of
the shares purchased pursuant to the forward purchase agreement,
subject to certain parameters.
Share Purchase Agreement
As part of its public readiness preparation, Qenta secured a
$180,000,000 capital commitment from
GEM Global Yield LLC SCS ("GEM"), a Luxembourg-based private alternative
investment group. Under the agreement, GEM agrees to provide Qenta
with a share subscription facility for a 48-month term
following the completion of the business combination between the
Company and BCSA.
Additional Information
Additional information about the Transaction, including a copy
of the business combination agreement, will be provided in a
Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed by BCSA with the Securities
and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and will be available at
www.sec.gov. In addition, BCSA intends to file a registration
statement on Form S-4 with the SEC, which will include a proxy
statement/prospectus, and will file other documents regarding the
proposed Transaction with the SEC.
Advisors
Perkins Coie LLP and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP are
acting as legal counsel to BCSA.
About BCSA
BCSA is a special purpose acquisition company formed for the
purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition,
share purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination
with one or more businesses or entities. BCSA is led by Chairman
and Managing Director Matthew Le
Merle, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Lou Kerner, Managing Director
Alison Davis, and Chief Financial
Officer Mitchell Mechigian.
About Qenta
Qenta is a financial technology company established to digitize
all the world's assets and transactions. It elevates the world's
citizens and businesses through its frictionless, accessible,
secure, and compliant financial ecosystem. Today Qenta operates
through three integrated segments: Qenta Digital Assets, offering
provenance, custody, and ownership tracking of precious metals;
Qenta Payments, with newly launched alternative banking and
payment applications; and Qenta Capital & Risk Management,
offering specialized hedging products and margin financing for soft
commodities and precious metals.
Headquartered in Houston,
Texas, Qenta has offices and operations on 5 continents and
more than 400 employees. It offers the highest level of security
and compliance and is governed by financial authorizations in
Brazil, Dubai, Ghana,
India, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and the US. For more information,
please visit www.qenta.com.
Important Information and Where to
Find It
A full description of the terms of the proposed Transaction will
be provided in a registration statement on Form S-4 to be filed by
BCSA with the SEC that will include a prospectus with respect to
the combined company's securities to be issued in connection with
the business combination and a proxy statement with respect to the
shareholder meeting of BCSA to vote on the business combination.
This press release does not contain all the information that should
be considered concerning the proposed business combination and is
not intended to form the basis of any investment decision or any
other decision in respect of the business combination. BCSA and
Qenta urge their investors, shareholders and other interested
persons to read, when available, the preliminary proxy statement/
prospectus as well as other documents filed with the SEC because
these documents will contain important information about BCSA,
Qenta and the Transaction. After the registration statement is
declared effective, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus to be
included in the registration statement will be mailed to
shareholders of BCSA as of a record date to be established for
voting on the proposed business combination. Once available,
shareholders of BCSA will also be able to obtain a copy of the S-4,
including the proxy statement/prospectus, and other documents filed
with the SEC without charge, by directing a request to: Blockchain
Coinvestors Acquisition Corp. I, PO Box 1093, Boundary Hall Cricket
Square, Grand Cayman KY1-1102,
Cayman Islands, Attn: Secretary.
The preliminary and definitive proxy statement/prospectus to be
included in the registration statement, once available, can also be
obtained, without charge, at the SEC's website (www.sec.gov).
Participants in the
Solicitation
BCSA and Qenta and their respective directors, executive
officers, other members of management, and employees may, under SEC
rules, be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies of
BCSA's shareholders with respect to the potential Transaction
described in this press release. Information about the persons who
may, under SEC rules, be deemed to be participants in the
solicitation of BCSA's shareholders in connection with the
potential transaction will be set forth in BCSA's registration
statement on Form S-4 containing the preliminary proxy
statement/prospectus when it is filed with the SEC. Such
shareholders will be able to obtain copies of the preliminary proxy
statement/prospectus, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and
other documents filed with the SEC, once available free of charge
at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or by directing a request to:
Blockchain Coinvestors Acquisition Corp. I, PO Box 1093, Boundary
Hall Cricket Square, Grand Cayman
KY1-1102, Cayman Islands, Attn:
Secretary.
No Offer or Solicitation
This press release is not a proxy statement or solicitation of a
proxy, consent or authorization with respect to any securities or
in respect of the potential Transaction and does not constitute an
offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities
of BCSA, Qenta or the combined company, nor will there be any sale
of any such securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such
offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to
registration or qualification under the securities laws of such
state or jurisdiction. No offer of securities will be made except
by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act").
Special Note Regarding
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are based on
beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available. In
some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the
following words: "may," "will," "could," "would," "should,"
"expect," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate,"
"predict," "project," "potential," "continue," "ongoing" or the
negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although
not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These
statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may
cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or
achievements to be materially different from the information
expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Although
we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking
statement contained in this press release, we caution you that
these statements are based on a combination of facts and factors
currently known by us and our projections of the future, about
which we cannot be certain. Forward-looking statements in this
press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding
the proposed business combination, including the timing and
structure of the Transaction, the proceeds of the Transaction, the
initial market capitalization of the combined company, the benefits
of the Transaction and the combined company's future financial
performance, as well as statements about the potential attributes
and benefits of Qenta's financial technology platform, the
potential market opportunity, and the development and performance
of Qenta's platform. We cannot assure you that the forward-looking
statements in this press release will prove to be accurate. These
forward looking statements are subject to a number of risks and
uncertainties, including, among others, the ability to complete the
business combination due to the failure to obtain approval from
BCSA's shareholders or satisfy other closing conditions in the
business combination agreement, the occurrence of any event or
other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the
business combination agreement, the outcome of any legal
proceedings that may be instituted against Qenta or BCSA following
announcement of the Transactions, the risk that the proposed
business combination disrupts Qenta's, the ability to recognize the
anticipated benefits of the business combination, costs related to
the business combination, the amount of redemption requests made by
BCSA's stockholders, changes in applicable laws or regulations,
that Qenta will have sufficient capital upon the approval of the
Transaction to operate as anticipated, and other risks and
uncertainties, including those to be included under the header
"Risk Factors" in the registration statement on Form S-4 to be
filed by BCSA with the SEC and those included under the header
"Risk Factors" in the final prospectus of BCSA related to its
initial public offering. In light of the significant uncertainties
in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these
statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other
person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any
specified time frame, or at all. The forward-looking statements in
this press release represent our views as of the date of this press
release. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will
cause our views to change. Except as otherwise required by
applicable law, Qenta and BCSA disclaim any duty to update any
forward-looking statements. You should, therefore, not rely on
these forward-looking statements as representing our views as of
any date subsequent to the date of this press release.
Contacts
Blockchain Coinvestors Acquisition Corp.
I:
Matt Yemma
Peaks Strategies
myemma@peaksstrategies.com
Qenta, Inc.:
Luana
Helsinger
Director of Corporate Development
luana.helsinger@qenta.com
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SOURCE Blockchain Coinvestors