AQRU plc - Share subscription agreement with LawBEAM Ltd

This announcement contains information which, prior to its disclosure, was inside information as stipulated under Regulation 11 of the Market Abuse (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019/310 (as amended). Upon the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

Press Release

21 December 2022

AQRU PLC

("AQRU" or "the Company")

Share subscription agreement with LawBEAM Ltd.

AQRU plc (AQSE: AQRU), an incubator specialising in opportunities in blockchain and decentralised finance ("DeFi"), is pleased to announce it has acquired a significant shareholding in LawBEAM Ltd. ("LawBEAM"), a London-based legal practice with a sector focus on digital assets and cryptocurrencies.

AQRU's agreement with LawBEAM is aimed at supporting the development and building of a technology driven legal and regulatory solution for the digital assets industry.

AQRU will use its expertise in the blockchain and DeFi sector, as well as in developing technology solutions for digital assets, to help drive the technical development of the solution platform. LawBEAM will leverage its experience and expertise on global laws and regulations in relation to blockchain and cryptocurrencies to drive the legal and regulatory content and analysis behind the solution.

LawBEAM will offer tech-enabled intelligence and analysis on the laws and regulations applicable to the digital assets and crypto sector in multiple worldwide jurisdictions covering Europe, the Americas and Asia. This will be of critical importance to a number of organisations, from startups to traditional finance firms, that must comply with an increasing burden of regulatory requirements.

LawBEAM's solution platform will also provide real-time information and analysis on laws and regulations on a global basis, which is particularly relevant to blockchain and digital asset clients that operate across borders but must comply with local regulatory regimes that are in a state of flux.

AQRU's agreement with LawBEAM builds on the Company's work to use its experience and expertise to offer a wide range of services that enable investors to participate in the cryptocurrency and DeFi sector. As part of these efforts, AQRU launched Daxiom, a start-up offering technology-led accountancy and advisory services for institutions holding digital assets, in November 2022.

LawBEAM is led by Roshi Sharma, a senior lawyer and financial services executive with more than 18 years' legal and regulatory experience. His previous roles include Head of Legal as well as Head of Restructuring at global bank HSBC Group, and Senior Associate at 'Magic Circle' law firm Slaughter and May.

LawBEAM's solution platform is currently under development and will be launched in 2023.

Digby Try, Chief Commercial Officer of AQRU, commented: "Blockchain technology is borderless by design, but crypto regulations are implemented and enforced differently at the national level, creating challenges for firms to fully understand and remain on top of their regulatory requirements. With the LawBEAM platform, we're leveraging our technological, crypto and blockchain experience to offer organisations holding digital assets access to intelligence and analysis across multiple countries. This ensures that they can focus on what's important - growing their operations in the crypto and DeFi sector, in a fully compliant way - to the benefit of the industry and its customers. We look forward to working with LawBEAM to develop the solution and adding depth to our portfolio of companies across blockchain and crypto."

Roshi Sharma, Managing Director of LawBEAM, commented: "The next wave of innovation will be driven by blockchain and digital assets. Businesses will need to comply with multiple, newly emerging legal and regulatory frameworks. Existing legal solutions are fragmented, localised, and expensive. We are taking a novel approach to the delivery of legal services. By using technology to drive legal outcomes, we believe we have a compelling and innovative way of providing solutions to our clients. By combining AQRU's technical and blockchain experience with our legal expertise, we're developing a first-in-class product which will be invaluable for companies across the globe."

The Directors of AQRU plc take responsibility for this announcement.

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About AQRU plc:

AQRU is an incubator specialising in opportunities in blockchain and decentralised finance (DeFi), a disruptive technology using blockchain and cryptocurrencies to remove financial intermediaries from transactions, creating a cheaper, more efficient and more secure way of providing financial services. Listed on the Aquis Exchange in London, we apply our expertise to the business operations and strategic plans of FinTech companies in the UK, USA and Canada, and act as an accelerator for start-ups and early-stage companies. www.aqruplc.com