ROAD TOWN, British Virgin Islands, Nov. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aura Minerals Inc. (TSX: ORA) (B3: AURA33) (the “Company” or “Aura”) today announces, further to its press releases dated August 26, 2020, October 9, 2020, October 29, 2020, and November 9, 2020, the settlement of the previously announced secondary public offering of Brazilian depositary receipts (certificados de depósito de ações, or “BDRs”), issued by Itaú Unibanco S.A., as depositary, each BDR representing one share in the capital of the Company (each share of the Company, a “Share”), by Arias Resource Capital Fund L.P., Arias Resource Capital Fund II (Mexico) L.P. and Arias Resource Capital Fund II L.P. (collectively, the “ARC Funds”) and LF Ruffer Investment Funds – LF Ruffer Gold Fund (“Ruffer”), each as a selling shareholder and offeror (collectively, the “Selling Shareholders”), pursuant to Brazilian Law No. 6,385, dated December 7, 1976, as amended, Brazilian Securities Commission (Comissão de Valores Mobiliários, or the “CVM”) Instruction No. 332, dated April 4, 2000, as amended, CVM Instruction No. 400, dated December 29, 2003 (“CVM Instruction 400”), as amended, the ANBIMA Code of Regulation and Best Practices for Structuring, Coordination and Distribution of Public Offers for Securities and Public Offers for the Acquisition of Securities (Código ANBIMA de Regulação e Melhores Práticas para Estruturação, Coordenação e Distribuição de Ofertas Públicas de Valores Mobiliários e Ofertas Públicas de Aquisição de Valores Mobiliários) and other applicable legal and regulatory provisions (the “Secondary Offering”), with XP Investimentos Corretora de Câmbio, Titulos e Valores Mobiliários S.A. as underwriter (the “Underwriter”).
The Secondary Offering consisted of 1,800,000 Shares (corresponding to approximately 2.50% of the total outstanding Shares on the date hereof) by the Selling Shareholders, exclusively in the form of BDRs, of which an aggregate of 400,000 BDRs were offered, severally, by the ARC Funds and 1,400,000 BDRs were offered by Ruffer. There was no increase in the number BDRs by way of additional BDRs that could be allocated pursuant to article 14, paragraph 2, of CVM Instruction 400.In the context of the Secondary Offering, the Shares owned by the Selling Shareholders were simultaneously offered in the secondary market in Canada, intermediated by a registered dealer in Canada (the “International Underwriter”), pursuant to an agreement entered into between the International Underwriter and the Underwriter (the “International Offering”). Within the scope of the International Offering, Shares were offered as freely tradeable shares in the secondary market by the Selling Shareholders. No Shares were placed in the secondary market in Canada in the context of the International Offering.
The price per BDR in the Secondary Offering was set at R$48.50 (the “Price per BDR”). The Price per BDR is not indicative of the trading price of the BDRs that will prevail after the completion of the Secondary Offering.
The total gross proceeds of the Secondary Offering to the Selling Shareholders were R$87,300,000.00, of which an aggregate of R$19,400,000 was in respect of the Shares offered, severally, by the ARC Funds and R$67,900,000 was in respect of the Shares offered by Ruffer. The Company has not received any proceeds from the Secondary Offering.
The Secondary Offering and the conversion of the current sponsored level II BDR program to sponsored level III BDR program have respectively been registered with and approved by the CVM. Since November 10, 2020, the BDRs (including the BDRs offered and sold pursuant to the Secondary Offering) have traded in the traditional securities trading segment of B3 S.A. – Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão under the code “AURA33”, among all types of investors.
No BDRs under the Secondary Offering have been offered or sold in Canada or to, or for the account or benefit of, a citizen or resident, or a corporation, partnership or other entity created or organized in or under the laws of Canada.
THIS PRESS RELEASE SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE SECONDARY OFFERING.
THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES FOR SALE IN THE UNITED STATES. THE SECONDARY OFFERING HAS NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, OR ANY OTHER U.S. FEDERAL AND STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND THE BDRS MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. INVESTORS, UNLESS THEY ARE REGISTERED, OR EXEMPT FROM, OR NOT SUBJECT TO, REGISTRATION UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933.
THIS PRESS RELEASE IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND SHALL NOT, IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, BE CONSTRUED AS AN INVESTMENT RECOMMENDATION. THIS PRESS RELEASE SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION OF ANY OFFER TO BUY NOR SHALL THERE BE ANY SALE OF THE BDRS IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
Forward-Looking Information
This press release contains “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements”, as defined in applicable Canadian securities laws (collectively, “forward-looking statements”).
Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the Company’s ability to predict or control, could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Specific reference is made to the most recent Annual Information Form on file with certain Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities for a discussion of some of the factors underlying forward-looking statements.
All forward-looking statements herein are qualified by this cautionary statement. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. If the Company does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that it will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
About Aura 360° Mining
Aura is focused on mining in complete terms – thinking holistically about how its business impacts and benefits every one of our stakeholders: our company, our shareholders, our employees, and the countries and communities we serve. We name it 360° Mining.
Aura is a mid-tier gold and copper production company focused on the development and operation of gold and base metal projects in the Americas. The Company’s producing assets include the San Andres gold mine in Honduras, the Ernesto/Pau-a -Pique gold mine in Brazil, the Aranzazu copper-gold-silver mine in Mexico and the Gold Road gold mine in the United States. In addition, the Company has two additional gold projects in Brazil, Almas and Matupá, and one gold project in Colombia, Tolda Fria.
For further information, please contact:
Rodrigo Barbosa
President & CEO
305 239 9332