The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014, as retained as part of the law of England and Wales. Upon the publication of this announcement via the Regulatory Information Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

10 October 2025

London, UK

 

Defence Holdings PLC

(“Defence Holdings” or the “Company”)

 

Defence Holdings: US OTC Listing, Oracle AI World, and ATM Facility Established

 

Defence Holdings PLC (LSE: ALRT), the UK's first listed software-led defence company, provides a strategic update on its US OTC Market listing, invitation to Oracle AI World (Las Vegas, 13–16 October 2025), and establishment of an At-The-Market (ATM) equity issuance facility to support accelerated growth.

 

Oracle AI World

Defence Technologies' invitation to present at Oracle AI World (Las Vegas, 13–16 October 2025) reflects the Company's growing recognition within the global AI infrastructure community.

 

The Company's participation will focus on accelerating translation of allied-scale infrastructure into sovereign, deployable capability for UK, US, and NATO defence customers.

 

This builds on rapid progress across Defence Holdings' sovereign AI portfolio, including two classified product builds being delivered through Defence Technologies. Both programmes remain on budget and on schedule, with multiple validation milestones planned for Q4 2025.

 

OTC Market Listing: ALRDF

Defence Holdings' shares have been approved for cross-listing on the US OTC Market and will commence trading under the ticker ALRDF, reflecting the Company's expanding collaboration with US hyperscale infrastructure partners and its role within the allied defence technology ecosystem.

 

The cross-listing enables direct participation from North American investors in the UK's sovereign AI defence sector, increasing liquidity, visibility, and access to capital as Defence Holdings scales.

 

The Company is now working on the appointment of US-based investor relations and market-making representatives to support North American shareholders and ensure orderly market development.

 

This move addresses strong inbound interest from investors outside the UK and positions Defence Holdings as a bridge between UK sovereign innovation and allied capital markets.

 

This will not affect trading of the Company's Ordinary Shares on the London Stock Exchange, which will continue under the symbol "ALRT", and no new Ordinary Shares have been issued through this process. The Company will continue to make all announcements and disclosures to the London Stock Exchange through the Regulatory News Service and is not subject to any Sarbanes-Oxley or U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reporting requirements.

 

Funding For Growth

To support programme acceleration and US market engagement, Defence Holdings has established an At-The-Market (ATM) equity issuance facility.

 

The ATM, widely adopted by high-growth US technology companies, provides a flexible mechanism to raise growth capital at prevailing market prices, avoiding the material discounts typically required for traditional block placings. This approach enables Defence Holdings to match capital deployment with programme milestones while maintaining transparency and minimising price disruption.

 

The facility will be used selectively, with strict internal volume controls, ensuring alignment with shareholder value creation and the capital requirements of Defence Holdings' expanding product portfolio.

 

The Company has clear internal volume controls:

 

·        Initial issuance capped at 5% of daily trading volume

·        Maximum authority of 20% of weekly trading volume

·        All issuance will be disclosed in accordance with regulatory requirements

 

The Company has issued Fortified with 144,927,536 ordinary shares of £0.001 each (“ATM Shares”) at par and Fortified will use reasonable endeavours to sell those shares within price and volume restrictions agreed with the Company.   It is the intention of the parties that the shares should only be sold when market conditions are suitable and with a view to enhancing the value of the Company for all shareholders.   Fortified will deduct its commission from the gross proceeds of the sale, with the net proceeds being paid to the Company.

 

Strategic Outlook

Defence Holdings is executing a clear strategy: build and scale a portfolio of sovereign, AI-enabled defence capabilities aligned with the UK Strategic Defence Review 2025 (SDR25) and NATO interoperability priorities.

 

With two classified products in active development and additional builds moving to announcement, Defence Holdings is no longer assembling a portfolio, it is delivering one.

 

The Company's OTC approval and participation at Oracle AI World underscore the UK's leadership position in sovereign defence AI, with Defence Technologies now translating hyperscale infrastructure into deployed national advantage at pace.

 

Warrant Exercise

The Company has received notices from warrant holders to exercise warrants over a total of 61,800,000 ordinary shares of £0.001 each in the Company (“Ordinary Shares”).

 

Accordingly, the Company will issue 61,800,000 new Ordinary Shares to warrant holders. Of these, 59,800,000 Ordinary Shares will be issued to a single warrant holder pursuant to the exercise of their warrants.

 

The relevant shares have been sold by that holder, ensuring that no material block of stock will come to market following the issue.

 

Admission and Total Voting Rights

Application will be made for   the 61,800,000 Warrant Shares and 144,927,536 ATM Shares, which will rank pari passu with the existing Ordinary Shares in issue, to be admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange Main Market ("Admission"). Dealings are expected to commence on or around 16 October 2025.

 

Following Admission, the Company's total issued and voting share capital will consist of   2,285,393,667 Ordinary Shares. The Company does not hold any ordinary shares in treasury.

 

Therefore, the above figure may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculation by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

 

Leadership Commentary

 

Andrew McCartney, Chief Technology Officer of Defence Holdings, commented:

 

"Defence Holdings is executing at pace across multiple fronts. Our OTC approval and trading under ticker ALRDF gives US investors direct access to the UK's sovereign AI defence story - a sector where capability, not just capital, will determine who leads.

 

We have two classified products in active development, with more moving toward announcement. Our invitation to Oracle AI World isn't ceremonial. It reflects the fact that Defence Technologies is now operating at the centre of allied sovereign AI infrastructure, working directly with hyperscale partners to turn global-scale platforms into deployed national advantage.

 

Two products are in build, there are more in the pipeline, and hyperscale partnerships are accelerating. We are in early-stage execution on a multi-year strategy.”

ENDS

About Defence Holdings PLC

Defence Holdings PLC (LSE: ALRT) is a leading listed software-led defence company, focused on developing sovereign defence capabilities for the digital age. The Company's five-year strategic plan, announced in June 2025, positions it to become a leading force in software-first defence solutions.

Website:   www.defencetechnologies.com

Media Enquiries
Name   – Director, Brian   Stockbridge
Defence Holdings PLC
Tel: +44 (0)20 3855 5551 · Email:   [email protected]