18 February 2026

Connecting Excellence Group Plc

("Connecting Excellence Group", "XCE", the "Group" or the "Company")

Commencement of Trading on the OTCQB Market

Connecting Excellence Group Plc (AQSE: XCE / OTCQB: XCELF), the international executive recruitment group with a long term, ambitious and disciplined Bitcoin treasury strategy, is pleased to announce that the Company's shares will begin trading today on the OTC Venture Market ("OTCQB") in the United States, under the symbol "XCELF". No new Ordinary Shares have been issued by the Company for this parallel trading of its shares.

The OTCQB is a middle-tier market for entrepreneurial companies and is recognised by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") as an established public market.

The Board believes that admission to trading on the OTCQB will open XCE up to a significantly larger pool of investors which is already familiar with listed Bitcoin treasury model, helping to enhance liquidity and broaden the shareholder base. XCE's flagship executive recruitment company, Spencer Riley, has an established client base in the US market, generating c.30% of its revenue from the US in the previous year. Trading on the OTC aligns with XCE's growing brand recognition and the continued expansion of its investor and US client base, particularly across high-growth traditional sectors, as well as companies seeking Bitcoin focussed executive level hires.

This strategic step further strengthens XCE's ability to drive Bitcoin education, adoption and integration across its client base, effectively bridging traditional cash-generative operations with disciplined Bitcoin treasury strategies.

Scott Ellam, Chief Executive Officer of Connecting Excellence Group, commented: "Our admission to trading on the OTCQB is a strategic milestone for the Company. We are a profitable operating business first, with a proven international executive recruitment platform at our core, and an experienced capital markets team to deliver on our Bitcoin treasury strategy.

"US investors also have a strong understanding of Bitcoin, innovative capital structures and the value of cash-generative businesses that grow as a direct result of their ability to attract high performing revenue generating individuals and cash flowing companies to the organisation. Our business is a people driven business, backed by a Bitcoin treasury strategy so the OTCQB trading opens the opportunity for US investors, along with US clients, US based Executive Recruiters and US based competitor companies to join XCE on the journey as we positively disrupt international executive search and champion Bitcoin corporate adoption.

"The OTC will help to broaden our reach, increase liquidity and align XCE with a shareholder audience that shares our long-term conviction in building sustainable value through people, performance and disciplined Bitcoin accumulation."

About Connecting Excellence Group Plc ("XCE"):

XCE is an international executive recruitment group with a long term, ambitious and disciplined Bitcoin treasury strategy. The flagship recruitment company, Spencer Riley, places senior executives with clients globally across a number of high growth markets including engineering, logistics, life sciences, automation, tech, professional services and B2B services.

The Bitcoin treasury strategy sets the foundation for the Company's scalable recruitment business to attract and retain high performing talent with individual performance linked share option incentives to increase revenue, profit and cashflows. In the future, XCE can also expand market share through strategic acquisitions, at very little cash cost, using performance-based equity incentives to provide immediate and ongoing shareholder value. XCE is also building a dedicated Bitcoin executive recruitment division, enabling executives to find their role within either Bitcoin businesses or traditional businesses looking for Bitcoin talent worldwide and accelerating corporate education, integration and adoption of Bitcoin.

Website: xce.io

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The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

Important Notice: 

Connecting Excellence Group PLC holds treasury reserves and surplus cash in Bitcoin. Bitcoin is a type of digital asset. Whilst the Board of Directors of the Company considers holding Bitcoin to be in the best interests of the Company, the Board remains aware that the financial regulator in the UK (the Financial Conduct Authority or FCA) considers investment in Bitcoin to be high risk.

At the outset, it is important to note that an investment in the Company is not an investment in Bitcoin, either directly or by proxy. However, the Board of Directors of the Company consider Bitcoin to be an appropriate store of value and growth for the Company's reserves and, accordingly, the Company is materially exposed to Bitcoin. Such an approach is innovative, and the Board of Directors of the Company wish to be clear and transparent with prospective and actual investors in the Company on the Company's position in this regard.

The Company is neither authorised nor regulated by the FCA. And Bitcoin is unregulated in the UK. As with most other investments, the value of Bitcoin can go down as well as up, and therefore the value of the Company's Bitcoin holdings can fluctuate. The Company may not be able to realise its Bitcoin exposure for the same value as it paid in the first place or even for the value the Company ascribes to its Bitcoin positions due to these market movements. And because Bitcoin is unregulated, the Company is not protected by the UK's Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

However, Bitcoin is formally recognised as personal property in the UK under the new Property (Digital Assets etc) Act 2025, which received Royal Assent on December 2, 2025. This legislation has removed previous legal uncertainty by establishing a new, third category of personal property to accommodate digital assets that do not fit traditional definitions.

The Board of Directors of the Company with a history of a Bitcoin treasury prior to becoming a public company, has taken the decision to invest in Bitcoin, and in doing so is mindful of the special risks Bitcoin presents to the Company's financial position. These risks include (but are not limited to): (i) the value of Bitcoin can be highly volatile, with value dropping as quickly as it can rise; (ii) the Bitcoin market is largely unregulated - there is a risk of losing money due to risks such as cyber-attacks, financial crime and counterparty failure; (iii) the Company may not be able to sell its Bitcoin at will - the ability to sell Bitcoin depends on various factors, including the supply and demand in the market at the relevant time, with operational failings such as technology outages, cyber-attacks and comingling of funds potentially causing unwanted delay. The Board of Directors of the Company does not subscribe to such a negative view, and therefore ascribes to the 'Bitcoin, not crypto' mantra and has a 'Bitcoin only ethos'. However, prospective investors in the Company are encouraged to do their own research and verify before investing.