Admission to AIM and First Day of Dealings
Rift Helium PLC has successfully admitted its ordinary shares to trading on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, commencing dealings under the ticker "RIFT". The company raised gross proceeds of approximately £8.1 million through a placing and subscription of 80,855,000 new ordinary shares at 10 pence each. On admission, Rift Helium will have 134,142,041 ordinary shares in issue, resulting in a market capitalization of approximately £13.4 million at the issue price. The company aims to provide access to primary helium from a proven basin in southwest Tanzania, with a strategy focused on efficient exploration and targeting future export markets, particularly in Asia.
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22 April 2026, Rift Helium plc, which is providing investors with smart access to primary helium in a proven basin in southwest Tanzania, is pleased to announce the admission of its ordinary shares of 0.1 pence each in the capital of the Company ("Ordinary Shares") to trading on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange ("Admission"). The Company's Ordinary Shares will commence trading at 8.00 a.m. today under the ticker symbol "RIFT" and the ISIN GB00BVRY9595.
The Company has raised gross proceeds of approximately £8.1 million pursuant to a placing and subscription of 80,855,000 new Ordinary Shares at an issue price of 10 pence per share (the "Fundraising"). On Admission, the Company will have 134,142,041 Ordinary Shares in issue with a market capitalisation of approximately £13.4 million at the issue price.
The Company's Admission Document and information required pursuant to AIM Rule 26 is available on the Company's website at www.rifthelium.com
Commenting, Rift Helium Non-Executive Chairman, Patrick Muwowo, said:
"Helium is an increasingly important commodity for a range of high-value industries, yet global supply remains constrained and vulnerable to disruption. Against that backdrop, Rift is entering the public market at an important time. I would like to thank our new investors for their support, and the management team and advisers for their hard work in reaching this important milestone for the Company."
Rift Helium CEO, Charlie FitzRoy, said:
"Admission marks the start of Rift's next phase as we begin deploying the proceeds of the Company's successful IPO fundraise against a clear and focused strategy. With recent disruption in Qatar, which normally accounts for close to one-third of global helium supply, and new Russian export controls adding further uncertainty to the market, Rift is entering the public market against a highly favourable backdrop for new primary helium supply. In the Rukwa Basin, the key question is no longer whether helium exists, but where it accumulates in commercial volumes. Our third-mover strategy is designed to apply the lessons from adjacent discoveries to target those accumulations more efficiently and with greater technical discipline. With a clear route toward future export markets, including Asia, the world's largest and fastest-growing helium import region, we now look forward to deploying the IPO proceeds across our near-term catalysts, including EIA approval, 3D seismic-led prospect definition and drilling at the Upepo Project."
Investment Highlights
| ● | Smart access to primary helium in a proven basin : Rift offers investors direct exposure to primary helium exploration in the Rukwa Basin, where adjacent discoveries and drilling activity have helped validate a working helium system and materially reduce basin risk. |
| ● | Third-mover advantage : Rift is applying the lessons from earlier basin entrants to pursue a more targeted, capital-efficient and technically disciplined exploration strategy focused on where helium is most likely to accumulate in commercial volumes. |
| ● | Strategically located acreage : the Upepo Project comprises 283 km² of licence acreage in southwest Tanzania, adjacent to confirmed helium discoveries within an established and highly prospective helium basin. |
| ● | Meaningful resource potential: the independent CPR prepared by NSAI indicates significant prospective helium resource potential, including a gross, unrisked P50 estimate of approximately 19 Bcf helium and a mean estimate of approximately 41 Bcf helium. |
| ● | Clear near-term catalysts : Rift is targeting EIA approval, 3D seismic-led prospect definition in summer 2026, supporting well targeting and drill programme works planned to commence in H1 2027, providing a clear pathway to further technical de-risking. |
| ● | Exposure to a critical commodity with favourable market fundamentals : helium is essential to a range of high-value applications, including semiconductors, medical imaging, scientific research, defence and aerospace, while global demand is projected to grow at 5-7% CAGR through to 2030 against constrained supply. Asia is the largest and fastest-growing helium import market, underlining the strategic importance of new primary helium supply. |
| ● | Access to key future import markets : the Upepo Project benefits from access to existing transport infrastructure, including road and rail links to the port of Dar es Salaam, supporting future export routes to major international helium import markets, with approximately 90% of global helium imports concentrated in Asia (~60%) and the EU (~30%). Tanzania is located on the eastern side of Africa, offering a clear route to Asia, the largest and fastest growing market for helium imports. |
| ● | Experienced team with relevant expertise : the Board, founding shareholders, senior management and technical team bring extensive experience across helium, critical minerals, natural resources, capital markets and in-country execution. |
| ● | Supportive local positioning : development of the Upepo Project is supported by the local community, helping to underpin responsible long-term project advancement. |
Video Interview
Following the successful IPO, an interview with Charlie FitzRoy, CEO, is available to view via the following link:
Rift Helium plc is an England and Wales incorporated company which owns 99 per cent. of the Upepo Project located in southwestern Tanzania, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Kidunda (TZ) Limited. The Company's strategy is to advance a primary helium opportunity in a proven basin, targeting commercial helium accumulations within a non-hydrocarbon associated system in the Great Rift Valley.
The Company believes the Project is strategically positioned relative to future helium import demand, particularly in Asia, which represents the largest and fastest-growing regional market for helium.
The Upepo Project comprises three Prospecting Licences located near the southern shores of Lake Rukwa, Tanzania, and within the Rukwa Rift - forming part of the extensive East Africa Rift System extending for 5,000 km across the continent. The Company has identified five discrete exploration "leads", primarily on its eastern licence, PL 12093/2022, which is less than 6 km east of the Itumbula helium discovery.
The CPR by NSAI determined an unrisked, prospective P50 Best Estimate (arithmetic) aggregate of over 19 Bcf recoverable helium for the Upepo Project. The Competent Person's estimates of potential helium volume in the 10 individual reservoirs are based on the OGIP estimates and application (in the probability modelling) of the total gas recovery factor ranging from 50 per cent. to 90 per cent., as well as of a wide range of possible helium content in gas, ranging from 1.3 per cent. He (P90) to 11.0 per cent. He (P10), and a mean grade of 5.6 per cent. helium ("He").
Rift has assembled an experienced management and technical team with relevant helium, natural resources and capital markets expertise. The Company intends to leverage its third-mover advantage in the Rukwa Basin by applying the lessons from earlier basin activity to a focused exploration programme. Net proceeds from the Fundraising are expected to support technical de-risking at Upepo, including 3D seismic acquisition and drilling, as Rift advances its evaluation of the Project's prospective helium resource.
The Board
The Board comprises two Executive Directors and three Non-Executive Directors. The Non-Executive Chair, Patrick Muwowo, is based in Tanzania, while the other Directors are based in the United Kingdom and the United States.
The Board's Executive Director is Charlie FitzRoy (CEO), an experienced natural resource executive with previous CEO roles including Giyani Metals Corp (TSXV:EMM) and Bradda Head Lithium (AIM:BHL); and, on Admission, will include Russel Swarts (CFO), a Chartered Accountant and Finance Executive with over three decades' of international financial leadership, including at Helium One.
The Board's Non-Executive Directors comprise Patrick Muwowo (Non-Executive Chair and founding shareholder), a banking and finance professional with over 25 years' experience across international financial markets, investment banking and project finance, with a particular focus on Africa, including at Standard Chartered Bank Tanzania, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America; Vincent Hendrickx (Non-Executive Director), with two decades' of experience in mineral exploration and investment; and, on Admission, Jonathan Owen (Non-Executive Director), whose career has been focused on mining and natural resources with previous roles including CEO of AIM-quoted Metals One plc, senior partner at Proudfoot and COO at Helium One.
The Company has also secured the services of Basie Swanepoel as Chief Operational Officer, and Lucas McLean-Hodgson as Chief Technical Officer who will be based in Tanzania as and when required as the Project develops.
Thomas Abraham-James and Neil Herbert, who alongside Patrick Muwowo are founding shareholders of the Company, are being appointed in senior advisory capacities by the Board of Rift Helium. Mr. Abraham-James is also CEO and co-founder of Pulsar Helium and the co-founder of Helium One, while Mr Herbert is also the Executive Chair of Pulsar Helium.
As a whole, the Board and the Company's senior management have significant experience in establishing, growing, financing and subsequently monetising early-stage natural resources projects in Tanzania and more widely.
Cleaned text: letterheads, contacts and legal notices removed. View the original announcement ↗ · Company filings. Not investment advice.