WRAP Retail Offer for up to £250,000

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, OR INTO OR WITHIN THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, CANADA, SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN, OR ANY MEMBER STATE OF THE EEA, OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE, OR TO ANY OTHER PERSON TO WHOM, TO DO SO MIGHT CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OR BREACH OF ANY APPLICABLE LAW OR REGULATION. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICE AT THE END OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AMOUNTS TO A FINANCIAL PROMOTION FOR THE PURPOSES OF SECTION 21 OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 ("FSMA") AND HAS BEEN APPROVED BY WINTERFLOOD SECURITIES LIMITED WHICH IS AUTHORISED AND REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY (FRN 141455).

27 November 2025

Connecting Excellence Group Plc

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

WRAP Retail Offer for up to £250,000

Connecting Excellence Group is pleased to announce a retail offer via the Winterflood Retail Access Platform ("WRAP") in conjunction with its IPO on the Access Segment of the Aquis Stock Exchange Growth Market ("Aquis"), to raise up to £250,000 (the "WRAP Retail Offer") through the issue of new ordinary shares of £0.000001 each in the capital of the Company ("Ordinary Shares").

Under the WRAP Retail Offer, Ordinary Shares under the WRAP Retail Offer (the "WRAP Retail Offer Shares") will be made available at a price of £0.021 per share. The WRAP Retail offer is being made alongside an institutional placing and subscription (the "Fundraising"), to raise a minimum of approximately £1,500,000, subject to Admission (as defined below), in conjunction with the Company's Admission to trading on Aquis ("Admission"), at the same price per share as the WRAP Retail Offer.

Admission is anticipated to become effective and dealings in the Ordinary Shares (including the WRAP Retail Offer Shares), are expected to commence on or around 9 December 2025. Further information on the Company and its business is set out in the Pathfinder Admission Document, available at www.xce.io.

For the avoidance of doubt, the WRAP Retail Offer is not part of the Fundraising and both will be individually conditional on Admission to trading on Aquis.

About Connecting Excellence Group (XCE)

XCE is an international executive recruitment group with a long term 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 may also expand market share through strategic acquisitions, where such acquisitions can be completed at little cash cost by using performance-based equity incentives to provide 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.

Admission Document

The Company will shortly publish an Admission Document in compliance with the requirements of the Aquis Stock Exchange Growth Market Access Rulebook. It includes, inter alia, all information that is, under these rules, required for an admission document which is not currently publicly available. Information which is public includes, without limitation, all information available on the Company's website (collectively, the "Public Record"). The Public Record can be accessed freely.

WRAP Retail Offer

The Company is making the WRAP Retail Offer open to eligible investors following release of this announcement and through certain financial intermediaries. The WRAP Retail Offer is not being made into any jurisdiction other than the United Kingdom.

A number of retail platforms are able to access the WRAP Retail Offer. Non-holders or existing shareholders wishing to subscribe for WRAP Retail Offer Shares should contact their broker or wealth manager who will confirm if they are participating in the Retail Offer.

Retail brokers wishing to participate in the WRAP Retail Offer on behalf of eligible retail investors, should contact [email protected].

Instructions for AJ Bell customers

AJ Bell customers can apply for shares by visiting the 'IPOs and new issues' page on the AJ Bell website.

Instructions for Interactive Investor Customers

Interested customers can call through to the Customer Service Team on 0345 607 6001 to subscribe.

Instructions for Hargreaves Lansdown Customers

Interested customers can call to subscribe.

The WRAP Retail Offer is expected to close at 4.30 pm on 4 December 2025. Eligible retail investors should note that financial intermediaries may have earlier closing times. The result of the WRAP Retail Offer is expected to be announced by the Company alongside the result of the Fundraising on or around 9 December 2025.

To be eligible to participate in the WRAP Retail Offer, applicants must be a customer of a participating intermediary including individuals aged 18 years or over, companies and other bodies corporate, partnerships, trusts, associations and other unincorporated organisations. 

There is a minimum subscription of £500 per investor under the Retail Offer. The terms and conditions on which investors subscribe will be provided by the relevant financial intermediaries including relevant commission or fee charges.

The Company reserves the right to amend the size and the offer close timing of the WRAP Retail Offer at its discretion. The Company reserves the right to scale back any order and to reject any application for subscription under the WRAP Retail Offer without giving any reason for such rejection.

It is vital to note that once an application for WRAP Retail Offer Shares has been made and accepted via an intermediary, it cannot be withdrawn.

The WRAP Retail Offer Shares will, when issued, be credited as fully paid, and have the right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid after their date of issue.

No offering document, prospectus or admission document has been or will be submitted to be approved by the Financial Conduct Authority (or any other authority) in relation to the WRAP Retail Offer, and investors' commitments will be made solely on the basis of the information contained in this announcement, the admission document available here: www.xce.io and any information that has been published by or on behalf of the Company prior to the date of this announcement by notification to a Regulatory Information Service in accordance with the Financial Conduct Authority's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules, the Market Abuse Regulation (EU Regulation No. 596/2014) ("MAR") and MAR as it forms part of United Kingdom law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended).

It is a term of the WRAP Retail Offer that the total value of the Retail Offer Shares available for subscription at the Issue Price does not exceed EUR 8 million (or the equivalent amount in GBP, calculated in accordance with the Prospectus Rules Regulations Sourcebook of the Financial Conduct Authority (the "FCA").

Investors should make their own investigations into the merits of an investment in the Company. Nothing in this announcement amounts to a recommendation to invest in the Company or amounts to investment, taxation or legal advice.

It should be noted that a subscription for Ordinary Shares and investment in the Company carries a number of risks, including the risk that investors may lose their entire investment. Investors should take independent advice from a person experienced in advising on investment in securities such as the Ordinary Shares if they are in any doubt.

The value of Ordinary Shares and the income from them is not guaranteed and can fall as well as rise due to stock market movements. When you sell your investment, you may get back less than you originally invested. Figures refer to past performance and past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Returns may increase or decrease as a result of currency fluctuations.

An investment in the Company will place capital at risk. The value of investments, and any income, can go down as well as up, so investors could get back less than the amount invested.

Neither past performance nor any forecasts should be considered a reliable indicator of future results.

The WRAP Retail Offer is offered in the United Kingdom under the exemption from the requirement to publish a prospectus in sections 86(1)(e) and 86(4) of FSMA. As such, there is no need for publication of a prospectus pursuant to the United Kingdom version of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of United Kingdom law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended), or for approval of the same by the FCA. The WRAP Retail Offer is not being made into any jurisdiction other than the United Kingdom.

The Company has published an admission document drawn up in compliance with the requirements of the Aquis Stock Exchange Growth Market Access Rulebook. The Admission Document does not constitute a prospectus. The Admission Document is not an approved prospectus for the purposes of, and as defined in, section 85 of FSMA, has not been prepared in accordance with the Prospectus Rules and its contents have not been approved by the FCA or any other authority which could be a competent authority for the purposes of the Prospectus Regulation. The Admission Document will not be filed with or approved by the FCA or any other government or regulatory authority in the UK.

The information in the admission document at the point of launch of the WRAP Retail Offer, which is in draft or 'Pathfinder' form and is incomplete, is subject to updating, completion, revision, further verification and amendment. In particular, the Pathfinder document refers to certain events as having occurred which have not occurred at the date it is made available, but which are expected to occur prior to publication of the Admission Document in its final form. Copies of the Admission Document, when published, will be available on the Company's website at www.xce.io.

Further information on the Company can be found on its website at www.xce.io

The Company's LEI is 213800HUP8SVAW1MWF77 

This announcement should be read in its entirety. In particular, the information in the "Important Notices" section of the announcement should be read and understood.

Important Notices

This announcement, which has been prepared by and is the sole responsibility of the Company has been approved for the purposes of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 ("FSMA") by Winterflood Securities Limited ("Winterflood"), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

The release, publication or distribution of this announcement may be restricted by law in certain jurisdictions and persons into whose possession any document or other information referred to herein comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restriction. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

This announcement and the information contained herein is not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, in or into or from the United States (including its territories and possessions, any state of the United States and the District of Columbia (the "United States" or "US")), Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, the Republic of South Africa, any member state of the EEA or any other jurisdiction where to do so might constitute a violation of the relevant laws or regulations of such jurisdiction.

The Ordinary Shares have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act") or under the applicable state securities laws of the United States and may not be offered or sold directly or indirectly in or into the United States. No public offering of the Ordinary Shares is being made in the United States. The Ordinary Shares are being offered and sold outside the United States in "offshore transactions", as defined in, and in compliance with, Regulation S under the US Securities Act ("Regulation S") to non-US persons (within the meaning of Regulation S). In addition, the Company has not been, and will not be, registered under the US Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or issue or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for Ordinary Shares in the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, the Republic of South Africa, any member state of the EEA or any other jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is or may be unlawful. No public offer of the securities referred to herein is being made in any such jurisdiction.

This announcement is not for publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States of America. This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act, and may not be offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an applicable exemption from registration. No public offering of securities is being made in the United States.

WRAP is a proprietary technology platform owned and operated by Winterflood (registered address at Riverbank House, 2 Swan Lane, London EC4R 3GA; FRN 141455). Winterflood is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority, is acting exclusively for the Company and for no-one else and will not regard any other person (whether or not a recipient of this announcement) as its client in relation to the Retail Offer and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients, nor for providing advice in connection with the Retail Offer, Admission and the other arrangements referred to in this announcement.

The value of Ordinary Shares and the income from them is not guaranteed and can fall as well as rise due to stock market movements. When you sell your investment, you may get back less than you originally invested. Figures refer to past performance and past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Returns may increase or decrease as a result of currency fluctuations.

Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements which are based on the Company's expectations, intentions and projections regarding its future performance, anticipated events or trends and other matters that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements, which may use words such as "aim", "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "estimate", "expect" and words of similar meaning, include all matters that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements involve risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause the actual results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and dividend policy and the development of the industries in which the Company's businesses operate to differ materially from the impression created by the forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Given those risks and uncertainties, prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements speak only as at the date of this announcement and cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. The Company and Winterflood expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect actual results or any change in the assumptions, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based unless required to do so by the FCA, the London Stock Exchange or applicable law.

The information in this announcement is for background purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete. None of Winterflood or any of its affiliates, accepts any responsibility or liability whatsoever for, or makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to this announcement, including the truth, accuracy or completeness of the information in this announcement (or whether any information has been omitted from the announcement) or any other information relating to the Company or associated companies, whether written, oral or in a visual or electronic form, and howsoever transmitted or made available or for any loss howsoever arising from any use of the announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith. Winterflood and its affiliates, accordingly disclaim all and any liability whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise which they might otherwise be found to have in respect of this announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith.

Any indication in this announcement of the price at which the Ordinary Share have been bought or sold in the past cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. Persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser. No statement in this announcement is intended to be a profit forecast and no statement in this announcement should be interpreted to mean that earnings or target dividend per share of the Company for the current or future financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings or dividends per share of the Company.

Neither the content of the Company's website (or any other website) nor the content of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other website) is incorporated into or forms part of this announcement. The Ordinary Shares to be issued or sold pursuant to the WRAP Retail Offer will not be admitted to trading on any stock exchange other than the Aquis Stock Exchange.

AlbR Capital Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom, is acting Corporate Adviser to the Company in connection with the placing.  AlbR Capital Limited has not authorised the contents of, or any part of, this announcement, and no liability whatsoever is accepted by AlbR Capital Limited for the accuracy of any information or opinions contained in this announcement or for the omission of any material information. The responsibilities of AlbR Capital Limited as the Company's Corporate Adviser under the Aquis Stock Exchange Growth Market Access Rulebook for Corporate Advisers are owed solely to Aquis and are not owed to the Company or to any director or shareholder of the Company or any other person, in respect of its decision to acquire shares in the capital of the Company in reliance on any part of this announcement, or otherwise.

AlbR Capital Limited is authorised and regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom.  AlbR Capital Limited is acting solely as broker exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the Fundraise and the contents of this Announcement and will not regard any other person (whether or not a recipient of this Announcement) as its client in relation to the placing or the contents of this Announcement nor will it be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing advice in relation to the contents of this Announcement. Apart from the responsibilities and liabilities, if any, which may be imposed on AlbR Capital Limited by FSMA or the regulatory regime established thereunder,  AlbR Capital Limited accepts no responsibility whatsoever, and makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, for the Fundraise or the contents of this Announcement including its accuracy, completeness or verification or for any other statement made or purported to be made by it, or on behalf of it, the Company or any other person, in connection with the Company and the contents of this Announcement, whether as to the past or the future.  AlbR Capital Limited accordingly disclaims all and any liability whatsoever, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise (save as referred to above), which it might otherwise have in respect of the contents of this Announcement or any such statement.

Allenby Capital, which is authorised and regulated by the FCA, is acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the Fundraising and will not be responsible for providing the protections afforded to its clients nor for giving advice in relation to the Fundraising or for any transaction or arrangement referred to in this announcement or in relation to the contents of this announcement or any other matter. Neither Allenby Capital nor any of its connected persons or their respective professional advisers has authorised the contents of this announcement or is making any representation to any subscriber or purchaser of Ordinary Shares regarding the legality of an investment by such subscriber or purchaser.

Notice to distributors solely for the purposes of Paragraph 3.2.7R regarding the responsibilities of UK Manufacturers under the Product Governance requirements contained within Chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook (the "UK Product Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any "manufacturer" (for the purposes of the UK Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Ordinary Shares have been subject to a product approval process by the Company, which has determined that the Ordinary Shares are: (i) compatible with an end target market of (a) retail investors, (b) investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and (c) eligible counterparties, each as defined in UK Product Governance Requirements; and (ii) eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by UK Product Governance Requirements (the "Target Market Assessment"). Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the Ordinary Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment; the Ordinary Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the Ordinary Shares is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom. The Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Fundraise. For the avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to, the Ordinary Shares. Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the Ordinary Shares and determining appropriate distribution channels.

Bitcoin Treasury - Important Notice

The Company intends to hold treasury reserves and surplus cash in Bitcoin. Bitcoin is a type of cryptocurrency or cryptoasset. 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 and shareholders will have no direct access to the Company's holdings. However, the Board of Directors of the Company consider Bitcoin to be an appropriate store of value and potential growth and therefore appropriate for the Company's reserves. Accordingly, the Company is and intends to continue to be 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 the purchase of certain cryptocurrencies (such as Bitcoin) are generally 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 holdings for the same as it paid to acquire them or even for the value the Company currently ascribes to its Bitcoin positions due to market movements. Neither the Company nor investors in the Company's shares are protected by the UK's Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Nevertheless, the Board of Directors of the 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. Investors in Bitcoin must be prepared to lose all money invested in Bitcoin; (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. Operational failings such as technology outages, cyber-attacks and comingling of funds could cause unwanted delay; and (iv) cryptoassets are characterised in some quarters by high degrees of fraud, money laundering and financial crime. In addition, there is a perception in some quarters that cyber-attacks are prominent which can lead to theft of holdings or ransom demands. Prospective investors in the Company are encouraged to do your own research before investing.