Contents
Strategic Report
Introduction                     
4
History 
4
Strategic Report Key Issues including Section 172(1) Statement
 5
Chairman’s Statement 
 8
Company Structure
 11
Company Performance 
12
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 
13
Investment Manager’s Report 
 14
Overview of Strategy and Investment Policy
 19
Risks 
 22
Viability Statement and Other Disclosures 
 26
Governance
Board of Directors 
 28
Report of the Directors                  29
Statement on Corporate Governance 
 33
Audit Committee Report 
 36
Directors’ Remuneration Report 
 38
Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities 
 43
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of
Life Settlement Assets PLC 
 44
Financial Statements
Statement of Comprehensive Income 
 54
Statement of Financial Position 
 55
Statement of Changes in Equity 
 56
Cash Flow Statement 
 57
Notes to the Financial Statements 
 58
Shareholder Information
Notice of Annual General Meeting 2025 
 82
Notes to the Notice of the AGM 
 84
Company Information 
 87
Glossary 
 88
Form of Proxy 
 89
Annual Report 2024
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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1
Strategic
Report
History
Life Settlement Assets PLC (“LSA” or the “Company”)
is
a
closed-ended
investment
trust
company
which invests in, and manages, portfolios of whole
interests in life settlement policies issued by life
insurance companies operating predominantly in the
United States
The well-established US life settlement market
enables individuals to sell their policies to investors at
a higher cash value than they would otherwise receive
from insurance companies if they were cancelled
or surrendered at the date of sale Some of the
investments by the Company in these life settlement
assets have been made at a significantly discounted
acquisition cost from distressed situations where the
original purchaser of the Policy is in liquidation
Corporate Objective
The Company’s objective is to generate long-term
returns for investors by managing its portfolios of
life settlement interests so that the realised value
of the Policies at maturity exceeds the aggregate
cost of acquiring the Policies, ongoing premiums,
management fees and other operational costs
Core Competencies
Through the combination of its Board and its
strategic partnerships with service providers, LSA has
core competencies in the following areas:
assessment of the underlying value of life
settlement policy portfolios;
access to investment opportunities, especially to
portfolios of policies where the Company already
has an interest;
management of strategic partnerships with service
providers
providing
investment
management,
actuarial, administration, company secretarial and
tracking services to enable the efficient operation
of its business; and
cash flow management to balance returns to
Shareholders with financing ongoing costs.
Through these competencies the Company has
developed a successful track record of creating value
for Shareholders
The life settlement market in the USA has developed
since the 1980s and was estimated at USD 5 billion
in 2023 The market continues to generate interest
among
investors
seeking
assets
with
lower
correlations to larger market movements such as
the volatility in interest rates and equity markets
The underlying rationale for policyholders to
transact in the primary market for life settlement
policies is generally to release the value inherent
in their policies to address short term or alternative
financial requirements. This can be especially
important for medical costs where there is no state-
financed provision of healthcare.
The secondary market for life settlement policies
emerged from the consolidation or failure of
purchasers in the primary market. One of the first
participants in this secondary market was Acheron
Portfolio
Corporation,
the
forerunner
of
the
Company
By
supporting
a
secondary
market
for
life
settlement policies the Company provides a
source of liquidity for policies traded in the primary
market, and protects the value of these existing
assets, thereby indirectly underpinning confidence
in the life settlement market in the USA, which has
become an important source of capital for some
policyholders
Acheron Portfolio Corporation listed its portfolios
of assets in Luxembourg until acquisition by
the Company in 2018 The Company’s shares
were admitted to trading on the Specialist Fund
Segment of the Main Market of the London Stock
Exchange on 26 March 2018 The Company was
formed for the purposes of continuing the activities
of Acheron Portfolio Corporation (Luxembourg)
SA (the “Predecessor Company”) within the more
developed London market Life Settlement Assets
PLC acquired the entire beneficial ownership in each
of the four Trusts through which the Predecessor
Company’s portfolios of life settlement policies
were held, following which the Predecessor
Company delisted from the Luxembourg Stock
Exchange on 6 March 2018 The four Trusts were
merged into one Trust on 31 March 2020
In March 2023, the Company announced that it
has acquired the policies from the Mutual Benefits
Keep Policy Trust for a gross consideration of
USD 24 million
Introduction
4
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
The Strategic Report of this Annual Report on pages 4 to 26 has been prepared to help Shareholders understand
the Company’s progress on key matters and assist them in assessing the extent to which the Directors have
performed their legal duty to promote the success of the Company in accordance with section 172 of the
Companies Act 2006
The Chairman’s Statement on pages 8 to 10 and Investment Manager’s Report on pages 14 to 18 includes
a comprehensive analysis of the development of the business during the financial year and the position of the
Company’s main investments at the end of the year
Basis of Preparation
The
Strategic
Report
has
been
prepared
in
accordance with the requirements of Section 414A
to 414D of the Companies Act 2006 (the “Act”) The
Strategic Report also discloses the Company’s risks
and uncertainties as identified by the Board, the
key performance indicators used by the Board to
measure the Company’s performance, the strategies
used to implement the Company’s objectives, the
Company’s environmental, social and ethical policy
and the Company’s anticipated future developments
Section 172(1) Statement
Under Section 172 (“s172”) of the Companies Act
2006 the directors of a company are required to act
in the way they consider will most likely promote
the success of the company for the benefit of its
members as a whole In doing this, s172 requires
directors to include these factors:
likely consequences of any decisions in the long-
term;
interests of the company’s employees;
need to foster the company’s business relationships
with suppliers, customers and others;
impact
of
the
company’s
operations
on
the community and environment;
desirability
of
the
company
maintaining
a
reputation for high standards of business conduct;
and
need to act fairly as between members of the
Company
In discharging the s172 duties the Board has regard to
the factors set out above, although it should be noted
that the Company does not have any employees It
also has regard to other factors where relevant It is
acknowledged that every decision the Board makes
will not necessarily result in a positive outcome for all
Stakeholders By considering the Company’s purpose
and objectives together with its strategic priorities
and having a process in place for decision-making,
the Board does, however, aim to make sure that
decisions are fully evaluated before implementation
It is normal practice for Investment companies to
delegate authority for day-to-day administration
and management of the assets to third parties
At every Board meeting a review of financial and
operational performance, as well as legal and
regulatory compliance, is undertaken The Board also
reviews other areas over the course of the financial
year including the Company’s business strategy;
key
risks;
stakeholder-related
matters;
diversity
and inclusivity; environmental matters; corporate
responsibility and governance, compliance and legal
matters
During the year, the Board received information to
understand the interests and views of the Company’s
key stakeholders: Shareholders, the Administrator,
and Acheron as Investment Manager to the Trust; the
Trust responsible for the portfolio, and the Servicing
Agents The Trustee of the Trust also provides
regular updates to the Board This information was
distributed in a range of different formats including
reports and presentations on the Company’s financial
and operational performance, non-financial KPIs,
risk and the outcomes of specific engagements with
stakeholders As a result, the Board have received
useful feedback which allows them to understand
the nature of any stakeholder concerns and to comply
with the s172 duty to promote the success of the
Company
Feedback following discussions has allowed the
Board to review commercial arrangements in place
with service providers which collectively seeks to
motivate each service provider and collectively
to benefit the Company to achieve the desired
success. Whilst providing financial motivation of
one stakeholder can impact ongoing costs and be
detrimental to other Stakeholders, the Board have
balanced this in the commercial decisions made
impacting service providers as Stakeholders
Strategic Report Key Issues
including Section 172(1)
Statement
Annual Report 2024
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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5
Section 172(1) Statement
continued
The Board engages with the key stakeholders in a
variety of ways, including the publication of Annual
and Half–Yearly Reports and Accounts, monthly
fact sheets, announcements of results, information
provided on the Company’s website and at the Annual
General Meeting Shareholders are invited to contact
the Directors at any opportunity either via Acheron
or through the Company Secretary The Company
produces a Key Information Document (“KID”) and
has engaged a third party supplier to monitor and
update this document as necessary
During the year the Board has considered:
Mutual Benefits Keep Policy Trust (“MBC”)
As reported in previous Annual Reports the Board
has known for a number of years that MBC, which
held fractional policies in the United States, was
approaching the end of its life and would be seeking
to dispose of the remaining life policies, some in
which the Company already held a partial underlying
interest The Company through the Acheron Portfolio
Trust engaged lawyers in the US to protect its
interests in the US Courts in the fractional policies and
if appropriate acquire further interests in any policies
held by MBC if made available when MBC ceased
The Board sought to ensure any outcome protected
the Company’s Stakeholders
In the second half of 2022, and through the US Courts
who were overseeing the winding down of MBC, a
sale process of all the MBC policies was instigated
Acheron Portfolio Trust actively participated in
this sale process to acquire the policies at a price
beneficially appropriate to the Company. An offer
was made for the policies in the last quarter of 2022,
which was overseen by and subject to the approval of
the US Courts. The offer was approved by the Courts
in the first Quarter of 2023 and the Company paid
the gross proceeds of USD 24 million to acquire the
policies held by the MBC Trust The Company would
receive the net proceeds, after costs, for the effective
66% of the MBC policies it already beneficially owned.
At the year-end the policies of the MBC Trust had
been transferred and the Company now has direct
control and 100% beneficial interest of these policies.
As reported in the Chairman’s Statement on page 9,
the Company has received USD 5.7 million as the first
tranche of the MBC sale proceeds together with a
refund of overpaid premiums of USD 40 million The
remaining amount due from MBC is shown in note 17
and is expected to be received during the year 2025
Acheron Capital Performance Fee
During the year the Board reviewed the performance
fee arrangements for Acheron Capital Limited
In recognition of the receipt of USD 40 million in
respect of the overpaid premiums made to the MBC
Trust, the Board agreed a performance fee of 15%
of the refund received and this was paid to Acheron
in October 2024
Servicing Agent
Following the purchase of the policies from the MBC
Trust and the transfer of the fractional policies the
Company and Trustee engaged in discussion with
Vespera as the Servicing Agent It was agreed that
continuity of Vespera acting as Servicing Agent would
be beneficial to the Company. All policies would be
transferred to Vespera and a new agreement was
negotiated with Vespera for this ongoing work
Shareholders
Following the receipt of monies from maturities during
the year and the proceeds from the MBC Trustee
the Board undertook a review to utilise the cash
and return monies to Shareholders Views of major
Shareholders were sought and after a USD 3 million
dividend was paid out in March 2024 the Company
then announced a buyback programme which was
to create liquidity in the shares, reduce the discount
and be accretive to NAV to remaining Shareholders
Trustee
The trustee maintains ongoing contact with the
Directors outside of the formal Board Meetings He
also attends Board Meetings by video conference
when required and usually attends in person once a
year
Employees
The Company has no employees as it engages
third parties to provide all necessary services to the
Company
Community and Environment
As an investment trust, the Company outsources its
activities to third parties, has no offices of its own nor
any employees Where possible, meetings are held
electronically to reduce the Company’s impact on the
environment The Company has minimal greenhouse
gas emissions from its operations, nor does it have
responsibility for any other emissions producing
sources under the Companies Act 2006 (Strategic
Report and Directors’ Reports) Regulations 2013
Strategic Report Key Issues
continued
6
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
Section 172(1) Statement
continued
For the same reasons, the Company considers itself
to be a low energy user under the Streamlined Energy
and Carbon Reporting regulations and therefore it is
not required to disclose energy and carbon reports
The Company does not make any political or
charitable donations
Service Providers
The Company engages a number of service providers
who it regards as key to its ongoing business The
Board recognise that the continued engagement
with these service providers is vital and the success
of these service providers is synonymous with the
success of the Company It receives reports from
providers and regularly monitors the contribution
they make to the Company’s operations The
Company Secretary and Investment Manager both
attend Board Meetings The Trustee of the underlying
Trust and the Administrator provide regular updates
to the Board during the year
Investment Strategy
The Company seeks to generate long-term returns
for investors by investing in the life settlement
market The Company aims to manage its investment
in portfolios of life settlement products so that the
realised value of the policy maturities exceeds the
aggregate cost of acquiring the policies, ongoing
premiums, management fees and other operational
costs The Company’s investment Objective and
Policy are stated on page 19
Dividends/Distributions
As shown in note 29 on page 79, the Company paid
a special dividend of 60209 cents per share, totalling
USD 30 million, which was paid on 15 March 2024 to
Shareholders on the register at 23 February 2024
No final dividend will be paid in respect of the year
ended 31 December 2024
Decision-making
The Board recognises that all material decisions
it makes will impact the various stakeholders to a
greater or lesser degree and it seeks to assess that
impact when making any decision It acknowledges
the need to act fairly between members of the
Company when considering the buyback of the
Company’s shares
Other Disclosures
Investments and Underlying Assets
As at 31 December 2024, the Share Class was invested
in underlying assets as follows:
The Company invests in life insurance policies
acquired from special or “distressed” situations,
with exposure to both HIV (average age mid 60s)
and elderly insureds (average age late 80s) Policies
held to the benefit of the former share classes D, E
and B have been merged into the class A shares It
is a widely diversified portfolio by gender and the
number of lives insured with circa 3,800 underlying
policies
During the year, the Company invested in a brokerage
account as discussed in note 15 for purposes of cash
management
Cash Retention
The Board considered the retention of cash as working
capital to meet the payment of ongoing premiums
required to service the portfolio of life policies
Valuation of Portfolio
The assessment of the valuation of the portfolio
including selecting an appropriate discount factor
based on research available and the mix of policies
in the portfolio
Comparative Benchmarks and Performance
Due to the lack of directly comparable companies
investing
in
the
secondary
market
in
life
policies, the Company does not follow a specific
sector
or
geographic
benchmark,
although
indirect comparisons may be made from time to time
with other market indices
The life settlement market has a low correlation
with traditional equity and fixed income markets, as
returns are dependent on the actuarial and mortality
rate assumptions used This can make this market an
attractive alternative asset class
The performance of the Company against its key
performance indicators is described on page 12
Ongoing Charges
The Company’s total annual costs (investment
management fees and other expenses) are 50%
(2023: 56%) of average net assets for the year to
31 December 2024 Excluding the servicing and legal
costs the ratio would be 27% (2023: 31%)
Annual Report 2024
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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7
Chairman’s Statement
I am pleased to present my sixth Annual Report as
Chairman of LSA and your Company’s seventh report
since its admission to the London Stock Exchange
in March 2018 This year has marked the unpredictable
beginning of a new presidential administration in the
USA, which has added uncertainty and volatility to
financial markets, accompanied by the risk of a severe
hiatus to world trade brought on by the introduction
of tariff wars. Geopolitical risk continues alongside
these factors, reinforcing the differentiated nature
of your Company’s asset class, which is minimally
correlated to risk in the global financial markets, and
which continues to offer an attractive investment
opportunity
The outlook for continued growth in the life settlement
market remains promising, with inflation of insurance
premiums, rising costs of long-term medical care,
and an increasing awareness among the US senior
population of the scope for realising value from
cashing in life insurance policies to provide funds for
retirement and care, rather than surrendering them
Additionally,
new
direct-to-consumer
marketing
strategies have enabled policyholders to connect
directly with purchasers The combination of these
factors is expected to lead to continuing growth in
activity in the life settlement market
Investment Portfolio
Overview
Overall, the portfolio structure has now absorbed the
acquisition of the remaining policy interests previously
held by Mutual Benefits Keep Policy Trust (“MBC”),
reducing operational risk with fractional interests in
policies now being consolidated into policies 100%
owned and controlled by Acheron Portfolio Trust
(“APT”)
The financial highlights on page 12 show that income
from maturities was in line with expectations across
the portfolio for the year as a whole with strong results
in the non-HIV segment supported by a good outturn
in the HIV segment
As the remaining non-HIV policies continue to
mature, there is increasing emphasis on the HIV
policy segment of the portfolio, in both number of
policies and face value Managing this risk is therefore
key to the investment case for your Company, where
results over a long period increasingly give the Board
confidence in the underlying assumptions applied to
our valuation model
NAV
The year-end NAV attributable to Shareholders
was USD 1010 million (2023: USD 1112 million),
representing USD 223 per share (2023: USD 223)
(the total number of shares in issue during the year
reduced from 49,826,784 to 45,402,943) The NAV
result is shown in the table on page 12 Further details
of the NAV result for the year is contained in the
Investment Manager’s Report set out in this Strategic
Report on pages 14 to 18
Maturities
During the year the non-HIV policy component
of the portfolio produced a high relative level of
maturities, while the HIV policy component had
somewhat less On an aggregated basis, this has
meant higher than expected cash receipts Maturities
totalling USD 231 million were declared – of
these, USD 141 million were non-HIV policies, and
USD 90 million were HIV policies
The full year actual to expected (“A/E”) ratio of the
non-HIV segment of the portfolio was 132%, reflecting
the maturities of large policies with significantly larger
than average face values The A/E ratio of the HIV
segment was 98% in terms of maturity amounts
although the ratio was 97% in terms of the number
of lives
Further maturities since the year end which occurred
during 2024 but were not reported until after the year
end are reported in the Investment Manager’s Report
on page 17 As a result the Board does not envisage
any need to adjust the long-term assumptions
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
Costs
The total ongoing charges ratio decreased from
56% to 50% of NAV in 2024 The ongoing charges
ratio, excluding policy servicing fees and legal costs,
decreased from 31% to 27% of NAV The Board
continues to examine ways to reduce the Company’s
cost base commensurate with the most efficient use
of resources and the careful management of risk
Inflationary pressures on costs continue to underline
the importance of the Board’s work in this area
MBC Action
Steady progress has continued with the finalisation
of administrative arrangements relating to the MBC
action During the year the Trustee continued to
work on concluding the MBC transaction and the
Company has previously reported that on 28 August
2024 it received notification that funds amounting
to USD 97 million had been received by the
Company, comprising the first tranche of the MBC
sale proceeds of USD 57 million and the return of
overpaid premiums of USD 40 million The impact of
this refund was reflected in the 31 July 2024 Net Asset
Value of USD 233 per share released to the market
on 16 September 2024
The second tranche of the MBC sale proceeds of
USD 60 million is expected to be received by the
Company during 2025. Whilst we are confident that
this will be the final amount payable, it is possible
that further overpayments of premiums may be
identified. The Company has not been notified of any
such overpayments and therefore is not possible to
quantify an amount if any and the closing position
will only be confirmed once the MBC accounts have
been ratified by the Court.
However, as announced on 28 March 2025 and as
detailed in the Investment Manager’s Report, since the
year end further examination of the portfolio acquired
from the MBC Trustee by LSA’s Investment Manager
has revealed that the MBC Trustee had previously not
exercised an extension to a particular policy which
would have extended the policy maturity from 100
to 120 years This decision, taken some 9 years ago
against the best interests of the underlying policy
holders and without their knowledge, adversely
affected the December 2024 valuation of this policy.
This news relating to a previous decision taken
by the MBC Trustee underlines the correctness of
our strategy to take full control of all our policies,
removing the dependence on external third parties
to maintain their value Despite the decision taken by
the MBC Trustee, the results of the acquisition have
been very favourable for the Company
Independent Actuarial Valuation
As in previous years the Company has engaged
Lewis & Ellis Inc to provide an independent actuarial
valuation of the portfolio of interests in life policies in
its asset base. They have confirmed that the approach
taken by our Investment Manager, including the
principal assumptions used by it, is appropriate and
the net asset value of the portfolio represents fair
value
Since their initial engagement in 2006 the Lewis
& Ellis valuation methodology has covered the
portfolio of interests acquired by the Company in
2005, and any additional viatical and life settlement
policies purchased since then The factors taken
into account in arriving at the valuation include prior
mortality experience, future mortality assumptions,
a projection of maturities and premiums, and other
relevant adjustments to model annual future cash
flows, and their net present value. The valuation may
be adjusted from time to time to reflect long term
changes in future mortality assumptions, premium
projections and discount rates
The NAV of the Company is determined by the
Investment Manager based on this methodology,
together with other assets and liabilities on the
Balance Sheet including cash and taking account of
current and future expenses Further details can be
found in our Investment Manager’s Report
Annual Report 2024
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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9
Share buybacks
The Company bought back and cancelled 4,423,841 shares in the year to 31 December
2024, representing 89% of the issued share capital at 31 December 2023 at a total
cost of USD 78 million
Since the year end the Company has bought back and cancelled a further 622,231
shares at a total cost of USD 11 million representing 14% of the issued share capital
as at 31 December 2024
As at the date of this report there were 44,780,712 shares in issue
Dividends
On 15 February 2024, the Company declared a special dividend of 60209 cents per
share totalling approximately USD 30 million, which was paid on 15 March 2024 to
Shareholders on the register on 23 February 2024
No final dividend will be declared for the year ended 31 December 2024.
Outlook
The Board believes that its focus on simplifying your Company’s portfolio structure
and cost base over previous years now offers a clearer investment proposition to
Shareholders and future investors This also allows the Board to maintain its attention
on the delivery of the three core components of the Company’s strategy – comprising
monitoring and refining the accurate measurement and forecasting of NAV, control of
costs, and the delivery of returns to Shareholders
Recognising the migration of the portfolio from an emphasis on non-HIV policies
to an entirely HIV based portfolio, the Board is aware this forecast maturity profile is
likely to result in a reduced level of cash inflows from maturities in this portfolio over
the period 2028 -2032 In order to mitigate the impact of this shortfall the Board is
exploring a number of other opportunities to purchase alternative distressed assets
with maturity profiles matched to this time period.
Alongside this, the Board will continue to explore opportunities to provide satisfactory
returns to Shareholders through dividends and share repurchases
Michael Baines
Chairman
28 April 2025
Chairman’s Statement
continued
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
Company Structure
Life
Settlement
Assets
PLC
operates
through
its
Board,
and
strategic
partnerships with service providers covering investment management, actuarial,
administrative, company secretarial, and tracking services
Reflecting the development of the Company through the acquisition of portfolios
of interests in life settlement policies, the portfolio is placed into an asset trust, the
Acheron Portfolio Trust (the “Trust”)
Services Agreement
Investment
Management
Agreement
A Ordinary Shareholders
Beneficial interest
(attributable Ordinary Shares)
Acheron Portfolio Trust
US Life Insurance Policies
Acheron Capital Ltd
The Company’s principal strategic partner relationship is with the Trust’s Investment
Manager, Acheron Capital Ltd, which provides investment management services
Annual Report 2024
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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11
Performance analysis is provided in the table below
A Shares
Notes
As at
31 December
2024
As at
31 December
2023
Percentage
change
(%)
Net assets attributable
to Shareholders (USD ‘000)
24
101,025
111,213
(92)
Shares in Issue
22
45,402,943
49,826,784
(89)
NAV per share (USD)*
24
2.23
223
Closing share price (USD)*
1.85
160
156
Discount to NAV (%)*
(17.0)
(283)
113
Total maturities (USD ‘000)*
23,139
34,080
(321)
Split of maturities
HIV (USD ‘000)*
9,047
8,482
67
non-HIV (USD ‘000)*
14,092
25,598
(449)
Total income from portfolio (USD ‘000)
9,134
13,969
(346)
Profit for year (USD ‘000)
12
660
4,300
(847)
Earnings per share (pence)
12
0.014
0086
(837)
Running costs (%)*
5.0
56
(06)
* Alternative Performance Measures
The above tables display the key performance indicators that the Board uses as Alternative Performance
Measures (“APMs”) to measure the performance, thereby assisting Shareholders in assessing how the Company
is performing against its objective
Further details are given on page 13 and in the Glossary on page 88
Company Performance
12
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
The Board monitors success in implementing the Company’s strategy against a range of
Key Performance Indicators (“KPIs”), which are viewed as significant measures of success
over the longer term These key indicators are those provided in the performance tables on
page 12 Although performance relative to the KPIs is monitored over quarterly periods, it is
success over the long-term that is viewed as more important This is particularly important
given the inherent volatility of maturities and short-term investment returns
The Board has adopted the following KPIs which are summarised on page 12 and in the
Statement of Comprehensive Income on page 54
Share price*
– this is the mid-price of the
shares and is a key measure for Shareholders
to show the most likely realisable value of
this investment if it was sold Changes in the
share price are closely monitored by the
Board
NAV per share*
– as this is the primary
indicator of the underlying value attributable
to each share
Discount to NAV*
– as this measure can be
used to monitor the difference between the
underlying Net Asset Value and the share
price
Total maturities (USD)*
– the value of
the total maturities in USD provides an
indicator of the underlying cash flow that
the Company receives from its main source
of income – policy maturities There are
factors which could impact the outcome
of this performance measure including:
average life expectancy and the age of
the
underlying
policy
holders
Please
note that the Actual to Expected (“A/E”)
ratio, which is closely linked to the total
maturities KPI, is a key method by which
the Board seeks to anticipate the level
of maturities The A/E ratio measures
the declared maturities compared to the
projected maturities based on the actuarial
models A ratio close to 100% indicates
maturities correspond exactly to the model
A percentage greater than 100% means the
maturities are more than anticipated by the
models and less than 100% the opposite is
the case
Earnings per share
– this is a key measure
of financial performance used to assess the
fortunes of the Company over each financial
period
Running costs*
– The Ongoing Charges of
the Company for the financial year under
review represented 5.0% (2023: 5.6%) of
average net assets Excluding the servicing
and legal costs the ratio would be 27%
(2023: 31%)
Shareholders should note that this ratio has
been calculated in accordance with the
Association of Investment Companies’ (“AIC”)
recommended
methodology,
published
in May 2012. This figure indicates the
annual percentage reduction in Shareholder
returns as a result of recurring operational
expenses Although the Ongoing Charges
figure is based on historic information, it
does provide Shareholders with a guide to
the level of costs that may be incurred by
the Company in the future
* Alternative Performance Measures
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Please Note: The Company regularly uses performance measures to present its financial
performance. These measures may not be comparable to similar measures used by
other companies, nor do they correspond to IFRS standards or other accounting principles.
Annual Report 2024
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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13
The Life Settlement Market
With the Baby Boomer generation retiring, the rising cost of long-term care (“LTC”) is
becoming an increasingly urgent concern In 2024, the national annual median cost
of a nursing home stay surpassed USD 120,000—a sharp rise from previous years—
driven by inflation and rising labour costs in the healthcare industry. Since Medicare
only covers a small portion of LTC expenses, many families must rely on personal
savings or Medicaid, which has strict eligibility requirements. As the financial burden
continues to grow, seniors and their families are seeking alternative solutions, such
as selling their life settlements policies, to help manage these escalating costs
Annual Cost of Long-Term Care Services
USD ‘000
140
100
80
60
40
20
0
Adult Day
Health Care
Assisted
Living Facility
Homemaker
Services
Home
Health Aide
Nursing Home
Private Room
Nursing Home
Semi-Private
Room
2023
2024
120
Source: Cost of Care Survey, Genworth
There has been growing awareness of the option to cash in life insurance policies
One contributing factor is that more life settlement providers are advertising to the
public They make policyholders aware that seniors can receive a higher payout
by selling their policies rather than simply surrendering them Additionally, the rise
of direct-to-consumer marketing strategies has made it easier for policyholders to
connect directly with providers and brokers The realisation that life settlements are a
viable option is thus likely to lead to higher transaction volumes in the future
Portfolio Overview
Policy structure
LSA’s current portfolio is categorised into policies linked to either HIV policyholders
or non-HIV policyholders Class A Shareholders collectively hold a gross face value
of USD 47 million for life settlements related to non-HIV policies and USD 396 million
for HIV policies For the non-HIV segment, the face value-weighted average age
now stands at 852 years old This average age corresponds to a life expectancy of
6.8 years for men and 8.0 years for women in the population at large.
Investment Manager’s Report
14
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
Assessing the life expectancy of individuals with HIV is more challenging The present
face value-weighted average age of the HIV population hovers around 65 years
Their actual mortality rates tend to surpass the one implied by their age, indicating
characteristics of a population biologically significantly older. Consequently, life
expectancy for this group is lower than their non-HIV counterparts in the same age
bracket
Despite these observations, significant uncertainties persist. There exists an ongoing
‘race’ between the cumulative impact of the retrovirus over time and advancements
in medical treatment While the life expectancy of HIV policies remains lower than
that of the general population, it has shown a consistent expansion over the last
decades Yet medical research has shifted its attention from HIV to other diseases,
such as Alzheimers. This dynamic reflects the evolving landscape of HIV treatment
and the complex interplay of medical advancements, and the persistent challenges
posed by the virus
Premiums and interests
The current annual sum of premiums and interests paid on LSA’s portfolios stands
at approximately USD 15 million Looking ahead to the next year, we have set aside
USD 14 million as the foundation for projecting premiums and interest This projection
takes into account anticipated reductions from policy lapses and maturities, as well
as potential increases stemming from possible cost-of-insurance (COI) adjustments
Valuations
The following table provides information on the Company’s policies by exposure to
HIV positive insureds and non-HIV insureds, as of 31 December 2024
HIV and Non-HIV Exposed Policies (all values in USD)
LSA
HIV
Non-HIV
Total
Number of policies
3,702
86
3,788
Total gross face value
395,967,890
46,644,459
442,612,349
Valuation
52,868,033
13,412,209
66,280,242
Percentage of face value
134%
288%
150%
The US actuary, Lewis & Ellis Inc, has provided valuations for the year 2024
A/E ratio trends
Lewis & Ellis conducted an in-depth analysis of the actual over expected death ratio
(“A/E ratio”) for the period from 2010 to 2024, utilising historical data for matured
insureds Following this analysis, the actuaries completed an updated A/E study
based on the same historical information No changes were made to the mortality
assumptions; the HIV mortality assumptions are unchanged from last year and reflect
an overall A/E ratio of 101% for the most recent five-year period (not included IBNR),
while the mortality assumptions for the non-HIV segment remain consistent with the
past few years, with this segment sustaining a long-term A/E ratio of 103% The A/E
trends will be reviewed again next year and we will make necessary changes to the
mortality assumptions if needed
Annual Report 2024
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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15
The trends in A/E ratios are visually represented in Graphs 1 and 2 below These
graphs offer a graphical depiction of the observed versus expected mortality ratios,
providing valuable insights into the performance and adjustments made in the
mortality assumptions over time
Graph 1: HIV Actual to Expected Ratio
%
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
2015
2016
2017
2018
2024
Actual to expected
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Graph 2: Non-HIV Actual to Expected Ratio
%
160
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
2022
Actual to expected
15 year average
Mortality calibrated
from 2010
2019 2020
140
2021
2024
2023
Investment Manager’s Report
continued
16
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
Maturities
The following maturities and A/E were declared for the calendar year 2024:
Maturities (USD ‘000)
HIV
9,047
Non-HIV
14,092
Total
23,139
A/E (USD)
HIV
98%
Non-HIV
132%
A/E in lives*
HIV
97%
Non-HIV
125%
* In the number of lives, from Lewis & Ellis Inc 2024 reports
The non-HIV segment exceeded expectations, surpassing forecasts by approximately
25% in the number of insureds and 32% in dollar terms In 2024, 14 policies held by
10 insureds matured, contributing a significant USD 14.1 million to the segment’s
performance It is important to acknowledge that the ongoing reduction in the size
of the non-HIV portfolio may result in heightened volatility and irregularity in future
maturities, and the year 2024 may just be such an instance
On the other side, the A/E (Actual-to-Expected) ratio in HIV segment is 98% in
monetary terms until December for the year under review The A/E ratio equally falls
short by 3% in the number of lives We believe that the A/E ratio shortfall in lives is
mainly due to Incurred but Not Reported (IBNR) maturities These historically average
four maturities annually When these ratios were computed, in February 2025, it is still
possible that additional 2024 maturities will be identified. Two more IBNR maturities
are required to achieve an A/E ratio of 100%
It is worth noting that a reversal in the monetary vs live A/E ratios was observed this
year, driven by the maturity of a few large-face-value HIV policies For instance, one
policy with a face value of USD 075 million matured in September, while another
valued at USD 1 million matured in October This may be just a statistical occurrence,
or an emerging trend of a diminishing “wealth effect” within the HIV segment as the
insured population ages
On 28 March 2025, LSA Plc provided an update concerning the largest policy in its
portfolio, which has reached a pivotal stage due to the insured individual turning 100
years old this year Historically, the Company operated under the understanding—
confirmed by the servicer in both 2021 and 2023, and in line with the insurance
contract review made by the investment manager—that the policy included a
maturity extension rider allowing the policy to remain in force beyond the age of
100 This belief shaped both internal actuarial assessments and broader portfolio
expectations
Annual Report 2024
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
17
However, recent communications with the insurance carrier have revealed a critical
oversight While the carrier initially indicated that the maturity extension rider could
be activated, it later clarified that the extension is no longer available due to a decision
made nine years ago by the MBC Trustee, the policyholder, to decline the extension
The carrier has provided documentation verifying that this election was submitted
at the time, and LSA’s legal counsel has reviewed and confirmed the validity of the
carrier’s position
This unexpected development has a material impact on LSA’s portfolio The inability
to extend the policy’s maturity significantly reduces its valuation, leading to a
3-4% decline in the Company’s Net Asset Value (NAV) – and a subtraction to the
performance fee accumulated at a rate of 20%, as agreed by the Investment Manager
This amendment has been made in the valuation used in this Annual Report
Following an internal review by Acheron, preliminary confirmations from the Servicing
Agent show that no other policies are subject to similar risks To further safeguard
against such events, LSA is implementing additional controls and review procedures
that will be implemented in the coming months to ensure greater oversight and early
identification of policy-specific limitations going forward.
Going forward
Over the next few years, the non-HIV portfolio is expected to mature at a considerably
faster rate than the HIV portfolio, resulting in a shift where the portfolio will be
overwhelmingly invested in HIV policies At the same time the HIV policies will, by
that time, be becoming life settlements by the standard market definition (policies
with an insured over 70 years old)
This creates strategic issues in term of cash reserves and cash allocation We
determined that in the transition years between the HIV mortality rise and the
inevitable faltering of the non-HIV cash flows, an aggressive cash management will
be needed We will be looking for decorrelated ways to enhance cash income of a
necessary premium reserve, finding a balance between liquidity and returns.
We remain committed to monitoring recent research on mortality trends, both in the
general population and among long-term HIV patients It is crucial to underscore that
HIV mortality within the portfolio stands out as the most significant factor influencing
the Company’s future financial outcomes. This mortality, and tilt in the mortality curve,
not only influences cashflow through policy maturities but also plays a significant
role in ongoing premium payments Furthermore, unexpected shifts in premiums
introduce additional complexities to our cashflow dynamics and can potentially
influence valuations. Understanding and strategically managing these interrelated
elements will be crucial for navigating the portfolio
Acheron Capital
28 April 2025
Investment Manager’s Report
continued
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
Investment Objective
The Company’s investment objective is to generate
long-term returns for investors by investing in the life
settlement market The Company has not established
target rates of return with respect to its investments
Investment Policy
The Company will seek to achieve the Company’s
Investment Objective as follows:
A Ordinary Share Class (LSAA)
The assets attributable to the A Ordinary Share Class
are predominantly invested in life insurance policies
acquired from special or “distressed” situations, with
exposure to both HIV and elderly insureds
The Company met the Investment Policy by acquiring
the entire beneficial interest in the Acheron Portfolio
Trust (“APT”) from the Predecessor Company shortly
after Admission
Source of Policies
Policies will be or have been obtained from a variety
of sources, primarily in the United States
Further Acquisitions
The Company has sought, where possible, to acquire
additional interests in life policies either through
additional fractional interests or to consolidate into a
wholly owned policy The Company has purchased
all the remaining policy interests in the MBC Trust
Once this transaction is concluded it will review
its policy towards further acquisitions Any policy
towards the retention of cash from maturities will
also be set after this review The Board will carefully
balance the amount that should be distributed to
Shareholders via share buybacks or dividends and
that which should be retained to fund future potential
investment opportunities
The Company may also raise additional capital
in the future to acquire further Policies that meet
the Investment Objective and Investment Policy
of the Share Class (or those of a Share Class to be
established in future) Such Policies will subsequently
be granted to APT
Investment Controls
Any transaction involving more than 10% of the Gross
Asset Value of the Company, directly or indirectly, will
require the prior approval of the Board in writing
Hedging and Use of Derivatives
The Company and/or the Trust may also hold
derivative or other financial instruments designed for
efficient portfolio management or to hedge interest
or inflation risks. The Trust may invest in liquidity
management products as deemed fit by the Trustee
or the Investment Manager, as well as mortality
hedging products as deemed fit by the Investment
Manager, including, but not limited to, mortality
related Insurance Linked Securities (“ILS”)
Dividend Policy
The Company has no stated dividend target The
Company aims to distribute a substantial portion of
its funds derived from its operations as dividends to
Shareholders There can be no assurance that the
Company will be able to achieve this aim
The Company will only pay dividends to the extent
that it has sufficient financial resources available for
that purpose
In accordance with regulation 19 of the Investment
Trust (Approved Company) (Tax) Regulations 2011, the
Company will not (except to the extent permitted by
those regulations) retain more than 15% of its income
(as calculated for UK tax purposes) in respect of any
accounting period
As there is a deficit on the Revenue Reserve, all
dividends are payable from the Special Reserve
Borrowing
As at the date of this Report, the Company as a small
registered Alternative Investment Fund (“AIF”) does
not intend to borrow due to the costs and regulatory
implications that this would entail However, the
Company reserves the right to borrow in the future
in appropriate circumstances and at the discretion of
the Board (or, subject to the terms of the applicable
Investment Management Agreement, the Investment
Manager if such borrowing is at Trust level), provided
that any such borrowing entered into, shall be limited
to a maximum of 10% of the Net Asset Value (at the
time the borrowing is incurred)
Overview of Strategy and Investment Policy
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
19
Policy Advances
The Company utilises policy advances to provide an
acceleration of the cash flow to the Company. A policy
advance refers to excess cash withdrawn from cash
reserves generated at the level of the life insurance
contracts Policy advances will be deducted from any
proceeds when the maturities are collected These
policy advances are also described in note 35 of these
accounts The Board is of the opinion that these are
policy advances from cash available in the policies
and do not constitute borrowing for the purposes of
the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive
(“AIFMD”)
Cash Management
Pending reinvestment or distribution of cash receipts,
cash received by the Company and the Trust may be
held on deposit, in cash, cash equivalents, near cash
instruments, money market instruments and money
market funds and cash funds in line with the risk
appetite specified by the Board.
The Directors, along with the Trust’s Investment
Manager, must ensure that the Company’s and the
Trust’s liabilities can be met as they fall due
Corporate and Operational Structure
The Board retains responsibility for key elements of
the Company’s strategy, including the following:
the
Company’s
investment
policy
which
determines the diversity of the Company’s
portfolio The Board sets limits and restrictions
with the aim of reducing risk and maximising
returns; and
the appointment, amendment or removal of the
Company’s third-party service providers; and
ensuring an effective system of oversight over
the Company’s risk management and corporate
governance
In order to effectively undertake its duties, the Board
may seek expert legal advice It can also call upon
the advice of the Company Secretary
The Board acts in a way that it considers to be in
good faith and is most likely to promote the success
of the Company for the benefit of its Shareholders as
a whole, and in doing so have regard (amongst other
matters) to:
the likely consequences of any decision in the
long-term;
the impact of the Company’s operations on
the community and the environment;
the importance of the Company maintaining a
reputation for high standards of business conduct;
and
the need to act fairly to avoid conflicts between
the interests of the Directors and those of the
Company
The Company has outsourced operations to various
third-party service providers as detailed below:
Investment Management:
As it is an internally-
managed investment trust, the Company has not
appointed an investment manager to provide it
with investment managerial services However,
the Acheron Portfolio Trust, as the Trust holding
the policy assets on behalf of the Company,
has appointed Acheron Capital Limited as its
Investment
Manager
under
the
Investment
Management Agreement with effect from the
date of Admission The Investment Manager
is authorised and regulated by the FCA (under
reference number 443685) Further details of the
Investment Management Agreement are set out in
Part 6 of the Prospectus dated January 2018.
The Trustee:
The Trustee of the Acheron Portfolio
Trust is Dr Robert Edelstein who served as a Director
of the Company until his retirement from the Board
on 31 December 2020 Robert has continued in his
role as Trustee and advises the Board directly, as
required
Overview of Strategy and Investment Policy
continued
20
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
Corporate and Operational Structure
continued
The Registrar:
The City Partnership (UK) Limited
was appointed as the Company’s Registrar on
26 March 2021
Administrator:
Compagnie Européenne de Révision
Sàrl has been the Administrator to the Company
since its formation and was also the Administrator
to the predecessor company
Company Secretary:
ISCA Administration Services
Limited was appointed as the Company Secretary
in December 2019
Tracking and Servicing Agents:
The Trust has
appointed a Tracking and Servicing Agent to assess
on a regular basis if Consenting Individuals have
passed away If Consenting Individuals have passed
away the Tracking and Servicing Agent obtains
respective death certificates and ensures that
they are delivered to the insurance company that
issued the relevant Policy so that applicable death
benefits can be claimed. The Trust has entered
into a servicing agreement with the Tracking and
Servicing Agent detailing the services the Tracking
and Servicing Agent will provide As at the date of
this Report, Vespera Servicing LLC (formerly Litai),
Fort Lauderdale has been appointed by the Trust
to service life settlement policy interests owned by
the Trust
Actuary:
As in previous years the Company
has engaged Lewis & Ellis Inc to provide an
independent actuarial valuation of the portfolio
of interests in life policies in its asset base They
have confirmed that the approach taken by our
Investment
Manager,
including
the
principal
assumptions used by them, is appropriate and the
net asset value of the portfolio represents fair value
Since their initial engagement in 2006 the Lewis &
Ellis valuation methodology has covered the initial
portfolio of interests acquired by the Company in
2005, and any additional viatical and life settlement
policies purchased since then The factors taken
into account in arriving at the valuation include prior
mortality experience, future mortality assumptions,
a projection of maturities and premiums, and other
relevant adjustments to model annual future cash
flows, and their net present value. The valuation
may be adjusted from time to time to reflect long
term changes in future mortality assumptions,
premium
projections
and
discount
rates
The NAV of the Company is determined by the
Investment Manager based on this methodology,
together with other assets and liabilities on
the balance sheet including cash and taking
account
of
current
and
future
expenses
Further details can be found in the Investment
Manager’s Report on pages 14 to 18
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
21
Principal Risks
The Company is exposed to a number of potential risks and uncertainties These risks could have a material
impact on financial performance and position and could cause actual results to differ materially from expected
and historical results
The Company faces a number of risks in the normal course of its activities and as a result the management of
those risks the Company faces is essential The Board maintains the overall responsibility for risk management
but has delegated to the Audit Committee the task of regular and robust assessments of the Company’s
risks and controls The Audit Committee has accordingly established a robust process to identify and monitor
the risks faced by the Company. The process involves the maintenance of a risk register, which identifies the
principal and emerging risks facing the Company and assesses each risk on a scale, classifying the probability
of the risk and the potential impact that an occurrence of the risk could have on the Company A number of
day-to-day risk management functions of the Trust are undertaken by the Trust’s Investment Manager, who
regularly reports to the Audit Committee
The Directors have reviewed the Principal Risks of the Company as detailed below, these have been identified
as those most likely to impact the Company’s performance during the year and in the immediate accounting
periods thereafter The potential impact of these Principal Risks has not changed from those reported in the
year to 31 December 2023 Detailed sensitivity analysis of the portfolio is provided in note 14 on page 75
Risk
Mitigation
HIV Mortality Risk
Changes in mortality rates may adversely affect the
performance of the Policies held by the Company
This is particularly so in respect of HIV mortality risk
where HIV policies going forward will be a larger
proportion of the portfolio
The Investment Manager regularly assesses HIV
mortality rates based on available information to
ensure no changes are required to the valuation
model
Premium Management Risk
Unanticipated volatility in mortality rates makes
liquidity management of premium reserves difficult,
as the Company (or the Trust) need to be able to
meet premiums and costs at all times Failure to pay
a premium may result in the relevant Policy lapsing
and the Company being unable to receive insured
sums as a result
Management monitors cash on an ongoing basis in
accordance with the practice and limits set by the
Board
Volatility Risk
The portfolio may be more volatile than expected
as a consequence of certain policies representing a
larger proportion of the portfolio than other policies
The Investment Manager seeks to ensure a
diversified portfolio of policies.
Risks
22
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
Annual Report 2024
Risk
Mitigation
Advance Age Mortality Risk
There is a lack of data to reliably determine general
or disease specific mortality at advanced ages, as
well as the date beyond which a Policy no longer has
value This makes the use of statistically unproven
assumptions necessary As a consequence, should
such assumptions prove to be incorrect, the
Company’s performance and that of the Ordinary
Shares may fall short of expectations
The Company has engaged an independent
Actuary to perform its own assessment of the value
of the portfolio of policies. Valuation differences
between the two models are investigated
Discount Rate Risk
The discount rate used for reporting or valuation
purposes may be on a portfolio basis or on a bottom
up Policy by Policy or Policy type by Policy type
basis, which can create material value differences.
Further,
there
is
no well-established
market
discount rate, which makes the use of specific
discount rates for actuarial purposes subjective
The discount rate applied is regularly assessed
by the Investment Manager based on available
information Changes in discount rate will only be
made once approved by the Board
Modelling Risk
The
Investment
Manager
uses
modelling
in
determining the investments to make; however, if
the assumptions made by the Investment Manager
in building these models are or were materially
incorrect, there could be a substantial adverse
effect on the Net Asset Value and the Company’s
performance and that of the Ordinary Shares may
fall short of expectations
The Company has engaged an independent
Actuary to perform its own assessment of the value
of the portfolio of policies. Valuation differences
between the two models are investigated
Tax
Any changes in the Company’s tax status or
in taxation legislation could affect the value of
investments held by the Company, affect the
Company’s ability to provide returns to Shareholders
and affect the tax treatment for Shareholders of
their investments in the Company The results of the
Company would also likely be adversely affected
if the Company were not eligible to claim benefits
under the current income tax treaty between
the United Kingdom and the United States In
conformity with the income tax treaty, withholding
tax on matured policies is not due if at least 6% of
the average capital stock of the main class of Shares
is traded annually on a recognised stock exchange
Changes in taxation may also adversely affect the
results of the Company
The Company intends at all times to conduct its
affairs so as to enable it to qualify as an investment
trust for the purposes of Section 1158 of the
Corporation Tax Act 2010 Both the Board and the
Investment Manager are aware of the requirements
which are to be fulfilled in any accounting period
for the Company to maintain its investment trust
status The conditions required to satisfy the
investment trust criteria shall be monitored by
the compliance function of the Investment Manager
and performance of the same shall be reported to
the Board on a quarterly basis The Board monitors
the trading of the Shares regularly to assess the 6%
requirement This helps ensure that action could be
taken to encourage more trading and reduce the
likelihood of incurring a tax charge
Principal Risks
continued
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
23
Risk
Mitigation
Breach of Applicable Legislative Obligations
The Company and its third-party service providers
are subject to various legislative and regulatory
regimes Any breach of applicable legislative and/
or regulatory obligations could have a negative
impact on the Company and impact returns to
Shareholders
The Company engages only with third-party
service providers which hold the appropriate
regulatory approvals for the function they are to
perform and can demonstrate that they can adhere
to the regulatory standards required of them Each
appointment is governed by agreements which
contain the ability for the Company to terminate the
arrangements with each of these counterparties
with limited notice should such counterparty
continually or materially breach any of their
legislative obligations, or their obligations to the
Company more broadly Additionally, each of the
counterparties is subject to regular performance
and compliance monitoring by the Investment
Manager, as appropriate to their function, to ensure
that they are acting in accordance with applicable
regulations and are aware of any upcoming
regulatory changes which may affect the Company.
Counterparty Risk
If an insurance company that has issued a Policy in
which the Company invests defaults, the Company
may not receive one or more payments owing to it
Insurance companies are required to separate
their operations between General Insurance and
Life Insurance, meaning the effect on the assets
and the risk on Life Settlement policies would be
ring-fenced in the event of significant business
difficulties. The HIV policies are protected by a
State Guarantee up to USD 150k – USD 200k per
policy which covers a significant proportion of these
policies Non-HIV policies tend to be of a higher
value than that covered by the State Guarantee
and involve some risk, but the insurance industry
spreads their risk through re-insurance in many
asset backed companies across the world
Principal Risks
continued
Risks
continued
24
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
Secondary Risks Specific to the Company
As described on pages 34 and 35, the Board and Audit Committee have an ongoing process of monitoring
and reviewing risks and internal controls The principal risks and mitigations are highlighted above and the
secondary risks are listed below
Identification and settlement of Maturities:
There is no
central source to be notified of deaths and therefore
the Company is reliant on its Servicing Agents and
their proactive work to identify any policy maturities
Delays can occur between the date of death and
the commencement of a claim under a policy Further
delays can occur in obtaining key documentation to
enable the claim to be accepted for payment
Litigation Risk:
The assignment of life insurance
policies can be a contentious matter and the sector
has historically been subject to high levels of litigation
Premium Assumptions Risk:
Changes in the amount of
premiums charged by the insurance company that
has issued a Policy may increase the costs borne by
the Company and adversely affect its performance.
Reliance on Key Individuals:
The Company relies on
key individuals to manage the day-to-day affairs
of the Company There can be no assurance as
to the continued service of these key individuals
The departure of key individuals without adequate
replacement may have a material adverse effect on
the Company’s prospects and results Accordingly,
the ability of the Company to achieve its investment
objective depends heavily on the experience of the
Investment Manager’s team, and more generally, on
the ability of the Investment Manager to attract and
retain suitable staff.
Fluctuations in the Market Price of the Company’s
Shares:
The market price of the Company’s shares
may not reflect the Net Asset Value and may fluctuate
widely in response to different factors. There can
be no assurance that the Company’s shares will be
repurchased by the Company even if they trade
materially below their Net Asset Value Similarly, the
shares may trade at a premium to Net Asset Value
whereby the shares can trade on the open market at
a price that is higher than the value of the underlying
assets There can be no assurance, express or implied,
that Shareholders will receive back the amount of
their investment in the Company’s shares
Third-Party Service Providers:
The Company has
no employees and the Directors have all been
appointed on a non-executive basis Whilst the
Company has taken all reasonable steps to establish
and maintain adequate procedures, systems and
controls to enable it to comply with its obligations,
the Company relies upon the performance of third-
party service providers for its executive function In
particular, the Investment Manager, Administrator,
Registrar and Company Secretary The termination
of service provision by any service provider, or failure
by any service provider to carry out its obligations
to the Company, or to carry out its obligations to
the Company in accordance with the terms of its
appointment, could have a material adverse effect
on the Company’s operations and its ability to meet
its investment objective
Achievement of the Investment Objective:
There can be
no assurance that the Company will be successful in
implementing the Investment Objective
Climate Change:
The Company is aware of the impact
of Climate Change across the business world and has
sought to assess the impact this could have on the
Company either directly or indirectly The Company
is managed and operated through a number of third-
party suppliers and does not undertake any activities
directly nor does it have any offices. The nature of its
investments in life assurance policies is not directly
impacted by Climate Change, any long-term change
in climate is unlikely to have a detrimental impact on
the valuation of those policies Long-term climate
change could have an impact on the ability of third-
party suppliers to continue to service the Company
and impact the insurance industry as a whole and its
ability to meet all claims, including the maturity of life
assurance policies when they are payable The Board
has sought to reduce its carbon impact through the
use of conference and video calls for meetings where
possible and encourages the Company’s third-party
suppliers to assess their own carbon impact
For a detailed description of the Company’s financial risks, please refer to note 4 of the Financial Statements.
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
25
Viability Statement and Other Disclosures
The Directors have assessed the prospects of the
Company over a longer period than the 12 months
referred to in the ‘Going Concern’ guidelines
The Board conducted this review focusing on a
period of three years This period was selected as it
is aligned with the Company’s strategic planning In
making this assessment the Board also considered
the Company’s principal risks
Investment trusts in the UK operate in a well-
established and robust regulatory environment and
the Directors have assumed that:
investors will continue to want to invest in
closed-end investment trusts because the fixed
capitalisation structure is suited to pursuing the
current investment strategy; and
the Company’s remit of investing in life settlement
assets predominantly in the US will continue to be
attractive to investors
The Company’s primary source of income is from
policy maturities As the timing of these maturities
is not entirely predictable the Board sometimes will
need to take advantage of policy advances The
Company can utilise policy advances in order for
premiums to be kept active A policy advance refers
in this case to excess cash withdrawn from cash
reserves generated at the level of the life insurance
contracts Policy advances are deducted from any
proceeds when the maturities are collected
In the unlikely event that maturities and policy
advances are insufficient to meet ongoing cash and
policy premium obligations, the Directors have the
authority to make short-term borrowing arrangements
with financial institutions. These borrowing options
are explained in more detail in the Strategic Report
on page 19
As with all investment vehicles, there is a risk that the
performance of individual investments will vary and
that capital may be lost but this is not regarded as a
threat to the viability of the Company Operationally,
the Company retains title to all assets including the
life settlement assets and cash
In assessing viability, the Company has reviewed
cash flow projections for the period to December
2027 based on the model discussed on page 63
The closed-end nature of the Company means
that, unlike an open-ended fund, it does not need
to liquidate positions when Shareholders wish to
sell their shares, the expenses of the Company are
predictable and modest in comparison with the assets
and there are no capital commitments currently
foreseen which would alter that position Taking these
factors into account, the Directors confirm that they
have a reasonable expectation that the Company will
continue to operate and meet its expenses as they
fall due over the next three years
Environment, Human Rights, Employee, Social and
Community Issues
The Company is required by law to provide details
of environmental matters (including the impact of the
Company on the environment), employee, human
rights, social and community issues (including
information about any policies it has in relation to
these matters and the effectiveness of those policies).
The Company does not have any employees and the
Board is composed of non-executive Directors As an
investment trust, the Company has a minimal impact
on the environment The Company aims to minimise
any detrimental effect that its actions may have by
adhering to applicable social legislation, and as a
result does not maintain specific policies in relation
to these matters
The Company is a low energy user and is therefore
exempt
from
the
reporting
obligations
under
the Companies (Directors’ Report) and Limited
Liability Partnerships (Energy and Carbon Report)
Regulations 2018 The Company has no greenhouse
gas emissions to report from the operations of
the Company, nor does it have responsibility for
any emissions producing sources including those
within its underlying investment portfolio under
part 7 of schedule 7 to the Large and Medium sized
Companies and Groups (Accounts and Reports)
Regulations 2008, as amended
In carrying out its investment activities and in
relationships with suppliers, the Company aims to
conduct itself responsibly, ethically and fairly
Modern Slavery Act
The Company is not within the scope of the Modern
Slavery Act 2015 because it has insufficient turnover
and is therefore not obliged to make a human
trafficking statement.
Approval
The Strategic Report was approved by the Board of
Directors on 28 April 2025 and signed on its behalf by:
Michael Baines
28 April 2025
26
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
Governance
Board of Directors
The following were Directors of the Company at the year end
Michael Baines, Chairman
Michael Baines is a graduate
of the University of Oxford and
The
Royal
Military
Academy
Sandhurst
and
has
previously
held high-level positions such as
the Head of Risk Management
and Deputy Chairman of Robert
Fleming Securities and Managing
Director at Atlas Capital Mr Baines
is currently Chairman of Church
House Investment Management
Guner Turkmen
Guner Turkmen is an accomplished
investment
professional
with
years of experience in the finance
industry He began his career in
finance working in investment
banking,
and
later
served
as
the head of Alternative Asset
Management and Fixed Income at
Union Capital Group SA However,
his vision for sustainable and low-
risk
investment
strategies
led
him to found his own investment
firm, Lake Geneva Investment
Partners (“LGIP”), in 2008 From
the
beginning,
Mr
Turkmen
deemed transparency and robust
execution to be indispensable,
which led him to build a solid
wealth management team His
strategy is to invest in assets with
sustainable growth to maximise
investment returns, rather than
seeking an absolute performance
LGIP’s objective is to generate
performance for its clients by
limiting long-term volatility and
potential losses in their funds in
order to preserve their capital
Christopher Casey,
Audit Committee Chairman
Christopher Casey has extensive
experience as a non-executive
director
and
audit
committee
chairman of public companies, in
particular investment trusts He is
currently Chairman of CQS Natural
Resources Growth and Income plc,
Audit Committee Chairman of
Mobius Investment Trust plc and
has
recently
been
appointed
to the board of Fidelity Special
Values plc Christopher’s career
spans over 40 years and he was
previously a partner at KPMG He
graduated from Oxford University
in 1977 with a degree in Politics,
Philosophy and Economics
28
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
The Directors present the Annual Report and
Financial Statements of the Company for the year
ended 31 December 2024 The Financial Statements
have been prepared in accordance with International
Accounting Standards and in accordance with the
requirements of the Companies Act 2006
Legal Form
The Company was incorporated on 16 August
2017 in England and Wales with company number
10918785 under the Companies Act 2006 as a
private company limited by shares It is a closed-
ended investment company and is an investment
trust for the purposes of section 1158 of the
Corporation Tax Act 2010 The Company was re-
registered as a public company limited by shares
and an investment company under section 833 of the
Companies Act 2006 on 24 January 2018.
Regulatory Status
The Company is not a collective investment scheme
and therefore is not regulated as such by the FCA
However, it is subject to the FCA’s Disclosure
Guidance and Transparency Rules, Market Abuse
Regulation (“MAR”), and Prospectus Rules
The Company is registered by the FCA as a “small
registered UK AIFM” pursuant to regulation 10(2) of
the AIFM Rules on the basis that it is a small internally
managed AIF
The Directors intend, at all times, to conduct the
affairs of the Company so as to enable it to qualify as
an investment trust for the purposes of section 1158
of the Corporation Tax Act 2010
The Company’s shares are listed on the Specialist
Fund Segment of the London Stock Exchange
(“SFM”) The SFM is a market targeted at institutional
and professional investors
In the opinion of the Directors, the Company has
conducted its affairs during the period under
review, and subsequently, so as to qualify as an
investment trust for the purposes of section 1158
of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 (as amended) The
Company has obtained approval from, HMRC as an
investment trust company subject to continuing to
meet the eligibility requirements
Directors
The names and biographical details of the Board
members as at the year end can be found on page 28.
Directors’ retirements are subject to the Company’s
Articles of Association (the “Articles”) The Articles
provide that the Company may appoint a person
who is willing to act as a director, and any director
so appointed is required to retire at the next AGM
after his or her appointment and is eligible for re-
appointment
Mr Baines, Mr Casey and Mr Turkmen will be subject to
re-election at the forthcoming AGM on 18 June 2025.
None of the Directors have a service contract with the
Company or is entitled to compensation for loss of
office on the takeover of the Company.
The powers of the Directors are set out in
the
Statement
on
Corporate
Governance
on
pages 33 to 35
Community and Environment
The Company does not make any political or
charitable donations
Engagement with Stakeholders
As stated above in the Strategic Report the Company
does not have any employees nor customers in
sense of a trading company has How the Company
had worked with and considered the views of
Stakeholder groups had been described in the
Section 172 statement on page 6
Share Capital
The Company has one class of share, the A Ordinary
share At the year-end there were 45,402,943 A
Ordinary shares of USD 001 each in issue All shares
are listed on the Specialist Fund Segment of the main
market of the London Stock Exchange
During the year, 4,423,841 shares of USD 001 each,
representing 89% of the opening share capital,
were bought back and cancelled for a total cost of
USD 78 million
Since the year end, the Company has bought
back 622,231 Ordinary A Shares at a total cost of
USD 11 million representing 14% of the shares in
issue at the year end At the date of the signing of this
report the number of shares in issue is 44,780,712
Risks
The principal risks of the Company are shown on
pages 22 to 24 and in note 4 on pages 64 to 67
Report of the Directors
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
29
Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting
The Company has no direct greenhouse gas
emissions to report from its operations, nor does it
have responsibility for any other emissions producing
sources under the Companies Act 2006 (Strategic
Report and Directors’ Reports) Regulations 2013 For
the same reasons, the Company considers itself to
be a low energy user under the Streamlined Energy
and Carbon Reporting regulations and therefore it is
not required to disclose energy and carbon reports
Going Concern
The Financial Statements of the Company have been
prepared on a going concern basis The forecast
projections and actual performance are reviewed on
a regular basis throughout the period Further details
are shown in the Viability Statement on page 26 The
Directors believe that it is appropriate to prepare
the Financial Statements on a going concern basis
and that the Company has adequate resources to
continue in operational existence for a period of at
least 12 months from the date of the approval of the
Financial Statements The Company is able to meet its
liabilities and obligations including annual premiums
and its ongoing charges from the assets held
Corporate Governance
A Statement on Corporate Governance is provided
on pages 33 to 35
Management Agreements
The Company has not appointed an investment
manager to provide it with investment managerial
services However, the Trust has appointed Acheron
Capital Limited as their Investment Manager under
the Investment Management Agreement signed from
the date of admission to trading on the London Stock
Exchange A Services Agreement has been entered
into between the Company and the Investment
Manager whereby the Investment Manager has
agreed to assist the Board in the management of the
day-to-day activities of the Company The Company
will reimburse the Investment Manager for certain
expenses related to carrying out the day-to-day
activities of the Company The Investment Manager
will be remunerated under the agreement with the
Trust but will not be paid fees in connection to the
Services Agreement Further details of the agreement
with Acheron Capital are provided in note 8 on
page 68.
The Trustee of the Acheron Portfolio Trust is Dr Robert
Edelstein who was a Director of the Company until his
retirement from the Board on 31 December 2020
The Company has appointed ISCA Administration
Services Limited as Company Secretary
The Company has appointed Compagnie Européenne
de Révision Sàrl as its Administrator They have
been retained by the Company to calculate its Net
Asset Value and to provide certain other accounting
services
The Company has retained Lewis & Ellis Inc as an
actuary to provide a valuation of the policies
The Company has appointed Shore Capital as broker
It is the Directors’ opinion that the continuing
appointment of these key suppliers is in the best
interests of the Company and its Shareholders The
Directors are satisfied that these suppliers have the
required skill and expertise to continue to manage
the Company’s assets successfully and to ensure the
Company meets its statutory obligations
Dividends
As shown in note 29 on page 79, the Company paid
a special dividend of 60209 cents per share, totalling
USD 30 million, which was paid on 15 March 2024 to
Shareholders on the register at 23 February 2024
No final dividend in respect of the year ended
31 December 2024 will be paid
Report of the Directors
continued
Substantial Shareholdings
The Directors have been informed of the following notifiable interests of 3.0% or more in the voting shares of
the Company at 31 December 2024:
Notification From
Number of
shares
% of voting
rights
Tomson Pte Limited
3,094,415
682
Premier Miton Group Plc
1,525,000
336
There were no other changes to the above holdings between 31 December 2024 and the date of this report
30
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
Post Balance Sheet Events
On 28 March 2025 the Company announced that
since the year end further examination of the portfolio
acquired from the MBC Trustee had revealed that
the MBC Trustee had previously not exercised an
extension to a particular policy which extended the
maturity from 100 to 120 years and that this was likely
to have a detrimental impact on the NAV of 3-4%
Full details are included in the Chairman’s Statement
on page 9 and the Investment Manager’s Report on
pages 17 and 18
This has been considered as an adjusting post balance
sheet event and the effect has been recognised in
these financial statements.
Since the year end, the Company has bought
back 622,231 Ordinary A Shares at a total cost of
USD 11 million representing 14% of the shares in issue
at the year end At the date of the signing of this report
the number of shares in issue is 44,780,712
Annual General Meeting
The Company will be holding its AGM on Wednesday,
18 June 2025. Full details of the meeting, the
resolutions to be proposed and how to vote are set
out in the Notice of Meeting on pages 82 to 86 A
summary of some of the resolutions being proposed
is set out below
Ordinary Business at the Annual General Meeting
Re-election of Directors
The notice of the meeting includes resolutions to
re-elect each of the Company’s Directors Biographies
of each Director are shown on page 28 of this Report
The Board believes that they bring valuable skill,
experience and expertise to the Company and
recommends that Shareholders vote in favour of the
resolutions relating to their re-election
Reappointment of Auditors
Resolution 7 proposes the reappointment of BDO LLP
as the Company’s External Auditor for the forthcoming
year and the authority proposed under Resolution 8
will authorise the Directors to determine the Auditor’s
remuneration
Special Business at the Annual General Meeting
Allotment of Shares
The authority proposed under Resolution 9 will
authorise the Directors to allot shares or grant rights
to subscribe for shares in the Company generally, in
accordance with section 551 of the Companies Act
2006 (the “Act”), up to an aggregate nominal amount
of 10% of the Ordinary Share Class, as of the date of
this Notice (excluding treasury shares)
Disapplication of Pre-emption Rights
Resolution
10
will
give
Directors
the
general
authority to allot Ordinary Shares for cash without
first offering the securities to existing Shareholders
in certain circumstances The resolution proposes
that the disapplication of such pre-emption rights
be sanctioned in respect of the allotment of equity
securities with an aggregate 10% of the issued share
capital of the Ordinary Share Class as at the date of
this report No allotment of shares from treasury may
be made at a price below the prevailing estimated
Net Asset Value
Authority for the Company to Repurchase its
Own Shares
Resolution 11 authorises the Company to purchase up
to 1499% of the Company’s shares in issue at the date
of the Annual General Meeting Purchases will be made
on the open market for cash at prices in accordance
with the terms laid out in the Resolution Shares will
be purchased only in circumstances where the Board
believes that it is in the best interests of Shareholders
generally Furthermore, purchases will only be made if
the Board believes that they would result in an increase
in NAV per share and earnings per share The Board
currently intends to cancel those shares purchased
The authority for each of the above resolutions under
special business will expire on the date falling 15
months after the passing of the resolution or, if earlier,
at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting to be
held in 2026
Shareholder Meeting and Proxy voting
Although the Company’s AGM is open for Shareholders
to attend, the Board is mindful that not all Shareholders
may wish to attend and vote in person To ensure that
all votes are counted for the resolutions being put to
the meeting a Poll will be called Shareholders are
encouraged to submit their proxy votes ahead of
the meeting to ensure that their votes count towards
deciding each resolution Appointing the Chair of the
meeting rather than a named person will ensure that
the vote will count
Notice of the Annual General Meeting is on pages 82 to
86 of this report Shareholders are requested to return
a proxy vote (described above) as early as possible
– if you appoint the Chairman of the Shareholder
Meetings as your proxy, this will ensure your votes are
cast in accordance with your wishes
and avoids the
need for another person to attend as a proxy in your
place
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
31
If Shareholders have any questions that they would
like to raise at the Annual General Meeting, these
should be submitted in advance to the following
email address:
lsa@iscaadmin.co.uk
 You should
also continue to monitor the Company’s website and
announcements for any updates in relation to the
meeting arrangements that may need to be provided
If the Board believes that it becomes necessary or
appropriate to make alternative arrangements for the
holding of the Shareholder Meetings, we will ensure
that Shareholders are given as much notice as possible
Further information will be made available through
https://www.lsaplc.com/investor-relations/annual-
reports/
Recommendation
The Board considers the Resolutions to be proposed
at the AGM are in the best interests of Shareholders
as a whole and the Company and, accordingly,
recommends that Shareholders vote in favour of each
Resolution, as the Directors intend to do in respect of
their own shareholdings
Company Information
The following information is disclosed in accordance
with the Companies Act 2006:
The Company’s capital structure and voting rights
are summarised on page 77
Details of the substantial Shareholders in the
Company are listed on page 30
The rules concerning the appointment and
replacement of Directors are contained in the
Company’s Articles of Association
The Articles of Association can be amended by the
passing of a Special Resolution of the members in
a General Meeting
Amendment of the Articles of Association and
the giving of powers to issue or buy back the
Company’s shares require the relevant Resolution
to be passed by Shareholders
There are no restrictions concerning the transfer of
securities in the Company; no restrictions on voting
rights; no special rights with regard to control
attached to securities; no agreements between
holders of securities regarding their transfer known
to the Company; and no agreements which the
Company is party to that might affect its control
following a successful takeover bid
Consideration of likely future developments is
detailed in the Strategic Report
Details of the financial risk management objectives
and policies of the Company together with information
on exposure to credit, price, liquidity and cash flow
risks are contained in note 4 on pages 64 to 67
Auditor
The Auditor, BDO LLP, has indicated its willingness to
act as the Company’s External Auditor and Resolutions
7 and 8 proposing its appointment and authorising
the Directors to determine its remuneration for the
ensuing year will be submitted at the AGM
The Directors who were in office on the date of
approval
of
these
Financial
Statements
have
confirmed, as far as they are each aware, that there
is no relevant audit information of which the Auditor
is unaware. Each of the Directors has confirmed that
they have taken all the steps that they ought to have
taken as Directors in order to make themselves aware
of any relevant audit information and to establish that
it has been communicated to the Auditor
On behalf of the Board
Michael Baines
28 April 2025
Report of the Directors
continued
32
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Annual Report 2024
Statement on Corporate Governance
The Company is committed to maintaining high
standards of corporate governance and the Directors
are accountable to Shareholders for the governance
of the Company’s affairs. A high-level description of
the Company’s corporate governance structure is
provided below
Due to its listing on the Specialist Funds Market, the
Company is not obliged to and does not currently
intend to comply with the UK Corporate Governance
Code issued by the Financial Reporting Council
or the corporate governance code issued by the
Association of Investment Companies
Responsibilities of the Board
The Board is responsible for the effective stewardship
of the Company’s affairs and determines the strategic
direction of the Company The Board meets at
least four times a year and reviews the Company’s
investment
policy,
performance
and
financial
position There is an agreed procedure for Directors,
in the furtherance of their duties, to take independent
professional advice at the Company’s expense
The Chairman is responsible for leading the Board
and ensuring that it continues to deal effectively
with all aspects of its role In particular, he ensures
that Acheron Capital and the Administrator provide
the Directors, in a timely manner, with management,
regulatory and financial information that is clear,
accurate and relevant Representatives of the third-
party service providers attend each Board meeting,
enabling the Directors to seek clarification on specific
issues or to probe further on matters of concern
At the year end, the Board comprises three Directors
all of whom are non-executive and independent of the
Investment Manager In the light of the small size of
the Board, it has been decided not to appoint a formal
Nominations Committee and appointments of any
new directors are considered by the Board as a whole
Diversity
The Directors are aware of the need to have a Board
which, as a whole, comprises an appropriate balance
of skills, experience and diversity
The Board is required to disclose their compliance in
relation to the targets on board diversity set out under
paragraph 986R (9) of the Listing Rules which are as
follows:
1
at least 40% of the individuals on the Board of
Directors are women;
2
at least one of the senior positions on the Board of
Directors is held by a woman; and
3
at least one individual on the Board of Directors is
from a minority ethnic background
The table below sets out the composition of the Board
at the year-end based on the prescribed criteria
Number
of
Board
Members
%
of
the
Board
Senior
positions
on the
Board
Gender
Identity
Men
3
100
1
Women
Ethnic
Background
White British
or other White
(including
minority-white
groups)
3
100
1
Mixed/
Multiple Ethnic
groups
Asian/Asian
British
Black/African
Other ethnic
group
including Arab
The Board currently and throughout the year
consists of three male directors of Caucasian ethnic
background and therefore does not meet these
requirements The Board has agreed that it will be
mindful of these regulations in any future recruitment
process it might undertake providing a suitable
candidate possesses the key skills and experience
required for the position
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
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33
Statement on Corporate Governance
continued
Powers of the Directors
The powers of the Directors are set out in the Articles
of Association which are publicly available from
Companies House Except as otherwise provided
by regulation and legislation, the Directors may
exercise all of the ordinary powers usually conferred
on directors to manage the affairs of a company and
to delegate such of those powers to committees,
agents or individuals as they consider appropriate
The Directors may authorise the Company to borrow;
to pay fees, expenses, salaries and make other
payments to directors, executives and employees;
and to provide pensions or other benefits for directors,
executives and employees; but have not exercised
these powers except for the payment of fees to non-
executive directors
Board Attendance
Attendance at the main Board and Audit Committee
meetings held during the reporting period is shown
below In addition, ad hoc meetings are held where
necessary Meetings were held either face-to-face or
electronically
Board
meetings
Audit
committee
meetings
Michael Baines
4/4
3/3
Christopher Casey
4/4
3/3
Guner Turkmen
4/4
n/a
Performance Evaluations
The performance of the Company is considered in
detail at each Board meeting
As part of the Board evaluation discussions, each of
the Directors assessed the overall time commitment
of their external appointments and it was concluded
that all Directors have sufficient time to discharge
their duties This conclusion was reached on the basis
that most external appointments are non-executive
roles which are far less time-consuming than full-
time executive positions in a trading company
In addition to being a non-executive Director of LSA,
and as set out on page 28, Mr Casey is a non-executive
director of three other investment trusts Investment
trusts generally only require time for quarterly board
meetings, committee meetings, which usually take
place on the same day as board meetings, and for
reviewing documents such as board papers, annual
and half yearly reports Mr Casey has made himself
available for all meetings of the Company and, in
his capacity as Audit Committee Chairman, has also
held several meetings and conference calls with the
Company’s Auditor In between scheduled meetings
and calls, he also makes himself available to the
Manager and the Company Secretary as and when
his expertise and opinion are required
Internal Controls
The
Board
has
overall
responsibility
for
the
establishment of the Company’s systems of internal
control and for reviewing their effectiveness. Internal
control systems are designed to meet the particular
requirements of the Company and to manage
rather than eliminate the risks of failure to achieve
its objectives The systems by their very nature
provide reasonable but not absolute assurance
against material misstatement or loss The Board has
reviewed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal
control systems including the financial, operational
and compliance controls and risk management
processes for the year
The key procedures which have been established
with a view to providing effective internal control are
as follows:
Throughout the year under review, there has been
an ongoing process for identifying, evaluating
and managing the significant risks faced by the
Company, which accords with the guidance in the
FRC’s Guidance on Risk Management, Internal
Control and Related Financial and Business
Reporting The process involves reports from the
Company’s Administrator, Cerlux, the Trustee,
Professor R Edelstein, Company Secretary and
Investment Manager Discussions are held with
each party to assess the overall operations of
34
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
Annual Report 2024
the Company to identify ongoing and new risks
being, or likely to be faced by the Company These
are taken in conjunction with the Investment
Manager’s regular report which covers investment
performance In addition, the Company Secretary
and Investment Manager report on the overall
control environment at the Company’s third-party
service providers Internal control statements from
third party service providers are also reviewed by
the Audit Committee
The duties relating to investment management,
accounting and custody of assets are segregated
and the procedures of the individual parties are
designed to complement one another
The Board is responsible for setting the overall
Investment Policy and monitors the activities of
the Investment Manager at its regular meetings
The responsibilities of the Investment Manager
are included in the Investment Management
Agreement between the Trust and Acheron
Capital Acheron is authorised and regulated by
the Financial Conduct Authority
Administration
and
accounting
duties
are
performed by Compagnie Européenne de Révision
Sàrl
Company secretarial duties are performed by an
external Company Secretary, ISCA Administration
Services Limited
Authorisation and exposure limits are set by the
Board
The Company clearly defines the duties and
responsibilities
of
its
agents
through
their
contracts The appointment of agents and advisers
is conducted by the Board after consideration of
the quality of parties involved; the Board monitors
their
on-going
performance
and
contractual
arrangements.
The
Board
reviews
financial
information produced by the Investment Manager,
Administrator and the Company Secretary on a
regular basis
The risk management process and systems of internal
control are designed to manage rather than eliminate
the risk of failure to achieve the Company’s objectives
It should be recognised that such systems can only
provide reasonable, rather than absolute, assurance
against material misstatement or loss. No significant
failings or weaknesses have been identified.
Accountability and Relationship
with Investment Manager
The Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities in
respect of the accounts is set out on page 43 The
responsibilities of the Independent Auditor are set out
on pages 44 to 51 The Directors’ Report states that
the Company is a going concern and confirmation of
the Directors consideration on viability is on page 26
The Board has delegated contractually to external
third parties day to day accounting, company
secretarial and administration duties, and registration
services Each of these contracts was entered into
after consideration by the Board of the quality and
cost of the services offered. The Board receives
regular formal reports from Acheron Capital and ad
hoc information as required
Conflicts of Interest
The Board has put in place a framework for Directors
to report conflicts of interest or potential conflicts of
interest, which it believes works effectively. Directors
are aware that they have a continuing obligation to
notify the Company Secretary of all existing, new
and potential situations or interests which do or
could conflict with the interests of the Company. All
disclosed situations and interests are reviewed by
the Board at its meetings and, where appropriate,
authorised It is the Board’s intention to continue to
review all notified situations on a regular basis.
On behalf of the Board
Michael Baines
28 April 2025
Annual Report 2024
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
35
The Audit Committee was chaired, throughout the
year, by Christopher Casey
At the year end and at the date of this report,
the Committee comprised of Christopher Casey
(Chairman) and Michael Baines The Committee
members
have
recent
and
relevant
financial
experience and have competence relevant to the
sector in which the Company is operating
Role of the Committee
The
Audit
Committee
(“the
Committee”)
is
responsible for monitoring the process of production
and ensuring the integrity of the Company’s Financial
Statements The other primary responsibilities of the
Committee are:
to consider the Financial Statements of the
Company and make recommendations to the
Board;
to monitor adherence to best practice in financial
reporting and corporate governance;
to review the effectiveness of the internal
controls and risk management environment of
the Company and assess the need for a separate
internal audit function;
to receive compliance reports from service
providers;
to consider the accounting policies of the
Company and the areas of judgement in the
Financial Statements;
to consider the valuation process of the life
settlement assets;
to make recommendations to the Board in relation
to the appointment of the Auditor, the terms of
their engagement and remuneration;
to review the Auditor’s findings;
to review and monitor the Auditor’s independence
and objectivity and the effectiveness of the audit
process; and
to review the cyber security procedures as
appropriate
Matters Considered in the Year
The Committee met three times during the financial year to consider the Financial Statements and to review
the internal control systems The Company’s Auditor and the Manager were invited to attend meetings of the
Committee as appropriate
In relation to the Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2024 the following significant issues were
considered by the Committee:
Issue
How the Committee addressed the issue
Valuation of policies
The Directors appointed Lewis and Ellis Actuaries and Consultants to provide
an independent actuarial valuation of the portfolio which has confirmed that the
approach taken by the Manager is appropriate
Financial impact of the
completion of the MBC
transaction
As announced on 29 August 2024, during the year the Company received monies
amounting to USD 9.7 million comprising the first tranche of sale proceeds of
USD 57 million and the return of overpaid premiums of USD 40 million The
Directors have made an estimate of the remaining net proceeds payable to the
Company relating to the Company’s fractional interests in policies held by MBC
Audit Committee Report
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
Issue
How the Committee addressed the issue
Investment Trust status
The Committee reviews the Manager’s procedures for complying with relevant
regulations so as to ensure that the Company maintains its Investment Trust
status and regularly seeks confirmation of compliance with these regulations.
Calculation of
Performance Fee
The Committee reviews the calculation of the performance fee to ensure
consistency in the application of the agreed methodology
The Manager and Administrator have reported to
the Committee to confirm continuing compliance
with their individual regulatory requirements and for
maintaining the Company’s investment trust status
The Committee liaised with Acheron Capital Limited,
throughout the year, and received reports on their
legal compliance A risk assessment and review of
the Internal Controls document maintained by the
Board was considered in detail and amended as
necessary
Internal Audit
The Company does not have an internal audit function,
as all of its day-to-day operations are delegated
to third parties, all of whom have their own internal
control
procedures
The
Committee
discussed
whether it would be appropriate to establish an
internal audit function, and agreed that the existing
system of monitoring and reporting by third parties
remains appropriate and sufficient. The need for an
internal audit function is reviewed annually
External Audit
The Audit Committee monitors and reviews the
effectiveness of the external third-party service
providers, audit process for the publication of the
Annual Report and makes recommendations to the
Board on the re-appointment, remuneration and
terms of engagement of the Auditors
Prior to each Annual Report being published, the
Committee considers the appropriateness of the
scope of the audit plan, the terms under which
the audit is to be conducted, as well as the matter
of remuneration, with a view to ensuring the best
interests of the Company are protected
Audit fees are computed on the basis of the time
spent on the Company’s affairs by the Audit partners
and staff and on the levels of skill and responsibility
of those involved
Following its review, the Committee considers
that, individually and collectively, the Auditor is
appropriately experienced to fulfil the role required,
and has recommended its re-appointment to the
Board A resolution for its re-appointment will be
proposed at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting
The Committee has considered the independence
and objectivity of the Auditor and it is satisfied in
these respects that BDO LLP can fulfil its obligations
to the Company and its Shareholders
BDO LLP do not provide any non-audit services to
the Company
Christopher Casey
Audit Committee Chairman
28 April 2025
Annual Report 2024
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
37
The Board presents the Directors’ Remuneration Report for the year ending 31 December 2024 An Ordinary
resolution for the approval of this report will be put to Shareholders at the forthcoming AGM
As the Company has no employees and all of the Directors are non-executive, the Board has not established
a separate Remuneration Committee Directors’ remuneration is determined by the Board as a whole, at its
discretion within an aggregate ceiling of £200,000 per annum Each Director abstains from voting on their
own individual remuneration The Board has reviewed its existing remuneration levels and has agreed to keep
Directors’ fees from 1 January 2025 at the same level as 2024.
The Company’s Remuneration Policy is set out below This Policy was approved by Shareholders at the AGM
on 23 June 2022. The votes cast on the resolution approving the Remuneration Policy were as below and it
is the intention that this Policy will apply for three years A resolution to approve the policy for a further three
years will therefore be proposed at the forthcoming AGM
Number of votes
% of votes cast
For
31,217,262
975
Against
794,690
25
At Chairman’s discretion
Total votes cast
32,011,952
1000
Number of votes withheld
A separate resolution to adopt the Remuneration report was advisory only and not binding on the Company
The votes cast at the 2024 AGM on the advisory resolution were:
Number of votes
% of votes cast
For
4,141,357
839
Against
794,690
161
At Chairman’s discretion
Total votes cast
4,936,047
1000
Number of votes withheld
Directors’ Remuneration Report
38
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
Policy Table
Fixed Fee Element
Remuneration consists of a fixed fee each year and the Directors of the
Company are entitled to such rates of annual fees as the Board at its
discretion determines
Discretionary Element
In accordance with the Company’s Articles of Association, if a Director
is requested to perform extra or special services, they will be entitled to
receive such additional remuneration as the Board considers appropriate
Taxable Benefits
In accordance with the Company’s Articles of Association the Directors
are also entitled to be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses and any
other reasonable expenses incurred in the proper performance of their
duties. Travel and other expenses may be considered as taxable benefits
for Directors Where applicable, the associated tax liability will be settled
by the Company
Purpose and Link to Strategy
Directors’ fees are set to: be sufficient to attract and retain individuals
of a high calibre with suitable knowledge and experience to promote
the long-term success of the Company; reflect the time spent by the
Directors on the Company’s affairs; reflect the responsibilities borne by
the Directors; and recognise the more onerous roles of the Chairman of
the Board and the Chairman of the Audit Committee through the payment
of higher fees
Operation
Fees payable to the Directors will be reviewed annually A number of
factors will be considered to ensure that the fees are set at an appropriate
level. These will include: the average rate of inflation during the period
since the last fee increase; the level of Directors’ remuneration for other
investment trusts of a similar size; and the complexity of the Directors’
responsibilities
Maximum
Total remuneration paid to the non-executive Directors is subject to an
annual aggregate limit of £200,000 in accordance with the Company’s
Articles of Association Any changes to this limit will require Shareholder
approval by ordinary resolution
There are no performance related elements to the Directors’ fees
Directors do not receive bonus payments or pension contributions from the Company or any option to acquire
shares. There is no entitlement to exit payments or compensation on loss of office. None of the Directors has a
service contract with the Company and their terms of appointment are set out in a letter provided when they
join the Board. These letters are available for inspection at the Company’s registered office.
Consideration of Shareholders’ Views
Shareholder approval for the Remuneration Report and Remuneration Policy will be sought at the AGM held in
2025 and Shareholders will also have the opportunity to express their views and raise any queries on the policy
ahead of this meeting by emailing
lsa@iscaadmin.co.uk
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
39
Directors’ Emoluments (Audited Information)
The Directors who served during the year received the following emoluments in the form of fees:
Year ended
31
December
2024
Year ended
31
December
2023
Year ended
31
December
2022
Year ended
31
December
2021
Director
Total
USD ‘000
%
Change
Total
USD ‘000
%
Change
Total
USD ‘000
%
Change
Total
USD ‘000
Michael Baines
83
38
80
231
65
(58)
69
Christopher Casey
64
85
59
180
50
50
Guner Turkmen
15
15
500
10
10
Total
162
154
125
129
As the Company has no employees the table above sets out the total remuneration costs and benefits paid
by the Company
In total USD nil (2023: USD nil) was reimbursed to Directors during the year for their expenses There are no other
Directors’ expenses to report
The annual fees for each Director for the twelve months commencing 1 January 2025 are unchanged at:
Michael Baines, Chairman – £65,000
Christopher Casey, Audit Committee Chairman – £50,000
Guner Turkmen – USD 15,000
All compensation is short-term employee benefits and no Directors are remunerated through share-based
payments
Directors’ and Officers’ liability insurance cover is maintained by the Company on behalf of the Directors.
Directors’ Remuneration Report
continued
40
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
Relative Importance of Spend on Remuneration
The following table shows the proportion of the Company’s income spent on remuneration during the year
ended 31 December 2024
2024
USD ‘000
2023
USD ‘000
%
change
Directors’ remuneration paid
162
154
52
Share buybacks for cancellation
7,848
1000
Dividends paid (note 29)
3,000
3,000
The Directors’ remuneration has not changed in Pounds Sterling, therefore the change is purely due to
exchange rate differences.
Total Shareholder Return
The Company does not have a specific benchmark against which performance is measured. The graph
below compares the Company’s NAV and share price on a total return basis with the total return on an
equivalent investment in the HFRI Fund Weighted Composite Index during the period. This index reflecting
the performance of an investment in Hedge Funds has been selected as the most relevant to the Company
Company’s Performance Graph
%
220
180
160
140
120
100
Dec.
2018
Dec.
2019
HFRI*
LSA Ordinary Shares
Dec.
2024
80
Annual Performance of
Ordinary Shares vs. HFRI Index
Dec.
2020
200
Dec.
2021
Dec.
2022
Dec.
2023
* The HFRI Fund Weighted Composite Index is a global, equal-weighted index of single-manager funds that report to HFR Database
Constituent funds report monthly net of all fees performance in US Dollar and have a minimum of USD 50 Million under management or
$10 Million under management and a twelve (12) month track record of active performance The HFRI Fund Weighted Composite Index
does not include Funds of Hedge Funds
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
41
Directors’ Interests in Shares (Audited Information)
There are no requirements for the Directors to own shares in
the Company
The Directors interests and those of their connected persons
in the shares of the Company are set out in the table below All
of the holdings are beneficial and all of the Directors held office
during the period under review
Director
31 December
2024
31 December
2023
Michael Baines
50,000
50,000
Christopher Casey
Guner Turkmen
No other changes to these holdings had been notified up to
the date of this report
The Directors’ Remuneration Report was approved by the
Board on 28 April 2025
For and on behalf of the Board
Michael Baines
Chairman
28 April 2025
Directors’ Remuneration Report
continued
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Annual Report 2024
The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual
Report and the Financial Statements in accordance
with UK adopted international accounting standards
and applicable law and regulations
Company law requires the Directors to prepare
Financial Statements for each financial year. Under
that law the Directors are required to prepare the
Financial Statements in accordance with UK adopted
international accounting standards in conformity
with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006
Under company law the Directors must not approve
the Financial Statements unless they are satisfied
that they give a true and fair view of the state of
affairs of the Company and of the profit or loss for the
Company for that period
In preparing these Financial Statements, the Directors
are required to:
select suitable accounting policies and then apply
them consistently;
make judgements and accounting estimates that
are reasonable and prudent;
state whether they have been prepared in
accordance
with
UK
adopted
international
accounting standards, subject to any material
departures disclosed and explained in the Financial
Statements;
prepare the Financial Statements on the going
concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume
that the Company will continue in business; and
prepare a Directors’ Report, an Audit Committee
Report,
a
Strategic
Report
and
Directors’
Remuneration Report which comply with the
requirements of the Companies Act 2006
The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate
accounting records that are sufficient to show and
explain the Company’s transactions and disclose with
reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position
of the Company and enable them to ensure that the
Financial Statements comply with the Companies Act
2006
They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets
of the Company and hence for taking reasonable
steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and
other irregularities The Directors are responsible for
ensuring that the Annual Report and accounts, taken
as a whole, are fair, balanced, and understandable and
provides the information necessary for Shareholders
to assess the Company’s performance, business
model and strategy
Website Publication – www.lsaplc.com
The Directors are responsible for ensuring the Annual
Report and the Financial Statements are made
available on a website Financial Statements are
published on the Company’s website in accordance
with legislation in the United Kingdom governing
the preparation and dissemination of Financial
Statements, which may vary from legislation in
other jurisdictions The maintenance and integrity of
the Company’s website is the responsibility of the
Directors The Directors’ responsibility also extends
to the ongoing integrity of the Financial Statements
contained therein
Directors’ Responsibilities Pursuant to DTR4
The Directors confirm to the best of their knowledge:
The Financial Statements have been prepared in
accordance with the applicable set of Accounting
Standards, give a true and fair view of the assets,
liabilities, financial position and profit and loss of
the Company
The Annual Report includes a fair review of the
development and performance of the business
and the financial position of the Company, together
with a description of the principal risks and
uncertainties that they face
Michael Baines
Chairman
28 April 2025
Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities
Annual Report 2024
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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43
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of
Life Settlement Assets PLC
Opinion on the Financial Statements
In our opinion the Financial Statements:
give a true and fair view of the state of the
Company’s affairs as at 31 December 2024 and of
its profit for the year then ended;
have been properly prepared in accordance with
UK adopted international accounting standards;
and
have been prepared in accordance with the
requirements of the Companies Act 2006
We have audited the Financial Statements of Life
Settlement Assets plc (the “Company”) for the year
ended 31 December 2024 which comprise the
Statement of Comprehensive Income, the Statement
of Financial Position, the Statement of Changes
in Equity, the Cash Flow Statement and notes to
the Financial Statements, including a summary of
material accounting policy information. The financial
reporting framework that has been applied in their
preparation is applicable law and UK adopted
international accounting standards
Basis for opinion
We
conducted
our
audit
in
accordance with
International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK))
and applicable law Our responsibilities under those
standards are further described in the Auditor’s
responsibilities
for
the
audit
of
the
Financial
Statements section of our report We believe that
the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and
appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion Our
audit opinion is consistent with the additional report
to the Audit Committee
Independence
Following
the
recommendation
of
the
Audit
Committee, we were appointed by the Board of
Directors on 21 November 2019 to audit the Financial
Statements for the year ended 31 December 2019
and subsequent financial periods. The period of total
uninterrupted engagement including retenders and
reappointments is 6 years, covering the years ended
31 December 2019 to 31 December 2024 We remain
independent of the Company in accordance with the
ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit
of the Financial Statements in the UK, including the
FRC’s Ethical Standard as applied to listed public
interest entities, and we have fulfilled our other
ethical responsibilities in accordance with these
requirements The non-audit services prohibited by
that standard were not provided to the Company
Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the Financial Statements, we have
concluded that the Directors’ use of the going
concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the
Financial Statements is appropriate Our evaluation
of the Directors’ assessment of the Company’s ability
to continue to adopt the going concern basis of
accounting included:
reviewing the appropriateness of the forecasted
cash flow calculated by performing a sensitivity
analysis on the expected receipt of cash from
maturities, future expenditure and the cash outflow
arising from premium payments and dividend
payments to Shareholders;
challenging
the
Directors’
assumptions
and
judgements
made
by
assessing
them
for
reasonableness
through
comparing
forecasts
to historical figures and assessing the Directors’
historical ability to forecast accurately by comparing
budgeted figures to actual results;
understanding the business model, objectives,
strategies and related business risk, the Directors
measurement and review of the Company’s
financial performance including forecasting and
budgeting processes and the Company’s risk
assessment process;
checking the mathematical accuracy of the
forecasts;
calculating
and
reviewing
financial
ratios
to
ascertain the financial health of the Company; and
evaluating the adequacy and appropriateness
of
disclosures
in
the
Financial
Statements
with reference to the Directors going concern
assessment
44
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Annual Report 2024
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any
material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually
or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the Company’s ability to
continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from
when the Financial Statements are authorised for issue
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Directors with respect
to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report
Overview
2024
2023
Key Audit Matters
Valuation of investments
O
O
Revenue recognition
O
O
Duplicate premium payments
O
KAM 3 is no longer considered to be a key audit
matter because as at 2023, it was not possible to
obtain sufficient information to quantify the financial
effects of the receivable, however an amount
relating to premium refunds of USD 4 million was
subsequently received during 2024
Materiality
Company Financial Statements as a whole
USD 133 million (2023: USD 140 million)
based on 2% (2023: 2%) of total life settlement
investments at fair value
An overview of the scope of our audit
Our audit was scoped by obtaining an understanding of the Company and
its environment, including the Company’s system of internal control, and
assessing the risks of material misstatement in the Financial Statements
We also addressed the risk of management override of internal controls,
including assessing whether there was evidence of bias by the Directors
that may have represented a risk of material misstatement
Key Audit Matters
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgement,
were of most significance in our audit of the Financial Statements of the
current period and include the most significant assessed risks of material
misstatement (whether or not due to fraud) that we identified, including
those which had the greatest effect on: the overall audit strategy, the
allocation of resources in the audit, and directing the efforts of the
engagement team These matters were addressed in the context of our
audit of the Financial Statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion
thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
45
Key Audit Matter
How the scope of our audit addressed the
Key Audit Matter
Valuation of life settlement
investments
(Notes 3.3, 4.3, 13 and 14 to the
Financial Statements)
The life settlement portfolio at
the year-end comprised of ‘level
3’ (unobservable inputs) financial
assets held at fair value through
profit or loss, as their performance
is evaluated on a fair value basis,
valued at USD 66 million (2023:
USD 70 million)
Management’s actuarial expert
performs
the
valuation
of
investments which are reviewed
and approved by the Board The
valuations are, however, complex
and there is a high level of
estimation uncertainty involved
in determining the life settlement
investment
valuations
It
is
based on assumptions such as
mortality rates, discount rates
and projected premiums, all of
which can vary over time, and
may significantly impact the fair
value of the portfolio
We considered the valuation of
investments to be the key area of
focus as investments represent
the most significant balance in
the Financial Statements and
underpin the principal activity of
the Company
For this reason and the reasons
set out above we considered
this to be a key audit matter
We responded to this matter by performing the following procedures:
We obtained an understanding of the process of fair valuation of
life settlement portfolios including the policy acquisition, realisation
and valuation processes and controls
With the assistance of our own external independent actuarial
expert we assessed the appropriateness of the assumptions and
methodology undertaken by management’s actuarial expert We
reviewed and challenged their findings through discussions in
relation to key assumptions and confirmed possible sensitivities
were within an appropriate range
We assessed the independence, objectivity and competence of
our external expert We also performed procedures to assess the
independence, objectivity and competence of management’s
actuarial expert including reviewing service agreements, evaluating
financial interests in the Company, business or personal relationships
and whether other services are provided to the Company Please
note that the use of the auditor’s expert in this capacity does not
reduce our responsibility for the audit opinion
Reconciled the data provided by independent third party service
providers with the data used by management’s actuarial expert to
gain assurance that the data used in the valuation is complete and
accurate and reconciles to the Financial Statements
Key observations
Based on our procedures performed we did not identify any matters to
suggest that the valuation of investments was not appropriate
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of
Life Settlement Assets PLC
continued
46
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
Key Audit Matter
How the scope of our audit addressed the
Key Audit Matter
Revenue recognition
(Notes 3.11, 6 and 7 to the
Financial Statements)
Revenue arises predominantly
from death benefits received
on
matured
life
settlement
policies and is a key factor in
demonstrating the performance
of the portfolio
There is a risk that the policy
maturities are not accurately
accounted for due to manual
error
There is a risk around timing
of the custodian finding out
about the death, as well as
them notifying the Investment
Manager of this policy maturing,
which could result in revenue
being recognised in the incorrect
period
There is also a risk that the
classification of income between
revenue and capital is not in
accordance with the Company’s
accounting
policies
Incorrect
classification of income between
revenue and capital could result
in the material misstatement
of the income tax expense and
liability
For
these
reasons,
we
considered revenue recognition
to be a key audit matter
We responded to this matter by performing the following procedures:
Obtained an understanding of the design and implementation
of controls in place over the completeness and validity in relation
to revenue recognition, specifically, the controls in place at the
Servicing Agents over the timely identification of maturities and the
controls in place at the Investment Manager and Administrator in
respect of recognition of maturities
Assessed whether the Company’s accounting policies for revenue
recognition is in accordance with the requirements of United
Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice Statement of
recommended Practice (SORP) issued by Association of Investment
Companies (AIC) and tested its consistent application on revenue
recognition during the year
Tested the occurrence of investment income by selecting a sample
of maturities of life settlement portfolio from the portfolio trust report
provided by the administrator and checking the associated income
to third party sources, including tracing a sample of matured policies
back to custodian’s initial notice of death
Gained assurance over the completeness of maturities by obtaining
a confirmation of all active policies as at the year end date from the
independent Servicing Agents and comparing this listing against the
active policies per the portfolio trust report to identify any maturities
which had not been recognised Additionally, we obtained a
sample of maturities declared in 2024, agreeing these maturities to
source documentation and identifying whether the maturities were
recorded in the correct accounting period
For both revenue and capital income, we agreed to supporting
documentation to assess whether the items were appropriately
classified and presented in the Financial Statements in accordance
with the Company’s accounting policies
We traced a sample of dividend income receipts to bank and
recalculated a sample of realised gains/losses
Key observations:
Based on our procedures performed we did not identify any matters to
suggest that revenue recognition was not appropriate
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
47
Our application of materiality
We apply the concept of materiality both in planning and performing our audit, and in evaluating the effect of
misstatements We consider materiality to be the magnitude by which misstatements, including omissions,
could influence the economic decisions of reasonable users that are taken on the basis of the Financial
Statements
In order to reduce to an appropriately low level the probability that any misstatements exceed materiality, we
use a lower materiality level, performance materiality, to determine the extent of testing needed Importantly,
misstatements below these levels will not necessarily be evaluated as immaterial as we also take account of
the nature of identified misstatements, and the particular circumstances of their occurrence, when evaluating
their effect on the Financial Statements as a whole.
Based on our professional judgement, we determined materiality for the Financial Statements as a whole and
performance materiality as follows:
2024
2023
Materiality
USD 1,330,000
USD 1,400,000
Basis for determining
materiality
2% of total life settlement
investments at fair value
2% of total life settlement
investments at fair value
Rationale for the
benchmark applied
Given that the Company’s
portfolio is comprised of unquoted
investments which would typically
have a wider spread of reasonable
alternative possible valuations, we
have applied a percentage of 2% of
invested assets (USD 66280m)
Given that the Company’s
portfolio is comprised of unquoted
investments which would typically
have a wider spread of reasonable
alternative possible valuations, we
have applied a percentage of 2% of
invested assets (USD 70005m)
Performance materiality
USD 1,000,000
USD 1,050,000
Basis for determining
performance materiality
75% of materiality
75% of materiality
Rationale for the
percentage applied for
performance materiality
The level of performance materiality
applied was set after having
considered a number of factors
including the expected total value of
known and likely misstatements and
the level of transactions in the year
The level of performance materiality
applied was set after having
considered a number of factors
including the expected total value of
known and likely misstatements and
the level of transactions in the year
Specific materiality
We also determined that for items that impact on the Revenue Return before tax, a misstatement of less
than materiality for the Financial Statements as a whole, specific materiality, could influence the economic
decisions of users as it is a measure of the Company’s performance of income generated from its investments
after expenses As a result, we determined materiality for these items to be USD 420,000 (2023: USD 420,000),
based on 5% of expenditure (2023: 5% of expenditure) We further applied a performance materiality level of
75% (2023: 75%) of specific materiality which came to USD 320,000 (2023: USD 320,000) to ensure that the risk
of errors exceeding specific materiality was appropriately mitigated.
Reporting threshold
We agreed with the Audit Committee that we would report to them all individual audit differences in excess of
USD 70,000 (2023: USD 70,000). We also agreed to report differences below this threshold that, in our view,
warranted reporting on qualitative grounds
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of
Life Settlement Assets PLC
continued
48
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
Other information
The Directors are responsible for the other information The other information comprises the information
included in the Annual Report other than the Financial Statements and our Auditor’s Report thereon Our
opinion on the Financial Statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise
explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon Our responsibility is
to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent
with the Financial Statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears
to be materially misstated If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements,
we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the Financial Statements
themselves If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of
this other information, we are required to report that fact
We have nothing to report in this regard
Other Companies Act 2006 reporting
Based on the responsibilities described below and our work performed during the course of the audit, we are
required by the Companies Act 2006 and ISAs (UK) to report on certain opinions and matters as described
below
Strategic Report and
Directors’ Report
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
the information given in the Strategic Report and the Directors’ Report for the
financial year for which the Financial Statements are prepared is consistent with
the Financial Statements; and
the Strategic Report and the Directors’ Report have been prepared in accordance
with applicable legal requirements
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the Company and its environment
obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in
the Strategic Report or the Directors’ Report
Directors’
Remuneration
In our opinion, the part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be audited has been
properly prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006
Matters on which we
are required to report
by exception
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the
Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our
audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
the Financial Statements and the part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be
audited are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
certain disclosures of Directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit
Annual Report 2024
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
49
Responsibilities of Directors
As explained more fully in the Statement of Directors’
Responsibilities, the Directors are responsible for
the preparation of the Financial Statements and for
being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and
for such internal control as the Directors determine
is necessary to enable the preparation of Financial
Statements that are free from material misstatement,
whether due to fraud or error
In preparing the Financial Statements, the Directors
are responsible for assessing the Company’s ability
to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as
applicable, matters related to going concern and
using the going concern basis of accounting unless
the Directors either intend to liquidate the Company
or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative
but to do so
Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the
Financial Statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance
about whether the Financial Statements as a whole
are free from material misstatement, whether due to
fraud or error, and to issue an Auditor’s Report that
includes our opinion Reasonable assurance is a
high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that
an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK)
will always detect a material misstatement when it
exists Misstatements can arise from fraud or error
and are considered material if, individually or in the
aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to
influence the economic decisions of users taken on
the basis of these Financial Statements
Extent to which the audit was capable of detecting
irregularities, including fraud
Irregularities,
including
fraud,
are
instances
of
non-compliance with laws and regulations We
design procedures in line with our responsibilities,
outlined above, to detect material misstatements in
respect of irregularities, including fraud The extent
to which our procedures are capable of detecting
irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:
Non-compliance with laws and regulations
Based on:
our understanding of the Company and the
industry in which it operates;
discussion with management and those charged
with governance; and
obtaining an understanding of the Company’s
policies and procedures regarding compliance
with laws and regulations;
We considered the significant laws and regulations
to be Companies Act 2006, UK adopted international
accounting standards, industry practice represented
by the AIC SORP and the Company’s qualification as
an Investment Trust under UK tax legislation as any
non-compliance of this would lead to the Company
losing various deductions and exemptions from
corporation tax
Our procedures in respect of the above included:
agreement of the financial statement disclosures
to underlying supporting documentation;
enquiries of management and those charged
with governance relating to the existence of any
non-compliance with laws and regulations;
review of minutes of board meetings throughout the
period, legal correspondence and correspondence
with the relevant authorities for instances of
non-compliance with laws and regulations;
reviewing
the
Company’s
Investment
Trust compliance to check that the Company was
meeting its requirements to retain their Investment
Trust Status; and
review of legal expenditure accounts to understand
the nature of expenditure incurred;
Fraud
We assessed the susceptibility of the Financial
Statements to material misstatement including fraud
Our risk assessment procedures included:
enquiry with management and those charged with
governance regarding any known or suspected
instances of fraud;
obtaining an understanding of the Company’s
policies and procedures relating to:
»
detecting and responding to the risks of fraud;
and
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of
Life Settlement Assets PLC
continued
50
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
»
internal controls established to mitigate risks
related to fraud
review of minutes of meeting of those charged with
governance for any known or suspected instances
of fraud;
discussion amongst the engagement team as to
how and where fraud might occur in the Financial
Statements; and
Based on our risk assessment, we considered the
areas most susceptible to fraud to be management
override of controls and valuation of life settlement
investments
Our procedures in respect of the above included:
assessing
significant
estimates
made
by
management for bias as set out in the Key Audit
Matters section of the report relating to the
valuation of life settlement investments; and
in addressing the risk of management override of
control, we:
»
performed a review of estimates and judgements
applied
by
management
in
the
Financial
Statements to assess their appropriateness and
the existence of any systematic bias;
»
reviewed a sample of journal entries posted
during the year based on our risk assessment
performed
»
considered the opportunity and incentive to
manipulate accounting entries and target tested
relevant adjustments made in the period end
financial reporting process; and
»
reviewed for significant transactions outside the
normal course of business
We also communicated relevant identified laws
and regulations and potential fraud risks to all
engagement team members who were all deemed
to have appropriate competence and capabilities
and remained alert to any indications of fraud
or
non-compliance
with
laws
and
regulations
throughout the audit
Our audit procedures were designed to respond
to risks of material misstatement in the Financial
Statements, recognising that the risk of not detecting
a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than
the risk of not detecting one resulting from error,
as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by,
for example, forgery, misrepresentations or through
collusion There are inherent limitations in the audit
procedures performed and the further removed
non-compliance with laws and regulations is from
the events and transactions reflected in the Financial
Statements, the less likely we are to become aware
of it
A further description of our responsibilities is
available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website
at:
www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities.
This
description forms part of our Auditor’s Report
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the Company’s
members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3
of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 Our audit work
has been undertaken so that we might state to the
Company’s members those matters we are required
to state to them in an Auditor’s Report and for no other
purpose To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do
not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other
than the Company and the Company’s members as
a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the
opinions we have formed
Vanessa-Jayne Bradley (Senior Statutory Auditor)
For and on behalf of BDO LLP, Statutory Auditor
London, UK
28 April 2025
BDO LLP is a limited liability partnership registered
in England and Wales (with registered number
OC305127)
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
51
Financial
Statements
Statement of Comprehensive Income
for the year ended 31 December 2024
Notes
Revenue
USD ‘000
2024
Capital
USD ‘000
Total
USD ‘000
Revenue
USD ‘000
2023
Capital
USD ‘000
Total
USD ‘000
Income
Gains from life settlement
portfolios
5
7,293
7,293
12,698
12,698
Income from life settlement
portfolios
6
1,501
1,501
1,054
1,054
Gain from unquoted
investments
15
9
9
Other income
7
331
331
217
217
Total income
1,832
7,302
9,134
1,271
12,698
13,969
Operating expenses
Investment management fees
8
(1,669)
(602)
(2,271)
(1,638)
(1,064)
(2,702)
Other expenses
9
(3,833)
(3,833)
(4,476)
(4,476)
(Loss)/profit before finance
costs and taxation
(3,670)
6,700
3,030
(4,843)
11,634
6,791
Finance costs
Exchange gains/(losses)
32
32
(3)
(3)
Interest payable
10
(2,439)
(2,439)
(2,488)
(2,488)
(Loss)/profit before taxation
(6,077)
6,700
623
(7,334)
11,634
4,300
Taxation
11
37
37
(Loss)/profit for the year
(6,040)
6,700
660
(7,334)
11,634
4,300
Basic and diluted earnings per share
Earnings per class A share USD
12
(0.126)
0.140
0.014
(0147)
0233
0086
All revenue and capital items in the above statement derive from continuing operations of the Company
The Company does not have any income or expense that is not included in the profit for the year and therefore
the profit for the year is also the total comprehensive income for the year.
The total column of this statement is the Statement of Total Comprehensive Income of the Company The
supplementary revenue and capital columns are prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended
Practice (“SORP”) issued by the Association of Investment Companies (“AIC”) in July 2022.
The notes on pages 58 to 79 form part of these Financial Statements
54
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
Statement of Financial Position
as at 31 December 2024
Notes
2024
USD‘000
2023
USD‘000
Assets
Life settlement investments at fair value through profit or loss
13,14
66,280
70,005
Maturities receivable
16
5,969
14,545
Trade and other receivables
17
9,779
13,280
Premiums paid in advance
18
3,299
3,614
Unquoted investments at fair value
15
8,104
Cash and cash equivalents
19
9,187
12,157
Total
assets
102,618
113,601
Liabilities
Other payables
20
(593)
(1,385)
Performance fees accrual
21
(1,000)
(1,003)
Total liabilities
(1,593)
(2,388)
Net assets
101,025
111,213
Represented by
Capital and reserves
Share capital
22
454
498
Special reserve
80,442
91,290
Capital redemption reserve
257
213
Capital reserve
71,688
64,988
Revenue reserve
(51,816)
(45,776)
Total equity attributable to ordinary Shareholders of the Company
42
101,025
111,213
Net Asset Value per share basic and diluted
Class A shares USD
24
2.23
223
Given the nature of the Company’s assets and liabilities, the Directors consider it is appropriate to present the
Statement of Financial Position on a liquidity basis
These Financial Statements were approved by the Board of Directors on 28 April 2025 and signed on its behalf
by:
Michael Baines, Chairman
Registered in England and Wales with Company Registration number: 10918785
The notes on pages 58 to 79 form part of these Financial Statements
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
55
Statement of Changes in Equity
for the year ended 31 December 2024
Notes
Share
capital
USD ‘000
Special
reserve
USD ‘000
Capital
redemption
reserve
USD ‘000
Capital
reserve
USD ‘000
Revenue
reserve
USD ‘000
Total
USD ‘000
Balance as at 31 December
2023
498
91,290
213
64,988
(45,776)
111,213
Comprehensive income/(loss)
for the year
6,700
(6,040)
660
Contributions by and
distributions
to owners
Shares bought back and
cancelled
22
(44)
(7,848)
44
(7,848)
Dividends paid in year
29
(3,000)
(3,000)
Balance as at 31 December
2024
454
80,442
257
71,688
(51,816)
101,025
Of which:
– Realised gains
58,067
– Unrealised gains
13,621
Notes
Share
capital
USD ‘000
Special
reserve
USD ‘000
Capital
redemption
reserve
USD ‘000
Capital
reserve
USD ‘000
Revenue
reserve
USD ‘000
Total
USD ‘000
Balance as at 31 December
2022
498
94,290
213
53,354
(38,442)
109,913
Comprehensive income/(loss)
for the year
11,634
(7,334)
4,300
Contributions by and
distributions
to owners
Dividends paid in year
29
(3,000)
(3,000)
Balance as at 31 December
2023
498
91,290
213
64,988
(45,776)
111,213
Of which:
– Realised gains
48,598
– Unrealised gains
16,390
The Special reserve was created as a result of the cancellation of the Share premium account following a
court order issued on 18 June 2019. The special reserve is distributable and may be used to fund purchases of
the Company’s own shares and to make distributions to Shareholders
The Revenue and Realised Capital Reserves are also distributable reserves
The notes on pages 58 to 79 form part of these Financial Statements
56
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Annual Report 2024
Cash Flow Statement
for the year ended 31 December 2024
Notes
2024
USD ‘000
2023
USD ‘000
Cash flow generated from operating activities
Profit for the year
660
4,300
Non-cash adjustments
– movement on unquoted investments
15
7
– interest payable
2,439
2,372
Movement on life settlement portfolios
7,432
4,505
Net movement in policy advances
14
(3,707)
135
Interest paid
(2,439)
(2,372)
Investment in life settlement portfolios
14
(11,903)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities
Decrease/(increase) in maturities receivables
8,576
(7,135)
Decrease/(increase) in trade and other receivables
3,501
(11,229)
Decrease in premiums paid in advance
315
1,650
(Decrease) in other payables
(792)
(137)
(Decrease) in performance fee provision
(3)
(936)
Net cash inflows/(outflows) generated from/
(used in) operating activities
15,989
(20,750)
Changes in investing activities
Purchase of investments
(including reinvested dividends)
15
(19,111)
Sale of investments
15
11,000
Net cash outflow from investment activities
(8,111)
Cash flow used in financing activities
Shares bought back and cancelled
22
(7,848)
Dividends paid
29
(3,000)
(3,000)
Net cash flows used in financing activities
(10,848)
(3,000)
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents
(2,970)
(23,750)
Cash balance at the beginning of the year
12,157
35,907
Cash balance at the end of the year
9,187
12,157
The notes on pages 58 to 79 form part of these Financial Statements
Annual Report 2024
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
57
Notes to the Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 December 2024
1.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Life Settlement Assets PLC (“Life Settlement Assets” or the “Company”) is a public company limited by shares
and an investment company under section 833 of the Companies Act 2006 It was incorporated in England
and Wales on 16 August 2017 with a registration number of 10918785. The registered office of the Company is
The Office Suite, Den House, Den Promenade, Teignmouth TQ14 8SY.
The principal activity of Life Settlement Assets is to manage investments in whole interests in life settlement
policies issued by life insurance companies operating predominantly in the United States
In May 2018, the Company received confirmation from HM Revenue & Customs of its approval as an Investment
Trust for tax accounting periods commencing on or after 26 March 2018, subject to the Company continuing
to meet the eligibility conditions contained in section 1158 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 and the ongoing
requirements in Chapter 3 of Part 2 of the Investment Trust (Approved Company) (Tax) Regulations 2011
(Statutory Instrument 2011/2999)
The Company has one class of Ordinary Shares in issue, the A Shares, which principally participates in a
portfolio of life settlement assets and associated liabilities, which were acquired from Acheron Portfolio
Corporation (Luxembourg) SA (“APC” or the “Predecessor Company”) on 26 March 2018
Statement of compliance with IFRS
The Company’s Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with UK adopted International
Accounting Standards and with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 as applicable to companies
reporting under these standards They have also been prepared in accordance with the Statement of
Recommended Practice (“SORP”) for investment companies issued by the AIC in July 2022, except to the
extent that it conflicts with International Accounting Standards.
2.
IFRS ACCOUNTING POLICIES
2.1.
Basis of preparation
The Financial Statements have been prepared using the accounting policies specified below and in accordance
with UK-adopted International Accounting Standards and with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006
as applicable to companies reporting under those standards The Financial Statements have been prepared
on a going concern basis under the historical cost convention except for the measurement at fair value of
investments held at fair value through profit or loss. The going concern statement can be found on page 30.
The Company’s activities, together with the material risk factors likely to affect its future development and
performance, as well as the Board of Directors’ “Viability Statement” are set out in the Strategic Report on
pages 5 to 26
The Statement of Financial Position has been prepared on a liquidity basis in accordance with IAS 1.60.
The material accounting policies that have been applied in the preparation of these Financial Statements are
summarised below
Going Concern
The Financial Statements of the Company have been prepared on a going concern basis The forecast
projections and actual performance are reviewed on a regular basis throughout the period Further details
are shown in the Viability Statement on page 26 The Directors believe that it is appropriate to prepare the
Financial Statements on a going concern basis and that the Company has adequate resources to continue
in operational existence for a period of at least 12 months from the date of the approval of the Financial
Statements The Company is able to meet, from its assets, all of its liabilities including annual premiums and
its ongoing charges
58
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Annual Report 2024
2.
IFRS ACCOUNTING POLICIES
continued
2.2.
Changes in accounting policy and disclosures
The following accounting standards were effective for the period commencing 1 January 2024 but did not
have a significant impact on the Financial Statements of the Company
Amendments to IAS 1: Presentation of Financial Statements regarding classification of liabilities as current or
non-current
Amendments to IAS 7 and IFRS 7: Disclosures to add disclosure requirements , and ‘signposts’ within existing
disclosure requirements, that ask entities to provide qualitative and quantitative information about supplier
finance arrangements.
IFRS 16: ‘Leases’ amendments that clarify how a seller-lessee subsequently measures sale and leaseback
transactions that satisfy the requirements in IFRS 15 to be accounted for as a sale
The following standards have not been adopted by the UK Endorsement Board so have not yet been adopted
for all companies in the UK
IFRS S1: General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information Requires an entity
to disclose information about its sustainability-related risks and opportunities that is useful to users of general
purpose financial reports in making decisions relating to providing resources to the entity.
IFRS S2: Climate-related Disclosures Requires an entity to disclose information about its climate-related risks
and opportunities that is useful to users of general purpose financial reports in making decisions relating to
providing resources to the entity
Standards and amendments to existing standards that are not yet effective and have not been early adopted
by the Company
The following new standards have been published but are not effective for the Company’s accounting period
beginning on 1 January 2024. The Directors do not expect the adoption of the following new standards,
amended standards or interpretations to have a significant impact on the Financial Statements of the Company
in future periods
Amendments to IAS 21: The Effects of Changes in Foreign Exchange Rates. ‘Lack of Exchangeability’ that
contains guidance to specify when a currency is exchangeable and how to determine the exchange rate when
it is not. IAS 21 will be effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2025.
Amendments to IFRS 7 and IFRS 9: Amendments to the Classification and Measurement of Financial
Instruments. Assessing contractual cash flow characteristics of financial assets and amending disclosure
requirements. IFRS 7 and IFRS 9 will be effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2026.
Annual improvements to the following IFRS Accounting Standards effective for reporting periods beginning
on or after 1 January 2026:
IFRS 1 First-time Adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards: Hedge Accounting by a First-time
Adopter;
IFRS 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures and its accompanying Guidance on implementing IFRS 7: Disclosure
of Deferred Difference between Fair Value and Transaction Price and Gain or Loss on Derecognition;
IFRS 9 Financial Instruments: Derecognition of Lease Liabilities, and Transaction Price;
IFRS 7 and IFRS 9: Contracts Referencing Nature Dependent Electricity;
IFRS 10 Consolidated Financial Statements: Determination of De Facto Agent; and
IAS 7 Statement of Cash flows: Cost method.
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
59
2.
IFRS ACCOUNTING POLICIES
continued
The following new IFRS Accounting Standard is effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 31 December
2026:
IFRS 19: Subsidiaries without Public Accountability Disclosures: enables simplification of reporting systems
and processes for companies, reducing the costs of preparing eligible subsidiaries’ financial statements, while
maintaining the usefulness of those financial statements for their users.
The following new IFRS Accounting Standard is effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2027:
IFRS 18: Presentation and Disclosure in Financial Statements: improves the quality of financial reporting by:
requiring defined subtotals in the statement of profit or loss;
requiring disclosure about management-defined performance measures; and
adding new principles for aggregation and disaggregation of information
IFRS 18 will impact the presentation and disclosure of income and expense items in the Financial Statements
but there is not expected to be any impact on the Financial Position or Performance figures.
3.
MATERIAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
3.1.
Foreign currency translation
The Financial Statements are presented to the nearest thousand, in United States Dollars (USD), which is also
the functional currency of the Company
Foreign currency transactions are translated into the functional currency of the Company, using the exchange
rates prevailing at the date of the transaction (spot exchange rates) Foreign exchange gains and losses
resulting from the settlement of such transactions are recognised in profit or loss.
3.2.
Segmental reporting
Operating segments are reported in a manner consistent with the internal reporting used by the Company’s
management The Company’s management, who are responsible for allocating resources and assessing
performance of the operating segments, has been identified as the Board of Directors that makes strategic
decisions
Segment information
The Company’s management makes the strategic resource allocations on behalf of the Company The
Company’s management has identified that the insurance portfolios or portfolio rights acquired can all be
classified as life settlement activities all of which are located in the United States of America. As such, there is
a single operating segment
The asset allocation decisions are based on a single, integrated investment strategy, and the Company’s
performance is evaluated on an overall basis The investment objective of the Company is long-term capital
growth An analysis of the investment portfolio is given in note 14 of the Financial Statements
The internal reporting provided to Management for the Company’s assets, liabilities and performance is
prepared on a consistent basis with the measurement and recognition principles of IAS
All of the Company’s income is generated on the life settlement portfolios and investments in the USA
3.3.
Life settlement portfolios
Being the final and exclusive beneficiary of the Acheron Portfolio Trust, the Company reflects all the transactions
performed on these life insurance portfolios in its own Financial Statements Investments in transactions to
support the acquisition of life settlement assets by the Trust are considered as having been undertaken by the
Company for its own account
Notes to the Financial Statements
continued
60
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
3.
MATERIAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
continued
Insurance policies which are acquired are recognised initially at fair value (the transaction price) If a life
insurance policy matures, is surrendered or is sold, the related purchase price is deducted from the proceeds
in calculating the realised gains from the policy Cash advanced on life insurance policies is deducted from
the value of the relevant policy
The value of insurance contracts is usually recovered upon the death of the insured policyholder However,
the Company may from time-to-time decide to dispose of an individual life insurance contract
Insurance portfolios are measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognised in profit or loss and
allocated to capital
3.4.
Unquoted investments
This is an investment in the JP Morgan Living Trust, a brokerage account investing in company bonds, and is
measured at fair value through profit and loss and valued at net asset value as shown in note 15.
3.5.
Policy advances
Certain type of life settlement policies (‘whole life’) accumulate over time a cash surrender value reflecting
fixed premiums paid in excess of the cost of insurance (“COI”). The Trusts can access this excess cash reserve
on its policies in the form of advances on each individual policy from the insurance company The Trusts can
pay back these “policy advances” in whole or in part at any time before the death of the insured The interest
due on the advance accrues on the cash advance and after the death of the insured, the outstanding balance
will be deducted from any proceeds when the maturity is collected If the Trusts decide to lapse the policy, any
remaining cash in the policy in excess of the advance is paid to the Trust as the owner of the policy In practice,
the advances work as an accelerated death benefit on the policy and its impact is fully accounted for in the
policy valuation
The Company has included the policy advances within the investments in life settlement portfolios
Please refer to note 14 for the gross amounts of policy advances and life settlement policies
Financial assets and liabilities are offset and the net amounts presented in the Financial Statements when
there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net
basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously. The Board are satisfied that the qualifying
criteria for offset have been met.
3.6.
Financial instruments
Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognised when the Company becomes a party to the contractual
provisions of the financial instrument. Financial assets are derecognised when the contractual rights to the cash
flows from the financial asset expire, or when the financial asset and all substantial risks and rewards are transferred.
A financial liability is derecognised when it is extinguished, discharged, cancelled or expires.
Financial assets and financial liabilities are measured initially at fair value plus transaction costs, except for
financial assets and financial liabilities carried at fair value through profit or loss, which are measured initially
at fair value
Financial assets and financial liabilities are measured subsequently as described below.
Financial assets
For the purpose of subsequent measurement, financial assets are classified into the following categories upon
initial recognition:
financial assets at amortised cost; and
financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss.
All financial assets, except for those held at fair value through profit or loss, are subject to review for impairment
at least at each reporting date
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
61
3.
MATERIAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
continued
Financial assets at amortised cost
Financial assets at amortised cost include receivables and cash
As discussed in the Chairman’s Statement on page 9, at 31 December 2024, trade and other receivables
included an amount of USD 6,095,000 (2023: USD 11,754,000) in relation to amounts due from the Mutual
Benefits Keep Policy Trust (“MBC”).
Financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss
The life settlement investments and unquoted investments are classified as financial assets held at fair value
through profit or loss.
Assets in this category are measured at fair value, with gains or losses recognised in profit or loss.
Financial liabilities
The Company’s financial liabilities are only constituted by trade and other payables.
Trade payables are recognised initially at fair value and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the
effective interest method.
3.7.
Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held on call with banks and other short-term, highly
liquid investments with original maturities of three months or fewer
3.8.
Taxation
The current income tax charge is calculated on the basis of the local tax laws enacted or substantively
enacted at the balance sheet date in the countries where the companies operate and generate taxable
income Management periodically evaluates positions taken in tax returns with respect to situations in which
applicable tax regulation is subject to interpretation It establishes provisions, where appropriate, on the basis
of the amounts expected to be paid to the tax authorities
Deferred income tax, if any, is recognised, using the liability method, on temporary differences arising between
the tax basis of the Company’s assets and liabilities and their carrying amounts in the Financial Statements
Deferred income tax is determined using tax rates (and laws) that have been enacted or substantially enacted
by the balance sheet date and are expected to apply when the related deferred income tax asset is realised
or the deferred income tax liability is settled
Due to the Company’s status as an investment trust, and its intention to continue to meet the conditions
required to maintain approval under Section 1158 of the Corporation Act Tax 2010, the Company has not
accounted for any deferred tax on its losses
3.9.
Equity and reserves
Share capital represents the nominal value of the shares that have been issued as reduced by the nominal
value of shares bought back and cancelled
Capital redemption reserve represents the nominal value of shares purchased and cancelled
The Special reserve was created as a result of the cancellation of the Share premium account following a
court order issued on 18 June 2019. The Special reserve is distributable and may be used to fund purchases of
the Company’s own shares and to make distributions to Shareholders
Capital reserve represents realised and unrealised capital gains and losses on the disposal and revaluation of
investments
Revenue reserve represents retained gains/(losses) from the revenue derived from holding investment assets
less the costs associated with running the Company
All transactions with owners of the Company are recorded separately within equity
Notes to the Financial Statements
continued
62
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
Annual Report 2024
3.
MATERIAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
continued
3.10.
Provisions, contingent liabilities and contingent assets
Provisions are recognised when the Company has a present legal or constructive obligation as a result of past
events, it is probable that an outflow of resources will be required to settle the obligation, and the amount of
the obligation can be reliably estimated
Provisions are measured at the present value of the expenditures expected to be required to settle the
obligation using a pre-tax rate that reflects the current market assessment of the time value of money and the
risks specific to the obligation. The increase in the provision due to the passage of time is recognised as an
interest expense
3.11.
Income and expense recognition
3.11.1.
Capital and revenue
The Capital column comprises the fair value of the consideration received in relation to maturities or to the
surrender or sale (if any) of life settlement policies Maturities are recognised when the Company is formally
aware of the maturity of a life insurance policy Net gains from life settlement portfolios represents the overall
net gain and derives from the maturity or the sale of insurance policies less their original acquisition value and
the change in the valuation of the fair market value of the remaining policies Acquisition costs of matured
policies as well as premiums incurred are deducted for determining net gains/(losses) from life settlement
policies
The Revenue column comprises dividends and interest income generated on invested cash in the life
settlement policies as well as other operational income
3.11.2. Premiums
Premiums are expensed when paid However, only the portion of the premiums that relates to the insurance
coverage period up to 31 December of each financial period is recognised as an expense in determining the
net gains/(losses) from life settlement policies The remaining amount is shown as premiums paid in advance
on the balance sheet
3.11.3.
Interest income
Interest income is recognised on a proportional basis using the effective interest method.
3.12.
Significant estimates
The preparation of these Financial Statements in conformity with International Accounting Standards requires
the use of certain critical accounting estimates. Critical accounting estimates are reflective of significant
judgements and uncertainties and potentially yield materially different results under different assumptions or
conditions
The areas where assumptions and estimates are significant to the Financial Statements and involve a higher
degree of judgement or complexity relate mainly to the valuation of the investment portfolios
The life settlement (LS) and HIV portfolio values are modelled by management and valued annually by
qualified external professional actuaries in the United States, Lewis & Ellis. The key assumptions used by the
actuary for factors such as mortality, projected premiums and discount rates are further explained in note
141 The results from a sensitivity analysis around these factors are shown in note 143 Risk factors related to
actuarial assumptions are further described in note 41
Using these values, Acheron Capital Ltd (the Investment Manager of the trust in which the policies are kept)
resets its internal model at beginning of each year, if necessary It then produces regular monthly valuations
using its internal model
3.13.
Expenses
All operating expenses and the management fee are accounted for on an accruals basis and are allocated
wholly to revenue The performance fee paid to the Investment Manager is allocated wholly to capital as any
fee would be based on capital distributions to Shareholders made from maturities received
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
63
3.
MATERIAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
continued
3.14.
Expected Credit Loss Provision
The Company applies the IFRS 9 simplified approach to measuring expected credit losses using a lifetime
expected credit loss provision for trade receivables To measure expected credit losses on a collective basis,
trade receivables are grouped based on similar credit risk and ageing The expected loss rates are based
on the Company’s historical credit losses experienced over the four-year period prior to the period end The
historical loss rates are then adjusted for current and forward-looking information on macroeconomic factors
affecting the life settlement market sector. The Company has identified the gross domestic product (GDP),
unemployment rate and inflation rate as the key macroeconomic factors in the country where the Company
operates
The main factors considered by the Board in determining the lifetime expected credit losses are whether the
debts are 6 months or more past due and whether there is currently uncertainty over whether the maturity will
be paid
4.
FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT
4.1.
Financial risk factors
The Company’s overall risk management program focuses on the unpredictability of financial markets and
seeks to minimise the potential adverse effects on the Company’s financial performance. Risk management
is carried out by the Board of Directors Note 143 on page 75 also provides details of the sensitivity analysis to
significant risk factors undertaken by L&E.
Foreign Exchange Risk
Assets, income and most transactions are denominated in USD Only part of the Company’s current expenses
is denominated in USD and other parts are denominated in Euros and Pound Sterling and are paid as incurred
Consequently, the Company believes that it does not have a significant foreign exchange risk and therefore
no sensitivity analysis is required
Interest Rate Risk
Apart from cash and cash equivalents, the assets of the Company are mainly composed of portfolios of life
settlement policies Life settlement policies are uncorrelated with traditional capital markets Changes in the
level of interest rates (other than extraordinary moves) are not a major factor in the valuation of such assets
Mortality projections and premium payment projections are the major factors that affect the valuation of the
Company’s assets
The Company has no significant interest-bearing assets, The Company pays interest on “policy advances”
(note 3.5). The interest rate is either fixed or variable depending on each policy contract. A change of one percent
in the interest rate has no significant impact on the Company’s financial situation. Therefore the Company’s
income and operating cash flows are not substantially dependent on changes in market interest rates and no
sensitivity analysis is required
Market Risk
The Company invests in life settlement policies, generally acquired in the secondary market Markets for these
investments are not active markets, and transactions happen more often when there is a forced seller The
Board is of the opinion that, although a secondary market exists, the market risk is not relevant because the
valuation of the portfolio is based on an actuarial model and not on market values
Notes to the Financial Statements
continued
64
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
Annual Report 2024
4.
FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT
continued
Credit Risk
The primary credit risk faced by the Company relates to solvency of the insurance companies that underwrite
the insurance policies, which are the main assets of the Company It should be noted that in addition to the
creditworthiness of the insurance company issuing the life insurance policy, most of the policies also benefit
from legal guarantees at a state level in the event that the insurance company that issued the policy becomes
insolvent
Credit risk is also mitigated by owning life insurance policies issued by a wide range of insurance companies
and through not having an excessive exposure to any one company
Available cash is deposited with reputable banks
The unquoted investment is in the JP Morgan Living Trust brokerage account as detailed in note 15.
The Company has reviewed all of the outstanding maturities and, as stated in note 16 on page 76, has written
off USD 1.12 million as irrecoverable. Included within this write off is an amount of USD 0.9 million which relates
to litigation and is considered a one-off, exceptional write off so this does not form part of the Expected Credit
Loss (“ECL”) calculations
The Board believe that all expected losses have been provided for in the year The ECL for year ended
31 December 2024 calculated under IFRS 9 and based on the average percentage of historical maturities,
excluding exceptional items, written off over the previous 4 years of 2%, is immaterial (2023: Immaterial).
The Company’s maximum exposure to credit risk at the Balance Sheet date was as follows:
31 December
2024
USD ‘000
31 December
2023
USD ‘000
Life settlement portfolio
66,280
70,005
Unquoted investments
8,104
Maturities and other receivables
15,748
27,825
Cash and cash equivalents
9,187
12,157
99,319
109,987
The maximum credit exposure represents the carrying amount. There is no material impairment of financial
assets carried at amortised cost
Liquidity risk
Prudent liquidity risk management requires the Company to maintain sufficient cash for the Company’s
operational requirements such as operating expenses and on-going premium payments
Life settlement policies are long term investments maturing on the death of the insured person Therefore,
investments in life settlement policies will not generate immediate income and are highly illiquid by nature
The Company can, however, receive cash advances from the life insurance policies which are deducted from
the value of the policies
Management monitors cash and cash equivalents on an ongoing basis This is carried out in accordance with
the practice and limits set by the Board of Directors
All financial liabilities will be settled within 12 months or less.
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
65
4.
FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT
continued
Risks associated with actuarial assumptions
Mortality tables are used in the valuation processes of the Company in order to simulate the cash flow expected
from the policies Past mortality experience may not be an absolute accurate indicator of future mortality rates
Individuals with specific life expectancies may experience a lower mortality rate in the future than experienced
by persons with the same traits in the past. Changes in the mortality tables may have an adverse effect on the
Company’s operations and the Net Asset Value of the Shares
Individuals may live longer than expected by the Company when the respective policies were purchased
In this case, the value of the policy decreases The Company will be required to pay additional life insurance
premium payments on the policy until its maturity. This may result in delayed cash flow to the Company, which
may have an adverse effect on the return per share.
The Company has often acquired policies by auction without having obtained all available information
concerning such policies The valuation leading to these acquisitions is thus, based on assumptions that may,
in fact, be incorrect or may never be validated
The valuation methods used by different actuaries may vary. The methods used by an actuary may thus
produce different results for the same insured person from those used by other actuaries.
Advances in medical science and disease treatment, particularly those related to HIV and AIDS, may increase
the life expectancy of individuals or viators Although an actuary will attempt to account for such advances,
one or more unexpected breakthroughs in medical treatment, or a cure for a previously incurable illness,
could further increase the life expectancy of the insured
In some cases, the Company will depend on life expectancy estimate of doctors, disease specific medical
mortality models or actuaries From time to time, the Company may seek the opinion of any such persons or
rely on such a model to determine life expectancies
The valuation is thus dependent on these estimations or mortality profiles accurately modelling life expectancies.
The valuation of the policies is inherently difficult due to a number of assumptions that have to be made in
this process. Any change in one of these assumptions may result in substantially different values. Whilst the
Investment Manager and the Actuary attempt to provide reasonable valuations for the policies held by the Trust,
there is no guarantee that these valuations will correspond to the realisable value of the policies
A more detailed description of the principal risks is included in the Strategic Report on pages 22 to 24
4.2.
Capital risk management
The Company’s objectives in managing capital are to safeguard the Company’s ability to continue as a going
concern and to maintain an optimal capital structure in order to minimise the Company’s cost of capital
In order to maintain or adjust the capital structure, the Company may adjust the amount of dividends paid to
Shareholders, return capital to Shareholders or issue new Shares
The Company’s capital at 31 December 2024 comprises:
31 December
2024
USD ‘000
31 December
2023
USD ‘000
Share capital
454
498
Special reserve
80,442
91,290
Capital redemption reserve
257
213
Capital reserve
71,688
64,988
Revenue reserve
(51,816)
(45,776)
101,025
111,213
Notes to the Financial Statements
continued
66
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
Annual Report 2024
4.
FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT
continued
4.3.
Fair value estimation
The fair value of life settlement portfolios (which are not traded in an active market) is determined by using
valuation techniques The Company uses a variety of methods and makes assumptions that are based on the
market conditions that exist at each balance sheet date Valuation policies are further explained in note 14
The value of the brokerage account is shown at the net asset value of the account, as supplied by the account
provider
5.
GAINS FROM LIFE SETTLEMENT PORTFOLIOS
Revenue
USD ‘000
2024
Capital
USD ‘000
Total
USD ‘000
Revenue
USD ‘000
2023
Capital
USD ‘000
Total
USD ‘000
Realised gains:
Maturities
23,139
23,139
34,080
34,080
Acquisition cost of maturities
and fair value movement*
(5,559)
(5,559)
(8,626)
(8,626)
Sub total
17,580
17,580
25,454
25,454
Incurred premiums paid in
year on all policies
(12,424)
(12,424)
(16,893)
(16,893)
Premium refund from
previous years**
4,012
4,012
Unrealised (losses)/gains:
Fair value adjustments
(1,875)
(1,875)
4,137
4,137
Total gains from life
settlement policies
7,293
7,293
12,698
12,698
* Acquisition cost of maturities and fair value movement includes the impact of drawdowns from policy advances
** As referred to in the Chairman’s Statement on page 9, the Company has received a refund of USD 40 million relating to overpaid
premiums on fractional policies made to the MBC Trust over a number of years
When a maturity is declared, a realised capital income or loss is recognised on the investment in the policy,
calculated by deducting from the value of the maturity the initial acquisition cost and the previously unrealised
fair value adjustments
The amount of premiums incurred during the year is reflected as a deduction of income from life settlement
portfolios The amount of premiums paid in advance amounted to USD 3,299,000 (2023: USD 3,614,000) as at
31 December 2024
6.
INCOME FROM LIFE SETTLEMENT PORTFOLIOS
31 December
2024
USD ‘000
31 December
2023
USD ‘000
Dividends
632
459
Income from matured policies
660
390
Interest
209
205
1,501
1,054
A number of the policies in which the Company invests have an embedded entitlement to dividends and
interest as shown above
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
67
7.
OTHER INCOME
Other income comprises:
31 December
2024
USD ‘000
31 December
2023
USD ‘000
Other income
2
202
Dividends
201
Interest income
128
15
331
217
The dividends relate to the amounts received from the JP Morgan Living Trust as shown in note 15.
8.
MANAGEMENT FEES AND PERFORMANCE FEES
31 December
2024
USD ‘000
31 December
2023
USD ‘000
Acheron Capital management fees
1,669
1,638
Performance fees
602
1,064
2,271
2,702
Under an agreement dated 26 March 2018, the Investment Manager is entitled to a management fee payable
by the Trust at an annual rate of no more than 15% of the Net Asset Value Management fees paid during the
year amounted to USD 1,669,000 (2023: USD 1,638,000)
The Performance fee in respect of the Trust was previously an amount equal to 20% of the sum of the
distributions made to the holders of the Shares in the Company corresponding to the Trust, in excess of the
Performance Hurdle (assessed at the time of each distribution)
On 30 June 2022, the Company announced that after discussions with Acheron Capital Limited (“ACL”) an
agreement had been reached with ACL that once the current litigation process with one of the policy trustees
has been resolved, the performance fee would be reduced from 20% as described above to 10% over the
existing hurdle rate
The “Performance Hurdle” is met when (from time to time) the aggregate distributions (in excess of the Catch-
Up Amount) made to the holders of the corresponding Ordinary Shares compounded at 3% per annum for the
share class (from the date of each distribution) equal the aggregate investment made by the Ordinary Shares
in the Company (from time to time) compounded at 3%
The “Catch-Up Amount” is an amount equal to the distributions that would have been required to be made
to the Predecessor Company’s shareholders of the corresponding share class in order for the Accrued
Performance Distributions (less, where applicable, any clawback of such Accrued Performance Distributions)
to be paid (determined as at 31 December 2021), reduced by an amount equal to any distributions paid to the
Predecessor Company’s shareholders of the relevant share class prior to the Acquisition
The performance fee provision has been increased by USD 602,000 in relation to the performance for the year
ended 31 December 2024 In recognition of the receipt of USD 40 million in respect of the overpaid premiums
made to the MBC Trust, the Board agreed a performance fee of 15% of the refund received and this was paid
to Acheron in October 2024
Notes to the Financial Statements
continued
68
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
9.
OTHER EXPENSES
31 December
2024
USD ‘000
31 December
2023
USD ‘000
Policies servicing fees
2,543
2,489
Audit fees payable to the Company’s auditor
347
192
Legal and financial advisors fees
145
1,069
Administration management
147
109
Accounting fees and NAV calculation
198
102
Actuarial fees
79
102
Directors’ fees*
162
154
Directors liability insurance
53
55
Travelling expenses
59
15
Other expenses
100
189
3,833
4,476
* Details of the Directors’ fees are disclosed in the Directors’ Remuneration Report on pages 38 to 42 An amount of USD nil (2023: USD nil)
remains payable at 31 December 2024
Details of Directors who are key management personnel are given on page 28
10.
INTEREST EXPENSES
Interest expenses amount to USD 2,439,000 (2023: USD 2,488,000) and includes interest on “policy advances”
of USD 2,419,000 (2023: USD 2,479,000)
11.
TAXATION
31 December
2024
USD ‘000
31 December
2023
USD ‘000
Profit before taxation
623
4,300
Tax at UK Corporation Tax rate of 25% (2023: 2352%)
156
1,011
Effects of:
Non-taxable capital gain
(1,826)
(2,987)
Excess management expenses carried forward
1,670
1,976
Tax provision written off
37
Actual tax credit
37
As at 31 December 2024, the Company has tax losses and excess management expenses of USD 45,804,000
(2023: USD 39,125,000) that are available to offset future taxable profits. A deferred tax asset has not been
recognised in respect of those losses as due to the Company’s status as an investment trust it is not expected
to generate taxable income in the future against which such losses can be utilised There is no expiry date to
these losses
Provided the Company maintains its status as an investment trust, then any capital gains will remain exempt
from Corporation Tax
The Company suffers US withholding tax on income received from dividends and interest.
Annual Report 2024
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
69
11. TAXATION
continued
Withholding tax on matured policies
In accordance with the taxation treaty between the United States of America and the United Kingdom,
withholding tax on matured policies is not due if at least 6% of the average capital stock of the main class of
Shares is traded during the previous year on a recognised stock exchange The Board are of the opinion that
in the year ended 31 December 2024 the Company fulfilled this requirement.
12.
EARNINGS PER SHARE
Basic and diluted earnings per share is total earnings after taxation divided by the weighted average number
of shares in issue during the year All Shares are fully paid Neither unpaid shares nor any kind of option are
outstanding, so the basic (loss)/profit per share is also the diluted (loss)/profit per share.
Class A
2024
2023
Earnings per share:
Revenue return (USD ‘000)
(6,040)
(7,334)
Capital return (USD ‘000)
6,700
11,634
Total return (USD ‘000)
660
4,300
Weighted average number of shares during the year
48,007,839
49,826,784
Income return per share (USD)
(0.126)
(0147)
Capital return per share (USD)
0.140
0233
Basic and diluted total earnings per share (USD)
0.014
0086
13.
FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS MEASURED AT FAIR VALUE
The life settlement portfolios and the unquoted investment in the JP Morgan brokerage account have been
classified as financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss as their performance is evaluated on a fair
value basis
The fair value hierarchy set out in IFRS 13 groups financial assets and liabilities into three levels based on the
significant inputs used in measuring the fair value of the financial assets and liabilities.
The fair value hierarchy has the following levels:
level 1: quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;
level 2: inputs other than quoted prices included within level 1 that are observable for the assets or liabilities,
either directly (ie as prices) or indirectly (ie derived from prices); and
level 3: inputs for the assets or liabilities that are not based on observable market data (unobservable inputs)
The investment in JP Morgan Living Trust of USD 8,104,000 is classified as level 2 as the valuation of the bonds
in which it invests supplied by the account provider is based on market prices
The life settlement portfolios of USD 66,280,000 (2023: USD 70,005,000) are classified as level 3. At the year
end, these portfolios were valued by the external actuary using an actuarial model as discussed in note 14
Notes to the Financial Statements
continued
70
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
13.
FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS MEASURED AT FAIR VALUE
continued
2024
(Book and fair value)
USD‘000
2023
(Book and fair value)
USD‘000
Assets at fair value through profit or loss
Life settlement investments
66,280
70,005
Unquoted investments
8,104
Assets at amortised cost or equivalent
Maturities receivable
5,969
14,545
Trade and other receivables
9,779
13,280
Cash at bank
9,187
12,157
Liabilities at amortised cost or equivalent
Other payables
(593)
(1,385)
Performance fee accrual
(1,000)
(1,003)
Total for financial instruments
97,726
107,599
Non-financial instruments
Premiums paid in advance
3,299
3,614
Total net assets
101,025
111,213
Premiums paid in advance are not considered to be financial instruments.
The Board has considered what amount of the life settlement investments is expected to be realised within
one year of the Balance Sheet date and concluded that, whilst difficult to make a reliable estimate due to the
nature of the underlying asset, it is estimated to be in the range between USD 4-8 million
14.
FINANCIAL ASSETS HELD AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS: LIFE SETTLEMENT
PORTFOLIOS
31 December
2024
USD ‘000
31 December
2023
USD ‘000
Movements of the year are as follows:
Opening valuation
70,005
62,742
Acquisitions during the year
11,903
Proceeds from matured policies
(23,139)
(34,080)
Net realised gains on policies
17,580
25,454
Movements in cash from policy advances
3,707
(135)
Movements in unrealised valuation
(1,873)
4,121
Closing valuation
66,280
70,005
Detail at year end:
Acquisition value
87,967
92,632
Unrealised capital gains
13,623
16,390
Policy advances
(35,310)
(39,017)
Closing valuation
66,280
70,005
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
71
14.
FINANCIAL ASSETS HELD AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS: LIFE SETTLEMENT
PORTFOLIOS
continued
Policy advances
31 December
2024
USD ‘000
31 December
2023
USD ‘000
Balance at 1 January 2024
39,017
38,882
Advances received
2,456
1,929
Payments made
(6,163)
(1,794)
Balance at 31 December 2024
35,310
39,017
Distribution of the portfolio by class of Shares and by type of risk
Class A
USD ‘000
Elderly life insurance (non HIV) portfolio
13,412
HIV portfolio
52,868
Balance as at 31 December 2024
66,280
Class A
USD ‘000
Elderly life insurance (non HIV) portfolio
18,539
HIV portfolio
51,466
Balance as at 31 December 2023
70,005
Fair market value reflects the view of the US actuary. The Investment Manager of the Trust in which the policies
are kept (Acheron Capital) has also set up an internal actuarial model to value the policies and produces
monthly valuations
14.1.
Main assumptions used to determine the fair value
a) Mortality/Life expectancy
Lewis & Ellis Inc (“L&E”) has built its own proprietary general population mortality table It has done so by utilising
insurance industry and other data available, including the underlying data that went into the construction of
the Valuation Basic Table, which has been commonly utilised within the life settlement industry The mortality
is adjusted for several factors, such as demographic shifts in the population, improvements in mortality,
pharmaceutical advances and volatility in the mortality experienced as measured against the baseline curves
chosen for valuation The table includes an assumption of continuing mortality improvement each year The
retained table is used in connection with each insured age, gender and smoking status
L&E also considers the most recent life expectancy reports, when available Life expectancy reports are
medical opinions from specialised companies, based on the latest medical updates of each individual, giving
their specific mortality profile and life expectancy. When life expectancy reports from more than one external
provider are available, L&E uses an average When only ‘stale’ life expectancy reports are available, the life
expectancy is used but adjusted materially upwards using a formula dependent upon the medical underwriter
that issued the report L&E uses the retained or computed life expectancy with the adjusted mortality table to
derive a probability of death for each insured for every month over the next 35 years
Notes to the Financial Statements
continued
72
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
14.
FINANCIAL ASSETS HELD AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS: LIFE SETTLEMENT
PORTFOLIOS
continued
The Actual to Expected ratio is a measure of how well the model has behaved compared to experience This
ratio was computed for the life settlement portfolios underlying Class A Shares A key issue with this exercise is
the concentration of the death benefit in certain policies with larger face values. This generates an embedded
volatility in the actual maturity outcomes compared to statistical projections To circumvent this imbalance, the
actuaries have calculated the Actual to Expected ratio to measure the model’s performance while limiting the
maximum exposure of the portfolio to any life insurance policy The A/E on this basis was 101% over the last
5 years for the HIV portfolio.
L&E report an actual to expected of 132% for Non-HIV policies and 98% for HIV in 2024
b) Policy Structure
LSA’s current portfolio is categorised into policies linked to either HIV policyholders or non-HIV policyholders
Shareholders collectively hold a gross face value of USD 47 million for life settlements related to non-HIV
policies and USD 396 million for HIV policies For the non-HIV segment, the face value-weighted average
age now stands at 852 years old This average age corresponds to a life expectancy of 68 years for men and
8.0 years for women in the population at large.
Assessing the life expectancy of individuals with HIV is more challenging The present face value-weighted
average age of the HIV population hovers around 65 years However, actual mortality rates tend to surpass the
biological age, indicating characteristics of a population significantly older. Consequently, life expectancy for
this group is lower than their non-HIV counterparts in the same age bracket
Despite these observations, significant uncertainties persist. There exists an ongoing ‘race’ between
the cumulative impact of the retrovirus over time and advancements in medical treatment While the life
expectancy of HIV policies remains lower than that of the general population, it has shown a consistent
expansion over the last few decades Yet medical research has shifted its attention from HIV to other diseases,
such as Alzheimers. This dynamic reflects the evolving landscape of HIV treatment and the complex interplay
of medical advancements, and the persistent challenges posed by the virus
c) Projected Premiums
Whenever an illustration is available, L&E uses this data for premium projections. An illustration is an official
document from the insurance company that specifies what premiums are due to be paid in the following years
for a life insurance policy An illustration can be used to compute what is the likely minimum payment that
can be made for each year until the life insurance policy expires. The process of moving from paying a fixed
premium to paying the minimum contractual premium is known as optimisation
Premium projection has been more challenging given the unilateral increases in Cost of Insurance (“COI”)
made by a few insurance companies Whenever information on such COI increases has been available, it has
been directly incorporated
When no illustration is available or is deemed unsuitable to be used, for instance because it does not project
sufficiently into the future, L&E takes the last observed premium payment and applies an annual increase of
8% per year which L&E has determined by observing the upper band of the premium increases on non-fixed
policies (whole life) over a prolonged period of time
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
73
14.
FINANCIAL ASSETS HELD AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS: LIFE SETTLEMENT
PORTFOLIOS
continued
d) Discount rate
The discount rate reflects the time value of money and a risk component. The risk component reflects the
uncertainties attached to each individual life insurance policy, such as its mortality risk, premium risk and
counterparty risk
HIV/AIDS Portfolios
In determining the discount rate for the HIV/AIDS portfolios, it should be noted that there is no readily
observable market for these policies As a result L&E used their experience in the life settlement market, on
the basis that life settlement portfolios are comparable assets
A discount rate of 12% (2023: 12%) is used for the HIV/AIDS portfolios To assess the discount rate, the following
reasoning has been used, starting with a base rate:
assuming a sufficiently large portfolio, the base rate must be consistent with the discount rate determined
for a situation where the mortality assumptions and policy specifics are well defined. Specifically,
the mortality is defined so that actual experience is expected to track well with the defined mortality
assumptions
Life Settlement Portfolios (Non-HIV/Non-AIDS)
In determining the discount rate for the life settlement portfolios, it has been considered that complete
policy information was not always available For most life settlement valuations, premium schedules and
at least two recent life expectancy opinions are usually provided For these valuations, premium schedules
were estimated for some of the policies and mortality assumptions were developed using an actuarial
approach Given this, the discount rate is subjective but based on the actuary’s experience in the life
settlement market
In valuing the portfolio, a uniform discount rate of 12% has been applied to both HIV and non-HIV policies,
consistent with past valuations. This 12% assumption has been in place for HIV policies since July 2019.
Generally, long-term interest rates have hovered around or above 4%, albeit with increasing volatility
As a result, the ‘life settlement’ premium—accounting for risk and associated costs—remains the most
significant component of the overall discount rate.
While the average duration of non-HIV policies is decreasing, the risk profile is rising as certain policies near
expiration. In contrast, HIV policies are becoming less risky. This is due to two key factors: first, as policyholders
age, the policies increasingly resemble traditional life settlements; second, the HIV mortality model has now
demonstrated consistent reliability over time
Additionally, the portfolio no longer includes fractional policies This structural improvement, despite a few
lingering legacy issues, has resulted in a cleaner and more manageable portfolio
Overall, the asset class is gaining broader recognition for its low correlation to traditional markets Given these
developments, maintaining the discount rate at 12% remains a reasonable approach
14.2.
Precision and changes in actuarial parameters/data
As per the market standard, the servicing, management and holding entities expenses are not taken into
account in deriving the valuation of the life settlement portfolios The actuaries, following industry standards,
are solely discounting the probabilistic projections of death benefits minus premiums, “policy loans” and
interest thereon
Notes to the Financial Statements
continued
74
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
14.
FINANCIAL ASSETS HELD AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS: LIFE SETTLEMENT
PORTFOLIOS
continued
14.3.
Sensitivity analysis
L&E conducted various sensitivity analyses which are summarised as follows:
a) Class A
a.1) Discount rate sensitivity
Discount rate – non HIV portfolio
10%
11%
12%
13%
Value of portfolio (USD ‘000)
14,174
13,779
13,412
13,069
% of total face amount
304
295
288
280
Discount rate – HIV portfolio
10%
11%
12%
13%
Value of portfolio (USD ‘000)
55,103
53,910
52,868
51,954
% of total face amount
139
136
134
131
a.2) Premium assumption sensitivity
Value based on 12% discount rate
– non HIV portfolio
Annual premium increase at
8%
9%
Value of portfolio (USD ‘000)
13,412
13,269
% of total face amount
288
284
Value based on 12% discount rate
– HIV portfolio
Annual premium increase at
8%
9%
Value of portfolio (USD ‘000)
52,868
51,896
% of total face amount
134
131
a.3) Mortality sensitivity
Value based on 12% discount rate
– non HIV portfolio
USD
‘000
% of face
amount
Value of portfolio as reported
13,412
288
Value at 90% of current mortality assumption*
11,658
250
Value at 80% of current mortality assumption
10,077
216
Value based on 12% discount rate
– HIV portfolio
USD
‘000
% of face
amount
Value of portfolio as reported
52,868
134
Value at 90% of current mortality assumption*
49,098
124
Value at 80% of current mortality assumption
47,234
119
* Assumption that mortality is only 90% of expected mortality
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
75
15.
UNQUOTED INVESTMENTS
USD ‘000
Balance as at 1 January 2024
Purchases
18,900
Dividends and interest reinvested
211
Fees charged
(16)
Sales
(11,000)
Realised gains
11
Total Cost
8,106
Unrealised loss
(2)
Balance as at 31 December 2024
8,104
The investment is in the JP Morgan Living Trust, a brokerage account, and is valued at fair value being the net
asset value provided by the account provider Fair value in this instance is the market price of the bonds in
which it invests
The sensitivity analysis below assumes that this asset produces a movement overall of 2%, which the Directors
feel is a reasonable assumption in the current climate, and that the portfolio of bonds are perfectly correlated
to this overall movement Shareholders should note that this level of correlation would not be the case in reality
A 2% increase in the valuation would increase the profit for the year by USD 0.2 million with a decrease of 2%
having the equal and opposite effect.
16.
MATURITIES RECEIVABLE
Maturities receivable of USD 5,969,000 (2023: USD 14,545,000) are declared maturities that have not yet been
paid All maturities receivable are due within one year Maturities previously receivable of USD 112 million have
been written off as irrecoverable during the year.
17.
TRADE AND OTHER RECEIVABLES
The trade debtors and receivables including an estimate of the amount expected from the MBC transaction
together with other receivables
31 December
2024
USD ‘000
31 December
2023
USD ‘000
Due from MBC
6,095
11,754
Amounts held at broker for buy backs
2,191
Other receivables
1,493
1,526
9,779
13,280
As discussed in the Chairman’s Statement on page 9, the Company has received the first tranche of the
monies due from the MBC Trust during the year and the second tranche due from MBC is expected to be
received during 2025
As disclosed in note 28, the Company has bought back shares to the value of USD 11 million since the year
end and the balance available for further buy backs at the date of this report is USD 11 million
18.
PREMIUMS PAID IN ADVANCE
Premiums paid in advance of USD 3,299,000 (2023: USD 3,614,000) consist of premiums on life insurance
policies paid as at 31 December 2024 that relate to the period following the balance sheet date
Notes to the Financial Statements
continued
76
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
19.
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
Cash comprises cash at bank and demand deposits Cash equivalents are short-term, highly liquid investments
that are readily convertible to known amounts of cash and which are subject to insignificant risk of changes in value.
For the purpose of the Cash Flow Statement, cash and cash equivalents consist of cash and cash equivalents
as defined above.
20.
OTHER PAYABLES
31 December
2024
USD ‘000
31 December
2023
USD ‘000
Trade and other payables
259
645
Other creditors and accruals
334
740
593
1,385
21.
PERFORMANCE FEE ACCRUAL
31 December
2024
USD ‘000
31 December
2023
USD ‘000
Accrual brought forward
1,003
1,939
Increase in accrual during the year (note 8)
602
1,064
Performance fee paid during the year
(605)
(2,000)
Accrual at the year end
1,000
1,003
The Performance fee does not have a fixed date for payment but can become payable immediately in the
event that:
a
a crystallisation event as set out in the Investment Management Agreement occurs; or
b
distributions to Shareholders exceed the Performance Hurdle
In recognition of the receipt of USD 40 million in respect of the overpaid premiums made to the MBC Trust, the
Board agreed a performance fee of 15% of the refund received and this was paid to Acheron in October 2024
22.
SHARE CAPITAL
At the 31 December 2024 the Company’s share capital amounts to USD 454,029 (2023: USD 498,268), and is
represented by 45,402,943 ordinary shares of USD 001 each
Number
of Shares
A Shares
USD ‘000
Total
USD ‘000
Balance as at 31 December 2023
49,826,784
498
498
Shares bought back and cancelled
(4,423,841)
(44)
(44)
Balance as at 31 December 2024
45,402,943
454
454
During the year, 4,423,841 shares of USD 001 each, representing 89% of the opening share capital, were
bought back and cancelled for a total cost of USD 78 million, including stamp duty
As at 31 December 2024, the issued and fully paid share capital is comprised of 45,402,943 Class A shares
(31 December 2023: 49,826,784 Class A shares) All shares have equal voting rights
Since the year end, the Company has bought back 622,231 Ordinary A Shares at a total cost of USD 11 million
representing 14% of the shares in issue at the year end At the date of the signing of this report the number of
shares in issue is 44,780,712
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
77
23.
CAPITAL MANAGEMENT POLICIES
The Company’s capital management objectives are:
to ensure it will be able to continue as a going concern;
to maximise the long-term revenue and capital return to its Shareholders by returning cash generated from
maturities to Shareholders, taking into consideration cash requirements needed to fund operations and
premium payments. To this effect the Board of Directors has set policies of the level of cash to be held at
any point in time; and
to realise capital returns to Shareholders by way of dividend distributions, distributions of capital reserves
and share buybacks or tender offers.
The Board of Directors, with the assistance of the Investment Manager of the Trust, monitors the capital
requirements and possibilities of realising capital returns to Shareholders on a regular basis
The capital structure of the Company consists of share capital, special reserve, capital redemption reserve,
capital and revenue reserves as disclosed on the Statement of Financial Position
The Special reserve was created as a result of the cancellation of the Share premium account following a
court order issued on 18 June 2019. The Special reserve is distributable and may be used to fund purchases of
the Company’s own shares and to make distributions to Shareholders
The capital structure of the Company does not include debt financing.
The Company uses policy advances to borrow from the cash surrender value accumulated on some life
settlement policies The Company’s policy is to potentially withdraw that cash from time to time
Considering the volatility of collected maturities and the dependence on a reduced number of large life
settlement policies, the use of gearing cannot be excluded
24.
NET ASSETS AND NET ASSET VALUE PER CLASS OF SHARES
The net assets and net asset value (NAV) for each class of Shares are shown below
31 December 2024
Class A
Net assets (USD ‘000)
101,025
Number of shares
45,402,943
NAV per share (USD)
2.23
31 December 2023
Class A
Net assets (USD ‘000)
111,213
Number of shares
49,826,784
NAV per share (USD)
223
25.
CAPITAL COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES
At the year end, the Company has no (2023: nil) capital commitments in respect of life settlement portfolios Life
settlements portfolios do require continued payments of insurance premiums unless the Company decides
not to renew the policies
At the year end, the Company has no (2023: nil) contingent liabilities
Notes to the Financial Statements
continued
78
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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Annual Report 2024
26.
CONTINGENT ASSET
As disclosed in the Chairman’s Statement on page 9, during the year the Company received a refund of
USD 40 million in respect of overpaid premiums previously made to the MBC Trust The Company has not
been informed of any further overpayments of premiums, but it is possible that as the wind up of the MBC
Trust is finalised further overpaid premiums may be identified and a further refund due. At the year end and
the date of this report it is not possible to state with full certainty if this is the case and to quantify any possible
refund
27.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Related parties and key management personnel of the Company are the members of the Board of
Directors of the Company as shown on page 28 The amounts paid to Directors in the year are as follows:
Note
2024
USD ‘000
2023
USD ‘000
Directors’ fees
9
162
154
The terms of their appointment, are shown in the Directors’ Remuneration Report on pages 38 to 42 There
are no amounts owing to the Directors at the year end
28.
POST BALANCE SHEET EVENTS
On 28 March 2025 the Company announced that since the year end further examination of the portfolio
acquired from the MBC Trustee had revealed that the MBC Trustee had previously not exercised an extension
to a particular policy which extended the maturity from 100 to 120 years and that this was likely to have a
detrimental impact on the NAV of 3-4%
Full details are included in the Chairman’s Statement on page 9 and the Investment Manager’s Report on
pages 17 and 18
This has been considered as an adjusting post balance sheet event and the effect has been recognised in
these financial statements.
Since the year end, the Company has bought back 622,231 Ordinary A Shares at a total cost of USD 11 million
representing 14% of the shares in issue at the year end At the date of the signing of this report the number of
shares in issue is 44,780,712
29.
DIVIDENDS
The dividends paid in the year were as follows
2024
USD ‘000
2023
USD ‘000
Special capital dividend of 60209 cents per A share paid
on 15 March 2024 (2023: special capital dividend
of 60209 cents per A share paid on 10 February 2023)
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
On 15 March 2o24, the Company paid a special dividend of 60209 cents per share, totalling USD 30 million, to
Shareholders on the register at 23 February 2024
No final dividend in respect of the year ended 31 December 2024 will be paid.
Annual Report 2024
/
Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
79
Shareholder
Information
Notice of Annual General Meeting 2025
LIFE SETTLEMENT ASSETS PLC (THE “COMPANY”)
Notice is hereby given that the 2025 Annual General Meeting (the “AGM”) of the Company will be held at the
offices of Acheron Capital Limited, 5-10 Bolton Street, 3rd Floor, London W1J 8JA on Wednesday, 18 June 2025
at 2pm for the following purposes:
1
To receive and adopt the audited Annual Report and Accounts of the Company for the year ended
31 December 2024 together with the Directors’ Report and Auditor’s Report thereon
2
To approve the Directors’ Remuneration Report as set out in the Annual Report
3
To approve the Directors’ Remuneration Policy
4
To re-elect Michael Baines as a Director of the Company
5
To re-elect Christopher Casey as a Director of the Company
6
To re-elect Guner Turkmen as a Director of the Company
7
To re-appoint BDO LLP as Auditors to the Company until the conclusion of the next AGM
8
To authorise the Directors’ to determine BDO LLP’s remuneration as Auditor to the Company
Special Business
To consider the following resolutions:
Authority to allot new shares – Ordinary Resolution
9
THAT, in substitution for any existing authorities pursuant to section 551 of the Companies Act 2006,(the
“Act”) the Directors of the Company are generally and unconditionally authorised to exercise any power
of the Company to allot shares and relevant securities (as described in that section) in the Company, and
to grant rights to subscribe for, or to convert any security into, shares in the Company, up to an amount
representing 10% of the issued Ordinary A Shares (excluding treasury shares) as at the date of the notice
convening the meeting at which this resolution is proposed, provided that the price at which each such
Ordinary Share may be allotted will be above the then prevailing estimated Net Asset Value per Ordinary
Share (as determined by the Board of Directors in their reasonable discretion) and that this authority shall
expire at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2026 (unless renewed
at a general meeting prior to such time), save that the Company may before such expiry make offers or
agreements which would or might require shares and relevant securities to be allotted, or rights to be
granted after such expiry and so the Directors of the Company may allot shares and relevant securities or
grant rights in pursuance of such offers or agreements as if the authority conferred hereby had not expired.
Authority to disapply pre–emption rights on allotment or sale of relevant securities – Special Resolution
10
THAT, subject to the passing of Resolution 9 set out in this notice, in substitution of all existing authorities
the Directors of the Company be and hereby are empowered pursuant to sections 570 and 573 of the Act
to allot or make agreements to allot equity securities (within the meaning of section 560 of that Act) for
cash pursuant to the authority conferred on them by Resolution 9 set out in this notice or by way of a sale
of treasury shares as if section 561(1) of the Act did not apply to any such allotment or sale provided that
this power shall be limited to:
(a)
the allotment or equity securities and/or sale of equity securities held in treasury for cash up to
an aggregate number of equity securities of each Share Class as represents 10% of the number of
Ordinary Shares of that Share Class (excluding treasury shares) as at the date of the notice convening
the meeting at which this resolution is proposed; this power shall expire (unless previously renewed,
varied or revoked) upon the expiry of the general authority conferred by Resolution 9 above;
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(b)
before this power expires, the Directors may make offers or agreements which would or might require
equity securities to be allotted (and treasury shares sold) after such expiry and the Directors are entitled
to allot or sell equity securities pursuant to any such offer or agreement as if this power had not expired;
(c)
this power is in substitution of all unexercised powers given for the purposes of section 570 of that Act;
and
(d)
no allotment of securities shall be made which would result in equity securities being issued or sold
from treasury at a price which is equal to or less than the then prevailing estimated Net Asset Value per
Ordinary A Shares as determined by the Board of Directors in their reasonable discretion
Authority to repurchase the Company’s shares – Special Resolution
11
THAT the Company be and hereby is generally and unconditionally authorised for the purposes of section
701 of the Act to make one or more market purchases (as defined in section 693(4) of the Act) of its issued
Ordinary Shares of any class, in the capital of the Company, on such terms and in such manner as the
Directors may from time to time determine, provided that:
(a)
the maximum number of Ordinary Shares hereby authorised to be purchased is the number of Ordinary
A Shares (excluding treasury shares) that represents 1499% of the issued Ordinary Share capital as at
the date of passing this resolution;
(b)
the minimum price (exclusive of expenses) which may be paid for an Ordinary A Share is the nominal
amount of that share;
(c)
the maximum price (exclusive of expenses) which may be paid for an Ordinary A Share is the higher of:
i
an amount equal to 5% above the average of the middle market quotations for an Ordinary Share
as derived from the Daily Official List of the London Stock Exchange plc for the five business days
immediately preceding the day on which that Ordinary Share is contracted to be purchased; and
ii
an amount equal to the higher of the price of the last independent trade and the highest current
independent bid on the trading venues where the purchase is carried out at the relevant time;
(d)
any purchase of shares will be made in the market for cash at prices below the latest estimated monthly
net asset value per share (as determined by the Directors);
(e)
the authority conferred by this resolution shall (unless previously renewed or revoked in general
meeting) expire on the date falling 15 months after the passing of this resolution or, if earlier, at the
conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2026; and
(f)
the Company may make a contract to purchase Shares under the authority hereby conferred prior to
the expiry of such authority which contract will or may be executed wholly or partly after the expiry of
such authority and may make a purchase of shares pursuant to any such contract as if the authority
conferred hereby had not expired
By order of the Board
Company Secretary
ISCA Administration Services Limited
Registered Office
The Office Suite
Den House
Den Promenade
Teignmouth TQ14 8SY
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83
Notes to the Notice of the AGM
1
Pursuant to Regulation 41 of the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001, entitlement to attend and vote
at the meeting (and the number of votes that may be cast thereat), will be determined by reference to the
Register of Members of the Company at the close of business on the day which is two days before the day
of the meeting or of the adjourned meeting Changes to the Register of Members of the Company after
the relevant deadline shall be disregarded in determining the rights of any person to attend and vote at
the meeting
2
A member entitled to attend and vote at the meeting is entitled to appoint a proxy or proxies to attend,
speak and vote on his or her behalf A proxy need not also be a member but must attend the meeting
to represent you Details of how to appoint the chairman of the meeting or another person as your proxy
using the form of proxy are set out in the notes on the form of proxy If you wish your proxy to speak on
your behalf at the meeting you will need to appoint your own choice of proxy (not the chairman) and give
your instructions directly to them
3
You may appoint more than one proxy provided each proxy is appointed to exercise rights attached to
different shares. You may not appoint more than one proxy to exercise rights attached to any one share.
To appoint more than one proxy, you may copy the proxy form, clearly stating on each copy the shares to
which the proxy relates, or to request additional copies of the proxy form contact the Company’s Registrars,
The City Partnership (UK) Limited, on +44 (0) 1484 240 910 (lines are open between 900am and 530pm
Monday to Friday, calls are charged at standard geographic rates and will vary by provider) Calls outside
the United Kingdom will be charged at applicable international rates. Different charges may apply to calls
from mobile telephones and calls may be recorded and randomly monitored for security and training
purposes For legal reasons The City Partnership (UK) Limited will be unable to give advice on the merits
of the proposals or provide financial, legal, tax or investment advice. Please indicate in the box next to the
proxy holder’s name the number of shares in relation to which they are authorised to act as your proxy
Please also indicate by ticking the box provided if the proxy instruction is one of multiple instructions being
given All forms must be signed and returned together in the same envelope
4
The statement of the rights of members in relation to the appointment of proxies in paragraphs (2) and
(3) above does not apply to Nominated Persons The rights described in these paragraphs can only be
exercised by members of the Company
5
Any person to whom this notice is sent who is a person nominated under section 146 of the Companies Act
2006 (the “Act”) to enjoy information rights (a “Nominated Person”) may, under an agreement between him/
her and the member by whom he/she was nominated, have a right to be appointed (or to have someone
else appointed) as a proxy for the meeting If a Nominated Person has no such proxy appointment right or
does not wish to exercise it, he/she may, under any such agreement, have a right to give instructions to
the Shareholder as to the exercise of voting rights
6
If you have been nominated to receive general shareholder communications directly from the Company,
it is important to remember that your main contact in terms of your investment remains as it was (so the
registered shareholder, or perhaps custodian or broker, who administers the investment on your behalf)
Therefore any changes or queries relating to your personal details and holding (including any administration
thereof) must continue to be directed to your existing contact at your investment manager or custodian
The Company cannot guarantee dealing with matters that are directed to us in error The only exception
to this is where the Company, in exercising one of its powers under the Act, writes to you directly for a
response
7
A personal reply paid form of proxy is enclosed with this document To be valid, the enclosed form of proxy
for the meeting, together with the power of attorney or other authority, if any, under which it is signed or
a notarially certified or office copy thereof, must be deposited at the offices of the Company’s Registrar,
The City Partnership (UK) Limited, The Mending Rooms, Park Valley Mills, Meltham Road, Huddersfield
HD4 7BH, so as to be received not later than 2pm on Monday, 16 June 2025 or 48 hours (excluding
non-business days) before the time appointed for any adjourned meeting or, in the case of a poll taken
subsequent to the date of the meeting or adjourned meeting, so as to be received no later than 24 hours
before the time appointed for taking the poll
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8
If you prefer, you may return the proxy form to The City Partnership (UK) Limited in an envelope addressed
to The City Partnership (UK) Limited, The Mending Rooms, Park Valley Mills, Meltham Road, Huddersfield
HD4 7BH
9
Please note that you can vote your shares electronically at
https://lsa-agm.city-proxyvoting.uk/
10
Appointment of a proxy or CREST proxy instruction will not preclude a member from subsequently
attending and voting at the meeting should he or she subsequently decide to do so You can only appoint
a proxy using the procedure set out in these notes and the notes to the form of proxy
11
CREST members who wish to appoint a proxy or proxies through the CREST electronic proxy appointment
service may do so by using the procedures described in the CREST Manual CREST personal members or
other CREST sponsored members, and those CREST members who have appointed a service provider(s),
should refer to their CREST sponsor or voting service provider(s), who will be able to take the appropriate
action on their behalf
12
In order for a proxy appointment or instruction made using the CREST service to be valid, the appropriate
CREST message (a ‘CREST Proxy Instruction’) must be properly authenticated in accordance with Euroclear
UK & Ireland Limited’s specifications, and must contain the information required for such instruction, as
described in the CREST Manual The message, regardless of whether it constitutes the appointment of a
proxy or is an amendment to the instruction given to a previously appointed proxy must in order to be valid,
be transmitted so as to be received by the issuer’s agent (ID 8RA57) by 2pm on Monday, 16 June 2025. For
this purpose, the time of receipt will be taken to be the time (as determined by the timestamp applied to
the message by the CREST Application Host) from which the issuer’s agent is able to retrieve the message
by enquiry to CREST in the manner prescribed by CREST After this time any change of instructions to
proxies appointed through CREST should be communicated to the appointee through other means
13
CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors, or voting service providers should note
that Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited does not make available special procedures in CREST for any particular
message Normal system timings and limitations will, therefore, apply in relation to the input of CREST Proxy
Instructions It is the responsibility of the CREST member concerned to take (or, if the CREST member is a
CREST personal member, or sponsored member, or has appointed a voting service provider, to procure
that his CREST sponsor or voting service provider(s) take(s)) such action as shall be necessary to ensure
that a message is transmitted by means of the CREST system by any particular time In this connection,
CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors or voting system providers are referred, in
particular, to those sections of the CREST Manual concerning practical limitations of the CREST system
and timings
14
As at 25 April 2025 (being the last business day prior to the publication of this notice), the Company’s issued
share capital comprised 44,780,712 Class A shares Therefore, the total voting rights in the Company as at
25 April 2025 was 44,780,712
15
The Directors’ appointment letters will be available for inspection at the Company’s registered office during
normal business hours on any weekday (excluding Saturdays, Sunday and public holidays) and shall be
available for inspection at the place of the Annual General Meeting for at least fifteen minutes prior to and
during the meeting
16
If a corporate shareholder has appointed a corporate representative, the corporate representative will
have the same powers as the corporation could exercise if it were an individual member of the Company If
more than one corporate representative has been appointed, on a vote on a show of hands on a resolution,
each representative will have the same voting rights as the corporation would be entitled to If more than
one authorised person seeks to exercise a power in respect of the same shares, if they purport to exercise
the power in the same way, the power is treated as exercised; if they do not purport to exercise the power
in the same way, the power is treated as not exercised
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
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85
Notes to the Notice of the AGM
continued
17
Under section 527 of the Act, members meeting the threshold requirements set out in that section have
the right to require the Company to publish on a website a statement setting out any matter relating to:
(i) the audit of the Company’s accounts (including the Auditor’s Report and the conduct of the audit) that
are to be laid before the AGM; or (ii) any circumstance connected with an auditor of the Company ceasing
to hold office since the previous meeting at which annual accounts and reports were laid in accordance
with section 437 of the Act The Company may not require the Shareholders requesting any such website
publication to pay its expenses in complying with sections 527 or 528 of the Act Where the Company is
required to place a statement on a website under section 527 of the Act, it must forward the statement to
the Company’s Auditor no later than the time when it makes the statement available on the website The
business which may be dealt with at the AGM includes any statement that the Company has been required
under section 527 of the Act to publish on a website
18
At the meeting Shareholders have the right to ask questions relating to the business of the meeting and
the Company is obliged under section 319A of the Act to answer such questions, unless; a) to do so would
interfere unduly with the conduct of the meeting or would involve the disclosure of confidential information,
b) the information has been given on the Company’s website,
www.lsaplc.com
in the form of an answer
to a question, or c) it is undesirable in the interests of the Company or the good order of the meeting that
the question be answered
19
Further information, including the information required by section 311A of the Act, regarding the meeting is
available on the Company’s website,
www.lsaplc.com
20
Members satisfying the thresholds in section 338A of the Companies Act 2006 may request the Company
to include in the business to be dealt with at the Annual General Meeting any matter (other than a proposed
resolution) which may properly be included in the business at the Annual General Meeting A matter may
properly be included in the business at the Annual General Meeting unless (i) it is defamatory of any person
or (ii) it is frivolous or vexatious A request made pursuant to this right may be in hard copy or electronic
form, must identify the matter to be included in the business, must be accompanied by a statement
setting out the grounds for the request, must be authenticated by the person(s) making it and must be
received by the Company not later than six weeks before the date of the Annual General Meeting
21
This notice, together with information about the total number of shares in the Company in respect of
which members are entitled to exercise voting rights at the meeting at 25 April 2025 (the business day
prior to the approval of this Notice) and, if applicable, any members’ statements, members’ resolutions or
members’ matter of business received by the Company after the date of this Notice, will be available on
the Company’s website:
www.lsaplc.com
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DIRECTORS
Michael Baines
– Chairman
Christopher Casey
Guner Turkmen
COMPANY SECRETARY AND REGISTERED OFFICE
ISCA Administration Services Limited
The Office Suite
Den House
Den Promenade
Teignmouth TQ14 8SY
Email:
lsa@iscaadmin.co.uk
Telephone: 01392 487056
REGISTRARS
The City Partnership (UK) Limited
The Mending Rooms
Park Valley Mills
Meltham Road
Huddersfield
HD4 7BH
AUDITOR
BDO LLP
55 Baker Street
London
W1U 7EU
BROKERS
Shore Capital and Corporate Limited
Cassini House
57 St James’s Street
London
SW1A 1LD
TRUST’S INVESTMENT MANAGER
Acheron Capital Limited
5-10 Bolton Street
3rd Floor
London W1J 8JA
FINANCIAL CALENDAR
Company year end
Annual results announced
Annual General Meeting
Company half-year end
Half-year results announced
31 December 2024
April 2025
18 June 2025
30 June 2025
September 2025
LEI
2138003OL2VBXWG1BZ27
WEBSITE
www.lsaplc.com
Company Information
Annual Report 2024
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Life Settlement Assets PLC
/
87
Glossary
The following definitions apply throughout this Annual Report, unless stated otherwise:
“A Ordinary Shares”
means the shares with a nominal
value of USD 001 in the capital of the Company issued
and designated as A Ordinary Shares and having the
rights described in the Articles
“Act”
means the Companies Act 2006, as amended
“Administrator”
means Compagnie Européenne de
Révision Sàrl
“Board”
or
“Directors”
means the board of directors
of the Company
“Consenting Individuals”
means the individuals
whose lives are insured under the Policies and
who have sold their interest in the Policies in
accordance with the life settlements laws of the
United States – such Consenting Individuals, having
been compensated for ceding their interest in the
Policies, explicitly agreeing to such transaction and
having full knowledge that they no longer will benefit
from said Policies
“COI”
means cost of insurance
“Company”
means Life Settlement Assets PLC
“Discount”
means a discount to NAV calculated by
subtracting the mid-market share price from the NAV
per share and expressed as a percentage of the NAV
per share
“FCA”
means the UK Financial Conduct Authority
“Fractional interests”
means partial interests in life
policies arising after sale in the Primary Market
“Investment Manager”
means Acheron Capital
Limited
“NAV”
or
“Net Asset Value”
means:
a
the Net Asset Value of the Company as a whole
on the relevant date calculated in accordance with
the Company’s normal accounting policies; and
b
in relation to an Ordinary Share, the Net Asset
Value of the Company on the relevant date
calculated in accordance with the Company’s
normal accounting policies divided by the total
number of Ordinary Shares in issue (excluding, for
the avoidance of doubt, any Ordinary Shares held
in treasury)
“Ordinary Shares”
means any class of ordinary shares
issued from time to time
“Policy”
or
“Policies”
means an individual or set of life
settlement or mortality-related contracts
“Predecessor
Company”
Acheron
Portfolio
Corporation, a company previously registered in
Luxembourg
“Primary Market”
means the market in which the
holder of a life policy transacts that policy for the first
time to a purchaser, consenting to cede their total
interest in the policy to the purchaser
“Secondary Market”
means the market in which
policies acquired in the Primary Market are transacted
again with secondary purchasers
“Shareholder”
means a holder of Ordinary Shares
“Share Class”
means a class of Ordinary Share in the
Company
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Life Settlement Assets Plc – Annual General Meeting
You may submit your proxy electronically using the Proxy Voting Application:
https://lsa-agm.city-proxyvoting.uk/
To be held at:
The offices of Acheron Capital Limited, 5-10 Bolton Street, 3rd Floor, London W1J 8JA on Wednesday, 18 June
2025 at 2pm
Form of Proxy
Life Settlement Assets Plc – Annual General Meeting
I/We being a member of the Company hereby
appoint the Chairman of the meeting or (see note 1)
Signature
Number and class of shares
proxy appointed over
Access Code:
CIN:
as my/our proxy to vote on my/our behalf at the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held at 2pm on Wednesday, 18 June 2025
and at any adjournment thereof I have indicated with a ‘
’ how I/we wish my/our votes to be cast on the following resolutions:
If you wish to appoint multiple proxies please see note 1 over Please also tick here if you are appointing more than one proxy
Date
RESOLUTIONS
Please mark ‘
’ to indicate
how you wish to vote
For
Against
Vote
Withheld
1.
To receive and adopt the audited Annual Report
and Accounts.
2.
To approve the Directors’ Remuneration report.
3.
To approve the Directors’ Remuneration policy.
4.
To re-elect Michael Baines as a Director.
5.
To re-elect Christopher Casey as a Director.
6.
To re-elect Guner Turkmen as a Director.
RESOLUTIONS
Please mark ‘
’ to indicate
how you wish to vote
For
Against
Vote
Withheld
7.
To re-appoint BDO LLP as Auditor.
8.
To authorise the Directors to determine
BDO LLP’s remuneration as Auditor.
9.
To authorise the Directors to allot equity securities.
10.
To authorise the Directors to disapply
pre-emption rights (Special Resolution).
11.
To authorise the Company to make market purchases
of the Company’s own shares (Special Resolution).
Name of proxy
Name of Shareholder(s):
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89
Notes
1.
Every holder has the right to appoint some other person(s) of their
choice, who need not be a Shareholder as his or her proxy to exercise
all or any of his or her rights, to attend, speak and vote on their behalf at
the meeting If you wish to appoint a person other than the Chairman,
please insert the name of your chosen proxy holder in the space
provided (see over) If the proxy is being appointed in relation to less
than your full voting entitlement, please enter the number of shares in
relation to which they are authorised to act as your proxy If left blank
your proxy will be deemed to be authorised in respect of your full
voting entitlement (or if this proxy form has been issued in respect of
a designated account for a shareholder, the full voting entitlement for
that designated account)
2.
To appoint more than one proxy you may photocopy this form
Please indicate the proxy holder’s name and the number of shares
in relation to which they are authorised to act as your proxy (which,
in aggregate, should not exceed the number of shares held by
you) Please also indicate if the proxy instruction is one of multiple
instructions being given All forms must be signed and should be
returned together in the same envelope
3.
The right to appoint a proxy does not apply to persons whose
shares are held on their behalf by another person and who have
been nominated to receive communication from the Company in
accordance with section 146 of the Companies Act 2006 (“nominated
persons”) Nominated persons may have a right under an agreement
with the registered Shareholder who holds shares on their behalf
to be appointed (or to have someone else appointed) as a proxy
Alternatively, if nominated persons do not have such a right, or do not
wish to exercise it, they may have a right under such an agreement to
give instructions to the person holding the shares as to the exercise of
voting rights
4.
The ‘Vote Withheld’ option is provided to enable you to abstain
on any particular resolution However, it should be noted that a ‘Vote
Withheld is not a vote in law and will not be counted in the calculation
of the proportion of the votes ‘For’ and ‘Against’ a resolution If this form
is returned without any indication as to how the person appointed
proxy shall vote, he/she will exercise his/her discretion as to how he/
she votes or whether he/she abstains from voting
5.
Entitlement to attend and vote at the meeting (and the number of
votes that may be cast thereat), will be determined by reference to the
Register of Members of the Company at the close of business on the
day which is two days before the day of the meeting or of the adjourned
meeting Changes to the Register of Members of the Company after
the relevant deadline shall be disregarded in determining the rights of
any person to attend and vote at the meeting
6.
Shares held in uncertificated form (i.e. in CREST) may be voted
through the CREST Proxy Voting Service in accordance with the
procedures set out in the CREST manual
7.
To be effective, all forms of Proxy must be completed, signed and
lodged not less 48 hours before the time of the meeting at the office of
The City Partnership (UK) Limited at: The City Partnership (UK) Limited,
The Mending Rooms, Park Valley Mills, Meltham Road, Huddersfield
HD4 7BH Alternatively, you may vote through the Proxy Voting App at
https://lsa-agm.city-proxyvoting.uk/
8.
If you prefer, you may return the proxy form to The City Partnership
in an envelope addressed to The City Partnership (UK) Limited, The
Mending Rooms, Park Valley Mills, Meltham Road, Huddersfield
HD4 7BH
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Notes
Annual Report 2024
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/
91
Notes
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Annual Report 2024
Company Number: 10918785
The Office Suite, Den House, Den Promenade, Teignmouth TQ14 8SY