RetailBook has gone live with its fully independent platform enabling public companies to access a significant additional pool of capital during fundraising transactions, allowing them to shape the retail audience and maintain control over allocation.
The innovative fintech supports public companies through capital raises by leveraging a network of retail brokers and wealth managers.
Partnering with major retail intermediaries including AJ Bell, Hargreaves Lansdown, and Interactive Investor, RetailBook provides access to millions of retail investors for IPOs, follow-on placings, and retail bond offerings.
Fundraising efforts through retail brokers and wealth managers
Aaqib Mirza, CEO of RetailBook, said: “We are proud to announce RetailBook’s independence. This is a significant milestone for the firm and I would like to thank the team for all of their hard work that helped make this a reality. RetailBook’s vision is to deliver fairer and more inclusive capital markets for retail investors. Until now, retail investors typically didn’t have access to primary capital markets transactions alongside institutions. For issuers, we will provide access to the huge pool of retail capital in the UK, which is estimated to be over £1 trillion.”
RetailBook’s platform enables companies to engage individual investors in their fundraising efforts through retail brokers and wealth managers. This allows retail investors to participate in primary capital markets transactions alongside institutional investors.
In March 2024, RetailBook raised £2.5 million from investors and received FCA authorization in April 2024. Peel Hunt’s REX will cease operations, and RetailBook will handle future retail transactions independently for Peel Hunt and other market participants.
Aaqib Mirza, the CEO and a founding director since the firm’s incorporation in 2022, will lead RetailBook. He previously served as a board member and Chief Technology Officer at Peel Hunt, bringing over 25 years of experience in banking and trading technology.
The senior team collectively has 100 years of experience, including Nicholas Cullen as Director of Finance and Operations, Kit Atkinson as Managing Director of Capital Markets, Michael Ward as Head of Client Coverage and Partnerships, and Leah Williamson as Head of Risk and Compliance.
RetailBook is spin-off of Peel Hunt’s Rex
Established in 2022, RetailBook connects companies that are raising capital with UK retail investors and is the spin-off of REX, a platform launched in 2015 and operating out of the UK investment bank, Peel Hunt.
As an independent company, RetailBook aims to create fairer and more inclusive capital markets for retail investors, in partnership with brokers like Hargreaves Lansdown, Jefferies, and Rothschild & Co.
