Payments and subscription technology developer Bango (LON: BGO) grew recurring revenues by 31% to $20.4m. Total interim revenues were 3% ahead at $25.9m. Net revenue retention was 119%. Cash EBITDA of $3.7m was more than for the whole of 2025. Net debt was $8.7m at the end of June 2026. The share price recovered 17.4% to 67.5p.

Kazera Global (LON: KZG) has secured a long-term strategic development partnership for the Whale Head Minerals Heavy Mineral Sands project at Walviskop. The partner is China-owned South Africa AT Investments. There is an initial advance payment of $750,000 and a further $1.75m after the 2A mining right is granted. Production targets will be set within 30 days. First production is targeted for the end of 2026 and Whale Head Minerals gets 20% of production. This lasts for the life of the mine. The share price gained 8.33% to 1.3p.

AI services provider Insig AI (LON: INSG) chief executive Richard Bernstein acquired 200,000 shares at 13.5p each. He previously announced that he is interested in providing additional funding. He is offering £250,000 at 15p/share with a call option over a further £250,000 at 18p/share. Revenues are expected to more than double this year to around £1.65m. That should be enough to achieve an operating profit. A Nasdaq listing is a possibility. The share price increased 5.66% to 14p.

Video games publisher tinyBuild (LON: TBLD) chief executive Alex Nichiporchik has bought 430,000 shares at 10.9p each. He has been buying shares since the AGM and owns 58.1%. The share price rose 4.88% to 10.75p.

Defence services contractor RC Fornax (LON: RCFX) has won a three-year framework agreement with Thales Underwater Systems. There was previously a project based relationship. The share price improved 4.07% to 6.4p.

FALLERS

Fund manager Polar Capital (LON: POLR) increased assets under management by 47% to £45bn, helped by net inflows of £2.5bn and investment returns of £11.1bn. Despite the positive news, the shares have gone ex-dividend and fell 5.61% to 866.5p.

Mkango Resources (LON: MKA) has appointed Cavendish at joint broker alongside Hannam & Partners and SP Angel, which is also nominated adviser. The share price dipped 3.75% to 38.5p.

Kettle components supplier Strix Group (LON: KETL) is pausing the share buyback programme. New chief executive Andy Rainforth will assess strategy and make an announcement later in the year. Strix set aside £10m for the buyback and has spent £3.7m at an average price of 41.2p. the 15 month results will be released on 4 August. The share price dipped 2.15% to 36.45p.

Ex-dividends

Anpario (LON: ANP) is paying a final dividend of 8.9p/share and the share price declined 11p to 535p.

Focusrite (LON: TUNE) is paying a dividend of 4.64p/share and the share price slid 6p to 235p.

Manx Financial (LON: MFX) is paying a final dividend of 0.52p/share and the share price is unchanged at 26p.

Orchard Funding Group (LON: ORCH) is paying a final dividend of 1p/share and the share price dipped 0.5p to 61p.

Premier Miton (LON: PMI) is paying an interim dividend of 1.5p/share and the share price slipped 1.75p to 38.75p.

Polar Capital (LON: POLR) is paying a final dividend of 32p/share and the share price fell 51.5p to 866.5p.

Real Estate Investors (LON: RLE) is paying a dividend of 0.38p/share and the share price is unchanged at 31.5p.

Sanderson Design Group (LON: SDG) is paying a final dividend of 1p/share and the share price is unchanged at 77.5p.

Alien Metals has reported a high-grade silver discovery at the Elizabeth Hill project in Western Australia, where joint venture partner West Coast Silver has intersected a new zone of mineralisation below and separate from the previously mined orebody.

Diamond drilling beneath and south of the historical workings returned 3m at 524g/t silver from 183m, including 1.5m at 1,039g/t from 184.5m.

These are solid grades and should encourage investors.

The intersection ties together historical drill results, including 7m at 607g/t silver from underground drilling and 4m at 223g/t silver from surface drilling, to define an approximately 50m-long mineralised trend beneath the old mine.

The same hole also hit massive sulphides while targeting an electromagnetic conductor, returning 2.73% nickel, 0.93% copper and 0.7g/t palladium over 0.45m from a depth of around 155m.

Meanwhile, final assays from 32 reverse circulation holes drilled in May continued to expand the scale of near-surface silver mineralisation beyond the maiden resource estimate published in April.

Best results included 44m at 26g/t silver from surface and 41m at 23g/t from 1m, ending in mineralisation.

Exploration drilling is progressing through the final planned holes, with further assays expected through July and August.

Shares barely moved on Thursday.

Computacenter expects first-half adjusted profit before tax to roughly double year-on-year to around £163m, after a second quarter that came in ahead of its own expectations following an excellent start to the year.

Those investors scouring the UK market for clear AI winners need not look further than Computacenter.

The technology and services provider said North America delivered even stronger than expected volume growth with hyperscale customers, benefiting both its Technology Sourcing and Professional Services businesses.

The UK produced excellent growth in Technology Sourcing, including further AI-related projects, alongside strong Professional Services growth, while Germany saw good product growth despite subdued services demand.

The order book points to continued momentum, with the committed product backlog at 30 June well ahead of the £7.1bn position at the end of December, reflecting strong order intake during the half.

Bango has reported a strong first half, with annual recurring revenue up 31% to $20.4m and cash EBITDA of $3.7m already exceeding the $2.3m delivered across the whole of last year.

Bango shares have been under pressure over the past year. This update should help provide some relief.

Total revenue at the AIM-listed payments technology firm is expected to be $25.9m, up 3% and in line with management expectations.

Subscription revenue rose 13% to $12.3m, supported by six new customer wins in the period.

Payments revenue declined 5% to $13.6m, as planned, with the company continuing to restructure legacy routes in favour of margin expansion and revenue quality.

The real story for Bango, however, is the improvement in profitability, with adjusted EBITDA expected to be at least $9m, up 34% year-on-year, helped by efficiency initiatives undertaken in 2025.

Paul Larbey, Bango CEO, said: “Bango delivered a solid first half, with a clear focus on profitable growth. Adjusted EBITDA increased by 34% and Cash EBITDA by $4.3M, reflecting both the benefits of the cost control and efficiency actions taken last year, alongside continued investment in the growth opportunities ahead.”

“Since noting a more cautious macro backdrop earlier in the year, we have continued to see resilient customer demand and sales execution. Momentum in Subscriptions remains strong, with recurring revenue growth of 31% and 6 new customer logos won across an increasingly broad range of use cases for the Bango Digital Vending Machine®.

“The variety of customers adopting the platform – from global brands to financial services and telcos – reinforces our confidence in the long-term opportunity ahead. Payments continues to be highly cash generative, and we continue to restructure selected legacy routes to optimize profitability and revenue quality.”

ITM Power has confirmed that a £46.5 million grant from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has now been formally awarded.

The funding was first announced in April, alongside a £40 million equity investment from Great British Energy. Together, they underpin the manufacturing capability for ITM’s next-generation Chronos electrolyser stack.

Chronos, developed over more than two years, is expected to deliver a step change in both cost and energy efficiency as green hydrogen is scaled.

The Chronos line is planned for ITM’s existing Sheffield facilities, drawing on infrastructure and production know-how developed over the years on the Trident line. Co-locating the two lines lowers execution risk while still allowing a scalable, high-throughput platform.

The investment is geared towards 1 GW of annual production capacity, with bespoke automated equipment across catalyst-coated membrane production, electrode welding, specialist coatings and stack assembly, plus cleanroom infrastructure. In-house test systems and validation materials round out a plan aimed at a smooth ramp-up.

Dennis Schulz, CEO, said: “We are delighted that the DESNZ grant has now been formally awarded, enabling us to build our next-generation Chronos manufacturing line in Sheffield. Combined with the strategic equity investment from Great British Energy, this marks a pivotal step in establishing us at the centre of the UK’s hydrogen economy and firmly positions us as a natural partner for projects in the UK. Sheffield is recognised as the historic home of steelmaking. We will make it just as famous for hydrogen.”

A refinancing by floorcoverings company Victoria (LON: VCP) has reduced debt and cut annual financing costs by £34m. Koch and consenting holders of 2028 loan notes have agreed the terms of a refinancing of the loan notes and Koch agreed to the refinancing of the preferred shares. New loan notes that mature in 2031 will be issued and there will also be ordinary shares swapped at a premium for part of the loan note debt and the majority of the preferred shares. This will reduce liabilities by at least £300m. Trading in 2025-26 was in line with guidance and this year there has been like-for-like growth. The share price rebounded 24.1% to 72p.

Jet2 (LON: JET2) full year pre-tax profit was in line with expectations at £544.6m, down from £577.7m. The airline and tour operator had net debt of £2bn at the end of March 2026. Canaccord Genuity has edged down its forecast revenues but raised its pre-tax profit estimate from £300m to £323.3m. Net debt could fall to £1.7bn. Next year, Gatwick should make a bigger contribution. The share price gained 8.92% to £14.77.

Futura Medical (LON: FUM) has recovered some of yesterday afternoon’s share price fall after the European Patent Office opposition division confirmed its decision to revoke the Eroxon patent. An appeal has been launched but this could take up to two years. The patent remains in force until the appeal is heard and a decision made. The share price recovered 7.5% to 0.43p, but it is still lower for the week.

IT managed services provider SysGroup (LON: SYS) reported full year results in line with forecasts and expectations for 2026-27 have been upgraded. SysGroup increased full year revenues by 8% to £22.1m, following a fall in the first half. Flat overheads offset a higher depreciation charge, so underlying pre-tax profit improved from £300,000 to £400,000. Zeus has edged up its forecast revenues from £24.3m to £24.5m, but pre-tax profit has been upgraded from £1m to £1.5m to reflect the stronger second half margins. Net cash is expected to reach £4m. The share price rose 7.5% to 21.5p.

FALLERS

Payments technology company Boku Inc (LON: BOKU) grew interim revenues by 11% in the first half to $66.5m, even though a major client moved to dual sourcing hit business with Boku. However, full year expectations for revenues have been downgraded to $135m-$142m from more than $155m. Adjusted EBITDA edged up to $19.3m in the first half, despite a decline in margins, but the full year outcome is likely to be flat or be below the 2025 level – it had been expected to be more than one-quarter higher. An extension into the client’s other markets was delayed and this business is building up. There have been delays in connecting new clients and two direct carrier billing connections were lost in a market that Boku is no longer exposed to. The share buyback programme has been extended and a further eight million shares could be acquired, plus 1.8 million shares still not acquired in the previous tranche. The share price slumped 32.3% to 94.5p.

Cleaner fuels developer Quadrise (LON: QED) has raised £12m at 1p/share and a retail offer could raise a further £1.2m. The cash help to increase the scale of MSC/Cargill marine trials, complete other trials, secure supply agreements with refineries and pursue other opportunities. If the full amount is raised in the retail offer there should be enough working capital to get to cash flow positive in 2028-29. The share price declined 27.7% to 0.99p.

Rio Tinto has told Sovereign Metals (LON: SVML) that it has decided not to become operator of the Kasiya Rutile graphite project in Malawi due to a change in corporate strategy. Rio Tinto, which invested A$60m in the project, will no longer have the right to market 40% of annual production and pre-emption rights over stake sales. Offtake discussions are ongoing with potential US partners. The share price fell 11.3% to 27.5p.

Clean Power Hydrogen (LON: CPH2) shares continue to decline following their return from suspension on Tuesday after the finalisation of a fundraising. The hydrogen technology company has raised £3.04m from a placing and offer at 1.5p/share and a further £4.47m has been raised conditionally. The price has fallen 8.33% more to 1.375p, which is a new all time low. The cash will finance the change in strategy to a capital light one involving strategic partnerships, licensing and manufacturing agreements. The cash should last at least until June 2027.

Roisin Magee has resigned as chair of Galantas Gold (LON: GAL) and is moving into private equity. David Cather will take over on an interim basis. The share price slipped 10% to 22.5p.

Vistry shares fell on Wednesday after it said it expects a first-half loss of around £30m, as new chief executive Adam Daniels takes decisive action to cut debt and reposition the housebuilder, with 2026 now framed as a transition year.

Some may view a transition year as a painful one.

The departure of the CFO would also have ruffled investors’ feathers in a company that has been dogged by poor practises and a soggy housing market.

“Vistry’s shares fell on a gloomy trading update and news that chief financial officer Tim Lawlor was jumping ship,” said Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell.

“Investors have been getting jumpy about the state of the housebuilding and broader construction industry. Raw material and labour cost pressures have haunted the sector of late, and the prospect of possible interest rate hikes is bad news for mortgage affordability and housing sales.”

Results weren’t that bad, but they weren’t great either. The group completed around 6,100 homes in the six months to 30 June, down from 6,889 a year earlier, with more than half for affordable housing.

Underlying profit before tax was a modest £20m, but cash generation measures such as enhanced pricing discounts, accelerated asset sales, changes to site mix and build rates knocked around £50m off the bottom line, including one-off impairments on low-margin sites.

Profit was also hit by fewer partner deals amid the hiatus between government funding programmes and by higher financing costs.

Daniels, three months into the role, said the initiatives are well progressed and position the business for a significantly stronger second half. Unsold private homes in build have been more than halved from around £600m to under £300m, with £190m of that reduction due in cash on completion in H2. Net debt stood at £470m at the end of June, with the group still targeting net cash in excess of £100m by year end.

The company has also renegotiated several partner deals that fell short of its commercial requirements, delaying completions, with a number concluding in early July and the balance expected on improved terms during the third quarter. It has substantially exited its Part Exchange position, which had tied up an average of £50m of debt in recent years.

With a £3.9bn forward book and 80% of this year’s sales secured, the board expects full-year adjusted profit before tax in line with the consensus of £200m.

Investors will hope these expectations are met.