Annual Results for the Year Ended 30 April 2020
ATLANTIS JAPAN GROWTH FUND LIMITED
(“AJGF” or the “Company”)
(a closed-ended investment company incorporated in Guernsey with registration number 30709)
LEI 5493004IW0LDG0OPGL69
Annual Results for the financial year ended 30 April 2020
8 July 2020
(Classified Regulated Information, under DTR 6 Annex 1 section 1.1)
The financial information set out below does not constitute the Company's statutory accounts for the financial year ended 30 April 2020. All figures are based on the audited financial statements for the financial year ended 30 April 2020.
The financial information for the financial year ended 30 April 2020 noted below is derived from the financial statements delivered to the UK Listing Authority.
The annual report and audited financial statements for the financial year ended 30 April 2020 will shortly be posted to shareholders and will also be available on the company website: www.atlantisjapangrowthfundlimited.com
INTRODUCTION
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
Atlantis Japan Growth Fund Limited (the “Company”) aims to achieve long term capital growth through investment wholly or mainly in listed Japanese equities.
INVESTMENT POLICY
The Company may invest up to 100 per cent of its gross assets in companies quoted on any Japanese stock exchange including, without limitation, the Tokyo Stock Exchange categorised as First Section, Second Section, JASDAQ, Mothers and Tokyo PRO, or the regional stock exchanges of Fukuoka, Nagoya and Sapporo. The Company’s benchmark index is the TOPIX Total Return index “benchmark total return index” and the Company will not be restricted to investing in constituent companies of the benchmark.
The Company may also invest up to 20 per cent of its Net Asset Value (the “NAV”) at the time of investment in companies listed or traded on other stock exchanges but which are either controlled and managed from Japan or which have a material exposure to the Japanese economy.
The Company may also invest up to 10 per cent of its NAV at the time of investment in securities which are neither listed nor traded on any stock exchange or over-the-counter market.
In general, investment will be through investments in equity shares in, or debt issued by, investee companies. However, the Company may also invest up to 20 per cent of its NAV at the time of investment in equity warrants and convertible debt.
The Company will not invest in more than 10 per cent of any class of securities of an investee company. The Company will not invest in derivative instruments save for the purpose of efficient portfolio management.
The Company may not invest more than 10 per cent in aggregate, of the value of its total assets in other listed closed-ended investment funds except in the case of investment in closed-ended investment funds which themselves have published investment policies to invest no more than 15 per cent of their total assets in other listed closed-ended investment funds, in which case the limit is 15 per cent.
The Company may borrow, with a view to enhancing capital returns, up to a maximum of an amount not exceeding 20 per cent of NAV at the time of borrowing.
No material change will be made to the investment policy without the approval of shareholders by ordinary resolution.
The management and impact of the risks associated with the investment policies are described in detail in the Notes to the Financial Statements (See Note 15).
INVESTMENT MANAGER AND INVESTMENT ADVISER
Quaero Capital LLP has been appointed as Investment Manager of the Company since 1 August 2014.
Atlantis Investment Research Corporation (“AIRC”) has been appointed as the Investment Adviser to the Company since 1 August 2014.
AIRC, established in Tokyo, will, through Taeko Setaishi as lead adviser, and her colleagues, advise the Investment Manager on the day-to-day conduct of the Company’s investment business, the role it has played since the launch of the Company in May 1996.
DIVIDEND POLICY
There are regular quarterly dividend payments of 1% of the Company’s NAV (based on the average daily NAV in the final month of the financial year). The dividends will be paid out of capital reserves and will be paid in March, June, September and December.
CHAIRMAN’S STATMENT
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020
The financial year ended 30 April 2020 coincided with one of the most turbulent periods in living memory. The humanitarian and economic crisis engendered by the Covid-19 pandemic has caused great volatility in financial markets globally, including Japan. February and March 2020 saw sharp declines in stock market values. Investors have since been grappling with the severity of the economic downturn to come and the shape of a recovery. Before turning to performance, I shall outline the structural changes made for the benefit of your Company.
At the Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) in September last year, significant changes were made to the Company’s structure and the Board is hopeful that these, in conjunction with the strong performance following the appointment of Taeko Setaishi as lead adviser in May 2016, will continue to attract new investors to the Company. To summarise, the structural changes included removing the redemption facility and, at the same time, introducing a new dividend policy, both of which received overwhelming support from shareholders.
The Board felt that while the redemption mechanism provided shareholders with a valuable alternative to secondary market liquidity, the mechanism itself was relatively complex, and it was not always easy for all shareholders to participate. In particular, retail investors owning shares through platforms faced administrative challenges when choosing to participate in the redemption mechanism.
The Board believed that the time was right to replace it. There is now also much greater consensus in the investment companies sector that the use of dividend payments utilising distributable capital reserves is an effective and low cost way to provide investors with additional liquidity. The Board also believes it is a fairer way to distribute capital to all shareholders. In addition, frequent relatively large redemptions were having an investment impact on a portfolio that is predominantly composed of small and mid-sized companies. A smaller and more frequent dividend payment will, we believe, interfere much less in how the portfolio is managed.
Income investors, who form an increasingly important component of the overall investor universe, are increasingly comfortable with dividends that are funded from capital reserves as one part of a portfolio of income producing investments. There are limited options to receive meaningful levels of income and simultaneously gain exposure to the exciting growth potential of Japanese equities, and in introducing a dividend policy the Board believed it will further broaden the appeal of the Company to a new range of investors. This to, received overwhelming support from shareholders and I am pleased to report that following the new dividend policy approved at the AGM last September 2019, three quarterly dividend payments of 2.37 pence per share were paid to registered shareholders.
Finally, and again in line with market practice, the Board has agreed with the Investment Manager a change to the investment management fees. A tiered fee structure has been put in place with effect from 5 July 2019, with a fee of 1% on the first £125m of net assets, 0.85% on net assets between £125m and £175m and 0.70% on net assets above £175m.
Overall, your Board believes this package of measures is in line with today’s market best practice, better aligns the interests of all shareholders and makes your Company a more attractive proposition to a wider potential audience.
PERFORMANCE
Over the financial year the Company’s NAV per share fell by 3.3%. This compares to the benchmark TOPIX’s 0.8% increase on a total return basis measured in GBP. The three year figures remain an impressive record to Taeko Setaishi’s management of the portfolio.
Capital performance (GBP '000)
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | % change | |
| Total net assets | 97,913 | 107,291 | -8.7% |
Company performance (GBP)
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | % change | |
| Net asset value per share | 2.34 | 2.42 | -3.3% |
| Share price | 2.00 | 2.19 | -8.5% |
| TOPIX TR | 17.02 | 16.88 | 0.8% |
| Ongoing charges | 1.64% | 1.63% | 0.6% |
| Net Asset Value Total Return (GBP) | 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | Since Inception | Annualised Return |
| Atlantis Japan Growth Fund | -3.3% | 34.2% | 56.6% | 259.6% | 5.5% |
| Topix TR | 0.8% | 11.2% | 42.4% | 54.2% | 1.8% |
Note: NAV performance is diluted by historical Subscription Rights.
Source: Quaero Capital LLP, Northern Trust and Bloomberg.
NEW DIVIDEND POLICY
At the 2019 AGM, shareholders approved the Board’s recommendation to replace the six monthly redemption facility with a regular dividend paid to all shareholders on a quarterly basis set at 1% of net asset value towards the close of the preceding financial year. The quarterly dividend will be paid out of capital resources at the end of each calendar quarter. The December 2019, March 2020 and June 2020 dividend payments were made at the rate of 2.37p per share, based on the average daily NAV per share in the final month of our financial year ended 30 April 2019. The significant recovery for Japanese share prices in April produced an average Net Asset Value per share of 217p, thus the new quarterly dividend rate will be at 2.17p for the following four dividends payable at the end of September 2020, December 2020, March 2021 and June 2021.
DISCOUNT MANAGEMENT
The Board reviews the discount level on a regular basis and will opportunistically buy back stock if the discount is perceived to be too wide. During the financial period 313,000 shares were bought back for a total cost of £692,400. Prior to the last AGM, the Board operated a hard discount control mechanism for which an annual review is carried out. The Company was obligated to propose a Continuation Vote to shareholders should the discount on any given 90 day rolling period average greater than ten per cent. The Board concluded that while this mechanism had assisted in limiting the average discount, it also had the effect of acting as a natural brake on the discount narrowing more substantially. Since the Company introduced this mechanism in 2010, market practice among investment companies has moved to a more flexible approach to discount control that also takes into account factors such as liquidity and prevailing market conditions. The Board believes that taking such an approach is in the interests of all shareholders. The Board wishes to emphasise to shareholders that it remains committed to managing the discount using share buy backs, but feels that this commitment is better served by taking a less formulaic approach. The Board emphasises that it believes that it is in the long term interests of shareholders that the Company grows its share capital, and this can only be achieved if the share price trades consistently at or above net asset value. The proposed changes in the Company’s Articles of Association were again passed with overwhelming support at the 2019 AGM. The Board renewed its existing powers to buy back shares at the AGM and also announced that a Continuation Vote will be called every fourth year. Hence, the next Continuation Vote will be held at the 2023 AGM.
SHARE BUY-BACKS
In order to assist in managing the discount at which the Company’s shares trade and to enhance the NAV per share of remaining shareholders, the Company has authority to buy back shares. During the financial year ended 30 April 2020, the Company exercised its authority to buy back shares on two separate occasions in respect of a total of 313,000 Ordinary shares at a weighted average discount of 9.2% based on relevant NAVs. Since the financial year end, the Company has not exercised its authority to buy back any further shares. The shares bought back during the financial year, representing 0.75% of current issued shares, are held in treasury.
FORMER REDEMPTION FACILITY
At the redemption point on 27 September 2019 (being the final redemption point since the redemption mechanism was removed), 2,891,058 shares representing 6.6% of issued shares, were validly lodged for redemption. Under the terms of the redemption facility, total redemptions at each redemption point were limited to 5% of the issued share capital (excluding treasury shares) at that time. Accordingly, redemption requests were scaled back so that only 5% of the Company’s shares (2,199,714 shares) were accepted for redemption and redeemed.
GEARING
Gearing is defined as the ratio of a company’s long-term debt, less cash held, compared to its equity capital, expressed as a percentage. The effect of gearing is that, in rising markets, the Company tends to benefit from any growth of the Company’s investment portfolio above the cost of payment of the prior ranking entitlements of any lenders and other creditors. Conversely, in falling markets the Company suffers more if the Company’s investment portfolio underperforms the cost of those prior entitlements.
In order to improve the potential for capital returns to shareholders the Company currently has access to an overdraft facility with the Company’s Depositary, Northern Trust (Guernsey) Limited, for up to ¥1.5 billion. As at 30 April 2020 the Company’s net gearing level (being the amount of drawn down bank debt less the cash held on the balance sheet) was zero compared to 3.8% at the end of the prior reporting period.
The Directors consider it a priority that the Company’s level of gearing should be maintained at appropriate levels with sufficient flexibility to enable the Company to adapt at short notice to changes in market conditions. The Board reviews the Company’s level of gearing on a regular basis. The current maximum that has been set is 20% of the Company’s net assets. The Investment Adviser is encouraged to use the gearing facility and the Company’s cash reserves in order to enhance returns for shareholders.
PRIIPS KEY INFORMATION DOCUMENTS
We are required by EU regulations introduced at the beginning of 2018 to provide investors with a Key Information Document (“KID”) which includes performance projections which are the product of prescribed calculations based on the Company’s past performance. Whilst the content and format of the KID cannot be amended under the applicable EU regulations, the Board, sharing industrywide concerns, does not believe that these projections are an appropriate or helpful way to assess the Company’s future prospects. Accordingly, the Board urges shareholders also to consider the more complete information set out in the Company’s interim and full annual report and financial statements, together with the monthly factsheets and daily net asset value announcements, when considering an investment in the Company’s shares. These documents, together with a link to third party research coverage of the Company are published at www.atlantisjapangrowthfund.com.
ONGOING CHARGES
The Board continues to look very closely at the level of ongoing charges incurred by the Company and for the financial year ended 30 April 2020 the ongoing charges were 1.6% (30 April 2019: 1.6%). The Board will remain vigilant in seeking opportunities for further reductions. Details of the ongoing charges are shown in Note 20 to the Financial Statements.
CORPORATE BROKER
Following the end of the financial year, the Company's corporate broker, Cantor Fitzgerald Europe ("Cantor"), indicated that it would be withdrawing from the investment trust sector and tendered its resignation to the Company with effect from 15 May 2020. The Board has now resolved to appoint Nplus1 Singer Advisory LLP as the Company's new corporate broker and I am pleased to note that a number of the key individuals who previously worked on the Company's account whilst at Cantor have now moved across to Nplus1 Singer Advisory LLP thus ensuring continuity of service.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The AGM will be held in a small room in The Cavalry and Guards Club, 127 Piccadilly, London on 10 September 2020 at 12 noon. Despite the easing of lockdown measures in response to COVID-19 there are still restrictions on larger gatherings so I regret the meeting will be functional only and shareholders are encouraged NOT to attend. There will be no refreshments or presentation from the Investment Adviser, but I welcome questions for the investment management team and the board via email to investorservices.uk@quaerocapital.com. Results of Proxy Voting and a presentation by the Investment Adviser will be available for download from the Company’s website after the AGM.
OUTLOOK
The past year has been a challenging one from the start and by the spring of 2020 the Coronavirus pandemic had seen sharp declines in equity markets globally. Japan was no exception. The year began with concerns over US-China trade tensions. Sterling based investors then saw a strong rally in the currency post the Brexit Withdrawal Bill being passed by Parliament which acted as a strong headwind for Japanese yen asset based returns. These worries were supplanted by increasing investor appreciation of the damage that would be caused by the COVID-19 virus and the lockdown measures imposed by authorities to contain it. We are all still analysing the implications for the global economy and the longer-term impact on a “normal” way of life and livelihood. Japan appeared to be less affected than other major economies in terms of casualties, but the true costs have yet to be calculated. The Prime Minister Mr Shinzo Abe, has designed a series of aggressive stimulus measures including direct cash payments to all residents of Japan. It is perhaps too early to assess the effectiveness of the Japanese government`s actions but there is an encouraging unity of purpose.
The pandemic has wreaked considerable economic damage on Japan with many data points at historic lows. Technically the country is in recession. Earnings in the fiscal year ended March 2020 are estimated to have declined approximately 20% with little clarity over the next year with many companies declining to give guidance due to the many unknowns. However, the Company’s lead investment adviser, Taeko Setaishi, believes the social and economic structural changes imposed on Japan, as a consequence of the virus, will create new investment opportunities. The investment advisory team has begun to explore these themes which include, inter alia, expanded M&A activity, reshoring, home tele-work, and digitalisation.
Your Directors and I believe the Company is well positioned to assess and take advantage of these structural changes in the economy over the years ahead. The emphasis on growth has served the Company well historically and the simplified Company structure, we believe, places the Company in an excellent position to continue to harvest these opportunities where and when they arise.
Noel Lamb 7 July 2020
INVESTMENT ADVISER’S REPORT
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020
PERFORMANCE
The Company’s NAV per share, calculated in sterling and on a total return basis, ended the financial year at 234.27p, representing a 3.3% decline during the course of the year. The Company’s share price at year end was 200.00p, a decline of 8.5% over the same period and representing a 14.6% discount to NAV. Over the year, the TOPIX total return index recorded a 0.8% capital gain in GBP.
At the conclusion of the period under review, the Company had no borrowings, ending the financial year with no gearing. This compares with a net gearing of 3.8% at the end of the previous year. At 30 April 2020, JPY was ¥134.9 against the GBP, a gain of 8.53% against the previous year’s closing rate of ¥145.2.
The Company’s portfolio at 30 April 2020 contained sixty one companies, one fewer than at the same time a year ago. The companies which made a particularly strong contribution to the Company’s’ performance during the period under review included semiconductor production equipment maker Lasertec, semiconductor wafer materials supplier Tri-Chemical Laboratories, disabled employee placement specialist S-Pool, and lawyer/tax accountant marketing support web site operator Bengo4.
Excluding cash, the portfolio was entirely invested in the equities of publicly listed Japanese companies and J-REITs. The Company had no exposure to foreign exchange hedges and no convertible bonds or any other type of structured financial product.
MARKET COMMENT
The financial year ended 30 April 2020 was not kind to Japanese equity investors, but at least GBP denominated investors benefited from a favourable currency move which resulted in a +0.8% rise for the TOPIX total return index in GBP. In local currency terms however, investors had to absorb a 7.1% loss. During the first half of the Company’s financial year, trading was choppy with investor concerns mainly focussed on trade issues between the US and China, prospects for economic recovery, and the direction of interest rates. However, these issues quickly receded from investor attention as the market became increasing aware of the economic damage the COVID-19 virus could cause. Share prices plunged globally in anticipation of a severe contraction in economic activity and until there is evidence of containment, equity appeal could be limited.
Overseas investors were sustained equity sellers during the financial year and their action was complemented by investment trusts who liquidated equity portfolios. Non-financial business corporations and trust banks were net buyers. ETF purchases by the Bank of Japan and the Government Investment Pension Fund were, during most months, well under their annual budget of ¥6 trillion (subsequently raised to ¥12 trillion). Stock selection rotation was relatively muted, and investors focussed on sectors with encouraging earnings prospects. Amongst the best performing sectors were electrical appliances, machinery, precision instruments, and chemicals. There was a definite tilt by investors toward growth with strong performances logged by the indices based on smaller capitalised stocks.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a pronounced negative impact on corporate earnings. Tokyo Stock Exchange companies aggregately reported that year-on-year fiscal year March 2020 sales declined 3.1% and pre-tax profits fell 19.3%. Forecasts made by the Toyo Keizai suggest sales and pre-tax profits, on the same basis, could drop 7.3% and 19.9% respectively. However it should be noted that according to Mizuho Equities Research given the current uncertainty, only 40% of these companies are offering guidance for the current fiscal year March 2020.
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
The most recent economic data flow from authorities is unappealing. Japan’s administrative actions against the virus have not been as severe as in Europe, but the effect has been similar – a striking contraction of economic activity. The economy in the October-December 2019 quarter fell at an annualised rate of 4% and indications for the subsequent quarter suggest a worsening trend. Damage has been particularly severe in the hospitality sectors with inbound traffic flows logging 30 year lows. The government has responded by passing a massive ¥117 trillion stimulus package which includes a ¥100,000 direct cash payment to every individual in Japan plus support for small businesses. It has also begun to ‘reopen’ the economy with eased restrictions on movement. The Bank of Japan is accommodating but has few monetary tools left to spur growth. The Investment Adviser believes the Japanese economy over the next one to two years will remain adrift as adjustments are made to the reality of a post-pandemic world. Japan entered a technical recession in the January-March quarter by registering two consecutive quarters of a negative Gross domestic product (“GDP”).
INVESTMENT ADVISER’S STRATEGY
The Investment Adviser employs a bottom-up stock picking investment style, which is based on the assumption that anticipated corporate profits growth is a key determinant of equity valuations over the long term. Consequently, the investment advisory team at AIRC seeks out companies with strong competitive advantages, positive cash flow, and medium to long term secular growth potential. While AIRC’s proprietary research is a team effort, investment decisions are the sole responsibility of the individual adviser. The AIRC investment process may, but will not necessarily, result in a portfolio bias tilted toward medium and smaller capitalised companies. There are no top-down pre-determined sector weightings as such; rather sector exposure is created by the accumulation of individual positions held in a TOPIX sector. The portfolio adviser constructs the portfolio to gain exposure to themes expected to drive Japan’s economic growth over the long term.
The Investment Adviser is of the view the COVID-19 virus will depress economic activity over the medium term with recovery coming when there is evidence of its containment. However, the Investment Adviser also believes the virus will be the catalyst for significant social and economic structural changes that will foster numerous new investment opportunities. AIRC’s proprietary research continues to focus on hardware and software technology, healthcare products and services, and consultant services. Investment themes that are beginning to emerge include, but are certainly not limited to, expanded M&A activity, reshoring, home tele-work, and digitalisation. The Company’s portfolio, committed to a growth-oriented bottom-up stock-picking style may be well positioned to spot these new opportunities.
The investment advisory team at AIRC consists of four analysts/advisers who are engaged daily in contacting companies or preparing for management visits. The team meets formally weekly to review the previous week’s visits but it also exchanges information on a daily basis. AIRC has a collegiate approach toward research but believes a sole individual should be responsible for portfolio advisory decisions. The lead investment adviser to the Company, Taeko Setaishi, is responsible for the final stock recommendations but relies on input from the other team members.
In conclusion the Investment Adviser believes the Japanese equity markets are host to many attractive growth investment opportunities that have the potential to contribute to the Company’s long term capital appreciation.
Atlantis Investment Research Corporation
7 July 2020
ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENT FUND MANAGER’S REPORT
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020
Quaero Capital LLP, which is registered in England as a limited liability partnership, was authorised on 22 July 2014 by the Financial Conduct Authority of the UK as the Company’s Alternative Investment Fund Manager (the “AIFM”) for the purposes of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (“AIFMD” or the “Directive”).
As the Company’s AIFM, Quaero Capital LLP is required to make available an annual report for each financial year of the Company containing the following:
i. A balance sheet or a statement of assets and liabilities (see Statement of Financial Position below).
ii. An income and expenditure account for the financial year (see Statement of Comprehensive Income below).
iii. A report on the activities of the financial year (see Chairman’s Statement above, Investment Adviser’s Report above, Details of Ten Largest Investments below, Schedule of Investments below and Directors’ Report and Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities below).
iv. Details of material changes to the information set out under Article 23 of the Directive. To satisfy this requirement, Quaero Capital LLP publishes an Investor Disclosure Document available at http://www.quaerocapital.uk.
v. Certain disclosures in relation to the remuneration of Quaero Capital LLP. To meet these requirements, details of Quaero Capital LLP’s remuneration policy and remuneration disclosures in respect of Quaero Capital LLP’s reporting period for the financial year ended 31 March 2020 are available at http://www.quaerocapital.uk/downloads/regulatory-disclosures.
vi. Details of the leverage employed by the Company. Using the methodologies prescribed under the Directive, the leverage of the Company is disclosed in the following table:
| Commitment leverage as at 30 April 2020 |
Gross leverage as at 30 April 2020 |
|
| Leverage ratio | 96.8% | 96.8% |
Quaero Capital LLP
7 July 2020
DETAILS OF TEN LARGEST INVESTMENTS
As at 30 April 2020
The ten largest investments comprise a fair value of £33,517,705 2019 (30 April: £30,688,249) representing 34.2% of Net Asset Value (30 April 2019: 28.6%) with details as below:
Lasertec (122,000 shares)
Lasertec, with a 100% global market share for semiconductor mask defect inspection systems and mask blank inspection systems, occupies a critical niche in a semiconductor production line. The company is fabless and works closely with its semiconductor manufacturer client base to develop equipment that meets client specific needs. Lasertec has also begun to successfully penetrate the semiconductor wafer inspection market.
Fair value of £6,618,528 representing 6.8% of the Net Asset Value (30 April 2019: 2.5%)
Tokyo Electron (19,000 shares)
Tokyo Electron (TEL) is the third largest leading global assembler of semiconductor production equipment with particular strength in the front-end processes (coater/developers, etching systems, and film deposition devices. TEL is also a major supplier of flat panel display equipment and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) production equipment.
Fair value of £3,279,543 representing 3.3% of the Net Asset Value (30 April 2019: 2.2%)
Asahi Intecc Co Ltd. (152,000 shares)
Building on its ultra-fine steel wire manufacturing expertise Asahi Intecc has become a global leader in distributing angiographic catheters and other circulatory angioplasty guidewire products. Asahi remains cost competitive by utilising off-shore production facilities and independent direct sales.
Fair value of £3,274,397 representing 3.3% of the Net Asset Value (30 April 2019: 2.9%)
Nidec (66,000 shares)
Nidec is the world’s leading small precision electric motor maker with particular application in hard disk drives (HDDs). Through a highly active and successful global M&A strategy Nidec has also become a major supplier of mid and large sized motors. The company has a proven management team focussed on creating shareholder value.
Fair value of £3,121,653 representing 3.2% of the Net Asset Value (30 April 2019: 3.4%)
S-Pool (540,000 shares)
S-Pool originally focussed on sales support and outsourcing services for call centres and logistics facilities as management leveraged off its warehouse expertise. Non-core businesses have been spun off. The company has found new growth opportunities in supporting the employment of the disabled in agricultural related businesses. S-Pool also offers placement services to the disabled.
Fair value of £3,043,280 representing 3.1% of the Net Asset Value (30 April 2019: 2.1%)
Keyence Corporation (10,000 shares)
Keyence is the leading maker of detection and measuring control equipment, particularly factory automation (FA) sensors. Uniquely, Keyence employs a direct sales business model which fosters close relationships with customers who are in the semiconductor, liquid-crystal display (LCD), foodstuffs, and pharmaceutical sectors. Keyence is a fabless company with all production outsourced to affiliates. Its senior management is highly regarded for its disciplined financial targets.
Fair value of £2,917,173 representing 3.0% of the Net Asset Value (30 April 2019: 2.7%)
Daifuku (50,000 shares)
With a 60% market share in Japan and 20% globally, Daifuku is a major distribution and material handling systems supplier. Daifuku’s material handling systems are employed in warehouses, airports (baggage handling), automated factory assembly lines, and semiconductor/flat panel fabrication lines. Organic expansion has been complimented with an active overseas M&A strategy.
Fair value of £2,832,901 representing 2.9% of the Net Asset Value (30 April 2019: 2.5%)
Bengo4.Com (55,000 shares)
Bengo4 provides web-based marketing support to lawyers and tax accountants; in addition, the company operates a legal and tax advice web site open for queries by the public. In total, Bengo4 has links with 50% of the lawyers in Japan. Growth is also being driven by CloudSign, an e-contract signing tool that has been adopted by many large firms seeking to move beyond stamps and seals for contract certification.
Fair value of £2,822,366 representing 2.9% of the Net Asset Value (30 April 2019: 1.5%)
Nihon M&A Center (105,000 shares)
Nihon M&A provides M&A consulting and advisory services to small and medium sized companies. The company seeks to match growth-oriented companies seeking to expand market share with small and medium sized firms with uncertain outlooks due to succession problems or structural business changes. Employee compensation is largely based on performance. Nihon M&A Center has opened a Singapore office to enhance its cross-border capabilities.
Fair value of £2,808,635 representing 2.9% of the Net Asset Value (30 April 2019: 2.6%)
Nittoku Engineering (115,000 shares)
Nittoku Engineering is a major global assembler and distributor of automatic coil winding machines. Demand for coils, and automatic coil winding machines, continues to climb as coil application expands, not only in electrical devices, but also automobiles. The company is diversifying into radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and cards. Production is largely off-shore and overseas sales account for 70% of total sales.
Fair value of £2,799,229 representing 2.8% of the Net Asset Value (30 April 2019: 2.2%)
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS
As at 30 April 2020
| Fair Value | |||||||||||||||||||
| Holdings | Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss | £ '000 | % of NAV | ||||||||||||||||
| Advertising: 0.00% (30 April 2019: 0.52%) | - | - | |||||||||||||||||
| Banks: 0.40% (30 April 2019: 0.00%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 120,000 | Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group | 392 | 0.40 | ||||||||||||||||
| Chemicals: 5.07% (30 April 2019: 4.48%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 45,000 | KH Neochem | 640 | 0.65 | ||||||||||||||||
| 150,900 | Mitsubishi Chemical | 701 | 0.72 | ||||||||||||||||
| 11,000 | Shin-Etsu Chemical | 995 | 1.02 | ||||||||||||||||
| 36,000 | Tri Chemical Laboratories | 2,625 | 2.68 | ||||||||||||||||
| Commercial Services: 16.58% (30 April 2019: 27.83%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 105,000 | Benefit One | 1,506 | 1.54 | ||||||||||||||||
| 190,000 | Creek & River | 1,282 | 1.31 | ||||||||||||||||
| 100,000 | Fullcast Holdings | 1,044 | 1.07 | ||||||||||||||||
| 100,000 | Funai Soken | 1,743 | 1.78 | ||||||||||||||||
| 133,000 | Hirayama | 834 | 0.85 | ||||||||||||||||
| 30,000 | Insource | 543 | 0.55 | ||||||||||||||||
| 50,000 | Kanamoto | 791 | 0.81 | ||||||||||||||||
| 105,000 | Nihon M&A Center | 2,809 | 2.86 | ||||||||||||||||
| 35,000 | Prored Partners | 1,085 | 1.11 | ||||||||||||||||
| 65,000 | Recruit Holdings | 1,556 | 1.59 | ||||||||||||||||
| 540,000 | S-Pool | 3,043 | 3.11 | ||||||||||||||||
| Computers: 1.00% (30 April 2019: 0.00%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 50,000 | Infocom | 977 | 1.00 | ||||||||||||||||
| Distribution/Wholesale: 1.44% (30 April 2019: 1.90%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 80,000 | Trusco Nakayama | 1,410 | 1.44 | ||||||||||||||||
| Diversified Financial Services: 0.97% (30 April 2019: 1.40%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 530,000 | Aiful | 953 | 0.97 | ||||||||||||||||
| Electronics: 9.25% (30 April 2019: 9.49%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 140,000 | Chino | 1,339 | 1.37 | ||||||||||||||||
| 140,000 | Idec | 1,671 | 1.71 | ||||||||||||||||
| 10,000 | Keyence Corporation | 2,917 | 2.98 | ||||||||||||||||
| 66,000 | Nidec | 3,122 | 3.19 | ||||||||||||||||
| Energy-Alternate Sources: 1.68% (30 April 2019: 0.00%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 200,000 | Renova | 1,645 | 1.68 | ||||||||||||||||
| Environmental Control: 0.85% (30 April 2019: 0.00%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 100,000 | Airtech Japan | 835 | 0.85 | ||||||||||||||||
| Food: 2.01% (30 April 2019: 0.00%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 35,000 | Kobe Bussan | 1,364 | 1.39 | ||||||||||||||||
| 30,000 | Nichirei | 606 | 0.62 | ||||||||||||||||
| Hand/Machine Tools: 1.68% (30 April 2019: 1.11%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 9,000 | Disco | 1,649 | 1.68 | ||||||||||||||||
| Healthcare-Products: 5.19% (30 April 2019: 2.90%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 152,000 | Asahi Intecc | 3,274 | 3.34 | ||||||||||||||||
| 110,000 | Daiken Medical | 541 | 0.55 | ||||||||||||||||
| 107,000 | Japan Medical Dynamic Marketing | 1,270 | 1.30 | ||||||||||||||||
| Healthcare-Services: 4.44% (30 April 2019: 6.45%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 15,000 | CellSource | 1,089 | 1.11 | ||||||||||||||||
| 74,000 | PeptiDream | 2,255 | 2.31 | ||||||||||||||||
| 120,000 | Solasto | 1,000 | 1.02 | ||||||||||||||||
| Home Furnishings: 1.12% (30 April 2019: 0.00%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 21,000 | Sony | 1,095 | 1.12 | ||||||||||||||||
| Insurance: 0.78% (30 April 2019: 0.00%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 20,000 | Tokio Marine | 765 | 0.78 | ||||||||||||||||
| Internet: 4.98% (30 April 2019: 4.78%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 55,000 | Bengo4.com | 2,822 | 2.88 | ||||||||||||||||
| 27,000 | M3 | 790 | 0.81 | ||||||||||||||||
| 400,000 | Z Holdings | 1,261 | 1.29 | ||||||||||||||||
| Leisure Time: 0.00% (30 April 2019: 1.05%) | - | - | |||||||||||||||||
| Lodging: 0.00% (30 April 2019: 2.04%) | - | - | |||||||||||||||||
| Machinery-Construction & Mining: 0.93% (30 April 2019: 0.92%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 90,000 | Mitsubishi Electric | 908 | 0.93 | ||||||||||||||||
| Machinery-Diversified: 10.49% (30 April 2019: 10.57%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 50,000 | Daifuku | 2,833 | 2.89 | ||||||||||||||||
| 31,000 | Giken | 926 | 0.95 | ||||||||||||||||
| 65,000 | Japan Elevator Service Holdings | 1,350 | 1.38 | ||||||||||||||||
| 115,000 | Nittoku Engineering | 2,799 | 2.86 | ||||||||||||||||
| 370,000 | Yamashin-Filter | 2,364 | 2.41 | ||||||||||||||||
| Metal Fabricate/Hardware: 0.94% (30 April 2019: 1.27%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 140,000 | Okada Aiyon | 920 | 0.94 | ||||||||||||||||
| Pharmaceuticals: 1.39% (30 April 2019: 0.00%) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 105,000 | Elan | 1,360 | 1.39 | ||||||||||||||||
| Real Estate: 0.00% (30 April 2019: 1.07%) | - | - | ||||||||
| REITS: 5.27% (30 April 2019: 3.11%) | ||||||||||
| 1,900 | Industrial & Infrastructure Fund Investment Reits | 2,144 | 2.19 | |||||||
| 1,200 | Japan Excellent | 1,049 | 1.07 | |||||||
| 1,500 | MCUBS MidCity Investment | 848 | 0.87 | |||||||
| 1,600 | Renewable Japan Energy Infrastructure Fund | 1,114 | 1.14 | |||||||
| Retail: 0.57% (30 April 2019: 2.23%) | ||||||||||
| 40,000 | QB Net Holdings | 555 | 0.57 | |||||||
| Semiconductors: 13.98% (30 April 2019: 7.39%) | ||||||||||
| 83,000 | Inter Action | 1,481 | 1.52 | |||||||
| 195,000 | Japan Material | 2,309 | 2.36 | |||||||
| 122,000 | Lasertec | 6,619 | 6.76 | |||||||
| 19,000 | Tokyo Electron | 3,280 | 3.34 | |||||||
| Software: 0.96% (30 April 2019: 4.09%) | ||||||||||
| 90,000 | Cresco | 943 | 0.96 | |||||||
| Telecommunications: 1.93% (30 April 2019: 5.29%) | ||||||||||
| 12,000 | Hikari Tsushin | 1,895 | 1.93 | |||||||
| Toys/Games/Hobbies: 1.44% (30 April 2019: 0.00%) | ||||||||||
| 4,200 | Nintendo | 1,411 | 1.44 | |||||||
| Transportation: 1.48% (30 April 2019: 3.92%) | ||||||||||
| 60,000 | Naigai Trans Line | 507 | 0.52 | |||||||
| 85,000 | Nippon Concept | 943 | 0.96 | |||||||
| Total Japan (30 April 2019: 103.81%) | 94,797 | 96.82 | ||||||||
| Total listed equities (30 April 2019: 103.81%) | 94,797 | 96.82 | ||||||||
| Total investments held at fair value through profit or loss | 94,797 | 96.82 | ||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents (30 April 2019:1.98%) | 3,184 | 3.25 | ||||||||
| Other net liabilities (30 April 2019: (5.79%)) | (68) | (0.07) | ||||||||
| Net assets attributable to equity shareholders | 97,913 | 100.00 | ||||||||
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020
NOEL LAMB (Chairman, appointed to the Board on 1 February 2011 and appointed as Chairman on 1 May 2014), British, graduated from Exeter College, Oxford University and is a barrister-at-law. He joined Lazard Brothers & Co Limited in 1987 and from 1992 to 1997 he was the managing director of Lazard Japan Asset Management where he was the fund manager for their Japanese equities. In 1997, he moved to the Russell Investment Group where he established the investment management capability of Russell in London. In 2002, he was promoted to Chief Investment Officer in North America where he managed assets of $150bn until his departure in 2008.
PHILIP EHRMANN FCSI (appointed to the Board on 25 October 2013), British, graduated from the London School of Economics with a BSc in Economics. He started his investment career in 1981 specialising in the North American market before heading up Emerging Markets for Invesco Asset Management. In 1995 he joined Gartmore Investment Management to undertake a similar role, before becoming Head of Pacific & Emerging Markets. Whilst at Gartmore he managed the Gartmore Asia Pacific Trust plc, a pan-Asian Investment Trust. In 2006 he moved to Jupiter Asset Management where he was Co-Head of Asia. At the beginning of 2015 he joined Manulife Asset Management as a Senior Managing Director, responsible for overseeing Global Emerging Markets equity portfolios.
RICHARD PAVRY (appointed to the Board on 1 August 2016), British, is the Chief Executive Officer at Devon Equity Management Limited. Richard graduated in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University before converting to law. He began his career as a solicitor with Simmons & Simmons, moving to Jupiter Asset Management in 2000 where he served as head of investment trusts. He moved to Devon Equity Management Limited in November 2019. Richard has previously served as a non-executive director of Jupiter Second Split Trust plc and is Chairman of Devon Equity Funds SICAV.
MICHAEL MOULE (appointed to the Board on 5 February 2018), British, has a close connection to investment trusts and global investment having managed The City of London Investment Trust plc, The Bankers Investment Trust plc and The Law Debenture Corporation plc during an extensive City career with Touche Remnant and Henderson Global Investors. He is currently a director of Baillie Gifford European Growth Trust plc and a member of the Investment Committee of The Open University. He was previously Chairman of Polar Capital Technology Trust plc.
STRATEGIC REPORT
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020
The Directors submit their Strategic Report, Directors’ Report and Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities, together with the Company’s Statement of Comprehensive Income, Statement of Changes in Equity, Statement of Financial Position, Statements of Cash Flows and the related notes for the financial year ended 30 April 2020, together the “Audited Financial Statements”. These Audited Financial Statements have been properly prepared, in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union (“IFRS”).
THE COMPANY
Atlantis Japan Growth Fund Limited (the “Company”) was incorporated in Guernsey on 13 March 1996. The Company commenced activities on 10 May 1996. The Company is an authorised closed-ended investment scheme registered and domiciled in P.O. Box 255, Trafalgar Court, Les Banques, St Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 3QL, Channel Islands. The Company’s equity shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange.
As an investment trust, the Company is not regulated as a collective investment scheme by the Financial Conduct Authority. However, it is subject to the UKLA Listing Rules, Prospectus Rules, Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules and the rules of the London Stock Exchange.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND POLICY
The Company’s investment objective and policy are set out above.
The Company’s investment activities are managed by Quaero Capital LLP (“Investment Manager”) with the administration delegated to Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited.
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (“KPIs”)
At each Board meeting, the Board considers a number of performance measures to assess the Company’s success in achieving its objectives. Below are the main KPIs which have been identified by the Board for determining the progress of the Company:
• Change in Net Asset Value (NAV);
• Discount to the NAV;
• Share price; and
• Ongoing charges.
RESULTS AND DIVIDENDS
The results for the financial year are set out in the Statement of Comprehensive Income below.
As a UK investment trust the Company is subject to the provisions of the Corporation Tax Act 2010. Section 1158 includes a retention test which states that the Company should not retain in respect of any accounting period an amount which is greater than 15% of its income. This has been modified for accounting periods beginning on or after 28 June 2013 such that a negative balance on a company's revenue reserve is taken into account when calculating the amount of distributable income. This is not relevant for the financial year ended 30 April 2020.
Distributions of £1,981,063 were made during the financial year (30 April 2019: £Nil) and the Company met the retention test for the financial year ended 30 April 2020.
For more information please also refer to Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products (“PRIIPs”) regulations on below.
CAPITAL VALUES
At 30 April 2020, the value of net assets attributable to shareholders was £97,913,074 (30 April 2019: £107,290,867) and the NAV per share was £2.34 (30 April 2019: £2.42).
BUSINESS REVIEW AND TAX STATUS
The Company has been formally accepted into the investment trust company regime, subject to the Company continuing to submit appropriate annual tax filings to HM Revenue and Customs. In the opinion of the Directors, the Company has conducted its affairs so as to enable it to maintain ongoing investment trust status, subject to completion of the relevant tax work.
NEW DIVIDEND POLICY
At the 2019 AGM, shareholders approved the Board's recommendation to replace the six monthly redemption facility with a regular dividend paid to all shareholders on a quarterly basis set at 1% of net asset value towards the close of the preceding financial year. The quarterly dividend will be paid out of capital resources at the end of each calendar quarter. The December 2019, March 2020 and June 2020 dividend payments were made at the rate of 2.37p per share, being 1% of the average daily NAV per share in the final month of our financial year ended the 30 April 2019. The average daily NAV per share for the financial year ended 30 April 2020 was 217p, thus the next four payments will be at 2.17p per share payable at the end of September 2020 and December 2020, and March 2021 and June 2021.
The Directors may from time to time pay any interim dividends or other distribution payable on the shares of such amounts and on such dates and in respect of such periods as they think fit if it appears to them that the assets of the Company justify the payment. Provided the Directors act in good faith they shall not incur any liability to the holders of any shares for any loss they may suffer by the lawful payment of any such fixed or interim dividend as aforesaid.
FORMER REDEMPTION FACILITY
The final redemption facility occurred in September 2019. The purpose of the facility was to provide a measure of liquidity for those shareholders who wished to redeem. The redemption facility at the Directors’ discretion operated at six-monthly intervals on 31 March and 30 September (or if such date was not a business day, the previous business day).
The Directors were entitled at their absolute discretion to determine the procedures for the redemption of the ordinary shares (subject to the facilities and requirements of CREST and the Companies Law). Without prejudice to the Directors discretion, it was intended that the procedure described below should apply.
Redemptions took place on any redemption point. Upon redemption, all ordinary shares redeemed were cancelled.
The total redemptions at each redemption point were limited to 5% of the issued share capital at the time. At each redemption point, each shareholder was entitled to request the redemption of 5% of their holding of shares held at the immediately preceding redemption point and held continuously at all times since that date, rounded down to the nearest whole number (the “basic entitlement’). Until 31 March 2015, the redemption value was based upon the realisation value of the portfolio, less an exit charge set at 2% on redemptions of up to a shareholder's basic entitlement. Following a Board resolution to amend the redemption facility, with effect from the same date, the exit charge payable on redemptions of up to a shareholder's basic entitlement was increased to 4% of the total redemption costs.
SHARE BUY-BACKS
The Company has been granted the authority to make market purchases of up to a maximum of 14.99% of the aggregate number of ordinary shares in issue at a price not exceeding the higher of (i) 5% above the average of the mid-market values of the ordinary shares for the five business days before the purchase is made or (ii) the higher of the price of the last independent trade and the highest current investment bid for the ordinary shares.
In deciding whether to make any such purchases the Directors will have regard to what they believe to be in the best interests of shareholders as a whole, to the applicable legal requirements and any other requirements in the Articles. The making and timing of any buy-backs will be at the absolute discretion of the Board and not at the option of the shareholders, and is expressly subject to the Company having sufficient surplus cash resources available (excluding borrowed moneys).
The Board believes that the effective use of treasury shares can assist the Company in improving liquidity in the Company’s ordinary shares, managing any imbalance between supply and demand and minimising the volatility of the discount at which the ordinary shares trade to their NAV for the benefit of shareholders. It is believed that this facility gives the Company the ability to sell ordinary shares held in treasury quickly and cost effectively, and provides the Company with additional flexibility in the management of the capital base. During the financial year ended 30 April 2020, there were 313,000 shares purchased into treasury (30 April 2019: 500,000). The number of shares held in treasury at 30 April 2020 is 4,687,186 (30 April 2019: 4,374,186), the percentage of treasury shares in total is 10.1% (30 April 2019: 9.9%).
The Board shall have regard to current market practice for the reissue of treasury shares by investment trusts and the recommendations of the Investment Manager and the Financial Adviser. The Board’s current policy is that any ordinary shares held in treasury will not be resold by the Company at a discount to the Investment Manager and the Financial Adviser’s estimate of the prevailing NAV per ordinary share as at the date of issue. The Board will make an announcement of any change in its policy for the re-issuance of ordinary shares from treasury via a Regulatory Information Service approved by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”).
VIABILITY STATEMENT
In accordance with the UK Corporate Governance Code 2018 as issued by the Financial Reporting Council (‘FRC’), the Board has assessed the prospects of the Company over the next three years including the period from the date of this document to the annual general meeting in 2020. The Company’s investment objective is to achieve long-term capital growth and the Board regards the Company as a long-term investment.
The Board has considered the Company’s business model including its investment objective and investment policy as well as the principal risks and uncertainties that may affect the Company as detailed below. The Board, in its assessment of the viability of the Company, has considered each of the Company’s principal risks as referred to above, in particular the impact of a significant fall in the Japanese equity market on the value of the Company’s investment portfolio. The Board has noted that the Company holds a highly liquid portfolio invested predominantly in listed equities and no significant increase to ongoing charges or operational expenses is anticipated. Details of the ongoing charges are shown in Note 20 to the Financial Statements.
After making reasonable inquiries and assessing all data relating to the Company’s liquidity, particularly its holding of significant liquid level 1 assets, the Directors believe that the Company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future and do not consider there to be any threat from COVID-19 or other issues.
The Directors also review the level of the discount or premium between the middle market price of the Company’s ordinary shares and their NAV on a regular basis. The Directors have powers granted to them at the last annual general meeting to purchase ordinary shares and either cancel or hold them in treasury as a method of controlling the discount to NAV and enhancing shareholder value.
The Board has therefore concluded, based on the Company’s processes for monitoring operating costs, share price discount, the Investment Manager’s compliance with the investment objective, asset allocation, the portfolio risk profile, gearing, counterparty exposure, liquidity risk and financial controls, that there is a reasonable expectation that the Company will be able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall due over the next three years. A continuation vote was held at the most recent annual general meeting on 12 September 2019, whereby the resolution was passed for the Company to continue in existence.
GOING CONCERN
As outlined in the Viability Statement above, the Directors believe that the Company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the next 12 months. Whilst the Company is obliged to hold a continuation vote every four years, the Directors do not believe this should automatically trigger the adoption of a basis other than going concern basis in line with the Association of Investment Companies (“AIC”) Statement of Recommended Practice (“SORP”) which states that it is more appropriate to prepare financial statements on a going concern basis unless a continuation vote has already been triggered and shareholders have voted against continuation. The Directors have also considered the results of the most resent continuation vote held at the 2019 annual general, meeting whereby the resolution was passed for the Company to continue in existence. As noted above in the Company’s Viability Statement, there are no material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt as to the ability of the Company to continue to meet its ongoing obligations.
After making enquiries and given the nature of the Company and its investment, and having carried out an assessment of the impact of Covid-19 on the Company, the Directors are satisfied that it is appropriate to continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing these Financial Statements. The Company’s Investment Shares are liquid and can be converted to cash to meet liabilities as they fall due. The Board considers this to be sufficient for normal requirements. After due consideration, the Directors consider that the Company is able to continue for the foreseeable future.
PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTANTIES
As an investment trust, the Company invests in securities for the long term. The financial investments held as assets by the Company comprise equity shares (see the Schedule of Investments above for a breakdown). As such, the holding of securities, investing activities and financing associated with the implementation of the investment policy involve certain inherent risks. Events may occur that could result in either a reduction in the Company’s net assets or a reduction of revenue profits available for distribution.
Set out below are the emerging and principal risks inherent in the Company’s activities along with the actions taken to manage them. The Board conducts robust reviews of these risks and agrees policies for their management. The Board has considered the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and prepares and reviews regularly a risk matrix which documents the significant and emerging risks. These policies have remained substantially unchanged since 30 April 2006.
The risk matrix document considers the following information:
• Identifying and reporting changes in the risk environment;
• Identifying and reporting changes in the operational controls;
• Identifying and reporting on the effectiveness of controls and remediation of errors arising; and
• Reviewing the risks faced by the Company and the controls in place to address those risks.
Performance
Inappropriate investment policies and processes may result in under-performance against the prescribed benchmark index and the Company’s peer group. The Board manages these risks by ensuring a diversification of investments and regularly reviewing the portfolio asset allocation and investment process. The Board also regularly monitors the Company’s investment performance against a number of indices and the AIC Japanese smaller companies’ sub-sector peer group. In addition, certain investment restrictions have been set and these are monitored as appropriate.
Discount
A disproportionate widening of the discount relative to the Company’s peers could result in loss of value for shareholders. The Board reviews the discount level regularly.
Up until September 2019, the Company operated a shareholder-approved discount control mechanism whereby the Company held a continuation vote if the shares traded, on average, at a discount of more than 10% to the NAV per share during any rolling 90 day period in normal market conditions. If the obligation to hold a continuation vote was triggered, the vote was held no later than the next practicable annual general meeting of the Company.
Regulatory
The Company operates in a complex regulatory environment and faces a number of regulatory risks. Breaches of regulations, such as Section 1158 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010, The Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008, the UKLA Listing Rules and the DTR, could lead to a number of detrimental outcomes and reputational damage. The Company conforms with the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (“AIFMD”). The Board relies on the services of the Administrator, Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited, and its professional advisers to ensure compliance with The Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008, the POI Law, the UKLA Listing Rules and Prospectus Rules, the DTR and the rules of the London Stock Exchange.
Operational
Like most other investment trust companies, the Company has no employees. The Company therefore relies upon the services provided by third parties and is dependent on the control systems of the Investment Manager, Investment Adviser and the Company’s Administrator. The security, for example, of the Company’s assets, dealing procedures, accounting records and maintenance of regulatory and legal requirements depends on the effective operation of these systems. These are regularly tested, monitored and are reviewed by the Directors at the quarterly board meetings.
Financial
The financial risks faced by the Company, including the impact of changes in Japanese equity market prices on the value of the Company’s investments, are disclosed in Note 15 to the Financial Statements. The financial risks disclosed in Note 15 are detailed for compliance with IFRS.
COVID-19
Beginning in January 2020, global financial markets have experienced and may continue to experience significant volatility resulting from the spread of a novel coronavirus known as COVID-19. The outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in travel and border restrictions, quarantines, supply chain disruptions, lower consumer demand and general market uncertainty. COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and this may negatively impact the Company’s performance. In responding to the risks of COVID-19, the Directors have established business continuity plans and have inquired and are satisfied that service providers have a process in place to continue to provide required services to the Company and maintain compliance with laws and regulations in the face of the challenges faced. Furthermore, the Company invests wholly in Japanese listed equities and there has been good control of the virus in Japan which reduces the potential impact on the Company.
ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE (“ESG”) POLICIES
The Company does not have employees, it does not own physical assets and its Board is formed exclusively of non-executive Directors. As such, the Company does not undertake activity which would directly affect the environment. On a regular basis, the Investment Manager assesses the trading activity of the funds it manages, including the Company, to ascertain whether environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) factors are appropriate or applicable to such funds. The Company is adopting the ESG policies of the Investment Manager.
The Investment Manager continues to look for opportunities to align the interests of investors with the transformation taking place in business and industry as a result of growing attention on environmental and social concerns as highlighted by the Sustainable Development Goals. The Investment Manager sees great opportunity in infrastructure assets where there is growing demand, for example in renewable energy, communication infrastructure and health facilities.
The Investment Manager is a signatory/member of the following:
- UN PRI (United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment) to demonstrate commitment to responsible investment. The PRI acts in the long-term interests of its signatories, of the financial markets and economies in which they operate and ultimately of the environment and society.
- IIGCC (Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change) and looks to influence corporations to address long term risks associated with climate change.
- CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) and looks to influence companies to disclose their carbon footprint and address risks associated with climate change. The platform also provides a wealth of environmental data reported by companies.
The Investment Manager launched an ESG Committee, which has oversight and responsibility for the development and integration of the ESG policy and for driving progress. As the industry continues to evolve, with companies reporting more ESG data and client expectations changing, the Investment Manager will adapt and develop policies and approaches in order to continue to deliver financial return for clients in a responsible and impactful way.
The Investment Manager operates an exclusion policy which incorporates an exclusion list to investment screens across all applicable investment strategies. This list includes any company involved in the production or distribution of indiscriminate and controversial weapons, in line with international convention. Additionally we exclude companies whose conduct is in systematic and severe breach of UN Global Compact principles.
If an area of concern is raised during an ESG evaluation, the Investment Manager considers the initiation of a dialogue with the company, either through meetings with the company’s management. These topics of engagement usually cover two areas: ESG transparency and ESG risks and issues. Greater ESG transparency is encouraged, as this is vital as investors to appreciate the risks and opportunities faced by each company.
Voting forms part of the Investment Manager’s engagement strategy, and aims to vote 100% of the time. The Investment Manager considers voting part of the fiduciary duty to investors, and vote in accordance with clients’ best interests.
FUTURE PROSPECTS
Please see the Chairman’s Statement above and the Investment Advisors Report above for more information on the future prospects of the Company.
Although the Company is domiciled in Guernsey, the Board has considered the guidance set out in the AIC Code in relation to Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 in the UK. Section 172 of the Companies Act requires that the Directors of the Company act in the way they consider, in good faith, is most likely to promote the success of the Company for the benefits of its members, and in doing so have regard to stakeholders, including suppliers, customers and shareholders. Please see Corporate Governance below for details of the Company’s consideration of the key stakeholders.
Noel Lamb Philip Ehrmann
Chairman Director
7 July 2020
DIRECTORS’ REPORT AND STATEMENT OF DIRECTORS’ RESPONSIBILITIES
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020
The Directors are pleased to present their twenty fourth Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements of the Company for the financial year ended 30 April 2020.
PRINCIPAL ACTIVITY
The Company is a Guernsey registered authorised closed-ended investment company with UK investment trust status traded on the London Stock Exchange. The Company has a premium listing in the Official List. Trading in the Company’s ordinary shares commenced on 10 May 1996.
STATEMENT OF DIRECTORS’ RESPONSIBILITIES
The Directors are responsible for preparing Financial Statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company and of the profit or loss of the Company for that financial year. In preparing these Financial Statements, the Directors are required to:
– select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
– make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
– state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the Financial Statements; and
– prepare the Financial Statements on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Company will continue in business.
We confirm, to the best of our knowledge, that:
– this Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements, prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union (“IFRS”) and applicable Guernsey law, gives a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and assesses the Company’s position and performance, business model and strategy of the Company; and
– this Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements include information detailed in the Directors' Report, the Investment Adviser’s Report and Notes to the Financial Statements, which provides a fair review of the information required by:
a) DTR 4.1.8 of the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules (“DTR”), being a fair review of the Company’s business and a description of the principal risks and uncertainties facing the Company; and
b) DTR 4.1.11 of the DTR, being an indication of important events that have occurred since the beginning of the financial year, the likely future development of the Company, the Company’s use of financial instruments and, where material, the Company’s financial risk management objectives and policies and its exposure to price risk, credit risk, liquidity risk and cash flow risk.
In the opinion of the Directors, the Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements, taken as a whole, are fair, balanced and understandable and provide the information necessary for shareholders to assess the Company’s performance, business model and strategy.
The Directors are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Company and to enable them to ensure that the Financial Statements comply with The Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008 (the “Companies Law”) and the Protection of Investors (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 1987 (“POI Law”). 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 Directors’ Report and other information included in the Annual Report is prepared in accordance with company law applicable in Guernsey. They are also responsible for ensuring that the Annual Report includes information required by the Listing Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority and the DTR.
The Directors who held office at the date of the approval of the Financial Statements confirm that, so far as they are aware:
– There is no relevant audit information of which the Company’s auditor is unaware; and
– Each Director has taken all the steps they ought to have taken as Directors to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the Company’s auditor is aware of that information.
The Directors confirm that these Financial Statements comply with these requirements.
In respect of the UK Criminal Finances Act 2017, which has introduced a new corporate criminal offence of “failing to take reasonable steps to prevent the facilitation of tax evasion”, the Board confirms that it is committed to zero tolerance towards the criminal facilitation of tax evasion.
PREPARATION OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Financial Statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with IFRS, which comprise standards and interpretations endorsed by the European Union, and International Accounting Standards, and Standing Interpretations Committee interpretations approved by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (“IASC”) that remain in effect.
SIGNIFICANT SHAREHOLDINGS
In accordance with the Company's Articles of Association the Directors have the ability to request nominee shareholders to disclose the beneficial shareholders they represent. Based on the information received the following shareholders had a holding in the Company in excess of 3% as at 30 April 2020.
| Shareholder | % | Ordinary Shares | |
| 1607 Capital Partners | 25.1 | 10,490,649 | |
| Wells Capital Management | 17.2 | 7,206,406 | |
| Lazard Asset Management | 6.2 | 2,591,692 | |
| Hargreaves Lansdown Asset Management | 4.5 | 1,899,490 | |
| Premier Miton Investors | 4.4 | 1,850,000 | |
| Interactive Investor | 3.0 | 1,254,556 | |
SECRETARY
The Secretary is Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited.
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR
Following a competitive audit tender process carried out by the Company, Grant Thornton Limited were appointed as new independent auditors following the resignation of PricewaterhouseCoopers CI LLP.
Grant Thornton Limited have indicated their willingness to be re-appointed in office.
Resolutions to re-appointing the Independent Auditor and authorising the Directors to fix their remuneration will be proposed at the Annual General Meeting.
PricewaterhouseCoopers CI LLP will remain as tax advisors to the Company.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND SHAREHOLDER RELATIONS
Details of the Company’s compliance with corporate governance best practice, including information on relations with shareholders, are set out in the Corporate Governance Statement below and this statement forms part of the Directors’ Report.
ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENT FUND MANAGERS DIRECTIVE
The Company has entered into the arrangements necessary to ensure compliance with the AIFM Directive. Following a review of the Company's management arrangements, the Board approved the appointment of Quaero Capital LLP ("Quaero") as the Company's Alternative Investment Fund Manager on the terms of and subject to the conditions of the Investment Management Agreement between the Company and Quaero.
The Board has also appointed Northern Trust (Guernsey) Limited (the "Depositary") to act as the Company's depositary (as required by the AIFM Directive) on the terms and subject to the conditions of a Depositary Agreement between the Company, Quaero and the Depositary.
INTERNATIONAL TAX REPORTING
For the purposes of the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, the Company registered with the US Internal Revenue Services (“IRS”) as a Guernsey reporting Foreign Financial Institution (“FFI”), received a Global Intermediary Identification Number PYT2PS.99999.SL.831, and can be found on the IRS FFI list.
The Common Reporting Standard (“CRS”) is a global standard for the automatic exchange of financial account information developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”), which has been adopted by Guernsey and which came into effect on 1 January 2016. The Board has taken the necessary action to ensure that the Company is compliant with Guernsey regulations and guidance in this regard.
Noel Lamb Philip Ehrmann
Chairman Director
7 July 2020
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020
The Board has approved this report, in accordance with the rules covering good communication to shareholders. An ordinary resolution for the approval of this report will be put to the members at the forthcoming annual general meeting.
REMUNERATION COMMITTEE
The Board as a whole fulfils the function of a Remuneration Committee. The Company’s financial adviser, corporate broker and company secretary will be asked to provide advice when the Directors consider the level of Directors’ fees.
POLICY ON DIRECTORS’ FEES
The Board’s policy is that the remuneration of non-executive Directors should reflect the experience of the Board as a whole and be fair and comparable to that of other investment trusts that are similar in size, have a similar capital structure and have a similar investment objective.
The fees for the non-executive Directors are determined within the limits of £200,000 set out in the Company’s Articles of Incorporation. The Directors are not eligible for bonuses, pension benefits, share options, long-term incentive schemes or other benefits.
DIRECTORS’ SERVICE CONTRACTS
It is the Board’s policy that none of the Directors have a service contract. Directors are appointed initially until the following annual general meeting when, under the Company’s Articles of Incorporation, it is required that they be re-elected by shareholders. Thereafter, two Directors shall retire by rotation, or if only one Director is subject to retire by rotation he shall retire. The retiring Directors will then be eligible for reappointment having been considered for reappointment by the Chairman and other Directors. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of the Company's Articles of Incorporation, the Board is recommending that all Directors be subject to re-election at the forthcoming annual general meeting.
DIRECTORS’ EMOLUMENTS FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR
The Directors who served in the financial year are entitled to the following emoluments in the form of fees:
| Year ended | Year ended | ||||||
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | ||||||
| Regular fees | £ | £ | |||||
| Noel Lamb | 33,000 | 32,500 | |||||
| Richard Pavry | 26,000 | 25,833 | |||||
| Philip Ehrmann | 28,500 | 28,334 | |||||
| Michael Moule | 26,000 | 25,833 | |||||
| 113,500 | 112,500 | ||||||
DIRECTORS’ INTERESTS
The Directors listed above are all members of the Board at the financial year end 30 April 2020.
Certain Directors had a beneficial interest in the Company by way of their investment in the ordinary shares of the Company.
The details of these interests as at 30 April 2020 and 30 April 2019 are as follows:
| Ordinary Shares | Ordinary Shares | ||||||
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | ||||||
| Noel Lamb | 20,000 | 14,400 | |||||
| Richard Pavry | 40,000 | 40,000 | |||||
| Philip Ehrmann | 28,800 | 28,800 | |||||
| Michael Moule | 35,000 | 20,000 | |||||
As at the date of this report, Philip Ehrmann held 50,000 ordinary shares of the Company. The above interests of all other Directors were unchanged.
There were no relevant contracts in force during or at the end of the financial year in which any Director had an interest. There are no service contracts in issue in respect of the Company’s Directors.
No Directors had a non-beneficial interest in the Company during the financial year under review.
DISCLOSURE OF DIRECTORSHIPS IN PUBLIC COMPANIES LISTED ON RECOGNISED STOCK EXCHANGES
The following summarises the Directors’ directorships in other public companies:
Michael Moule
Company Name Stock Exchange
Baillie Gifford European Growth Trust plc London
None of the other Directors held directorships in other public companies during the financial year under review.
APPROVAL
A resolution for the approval of the Directors’ Remuneration Report for the financial year ended 30 April 2020 will be proposed at the annual general meeting.
By order of the Board
Noel Lamb Philip Ehrmann
Chairman Director
7 July 2020
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020
INTRODUCTION
The following Corporate Governance statement forms part of the Directors’ Report above (DTR 7.2.1).The Board of the Company has considered the principles and provisions of the February 2019 edition of the AIC Code of Corporate Governance (the “AIC Code”). The AIC Code addresses all the principles set out in the UK Corporate Governance Code 2018 (the “UK Code”), as well as setting out additional principles and provisions on issues that are of specific relevance to the Company.
The Company is subject to the Guernsey Financial Services Commission ("GFSC") Code of Corporate Governance (the "GFSC Code") and reports against the AIC Code which is deemed to comply with the GFSC Code.
The Company has complied with the provisions of the AIC Code and the relevant provisions of the UK Code throughout the financial year, except as set out below:
– the role of the chief executive
– executive directors’ remuneration
– the need for an internal audit function
– the need to appoint a senior independent director
– the need to appoint a nomination committee or management engagement committee
– the whistle blowing policy
The AIC Code is available on the AIC website (www.theaic.co.uk). It includes an explanation of how the AIC Code adapts the Principles and Provisions set out in the UK Code to make them relevant for investment companies.
The Board considers these provisions are not relevant to the position of the Company, being an externally managed investment company. The Company has therefore not reported further in respect of these provisions. The Directors are non-executive and the Company does not have employees, hence no whistle-blowing policy is required. However, the Directors note that the Company’s service providers have whistle blowing policies in place.
THE BOARD
Disclosures under the AIC Code
The Board comprises four independent non-executive Directors including the Chairman, Noel Lamb. Due to the size of the Company, the nature of its activities and the fact that all of the Directors are independent, the Board does not consider it necessary to appoint a senior independent director.
The Board has not appointed a remuneration committee but, comprising wholly independent Directors, the whole Board considers these matters regularly. The Board considers agenda items formally laid out in the Notice and Agenda, which are formally circulated to the Board in advance of the meeting as part of the Board papers.
The primary focus at board meetings is a review of investment performance and associated matters such as the discount, redemptions, gearing, asset allocation, marketing and investor relations, peer group information and industry issues. There were six board meetings (1 May 2018-30 April 2019: four) and three Audit Committee meetings (1 May 2018-30 April 2019: three) held during the financial year 1 May 2019 to 30 April 2020. The table below shows the number of formal meetings attended by each Director during the financial year:
| Director | Board Meetings Attended | Audit Committee Meetings Attended |
| Noel Lamb | 6 | 2 |
| Philip Ehrmann | 5 | 3 |
| Richard Pavry | 4 | 3 |
| Michael Moule | 5 | 3 |
In addition to the above meetings, there were also three other committee meetings (1 May 2018-30 April 2019: five) held during the financial year in relation to the operation of the redemption facility and other operational matters.
Directors are appointed initially until the following annual general meeting when, under the Company’s Articles of Incorporation, it is required that they be re-elected by shareholders. Thereafter, two Directors shall retire by rotation, or if only one Director is subject to retire by rotation he shall retire. The retiring Directors will then be eligible for reappointment having been considered for reappointment by the Chairman and other Directors. The Board is recommending that all Directors be subject to re-election at the forthcoming AGM.
The Board evaluates its performance and considers the tenure of each Director including the Chairman on an annual basis, and considers that the mix of skills, experience, ages and length of service to be appropriate to the requirements of the Company.
When considering succession planning, the Board bears in mind the balance of skills, knowledge, and sector experience and diversity existing on the Board. The Board has noted amendments to the UK Code to strengthen the principle on boardroom diversity following the Davies Report. The Board considers diversity as part of the annual performance evaluation and it is felt that there is a range of backgrounds and each Director brings different qualities to the Board and its discussions. It is not felt appropriate for the Company to have set targets in relation to diversity; candidates will be assessed in relation to the relevant needs of the Company at the time of appointment. A good knowledge of investment management generally, Japanese investment management specifically and investment trust industry matters and sophisticated investor concerns relevant to the Company will nevertheless remain the key criteria by which new Board candidates will be assessed. The Board will recommend when the recruitment of additional non-executive Directors is required. Once a decision is made to recruit additional Directors to the Board each Director is invited to submit nominations and these are considered in accordance with the Board’s agreed procedures. The Board may also use independent external agencies as and when the requirement to recruit an additional Board member becomes necessary.
The Board embraces the principles of the UK Code but, with regard to its provisions concerning director tenure, is of the opinion that an individual’s independence cannot be arbitrarily determined on the basis of a set period of time. The Company’s investment objective is to achieve long term capital growth and it benefits from having long serving Directors with a detailed knowledge of the Company’s operations to effectively oversee its management on behalf of shareholders. The Company therefore does not impose fixed term limits on Directors’ tenure as this would result in a loss of experience and knowledge without any assurance of increased independence. The Board, collectively and individually, firmly believes in the continued independence of its members. The Board confirms that the performance of all Directors has been subject to formal evaluation and that they continue to be effective in their role. The Board firmly recommends to shareholders that all Directors should be re-elected.
There is an agreed procedure for Directors to take independent professional advice if necessary, and at the Company’s expense. This is in addition to the access which every Director has to the advice of the Company Secretary. The Company has taken out insurance jointly with QBE and Travelers in respect of the Directors’ liability. For the financial year ended 30 April 2020 the charge was £4,875.
INTERNAL CONTROLS
The Board has delegated the responsibility for the management of the Company’s investment portfolio, the provision of depositary services and the administration, registrar and corporate secretarial functions including the independent calculation of the Company’s NAV and the production of the Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements. The Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements are also independently audited. Whilst the Board delegates responsibility, it retains responsibility for the functions it delegates and is responsible for the risk management and systems of internal control. Formal contractual agreements have been put in place between the Company and providers of these services.
The Board directly on an ongoing basis and via its Audit Committee has implemented a system to identify and manage the risks inherent in such contractual arrangements by assessing and evaluating the performance of the service providers, including financial, operational and compliance controls and risk management systems.
On an ongoing basis compliance reports are provided at each Board meeting from the Administrator, Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited, and the Audit Committee reviews the Service Organisation Controls (SOC 1) report on this service provider.
The extent and quality of the systems of internal control and compliance adopted by the Investment Manager and the Investment Adviser are also reviewed on a regular basis, and the primary focus at each Board meeting is a review of investment performance and associated matters such as gearing, asset allocation, marketing and investment relations, peer group information and industry issues. The Board also closely monitors the level of discount and has the ability to buy back shares in the market.
The Board believes that it has implemented an effective system for the assessment of risk, but the Company has no staff, has no internal audit function and can only give reasonable but not absolute assurance that there has been no material financial misstatement or loss.
COMMITTEES
The Board has established an Audit Committee which is described below.
The Board has not appointed a Management Engagement Committee or Nomination Committee but has chosen to assess and review the performance of the Board and contractual arrangements with the Investment Manager, Investment Adviser and service providers to the Company on an annual basis by the entire Board who are independent non-executive Directors. Details of the Investment Management Agreement are shown in Note 6 to the Financial Statements.
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee operates within defined terms of reference. The Audit Committee’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to (see Audit Committee Report above for more details):
– review of draft annual and interim report and financial statements;
– review of independence, objectivity, qualifications and experience of the auditor;
– review of audit fees.
The Audit Committee is appointed by the Board and comprises Mr Ehrmann as Chairman, Mr Pavry, Mr Lamb and Mr Moule.
In accordance with the AIC Code, the Board has determined that Mr Ehrmann has recent and relevant financial experience. All other members of the Audit Committee are deemed to have the necessary ability and experience to understand the Financial Statements.
The Chairman is also a member of the Audit Committee and in accordance with the AIC Code, the Board has deemed this appropriate as all of the other members of the Audit Committee are independent non-executive directors and the Chairman may not be the Chairman of the Audit Committee.
The function of the Audit Committee is to ensure that the Company maintains the highest standards of integrity, financial reporting and internal control.
The Audit Committee meets with the Company’s external auditor annually to review the Audited Financial Statements.
The Audit Committee meets at least twice a year and may meet more frequently if the Audit Committee deems necessary or if required by the Company’s auditor.
The Company’s auditor is advised of the timing of the Audit Committee Meetings. The Audit Committee has access to the Compliance officers of the Investment Manager, the Administrator and the Depositary.
The Company Secretary is the Secretary of the Audit Committee and attends all meetings of the Audit Committee.
The Audit Committee is authorised by the Board to investigate any activity within its terms of reference. It is authorised to obtain outside legal or other independent professional advice and to secure the attendance of outsiders with relevant experience and expertise if it considers this necessary.
SHAREHOLDER RELATIONS
The Board monitors the trading activity and shareholder profile on a regular basis and maintains contact with the Company’s stockbroker to ascertain the views of shareholders. Shareholders where possible are contacted directly on a regular basis, and shareholders are invited to attend the Company’s annual general meeting in person and ask questions of the Board and Investment Adviser. Following the annual general meeting each year the Investment Adviser gives a presentation to the shareholders.
The Company reports to shareholders twice a year and a proxy voting card is sent to shareholders with the Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements. The Registrar monitors the voting of the shareholders and proxy voting is taken into consideration when votes are cast at the annual general meeting. Shareholders may contact the Directors via the Company Secretary. In addition, estimated NAVs are published on a daily basis and monthly factsheets are published on the Investment Manager's website at http://www.quaerocapital.uk/funds/atlantis-japan-growth-fund-limited.
EVALUATION OF PERFORMANCE OF INVESTMENT MANAGER AND INVESTMENT ADVISER
The investment performance is reviewed at each regular Board meeting at which representatives of the Investment Manager and Investment Adviser are required to provide answers to any questions raised by the Board. The Board has instigated an annual formal review of the Investment Manager and Investment Adviser which includes consideration of:
– performance compared with benchmark and peer group;
– investment resources dedicated to the Company;
– investment management fee arrangements and notice period compared with peer group; and
– marketing effort and resources provided to the Company.
In the opinion of the Directors the continuing appointment of the Investment Manager and Investment Adviser on the terms agreed is in the interests of the Company’s shareholders as a whole.
By order of the Board
Noel Lamb Philip Ehrmann
Chairman Director
7 July 2020
Audit Committee Report
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020
We present the Audit Committee's Report, setting out the responsibilities of the Audit Committee and its key activities for the financial year ended 30 April 2020.
The Audit Committee has continued its detailed scrutiny of the appropriateness of the Company’s system of risk management and internal controls, the robustness and integrity of the Company’s financial reporting, along with the external audit process. The Committee has devoted time to ensuring that controls and processes have been properly established, documented and implemented.
During the course of the financial year, the information that the Audit Committee has received has been timely and clear and has enabled the Audit Committee to discharge its duties effectively.
The Audit Committee supports the aims of the UK Code and the best practice recommendations of other corporate governance organisations and the Association of Investment Companies (“AIC”), and believes that reporting against the revised AIC Code allows the Audit Committee to further strengthen its role as a key independent oversight Committee.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The primary function of the Audit Committee is to assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities. This includes reviewing the financial reports and other financial information before publication.
In addition, the Audit Committee reviews the systems of internal controls on a continuing basis that the Investment Manager and the Board have established with respect to finance, accounting, risk management, compliance, fraud and audit. The Committee also reviews the accounting and financial reporting processes, along with reviewing the roles, independence and effectiveness of the external auditor.
The ultimate responsibility for reviewing and approving the Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements remains with the Board.
The Audit Committee's full terms of reference can be obtained by contacting the Company's Administrator.
RISK MANAGEMENT AND INTERNAL CONTROL
The Board, as a whole, including the Audit Committee members, considers the nature and extent of the Company’s risk management framework and the risk profile that is acceptable in order to achieve the Company’s strategic objectives. As a result, it is considered that the Board has fulfilled its obligations under the UK Code.
The Audit Committee continues to be responsible for reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of the Company’s on-going risk management systems and processes. Its system of internal controls, along with its design and operating effectiveness, is subject to review by the Audit Committee through reports received from the Investment Manager, Investment Adviser and Depositary, along with those from the Administrator and external auditor.
The Audit Committee has reviewed the need for an internal audit function and has decided that the systems and procedures employed by the Investment Manager, Investment Adviser, Administrator and Depositary provide sufficient assurance that a sound system of risk management and internal control, which safeguards shareholders’ investments and the Company’s assets, is maintained. An internal audit function is therefore considered unnecessary.
FRAUD, BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION
The Audit Committee has relied on the overarching requirement placed on all service providers under the relevant agreements to comply with applicable law. The Audit Committee reviews the service provider policies and receives a confirmation from all service providers that there have been no instances of fraud or bribery.
FINANCIAL REPORTING AND SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL ISSUES
The Audit Committee assesses whether suitable accounting policies have been adopted. The Audit Committee reviews accounting papers prepared by the Investment Manager and Administrator which provide details on the main financial reporting judgements.
The Audit Committee also reviews reports by the external auditors which highlight any issues with respect to the work undertaken on the audit.
The significant issues considered during the financial year by the Audit Committee in relation to the Financial Statements and how they were addressed is detailed below:
(i) Valuation of Investments:
The Company’s investments had a fair value of £94,979,253 as at 30 April 2020 and represent a substantial portion of the assets of the Company. As such this is the largest factor in relation to the consideration of the Financial Statements. These investments are valued in accordance with the Significant Accounting Policies set out in Note 2 (f) to the Financial Statements. The Audit Committee considered the valuation of the investments held by the Company as at 30 April 2020 to be correct from information provided by the Investment Manager, Investment Adviser, Depositary and Administrator on their processes for the valuation of these investments.
(ii) Income Recognition:
The Audit Committee considered the income from investments recorded in the Financial Statements for the financial year ended 30 April 2020. Income from investments is recognised in accordance with the Significant Accounting Policies set out in Note 2 (d). The Audit Committee reviewed information obtained from the Investment Manager and was satisfied that income, having arisen solely from dividends declared by listed equities, was correctly stated in the Financial Statements.
(iii) Review of the Financial Statements:
At the request of the Audit Committee, the Administrator confirmed that it was not aware of any material misstatements, including matters relating to Financial Statements presentation. At the Audit Committee meeting to review the Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements, the Audit Committee received and reviewed a report on the audit from the external auditors. On the basis of its review of this report, the Audit Committee is satisfied that the external auditor has fulfilled its responsibilities with diligence and professional scepticism. The Audit Committee advised the Board that these Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements, taken as a whole, are fair, balanced and understandable and provide the information necessary for shareholders to assess the Company’s performance, business model and strategy. The Audit Committee will consider and make recommendations to the Board in relation to the appointment and re-appointment of the Companies’ external auditors. The Audit Committee will discuss with the external auditors concerning such issues as compliance with accounting standards and any proposals which the external auditors have made regarding internal auditing standards
(iv) COVID-19
Beginning in January 2020, global financial markets have experienced and may continue to experience significant volatility resulting from the spread of a novel coronavirus known as COVID-19. COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and this may negatively impact the Company’s performance. (Refer to Strategic Report above for more details on COVID-19).
The Audit Committee is satisfied that appropriate disclosures have been included in the Financial Statements.
EXTERNAL AUDITOR
The Audit Committee has responsibility for making a recommendation on the appointment, reappointment and removal of the external auditors. On 9 April 2020, the Company appointed Grant Thornton Limited as its new independent external auditor and Cyril Swale the Grant Thornton Engagement leader. (Refer to Directors’ Report and Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities 24 for details of the change of external auditor).
During the financial year the Audit Committee received and reviewed audit plans and reports from the external Auditor. To assess the effectiveness of the external audit process, the auditors were asked to articulate the steps that they have taken to ensure objectivity and independence, including where the auditor provides non-audit services. The Audit Committee also reviewed the work done during the financial year by the external auditors both as part of the audit process and on non-audit matters and from time to time compares their effectiveness as well as their costs with the benefit of the experience they have had in other investment management houses and relevant contexts. These steps enable the Audit Committee to monitor the auditor’s performance, behaviour and effectiveness during the exercise of their duties, which informs the decision to recommend reappointment on an annual basis. The Audit Committee under its terms of reference reviews the appointment and re-appointment of the external auditor typically at its December meeting in advance of the reviewing the audit approach for the Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements.
The Committee ensures that auditor objectivity and independence are safeguarded by requiring pre-approval by the Committee for all non-audit services provided to the Company, which takes into consideration:
– confirmation from the auditor that they have adequate arrangements in place to safeguard their objectivity and independence in carrying out such work, within the meaning of the regulatory and professional requirements to which they are subject;
– the fees to be incurred, relative to the audit fees;
– the nature of the non-audit services; and
– whether the auditor’s skills and experience make it the most suitable supplier of such services and whether they are in a position to provide them.
The following table summarises the remuneration paid for audit services of Grant Thornton Limited during the financial year ended 30 April 2020 and the audit and non-audit services of PwC CI LLP during the financial year ended 30 April 2019.
| For the financial year ended 30 April 2020 | ||||||
| £ | ||||||
| Annual audit | 34,000 | |||||
| For the financial year ended 30 April 2019 | ||||||
| £ | ||||||
| Annual audit | 37,950 | |||||
| Tax compliance and advisory services | 5,500 |
For any questions on the activities of the Audit Committee not addressed in the foregoing, a member of the Audit Committee will attend each annual general meeting to respond to such questions.
The Audit Committee Report was approved on 7 July 2020 and signed on behalf of the Audit Committee by:
Philip Ehrmann
Chairman, Audit Committee
DEPOSITARY STATEMENT
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020
REPORT OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE SHAREHOLDERS
Northern Trust (Guernsey) Limited has been appointed as Depositary to Atlantis Japan Growth Fund Limited (the “Company”) in accordance with the requirements of Article 36 and Articles 21(7), (8) and (9) of the Directive 2011/61/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2011 on Alternative Investment Fund Managers and amending Directives 2003/41/EC and 2009/65/EC and Regulations (EC) No 1060/2009 and (EU) No 1095/2010 (the “AIFM Directive”).
We have enquired into the conduct of Quaero Capital LLP (the “AIFM”) for the financial year ended 30 April 2020, in our capacity as Depositary to the Company.
This report, including the review provided below, has been prepared for and solely for the shareholders in the Company. We do not, in giving this report, accept or assume responsibility for any other purpose or to any other person to whom this report is shown.
Our obligations as Depositary are stipulated in the relevant provisions of the AIFM Directive and the relevant sections of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 231/2013 (collectively the “AIFMD legislation”).
Amongst these obligations is the requirement to enquire into the conduct of the AIFM and the Company and their delegates in each annual accounting period.
Our report shall state whether, in our view, the Company has been managed in that period in accordance with the AIFMD legislation. It is the overall responsibility of the AIFM to comply with these provisions. If the AIFM or their delegates have not so complied, we, as the Depositary, will state why this is the case and outline the steps which we have taken to rectify the situation.
BASIS OF DEPOSITARY REVIEW
The Depositary conducts such reviews as it, in its reasonable discretion, considers necessary in order to comply with its obligations and to ensure that, in all material respects, the Company has been managed (i) in accordance with the limitations imposed on its investment and borrowing powers by the provisions of its constitutional documentation and the appropriate regulations and (ii) otherwise in accordance with the constitutional documentation and the appropriate regulations. Such reviews vary based on the type of company, the assets in which a company invests and the processes used, or experts required, in order to value such assets.
REVIEW
In our view, the Company has been managed during the year, in all material respects:
(i) in accordance with the limitations imposed on the investment and borrowing powers of the Company by the constitutional document and by the AIFMD legislation; and
(ii) otherwise in accordance with the provisions of the constitutional document and the AIFMD legislation.
For and on behalf of
Northern Trust (Guernsey) Limited
7 July 2020
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of
Atlantis Japan Growth Fund Limited
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020
Opinion
Our opinion on the financial statements is unmodified
We have audited the financial statements of Atlantis Japan Growth Fund Limited (the ‘Company’)for the year ended 30 April 2020 which comprise the Statement of Comprehensive Income, the Statement of Financial Position, the Statement of Changes in Equity, the Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the European Union.
In our opinion, the financial statements:
- give a true and fair view of the state of the Company’s affairs as at 30 April 2020 and of the Company’s loss for the year then ended;
- are in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union; and
- comply with The Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008.
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 are independent of the Company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in United Kingdom, 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. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Conclusions relating to principal risks, going concern and viability statement
We have nothing to report in respect of the following information in the annual report, in relation to which the ISAs (UK) require us to report to you whether we have anything material to add or draw attention to:
the disclosures in the annual report set out in the Strategic Report above that describe the principal risks procedures to identify emerging risks and an explanation of how they are being managed or mitigated;
the directors’ confirmation, set out in Strategic Report above of the annual report that they have completed a robust assessment of the principal and emerging risks facing the company, including those that would threaten its business model, future performance, solvency or liquidity;
the directors’ statement, set out in Strategic Report above of the financial statements about whether the directors considered it appropriate to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements and the directors’ identification of any material uncertainties to the Company’s ability to continue to do so over a period of at least twelve months from the date of approval of the financial statements;
whether the directors’ statement relating to going concern required under the Listing Rules in accordance with Listing Rule 9.8.6R(3) is materially inconsistent with our knowledge obtained in the audit; or
the directors’ explanation, set out in the Chairman’s Statement and Investment Adviser’s Report above of the annual report as to how they have assessed the prospects of the Company, over what period they have done so and why they consider that period to be appropriate, and their statement as to whether they have a reasonable expectation that the Company will be able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall due over the period of their assessment, including any related disclosures drawing attention to any necessary qualifications or assumptions.
Key audit matters
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, 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. These matters included those that 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.
| Key Audit Matter | How the matter was addressed in the audit |
|---|---|
|
Existence and valuation of the portfolio investments
The investment objective of the Company is to achieve long term capital growth through investing wholly or mainly in listed Japanese equities. The portfolio of directly held investments, which constitute the investments held at fair value through profit or loss financial statement line item, comprise 100% of quoted equities, which are designated by the reporting standards as ‘Level 1’ given that they are quoted in an active market for which publically available pricing data is readily available. The investment portfolio represents 96.82% of the Company’s net asset value. The investments are held by an independent custodian. Whilst the valuation of these investments is not considered complex, nor does it involve significant judgements and estimates to be made by management, the market value of investments is material to the Company. |
Our audit work included, but was not restricted to: - We understood and evaluated the internal controls in place at the Administrator and determined that we could place reliance on the Administrator’s Type II assurance controls report for the controls surrounding the recognition, measurement and de-recognition of investments. We also obtained a Controls Report bridging letter from the Administrator to ensure that the assessment on the controls environment covers the whole period and that no exceptions were noted; - We have assessed the appropriateness of the valuation methods adopted by management to value the financial assets within the investment portfolio in accordance with IFRS fair value principles; - We obtained quoted prices of 100% of the investment portfolio as of the reporting date from independent publically available pricing sources and compared to the share prices used by the Company; - We obtained a direct confirmation of investment portfolio holdings from the independent custodian of the Company’s investments, ensuring that all investment holdings per investment portfolio agreed to the holdings per the custodian confirmation report. |
|
The company's accounting policy on Investments is shown in note 2 to the financial statements and related disclosures are included in note 16. |
Based on our audit work, we consider the valuation methodologies to be appropriate and the investments were existing as at the reporting date. No significant exceptions were noted from our testing of investments. We consider that the related disclosures are appropriate and adequately disclose the valuation of investments. |
Our application of materiality
We define materiality as the magnitude of misstatement in the financial statements that makes it probable that the economic decisions of a reasonably knowledgeable person would be changed or influenced. We use materiality in determining the nature, timing and extent of our audit work and in evaluating the results of that work.
Materiality was determined as follows:
| Materiality measure | Company |
| Financial statements as a whole | £979,100 which is 1% of Net assets. This benchmark is considered the most appropriate because the users of the Company’s financial statements are sensitive to changes in net asset value as an indicator of the value of their investment in the Company. |
| Performance materiality used to drive the extent of our testing | We use a different level of materiality, performance materiality, to drive the extent of our testing and this was set at 70% of financial statement materiality. |
| Specific materiality | We also determine a lower level of specific materiality for certain areas such as Directors’ remuneration and expenses and related party transactions. |
| Communication of misstatements to the audit committee | We determined the threshold at which we will communicate misstatements to the audit committee to be £49,000. In addition we will communicate misstatements below that threshold that, in our view, warrant reporting on qualitative grounds. |
The graph below illustrates how performance materiality interacts with our overall materiality and the tolerance for potential uncorrected misstatements.
An overview of the scope of our audit
Our audit approach was based on a thorough understanding of the Company’s business and is risk-based. The day-to-day management of the Company’s investment portfolio, the custody of its investments and the maintenance of the Company’s accounting records is outsourced to third-party service providers. Accordingly, our audit work is focussed on obtaining an understanding of, and evaluating, internal controls at the Company and the third-party service providers, and inspecting records and documents held by these third-party service providers. We undertook substantive testing on significant transactions, balances and disclosures, the extent of which was based on various factors such as our overall assessment of the control environment, the effectiveness of controls over individual systems and the management of specific risks.
Explanation as to what extent the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud
The objectives of our audit are to identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements due to fraud or error; to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the assessed risks of material misstatement due to fraud or error; and to respond appropriately to those risks. Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that material misstatements in the financial statements may not be detected, even though the audit is properly planned and performed in accordance with the ISAs (UK).
In identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, our procedures included the following:
- We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks applicable to the Company and the investment industry, in particular premium equity closed ended investment funds, in which it operates. We determined that the following laws and regulations were most significant: IFRSs as adopted by the European Union, The Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008, the Protection of Investors (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 1987 (“POI Law”), UK Corporate Governance Code, The Association of Investment Companies (AIC) Code of Corporate Governance, London Stock Exchange Listing Rules, Disclosure and Transparency Rules, Registered Close—Ended Investment Scheme and The Registered Collective Investment Scheme Rules 2018.
- We obtained an understanding of how the Company is complying with those legal and regulatory frameworks by making inquiries of those responsible for legal and compliance procedures and obtaining and reviewing the related reports. We corroborated our inquiries through our review of the approved minutes of Board of Directors meetings, Audit Committee meetings and Board of Directors Committee meetings.
- We assessed the susceptibility of the Company’s financial statements to material misstatement, including how fraud might occur. Audit procedures performed included:
- identifying and testing journal entries, in particular any journal entries posted with unusual account combinations; and
- assessing the extent of compliance with the relevant laws and regulations as part of our procedures on the related financial statement item.
Other information
The directors are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report set out above, 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. In connection with our audit of the financial statements, 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 audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement of the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. 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.
In this context, we also have nothing to report in regard to our responsibility to specifically address the following items in the other information and to report as uncorrected material misstatements of the other information where we conclude that those items meet the following conditions:
Fair, balanced and understandable set out in the Directors’ Report and Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities – the statement given by the directors that they consider the annual report and financial statements taken as a whole is fair, balanced and understandable and provides the information necessary for shareholders to assess the Company’s performance, business model and strategy, is materially inconsistent with our knowledge obtained in the audit; or
Audit Committee report set out above – the section describing the work of the audit and risk committee does not appropriately address matters communicated by us to the audit and risk committee; or
Directors’ statement of compliance with the UK Corporate Governance Code set out above – the parts of the directors’ statement required under the Listing Rules relating to the Company’s compliance with the UK Corporate Governance Code containing provisions specified for review by the auditor in accordance with Listing Rule 9.8.10R(2) do not properly disclose a departure from a relevant provision of the UK Corporate Governance Code.
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 (Guernsey) Law, 2008 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- proper accounting records have not been kept by the Company; or
- the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records; or
- we have not obtained all the information and explanations, which to the best of our knowledge and belief, are necessary for the purposes of our audit.
Responsibilities of directors for the financial statements
As explained more fully in the directors’ responsibilities statement set out above, the directors are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements which give a true and fair view in accordance with IFRSs, 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.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
Other matters which we are required to address
We were appointed by the Audit Committee on 9 April 2020 to audit the financial statements for the year ending 30 April 2020 and subsequent financial periods.
The non-audit services prohibited by the FRC’s Ethical Standard were not provided to the Company and we remain independent of the Company in conducting our audit.
Our audit opinion is consistent with the additional report to the audit committee.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the Company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Section 262 of The Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008. 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.
Cyril Swale
For and on behalf of Grant Thornton Limited
Chartered Accountants
St Peter Port
Guernsey
7 July 2020
STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | |||||||
| Revenue | Capital | Total | Revenue | Capital | Total | |||
| Notes | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | ||
| Income | ||||||||
| 4 | Net (losses)/gains on investments held at fair value through profit or loss | - | (1,243) | (1,243) | - | 131 | 131 | |
| Net gains/(losses) on foreign exchange | - | 473 | 473 | - | (272) | (272) | ||
| Dividend income | 1,395 | - | 1,395 | 1,391 | - | 1,391 | ||
| Redemption fee paid to the Company | - | 347 | 347 | - | 629 | 629 | ||
| 1,395 | (423) | 972 | 1,391 | 488 | 1,879 | |||
| Expenses | ||||||||
| 6 | Investment management fees | (1,041) | - | (1,041) | (1,103) | - | (1,103) | |
| 7 | Depositary fees | (88) | - | (88) | (90) | - | (90) | |
| 8 | Administration fees | (141) | - | (141) | (142) | - | (142) | |
| Registrar and transfer agent fees | (9) | - | (9) | (9) | - | (9) | ||
| 9 | Directors' fees and expenses | (136) | - | (136) | (132) | - | (132) | |
| Insurance fees | (5) | - | (5) | (5) | - | (5) | ||
| Audit fees | (49) | - | (49) | (45) | - | (45) | ||
| Printing and advertising fees | (21) | - | (21) | (7) | - | (7) | ||
| Legal and professional fees | (66) | - | (66) | (81) | - | (81) | ||
| Listing fees | (18) | - | (18) | (29) | - | (29) | ||
| 10 | Research costs | (142) | - | (142) | - | - | - | |
| Miscellaneous expenses | (28) | - | (28) | (61) | - | (61) | ||
| (1,744) | - | (1,744) | (1,704) | - | (1,704) | |||
| Finance cost | ||||||||
| Interest expense and bank charges | (93) | - | (93) | (107) | - | (107) | ||
| (Loss)/profit before taxation | (442) | (423) | (865) | (420) | 488 | 68 | ||
| 11 | Taxation | (214) | - | (214) | (213) | - | (213) | |
| Loss for the financial year | ||||||||
| (656) | (423) | (1,079) | (633) | 488 | (145) | |||
| Total comprehensive (loss) for the financial year | (656) | (423) | (1,079) | (633) | 488 | (145) | ||
| 12 | Basic and diluted (deficit)/earnings per ordinary share | |||||||
| £(0.015) | £(0.010) | £(0.025) | £(0.014) | £0.011 | £(0.003) | |||
In arriving at the result for the financial year, all amounts above relate to continuing activities.
The total column in this statement represents the Company’s Statement of Comprehensive Income, prepared in accordance with IFRS. The supplementary revenue and capital columns are both prepared under guidance published by the Association of Investment Companies.
The Notes form an integral part of these financial statements.
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
For the financial year ended 30 April 2019
| Accumulated | |||||||||||||||||
| Capital | Capital | Capital | other | ||||||||||||||
| Ordinary Share | Share | Revenue | reserve/ | reserve/ | reserve/ | comprehensive | |||||||||||
| capital | premium | reserve | realised | unrealised | exchange | income | Total | ||||||||||
| Notes | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | |||||||||
| Balances at 1 May 2019 | - | - | (21,492) | 78,393 | 58,896 | (14,649) | 6,143 | 107,291 | |||||||||
| Movements during the financial year | |||||||||||||||||
| 18 | Redemptions | - | (5,626) | - | - | - | - | - | (5,626) | ||||||||
| 14 | Shares bought into treasury | - | - | (692) | - | - | - | - | (692) | ||||||||
| Transfer to capital reserve from share premium | - | 5,626 | - | (5,626) | - | - | - | - | |||||||||
| 4 | Net realised gain on investments held at fair value through profit or loss | - | - | (2,409) | 2,409 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| 4 | Net unrealised loss on investments held at fair value through profit or loss | - | - | 3,652 | - | (3,652) | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Net gain on foreign exchange | - | - | (473) | - | - | 473 | - | - | |||||||||
| 19 | Distributions to shareholders | - | - | (1,981) | - | - | - | - | (1,981) | ||||||||
| Total comprehensive income | - | - | (1,079) | - | - | - | - | (1,079) | |||||||||
| Balances at 30 April 2020 | - | - | (24,474) | 75,176 | 55,244 | (14,176) | 6,143 | 97,913 |
| Accumulated | |||||||||||||||||
| Capital | Capital | Capital | other | ||||||||||||||
| Ordinary Share | Share | Revenue | reserve/ | reserve/ | reserve/ | comprehensive | |||||||||||
| capital | premium | reserve | realised | unrealised | exchange | income | Total | ||||||||||
| Notes | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | |||||||||
| Balances at 1 May 2018 | - | - | (20,402) | 83,932 | 63,442 | (14,377) | 6,143 | 118,738 | |||||||||
| Movements during the financial year | |||||||||||||||||
| 18 | Redemptions | - | (10,216) | - | - | - | - | - | (10,216) | ||||||||
| 14 | Shares bought into treasury | - | - | (1,086) | - | - | - | - | (1,086) | ||||||||
| Transfer to capital reserve from share premium | - | 10,216 | - | (10,216) | - | - | - | - | |||||||||
| 4 | Net realised gains on investments held at fair value through profit or loss | - | - | (4,677) | 4,677 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| 4 | Net unrealised (losses) on investments held at fair value through profit or loss | - | - | 4,546 | - | (4,546) | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Net (losses) on foreign exchange | - | - | 272 | - | - | (272) | - | - | |||||||||
| Total comprehensive income | - | - | (145) | - | - | - | - | (145) | |||||||||
| Balances at 30 April 2019 | - | - | (21,492) | 78,393 | 58,896 | (14,649) | 6,143 | 107,291 |
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
As at 30 April 2020
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | ||||
| Notes | £'000 | £'000 | |||
| Non-current assets | |||||
| 15,16 | Investments held at fair value through profit or loss | 94,797 | 111,380 | ||
| Current assets | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | 3,184 | 2,125 | |||
| Due from brokers | 290 | 669 | |||
| Dividends receivable | 412 | 398 | |||
| Prepaid expenses and other receivables | 17 | 8 | |||
| 3,903 | 3,200 | ||||
| Current liabilities | |||||
| Due to brokers | (548) | (91) | |||
| Payables and accrued expenses | (239) | (265) | |||
| 13 | Loans payable | - | (6,933) | ||
| (787) | (7,289) | ||||
| Net current assets/(liabilities) | 3,116 | (4,089) | |||
| Non current liabilities | - | - | |||
| 17 | Net assets | 97,913 | 107,291 | ||
| Equity | |||||
| Ordinary share capital | - | - | |||
| Share premium | - | - | |||
| Revenue reserve | (24,474) | (25,059) | |||
| Capital reserve | 116,244 | 126,207 | |||
| Accumulated other comprehensive income | 6,143 | 6,143 | |||
| Net assets attributable to equity shareholders | 97,913 | 107,291 | |||
| 17 | Net asset value per ordinary share* | £2.34 | £2.42 |
*Based on the Net Asset Value at the financial year end divided by the number of shares in issue: 41,794,570 (30 April 2019: 44,307,284) (See Note 17).
Approved by the Board on 7 July 2020 and signed on its behalf by:
Noel Lamb Philip Ehrmann
Chairman Director
The Notes form an integral part of these financial statements.
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | ||||
| £'000 | £'000 | ||||
| Notes | |||||
| Cash flows from operating activities | |||||
| (Loss)/profit before taxation | (865) | 68 | |||
| Adjustments to reconcile profit/(loss) before taxation to net cash flows from operating activities | |||||
| 4 | Net realised gains on investments held at fair value through profit or loss | (2,409) | (4,677) | ||
| 4 | Net unrealised losses on investments held at fair value through profit or loss | 3,652 | 4,546 | ||
| Net exchange losses on cash and cash equivalents | 9 | 15 | |||
| Net realised and unrealised gains on loan | 67 | 278 | |||
| Interest expense and bank charges | 93 | 107 | |||
| Decrease/(increase) in due from brokers | 379 | (7) | |||
| (Increase)/decrease in dividends receivable | (14) | 96 | |||
| (Increase)/decrease in prepaid expenses and other receivables | (9) | 12 | |||
| Increase/(decrease) in due to brokers | 457 | (351) | |||
| (Decrease)/increase in payables and accrued expenses | (26) | 15 | |||
| 11 | Taxation paid | (214) | (213) | ||
| 1,120 | (111) | ||||
| 16 | Purchase of investments | (30,207) | (30,622) | ||
| 16 | Sale of investments | 45,546 | 40,918 | ||
| 15,339 | 10,296 | ||||
| Net cash inflow from operating activities | 16,459 | 10,185 | |||
| Cash flows from financing activities | |||||
| Interest paid | (93) | (107) | |||
| 19 | Distributions paid to shareholders | (1,981) | - | ||
| Repayment of loans payable | (6,999) | - | |||
| 18 | Redemptions | (5,626) | (10,216) | ||
| 14 | Shares bought into treasury | (692) | (1,086) | ||
| Net cash outflow from financing activities | (15,391) | (11,409) | |||
| Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | 1,068 | (1,224) | |||
| Net exchange losses on cash and cash equivalents | (9) | (15) | |||
| Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of financial year | 2,125 | 3,364 | |||
| Cash and cash equivalents at end of financial year | 3,184 | 2,125 |
The Notes form an integral part of these financial statements.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020
1. GENERAL INFORMATION
Atlantis Japan Growth Fund Limited (the “Company”) was incorporated in Guernsey on
13 March 1996. The Company commenced activities on 10 May 1996. The Company is an authorised closed-ended investment scheme registered and domiciled in P.O. Box 255, Trafalgar Court, Les Banques, St Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 3QL, Channel Islands. The Company’s equity shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange.
As an investment trust, the Company is not regulated as a collective investment scheme by the Financial Conduct Authority. However, it is subject to the UKLA Listing Rules, Prospectus Rules, Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules and the rules of the London Stock Exchange.
The Company’s investment objective is to achieve long term capital growth through investing wholly or mainly in listed Japanese equities.
The Company’s investment activities are managed by Quaero Capital LLP (“Investment Manager”) with the administration delegated to Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited.
2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The principal accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all the financial years presented, unless otherwise stated.
a) Basis of preparation
The Financial Statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union (“IFRS”). The Financial Statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, as modified by the revaluation of investments held at fair value through profit or loss, and in accordance with the Association of Investment Companies (“AIC”) Statement of Recommended Practice (“SORP”) for Investment Trust Companies and Venture Capital Trusts to the extent it is not in conflict with IFRS and the Company’s Principal Documents.
The preparation of the Financial Statements in conformity with IFRS requires management to make judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect the application of policies and the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, income and expenses. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis of making the judgements about carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from those estimates. As at the financial year ended 30 April 2020, the Company, being solely invested in listed equities, did not hold any investment requiring the use of significant estimates to determine their value. There were no other significant estimates for the financial year ended 30 April 2020.
The significant accounting policies adopted are consistent with those of the previous financial year with the exception of the following standard amendments effective for the current financial year.
Critical judgements
The Board consider GBP the currency that most faithfully represents the economic effect of the underlying transactions, events and conditions. GBP is the currency in which the Company measures its performance. This determination also considers the competitive environment in which the Company is compared to other European investment products. The presentation currency for these financial statements is GBP.
Accounting standards in issue and effective after 1 January 2019
A number of new standards, amendments to standards and interpretations are effective for annual periods beginning after 1 January 2019, and have been applied in preparing these Financial Statements. Those that the Directors consider relevant to the Company are detailed in the following sections.
IFRIC 23 “Uncertainty over Income Tax Treatments”
International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (“IFRIC”) 23 came into effect for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2019. It aims to clarify the accounting uncertainties in income taxes. The interpretation is to be applied to the determination of taxable profits, losses, tax bases, unused tax losses, unused tax credits and tax rates, when there is uncertainty over income tax treatments under International Accounting Standards (“IAS”) 12. The Company assessed if there was exposure to tax uncertainties and determined the probability of tax uncertainties arising as remote. The adoption of IFRIC 23 has not had an impact on the financial statements of the Company.
b) Going concern
The Financial Statements have been prepared on a going concern basis in line with the Directors’ belief that it is appropriate to assume that the Company will continue in business (refer to the Strategic Report above for more details).
After making reasonable inquiries and assessing all data relating to the Company’s liquidity, particularly its holding of significant liquid level 1 assets, the Directors believe that the Company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future and do not consider there to be any threat, from COVID-19 or other issues, to the going concern status of the Company. For these reasons, the Directors have adopted the going concern basis in preparing the Financial Statements.
c) Presentation of the Statement of Comprehensive Income
In order to better reflect the activities of an investment trust company, supplementary information which analyses the Statement of Comprehensive Income between items of a revenue and capital nature has been presented alongside the Statement of Comprehensive Income.
d) Income recognition
Dividend income arising on the Company’s investments is accounted for gross of withholding tax on an ex-dividend basis or when the right to receive payment is established.
e) Expenses
All expenses are recognised in the Statement of Comprehensive Income on an accruals basis.
f) Investments held at fair value through profit or loss
(i) Classification and Measurement
The Company classifies its investments based on both the Company’s business model for managing those financial assets and the contractual cash flow characteristics of those financial assets. The portfolio of the financial assets is managed and performance is evaluated on a fair basis. The Company is primarily focussed on fair value information and uses that information to assess the assets’ performance and to make decisions.
The Company classifies its entire investment portfolio as financial assets or liabilities as fair value through profit or loss. This includes forward currency contracts of which none were held at financial year end. All financial assets are mandatorily measured as at fair value through profit or loss with no assets being designated.
The Company’s policy requires the Investment Manager and the Directors to evaluate the information about these financial assets and liabilities on a fair value basis together with other related financial information.
(ii) Recognition and Measurement
Investments are initially recognised at the trade date of purchase. They are included initially at fair value, which is taken to be their cost (excluding expenses incidental to the acquisition which are written off in the Statement of Comprehensive Income, and allocated to the capital column of the Statement of Comprehensive Income at the time of acquisition).
Investments are de-recognised when the rights to receive cash flows from the investments have expired or the Company has transferred substantially all risks and rewards of ownership.
Gains and losses on investments are included in the Statement of Comprehensive Income as capital.
(iii) Fair Value Measurement
Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The fair value of financial assets and liabilities traded in active markets (such as transferable securities and financial derivative instruments traded publicly) are based on quoted market prices at the close of trading on the reporting date.
If a quoted market price is not available on a recognised stock exchange or from a broker/dealer for non-exchange traded financial instruments, the fair value of the instrument is estimated using valuation techniques, including use of recent arm’s length market transactions, reference to the current fair value of another instrument that is substantially the same, discounted cash flow techniques, option
pricing models or any other valuation technique that provides a reliable estimate of prices obtained in actual market transactions.
The fair value of financial derivative instruments, that are not exchange-traded, is estimated at the amount that the Company would receive or pay to terminate the contract at the reporting date, taking into account current market conditions (volatility, appropriate yield curve) and the current creditworthiness of the counterparties. Realised gains and losses on investment disposals are calculated using the weighted average cost method.
g) Due from and due to brokers
Amounts due from and to brokers represent receivables for securities sold and payables for securities purchased that have been contracted for but not yet settled or delivered on the Statement of Financial Position date respectively. These amounts are recognised initially at fair value and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
At each reporting date, the Company shall measure the loss allowance on the amounts due from broker at an amount equal to the lifetime expected credit losses if the credit risk has been increased significantly since initial recognition. If, at the reporting date, the credit risk has not increased significantly since initial recognition, the Company shall measure the loss allowance at an amount equal to 12 month expected credit losses. Significant financial difficulties of the broker, probability that the broker will enter bankruptcy or financial reorganisation, and default in payments are all considered indicators that a loss allowance may be required. If the credit risk increases to the point that it is considered to be credit impaired interest income will be calculated based on the gross carrying amount adjusted for the loss allowance. A significant increase in credit risk is defined by management as any contractual payment which is more than 30 days past due. Any contractual payment is more than 90 days past due is considered credit impaired.
The effective interest method is a method of calculating the amortised cost of a financial asset or financial liability and of allocating the interest income or interest expense over the relevant period. The effective interest rate is the rate that exactly discounts estimated future cash payments or receipts throughout the expected life of the financial instrument or, when appropriate, a shorter period to the net carrying amount of the financial asset or financial liability. When calculating the effective interest rate, the Company estimates cash flows considering all contractual terms of the financial instrument but does not consider future credit losses. The calculation includes all fees and points paid or received between parties to the contract that are an integral part of the effective interest rate, transaction costs and all other premiums or discounts.
h) Other receivables
Other receivables are amounts due in the ordinary course of business. If collection is expected in one year or less, they are classified as current assets. If not, they are presented as non-current assets. Other receivables are recognised initially at fair value and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
i) Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash at bank and in hand and short-term deposits with an original maturity of three months or less.
For the purposes of the Statement of Cash Flows, cash and cash equivalents consist of cash and cash equivalents, as defined above, net of outstanding bank overdrafts.
IAS 7 requires disclosures that:
- Enable users of the financial statements to evaluate changes in liabilities arising from financing activities; and
- Provide a reconciliation of the opening and closing balances of liabilities arising from financing activities in the statement of financial position is suggested although not mandatory.
These requirements have been met as part of the Statement of Changes in Equity for share capital transactions attributable to holders of ordinary shares and Note 13 (Loans Payable).
j) Other payables and accrued expenses
Other payables and accrued expenses are obligations to pay for services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business. Other payables are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Other payables are recognised initially at fair value and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
k) Loans payable
All loans are initially recognised at cost, being the fair value of the consideration received, less issue costs where applicable. After initial recognition, all interest bearing loans and borrowings are subsequently measured at amortised cost. Amortised cost is calculated by taking into account discount or premium on settlement. Any costs of arranging any interest-bearing loans are capitalised and amortised over the life of the loan.
The Company’s loans are denominated in JPY. Gains and losses on foreign exchange on loans are included in the Statement of Comprehensive Income as capital.
l) Foreign currencies
The Company’s investments are predominately denominated in JPY. The Company’s obligation to shareholders is denominated in GBP and, when appropriate, the Company may hedge the exchange rate risk from JPY to GBP. Therefore, the Company’s functional currency is GBP. The Company’s presentation currency is GBP.
At each Statement of Financial Position date, assets and liabilities, which are denominated in foreign currencies, are translated into the functional currency at the closing rates of exchange. Transactions involving currencies other than the functional currency are recorded at the exchange rates prevailing on the dates of the transactions. Resulting exchange differences are recognised in profit or loss in the Statement of Comprehensive Income.
Foreign exchange gains and losses relating to cash and cash equivalents are presented in the Statement of Comprehensive Income within “Net gains/(losses) on foreign exchange”.
Foreign exchange gains and losses relating to the financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value through profit or loss are presented in the Statement of Comprehensive Income within “Net gains/(losses) on foreign exchange”.
m) Taxation
The tax expense represents the sum of the tax currently payable and deferred tax. In addition, the Company incurs withholding taxes imposed by certain countries on dividend and interest income. Such income is recognised gross of the taxes and the corresponding withholding tax is recognised as a tax expense.
The tax currently payable is based on the taxable profit for the financial year. Any taxable profit differs from the net profit, if any, as reported in the Statement of Comprehensive Income because it excludes items of income or expense that are taxable or deductible in other years and it further excludes items that are never taxable or deductible.
The Company’s liability for current tax is calculated using tax rates that were applicable at the Statement of Financial Position date.
In line with the provisions of the AIC SORP, the allocation method used to calculate tax relief on expenses presented against capital returns in the supplementary information in the Statement of Comprehensive Income is the “marginal basis”.
Under this basis, if taxable income is capable of being offset entirely by expenses presented in the revenue return column of the Statement of Comprehensive Income, then no tax relief is transferred to the capital return column.
Deferred tax is the tax expected to be payable or recoverable on differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities in the Financial Statements and the corresponding tax bases used in the computation of taxable profit, and is accounted for using the balance sheet liability method. A deferred tax liability is recognised in full for all taxable temporary differences and deferred tax assets are recognised to the extent that it is probable that taxable profits will be available against which deductible temporary differences can be utilised. Investment trusts which have approval as such under Section 1158 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 are not liable for taxation on capital gains.
The carrying amount of deferred tax assets is reviewed at each Statement of Financial Position date and reduced to the extent that it is no longer probable that sufficient taxable profits will be available to allow all or part of the asset to be recovered.
Deferred tax is calculated at the tax rates that are enacted or substantively enacted in the period when the liability is settled or the asset is realised. Deferred tax is charged or credited in the Statement of Comprehensive Income, except when it relates to items charged or credited directly to equity, in which case the deferred tax is also dealt with in equity.
n) Capital reserve
The capital reserve distinguishes between gains/(losses) on sales or disposals and valuation gains/(losses) on investments. The capital reserve consists of realised gains/(losses) on investments, movement in valuation of gains/(losses) on investments and gains/(losses) relating to foreign exchange.
o) Share premium
Share Premium Account represents the excess of the issue price over the par value on shares issued.
p) Revenue reserve
Revenue reserve is a distributable reserve and is the undistributed income of the Company.
q) Accumulated other comprehensive income
Historical exchange differences on the translation of assets, liabilities, income and expenses from functional to presentation currency are recognised in accumulated other comprehensive income.
r) Treasury shares
Where the Company purchases its own share capital (whether into treasury or cancellation), the consideration paid, which includes any directly attributable costs (net of income taxes), is recognised as a deduction from equity shareholders’ funds through the revenue reserve, which is a distributable reserve.
When such shares are subsequently sold or reissued, the consideration received, net of any directly attributable incremental transaction costs and the related income tax effects, is recognised as an increase in equity and proceeds from the reissue of treasury shares are transferred to/from the revenue reserve.
Shares held in treasury are not taken into account in determining earnings per share detailed in Statement of Comprehensive Income and NAV per share detailed in Note 17.
s) Offsetting of financial assets and liabilities
Financial assets and liabilities are offset and the net amount reported in the Statement of Financial Position when there is a legally enforceable right to offset the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously. The legally enforceable right must not be contingent on future events and must be enforceable in the normal course of business and in the event of default, insolvency or bankruptcy of the Company or the counterparty.
t) Ordinary shares
The Company’s ordinary shares were redeemable in the capital of the Company at no par value and are classified as equity in accordance with the Company's Articles of Incorporation.
u) Subscriber shares
The Company's subscriber shares are classified as equity in accordance with the Company's Articles of Incorporation. These shares do not participate in the profits of the Company. For more information please see Note 14.
v)
Dividend distribution
Dividend distribution to the Company's shareholders is recognised as a liability in the Company's financial statements and disclosed in the Statement of Changes in Equity in the period in which the dividends are approved by the Board.
3. OPERATING SEGMENTS
The Board makes the strategic resource allocations on behalf of the Company and is responsible for the Company’s entire portfolio. The Board is of the opinion that the Company is engaged in a single geographic and economic segment business. The asset allocation decisions are based on a single, integrated investment strategy, and the Company’s performance is evaluated on an overall basis.
The internal reporting provided to the Directors for the Company’s assets, liabilities and performance is prepared on a consistent basis with the measurement and recognition principles of IFRS.
The fair value of the financial instruments held by the Company and the equivalent percentages of the total value of the Company are reported in the Schedule of Investments above.
4. NET GAINS ON INVESTMENTS HELD AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | |||||||
| £'000 | £'000 | |||||||
| Realised gains on investments held at fair value through profit or loss | 11,772 | 10,075 | ||||||
| Realised (losses) on investments held at fair value through profit or loss | (9,363) | (5,398) | ||||||
| Net realised gains on investments held at fair value through profit or loss | 2,409 | 4,677 | ||||||
| Unrealised gains on investments held at fair value through profit or loss | 12,777 | 12,844 | ||||||
| Unrealised (losses) on investments held at fair value through profit or loss | (16,429) | (17,390) | ||||||
| Net unrealised (losses) on investments held at fair value through profit or loss | (3,652) | (4,546) | ||||||
| Net (loss)/gain on investments held at fair value through profit or loss | (1,243) | 131 | ||||||
5. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES
The Investment Manager, Investment Adviser, Depositary, Administrator and Directors are considered related parties to the Company under IAS 24 as they have the ability to control, or exercise significant influence over, the Company in making financial or operational decisions. See Notes 6 to 9 for details of transactions with these related parties during the financial year ended 30 April 2020.
The Company has a credit facility with the Depositary, Northern Trust Guernsey (limited). Please see Note 13 for details.
Certain Directors had a beneficial interest in the Company by way of their investment in the ordinary shares of the Company.
The details of these interests as at 30 April 2020 and 30 April 2019 are as follows:
| Ordinary Shares | Ordinary Shares | |||
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | |||
| Philip Ehrmann | 28,800 | 28,800 | ||
| Noel Lamb | 20,000 | 14,400 | ||
| Richard Pavry | 40,000 | 40,000 | ||
| Michael Moule | 35,000 | 20,000 |
The above interests of the Directors were unchanged as at the date of this report.
As at 30 April 2020, a family member of the President of the Investment Adviser held 900,800 (30 April 2019: 900,800) ordinary shares of the Company.
6. INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AND INVESTMENT ADVISER FEES
Under the terms of the Investment Management Agreement, the Investment Manager, Quaero Capital LLP, will continue in office until a resignation is tendered or the contract is terminated. In both circumstances, a resignation or termination must be given with a notice period which must not be less than three months, and be in accordance with the Investment Management Agreement.
The Company pays to the Investment Manager a fee accrued daily and paid monthly in arrears at the annual rate of 1% of the daily NAV of the Company on the first £125m of net assets, 0.85% on net assets between £125m and £175m and 0.70% on net assets above £175m with effect from 5 July 2019.
The Investment Adviser Fees are 75% of the total Investment Management Fees and are paid by the Investment Manager.
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020, total investment management fees were £1,040,656 (30 April 2019: £1,102,738), of which £73,420 (30 April 2019: £92,390) is due and payable as at that date. Of the total investment management fees, £260,164 (30 April 2019: £275,684) was due to the Investment Manager, with £18,355 (30 April 2019: £23,097) payable as at 30 April 2020.
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020, total investment adviser fees were £780,492 (30 April 2019: £827,054), with £55,065 (30 April 2019: £69,293) payable as at 30 April 2020.
7. DEPOSITARY FEES
Under the terms of the Depositary Agreement, fees are payable to the Depositary, Northern Trust (Guernsey) Limited, monthly in arrears, on the Gross Asset Value (Net Asset Value before investment management fees) of the Company as at the last business day of the month at an annual rate of:
| Gross Asset Value | Annual Rate |
| Up to $50,000,000 | 0.035% |
| $50,000,001 to $100,000,000 | 0.025% |
| Thereafter | 0.015% |
The Depositary is also entitled to a global custody fee of 0.03% per annum of the NAV of the Company, subject to a minimum fee of $20,000, and transaction fees as per the Depositary Agreement.
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020, total depositary fees were £88,361 (30 April 2019: £89,743), of which £8,355 (30 April 2019: £11,791) was due and payable as at that date.
8. ADMINISTRATION FEES
Under the terms of the Administration Agreement, the Company pays to the Administrator, Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited, a fee accrued weekly and paid monthly in arrears at the annual rate of:
| NAV | Annual Rate |
| Up to $50,000,000 | 0.18% |
| $50,000,001 to $100,000,000 | 0.135% |
| $100,000,001 to $200,000,000 | 0.0675% |
| Thereafter | 0.02% |
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020, total administration fees were £141,199 (30 April 2019: £141,937), of which £47,208 (30 April 2019: £23,605) was due and payable as at that date.
9. DIRECTORS’ FEES AND EXPENSES
Each of the Directors is entitled to receive a fee from the Company, being £33,000 per annum for the Chairman, £28,500 per annum for the Chairman of the Audit Committee and £26,000 per annum for each of the other Directors. In addition, the Company reimburses all reasonably incurred out-of-pocket expenses of the Directors.
For the financial year ended 30 April 2020, total directors’ fees and expenses were £136,166 (30 April 2019: £131,510), of which £9,341 (30 April 2019: £3,162) was due and payable as at that date.
10. RESEARCH COSTS
In line with the introduction of revised rules in respect of the use of dealing commission as part of the implementation of the Directive 2014/65/EU on Markets in Financial Instruments and amending Directive 2004/39/EC (“MiFID II”), effective from 3 January 2018, the Investment Manager no longer pays for its investment research via dealing commission.
The Investment Manager has established a research budget whereby the Company will pay for research services independently of trade execution. All transactions are placed and executed on the basis that best execution is achieved. Research costs incurred from 1 May 2019 to 30 April 2020 amounted to £141,580. Research costs for the financial year ended 30 April 2019 were estimated to be £99,663 using the research payment account transactional method where fees were deducted from purchases and sales of investments.
11. TAXATION
The Company is exempt from taxation in Guernsey under the provisions of The Income Tax (Exempt Bodies) (Guernsey) Ordinance, 1989 and has paid an annual exemption fee of £1,200 (30 April 2019: £1,200), however the Company is subject to UK tax being a UK tax resident to comply with the Section 1158 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010. The main rate of corporation tax in the UK was 19% effective from 1 April 2017.
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | |||
| £'000 | £'000 | |||
| Irrecoverable overseas tax | 214 | 213 | ||
| Tax charge in respect of the current year | 214 | 213 |
Current taxation
The current taxation charge for the financial year is different from the standard rate of corporation tax in the UK. The differences are explained in the following table:
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | |||
| £'000 | £'000 | |||
| (Profit)/loss before tax | (865) | 68 | ||
| Capital loss for the financial year | 423 | 488 | ||
| Revenue (profit)/loss for the financial year | (442) | 556 | ||
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | |||
| £'000 | £'000 | |||
| Theoretical tax at UK corporation tax rate of 19% (30 April 2019 -19%) | (84) | 106 | ||
| Effects of: | ||||
| Excess management expenses | 125 | (66) | ||
| Notional relief for overseas tax suffered | (41) | (40) | ||
| Overseas tax written off | 214 | 213 | ||
| Actual current tax charge | 214 | 213 | ||
The Company is an investment trust and therefore is not taxable on capital gains.
Factors that may affect future tax charges
As at 30 April 2020, the Company has excess management expenses of £21,026,083 that are available to offset future taxable revenue. Whilst this represents management’s best estimate based on the carried forward balance in the previous financial year of £24,085,708 the estimated value could differ from actual amounts. However, the potential impact is not expected to be significant.
A deferred tax asset has not been recognised in respect of these amounts as they will be recoverable only to the extent that there is sufficient future taxable revenue.
12. BASIC AND DILUTED EARNINGS/(DEFICIT) PER ORDINARY SHARE
The basic and diluted earnings/(deficit) per ordinary share figure is based on dividing the loss for the financial year of £1,078,562 (30 April 2019: loss of £144,406) by the weighted average number of shares in issue during the financial year ended 30 April 2020, being 42,806,535 (30 April 2019: 47,161,422).
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | |||
| £'000 | £'000 | |||
| Net revenue loss | (656) | (633) | ||
| Net capital loss | (423) | 488 | ||
| Net total loss | (1,079) | (145) | ||
| Weighted average number of ordinary shares | ||||
| in issue during the financial year | 42,806,535 | 47,161,422 | ||
| £ | £ | |||
| Revenue loss per ordinary share | (0.015) | (0.014) | ||
| Capital profit/(loss) per ordinary share | (0.010) | 0.011 | ||
| Total profit/(loss) per ordinary share | (0.025) | (0.003) |
The revenue loss per ordinary share and capital loss per ordinary share figure is based on the net revenue loss for the financial year of £656,001 (30 April 2019: loss of £633,063), the net capital loss of £423,561 (30 April 2019: profit of £487,657) respectively and 42,806,535 being the weighted average number of shares in issue during the financial year ended 30 April 2020 (30 April 2019: 47,161,422).
13. LOANS PAYABLE
| Interest | Maturity | 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | ||
| Loan Amount | Rate | Date | £'000 | £'000 | |
| 3 year committed variable rate | |||||
| credit facility | |||||
| ¥ 1,000,000,000 | 1.12% | 7 June 2019 | - | 6,933 | |
| Loan due for repayment within one year | - | 6,933 | |||
The Company entered a credit facility agreement with Northern Trust Guernsey (Limited) ("NTGL") on 31 October 2019. The credit facility prior to 31 October 2019 was provided by Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited. As at 30 April 2020, the Company has not drawn down on the credit facility (30 April 2019: ¥1,000,000,000/£6,932,729). ¥1,500,000,000 is borrowable under the terms of the facility agreement.
From 1 November 2019, under the terms of the facility agreement with NTGL, the Company is required to comply with the following financial covenants:
- Borrowings on the accounts in the name of the borrower may not exceed at any time the lesser of (a) 20 per cent of the value of unencumbered, listed and daily priced assets held in custody by the Depositary for the borrower or (b) 100 per cent of any borrowing limit set out in the constitutional documents of such borrower.
Up until 31 October 2019, under the terms of the facility agreement with RBSI, the Company was required to comply with the following financial covenants:
- the Company’s portfolio must contain at least 60 investments, of which at least 50 must be in investments quoted on the Tokyo Stock Exchange or any other equivalent exchange approved by RBSI, at all times;
- the amount of the credit facility drawn down must not exceed 25% of the value of the Company’s portfolio at any time; and
- the Company’s NAV must not fall below $58,800,000 at any time.
The Company complied with all of the above the financial covenants during the financial years ended 30 April 2020 and 30 April 2019.
Gains/(losses) on foreign exchange on the Company’s loan amounted to £nil during the financial year ended 30 April 2020 (30 April 2019: £278,240 loss).
14. SHARE CAPITAL AND SHARE PREMIUM
Authorised
The Company is authorised to issue an unlimited number of ordinary shares of no par value. The Company has issued two subscriber shares for the purposes of incorporation of the Company. The subscriber shares do not participate in the profits of the Company.
The Company may also issue C shares being a convertible share in the capital of the Company of no par value. C shares shall not have the right to attend or vote at any general meeting of the Company. The holders of C shares of the relevant class shall be entitled, in that capacity, to receive a special dividend of such amount as the Directors may resolve to pay out of the net assets attributable to the relevant C share class and from income received and accrued attributable to the relevant C share class for the period up to the conversion date payable on a date falling before, on or after the conversion date as the Directors may determine. There are no C shares currently in issue.
The rights which the ordinary shares confer upon the holders thereof are as follows:
Voting rights
On a show of hands, every member who is present shall have one vote and, on a poll, a member present in person or by proxy shall be entitled to one vote per ordinary share held.
Entitlement to dividends
The Company may declare dividends in respect of the ordinary shares which are paid out of capital reserves. Treasury shares do not confer an entitlement to any dividends declared.
Rights in a winding-up
The holders of ordinary shares will be entitled to share in the NAV of the Company as determined by the Liquidator.
Issued ordinary shares
| Number of Shares | Share Capital | Share Premium | |||
| £'000 | £'000 | ||||
| In issue at 30 April 2020 | 41,794,570 | - | - | ||
| In issue at 30 April 2019 | 44,307,284 | - | - |
| Number of Shares | Number of Shares | |||
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | |||
| Shares of no par value | ||||
| Issued shares at the start of the financial year | 44,307,284 | 49,012,128 | ||
| Redemption of shares | (2,199,714) | (4,204,844) | ||
| Purchase of shares into treasury | (313,000) | (500,000) | ||
| Number of shares at the end of the financial year | 41,794,570 | 44,307,284 | ||
| Shares held in treasury | ||||
| Opening balance | 4,374,186 | 3,874,186 | ||
| Shares bought into treasury during the financial year | 313,000 | 500,000 | ||
| Number of shares at the end of the financial year | 4,687,186 | 4,374,186 | ||
During the financial year ended 30 April 2020, £692,400 of shares were purchased into treasury (30 April 2019: £1,085,700).
Shareholders are entitled to receive any dividends or other distributions out of profits lawfully available for distribution and on winding up they are entitled to the surplus assets remaining after payment of all the creditors of the Company. The shares redeemed in the current financial year were cancelled immediately.
15. FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES
In accordance with its investment objective and policies, the Company holds financial instruments which at any one time may comprise the following:
- securities held in accordance with the investment objective and policies;
- cash and cash equivalents and short-term receivables and payables arising directly from operations;
- loans used to finance investment activity; and
- derivative instruments for the purposes of efficient portfolio management only.
The financial instruments held by the Company principally comprise equities listed on the stock markets in Japan, including, without limitation, the Tokyo Stock Exchange categorised as First Section, Second Section, JASDAQ, Mothers and Tokyo PRO, or the regional stock exchanges of Fukuoka, Nagoya and Sapporo.
The specific risks arising from the Company's exposure to these instruments, and the Investment Manager/Investment Adviser's policies for managing these risks, which have been applied throughout the financial year, are summarised below.
Capital management
The Company’s objectives when managing capital are to safeguard the Company's ability to continue as a going concern in order to provide returns for shareholders and benefits for other stakeholders and to maintain an optimal capital structure to reduce the cost of capital.
The Company may not borrow or otherwise use leverage exceeding 20% of its net assets for investment purposes, to settle facilities for specific investments, such as bridge financing. In connection with the facility agreement, the Company has entered into an English law, multicurrency, and revolving credit facility with NTGL (see Note 13).
The Company does not have any externally imposed capital requirements apart from the fact that it should not retain more than 15% of income, in order to comply with Section 1158 of Corporation Tax Act 2010. The Company has complied with this requirement.
The Company is a closed-ended investment company. The Company’s capital is represented by ordinary shares of no par and each share carries one vote. They are entitled to dividends when declared.
313,000 shares were repurchased into treasury during the financial year ended 30 April 2020 (30 April 2019: 500,000). See Note 18 for details of shares redeemed via the redemption facility mechanisms.
Market risk
The Company's investment portfolio - particularly its equity investments - is exposed to market price fluctuations which are monitored by the Investment Manager/Investment Adviser in pursuance of the investment objective and policies.
At 30 April 2020, the Company’s market price risk is affected by three main components: changes in market prices, currency exchange rates and interest rate risk. Currency exchange rate movements and interest rate movements, which are dealt with under the relevant headings below, primarily affect the fair values of the Company’s exposures to equity securities, related derivatives and other instruments. Changes in market prices primarily affect the fair value of the Company’s exposures to equity securities, related derivatives and other instruments.
Exceptional risks associated with investment in Japanese smaller companies may include:
- greater price volatility, substantially less liquidity and significantly smaller market capitalisation; and
- more substantial government intervention in the economy, including restrictions on investing in companies or in industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests.
Market price sensitivity analysis
If the price of each of the equity securities to which the Company had exposure at 30 April 2020 had increased or decreased by 5% with all other variables held constant, this would have increased or decreased profit and net assets attributable to equity shareholders of the Company by:
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | |||
| +/- | +/- | |||
| NAV | £4,739,863 | £5,568,995 | ||
| NAV per share | £0.11 | £0.13 | ||
| Total comprehensive income | £4,739,863 | £5,568,995 | ||
| Earnings per share | £0.11 | £0.13 |
Foreign currency risk
The Company principally invests in securities denominated in currencies other than GBP, the functional currency of the Company. Therefore, the Statement of Financial Position will be affected by movements in the exchange rates of such currencies against the GBP. The Investment Manager/Investment Adviser has the power to manage exposure to currency movements by using forward currency contracts. No such instruments were held as at 30 April 2020 (30 April 2019: None).
It is not the present intention of the Directors to hedge the currency exposure of the Company, but the Directors reserve the right to do so in the future if they consider this to be desirable.
The treatment of currency transactions other than in GBP is set out in Note 2(l) to the Financial Statements.
As at 30 April 2020, the Company has a USD cash exposure in GBP terms of £nil (30 April 2019: £8,126).
The Company's net JPY exposure in GBP terms is set out in the following table:
| As at 30 April 2020 | |||||
| £'000 | |||||
| Assets | |||||
| Investments held at fair value through profit or loss | 94,797 | ||||
| Due from brokers | 290 | ||||
| Dividends receivable | 412 | ||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | 3,184 | ||||
| Total assets | 98,683 | ||||
| Liabilities | |||||
| Due to brokers | (548) | ||||
| Payables and accrued expenses | (1) | ||||
| Loans payable | - | ||||
| Total liabilities | (549) | ||||
| Total net assets | 98,134 | ||||
| As at 30 April 2019 | |||||
| £'000 | |||||
| Assets | |||||
| Investments held at fair value through profit or loss | 111,380 | ||||
| Due from brokers | 669 | ||||
| Dividends receivable | 398 | ||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | 2,074 | ||||
| Total assets | 114,521 | ||||
| Liabilities | |||||
| Due to brokers | (91) | ||||
| Payables and accrued expenses | (1) | ||||
| Loans payable | (6,933) | ||||
| Total liabilities | (7,025) | ||||
| Total net assets | 107,496 | ||||
Foreign currency sensitivity analysis
If the exchange rate at 30 April 2020, between the functional currency and all other currencies had increased or decreased by a 5% currency movement with all other variables held constant, this would have increased or reduced profit and net assets attributable to equity shareholders of the Company by:
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | |||
| +/- | +/- | |||
| NAV | £4,906,704 | £5,374,806 | ||
| NAV per share | £0.12 | £0.12 | ||
| Total comprehensive income | £4,906,704 | £5,374,806 | ||
| Earnings per share | £0.12 | £0.12 |
No benchmark is used in the calculation of the above information. The only foreign currency the Company has a significant exposure to is JPY, hence the above foreign currency sensitivity analysis has not been disclosed on a currency by currency basis.
Interest rate risk
Substantially all the Company’s assets and liabilities are non-interest bearing and any excess cash and cash equivalents are invested at short-term market interest rates.
As at 30 April 2020, the Company has a small exposure to interest rate risk regarding the loan facility and cash and cash equivalents.
Increases in interest rates may increase the costs of the Company's borrowings. The rate of interest is the rate per annum equivalent to the Bank of Japan Official base rate plus 1.25% and will be calculated on the amount for the time being outstanding on each account based upon the number of days elapsed and a year of 365 days. The currency base lending rate is subject to a floor of zero. Interest on the loan is payable monthly in arrears. As at 30 April 2020, the interest accrued on the loan was £nil (30 April 2019: £11,698).
The following disclosures exclude prepayments and taxation receivables and payables:
| Less than | 1 month to | ||||
| 1 month | 1 year | Total | |||
| As at 30 April 2020 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | ||
| Financial assets | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | 3,184 | - | 3,184 | ||
| Net financial assets/(liabilities) | 3,184 | - | 3,184 | ||
| Less than | 1 month to | ||||
| 1 month | 1 year | Total | |||
| As at 30 April 2019 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | ||
| Financial assets | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | 2,125 | - | 2,125 | ||
| Financial liabilities | |||||
| Loans payable | - | (6,933) | (6,933) | ||
| Net financial assets/(liabilities) | 2,125 | (6,933) | (4,808) | ||
The cash flow interest rate risk comprises those assets and liabilities with a floating interest rate, for example cash deposits at local market rates. Cash and cash equivalents earn interest at the prevailing market interest rate. Although this portion of the NAV is not subject to fair value risk as a result of possible fluctuations in the prevailing market interest rates, the future cashflows of the Company could be adversely or positively impacted by decreases or increases in those prevailing market interest rates.
The fair value interest rate risk comprises those assets and liabilities with a fixed interest rate, for example loans payable and loan interest payable.
| Weighted average | Weighted average period for | ||||
| interest rate | which rate is fixed (years) | ||||
| 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | ||
| JPY | |||||
| Loans payable | - | 1.12% | - | 0.11 | |
Fair value
All assets and liabilities are carried at fair value with the exception of cash and cash equivalents, which are carried at amortised cost.
Short term receivables and payables
Receivables and payables do not carry interest and are short term in nature. They are stated at amortised cost, as reduced by appropriate allowances for irrecoverable amounts in the case of receivables.
Liquidity risk
Liquidity risk is the risk that the Company will encounter in realising assets or otherwise raising funds to meet financial commitments.
As at 30 April 2020, the Company the Company has not drawn down on the credit facility (30 April 2019: ¥1,000,000,000/£6,932,799). In connection with the facility agreement, the Company has entered into an English law, multicurrency, and revolving credit facility with NTGL.
The loan may be used for the following purposes:
- the acquisition of investments in accordance with the investment policy;
- its working capital requirements in the ordinary course of business; and
The loan must be repaid on the earliest of the day on which written demand is made by NTGL for repayment or the day on which an automatic repayment event occurs (such as insolvency).
The Company invests primarily in listed securities which are liquid in nature.
The Company’s liquidity risk is managed by the Investment Manager who monitors the cash positions on a regular basis.
The maturity analysis of the Company’s financial liabilities (excluding tax balances) is set out in the following table:
| Up to 1 year | 1 to 5 | ||||||
| or on demand | years | Total | |||||
| As at 30 April 2020 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | ||||
| Financial liabilities | |||||||
| Other financial liabilities | (787) | - | (787) | ||||
| Total financial liabilities | (787) | - | (787) | ||||
| Up to 1 year | 1 to 5 | ||||||
| or on demand | years | Total | |||||
| As at 30 April 2019 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | ||||
| Financial liabilities | |||||||
| Loans payable | (6,933) | - | (6,933) | ||||
| Other financial liabilities | (356) | - | (356) | ||||
| Total financial liabilities | (7,289) | - | (7,289) |
Credit risk
Credit risk is the risk that an issuer or counterparty will be unable or unwilling to meet a commitment that it has entered into with the Company.
In accordance with the investment restrictions as described in its prospectus and investment policy (see the Introduction above), the Company may not invest more than 10% of the Company’s gross assets in securities of any one company or issuer. However, this restriction shall not apply to securities issued or guaranteed by a government or government agency of the Japanese or US Governments. In adhering to these investment restrictions, the Company mitigates the risk of any significant concentration of credit risk arising on broker and dividend receivables.
As the Company invests primarily in publicly traded equity securities the Company is not exposed to credit risk from these positions. However, the Company will be exposed to a credit risk on parties with whom it trades and will bear the risk of settlement default. The Company minimises concentrations of credit risk by undertaking transactions with a number of regulated counterparties on recognised and reputable exchanges. All transactions in listed securities are settled/paid for upon delivery using approved brokers. The risk of default is considered minimal, as delivery of securities sold is only made once the broker has made payment. Payment is made on a purchase once the securities have been received from the broker. The trade will fail if either party fails to meet its obligation. The Company is exposed to credit risk on cash and investment balances held with the Depositary. The Investment Manager regularly reviews concentrations of credit risk.
All of the cash assets are held with the Northern Trust Company (“NTC”). Cash deposited with NTC is deposited as banker and is held on its Statement of Financial Position. Accordingly, in accordance with usual banking practice, NTC’s liability to the Company in respect of such cash deposits shall be that of debtor and the Company will rank as a general creditor of NTC. The financial assets are held with the Depositary, Northern Trust (Guernsey) Limited.
These assets are held distinct and separately from the proprietary assets of the Depositary. Securities are clearly recorded to ensure they are held on behalf of the Company.
Bankruptcy or insolvency of the Depositary and, or one of its agents or affiliates may cause the Company’s rights with respect to the securities held by the Depositary to be delayed or limited.
NTC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Northern Trust Corporation. As at 30 April 2020, Northern Trust Corporation had a long term rating from Standard & Poor’s of A+ (30 April 2019:A+). Risk is managed by monitoring the credit quality and financial positions of the Depositary the Company uses. Northern Trust acts as its own sub-depositary in the US, the UK, Ireland and Canada. In all other markets Northern Trust appoints a local sub-depositary. Northern Trust continually reviews its sub-depositary network to ensure clients have access to the most efficient, creditworthy and cost-effective provider in each market.
The securities held by the Company are legally held with the Depositary, which holds the securities in segregated accounts, and subject to any security given by the Company to secure its overdraft facilities, the Company’s securities should be returned to the Company in the event of the insolvency of the Depositary or its appointed agents, although it may take time for the Company to prove its entitlement to the securities and for them to be released by the liquidator of the insolvent institution. The Company will however only rank as an unsecured creditor in relation to any cash deposited or derivative positions with the Depositary, their related companies and their appointed agents, and is therefore subject to the credit risk of the relevant institution in this respect.
The assets exposed to credit risk at financial year end amounted to £3,184,089 (30 April 2019: £2,124,673).
Fair value hierarchy
The fair value of investments traded in active markets (such as publicly traded derivatives and trading securities) are based on quoted market prices at the close of trading on the Statement of Financial Position date. The quoted market price used for investments held by the Company is the last traded price; the appropriate quoted market price for financial liabilities is the current asking price.
A financial instrument is regarded as quoted in an active market if quoted prices are readily and regularly available from an exchange, dealer, broker, industry group, pricing service, or regulatory agency, and those prices represent actual and regularly occurring market transactions on an arm’s length basis.
The fair value of investments that are not traded in an active market is determined by using valuation techniques.
For instruments for which there is no active market, the Company may use internally developed models, which are usually based on valuation methods and techniques generally recognised as standard within the industry. Valuation models may be used primarily to value unlisted equity, debt securities and other debt instruments for which markets were or have been inactive during the financial year. Some of the inputs to these models may not be market observable and are therefore estimated based on assumptions.
The following table sets out fair value measurements using the IFRS 13 fair value hierarchies:
| At 30 April 2020 | |||||||
| Investments at fair value through profit or loss | |||||||
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | ||||
| £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | ||||
| Equity investments | 94,797 | - | - | 94,797 | |||
| 94,797 | - | - | 94,797 | ||||
| At 30 April 2019 | |||||||
| Investments at fair value through profit or loss | |||||||
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | ||||
| £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | ||||
| Equity investments | 111,380 | - | - | 111,380 | |||
| 111,380 | - | - | 111,380 |
Categorisation within the hierarchy has been determined on the basis of the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement of the relevant asset as follows:
- Level 1 - valued using quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
- Level 2 - valued by reference to valuation techniques using observable inputs other than quoted prices included within level 1.
- Level 3 - valued by reference to valuation techniques using inputs that are not based on observable market data.
16. INVESTMENTS HELD AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | |||
| £'000 | £'000 | |||
| Opening book cost | 74,232 | 79,851 | ||
| Purchases at cost | 30,207 | 30,622 | ||
| Proceeds on sale | (45,546) | (40,918) | ||
| Realised gains | 2,409 | 4,677 | ||
| Closing book cost | 61,302 | 74,232 | ||
| Unrealised gains on investments | 33,495 | 37,148 | ||
| Fair value | 94,797 | 111,380 |
17. NAV HISTORY
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | 30 April 2018 | ||||
| NAV | £97,913,074 | £107,290,867 | £118,738,232 | |||
| Number of Shares in Issue | 41,794,570 | 44,307,284 | 49,012,128 | |||
| NAV per Ordinary Share | £2.34 | £2.42 | £2.42 |
18. REDEMPTION FACILITY
Ordinarily, shareholders have the opportunity to make redemptions of part or all of their shareholding on a six-monthly basis with the Board’s discretion in declining any redemption requests. The redemption facility mechanism ceased with effect from 27 September 2019. The following redemptions were made during the financial year:
| Redemption date | Shares redeemed | £'000 | ||
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2020 | |||
| 27 September 2019 | 2,199,714 | 5,626 | ||
| 2,199,714 | 5,626 | |||
| Redemption date | Shares redeemed | £'000 | ||
| 30 April 2019 | 30 April 2019 | |||
| 28 September 2018 | 2,434,356 | 6,087 | ||
| 29 March 2019 | 1,770,488 | 4,129 | ||
| 4,204,844 | 10,216 |
During the financial year ended 30 April 2020, a total of £5,625,769l was paid to redeeming shareholders (30 April 2019: £10,216,306).
19. DIVIDENDS
All amounts held in the Company’s revenue reserve are distributable to shareholders by way of dividends. There are regular quarterly payments of 1% of the company’s NAV (based on the average daily NAV in the final month of the financial year). These will be paid in March, June, September and December.
The Company declared the following dividends during the financial year ended 30 April 2020:
| Date | Dividend rate per share (pence) | Dividend (£) | Record date | Ex-dividend date | Pay date |
| 31 October 2019 | 2.37 | 990,531 | 6 December 2019 | 5 December 2019 | 30 December 2019 |
| 31 January 2020 | 2.37 | 990,531 | 6 March 2020 | 3 March 2020 | 31 March 2020 |
20. ONGOING CHARGES
The ongoing charges using the AIC recommended methodology were 1.64% for the financial year ended 30 April 2020 (30 April 2019: 1.63%). Of the £1,743,541 expenses in the Statement of Comprehensive Income, excluded from the calculation of ongoing charges, are £24,847 considered by the Directors to be non-recurring (30 April 2019: £4,178).
21. EXCHANGE RATES
The following exchange rates were used during the financial year.
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | 30 April 2018 | ||||
| GBP | GBP | GBP | ||||
| USD | $1.2614 | $1.3037 | $1.3774 | |||
| JPY | ¥134.8825 | ¥145.1940 | ¥150.7167 |
The following average exchange rates were used during the financial year:
| 30 April 2020 | 30 April 2019 | 30 April 2018 | ||||
| GBP | GBP | GBP | ||||
| USD | $1.2666 | $1.3044 | $1.3382 | |||
| JPY | ¥137.3435 | ¥145.0373 | ¥147.9520 |
22. CHANGES IN THE PORTFOLIO
A list, specifying for each investment the total purchases and sales which took place during the financial year ended 30 April 2020, may be obtained, upon request, at the registered office of the Company.
23. EVENTS AFTER THE FINANCIAL YEAR ENDED 30 APRIL 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented event and the eventual impact on the global economy and markets will largely depend on the scale and duration of the outbreak. The Directors are aware that global financial markets have been monitoring and reacting to the outbreak of COVID-19. All markets have incurred increased volatility and uncertainty since the onset of the pandemic. The Directors will continue to monitor this situation.
Japan entered a technical recession in the January-March quarter by registering two consecutive quarters of a negative GDP.
Since the financial year end the performance of the Company has been 14.5% compared to 6.7% for the TOPIX Total Return Index. As of the date of this report, 100% of the Company’s investments were liquid level 1 securities and is therefore well situated to pay liabilities as they fall due.
The Director, Philip Ehrmann purchased 21,200 ordinary shares of the Company on 11 May 2020. Philip Ehrmann now holds 50,000 ordinary shares of the Company.
The Directors declared a quarterly dividend of 2.37p with an ex date of 26 June 2020 in respect of the financial quarter ended 30 April 2020.
The average daily NAV per share for the financial year ended 30 April 2020 was 217p, thus the next four payments will be at 2.17p per share payable at the end of September 2020 and December 2020, and March 2021 and June 2021.
Cantor Fitzgerald Europe terminated as corporate broker to the Company on 15 May 2020.
Nplus1 Singer Advisory LLP was appointed as corporate broker to the Company on 3 July 2020.
There were no other significant events subsequent to the financial year ended 30 April 2020 which require adjustment to or additional disclosure in the Financial Statements.
24. ULTIMATE CONTROLLING PARTY
There is no one entity with ultimate control over the Company.
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