Forbes, the iconic business information brand that convenes and curates the most influential leaders driving change, and Magnum Opus Acquisition Limited (NYSE: OPA) (“Magnum Opus”), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, today announced a $200 million strategic investment from Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency and blockchain infrastructure providers.
Forbes and Magnum Opus earlier announced plans to pursue a business combination, expected to close Q1 of 2022, through which Forbes would become a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange trading under the ticker symbol “FRBS.” Going public will enable Forbes to further capitalize on its successful digital transformation, using technology and data-driven insights to create more deeply engaged audiences, and associated high-quality and recurring revenue streams.
Binance’s strategic investment will be through Binance’s assumption of subscription agreements representing $200 million of commitments in the $400 million private investment in public equity (“PIPE”) that was previously announced along with Forbes’ intention to go public via a business combination with Magnum Opus. With Binance assuming existing PIPE commitments, the overall size of the PIPE will remain at $400 million, and Binance’s investment will be according to substantially the same terms as the existing PIPE investors.
The transactions with Magnum Opus and Binance are expected to help Forbes maximize its brand and enterprise values and use its proprietary technology stack and analytics to convert readers into long-term, engaged customers of the platform, including through memberships and recurring subscriptions to premium content and highly targeted product offerings.
“Forbes is committed to demystifying the complexities and providing helpful information about blockchain technologies and all emerging digital assets,” said Mike Federle, CEO, Forbes. “With Binance’s investment in Forbes, we now have the experience, network and resources of the world’s leading crypto exchange and one of the world’s most successful blockchain innovators. Forbes, already a resource for people interested in the emerging world of digital assets, can become a true leader in the field with their help.”
“As Web 3 and blockchain technologies move forward and the crypto market comes of age we know that media is an essential element to build widespread consumer understanding and education. We look forward to bolstering Forbes’ Digital initiatives, as they evolve into a next level investment insights platform,” said Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao, Founder and CEO, Binance.
As part of this transaction, Patrick Hillmann, Chief Communications Officer for Binance and Bill Chin, Head of Binance Labs, the Venture Capital Arm and Incubator of Binance, will join the Forbes Board of Directors upon the successful closing of the business combination transaction, expected this quarter.
Source - Forbes.com
