Quarterlytics / Financial Services / Asset Management / Livermore Investments Group Limited / FY2011 Annual Report

Livermore Investments Group Limited
Annual Report 2011

LIV · LSE Financial Services
Claim this profile
Ticker LIV
Exchange LSE
Sector Financial Services
Industry Asset Management
Employees 1-10
← All annual reports
FY2011 Annual Report · Livermore Investments Group Limited
Loading PDF…
Table of Contents

Table of Contents                                                                                                                                4

Highlights                                                                                                                                           6

Chairman’s and Chief Executive’s Review                                                                                             7

Introduction                                                                                                                                                              7

Financial Review                                                                                                                                                       7

Dividend & Buyback                                                                                                                                                  8

Annual General Meeting                                                                                                                                          8

Review of Activities                                                                                                                             9

Introduction and Overview                                                                                                                                      9

Global Investment Environment                                                                                                                              9

Livermore’s Strategy                                                                                                                                                11

Review of Significant Investments                                                                                                                        12

Events after the Reporting Date                                                                                                                            18

Litigation                                                                                                                                                                 18

Report of the Directors                                                                                                                      19

The Board’s Objectives                                                                                                                                            19

The Board of Directors                                                                                                                                            19

Directors’ responsibilities in relation to the consolidated financial statements                                                 20

Disclosure of information to the Auditor                                                                                                               21

Substantial Shareholdings                                                                                                                                       21

Corporate Governance Statement                                                                                                       22

Introduction                                                                                                                                                            22

The Board Constitution and Procedures                                                                                                                 22

Board Committees                                                                                                                                                  22

Remuneration Committee                                                                                                                                      22

Audit Committee                                                                                                                                                    22

Communication with Investors                                                                                                                               23

Internal Control                                                                                                                                                      23

Independence of Auditor                                                                                                                                        23

Annual Report 2011

4

Remuneration Report                                                                                                                         24

Directors’ Emoluments                                                                                                                                            24

Directors’ Interests                                                                                                                                                  24

Interests of Directors in share options                                                                                                                   25

Share Option Scheme                                                                                                                                             25

Remuneration Policy                                                                                                                                               25

Review of the Business and Risks                                                                                                        27

Risks                                                                                                                                                                         27

Share Capital                                                                                                                                                           27

Related Party Transactions                                                                                                                                     28

Report of the independent auditor to the members of Livermore Investments Group Limited               29

Consolidated Statement of Financial Position as at 31 December 2011                                                31

Consolidated Income Statement for the year ended 31 December 2011                                               32

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income for the year ended 31 December 2011                   33

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity for the year ended 31 December 2011                           34

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended 31 December 2011                                     36

Notes on the Financial Statements                                                                                                     38

Shareholder Information                                                                                                                    84

Registrars                                                                                                                                                                84

Website                                                                                                                                                                    84

Direct Dividend Payments                                                                                                                                      84

Lost Share Certificate                                                                                                                                             84

Duplicate Shareholder Accounts                                                                                                                            84

Notice of Annual General Meeting                                                                                                     85

Corporate Directory                                                                                                                            88

5

Highlights 

•	 Net Asset Value per share - USD 0 57 (December 2010: USD 0 50, June 2011: 0 57) - representing 

a net increase of 14% 

•	 NAV  uplift  driven  by  strong  performance  of  credit  portfolio  (38%  net  performance)  partially 

offset by write downs on legacy private equity investments 

•	 Successful value generation from investing in the US loan market  

•	 Wyler Park property in Bern, Switzerland fully let 

•	 No material developments in the private equity portfolio  

•	 During 2011, the Company purchased 27,497,119 shares to be held in treasury    

Annual Report 2011

6

Chairman’s and Chief Executive’s Review
Introduction

We  are  pleased  to  announce  the  consolidated  financial  results  for  Livermore  Investments  Group 
Limited  (“Livermore”  or  “the  Company”)  and  its  subsidiaries  (together  “the  Group”)  for  the  year 
ended 31 December 2011   

The year-end NAV was USD 0 57 per share (2010 NAV: USD 0 50 per share)  Net profit for the year 
was USD 5 4m (2010 Net Profit: USD 8 5m)  The portfolio remained well diversified across sectors 
and  geographies  with  increased  exposure  to  fixed  income  securities  and  senior  secured  loans  as 
compared to 2010  

During the year, the Group performed well generating an increase of 14% on a NAV per share basis   
The  positive  performance  is  attributed  largely  to  the  income  from  the  US  credit  portfolio  partly 
offset by certain write-downs on legacy  private equity investments  Interest  and  dividend  income 
from the financial portfolio totalled USD 18 9m   

Wyler Park, our investment property in Bern, Switzerland performed well, generating over CHF 5 4m 
in net rent during the year   All of the 39 apartments and commercial spaces are fully rented  
There were no significant developments in the private equity portfolio during the year 

Financial Review

The NAV of the Group at 31 December 2011 was USD 145 4m   On a per share basis, NAV increased 
by 14%  Net profit during the year was USD 5 4m, which represents earnings per share of USD 0 02   

Administrative expenses excluding provisions for legal and other matters were USD 5 3m (2010: USD 
3 2m), representing 3 7% of the average NAV   Administrative costs include USD 0 794m one-time 
expense related to legal expenses in connection  with the income received from  the  settlement  of 
the Uniplay litigation (note 30)   

7

 
The overall change in the NAV is primarily attributed to the following:

31 December  
2011  
US $m

31 December  
2010 
US $m

Shareholders’ funds at beginning of year

Income from investments

Other income

Realised gains on investments

Loss on impairment on investments

Unrealised gains on investments

Unrealised exchange (losses) / gains 

Administration costs including provisions for legal cases

Finance costs

Tax charge

Increase  in net assets from operations

Purchase of own shares 

Adjustments for share option charge

Shareholders’ funds at end of year

142 3

24 6

3 0

0 2

(9 9)

4 5

(0 2)

(5 0)

(5 3)

(1 7)

10 2

(7 1)

-

145 4

128 6

15 2

-

0 6

(6 3)

5 6

5 9

(1 0)

(3 5)

(0 8)

15 7

(2 0)

-

142 3

Net Asset Value per share

US $0 57

US $0 50

Dividend & Buyback

Given the discount between the market price and the NAV, the Board recommends continuing the 
share  buyback  as  the  most  efficient  means  to  generate  value  for  shareholders     No  dividend  was 
declared for the year ended 31 December 2011 
During  2011,  the  Company  purchased  27,497,119  shares  to  be  held  in  treasury  for  a  total  cost  of 
USD  7 125m     The  total  number  of  shares  held  in  treasury  at  31  December  2011  was  49,332,883    
Following the year end the Company purchased 24,589,824 additional shares to be held in treasury 
for a total cost of USD 5 926m   The total number of shares held in treasury at the date of this report 
is 73,922,707 

Annual General Meeting

The Group’s Annual General Meeting will be held on 28 August 2012   The Notice for the meeting is 
on page 85 of this report  
The Chairman and CEO would like to thank the investment team for their performance 

Richard B Rosenberg 
Chairman 

25 May 2012

Noam Lanir
Chief Executive Officer

Annual Report 2011

8

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Review of Activities 
Introduction and Overview

2011 was a challenging year with the European debt crisis taking a turn for the worse and the US 
losing  its  coveted  AAA  rating  from  S&P   The  earthquake  in  Japan  and  tsunami  in  South  East  Asia 
took further steam out of the global economy  

Despite the significant challenges, Livermore generated a NAV/share increase of 14%  Management 
took advantage of the continued dislocation in market prices and availability of cheap leverage and 
increased  exposure  to  the  US  senior  secured  loan  market  which  continued  to  exhibit  very  robust 
performance   

The year-end NAV was USD 0 57 per share (2010 NAV: USD 0 50 per share)  The portfolio remained 
well diversified across sectors and geographies with increased exposure to US senior secured loans 
as compared to 2010  

In 2011, the Group generated interest and dividend income of USD 18 9m and investment property 
income of USD 5 7m  The Group’s results (net income of USD 5 4m) relate mainly to gains and interest 
and dividend income from fixed income securities, currency gains from the non-USD portfolio, and 
income and valuation gains on its Wyler Park property in Switzerland   At the same time the results 
were negatively affected by impairments related to certain legacy investments and reclassification 
of certain losses from reserves to income statement  Administrative expenses excluding provisions 
amounted to USD 5 3m  Finance costs were USD 5 3m, of which USD 3 8m relates to the loan against 
the Wyler Park property 

The  Group  does  not  have  an  external  management  company  structure  and  thus  does  not  bear 
the  burden  of  external  management  and  performance  fees     Further,  the  interests  of  Livermore’s 
management  are  aligned  with  those  of  its  shareholders  as  management  members  have  a  large 
ownership interest in Livermore shares  

Considering the strong liquidity position of Livermore, together with the robustness of its investment 
portfolio and the alignment of management’s interest with those of its shareholders, management 
believes that the Group is well positioned to benefit from current market conditions     

Global Investment Environment

In  the  first  quarter  of  the  year,  economic  growth  continued  worldwide  although  there  were 
considerable  regional  differences   Emerging  economies  recorded  the  highest  growth  rates   In  the 
euro  area,  particularly  Germany,  the  recovery  was  supported  by  strong  export  and  investment 
activity  In the US, by contrast, high energy prices weighed on sentiment and held back growth  In 
Japan, there was a significant decline in GDP as a result of the earthquake 

In  the  second  quarter,  global  economic  recovery  lost  steam  due  to  the  delayed  impact  of  energy 
price  increases  in  the  first  quarter  and  the  major  catastrophe  in  Japan  which  led  to  production 
interruptions 

Following a very weak second quarter, the global economy picked up slightly in the third quarter, 
benefiting from the resumption of production following the earthquake disaster in Japan  The decline 
in  commodity  prices  during  the  third  quarter  also  had  a  positive  effect   In  the  euro  area,  on  the 

9

 
other hand, economic growth was weak and the European sovereign debt crisis turned for the worse  
In the US, the political stalemate over the debt ceiling increase caused significant uncertainty and 
subsequently led to the US losing its coveted AAA rating from S&P 

Developments in the global economy were mixed in the fourth quarter  GDP growth in the US was 
stronger than in the previous quarter, which came as a positive surprise  Output in Japan and the 
euro area, on the other hand, slowed  With regard to emerging economies, robust growth in China 
and Russia stood in contrast to weaker results in India and Brazil, and in smaller Asian economies 

The European sovereign debt crisis and the contagion effect on the banking sector and the global 
economy  pose  significant  risks  to  global  growth   Peripheral  economies  in  Europe  faced  higher 
interest costs and responded by undertaking austerity measures to reign in deficits and reduce debt 
burdens  Central bankers in the developed world continued to support the financial system and their 
economies with conventional and unconventional policy tools  

In equity markets, the US S&P 500 Index ended unchanged from the beginning of the year, whereas 
the EuroStoxx 50 Index declined 17% and the Indian NIFTY 50 Index declined 24 5% in response to 
the European sovereign debt crisis, slowing growth, and a decrease in risk appetite  

2011 was a volatile year for the corporate credit market in the US  While the S&P/LSTA Index saw 
average  monthly  gains  of  0 39%  during  the  first  seven  months  as  demand  for  leveraged  loans 
increased,  this  trend  was  quickly  reversed  as  concerns  over  the  sovereign  debt  crisis  in  Europe, 
fears of a global double-dip recession, and the U S  central bank’s pledge to keep short-term rates 
low through at least mid-2013, led to capital flight out of the leveraged loan market  In late 2011, 
investor  sentiment  improved  once  again  and  the  loan  index  ended  with  a  1 5%  gain  for  the  year  
Notwithstanding  the  market  price  swings,  U S   credit  fundamentals  continued  to  improve   Since 
June 2009, publicly-filing S&P/LSTA Index issuers generated average year-over-year EBITDA growth 
of 16%  The size of the so-called “maturity wall” in 2013 and 2014 continued to be reduced through 
repayments and extensions  During 2011, issuers in the S&P/LSTA Index had reduced loan maturities 
due through 2014 by $131 5 billion  Trailing 12 month default rates as measured by S&P/LSTA Index 
hit a 54-month low of 0 17%, by principal amount   

EURO ZONE: Real GDP increased by 1 4% overall in 2011  In the earlier part of the year, economic 
recovery in the euro area continued, supported by global growth and strengthening domestic demand  
Headline inflation rates rose significantly on the back of energy and commodity price movements 
causing  the  European  Central  Bank  (ECB)  to  increase  rates  by  0 5%  between  April  and  July  2011   
However,  concerns  about  the  evolution  of  public  finances  in  several  euro  area  economies  caused 
severe  tensions  in  financial  markets  resulting  in  tighter  financial  conditions,  and  deteriorating 
economic  confidence   As  a  result,  economic  activity  dampened  during  the  second  half  of  2011   
Contagion effect from the interplay between vulnerable public finances and the financial sector led 
to  funding  and  deleveraging  pressures  for  euro  area  banks   The  ECB  responded  with  several  non-
standard policy measures including reactivation of the Securities Markets Programme, the launch of 
a second covered bond purchase program and measures to provide liquidity in foreign currencies  In 
December the ECB adopted additional enhanced credit support measures, including the conduct of 
two longer-term refinancing operations with a three-year maturity, increased collateral availability 
and  a  reduction  in  the  reserve  ratio  to  1%  in  order  to  mitigate  the  effects  of  strains  in  financial 
markets on the supply of credit by ensuring that banks were not liquidity-constrained  Interest rates 
were  also  lowered  by  0 5%  by  the  ECB  between  November  and  December  2011   The  EuroStoxx  50 
Index declined by 17% during the year  

Annual Report 2011

10

SWITZERLAND:  The  increasing  deterioration  in  the  international  environment  weighed  heavily  on 
the Swiss economy  Average annual GDP increased by 1 9%, after a rise of 2 7% in the previous year   
While  the  first  six  months  of  2011  saw  dynamic  economic  development,  growth  slackened  in  the 
second half of the year with a slight increase in the rate of unemployment in the last months of the 
year  The Swiss National Bank pursued an expansionary monetary policy throughout 2011 reducing 
its target interest rate range from 0 0 – 0 75% to 0 0 – 0 25% in the latter half and set a minimum 
exchange  rate  at  CHF  1 20  per  euro  following  a  sharp  overvaluation  in  the  Swiss  Franc   The  SMI 
Index dropped 7 75% during the year and the 10 year Swiss Government bond yields dropped from 
1 72% at the beginning of the year to 0 66% at the end of the year   

INDIA:  Global  spillovers  through  trade  and  capital  flow  channels  slowed  India’s  growth  more 
than  anticipated   The  impact  was  exacerbated  by  high  inflation,  weaker  currency,  and  domestic 
factors,  both  cyclical  and  structural   Industrial  growth  was  adversely  affected  by  contraction  in 
mining, deceleration in manufacturing and slowdown in construction activity  These factors created 
pressures  on  equity  and  currency  markets   The  sharp  depreciation  of  the  rupee  during  August-
December 2011 contributed to the drying up of foreign equity inflows and in turn, further weakened 
the Indian Rupee as well as impacted investment financing  The NIFTY 50 Index declined by 24 5% 
and the Indian Rupee depreciated from 44 7 per USD at the start of the year to 53 06 per USD at 
the end of the year  

Sources:  International  Monetary  Fund  (IMF),  Swiss  National  Bank  (SNB),  European  Central  Bank  (ECB),  Reserve  Bank  of  India 

(RBI), Bloomberg

Livermore’s Strategy 

The financial portfolio is focused on fixed income instruments which generate periodic cash flows 
and include mainly exposure to senior secured and usually broadly syndicated US loans   This part 
of  the  portfolio  is  geographically  focused  on  the  US  with  some  exposure  to  Europe  and  emerging 
markets  In addition, the financial portfolio would include investments in select deep value public 
equities where management could exert influence 

The remaining portfolio is focused on Switzerland and Asia with investments primarily in real estate 
and  select  private  equity  opportunities   Investments  are  focused  on  sectors  that  Management 
believes will provide superior growth over the mid to long term with relatively low downside risk  

Strong emphasis is given to maintaining sufficient liquidity and low leverage at the overall portfolio 
level and to re-invest in existing and new investments along the economic cycle  

11

 
Review of Significant Investments

Name 

Wyler Park* 

SRS Charminar 

Montana Tech Components 

Other Real Estate Assets

Total 

* Net of related loan 

Book Value 
 US $m 

38 2

14 6 

3 6 

1 5

57 9 

Wyler Park – Switzerland
Wyler Park is a top quality mixed-use property located in Bern, Switzerland  It has over 16,800 square 
meters  of  commercial  space,  4,100  square  meters  of  residential  space,  and  another  7,800  square 
meters available for additional commercial development  The commercial part is leased entirely to 
SBB (AAA rated), the Swiss national transport authority wholly owned by the Swiss Confederation, 
and  serves  as  the  headquarters  of  their  Passenger  Traffic  division   The  commercial  lease  is  Swiss 
inflation rate – adjusted and ends in 2019 with two 5 year extension periods thereafter  The annual 
rental income from the commercial area of the project is CHF 4 26m (USD 4 54m) 

Following the successful development of 39 residential apartments, management rented out all of 
the apartments  The entire property is fully rented  The annual rental income from the residential 
area is about CHF 1 1m (USD 1 17m) 

Livermore  is  the  sole  owner  of  Wyler  Park  through  its  wholly  owned  Swiss  subsidiary,  Livermore 
Investments AG  The loan outstanding on the project is CHF 79m (USD 84 3), which is a non-recourse 
loan to Livermore Investments AG backed only by this property  The loan matures in July 2014  The 
valuation  of  the  property  as  of  year-end  2011  is  CHF  114 9m  (USD  122 5m)  and  of  year  end  2010 
was CHF 111 17m (USD 119 0m) 

Management  continues  to  evaluate  the  potential  development  of  the  additional  commercial 
development rights of 7,800 square meters attached to the property  

SRS Charminar – India
Livermore invested USD 20m in 2008 in a leading Indian Real Estate company, in association with 
SRS Private and other investors as part of a total investment of USD 154m  

The  investment  in  the  investee  company  was  in  the  form  of  compulsorily  convertible  debt  and 
included a put option, which can be exercised if the investee company does not have an IPO within 
3 years or if certain terms in the agreement are not met   The put option is secured by land which 
was valued at around USD 1 3 billion at the time of investment and guarantees a minimum return 
of approximately 30% IRR if exercised 

Annual Report 2011

12

 
As reported previously, the Manager (Infinite India Limited) for this investment served a put option 
exercise  notice  to  the  promoters  in  2009     Following  a  dispute  on  the  grounds  of  the  put  option 
notice between the promoters and the fund, the parties agreed to invoke arbitration to be held in 
Mumbai 

On  14  August  2009,  the  arbitration  process  was  completed  and  the  arbitrator  ruled  in  favour  of 
investors  The award entitles the investors to investment plus interest amounting to 30% IRR until 
14 August 2009 and 18% IRR thereafter   

Meanwhile, the investors have filed and won an interim order for injunction against the promoters 
and the company to prohibit sales, transfer or encumbering of the assets of the company   Thereafter, 
the  promoters  have  filed  against  the  arbitral  award  and  the  injunction  order     As  at  31  December 
2011 there was no change in the status of this case  

On  January  13,  2011  the  Company  Law  Board  (“CLB”)  passed  an  order  and  allowed  Infrastructure 
Leasing  &  Financial  Services  Limited  (“IL&FS”)  to  become  80%  shareholder  and  control  the 
management of the company  After the reporting period, the Manager has reported a finalization of 
settlement negotiations with IL&FS and the investee company which is subject to certain court and 
regulatory approvals  

Due to the legal complexity and the receipt of the regulatory and court approvals required for the 
implementation  of  the  proposed  settlement  as  well  as  the  various  counterparties  involved,  the 
outcome remains uncertain 

The carrying amount of the investment is based on discounted expected cash flows and was reduced 
to USD 14 7m (2010: USD 17 8m)   The accrued interest up to February 2009 was reversed during the 
period ended 30 June 2011 (notes 13 and 25)   

Montana Tech Components (“MTC”) - Europe
Montana Tech Components AG is a leading components manufacturer in the fields of Aerospace & 
Industrial Components, Metal Tech and Micro Batteries  

The Aerospace Components business segment manufactures specialized components for Airbus and 
Boeing and is the market leader   The facilities are currently located in the US and in Switzerland 
with a new low cost facility in Romania recently built-out   The company has a large market share in 
the US with Boeing and in Europe with Airbus  The build-out of the Romanian facility was completed 
as planned  The certification process with Airbus was concluded in significant areas   

The Micro Batteries business is a market leader in hearing aid batteries and rechargeable batteries 
with  a  strong  brand  (VARTA  Micro  Power)   VARTA  has  formed  a  significant  joint  venture  with  the 
Volkswagen group to develop batteries for hybrid cars  

Metal Tech business segment operates in a niche area and is a market leader in an otherwise highly 
fragmented industry   This business segment produces tools for identification and marking of steel 
products   

Due  to  an  excellent  market  position,  ongoing  expansion  and  productivity-enhancing  measures, 
MTC increased turnover by 12% in 2011 to EUR 395m as compared to EUR 351m in 2010  EBITDA 
increased 21% to EUR 54m (2010: EUR 45m) and EBIT increased 34% to EUR 37m (2010: EUR 28m)  
The Company’s equity capital increased to EUR 225m (2010: EUR 152m) 

13

 
In January 2011, MTC accomplished a capital increase in the amount of EUR 46m  In May 2011, MTC 
raised  another  EUR  15m  through  the  issue  of  a  convertible  bond   The  funds  were  partly  utilized 
to repay the convertible debt due in August 2011 and to purchase shares held by non–controlling 
shareholders in the Romanian subsidiary  

Livermore  and  certain  other  minority  shareholders  in  MTC  have  raised  concerns  about  related 
party transactions between MTC and its majority shareholder as well as the unequal treatment of 
minority shareholders by the Board of MTC  Livermore is pursuing an activist role in order to increase 
transparency, ensure equal treatment of minority shareholders, and potentially gain representation 
on the Board of MTC  During the year, Livermore along with certain other shareholders of MTC filed 
and won a legal case against MTC related to an incorrect grant of discharge to the directors of MTC 
during MTC’s annual general meeting  Livermore and certain other shareholders have filed another 
case  against  MTC  and  its  Board  of  Directors  concerning  an  incorrect  allocation  of  shares  in  the 
recent capital increase  The matter is currently pending in court in Switzerland 

Private Equity Funds  
The other private equity investments held by the Group are incorporated in the form of Managed Funds 
(mostly  closed  end  funds)  mainly  in  the  emerging  economies  of  India  and  China   The  investments 
of these funds into their portfolio companies were mostly done in 2008 and 2009  Overall, during 
2011  the  investment  environment  relating  to  most  funds  was  challenging  and  the  Group  expects 
that  material  exits  of  portfolio  companies  should  materialize  between  2013  and  2015     Except 
for  distributions  of  USD  0 585m  from  Blue  Ridge  Capital  and  USD  0 102m  from  Da  Vinci  fund  no 
material exits occurred during the reported period 

The following summarizes the book value of the private equity funds as of year-end 2011

Name

India Blue Mountains (India)

SRS Private (India)

Evolution Venture (Israel) 

Elephant Capital (India)

Da Vinci (Russia)

Blue Ridge Capital (China)

Panda Capital (China)

Other investments 

Total 

Book Value  
US $m

5 1

2 6

1 6 

1 5 

1 1 

1 0 

0 7

0 5 

14 1 

India  Blue  Mountains:  India Blue Mountains is a leading hotel and hospitality development fund that is 
developing 4 star and 5 star hotels in India  The fund has acquired land and is in the process of developing 
three  hotels  in  prime  areas  of  Mumbai,  Pune  and  Goa   All  hotels  will  be  managed  by  the  Accor  Group 

Annual Report 2011

14

 
 
(Novotel brands)  Accor has also invested equity and holds a 26% stake in all of the hotels  
The Pune hotel is being built on a land area of 70,200 sq ft with a total built-up area of 338,692 sq 
ft  The hotel will be a Novotel brand hotel with 223 rooms and two floors have been earmarked for 
commercial office space  Construction of the structure is nearing completion

The  Mumbai  hotel  is  on  a  82,609  sq  ft  land  site  with  a  built-up  area  of  550,217  sq  ft   The  hotel 
will  be  a  Novotel  brand  hotel  with  543  rooms   The  hotel  is  close  to  the  Mumbai  airport  with  an 
unusually high frontage area of 38 meters on one of Mumbai’s main arterial roads  During the year, 
the  contract  with  the  general  contractor  was  terminated  due  to  delays  caused  by  the  contractor  
The existing loan facility was repaid and a bridge loan due in February 2012 was undertaken  This 
bridge loan has been partly paid down and the remaining extended until July 2012  The manager is 
currently in process of syndicating a new construction loan 

For  the  Goa  hotel,  land  measuring  20  acres  was  purchased  at  Majorda  beach  in  Goa  having  200 
meters of sea front with a white sandy beach from nearly 40 parcels of land  Notification of the land 
for settlement is a government process and it has not been concluded so far despite expectations 
and is currently pending with the Town Planning department 

SRS Private Fund: SRS Private is a private equity fund focused on real estate in India  The fund has 
invested in residential and commercial projects as well as directly in certain real estate companies  
The assets are primarily located in and around major cities of India such as Mumbai and Hyderabad 

Evolution  Venture:  Evolution  is  an  Israel  focused  Venture  Capital  fund   It  invests  in  early  stage 
technology  companies   Its  investments  include  a  carrier-class  Mobile  Broadband  Wireless  (MBW) 
Wi-Fi solutions company, a language enhancement products company, a software company operating 
in the digital radio market, a software test tool developer, and a virtualization technology company 

Elephant Capital: India-focused private equity fund, which is AIM quoted (formerly called Promethean 
India  plc)     (Ticker:  ECAP)     Its  portfolio  investments  to  date  include  a  leading  tiles  manufacturer 
in  India,  an  established  automotive  components  manufacturer,  a  hospitality  company  with  luxury 
hotels  in  top  Indian  cities,  a  media  business  with  an  exclusive  content  library,  a  clinical  research 
organization,  a  m-commerce  player,  and  an  online  venture  to  distribute  cricket  related  content   
During  the  period,  an  investment  of  GBP  3m  was  made  into  a  leading  independent  provider  of 
aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul service in India  
As  of  August  2011,  the  NAV  of  the  fund  was  51  pence   Additional  information  about  the  fund  is 
available at www elephantcapital com

Da  Vinci:    The  fund  is  primarily  focused  on  Russia  and  CIS  countries   The  fund  has  made  five 
investments  70% of the fund is invested in RTS, the leading Russian stock exchange, and a leading 
Eastern European software company   In 2011, RTS merged with MiCex stock exchange to form the 
largest  financial  exchange  in  Russia  and  distributed  a  dividend  from  the  partial  exit   The  leading 
Eastern European software company filed for an initial public offering during the year and was listed 
on a US stock exchange in February 2012  The fund expects to exit the investment in the Eastern 
European software company over the next year 

Blue  Ridge:  Blue  Ridge  is  a  China  focused  private  equity  fund   The  fund  has  made  investments  in 
six portfolio companies  Portfolio companies include a distressed real estate turnaround company, 
a  plastic  and  chemicals  manufacturer,  a  higher  education  company,  an  innovative  bio-pesticide 
company, a software company specializing in Oil & Gas applications and a refinery  In 2011, the fund 
has realized partial exits from the plastic and chemicals manufacturer and the distressed real estate 
turnaround company at valuations higher than cost 

15

Panda Capital: Panda Capital is a China-based private equity fund focused on early-stage industrial 
operations in China and Taiwan, which represent strong growth opportunities  The fund has invested 
in  a  bamboo  based  flooring  manufacturer,  a  lens  moulding  company,  an  electronic  components 
manufacturer, an FDA approved wound healing cream producer, and an outdoor media company  
The fund’s main investment is in a bamboo flooring company in China, which provides an innovative 
low  cost  alternative  to  hardwood  flooring  in  shipping  containers     The  manager  is  in  the  process 
of  building  up  operational  capacity  for  product  manufacturing   This  investment  could  generate 
attractive returns once the shipping industry recovers from the current downturn 

Financial portfolio and trading activity  
The Group manages a financial portfolio valued USD 75m (net of leverage) as at 31 December 2011, 
which is invested mainly in fixed income securities  The recovery of the US and emerging economies 
witnessed through 2010 continued in 2011 and has led to improvements in the credit quality and 
overall strength of Livermore’s credit portfolio  

Fixed Income:
During 2011 the Group almost doubled its exposure to the US syndicated loan market mainly through 
investment into US Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLO) mostly of 2006 and 2007 issues  These are 
managed portfolios invested into diversified pools of senior secured floating rate loans and financed 
with long term financing pre-fixed at the respective pre-crisis levels  On absolute and relative value 
basis the loan market continued to offer remarkable value as an undervalued, diversified inflation 
linked asset class with a senior secured claim on the borrower and with overall low volatility and 
low correlation to equity markets  New issue loans offered high spreads (including Libor floors) of 
400-600 bps over the average cost of the respective CLO Fund’s liabilities  New issue credit quality 
was  also  attractive,  especially  compared  to  the  pre-crisis  vintages   That  allows  CLO  managers  to 
reinvest their prepayment proceeds in higher spread, better quality new issue loans  

The fundamentals of the US corporate credit market continued to show improvement during 2011  
Trailing 12 month default rate for the S&P/LTSA index was 0 54% for the year and corporate earnings 
and balance sheets continued to improve during the period  Since June 2009 the publicly filing of 
S&P/LTSA  index  issuers  have  generated  year  on  year  EBITDA  growth  of  16%   Despite  improving 
fundamentals, the European debt crisis, fears of a double dip recession and the market volatility that 
followed after the first quarter caused market value swings in the prices of loans  Following a rise in 
first quarter and a decline in second and third quarters, the S&P/LTSA index of issuers managed to 
gain 1 5% for the year  These price swings generated good entry points for CLO managers within the 
reinvestment period, which resulted in additional cushion build up for those positions, as reflected 
in the improving over collateralization tests 

During  2011,  the  Group  increased  its  exposure  to  performing  CLOs  at  lower  than  current  market 
prices  and  at  modelled  IRRs  of  over  20%     The  CLO  portfolio  has  performed  extremely  well  on 
account of low default rates and improving credit fundamentals of their underlying loans which is 
evident by lower weighted average rating factor (WARF) levels in our deals  At the end of 2011 all of 
our US investments were passing their coverage tests (thereby making dividend distributions), which 
outperformed the general market average   During 2011, the portfolio generated dividend income of 
USD 22 2m and a total of USD 38 8m since inception   

The excess spread of these CLOs, namely the difference between the interest income generated by a 
CLO’s assets and the cost of financing through its liabilities as well as certain fees (which are locked-
in at closing), increased substantially from original levels  Volatility in loan prices provided a good 
entry point for CLO’s within their reinvestment period to build additional par and increase coverage 

Annual Report 2011

16

ratios   This combination of improving coverage ratios and increasing excess spread availability also 
continued in 2011 and led to increased payments to CLO income notes   Furthermore, the cushions 
built up within the portfolios are expected to insulate the portfolio from moderate potential future 
credit losses, implying that performance should remain strong even in the absence of a significant 
improvement  in  macroeconomic  conditions,  so  long  as  another  dramatic  fundamental  downturn 
or  financial  market  crisis  is  avoided   Overall  the  performance  of  this  asset  class  during  the  2008 
financial crisis and thereafter has been remarkable   Investors may be hard stretched to find an asset 
class that exhibited comparable performance over this time period  

During 2011 management concentrated on purchases of income notes in the secondary market as 
the IRRs and cash on cash returns offered better economics than primary market offerings   At the 
same time, management followed closely the development of the US CLO primary market   Total new 
issuance of US cash flow CLOs in 2011 was 12 3b, up from 3 6b in 2010   However, management was 
of  the  opinion  that  liability  spreads  did  not  come  in  enough  to  generate  sufficiently  sustainable 
long term arbitrage and attractive equity returns   However, as both US interest rates and corporate 
defaults are expected to remain low in the medium term and loan spreads are forecast to remain 
wide by historical standard we believe that the environment should remain attractive for investments 
in  CLO  income  notes     As  liability  spreads  tightened  during  Q1  2012  and  secondary  market  prices 
increased offering lower returns, the investment team is evaluating investing in primary issue CLOs 
with the aim of acquiring a controlling or significant equity stake   

While  management  maintains  a  positive  view,  mid-long  term  performance  may  be  negatively 
impacted  by  a  pull  back  into  a  substantial  double  dip  recession  in  US  and/or  Europe  involving  a 
spike in defaults   Despite positive developments in the overall health of the US economy in 2011 we 
acknowledge the potential headwinds posed by continued weakness in the US housing market, high 
unemployment and the continued EU sovereign debt crisis as well the headwinds the economy may 
face in 2013 relating to the possible austerity measures following the US debt ceiling discussions 

Public Equities: 
Babylon Ltd (“Babylon”): Babylon is an International Internet company based in Israel and listed on 
the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE: BBYL)   It is a leading translation and language tools provider 
and  its  language  translation  software  product  is  a  recognized  name  in  the  industry   The  company 
generates revenues through Search and Advertising, Online Sales, Corporate Sales, and Telesales   As 
of 31 Dec 2011, Livermore’s investment in Babylon was valued at USD 6 6m  During the year, market 
value gains and dividend income from Babylon totalled USD 2 5m 

Babylon  has  achieved  strong  growth  in  its  Search  and  Advertising  business  since  2009   In  2011, 
total revenues increased 95% to USD 61 9m as compared to the previous year and profit before tax 
increased  by  56%  year-on-year  to  USD  9 2m   In  the  last  quarter  of  2011,  Babylon’s  revenues  and 
profit before tax increased 140% and 247% to USD 21 9m and USD 5 2m respectively as compared 
to the third quarter  In the first quarter of 2012, Babylon’s revenues increased 229% to USD 30m 
and net profit rose 233% to USD 4m as compared to the corresponding quarter in the previous year  

Noam Lanir, the majority shareholder of the Group, is also a major shareholder in Babylon (note 34) 

17

The following is a table summarizing the financial portfolio as of year-end 2011

Name

Investment in the loan market through CLOs 

Corporate bonds

Babylon

Hedge Funds 

Other Public Equities

Total 

Total net of leverage 

Book Value  
US $m

53 8 

28 9 

6 6

5 0 

2 1

96 4 

75 0 

Events after the reporting date 
In  January  2012,  Livermore  agreed  to  settle  its  guarantee  to  a  financing  bank  in  relation  to 
its  investment  in  DTH  Boom     The  settlement  amount  is  fully  provided  for  in  the  2011  financial 
statements  Please refer to note 35 for further details 

After the reporting period, the Manager of SRS Charminar has reported a finalization of settlement 
negotiations with IL&FS and the investee company which is subject to certain court and regulatory 
approvals   Please refer to note 5 for further details   

After the reporting date and prior to publishing this report, Livermore had acquired an additional 
1 039m shares of Babylon Ltd 

Following  the  year  end  the  Company  purchased  24,589,824  additional  own  shares  to  be  held  in 
treasury for a total cost of USD 5 926m 

Litigation

At the time of this Report, there is one matter in litigation against the Group  Further information 
is provided in note 36 to the consolidated financial statements 

Annual Report 2011

18

 
Report of the Directors
The Board’s objectives

The  Board’s  primary  objectives  are  to  supervise  and  control  the  management  activities,  business 
development, and the establishment of a strong franchise in the Group’s business lines  Measures 
aimed at increasing shareholders’ value over the medium to long-term, such as an increase in NAV 
are used to monitor performance 

The Board of Directors

Richard Barry Rosenberg (age 56), Non-Executive Director, Chairman of the Board
Richard  joined  the  Group  in  December  2004   He  became  Non-Executive  Chairman  on  31  October 
2006     He  qualified  as  a  chartered  accountant  in  1980  and  in  1988  co-founded  the  accountancy 
practice SRLV   He has considerable experience in giving professional advice to clients in the leisure 
and  entertainment  sector   Richard  is  a  director  of  a  large  number  of  companies  operating  in  a 
variety of business segments 

Menachem Marder (age 59), Non-Executive Director (resigned at 3 April 2012)
Menachem  joined  the  Group  in  September  2009     He  brings  with  him  a  profound  background  of 
accounting  and  business  experience     Menachem  is  a  Certified  Public  Accountant,  and  was  the 
founder  and  senior  manager  of  the  accounting  firm  Shlomo  Ziv  and  Partners  (BDO)     In  addition 
to  his  work  with  Livermore,  Menachem,  through  his  company,  Mimtar  Business  Consulting  LTD, 
provides business, economic, managerial and financial consultancy to a wide range of firms with a 
specialization in company turn arounds and mergers and acquisitions   Menachem earned an MBA 
with a major in Finance from Tel Aviv University, and holds a BA in Economics and Accounting from 
Tel Aviv University  Menachem is a director of a large number of companies operating in a variety 
of business segments 

Noam Lanir (age 45), Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Noam  founded  the  Group  in  July  1998,  to  develop  a  specialist  online  marketing  operation   Noam 
has led the growth and development of the Group’s operations over the last fourteen years which 
culminated in its IPO in June 2005 on AIM  He is also a major benefactor of a number of charitable 
organisations       Prior  to  1998,  Noam  was  involved  in  a  variety  of  businesses  mainly  within  the 
online marketing sector   He is also the major shareholder of Babylon Ltd, an International Internet 
Company listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange 

Ron Baron (age 44), Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer
Ron  was  appointed  as  Executive  Director  and  Chief  Investment  Officer  on  10  August  2007   Ron 
has  wide  investment  and  M&A  experience   From  2001  to  2006  Ron  served  as  a  member  of  the 
management  at  Bank  Leumi,  Switzerland  and  was  responsible  for  portfolio  management  activity  
Prior to this he spent five years as a commercial lawyer at Kantor, Elhanani, Tal & Co  Law Offices in 
Tel Aviv, Israel, advising banks and large corporations on corporate transactions, including buy-outs 
and privatisations  Ron has over 10 years of experience as an investment manager with particular 
focus on the US credit market   He holds an MBA from INSEAD Fontainebleau and a LLB (LAW) and 
BA in Economics from Tel Aviv University 

The Directors shall retire from office at the third Annual General Meeting after that at which they 
were last elected, and if they so wish, offer themselves up for re-election to the Board  Subject to 
the BVI Companies Act and the Articles, the Directors to retire by rotation at the Annual General 

19

Meeting in every year shall be in addition to any Director who wishes to retire and not to offer himself 
for reappointment, any Director required to retire under the Company›s Articles   The interests of the 
Directors and their related companies in the shares and options over shares in the Company are as 
shown under the Remuneration Report section  Details of the Directors’ remuneration and service 
contracts also appear under the Remuneration Report section  

On  3  April  2012,  Mr  Menachem  Marder,  a  non-executive  director  resigned  from  his  position  as  a 
non-executive  director  of  the  Company   No  replacement  has  been  appointed  as  a  non-executive 
director at the date of this report 

The Directors submit their annual report and audited consolidated financial statements of the Group 
for the year ended 31 December 2011 

Directors’ responsibilities in relation to the consolidated financial statements 

The  Directors  are  responsible  for  preparing  the  Annual  Report  and  the  consolidated  financial 
statements  in  accordance  with  applicable  law  and  International  Financial  Reporting  Standards  as 
adopted by the European Union 

The  Directors  are  required  to  prepare  consolidated  financial  statements  for  each  financial  year 
which give a true and fair view of the financial position of the Group, and its financial performance 
and cash flows for that period   In preparing these consolidated financial statements, the Directors 
are required to:

•	 Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

•	 Make judgments 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; 

•	 Prepare  the  consolidated  financial  statements  on  the  going  concern  basis  unless  it  is 

inappropriate to presume that the Group will continue in business 

The Directors are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that are sufficient to show and 
explain the Group’s transactions, and at any time enable the financial position of the Group to be 
determined  with  reasonable  accuracy  and  enable  them  to  ensure  that  the  consolidated  financial 
statements  comply  with  the  applicable  law  and  International  Financial  Reporting  Standards  as 
adopted  by  the  European  Union     They  are  also  responsible  for  safeguarding  the  assets  of  the 
Group  and  hence  for  taking  reasonable  steps  for  the  prevention  and  detection  of  fraud  and  other 
irregularities 

The  Directors  are  responsible  for  the  maintenance  and  integrity  of  the  corporate  and  financial 
information  included  on  the  Group’s  website     Legislation  in  the  British  Virgin  Islands  governing 
the  preparation  and  dissemination  of  financial  statements  may  differ  from  legislation  in  other 
jurisdictions 

Annual Report 2011

20

 
Disclosure of information to the Auditor

In so far as the Directors are aware:

•	

there is no relevant audit information of which the Company’s auditor is unaware; and 

•	

the Directors have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of 
any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information 

Substantial Shareholdings

As at 26 April 2012 the Directors are aware of the following interests in 3 per cent or more of the 
Company’s issued ordinary share capital: 

Number of Ordinary 
Shares

% of issued ordinary  
share capital

% of voting 
rights*

Groverton Management  Ltd 

154,412,173

50 77

67 08

RB Investments GmbH

Bank Leumi Swiss

Bank Hapoalim Luxembourg

13,915,419

12,481,937

10,773,015

Merrill Lynch Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc

9,329,051

Everest Fund Management Ltd 

8,770,000

4 58

4 10

3 54

3 07

2 88

6 04

5 42

4 68

4 05

3 81

* after consideration of treasury shares (note 15) 

Save as disclosed in this report and in the remuneration report, the Company is not aware of any 
person who is interested directly or indirectly in 3 per cent or more of the issued share capital of 
the Company or could, directly or indirectly, jointly or severally, exercise control over the Company  

Details  of  transactions  with  Directors  are  disclosed  in  note  34  to  the  consolidated  financial 
statements 

21

 
 
Corporate Governance Statement
Introduction

The  Company  recognises  the  importance  of  the  principles  of  good  Corporate  Governance  and  the 
Board is pleased to accept its commitment to such high standards throughout the year   As an AIM 
quoted company, Livermore is not required to follow the provisions of the UK Corporate Governance 
Code – June 2010 (“the Code”)   However, the Company is keen to adopt and promote the provisions 
of that Code   Up to 31 December 2011 the Board has adopted several provisions of the Code, some 
of which have not yet been fully implemented    

The Board Constitution and Procedures

The  Company  is  controlled  through  the  Board  of  Directors,  which  currently  comprises  one  Non-
Executive Director and two Executive Directors   The Chief Executive’s responsibility is to focus on 
co-ordinating the company’s business and implementing group strategy   

A formal schedule of matters is reserved for consideration by the Board, which meets approximately 
four  times  each  year     The  Board  is  responsible  for  implementation  of  the  investing  strategy  as 
described in the circular to shareholders dated 6 February 2007 and adopted pursuant to shareholder 
approval at the Company’s EGM on 28 February 2007   It reviews the strategic direction of the Group, 
its codes of conduct, its annual budgets, its progress towards achievement of these budgets and any 
capital  expenditure  programmes     In  addition,  the  Directors  have  access  to  advice  and  services  of 
the Company Secretary and all Directors are able to take independent professional advice if relevant 
to their duties   The Directors receive training and advice on their responsibilities as necessary   All 
Directors, in accordance with the Code, submit themselves to re-election at least once every three 
years 

Board Committees

The Board delegates clearly defined powers to its Audit and Remuneration Committees  The minutes 
of each Committee are circulated by the Board   

Remuneration Committee

The Remuneration Committee comprises of the Non-Executive Chairman of the Board and a Non-
Executive Director   Following the resignation of one of the Non-Executive Directors, this committee 
has  one  member  until  a  new  Non-Executive  Director  is  appointed     The  Remuneration  Committee 
considers  the  terms  of  employment  and  overall  remuneration  of  the  Executive  Directors  and  key 
members  of  Executive  management  regarding  share  options,  salaries,  incentive  payments  and 
performance related pay   The remuneration of Non-Executive Directors is determined by the Board 

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee comprises of the Non-Executive Chairman of the Board and a Non-Executive 
Director and is chaired by the Chairman of the Board   The duties of the Committee include monitoring 
the auditor’s performance and reviewing accounting policies and financial reporting procedures   
Following  the  resignation  of  one  of  the  Non-Executive  directors,  this  committee  has  one  member 
until a new Non-Executive Director is appointed 

Annual Report 2011

22

Communication with Investors

The Directors are available to meet with shareholders throughout the year   In particular the Executive 
Directors  prepare  a  general  presentation  for  analysts  and  institutional  shareholders  following  the 
interim and preliminary results announcements of the Company   The chairman, Richard Rosenberg, 
is available for meetings with shareholders throughout the year   The Board endeavours to answer 
all queries raised by shareholders promptly 

Shareholders are encouraged to participate in the Annual General Meeting at which the Chairman 
will  present  the  key  highlights  of  the  Group’s  performance     The  Board  will  be  available  at  the 
Annual General Meeting to answer questions from shareholders 

Internal Control

The Board is responsible for ensuring that the Group has in place a system of internal controls and 
for  reviewing  its  effectiveness     In  this  context,  control  is  defined  in  the  policies  and  processes 
established to ensure that business objectives are achieved cost effectively, assets and shareholder 
value safeguarded and that laws and regulations are complied with   Controls can provide reasonable 
but  not  absolute  assurance  that  risks  are  identified  and  adequately  managed  to  achieve  business 
objectives and to minimise material errors, frauds and losses or breaches of laws and regulations 

The Group operates a sound system of internal control, which is designed to ensure that the risk of 
mis-statement or loss is kept to a minimum 

Given the Group’s size and the nature of its business, the Board does not consider that it is necessary 
to have an internal audit function   An internal audit function will be established as and when the 
Group is of an appropriate size 

The Board undertakes a review of its internal controls on an ongoing basis 

Independence of Auditor

The Board undertakes a formal assessment of the auditor’s independence each year, which includes:

•	

a review of non-audit related services provided to the Company and related fees;

•	 discussion with the auditor of a written report detailing all relationships with the Company and 

any other parties which could affect independence or the perception of independence;

•	

a  review  of  the  auditor’s  own  procedures  for  ensuring  independence  of  the  audit  firm  and 
partners and staff involved in the audit, including the rotation of the audit partner; 

•	 obtaining written confirmation from the auditors that they are independent;

•	

a review of fees paid to the auditor in respect of audit and non-audit services  

23

Remuneration Report

The  Directors’  emoluments,  benefits  and  shareholdings  during  the  year  ended  31  December  2011 
were as follows: 

Directors’ Emoluments

Each of the Directors has a service contract with the Company  

Date of 
agreement

Fees
US $000

Benefits
US $000

Reward 
payments
US $000

Share options 
expense 
US $000

Total  
Emoluments 
 2011  
US $000

Total  
Emoluments  
2010  
US $000

Richard Barry 
Rosenberg

10/06/05

Noam Lanir

10/06/05

Ron Baron

01/09/07

Menachem 
Marder*

23/09/09

72

400

350

-

-

45

-

-

-

-

500

-

4

-

-

-

76

445

850

-

83

445

350

-

The dates are presented in day / month / year format 
* Menachem Marder resigned on 3 April 2012 

Directors’ Interests 

Interests of Directors in ordinary shares  

Notes

As at 31 December 2011

 As at 31 December 2010

Noam Lanir

Ron Baron

a)

b)

Number of 
Ordinary Shares

Percentage of 
ordinary share 
capital

Number of 
Ordinary Shares

Percentage of 
ordinary share 
capital

154,412,173

50 773%

154,412,173

50 773%

13,915,419

4 576%

13,915,419

4 576%

Richard Barry Rosenberg

15,000

0 005%

15,000

0 005%

Notes: 
a)      Noam  Lanir  is  interested  in  his  ordinary  shares  by  virtue  of  the  fact  that  he  owns  directly  or 

indirectly all of the issued share capital of Groverton Management Limited 

b)    On 16 April 2007, a loan of USD 5m was provided to RB Investments GMBH, a company owned by    
Ron  Baron  to  purchase  Livermore  shares   The  loan  was  renewed  during  the  year  ended  31 
December 2010, and bears an annual interest rate of 6 month USD LIBOR plus 0 25% 

Annual Report 2011

24

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interests of Directors in share options

No of options at 
31 December  2011

Date of grant

Exercise 
price, GBP 

Exercise
Price**, 
US $

Vesting period  
of options

Noam Lanir

10,000,000

19/07/06

0 78

1 21

One to three years* 

Richard Barry Rosenberg

500,000
150,000
75,000

13/05/08
19/07/06
07/12/05

0 30
0 78
0 71

0 47
1 21
1 10

One to three years* 
One to three years* 
One to three years* 

*  The  options  normally  vest  in  three  equal  tranches,  on  the  first,  second  and  third  anniversary  of 
the grant  

The options are exercisable up to 10 years after the date of grant  No options were exercised during 
the year ended 31 December 2011  

** The exercise prices as per the share option scheme are quoted in British Pounds   The indicative equivalent 
USD amounts shown in the table above are based on the exchange rates as at 31 December 2011 

Share Option Scheme

The  Company’s  remuneration  committee  (the  “Committee”)  is  responsible  for  administering  the 
Share Option Scheme   Options to acquire Shares in the Company may be granted under the Share 
Option Scheme to any employee or director of the Company or member of the Group  

The option exercise price per Ordinary Share is determined by the Committee but will be no less than 
market value of the Ordinary Shares on the dealing day immediately preceding the date of grant  The 
options are subject to continuous service conditions but are not subject to any performance criteria  

The Share Option Scheme will terminate ten years after it was adopted by the Company, or earlier 
in certain circumstances 

Remuneration Policy

The  Group’s  policy  has  been  designed  to  ensure  that  the  Group  has  the  ability  to  attract,  retain 
and  motivate  executive  directors  and  key  management  personnel  to  ensure  the  success  of  the 
organization 

The following key principles guide its policy: 

•	 policy  for  the  remuneration  of  executive  directors  will  be  determined  and  regularly  reviewed 
independently  of  executive  management  and  will  set  the  tone  for  the  remuneration  of  other 
senior executives 
the  remuneration  structure  will  support  and  reflect  the  Group’s  stated  purpose  to  maximize 
long-term shareholder value 
the remuneration structure will reflect a just system of rewards for the participants 
the overall quantum of all potential remuneration components will be determined by the exercise 

•	
•	

•	

25

 
 
 
 
of  informed  judgement  of  the  independent  remuneration  committee,  taking  into  account  the 
success of the Group and the competitive global market 
a significant personal shareholding will be developed in order to align executive and shareholder 
interests 
the assessment of performance will be quantitative and qualitative and will include exercise of 
informed judgement by the remuneration committee within a framework that takes account of 
sector characteristics and is approved by shareholders 
the committee will be proactive in obtaining an understanding of shareholder preferences 
remuneration policy and practices will be as transparent as possible, both for participants and 
shareholders 
the  wider  scene,  including  pay  and  employment  conditions  elsewhere  in  the  Group,  will  be 
taken into account, especially when determining annual salary increases 

•	

•	

•	
•	

•	

Annual Report 2011

26

Review of the Business and Risks
Risks

The Board considers that the risks the Shareholders face can be divided into external and internal 
risks 

External risks to shareholders and their returns are those that can severely influence the investment 
environment within which the Group operates, and include economic recession, declining corporate 
profitability, rising inflation and interest rates and excessive stock-market speculation 

The  Group’s  portfolio  is  exposed  to  interest  rate  changes,  credit  risk,  liquidity  risk  and  volatility 
particularly in the US, EU, Switzerland and India  In addition, the portfolio is exposed to currency 
risks  as  some  of  the  underlying  portfolio  is  invested  in  assets  denominated  in  non-US  currencies 
while  the  Company’s  functional  currency  is  USD   Investments  in  certain  countries  such  as  India 
and  China  are  exposed  to  governmental  and  regulatory  risks     The  SRS  Charminar  investment  is 
specifically subject to regulatory and legal risks as well as currency risk 

The  mitigation  of  these  risks  is  achieved  by  investment  diversification,  both  by  sector  and  by 
geography  The Group also engages from time to time in certain hedging activities to mitigate these 
risks 

Internal risks to shareholders and their returns are related to Portfolio risks (investment and geography 
selection and concentration), balance sheet risk (gearing) and/or investment mismanagement risks  
The Group’s portfolio has a significant exposure to senior secured loans of mainly US companies and 
therefore has a concentration risk to this asset class  

A periodic internal review is performed to ensure transparency of Group activities and investments  
All  service  providers  to  the  Group  are  regularly  reviewed   The  mitigation  of  the  risks  related  to 
investments  is  effected  by  investment  restrictions  and  guidelines  and  through  reviews  at  Board 
Meetings 

As the portfolio of the Company is invested in non USD currencies (mainly EUR, CHF and INR), it is 
exposed to movements in these currencies  

On  the  asset  side,  the  Group’s  exposure  to  interest  rate  risk  is  limited  to  the  interest  bearing 
deposits and portfolio of bonds and loans in which the Group invests   

Management monitors liquidity to ensure that sufficient liquid resources are available to the Group  
The  Group’s  credit  risk  is  primarily  attributable  to  its  fixed  income  portfolio,  which  is  exposed  to 
corporate bonds with a particular exposure to the financial sector and to US senior secured loans  

Share Capital 

There  was  no  change  in  the  authorised  share  capital  during  the  year  to  31  December  2011   The 
authorised share capital is 1,000,000,000 ordinary shares with no par value 

27

Related party transactions

Details of any transactions of the Group with related parties during the year to 31 December 2011 
are disclosed in note 34 to the consolidated financial statements 

By order of the Board of Directors

Chief Executive Officer
25 May 2012

Annual Report 2011

28

Report of the independent auditor to the 
members of Livermore Investments Group 
Limited

Report on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We  have  audited  the  accompanying  consolidated  financial  statements  of  Livermore  Investments 
Group  Limited  (the  ‘’Company’’)  and  its  subsidiaries  (together  with  the  Company,  ‘’the  Group’’), 
which comprise the consolidated statement of financial position as at 31 December 2011 and the 
consolidated statements of income statement, of comprehensive income, of changes in equity, and 
of cash flows for the year then ended, and a summary of significant accounting policies and other 
explanatory notes  

Board of Directors’ Responsibility for the Consolidated Financial Statements

The Board of Directors is responsible for the preparation of consolidated financial statements that 
give a true and fair view in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted 
by  the  European  Union  (EU)  and  for  such  internal  control  as  the  Board  of  Directors  determines  is 
necessary to enable the preparation of consolidated financial statements that are free from material 
misstatement, whether due to fraud or error 

Auditor’s Responsibility

Our  responsibility  is  to  express  an  opinion  on  these  consolidated  financial  statements  based  on 
our audit  We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing  Those 
Standards  require  that  we  comply  with  ethical  requirements  and  plan  and  perform  the  audit  to 
obtain  reasonable  assurance  as  to  whether  the  consolidated  financial  statements  are  free  from 
material misstatement An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the 
amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements  The procedures selected depend 
on  the  auditor’s  judgment,  including  the  assessment  of  the  risks  of  material  misstatement  of  the 
consolidated financial statements, whether due to fraud or error  In making those risk assessments, 
the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation of the consolidated financial 
statements that give a true and fair view in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate 
in  the  circumstances,  but  not  for  the  purpose  of  expressing  an  opinion  on  the  effectiveness  of 
the  entity’s  internal  control   An  audit  also  includes  evaluating  the  appropriateness  of  accounting 
policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by the Board of Directors as well 
as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements 

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis 
for our audit opinion 

Opinion

In  our  opinion,  the  consolidated  financial  statements  give  a  true  and  fair  view  of  the  financial 
position of the Group as at 31 December 2011 and of its financial performance and its cash flows 
for the year then ended in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted 
by the EU  

29

Emphasis of matter

We draw attention to Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements which describe the uncertainty 
related to the outcome of the legal case in India relating to the investment of the Group through SRS 
Charminar Investments Ltd, in a leading Indian Real Estate company   Our opinion is not qualified 
in respect of this matter 

Other Matter

This report, including the opinion, has been prepared for and only for the Company’s members as a 
body and for no other purpose   We do not, in giving this opinion, accept or assume responsibility 
for any other purpose or to any other person to whose knowledge this report may come to  

Augoustinos Papathomas

Certified Public Accountant and Registered Auditor
for and on behalf of
Grant Thornton (Cyprus) Ltd
Certified Public Accountants and Registered Auditors
Nicosia 

Date: 25 May 2012

Annual Report 2011

30

Livermore Investments Group Limited 
Consolidated Statement of Financial Position as at 31 December 2011

Note

2011
US $000

2010
US $000

Assets
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment
Available- for-sale financial assets
Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss
Investment property
Deferred tax

Current assets
Trade and other receivables
Available- for-sale financial assets
Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss
Cash at bank

Total assets

Equity
Share capital
Share premium and treasury shares 
Other reserves
Retained earnings
Total equity

Liabilities
Non current liabilities 
Bank loans
Derivative financial instruments

Current liabilities
Bank overdrafts
Short term bank loans
Trade and other payables
Provisions for legal and other cases
Current tax payable
Derivative financial instruments

Total liabilities
Total equity and liabilities

Net asset valuation per share

3
5
6
9
12

13
5
6
14

15
15

17
18

19
20
21
35
22
18

81
88,752
3,029
122,518
488
214,868

8,655
12,833
31,318
2,060
54,866

181
68,436
4,607
119,018
1,799
194,041

10,131
20,554
41,041
3,294
75,020

269,734

269,061

-
196,727
606
(51,896)
145,437

-
203,852
(4,308)
(57,252)
142,292

84,316  
5,143
89,459

19,306
8,935
1,961
1,142
122
3,372
34,838

84,722  
5,470
90,192

13,289
17,128
1,159
1,585
163
3,253
36,577

124,297
269,734

126,769
269,061

Basic and diluted net asset valuation per share (US $)

23

0 57

0 50

These consolidated Financial Statements were approved by the Board of Directors on 25 May 2012 

The notes on the following pages form part of these consolidated financial statements 

31

 
 
Livermore Investments Group Limited 
Consolidated Income Statement for the year ended 31 December 2011

Investment income

Interest and dividend income

Investment property income

Loss on  investments

Gain from investment in associate

Gross profit

Other income

Administrative expenses

Operating profit 

Finance costs

Finance income

Profit before taxation

Taxation charge 

Profit for the year

Earnings per share

Note

2011
US $000

2010
US $000

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

31

32

18,891

5,684

(10,247)

-

14,328

3,000

(5,051)

12,277

(5,294)

-

6,983

(1,627)

10,490

4,734

(1,976)

495

13,743

-

(1,018)

12,725

(3,551)

99

9,273

(786)

5,356

8,487 

Basic and diluted earnings per share ( US $)

33

0 02

0 03

The notes on the following pages form part of these consolidated financial statements 

Annual Report 2011

32

 
Livermore Investment Group Limited 
Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income for the year ended 31 December 2011

Profit for the year

Other comprehensive income:

Available for sale financial assets 

•	

Fair value losses 

•	 Reclassification to profit or loss due to disposals

•	 Reclassification to profit or loss due to impairment

Foreign exchange losses from translation of:

•	

•	

•	

associate

subsidiaries

reclassification  to  profit  or  loss  due  to  disposal 
of associate

Note

2011
US $000

5,356

2010
US $000

8,487

(4,367)

(438)

9,873

-

(158)

-

27

27

10

28

(1,364)

573

6,330

(4,856)

(577)

7,154

Total comprehensive income for the year

10,266

15,747

The total comprehensive income for the year ended 31 December 2011 and 2010 is wholly attributable 
to the owners of the parent company 

The notes on the following pages form part of these consolidated financial statements 

33

Livermore Investments Group Limited 
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity for the year ended 31 December 2011

Note

15

16/30

27

27

10

28

Balance at 1 January 2010

Purchase of own shares

Share option charge

Transactions with owners

Profit for the year

Other comprehensive 
income:

Available-for-sale financial 
assets

•	 Fair value losses

•	 Reclassification to 

profit or loss due to 
disposals 

•	 Reclassification to 

profit or loss due to 
impairment

Transfer on disposal of 
associate

Foreign exchange losses 
arising from translation of:

•	 associate

•	 subsidiaries

•	 reclassification to 

profit or loss due to 
disposal of associate

Total comprehensive 
income for the year 

Balance at 31 December 
2010

Purchase of own shares

Share option charge

15

16/30

Transactions with owners

Share 
capital 
US 
$000

Share 
premium 
US 
 $000

Treasury 
Shares   
US 
 $000

Share 
option 
reserve 
US 
 $000

Translation 
reserve
US 
 $000 

Investments 
revaluation 
reserve 
US 
 $000

Retained 
earnings 
US 
 $000

Total 
US 
 $000

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

215,499

(9,610)

5,759

(2,449)

(20,840)

(59,791)

128,568

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(2,037)

-

(2,037)

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

14

14

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(2,037)

14

(2,023)

8,487

8,487

(1,364)

-

(1,364)

573

6,330

-

-

573

6,330

5,948

(5,948)

-

(4,856) 

(577)

7,154

-

-

-

-

-

-

(4,856)

(577)

7,154

1,721

11,487

2,539

15,747

215,499

(11,647)

5,773

(728)

(9,353)

(57,252)

142,292

-

-

-

(7,125)

-

(7,125)

-

4

4

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(7,125)

4

(7,121)

Annual Report 2011

34

Share 
capital 
US 
$000

Share 
premium 
US 
 $000

Treasury 
Shares   
US 
 $000

Note

Share 
option 
reserve 
US 
 $000

-

-

-

-

-

-

Translation 
reserve
US 
 $000 

Investments 
revaluation 
reserve 
US 
 $000

Retained 
earnings 
US 
 $000

Total 
US 
 $000

-

-

-

-

(4,367)

(438)

9,873

(158)

-

-

5,356

5,356

-

-

-

-

(4,367)

(438)

9,873

(158)

(158)

5,068

5,356

10,266

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

215,499 (18,772)

5,777

(886)

(4,285)

(51,896) 145,437

Profit for the year

Other comprehensive 
income:

Available-for-sale financial 
assets

•	 Fair value losses

•	 Reclassification to 

profit or loss due to 
disposals

•	 Reclassification to 

profit or loss due to 
impairment

Foreign exchange losses 
arising from translation of:

•	

 subsidiaries

Total comprehensive 
income for the year  

Balance at 31 December 
2011

27

27

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

The notes on the following pages form part of these consolidated financial statements. 

35

Livermore Investments Group Limited 
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended 31 December 2011  

Note

2011
US $000

2010
US $000

Cash flows from operating activities

Profit before tax

Adjustments for

Depreciation

Provisions for legal and other cases

Interest expense

Interest and dividend income

Gain on investment in associate

Loss on investments

Equity settled share options

Exchange differences 

 3

35

31

25

28

27

30

31

Changes in working capital

Increase in trade and other receivables

Increase / (decrease) in trade and other payables

Cash flows from operations

Tax paid

Net cash from operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities

Purchase of property, plant and equipment

3

Acquisition of investments

Proceeds from sale of investments

Payments for derivative financial instruments 

Disposal of associate

Interest and dividend received

Net cash from investing activities

6,983

9,273

100

(224)

4,335

148

(2,248)

3,447

(18,891)

(10,490)

-

10,247

4

819

3,373

(1,030)

993

3,336

(357)

2,979

-

(36,895)

27,057

-

-

19,942

10,104

(495)

1,976

14

(99)

1,526

(593)

(423)

510

(469)

41

(55) 

(66,805)

36,488

(585)

13,729

8,675

(8,553)

Annual Report 2011

36

Cash flows from financing activities

Purchase of own shares 

Proceeds from bank loans 

Repayments of bank loans

Interest paid

Settlement of litigation

Net cash from financing activities

Note

2011
US $000

2010
US $000

15

(7,125)

167,767

(2,037)

142,193

(175,960)

(139,332)

(4,335)

(197)

(3,447)

-

(19,850)

(2,623)

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year

Exchange differences on cash and cash equivalents

Translation  differences  on  foreign  operations’  cash  and 
cash equivalents

(6,767)

(9,995)

(483)

(1)

(11,135)

700

284

156

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year

14

(17,246)

(9,995)

The notes on the following pages form part of these consolidated financial statements 

37

Notes on the Financial Statements

1   General Information

Incorporation, principal activity and status of the Company

1 1   The Company was incorporated as an international business company and registered in the 
British  Virgin  Islands  (BVI)  on  2  January  2002  under  IBC  Number  475668  with  the  name 
Clevedon Services Limited  The liability of the members of the Company is limited      
1 2   The  Company  changed  its  name  to  Empire  Online  Limited  on  5  May  2005  and  then  to 

Livermore Investments Group Limited on 28 February 2007 

1 3   The  principal  activity  of  the  Group  changed  to  investment  services  on  1  January  2007  
Before that the principal activity of the Group was the provision of marketing services to 
the online gaming industry and, since 1 January 2006, the operation of online gaming 
1 4   The principal legislation under which the Company operates is the BVI Business Companies 

Act, 2004 

1 5   The  registered  office  of  the  Company  is  located  at  Trident  Chambers,  PO  Box  146,  Road 

Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands  

2  

  Accounting Policies
  The  significant  accounting  policies  applied  in  the  preparation  of  the  consolidated  financial    
 statements are as follows:

2 1   Basis of preparation

The consolidated financial statements of Livermore Investments Group Limited have been 
prepared  in  accordance  with  International  Financial  Reporting  Standards  (“IFRS”)  as 
adopted by the European Union and on a going concern basis   The consolidated financial 
statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis except for the following: 
•	

 Financial  instruments  at  fair  value  through  profit  or  loss  (including  derivatives)  are 
measured at fair value 

•	 Available- for- sale financial assets are measured at fair value 
•	

Investment property is measured at fair value 

      The financial information is presented in US dollars because this is the currency in which 

the Group primarily operates  

The Directors have reviewed the accounting policies used by the Group and consider them 
to be the most appropriate  

2 2   Adoption of new and revised IFRSs 

  As  from  1  January  2011,  the  Group  adopted  all  the  new  or  revised  IFRS  and  relevant 
amendments which became effective and also were endorsed by the European Union, and 
are relevant to its operations  

The  adoption  of  the  above  did  not  have  a  material  effect  on  the  consolidated  financial 
statements 

All IFRS issued by the International Standards Board (IASB) which are effective for the year 
ended 31 December 2011, have been adopted by the EU through the endorsement procedure 
established by the European Commission, with the exception of certain provisions of IAS 39: 
“Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement” relating to portfolio hedge accounting 

Annual Report 2011

38

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  following  Standards,  Amendments  to  Standards  and  Interpretations  had  been  issued 
by  the  date  of  authorisation  of  these  consolidated  financial  statements  but  are  not  yet 
effective for the year ended 31 December 2011:

Standards and Interpretations endorsed by the EU

Effective for 
annual periods 
beginning on or 
after:

Amendment to IFRS 7: “Disclosures   Transfers of Financial Assets”

1 July 2011

Standards and Interpretations not endorsed by the EU

IFRS 9: “Financial Instruments: Classification and Measurement”

1 January 2015

IFRS 10: “Consolidated Financial Statements”

IFRS 11: “Joint Arrangements”

IFRS 12: “Disclosure of Interests in Other Entities”

IFRS 13: “Fair Value Measurement”

IAS 19 (Revised): “Employee Benefits”

IAS 27 (Revised): “Separate Financial Statements”

1 January 2013

1 January 2013

1 January 2013

1 January 2013

1 January 2013

1 January 2013

IAS 28 (Revised): “Investments in Associates and Joint Ventures”

1 January 2013

IFRIC 20: “Stripping Costs in the Production Phase of a Surface Mine”

1 January 2013

Amendment to IFRS 1: “Severe Hyperinflation and Removal of Fixed 
Dates for First time Adopters”

Amendment to IFRS 1: “Government Loans”

Amendment  to  IFRS  7:  “Disclosures  Offsetting  Financial  Assets  and 
Financial Liabilities”
Amendment to IAS 1: “Presentation of Items of Other Comprehensive 
Income”

1 July 2011

1 January 2013

1 January 2013

1 July 2012

Amendment to IAS 12: “Deferred Tax: Recovery of Underlying Assets”

1 January 2012

Amendment  to  IAS  32:  “Offsetting  Financial  Assets  and  Financial 
Liabilities”

1 January 2014

The Board of Directors expects that when the above Standards or Interpretations become 
effective  in  future  periods  will  not  have  a  material  effect  on  the  consolidated  financial 
statements of the Group 

In  relation  to  IFRS  9,  the  Management  has  not  yet  assessed  the  likely  impact  of  the 
application of this Standard, since the Management has not yet determined its accounting 
policy to be followed under the new Standard  

39

 
 
 
 
2 3   Basis of consolidation

The  consolidated  financial  statements  incorporate  the  financial  statements  of  the 
Company and entities (including special purpose entities) controlled by the Company (the 
“subsidiaries”)     Control  is  achieved  where  the  Company  has  the  power  to  govern  the 
financial and operating policies of an entity so as to obtain benefits from its activities 

The financial statements of all the Group companies are prepared using uniform accounting 
policies   Where necessary, adjustments are made to the financial statements of subsidiaries 
to bring their accounting policies into line with those used by the Group  

All intra-group transactions, balances, income and expenses are eliminated on consolidation  

The results and cash flows of any subsidiaries acquired or disposed of during the year are 
included in the consolidated financial statements from the effective date of acquisition or 
up to the effective date of disposal 

2 4   Current  assets  are  those  which,  in  accordance  with  IAS  1  Presentation  Of  Financial 

Statements are: 
•	 expected to be realised within normal operating cycle, via sale or consumption, or
•	 held primarily for trading, or
•	 expected to be realised within 12 months from the reporting date, or  
•	 cash and cash equivalent not restricted in their use 
All other assets are non-current 

2 5  

Investment Property Revenue
Rental income is recognised on a straight line basis over the lease term   Service charges 
and  management  fees  are  recognised  as  the  related  costs  are  incurred  and  charged   
Changes to rental income that arise from reviews to open market rental values or increases 
that  are  indexed  linked  on  a  periodic  basis  are  recognised  from  the  date  on  which  the 
adjustment became due   Lease incentives granted are  recognised as an integral part of the 
net consideration for the use of the property   Lease incentives are allocated evenly over 
the life of the lease   Rental income and services charged are stated net of VAT and other 
related taxes 

2 6  

Interest and dividend income 
•	
•	 Dividend income is recognised on the date that the Group’s right to receive payment is 

Interest income is recognised based on applicable effective interest rates   

established, which in the case of quoted securities is the ex-dividend date

2 7   Foreign currency
       The individual financial statements of each Group company are presented in the currency 
of the primary economic environment  in  which  it operates  (its functional  currency)     For 
the  purpose  of  the  consolidated  financial  statements,  the  results  and  financial  position 
of  each  Group  company  are  expressed  in  USD,  which  is  the  functional  currency  of  the 
Company and the presentation currency for the consolidated financial statements    

Transactions in foreign currencies other than each group entity’s functional currency are 
recorded at the rates of exchange prevailing on the dates of the transaction   Monetary assets 
and  liabilities  denominated  in  non-functional  currencies  are  translated  into  functional 
currency  equivalents  using  year-end  spot  foreign  exchange  rates     Non-monetary  assets 

Annual Report 2011

40

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
and liabilities are translated upon initial recognition using exchange rates prevailing at the 
dates of the transactions   Non-monetary assets that are measured in terms of historical 
cost in foreign currency are not re-translated   

Gains  and  losses  arising  on  the  settlement  of  monetary  items  and  on  the  re-translation 
of  monetary  items  are  included  in  the  profit  or  loss  for  the  year     Those  that  arise  on 
the  re-translation  of  non-monetary  items  carried  at  fair  value  are  included  in  the  profit 
or  loss  of  the  year  except  for  differences  arising  on  the  re-translation  of  non-monetary 
available-for-sale financial assets in respect of which gains and losses are recognised in 
other comprehensive income   For such non-monetary items any exchange component of 
that gain or loss is also recognised in other comprehensive income       

The  results  and  financial  position  of  all  Group  entities  that  have  a  functional  currency 
different from US dollars are translated into the presentation currency as follows:

i   assets and liabilities are translated at the closing rate at the reporting date; and
ii  

income and expenses and also cash flows are translated at an average exchange rate 
(unless this average is not a reasonable approximation of the cumulative effect of 
the rates prevailing on the transaction dates, in which case the items are translated 
at the rates prevailing at the dates of the transactions); and

iii   exchange differences arising are recognised in other comprehensive income within 
the translation reserve   Such translation exchange differences are reclassified to 
profit or loss in the period in which the foreign operation is disposed of   

2 8   Taxation

Current tax is the tax currently payable based on taxable profit for the year in accordance 
with the tax laws applicable in jurisdictions where the Group operates 

Deferred income taxes are calculated using the liability method on temporary differences   
Deferred  tax  is  generally  provided  on  the  difference  between  the  carrying  amounts  of 
assets  and  liabilities  and  their  tax  bases     However,  deferred  tax  is  not  provided  on  the 
initial recognition of goodwill, nor on the initial recognition of an asset or liability unless 
the  related  transaction  is  a  business  combination  or  affects  tax  or  accounting  profit   
Deferred  tax  on  temporary  differences  associated  with  shares  in  subsidiaries  and  joint 
ventures is not provided if reversal of these temporary differences can be controlled by the 
group and it is probable that reversal will not occur in the foreseeable future   In addition, 
tax losses available to be carried forward as well as other income tax credits to the group 
are assessed for recognition as deferred tax assets 

Deferred tax liabilities are provided in full, with no discounting   Deferred tax assets are 
recognised  to  the  extent  that  it  is  probable  that  the  underlying  deductible  temporary 
differences will be able to be offset against future taxable income   Current and deferred 
tax  assets  and  liabilities  are  calculated  at  tax  rates  that  are  expected  to  apply  to  their 
respective period of realisation, provided they are enacted or substantively enacted as at 
the reporting date 

Changes in deferred tax assets or liabilities are recognised as a component of tax expense 
within profit or loss, except where they relate to items that are charged or credited directly 
to  equity  in  which  case  the  related  deferred  tax  is  also  charged  or  credited  directly  to 
equity 

41

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2 9   Property, plant and equipment

Property, plant and equipment is stated at historical cost less accumulated depreciation   
Carrying amounts are reviewed at each reporting date for impairment indications 

Depreciation  is  calculated  using  the  straight-line  method,  at  annual  rates  estimated  to 
write  off  the  cost  of  the  assets  less  any  estimated  residual  values  over  their  expected 
useful lives   The annual depreciation rates used are as follows:

       Computer Hardware 
Fixtures and Fittings 
Office Renovation 
Motor Vehicles   

- 
- 
- 
- 

33 3% 
10% 
25%  
25%

2 10  Investment property

Certain of the Group’s properties are classified as investment property, being held for long 
term investment gains and to earn rental income   

Investment  properties  are  measured  initially  at  cost,  and  thereafter  are  stated  at  fair 
value, which reflects market conditions at the reporting date   Gains or losses arising from 
changes in the fair values of investment properties are included in the profit or loss in the 
year in which they arise   

Investment  property  is  valued  at  fair  value  based  on  valuations  provided  by  a  certified 
external valuer    

2 11  Equity instruments 

Equity instruments issued by the Company are recorded at proceeds received, net of direct 
issue costs  

Own  equity  instruments  purchased  by  the  Company  or  its  subsidiaries  are  recorded  at 
the  consideration  paid,  including  directly  associated  assets,  and  they  are  deducted  from 
total  equity  as  treasury  shares  until  they  are  sold  or  cancelled     Where  such  shares  are 
subsequently sold, any consideration received is included in total equity  

The  share  premium  account  includes  any  premiums  received  on  the  initial  issuing  of  the 
share  capital   Any  transaction  costs  associated  with  the  issuing  of  shares  are  deducted 
from the premium paid 

2 12  Share Options

IFRS  2  “Share-based  Payment”  requires  the  recognition  of  equity  settled  share  based 
payments at fair value at the date of grant 

The Group issues equity-settled share based payments to certain employees  The fair value 
of share-based payments to employees at grant date is measured using the Binomial pricing 
model  

The fair value determined at the grant date is expensed on a straight-line basis over the 
vesting period, based on the Group’s estimate of the shares that will eventually vest and 
adjusted for the effect of non market-based vesting conditions  The corresponding credit is 
taken to the share option reserve 

On exercise of the options any related amounts recognised in the share option reserve are 

Annual Report 2011

42

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
transferred to share premium 

On  lapse  of  the  options  any  related  amounts  recognised  in  the  share  option  reserve  are 
transferred to retained earnings  

2 13  Leases

Leases where a significant portion of the risk and rewards of ownership are retained by the 
lessor  are  classified  as  operating  leases  and  rentals  are  recognised  to  profit  or  loss  on  a 
straight-line basis over the term of the lease  

2 14  Borrowing costs 

Borrowing  costs  primarily  comprise  interest  on  the  Group’s  borrowings     Any  borrowing 
costs  directly  attributable  to  the  acquisition,  construction  or  production  of  qualifying 
assets are added to the cost of the corresponding assets until such time as the assets are 
substantially ready for their intended use or sale   All other borrowing costs are expensed 
in the period in which they are incurred and reported within “finance costs” 

No borrowing costs have been capitalised for either 2011 or 2010  

2 15  Financial assets 

Financial  assets  are  recognised  when  the  Group  becomes  a  party  to  the  contractual 
provisions of the financial instrument 

A  financial  asset  is  derecognised  only  where  the  contractual  rights  to  the  cash  flows 
from  the  asset  expire  or  the  financial  asset  is  transferred  and  that  transfer  qualifies  for 
derecognition     A  financial  asset  is  transferred  if  the  contractual  rights  to  receive  the 
cash flows of the asset have been transferred or the Group retains the contractual rights 
to  receive  the  cash  flows  of  the  asset  but  assumes  a  contractual  obligation  to  pay  the 
cash  flows  to  one  or  more  recipients     A  financial  asset  that  is  transferred  qualifies  for 
derecognition  if  the  Group  transfers  substantially  all  the  risks  and  rewards  of  ownership 
of  the  asset,  or  if  the  Group  neither  retains  nor  transfers  substantially  all  the  risks  and 
rewards of ownership but does transfer control of that asset 

Financial  assets  are  measured  initially  at  fair  value  plus  transaction  costs,  except  for 
financial assets and financial liabilities carried at fair value through profit or loss, which 
are measured initially at fair value  

Financial assets are measured subsequently as described below 

All  financial  assets  except  for  those  at  fair  value  through  profit  or  loss  are  subject  to 
review for impairment at least at each reporting date  Financial assets are impaired when 
there  is  any  objective  evidence  that  a  financial  asset  or  a  group  of  financial  assets  is 
impaired   Different  criteria  to  determine  impairment  are  applied  for  each  category  of 
financial assets, which are also described below  

Loans and receivables
•	 Trade and other receivables
Trade  and  other  receivables  are  initially  recognised  and  carried  at  their  fair  value  which 
normally  is  their  original  transaction  value,  and  are  subsequently  measured  at  their 
amortised cost   An estimate for doubtful debts is made when collection of the full amount 
is no longer probable   Bad debts are written off when identified   Where the time value of 

43

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
money is significant receivables are discounted to present value   

•	 Cash and cash equivalents
Cash comprises cash in hand and balances with banks   Cash equivalents are short term, 
highly  liquid  investments  that  are  readily  convertible  to  known  amounts  of  cash     They 
include unrestricted short-term bank deposits originally purchased with maturities of three 
months or less  

Bank overdrafts are considered to be component of cash and cash equivalents, since they 
form an integral part of the Group’s cash management   

Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss

       Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss include financial assets that are either 
classified  as  held  for  trading  or  are  designated  by  the  Group  to  be  carried  at  fair  value 
through profit or loss upon initial recognition   All assets within this category are measured 
at  their  fair  value,  with  changes  in  value  recognised  in  the  profit  or  loss  when  incurred   
Upon  initial  recognition,  attributable  transactions  costs  are  recognised  in  profit  or  loss 
when incurred 

Available-for-sale financial assets
Available-for-sale  financial  assets  include  non-derivative  financial  assets  that  are  either 
designated as such or do not qualify for inclusion in any of the other categories of financial 
assets   Financial assets within this category are measured at fair value, with changes in 
fair value recognised in other comprehensive income, within the investments revaluation 
reserve   Unquoted equity investments for which the fair value cannot be reliably measured 
are stated at cost less impairments   Gains and losses arising from investments classified 
as available-for-sale are recognised in the profit or loss when they are sold or when the 
investment is impaired 

In  the  case  of  impairment  of  available-for-sale  assets,  the  cumulative  loss  previously 
recognised  in  other  comprehensive  income  is  reclassified  to  profit  or  loss     Impairment 
losses recognised in the profit or loss on equity instruments are not subsequently reversed 
through  the  profit  or  loss     Impairment  losses  recognised  previously  on  debt  securities 
are  reversed  through  the  profit  or  loss  when  the  increase  in  fair  value  can  be  related 
objectively to an event occurring after the impairment loss was recognised in the profit or 
loss  

An assessment for impairment is undertaken at least at each reporting date, following the 
IAS 39 guidance 

2 16  Financial liabilities

Financial  liabilities  are  recognised  when  the  Group  becomes  a  party  to  the  contractual 
provisions of the financial instrument 

A  financial  liability  is  derecognised  when  it  is  extinguished,  discharged,  cancelled  or 
expires 

Financial liabilities are measured initially at fair value plus transactions costs, except for 
financial liabilities carried at fair value through profit or loss, which are measured initially 
at fair value  

Annual Report 2011

44

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financial liabilities at amortised cost
After  initial  recognition  financial  liabilities  are  measured  at  amortised  cost  using  the 
effective interest rate method  

Derivative financial liabilities
The Group’s financial liabilities also include financial derivative instruments   The Group’s 
derivative instruments consist of interest rate swaps and forward currency contracts 

All derivative financial instruments which are not designated as hedging instruments are 
accounted for at fair value through profit or loss   

Financial guarantee contracts
A  financial  guarantee  contract  is  a  contract  that  requires  the  issuer  to  make  specified 
payments  to  reimburse  the  holder  for  a  loss  it  incurs  because  a  specified  debtor  fails  to 
make  payment  when  due  in  accordance  with  the  original  or  modified  terms  of  a  debt 
instrument 

After initial recognition, financial guarantee contracts are measured at the higher of:
the amount determined in accordance with IAS 37; and
the amount initially recognised less, when appropriate, cumulative  
amortisation recognised in accordance with IAS 18 

(i)  
(ii)  

2 17  Legal and other disputes

Provision is made where a reliable estimate can be made of the likely outcome of legal and 
other disputes against the Group   No provision is made for other possible claims or where 
an obligation exists but it is not possible to make a reliable estimate  Costs associated with 
claims made by the Group are charged to the profit or loss as they are incurred 

2 18  Segment reporting 

In identifying its operating segments, management generally follows the Group’s investment 
activity  lines   Each  of  these  operating  segments  is  managed  separately  as  each  of  these 
investment  activity  lines  requires  different  monitoring  and  strategic  decision  making 
process as well as allocation of resources  

The measurement policies the Group uses for segment reporting under IFRS 8 are the same 
as  those  used  in  its  consolidated  financial  statements   Any  inter-segment  transfers  are 
carried out at arm’s length prices 

2 19  Critical accounting judgments and key sources of estimation uncertainty

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS requires the use of certain 
critical  accounting  estimates  and  requires  management  to  exercise  its  judgement  in  the 
process of applying the Group’s accounting policies  It also requires the use of assumptions 
that  affect  the  reported  amounts  of  assets  and  liabilities  and  disclosure  of  contingent 
assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported 
amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period   Although these estimates 
are based on management’s best knowledge of current events and actions, actual results 
may ultimately differ from those estimates 

45

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Estimates and judgements are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience 
and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable 
under the circumstances 

Impairment of available-for-sale financial assets 

Critical accounting judgments
(i) 
The Group follows the guidance in IAS 39 on determining when an investment is impaired   
This  determination  requires  significant  judgments     In  making  this  judgment,  the  Group 
evaluates,  among  other  factors,  the  duration  and  extent  to  which  the  fair  value  of  an 
investment  is  less  than  its  cost  and  the  financial  health  and  near-term  business  outlook 
for  the  investee,  including  factors  such  as  industry  and  sector  performance,  changes  in 
technology and financing cash flow   

The  Group  assesses  at  each  reporting  date  whether  financial  assets  are  impaired    
If impairment has occurred, this loss is recognised to profit or loss 

If there is objective evidence that an impairment loss has been incurred on an unquoted 
equity instrument that is not carried at fair value because its fair value cannot be reliably 
measured,  or  on  a  derivative  asset  that  is  linked  to  and  must  be  settled  by  delivery  of 
such an unquoted equity instrument, the amount of the loss is measured as the difference 
between the asset’s carrying amount and the present value of estimated future cash flows 
discounted at the current market rate of return of similar financial assets    

Classification of financial assets 

(ii) 
The  management  exercises  significant 
in  determining  the  appropriate 
classification  of  the  financial  assets  of  the  Group,  especially  for  its  investments  and  the 
identification of any embedded derivatives   The factors considered include the contractual 
terms and characteristics which are very carefully examined, and also the Group’s intentions 
and expected needs for the realisation of the financial assets 

judgement 

All new investments (other than additions to existing financial assets) are classified as at 
fair value through profit or loss upon initial recognition, because management considers 
them  to  be  held  for  trading,  and  this  also  reflects  more  fairly  the  way  these  assets  are 
managed by the Group  The Group’s business is investing in financial assets with a view to 
profiting from their total return in the form of income and capital growth  This portfolio 
of  financial  assets  is  managed  and  its  performance  evaluated  on  a  fair  value  basis,  in 
accordance with a documented investment strategy, and information about the portfolio 
is  provided  internally  on  that  basis  to  the  Group’s  Board  of  Directors  and  other  key 
management personnel 

Deferred tax assets 

(iii) 
The  tax  rules  applicable  for  the  relevant  Company’s  operations  are  carefully  taken  into 
consideration for the recognition of a deferred tax asset  If a positive forecast of taxable 
income indicates the probable use of a deferred tax asset, especially when it can be utilised 

Annual Report 2011

46

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
without a time limit, that deferred tax asset is usually recognised in full  The recognition 
of deferred tax assets that are subject to certain legal or economic limits or uncertainties 
is assessed individually by management based on the specific facts and circumstances 

Estimation uncertainty 
The  following  are  the  significant  estimates  that  have  the  most  significant  effect  on 
recognition and measurement of relevant items   

Fair value of financial instruments 

(i) 
Management uses valuation techniques in measuring the fair value of financial instruments, 
where active market quotes are not available  Details of the bases used for financial assets 
and liabilities are disclosed in note 7   In applying the valuation techniques management 
makes  maximum  use  of  market  inputs,  and  uses  estimates  and  assumptions  that  are,  as 
far  as  possible,  consistent  with  observable  data  that  market  participants  would  use  in 
pricing the instrument  Where applicable data is not observable, management uses its best 
estimate about the assumptions that market participants would make  These estimates may 
vary from the actual prices that would be achieved in an arm’s length transaction at the 
reporting date 

Fair value of investment property 

(ii) 
Investment  property  is  stated  at  fair  value     The  fair  valuation  is  based  on  discounted 
cash-flow  (DCF)  method   Under  this  method,  the  current  market  value  of  the  property 
is  determined  as  the  total  of  all  projected  future  net  earnings  (before  interest,  taxes, 
depreciation and amortization) discounted to present-day equivalents  These net earnings 
are discounted individually for property with due allowance for specific opportunities and 
threats, and with adjustment in line with market conditions and risks 

Provision for legal and other cases 

(iii) 
Determining whether provisions for legal and other disputes shall be recognised, requires 
the  Group  to  assess  the  likelihood  of  an  economic  outflow  occurring  as  a  result  of  past 
events   Where an economic outflow is considered probable, a provision has been made for 
the estimated outflow   

Where the information required by IAS 37 “Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent 
Assets” is expected to prejudice the outcome of legal and other disputes, it has not been 
disclosed on these grounds   

Further details of provisions are provided in note 35 

47

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3   Property, plant and equipment

Office
Renovation
US $000

Computer 
Hardware 
US $000

Fixtures and 
Fittings 
US $000

Motor 
Vehicles 
US $000

Total  
US $000

Cost

As at 1 January 2010

Additions

As at 1 January 2011 and 
31 December 2011

325

35

360

136   

9   

145

Accumulated 
depreciation

As at 1 January 2010

Charge for the year

As at 1 January 2011

Charge for the year

(150)

(86)

(236)

(73)

(116)

(29)

(145)

-

As at 31 December 2010

(309)

(145)

Net book value

As at 31 December 2011

51

As at 31 December 2010      124

-

  -

95

11

106

(41)

(27)

(68)

(20)

(88)

18

38

4  

Intangible assets

Cost

As at 31 December 2010 and at 31 December 2011

Accumulated amortisation

As at 31 December 2010 and 31 December 2011

Net book value

As at 31 December 2010 and 31 December 2011

26

-

26

(1)

(6)

(7)

(7)

(14)

12

19

582

55

637

(308)

(148)

(456)

(100)

(556)

81

181

Computer 
Software
US $000

147

(147)

-

Annual Report 2011

48

 
 
 
 
5   Available-for-sale financial assets

Non-current assets

Fixed income investments

Private equities

Financial and minority holdings 

Other investments

Current assets 

Fixed income investments

Public equity investments

Hedge funds 

2011
US $000

2010
US $000

53,815

14,162

15,226

5,549

88,752

7,007

2,900

2,926

12,833

25,827

18,070

18,919

5,620

68,436

11,886

5,826

2,842

20,554

For description of each of the above categories, refer to note 7  

Available-for-sale  financial  assets,  comprising  principally  investments  in  debt  and  equity 
instruments  are  fair  valued  at  least  at  each  reporting  date     For  investments  traded  in  active 
markets,  fair  value  is  determined  by  reference  to  Stock  Exchange  quoted  bid  prices     For 
other investments, fair value is estimated by reference to the current market value of similar 
instruments  or  by  reference  to  the  discounted  cash  flows  of  the  underlying  assets     Equity 
investments  for  which  fair  values  cannot  be  measured  reliably  are  recognised  at  cost  less 
impairment  

Available-for-sale  financial  assets  are  classified  as  non-current,  unless  they  are  expected  to 
be realised within twelve months of the reporting date or unless they will need to be sold to 
raise operating capital 

The  Group’s  portfolio  is  structured  based  on  those  investments  which  are  considered  to  be 
long  term,  core  investments  and  those  which  could  be  readily  convertible  to  cash  and  are 
expected  to  be  realised  within  normal  operating  cycle  and  form  part  of  the  Group’s  treasury 
function 

During 2011 for the purpose of annual impairment assessments and due to market conditions, 
management  considered  the  impairment  of  certain  available-for-sale  financial  assets   
Impairment testing indicated that for those financial assets their carrying amount may not be 
recoverable   

The  related  charges  in  2011,  of  USD  9 873m  (2010  USD  6 330m),  are  included  within  loss  on 
investments (note 27), and represent impairment losses arising due to:

49

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Significant fall in value 

Prolonged fall in value 

Investment in SRS Charminar

2011
US $000

5,408

4,465

9,873

2010
US $000

4,330

2,000 

6,330

Included  in  the  Financial  and  minority  holdings  is  the  investment  in  SRS  Charminar 
Investments  Ltd  (“SRS  Charminar”),  a  private  company  incorporated  in  the  Republic  of 
Mauritius     Livermore  invested  USD  20m  in  SRS  Charminar  acquiring  a  15%  ownership  stake   
SRS Charminar through its wholly owned subsidiaries invested INR 5 2b (USD 132 1m at date 
of  investment)  which  is  equivalent  to  USD  95 8m  as  at  31  December  2011  (2010:  114 7m)  in 
a real estate company in India (“investee company”)  The investment in the investee company 
was  in  the  form  of  Compulsorily  Convertible  Debentures  (“CCDs”),  that  included  a  put  option 
which  was  exercisable  either  if  the  investee  company  did  not  have  an  IPO  within  3  years  or 
if  certain  terms  in  the  Investment  Agreement  were  not  met   The  put  option  is  secured  by 
land which was valued at around USD 1 3 billion at the time of investment and guarantees a 
minimum return of approximately 30% IRR if exercised  

SRS believes that there had been material breaches of the terms of the Investment Agreement 
and  that  the  funds  invested  in  the  investee  company  had  been  utilized  in  a  manner  contrary 
to the terms agreed  The material breaches were incurable in nature and therefore constituted 
Events  of  Default   Accordingly,  SRS  exercised  their  rights  under  the  Put  Option  Agreement 
and  issued  a  put  option  notice  in  January  2009  requiring  the  investee  company  and  other 
counterparties to payback the CCDs 

Following  a  dispute  on  the  grounds  of  the  put  option  notice  between  the  promoters  and 
the  investors,  the  parties  agreed  to  invoke  arbitration  to  be  held  in  Mumbai   On  14  August 
2009,  the  arbitration  process  was  completed  and  the  arbitrator  ruled  in  favour  of  investors  
The  award  entitles  the  investors  to  investment  plus  interest  amounting  to  30%  IRR  until  14 
August 2009 and 18% IRR thereafter  Meanwhile, the investors have filed and won an interim 
order for injunction against the promoters and the investee company to prohibit sale, transfer 
or  encumbering  of  the  assets  secured  under  the  put  option   Thereafter,  the  promoters  have 
filed  against  the  arbitral  award  and  the  injunction  order   As  of  31  December  2011,  there  was 
no change in status of these lands  

On  13  January  2011  the  Company  Law  Board  (“CLB”)  passed  an  order  and  allowed 
Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited (“IL&FS”) to become 80% shareholder and 
control  the  management  of  the  investee  company   Since  2011  the  investors  and  IL&FS  have 
been  in  negotiations  and  the  investors  have  filed  an  application  with  the  CLB  to  order  IL&FS 
to  acknowledge  and  share  their  plan  for  satisfying  the  investors’  claims  or  in  the  alternative 
recall the CLB order of 13 January 2011  The matter is still pending in court   

After the reporting period, SRS has reported that they have been able to work out a settlement 
with  IL&FS  and  the  investee  company   However,  the  implementation  of  the  proposed 
settlement  is  subject  to  certain  conditions  including  receipt  of  appropriate  and  acceptable 
regulatory and court approvals   

Due to the legal complexity and the receipt of the regulatory and court approvals required for 

Annual Report 2011

50

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
the implementation of the proposed settlement as well as the various counterparties involved, 
the outcome remains uncertain  

The carrying amount of the investment in SRS Charminar at 31 December 2011 is USD 14 7m 
(2010: USD 17 8m), which represents its estimated fair value  SRS Charminar’s only holding is 
its  investment  in  the  investee  company  (through  its  wholly  owned  subsidiaries)  and  thus  its 
fair value is wholly attributable to the above mentioned investment   The fair value is based on 
discounted cash flow expectations and approximates the 15% share of the original investment 
in the real estate company as translated to USD  Accordingly, the fair value movement of the 
investment is mainly due to the exchange rate fluctuations between INR and USD  

Also  included  in  the  Financial  and  minority  holdings  is  the  investment  in  SRS  Private 
Investments, L P  (“SRS Private”) with a carrying amount at reporting date of USD 2 6m (2010: 
USD  3 1m)  which  is  based  on  a  net  asset  valuation  (NAV)   SRS  Private  through  a  fund  has 
invested in various real estate projects in India as well as in SRS Charminar, and its investment 
in SRS Charminar as at 31 December 2011 amounts approximately to 21 2% (2010: 22 4%) of 
its net assets 

6   Financial at fair value through profit or loss

Non-current assets

Private equities

Real estate entities

Current assets

Fixed income investments

Public equity investments

Hedge funds

Other investments

2011
US $000

2010
US $000

1,575

1,454

3,029

21,609

7,372

2,066

271

31,318

2,844

1,763

4,607

33,453

5,878

1,710

-

41,041

For description of each of the above categories, refer to note 7 

The Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss, comprising principally investments in 
debt and equity instruments, are fair valued at least at each reporting date 

The Group’s portfolio is structured based on investments which are considered to be long term, 
core investments and those which could be readily convertible to cash and are expected to be 
realised within normal operating cycle and form part of the Group’s treasury function 

51

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
7   Categories of financial assets at fair value 

The Group categorise its financial assets at fair value as follows: 

•	 Fixed  income  investments  relate  to  fixed  and  floating  rate  bonds  and  investments  in  the 

loan market through CLOs 

•	 Private  equities  relate  to  investments  in  both  high  growth  opportunities  in  emerging 
markets  and  deep  value  opportunities  in  mature  markets   The  company  generally  invests 
directly in prospects where it can exert significant influence 

•	 Financial and minority holdings relate to significant investments (of over USD 5m) which 
are strategic for the Company and are done in the form of equity purchases or convertible 
loans   Main investments under this category are in the fields of real estate and media    
•	 Hedge funds relate to investments in funds managed by sophisticated investment managers 

that pursue investment strategies with the goal of generating absolute returns 

•	 Public  equity  investments  relate  to  investments  in  shares  of  companies  listed  on  public 

stock exchanges 

•	 Real estate entities relate to investments in real estate projects 

8   Fair value measurements of financial assets and liabilities

The  following  table  presents  financial  assets  measured  at  fair  value  in  the  consolidated 
statement  of  financial  position  in  accordance  with  the  fair  value  hierarchy     This  hierarchy 
groups  financial  assets  and  liabilities  into  three  levels  based  on  the  significance  of  inputs 
used in measuring the fair value of the financial assets and liabilities  The fair value hierarchy 
has the following levels:

•	 Level 1: quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;
•	 Level 2: inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for 
the asset or  liability, either directly (ie as prices) or indirectly (ie derived from prices); 
and 

•	 Level 3: inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data 

(unobservable inputs) 

The level within which the financial asset is classified is determined based on the lowest level 
of significant input to the fair value measurement 

Valuation of financial assets and liabilities

•	 Public equities, Credit Notes and Bonds are valued per their closing bid market prices 

on quoted exchanges, or as quoted by market maker 

•	 Hedge Funds and Private Equity funds are valued per reports provided by the funds on 
a periodic basis, and if traded, per their closing bid market prices on quoted exchanges, 
or as quoted by market maker 

•	 Private Equities and Unlisted Investments are valued using market valuation techniques 
as determined by the Directors, mainly on the basis of discounted cash flow techniques 
or valuations reported by third-party managers of such investments   

•	 Derivative  instruments  are  valued  at  fair  value  as  provided  by  counter  parties  of  the 
derivative agreement   Derivative instruments consist of interest rate swaps and forward 
currency contracts  

Annual Report 2011

52

 
 
 
 
Financial assets and financial liabilities measured at fair value in the consolidated statement 
of financial position are grouped into the fair value hierarchy as follows:

2011
US 
$000
Level 1

2011
US 
 $000
Level 2

2011
US 
 $000
Level 3

2011 
US  
$000
Total

2010
US  
$000
Level 1

2010
US 
 $000
Level 2

2010
US 
 $000
Level 3

2010
US 
 $000
Total

28,616

53,815

-

82,431

45,339

25,827

-

71,166

Assets

Fixed income 
investments

Private equities

Financial and minority 
holdings

Public equity 
investments

Hedge funds

Real estate entities

-

-

-

4,992

3,084

-

10,272

-

-

Other investments

5,820

12,653

15,737

2,850

15,226

15,226

-

18,064

20,914

18,919

18,919

-

-

10,272

11,704

4,992

1,454

5,820

-

-

5,620

-

-

1,454

-

-

-

11,704

4,552

1,763

5,620

-

-

1,763

-

-

-

-

4,552

47,792

58,807

29,333

135,932

65,513

30,379

38,746

134,638

Liabilities

Interest rate swaps

-

-

8,515

8,515

-

-

8,515

8,515

-

-

8,723

8,723

-

-

8,723

8,723

The  methods  and  valuation  techniques  used  for  the  purpose  of  measuring  fair  value  are 
unchanged compared to the previous reporting period 

No financial assets or liabilities have been transferred between levels  

The Group’s financial assets and liabilities classified in Level 3 use valuation techniques based 
on significant inputs that are not based on observable market data  

Financial  assets  within  this  level  can  be  reconciled  from  beginning  to  ending  balances  as 
follows:

53

 
 
 
 
 
 
Available-for-sale

At fair value through   
profit or loss

Financial 
and minority 
holdings
US $000

At 1 January 2019 

22,092

Purchases

Gains losses 
recognised in: 

-

Private 
equities
US $000

13,524

1,965

Real estate
US $000

2,982

-

Private 
equities 
US $000

2,903

-

Total 
US $000

41,501

1,965

•	 Profit or loss 

(3,896)

(1,944)

(1,210)

(59)

(7,109)

•	 Other 

comprehensive 
income 

Exchange difference

Settlements  

-

723

1,734

-

(59)

-

(9)

-

At 1 January 2011 

18,919

15,220

1,763

Sales

Purchases

Gains losses  
recognised in:

-

-

-

141

-

-

-

-

-

2,844

(1,651)

516

1,734

714

(59)

38,746

(1,651)

657

•	 Profit or loss

(525)

(1,626)

(425)

(134)

(2,710)

•	 Other 

comprehensive 
income

(3,168)

(2,657)

Exchange difference

-

-

-

116

-

-

(5,825)

116

At 31 December 2011

15,226

11,078

1,454

1,575

29,333

A  reasonable  change  in  any  individual  significant  input  used  in  the  level  3  valuations  is  not 
anticipated to have a significant change in fair values as above 

Annual Report 2011

54

 
9  

Investment property

Valuation as at 1 January 

Change in fair value

Exchange difference 

As at 31 December 

2011
US $000

119,018

4,103

(603)

122,518

2010 
US $000

106,333

1,114 

11,571

119,018

The investment property relates to Wyler Park property in Bern, Switzerland, which is used for 
earning rental income 

The investment property was valued by Wuest & Partners as at 31 December 2011 and 2010 on 
the  basis  of  open  market  value  in  accordance  with  the  appraisal  and  valuation  guidelines  of 
the Royal Institute of Certified Surveyors, and the European Group of Valuers’ Associations  

  Wuest & Partners are independent qualified valuers with substantial relevant experience   

  Wyler Park property investment loan is secured on the property itself  

The  future  minimum  rental  income  under  non-cancellable  rental  agreements,  is  receivable  as 
follows:

Less than 1 year 

Between 1 and 5 years

Over 5 years

2011 
US $000

6,133

26,986

10,794

43,913

2010 
US $000

5,194

20,922

12,553

38,669

Rental  agreements  are  quoted  in  Swiss  Francs     The  equivalent  USD  amounts  shown  in  the 
table above are based on the exchange rates as at 31 December 2011 and 31 December 2010 
respectively 

55

 
 
 
 
10   Investment in associate

As at 1 January

Share of loss for the year 

Sales for the year 

Exchange differences 

As at 31 December 

2011
US $000

-

-

-

-

-

2010 
US $000

10,936

(2,141)

(3,939)

(4,856)

-

11   Details of Group undertakings

Details of the investments in which the Group has a controlling interest are as follows: 

Name of Subsidiary

Livermore Properties 
Limited

Livermore Management 
Limited

Livermore Israel 
Investments Limited

Place of 
incorporation

Holding 

Proportion of 
voting rights 
and shares 
held

British Virgin 
Islands

British Virgin 
Islands

Ordinary shares

100%

Ordinary shares

100%

Israel

Ordinary shares

100%

Livermore Capital AG

Switzerland

Ordinary shares

100%

Livermore Investments AG

Switzerland

Ordinary shares

100%*

Livermore Real Estate I AG

Switzerland

Ordinary shares

100%

Enaxor S a r  l

Luxembourg

Ordinary shares

100%

Livermore Investments 
Cyprus Limited

Cyprus

Ordinary shares

100%

Sandhirst Ltd

Cyprus

Ordinary shares

100%

Principal activity

Holding of 
investments

Holding of 
investments

Holding of 
investments

Administration 
services

Real Estate owner 
and management

Real Estate 
management, 
(Dormant)

Holding of 
investment

Administration 
services

Holding of 
investments

* Held by Enaxor S a r  l

Annual Report 2011

56

 
12   Deferred tax  

The  Company  is  an  international  business  company  based  in  the  British  Virgin  Islands  (BVI) 
and,  under  its  laws,  is  not  subject  to  taxation     Deferred  taxes  relate  to  the  temporary 
differences  between  carrying  amounts  and  corresponding  tax  base  of  its  subsidiaries,  in 
Switzerland 

The  deferred  tax  shown  in  the  consolidated  statement  of  financial  position  relates  to  the 
following items:

Investment property  
– revaluation surplus

Derivative financial instruments 
– recognised carrying amount

Tax losses 

Net deferred tax asset

2011
US $000

(3,538)

1,423

2,603

488

2010 
US $000

(2,271)

1,746

2,324

1,799

The movement on the deferred taxation account is as follows: 

Investment  
property 
US $000

Derivative 
 financial 
instruments 
US $000

As at 1 January 2010

(1,332)

(Charged) / credited to 
profit or loss  (note 32)

Exchange difference

(763)

(176)

1,740

(176)

182

Tax losses 
US $000

Total 
US $000

1,515

620

189

1,923

(319)

195

As at 1 January 2011

(2,271)

1,746

2,324

1,799

(Charged) / credited to 
profit or loss  (note 32)

•	

•	

timing differences 

(1,485)

change in tax rates

Exchange difference

197

21

(165)

(152)

(6)

494

(202)

(13)

(1,156)

(157)

2

As at 31 December 2011

(3,538)

1,423

2,603

488

57

 
 
 
 
 
 
The effective tax rates in Switzerland were reduced by 31 December 2011 from 23% to 21% 

The  Group  expects  that  future  taxable  profits  will  be  available  in  the  jurisdiction  where  the 
deferred tax assets occurred (Switzerland) so as to utilise the carrying amount of the deferred 
tax assets recognised as at the end of the year 

As at 31 December 2011 and 2010 there is no unrecognised deferred tax asset  

13   Trade and other receivables  

Accrued interest and dividend 
income

Other receivables

Prepayments

2011
US $000

7,242

680

733

8,655

2010 
US $000

9,886

33

212

10,131

The carrying amount of trade and other receivables approximates to their fair value 

Included within accrued interest and dividend income, is an amount of USD 7 2m (2010: USD 
3 7m)  which  is  neither  past  due  nor  impaired  and  has  been  received  in  the  first  four  months 
following each reporting date   

The  ageing  analysis  of  the  past  due  but  not  impaired  amounts,  of  accrued  interest  and 
dividend income is as follows:

Less that 3 months

Between 3 and 6 months

Between 6 and 12 months

More than 1 year

2011 
US $000

-

-

-

-

-

2010 
US $000

-

-

-

6,152

6,152

The amounts due for more than one year for 2010 relate to accrued interest income receivable 
from SRS Charminar Investments Ltd   

Annual Report 2011

58

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
14   Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents included in the consolidated statement of cash flows comprise the 
following at the reporting date: 

Cash at bank

2011
US $000

2010 
US $000

2,060

2,060

3,294

3,294                 

Bank overdrafts used for cash management purposes

(19,306)

(13,289) 

Cash and cash equivalents for the purposes of the 
consolidated statement of cash flows

(17,246)

(9,995)

15   Share capital 

Authorised share capital 

The Company has authorised share capital of 1,000,000,000 ordinary shares with no par value, 
and no restrictions 

Issued share capital

Ordinary shares with no par value 

Number of  
shares

Share premium 
arising
US $000

As at 31 December 2010 and at 31 December 2011 

304,120,401

215,499

Treasury shares 

As at 1 January 2010

Additions 

As at 1 January 2011

Additions

Number of  
shares

13,425,966

8,409,798

US $000

9,610

2,037

21,835,764

27,497,119

11,647

7,125

As at 31 December 2011

49,332,883

18,772

59

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In the consolidated statement of financial position the amount included comprises of:

Share premium

Treasury shares

2011 
US $000

215,499

(18,772)

196,727

2010 
US $000

215,499

(11,647) 

203,852

16   Share options

The Company has a share option scheme for acquiring ordinary shares of the Company 

Outstanding options  

As at 31 December 2010 and 31 
December 2011

Number of 
options

Average 
exercise price 
GBP

Average exercise 
price* USD 

11,340,000

0 75

1 17

Average 
exercise price 
GBP

Average exercise 
price* USD 

Exercisable options   

As at 1 January 2011

Exercisable during the year

Expired

Number of  
options

11,712,221

166,667

(705,555)

At 1 January 2011

Exercisable during the year

11,173,333

166,667

0 84

0 30

1 90

0 76

0 30

As at 31 December 2011

11,340,000

0 75

1 30

0 47

2 95

1 18

0 47

1 17

Annual Report 2011

60

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Details of share options outstanding at 31 December 2011

Number of  
options 

Grant date

Vesting 
date

Earliest 
exercise 
date  

Expire 
date of 
exercise 
period

Exercise
price
GBP

Exercise
Price*
USD

Fair value at 
grant date 
USD

230,000

07/12/05

07/12/06

07/12/06

07/12/15

0 71

230,000

07/12/05

07/12/07

07/12/07

07/12/15

0 71

230,000

07/12/05

07/12/08

07/12/08

07/12/15

0 71

3,383,333

19/07/06

19/07/07

19/07/07

19/07/16

0 78

3,383,333

19/07/06

19/07/08

19/07/08

19/07/16

0 78

3,383,333

19/07/06

19/07/09

19/07/09

19/07/16

0 78

166,667

13/05/08

13/05/09 13/05/09

13/05/18

0 30

166,667

13/05/08

13/05/10 13/05/10

13/05/18

0 30

166,667

13/05/08

13/05/11

13/05/11

13/05/18

0 30

1 10

1 10

1 10

1 21

1 21

1 21

0 47

0 47

0 47

11,340,000

82,739

94,333

103,948

1,608,710

1,824,133

2,001,774

21,703

24,115

25,820

5,787,275

The  fair  value  of  options  granted  to  employees  was  determined  using  the  Binomial  valuation 
model     The  model  takes  into  account  a  volatility  rate  of  41-45%  calculated  using  the 
historical  volatility  of  a  peer  group  of  similar  companies  and  a  risk  free  interest  rate  of  4 0-
4 4%  and  it  has  been  assumed  the  options  have  an  expected  life  of  two  years  post  date  of 
vesting 

The  options  lapsed  at  the  earliest  of  the  expiry  date  of  exercise  period  or  the  termination  of 
the corresponding employee’s service  

*  The  exercise  prices  as  per  the  share  option  scheme  are  quoted  in  British  Pounds     The 
indicative equivalent USD amounts shown in the table of details above as well as the average 
exercise prices are based on the exchange rates as at 31 December 2011 

17   Bank Loans  

Long term bank loan

2011 
US $000

84,316

2010 
US $000

84,722

The long term bank loan is related to Wyler Park property investment purchase and is secured 
on this property   The decrease in the loan amount from 2010 to 2011 represents the effects of 
currency translation from CHF to USD 

Interest  is  payable  at  3M  CHF  Libor  +  0 85%     The  Group  has  fixed  the  variable  element  of 

61

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
interest  to  3 3%  using  an  interest  rate  swap  (note  18)       Consequently,  the  loan’s  effective 
interest rate is 4 15%    

The loan balance is repayable on 12 July 2014 

18   Derivative financial instruments  

Non-current liabilities

Interest rate swaps

Current liabilities

Interest rate swaps

2011 
US $000

2010 
US $000

5,143

5,470

3,372

3,253

During  2011  and  2010  the  Group  used  forward  currency  contracts,  however,  no  such 
derivatives were open at 31 December 2011 or 2010  

The Group uses interest rate swaps to manage its exposure to interest rate movements on its 
bank borrowings by swapping a proportion from floating rates to fixed rates as follows: 

Notional contract 
amount

Underlying  
floating rate

Contract   
fixed  rate

Contract  
termination date 

CHF 79,135,000

3M CHF Libor 

CHF 10,000,000

6M CHF Libor

3 30%

3 255%

30 July  2014

17 June 2014 

CHF 10,000,000

6M CHF Libor

3 1675%

17 November 2014

The  calculation  of  the  fair  value  of  swaps  is  based  on  discounted  cash  flows  of  future 
anticipated interest payments on the swap agreements in place compared with the discounted 
cash flows of anticipated interest payments at market swap interest rates at the reporting date 

The interest rate swap with CHF 79,135,000 notional amount relates to fixing the interest rate 
on the loan against Wyler Park at 3 3% 

For  the  year  ended  31  December  2011  a  fair  value  gain  of  USD  176,122  (2010:  gain  USD 
497,175)  has  been  recognised  in  the  profit  or  loss  in  relation  to  all  derivative  financial 
instruments 

Annual Report 2011

62

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
19   Bank Overdrafts

Short term bank overdrafts

2011 
US $000

19,306         

2010 
US $000

13,289         

Short term bank overdrafts bear Libor + lender’s margin and have an average interest rate of 
2 03% (2010 1 23%) 

The Group’s bank overdraft facilities are secured by the Group’s financial assets portfolio up to 
an amount, as at 31 December 2011, of USD 77m 

20   Short term bank loans  

Short term bank loans

2011 
US $000

8,935         

2010 
US $000

17,128         

Short term bank loans bear Libor + lender’s margin and have an average interest rate of 1 64% 
(2010  1 96%)     Their  repayment  period  is  usually  one  to  three  months  and  upon  repayment 
date usually they are renewed  

The Group’s short term bank loan facilities are secured by the Group’s financial assets portfolio 
up to an amount, as at 31 December 2011, of USD 35m 

21   Trade and other payables  

Other payables and accrued 
expenses

2011 
US $000

1,961

2010 
US $000

1,159

The Directors consider that the carrying amount of trade and other payables approximates to 
their fair value   All amounts fall due within one year    

22   Current tax payable  

Corporation Tax

2011 
US $000

122

2010 
US $000

163                     

63

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
23   Net asset value per share  

Net  asset  value  per  share  has  been  calculated  by  dividing  the  net  assets  attributable  to 
ordinary  shareholders  by  the  closing  number  of  ordinary  shares  (net  of  treasury  shares)  in 
issue during the relevant financial periods   

Diluted net asset value per share is  calculated after  taking into consideration the  potentially 
dilutive shares in existence as at 31 December 2011 and 31 December 2010 

Net assets attributable to ordinary shareholders  
(US $000)

2011

2010

145,437

142,292

Closing number of ordinary shares in issue

254,787,518

282,284,637

Basic net asset value per share (USD)

0 57

0 50

Closing number of ordinary shares including the 
effect of potentially diluted shares

254,787,518

282,284,637

Diluted net assets value per share (US $)

0 57

0 50

Number of Shares 

Ordinary shares 

Treasury shares

304,120,401

304,120,401

(49,332,883)

(21,835,764)

Closing number of ordinary shares in issue

254,787,518

282,284,637

The  Share  options  do  not  impact  the  diluted  net  asset  value  per  share  for  2011  and  2010  as 
their exercise price was higher than the average market price of the Company’s shares on the 
London Stock Exchange (AIM division) during the year ended 31 December 2011 and 2010   

24   Segment reporting

The Group’s monitoring and strategic decision making process in relation to its investments is 
separated into two activity lines which are also identified as the Group’s operating segments  
These  operating  segments  are  monitored  and  strategic  decisions  are  made  on  the  basis  of 
segment operating results  

Annual Report 2011

64

 
 
 
 
 
 
Segment information can be analysed as follows   

Equity and debt 
instruments 
investment activities

Investment  
property  
activities

Total per financial 
statements

2011
US $000

2010
US $000

2011
US $000

2010
US $000

2011
US $000

2010
US $000

Segment results 

Investment income

Interest and dividend 
income

Investment property 
revenue

(Loss) / gain on  
investments

Gain from investment 
in associate

Gross profit

Other income

Administrative 
expenses

18,891

10,490

-

-

18,891

10,490

-

-

5,684

4,734

5,684

4,734

(14,350)

(3,090)

4,103

1,114

(10,247)

(1,976)

-

495

-

-

-

495

4,541

3,000

7,895

9,787

5,848

14,328

13,743

-

-

-

3,000

-

(4,235)

(823)

(816)

(195)

(5,051)

(1,018)

Operating profit 

Finance costs

Finance income

3,306

(1,531)

-

7,072

(326)

99

8,971

5,653

12,277

12,725

(3,763)

(3,225)

(5,294)

(3,551)

-

-

-

99

Profit before 
taxation

1,775

6,845

5,208

2,428

6,983

9,273

Taxation charge

(167)

(88)

(1,460)

(698)

(1,627)

(786)

Profit for year 

1,608

6,757

3,748

1,730 

5,356

8,487

Segment assets 

145,599

149,001

124,135

120,060

269,734

269,061

Segment liabilities

31,628

34,361

92,669

92,408

124,297

126,769

65

 
 
 
The  Group’s  interest  and  dividend  income,  investment  property  revenue  and  its  investments 
are divided into the following geographical areas: 

Equity and debt 
instruments investment 
activities

Investment  
property  
activities

Total per financial 
statements

2011
US $000

2010
US $000

2011
US $000

2010
US $000

2011
US $000

2010
US $000

Investment Income 

Switzerland

72

700

9,787

5,848

9,859

6,548

Other European 
countries

United States

India

Asia

Investments 

Switzerland

Other European 
countries

United States

India

Asia

(3,540)

4,130

11,190

(1,429)

(1,752)

4,541

7,390

(4,573)

248

7,895

-

-

-

-

-

-

(3,540)

4,130

11,190

7,390

(1,429)

(4,573)

(1,752)

248

9,787

5,848

14,328

13,743

-

-

122,518

119,018

122,518

119,018

37,171

42,603

70,681

24,670

3,410

55,629

31,061

5,345

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

37,171

42,603

70,681

55,629

24,670

31,061

3,410

5,345

135,932

134,638

122,518

119,018

258,450

253,656

Investment  income,  comprising  interest  and  dividend  income,  gains  or  losses  on  investments, 
and  investment  property  revenue,  is  allocated  on  the  basis  of  the  customer’s  geographical 
location in the case of the investment property activities segment and the issuer’s location in 
the  case  of  the  equity  and  debt  instruments  investment  activities  segment   Investments  are 
allocated based on the issuer’s location  

During  2011,  88%  of  the  Group’s  rent  relates  to  rental  income  from  a  single  customer 
(SBB  –  Swiss  national  transport  authority)  in  the  investment  property  activities  segment  
(2010: 80 5%) 

Annual Report 2011

66

 
 
 
 
25   Interest and dividend income  

Interest from investments

Dividend income

Interest receivable written off

2011 
US $000

2,886

22,157

(6,152)

18,891

2010 
US $000

1,970

8,520

-

10,490

The  Interest  receivable  has  been  written  off  as  during  the  first  half  of  the  year  since  it  has 
been regarded as irrecoverable 

26   Investment property income

Gross rental income

Direct expenses

2011 
US $000

6,159

(475)

5,684

2010 
US $000

5,196

(462)

4,734

All direct expenses relate to the generation of rental income  

27   Loss on investments

Gain / (loss) on sale of investments

Investment property revaluation

Foreign exchange (loss) / gain 

Loss due to impairment of available-for-sale 
instruments

Fair value losses on financial assets through profit 
or loss

Fair value gains on derivative instruments 

2011 
US $000

438

4,103

(456)

2010 
US $000

(573)

1,114

4,146

(9,873)

(6,330)

(4,080)

(379)

(10,247)

(830)

497

(1,976)

67

 
 
 
 
 
 
The  investments  disposed  of  during  the  year  resulted  in  the  following  realised  gains/(losses) 
(i e  in relation to their original acquisition cost): 

Available-for-sale

At fair value through profit or loss

28   Gain from investment in associate

Atlas Estates Ltd

Share of loss for the year

Gain on disposal

Foreign exchange loss reclassified from translation 
reserve

29   Other income

Settlement of litigation

2011 
US $000

(430)

535

105

2011 
US $000

-

-

-

-

-

2011 
US $000

3,000

2010 
US $000

(573)

1,198

625

2010 
US $000

495

(2,141)

9,790

(7,154)

495

2010 
US $000

-

Other  income  relates  to  the  settlement  of  the  legal  case  between  the  Group  and  Uniplay 
International Ltd 

The  related  expenses  of  this  case  amounting  to  USD  0 794m  are  included  in  legal  expenses 
(note 30) 

Annual Report 2011

68

 
 
 
 
 
 
30   Administrative expenses

Legal expenses

Directors’ fees and expenses

Share option expense

Professional and consulting fees

Other salaries and expenses

Office cost 

Depreciation

Other operating expenses 

Provision for legal and other cases – reversal

Audit fees 

2011 
US $000

1,989

1,367

4

415

463

298

100

493

(224)

146

5,051

2010 
US $000

626

864

14

430

420

283

148

378

(2,248)

103

1,018

Legal expenses include USD 0 794m of expenses related to the settlement of the Group’s claim 
against  Uniplay  International  Ltd   The  Group  received  USD  3m  as  a  result  of  the  settlement 
(note 29) 

Throughout 2011 the Group employed 6 staff (2010:7) 

Other salaries and expenses include USD 31,406 of social insurance and similar contributions 
(2010:  USD  34,019),  as  well  as  USD  12,247  of  defined  contributions  plan  costs  (2010:  USD 
12,452) 

31   Finance costs and income 

Finance costs

Bank interest on investment property loan

Other bank interest

Bank custody fees

Foreign exchange loss

Finance income 

Foreign exchange gain

2011 
US $000

2010 
US $000

3,763

572

140

819

5,294

3,225

222

104

-

3,551

-

99

Net finance costs 

5,294

3,452

69

 
 
 
 
32   Taxation  

Current tax charge 

Prior year tax charge

Deferred tax charge 

2011
US $000

2010 
US $000

324

(10)

1,313

1,627

169

298

319

786

The tax charge for the year can be reconciled to 
the accounting profit as follows:

Profit before tax

6,983

9,273

Effect of applicable corporation tax rates

Effect of income not subject to tax 

Effect of expenses not deductible for tax purposes 

Effect of current year losses

Prior year tax charge

Interest withholding tax

Property tax

Deferred tax charge

1,213

(899)

90

(355)

(10)

166

109

1,313

611

(394)

94

(259)

298

45

72

319

Tax for the year

1,627

786 

The  Company  is  an  international  business  company  based  in  the  British  Virgin  Islands  (BVI) 
and, under the BVI laws, is not subject to corporation tax  Corporation tax is calculated with 
reference to the results of the Company’s subsidiaries 

33   Earnings per share

Basic  earnings  per  share  has  been  calculated  by  dividing  the  profit  for  the  year  attributable 
to ordinary shareholders of the parent Company by the weighted average number of ordinary 
shares in issue of the parent during the relevant financial periods   

Diluted  earnings  per  share  is  calculated  after  taking  into  consideration  other  potentially 
dilutive  shares  in  existence  during  the  year  ended  31  December  2011  and  the  year  ended  31 
December 2010 

Annual Report 2011

70

 
  
 
 
 
 
Profit for the year attributable to ordinary shareholders 
of the parent (USD 000)

2011

2010

5,356

8,487

Weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue

267,345,907

286,552,752

Basic earnings per share (USD)

0 02

0 03

Weighted average number of ordinary shares including 
the effect of potentially dilutive shares

267,345,907

286,552,752

Diluted earnings per share (USD)

0 02

0 03

The  Share  options  do  not  impact  the  diluted  earnings  per  share  for  2011  and  2010  as  their 
exercise  price  was  higher  than  the  average  market  price  of  the  Company’s  shares  on  the 
London  Stock  Exchange  (AIM  division)  during  the  year  ended  31  December  2011  and  2010 
correspondingly   

34   Related party transactions

The  Group  is  controlled  by  Groverton  Management  Ltd,  an  entity  owned  by  Mr   Noam  Lanir, 
which at 31 December 2011 held 60 60% (2010: 54 70%) of the company’s voting rights 

Amounts owed by key management

Amounts owed to / (by) Directors

Key management compensation

Short term benefits

Executive directors fees*

Executive directors reward payments 

Non-executive directors fees 

Share option expense

2011 
US $000

5,568

60

2010 
US $000

5,523

(9)

795

500

72

1,367

4

1,371

795

-

69

864

14

878

* These payments were made directly to companies to which they are related    

Loans with a balance at 31 December 2011 of USD 5 5m (31 December 2010: USD 5 5m) were made 
to  key  management  during  the  year  ended  31  December  2007  for  the  acquisition  of  shares  in  the 
Company and were renewed during the year 31 December 2010  Interest is payable on these loans 

71

 
 
 
 
 
at  6  month  US  LIBOR  plus  0 25%  per  annum  and  the  loans  are  secured  on  the  shares  acquired  
The  loans  are  repayable  on  the  earlier  of  the  employee  leaving  the  Company  or  April  2013   These 
loans are classified as financial assets available for sale in the consolidated statement of financial 
position 

Noam  Lanir,  through  an  Israeli  partnership,  is  the  major  shareholder  of  Babylon  Limited,  an  Israel 
based Internet Services Company   The Group has also invested in Babylon and as of 31 December 
2011 it held 2 786m shares at a value of USD 6 6m 

35   Provisions 

Corporate guarantee 
The Company provided a corporate guarantee to a bank in the amount up to €2 1m as part of 
a shareholders’ guarantee required by a financing bank as condition to a loan facility provided 
to DTH-Boom   DTH-Boom is in a restructuring process and in breach of its loan covenants     

The  guarantee  has  been  accounted  for  as  a  financial  guarantee  contract  and  an  appropriate 
amount has been provided for based on the management’s best estimate  

A  settlement  agreement  concerning  the  guarantee  was  reached  during  the  first  quarter  of 
2012  and  the  settlement  is  due  to  complete  in  the  second  quarter  of  2012     The  settlement 
amount is fully provided as at 31 December 2011     

Litigation
For litigation refer to note 36 

The movement in the provisions for the year is as follows: 

Legal and other cases 

As at 1 January 

Amounts reversed

Settlements

Exchange differences

At 31 December

2011 
US $000

2010 
US $000

1,585

(224)

(197)

(22)

1,142

4,200

(2,248)

-

(367)

1,585

During the year the Group’s management reversed an amount of USD 0 2m for the provisions 
made  during  2010  based  on  the  settlement  agreement  related  to  legal  and  other  cases 
involving the Group 

Annual Report 2011

72

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
36   Litigation 

Ex employee vs Empire Online Ltd
In  2007  an  ex  employee  of  Empire  Online  Limited  (the  Company’s  former  name)  filed  a  law 
suit against one of its Directors and the Company in the Labor Court in Tel Aviv  According to 
the lawsuit the plaintiff claims compensation relating to the sale of all commercial activities 
of  Empire  Online  Limited  until  the  end  of  2006,  and  the  dissolution  of  the  company  and  the 
terms of termination of his employment with Empire Online Limited  

Prior  to  the  filing  of  the  lawsuit  in  Israel,  the  Company  filed  a  claim  against  the  plaintiff  in 
the Court in Cyprus based upon claims concerning breach of faith of the plaintiff towards his 
employers   Litigation was completed in Israel and a final decision is pending   

No  further  information  is  provided  on  the  above  case  as  the  Directors  consider  it  could 
prejudice the outcome of any claim

Secretline vs Livermore
In  2009,  Secretline  Investments  Ltd   (“Secretline”),  a  supplier  of  DTH  Boom,  filed  a  claim 
against  the  Company  and  certain  other  DTH  Boom  shareholders  in  the  District  Court  in  Tel 
Aviv   The  claim  is  related  to  guarantees  provided  by  Livermore  and  certain  other  DTH  Boom 
shareholders to Secretline to secure a payment from DTH Boom to Secretline   The guarantee 
has been accounted for as a financial guarantee contract  

The  procedures  were  concluded  during  the  first  quarter  of  2011  and  there  was  a  settlement 
during the same period, under which the Group paid an amount of USD 0 2m   

37   Commitments and contingencies

The Group has no capital or other commitments as at 31 December 2011    

38   Events after the reporting date 

In  January  2012,  Livermore  agreed  to  settle  its  guarantees  to  a  financing  bank  in  relation  to 
its investment in DTH Boom  The settlement amount is fully provided as at 31 December 2011      

After  the  reporting  period,  the  Manager  of  SRS  Charminar  has  reported  a  finalization  of 
settlement  negotiations  with  IL&FS  and  the  investee  company  which  is  subject  to  certain 
court and regulatory approvals   

After  the  reporting  date  and  prior  to  publishing  this  report,  Livermore  had  acquired  an 
additional  1 039m  share  of  the  related  company  Babylon  Ltd,  an  Internet  software  services 
provider based in Tel Aviv 

Following year end the Company purchased 24,589,824 additional shares to be held in treasury 
for a total cost of USD 5 926m 

39   Financial risk management objectives and policies

Background
The Group’s financial instruments comprise available for sale financial assets, financial assets 
at  fair  value  through  profit  or  loss,  derivatives,  cash  balances  and  receivables  and  payables 

73

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
that  arise  directly  from  its  operations     For  an  analysis  of  financial  assets  and  liabilities  by 
category, refer to note 40 

Risk objectives and policies
The  objective  of  the  Group  is  to  achieve  growth  of  shareholder  value,  yet  in  line  with 
reasonable  risk,  taking  into  consideration  that  the  protection  of  long-term  shareholder  value 
is paramount  The policy of the Board is to provide a framework within which the investment 
manager can operate and deliver the objectives of the Group

Risks associated with financial instruments

Foreign currency risk
Foreign currency risks arise in two distinct areas which affect the valuation of the investment 
portfolio,  1)  where  an  investment  is  denominated  and  paid  for  in  a  foreign  currency;  and 
2)  where  an  investment  has  substantial  exposure  to  non-US  Dollar  underlying  assets  or  cash 
flows  denominated  in  a  foreign  currency   The  Group  in  general  does  not  hedge  its  currency 
exposure   The  Group  discretionally  and  partially  hedges  against  foreign  currency  movements 
affecting  the  value  of  the  investment  portfolio  based  on  its  view  on  the  relative  strength  of 
certain currencies   Any hedging transactions represent economic hedges; the Group does not 
apply  hedge  accounting  in  any  case     Management  monitors  the  effect  of  foreign  currency 
fluctuations through the pricing of the investments  The level of investments denominated in 
foreign currencies held by the Group at 31 December 2011 is the following:

2011
US $000

2011
US $000

2011
US $000

2010
US $000

2010
US $000

2010
US $000

Financial 
assets

Liabilities

Net value

Financial 
assets

Liabilities Net value

8,022

14,460

43,033

16,459

6,615

27

(3,914)

(8,649)

(9,662)

-

(3,780)

(3,066)

4,108

5,811

33,371

16,459

2,835

(3,039)

10,312

(4,014)

23,437

(16,255)

43,928

26,206

-

(5,668)

(2)

-

6,298

7,182

38,260

26,204

-

1,297

(4,120)

(2,823)

88,616

(29,071)

59,545

105,180

(30,059)

75,121

British Pounds (GPB)

Euro

Swiss Francs (CHF)

Indian Rupee (INR)

Israel Shekels (ILS)

Others

Total

Also,  some  of  the  USD  denominated  investments  are  backed  by  underlying  assets  which 
are  invested  in  non-USD  assets   For  instance,  investments  in  certain  emerging  market 
private  equity  funds  are  denominated  in  USD  but  the  funds  in  turn  have  invested  in  assets 
denominated in non-USD currencies 

A 10% increase of the following currency rates against the rate of United States Dollar (USD) 
at  31  December  2011  would  have  the  following  impact     A  10%  decrease  of  the  following 
currencies against USD would have an approximately equal but opposite impact  

Annual Report 2011

74

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2011 
US $000

2011 
US $000

2010 
US $000

2010 
US $000

Profit or loss

Other 
comprehensive 
income

Profit or loss

Other 
comprehensive 
income

British Pounds (GPB)

Euro

Swiss Francs (CHF)

Indian Rupee (INR)

Israel Shekels (ILS)

Total

411

581

3,337

1,645

283

6,257

-

-

-

-

-

-

630

718

3,826

2,620

-

7,794

-

-

-

-

-

-

The  above  analysis  assumes  that  all  other  variables  in  particular,  interest  rates,  remain 
constant     The  analysis  does  not  include  the  impact  arising  from  the  translation  of  foreign 
operations from their functional to the presentation currency    

Interest rate risk
The  Group  is  exposed  to  interest  rate  risk  on  its  interest-bearing  instruments  which  are 
affected by changes in market interest rates  The Group has borrowings of USD 84 3m (2010: 
USD  84 7m)  related  to  a  real  estate  asset  (Wylerpark,  Bern),  which  have  been  fixed  through 
the use of an interest rate swap  

The  Group  has  banking  credit  lines  which  are  available  on  short  notice  for  the  Group  to  use 
in  their  investment  activities,  the  costs  of  which  are  based  on  variable  rates  plus  a  margin  
When an investment is made utilising the facility, consideration is given to the financing costs 
which would impact the returns  The level of banking facilities used is monitored by both the 
Board  and  the  management  on  a  regular  basis   The  level  of  banking  facilities  utilised  at  31 
December 2011 was USD 28 2m (2010: USD 30 4m)

As at 31 December 2011 the Group had no financial liabilities that bore an interest rate risk, 
other than the previously disclosed bank facilities 

Interest  rate  changes  will  also  impact  equity  prices   The  level  and  direction  of  changes  in 
equity prices are subject to prevailing local and world economics as well as market sentiment 
all of which are very difficult to predict with any certainty  

The  Group  has  fixed  and  floating  rate  financial  assets  including  bank  balances  that  bear 
interest  at  rates  based  on  the  banks  floating  interest  rates     In  particular,  the  fair  value  of 
the  Group’s  fixed  rate  financial  assets  is  likely  to  be  negatively  impacted  by  an  increase  in 
interest rates   The interest income of the Group’s floating rate financial assets is likely to be 
positively impacted by an increase in interest rates  

The Group’s interest bearing assets and liabilities are as follows: 

75

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financial assets – subject to:

•	

•	

 fair value changes

 interest changes

Total

Financial liabilities – subject to:

•	

interest changes

•	 both fair value and interest changes

Total

2011 
US $000

2010 
US $000

22,413

62,078

84,491

112,558

8,515

121,073

35,348

40,101

75,449

115,139

8,723

123,862

Changes  in  market  interest  rates  will  affect  the  valuation  of  fixed  rate  interest  bearing 
instruments   A  1%  (100  basis  points)  change  in  market  interest  rates  would  result  in  an 
estimated 1 65% change in the net asset value as at 31 December 2011 (2010: 2 25%)

Particularly  an  increase  of  1%  (100  basis  points)  in  interest  rates  would  have  the  following 
impact   An equivalent decrease would have an approximately equal but opposite impact 

2011 
US $000

2011 
US $000

2010 
US $000

2010 
US $000

Profit or loss

Other 
comprehensive 
income

Profit or loss

Other 
comprehensive 
income

Financial assets 

•	

•	

fair value changes

 interest changes

Financial liabilities

•	

•	

fair value changes

interest changes

(855)

621

2,769

(69)

(61)

(1,580)

-

-

-

401

4,406

(90)

2,466

(61)

3,137

85

-

-

-

85

The above analysis assumes that all other variables, in particular currency rates, remain constant    

Annual Report 2011

76

 
 
 
 
 
Equity price risk

By  the  nature  of  its  activities,  most  of  the  Group’s  investments  are  exposed  to  market  price 
fluctuations  The Board monitors the portfolio valuation on a regular basis and consideration 
is given to hedging or adjusting the portfolio against large market movements 

The Group had no single major financial instrument that in absolute terms and as a proportion 
of  the  portfolio  that  could  result  in  a  significant  reduction  in  the  NAV  and  share  price     Due 
to the very low exposure of the Group to public equities, and having no specific correlation to 
any market, the equity price risk is low   The portfolio as a whole does not correlate exactly to 
any Index  

Management  of  risks  is  primarily  achieved  by  having  a  diversified  portfolio  to  spread  the 
equity  price  risk   A  10%  uniform  change  in  the  value  of  the  Group’s  portfolio  of  financial 
instruments (excluding private equities and financial and minority holdings) would result in a 
6 81% change in the net asset value as at 31 December 2011 (2010: 6 19%), and would have 
the following impact (either positive or negative, depending on the corresponding sign of the 
change):

2011 
US $000

2011 
US $000

2010 
US $000

2010 
US $000

Profit or loss

Other 
comprehensive 
income

Profit or loss

Other 
comprehensive 
income

26

6,639

99

4,546

3,242

3,268

-

4,223

-

6,639

4,322

4,546

Available-for-sale 
financial assets 

Financial assets at fair 
value through profit or 
loss

Derivatives

The  Investment  Manager  may  use  derivative  instruments  in  order  to  mitigate  market  risk 
or  to  take  a  directional  investment   These  provide  a  limited  degree  of  protection  against  a 
rise  in  interest  rates  and  would  not  materially  impact  the  portfolio  returns  if  a  large  market 
movement did occur  

Credit Risk

The  Group  invests  in  a  wide  range  of  securities  with  various  credit  risk  profiles  including 
investment  grade  securities  and  sub  investment  grade  positions   The  investment  in  debt 
instruments  is  usually  in  investment  grade  securities,  however,  the  Group  may  invest  also  in 
sub  investment  grade  or  unrated  debt  instruments   The  investment  manager  mitigates  the 
credit  risk  via  diversification  across  issuers   However,  the  Group  is  exposed  to  a  migration  of 
credit rating, widening of credit spreads and default of any specific issuer  

77

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Group only transacts with regulated institutions on normal market terms which are trade 
date  plus  one  to  three  days   The  levels  of  amounts  outstanding  from  brokers  are  regularly 
reviewed  by  the  management   The  duration  of  credit  risk  associated  with  the  investment 
transactions  is  the  period  between  the  date  the  transaction  took  place,  the  trade  date  and 
the  date  the  stock  and  cash  are  transferred,  the  settlement  date   The  level  of  risk  during  the 
period is the difference between the value of the original transaction and its replacement with 
a new transaction  The Group is mainly exposed to credit risk in respect of its interest bearing 
investments  of  USD  82 5m  (2010:  USD  72 2m)     The  Group’s  maximum  credit  risk  exposure  at 
31 December 2011 is USD 92 4m (2010: USD 85 6m)

The  fair  values  of  the  Group’s  investments  in  bonds  and  other  debt  instruments  are  also 
affected  by  the  credit  risk  of  those  instruments     However,  it  is  not  practical  to  provide  an 
analysis  of  the  changes  in  fair  values  due  to  the  credit  risk  impact  for  the  year  or  previous 
periods, nor to provide any relevant sensitivity analysis       

The Group has no investment in sovereign debt as at 31 December 2011 or 2010 

At  31  December  the  credit  rating  distribution  of  the  Group’s  asset  portfolio  subject  to  credit 
risk (bonds and other debt instruments, bank balances and receivables) was as follows:

Rating

2011 Amount 
US $000

Percentage

2010 Amount 
US $000

Percentage

AA

AA-

A

A-

BBB

BBB+

BBB-

B

BB

BB+

BB-

C

CCC+

1,000

-

8,598

841

2,522

9,100

3,388

2,343

2,405

5,669

-

192

-

1%

-

9%

1%

3%

10%

4%

2%

3%

6%

-

0%

-

5,692

321

13,231

6,161

5,735

9,879

-

2,959

2,750

5,993

760

242

5,275

7%

0%

15%

7%

7%

12%

-

4%

3%

7%

1%

0%

6%

Annual Report 2011

78

 
 
 
 
Not Rated

56,355

61%

26,583

31%

92,413

100%

85,581

100%

For past due financial assets refer to note 13 

Liquidity Risk

The  major  financial  liability  of  the  Group  is  the  bank  loan  of  CHF  79m  (USD  84 3m)  used  for 
purchase of a real estate property, which has a maturity in 2014   The loan is collateralized by 
property valued at CHF 114 9m (USD 122 5m) in December 2011   The loan is non-recourse, i e   
the  holding  company  and  its  assets  (apart  from  the  Wyler  Park  property)  are  neither  pledged 
for  this  loan  nor  liable  for  recovery  in  case  of  default     The  following  table  summarizes  the 
contractual  cash  outflows  in  relation  to  the  Group’s  financial  liabilities  according  to  their 
maturity 

Less than 1 
year 
US $000

Between 1 and 
2 years 
US $000

Between 2 and  
5 years
US $000

Over 5 years 
US $000

31 December 2011

Borrowings

29,005

764

84,985

Derivative financial 
instruments

Other financial  
liabilities

3,373

3,172

2,018

2,803

-

-

Total 

35,181

3,936

87,003

-

-

-

-

79

 
 
 
 
 
 
Less than 1 
year 
US $000

Between 1 
and 2 years 
US $000

Between 2 
and  
5 years
US $000

Over 5 years 
US $000

31 December 2010

Borrowings

31,281

864

86,234

Derivative financial 
instruments

Other financial  
liabilities

3,257

2,958

2,632

2,447

-

-

Total 

36,985

3,822

88,866

-

-

-

-

A  significant  proportion  of  the  Group’s  portfolio  is  invested  in  mid-term  private  equity 
investments with low or no liquidity  The investments of the Group in publicly traded securities 
are  subject  to  availability  of  buyers  at  any  given  time  and  may  be  very  low  or  non-existent 
subject to market conditions 

The  management  take  into  consideration  the  liquidity  of  each  investment  when  purchasing 
and  selling  in  order  to  maximise  the  returns  to  shareholders  by  placing  suitable  transaction 
levels into the market  Special consideration is given to investments that represent more than 
5% of the investee  

At  31  December  2011,  the  Group  had  liquid  investments  totalling  USD  99 7m,  comprising  of 
USD 2 0m in cash and cash equivalents, USD 53 8 in investments in loan market through CLOs, 
USD 28 6m in fixed income investments, USD 10 3m in public equities and USD 5 0m in hedge 
funds  

Management structures and manages the Group’s portfolio based on those investments which 
are considered to be long term, core investments and those which could be readily convertible 
to  cash,  are  expected  to  be  realised  within  normal  operating  cycle  and  form  part  of  the 
Group’s treasury function 

The  following  table  lists  the  contractual  cash  inflows  in  relation  to  the  Group’s  financial 
assets with a contractual maturity based on their maturity 

Annual Report 2011

80

 
 
 
 
 
 
Less than 1 
year 
US $000

Between 1 and 
2 years 
US $000

Between 2and  
5 years
US $000

Over 5 years 
US $000

-

5,333

-

55,489

473

473

-

3,010

19,080

5,333

3,010

74,569

Less than 1 
year 
US $000

Between 1 and 
2 years 
US $000

Between 2and  
5 years
US $000

Over 5 years 
US $000

4,645

5,275

-

27,794

-

-

1,497

31,956

31 December 2011

Available-for-sale 
financial assets 

Financial assets at fair 
value through profit or 
loss

31 December 2010

Available-for-sale 
financial assets 

Financial assets at fair 
value through profit or 
loss

Total 

4,645

5,275

1,497

59,750

Capital Management

The Group considers its capital to be its issued share capital and of it’s reserves  

Net debt to equity 

The  Group  manages  its  capital  to  ensure  that  it  will  be  able  to  continue  as  a  going  concern 
while maximising the return to shareholders through the optimisation of the balance between 
its net debt and equity  

Net  debt  to  equity  ratio  is  calculated  using  the  following  amounts  as  included  on  the 
consolidated statement of financial position, for the reporting periods under review:

81

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cash at bank

Bank overdrafts 

Bank loans 

Short term bank loans 

Net Debt

Total equity 

2011 
US $000

(2,060)

19,306

84,316

8,935

2010 
US $000

(3,294)

13,289

84,722

17,128

110,497

111,845

145,437

143,236

Net debt to equity ratio 

0 76

0 78

The  decrease  of  the  ratio  in  2011  is  mainly  attributable  to  the  profitability  of  the  year  that 
increased  Group’s  equity     The  Board  believes  that  the  ratio  remains  at  an  acceptable  and 
manageable level 

Re-purchase of own shares 
The Board believes that the ability of the Company to re-purchase its own Ordinary shares in 
the  market  may  potentially  benefit  equity  shareholders  of  the  Company   The  re-purchase  of 
Ordinary shares at a discount to the underlying net asset  value enhances  the net  asset  value 
per share of the remaining equity shares 

Under  this  policy,  in  2011,  the  Company  bought  27,497,119  (2010:  8,409,798)  of  its  Ordinary 
shares at an average price of USD 0 26 (2010: USD 0 24) per share 

Annual Report 2011

82

 
 
 
 
 
40   Financial assets and liabilities by IAS 39 category

Financial assets:

Non current assets

Available-for-sale financial assets 

Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss

Current assets

Loans and receivables:

     Trade and receivables

     Cash at bank

Available-for-sale financial assets 

Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss

Financial liabilities:

Non-current liabilities

Financial liabilities at amortised cost:

2011 
US $000

2010 
US $000

88,752

3,029

7,922

2,060

12,833

31,318

68,436

4,607

9,919

3,294

20,554

41,041

2011 
US $000

2010 
US $000

     Bank loan 

84,316

84,722

Financial liabilities at fair value through profit or 
loss:

     Derivative financial instruments 

5,143

5,470

Current liabilities

Financial liabilities at amortised cost:

     Bank overdrafts

     Short term bank loans

     Other financial liabilities

Financial liabilities at fair value through profit or 
loss:

19,306

8,935

2,803

13,289

17,128

2,447

     Derivative financial instruments

3,372

3,253

The  carrying  amount  of  the  financial  assets  and  liabilities  at  amortised  cost  approximates  to 
their fair value 

83

 
 
 
Shareholder Information
Registrars

All enquiries relating to shares or shareholdings should be addressed to:

Capita Registrars
PXS
34 Beckenham Road
Beckenham
Kent BR3 4TU
Telephone: 0870 162 3100
Facsimile: 020 8639 2342

Change of Address

Shareholders can change their address by notifying Capita Registrars in writing at the above address 

Website

www livermore-inv com

The Company’s website provides, amongst other things, the latest news and details of the Company’s 
activities, share price details, share price information and links to the websites of our brands 

Direct Dividend Payments

Dividends  can  be  paid  automatically  into  shareholders’  bank  or  building  society  accounts   Two 
primary benefits of this service are:

•	
•	

There is no chance of the dividend cheque going missing in the post; and
The dividend payment is received more quickly because the cash sum is paid directly into the 
account on the payment date without the need to pay in the cheque and wait for it to clear  

As an alternative, shareholders can download a dividend mandate and complete and post to Capita 
Registrars 

Lost Share Certificate

If your share certificate is lost or stolen, you should immediately contact Capita Registrars on 0870 
162 3100 who will advise on the process for arranging a replacement 

Duplicate Shareholder Accounts

If, as a shareholder, you receive more than one copy of a communication from the Company you may 
have your shares registered in at least two accounts   This happens when the registration details of 
separate transactions differ slightly   If you wish to consolidate such multiple accounts, please call 
Capita Registrars on 0870 162 3100 
Please note that the Directors of the Company are not seeking to encourage shareholders to either 
buy or sell the Company’s shares 

Annual Report 2011

84

Notice of Annual General Meeting

Notice  is  hereby  given  that  the  Annual  General  Meeting  of  Livermore  Investments  Group  Limited 
(the “Company”)  will be held at 10 Snow Hill, London, EC1A 2AL on 28 August 2012 at 10am for 
the purposes of the following:

To consider, and if thought fit, to pass the following resolutions, numbers 1 to 6 of which will be 
proposed  as  Resolutions  of  Members  and  numbers  7  and  8  of  which  will  be  proposed  as  Special 
Resolutions:

1  

2  

3  

4  

To  receive  and  adopt  the  Report  of  Directors,  the  financial  statements  and  the  report  of  the 
Auditor for the year ended 31 December 2011 

To re-elect Richard Rosenberg, who is due to retire as Director in accordance with the Articles 
of Association of the Company 

To  re-elect  Noam  Lanir,  who  is  due  to  retire  as  Director  in  accordance  with  the  Articles  of 
Association of the Company 

To  re-appoint  Grant  Thornton  Cyprus  as  auditor  of  the  Company  to  hold  office  from  the 
conclusion of this meeting until the conclusion of the next general meeting at which financial 
statements are laid before the Company  

5  

To authorise the Directors to determine the auditor’s remuneration 

6  

That for the purposes of article 5 1 of the Articles of Association of the Company:

(a) 

(b) 

the Directors be and are generally and unconditionally authorised to allot up to a maximum 
aggregate amount of 75,888,662 new ordinary shares of no par value of the Company to 
such persons and at such times and on such terms as they think proper during the period 
expiring at the end of the Annual General Meeting of the Company in 2013 or, if earlier, 15 
months from the date of the passing of this resolution (unless previously revoked or varied 
by the Company in general meeting); and 
the Company be and is hereby authorised to make prior to the expiry of such period any 
offer  or  agreement  which  would  or  might  require  such  ordinary  shares  to  be  issued  in 
pursuance  of  any  such  offer  or  agreement  notwithstanding  the  expiry  of  the  authority 
given by this resolution;
so that all previous authorities of the Directors pursuant to the said article 5 1 be and are 
hereby revoked 

7  

THAT, subject to the passing of resolution 6 set out in the Notice convening this Meeting, the 
Directors  be  and  are  empowered  in  accordance  with  article  5 2  of  the  Articles  of  Association 
of  the  Company  to  allot  new  ordinary  shares  of  no  par  value  in  the  capital  of  the  Company 
(“ordinary shares”) for cash, pursuant to the authority conferred on them to allot such shares 
by that resolution 6 as if the pre-emption provisions contained in article 5 2 did not apply to 
any such allotment, provided that the power conferred by this resolution shall be limited to:

(a) 

the  allotment  of  ordinary  shares  in  connection  with  an  issue  or  offering  in  favour  of 
holders  of  ordinary  shares  and  any  other  persons  entitled  to  participate  in  such  issue  or 
offering  where  the  shares  respectively  attributable  to  the  interests  of  such  holders  and 

85

 
 
 
persons  are  proportionate  (as  nearly  as  may  be)  to  the  respective  number  of  ordinary 
shares held by or deemed to be held by them on the record date of such allotment, subject 
only to such exclusions or other arrangements as the Directors may consider necessary or 
expedient  to  deal  with  fractional  entitlements  or  legal  or  practical  problems  under  the 
laws or requirements of any recognised regulatory body or stock exchange in any territory; 
and
the allotment of up to an aggregate amount of 11,383,299 of such ordinary shares 

(b) 

and  this  power,  unless  renewed,  shall  expire  at  the  end  of  the  Annual  General  Meeting  of 
the Company in 2013 or, if earlier, 15 months from the date of the passing of this resolution 
(unless  previously  revoked  or  varied  by  the  Company  in  general  meeting)  but  shall  extend 
to  the  making,  before  such  expiry,  of  an  offer  or  agreement  which  would  or  might  require 
ordinary  shares  to  be  allotted  after  such  expiry  and  the  Directors  may  allot  such  shares  in 
pursuance of such offer or agreement as if the authority conferred hereby had not expired 

8  

That,  in  accordance  with  the  Articles  of  Association,  the  company  be  and  is  hereby  generally 
and unconditionally authorised to make market purchases (within the meaning of section 693 
of  the  Companies  Act  2006  (as  amended))  on  the  AIM  market  of  the  London  Stock  Exchange 
plc  of  ordinary  shares  of  no  par  value  in  the  capital  of  the  Company  (“ordinary  shares”) 
provided that:

(a) 
(b) 

(c) 

the maximum number of ordinary shares hereby authorised to be purchased is 45,533,197;
the authority hereby conferred (unless previously renewed or revoked) shall expire at the 
conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company next following the meeting at 
which this resolution is passed; and
the  Company  may,  under  the  authority  hereby  conferred  and  prior  to  the  expiry  of  that 
authority,  make  a  contract  to  purchase  its  own  shares  which  will  or  may  be  executed 
wholly  or  partly  after  the  expiry  of  that  authority  and  may  make  a  purchase  of  its  own 
shares in pursuance of such contract 

A  member  of  the  Company  unable  to  attend  the  Meeting  may  be  represented  at  the  Meeting  by 
aproxy appointed in accordance with the Notes attached hereto 

By order of the Board

Chris Sideras 
Company Secretary

Trident Chambers
PO Box 146
Road Town
Tortola
British Virgin Islands

30 June 2012

Annual Report 2011

86

 
 
 
 
Notes

(i) 

(ii) 

(iii) 

(iv) 

A  member  entitled  to  attend  and  vote  at  the  Meeting  convened  by  the  above  Notice  is 
entitled to appoint one or more proxies to attend and, on a poll, to vote in his place   A 
proxy need not be a member of the Company   Completion of the Form of Proxy will not 
prevent you from attending and voting in person 

To  appoint  a  proxy  you  should  complete  the  Form  of  Proxy  enclosed  with  this  Notice  of 
Annual General Meeting   To be valid, the Form of Proxy, together with the power of attorney 
or other authority (if any) under which it is signed or a notarially certified or office copy of 
the same, must be delivered to the offices of Capita Registrars, PXS, 34 Beckenham Road, 
Beckenham,  Kent  BR3  4TU  by  no  later  than  48  hours  (not  including  weekends  of  banks 
holidays) before the time fixed for the meeting or any adjourned meeting 

In the case of joint holders, the vote of the senior holder who tenders a vote whether in 
person or by proxy shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders 
and, for this purpose, seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names stand 
in the register of members of the Company in respect of the relevant joint holding 

In the case of holders of depository interests representing ordinary shares in the Company, 
a Form of Direction must be completed in order to appoint Capita IRG Trustees Limited, the 
Depository, to vote on the holder’s behalf at the meeting or, if the meeting is adjourned, 
at the adjourned meeting   To be effective, a completed and signed Form of Direction (and 
any power of attorney or other authority under which it is signed) must be delivered to the 
Company’s Transfer Agent, Capita Registrars, PXS, 34 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent, 
BR3 4TU by no later than 72 hours (not including weekends or bank holidays) before the 
time fixed for the meeting or any adjourned meeting  

Completion  of  the  Form  of  Direction  will  not  prevent  you  from  attending  and  voting  in 
person   Depository  Interest  holders  wishing  to  attend  the  meeting  should  contact  the 
Depository on the above address or email custodymgt@capitaregistrars com to request a 
Letter of Corporate Representation     

87

 
 
        
Principal Bankers

Leumi Bank
Dianastrasse 5
CH-8002
Zurich
Switzerland

Bank Hapoalim
18 Boulevard Royal 
BP 703
L-2017
Luxembourg

FIBI Bank
Seestrasse 61
Zurich 8027
Switzerland

Credit Suisse AG
Seeefldstrasse 1
Zurich 8070
Switzerland

Corporate Directory   

Secretary
Chris Sideras 

Registered Office
Trident Chambers
PO Box 146
Road Town
Tortola
British Virgin Islands

Company Number
475668

Registrars
Capita Registrars
The Registry
34 Beckenham Road
Beckenham
Kent  BR3 4TU
England

Auditor
Grant Thornton (Cyprus) Ltd
41-49 Agiou Nicolaou Str 
Nicosia
Cyprus

Solicitors
Travers Smith
10 Snow Hill
London 
EC1A 2AL
England

Nominated Adviser & Broker
Matrix Corporate Capital LLP
One Vine Street
London
W1J 0AH
England 

Annual Report 2011

88