SANTA MONICA, Calif.- March 8, 1999 (PRIMEZONE)-- MICROCAP FINANCIAL SERVICES.COM, INC. (OTCBB: MFSI) announced today it has signed an agreement with City Financial Communications, Ltd. (CFC) of London to receive proprietary, comprehensive editorial content and services for its investment Web site, UK-iNvest.com, which will be launched next month as the exclusive provider of investor information and services within the financial channel of Freeserve, the United Kingdom's largest and fastest-growing Internet Service Provider (ISP). The CFC agreement also gives MFSI access to cross marketing opportunities in CFC's wide range of print publications.
CFC publishes Investment Week, voted by the Periodical Publishers Association last year as the Best Business Magazine in the UK. It also has a joint publishing venture with Bloomberg LP, whereby it produces the monthly consumer magazine, Bloomberg/Money, the UK's leading personal finance magazine. CFC is also part-owner of Trustnet, the most extensive online resource for data on UK funds, as well as publisher of a number of other finance magazines.
Under the agreement, CFC will license to MFSI original daily news and commentary on financial markets and trends, making available its vast resources of reporters, brokerage reports, financial news feeds, and the Trustnet Web site.
"This relationship with Britain's premier financial magazine publisher will enable UK-iNvest.com to instantly become the most comprehensive online source for investment news, ideas, and informational tools in the UK," said Stanley Hollander, Chief Executive Officer of MFSI.
Tim Weller, Chief Executive Officer of CFC, said, "City Financial's expertise in producing high-quality financial journalism makes us an ideal fit for MicroCap Financial as it prepares to launch the high-profile UK-iNvest.com site and capitalize on the large audience generated through its arrangement with Freeserve."
UK-iNvest.com is scheduled for launch next month as the exclusive provider of investor information and services within the financial channel of Freeserve, the UK's largest and fastest-growing Internet Service Provider in the UK and the EU, with more than 1.35 million subscribers. The site will feature interviews with leading investment managers and analysts commenting on stocks, funds, and market trends, as well as daily market news, up-to-the-minute quotes, historical performance charts, and a complete database on the UK's publicly traded companies. UK-iNvest.com will be free to registered users and generate revenue through eCommerce, including online brokerage, as well as through advertising and sponsored content. It is intended to have a complete e-trading system in place by the end of the second quarter of 1999.
About MicroCap Financial Services.com, Inc.:
MFSI is an international multimedia provider of online financial news and information services to the investment community through its wholly owned subsidiaries MicroCap1000.com and UK-iNvest.com. MicroCap1000.com, which was fully launched in early October 1998, provides comprehensive, Internet-based electronic publishing of unique content on the U.S. MicroCap sector. Currently with more than 140,000 free subscribers, MicroCap1000.com is recognized for its cutting-edge news and commentary and was rated by Barron's (11/23/98) as one of the top financial Web sites. MFSI has initiated its global internet expansion through an alliance with the UK's largest and fastest growing internet service provider, Freeserve Limited, a subsidiary of Dixons Group, plc, the UK's largest electronics retailer.
About City Financial Communications, Ltd.:
CFC was founded in 1994 through the launch of Investment Week, the UK's leading weekly magazine for professional financial advisors. CFC also publishes International Investment, a monthly publication for international advisors; Cover, the protection magazine in the areas of finance and health care; Fund Stats, a fortnightly analysis of the unit trust and investment trust market place in in the UK; and Bloomberg/Money, the UK's leading personal finance magazine, a joint venture with Bloomberg, LP.
Certain of the above statements may be forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. In such instances, actual results could differ materially as a result of a variety of factors, including competitive developments and other risk factors listed from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission reports.
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