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Window slams shut on litigation funder floats after Burford Capitals terrible week

The attack by shortseller Muddy Waters on Burford Capital la..

The attack by shortseller Muddy Waters on Burford Capital last week has slammed shut the window on other litigation funders looking to go public.

Muddy Waters criticised Burfords use of fair value accounting – the inclusion of unrealised gains – and accused the funder of “aggressively marking” the value of the cases on its books, something Burford denied.

The Aim darling-turned-lame-duck lost nearly half its value on Wednesday before recovering some ground after it fired back at the shortseller.

With fellow shortseller Gotham City Research lining up to take a shot at Burford and a swarm of claimant law firms readying shareholder class action lawsuits, Burford faces a struggle to convince the market of its bona fides.

Read more: Burford Capital share price surges as it blasts shortseller Muddy Waters

The affair has smashed confidence in what looked set to be a growing listed sector.

Two litigation funders – Manolete Partners and Litigation Capital Management (LCM) – listed in London late last year, but they are unlikely to be joined by any of their peers any time soon.

Augusta – which describes itself as the largest litigation funder in the UK by number of cases – is understood to have recently examined a London listing.

Vannin Capital announced its intention to float last September, before pulling its offering, blaming a volatile market.

Vannin said it was pausing until conditions improve. However, its failed float is a case study of the problems litigation funders face on the public markets.

Firstly, the firm delayed the publication of its prospectus after telling investors it expected to lose several million pounds in a case it is funding against Costa Rica, highlighting the unpredictable nature of litigation.

Read more: Listed litigation funders scramble to avoid Burford contagion

Secondly, in itsRead More

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