The Company was founded as "Diversified Bank Shares Limited" in 1967. It was first listed on the Unlisted Securities Market in 1984 and started to acquire Australian oil, gas and mining assets in 1989. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1996. It adopted its present name in 1997.
Operations
The Company gathers royalties from a number of coal and metal mines, the most important of which are in Australia. In the last financial year of reporting, most of the revenues came from its two coal mines there.