Daily SPAC Update – February 19, 2026

by | Feb 19, 2026

SPAC issuance surges as Averin (ACAA), Abony (AACO), and Paloma (PALO) raise $600M. Plus: Cartica (CITE) liquidates and Iris II (IRAB) units separate.

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SPAC IPO UPDATE

SPAC IPO Count

Monthly IPOs (last 13 months)
Latest: 21Prior: 24MoM: -3
8
Feb ’25
3
Mar ’25
12
Apr ’25
22
May ’25
10
Jun ’25
13
Jul ’25
8
Aug ’25
14
Sep ’25
14
Oct ’25
10
Nov ’25
22
Dec ’25
24Peak
Jan ’26
21
Feb ’26
Source: Boardroom Alpha

SPAC IPO: AVERIN CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. (ACAA)
Ticker: ACAA (Units: ACAAU) Size: $250 Million Sponsor: Averin Capital

Averin Capital Acquisition Corp. priced its upsized $250 million IPO on February 18, 2026, hitting the Nasdaq today. Led by a veteran of the biotech venture world, the SPAC is positioning itself as a strategic bridge for “legacy” healthcare incumbents struggling to adapt to the AI era. The vehicle’s $10.00 per share trust floor is backed by a lean one-sixth warrant structure, signaling high confidence in the team’s ability to secure a quality target without excessive dilution.

Strategy: The company is hunting for targets at the intersection of technology and health. Focus areas include artificial intelligence, automation, and breakthrough innovations that modernize the “health economy.”

Leadership Team:

  • David A. Berry (Chairman & CEO): Former General Partner at Flagship Pioneering and co-founder of over 30 companies, including Valo Health. He currently serves as Chairman of Osler Diagnostics.
  • Alex Lau (CFO): Partner and Head of Operations at Averin Capital, bringing deep institutional execution experience to the vehicle.

Structure: 25 million units at $10.00. Each unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-sixth (1/6) of one redeemable warrant. Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. acted as the sole book-running manager.

SPAC IPO: ABONY ACQUISITION CORP. I (AACO)
Ticker: AACO (Units: AACOU) Size: $200 Million Sponsor: Abony Sponsor I LLC

Abony Acquisition Corp. I enters the market today with a $200 million raise, targeting the increasingly crowded but high-value defense tech sector. CEO Lorne Abony, known for taking two companies public with exits exceeding $3 billion, is leveraging a “scale-up” strategy. The SPAC aims for a target with an enterprise value between $750 million and $1.5 billion, focusing on firms that have outgrown venture funding but need the public markets to compete for major government and defense contracts.

Strategy: Pursuit of high-growth companies in defense technology, advanced computing, software, and media. The team is prioritizing businesses with strong public comparables to ensure valuation transparency.

Leadership Team:

  • Lorne Abony (CEO): A prolific entrepreneur and former youngest CEO of a TSX-listed company. His track record includes founding FUN Technologies and leadership roles across the gaming and tech sectors.
  • Leo Kofman (CFO & COO): A seasoned financial executive tasked with managing the operational complexities of the merger process.

Structure: 20 million units at $10.00. Each unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-third (1/3) of one redeemable warrant. BTIG, LLC acted as the sole book-running manager.

SPAC IPO: PALOMA ACQUISITION CORP I (PALO)
Ticker: PALO (Units: PALOU) Size: $150 Million Sponsor: Paloma Capital Group LLC

Paloma Acquisition Corp I priced its $150 million IPO on February 18, 2026, targeting the critical minerals and precious metals space. In an era of supply chain volatility, Paloma is betting on North American and Australasian assets—specifically gold and silver—that offer a hedge against inflation and geopolitical risk. The leadership team’s deep technical background in mining operations differentiates this vehicle from typical sector-agnostic SPACs.

Strategy: Primary focus on acquiring businesses with gold and silver assets in North America, with secondary interest in the critical minerals sector across Australia and New Zealand.

Leadership Team:

  • James Askew (Non-Executive Chairman): A mining industry veteran and former Chairman of Federation Mining with decades of experience in resource extraction and management.
  • Anna Nahajski-Staples (CEO): Founder of Paloma Investments and Executive Chair of Moeghetti Minerals, bringing extensive experience in investment banking and mineral exploration.

Structure: 15 million units at $10.00. Each unit consists of one share of common stock and one-half (1/2) of one redeemable warrant. Jefferies LLC acted as the sole book-running manager.

NEW SPAC IPOs
Feb 19: ACAA – Averin Capital Acquisition Corp. $250M IPO
Feb 19: AACO – Abony Acquisition Corp. I $200M IPO
Feb 19: PALO – Paloma Acquisition Corp I $150M IPO
Feb 18: AACI – Armada Acquisition Corp. Iii $225M IPO
Feb 13: WLII – Willow Lane Acquisition Corp. Ii $125M IPO
Feb 13: RFAM – Rf Acquisition Corp III $100M IPO
Feb 12: HACQ – Hcm Iv Acquisition Corp. $250M IPO (+underwriter overallotment: $37.5M)
Feb 12: PAAC – Proem Acquisition Corp. I $130M IPO
Feb 12: XFLH – Xflh Capital Corp $100M IPO
Feb 11: TMTS – Spartacus Acquisition Corp. Ii $200M IPO (+underwriter overallotment: $30M)
Feb 11: CMII – Columbus Circle Capital Corp Ii $200M IPO (+underwriter overallotment: $30M)
Feb 11: IACO – Idea Acquisition Corp. $350M IPO
Feb 11: DBCA – D. Boral Acquisition I Corp. $250M IPO (+underwriter overallotment: $37.5M)
Feb 10: SVIV – Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. Iv $200M IPO (+underwriter overallotment: $30M)

DAILY SPAC UPDATE

SPAC VOTE RESULTS
HSPT – HORIZON SPACE ACQUISITION II CORP * Extend to Feb 18, 2027
HSPT – HORIZON SPACE ACQUISITION II CORP * Deal Approved with SL Bio Ltd.

SPAC DEAL TERMINATIONS (Last 10 Days)
2026-02-17: POLE + StoreDot

SPAC DEAL & EXTENSION VOTES SET
TLGYF – TLGY Acquisition Corp * DEAL VOTE SET: Mar 10, 2026 * trust $13.05
PELI – Pelican Acquisition Corp * DEAL VOTE SET: Mar 17, 2026 * trust $10.28

SPAC LIQUIDATIONS
Cartica Acquisition Corp (CITE)-> Liquidation on Feb 25

SEPARATE WARRANTS/RIGHTS
Feb 24: IRIS ACQUISITION CORP II (IRAB)
Feb 19: M EVO GLOBAL ACQUISITION CORP II (MEVO)

OTHER SPAC NEWS
CITE – CARTICA ACQUISITION CORP * Liquidation-> 2026-02-25 * trust $12.79
VCIC – VINE HILL CAPITAL INVESTMENT CORP * Investor Deck
CBRRF – CHAIN BRIDGE I * Moved to OTC Trading on OTCID Basic Market

SPAC MOVERS

YESTERDAY’S TOP SPAC GAINERS
1.4% ~ $ 10.10 | SBXE – SILVERBOX CORP V (Pre-Deal)
.7% ~ $ 10.26 | CCXI – CHURCHILL CAPITAL CORP XI (Pre-Deal)
.5% ~ $ 10.33 | JENA – JENA ACQUISITION CORP II (Pre-Deal)
.5% ~ $ 10.42 | PMTR – PERIMETER ACQUISITION CORP I (Pre-Deal)
.4% ~ $ 10.68 | OACC – OAKTREE ACQUISITION CORP III LIFE SCIENCES (Pre-Deal)

YESTERDAY’S TOP SPAC LOSERS
-17.7% ~ $ 5.02 | RDAC – RISING DRAGON ACQUISITION CORP (Announced)
-9.9% ~ $ 40.86 | AFJK – AIMEI HEALTH TECHNOLOGY CO LTD (Announced)
-6.0% ~ $ 11.28 | HSPT – HORIZON SPACE ACQUISITION II CORP (Announced)
-2.8% ~ $ 12.17 | ASPC – ASPAC III ACQUISITION CORP (Announced)
-2.8% ~ $ 9.44 | TBMC – TRAILBLAZER MERGER CORP I (Announced)

Recent Analysis

Daily SPAC Update – February 18, 2026

Armada Acquisition III IPOs for $225 Million. Horizon Acquisition II SL Bio Deal and Extension Approved. Andretti Acquisition II Deal with StoreDot Terminated.

Daily SPAC Update – February 13, 2026

RF Acquisition III and Willow Lane II IPO. Goal Acquisitions and Inception Growth SPAC Extensions Approved. Haymaker 4 and Inflection Point IV Set Deal Votes for March. Aura Fat Projects LOI.

Daily SPAC Update – February 12, 2026

XFLH Capital, Proem Acquistion, and HCM IV IPO to Make it 15 for February. Inception Growth Extension Approved. Churchill Capital + Infleqtion and Horizon Space II + SL Bio Deal Votes.

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