Simplify Asset Management has offered $2.25 per share in cash for Marygold Companies, exceeding Madison Dearborn Partners’ agreement to acquire the company for $2 per share. The competing bids place Marygold-owned USCF Investments, a commodity-focused ETF issuer with roughly $6 billion in assets across 17 products, at the center of a potential bidding contest. MDP’s Sept. 25 agreement valued Marygold at about $85 million, included plans to inject capital into USCF and refocus Marygold on ETFs, and had shareholder support representing roughly 75% of the company’s shares. Simplify said its proposal has no financing contingency, while CEO Paul Kim described USCF’s lineup as a natural complement to Simplify’s alternatives- and income-focused platform.