Capita plc (‘Capita’) today announces that it has agreed to sell Pay360 Limited (‘Pay360’) to Access PaySuite, a division of The Access Group (‘Access’) in a deal that values Pay360 at £150m on a cash-free, debt-free basis, representing a 14.3x multiple on 2021 EBITDA of £10.5m.
Taking into account cash-like and debt-like items, Capita expects to receive gross proceeds of c.£156m upon completion. The sale will help reduce indebtedness and provide additional liquidity, which together shall further strengthen Capita’s balance sheet, whilst also allowing Capita to enhance its digital offerings for clients.
The sale of Pay360 is a Class 1 transaction and the transaction is conditional on: the approval of Capita’s shareholders with a circular to be posted in due course including a timetable for a General Meeting of Capita shareholders; notification and confirmation from the Secretary of State that no further action will be taken under the UK’s National Security and Investment Act; and change in control clearance from the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”). These conditions are currently expected to be satisfied in late Q4 2022.
Pay360 is a UK-based, FCA regulated payments business with c.2,500 customers across the public and private sectors. Pay360 offers its customers gateway and acquiring services, as well as payment solutions across the payments value chain. Pay360 has recently expanded its capabilities into payment facilitation with the launch of its Evolve platform. In 2021, the business processed £8.6bn in transaction value across 142 million transactions.
The gross assets of Pay360 at 30 June 2022 were £63.6m, and for the year to 31 December 2021 it generated revenue of £45.8m, EBITDA of £10.5m and profit before tax of £7.1m. For H1 2022, Pay360 generated revenue of £27.3m, EBITDA of £5.7m and profit before tax of £3.1m. The Pay360 senior management team will be transferring with the business.
The sale of Pay360 follows a strategic review of the business by Capita and represents further progress in our strategy to build a more focused, sustainable business for the long term.
Jon Lewis, Capita’s Chief Executive Officer, said:
“We are pleased to have agreed the sale of Pay360 to Access. We announced our intention to sell Pay360 during our half year results, as part of our strategy to simplify and strengthen Capita. The sale is a great opportunity for the new owners to help Pay360 realise its full potential, and our colleagues at Pay360 will also benefit from the focus that this change of ownership will bring. Capita will utilise the cash proceeds of the sale to benefit our digital offerings for clients and further reduce net debt. The Pay360 senior management team and employees will remain with the business as they transfer to new ownership”
Barclays Bank PLC, acting through its Investment Bank (‘Barclays’) is acting as sole financial advisor and sole sponsor to Capita on the transaction.
For more information, please contact:
Capita investor enquiries:
Stuart Morgan
Director of Investor Relations
Tel: 07989 665484
Email: IRteam@capita.co.uk
Media enquiries:
Capita external communications
Tel: 0207 654 2399
Email: media@capita.co.uk
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About Pay360
Pay360 is a UK-based, FCA regulated payments business with c.2,500 customers across the public and private sectors. Pay360 offers its customers gateway and acquiring services and a depth and breadth of payment solutions across the payments value chain. Pay360 has recently expanded its capabilities into payment facilitation with the launch of its Evolve platform. In 2021, the business processed £8.6bn in transaction value across 142 million transactions. The business has c.200 employees and in 2021 generated revenue of £45.8m, EBITDA of £10.5m and profit before tax of £7.1m. The Pay360 senior management team comprises: Stephen Ferry, Chris Dunn, Alan Powell, Alex Common, Ben Quick, Iain Eagling and Simon Edwards.
About Capita
Capita is a consulting, transformation and digital services business. Every day our 52,000 colleagues help millions of people, by delivering innovative solutions to transform and simplify the connections between government and citizens, businesses and customers. We partner with our clients and provide the insight and cutting-edge technologies that give time back, allowing them to focus on what they do best and making people’s lives easier and simpler. We operate across three divisions – Capita Public Service, Capita Experience and Capita Portfolio – in the UK, Europe, India and South Africa. Capita is quoted on the London Stock Exchange (CPI.L). Further information can be found at: www.capita.com.
About Access
The Access Group is one of the leading providers of business management software to mid-sized organisations in the UK, Ireland, and Asia Pacific. It helps more than 60,000 customers across commercial and not-for-profit sectors become more productive and efficient. Its innovative Access Workspace cloud solutions transform the way business software is used, giving every employee the freedom to do more. Founded in 1991, The Access Group employs approximately 5,500 people.www.theaccessgroup.com
Access PaySuite is a leading provider of payment solutions to mid-sized UK organisations. Part of The Access Group, it combines payments expertise with unparalleled SaaS experience to help more than 5,000 customers across commercial and not for profit sectors improve their payment solutions, providing organisations with the freedom to accelerate their innovation and growth.
For more information about Access PaySuite, visit www.accesspaysuite.com
Important Notices
Barclays, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority (‘PRA’) and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA and the PRA, is acting exclusively for Capita and no one else in connection with the potential sale and will not be responsible to anyone other than Capita for providing the protections afforded to clients of Barclays nor for providing advice in relation to the proposed sale or any other matter referred to in this announcement.
