First Half In Line In A Difficult Year
Thursday, 17 September 2009 – NEOVIA Financial Plc ("NEOVIA" or the “Company” or the “Group”), (NEO.L), the independent online payments business, today announces its results for the half year ended 30 June 2009.
Financial Results:
- Group revenue $32.6 million (H1 2008: $35.9 million)
- E-wallet revenue down 9%, vs H1 2008
- Gateway revenue up 12%, vs H1 2008
- Gross margin at 56.2% (H1 2008: 61.6%)
- Income from operations (1) down 23% to $5.4 million (H1 2008: $7.0 million)
- Group cash & cash equivalents decreased to $73.4 million (31 December 2008: $76.2 million); available “free cash” of $30.2 million
(1) Income from operations defined as gross profit less general and administrative costs
Business Highlights:
- Mark Mayhew appointed President & CEO on 1 September
- Active e-wallet users up 3% to 95,492 at Q2 2009 (Q1 2009: 92,757)
- Average daily deposit volume up 20% to $475,266 in Q2 2009 (Q1 2009: $396,413)
- Diversification continues with significant contract wins in MMOG space
- New product launches including Send Money remittance service were welcomed by merchants
- Newteller platform in initial stage of deployment, running in parallel with the existing platform - full migration will be completed in early 2010
- Notice of Dismissal received from US authorities draws conclusion to DPA
Dale Johnson, Chairman of NEOVIA, commented:
“The first half’s trading results were in line with management’s expectations given the continuing difficult market conditions that prevailed throughout the period. The Newteller platform will launch fully in early 2010 as anticipated, creating much needed flexibility for developing functionality to meet evolving market needs. During this period the Group faces both challenges and opportunities, but remains focused on maximising revenues, controlling costs and preserving cash to deliver value for shareholders. We expect trading conditions to remain tough in the second half, with the Company delivering revenue similar to the first half, with prospects for 2010 looking promising. We are pleased to have recruited Mark Mayhew to lead NEOVIA as President & CEO, and the Board remains confident about the Group’s future prospects.”
Mark Mayhew, President & CEO of NEOVIA, added:
“I am very pleased to have joined NEOVIA and am reassured by these results which demonstrate the resilience of the Company’s business model even in the toughest of economic environments. I shall be concentrating on creating substantial shareholder wealth in the future and the board is fully supportive of this aim. Over the next few months, one of my prime objectives is to focus the Group’s efforts on re-energising our offering in order to grow revenues demonstrably. I am confident that we can tune our strategy and execution to reflect evolving market needs and to create renewed success, and I look forward to communicating our efforts and results in this regard as we progress.”
The Group will host a meeting for invited UK-based analysts this morning to be held at the offices of Citigate Dewe Rogerson at 9.00 a.m. A copy of the slide presentation given at the meeting will be available on the Group’s website later today. In addition, there will be a conference call for international investors and analysts on Thursday 17 September 2009 starting at 2.00 p.m. BST (9.00 a.m. EST), details of which are set out below:
Participant Dial-in numbers: UK Free Call: 0808 109 0700
USA Free Call: 1 866 966 5335
Standard International: +44 203 003 2666
Password: Neovia Financial
In order to ensure access to the call, attendees should please confirm their attendance in advance by emailing NEOVIA Investor Relations at: investorrelations@neovia.com. A recording of the conference call will be available for 7 days following the call.
For more information:
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