DGAP-News: EQS Group AG / Key word(s): Strategic Company Decision/Takeover
EQS Group AG acquires majority in ARIVA.DE AG
15.06.2016 / 08:00
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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EQS Group AG acquires majority in ARIVA.DE AG
New legal requirements for financial institutions open up great market
opportunities
Munich - 15 June 2016
The EQS Group AG (ISIN: DE0005494165) has increased its existing share of
ARIVA.DE AG to 50% plus one share, thereby acquiring a majority of shares.
Through the acquisition, EQS gains access to the attractive customer target
group of financial institutions, thereby entering the new market for the
production of key information documents (KIDs).
ARIVA.DE AG is a leading provider of financial data and software solutions
for financial institutions and operates the financial portal of the same
name. Its newly developed software enables issuers in the financial sector
to automatically generate documents for packaged investment products which
will be required by law. The PRIIPs (packaged retail investment and
insurance-based investment products) Regulation will be mandatory for
Europe and is expected to take effect at the beginning of 2017. ARIVA.DE AG
has extensively prepared for this new regulation, appointing Frank Gräsner
to the management board to develop this particular business. Before joining
ARIVA.DE AG, Gräsner was an executive with SIX Financial Information, a
subsidiary of the Swiss stock exchange.
ARIVA.DE AG is headquartered in Kiel and recently opened a Frankfurt sales
office. The company employs approximately 80 employees. ARIVA.DE AG expects
sales of at least EUR 5.6 million and an EBIT of approximately EUR 600,000
for the 2016 fiscal year. The purchase price is slightly lower than in
August 2007, when EQS acquired its first stake in the company. EQS Group AG
will finance one quarter of the acquisition with its own capital resources
with the remaining three-quarters covered by an acquisition loan provided
by Commerzbank Munich.
Achim Weick, founder and CEO of EQS Group AG: "EQS has been invested in
ARIVA.DE AG since 2007. A stronger focus on regulatory requirements
provides us many new opportunities to strengthen our cooperation within the
company, which we intend to achieve together with the remaining founders
and shareholders of ARIVA.DE AG."
Matthias Vogelsang-Weber, CEO and co-founder of ARIVA.DE AG: "ARIVA.DE AG
has evolved steadily since its founding and is ready to launch the next
phase of growth together with EQS Group AG. We are pleased with the
increased commitment and are confident that this offers great development
opportunities for ARIVA.DE AG and its employees. "
Outlook for the 2016 financial year
After closing of the transaction, ARIVA.DE AG will be fully consolidated
into the financial statements of EQS Group AG in the second half of the
year.
The management board of EQS Group AG expected double-digit sales growth in
2016 of 10% - 15% to EUR 20.2 - EUR 21 million and an increase in adjusted
EBIT of 5% - 10% to EUR 3.1 - EUR 3.3 million as part of its international
growth strategy.
With the full consolidation of ARIVA.DE AG beginning in the second half of
2016, sales growth of 25% - 30% to EUR 23 - EUR 23.9 million and an
increase in adjusted EBIT of 15% - to 20% to EUR3.4 - EUR3.6 million is
expected.
More information:
Corporate notifications of EQS Group AG are also available, free of charge
and immediately, on your mobile device: by DGAP News App directly to your
AppleWatch or iPhone (http://newsapp.dgap.de/).
About EQS Group
EQS Group is a leading international technology provider for Digital
Investor Relations. More than 8,000 companies worldwide trust our
applications and services which securely, efficiently and simultaneously
fulfill complex national and international information obligations to the
global investment community.
The heart of the technology is the COCKPIT, as Software as a Service
(SaaS), which digitally maps the work processes of IR managers streamlining
them for maximum efficiency. Special modules maintain IR websites contents
(CMS), contact data (CRM) and insider data as well as access to global
investor data and proprietary monitory and analytics functions. The COCKPIT
platform is connected to the company website in order to guarantee
integrated workflows.
The COCKPIT also provides access to one of the most important Financial
Newswire, over which more than 20,000 financial and corporate releases are
distributed annually. In Germany, all DAX companies trust EQS Group's DGAP
service as the main institution to comply with legal and regulatory
submission and publication requirements.
As a digital single source provider, EQS Group also develops IR and
corporate websites as well as Apps, creates online financial and
sustainability reports and performs corporate audio and video
transmissions.
EQS Group was founded in Munich, Germany, in 2000 and has developed from a
start-up to an international Group with locations in the world's key
financial markets. The Group employs more than 200 professionals.
Contact:
André Marques
Head of Investor Relations
Tel.: +4989-21029833
Mobile: +49175-5250009
Email.: andre.marques@eqs.com
About ARIVA.DE AG
ARIVA.DE AG was founded in 2000 in Kiel. Its business model is based on
three core areas: a proprietary finance portal, the development of software
for the financial sector and the licensing and provision of securities
master data, key figures and share prices.
The finance portal www.ariva.de has been operative online since 1998. With
an average of 40 million page views and 350,000 unique users per month,
ARIVA.DE AG is the second most-used independent financial portal, making it
the largest German-language stock exchange community, according to IVW.
ARIVA.DE AG's software development business unit operates complete
financial portals on behalf of its customers and develops software
applications for financial web sites. ARIVA.DE AG also specialises in
regulatory documents: the company has developed new, modular software which
enables issuers in the financial sector to automatically generate documents
for packaged investment products which will be required by law.
The company's comprehensive derivatives database is currently used by
nearly 40 licensees.
ARIVA.DE AG currently has 80 employees.
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15.06.2016 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a
service of EQS Group AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements,
Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.
Archive at www.dgap.de
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Language: English
Company: EQS Group AG
Karlstr. 47
80333 Munich
Germany
Phone: +49(0)89 210298-0
Fax: +49(0)89 210298-49
E-mail: info@eqs.com
Internet: www.eqs.com
ISIN: DE0005494165
WKN: 549416
Listed: Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Munich
(m:access), Stuttgart; Open Market (Entry Standard) in
Frankfurt
End of News DGAP News Service
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471595 15.06.2016
DGAP-News: EQS Group AG acquires majority in ARIVA.DE AG
| Source: EQS Group AG