PayPoint H2 2026 Earnings Report

PayPoint EPS Results

• Actual EPS: GBX 74.40
• Consensus EPS: N/A
• Beat/Miss: N/A
• One Year Ago EPS: N/A

PayPoint Revenue Results

• Actual Revenue: $337.01 million
• Expected Revenue: N/A
• Beat/Miss: N/A
• YoY Revenue Growth: N/A

PayPoint Announcement Details

• Quarter: H2 2026
• Date: 6/11/2026
• Time: Before Market Opens
• Conference Call Date: Thursday, June 11, 2026
• Conference Call Time: 4:30AM ET

PayPoint (LON:PAY) engages in the provision of payments and banking, shopping, and e-commerce services and products in the United Kingdom. The company operates through two segments: PayPoint and Love2shop. The PayPoint segment provides card payment services to retailers, including leased payment devices; EPoS; ATM cash machines; SIM cards sales; receipt advertising; bill payment services and cash top-ups to individual consumers; parcel delivery and collection services; retailer service fees solutions; and digital payment services, as well as cash through to digital services. The segment offers its products under PayPoint One, eMoney, MultiPay, CashOut, and Direct Debits platforms. The Love2shop segment is involved in the provision of shopping vouchers, cards, and e-codes which customers may redeem with participating retailers; and Christmas savings club, to which customers make regular payments throughout the year to help spread the cost of Christmas, before converting to a voucher. It serves consumers, SMEs, and convenience retailers in the commercial, not-for-profit, and public sectors. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, the United Kingdom.

PayPoint H2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Key Takeaways

• Positive Sentiment: Record underlying pre-tax profit of £69 million, with underlying EBITDA up to £92 million and net revenue up 1.7% to £190.8 million, showing resilient full-year performance.
• Positive Sentiment: The company returned over £90 million to shareholders through ordinary dividends, a special dividend, and share buybacks, while also raising the final dividend by 2%.
• Positive Sentiment: PayPoint BankLocal is gaining traction, with Lloyds and Nationwide live and deposit run-rate already above £3 million per week and growing quickly.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management is reorganizing the business into four units to improve accountability and transparency and to support a long-term target of 5%-8% net revenue growth per year.
• Positive Sentiment: The board said the new financial year has started well and reiterated confidence that FY 2027 results will exceed FY 2026 underlying profits and remain in line with market expectations.

Presentation

[Operator]

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the preliminary results for the year ended 31st March 2026 conference call. I am Matilde, the conference call operator. I would like to remind you that all participants will be in listen-only mode, and the conference is being recorded. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session. You can register for questions at any time by pressing star and one on your telephone. For operator assistance, please press star and zero. The conference must not be recorded for publication or broadcast. At this time it's my pleasure to hand over to Nick Wiles, CEO. Please go ahead.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

Thank you very much. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to our results presentation. Today, we'll give a brief overview of the business performance, highlights by division. Rob will take you through the financials, followed by some further detail on our reorganization, what it means for the business going forward and why it represents, in our view, a major inflection moment for the business. Then finish off with our outlook before we open up to Q&A. Turning first to our headlines. Firstly, in terms of results, we're announcing record underlying pre-tax profits of GBP 69 million for the year. In the year, returning over GBP 90 million to shareholders in the form of share buybacks, the special dividend, and ordinary dividends.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

Secondly, during the year, we've made strong progress in three of our key growth levers, in the launch of PayPoint BankLocal with Lloyds Bank and now Nationwide. We've launched Royal Mail Shop and the strategic investment by Royal Mail in Collect+. Our plans announced earlier in the year are now underway to simplify the group structure into four business units to drive both greater transparency and actually the platform necessary to deliver our target growth rate of 5%-8% net revenue per annum. I think combined, these headlines demonstrate great energy and momentum in the business and point to genuine inflection points here as we focus on our plans for the next three years to deliver the next phase of growth in the business.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

We're also reiterating our confidence in the outlook for the current year, delivering further progress, exceeding the underlying profits achieved in FY 2026. Results will be in line with market expectations. In terms of our performance overview, Rob's going to cover these financial results in more detail in a moment. However, in terms of headlines, underlying EBITDA increased to GBP 92 million, underlying PBT increased to GBP 69 million. Net revenue increased to GBP 190.8 million. We increased the final dividend by 2% to GBP 0.20 per share. As I said already, overall, these results demonstrate further resilience in performance for both the second half and for the year as a whole, and I think are a strong response to the specific headwinds we called out at our interims in November. On a divisional basis, shopping and payments and banking as businesses were up by 1.7% and 1.8% respectively.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

e-commerce was down by 4.9%, and we saw a solid increase of 3.5% in Love2shop. In terms of divisional highlights in shopping, we continue to grow our retailer network and increase our service fee net revenue with our day-to-day focus on better supporting our retailer partners with greater commission-generating opportunities and a broader range of essential community services. In year, we successfully launched PayPoint BankLocal, enabling both app and chip and PIN consumer cash deposits through our network with both Lloyds and Nationwide now live, with our expectation that further banks will follow during the year. In terms of customer adoption, early signs are encouraging, with the deposit run rate already exceeding GBP 3 million per week and growing quickly.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

In cards, in the second half of the year we continued to strengthen the operating foundations to this business with a greater focus on optimizing profitability per merchant over absolute site growth ahead of the steps we've taken since in the early part of this year to fundamentally refocus this business. Despite a challenging year for both processed volume and card estate growth in both PayPoint and Handepay, we've continued to enhance both our merchant value and product proposition. In merchant rentals, the team have delivered another strong year and are establishing a growing number of partnerships, including the one recently announced or launched with FreedomPay. Our business finance activities in partnership with YouLend had a further year of strong growth.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

In our FMCG activities, we delivered 40 brand campaigns through the year for a range of high-quality brands, and we've entered the current year with our strongest campaign pipeline. In our ATM business, we've continued to see the positive impact of our recovery plan and site optimization activities in the second half. With the rate of net revenue decline halving and looking forward, we expect further progress in the current year from these activities, with additional benefits from the rollout of BMC during the first half of this year.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

Overall, in this business, our use of data and analytics continues to play an increasingly critical role and will be central to how we manage our network in the future and I'll talk more about this later. e-commerce, after a strong first half for both parcel volumes and net revenue growth, the second half has been a period of consolidation, with the ongoing focus being on a combination of, firstly, accelerating the growth and opportunity from the Royal Mail strategic partnership. Secondly, bedding in the reset of our commercial relationship with a combined InPost-Yodel, developing detailed individual carrier growth plans, and investing in the Collect+ network for the next stage of growth.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

In payments and banking, our key highlights have continued to be in the growth of our Digital Payments and Open Banking activities, the strengthening of our position in a number of our key sectors, including housing, the leveraging of our multichannel payment platform to better cross-sell our payment services within both our existing client base and grow our new business pipeline. OBConnect delivered the strong performance in the second half we'd anticipated, we continue to make further progress in our cash through to digital activities. Finally, a further year of strong performance with good overall net revenue and billing growth and a strong performance across our key product distribution channels, including Love2shop Business and in-store via our Incomm partnership, and a solid performance from our pre-payment Park Christmas Savings platform.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

Our technology investment has delivered enhanced product capabilities and a single domain Love2shop e-commerce platform, with the benefits of these expected in the current year, greater consumer brand awareness in both our B2B and our B2C channels. As expected, the strong performance in the second half reflected the anticipated benefits of the timing of revenue recognition that we described in November. I'm now going to hand over to Rob, who will take you through our financials in more detail.

[Rob Harding, CFO at PayPoint]

Thanks, Nick. Good morning, everyone. If I start with the income statement, net revenue of GBP 190.8 million is up 1.7% on the prior year of GBP 187.7 million. Total costs of GBP 121.8 million are up 1.8%, with this leading to underlying profits of GBP 69 million, which is up 1.5% year-on-year. I'll cover the key revenue and cost deltas in the following slides, but you can see for our two segments, PayPoint profits of GBP 51.1 million are down versus the prior year of GBP 53.4 million, and Love2shop profits of GBP 17.9 million are up on the prior year of GBP 14.6 million. Further down this slide, you've got adjusting items of GBP 13.5 million, which includes GBP 7.1 million of exceptionals, GBP 1.2 million of movements on convertible loan notes and other investments, and GBP 5.2 million in respect of amortization of acquired intangibles.

[Rob Harding, CFO at PayPoint]

The GBP 7.1 million of exceptionals includes GBP 3.4 million in respect of legal costs and GBP 2.2 million in relation to the recent reorganization of the business. After adjusting items, this gives profits on a statutory basis of GBP 55.5 million. Alongside the ongoing share buyback program, these profits support a 6.5% increase in our diluted underlying earnings per share to GBP 0.736. Lastly, the closing net debt for FY 2026 was GBP 132.5 million, I'll cover this in the cash flow side shortly. Moving on to net revenue analysis. This slide breaks down revenue by segment and business area. Starting with shopping, revenue rose 1.7% to GBP 66.3 million, with growth in service fee income more than offsetting lower revenues in card payments, ATMs, and counter cash.

[Rob Harding, CFO at PayPoint]

e-commerce revenue of GBP 15.6 million is down on the prior year, with higher transaction volumes being more than offset by the new commercial terms with InPost and Yodel, which we outlined in our half-year results. Payments and Banking revenue rose 1.8%, driven by double-digit growth in Digital, along with the inclusion of a full 12 months of OBConnect. This growth more than offsets the decline in our legacy cash flow payments, which fell by 10% year-on-year. Combined, these three areas drove 1% growth in revenues for the PayPoint segment. Love2shop revenues of GBP 53.5 million were up 3.5% year-on-year, with overall billings increasing by 5% to GBP 385.8 million, driven by Love2shop Business and a growth in physical card distribution. Combined, these two segments give overall group revenue of GBP 190.8 million.

[Rob Harding, CFO at PayPoint]

This slide shows underlying profit progression year-on-year from the GBP 68 million of profits in FY 2025 to the GBP 69 million in FY 2026. The first four blocks are revenue related, which I have covered already. GBP 1.1 million revenue growth from shopping, GBP 0.8 million decline from e-commerce, GBP 1 million from Payments and Banking, and GBP 1.8 from Love2shop. The last column is costs, which I will break down further in the slide to follow. Overall costs are up 1.8%, as I said, from GBP 119.7 million in FY 2025 to the GBP 121.8 million. In managing this cost base, we continue to identify opportunities to drive further efficiencies across the group. These revenue cost deltas give profits of GBP 69 million that you see on the right-hand side of this slide. This slide breaks down the key drivers of the GBP 2.1 million cost progression year-on-year.

[Rob Harding, CFO at PayPoint]

Firstly, the inflationary cost pressures we kept minimal at an increase of GBP 800K versus the prior year increase of GBP 2.8 million. Secondly, the OBConnect increase of GBP 2.1 million is due to the inclusion of a full 12 months of its costs versus the five months we had in the prior year. The financing costs have increased by GBP 800K, driven by the increase in our debt from the continuing share buyback program. Lastly, we have had GBP 1.6 million of people and overhead savings, with some of this driven by a high proportion of staff being capitalized, plus higher R&D tax credits coming through in the year. Overall, this results in a below inflation increase to our cost base to GBP 121.8 million on the right of this slide.

[Rob Harding, CFO at PayPoint]

In terms of cash generation and net debt, midway down this slide, you can see our cash generation of GBP 17.4 million for the year, which is up GBP 1.4 million versus the prior year, and that is after various add backs for adjusting items, D&A, share-based payments, and working capital. The working capital outflow is largely timing of payments to suppliers, which is expected to unwind in FY 2027. Further down, we had other outflows in respect of tax paid, GBP 17.1 million, which includes the GBP 9.4 million tax on the part disposal of Collect+, CapEx of GBP 22.6 million, the exceptional payment of GBP 10.4 million in respect of Utilita settlement, plus a one-off pension contribution of GBP 1.5 million. The acquisitions and investments of GBP 37 million includes the GBP 43.4 million inflow from the part disposal of Collect+, plus an outflow of GBP 6.4 million in respect of OBConnect taking full control.

[Rob Harding, CFO at PayPoint]

The share buyback of GBP 30.1 million is consistent with what we've committed previously with the prior year outflow of GBP 14.9 million being nine-twelfths of the GBP 20 million that we committed for the first 12 months. Our GBP 60.8 million cash outflow for dividends includes the special dividend of GBP 34.5 million that we paid in half two, plus the normal dividend of GBP 26.3 million, with this dividend being GBP 1.5 million lower than the prior year as a result of the share buyback and consolidation reducing the number of shares in issue. These movements result in a net overall cash outflow for the year of GBP 35.1 million and closing net debt of GBP 132.5 million. Briefly on balance sheet, overall net assets are down GBP 21.5 million year-on-year, driven principally by the outflows in respect of the share buyback and dividends.

[Rob Harding, CFO at PayPoint]

In terms of key deltas versus the prior year, non-corporate cash and cash equivalents is up GBP 80.7 million, with this offset by a GBP 76.5 million drop in restricted funds. This reflects a movement towards instant access accounts which are attracting similar or higher rates of interest. Loans and borrowings up GBP 28.5 million were the drivers covered on the previous slide. Working capital is GBP 22.9 million low, which reflects the GBP 10.4 million payment to Utilita that we provided for in the prior year, plus the working capital outflow noted earlier. At the bottom of this slide, this gives overall net assets of GBP 75.8 million. Finally, before I pass back to Nick, on capital allocation, our target leverage remains in the 1.2-1.5 range.

[Rob Harding, CFO at PayPoint]

With a normal increase in dividends of circa 2%, we expect to see dividend cover move from its current range to above two times over the next two years. This year, we've returned over GBP 90 million to shareholders through a combination of our ordinary dividend, special dividends, and the share buyback. On the share buyback, so far, we've returned GBP 45 million with a further GBP 30 million planned for FY 2027 and FY 2028, and that equates to an overall share buyback of GBP 105 million in aggregate. This, alongside the share consolidation, targets an overall reduction in our issued shares of circa 30% from the commencement of our buyback back in July 2024 to the end of FY 2028. As with prior years, the level of buyback will be based on business performance, market conditions, and the overall capital needs of the business.

[Rob Harding, CFO at PayPoint]

On the right of this slide, our future cash requirements are similar to the prior year. Outflows in respect of dividends, the share buyback, and capital expenditure, which we expect to be circa GBP 21 million this year. Finally, on our facility, we exercised a one-year extension to the facility last year, so this ends in June of 2029 and includes a GBP 75 million non-amortizing loan and a GBP 90 million RCF, which supports our capital allocation policy and expected future needs of the business. I'll now pass you back to Nick.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

Rob, thanks. Turning now to the business reorganization, and why it's so important to the next stage in our growth. What will be different, and why we believe it provides a major inflection point for the business, and well executed underpins our net revenue growth target of 5%-8% per annum. Firstly, reorganization creates a transparent, a more accountable structure, and a simplified business model with a logical grouping of our business activities and channels to each market. Externally, it makes the business easier to understand, and internally, it establishes better ownership. It will enable a clear strategy for each business unit, a greater focus on the delivery of our key growth projects, ensure investment in the key enablers to growth, including in several of our key areas, additional commercial sales resource, refresh and on-point marketing, and the next phase of product and capability development.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

A better harnessing of the value from our data analytics and AI capabilities to support key decisions and investment and drive cross-business cooperation. This will result in a balanced growth strategy for the business as a whole, combining disciplined investment to support the highest growth opportunities in each business unit, while managing for value on more mature and legacy activities to maximize their longevity and cash generation. In recent years, I think we've done a great job in demonstrating cost discipline and use of our capital, develop our capabilities, and modernize our business. We now need to demonstrate a similar focus on the investment and operating disciplines required to deliver consistent growth on our target net revenue growth rate of 5%-8% per annum. Achieving this objective is critical to the next stage of our business.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

I'm turning now to an overview of actually what the reorganization of the business looks like. As I said earlier, activities have now been grouped into a simplified structure with four distinct business units. The product or services for each of these business units are now served by clearly defined distribution or go-to-market channels. This structure will better enable each business unit the operational focus and targeted investment in technology, a go-to-market strategy, including marketing and sales, and use of our data analytics and AI tools to strengthen our market position and maximize opportunities for revenue growth. One of the primary objectives of this reorganization is to better support and enable growth. In Network Services, the key distribution channel for our four primary products and services that make up our core community services proposition is through our 30,000-location retailer network.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

Today, Network Services is our largest single business unit with important growth levers such as consumer and SME banking, parcels, and the digital content and engagement platform, keys to the next stage in our growth, supported by a better-performing network, and adoption of our services and higher revenue per retailer. In Digital Payments and Open Banking, this is a great example of where we are investing further in our sales, our technology, client support resources as the primary channels to support our existing clients and accelerate our new business pipeline. Having now established a leading technology platform combining digital payments, open banking, and real-time credit scoring, the key to this business unit fulfilling its potential as our fastest-growing business is a strong go-to-market strategy, combining marketing, sales, and further product development and innovation.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

In Love2shop, our distribution channel strategy is already well underway and embedding across the business with a clear focus on maximizing the lifetime value of our products in each distribution channel across both physical and digital products and into both B2B and B2C channels. Further investment in technology, our platform, and new products remain key to maximizing the potential of this business during the next stage of its growth. In Merchant Services, it's become increasingly clear that we needed to do something fundamentally different and radically change our model. A reset strategy in merchant acquiring has resulted in a reshaped SMB team focused on higher-value merchants and the addition of a mid-market team focused on selling a broader range of payment capabilities, including A2A payments, direct debit and Love2shop hosted on a single platform.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

As well as dedicated additional resource to support the onboarding and in-life management of our merchant network, we now also have separated dedicated sales channels for the merchant rentals and business lending, both of which have clear strategies for accelerated growth. The immediate financial impact of this reset has been a lower cost base and a more profitable business, and a stronger platform from which to resume growth and a more compelling future go-to-market strategy. In each of these business units, the better grouping of activities, clear go-to-market strategies, a greater focus on execution with greater accountability will drive better performance and ensure each business unit is set up to maximize its opportunities. It will create greater opportunity for cooperation between business units, most particularly as we develop further our payment capabilities. Turning to each business unit and what will be different.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

Starting with Network Services, I think based on our findings from deploying our store growth specialist team in the field over the past year and supported by our data analytics team, it's clear there's a great deal more we can do to grow our retailer value. We can increase revenue per store, we can improve compliance, we can widen our product penetration and service adoption, and provide a better service to our retailer partners and their customers. The opportunities for our retailers to make money from being a PayPoint retailer have never been greater. We just need to raise our game to unlock this potential. The first step in what's going to be different is the way we will organize ourselves. We've now restructured into four primary regions and 36 sub-regions with the field team, retail services and finance teams fully integrated in each of these regions.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

This will result in a more efficient operating model and improved coordination between field and the retail hub, and a better real-time support to our retailers. In addition, we'll use our data analytics and AI tools to optimize our field sales resource, better equip them in their engagement with the retailer network. Good examples of this in action are how in the future we task the workflow of the field team, measure the outcomes of our retailer visits and engagement to drive adoption and compliance, such that we can measure progress in growing the number of services delivered and the revenue per site. Well executed. This will result in more efficient use of our field team as a resource, a higher performing network, better revenue per retailer, and stronger retailer relationships with a greater emphasis on retailer quality rather than network growth. For the current year, our priorities are clear.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

Number one, launching and embedding this new operating model, measuring its impact with our retailers, and a small number with performance-related KPIs. Continuing the expansion of our key community services into the network, including PayPoint BankLocal, parcels, and a high-value digital engagement proposition. It is clear to us as the PayPoint network becomes increasingly important in the delivery of essential services into the community and our service partners become even more demanding in the quality of the service we deliver. This organizational change and growing retail value as a strategy represents a fundamental change in the way we deliver services through the network. In Digital Payments and Open Banking, we are bringing together MultiPay, OBConnect, and AperiData onto a single technology platform and under a single management and operating structure. The capability of this platform are really exciting.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

We have a digital payments platform enabling secure payments for major organizations across housing, government, utilities, local authorities, and financial services through open banking, cards, direct debit, and cash with a multiple of channels. We have a SaaS data sharing platform providing a resilient network for open banking, COP, and other data sharing, and a real-time credit reference and transaction analytics powered by open banking and AI. The key to this business, as I have said already, in fulfilling its potential is investment in a comprehensive go-to-market strategy, including commercial sales marketing and next phase product development.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

With this in mind, the key priorities for the year ahead are to deliver further product innovation and new business wins in OBConnect, accelerate new business growth and upsell into the PayPoint client base from a broader set of payment capabilities, and continue to develop our technology partnerships and collaborations to develop new opportunities. In Love2shop, the growth building blocks have been established over the past two years through a combination of investment in technology, product, and platform investment as well. The clear focus now for this business is to maximize the lifetime value of billings in each of our distribution channels, strengthen the go-to-market strategy, and reinforce the Love2shop market-leading position in each of its product markets and distribution channels. The establishing of additional partnerships such as Vanquis and NLP further creates opportunity for this business.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

In the current year, the focus is on ensuring a mix of business which delivers revenue growth from a continued strong performance from Love2shop Business, maximizing the value of a single Love2shop digital platform for both B2B and B2C channels, and further growing physical distribution on the high street through the PayPoint network and through our Incomm partnership. Finally, in Merchant Services, as I said already, a fundamental reset of strategy in this business with a focus on net revenue, improved profitability for new business in the mid-market sector and in our existing merchant estate, which is to be managed for value rather than pure estate growth.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

The outcome of this will be a go-to-market strategy focused on measured growth in the mid-market segment with improved net revenue and profitability, better in-life management of the existing merchant estate, an additional sales channel established to focus on selling a MultiPay product in the former SMB market segmentation. In addition, both merchant rentals and business finance are targeting further growth driven by major partnerships including FreedomPay and NewLend. Overall, in establishing a logical grouping of business for each of our business units, creating clear go-to-market strategies and distribution channels for delivery will bring about fundamental change in the PayPoint business and the opportunity to maximize the potential from the collective services and capabilities we have in the business today.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

We know looking forward for the business to succeed and fulfill its potential, we need to establish a growth rate of at least 5%-8% per annum, the actions I have described to date underpin the principles of what will be different in the business and are key to meeting this objective. Finally, just turning to our outlook. In terms of outlook, it's important to recognize, firstly, the current year is a key year for the business with the reorganization now well underway and the driver of significant change throughout the group as we deliver on our number one business priority, which is to build a business platform from which we deliver a consistent 5%-8% net revenue growth per annum. It's been a busy first quarter already.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

As we implement the organizational changes, we ensure that we've minimized the disruption to the trading momentum in the business, and we get off to a good start to the year. Early indications are that we've achieved this and started the year well. In terms of profit balance for the current year, we may have a slightly greater weighting towards the second half compared to the first, certainly when compared to FY 2026. Although the board remains confident in both exceeding the underlying profits achieved in FY 2026 and the results which will be in line with market expectations. We look forward to hosting a capital markets day in the second half of the year, potentially in Q4 of the current calendar year. With that, we're happy to answer questions.

[Operator]

We will now begin the question and answer session. Anyone who wishes to ask a question may press star and one on their telephone. You'll hear a tone to confirm that you have entered the queue. If you wish to remove yourself from the question queue, you may press star and two. Questioners on the phone are requested to disable the loudspeaker mode while asking a question. Anyone who has a question may press star and one at this time. The first question comes from the line of Michael Donnelly from Investec. Please go ahead.

[Michael Donnelly, Analyst at Investec]

Good morning. Can you hear me okay?

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

Yeah. Morning, Michael. Hi.

[Michael Donnelly, Analyst at Investec]

Morning. Two from me please. First of all, Nick, on competitive positioning, what is it that you see that differentiates open banking and the payments platform when you're working against competitors on winning new clients? Secondly, on the reorg, are there any tangible early-stage benefits that you can see in your internal management data, maybe even anecdotally, that you might be able to share with us at this stage? Is it too early even for that? Thanks.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

Thank you, Michael. I think the first thing is that we start in a really great position with respect to our Digital Payments and Open Banking business because we have a fantastic customer base. I think that one of the key things that we need to much better leverage is the opportunities that come from actually working with such an extensive client base across housing, utilities, local and central government, charities. We really do start in a great place. I think one of the really early opportunities comes from actually bringing together all the capabilities of that platform onto a single management organization and structure. I think that the principal competitive advantage we start with, as I said already, is actually the sort of scale of that opportunity in terms of our existing base.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

I think that the investment we're making in commercial sales and the investment we're making in marketing to really get marketing on point, I think will really actually step up the competitive advantage that we have, and importantly, have very relevant payment solutions into those specific markets. I think when one begins to think about actually sort of our go-to-market strategy, it's really making the relevance of actually the payment channels that we have, actually to the clients that we have today. I think joining up the dots in that way, I think really positions us very well to both really upsell those payment capabilities into our existing PayPoint client base, but also have a really compelling proposition actually to build our new business pipeline.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

I think there's very clear evidence already in the partnerships we're establishing, whether that's in A2A payments, whether that's in the development of trust frameworks. I think that we bring something really strong to partnerships in opening up those payment areas. I think it's early days, but I think this has the potential to be by far our fastest-growing business and the one that really long-term potential. In terms of reorganization, I mean, you're absolutely right. It's very early days. What I would say is that I think the whole business has really been energized by the opportunity of creating really logical groupings of businesses, and importantly, creating much more transparent and accountable organizational structures. I think that's particularly the case when we talk about the way that we manage the Network Services businesses, and importantly, how we actually engage with our retailers into the future.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

I think one of the biggest frustrations we've had historically is the inability to solve challenges and problems that our retailers have in real time, where our field team identify issues in the field, and we're not organized to be able to respond to those in a real-time way. In organizing the businesses we have done now, having the four integrated regional structures, with the 36 subsets sitting beneath it, there's the ability there for actually sort of join up what happens at the retail hub with what's happening real time in the field in a way that actually addresses issues in a really timely and efficient way. Unquestionably, it's going to create a more efficient operating model. As I said already, it creates the ability to embrace the opportunities from our AI tools and our data analytics tools to really provide a much stronger, more comprehensive service.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

I think that's going to be a very early win. I think similarly across the business, I think this sort of regrouping of our activities has really shone a really strong light onto the area that actually we need to sharpen up on, and where we need to really focus our investment. I've said a number of times today, I think it's really focused minds around our go-to-market strategies, which unquestionably are actually sort of the heart of actually sort of what will drive our new business. That's what will drive ultimately our growth rate of 5% to 8% per annum. There's a lot more to unpack here, and I'm hoping we'll be able to do that at the capital markets day later this year.

[Michael Donnelly, Analyst at Investec]

Thank you. That's very helpful.

[Operator]

Ladies and gentlemen, there are no more questions at this time. I would now like to turn the conference back over to Nick Wiles, CEO, for any closing remarks.

[Nick Wiles, CEO at PayPoint]

Thank you very much. Everybody, thank you very much for joining us this morning, and I hope that you join us later in the year for our capital markets day. Speak to you soon. Thank you. Bye-bye.

Participants

Executives

• Nick Wiles, CEO
• Rob Harding, CFO

Analysts

• Michael Donnelly, Analyst at Investec