Through the acquisition Aspire Global expects to “control yet another crucial part” of the iGaming vertical, looking into creating synergies, broadening the game portfolio and providing a channel to distribute and sell propriety games outside Aspire Global’s partner network.

Pariplay has hundreds of proprietary game titles complemented by more than 2,000 games from leading third-party providers on its B2B platform. The game portfolio is certified for several regulated markets in Europe, including Denmark which will be launching shortly. Moreover, Pariplay has cleared an iGaming certification for New Jersey, which Aspire Global is expecting to leverage.

Aspire Global says the acquisition of Pariplay strengthens B2B-business through external game sales — accelerating growth, creating synergies and saving costs with an expected positive effect on overall EBITDA as of 2020. For 2019 however, the transaction is not expected to have any material effect on Aspire Global’s financial results.

“We are excited to welcome the Pariplay team to Aspire Global. The acquisition of Pariplay is in line with our M&A strategy focusing on B2B growth and external game sales,” says Tsachi Maimon, CEO at Aspire Global.

The integration of Pariplay grants us control of yet another crucial part of the iGaming value chain – cutting costs, broadening the game portfolio and providing a channel to sell and distribute propriety games outside Aspire Global network. Moreover, Pariplay holds an iGaming license for New Jersey, which could act as the spearhead of our future efforts to enter the US market,” Mr Maimon adds.

The post Aspire Global finalises Pariplay purchase first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

Aspire Global’s revenues increased by 32.1%, from €24.7m to €32.8m in Q2 2019, spurring growth in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) by 7.2%, from €5.7m to €6.1m. The performance of the group was considerably lifted by B2B revenues jumping by 57.5%, from €12.4m to €19.5m, constituting 59.6% of total revenues.

“Our B2B operations have been performing very strongly recently, which is very satisfying because we are bearing the fruits of all the hard work we have done in the last two to three years. Our product development teams have been designing and launching great new features for our partners and we have continued to focus on providing the best CRM [customer relationship management] system in the business so our operators can maximise lifetime values and reduce churn,” Aspire Global CEO Tsachi Maimon tells Business Malta.

Although the CEO could not reveal too much about their plans and expectations for the future — for Aspire being a public company — Mr Maimon believes the trend is clear: “We will strengthen our current portfolio of partners and add new ones to our platform; while enabling them to offer new products and features to their players,” the CEO tells BM.

With such a strong business-to-business (B2B) arm, one would wonder how strong the muscles are on the business-to-customer (B2C) limb. “We believe the way we have managed to combine our B2C work with our B2B activities is one of the reasons we have grown so successfully in recent years. We have a team that is focussed on B2C because like every other strong operator in the market we want Karamba to compete with the biggest names out there,” Mr Maimon breaks it down.

Success around Karamba has enabled Aspire Global to grow and perform well as a company, which the company sees has resulted in a strong showcase for the B2B partners of the firm. “They can see what our platform is capable of and when potential B2B partners come to us, we can show them the quality of our platform and when they sign with us they often finish the conversation by saying they want ‘Karamba-style success’,” according to the CEO.

M&A to fuel further growth

Aspire has recently agreed to acquire 100% of the shares in GMS Entertainment Limited, owner of the B2B group Pariplay, for approximately €13.1m in cash. Pariplay operates a game aggregator platform globally, including their own game studios, providing operators with access to thousands of game titles from leading game producers.

“Our M&A strategy will focus on B2B technology companies that can add volume and can further contribute to Aspire.”

“Pariplay will play a very important and strategic role in Aspire Global’s operations. Strategically, it will enable us to increase our presence across the value chain of the iGaming industry. As for the United States, Pariplay is already licensed to operate in New Jersey. It represents a major advantage over other games aggregators and studios and will act as a spearhead for potential moves Aspire Global might make in the US market in the future,” the CEO says.

When Aspire announced the planned acquisition, the firm tagged it as a “crucial” moment in gaining control of another section in the iGaming value chain. The transaction should be closed during Q3 2019, with a positive effect on the company’s EBITDA as of 2020. For 2019, however, the transaction is not expected to have any material effect on financial results. Nevertheless, Aspire sees the possibility of further mergers and acquisitions activities (M&A).

“Pariplay is the first of a number of acquisitions we have planned as a group. We have been very ambitious and thanks to our successful operations and performance we have cash in the bank that we plan to use. Our M&A strategy will focus on B2B technology companies that can add volume and can further contribute to Aspire. We want to control more steps within the iGaming value chain so that we have more control and can save costs in the process, while also growing revenues through operations outside of our platform,” according to Mr Maimon.

Despite some busy months behind, Aspire Global does not appear to take a rest, in fact, the company is eyeing further expansion. “Our vision is to enable our partners to achieve their full potential. There are many ways of doing this: launching more partners, enabling them to have a larger product offering in store with additional verticals that would allow them to launch into more markets. Our partners are part of our roadmap and future vision and will play a key role in both Aspire Global’s growth and their own,” Mr Maimon concludes.

The post Aspire Global bets on further growth, plans more M&A first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

SOL Networks is an umbrella brand for 15+ projects. The board of Dating.com took this “strategic” decision, during the board meeting in Malta in the spring of 2019. The group plans to expand through mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals, which will be announced in the near future.  

“Countless dating startups have popped up in recent years and we are eager to find ones that are a good fit for Dating.com Group’s ambitious goals,” said Alla Gubenko, board director in Dating.com Group. “Our key markets are Asia and the US, for their growth potential. We would love to make deals with companies targeting those areas in creative ways,” he added.

The company is developing its inorganic investment strategy and is looking to partner with early and late-stage companies in online dating, social interaction and live streaming markets, according to the press release.

Group anticipates expanding markets

Dating.com Group expects the market to grow to $3.74b in developed markets, with future growth expected in developing markets, speakers of the group announced during GDI Singapore Dating Conference 2019 – Global Dating Insights held on 13-14 May, based on research they carried out.

For instance, in China, dating companies have earned around $50m in revenue from mobile application downloads. In India, online dating platform Tinder was the top-grossing app on Google Play and the second-highest on Apple’s App Store at the end of 2018.

“The iPhone’s disruptive potential cannot be overstated. The way people conduct their lives and interact is evolving. Companies must provide creative, tailored solutions to prosper in the next decade,” said Yuri Papadin, Head of M&A and Corporate Development at Dating.com Group.

Focusing on app improvements, the research also revealed that customers are looking for more than “superficial pictures” usually posted on such platforms and the swiping-nature of selecting date parties. Therefore, Badoo — another dating platform — is preparing to switch “swiping” for live streaming after a survey of users found that 68% dislike swiping. Tinder has also partnered with Foursquare to set up “real-life” dates, the press statement says.

“It was great sharing our insights at the GDI conference. Since the market may be cooling a bit, it is more important than ever that companies do their homework and tailor dating platforms to a specific niche,” said Maria Sullivan, the head of the Dating.com Group’s New York office.

Dating.com Group is a global social discovery platform, enabling people from around the globe to connect through the power of shared interests and mutual benefits. Dating.com Group has offices in seven countries and a team of over 500 professionals and over 73 million users.

SOL Networks is an international internet-holding company headquartered in Malta. It specialises in the creation and promotion of websites where users can expand their social and business connections.

The post Dating.com to dip toe in expanding US, Asian markets first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

This is the third year in a row KPMG has earned this ranking by the organisation formerly known as Thomson Reuters Mid-Market M&A Review.

“We are thrilled that KPMG has once again been ranked as the leading mid-market provider of M&A services. This reaffirms the trust that the markets we serve have in the ability of our people to help them execute their growth strategies,” says Hermione Arciola, Director of Advisory Services at KPMG in Malta.

“We are pleased to see the network retain its leading position in M&A, an achievement which we seek to replicate locally via our constant interaction with business owners and senior management focusing on identifying opportunities for parties to get together and unlock value” commented David Pace, Partner, Head of Advisory at KPMG in Malta.

“Additionally our investment in a strong multi-disciplinary skill set means that we can journey together from the initial thinking through to reach-outs, negotiation, and integration/separation,” Mr Pace adds.

With more than 2,500 professionals in over 80 countries, KPMG’s Deal Advisory M&A network includes investment bankers with a global industry reach. Refinitiv rankings place KPMG as the leading mid-market advisor among the Big 4 and M&A boutique firms.

Refinitiv’s Financial Advisor Review shows that KPMG led the M&A field in 2018 for Undisclosed Values & Values up to $500m, with 507 deals. KPMG also came in first place in the European Involvement Mid-Market Rankings with 327 deals.

“As the market evolves, bringing strategic and holistic value to clients remains our top priority, whether that means building stronger sector networks or enhancing our leading data & analytic capabilities,” says Leif Zierz, KPMG’s Global Head of Deal Advisory.

“We are proud of our professionals who work shoulder-to-shoulder with clients from understanding the value story to helping achieve their strategic goals,” says Phil Isom, KPMG’s Global Head of M&A.

KPMG Malta is a civil partnership and a member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International, a Swiss cooperative. Member firms of the KPMG network of independent firms are affiliated with KPMG International.

The post KPMG tops Refinitiv’s Mid-Market M&A charts in 2018 first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.