ots Ad hoc-Service: AdCapital AG <DE0005214506> AdCapital AG Invests in Global Market Leader
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- synfis and Softpro merge branch activities - world leader established in signature verification systems
AdCapital have extended their investment portfolio to include another promising candidate for the stock market. synfis AG (Düsseldorf), in which AdCapital already holds a 99% interest, is to merge its identification systems division with Softpro GmbH (Böblingen). Through synfis AG, AdCapital will hold a 33% stake in the new company, making it the biggest shareholder.
The merger of Softpro GmbH, Böblingen, with the identification systems division of synfis AG, Düsseldorf, will create the global market leader for digital signature verification. The company's target markets are e-banking and B2B commerce. Seen as a particularly safe technology, the main application area of digital signature verification is currently in the banking sector, where about 1.5 million such signatures are verified on a daily basis. The primary markets outside Europe are the USA and Asia, where check payments are commonplace and digital signature verification can be used to combat check fraud.
A further area of application for this new technology is e-commerce. In future, contracts between companies in B2B trading will increasingly be made on an electronic basis and require legally-binding signatures.
The synfis Group is one of the leading German suppliers of goods and services for banking technology and e-banking. Beside the parent company synfis AG, the Group includes the companies synfis Service, Bank Projekt, DPS engineering and engram. The Group presently has around 400 employees. In 1999, the group revenues exceeded 100 million DM.
Softpro GmbH, founded in 1983 and based in Böblingen near Stuttgart, specializes in electronic signature verification with its product SignPlus. Customers include leading worldwide banks such as ABN AMRO, Deutsche Bank, HypoVereinsbank, Lloyds TSB, the ING Group and OCBC. In 2000, with approx. 35 employees, the Group's turnover will amount to some 11 million DM. Softpro forecasts an annual growth rate of over 30% in the next two years. The earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation will reach 6 million DM in 2001, by 2002 it should grow faster than the turnover.
By investing in Softpro GmbH, AdCapital AG is systematically pursuing its newly defined path as a private equity investor, chosen in the middle of this year.
Please direct all queries to: AdCapital AG Director, Corporate Communications Christiane Schroiff ++49 - 30 - 88 57 51 20 cms@adcapital.de
synfis AG Director, Marketing and PR Mr Freese ++49 - 211-9514-346 presse@synfis.com
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