Country for PR: United States
Contributor: PR Newswire New York
Monday, February 07 2022 - 11:25
AsiaNet
Splitit Announces Step-Change MSV to Complete a Record Year in Q4 FY21 Quarterly Report & Appendix 4C
NEW YORK, Feb. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

- Record Merchant Sales Volume (MSV) of US$130M up 51% Year on Year (YoY) and 
up 40% Quarter on Quarter (QoQ) 

- MSV driven by strong performance in APAC, specifically Japan, record MSV over 
Black Friday and Cyber Monday and significant contribution from the Christmas 
shopping period 

- FY21 MSV of US$396M, reflecting a record year and 61% annual MSV growth 

- 12-month Active Merchants increased 60% YoY to 1.25K  

- 12-month Active Shoppers increasing 43% YoY to 330K 

- Continued reduction in borrowing costs highlighting quick pathway to 
transaction margin growth  

- US$29M in available cash, plus US$150M Goldman Sachs credit facility able to 
support US$650M of annual MSV[1]

- Japan added to Goldman Sachs facility to cater for rapid growth 

- US ADR Program launched via OTCQX to enhance Splitit's visibility and trading 
liquidity with the US investment community and complement its ASX listing 

- Seasoned payments industry executive Nandan Sheth appointed as CEO, as 
announced on 25 January 2022 

- Investor webinar held on Monday, 31 January 2022, replay details below

Splitit Payments Limited ("Splitit" or the "Company") (ASX:SPT, OTCQX:SPTTY), 
the Company empowering shoppers to use their credit cards to pay in 
instalments, is pleased to provide an update on its quarterly activities and 
cash flows for the three months ending 31 December 2021 (Q4 FY21).

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1550084/Splitit_Logo.jpg 

John Harper, Interim CEO of Splitit, commented, "It is pleasing to have 
delivered such a strong quarter, with a step-change in MSV driven by our 
success in APAC, specifically Japan, and a record Black Friday and Cyber Monday 
trading period. In addition to the broadening merchant base, strong progress 
was also made across other areas of the business, including the roll out of our 
refined shopper messaging focused on Splitit's consumer friendly BNPL solution 
and its value to merchants in reducing conversion friction and driving larger 
purchases.  

"Over the last few months, the tightening of rules by regulators of BNPL 
providers that issue new debt has continued across multiple geographies. One of 
Splitit's many points of difference to the multitude of consumer finance BNPL 
offerings is we don't issue new debt to shoppers, but rather allow them to use 
the credit they have earned on their existing credit card at the point of sale. 
Being a technology solution that operates within the highly regulated credit 
card industry, we have a distinct advantage over issuers of new consumer credit 
who are under increasing regulatory scrutiny globally. This means we can grow 
with confidence and continue to put shoppers at the forefront of our mission 
while enabling them to collect perks like cash back, rewards and points and 
enhance rather than damage their credit scores.

"As I reflect on my time as Interim CEO, I am proud of what has been achieved 
in a short period of time. We have strengthened the team internally, narrowed 
our focus and reduced expenditure, all contributing to these strong results. We 
have also simplified and refined our messaging to ensure that Splitit's unique 
benefits to shoppers and merchants are being effectively articulated. New CEO, 
Nandan Sheth, inherits a differentiated business model that is unique in the 
BNPL sector, does not have a heavy reliance on consumer marketing, and does not 
need to price to cover significant consumer defaults and associated costs. This 
model provides operating leverage at scale and a pathway to sustainable and 
profitable growth at superior margins. 

"Splitit remains well positioned as one of the most attractive businesses in 
the sector on account of its technology-based IP, differentiated business 
model, along with its valuation disparities relative to current MSV multiples 
and profitable growth potential. 

"The business is an at exciting phase in its journey, and with a seasoned 
payments industry executive like Nandan at the helm, the possibilities are 
endless for Splitit. I look forward to working with Nandan to facilitate a 
smooth handover, and I will remain a close supporter of the company."

SPLITIT APPOINTS NANDAN SHETH AS CEO

As announced on 25 January 2022 the Splitit board of directors has appointed 
Nandan Sheth as CEO, effective 28 February 2022.  A seasoned payments industry 
executive, Sheth brings experience spanning leadership roles at major banks, 
professional service firms and Fortune 1000 companies across North America and 
Europe. His record of entrepreneurial success includes co-founding, scaling and 
successfully exiting multiple fintech companies, including Harbor Payments 
(sold to American Express in 2006) and Acculynk (sold to First Data in 2017). 

Sheth's executive leadership experience in the payments sector spans corporate 
and business development, alliances, product strategy and development, and 
operations. Prior to joining Splitit, he served as Fiserv's Head of Global 
Digital Commerce, as well as Head of Fiserv's Carat, an ecosystem of 
omnichannel commerce solutions for large multinational companies. Prior to 
that, Sheth was President and COO of Acculynk, the business he co-founded in 
2008 and sold to First Data in 2017. His earlier experience includes serving as 
VP and GM at American Express and co-founding and scaling Harbor Payments (sold 
to American Express) and e-Debt. He began his career as a VP and Client Partner 
at AT&T. Sheth holds an MBA from the Cass Business School and a BSc with 
Honours from City, University of London.

Q4 PERFORMANCE 

Splitit delivered another record quarter of MSV processed in Q4 FY21 at 
US$130M. This reflects 51% YoY growth against Q4 FY20 or, adjusting for the 
deliberate shift away from debit cards, YoY MSV growth of 60%. MSV was 
consistently high throughout the quarter, supported by strong sales in APAC, 
specifically Japan, a record Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaign and busy 
Christmas trading period. QoQ MSV growth of 40% is nearly double the seasonal 
upswing reported in Q4 FY20 (22%). 

Annual MSV of US$396M represents YoY growth of 61% against FY20 (US$246M), or 
72% YoY if normalised for the impact of debit cards.

Revenue (Non-GAAP) was US$3.4M, reflecting a 28% increase YoY.  MSV growth was 
higher than revenue growth in Q4 due to a more diversified merchant base and a 
higher proportion of MSV through our basic model, consistent with the previous 
quarter.

New merchant acquisition continued steadily during the quarter with a 7% 
increase in 12 Month Active Merchants, despite the retail industry's seasonal 
focus on the busy holiday sales period which typically sees slower new merchant 
growth. Current Active merchants grew 60% YoY growth, with Splitit now 
supporting 1.25K Active Merchants to offer its highly integrated solution where 
Shoppers don't need to leave the merchant's website to process their instalment 
payment. 

Pleasingly, two merchants that launched in Q4 have already moved into the top 
10 contributors to quarterly MSV. Rare Carat, a top US diamond marketplace, and 
Gem Shopping Network, a 24/7 live streaming network selling fine jewellery in 
the US, each highlight the unique value Splitit brings to high value ticket 
sizes.  

Splitit's Average Order Value (AOV) remains over US$1K and continues as a 
valuable differentiator for merchants choosing the solution to drive higher 
value purchases by shoppers who are typically wealthier individuals with good 
credit ratings and use Splitit as a budgeting tool. This target shopper 
demographic is far less vulnerable to recessionary trends compared to other 
BNPL providers which target a more levered or sub-prime market.

Shoppers also continue to be attracted to Splitit as they are still able to 
collect all the benefits they would normally receive for credit card 
transactions such as cash back, rewards and points. 12 Month Active Shoppers 
reached 330K, reflecting 43% YoY growth. 

Partnerships & Product Innovation

White Labelling Driving Scale

Another unique feature of Splitit's technology is that in addition to its 
branded solution, it enables a white-labelled offering where merchants retain 
their brand and the customer experience. This means Splitit does not rely on 
having a significant brand presence and consumer engagement in all markets, 
enhancing its pathway to profitability, and providing a low-cost entry point 
into new markets and verticals by supporting established BNPL providers, 
helping to deliver scale more quickly. 

White labelling is an attractive option for merchants who wish to retain 
control of their brand and engagement with shoppers. The Google Store in Japan 
is an example of an elegant white-label solution which has driven unique 
benefits for merchant and shoppers alike.

Integration with leading e-commerce platform Wix

During the quarter, Splitit integrated with Wix, a leading cloud-based web 
development services company helping small and medium sized businesses create 
websites and mobile sites. Merchants running a Wix eCommerce website can now 
easily offer Splitit's instalment payments to their shoppers. Splitit now 
supports six of the leading global e-commerce platforms, which also includes 
Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and Salesforce Commerce Cloud.

CORPORATE & CASH FLOW OVERVIEW

Splitit ADR Program launched through OTCQX market

In November 2021, Splitit launched its sponsored Level 1 American Depositary 
Receipts Program (ADR Program) in the United States. Through the ADR Program, 
Splitit has direct exposure to the US investment community via OTCQX, providing 
enhanced visibility and trading liquidity to complement Splitit's ASX listing. 
Splitit's ADRs trade under the symbol SPTTY and each ADR represents 40 
ASX-traded SPT ordinary shares. 

Cash Flow

The Company's closing cash position was US$29M. Cash receipts from customers 
for the period were US$3.4M[2], and operational expenditure was US$6.7M, 
representing a reduction in operating expenditure on each of the previous four 
quarters.[3]

Net cash used in operating activities (cash burn) was US$3.6M for the quarter 
(exclusive of US$27.7M[4] net merchant funding outflows, and US$11k of legacy 
withholding tax[5]), representing a reduction in cash burn on each of the 
previous five quarters.

Net financing activities for the period were an inflow of US$15.6M[6], 
primarily driven by a US$16.3M drawdown on the Goldman Sachs facility with the 
inclusion of Japan to cater for its rapid growth. This inflow was offset by 
interest and cost of finance paid of US$1.1M[7], which represents a further 11% 
improvement on the prior quarter, a 49% improvement on Q2, and a 55% 
improvement on Q1. This highlights the ongoing margin efficiency being driven 
as higher cost facilities have been repaid throughout the course of the year. 

Splitit held US$43.5M in net cash, comprised of:

    -- US$29M available cash 
    -- US$81M funded merchant receivables 
    -- (US$66.5M) debt payable 

Combining undrawn loan facilities with closing cash, the Company has a total of 
US$112.5M of liquidity to fuel future growth. 

Note: Unless specified otherwise, all amounts are in USD and provided on an 
unaudited basis. Foreign currency amounts have been converted to USD at an 
average monthly exchange rate throughout the quarter.

Q4 INVESTOR WEBINAR DETAILS

Splitit hosted a webinar for investors on Monday, 31 January 2022, at 9:30 a.m. 
Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT). A replay is available at: 
https://investors.splitit.com/webinars/ 

APPENDIX 4C DETAILS

Splitit's Appendix 4C for Q4 FY21 is accessible at 
https://investors.splitit.com/asx-announcements/ or at on the Company's ASX 
listing page ( 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3435196-1&h=724606476&u=https%3A%2F%2Fspt.live.irmau.com%2Fsite%2FPDF%2F4fcd2122-8391-41d1-b9b0-8b4c7ae4e558%2FQ4FY21QuarterlyActivitiesReportApp4C&a=Company%27s+ASX+listing+page 
).

ISSUE OF SHARES ON EXERCISE OF OPTIONS

Splitit also advises that it has issued 882,191 fully paid ordinary shares 
("Shares") on exercise of that same number of unlisted options under the 
Company's 2013 Employee Share Incentive Plan.  A cleansing statement in respect 
of the Shares is set out below and an Appendix 2A in respect of the Shares will 
follow this announcement.

Cleansing Statement  

The Company hereby notifies ASX under section 708A(5)(e) of the Act that:

(a) today, 31 January 2022, the Company completed the issue and allotment of 
    882,191 fully paid ordinary shares;
(b) the Company issued the shares without disclosure under Part 6D.2 of 
    the Act;
(c) the Company provides this notice under section 708A(5)(e) of the Act;
(d) as a disclosing entity, the Company is subject to regular reporting and 
    disclosure obligations;
(e) as at the date of this notice:
    i.  the Company has complied with the provisions of Chapter 2M and section 
        674 of the Act as they apply to the Company; 
    ii. there is no information that has been excluded from a continuous 
        disclosure notice in accordance with the ASX Listing Rules and that 
        investors and their professional advisors would reasonably require for 
        the purpose of making an informed assessment of:
        A. the assets and liabilities, financial position and performance, 
           profits and losses and prospects of the Company; or
        B. the rights and liabilities attaching to the shares.

About Splitit 

Splitit ( 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3435196-1&h=1226922369&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.splitit.com%2F&a=Splitit 
) is a global payment solution provider that enables shoppers to use the credit 
they've earned by breaking up purchases into monthly interest-free instalments 
using their existing credit card. Splitit enables merchants to improve 
conversion rates and increase average order value by giving customers an easy 
and fast way to pay for purchases over time without requiring additional 
approvals. Splitit serves many of Internet Retailer's top 500 merchants and is 
accepted by more than 3,000 eCommerce merchants in over 30 countries and 
shoppers in over 100 countries. Headquartered in New York, Splitit has an R&D 
centre in Israel and offices in London and Australia. The Company is listed on 
the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) under ticker code SPT. The Company 
also trades on the US OTCQX under ticker codes SPTTY (ADRs) and STTTF (ordinary 
shares).

Key Points  

    -- Consumer friendly for shoppers  
       As the only BNPL player allowing shoppers to use their pre-existing 
       unused credit card balances at the point of sale, Splitit offers a 
       consumer friendly BNPL solution with no new debt or credit checks, 
       no application, no interest or late fees charged. It also allows 
       shoppers to continue collecting perks like cash back, rewards and 
       points as they would on normal credit card transactions, without any 
       risk of damaging their credit profile.  

    -- Unique benefits for merchants  
       Splitit is highly integrated (shoppers don't need to leave the 
       merchant's website), easy to Implement and offers longer and flexible 
       loans, reducing shopper friction and driving sales conversion rates. 
       It also offers merchants the option of a funded or non-funded model. 

    -- Globally scalable model, boosted by whitelabelling  
       Splitit is fundamentally a technology business leveraging the existing 
       global credit card payment rails. This means its branded or white label 
       solution can be adopted in new markets without the need for an 
       'on the ground' presence, delivering strong operating leverage, 
       enhanced scalability and a cost-effective pathway to profitability. 

    -- Already subject to existing credit card regulatory framework, and 
       allows merchant surcharging   
       As a technology solution that operates within the highly regulated 
       credit card industry, Splitit has a distinct advantage over BNPL 
       competitors who are under increasing global regulatory scrutiny due to 
       their consumer financing models. In addition, mounting sectorwide 
       pressure to allow merchant surcharging will not impact Splitit, as 
       merchants are already allowed to surcharge on credit cards.  
 
    -- Unique IP  
       Splitit's protected IP secures the pre-authorisation on a consumer's 
       credit card limits consumer defaults, as the transactions are secured 
       by the credit card issuers. This unique business model provides 
       operating leverage at scale and a pathway to future profitability 
       without the same associated risk.   

The announcement has been approved and authorised to be given to ASX by Dawn 
Robertson, Chairman of the Board of Splitit. 

Contact Information
Brian Blank, Splitit
brian.blank@splitit.com 
760 917 3321

Catherine Strong, Citadel Magnus for Splitit
cstrong@citadelmagnus.com 

[1] Assumes approximate mix of funded/non-funded plans: 75/25 
[2] Item 1.1 of Appendix 4C
[3] Item 1.2 of Appendix 4C
[4] Item 1.8 of Appendix 4C
[5] Item 1.6 of Appendix 4C 
[6] Item 3.10 of Appendix 4C 
[7] Item 3.9 of Appendix 4C
 
SOURCE  Splitit USA, Inc.