Sandpiper Digital Payments : announces unaudited semiannual figures for 2016

SANDPIPER Digital Payments AG announces unaudited semiannual figures for 2016

- Total operating income at EUR 11.2m (previous year: EUR 9.9m)

- Continued its international growth strategy

- New acquisitions supporting the group strategy

- Operating result (Swiss GAAP FER) at EUR -2.1m (previous year: EUR -1.1m)

St. Gallen, August 31, 2016 - SANDPIPER Digital Payments AG (BX Berne eXchange, ticker: SDP, www.sandpiper.ch, Open Market, Frankfurt, ISIN: CH0033050961), announces the unaudited consolidated interim financial statements according to Swiss GAAP FER for the first half year 2016.

In the first half of 2016, SANDPIPER Digital Payments continued its international growth strategy. In January SANDPIPER Digital Payments AG purchased a mayority of IDpendant GmbH (www.idpendant.de). IDpendant GmbH specializes in IT security solutions, smart cards and USB tokens. It is independent of all manufacturers and offers a wide range of services, including authentication technology, client security products, single sign-on systems, encryption solutions, card and mobile device management systems as well as security hardware.

SANDPIPER Digital Payments AG increased its stake in PlayPass from 23% to 39%. PlayPass NV, www.playpass.be, is the leading festival solution company providing contactless solutions for cashless payments, accreditation, access management and brand activation. PlayPass NV is executing their internationalization strategy and managed to secure market entry into the UK market. PlayPass equips the 2016 edition of the dance festival 'Eastern Electric' at Hatfield House and has recently been nominated for Startup of the Year in Belgium. SANDPIPER Digital Payments AG strengthened its position in the cashless festival solution sector by founding SANDPIPER Asia Ltd and taking over the assets of Singapore-based GoGorilla Ltd., the leading festival solution provider in South East Asia.

By the end of June the residual shares of Ergonomics AG were purchased. SANDPIPER Digital Payment owns now 100% of the shares (prior year 51%). Ergonomics is a leading Swiss IT solutions provider in the areas of electronic payment and IT security. For 25 years, Ergonomics has been implementing bespoke software solutions for financial institutions, government agencies, retail, trading companies and manufacturing.

SANDPIPER Digital Payments AG increased its stake in InterCard AG Informationssysteme from 40% to 50.4%. InterCard is the market leader for multifunctional card systems for universities, institutions of higher education and other educational institutions in Germany. Over 150 universities, institutions of higher education and student services in Germany alone have put their trust in the high security standard and the reliability of the InterCard systems.

According to Swiss GAAP FER, SANDPIPER ends June 30, 2016 with a net loss of EUR
-3.6m (previous year: EUR -0.6m). The company generated revenues in the amount of EUR 11.1m (previous year: EUR 9.8m). Operating expenses were in the amount of EUR -13.3m (previous year: EUR -11.0m). They mainly consist of material expenses (EUR 5.2m), personnel expenses (EUR 5.5m), and other operating expenses (EUR 2.0m). Earnings before interests and taxes (EBIT) decreased from EUR -0.7m to EUR -2.1m. Operating result decreased from EUR -1.1m to EUR -2.1m.

Shareholders equity attributable to SANDPIPER's shareholders decreased from EUR -3.6m as of December 31, 2015 to EUR -11.4m mainly because of the loss incurred and goodwill offsetting.

The NAV per share is at EUR -0.07 (shareholders' equity divided through the number of shares at the end of the period). The holding's balance sheet total is at EUR 16.9m (December 31, 2015: EUR 14.3m). Basic and diluted earnings per share are EUR -0.02 (prior year EUR -0.00).

Outlook

The market for digital payments is driven by innovations, such as value added services and mobile applications. SANDPIPER expects that the dynamics continue throughout 2016 offering great potential for the execution of SANDPIPER's buy & build strategy.

SANDPIPER's excellent client access, the large customer base of more than 6 million users, the modular solution offering and the dynamic market growth facilitates the future growth in the business segments for Sports & Events, Campus & Corporation, Retail & Leisure as well as Security & Services. Recently, Sandpiper has also launched mobile payment solution which is operational in soccer stadiums and multifunctional arenas.

SANDPIPER has secured market access to South America, China, South East Asia and Australia and expands its geographic footprint in 2016, with revenues materializing in the second half of the year.

The integration and harmonization of SANDPIPER's group companies continues while the SANDPIPER brand is strengthened.

The unaudited interim financial statements as per June 30, 2016 according to Swiss GAAP FER can be downloaded on the website.

About SANDPIPER Digital Payments AG

SANDPIPER Digital Payments AG, www.sandpiper.ch, is a stock-listed technology holding based in St. Gallen, Switzerland. The company is focused on the consolidation of the fragmented payment landscape in Europe by pursuing a 'buy & build' strategy in the area of digital cashless payments and access control. SANDPIPER was established as a special purpose acquisition company in early 2014. The shares are listed on Berne Stock Exchange.

SANDPIPER is already today one of the largest providers of closed-loop payment systems in Europe. SANDPIPER solutions provide safe and intuitive payment technologies based on RFID/NFC and mobile applications for markets such as Retail, Education, Stadium, and Events.

Contact: Volker Rofalski; Tel: +41-44-78380 30; Fax: +41-44-78380 40; website: www.sandpiper.ch