EML Payments Limited (EML) Earnings Call Transcript & Summary

Thank you, Kris. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the EML Payments Group H1 Results telecall. As Kris said, my name is Kevin Murphy, Interim Group CEO, and I'm joined on this call by my colleague, James Georgeson, Group Chief Financial Officer. Following James and my presentation, we will then open the call for questions. I refer you to the ASX announcements, which were issued by EML Payments Group this morning, which formed the basis for this call. So let's kick off moving to Slide 3. H1 FY '24 has been a period of transition for EML as we worked to simplify the group's structure, reinjected the sales culture and strengthened our operating infrastructure. For H1 FY '24, I am pleased to report a revenue uplift of 30% on PCP to $150.7 million, with underlying EBITDA growth of 119% on PCP to $29.3 million. James will outline the details supporting these numbers shortly. However, it is pleasing to see the business deliver strong percentage growth in our core financial metrics through a period of strategic and operational change. Our work on cost optimization across the group is ongoing, with accelerated deliverables moving into H2 FY '24. Whilst we are behind where we wanted to be at the half year due to a number of factors, including the very significant management effort involved in resolving remediation activities and achieving resolution on PCSIL liquidation. Management and Board have worked closely to lay out a clear path forward on cost optimization over H2 and into FY '25-'26. Regulatory remediation challenges have naturally consumed significant management resources and led to the undemocratic allocation of capital across the business. After a strategic review of the PCSIL business last year, it was decided that the business should be wound down due to the commercial and sustainability challenges facing this business. The liquidation of this business was ratified by the Irish High Court on February 13. And this will release management energy, focus and resource from PCSIL to our core profitable businesses. Our U.K. GPR business, PFSL has been progressing steadily through the remediation journey for the past 18 months. I am pleased to say that PFSL now expects the FCA to shortly assess the removal of the growth cap restriction applying to new contracts. The removal of the growth cap will enable the business to actively compete for new customers again in the U.K. market. The group has actively driven yields on the large flows of safeguarded funds, which are derived from underlying commercial activity and is a core component of how we price contracts. James will speak to this in more detail shortly. In addition, after a period where the EML Group was quite internally focused on operational challenges, we are actively rebuilding our commercial capabilities across our core businesses with the appointments of commercial directors and supporting talent in each of these businesses. In April 2023, the new Board called out a number of operational priorities, of which rebuilding talent across the group was key. The group executive team has been rebuilt with a number of critical vacancies filled with high-caliber colleagues who are already adding value to the commercial results of the Group and ensuring that our risk and compliance competencies are enhanced. The strategic review announced by the Board last April remains ongoing with Sentenial, a primary focus of activity. I'm pleased now to hand over to James to take you through the financial results in more detail.

Thank you, Kevin, and good morning, all. I'm pleased to be with you today as part of my first results announcement at EML Payments after joining as Group CFO in September last year. As you can see on Slide 5, the majority of our financial metrics have improved in the first half of '24 compared to last year as the business continues to stabilize and address historic challenges. Underpinning the improvements in most metrics was the positive increases in recurring revenue across each of our business segments and the more favorable interest rate environment and our deliberate treasury management actions, which together contributed strongly to the result in the half. Offsetting this was an increase in overhead costs is up 25% on the same time last year. This increase reflects a number of items, including the embedding of run rate increases from the second half of last year, delayed cost optimizations -- optimization activities linked to the strategic work we've been doing in a number of non-repeating items in the first half. As a result, underlying EBITDA increased 119% to $29.3 million compared to $13.4 million in the same time last year. The result was primarily driven by the growth in interest and customer revenue already flagged. As Kevin highlighted, we recognize that we need to rightsize our cost base for the current business. This work stream is underway, and we will comment this further in detail later in the presentation. Below EBITDA, we did recognize impairment expenses in the half totaling $9.3 million. This was well down on the prior period. The impairment recognized this time was in relation to the PCSIL for the impairment of customer contracts and software assets, which was previously flagged. All of the numbers shown on this page and throughout the presentation include PCSIL balances, as that business was still consolidated by the EML Group in the half year to 31 December 2023. The wind down of the liquidation commenced from the 17th of January 2024 and so will be deconsolidated from the EML Group from that date onwards. As a result, PCSIL will be shown as a discontinued operation in our full year accounts. On the bottom right-hand side of this page, we have shown the results of PCSIL across the first half of '24 and '23. In this year, underlying EBITDA was $8.5 million and was temporarily elevated from a newly implemented but non-repeating fee structure on one of our key contracts, which is in runoff. And also, the result benefited from delayed expenditure on remediation and other overhead costs. The cash burn for PCSIL in the half was approximately $3.2 million, which would have accelerated dramatically in the second half, if not for the liquidation. And the overall statutory result for PCSIL was a small profit of $2 million for the 6 months. As I just mentioned, from the 17th of January 2024, PCSIL will no longer be consolidated by the EML Group, and EML's remaining exposure remains the repayment of the $20 million historic intercompany loan balance. Following the conclusion of the liquidation and repayment of intercompany balances, EML expects pro forma free cash flow to materially improve. We still expect to report approximately $25 million of noncash impairments across 2024 in relation to PCSIL, which reflects the removal of the net assets of the business and the write-off associated intangibles. In the first half, we recognized $9.3 million of this amount with the balance to be recognized in the second half, reflecting the final loss on deconsolidation. Moving to our 3 core segments. On Slide 6, the results for our Gifting segment are shown. Gifting primarily comprises our North American and European businesses, which offer a range of Gift programs primarily distributed through shopping malls and a range of incentive programs, including in the corporate domain. Total revenue for Gifting was up 15%, with customer revenue up 9% and an increasing contribution from interest revenue. GDV and customer revenue is seasonally higher in the first half, reflecting stronger sales across the holiday period, although the higher interest revenue contributed is reducing the seasonality impact going forward. The corporate incentive channel performed well during the half, up $4 million on the prior period. Shopping mall volumes were impacted by the runoff of a key customer finishing the period 4% down on the prior period. Underlying gross profit margin remained relatively stable across the period. Moving to Slide 7. The results for our General Purpose Reloadable segment are shown. Our GPR segment primarily comprises our Australian and U.K. businesses, which offer a range of payment solutions across the government, financial services and human capital domains. PCSIL balances are included in the GPR segment in both halves. Total revenue was up 38%, with customer revenue up 6% and a strong contribution from interest revenue. Customer revenue growth was subdued as our U.K. GPR business was impacted by ongoing growth restrictions in the first half of '24. We expect the growth restrictions to be reassessed in the near term. Underlying gross profit margin was 71% in the first half of '24, up 12% on the prior year, assisted by higher interest revenue. Moving to Slide 8. The results for our Digital Payments segment are shown. Our Digital Payment segment comprises our Sentenial business and Nuapay Open Banking Payments business and our Virtual Account Numbers business in the U.S. Sentenial is now approximately 2/3 of the Digital Payments segment. Total revenue was up 17%, with customer revenue up 15%, reflecting momentum in Sentenial. Sentenial continues to grow with the GDV and revenue line, up 67% and 34%, respectively, compared to the prior period. On Slide 9, we show the movements in overhead costs. As stated earlier, overhead costs were up 25% on the same time last year. The size of the increase at least partly reflects cost optimization activities behind schedule in the first half, given the backdrop of the PCSIL wind down and the ongoing strategic review activities. Key cost increases in first half '24 compared to the prior year include a number of items: employee entitlements due to talent investments across senior leadership, risk, treasury and commercial teams. Additional professional fees to stabilize and improve key operational areas. Increased technology spend reflecting new risk and compliance software-related spend and additional cloud-based costs and critical investments in in the leadership team to rebuild risk and compliance as well as the PCSIL cost burden. Loss costs were up 25% in the first half of '23, they were up a more modest 13% compared to the second half of '23. The growth rate in costs over the last 3 halves has reduced from the historic growth rate. However, more work is required to manage costs lower given our prior announced cost reduction actions have been slower to realize value, given the significant management time spent safely winding down the PCSIL business and the separation of the old PFS business. As Kevin has highlighted, a comprehensive cost optimization program is well underway. To that end, benefits from a number of the initial reduction activities are only partly reflected in the half as they've only recently been executed. We expect benefits from these costs and other actions taken early in the second half to reduce cash overheads between -- by between 5% and 10% when comparing the second half of '24 versus the first half of '24. We remain committed to reducing absolute cost levels over the next 2 years, and we continue to execute the plan to simplify the business, which will unlock further savings. Moving to Slide 10 on interest revenue. As already discussed, the more favorable interest rate environment and our deliberate treasury management activities have contributed strongly to the result in the half and interest revenue increased materially to $34.7 million in the first half of '24. Stored float balances increased modestly to $2.7 billion from $2.6 billion across the half year, mainly reflecting seasonality impacts across our businesses. Active treasury optimization activities to improve the earned yields, including the continued reinvestment of our bond portfolio, the sourcing of higher-yield accounts and stronger banking relationships. The annualized yield in 1H '24 was 2.54% compared to for the full year for '23 of 1.27%. On Slide 7, we show our cash flow generation. The group generated net cash increase of $5.9 million during the 6 months to 31 December 2023. Cash generation continues to be impacted by the remediation and restructuring actions and the cash drain from PCSIL. Adjusting for these items, the underlying operating cash flow was $20.8 million, reflecting a 70% conversion rate from underlying EBITDA. On a normalized basis, EBITDA to underlying cash flow is expected to be around 50% over the medium term. As previously discussed, the cash drain from PCSIL ceased from the 17th of January 2024, and the last remaining exposure is the repayment of the approximately $20 million of historical intercompany loan balances, which we expect to be repaid towards the end of the liquidation likely in the next 9 to 12 months. I'll hand back to Kevin now to discuss our second half priorities and outlook for the rest of the year.

Thanks, James. So moving to Slide 13. As we look into the second half of the financial year, we have a number of key priorities which we are focused on. As previously mentioned, we are engaged with the FCA to lift the current growth cap on U.K. GPR business, PFSL, and allowed this business return fully to the market. In tandem, we will finalize the operational separation of the PFSL U.K. business from the now liquidated PCSIL entity. Cost reduction is a very key focus in this half, as James has outlined. All parts of the Group are engaged on efficiency initiatives, which will deliver results in this financial year and give us positive momentum into FY '25. We have invested in rebuilding sales and commercial capabilities in our core businesses. Our sales cycles are typically long and building a pipeline of quality commercial prospects for FY '25 delivery is a core focus. We continue to advance discussions in respect of the Sentenial transaction, noting that completing a transaction is not guaranteed. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our hardworking staff, customers, our shareholders and key partners for their support of EML in this period of transition. Thank you for listening to James and my presentation this morning, and we are happy now to take any questions.

[Operator Instructions] And at this time, we are showing no questioners in the queue, and I would like to now turn the conference back over to Mr. Murphy for any closing remarks.

Thank you very much, Kris. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for attending our conference call this morning, and for your attention. We will now move to close the call. Good morning.