OPERATIONAL AND STRATEGIC HIGHLIGHTS

• Record-high twelve-month sales (ended 31 December 2021) achieved by best-to-date issuances (EUR 106 million) in Q4 2021, marking a remarkable year-on-year growth of 108%

• Substantial increase in performance levels (Key Performance Indicators): 
  • annual revenue up by 55% (y-o-y), surpassing EUR 150 million in 2021
  • annual adjusted EBIDTA up by 57% (y-o-y), reaching EUR 58.9 million in 2021
  • net profit for the period reaching EUR 8.8 million

• Continued diversification of business and a balanced revenue stream from the 3 core business lines:
  • flexible lease and subscription-based products contributed EUR 26.7 million to the annual revenue—a more than twofold increase year-over-year (EUR 7.9 million in 2020). Primarily driven by growth in motorcycle-taxi financing in Kenya and Uganda, and successful rollout of rental and subscription products in the Baltics
  • lease and leaseback product revenue at a stable EUR 53.3 million, bouncing back from the slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, as well as rationalization of some markets over the 2020–2021 period
  • consumer lending products generated EUR 61 million in revenue— all-time high and a direct result of the substantial portfolio growth throughout the year, mainly driven by the introduction of longer maturity and higher ticket instalment loans and credit line products across multiple consumer finance markets

• Continued digitalization and automation of the processes and sales channels, facilitating processing of more than 200 000 applications, and scoring of more than 100 000 clients per month

• Launching of the brand-new car subscription product in Latvia in Q4 2021, providing customers with an opportunity to drive a new car the same day and cover all vehicle rental and maintenance costs by a single monthly payment. Customer can choose a subscription period of 1 to 36 months

• With the help of sustainability consultants, Eleving Group conducted a materiality analysis among its stakeholders to contribute to synchronizing the Group’s stakeholder expectations with the current and forthcoming regulatory requirements. The Group’s headquarters implemented a carbon footprint assessment to minimize the climate impact, and will proceed with offsetting activities in 2022 to become a carbon-neutral company

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS AND PROGRESS

• Record profitability as evidenced by: 

• Record-high quarterly EBITDA—EUR 49.0 million (12M 2020: EUR 45.4 million) and adjusted EUR 58.9 million 
• Net Profit before FX—EUR 7.5 million (12M 2020:  EUR 14.3 million) and adjusted —EUR 17.4 million
• Net Profit after FX—EUR 8.8 million (12M 2020:  EUR 1.1 million loss) and adjusted—EUR 18.7 million

• Record-high portfolio—EUR 244.7 million, a EUR 15.7 million increase q-o-q; Eleving Vehicle Finance accounted for EUR 183.3 million, Eleving Consumer Finance—for EUR 61.4 million respectively
• Eleving Group’s funding maturity profile extended by five more years due to successful Eurobond issuance and settlement on 18 October 2021. New secured Eurobonds were issued at par with an annual interest rate of 9.5% and maturity in 2026
• Fitch Ratings assigned a senior secured debt rating of ‘B-(EXP)’ with a Recovery Rating of ‘RR4’ to Eleving Group’s new Eurobonds
• Additionally, Eleving Group announced an issuance and settlement of EUR 25 million subordinated bonds in order to refinance existing shareholder loans as well as further strengthen Group’s capital structure

Modestas Sudnius, CEO of Eleving Group, commented: “We began 2021 with a clear goal of keeping our strategic focus on the Group’s existing markets and pursuing steady growth. In retrospect, I can conclude that not only was our strategy accomplished but also surpassed.  Sustained quarter-on-quarter growth of our performance levels is the best evidence for that. Our sales, annual revenue, and EBITDA have grown by at least 50%, proving strength of the Eleving Group business model. Effective risk management through automated solutions, state-of-the-art IT systems, and established sales channels were the core pillars in achieving results.

While keeping our focus on the existing geographies, Eleving Group also launched a variety of new products. From subscription and rental services in the Baltics to long term credit line solutions in Moldova. The successful launch of these products shows the company’s ability to meet the changing customer needs and will play an important role in strengthening the Group’s leading market position in the future. Throughout the year, we recorded strong quarter-on-quarter growth in the productive lending operations in Africa. By providing local entrepreneurs with affordable access to owning a moto-taxi we have created thousands of jobs and improved the drivers’ income.

During the last year, Eleving Group has laid a firm foundation for sustainable operations following ESG principles, and we are proud of the tangible results achieved across multiple social and environmental initiatives. Going forward, we aim to incorporate more and more sustainability-focused products into our business and focus on improving our non-financial reporting practices.”

Maris Kreics, CFO of Eleving Group: “2021 marks the best year in Eleving Group’s 9-year history since inception in 2012. The following achievements across three main areas are worthy of mention.

First, the Group’s operational excellence and healthy balance sheet. Both have been forged by the Group’s adjusted EBITDA of EUR 58.9 million, exceeding the previous year’s result 1.6 times. 

Second, in 2021, the Group refinanced all of its bond liabilities by issuing new Latvian bonds in the amount of EUR 30 million and refinancing previous Eurobonds with a new senior secured bond simultaneously raising more capital, which resulted in a new EUR 150 million Eurobond with maturity in 2026. Year 2021 was closed with the issuance of subordinated bonds worth EUR 25 million, which enjoys the equity credit from the rating agency’s perspective. It is worth mentioning that the extraordinary fundraising year left a non-recurring refinancing expense of EUR 5.7 m in the Profit and Loss statement that we consider money well spent. 

Third, we have spent a considerable amount of time optimizing our balance sheet; as a result, we have either divested or written off several of our rundown markets freeing up resources for the active ones. This repositioning took a one-time toll on our Profit and Loss statement in the amount of EUR 4.5 million as an extraordinary expense. We have also been successful at monetizing a number of receivables on our balance sheet ahead of time, reinvesting them in productive assets—our net loan portfolio, which now stands at EUR 244.7 million. 

To conclude, a one-time extraordinary expense of more than EUR 10 million has not affected the profitability of the Group, which has achieved EUR 9.3 million of total comprehensive income in 2021, thus positioning itself for an operational and financial uplift in 2022.”

The full unaudited report for the twelve months ended 31 December 2021 is available under: https://eleving.com/investors/ 

Conference Call:

A conference call in English with the Group’s management team to discuss the results is scheduled for 15 February 2022 at 15:00 CET.

Please register: http://emea.directeventreg.com/registration/8954344 

Contact:

Eleving Group

Maris Kreics, Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Email: maris.kreics@eleving.com

About Eleving Group

Eleving Group comprises a number of financial technology companies with a global presence. The Group operates in the vehicle and consumer finance segments in 3 continents, providing financial inclusion and disruptively changing financial services industries in its countries of operation. Founded in 2012 in Latvia, the Group has revolutionized the way people purchase cars. Having expanded all across the Baltics within its first year in business, the Group continued expansion in the following years, servicing a total of 14 active markets. 

With its headquarters in Latvia, the Group operates in the Baltics, Central, Eastern, and South-Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Central Asia, and Eastern Africa.

For two consecutive years since 2020, the Group has appeared on the Financial Times list of Europe’s 1000 fastest growing companies. 

Read more: www.eleving.com

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