Press Office

For the purpose of assessing the financial position and business development of the Asseco Group, data adjusted for the cost of additional amortization of intangible assets (PPA and SBP) recognized in connection with regaining control over the Formula Systems Group, are of key importance. Excluding this negative accounting effect, the Group's profits increased at a double-digit rate: non-IFRS* operating profit increased by 19% to PLN 235 million, while non-IFRS* net profit went up by 21% to PLN 81 million.

In the first quarter we recorded very good results - the sales of the Asseco Group increased in all business segments, while profits net of the negative effect of additional amortization of intangible assets recognized in connection with regaining control over Formula Systems went up by 20%. We are driven by, among others, the banking sector and new orders related to support in adapting to important changes in Polish and EU law, as well as an increasing number of international implementations carried out by the Group's companies. Our results reflect successes in individual segments. Visible increases were recorded by the Formula Systems Group, although they were offset by the negative impact of changes in foreign exchange rates, among other factors. Asseco International achieved double-digit sales growth. Our competence center dealing with the payments segment has been developing dynamically, said Rafał Kozłowski, Vice President of the Management Board of Asseco Poland.

Currently, the Asseco Group presents its results in three key geographical segments: the Polish market, the Israeli market, i.e. the Formula Systems Group, and international markets managed by the Asseco International holding.The Group's results were mainly influenced by foreign markets. Israeli companies had a good quarter. Revenues were maintained at a stable level and amounted to PLN 1.3 billion. The decrease in operating profit by 22% to PLN 57 million was mainly due to the impact of additional amortization of intangible assets recognized in connection with regaining control over the Formula Systems Group. In addition, the level of operating profit was negatively affected by exchange rate differences. Assuming the exchange rates remained at last year's levels, both operating income and operating profit would be by 14% higher. Asseco International, which is responsible for other international markets, increased its revenues by 14% to PLN 574 million. Organic growth was supported by last year's acquisitions of the Slovakian CEIT and the Polish company Macrologic. On international markets, Asseco has benefited from increased demand for the ERP solutions, and expanded its offering of advanced products for the industrial, banking and financial sectors. There was a significant improvement in the area of payments, particularly in the area of the ATM maintenance services.On the Polish market, revenues increased to PLN 316 million and the operating profit was higher by 41% and amounted to PLN 56 million. Asseco Poland had the greatest impact on the improvement of these results, as it was particularly successful in the banking sector. The results in the public sector also improved.

According to the list of the "Wprost" weekly, last year the Polish exports increased by 10% on annual basis. The value of the Polish exports reached almost EUR 204 billion.Asseco owns companies located in over 54 countries worldwide and employs more than 24,000 people. Last year, the Group developed significantly on foreign markets, in which it generated 80% of its sales and successfully conducted new acquisitions.

The UniCloud platform, which has received the main award, was introduced to the market 3 years ago by the Data Center of Asseco Data Systems. The interest in the service has been constantly growing and it has been receiving positive opinions of users, mainly programmers, administrators and heads of IT departments. The solution is available in the PaaS - Platform as a Service model and enables quick and intuitive creation and management of IT environments, while providing a wide range of tools and support for programming languages.

Winning the Best in Cloud competition is very important for us, especially due to the fact that the jury, which voted for particular solutions, included IT managers of the largest Polish companies. It also confirms that one can still stand out in such a competitive market of cloud solutions. The UniCloud platform is an advanced cloud solution that can be used to support software development processes and to successfully carry out production implementations, as confirmed by our customers, said Marcin Lebiecki, Director of the Data Center of Asseco Data Systems.

The final stage of the competition also included the Asseco Customer Banking Platform (Asseco CBP) solution, available for cooperative banks through the Internet Services Centre (CUI).Asseco CBP is a unique tool for Internet and mobile banking, based on the innovative concept of mini-application, which provides unlimited opportunities for sharing personalized products and services. Thanks to the cloud, cooperative banks gain a tool enabling flexible adjustment of banking services to the needs and habits of their customers.

Security and benefits provided by the solution available in the cloud have encouraged over 120 cooperative banks in Poland to use it. What distinguishes this product from other solutions in the market is its extreme flexibility. Asseco CBP provides its users with a mini-application boutique which allows for a flexible creation of an offer. It is also distinguished by its innovative approach to designing the appearance of the system and the possibility of free profiling of functionalities and offers for different groups of customers within a single system. In short, it is a tailor-made product for banks, said Marta Mróz-Sipiora, Product Manager, Asseco Poland.

The award ceremony took place on May 22 2018, during the "Best in Cloud" conference in Warsaw Spire.

The title of "Visionary" was awarded for the investment in the Israeli company Formula Systems in 2010 and for booking profit in 2017, which allowed to obtain funds for further foreign undertakings. For example, for Asseco Poland's announced expansion into new markets, such as the US.

When a decision was made to invest in Israel, many analysts thought that this was a bad move and that it generated too much risk. But Adam Góral had his vision, and he was able to see the opportunities offered by the Israeli market, and indirectly by the US market, and to take advantage of them, said Artur Wiza.

The "Visionaries" are awards granted to key figures of Polish business. The jury appreciates managers whose bold and long-term investments determine a company's success not only on the Polish but also foreign markets.

The following criteria have been taken into account in the rank of the "Polish Cheetahs": the level of profits and revenues for 2016 and 2017, as well as the rate at which they grew. According to this year's rank, more than a half of the most dynamically developing companies are private companies. Asseco is the only IT company included in the rank.

For many years, banks have been facing rising costs of authorization and communication with their customers. The mToken Asseco MAA application allows banks to reduce these costs and at the same time increase the security of transactions.mToken Asseco MAA allows for Strong Customer Authentication (SCA), which guarantees a higher level of credibility and protection from fraud. Therefore, the application meets the PSD2 directive's recommendations. The application also enables communication with customers by means of PUSH messages, which are an excellent alternative to previously popular text messages. Owing to the Asseco's solution, a bank does not have to purchase any physical devices, and a customer does not have to rewrite additional codes from them. The application also allows to support multiple accounts in multiple banks. The costs associated with sending paid text messages are also eliminated.

The first customers of co-operative banks have already started using our new application. It gives them a fast, convenient and safe form of accepting Internet banking operations, said Andrzej Nowakowski, Director of the Cooperative Banks Division at Asseco Poland.The mobile token's functionality offered by Asseco Poland under the name of mToken Asseco MAA is a way to reduce the costs of providing Internet banking services to customers. In our view, it also has the potential to help cooperative banks with attracting young people, for whom technical innovations are an important factor in the choice of a bank. It is also important that thanks to the implementation of the mToken technology, a bank will fulfill the obligations resulting from the PSD2 directive. Undoubtedly, the application also offers development potential and we can see the possibility of providing it with other interesting functionalities, said Piotr Mazur, IT Team Director at Poznański Bank Spółdzielczy.The current trend of miniaturization directs activity away from notebooks and tablets towards mobile phones and smartwatches. As long as a telephone is needed in the form of an additional device for communication -  everyone would like to have everything they need in one place - in a place that is always with them and that they will not forget, like a wallet with documents. A mobile token is the basis of security and modernity - it gives us the opportunity to use banking anytime and anywhere, and also maintain all the standards of security and convenience (remember that soon the PSD2 Directive will come into force, which will change a lot on the market - especially in the field of e-commerce), said Roland Węgrzynowski, Head of the IT Team at Gospodarczy Bank Spółdzielczy w Barlinku.

mToken Asseco MAA can be used by retail and corporate customers of banks whose Internet systems are integrated with the application.The application can be downloaded from the following stores:
Google Play
AppStore