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Financial institutions M&A: Sector trends - January 2021

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January 2021

We highlight the key European M&A trends in the second half of 2020, and provide our insights into the outlook for M&A moving forward.

Introduction

2020 was a year of unprecedented peaks and troughs for European financial services M&A—a year with glittering prospects hit rock bottom in April, following the onset of the first COVID-19 lockdown. Bumper trading revenues and advisory fees recorded by the Bulge Bracket bolstered market confidence, but dividend bans and fears surrounding loan default levels soon took their toll.

Just when all seemed lost, deal-making rebounded strongly, hastening the commencement of bank consolidation M&A across Europe and the promise of an M&A bull market in 2021.

In this edition, we navigate the choppy financial services M&A landscape of 2020 to bring you key deal highlights and M&A trends across Europe and the UK. Focusing on Banks, Fintech and Other Financial Services, we also provide our insights on the outlook for M&A in H1 2021 and beyond.

Key highlights from H2 2020 include the following:

  • Banks: Mega domestic bank consolidation takes centre stage—Spain leads the charge by way of the CaixaBank / Bankia and Unicaja Banco / Liberbank all-share mergers
  • Fintech: Financial sponsors demand more bang-for-buck, as equity valuation volatility wreaks havoc for funding rounds
  • Asset / Wealth Management: Market consolidation continues at pace, as the COVID-19 pandemic heaps pressure onto smaller managers
  • Payments: Pan-European champions emerge amidst COVID-19 turmoil—Germany (Giropay / Paydirekt), France (Worldline / Ingenico) and Italy (SIA / Nexi)
  • Stock Exchanges / Clearing Houses / Trading Venues: Market infrastructure juggernauts thunder the M&A plains—vertical integration remains a key focus
  • Brokers / Corporate Finance: "Traditional" brokers resort to M&A to survive in the COVID-19 climate, which has materially boosted customer demand for DIY trading platforms
  • Consumer Finance: Financial sponsors back niche providers—child-friendly, gig-economy and POS finance attract interest in H2 2020
  • Specialty Finance / Marketplace Lending: Specialty finance businesses abandon retail investor roots in favour of institutional support

M&A Forecast legend

European financial services M&A trends

Mega domestic bank consolidation takes centre stage— Spain leads the charge

Bank M&A across Europe comes to a boil—the COVID-19 pandemic has hastened the confluence of conducive conditions for mega domestic mergers. Spain and the Balkans lead the charge, with Italy, Germany, France, Poland and the UK expected to follow.

vault

Europe's unicorns lengthen their stride amidst COVID-19 uncertainty—the bold set their sights on IPO in 2021

2020 has been a turbulent year for many fintechs. Established fintechs and startups with deliverable business plans have thrived, while others have suffered the indignity of plummeting valuations and down rounds.

office building statue

Asset/Wealth Management

Market consolidation continues at pace, as the COVID-19 pandemic heaps pressure onto smaller managers

gold coins

Payments

Pan-European champions emerge amidst the COVID-19 turmoil— Germany (Giropay/Paydirekt), France (Worldline/Ingenico) and Italy (SIA/Nexi)

Classical architecture

Stock Exchanges/Clearing Houses/Trading Venues

Market infrastructure juggernauts thunder the M&A plains—vertical integration remains a key focus

assessment graph

Brokers/Corporate Finance

"Traditional" brokers resort to M&A to survive in the COVID-19 climate, which has boosted customer demand for DIY online trading platforms

stock market graph

Consumer Finance

Financial sponsors back niche providers—child-friendly, gig economy and POS finance attract interest in H2 2020

stock market display

Specialty Finance/Marketplace Lending

Specialty finance businesses abandon retail investor roots in favour of institutional support

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stock market display

Consumer Finance

Financial institutions M&A sector trends: consumer finance — H2 2020 and outlook for 2021

Insight
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4 min read

Financial sponsors back niche providers—child-friendly, gig economy and POS finance attract interest in H2 2020

 

Overview

Current market

  • Uptick in M&A activity

We are seeing

  • Trade consolidators bulk up (e.g., Goldman Sachs's acquisition of General Motors' credit card business)
  • Financial sponsors back niche consumer finance providers:
    • Child-friendly (e.g., Gaia Capital Partners', Edison Partners' and Citi Ventures' participation in US$40 million equity funding round for GoHenry and Canapi Ventures' and TTV Capital's participation in US$215 million Series C funding round for Greenlight Financial Technology)
    • Gig economy (e.g., Green Dot's participation in US$7.5 million Series A funding round for Gig Wage and Group 11's participation in US$15 million Series A funding round for Lili)
    • POS finance (e.g., Gauss Ventures' participation in US$30 million funding round for Zilch and GIC and Durable Capital Partners' participation in US$500 million Series G funding round for Affirm)
  • Demise of UK payday lenders (e.g., bankruptcy of MYJAR, Privilege Wealth, Sunny and PiggyBank)

Key drivers/challenges

  • Trade consolidators:
    • Levelling out of volatile trading and IB product segments
    • Growing focus on consumer banking market share
  • Financial sponsors spot the opportunity to capitalise on:
    • Under-serviced market segments
    • Ride the e-commerce wave
    • Collect and monetise customer data
  • End of an era for UK payday lending:
    • Interest rate caps introduced by the UK Financial Conduct Authority in 2015 take their toll on the remaining lenders
    • Customer compensation claims resulting from payday lenders’ sharp business practices (i.e., industry-wide loan mis-selling)
    • Availability of alternative loan products (e.g., payroll finance, buy now pay later, etc.)
    • Government-backed financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic making it more difficult for payday lenders to recoup borrowings

Trends to watch

  • Government-backed COVID-19 covenant breach forbearance, payment holiday and repossession deferral relief measures to adversely impact profitability of consumer finance businesses
  • Uptick in regulatory enforcement action against lenders for TCF failings (e.g., UK FCAs £26 million fine levied on Barclays for improper treatment of retail borrowers who fell into arrears or experienced financial difficulties)
  • Regulatory clampdown of credit-like products which may attract high-cost credit customers (e.g., employee salary advance schemes and exempt credit agreements)

 

Our M&A forecast

Despite uncertainty surrounding the true impact of government-backed COVID-19 consumer relief measures, trade and financial sponsor investment is likely to continue in the medium-term as investors seek to capitalise on growth in e-commerce (which is likely to extend beyond the COVID-19 pandemic).

 

Other financial services—Publicly reported deals & situations

Healthy buyer appetite

In a letter to UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey called for regulation of UK non-bank financial firms to be toughened in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. S&P Global (June 2020)

  • Affirm (POS): Acquisition of PayBright (December 2020)
  • Goldman Sachs (Consumer credit): Acquisition of General Motors' credit card business (October 2020)
  • AfterPay (Consumer finance): Acquisition of Pagantis and PMT Technology from NBQ Corporate (August 2020)
  • eToro (Crypto finance): Acquisition of Marq Millions (July 2020)

 

Non-High Street lenders stockpile lending firepower

Deal highlight:

White & Case represented Gaia Capital Partners, the Paris-based investment fund specialising in growth companies, on its investment, alongside Edison Partners and Citi Ventures, in the US$40 million equity funding round of GoHenry, the money app and prepaid debit card aimed at encouraging healthy financial habits in 6-to-18-year-olds.

Deal highlight:

White & Case represented Habito, recently voted best Mortgage Broker of 2020 in the British Bank Awards, on its £35 million Series C funding round.

  • Zilch (POS): Successful US$30 million funding round, led by Simon Nixon and Gauss Ventures (December 2020)
  • Updraft (Consumer credit): Successful £16 million funding round, led by Quilam Capital (December 2020)
  • Pockit (Pre-paid debit cards): Successful £15 million Series B crowdfunding round (December 2020)
  • GoHenry (Child-friendly pre-paid debit cards): Successful US$40 million equity funding round, led by Gaia Capital Partners, Edison Partners and Citi Ventures (December 2020)
  • Gig Wage (Gig economy finance): Successful US$7.5 million Series A funding round, led by Green Dot (October 2020)
  • Lili (Freelancers banking): Successful US$15 million Series A funding round, led by Group 11 (October 2020)
  • Molo Finance (Online mortgages): Successful US$266 million Series A funding round, led by Patron Capital (October 2020)
  • Greenlight Financial Technology (Child-friendly debit cards): Successful US$215 million Series C funding round, led by Canapi Ventures and TTV Capital (Septemeber2020)
  • Affirm (POS): Successful US$500 million Series G funding round, led by GIC and Durable Capital Partners (September 2020)
  • Petal (Consumer credit): Successful US$55 million Series C funding round, led by Valar Ventures (Septemeber2020)
  • Copper (Teen banking): Successful US$4.3 million Seed funding round, led by PSL Ventures (August 2020)
  • Hammock (Landlord banking): Successful £1 million Seed funding round, led by Fuel Ventures and Ascension Ventures (August 2020)
  • Habito (Digital mortgage lending): Successful £35 million Series C funding round, led by SBI Group, Augmentum Fintech and Mojo Capital (August 2020)
  • True Link (Credit for senior citizens): Successful US$35 million Series B funding round, led by Khosla Ventures and Centana Growth Partners (July 2020)

 

Demise of payday lending

  • MYJAR (UK): Collapse into administration (December 2020)
  • Privilege Wealth (UK): Appointment of a liquidator (October 2020)
  • Elevate Credit International Limited/Sunny (UK): Collapse into administration (July 2020)
  • PiggyBank (UK): Collapse into administration (July 2020)

 

Partnership model

  • Westpac (Australia): Disposal of Zip and partnership with Afterpay (October 2020)

 

Click here to download 'Financial services M&A stages a herculean comeback in H2 2020, finishing the year on a high' PDF.

 

 

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This article is prepared for the general information of interested persons. It is not, and does not attempt to be, comprehensive in nature. Due to the general nature of its content, it should not be regarded as legal advice.

© 2021 White & Case LLP

 

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