DGAP-News: Wirecard AG: Targets for 2017 fiscal year achieved

Annual results

Wirecard AG: Targets for 2017 fiscal year achieved

- Consolidated revenues increased by 44.9 percent (PY: +33.3%)

- Transaction volume increased by 47.5 percent (PY: +36.5%)

- 34.2 percent increase in EBITDA (PY: +35.2%)

- Proposed dividend of EUR 0.18 per share

- EBITDA 2018 guidance raised

Aschheim (Munich). In the 2017 fiscal year, Wirecard AG was able to push forward the digitalisation of payment processes very successfully across the world and greatly enhance its competitive advantage through the continuous expansion of its digital platform.

Group revenues increased by 44.9 percent to EUR 1.5 billion (PY: EUR 1.0 billion). The transaction volume processed through the Wirecard platform grew by 47.5 percent to EUR 91.0 billion (PY: EUR 61.7 billion). A transaction volume of EUR 39.3 billion was generated outside Europe (PY: EUR 19.6 billion).

Operating earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased in 2017 compared to the previous year by 34.2 percent to EUR 412.6 million (PY: EUR 307.4 million). In the 2017 fiscal year, the EBITDA margin increased to 27.7 percent (PY: 29.9 percent). The cash flow from operating activities (adjusted) amounted to EUR 375.7 million (PY: EUR 283.0 million).

In the 2017 fiscal year, earnings after tax increased by 46.8 percent to EUR 259.7 million, compared to the earnings in 2016 adjusted for the special effect from the sale of Visa Europe of EUR 176.9 million. Thus earnings per share stood at EUR 2.10 (PY: EUR 1.43).

The Management Board will propose to this year's Annual General Meeting that a dividend of EUR 0.18 per share (PY: EUR 0.16) is paid to shareholders.

Outlook

Wirecard has established an outstanding competitive position to also continue to benefit from the accelerating trend towards the digitalisation of payment processes in all sales channels in the future.

Wirecard CEO Dr. Markus Braun commented: "Digitalisation and thus also the digitalisation of payment processes around the world is gathering pace but it is still only at the very beginning in many sectors. Around 80 to 85 percent of all global transactions are still made in cash. Alongside continuously strong growth in the online and mobile sector, additional growth trends can also be identified in the advancing digitalisation at the point-of-sale and the convergence of all sales channels on one digital platform."

Following the successful entry onto the US market in the first quarter of 2017, Wirecard is now represented in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, North and South America and the Middle East and Africa and is pushing forward the expansion of its digital platform strategy globally.

Due to the strong organic business development, Wirecard Management Board has increased the EBITDA guidance for the fiscal year 2018 to EUR 520 million to EUR 545 million (previous guidance: EUR 510 million to EUR 535 million).

The 2017 Annual Report is available on the company's website at:
ir.wirecard.com/financialreports
Photos: wirecard.com/newsroom/imagefinder/

Wirecard media contact:

Iris Stöckl
VP Corp. Comm./IR
Tel.: +49 (0) 89-4424-1424
E-mail: iris.stoeckl@wirecard.com
http://www.wirecard.com
ISIN DE0007472060
Reuters: WDI.GDE
Bloomberg: WDI GY

About Wirecard:

Wirecard AG is a global technology group that supports companies in accepting payments from all sales channels. As a leading independent supplier, the Wirecard Group offers outsourcing and white label solutions for electronic payments. International payment acceptances and methods with supplementary fraud prevention solutions can be provided via a global platform. With regard to issuing own payment instruments in the form of cards or mobile payment solutions, the Wirecard Group provides companies with an end-to-end infrastructure, including the requisite licences for card and account products. Wirecard AG is listed on the Frankfurt Securities Exchange (TecDAX, ISIN DE0007472060, WDI). Further information is available on the Internet at www.wirecard.de or follow us on Twitter @wirecard.