Insights

20 - 21 June 2023 | THE IFEMA, MADRID

Advancing next generation payments - a quest for global interoperability

EBAday is coming back to Madrid this year, and we are excited to be among the sponsors of the event once again.

Milan – 18 April 2023 – TAS S.p.A., a leading company in Italy in the supply of software and services for banking and financial applications, and the head of a group of companies of the same name (the “TAS”) also present in Europe and America, announces today the acquisition by the subsidiary Global Payments SpA of the entire share capital of Mitobit Srl (hereinafter "Mitobit"), a Tech-Enabler founded in 2014 and specialized in the supply of software applications and services for the Payments, Banking, Insurance and Fintech sectors. Mitobit has a strong focus on technological innovation and digitization, providing services in the IT area, including software development and as-a-service platforms, mainly focused on payments and e-money for the Finance sector.

For TAS it is the fourth acquisition since July 2022 of an emerging company in the Italian Fintech scene, after ASTRO IT, Krisopea and Nemos.

"Our acquisition policy aims to enhance the excellence of the TAS group so that we can provide our customers with complete, integrated solutions and services that enable them to compete in an increasingly dynamic payments market where cutting-edge technology and industry experience are key differentiation factors. Mitobit has these characteristics and we are very excited that it is now part of our group" comments Fabio Bravi, Head of M&A, Special Projects and Corporate Developments of TAS.

“At Mitobit, technology is the lifeblood of our team. Our mission is to build innovative software that meets each company's unique needs. This makes us incredibly proud to be part of the TAS group: two like-minded entities devoted to creating technological breakthroughs and a customer-oriented approach. We are confident that, with our combined expertise and experience, we will be even better placed to deliver high-quality products tailored to an ever-evolving industry where solid foundations and professional standards are paramount”. Davide Carnevali and Luca Falcon, directors and founding partners of Mitobit, declared.

TAS has been assisted in the transaction by KPMG as Financial Advisor and by Lexia Avvocati for the legal and labor law aspects.

Mitobit was assisted in the transaction by the lawyer Alessandro Diani of the LegalTaxLab network for the legal aspects and by Studio Muliari for the due diligence, tax and employment aspects.

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Milan, March 13^TH, 2023 - TAS SpA (hereinafter "TAS"), a leading company in the supply of software and services for banking and financial applications, in Europe and the Americas, announces the entry of Cristiano Viganò as Group Chief Financial Officer.

Cristiano brings to TAS his many years of experience as CFO in various areas of the ICT world, in particular in digital payments.

Cristiano has worked in prestigious software houses, from Accenture to Clessidra Sgr, up to Ingenico where, for 13 years, he held various roles both in Italy and abroad. In recent years he has been Group CFO of an important system integration company and, recently, of Olivetti.

The skills gained in structured multinational contexts, in particular in the management of M&A operations with related integrations, make him the right person to make a fundamental contribution to the execution of TAS' growth strategy by strengthening its processes and financial governance.

Valentino Bravi, CEO of TAS, said: “With great pleasure we welcome Cristiano to TAS who, with his skills and solid experience, will certainly be an important part of our team to implement the development plans we have in mind for the group shortly.”

Cristiano Viganò added, “I am honored to join an established company in the payments market such as TAS and also enthusiastic to be able to contribute to the execution of the ambitious strategic plan supported by Rivean Capital and led by an Executive team of recognized expertise.”

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Milan - November 14, 2022 - TAS S.p.A., a leading company in Italy in the supply of software and services for banking and financial applications, and the head of a group of companies of the same name (the "TAS Group") also present in Europe and America, today announces the acquisition by its subsidiary Global Payments S.p.A. of the entire share capital of Nemos Srl (hereinafter "Nemos"), a company that provides software solutions and consulting services for the e-money sector.

Nemos is a point of reference in the Italian panorama for the development of "on demand" solutions, born with the mission of facilitating the management of payment instruments by favoring ease of use, flexibility, high degree of customization, connectivity and containment of final costs.

For TAS, this is the third acquisition since July 2021, after ASTRO IT and Krisopea.

Fabio Bravi, Head of M&A, Special Projects and Corporate Developments of TAS comments: “One of the main pillars on which we want to base our growth is certainly e-money and this acquisition goes in that direction. Nemos is a player recognized by the market and we share our mission and values with them. Also, at the heart of TAS action is the desire to offer our customers increasingly customizable, flexible and technologically advanced solutions. For this reason, we were immediately in tune with Nemos and we are sure that this acquisition will enhance our ability to create customer-tailored services ".

“TAS is a reality that we know well and that qualifies as one of the main players in the payments sector in Italy, and beyond. We are convinced that this acquisition will allow us to further develop our skills on a larger scale by joining a group that is investing in innovation and growth both nationally and internationally ", say Claudio Vecchia and Gianluca Sisti, Directors of Nemos.

TAS was assisted in the transaction by KPMG as financial advisor and by Lexia Avvocati for the legal aspects, while Nemos was assisted by the financial advisor Andrea Lavorenti and the legal advisor Andrea Zoppolato, partner of Buonocore Galletti Zoppolato Avvocati.

Milan, 22 September 2022 - The rebranding unveils a new logo and a completely revised website for a tailored customer experience

The new governance and the delisting from the stock exchange, completed in the first half of 2022, has opened a new chapter for TAS, a leading Software Provider specialized in financial services and platform solutions, with offices in 9 countries spanning Europe and the Americas.

This new chapter has triggered a corporate rebranding that reflects the company's recent transformation, but above all its ambition to accelerate growth internationally.

Founded in 1982 and then a pioneer in the digitization of payment and finance processes for the Italian banking sector, TAS has over a 40 years period evolved to become a key solution provider, supporting the evolution of financial transactions, while extending its operations and capabilities internationally.

In today's increasingly open and competitive market landscape, TAS stands out as an enabler of new customer journeys for established players as well as new market entrants. As a reliable partner, TAS is able to propose innovative technological solutions that allow clients to increase and strengthen their market positioning.

The new group logo is inspired by TAS' ability to evolve, while ensuring consistency and stability in its services and platform solutions.

 “The graphics accompanying our new logo express these concepts through the color gradient that changes within a coherent shape, always maintaining the harmony of the final solution” explainsMarina Jacobone, Marketing Director of TAS. “The components of the symbol adapt to be able to live independently but also united, to work together and at the same time to be able to easily integrate the new, represented by the orange shape. For TAS, modularity is key. "

TAS's mission revolves around the keyword "simplify":

• simplify technological complexity so that customers can focus on their business;
• simplify the adoption of new applications thanks to the modularity of the solutions and their cloud capabilities;
• simplify compliance with standards and regulations by providing solutions that can be easily integrated with the client’s existing solutions;
• simplify project management by entrusting them to the experience of TAS.

A constant commitment to conceive and provide future-proof solutions that facilitate the evolution of financial services at a domestic and cross-border level, favouring the harmonious development of the entire ecosystem for the benefit of banks, investors, businesses, citizens and the general public.

" 2022 was a significant year for us given the investment by Rivean Capital Fund. Rivean gave us new resources to dedicate to the many projects we are investing in, but also helped accelerate the effective roll -out of our unique Global Payment Platform, which is already seeing significant interest across multiple verticals in non-banking industries, such as Insurance, Retailers, On-line Merchants, Utilities and more. "comments CEO Valentino Bravi -" Via this new brand, we wanted to communicate the step change of pace by TAS, while referring to the spirit of our teams, founded on deep expertise and driven by enthusiasm, curiosity and creativity. "

The new website is now live at www.tasgroup.eu

Milan, September 13, 2022 – TAS Group, a global provider of innovative solutions in card management, digital payments, financial messaging and capital markets, has announced that it has been ranked among the Top 100 in the 2022 IDC FinTech Rankings for the 14th consecutive year. The IDC FinTech Rankings evaluates and categorizes the top IT vendors based on 2021 calendar year revenues and the percentage of revenues exclusively attributed to financial institutions, including banks, capital markets firms, and insurers or directly to fintech solution providers for hardware, software, and/or services.

“IDC is honored to recognize the technology providers that appear on the 19 th annual IDC FinTech Rankings,” said Marc DeCastro, Research Director at IDC Financial Insights. “These are the companies that have shown commitment to the financial services industry and their appearance on the list is a testament to that dedication.”

Valentino Bravi, Chairman and CEO at TAS Group, remarked, " We really appreciate our inclusion in this renowned and independent Ranking, year after year. In 2021 TAS’s resilience and continuous improvements were also recognised by the VC world, with the acquisition of majority control of the company by Rivean Capital private equity. Excelling in Financial Technology to support the Banking Industry and new challenger enterprises navigate disrupted market forces is our first commitment; one that we pursue with passion and tireless teamwork."

Andrew Quartermaine, COO International Markets, added, " There is a clear need for SW Solution providers who understand the Open Finance market, a landscape being significantly reshaped by the regulatory environment in Europe and beyond. Given TAS’ size and experienced track record, we can show outstanding flexibility, ensuring effective partnerships and growth together with our customers.”

The impact of technology on business and human life is becoming more and more strategic in the last decade. Collaboration and innovation are key recipes for leading technology suppliers, such as TAS, who has been strongly leveraging cloud and open API technology to build SaaS enabled platforms for banks, improving their time to market and ability to adapt rapidly to changing regulatory demands.

TAS Global Payment Platform (GPP) has its roots in synergistic integration of software components in the fields of transaction banking, financial value chain services, cards and account-based payments. Conceived “as a service” to both incumbent and challenger players of the Payments Ecosystem, its rich set of APIs allows seamlessly integration with existing architectures, and with modern, white-labelled BaaS solutions.

At Eurosystem level TAS continues to support Europe’s financial community in meeting T2/T2S Consolidation deadlines, ECMS and SWIFT FIN’s migration towards ISO20022.

In the Issuing and Acquiring domain TAS continues to attract a growing FinTech customer base throughout Europe and the Americas based on the extreme flexibility and embedded compliance of its solutions.

Milan - August 2, 2022 - TAS SpA, leader in Italy in the supply of software and services for banking and financial applications, mother company of a group also present in Europe and America (hereinafter "TAS Group"), announces the acquisition today by its subsidiary Global Payments S.p.A. of the entire share capital of Krisopea Srl (hereinafter "Krisopea"), a technological and business consulting company in the field of payment systems, founded in 2001 in Milan. The entry into the Group comes a few days after the acquisition of ASTRO IT, announced on July 26, demonstrating the acceleration in non-organic growth driven by Rivean Capital, the Private Equity Fund that became TAS Group’ s majority shareholder in early 2022. Krisopea boasts twenty years of expertise in supporting major Italian Fintech clients on topics like Open Banking and PSD2, Digital Banking, Multichannel and Digital Transformation, all core themes of TAS Group’s value proposition and therefore a precious asset to enhance the productive and innovative capacity of its project teams. “With Krisopea we share SW development methodology, customer centric culture, customer base, attention to human capital and much more. - comments Valentino Bravi, CEO at TAS Group, - I am sure that the synergy between our two companies will allow us to further improve our offering and our customer relationships. I have always been a Made-in-Italy advocate also in the ICT field, and this acquisition further confirms this belief". “Krisopea is an important step towards the evolution of our group as a center of excellence for the development and innovation of payment solutions and services. The growth path we are pursuing involves the acquisition of complementary companies to TAS, and Krisopea perfectly reflects this characteristic” commented Fabio Bravi, Head of M&A, Special Projects and Corporate Developments. "Entering TAS Group, a leading group in the Fintech sector, is for Krisopea the result of a twenty-year path of constant growth and a source of pride for me. A prestigious goal, achieved thanks to the commitment and professionalism of all our employees and collaborators. I want to thank Valentino and Fabio Bravi for the trust placed in our company, with the shared goal of bringing greater value to the group and to our customers. " - declares Flavio Suigo, CEO and Founder of Krisopea. TAS Group was assisted in the transaction by KPMG as financial advisor and by Lexia Avvocati for the legal aspects. Download the press release

Milan — July 28, 2022 — TAS S.p.A. (hereinafter “TAS”), a leading company in the supply of software and services for banking and financial applications, in Europe and the Americas, hired Andrew Quartermaine as Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of TAS International Business. Andrew brings with him nearly thirty years of experience in the Payments Industry. He has been involved in successful start-up businesses and has held a number of senior positions in large multinational corporations, including NCR, First Data Corporation and more recently ACI where Andrew, in the past 7 years, held the role of Director Merchant Retail Europe and Vice President Customer Success. Andrew’s specific expertise in P&L management, customer relationship management and new market entry strategy makes him a perfect fit for TAS’ ambitions to boost its growth in the International Market, leveraging a best in class payments platform. The recent change of governance driven by Rivean Capital Private Equity Fund who acquired TAS Group in Q1 this year further aligns to the growth strategy of TAS. Valentino Bravi, CEO of TAS, said “We’re very excited to have Andrew on board. Through his strong track record in multiple sectors across multiple geographies and EU regions, I am sure he will inspire and empower our growing international team.” Andrew Quartermaine added “I am very pleased to be joining TAS and am excited by the challenge of expanding the business internationally. I believe the solutions TAS has within its portfolio, the partnerships which are in place, the quality of the TAS teams and the support being provided by Rivean Capital will enable the company to capitalize on opportunities which exist”. Download Press Release

Milan — July 26, 2022 — TAS S.p.A. (hereinafter “TAS”), a leading company in Italy in the supply of software and services for banking and financial applications, also present in Europe and America, has today finalized the acquisition of the entire share capital of ASTRO IT S.r.l. (hereinafter “ASTRO IT”), a company specialized in the application management and system integration of software solutions for banking, insurance and large corporates. The relevant experience and know-how held by ASTRO IT in the field of application management, regulatory compliance and process optimization represent a qualitative as well as quantitative enrichment of the production capacity of TAS. “Acquisitions are an important element of the strategic growth plan of TAS, as well as for the strengthening of the skills and for the staffing of teams for the launch of new digital transformation projects and solutions, - comments Fabio Bravi, Head of M&A, special projects and corporate developments of TAS, and digitalization is among the primary objectives of TAS’s target customers.” “Integrating ASTRO IT into the TAS family means consolidating the work done together in recent years. - comments Valentino Bravi, CEO - I take this opportunity to welcome the shareholders and all employees and collaborators of this reality, beginning a new development path together with us”. “After a few years of close collaboration, joining TAS Group makes us proud and gives us a great stimulus to jointly face the new challenges and growing opportunities that market offers” - declares Giuseppe Muzzioli, General Manager of ASTRO IT. The acquisition adds another piece to the consultancy and delivery capabilities of TAS Group in the field of payment services and capital markets. Download the press release

Milan, June 23^rd 2022 - Given the unstoppable increase in cybersecurity risks, no organization can avoid constantly investing in the security of its systems to protect itself and its customers. Hence, it is increasingly important for software developers to have products and services that analyse and test the robustness of applications against fraud attacks. This is even more true for companies like TAS, whose core business is linked to the development of mission critical solutions for customers in the Finance world, a sector where security is a top priority, considering the potential implications of vulnerability on the stability of the entire payments ecosystem. In fact, Tas is one of the few Fintech providers admitted to the Italian CERTFin community, which brings together banks and technology suppliers relevant to the Payment Systems, in order to increase the IT risk management capacity of financial operators and the cyber resilience of the Italian financial system as a whole. To further improve the security of its applications, TAS has recently signed an agreement for the entire Group with Synopsys, a global company headquartered in the United States, which has worked in recent years on the expansion of their suite of Application Security Testing tools with a great response from the market, proving the high quality of their solutions. “According to Gartner, by 2025, 70% of cyber-attacks will come from known vulnerabilities and misconfigurations that could have been fixed earlier. At TAS, due to the nature of our business, we are even more attentive than others to these issues and we like to “play ahead” whenever possible. For this reason, we have decided to adopt the complete suite of Synopsys solutions. Synopsys is the undisputed world leader in all areas concerning the secure development of the code, so we are convinced that we have made the right choice for us, but above all, to be able to offer a really important added value to all our customers” – comments Fabrizio Brintazzoli, Cybersecurity Officer of TAS. “Synopsys specializes in Application Security. Always alongside our Partners, we offer advanced BSIMM (Building Software In Maturity Model) tools and methodologies in the development of secure code. Synopsys invests every year in R&D and acquisitions in order to expand the product portfolio by guaranteeing complete SDLC solutions. We are honoured by the agreement signed with TAS which will offer its customers software developed with a safe methodological approach” - adds Emanuele Burali d'Arezzo, Regional Sales Manager at Synopsys Software Integrity Group. The adoption of Synopsys solutions by TAS Software Factory has already begun in Italy and it will be extended in the coming months to the other European TAS Group branches. Download the press release