• The collaboration enables Checkout.com’s customers to access the Mastercard Wholesale Program, unlocking reduced costs and higher conversion rates
• The partnership supports Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) and other travel sector businesses that use cards to make B2B payments, as the market is forecast to reach $1.5 trillion in revenues by 2027^[1]
• The partnership follows Checkout.com’s launch last year of Issuing in the UK and Europe, enabling brands to issue, process, and manage card programs, and combine with acquiring to fund cards efficiently

LONDON, May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Checkout.com, a leading global digital payments provider, today announces a partnership with Mastercard to bring virtual cards to Online Travel Agents.

As part of the Mastercard Wholesale Program, which reduces costs for travel businesses through virtual card technology and an innovative pricing model, customers of Checkout.com will be able to pay their suppliers more easily and benefit from higher conversion rates by issuing virtual cards.

“Mastercard remains committed to powering the travel economy with digital payment solutions that provide greater flexibility, visibility, and protection. Over 400,000 travel providers worldwide already rely on us to enable payments through the Mastercard Wholesale Program, and we’re thrilled to be collaborating with Checkout.com to support their customers to embrace the next generation of payment solutions for B2B travel”  said George Simon, EVP, Market Development, Mastercard Europe. 

“We’re delighted to partner with Mastercard to complement our virtual card issuing solution, enabling Online Travel Agents to unlock new revenue streams and deliver a connected customer experience. Together we’ll offer higher payment performance to travel merchants by combining the Mastercard Wholesale Program with our single integration connecting acquired sales to issued cards, which unifies acquiring and issuing, for better cash flow management”, said Meron Colbeci, Chief Product Officer at Checkout.com. 

By combining acquiring and issuing, Checkout.com helps Online Travel Agents move seamlessly from receiving customer payments to paying suppliers. Traditionally, Online Travel Agents had to manage these two sides of their business separately, which can lead to inefficiencies and increased potential for error. Checkout.com’s integrated solution ensures a seamless flow from customer payment acquisition to supplier payouts, turning what used to be a cumbersome process into a cohesive, streamlined operation. In turn, this deepens trust and relationships within the ecosystem.

Notes to editors:

To learn more, please visit our website here.

For more information on Mastercard’s Embracing a virtual future for B2B travel payments report, SEPTEMBER 2023; www.mastercard.com/global/en/business/large-enterprise/mastercard-enterprise-partnerships/b2b-travel-solutions/global-wholesale-travel-whitepaper.html

About Checkout.com

Checkout.com offers a high-performance, cloud-based payments platform that transforms payments into a significant revenue source for enterprises and scaling businesses. Its technology is built for flexibility, scalability, and efficiency, enabling seamless processing of payments, payouts, and card program management. Checkout.com is headquartered in London, with offices in New York, Paris, Dubai, Hong Kong, and other locations across six continents. Customers include global OTAs such as Reward Gateway, Hopper, Grab, Flyin and Dott.

Checkout.com. Where the world checks out.

^[1] Phocuswright, U.S. Online Travel Agency Market Report 2021–2025, March 2022.

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BOSTON and STUTTGART, Germany, May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — CFGI, a leading global accounting and business advisory firm and a portfolio company of Carlyle and CVC Capital Partners, today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire PAS Financial Advisory AG, a major German non-audit accounting advisory firm with a robust presence spanning nine offices across Germany and more than 100 employees. 

PAS Financial Advisory AG serves public and private clients, offering a comprehensive suite of accounting, reporting, process, and valuation advisory services tailored to address the evolving needs of organizations across the business lifecycle. Comprising professionals with extensive corporate and Big Four experience, PAS delivers unparalleled expertise without the constraints of auditor independence, providing clients with agile solutions to complex challenges.

CFGI continues its strategic international growth trajectory with this latest acquisition, further solidifying its position as an industry leader in the provision of integrated financial and non-financial reporting advice, technical accounting, risk advisory, and transaction services.

“We are thrilled to welcome PAS Financial Advisory AG to the CFGI family,” commented CFGI Co-CEO Nick Nardone. “This partnership marks a significant milestone in our continued commitment to expanding our global footprint and enhancing our service offerings to meet the evolving needs of our clients.”

Shane Caiazzo, CFGI Co-CEO, added: “CFGI is building on its position as a world-class independent accounting and business advisor to CFOs everywhere, supporting their most important regulatory compliance and business improvement initiatives. The addition of PAS gains us both a leadership position within the German market and a great team sharing the same mindset regarding our approach to the market, client service, and product offerings.”

“I’m extremely excited about the future and what this combination will offer both our employees and our clients,” said Markus Groß, CEO of PAS Financial Advisory AG. “Joining forces with CFGI strengthens our abilities to serve our clients in increasingly complex regulatory environments. The resulting partnership maintains our commitment to cultivating top talent and delivering outstanding client service while expanding our ability to serve clients as a global advisory partner. We thank our clients for their trust in us and the unique partnerships this has created.”

The combined business serves a diverse customer base across industries, including life sciences, manufacturing and distribution, private equity, technology, software, energy, and financial services.

For media inquiries, please contact:

CFGI Media Contact:
Rachel Tucker Bobbitt, Regional Support Manager
[email protected]

PAS Financial Advisory AG Media Contact
Markus Groß CEO
[email protected]

About CFGI
CFGI, a Carlyle and CVC Capital Partners portfolio company, is a leading global accounting and business advisory firm. We partner with our clients on their most important regulatory, transaction, and business improvement initiatives. Our team of over 1,000 former Big 4 professionals brings expertise across technical accounting, capital markets, tax, valuation, ESG, transaction advisory, restructuring, and technology solutions — all delivered with an independent and roll-up-the-sleeves approach. CFGI was founded in 2000 and serves thousands of global clients across 19 offices throughout the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific regions.

Learn more at www.cfgi.com.

About PAS Financial Advisory AG
PAS Financial Advisory has become one of the largest and most renowned German non-audit financial advisory firms specializing in the delivery of best-in-class advisory services along the CFO agenda. With a dedicated team of experts, PAS Financial Advisory works closely with its clients to develop customized solutions for their individual needs – from DAX40 and mid-sized companies to innovative start-ups, as well as private equity investors and their portfolio companies. 

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Permira Growth Opportunities Transaction builds on initial minority investment made in early 2023 to acquire a majority position and support BioCatch’s accelerated growth within online fraud detection and financial crime prevention

NEW YORK and TEL AVIV, Israel, May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — BioCatch (the “Company”), the global leader in digital fraud detection and financial crime prevention powered by behavioral biometric intelligence, today announced that Permira Growth Opportunities II (the “Fund”), a fund advised by global private equity firm Permira, has agreed to acquire a majority position in the Company. Alongside the Fund’s investment, existing shareholders Sapphire Ventures and Macquarie Capital will also increase their investments in BioCatch. The transaction is expected to accelerate the Company’s global expansion, advance its innovative product roadmap and support its continued overall growth.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Fund will acquire a majority stake in BioCatch, buying out shares primarily from Bain Capital Tech Opportunities and Maverick Ventures, in a secondary transaction valuing the Company at a total enterprise valuation of $1.3bn.

BioCatch was founded in 2011 – at the dawn of a significant consumer shift from branch to online banking – with a mission to fight fraud and keep users safe in online transactions without disrupting user experience. Today, the Company is a leader in behavioral biometric intelligence and advanced fraud detection, leveraging patented artificial intelligence, data science, and machine learning technology to analyze a user’s cognitive intent and deliver highly accurate insights as to the legitimacy of their identity, motivations, and behavior. In 2023, the Company expanded its mission to include a proactive approach to fighting financial crime with the launch of predictive, behavior-based mule account detection.

As fraud attacks have become increasingly scaled, sophisticated and complex, BioCatch has experienced significant and sustained momentum. Permira, via its growth equity strategy, completed an initial minority investment in the Company in early 2023, a year that BioCatch ultimately finished with 49% ARR growth, whilst also surpassing the $100 million ARR milestone and attaining EBITDA profitability. Today, BioCatch counts more than 190 financial institutions as customers globally, including over 30 of the world’s largest 100 global banks, who use its solutions to fight fraud, facilitate financial crime prevention and decision intelligence sharing, accelerate digital transformation, and grow the value of customer relationships.

Permira brings a growth mindset to BioCatch’s next chapter, with the ability and network to help the Company expand across Continental Europe, where Permira was first established nearly four decades ago. In addition, Permira is excited to back the Company’s exceptional management team and innovative product roadmap, and is committed to further strengthening BioCatch’s global leadership position both organically and inorganically.

“Permira has backed the theme of cybersecurity for several years, and within this, online fraud detection, customer identity and access management markets have become a clear focus. We have tracked BioCatch with enthusiasm for many years, and now having been a shareholder since early 2023, our conviction in the business, its growth potential, its technology leadership, and its management team continues to grow. We’re excited to become the company’s majority shareholder and look forward to a continued successful partnership with Gadi and the BioCatch team as we seek to further accelerate growth and expansion in the years to come,” said Stefan Dziarski, Partner and Co-Head of Permira Growth Opportunities.

Gadi Mazor, CEO of BioCatch, added: “After building a strong partnership with Permira over the last year, we are delighted to welcome them as majority shareholders. The firm’s impressive experience within technology and cybersecurity, combined with their scale, global network, and our close working relationship, has been invaluable since their initial investment. We’re excited to take BioCatch to the next level together. I’d also like to thank Matthew Kinsella from Maverick Ventures and Dewey Awad from Bain Capital for their support over the last four years, which has been key in helping us establish our leadership position in the market.”

“We have had the privilege of partnering with BioCatch over the past four years and worked closely with Gadi and the BioCatch team to develop a long-term strategy to realize the business’s growth potential,” said Dewey Awad, a Partner at Bain Capital. “Together, we drove several key initiatives aimed at augmenting BioCatch’s go-to-market strategy, team, and operations, all with the goal of protecting end-users and their most sensitive transactions. We believe the company is well-positioned to continue its growth journey under Gadi’s leadership and with Permira’s support.”

“At Permira, we are looking to back product-led businesses operating in structurally growing end markets and that have management teams with the ambition to scale and grow their business. We found all of that in BioCatch and were grateful to have the opportunity to make an initial investment in 2023. After a successful first year, we are delighted to take a majority stake in the business as it continues to grow at scale. With the full extent of Permira’s resources and experience at its disposal, we’re excited for what’s to come at BioCatch,” commented Ran Maidan, Senior Adviser and Head of Permira in Israel.

About Permira

Permira is a global investment firm that backs successful businesses with growth ambitions. Founded in 1985, the firm advises funds with total committed capital of approximately €80bn and makes long-term majority and minority investments across two core asset classes, private equity and credit.

The Permira funds have an extensive track record in technology investing, having invested in 50+ companies across SaaS, cybersecurity, digital commerce, fintech and online marketplaces. Permira invested in BioCatch via its Growth Opportunities Fund; its strategy is to back disruptive technology and tech-enabled companies as they scale to the next level. The Permira funds have previously supported and helped scale some of the largest and fastest-growing technology businesses globally, including Genesys, TeamViewer, Zendesk, McAfee, Mimecast, Carta, G2, Sysdig, SonarSource, Mirakl, and others. Permira closed its second Growth Opportunities Fund in December 2021 at $4 billion.

The Permira private equity funds have made approximately 300 private equity investments in four key sectors: Technology, Consumer, Healthcare and Services. Permira employs over 500 people in 15 offices across Europe, the United States and Asia. For more information, visit www.permira.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

About BioCatch

BioCatch stands at the forefront of digital fraud detection, pioneering behavioral biometric intelligence grounded in advanced cognitive science and machine learning. BioCatch analyzes thousands of user interactions to support a digital banking environment where identity, trust, and ease coexist. Today, more than 30 of the world’s largest 100 banks and more than 190 total financial institutions rely on BioCatch Connect™ to combat fraud, facilitate digital transformation, and grow customer relationships.

BioCatch’s Client Innovation Board, an industry-led initiative featuring American Express, Barclays, Citi Ventures, HSBC, and National Australia Bank, collaborates to pioneer creative and innovative ways to leverage customer relationships for fraud prevention. With more than a decade of data analysis, 90 registered patents, and unmatched expertise, BioCatch continues to lead innovation to address future challenges. For more information, visit www.biocatch.com.

Media Contacts

For BioCatch

Mac King
Sr. Manager, Corporate Communications, BioCatch
[email protected]
+1-206-200-8596

For Permira

James Williams
[email protected]
+44 774 7006407

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