Business Wire

FINALTO-S.P.V.-LTD

Share
The Consortium Welcomes Playtech’s Confirmed Recommendation for Its Binding Agreement to Acquire Finalto and Urges Investors to Vote in Favour at the Playtech Adjourned General Meeting on 18 August 2021

Finalto S.P.V. Ltd, the consortium led by Barinboim Group and backed by Leumi Partners Limited and Menora Mivtachim Group, together with key members of the Finalto Business' management team (together the "Consortium"), welcomes the announcement by Playtech plc (“Playtech”) confirming its recommendation that shareholders vote in favour of the Consortium’s binding agreement for Finalto Group (“Finalto) (the “Binding Agreement”).

Playtech announced today that following its engagement with Gopher Investments (“Gopher”) over the past three weeks, it has not received responses from Gopher to a number of its questions and therefore Playtech has not yet been able to achieve the necessary clarity on Gopher's ultimate ownership and funding structure, source of funds or ability to obtain the required regulatory clearances .

Shareholders should ask why Gopher continues to hide and should also be suspicious of Gopher’s credibility, particularly given that disclosure is crucial when buying a highly regulated business. Furthermore, the firm associated with Gopher, TT Bond Partners, is a small boutique brokerage that raises money from Chinese investors. Gopher’s behaviour has not been well received by the market; since it first announced its interest, Playtech’s share price has fallen by nearly 17%1 .

The Consortium’s Binding Agreement for Finalto offers considerable value and certainty and puts an end to the arduous 18-month sale process

  • Voting in favour of the Consortium’s Binding Agreement, which has been unanimously supported by Playtech’s board of directors, ensures Playtech receipt of the considerable sale proceeds soon allowing it to focus on its core gambling business. The Binding Agreement was agreed after beating other rival bidders in a lengthy, arduous and transparent sale process that was run by UBS and offers far greater certainty that the transaction will complete and pass the stringent regulatory approvals.
  • The level of volatility and risk that the Finalto business is subject to and the performance headwinds that it faces, led to the ultimate price that was agreed and Playtech recommending the Consortium’s Binding Agreement to acquire Finalto. Indeed, in the original circular to shareholders, Playtech itself comments on Finalto’s tumultuous performance in 2021, underlining the businesses underperformance relative to prior years.
  • If shareholders vote against the Binding Agreement the Consortium will fall apart. Should this happen, shareholders need to reflect on the likelihood that Gopher would follow through on its indicative interest at the level they purport to offer for Finalto.
  • Voting in favour of the Consortium removes the considerable risk, delay and additional costs associated with yet another sale process, which would not be concluded until late 2022 at the earliest. Such a delay would be considerably destabilising to the Finalto business, which has already been subject to a lengthy sale process and significant market speculation.
  • From the outset of the transaction, the Consortium’s Binding Agreement was and remains fully financed by the three blue chip multinationals comprising the Consortium and a reputable senior lender. Completion is subject to Playtech’s shareholders’ approval and final regulatory approvals only, which the Consortium is already six months into and has submitted the required arduous change of control paperwork to each of the regulators in multiple jurisdictions.
  • The Consortium welcomes shareholders and proxy advisors ISS and Glass Lewis to engage with it in order to answer any questions regarding its Binding Agreement, which it believe provides the best value to Playtech.

The Consortium urges shareholders to follow Playtech’s Board recommendation and vote in favour of its Binding Agreement to acquire Finalto at the General Meeting due to take place on 18 August 2021.

The Original Circular, the Supplementary Circular and the Notice of Adjourned General Meeting are available on Playtech's website at www.investors.playtech.com/shareholder-information/general-meeting.aspx . Shareholders who have already submitted their proxy electronically at www.investorcentre.co.uk/eproxy and wish to change their voting instruction, may do so by submitting a revised Form of Proxy electronically at www.investorcentre.co.uk/eproxy .

The Consortium’s previous announcements are available here (7 July 2021) and here (9 July 2021).

-ENDS-

About the Consortium

The Consortium is a company incorporated in Israel, established for the purpose of acquiring the Finalto Business. The Consortium is being funded by a group consisting of Barinboim Group, Leumi Partners Limited and Menora Mivtachim Group and by senior secured debt financing from The Phoenix Insurance Company Limited and certain of its affiliates. The Consortium will be supported by key members of the Finalto Business' management team that will transfer with the Finalto Business, including Ron Hoffman (Chief Executive Officer of the Finalto Business) and Liron Greenbaum (Chief Operations Officer of the Finalto Business).

Barinboim Group is a private equity and venture capital firm based in Tel Aviv. Barinboim Group invests in companies operating in the media sectors.

Leumi Partners Limited is the merchant and investment banking arm of Bank Leumi (TASE: LUMI), one of the two largest banking groups in Israel. Leumi Partners Limited is based in Tel Aviv and offers direct equity investment in sectors such as technology media and telecom, consumer & retail, and healthcare. Leumi Partners Limited's line of business includes conducting investments and providing services such as underwriting, financial analysis and research, strategic advice, mergers & acquisitions, and raising equity and debt.

Menora Mivtachim Group is one of Israel's five largest insurance & finance groups. The group specializes in asset management, manages the largest pension fund in Israel - and is the largest General Insurer in Israel and the market leader in Motor Insurance sector. The group operates through its subsidiaries, in all sectors of Life Insurance, Long/Mid/Short -Term Savings, General Insurance and Health Insurance. In addition, the group is active in the capital markets and finance sectors, including, Financial Portfolio Management, Underwriting and worldwide real estate investments.


1 Source: Capital IQ. July 30 close price over July 2 close price

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
101 California Street, 20th Floor
CA 94111 San Francisco

http://businesswire.com

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Polpharma Biologics and Libbs Farmacêutica Sign Licensing Agreement for a Biosimilar for Autoimmune Diseases10.12.2025 07:01:00 CET | Press release

Polpharma Biologics, a leading biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development and manufacturing of biosimilars, is thrilled to announce the signing of a landmark licensing agreement with the Brazilian company Libbs Farmacêutica! Through this strategic partnership, Libbs Farmacêutica will gain exclusive rights to commercialize a cutting-edge biosimilar for autoimmune diseases in the rapidly growing Brazilian market. Polpharma Biologics retains full responsibility for the development and manufacturing of the biosimilar. Libbs Farmacêutica will hold an exclusive license for the commercialization, marketing and distribution of the biosimilar in Brazil. This collaboration opens up exciting new opportunities and demonstrates the shared commitment of both companies to delivering innovative and accessible therapies to patients. “Entering the Brazilian market with a biosimilar is a significant step for Polpharma Biologics and reflects our ongoing mission to expand access to high-qual

NayaPay Launches Global QR Payments for Pakistanis via Alipay+10.12.2025 05:00:00 CET | Press release

NayaPay, one of Pakistan’s fastest growing fintech platforms, has launched global QR payments in collaboration with Alipay+, Ant International’s global wallet gateway. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251209591389/en/ The partnership enables millions of NayaPay users to scan-and-pay at Alipay+ merchants initially across more than 50 countries, connecting Pakistani consumers to an extensive global ecosystem spanning retail, dining, transport, healthcare, entertainment and more. With this innovative feature, paying abroad just got faster and more affordable. With NayaPay, Pakistanis can now scan and pay securely worldwide with lower costs, less friction, and a seamless checkout experience wherever they go. Alipay+ connects 40 international mobile payment partners to more than 150 million merchants globally. The launch reinforces NayaPay’s commitment to delivering world-class payment experiences to Pakistani consu

Biocytogen Completes STAR Market IPO, Becoming the First “H+A” Global Drug Innovator10.12.2025 03:50:00 CET | Press release

Biocytogen (Beijing) Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. (“Biocytogen,” SSE: 688796; HKEX: 02315), a global biotechnology company advancing innovative drug discovery, today announced its successful listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market. This follows the Company’s listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in September 2022 and marks a significant milestone in establishing Biocytogen as the first “H+A” dual-listed global drug innovator, reinforcing its mission to become the global headstream of new drugs. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251209977992/en/ The Company’s IPO price was set at 26.68 RMB per share, with an opening price of 58 RMB, representing a 117% increase over the offering price. Based on the opening price, Biocytogen’s market capitalization exceeds 25.9 billion RMB. Biocytogen’s proprietary RenMice® platforms (RenMab™, RenLite®, RenNano®, RenTCR-mimic™) enable the discovery of fully hum

Argo Infrastructure Partners Increases Ownership and Capital Commitment to TierPoint9.12.2025 23:00:00 CET | Press release

The latest investment brings total capital formation under Argo ownership to $3 billionDemonstrates a growing commitment to TierPoint from existing and new capital partners of Argo supporting the continued growth of its leading data center platform Argo Infrastructure Partners, LP (“Argo”), an established mid-market asset manager of essential infrastructure assets in North America, today announced it has acquired on behalf of its managed funds the equity interests of the majority of minority shareholders in TierPoint. The transaction reflects Argo’s continued conviction in TierPoint’s strategy and growth potential during a period of accelerating demand for TierPoint’s enterprise-class data center services. Since Argo’s initial investment in 2020, $3 billion of capital has been raised to fund growth and reduce TierPoint’s cost of capital by terming out debt facilities. The investment capital has advanced TierPoint’s market position as a data center services provider to enterprises, gove

Venture Global Announces Closing of $3,000,000,000 Senior Secured Notes by Venture Global Plaquemines LNG, LLC9.12.2025 22:30:00 CET | Press release

Venture Global, Inc. (“Venture Global”, NYSE: VG) announced today that its subsidiary, Venture Global Plaquemines LNG, LLC (“VGPL”) has closed an offering of $3,000,000,000 aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes, which has been issued in two series: (i) a series of 6.125% senior secured notes due 2030 in an aggregate principal amount of $1,750,000,000 (the “2030 Notes”) and (ii) a series of 6.500% senior secured notes due 2034 in an aggregate principal amount of $1,250,000,000 (the “2034 Notes” and, together with the 2030 Notes, the “Notes”). The 2030 Notes will mature on December 15, 2030, and the 2034 Notes will mature on June 15, 2034. Venture Global had previously announced the issuance of $2,500,000,000 of senior secured notes by VGPL on April 21, 2025, and $4,000,000,000 of senior secured notes by VGPL on July 3, 2025 (collectively, the “Existing Notes”), bringing the combined aggregate amount of senior secured notes issued by VGPL to $9,500,000,000 since the project

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye