London-based private equity (PE) firm Apis Partners has sold its entire stake in Southeast Asian payments provider GHL Systems Berhad to Japanese tech firm NTT DATA Japan, according to an announcement.
The PE firm, through Apis Growth Fund I, held 114.7 million shares in GHL, representing about 10.04% stake, before the transaction, making it the second largest shareholder in the company. The transaction marks the fund’s eighth exit.
GHL said NTT DATA Japan had offered to acquire 670.4 million ordinary shares in GHL, representing approximately 58.73% of the company, for 1.08 Malaysian ringgit ($0.23) each.
Under Malaysian takeover laws, NTT Data will be required to make a general offer to acquire all the remaining shares it does not already own.
Thus, aside from acquiring the shares of Apis Partners, NTT DATA also acquired 440.4 million shares from Actis Stark (Mauritius Limited), a fund managed by London-based investment firm Actis; 61 million shares from Tobikiri Capital, the investment vehicle owned by GHL executive Simon Loh; and 54.4 million shares from Loh.
The total cash consideration of the transaction is 724.1 million Malaysian ringgit or about $154.3 million, GHL said.
According to an announcement, NTT DATA will withdraw the company’s listing if it manages to get more than 90% of the shares.
Apis Growth Fund I invested in GHL in 2018 to help the company expand its market reach and enhance its operational capabilities. GHL, which has core operations in Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, covers physical, online, and mobile payments.
GHL manages more than 480,000 points of sale, enabling credit card, debit card, prepaid contactless payment, loyalty, prepaid top-up, and bill payment collection services. It also offers SME lending and buy now, pay later services.
Matteo Stefanel, co-founder and managing partner at Apis Partners, said “Through strategic guidance, operational expertise, and investment support, we have nurtured GHL’s growth, and look forward to the company continuing to flourish under its new ownership.”
Apis was formed in 2014 by managing partners Stefanel and Udayan Goyal. It invests primarily in high-growth, capital-light, and tech-enabled financial services companies across global markets.
The firm is in the market to raise $500 million for a new fund – Apis Growth Markets Fund III – that will invest in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
It raised $550 million for Fund II in December 2019, exceeding the initial target fund size of $400 million. In 2017, the PE firm raised $287 million for Fund I, significantly above its target of $250 million.
In Asia, the PE firm has invested in at least 15 companies, including Singapore-based Coda Payments; Indian insurtech player RenewBuy; Indonesian digital payment platform Doku; Chinese online wealth planner Trussan; and Malaysian payments services provider GHL.