Business Day

Purple Group is back in the black

- Jacqueline Mackenzie Markets Reporter mackenziej@arena.africa

ATTRIBUTAB­LE PROFIT ROSE TO R10.9M AFTER A LOSS OF R10.6M

Purple Group, the owner of the EasyEquiti­es investment platform, returned to profit in the six months ended February as revenue grew and operating expenses declined.

Group revenue increased 29.3% to R188.8m, while attributab­le profit rose to R10.9m after a loss of R10.6m in the prior period. Group operating expenses decreased by 0.4% to R141.8m, and it reported headline earnings per share of 0.78c after a loss of 0.84c a year ago.

EasyEquiti­es Group revenue increased 34.9% to R165.4m and it generated a profit after tax of R11.8m, compared with a loss of R16.5m before. Easy Group’s operating expenses decreased by 1% and it generated a profit after tax of R11.8m, compared with a loss of R16.5m.

Client assets increased 20.2% to R51.1bn and active clients increased 12.5% to 944,517.

CEO Charles Savage said the results not only “signify a strong foundation for the future but also serve as a testament to the strategic foresight and vision that propelled EasyEquiti­es from its inception in October 2014”.

Revenue growth has been notable across the board, highlighti­ng the value of the group’s services to retail and institutio­nal clients against the backdrop of a challengin­g macroecono­mic environmen­t, he said.

Leveraging the group’s scale advantage, it continues to introduce new products and services with minimal marginal cost.

“As we venture into new horizons with the introducti­on of EasyTrader and the anticipate­d launch of EasySubscr­iptions and EasyRetire, our innovation journey continues unabated”.

ECOSYSTEM

These initiative­s, along with the robust growth across all its value drivers, signal a bright future ahead, he said.

“They reflect our holistic approach to financial empowermen­t, with each product and platform building towards a comprehens­ive financial ecosystem designed to educate and empower our clients to make informed decisions.”

 ?? /James Oatway ?? Charles Savage.
/James Oatway Charles Savage.

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