AKKA technologies successfully raises a €450 million schuldschein to finance its ambitious growth plans

Paris, 31/10/2017 AKKA Technologies Group has successfully placed a Schuldschein (German law private placement) arranged by Bayern LB, BNPP, HSBC and ING.

After the success of the €100 million Euro Private Placement in 2013 and the €140 million Schuldschein issued in 2014, this is the Group’s third European issue. It was subscribed by a wide variety of institutional investors and banks in Europe and Asia.

Strong demand among investors reflects their confidence in the Group’s strategy, its strong European identity based on a Franco-German foundation, its international footprint as well as its medium- and long-term potential. It allowed the Group to more than double the amount initially targeted to €450 million.

The Schuldschein is made up of five fixed and floating tranches, respectively maturing in five, seven and ten years, with an average interest rate of slightly below 1.5%. The loan, which is non-dilutive for shareholders and does not affect the Group’s net borrowings, reinforces its financial flexibility and diversifies its funding sources. It also strengthens the group’s financial structure by extending the average maturity of its debt, in a favourable interest rate environment.

Following the success of its previous PACT 17 strategic plan, the funds raised will partly enable the Group to reduce the average cost of its debt by reimbursing existing facilities. The balance will give the Group the means to roll out its new strategic plan, CLEAR 2022, which will be communicated by the end of January 2018 and which will allow to strengthen AKKA France leadership, its position in Germany and to accelerate its global growth.

Upcoming events:

Q3 2017 revenue: Thursday 9 November 2017

2017 revenue: Wednesday 7 February 2018

2017 results: Tuesday 20 March 2018

About AKKA Technologies

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Let’s share our passion for technology.”

Founded in 1984, AKKA Technologies today ranks as the European leader in engineering consulting and R&D services in the field of mobility. With more than 15,000 talented employees working in more than 20 countries, the Group recorded revenue of €1.1 billion in 2016.

A partner in innovation, AKKA Technologies boasts a prestigious customer portfolio featuring leading companies in the automotive, aerospace and rail sectors, as well as in the life sciences, services, telecommunications and defence. The list includes Airbus Group, Alstom, BMW, Daimler, GlaxoSmithKline, Renault, Safran, Thales, Volkswagen and Volvo.

AKKA Technologies provides technological solutions to these major groups, enabling them to improve their innovation processes, their added value, their productivity and their efficiency when designing new products or processes, right through to the industrial production phase. Its unique geographical positioning around its Franco-German axis, its capacity to deliver cross-sector and transnational solutions and its in-depth expertise in the technologies of the future (AI, ADAS, IoT, Big Data, robotics, embedded computing, machine learning, etc.) allow it to assist its customers in their two key challenges, namely globalisation and digitisation. Digital technologies and the technologies of the future today represent 15% of AKKA’s revenue.

AKKA Technologies is listed on Euronext Paris – Segment B – ISIN code: FR0004180537.

For more information, please visit www.akka-technologies.com
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In case of discrepancy between the French and English versions of this press release, only the French version should be deemed valid.

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