Trading update for the three months ended 31 March 2015 

Record numbers ahead of market expectations for Q1 – Revenues of $82.1m

Plus500, a leading online service provider for retail customers to trade CFDs internationally, is pleased to announce the following trading update for the three months ended 31 March 2015.

Overview

• Record number of new¹ and active² customers for the quarter
• Record revenues for the quarter
• Continued market share growth in our leading markets
• Maintained cost effective marketing for new customers

KPIs

Key customer and revenues metrics for the three months ended 31 March 2015 were as follows:

 

	FY 2014	Q1 2014*	Q1 2015*	%Growth
RevenuesNumber of new customers1	$228.9m66,553	$60.7m20,124	$82.1m32,880	35%63%
Number of active customers2	105,976	50,438	67,667	34%
ARPU3	$2,160	$1,204	$1,214	0.8%
AUAC4	$921	$576	$892	55%

*Unaudited

Trading review

Plus500 achieved record revenues in all its leading regulated markets, which are principally in the UK and Western Europe. Plus500’s worldwide brand awareness together with positive market conditions helped in achieving these record numbers, including the impact of the exceptional movement in the Swiss Franc in January. Also, the Company released a Windows Phone dedicated app during the period as it continues to invest in R&D to maintain its competitive advantage.

Dividends

One of the strengths of Plus500’s business model is its ability to convert net earnings into cash-flow, as reflected in the Board’s base 60% pay-out ratio dividend policy. The Board retains flexibility to pay special dividends when the Company generates surplus cash and it is felt appropriate to make such payments. The final dividend and a special dividend for the year ended 31 December 2014 are together payable on 15 May 2015, contributing to a total pay-out for 2014 of $92 million (2013: $41 million).

Outlook

The Board reaffirms its confidence in achieving market expectations for the year as a whole and its commitment to pursuing a progressive dividend policy.

Gal Haber, Chief Executive of Plus500, commented:

“We are pleased to announce a record quarter ahead of market expectations. Plus500’s worldwide brand coupled with our superior proprietary technology along with market volatility contributed to this strong performance.

“We are also proud to be a new sponsor to Atlético Madrid Football Club, the defending La Liga champions and last year’s Champions League finalist. Atlético is one of the leading clubs in the world and a natural fit for Plus500. We believe the increased brand awareness resulting from this partnership will help strengthen our position as a leading CFD trading platform.”

Source: Plus500

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