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IG Group Holdings

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FY2011 Annual Report · IG Group Holdings
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AnnuAl RepoRt 2011
IG Group Holdings plc | 31 May 2011

2 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

ContentS

IG GRoup: 
WoRld leAdeRS In  
SpReAd BettInG And CFdS 

cHAIrMAN’S STATEMENT 

BuSINESS rEvIEW 
What We Do 
our Strategy 
Delivering our Strategy 
our Business Model 
chief Executive’s review 
operating and Financial review 
our Business risks 

2

6-43
6
8
10
18
20
24
42

corPorATE GovErNANcE 
Directors’ Statutory report  
corporate Governance report  
Directors’ remuneration report  
Statement of Directors’ responsibilities  
Independent Auditors’ report  

46-69 
46
51
59
68
69

The Business review provides an overview of our operations, 
as well as describing our strategy and related Key Performance 
Indicators. It also includes the chief Executive’s review, the 
operating and Financial review and an explanation of our 
principal business risks and how we manage them.

In addition to the Directors’ Statutory report and the Directors’ 
remuneration report, this section includes a description of our 
corporate governance framework and our compliance with the 
combined code.

FINANcIAL  
STATEMENTS 
Group Income Statement  
Group Statement of comprehensive Income 
Statements of Financial Position 
Statements of changes in Equity 
cash Flow Statements  
Index to Notes to the Financial Statements  
Notes to the Financial Statements  

72-127
72
73
74
 75
77
78
79

INvESTor rESourcES  
AND oTHEr INForMATIoN 
Five-Year Summary  
Examples:

Buying a Spread Bet 
Selling a contract for Difference 

Glossary of Terms  
Global offices  
Shareholder and company Information 
cautionary Statement  

130-143
130

134
136
138
140
142
143

The Financial Statements section contains both Group and 
company statutory Financial Statements.

The Investor resources section comprises a five-year summary 
of Group financial performance and a range of other useful 
material, including examples of spread betting and cFD 
trading, a technical glossary, contact details for our global 
offices and key shareholder information.

INTroDuc TIoN
IG Group is the leading global provider of contracts for 
Difference (cFDs) and spread betting to retail investors(1). 
Through our primary businesses, IG Index and IG Markets,  
we offer these services to over 130,000 clients across more 
than 130 countries.

our award-winning dealing platforms provide clients with easy 
access to global financial markets and the flexibility to trade 
across multiple asset classes. We offer a range of over 14,000 
equity, equity index, commodity, forex, interest rate and binary 
contracts, covering most major financial markets.

IG Group Holdings plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange 
and is an established member of the FTSE 250. our head office 
is in London, with other offices in Amsterdam, Beijing,  
chicago, Durban, Düsseldorf, Johannesburg, Lisbon, 
Luxembourg, Madrid, Melbourne, Milan, Paris, Singapore, 
Stockholm and Tokyo. 

The Group is debt-free and has high levels of capital and 
liquidity to provide confidence to our clients and other 
counterparties. We have delivered significant revenue and 
profit growth since our IPo in 2005.

(1)  For detailed practical examples of a spread bet and a CFD trade, please see the 
Investor Resources and Other Information section. Definitions can be found in 
the Glossary of Terms.

(2)  Adjusted profit before taxation excludes both the amortisation and impairment  
 of goodwill and customer relationships associated with our Japanese business, 
IG Markets Securities (formerly FXOnline), and the impairment of goodwill 
associated with our Sport business.

(3)  Diluted adjusted earnings per share excludes the amortisation and impairment of 

intangible assets associated with the Group’s Japanese business and impairment of 
the goodwill associated with the Group’s Sport business and related taxation.

2011

2010

2011

2010

Net trading revenue

+7.3%
£320.4m
£298.6m

Adjusted profit before tax(2)

+3.4%
£163.0m
£157.6m

2011

2010

Diluted adjusted earnings per share(3)

+6.1%
32.64p
30.77p

Total dividend per share

+8.1%
20.00p
18.50p

2011

2010

 IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT
3 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

01

CHAIRMAn’S StAteMent

I am pleased to report another record year for the Group. Our annual net trading 
revenue has increased 7.3% to £320.4 million (2010: £298.6 million) whilst diluted 
adjusted earnings per share increased 6.1% to 32.64p (2010: 30.77p). 

The Group has continued to focus on developing our core 
Financial business. The Board decided that the Sport business was 
non-core and unlikely to be profitable in the future without greater 
investment than was merited by its scale within the Group. Despite 
our best efforts we were unable to find a suitable buyer for the 
business at a satisfactory price, which led to our announcement 
on 9 June 2011 of the sale of our sporting client list to Spreadex 
Limited. We are hoping to sell our sports pricing engine to a third 
party in the coming months. 

We remain focused on evaluating opportunities to enter new 
markets whilst ensuring that we continue to develop our 
established businesses. To this end we have opened new offices 
in the Netherlands and acquired a business in South Africa during 
the past year. We have also commenced the rollout of mobile apps 
to our clients, which have been very well received. We see this as a 
core feature of future client demand. 

At the forthcoming AGM, your Board will recommend the payment 
of a final dividend of 14.75p per share. This will bring the total 
dividends for the year to 20.00p, an increase of 8.1% on last year, 
and represents 61.3% of our adjusted earnings for the year. our 
policy continues to be to pay approximately 60% of adjusted 
earnings, but we recognise that the current year’s earnings were 
suppressed by a number of items which are unlikely to recur. 

regulation
As the pace of regulatory change continues to grow around the 
globe, control of regulatory risk continues to be a strong theme 
for the Group. We have remained focused on ensuring that the 
Group complies with all regulatory obligations, keeps abreast of 
all regulatory changes and contributes meaningfully to regulatory 
debate where possible, whilst maintaining constructive and 
collaborative relationships with our regulators. 

one cannot refer to matters of regulation without commenting 
on the Group’s unexpected £4 million charge from the Financial 
Services compensation Scheme (FScS) in January this year. This 
was our share of a £326 million levy, required by the FScS to 
fund compensation claims from customers of various defaulting 
investment firms, principally Keydata Investment Services Limited. 
We have called on the FScS to be more transparent in the future 
when communicating funding needs to firms and we would like 
to see the Financial Services Authority (FSA) undertake a thorough 
investigation into the circumstances of Keydata’s failure. We have 
also asked the FSA to consider whether it is appropriate for  
firms who deal as principal, like IG Group, to be included in the 
same compensation category as firms who deal as agent and  
give advice, given the very different risk profiles of these  
business models.

Japan
You are all aware of what a difficult year this has been for IG Group 
in Japan. These difficulties, however, pale into insignificance 
compared with the earthquake and subsequent tsunami which 
devastated parts of North East Japan. 

our colleagues in Japan responded magnificently to the grave 
difficulties that everyone experienced in the aftermath. I am 
pleased to say that none of our colleagues in Tokyo lost a loved 
one or member of their respective families in the disaster. We are 
all very grateful for the great efforts made by everyone to ensure 
that our business continued to run effectively whilst meeting all 
Japanese regulatory requirements. 

Board evaluation 
In 2009 your Board decided to commission The Institute 
of chartered Secretaries and Administrators (IcSA), an 
external consultant, to conduct a full evaluation of the Board 
commensurate with Principle A.6 of the combined code on 
corporate Governance. Your Board has decided not to commission 
an external review this year, principally because we have two 
recently-appointed Board members and believe that it would be 
better to wait until they are more established in their roles. 

It is the intention of the Board to appoint an external consultant 
to evaluate the Board together with the Audit and remuneration 
committees in the coming financial year. 

We have carried out an internal review of your Board’s activities, 
and will continue to make improvements to ensure that the Board 
operates as effectively as possible. 

remuneration 
The remuneration committee, under the chairmanship of 
roger Yates, the Senior Independent Director, has reviewed the 
remuneration of the Executive and Non-Executive Directors. 

We continue with an element of deferral in the bonus structure, 
reflecting the Financial Services Authority’s guidance on best 
practice and commensurate with our previous commitments. 
There are no proposed changes this year to the value-sharing plan, 
our long-term incentive scheme, which was inaugurated last year. 
There has, however, been a small change in the calibration of the 
Executive Directors’ cash bonus, details of which are set out in the 
Directors’ remuneration report. 

Board composition
I am very pleased to welcome chris Hill and Stephen Hill to the 
Board to replace Steve clutton and rob Lucas respectively. 

Chairman’s Statement

Diluted adjusted earnings per share(1)

32.64p (+6.1%)

Total dividend per share

20.00p (+8.1%)

Dividend payout ratio

61.3%

chris was previously the cFo of Travelex, the retail currency 
and cross-border payments business, and brings considerable 
experience of managing international businesses. Stephen has had 
an illustrious career including stints as Managing Director of the 
Financial Times, taking it through some important changes, and 
also as the cEo of Betfair. Stephen is presently a Non-Executive 
Director and chairman of the remuneration committee at  
channel 4. His expertise and experience of managing businesses 
with heavy reliance on the quality and marketing of their products 
will add great value to the Board. 

Nat le roux has informed the Board of his wish to step down at  
the 2012 AGM. Nat’s contribution to the success of IG Group during 
his time as cEo and subsequently as Deputy chairman cannot  
be overstated. 

The effect of these changes means that your Board will be fully 
compliant with code Provision A.3.2 of the combined code after 
the 2012 AGM. 

The Board notes the publication of the Davies review on Women 
on Boards in February 2011 and the subsequent consultation 
of the Frc on changes to the uK corporate Governance code, 
which may result in the code including a recommendation 
that companies adopt a boardroom diversity policy. The Board 
recognises the importance of gender balance throughout  
the Group.

It is the intention to put every Board Director up for re-election 
commencing with our 2011 AGM in october, bringing us into 
advance compliance with paragraph B.7.1 of the uK corporate 
Governance code. 

conclusion
our results could not have been achieved without the outstanding 
efforts of all our employees throughout the world. I and my fellow 
Directors would like to express our gratitude for their personal 
contributions to making this another record year of earnings for 
the Group. 

We all look forward to working towards another successful year  
for the Group and all its shareholders. 

Jonathan Davie, chairman 
19 July 2011

(1)  Diluted adjusted earnings per share excludes the amortisation and impairment of 

intangible assets associated with the Group’s Japanese business and impairment of 
the goodwill associated with the Group’s Sport business and related taxation.

02 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

03

Business Review

6
8
10
18
20
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05
05

BUSINESS 
REVIEW

WHAT WE Do 
our STrATEGY 
DELIvErING  our STr ATEGY 
our BuSINESS MoDEL 
cHIEF ExEcuTIvE ’S rEvIEW 
oPErATING AND FINANcIAL rEvIEW 
our BuSINESS rISKS 

04 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT
04 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

WHAt We do

Business Review: What We do

IG Group’s core businesses provide online derivatives trading 
services to an international retail client base. We provide easy 
access to global financial markets via our award-winning 
dealing platforms and offer the flexibility to trade across 
multiple asset classes from one account.

our HISTorY
Since the first IG Group company, IG Index, was 
established in 1974, our operations have expanded and 
we are now a multinational organisation supporting over 
130,000 clients worldwide.

Through our main businesses, IG Index and IG Markets, we 
provide over 14,000 spread betting and cFD products on a 
huge range of financial markets, including forex, stock indices, 
shares, commodities, binaries, options and interest rates. We 
are developing a presence in the united States, through Nadex, 
as here the regulatory environment restricts our traditional 
products but offers opportunities for growing our unique 
derivatives exchange business.

   uK spread betting – the largest and longest-running spread 
betting company in the world
   Multi-award-winning and recognised as the uK’s market 
leader by independent research(1)
   At the forefront of innovation and a pioneer of new product 
features, including a range of new mobile apps

   Global cFD trading including Direct Market Access  
(DMA) services
   clients in 130 countries and a network of global partners
   Independently confirmed as the most popular cFD provider 
in the uK and Australia(1)(2)

   The first and only uS-based retail-oriented exchange to  
list binary options and limited-risk derivative contracts on 
forex, indices, commodities and economic events
   A direct access platform for quick and easy use, with  
total transparency

(1)  Investment Trends: ‘2010 UK Financial Spread Betting & CFD Trading Report’ 

(November 2010) 

(2) Investment Trends: ‘2011 Australia CFD Report’ (July 2011) 

06 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

1974

1982

1995

1998

2002

2003

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

IG Index is founded, becoming the uK’s first financial 
spread betting company.

We are the first company in the uK to offer spread 
betting on the FT30.

IG Index becomes the first uK company to allow 
spread betting on individual shares.

We are the first firm to launch an online dealing 
platform for financial spread betting.

IG Markets Australia becomes the country’s first  
cFD provider.

our product range expands as Binary Betting 
is introduced. IG Group is taken private by 
management and cvc capital Partners. 

IG Group Holdings plc is relisted on the FTSE.

New offices open in Germany and Singapore. 

our browser-based trading platform is launched. 
New offices open in the uS, Spain and France.

New office opens in Italy and we acquire Fxonline 
in Japan.

PureDMA, the uK’s first browser-based Direct 
Market Access (DMA) service is introduced.  
Nadex.com is launched in the uS and offices  
open in Sweden and Luxembourg.

New office opens in Portugal and we acquire 
the South African business Ideal cFDs, a former 
introductory broker for IG Markets. An iPhone app is 
launched for both IG Index and IG Markets.

New office opens in the Netherlands. We expand 
our mobile offering to include DMA and launch 
BlackBerry and Android apps. IG Markets sponsors 
Team Sky, an elite international cycling team.

07

ouR StRAteGY

Business Review: our Strategy

We aim to maximise return for our shareholders  
by focusing on four key strategic objectives.

We use the following set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)  
to measure our performance across all four objectives.

strategIc objectIve

Key Performance IndIcators (KPIs)

1 maIntaIn our m arKet  

LeadIng PosItIons

IG Group is the leading global provider of CFD trading 
and spread betting products to retail investors.

We seek to maintain this number one position and 
consolidate a decisive retail lead in the major markets  
in which we operate.

Having established a market-leading position in several 
countries, the Group is now building a growing presence 
in a number of our other markets.

We are committed to developing market penetration levels 
across all our businesses, as well as targeting new business 
opportunities where there is a favourable regulatory 
environment and sizeable long-term potential for growth.

2 exPand our  

gLobaL reach

3 sustaIn our  

technoLogy Lead

revenue and profit generation
 ‘Net trading revenue’ represents overall Group turnover from commissions, 
spreads and financing on client trades, and is our primary KPI. ‘Adjusted 
profit before taxation’ and ‘diluted adjusted earnings per share’ are used 
to measure the quality of our underlying profitability at Group level, 
facilitating year-on-year profitability comparisons.

   Net trading revenue (total, daily and  
by asset class) 
  Adjusted profit before taxation (PBT) 
  Diluted adjusted earnings per share 

client trading activity metrics
There are a number of important client trading KPIs with ‘number of active 
clients’ and ‘revenue per client’ being the key drivers of revenue growth. 
We also commission independent research to evaluate our market share 
performance, measured on a primary account basis.

   Market share percentage 
   Number of active clients 
   Average revenue per client 
   client money levels 

see page 10

Performance in newer markets
We use many of the KPIs listed above to evaluate our success in new 
territories. This includes comparing current performance against the  
more established markets at a similar stage of maturity.

Geographical profitability evaluation
We measure EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and 
amortisation) by geographical area on a contribution basis.

   Geographic net trading revenue 
   Active client base growth, relative to  
more mature markets 

   Geographic EBITDA contribution 

IG Group has a history of innovation and we are currently 
at the forefront of the market in terms of product offering 
and technology platforms.

We continue to expand our offering to embrace mobile 
technology, while maintaining our current high levels of 
platform resilience, speed and quality of trade execution.

Trading systems performance
We carry out ongoing assessments to measure the performance of key 
operating systems, especially at peak trading times.

   Average trade execution time 
   Peak orders per second 

Technology usage
We observe the deployment and adoption of IT developments closely,  
with particular focus currently on customer take-up of mobile technology.

   Number of mobile log-ins 
   Number of mobile deals 

4 contInue hIgh LeveLs   

of cLIent servIce

08 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

IG Group provides a comprehensive service to clients 
globally, including 24-hour support(1), online help portals 
and telephone dealing in 11 languages.

We are fully committed to the FSA’s Treating customers 
Fairly (TcF) initiative, providing a high level of customer 
service to all our clients, while ensuring our pricing strategy 
remains competitive, fair and transparent. our unique Price 
Improvement technology enables clients to deal at improved 
rates if a market level moves favourably during trade execution.

(1) Offered in English and Chinese

Treating customers Fairly (TcF)
We use a scorecard of 25 TcF measures to ensure we treat customers fairly.

   Percentage of automated transactions

customer service market research
We commission external research to assess how we perform against peers 
and client expectations.

   customer surveys including Net  
Promoter Score

our performance against these KPIs is detailed within the Delivering 
our Strategy section and the operating and Financial review

see page 12

see page 14

see page 16

09

delIveRInG ouR StRAteGY

1

MAIntAIn ouR MARket 
leAdInG poSItIonS

rEcoGNISED MArKET LEADEr 
our reputation, product range, advanced trading platforms 
and financial strength have all contributed to the market 
leadership of our businesses in many of the countries in which 
we operate, including the uK, Australia, France, Italy and Spain.

retain and develop our existing client base 
   With an emphasis on innovation, competitive pricing and 
customer service, we aim to anticipate and exceed our 
clients’ expectations with frequent product reviews and 
technological advances
50%

Business Review: delivering our Strategy

Independent research company Investment Trends has 
confirmed that IG Markets is the largest single provider of 
cFD accounts in the uK and Australia, with a primary account 
market share of 27% and 34% respectively, while IG Index is the 
uK’s largest spread-betting company, with a market share of 
39% of primary accounts.(1)(2)

IG Group and its brands have consistently won industry awards 
in recent years, recognising everything from our overall quality 
of service, through to technology and top employer awards.
The past financial year has been particularly successful, with  
16 distinct industry award wins.

SuSTAINING our LEADErSHIP
our strategy is built upon sustaining our lead in the countries 
where we are already at the forefront, while also growing 
market share in the less developed markets. We plan to achieve 
this in the following ways:

KPI HIGHLIGHTS – MArKET SHArE ExTENDED
KPI highlight – market share extended(1)(2)

FY2010

FY2011

45%

%
e
r
a
h
s

39%

Attract new clients
   our market-leading technology platforms, financial strength 
and stewardship of client money, together with our range 
40%
of educational resources, all provide new clients with an 
34%
appropriate environment in which to trade. our strategic 
35%
focus is to attract high-net-worth clients who are more suited 
30%
to trading rather than simply driving for market share. To this 
end, we introduced additional wealth restrictions in 2011 
25%

27%

t
e
Target competitor clients
k
r
a
   one of our key marketing strategies is to focus on attracting 
M
clients looking to switch provider. We accomplish this by 
15%
highlighting IG Group’s core differentiating factors, namely – 
our reputation, financial strength, excellent client service, large 
10%
range of products and superior trading platforms 

20%

5%

(1)  Investment Trends: ‘2010 UK Financial Spread Betting & CFD Trading Report’ 

(November 2010) 

0%

(2) Investment Trends: ‘2011 Australia CFD Report’ (July 2011)

IG Index

IG Markets 
UK

IG Markets 
Australia

Primary account market share

Market share advantage over nearest competitor

%
e
r
a
h
s

t
e
k
r
a
M

50%

45%

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%

39%

FY2010

FY2011

34%

27%

IG Index

IG Markets 
UK

IG Markets 
Australia

%
e
r
a
h
s

t
e
k
r
a
M

50%

45%

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%

Nearest competitor

IG

39%

34%

27%

20%

7%

9%

UK Spread 
Betting

UK 
CFDs

Australia 
CFDs

10 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

11

%

e

r

a

h

s

t

e

k

r

a

M

50%

45%

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%

Nearest competitor

IG

39%

34%

27%

20%

7%

9%

UK Spread 

Betting

UK 

CFDs

Australia 

CFDs

30%22%29%30%22%29% 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
delIveRInG ouR StRAteGY

Business Review: delivering our Strategy

2

expAnd ouR  
GloBAl ReACH

GroWING INTErNATIoNAL  PrESENcE
our international network is growing rapidly and in the past 
five years we have opened 11 new offices. We developed our 
European operations further this year with the opening of an office 
in Amsterdam, while the acquisition of the Johannesburg-based 
10,000
business Ideal cFDs has provided us with a presence in South Africa.
Australia

Europe (excl. UK)

8,000

We have also developed Nadex, our uS business, to benefit from 
recent changes in the regulatory environment which favour 
trading across an exchange rather than over-the-counter (oTc). 
In addition, PFGBEST, one of the largest non-clearing Futures 
commission Merchants (FcMs) in the uS, has now become a 
Nadex member and has begun to promote Nadex products 
both to its existing clients and to the wider uS retail market.

6,000

4,000

We believe that our products have the potential to reach 
market penetration levels similar to those in the uK in the 
majority of countries where we have a business presence. Aside 
from our newest offices, our fastest growing country market 
is in Germany, which has seen a 54% increase in revenue in 
the past financial year. The Group’s primary account market 
share in Germany(1) is 14% compared to 27% in the uK (cFD 
accounts) and 34% in Australia. 

2,000

0

(1) Investment Trends: ‘2011 Germany CFD and FX Report’ (March 2011).

Jun-06

N ov-06

Sep-07
A pr-07

Feb-08

Jul-08
D ec-08

M ay-09

Oct-09

Aug-10
M ar-10

Jan-11

M ay-11

KPI highlight – increasing scale in Europe

s
t
n
e

i
l
c
e
v
i
t
c
a
y
l
h
t
n
o
M

INcrEASING BrAND AWArENESS
We have invested in expanding international awareness of 
our brands through sponsorship – in particular IG Markets’ 
increasing involvement in professional-level cycling. The sport’s 
audience ties in closely to our core client demographic, and 
cycling enjoys high exposure in many of our operating countries. 
our investment includes an official partnership with professional 
cycling outfit Team Sky, a number of race sponsorship deals, and 
the launch of the IG Markets Pro cycling Index – a new ranking 
system to recognise the world’s best riders.

PArTNErS AND INSTITuTIoNAL  BuSINESS
In addition to our focus on the recruitment and servicing of 
direct retail clients, we have a diversified base of over 370 
global partners. our partnerships, in which a third party 
introduces the client, enable us to achieve increased client 
recruitment and a low-cost presence in markets where our 
brands are not yet fully established.

cENTrALISED oPErATIoNS
our centralised operating model enables our experienced 
management team to control our global operations effectively. 
It supports organic growth and ensures that our expansion into 
new territories is both low-cost and capital-efficient.

%
e
u
n
e
v
e
r
K
U
-
n
o
N

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Active client base growth relative  
to more mature market

Australia

Europe (excl. UK)

Geographic net trading revenue (excluding Japan)  
Percentage of non-uK revenue

 Gro wth Rate (C A G R) 74 %
Co m pound A nnual

10,000

s
t
n
e

i
l
c
e
v
i
t
c
a
y
l
h
t
n
o
M

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

FY07

FY08

FY09

FY10

FY11

0

Jun-06

N ov-06

Sep-07
A pr-07

Feb-08

D ec-08
Jul-08

M ay-09

Oct-09

Aug-10
M ar-10

Jan-11

M ay-11

12 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

13

Co m pound A nnual

 Gro wth Rate (C A G R) 74 %

%

e

u

n

e

v

e

r

K

U

-

n

o

N

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

FY07

FY08

FY09

FY10

FY11

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
delIveRInG ouR StRAteGY

3

SuStAIn ouR  
teCHnoloGY leAd

ADvANcED AND roBuST TEcHNoLoGY
We provide our clients with a fast, reliable and secure trading 
environment. over 45,000 clients use our trading platforms 
on a daily basis, utilising such features as real-time pricing 
and one-click dealing. over 99% of all trades are executed 
automatically in less than one tenth of second.

our in-house team of over 200 developers has created 
an award-winning online platform that uses innovative 
technology to keep us at the forefront of the industry.  
Some of the platform’s key features include:

   Fully-customisable interface, enabling clients to monitor 
their favourite markets with ease
   Trading tools including reuters news feeds, research and 
market analysis
   Extensive charting packages with real-time charts, inbuilt 
trading pattern software and the ability to amend orders 
directly through the charts
   Direct Market Access (DMA) capability, enabling clients to 
trade straight into the order book of equity exchanges and 
view the full market depth

ExTENSIvE MoBILE SoLuTIoNS
Mobile technology is a major focus of development, and in the 
past year we have released apps for the iPhone, Android and 
BlackBerry phones, including the uK’s first mobile DMA service 
for cFDs. clients have adopted our apps at an impressive rate, 
with almost 14% of client-initiated deals now being made via 
mobile and around 10% of new account applications being 
made on mobile devices. The profile since January 2010 is 
displayed opposite.

We also provide a mobile dealing platform optimised for 
touchscreen technology, enabling clients to make full use of 
our advanced platform features from smartphones and other 
mobile devices.

FINANcIAL STrENGTH FAcILITATES  
ProDucT INNovATIoN
IG Group is strongly capitalised, debt-free and highly cash 
generative, providing us with the scale and competitive 
advantage to focus on technological development. We have 
built a team of developers with a strong history of innovation 
working alongside our dealing team. The Group has been 
at the forefront of introducing new products which have 
subsequently been adopted by the rest of the industry – for 
example spread betting on shares, Guaranteed Stops, Binary 
Bets, custom Bets and online DMA solutions.

14 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

Business Review: delivering our Strategy

KPI highlight – growing importance of mobile dealing

Number and percentage of mobile deals since January 2010

500,000

450,000

400,000

350,000

300,000

250,000

200,000

150,000

100,000

50,000

0

Number of mobile deals

Percentage of mobile deals

Jan-10

Feb-10

M ar-10

A pr-10

M ay-10

Jun-10

Jul-10

Aug-10

Sep-10

Oct-10

N ov-10

D ec-10

Jan-11

Feb-11

M ar-11

A pr-11

M ay-11

Jun-11

16%

14%

12%

10%

8%

6%

4%

2%

0%

15

delIveRInG ouR StRAteGY

4

ContInue HIGH levelS oF 
ClIent SeRvICe

coMMITMENT To TrEATING cuSToMErS FAIrLY
At IG Group, we are very proud of our excellent reputation for 
client service and customer support, and we believe that these 
high standards are a key differentiator between us and our 
competitors. As part of our dedication to our clients, we are 
fully committed to the FSA’s ‘Treating customers Fairly’ (TcF) 
initiative and have developed a scorecard of 25 measures to 
monitor how we treat our clients.

central to the Group’s TcF policy is the quality of our order 
execution. We offer near-instantaneous execution, with  
around 99% of client orders accepted automatically. We never 
re-quote prices and, within our set margin of tolerance, we  
will accept orders even if the market moves. our innovative 
Price Improvement technology enables customers to receive  
a better price if one becomes available as a trade is executed.

coMPETITIvE AND TrANSPArENT PrIcING
We offer transparent prices that are competitively low, while 
maintaining our trademark quality of service and trade 
execution. We offer spreads starting from just one pip on  
the major currency pairs, while our commission rates start at 
0.1% for uK equities. 

To provide our clients with better prices and greater liquidity, 
we source prices from Europe’s top Multilateral Trading 
Facilities (MTFs) – chi-x, Turquoise and BATS – as well as from 
the major European exchanges, such as the London Stock 
Exchange and Euronext. This enables us to offer the narrowest 
market spreads derived from the best bid and offer prices 
available in the underlying market.

16 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

Business Review: delivering our Strategy

‘client money’ bank accounts. The FSA has recently tightened 
client money rules and this has not had a significant effect 
upon the Group as we were already operating in accordance 
with best practice in this area. 

NET ProMoTEr ScorE
Independent research company Investment Trends has 
measured customer satisfaction among spread betting and 
cFD trading clients via the Net Promoter Score (NPS) method. 
researchers asked clients if they would recommend their 
provider to a friend or colleague. The study found that  
IG Index currently has the highest NPS of all uK spread betting 
companies(1), while IG Markets has the leading NPS among  
cFD providers in the uK(1), Australia(2) and Singapore(3).

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is calculated by asking respondents: 
‘How likely are you to recommend this company to a friend or 
colleague?’ Respondents reply on a 0-10 scale, with the final NPS 
calculated as the percentage of promoters (those answering 9 or 
10) minus the percentage of detractors (those answering 0 to 6).

cLIENT SuPPorT AND EDucATIoN
We provide extensive educational resources for  
clients, including:

Industry average*

IG Markets

Nearest competitor

   An introductory education programme promoting 
responsible trading
   A wide range of client seminars and webinars, available 
online and in person
   Daily research bulletins on major financial markets,  
including equities, commodities and forex
   Live news feeds from reuters
   A comprehensive online help portal
   regular technical analysis and in-depth research from  
both our in-house team and third party sources

+27

+14

cLIENT MoNEY ProTEcTIoN
IG Group adopts a best-practice approach to client money 
protection. We follow the client asset rules set by the uK’s 
Financial Services Authority (FSA) and similar rules of other 
regulators in whose jurisdiction we operate. In the uK, Europe, 
uS and Asia Pacific we segregate all retail clients’ funds into 

-5

-10

0

10

20

30

(1) Investment Trends: ‘2010 UK Financial Spread Betting & CFD Trading Report’  

(November 2010) 

(2) Investment Trends: ‘2011 Australia CFD Report’ (July 2011) 
(3) Investment Trends: ‘2010 Singapore FX & CFD Report’ (September 2010)

KPI highlight – Net Promoter Score

uK spread betting

uK cFD trading

IG Index

Nearest competitor

Industry average*

IG Markets

Nearest competitor

Industry average*

+22

+8

+27

+14

-15

-5

-20
0
-10
* Weighted by primary market share

10

20

30

-10

0

10

20

30

17

IG Index

Nearest competitor

Industry average*

+22

+8

-15

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

 
ouR BuSIneSS Model

Business Review: our Business Model

Our businesses provide a platform that harnesses demand for retail financial 
derivatives trading. The recruitment and retention of clients is supported by our range 
of products, advanced technology, competitive pricing, customer service, financial 
strength and business expertise. Our system of controls to monitor and manage risk 
ensures we generate high-quality earnings through each of our revenue sources. 

cLIENTS
  over 49,000 clients recruited in 2011 financial year
   over 130,000 clients trading in 2011 financial year
   14 international sales offices
   online presence in over 130 countries
   370 business partners to extend global reach

OUR BUSINESSES

COMMERCIAL MODEL

QuALITY oF EArNINGS
   risk averse model: our hedging ensures profit is  
made whether markets go up or down, as long  
as clients are trading
   No loss-making days since May 2008

rEvENuE SourcES
   An initial spread or commission for each trade
   client funding charges to reflect leveraged trading
   Additional charges for Guaranteed Stops
   Interest on cash balances
   revenue is earned across multiple asset classes

rISK MANAGEMENT
   Scale of operations promotes natural hedging 
opportunities: client positions often balance each  
other out
   IG Group’s liquidity enables funding of large hedging 
positions with brokers when necessary
   clients provide margin up-front and are closed out  
of positions if margin is significantly eroded
   real-time mark-to-market trading platform calculates 
client profit and loss continuously, to mitigate 
excessive losses

TEcHNoLoGY & 
PrIcING 
   Award-winning trading 
platform
   Focus on mobile technology
   competitive pricing 
including Price 
Improvement technology

cLIENT  
FocuS
    24/7 customer service
    comprehensive education 
and support
    Treating customers Fairly 
(TcF) initiative ensures 
continued quality service

BuSINESS  
ExPErTISE
   Market leader for 37 years
   Multi-award-winning 
company
   recognised as a top 
employer with high- 
quality employees 

FINANcIAL  
STrENGTH
   FTSE 250 company
   regulatory capital  
surplus 
   Facilitates IT investment  
and product excellence

For detailed practical examples of a spread bet and a cFD trade, 
please see the Investors resources section, pages 134-137.

Forex • Indices • Shares • Commodities • Binaries 
Options • Interest Rates • Bonds • ETFs • Sectors

18 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

19

CHIeF exeCutIve’S RevIeW

Through the year we have extended our share in some of our largest markets and 
have taken a number of steps to further strengthen our competitive position. We 
remain committed to investing in our technology and we enter the coming year well 
positioned to build on our high levels of client service and to maintain and build on 
our market-leading position across our geographical markets. 

In the last year we have taken a number of major steps 
to further improve our competitive positioning. We have 
relocated our London head office and data centre, made 
important advances in our technology offering, achieved 
market share gains in some of our largest markets and 
restructured our Japanese business. In the few weeks since 
the year-end we have shut our Sport business and have 
restructured responsibilities within the senior management 
team. All of these are important developments which will help 
us to continue to maintain and build on the Group’s leading 
market position. I discuss each of them below.

primary accounts, while our nearest competitor has 20%.
our European businesses grew revenue by 21%, made up of 
33% growth in active clients and a 9% fall in revenue per client. 
Germany was the fastest growing of our European offices with 
revenue growth of 54%. An 11% increase in revenue per client 
contributed to this growth. Market research indicates that we 
are the second largest cFD provider in Germany, and that we 
are gaining market share rapidly. Europe now contributes over 
18% of Group revenue and is likely to become an increasingly 
material contributor to Group revenue and revenue growth 
over the next few years.

revenue(1) growth this year was 7%, which is much lower than 
I believe the Group is capable of in a more normal economic 
and market environment. underlying growth in client numbers 
was stronger than revenue growth in virtually every market 
in which we operate. For the Group as a whole the number 
of clients trading in the year was 11% higher than in the 
previous year, and excluding Japan it was 13% higher. In the 
first half of the year we faced a headwind of falling volatility 
and a backdrop of poor economic conditions in many of the 
countries in which we operate, and these factors undoubtedly 
had an adverse effect on revenue per client. In our third 
quarter we saw a slight improvement in revenue per client for 
the Group as a whole. revenue per client was down 3% in the 
final quarter of the year, but this was largely due to a single 
weak month in April when dull markets were combined with 
an extended uK holiday period. We achieved our best monthly 
revenue on record in March 2011.

PErForMANcE  oF our MAIN BuSINESS uNITS
our uK financial business, which represents 52% of revenue, 
achieved revenue growth of 3%. This was made up of 8% 
growth in active clients, offset by a 5% fall in revenue per client. 
This fall in revenue per client was weighted towards the first 
half of the year, and in the third quarter revenue per client rose 
slightly when compared to the same quarter a year before, 
suggesting that our clients were becoming accustomed to 
lower levels of market volatility. The final quarter of the year  
was impacted by a poor April. 

our Australian business, which represents 15% of revenue, 
achieved revenue growth of 4%. This was made up of 11% 
growth in active clients offset by a 6% fall in revenue per client. 
revenue per client recovered well in the final quarter of the 
year and was at its highest level for the year in May. recent 
market research indicates that we have extended our market 
lead over the last year, and that we now have a 34% share of 

our Japanese business operates in an extremely challenging 
competitive and regulatory environment and made up only  
7% of revenue for the year. The imposition of leverage limits on 
forex in August 2010 and on equity indices in January 2011 had 
a significant impact, and as a result revenue was 14% lower than 
in the previous year. There remains a further leverage restriction 
to come on forex in August 2011, but there are some signs that 
the Japanese regulators may revisit the appropriateness of the 
current regime. Furthermore, a new tax regime under which 
our products will be treated in the same way as exchange-listed 
instruments will come into force on 1 January 2012. I am hopeful 
that we might, in due course, see Japanese regulation begin 
to move in a direction which provides improved consumer 
protection while at the same time better suiting our existing 
business model. During the year we re-branded our Japanese 
business as IG Markets Securities.

As previously announced, during the year we wrote off 
the entire goodwill and other intangibles relating to our 
Japanese business – a non-cash cost of £143 million. This 
has no impact on the Group’s cash flow, regulatory capital or 
dividend capacity.

INTErNATIoNAL  ExPANSIoN  coNTINuES
In September 2010 we acquired the client list and business 
of our South African white label partner, Ideal cFDs. We now 
trade in South Africa under the IG Markets brand. The owner 
of Ideal cFDs initially had a 20% minority interest in our South 
African subsidiary, but by mutual agreement we exercised 
our option over half of that interest during April 2011, for £1.2 
million, and they now have a 10% interest. We anticipate that 
we will acquire this remaining 10% interest in January 2013 
based on a multiple of profits generated in the period from 
acquisition until November 2012. our South African offices in 
Johannesburg and Durban are now fully integrated into the 
Group and are showing initial signs of encouraging growth. 

(1)  ‘Revenue’ throughout the Chief Executive’s Review refers to net trading revenue, 
which is trading revenue excluding interest on segregated client funds and is net 
of introducing broker commissions. 

Business Review: Chief executive’s Review

European contribution to Group revenue

18%

Growth in active clients (excluding Japan)

+13.5%

Percentage of clients using mobile devices

30%

revenue for the nine months since acquisition was £2.75 
million. revenue from our white label with Ideal cFDs was 
previously included within revenue from the uK office and 
amounted to £1.8 million in the prior year and £0.5 million in 
the first quarter of the 2011 financial year. 

In May 2011 we opened an office in Amsterdam. The 
Netherlands has an active online trading culture, which 
we believe is currently poorly serviced by opaquely-priced 
exchange-traded derivative products. We regard this as a 
good indicator that there will be strong demand for our cFD 
products, which have completely transparent pricing. It is 
only a few weeks since our Dutch office opened, but we are 
encouraged by its early performance.

We continue to explore opportunities to expand  
further geographically.

THE uS
our uS exchange, Nadex, has seen encouraging growth in 
volumes of clients coming to it direct. We continue to view 
brokers as our main route to market, and the technological 
process of getting our first such broker live has been 
frustratingly slow, but PFGBEST have, within the last few days, 
begun to promote Nadex products both to their existing clients 
and to the wider uS retail market. They are at the final stages of 
testing the technology by offering our products to their clients 
within their demo platform and expect to go fully live shortly. 
It is much too early to assess the scale of opportunity which 
PFGBEST represents. Having successfully completed the first 
integration of a broker to Nadex we would expect that future 
integrations will be somewhat easier. We are in discussions 
with other brokers, but it is unlikely that these will commit to 
the necessary work until we have more evidence of the level of 
uptake from PFGBEST clients. I continue to believe that there 
is a significant opportunity for us in the uS which will come to 
fruition over the next few years.

During the year we closed IG Markets Inc, our uS forex broker, 
which was generating negligible revenue, to enable us to 
concentrate exclusively on Nadex. 

20 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

21

CHIeF exeCutIve’S RevIeW 
(continued)

Business Review: Chief executive’s Review

betting business and have progressively rolled it out across all 
of our businesses worldwide. our cFD iPhone app gives clients 
the ability to have Direct Market Access to an aggregate order 
book formed from the primary stock exchange and the main 
alternative execution venues, a combination of features which 
we believe to be unique. During the year we also released a 
Blackberry app and since the year-end we have released an 
app for Android devices. We have been pleased with the initial 
take-up, and usage of these apps is steadily increasing. Last 
month almost 14% of all client-initiated deals were done using 
mobile devices; around 30% of our active clients use mobile 
devices to place some of their trades; and over 10% of account 
applications are made using mobile devices. We will continue 
to invest heavily in ongoing development of our mobile 
offering, which we believe will become increasingly important. 
We are currently developing an app for Windows Phone 7 
devices and for tablets, including the iPad.

over the last two years we have been building our own charts 
package, to reduce our dependency on a third-party charting 
package provider. This should produce cost savings for us 
over the longer term, and our clients will also benefit from a 
much closer integration between dealing and charts. The first 
stage of this development has gone live in some of the smaller 
countries in which we operate and will be progressively rolled 
out worldwide in the coming months. We have capitalised 
a total of £2.5 million of development costs relating to this 
project over the last two financial years, which we will now 
start to amortise over a three-year period. 

HIGH LEvELS oF cLIENT SErvIcE
our substantial investment in technology enables us to offer 
unrivalled quality of pricing and execution to our clients. We 
have been progressively improving the level of automation 
of our dealing and in May 99.93% of internet deals were 
automatically processed, with no human intervention and no 
re-quotes. At peak load in that month we were processing 347 
client orders per second. 

We also remain the only spread betting or cFD provider to 
offer Price Improvement, whereby we pass on a better price to 
our client if it becomes available while the client order is being 
executed. In addition, unlike some of our competitors, we will 
never fill a client order at a worse price than that requested by 
the client. We are also the only spread betting or cFD provider 
to source prices from and route execution for equities into 
Multilateral Trading Facilities, allowing our clients to benefit 
from greater liquidity and narrower market spreads as a result.

MANAGEMENT cHANGES
chris Hill joined us as cFo in April. He brings extensive 
experience of managing international businesses and is a 
valuable addition to our senior management. 

over the last few weeks I have made a number of changes 
to responsibilities within my senior management team. 
The aim of these changes is to ensure that we are taking a 
consistent approach in each of our offices worldwide where 
it is appropriate to do so, while being sensitive to local 

regulatory and cultural differences. A key aspect of this is 
that Peter Hetherington, our chief operating officer, has 
taken charge of all of our sales offices, ensuring that they all 
operate in a standardised way and maximise revenue through 
concentrating on client on-boarding, retention and value.

The other significant change at Board level is that Andrew 
MacKay has assumed the newly-formed role of Director of 
corporate Strategy. We believe that there are a number of 
potentially significant opportunities for both geographic and 
product expansion which will help to drive our future growth, 
which Andrew will be focusing on in the coming months. 

currENT TrADING AND ouTLooK
The new financial year has started well, with revenue from 
our financial business higher than in June 2010, despite 
substantially lower levels of market volatility.

our ongoing investment in technology and our commitment 
to fair, transparent execution continue to drive market share 
gains in a number of our key markets, leaving us well placed for 
future profitable growth.

Tim Howkins, chief Executive
19 July 2011

ExTrABET
During the year we ran an extensive sales process to sell our 
Sport business, extrabet, as a going concern. We were unable 
to find a buyer on acceptable terms and as a result we decided 
prior to the year-end to sell extrabet’s client list. This sale, to 
Spreadex Limited, was completed during June. We have now 
closed our Sport business, but are in discussions with a number 
of potential purchasers of our pricing engine software. 

The decision to close extrabet will allow us to focus exclusively 
on our much larger and more profitable Financial business, as 
well as greatly improve our IT maintenance windows with the 
removal of a business which was busiest during the weekends.

We have incurred approximately £2.5 million of cash costs 
relating to the closure of extrabet, principally redundancy and 
property-related costs. In addition we have written off the 
goodwill associated with our Sport business of £5.25 million, a 
non-cash cost which has no impact on the Group’s cash flow, 
regulatory capital or dividend capacity.

INvESTMENT IN TEcHNoLoGY
We continue to invest heavily in technology, which we see 
as a key competitive differentiator and driver of long-term 
profitable growth. During the year, in conjunction with the 
relocation of our head office, we built and equipped a new 
data centre. We spent a total of almost £5.0 million during 
the year on hardware and a further £5.0 million on software 
licences, the majority of which was for a three-year enterprise 
licence for customer relationship Management software. 
However, our largest IT investment is in our people. We now 
have approximately 350 staff within our IT department, 
representing over a third of our global workforce. The total 
employment costs for this IT team exceeded £23.5 million in 
the year, compared to £18.7 million the year before. 

our IT department covers both ongoing support of existing 
software and channels and the development of new features 
and distribution channels. over the last year we have made 
significant advances in two areas: mobile and charts. 

We have almost 40 people working on our mobile platforms, 
a level of investment which few of our competitors can match. 
We released our first iPhone app a year ago for our uK spread 

22 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

23

opeRAtInG And FInAnCIAl RevIeW

This section reviews the Group’s operating performance  
and financial results for the year.

our STrATEGY AND our BuSINESS
IG Group’s overall business strategy is set out earlier in the 
Business review, along with our plan to deliver that strategy 
and the Group’s business model. The key business risks arising 
from our strategy, as well as their mitigation, are explained 
following this operating and Financial review. 

Additionally a worked example of a cFD trade and a spread bet 
are provided in the Investor resources and other Information 
section that follows the Group Financial Statements. 

coMPETITIvE ENvIroNMENT
IG Group has established leading positions in many of the 
markets in which it operates. We are the market leader in the 
uK and in Australia, where we extended our lead this year.  
We are number two in Germany, but are taking market share 
from our competition.

We have often been the first entrant in new countries, and we 
embrace competition as it serves to expand the overall market 
by increasing awareness of the cFD product. 

We have continued to deliver growth through all stages of  
the economic cycle, achieving strong financial performance 
with high margins and strong cash generation. our high levels 
of client service and financial strength are appealing to our 
clients and ensure that we are well placed to deal with changes 
in the regulatory environment. our technology platforms, 
which offer efficient dealing, liquidity and competitive pricing, 
are all accessible via browser or mobile and provide us with a 
competitive advantage in winning and retaining clients. 

rEGuLATorY ENvIroNMENT
our products have several key features which make them 
higher risk from a retail client’s perspective: our products are 
not listed on any exchange (apart from Nadex products) and 
are not assignable or tradable with any other third party;  
they are derivatives; and they are leveraged. consequently we 
require regulatory authorisation to conduct our business in 
jurisdictions where we operate. There are a large number of 
rules that attach to our various regulatory authorisations, and 
compliance with these rules is fundamental to the business.  
We therefore invest significant resources to ensure that we 
comply with both the letter and the spirit of regulations that 
govern our global business.

Since the financial crisis, we have seen the pace of regulatory 
change quicken and the level of regulatory intervention 
increase. There are currently a number of different policy 
initiatives and proposals being discussed that may impact or 
have already impacted our sector, as described below:

   The FSA recently issued a discussion paper containing 
several policy proposals about the extent to which it should 
be permitted to intervene in product design where there is 
evidence that such intervention is required in order to prevent 
consumer detriment. We have shared our views with the FSA 
on this approach as we do not consider that our clients suffer 
detriment and will monitor developments carefully.

   The European commission is reviewing the Markets in 
Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID), with draft legislative 
proposals due for release in the second half of 2011. Based 
on early policy proposals of the commission, we do not 

Business Review: operating and Financial Review

believe that the MiFID review will pose a threat to our 
uK and European businesses but we are monitoring the 
situation carefully.

   The Australian Securities and Investments commission 
(ASIc) has undertaken a large amount of policy work in our 
industry over the past year. We expect a number of changes 
to come into effect in the coming year as a result of this, 
including regulatory capital changes, disclosure changes 
and client suitability changes. We have engaged with ASIc 
thoroughly on these issues and we do not expect that these 
changes will have a substantial impact on our business.

   During the year, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) 
brought in guidance encouraging firms to undertake client 
suitability assessments during the account application 
process to determine whether their services are suitable for 
each individual client. We have implemented MAS’ guidance 
within our own Singapore business; the impact of doing so 
has not been material.

   our Japanese business operates in an increasingly difficult 
regulatory environment, with progressive leverage limits 
being introduced on trading in forex, equity indices, 
equities and other asset classes during the year. In light of 
the significant adverse impact of these regulatory changes 
we fully impaired the carrying value of the goodwill and 
customer relationships associated with our Japanese 
business as at 30 November 2010.

In addition, the following events occurred during the year and 
had an impact upon the Group’s regulatory environment: 

   The FSA recently tightened client money rules and this has 
not had a significant effect upon the Group as we already 
segregated all uK, Europe, uS and Asia Pacific retail client 
funds into ‘client money’ bank accounts and were already 
operating in accordance with best practice in this area.

   During the year, the Financial Services compensation 
Scheme (FScS) issued an interim levy related to the 
continuing costs of Keydata Investment Services Limited and 
other failed investment intermediary firms. Being classified 
as an investment intermediary under FScS rules, we were 
required to take part in this levy, our share of which was  
£4.1 million, significantly higher than in prior years. 

   During the year, the decision was taken to close  
IG Markets Inc, our retail forex business in the uS, in order 
to concentrate on Nadex, our exchange business. This has 
resulted in our surrendering IG Markets Inc’s regulatory 
membership with the National Futures Association. Similarly, 
the decision was taken to close extrabet, our sport betting 
and casino business. This will result in our surrendering 
extrabet Limited’s FSA and Gambling commission 
authorisations. This has had the effect of reducing the 
Group’s regulatory complexity and therefore reducing  
our operational and regulatory risk.

We operate in a dynamic financial services industry and we 
experience constant regulatory change and development. 
We work closely with our regulators to ensure both that we 
operate to the highest regulatory standards and that we can 
adapt to regulatory change, however, we can provide no 
certainty that potential regulatory changes will not have  
an adverse impact on our business.

rESourcES AvAILABLE To THE GrouP
The Group has a strong, debt-free balance sheet and a history 
of profitability, enabling continued investment in each of 
our key brands, growth in our international reach and the 
development of our advanced and robust technology.  
The Group has significant capital resources and the surplus 
over the capital resources requirement is disclosed later in  
this section under regulatory capital resources.

our award-winning dealing platforms, our market-leading 
brands and our active client base are all highlighted  
within the What We Do and our Strategy sections of the 
Business review. 

our continued growth is highly dependent upon attracting 
and retaining high-calibre employees. our employee numbers 
and remuneration levels are discussed in detail later in the 
operating and Financial review. The Group’s employees 
have extensive knowledge of our key markets and actively 
contribute to the development of new products and services.

The Group’s reputation for innovation and high levels of 
customer service reflects over 30 years of investment in 
technology. The vast majority of technology development  
is carried out in-house and our employees continue to be  
our key resource.

24 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

25

opeRAtInG And FInAnCIAl RevIeW 
(continued)

FINANcIAL rEvIEW

An overview of the Group’s financial performance is provided 
in both the chairman’s Statement and the chief Executive’s 
review. The following section provides a more detailed analysis 
of the Group’s financial performance for the year ended 31 May 
2011, including a discussion of the Key Performance Indicators 
(KPIs) used to monitor and control our business. 

The critical accounting estimates and judgments that impact 
the Group’s financial performance, together with new and 
amended accounting standards adopted in the preparation of 
the Financial Statements, are set out in note 37 to the Financial 
Statements. 

regulatory capital resources 

£263.6m (+18.7%)

Total dividend per share

+8.1% 

Dividend payout ratio(1) 

61.3%

(1)  Calculated as total dividend per share divided by diluted adjusted earnings  

per share.

Summary Group Income Statement

£000

Net trading revenue(2)

2011

2010

320,392

298,551

other net operating income

4,863

1,172

Net operating income

325,255

299,723

operating expenses

(151,642)

(133,782)

EBITDA

173,613

165,941

Depreciation, amortisation and 
amounts written off property, 
plant and equipment

(10,583)

(8,654)

Interest (paid) / received

(30)

352

Adjusted profit before tax(3)

163,000

157,639

Amortisation and impairment  
of intangibles 

(155,953)

(17,298)

Profit before taxation

7,047

140,341

Tax expense

(32,339)

(38,855)

(Loss) / profit for the period

(25,292)

101,486

Diluted adjusted earnings  
per share

32.64p

30.77p

Total dividend per share

20.00p

18.50p

(2) Net trading revenue is trading revenue excluding interest on segregated client  

funds and is net of introductory broker commissions.

(3)  Adjusted profit before taxation excludes both the amortisation and impairment  
 of goodwill and customer relationships associated with our Japanese business, 
IG Markets Securities (formerly FXOnline), and the impairment of goodwill 
associated with the Sport business.

Business Review: operating and Financial Review

Net trading revenue grew 7.3% to  
£320.4m in mixed market conditions
KPI: net trading revenue 
clients can trade on a number of different asset classes from 
one account and this is a major competitive advantage. As a 
result, our clients’ trading patterns vary with volatility across all 
the markets in which we offer products. The year ended 31 May 
2011 saw mixed market conditions across asset classes which 
drove differing levels of client activity.

The profile of the vIx (the chicago Board options Exchange 
Market volatility Index measure of the implied volatility of the 
S&P 500), which focuses on equity markets, highlights that 
volatility has trended back to a more normal level after the 

extremes of october 2008 to March 2009. Subsequent spikes 
have occurred in May and June 2010 and in March 2011, and 
these have driven record levels of client activity. 

The first few months of the financial year saw strengthening 
equity markets, which encouraged clients to trade equity cFDs 
and spread bet on shares. This was then followed by a period 
of range-bound markets with a tail-off in volatility, resulting 
in a reduction of activity. In a similar manner, Fx revenues in 
the year were closely correlated with the Deutsche Bank Fx 
volatility index. Finally, several markets including oil, gold 
and silver all saw heightened volatility towards the end of the 
financial year and this boosted activity. As a result March 2011 
provided the Group’s highest ever monthly net trading revenue. 

I

I

x
e
d
x
n
e
I
d
X
n
V
X
g
n
V
i
s
g
o
n
l
i
C
s
o
C

I

l

x
e
d
x
n
e
I
d
y
n
t
i
I
l
i
y
t
a
t
i
l
l
o
i
t
V
a
X
o
F
V
X
F

l

90
90
80
80
70
70
60
60
50
50
40
40
30
30
20
20
10
10
0
0

Jun-07
Jun-07

16
15
16
14
15
13
14
12
13
11
12
10
11
9
10
8
9
7
8
6
7
6

M ay-10
M ay-10

vIx volatility FY08-FY11

Sep-07
Sep-07

D ec-07
D ec-07

M ar-08
M ar-08

Jun-08
Jun-08

Sep-08
Sep-08

D ec-08
D ec-08

M ar-09
M ar-09

Jun-09
Jun-09

Sep-09
Sep-09

D ec-09
D ec-09

M ar-10
M ar-10

Jun-10
Jun-10

Sep-10
Sep-10

D ec-10
D ec-10

M ar-11
M ar-11

M ay-11
M ay-11

Deutsche Bank Fx volatility Index FY11

Jun-10
Jun-10

Jul-10
Jul-10

Aug-10
Aug-10

Sep-10
Sep-10

Oct-10
Oct-10

N ov-10
N ov-10

D ec-10
D ec-10

Jan-11
Jan-11

Feb-11
Feb-11

M ar-11
M ar-11

A pr-11
A pr-11

M ay-11
M ay-11

26 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

27

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Business Review: operating and Financial Review

opeRAtInG And FInAnCIAl RevIeW 
(continued)

FINANcIAL rEvIEW (continued)

Net trading revenue grew in all regions except Japan 
KPI: geographic net trading revenue
Given the scale of revenue growth in the prior year, which 
was driven by significant levels of market volatility in the final 
quarter, and the current year impact of leverage restrictions in 
Japan, the Group faced a tough set of comparatives during the 
2011 financial year. Excluding Japan, revenue from the financial 
business increased by 9% with Europe and the rest of the 
World providing the highest growth rates. Growth rates of net 
trading revenue by region are highlighted below.

The uK, our largest market, saw a less favourable share trading 
environment for the cFD business but spread betting revenue 
grew 6% year on year. The comparatives are affected by the 
acquisition of Ideal cFDs, our South African white label partner, 
which was previously included in the uK and is now reported 
in rest of the World. revenue from our white label with Ideal 
cFDs was previously included within revenue from the uK 
office and amounted to £1.8 million in the prior year and  
£0.5 million in the first quarter of the 2011 financial year. 

our Australian business had a strong final quarter, leaving it 
well positioned for the new financial year with overall revenue 
growing by 4% to £47.6 million (2010: £45.7 million) for the year.

The European businesses grew revenue by 21% to £57.5 million 
(2010: £47.4 million) driven by a strong performance in Germany, 
which was the fastest growing of our European offices with 
revenue growth of 54%. our French business grew by 17%, 
whilst Italy and Spain performed well under very challenging 
economic conditions. Europe now contributes 18% of Group 
revenue and is likely to become an increasingly significant 
contributor to Group revenue growth over the next few years.

our Japanese business operates in an extremely challenging 
competitive and regulatory environment. The imposition of 
leverage limits on forex in August 2010 and on equity indices  
in January 2011 had a severe impact on revenue, which was 
14% lower than in the previous year.

The rest of the World revenue grew 52% to £19.9 million 
(2010: £13.0 million) due to a strong performance in Singapore 
which was up 38% and the acquisition of the South African 
white label partner, Ideal cFDs, previously reported in the uK. 
Excluding the impact of the acquisition, the rest of the World 
annual revenue growth was 31%. This growth rate is diluted 
by changes in the uS which saw us close our oTc business to 
allow management to focus on the Nadex exchange business 
which, as reported elsewhere, has made encouraging progress 
in the financial year.

)

m
£
(
e
u
n
e
v
e
R

180

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

+3%

Geographic net trading revenue

FY2009

FY2010

FY2011

+4%

+21%

-14%

+52%

UK

Australia

Europe

Japan

Rest of the World

changes in revenue by asset class  
reflect individual market movements
KPI: net trading revenue by asset class
The changing mix of revenues by asset class from the prior to 
the current year reflects our wide product offering that can 
provide our clients with interesting trading opportunities 
under a range of market conditions. Equity indices remain our 
highest revenue-generating asset class, with forex second, 
despite a reduced contribution during the year. commodities 
increased their contribution, reflecting the volatility seen in oil, 
gold and silver markets, while shares remained flat. 

FY11 Financial revenue £312.7m

2011

2010

22%  Shares
36%  Equity Indices
26%  Forex
11%  commodities
Binaries
5% 

FY10 Financial revenue £292.6m

23%  Shares
35%  Equity Indices
29%  Forex
9%  commodities
Binaries
4% 

28 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

29

 
opeRAtInG And FInAnCIAl RevIeW 
(continued)

FINANcIAL rEvIEW (continued)

Active clients grew 13% (excluding Japan) and 
revenue per client was stable 
rates of account opening and propensity to trade are heavily 
influenced by underlying market conditions, as highlighted 
earlier in this section, as well as our own and competitor 
activity. The primary drivers of the Group’s financial revenue 
are the number of active clients and the average revenue per 
client. These are discussed in turn below. A five-year summary 
of other client metrics is provided in the Investor resources 
and other Information section.

Number of active clients – continued growth  
despite tough comparatives
KPI: number of active clients
During the year the number of active financial clients, 
excluding Japan, increased 13% to 117,252 (2010: 103,338). 
Europe saw strong growth with a 33% increase and the rest 
of the World grew 28%. Both Australia and uK spread betting 
delivered double digit growth but the uK cFD business saw a 
lower growth rate as a result of less favourable equity trading 
conditions compared to the prior year. Including Japanese 
clients, the overall growth rate averaged 11%.

The profile of active clients over the last three years is 
illustrated below. The more volatile conditions experienced  
in March 2011 attracted a record number of clients trading  
in any one month, surpassing the previous record month of 
May 2010 and, in turn, resulted in our highest ever monthly  
net trading revenue.

Business Review: operating and Financial Review

Quality of earnings demonstrated through  
low volatility of trading revenue
KPI: daily net trading revenue
The stability of our revenue is illustrated in the chart below, 
which shows the distribution of daily net trading revenue 
during the financial year. This demonstrates the quality of  
the Group’s earnings and also the effectiveness of our systems 
and processes of market risk management. We do not take 
proprietary market positions based on the expectation of 
market movements and this is a significant contributory  
factor to trading revenue stability. 

The Group did not experience a single loss-making day during 
the financial year. our last loss-making day was a bank holiday 
in May 2008.

KPI: average revenue per client
Average revenue per financial client (total revenue divided 
by the number of active clients) varied during the year across 
products and geographies. 

over the course of the financial year, the average revenue 
from uK spread betting and Australian clients was stable, 
although the uK cFD business was impacted by the fading of 
the favourable equity environment in the prior financial year. 
overall, revenue per client in the uK was down 6% and up 1% 
in Australia. 
3,000

Total Financial (excl Japan)

2,000

2,500

)
£
European revenue per client fell 6.1% during the financial 
(
t
n
year and this reflected both variations across asset classes and 
e
i
l
c
geographies. In particular, Germany, which is characterised by 
r
e
p
a lower average revenue per client than its European peers, 
e
u
increased average revenue per client by 11%. This was offset by 
n
e
falls in France, Italy and Spain. 
v
e
R

1,500

1,000

500

Lower revenue per client levels in Japan reflected the impact of 
new leverage restrictions introduced in stages over the course 
of the financial year.

H 2-11

H 1-10

H 1-09

H 2-10

H 1-11

H 2-09

Monthly revenue vs active clients trading FY09-FY11 

Average revenue per client FY09-FY11 

Daily net trading revenue FY11

Financial revenue

Clients trading (excl. Japan)

Clients trading (Japan)

35

30

25

20

15

10

)

m
£
(
e
u
n
e
v
e
r

l

a
i
c
n
a
n
F

i

5

Jun-08

Sep-08

D ec-08

M ar-09

Jun-09

Sep-09

D ec-09

M ar-10

Jun-10

Sep-10

D ec-10

M ar-11

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

C

l
i

e
n
t
s

i

t
r
a
d
n
g
(
0
0
0
s
)

All Financial business (excl. Japan)

)
£
(

t
n
e

i
l
c
r
e
p
e
u
n
e
v
e
R

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

H 1-09

H 2-09

H 1-10

H 2-10

H 1-11

H 2-11

s
y
a
d
f
o
r
e
b
m
u
N

18

16

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

£0.0 m

Daily Mean £1.22m

£0.5 m

£1.0 m

£1.5 m

£2.0 m

£2.5 m

30 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

31

  UK SB   UK CFD   Australia   Europe   Japan  UK SB   UK CFD   Australia   Europe   Japan 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
opeRAtInG And FInAnCIAl RevIeW 
(continued)

Business Review: operating and Financial Review

FINANcIAL rEvIEW (continued)

Sports – extrabet
The Group’s Sport business, extrabet, generated £7.7 million 
of revenue in the current year (2010: £5.9 million) benefitting 
significantly from the impact of the football World cup in June 
2010. The Sport business represented less than 2.5% of the 
Group’s current year revenue. 

As discussed in the Business review and elsewhere in the 
operating and Financial review, the Group has now completed 
a redundancy consultation process with the employees of 
extrabet prior to the closure of the business. 

other net operating income 
other net operating income includes betting duties paid by 
the Group in relation to spread betting clients, and interest 
earned on segregated clients’ funds net of interest paid to 
those clients. This is broken out in detail on the statutory 
Income Statement. Betting duties were £4.1 million and saw 
a decrease of £0.2 million from the prior year. Net interest 
income on segregated client funds increased to £8.9 million 
(2010: £5.5 million) as a result of significant growth in the level 
of client funds held and marginally better deposit rates. 

Adjusted administrative expenses 
Adjusted administrative expenses, which exclude amortisation 
and impairment of intangible assets arising on consolidation, 
increased by £19.8 million to £162.2 million (2010: £142.4 million). 
underlying operating expenses, which also exclude depreciation, 
amortisation and amounts written off property, plant and 
equipment and exceptional items, increased by £18.6 million to 
£148.0 million. The underlying operating costs are analysed in  
the table below:

Adjusted administrative expenses
£000

2011

2010

Employee remuneration costs

74,726

72,054

Advertising and marketing

32,025

27,297

Premises related costs

9,410

6,669

IT, market data and communications

12,728

11,785

Legal and professional 

regulatory fees

3,897

4,605

5,976

1,378

Bad and doubtful debts

(2,209)

(1,064)

other costs

11,445

6,636

underlying operating expenses

147,998

129,360

Depreciation, amortisation and 
amounts written off property, plant  
and equipment 

Exceptional items (including 
depreciation)

10,001

8,202

4,226

4,874

Total adjusted administrative expenses

162,225

142,436

Employee remuneration and advertising and marketing  
costs comprise 72.1% of underlying operating costs in  
the current year. 

Employee remuneration costs
Employee remuneration costs increased to £74.7 million  
(2010: £72.1 million), primarily resulting from an increase in 
the average number of employees to 952 (2010: 828) reflecting 
the investment in our platform and technological innovation 
referred to in the chief Executive’s review. The increase in total 
remuneration cost was mitigated by an £8.1 million reduction 
in performance-related bonus and commissions payments. 
As a result our total compensation ratio (i.e. total employee 
remuneration expressed as a percentage of net trading 
revenue) decreased to 23.3% (2010: 24.1%).

The Group pays performance-related bonuses to most staff  
and makes awards under long-term incentive and value 
sharing plans to key personnel. In addition, the opportunity to 
acquire shares under various share incentive plans (SIPs) has 
been made available to all uK, Australian and uS staff. These 
awards reward employees for past performance and help to 
retain them in the future. We also provide a range of other 
benefits to employees, including pension contributions and 
private health insurance.

Inclusive of national insurance and pension costs, employee 
remuneration costs comprise:

£000

2011

2010

Fixed employment costs

56,226

44,939

Performance-related bonuses and 
commissions:

Pool schemes

Specific schemes

9,505

13,889

4,770

8,444

Share-based payment schemes

4,225

4,782

Total employee remuneration costs

74,726

72,054

The average number of employees increased in the year to 952 
(2010: 828), with year-end headcount being 989 (2010: 886). 
An analysis of year-end headcount by geographic segment is 
provided below. 

Year-end number of employees

2011

2010

central

uK

Australia

Europe

Japan

rest of the World

Group

648

100

71

73

37

60

550

93

68

69

64

42

989

886

The Group employs a centralised operating model whereby 
market risk is managed principally in the uK, switching to 
Australia outside of uK hours. The headcount associated  
with these operations is included in the central segment, 
together with senior management, finance, middle office, IT 
development, Hr, marketing and other support functions. At 
31 May 2011 the Group employed 260 staff in IT development 
roles (2010: 184 staff ), reflecting the significant level of 
continued investment in our technology platforms. 

other notable changes in the year include the reduction of 
headcount in Japan, following action taken to significantly 
reduce our Japanese cost base with the aim of ensuring 
continuing profitability of this business, and the increase in  
the rest of the World segment following the acquisition of  
our South African business along with its 15 staff. 

32 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

33

opeRAtInG And FInAnCIAl RevIeW 
(continued)

FINANcIAL rEvIEW (continued)

Marketing costs
The increase in advertising and marketing costs to  
£32.0 million reflects initiatives to maximise the recruitment, 
conversion and retention of clients globally, with spend 
increasing across each of our businesses with the exception of 
Japan. We have seen an increase in spend on Tv and outdoor 
advertising in our larger markets, while online channels have 
seen increased efficiency through the use of new technologies 
to optimise our websites and through bringing paid search to 
an in-house team. 

Additionally we have invested in expanding international brand 
awareness through sponsorship. During the year IG Markets has 
become increasingly involved in professional-level cycling. The 
sport’s audience ties in closely to our core client demographic, 
and cycling enjoys high exposure in many of our operating 
countries. our investment includes an official partnership 
with professional cycling outfit Team Sky, a number of race 
sponsorship deals, and the launch of the IG Markets  
Pro cycling Index – a new ranking system to recognise the 
world’s best riders.

Business Review: operating and Financial Review

other expenses
Premises-related costs increased by £2.7 million to £9.4 million 
(2010: £6.7 million), reflecting the move to our new London 
headquarters from August 2010, where we have additional 
office space to accommodate the growth in headcount, as 
well as the full-year impact of opening offices in Sweden 
and Portugal. Additionally we opened a new office in the 
Netherlands and added two offices in South Africa during the 
financial year. 

IT, market data and communication costs include the cost of IT 
maintenance and short-term license arrangements as well as 
market data fees from exchanges. 

The significant increase in regulatory fees is primarily a result of 
the interim levy imposed on certain investment management 
firms by the Financial Services compensation Scheme (FScS) 
related to the failure of Keydata Investment Services Limited 
and other failed investment intermediary firms. Being classified 
as an investment intermediary under FScS rules, we were 
required to take part in this levy, our share of which was  
£4.1 million – significantly higher than the prior year interim  
levy of £0.3 million. 

The full-year impact of use of our close-out monitor, which 
automatically reduces our exposure to bad debts, and the 
introduction of tiered-margining, contributed to limiting the 
levels of new bad debt arising in the year to £1.2 million and 
an overall net recovery of £2.2 million (2010: £1.1 million) in 
relation to bad and doubtful debts. The management of credit 
risk is described in detail in note 33 to the Financial Statements.

other costs include bank charges, training, travel, recruitment 
and irrecoverable sales taxes. The increase in other costs 
primarily results from irrecoverable sales taxes. In the prior 
year, the Group benefitted from sales tax rebates in overseas 
locations of £1.6 million and a lower effective vAT rate in 
the uK. uK vAT is payable on the bulk of the Group’s uK and 
European advertising and marketing, IT, market data and legal 
and professional fees. The uK vAT rate averaged 18.5% in the 
year ended 31 May 2011 compared to 16.0% in the prior year. 

Depreciation, amortisation and amounts written off property, 
plant and equipment increased to £10.0 million reflecting 
investment over the period in IT systems, the move to our 
new London headquarters and the acquisition of the client 
list acquired with our South African business (Ideal cFDs). The 
amortisation charge associated with this client list was  
£1.2 million in the year. 

Exceptional items included in adjusted profit before tax 

Exceptional items
£000

relocation of the Group’s London 
headquarters

2011

2010

1,752

4,874

closure of the Group’s Sport business

2,474

-

Total exceptional items included in 
adjusted profit before tax(1)

4,226

4,874

(1)  The above exceptional items exclude the impairment of intangible  

assets associated with the Japanese and Sport businesses, which are not  
reported in adjusted profit before tax, of £148.4 million (see note 4 to  
the Financial Statements). 

The relocation of the Group’s London headquarters in August 
2010 resulted in an onerous lease charge for the excess office 
space arising from the overlap of the lease period for the new 
London headquarters with that of the Group’s existing London 
premises, as well as accelerated depreciation of leasehold 
improvements and other asset obsolescence. No further 
exceptional costs associated with the relocation are anticipated. 

During the financial year, the Directors decided that the Group 
should investigate selling or closing the Sport business in order 
to allow management to focus exclusively on the continuing 
expansion and development of our Financial business. The 
Group was unable to secure a sale of the business in its entirety 
as a going concern on acceptable terms, and consequently 
the Group commenced a redundancy consultation process, 
subsequently completed on 12 July 2011, with the employees 
of extrabet prior to the closure of the business. As a result 
exceptional closure-related costs of £2.5 million, including 
redundancy (£0.7 million) and onerous lease charges  
(£1.3 million), have been incurred in the year. 

The goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges of  
£5.25 million and £143.1 million associated with the closure of 
the Sport business and impairment of our Japanese business  
are reported outside of adjusted profit before tax and are 
therefore excluded from the table above. 

34 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

35

 
Business Review: operating and Financial Review

Taxation expense
The effective rate of tax increased in the year to 458.9%; 
however this includes the impact of the Japanese and Sport 
related goodwill impairments of £128.2 million, which are not 
allowable expenses for the purposes of taxation. Adjusting 
for these items, the effective rate of taxation decreased to 
23.9% (2010: 27.7%), reflecting both the relative impact of tax 
adjustments in respect of prior years on these periods and an 
increased proportion of profits flowing from lower corporation 
tax rate jurisdictions in the year ended 31 May 2011. 

The calculation of the Group’s tax charge involves a degree  
of estimation and judgement, in particular with respect 
to certain items whose tax treatment cannot be finally 
determined until resolution has been reached with the  
relevant tax authority. Further detail is provided in note 9  
to the Financial Statements. 

(6.1% growth) in the year ended 31 May 2011, from 30.77p 
the prior year, and excludes amortisation and impairment 
of intangible assets associated with the Group’s Japanese 
business and impairment of the goodwill associated with 
the Group’s Sport business and related taxation. Diluted 
adjusted earnings per share (refer to note 10 to the Financial 
Statements) is used as a primary measure of our underlying 
profitability, and the annual Directors’ performance-related 
bonuses are calculated by reference to this measure. 

Dividend policy
The Board has adopted a progressive dividend policy, which 
reflects the long-term earnings and cash flow potential of the 
Group. our dividend payout target is in the region of 60% of 
adjusted profit after tax. This policy will be kept under review, 
but our current intention is to pay out a similar proportion of 
adjusted earnings in the future.

Diluted adjusted earnings per share
KPI: diluted adjusted earnings per share
Diluted adjusted earnings per share increased to 32.64p  

The Board has recommended a final dividend of 14.75p, to 
bring the total dividend for the financial year ending 31 May 
2011 to 20.00p (2010: 18.5p), an increase of 8.1%. 

opeRAtInG And FInAnCIAl RevIeW 
(continued)

FINANcIAL rEvIEW (continued)

EBITDA margins
KPI: geographic ebItda contribution 
We use EBITDA contribution, which includes an allocation of 
central costs, primarily to assess the regional performance of our 
businesses (see note 2 to the Financial Statements). 

EBITDA increased to £173.6 million (2010: £165.9 million) 
driven by the increase in net trading revenue and adjusted 
administrative expenses discussed earlier in the operating 
and Financial review. EBITDA margin (EBITDA expressed as a 
percentage of net trading revenue) marginally decreased to 
54.2% (2010: 55.6%). 

The following table summarises EBITDA margin by region:

Segment

uK (including Sport)

Australia

Europe

Japan

rest of the World

Group

EBITDA margin  
by region

2011

2010

63.0%

63.4%

57.3%

60.0%

42.4%

45.7%

22.2%

27.4%

36.8%

27.1%

54.2%

55.6%

The uK and Australia currently have higher EBITDA margin levels 
than our other regions because they operate in more established 
markets. In Europe, for example, markets are in early stages 
of development, and while these businesses reach operating 
profitability quickly, initially they have depressed EBITDA 
margins, as marketing and other costs are initially high relative  
to net trading revenue.

Adjusted profit before taxation
KPI: adjusted profit before taxation
Adjusted profit before taxation grew 3.4% to £163.0 million 
(2010: £157.6 million). Adjusted profit before taxation excludes 
both the amortisation and impairment of goodwill and customer 
relationships associated with our Japanese business, IG Markets 
Securities (formerly Fxonline), and the impairment of goodwill 
associated with the Sport business.

Profit before tax
Including the amortisation and impairment of goodwill and 
customer relationships associated with IG Markets Securities  
of £150.7 million and the impairment of goodwill associated  
with the Sport business of £5.25 million, the Group made a 
statutory profit before tax of £7.0 million (2010: £140.3 million).

Goodwill and customer relationships  
impairment – Japan 
our Japanese business, IG Markets Securities, operates in an 
increasingly difficult regulatory environment, particularly with 
the progressive introduction of leverage limits on trading in 
forex, equity indices, equities and other asset classes during the 
year. As expected, the introduction of a restriction on forex to 50 
times leverage from 1 August 2010, and on equity indices to 10 
times leverage from 1 January 2011, had an adverse impact on 
volumes and revenues. There is one further scheduled leverage 
restriction to come into effect on 1 August 2011, when forex will 
be reduced to a maximum of 25 times leverage. 

In the light of the significant adverse impact of these regulatory 
changes, we performed an impairment review of the carrying 
value of the goodwill and customer relationships associated  
with the business as at 30 November 2010. As required by 
accounting standards we based this impairment review on a 
forecast which assumed the continuation of the cost-base at 
the end of November 2010, but with an assumption of reduced 
revenue. These assumptions resulted in the full impairment 
of both the goodwill (£123.0 million) and the customer 
relationships (£20.1 million). These exceptional charges have 
had no impact on the Group’s cash flow, regulatory capital 
position or distributable reserves. 

Since November we have taken action to reduce our Japanese 
cost base significantly. These cost reductions should ensure 
the continuing profitability of this business, albeit at lower 
margins than the rest of the Group. The future for the forex and 
cFD industry in Japan is uncertain – as discussed in the chief 
Executive’s review. 

Goodwill impairment – Sport business 
As noted earlier, the Group has completed a redundancy 
consultation process with the employees of extrabet prior  
to the closure of the business. As a result, the goodwill of  
£5.25 million associated with the Sport business has been  
fully impaired at the year-end. 

36 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

37

opeRAtInG And FInAnCIAl RevIeW 
(continued)

FINANcIAL rEvIEW (continued)

Summary Group Statement of Financial Position

£000

2011

2010

Property, plant and equipment

16,761

9,632

Intangible assets 

Deferred tax assets

non-current assets

117,202

265,328

11,264

14,264

145,227 289,224

Trade and other receivables

278,303

213,327

cash and cash equivalents

124,528

128,097

current assets

totaL assets

402,831 341,424

548,058 630,648

Trade and other payables

128,639

102,498

Provisions

Income tax payable

1,427

1,377

37,060

38,863

current liabilities

167,126 142,738

Deferred tax liabilities

Provisions

-

11,463

1,991

1,779

redeemable preference shares

40

40

non-current liabilities

2,031

13,282

total liabilities

total equity

169,157 156,020

378,901

474,628

totaL eQuIty and LIabILItIes

548,058 630,648

Non-current assets
As discussed in the chief Executive’s review, the Group 
continues to invest in technology both to enhance our 
clients’ experience and to improve the capacity and resilience 
of our dealing platforms, each of which are critical to the 
success of our business. capitalised investment in relation 
to development costs and software and licences amounted 
to £7.1 million (2010: £2.4 million) largely relating to the 
development of the client trading platform and a three-year 
enterprise licence for customer relationship Management 
software. During the year we also invested £14.3 million in 
property, plant and equipment (2010: £4.1 million) including 
£4.9 million in relation to IT equipment and £9.0 million in 
relation to our new London headquarters. 

Intangible assets include goodwill of £107.4 million  
(2010: £234.2 million), primarily arising on the acquisition of  
IG Group plc and its subsidiaries in 2003 and the goodwill  
(£1.9 million) and client list (£1.5 million) arising on the 
acquisition of our South African business (refer to note 14a to 
the Financial Statements) in the year. As detailed in note 15 to 
the Financial Statements the goodwill and client list associated 
with IG Markets Securities (formerly Fxonline) and the Group’s 
Sport business extrabet have been fully impaired in the period. 

current assets
Trade and other receivables include amounts due from brokers 
and represent cash placed with counterparties in order to 
provide initial and variation margin in relation to the Group’s 
market risk management. Amounts due from brokers have 
increased to £267.8 million (2010: £203.7 million) as a result of 
larger share positions at the year-end, and therefore the Group 
has a higher collateral requirement with brokers. Broker margin 
rates have remained consistent over the period. cash and cash 
equivalents are discussed in the cash Flow section. 

Liabilities
Trade and other payables include amounts due to clients in 
relation to title transfer funds as well as accruals and other 
payables. Title transfer funds held and thus the related payable 
to clients have increased over the year, largely following the 
acquisition of our South African business where the majority  
of client monies are held on a title transfer basis. 

Provisions relate solely to the onerous lease liability for the 
Group’s former headquarters. 

Following the amortisation and impairment of the intangible 
assets associated with IG Markets Securities (formerly 
Fxonline) in the year, the related deferred taxation liability  
has been released.

client money
KPI: client money levels 
Total monies held on behalf of clients at year-end was £782.4 
million (2010: £612.9 million) of which £714.7 million (2010: 
£550.5 million) is segregated in trust bank accounts and treated 
as ‘segregated client money’ and therefore excluded from the 
Group Statement of Financial Position. The remaining monies 
held on behalf of clients of £67.7 million (2010: £62.4 million) 
represents ‘title transfer funds’ which are held under a Title 
Transfer collateral Arrangement (TTcA) by which professional 
or corporate clients agree that full ownership of such monies 
is unconditionally transferred to the Group. Monies subject 
to title transfer arrangements are included in the Group 
Statement of Financial Position.

Although the levels of client money can vary depending on 
the overall mix of financial products being traded by clients, 
the long-term increase in the level of client money placed by 
clients with the Group is a positive indicator of future client 
propensity to trade.

Business Review: operating and Financial Review

Available liquidity – Group cash generation funds 
increased broker margin requirement
‘own funds’, which excludes all monies held on behalf of 
clients, increased to £324.6 million (2010: £269.4 million) in the 
year to 31 May 2011, reflecting the cash generative nature of 
the business. However, ‘net own cash available’ fell to £107.3 
million (2010: £114.7 million) following an increase in broker 
margin requirements in relation to the higher year-end shares 
position. ‘Net own cash available’ disclosed in the table below 
represents the Group’s available cash resources excluding all 
monies held on behalf of clients and after the payment of 
broker margin. 

£000

2011

2010

own cash and title transfer funds

124,528

128,097

Amounts due from brokers

267,792

203,714

available cash resources

392,320 331,811

Analysed as:  
own funds

Title transfer funds

available liquidity 
Available cash resources

324,618

269,406

67,702

62,405

392,320

331,811

Less broker margin requirement

(217,360)

(154,694)

net available cash

174,960 177,117

Less title transfer funds(1)

(67,702)

(62,405)

net own cash available

107,258 114,712

of which declared as dividend

(53,368)

(48,758)

committed banking facilities

180,000

160,000

total available liquidity  
(including facilities)

233,890 225,954

(1)  Title transfer funds are held by the Group under a Title Transfer Collateral 

Arrangement (TTCA) by which a client agrees that full ownership of such monies 
is unconditionally transferred to the Group.

Total available liquidity is stated inclusive of committed 
banking facilities of £180.0 million (2010: £160.0 million) – 
none of which were drawn during the current or prior financial 
year. The Summary Group cash Flow Statement presented 
in the following section provides an explanation of the 
movement in ‘own funds’ for the year. 

38 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

39

opeRAtInG And FInAnCIAl RevIeW 
(continued)

FINANcIAL rEvIEW (continued)

Summary Group cash Flow Statement
The following cash Flow Statement summarises the Group’s 
cash generation during the year and excludes all cash flows 
in relation to monies held on behalf of clients. Additionally 
amounts due from brokers have been treated as cash 
equivalents and included within ‘own funds’. For an explanation 
of the derivation of  ‘own funds’ please refer to the table 
presented in the Available Liquidity section. 

£000

2011

2010

operating activities 
Adjusted profit before tax

163,000

157,639

Depreciation and amortisation

10,866

8,605

other non-cash items

(1,563)

(4,866)

Net finance costs / (revenue)

30

(352)

Income taxes paid

(43,502)

(47,719)

Net interest income on segregated 
client funds

7,854

5,413

own funds generated from operations

136,685 118,720

Movement in working capital

6,083

30,728

outflow from investing and  
financing activities

(95,278)

(61,633)

Increase in own funds

47,490

87,815

own funds at 1 June

269,407

178,090

Exchange gains on own funds

7,721

3,501

own funds at 31 may

324,618 269,406

own funds generated from operations were £136.7 million 
(2010: £118.7 million) during the year, reflecting the  
cash-generative nature of the business. As noted above,  
‘own funds’ represents our own cash and cash equivalents 
inclusive of margin held at brokers and excludes all amounts 
held on behalf of clients. 

cash conversion, calculated as own funds generated from 
operations divided by adjusted profit before tax, increased in 
the year to 83.9% (2010: 75.3%) largely due to the higher level 
of non-cash items reported within adjusted profit before tax. 
The most significant operating outflows during the year were 
£43.5 million in respect of taxation (2010: £47.7 million). 

‘own funds’ increased by £47.5 million (2010: £87.8 million) 
after adjustments for movements in working capital balances 
and significant outflows in relation to investing and financing 
activities. The outflow from investing and financing activities 
includes £19.9 million in relation to capital expenditure  
(2010: £5.0 million) largely on the new London headquarters 
and IT equipment, as well as the final 2010 and interim  
2011 dividend payments which totaled £67.7 million  
(2010: £57.7 million). The current year also saw a cash  
outflow of £2.7 million in respect of the acquisition of our 
South African business and £5.1 million in relation to the 
acquisition of the minority interest of IG Markets Securities 
(formerly Fxonline). 

Business Review: operating and Financial Review

regulatory capital resources
Throughout the year, we maintained a significant excess over 
our capital resources requirement, both on a consolidated and 
individual regulated entity basis.

We believe there are significant benefits to being well 
capitalised at a time of continuing global economic 
uncertainty. We are well placed in respect of any regulatory 
changes which may increase our capital or liquidity 
requirements, and high levels of liquidity are important in  
the event of significant market volatility.

The following table summarises the Group’s capital adequacy 
on a consolidated basis. The Group’s capital management is 
reviewed further in note 34 to the Financial Statements.

£m

Total Tier 1 capital

2011

2010

380.1

475.6

Less: Intangible assets (adjusted)

(115.3)

(252.5)

Less: Investment in own shares

(1.2)

(1.0)

total capital resources (cr)

263.6

222.1

capital resources requirement (crr)

(89.6)

(65.7)

surplus

174.0

156.4

cr expressed as a % of crr

294.2% 338.1%

corPorATE SocIAL rESPoNSIBILITY
An overview of our commitment to corporate and social 
responsibility is included within the Directors’ Statutory  
report and in more detail on our corporate website at  
www.iggroup.com.

PrEPArATIoN oF THE oPErATING AND 
FINANcIAL rEvIEW
This operating and Financial review (oFr) has been prepared 
solely to provide additional information to shareholders to 
assess our strategies and the potential for those strategies to 
succeed. The oFr should not be relied on by any other party  
or for any other purpose.

The oFr contains certain forward-looking statements. These 
statements are made by the Directors in good faith based 
on the information available to them up to the time of their 
approval of this report. Such statements should be treated  
with caution due to the inherent uncertainties, including 
both economic and business risk factors, underlying any  
such forward-looking information.

The Directors, in preparing the oFr, have sought to comply 
with the guidance set out in the Accounting Standards Board’s 
reporting Statement: operating and Financial review. The 
Directors also believe they have adequately discharged their 
responsibilities under Section 417(3) of the companies Act 
2006 in providing this Business review.

40 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

41

ouR BuSIneSS RISkS

Effective management of our business risks is critical to the delivery of our strategy. 
This section describes our key business risks and how we manage them. Our 
risk management policies and procedures are also discussed in the Corporate 
Governance Report. 

our rISK APPETITE
In providing products and services to our customers, we are 
exposed to a number of operational risks and financial risks 
(including credit, market and liquidity risks). We must also 
observe legal and regulatory requirements in each market  
that we operate.

The Board is responsible for establishing our overall appetite 
for risk, which is detailed and approved in the risk Appetite 
Statement. We measure and manage our risk appetite using a 
set of key risk indicators (KrIs) which either hold a numerical 
value or relate to a specific risk event. Taken together, the KrIs 
are a balanced mix of quantitative and qualitative measures 
that provide an important indication of increasing or reducing 
risk levels.

our rISK MANAGEMENT FrAMEWorK
our risk management framework is designed to embed 
management of business risks throughout the organisation. 
This approach also mitigates our reputational risk that arises 
from a failure to manage risk effectively. 

our Key rIsKs and theIr mItIgatIon

As the nature of our operations has not significantly altered 
during the year, our liquidity, credit and market risks are largely 
unchanged, as detailed below. An overview of the changes 
in the regulatory environment in which we operate is given 
earlier in the operating and Financial review. 

Strategic
Strategic risk can arise from inadequate Board and senior 
management processes as well as external factors that lead  
to a failure to identify or implement our strategy. 

The Board monitors the risks associated with our strategy and 
maintains an awareness of any external factors which may 
impact on its delivery.

regulatory
regulatory risk is the risk of non-compliance with and 
future changes in regulatory rules potentially impacting our 
businesses in the markets in which they operate.

responsibility for risk management resides at all levels 
within the Group, starting with the Board of Directors. The 
effectiveness of the risk management framework and system 
of internal controls is monitored and confirmed by our 
assurance functions of risk, compliance and Internal Audit. 
our corporate governance structure, including details of how 
the Board delegates responsibility for internal control and risk 
management to our Audit and risk committees, is described  
in detail in the corporate Governance report. 

We maintain ongoing relationships with the regulatory 
authorities that oversee the Group’s activities from a legal 
and regulatory viewpoint, and invest significant resource in 
compliance systems and controls. This covers both existing 
regulations and the monitoring of emerging new regulations 
to ascertain their potential impact on the Group. We also 
regularly contribute to consultations on proposals that might 
affect our businesses. A regulatory overview is provided in the 
operating and Financial review. 

We monitor the regulatory capital requirements of our 
businesses on an ongoing basis in accordance with the 
requirements of the regulators in whose jurisdictions we 
operate. our capital management objectives and policies are 
disclosed in note 34 to the Financial Statements.

In addition to the management of individual risks, the Group 
undertakes various stress and scenario testing as part of the 
Internal capital Adequacy Assessment Process (IcAAP) and 
Individual Liquidity Adequacy Assessment (ILAA), prepared 
according to FSA requirements. The scenarios stress test the 
effect on capital and liquidity of a series of combined risk 
events occurring simultaneously.

our financial risks, specifically credit, market and liquidity 
risk are described in further detail in note 33 to the Financial 
Statements and in our Pillar 3 Disclosures, an FSA regulatory 
disclosure requirement, which can be found at  
www.iggroup.com.

Business Review: our Business Risks

Liquidity
Liquidity risk is the risk that the Group may not be able to meet 
payment obligations as they fall due.

The short-term maturity profile of our financial assets and 
liabilities means that there are no material liquidity maturity 
mismatches. our available liquidity and ‘net own cash available’ 
figures are monitored on a daily basis and are described in 
the Available Liquidity section of the operating and Financial 
review, as well as in the Liquidity risk section of note 33 to the 
Financial Statements.

Market
Market risk is the risk that the fair value of financial assets and 
financial liabilities will change due to adverse movements in 
market prices, currency values or interest rates.

Market risk is managed on a real-time basis, with all client 
positions monitored against market risk limits set by the risk 
committee. The Group operates within these limits by hedging 
the market risk exposure as and when required. We do not take 
proprietary positions based on the expectation of  
market movements. 

credit
credit risk is the risk that a counterparty fails to perform 
its obligations, resulting in financial loss. Adverse changes 
in the credit quality of individual clients or institutional 
counterparties could affect the recoverability of our assets and 
therefore our financial performance.

We offer a number of risk management tools that enable 
clients to manage their exposure to credit risk, including:

  Guaranteed and non-guaranteed stops
  Limit orders

In addition, we manage our overall credit risk exposure through:

   real-time monitoring of client positions via our  
‘close-out monitor’
   Tiered margining with risk-adjusted margin requirements 
based on the volatility of the underlying financial instrument 
and size of the client position 
   using bank and broker counterparties that satisfy minimum 
credit rating requirements

operational
operational risk is the risk of financial loss arising from 
inadequate or failed internal processes, people and systems or 
from external events.

our risk management framework enables our staff to monitor 
operational risks relating to systems, processes, people and 
external events. our system of internal controls aims to reduce, 
but not eliminate altogether, operational risk exposure – this is 
described further in the corporate Governance report.

The availability and reliability of our client dealing platforms 
is key to delivering our strategy and we make significant 
investment in our IT infrastructure to ensure the platforms 
remain robust. This is supported by ongoing business 
continuity planning and regular testing of our disaster 
recovery facilities and procedures, as well as maintaining the 
ISo27001:2005 Information Security Management System 
standards in respect of IT and data security.

42 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

43

Corporate Governance

CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE

DIrEc TorS’ STATuTorY rEPorT 
corPorATE GovErNANcE  rEPorT 
DIrEc TorS’ rEMuNEr ATIoN rEPorT 
STATEMENT oF DIrEc TorS’ rESPoNSIBILITIES 
INDEPENDENT AuDITorS’ rEPorT  

46 
51 
59 
68 
69

45
45

44 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT
44 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

dIReCtoRS’ StAtutoRY RepoRt

The Directors are pleased to submit their report together with  
the Group Financial Statements for the year ended 31 May 2011.

Principal activities
An overview of the principal activities of the Group is provided  
in the Business Review. 

Branches outside the united Kingdom
In line with strategic objectives, the Group has branches in 
a number of overseas jurisdictions including Australia, New 
Zealand, South Africa, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the 
Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. 

review of business and future developments
A review of the Group’s progress, outlining developments during 
the year and giving an indication of future developments, is 
provided in the Business Review. The Business Review also covers 
an analysis of the financial position of the Group at the year-end 
and Key Performance Indicators.

risk management
An overview of the Group’s risk appetite and the risk management 
framework, along with the Group’s key risks and their mitigation, is 
provided in the Our Business Risks section of the Business Review. 

The Corporate Governance Report provides an explanation of the 
Group’s governance and control frameworks including the roles 
and responsibilities of each of the Board, Audit Committee and 
Risk Committee.

The principal activities of the Group outlined in the Business 
Review give rise to exposure to financial risks in the ordinary course 
of business. The main risks associated with the Group’s financial 
instruments, as well as the policies agreed by the Board to manage 
these risks, are detailed in note 33 to the Financial Statements.

results
The Group’s statutory loss for the year after taxation amounted 
to £25,292,000 (2010: profit of £101,486,000), of which a loss of 
£25,453,000 (2010: profit of £101,281,000) is attributable to the 
equity members of the Company. 

The Group’s adjusted profit before taxation which excludes 
amortisation and impairment of intangible assets associated with the 
Group’s Japanese business and impairment of the goodwill associated 
with the Group’s Sport business was £163,000,000 (2010: £157,639,000).

related party transactions
Details of related party transactions are set out in note 31 to the 
Financial Statements.

Subsequent events
On 8 June 2011 the Group reached agreement to sell the majority 
of the client list relating to extrabet’s sport spread betting and 
fixed odds betting business to Spreadex Limited. The terms of the 
sale are such that the Group will receive semi-annual payments 
for the next three years, calculated by reference to the revenue 
that the acquirer generates from clients on the list. 

On 12 July 2011 the Group completed the redundancy 
consultation process with the employees of extrabet. As a result 
of this any extrabet employees unable to find a role within the 
Group will be made redundant as of 19 July 2011.

Dividends
The Directors recommend a final ordinary dividend of 14.75 pence 
per share, amounting to £53,368,000, making a total of 20.00 pence 
per share and £72,337,000 for the year. Dividends are recognised in 
the Financial Statements in the year in which they are paid, or in the 
case of a final dividend, when approved by the shareholders. The 
amount recognised in the Financial Statements, as described in note 
11, is made up of this year’s interim dividend and the final dividend 
from the previous year, which were both paid during the year. 

The final ordinary dividend, if approved, will be paid on 11 October 
2011 to those shareholders on the register at 9 September 2011. 

Directors and their interests
Profiles of the Directors who held office at the end of the year 
are given below, and details of the service contracts for those 
Directors are shown in the Directors’  Remuneration Report. 
Details of the Directors’  interests in the share capital of the 
Company are set out in the Directors’  Remuneration Report.

BoArD oF DIrEc TorS

Jonathan Davie Non-Executive Chairman 
Tim Howkins Chief Executive 
Christopher Hill Chief Financial Officer 
Peter Hetherington Chief Operating Officer 
Andrew MacKay Director of Corporate Strategy 

47
48
49
50
51

David Currie Non-Executive Director 
Martin Jackson Non-Executive Director 
Stephen Hill Non-Executive Director 
Nat le Roux Non-Executive Deputy Chairman 
Roger Yates Senior Independent Non-Executive Director 

52
53
54
55
56

Corporate Governance: directors’ Statutory Report

Share capital 
Details of the Company’s equity and preference share capital are given 
in notes 23 and 22 respectively to the Financial Statements. Details of 
the Group’s required regulatory capital are disclosed in note 34 to the 
Financial Statements and in the Operating and Financial Review. 

The Group purchases its own shares in order to satisfy awards under 
the Group’s share incentive plan schemes and the Group issues shares 
in respect of long-term incentive plan schemes. Details of the shares 
held by the Group’s Employee Benefit Trusts and the amounts paid 
during the year are disclosed in note 24 to the Financial Statements.

change of control
Following any future change of control of the Company, the 
Group’s banking facilities, which are currently undrawn (refer to 
note 33 to the Financial Statements), will be cancelled and any 
obligations will become immediately due and payable.

Annual General Meeting
The Group’s Annual General Meeting will be held on 6 October 2011. 
Details of the resolutions to be proposed at the Annual General 
Meeting are set out in a separate circular sent to all shareholders.

registered number 
The registered number of IG Group Holdings plc is 04677092. 

Supplier payment policy and practice
The Company does not incur significant costs and the Group 
does not follow any stated code on payment practice. It is the 
Group’s policy to agree terms of payment with suppliers when 
agreeing the terms for each transaction and to abide by those 
terms. Standard terms provide for payment of all invoices within 
30 days after the date of the invoice, except where different terms 
have been agreed with the supplier at the outset. There were 5.5 
creditor days of suppliers’ invoices outstanding at the year-end 
(2010: 4.5) for the Group. 

Donations
The Group made no political donations in the year (2010: £nil). 
The Group made charitable donations of £119,036 in the year 
(2010: £40,335) as follows:

Japanese earthquake relief fund
The Gambling Trust
The Entrepreneurs Foundation
Employee-matched giving (various causes)
Specialist schools
Cricket Foundation
Other

2011

37,286
26,288
20,000
11,750
10,500
5,000
8,212

Major interests in shares
Notifications shown below have been received by the Company of shareholdings of three percent or more of the issued ordinary 
share capital.

as at 15 july 2011

as at 31 may 2011

no. of shares

percentage

no. of shares

percentage

18,569,208
18,150,880
18,144,994
18,119,287
17,863,943
17,774,188
17,564,421
15,830,307

14,287,840
11,851,906
11,066,417

5.13% 
5.01%
5.01%
5.00%
4.93%
4.91%
4.85%
4.37%

3.94%
3.27%
3.05%

12,956,579 
17,841,957
18,144,994
18,119,287
17,863,943
17,774,188
17,564,421
15,830,307

14,287,840
11,851,906
11,066,417

3.58%
4.93%
5.01%
5.00%
4.93%
4.91%
4.85%
4.37%

3.94%
3.27%
3.05%

BlackRock Inc.
Massachusetts Financial Services Company
Artemis Investment Management Limited 
Cantillon Capital Management LLC
Investec Asset Management Limited
Ameriprise Financial Inc. and its group
Standard Life Investments Limited
JP Morgan Chase & Co

Legal & General Group plc
Ignis Investment Services Limited
Prudential plc

Jonathan Davie
non-executive chairman, 64 years old

Jonathan qualified as a Chartered Accountant. He joined George M. Hill and Co, a jobber on the London Stock Exchange 
in 1969. The firm was acquired by Wedd Durlacher Mordaunt and Co where Jonathan became a partner in 1975. 
Jonathan was the senior dealing partner of the firm on its acquisition by Barclays Bank to form BZW in 1986. Jonathan 
developed BZW’s Fixed Income Business prior to becoming CEO of the Global Equities Business in 1991. In 1996 Jonathan 
became Deputy Chairman of BZW and then Vice Chairman of Credit Suisse First Boston in 1998 on their acquisition of 
most of BZW’s businesses. Jonathan is presently a Non-Executive Director of Persimmon plc and Chairman of First Avenue 
Partners, an alternatives advisory boutique.

46 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT
46 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

47
47

dIReCtoRS’ StAtutoRY RepoRt 
(continued)

corporate governance
The Company’s statement on corporate governance can be found 
in the Corporate Governance Report.

Auditors
In the course of the current financial year, the Group’s Audit 
Committee decided it was desirable to put the Group’s audit 
appointment out to a competitive tender process.

Upon careful consideration of proposals from three candidate 
firms, including the incumbent auditors, the Committee made 
a recommendation to the Board that PricewaterhouseCoopers 
LLP be appointed as the Group’s auditor. The Board agreed to 
this recommendation, and effective from 8 December 2010, the 
Board accepted the resignation of Ernst & Young LLP and the 
appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Group’s 
auditor until the conclusion of the Company’s next forthcoming 
AGM in October 2011, when a resolution to re-appoint 
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP will be put to shareholders.

Directors’ statement as to disclosure of information  
to auditors
So far as each person who was a Director at the date of approving 
this report is aware, there is no relevant audit information, being 
information needed by the auditors in connection with preparing 
their report, of which the auditors are unaware. Each Director 
has taken all the steps that he is obliged to take as a Director in 
order to make him aware of any relevant audit information and to 
establish that the auditors are aware of that information. 

Going concern
The Directors have prepared the Financial Statements on a going 
concern basis, which requires the Directors to have a reasonable 
expectation that the Group has adequate resources to continue in 
operational existence for the foreseeable future.

The Directors have reviewed the Group’s processes to control 
the financial risks to which the Group is exposed, its available 
liquidity, its regulatory capital position and the annual budget. 

As a result of this review, the Directors have a reasonable 
expectation that the Group has adequate resources to continue 
in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this 
reason, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in 
preparing the Financial Statements.

corporate and social responsibility
The Group is committed to ensuring that its interactions with 
employees, clients, suppliers, shareholders, society and the wider 
environment are managed responsibly. This commitment has 
been a key feature of the Group’s values since its inception in 
1974. A sense of responsibility underlies all our businesses and 
is manifested in everything from our dealings with clients to 
conscientiousness about the environmental impact we make.

In the following pages we provide an overview of our corporate 
and social responsibility report. The Group’s full corporate and 
social responsibility report is published on our corporate website 
at www.iggroup.com. 

Business standards
The Group applies high standards across its businesses, and these 
standards frequently exceed local regulatory requirements of the 
jurisdictions in which we operate. We also support and adhere 
to high standards of corporate governance – as set out in the 
Corporate Governance Report and the Statement by the Directors 
in Compliance with the Combined Code.

A reputation for honesty and transparency is vital in the financial 
derivatives industry, and the Group’s commitment to these 
values is a cornerstone of our success. The Group maintains high 
standards of corporate behaviour throughout our businesses and 
operations. This is embodied within each of the following service 
offerings and behaviours.

Commitment to Treating Customers Fairly (TCF):
   As set out in the Business Review we are fully committed to the 
FSA’s Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) initiative and have developed 
a scorecard of 25 measures to monitor how we treat our clients.

Corporate Governance: directors’ Statutory Report

   Central to the Group’s TCF policy is the quality of our order 
execution. We offer near-instantaneous execution, with 
around 99% of client orders accepted automatically. We never 
re-quote prices and, within our set margin of tolerance, we 
will accept orders even if the market moves. Our innovative 
Price Improvement technology enables customers to receive a 
better price if one becomes available as a trade is executed.

Client support and education:
   We provide extensive educational resources for clients, including 
an introductory education programme promoting responsible 
trading and a wide range of client seminars and webinars, 
available online and in person.

Client suitability: 
We have a number of procedures to ensure that our products 
reach the right audience and that our clients understand how our 
products work:
   Our products are not suitable for everyone. It is for this reason that 
we apply strict rules to ensure we only promote our products to 
the right audience. We also apply strict rules to ensure that any 
promotion is clear, fair and not misleading and contains a balanced 
description of the risks alongside the benefits of our product.
   Before we allow clients to open an account, we will undertake an 

assessment to determine whether our products are appropriate or 
suitable for the client in question. This involves asking the client about 
their trading knowledge and experience and about their income/
savings. Based on the results of this assessment, we may choose to 
provide the client with a warning about the appropriateness of the 
account, or we may decline to open an account.

Limiting client losses:
   We have a number of service offerings that aim to limit 
client losses, for example we offer clients the ability to 
include Guaranteed Stops on positions so that the maximum 
possible loss to the client is known at the outset of the trade. 
Additionally, our Close-Out Monitor (COM), which automatically 
liquidates client positions where their margin has been 
significantly eroded, also aims to limit potential client losses. At 
31 May 2011, 98.8% of all client accounts were either subject 
to Guaranteed Stops or the automatic COM procedure. Further 
details are set out in note 33 to the Financial Statements.

Protection of our clients’ data and funds:
   We prioritise the security of our clients’  information and funds and 
we have achieved the ISO 27001 certificate for Information Security.

client services
Impeccable client service is at the heart of our commitment to the 
responsible treatment of all our clients. Our large team of highly-
trained, dedicated client service staff delivers a professional and 
responsive value-based approach to client service. Almost 10% of 
the Group’s total global staff is engaged in client services. 

operations and environment
As a business which conducts over 90% of its client trades 
online, we do not see ourselves as a significant emitter of 
environmentally harmful substances. However, we do understand 
that our operations have an impact on the environment and 
we are committed to taking greater consideration of our 
environmental footprint.

Further details on our commitment to the environment can be 
found in our full corporate and social responsibility report on 
our corporate website at www.iggroup.com. The report details 
the Group’s carbon emissions, the use of email statements, and 
endeavours towards sustainability including a section on the 
environment sustainability charter promoted in the fit-out of 
the Group’s new UK head office at Cannon Bridge House, that 
amongst other things achieved a recycling rate of 94% of the 
strip-out materials taken from the site.

Workplace 
The Group is rapidly growing and provides a fast-moving and 
successful working environment. Our employees have pride in 
what we have achieved and a strong sense of belonging.

The Group pays performance-related bonuses to most staff and 
makes awards under long-term incentive and value sharing plans 
to key personnel. In addition, the opportunity to acquire shares 
under various share incentive plans has been made available to 
all UK, Australian and US staff. These awards reward employees for 
past performance and help to retain them in the future. We also 
provide a range of other benefits to employees, including pension 
contributions and private health insurance.

Tim Howkins
chief executive, 48 years old

Tim has a first class degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Reading. He qualified as a Chartered 
Accountant with Ernst & Young and is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. Tim was one of a group 
of partners and staff who left Ernst & Young in 1990 to form Rees Pollock, a firm of Chartered Accountants targeted at 
entrepreneurial, owner-managed businesses. Tim was a partner in Rees Pollock for seven years and was the partner 
responsible for IG Group’s audit. He then joined IG Group as Finance Director in 1999, and became Chief Executive in 
2006. Tim is a member of the Board and Executive Committee of the Futures and Options Association.

Christopher Hill
chief financial officer, 40 years old

Christopher has an MA in Modern History from Oxford University. He is a Chartered Accountant and an associate 
member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers. Before joining IG Group, he was Chief Financial Officer of Travelex, 
a group providing cross-border payment and foreign exchange services to corporate and retail customers. Prior to 
joining Travelex in 2007, Christopher worked at VWR international, a global laboratory supply company (from 2005 to 
2007), at General Electric (from 2000 to 2005) and at Arthur Andersen (from 1992 to 2000). 

48 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT
48 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

49
49

dIReCtoRS’ StAtutoRY RepoRt 
(continued)

Employee involvement
The Group prides itself on being an open, non-hierarchical 
organisation with direct and open access amongst all teams and at 
all levels. In response to the expanding size of the Group during the 
year, the policy of providing employees with information about the 
Group continued through quarterly management forums facilitated 
by the Chief Executive. These included updating line managers 
on business results and on current initiatives across the Group 
on a quarterly basis. Employees are encouraged to make these 
sessions as interactive as they can by challenging ideas, presenting 
suggestions and views on the Group’s performance, development 
and policies. Line managers then communicate the points raised 
in the forum across the organisation. The Chief Executive also runs 
these sessions for all Head Office employees every six months to 
ensure that employees get the opportunity to hear the ‘view from 
the top’. The recent series of meetings in June 2011 were filmed 
for the first time so that all of our overseas offices could also be 
involved in this communication.

The Group’s intranet is utilised to communicate with employees. 
The home page of the intranet is updated weekly to provide 
details of employee news (for example new starters, leavers, role 
changes) as well as employee challenges or any Company awards. 
Employees participate directly in the success of the business 
through the Group’s performance-related bonus schemes and 
employee share plans. We have around 35 to 40% of eligible 
employees participating in our partnership share schemes.

Top employer
Our positive working culture was recognised when IG Group was 
named one of Britain’s Top Employers for the third year running in 
2011. The award, by the Corporate Research Foundation, was based 
on a strong performance in each of the surveyed categories: pay 
and benefits, training and development, corporate culture, and 
particularly in career development.

Equality and diversity
We are an equal opportunities employer and have extensive human 
resource policies in place to ensure that employees can expect to 
work in an environment free from discrimination and harassment. 

The Group gives full consideration to applications for employment 
from disabled persons where the candidate’s particular aptitudes 
and abilities are consistent with adequately meeting the 
requirements of the job. Where existing employees become 
disabled, it is the Group’s policy to provide continuing employment 
wherever practicable in the same or alternative position and to 
provide appropriate training to achieve this aim. 

Society
We are keen to encourage employees to engage in activities 
that help their development and support local communities. 
For example, we match any funds employees have raised for 
sponsored events. A summary of our charitable donations, 
including the employee matched giving, is provided earlier  
in the Directors’ Statutory Report.

Our Absence Management Policy also offers the opportunity for 
employees to take up voluntary work, for which we grant additional 
leave on a like-for-like basis up to a maximum of five matched days 
per annual leave year. 

By order of the Board

christopher hill, Chief Financial Officer
19 July 2011

CoRpoRAte GoveRnAnCe RepoRt

Corporate Governance: Corporate Governance Report

STATEMENT BY THE DIrEc TorS IN coMPLIANcE 
WITH THE coMBINED coDE
The Corporate Governance Report, together with the Remuneration 
Report, details how the Company has applied the principles and 
complied with the provisions of the June 2008 Combined Code on 
Corporate Governance, for this financial year, a copy of which can be 
found on the Financial Reporting Council website www.frc.org.

The Board has reviewed the new UK Corporate Governance Code, 
which applies to accounting periods beginning on or after 29 
June 2010, and which will apply to the Company for the year 
ending 31 May 2012. 

The Board is satisfied that the Company complied with the provisions 
of the Combined Code for the whole year, with the exception that the 
Company was not compliant with paragraph A.3.2 throughout the year. 

Paragraph A.3.2 of the Combined Code requires that at least half 
of the Board, excluding the Chairman, are independent Non-
Executive Directors. The Board is currently comprised of four 
Executive Directors and four Non-Executive Directors excluding 
the Deputy Chairman and the Chairman. 

The Deputy Chairman, Nat le Roux is considered a non-
independent Director as he is a former Chief Executive of the 
Group. The Board considers the value he brings with 18 years’ 
experience in the uniquely specialised market of spread betting 
and Contracts for Difference justifies his position on the Board 
and is in the best interests of the Group and its shareholders. 

Robert Lucas, who resigned from the Board in October 2010, was 
considered to be a non-independent Non-Executive Director 
as he represented funds managed or advised by CVC Capital 
Partners Limited and associates (CVC), a major shareholder, 
holding 2.93% of the ordinary share capital of the Company at 31 
May 2011 (2010: 3.86%). 

Following the appointment of David Currie from 4 May 2010, the Board 
remained committed to becoming compliant with the Combined 
Code by undertaking a search to appoint an additional independent 
Non-Executive Director, and the Board was pleased to announce the 
appointment of Stephen Hill with effect from 28 April 2011.

Nat le Roux has informed the Board of his wish to step down at 
the 2012 AGM. The effect of these changes means that the Board 
will be fully compliant with Code Provision A.3.2 of the Combined 
Code after the 2012 AGM. 

It is the intention of the Board to put every member up for  
re-election commencing with the 2011 AGM in October,  
bringing the Company into advance compliance with  
paragraph B.7.1 of the new UK Corporate Governance Code. 

Profiles of the Directors who held office at the end of the year are 
shown on pages 46-56. 

THE WorKINGS oF THE BoArD AND ITS 
coMMITTEES
The Board
Composition of the Board
During the year, the Company was headed by an experienced Board 
of Directors consisting of an independent Non-Executive Chairman, 
a non-independent Non-Executive Deputy Chairman, four Executive 
Directors, including the Group Chief Executive Officer, and as of  
28 April 2011, four independent Non-Executive Directors.

Christopher Hill, the Group’s Chief Financial Officer was appointed 
on 26 April 2011 and replaces Steven Clutton who resigned on 
2 August 2010. Stephen Hill was appointed as an independent 
Non-Executive Director on 28 April 2011.

The division of responsibilities between the Chairman and 
the Chief Executive is clearly defined in writing and has been 
approved by the Board. With the exception of the Deputy 
Chairman, all the Non-Executive Directors are independent of 
management, and are considered by the Board to be to be free 
from any business or other relationships which could interfere 
with the exercise of their independence.

Senior Independent Director
Roger Yates is the Senior Independent Director and provides an 
additional contact point for shareholders if the normal contact 
channels are inappropriate.

Peter Hetherington
chief operating officer, 42 years old

Peter read Economics at Nottingham University and has a Masters in Finance from the London Business School. Peter 
was an officer in the Royal Navy before joining IG Index, as a graduate trainee, in 1994. He became Head of Financial 
Dealing in 1999 and was appointed as Chief Operating Officer of IG Group in 2002. 

Andrew MacKay
director of corporate strategy, 45 years old

Andrew has a Masters in History from St Andrews University and completed the Law Society Finals examination at 
the College of Law in London. He qualified as a lawyer with Linklaters and worked there for seven years, principally 
in the litigation and financial services practices. In 1998, Andrew moved to LIFFE as Market Investigations Manager 
before joining IG Group as Legal Counsel in March 1999. Andrew was appointed a Director of IG Group in 2003. 
Andrew served as the Group’s Head of Asia Pacific for three years before recently returning to London to lead the new 
Corporate Strategy team.

50 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT
50 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

51
51

CoRpoRAte GoveRnAnCe RepoRt 
(continued)

THE WorKINGS oF THE BoArD AND ITS 
coMMITTEES (coNTINuED)
Re-election of Directors
In accordance with the Combined Code and the Company’s Articles 
of Association, all Directors are subject to election by shareholders at 
the first opportunity following their appointment and subsequently, 
must seek re-election at least once every three years. 

While the Company is still required to report against the Combined 
Code for the year ended 31 May 2011, the Board has taken the decision 
to comply with the recommendations for the annual re-election 
of Directors in the new UK Corporate Governance Code which will 
apply to the Company for the year ending 31 May 2012. In addition 
to Christopher Hill and Stephen Hill, who offer themselves for election 
following their appointment in April 2011, all Directors will stand for 
re-election at the Annual General Meeting on 6 October 2011.

Role of the Board
The powers of the Board are set out in the Company’s Articles 
of Association, which are available on the Company’s website 
at www.iggroup.com. The Articles may be amended by way of 
a special resolution of the members of the Company. The Board 
may exercise all powers conferred on it by the Articles and in 
accordance with the Companies Act 2006, and other  
applicable legislation.

The Board is responsible to shareholders for the proper management 
of the Group. The Board meets regularly; at least five times a year. 
In addition, the Board meets when necessary to discuss ad hoc 
emerging important issues that require consideration between 
regular Board meetings. The Non-Executive Directors have a 
particular responsibility to ensure that the strategies proposed by the 
Executive Directors are appropriate and fully considered.

The Board has a formal schedule of matters specifically reserved 
to it. These include: 

  Setting Group strategy
   Approving major acquisitions, divestments and  
capital expenditure
   Approval of extension of the Group’s activities into new 
business or geographic areas

  Approving annual budgets
   Approving changes relating to the Group’s capital structure 
including reduction of capital, share issues (except under 
employee share plans) and share buybacks including the use  
of treasury shares
  Reviewing operational and financial performance
   Setting risk appetite and approving any changes to the Group’s 
risk management policy which materially increases the risk 
profile of the Group
   Reviewing the Group’s systems of internal control and  
risk management
   Approving Board, Board committee and Company  
Secretary appointments
   Ensuring adequate succession planning for the Board and 
senior management
  Defining and setting Board committee terms of reference
   Approving policies relating to Directors’ remuneration and the 
severance of Directors’ contracts
   Receiving reports on the views of the Company’s shareholders

Matters not specifically reserved to the Board are delegated to the 
Executive Directors. These include:

   The development and recommendation of strategic plans for 
the Group
  Implementation of the strategies of the Group
   Day-to-day monitoring of the operating and financial results of 
the Group
   Prioritising the allocation of capital, technical and human resources
   Developing and implementing risk management systems, 
policies and procedures

Information provided to the Board
All Directors have access to the advice and services of the Company 
Secretary, who is responsible to the Board for ensuring that Board 
procedures are followed and that applicable rules and regulations 
are complied with. To enable the Board to exercise its judgement 
in the discharge of its duties, all Directors receive appropriate and 
timely information. Briefing papers are distributed to all Directors in 
advance of Board meetings and financial information is distributed 
monthly. The Chairman ensures that the Directors take independent 
professional advice as required, at the Company’s expense.

Corporate Governance: Corporate Governance Report

Induction and training
New Directors to the Board are provided with appropriate 
training and briefings to familiarise them with their duties and the 
Group’s business, operations, risks and governance arrangements. 
The induction programme includes meetings with senior 
management. All Directors receive, during their term of office, 
regular briefings on changes and developments in the Group’s 
business and on any legislative and regulatory changes which are 
relevant to the Group.

Conflicts of interest
In accordance with the Companies Act 2006, all Directors must 
disclose both the nature and extent of any potential or actual 
conflicts with the interests of the Company. The Articles of 
Association allow the Board to authorise potential conflicts that 
may arise and to impose such conditions or limitations as it 
thinks fit.

Insurance and indemnities
The Group purchases appropriate liability insurance for all 
Directors and officers.

Board evaluation 
During the year the Chairman led the Board in conducting an 
internal evaluation of its effectiveness and of the effectiveness 
of its committees and individual Directors. This was done by way 
of a questionnaire which was completed by each Director, and 
one-to-one discussions between the Chairman and Directors, 
including meetings with the Non-Executive Directors without the 
Executive Directors being present. The results of the evaluation 
were discussed at a Board meeting in July 2011. 

The new UK Corporate Governance Code and the Financial 
Reporting Council’s Guidance on Board Effectiveness 
require the Board to evaluate performance annually, with an 
external assessment performed every three years. The Board 
commissioned the Board evaluation team of the Institute of 
Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) to carry out a 
thorough evaluation of the performance of the Board in 2009, 
and the Board intends to use an external facilitator to conduct an 
evaluation of its effectiveness in 2012.

The performance of the individual Executive Directors, other than 
the Chief Executive, is appraised annually by the Chief Executive, 
to whom they report. The performance of the Chief Executive 
is appraised annually by the Chairman. The performance of the 
Chairman is reviewed by the Non-Executive Directors, led by the 
Senior Independent Non-Executive Director (Roger Yates), taking 
into account the views of the Executive Directors, following which 
Roger Yates gives feedback to the Chairman. 

committees
To support the principles of good corporate governance, the 
Board manages the Group through Board meetings and a 
number of committees, each of which has terms of reference 
and meets regularly. The terms of reference of these committees 
can be obtained from the Company Secretary on request and 
are available in the investor relations section of the Group’s 
corporate website, at www.iggroup.com. The minutes of each of 
the committee meetings are made available to all Directors, and 
the Board receives an update from each Chairman following each 
committee meeting. 

The following committees deal with specific aspects of the 
Group’s affairs:

Remuneration Committee
The Remuneration Committee comprises Roger Yates (Chair), 
Jonathan Davie, Martin Jackson, David Currie and Stephen Hill, 
who are all independent Non-Executive Directors. It makes 
recommendations to the Board, within agreed terms of reference, 
on an overall remuneration package for the Executive Directors 
in order to attract, retain and motivate high-quality Directors 
capable of achieving the Group’s objectives. Consideration is given 
to the Group Remuneration Policy, especially when determining 
annual salary increases. The Committee determines the contract 
terms, remuneration and other benefits for each of the Executive 
Directors, including performance-related bonus schemes, pension 
rights, compensation payments and contingent share awards. The 
Committee approves all share-based awards under the Group’s 
employee incentive schemes and approves the remuneration of 
the Chairman. The Board itself determines the remuneration of the 
Non-Executive Directors.

David Currie
non-executive director, 64 years old

David Currie (Lord Currie of Marylebone) was the founding Chairman of Ofcom, where he served from 2002 to 
2009. He was also previously a Non-Executive Director of Abbey National plc from 2001 to 2002, and a founder and 
Chairman of the International Centre of Financial Regulation and Chairman of Independent Audit from 2003 to 2007. 
Between 2001 and 2007 David was the Dean of Cass Business School. He is currently a Non-Executive Director of Royal 
Mail Holdings plc, BDO LLP, the Dubai Financial Services Authority and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, as well 
as Chairman of Semperium PPP Investment Partners. David has recently been appointed as a panel member to the 
Leveson inquiry into media ethics.

52 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT
52 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

Martin Jackson
non-executive director, 62 years old

Martin was appointed a Non-Executive Director of IG Group and Chairman of the Audit Committee in April 2005. 
He was the Group Finance Director of Friends Provident plc between 2001 and 2003, of Friends Provident Life Office 
between 1999 and 2001, and of London & Manchester Group plc from 1992 to 1998 (up until its acquisition by Friends 
Provident Life Office). He is a Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Admiral Group plc and is 
a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

53
53

CoRpoRAte GoveRnAnCe RepoRt 
(continued)

THE WorKINGS oF THE BoArD AND ITS 
coMMITTEES (coNTINuED)
Review of the Remuneration Committee’s performance
During the year the Remuneration Committee reviewed its 
performance. The review consisted of all members completing an 
evaluation questionnaire, and a discussion of the results by the 
Committee took place at a meeting in June 2011. The results were 
reported to the Board in July 2011.

Nomination Committee
The Nomination Committee comprises Jonathan Davie (Chair), 
David Currie, Martin Jackson and Roger Yates, and considers 
appointments to the Board, meeting as necessary. The 
Nomination Committee is responsible for nominating candidates 
to fill Board vacancies and for making recommendations on Board 
composition and balance. 

The Nomination Committee leads the process for making 
appointments to the Board or where the appointee is likely to 
become a Board member. The Committee ensures there is a 
formal, rigorous and transparent procedure for the appointment 
of new Directors to the Board through a full evaluation of the 
skills, knowledge and experience of candidates. The Committee 
also ensures plans are in place for orderly succession for 
appointments to the Board, and to other senior management 
positions. Responsibility for making senior management 
appointments is vested in the Chief Executive. 

Audit Committee
The Audit Committee is chaired by Martin Jackson, who has 
recent and relevant financial experience, and also comprises 
David Currie and Roger Yates. All are independent Non-Executive 
Directors. The Chief Financial Officer, Group Financial Controller, 
Head of Internal Audit, Global Head of Legal and Compliance, 
Head of UK Compliance, Company Secretary and the external 
auditors attend the Audit Committee by invitation appropriate to 
the matters under consideration. Other Directors, representatives 
from the Finance Function and other areas of the business attend 
the Audit Committee as and when required. The Audit Committee 
normally meets four times a year and as and when required.

The main duties of the Audit Committee are: 

   To monitor the integrity of the Financial Statements of the 
Group including annual and interim reports, preliminary results 
announcements and any other formal announcements relating 
to its financial performance, reviewing significant issues and 
judgements contained therein 
   To keep up-to-date with changes to accounting standards and 
to review any changes to accounting polices year on year
   To review and monitor the external auditor’s independence 
and objectivity and the effectiveness of the audit process
   To consider and make recommendations to the Board on the 
appointment, re-appointment and removal of the Company’s 
external auditors, which are subject to shareholder approval
   To review the effectiveness of the Group’s internal controls and 
risk management systems
   To monitor and review the effectiveness of the Group’s Internal 
Audit Function
   To review the overall effectiveness of the Group’s implementation 
of the FSA’s Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) requirements 
   To review the Group’s arrangements for its employees to 
raise concerns, in confidence, about possible wrongdoing in 
financial reporting or other matters 
   To report to the Board, identifying any matters in respect of 
which it considers that action or improvement is needed and 
make recommendations as to the steps to be taken

The Company Secretary drafts the agenda for each Audit Committee, 
ensuring that each item in the terms of reference is covered at least 
once in the financial year, and more frequently if required.  The 
agenda is then finalised by the Chair of the Audit Committee. 

Summary of main activities undertaken by the Audit Committee 
during the financial year: 

   Reviewed the Annual Report and interim results of the Group
   Put the Group’s audit appointment out to a competitive tender 
process; reviewed and approved the proposed audit fee and 
terms of engagement for the financial year ended 31 May 2011
   Reviewed the external auditors’ audit planning and other 
reports, proposed audit fees and performance of the external 
auditors including their independence and objectivity

Corporate Governance: Corporate Governance Report

   Reviewed the policy on the use of external auditors for  
non-audit services and reviewed all non-audit services 
provided by the external auditors to ensure compliance with 
the policy as part of the safeguards in place to ensure the 
independence of the audit is not compromised; the policy is 
available on the Group’s website at www.iggroup.com 
   Reviewed the effectiveness of the Group’s internal controls and 
risk management systems supported by an external evaluation 
of the internal controls and risk management systems

   Reviewed the effectiveness of the Group’s Internal Audit 

Function, supported by an external evaluation, including a 
review of the three-year rolling internal audit plan, individual 
internal audit reports and reports on the implementation of 
internal audit recommendations
   Reviewed reports from the Compliance Functions 

   Reviewed the effectiveness of the Group’s application of the 
FSA’s Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) requirements
   Reviewed the Company’s procedures for detecting internal fraud 
  Reviewed the Group’s ‘whistle-blowing’ arrangements
   Reviewed the Group’s Anti-Bribery policy and Gifts and 
Hospitality policy

In addition, the members of the Audit Committee meet privately in 
separate meetings with Head of Internal Audit, Head of Compliance 
and external auditors to focus on respective areas of responsibility, 
and to discuss any potential issues where support from the Audit 
Committee may be required.

Following each meeting, the Audit Committee reports to the 
Board on its activities.

Attendance at Board and committee meetings
The number of full Board and committee meetings attended by each Director during the year is set out below. In each case the first figure 
indicates the number of meetings attended and the second figure indicates the maximum number of meetings during the year for which 
each individual was a Director or committee member.

full board 
meetings

nominations 
committee

audit 
committee

remuneration 
committee

Jonathan Davie (Chairman)
Tim Howkins (Chief Executive)
Steven Clutton(1)
David Currie
Peter Hetherington
Christopher Hill(2)
Stephen Hill(3)
Martin Jackson
Robert Lucas(4)
Andrew Mackay
Nat le Roux
Roger Yates

6/6
6/6
1/1*
6/6
5/6
1/1*
0/1*
6/6
2/2*
5/6
5/6
6/6

1/1
-
-
1/1
-
-
-
1/1
-
-
-
1/1

-
-
-
4/4
-
-
-
4/4
-
-
-
4/4

3/3
-
-
2/3
-
-
-
1/3
-
-
-
3/3

*for those Directors in office for part of the financial year the maximum number of meetings is reduced to show those for which the individual was a Director or Committee member.

(1) Steven Clutton resigned from the Board on 2 August 2010 

(3) Stephen Hill was appointed to the Board on 28 April 2011 

(2) Christopher Hill was appointed to the Board on 26 April 2011

(4) Robert Lucas resigned from the Board on 7 October 2010

Stephen Hill 
non-executive director, 51 years old

Stephen has extensive experience in media and online businesses, having worked as the CEO of the Financial Times for 
Pearson Plc between 1996 and 2002, and as the CEO of Betfair Limited from 2003 to 2005. Stephen is an experienced 
Non-Executive Director and has previously served on the boards of RSA Insurance Group plc, Psion plc and as 
Chairman of Interactive Data Corp. Stephen is now Chairman and CEO of the Harbour Group, a private investment 
company, and Trustee and Treasurer of the Royal National Institute for Deaf People – Action on Hearing Loss, where he 
chairs the Audit and Investment Committees. Stephen also currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Cambridge 
University Judge Business School and is on the Board of Channel Four Television Corp.

54 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT
54 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

Nat le Roux
non-executive deputy chairman, 54 years old

Nat was Chief Executive of IG Group for four years before becoming Non-Executive Deputy Chairman in 2006. He 
initially joined the Group as Financial Dealing Director in 1992 after a career in futures broking and stock broking. Nat 
holds an MA in Law from Cambridge University and an MSc in Anthropology from University College London. He is an 
(1) Sir Alan Budd stepped down from the Board on 4th May 2010.
independent Director of the London Metal Exchange, where he chairs the Audit and Risk Committees.
(2) David Currie was appointed to the Board on 4th May 2010.

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CoRpoRAte GoveRnAnCe RepoRt 
(continued)

THE WorKINGS oF THE BoArD AND ITS 
coMMITTEES (coNTINuED)
External auditors
As noted in the Directors’ Statutory Report, the Group’s Audit 
Committee decided it was desirable to put the Group’s audit 
appointment out to a competitive tender process during the year, 
which resulted in the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 
as the Group’s auditor. As a part of the tender process, the Audit 
Committee reviewed and approved the proposed audit fee and 
terms of engagement for the financial year ended 31 May 2011. The 
Audit Committee also recommended to the Board that it proposes 
to shareholders that PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP be appointed  
as the Group’s external auditor for the financial year ending  
31 May 2012. The Audit Committee also monitored the balance 
of audit and non-audit fees to ensure that the independence and 
objectivity of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is maintained. 

As part of its consideration of the annual Financial Statements, the 
Audit Committee has reviewed and is satisfied that the auditors 
have remained independent of the Group during the financial 
year, and have continued to remain so to the date of this report. 

Review of the Audit Committee’s performance
During the year the Audit Committee reviewed its performance. 
The review was carried out using an evaluation questionnaire, and a 
discussion of the results by the committee took place at a meeting 
in July 2011. The results were reported to the Board in July 2011.

relations with shareholders
The Board recognises the importance of communications with 
shareholders. The Chairman’s Statement, Chief Executive’s Review 
and the Operating and Financial Review include detailed reviews of 
the business and future developments. There is regular dialogue with 
institutional shareholders, including presentations by management 
around the time of the Group’s preliminary announcement of the 
year-end results and at the half year. These presentations are made 
available on the Group’s website at www.iggroup.com which also 
provides information to shareholders and prospective shareholders. 

Feedback is provided to the Board following these investor 
presentations of any views or concerns expressed by shareholders.

The Board uses the Annual General Meeting to communicate with 
private and institutional investors and welcomes their participation. 
The Chairman aims to ensure that all of the Directors, including the 
Chairmen of the Remuneration and Audit Committees, are available 
at Annual General Meetings to answer questions. The Annual 
Report and Accounts and notice of the Annual General Meeting are 
sent, or made available on the website, to shareholders at least 20 
working days prior to the meeting being held.

Roger Yates, the Senior Independent Director, is available to meet 
shareholders on request, and to ensure that the Board is aware of 
shareholder concerns not resolved through other mechanisms for 
shareholder communication.

The Chairman and the Senior Independent Director provide 
feedback to the Board of any views or concerns expressed to 
them by shareholders.

rISK MANAGEMENT AND INTErNAL coNTroL 
The Group is exposed to a number of business risks in providing 
products and services to our clients. These risks are outlined in the  
Our Business Risks section of the Operating and Financial Review. 

The Board of Directors is responsible for establishing the overall 
appetite for these risks, which is detailed and approved in the Risk 
Appetite Statement, and for the framework of risk management and 
control that is designed to embed the management of business risk 
throughout the Group. 

The Board reviews and challenges the risk management framework 
on an annual basis and more frequently through the Audit 
Committee. Management are responsible for the day-to-day 
implementation of the risk management framework as well as a 
system of internal controls.

Roger Yates
senior Independent non-executive director, 54 years old

Roger joined the Board as Senior Independent Non-Executive Director in February 2006. Roger read Modern History 
at Worcester College Oxford, and has 28 years’ experience in the fund management industry as an investment 
professional and business manager. Previously he was Chief Investment Officer of Invesco Global and held senior roles 
for fund management companies LGT and Morgan Grenfell. He joined Henderson Global Investors as Chief Executive in 
1999, and in 2003 led the de-merger of Henderson from its then parent AMP, becoming Chief Executive of the resulting 
listed entity, now Henderson Group plc, until November 2008. In June 2009, he also became a Non-Executive Director 
of F&C Asset Management plc, and latterly, CEO of Pioneer Investments, a part of the UniCredit Group.

56 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT
56 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

Corporate Governance: Corporate Governance Report

risk Appetite
The Group’s Risk Appetite is articulated in Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) 
and each KRI has either a numerical measure or relates to a specific 
risk event. Taken together the KRIs are a balanced mix of quantitative 
and qualitative measures which provide an important indication of 
increasing or reducing levels of risk. KRIs are developed based on:

   Measures adopted by the Board to ensure a low level of volatility in 
revenues and earnings
   Measures covering regulatory requirements 
   Measures adopted by the Board to encourage trust from 
shareholders and clients
   Measures to promote orderly business operations to ensure 
confidence in the business by staff and business partners

risk management framework
The risk management framework operates at three levels within 
the Group:

1) Board-level review and challenge 
2)  Executive Risk Committee and the assurance functions of Risk, 

Compliance and Internal Audit

3) Internal controls implemented by management

The Board reviews and challenges the risk management 
framework and the Audit Committee monitors the ongoing 
process of identifying, evaluating and managing all significant 
risks throughout the Group. The Audit Committee normally meets 
four times a year, and as and when required, and receives periodic 
reports from the external and internal auditors concerning risk 
management and internal control.

Management has established a Risk Committee to monitor the 
implementation of the risk management framework as well as the 
system of internal controls. The Risk Committee is an executive 
committee and comprises the Chief Executive Officer, Chief 
Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Risk Officer 
as well as the Dealing and Operations Director, Risk Director, the 
Treasurer and the Regulatory Controller. The Risk Committee 
meets weekly, and as and when required, to review the risks faced 
by the Group, within the parameters set by the Board. The Senior 
Independent Director, Roger Yates, also attends Risk Committee 
meetings once a month, and minutes of the meetings are 
circulated to the Non-Executive Directors. 

The responsibilities of the Risk Committee include:

   Reviewing the overall level of risk faced by the Group, whilst 
paying due consideration to the interests and obligations of  
Group companies, shareholders and customers
   Recommending overall risk appetite, tolerance, scenarios and 
planning to the Board

In addition to the management of individual risks, the Group 
undertakes various stress and scenario testing as part of the 
Individual Capital Adequacy Assessment Process (ICAAP) and 
Individual Liquidity Adequacy Assessment (ILAA) prepared 
according to the requirements of the FSA. The scenarios stress 
test the effect on capital and liquidity of a series of combined risk 
events occurring simultaneously. Both assessments are overseen 
by the ICAAP and ILAA Committees, to which Nat le Roux, Martin 
Jackson and Stephen Hill all contribute via a non-executive 
working group.

The Risk and Compliance functions are responsible for coordinating 
the processes of identifying, evaluating, managing and monitoring 
risks using departmental risk registers. Heads of Department are 
responsible for the maintenance of these registers and, where 
necessary, taking action to mitigate risks and enhance the 
control environment. The Risk Department consolidates the key 
operational and business risks from the detailed departmental risk 
registers and reports to the Risk Committee.

Internal controls
Management have designed and implemented a system of internal 
controls to manage, rather than eliminate, the risk of failure to achieve 
business objectives and provides reasonable, but not absolute, 
assurance against the risk of material misstatement or loss. A policy 
framework has been implemented across the Group to support the 
adoption of risk management practices and controls. 

The framework covers HR, compliance and information security 
policies which provide guidance to all members of staff. An online 
Policy Matters tool allows for the effective distribution of new or 
changed policies to ensure that all relevant staff have read and 
confirmed (electronically) their understanding of the policy.

The system of internal controls includes, but is not limited to:

   Compliance with policies, plans, procedures, laws and regulations
   Safeguarding of assets
   Reliability and integrity of financial and management information

57

CoRpoRAte GoveRnAnCe RepoRt 
(continued)

review of risk management and internal controls
The risk management framework has been in place for the full 
year under review, and up to the date of approval of the Annual 
Report, and is in accordance with the Turnbull Guidance ‘Internal 
Control: Guidance for Directors on the Combined Code.’

The Board of Directors and the Audit Committee have reviewed 
the effectiveness of management’s system of internal control, 
covering financial, operational and compliance controls and 
risk management systems, and no significant weaknesses were 
identified during this review.

Accountability and audit
The Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities in respect of the 
Financial Statements is set out immediately prior to the Financial 
Statements, and a statement regarding the use of the going 
concern basis in preparing these Financial Statements is given in 
the Directors’ Statutory Report.

The Independent Auditors’ Report, which sets out the auditor’s 
reporting responsibilities, is also given immediately prior to the 
Financial Statements.

Internal control over financial reporting
Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining 
adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal 
controls over financial reporting are carried out under the 
supervision of the Chief Financial Officer, to provide reasonable 
assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the 
preparation of the consolidated Financial Statements for external 
reporting purposes, in accordance with International Financial 
Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the European Union 
and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). 

Internal controls over financial reporting focus on the most 
material financial statement line items and include policies and 
procedures that pertain to the maintenance of records that, in 
reasonable detail:

   Accurately and fairly reflect transactions and dispositions  
of assets
   Provide reasonable assurances that transactions are recorded 
as necessary to permit preparation of Financial Statements 
in accordance with IFRS, and that receipts and expenditures 
are being made only in accordance with authorisations of 
management and the Directors 
   Provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or  
timely detection of unauthorised acquisition, use or  
disposition of assets that could have a material effect  
on the Financial Statements

The Annual Report is reviewed by the Audit Committee and the Board 
prior to publication.

Internal control systems, no matter how well designed, have 
inherent limitations and may not prevent or detect misstatements. 
Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future 
periods are subject to the risk that internal controls may become 
inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of 
compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

dIReCtoRS’ ReMuneRAtIon RepoRt

Corporate Governance: directors’ Remuneration Report

This report sets out the Group’s remuneration policy and details 
the remuneration of each of the Directors for the financial year 
ended 31 May 2011. It has been prepared in accordance with the 
Companies Act 2006, the Combined Code and Schedules 5 and 8 
to the Large and Medium-sized Companies and Groups (Accounts 
and Reports) Regulations 2008.

INForMATIoN  NoT SuBJEc T To AuDIT
The Remuneration Committee, whose composition is set out 
in the Corporate Governance Report, is responsible for making 
recommendations to the Board on the Group’s remuneration 
policy. Within the terms of the policy, the Remuneration 
Committee determines the contract terms, remuneration and 
other benefits for each of the Executive Directors, including 
performance-related bonus schemes, pension rights, 
compensation payments and contingent awards. 

The Committee aims to put in place a remuneration structure for 
Executive Directors which positions total remuneration: 

   Competitively against the market 
   At median for target performance
   At upper quartile for above-target performance

The Remuneration Committee determines the remuneration of 
the Chairman, while the Chairman and the Executive members 
of the Board determine the remuneration of the Non-Executive 
Directors. No Director or manager is involved in any decisions as 
to their own remuneration.

Details of the number of meetings and attendance at 
committee meetings during the year are set out in the 
Corporate Governance Report.

During the year, the Remuneration Committee received advice 
from external advisors Kepler Associates.

remuneration principles
The Remuneration Committee has agreed that the following 
principles should apply to all matters relating to remuneration of 
Group employees: 

   Remuneration should recognise and reward good and 
excellent performance of employees that helps drive the 
sustainable growth of the Group
   Remuneration should be focused on retaining proven  
senior management
   Remuneration should be consistent with regulatory and 
corporate governance requirements
   Remuneration should be used to achieve effective  
risk management

   Remuneration should never be used to reward behaviour  
that exposes the Group to risks outside its risk appetite 
   Remuneration should be aligned with the best interests of the 
Company’s shareholders
   Remuneration should be straightforward, making it 
understandable for employees and easy for the Group  
to monitor
   Variable remuneration should not be guaranteed for new staff 
unless it is exceptional, and if it is provided it must be limited to 
their first year 

remuneration regulation
During the year, the Remuneration Committee ensured the 
Group’s approach to remuneration was structured in accordance 
with the FSA’s Remuneration Code (the FSA Code). Code Staff are 
defined as the Group’s employees whose professional activities 
could have a material impact on the Group’s risk profile, and who 
fall into the Code Staff categories set down by the FSA Code. 
Code Staff have been identified, made aware of the implications 
of their status and their remuneration has been reviewed by the 
Remuneration Committee during the financial year. 

A summary of the ways in which the Remuneration Committee 
is committed to ensuring remuneration arrangements are in 
accordance with the FSA Code is provided below:

   At least 40% of variable remuneration of Code Staff is deferred 
over three to five years, with awards vesting no faster than on 
a pro-rata basis (and the first vesting no earlier than one year 
after the award). Where the amount of variable remuneration is 
more than £500,000, at least 60% is deferred 
   At least 50% of variable remuneration is paid in non-cash form
   The allocation of variable remuneration takes into account all 
types of current and future risks
   Mechanisms are in place to adjust awarded but unvested 
variable remuneration, in particular where there is evidence  
of employees’ misbehaviour or material error, or where the  
firm suffers material financial downturn or material failure in  
risk management 
   Appropriate ratios of variable to fixed remuneration are set, 
and there is an appropriate balance between the elements. 
The level of fixed remuneration is sufficient to allow no variable 
remuneration to be paid where appropriate
   There is a clear written remuneration policy in place which is 
communicated to employees and ensures the implications of 
their status is understood

The disclosure of the aggregate remuneration of Code Staff is set 
out later in this report.

58 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

59

dIReCtoRS’ ReMuneRAtIon RepoRt
(continued)

INForMATIoN  NoT SuBJEc T To AuDIT 
(coNTINuED)
Directors’ remuneration
Basic salary
During the year, the Remuneration Committee commissioned 
external advisors Kepler Associates to carry out a comprehensive 
annual review of the remuneration of the Executive Directors 
and of the Chairman. As regards to the former, the review 
benchmarked the salary and total remuneration of the Company’s 
Executive Directors against three comparison groups: FTSE 
101-250 companies, FTSE 350 financial services companies and 
a tailored peer group comprising 20 companies with similar 
market capitalisation selected from the financial, technology 
and entertainment sectors. The review considered the total 
remuneration package for the Chief Executive Officer (salary, 
bonus and LTIPs) and revealed this fell below the median 
remuneration paid to chief executive officers in the comparable 
groups. The Remuneration Committee recommended increasing 
the Chief Executive Officer’s salary to £414,000.

The review revealed the total remuneration package for  
Executive Directors fell between median and upper quartile.  
The Remuneration Committee recommended the salaries for 
the Chief Operating Officer and Head of Asia Pacific be increased 
to reflect the changes to the responsibilities of executive 
management for the next financial year. Peter Hetherington, Chief 
Operating Officer, will take leadership of all of the Group’s revenue 
generating business units, and Andrew Mackay, who has been 
Head of Asia Pacific for the last three years, will return to London 
as Director of Corporate Strategy and lead the Group’s efforts 
to identify further opportunities for geographic and product 
expansion.

The Remuneration Committee approved the following salary 
increases for the Executive Directors effective from 1 June 2011: 

  Tim Howkins 
  christopher Hill   
  Peter Hetherington 
  Andrew MacKay   

- from £400,000 to £414,000 
- from £280,000 to £289,800 
- from £240,000 to £248,400(1)
- from £270,000 to £279,450

(1)  Peter Hetherington is paid a reduced pro rata salary of £248,400 based upon a 

£310,500 full-time equivalent salary to reflect his flexible working arrangements. 
Any bonus payments are based on his full-time equivalent salary. 

The Remuneration Committee also decided to bring the 
Chairman’s salary more into line with the median for  
non-executive chairmen, based upon a benchmark 
comparison against a tailored comparable group of FTSE 101-
250 companies and FTSE 350 financial services companies. 
In each case the Chairman’s salary was just above the 
lower quartile. Accordingly, the Remuneration Committee 
recommended the Chairman’s salary is increased from 
£160,000 to £180,000, with effect from 1 June 2011.

Last year, the Board commissioned external advisors Kepler 
Associates to benchmark the Non-Executive Directors’ remuneration 
against a tailored comparable group, and their remuneration was 
found to be in the fourth quartile. In recognition of the increasing 
commitment required from its Non-Executive Directors, the Board 
decided to increase the remuneration of the Non-Executive Directors 
for the first time since 2005, to a uniform rate of £50,000, with the 
exception of the Audit Committee chairman (Martin Jackson), who 
receives an additional £12,500, bringing his remuneration to £62,500. 
These changes took effect from 1 June 2010. 

There are no proposed changes to the Non-Executive Directors’ 
fees for the next financial year.

Performance-related bonuses
The annual bonus for the Group’s Executive Directors is calculated 
by reference to growth in diluted adjusted earnings per share 
(EPS). During the financial year ended 31 May 2011, the bonus 
scheme approved by the Remuneration Committee required an 
EPS growth of 17.5% to achieve a maximum bonus, set at 200% 
of salary. At 12.5% EPS growth a bonus of 100% of salary was 
payable and below 5% growth, no bonus was payable, with linear 
growth between these parameters. The Committee felt these 
targets represented a stretching, but not completely unachievable, 
objective. As shown elsewhere in the Annual Report, actual EPS 
growth for the year was 6.08%, which resulted in a bonus of 14.36% 
of salary for each of the Executive Directors. In cash terms, the total 
performance-related bonuses payable to the Executive Directors 
were £143,000 compared to £1.8 million in the previous year.

For the year beginning 1 June 2011, the Remuneration Committee 
has recalibrated the bonus scheme to reflect current performance 
and economic conditions. The Committee feels that these targets 
represent an appropriate balance between a stretching target and 
one which is not completely unachievable given current economic 
conditions. The approved profile is as follows:

growth in ePs

bonus as a percentage of salary

0%
2%
7%
12%
15%

-
50%
100%
150%
200%

Last year the Remuneration Committee introduced an element of 
deferral into the cash bonus scheme and these arrangements, which 
are in line with the final FSA rules on disclosure of remuneration 
published in December 2010, continue unchanged this year: the first 
£100,000 of any bonus plus one third of the reminder to be paid in 
cash, the balance being deferred for 12 months and provided in shares.

The Remuneration Committee retains the right to reduce the 
bonuses payable if it considers that the formula has not produced 
an appropriate result. The cash elements of performance-related 
bonuses are paid in full within three months of the year-end.

Corporate Governance: directors’ Remuneration Report

Long-term incentive plans
The Group operates long-term incentive plans (LTIPs) for management, including the Executive Directors. Awards were made under the 
LTIPs during the years ended 31 May 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 which vest(ed) on publication of the results for the financial years 
to 31 May 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011and 2012 respectively. LTIP awards are discussed further in note 26 to the Financial Statements. No 
future awards are expected to be made under LTIPs. 

The vesting criteria of these plans are based on compound annual growth rate in diluted adjusted earnings per share and share price 
growth over the relevant three-year period, as shown in the table below:

year of award

scheme

base period 
(year ended 
31 may)

base 
earnings 
per share 
(pence)

measurement 
period 
(year ending 
31 may) 

compound 
annual 
growth

% of award 
vesting

31 May 2010

Share price growth award

2009

N/A(1)

31 May 2010

Earnings per share award

2009

24.74

31 May 2009

Share price growth award

2008

N/A(1)

31 May 2009

Earnings per share award

2008

20.28

31 May 2008

Share price growth award

2007

N/A(1)

31 May 2008

Earnings per share award

2007

14.52

2012

2012

2011

2011

2010

2010

<22.5%
22.5-100%

<12% 
12-18%
18-25%

Nil
0-100%

Nil
0-50%
50-100%

<22.5%
22.5-100%

Nil 
0-100%

<12%
12-18%
18-25%

<22.5%
22.5-100%

<20%
20-25%
25-31%

Nil
0-50%
50-100%

Nil
0-100%

Nil
37.5-75%
75-100%

(1) Share price growth is determined on a base share price of 310.9 pence (2008), 306.8 pence (2009) and 225.0 pence (2010). 

In all cases, vesting is pro-rata between the lower and upper limits.

In order to obtain tax-favoured treatment for the Group and participants, up to 100% of the ultimate value of the LTIP awards made in the 
year ended 31 May 2010 (2010 LTIP), which is conditional on the performance conditions noted above, will be delivered to the participants 
using HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) approved options. The HMRC approved options have been granted to participants subject to the 
rules of the IG Group Limited Executive Share Option Scheme (Approved Plan) which has been updated and re-approved by HMRC. These 
approved options have exactly the same vesting and exercise conditions as the 2010 LTIP awards. In order to ultimately exercise a 2010 
LTIP award, a participant will have to first exercise the respective Approved Plan option and use the IG Group Limited shares acquired as 
ultimate payment for that 2010 LTIP award.

Value-sharing plan (VSP)
During the year ended 31 May 2010, the Committee carried out a review of long-term incentive arrangements, and as a result of this 
review, and following discussions with our shareholders, the Committee proposed to introduce a new value-sharing plan (VSP) to replace 
the existing LTIPs. Shareholders approved this new plan at the 2010 AGM, and the first awards were made on 29 October 2010. 

The VSP comprises annual awards, providing the Executive Directors and other senior staff with a pre-defined number of shares for each 
£1.0 million of surplus shareholder value created over three years above a hurdle. Surplus value is calculated under two criteria:

(i) 

 Value created from the difference between the total shareholder return (TSR) of IG Group Holdings plc and that of the FTSE350 
Financial Services Index, multiplied by IG Group Holdings plc starting market capitalisation, defined as the average market 
capitalisation in the three months to 31 May 2010

(ii)   Growth in profit before taxation (PBT) times a fixed multiple determined by IG Group Holdings plc starting market capitalisation, plus 

net equity cash flows to shareholders above a hurdle return. For the 2010 VSP, the hurdle return was 12% per annum, with the multiple 
being 10.467, based on the financial year ended 31 May 2010 

60 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

61

 
dIReCtoRS’ ReMuneRAtIon RepoRt
(continued)

Corporate Governance: directors’ Remuneration Report

The Executive Directors have elected to do the following:

Interests in share capital

INForMATIoN  NoT SuBJEc T To AuDIT 
(coNTINuED)
For Executive Directors, 60% of the shares will vest on the TSR 
measure and 40% of shares will vest on the PBT measure. Note that 
the 60/40 ratio between TSR and PBT applies only to Executive 
Directors. Code Staff and other senior staff are paid on a either a 
50/50 or 40/60 split between TSR and PBT.

The Remuneration Committee believes that profit before taxation 
(excluding impairment of goodwill and intangibles) is the best 
internal measure of the Group’s financial performance as it is 
highly visible and regularly monitored and reported. The use of 
relative TSR introduces an element of relative performance into 
the Group’s remuneration package, which is intended to improve 
robustness to general stock market movements, and focus more 
closely on the value created for shareholders by management 
over and above that delivered by peers. The Remuneration 
Committee believes that the blend of PBT and TSR measures 
provides strong alignment with shareholder interests and a 
good balance between internal and external performance and 
between absolute and relative performance.

LTIP awards and the value-sharing plan are discussed further in 
note 26 to the Financial Statements.

tim howkins  

christopher hill 
Peter hetherington  

andrew macKay   

 Restrict pension contribution to £50,000 
and receive the balance of the pension 
contribution as an additional cash payment
Receive the full pension contribution
 Receive the entire pension contribution as 
an additional cash payment
Receive the full pension contribution

Fees
The fees for Non-Executive Directors are determined by the Board. 
The Non-Executive Directors are not involved in any discussions or 
decisions by the Board about their own remuneration.

Service contracts
Each of the Executive Directors is employed under a service 
contract with IG Group Limited (a wholly-owned intermediate 
holding company) for the benefit of the Company and the 
Group, which can be terminated on six months’ notice by either 
the Company or the Executive Director. All service contracts 
are continuous and contractual termination payments are for 
the unexpired notice period. The effective dates of the service 
contracts for each of the Executive Directors as at the date of this 
report are:

Benefits
The Group provides a range of benefits to its employees, including 
private health cover and health club membership. The Executive 
Directors are entitled to participate in these non-cash benefits on 
equal terms with all other staff. The Group re-introduced subsidised 
health club membership to all staff from 1 June 2010.

Executive Directors: 
tim howkins 
christopher hill 
Peter hetherington 
andrew macKay 

12 April 2005
18 January 2011
12 April 2005
12 April 2005 

Pensions
The Group contributes 15% of basic salary to personal pensions for 
each of the Executive Directors. As an alternative to the payment of 
part of a performance-related bonus or basic salary, Directors may 
elect to receive an equivalent contribution to their pension.

The Non-Executive Directors were each appointed for an initial 
term of twelve months with appointment continuing indefinitely 
thereafter, subject to re-election, but capable of being terminated 
on three months’ notice. 

There are no special provisions for compensation in the event 
of loss of office. The Remuneration Committee would consider 
the circumstances of individual cases of early termination and 
determine compensation payments accordingly.

Effective from 1 April 2011, the Government introduced new 
limits on tax-efficient contributions to pensions, which make 
contributions above £50,000 tax-ineffective. In light of this, the 
Remuneration Committee agreed that the Executive Directors 
would be given the option to take part or all of their pension 
entitlement of 15% of basic salary in cash. This additional cash 
payment is counted in lieu of pension, and will not be counted as 
base salary for the purposes of calculating other benefits, such as 
the cash bonus scheme. This was put in place with effect from  
1 April 2011.

J R Davie
T A Howkins
S Clutton (resigned from the Board on 2 August 2010)
P G Hetherington
A R MacKay
D M Jackson
R R Lucas (resigned from the Board on 7 October 2010)
N B le Roux
R P Yates
D A Currie
C F Hill
S G Hill

31 may 
2011 
ordinary 
shares

31 may 
2011 
Preference 
shares

31 may 
2010 
ordinary 
shares

31 may 
2010 
Preference 
shares

530,000
3,800,000
N/A
200,833
494,690
-
N/A
75,000
25,000
-
-
-

-
10,000
N/A
10,000
10,000
-
N/A
10,000
-
-
-
-

600,000
3,800,000
17,169
250,000
867,687
-
47,312
100,000
25,000
-
-
-

-
10,000
-
10,000
10,000
-
-
10,000
-
-
-
-

There have been no changes in Directors’ interests in share capital between the year-end and the date of the Annual Report.

The market price of the Company’s ordinary shares on 31 May 2011 was 449.0p and the high and low share prices in the year were 553.0p 
and 379.2p respectively.

Performance graph
The following graph illustrates the performance of IG Group Holdings plc ordinary shares measured by total shareholder return (share 
price growth plus dividends paid) in the period from 1 June 2006. The most appropriate benchmarks are considered by the Directors to be:

   The FTSE 250, as it represents a broad equity market index of which the Company is a constituent member
   The FTSE 350 Financial Services Index, given this is the benchmark index for the Group’s value sharing plan 

The figures have been rebased to 100 as at 1 June 2006 in order to aid comparison and are presented to 18 July 2011. 

305

280

255

230

205

180

155

130

105

80

55

30

IG Group
FTSE 250
FTSE 350 Financial Services Index

6
0
-
n
u
J

6
0
-
c
e
D

7
0
-
n
u
J

7
0
-
c
e
D

8
0
-
n
u
J

8
0
-
c
e
D

9
0
-
n
u
J

9
0
-
c
e
D

0
1
-
n
u
J

0
1
-
c
e
D

1
1
-
n
u
J

62 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

63

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
dIReCtoRS’ ReMuneRAtIon RepoRt
(continued)

INForMATIoN  SuBJEc T To AuDIT
Directors’ remuneration
This section of the report sets out the remuneration of the Directors for the year ended 31 May 2011. The remuneration of the Directors 
who served during the year was as follows:

Executive Directors:
T A Howkins(4)
S Clutton(5)  
P G Hetherington
C F Hill(6) 
A R MacKay

Non-Executive Directors:
J R Davie
D M Jackson
R R Lucas(7)
N B le Roux
R P Yates
D A Currie
A Budd(8)
S Hill(9)

Performance-related bonuses(2)

other  
benefits 
and  
payments(1) 
£000

basic salary 
and fees 
£000

Paid in 
cash  
£000

deferred 
into shares 
£000

Pension 
elections(3)
£000

year ended 
2011
£000

year ended 
2010 
£000

402
36
240
28
270

976

160
63
11
50
50
50
-
4

1
175
1
270
5

452

-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

57
-
43
4
39

143

-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

1,364

452

143

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-
(34)
-
(30)

(64)

-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

460
211
250
302
284

796
646
561
-
668

1,507

2,671

160
63
11
50
50
50
-
4

120
40
30
35
35
3
32
-

(64)

1,895

2,966

(1)  All Executive Directors are entitled to receive professional subscriptions, private health cover and health club membership. This includes the cash element of the compensation 

for loss of office of £174,000 paid to S Clutton. 

(2)  The first £100,000 of performance-related bonuses plus one third of the balance are paid to the Executive Directors in cash; the remaining two thirds of the balance is deferred 

into IG Group Holdings plc ordinary shares for 12 months.

(3)  Executive Directors can elect to receive pension contributions in lieu of performance-related bonuses and salary. These contributions are deducted in the remuneration table 

and included within pension entitlements below, inclusive of employers’ National Insurance.

(4) T A Howkins has elected from 1 April 2011 to restrict his pension contribution to £50,000 and receive the remainder of the allowance as additional salary.

(5) S Clutton resigned from the Board on 2 August 2010. This includes the cash element of the compensation for loss of office of £174,000 paid to S Clutton.

(6)  C F Hill was appointed to the Board on 26 April 2011. C F Hill was granted an additional bonus on appointment of £270,000, of which £157,000 is payable in cash and 

remainder deferred into shares of the Company vesting of July 2012.

(7)  Fees of £10,583 (2010: £30,000) relating to the services of R R Lucas as a Director of the Company were paid to CVC Capital Partners Limited. R R Lucas resigned from the Board 

on 7 October 2010.

(8)  A Budd terminated his employment on 4 May 2010.

(9) S Hill was appointed to the Board on 28 April 2011.

compensation for loss of office
Included in the Directors’ remuneration for the year are amounts paid as compensation for loss of office to S Clutton, who resigned from 
the Board on 2 August 2010. Amounts paid as compensation for loss of office comprised:

   Compensation for loss of office, including payment in lieu of notice, of £174,000 (disclosed under ‘other benefits and payments’)
   Gains associated with the early exercise of the long-term incentive plans in relation to the 2008 and 2009 financial years, pro-rata for the vesting 
period served in office. This exercise was based on the average daily closing share price of the Company for the six-week period to 31 January 
2011 for the share price growth award, and on earnings per share for the year ended 31 May 2010 for the earnings per share awards. This 
resulted in the early award under the 2008 and 2009 LTIP plans of a total of 261,094 shares in the Company and a gain of £1,191,000
   Legal fees paid by the Company on behalf of S Clutton in relation to his loss of office of £12,604

Total compensation for loss of office was therefore £1,365,000, exclusive of the legal fees paid. There was no compensation for loss of office 
paid in the prior year.

64 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

Corporate Governance: directors’ Remuneration Report

Pension entitlements

T A Howkins
S Clutton(1)
P G Hetherington
A R MacKay
C F Hill(2)

2011
£000

2010
£000

58
5
74
73

4

40
32
75
63

-

214

210

(1) S Clutton resigned from the Board on 2 August 2010.

(2) C F Hill was appointed to the Board on 26 April 2011.

There were no contributions made for the Non-Executive Directors during the year ended 31 May 2011.

Interests in value sharing plan and in long-term incentive plans

T A Howkins

Earnings per share award
Share price growth award
Earnings per share award
Share price growth award
Earnings per share award
Share price growth award
Value sharing profit award – 3 year
Value sharing profit award – 4 year
Total shareholder return award – 3 year
Total shareholder return award – 4 year

share price 
at award 
date

number as 
at 31 may 
2010

award date

number 
awarded 
during the 
year

number 
lapsed 
during the 
year

number
exercised 
during the 
year

number as 
at 31 may 
2011

23 Jul 2007
23 Jul 2007
30 Sep 2008
30 Sep 2008
25 Sep 2009
25 Sep 2009
29 oct 2010
29 oct 2010
29 oct 2010
29 oct 2010

312.25p
312.25p
313.75p
313.75p
318.80p
318.80p
528.50p
528.50p
528.50p
528.50p

169,736
169,736
174,917
174,918
166,248
166,249
-
-
-
-

-
-
-
-
-
-
117,511
117,512
176,267
176,268

(18,064)
(158,035)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

1,021,804

587,558

(176,099)

-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

-

151,672
11,701
174,917
174,918
166,248
166,249
117,511
117,512
176,267
176,268

1,433,263

share price 
at award 
date

number as 
at 31 may 
2010

award date

number 
awarded 
during the 
year

number 
lapsed 
during the 
year

number
exercised 
during the 
year

number as 
at 31 may 
2011

S Clutton(1)

Earnings per share award
Share price growth award
Earnings per share award
Share price growth award
Earnings per share award
Share price growth award

(1) S Clutton resigned from the Board on 2 August 2010.

23 Jul 2007
23 Jul 2007
30 Sep 2008
30 Sep 2008
25 Sep 2009
25 Sep 2009

312.25p
312.25p
313.75p
313.75p
318.80p
318.80p

96,077
96,077
132,013
132,013
134,881
134,881

725,942

-
-
-
-
-
-

-

(10,225)
(89,454)
(42,567)
(79,233)
(76,808)
(74,087)

(85,852)
(6,623)
(89,446)
(52,780)
(58,073)
(60,794)

(372,374)

(353,568)

-
-
-
-
-
-

-

65

dIReCtoRS’ ReMuneRAtIon RepoRt
(continued)

INForMATIoN  SuBJEc T To AuDIT (coNTINuED)
Interests in value sharing plan and in long-term incentive plans (continued)

P G Hetherington

Earnings per share award
Share price growth award
Earnings per share award
Share price growth award
Earnings per share award
Share price growth award
Value sharing profit award – 3 year
Value sharing profit award – 4 year
Total shareholder return award – 3 year
Total shareholder return award – 4 year

A R MacKay

Earnings per share award
Share price growth award
Earnings per share award
Share price growth award
Earnings per share award
Share price growth award
Value sharing profit award – 3 year
Value sharing profit award – 4 year
Total shareholder return award – 3 year
Total shareholder return award – 4 year

share price 
at award 
date

number as 
at 31 may 
2010

award date

number 
awarded 
during the 
year

number 
lapsed 
during the 
year

number
exercised 
during the 
year

number as 
at 31 may 
2011

23 Jul 2007
23 Jul 2007
30 Sep 2008
30 Sep 2008
25 Sep 2009
25 Sep 2009
29 oct 2010
29 oct 2010
29 oct 2010
29 oct 2010

312.25p
312.25p
313.75p
313.75p
318.80p
318.80p
528.50p
528.50p
528.50p
528.50p

76,861
76,861
105,611
105,611
125,471
125,471
-
-
-
-

-
-
-
-
-
-
73,445
73,445
110,167
110,168

(8,179)
(71,562)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

(68,682)
(5,299)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

-
-
105,611
105,611
125,471
125,471
73,445
73,445
110,167
110,168

615,886

367,225

(79,741)

(73,981)

829,389

share price 
at award 
date

number as 
at 31 may 
2010

award date

number 
awarded 
during the 
year

number 
lapsed 
during the 
year

number
exercised 
during the 
year

number as 
at 31 may 
2011

23 Jul 2007
23 Jul 2007
30 Sep 2008
30 Sep 2008
25 Sep 2009
25 Sep 2009
29 oct 2010
29 oct 2010
29 oct 2010
29 oct 2010

312.25p
312.25p
313.75p
313.75p
318.80p
318.80p
528.50p
528.50p
528.50p
528.50p

86,469
86,469
125,413
125,413
144,291
144,292
-
-
-
-

-
-
-
-
-
-
73,445
73,445
110,167
110,168

(9,202)
(80,508)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

(77,267)
(5,961)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

-
-
125,413
125,413
144,291
144,292
73,445
73,445
110,167
110,168

712,347

367,225

(89,710)

(83,228)

906,634

Corporate Governance: directors’ Remuneration Report

Gains made by Directors on share options
The table below shows gains made by individual Directors from the exercise of share options during the year. The gains are calculated by 
reference to the share price as at the respective exercise date, although the shares may have been retained.

T A Howkins
S Clutton(1) (resigned from the Board on 2 August 2010)
P G Hetherington
A R MacKay
C F Hill (appointed to the Board on 26 April 2011)

2011 
£000

-
1,634
366
368
-

2,368

2010  
£000

676
534
117
94
-

1,421

(1) Includes a gain of £1,191,000 made following the early exercise under the 2008 and 2009 LTIP plans of a total of 261,094 shares in the Company which has been disclosed as  

compensation for loss of office. 

rEMuNErATIoN coDE DIScLoSurE
code Staff aggregate remuneration
The aggregate remuneration paid to senior management and members of Code Staff whose actions have a material impact on the risk 
profile of the firm are disclosed in the following table:

Fixed remuneration (£000s)
Variable remuneration (£000s)
Share based payment schemes(1) (£000s)
Number of staff

executive 
directors

other code 
staff

1,090
413
4,303
4

850
398
1,824
6

total

1,940
811
6,127
10

(1)  Represents the fair value at date of award and not the actual gain made on exercise of share based payments or the income statement charge taken in the period.

By order of the Board

christopher hill, Chief Financial Officer
19 July 2011 

66 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

67

 
StAteMent oF dIReCtoRS’ ReSponSIBIlItIeS

The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report, the Directors’ Remuneration Report and the Group and Company Financial 
Statements in accordance with applicable United Kingdom law and those International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by 
the European Union.

The Directors are required to prepare Financial Statements for each financial year which present fairly the financial position of the 
Company and of the Group and the financial performance of the Group and cash flows of the Group and of the Company for that period. 
In preparing those Financial Statements, the Directors are required to:

   Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently
   Make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent 
   State whether applicable IFRSs as adopted by the European Union have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and 
explained in the Financial Statements
   Prepare the Financial Statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Company will continue  
in business

The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Company’s transactions 
and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Company and the Group and enable them to ensure 
that the Financial Statements and the Directors’ Remuneration Report comply with the Companies Act 2006 and, as regards the Group 
Financial Statements, Article 4 of the IAS Regulation. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Company and the Group 
and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the Company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing 
the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Each of the Directors, whose names and functions are provided in the Corporate Governance Report, confirms that, to the best of 
their knowledge:

   The Group Financial Statements, which have been prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the EU, give a true and fair view of 
the assets, liabilities, financial position and loss of the Group
   The Business Review and the Directors’ Statutory Report contained in the Annual Report include a fair review of the development and 
performance of the business and the position of the Group, together with a description of the principal risks and uncertainties that  
it faces

By order of the Board

christopher hill, Chief Financial Officer
19 July 2011 

Independent AudItoRS’ RepoRt to tHe 
MeMBeRS oF IG GRoup HoldInGS plC

Corporate Governance: Independent Auditors’ Report

We have audited the Financial Statements of IG Group Holdings plc for 
the year ended 31 May 2011 which comprise Group Income Statement, 
Group Statement of Comprehensive Income, Statements of Financial 
Position, Statements of Changes in Equity, Cash Flow Statements and the 
related notes. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in 
their preparation is applicable law and International Financial Reporting 
Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the European Union and, as regards the 
parent company Financial Statements, as applied in accordance with the 
provisions of the Companies Act 2006.

respective responsibilities of Directors and auditors 
As explained more fully in the Directors’ Responsibilities Statement set 
out on page 68, the Directors are responsible for the preparation of the 
Financial Statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and 
fair view. Our responsibility is to audit and express an opinion on the 
Financial Statements in accordance with applicable law and International 
Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland). Those standards require us to 
comply with the Auditing Practices Board’s Ethical Standards for Auditors. 

This report, including the opinions, has been prepared for and only for the 
company’s members as a body in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of 
the Companies Act 2006 and for no other purpose. We do not, in giving 
these opinions, accept or assume responsibility for any other purpose or 
to any other person to whom this report is shown or into whose hands it 
may come save where expressly agreed by our prior consent in writing.

Scope of the audit of the Financial Statements 
An audit involves obtaining evidence about the amounts and 
disclosures in the Financial Statements sufficient to give reasonable 
assurance that the Financial Statements are free from material 
misstatement, whether caused by fraud or error. This includes an 
assessment of: whether the accounting policies are appropriate 
to the Group’s and the parent company’s circumstances and 
have been consistently applied and adequately disclosed; the 
reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by the 
Directors; and the overall presentation of the Financial Statements. 
In addition, we read all the financial and non-financial information 
in the Chairman’s Statement and the Business Review to identify 
material inconsistencies with the audited Financial Statements. 
If we become aware of any apparent material misstatements or 
inconsistencies we consider the implications for our report.

opinion on Financial Statements 
In our opinion: 

   The Group Financial Statements give a true and fair view of the 
state of the Group’s and of the parent company’s affairs as at 
31 May 2011 and of the Group’s loss and Group’s and parent 
company’s cash flows for the year then ended
   The Group Financial Statements have been properly prepared in 
accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union 
   The parent company Financial Statements have been properly 
prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European 
Union and as applied in accordance with the provisions of the 
Companies Act 2006

   The Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with 
the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and, as regards the 
Group Financial Statements, Article 4 of the lAS Regulation 

opinion on other matters prescribed by the companies 
Act 2006 
In our opinion: 

   The audited section of the Directors’ Remuneration Report has been 
properly prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006
   The information given in the Directors’ Report for the financial 
year for which the Financial Statements are prepared is 
consistent with the Financial Statements
   The information given in the Corporate Governance Statement 
with respect to internal control and risk management systems 
and about share capital structures is consistent with the Financial 
Statements

Matters on which we are required to report by 
exception 
We have nothing to report in respect of the following: 

Under the Companies Act 2006 we are required to report to you if, 
in our opinion: 

   Adequate accounting records have not been kept by the parent 
company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been 
received from branches not visited by us; or 
   The parent company Financial Statements and the audited 
section of the Directors’ Remuneration Report are not in 
agreement with the accounting records and returns; or 
   Certain disclosures of Directors’ remuneration specified by law 
are not made; or 
   We have not received all the information and explanations we 
require for our audit; or
   A corporate governance statement has not been prepared by 
the parent company 

Under the Listing Rules we are required to review: 

   The Directors’ statement, set out on page 48, in relation to  
going concern
   The sections of the Corporate Governance Statement relating 
to the company’s compliance with the nine provisions of the UK 
Corporate Governance Code specified for our review
   Certain elements of the report to shareholders by the Board on 
Directors’ remuneration

darren Ketteringham (Senior Statutory Auditor)
for and on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors
London
19 July 2011

68 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

69

Financial Statements

FINANCIAL 
STATEMENTS

GrouP INcoME STATEMENT 
GrouP STATEMENT oF coMPrEHENSIvE  INcoME 
STATEMENTS oF FINANcIAL PoSITIoN 
STATEMENTS oF cHANGES IN EQuITY 
cASH FLoW STATEMENTS 
INDEx To NoTES To THE FINANcIAL STATEMENTS 
NoTES To THE FINANcIAL STATEMENTS 

72 
73 
74 
75 
77 
78 
79

71
71

70 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT
70 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

 
 
GRoup StAteMent oF CoMpReHenSIve InCoMe 
for the year ended 31 May 2011

Financial Statements

(Loss) / profit for the year

other comprehensive (expense) / income:
Foreign currency translation on overseas subsidiaries

Other comprehensive (expense) / income for the year

total comprehensive (expense) / income for the year

total comprehensive (expense) / income attributable to: 
Equity holders of the parent
Non-controlling interests

The notes on pages 79 to 127 are an integral part of these Financial Statements.

            2011
£000

£000

             2010
£000

£000

(25,292)

101,486

(344)

27,434

(344)

(25,636)

(25,797)
161

(25,636)

27,434

128,920

128,290
630

128,920

2011

certain 
items(1)
£000

-
-

-
-
-
-

-

-
-

before 
certain 
items(1) 
£000

344,427
5,791

350,218
(321)
(45,876)
(4,298)

total
£000

353,246
9,124

362,370
(176)
(32,854)
(4,085)

325,255

299,723

320,392
4,863

298,551
1,172

             2010 
(restated)

certain 
items(1)
£000

-
-

-
-
-
-

-

-
-

total
£000

344,427
5,791

350,218
(321)
(45,876)
(4,298)

299,723

298,551
1,172

GRoup InCoMe StAteMent 
for the year ended 31 May 2011

Trading revenue 
Interest income on segregated client funds

revenue 
Interest expense on segregated client funds
Introducing broker commissions
Betting duty

net operating income

Analysed as:
net trading revenue
Other net operating income

Administrative expenses 

operating profit
Finance revenue
Finance costs

Profit before taxation
Tax expense

(Loss) / profit for the year

(Loss) / profit for the year attributable to:
Equity holders of the parent
Non-controlling interests

(Loss) / earnings per ordinary share

Basic
Diluted

note

before 
certain 
items(1) 
£000

353,246
9,124

362,370
(176)
(32,854)
(4,085)

2

325,255

320,392
4,863

1, 2

3, 4
7
8

9

note

10
10

(162,225)

(155,953)

(318,178)

(142,436)

(17,298)

(159,734)

163,030
2,402
(2,432)

163,000
(43,991)

(155,953)
-
-

(155,953)
11,652

7,077
2,402
(2,432)

7,047
(32,339)

157,287
2,664
(2,312)

157,639
(46,120)

(17,298)
-
-

(17,298)
7,265

139,989
2,664
(2,312)

140,341
(38,855)

119,009

(144,301)

(25,292)

111,519

(10,033)

101,486

118,848
161
119,009

(144,301)
-
(144,301)

(25,453)
161
(25,292)

111,314
205
111,519

(10,033)
-
(10,033)

101,281
205
101,486

2011

(7.05p)
(7.05p)

2010

28.19p
28.00p

(1)  Certain items comprise amortisation and impairment of intangible assets associated with the Group’s Japanese business and impairment of the goodwill associated with the 

Group’s Sport business and related taxation. Refer to notes 3 and 4 for more information.

All of the Group’s revenue and profit for the year and prior year relate to continuing operations. The comparative Group Income Statement 
has been restated such that trading revenue is reported gross of introducing broker commission with an equal expense disclosed in 
arriving at net operating income. Refer to note 37 for more information.

The notes on pages 79 to 127 are an integral part of these Financial Statements.

72 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

73

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
StAteMentS oF FInAnCIAl poSItIon 
at 31 May 2011

StAteMent oF CHAnGeS In equItY 
for the year ended 31 May 2011

Financial Statements

Assets
non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment
Intangible assets
Investment in subsidiaries
Deferred tax assets

current assets
Trade receivables
Prepayments and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents

totaL assets

Liabilities
current liabilities
Trade payables
Other payables
Provisions
Income tax payable

non-current liabilities
Deferred tax liabilities 
Provisions
Redeemable preference shares

total liabilities

capital and reserves
Equity share capital
Share premium
Other reserves
Retained earnings

shareholders’ equity
Non-controlling interests

total equity

totaL eQuIty and LIabILItIes

             group
2011
£000

2010
£000  
(restated)

             company

2011
£000

2010
£000

note

12
13
14

9

16

17

19
20
21

9
21
22

23
23
25

16,761
117,202
-

11,264

9,632
265,328
-

14,264

-
-
433,078

-

-
-
428,853

-

145,227

289,224

433,078

428,853

270,104
8,199
124,528

206,243
7,084
128,097

-
64,254
304

-
576,920
8

402,831

341,424

64,558

576,928

548,058

630,648

497,636

1,005,781

83,490
45,149
1,427
37,060

57,673
44,825
1,377
38,863

-
6,512
-
3,547

-
573,276
-
3,387

167,126

142,738

10,059

576,663

-
1,991
40

2,031

11,463
1,779
40

13,282

-
-
40

40

-
-
40

40

169,157

156,020

10,099

576,703

18
206,246
80,173
92,263

378,700
201

18
206,246
79,742
185,443

471,449
3,179

18
206,246
18,899
262,374

487,537
-

18
206,246
14,991
207,823

429,078
-

378,901

474,628

487,537

429,078

548,058

630,648

497,636

1,005,781

group

at 1 june 2009

Profit for the year
Other comprehensive income for the year

Total comprehensive income for the year

Equity-settled employee share-based payments (note 26)
Excess of tax deduction benefit on share-based
  payments recognised directly in shareholders’
  equity (note 9)
Purchase of own shares
Exercise of US share incentive plans
Equity dividends paid (note 11)

Movement in equity

at 31 may 2010

(Loss) / profit for the year
Other comprehensive (expense) for the year

Total comprehensive (expense) / income for the year

Equity-settled employee share-based payments (note 26)
Excess of tax deduction benefit on share-based
  payments recognised directly in shareholders’
  equity (note 9)
Acquisition of non-controlling interest (note 14b)
Purchase of own shares
Exercise of US share incentive plans
Equity dividends paid (note 11)

Movement in equity

at 31 may 2011

equity 
share
capital
£000
(note 23)

share
premium
£000
(note 23)

other
reserves
£000
(note 25)

retained
earnings
£000

shareholders’
equity
£000

non-
controlling 
interests
£000

total
equity
£000

18

206,246

45,281

141,819

393,364

2,549

395,913

-
-

-

-

-
-
-
-

-

-
-

-

-

-
-
-
-

-

-
27,009

101,281
-

101,281
27,009

27,009

101,281

128,290

4,782

-

4,782

2,861
(175)
(16)
-

-
-
-
(57,657)

2,861
(175)
(16)
(57,657)

205
425

630

-

-
-
-
-

101,486
27,434

128,920

4,782

2,861
(175)
(16)
(57,657)

34,461

43,624

78,085

630

78,715

18

206,246

79,742

185,443

471,449

3,179

474,628

-
-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
(344)

(25,453)
-

(25,453)
(344)

(344)

(25,453)

(25,797)

4,225

-

4,225

(831)
(2,302)
(291)
(26)
-

-
-
-
-
(67,727)

(831)
(2,302)
(291)
(26)
(67,727)

161
-

161

-

-
(3,139)
-
-
-

(25,292)
(344)

(25,636)

4,225

(831)
(5,441)
(291)
(26)
(67,727)

431

(93,180)

(92,749)

(2,978)

(95,727)

18

206,246

80,173

92,263

378,700

201

378,901

The notes on pages 79 to 127 are an integral part of these Financial Statements.  

The notes on pages 79 to 127 are an integral part of these Financial Statements. The comparative Group Statement of Financial Position 
has been restated to reflect the change in accounting policy for segregated client funds. Refer to note 37 for more information.

Tim Howkins 
Chief Executive 

Christopher Hill 
Chief Financial Officer

74  | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

75

 
 
 
 
 
 
StAteMent oF CHAnGeS In equItY 
for the year ended 31 May 2011

CASH FloW StAteMentS 
for the year ended 31 May 2011

company

at 1 june 2009

Profit for the year
Other comprehensive income for the year

Total comprehensive income for the year

Equity-settled employee share-based payments (note 26)
Purchase of own shares
Exercise of US share incentive plans
Equity dividends paid (note 11)

Movement in equity

at 31 may 2010

Profit for the year
Other comprehensive income for the year

Total comprehensive income for the year

Equity-settled employee share-based payments (note 26)
Purchase of own shares
Exercise of US share incentive plans
Equity dividends paid (note 11)

Movement in equity

at 31 may 2011

equity
share 
capital
£000
(note 23)

share
premium
£000
(note 23)

other
reserves
£000
(note 25)

retained
earnings
£000

total
equity
£000

18

206,246

10,400

184,390

401,054

-
-

-

-
-
-
-

-

-
-

-

-
-
-
-

-

-
-

-

81,090
-

81,090
-

81,090

81,090

4,782
(175)
(16)
-

-
-
-
(57,657)

4,782
(175)
(16)
(57,657)

4,591

23,433

28,024

18

206,246

14,991

207,823

429,078

-
-

-

-
-
-
-

-

-
-

-

-
-
-
-

-

-
-

-

122,278
-

122,278
-

122,278

122,278

4,225
(291)
(26)
-

-
-
-
(67,727)

4,225
(291)
(26)
(67,727)

3,908

54,551

58,459

18

206,246

18,899

262,374

487,537

The notes on pages 79 to 127 are an integral part of these Financial Statements. 

cash generated from operations
Income taxes paid
Interest received on segregated client funds
Interest paid on segregated client funds

Net cash flow from operating activities

Investing activities
Interest received
Purchase of property, plant and equipment
Proceeds on disposal of property, plant and equipment
Payments to acquire intangible fixed assets
Purchase of a minority interest
Purchase of a client list and business

Net cash flow from investing activities

Financing activities
Interest paid
Equity dividends paid to equity holders of the parent
Purchase of own shares
Payment of redeemable preference share dividends

Net cash flow from financing activities

Financial Statements

note

18

18

             group
2011
£000

2010
£000  
(restated)

119,636
(43,503)
8,015
(161)

129,126
(47,719)
5,745
(332)

             company

2011
£000

68,641
-
-
-

2010
£000

58,638
-
-
-

83,987

86,820

68,641

58,638

2,046
(15,387)
313
(4,521)
(5,072)
(2,739)

2,557
(2,669)
-
(2,369)
-
-

(25,360)

(2,481)

1
-
-
-
-
-

1

1
-
-
-
-
-

1

(1,897)
(67,727)
(291)
(3)

(1,317)
(57,657)
(175)
(3)

(325)
(67,727)
(291)
(3)

(918)
(57,657)
(175)
(3)

(69,918)

(59,152)

(68,346)

(58,753)

Net (decrease) / increase in cash and cash equivalents

(11,291)

25,187

296

(114)

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
Exchange gains on cash and cash equivalents

128,097
7,722

99,407
3,503

8
-

cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year

17

124,528

128,097

304

122
-

8

The notes on pages 79 to 127 are an integral part of these Financial Statements. The comparative Group Cash Flow Statement has been 
restated to reflect the change in accounting policy for segregated client funds. Refer to note 37 for more information. 

76 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

77

 
 
Index to noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS 

notes to the Financial Statements

Note 
1.  Net trading revenue 
2.  Segment information 
3.  Operating profit 
4.  Exceptional items 
5.  Auditors’ remuneration 
6.  Staff costs 
7.  Finance revenue 
8.  Finance costs 
9.  Taxation 
10.  Earnings per ordinary share 
11.  Dividends 
12.  Property, plant and equipment 
13.  Intangible assets 
14.  Investments in subsidiaries 
15.  Impairment of goodwill 
16.  Trade receivables 
17.  Cash and cash equivalents 
18.  Cash generated from operations 
19.  Trade payables 
20.  Other payables 
21.  Provisions 
22.  Redeemable preference shares 
23.  Equity share capital 
24.  Own shares held in Employee Benefit Trusts 
25.  Other reserves 
26.  Employee share plans 
27.  Capital commitments 
28.  Obligations under leases 
29.  Litigation 
30.  Transactions with Directors 
31.  Related party transactions 
32.  Financial instruments 
33.  Financial risk management 
34.  Capital management and resources 
35.  Subsequent events 
36.  Authorisation of Financial Statements and statement of compliance with IFRS 
37.  Accounting policies 

Page
79
80
81
82
83
83
84
84
85
88
88
89
90
91
94
96
96
97
97
98
98
98
99
100
101
102
105
105
105
105
106
107
110
120
120
120 
120

1. NET TrADING rEvENuE
Net trading revenue represents trading revenue from financial instruments carried at fair value through profit and loss net of introductory 
broker commission as this is consistent with the management information received by the Chief Operating Decision Maker. Revenue from 
external customers includes interest income on segregated client funds and is analysed as follows:

net trading revenue
Financial
     Spread betting
     Contracts for Difference
     Binaries

Total Financial 
Sport(1)

total net trading revenue

Interest income on segregated client funds

revenue from external customers

2011
£000

2010
£000

109,796
188,201
14,724

312,721
7,671

104,605
177,414
10,600

292,619
5,932

320,392

298,551

9,124

5,791

329,516

304,342

(1)  As discussed in notes 4 and 35, on 8 June 2011 the Group reached agreement to sell the majority of the client list relating to extrabet’s sport spread betting and fixed odds 

betting and has subsequently closed the Sport business.

In addition to the above, finance revenue is disclosed in note 7. The Group does not derive more than ten percent of external revenue from 
any one single customer.

78 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

79

 
noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

2. SEGMENT INForMATIoN
The segment information is presented as follows:

   Segment net trading revenue has been disclosed net of introductory broker commission as this is consistent with the management 
information received by the Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM)
  Net trading revenue is reported by the location of the office
   The Europe segment comprises the Group’s operations in each of France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain 
and Sweden
   The Rest of the World segment comprises the Group’s operations in each of South Africa, Singapore and the United States
   Segment contribution, being segment net trading revenue less directly incurred costs, as it is the measure of segment profit and loss 
reported to the (CODM)

The UK segment derives its revenue from financial spread bets, fixed odd bets on financial markets, Contracts for Difference (CFDs), 
margined forex and binary options. The UK segment also includes the Sport business which derived its revenue from spread bets and fixed 
odds bets on sporting and other events and the operation of an online casino. The Australian, Japanese and European segments derive 
their revenue from CFDs, margined forex and binary options. The Rest of the World segment derives its revenue from the operation of a 
regulated futures and options exchange as well as from CFDs, margined forex and binary options.

The Group employs a centralised operating model whereby market risk is managed principally in the UK, switching to Australia outside 
of UK hours. The costs associated with these operations are included in the Central segment, together with central costs of senior 
management, finance, middle office, IT development, HR, marketing and other support functions. As the Group manages risk and hedges 
on a Group-wide portfolio basis, the following segmental revenue analysis involves the use of an attribution methodology. Interest income 
and expense on segregated client funds are managed and reported to the CODM centrally and thus have been reported in the Central 
segment. In the following analysis, the Central segment costs have been further allocated to the other reportable segments based on 
segment net trading revenue, in order to provide segment EBITDA.

year ended 31 may 2011

Segment net trading revenue
Interest income on segregated client funds

revenue from external customers
Interest expense on segregated client funds
Betting duty

net operating income

segment contribution(2)

Allocation of central costs

segment ebItda(3) 

uK
£000

australia
£000

174,837
-

174,837
-
(4,085)

47,607
-

47,607
-
-

europe
£000

57,464
-

57,464
-
-

japan
£000

20,606
-

20,606
-
-

rest of the
World(1)
£000

19,878
-

19,878
-
-

central 
£000

-
9,124

9,124
(176)
-

total
£000

320,392
9,124

329,516
(176)
(4,085)

170,752

47,607

57,464

20,606

19,878

8,948

325,255

143,822

36,449

35,444

8,557

11,156

(61,815)

173,613

(33,734)

(9,185)

(11,087)

(3,976)

(3,833)

61,815

-

110,088

27,264

24,357

4,581

7,323

Depreciation and amortisation
Impairment of intangible assets

(5,119)
(5,250)

(1,227)
-

(1,349)
-

(8,599)
(143,108)

(2,167)
-

Profit on disposal of property, plant and equipment

operating profit
Net finance costs

Profit before taxation

-

-
-

173,613

(18,461)
(148,358)

283

7,077
(30)

7,047

notes to the Financial Statements

uK
£000

australia
£000

168,477
-

168,477
-
(4,298)

45,660
-

45,660
-
-

europe
£000

47,431
-

47,431
-
-

japan
£000

23,946
-

23,946
-
-

rest of the
World
£000

13,037
-

13,037
-
-

central 
£000

-
5,791

5,791
(321)
-

total
£000

298,551
5,791

304,342
(321)
(4,298)

164,179

45,660

47,431

23,946

13,037

5,470

299,723

135,543

35,226

29,803

10,662

5,761

(51,054)

165,941

(28,810)

(7,808)

(8,111)

(4,095)

(2,230)

51,054

-

106,733

27,418

21,692

6,567

3,531

year ended 31 may 2010

Segment net trading revenue
Interest income on segregated client funds

revenue from external customers
Interest expense on segregated client funds
Betting duty

net operating income

segment contribution(1)

Allocation of central costs

segment ebItda(2)

Depreciation and amortisation

(3,520)

(982)

(855)

(19,237)

(1,309)

Loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment

operating profit
Net finance revenue

Profit before taxation

-

-

165,941

(25,903)

(49)

139,989
352

140,341

(1) Segment contribution includes exceptional items of £4,422,000 disclosed in note 4, which relate to the UK (£2,958,000) and Central (£1,464,000) segments. 

(2) EBITDA represents operating profit before depreciation, amortisation and impairment of intangible assets and amounts written off property, plant and equipment and  

intangible assets.

3. oPErATING ProFIT

this is stated inclusive of exceptional items and after charging / (crediting):
Amortisation of customer relationships and trade names (Japan)(1)
Impairment of customer relationships and goodwill(1) 

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment
Amortisation of intangible assets
Advertising and marketing
Net recovery of impaired trade receivables 
Interim FSCS levy(2) 
Operating lease rentals for land and buildings
(Profit) / loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment
Foreign exchange differences(3)

             group
2011
£000

2010
£000

7,595
148,358

7,086
3,780
32,025
(2,162)
4,053
6,016
(283)
(1,080)

17,298
-

6,175
2,430
27,297
(1,064)
280
6,738
49
(522)

(1)  Disclosed within the column ‘certain items’ in the consolidated Income Statement. ‘Certain items’ include both the amortisation and impairment of intangible assets associated 
with the Group’s Japanese business, IG Markets Securities (formerly FXOnline), and the impairment of the goodwill associated with the Group’s Sport business, extrabet. Refer 
to note 4 for further details of the impairments arising in the year.

(2)  The interim levy imposed on certain investment management firms by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) related to the continuing costs of Keydata 

Investment Services Limited and other failed investment intermediary firms represented a significant increase in FSCS levies paid by the Group. 

(3)  All of the above, except foreign exchange differences, are included in administrative expenses within the Income Statement. Foreign exchange differences are included  

in revenue.

(1)  The Rest of the World segment includes the Group’s South African business which generated net trading revenue of £2.75 million in the nine months following acquisition. In 

the year ended 31 May 2010 net trading revenue, generated via the former introductory broker of the Group that was acquired during the year (refer to note 14), of £1.8 million 
was reported in the UK segment. 

(2)  Segment contribution includes exceptional items of £3,644,000 (2010: £4,422,000) disclosed in note 4, which relate to the UK £2,284,000 (2010: £2,958,000) and Central 

£1,360,000 (2010: £1,464,000) segments.

(3)  EBITDA represents operating profit before depreciation, amortisation and impairment of intangible assets and amounts written off property, plant and equipment and 

intangible assets.

80 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

81

 
noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

4. ExcEPTIoNAL ITEMS
In the year ended 31 May 2011, exceptional items were incurred in relation to the impairment of goodwill and customer relationships 
associated with the acquisition of the Group’s Japanese business, IG Markets Securities (formerly FXOnline). For details of the goodwill 
impairment review performed please refer to note 15. 

Additionally in the year ended 31 May 2011, exceptional items were incurred in relation to the Group’s Sport business. 

In the years ended 31 May 2011 and 31 May 2010, exceptional items were incurred in relation to the relocation of the Group’s  
London headquarters.

exceptional items included in operating profit

Impairment of goodwill in relation to the Japanese business(1)
Impairment of Japanese customer relationships(1)
Impairment of goodwill in relation to the Sport business(2)
Other charges in relation to the closure of the Sport business(2)
Relocation of the Group’s London headquarters(3)

Total exceptional items

Deferred tax credit on exceptional items(1) 
Tax credit on exceptional items 

Total exceptional items after tax

2011
£000

122,960
20,148
5,250
2,474
1,752

152,584

2010
£000

-
-
-
4,874
-

4,874

(8,462)
(1,169)

-
(1,365)

142,953

3,509

Each of the impairment charges discussed above (totalling £148.4 million, 2010: £nil) as well as the amortisation of the Japanese customer 
relationships (see note 3, 2011: £7.6 million, 2010: £17.3 million) have been disclosed in the Group Income Statement in the column ‘certain 
items’ consistent with the Group’s established accounting policy and presentation. 

(1)  The goodwill and customer relationships associated with the Japanese business are considered to be impaired following regulatory change in the Japanese market. The 

impairment charge disclosed as exceptional is exclusive of the amortisation (£7.6 million) charged in the accounting period immediately prior to impairment. The deferred tax 
credit on the exceptional items solely relates to the customer relationships. For further detail of the impairment review performed refer to note 15.

(2)  During the year, the Directors decided that the Group should investigate selling or closing the Sport business, extrabet, in order to allow management to focus exclusively 
on the continuing expansion and development of the Financial business. The Group was unable to secure a sale of the Sport business in its entirety as a going concern on 
acceptable terms and consequently, the Group commenced a redundancy consultation process, subsequently completed on 12 July 2011, with the employees prior to the 
closure of the business. As a result exceptional costs have been incurred in relation to the impairment of the goodwill associated with the Sport business (£5.25 million) and 
other closure-related costs including redundancy (£0.7 million) and onerous lease charges (£1.3 million). 

(3)  Includes costs arising in relation to an onerous lease charge for the excess office space resulting from the overlap of the lease period for the new London headquarters with 

that of the Group’s previous London premises, double premises costs and accelerated depreciation of leasehold improvements and other assets that are obsolete following the 
Group’s London headquarters move.

82 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

5. AuDITorS’ rEMuNEr ATIoN

audit fees

Fees payable to the Company’s auditors for the audit of the 
    parent company and consolidated Financial Statements 

other fees to auditors:
Statutory and regulatory audit of subsidiaries and 
    branches of the Company pursuant to legislation 
Other services supplied pursuant to legislation

Other services relating to taxation
 -  Compliance related services
 -  Advisory related services
Services relating to corporate finance transactions
All other services

notes to the Financial Statements

             group
2011
£000

2010
£000

182

311

97
66

224
202
269
87

945

187
11

-
-
-
13

211

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP were appointed as the Group’s auditors in December 2010 following a competitive tender process. The fees 
disclosed above are in relation to the full year ended 31 May 2011. Of the total non-audit fees or fees unrelated to the audit (£782,000) paid 
to PricewaterhouseCoopers, £427,000 was committed prior to their appointment as the Group’s auditors.

6. STAFF coSTS
The staff costs for the year, including Directors, were as follows:

Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs (in relation to direct contribution schemes)

             group
2011
£000

2010
£000

64,540
6,493
4,418

61,662
6,629
3,763

75,451

72,054

Staff costs include the following amounts in respect of performance-related bonuses, inclusive of national insurance, and share-based 
payments charged to the Income Statement:

Performance-related bonuses
Equity-settled share-based payment schemes

             group
2011
£000

2010
£000

14,275
4,225

22,333
4,782

18,500

27,115

The Directors’ emoluments, including compensation for loss of office, for the year ended 31 May 2011 and the prior year can be found in 
the Directors’ Remuneration Report. The average monthly number of employees, including Directors, was made up as follows: 

Dealing, sales and client support
Management and administration including IT

             group
2011
number

2010
number

595
356

951

529
299

828

83

 
noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

7. FINANcE rEvENuE

Interest receivable from brokers
Interest receivable from clients
Bank interest receivable
Other finance revenue

8. FINANcE coSTS 

Liquidity facility arrangement and non-utilisation fees
Interest payable to clients
Interest payable to brokers
Bank interest payable
Dividend on redeemable preference shares
Other charges

             group
2011
£000

1,167
211
642
382

2,402

2010
£000

406
509
1,749
-

2,664

             group
2011
£000

2010
£000

1,085
136
196
29
3
983

2,432

913
168
163
68
3
997

2,312

Interest payable to clients relates to interest paid or accrued to clients in relation to title transfer funds (refer to note 17). 

9. TAxATIoN
9(a) Tax on profit on ordinary activities
Tax charged in the Income Statement:

Current income tax:
UK corporation tax
Foreign tax
Adjustment in respect of prior years

Total current income tax
Deferred tax:
Origination and reversal of temporary differences

Tax expense in the Income Statement (note 9(b))

notes to the Financial Statements

             group
2011
£000

2010
£000

42,501
1,573
(2,309)

46,797
2,175
 916

41,765

49,888

(9,426)

 (11,033)

32,339

38,855 

9(b) reconciliation of the total tax charge 
The tax expense in the Income Statement for the year is different to the standard rate of corporation tax in the UK of 27.67% (2010: 28%). 
The differences are reconciled below:

Accounting profit before income tax

Accounting profit multiplied by the UK standard  
    rate of corporation tax of 27.67% (2010: 28%) 
Goodwill impairment not deductible for tax purposes
Expenses not deductible for tax purposes
Lower taxes on overseas earnings
Adjustment in respect of prior years

Total tax expense reported in the Income Statement

2011
£000

2010
£000

7,047

 140,341

1,950
35,471
1,826
(4,599)
(2,309)

39,295
-
1,844
(3,200)
916 

32,339

38,855 

The effective tax rate is 458.9% (2010: 27.7%); however this includes the impact of the Japanese and Sport related goodwill impairments 
of £128.2 million which are not allowable expenses for the purposes of taxation. Excluding the effect of these items, the effective rate of 
taxation is 23.9% (2010: 27.7%).

84 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

85

noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

9. TAxATIoN (coNTINuED)
9(c) Deferred income tax assets
The deferred income tax assets included in the Statement of Financial Position are as follows: 

9(e) Deferred income tax – Income Statement credit

Decelerated capital allowances
Tax losses available for offset against future tax
Doubtful debt provision
Share-based payments
Other

             group
2011
£000

1,662
4,829
-
3,713
1,060

2010
£000

1,693
6,401
600
4,282
 1,288

11,264

14,264 

The tax losses available for offset against future tax relate to operating losses arising in overseas subsidiary companies, the recoverability 
of which is dependent on sufficient future operating profits in those entities. A deferred tax asset is recognised where it is considered to 
be probable that future operating profits will exceed the losses that have arisen to date. Where it is not anticipated that future operating 
profits will exceed the losses that have arisen to date, a deferred tax asset is not recognised.

Share-based payment awards have been charged to the Income Statement but are not allowable as a tax expense until the awards vest. 
The excess of tax relief in future periods over the amount charged to the Income Statement is recognised as a credit directly to equity.

The gross movement in the deferred income tax assets included in the Statement of Financial Position is as follows:

At the beginning of the year
Income statement (charge) / credit
Tax (debited) / credited directly to equity
Foreign currency adjustment

At the end of the year

9(d) Deferred income tax liabilities
The deferred income tax liabilities included in the Statement of Financial Position are as follows: 

At the beginning of the year
Foreign currency adjustment
Income statement credit

At the end of the year

             group
2011
£000

14,264
(2,226)
(831)
57

2010
£000

7,562
3,768
2,861
73

11,264

14,264 

             group
2011
£000

2010
£000

 11,463
189
(11,652)

16,740
1,988
 (7,265)

-

 11,463

A deferred tax liability of £18.3 million was recognised in the year ended 31 May 2009 in respect of separately identifiable intangible assets 
arising on the acquisition of FXOnline. This liability has decreased in the current and prior periods as a result of the amortisation and/or 
impairment of the underlying intangibles. 

notes to the Financial Statements

             group
2011
£000

2010
£000

(31)
(1,572)
262
(600)
(285)
11,652

348
3,702
(967)
(75)
760
7,265 

9,426

11,033 

(831)

2,861 

The deferred income tax credit included in the  
    Income Statement is made up as follows: 
Decelerated capital allowances
Tax losses available for offset against future tax
Share-based payments
Doubtful debt provision
Other
Amortisation of intangibles arising on acquisition

The deferred tax (debited) / credited to equity  
    during the year is as follows: 
Share-based payments

The deferred tax asset recognised in equity relates to a deductible temporary excess of the estimated future taxation benefit and the 
amounts charged to date in the Income Statement.

The effect of the change in UK corporation tax to 26% from 1 April 2011 on the deferred tax assets is a deferred income tax charge of 
£444,000 (2010: £nil), which is included in the movements above.

9(f ) Factors affecting the tax charge in future years
Factors that may affect the Group’s future tax charge include the geographic location of the Group’s earnings, the transfer pricing policies, 
the tax rates in those locations, changes in tax legislation, future planning opportunities, the use of brought-forward tax losses and the 
resolution of open tax issues. The calculation of the Group’s total tax charge involves a degree of estimation and judgement with respect 
of the recognition of deferred tax assets (refer to note 9(c)) and of certain items whose tax treatment cannot be finally determined until 
resolution has been reached with the relevant tax authority. The Group holds tax provisions in respect of the potential tax liability that 
may arise on these unresolved items, however, the amount ultimately paid may be materially lower than the amount accrued and could 
therefore improve the overall profitability and cash flows of the Group in future periods. 

On 1 April 2011 the UK corporation tax rate was reduced from 28% to 26%. Accordingly the Group’s UK earnings will be taxable at a lower 
rate than has previously been applied. Deferred tax assets relating to UK have accordingly been re-measured at 26% as at 31 May 2011.

86 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

87

noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

10. EArNINGS PEr orDINArY SHArE
The Income Statement may only disclose basic and diluted earnings per share (EPS). The Group has also calculated an adjusted EPS 
measurement ratio as the Directors consider it is the most appropriate measure, since it better reflects the business’ underlying cash earnings.

Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing the profit for the year attributable to ordinary equity holders of the Company by the 
weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the year, excluding ordinary shares purchased by the Company and held as own 
shares in Employee Benefit Trusts. Diluted earnings per share is calculated using the same profit figure as that used in basic earnings per share 
and by adjusting the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding to assume conversion of all dilutive ordinary shares arising 
from share schemes. Adjusted earnings excludes the amortisation and impairment of intangible assets associated with the Group’s Japanese 
business and impairment of the goodwill associated with the Group’s Sport business and related taxation.

The following reflects the income and share data used in the earnings per share computations: 

Earnings attributable to equity shareholders of the Company
Amortisation and impairment of intangibles arising 
    on consolidation net of tax and minority interests

Adjusted earnings 

Weighted average number of shares
Basic and adjusted 
Dilutive effect of share-based payments

Diluted 

(Loss) / earnings per share
Basic
Diluted

Basic adjusted
Diluted adjusted

11. DIvIDENDS

Declared and paid during the year:
Final dividend for 2010 at 13.50p per share (2009: 11.00p)
Interim dividend for 2011 at 5.25p per share (2010: 5.00p)

Proposed for approval by shareholders at the AGM:
Final dividend for 2011 at 14.75p per share (2010: 13.50p)

             group
2011
£000

2010
£000

(25,453)

101,281

144,301

10,033

118,848

111,314

360,860,327 359,256,823
2,489,555

3,205,368

364,065,695 361,746,378

(7.05p)
(7.05p)

32.93p
32.64p

28.19p
28.00p

30.98p
30.77p

                                   company and group
2010
£000

2011
£000

48,758
18,969

39,626
18,031

67,727

57,657

53,368

 48,758

The final dividend for 2011 of 14.75p per share amounting to £53,368,000 was approved by the Board on 19 July 2011 and has not been 
included as a liability at 31 May 2011. This dividend will be paid on 11 October 2011 to those members on the register at the close of 
business on 9 September 2011. 

notes to the Financial Statements

office 
equipment, 
fixtures & 
fittings
£000

computer 
and other 
equipment
£000

assets  
in the 
course of  
construction 
£000

Leasehold  
improvements
£000

8,375
179
624
(949)

8,229
63
1,477
8,776
(3,321)

1,352
(33)
304
(160)

1,463
(18)
350
489
(126)

14,095
550
1,569
(4,047)

12,167
(140)
4,858
9
(1,956)

-
-
1,623
-

1,623
-
7,651
(9,274)
-

15,224

2,158

14,938

3,156
128
2,245
(946)

4,583
30
2,965
(3,321)

4,257

344
141
293
(144)

634
4
417
(126)

8,690
323
3,637
(4,017)

8,633
(38)
3,704
(1,926)

929

10,373

10,967

1,229

3,646

5,219

829

1,008

4,565

3,534

5,405

total
£000

23,822
696
4,120
(5,156)

23,482
(95)
14,336
-
(5,403)

32,320

12,190
592
6,175
(5,107)

13,850
(4)
7,086
(5,373)

15,559

16,761

-

-
-
-
-

-
-
-
-

-

-

1,623

9,632

-

11,632

12. ProPErTY, PLANT AND EQuIPMENT

group

Cost:
At 1 June 2009
Foreign currency adjustment
Additions
Written off

At 31 May 2010
Foreign currency adjustment
Additions
Transfers between categories
Written off

At 31 May 2011

Depreciation:
At 1 June 2009
Foreign currency adjustment
Provided during the year
Written off

At 31 May 2010
Foreign currency adjustment
Provided during the year
Written off

At 31 May 2011

Net book value – 31 May 2011

Net book value – 31 May 2010

Net book value – 1 June 2009

Assets in the course of construction (AICC) at 31 May 2010 represented the costs associated with the fit out of the Group’s new London 
Headquarters. AICC was transferred to the appropriate asset class and depreciation commenced once the fit out was completed and the 
office available for use. The fit out assets will be depreciated over their useful economic life or the lease term, whichever is shorter.

88 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

89

 
 
noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

13. INTANGIBLE ASSETS

cost:
At 1 June 2009
Foreign currency adjustment
Additions
Written off

At 31 May 2010
Foreign currency adjustment
Acquisition of a business (note 14)
Adjustment to deferred contingent  
    consideration 
Additions
Written off

client lists and 
customer
relationships
£000

goodwill
£000

trade
name
£000

development
costs
£000

software
and
licences
£000

216,965
17,193
-
-

234,158
1,647
1,843

(2,010)
-
-

53,207
8,471
-
-

61,678
1,168
2,673

-
-
-

954
154
-
-

1,108
(11)
-

-
-
-

At 31 May 2011

235,638

65,519

1,097

amortisation:
At 1 June 2009
Foreign currency adjustment
Provided during the year
Written off

At 31 May 2010
Foreign currency adjustment
Provided during the year
Impairment (note 15)
Written off

At 31 May 2011

Net book value – 31 May 2011

Net book value – 31 May 2010

Net book value – 1 June 2009

-
-
-
-

-
-
-
128,210
-

128,210

107,428

234,158

216,965

13,782
3,762
16,879
-

34,423
664
8,750
20,148
-

520
130
419
-

1,069
(9)
37
-
-

63,985

1,097

1,534

27,255

39,425

-

39

434

total
£000

277,910
26,116
2,388
(1,985)

304,429
2,624
4,516

(2,010)
7,074
(165)

5,887
285
1,567
(1,142)

6,597
(113)
-

-
5,349
(118)

11,715

316,468

2,207
161
2,343
(1,144)

3,567
(58)
2,523
-
(118)

5,914

5,801

3,030

3,680

17,303
4,055
19,728
(1,985)

39,101
597
11,375
148,358
(165)

199,266

117,202

265,328

260,607

897
13
821
(843)

888
(67)
-

-
1,725
(47)

2,499

794
2
87
(841)

42
-
65
-
(47)

60

2,439

846

103

14. INvESTMENT IN SuBSIDIArIES

at cost:

At the beginning of the year
Investment relating to equity-settled share-based  
    payments for subsidiary employees

At the end of the year

notes to the Financial Statements

             company

2011
£000

2010
£000

428,853

424,071

4,225

4,782

433,078

428,853

The following companies are all owned directly or indirectly by IG Group Holdings plc:

name of company

subsidiary undertakings held directly:
IG Group Limited
IG Jersey Cashbox Limited

subsidiary undertakings held indirectly:
IG Index Limited
IG Markets Limited
extrabet Limited
extrabet Financial Limited
IG Markets South Africa Limited
IG Australia Pty Limited
IG Asia Pte Limited
IG Markets Inc
North American Derivatives Exchange Inc 
IG Markets Securities Limited  
(formerly FXOnline Japan)
Market Data Limited
Market Risk Management Inc
IG Infotech (India) Private Limited
IG Nominees Limited

country of 
incorporation

holding

voting rights

nature of business

uK
Jersey

ordinary shares
ordinary shares

uK
uK
uK
uK
uK
Australia
Singapore
uSA

uSA
Japan

uK
uSA
India
uK

ordinary shares
ordinary shares
ordinary shares
ordinary shares
ordinary shares
ordinary shares
ordinary shares
ordinary shares

ordinary shares
ordinary shares

ordinary shares
ordinary shares
ordinary shares
ordinary shares

100%(1) 
100%

100%
100%
100%
100%

90%(2)

100%
100%
100%

100%
100%

100%
100%
100%
100%

Holding company
Dormant

Spread betting
Margin trading and foreign exchange
Spread betting and fixed odds bookmaker
Non-trading
Margin trading
Australia sales and marketing office
Margin trading and foreign exchange
Futures broker and uSA sales office  

Exchange
Margin trading and foreign exchange

Data distribution
Market maker
Software development
Nominee company

(1) Both IG Group Limited and Fox Japan Holdings have preference shares in issue. These are 100% held within the IG Group of companies. 

(2) The Group has a call option and the vendor a put option over the outstanding 10% of IG Markets South Africa (refer to note 14a).

Development costs are entirely internally generated intangible assets. The client list acquired with the business of Ideal CFDs (refer to note 
14a) is being amortised on a sum of digits basis over three years.

90 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

91

 
noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

14. INvESTMENT IN SuBSIDIArIES  (coNTINuED)
Subsidiary undertakings held indirectly (continued):

name of company

subsidiary undertakings held indirectly  
    (continued):
IG Finance
IG Finance Two
IG Finance Three
IG Finance Four
IG Finance Five Limited
IG Finance Six Limited
IG Finance Seven Limited
IG Finance Eight Limited
IG Finance Nine Limited
Fox Sub Limited
Fox Sub Two Limited
Fox Japan Holdings
IG US Holdings Inc
Market Data Japan KK
FXOnline Japan Co., Limited 
(formerly IG Markets Japan KK)
Blackfriars AG

country of 
incorporation

holding

voting rights

nature of business

uK
uK
uK
uK
uK
uK
uK
uK
uK
Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar

uSA
Japan
Japan

ordinary shares
ordinary shares
ordinary shares 
ordinary shares 
ordinary shares 
ordinary shares 
ordinary shares 
ordinary shares 
ordinary shares 
ordinary shares
ordinary shares
ordinary shares

ordinary shares
ordinary shares
ordinary shares

100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%(1)

100%
100%
100%

Financing
Financing
Financing
Financing
Financing
Financing
Financing
Financing
Financing
Financing
Financing
Holding company

Holding company
Holding company
Non-trading

Germany

ordinary shares

100%

Dormant

(1) Both IG Group Limited and Fox Japan Holdings have preference shares in issue. These are 100% held within the IG Group of companies. 

Employee Benefit Trusts:
IG Group Holdings plc Inland Revenue Approved Share Incentive Plan (UK Trust)

IG Group Limited Employee Benefit Trust (Jersey Trust)

notes to the Financial Statements

14(a) Acquisition of the client list and business of Ideal cFD Financial Services Pty Limited
On 1 September 2010, subsequent to the Group obtaining regulatory approval in South Africa, the Group completed the acquisition of the 
client list and business of Ideal CFD Financial Services Pty Limited (Ideal), a South African introductory broker of the Group, for £4.5 million, 
comprising £1.6 million paid in cash and £2.9 million payable on exercise of the symmetrical put and call options discussed below. Revenue 
for the nine months since completion to 31 May 2011 was £2.75 million. 

At the time of producing the interim Financial Statements the Group had not completed the fair value exercise and accordingly the book 
and fair values of the assets of the acquired business have been updated in the following disclosure.

net assets acquired

Client list 
Cash and cash equivalents
Amounts due to clients

Total assets acquired

Fair value of consideration 

Goodwill arising on acquisition

acquisition 
date fair 
value
£000

2,673
4,177
(4,177)

2,673

4,516

1,843

book value
£000

-
4,177
(4,177)

-

-

-

The fair value adjustment relates solely to the recognition of a separately identifiable intangible asset arising on acquisition that meets the 
identification and measurement requirements of IAS 38. This comprises the fair value of the client list of Ideal which is being amortised 
using the sum of digits method over three years. The Directors consider no other separately identifiable intangible assets to have arisen on 
the acquisition. A deferred taxation liability has not been recognised in relation to the recognition of the client list as there is no difference 
between the fair value of the acquired asset and its tax base. In the period from completion to 31 May 2011, £1.2 million of amortisation 
has been charged in the Group Income Statement in relation to the acquired client list. 

At acquisition the Group had a call option and the vendor a put option over the 20% of IG Markets South Africa Limited (IGSA), a subsidiary 
of the Group, that transferred to the vendor of Ideal on completion. The present value of the forecast redemption amount of the options of 
£2.9 million was initially recorded as a liability in the Group Statement of Financial Position as at 30 November 2010. 

On 19 April 2011 the Group acquired an additional 10% of IGSA for £1.2 million. This has no impact on the goodwill or other fair values 
disclosed in the table above. Following this further acquisition the Group has a call option and the vendor a put option over 10% of IGSA, 
the present value of the forecast redemption amount is recorded under other payables as a liability in the Group Statement of Financial 
Position as at 31 May 2011. These options are exercisable in January 2013, based on a multiple of eight times average pro forma annual 
post-tax profits of IGSA over the period from 1 September 2010 to 30 November 2012, subject to a cap. 

14(b) Acquisition of IG Markets Securities Limited (formerly Fxonline Japan)
The Group exercised the call option over the remaining 12.5% of the issued share capital of IG Markets Securities Limited (formerly 
FXOnline Japan) in the year. The exercise price was consistent with the formula agreed at the time of the original acquisition and based on 
performance for the 12-month period ended 30 November 2010. The surplus of the exercise price over the non-controlling interest has 
been recorded within other equity in the Group Statement of Financial Position. 

92 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

93

noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

15. IMPAIrMENT oF GooDWILL
15(a) Analysis of goodwill
Goodwill has been allocated for impairment testing purposes to the cash-generating units (CGUs), as follows:

UK – Financial
UK – Sport
Australia – Financial 
US – Nadex 
Japan – IG Markets Securities (formerly FXOnline) 
South Africa – Ideal CFDs

             group
2011
£000

2010
£000

100,012
-
934
4,618
-
1,864

100,012
5,250
934
5,226
122,736
-

107,428

234,158

Goodwill arising on the purchase of IG Group plc by IG Group Holdings plc on 5 September 2003 of £105,262,000 was previously allocated 
according to the profitability of the Financial and Sport CGUs at that date. Goodwill disclosed as Australia – Financial arose on the 
acquisition of the non-controlling interest in IG Australia in the year ended 31 May 2006. Goodwill arising on the acquisitions of each of 
Nadex (formerly HedgeStreet), IG Markets Securities (formerly FXOnline), and Ideal CFDs has been allocated to the separate US, Japanese 
and South African CGUs respectively, as these businesses generate largely independent cash flows. 

15(b) Impairments in the year ended 31 May 2011
(i) Goodwill and customer relationships – Japan:
An impairment review of the goodwill and customer relationships associated with the Japanese business was performed as at  
30 November 2010, triggered by regulatory change in the Japanese market. Consistent with the review performed at 31 May 2010,  
the estimated recoverable amount of the Japanese business was based upon value-in-use calculated as the total of the present value  
of projected five-year future cash flows and a terminal value. 

As anticipated at May 2010, the first of several regulatory restrictions on leverage for forex products, which came into force in August 2010, 
had an adverse impact on client activity levels and revenue. At 30 November 2010, further leverage restrictions already announced and 
effective in January 2011 and August 2011 for equity indices and forex respectively were also expected to have a significant impact on the 
future revenues of this business. Accordingly, client recruitment rates and average revenue per client assumptions, utilised in the value-in-
use calculation for the Japanese business, were lowered consistent with the leverage impact experienced in the period. 

A pre-tax discount rate of 17.8% (2010: 16.6%) was used to discount the cash flows and a long-term growth rate of 1.5% (2010: 1.5%) was 
utilised in the terminal value calculation. 

As a result the net book values of the goodwill and customer relationships (£123.0 million and £20.1 million respectively) associated with 
the Group’s Japanese business have been fully impaired. 

The impairment charges discussed above and the associated reduction in the deferred tax liability of £8.5 million have been disclosed in 
the Group Income Statement in the column ‘certain items’ consistent with the Group’s established accounting policy and presentation. 

(ii) Goodwill – Sport 
The Group commenced a redundancy consultation process, subsequently completed on 12 July 2011, with the employees of its Sport 
business, extrabet, prior to the closure of the business. As a result the goodwill associated with the Sport CGU was impaired to nil as at  
31 May 2011, as the Directors consider there is no expected future value in the goodwill. 

The impairment charge of £5.25 million has been disclosed in the Group Income Statement in the column ‘certain items’ consistent with 
the Group’s established accounting policy and presentation. 

notes to the Financial Statements

15(c) Impairment testing at period end
The goodwill associated with the UK, Australian, US and South African CGUs has been subject to impairment test at 31 May 2011 as set out 
in the following disclosures.

Methodology utilised in the impairment testing
For the purposes of impairment testing of goodwill, the carrying amount of each CGU (including goodwill) is compared to the recoverable 
amount of each CGU and any deficits are provided. The carrying amount of a CGU includes only those assets that can be attributed 
directly, or allocated on a reasonable and consistent basis.

The estimated recoverable amount of each CGU is based on value-in-use calculated as the total of the present value of projected five-year 
future cash flows and a terminal value.

Key assumptions used in value-in-use calculations
The calculation of value-in-use for the CGUs is most sensitive to the following assumptions:

  Growth rates used to extrapolate cash flows beyond the four-year plan period 
  The discount rate
  The long-term growth rate used for the terminal value calculation 
  Client recruitment and retention rates
  Average revenue per client

Projected future cash flows for each CGU were based upon the Board-approved four-year plan, comprising a one-year budget and three-year 
forecast which reflect past experience as well as future expected trends. Cash flows beyond the relevant plan period were estimated using a 
range of Board-approved subsequent growth rates in order to allow for differing growth scenarios. This methodology is consistent with that 
used for the 31 May 2010 year-end impairment review. These ranges are disclosed in the table below and are consistent with the long-term 
growth rates of the Group’s businesses measured over a five-year period.

The cash flows for the US and South African CGUs were translated into sterling using period end exchange rates.

The cash flows were discounted using pre-tax discount rates as disclosed in the table below. These were derived using region specific, 
market-based cost of equity and debt assumptions in order to reflect both the financing cost and risk associated with each CGU. The 
long-term growth rates (g) used in the terminal value calculations are disclosed below and are equivalent to, or lower than the respective 
long-term growth rate for the economy in which the CGU operates. 

cash-generating unit

Financial (UK and Australia)
US
South Africa

2011

2010

discount 
rate

discount 
rate

2011
years 4-5
growth 
rate

2010
years 4-5
growth 
rate

12.3%
18.6%
23.3%

12.3%
17.7%
N/A

4%
33%
24%

4%
20%
N/A

2011

2010

g

2.0%
2.0%
4.9%

g

2.0%
2.5%
N/A

Client recruitment and retention rates and average revenue per client were based upon actual amounts measured in prior periods which 
were projected forward in accordance with expected trends. 

On the basis of the results of the above analysis there was no impairment of goodwill during the year.

Sensitivity to changes in assumptions
The Directors have performed a sensitivity analysis on the assumptions utilised and have concluded that no reasonably possible change in 
key assumptions would cause the carrying amount of any CGU to exceed its recoverable amount.

94 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

95

noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

16. TrADE rEcEIvABLES

18. cASH GENErATED FroM oPErATIoNS 

Amounts due from brokers
Amounts due from clients

17. cASH AND cASH EQuIvALENTS 

Gross cash and cash equivalents(1)
Less: Segregated client funds(2)

Own cash and title transfer funds(3)

Analysed as:
Cash at bank and in hand
Short-term deposits

             group
2011
£000

2010
£000

267,792
2,312

203,714
2,529

270,104

206,243

             company

2011
£000

2010
£000

304
-

304

304
-

8
-

8

8
-

             group
2011
£000

2010
£000
(restated)

839,202
(714,674)

678,564
(550,467)

124,528

128,097

124,528
-

123,674
4,423

operating activities

Operating profit
Adjustments to reconcile operating profit to net cash 
flow from operating activities:
    Net interest income on segregated client funds
    Amortisation of customer relationships and trade names (Japan) 
    Impairment of customer relationships and goodwill
    Depreciation of property, plant and equipment
    Amortisation of intangible assets
    Non-cash foreign exchange gains in operating profit
    Share-based payments
    Write off - property, plant and equipment
    Recovery of trade receivables
    (Increase) / decrease in trade and other receivables
    Increase / (decrease) in trade and other payables
    Increase in provisions and other non-cash items
    Other non-cash items

notes to the Financial Statements

note

3
3
3
3

26
12

             group
2011
£000

2010
£000
(restated)

             company

2011
£000

2010
£000

7,077

139,989

(5,320)

(3,530)

(8,948)
7,595
148,358
7,086
3,780
1,727
4,225
30
754
(66,578)
12,801
262
1,467

(5,470)
17,298
-
6,175
2,430
(11,382)
4,782
49
2,441
(22,667)
(7,675)
3,156
-

-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
67,776
6,185
-
-

-
-

-
-
-
-
-
-
96,461
(34,293)
-
-

(1)  Gross cash and cash equivalents includes the Group’s own cash as well as all client monies held, including both segregated client and title transfer funds.

(2)  Segregated client funds comprise retail client funds held in segregated client money accounts or money market facilities established under the UK’s Financial Services 

Authority (FSA) ‘CASS’ rules and similar rules of other regulators in whose jurisdiction the Group operates. Such monies are not included in the Group’s Statement of Financial 
Position. 

(3) Title transfer funds are held by the Group under a Title Transfer Collateral Arrangement (TTCA) by which a client agrees that full ownership of such monies is unconditionally  

transferred to the Group.

Cash and cash equivalents are deposited for varying periods of between one day and three months, depending on the immediate cash 
requirements of the Group, and earn interest at the respective short-term deposit rates. 

The Group’s available liquidity, including undrawn committed borrowing facilities, is disclosed in note 33 to the Financial Statements. 

Cash generated from operations

119,636

129,126

68,641

58,638

In the Group Statement of Cash Flows, proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment comprise: 

Net book amount (note 12)
Profit / (loss) on disposal of property, plant and 
    equipment (note 3)

Proceeds from the disposal of property, plant and equipment

19. TrADE PAYABLES 

Gross amounts due to clients(1)
Less: Segregated client funds

Amounts due to clients

             group
2011
£000

2010
£000

30

283

313

49

(49)

-

             group
2011
£000

2010
£000
(restated)

798,164
(714,674)

608,140
(550,467)

83,490

57,673

(1) Gross amounts due to clients includes all amounts owed by the Group to clients in respect of client monies held, including both segregated client and title transfer funds.

96 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

97

 
 
noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

20. oTHEr PAYABLES

23. EQuITY SHArE cAPITAL

Accruals
Other taxes and social security
Amounts due to Group companies (note 31)
Dividends on redeemable preference shares

             group
2011
£000

2010
£000

43,446
1,700
-
3

43,450
1,372
-
3

             company

2011
£000

4,254
-
2,255
3

2010
£000

2,492
-
570,781
3

45,149

44,825

6,512

573,276

Included within accruals are amounts in relation to employee bonuses, supplier payments, introducing broker commissions and other 
amounts.

21. ProvISIoNS

At the beginning of the year
Income statement charge
Utilised in the period

At the end of the year
Current
Non-current

Total

             group
2011
£000

3,156
1,534
(1,272)

3,418
1,427
1,991

3,418

2010
£000

-
3,156
-

3,156
1,377
1,779

3,156

The provision held as at 31 May 2011 and 31 May 2010 represents the Group’s obligations for onerous lease commitments arising from 
the move of the Group’s London Headquarters and the closure of extrabet, less amounts considered recoverable through potential sublet 
income. The actual cost of the onerous leases could differ from the estimates made. The provision will be utilised over the remaining  
28-month term of the Group’s existing London office leases.

22. rEDEEMABLE PrEFErENcE  SHArES

Authorised:
40,000 preference shares of £1 each

Allotted, called up and fully paid:
40,000 preference shares of £1 each

                                   company and group
2010
£000

2011
£000

40

40

40

40

The preference shares are entitled to a fixed non-cumulative dividend of 8% paid in preference to any other dividend. Redemption is only 
permissible in accordance with capital distribution rules or on the winding up of the Company, where the holders are entitled to £1 per 
share, plus, if the Company has sufficient distributable reserves, any accrued or unpaid dividends. The preference shares have no voting 
rights, except that they are entitled to vote should the Company fail to pay any amount due on redemption of the shares. The effective 
interest rate on these shares is 8% (2010: 8%).

notes to the Financial Statements

                                   company and group
2010
£000

2011
£000

25
-

25

25
-

25

number of 
shares

ordinary 
share 
capital
£000

share 
premium
£000

359,584,336

1,524,127

361,108,463

1,125,091

362,233,554

65,000

18
-

18
-

18

-

206,246
-

206,246
-

206,246

-

Authorised:
500,000,000 ordinary shares of 0.005p each
65,000 B shares of 0.001p each

Allotted, called up and fully paid:
(i) ordinary shares (0.005p)

At 1 June 2009
Issued during year

At 31 May 2010
Issued during year

At 31 May 2011

(ii) b shares (0.001p)

At 31 May 2010 and 31 May 2011

ordinary Shares
During the year to 31 May 2011, 1,125,091 (2010: 1,524,127) ordinary shares with an aggregate nominal value of £56 were issued following 
the exercise of long-term incentive plan awards for a consideration of £56. 

Except as the ordinary shareholders have agreed or may otherwise agree, on a winding up of the Company, the balance of assets available 
for distribution after the payment of all of the Company’s creditors and subject to any special rights attaching to other classes of shares are 
distributed among the shareholders according to the amounts paid up on shares by them.

B shares
The B shares carry no entitlement to dividends and no voting rights. To the extent not already received by them, the B shareholders shall, 
on a winding up of the Company, be entitled to receive from the trustee a consideration equal to the amount realised by the sale by the 
trustee of approximately 122 ordinary shares for every B share held. 

98 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

99

noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

24. oWN SHArES HELD IN EMPLoYEE BENEFIT TruSTS
The movements in own shares held in Employee Benefit Trusts in respect of employee share plans during the year were as follows: 

At the beginning of the year:
1,134,441 (2010: 1,217,574) ordinary shares of 0.005p each

Purchased during the year:
59,735 (2010: 59,682) ordinary shares of 0.005p each

Exercised during the year:
58,373 (2010: 142,815) ordinary shares of 0.005p each

At the end of the year:
1,135,803 (2010: 1,134,441) ordinary shares of 0.005p each

                                   company and group
2010
£000

2011
£000

973

291

962

175

(41)

(164)

1,223

973

The Group has a UK-resident Employee Benefit Trust in order to hold shares in the Company in respect of awards under the Group’s  
HM Revenue and Customs approved share incentive plan (SIP). At 31 May 2011, 611,395 ordinary shares (2010: 614,560) were held in the 
trust and at the year-end have reduced shareholders’ equity by £1,172,943 (2010: £946,952). These include 228,675 ordinary shares  
(2010: 221,019) which were not allocated to employees and are available for future SIP awards. The market value of the shares held 
conditionally at the year-end was £2,745,164 (2010: £2,335,942).

The Group has a Jersey-resident Employee Benefit Trust which holds shares in the Company. At the Statement of Financial Position date, 
the trust held 512,075 (2010: 512,075) ordinary shares which are available to satisfy awards under the SIP and long-term incentive plan 
(LTIP) schemes. The shares held at the year-end have reduced shareholders’ equity by £26 (2010: £26). The market value of the shares held 
conditionally at the year-end was £2,299,217 (2010: £1,946,397).

The Group has an Australian-resident Employee Equity Plan Trust in order to hold shares in the Company in respect of awards under a 
SIP. At 31 May 2011, 12,333 ordinary shares (2010: 7,806) were held in the trust and at the year-end have reduced shareholders’ equity by 
£49,991 (2010: £26,052). These include nil ordinary shares (2010: nil) which were not allocated to employees and are available for future  
SIP awards. The market value of the shares held conditionally at the year-end was £55,375 (2010: £29,671).

Upon flotation of the Company on 4 May 2005, 5,861,497 ordinary shares and cash of £2.4 million were transferred to the Jersey Employee 
Benefit Trust by institutional shareholders in order to satisfy their obligations to holders of 48,059 B shares and 16,941 B shares respectively. 
During the year ended 31 May 2011, 1,017 (2010: 2,994) B shares were sold by B shareholders to the Trust. The Trust sold 124,038  
(2010: 365,162 ) ordinary shares in order to realise the funds necessary to purchase these B shares. The Trust unconditionally held 63,622 
(2010: 62,605) B shares at the year-end. The Trust also held 1,378 (2010: 2,395) B shares and 168,067 (2010: 292,105) ordinary shares which  
it may sell in order to satisfy its obligations to B shareholders, all of whom are current or former employees.

100 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

notes to the Financial Statements

25. oTHEr rESErvES
The share-based payment reserve relates to the estimated cost of equity-settled employee share plans based on a straight-line basis over the 
vesting period and the associated credit for the excess of the tax deduction for employee share-based payments over the amounts charged 
to the Income Statement. The foreign currency translation reserve includes amounts in relation to the translation of overseas subsidiaries. 

group

at 1 june 2009
Equity-settled employee share-based payments
Excess of tax deduction benefit on  
    share-based payments recognised 
    directly in equity (note 9)
Foreign currency translation on  
    overseas subsidiaries
Exercise of UK share incentive plans
Exercise of US share incentive plans
Purchase of own shares

at 31 may 2010
Equity-settled employee share-based payments
Excess of tax deduction benefit on  
    share-based payments recognised 
    directly in equity (note 9)
Acquisition of non-controlling interest
Foreign currency translation on  
    overseas subsidiaries
Exercise of UK share incentive plans
Exercise of US share incentive plans
Purchase of own shares

share- 
based 
payments
(note 26)
£000

13,806
4,782

foreign  
currency 
translation

£000

32,437
-

own shares  
held in 
employee 
benefit 
trusts 
(note 24)
£000

(962)
-

2,861

-

-

-
(164)
(16)
-

21,269
4,225

(831)
-

-
(41)
(26)
-

27,009
-
-
-

59,446
-

-
-

(344)
-
-
-

other 
reserves

total other 
reserves

£000

£000

-
-

-

-
-
-
-

-
-

45,281
4,782

2,861

27,009
-
(16)
(175)

79,742
4,225

-
164
-
(175)

(973)
-

-
-

-
(2,302)

(831)
(2,302)

-
41
-
(291)

-
-
-
-

(344)
-
(26)
(291)

at 31 may 2011

24,596

59,102

(1,223)

(2,302)

80,173

company

at 1 june 2009
Equity-settled employee share-based payments
Exercise of UK share incentive plans 
Exercise of US share incentive plans 
Purchase of own shares

at 31 may 2010
Equity-settled employee share-based payments
Exercise of UK share incentive plans 
Exercise of US share incentive plans 
Purchase of own shares

at 31 may 2011

own shares  
held in 
employee 
benefit 
trusts 
(note 24)
£000

share- 
based 
payments
(note 26)
£000

11,362
4,782
(164)
(16)
-

15,964
4,225
(41)
(26)
-

(962)
-
164
-
(175)

(973)
-
41
-
(291)

total other 
reserves

£000

10,400
4,782
-
(16)
(175)

14,991
4,225
-
(26)
(291)

20,122

(1,223)

18,899

101

noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

26. EMPLoYEE SHArE PLANS
The Company operates three employee share plans; a share incentive plan (SIP), a long-term incentive plan (LTIP) and a value sharing plan 
(VSP) each of which are equity-settled. The expense recognised in the Income Statement in respect of share-based payments is as follows: 

Equity-settled share-based payment schemes

             group
2011
£000

4,225

4,225

2010
£000

4,782

4,782

SIP awards made to uK staff
SIP awards are made available to all UK staff, except Executive Directors, and are equity-settled. There are no further performance 
conditions other than remaining in employment with the Group for the term of each award. Shares awarded under the scheme are held in 
a UK trust in accordance with HM Revenue and Customs rules. Employees are entitled to receive dividends on the shares held in trust for 
as long as they remain employees. 

The award made in May 2005 awarded a total of 94,267 free shares which vested immediately, and a further 470,758 additional free shares 
which vested after three years. Awards made subsequent to this date invited all UK employees to subscribe for up to £1,500 of partnership 
shares, which the Company offered to match on a one-for-one basis up to a maximum of £1,500, except for the award in August 2006, 
which was on a two-for-one basis, up to a maximum of £3,000. All matching shares vest after three years. 

On 21 July 2010, the Company invited all UK employees to subscribe for up to £1,500 of partnership shares when the share price was 
£4.8385. The Group offered to match every partnership share with one matching share up to a maximum of £1,500. The matching shares 
vest after three years.

SIP awards made to non-uK staff 
On 5 August 2010, the Company invited all Australian employees to subscribe for partnership shares when the share price was £4.90.  
The Group offered to match every partnership share with one matching share up to a maximum of A$3,000. The matching shares vest  
after three years. Similar awards under the same matching conditions were made to Australian employees on 27 January 2009 and  
9 February 2010 when the share prices were £2.84 and £3.67 respectively.

A SIP for USA employees was implemented during the year ended 31 May 2010. Each scheme runs for six months, with the employees 
investing a maximum of 5% of salary into the plan. At the end of each scheme, the employees are invited to purchase shares in IG Group 
Holdings plc at a discount of 15% to the scheme price, which is the lower of the opening share price of the period and the closing share 
price. The schemes in the year ran from 1 June 2010 to 30 November 2010 and from 1 December 2010 to 31 May 2011.

LTIP awards
LTIPs allow the award of nil cost or nominal cost shares which are legally classified as options. LTIPs vest if specific performance targets 
are achieved and are conditional upon continued employment at the vesting date. Awards were made under the LTIP in the years ended 
31 May 2005 through to 31 May 2010. Performance is measured as the compound annual growth rate in diluted adjusted earnings per 
share (EPS) over the three-year vesting period and, in addition, for awards granted after 1 June 2007, share price growth over a defined six 
week period. For each award a minimum performance target must be achieved before any shares vest, and the awards vest fully once the 
maximum performance target is achieved. Further information on the Company’s LTIPs is given in the Directors’ Remuneration Report.

On 16 May 2005, awards were made to staff conditional upon growth in normalised earnings per share in the three years to 31 May 2008. 
These awards vested on 21 July 2008.

On 7 August 2006, awards were made to staff conditional upon growth in diluted adjusted earnings per share in the three years to  
31 May 2009. A further award was made on 4 October 2006. These awards vested on 21 July 2009.

notes to the Financial Statements

On 23 July 2007, awards were made to staff conditional upon growth in diluted adjusted earnings per share in the three years to 31 May 
2010 and upon growth in the IG Group Holdings plc share price between the average over the six weeks ending 31 May 2007 and the 
average over the six weeks ending 31 May 2010. Further awards were made on 14 August 2007, 21 August 2007, and 31 January 2008, 
with awards vesting three years from the date of grant. The share price growth over this period was 27.84%, resulting in 6.89% of awards 
vesting. EPS growth over the three-year period was 28.45%, resulting in 89.36% of awards vesting. 

On 30 September 2008, awards were made to staff conditional upon growth in diluted adjusted earnings per share in the three years 
to 31 May 2011 and upon growth in the IG Group Holdings plc share price between the average over the six weeks ending 21 October 
2008 and the average over the six weeks ending 31 May 2011. These awards will vest on 30 September 2011. The share price growth 
over the period was 50.68%, resulting in 36.36% of awards vesting. EPS growth over the three-year period was 17.19%, resulting in 
43.26% of awards vesting.

On 25 September 2009, when the share price was 318.80p, awards were made to staff conditional upon growth in diluted adjusted 
earnings per share in the three years to 31 May 2012 and upon growth in the IG Group Holdings plc share price between the average over 
the six weeks ending 31 May 2009 and the average over the six weeks ending 31 May 2012. The awards will vest on 25 September 2012, 
subject to performance conditions.

value sharing plan (vSP) awards
The value sharing plan is a conditional award, with a pre-defined number of shares allocated to Executive Directors and other senior  
staff for each £1.0 million of surplus shareholder value created over three years above a hurdle. The surplus value is calculated under  
two criteria:

(i)   Value created from the difference between the total shareholder return of IG Group Holdings plc and that of the FTSE350 Financial 

Services Index, multiplied by IG Group Holdings plc starting market capitalisation, defined as the average market capitalisation in the 
three months to 31 May 2010.

(ii)  Growth in profit before taxation times a fixed multiple determined by IG Group Holdings plc starting market capitalisation, plus net 
equity cashflows to shareholders above a hurdle return. For the 2010 VSP, the hurdle return was 12% per annum, with the multiple 
being 10.467, based on the financial year ended 31 May 2010.

The awards were granted on 29 October 2010 when the share price was 528.50p, with 50% of awards vesting in July 2013 and the 
remainder deferred for a further year.

Fair value of equity-settled awards
The fair value of equity-settled share-based payments to employees is determined at the grant date. The weighted average fair value of 
the equity-settled awards granted during the year was £16,492,467 (2010: £8,725,451) at the grant date. For SIP awards, the fair value is 
determined to be the share price at the grant date without making an adjustment for expected dividends, as awardees are entitled to 
dividends over the vesting period. For LTIP awards made to UK staff in the years ended 31 May 2005 and 31 May 2007, the fair value is 
determined to be the share price at the grant date after a deduction for the expected present value of future dividends over the vesting 
period. LTIP awards made to Australian staff for these periods, and for awards granted in the year ended 31 May 2008, were legally 
categorised as options and the fair value was calculated using a Black-Scholes option pricing model using the inputs below.

LTIP awards made in the year ended 31 May 2009 and 2010 are under two performance conditions. For those awards under earnings 
per share, the fair value is determined to be the share price at the grant date after a deduction for the expected present value of future 
dividends over the vesting period. For those awards under the share price criteria, the fair value was calculated using a Monte-Carlo pricing 
model using the inputs below.

102 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

103

noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

26. EMPLoYEE SHArE PLANS (coNTINuED)
VSP awards made in the year ended 31 May 2011 are under two performance conditions. For those awards under growth in profit before 
taxation, the fair value is determined to be the share price at the grant date after a deduction for the expected present value of future 
dividends over the vesting period. For those awards under the total shareholder return (TSR) criteria, the fair value was calculated using a 
Monte-Carlo pricing model using the inputs below.

grant date

Share price at grant date (pence)
Three-month average market capitalisation at award date (£m)
Expected life of awards (years)
Risk-free sterling interest rate (%)
IG Group Holdings plc expected volatility (%)
Benchmark index expected volatility (%)
Expected dividend yield (%)

16 may 
2005

7 aug 
2006

23 july 
2007

30 sept 
2008

25 sept
2009

112.25
N/A
3.18
5.00
34
N/A
3.73

217.00
N/A
2.97
5.00
32
N/A
3.04

312.25
N/A
3.00
5.75
32
N/A
3.42

313.75
N/A
3.00
4.06
40
N/A
5.50

318.80
N/A
3.00
1.91
56
N/A
4.71

29 oct
2010

528.50
1,469
2.6
0.97
54
40
3.50

The maximum numbers of shares that vest based on the awards made are as follows:

type of award

SIP
LTIP
LTIP
SIP
LTIP
SIP
LTIP
LTIP
LTIP
LTIP
SIP
LTIP
SIP
SIP
LTIP
SIP
SIP
SIP
VSP
VSP

share 
price at 
award

expected 
vesting date

at the start 
of the year
no.

awarded 
during the 
year
no.

Lapsed 
during the 
year
no.

exercised 
during the 
year
no.

at the end 
of the year
no.

120.00p
112.25p
217.00p
237.61p
261.75p
336.09p
312.25p
311.00p
304.00p
364.00p
328.00p
313.75p
284.00p
288.00p
318.80p
367.00p
483.85p
489.90p
528.50p
528.50p

04 May 2008
21 Jul 2008
07 Aug 2009
24 Aug 2009
04 oct 2009
23 Jul 2010
23 Jul 2010
14 Aug 2010
21 Aug 2010
31 Jan 2011
22 Jul 2011
30 Sep 2011
27 Jan 2012
22 Jul 2012
25 Sep 2012
09 Feb 2013
21 Jul 2013
04 Aug 2013
31 Jul 2013
31 Jul 2014

119,814
40,666
4,037
122,274
67,639
42,885
2,139,584
30,547
100,428
45,610
60,802
3,002,400
3,166
48,266
3,780,972
4,640
-
-
-
-

-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
54,959
4,877
2,317,152
2,317,217

-
-
-
-
-
-
(1,109,909)
(15,847)
(52,097)
(23,660)
(4,113)
(168,830)
(100)
(3,857)
(359,706)
(187)
(1,860)
-
(88,134)
(88,133)

(119,814)
-
-
(122,274)
(35,000)
(42,885)
(807,047)
-
-
(21,950)
(457)
(142,227)
(249)
(522)
(118,867)
-
-
-
-
-

-
40,666
4,037
-
32,639
-
222,628
14,700
48,331
-
56,232
2,691,343
2,817
43,887
3,302,399
4,453
53,099
4,877
2,229,018
2,229,084

award date

04 May 2005
16 May 2005
07 Aug 2006
24 Aug 2006
04 oct 2006
23 Jul 2007
23 Jul 2007
14 Aug 2007
21 Aug 2007
31 Jan 2008
22 Jul 2008
30 Sep 2008
27 Jan 2009
22 Jul 2009
25 Sep 2009
09 Feb 2010
21 Jul 2010
05 Aug 2010
29 oct 2010
29 oct 2010

notes to the Financial Statements

27. cAPITAL coMMITMENTS
Capital expenditure contracted for at the year-end but not yet incurred is as follows:

Property, plant and equipment
Intangible assets 

             group
2011
£000

879
345

1,224

2010
£000

6,611
220

6,831

The Group’s capital commitments for property, plant and equipment at 31 May 2010 primarily related to the costs associated with the fit 
out of the Group’s new London Headquarters. The Company had no capital commitments at 31 May 2011 (2010: £nil).

28. oBLIGATIoNS uNDEr LEASES 
operating lease agreements 
The Group and Company have entered into commercial leases on certain properties. There were no restrictions placed upon the lessee by 
entering into these leases. Future minimum rentals payable under non-cancellable operating leases are as follows:

group

Future minimum payments due:
Not later than one year
After one year but not more than five years
After more than five years

company

Future minimum payments due:
Not later than one year
After one year but not more than five years
After more than five years

2011
£000

2010
£000

3,259
13,281
19,918

3,003
11,488
17,092

36,458

31,583

2011
£000

2010
£000

-
6,500
16,079

-
3,195
12,675

22,579

15,870

29. LITIGATIoN
At 31 May 2011 the Group had received a claim, served against IG Markets Limited (IG Markets), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Group, 
issued in the High Court on 11 November 2010 in relation to the insolvency of Echelon Wealth Management Limited (Echelon) a former client 
of IG Markets. Three former clients of Echelon, which went into liquidation in October 2008, are seeking to recover damages from IG Markets 
in a sum in the region of €25 million. The Group, having obtained Counsel’s opinion, considers the claim to be without foundation and 
accordingly no provision has been made in the Group Statement of Financial Position as at 31 May 2011 in relation to this matter.

Year ended 31 May 2011

Year ended 31 May 2010

9,613,730

4,694,205

(1,916,433)

(1,411,292) 10,980,210

8,377,788

3,930,836

(1,027,953)

(1,666,941)

9,613,730

30. TrANSAcTIoNS WITH DIrEc TorS
The Group had no transactions with its Directors other than those disclosed in the Directors’ Remuneration Report.

The weighted average fair values of the awards made were as follows:

Year ended 31 May 2011

Year ended 31 May 2010

at the beginning 
of the year

awarded 
during the 
year

Lapsed 
during the 
year

exercised 
during the 
year

at the end 
of the year

223.90p

351.34p

261.57p

266.26p

266.29p

212.24p

221.97p

227.07p

158.79p

223.90p

104 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

105

noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

31. rELATED PArTY TrANSAcTIoNS
31(a) Group
During the year, fees amounting to £10,583 (2010: £30,000) were paid to CVC Capital Partners Limited relating to the services of Robert 
Lucas as a Director of IG Group Holdings plc. Funds managed or advised by CVC Capital Partners Limited or its affiliates held 2.93% of the 
ordinary share capital of the Company at 31 May 2011 (2010: 3.86%). Robert Lucas resigned as a director of IG Group Holdings plc on  
7 October 2010. 

There were no further related party transactions during the year or the preceding year.

The Directors are considered to be the key management personnel of the Group in accordance with IAS 24. The Directors’ Remuneration 
Report discloses all benefits and share-based payments made during the year and the preceding year to the Directors. The total 
compensation for key management personnel was as follows:

Salaries and other short-term employee benefits
Post-employment benefits
Share-based payments

There were no further related party transactions during the year or the preceding year.

2011
£000

1,895
214
1,210

3,319

2010
£000

2,966
210
1,671

4,847

notes to the Financial Statements

32. FINANcIAL INSTruMENTS 
Accounting classifications and fair values – Group
The table below sets out the classification of each class of financial asset and liability and their fair values (excluding accrued interest). The 
Group considers the carrying value of all financial assets and liabilities to be a reasonable approximation of fair value and represents the 
Group’s maximum credit exposure without taking account of any collateral held or other credit enhancements.

‘Cash and cash equivalents’ represent cash held on demand and on deposit with financial institutions (note 17).

‘Trade receivables – due from brokers’ represent balances with brokers where the combination of cash held on account (disclosed as loans 
and receivables) and the valuation of financial derivative open positions (disclosed as held for trading) results in an amount due to the 
Group. These positions are held to hedge client market exposures and hence are considered to be held for trading and are accordingly 
accounted for at fair value through profit and loss (FVTPL). These transactions are conducted under terms that are usual and customary to 
standard margin trading activities and are reported net in the Group Statement of Financial Position as the Group has both the legal right 
and intention to settle on a net basis. 

‘Trade receivables – due from clients’ represent balances owed to the Group by clients. 

‘Trade payables – due to clients’ represent balances where the combination of client cash held on account and the valuation of financial 
derivative open positions results in an amount payable by the Group. ‘Trade payables – due to clients’ are reported net in the Group 
Statement of Financial Position as the Group adjusts the gross amount payable to clients (i.e. monies held on behalf of clients) for profits or 
losses incurred on a daily basis consistent with the legal right and intention to settle on a net basis.

31(b) company
The Company pays for certain expenses incurred by subsidiaries and received preference dividends from IG Group Limited of  
£120.8 million (2010: £83.0 million).

‘Redeemable preference shares’ are disclosed in note 22.

The Group’s financial instruments are classified as follows: 

The Company had the following amounts outstanding with subsidiaries at the year-end:

Loans to related parties
Loans from related parties

2011
£000

63,688
2,255

2010
£000

575,823
570,781

All amounts remain outstanding at the year-end and are repayable on demand. A number of intercompany amounts were subject to 
offset arrangements during the year.

group

as at 31 may 2011
Financial assets
Cash and cash equivalents
Trade receivables – due from brokers
    Non-exchange-traded instruments
    Exchange-traded instruments

Total trade receivables – due from brokers
Trade receivables – due from clients

Financial liabilities
Trade payables – due to clients
Redeemable preference shares

fvtPL - 
held for 
trading
£000

Loans and 
receivables
£000

other 
amortised 
cost
£000

total 
carrying 
amount
£000

fair value
£000

-

124,528

(5,607)
543

(5,064)
-

238,514
34,342

272,856
2,312

(5,064)

399,696

-

-
-

-
-

-

124,528

124,528

232,907
34,885

267,792
2,312

232,907
34,885

267,792
2,312

394,632

394,632

-
-

-

-
-

-

83,490
40

83,490
40

83,490
40

83,530

83,530

83,530

106 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

107

noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

32. FINANcIAL INSTruMENTS (coNTINuED)
Accounting classifications and fair values – Group (continued)

group

as at 31 may 2010
Financial assets
Cash and cash equivalents
Trade receivables – due from brokers
    Non-exchange-traded instruments
    Exchange-traded instruments

Total trade receivables – due from brokers
Trade receivables – due from clients

Financial liabilities
Trade payables – due to clients
Redeemable preference shares

fvtPL - 
held for 
trading
£000

Loans and 
receivables
£000

other 
amortised 
cost
£000

total 
carrying 
amount
£000

fair value
£000

-

128,097

(21,647)
1,263

(20,384)
-

199,694
24,404

224,098
2,529

(20,384)

354,724

-

-
-

-
-

-

128,097

128,097

178,047
25,667

203,714
2,529

178,047
25,667

203,714
2,529

334,340

334,340

-
-

-

-
-

-

57,673
40

57,673
40

57,673
40

57,713

57,713

57,713

Financial instrument valuation hierarchy  
The hierarchy of the Group’s financial instruments carried at fair value is as follows: 

group

as at 31 may 2011
Financial assets
Trade receivables – due from brokers

Level 1(1)
£000

Level 2(2)
£000

Level 3(3)
£000

total fair 
value
£000

543

543

(5,607)

(5,607)

-

-

(5,064)

(5,064)

(1)  Valued using unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical financial instruments. This category includes the Group’s exchange-traded open hedging positions. 

(2)  Valued using techniques where a price is derived based significantly on observable market data. For example, where an active market does not exist for an identical financial 

instrument to the product offered by the Group to its clients or used by the Group to hedge its market risk. 

(3)  Valued using techniques that incorporate information other than observable market data that is significant to the overall valuation.

The amounts due from brokers disclosed in the table above represent the fair value of the Group’s open hedging positions. The fair 
value of the Group’s open hedging position varies significantly from the fair value of the related client positions as a result of the Group’s 
settlement terms with its brokers, whereby hedging positions are cash settled on a less frequent basis than the underlying client position. 

There have been no changes in the valuation techniques for any of the Group’s financial instruments held at fair value in the period. During 
the year ended 31 May 2011, there were no transfers (2010: nil) between Level 1 and Level 2 fair value measurements, and no transfers into 
or out of Level 3 fair value measurements.

group

as at 31 may 2010
Financial assets
Trade receivables – due from brokers

Level 1(1)
£000

Level 2(2)
£000

Level 3(3)
£000

total fair 
value
£000

1,263

(21,647)

1,263

(21,647)

-

-

(20,384)

(20,384)

notes to the Financial Statements

reconciliation of the movement in Level 3 of the valuation hierarchy

group

Financial liabilities
Trade payables – due to clients

at 1 june 
2010
£000

gains or 
losses in 
revenue(1)
£000

cash 
settled 
positions(2)
£000

transfers
£000

at 31 may 
2011(3)
£000

-

-

22,395

(22,395)

22,395

(22,395)

-

-

-

-

(1)  Disclosed in net trading revenue in the Income Statement. This represents client positions that have closed in the period as well those open at the period end.

(2) Value of client positions that have cash settled in the period. 

(3) Value of open, unsettled client positions at the period end disclosed in net trading revenue in the Income Statement. 

The impact of a reasonably possible alternative valuation assumption on the valuation of ‘trade payables – due to clients’ reported within 
Level 3 of the valuation hierarchy is not significant. 

Accounting classifications and fair values – company
The table below sets out the classification of each class of financial asset and liability and their fair values (excluding accrued interest):

company

as at 31 may 2011
Financial assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Financial liabilities

Redeemable preference shares

company

as at 31 may 2010
Financial assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Financial liabilities

Redeemable preference shares

held for 
trading
£000

Loans and 
receivables
£000

other 
amortised 
cost
£000

total 
carrying 
amount
£000

fair value
£000

-

-

304

-

304

-

40

40

-

40

held for 
trading
£000

Loans and 
receivables
£000

other 
amortised 
cost
£000

total 
carrying 
amount
£000

fair value
£000

-

-

8

-

-

40

8

40

8

40

108 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

109

 
 
noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

32. FINANcIAL INSTruMENTS (coNTINuED)
Items of income, expense, gains or losses – Group
Gains and losses arising from financial assets and liabilities classified as held for trading amounted to net gains of £320,392,000  
(2010: £298,551,000).

Finance revenue (see note 7) totalled £2,402,000 (2010: £2,664,000). An amount of £2,020,000 (2010: £2,664,000) represents interest income 
on financial assets not at fair value through profit or loss and includes interest receivable in respect of non-segregated client balances, part 
of which is held with brokers.

Finance costs (see note 8) totalled £2,432,000 (2010: £2,312,000). An amount of £1,347,000 represents interest expense on financial 
liabilities not at fair value through profit or loss (2010: £1,399,000). The remainder, £1,085,000 (2010: £913,000) represents fee expense 
arising from maintaining the Group’s committed bank facilities. 

33. FINANcIAL rISK MANAGEMENT 
Responsibility for risk management, including financial risks, resides at all levels within the Group, starting with the Board of Directors. Our 
Corporate Governance structure, including details of how the Board delegates responsibility for internal control and risk management to 
our Audit and Risk committees, is described in detail in the Corporate Governance section of the Annual Report. 

The Group’s Internal Capital Adequacy Assessment Process (ICAAP) provides an on-going assessment of the risks the Group believes have 
the potential to have a significant detrimental impact on its financial performance and future prospects, and describes how the Group 
mitigates these risks subject to the Group’s risk appetite.

Financial risks arising from financial instruments are separated into market, credit, concentration and liquidity risks, and these are discussed below. 

33(a) Market risk
Market risk is the risk that changes in market prices will affect the Group’s income or the value of its holdings of financial instruments. This 
is analysed into market price, currency and interest rate risk components.

The Group’s market risk is managed under the Market Risk Policy on a Group-wide basis and exposure to market risk at any point in time 
depends primarily on short-term market conditions and the levels of client activity. The Group utilises market position limits for operational 
efficiency and does not take proprietary positions based on an expectation of market movements. As a result, not all net client exposures 
are hedged and the Group may have a residual net position in any of the financial markets on which it offers products. 

The Group’s Market Risk Policy incorporates a methodology for setting market position limits, consistent with the Group’s risk appetite, for 
each financial market in which the Group’s clients can trade, as well as certain markets which the Board consider to be correlated. These 
limits are determined with reference to the liquidity and volatility of the underlying financial product or asset class (and to an extent the 
volumes which the Group’s clients transact) and represent the maximum long and short client exposure that the Group will hold without 
hedging the net client exposure.

notes to the Financial Statements

(i) Market price risk
This is the risk that the fair value of a financial instrument fluctuates as a result of changes in market prices other than due to the effect of 
currency or interest rate risks.

a) Equity market price risk:
The most significant market risk faced by the Group is on equity positions, including shares and indices, which are highly correlated and managed 
on a portfolio basis. The equity exposure at the year-end and details of the exposure limit at the year-end and for the year then ended is as follows:

Equity exposure at year-end
Equity exposure limit at year-end
Average equity exposure limit for the year 

2011
£000

14,877
16,500
16,500

2010
£000

8,781(1)
16,500
15,813

(1)  The average equity exposure for the year ended 31 May 2010 has been disclosed as this is considered more representative of the Group’s typical exposure than the year-end  

equity exposure of £473,000. 

The Group has no significant concentration of market risk. No sensitivity analysis is presented for equity market price risk as the impact 
of reasonably possible market movements on the Group’s net trading revenue and equity are not significant, being less than the Group’s 
average daily net trading revenue from financial instruments (2011: £1,252,000; 2010: £1,148,000). Changes in risk variables have no 
direct impact on the Group’s equity as the Group has no financial instruments classified as available for sale, or designated in hedging 
relationships.

b) Other market price risk:
The Group also has market price risk as result of its trading activities (offering bets and Contracts for Difference (CFDs) on interest rate 
derivatives and commodities) which is hedged as part of the overall market risk management. The exposure is monitored on a Group-wide 
basis and is hedged using exchange-traded futures and options. Exposure limits are set by the Risk Committee for each product, and also 
for groups of products where it is considered that their price movements are likely to be positively correlated. 

The exposure to interest rate derivatives and commodities at the year-end are as follows:

Interest rate derivatives
Commodities

2011
£000

21,332
10,261

2010
£000

8,381
4,999

No sensitivity analysis is presented for other market price risk, as the impact of reasonably possible market movements on the Group’s 
net trading revenue is not significant. Changes in risk variables have no direct impact on the Group’s equity as the Group has no financial 
instruments designated in hedging relationships.

The Group’s real-time market position monitoring system allows it to monitor its market exposure against these limits continuously.  
If exposures exceed these limits, the policy requires that hedging is undertaken to bring the exposure back within the defined limit.

(ii) Foreign currency risk
The Group is exposed to two sources of foreign currency risk.

There is a significant level of ‘natural’ hedging arising from the Group’s global client base pursuing varying trading strategies which results 
in a significant portfolio hedging effect. This reduces the Group’s net market exposure prior to the Group hedging any residual net client 
exposures, as well as minimising concentration risk within the market risk portfolio. 

Where the Group has positions in markets for which it has not been possible or cost-effective to hedge, the Risk Committee determines 
the appropriate action and reviews these exposures regularly, subject to the risk management framework approved by the Board.

Binary bets are typically difficult or not cost-effective to hedge and there is often no direct underlying market which can be utilised in 
setting the price which the Group quotes. The Group normally undertakes no hedging for these markets, but can hedge specific positions 
if considered necessary. The Group aims to reduce the volatility of revenue from these markets by offering a large number of different 
betting opportunities, the results of which should, to some extent, offset each other irrespective of the underlying market outcome. The 
overwhelmingly short-term nature of these bets means that risk on these markets at any point in time is not considered to be significant.

a) Translational foreign currency risk
Translation exposures arise from financial and non-financial items held by an entity with a functional currency different from the Group’s 
presentation currency. The functional currency of each company in the Group is that denominated by the country of incorporation as disclosed in 
note 14. The Group does not hedge translational exposures as they do not have a significant impact on the Group’s capital resources. 

b) Transactional foreign currency risk
Transactional foreign currency exposures represent financial assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the functional 
currency of the transacting entity. Transaction exposures arise in the normal course of business and the management of this risk forms part 
of the risk policies outlined above. Limits on the exposures which the Group will accept in each currency are set by the Risk Committee 
and the Group hedges its exposures as necessary with market counterparties. Foreign currency risk is managed on a group-wide basis, 
while the Company’s exposure to foreign currency risk is not considered by the Directors to be significant.

110 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

111

noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

33. FINANcIAL rISK MANAGEMENT (coNTINuED)
33(a) Market risk (continued) 
The Group monitors transactional foreign currency risks, including currency Statement of Financial Position exposures, equity, commodity, 
interest and other positions denominated in foreign currencies as well as bets and trades on foreign currencies. The Group’s net exposure 
to foreign exchange risk based on notional amounts at each year-end was as follows:

US dollar
Euro
Australian dollar
Yen
Other

2011
£000

(212)
351
(1,134)
5,711
4,593

2010
£000

(1,778)
(1,596)
862
6,826
(3,859)

No sensitivity analysis is presented for foreign exchange risk as the impact of reasonably possible market movements on the Group’s net 
trading revenue is not significant. Changes in risk variables have no direct impact on the Group’s equity as the Group has no financial 
instruments designated in hedging relationships.

(iii) Non-trading interest rate risk
The Group also has interest rate risk relating to financial instruments not held at fair value through profit and loss. These exposures are 
not hedged.

The interest rate risk profile of the Group’s financial assets and liabilities as at each year-end was as follows:

group

fixed rate
Redeemable preference shares (8%)

floating rate
Cash and cash equivalents
Trade receivables
Trade payables

            Within 1 year

2011
£000

2010
£000

             more than 5 years
2010
£000

2011
£000

             total
2011
£000

2010
£000

-

-

(40)

(40)

(40)

(40)

124,528
270,104
(83,490)

128,097
206,243
(57,673)

-
-
-

-
-
-

124,528
270,104
(83,490)

128,097
206,243
(57,673)

311,142

276,667

(40)

(40)

311,102

276,627

Interest on financial instruments classified as fixed rate is fixed until the maturity of the instrument. 

Interest on financial instruments classified as floating rate is re-priced at intervals of less than one year. Trade receivables and payables 
include client and broker balances upon which interest is paid or received based upon market rates. 

Interest rate risk sensitivity analysis
A non-traded interest rate risk sensitivity analysis has been performed on net interest income on segregated client funds, based on the 
value of client funds held at the year-end, on the basis of a 0.25% (2010: 0.25%) per annum fall and a 0.75% (2010: 1.25%) rise in interest 
rates, at the beginning of the year, as these are considered reasonably possible. The impact of such a fall in interest rates would reduce 
net interest income on segregated client funds by approximately £1.6 million (2010: £0.5 million) per annum. The impact of such a rise 
in interest rates would increase net interest income on segregated client funds by approximately £5.3 million (2010: £5.0 million) per 
annum. Changes in risk variables have no direct impact on the Group’s equity as the Group has no financial instruments designated in 
hedging relationships.

notes to the Financial Statements

33(b) credit risk 
Credit risk is the risk that one party to a financial instrument will cause a financial loss for the other party by failing to discharge an 
obligation. The Group’s credit risk is managed on a Group-wide basis.

The Group’s principal sources of credit risk are financial institution and client credit risk.

(i) Financial institution credit risk
Financial institution credit risk is managed in accordance with the Group’s Counterparty Credit Management Policy. 

Financial institutional counterparties are subject to a credit review when a new relationship is entered into and this is updated semi-
annually (or more frequently as required e.g. on change in the financial institution’s corporate structure or a downgrading of its credit 
rating). Proposed maximum exposure limits for these financial institutions are then reviewed and approved by the Risk Committee. As part 
of its management of concentration risk, the Group is also committed to maintaining multiple brokers for each asset class. Where possible, 
the Group negotiates for its funds to receive client money protection which can reduce credit exposure. 

In respect of financial institution credit risk, the following key metrics are monitored on a daily basis:

   Balances held with each counterparty group against limits approved by the Risk Committee
   Any change in short- and long-term credit rating 
   Any change in credit default swap (CDS) price 

The Group is responsible under various regulatory regimes for the stewardship of client monies. These responsibilities are defined in the 
Group’s Counterparty Credit Management Policy and include the appointment of and periodic review of institutions with which client 
money is deposited. The Group’s policy is that all financial institutional counterparties holding client money accounts must have minimum 
Standard and Poor’s short- and long-term ratings of A-2 and A- respectively. These are also the target minimum ratings for the Group’s own 
bank accounts held with financial institutions, although in some operating jurisdictions where accounts are maintained to provide local 
banking facilities for clients it can be problematic to find a banking counterparty satisfying these minimum ratings requirements. Balances 
held with such counterparties are therefore minimised.

The Group also actively manages the credit exposure to each of its broking counterparties by typically keeping the minimum required 
balances at each broker. In addition, deposits are typically made on an overnight or breakable term basis which enables the Group to react 
immediately to any downgrading of credit rating or material widening of CDS spreads. 

(ii) Client credit risk
The Group operates a real-time mark-to-market trading platform with client profits and losses being credited and debited automatically to 
their account. Client credit risk principally arises when a client’s total funds deposited with the Group are insufficient to cover any trading losses 
incurred. In addition, a small number of clients are granted credit limits to cover open losses and margin requirements as described below.

In particular, client credit risk can arise where there are significant, sudden movements in the market i.e. due to high general market 
volatility or specific volatility relating to an individual financial instrument in which the client has an open position. Credit risk is mitigated 
in part through our client suitability criteria, supported by an extensive training program which aims to educate clients in all aspects of 
trading and risk management and encourage them to collateralise their accounts at an appropriate level. 

The principal types of client credit risk exposure are managed under the Group’s Client Credit Management Policy and depend on the type 
of account and any credit offered to clients as described in the following sections. 

112 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

113

noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

33. FINANcIAL rISK MANAGEMENT (coNTINuED) 
33(b) credit risk (continued) 
Limited risk accounts
The Group’s (with the exception of Nadex) products are margin-traded. If the market moves adversely by more than the client’s initial 
margin deposit, the Group is exposed to client credit risk.  The Group mitigates this risk on some account and trade types by designating 
them as limited risk accounts. This involves the client setting a level in advance (the Guaranteed Stop level) at which the deal will be 
closed-out, meaning a maximum client loss can be calculated at the opening of the trade. Clients placing trades with Guaranteed Stop 
levels pay a small premium on the transaction. The maximum loss is then the amount the client is required to deposit to open the trade, 
meaning that in most circumstances the client can never lose more than their initial margin deposit. 

Guaranteed Stops transfer an element of market risk to the Group, and are managed under the Group’s Market Risk Policy, which restricts 
both the products on which they are offered and the size of positions subject to Guaranteed Stops.

The close-out monitor
The Group’s management of client credit risk is supported by a significantly automated liquidation process, the close-out monitor (COM), 
whereby accounts which have broken the liquidation threshold are automatically identified. 

If the margin of a client which is not subject to the COM liquidation process is eroded, the client is requested to deposit additional funds 
up to at least the required margin level and will also be restricted from increasing their market positions. If subsequently, the client’s  
intra-day losses increase such that their total equity falls below the specified liquidation level, positions will be liquidated immediately.  
This has resulted in significantly improved client liquidation times and reduced credit risk exposure for the Group. 

The majority of client positions are monitored on the Group’s real-time COM system or are limited risk accounts with Guaranteed Stops. As at 
31 May 2011, 98.8% (2010: 95.7%) of financial client accounts are subject to the automatic COM procedure or are limited risk accounts.

Credit accounts
Clients holding other types of account are permitted to deal in circumstances where they may be capable of suffering losses greater than 
the funds they have deposited on their account, or in limited circumstances are allowed credit. The Group has a formal credit policy which 
determines the financial and experience criteria which a client must satisfy before being given an account which exposes the Group to 
credit risk, including trading limits for each client and strict margining rules. 

The Group may offer credit limits with the result that any open loss can be paid subject to agreed credit terms. These accounts typically 
only create a credit exposure when the client’s loss exceeds their initial margin deposit. 

In addition to the waiver of payment of open losses on a trade, the Group may also offer clients credit in respect of their initial margin.  
This is a permanent waiving of initial margin requirements while the credit limit is active on the account.

Credit limits are only granted following provision by the client of evidence of their available financial resources and credit accounts limits 
are continuously reviewed by the Group’s Credit Department. Credit accounts are small in number, are not actively promoted and in 
general they are not made available to new clients.

Risk-based tiered margins
The Group applies a tiered-margin requirement for equities and other instruments with risk-adjusted margin requirements dependent on 
several factors including the volatility and liquidity of the underlying instrument. This has resulted in potential margin requirements of up 
to 90% of the value of the notional client position for large client positions, but a reduced margin requirement for smaller client positions.

These tiered margins have, in addition to the COM discussed earlier, contributed to the further mitigation of the Group’s client 
counterparty credit risk exposure.

Management of client collateral
The Group also accepts collateral from a small number of clients in the form of shares or other securities which mitigate the Group’s credit risk. 
Clients retain title to the securities lodged whilst their trading account is operating normally, but are required to sign a collateral agreement 
which will allow the Group to take title and sell the securities in the event of the client defaulting on any margin obligations.

114 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

notes to the Financial Statements

Securities accepted as collateral are normally restricted to FTSE 100 stocks, UK Gilts or other high quality bonds. The collateral value assigned 
to the client account is updated daily, and each security is assigned a ‘haircut’ value e.g. a client is typically allowed to use 80% of a FTSE 100 
current market value and 90-95% of a UK Gilt market value.

Clients are only permitted to use non-cash collateral value to cover initial margin requirements, and losses in excess of cash held are due and 
payable as part of the normal margining process.

The fair value of collateral held at 31 May 2011 against amounts due from clients was £5,788,000 (2010: £2,823,000). 

Numerical credit risk disclosures
The following tables present further detail on the Group’s exposure to credit risk. External credit ratings (Standard and Poor’s long-term ratings 
or equivalent) are available for exposures to brokers and banks, and these are shown below. No external credit rating of clients and certain of 
the Group’s sport related brokers is available and therefore the balances are classified as unrated. 

Amounts due from clients are considered past due from the date that positions are closed and are aged from that date. If debtors arise on 
open positions, the amounts due from clients are considered neither past due nor impaired unless impairment is provided.

The analysis of neither past due nor impaired credit exposures in the following table excludes retail client funds held in segregated client money 
accounts or money market facilities established under the UK’s Financial Services Authority (FSA) ‘CASS’ rules and similar rules of other regulators in whose 
jurisdiction the Group operates. Under these rules, client money funds held with trust status are protected in the event of the insolvency of the Group.

              cash and cash 
              equivalents

2011
£000

2010
£000

            trade receivables – 
             due from brokers
2010
£000

2011
£000

            trade receivables – 
            due from clients

            collateral held at 
             fair value

2011
£000

2010
£000

2011
£000

2010
£000

group

(note 17)

(note 16)

(note 16)

Individually impaired
Gross exposure
Allowance for impairment

Past due but not impaired
Ageing profile:
0-3 months
4-6 months
7-9 months
10-12 months
> 12 months

neither past due nor impaired
Credit rating:
AA+ & above
AA to AA-
A+ to A-
BBB+ to BBB-
BB+ to B
Unrated

-
-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
28,420
89,489
5,954(1)
420
245

-
13,447
114,091
348
-
211

-
75,814
189,035
638
-
2,305(1)

-
119,507
80,538
871
-
2,798

124,528

128,097

267,792

203,714

19,408
(18,382)

22,240
(21,461)

1,026

779

523
-
-
-
-

523

-
-
-
-
-
763

763

535
-
-
-
72

607

-
-
-
-
-
1,143

1,143

2,529

Total carrying amount

124,528

128,097

267,792

203,714

2,312

(1) Balances are primarily related to the Group’s operations in South Africa.

Prepayments and other receivables are all unrated (2010: all unrated). 

-
-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

3,509
161
757
751
102
508

5,788

5,788

-
-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-
-
-
-
2,823

2,823

2,823

115

noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

33. FINANcIAL rISK MANAGEMENT (coNTINuED)
33(b) credit risk (continued)
Impairment of trade receivables due from clients
The Group records specific impairments of trade receivables due from clients in a separate allowance account. Impairments are recorded 
where the Group determines that it is probable that it will be unable to collect all amounts owing according to the contractual terms 
of the agreement. There are no collective impairments taken, and no other assets are considered impaired. Below is a reconciliation of 
changes in the separate allowance account during the period:

group

Balance at 1 June
Impairment loss for the year
 - gross charge for the year
 - recoveries
Write-offs
Foreign exchange

Balance at 31 May

2011
£000

2010
£000

21,461

23,897

1,159
(3,321)
(1,172)
255

2,441
(3,505)
(1,367)
(5)

18,382

21,461

Credit risk – Company
Held within prepayments and other receivables in the Statement of Financial Position of the Company are amounts payable to the Company 
from related parties that are unrated. Refer to note 31(b). The Company is not otherwise exposed to material amounts of credit risk. 

33(c) concentration risk
Concentration risk is defined as all risk exposures with a loss potential which is large enough to threaten the solvency or the financial position of the 
Group. In respect of financial risk, such exposures may be caused by credit risk, market risk, liquidity risk or a combination or interaction of those risks.

The following table analyses the Group’s credit exposures, at their carrying amounts, by geographical region and excludes retail client 
funds held in segregated client money accounts or money market facilities established under the UK’s Financial Services Authority (FSA) 
‘CASS’ rules and similar rules of other regulators in whose jurisdiction the Group operates.  

Analysis of credit exposures at carrying amount by geographical segment: 

group

as at 31 may 2011
Financial assets
Cash and cash equivalents
Trade receivables – due from brokers
Trade receivables – due from clients

Total financial assets

group

as at 31 may 2010
Financial assets
Cash and cash equivalents
Trade receivables – due from brokers
Trade receivables – due from clients

uK
£000

europe
£000

australia
£000

japan
£000

rest of   
the World
£000

total
£000

28,967
76,774
2,048

44,059
134,190
86

39,296
31,492
178

107,789

178,335

70,966

9,133
-
-

9,133

3,073
25,336
-

124,528
267,792
2,312

28,409

394,632

uK
£000

europe
£000

australia
£000

japan
£000

rest of  
the World
£000

total
£000

83,699
80,027
2,298

3,054
89,197
66

1,790
23,004
165

17,656
-
-

21,898
11,486
-

128,097
203,714
2,529

Total financial assets

166,024

92,317

24,959

17,656

33,384

334,340

116 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

notes to the Financial Statements

The Group’s largest credit exposure to any one individual broker at 31 May 2011 was £73,312,000 (AA rated) or 27% of the exposure to all 
brokers (2010: £44,170,000, AA rated, 22%). Included in cash and cash equivalents, the Group’s largest credit exposure to any bank at  
31 May 2011 was £39,116,000 (A+ rated) or 31% of the exposure to all banks (2010: £43,302,000, A+ rated, 34%). The Group has no 
significant exposure to any one particular client or group of connected clients. 

All of the Company’s credit exposures are in the UK, at both 31 May 2011 and 31 May 2010. 

33(d) Liquidity risk 
Liquidity risk is the risk that the Group will encounter difficulty in meeting obligations arising from its financial liabilities that are settled by 
delivering cash or other financial assets.

Management of liquidity risk
Liquidity risk is managed centrally and on a Group-wide basis. The Group’s approach to managing liquidity is to ensure it will have sufficient 
liquidity to meet its broker margin requirements and other financial liabilities when due, under both normal circumstances and stressed 
conditions. The Group has carried out an Individual Liquidity Adequacy Assessment (ILAA) during the year, and whilst this applies specifically 
to the Group’s FSA regulated entities, it provides the context in which liquidity is managed on a continuous basis for the whole Group.

The Group does not have any material liquidity mismatches with regard to liquidity maturity profiles due to the very short-term nature 
of its financial assets and liabilities. Liquidity risk can, however, arise as all retail client funds are required to be placed in segregated client 
money accounts or money market facilities (as previously discussed). A result of this policy is that short-term liquidity ‘gaps’ can potentially 
arise in periods of very high client activity or significant increases or falls in global financial market levels. 

During periods of significant market falls the Group will be required to fund margin payments to brokers prior to the release of funds from 
segregation, and in periods of significant market increases or increased client activity, the Group will be required to fund higher margin 
requirements at brokers to hedge increased underlying client positions. These additional requirements are funded from the Group’s own 
available cash resources while these retail client positions are open, as retail client funds remain in segregated client money bank accounts.

In order to mitigate this and other liquidity risks, the Group regularly stress tests its three-year liquidity forecast to validate the correct level 
of committed unsecured bank facilities held. At the year-end, these amounted to £180.0 million (2010: £160.0 million) and were not drawn 
upon during the current nor proceeding financial year. As well as the three-year liquidity forecast, the Group also produces more detailed 
short-term liquidity forecasts and detailed stress tests.

The key measure used by the Group for managing liquidity risk is the level of total available liquidity. For this purpose total available 
liquidity is calculated as set out in the following table inclusive of undrawn committed facilities. Total available liquidity at each year-end 
was as follows:

own cash and title transfer funds
Amounts due from brokers

available cash resources
Analysed as: 
Own funds
Title transfer funds

available liquidity
Available cash resources
Less broker margin requirement

net available cash
Less title transfer funds

net own cash available
Of which declared as dividend
Committed banking facilities

total available liquidity (including facilities)

2011
£000

2010
£000

124,528
267,792

128,097
203,714

392,320

331,811

324,618
67,702

269,406
62,405

392,320
(217,360)

331,811
(154,694)

174,960
(67,702)

107,258
(53,368)
180,000

177,117
(62,405)

114,712
(48,758)
160,000

233,890

225,954

117

noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

33. FINANcIAL rISK MANAGEMENT (coNTINuED)
33(d) Liquidity risk (continued) 
In the Directors’ opinion the Group has sufficient liquid funds available to meet all operational requirements in the event of a large market 
movement. Liquidity management is also dependent on credit risk management previously described.

Derivative and non-derivative cash flows by remaining contractual maturity – Group
The following tables present the undiscounted cash flows receivable and payable (excluding interest payments) by the Group under 
derivative and non-derivative financial assets and liabilities allocated to the earliest period in which the Group can be required to pay 
although the remaining contractual maturities may be longer. 

Amounts payable on demand:

as at 31 may 2011
Financial assets
Cash and cash equivalents
Trade receivables – due from brokers
Trade receivables – due from clients

Financial liabilities
Trade payables – due to clients

derivative
£000

non-
derivative
£000

total
£000

-
(5,064)
-

124,528
272,856
2,312

124,528
267,792
2,312

(5,064)

399,696

394,632

-

-

(83,490)

(83,490)

(83,490)

(83,490)

(5,064)

316,206

311,142

Derivative trade receivables disclosed in the table above represent the Group’s open positions with brokers. Non-derivative trade 
receivables and payables disclosed in the table above represent cash margin held at brokers, closed client debtors, and client trading 
margin held on deposit respectively. Derivative and non-derivative cash flows are presented alongside each other in the table above as 
they result from the same underlying trading relationship, and as the Group has both the legal right and intention to settle on a net basis.

Trade receivables are disclosed as repayable on demand, as when client positions are closed the corresponding positions relating to the 
hedged position are closed with brokers. Accordingly the Group releases cash margin, which is repaid by brokers to the Group on demand. 

Trade payables are disclosed in the table above as repayable on demand, as positions can be closed at any time by clients and can also 
be closed by the Group, in accordance with the Group’s margining rules. If after closing a position a client is in surplus, then the amount 
owing is repayable on demand by the Group.

Amounts payable on demand:

as at 31 may 2010
Financial assets
Cash and cash equivalents
Trade receivables – due from brokers
Trade receivables – due from clients

Financial liabilities
Trade payables – due to clients

notes to the Financial Statements

derivative
£000

non-
derivative
£000

total
£000

-
(20,384)
-

128,097
224,098
2,529

128,097
203,714
2,529

(20,384)

354,724

334,340

-

-

(57,673)

(57,673)

(57,673)

(57,673)

(20,384)

297,051

276,667

Amounts payable over five years:
The Group has non-derivative cash flows payable over five years in relation to the redeemable preference shares at 31 May 2011 and 2010, 
as disclosed in note 22.

Derivative and non-derivative cash flows by remaining contractual maturity – Company
The maturity of the Company’s non-derivative cash flows is shown in the following table. There were no Company derivative cash flows as 
at 31 May 2011 (2010: £nil).

company

as at 31 may
Financial assets
Cash and cash equivalents

Financial liabilities
Redeemable preference shares

             on demand

             over five years

             total

2011
£000

2010
£000

2011
£000

2010
£000

2011
£000

2010
£000

304

304

-

-

8

8

-

-

-

-

(40)

(40)

-

-

(40)

(40)

304

304

(40)

(40)

8

8

(40)

(40)

118 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

119

noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

34. cAPITAL MANAGEMENT AND rESourcES
capital management
The Group is supervised on a consolidated basis by the UK’s Financial 
Services Authority (FSA). The Group’s subsidiaries in Australia, Japan, 
Singapore, South Africa and the United States are also regulated. 
Individual capital requirements in these jurisdictions are taken into 
account when managing the Group’s capital resources.

The Group’s regulatory capital resources management objective 
is to ensure that the Group complies with the regulatory capital 
resources requirement set by the FSA and other global regulators 
in jurisdictions in which the Group’s entities operate. 

The Group’s capital management policy aims to maximise returns 
on equity while maintaining a strong capital position to enable 
the Group to take advantage of growth opportunities, whether 
organic or by acquisition. The Group does not seek to generate 
higher returns on equity by introducing leverage through, for 
example, the use of long-term debt finance.

The Group’s 2010 ICAAP was approved by the Board in January 
2011. There have been no capital requirement breaches during the 
financial year. The Group also regularly undertakes three-year stress 
and scenario testing of its main financial and operational risks to 
project its future capital and liquidity adequacy requirements. 

The Group’s ‘Pillar 3 Disclosures’ are published on its website  
www.iggroup.com and these provide additional information on 
the Group’s enterprise-wide risk management framework and its 
management of regulatory capital on a consolidated and solo 
entity basis.

capital resources
The Group had significant surplus regulatory capital resources over the 
regulatory capital resources requirement throughout the year. An analysis 
of the Group’s consolidated capital resources and capital resources 
requirement is provided in the Operating and Financial Review.

35. SuBSEQuENT EvENTS
On 8 June 2011 the Group reached agreement to sell the majority 
of the client list relating to extrabet’s sport spread betting and 
fixed odds betting business to Spreadex Limited on terms where 
the Group will receive semi-annual payments for the next three 
years, calculated by reference to the revenue that the acquirer 
generates from clients on the list. 

On 12 July 2011 the Group completed the redundancy 
consultation process with the employees of extrabet. As a result of 
this any extrabet employees unable to find a role within the Group 
will be made redundant as of 19 July 2011 and the business closed. 

36. AuTHorISATIoN  oF FINANcIAL STATEMENTS 
AND STATEMENT oF coMPLIANcE WITH IFrS
The Financial Statements of IG Group Holdings plc (the Company) 
and its subsidiaries (together the Group) for the year ended  

120 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

31 May 2011 were authorised for issue by the Board of the 
Directors on 19 July 2011, and the Statements of Financial Position 
signed on the Board’s behalf by Tim Howkins and Christopher Hill.  
IG Group Holdings plc is a public limited company incorporated 
and domiciled in England and Wales. The Company’s ordinary 
shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange.

The Group and Company Financial Statements have been 
prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting 
Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the European Union (EU) and IFRIC 
interpretations as they apply to the Financial Statements of the 
Group and of the Company for the year ended 31 May 2011 and 
applied in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 
2006. The Group and Company Financial Statements have been 
prepared under the historical cost convention, as modified by the 
revaluation of financial assets and liabilities (including derivatives) 
at fair value through profit and loss.

The principal accounting policies adopted by the Group and the 
Company are set out in note 37.

37. AccouNTING PoLIcIES
Basis of preparation
The accounting policies which follow have been applied in preparing 
the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 May 2011.

The Group has presented its consolidated Income Statement in a 
columnar format. This enables the Group to continue its practice of 
improving the understanding of its results by presenting profit for 
the year before amortisation and impairment of intangible assets 
associated with the Group’s Japanese business and impairment of 
the goodwill associated with the Group’s Sport business (‘certain 
items’). This is the profit measure used to calculate adjusted EPS  
(see note 10) and is considered to be the most appropriate 
measure as it better reflects the Group’s underlying cash earnings. 
Profit before amortisation and impairment of intangible assets 
associated with the Group’s Japanese business and impairment 
of the goodwill associated with the Group’s Sport business is 
reconciled to profit before tax on the Income Statement.

As permitted by Section 408(1)(b), (4) of the Companies Act 2006, 
the individual Income Statement of IG Group Holdings plc (the 
Company) has not been presented in these Financial Statements. 
The amount of profit after taxation for the financial year dealt 
with in the Financial Statements of IG Group Holdings plc is 
£122,278,000 (2010: £81,090,000). A statement of comprehensive 
income for IG Group Holdings plc has also not been presented 
in these Financial Statements. No items of other comprehensive 
income arose in the year (2010: £nil).

The Group and Company Financial Statements are presented 
in sterling and all values are rounded to the nearest thousand 
pounds (£000), except where otherwise indicated.

notes to the Financial Statements

Going concern
The Directors have prepared the Financial Statements on a going 
concern basis, which requires the Directors to have a reasonable 
expectation that the Group has adequate resources to continue in 
operational existence for the foreseeable future.

Basis of consolidation 
The Group Financial Statements consolidate the Financial 
Statements of IG Group Holdings plc and the entities it controls  
(its subsidiaries) made up to the reporting date, as listed in note 14.

Subsidiaries are consolidated from the date of their acquisition, 
being the date on which the Group obtains control, and continue 
to be consolidated until the date that such control ceases. Control 
comprises the power to govern the financial and operating policies 
of the investee so as to obtain benefit from its activities, and is 
achieved through direct or indirect ownership of voting rights; 
currently exercisable or convertible potential voting rights; or by way 
of contractual agreement. The Financial Statements of the subsidiaries 
used in the preparation of the consolidated Financial Statements are 
prepared for the same reporting year as the parent company and are 
based on consistent accounting policies. All inter-company balances 
and transactions between Group entities, including unrealised profits 
arising from them, are eliminated on consolidation.

On acquisition, the assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities of a 
subsidiary are measured at their fair values at the date of acquisition. 
The cost of an acquisition is measured at the fair value of consideration 
paid, including an estimate of any contingent or deferred consideration. 
Contingent or deferred consideration is re-measured at each Statement 
of Financial Position date with periodic changes to the estimated liability 
recognised in the consolidated Income Statement. Acquisition-related 
costs are expensed as incurred. Any excess of the cost of acquisition over 
the fair values of the identifiable net assets acquired is recognised as 
goodwill. Any deficiency of the cost of acquisition below the fair values of 
the identifiable net assets acquired (discount on acquisition) is credited 
to the profit and loss in the period of acquisition.

The results of subsidiaries acquired or disposed of during the year are 
included in the consolidated Income Statement from the effective date 
of acquisition or up to the effective date of disposal, as appropriate.

Where necessary, adjustments are made to the Financial 
Statements of subsidiaries to bring the accounting policies used 
into line with those used by other members of the Group. 

Non-controlling interests
Where the Group and a non-controlling shareholder enter into a 
forward contract (symmetrical put and call options) under which 
the Group is required to purchase the non-controlling interest for 
its fair value (formulae-based valuation), at the forward date, the 
Group continues to recognise the non-controlling interest at the 
proportionate share of the acquiree’s identifiable net assets, until 
expiry of the arrangement. The forward liability is also recognised 
for management’s best estimate of the present value of the 

redemption amount with a corresponding entry in equity. The 
accretion of the discount on the liability is recognised as a finance 
charge in the consolidated Income Statement. The liability is 
re-measured to the final redemption amount with any periodic 
changes to the estimated liability recognised in the consolidated 
Income Statement. On expiry of the forward the liability is 
eliminated as paid and any difference in the value of the non-
controlling interest to the exercise price deducted from equity. 

On an acquisition-by-acquisition basis, non-controlling interests 
are measured either at fair value or at the non-controlling interest 
proportionate share of the acquiree’s net assets. The Group has 
elected to apply the proportionate share of the acquiree’s net 
assets methodology to the acquisition completed during the year. 

The Group treats transactions with non-controlling interests as 
transactions with equity owners of the Group. For purchases 
from non-controlling interests, the difference between any 
consideration paid and the relevant share acquired of the carrying 
value of the non-controlling interest is recorded in equity. 

Losses applicable to the non-controlling shareholder in a 
consolidated subsidiary’s equity may exceed the non-controlling 
interest in the subsidiary’s equity. The excess, and any further 
losses applicable to the non-controlling shareholder, are allocated 
against the majority interest, except to the extent that the non-
controlling shareholder has a binding obligation and is able to 
make an additional investment to cover the losses. If the subsidiary 
subsequently reports profits, such profits are allocated to the 
majority interests until the non-controlling shareholder‘s share of 
losses previously absorbed by the majority has been recovered.

Non-controlling interests represent the portion of profit or loss 
and net assets in subsidiaries that is not held by the Group and 
is presented within equity in the consolidated Statement of 
Financial Position, separately from parent shareholders’ equity. 

Foreign currencies
The functional currency of each company in the Group is that of the 
country of incorporation (as disclosed in note 14) as this is consistent 
with the primary economic environment in which the entity 
operates. The Group’s most significant functional currency is sterling. 
Transactions in other currencies are initially recorded in the functional 
currency by applying spot exchange rates prevailing on the dates 
of the transactions. At each Statement of Financial Position date, 
monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are 
retranslated at the functional currency rate of exchange prevailing on 
the same date. Non-monetary assets and liabilities carried at fair value 
that are denominated in foreign currencies are translated at the rates 
prevailing at the date when the fair value was determined. Gains 
and losses arising on translation are taken to the Income Statement, 
except for exchange differences arising on monetary assets and 
liabilities that form part of the Group’s net investment in a foreign 
operation. These are taken directly to equity until the disposal of the 
net investment, at which time they are recognised in profit or loss.

121

noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

37. AccouNTING PoLIcIES  (coNTINuED) 
On consolidation, the assets and liabilities of the Group’s 
overseas operations are translated into sterling at exchange 
rates prevailing on the Statement of Financial Position date. 
Income and expense items are translated at the average 
exchange rates for the period. Exchange differences arising, if 
any, are classified as equity and taken directly to a translation 
reserve. Such translation differences are recognised as income or 
as expenses in the period in which the operation is disposed of. 
Goodwill and fair value adjustments arising on the acquisition of 
a foreign entity are treated as assets and liabilities of the foreign 
entity and translated at the closing rate.

Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated 
depreciation and accumulated impairment losses. Cost comprises 
the aggregate amount paid and the fair value of any other 
consideration given to acquire the asset, and includes costs directly 
attributable to making the asset capable of operating as intended. 

Depreciation is provided on all property, plant and equipment 
at rates calculated to write off the cost, less estimated residual 
value based upon estimated useful lives. Estimated residual 
value and useful lives are reviewed on an annual basis and 
residual values are based on prices prevailing at the Statement 
of Financial Position date. Depreciation is charged on a straight-
line basis over the expected useful lives as follows:

Leasehold improvements 

Office equipment, fixtures and fittings 
Computer and other equipment 

-  over the lease term 
  of up to 15 years
-  over 5 years
-  over 2, 3 or 5 years

The carrying values of property, plant and equipment 
are reviewed for impairment when events or changes in 
circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable, 
and are written down immediately to their recoverable amount. 
An item of property, plant and equipment is derecognised upon 
disposal or when no future economic benefits are expected to 
arise from the continued use of the asset. The gain or loss arising on 
derecognition of an asset is determined as the difference between 
the sale proceeds and the carrying amount of the asset, and is 
included in the Income Statement in the period of derecognition.

Goodwill
Goodwill arising on consolidation represents the excess of 
the cost of acquisition (fair value of consideration paid) over 
the Group’s interest in the fair value of the identifiable assets, 
liabilities and contingent liabilities of a business at the date of 
acquisition. Goodwill is recognised as an asset and is allocated 
to cash-generating units for purposes of impairment testing. 
Cash-generating units represent the smallest identifiable group of 
assets that generates cash inflows that are largely independent of 
the cash inflows from other assets or groups of assets.

122 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

Business combinations are accounted for using the purchase 
method. Any excess of the cost of the business combination over 
the Group’s interest in the net fair value of the identifiable assets, 
liabilities and contingent liabilities is recognised in the Statement 
of Financial Position as goodwill and is not amortised. To the 
extent that the net fair value of the acquired entity’s identifiable 
assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities is greater than the cost 
of the investment, a gain is recognised immediately in the Income 
Statement. Any goodwill asset arising on the acquisition of equity 
accounted entities is included within the cost of those entities.

After initial recognition, goodwill is stated at cost less any accumulated 
impairment losses, with the carrying value being reviewed for 
impairment, at least annually and whenever events or changes in 
circumstances indicate that the carrying value may be impaired.

For the purpose of impairment testing, goodwill is allocated to the 
related cash-generating units monitored by management, usually 
at business segment level or statutory company level as the case 
may be. Where the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit 
is less than its carrying amount, including goodwill, an impairment 
loss is recognised in the Income Statement.

The carrying amount of goodwill allocated to a cash-generating 
unit is taken into account when determining the gain or loss on 
disposal of the unit, or of an operation within it. 

Intangible assets
Intangible assets are carried at cost less accumulated amortisation 
and accumulated impairment losses.

Intangible assets acquired separately from a business are carried 
initially at cost. An intangible asset acquired as part of a business 
combination, such as a trade name or customer relationship, 
is recognised at fair value outside goodwill if the asset is 
separable or arises from contractual or other legal rights and its 
fair value can be measured reliably. Expenditure on internally 
developed intangible assets, excluding development costs, is 
taken to the Income Statement in the year in which it is incurred. 
Development expenditure is recognised as an intangible asset 
only after all the following criteria are met:

   The project’s technical feasibility and commercial viability can 
be demonstrated 
    The availability of adequate technical and financial resources and 
an intention to complete the project have been confirmed 
   The correlation between development costs and future 
revenue has been established

Following initial recognition, the historic cost model is applied, 
with intangible assets being carried at cost less accumulated 
amortisation and accumulated impairment losses.

Intangible assets with a finite life are amortised over their 
expected useful lives, as follows:

notes to the Financial Statements

Development costs 
Software and licences 

-  straight-line basis over 3 years
-  straight-line basis over the contract 

Trade names 
Customer relationships 
and client lists 

term of up to 5 years

-   sum of digits method over 2 years
-   sum of digits method over 3 to 5  years 

The carrying value of intangible assets is reviewed for impairment 
whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the 
carrying value may not be recoverable. In addition, the carrying 
value of capitalised development expenditure is reviewed for 
impairment annually before being brought into use.

Impairment of assets
At least annually, or when impairment testing is required, the 
Directors review the carrying amounts of the Group’s tangible and 
intangible assets to determine whether there is any indication 
that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such 
indication exists (or at least annually for goodwill), the recoverable 
amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent 
of the impairment loss (if any). Where the asset does not generate 
cash flows that are independent from other assets, the Group 
estimates the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to 
which the asset belongs. 

The recoverable amount is the higher of fair value less selling costs 
and value-in-use. In assessing value-in-use, the estimated future 
cash flows are discounted to their present values using a pre-tax 
discount rate. This rate reflects current market assessments of the 
time value of money as well as the risks specific to the asset for 
which the estimates of future cash flows have not been adjusted.

If the recoverable amount of an asset is estimated to be less than 
its carrying amount, the carrying amount of the asset is reduced 
to its recoverable amount. Impairment losses are recognised as an 
expense immediately. 

An assessment is made at each reporting date as to whether 
there is any indication that previously recognised impairment 
losses may no longer exist or may have decreased. If such 
indication exists, the recoverable amount is estimated. A 
previously recognised impairment loss is reversed only if there 
has been a change in the estimates used to determine the 
asset’s recoverable amount since the last impairment loss was 
recognised. If that is the case, the carrying amount of the asset 
is increased to its recoverable amount. That increased amount 
cannot exceed the carrying amount that would have been 
determined, had no impairment loss been recognised for the 
asset in prior years. A reversal of an impairment loss is recognised 
as income immediately, although impairment losses relating to 
goodwill may not be reversed.

operating leases
Leases are classified as operating leases where the lessor retains 
substantially all the risks and benefits of ownership of the asset. 
Lease payments under an operating lease are recognised as 
an expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term unless 
another systematic basis is more representative of the time 
pattern of the user’s benefit.

Financial instruments 
The Group determines the classification of its financial 
instruments at initial recognition in accordance with the 
categories outlined below, and re-evaluates this designation 
at each financial year-end. When financial instruments are 
recognised initially, they are measured at fair value, being 
the transaction price plus, in the case of financial assets and 
financial liabilities not at fair value through profit or loss, directly 
attributable transaction costs. Financial instruments are disclosed 
in note 32 to the Financial Statements. 

Financial assets and financial liabilities at fair value 
through profit or loss
Financial assets and financial liabilities classified as held for trading, or 
designated as such on inception, are included in this category and 
relate to the financial derivative open positions included in ‘trade 
receivables – due from brokers’ and ‘trade payables – due to clients’ 
as shown in the Statement of Financial Position and related notes. 
Financial instruments are classified as held for trading if they are 
expected to settle in the short-term. The Group uses derivative financial 
instruments in order to hedge derivative exposures arising from open 
client positions, which are also classified as held for trading.

All financial instruments at fair value through the profit and loss are 
carried in the Statement of Financial Position at fair value with gains or 
losses recognised in revenue in the consolidated Income Statement.

Determination of fair value
Financial instruments arising from open client positions and the 
Group’s hedging positions are stated at fair value and disclosed 
according to the valuation hierarchy required by IFRS 7. Fair values 
are predominantly determined by reference to third party market 
values (bid prices for long positions and offer prices for short 
positions) as detailed below:

Level 1: Valued using unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for 
identical financial instruments. 

Level 2: Valued using techniques where a price is derived based 
significantly on observable market data. For example, where an 
active market for an identical financial instrument to the product 
offered by the Group to its clients or used by the Group to hedge 
its market risk does not exist. 

Investments in subsidiaries
Investments in subsidiaries are stated at cost less accumulated 
impairment losses.

Level 3: Valued using techniques that incorporate information 
other than observable market data that is significant to the 
overall valuation.

123

 
 
 
 
noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

37. AccouNTING PoLIcIES  (coNTINuED) 
Derecognition of financial assets and liabilities
A financial asset or liability is generally derecognised when the 
contract that gives rise to it is settled, sold, cancelled or expires. 

Financial assets
A financial asset is derecognised where the rights to receive cash 
flows from the asset have expired; the Group retains the right to 
receive cash flows from the asset, but has assumed an obligation 
to pay them in full without material delay to a third party under a 
‘pass-through’ arrangement; or the Group has transferred its rights 
to receive cash flows from the asset and either (a) has transferred 
substantially all the risks and rewards of the asset, or (b) has 
neither transferred nor retained substantially all the risks and 
rewards of the asset, but has transferred control of the asset.

Where the Group has transferred its rights to receive cash 
flows from an asset and has neither transferred nor retained 
substantially all the risks and rewards of the asset nor transferred 
control of the asset, the asset is recognised to the extent of 
the Group’s continuing involvement in the asset. Continuing 
involvement that takes the form of a guarantee over the 
transferred asset is measured at the lower of the original carrying 
amount of the asset and the maximum amount of consideration 
that the Group could be required to repay.

Financial liabilities
A financial liability is derecognised when the obligation under the 
liability is discharged or cancelled or expires. Where an existing 
financial liability is replaced by another from the same lender on 
substantially different terms, or the terms of an existing liability are 
substantially modified, such an exchange or modification is treated as 
a derecognition of the original liability and the recognition of a new 
liability, such that the difference in the respective carrying amounts, 
together with any costs or fees incurred, are recognised in profit or loss.

Trade receivables and trade payables
Assets or liabilities resulting from profit or losses on open positions are 
carried at fair value. Amounts due from or to clients and brokers are 
netted against other assets and liabilities with the same counterparty 
where a legally-enforceable netting agreement is in place and where it 
is anticipated that assets and liabilities will be netted on settlement.

Trade receivables represent balances with counterparties 
and clients where the combination of cash held on account 
and the valuation of financial derivative open positions result 
in an amount due to the Group. A provision for impairment 
is established where there is objective evidence of non-
collectability. Reference is made to an aged profile of debt and 
the provision is subject to management review.

Trade payables represent balances with counterparties and 
clients where the combination of cash held on account and 
the valuation of financial derivative open positions results in an 
amount payable by the Group.

124 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

Prepayments and other receivables
Prepayments and other receivables are non-derivative financial 
assets with fixed or determinable payments that are not quoted 
in an active market, do not qualify as trading assets and have not 
been designated as fair value through profit and loss. Such assets are 
carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method if the 
time value of money is significant. Gains and losses are recognised 
in income when the receivables are derecognised or impaired, and 
when economic benefit is consumed. A provision for impairment is 
established where there is objective evidence of non-collectability.

cash and cash equivalents
Cash comprises cash on hand and demand deposits which may be 
accessed without penalty. Cash equivalents comprise short-term 
highly liquid investments that are readily convertible into known 
amounts of cash and which are subject to an insignificant risk of 
changes in value. For the purposes of the consolidated cash flow 
statement, net cash and cash equivalents consist of cash and cash 
equivalents as defined above, net of outstanding bank overdrafts.

The Group holds money on behalf of clients in accordance with the 
client money rules of the UK Financial Services Authority (FSA) and 
other regulatory bodies. Such monies are classified as either ‘cash 
and cash equivalents’ or ‘segregated client funds’ in accordance 
with the relevant regulatory requirements. Segregated client 
funds comprise retail client funds held in segregated client money 
accounts or money market facilities. Segregated client money 
accounts hold statutory trust status restricting the Group’s ability to 
control the monies and accordingly such amounts are not held on 
the Group’s Statement of Financial Position. 

The amount of segregated client funds held at year-end is disclosed in 
note 17 to the Financial Statements. The return received on managing 
segregated client funds is included within net operating income.

Title transfer funds are held by the Group under a Title Transfer 
Collateral Arrangement (TTCA) by which a client agrees that full 
ownership of such monies is unconditionally transferred to the 
Group. Title transfers funds are accordingly held on the Group’s 
Statement of Financial Position with a corresponding liability to 
clients within trade payables.

other payables
Non-trading financial liabilities are recognised initially at fair value 
and carried at amortised cost using the effective interest rate 
method if the time value of money is significant. 

Provisions
Provisions are recognised when the Group has a present legal or 
constructive obligation as a result of past events; it is probable 
that an outflow of resources will be required to settle the 
obligation; and the amount can be reliably estimated. Where 
material, provisions are discounted and recognised at the present 
value of expenditures expected to settle the obligation, with the 
unwind of the discount recognised as an interest expense. 

notes to the Financial Statements

Taxation
The income tax expense represents the sum of tax currently 
payable and movements in deferred tax.

The tax currently payable is based on taxable profit for the period. 
Taxable profit differs from net profit as reported in the Income 
Statement because it excludes items of income or expense that 
are taxable or deductible in other periods, and it further excludes 
items that are never taxable or deductible. The Group’s liability for 
current tax is calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or 
substantively enacted by the Statement of Financial Position date.

Deferred tax is generally accounted for on all temporary differences 
between the carrying amount of assets and liabilities in the 
Financial Statements and the corresponding tax basis used in the 
computation of taxable profit. In principle, deferred tax liabilities 
are recognised for all temporary differences, and deferred tax assets 
are recognised to the extent that it is probable that taxable profits 
will be available, against which deductible temporary differences 
may be utilised. Such assets and liabilities are not recognised if the 
temporary difference arises from goodwill (or negative goodwill) or 
from the initial recognition (other than in a business combination) 
of other assets and liabilities in a transaction that affects neither the 
tax profit nor the accounting profit.

Deferred tax liabilities are recognised for taxable temporary 
differences arising on investments in subsidiaries and associates, 
except where the Group is able to control the reversal of the 
temporary difference and it is probable that the temporary 
difference will not reverse in the foreseeable future.

The carrying amount of deferred tax assets is reviewed at each 
Statement of Financial Position date and reduced to the extent 
that it is no longer probable that sufficient taxable profits will be 
available to allow all or part of the asset to be recovered.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured on an undiscounted 
basis at the tax rates that are expected to apply when the related asset 
is realised or liability is settled, based on tax rates and laws enacted 
or substantively enacted at the Statement of Financial Position date. 
Deferred tax is charged or credited in the Income Statement, except 
when it relates to items credited or charged directly to equity, in which 
case the deferred tax is also dealt with in equity.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset when they relate to 
income taxes levied by the same taxation authority and the Group 
intends to settle its current tax assets and liabilities on a net basis.

Equity instruments issued by the Company are recorded as the 
proceeds received, net of direct issue costs. Equity instruments 
are classified according to the substance of the contractual 
arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract 
that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the Group after 
deducting all of its liabilities.

own shares held in Employee Benefit Trusts
Shares held in trust by the Company for the purposes of 
employee share schemes are classified as a deduction from 
shareholders’ equity and are recognised at cost. Consideration 
received for the sale of such shares is also recognised in equity, 
with any difference between the proceeds from the sale and the 
original cost being taken to revenue reserves. No gain or loss is 
recognised in the Income Statement on the purchase, sale, issue 
or cancellation of equity shares.

revenue recognition
Trading revenue represents gains and losses arising on client 
trading activity, primarily in financial spread betting, contracts for 
difference, binary bets or sports spread bets and the transactions 
undertaken to hedge the risk associated with client trading 
activity. Open client and hedging positions are carried at fair 
market value and gains and losses arising on this valuation are 
recognised in revenue as well as gains and losses realised on 
positions that have closed. The policies and methodologies 
associated with the determination of fair value have been 
discussed above under Financial Instruments. 

Revenue is recognised when it is probable that economic benefits 
associated with the transaction will flow to the Group and the 
revenue can be reliably measured.

Trading revenue is reported gross of introductory broker commission 
as these amounts are directly linked to trading revenue. Introductory 
broker commission, along with betting duties paid, are disclosed as 
an expense in arriving at net operating income. 

Finance revenue and interest income on segregated client 
funds is accrued on a time basis, by reference to the principal 
outstanding and at the effective interest rate applicable. 
The effective interest rate is the rate which exactly discounts 
estimated future cash receipts over the expected life of the 
financial asset to that asset’s net carrying amount. Interest income 
on segregated client funds is disclosed within revenue and 
therefore operating profit, as this is consistent with the nature of 
the Group’s operations. 

classification of shares as debt or equity
When shares are issued, any component that creates a financial liability 
of the Group is presented as a liability in the Statement of Financial 
Position, measured initially at fair value net of transaction costs and 
thereafter at amortised cost until extinguished on conversion or 
redemption. The corresponding dividends relating to the liability 
component are charged as interest expense in the Income Statement. 

Net trading revenue, disclosed on the face of the consolidated 
Income Statement and in the notes to the Financial Statements, 
represents trading revenue from financial instruments carried 
at fair value through profit and loss, and has been disclosed net 
of introductory broker commission as this is consistent with 
the management information received by the Chief Operating 
Decision Maker. 

125

noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentS
(continued) 

37. AccouNTING PoLIcIES  (coNTINuED) 
Dividends receivable are recognised when the shareholder’s right 
to receive the payment is established.

operating profit
Operating profit is the sum of the results of the principal activities 
of the Group after charging depreciation of property, plant and 
equipment, amortisation of intangible assets, operating lease 
rentals on land and buildings, foreign exchange differences, 
profit or loss on sale of property, plant and equipment and other 
administrative expenses. 

Exceptional items
Exceptional items are those items of income and expense 
that the Group considers are material and/or of such a nature 
that they merit separate presentation in order to aid a reader’s 
understanding of the Group’s financial performance. 

Finance costs and interest expense on segregated 
client funds
Finance costs and interest expense on segregated client funds 
are accrued on a time basis by reference to the principal amount 
charged at the effective interest rate applicable. The effective 
interest rate is the rate that exactly discounts the future expected 
cash flows to the carrying amount of the liability. Issue costs are 
included in the determination of the effective interest rates.

Interest expense on segregated client funds is disclosed within 
operating profit as this is consistent with the nature of the 
Group’s operations.

retirement benefit costs
The Group operates defined contribution schemes. Contributions 
are charged to the Income Statement as and when they become 
payable according to the rules of the schemes.

Share-based payments
The Company operates three employee share plans: a share 
incentive plan (SIP), a long-term incentive plan (LTIP) and a value 
sharing plan (VSP) all of which are equity-settled. The cost of 
these awards is measured at fair value calculated using option 
pricing models (refer to note 26 for additional detail of the models 
and assumptions used for the various award schemes) and is 
recognised as an expense in the Income Statement on a straight-
line basis over the vesting period based on the Company’s 
estimate of the number of shares that will eventually vest.

At each Statement of Financial Position date before vesting, 
the cumulative expense is calculated representing the extent 
to which the vesting period has expired and management’s 
best estimate of the achievement or otherwise of non-market 
conditions determining the number of equity instruments that 
will ultimately vest. The movement in cumulative expense since 
the previous Statement of Financial Position date is recognised in 

126 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

the Income Statement as part of administrative expenses, with a 
corresponding entry in equity.

The grant by the Company of options over its equity instruments 
to employees of the subsidiary undertakings in the Group is 
treated as a capital contribution. The fair value of the employee 
services received is recognised over the vesting period as an 
increase in the investment in subsidiary undertakings, with a 
corresponding credit to equity. 

Segment information
The Group’s segmental information is disclosed in a manner 
consistent with the basis of internal reports regarding 
components of the Group that are regularly reviewed by the 
Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM) in order to assess 
the performance and to allocate resources to those ‘operating 
segments’. The Group has therefore determined its operating 
segments based on the management information received on a 
regular basis by the Executive Directors of the IG Group Holdings 
plc Board, as they are considered to be the CODM. Operating 
segments that do not meet the quantitative thresholds required 
by IFRS 8 are aggregated.

The Group has also early adopted the ‘IFRS Improvements 
Standard’ issued in April 2009 that provides an amendment to 
IFRS 8 such that segment assets are not required to be disclosed 
as segment assets are not reported to the CODM. 

The Group envisages that the reportable segments may change 
as overseas businesses move towards operational maturity, 
breaking through the quantitative thresholds of IFRS 8. The 
segments are therefore subject to annual review and the 
comparatives restated to reflect any reclassifications within the 
segmental reporting. 

changes in accounting policies
The accounting policies adopted in the preparation of Financial 
Statements are consistent with those followed in the preparation 
of the Group’s Annual Report for the year ended 31 May 2010, 
other than the presentational changes set out below: 

   Introductory broker commissions have been disclosed as a 
component of net operating income, as these commissions are 
directly linked to trading revenue. This change has been made 
in order to present trading revenue on a basis more consistent 
with the nature of the Group’s operations and to increase 
comparability with the Group’s peers. This has resulted in an 
increase in reported trading revenue for the year ended  
31 May 2011 of £32,854,000 and for the year ended 31 May 
2010 of £45,876,000. An equivalent commission expense has 
been recognised in each of these periods. There is no change 
to any of net trading revenue, net operating income or profit 
before taxation for either of these periods

notes to the Financial Statements

   Previously segregated client funds (which comprise retail 
client funds held in segregated client money accounts or 
money market facilities) were held on the Group’s Statement 
of Financial Position within cash and cash equivalents, and the 
corresponding liability to clients within trade and other payables. 
Segregated clients’ funds have been excluded from the Group’s 
Statement of Financial Position in order to better reflect the 
statutory trust status of such monies, including the restrictions 
placed on the Group’s ability to control the funds, as well as 
increase comparability with the Group’s peers. The impact on the 
Financial Statements as well as the amount of segregated client 
funds held at year-end is disclosed in notes 17 and 19 to the 
Financial Statements. A restated five-year Statement of Financial 
Position has been included in the Investor Resources and Other 
Information section of the Annual Report 

New and amended standards adopted by the Group
The Group has adopted the following new or amended standards 
as of 1 June 2010:

   IAS 27 (revised) ‘Consolidated and separate Financial 
Statements’. The revised standard requires the effects of all 
transactions with non-controlling interests to be recorded in 
equity if there is no change in control. The application of the 
amendments to IAS 27 (revised) has not had a material impact 
on the accounting or disclosure of the acquisition completed in 
the period
   IFRS 3 (revised) ‘Business combinations’. The revised standard 
requires that all acquisition costs be expensed and that all 
payments to purchase a business are to be recorded at fair value 
at the acquisition date. Any contingent payments are classified 
as debt and re-measured through the Income Statement. Non-
controlling interests are measured either at fair value or at the 
non-controlling interest proportionate share of the acquiree’s 
net assets. The Group has elected to apply the proportionate 
share of the acquiree’s net assets methodology to the acquisition 
completed in the period. The application of the amendments to 
IFRS3 (revised) has not had a material impact on the accounting 
or disclosure of the acquisition completed in the period 

The following new standards and interpretations are also effective 
for accounting periods beginning 1 June 2010 but have not had a 
material impact on the presentation of, nor the results or financial 
position of the Group:

   IAS 38 (amendment) ‘Intangible assets’. The amendment 
clarifies guidance in measuring fair value of an intangible asset 
acquired in a business combination and permits grouping of 
intangible assets as a single asset if each asset has a similar 
useful economic life 
   IFRS 5 (amendment) ‘Measurement of non-current assets 
(or disposal groups) classified as held for sale’. The 
amendment provides clarification to the existing standard 
disclosure requirements 

   IAS 1 (amendment) ‘Presentation of Financial Statements’. 
The amendment provides clarification that the potential 
settlement of a liability by the issue of equity is not relevant to 
its classification as current or non-current
   IFRS 2 (amendments) ‘Group cash-settled share-based 
payment transactions’. The amendments include IFRIC 8 
and 11 and expand the guidance in IFRIC 11 to address the 
classification of group arrangements not previously covered 

Other new standards, amendments and interpretations, including 
those listed below, have been issued but are not effective for 
accounting periods beginning 1 June 2010 and have not been 
early adopted by the Group: 

   IFRS 9 ‘Financial instruments’, issued in November 2009. 
This standard is the first step in the process to replace IAS 39, 
‘Financial instruments, recognition and measurement’. IFRS 
9 introduces new requirements for classifying and measuring 
financial assets. The standard is not applicable until 1 January 
2013 and has not yet been endorsed by the EU. The Group has 
yet to assess the impact of IFRS 9 
   IAS 24 (revised) ‘Related party disclosures’, issued in November 
2009 (effective after 1 January 2011) 
   IFRS 13 ‘Fair value measurement’ (effective 1 January 2013) 
   IAS 19 (revised 2011) ‘Employee benefits’ (effective  
1 January 2013) 
   Amendment to IFRS 7 ‘Financial instruments: disclosures’ 
(effective 1 July 2011) 
   Amendment to IAS 12 ‘Income taxes’ on deferred tax  
(effective 1 January 2012) 
   Amendment to IAS 1 ‘Presentation of Financial Statements’ 
on OCI (effective 1 July 2012)

The new standards and amendments listed above are not 
expected to have a material impact on the Group or Company.

critical accounting estimates and judgements
The preparation of Financial Statements requires management 
to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts 
reported for assets and liabilities as at the year-end and the 
amounts reported for revenues and expenses during the year. The 
nature of estimates means that actual outcomes could differ from 
those estimates.

In the Directors’ opinion, the accounting estimates or 
judgements that have the most significant impact on the 
Financial Statements are the impairment of trade receivables 
(see note 3 and 33), the calculation of the Group’s taxation 
charge (see note 9(c) and 9(f )), the measurement and 
impairment of goodwill (see note 15), the estimation of  
share-based payment costs (see note 26) and the assessment  
of net market risk and associated disclosures (see note 33).

127

Investor Resources and Other Information
Investor Resources and other Information

INVESTOR 
RESOURCES  
AND OTHER 
INFORMATION

FIvE-YEAr SuMMAr Y 
ExAMPLE: BuYING A SPrEAD BET 
ExAMPLE: SELLING A coNTrAcT For DIFFErENcE 
GLoSSArY oF TErMS 
GLoBAL oFFIcES 
SHArEHoLDEr AND  coMPANY INForMATIoN 
cAuTIoNArY STATEMENT 

130 
134 
136
138 
140 
142
143

129
129

128 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT
128 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

FIve-YeAR SuMMARY

GrouP INcoME STATEMENT 

for the year ended 31 may

net trading revenue
Other net operating income

Net operating income
Adjusted administrative expenses

EBITDA

Depreciation, amortisation and amounts written 
    off property, plant and equipment

EBIT

Finance revenue
Finance costs

2011
£000

2010
£000

2009
£000

320,392
4,863

298,551
1,172

257,089
377

325,255
(151,642)

299,723
(133,782)

257,466
(126,380)

2008
£000

184,008
(621)

183,387
(84,894)

2007
£000

121,990
2,345

124,335
(53,984)

173,613 

165,941

131,086

98,493

70,351

(10,583)

(8,654)

(6,423)

(4,922)

(4,590)

163,030 

157,287

124,663

93,571

65,761

2,402
(2,432)

2,664
(2,312)

2,887
(1,678)

4,047
(628)

3,409
(276)

adjusted profit before taxation

163,000 

157,639

125,872

96,990

68,894

Amortisation and impairment of intangibles 
    arising on consolidation(1)

Profit before taxation

Tax expense

Profit for the year

(155,953)

(17,298)

(14,613)

-

-

7,047

140,341

111,259

96,990

68,894

(32,339)

(38,855)

(32,607)

(29,702)

(21,027)

(25,292)

101,486

78,652

67,288

47,867

(1)  Includes the amortisation and impairment of intangible assets associated with the Group’s Japanese business and impairment of the goodwill associated with the Group’s 

Sport business and related taxation.

Investor Resources and other Information

2011
£000

2010
£000

2009
£000

2008
£000

2007
£000

16,761
117,202

11,264

9,632
265,328

14,264

11,632
260,607

7,562

9,824
112,056

8,053

8,158
107,675

3,940

145,227

289,224

279,801

129,933

119,773

270,104
8,199
124,528

206,243
7,084
128,097

183,085
4,928
99,407

263,323
5,690
102,759

352,628
3,954
93,283

402,831

341,424

287,420

371,772

449,865

548,058

630,648

567,221

501,705

569,638

83,490
45,149
1,427
37,060

57,673
44,825
1,377
38,863

90,642
27,326
-
36,560

213,726
26,715
-
16,508

334,871
18,472
-
14,547

167,126

142,738

154,528

256,949 

367,890

-
1,991
40

2,031

11,463
1,779
40

16,740
-
40

13,282

16,780

-
-
40

40

-
-
40

40

169,157

156,020

171,308

256,989

367,930

378,700
201

471,449
3,179

393,364
2,549

244,676
40

201,668
40

378,901

474,628

395,913

244,716

201,708

GrouP STATEMENT oF FINANcIAL PoSITIoN

as at 31 may

Assets
non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment
Intangible assets
Deferred tax assets

current assets
Trade receivables
Prepayments and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents

totaL assets

Liabilities
current liabilities
Trade payables
Other payables
Provisions
Income tax payable

non-current liabilities
Deferred tax liabilities 
Provisions
Redeemable preference shares

total liabilities

capital and reserves
Total shareholders’ equity
Non-controlling interests

total equity

totaL eQuIty and LIabILItIes

548,058

630,648

567,221

501,705

569,638

Each Statement of Financial Position presented above has been restated in order to be prepared consistently with the accounting policies 
disclosed in the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 May 2011.

130 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

131

oTHEr METrIcS
for the year ended 31 may

earnings per share

Basic adjusted earnings per share
Diluted adjusted earnings per share
Basic (loss) / earnings per share
Diluted (loss) / earnings per share

dividend per share
Interim dividend per share
Final dividend per share

Total dividend per share
Dividend payout ratio (against diluted adjusted EPS)

Profit margin
Adjusted profit before taxation margin(1) 
EBITDA margin(2) 

(1) Calculated as adjusted profit before tax divided by net trading revenue

(2) Calculated as EBITDA divided by net trading revenue

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

32.93p
32.64p
(7.05p)
(7.05p)

5.25p
14.75p

20.0p
61.3%

50.8%
54.2%

30.98p
30.77p
28.19p
28.00p

5.0p
13.5p

18.5p
60.1%

52.8%
55.6%

24.85p
24.74p
22.42p
22.31p

4.0p
11.0p

15.0p
60.7%

49.0%
51.0%

20.62p
20.28p
20.62p
20.28p

3.0p
9.0p

12.0p
59.2%

52.7%
53.5%

14.67p
14.52p
14.67p
14.52p

2.0p
6.5p

8.5p
58.5%

56.5%
57.7%

Investor Resources and other Information

cLIENT METrIcS

for the year ended 31 may

Average revenue per financial client (£)
Number of active financial clients 
Number of financial accounts opened
Number of financial accounts trading for the first time

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2,341
133,580
71,344
49,246

2,425
120,689
81,134
55,674

2,263
109,747
74,331
50,364

3,064
56,291
42,693
29,211

3,184
34,483
23,785
15,809

cLIENT METrIcS  – ExcLuDING IG MArKETS SEcurITIES (ForMErLY  FxoNLINE)
for the year ended 31 may

2010

2011

2009

2008

2007

Average revenue per financial client (£)
Number of active financial clients 
Number of financial accounts opened
Number of financial accounts dealing for the first time

2,491
117,252
60,331
44,803

2,600
103,338
63,757
46,612

2,495
88,336
61,538
44,291

3,064
56,291
42,693
29,211

3,184
34,483
23,785
15,809

132 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

133

exAMple 
BUYING A SPREAD BET

INTroDuc TIoN 
In this example, you decide to buy A plc (assumed to be a FTSE 100 
company) at £100 per point, as you expect that A plc’s share price will 
rise. Later in the day the share price has indeed risen and you decide 
to close your position by selling A plc at our current bid price. 

Your profit is the difference between the buying and selling 
prices, plus or minus any funding charges or other costs 
(discussed in Steps 3 and 5). 

As long as your bet is open, your account will show any ‘running’ 
profit or loss on your open position (not illustrated below). You 
must have deposited sufficient funds to cover any running losses. 

You cannot place a bet without having money in your account. In 
this example, we assume you have £1,000. It is important to note 
that you can make losses in excess of your initial deposit, if the 
market moves against you. 

Step 1 
Opening the position 
A plc is trading in the market at 124.3p/124.6p and our daily 
quote for A plc is 124.1p/124.8p. You decide to buy £100 per point 
at 124.8p, our offer price. In this example one point represents 
a 1p movement in the underlying share price, so your £100 per 
point bet is equivalent to buying 10,000 shares in A plc. 

Step 2
When you open the position, you are required to have the initial 
£622.50 deposit requirement in your account. The available funds 
in your account will therefore fall from £1,000 to £377.50 (i.e. 
£1,000 – £622.50). The available funds remaining in your account 
need to be enough to cover any running losses you may incur, or 
you run the risk of being closed out the bet. 

Step 3 
We will also reflect the impact of any corporate action on the 
underlying share, such as a dividend or a rights issue. In this 
example we have kept things simple and assumed no corporate 
actions occur; however for more details please see our website, 
www.igindex.co.uk. 

Bet details  

Your initial deposit  
requirement(1) 

Spread(2) 

 You buy £100 per point of A plc 
at 124.8p (the offer price) 

£622.50 (calculated as £100 
 (bet size) x 124.45p (the mid  
price) x 5% (the deposit factor))  

 £20 (calculated as the difference 
between the market price and 
our quote (124.8p – 124.6p) x 
£100 per point)

(1)  The deposit factor (and therefore deposit requirement) depends on your account 
type and other factors such as the volatility and liquidity of the underlying share. 

(2)  Our dealing spread varies depending on the market and asset class traded and 

can be variable, especially in volatile market conditions. For examples please see 
our website, www.igindex.co.uk. 

Investor Resources and other Information

Step 4 
Closing the position
In the afternoon the A plc share price has indeed risen and you 
decide to close the position, realising your profit on the bet. At 
this point A plc is trading in the market at 127.3p/127.6p and our 
daily quote is 127.1p/127.8p. 

Bet details  

Gross profit on the bet 

 You sell £100 per point at 127.1p 
(the bid price). 

 £270 (calculated as the market 
price movement of the share          
(127.3p – 124.6p) x £100 per 
point)

Spread  

 £20 (calculated as 127.3p – 
127.1p x £100 per point)

Of course, had the market moved in the opposite direction, you 
would have made a loss of £100 for every penny the share price 
fell, which may have exceeded your initial deposit. 

Step 5
Calculating the profit or loss 

Buying spread (Step 1)  

Client  
(£20.00)  

IG Index(3)
£20.00

Selling spread (Step 4)  

(£20.00)  

£20.00

Gross profit (Step 4)  

£270.00  

(£270.00)

IG Index hedging gain(3) 

n/a  

Net gain  

£230.00  

£270.00

£40.00

For many markets (for example index futures) we build funding 
charges into the quote price. For share Daily Funded Bets we 
make funding adjustments each day at 10pm. We apply funding 
at the rate of one-month LIBOR +/- a spread (generally 2.5%). In 
the example above, if the bet had remained open at 10pm, and 
assuming one-month LIBOR of 0.625%, a funding charge of £1.09 
would have been applied against the client account and recorded 
as revenue for IG Index (calculated as (£100 x 127.8p (assumed 
closing price) x 3.125%) / 365 = £1.09). 

(3)  This simple example assumes IG Index is 100% hedged on the client deal and 

makes an equal and opposite gain on our broker position to the amount paid to 
the client. The cost of our hedging with the broker has been ignored for simplicity. 
Therefore our net profit is £40.00, which is recorded in trading revenue and is 
equivalent to the spread included in our quoted prices.

134 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

135

 
 
 
exAMple 
SELLING A CONTRACT FOR DIFFERENCE

INTroDuc TIoN 
In this example, on Day One you decide to sell a CFD for 10,000 
shares in B plc (assumed to be a FTSE 100 company) as you 
expect B plc’s share price to fall. On Day Two the share price has 
indeed fallen, and you decide to close your position as you now 
believe the share price will rise again. 

As long as your contract is open, your account will show any 
‘running’ profit or loss on your open CFD position (not illustrated 
below). You must have deposited sufficient funds to cover any 
running losses. 

Step 1 
Day One – opening the position 
The quoted bid/offer price for B plc is 126.85p/126.95p. 

Trade details  

Your initial margin  
requirement(1) 

Commission(2) 

  You sell a CFD for 10,000 B plc 
shares at 126.85p (the bid price) 

£634.50 (calculated as 10,000 
 (number of shares) x 126.9p 
(the mid price) x 5% (the margin 
percentage)) 

  £12.69 (calculated as 10,000 
(number of shares) x 126.85p (the 
bid price) x 0.10% (commission)) 

(1)  The margin percentage (and therefore margin requirement) depends on the size 
of your CFD position and other factors such as the volatility and liquidity of the 
underlying share. In this example we have used a margin requirement of 5%.

(2)  Commissions are variable, but for UK FTSE 100 CFDs (as assumed for B plc), this 

was 0.10% on 25 May 2011. 

You cannot place a trade without having money in your account. 
In this example, we assume you have £1,000. It is important to 
note that you can make losses in excess of your initial deposit 
requirement (referred to as ‘margin requirement’ in CFD trading),  
if the market moves against you. 

Step 2
When you open the position, you are required to have enough funds 
in your account to cover the initial margin plus commission on the 
trade. In this example the margin requirement is £634.50 and the 
commission is £12.69, so the available funds in your account will fall 
from £1,000 to £352.81 (i.e. £1,000 – £634.50 – £12.69).

Step 3 
Traditionally, clients who held long positions overnight would need 
to pay a funding charge, while clients with short positions would 
receive interest if held overnight. This charge or interest is calculated 
as the one-month sterling LIBOR rate +/- a spread. However, with 
current market interest rates lower than the spread, clients with short 
positions also incur a charge. As at 25 May 2011, the current LIBOR rate 
was 0.625%, while the spread was 2.5%, resulting in a net financing 
charge of 1.875% for short CFD positions held overnight (which for UK 
CFDs means those open at 10pm UK time). A corresponding long CFD 
position would incur a charge of 3.125%. This is re-calculated daily.

Closing price (Day One)  
Daily interest charged  

127.35p 
 £0.65 (calculated as (10,000 x 
127.35p x 1.875%)/365 days) 

Step 4
We will also reflect the impact of any corporate action on the 
underlying share, such as a dividend or a rights issue. In this 
example we have kept things simple and assumed no corporate 
actions occur; however for more details please see our website, 
www.igmarkets.co.uk. 

Investor Resources and other Information

Step 5
Day Two – closing the position
On Day Two, the share price has fallen and you decide to close the 
position as you believe the price will now rise. The bid/offer price 
at this point is 122.30p/122.40p. 

Step 6
Calculating the profit or loss 

Selling commission (Step 1) 

Client  
(£12.69)  

IG Markets(3)
£12.69

Trade details 

Commission 

Profit per individual  
share  

 You buy a CFD for 10,000 shares 
at 122.40p (the offer price)  

  £12.24 (calculated as 10,000 x 
122.40p x 0.10%) 

4.45p (the difference between 
 the selling and buying price 
(126.85p - 122.40p)) 

Gross profit on  
the trade  

£445.00 (calculated as 10,000 x 
 4.45p) 

Of course, had the market moved in the opposite direction, you 
would have made a loss of £100 for every penny the share price 
gained, which may have exceeded your initial margin outlay. 

Financing charge (Step 3)  

(£0.65)  

Buying commission (Step 5) 

(£12.24) 

£0.65

£12.24

Gross profit (Step 5)  

£445.00 

(£445.00)

IG Markets hedging gain(3) 

n/a 

Net gain  

£419.42 

£445.00

£25.58

(3)  This simple example assumes IG Markets is 100% hedged on the client trade and 
makes an equal and opposite gain on our broker position to the amount paid to 
the client. The cost of our hedging with the broker has been ignored for simplicity. 
Thus our net profit is £25.58, which is recorded in trading revenue and consists of 
the commission and financing charges levied on the client.

136 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

137

 
 
 
 
GloSSARY oF teRMS

aPb

agm

asIc

binary bet

Auditing Practices Board

Annual General Meeting

Australian Securities and Investment Commission

A special form of spread bet with only two outcomes at expiry – if a specific result is achieved, the bet 
is closed at a level of 100. If the result is not achieved, the bet closes at 0. Binary bets therefore have 
something in common with a traditional fixed-odds bet, except that the Group makes a continuous price 
for the binary, between 0 and 100, allowing closure of the bet before the final settlement to crystallise any 
running profits or losses before expiry.

cftc

US Commodities Futures Trading Commission

close-out monitor

The Group’s automatic real-time position-closing system (see the Our Business Risks section in the Business 
Review and Note 33 – Financial Risk Management).

combined code

The Combined Code on Corporate Governance (Combined Code) sets out standards of good practice in 
relation to Board leadership and effectiveness, remuneration, accountability and relations with shareholders.

Provision A3.2 – at least half the Board, excluding the Chairman, should comprise Non-Executive Directors 
determined by the Board to be independent.

Principle A6 – Performance Management – the Board should undertake a formal and rigorous annual 
evaluation of its own performance and that of its committees and individual Directors.

company

IG Group Holdings plc

consolidated regulatory 
capital resources

contract for difference

Tier 1 and Tier 3 capital are calculated under the GENPRU rules of the UK's Financial Services Authority.

A CFD is an agreement to exchange the difference in value of a financial instrument at the time at which 
the contract is opened, and the time at which it is closed. 

Investor Resources and other Information

net Promoter score
(nPs)

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a measure of customer satisfaction found by asking clients the question: 
‘How likely are you to recommend this company to a friend or colleague?’ Respondents reply on a 0-10 
scale, and are categorised as ‘Promoters’ (those answering 9 or 10), ‘Passives’ (those answering 7 or 8) or 
‘Detractors’ (those answering 0 to 6). 

A company’s NPS is then calculated as the percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors. 
Given that the scale is weighted heavily towards detractors, it is not unusual for a company to have a 
negative NPS.

otc

'Over the counter' means non-exchange-traded financial instruments.

Pillar 1 – capital 
resources requirement

Minimum FSA specified rule-based capital requirements for credit, market and operational risk under the 
FSA's BIPRU Rulebook.

Pillar 3 disclosures

Public disclosure of capital adequacy to facilitate the wider market's role in ensuring regulated firms hold 
appropriate levels of capital – disclosed on our corporate website (www.iggroup.com).

Pip

A ‘percentage in point’ is generally, though not always, the fourth decimal place, i.e. 0.0001.  
Used predominantly in forex transactions.

Primary account  
market share 

The percentage of active clients using a firm as their main or sole provider. This is felt to be a more accurate 
measure of market share than the percentage of active clients holding an account with a particular firm.

risk appetite statement

Approved by the Group’s Board of Directors and sets out the level of risk that the Group is willing to take in 
pursuit of its business objectives.

spread bet

A bet on whether a financial market (the underlying market) will rise or fall. We offer two prices on every market; 
the difference is known as the bid/offer spread. If you think a market is set to rise you ‘buy’ at the higher (or offer) 
price, and if you think it will fall you ‘sell’ at the lower (bid) price. Whether you gain or lose money on the bet – and 
how much – depends on the size/direction of any movement in the underlying market.

sIP

Share Incentive Plan

Direct Market Access allows clients to send orders directly into the order book of a stock exchange.

systemic risk

The risk of collapse of an entire financial system, as opposed to specific risk associated with any one 
individual company.

tiered margining

We use a system of four margin tiers ranging from 5% in Tier 1 (small trade sizes) to potentially 90% under 
Tier 4. It includes risk-adjusted margin requirements dependent on specific financial instrument volatility 
and individual client type.

tsr

Total Shareholder Return

variation margin

A margin is collateral that the holder of a financial instrument has to deposit to cover some or all of the 
credit risk of his counterparty. The variation margin is not collateral, but a daily payment of running profits 
and losses on the open position.

dma

fIx

fsa

Ias

IcaaP

IfrIc

Ifrs

IIc

LIbor

LtIP

mtf

The Financial Information eXchange (FIX) Protocol is a series of messaging specifications for the electronic 
communication of trade-related messages. It has been developed through the collaboration of various 
financial institutions.

The UK's Financial Services Authority

International Accounting Standard

Internal Capital Adequacy Assessment Process

International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee

International Financial Reporting Standards (as adopted by the EU)

ICAAP and Individual Liquidity Adequacy Committee

London inter-bank offered rate

Long-term incentive plans

Multilateral trading facilities

138 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

139

GloBAl oFFICeS

Investor Resources and other Information

ASIA PAcIFIc
beijing 
IG Markets Limited Beijing  
Representative Office 
St Regis Hotel Office Building  
Room 901  
9th Floor 
No 21 Jian Guo Men Wai Avenue 
Chao Yang District 
Beijing 
P.R. CHINA 100020 

Melbourne 
IG Markets Limited  
Level 7  
417 St Kilda Road  
Melbourne VIC 3004 
AUSTRALIA 

Singapore 
IG Markets Limited 
22-03 Chevron House  
30 Raffles Place  
SINGAPORE 048622 

Tokyo 
IG Markets Securities Limited  
Shiodome  
City Center 10F  
1-5-2 Higashi-Shinbashi 
Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-7110 
JAPAN 

+86 10 8532 3886
RepOffice@igmarkets.com.cn 
www.igmarkets.com.cn/en

NorTH AMErIcA 
chicago 
Nadex, Inc.  
311 South Wacker Drive  
Suite 2675  
Chicago, IL 60606 
USA 

+1 312 884 0100 
customerservice@nadex.com 
www.nadex.com

AFrIc A 
johannesburg 
IG Markets South Africa Limited  +27 (0)11 467 8500 
Royal Melbourne  
Fourways Golf Park  
Roos Street 
Fourways 
Johannesburg 
SOUTH AFRICA 

helpdesk@igmarkets.co.za 
www.igmarkets.co.za

durban
IG Markets South Africa Limited   +27 (0)31 764 2537
Suite 4 , Aloe Block, Sanyati Park  helpdesk@igmarkets.co.za
3 Abrey Road 
Kloof
3610
KwaZulu-Natal
SOUTH AFRICA 

www.igmarkets.co.za

+61 (3) 9860 1711 
helpdesk@igmarkets.com.au
www.igmarkets.com.au 

+65 6390 5118 
helpdesk@igmarkets.com.sg
www.igmarkets.com.sg

+81 3 6704 8500 
helpdesk@igmarkets.co.jp 
www.igmarkets.co.jp

uK
London (headquarters) 
IG Index Limited 
Cannon Bridge House  
25 Dowgate Hill  
LONDON 
EC4R 2YA 

IG Markets Limited  
Cannon Bridge House  
25 Dowgate Hill  
LONDON 
EC4R 2YA 

extrabet Limited 
Friars House  
157-168 Blackfriars Road  
LONDON 
SE1 8EZ 

+44 (0)20 7896 0011 
helpdesk@igindex.co.uk
www.igindex.co.uk

+44 (0)20 7896 0011
helpdesk@igmarkets.com
www.igmarkets.co.uk

EuroPE (ExcLuDING uK) 
amsterdam
IG Markets Netherlands  
Paascheuvelweg 1 
1105 BE Amsterdam 
NETHERLANDS 

düsseldorf 
IG Markets Limited  
Zweigniederlassung Deutschland 
Berliner Allee 10  
40212 Düsseldorf 
GERMANY 

+31 (0)20 7946 610 
info@igmarkets.nl
www.igmarkets.nl

+49 (0) 211 88 23 70 00 
info@igmarkets.de
www.igmarkets.de

Lisbon 
IG Markets Limited  
Av. Eng. Duarte Pacheco  
Amoreiras, Torre 1  
6⁰ andar, Escritório 6 
1070-101 Lisboa 
PORTUGAL 

Luxembourg 
IG Markets Limited  
15, rue du fort Bourbon  
L1249  
LUXEMBOURG 

Madrid 
IG Markets Limited  
Paseo de la Castellana, 13  
Planta 1a, Derecha  
28046 Madrid 
SPAIN 

Milan 
IG Markets Limited  
Via Cesare Correnti, 12  
20123 Milano  
ITALY 

Paris 
IG Markets Limited  
17 Avenue George V  
75008 Paris  
FRANCE 

Stockholm 
IG Markets Limited  
Stureplan 2  
114 35 Stockholm  
SWEDEN 

+351 800 814 763 
info@igmarkets.pt
www.igmarkets.pt

+352 24 87 11 17 
info@igmarkets.lu
www.igmarkets.lu

+34 91 414 15 15 
info@igmarkets.es
www.igmarkets.es

+39 800 897 582 
italiandesk@igmarkets.it 
www.igmarkets.it

+33 (0)1 70 70 81 18 
info@igmarkets.fr 
www.igmarkets.fr

+46 (0)8 5051 5000 
kundservice@igmarkets.se 
www.igmarkets.se

140 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

141

 
 
SHAReHoldeR And CoMpAnY InFoRMAtIon

rEcEIvING SHArEHoLDEr INForMATIoN   
BY EMAIL 
As an alternative to receiving material by post, you may supply 
the Company with an email address and we will alert you 
whenever shareholder communications are added to the 
Company website. Simply visit www.capitashareportal.com and 
register online for electronic communications (‘e-coms’).

rEcEIvING SHArEHoLDEr INForMATIoN  BY 
MEANS oF our corPorATE WEBSITE 
For many shareholders, it will be convenient to access shareholder 
information on our corporate website at www.iggroup.com. We 
will notify you by post, or by email if you have elected for e-coms, 
whenever shareholder information is added to the website, as 
well as where you can access it on the site. 

If you subsequently wish to change your election, or to receive 
documents or information by post, you can do so by contacting 
the Company’s registrars at: 

Capita Registrars 
Freepost Plus RLYX-GZTU-KRRG
SAS 
The Registry 
34 Beckenham Road
Beckenham
BR3 4TU

Or by telephone on: 0871 664 0391 (calls cost 10p per minute 
plus network extras; lines are open 9am – 5.30pm, Mon-Fri).  
Telephone number from outside the UK: +44 (0) 20 8639 3367.

2011 Final Dividend Dates 
Ex-dividend date 
Record date  
Last day to elect for DRIP  
AGM  
Payment date 

7 September 2011 
9 September 2011 
16 September 2011 
6 October 2011 
11 October 2011 

Annual shareholder calendar 
(a) Company reporting 
Final results announced  
Annual Report published  
FY12 Q1 Interim Management Statement   w/c 5 September 2011
Annual General Meeting  
FY12 Interim results announced  
FY12 Q3 Interim Management Statement   w/c 5 March 2012 

6 October 2011 
w/c 16 January 2012 

19 July 2011 
August 2011 

(b) Dividend payment 
Interim  
Final 

March 
October 

Interim report 
As part of our e-coms programme, we have decided not to 
produce a printed copy of our Interim Report. Instead the Interim 
Report will be published on our website and will be available 
from around mid-January each year. 

Investor Resources and other Information

Brokers 
UBS Limited 
1 Finsbury Avenue 
London EC2M 2PP 

Numis Securities Limited 
10 Paternoster Square 
London EC4M 7LT 

Registered Office 
Cannon Bridge House 
25 Dowgate Hill 
London EC4R 2YA 

Registered Number 
04677092 

cautionary Statement 
Certain statements included in our 2011 Annual Report, or 
incorporated by reference to it, may constitute ‘forward-looking 
statements’ in respect of the Group’s operations, performance, 
prospects and/or financial condition. 

By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve 
uncertainties because they relate to events, and depend 
on circumstances, that will or may occur in the future. If the 
assumptions on which the Group bases its forward-looking 
statements change, actual results may differ from those expressed 
in such statements. The forward-looking statements contained 
herein reflect knowledge and information available at the date 
of this presentation and the Group undertakes no obligation to 
update these forward-looking statements. 

This report does not constitute or form part of any offer or 
invitation to sell, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase any 
shares or other securities in the Company and nothing in this 
report should be construed as a profit forecast. 

coMPANY INForMATIoN  
Directors 
Executive Directors 
T A Howkins (Chief Executive) 
C F Hill
P G Hetherington 
A R MacKay 

Non-Executive Directors 
J R Davie (Chairman) 
D A Currie
S G Hill
D M Jackson 
N B le Roux (Deputy Chairman) 
R P Yates (Senior Independent Director) 

Company Secretary 
B Messer 

Auditors 
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 
7 More London Riverside
London
SE1 2RT

Bankers 
Lloyds Banking Group plc 
10 Gresham Street 
London EC2V 7AE 

Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc 
280 Bishopsgate 
London EC2M 4RB 

Solicitors 
Linklaters 
1 Silk Street 
London EC2Y 8HQ 

Registrars 
Capita Registrars 
The Registry 
34 Beckenham Road 
Beckenham 
Kent BR3 4TU 

142 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

143

IG Group Holdings plc
Cannon Bridge House
25 Dowgate Hill
London
EC4R 2YA
Tel: 020 7896 0011 
Fax: 020 7896 0010
www.iggroup.com

1 | IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC | 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

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