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FY2018 Annual Report · TransUnion
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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CONTENTS 

Company information 
2 
Chairman’s Statement 
3 
6 
Group Strategic Report 
12  Report of the Directors 
18  Audit Committee Report 
19  Report of the Independent Auditor 
26  Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income 
28  Consolidated Statement of Financial Position 
29  Company Statement of Financial Position 
30  Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity 
31  Company Statement of Changes in Equity 
32  Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows 
33  Company Statement of Cash Flows 
34  Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       1 

 
 
 
COMPANY INFORMATION 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Directors 

Simon Henry Kenner (Chairman & Chief Executive Officer) 
James van den Bergh (Deputy Chief Executive Officer) 
Raxita Kapashi (Chief Financial Officer) 
Steve Baldwin (Senior Independent Non-Executive Director) 
Peter Whiting (Non-Executive Director) 
Penny Judd (Non-Executive Director) 
Paul Dentskevich (Non-Executive Director) 

Company Secretary 

Ocorian Secretaries (Jersey) Limited 

Registered Office 

Business Address 

26 New Street 
St Helier 
Jersey JE2 3RA 

4 Bentinck Street 
London 
W1U 2EF 

Registered Number 

125245 

Auditor 

Nominated Advisor and 
Broker 

Joint Broker 

Advisors 

Deloitte LLP 
2 New Street Square 
London EC4A 3BZ 

Macquarie Capital (Europe) Limited 
Ropemaker Place 
28 Ropemaker Street 
London EC2Y 9HD 

Liberum Capital Limited 
25 Ropemaker Street 
London EC2Y 9LY 

Travers Smith LLP (Solicitors – UK law) 
10 Snow Hill 
London EC1A 2AL 

Ogier (Solicitors – Jersey law) 
44 Esplanade 
St Helier 
Jersey JE4 9WG 

Equiniti (Jersey) Limited (Registrar) 
26 New Street 
St Helier 
Jersey JE2 3RA 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

A year of continued progress with a material restructuring to meet the needs of a changing world. 

As I write this Chairman’s Statement reflecting on the whole of 2018, it is hard not to concentrate on the very 
immediate  focus  of  the  Group  notably  the  announcement  today  of  the  proposed  demerger  of  DFC  and  its 
Admission to trading on AIM.  In the view of the Directors, this is necessary to give DFC the best possible chance 
of obtaining a bank licence in the short to medium term and is in the best interests of our shareholders. 

Before I address the restructuring in detail let me first reflect on the results and progress made by the Group 
during the year.  We said at the IPO, that our businesses were set to scale and 2018 was a year that confirmed 
precisely that.  To that end I am pleased to announce that the progress announced at the interim results stage 
has continued into the second half of the year resulting in annual gross revenues increasing by in excess of 150% 
during 2018. 

The customer franchise across the subsidiaries has, as anticipated, grown in strength and depth over the year.  
The demand for our product offerings has been strong and the consistent theme from customers has been the 
strength of our customer offering and service – put simply we are good at what we do and customers want 
more of it!  As such, we are justifiably proud and we look to this as a core value and business differentiator as 
the Group progresses.  

Looking across the Group notable achievements during the year include: 

•  DFC surpassing 500 UK dealers signing on to its financing programmes 

•  Oxygen continuing its pursuit of market leadership in the UK public sector with a more than doubling of 

its live clients 

•  Satago seeing the first funded customers as a direct result of its investment in partnerships  

•  Zopa obtaining its bank licence with restriction  

However, this success has also created a situation where demand for resources, most notably capital, has been 
greater than we had anticipated.  Nowhere has the thirst for capital been greater than at DFC where the team 
has been extremely effective in both client and product mix management.  As DFC goes forward, the securing 
of a bank licence becomes ever more important and remains the Group’s priority.  

With such strength in the underlying business, it was undoubtedly disappointing to have to announce a delay 
to the granting of DFC’s bank licence in December 2018.  However, we have been working assiduously to resolve 
this situation as quickly as possible. 

The result is the announcement today of a restructuring of the Group that will, subject to our shareholders 
approval, result in: 

•  the sale of our investment in Zopa for £44.5 million 

•  an equity investment of £25 million in DFC  

•  the demerger and Admission of DFC to trading on AIM in early May 2019 

This proposed restructuring has been driven by the primary consideration namely that of obtaining a banking 
licence for DFC. The regulatory authorities and our advisors have been extremely resourceful in establishing, 
what we believe is, a  basis  on which  to go forward successfully and thus now enable DFC to be  in the best 
possible position to obtain its bank licence in the short to medium term. We anticipate a final conclusion to this 
process shortly. 

In addition to this, the restructuring also anticipates the sale of our investment in Zopa for £44.5 million which 
is an uplift of 22% on the independent valuation at the end of 2017.  The proceeds from this will be used to 
invest a further £25 million in DFC and the remainder will be used to fund the existing businesses and form the 
basis of a proposed £10 million return of value to shareholders during 2019. 

At the time of the TruFin IPO we told shareholders of our plans and ambitions.  Today’s news, whilst radically 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       3 

 
CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT (CONTINUED)  
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

changing the Group, is in reality an early execution of some aspects of those plans and we believe represents 
what is in the best interest of shareholders.  It provides certainty across the businesses, and going forward, 
management  remains  committed  to  delivering  value  for  shareholders  from  the  existing  businesses,  whilst 
continuing to seek out further opportunities.  

Our Performance 

Demand in each of our businesses was strong throughout the year and we have seen this continue post year 
end. 

DFC and Satago 

•  Combined  loans  and  advances  to  customers  were  approaching  £130  million  at  31  December  2018 

representing growth in excess of 290% from the previous year  

•  Combined revenue grew to £6.6 million for the year ended 31 December 2018 representing an increase of 

450% since 2017, highlighting the strong growth trajectory of these companies 

•  DFC ended the year with in excess of 500 dealers signed on to its financing programmes in the UK on behalf 

of 45 manufacturers, representing 117% and 69% year on year growth respectively  

•  Clients signing up to Satago’s digital platform has increased markedly during the year and the development 

of partnerships with leading accounting and financial institutions continues apace 

•  At DFC there were a minimal amount of actual defaults and no write offs during the period 

•  Operating expenses grew over the period, driven by new hires and professional services costs arising from, 

inter alia, DFC’s banking application to the regulatory authorities 

•  DFC’s application for a UK  banking  licence progressed during the year. However, in December 2018,  we 
announced a delay to DFC obtaining a bank licence. After due consideration and in order to provide DFC 
with the best possible opportunity of obtaining a bank licence in the short to medium term, we have decided 
to propose a demerger and Admission of DFC to trading on AIM. 

Oxygen 

•  Oxygen continued to make significant progress in the public sector with the number of  live clients rising 

more than 100% during 2018 

•  Oxygen secured contracts with significant new clients resulting in total annual procurement spend under 

contract moving to £19.7 billion annually by the year end representing a growth of over 74% 

•  Efforts to monetise these client wins are starting to see results with revenues rising to £2.9 million  

•  In August 2018, Oxygen acquired  100% of Porge Limited (“Porge”).  Porge provides an evidence based 
public sector market insight service and research product.  This provides Oxygen with an additional product 
offering  and  initial  indications  are  that  this  has  been  warmly  welcomed  by  existing  customers  of  both 
companies.  

Zopa 

•  During the year, Zopa has continued its digital disruption story, and 2018 saw an upward revaluation in 

the Group’s investment of £8.0 million to £44.5 million 

•  In December 2018, Zopa was granted a banking licence with restrictions, a critical milestone for Zopa on 

its journey towards a full banking licence 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       4 

 
CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT (CONTINUED)  
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

•  As part of the Group’s restructuring the sale of this stake for £44.5 million has been announced. 

For the Group as a whole, operating loss before tax excluding share-based payments was £12.8 million which 
was in line with expectations. 

Current trading and prospects 

•  2019  has  commenced  well  and  Group  revenues  for  the  first  quarter  ended  31  March  2019  were  £3.9 

million (unaudited) 

•  As  at  31  March  2019,  the  combined  loans  and  advances  from  DFC  were  not  less  than  £142  million 

(unaudited), representing growth in excess of 25% since 31 December 2018 

•  DFC’s client base of 26 manufacturers and 246 dealers at the time of TruFin’s IPO has expanded rapidly to 
58 active manufacturers and 616 dealers as at 31 March 2019, with proposals signed with a further 48 
manufacturers  

•  Satago  is  experiencing  strong  demand  to-date  during  2019  from  the  partnerships  it  has  formed,  with 

capital being the constraining factor.  

Our Strategy 

Our  strategy  remains  to  operate  and  create  a  stable  of  niche  lenders  and  early  payment  providers  with  a 
primary focus on Europe.  

  The proposed restructuring demonstrates our focus on delivering value for shareholders. We believe it will 
provide DFC the best opportunity to achieve a bank licence whilst providing certainty to the rest of the Group. 

Moreover, the sale of our investment in Zopa ( which showed a 22% increase in value during 2018) represents 
a pragmatic approach to ensuring the Group is adequately funded to pursue its businesses objectives. 

A return of value to shareholders of £10 million during 2019 is being proposed. Meanwhile, the Directors are 
focused on ensuring that the remaining businesses deliver on their business plans. 

Our Outlook 

The  Directors  believe  that  the  organic  growth  opportunities  for  the  businesses  remain  strong  whilst  the 
proposed restructuring is a pragmatic solution that delivers the best opportunity for DFC  to obtain a bank 
licence in the short to medium term.   

The demerger does provide us with an opportunity to reflect with pride on the growth of DFC into what it is 
today - an origination engine.  We wish them well for the future. 

Meanwhile we look forward to developing the next powerful origination engine from our remaining stable of 
businesses or one out there waiting to be found. 

Henry Kenner 

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer  

17 April 2019 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       5 

 
 
 
 
GROUP STRATEGIC REPORT 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Goals and Objectives 

The strategic goal is to operate and create a stable of niche lenders and payment providers whether through 
organic growth or acquisition. 

The  Directors  believe  that  each  of  the  current  businesses  operates  in  attractive  niche  markets  with  the 
commensurate benefits associated with high sustainable returns. TruFin’s flexible product offerings focus on 
customer  service  and  the  delivery  of  extremely  effective  technology  allows  it  to  address  challenges  of 
scalability and increased customer acquisition costs. As such, TruFin is committed to continue investing in both 
its people and technology. 

To achieve the strategic goal, the first deliverable is to demonstrate to the shareholders and customers that 
the business strategy as applied to the existing businesses can deliver for all interested parties. As such, the 
focus of the management teams’ efforts is on optimising the performance of the existing businesses. 

At  present, the  Directors  continue  to  believe  that  the  individual  businesses  will  flourish  optimally  through 
organic growth. However, the Directors will also continue to monitor acquisition opportunities that arise in 
the normal course of business. 

At the time of writing the Board are pursuing the demerger of DFC from the Group as a strategic goal to enable 
it to have the best opportunity to obtain a banking licence. 

The Directors have the following strategic objectives for each business: 

Oxygen’s future objectives and strategy 

Oxygen has continued to build new client and supplier relationships which, given the operational gearing in 
the business, are expected to lead in turn to profitability and enhanced performance.  During 2018 Oxygen 
signed  up  19  new  clients  and  as  such  saw  procurement  spend  under  contract  rise  to  £19.7  billion  by  31 
December 2018.  The sales pipeline for 2019 remains robust.   

With  sales  seemingly  secure,  the  main  focus  remains  on  monetising  for  both  the  live  clients  and  Oxygen 
following implementation of the programmes. Building on 2017, 2018 has seen Oxygen implement several 
new  initiatives  both  internally  and  externally  to  improve  this.  With  a  continued  focus  during  2019,  the 
Directors remain confident of continued progress.  

In the medium term, Oxygen  aims to continue its expansion in the UK public sector including with smaller 
councils and through further expansion into the NHS and Central Government. Simultaneously, Oxygen will 
pursue growth in the corporate sector, initially targeting large corporates with similar characteristics to the 
public sector. 

Additionally, Oxygen plans to expand its product offering to its customer base.  To that end it acquired Porge 
during 2018 and this has now been integrated into Oxygen.  The strategy here is to roll out this research insight 
service to existing customers of both companies. 

Satago’s future objectives and strategy 

At the TruFin IPO we stated that Satago was a nascent business with great potential. During 2018, that potential 
has begun to be realised with the loan increasing to £15.4 million at the year end. 

In the core invoice financing business, customer acquisition is the key to success.  The business’s strategy was, 
and remains, to adopt a partnership model as a means of gaining the necessary traction and brand awareness.  
During 2018 the number of interested partners has grown materially and the business is starting to see the 
direct benefits in terms of business volumes.  The management is extremely optimistic as to these materialising 
further during 2019 and forming the basis for future growth. 

As  the  business  has  grown  the  demand  for  a  wider  range  of  financing  products  has  become  increasingly 
apparent and as  such  it a strategic objective to explore the launching of such products during 2019.  These 
products will initially focus on other short term working capital facilities and will round out the business’s overall 
customer offering. 

Satago’s technology has been a key factor in attracting potential partners and customers.  To that end it is a 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       6 

 
GROUP STRATEGIC REPORT (CONTINUED)  
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

core objective to continue to invest in the platform. 

With an increasing market presence and the business’s technological strength, various fee-paying services are 
now being considered in addition to the core lending business as another source of revenues. 

In addition, to the core business there is speciality lending.  This occurs where there is a specific niche funding 
vertical which exhibits attractive funding opportunities whilst the niche operator itself also requires working 
capital.    Currently,  the  business  has  exposure  to  two  such  verticals  namely  mobile  games  publishing  and 
independent financial intermediaries. It is a strategic goal to continue to explore for further niche verticals.  

Satago  will  target  origination  of  high  yielding  short-dated  working  capital  assets,  while  managing  risk  via  a 
superior understanding of the credit risk of prospective counterparties provided by its advanced technology 
and fully integrated customer business model. 

Satago’s strategy for effecting this is to focus on building the right strategic partnerships to drive lead generation 
and to use its technology platform to take advantage of any disruptive trends in the industry. 

The Directors recognise that Satago needs to extend its product range and continue enhancing its proprietary 
technology. This will enable Satago to increase its customer satisfaction and to explore opportunities presented 
by regulatory change and the demand for advanced receivables finance and short term working capital loans. 

DFC’s future objectives and strategy 

DFC’s loan book grew strongly during 2018 with the loan book ending the year at £114 million. This was all 
achieved through increased customer penetration in terms of the number of manufacturers being signed up 
to the programme expanding to 45 and number of dealers to 533. 

Accordingly, revenues grew to £5.2 million in 2018 and costs rose as staff numbers increased as DFC readied 
itself for a banking  licence.    The  interest expense expanded as the financing  facility  became  a  core  tool in 
facilitating customer demand. 

DFC  will  continue  to  build  its  book  of  distribution  finance  assets  via  established  client  relationships  and 
continues to pursue a banking licence. As specified in its Regulatory Business Plan, DFC will in the medium 
term  launch  a  leasing  product  suite  for  the  dealer-to-consumer  leg  of  each  business  vertical  in  which  it  is 
operates. This will complement the wider working capital product offering. 

From the successful stock market listing proceeds, £36 million equity has been invested in the year to enable 
DFC  to  execute  its  business  plan  with  a  further  £25  million  being  invested  post  year  end  as  part  of  the 
restructuring and demerger. 

DFC has made an application for a bank licence in order to scale its balance sheet and provide a wider range 
of defined products across the SME and consumer lending environment.  As described earlier, this licence has 
been delayed and much focus had been on creating the optimal structure in which to have DFC obtain a bank 
licence.   

This structure is now achieved and, subject to shareholders approval, a demerger and listing of DFC will occur 
shortly.  A such, it is likely that we will see the departure of DFC from the TruFin family.  Whilst this departure 
is earlier than we originally anticipated we are immensely proud of DFC and wish them well in what looks to 
be an exciting future. 

Zopa 

Zopa  is  a  technology-led  financial  services  innovator  and  is  currently  a  leading  UK  consumer  peer-to-peer 
lender. 

In December 2018, Zopa was granted a bank licence with restrictions. This will enable Zopa to lend directly 
from its own balance sheet and offer customers a broader set of products (including deposits, credit cards and 
auto loans) and services. In doing so, it will significantly increase its addressable market and capture the full 
return from these loans, as opposed to solely a brokerage fee. 

As at 31 December 2018, the holding in Zopa which is accounted for as investment was valued by an external 
independent valuer at £44.5 million. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       7 

 
GROUP STRATEGIC REPORT (CONTINUED)  
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

As part of the restructuring announced today this investment is due to be sold to Arrowgrass Master Fund 
subject to shareholder approval for £44.5 million representing an uplift of 22% on 31 December 2017.  As such 
the Group will no longer have any involvement with Zopa.  We wish them well in the future. 

Technologically advanced 

The  Directors  fundamentally  believe  that,  together  with  origination,  technology  is  the  key  component  in 
bringing the Group as the provider of finance closer to its current and future customers, the consumers of 
finance. As such, the  Directors  have  placed great emphasis across TruFin on building or  utilising the latest 
technology to deliver products more effectively to its customers. 

TruFin  has  built  leading  edge  proprietary  technology  that  gives  it  a  competitive  advantage.  The  Directors 
believe  that  this  will  represent  an  increasingly  important  part of  the  Group’s  ability  to  satisfy  the  growing 
expectations  of  its  existing  and  future  customers.  The  Directors  are  therefore  committed  to  ensuring 
continued investment in this area. 

Key Performance Indicators 

£’000 

Gross Revenue 

Loan Book 
KPIs (unaudited) 

DFC: # of Manufacturers signed up 

DFC: # of Dealers on to programme 

DFC: # of Active Dealers signed up 

Oxygen: Clients’ total annual procurement spend under contract 

Principal Risks and uncertainties 

Year ended 
31 December 
2018 
9,544   

  Year ended 
31 December 
2017 

3,774 

As at 
31 December 
2018 

  As at 
31 December 
2017 

129,221   

32,709 

45   

533   

424   
£19.7bn   

26 

246 

163 

£11.3bn 

The directors of TruFin plc confirm that we have carried out a robust assessment of the principal risks facing the 
Group, including those that would threaten its business model, future performance, solvency or liquidity. 

Principal Risks are a risk or combination of risks that, given the Group’s current position, could seriously affect 
the  performance,  future  prospects  or  reputation  of  the  Group.  These  risks  could  potentially  threaten  the 
businesses, performance, solvency or liquidity, or prevent the delivery of the strategic objectives. The Board 
has overall responsibility for ensuring that risk is appropriately managed across the Group. 

As well as external reviews and audits from the Group’s statutory auditors, the Group has internal checks and 
policies. Initial responsibility rests with the management team of each business for identifying and managing 
risks arising in their business areas. This is augmented by the Group’s central compliance and finance function 
with responsibility for reporting to the Board. 

The key risks identified and which the Board has reasonable expectation are appropriately mitigated are: 

•  Strategic risk – Strategic and business risk is the risk which can affect the Group’s ability to achieve its 
corporate and strategic objectives.  The risk on the performance of the Group arising from its strategic 
decisions,  change  in  the  business  conditions,  improper  implementation  of  decisions  or  lack  of 
responsiveness to industry changes. It is particularly important as the Group continues its growth strategy. 
Mitigating factors are: the Group will not put its core strategic and business objectives at a level of risk 
which is beyond its financial resources and operational capabilities; the Group will monitor, review and 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
   
GROUP STRATEGIC REPORT (CONTINUED)  
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

challenge  its  performance  against  its  strategic  objectives.  The  Strategic  risk  for  the  Group  remains 
unchanged from the previous year. 

•  Credit  risk  –  the  risk  of  default,  potential  write-off,  risk  of  financial  loss  arising  from  a  borrower  or 
counterparty failing to meet its financial obligations. This is mitigated by the Group adopting prescribed 
lending policies and adhering to strict credit and underwriting criteria specifically tailored to each business 
area. The exposure to credit risk has increased since the previous year as the size of the loan book has 
grown significantly. The loans issued are in most cases collateralised to a large extent and the majority of 
the  loans  are  short  dated  and  therefore  the  risk  of  loss  is  mitigated  to  the  extent  the  Directors  deem 
appropriate in accordance with the relevant risk policies. 

•  Funding risk  –  the risk of the Group not being able to meet its current and future financial obligations over 
time,  specifically  that  funding  is  not  available  to  meet  the  Group’s  growth  targets.  The  Group’s  major 
shareholder is very supportive and the strategic sale of Zopa in the coming weeks will release sufficient 
capital to fund DFC and the remaining Group for the foreseeable future. The Group will also be reviewing 
costs and efficiencies.  

•  Operational risk  –  which is the risk of financial loss and/or reputational damage resulting from inadequate 
or failed internal processes, people and systems or from external events. The exposure to operational risk 
has increased from the previous year as the businesses have grown.  Mitigants are:- the Group reviews its 
operational infrastructure to ensure that it is secure and fit for purpose. The Group maintains a strong 
internal control environment and the growth has also factored in strengthening processes and systems. 

•  Liquidity risk – The restructuring which takes place after the reporting period and which is discussed in 
note  28,  Post  Balance  Sheet  Events,  is  significant  and  the  sale  of  Zopa  together  with  the  demerger 
represents a fundamental change in the business of TruFin. There is an execution risk that these events do 
not happen. The Sale and Purchase agreement relating to the sale of the Group’s investment in Zopa to 
Arrowgrass Master Fund (“Arrowgrass”) contains a Material Adverse Change clause which states that if 
between exchange and completion there is a material adverse change then Arrowgrass has the right not 
proceed to completion. The date of exchange document is on 17 April 2019 and completion is timetabled 
for 7 May 2019. 

A  Material  Adverse  Change  means  a  material  adverse  change  in  the  business,  operations,  assets, 
management or legal, financial, tax or regulatory position of Zopa. 

In the event that the sale of the Group’s investment in Zopa does not complete, then TruFin will not be 
able to provide DFC with £25 million of equity funding within the existing arrangements. TruFin will then 
need to consider whether a demerger and subsequent IPO should proceed given the risk that DFC may not 
be fully capitalised. The consequence of DFC not being demerged would likely result in a delay and/or 
reapplication of the bank licence. 

•  Brexit risk  –  DFC’s structure and license requirements are not impacted by Brexit as it only lends to UK 
based firms from a UK legal entity. DFC could be impacted by varying demand for credit and higher loss 
rates from customers  due to changes  in macro-economic factors (such as weak GDP or higher  interest 
rates in the UK), or from higher costs of doing business for DFC’s customers (such as higher import prices 
due to potential new tariffs or extreme movements in the purchasing power of Sterling). These potential 
risks  could  impact  DFC’s  customers  margins,  profitability  and  in  more  extreme  scenarios  lead  to  much 
higher levels of insolvency. However, as DFC is primarily a secured lender on short duration loans with 
uncommitted  lines,  there  are  a  number  of  management  levers  which  can  be  applied  rapidly  and  the 
Directors will continue  to actively monitor the situation to ensure customers are supported within the 
agreed risk appetite.   

Oxygen and Satago has predominantly UK customers and suppliers, limiting any expected adverse impact 
of Brexit. 

On  this  basis  Brexit  is  not  expected  to  cause  a  material  adverse  impact  on  the  Group’s  resources.  The 
Directors will continue to closely monitor the economic and political situation in the UK and the EU and 
adjust the operating and business models where appropriate. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       9 

 
GROUP STRATEGIC REPORT (CONTINUED)  
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Strict adherence to managing risk 

The Group manages such risks, among other things, with robust systems and processes, guidelines and policies 
which are forward-looking, clearly articulated, documented and communicated throughout the businesses and 
which enable the accurate identification and control of potentially problematic transactions and events. 

Due to DFC and Satago being lending businesses, they each have their own risk committees and formal risk 
procedures in place that aim to manage risk effectively. The systems and processes, guidelines and policies are 
continually  reviewed  and  updated  and  effectively  communicated  to  all  personnel  to  ensure  that  resources, 
governance and infrastructure are appropriate for the increasing size and complexity of the business. 

The  Group  manages  the  risks  by  making  complex  judgements,  including  decisions  (based  on  assumptions 
about economic factors) about the level and types of risk that it is willing to accept in order to achieve its 
business objectives, the maximum level of risk the Group can assume before breaching constraints determined 
by liquidity needs and its regulatory and legal obligations, including, amongst other things, from a conduct and 
prudential perspective. 

Funding 

TruFin successfully listed on AIM raising on 21 February 2018 raising £66 million of net proceeds from the IPO. 

During the year, the Group provided equity funding to DFC for £36 million and a loan of £10 million. DFC signed 
an initial £40 million committed facility with a leading bank in 2017, the facility was increased to £100 million in 
2018. The funding was instrumental in DFC’s loan book growth during 2018 and for DFC to invest in people, 
processes and systems to build out its operations that are commensurate with being a bank. 

During  the  year,  the  Group  extended  net  facilities  to  Satago  totalling  £2  million;  this  facility  is  funding  the 
continuation  of  Satago’s  development  and  loan  book  growth.  The  team  continues  to  invest  in  the  ongoing 
development of its proprietary technology platform and in securing strategic partnerships over the coming year. 

During the year, the Group extended facilities to Oxygen totalling £5 million. £2 million of this funding was for 
the acquisition of Porge Limited and the remaining £3 million was to fund Oxygen’s investment in client take-
on and supplier on-boarding. 

Significant events post balance sheet  

On 17 April 2019, DFC increased its existing wholesale funding from £100 million to £155 million and extended 
the term by 12 months such that the funding line has a maturity of December 2020. 

DFC’s  application  for  its  banking  licence  progressed  in  2018.  In  December  2018,  the  regulator  raised  some 
queries relating to the structure of the Group.  In order to give DFC the best opportunity to obtain its banking 
licence it is proposed to demerge and IPO DFC on AIM. Whilst this is consistent with TruFin’s broader longer-
term strategy (namely that of maximising shareholder value through disposal when appropriate) the proposed 
demerger  is  earlier  than  anticipated.  Nevertheless,  the  structure,  size,  speed  of  growth  and  ambitions  to 
become  a  bank  mean  that  the  Directors  consider  an  accelerated  demerger  is  in  the  best  interests  of  the 
shareholders. 

As described earlier the investment in Zopa is to be sold for £44.5 million with the proceeds being invested in 
DFC, a return of value to shareholders and for general corporate purposes. 

Strategy of the Group following the demerger of DFC 

Following the restructuring and sale of Zopa, the Group will be significantly reduced in size, but the Directors 
remain committed to maximise value for its shareholders.  We will continue to focus on the existing businesses 
whilst looking for new opportunities in the sector. In seeking out new origination capabilities or exciting new 
disruptive  technologies  we  believe  the  Group  is  well  placed  to  demonstrate  its  proven  track  record  in  this 
regard. 

That said in undertaking a full review of the cost structure we will ensure that it is appropriately scaled to the 
new structure.     

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       10 

 
GROUP STRATEGIC REPORT (CONTINUED)  
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

The Group has an exciting future and we look forward to pursuing the Group’s strategy. 

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD 

Henry Kenner 
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 
17 April 2019 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

The Directors present their report with the financial statements of the Company and the Group for the year 
ended 31 December 2018. 

Principal activity 

The principal activities of the Group in the year under review were those of providing niche lending and early 
payment services. 

Dividends and return of capital 

The Directors’ have confirmed that no dividends have been declared for the year to 31 December 2018. The 
Directors’  current  view  is  that  the  earnings  of  Group  will  first  be  reinvested  in  the  businesses  to  fund  the 
Group’s growth strategy and any surplus cash, if not reinvested in the foreseeable future, will be returned to 
shareholders. Subject to shareholder approval and legal requirements, it is the intention of the Board to make 
a distribution of £5 million in June 2019 and another £5 million in December 2019. The mechanism by which 
the distribution will be made will be determined near the time of the distribution. 

Events since the end of the year 

Subject to shareholder approval on 7 May 2019, the Group is to undergo a significant restructuring which will 
involve the demerger of DFC and the sale of Zopa. The details of this restructuring are given in note 28, post 
balance sheet event note. 

Directors 

The Directors who held office during the year and up to the date of the Directors’ report were as follows:  

Simon Henry Kenner 

James van den Bergh 

Raxita Kapashi 

Steve Baldwin 

Peter Whiting 

Penny Judd 

Paul Dentskevich 

The Directors’ interests in the shares of TruFin plc, all of which were beneficial interests, at 31 December 2018 
are as follows: 

Number of Shares 

S H Kenner 
J van den Bergh 
P Whiting 
P Judd 

2018 
1,825,658   
1,732,237   
26,315   
24,723   

2017 
– 
– 
– 
– 

Directors insurance and indemnities 

Throughout the year the Company has maintained Directors and Officers liability insurance for the benefit of 
the  Company,  the  Directors  and  its  officers.  The  Directors  consider  the  level  of  cover  appropriate  for  the 
business and will remain in place for the foreseeable future.  

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       12 

 
 
 
 
 
 
REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Significant shareholders 

The following parties held greater than 3% of the issued share capital of TruFin plc as at 31 December 2018: 

Arrowgrass Master Fund Limited 
Watrium AS 
Liontrust Asset Management 
TruFin plc Employee Benefit Trust 

Statement of Directors’ responsibility 

Number of 
shares 
71,228,774   
6,063,157   
3,526,315   
3,407,895   

% of issued 
share capital 
73.15% 
6.23% 
3.62% 
3.50% 

The  Directors  are  required  by  the  Companies  (Jersey)  Law  1991,  to  prepare  financial  statements  for  each 
financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company as at the end of the financial 
year and of the profit or loss of the company for that period. The directors have elected to prepare the financial 
statements  in  accordance  with  applicable  law  and  International  Financial  Reporting  Standards  (IFRSs)  as 
adopted by the European Union. In preparing these financial statements, the Directors are required to: 

•  Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently, 

•  Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent, 

•  State whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures 

disclosed and explained in the financial statements, and 

•  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  accounting  records  that  are  sufficient  to  show  and  explain  the 
Company’s  transactions.  These  records  must  disclose  with  reasonable  accuracy  at  any  time  the  financial 
position of the Company and enable the Directors to ensure that any financial statements prepared comply 
with the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Company 
and, hence, for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud, error and non-compliance 
with law and regulations. 

Statement of Going Concern 

As described in the Strategic Report on page 6, the Group is undergoing a significant restructuring that includes 
an immediate investment of £25 million in DFC funded by the sale of the Group’s investment in Zopa for £44.5 
million and, subsequently, the demerger of DFC in May. 

Subject to receipt of the proceeds from the sale of the Group’s investment in Zopa, the Directors have assessed 
the Company’s ability to continue in operational existence for at least 12 months from the reporting date. 
However,  whilst  the  sale  has  been  agreed,  the  contract  is  subject  to  clauses  that  could  result  in  it  being 
cancelled. In the event that the proceeds are not received, this could delay or prevent the demerger of DFC 
and the ability of DFC to obtain a banking license within the current timeframe. As described on page 8, this 
uncertainty is considered to be a principal risk for the Group. 

The Directors have considered the impact of this uncertainty on the Group’s ability to continue in operational 
existence  for  the  foreseeable  future.  Whilst  the  impact  to  the  Group  would  be  material  and  the  strategic 
objectives would need to be reconsidered, the Group can manage short term liquidity through a reduction in 
loan originations and, therefore, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Group has adequate 
resources to meet its obligations for at least 12 months from the date of signing the accounts. Accordingly, 
they continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       13 

 
 
 
 
REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Corporate Governance and Internal Controls 

The Directors acknowledge the importance of high standards of corporate governance and how the Board and 
its  committees  operate.  The  corporate  governance  framework  which  TruFin  operates,  including  Board 
leadership  and  effectiveness,  board  remuneration,  and  internal  control  is  based  upon  practices  which  the 
board believes are proportional to the size, risks, complexity and operations of the business and is reflective 
of the Group’s values. 

The  Board  has  decided  to  adhere  to  the  Quoted  Companies  Alliance’s  Corporate  Governance  Code  (“QCA 
Code”) for small and mid-size quoted companies (revised in April 2018 to meet the new requirements of AIM 
Rule 26). The QCA Code is constructed around ten broad principles and a set of disclosures. The QCA itself has 
stated  what  it  considers  to  be  appropriate  arrangements  for  growing  companies  and  asks  companies  to 
provide an explanation about how they are meeting the principles through the prescribed disclosures. 

The Board has considered how it applies each principle and the extent to which the Board judges these to be 
appropriate in the circumstances. Details of how TruFin adhere to these principles can be found on our website 
www.TruFin.com 

TruFin’s Chairman of the Board, Henry Kenner, also fulfils the role of Chief Executive Officer and consequently 
participates in the running of the Company’s day-to-day business. It is understood that this does not comply 
with the QCA code, but the Directors believe it is in the best interests of the Company and its Shareholders for 
Henry to carry out both of these roles. 

In line with the QCA Code, the Board and Committees conducted a formal performance evaluation process 
during the year. The process was carried out by way of tailored questionnaires completed by each member of 
the Board and Committees. 

With respect to the Board, the question covered a variety of topics, including the composition of the Board, 
the  quality  and  timeliness  of  information  provided  to  the  Board,  succession  planning  and  shareholder 
engagement.  In  general,  the  responses  found  the  Board  comprises  an  appropriate  balance  of  skills  and 
experience and that it is operating effectively.  

The Board comprises three Executive Directors and four independent Non-Executive Directors. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Brief biographies of the Directors are set out below: 

Henry Kenner – Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 

Henry  possesses  over  30  years  of  investment  banking  and  capital  markets  experience.  Henry  co-founded 
Arrowgrass Capital Partners LLP in 2008 and was CEO until late 2017. Prior to that, Henry served as a Managing 
Director at Deutsche Bank. Henry has also worked as a Managing Director at Swiss Re Capital Management 
and at ABN Amro Hoare Govett having started his capital markets career at NatWest Markets. Henry qualified 
as a Chartered Accountant. 

James van den Bergh – Deputy Chief Executive Officer 

James possesses over 16 years of investment banking and capital markets experience. James led the alternative 
finance team at Arrowgrass Capital Partners since its inception in 2013 to its transfer to TruFin. James began 
his career at Merrill Lynch before transitioning into investment management in 2003. James was formerly a 
partner  at  SAC  Capital  Advisors,  Walter  Capital  Management  LLP  and  Ivaldi  Capital  LLP.  James  is  a  CFA 
Charterholder. 

Raxita Kapashi – Chief Financial Officer 

Raxita has over 20 years of experience in various senior finance roles. Most recently she was Head of Finance 
and Compliance at Inflexion Private Equity. Prior to that she was Head of Finance at Oakley Capital Limited. 
Raxita qualified as a Chartered Accountant. 

Steve Baldwin – Senior Independent Non-Executive Director 

Steve has an extensive corporate finance background and is currently a Non-Executive Director at Edinburgh 
Investment Trust plc, Plus500 Limited and Elegant Hotels Group plc and a Trustee at Howard de Walden Estate 
Limited. Steve was the Head of European Equity Capital Markets and Corporate Broking at Macquarie Capital 
until  February 2015.  Prior  to  this,  Steve  was a Director at JPMorgan Cazenove for ten years and was a Vice 
President of Corporate Finance at UBS from 1995 to 1998. Steve qualified as a Chartered Accountant. 

Penny Judd – Independent Non-Executive Director 

Penny has over 30 years of experience in Compliance, Regulation, Corporate Finance and Audit and is currently 
Chairman  of  Plus500.  Penny  was  until  June  2016,  a  Managing  Director  and  EMEA  Head  of  Compliance  at 
Nomura International plc, a position she held for three years. Prior to this, Penny worked at UBS Investment 
Bank for nine years and held the position of Managing Director, EMEA Head of Compliance. Penny qualified as 
a  Chartered  Accountant.  Penny  is  also  currently  Non-executive  Director  of  Alpha  Financial  Management 
Consulting Plc and Team17 plc. 

Peter Whiting – Independent Non-Executive Director 

Peter has over twenty years of experience as an investment analyst, specialising in the software and IT services 
sector. Peter joined UBS in 2000 and led its UK small and mid-cap research team. Between 2007 and 2011 
Peter was Chief Operating Officer of UBS European Equity Research. Peter is currently the Senior Independent 
Director of FDM Group Limited and Microgen plc and a Non-Executive Director of Keystone Law Group plc and 
D4T4 solutions plc. 

Paul Dentskevich – Independent Non-Executive Director 

Paul  has  over  30  years  of  financial  services  experience,  specialising  in  risk  management,  investment 
management and corporate governance of hedge and other multi-asset funds. Paul is currently Risk Director at 
Crestbridge, having previously been at Brevan Howard, 2008 to 2015, where he was a member of the Manager’s 
investment  committee  and  sat  on  a  number  of  boards.  Paul  has  a  PhD  in  Economics  from  Imperial  College 
London. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       15 

 
REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Senior Management 

Jason Rogers – Chief Operating Officer 

Jason possesses over 20 years of investment banking and capital markets experience. Jason was involved with 
the  alternative  finance  team  at  Arrowgrass  Capital  Partners  from  2014.  Jason  has  previously  worked  at 
Bennelong Asset Management, Ruby Capital Partners, Swiss Re, Deutsche Bank and Bankers Trust. 

Our Committees 

Subsequent to the year end, the Board established the Audit Committee, the Remuneration Committee and 
the Nomination Committee each with written terms of reference and agreed schedules of work. 

(a) Audit Committee 

The Audit Committee is chaired by Penny Judd. Its other member is Peter Whiting. The Audit Committee has 
primary responsibility for monitoring the quality of internal controls and ensuring that the financial performance 
of the Company is properly measured and reported on. It receives and reviews reports from the Company’s 
management and auditors relating to the interim and annual accounts and the accounting and internal control 
systems  in  use  throughout  the  Company.  The  Audit  Committee  meets  at  least  twice  a  year  and  will  have 
unrestricted access to the Company’s auditors. A copy of the Audit Committee Terms of Reference can be 
found on our website.  

(b) Remuneration Committee 

The Remuneration Committee is chaired by Peter Whiting.  Its other member is Steve Baldwin.  The Remuneration 
Committee reviews the performance of the Company’s Executive Directors and makes recommendations to 
the Board on matters relating to their remuneration and terms of employment. The Remuneration Committee 
also makes recommendations to the Board on proposals for the granting of options and other equity incentives 
pursuant  to  any  share  option  scheme  or  equity  incentive  scheme  in  operation  from  time  to  time  by  the 
Company. The remuneration and terms and conditions of appointment of the Non-Executive Directors is set 
by the Board. The Remuneration Committee meets formally at least once a year and otherwise as required. A 
copy of the Remuneration Committee Terms of Reference can be found on our website.  

(c) Nomination Committee 

The Nomination Committee is chaired by Steve Baldwin.  Its other members are Penny Judd and Henry Kenner. 
The Nomination Committee assists the Board in discharging its responsibilities relating to the composition of 
the Board, performance of Board members, induction of new Directors, appointment of committee members 
and succession planning for senior management of the Company.  The Nomination Committee is responsible 
for evaluation the balance of skills, knowledge, diversity and experience of the Board, the size, structure and 
composition of the Board, retirements and appointments of additional and replacement directors and makes 
appropriate recommendations to the Board on such matters including succession planning. The Nomination 
Committee  prepares  a  description  of  the  role  and  capabilities  required  for  a  particular  appointment.  The 
Nomination  Committee  meets  formally  at  least  once  a  year  and  otherwise  as  required.  A  copy  of  the 
Nomination Committee Terms of Reference can be found on our website. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       16 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Board and Committee attendance record 

Henry Kenner 
James van den Bergh 
Raxita Kapashi 
Steve Baldwin 
Peter Whiting 
Penny Judd 
Paul Dentskevich 

Board 

Meetings 
attended 
11 / 11 
11 / 11 
11 / 11 
9 / 9 
9 / 9 
8 / 9 
9 / 9 

Committee Membership 

Audit 
Committee 

Remuneration 
Committee 

Nomination 
Committee 
1 / 1 

1 / 1 

1 / 1 

3 / 3 
3 / 3 

3 / 3 
3 / 3 

Statement as to disclosure of information to auditors 

So far as the Directors are aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the Company’s auditors are 
unaware and each Director has taken all the steps that he or she ought to have taken as a Director in order to 
make himself or herself aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the Company’s auditors 
are aware of that information. 

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD 

Henry Kenner 
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 
17 April 2019 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       17 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Members of the Committee 

•  Penny Judd (Chair) 

•  Peter Whiting 

Role of the committee 

The Audit Committee has primary responsibility for monitoring the quality of internal controls and ensuring 
that  the  financial  performance  of  the  Company  is  properly  measured  and  reported  on.  It  receives  reviews 
reports from the Company’s management and auditors related to the interim and annual accounts and the 
accounting and internal control systems in use throughout the Group. The Audit Committee meets at least 
twice a year and has unrestricted access to the Company’s auditors. A copy of the Audit Committee Terms of 
Reference can be found on our website.  

External Audit 

The Audit Committee approves the appointment and remuneration of the Group’s external auditors. They also 
ensure that they are satisfied with the external auditors’ independence in relation to any other non-audit work 
undertaken by them. 

Internal Audit 

The Audit Committee approves the appointment, scope and remuneration of the Group’s internal auditors.  

Significant issues considered in relation to the financial statements 

The  Audit  Committee  assesses  whether  suitable  accounting  policies  have  been  adopted  and  whether 
appropriate  estimates  and  judgements  have  been  made  by  management.  The  Committee  also  reviews 
accounting papers prepared by management, and reviews reports by the external auditors. The specific areas 
reviewed by the Committee in respect of the year were: 

•  appropriateness of the accounting for share based payments and their disclosure within the Group 

financial statements 

•  appropriateness of the calculation and disclosure of earnings per share in the Group financial statements 

•  appropriateness of the accounting for the fair value of investments and convertible loan notes 

•  appropriateness of going concern assumptions  

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       18 

 
 
  
REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR 
TO THE SHAREHOLDERS OF TRUFIN PLC  
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Report on the audit of the financial statements 

Opinion 

In our opinion: 

•  the financial statements of TruFin Plc (the ‘parent company’) and its subsidiaries (‘the group’) give a true 
and fair view of the state of the group’s and of the parent company’s affairs as at 31 December 2018 and 
of the group’s loss for the year then ended; 

•  the group financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with International Financial 

Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the European Union; and 

•  the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of Companies (Jersey) 

Law, 1991. 

We have audited the financial statements which comprise: 

•  the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income; 

•  the Consolidated and Company Statements of Financial Position; 

•  the Consolidated and Company Statements of Changes in Equity; 

•  the Consolidated and Company Statements of Cash Flows; and 

•  the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements. 

The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and IFRSs as 
adopted by the European Union. 

Basis for opinion 

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable 
law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the auditor’s responsibilities for the 
audit of the financial statements section of our report.  

We are independent of the group and the parent company in accordance with the ethical requirements that 
are  relevant  to  our  audit  of  the  financial  statements  in  the  UK,  including  the  Financial  Reporting  Council’s 
Ethical  Standard  as  applied  to  listed  entities,  and  we  have  fulfilled  our  other  ethical  responsibilities  in 
accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and 
appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       19 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR 
TO THE SHAREHOLDERS OF TRUFIN PLC (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Summary of our audit approach 

Key audit matters 

The key audit matters that we identified in the current year were: 

•  Revenue recognition;  

•  Loan loss provisioning; 

•  Recognition of a deferred tax asset in respect of the unutilised tax losses; 

and 

•  Valuation of convertible debt balances.  

Within this report, any new key audit matters are identified with 

 and any key 

audit matters which are the same as the prior year identified with 

. 

The materiality that we used for the group financial statements was £766,250 (2017: 
£454,000)  which  was  determined  on  the  basis  of  0.5%  of  equity  (2017:  0.5%  of 
equity). 

The following component companies were deemed to be financially significant to 
the group: 

•  Oxygen Finance Ltd (“OF”); 

•  Distribution Finance Capital Ltd (“DFC”); and 

•  Satago Financial Solutions Ltd (“SFS”). 

Materiality 

Scoping 

Significant changes in 
our approach 

Last year our report included one other key audit matter which is not included in 
our report this year, being the valuation of the investment held in Zopa Ltd (“Zopa”). 
As a result of the growth of the Group, the Zopa investment no longer constitutes 
such a significant proportion of the total assets of the Group and, additionally, Zopa 
completed a funding round in November 2018 so the uncertainty with respect to 
the estimation of the fair value of the investment has reduced. Therefore, it is no 
longer considered to represent a key audit matter. 

Additionally, we have identified a new key audit matter for the 2018 year end audit, 
in relation to the valuation of convertible debt. 

Conclusions relating to going concern 

We are required by ISAs (UK) to report in respect of the following matters where: 

•  the directors’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in preparation of the financial statements is not 

appropriate; or  

•  the directors have not disclosed in the financial statements any identified material uncertainties that may 
cast significant doubt about the group’s or the parent company’s ability to continue to adopt the going 
concern  basis  of  accounting  for  a  period  of  at  least  twelve  months  from  the  date  when  the  financial 
statements are authorised for issue. 

We have nothing to report in respect of these matters. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       20 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR 
TO THE SHAREHOLDERS OF TRUFIN PLC (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Key audit matters 

Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgement, were of most significance in our 
audit  of  the  financial  statements  of  the  current  period  and  include  the  most  significant  assessed  risks  of 
material misstatement (whether or not due to fraud) that we identified. These matters included those which 
had the greatest effect on: the overall audit strategy, the allocation of resources in the audit; and directing 
the efforts of the engagement team. 

These matters were  addressed  in  the  context of our audit of the financial statements as a whole, and in 
forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters. 

Revenue Recognition  

Key audit matter 
description 

How the scope of our 
audit responded to the 
key audit matter 

The Group recorded total revenue of £9,544k (2017: £3,774k) for the year ended 31 
December 2018 which, as detailed in the Principal Accounting Policies in note 1 and 
in note 3, comprises interest and fee income. 
Interest income, earned on loans and advances to customer, makes up the majority 
of this amount. However, most of these loans had redeemed at the balance sheet 
date and the remaining deferred income balance is immaterial. Therefore, we have 
determined that the key audit matter relates to fee income. 

Fee income is predominantly recognised in relation to payment services provided 
by Oxygen and accounts for approximately 30% of total revenue. There is a risk that 
fee income has been recorded in the year in respect of payment services that have 
not  been  performed  or  that  were  performed  after  the  year  end.  Manual 
intervention is involved in calculating amounts rebated to clients and judgement is 
applied in the satisfaction of the performance obligation. 

We  performed  walkthroughs  of  the  revenue  business  process  and  evaluated  the 
design and implementation of relevant controls over the recognition of fee income 
in Oxygen.  
We  reviewed  management’s  revenue  recognition  policy  to  determine  whether  it 
was in accordance with the  requirements of IFRS 15. For a sample of clients, we 
tested the monthly fee income recognised with reference to client contracts and 
obtained evidence for manual rebates where applied. We performed cut-off testing 
to  assess  whether  revenue  recognised  in  the  year  related  to  payment  services 
provided before the year end. 

Key observations 

We concluded that fee income in relation to payment services was recognised 
appropriately for the year ended 31 December 2018. 

Expected Credit losses – Loss Given Default  

Key audit matter 
description 

As stated in note 16, the Group has a total loans and advances to customers balance 
of £129,678k (2017: £32,835k) and an associated expected credit losses (“ECL”) of 
£308k  (2017:  £126k),  representing  0.2%  of  the  total  loans  and  advances  to 
customers balance (2017: 0.4%). 

As  detailed  in  the  summary  of  critical  accounting  judgements  and  estimates, the 
estimation of expected credit losses is inherently uncertain and requires significant 
management judgement. 
The key judgement in the assessment of expected credit losses under IFRS 9 is the 
assessment of the loss given default (“LGD”) for loans originated by DFC, being the 
estimation of sale proceeds for collateral held against these loans. Therefore, we  

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       21 

 
 
 
 
 
REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR 
TO THE SHAREHOLDERS OF TRUFIN PLC (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

How the scope of our 
audit responded to the 
key audit matter 

have  determined  that  there  is  a  potential  risk  of  error  in  or  manipulation  of  this 
balance. 

We  evaluated  the  design  and  implementation  of  relevant  controls  over  the 
calculation of expected credit losses for loans originated by DFC in accordance with 
IFRS 9. 
For  a  sample  of  loans,  we  challenged  management  in  relation  to  the  LGD 
assumption applied in the ECL model by independently verifying the retail prices of 
assets  held  as collateral and challenging the discount applied to  the valuation by 
management to reflect a forced sale and selling costs. 

Key observations 

Overall, we concluded that the loan loss provision balance as at 31 December 2018 
is reasonable. 

Deferred Tax Asset Measurement  

Key audit matter 
description 

The Group has recognised a deferred tax asset of £5,579k (2017: £5,189k), as shown 
in note 1 and in note 11, relating solely to Oxygen. 

How the scope of our 
audit responded to the 
key audit matter 

The deferred tax asset is recognised in line with IAS 12 which requires that deferred 
tax assets, in the context of a history of recent losses, should only be recognised to 
the  extent  that  there  is  convincing  evidence  of  sufficient  future  taxable  profits 
against which the tax losses can be utilised. 
There is considerable judgement  in  the assessment of whether sufficient  taxable 
profit will be available in the future and, therefore, this is considered to be a key 
audit matter. 

We  evaluated  the  design  and  implementation  of  relevant  controls  over  the 
production,  and  subsequent  review  of,  forecasts  used  to  determine  the 
recoverability of the deferred tax asset. 
We  challenged  management’s  forecasts  by  reviewing  the  expected  pipeline  of 
clients  that  management  had  included  in  their  forecast,  assessing  the  revenue 
growth rate assumptions applied by management, reviewing forecasting accuracy 
by  comparing  budgeted  figures  to  actual  results  and  stress  testing  the  model  to 
determine how sensitive the forecast was to adverse movements to relevant inputs. 

Key observations 

We  concluded  that  convincing  evidence  existed  such  that  the  deferred  tax  asset 
recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position is appropriate. 

Convertible Debt Valuation  

Key audit matter 
description 

How the scope of our 
audit responded to the 
key audit matter 

During the year the Group provided funding to Playstack Limited (“Playstack”) and 
Vertus Capital Limited (“Vertus”) in the form of convertible loans, with a recorded 
balance of £7,150k as at 31 December 2018 (2017: £nil). As detailed in note 1 and 
note 16, the instruments are measured at fair value through profit/loss (“FVTPL”) 
under IFRS 9 and, due to the nature of the instruments, the fair value considerations 
are highly complex and involve a significant degree of judgement. As such, we have 
identified the valuation of convertible debt as a new key audit matter for the 2018 
year end audit. 

We  evaluated  the  design  and  implementation  of  relevant  controls  over  the 
valuation of the convertible, including management’s review of the valuation model 
prepared by their expert. 
We  challenged  the  valuation  determined  by  management  by  reviewing  the 
competence,  capabilities,  and  objectivity  of  management’s  experts  used  in  the 
valuation of the balance, as well as testing the accuracy and completeness of data 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       22 

 
 
 
 
REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR 
TO THE SHAREHOLDERS OF TRUFIN PLC (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

inputs in the valuation methodology by reconciling relevant terms to signed loan 
agreements. 

Key observations 

Having  considered  the  available  evidence,  we  concluded  that  the  valuation  was 
reasonable. 

Our application of materiality 

We define materiality as the magnitude of misstatement in the financial statements that makes it probable 
that the economic decisions of a reasonably knowledgeable person would be changed or influenced. We use 
materiality both in planning the scope of our audit work and in evaluating the results of our work.  

Based on our professional judgement, we determined materiality for the financial statements as a whole as 
follows: 

Group financial statements 

Parents company financial statements 

Materiality 

£766,250 (2017: £454,000) 

£382,552 (2017: £227,000) 

Basis for determining 
materiality 

0.5% of equity 

Parent  company  materiality  equates  to 
less than 0.5% of shareholders equity of 
the parent and is capped at 50% of Group 
materiality. 

Rationale for the 
benchmark applied 

Financial performance to date is not a key metric as a result of the fact that this is 
an emerging growth company. Accordingly, the capital structure of the entity and 
focus of the users on balance sheet growth has been identified as the appropriate 
benchmark balance. 

We agreed with the Audit Committee that we would report to the Committee all audit differences in excess 
of £38,312 (2017: £22,700) for the Group and £34,400 (2017: £19,120) for the parent company, as well as 
differences below that threshold that, in our view, warranted reporting on qualitative grounds. We also report 
to the Audit Committee on disclosure matters that we identified when assessing the overall presentation of 
the financial statements. 

An overview of the scope of our audit 

The  group  consists  of  TruFin  Plc  itself,  the  holding  company  TruFin  Holdings  Ltd,  and  eight  subsidiaries  as 
detailed within note 1. In addition there is one associate, one joint venture, and one financial investment. 

Three of the subsidiaries are determined to be financially significant to the group based on chosen benchmarks 
being in excess of 15% of the group aggregated balance. These subsidiaries are: 

•  Oxygen Finance Ltd;  

•  Distribution Finance Capital Ltd; and 

•  Satago Financial Solutions Ltd.  

These subsidiaries have been subject to a full scope audit. All other subsidiaries as well as the associate and 
joint venture have been subject to analytical procedures at the Group level. Lastly, the financial investment in 
Zopa Ltd has been subject to specified audit procedures. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       23 

 
 
 
 
 
 
REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR 
TO THE SHAREHOLDERS OF TRUFIN PLC (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Other information 

The  directors  are  responsible  for  the  other  information.  The  other  information  comprises  the  information 
included  in  the  annual  report  including  Chairman’s  Statement,  Group  Strategic  Report,  and  Report  of  the 
Directors, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. 

Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form 
of assurance conclusion thereon. 

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information 
and,  in  doing  so,  consider  whether  the  other  information  is  materially  inconsistent  with  the  financial 
statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. 

If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine 
whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other 
information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of 
this other information, we are required to report that fact. 

We have nothing to report in respect of these matters. 

Responsibilities of directors 

As explained more fully in the statement of directors’ responsibilities, the directors are responsible for the 
preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such 
internal control as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that 
are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. 

In preparing the financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the group’s and the parent 
company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing as applicable, matters related to going concern 
and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the directors either intend to liquidate the group or 
the parent company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so. 

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements 

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free 
from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our 
opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in 
accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise 
from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be 
expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements. 

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial 
Reporting  Council’s  website  at:  www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities.  This  description  forms  part  of  our 
auditor’s report. 

Report on other legal and regulatory requirements 

Matters on which we are required to report by exception 

Adequacy of explanations received and accounting records 

Under the Companies (Jersey) Law, 1991 we are required to report to you if, in our opinion: 

•  we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or 

•  proper accounting records have not been kept by the parent company, or proper returns adequate for 

our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or 

•  the parent company financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       24 

 
 
REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR 
TO THE SHAREHOLDERS OF TRUFIN PLC (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

We have nothing to report in respect of these matters. 

Use of our report 

This  report  is  made  solely  to  the  company’s  members,  as  a  body,  in  accordance  with  Article  113A  of  the 
Companies (Jersey) Law, 1991. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company’s 
members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To 
the  fullest  extent  permitted  by  law,  we  do  not  accept  or  assume  responsibility  to  anyone  other  than  the 
company and the company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we 
have formed. 

Alastair Morley 
For and on behalf of Deloitte LLP 
London, UK 
17 April 2019 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       25 

 
 
 
 
 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Notes 

3 
3 

5 

9 

8 

11 

15 

Interest income 

Fee income 

Interest and fee expenses 

Net interest and fee income 

Staff costs 

Other operating expenses 

Depreciation & amortisation 

Net impairment loss on financial assets 

Operating loss before share of loss from joint venture 

Share of loss of joint venture accounted 
for using the equity method 

Operating loss 

Exceptional expenses 

Loss before tax 

Taxation 

Loss after tax 

Other comprehensive income 

Items that will not be reclassified subsequently to profit and loss 
Gains on investments in equity instruments 

Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit and loss 

Exchange differences on translating foreign operations 

Other comprehensive income for the year, net of tax 

Total comprehensive loss for the year 

Loss after tax attributable to: 

Owners of TruFin plc 

Non-controlling interests 

Total comprehensive loss for the year attributable to: 

Owners of TruFin plc 

Non-controlling interests 

2018 
£’000 

6,295   

3,249   

(2,302)   

7,242   

(16,095)   
(6,116)   

(283)   

(248)   

(15,500)   

– 

(15,500)   

–   

2017 
£’000 

1,136 

2,638 

(121) 

3,653  

(8,188) 

(4,251) 

(146) 

(158) 

(9,090) 

(582) 

(9,672) 

(330)  

(15,500)   

(10,002)  

390   
(15,110)   

867  

(9,135)  

8,000   

8,000   

275   

275   

8,275   

(6,835)   

(14,688)   

(422)   

(15,110)   

(6,413)   

(422)   

(6,835)   

2,600 

2,600 

(357) 

(357) 

2,243  

(6,892)  

(8,103) 

(1,032)  

(9,135)  

(5,860) 

(1,032)  

(6,892)  

The activities of the Group relate entirely to continuing operations. The notes on pages 34 to 82 are an integral 
part of these financial statements. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       26 

 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Earnings per Share 

Basic and Diluted EPS 

Adjusted EPS 

Adjusted EPS (2) 

Notes 
26 

26 

26 

2018 
pence 
(15.8)   
(12.9)   

(4.3)   

2017 
pence 

(12.4) 

(12.4) 

(8.4) 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       27 

 
 
 
   
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION 
As at 31 December 2018 

Notes 

2018 
£’000 

Assets 
Non-current assets 
Intangible assets 
Property, plant and equipment 
Deferred tax asset 

Total non-current assets 

Current assets 
Cash and cash equivalents 
Loan and advances to customers 
Other investments 
Assets classified as Held for Sale 
Trade receivables 

Other receivables 

Total current assets 

Total assets 

Equity and liabilities 
Equity 
Issued share capital 
Retained earnings 
Foreign exchange reserve 
Other reserves 

Equity attributable to owners of the company 
Non-controlling interest 

Total equity 

Liabilities 
Non-current liabilities 
Borrowings 

Total non-current liabilities 

Current liabilities 
Borrowings 
Trade and other payables 
Provision for commitments and other liabilities 

Total current liabilities 

Total liabilities 

Total equity and liabilities 

12 
13 
11 

16 
15 
17 
18 

18 

19 

23 

20 

20 
21 
7 

2017 
£’000 

649 
131 
5,189  

5,969  

26,049 
32,709 
36,500 
– 
487 

1,821  

97,566 

103,535  

123,966 
(4,962) 
(396) 
(26,919)  

91,689 
(293) 

91,396  

6,038   
303   
5,579   

11,920   

24,888   
129,221   
49,494   
266   
417   

3,202   

207,488   

219,408   

185,000   
15,375   
(121)   
(50,261)   

149,993   
3,255   

153,248   

–   
–   

9,000 

9,000 

59,041   
6,066   
1,053   

66,160   

66,160   

219,408   

35 
2,805 
299  

3,139  

12,139  

103,535  

The notes on pages 34 to 82 are an integral part of these financial statements. 

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors and authorised for issue on 17 April 2019. 
They were signed on its behalf by: 

Henry Kenner 
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       28 

 
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
COMPANY STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION 
As at 31 December 2018 

Assets 

Non-current assets 

Property, plant and equipment 

Investments in subsidiaries 

Total non-current assets 

Current assets 
Cash and cash equivalents 

Trade and other receivables 

Total current assets 

Total assets 

Equity and liabilities 

Equity 

Issued share capital 

Retained earnings 

Other reserves 

Total equity 

Liabilities 

Current liabilities 

Trade and other payables 

Total current liabilities 

Total liabilities 

Total equity and liabilities 

Notes 

2018 
£’000 

2017 
£’000 

13 

18 

19 

21 

2   

123,966   

123,968   

8,448   

56,652   

65,100   

- 

123,966 

123,966 

- 

81  

81 

189,068   

124,047  

185,000   

(6,033)   

8,966   

187,933   

123,966 

(720)  

- 

123,246  

1,135   

1,135   

1,135   

801 

801  

801  

189,068   

124,047  

The Company reported a loss for the year to 31 December 2018 of £4,391,000 (2017: £720,000).  

The notes on pages 34 to 82 are an integral part of these financial statements. 

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors and authorised for issue on 17 April 2019. 
They were signed on its behalf by: 

Henry Kenner 
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       29 

 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Share 
capital 
£’000 
123,966 
– 

Share 
premium 
£’000 
- 
– 

– 

– 

70,000 
(8,966) 
– 
– 
– 

– 

185,000 

– 

– 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

– 

– 

Retained 
earnings 
£’000 
(4,962) 
(14,688) 

8,000 

(6,688) 

(3,661) 
– 
2,739 
28,752 
– 

(805) 

15,375 

Foreign 
exchange 
reserve 
£’000 
(396) 
– 

275 

275 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

– 

Other 
reserves 
£’000 
  (26,919) 
– 

– 

– 

– 
8,966 
– 
(28,752) 
– 

Non- 
controlling 
interest 
£’000 
(293) 
(422) 

Total 
equity 
£’000 
91,396 
(15,110) 

– 

8,275 

(422) 

– 
– 
– 
1,819 
1,482 

(6,835) 

66,339 
– 
2,739 
1,819 
1,482 

Total 
£’000 
91,689 
(14,688) 

8,275 

(6,413) 

66,339 
– 
2,739 
– 
– 

(3,556) 

(4,361) 

669 

(3,692) 

(121) 

  (50,261) 

  149,993 

3,255 

153,248 

Balance at 1 January 2018 
Loss for the year 
Other comprehensive income for 
the year 

Total comprehensive loss for the 
year 
New issue of shares 
Share cancellation 
Share based payment 
Reduction of Capital 
NCI Share Premium 
Adjustment arising from change 
in NCI 
Balance at 31 December 2018 

Balance at 1 January 2017 
Loss for the year 
Other comprehensive income for 
the year 

Total comprehensive loss for the 
year 

Capital contribution in relation to 
the issue of preference shares 
New issue of shares 
Arising on consolidation 
Balance at 31 December 2017 

2,202 
– 

31,249 
– 

541 
(8,103) 

(39) 
– 

– 

– 

– 

123,966 
(2,202) 

123,966 

– 

– 

– 

– 
(31,249) 

2,600 

(357) 

(5,503) 

(357) 

– 

– 
– 

– 

– 
– 

– 

(4,962) 

(396) 

– 
– 

– 

– 

– 

33,953 
(8,103) 

2,243 

547 
(1,032) 

34,500 
(9,135) 

– 

2,243 

(5,503) 

(1,032) 

(6,892) 

– 

192 

192 

– 
(26,919) 
  (26,919) 

  123,966 
(60,370) 

– 
– 

91,689 

(293) 

123,966 
(60,370) 

91,396 

The notes on pages 34 to 82 are an integral part of these financial statements. 

Share capital 

Share capital represents the nominal value of equity share capital issued. 

Share premium 

The share premium account is used to record the aggregate amount or value of premiums paid when the company’s 
shares are issued at a premium, net of associated share issue costs. 

Retained earnings 

The retained earnings reserve represents cumulative net gains and losses. 

Foreign exchange reserve 

The foreign exchange reserve represents exchange differences which arise on consolidation from the translation of the 
financial statements of foreign subsidiaries. 

Other reserves 

Other reserves consist of the merger reserve and the share revaluation reserve.  

The merger reserve arises as a result of combining businesses that are under common control. As at 31 December 2018 it 
was a debit balance of £59,227,000 (2017: £26,919,000).  

The share revaluation reserve arose from the share cancellation that took place in February 2018. As at 31 December its 
balance was £8,966,000 (2017: £nil).  

Non-Controlling Interest 

The non-controlling interest relates to the minority interest held in DFC. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       30 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
COMPANY STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Balance at 1 January 2018 

Total comprehensive loss for the year 

New issue of shares 

Share cancellation 

Share options issued 

Balance at 31 December 2018 

Balance at 29 November 2017 

Total comprehensive loss for the period 

Shares issued during the period 

Balance at 31 December 2017 

Share capital 
£’000 

123,966 

– 

70,000 

(8,966) 

– 

185,000 

– 

– 

123,966 

123,966 

Retained 
earnings 
£’000 

(720)    

(4,391) 

(3,661) 

– 

2,739 

(6,033) 

– 

(720) 

– 

(720) 

Other reserves 
£’000 

Total equity 
£’000 

– 

– 

– 

8,966 

– 

8,966 

– 

– 

– 

– 

123,246  

(4,391) 

66,339 

– 

2,739 

187,933 

– 

(720) 

123,966 

123,246 

The Company was incorporated on 29 November 2017. 

The notes on pages 34 to 82 are an integral part of these financial statements. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       31 

 
 
 
 
 
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Cash flows from operating activities 

Loss before income tax 

Adjustments for 

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment 

Amortisation of intangible fixed assets 

Share based payments 

Finance costs 

Share in joint venture 

Working capital adjustments 

Loans to customers 

Loans repaid by customers 

Increase in trade and other receivables 

Increase in trade and other payables 

Net payables on acquisition of subsidiary 

Additions to assets held for sale 

Tax paid 

Net cash used in operating activities 

Cash flows from investing activities: 

Additions to intangible assets 

Additions to property, plant and equipment 

Net increase in debt securities 

Acquisition of subsidiary 

Cash from acquisition of subsidiaries 

Net cash used in investing activities 

Cash flows from financing activities: 

Issue of ordinary share capital 

Issue of preference share capital 

Share issue costs 

Net borrowings from Group undertakings 

New borrowings 

Net interest received 

Net cash generated from financing activities 

Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents 

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the year 

Effect of foreign exchange rate changes 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of the year 

The notes on pages 34 to 82 are an integral part of these financial statements 

All cash and cash equivalents are cash at bank. 

2018 
£’000 

2017 
£’000 

(15,500)   

(10,002) 

109   

225   

2,739   

–   

–   

43 

156 

– 

27 

582 

(12,427)   

(9,194) 

(270,457)   

(62,512) 

173,945   

(1,311)   

3,318   

(325)   

(266)   

30,673 

(1,214) 

1,979 

– 

– 

(95,096)   

(31,074) 

(36)   

–  

(107,559)   

(40,268) 

(2,855)   

(275)   

(4,993)   

(2,014)   

382   

(9,755)   

70,000   

–   

(3,661)   

–   

49,926   

–   

116,265   

(1,049)   

26,049   

(112)   

24,888   

(805) 

(107) 

– 

– 

– 

(912) 

2,000 

3,500 

– 

46,000 

9,000 

38 

60,538 

19,358 

6,690 

1 

26,049 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       32 

 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
COMPANY STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Cash flows from operating activities 

Loss before income tax 

Adjustments for: 

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment 

Share based payments 

Working capital adjustments 

Increase in trade and other receivables 

Increase in trade and other payables 

Net cash used in operating activities 

Cash flows from investing activities 
Increase in intragroup loans 

Additions to property, plant and equipment 
Net cash used in investing activities 

Cash flows from financing activities 
Issue of ordinary share capital 
Share issue costs 
Net cash generated from financing activities 

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the year 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of the year 

The notes on pages 34 to 82 are an integral part of these financial statements. 

All cash and cash equivalents are cash at bank. 

2018 
£’000 

2017 
£’000 

(4,391)   

(720) 

1   

2,739   

(1,651)   

(3,407)   

334   

(3,073)   

(4,724)   

(53,164)   

(3)   

(53,167)   

70,000   

(3,661)   

66,339   

8,448   

–   

8,448   

– 

– 

(720) 

(81) 

801 

720 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       33 

 
 
 
   
 
   
   
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
   
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Statutory information 

TruFin  plc  is  a  Company  registered  in  Jersey  and  incorporated  under  Companies  (Jersey)  Law  1991.  The 
Company’s ordinary shares were listed on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange. 
The address of the registered office is 26 New Street, St Helier, Jersey, JE2 3RA. 

The Company was listed on 21 February 2018 and issued 36,842,106 Capital Raising Shares at a price of 190p 
per share to raise a total of £70 million (£66 million net of expenses). 

1. 

Accounting policies 

General information 

The TruFin Group (the “Group”) is the consolidation of TruFin plc, TruFin Holdings Limited, Oxygen Finance 
Group Limited, Oxygen Finance Limited, Oxygen Finance Americas Inc., Porge Limited, TruFin Software Limited, 
Satago Financial Solutions Limited, Distribution Finance Capital Limited, AltLending (UK) Limited, (as set out in 
“Basis of consolidation” below). 

Additionally, the Company held: 

•  a 50% interest in a joint venture – Clear Funding Limited (“Clear Funding”), which has been winding down 
its operations since July 2018 and will be struck off in April 2019 and as such, the investment in the joint 
venture has been written down to nil at the balance sheet date;  

•  a 40% interest in an associate, PlayIgnite Ltd, which is not material to the Group; 

•  a minority interest investment in Zopa Group Limited. 

The principal activities of the Group are the provision of niche lending and early payment services. 

The  financial  statements  are  presented  in  Pounds  Sterling,  which  is  the  currency of  the  primary  economic 
environment in which the Group operates. Amounts are rounded to the nearest thousand. 

Basis of accounting 

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting 
Standards as adopted by the European Union (“IFRS”). 

Prior to 29 November 2017 and before the incorporation of TruFin plc and TruFin Holdings, the entities named 
above were under common control and therefore, have been accounted for as a common control transaction 
– that is a business combination in which all the combining entities or businesses are ultimately controlled by 
the same company both before and after the combination. IFRS 3 provides no specific guidance on accounting 
for  entities  under  common  control  and  therefore  other  relevant  standards  have  been  considered.  These 
standards refer to pooling of assets and merger accounting and this is the methodology that has been used to 
consolidate the Group. 

After 29 December 2017, post the reorganisation, the entities constitute a legal group and accordingly the 
consolidated  financial  statements  have  been  prepared  by  applying  relevant  principles  underlying  the 
consolidation procedures of IFRS. 

Basis of preparation 

The results of the Group companies have been included in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income. 
Where necessary, adjustments have been made to the underlying financial information of the companies to 
bring  the  accounting  policies  used  into  line  with  those  used  by  the  Group.  All  intra-group  transactions, 
balances, income and expenses are eliminated on consolidation. 

The  consolidated  financial  statements  contained  in  this  document  consolidates  the  statements  of  total 
comprehensive  income,  statements  of  financial  position,  cash  flow  statements,  statements  of  changes  in 
equity and related notes for each of the companies listed in the “Basis of consolidation” below, which have 
been prepared in accordance with IFRS. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       34 

 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Non-controlling interests, presented as part of equity, represent the portion of a subsidiary’s profit or loss and 
net  assets  that  is  not  held  by  the  Group.  The  Group  attributes  total  comprehensive  income  or  loss  of 
subsidiaries between the owners of the parent and the non-controlling interests based on their respective 
ownership interests. 

Basis of consolidation 

The  consolidated  financial  statements  include  all  of  the  companies  controlled  by  the  Group,  which  are  as 
follows:- 

Entities 
TruFin Holdings Limited (“THL”) 

Country of 
incorporation 
Jersey 

Satago Financial Solutions Limited 
(“SFSL”) 
Distribution Finance Capital Ltd (“DFC”)  UK 

UK 

Oxygen Finance Group Limited (“OFGL”) 
(together with OFL and OFAI) 
(“Oxygen”) 

UK 

Oxygen Finance Limited (“OFL”) 

UK 

Oxygen Finance Americas, Inc (“OFAI”)  USA 

Porge Ltd (“Porge”) – acquired on 3 
August 2018 

UK 

TruFin Software Limited (“TSL”) 
(previously Satago Solutions Limited) 

UK 

Registered address 
26 New Street, St Helier, 
Jersey JE2 3RA 
4 Bentinck Street, London, 
United Kingdom, W1U 2EF 
12 Groveland Court, London, 
United Kingdom, EC4M 9EH 

Cathedral Place, 
42-44 Waterloo Street, 
Birmingham, United 
Kingdom, B2 5QB 
Cathedral Place, 
42-44 Waterloo Street, 
Birmingham, United 
Kingdom, B2 5QB 
Corporation Trust Center, 
1209 Orange Street, City of 
Wilmington, County of New 
Castle, Delaware 19801, USA 
Cathedral Place, 
42-44 Waterloo Street, 
Birmingham, United Kingdom, 
B2 5QB 
4 Bentinck Street, 
London, United Kingdom, 
W1U 2EF 

Nature of the 
business 
Holding Company 

Provision of short 
term finance 
Provision of short 
term finance 

Holding Company 

% voting rights 
and shares held 
100% of ordinary 
shares 
100% of ordinary 
shares 
94% of ordinary 
shares 

100% of ordinary 
shares 

Provision of early 
payment services 

100% of ordinary 
shares 

Provision of early 
payment services 

99.99% of 
ordinary shares 

Provision of market 
research 
information. 

100% of ordinary 
shares 

Provision of 
technology 
services 

100% of ordinary 
shares 

AltLending UK Limited (“AltLending”) 

UK 

4 Bentinck Street, London, 
United Kingdom, W1U 2EF 

Provision of short 
term finance 

100% of ordinary 
shares 

The consolidated financial information also includes three further investments, as follows: 

•  a 50% interest in a joint venture, Clear Funding Limited (“Clear Funding”), which is accounted for using 

the equity method, 

•  a 40% interest in an associate, PlayIgnite Ltd (“PlayIgnite”), which is accounted for using the equity 

method and 

•  an undiluted economic interest of 13.3% in Zopa Group Limited (“Zopa”) (12.5% fully diluted), as at 31 
December  2018,  which  is  measured  at  fair  value  with  changes  in  value  recognised  through  other 
comprehensive income. 

All three investments are incorporated in the UK. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       35 

 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Principal accounting policies 

The principal accounting policies adopted in the preparation of the financial statements are set out below. 
These policies have been applied consistently to all the financial periods presented. 

The  consolidated  financial  statements  have  been  prepared  in  accordance  with  European Union  Endorsed 
International Financial Reporting  Standards  (IFRSs)  and  the  IFRS  Interpretations  Committee  (formerly  the 
International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (IFRIC)) interpretations. These statements have 
been prepared on a going concern basis and under the historical cost convention except for the treatment of 
certain financial instruments. 

Going concern 

The  Group’s  forecasts  and  projections,  taking  into  account  reasonable  possible  changes  in  trading 
performance, show that the Group should be able to operate in the foreseeable future. As a consequence,  the 
Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Group will have adequate resources to continue in operational 
existence  for  the  foreseeable  future.  Accordingly,  the  Directors  have  adopted  the  going  concern  basis  in 
preparing these financial statements. 

Revenue recognition 

Net interest and fee income 

Interest income and expense 

Interest  income  and  expense  for  all  financial  instruments  except  for  those  classified  as  held  for  trading  or 
measured or designated as at Fair Value Through Profit and Loss (“FVTPL”) are recognised in “Net interest  and 
fee  income”  as  “Interest  income”  and  “Interest  and  fee  expenses”  in  the  profit  or  loss  account  using  the 
effective interest method. 

The Effective Interest Rate (“EIR”) is the rate that exactly discounts estimated future cash flows of the financial 
instrument through the expected life of the financial instrument or, where appropriate, a shorter period, to 
the net carrying amount of the financial asset or financial liability. The future cash flows are estimated taking 
into account all the contractual terms of the instrument. 

The calculation of the EIR includes all fees and points paid or received between parties to the contract that are 
incremental  and  directly  attributable  to  the  specific  lending  arrangement,  transaction  costs  and  all  other 
premiums or discounts. 

The  interest  income/expense  is  calculated  by  applying  the  EIR  to  the  gross  carrying  amount  of  non-credit 
impaired financial assets (that is, to the amortised cost of the financial asset before adjusting for any expected 
credit loss allowance), or to the amortised cost of financial liabilities. 

For  credit-impaired  financial  assets,  as  defined  in  the  financial  instruments  accounting  policy,  the  interest 
income is calculated by applying the EIR to the amortised cost of the credit-impaired financial assets, that is, 
to the gross carrying amount less the allowance for Expected Credit Losses (“ECLs”). 

Fee income 

Fee income for the Group is earned from payments services fees provided by Oxygen and facility fees provided 
by DFC. 

Payment services provided by Oxygen and DFC comprises the following elements: 

Early Payment Programme Services (“EPPS”) contracts 

Oxygen’s Early Payment Programme Services generate rebates (i.e. discounts on invoice value) for its clients 
by facilitating the early payment of supplier invoices. Oxygen’s single performance obligation is to make its 
intellectual property and software platform available to its clients for the duration of their contracts. 

Oxygen  bills  its  clients  monthly  for  a  contractually  agreed  share  of  supplier  rebates  generated  by  their 
respective Early Payment Programmes during the previous month. This revenue is recognised in the month 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       36 

 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

the rebates are generated. 

Assessment Fees 

Assessment  fees  include  Oxygen  consultants  reviewing  the  client’s  internal  processes  and  technology  and 
analysing the financial business case for setting up an Early Payment Programme. The assessment is a self- 
contained consultancy project which is not contingent on any future Early Payment Programme being entered 
into by the client and accordingly Oxygen’s single performance obligation is to deliver a report that summarises 
the  assessment  findings.  Revenue  from  assessment  fees  is  deferred  and  is  accrued  over  the  period  of  the 
assessment. 

Implementation Fees 

Implementation fees are charged to some clients to cover Oxygen’s costs in establishing a client’s technological 
access  to  the  Early  Payment  Programme  Services  and  in  otherwise  readying  a  client  to  benefit  from  the 
Services. Establishing access to the company’s intellectual property and software platform does not amount 
to a distinct service as the client cannot benefit from the initial access except by the company continuing to 
provide access for the contract period. Where an implementation fee is charged, it is therefore a component 
of the aggregate  transaction  price of  the Early Payment Programme Services. Accordingly, such revenue is 
initially deferred and then recognised in the statement of comprehensive income over the life of the related 
Early Payment Programme Services contract. 

Consultancy Fees 

Oxygen provides stand-alone advisory services to clients. Revenue is accrued as the underlying services are 
provided to the client. 

Facility Fees 

Facility fees  are fees  charged  by DFC to customers. These  fees do not meet the criteria for inclusion within 
interest income under the EIR method as they are not deemed to be integral to the EIR. The company satisfies 
its performance obligations  as  the services are rendered. These fees are billed in arrears of the period they 
relate to. 

Subscription Fees 

Subscription fees are fees that are typically annual fees for the access to Porge’s market insight and research 
database. Subscriptions are received in advance and recognised over the length of the contract as access to 
the database is provided.  

Fee Expenses 

Fee expenses are directly attributable costs, associated with the Oxygen’s Early Payment Programme Services. 
The expenses include amortisation arising from capitalised contract costs incurred directly through activities 
which generate fee income. Amortisation arising from other intangible assets is recognised in depreciation 
and amortisation of non-financial assets before operating profit/loss. 

Other income from financial instruments 

Dividends from equity investments measured at Fair Value Through Other Comprehensive Income (“FVTOCI”) 
are recognised in profit and loss when the Group becomes entitled to them. 

For financial instruments that are classified as FVTPL, any interest or fee income is included in the profit and 
loss account within the fair value gain or loss. 

Debt securities are measured at fair value through other comprehensive income. The securities are measured 
at  their  closing  bid  prices  at  the  reporting  date  with  any  unrealised  gain  or  loss  recognised  through  other 
comprehensive income. Once the assets have been derecognised, the corresponding gain or loss is reclassified 
to the income statement.  

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       37 

 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

The Group presently holds no financial instruments for trading or hedging purposes, nor has it designated  any 
other items as FVTPL. 

Operating profit/loss 

Operating profit/loss is net interest and fee income less staff costs, depreciation and amortisation, impairment 
loss on financial assets and other operating expenses.  

Foreign currencies 

The  results  and  financial  position  of  each  group  company  are  expressed  in  Pounds  Sterling,  which  is  the 
functional currency of the UK based members of the Group and the presentation currency for the consolidated 
financial statements. 

Transactions in foreign currencies are translated to the Group companies’ functional currency at the foreign 
exchange rate ruling at the date of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign 
currencies at the balance sheet date are retranslated to the functional currency at the foreign exchange  rate 
ruling at that date. Non-monetary assets and liabilities that are measured in terms of historical cost in a foreign 
currency are translated using the exchange rate at the date of the transaction. Foreign exchange differences 
arising on translation are recognised in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income. 

Property, plant and equipment 

All  property,  plant  and  equipment  is  stated  at  historical  cost  (or  deemed  historical  cost)  less  accumulated 
depreciation and less any identified impairment. Cost includes the original purchase price of the asset and the 
costs attributable to bringing the asset to its working condition for its intended use. 

Depreciation is provided on all property, plant and equipment at rates calculated to write each asset down to 
its estimated residual value on a straight line basis at the following annual rates: 

Leasehold improvements 

Office equipment 

Computer equipment 

– 

– 

– 

5 years 

3 years 

3 -5 years 

Useful economic lives and estimated residual values are reviewed annually and adjusted as appropriate. 

Intangible and contract assets 

Identifiable  intangible  assets  are  recognised  when  the  Group  controls  the  asset,  it  is  probable  that  future 
economic  benefits  attributed  to  the  asset will  flow  to  the  Group  and  the  cost  of  the  asset  can  be  reliably 
measured. 

Intangible assets with finite lives are stated at acquisition or development cost less accumulated amortisation 
and less any identified impairment. The amortisation period and method is reviewed at least annually. Changes 
in the expected useful life or the expected pattern of consumption of future economic benefits embodied in 
the asset are accounted for by changing the amortisation period or method, as appropriate and are treated as 
changes in accounting estimates. 

Computer Software 

Computer software which has been purchased by the Group from third party vendors is measured at initial 
cost less accumulated amortisation and less accumulated impairments.  

Computer software also comprises internally developed platforms and the costs directly associated with the 
production of these identifiable and unique software products controlled by the Group. They are probable of 
producing  future  economic  benefits.  They  primarily  include  employee  costs  and  directly  attributable 
overheads. 

Internally generated intangible assets are only recognised by the Group when the recognition criteria have 
been met in accordance with IAS 38: Intangible Assets as follows: 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       38 

 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

•  expenditure can be reliably measured; 

•  the product or process is technically and commercially feasible; 

•  future economic benefits are likely to be received; 

•  intention and ability to complete the development; and  

•  view to either use or sell the asset in the future. 

The Group will only recognise an internally-generated asset should it meet all the above criteria. In the event 
of a development not meeting the criteria it will be recognised within the statement of profit or loss in the 
period incurred. 

Capitalised costs include all directly attributable costs to the development of the asset. Internally generated 
assets are measured at capitalised cost less accumulated amortisation less accumulated impairment losses. 
The  internally  generated  asset  is  amortised  at  the  point  the  asset  is  available for  use  or  sale.  The  asset  is 
amortised on a straight-line basis over the useful economic life with the remaining useful economic life and 
residual value being assessed annually.  

Any  subsequent  expenditure  on  the  internally  generated  asset  is  only  capitalised  if  the  cost  increases  the 
future  economic  benefits  of  the  related  asset.  Otherwise  all  additional  expenditure  should  be  recognised 
through the statement of profit or loss in the period it occurs. 

Contract Assets 

Contract assets comprise the directly attributable costs incurred at the beginning of an Early Payment Scheme 
Service contract to revise a client’s existing payment systems and provide access to the Group’s software and 
other intellectual property. These implementation (or “set up”) costs are comprised primarily of  employee 
costs. 

Amortisation is charged to the statement of comprehensive income over the estimated useful lives of intangible 
assets from the date they are available for use, on a straight-line basis. The amortisation basis adopted for 
each class of intangible asset reflects the Group’s consumption of the economic benefit from that asset. 

Estimated useful lives 

The estimated useful lives of finite intangible assets are as follows: 

Computer software 

Contract assets 

Computer equipment 

– 

– 

– 

Goodwill 

3 -5 years 

Life of underlying contract (typically 5 years) 

3 -5 years 

Goodwill arising on acquisition represents the excess cost of a business combination over the fair values of the 
Group’s  share  of  the  identifiable  assets  and  liabilities  at  the  date  of  the  acquisition.  When  part  of  the 
consideration transferred by the Group is deferred or contingent, this is valued at its acquisition date fair value, 
and  is  included  in  the  consideration  transferred  in  a  business  combination.  Changes  in  the  deferred  or 
contingent  consideration,  which  occur  in  the  measurement  period,  are  adjusted  retrospectively,  with 
corresponding adjustments to goodwill. 

Goodwill is not amortised but is reviewed at least annually for impairment. For the purpose of impairment 
testing, goodwill is allocated to each Cash Generating Unit (“CGU”). Each CGU is consistent with the Group’s 
primary reporting segment. Any impairment is recognised immediately through the income statement and is 
not subsequently reversed. 

On disposal of a subsidiary, the attributable amount of goodwill is included in the determination of profit or 
loss on disposal. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       39 

 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Assets classified as held for sale 

Whilst assessing whether any assets should be classified as held for sale, the management of the Group ensure 
that the status of the asset satisfies all of the following criteria as set out within IFRS 5: 

•  The carrying amount of the asset will be recovered principally through a sale transaction rather than 

through continuing use; 

•  the asset is available for immediate sale in its present condition subject only to terms that are usual and 

customary for sales of such assets; 

•  its sale must be highly probable and within one year from the date of classification; 

•  management must be committed to a plan to sell the asset; and 

•  the asset is being actively marketed for sale at a sales price reasonable in relation to its fair value. 

In the event an asset satisfies the criteria, prior to reclassification the asset should be valued in accordance 
with IFRS accounting standards applicable to the asset in question.  

At initial recognition the asset is measured at the lower of carrying amount and fair value less costs to sell. Any 
unrealised gains or losses are recognised in the profit and loss account. 

Financial instruments 

Initial recognition 

Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognised in the Group’s statement of financial position when the 
Group becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. 

Financial assets and financial liabilities are initially measured at fair value. Transaction costs that are directly 
attributable to the acquisition or issue of the financial assets and financial liabilities (other than financial assets 
and financial liabilities at FVTPL) are respectively added to or deducted from the fair value of the financial assets 
or financial liabilities, as appropriate, on initial recognition. Transaction costs that are directly attributable to 
the acquisition of financial assets and financial liabilities at FVTPL are recognised immediately in profit or loss. 

Financial assets 

Classification and reclassification of financial assets 

Recognised financial assets within the scope of IFRS 9 are required to be classified as subsequently measured 
at amortised cost, FVTOCI or FVTPL on the basis of both the Group’s business model for managing the financial 
assets and the contractual cash flow characteristics of the financial assets. 

Financial assets are reclassified if and only if, the business model under which they are held is changed. There 
has been no such change in the allocation of assets to business models in the periods under review. 

Loans and advances to customers 

Other than convertible debt instruments, loans and advances to customers are held within a business model 
whose objective is to hold those financial assets in order to collect contractual cash flows. The contractual 
terms of the loan agreements give rise on specified dates to cash flows that are solely payments of principal 
and interest or fees on the principal amount outstanding. 

After  initial  measurement,  loans  and  advance  to  customers  are  subsequently  measured  at  amortised  cost 
using the Effective  Interest  Rate method (EIR) less impairment. Amortised cost is calculated by taking into 
account any fees or costs that are an integral part of the EIR. The EIR amortisation is included in interest and 
similar income in the statement of comprehensive income. The losses arising from impairment are recognised 
in the statement of comprehensive income and disclosed with any other similar losses within the line item 
“Net impairment losses on financial assets”. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       40 

 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Where cash flows are significantly different from the original expectations used to determine EIR, but where 
this difference does not arise from a modification of the terms of the financial instrument, the Group revises 
its  estimates  of  receipts  and  adjusts  the  gross  carrying  amount  of  the  financial  asset  to  reflect  actual  and 
revised estimated contractual cash flows. The Group recalculates the gross carrying amount of the financial 
asset  as  the  present  value  of  the  estimated  future  contractual  cash  flows  discounted  at  the  financial 
instrument’s original EIR. The adjustment is recognised in statement of comprehensive income as income or 
expense. 

Convertible debt instruments 

Convertible debt instruments, included within loans and advances to customers, are held by the Group and are 
measured at Fair Value through Profit and Loss as they fail the contractual cash flow characteristics test required 
by IFRS 9 for classification under amortised cost. Movements in the fair value of these assets are recognised in 
the profit and loss account. 

Trade and other receivables 

Trade receivables do not contain any significant financing component and accordingly are recognised initially 
at transaction price, and subsequently measured at cost less expected credit losses. 

Investments in equity shares 

The Group’s investment in the equity shares of Zopa is not held for trading. The Group has made an irrevocable 
election to classify and subsequently measure the investment at FVTOCI. Movements in the fair value of the 
investment are recognised in the statement of other comprehensive income and are not reclassified to profit 
on loss on derecognition.  

Investments in subsidiaries 

Investments in subsidiaries are accounted for at cost less impairment in the Company’s financial statements. 

Cash and cash equivalents 

Cash  and  cash  equivalents  comprise  cash  balances  and  demand  deposits  and  short  term,  highly  liquid 
investments that are readily convertible to known amounts of cash and which are subject to an insignificant 
risk of changes in value. 

Impairment 

The  Group (and Company)  recognises  loss  allowances for Expected Credit Losses (“ECLs”) on the following 
financial instruments that are not measured at FVTPL: 

•  Loans and advances to customers 

•  Other receivables 

•  Trade receivables and 

•  Loan commitments 

•  Intercompany receivables 

With the exception of Purchased or Originated Credit Impaired (“POCI”) financial assets (which are considered 
separately below), ECLs are measured through loss allowances calculated on the following bases: 

ECLs  are  a  probability-weighted  estimate  of  the  present  value  of  credit  losses.  These  are  measured  as  the 
present value of the difference between the cash flows due to the Group under the contract and the cash 
flows that the Group expects to receive arising from the weighting of future economic scenarios, discounted 
at the asset’s EIR within the current performing book. 

The Group measures ECL on an individual basis, or on a collective basis for portfolios of loans that share similar 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       41 

 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

credit risk characteristics. The loss allowance is measured as the present value of the difference between the 
contractual  cash  flows  and  cash  flows  that  the  Group  expects  to  receive  using  the  asset’s  original  EIR, 
regardless of whether it is measured on an individual basis or a collective basis. 

A  financial  asset  that  gives  rise  to  credit  risk,  is  referred  to  (and  analysed  in  the  notes  to  this  financial 
information) as being in “Stage 1” provided that since initial recognition (or since the previous reporting date) 
there has not been a significant increase in credit risk, nor has it has become credit impaired. 

For a Stage 1 asset, the loss allowance is the “12-month ECL”, that is, the ECL that results from those default 
events on the financial instrument that are possible within 12 months from the reporting date. 

A financial asset that gives rise to credit risk is referred to (and analysed in the notes to this financial information) 
as being in “Stage 2” if since initial recognition there has been a significant increase in credit risk but it is not 
credit impaired. 

For a Stage 2 asset, the loss allowance is the “lifetime ECL”, that is, the ECL that results from all possible default 
events over the life of the financial instrument. 

A financial asset that gives rise to credit risk is referred to (and analysed in the notes to this financial information) 
as being in “Stage 3” if since initial recognition it has become credit impaired. 

For a Stage 3 asset, the loss allowance is the difference between the asset’s gross carrying amount and the 
present  value  of  estimated  future  cash  flows  discounted  at  the  financial  asset’s  original  EIR.  Further,  the 
recognition of interest income is calculated on the carrying amount net of impairment rather than the gross 
carrying amount as for stage 1 and stage 2 assets. 

If  circumstances  change  sufficiently  at  subsequent  reporting  dates,  an  asset  is  referred  to  by  its  newly 
appropriate Stage and is re-analysed in the notes to the financial information. 

Where an asset is expected to mature in 12 months or less, the “12 month ECL” and the “lifetime ECL” have 
the same effective meaning and accordingly for such assets the calculated loss allowance will be the same 
whether such an asset is at Stage 1 or Stage 2. However, the Group monitors significant increase in credit risk 
for all assets so that it can accurately disclose Stage 1 and Stage 2 assets at each reporting date. 

Lifetime ECLs are recognised for all trade receivables using the simplified approach. 

Significant increase in credit risk – policies and procedures for identifying Stage 2 assets 

The Group compares the risk of a default occurring on the financial instrument as at the reporting date with 
the  risk  of  a  default  occurring  on  the  financial  instrument  as  at  the  date  of  initial  recognition  in  order  to 
determine whether credit risk has increased significantly. 

See note 22 for further details about how the Group assesses increases in significant credit risk. 

Definition of a default 

Critical to the determination of significant increases in credit risk (and to the determination of ECLs) is the 
definition of default. Default is a component of the Probability of Default (“PD”), changes in which lead to the 
identification of a significant increase in credit risk and PD is then a factor in the measurement of ECLs. 

The Group’s definition of default for this purpose is: 

•  A counterparty defaults on a payment due under a loan agreement and that payment is more than 90 days 

overdue, or 

•  Within the core invoice finance proposition, where one or more individual finance repayments are beyond 

90 days overdue, management judgement is applied in considering default status of the client. 

•  The collateral that secures, all or in part, the loan agreement has been sold or is otherwise not available 

for sale and the proceeds have not been paid to the lending company; or 

•  A counterparty commits an event of default under the terms and conditions of the loan agreement which 
leads  the  lending  company  to  believe  that  the  borrower’s  ability  to  meet  its  credit  obligations  to  the 
lending company is in doubt. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       42 

 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

The definition of default is similarly critical in the determination of whether an asset is credit-impaired (as 
explained below). 

Credit-impaired financial assets – policies and procedures for identifying Stage 3 assets 

A financial asset is credit-impaired when one or more events that have a detrimental impact on the estimated 
future cash flows of the financial asset have occurred. IFRS 9 states that evidence of credit-impairment includes 
observable data about the following events: 

•  Significant financial difficulty of the borrower or issuer; 

•  A breach of contract such as a default (as defined above) or past due event, or 

•  The Group, for economic or contractual reasons relating to the borrower’s financial difficulty, having 

granted to the borrower a concession that the Group would not otherwise consider. 

The  Group  assesses  whether  debt  instruments  that  are  financial  assets  measured  at  amortised  cost  or  at 
FVTOCI  are  credit-impaired  at  each  reporting  date.  When  assessing  whether  there  is  evidence  of  credit- 
impairment, the  Group takes  into  account both qualitative and quantitative indicators relating to both the 
borrower and to the asset. The information assessed depends on the borrower and the type of the asset. It 
may not be possible to identify a single discrete event – instead, the combined effect of several events may 
have caused financial assets to become credit-impaired. 

See note 22 for further details about how the Group identifies credit-impaired assets. 

Purchased or originated credit-impaired (“POCI”) financial assets 

POCI financial assets are treated differently because they are in Stage 3 from the point of original recognition. 
It is not in the nature of the Group’s business to purchase financial assets originated by other lenders, nor has 
the Group to date originated any loans or advances to borrowers that it would define as credit impaired. 

Presentation of allowance for ECL in the statement of financial position 

Loss allowances for ECL are presented in the statement of financial position as follows: 

•  For financial assets measured at amortised cost: as a deduction from the gross carrying amount of the 

assets;  

•  For loan commitments: as a provision; and 

•  For debt instruments measured at FVTOCI: no loss allowance is recognised in the statement of financial 
position as the carrying amount is at fair value. However, the loss allowance is included as part of the 
revaluation amount in the investment revaluation reserve. 

Modification of financial assets 

A  modification  of  a  financial  asset  occurs  when  the  contractual  terms  governing  a  financial  asset  are 
renegotiated without the original contract being replaced and derecognised and: 

•  The gross carrying amount of the asset is recalculated and a modification gain or loss is recognised in 

profit or loss; 

•  Any fees charged are added to the asset and amortised over the new expected life of the asset; and 

•  The asset is individually assessed to determine whether there has been a significant increase in credit risk. 

Derecognition of financial assets 

A financial asset (or, where applicable, a part of a financial asset or part of a group of similar financial assets) 
is  de-recognised  when  the  rights  to  receive  cash  flows  from  the  asset  have  expired.  The  Group  also  de-
recognises the assets if it has both transferred the asset and the transfer qualifies for de-recognition. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       43 

 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

A transfer only qualifies for de-recognition if either  

•  The Group has transferred substantially all the risks and rewards of the asset; or 

•  The Group has neither transferred nor retained substantially all the risks and rewards of the asset but has 

transferred control of the asset. 

Write offs 

Loans and advances are written off when the Group has no reasonable expectation of recovering the financial 
asset (either in its entirety or a portion of it). This is the case when the Group determines that the borrower 
does not have assets or sources of income that could generate sufficient cash flows to repay the amounts 
subject  to  the  write-off.  A  write-off  constitutes  a  derecognition  event.  The  Group  may  apply  enforcement 
activities to financial assets written off. Recoveries resulting from the Group’s enforcement activities will result 
in impairment gains. 

Debt securities 

Debt securities are financial assets that are not held for trading and are intended to be held within a business 
model to collect contractual cash flows or sell. These are initially measured at fair value plus transaction costs 
that are directly attributable to the financial asset. Subsequently changes in the fair value are recognised in 
other  comprehensive  income  except  for  interest  calculated  at  the  asset’s  EIR,  foreign  exchange  and 
impairment gains and losses. 

Financial liabilities 

Financial liabilities and equity 

Debt and equity instruments that are issued are classified as either financial liabilities or as equity in accordance 
with the substance of the contractual arrangement. 

A financial liability is a contractual obligation to deliver cash or another financial asset or to exchange financial 
assets  or  financial  liabilities  with  another  entity  under  conditions  that  are  potentially  unfavourable  to  the 
Group or a non-derivative contract that will or may be settled in a variable number of the Group’s own equity 
instruments, or a derivative contract over own equity that will or may be settled other than by the exchange 
of a fixed amount of cash (or another financial asset) for a fixed number of the Group’s own equity instruments.  

Equity instruments 

An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of an entity after deducting 
all of its liabilities. Equity instruments issued by the Group are recognised as at the proceeds received, net of 
direct issue costs. Distributions on equity instruments are recognised directly in equity. 

Financial liabilities 

Financial liabilities are classified as either financial liabilities at FVTPL or other financial liabilities. 

Financial liabilities at Fair Value through Profit or Loss 

Financial liabilities at FVTPL may include financial liabilities held for trading. Financial liabilities are classified as 
held for trading if they are acquired for the purpose of selling in the near term. 

During  the  period  under  review  the  Group  has  held  no  financial  liabilities  for  trading,  nor  designated  any 
financial liabilities upon initial recognition as at fair value through profit or loss. 

Other financial liabilities  

Interest bearing borrowings are measured at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method. Gains and 
losses  are  recognised  in  the  income  statement  when  the  liabilities  are  derecognised  as well  as  through  the 
effective  interest  rate  method  (EIR).  Amortised  cost  is  calculated  by  taking  into  account  any  discount  or 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       44 

 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

premium on acquisition and fees or costs that are an integral part of the EIR. The EIR amortisation is included 
in “Interest and fee expenses” in the profit and loss account.  

Derecognition of financial liabilities 

The Group derecognises financial liabilities when and only when, the Group’s obligations are discharged, 
cancelled or they expire. 

Impairment of non-financial assets 

The carrying amounts of the  entity’s  non-financial assets, other than goodwill and deferred tax assets, are 
reviewed  at  each  reporting  date  to  determine  whether  there  is  any  indication  of  impairment.  If  any  such 
indication exists, then the asset’s recoverable amount is estimated. The recoverable amount of an asset or 
cash-generating unit is the greater of its value in use and its fair value less costs to sell. In assessing value in 
use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that 
reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset.  

For the purposes of impairment testing, assets that cannot be tested individually are grouped together into 
the smallest group of assets that generates cash inflows from continuing use that are largely independent of 
the cash inflows of other assets or groups of assets (the Cash-Generating Unit or “CGU”). 

Contract assets are reviewed for impairment based on the performance of the underlying contract. 

Goodwill  is  tested  annually  for  impairment  in  accordance  with  IFRS.  The  goodwill  acquired  in  a  business 
combination, for the purpose of impairment testing is allocated to CGU that are expected to benefit from the 
synergies of the combination. For the purpose of goodwill impairment testing, if goodwill cannot be allocated 
to individual CGUs or groups of CGUs on a non-arbitrary basis, the impairment of goodwill is determined using 
the recoverable amount of the acquired entity in its entirety, or if the acquired entity has been integrated then 
the entire group of entities into which it has been integrated. 

An impairment loss is recognised if the carrying amount of an asset or its CGU exceeds its estimated recoverable 
amount.  Impairment  losses  are  recognised  in  the  statement  of  comprehensive  income.  Impairment  losses 
recognised in respect of CGUs are allocated first to reduce the carrying amount of any goodwill allocated to 
the units and then to reduce the carrying amounts of other assets in the unit (or group of units) on a pro rata 
basis. 

An  impairment  loss  is  reversed  if  and  only  if  the  reasons  for  the  impairment  have  ceased  to  apply.  An 
impairment loss recognised for goodwill is not reversed. 

Impairment losses recognised in prior periods are assessed at each reporting date for any indication that the 
loss  has  decreased  or  no  longer  exists.  An  impairment  loss  is  reversed  only  to  the  extent  that  the  asset’s 
carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would have been determined, net of depreciation 
or amortisation, if no impairment loss had been recognised. 

Current and deferred income tax 

Income tax on the result for the period comprises current and deferred income tax. Income tax is recognised in 
the consolidated statement of comprehensive income except to the extent that it relates to items recognised 
directly in equity, in which case it is recognised in equity. 

Current tax is the expected tax payable or receivable on the taxable income for the period, using tax rates 
enacted or substantively enacted at the balance sheet date and any adjustment to tax payable in respect of 
previous periods. 

Deferred tax is provided using the balance sheet liability method, providing for temporary differences between 
the  carrying  amounts  of  assets  and  liabilities  for  financial  reporting  purposes  and  the  amounts  used  for 
taxation purposes. The amount of deferred tax provided is based on the expected manner of realisation or 
settlement of the carrying amount of assets and liabilities, using tax rates enacted or substantively enacted at 
the balance sheet date. 

The carrying amount of deferred tax assets is reviewed at each balance sheet 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 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       45 

 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

be recovered. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset when there is a legally enforceable right to set off 
current  tax  assets  against  current  tax  liabilities  and  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. 

Employee benefits – pension costs 

A defined contribution plan is a post-employment benefit plan under which the Group pays fixed contributions 
into a separate entity and will have a legal or constructive obligation to pay further amounts. Contributions to 
defined contribution schemes are charged to the statement of comprehensive income as they become payable 
in  accordance  with  the  rules  of  the  scheme.  Differences  between  contributions  payable  in  the  year  and 
contributions actually paid are shown as either accruals or prepayments in the statement of financial position. 

Leasing 

Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the consolidated statement of comprehensive income on 
a straight line basis over the period of the lease. 

Benefits received and receivable as an incentive to sign an operating lease are recognised on a straight line 
basis over the period of the lease. 

The Group does not currently hold any assets under finance leases. 

Provisions for commitments and other liabilities 

Provisions are recognised when the Group has a present obligation (legal or constructive) as a result of a past 
event, it is probable that the Group will be required to settle that obligation and a reliable estimate can be 
made of the amount of the obligation. 

The amount recognised as a provision is the best estimate of the consideration required to settle the present 
obligation at the balance sheet date, taking into account the risks and uncertainties surrounding the obligation. 
Where a provision is measured using the cash flows estimated to settle the present obligation, its carrying 
amount is the present value of those cash flows (discounted at the Group’s weighted average cost of capital 
when the effect of the time value of money is material). 

When some or all of the economic benefits required to settle a provision are expected to be recovered from a 
third  party,  a  receivable  is  recognised  as  an  asset  only  if  it  is  virtually  certain  that  reimbursement  will  be 
received and the amount of the receivable can be measured reliably. 

Merger Reserve 

Prior to 29 December 2017, the entities within the Group were held by Arrowgrass Master Fund Limited. On 
29 December 2017, these entities were acquired by TruFin plc via TruFin Holdings Limited. The consideration 
provided to Arrowgrass for the companies acquired was in exchange for shares of TruFin plc based on the fair 
value of the underlying companies. Upon consolidation of the group, the difference between the book value of 
the entities and the amount of the consideration paid was accounted through a merger reserve, in accordance 
with relevant accounting standards relating to businesses under common control. 

Segmental reporting 

An operating segment is a component of the Group that engages in business activities from which it may earn 
revenues and incur expenses (including revenues and expenses relating to transactions with other components 
of the same entity) and whose operating results are regularly reviewed by the Board of Directors in order to 
make decisions about resources to be allocated to that component and assess its performance and for which 
discrete financial information is available. 

For the purposes of the financial statements, the Directors consider the Group’s operations to be made up of 
three operating segments: the provision of short term finance, payment services and other operations. 

The accounting policies of the reportable segments are consistent with the accounting policies of the Group 
as a whole.  

Further details are provided in note 4. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       46 

 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Share based payments  

Where the Group engages in share-based payment transactions in respect of services received from certain of 
its  employees,  these  are  accounted  for  as  equity-settled  share-based  payments  in  accordance  with  IFRS  2 
‘Share-based payments’. The equity is in the form of ordinary shares. 

The grant date fair value of a share-based payment transaction is recognised as an employee expense, with a 
corresponding increase in equity over the period that the employees become unconditionally entitled to the 
awards. In the absence of market prices, the fair value of the equity at the date of the grant is estimated using 
an appropriate valuation technique 

The amount recognised as an expense is adjusted to reflect the actual number of awards for which the related 
services  and  non-market  vesting  conditions  are  expected  to  be  met  such  that  the  amount  ultimately 
recognised as an expense is based on the number of awards that do meet the related service and non-market 
performance conditions at the vesting date. 

For share-based payment awards with market performance conditions the grant date fair value of the award 
is measured to reflect such conditions and there is no true-up for differences between expected and actual 
outcomes. 

Refer to note 6 for the amounts disclosed. 

New standards and interpretations – in issue but not yet effective/adopted 

IFRS 16 Leases 

IFRS 16, which has been endorsed by the EU, introduces a comprehensive model for the identification of lease 
arrangements and accounting treatments for both lessors and lessees. IFRS 16 will supersede the current lease 
guidance including IAS 17 Leases and the related interpretations when it becomes effective for accounting 
periods beginning on or after 1 January 2019. The Group will adopt IFRS 16 for the year beginning 1 January 
2019. No decision has been made about whether to use any of the transitional options in IFRS 16. 

IFRS 16 distinguishes leases and service contracts on the basis of whether an identified asset is controlled by 
a  customer. Distinctions  of  operating  leases  (off  balance  sheet)  and  finance  leases  (on  balance  sheet)  are 
removed for lessee accounting and is replaced by a model where a right-of-use asset and a corresponding 
liability have to be recognised for all leases by lessees (i.e. all on balance sheet) except for short term leases 
and leases of low value assets.   

The  right-of-use  asset  is  initially  measured  at  cost  and  subsequently  measured  at  cost  (subject  to  certain 
exceptions) less accumulated  depreciation and impairment losses,  adjusted for  any remeasurement of the 
lease liability. The lease liability is initially measured at the present value of the lease payments that are not 
paid at that date. Subsequently, the lease liability is adjusted for interest and lease payments, as well as the 
impact  of  lease  modifications,  amongst  others.  Furthermore,  the  classification  of  cash  flows  will  also  be 
affected  because  operating  lease  payments  under  IAS  17  are  presented  as  operating  cash  flows;  whereas 
under the IFRS 16 model, the lease payments will be split into a principal and an interest portion which will be 
presented as financing and operating cash flows respectively. 

An  initial  assessment  has  been  conducted  on  the  adoption  of  IFRS  16  against  the  current  methodology 
followed in accordance with IAS 17. The estimated impact of IFRS 16 is not expected to be material. 

The impact of all other IFRSs not yet adopted is not expected to be material. 

2. 

Critical accounting judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty 

The preparation of financial information in accordance with IFRS requires management to make judgements, 
estimates and assumptions that affect the application of accounting policies and reported amounts of assets 
and liabilities, income and expenses. 

The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and various other factors that 
are believed to be  reasonable  under  the circumstances, the results of which form the basis of making the 
judgements about carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apart from other sources. The 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       47 

 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Actual results may differ from these 
estimates. 

The  following  are  the  critical  judgements,  apart  from  those  involving  estimations  (which  are  dealt  with 
separately below), that the directors have made in the process of applying the Group’s accounting policies and 
that have the most significant effect on the amounts recognised in financial statements.  

Critical accounting judgements 

•  Early Payment Programme Services set up costs: the Group capitalises the direct costs of implementing 
Early Payment Programme Services contracts for clients. These costs are essential to the satisfaction of the 
Group’s performance obligation under that contract and accordingly the Group considers that these costs 
meet the applicable criteria for recognition as contract assets. 

The amount capitalised is disclosed in note 12. 

•  Deferred  tax  asset:  There  is  inherent  uncertainty  in  forecasting  beyond  the  immediate  future  and 
significant judgement is required to estimate whether future taxable profits are probable in order to utilise 
the  carried  forward  tax  losses.  However, the  Group  has  determined  that  convincing  evidence  exists  to 
support the recognition of a deferred tax asset in respect of carried forward losses for Oxygen. 

For Oxygen, a high proportion of the forecast revenue is expected to be generated from clients that are 
either already “live” or have  already signed contracts with Oxygen. Oxygen’s fixed cost base is already 
scaled for continued business growth and variable cost growth is not expected to be significant. 

DFC and Satago have carried forward losses which will be utilised against future taxable profits. However, 
a deferred tax asset has not been recognised for these two companies as there is uncertainty surrounding 
the timing of when these losses will be used. 

Refer to note 11 for more information on the deferred tax asset. 

Key sources of estimation uncertainty 

The key assumptions concerning the future and other key sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting 
period that may have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and 
liabilities within the next financial year are discussed below: 

Expected credit losses 

•  Where an asset has a maturity of 12 months or less, the “12 month ECL” and the “lifetime ECL” have the 
same effective meaning  and accordingly for such assets the calculated loss allowance will be the same 
whether such an asset is at stage 1 or stage 2. Given the preponderance of short term lending, the Group’s 
consolidated loss allowance is not materially affected by the allocation of assets between stages 1 and 2, 
nor by any significant subjectivity in the forward looking estimates that are applied. 

•  The Probability of Default (“PD”) is an estimate of the likelihood of default over a given time horizon and 
is a key input to the ECL calculation. The Group primarily uses credit scores from credit reference agencies 
to calculate the PD for loans and advances to customers. The score is a 12-month predictor of credit failure 
and, in the absence of internally generated loss history, the Group believes that it provides the best proxy 
for the credit quality of the loan portfolio. 

•  Exposure At Default (“EAD”) is an estimate of the exposure at a future default date, taking into account 
expected changes in the exposure after the reporting date, including repayments of principal and interest, 
whether scheduled by contract or otherwise, expected drawdowns on committed facilities and accrued 
interest from missed payments. 

•  Loss Given Default (“LGD”) is an estimate of the loss arising on default. It is based on the difference between 
the contractual cash flows due and those that the lender would expect to receive, in particular taking into 
account wholesale collateral values and certain buy back options. 

The  Group  has  considered  the  key  areas  of  estimation  used  within  the  IFRS  9  impairment  calculation  and 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       48 

 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

identified the variables which propose a material risk in terms of the preparation of the financial statements. 
The only variable considered to present a material risk of estimation uncertainty are the collateral values which 
are used within the loss given default (LGD) calculation. The Group has assessed that if the loss given default 
increased by a factor of 4, this would generate an additional provision of approximately £400,000. 

Measurement of fair values of level 3 instruments 

In estimating the fair value of a financial asset or liability, the Group uses market observable data to the extent 
that it is available. Where such level 1 inputs are not available, the Group uses valuation models to estimate 
the fair value of its financial instruments. 

Refer to note 15 for more information on fair value measurement. 

3. 

Interest and fee income 

Revenue  

Interest income 

Total interest income 

EPPS* contracts 

Assessment fees 

Consultancy fees 

Facility fees 

Subscription fees 

Total fee income 

Total revenue 

*Early Payment Programme Services 

4. 

Segmental reporting 

2018 
£’000 

6,295   

6,295   

2017 
£’000 

1,136 

1,136 

2,373   

2,153 

145   

35   

351   

345   

219 

78 

188 

- 

3,249   

2,638 

9,544   

3,774 

The results of the Group are broken down into segments based on the products and services from which it 
derives its revenue: 

Short term finance: 

Provision of distribution finance products and invoice discounting. For results during the reporting period, this 
corresponds to the results of DFC, SFSL and AltLending. 

Payment services: 

Provision of Early Payment Programme Services. For results during the reporting period, this corresponds to 
the results of Oxygen and Porge. 

Other: 

Revenue and costs arising from investment activities and peer-to-peer lending. For results during the reporting 
period, this corresponds to the results of TSL, THL, the Group’s investment in Zopa and joint venture in Clear 
Funding, and TruFin plc. 

The results of each segment, prepared using accounting policies consistent with those of the Group as a 
whole, are as follows: 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       49 

 
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
 
   
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Year ended 31 December 2018 

Interest and fee income 

Interest and fee expenses 

Net interest and fee income 

Short term 
finance 
£’000 
6,590   
(2,251)   
4,339   

Payment 
services 
£’000 
2,894   
(51)   
2,843   

Other 
£’000 
60   
-   
60   

Total 
£’000 

9,544 

(2,302) 

7,242 

Adjusted operating loss* 

(6,627)   

(2,333)   

(3,801)   

(12,761) 

(6,627) 

(2,333) 

(6,540) 

(15,500) 

Operating loss 

Loss before tax 

Taxation 

Loss for the year 

Total assets 

Total liabilities 

Net assets 

(6,627)   

-   
(6,627)   
153,451   
(62,331)   
91,120   

(2,333)   

390   
(1,943)   
11,889   
(2,649)   
9,240   

Payment 
services 
£’000 
2,444   
(53)   
2,391   

(6,540)   

-   
(6,540)   
54,068   
(1,180)   
52,888   

Other 
£’000 

6   
–   
6   

(15,500) 

390 

(15,110) 

219,408 

(66,160) 

153,248 

Total 
£’000 
3,774 

(121) 

3,653 

*adjusted operating loss excludes share-based payment expense 

Year ended 31 December 2017 

Interest and fee income 

Interest and fee expenses 

Net interest and fee income 

Short term 
Finance 
£’000 

1,324   
(68)   
1,256   

Operating loss 

Loss before tax 

Taxation 

Loss for the year 

Total assets 

Total liabilities 

Net assets 

(3,896)   

(3,630)   

(2,147)   

(9,672) 

(3,896)   

(3,959)   

(2,147)   

(10,002) 

–   
(3,896)   
59,493   
(10,098)   
49,395   

867   
(3,092)   
7,051   
(1,333)   
5,718   

–   
(2,147)   
36,991   
(708)   
36,283   

867 

(9,135) 

103,535 

(12,139) 

91,396 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       50 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

5. 

Staff costs 

Analysis of staff costs: 

Wages and salaries 

Consulting costs 

Social security costs 

Pension costs arising on defined contribution schemes 

Share based payment 

2018 
£’000 

10,251   

1,405   

1,413   

287   

2,739   

16,095   

2017 
£’000 

6,111 

1,262 

710 

105 

- 

8,188 

Consulting  costs  are  recognised  within  staff  costs  where  the  work  performed  would  otherwise  have  been 
performed by employees. Consulting costs arising from the performance of other services are included within 
other operating expenses. 

Average monthly number of persons (including Executive Directors) employed: 

Management 

Finance 

Sales & marketing 

Operations 

Technology 

Directors’ emoluments 

2018 
Number 

2017 
Number 

18   

12   

25   

67   

21   

143   

10 

4 

12 

35 

8 

69 

The number of directors who received share options during the year was as follows: 

Long term incentive schemes 

There were no directors who exercised share options during the year. 

2018 
Number 

3   

2017 
Number 

– 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       51 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

The directors’ aggregate emoluments in respect of qualifying services were: 

Salary 
£’000s 

Bonus 
£’000s 

Pension 
£’000s 

Benefits 
£’000s 

Executive Directors: 

S H Kenner 

J v d Bergh 

R Kapashi 

Non-executive 
Directors: 
S Baldwin 

P Whiting 

P Judd 

P Dentskevich 

Key management  

350 

250 

175 

775 

69 

58 
58 
49 

234 

270 

193 

135 

598 

– 

– 
– 
– 

– 

– 

8 

9 

17 

– 

– 
– 
– 

– 

8 

5 

– 

13 

– 

– 
– 
– 

– 

2018 
Total 
£’000s 

628 
456 
319 

1,403 

69 

58 

58 

49 

234 

2017 
Total 
£’000s 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 
– 
– 

– 

The Directors consider that key management personnel include the Executive Directors of TruFin plc and the 
Chief  Operating  Officer. These individuals have the authority and responsibility for planning, directing and 
controlling the activities of the Group. 

6. 

Employee share-based payment transactions 

The employment share-based payment charge comprises: 

Performance Share Plan and Joint Share Ownership Plan Founder Award 

Performance Share Plan Market Value Award  

Performance Share Plan 2018 Award  

Total 

2018 
£’000 

2,671   

68   

–   

2,739   

2017 
£’000 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Performance Share Plan and Joint Share Ownership Plan Founder Award (“PSP and JSOP”) 

On 21 February 2018, 3,407,895 shares were granted to selected members of senior management of which the 
share price at date of grant was £1.90 per share. The award is structured as a Performance Share Plan and a Joint 
Share  Ownership  Plan.  The  Performance  Share  Plan  is  structured  as  a  nil  cost  option  with  no  performance 
conditions attached, although the individuals are subject to continued employment until February 2021. The Joint 
Share Ownership Plan allows the employee to participate in the growth in value over and above the grant price of 
£1.90. The shares vest 25% on each anniversary of the grant date. 

Performance Share Plan Market Value Award (“PSP Market Value”) 

On 21 February 2018, 4,868,420 shares were granted to the senior management team. The vesting of this award is 
based on market-based performance conditions. The vesting of these awards is subject to the holder remaining an 
employee of the Company and the Company’s share price achieving five distinct milestones vesting at 20% each 
milestone. The exercise price of the shares on vesting is £1.90 per share. A Monte Carlo simulation was used to 
determine the fair value of these options. The model used an expected volatility of 10% and a risk free rate of 1.3%. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       52 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Performance Share Plan 2018 Award (“PSP 2018”) 

On 21 February 2018, 1,000,001 shares were granted to the senior management team. The PSP 2018 award is 
structured as a nil cost option. The vesting of this award is subject to the holder being in continued employment 
until February 2021 and the Company achieving certain financial metrics over a three-year period. The fair value of 
these options as at 31 December 2018 was deemed to be nil as it is highly improbable that the vesting conditions 
will be met. 

Details of share based awards during the year. 

Type of instrument granted 

Outstanding at 1 January 2018 

Granted during the year 

Outstanding at 31 December 2018 

PSP and JSOP 

Shares (#) 

PSP Market 
Value 
Options (#) 

PSP 2018 

Options (#) 

– 

– 

– 

3,407,895 

4,868,420 

1,000,001 

3,407,895 

4,868,420 

1,000,001 

Vested at 31 December 2018 

– 

– 

– 

No options have been forfeited, exercised or have expired during the year.  

Employees are responsible for settling their own tax obligations related to these awards as and when they arise. 
The Company will pay any Employers NI that becomes due on these awards. 

7. 

Provision for commitments and other liabilities 

Management have recognised a provision of £299,000 (2017: £299,000) in relation to uncertain tax positions 
prior to 31 December 2016. Although advice has been taken, the legislation is complex and could result in 
different interpretations. The amount recognised is the best estimate of the consideration required to settle 
the present obligation at the balance sheet date. 

A provision of £750,000 has been made in 2018 for the deferred consideration payable for the acquisition of 
Porge by Oxygen. The deferred consideration is payable in the second quarter of 2019 and is dependent upon 
Porge meeting certain revenue targets. 

Group 

At 1 January 2018 
Additional provision during the year 

At 31 December 2018 

Group 

At 1 January 2017 
Additional provision during the year 

At 31 December 2017 

The Company had no provisions at the year end. 

£’000 

299 

754 

1,053 

£’000 

299 
– 
299 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       53 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

8. 

Exceptional expenses 

Loss before income tax is stated after charging the following material items: 

Oxygen IT platform transition 

2018 
£’000 

–   

–   

2017 
£’000 
330 

330 

Items  of  income  or  expense  are  disclosed  separately  when  they  are  material  to  an  understanding  of  the 
financial statements.  

Oxygen’s legacy business strategy had been based around a technology platform operated by a third- party 
provider on Oxygen’s behalf. Oxygen incurred material costs in 2016 and 2017 only to transfer the platform to 
a cloud based environment under its own control. As a result these are items which management does not 
expect to be repeated and are exceptional in nature. 

9. 

Net impairment loss on financial assets 

At 1 January  

Charge for impairment loss 

Amounts written off in the year 

Amounts recovered in the year 

At 31 December 

2018 
£’000 

126   

248   

(55)   

–   

319   

2017 
£’000 

13 

158 

(45) 

– 

126 

At  31  December  2018,  the  Group  had  an  impairment  balance  of  £319,000  of  which  £308,000  is  allocated 
against loans and advances to customers and the residual £11,000 allocated to trade receivables. 

The  net  impairment  charge  on  financial  assets  during  the  year  ended  31  December  2018  derives  from 
£237,000 for loans to customers and the residual £11,000 for trade receivables. 

In the year ended 31 December 2017 all impairment charges were against loans to customers. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       54 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

10. 

Loss before income tax 

Loss before income tax is stated after charging: 

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment 

Amortisation of intangible assets 

Staff costs including share based payments charge 

Operating lease rentals 

Fees payable to the Group’s auditor (Deloitte LLP) 

Fees payable for the audit of the company’s annual accounts 

Fees payable for the audit of the company’s subsidiaries 

Total audit fees 

Non audit services 
Other taxation advisory services 

Other assurance services 

Corporate finance services 

Total non audit fees 

2018 
£’000 

109   

225   

16,095   

641   

2018 
£’000 

68   
132   
200   

–   
68   
–   
68   

2017 
£’000 

43 

156 

8,188 

258 

2017 
£’000 

70 

37 

107 

187 

665 

42 

894 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       55 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

11. 

Taxation 

Analysis of tax credit recognised in the period 

Current tax credit 

Deferred tax credit 

Total tax credit 

Reconciliation of loss before tax to total tax credit recognised 

Loss before tax 

Loss before tax multiplied by the standard rate of corporation tax in the 
UK of (19%/19.25%) 

Tax effect of: 

Expenses not deductible 

Depreciation in excess of capital allowances 

R&D expenditure credits 

Capital allowances 

Other short term timing differences 

Capitalised revenue expenditure 

Deferred tax on brought forward assets 

Adjust closing deferred tax to rate at which losses expect to be utilised 
(17%) 

Adjust closing deferred tax to average rate of (19%/19.25%) 

Adjust opening deferred tax to average rate of (19%/19.25%) 

Deferred tax not recognised 

Total tax credit 

2018 
£’000 

–   

(390)   

(390)   

2017 
£’000 
– 

(867) 

(867) 

2018 
£’000 
(15,500)   

  2017 
£’000 
(10,002) 

(2,884) 

(1,925) 

543   

23   

–   

(10)   

4   

1   

(1,461)   

560 
656   

(612)   

2,790   
(390)   

42 

2 

(6) 

(8) 

8 

– 

(87) 

129 
(271) 

– 

1,249 
(867) 

Reductions in the UK corporation tax rate from 19% (effective from 1 April 2017) and to 18% (effective 1 April 
2020) were substantively enacted on 26 October 2015. An additional reduction to 17% (effective from 1 April 
2020) was substantively enacted on 6 September 2016. This will reduce the Group’s future current tax charge 
accordingly.  The  deferred  tax  assets  and  liabilities  at  31  December  2018  have  been  based  on  the  rates 
substantively enacted at the balance sheet date. 

Deferred tax asset 

Group 

Balance at start of the year 

Credit to the statement of comprehensive income 

Balance at end of the year 

Comprised of: 

Losses 

Total deferred tax asset 

2018 
£’000 

5,189   
390   
5,579   

5,579   
5,579   

2017 
£’000 

4,322 

867  

5,189  

5,189  

5,189  

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       56 

 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

A deferred tax asset has been recognised in respect of Oxygen. It is considered probable that future taxable 
profits  will  be  available  to  be  realised  against  Oxygen’s  historical  losses.  This  determination  is  based  on 
Oxygen’s forecasts. A high proportion of the revenue forecast is expected to be generated from clients which 
have either already onboarded or which have already signed contracts with Oxygen. Oxygen’s fixed cost base 
is  already  scaled  for  continued  business  growth,  whilst  variable  costs  are  not  expected  to  be  material. 
Unutilised  tax losses  in  DFC  and  Satago  as  at 31 December 2018 were £10,858,000 (2017:£3,854,000) and 
£2,559,000 (2017:£905,000). 

12. 

Intangible assets 

Group 

Cost 
At 1 January 2018 

Additions 

Arising on acquisition of subsidiary 

At 31 December 2018 

Amortisation 
At 1 January 2018 
Charge 

At 31 December 2018 

Accumulated impairment losses 
At 1 January 2018 

Charge 

At 31 December 2018 

Net book value 

At 31 December 2018 

At 31 December 2017 

Client 
contracts 
£’000   

Software 
licenses and 
similar assets 
£’000   

305 
1,860 

– 
2,165   

(52) 
(51) 
(103)   

– 

– 

– 

500 
995 

– 
1,495   

(104) 
(174) 
(278)   

– 

– 

– 

Goodwill 
£’000   

– 
– 

2,759 
2,759   

– 
– 
–   

– 

– 

– 

2,062 

253 

1,217 

396 

2,759 

– 

Total 
£’000 

805 
2,855 

2,759 

6,419 

(156) 
(225) 

(381) 

– 

– 

– 

6,038 

649 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       57 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Group 
Cost 
At 1 January 2017 

Additions 

At 31 December 2017 

Amortisation 
At 1 January 2017 
Charge 

At 31 December 2017 

Net book value 

At 31 December 2017 

At 31 December 2016 

Client 
contracts 
£’000 

Software 
licenses and 
similar assets 
£’000 

– 
305 
305   

– 
(52) 
(52)   

253   

–   

– 
500 
500   

– 
(104) 
(104)   

396   

–   

Total 
£’000 

– 
805 

805 

– 
(156) 

(156) 

649 

– 

The Company had no intangibles assets at the year end. 

Client contracts comprise the directly attributable costs incurred at the beginning of an Early Payment Scheme 
Service contract to revise a client’s existing payment systems and provide access to the Group’s software and 
other intellectual property. These implementation (or “set up”) costs are comprised primarily of employee 
costs. 

The useful economic life for each individual asset is deemed to be the term of the underlying Client Contract 
(generally 5 years) which has been deemed appropriate and for impairment review purposes, projected cash 
flows have been discounted over this period. 

The  amortisation  charge  is  recognised  in  fee  expenses  within  the  statement  of  comprehensive  income, as 
these costs are incurred directly through activities which generate fee income. 

Software,  licenses  and  similar  assets  comprises  separately  acquired  software,  as  well  as  costs  directly 
attributable  to  internally  developed  platforms  across  the  Group.  These  directly  attributable  costs  are 
associated with the production of identifiable and unique software products controlled by the Group and are 
probable  of  producing  future  economic  benefits.  They  primarily  include  employee  costs  and  directly 
attributable overheads. 

A  useful  economic  life  of  3  to  5  years  has  been  deemed  appropriate  and  for  impairment  review  purposes 
projected cash flows have been discounted over this period. 

The  amortisation  charge  is  recognised  in  depreciation  and  amortisation  on  non-financial  assets  within  the 
statement of comprehensive income. 

The  Group  performed  an  impairment  review  at  31  December  2018  and  concluded  no  impairment  was 
required. 

The ‘Software, licenses and similar assets’ net book value balance related to internally generated intangible 
assets  at  31  December  2018  was  £1,198,000  (2017:  £396,000).  This  consists  of  cost  of  £1,471,000  (2017: 
£500,000) and accumulated amortisation of £273,000 (2017: £104,000) During the year there were additions 
of £971,000 (2017: £500,000) and amortisation of £169,000 (2017: £104,000). 

Goodwill relates to Oxygen Finance Group Limited (“Oxygen”) and arises from the acquisition of a subsidiary 
Company, Porge Limited (“Porge”) in August 2018. This is included within the payment services segment of 
the Group. Further details of the acquisition are included in note 24. 

The rationale for the acquisition was to enhance Oxygen’s product offering. Porge is a provider of evidence 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       58 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

based public sector market insight services and research products. 

Impairment testing of intangibles 

An impairment review of the goodwill was carried out at the year end. Porge was valued using the discounted 
cash flow methodology. The net earnings of Porge were forecasted to 2022, a discount rate of 12% was used 
and terminal growth rate of 2%. The valuation of Porge was greater than the amount of goodwill and therefore 
the goodwill is not deemed to be impaired. 

13. 

Property, plant and equipment 

Group 

Cost 
At 1 January 2018 

Additions 

Arising on acquisition of subsidiary 

At 31 December 2018 

Depreciation 
At 1 January 2018 
Charge 

At 31 December 2018 

Net book value 

At 31 December 2018 

At 31 December 2017 

Group 

Cost 
At 1 January 2017 

Additions 

At 31 December 2017 

Depreciation 
At 1 January 2017 
Charge 

At 31 December 2017 

Net book value 

At 31 December 2017 

At 31 December 2016 

Leasehold 
improvements 
£’000   

Fixtures & 
fittings 
£’000   

Computer 
equipment 
£’000   

44 
23 

- 

67 

(6) 
(18) 

(24) 

221 
113 

3 

337 

(157) 
(48) 

(205) 

43   
38   

132   
64   

35 
139 

3 

177 

(6) 
(43) 

(49) 

128   
29   

Leasehold 
improvements 
£’000   

Fixtures & 
fittings 
£’000   

Computer 
equipment 
£’000   

– 
44 

44 

– 
(6) 
(6)   

38   
– 

188 
33 

221 

(126) 
(31) 
(157)   

64   
62 

5 
30 

35 

– 
(6) 
(6)   

29   
5 

Total 
£’000 

300 
275 

6 

581 

(169) 
(109) 

(278) 

303 

131 

Total 
£’000 

193 
107 

300 

(126) 
(43) 

(169) 

131 

67 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       59 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

The Group holds no assets under finance leases. 

Company 

Cost 
At 1 January 2018 

Additions 

At 31 December 2018 

Depreciation 
At 1 January 2018 

Charge 

At 31 December 2018 

Net book value 

At 31 December 2018 

Computer 
equipment 
£’000   

Total 
£’000 

– 
3   
3   

– 
(1)   

(1) 

2   

– 

3 

3 

– 

(1) 

(1) 

2 

14. 

 Investment in joint venture 

Joint ventures 

The summarised financial information for Clear Funding Limited, prepared in accordance with IFRS, is set out 
below. The Group equity accounts for its 50% share in the joint venture. 

Group 

Income statement 

Cost of sales 

Administrative expenses 

Loss from continuing operations 

Statement of financial position 

Non-current assets 

Cash 

Other current assets 

Current liabilities 

Equity shareholders funds 

2018 
£’000 
– 

– 

– 

– 

2018 
£’000 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

2017 
£’000 
– 

(59) 

(1,777) 

 (1,836) 

2017 
£’000 

5 

88 

91 

(855) 

(671) 

There are no restrictions in the ability of Clear Funding to transfer funds to the investor in the form of cash 
dividends, repayment of loans, or advances. The Group did not receive a dividend in the year to 31 December 
2018 (2017: £nil). There is no unrecognised share of losses in Clear Funding for the years ended 31 December 
2018 or 31 December 2017. 

Clear Funding has been winding down its operations from July 2018 and will be struck off in April 2019 and as 
such, the investment in the joint venture has been recognised as £nil. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       60 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

15. 

Other investments 

Group 
Investments in equity instruments 

Debt securities 

Investment in equity instruments 

Fair value at 1 January 2018 

Gain on revaluation at 31 December 2018 

Fair value at 31 December 2018 

Fair value at 1 January 2017 

Gain on revaluation at 31 December 2017 

Fair value at 31 December 2017 

2018 
£’000 
44,500   

4,944   

49,494   

Group 
Level 3 
valuation 
£’000 
36,500   
8,000   
44,500   

Group 
Level 3 
valuation 
£’000 
33,900   
2,600   
36,500   

2017 
£’000 
36,500 

– 

36,500 

Company 
£’000 

– 

– 

– 

Company 
£’000 

– 

– 

– 

At 31 December 2018, the Group had an economic interest in Zopa Group Limited (the ultimate owner of the 
UK-based Zopa peer-to-peer lending business). The table below represents the economic ownership both on 
an undiluted basis and a fully diluted basis (i.e. assuming that all holders of options, warrants and preferred 
shares were to have exercised their subscription and conversion rights). 

Group 

Undiluted 
Fully diluted 

2018 

13.3% 
12.5% 

2017 

17.7% 
15.7% 

A level 3 valuation is one that relies on unobservable inputs to the valuation process. 

The shares are not quoted in any market. TruFin values it investment in Zopa using an independent valuer at 
the year end.  This valuation has utilised, amongst other things, recent financial data provided by Zopa, peer 
group valuation metrics and the most recent funding round.  A combination of these provide the best estimate 
for the investment’s market value. TruFin values the investment on a monthly basis. At the half year end and 
the year end an independent valuation is carried out by an independent valuation service provider. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       61 

 
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Debt Securities 

Group 
Balance at 1 January 2018 

Purchased debt securities 

Fair value gain 

Proceeds from maturing securities 

Balance at 31 December 2018 

Balance at 1 January 2017 

Movement in the year ended 31 December 2017 

Balance at 31 December 2017 

£’000 
- 

5,993 

1 

(1,000) 

4,994 

– 
– 

– 

During the year ending 31 December 2018 the Group purchased UK Treasury Bills with a total nominal value 
of £6 million of which £1 million contractually matured during the year. The securities are valued at fair value 
through other comprehensive income (“FVTOCI”) using closing bid prices at the reporting date. 

The Company had no debt securities at the year end (£nil). 

16. 

Loans and advances to customers 

Group 

Total loans and advances to customers 

Less: loss allowance 

Less: deferred income 

Total loans and advances are made up of: 

Loans and advances to customers 

Financial assets at Fair Value 

2018 
£’000 

129,678   

(308)   

(149)   

2017 
£’000 

32,835 

(126) 

– 

129,221   

32,709  

2018 
£’000 

122,528   

7,150   

129,678   

2017 
£’000 

32,835 

– 

32,835 

The financial assets held at fair value correspond to convertible loan notes of £3.5 million to a company called 
Playstack Limited (“Playstack”) and a convertible loan note of £3.65 million to a company called Vertus Capital 
Limited  (“Vertus”).  These  loans  are  valued  at  fair  value  using  a  combination  of  income  and  market-based 
approach and any recent funding rounds. 

If  the  Group  were  to  exercise  the  conversion  rights  on  Playstack,  the  percentage  ownership  would  be 
dependent  on  the  conversion  price  at  the  time  of  conversion  and  also  on  any  funding  rounds  from  other 
investors  at  the  time  of  conversion.  If  the  Group  were  to  exercise  their  conversion  rights  on  the  Vertus 
convertible loan then the Group would own 51% of Vertus.  

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       62 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Past due receivables relating to loans and advances are analysed as follows: 

Neither past due nor impaired 

Past due: 0–30 days 

Past due: 31–60 days 

Past due: 61–90 days 

Past due: more than 91 days 

2018 
£’000 

128,341   

742   
219   
30   

38   

2017 
£’000 

32,402 

254 
16 

1 

36 

129,370   

32,709 

The Company had no loans and advances to customers at the year end (2017: £nil). 

17. 

Assets classified as held for sale 

In December 2018 a customer of DFC went into administration and defaulted on their outstanding loans. DFC 
repossessed the assets held as collateral against the outstanding loans which were moved into a third-party 
storage facility at the expense of DFC. The outstanding loan to the customer at the time of default was £287,000. 

At 31 December 2018 DFC was proactively marketing the assets for sale. The assets were being marketed by 
the customer at the time of repossession so are deemed as fit for sale in their current condition. Given this the 
directors are satisfied the assets meet the classification criteria for ‘assets classified as held for sale’. 

DFC have estimated the expected selling and legal costs associated with a proposed transaction at £30,000. 

As such, the fair value less costs to sell at initial recognition was been estimated at £257,000 and the residual 
£30,000 expected shortfall remains as a loan receivable due from the customer’s appointed administrators. 

At 31 December 2018 none of the assets had been disposed so there are no transfers to the profit or loss. 

The asset is included within the Short term finance Group segment. 

Summary of assets classified as held for sale 

Group 
Fair value less costs to sell at initial recognition 
Proceeds from disposal of assets 

Transaction costs paid up to 31 December 2018 

Balance at 31 December 2018 

2018 
£’000 
257   
–   
9   
266   

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       63 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

18. 

Trade and other receivables 

Trade and other receivables 

Prepayments 

Accrued Income 

VAT 

Other debtors 

Intercompany receivable 

Group 

Company 

2018 
£’000 
417   
1,387   
676   
–   
1,139   
–   
3,619   

2017 
£’000 

487   
1,062   
354   
29   
376   
–   
2,308   

2018 
£’000 
–   
72   
–   
24   
296   
56,261   
56,652   

2017 
£’000 
– 

37 

– 

– 

44 

– 
81 

Trade receivables above are stated net of a loss allowance of £11,000 (2017: £nil). All receivables are due 
within one year. 

Past due trade receivables are analysed as follows: 

Group 

2018 
£’000 

135   
90   
66   
10   
116   
417   

2017 
£’000 

328   
10   
8   
–   
141   
487   

Company 

2018 
£’000 
–   
–   
–   
–   
–   
–   

2017 
£’000 
– 

– 

– 

– 

– 
– 

Not yet due 

Past due: 0–30 days 

Past due: 31–60 days 

Past due: 61–90 days 

Past due: more than 91 days 

19. 

Stated capital 

Group and Company 
97,368,421 shares at £nil par value 

Stated Capital 
£’000 
185,000 

Total 
£’000 
185,000 

At 31 December 2017, 123,965,702 shares were issued and fully paid. 1 share was issued and unpaid. 

In February 2018, these were consolidated to form 60,526,315 ordinary shares and on 21 February 2018, the 
shares  of  TruFin  plc  were  listed  on  the  Alternative  Investment  Market  of  the  London  Stock  Exchange.  The 
company raised £70 million from the IPO issuing 36,842,106 shares at a price of 190p per share.  

The Company is a no par value company. The liability of each member arising from their holding of a share is 
limited to the amount (if any) unpaid on it. There is no limit on the number of shares of any class which the 
Company is authorised to issue. 

All ordinary shares carry equal entitlements to any distributions by the company. No dividends were proposed 
by the Directors for the year ended 31 December 2018.  

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       64 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

20. 

Borrowings 

Group 

Loans due within one year 

Loans due in over a year 

2018 
£’000 

59,041   
–   
59,041   

2017 
£’000 

35 

9,000  

9,035  

On 12 December 2017, DFC entered into a two-year senior debt facility with a leading bank which is secured 
on a floating pool of underlying assets. Interest is payable at 3 month LIBOR + 4%. 

Movements in borrowings during the year 

The below table identifies the movements in borrowings during the year. 

Group 

Balance at 1 January 2018 

Funding drawdown 
Interest expense 
Interest paid 

Balance at 31 December 2018 

Balance at 1 January 2017 

Funding drawdown 

Interest expense 

Balance at 31 December 2017 

21. 

Trade and other payables 

Trade payables 

Accruals 

Other payables 

Corporation tax 

Other taxation and social security 

VAT 

22. 

Financial instruments 

£’000 

9,035 

49,926 

2,145 

(2,065) 

59,041 

– 

9,000 

35 
9,035 

Group 

Company 

2018 
£’000 
1,606   
3,526   
228   
22   
438   
246   
6,066   

2017 
£’000 

212   
1,430   
652   
–   
511   
–   
2,805   

2018 
£’000 
24   
1,045   
1   
–   
65   
–   
1,135   

2017 
£’000 
– 

801 

– 

– 

– 

– 
801 

The  Directors  have  performed  an  assessment  of  the  risks  affecting  the  Group  through  its  use  of  financial 
instruments and believe the principal risks to be: capital risk; credit risk, and market risk including interest rate 
risk.  

This note describes  the Group’s  objectives, policies and processes for managing the material risks and the 
methods  used  to  measure  them.  The  significant  accounting  policies  regarding  financial  instruments  are 
disclosed in note 1. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       65 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Capital risk management 

The Group manages its capital to ensure that entities in the Group will be able to continue as going concerns 
while providing an adequate return to shareholders. 

The  capital  structure  of  the  Group  consists  of  borrowings  disclosed  in  note  20  and  equity  of  the  Group 
(comprising issued capital, reserves, retained earnings and non-controlling interests as disclosed in note 19 
and note 23). 

The Group is not subject to any externally imposed capital requirements. 

Principal financial instruments 

The principal financial instruments to which the Group is party and from which financial instrument risk arises, 
are as follows: 

•  Loans and advances to customers, primarily credit risk and liquidity risk; 

•  Trade receivables, primarily credit risk and liquidity risk; 

•  Investments, primarily fair value or market price risk; 

•  Cash and cash equivalents, which can be a source of credit risk but are primarily liquid assets available to 

further business objectives or to settle liabilities as necessary; 

•  Trade and other payables; and 

•  Borrowings which are used as sources of funds and to manage liquidity risk. 

Analysis of financial instruments by valuation model 

Financial assets included in the statement of financial position at fair value: 

Group 
Debt securities (level 1) 
Investments (level 3) 
Financial assets at fair value (level 3) 

2018 
£’000 
4,994   
44,500   
7,150   

2017 
£’000 
– 

36,500 
– 

Debt securities carried at fair value by the Group are treasury bills. Treasury bills are traded in active markets 
and fair values are based on quoted market prices. There were no transfers between levels during the periods, 
all debt securities have been measured at level 1 from acquisition. 

A level 3 valuation is one that relies on unobservable inputs to the valuation process. 

•  The Zopa valuation is calculated by reference to the independent valuer’s valuation at the year end.  This 
valuation has utilised, amongst other things, recent financial data provided by Zopa, peer group valuation 
metrics  and  the  most  recent  funding  round.    A  combination  of  these  provide  the  best  estimate  for  the 
investment’s market value. 

•  Financial assets at fair value have been valued by considering the valuation of the convertible loans as well 
as  the  value of  the  underlying  companies  (Playstack  and  Vertus).  The  valuations  were  prepared  using  a 
discounted cash flow. The Vertus valuation used a discount rate of 25%. A 3% increase in the discount rate 
reduces the enterprise value of Vertus by 22% and 3% increase in the discount rate decreases the enterprise 
value of the company by 30%.  

•  The  Playstack  valuation  was  prepared  using  a  discount  rate  of  45%.  A  3%  increase  in  the  discount  rate 
reduced the enterprise value by 24% and 3% increase in the discount rate decreased the enterprise value 
of the asset by 18%.  

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       66 

 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

•  In  addition  to  the  discount  cash  flow  methodology,  a  market  based  approach  was  also  prepared,  using 

comparable EBITDA and revenue multiples.  

There were no transfers of assets between level 1 and level 2 during the current or prior year. 

Reconciliation of level 3 financial assets included in the statement of financial position at fair value 

Group 

Balance at 1 January 2018 

Gains in other comprehensive 
income 
Additions 

Balance at 31 December 2018 

Investments 
£’000 

  Financial assets 
at fair value 
£’000 

36,500 

8,000 

– 

44,500 

– 

– 

7,150 

7,150 

Total 
£’000 

36,500 

8,000 

7,150 

51,650 

There are no financial liabilities included in the statement of financial position at fair value. 

31 December 2018 

Financial assets and financial liabilities included in the statement of financial position that are not measured at 
fair value: 

Group 

Carrying 
amount 
£’000 

Fair 
value 
£’000 

Level 1 
£’000 

Level 2 
£’000 

Level 3 
£’000 

Financial assets not measured at fair value 
Loans and advances to 
customers 

Trade receivables 

Other receivables 

Cash and cash equivalents 

122,071 
417 

3,202 

24,888 

150,578 

Financial liabilities not measured at fair value 

Borrowings 

Trade, other payables and 
accruals 

59,041 

5,361 

64,402 

122,071 
417 

3,202 

24,888 

150,578 

59,041 

5,361 

64,402 

– 
– 

– 

24,888 

24,888 

– 

– 

– 

– 
– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

122,071 
417 

3,202 

– 

125,690 

59,041 

5,361 

64,402 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       67 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

31 December 2017 

Group 

Carrying 
amount 
£’000 

Fair 
value 
£’000 

Level 1 
£’000 

Level 2 
£’000 

Level 3 
£’000 

Financial assets not measured at fair value 
Loans and advances to 
customers 

Trade receivables 

Other receivables 

Cash and cash equivalents 

32,709 
487 

1,821 

26,049 

61,066 

Financial liabilities not measured at fair value 
Borrowings 

9,035 

Trade, other payables and 
accruals 

2,805 

32,709 
487 

1,821 

26,049 

61,066 

9,035 

2,805 

11,840 

11,840 

31 December 2018 

Company 

Carrying 
amount 
£’000 

Financial assets not measured at fair value 
Other receivables 

56,628 

Cash and cash equivalents 

8,448 

65,076 

Financial liabilities not measured at fair value 
Trade, other payables and 
accruals 

1,070 

1,070 

Fair 
value 
£’000 

56,628 

8,448 

65,076 

1,070 

1,070 

– 

– 

– 

26,049 

26,049 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

27 

27 

32,709 

487 

1,821 

– 

35,017 

9,035 

2,778 

11,813 

Level 1 
£’000 

Level 2 
£’000 

Level 3 
£’000 

– 

8,448 

8,448 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

56,628 

– 

56,628 

1,070 

1,070 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       68 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

31 December 2017 

Company 

Carrying 
amount 
£’000 

Fair 
value 
£’000 

Level 1 
£’000 

Level 2 
£’000 

Level 3 
£’000 

Financial assets not measured at fair value 
Other receivables 

81 

81 

Financial liabilities not measured at fair value 

Trade, other payables and 
accruals 

801 

801 

81 

81 

801 

801 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

81 

81 

801 

801 

Fair values for level 3 assets and liabilities were calculated using a discounted cash flow model and the Directors 
consider that the carrying amounts of financial assets and liabilities recorded at amortised cost in the financial 
statements approximate to their fair values. 

Loans and advances to customers 

Due to the short term nature of loans and advances to customers, their carrying value is considered to be 
approximately equal to their fair value. These items are short term in nature such that the impact of the choice 
of discount rate would not make a material difference to the calculations. 

Trade and other receivables, other borrowings and other liabilities 

These represent short term receivables and payables and as such their carrying value is considered to be equal 
to their fair value. 

Financial risk management 

The Group’s activities and the existence of the above financial instruments expose it to a variety of financial 
risks. 

The  Board  of  Directors  has  overall  responsibility  for  the  determination  of  the  Group’s  risk  management 
objectives and policies. The overall objective of the Board of Directors is to set policies that seek to reduce 
ongoing risk as far as possible without unduly affecting the Group’s competitiveness and flexibility. 

The Group is exposed to the following financial risks: 

•  Credit risk 

•  Liquidity risk 

•  Market risk 

•  Interest rate risk 

Further details regarding these policies are set out below. 

Credit risk 

Credit risk is the risk that a customer or counterparty will default on its contractual obligations resulting in 
financial loss to the Group. One of the Group’s main income generating activities is lending to customers and 
therefore credit risk is a principal risk. Credit risk mainly arises from loans and advances to customers. The 
Group considers all elements of credit risk exposure such as counterparty default risk, geographical risk and 
sector risk for risk management purposes. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       69 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Credit risk management 

The credit committees within the wider Group are responsible for managing the credit risk by: 

•  Ensuring that it has appropriate credit risk practices, including an effective system of internal control; 

•  Identifying, assessing and measuring credit risks across the Group from an individual instrument to a 

portfolio level; 

•  Creating  credit  policies  to  protect  the  Group  against  the  identified  risks  including  the  requirements  to 
obtain  collateral  from  borrowers,  to  perform  robust  ongoing  credit  assessment  of  borrowers  and  to 
continually monitor exposures against internal risk limits; 

•  Limiting concentrations of exposure by type of asset, counterparty, industry, credit rating, geographical 

location; 

•  Establishing a robust control framework regarding the authorisation structure for the approval and renewal 

of credit facilities; 

•  Developing and maintaining the risk grading to categorise exposures according to the degree of risk of 

default. Risk grades are subject to regular reviews; and 

•  Developing and maintaining the processes for measuring Expected Credit Loss (ECL) including monitoring 

of credit risk, incorporation of forward-looking information and the method used to measure ECL. 

Significant increase in credit risk 

The Group continuously monitors all assets subject to Expected Credit Loss as to whether there has been a 
significant increase in credit risk since initial recognition, either through a significant increase in Probability of 
Default (“PD”) or in Loss Given Default (“LGD”). 

The following is based on the procedures adopted by the Group: 

Granting of credit 

The Business Development Team prepare a Credit Application which sets out the rationale and the pricing for 
the  proposed  loan  facility  and  confirms  that  it  meets  the  Group’s  product  risk  and  pricing  policies.  The 
Application  will  include  the  proposed  counterparty’s  latest  financial  information  and  any  other  relevant 
information but as a minimum: 

•  Details of the limit requirement e.g. product, amount, tenor, repayment plan etc.; 

•  Facility purpose or reason for increase; 

•  Counterparty details, background, management, financials and ratios (actuals and forecast); 

•  Key risks and mitigants for the application; 

•  Conditions, covenants & information (and monitoring proposals) and security (including comments on 

valuation); 

•  Pricing; 

•  Confirmation that the proposed exposure falls within risk appetite; and 

•  Clear indication where the application falls outside of risk appetite. 

The Credit Risk Department will analyse the financial information, obtain reports from credit reference agencies, 
allocate a risk rating and make a decision on the application. The process may require further dialogue with 
the Business Development Team to ascertain additional information or clarification. 

Each mandate holder and Committee is authorised to approve loans up to agreed financial limits provided that 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       70 

 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

the risk rating of the counterparty is within agreed parameters. If the financial limit requested is higher than 
the credit authority of the first reviewer of the loan facility request, the application is sent to the next credit 
authority level with a recommendation. 

The Executive Risk Committee reviews all applications that are outside the credit approval mandate of the 
mandate  holder  due  to  the  financial  limit  requested  or  if  the  risk  rating  is  outside  of  policy  but  there  is  a 
rationale and/or mitigation for considering the loan on an exceptional basis. 

Applications  where  the  counterparty  has  a  high  risk  rating  are  sent  to  the  Executive  Risk  Committee  for  a 
decision based on a positive recommendation from the Credit Risk department. Where a limited company has 
such a risk rating, the Executive Risk Committee will consider the following mitigants: 

•  Existing counterparty which has met all obligations in time and in accordance with loan agreements, 

•  Counterparty known to Group personnel who can confirm positive experience, 

•  Additional security, either tangible or personal guarantees where there is verifiable evidence of personal 

net worth, 

•  A commercial rationale for approving the application, although this mitigant will generally be in addition 

to at least one of the other mitigants. 

Identifying significant increases in credit risk 

The short tenor of the current loan facilities reduces the possible adverse effect of changes in economic 
conditions and/or the credit risk profile of the counterparty. 

The  Group  nonetheless  measures  a  change  in  a  counterparty’s  credit  risk  mainly  on  payment  and  end  of 
contract  repayment  behaviour  and  the  collateral  audit  process.  Although  regular  and  interim  reviews  may 
highlight other changes in a counterparty’s risk profile, such as the security asset no longer being under the 
control of the borrower. The Group views a significant increase in credit risk as: 

•  A two-notch reduction in the Group’s counterparty’s risk rating since origination, as notified through the 

credit rating agency; 

•  A counterparty defaults on a payment due under a loan agreement; 

•  Late contractual payments which although cured, re-occur on a regular basis; 

•  Counterparty confirmation that it has sold Group assets but delays in processing payments; 

•  Evidence of a reduction in a counterparty’s working capital facilities which has had an adverse effect on 

its liquidity; or 

•  Evidence of actual or attempted sales out of trust or of double financing of assets funded by the Group. 

An increase in significant credit risk is identified when any of the above events happen after the date of initial 
recognition. 

Default 

Identifying loans and advances in default and credit impaired 

The Group’s definition of default for this purpose is: 

•  A counterparty defaults on a payment due under a loan agreement and that payment is overdue on its 

terms, or 

•  The collateral that secures, all or in part, the loan agreement has been sold or is otherwise not available 

for sale and the proceeds have not been paid to the lending company, or 

•  A counterparty commits an event of default under the terms and conditions of the loan agreement which 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       71 

 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

leads  the  lending  company  to  believe  that  the  borrower’s  ability  to  meet  its  credit  obligations  to  the 
lending company is in doubt. 

Exposure at default 

Exposure  at  default  (“EAD”)  is  the  expected  loan  balance  at  the  point  of  default  and,  for  the  purpose  of 
calculating  the  Expected  Credit  Losses  (“ECL”),  management  have  assumed  this  to  be  the  balance  at  the 
reporting date. 

Expected Credit Losses 

The ECL on an individual loan is based on the credit losses expected to arise over the life of the loan, being 
defined as the difference between all the contractual cash flows that are due to the Group and the cash flows 
that it actually expects to receive. 

This  difference  is  then  discounted  at  the  original  effective  interest  rate  on  the  loan  to  reflect  the  disposal 
period of underlying collateral. 

Regardless  of  the  loan  status  stage,  the  aggregated  ECL  is  the  value  that  the  Group  expects  to  lose on  its 
current loan book having assessed each loan individually. 

To calculate the ECL on a loan, the Group considers: 

1.  Counterparty PD; and 

2.  LGD on the asset 

whereby: ECL = EAD x PD x LGD 

Forward looking information 

In its ECL models, the Group applies the following sensitivity analysis of forward looking economic inputs: 

•  GDP growth 

•  LIBOR 

•  Retail Price Index (“RPI”) 

However, in making its assessment of the impact of these key forward looking economic assumptions, the 
Group has placed reliance on the short dated nature of its loans which do not extend beyond 12 months. Given 
the current loan book has an average tenor of less than 4 months, the forward looking economic inputs above 
do not affect the ECL significantly. 

Maximum exposure to credit risk 

Cash and cash equivalents 

Loans and advances to customers 

Trade and other receivables 

Maximum exposure to credit risk 

Group 

Company 

2018 
£’000 
24,888   
129,221   
3,619   
157,728   

2017 
£’000 
26,049   
32,709   
2,308   
61,066   

2018 
£’000 
8,448   
–   
56,629   
65,077   

2017 
£’000 
– 

– 

81 

81 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       72 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Loans and advances to customers: 

Collateral held as security 

Fully collateralised 
Loan-to-value* ratio: 

Less than 50% 

50% to 70% 

71% to 80% 

81% to 90% 

91% to 100% 

Partially collateralised 
Collateral value relating to loans 
over 100% loan-to-value  
Unsecured lending 

* Calculated using wholesale collateral values 

Group 

2018 
£’000 

2,408   
6,000   
36,126   
31,756   
45,994   
122,284   

2017 
£’000 

6   
5   
3,893   
5,161   
23,311   
32,376   

–   
160   

–   
459   

Company 

2018 
£’000 

2017 
£’000 

–   
–   
–   
–   
–   
–   

–   
–   

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

The majority of the Group’s lending activities are asset-backed and the Group expects that the majority of its 
exposure is secured by the collateral value of the asset that has been funded under the loan agreement. The 
Group  has  title  to  the  collateral  which  is  funded  under  loan  agreements.  The  collateral  comprises  boats, 
motorcycles, recreational vehicles, caravans and industrial and agricultural equipment. The collateral has low 
depreciation and is not subject to rapid technological changes or redundancy. There has been no change in the 
Group’s assessment of collateral and its underlying value in the reporting period. 

The assets are generally in the counterparty’s possession, but this is controlled and managed by the asset audit 
process. The audit process checks on an agreed periodic basis that the asset is in the counterparty’s possession 
and has not been sold out of trust or is otherwise not in the counterparty’s control. The frequency of the audits 
is determined by the risk rating assessed at the time that the borrowing facility is first approved. 

Additional security may also be taken to further secure the counterparty’s obligations and further mitigate 
risk. Further to this, in many cases the Group is often granted by the counterparty, an option to sell-back the 
underlying collateral. 

Based  on  the  Group’s  current  principal  products,  the  counterparty  repays  its  obligation  under  a  loan 
agreement with the Group at or before the point that it sells the asset. If the asset is not sold and the loan 
agreement reaches maturity, the counterparty is required to pay the amount due under the loan agreement 
plus any other amounts due. In the event that the counterparty does not pay on the due date, the Group’s 
customer management process will maintain frequent contact with the counterparty to establish the reason 
for the delay and agree a timescale for payment. Senior management will review actions on a regular basis to 
ensure that the Group’s position is not being prejudiced by delays. 

In the event that the Group determines that payment will not be made voluntarily, it will enforce the terms of 
its loan agreement and recover the asset, instituting legal proceedings for delivery, if necessary. If there is a 
shortfall between the net sales proceeds from the sale of the asset and the counterparty’s obligations under the 
loan agreement, the shortfall is payable by the counterparty on demand. 

Concentration of credit risk 

The Group maintains policies and procedures to manage concentrations of credit at the counterparty level and 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       73 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
 
 
 
   
   
   
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

industry level to achieve a diversified loan portfolio. As at 31 December 2018, the largest counterparty exposure 
was 9% of the total loan portfolio and the largest industry sector exposure was 34% of the total loan portfolio. 

Credit quality 

An analysis of the Group’s credit risk exposure for loan and advances per class of financial asset, internal rating 
and “stage” is provided in the following tables. A description of the meanings of stages 1, 2 and 3 is given in 
the accounting policies set out in note 1. 

Stage 1 
£’000 

Stage 2 
£’000 

Stage 3 
£’000 

Risk rating 

Above average (risk rating 
1-2) 

Average (risk rating 3-5) 

Below average (risk rating 
6+) 

Gross carrying amount 

Loss allowance 

Carrying amount 

Gross Carrying Amount 
As at 31 December 2017 
Transfer to stage 2 

Transfer to stage 2 

Transfer to stage 3 

Loans originated 

Loans repaid 

As at 31 December 2018 

55,698 
31,868 

12,191 
99,757 

(217) 

99,540 

Stage 1 
£’000 
32,835 

521 

(26,577) 

(128) 

208,281 

(115,175) 

99,757 

– 
14,916 

7,705 
22,621 

(31) 

22,590 

Stage 2 
£’000 
– 

(521) 

26,577 

(286) 

–  

(3,149) 

22,621 

2018 
Total 
£’000 

55,698 
46,784   

20,046 
122,528   

(308)   

122,220   

  2017 
Total 
£’000 

14,305 

16,207 

2,323 

32,835 

(126) 

32,709 

– 
– 

150 
150 

(60) 

90 

Stage 3 
£’000 
– 

– 

– 

414 

–  

(264) 

150 

Total 
£’000 
32,835 

– 

– 

– 

208,281 

(118,588) 

122,528 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       74 

 
 
 
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
 
 
 
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Trade receivables 

Status at balance sheet date 

The Group has assessed the trade and other receivables in accordance with IFRS 9 and determined that, at the 
balance sheet date, the lifetime ECL is £11,000 (2017: £nil). 

The contractual amount outstanding on financial assets that were written off during the reporting period and 
are still subject to enforcement activity is £nil at 31 December 2018 (31 December 2017: £nil). 

Liquidity risk 

Liquidity risk is the risk that the Group does not have sufficient financial resources to meet its obligations as they 
fall due or will have to do so at an excessive cost. This risk arises from mismatches in the timing of cash flows 
which is inherent in all banking operations and can be affected by a range of Group specific and market-wide 
events. 

Liquidity risk management 

The Group delegates liquidity risk management to its subsidiary, DFC, which has in place a policy and control 
framework for managing liquidity risk. DFC’s Asset and Liability Management Committee (ALCO) is responsible 
for managing the liquidity risk via a combination of policy formation, review and governance, analysis, stress 
testing, limit setting and monitoring. The ALCO meets on a monthly basis to review the liquidity position and 
risks. Daily liquidity reports are produced and reviewed by the management team to track liquidity and pipeline. 

DFC is in the process of applying for a Bank Licence. One of the key requirements is to a have a comprehensive 
liquidity management process & documentation which is submitted to the Prudential Regulation Authority 
(PRA) for approval. These documents have been approved by DFC’s Board of Directors and submitted to the 
PRA. 

Group Finance performs treasury management for the Group, with responsibility for the treasury for each 
business  entity  being  delegated  to  the  individual  subsidiaries.  However,  in  line  with  the  wider  Group 
governance structure, Group Finance performs an important oversight role in the wider treasury considerations 
of the Group. The primary mechanism for maintaining this oversight is a formal requirement that subsidiaries’ 
Finance teams notify all material Treasury matters to Group Finance. 

The main Group responsibilities are to maintain banking relationships, manage and maximise the efficiency of 
the  Group’s  working  capital  and  long  term  funding  and  ensure  ongoing  compliance  with  banking 
arrangements. The Group currently does not have any offsetting arrangements. 

Liquidity stress testing 

DFC has assessed its liquidity adequacy and viability for the first 12 months of operations, based on its 5 year 
business plan projections. Under this analysis, DFC is confident that it will be able to meet all of its liabilities as 
they fall due, even in a stress scenario. 

A range of liquidity stress scenarios has been conducted (as detailed in the capital and liquidity requirements), 
which demonstrates that DFC’s liquidity profile at the end of this 12-month period will be sufficient to withstand a 
severe stress at this time. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       75 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Maturity analysis for financial assets and financial liabilities 

The following maturity analysis is based on expected gross cash flows. 

As at 31 December 
2018 

Financial Assets 
Cash and cash 
equivalents 
Trade receivables 
Loans and advances to 
customers 
Investment in equity 
instruments 
Debt Securities 

Financial Liabilities 
Trade other payables 
and accruals 
Borrowings  

Market risk 

Carrying 
Amount 
£’000s 

  Less than 
1 month 
£’000s 

  1-3 

months 
£’000s 

  3 months 
to 1 year 
£’000s 

  1-5 

  >5 years 

years 
£’000s 

£’000s 

24,888 
417 

24,888 
265 

– 
71 

– 
81 

– 
– 

– 
– 

129,221 

25,494 

34,208 

53,408 

13,245 

3,184 

44,500 
4,994 
204,020 

– 
– 
50,647 

– 
5,000 
39,279 

– 
– 
53,489 

– 
– 
13,245 

– 
– 
3,184 

5,361 
59,041 
64,402 

5,361 
246 
5,607 

– 
739 
739 

– 
60,897 
60,897 

– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 

Market risk is the risk that movements in market factors, such as foreign exchange rates, interest rates, credit 
spreads, equity prices and commodity prices will reduce the TruFin Group’s income or the value of its portfolios. 

Market risk management 

The TruFin Group’s management objective is to manage and control market risk exposures in order to optimise 
return on risk while ensuring solvency. 

The core market risk management activities are: 

•  The identification of all key market risk and their drivers, 

•  The independent measurement and evaluation of key market risks and their drivers, 

•  The use of results and estimates as the basis for the TruFin Group’s risk/return-oriented management, and 

•  Monitoring risks and reporting on them. 

Interest rate risk management 

The TruFin Group is exposed to the risk of loss from fluctuations in the future cash flows or fair values of 
financial instruments because of the change in market interest rates. 

Interest rate risk 

Interest rates on loans and advances are charged at competitive rates given current market condition. Should 
rates fluctuate, this will be reviewed and pricing will be adjusted accordingly. 

DFC’s borrowings are at both fixed rates of interest at LIBOR based. To help mitigate interest rate risk DFC may 
increase  asset  pricing  on  new  assets  funded  at  its  discretion.  Additionally,  the  limited  asset  average  loan 
duration helps mitigate this interest rate risk. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       76 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

23. 

Non-controlling interests 

Distribution Finance Capital Ltd, a 94% owned subsidiary of the Company, has material non-controlling 
interests (NCI). 

The summarised financial information below represents amounts before intragroup eliminations. 

Current assets 

Non-current assets 

Current liabilities 

Non-current liabilities 

Equity attributable to owners of the Company 
Non-controlling interests 

Revenue 

Expenses 

Loss after tax 

Loss after tax attributable to owners of the Company 

Loss after tax attributable to the non-controlling interests 

Net cash used in operating activities 

Net cash used in investing activities 

Net cash generated from financing activities 
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 

Balance at 1 January 2017 

Share of loss for the year 

Capital contribution 

Balance at 1 January 2018 

Share of loss for the year 

Reduction of capital and equity injection 

Change of ownership percentage 

Balance at 31 December 2018 

24. 

Acquisition of Subsidiary 

2017 
£’000 

37,858 

37 

(2,795) 

(36,560) 

(1,168) 
(291) 

2017 
£’000 

1,116 

(6,273) 

(5,157) 

(4,125) 

(1,032) 

2017 
£’000 

(33,727) 

(42) 

37,416 

3,647 

2018 
£’000 

128,903 

851 

(61,630) 

(13,404) 

51,465 

3,255 

2018 
£’000 

5,179 

(12,276) 

(7,097) 

(6,675) 

(422) 

2018 
£’000 
(86,703) 

(5,915) 

93,716 

1,098 

£’000 
547   
(1,032)   
192   
(293)   
(422)   
3,301   
669   
3,255   

On 3 August 2018, Oxygen Finance Group Limited acquired 100% of the issued share capital of Porge. Porge 
provides an evidence based public sector market insight service and research product, which provides Oxygen 
with an additional product offering. 

Porge was acquired at a cost of £2 million plus a deferred consideration of £0.75 million payable in May 2019. 
The deferred consideration was subject to Porge achieving certain performance targets which have now been 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       77 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

met. 

Porge’s  financial  year  end  date  is  31  March  2019.  Its  results  have  been  consolidated  from  the  date  of 
acquisition to 31 December 2018, in line with the Group’s financial year end.  

The amounts recognised in respect of the identifiable assets of Porge acquired and liabilities assumed are as 
set out in the table below. 

Total assets 

Total liabilities 

Goodwill arising on acquisition 

Total consideration 

Less: fair value of identifiable net assets acquired 

Consideration satisfied by: 

Cash 

Contingent consideration 

£’000 
502 

(497) 

5 

2,764 

(5) 

2,759 

2,014 

750 

In accordance with IFRS 3, we have up to one year to finalise the initial accounting for a business combination. 
At the reporting date, our assessment in relation to the recognition and measurement of separately identifiable 
intangible  assets  acquired  is  ongoing.  Whilst  we  expect  to  recognise  intangible  assets,  including  computer 
software and the customer list, the directors believe that the majority of the purchase price represents goodwill 
as a result of synergies generated between Porge and Oxygen’s businesses. Nevertheless, we have assessed the 
impact on the 2018 financial statements if half of the £2.8m goodwill balance was determined to consist of 
separately  identifiable  intangible  assets.  Assuming  a useful  economic  life  of  5  years, this  would  result  in an 
amortisation charge of £115,000 for the 5 months since the acquisition of Porge. Based on analysis to date, we 
expect the separately identifiable intangible asset balance and associated amortisation to be below the level 
illustrated. 

25. 

Leasing commitments 

The Group only has operating leases in the form of leasing property for office space. The lease agreements 
have a fixed term with a maximum lease term of 5 years. The leasing arrangements clearly specify the rental 
expense for the year which is fixed over the life of the leases. The service charge expense has been estimated 
over the life of the term and is not considered materially variable. Rent and service charge invoices are paid 
quarterly in advance. Should the Group wish to renew these leases in the future, this would require signing 
new agreements. 

The Group did not engage in any subleasing arrangements in any of the reporting periods and there was no 
contingent rent payable for any of the reporting periods. 

Lease payments under operating leases recognised as an expense in the 
year 

2018 
£’000 

641   

2017 
£’000 

258 

At the year end date the TruFin Group has lease agreements in respect of properties and equipment for which 
the payments extend over  a  number of years. The future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       78 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

leases are as follows: 

Due in less than one year 

Due between one and five years 

Total future lease payments committed 

2018 
£’000 

456   

735   

1,191   

2017 
£’000 

391 

450 

841 

Earnings per share 

26. 
Earnings per share is calculated by dividing the earnings attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted 
average number of ordinary shares in issue during the year.  

The calculation of the basis and adjusted earnings per share is based on the following data: 

Number of shares 

At year end 

Weighted average 

2018 

2017 

97,368,421   

123,965,703 

92,791,949   

65,245,107 

Earnings attributable to ordinary shareholders 

Loss after tax attributable to the owners of TruFin plc 

£’000   

(14,688)   

£’000 

(8,103) 

Adjusted earnings attributable to ordinary shareholders 

Loss after tax attributable to the owners of TruFin plc 

Adjusted for share-based payment 

(14,688)   
2,739   

(8,103) 
– 

Adjusted loss after tax attributable to the owners of TruFin plc 

(11,948)   

(8,103) 

Earnings per share* 

Basic and Diluted 
Adjusted1 
Adjusted2 

pence   
(15.8)   
(12.9)   
(4.3)   

pence 
(12.4) 

(12.4) 

(8.4) 

* All Earnings per share figures are undiluted and diluted. 

Adjusted1 EPS excludes share-based payment expense from loss after tax 

Adjusted2 EPS includes the unrealised gain on the revaluation of the TruFin Group’s investment in Zopa - £8.0m for the year ended 31 
December 2018 (2017: £2.6m) 

At 31 December 2017 there were 123,965,703 shares in issue at £1 per share. In February 2018 these were 
consolidated to form 60,526,315 shares at £1.90 per share. This consolidation effectively consisted of a share 
cancellation of 8,965,703 shares as well as a 1 for 1.9 share consolidation. Following the share consolidation, 
the shares were listed on AIM and on 21 February 2018 and 36,842,106 shares were issued at £1.90 per share. 
A reconciliation of the impact of these transactions on the number of shares and the value of share capital is 
shown in the table below. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       79 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Balance at 1 January 2018 
Share cancellation 

Share consolidation 

Share issue 

Balance at 31 December 2018 

Number of 
shares 
123,965,703   
(8,965,703)   
115,000,000   
(54,473,685)   
60,526,315   
36,842,106   

97,368,421   

£’000 
123,966 
(8,966) 

115,000 
– 

115,000 
70,000 

185,000 

The weighted average  shares  in  the  EPS disclosure have been reduced by the number of shares that were 
absorbed as part of the share consolidation as if the transaction took place at the start of the period. Similarly, 
the EPS disclosure for 2017 has been restated by incorporating the same adjustment to the weighted average 
shares of that period. 

During the year 9,276,316 share options were granted to management (see note 6 for details). These could 
potentially dilute basic EPS in the future, but were not included in the calculation of diluted EPS as they are 
antidilutive for the years presented, as the Group is loss making. 

27. 

Related party disclosures 

Transactions with Directors 

Transactions with Directors, or entities in which a Director is also a Director or partner: 

Loans provided to directors 
Consultancy services provided by a director 
Other related parties 

2018 
£’000 
140 
– 
9 

2017 
£’000 
– 
13 
– 

Key management personnel disclosures are provided in note 5. 

Loans were issued to Henry Kenner (£74,878) and James van den Bergh (£64,894) on 21 February 2018 relating 
to the tax and national insurance payable on the JSOP founder awards in the month that these were granted. 
These loans have a nil interest charge and remain outstanding at the year end. 

28. 

Post balance sheet events 

On 17 April 2019, DFC increased its existing wholesale funding facility from £100 million to £155 million and 
extended the term by 12 months such that the funding line now has a maturity date of December 2020. 

The Board of TruFin is seeking shareholder approval to sell its investment in Zopa to Arrowgrass for a gross 
cash consideration of £44.5 million which is equal to the fair value of Zopa as at 31 December 2018. The Zopa 
transaction is conditional and is subject to a shareholder resolution at the General Meeting to be held on 7 
May  2019.  The  sale  constitutes  a  related  party  transaction  under  Rule  13  of  the  AIM  Rules  as  a  result  of 
Arrowgrass owning more than 10% of TruFin plc. The independent directors of TruFin, having consulted with 
the Nominated Adviser, consider the terms of the Zopa sale to be fair and reasonable. 

It has always been TruFin’s intention to realise its investment in Zopa and TruFin believes this is an appropriate 
time to sell Zopa as it releases cash to the Group. £25 million of the proceeds will be invested in DFC as equity 
which in turn will be used to fund DFC’s balance sheet for lending. The remaining cash will be used to support 
and implement the strategy of the remaining group and for the costs and expenses relating to the sale of Zopa 
and the costs of the demerger. It is also the intention of the Directors to make a cash distribution of £5 million 
in both June and December 2019. 

On  17  April  2019,  the  Board  made  a  decision  to  restructure the  Group  which would  provide  DFC  the  best 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       80 

 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

opportunity to be granted a bank licence as a standalone entity without the restriction of it being part of a 
controlling group. The Board is therefore proposing the demerger of DFC into a separate AIM listed company, 
with the existing shareholders in TruFin being given one new share in DFC for each existing TruFin share. In 
order to achieve these steps, the Board is seeking shareholder approval at a General Meeting to be held on 7 
May 2019. It is proposed that DFC will be demerged to a new company called DFC Holdings plc. DFC Holdings 
will seek admission of its entire issued share capital on AIM on 9 May 2019. Following the demerger, TruFin 
shareholders will own TruFin ordinary shares and DFC Ordinary shares. The demerger is expected to become 
effective on 8 May 2019. On Admission, DFC Holdings is expected to have a market capitalisation of £96 million. 

Concurrently with these proposals, Arrowgrass has informed the Board that it has arranged the disposal of 
sufficient new shares in DFC such that after completion of the demerger, it will own less than 50% of the votes 
in the equity share capital of DFC Holdings.  

Modifications proposed to the existing Share Incentive Plans 

Following the demerger and subsequent IPO of DFC scheduled for May 2019, the share incentive plans have 
been modified to incorporate the effects of the new structure and to provide management with some level of 
neutrality with respect to their incentive plans whilst also balancing tax and regulatory requirements. 

Founder Awards 

The Founder Award comprises (i) the JSOP Awards and (ii) the PSP Founder Awards (details of which are set 
out in note 6). As part of the demerger, all TruFin shareholders will receive one DFC listed share for each TruFin 
share they hold. It has been agreed that the Founder Awards, in so far as they relate to the DFC listed shares, 
will  be  cancelled  and  replaced  with  an  alternative  arrangement.  The  intended  outcome  of  the  new 
arrangement is that the TruFin Founders will hold DFC listed shares directly, but will be subject to the same 
clawback and transfer restrictions as the original Founder Awards. The effect of this new arrangement will give 
rise to an Employers national insurance liability on TruFin plc which is £419,000. It has been determined that 
the valuation of the JSOP and PSP awards has not changed as a result of the demerger. 

PSP Market Value Awards 

The PSP Market Value awards comprise options to acquire TruFin shares at 190p per share (share price at 
Admission) and vest upon the achievement of set share price thresholds. In order to reflect the impact of the 
demerger, it has been agreed that the PSP Market Value Awards will be split in two so that: 

•  Part of the award will remain as an option in respect of TruFin shares (“TruFin Market Value Awards”) 

•  Part of the award will be in respect of DFC listed shares 

The TruFin Market Value Awards will be on materially the same terms as the original PSP Market Value Awards 
except that: 

•  The exercise price will be adjusted by reference to the respective share prices of DFC Holdings and TruFin 
using the closing prices on the first day of trading of DFC Holdings shares (expected to be 9 May 2019) to 
reflect the demerger. 

The DFC Market Value award will take the form of a restricted share award of 2% of the DFC Listed Shares 
under which the award holder will receive nil cost DFC listed shares. These transfer restrictions and clawback 
will fall away over time (i.e. 33.33% per year over three years). The first 33% will become freely transferable 
and cease to be subject to clawback on 21 February 2020 and each subsequent tranche on the following two 
anniversaries. The effect of this award will give rise to an Employer’s national insurance liability on TruFin plc 
which is £265,000. 

PSP Performance Awards 

The PSP Performance Awards comprise nil cost options to acquire TruFin Shares at the end of a three year 
vesting period. In order to reflect the impact of the demerger and as the performance condition relating to 
the  business  of  DFC  will  be  achieved  in  full  due  to  the  demerger,  it  has  been  agreed  that  the  2018  PSP 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       81 

 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 

Performance Award will be adjusted so that: 

•  the awards will part vest and will be satisfied by way of a cash payment calculated by reference to 50% of 
the shares subject to the award and a price of 190p per share. The cash payment will be made at the time 
of the annual bonus cycle in February 2020   

•  the awards will continue in respect of 100% of the TruFin shares but the performance condition will relate 

solely to the business of Oxygen. 

The valuation of the 2018 PSP Performance Awards as at 31 December 2018 was nil. However due to the part-
vesting as a result of  the demerger  the value of these shares is deemed to have a value of approximately 
£900,000. 

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018       82 

 
 
TruFin plc 

www.TruFin.com