TBC acquires 53% of Uzbek SaaS platform in BILLZ
TBC PLC agreed to acquire a majority stake in BILLZ for up to $12
million, including an initial 53% stake for $9 million with plans to
increase it to 60% over the next two years, giving BILLZ a post-money
valuation of $20 million. The partnership and planned investment will
unlock additional catalysts for growth for both BILLZ and TBC
Uzbekistan.Under the terms of the deal, BILLZ will continue to operate
under its own brand, while becoming fully integrated into the TBC
Uzbekistan ecosystem. The management and wider team at BILLZ will
remain with the company, continuing to lead its product development
and execution.TBC PLC has entered into a put/call arrangement for the
remaining 40% of BILLZ, which can be exercised 36 months after the
completion of this deal.BILLZ is an all-in-one retail management SaaS
platform for SMEs, combining POS, inventory, CRM, e-commerce, and
analytics to streamline operations and drive sales. It simplifies
marketing, connects seamlessly to marketplaces and social shops, and
helps retailers grow online. BILLZ currently supports over 4,000
retail businesses and processes more than 1.5 million transactions per
month, making it one of the most widely used SaaS platforms in the
region.BILLZ will enhance TBC Uzbekistan’s reach into the
strategically important SME segment, providing immediate access to
thousands of business customers and creating additional synergies
within the ecosystem to drive average revenue per user, loyalty and
stickiness. BILLZ users will in turn gain seamless access to banking
and lending products provided by TBC UZ, Payme’s suite of digital
payments services, as well as other products within the TBC Uzbekistan
ecosystem.The strategic partnership agreement with BILLZ comes as TBC
Uzbekistan continues to expand the product offering available within
its digital banking ecosystem. It follows the recent launch of a new
lending product for business customers, unveiled in April as part of
the TBC Business offering for small and medium-sized enterprises, as
well as the launches of Osmon credit card and Salom debit card last
year. These products are already playing a key role in tapping new
customer segments, diversifying revenue streams and driving growth of
TBC’s digital banking ecosystem.Nika Kurdiani, CEO of TBC
Uzbekistan, commented: “Since our 2019 expansion into Uzbekistan,
TBC has played a leading role in the development of the country’s
financial services and technology sectors. We have been a key
strategic investor and builder, with our digital banking ecosystem
setting a new standard for best-in-class digital products in a
previously underserved market. We are pleased to be continuing this
work through a strategic partnership with market leader BILLZ,
reconfirming our ongoing commitment to supporting Uzbekistan’s
vibrant startup community. We will continue to innovate and expand our
offering as part of this partnership, which signals an important step
change for the tech industry in Uzbekistan. We have noted with great
admiration the work that Rustam and the founding team at BILLZ have
done to transform the platform into one of the country's leading
players in its space and are proud to welcome BILLZ into the TBC
family. I am confident that this partnership will help to fuel the
platform’s growth and development, as well as unlock additional
synergies within our ecosystem that will further drive customer
engagement, loyalty and revenue growth.”Rustam Khamdamov, CEO &
Co-Founder of BILLZ, commented: “This partnership is a major
milestone not only for BILLZ, but also for the broader startup
ecosystem in Central Asia. Over the past few years, we’ve been
focused on empowering thousands of retail entrepreneurs with modern
tools to grow and digitize their businesses. Joining forces with TBC
Uzbekistan gives us a powerful platform to scale our impact, offer
more value to our customers, and accelerate our mission across the
region. We’re proud of what our team has built and excited for this
next chapter of growth together with TBC.”TBC Capital is acting as
sole M&A advisory to TBC PLC in connection with the transaction.
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