Transaction Capital: R750m pot to buy SME financiers

JSE-listed Transaction Capital, which finances minibus taxis, plans to spend as much as R750 million on acquisitions. “We want to become dominant” in the financing of small businesses by buying some niche players, chief executive David Hurwitz said this week, without naming the companies. The cash was available “for the sole purpose of acquisitions in our lending and services divisions”, he said. Transaction Capital might also expand its debt collection unit, MBD Credit Solutions, and draw on experience in asset-backed finance to make acquisitions in insurance services, Hurwitz said. The company distributed R2.10 a share to investors on March 17 after last year’s sale of its stake in unsecured lender Bayport Financial Services for R1.33 billion and the disposal of Paycorp Holdings to buyout firm Actis for R937m. Its share rose 0.98 percent to close at R5.15 yesterday. – Bloomberg