TCS Group Holding PLC announces suspension of dividend payments for the remainder of 2019

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.

TCS Group Holding PLC announces suspension of dividend payments for the remainder of 2019

Limassol, Cyprus - 11 June 2019. TCS Group Holding PLC (TCS LI) (the "Group"), Russia's leading provider of online financial and lifestyle services via its Tinkoff.ru ecosystem, today issues an update related to its planned primary capital raising.

On 4 June 2019 the Group upgraded its guidance to net loan growth for FY2019 to at least 60%. To ensure the Company will have the necessary capital to scale up successfully piloted loan products and to seize the current profitable growth opportunity, the Group announced its plan to complete an up to USD300m primary capital raise which would ensure that the Group not only has the necessary capital to seize the growth opportunities identified but also maintains ample capital buffers going forward against the backdrop of ongoing regulatory tightening.

In connection therewith, it is hereby announced that the Group will not pay any dividends for the remainder of 2019.

Oliver Hughes, CEO of Tinkoff, commented: "The Tinkoff Team has been listening to preliminary investor feedback. Part of this feedback is that investors would, on the whole, like to see a temporary suspension of dividends to further support credit growth and capital cushions. They believe that this is right given the current plans to raise primary capital." 

About the Group

TCS Group Holding PLC is an innovative provider of online retail financial services. It includes Tinkoff Bank, mobile virtual network operator Tinkoff Mobile, Tinkoff Insurance, and Tinkoff Software DC, a network of development hubs in major Russian cities. The Group also has Tinkoff.ru, an evolving ecosystem that offers financial and lifestyle services.

The Group was founded in 2006 by Russian entrepreneur Oleg Tinkov and has been listed on the London Stock Exchange since October 2013.

The Group's key business is Tinkoff Bank, the country's first and only direct bank and the core of the Tinkoff.ru ecosystem.

Tinkoff Bank is the second largest player in the Russian credit card market, with a share of 12.4% as of 1 April 2019. The 1Q'19 IFRS net income of TCS Group Holding PLC amounted to RUB 7.2 bn, ROE stood at 64.4%.

With no branches, the Group serves all its customers remotely via online channels and a cloud-based call centre staffed by over 10,000 employees, which makes it one of the largest in Europe. To ensure smooth delivery of the Group's products, the Group has a nationwide network of over 2,500 representatives.

In 2018 Global Finance named Tinkoff Bank the world's Best Consumer Digital Bank, in 2018, 2016 and 2015, the Best Consumer Digital Bank in Russia, and in 2017 and 2013 The Banker recognised it as the Bank of the Year in Russia. The bank's mobile app has been consistently praised by local and global independent experts as the best of its kind (in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 by Deloitte and in 2018 by Global Finance).

This announcement is not an offer for sale of securities in the United States or any other country. The securities to which this announcement relates have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") or with any securities regulatory authority of any state of the United States or other jurisdiction and may not be offered, sold, pledged or otherwise transferred in the United States except pursuant to registration or an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable state securities laws.

This announcement is directed only at persons (i) outside the United Kingdom; (ii) that have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order"); (iii) falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) ("high net worth companies, unincorporated associations etc.") of the Order; or (iv) to whom this announcement may otherwise be directed without contravention of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). This announcement must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not relevant persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this announcement relates is available only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant persons.

In member states of the EEA, this announcement is directed only at persons who are "qualified investors" within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of Directive 2003/71/EC, as amended.

Forward-looking statements

Some of the information in this announcement may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of the Group and Tinkoff Bank. You can identify forward looking statements by terms such as "expect", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "intend", "will", "could," "may" or "might", the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. The Group and Tinkoff Bank wish to caution you that these statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially. The Group and Tinkoff Bank do not intend to update these statements to reflect events and circumstances occurring after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Many factors could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in projections or forward-looking statements of the Group and Tinkoff Bank, including, among others, general economic conditions, the competitive environment, risks associated with operating in Russia, rapid technological and market change in the industries the Group operates in, as well as many other risks specifically related to the Group, Tinkoff Bank and their respective operations.