Experian to acquire Compuscan in Africa

1Experian has announced that it has agreed to acquire Compuscan (CSH Group Pty), one of the leading credit bureau and information services businesses in Africa.

Established in South Africa in 1994, Compuscan started as a credit bureau, focused on the micro-lending industry. It enabled micro lenders to avoid financial loss by identifying clients’ repayment probability before issuing a loan.

In 2014, Actis acquired a majority shareholding in Compuscan embarking on a “buy-and-build” strategy together with management, to expand the product offering and scale of the business, and to create one of the leading emerging market credit bureaus. Today, Compuscan is a full-service credit bureau and information services provider offering credit information services, decision analytics services, marketing services and loyalty/rewards services, operating across nine countries (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, Ethiopia and Uganda, as well as in the Philippines and Australia).

Brian Cassin, Chief Executive Officer of Experian said “We are delighted to announce that Experian has agreed to acquire Compuscan. We have a long track record of investment in South Africa, where for many years we have helped businesses thrive through the provision of credit data and decisioning tools. Millions of people across Africa need access to financial services. By combining forces with Compuscan, we will be better positioned to serve the people and businesses of this region and be an enabler of growth in consumer and business credit, identity management and financial inclusion. This is an important transaction for our business in South Africa and will provide opportunities more broadly across the African continent. We look forward to welcoming the Compuscan team to Experian.”O

Ali Mazanderani, Partner at Actis, said “When we joined forces with Compuscan, we knew that we were backing an exceptional team with an aligned ambition. We are extremely proud of what has been achieved together, it has been a wonderful journey. Our thanks to Remo Lenisa, the CEO of Compuscan, to Michael Jordaan, the Chairman, and to the whole Compuscan team.” 

Dave Cooke, Partner at Actis and based in South Africa, said “Compuscan is a great business, this successful investment further reinforces our unrivalled track record in identifying high growth African businesses, adding value and successfully exiting to quality buyers. Actis has now committed over USD$4.5bn to Africa and delivered over 33 exits.”