EQS-Adhoc: AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS AG RESOLVES TO IMPLEMENT A SHARE BUY-BACK PROGRAM

Public disclosure of inside information according to Art 17 MAR

Vienna, this 18 December 2023

The management board of AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS AG (the “Company”) resolved today to implement a share buy-back program for own shares (the “Share Buy-Back Program”) on the basis of the authorization resolution pursuant to Sec 65 para 1 no 4 and 8 Austrian Stock Corporation Act of the annual general meeting held on 30 June 2023, which was published on 30 June 2023. The supervisory board of AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS AG approved the implementation of the Share Buy-Back Program by resolution passed today.

The Share Buy-Back Program is conducted in order to acquire own shares for remuneration purposes, i.e. transferring shares to employees, senior executives, as well as members of the management board of the Company or its subsidiaries in accordance with the authorization resolution of the annual general meeting of 30.6.2023.

The share buy-backs are carried out by PIRAEUS SECURITIES S.A. via the stock exchange and multilateral trading facilities (MTFs). PIRAEUS SECURITIES S.A. makes its decision on the time of acquisition independently and without influence from AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS AG and must comply with the trading conditions pursuant to Art 3 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 of 8 March 2016.

The maximum volume of the Share Buy-Back Program amounts to up to 727,077 own shares (corresponding to approx. 2% of the current total share capital), the share buy-back under the Share Buy-Back Program will start on 22 December 2023 and is anticipated to continue up to (including) 21 June 2024.

In accordance with the resolution of the annual general meeting held on 30 June 2023, the consideration to be paid per share when acquiring shares must (i) not be lower than EUR 1 (i.e., the calculated proportion of the share capital per share), and (ii) not be more than 20% above the volume-weighted average price of the last 20 trading days preceding the respective purchase. Additionally, the management board has determined a maximum price of EUR 12 per share.

The maximum total consideration under the Share Buy-Back Program amounts to EUR 5,816,616.

The share buy-backs are carried out within the framework of the safe harbor rule pursuant to Art 5 of the Market Abuse Regulation.

The Share Buy-Back Program does not have any effects on the listing of the shares.

The details of the Share Buy-Back Program, details of the transactions carried out under the Share Buy-Back Program and any changes to the Share Buy-Back Program will be published in accordance with valid legislation and on the website of AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS AG under https://www.austriacard.com/investor-relations-ac/

This announcement is not a public offer to purchase shares of AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS AG and does not impose any obligations on AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS AG or any of its subsidiaries to accept offers to buy back shares of AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS AG.

ABOUT AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS AG

AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS AG, headquartered in Vienna, with an international presence, is one of the leading providers of Secure Digital Technology Solutions in Europe. 

AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS AG is the one of the leading B2B providers of smart cards, personalization and payment solutions, as well as secure data management and digitalization solutions, in Austria, Scandinavia, Central and Eastern Europe and South Eastern Europe, while also having significant market share in many other European countries and Türkiye. The group is expanding fast in geographical areas outside Europe, such as the USA where it has established a new personalization center, and the Middle East & Africa where sales units have been developed that have already drawn significant new business. In addition, the company has become a payment products and solutions partner of choice for challenger banks/neo banks, a growing market segment world-wide.

The company has a very strong pan-European operational footprint, reaching from the United Kingdom to Greece and Türkiye, with seven production facilities and seven personalization centers in Europe, as well as an additional personalization center in USA, employing currently around 2,500 people. It also has sales offices in Norway, Czech Republic, Germany, Croatia, Serbia, Jordan, the UAE and a network of partners and selling agencies around the world. This footprint enables the provision of a high service level to our customers, confirmed by the very long-lasting business relationships. The group’s international customer base benefits from a complementary product and services and solutions offering ranging from bill printing, direct mailing and document processing to payment, transit and ID cards increasingly bundled with online, mobile and digitalization transformation solutions.

Issuer:   AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS AG
             Lamezanstraße 4-8
             1230 Vienna
             Austria
Contact person: Dimitris Tzelepis
Tel.:                   +43 1 61065 - 357
E-Mail:                d.tzelepis@austriacard.com
Website:              www.austriacard.com
ISIN(s):   AT0000A325L0
Stock Exchange(s): Vienna Stock Exchange (prime market) 
                              Athens Exchange (main market)