January 09, 2019

Accenture to Acquire Orbium, a Business and Technology Consultancy to the Financial Services Industry

Acquisition gives Accenture the leading position globally in Avaloq implementation and enhances its services to the private-banking and wealth-management sectors

NEW YORK; Jan. 9, 2019 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has agreed to acquire Orbium, a management consultancy and technology services provider to the financial services industry, headquartered in Switzerland. The acquisition will further strengthen Accenture’s ability to provide innovative services to clients in the private-banking and wealth-management space globally. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Orbium is the largest services provider for the Avaloq Banking Suite — a leader in digital and core banking software for the banking and wealth management industry, used by more than 150 banks and wealth managers worldwide. Orbium helps private banks and wealth managers improve their performance by aligning their business strategy with their operating model and technology architecture.

Orbium’s unparalleled knowledge of the global wealth management industry has made the company a market leader in the delivery of Avaloq-enabled business transformation projects. The firm has triple the number of Avaloq-certified specialists of any other company and is authorized to provide training for Avaloq professional certification. The acquisition will provide Accenture with the expertise of Orbium’s global workforce as well as technical assets including project accelerators developed specifically for the Avaloq platform.

“The wealth management industry is moving from high-cost, inflexible in-house and legacy solutions to packaged core platforms, software-as-a-service and business process outsourcing, which provide the modern open architectures required to deliver the new digital services the industry demands,” said Michael Spellacy, senior managing director and head of Accenture’s global capital markets practice. “As the leader in Avaloq implementation, Orbium has a unique combination of management consultancy, technology and program-management resources and capabilities that will enable us to accelerate and scale our services to the wealth management industry globally — bringing efficiency and enhanced customer experience to the next generation of wealth managers and their clients.”

Founded in 2004, Orbium has more than 500 employees and offices in more than a dozen cities across Europe, Asia-Pacific and the United States. Its clients include global tier-one banks, premium wealth managers and private banks.

Samir Gherbi, a partner at Orbium, said, “We are tremendously excited about the new opportunities that we will be able to bring to our clients and our people by becoming part of Accenture. In leveraging Accenture’s leading-edge capabilities, we will be able to significantly expand the reach and scope of our market solutions. Accenture and Orbium share a common focus: our clients’ success.”

The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions.

About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions — underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network — Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 469,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “likely,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “positioned,” “outlook” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These include, without limitation, risks that: Accenture and Orbium will not be able to close the transaction in the time period anticipated, or at all, which is dependent on the parties’ ability to satisfy certain closing conditions; the transaction might not achieve the anticipated benefits for Accenture; Accenture’s results of operations could be adversely affected by volatile, negative or uncertain economic and political conditions and the effects of these conditions on the company’s clients’ businesses and levels of business activity; Accenture’s business depends on generating and maintaining ongoing, profitable client demand for the company’s services and solutions including through the adaptation and expansion of its services and solutions in response to ongoing changes in technology and offerings, and a significant reduction in such demand or an inability to respond to the changing technological environment could materially affect the company’s results of operations; if Accenture is unable to keep its supply of skills and resources in balance with client demand around the world and attract and retain professionals with strong leadership skills, the company’s business, the utilization rate of the company’s professionals and the company’s results of operations may be materially adversely affected; Accenture could face legal, reputational and financial risks if the company fails to protect client and/or company data from security breaches or cyberattacks; the markets in which Accenture operates are highly competitive, and Accenture might not be able to compete effectively; changes in Accenture’s level of taxes, as well as audits, investigations and tax proceedings, or changes in tax laws or in their interpretation or enforcement, could have a material adverse effect on the company’s effective tax rate, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition; Accenture’s profitability could materially suffer if the company is unable to obtain favorable pricing for its services and solutions, if the company is unable to remain competitive, if its cost-management strategies are unsuccessful or if it experiences delivery inefficiencies; Accenture’s results of operations could be materially adversely affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; as a result of Accenture’s geographically diverse operations and its growth strategy to continue geographic expansion, the company is more susceptible to certain risks; Accenture’s business could be materially adversely affected if the company incurs legal liability; Accenture’s work with government clients exposes the company to additional risks inherent in the government contracting environment; if Accenture is unable to manage the organizational challenges associated with its size, the company might be unable to achieve its business objectives; if Accenture does not successfully manage and develop its relationships with key alliance partners or fails to anticipate and establish new alliances in new technologies, the company’s results of operations could be adversely affected; Accenture’s ability to attract and retain business and employees may depend on its reputation in the marketplace; Accenture might not be successful at acquiring, investing in or integrating businesses, entering into joint ventures or divesting businesses; if Accenture is unable to protect its intellectual property rights or if Accenture’s services or solutions infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others or the company loses its ability to utilize the intellectual property of others, its business could be adversely affected; changes to accounting standards or in the estimates and assumptions Accenture makes in connection with the preparation of its consolidated financial statements could adversely affect its financial results; many of Accenture’s contracts include payments that link some of its fees to the attainment of performance or business targets and/or require the company to meet specific service levels, which could increase the variability of the company’s revenues and impact its margins; Accenture’s results of operations and share price could be adversely affected if it is unable to maintain effective internal controls; Accenture might be unable to access additional capital on favorable terms or at all and if the company raises equity capital, it may dilute its shareholders’ ownership interest in the company; Accenture may be subject to criticism and negative publicity related to its incorporation in Ireland; as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the “Risk Factors” heading in Accenture plc’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture’s expectations.

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Contacts:

Diana Büchner
Accenture
+49 6173 94 69081
diana.buechner@accenture.com

Sean Conway
Accenture
+1 917 452 7116
sean.k.conway@accenture.com