Supply chain finance provider Orbian is set to acquire Payment Institution Roger, a Czech fintech that has financed invoices worth more than €1.6bn since its launch in 2013.
Brno-based Roger provides supply chain finance programmes for large buyers and receivables finance for SMEs, offering both a multi-funder peer-to-peer platform and a white-label solution for corporates.
Orbian, which is headquartered in London and has offices in Germany and the US, says the transaction reflects “significant growth potential” for supply chain finance in Central European markets.
The acquisition is expected to close by the end of the first half of the year, subject to regulatory approvals.
Orbian chairman Thomas Dunn says the move will help expand its offering across the receivables and payables finance markets in the region.
“We’ve been closely monitoring Roger’s development since 2019, and I am excited that we have been able to agree this transaction,” he says. “Roger has a very strong technology platform and product proposition.”
Adam Šoukal, Roger’s co-founder and chief executive, says: “Joining Orbian will enable us to tap into the operational know-how and relationships of a global market leader, strengthening our own leadership position in the Czech Republic and our core verticals.”
A partnership between Roger and Komerční banka, part of the Société Générale group, will continue, the companies say.
The Prague-based lender took a 25% stake in Roger in 2019, which Patrik Nový, head of its KB SmartSolutions division, says was “one of the most successful transactions in the Czech fintech sector”.
Šoukal and fellow co-founder Tomáš Slobodník will continue to lead the Roger business, with the former also joining Orbian’s senior management team, the company says.
