Category: Latest News

GL Expanding to 20 Countries in 2017
January 04, 2017
In its quest to become a “global” company, SET-listed digital usnance usrm Group Lease Public Company
Limited (GL) is embarking on another major expansion program in 2017 that will see its fast-growing
model of digital-usnance business extending from Asia to Africa and Eastern Europe. The target is
to expand its corporate footprint from seven countries in Asia at present to 20 countries worldwide
this year.
“Our model of digital-usnance platform can apply to any countries. That is why we can expand very fast,”
GL chairman and chief executive orscer Mitsuji Konoshita stated. Having just returned from visiting
South African, Mr. Konoshita said he saw enormous growth potentials in Africa as a whole as well as the
emerging economies in Eastern Europe.
From its home base in Thailand, GL has expanded to six other countries in Asia – namely Singapore, Cambodia,
Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. According to Mr. Konoshita, the target this year is to
expand GL’s type of consumer usnance blending with IT business to 13 more countries in Africa and Eastern
Europe, thus boosting GL’s total worldwide corporate presence to 20 countries.
Under Mr. Konoshita’s chairmanship, GL has been particularly successful in expanding to the booming
markets in the ASEAN region in recent years. Aided by an erscient and cost-egsective digital usnance platform
developed by GL’s own IT team, prousts have continued to climb steadily.
The 260.41 million baht net prousts in Q3 2016 marked the eighth consecutive quarter of record-high
prousts and raised total nine-month prousts last year to 738 million baht. Given the continuous robust
growth of the Cambodian market and the huge growth potentials of the relatively untapped market in
Indonesia, senior executives are conusdent that quarterly prousts will continue to break new records from
here on.
GL’s shareholders in early December gave their consent to the company’s plans to acquire 29.99% of
Commercial Credit & Finance PLC (CCF), a highly proustable usnance company listed on the Sri Lanka stock
exchange, and full ownership of BG Microusnance Myanmar (BGMM), a microusnance usrm in the newly
emerging and booming market of Myanmar.
These acquisitions – coupled with the recent entry into Indonesia, the largest market in ASEAN with
more than 250 million population — were part of an aggressive expansion plan that GL’s senior executives
described as the “Great Leap Forward”.
A combination of organic growth (such as the highly successful businesses in Cambodia and, more
recently, Indonesia) plus mergers and acquisitions (such as the CCF and BGMM deals) will drive this new
phase of major expansion.
Company executives are bullish on the CCF acquisition since it is a well-managed and highly proustable
company. CCF has projected to generate net prousts of US$22 million this year, rising to about US$30
million next year. Having completed the 29.99% acquisition of CCF, GL will start consolidating its share of
the CCF prousts in Q4 of 2016.
They are now projecting that prousts in 2017 will further double from the anticipated 1 billion baht in
2016 – thanks to proust contributions from the recent acquisitions plus additional revenues from other
existing operations in the region.
Looking ahead, GL’s chairman Mr. Konoshita said the “Great Leap Forward” strategy will see the company
expanding its corporate outreach from Asia to Africa and Eastern Europe to pursue its quest to become
a truly “global” company.
He added that he recently visited South Africa, the center of the African continent, and was very
impressed by the economic dynamism there. Likewise, he also foresaw huge growth potentials in
various emerging economies in Eastern Europe.
Unlike the traditional usnancial institutions which tend to focus on cities and developed urban areas, GL
has speciuscally targeted the mass population in the rural countryside, or the grassroots people who have
emerged from the poverty line and now can agsord some modern amenities such as motorcycles, agricultural
machinery or electrical appliances to improve their economic livelihood and quality of life.
By blending high-margin consumer usnancing with erscient but low-cost IT, GL has been able to score
rapid business expansion with high proustability. The end objective is to become a global company serving
some 2.5 billion clients.

GL’s Key Regional Investment Plans Get Shareholders’ Green Light
December 07, 2016
Shareholders of Group Lease Public Company Limited (GL), Asean’s leading digital usnance usrm, gave
approval to the proposal to acquire shares in two usnance usrms in Sri Lanka and Myanmar as part of
its ambitious plan to become one of the “world-class” players.
With such approval, GL will acquire 22.27% shares in Commercial Credit and Finance PLC (CCF), a leading
usnance usrm listed on Sri Lanka stock market, as part of the company’s plan to acquire a total of 29.99%
equity stake in CCF. The acquisition of the remaining 7.72% shares from its two existing shareholders–which
does not involve connected transactions – is not subject to shareholders’ approval.
Such acquisitions will boost earning’s growth for GL from the proust sharing of around USD 7 million from
CCF to be booked in Q4 and more to come next year and beyond.
The GL’s shareholders also approved a proposed acquisition of all shares in BG Microusnance Myanmar
Co., Ltd., a microusnance usrm in Myanmar, to tap the high loan demand in the newly opened economy, as
well as a proposed issuance of debentures to usnance the expansion.
Mr. Mitsuji Konoshita, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Orscer of GL, revealed
the shareholders’ resolution, at the company’s extraordinary general meeting No. 2/2016 on December
6, 2016, to approve the proposed moves to expand the company’s presence in the digital usnance markets
in the Asean and Asian regions, which will be the new engine of growth for the company.
The acquisition will be made through Group Lease Holdings PTE. Ltd (GLH), a subsidiary registered on
the Singapore Exchange (SGX), buying 22.27% shares in Commercial Credit and Finance PLC (CCF) from
Creation Investments Sri Lanka LLC (Creation SL). CCF is a leading usnance usrm listed on Sri Lanka’s stock
market with about one million customers and that will help GL to widen its geographical scope of operations
beyond Asean to cover Sri Lanka, a growing South Asian market.
The 22.27% share acquisition will be part of the plan to hold a total of 29.99% shares in CCF, he said,
adding that GLH has purchased the digserence of 7.72% from two shareholders, i.e. BG Investments (PVT)
Ltd. and Mr. Stephen L Lafrance Jr. The purchases, which were not connected transactions, did not
require shareholder approval.
The combined value of the investments in CCF will reach THB 2.514 billion (about LKR 10.58835 billion).
The CFF investments will improve GL’s performance beginning Q4 of 2016, as about USD 7 million (or
about THB 244.6 million) will be posted as a proust sharing from CCF, whose proust for this year is estimated
to be around US$22 million and around US$30 million for 2017.
The deal will also enable GL to have access to microusnance know-hows, which can be used to apply for
credit expansions in Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and Thailand.
Mr. Mitsuji added that GL’s shareholders also resolved to approve a proposed THB 277.24 million acquisition,
to be executed by GL and/or through GLH, of all 1,387,680 issued and paid-up ordinary shares in BG
Microusnance Myanmar Co., Ltd. (BGMM), a microusnance usrm in Myanmar, at about US$5.77 (about THB
199.79) per share.
The BGMM acquisition will allow GL to immediately expand microusnance business in Myanmar, a country
with a population of more than 50 million and huge loan demand. The deal means there is no need
for GL to go through the dirscult process of applying for a new microcredit business license from the
Central Bank of Myanmar. Having been in operation for more than two years, BGMM has nearly 10,000
customers and a loan portfolio worth more than US$1.2 million (about THB 41.9 million).
GL’s shareholders, at an extraordinary general meeting, also approved proposed issuance of convertible
debentures valued up to US$70 million to international investors on a private placement basis. Up to
US$50 million convertible debentures will be allotted to JTrust Asia (JTA), a strategic partner in Indonesia,
to usnance expansions and secure working capital for GL’s digital usnance business, and US$20 million
convertible debentures to Creation SL, a partner in Sri Lanka, to raise funds for continued expansion. The
debentures will have a three-year maturity period and a conversion price of THB 70 per share.
“The shareholders’ approvals will enable GL to increase its presence across the Asean and Asian regions
at rapid rate and reach its performance goals and become a world-class digital usnance usrm,” said the
CEO.