Lesaka Technologies (LSAK) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Summary

1Key Financial Results and Metrics

Net Revenue: ZAR 1.53 billion, a 45% increase year-on-year, at the lower end of guidance.

Adjusted EBITDA: ZAR 271 million, a 61% year-on-year growth, approximately at the midpoint of guidance.

Adjusted Earnings: ZAR 87 million, up 150% year-on-year, with adjusted earnings per share nearly doubling from ZAR 0.54 to ZAR 1.07.

Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA: Improved to 2.5x from 2.6x a year ago and 2.9x in the previous quarter.

Cash Flow from Operations: ZAR 341 million, with ZAR 122 million reinvested into lending and ZAR 106 million for net interest costs.

2Strategic Updates and Business Highlights

Divisional Performance:

Consumer Division: Continued strong growth with a 43% increase in net revenue, reaching 1.9 million active consumers.

Merchant Division: Revenue up 43%, driven by the Adumo acquisition, with a focus on integrating businesses and unifying brand offerings.

Enterprise Division: Revenue of ZAR 222 million, up 19% year-on-year, with expectations for future earnings uplift as product platforms go live.

Bank Zero Acquisition: Progressing well, expected to close by the end of FY 2026, aimed at enhancing customer offerings across all divisions.

Cost Rationalization: Plans to reduce operational footprint from over 40 locations to approximately 20, expected to yield significant cost savings.

3Forward Guidance and Outlook

Q2 Guidance:

Net revenue expected between ZAR 1.575 billion and ZAR 1.725 billion, implying a year-on-year growth of approximately 20%.

Group adjusted EBITDA guidance of ZAR 280 million to ZAR 320 million, indicating a year-on-year growth of around 42%.

Long-Term Strategy: Focus on maintaining discipline and execution, with expectations for continued improvement in financial metrics and operational efficiencies.

4Bad News, Challenges, or Points of Concern

Merchant Segment Challenges: Experienced higher churn among small to medium single-product merchants due to price sensitivity, which could impact future revenue stability.

Cost Increases: Group costs were elevated at ZAR 64 million due to nonrecurring charges, with expectations to trend down to ZAR 55 million.

Seasonality and Non-Core Business Exits: Some revenue and margin fluctuations attributed to seasonal effects and the exit from non-core business lines, which may impact short-term performance.

5Notable Q&A Insights

Merchant Revenue and Margin: Acknowledged seasonal effects and nonrecurring costs impacting margins; guidance provided for improved performance in upcoming quarters.

Cross-Sell Opportunities: Management indicated a strong attachment rate for multiple products among merchants, with plans to track and report cross-sell metrics moving forward.

Cell C IPO: Management expressed support for the planned IPO, emphasizing the simplification of operations and focus on core business areas.

Fintech Landscape: Management noted increased interest in the South African fintech ecosystem, viewing it as a positive endorsement of their strategic direction. This summary encapsulates the key points from Lesaka Technologies' Q1 2026 earnings call, highlighting both the positive developments and challenges faced by the company.