Plus500 has released its interim results for the first half of 2023, disclosing mixed performance during the period. Despite an improvement compared to the preceding six months, Plus500's results show a 28% year–over–year drop in revenue.
The London-headquartered fintech firm posted USD $368 million in revenue for the first half, which is a decrease of $142 million from USD $511 million in the corresponding period of last year. The revenue comprised USD $346 million in trading income and USD $22 million in interest income.
EBITDA Margin
The company posted an EBITDA margin of 47%, which compares to 60% in the first half of 2022. The interest income of Plus500 increased during the period, reportedly due to the rise in the global interest rates facilitated by the central banks.
Plus500's Customer Trading performance was USD $42 million during the first half. This metric saw a sharp decline compared to USD $172 million in the first half of last year. However, it improved from USD $21 million reported in the second half of last year.
David Zruia, the Chief Executive Officer at Plus500, remarked: "2023 marks the 10th anniversary of our listing on the London Stock Exchange and I am immensely proud of the progress we have delivered over that time in becoming the trusted, differentiated and diversified multi-asset fintech leader we are today."
"With continued operational and financial momentum being achieved, we also made substantial progress in delivering against our strategic priorities, particularly in harnessing the attractive growth opportunities in the US futures market and obtaining new regulatory licenses in the high growth UAE market and very recently in the Bahamas," he added.
Net Profit
Plus500's net profit for the period was USD $147 million, which is an increase compared to USD $126 million in the corresponding period of last year. Additionally, the company's basic earnings per share jumped 19% to USD $1.61. Plus500 had 175,762 active customers in the first half, which was a 19% decline from 216,928 in the same period last year.
Plus500's strategic financial moves include a share buyback program worth $214 million during the first half. Additionally, the company declared a final and special dividend of USD $29.9 million in February, which was paid to the shareholders on July 11.
