Circle Group

Regulatory Filings • Aug 20, 2025

PRESS RELEASE

Port digitalisation: Circle GROUP receives the green light for €200,000 for the "Port Ecosystem" project for a Mediterranean Port Authority

Milan, August 20, 2025

Circle S.p.A. ("CIRCLE" or the "Company") - an Innovative SME listed on the Euronext Growth Milan market, heading the Group specialized in the process analysis and the development of solutions for the digitalisation of the port and intermodal logistics sectors, as well as in the international consultancy on Green Deal and energy transition topics – announces the launch of the 'Port Ecosystem' project, a strategic initiative lasting 15 months, which aims to create an advanced and integrated information system and represents a fundamental step in the digital transformation of an important Mediterranean Port Authority. The project, worth €200,000, aims to strengthen operational efficiency, ensure greater transparency in processes and facilitate interoperability between the various players in the logistics chain.

The project aims to implement an advanced information system, identified as a Digital Ecosystem: an advanced technological infrastructure which, in line with the Extended Smart Port paradigm, will enable the Authority to complete the digital transformation process initiated in recent years. The goal is to leverage the investments already made in ICT, simplifying and optimising the management of administrative and logistical operations within the port, thereby helping to make the entire port system more modern, connected and sustainable.

Within the context of the Smart Port System architecture, the project involves the adoption of a component dedicated to Port Mobility Goods, with the aim of digitalising the management of document and operational flows relating to the loading and unloading of goods and vehicles. This component is based on the Transport Federative Platform (TFP) developed by CIRCLE and involves the use of software modules designed to optimise coordination between the various operational phases.

Among these, the Port Hauler Module plays a central role. In its advance notice management function, the module allows for the planning and monitoring of vehicle arrivals at the port logistics hub, reducing the risk of congestion and facilitating access through the advance sharing of authorisations. The system interfaces with the telematic platforms of road transport companies and Port Community Systems (PCS), allowing advance control of access

conditions, including customs authorisations, bookings and permits for dangerous goods.

In order to support operational continuity, there is also a module for managing 'Port Status events', which can record and disseminate in real time any situations that may affect vehicle traffic, such as adverse weather conditions, strikes or infrastructure limitations. This information can also be made available via variable message signs and mobile applications for drivers.

The digitalisation of the drivers' operational experience is further enhanced by the Driver App, a mobile application that allows drivers to view the status of advance notices, communicate the progress of their journey in real time and upload the documentation required for access to logistics areas.

Finally, the project provides for interoperability with the Gate Operation System (GOS), a software module for managing operations at port road gates, adaptable to both automated and manned gates. The system enables real-time monitoring of transits, exception management and interaction with pre-notification and gate automation modules, ensuring efficient, transparent and interconnected management of flows entering and leaving the port.

'We are proud to contribute with our technological solutions to the digital evolution of another strategic Mediterranean hub,' said Luca Abatello, CEO of Circle Group. 'The project is a concrete example of how innovation can improve the operational efficiency, transparency and sustainability of the entire logistics chain. It is a further step forward in our mission to accompany ports and logistics systems towards an increasingly interconnected, automated and resilient future, as outlined in our "Connect 4 Agile Growth" business plan.'

Founded in Genoa in 2012, Circle S.p.A. is the Innovative SME at the head of the CIRCLE Group, the Group specialising in the analysis and development of products for the innovation and digitalisation of the port and intermodal logistics sectors and in the international consultancy on topics concerning the Green Deal and energy transition.

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In addition to Circle, the Group includes the software houses Info.era, NEXT Freight (formerly 'Adele Project') and Cargo Start, acquired at the end of 2017, July 2019 and December 2022 respectively, the consulting companies Magellan Circle and Magellan Circle Italy, the NewCo NEXT Customs, as well as the subsidiary ACCUDIRE.

The synergies between the individual components of the CIRCLE Group have made it possible to expand the portfolio of solutions offered in the areas of IoT, Optimisation, Digital Twin, Big Data and Process Automation, and to strengthen the software products: Milos® - a suite aimed at all players in intermodal logistics such as inland terminals, port terminals, ports, MTOs and maritime agencies -, the Extended Port Community System, the Master SPED® and Milos® Global Supply Chain Visibility solutions, dedicated respectively to freight

forwarding and logistics and to trade and industry, as well as Star Tracking®, an airport-to-airport tracking solution.

To complete the offer in the Supply Chain area, the so-called 'Federative Services' able to make the migration of customers towards a digital business model more efficient and offered in cloud mode.

Through Magellan Circle (with offices in Porto and Brussels) and Magellan Circle Italy, Circle operates in the field of advocacy at European Institutions, supporting Public Bodies and Companies by identifying their positioning at a European level (Strategic Communication and Advocacy) and funding opportunities (Eu Funding Accelerator), with a vertical focus on Green Deal and energy transition issues.

The acquisition of the 51% of shares of Cargo Start in December 2022, a company specialising in the development and sale of innovative technological products and services for air cargo, allowed Circle to strengthen its offering in a rapidly expanding segment that is strategic to the Connect 4 Agile Growth industrial path.

Circle leads the Log@Sea business network, which is instrumental in enhancing the offer of advanced Gate Automation solutions aimed at port and intermodal nodes.

In December 2023, Circle subscribed to a capital increase equal to 20% of the share capital of ACCUDIRE, an Innovative Startup from Veneto that provides a Collaborative Digital Platform capable of helping players along global Supply Chains in the exchange of information and in the management of document flows accompanying goods shipments, starting first and foremost with the e-CMR (or electronic waybill, part of an international standard and transposition law just approved by the Italian Parliament).

Finally, in February 2024 Circle established the NewCo NEXT Customs, dedicated to digital customs optimisation services and functional to the continuation of initiatives aimed at the harmonisation of customs processes, a highly strategic area for the evolution of the Connect 4 Agile Growth path.

Circle S.p.A. has been listed on the Euronext Growth Milan market of Borsa Italiana since October 26, 2018 (alphanumeric code: CIRC; ISIN code ordinary shares: IT. 0005344996).

For further information

Circle S.p.A. Registered office Via Giovanni Battista Pergolesi 26, 20124 Milano Operational headquarters Piazza Borgo Pila 40 (Torre A interno 46), 16129 Genova Investor Relations Mail: ir@circletouch.eu | Mobile: +39 348 3067877

Media Relations: Image Building Via Privata Maria Teresa, 11 20123 – Milano Email: circlegroup@imagebuilding.it | Phone: +39 02 89011300

Euronext Growth Advisor: Integrae SIM S.p.A. Piazza Castello 24, 20121 Milano Email: info@integraesim.it | Phone: +39 02 96 84 68