DF Deutsche Forfait AG — Earnings Release 2009

Aug 25, 2009

News Details

Ad-hoc | 25 August 2009 07:33

DF Deutsche Forfait AG publishes H1 2009 figures

DF Deutsche Forfait AG / Half Year Results

Release of an Ad hoc announcement according to § 15 WpHG, transmitted by
DGAP - a company of EquityStory AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

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• Solid Group profit amounting to EUR 1.6 million
• Risk prevention remains a focus
• Increasing margins partly offset lower forfaiting volumes
• Distinctly positive profit figure anticipated for full year 2009

Cologne, 25 August 2009 - DF Deutsche Forfait AG (ISIN: DE0005488795)
generated a Group profit of EUR 1.6 million (H1 2008: EUR 3.2 million) in
the first half of 2009 in spite of the ongoing negative impacts of the
financial crisis on the market environment.

As was the case in the first quarter, risk prevention was an important
focus of business operations between April and June 2009. The forfaiting
volume dropped from EUR 513.7 million in the previous year's period to EUR
285.9 million as a result of the selective approach to choosing receivables
for purchase. Compared to the first three months of 2009, the forfaiting
volume increased by 10% to EUR 149.9 million (Q1: EUR 136 million), a fact
which signals that further recovery is underway. The forfaiting margin
recorded a new half year high at 2.3%, an increase of 0.6 percentage points
against the first half of 2008. This result partly offset the decreased
transaction volume. The sustained high margins reflect the positive
conditions for purchasing receivables from export transactions.

Gross result including financial results, the Group's most important
performance indicator, totalled EUR 6.6 million compared to EUR 8.8 million
in the same period of the previous year. This was due to the impact of the
decreased volume and the focus on risk prevention. As was the case with the
forfaiting volume, the company also recorded a positive trend in the gross
result on a quarterly basis for the first half year. This trend is likely
to continue in the second half of 2009 if general conditions continue to
improve.

The company anticipates distinctly positive Group profit for the full year
2009 along with lower forfaiting volumes and higher margins compared to the
previous year.

About DF Group
The main business activities of DF Group are the purchase and sale of
selected export receivables in emerging markets on a non-recourse basis.
The objective is to sell the acquired receivables at the same time or in
the short term. Forfaiting is an increasingly important tool in export
financing, with volumes rising in line with the continuing advance of
globalization. Creating tradable products from receivables benefits both
exporters and buyers. As well as transferring risk to the buyer, the main
benefit of forfaiting for exporters is the inflow of cash. This relieves
the exporters' credit lines and improves their balance sheet structure. DF
Deutsche Forfait AG structures receivables attractively, so that investors
seek them as a type of investment

DF Deutsche Forfait AG
Christoph Charpentier
Kattenbug 18 - 24
50667 Cologne
T +49 221 97376-37
F +49 221 97376-60
E investor.relations@dfag.de
http://www.dfag.de

25.08.2009 Financial News transmitted by DGAP

Language: English
Issuer: DF Deutsche Forfait AG
Kattenbug 18-24
50667 Köln
Deutschland
Phone: +49 (0)221 - 973 76 0
Fax: +49 (0)221 - 973 76 76
E-mail: dfag@dfag.de
Internet: www.dfag.de
ISIN: DE0005488795
WKN: 548879
Listed: Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr
in Berlin, Düsseldorf, München, Stuttgart

End of News DGAP News-Service

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