Financial Services Capital

Joining the dots in the financial ecosystem.

The experience and the technology to unlock value and drive productivity for greater growth.

Value through vision, transformation through technology.

The private equity firm focused on changing the European financial services sector from within.

APPROACH

Identify, unlock, create, transform.

Private equity expertise, proven operational experience and proprietary technologies. It’s a powerful combination with which the CIG team transforms the fortunes of our portfolio companies – and delivers greater value to our investors.

Focused on the European financial services industry, our deep sector know-how means we can proactively identify new opportunities and unlock latent potential. Due to our unique approach, we’re well placed to move swiftly and decisively in a sector that continues to fall short of its potential for tech-enabled transformation.

Our Value

Iterative and innovative, we work as operators alongside financial services companies to identify new opportunities, seeking out ways in which today’s technologies can prepare our portfolio for tomorrow’s challenges.

Stage 1

PROPRIETARY TARGET IDENTIFICATION
Stage 2

BEST IN CLASS REGULATORY RELATIONSHIPS, DEAL STRUCTURING & EXECUTION
Stage 3

TRANSFORMATION OF TARGET
Stage 4

EXIT AND VALUE REALISATION

Our Difference

From the technology we deploy to the operational skills we employ, CIG transforms financial services from the ground up, leaving behind the solid foundations for sustainable growth.

Our understanding of both the sector, and the solutions we propose, is a compelling proposition for our portfolio companies, and presents our investors with a new pipeline of previously untapped value.

OUR PRINCIPLES

We’re in the business of challenging convention, confident in our expertise and secure in our focus. With over 100 years’ combined experience working within – and investing in – financial services, our partners are adept at navigating the complexities of this highly regulated industry

Operating successfully in a long established, bureaucratic sector takes a bold, forward-thinking approach. But by combining proven experience with new technologies, we pave the way for greater growth.

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ABOUT

A fusion of tradition & innovation.

Combining established sector-focused investment, operational expertise and superior credit skills with a suite of Enabling Technologies^TM to transform the European financial services sector from the inside out.

A private equity firm with the mindset to question, and the operating experience to deliver. At CIG, we combine Enabling Technologies^TM with proven credentials to create a uniquely responsive environment for radical asset transformation.

Our partners have all worked at the forefront of financial services, and with an understanding of the values and the culture that drive the sector, we’re in the best place to reshape it. By leveraging our expertise, we find new solutions to old challenges – focusing on enhancing the customer experience to enhance the prospects for our portfolio.
Blending this firm focus with our proven technologies puts us in a unique position to unlock value. We bring infrastructure and systems up to speed to improve efficiency, push productivity, grow revenue and – ultimately – build a platform for future value creation.

Operational expertise

Leveraging years of experience gained in the heart of the financial services sector to transform firms from within.

Enabling Technologies^TM

Drawing on a suite of smart technologies to streamline processes and drive operational efficiencies.

Traditional private equity approach
Identifying opportunities for strategic growth and acting decisively to ensure maximum value creation.

A dynamic, responsive environment for radical asset transformation

This is a bespoke firm for a bespoke opportunity. We are first and foremost a firm of operators, with the vision to see the wider investment horizon – and deep experience gained from working with the minutiae of the European financial services sector.“

Matthew Hansen, Founder and Partner, CIG

HOW WE WORK

Enabling Technologies^TM

Bringing a proprietary portfolio of Enabling Technologies^TM to bear for financial services firms, their customers and our partners.

The European financial services market is facing unprecedented change. Digitisation is driving higher customer expectations, and it’s time for firms to get on board – or get left behind.

Our Enabling Technologies^TM provide a unique set of operational levers to improve the processes and customer focus of financial service providers. From Cloud Based Systems to Digital Payments to Big Data Analytics, we introduce the systems to streamline operations, reduce turnaround times and deliver sustainable, transformative growth.

The team

The vision to create value in unexpected ways. The tenacity to drive transformation in highly regulated environments. At CIG, we have both the skills and the tools to propel our portfolio companies forward.

From retail banking, to payment platforms, to asset managers, to specialty and consumer credit platforms, to insurance businesses, every member of our senior team joins CIG with a long history in the financial services industry. Bringing genuine operational experience, and with an established network of industry relationships to draw on, we offer our portfolio companies guidance and insight that goes beyond the role of traditional private equity firms.

CHAIRMEN

111

Partner

1 has been a private equity investor for over 20 years, and has focused on the financial services sector throughout his career. Before founding CIG in 2019, he was a Senior Partner and Head of UK & Europe at Atlas Merchant Capital, a financial services private equity firm.

222

Partner

2 co-founded CIG following a distinguished career that’s seen him gain widespread recognition as one of Europe’s leading experts on financial services technologies. Prior to CIG, he was Group Head of Special Projects and Managing Partner of Home Credit Venture Capital. During his tenure, he founded and led the conglomerate’s corporate venture capital arm, with a focus on FinTech and enabling technology companies relevant to consumer finance and banking.

Continental Management Group Company Profile

Our resources and our investment expertise in emerging markets enable us to successfully transform investment companies, allowing them to realise their potential.

The cornerstones of our success include:

Independence and knowledge: We’re an independent investment company. We have no affiliation with any institution, and we only invest in businesses that we understand.

Experience and transparency: Our team has significant experience in cross-border transactions in emerging markets. We apply transparent and financially sound policies to all of our investments.

Fast decision-making: Our investments are actively managed – we’re in a position to act fast and mitigate possible risks, keeping our investments on track.

Entrepreneurial mind-set with responsibility: To maximise profitable growth, we encourage an entrepreneurial mind-set amongst our investment managers. This mind-set is maintained while upholding the group’s social and environmental responsibilities.

Continental Management Group History

Continental Management Group was founded as a family investment company in 1998 by three parties: a corporate Bahraini lawyer, a private partner and a private bank.

Our first acquisition was Cantor AB, followed by Evax. Subsequent investments in petroleum products distribution also made a significant contribution to our growth.

The new century

During the 1990s and 2000s, the company invested more of its assets internationally and began its transition towards emerging markets. Expansion into new sectors included fund management, oil and gas, and the cement industry in Central Europe. The company took a particular interest in privatisations across Central and Eastern Europe, and the MENA region.

Continental Management Group Group today

Today, we invest almost exclusively in emerging markets with assets managed through Continental Management Group Holding.

With our track record and our experience, our organisation is evolving to encompass asset management over the coming years. This brings our strength and discipline to generate the same consistent returns for third party investors.

Identify, unlock, create, transform.

Iterative and innovative, we work as operators alongside financial services companies to identify new opportunities, seeking out ways in which today’s technologies can prepare our portfolio for tomorrow’s challenges.

From the technology we deploy to the operational skills we employ, CIG transforms financial services from the ground up, leaving behind the solid foundations for sustainable growth.

We’re in the business of challenging convention, confident in our expertise and secure in our focus. With over 100 years’ combined experience working within – and investing in – financial services, our partners are adept at navigating the complexities of this highly regulated industry

A fusion of tradition & innovation.

A private equity firm with the mindset to question, and the operating experience to deliver. At CIG, we combine Enabling TechnologiesTM with proven credentials to create a uniquely responsive environment for radical asset transformation.

Enabling TechnologiesTM

Enabling TechnologiesTM

Bringing a proprietary portfolio of Enabling TechnologiesTM to bear for financial services firms, their customers and our partners.

The vision to create value in unexpected ways. The tenacity to drive transformation in highly regulated environments. At CIG, we have both the skills and the tools to propel our portfolio companies forward.

A private equity firm with the mindset to question, and the operating experience to deliver. At CIG, we combine Enabling Technologies^TM with proven credentials to create a uniquely responsive environment for radical asset transformation.

Enabling Technologies^TM

Enabling Technologies^TM

Bringing a proprietary portfolio of Enabling Technologies^TM to bear for financial services firms, their customers and our partners.