EQS Group AG: EQS Group acquires a stake in SaaS-provider C2S2

EQS Group acquires a stake in SaaS-provider C2S2
Strengthening of Corporate Compliance

Munich – 22 December 2020

EQS Group AG (ISIN: DE0005494165) acquires a 23 percent share in C2S2 GmbH based in Bonn effective at the beginning of the new year. The innovative SaaS-provider for policy management distributes a service for an understandable communication of company policies under the Rulebook brand. It will expand EQS Group AG’s product portfolio and strengthen its corporate compliance unit.

C2S2 GmbH was founded in 2015 to provide employees with guidance and concrete recommendations for applicable company policies. The start-up has 5 employees and created Rulebook, a pioneering digital application which is currently used by about 10 customers, including AUDI AG and REWE Group. It is characterised by a smart search function and integrated chat bots. It allows employees to use an intuitive search for finding rules and recommended actions which are then prepared in a manner to be easily understood.

The purchase price for the participation is in the lower one-digit million Euro range. It is connected with an option to acquire all shares in the company. The transaction will be financed with funds from the recent capital increase.

Achim Weick, CEO of EQS Group AG: “Rulebook thinks policy management from the perspective of those who must implement the recommendations for actions on a daily basis, i.e. employees. We consider it another component for our product range as cloud provider for corporate compliance and are happy that Aram Kaven-Moser and his team wish to embark upon this path with us.”

Aram Kaven-Moser is founder and CEO of C2S2 GmbH. The idea for Rulebook dates back to his activity as compliance manager and compliance advisor. He is a proven expert for governance, risk and compliance and has worked as Head of Compliance Program with Daimler AG and Head of Compliance Strategy with Deutsche Telekom AG.

Aram Kaven-Moser, CEO of C2S2 GmbH said: “After several years of development, Rulebook has become a reality and is successfully in use at our first customers. Now, we wish to enthuse many companies with our idea and consider EQS Group AG an ideal partner for distributing our policy management solution and for integrating it in the Compliance COCKPIT as a complete solution for corporate compliance.”

C2S2 is already the second transaction undertaken by EQS Group AG within a few weeks and underlines EQS Group AG’s objective to become the leading cloud provider for corporate compliance in Europe. Many companies will need to deal with compliance subjects for the first time based on the EU Directive 2019/1937 which prescribes the obligatory introduction of an internal whistle-blower channel for companies. EQS Group AG makes intensive preparations for achieving a high market penetration.

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EQS Group is a leading international provider of regulatory technology (RegTech) in the fields of corporate compliance and investor relations. In working with EQS Group, thousands of companies worldwide inspire trust by fulfilling complex national and international disclosure obligations, minimizing risks and communicating transparently with stakeholders.

EQS Group’s products are pooled in the cloud-based software EQS COCKPIT. They ensure the professional control of compliance workflows in the fields of whistleblower protection and case management, policy management, insider list management and disclosure obligations. In addition, listed companies benefit from a global newswire, investor targeting and contact management, IR websites, digital reports and webcasts for efficient and secure investor communications.

EQS Group was founded in 2000 in Munich, Germany. Today the group employs over 400 professionals and has offices in the world’s key financial markets.

Contact:

André Marques

CFO

Tel.: +4989-444430033

Mobile: +49175-5250009

Email.: andre.marques@eqs.com