Dedagroup acquires Berma and continues its organic and non-organic growth strategy

Trento, September 20, 2022 | Dedagroup — the aggregating hub of leading Italian firms in the Software and Solutions as a Service market, currently operating in over 50 countries with more than 4,000 customers — announces the acquisition of Berma, a company specializing in software solutions for anti-money laundering, the fight against terrorist financing, and risk mitigation. 
The transaction is part of the Group’s development strategy as per its 2020-2023 business plan, which over the past two years has led to the acquisition of eight companies and to organic and non-organic growth, allowing Dedagroup to report a double-digit increase in turnover in 2021 compared to the previous year. 

The acquisition follows a twenty-year, well-established partnership between the two companies that, over the years, has provided added value to end customers and has shown the quality of Berma's solutions and services, which will now be incorporated into the extensive range of the Group's Finance & Data Hub. In particular, Berma's solutions will strengthen the Deda Credit Platform and Deda Payment Platform — which combine the skills and offerings of Dedagroup and its companies in the field of credit and payment management, respectively — covering the entire verification and profiling process for anti-money laundering, anti-terrorism, and anti-fraud risks thanks to the monitoring and control of operations.

As a result of the acquisition, Berma becomes part of the Group's Finance & Data Hub, integrating its already extensive solutions for receipts and payments management that leverage the strong and strategic synergies in place between Dedagroup Business Solutions, whose in-depth knowledge of processes and regulations meets the innovation needs of financial institutions and companies, Piteco, a leader in corporate treasury, RAD Informatica, a software house specialized in credit recovery processes, and Pegaso 2000, a company focused on software solutions for the credit finance, facilitated finance and money market sectors.

Over the past few years, the obligations to control anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism processes have gradually extended from banks, insurance companies, and financial institutions to many other sectors, such as the Public Administration — which is now required to adopt increasingly stringent verification and assessment procedures, also because of the allocation of PNRR funds — real-estate operators, and corporates, for which it is fundamental to certify and protect their operations in reputational terms through precise and thorough verification of suppliers and supply chains. 

Anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism controls are increasingly important and strategic activities. Suffice it to say that in 2021 the Bank of Italy’s Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) received over 139,000 reports on suspicious transactions, with a 23.3% increase compared to the previous year, for an amount exceeding €47 billion. Moreover, said the issue has become more and more crucial due to the current geopolitical situation, which requires Italian companies to perform more controls on embargoed countries and companies.

Marco Podini, Dedagroup’s Executive Chairman, stated: “Solid expertise and constant updating make Berma a key player in its market. This acquisition allows us to unlock the full potential of a successful collaboration that has lasted for more than 20 years, consolidating and strengthening our Finance Hub, thanks to the integration of the best solutions for anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism processes available on the market. Italy has a prime position in this area at a global level thanks to a very stringent application of the regulations, and this gives us a competitive edge, considering the current geopolitical context, which requires increasingly thorough controls and checks. Berma’s entry and the integration of its solutions confirm our goal to position ourselves as an enabler of internationalization processes for Italian companies, offering a complete software suite for facing the challenges posed by foreign markets.”

Adriano Berneri, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Berma, stated: “Anti-money laundering, anti-terrorism, and risk mitigation activities have now become crucial for companies, financial institutions, and the public administration, and the market is becoming increasingly aware of these issues. Berma has made history in these areas, and I am proud that this year it is celebrating the milestone of its first 30 years of activity by joining Dedagroup. I am convinced that being part of a solid Group that is esteemed by the market will bring a new impetus to our growth and allow us to expand and diversify our customer portfolio, nationally as well as internationally.” 

Berma — whose customers include some of the main Italian banking operators — has been operating since 1992, designing IT applications and system solutions in the banking, insurance, and financial sectors to provide customers with risk mitigation solutions that can maximize operational efficiency. 

Berma currently has important partnerships in place with Pythagoras (exclusive in Italy, Vatican, Malta, and San Marino), Refinitiv (London Stock Exchange Group), Bureau van Dijk (Moody's), and SGR Compliance, and specializes in software solutions related to the fight against terrorist financing, anti-money laundering, Know Your Customer, audit, and compliance. In addition to Italy, the company also operates in Luxembourg, Switzerland, Malta, Kosovo, Albania, the USA, and Mexico.