PATENT AND TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT Made and entered into by and between NET 1 HOLDINGS S.à.r.l and NET 1 UEPS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Exhibit 10.2
PATENT AND TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT
Made and entered into by and between
NET 1 HOLDINGS S.à.x.x
and
NET 1 UEPS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Table of Contents
1. | DEFINITIONS |
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1.1 | The clause headings of this
Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not be used in the
interpretation thereof. |
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1.2 | Unless the context clearly
indicates a contrary intention: |
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1.2.1 | expressions which denote:
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1.2.1.1 | any gender shall include the other genders;
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1.2.1.2 | a natural person shall include an artificial
person and vice versa; |
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1.2.1.3 | the singular shall include the plural;
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1.2.2 | the following expressions
shall have the meanings set opposite them and cognate expressions shall
bear corresponding meanings: |
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1.2.2.1 | “Licensee” shall mean any
entity to whom NUEP grants a licence on behalf of Net 1 to use the Patent
in any country within the Territory; |
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1.2.2.2 | “Net 1” shall mean Net 1 Holdings
S.à.x.x, a company incorporated in accordance with the laws of
Luxembourg and having its registered office at 0, xxx Xxxx Xxxxxx, X-0000
Xxxxxxxxxx, herein represented by Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx in her capacity as a
Director of the Company, she being duly authorised hereto; |
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1.2.2.3 | “Parties” shall mean the parties
to this Agreement; |
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1.2.2.4 | “Patents” shall mean United
States Patent No. 5,175,416 and European Patent No. 0-421808 together
with all patents of addition, if any, granted to Net 1; |
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1.2.2.5 | “Signature Date” shall mean
the last date of signature of this Agreement by the Parties; |
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1.2.2.6 | “Territory” shall mean any
country of the World, except the Republic of South Africa (as constituted
on 31 May 0000), Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx, Mozambique and
Zimbabwe; |
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1.2.2.7 | “NUEP” shall mean Net 1 UEPS
Technologies, Inc., a company incorporated under the laws of the State
of Florida and having its registered office at 000 Xxxx Xxx Xxxx Xxxxxxxxx,
Xxxxx 0000, Xxxx Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, 00000. |
1.2.2.8 | “UEPS” shall mean the Universal
Electronic Payment System designed by Net 1, as described and detailed
in the complete specification to Net 1’s application for the Patents.
UEPS is an application that uses the Patents to provide an integrated,
secure and complete payment system. |
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2. | PREAMBLE |
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2.1 | Net 1 is the owner and manager
of the Patents. |
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2.2 | Net 1 has agreed to appoint
NUEP as its sole and exclusive agent to market and sell to Licensees licences
for the use of the Patents anywhere within the Territory and to conclude.
licence agreements with such Licensees on behalf of Net 1. |
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2.3 | NUEP shall in terms of
this Agreement have the right to permit a Licensee to purchase and or
use the UEPS in conjunction with the Patents or to develop similar systems
that make use of the Patents. |
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2.4 | The Parties require the
agreement arrived at between them to be reduced to writing. |
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3. | DURATION This Agreement shall commence on the Signature Date and shall endure for the life of the Patents, unless terminated earlier as provided for hereunder. |
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4. | GRANT OF RIGHTS |
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4.1 | Net 1 hereby grants to NUEP
the exclusive right to market, negotiate and sell licences to Licensees
for the use of the Patents within the Territory. |
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4.2 | Net 1 hereby appoints NUEP
as its agent to grant licences on its behalf to Licensees and authorises
NUEP to execute and register such Licence Agreements on its behalf, provided
that in granting such licences on behalf of Net 1, NUEP shall not do so
in contravention of any obligations whatsoever in respect whereof Net
1 is bound in terms of any existing or pending Licence Agreements with
Licensees or any other entity. In this regard, NUEP acknowledges that
it is fully conversant with the terms and conditions of all existing Licence
Agreements for the use of the Patents which Net 1 has granted to Licensees,
and with the terms and conditions of all Licence Agreements that are pending
and are being finalised as per Appendix A. |
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4.3 | Net 1 hereby grants the right to NUEP to market and sell UEPS in the Territory provided that the said activities do not conflict with existing or pending license agreements. |
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4.4 | Net 1 hereby grants the
right to NUEP to sell the UEPS to a Licensee as part and parcel of a license
agreement or to allow the Licensee to develop a proprietary system that
uses the Patents. |
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4.5 | Net 1 shall upon the Signature
Date become a conduit for NUEP, thereby allowing NUEP to achieve an optimal
tax benefit in respect of its world-wide operations and NUEP shall be
liable for any expenses incurred by Net 1’s fiscal, commercial, operational
and administrative activities in this regard or any other costs incurred
while performing the said services and any other costs that may be approved
by NUEP from time to time. |
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5. | CONSIDERATION |
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5.1 | In consideration for the exclusive rights granted to NUEP in terms of Clause 4.1 Supra - |
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5.1.1 | NUEP has agreed to issue
from its Treasury an allotment of 2,364,806 common shares (prior split
or 4,729,612 after split) to Net 1 in accordance with the following stipulations:
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5.1.1.1 | the shares will be issued at a deemed
price of US$0.001 per share, being the par value thereof; |
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5.1.1.2 | the shares will be fully paid up and
non-assessable common shares. The Parties record that the shares referred
to in 5.1.1 Supra were issued to Net 1 on 27 November 1997
and were been kept in trust pending the finalisation of an exclusivity
agreement. |
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5.2 | In consideration for the
services to be rendered by NUEP to Net 1 in terms of Clause 4 Supra
- Net 1 shall pay to NUEP an amount equivalent to Net 1’s
annual after tax net profit as reflected in its annual financial statements
from time to time. Such amount shall be paid by Net 1 to NUEP annually
in arrear at the expiration of 120 (one hundred and twenty) days of its
financial year-end. |
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5.3 | NUEP shall at its own discretion
elect to use Net 1 as the recipient of any full or partial payments due
by a Licensee in terms of the license agreement granted to the Licensee
by NUEP as of the Signature Date or granted or committed to a Licensee
by Net 1 at a date prior to the Signature Date of this Agreement. |
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6. | MAINTENANCE OF THE
PATENTS |
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6.1 | NUEP shall during the life of this Agreement pay
all renewal fees and do all such acts and things that may be necessary
to maintain and keep registered the Patents and shall produce to Net 1
the receipt for renewing the Patents. |
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6.2 | NUEP shall not during the life of this Agreement,
save with the prior written consent of Net 1, abandon the Patents or allow
them to lapse. |
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6.3 | NUEP shall be obliged on an on-going basis to make
applications on behalf of Net 1 for new patents or patentable improvements
in order to ensure that the Net 1 technology remains the front runner
in its field. |
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7. | DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE
OF UEPS |
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7.1 | NUEP shall be obliged on an on-going basis to continue
with the development, maintenance and support of the UEPS and the development
of new software applications that use the Patents |
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7.2 | NUEP shall perform the duties outlined in 7.1 Supra,
alternatively NUEP may delegate or sub-contract its obligations as outlined
in 7.1 Supra to a third party with the prior written approval
of Net 1. |
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8. | PATENTS INFRINGEMENT |
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8.1 | Upon the occurrence of any infringement or suspected
or threatened infringement of the Patents, the Parties shall immediately
consult to decide what steps shall be taken to prevent or terminate such
infringement. |
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8.2 | NUEP shall take all steps as may be agreed by the
Parties pursuant to Clause 8.1 above including the institution of legal
proceedings where necessary. |
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8.3 | If NUEP fails to take such steps as may be considered
necessary or appropriate by Net 1, Net 1 shall have the right to take
those steps independently and NUEP shall give Net 1 all reasonable assistance
to facilitate any such proceedings by Net 1. Any costs or expense incurred
by Net 1 in this regard shall be borne by NUEP. |
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9. | ASSIGNABILITY |
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9.1 | Neither party shall cede any of its rights nor assign
any of its obligations without the prior written consent of the other.
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9.2 | NUEP may not delegate or sub-contract its obligations
under this Agreement without the prior written approval of Net 1. |
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10. | CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION |
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10.1 | Neither party shall at any time divulge
or disclose to any third party any information concerning the affairs
of the other which may be communicated to it or which otherwise comes
into its possession, unless such information becomes publicly available
through no fault of such party. |
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10.2 | Neither party shall use, exploit, divulge
or disclose to any third party any business systems or methods of the
other party of which it may gain knowledge while working with the other
party or in the course of the performance of its obligations in terms
of this Agreement, except with the prior written consent of the other
party. |
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10.3 | This clause is severable from the rest
of this Agreement and shall remain valid and binding on the Parties notwithstanding
any termination of this Agreement. |
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11. | WARRANTIES Net 1 declares and warrants unto and in favour of NUEP that - |
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11.1 | As at the Signature Date, Net 1 was
the sole patentee of the Patents and that the Patents were of full force
and effect. |
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12. | BREACH |
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12.1 | Should NUEP at any time cease trading
or operating, be placed under Judicial Management, be declared insolvent
or be placed under provisional or final liquidation, then and in such
event and without prejudice to whatever other claims Net 1 may have against
NUEP as a result of or arising out of such breach, including any claim
for damages, Net 1 shall have the right to cancel this Agreement and revert
to the licensing agreement that was in place prior to this Agreement.
All income streams current or future that were in place prior to such
breach shall however remain the property of NUEP. In such event, all contractual
agreements entered into with Licensees in terms of clause 5.3 Supra
shall be ceded to NUEP. |
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12.2 | Should either party commit a breach
of any of the provisions of this Agreement, all of which are material
and go to the root of this Agreement, and fail to remedy such breach within
a period of 10 (ten) days of the date of a written notice from the aggrieved
party calling upon the defaulting party to remedy such breach, then the
aggrieved party shall have the right in addition to such other rights
as are available to him/it in law or in terms of this Agreement to xxx
for specific performance of the terms of this Agreement, or to cancel
this Agreement subject to the aggrieved Party’s right to claim damages
arising from such breach. |
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13. | WHOLE AGREEMENT This Agreement constitutes the sole and exclusive record of the Agreement between the Parties relating to the subject matters thereof and no variation, modification, consensual cancellation, novation or waiver of any provisions thereof, or any consent to any departure therefrom by any party, shall be of any force and effect or create any estoppel unless the same shall be confirmed in writing, signed by or on behalf of that party and any other party affected thereby and in any event the same shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the specific purpose and to the extent for which made or given. |
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14. | DOMICILIA For all purposes under this Agreement or any amendment thereof, or with regard to any matter arising thereout or in connection therewith, the parties hereby choose their domicilia citandi et executandi at their respective addresses specified below provided that the parties shall be entitled to nominate a substitute address in the Republic of South Africa, as their domicilium citandi et executandi, by written notice to that effect given to the other party in accordance with paragraph 15 and with effect from 7 (seven) days after receipt of such notice: |
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14.1 | Net 1 at 4th Floor, West Wing, President
Place, Xxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx xx Xxxxx Xxxxxx; |
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14.2 | NUEP at 000 Xxxx Xxx Xxxx Xxxxxxxxx,
Xxxxx 0000, Xxxx Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, 00000, Xxxxxx Xxxxxx of America. |
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15. | NOTICES Any notice required to be given or permitted to be given by any party to the other in terms of this Agreement shall be in writing addressed in the name of the latter and shall be delivered to the addressee at the addressee’s domicilium citandi et executandi for the time being in terms of Clause 14 Supra. Alternatively, such notice may be sent by telefacsimile to the addressee at its undermentioned telefacsimile number, and such notice shall be deemed to have been duly delivered on the first business day following the date of sending thereof: NUEP - 1 888 796 2233 Net 1 - 0000 000-0000 |
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16. | LAW TO APPLY This Agreement shall in all respects be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England, and all disputes, actions and other matters in connection therewith shall be determined in accordance with such law. |
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17. | INDULGENCE No relaxation or indulgence granted by either Party to the other shall be deemed to be a waiver of that Party’s rights in terms hereof, nor shall any such relaxation or indulgence be deemed to be a novation or waiver of any of the terms and conditions of this Agreement. |
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18. | ARBITRATION |
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18.1 | Unless otherwise provided
for in this Agreement to the contrary, any dispute which arises in regard
to: |
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18.1.1 | the interpretation of; or |
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18.1.2 | the carrying into effect of; or |
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18.1.3 | any of the Party’s rights and obligations
arising from; or |
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18.1.4 | the rectification or proposed rectification
of this Agreement may, at the instance of either Party hereto, be referred
for determination by an expert, and in relation to that referral the provisions
of this Clause 18 shall apply. |
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18.2 | The expert shall: |
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18.2.1 | if the matter in issue is an accounting
matter, be an independent auditor agreed upon between the Parties or failing
agreement, appointed by the President for the time being of the English
Society of Chartered Accountants; |
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18.2.2 | if the matter is a legal matter, only,
be a Barrister of at least 10 (ten) years’ standing as such practising
as such at the London Bar, agreed upon between the Parties to the dispute
or failing Agreement, appointed by the Chairman for the time being of
the London Bar Council; |
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18.2.3 | if the matter in dispute is any other
matter, be an independent person agreed upon between the Parties to the
dispute or failing agreement, appointed by the Chairman for the time being
of the London Bar Council; |
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18.3 | The expert appointed or
nominated as aforesaid shall in all respects act as an. expert
and not as an arbitrator, and if the Parties are unable to agree on the
nature |
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of the matter in dispute, it shall be deemed to be
of a legal nature and subject to 18.2.2 Supra. |
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18.4 | The expert shall determine the manner in which the
proceedings are conducted and the procedure to be adopted and he shall
be entitled to require the Parties to the proceedings to make available
to each other and to the expert all information, documentation and records
that are necessary for the determination of the dispute submitted to him.
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18.5 | Any hearing by the expert shall be held in London
or such other place as the Parties may agree in writing. |
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18.6 | The Parties shall use their best endeavours to procure
that the decision of the expert shall be given within 21 (twenty-one)
days or so soon thereafter as possible after it has been demanded. |
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18.7 | The decision of the expert shall be final and binding
on all parties affected thereby and shall be carried into effect and may
be made an order of any competent Court at the instance of any of the
Parties. |
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18.8 | This clause constitutes an irrevocable consent by
the Parties to any proceedings in terms hereof and neither of the Parties
shall be entitled to withdraw therefrom or claim at any such proceedings
that it is not bound by the provisions of this clause. |
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18.9 | The expert shall determine the liability for his
costs which shall be paid in accordance with his determination. |
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18.10 | Notwithstanding the provisions of 18.8 Supra
either party may choose to launch proceedings by way of Court
action or application, save in regard to any matter already referred by
either Party in terms of this paragraph 18. |
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NET 1 U.E.P.S.
TECHNOLOGIES INC.
We have read the preceding representation letter items 1 through 20 and agree without exception and approve the financial statements to be issued subject to audit committee and board approval.
Yours truly,
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S.C.P. Belamant, President
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X. Xxxxxxx, Director
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Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx, North American representative
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Appendix A
Name/Country/ Area |
Exclusive FTS Licence |
Non Exclusive FTS Licence |
Exclusive UEPS Licence |
Non Exclusive UEPS Licence |
Non Exclusive UEPS Commercial Agreement |
Non Exclusive Manufacturing FTS Licence |
Non Exclusive Outsourcing Support Agreement |
Non Exclusive FTS Operating Licence |
Comments |
VISA |
• | Banking | |||||||
BGS | • | CIS republics |
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Gemplus | • | Smart Card only |
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Ghana |
• | • | • | ||||||
Chile | • | Not yet launched |
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Rwanda |
• | • | • | ||||||
Burundi |
• | • | • | ||||||
Latvia | • | • | • | Process of finalisation |
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Nedcor S.A.and Surrounding Territories |
• | • | Banking | ||||||
Nedcor Rest of World |
• | Option | |||||||
Australia | Process of finalisation |
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Aplitec S.A. and Surrounding Territories |
• | • | Includes Nedcor |
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Aplitec Rest of World |
• |