GBG boosts data analysis, ANZ footprint with acquisition

GBG has acquired Sydney-based DataTools Pty Ltd, a provider of address validation and data quality analysis software in Australia and New Zealand, for AU$16 million (approximately US$10.5 million) as it attempts to accelerate growth in its digital identity and address verification businesses.

DataTools will be integrated into GBG Loqate, the location intelligence division of GBG.

The integration will strengthen Loqate’s capabilities with clear and accurate address verification to compliment GBG’s identity verification platform, which it says leads the market in the ANZ region. It will also help accelerate innovation in support of superior customer experiences, according to the announcement.

“DataTools has been a trusted GBG partner for many years,” says GBG Loqate CRO David Green. “We’re delighted to have secured this opportunity to bring them into the GBG family. By combining forces, we’re in a stronger position to grow our ANZ presence and help every business reach every customer in the world – through innovation, local insight and scale.”

GBG’s efforts in the region also include the recent addition of support for Australian mDLs through a partnership with Mattr.

Listing upgrade and preliminary 1H results

GBG joined the London Stock Exchange’s Main Market on Thursday, after being listed on the AIM (Alternative Investment Market) since 2010.

“Today marks an exciting milestone in GBG’s journey in the public markets as we transition to the Main Market and push forward to drive accelerated growth,” says Dev Dhiman GBG CEO. “It’s a recognition of how far we’ve come — from our roots as a UK data business to a global technology leader in digital identity and fraud prevention — and a reflection of the growth opportunities that lie ahead.”

GBG’s preliminary results for its fiscal first half, which ended on September 30, show improving momentum and underlying revenue growth of 4 percent, the company says. The picture on the surface is more clouded.

Revenue was 135.5 million pounds ($177.6 million) in the first half of fiscal 2026, compared to £136.9 million ($179.4 million) in 1H 2025, but actually increased by 1.8 percent on a constant currency basis, the company reports. The comparison is affected by an outsized contribution to GBG’s digital identity revenues from exceptional transaction volumes for a project with Santander’s UK consumer bank, as well as from the strategic retirement of the company’s legacy compliance platform.

The company’s top priority is a turn-around for its identity business in the Americas, and it reports early success in increasing subscription revenues.

All-in-one biometric identity platform GBG Go, launched in April, is also drawing significant interest in the Americas, according to the half-year trading update.

Article Topics

acquisitions  |  address verification  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  financial results  |  GBG  |  stocks