Arma Partners is pleased to announce that it has acted as exclusive financial advisor to Finastra on the sale of its Universal Banking division to Pollen Street Capital.

Universal Banking provides mission-critical core banking technology supporting account and deposit management, payments, lending, and treasury operations for retail, commercial, and corporate banks. The business serves more than 150 customers globally, including international and regional financial institutions, digital banks, Islamic banks, and building societies across over 100 countries. At the centre of the business is Essence, Universal Banking’s award-winning, next-generation, cloud-native and open banking platform. Essence enables financial institutions to modernise legacy infrastructure, accelerate innovation and improve operational efficiency.

Partnering with Pollen Street Capital will enable accelerated investment in product innovation, including Gen-AI and data capabilities, while further strengthening customer delivery and supporting customers on their modernisation journeys. The partnership will position Universal Banking to expand the capabilities its customers require to succeed in an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving market.

This transaction demonstrates Arma Partners’ position as a leading advisor to FinTech companies and exceptional track record of successfully orchestrating complex carve-out transactions.