Atlantic Synergy
Releases Financial Statements for Acies, Inc.
NEW YORK, New York, July 23, 2004 – Atlantic Synergy, Inc. (OTCBB:
ASGY) (“Company”) announced today that the Company has filed a
Form 8-K, which contains financial statements that reflect
Atlantic Synergy’s recent acquisition of Acies, Inc., formerly
GM Merchant Solutions, Inc.
On July 2, 2004, the Company acquired approximately 99.2%, and
subsequently thereto acquired the remaining 0.8%, of the issued
and outstanding common stock of Acies in exchange for 26,150,000
newly issued shares of the Company’s common stock pursuant to an
Exchange Agreement whereby Acies became a wholly-owned
subsidiary of the Company (the “Exchange”). As of the filing of
this press release there are 30,763,750 shares of the Company’s
common stock outstanding. Atlantic Synergy is a holding company
for Acies and implemented business combination accounting
treatment to record this transaction. The business operations
and financial information discussed herein are for Acies.
Unaudited Results of Operations for Acies
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2004
COMPARED TO THE THREE MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2003
Net revenues increased $571,723 (or 419%) to $708,227 for the
three months ended June 30, 2004, as compared to net revenues of
$136,504 for the three months ended June 30, 2003. The increase
in net revenues was due to an increase in product revenue,
service revenue from existing customers and Acies’ accelerating
acquisition of new merchant accounts.
Cost of revenues increased $510,031 (or 564%) to $600,384 for
the three months ended June 30, 2004, as compared to cost of
revenues of $90,353 for the three months ended June 30, 2003.
The increase in cost of revenues was attributed to an increase
in product costs that resulted from an increase in product
sales, and an increase in merchant processing costs that
resulted in an increase in existing and new merchant processing
revenue.
Gross margin increased $61,692 (or 134%) to $107,843 for the
three months ended June 30, 2004, as compared to gross margin of
$46,151 for the three months ended June 30, 2003. The increase
in gross margin is directly attributable to the increase in net
revenues that was offset by the increase in costs of revenue.
General, administrative and selling (“G&A”) expense increased
$263,185 (or 680%) to $301,889 for the three months ended June
30, 2004, as compared to G&A expense of $38,704 for the three
months ended June 30, 2003. The increase in G&A expense was
primarily attributable to $200,000 of financial advisory
services incurred in connection with the Exchange.
We incurred a cost of $23,000 to settle a lawsuit for the three
months ended June 30, 2004. We did not incur such an expense
during the three months ended June 30, 2003.
We had a net loss of $217,024 for the three months ended June
30, 2004, as compared to net income of $7,447 for the three
months ended June 30, 2003. The increase in net loss is directly
attributable to G&A expense.
Audited Results of Operations for Acies
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED MARCH 31, 2004
COMPARED TO THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED MARCH 31, 2003
Net revenues increased $1,251,134 (6,608%) to $1,270,067 for the
fiscal year ended March 31, 2004, as compared to net revenues of
$18,933 for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003. The increase
in net revenues was due to an increase in product revenue,
service revenue from existing customers and the Acies’
accelerating acquisition of new merchant accounts.
Cost of revenues increased $937,404 (or 2,504%) to $974,837 for
the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004, as compared to cost of
revenues of $37,433 for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003.
The increase in cost of revenues was attributed to an increase
in product costs that resulted from an increase in product
sales, and an increase in merchant processing costs that
resulted in an increase in existing and new merchant processing
revenue.
Gross margin increased $313,730 (or 1,696%) to $295,230 for the
fiscal year ended March 31, 2004, as compared to a negative
gross margin of $18,500 for the fiscal year ended March 31,
2003. The increase in gross margin is directly attributable to
the increase in net revenues that was offset by the increase in
costs of revenue.
G&A expense increased $249,317 (or 502%) to $298,980 for the
fiscal year ended March 31, 2004, as compared to G&A expense of
$49,663 for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003. The increase
in G&A expense was primarily attributable to costs associated
with accelerating sales growth.
We had a net loss of $3,750 for the fiscal year ended March 31,
2004, as compared to a net loss of $68,163 for the fiscal year
ended March 31, 2003. The decrease in net loss was directly
attributable to accelerating gross margins achieved through
pricing power and operating efficiencies.
Oleg Firer, Acies’ President and Chief Executive Officer said,
“Acies’ reported results demonstrate its commitment to continue
leveraging its operating efficiencies to increase operating
margins; accelerating revenue and earnings growth. Acies’ next
generation payment processing solutions coupled with pricing
power to deliver these solutions to customers is a competitive
advantage that, to date, has enabled Acies to organically grow
its customer base and take market share away from Acies’
competitors.”
According to the Nilson Report (the “Report”), purchase
transaction on credit cards totaled $17.54 billion in 2002, up
4.5% over 2001. These transactions are projected to reach 22.26
billion by 2007. According to the 2003/2004 Study of Consumer
Payment Preferences conducted by the American Bankers
Association and Dove Consulting, a Boston-based strategy
consulting firm (the “Study”), consumers report that electronic
payment methods account for 54% of their purchases in stores,
surpassing cash and check usage. The Study found that cash and
checks account for 47% of consumers' in-store purchases, which
confirms a continuing migration from paper to electronic
payments.
“Research data overwhelmingly suggests that the world is rapidly
moving to a cashless, electronic payment dependent Global
economic environment,” said Michael Beygelman, Chairman of
Acies. Mr. Beygelman continued, “This Global shift towards
electronic payment squarely positions Acies to become a fast
growth company as the total number and the total dollar amount
of electronic transactions is increasing annually.”
The Company’s Form 8-K can be viewed at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml
About Acies, Inc.
Acies, Inc. ("Acies") is headquartered on Wall Street in the
heart of New York City’s Financial District, and is a registered
Member Service Provider of JP Morgan Chase Bank. Acies’
considers itself to be a next generation payment processor and
one of the fastest growing innovative providers of payment
processing solutions for retail, restaurants, direct marketing,
Quick Service Restaurants (QSR), hospitality, supermarket,
petroleum, financial services and healthcare industries. Acies
provides its merchants and Independent Sales Organizations
("ISO") with fast and reliable merchant processing, complex
point of sale systems and superior customer support. In
addition, Acies' Powerhouse Alliance -- the extranet of Acies'
strategic and exclusive distribution partners -- combines a wide
array of payment processing solutions including: point-of-sale
terminal products; Radio Frequency (RF) contact-less payment
solutions; signature capture; processing for credit, debit,
stored-vale, gift cards, and gas cards; Electronic Benefits
Transfer (EBT) transactions; Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC);
Business to Business (B2B), recurring payments, Electronic Check
Acceptance (ECA) service, and one-stop e-commerce solutions.
Acies’ point-of-sale and back-office products and services are
specifically designed to help clients expand revenue while
reducing costs. The products and services provide advanced,
industry-specific solutions distinguished by speed, security,
ease of use and proven reliability. At the core, Acies' products
and services are designed to enable small, medium and
large-scale enterprises to expand their revenue stream
opportunities while reducing operating costs. For more
information visit http://www.aciesinc.com/.
Forward-looking Statements
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995: This press release contains or may contain
forward-looking statements such as statements regarding the
Company's growth and profitability, growth strategy, liquidity
and access to public markets, operating expense reduction, and
trends in the industry in which the Company operates. The
forward-looking statements contained in this press release are
also subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those
more fully described in the Company's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no
obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect
actual results, changes in risks, uncertainties or assumptions
underlying or affecting such statements, or for prospective
events that may have a retroactive effect.
CONTACT:
Oleg Firer; President and Chief Executive Officer
Tel: 800-361-5540 ext 100
Fax: 212-504-0866
oleg@aciesinc.com