- Aptitude Software Group
- 08 April 2026 09:17:53
Source: Sharecast
The London-listed finance software provider said annual recurring revenue as at 31 December edged down 1% to £49.8m, as growth in its AI Autonomous Finance segment, up 7% to £17.9m, was offset by expected declines in legacy products.
Total revenue fell 7% to £65.0m, reflecting a 29% drop in non-recurring revenue, while recurring revenue was broadly stable at £54.0m and increased to 83% of total revenue from 78%.
Adjusted operating profit rose slightly to £10m, with margin improving to 15% from 14%, supported by cost discipline and a more favourable revenue mix.
Statutory operating profit declined 15% to £4.8m, while basic earnings per share fell to 7.3p from 8.8p.
The group maintained a strong balance sheet, ending the year with £29.6m in cash and £21.2m in net funds, and returned £5.1m to shareholders through buybacks, while holding its full-year dividend at 5.4p per share.
Operationally, Aptitude highlighted strong momentum in its Fynapse platform, with annual recurring revenue from the product growing around 70% year-on-year and pipeline value increasing approximately 65%, with later-stage opportunities improving visibility into 2026.
The company said 84% of its pipeline was now Fynapse-related, supported by growing partner engagement and faster implementation timelines.
Two new Fynapse contracts were secured in the first quarter of 2026.
Alongside its results, the group announced the launch of a strategic review, including a formal sale process under the Takeover Code, as it looked to accelerate growth and maximise shareholder value.
The review would consider options including raising new equity, bringing in a strategic partner, disposing of non-core assets, or a full sale of the company.
Aptitude said it had held preliminary discussions with a small number of parties, although no offers had been received.
The company said the review reflected the need for additional investment to scale its Fynapse platform and capture emerging demand for AI-enabled finance systems, as enterprises increasingly adopt modular ‘Finance ERP’ architectures.
As part of the process, Aptitude has suspended its share buyback programme and extended the tenure of non-executive chairman Ivan Martin until the review concludes.
Raymond James had been appointed as financial adviser.
Separately, Aptitude announced two new Fynapse customer wins in telecommunications and financial services, with a combined contract value of £1m contributing to recurring revenue.
The platform was selected by a UK telecommunications provider with more than £1bn in revenue and over 5.5 million customers, as well as a global insurance brokerage with more than $5bn in revenue, to modernise finance operations and improve automation, control and reporting.
“We have made strong progress over the past year, refining our positioning, strengthening our go-to-market approach and building momentum behind Fynapse,” said chief executive Alex Curran.
“The response we are seeing from customers and partners reinforces our view that the market is moving toward a new model of finance, and that Fynapse is well positioned within it.
“As AI accelerates adoption of next-generation finance platforms, we see a clear Finance ERP opportunity emerging, where solutions like Fynapse provide the real-time, finance-grade data, control and orchestration to enable successful AI implementations.
“As we look ahead, our focus is on scaling this opportunity.
“The strategic review we have initiated is an important step in determining the best way to accelerate our progress and support the next phase of growth.”
Commenting on the contract wins, he added: "We are pleased to announce these contract wins across telecommunications and financial services, reflecting the cross-sector demand for modern finance platforms built on real-time, trusted data.
“Organisations are looking to reduce manual processes, improve control and ensure they have the structured, finance-grade data and governed processes in place to capitalise on the rapid advances in AI.
“Built for speed, governance and AI, and with over 30 years of finance expertise embedded, Fynapse is strongly positioned to capture this growing market.
“These wins support our continued progress and confidence in the growth opportunity ahead.”
At 0857 BST, shares in Aptitude Software Group were up 5.02% at 230p.
Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
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