Optimal Payments first-half profit soars 78 pct

Sept. 10 (Reuters) - Online money transfer company OptimalPayments Plc's first-half pretax profit rose 78percent, driven by robust sales at its high-margin Netellere-wallet business.

The company, which moves billions of dollars per year inover 200 countries and territories with over 100 types ofpayment and multi-currency options, said pretax profit rose to$27.5 million for the six months ended June 30, from $15.5million a year earlier.

Optimal now expects its full-year results to beat its ownexpectations.

Revenue rose 34 percent to $159.1 million. (Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain and Abhiram Nandakumar inBangalore; Editing by Sunil Nair)