Earthport Regulatory News (EPO)

17 February 2016

Earthport plc

("Earthport", the "Company" or the "Group")

John B. McCoy, Former Chairman & CEO of Bank One Corporation, to Join the Board of Earthport

Earthport plc (AIM: EPO.L), the leading payment network for cross-border payments, is pleased to announce that John B. McCoy, the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bank One Corporation, has agreed to join Earthport's Board as a Non-executive Director.

John McCoy retired as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bank One Corporation in 1999, the fourth-largest bank in the United States at the time, where he had been CEO since 1984. In 2004, Bank One merged with JPMorgan Chase, creating the largest bank in the United States.

Mr McCoy is currently a Director of AT&T (NYSE:T), Onex Corporation (TSE: OCX), PGA Tour Policy Board and sits on the Advisory Boards of Second Curve Capital and FTV Capital. In addition, he is a former member of the board of trustees of Williams College and of Stanford University and past chairman of the board of trustees of Kenyon College. He is also a former member of the board of directors as well as former board chair of Battelle Memorial Institute. While at Bank One, he was a member of the US Federal Advisory Council and the Board of the Bankers Roundtable.

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Mr McCoy is a graduate of Williams College and Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He holds honorary Doctor of Law degrees from both Williams College and Kenyon College, as well as honorary Doctor of Business degrees from the Ohio State University and Michigan State University.

The appointment is subject to receipt of the standard regulatory approvals from the Financial Conduct Authority and HMRC.

Phil Hickman, Chairman of Earthport, commented: "I am delighted to welcome John McCoy as a member of our Board of Directors. John brings a wealth of experience to Earthport, as his outstanding career in banking, technology and private equity has helped numerous companies to grow and prosper. I am confident that John's strategic oversight will materially contribute to our success." 

Commenting on his appointment, John B. McCoy said: "Earthport's global payment network has the potential to transform the way in which cross-border payments are conducted across the globe, greatly improving efficiencies and reducing costs. I am therefore very pleased to be joining the Board of this exciting growth company."

Hank Uberoi, CEO of Earthport, commented: "We are extremely fortunate to have John McCoy as our newest Director. A seminal figure in banking, John boasts a distinguished career pioneering the integration of technology to banking and finance. John's experience leading financial institutions coupled with directorships in industry and private equity will make an important and positive impact on our firm and will further strengthen our Board's breadth of talent, experience and global reach."

John McCoy is interested in 550,000 ordinary shares in the Company representing 0.12 per cent. of the issued share capital of the Company.

There are no further disclosures to be made in accordance with Rule 17, Schedule Two paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies in respect of the appointment of Mr. John B. McCoy, who is aged 72.

For further information, please contact:

Earthport plc 020 7220 9700

Hank Uberoi, Chief Executive Officer

Simon Adamiyatt, Chief Financial Officer

Panmure Gordon (Nomad and Joint Broker) 020 7886 2500

Mark Taylor / Fred Walsh / Duncan Monteith

N+1 Singer (Joint Broker) 020 7496 3000

Shaun Dobson / James White

Shore Capital (Joint Broker) 020 7408 4090

Bidhi Bhoma / Toby Gibbs

Newgate Communications 020 7653 9848

Bob Huxford / Helena Bogle

About Earthport:

Earthport plc is a financial services organisation providing cross-border payments services to banks, e-commerce providers, money transfer companies and payment administrators. Earthport is headquartered in London with regional offices in New York, Miami, Dubai and Singapore.

One of the FinTech50 2015 - judged to be the game-changers transforming the future of finance - Earthport is also the winner of the Grant Thornton Quoted Company Awards 2015 Technology company of the year award and FStech/Retail Systems' B2B Payments Innovation of the Year (2014).

Earthport provides the industry with access to a global payment network through a single contract, a single technical integration, and a single service relationship. Worldwide, more than 50 banks are connected into Earthport's network for the efficient clearing of low value payments. Through a single relationship, clients benefit from sophisticated validation, message transformation and compliance services, efficiently serving their customers with more innovative payment products.

Earthport is listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) on the London Stock Exchange.

Earthport plc is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Service Regulations 2009 for the provision of payment services.

Find out more at www.earthport.com 

and on Twitter @Earthport, LinkedIn, Youtube, Slideshare and Google+.