An Irish mortgage and life insurance solutions fintech led by home loans expert Karl Deeter has been acquired by London-listed Software Circle in a deal worth as much as €9 million.
The deal has involved an initial €5 million being spent for 95 per cent of Dublin-based Artificial Intelligence Finance (AIF), some €670,000 of which will be paid in a year’s time.
As much as €4 million will be payable in future for the remaining 5 per cent, subject to certain performance targets being achieved in 2026 and 2027, Software Circle said in a statement on Tuesday.
AIF is better known under its trading name, OnlineApplication (AO), which is linked up to 60 mortgage brokers and five lenders as well as 200 life insurance intermediaries and two life companies.
The technology of OnlineApplication allows prospective homebuyers or loan switchers submit applications over their phones to a broker and then brokers can file these directly into the bank lending systems digitally.
[ Karl Deeter-led OnlineApplication buys insurance tech firm Money AdviceOpens in new window ]
Early last year, AIF acquired insurance technology business Money Advice for an undisclosed sum. That firm, which was rebranded as AO Life and CRM, provides a full suite of client management, marketing, quotes, advisory and compliance tools.
Mr Deeter, who owned close to half of AIF before the acquisition, will continue to lead the company following the transaction. Other shareholders included state agency Enterprise Ireland, Hostelworld co-founder Tom Kennedy and Patrick Joy, founder of storage equipment specialist Suretank.
Mr Deeter said Software Circle’s track record as a long-term software operator made it the right partner to take AIF to the next stage.
“This is about helping brokers become the number one delivery channel for digital financial services in Ireland,” he said. “It’s a vote of confidence in our team, our customers, and our vision.”
Accounts for 2023 show AIF generated €2.2 million in revenue. However, Software Circle said the valuation reflects expected annual earnings before interest and tax (Ebit), with the acquisition anticipated to be earnings-enhancing and cash-generative in its first year.
AIF was advised by Hugh O’Neill of accountancy firm Hogan and Associates. Software Circle was advised by UK-based Allenby Capital.
The Irish mortgage market is expected to grow to €14 billion this year from €12.6 billion in 2024, according to PTSB. It is seen expanding further to €15.2 billion next year, according to the bank.
Mortgage brokers account for close to half of all home loans written in the State.
Irish home prices are expected to rise by a further 5 per cent over the next 12 months, amid ongoing supply shortages, according to a recent survey of estate agent members of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI).
However, 60 per cent of those polled see prices levelling off soon, with a further 18 per cent saying that they have already peaked – after a dozen years of continuous growth.
The Government, formed in January with a strong mandate to tackle the State’s housing crisis, is widely expected to fall well short of its target for 41,000 homes to be completed this year as it eyes 300,000 new homes by 2030.
The Central Bank of Ireland said last month that it was “surprised” by the lack of progress and that it now estimates only 32,500 units will be delivered in 2025. Some 30,330 homes were built in 2024.