Pollen Street Capital snaps up Finastra’s core banking unit

Universal Banking serves financial institutions by managing accounts, deposits, payments, lending, and treasury operations. The business will continue to function as an independent entity, retaining its existing leadership team to ensure continuity for its clients. This divestiture follows Finastra’s previous sale of its Treasury and Capital Markets division to Apax Partners last year, a move designed to repay debt and accelerate dividends.

Finastra, headquartered in London, traces its origins to 2017 when Vista Equity Partners merged Canadian firm D+H Corp with its existing banking software business, Misys, in a 4.8 billion Canadian dollar deal. For Pollen Street, the acquisition aligns with a broader strategy of targeting specialist financial services and technology firms. The deal underscores a growing trend among private equity investors looking to capitalize on the relatively lower valuations currently found within the UK market.