Dedagroup acquires Microdata Group

Trento, December 11, 2023| Dedagroup — the aggregating hub of leading Italian firms in the Software and Solutions as a Service market, and a natural reference of businesses, financial and public service institutions in the development of their IT and digital strategies — announces a new M&A transaction. 

Through its subsidiary Dedagroup Business Solutions, Dedagroup has acquired 70% of Microdata Group, which for over 30 years has been contributing to increasing efficiency and innovation in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, with advanced services and solutions for managing front- and back-office activities. In detail, Microdata harnesses the potential of Artificial Intelligence to help its corporate clients automate business management and document archiving (from generation to sharing and internal and external consultation of documents). Its proprietary platforms also allow to improve the user experience. Combining its specific focus on redefining processes and the expertise of its professionals, the company works side-by-side with major banking and insurance groups, financial intermediaries and businesses in particularly important sectors such as healthcare, utilities and mass-market retail, assisting them with the digital transformation. 

Through the acquisition of Microdata — its 13th transaction since 2020 —, Dedagroup aims to further strengthen the increasingly integrated and comprehensive offering of its Finance & Data Hub, a center of excellence combining the competencies and solutions of the Group’s companies that operate in the Banking & Finance, Data and AI fields to support banks, insurance companies and large corporates in the redefinition of their processes and business models, accelerated by technological innovation and digitalization. As an integrated approach including industry expertise and specialization in the field of AI and data use and governance is increasingly strategic in this area, in 2022 27% of the over €317 million of Dedagroup's total revenues was generated by the Finance & Data Hub. Together with Microdata, the Group will thus enhance its solutions, particularly with regard to intelligence document processing and supporting services, according to a new data-centric vision. 

“The synergy with Microdata was immediate, as we share its founders’ vision, the company’s history and its type of products and services. Its inclusion in our Group is therefore a consistent step in the development path we started some time ago, in which aggregating leading Italian firms is seen as a fundamental asset for our growth. We are constantly looking for additional elements that, through synergy and cooperation between the various Group companies, enable us to exponentially increase the value of the solutions that we bring to the market. It is a search in which the whole is always more than the sum of its parts. Over the years, Microdata has succeeded in leaving its mark on the development of business process outsourcing for sectors in which data and information management is crucial. Building on our deep expertise and existing AI-based solutions, and integrating and combining them with its range, we will thus be able to reach new levels of innovation and value in the services that we offer our clients,” stated Marco Podini, Dedagroup’s Executive Chairman.  

“For us, joining Dedagroup is a source of pride and a powerful motivation, in keeping with our drive for development. One of the reasons that we have been able to grow and create value for our clients and employees in recent years was our ability to evolve through a structured approach based on open innovation. Over time, we have also invested in a start-up ecosystem, in the conviction that not only integration but also, and above all, constant openness to new methodologies and development models would allow us to continue to innovate our range of products and services to respond to and anticipate the market’s needs effectively. The same approach was also taken to developing expertise in an economic context that increasingly requires professionalism and specialization. Today, we are being called upon to bring to a great Group the value of our Human + Machine concept: automation processes and artificial intelligence managed and governed by people. We are sure that this will help create a synergistic effect and give a new impetus and enthusiasm to the determination with which we will continue to manage Microdata,” commented Carolina Cortellini and Alfredo Lupi, Founders and Directors of Microdata Group. 

Driven by increasingly widespread needs for heightened operational efficiency, lower costs and improved competitiveness, according to Straits Research the global business process outsourcing market will grow at a CAGR of 8.5% in the 2022-2030 period. This confirms that for all companies — first and foremost in the Banking & Insurance industry — this driver of change is a key differentiator.  

Studio Scozzi supported Dedagroup as advisor. Studio Valli e Mancuso & Associati handled the legal aspects of the transaction.