The Lewis Silkin French Desk has advised its long term client Sopra Steria on its acquisition, through its subsidiary Sopra Banking Software, of lending solutions software provider Sword Apak, a subsidiary of Sword Group.

Sword Apak currently has more than one hundred clients, including major international banking groups and carmakers’ captive finance companies. Its flagship offering, Wholesale Finance System (WFS), is a vehicle fleet and inventory financing solution for car dealers. This acquisition gives Sopra Banking Software an unrivalled position in the asset finance software market and complements its offering (loan financing and fleet or personal leasing) with inventory financing solutions for car dealers and other distribution networks. It also further consolidates its strong position with major groups that are already clients of the two companies and provides a global, integrated, end-to-end solution covering all the sector’s financing needs.

The cross departmental Lewis Silkin team was led by corporate tax partner Matthew Rowbotham, IT Consultant David Deakins, employment partner Richard Moore and associates Gavin McNaughton and Jack Baldwin (corporate), Mark Hersey and JJ Shaw(commercial/data protection/technology), Sarah Mogford and Tom Merrick (real estate) and Tom McEvoy (employment).

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