LESAKA TECHNOLOGIES INC - Quarter Report: 2011 December (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

[X] QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended December 31, 2011

OR

[ ] TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from To

Commission file number: 000-31203

NET 1 UEPS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

President Place, 4^th Floor, Cnr. Jan Smuts Avenue and Bolton Road
Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 27-11-343-2000

Not Applicable
(Former Name, Former Address and Former Fiscal Year, if Changed Since Last Report)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
YES [X] NO [ ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). YES [X] NO [ ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (check one):

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
YES [ ] NO [X ]

As of February 7, 2012 (the latest practicable date), 45,002,304 shares of the registrant’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share, net of treasury shares, were outstanding.

Form 10-Q

NET 1 UEPS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Table of Contents

1

Part I. Financial Information

Item 1. Financial Statements

See Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

2

See Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

3

See Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

4

Certain amounts for the three and six months ended December 31, 2010, have been reclassified to reflect the appropriate attribution of net income and other movements between Net1 and its non-controlling interest.

See Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

5

See Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

6

1.   Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

     Unaudited Interim Financial Information

     The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include all majority-owned subsidiaries over which the Company exercises control and have been prepared in accordance with US generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission for quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and include all of the information and disclosures required for interim financial reporting. The results of operations for the three and six months ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, are not necessarily indicative of the results for the full year. The Company believes that the disclosures are adequate to make the information presented not misleading.

     These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements, accounting policies and financial notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011. In addition, please refer to note 1 to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2011, for a summary of accounting policies relating to the Company’s recently acquired life insurance business. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments), which are necessary for a fair representation of financial results for the interim periods presented.

     References to the “Company” refer to Net1 and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context otherwise requires. References to Net1 are references solely to Net 1 UEPS Technologies, Inc.

     Recent accounting pronouncements adopted

     No new accounting pronouncements were adopted by the Company during the three months ended December 31, 2011.

     Recent accounting pronouncements not yet adopted as of December 31, 2011

     In June 2011, the FASB issued guidance regarding the presentation of comprehensive income. The guidance improves the comparability, consistency, and transparency of financial reporting and increases the prominence of items reported in other comprehensive income. The amendments to the guidance requires entities to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. Entities are no longer permitted to present components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in equity. Any adjustments for items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income to net income are to be presented on the face of the entities' financial statement regardless of the method of presentation for comprehensive income. The amendments do not change items to be reported in comprehensive income or when an item of other comprehensive income must be reclassified to net income, nor do the amendments change the option to present the components of other comprehensive income either net of related tax effects or before related tax effects. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning on or after December 15, 2011. The Company currently presents its comprehensive income in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income and therefore the adoption of this guidance will not impact its presentation of comprehensive income.

     In September 2011, the FASB issued guidance regarding Testing Goodwill for Impairment. The guidance allows an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform the two-step quantitative goodwill impairment test. Under this guidance, an entity would not be required to calculate the fair value of a reporting unit unless the entity determines, based on a qualitative assessment, that it is more likely than not that its fair value is less than its carrying amount. The guidance includes a number of events and circumstances for an entity to consider in conducting the qualitative assessment. The guidance is effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on its goodwill impairment testing process.

7

2.   Acquisitions

     KSNET

     During the three months ended December 31, 2011, the Company received $4.9 million, in cash, in final settlement of any and all claims and contractual adjustments between the Company and the former shareholders of KSNET. This amount has been applied against the goodwill recognized on the acquisition of KSNET and has reduced the goodwill balance. As required by the Company’s Korean debt agreement, the Company will use the settlement proceeds to prepay a portion of its outstanding debt thereunder. The prepayment was made on January 30, 2012, and accordingly, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2011, includes $4.8 million, translated at foreign exchange rates applicable as of December 31, 2011, that are considered restricted funds. The KSNET purchase price allocation is described in note 3 to the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2011.

     Acquisition of prepaid airtime and electricity business

     On October 3, 2011, the Company acquired the South African prepaid airtime and electricity businesses of Eason & Son, Ltd (“Eason”), an Irish private limited company, for approximately $4.5 million in cash. The principal assets acquired comprise prepaid airtime and electricity businesses customer list, accounts receivable books, inventory and a perpetual license to utilize Eason’s internally developed transaction-based system software (“EBOS”).

     The business has been integrated with EasyPay and allocated to the Company’s South African transaction-based activities operating segment. The Company believes that the acquisition will enable it to expand its prepaid customer base and over time integrate all of its prepaid offerings onto the EBOS system.

     The preliminary purchase price allocation, translated at the foreign exchange rates applicable on the date of acquisition, is provided in the table below:

     The preliminary purchase price allocation is based on management estimates as of December 31, 2011, and may be adjusted up to one year following the closing of the acquisition. The purchase price allocation has not been finalized, as management has not yet analyzed in detail the assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The Company expects to finalize the purchase price allocation on or before June 30, 2012.

     Pro forma results of operations have not been presented because the effect of the acquisition, individually and in the aggregate with other acquisitions during fiscal 2012, was not material. During the three and six months ended December 31, 2011, the Company did not incur any acquisition-related expenditure. Since the closing of the acquisition, the acquisition has contributed revenue of $5.3 million and a net loss of $0.3 million.

     SmartLife

     On July 1, 2011, the Company acquired SmartLife (formerly known as Saambou Life Assurers Limited), a South African long-term insurance company, for ZAR 13 million (approximately $1.8 million) in cash. Prior to its acquisition by the Company, SmartLife had been administered as a ring-fenced life-insurance license by a large South African insurance company, had not written any new insurance business for a number of years and had reinsured all of its risk exposure under its life insurance products. SmartLife has been allocated to the Company’s financial services operating segment.

     The acquisition of SmartLife provides the Company with an opportunity to offer relevant insurance products directly to its existing customer and employee base in South Africa. The Company intends to offer this customer base a full spectrum of products applicable to this market segment, including credit life, group life, funeral and education insurance policies.

8

2.   Acquisitions (continued)

     SmartLife (continued)

     The preliminary purchase price allocation, translated at the foreign exchange rates applicable on the date of acquisition, is provided in the table below:

     The preliminary purchase price allocation is based on management estimates as of December 31, 2011, and may be adjusted up to one year following the closing of the acquisition. The purchase price allocation has not been finalized, as management has not yet analyzed in detail the assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The Company expects to finalize the purchase price allocation on or before June 30, 2012.

     Pro forma results of operations have not been presented because the effect of the SmartLife acquisition, individually and in the aggregate with other acquisitions during fiscal 2012, was not material. During the three and six months ended December 31, 2011, the Company did not incur any acquisition-related expenditure. Since the closing of the acquisition, SmartLife has contributed revenue of $0.3 million and net loss of $0.3 million.

     In November 2011, the Company sold 10% of SmartLife to a strategic partner for $0.1 million and recognized a loss on sale of $0.07 million.

3.   Pre-funded social welfare grants receivable

     Pre-funded social welfare grants receivable represents amounts pre-funded by the Company to certain merchants participating in the merchant acquiring system. The January 2012 payment service commenced during the last four days of December 2011 and was offered at merchant locations only.

4.   Inventory

     The Company’s inventory comprised the following categories as of December 31, 2011 and June 30, 2011.

5.   Settlement assets and settlement obligations

     Settlement assets comprise (1) cash received from the South African government that the Company holds pending disbursement to beneficiaries of social welfare grants, (2) cash received from health care plans which the Company disburses to health care service providers once it adjudicates claims and (3) cash received from customers on whose behalf the Company processes payroll payments that the Company will disburse to customer employees, payroll-related payees and other payees designated by the customer.

     Settlement obligations comprise (1) amounts that the Company is obligated to disburse to beneficiaries of social welfare grants, (2) amounts which are due to health care service providers after claims have been adjudicated and reconciled, provided that the Company shall have previously received such funds from health care plan customers and (3) amounts that the Company is obligated to pay to customer employees, payroll-related payees and other payees designated by the customer.

9

6.   Fair value of financial instruments and equity-accounted investments

     Fair value of financial instruments

          Risk management

     The Company seeks to reduce its exposure to currencies other than the South African rand through a policy of matching, to the extent possible, assets and liabilities denominated in those currencies. In addition, the Company uses financial instruments in order to economically hedge its exposure to exchange rate and interest rate fluctuations arising from its operations. The Company is also exposed to equity price and liquidity risks as well as credit risks.

          Currency exchange risk

     The Company is subject to currency exchange risk because it purchases inventories that it is required to settle in other currencies, primarily the euro and US dollar. The Company uses foreign exchange forward contracts in order to limit its exposure in these transactions to fluctuations in exchange rates between the South African rand, on the one hand, and the US dollar and the euro, on the other hand.

     The Company’s outstanding foreign exchange contracts are as follows:

     As of December 31, 2011

     As of June 30, 2011

     None.

               Translation risk

     Translation risk relates to the risk that the Company’s results of operations will vary significantly as the US dollar is its reporting currency, but it earns most of its revenues and incurs most of its expenses in ZAR. The US dollar to ZAR exchange rate has fluctuated significantly over the past two years. As exchange rates are outside the Company’s control, there can be no assurance that future fluctuations will not adversely affect the Company’s results of operations and financial condition.

               Interest rate risk

     As a result of its normal borrowing and leasing activities, the Company’s operating results are exposed to fluctuations in interest rates, which it manages primarily through regular financing activities. The Company generally maintains limited investment in cash equivalents and has occasionally invested in marketable securities. The Company, through its recently acquired insurance business, maintains investments in fixed maturity investments which are exposed to fluctuations in interest rates.

               Credit risk

     Credit risk relates to the risk of loss that the Company would incur as a result of non-performance by counterparties. The Company maintains credit risk policies with regard to its counterparties to minimize overall credit risk. These policies include an evaluation of a potential counterparty’s financial condition, credit rating, and other credit criteria and risk mitigation tools as the Company’s management deems appropriate.

     With respect to credit risk on financial instruments, the Company maintains a policy of entering into such transactions only with South African and European financial institutions that have a credit rating of BBB or better, as determined by credit rating agencies such as Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch Ratings.

10

6.   Fair value of financial instruments and equity-accounted investments (continued)

     Fair value of financial instruments (continued)

          Risk management (continued)

               Equity price and liquidity risk

     Equity price risk relates to the risk of loss that the Company would incur as a result of the volatility in the exchange-traded price of equity securities that it holds and the risk that it may not be able to liquidate these securities. Liquidity risk relates to the risk of loss that the Company would incur as a result of the lack of liquidity on the exchange on which these securities are listed. The Company may not be able to sell some or all of these securities at one time, or over an extended period of time without influencing the exchange-traded price, or at all.

     Financial instruments

     The following section describes the valuation methodologies the Company uses to measure its significant financial assets and liabilities at fair value.

     In general, and where applicable, the Company uses quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities to determine fair value. This pricing methodology applies to Level 1 investments. If quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities are not available to determine fair value, then the Company uses quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities or inputs other than the quoted prices that are observable either directly or indirectly. These investments are included in Level 2 investments. In circumstances in which inputs are generally unobservable, values typically reflect management’s estimates of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. The fair values are therefore determined using model-based techniques that include option pricing models, discounted cash flow models, and similar techniques. Investments valued using such techniques are included in Level 3 investments.

     Asset measured at fair value using significant unobservable inputs – investment in Finbond Group Limited (“Finbond”)

     The Company's Level 3 asset represents an investment of 84,632,525 shares of common stock of Finbond. The Company’s ownership interest in Finbond as of December 31, 2011, is approximately 22%. The Company has no rights to participate in the financial, operating, or governance decisions made by Finbond. The Company also has no participation on Finbond’s board of directors whether through contractual agreement or otherwise. Consequently, the Company has concluded that it does not have significant influence over Finbond and therefore equity accounting is not appropriate.

     Finbond’s shares are traded on the JSE Limited (“JSE”) and the Company has designated such shares as available for sale investments. The Company has concluded that the market for Finbond shares is not active and consequently has employed alternative valuation techniques in order to determine the fair value of such stock. Currently, the operations of Finbond include property investment and microlending. In determining the fair value of Finbond, the Company has considered amongst other things Finbond’s historical financial information (including its most recent public accounts), press releases issued by Finbond and its published net asset value. The Company believes that the best indicator of fair value of Finbond is its published net asset value and has used this value to determine the fair value.

     The following table presents the Company’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2011 according to the fair value hierarchy:

11

6.   Fair value of financial instruments and equity-accounted investments (continued)

     Financial instruments (continued)

     The following table presents the Company’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of June 30, 2011 according to the fair value hierarchy:

     Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis

     The Company measures its equity-accounted investments at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. The Company has no liabilities that are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. These equity-accounted investments are recognized at fair value when they are deemed to be other-than-temporarily impaired.

     The Company reviews the carrying values of its investments when events and circumstances warrant and considers all available evidence in evaluating when declines in fair value are other-than-temporary. The fair values of the Company’s investments are determined using the best information available, and may include quoted market prices, market comparables, and discounted cash flow projections. An impairment charge is recorded when the cost of the investment exceeds its fair value and the excess is determined to be other-than-temporary. The Company has not recorded any impairment charges during the reporting periods presented herein.

     During the three and six months ended December 31, 2011, SmartSwitch Namibia repaid outstanding loans, including outstanding interest. The repayments received have been allocated to the equity-accounted investments presented in the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2011, and reduced this balance. The cash inflow from principal repayments have been allocated to cash flows from investing activities and the cash inflow from the interest repayments have been included in cash flow from operating activities in the Company’s condensed consolidated statement of cash flows for the three and six months ended December 31, 2011.

     The Company has sold hardware, software and/or licenses to SmartSwitch Namibia and SmartSwitch Botswana and defers recognition of 50% of the net income after tax related to these sales until the purchaser has used the purchased asset or has sold it to a third party. The deferral of the net income after tax is shown in the Elimination column in the table below.

     The functional currency of the Company’s equity-accounted investments is not the US dollar and thus the investments are restated at the period end US dollar/foreign currency exchange rate with an entry against accumulated other comprehensive loss. The functional currency of SmartSwitch Namibia is the Namibian dollar, the functional currency of SmartSwitch Botswana is the Botswana pula and the functional currency of VTU Colombia is the Colombian peso.

12

6.   Fair value of financial instruments and equity-accounted investments (continued)

     Financial instruments (continued)

          Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis (continued)

     Summarized below is the Company’s interest in equity-accounted investments as of June 30, 2011 and December 31, 2011:

     (1) – includes the recognition of realized net income.
     (2) – the foreign currency adjustment represents the effects of the combined net currency fluctuations between the functional currency of the equity-accounted investments and the US dollar.

     Summarized below is the Company’s equity-accounted (loss) earnings for the three months ended December 31, 2011:

     There were no significant sales to these investees that require elimination during the three and six months ended December 31, 2011 and 2010.

7.   Goodwill and intangible assets Goodwill

     Summarized below is the movement in the carrying value of goodwill for the three months ended December 31, 2011.

     (1) – the foreign currency adjustment represents the effects of the fluctuations between the ZAR against the US dollar and the KRW against the US dollar.

13

7.   Goodwill and intangible assets (continued)

     Goodwill (continued)

     Goodwill has been allocated to the Company’s reportable segments as follows:

     Intangible assets

          Carrying value and amortization of intangible assets

     Summarized below is the carrying value and accumulated amortization of the intangible assets as of December 31, 2011 and June 30, 2011:

     (1) Includes the customer relationships and software and unpatented technology acquired as part of the Eason acquisition in October 2011.

     Aggregate amortization expense on the finite-lived intangible assets for the three and six months ended December 31, 2011, was approximately $4.9 million and $9.6 million, respectively (three and six months ended December 31, 2010, was approximately $6.1 million and $10.3 million, respectively).

     Future estimated annual amortization expense for the next five fiscal years, assuming exchange rates prevailing on December 31, 2011, is presented in the table below. Actual amortization expense in future periods could differ from this estimate as a result of acquisitions, changes in useful lives, exchange rate fluctuations and other relevant factors.

14

8.  Reinsurance assets and policy holder liabilities under insurance and investment contracts

     Reinsurance assets and policy holder liabilities under insurance contracts

     Summarized below is the movement in reinsurance assets and policy holder liabilities under insurance contracts during the six months ended December 31, 2011:

     (1) Included in other long-term assets; 
     (2) Included in other long-term liabilities;
     (3) The foreign currency adjustment represents the effects of the fluctuations between the ZAR against the US dollar.

     The Company has agreements with reinsurance companies in order to limit its losses from large insurance contracts, however, if the reinsurer is unable to meet its obligations, the Company retains the liability.

     The value of insurance contract liabilities is based on best estimates assumptions of future experience plus prescribed margins, as required in the markets in which these products are offered, namely South Africa. The process of deriving the best estimates assumptions plus prescribed margins includes assumptions related to future mortality and morbidity (an appropriate base table of standard mortality is chosen depending on the type of contract and class of business), withdrawals (based on recent withdrawal investigations and expected future trends), investment returns (based on government treasury rates adjusted by an applicable margin), and expense inflation (based on a 10 year real return on CPI-linked government bonds from the risk-free rate and adding an allowance for salary inflation and book shrinkage of 1% per annum).

     Assets and policy holder liabilities under investment contracts

     Summarized below is the movement in assets and policy holder liabilities under investment contracts during the three months ended December 31, 2011:

     (1) Included in other long-term assets; 
     (2) Included in other long-term liabilities;
     (3) The foreign currency adjustment represents the effects of the fluctuations between the ZAR against the US dollar.

     The Company does not offer any investment products with guarantees related to capital or returns.

9.   Short-term credit facilities

     The Company’s ZAR 250 million ($30.7 million, translated at exchange rates applicable as of December 31, 2011) short-term South African credit facility. As of December 31, 2011, the overdraft rate on this facility was 7.85% . Certain South African subsidiaries have ceded trade receivables with an aggregate value of approximately $16.8 million, translated at exchange rates applicable as of December 31, 2011, as security for the facility as well as the Company’s investment in Cash Paymaster Services (Proprietary) Limited, a wholly owned South African subsidiary. As of December 31, 2011 and June 30, 2011, the Company had utilized none of its South African short-term facility.

     Management believes that this facility is sufficient in order to meet the Company’s future obligations as they arise.

15

10. Long-term borrowings

     The Company’s KRW 130.5 billion ($112.5 million, translated at exchange rates applicable as of December 31, 2011) Korean senior secured loan facility is described in note 12 to the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2011. The interest rate in effect on December 31, 2011 was 7.67% . Interest expense during the three and six months ended December 31, 2011, was $2.2 million and $4.6 million, respectively. Interest expense during each of the three and six months ended December 31, 2010, was $3.0 million and includes facility fees of $1.7 million.

     The first principal payment of $7.2 million was made on November 1, 2011. The second scheduled principal repayment of $7.0 million, translated at exchange rates applicable as of December 31, 2011, is due on April 29, 2012, and has been classified as current in the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet. As discussed in note 2, the net settlement received from the former shareholders of KSNET will be applied to prepay a portion of the Company’s outstanding loan balance on January 30, 2012, and is included in the Company’ current portion of long-term borrowings as of December 31, 2011, in the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet.

11. Capital structure

     Common stock repurchases

     The Company repurchased 180,656 shares during the six months ended December 31, 2011, for approximately $1.1 million. The Company did not repurchase any of its shares during the three months ended December 31, 2011 or the three and six months ended December 31, 2010.

12. Stock-based compensation

     Stock option and restricted stock activity

          Options

     The following table summarizes stock option activity for the three and six months ended December 31, 2011, and 2010:

     During each of the three and six months ended December 31, 2011, 102,333 stock options became exercisable. No stock options became exercisable during the three and six months ended December 31, 2010. As of December 31, 2011, 1,355,989 stock options were exercisable.

     No stock options were exercised during the three and six months ended December 31, 2011 or during the three months ended December 31, 2010. During the six months ended December 31, 2010, the Company received approximately $0.02 million from repayment of stock option-related loans. The Company issues new shares to satisfy stock option exercises.

16

12. Stock-based compensation (continued)

     Stock option and restricted stock activity (continued)

          Restricted stock

     The following table summarizes restricted stock activity for the six months ended December 31, 2011, and 2010:

     The fair value of restricted stock vested during the three and six months ended December 31, 2011, was $0.2 million and $0.3 million, respectively. The fair value of restricted stock vested during the six months ended December 31, 2010, was $2.3 million.

     Stock-based compensation charge and unrecognized compensation cost

     The Company has recorded a stock compensation charge of $0.5 million and $1.6 million for the three months ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively, which comprised:

     The Company has recorded a stock compensation charge of $1.0 million and $2.9 million for the six months ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively, which comprised:

17

12. Stock-based compensation (continued)

     Stock-based compensation charge and unrecognized compensation cost (continued)

     The stock-based compensation charges have been allocated to cost of goods sold, IT processing, servicing and support and selling, general and administration based on the allocation of the cash compensation paid to the employees.

     As of December 31, 2011, the total unrecognized compensation cost related to stock options was approximately $1.3 million, which the Company expects to recognize over approximately three years. As of December 31, 2011, the total unrecognized compensation cost related to restricted stock awards was approximately $0.9 million, which the Company expects to recognize over approximately three years.

     As of December 31, 2011, the Company has recorded a deferred tax asset of approximately $1.0 million related to the stock-based compensation charge recognized related to employees of Net1 as it is able to deduct the grant date fair value for taxation purposes in the United States.

13. Profit on liquidation of SmartSwitch Nigeria

     The Company has ceased operations in the Federation of Nigeria due to an inability to implement its technology on a profitable basis. During the three months ended September 30, 2011, the Company, together with the other shareholders, agreed to liquidate SmartSwitch Nigeria, the company through which operating activities in Nigeria were performed. SmartSwitch Nigeria was capitalized primarily with shareholder loans. The Company eliminated its portion of the loan funding on consolidation, and included the loans due to the non-controlling interest in long-term borrowings on its June 30, 2011, consolidated balance sheet. The shareholders of SmartSwitch Nigeria have agreed to waive all outstanding capital and interest repayments related to the loan funding initially provided as part of the liquidation processes. The non-cash profit on liquidation of SmartSwitch Nigeria of $4.0 million includes the write back of all assets and liabilities, including non-controlling interest loans, of SmartSwitch Nigeria, except for expected liabilities related to the liquidation of SmartSwitch Nigeria. The profit has been allocated to corporate/eliminations.

14. Earnings per share

     Basic earnings per share include restricted stock awards that meet the definition of a “participating security”. Restricted stock awards are eligible to receive non-forfeitable dividend equivalents at the same rate as common stock. Basic earnings per share have been calculated using the two-class method and basic earnings per share for the three and six months ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, reflects only undistributed earnings.

     Diluted earnings per share have been calculated to give effect to the number of additional shares of common stock that would have been outstanding if the potential dilutive instruments had been issued in each period. The calculation of diluted earnings per share for the three and six months ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, includes the dilutive effect of a portion of the restricted stock awards granted to employees as these restricted stock awards are considered contingently issuable shares. For the purposes of the diluted earnings per share calculation and as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the vesting conditions in respect of a portion of the awards had not been satisfied.

     The following table details the weighted average number of outstanding shares used for the calculation of earnings per share for the three and six months ended December 31, 2011 and 2010.

18

15. Operating segments

     A description of the Company’s operating segments is contained in note 19 to the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2011.

     The Company has reallocated its EP Kiosk business unit to the South African transaction-based activities segment from the hardware, software and related technology segment, as the unit is no longer in pilot phase and now forms part of EasyPay. Following XeoHealth’s first contract signing, the Company has allocated its revenue and costs to the international transaction-based activities segment, which were previously included in the South African transaction-based activities segment. Revenue and administration costs related to the Company’s comprehensive financial services offerings are all included in the financial services segment. The effect of these reallocations has not significantly impacted the Company’s reported results. Restated amounts for the three months ended December 31, 2010, also include the effects of reallocating the Company’s initiatives in Iraq, Nigeria and Net1 VCC. The impact of these reallocations on the Company’s revenue, operating income (loss) and net income (loss) for the three months ended December 31, 2010, is presented in the table below:

     The impact of these reallocations on the Company’s revenue, operating income (loss) and net income (loss) for the six months ended December 31, 2010, is presented in the table below:

19

15. Operating segments (continued)

     The following tables summarize segment information which is prepared in accordance with GAAP:

20

15. Operating segments (continued)

     The segment information as reviewed by the chief operating decision maker does not include a measure of segment assets per segment as all of the significant assets are used in the operations of all, rather than any one, of the segments. The Company does not have dedicated assets assigned to a particular operating segment. Accordingly, it is not meaningful to attempt an arbitrary allocation and segment asset allocation is therefore not presented.

     It is impractical to disclose revenues from external customers for each product and service or each group of similar products and services.

21

16. Income tax

     Change in South African tax law

     On December 20, 2011, there was a change in South African tax law to impose a 10% dividends withholding tax (a tax levied and withheld by a company on distributions to its shareholders) to replace the 10% Secondary Taxation on Companies (a tax levied directly on a company on dividend distributions) (“STC”). The change becomes effective on April 1, 2012. As a result, the Company has recorded a net deferred taxation benefit of approximately $20.0 million and $18.3 million, respectively, in income taxation (benefit) expense in its condensed consolidated statements of operations during the three and six months ended December 31, 2011. There were no changes to the enacted tax rate during the three and six months ended December 31, 2010.

     Currently the Company intends to permanently reinvest its undistributed South African earnings as of December 31, 2011 in South Africa. Accordingly, the Company has not recognized a deferred tax liability related to any future distributions of these undistributed earnings. The Company will be required to record a taxation charge related to any change in its distribution of undistributed earnings if it decides not to permanently reinvest its undistributed earnings. This may result in an increase in the Company’s effective tax rate in future periods.

     Foreign tax credits and change in valuation allowance

     As a result of the change in South African tax law and the Company’s intention to permanently reinvest its undistributed earnings in South Africa, the Company does not believe it will be able to recover foreign tax credits previously recognized of $8.2 million. The Company has created a valuation allowance of $8.2 million as of December 31, 2011, and therefore, has recorded a charge of $8.2 million related to this valuation allowance in income taxation (benefit) expense in its condensed consolidated statements of operations.

     Income tax in interim periods

     For the purposes of interim financial reporting, the Company determines the appropriate income tax provision by first applying the effective tax rate expected to be applicable for the full fiscal year to ordinary income. This amount is then adjusted for the tax effect of significant unusual or extraordinary items, for instance, changes in tax law, valuation allowances and non-deductible transaction-related expenses, that are reported separately, and have an impact on the tax charge. The cumulative effect of any change in the enacted tax rate, if and when applicable, on the opening balance of deferred tax assets and liabilities is also included in the tax charge as a discrete event in the interim period in which the enactment date occurs.

     For the three and six months ended December 31, 2011, the tax charge was calculated using the expected effective tax rate for the year. The Company’s effective tax rate for the three and six months ended December 31, 2011, was -27.3% and 10.4%, respectively, as a result of a change in tax law in South Africa, non-taxable profit on liquidation of SmartSwitch Nigeria, fewer non-deductible expenses, offset by increased interest expense related to the Company’s long-term Korean borrowings and the creation of a valuation allowance The Company’s effective tax rate for the three and six months ended December 31, 2010, was 49.4% and 47.6%, respectively, as a result of non-deductible expenses, including transaction-related expenses and interest expense related to the acquisition of KSNET.

     Uncertain tax positions

     The Company increased its unrecognized tax benefits by $0.05 million and $0.1 million, respectively, during the three and six months ended December 31, 2011. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had accrued interest related to uncertain tax positions of approximately $0.2 million on its balance sheet.

     The Company does not expect the change related to unrecognized tax benefits will have a significant impact on its results of operations or financial position in the next 12 months.

     The Company files income tax returns mainly in South Africa, Korea, Austria, the Russian Federation and in the US federal jurisdiction. As of December 31, 2011, the Company is no longer subject to income tax examination by the South African Revenue Service for years before December 31, 2008. In 2011, the Korea National Tax Service had effectively completed the examination of the Company’s returns in Korea related to years 2006 through 2010. The Company is subject to income tax in other jurisdictions outside South Africa and Korea, none of which are individually material to its financial position, statement of cash flows, or results of operations.

22

17. Subsequent events

     New South African Social Security Agency (“SASSA”) contract

     On February 3, 2012, the Company and SASSA entered into a contract for the payment of social grants, together with a related service level agreement pursuant to which it will provide SASSA with its payment service for social grants in all of South Africa’s nine provinces.

     Under the agreements, the Company will effect payment, on behalf of SASSA, of social grants to all persons who are entitled to receive such grants in all of South Africa’s provinces, for a firm price of ZAR16.44 per beneficiary paid, inclusive of VAT. The Company’s primary services include the enrollment of all eligible recipients, issuance of a smart card to each recipient and the biometric validation and payment of social grants to such recipients. The agreements do not provide for a minimum or maximum number of beneficiaries. SASSA is required to fund all grants two working days prior to the date on which the grant payment is to be made by the Company.

     The term of the agreements commences on April 1, 2012 and terminates on March 31, 2017. The agreements contain provisions for enrollment of new recipients and transition to the Company’s payment service prior to the commencement date for beneficiaries who were previously paid by other service providers.

     Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment deal

     On January 25, 2012, the Company entered into a Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment transaction, pursuant to which the Company has agreed to issue to a special purpose entity owned by a consortium of black South Africans, community groups and the Net1 Foundation, a one-year option to purchase up to 8,955,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, with an exercise price of $8.96 per share. Issuance of the option is subject to the fulfillment of certain conditions, including obtaining the relevant regulatory approvals.

     The closing price of the Company’s common stock on Nasdaq on December 30, 2011 (the last trading day of the second quarter), was $7.67 and therefore the issuance of the option did not impact the Company’s reported diluted earnings per share for the three and six months ended December 31, 2011.

23

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

     The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2011 and the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes included in this Form 10-Q.

Forward-looking statements

     Some of the statements in this Form 10-Q constitute forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our or our industry’s actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed, implied or inferred by these forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among other things, those listed under Item 1A.—“Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2011 and Item IA—“Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Form 10-Q. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of such terms and other comparable terminology.

     Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we do not know whether we can achieve positive future results, levels of activity, performance, or goals. Actual events or results may differ materially. We undertake no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this Form 10-Q to conform those statements to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by applicable law.

     You should read this Form 10-Q and the documents that we reference herein and the documents we have filed as exhibits hereto and which we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission completely and with the understanding that our actual future results, levels of activity, performance and achievements may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

Recent Developments

     South Africa

          New SASSA contract

     Under our current contract with the South African Social Security Agency, or SASSA, we provide our social welfare grants distribution service to SASSA in five of South Africa’s nine provinces (KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, North West, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape). The contract is currently in effect through March 31, 2012. The current contract contains a standard pricing formula for all provinces based on a transaction fee per beneficiary paid, regardless of the number or amount of grants paid per beneficiary, calculated on a guaranteed minimum number of beneficiaries per month.

     On January 17, 2012, SASSA awarded us a tender to provide payment services for social grants in all of South Africa’s nine provinces for a period of five years. On February 3, 2012, we entered into a new contract, together with a related service level agreement, with SASSA.

     Under the agreements, we will effect payment, on behalf of SASSA, of social grants to all persons who are entitled to receive such grants in all of South Africa’s provinces, for a firm price of ZAR16.44 per beneficiary paid, inclusive of VAT (or ZAR14.42 excluding VAT). Our primary services include the enrollment of all eligible recipients, issuance of a smart card to each recipient and the biometric validation and payment of social grants to such recipients. The agreements do not provide for a minimum or maximum number of beneficiaries. SASSA is required to fund all grants two working days prior to the date on which the grant payment is to be made by us.

     The term of the agreements commences on April 1, 2012 and terminates on March 31, 2017. The agreements contain provisions for enrollment of new recipients and transition to our payment service prior to the commencement date for beneficiaries who were previously paid by other service providers.

     See Item 1A—“Risk Factors” in this Form 10-Q for more information and the risks associated with our SASSA contract.

24

          Conclusion of Black Economic Empowerment transaction

     On January 25, 2012, we entered into a Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment transaction, pursuant to which we have agreed to issue to a special purpose entity owned by a consortium of black South Africans, community groups and the Net1 Foundation, a one-year option to purchase up to 8,955,000 shares of our common stock, with an exercise price of $8.96 per share. Issuance of the option is subject to the fulfillment of certain conditions, including obtaining the relevant regulatory approvals.

     While we believe that this transaction will improve our BEE rating, and therefore provide us with additional business opportunities in South Africa, additional steps may become necessary to achieve these goals. For a discussion of additional risks associated with compliance with the South African Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment Act, please see the risk factor entitled “If we do not achieve applicable black economic empowerment objectives in our South African businesses, we risk losing our government and private contracts. In addition, it is possible that we may be required to achieve black shareholding of our company in a manner that could dilute your ownership.” in item 1A of our Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2011.

          Acquisition of Eason prepaid airtime and electricity business

     On October 3, 2011, we acquired the South African prepaid airtime and electricity businesses of Eason & Son, Ltd, or Eason, an Irish private limited company, for approximately $4.5 million in cash. The principal assets acquired comprise customer and supplier lists, accounts receivable books, inventory, point of service terminals and a perpetual license to utilize Eason’s internally developed transaction-based system software, namely EBOS. The business has been integrated with EasyPay and has been allocated to our South African transaction-based activities operating segment. We expect over time to integrate all of our prepaid offerings onto the EBOS system.

          South African transaction processors

     During the second quarter of fiscal 2012, one of EasyPay’s largest customers decided to perform its EFT/switching activities in-house, which had an adverse impact on EasyPay’s volumes and values. However, EasyPay has retained its value-added-services relationship with this customer.

     We continued refocusing EasyPay’s activities on higher-margin value-added services, including alternative transacting channels – EP Kiosk, new EasyPay website and EasyPay WAP (mobile). We have discontinued certain inefficient processing services, such as hosting of financial institution servers. We expect these refocusing efforts at EasyPay to provide additional capacity and resources, without negatively affecting operating margin. FIHRST continued marketing of its new web-based platform, Helios, while MediKredit signed agreements with new providers, including public hospitals, private hospitals and specialist doctors, and has commenced adjudication and processing activities for these providers.

     Outside South Africa

          Republic of Korea - KSNET

     The KSNET management team has commenced a number of strategic initiatives in the Republic of Korea to maintain and expand our current market share and to grow into adjacent markets. We have embarked on a number of medium-term initiatives which will be funded from our existing Korean cash reserves. We do not expect to use funds generated by our other operations to fund these initiatives in Korea. These initiatives are beginning to yield positive results as we have grown market share, however, the competitive value added network environment in Korea has resulted in a nominal anticipated loss of operation margin. We expect this competitive environment to continue for the foreseeable future, and expect further nominal margin loss in the short to medium-term.

          XeoHealth

     During the second quarter of fiscal 2012, we commenced processing 4010 and 5010 data, including capitation information and creating state reporting claims files for Community Behavioral Health, or CBH, a not-for-profit corporation contracted by the City of Philadelphia to provide behavioral health services for Philadelphia Medicaid recipients. XeoHealth licenses its XeoRules^TM SaaS offering to CBH including implementation services. XeoHealth has recognized implementation revenue during the implementation phase and recurring transaction-based revenue from December 2011 from this account.

25

     XeoHealth has been subcontracted by Cognosante LLC a U.S. provider of health IT services to state and federal agencies and regional health organizations, to assist with the provision of recovery audit contractor, or RAC, services to the North Dakota Department of Human Services, Medical Services Division. XeoHealth will earn a fee based on a percentage of the final recoveries identified by our XeoRules^TM claims auditing service for the past five years, as well as the desk review recovery referrals identified through our XeoRules^TM engine until June 30, 2013. In addition to the North Dakota RAC, XeoHealth has also been subcontracted by Cognosante to provide both the automated audit as well the analysis services as required by the RAC for the State of Missouri Medicaid. XeoHealth will be compensated based on a percentage of the final recoveries identified by our XeoRules^TM claims re-adjudicating service for the audit period of three years, as well as the desk review recovery referrals identified through our XeoRules^TM engine. We expect XeoHealth to commence providing RAC services by March 2012.

     XeoRules^TM is XeoHealth’s internally developed 5010 and ICD-10 enabled real-time claims adjudication engine. XeoRulesTM significantly reduces the time and radically improves the efficiency and accuracy of healthcare claims adjudication and data processing. We continue to enjoy significant interest from various participants in the U.S. healthcare industry in our solution for the current and newly updated Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act mandated electronic data interchange transactions.

          Mobile Virtual Card

     We launched our VCPay^TM offering in the United States during fiscal 2011. Our mobile phone-based virtual payment card application is designed to eliminate fraud in CNP transactions. During the first quarter of fiscal 2012, we engaged the services of a specialist advisory firm to assist us with the general management of our VCPay^TM initiatives in the USA, the identification of the various strategic channels for VCPay^TM deployment and the commercialization of VCPay^TM in our targeted industry verticals.

     The Banamex VCPay™ initiative in Mexico is currently in the system integration testing phase, with hardware having been deployed and prepared for launch in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012. We believe that this first implementation of our VCPay™ technology in Latin America, spearheaded by one of the largest financial institutions in the region, as a catalyst to increase the footprint of VCPay™ services in the region.

          The African Continent and Iraq

     During fiscal 2012, NUETS recorded revenue from transaction fees and the delivery of UEPS-enabled smartcards under its contract with the government of Iraq. NUETS expects to generate ongoing revenues from transaction fees under the Iraqi contract during fiscal 2012. NUETS has entered the second phase of its initiative in Ghana and now generates recurring income in the form of hardware and software maintenance fees.

     NUETS continued to service its current customers on the African continent and in Iraq and continued its business development efforts, including responding to a number of tenders, in multiple countries on the African continent during the year. In addition, NUETS has developed a limited investment / software as a service business model and we expect to deploy the UEPS technology in selected African markets using this approach during the second half of fiscal 2012.

Critical Accounting Policies

     Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with US GAAP, which requires management to make estimates and assumptions about future events that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. As future events and their effects cannot be determined with absolute certainty, the determination of estimates requires management’s judgment based on a variety of assumptions and other determinants such as historical experience, current and expected market conditions and certain scientific evaluation techniques.

     Critical accounting policies are those that reflect significant judgments or uncertainties, and potentially may result in materially different results under different assumptions and conditions. Management has identified the following critical accounting policies that are described in more detail in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2011.

• Deferred taxation;
• Stock-based compensation;
• Intangible assets acquired through acquisitions;
• Accounts receivable and provision for doubtful debts; and
• Research and development.

     Recent accounting pronouncements adopted

     No new accounting pronouncements were adopted by us during the three months ended December 31, 2011.

26

     Recent accounting pronouncements not yet adopted as of December 31, 2011

     Refer to note 1 to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for a full description of recent accounting pronouncements not yet adopted as of December 31, 2011, including the expected dates of adoption and effects on financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Currency Exchange Rate Information

     Actual exchange rates

     The actual exchange rates for and at the end of the periods presented were as follows:

27

     Translation exchange rates

     We are required to translate our results of operations from ZAR and KRW to US dollars on a monthly basis. Thus, the average rates used to translate this data for the three and six months ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, vary slightly from the averages shown in the table above. The translation rates we use in presenting our results of operations are the rates shown in the following table:

Results of operations

     The discussion of our consolidated overall results of operations is based on amounts as reflected in our audited consolidated financial statements which are prepared in accordance with US GAAP. We analyze our results of operations both in US dollars, as presented in the consolidated financial statements, and supplementally in ZAR, because ZAR is the functional currency of the entities which contribute the majority of our profits and is the currency in which the majority of our transactions are initially incurred and measured. Due to the significant impact of currency fluctuations between the US dollar and ZAR on our reported results and because we use the US dollar as our reporting currency, we believe that the supplemental presentation of our results of operations in ZAR is useful to investors to understand the changes in the underlying trends of our business.

     Three and six months ended December 31, 2010, results do not include Eason and SmartLife and include KSNET from November 1, 2010. In addition, the following discussion gives effect to the reallocation of certain activities among our business segments as described in note 15 to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

28

     We analyze our business and operations in terms of five inter-related but independent operating segments: (1) South African transaction-based activities, (2) international transaction-based activities, (3) smart card accounts, (4) financial services, and (5) hardware, software and related technology sales. In addition, corporate and corporate office activities that are impracticable to ascribe directly to any of the other operating segments, as well as any inter-segment eliminations, are included in corporate/eliminations.

     Second quarter of fiscal 2012 compared to second quarter of fiscal 2011

     The following factors had an influence on our results of operations during the second quarter of fiscal 2012 as compared with the same period in the prior year:

• Unfavorable impact from the strengthening of the US dollar: The US dollar appreciated by 18% against the ZAR during the second quarter of fiscal 2012 which negatively impacted our reported results;
• Net taxation benefit related to the replacement of STC with a dividends withholding tax in South Africa: As a result of a recent change in South African tax law that will replace STC with a dividends withholding tax, our tax expense decreased by $11.8 million, as we recorded a $20.0 million deferred tax benefit which was offset by an $8.2 million foreign tax credit valuation allowance (please refer to note 16 to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements);
• Inclusion of revenue contribution from KSNET at lower operating margin (before acquired intangible asset amortization) than our legacy business: The inclusion of KSNET for a full fiscal quarter contributed to an increase in revenues for the second quarter of fiscal 2012; however, because KSNET has an operating margin (before acquired intangible asset amortization) that is lower than our legacy businesses, it reduced our overall operating margin. KSNET also contributed to the increase in selling, general and administration and depreciation and amortization expenses;
• Lower revenues from hardware, software and related technology sales segment: Hardware, software and related technology sales were adversely impacted by lower revenues from all major segment contributors;
• Lower intangible asset amortization related to acquisition: Additional intangible asset amortization related to the acquisitions of KSNET and Eason was more than offset by the full impairment of Net1 UTA’s intangibles in 2011;
• Lower interest income and increased interest expense resulting from KSNET acquisition: We paid the KSNET purchase price with a combination of cash and long-term debt, which reduced interest income and increased interest expense; and
• Fiscal 2011 unrealized foreign exchange gain and transaction-related expenses: During the second quarter of fiscal 2011, we recognized in selling, general and administration expense, an unrealized foreign exchange gain of $2.7 million and incurred transaction-related expenses of $1.8 million, primarily for the acquisition of KSNET.

     Consolidated overall results of operations

     This discussion is based on the amounts which were prepared in accordance with US GAAP.

     The following tables show the changes in the items comprising our statements of operations, both in US dollars and in ZAR:

29

     Analyzed in ZAR, the increase in revenue was primarily due to the inclusion of KSNET for a full quarter, modest growth in our pension and welfare business, higher prepaid airtime sales resulting from the Eason acquisition, an increase in the number of UEPS-based loans made, and higher utilization of our UEPS system in Iraq.

     Analyzed in ZAR, the increase in cost of goods sold, IT processing, servicing and support was primarily due to the inclusion of KSNET for a full quarter and higher prepaid airtime sales resulting from the Eason acquisition.

     The increase in selling, general and administration expense as of result of the KSNET acquisition was offset by lower stock-based compensation charges, primarily because the performance-based restricted stock granted in August 2007 was fully expensed in prior periods. During the second quarter of fiscal 2011, selling, general and administration expense included an unrealized gain of $2.7 million (ZAR 19.1 million) on a foreign exchange contract related to an intercompany dividend from South Africa to the United States which was used to partially fund the acquisition of KSNET and transaction-related costs of $1.8 million (ZAR 12.3 million), primarily for the KSNET acquisition.

     Our operating income margin for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 and 2011 was 22% and 25%, respectively. We discuss the components of the operating income margin under “—Results of operations by operating segment.” The decrease is attributable to a lower operating margins from our South African transaction-based activities (primarily as a result of the inclusion of Eason) and an unrealized foreign exchange gain during fiscal 2011, which was offset by lower stock-based compensation charges and fiscal 2011 transaction-related costs.

     In ZAR, depreciation and amortization increased primarily as a result of higher KSNET depreciation as well as acquisition-related KSNET intangible asset amortization for a full quarter, which was partially offset by the full impairment of Net1 UTA intangibles in 2011. The intangible asset amortization related to our various acquisitions has been allocated to our operating segments as presented in the tables below:

     (1) Three months ended December 31, 2010, includes Net1 UTA customer relationship amortization of $2.3 million.

30

     (1) Three months ended December 31, 2010, includes Net1 UTA customer relationship amortization of ZAR 15.8 million.

     Interest on surplus cash increased to $1.8 million (ZAR 14.9 million) from $1.4 million (ZAR 9.4 million). The increase resulted primarily from higher average daily ZAR cash balances, offset by lower deposit rates resulting from the decrease in the South African prime interest rate to an average of 9.00% from 9.27% .

     Excluding the impact of amortized debt facility fees of $0.1 million (ZAR 0.8 million) and $1.7 million (ZAR 12.0 million), respectively, interest expense increased to $2.3 million (ZAR 18.4 million) from $1.7 million (ZAR 11.8 million) due to the incurrence of long-term debt to fund a portion of the KSNET purchase price in 2011.

     Total 2012 tax benefit was $5.4 million (ZAR 44.0 million) compared to total tax expense of $9.8 million (ZAR 68.3 million) in 2011 and our effective tax rate decreased to (27.3%) from 49.4% . The tax benefit includes $20.0 million benefit related to a change in South African tax law and the creation of a valuation allowance of $8.2 million related to foreign tax credits. The reduction in our effective tax rate was primarily due to the tax law change and fewer non-deductible expenses, including stock-based compensation charges and acquisition-related expenses, which were offset by the creation of a valuation allowance and non-deductible interest expenses related to our Korean long-term debt.

     Net income from equity-accounted investments increased primarily due to an increase in transaction fees generated by SmartSwitch Namibia.

     Results of operations by operating segment

     The composition of revenue and the contributions of our business activities to operating income (loss) are illustrated below.