Business description and basis of presentation

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

Business description and basis of presentation

Business description and basis of presentation

1. Business description and basis of presentation

Business description

Planet Payment, Inc. together with its wholly owned subsidiaries (“Planet Payment,” the “Company,” “we,” or “our”) is a provider of international payment processing and multi-currency processing services. The Company provides its services to approximately 42,000 active merchant locations in more than 20 countries and territories across the Asia Pacific region, North America, the Middle East, Africa and Europe, primarily through its acquiring bank and processor customers, as well as through its own direct sales force. The Company’s point-of-sale and e-commerce services are integrated within the payment card transaction flow and enable its acquiring customers to process and reconcile payment transactions in multiple currencies, geographies and channels. The Company is a registered third party processor with the major card associations and operates in accordance with industry standards, including the Payment Card Industry, or PCI, Security Council’s Data Security Standards.

Company structure

Planet Payment was incorporated in the State of Delaware on October 12, 1999 as Planet Group Inc. and changed its name to Planet Payment, Inc. on June 18, 2007.

Since March 20, 2006, shares of the Company’s common stock have traded on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange, or AIM, under the symbols “PPT” and “PPTR.” From November 19, 2008 until December 14, 2012, shares of our common stock were traded on the OTCQX under the symbol “PLPM.” On December 17, 2012 shares of our common stock began trading on NASDAQ under the symbol “PLPM.”

Basis of presentation

The condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”).

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Planet Payment, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated.

As of March 31, 2013 the Company wrote-off a previously fully reserved trade receivable in the amount of $1.4 million.

Unaudited consolidated interim financial information

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements as of March 31, 2013 and for the periods ended March 31, 2013 and 2012 have been prepared on the same basis as the annual consolidated financial statements. In the opinion of management, the unaudited financial information for the interim periods presented reflects all adjustments, which are normal and recurring, necessary for a fair presentation of the statement of operations, financial position and cash flows. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012. Operating results for the interim periods ended March 31, 2013 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2013.  The December 31, 2012 balance sheet information has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date. Certain information and disclosures normally included in annual consolidated financial statements have been omitted pursuant to the rules and regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).