Credit Clear (ASX: CCR) has completed its acquisition of illion Digital Tech Solutions Holdings Limited (DTS), originally announced on 18 December 2025. The Credit Clear DTS acquisition completion delivers immediate strategic value, scaling the company’s recurring SaaS revenue by $10 million annually whilst transforming its revenue mix, with digital collections now representing 17% of annualised revenue compared to 5% previously.
Founded in 1986, DTS brings a 35-year operating track record across five countries: the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada. The acquisition is expected to be earnings accretive in year one, with DTS contributing $1.2 million in EBITDA.
CEO Commentary
“DTS instantly delivers blue-chip Tier 1 clients, fully serviced, deeply integrated SaaS revenue that accelerates our digital collections share from 5% to 17% of annualised revenue, with zero lengthy onboarding pain,” said Andrew Smith, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director.
What DTS brings to Credit Clear’s platform
DTS operates as a Software as-a-Service provider enabling flexible, self-service digital payment and collections solutions across multiple sectors including financial services, telecoms, utilities, and government. The platform delivers personalised multi-channel engagement capabilities spanning SMS, web portals, and email communications.
The acquisition adds a critical capability previously absent from Credit Clear’s technology stack: automated voice call functionality. This voice capability, combined with Credit Clear (ASX: CCR)‘s existing AI-driven adaptive workflows and digital engagement tools, creates a more comprehensive enterprise-grade collections solution.
DTS capabilities now integrated into Credit Clear’s platform include:
- Self-service digital payment processing
- Multi-channel customer engagement (SMS, web, email)
- Automated voice call functionality
- Flexible collections workflow customisation
The voice channel fills a functional gap that enhances Credit Clear’s ability to compete for larger enterprise contracts requiring full-spectrum communication capabilities. DTS’ established presence across financial services, telecoms, utilities, and government sectors provides immediate market access in these verticals.
Understanding digital debt collection technology
Digital debt collection platforms represent a structural shift from traditional call centre-dependent models to technology-enabled, customer-centric engagement. Legacy collections processes rely heavily on manual outbound calling, which incurs substantial labour costs whilst often delivering lower customer satisfaction scores.
SaaS-based collections platforms reduce early-stage collection costs by automating initial contact attempts and enabling customers to self-serve payment arrangements through their preferred channels. This multi-channel approach typically improves recovery rates by meeting customers where they choose to engage, rather than forcing interaction through a single channel.
The technology allows enterprises to reserve expensive human resources for complex cases whilst automated systems handle straightforward payment reminders and arrangement processing. For Credit Clear, positioning itself at the centre of this industry transition expands its addressable market beyond traditional collections providers to include any organisation managing receivables at scale.
The ARMA playbook applied globally
Credit Clear’s 2022 acquisition of ARMA established a proven integration template that combined digital and traditional collection methods. This hybrid approach delivered multiple Tier 1 clients in Australia (defined as clients generating over $500,000 annual revenue each), demonstrating management’s ability to execute post-acquisition integration successfully.
The DTS acquisition replicates this strategy in larger overseas markets. By combining DTS’ digital SaaS platform with traditional collections capabilities, Credit Clear can offer the same comprehensive solution that won Australian enterprise clients to blue-chip organisations in the UK, North America, and New Zealand.
Management’s recent acquisition of ARC Europe further extends this playbook into European markets, creating a consistent go-to-market approach across multiple geographies with de-risked execution based on domestic success.
Geographic expansion and cross-selling opportunity
The Credit Clear DTS acquisition completion provides immediate access to established client relationships across five countries without the typical onboarding friction associated with new customer acquisition. DTS’ existing blue-chip customer base already operates fully integrated implementations of the platform, creating a frictionless cross-selling environment for Credit Clear’s additional capabilities.
These deep integrations with enterprise clients represent sticky revenue relationships that are costly for clients to replace, providing revenue stability whilst offering Credit Clear the opportunity to expand wallet share through additional service offerings.
| Metric | Pre-Acquisition | Post-Acquisition |
|---|---|---|
| Digital collections share | 5% | 17% |
| Geographic footprint | Australia | Australia, New Zealand, UK, USA, Canada |
| Recurring SaaS revenue | Base level | +$10 million annualised |
This geographic diversification reduces single-market concentration risk whilst the cross-selling opportunity provides a clear revenue growth pathway that avoids customer acquisition costs. The combination with the recent ARC Europe acquisition establishes a meaningful European presence, creating a truly multi-region operating platform.
Earnings accretive from day one
Unlike many technology acquisitions that require extended integration periods before contributing positively to earnings, DTS adds immediate profitability to Credit Clear’s financial profile. The business generated $1.2 million in EBITDA on an annualised basis, with management expecting the acquisition to be earnings accretive in year one.
This positive EBITDA contribution reflects the maturity of DTS’ business model and its established customer relationships, which generate recurring SaaS revenue without the cash burn characteristics of early-stage technology ventures. The disciplined capital allocation demonstrates management’s focus on value-accretive growth rather than revenue growth at any cost.
Investment outlook and strategic roadmap
The combination of DTS and ARC Europe transforms Credit Clear from an Australian-focused collections technology provider into a multi-geography platform with diversified revenue streams and enterprise-grade capabilities spanning digital and traditional collections methods.
Strategic Vision
“We see a significant opportunity for scale within the Credit Clear business. The combination of DTS and the recent acquisition of ARC Europe supports our growth by accelerating geographic expansion and enhancing our digital offering with software that improves customer satisfaction, reduces bad debt, and lowers call centre loads by lowering early-stage collection costs,” said Andrew Smith.
The platform now in place positions Credit Clear to capitalise on larger overseas markets with a proven integration methodology and a comprehensive product suite. Management’s stated priorities following the Credit Clear DTS acquisition completion include:
- Integrate DTS voice technology with existing AI capabilities
- Cross-sell enhanced platform to DTS’ blue-chip client base
- Leverage combined digital and traditional capabilities for new enterprise wins
- Continue geographic expansion strategy in higher-growth international markets
The immediate $10 million revenue contribution, combined with the jump in digital collections share from 5% to 17%, establishes a materially different revenue composition with improved recurring revenue characteristics. Credit Clear’s execution of the ARMA integration in Australia provides a reference case for investor confidence in management’s ability to replicate this success internationally with DTS and ARC Europe.
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