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3.3 Market risks<br />

3.3.1 Exchange rate risk<br />

The Group is subject to exchange rate risk arising from the translation for accounting<br />

purposes of its issue volumes, revenue and operating profit in each country. These exchange rate<br />

risks are not covered by hedging instruments.<br />

A 10% variation in the exchange rate of major currencies would have the following impact on<br />

Group EBIT: Brazil (BRL) €8.1 million, Venezuela (VEF) €3.3 million, Mexico (MXP) €1.7 million and<br />

Romania (RON) €1.4 million. In 2009, exchange rate variations had a significant impact on the<br />

Company’s financial statements (see section 2.4 of this prospectus, “Comparison of fiscal years ended<br />

December 31, 2009 (pro forma) and December 31, 2008 (pro forma)”).<br />

A large portion of the Group’s business is carried out in countries whose functional currency<br />

is not the euro, the Group’s reporting currency. Group policy is to invest cash generated by activities<br />

in the currency of the country in which the associated products are issued.<br />

Real cash flows from non‐euro countries mainly involve dividends paid by subsidiaries to the<br />

parent company, which can be subject to fluctuations between the currency of the originating country<br />

and the euro. The Company does not, as of the date of the admission of its shares for trading on<br />

Euronext Paris, have hedging instruments to cover currency rate fluctuations. However, the Group<br />

may decide to hedge such exposure, mainly through the use of currency futures.<br />

3.3.2 Interest rate risk<br />

Interest rate fluctuations directly affect the Group’s financial revenue. Based on a float at<br />

December 31, 2009 of €2,032 million (see note 23.1 to the pro forma financial statements in section<br />

10.2.1 of this prospectus), an average fluctuation of 100 basis points would have a €20.3 million<br />

impact on financial revenue.<br />

At December 31, 2009, the Group’s pro forma net financial debt was €303 million (see note<br />

20 to the pro forma financial statements in section 10.2.1 of this prospectus and, for a description of<br />

the conditions of the Company’s credit agreements, see section 2.6.6.2 of this prospectus). An<br />

average fluctuation of 100 basis points would have a €3 million impact on the Group’s pre‐tax<br />

operating income, including the impact on financial revenue indicated above.<br />

The Company does not, as of the date of the admission of its shares for trading on Euronext<br />

Paris, have hedging instruments to cover interest rate risk.<br />

3.3.3 Credit risk and counterparty risk<br />

The Group is exposed to the credit risk of banks and financial institutions in which it invests<br />

its cash. The failure or deterioration in the financial position of one of its counterparties could result<br />

in a financial loss. In order to reduce counterparty risk, New Services:<br />

• carries out transactions with counterparties the Group perceives to be of the highest<br />

quality in the relevant country;<br />

• diversifies its counterparty portfolio;<br />

• sets credit ceilings for each counterparty; and<br />

• carries out a monthly reporting procedure to track the different types of<br />

counterparties and their credit worthiness (based on their credit ratings).<br />

The Group’s policy is to invest cash in the currency in which Tickets Restaurant ® and its other<br />

products are issued. As a result the Group is subject to country risk, which could have an impact in<br />

the event of a financial crisis affecting one or several of the countries in which New Services operates.<br />

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