Established chain of currency exchange offices with pawnshop and gold sales

Basic information

The subject of the sale is a 100% stake in a Slovak company that has been operating a chain of currency exchange offices in three cities since 2010. The core activity is foreign currency exchange, which accounts for roughly 95 % of the business volume, complemented by pawnbroking services and the sale of investment gold.

The company runs six kiosk-format branches, three of them in Bratislava, two in eastern Slovakia and one in another regional city. The Bratislava branches account for roughly 60 % of volume, the eastern ones for the remaining 40 %. All units sit in shopping centres and other high-footfall locations. One of the Bratislava branches opened recently and its volume is still growing, and according to the owner there is room to open two further units immediately, with both demand and suitable locations available.

The business is growing steadily. The volume of exchange transactions has almost doubled over the past three years and for 2026 the owner expects further growth of 10 % or more, giving a volume of 26.7 mil. EUR with EBITDA of 440 ths. EUR. The margin on exchange transactions has consistently stayed at around 2.9 % of volume. Investment gold is sold strictly to order, so the company holds no tied-up gold inventory and carries no gold price risk.

The company has no bank debt whatsoever and is financed entirely from its own resources. Reported profitability matches actual profitability, and the results are not distorted by other activities or by tax optimisation. Customers are predominantly private individuals, so revenue does not depend on any single large client or contract. The operating cash held in the branches transfers with the business, roughly EUR 50,000 per unit, so the network is fully functional from day one and the buyer does not need to inject additional working capital.

The licences for currency exchange and pawnbroking are held by the company itself and a change of ownership only has to be notified to the National Bank of Slovakia, so no new licensing procedure is required. The handover is therefore quick and does not interrupt operations. The owner performs a supervisory rather than operational role; the branches run independently and are managed by two supervisors. The reason for the sale is the owner’s age, as he no longer has the energy to develop the business further.

The opportunity suits investors looking for an established cash-based business with a regulated barrier to entry, existing players in currency exchange and financial services, and private investors who value stable cash flow, low capital intensity and the option to expand quickly by adding further branches.