Shine Lawyers Main Logo

EML Payments Shareholder Class Action

Shine Lawyers is seeking compensation on behalf of shareholders who suffered losses after acquiring EML Payments Ltd (‘EML’) shares. On 16 December 2021, Shine Lawyers filed a class action against EML Payments in the Supreme Court of Victoria.

Update

Settlement Approval Hearing Status

The Supreme Court of Victoria heard the application for approval of the in-principle settlement on 30 October 2025 and 19 December 2025.

Judgment on the settlement approval application is reserved.

In-principle Settlement reached Shine Lawyers, on behalf of group members, have reached an in-principle agreement to settle the EML Payments Shareholder Class Action for $37,356,125 inclusive of interest and costs. The amount is conditional on approval by the Supreme Court of Victoria.

The Supreme Court of Victoria has also approved the Settlement Notice to be sent to Registered Group Members. A copy of the Notice, along with other important case documents, are available to be downloaded below. If you are a Group Member, please read the Settlement Notice carefully.  

Opt Out and Registration has now concluded 

The deadline for group members to opt out or register for the class action was 4.00pm (AEDT) on 24 February 2025.  

An opt out and registration notice approved by the Supreme Court of Victoria was sent to potential group members in the EML Payments Class Action in January 2025. The notice informed group members of their options to register for the class action, opt out or do nothing, and what those options would involve.

Group Costs Order Awarded 

In November 2022, the Supreme Court of Victoria approved a Group Costs Order (GCO) at a rate of 24.5%. This means that the legal costs of the EML Class Action will be calculated as 24.5% of the amount of any settlement or judgment awarded in the case, unless varied by the Court at a later stage. By awarding the GCO, the Court recognised that the order was appropriate or necessary for justice to be done in the proceeding. 

A GCO allows legal costs to be calculated as a percentage of the amount of any judgment or settlement that may be recovered in the proceeding, on the basis that Shine Lawyers accepts the risk of paying EML’s legal costs if the case is unsuccessful. Group Members will not be exposed to any out of pocket costs as a result of their participation in the class action. 

What is the EML Payments Shareholder Class Action about?

The EML Payments Shareholder class action alleges that EML mislead the market regarding compliance with Anti-Money Laundering / Counter Terrorism Financing laws in Ireland by its subsidiary, PFS Card Services Ireland Limited (PCSIL), who was operating in Ireland.  

A timeline of relevant market announcements is outlined below, but in summary, commencing on 19 May 2021, EML disclosed to the market that the Central Bank of Ireland, the Irish regulator for Anti-Money Laundering / Counter Terrorism Financing, had raised concerns with respect to PCSIL’s risk and control frameworks and governance. In August 2021, EML announced that it had provided the Central Bank of Ireland with a remediation plan to be substantially complete by the end of 2021 with some remaining items to be remediated by the end of March 2022. Subsequently, in November 2021 the Central Bank of Ireland informed PCSIL and EML that it was minded to use its powers to restrict PCSIL’s growth until remediation efforts had been concluded. In December 2021 the Central Bank of Ireland issued this direction restricting growth. EML made representations to the market regarding the timing of the remediation program and the likelihood of the growth restrictions being lifted. In July 2022, EML announced to the market that its remediation efforts remained ongoing and expected its remediation to be completed in 2023. In short, it is alleged that the timing and cost of the remediation program was not appropriately disclosed to the market, thereby misleading investors.  

This class action seeks compensation on behalf of EML shareholders who suffered loss as a result of EML’s alleged misleading and deceptive conduct and breach of continuous disclosure obligations.  

Background to the EML Payments Class Action 

The following timeline highlights the series of events that led to the drop in market value of EML’s shares:

 EML Share Price Drop 

Case Documents

Third Further Notice in relation to the Proposed Settlement

Second Further Notice in relation to the Proposed Settlement

Further Notice in relation to the Proposed Settlement

Defence to Further Amended Statement of Claim

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a class action?

When Governments, large companies or institutions do the wrong thing and people are harmed or suffer loss as a result, an individual can have little to no means of bringing a legal claim.

Class actions are an important mechanism within Australia’s legal system that allow large groups of people to come together to pursue a claim collectively.

For a class action to take place, there are three criteria that need to be met:

  1. there must be 7 or more people that have claims against the same defendant; and

  2. the claims relate to the same or similar circumstances; and

  3. the claim must relate to at least one common issue of law or fact.

For more information about how class actions resolve, click here.

How long do class actions take to resolve?

It can take up to several years for a class action to resolve. The time taken from case commencement through to resolution and settlement administration depends on the particular case, and the nature of the claim.

For more information about class actions and how they work, click here.

Does it cost anything to join a class action?

Shine Lawyers is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of their background or financial situation, has access to justice. We run our class actions in a way that means you are not exposed to any costs or financial risk, so joining a class action will cost you nothing.

When a class action is successful, the legal fees and costs to run the class action are deducted from the settlement amount that is approved by the Court. If the class action is unsuccessful, we will ensure there are no out-of-pocket costs to you.

Will my contact details be kept private?

Yes, your contact details will remain confidential and we will seek your consent before disclosing any of your personal information (including before such disclosure is required by the Court).

Shine Lawyers will only use your personal information strictly for the purpose of the legal proceedings.

Back to top