Investors sent shares in Optimal Payments (OPAY) down 8 per cent after the payment processing and mobile wallet provider followed TalkTalk in admitting that some of its customers' personal data had been stolen. The information was apparently taken during two cyber security breaches in or before 2011 and 2012.
The group risks gaining a reputation for lax security: customers' data were also stolen during two previous cyber attacks in 2009 and 2010. Optimal's management has launched an investigation into the latest incident and has informed both the Financial Conduct Authority and the Information Commissioner - the agency that enforces data protection laws in the UK.
Prior to news of the breach, Canaccord Genuity expected EPS of 30¢ (19.6p) in 2015, up from 24¢ in 2014.
