Millennial Investing - The Investor’s Podcast Network - TIVP082 (Video): Kaspi Stock ($KSPI): Beating the Market with an E-Commerce Monopoly? w/ Daniel Mahncke & Shawn O'Malley
The podcast episode delves into Caspi, a "super app" from Kazakhstan, attracting attention from investors like Monish Pabrai, who views it as a "heads I win, tails I don't lose much" bet. The hosts, Sean O'Malley and Daniel Munker, explore Caspi's history, business model, competitive landscape, management, and significant risks.
Caspi's journey began in the early 2000s as a tier-two retail bank in Kazakhstan, a market dominated by the legacy Halik Bank. Its crucial asset was a banking license, a valuable commodity in developing financial markets. A management transition brought in Vyacheslav Kim (Kazakh businessman) and Mikhail Lomtatsi (Georgian, Harvard MBA, former PE partner), with Lomtatsi becoming the visionary CEO. Unlike Nubank, which started digitally and gained a license, Caspi transformed an existing bank, navigating political environments more easily.
The company evolved into a super app, mirroring China's WeChat, deeply integrating into the daily lives of Kazakhstan's 20 million people. It addresses issues common in developing markets: a largely unbanked population and inefficient legacy systems. Caspi handles banking, payments, e-commerce, logistics, delivery, and even government services (taxes, driver's licenses, marriage registration). This deep entrenchment contributes to its $14 billion market cap.
Caspi's success stems from solving practical problems. Before Caspi, simple tasks like card payments or bill paying were cumbersome. The app facilitated 18 million transactions daily, boasting an active user base of over 70% of Kazakhstan's population, interacting with the app more than 77 times a month.
The business model is robust, driven by three main segments:
1. **Payments:** This segment is highly profitable, generating 16% of revenue but 40% of net income (over 65% net income margin). Caspi owns its entire payment ecosystem, eliminating middlemen like Visa/MasterCard, and capturing the full margin. Innovations like "Alaquan" (pay-by-palm) highlight its tech-forward approach.
2. **Marketplace (E-commerce):** Caspi is a Level 3 e-commerce player, focusing on quality and fast delivery. While it uses an asset-light, third-party logistics network (parcel lockers), 84% of orders ship free, with half delivered within 48 hours. This segment contributes 47% of revenue and 26% of net income. Its take rate is 12% (16% with ads/delivery), with high growth in advertising, indicating further margin expansion potential.
3. **Fintech/Lending:** Accounting for 38% of revenue and 33% of net income, Caspi leverages its banking origins for cheap funding via its $14 billion in customer deposits. Its super app status provides unparalleled data on user income, spending, and repayment history, allowing for automated loan approvals (99.9% in under 6 seconds) and remarkably low non-performing loans (6%). High recovery rates, even for unsecured loans, are attributed to the "lock-in" effect – users cannot afford to lose access to such a vital platform.
Management is a key strength, with Kim and Lomtatsi owning over 40% of the company, aligning their interests with shareholders. Executive salaries are low, emphasizing stock appreciation. The company also boasts low stock-based compensation, resulting in a flat share count.
The hosts discuss Caspi's expansion into Turkey, acquiring a 65% stake in Hepsi Burada, Turkey's second-largest e-commerce player, for $1.1 billion. Turkey's 85 million people offer a 5x larger market. While culturally and structurally similar to Kazakhstan, the hosts express skepticism. Caspi's unparalleled monopoly advantages in Kazakhstan (like data, regulatory relationships, lack of significant competition) may not translate to Turkey, where it faces formidable competitors like Alibaba-backed Trendyol.
The investment thesis is significantly impacted by macro and geopolitical risks:
* **Currency Risk:** Caspi's earnings are in Kazakhstani Tenge (KZT), which is heavily tied to volatile oil prices. As USD/Euro investors, this exposes them to currency debasement, despite the Tenge's recent stability due to high central bank rates (18%). The medium-term outlook suggests a weaker Tenge.
* **Geopolitical Risk:** Kazakhstan's location bordering Russia and China creates inherent risks. While it maintains functional relationships with various global powers, disruptions to oil export routes (e.g., through Russia) could severely impact its economy.
* **Governance & Corruption:** Historical concerns about corruption and a short report linking Caspi to money laundering activities in Kazakhstan raise flags, despite many claims being debunked.
Despite these risks, Caspi trades at a P/E ratio of 7-8x earnings, significantly lower than comparable Western companies (20-30x). This low valuation is seen as a "margin of safety" accounting for the external risks. A substantial 8% dividend yield, motivated by founder ownership, offers a potential floor for returns. The hosts' valuation analysis, including a DCF model, suggests annual returns of over 20% even with conservative growth assumptions.
While impressed by Caspi's fundamentals and market dominance in Kazakhstan, the hosts remain cautious due to the external risks, particularly the Turkey expansion's uncertainty and the macro environment. They consider a starter position but emphasize the need for deeper research into the Turkish market dynamics and direct engagement with management before committing significant capital.