5/17/2006

PLANET GROUP APPOINTS LADY JUDGE TO THE BOARD^® 

The Board of Planet Group, Inc.,the multi currency payment processor (LSE:AIM: PPTR and PPT for restricted and unrestricted shares respectively), is pleased to announce the appointment of Lady Barbara Judge (Formerly Barbara S Thomas) as a non-executive director with immediate effect.


Lady Judge is a lawyer, international banker and entrepreneur. She is currently Chairman of the UK Atomic Energy Authority and Deputy Chairman of both Friends Provident plc and the Financial Reporting Council. Additionally, she is a non-executive director of Quintain Estates and Development and PA Consulting Group amongst others.


Previously, Lady Judge was a lawyer in New York and Commissioner of the US Securities & Exchange Commission, the youngest person to be appointed to the position. She was also a main board director of News International plc and Samuel Montagu and Co., when she resided in Hong Kong from 1983-1987. She also serves as Chairman of the Governing Body of the School of Oriental and African Studies and a Trustee of the Royal Academy of Arts and The Wallace Collection.


Commenting on the appointment, Philip Beck, Chairman and Chief Executive of Planet Payment, said:


“We are delighted to welcome Barbara to the Board. Barbara has a wealth of experience advising a range of companies at the highest levels. Her extensive knowledge of the financial markets and corporate governance requirements will prove invaluable as Planet Payment grows and develops its presence in the market.”


Lady Judge added:


“Planet Payment is a highly dynamic business, operating at the heart of the credit card industry across the globe. I am delighted to be joining the Group at this exciting stage of its development and look forward to working with the team to help achieve the Group’s full potential.”


Lady Judge’s current and previous directorships and partnerships over the past five years are as follows:


Current
Hardy Underwriting Group Plc
Friends Provident Plc
Private Equity Investors Plc
PA Holdings Ltd
Portmerion Group Plc
Quintain Estates and Development Plc
Victory Corporation

Previous
Allders plc
Axon Group plc
Brainspark plc
Capital Radio plc
ENIC plc
Gullane Entertainment plc
Livenote Technologies Ltd
Second London American Trust plc


There are no further disclosures required under para g of Schedule 2 of the AIM rules.


Planet Group, Inc. floated on AIM on 20 March 2006. Planet Payment is the trade name for Planet Group, Inc. [LSE:AIM: PPTR and PPT for restricted and unrestricted shares respectively] Further information on Planet Payment can be found at: www.planetpayment.com


Planet Payment is a multi-currency payment processor, enabling processors, acquiring banks and their merchants to accept, process and reconcile credit card transactions in multiple currencies, allowing international cardholders to view prices and settle transactions in their native currency when travelling abroad. Planet Payment’s systems also enable it to provide enhanced data reporting and data mining to Merchants who are using multiple systems in different countries.


The Planet Payment business was established in 1999 and Planet Group, Inc. is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. Planet Payment is headquartered in New York and has offices in the United Kingdom, Singapore and Hong Kong.


Forward-Looking Statements. Information contained in this announcement may include ‘forward-looking statements’. All statements other than statements of historical facts included herein, including, without limitation, those regarding Planet Payment’s financial position, business strategy, plans and objectives of management for future operations (including development plans and objectives relating to Planet Payment’s business) are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions regarding Planet Payment’s present and future business strategies and the environment in which Planet Payment expects to operate in future, which assumptions may or may not be fulfilled in practice. Actual results may vary materially from the results anticipated by these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of risk factors, including the risk that implementation, adoption and offering of the service by merchants may take longer than anticipated, or may not occur at all. These forward-looking statements speak only as to the date of this announcement and cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. Planet Payment expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained in this announcement to reflect any changes in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based.