The deal is done. Having received the necessary regulatory approvals, Worldline’s big acquisition of Ingenico has closed. The immediate impact will be felt in the European region given the French roots of both companies. But this merger has significant implications for the U.S. payments market.
Worldline has lacked a noticeable U.S. presence for its merchant acquiring and processing business. Now Ingenico’s large U.S. merchant base gives Worldline an immediate beachhead for the U.S. market. Worldline will also strongly compete in the growing payment gateway space for e-commerce transactions as well. Existing U.S. payments players will defend their turf, but now there is a major competitor showing up on their radar; perhaps even one that is closer than it appears.
The following excerpt from a Mobile Payments Today article reports more on the topic:
Global payments provider Worldline has acquired Ingenico Group for an undisclosed sum, creating the largest European payment services provider, according to a press release. Hélène Carlander, Ingenico Group global press officer, told this website via email the acquisition has been finalized, Worldline having announced last month it received merger control clearance from the European Commission.
The merger of the two France-based companies will provide a wider range of digital payment capabilities through integrated payment solutions, improved technology, enhanced innovation capabilities and an extended global footprint, according to the press release.
“Having the scale and now global capabilities, we have reshaped our group entirely in order to support, now more than ever, our clients, merchants and banks in particular, enabling them to rely on state-of-the-art electronic payment services to accelerate their own growth as well as their digital transformation strategy,” Gilles Grapinet, chairman and CEO of Worldline, said in the press release. “Despite the difficult times we are all facing at the moment, I have never been this confident in the group’s potential and future and in its 20,000 employees.”
Overview by Raymond Pucci, Director, Merchant Services at Mercator Advisory Group