Worldline, a French payments and transactional services company, has acquired 80% of Axepta Italy, an acquiring company of BNL (BNP Paribas group). This was announced in a note, explaining that, "thanks to this joint venture, Worldline significantly expands its presence in services dedicated to merchants in the Italian market, which is constantly growing, thanks to the constant diffusion of electronic payments".
Axepta Italia manages around 220 thousand Pos, with around 200 million acquiring transactions per year, equal to a market share of around 5%. The Axepta customer portfolio, made up of approximately 37.000 merchants, will thus be integrated into the Worldline customer portfolio.
Also, thanks to a long-term commercial partnership with BNL – continues the note – the joint venture will be able to count, as a key commercial channel, on one of the strongest Italian banking networks”.
La joint-venture is designed to accommodate existing Worldline banking partners and other Italian banks. More than 100 payment industry experts will join Worldline's current roster of 20 employees.
“Worldline's raison d'être drives us to design and manage digital and transactional payment solutions that enable sustainable economic growth and strengthen the level of trust and security in our society – underlines Marc-Henri Desportes, Deputy CEO of Worldline – Thanks to the new joint venture in Italy, Worldline will continue to realize its vision of a reliable, secure and environmentally friendly payments industry”.
Stefano Calderano, CEO of Axepta and Country Manager Italy Worldline Merchant Services, said: “Worldline's experience and specific skills will make a fundamental contribution to the improvement and innovation of the payment services offer for today's customers and those of tomorrow, from small traders to large multinational companies looking for omnichannel payment solutions. Furthermore, the joint venture is itself an "open vehicle" to welcome new financial institutions who wish to access advanced acquiring solutions, strengthening the satisfaction of their customers, and maintaining full control of the commercial relationship".
