Worldline announces the completion of the transactions with Equens and Paysquare

Gilles Grapinet, Worldline CEO said: “The successful completion of the merger of Equens and Paysquare within the Worldline group is a major development for our Company to better serve both the banking and merchant communities and is fully in line with our strategy of being an active industrial consolidator within the European payment market. Through the transaction, the enlarged Worldline Group benefits from a highly comprehensive Pan-European footprint and has increased its revenue size by c.+65% in Financial Processing and by c.+25% in Commercial Acquiring. The Group will immediately engage the execution of the integration programs and of the previously communicated synergy plans.”

Under the terms of the agreement, it is reminded that the completed transaction is made of two components:

• Regarding Financial Processing activities, the Financial Processing businesses of Worldline  have been merged with Equens. This merger resulted in the creation of equensWorldline, owned by Worldline at 63.6% and by the former shareholders of Equens at 36.4%. The company equensWorldline will be consolidated within the Group’s Financial Processing & Software Licensing division from October 1st, 2016.
• Regarding Merchant Services, Worldline has acquired from Equens its commercial acquiring subsidiary Paysquare for an enterprise value of € 72 million in cash, funded by the existing available cash balance of the Group. Paysquare will be fully consolidated in the Group’s Merchant Services & Terminal division from October 1st, 2016.
  
  

The Group’s updated full year 2016 guidance for revenue, OMDA and free cash flow, including the impacts of the consolidation of Equens and Paysquare on one side as well as of the transaction in Merchant Services with Komercni banka on the other side, will be presented during the publication of the Q3 2016 Group revenue, on October 19th, 2016.

[1] Except for Financial Processing businesses in Asia and in Spain 

About Worldline

Worldline [Euronext: WLN] is the European leader in the payments and transactional services industry. Worldline delivers new-generation services, enabling its customers to offer smooth and innovative solutions to the end consumer. Key actor for B2B2C industries, with over 40 years of experience, Worldline supports and contributes to the success of all businesses and administrative services in a perpetually evolving market. Worldline offers a unique and flexible business model built around a global and growing portfolio, thus enabling end-to-end support. Worldline activities are organized around three axes: Merchant Services & Terminals, Mobility & e-Transactional Services, Financial Processing & Software Licensing. Worldline employs more than 7,300 people worldwide and generated 1.22 billion euros revenues in 2015. Worldline is an Atos company. worldline.com