In brief: Worldline acquires a leading player in Greece

Payment specialist Worldline has just announced that it has acquired 92.5% of the capital of Greek card payment acceptance specialist Cardlink. Cardlink's CEO, George Drimiotis, retains 7.5% of the capital but Worldline has an option to buy back this stake after 5 years.

The purchase price is estimated at 130 million euros.

Founded in 2004, Cardlink covers more than 240,000 points of sale, representing 46% of local point of sale transactions. The company also manages approximately 500 million transactions per year (53% market share) and has revenues of approximately €40 million.

The transaction is expected to be completed in the second half of 2021, subject to the final conditions precedent.

Pursuing its consolidation strategy

This acquisition will officially allow Worldline to take the lead in the Greek payment market. This position also allows the European giant to extend its activities to merchants in Southern Europe.

After the pandemic, Worldline confirms its interest in merchant services, its primary business. The group continues the trend of concentration in the sector by acquiring Cardlink, and underlines its reinforced ambitions for international development.