(Boursier.com) — Worldline climbs by 5.2% to 13.8 euros after the arrival of the round table of Agricultural credit. The bank announced its entry into the payments group to the tune of 7%. An unsurprising acquisition given the latest market noise, and while the two groups had announced, in the first half of 2023, a strategic partnership project in the field of payment services to merchants. This investment “is intended to strengthen this partnership in order to create a major player in payment services to merchants in France”, specified the CA.
On October 25, Worldline recorded a historic fall on the stock market, plunging 59%, after the downward revision of its 2023 outlook and the abandonment of its growth target for next year. The warning came on top of a string of bad news for Europe’s payments sector, which is struggling with a slowdown in consumer spending after years of (very) strong growth.
With 7% of the capital, Credit Agricole becomes the 2nd shareholder of Worldline, behind SIX Group (10.7%) and ahead of BPI (4.5%). If this entry into the capital is a mark of confidence and solidifies the strategic partnership, the operation also reduces speculative interest, particularly in a takeover scenario by a PE fund, notes Invest Securities. On the other hand, this entry into the round table does not call into question, according to the broker, the scenario of a merger with NEXI in the medium/long term. All that remains is for the stock market revaluation of Worldline to begin so that the two groups, and particularly the French, consider discussing… At current prices, Worldline capitalizes €3.7 billion, compared to €9.4 billion for Nexi.
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