Last week also saw Worldline release its Q2 2021 results. A strong indicator for the Western Europe and Scandinavian regions, the company focuses on payments processing and travel-related payments, and signs are positive. While it only saw 0.1% organic growth in H1 2021, it has shown significant improvements in Q2, with 10.1% organic growth bringing revenue to €2.27bn. 

This rebound has largely been fuelled by an 18.6% improvement in its Merchant Services division, with Worldline pointing to the reopening of economies and a focus on digitisation as drivers of this growth. 

Mobility and e-Transactional Services also saw 9.4% growth, with e-Ticketing in particular seeing a strong uptick as the use of public transport began to rebound.

The company also announced the acquisition of Handelsbanken Card Acquiring activities in the Nordic countries, giving it an improved presence in the Nordic region and a diversified merchant portfolio. This follows acquisitions in Greece (Cardlink) and Italy (Apexta), as well as merchant acquiring brand Ingenico, which is on track to be fully integrated by 2022. 

Looking forward, Worldline anticipates double-digit organic growth in the second half of the year as restrictions continue to ease and intra-European travel returns to normal. It does not, however, expect intercontinental travel to return this year, and is moderating its projections accordingly. 

Lucy Ingham

LinkedIn

Lucy is Head of Content & Editor-in-Chief at FXC Intelligence, overseeing all content and taking deep dives into the trends and data driving changes in payments. Before joining FXC Intelligence, Lucy worked as a technology journalist and editor, interviewing CEOs and major names across enterprise technology, including fintech. She has an MSc in Development Anthropology from Durham University.