The agreement, which is subject to approval by the European Commission and Belgian National Bank, relates only to Ingenico’s merchant acquiring (card payment processing) business and terminals in Belgium and Luxembourg. The agreement covers the contracts and data of around 16,000 merchants, contracts with commercial partners and the transfer of staff members concerned from Ingenico.

Ingenico’s disposal of part of its Belgium business is the result of a decision by the European Commission based on the European Union merger regulation, following Worldline’s acquisition of Ingenico last year.

In a rapidly changing payment services industry, the acquisition of these activities meets Axepta’s aim of increasing its presence in merchant acquiring in Belgium and Luxembourg - two of its domestic markets - and of freshening up the sector by offering innovative, high-performance and competitive services to public- and private-sector companies, retailers and independent professionals.

An agile and innovative acquirer for merchants of all sizes

In 2014, BNP Paribas Fortis started its merchant acquiring business in Belgium by marketing the acquiring services of SIX Payment Services. In recent years, increasing numbers of business clients, both large and small, have been benefiting from its payment systems solutions, and particularly from the simplicity and reliability they offer. To strengthen its acquiring bank business model and expand its product range, it founded Axepta BNP Paribas Benelux in 2019.

“With Axepta’s all-in-one integrated solutions, BNP Paribas Fortis is the only main bank in Belgium to offer the country’s retailers a comprehensive range of payment services that are flexible, transparent and secure,” said Michael Anseeuw, General Manager, Retail Banking at BNP Paribas Fortis. “By combining full coverage of the payments chain with the international expertise of the BNP Paribas Group, BNP Paribas Fortis and Axepta BNP Paribas Benelux are setting the benchmark for merchants.”

“Today, almost 80% of a B2C merchant’s revenue is generated by means of card transactions,” added Stijn Cloet, CEO of Axepta BNP Paribas Benelux. “To help our merchants achieve their growth ambitions and implement their digital transformation, Axepta offers a wide range of easily integrated and affordable solutions. This acquisition will give more than 30,000 professional clients access to high-quality, innovative services as well as independent payment terminals, thereby enhancing the customer purchasing experience.”