Worldline Receives Shareholder Approval for a 500 Million Euro Capital Increase
The European payment services specialist received approval for all the resolutions presented at its extraordinary general meeting on Wednesday. The operation, which is expected to be finalized by the end of March, is supported by three strategic investors and a bank guarantee.
Details of the Capital Increase
The capital increase planned by Worldline is divided into two separate operations, according to the press release. A first tranche of approximately 110 million euros will be subscribed at a price of 2.75 euros per share by Bpifrance Participations, Crédit Agricole SA, and BNP Paribas. A second tranche of approximately 390 million euros will be open to all shareholders, maintaining their preferential subscription rights. These three reference investors have committed to subscribe for a total of approximately 135 million euros to the capital increase. Four banks, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, and J.P. Morgan, have provided a guarantee commitment for the residual amount of the capital increase with preferential subscription rights, which is about 255 million euros, as indicated by the company. This guarantee commitment became effective on January 9, 2026, and remains subject to usual conditions.
2025 Annual Forecasts Confirmed
The group confirms its annual forecasts for the fiscal year 2025, according to the press release. Revenue is expected to show an organic decline between 1% and 4%. Adjusted gross operating surplus is expected to be between 830 and 855 million euros. Free cash flow is expected to be between minus 30 million euros and zero or slightly positive. The company indicates that the end of 2025 confirmed the stabilization of operations that began in the third quarter. Worldline reports a resilience of its platforms, with an availability rate exceeding 99.9% on its Axis acceptance platform, which processed over 10 billion transactions in 2025. The group also mentions an improvement in customer satisfaction across many segments and a reduction in the customer loss rate in the small and medium-sized business segment in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Execution Phase of the North Star 2030 Strategic Roadmap
Worldline indicates that it has entered the execution phase of its North Star 2030 strategic roadmap, presented during the investor day on November 6, 2025. The group has announced four business divestitures in five months, with completions expected in the first half of 2026, according to the press release. The extraordinary general meeting approved several technical resolutions, including a reduction of the share capital motivated by losses, through a reduction in the nominal value of the shares, as well as a consolidation of shares by issuing one new share with a nominal value of 0.80 euros for every 40 old shares with a nominal value of 0.02 euros each. The capital increase with preferential subscription rights is expected to be launched by the end of the first quarter of 2026, as specified by the company.
