After operating in pilot mode for the past nine months, Bank Transfer by Worldline is now officially launching in ten European countries as part of an effort to revive its payment processing services.
The account-to-account service is now integrated into roughly 500 of Worldline’s existing merchants’ online payment services and pay-by-link options. It is particularly aimed at businesses that handle high-value transactions, such as those in specialty retail, the public sector, and B2B payments. Additionally, Bank Transfer by Worldline offers cross-border capabilities for merchants operating in multiple markets.
After a difficult period, Worldline has been seeking new revenue opportunities beyond its core merchant payments business. Last month, the company announced its entry into embedded payments via a partnership with Online Payment Platform (OPP), a provider of payment technology for platforms and marketplaces. This initiative was billed as a suite of turnkey features across multiple currencies, designed to help users sign-up, sell, and get paid faster.
Earlier this year, Worldline announced a collaboration with Google, planning to leverage Google Cloud’s advanced AI capabilities and data analytics to streamline online transactions by eliminating lengthy forms, reducing checkout pages, and minimizing waiting times at checkout. A pioneer in cloud processing, Worldline also launched its “Move to Cloud” initiative in 2022, aimed at migrating payment processing infrastructure and creating new solutions through cloud computing.
A Rough Patch
Such moves seemed necessary to prop up the company’s fortunes. Between July 2021 and September 2024, Worldline’s stock price lost 92% of its value, and the company reported a loss of €817 million last year.
Worldline has attributed its struggles to a slowing European economy. “The Group has observed a softer macroeconomic and consumption environment in the second quarter with a progressive slowdown of the merchant services volumes growth across all the geographies in Europe,” Worldline said in an earnings statement.
It remains to be seen whether Bank Transfer by Worldline will be the use case that turns the company around. The service is currently available in several regions, including Austria, France, Germany, and Italy, with plans to add Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Hungary by the end of the year. Worldline claims that the full rollout will enable merchants to accept payments from a potential customer base of 300 million.
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