(MENAFN- GlobeNewsWire - Nasdaq) Worldline's Capital Markets Day 2025
Be the European Payments partner of choice
for Merchants and Financial institutions
Launch of North Star 2030 plan to accelerate growth and restore cash flow generation
Embedded transformation relying on final platforms convergence, integration and automation of operations, simplification of the organisation, focus on commercial performance

North Star plan to drive growth and cash generation
c.4% revenue CAGR in 2027-2030 gradually accelerating over the period
c.€1.0bn EBITDA in 2030 fueled by run-rate savings of c.€210m
Back to free cash flow generation by 2027 and targeting €300m to €350m FCF by 2030

Contemplated capital increase of €500 million anchored by Worldline's strategic investors to support Worldline as a strategic European platform
Accelerate Worldline strategic transformation and strengthen financial structure
Unanimous Board approval
Strong support from reference shareholders

Paris La Défense, 6 November 2025 – Worldline [Euronext: WLN], a European leader in payment services, presents today its“North Star 2030” transformation plan and financial ambition at the Group's 2025 Capital Markets Day.

Pierre-Antoine Vacheron, CEO of Worldline, states:“Building on solid assets and on the robust momentum generated over the last months, I am excited to unveil North Star 2030, our strategic plan, to reach our ambition for Worldline: Be the European partner of choice for merchants and financial institutions. North Star 2030 is a staged plan relying on the simplification of our organisation, the integration of our operations and the convergence of our platforms to enhance customer excellence, growth potential and cash flow generation through cost reduction and improvement of asset turn.
To accompany our strategic transformation while strengthening Worldline's financial structure at this pivotal moment, the Board of Directors has approved a € 500 million capital increase. I am grateful for the commitment of our existing reference shareholders Bpifrance, Crédit Agricole SA and BNP Paribas to participate in the capital increase, a vote of confidence in our company. Support of key European financial institutions operating in our main geographies demonstrates the importance of Worldline in the European economy and a strong support to our strategic plan ahead. All our renewed executive team is committed to a stronger Worldline, back to growth and substantial cash flow generation.”
2025 progress already driving positive impact

In 2025, Worldline has undertaken decisive actions to address historical challenges, with:

• Strategic refocus on core payment activities: after entering into agreements to divest its Mobility & e-Transactional Services in July and its North American operations in October, the Group announces today the contemplated sale of its Electronic Data Management activity (ex-Cetrel Securities) to SIX Group. The closing of the transaction is expected in H1 2026 subject to customary approvals. The combined cash proceeds of these three contemplated divestments are expected in the range of €350-400m;
• Restoration of trust through the external review of the merchants portfolio and compliance & risk framework and the clarification of cash pooling arrangements;
• Acceleration of products roll-out such as Android smartPos, Tap on Mobile, Wero on ecommerce, Worldline for Platforms;
• Execution of the Tech landscape convergence with five platforms decommissioned;
• Finally, delayering of the organisation through direct management of the Merchant services business at the level of the massively renewed executive committee.
  

These achievements represent a solid base as a first phase of execution towards the new Worldline.

New Worldline under the North Star transformation plan

The North Star transformation plan is reshaping our company for sustainable, profitable growth. By focusing on operational excellence, digital innovation, and client-centricity, we are already seeing early momentum. Worldline is empowered to deliver on these priorities, accelerate our transformation, and reinforce our leadership in payment services.

Worldline presents a transformation plan based on four drivers delivering €210m of recurring adj. EBITDA in 2030 on a recurring annual basis:

• Simplify the operating model: Organisational simplification is a cornerstone of the transformation strategy and is built on three key components: simplifying the go to market organization to create strong segment focus, improving tech model to become partner of choice of merchants and financial institutions and optimising corporate functions.
• Converge Platforms to already selected and renewed technological stack, while automatising operations: Objectives are to converge all payments applications to Worldline well invested and modernised target landscape using our Sovereign Private Cloud and leading public cloud platforms. Harnessing Gen AI and automation will optimise operations, risk management, tech development and accelerate time to market. These actions will drive significant savings through improved asset turn
• Integrate operations leveraging existing Worldline Global Competence Centers to support Western European operations: Worldline plans to evolve the GCCs to innovation hubs where the company will build critical payment talent pools, drive automation, Gen and agentic AI at scale.
• Enhance commercial performance: The goal is to empower teams to capture new revenue opportunities and deepen customer relationships.

By business line, Merchant Services go to markets will progressively improve their growth profile through:

• Accelerated investments in SMBs to deliver state-of-the art digital journeys and upsell commerce solutions;
• Increased wallet share in our core Tier 1 retailers upselling acquiring and omnichannel;

• Continued innovation in Global Commerce to drive differentiation and upsell acquiring on selected segments.
  

A restored sales focus on Financial Institutions will re-establish the growth potential of this segment. Worldline has invested over the last 5 years to build the technology stack for the future, resulting in two fully cloud based and API enabled environments across all relevant payment processing solutions. Worldline's comprehensive hosting options through its sovereign private cloud and leading public cloud platforms is a key differentiator for European financial institutions. Worldline plans to improve sales execution, expand into new segments and enhance service to restore growth.

Focused scope of the company, staged execution, leverage on already proven initiatives and renewed management team will help successful delivery of North Star 2030 to achieve Worldline's transformation and restoration of strong cash flow generation.

Contemplated capital increase of € 500 million unanimously approved by the Board of Directors and anchored by Worldline's strategic investors

To back the execution of its transformation plan and enhance its financial flexibility, Worldline plans to raise € 500 million of new equity by way of:

(i) a reserved capital increase of c.€110m at a price per share of (the“ Reserved Capital Increase”) to be subscribed by Bpifrance, Crédit Agricole SA and BNP Paribas (the“ Anchor Investors”), and;

(ii) a subsequent rights issue of c.€390m (the“ Rights Issue” and together with the Reserved Capital Increase, the“ Capital Increase”) open to all shareholders on a pro-rata basis. The Anchor Investors have committed to subscribe c.€135m to the Rights Issue².

The commitment of Bpifrance, Credit Agricole SA and BNP Paribas demonstrate the critical role Worldline Plays in the European payment ecosystem and the strength of the transformation plan it is announcing today.

The partnership with SIX Group remains strategic for Worldline, and we welcome SIX Group as a shareholder, including its support for the North Star 2030 strategic plan and its commitment to vote in favour of the capital increase. In reference to SIX Group communication, Worldline acknowledges Giulia Fitzpatrick's resignation from the Board by December, 31^st, 2025 and sincerely thanks her for her significant contribution to the Board of Directors over the past few years.

Separately, Altenia Capital (controlled by Nextstone Capital), which owns 5.2% of Worldline's share capital, has expressed its support to the envisaged capital raise:”We agree with the management team's strategic vision for the company and are very supportive of the transformation plan and the capital increase it is announcing.”

Following the Reserved Capital Increase, Bpifrance would hold a stake of 9.6% of the capital, Crédit Agricole SA 9.5% and BNP Paribas 7.9%.

The Capital Increase will reduce Worldline's leverage to c.2x by year-end 2026.

The Reserved Capital Increase and the Rights Issue are expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter 2026, after shareholders' approvals at an Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting (EGM), as well as customary regulatory approvals. Bpifrance, Crédit Agricole SA, BNP Paribas and SIX Group, together representing 27.5% of the share capital and 36.6% of the voting rights have committed to vote in favour of the resolutions at the EGM.

Nicolas Dufourcq, CEO of Bpifrance, states:“As a long-standing shareholder of Worldline, Bpifrance confirms its full support for the strategy of making Worldline the leading European partner for banks and retailers. The renewal of the management team, the disciplined execution of the strategic refocusing program, and the results already achieved in recent months reinforce Bpifrance's full support for the North Star 2030 transformation plan and the management team's determination to complete the integration of past acquisitions while driving the company toward advanced digitalization and innovation. Bpifrance is convinced that the profound transformation and strategic refocusing underway demonstrate that recent challenges cannot overshadow the strength and robustness of the payment infrastructures that Worldline deploys across Europe. We are confident that this turnaround will attract other partners to support the growth momentum.”

Jérôme Grivet, Deputy CEO of Crédit Agricole SA, states:“Worldline is a leading player in the European payments ecosystem. As a shareholder, Crédit Agricole considers the company's new leadership and strategic direction to be key enablers in delivering the transformation objectives set forth in the North Star 2030 project. In this context, the Crédit Agricole Group will vote in favor of the resolutions to be submitted to the general meeting for the capital increase.”

Thierry Laborde, COO of BNP Paribas, in charge of Commercial Personal Banking & Services, states:“Worldline embodies BNP Paribas' vision for payments in Europe: sovereignty based on innovation and a deep understanding of local realities. In a context where Europe is strengthening its technological and operational independence, Worldline will be one of European players with a critical infrastructure in payment services and a high level of expertise in both acquisition and processing. As a longstanding partner of Worldline, it is therefore natural for us to support this new phase of development. We are convinced that the significant and necessary transformation undertaken by Worldline this year will make it an essential partner in European payments.”

2030 Financial ambition

On that basis and supported by Worldline's North Star plan to drive growth and cash generation, we anticipate by 2030:

• c.4% revenue CAGR in 2027-2030 with a gradual acceleration over the period to reach c.5% at the end of the plan
• EBITDA fuelled by run-rate savings from transformation plan of c.€210m and c.€150m organic contribution
• Positive free cash flow as early as 2027 and targeting €300m to €350m free cash flow by 2030, including €120m of estimated financing costs.
  

2026 will be a transition year where robust foundations are built to secure our 2030 financial trajectory. We anticipate low single digit revenue growth at Group level. 2026 Adjusted EBITDA, while benefiting from the initial savings of the transformation plan, is expected to be slightly lower than the 2025 low point of the guidance range, impacted by increased remediation costs and a still unfavourable business mix. Free cash flow in 2026 is expected to be around the lower end of the guidance for 2025, with transformation costs, increased costs of debt and higher tax.

Video webcast

The CMD event will be available live and on replay on Worldline's website starting 6 November at 9:00 CET time. Join online here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• February 25, 2026: FY 2025 results
  

CONTACTS

Investor relations

Laurent Marie
E ...

Peter Farren
E ...

Communication

Sandrine van der Ghinst
E ...

Hélène Carlander
E ...

ABOUT WORLDLINE

Worldline [Euronext: WLN] helps businesses of all shapes and sizes to accelerate their growth journey – quickly, simply, and securely. With advanced payments technology, local expertise and solutions customised for hundreds of markets and industries, Worldline powers the growth of over one million businesses around the world. Worldline generated a 4.6 billion euros revenue in 2024.

Worldline's corporate purpose (“raison d'être”) is to design and operate leading digital payment and transactional solutions that enable sustainable economic growth and reinforce trust and security in our societies. Worldline makes them environmentally friendly, widely accessible, and supports social transformation.

DISCLAIMER

This document contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including references, concerning the Group's expected growth and profitability in the future which may significantly impact the expected performance indicated in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are linked to factors out of the control of the Company and not precisely estimated, such as market conditions or competitors' behaviours. Any forward-looking statements made in this document are statements about Worldline's beliefs and expectations and should be evaluated as such. Forward-looking statements include statements that may relate to Worldline's plans, objectives, strategies, goals, future events, future revenues or synergies, or performance, and other information that is not historical information. Actual events or results may differ from those described in this document due to a number of risks and uncertainties that are described within the 2024 Universal Registration Document filed with the French Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) on April 14, 2025, under the filling number: D.25-0257.

Revenue organic growth and Adjusted EBITDA improvement are presented at constant scope and exchange rate. Adjusted EBITDA is presented as defined in the 2024 Universal Registration Document. All amounts are presented in € million without decimal. This may in certain circumstances lead to non-material differences between the sum of the figures and the subtotals that appear in the tables. 2025 objectives are expressed at constant scope and exchange rates and according to Group's accounting standards.

Worldline does not undertake, and specifically disclaims, any obligation or responsibility to update or amend any of the information above except as otherwise required by law.

No communication and no information in respect of the transaction referred to in this press release may be distributed to the public in any jurisdiction where a registration or approval is required. No steps have been or will be taken in any jurisdiction (other than France) where such steps would be required. The issue, the subscription for or the purchase of Worldline's securities may be subject to specific legal or regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. Worldline assumes no responsibility for any violation of any such restrictions by any person.

This press release is not and should not be construed as a prospectus within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017, as amended (the“ Prospectus Regulation”) or Prospectus Regulation as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the“ UK Prospectus Regulation”).

In the context of the transaction, the Company will make available to its shareholders the preparatory documents and information in accordance with the French Commercial Code, including the report of the Board of Directors prior to the holding of the proposed ordinary and extraordinary general meeting.

In accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, the Company will also make available: (a) a French voluntary prospectus relating to the rights issue prepared in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation that will be submitted for the approval of the French financial markets authority (Autorité des marchés financiers) in connection with the public offering in France and the admission on Euronext Paris of the new shares issued in the rights issue, and (b) an information document prepared in accordance with Annex IX of the Prospectus Regulation and to be made available pursuant to Article 1(5)(bbis) of the Prospectus Regulation relating to the admission on Euronext Paris of the new shares issued in connection with the reserved capital increases.

With respect to the member States of the European Economic Area other than France (the“ Member States”), no action has been undertaken or will be undertaken to make an offer to the public of securities requiring the publication of a prospectus in any Member States. As a result, any securities of Worldline may only be offered in Member States (i) to qualified investors, as defined by the Prospectus Regulation; (ii) to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons per Member State, other than qualified investors (as defined in the Prospectus Regulation); or (iii) in any other circumstances, not requiring Worldline to publish a prospectus as provided under Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation; and provided that none of the offers mentioned in paragraphs (i) to (iii) above requires the publication of a prospectus by Worldline pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation, or a supplement to the Prospectus Regulation pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.

With respect to the United Kingdom, no action has been undertaken or will be undertaken to make an offer to the public of securities requiring the publication of a prospectus in the United Kingdom. As a result, any securities of Worldline may only be offered in the United Kingdom (i) to qualified investors, as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation; (ii) to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons, other than qualified investors (as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation); or (iii) in any other circumstances falling within Section 86 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (the“ FSMA”), provided that no such offer shall require Worldline to publish a prospectus pursuant to Section 85 of the FSMA or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation.

This press release and any other materials in relation to the securities of Worldline have not been made, and have not been approved, by an“authorised person” within the meaning of section 21(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. As a consequence, this press release is directed only at persons who (i) are located outside the United Kingdom, (ii) are investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended, the“ Order”), or (iii) are high net worth body corporates, unincorporated associations or partnerships, trustees of a high value trust and other persons to whom it may be lawfully communicated within Article 49(2)(a) to (e) of the Order (all such persons mentioned in paragraphs (i), (ii) and (iii) collectively being referred to as“ Relevant Persons”). Any securities are intended only for Relevant Persons and no invitation, offer or agreements to subscribe, purchase or acquire the securities may be proposed or made other than with Relevant Persons. Any person other than a Relevant Person may not act or rely on this press release or any provision thereof. This press release is not a prospectus which has been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority or any other United Kingdom regulatory authority within the meaning of Section 85 of the FSMA.

This press release does not constitute or form a part of any offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities in the United States of America, its territories and possessions, any State of the United State of America and the District of Columbia (the“ United States”). Securities may not be offered, subscribed or sold in the United States absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the“ U.S. Securities Act”), except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements thereof. The securities in respect thereof have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act and Worldline does not intend to make a public offer of its securities in the United States.

The distribution of this press release in certain countries may constitute a breach of applicable law.
The information contained in this press release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan or South Africa.

1 Corresponding to a 10% premium to the 30-day-VWAP of the shares as computed on Euronext Paris
2 Pro rata participation and c.€30m of additional commitment

Attachment

• 20251106 - Worldline 2025 Capital Markets Day - Press release

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