More Consolidation as Nets and Concardis Finalise Merger
In June 2018, Concardis and Nets announced their intention to merge. This announcement has now come to fruition and the merger is finalized, resulting in a group entity with €1.3 billion in net revenue, an EBITDA of €500 million, and over 3,500 staff.
Nets, a large player in the Nordic payments space, and Concardis, a leading payments provider in Germany, have joined forces in the hopes of increasing their European footprint and strengthening their Pan-European capabilities. While both companies will retain their own brands, they hope their combined market share will allow them to grow quicker and offer a better service to their clients.
As with all mergers and acquisitions, merchants currently engaged with Nets or Concardis must make sure they monitor their arrangements closely. The merger claims to benefit merchants by offering “…comprehensive portfolio of state-of-the-art solutions” so current and future clients should ensure they are receiving these benefits. Consolidation can be good when there are synergies/efficiencies that can be transferred to the end user in the form of lower pricing, but these benefits aren’t always transferred. Merchants must be pro-active in seeking the opportunities they can provide.
Competition is vital in an industry that tends towards natural monopolies. Many European countries have 1 or 2 large players, with a few regional ones competing for the left-over market share. Industry changes like these can often mean uncertainty for all players in the supply chain – and merchants should remain aware of these changes and what they mean for their relationships with suppliers.