ANZ takes full control of venture with Worldline

ANZ has moved to take full ownership of its Australian merchant payments joint venture with Worldline, underlining the growing strategic importance of acquiring and transaction banking to the country’s major lenders.

ANZ takes full control of venture with Worldline

The bank has signed a binding agreement to acquire Worldline’s 51% stake in ANZ Worldline for an enterprise value of A$89m, giving it complete control of the business it helped establish with the French payments group in 2022. ANZ already owns the remaining 49%.

The venture provides payment acceptance services to merchants across Australia, supporting point-of-sale and online payments for small businesses, commercial clients and institutional customers.

It employs more than 300 payments specialists across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Transaction banking moves up the agenda

For ANZ, the deal is closely aligned with its 2030 strategy, which places transaction banking at the centre of its customer proposition.

By bringing the merchant payments business fully in-house, the bank will gain a more direct relationship with customers and greater control over product development, service quality and platform investment.

Lisa Vasic, ANZ’s managing director for transaction banking, institutional, said the acquisition would help the bank improve customer experience, offer stronger technologies and platforms, and provide a more compelling merchant proposition across its client base.

The bank has said there will be no immediate operational changes after completion, meaning customers will continue to use ANZ Worldline products and services as they do currently.

Worldline continues portfolio reshaping

The transaction also comes as Worldline seeks to simplify its business and restore financial momentum. The group has been reviewing assets and previously agreed to sell its Indian business to BillDesk as it refocuses on core European payments operations.

The ANZ deal remains subject to approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Completion is expected in the second half of ANZ’s 2026 fiscal year.

For Australia’s payments market, the acquisition signals renewed bank interest in merchant acquiring at a time when payment acceptance is becoming more integrated, data-rich and strategically valuable.