Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) is moving to take full ownership of its payments joint venture with Worldline, a step that signals the bank’s intention to bring merchant acquiring capabilities more directly into its core banking platform as competition intensifies in digital payments.
ANZ to take full control of ANZ Worldline
ANZ has entered into a binding agreement to acquire the remaining 51 percent stake in Worldline Australia Pty Ltd from Worldline S.A, effectively taking full control of the joint venture launched in 2022.
The venture, known as ANZ Worldline, was created to combine ANZ’s merchant banking relationships with Worldline’s payment technology and processing infrastructure. The partnership has since supported a range of acquiring and merchant services for businesses across Australia.
Under the new agreement, ANZ will purchase Worldline’s 51 percent share for an enterprise value of approximately 89 million dollars on a 51 percent basis. The implied equity value of the stake is estimated to be around 30 million dollars.
The transaction remains subject to approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and is expected to close in the second half of ANZ’s 2026 financial year.
Strategy focused on transaction banking growth
The acquisition aligns with ANZ’s broader 2030 strategy, which positions transaction banking as a central pillar of the bank’s growth agenda.
By bringing the joint venture fully in-house, ANZ aims to integrate merchant services more tightly with its broader banking offering. This would allow the bank to deliver a more unified proposition to clients across small businesses, commercial customers and large institutions.
Payments and merchant acquiring have become a strategic battleground for banks globally, particularly as fintech platforms and payment processors compete aggressively for merchant relationships.
No operational changes expected for customers
Despite the ownership change, ANZ confirmed that the transition will not affect the day-to-day operations of the ANZ Worldline platform.
Merchants and business customers will continue using the same services, infrastructure and payment products currently offered through the joint venture.
From a capital perspective, ANZ expects the transaction to have a modest impact on regulatory capital, with an estimated reduction of around six basis points to its Level 2 CET1 ratio once completed.
What this means for the industry
- Banks are increasingly bringing payments capabilities back in-house to control customer relationships and transaction data.
- Merchant acquiring is becoming a strategic extension of transaction banking rather than a standalone service.
- The move highlights the ongoing competition between banks and fintech payment providers for merchant ecosystems.
- Integrated payment and banking platforms are emerging as a key differentiator for banks targeting SME and institutional clients.
