PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) – After a year marked by difficulties, French payments group Worldline is attracting interest from private equity firms, according to five people familiar with the matter.
Worldline is weakened by its fragile performance on the stock market, its stock having lost 56% since the start of the year, after several profit warnings and a change in its management. Among the private equity firms that have begun evaluating a possible bid for Worldline is Bain Capital, according to two of the sources, who asked to remain anonymous. The company has been talking to advisers to evaluate different ways an offer could be made to Worldline, one of the sources said. The first conversations took place in recent weeks, another of these sources said.
On the Paris Stock Exchange, Worldline shares jumped 20.26% to 8.00 euros at 2:18 p.m. GMT.
Bain Capital already has experience in the payments sector, holding a 10% stake and a seat on the board of Italian company Nexi, alongside rival Advent International. If Bain Capital were to make a bid for Worldline, one of the considerations would be what would happen to its stake in Nexi, the first source said.
Discussions are in their early stages and a formal offer is not certain, said these people, who asked not to be identified because of the confidential nature of the discussions.
A spokesperson for Bain Capital declined to comment. Worldline said it does not comment on market rumors.
(Reporting by Amy-Jo Crowley and Mathieu Rosemain in Paris, with contributions from Elvira Pollina in Milan and Florence Loève in Paris, Florence Loève, edited by Kate Entringer)
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