Worldline to push Android terminals as merchant payments ecosystem sees heightened action

Worldline, one of the largest installers of payment terminals in the country, is planning to push into new generation Android Point of Sale devices, as the entry of Reliance Jio Infocomm in the merchant payments segment has created a flutter in the card payments business.

Apart from Reliance Jio, competition from domestic players such as Mswipe and Innoviti Payments also means incumbents like Worldline are looking to offer enhanced features to its merchant base.

“The new devices will be a bit more expensive, but will offer a large number of services to merchants and we are hoping to roll them out by June-end,” said Deepak Chandnani, chief executive officer, South Asia and Middle East, Worldline.

An Android Point of Sale terminal allows for download of wholesale merchant apps and enables easy credit solutions for consumers.

Further, Worldline will offer value-added services on top of basic payments, which is expected to help enhance profitability.

Smartphone-based payment entities like Paytm have a smart PoS terminal in the market, while Mswipe has the Wise PoS Plus, an Android terminal.

Worldline is also keeping its options open for acquisitions to access the latest technology in this space. Atos, its largest shareholder, has cut its 23.4% stake in Worldline, and this is an option to raise funds independently, Chandnani said.

Worldline will continue to offer its current card machines in partnership with banks. It has already installed more than one million terminals in the country.

“Our concentration on India keeps growing because of the revenues we generate here. Now, we are entering newer geographies like Bhutan, Sri Lanka and exporting products from India to Europe as well,” he said.

In the March quarter this year, Worldline reported total revenue of almost 560 million euros, a 6.2% jump from last year.