PARIS, FRANCE: Worldline, a global leader in payment services, announced an agreement for the acquisition of a 40% stake in Online Payment Platform B.V., (OPP) an online Payment Service Provider with a dedicated payment solution for marketplaces and platforms.

Marketplaces and platforms: a fast growing e-commerce market

Transactions through marketplaces and platforms make up approximately one third of the European e-commerce volumes and are expected to increase to more than half in 2025.

Business and consumer habits across the globe have undoubtedly evolved during the Covid-19 pandemic. From accelerating e-commerce trends and the transition from cash to digital payments, to encouraging innovative companies and disruptive entrepreneurs to launch new platforms, whilst existing retailers were stimulated to create their own marketplaces.

Traditionally, the majority of e-commerce transactions take place on B2C web shops where payments are supported by a few global PSPs. The dynamics of marketplace and platform payments however require expertise that differs from the traditional e-commerce market.

Such skills involve dealing with large quantities of merchants with a relatively low volume of sales, and the handling of escrow payments with dispute and mediation management even between consumers for marketplaces that cover as well C2C (ie Consumer to Consumer) business.

Online Payment Platform (OPP), a Dutch online PSP focused on e-commerce marketplaces

Founded in 2011, Online Payment Platform (OPP) is a Dutch online PSP co-led by its founder Richard Straver, and Maurice Jongmans, CEO. The company focuses on digital payments for marketplaces and platforms with a specific focus in the C2C segment.

With a team of over 60 employees they offer their services in the entire European Union and the UK, passporting their Dutch PI licence which they obtained in 2014.

Online Payment Platformserves over a hundred marketplaces and platforms, such as e-Bay Kleinanzeigen, Marktplaats (both part of Adevinta), Gumtree, Royal FloraHolland and PayPal. OPP has a strong expertise in customer support for marketplaces, including fast merchant onboarding and dispute management.

In this rapidly changing industry, Online Payment Platform is perfectly positioned to comprehensively target the C2C marketplaces’ need to outsource their payment requirements and to focus on significant growth opportunities in the B2B and B2C marketplaces segments.

Richard Straver, founder of OPP, stated: “We are proud to join forces with the European leader in payments, Worldline. We can leverage each other’s strengths to improve the service offering to OPP’s client base, and roll it out to new geographies for new clients. Our team is delighted to join the Worldline family and embark on this incredibly exciting next growth chapter.”

Strategic rationale

OPP was looking for a global strategic partner to accelerate its growth and to expand within Worldline core European markets to be able to quickly capture the fast growing market opportunity of marketplaces and platforms. Worldline, being a global payments leader, fits that profile perfectly.

The transaction enriches the growth profile of Worldline, and enables synergy for both parties involved through Worldline’s sale infrastructure. This transaction is perfectly in line with Worldline’s strategic roadmap as it expands its exposure into e-commerce and brings a proven technological brick with a unique solution built from the ground up.

Marc-Henri Desportes, Deputy CEO of Worldline, stated: “I am very happy to announce today that we’ve signed an agreement for this strategic investment in Online Payment Platform. This enables Worldline to get access to the exciting growth market of digital marketplaces and platforms via OPP’s European footprint and market leading scalable technology, as we continue to establish Worldline as a truly global paytech leader.”