# C_2012385EN.01001501.xml

| 14.12.2012 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 385/15 |
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14.12.2012

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 385/15

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Prior notification of a concentration

(Case COMP/M.6814 — Elavon/Banco Santander/JV)

Candidate case for simplified procedure

(Text with EEA relevance)

2012/C 385/09

| 1. | On 6 December 2012, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1) by which Banco Santander SA (‘Banco Santander’, Spain) and Elavon Financial Services Limited (‘Elavon’, Ireland), controlled by US Bancorp (‘US Bancorp’, USA) acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation joint control of a newly created joint venture (the ‘JV’, Spain) by way of purchase shares. |
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1.

On 6 December 2012, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1) by which Banco Santander SA (‘Banco Santander’, Spain) and Elavon Financial Services Limited (‘Elavon’, Ireland), controlled by US Bancorp (‘US Bancorp’, USA) acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation joint control of a newly created joint venture (the ‘JV’, Spain) by way of purchase shares.

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| 2. | The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:






  — | Banco Santander: international banking and financial group active in Spain and internationally in retail banking, asset management, corporate and investment banking, treasury and insurance, |
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2.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

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Banco Santander: international banking and financial group active in Spain and internationally in retail banking, asset management, corporate and investment banking, treasury and insurance,

| — | Elavon: provision of merchant services in respect of card transactions to merchants at an international level; corporate trust securitization administration and related administration services for structured and securitized transactions; and corporate payment systems (including issuance of corporate bankcards) to multinational corporations and governments with complex payments processing needs, |
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Elavon: provision of merchant services in respect of card transactions to merchants at an international level; corporate trust securitization administration and related administration services for structured and securitized transactions; and corporate payment systems (including issuance of corporate bankcards) to multinational corporations and governments with complex payments processing needs,

| — | US Bancorp: bank holding company incorporated in Delaware, |
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US Bancorp: bank holding company incorporated in Delaware,

| — | the JV: will be active in the market for merchant acquiring services mainly in Spain. |
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the JV: will be active in the market for merchant acquiring services mainly in Spain.

| 3. | On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of the EC Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved. Pursuant to the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under the EC Merger Regulation (2) it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in the Notice. |
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3.

On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of the EC Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved. Pursuant to the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under the EC Merger Regulation (2) it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in the Notice.

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| 4. | The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed operation to the Commission.
  Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. Observations can be sent to the Commission by fax (+32 22964301), by email to COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu or by post, under reference number COMP/M.6814 — Elavon/Banco Santander/JV, to the following address:





  European Commission |
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| Directorate-General for Competition |
| Merger Registry |
| J-70 |
| 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel |
| BELGIQUE/BELGIË |

4.

The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed operation to the Commission.

Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. Observations can be sent to the Commission by fax (+32 22964301), by email to COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu or by post, under reference number COMP/M.6814 — Elavon/Banco Santander/JV, to the following address:

European Commission

Directorate-General for Competition

Merger Registry

J-70

1049 Bruxelles/Brussel

BELGIQUE/BELGIË

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(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘EC Merger Regulation’).

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(2)  OJ C 56, 5.3.2005, p. 32 (‘Notice on a simplified procedure’).

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