Commission européenne, DG COMP MERGER REGISTRY, 1049 Bruxelles, BELGIQUE  
Europese Commissie, DG COMP MERGER REGISTRY, 1049 Brussel,   BELGIË  
 
Tel: +32 229 -91111. Fax: +32 229 -64301. E -mail: COMP -MERGER -REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu . 
  EUROPEAN COMMISSION  
Brussels, 20.7.2021  
C(2021 ) 5567 final  
PUBLIC VERSION  
Global Payments Inc.  
3550 Lenox Road  
Atlanta, Georgia 30326  
United States of America  
 
Erste Group Bank AG  
Am Belvedere 1  
1100 Vienna  
Austria  
Subject : Case M. 10348  – GLOBAL PAYMENTS / ERSTE GROUP / PAYONE 
BUSINESSES  
Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation 
(EC) No 139/20041 and Article 57 of the Agreement on the European 
Economic Area2  
Dear Sir or Madam,  
1. On 28 June 2021 , the European Commission received notification of a proposed 
concentration pursuant to Article 4  of the Merger  Regulation by which  Global 
Payments Inc.  (‘Global Payments’, USA) and Erste Group Bank AG (‘Erste Group’, 
Austria)  acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Me rger Regulation joint 
control of the Austrian point -of-sale (‘ POS’) merchant acquiring and POS terminal 
provision and management businesses (the ‘PAYONE Austrian Divestment 
Business’) of Ingenico Group S.A. (‘Ingenico’, France), belonging to Worldline S.A.  
(‘Worldline’, France)  by way of purchase of assets .3 
2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:  
 for Global Payments : a financial services company that  provides various 
payments solutions to merchants, issuers, businesses and consumers worldwide,  
                                                 
1 OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 ( the ‘Merger Regulation ’). With effect from 1 December 2009,  the Treaty on 
the Functioning of the European Union ( ‘TFEU ’) has introduced certain changes, such as the 
replacement of ‘Community ’ by ‘Union ’ and ‘common market ’ by ‘internal market ’. The terminology 
of the TFEU will be used throughout this decision.  
2  OJ L 1, 3.1.1994, p.  3 (the ‘EEA Agreement ’). 
3  Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No C 269, 7.7.2021 , p. 5. 

 
2  for Erste Group : an Austrian financial services group which offers banking and 
financial service s in Central and Eastern Europe,  
 for the PAYONE Austrian Divestment Business: providing POS merchant 
acquiring services and POS terminal provision an d management services in 
Austria . 
3. After examination of the notification, the European Commission has concluded that 
the notified operation falls within the scope of the Merger  Regulation  and of 
paragraph 5(c) of the Commission Notice on a simplified proced ure for treatment of 
certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 .4 
4. For the reasons set out in the Notice on a simplified procedure, the European 
Commission has decided not to oppose the notified operation and to declare it 
compatible with the internal market and with the EEA Agreement. This decision is 
adopted in application of Article 6(1)(b) of the Merger  Regulation  and Article 57 of 
the EEA Agre ement . 
For the Commission  
 
 
(Signed)  
Olivier GUERSENT  
Director -General  
                                                 
4  OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5 .