Worldline sells India business to BillDesk for €60m

European payments company Worldline has agreed to sell its Indian payment activities to Mumbai-based PayTech BillDesk for approximately €60 million, as part of a broader strategy to streamline operations and refocus on its core European markets.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to customary regulatory and closing conditions.

Alongside the divestment, the two companies have entered into a long-term technology agreement under which Worldline will continue to provide its payment software to BillDesk. The arrangement is intended to support business continuity and enable the Indian operations to scale under domestic ownership.

The company will retain its global competence centres (GCCs) in India to support Western European operations. These centres are expected to evolve into innovation hubs focused on automation, generative AI and agentic AI, while building specialised payments talent.

The divestment forms part of Worldline’s wider strategic repositioning to sharpen its focus on core payment activities in Europe and optimise resource allocation. In recent months, the group has also exited several non-core businesses, including MeTS, its North American operations, Cetrel and PaymentIQ.

The move reflects a broader trend in the payments sector, where international firms are reassessing geographic priorities amid intensifying local competition and regulatory complexity in high-growth markets such as India. For BillDesk, the acquisition strengthens its domestic scale and merchant reach, while reinforcing the growing role of local champions in the country’s rapidly expanding digital payments ecosystem.