Ogone acquires Tunz.com to expand its mobile payment solutions offer and enriches its overall platform with the functionalities of an e-money institution
Also signs collaboration agreement with Belgacom
Brussels, 17 July 2012 – Ogone, the specialist in the online support of payment services, mobile payments pioneer Tunz.com, and telecom, IT & Media specialist Belgacom Group have signed a strategic agreement in which Ogone acquires 100% of ownership of Tunz.com and which states that the three companies will further develop their cooperation in the domain of electronic and mobile payments.
Belgacom had a 40% stake in Tunz.com and is a longtime partner of Ogone.
Ogone payments service logoThe acquisition of Tunz.com means that the Ogone platform now includes a regulated e-money institution. In other words: it enables the Ogone group to offer all the services for which a license as an e-money institution or a payment services provider is required in the European Union. In addition to its existing portfolio, the Ogone group will be able to provide numerous international financial services to its e-merchants looking to sell cross-border with just one simple contract, as well as offering a complete end to end environment for mobile payment. The Ogone group has more than 35,000 e-merchant clients worldwide.
The acquisition is an important milestone in Ogone’s growth strategy, increasing both its breadth of services and its geographical reach by enabling its e-merchant clients to enhance their cross border sales significantly. Ogone will be able to offer its e-merchant clients more than 80 different international payment methods with a single, simple contract, enabling them to sell to millions of new customers and helping them to avoid the administrative hassle of opening foreign accounts and organizing contracts with several acquirers.
The takeover is also inspired by the huge mobile growth in the current e-payment market and Ogone’s subsequent continuous search for ways to enrich its range of solutions. Via Tunz.com, Ogone will be able to provide a complete end to end environment for mobile payment to banks and mobile operators, as well as support online merchants who want to create and store funds in virtual wallets.
“Now is the time to invest in bullet proof innovative mobile e-payment solutions. Our choice to acquire Tunz.com was therefore a natural one: the company has a solid track record in this space and it also provides one-stop solutions for financial services, both of which will represent tremendous added value to our trusted clients.
A great example is its successful co-development in Belgium with Belgacom on PingPing, Belgacom’s brand of mobile payment, that allows consumers to pay for public transport, postal services, web services, vending machines, selected enterprise restaurants, etc.,” explains Peter De Caluwe, chief executive of Ogone.
“Combining our capabilities with Ogone, which is one of the leading specialists in technological online payment solutions in Europe and whose offer is perfectly complementary with ours, will not only enhance the reach of our services but will strengthen our activities, as well as open the way for future developments to improve the comfort of online consumers everywhere in the world,” adds Jan Van Wijnendaele, managing director of Tunz.com.
“The agreement with Ogone will consolidate our successful partnership of these last three years and allow us to continue to expand our services,” concludes Bart Van Den Meersche, executive vice-president, Enterprise Business Unit at Belgacom. “Both leaders in our market segment, we have a mutual understanding about the growing need for intuitive and efficient mobile payments for services and for physical purchases. Belgacom and Ogone, through the agreement with Tunz.com, are partnering to enrich our technological mobile payment solutions for consumers and merchants. The potential of today’s mobile payment services in terms of users and applications is huge.”
It is promising to witness such a constructive synergy in the heart of the European Union which is currently so much investing in the digital agenda. This three-way achievement can only benefit the e-commerce industry and its end customers.
In accordance with the current legislation, the deal will become effective upon approval by the National Bank of Belgium.
About Ogone (www.ogone.com):
Ogone is a leading provider of payment solutions with international reach. More than 35,000 businesses worldwide trust Ogone to manage and secure their online payments, help prevent fraud and drive their business. The company is headquartered in Belgium, has operations in India through its acquisition of EBS in 2011 and maintains regional sales offices throughout the world, with offices in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, UK, UAE and the US.
Ogone is connected through certified links with more than 200 different banks and acquirers and hence is able to provide over 80 international, alternative and prominent local payment methods in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
Ogone’s portfolio of payment solutions helps online businesses to expand reach and increase checkout conversion. Additionally, companies benefit from the platform’s transactional functionalities, extensive back-office capabilities and advanced fraud prevention systems as well as future-proofing their business as Ogone is committed to providing new payment solutions as consumers adopt them.
A number of major organisations have also opted to use Ogone to handle their payments. These include Friends Provident, Tui, Thomas Cook, Halfords, Just Eat, Bose, Opodo, Club Med, DHL International, Viking Direct/Office Depot, Thalys International, Misco and Center Parcs.
Ogone is an independent company with Summit Partners as majority stakeholder and partner of the management team.
About Tunz.com (www.tunz.com):
Founded in January 2007, Tunz.com owns an e-Money issuer license which was granted by the National Bank of Belgium (BNB). As a licensed e-Money issuer, Tunz.com may collect monies in exchange for the issuance of electronic money recorded in e-Money accounts with Tunz. Thanks to its European passport, Tunz.com is also able to provide its services in all the 27 European Union member states.
The company has clearly developed a leading expertise in the field of mobile payments and is able to assist clients in the go-to-market and operational activity. All the technological solutions are developed entirely in house, which guarantees a total control of the platform.
In February 2009, Belgacom Group took a 40% stake in the company and entrusted Tunz with the entire technical and financial management of its brand of mobile payment solution: PingPing. 2012 Tunz.com was acquired by Ogone.
About Belgacom Group (www.belgacom.com):
Belgacom is a sustainable, innovative and customer centric service company operating in telecom, IT, and media.
As a responsible company, Belgacom wants to be the preferred provider of intuitive end-to-end solutions combining fixed and mobile telecom, IT and media, thereby empowering its customers to master and enrich their professional and private lives in a sustainable way.
