“Worldline enhances online payment platform with SOFORT Banking”

Paris, 20 March 2014

Worldline, Atos subsidiary in e-payment services, has expanded its online payment platform with SOFORT Banking direct payment method. This will enable online merchants across Europe to benefit from a new addition to Worldline's efficient and secure payment processing portfolio. This direct payment method is already well-known in several European countries including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and will therefore extend Worldline's portfolio offering of Payment Means to its Merchants.

SOFORT AG is now cooperating with Worldline, one of the market leaders for e-payment services in Europe: In this context, the payment method of SOFORT Banking has been integrated in the online payment platform Sips e-payment offered globally by Worldline Merchant Services Online Payment. This allows online merchants using Sips e-payment to expand their existing payment methods. By using the direct payment method, buyers and sellers can benefit from even more flexibility and convenience as regards online payment processing.

"We are very pleased about the partnership with the European number one in online payment services. With SOFORT Banking, online merchants can offer a new fast and secure payment method in their online shops that can be used at an international level. This helps us to boost our expansion throughout the continent - and also in France - and allows customers to shop online across borders", says Dr. Gerrit Seidel, CEO of SOFORT AG.

The Sips e-payment solution is offered in approximately 45,000 online shops (direct and through major Banking partners in Europe) throughout the world - France, Benelux, Germany, UK, Spain, India and other Asian countries -, and is processing over 450 million transactions per year.

"We have decided to offer SOFORT Banking acceptance because of the growing popularity of the payment mean among users in Europe, and the benefits it brings to the merchants in addition to the existing selection of payment methods. Like SOFORT AG, we furthermore attach great importance to the security of the provided payment methods", says Christophe Duquenne, Head of Merchant Services from Worldline.

The payment method by SOFORT AG is already available in ten countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, the UK, Italy, Spain, and Poland). Since the launch of SOFORT Banking in 2005, approximately 45 million transactions have been processed. Meanwhile, more than 25,000 shops are using SOFORT Banking.

About Worldline

Worldline, an Atos subsidiary, is the European leader and a global player in the payments and transactional services industry. Worldline delivers new generation services, enabling its customers to offer smooth and innovative solutions to the end consumer. Key actor for B2B2C industries, with 40 years of experience, Worldline is ideally positioned to support and contribute to the success of all businesses and administrative services in a perpetually evolving market. Worldline offers a unique and flexible business model built around a global and growing portfolio, thus enabling end-to-end support. Worldline activities are organized around three axes: Merchant Services & Terminals, Mobility & e-Transactional Services, Financial Processing Services & Software Licensing. In 2013, Worldline's activities within the Atos Group generated (pro forma) revenues of 1.11 billion euros. The company employs more than 7,200 people worldwide. worldline.com

Worldline Press contact

Jose de Vries

+31 6 30 27 26 11

Jose.devries@atos.net

About SOFORT AG

With its payment system SOFORT Banking, SOFORT Banking Paycode and the Online Verification System SOFORT Ident, SOFORT AG offers innovative products to ensure a secure purchasing of goods and digital products on the Internet. The company based in Gauting near Munich (Germany) is part of the Klarna Group, Europe's leading alternative online payments provider. With its product SOFORT Banking SOFORT AG is the market leader among the direct transfer systems in Germany. Over 25,000 e-commerce shops handle more than three million transactions with SOFORT Banking per month. Besides Germany, the services can also be used in Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Italy, Spain, France and UK.

www.sofort.com