The Commerce Commission has blocked epay’s proposed acquisition of Ezi-Pay. epay and Ezi-Pay distribute pre-paid products such as calling cards and gift cards. The Commission found that the transaction would lead to substantially diminished competition in the market for distribution and in-store payment processing of pre-paid mobile phone top-ups. The following were deemed to exercise insufficient constraints upon the merged entity:
expansion of existing competitors;
new entry;mobile phone companies persuading consumers to switch to topping-up direct;
new entry;direct integration between mobile phone companies and large retail outlets;
new entry;
countervailing power of mobile phone companies.
Full content: Commerce Commission
Related content: Anticompetitive Regulation in the Payment Card Industry
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
ConocoPhillips Acquires Marathon Oil for $22.5 Billion in Major Energy Sector Consolidation
May 29, 2024 by
CPI
Judge Denies Amazon’s Bid to Dismiss FTC Lawsuit Over Prime Membership Practices
May 29, 2024 by
CPI
Germany and France Advocate for Major EU Competition Reform
May 29, 2024 by
CPI
Equifax Accused of Monopolizing Employment Verification Market in New Suit
May 29, 2024 by
CPI
Car Battery Makers to Challenge EU Cartel Charges in Brussels
May 29, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Merger Guidelines Retrospective
May 21, 2024 by
CPI
Mergers of Complements
May 21, 2024 by
CPI
Personality Traits, Private Equity, and Merger Analysis
May 21, 2024 by
CPI
The 2023 Merger Guidelines: Lessons in the Importance of Incipiency, Modern Economics, and Monopsony
May 21, 2024 by
CPI
The 2023 Merger Guidelines: Sharpening Merger Analysis
May 21, 2024 by
CPI