RS2 To Acquire Germany’s Kalicom Digital Payments System

Global payments provider RS2 announced its acquisition of Kalicom Liebers Zahlungssysteme KG on Wednesday (Jan. 22), which will be a boost for its goals in the field of payments processing, according to reports.

Kalicom specializes in commercial network operations for digital card payment systems. By buying Kalicom, RS2 has gained a bounty of “more than 4,000 terminals and an existing merchant book.” The company will have more capabilities to sell, install and service terminals, and more capacity to process card transactions for small and mid-sized German accounts.

The acquisition also gives RS2 a head start into the direct acquiring market. Spokesmen for the company said the transaction was another step to leading the marketplace for global acquiring and issuing.

Kalicom Founder Ralf Liebers said that, with RS2’s wider reach and technology, there could be brighter things on the horizon for the company.

RS2 COO and CFO Jens Mahlke added that his company had applied for a financial institution license to start its own direct acquiring business, which will begin in Europe. He said Kalicom’s terminals and digital payment business was a good complement to what RS2 wanted to do overall, and that the acquisition would be a “great continuation” of its strategy.

Daniela Mielke, CEO of RS2, said recently that partnerships with other companies to provide payments could be a better overall approach than changing entire business models, and relying on third-party groups to handle payment methods. She noted that customers can typically tell the difference when a company provides only basic payment options, such as cards or cash, as opposed to something seamless, lightning-quick and customized like Uber or Amazon. Those kinds of ultra-easy payment methods, simplified for efficiency, are a trend for even small businesses in 2020.

In Mielke’s opinion, the best payment method a customer can experience is “one they don’t have.”