EMEA Daily: Worldline Acquires 40% Stake in Dutch PSP Online Payment Platform

In today’s Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) news, Worldline announced that it is set to acquire a stake in Online Payment Platform and London-based Liberis raised $154M to expand its small business funding platform.

Worldline Acquires 40% Stake in Dutch PSP Online Payment Platform

Global payment services firm Worldline is set to acquire a 40% stake in Online Payment Platform (OPP), with the deal expected to close by the end of 2022.

OPP is a payment service provider (PSP) with a dedicated payment solution for marketplaces and platforms with a focus on eCommerce. Worldline’s stake in OPP will enrich its value proposition in the marketplaces and platforms vertical, and the deal also includes a call option to buy the remaining 60% in 2026.

FCA: Crypto Firms Denied Licenses Are Re-Applying

Many crypto companies who were refused licenses to operate in Britain are submitting new applications, according to Sheldon Mills, an executive director for competition of consumers at the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

“It’s no surprise that I still see many crypto firms still seeking to get licenses here in the UK even though some have been denied those licenses at the first pass,” Mills said, per Reuters. “They know we have a good system of regulation and if they meet our standards that’s important for every jurisdiction that they seek to apply for around the world.”

Liberis Raises $154M to Expand Small Business Funding Platform

London-based embedded business finance platform Liberis has raised £140m (about $154 million) in financing to expand its funding program for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs).

The financing brings Liberis’ total funding to £350 million pounds. The company said it has given nearly $1 billion to more than 21,000 SMBs across the U.K., Europe and the United States.

TPP Group Delivers Framework Overview for Pan-European Payments

The European Third Party Providers Association (ETPPA) has submitted an overview of its framework proposal for pan-European retail payments at any point of interaction (POI) that would help facilitate interoperability and competition.

It proposes to align the interests of banks and FinTechs with little assistance from European officials, using existing building blocks for instant retail payments instead of trying to introduce a single new solution to the market. The ETPPA also said its framework “challenges the cards and wallets from the East and the West with superior technology.”

Madeira Gets a Digital Twin in the Metaverse

The first 500 plots of virtual real estate in “Madalia World,” a virtual version of the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira, have been listed on the non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace Exclusible as part of a government-endorsed “digital twin” project.

The project is a collaboration between the regional government, Exclusible and Dimmersions, a virtual and augmented reality technology company. Once the virtual world goes live, owners of the land parcels will be able to build on their plots, but they can also sell or rent the land.

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