Jan 22 2019

AnaCap-backed payment services provider heidelpay acquires Universum Group in Germany

AnaCap-backed payment services provider heidelpay acquires Universum Group in Germany

  • 5th bolt-on acquisition announced since AnaCap’s initial investment in 2017
  • Innovative FinTech payments group continues its significant growth trajectory with revenues increasing more than 5.5x to €90m and transaction volume expected to reach circa€8bn, driven by a 5x increase in the number of transactions to 140mn
  • Further strategic milestone delivered to create a technology enabled market leading, omni-channel and multi-jurisdiction payment solutions provider in the DACH region

heidelpay Group (“heidelpay”), a leading German FinTech payment services provider backed by AnaCap Financial Partners (“AnaCap”), the specialist European financial services private equity firm, today announces the acquisition of UNIVERSUM Group (“UNIVERSUM”).

UNIVERSUM is an innovative Frankfurt-based payment service and debt collection provider that specialises in “PayLater” solutions – the largest and fastest growing payment method in DACH for e-commerce merchants. UNIVERSUM’s platform covers the entire receivables lifecycle, from credit-checking to recovery once debt collection is required, both in Germany and globally.

UNIVERSUM represents the fifth bolt-on acquisition for heidelpay since AnaCap’s initial investment in September 2017 and continues the core strategy to build out the Group’s payments omni-channel, product and distribution capabilities, while expanding its strong growth footprint to service SME and large merchants in the DACH region with innovative solutions.

This acquisition further accelerates heidelpay’s already significant organic growth rate and represents an important strategic milestone in both its portfolio expansion and diversification.

UNIVERSUM’s “FlexiPay®” suite will be incorporated as part of heidelpay’s existing product range and will support the expansion of its already dominant position as an independent one-stop-shop provider of proprietary payment methods in the European market. Acquiring a leading “PayLater” solution marks yet another step towards accelerating the growth of an omni-channel disruptor in the DACH e-commerce space.

Globally, processed e-commerce volumes are estimated to reach close to €4 trillion in 2019 and the ongoing expansion of heidelpay, through both organic and inorganic initiatives, continues to position the Company favourably to capture this highly attractive growth opportunity.

Mirko Hüllemann, founder and CEO of heidelpay, commented:
“This latest acquisition is an important milestone for our future. UNIVERSUM and heidelpay have an established track record of working together in a close and successful manner – so the takeover was a logical next step for both parties. We will now look to drive growth and offer solutions along the entire payment supply chain from a single source. FlexiPay®, the white label solution for PayLater and instalment, is already integrated smoothly into all product offerings by heidelpay.”

Tassilo Arnhold, Managing Director at AnaCap Financial Partners LLP, confirmed:
“This add-on acquisition is the fifth in rapid succession for heidelpay and is another important strategic milestone in our drive to create a market leading, omni-channel and multi-jurisdiction payment solutions provider in the DACH region. The payments landscape in the EU remains hugely exciting and is seeing rapid consolidation of a highly fragmented industry as well as the application of technological innovation to capture market share and generate value.”

The proposed financial details for this arrangement were not disclosed.