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Dutch fintech heavyweight Mollie BV has struck a deal to acquire U.K.-based payments provider GoCardless for €1.1 billion ($1.28 billion), setting the stage for a sweeping European payments network serving more than 350,000 merchants and reshaping competition across the region’s financial rails.

Regulatory Approval Pending for 2026 Completion

Mollie, backed by private-equity titan Blackstone Inc., said Thursday the takeover hinges on regulatory approval, with both sides projecting the transaction will close by mid-2026. If finalized, the merger will fuse two fast-growing players into one of Europe’s largest unified bank-payments platforms.

Legal and Financial Advisers Mobilize Across Multiple Jurisdictions

Mollie is being advised by Ashurst LLP, led by technology M&A partner Chris Grey, while Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP guides Blackstone Growth under private-equity partner Simon Lyell.

Parent company Groupay Inc., which owns the Google-backed GoCardless, is represented by Linklaters LLP, with corporate partners Fionnghuala Griggs, Elena Rubinov and Marleen Wessel steering the deal. BofA Securities and Lazard Inc. are acting as GoCardless’ financial advisers.

Clifford Chance LLP is also advising GoCardless in the transaction.

A Push Beyond Cards: Mollie Sees Major Gains in Bank-Debit Innovation

Mollie CEO Koen Köppen said the acquisition solves a critical flaw in digital payments: “A card-only approach has its limits, leading to high costs due to failed payments and customer churn. GoCardless built the definitive solution to optimize this process with its global bank payment network.”

By absorbing GoCardless’ technology, Mollie aims to deliver a single, seamless operating hub for merchants—supporting card processing, regional payment methods, and advanced bank-to-bank capabilities under one umbrella.

Merchants With Recurring Revenue Models Stand to Benefit

According to both companies, the integrated platform will boost reliability and reduce costs for merchants handling international transactions or recurring payments, such as subscription-based businesses, SaaS firms and utility providers.

The union also enhances Mollie’s multi-market reach. Valued at $6.5 billion in 2021, the Amsterdam-founded company has rapidly expanded across Europe with tools for online and in-person payments, reconciliation, fraud prevention and small-business financing.

Two Fast-Growing Fintechs Bridge European Markets

Mollie, launched in 2004, already supports card schemes, digital wallets and local payment rails across 30+ European markets. GoCardless, founded in London in 2011, processes bank-debit and open-banking transactions for more than 100,000 businesses worldwide.

Despite widespread industry attention on the deal, Mollie BV, GoCardless and Blackstone declined further comment.