BLIK takes over VIAMO, a Slovak mobile payment platform - the first step in foreign expansion
Polish Payment Standard, operator of the BLIK mobile payment system, has signed a purchase agreement for 100 percent of shares of the Slovak company VIAMO – a provider of P2P payment services and payments to businesses. It will enter into force after obtaining the approval of the central bank of Slovakia – Národná banka Slovenska (NBS). For BLIK, the acquisition of the technological company from Bratislava is an important step in international development.
BLIK’s operator, the Polish Payment Standard, in addition to expanding its offer on the Polish market is also looking towards foreign expansion. The company wants to utilize its unique know-how and close the gap existing in many countries in the field of local payment systems focused on servicing the rapidly growing e-commerce segment.
BLIK is widely known as a comprehensive payment system on the Polish market. Today, this solution is actively used by over 11.3 million customers and this number is growing with each subsequent quarter. We have gained enormous knowledge, which we want to use also for development outside our country. Already two years ago, we started establishing partnerships with global payment service providers. The acquisition of the Slovak company VIAMO is another important step for us, which will strengthen our position in the region. We see a huge potential of this market, especially in the context of our action plans throughout the euro area
- says Dariusz Mazurkiewicz, President of the Polish Payment Standard, BLIK operator.
VIAMO has been operating on the Slovak market since 2013. The company has the status of a payment institution and provides services in the field of P2P payments and payments to businesses based on QR codes and payment links. The company is also a payment gateway provider - VIAMO PayGate. Currently, it works closely with 2 banks - Tatra banka (member of RBI Group) and VÚB (member of Intesa Sanpaolo Group). Its services, however, can be used by customers of all banks in Slovakia via VIAMO Plus mobile application.
We are constantly developing and establishing partnerships that attract more and more users to our service. Already, nearly 300,000 people use our applications and services. However, we want to achieve more and increase the scale of our operations. Therefore, we have no doubts that BLIK's unique and successful competences, especially in the field of e-commerce, as well as capital support, will significantly make VIAMO’s offer on the Slovak market much more attractive and will allow for expansion in other euro area countries. We have just gained a reliable partner who, having the appropriate know-how and understanding the specifics of our business, will help us get ahead
– says Lubo Požgay, CEO, VIAMO, a.s.
The agreement for the purchase of VIAMO shares, which was signed in Warsaw on 11 August 2022, will enter into force after obtaining the approval of the central bank of Slovakia – Národná banka Slovenska (NBS). The parties did not disclose the value of the transaction.
BLIK is a common standard for mobile payments. Currently, virtually every customer of domestic payment institutions offering a mobile application has the option of using BLIK in mobile banking applications. The company Polish Payment Standard (PSP) is responsible for the development of the system. PSP is constantly developing BLIK's capabilities so that the system is as functional as possible for its users. The shareholders of PSP are: Alior Bank, Bank Millennium, Santander Bank Polska, ING Bank Śląski, mBank, PKO Bank Polski and Mastercard.
VIAMO, in cooperation with the largest banks, has developed and operates the Slovak P2P payment ecosystem and provides payment services to businesses. VIAMO simplifies P2P payments by linking bank account numbers to telephone numbers.
For additional information please contact:
Klaudia Rombalska
BLIK Press Office
E-mail: klaudia.rombalska@clearcom.pl
