The Antitrust Authority has launched an investigation procedure to evaluate the merger by incorporation of Sia into Nexi. This was announced by a note from the Agcm. The operation, we read, involves different operators – both from the point of view of demand and from that of supply – and affects numerous areas of the digital payments sector: in particular, merchant acquiring, processing and card issuing services. of payment, retail clearing of payments, transmission of interbank data and also services for the supply and maintenance of ATMs ».
According to the Authority, the merger of Sia into Nexi “could therefore lead to the establishment or strengthening of a dominant position by the new entity”. The procedure must be completed within forty-five days.
“Excellent news.” This is the first comment by Massimiliano Dona, president of the National Consumers Union. “We need everything – underlines Dona – except for a reduction in competition in the digital payments sector, a strategic sector for modernizing the country and on which the Government is focusing with Italia Cashless, the plan to encourage the use of cards and payment app ».
In Piazza Affari, after the news of the Antitrust investigation, the stock of Nexi led by Paolo Bertoluzzo, at the start, came to lose more than 2%.