As the digital payment landscape grows across the globe, acquisitions become a timely strategy for expansion and integrating technological advancements. The acquisition of Handpoint by Electronic Payments, Inc. (EPI) from New York exemplifies such a strategic move. This transaction not only enhances EPI’s global footprint but also deepens its technological prowess in payment solutions, marking another step towards consolidation in the seamless commerce solutions market.
Electronic Payments, Inc. (EPI) announced its intention to merge its cutting-edge payment solutions with those of UK-based Handpoint. Both companies have previously pursued independent growth and development, as evidenced by past strategic partnerships and technological advancements. This acquisition marks a different approach, focusing on unified growth and expanded market capabilities. By integrating Handpoint’s expertise in mobile and integrated payment solutions with EPI’s established merchant network, the companies aim to harness and expand their reach across diverse global markets.
What are Electronic Payments’ goals with this acquisition?
EPI is poised to leverage Handpoint’s technology to solidify its presence in the global embedded payments sector. The company’s founder, Michael Nardy, outlined the strategic synergy, emphasizing the combined offering’s compatibility with various regional markets.
“Our vision from day one has been to own the rails. EPI now delivers immediate reach for POS and ISV partners in dozens of markets where most competitors are still stuck stateside,” said Nardy.
Through this acquisition, EPI aspires to release developers and merchants from the confines of traditional payment infrastructures, enabling seamless transitions across geographic regions.
How will the acquisition impact global market reach?
The integration aims to simplify and unify payment solutions with minimal technological disruption. Combining their technology, EPI and Handpoint can now offer enhanced API functionalities and cloud-managed services, facilitating smoother regional deployments. Handpoint’s CEO, David Gudjonsson, described the unified vision:
“We’re giving developers and merchants a passport to global markets—no extra hardware certs, no code rewrites, just plug-and-play payments,” Gudjonsson emphasized.
This integration stands to benefit clients by offering solutions that transcend traditional geographic and technical barriers.
In practical terms, this collaboration delivers improved capabilities for multi-currency transactions and unified APIs that reduce integration complexities. Such solutions increase flexibility for merchants, reducing PCI DSS scope, while offering ISOs and ISVs the ability to brand and manage terminals on a large scale.
Increased efficiency in payment processes is anticipated, given the complementary nature of both companies’ technologies and market reach. By offering support across different continents, including Africa, Canada, and several European markets, EPI can now facilitate transactions in more than 13 currencies under a unified contract.
Historically, EPI and Handpoint have both experienced substantial growth individually. Handpoint’s development of payment technology since 2014 allowed the firm to feature integrations with a variety of software companies and payment initiatives. EPI’s growth has largely been U.S.-centric until now. This acquisition broadens the potential market for both entities and introduces them to new regions.
The acquisition can be beneficial for streamlining transcontinental payment operations, offering a unified payment infrastructure to existing and new markets. Key aspects like international market penetration, reduced operational overhead, and expanded service offerings provide strategic leverage for EPI. Replicating and enhancing successful payment solutions across geographically distinct markets could secure a robust positioning within the payment processing industry.
