Payments

Checkout.com, a London-based provider of online payment solutions has raised 230 million dollar (206 million euros). It's Europe's largest fintech Series A round ever. It's the first time the payment solutions provider is taking funding from outside investors.

Apple Pay is coming soon to the Netherlands. And the first partner is known. Major bank ING will be the one introducing Apple Pay on the Dutch market. It's not exactly clear when consumers will be able to pay with Apple Pay in the Netherlands.

eBay is introducing its Managed Payments offering in Germany, making this the second country, after the United States, where eBay gives consumers flexibility and choice in payment methods.

Fidelity National Information Services, a major financial service technology company from the US, has announced it will acquire Worldpay for over 30 billion euros. It's the largest deal to date in the quickly growing electronic payments industry.

Ant Financial, the Alibaba-owned fintech company, has acquired currency exchange and payments company WorldFirst. By taking over the UK company, Chinese internet giant Alibaba can take a major step into Europe.

Nets, a payment service provider from the Nordics, has announced its strategic alliance with Przelewy24. This is a major online payment service provider from Poland. This news comes after Nets recently acquired Dotpay/eCard.

iDeal, the most popular payment method in the Netherlands, is being used more and more on mobile devices. Currently, seven out of ten iDeal payments are done from a smartphone or tablet. Mobile person-to-person payments are particularly popular.

Alipay, the fintech company owned by Alibaba, has obtained an electronic money license in Luxembourg. With this license, Alipay can serve the European market. The Asian payments company is already present with a licensed entity in London, but it can now serve customers across Europe.

Online retailer Otto says it's the first ecommerce company in Germany that enables instant payments for its customers. Thanks to a cooperation with Hanseatic Bank, Otto claims it's able to offer a better service, like faster delivery, now customers can transfer money instantly.

Google Pay has continued its global expansion and is now also available in France. Customers from six different banks in France can start using Google's mobile payment service. Google Pay can also be used at several online services and retailers in France.

Klarna has launched its own financing program for SME retailers in Europe. The new initiative is called Boost and is aimed to further support retailers in accelerating their growth. The company promises the application process will be simple and straightforward.

Online retailers that use the services of PayU can now offer Google Pay in their ecommerce websites and mobile apps. Two years ago, the Polish payment service provider was also chosen as a partner for Google to introduce its payment method Google Pay to Poland.

Payments companies Klarna and Mollie will work together more intensively in Europe. As of today, the payment solutions from Klarna will be available as standard for the more than 55,000 customers Mollie has in Europe.

H&M and Klarna have entered into a global partnership. Among other services, this partnership will power the H&M Club1 payment program, provide an enhanced omnichannel payment offering for customers and a streamlined post-purchase service in the mobile H&M app.

Paypal introduced PayPal Checkout with Smart Payment Buttons in the US three months ago, to give consumers more choice in how they can pay. Now, the international payments company has launched these payment buttons in Europe.