ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), a global provider of real-time electronic and eCommerce payment and banking solutions, announced today it will partner with Verifone (NYSE: PAY), a global provider of payments and commerce solutions, to deliver a comprehensive pan-European card payments platform for Auchan Group, one of Europe’s largest food retailers.

Auchan relies on ACI’s market-leading, omni-channel UP Retailer Payments solution as the foundation for its cross-border payments strategy. In addition, the ACI solution will integrate with Verifone’s VX 820 PIN pads and ‘payment as a service’ provision to manage all types of card and non-card transactions in-store.

The new payments platform will also be compliant with the nexo standards, a set of unified card payments standards that aim to drive interoperability across countries, championed by a growing number of retailers across Europe that want to roll them out in the near future.

Andrew Quartermaine, Head of Merchant Retail Europe, ACI Worldwide comments:

“ACI has worked closely with Auchan for a number of years and we are delighted to be delivering this innovative payment acceptance offering to position the company for future growth. ACI, Verifone, and Auchan share the same disruptive payments vision and we are pleased to open up our flexible multi-vendor, acquirer-agnostic solution to work collaboratively with Verifone in support of Auchan. We believe that many other major retailers will follow Auchan’s lead in helping to shape European payments.”

Jean-Philippe Niedergang, VP and GM Southern Europe, Verifone says:

“At Verifone, our focus is on delivering simple and secure payment solutions that improve consumer engagement at the point of sale, allowing retailers like Auchan to sell more and grow. Our proven payment-as-a-service platform is already used by some of the biggest brands in France and there are over 3.5 million VX 820 PIN pads installed globally. Verifone will provide deployment and maintenance services for Auchan to ensure its business is always on, and our collaboration with ACI means this leading innovative retailer will have a complete end-to-end solution that manages all types of payment and non-payment transactions, delivering a great shopping experience.”

Arnaud Crouzet, Head of Group Global Payments Development, Auchan Group comments:

“This new platform, which complies with the nexo standards, is part of our strategy for a safer, more open and more accessible European centralized payments platform. The partnership with ACI Worldwide and Verifone means we will be able to work with open and flexible solutions. Both companies are open-minded and understand our needs for a new growing market.”

The new platform is expected to go live later in 2016 across all Auchan stores in France, providing the ultimate shopping experience for consumers.

About ACI Worldwide

ACI Worldwide, the Universal Payments (UP) company, powers electronic payments for more than 5,000 organizations around the world. More than 1,000 of the largest financial institutions and intermediaries as well as 300 of the leading global retailers rely on ACI to execute $14 trillion each day in payments. In addition, thousands of organizations utilize our electronic bill presentment and payment services. Through our comprehensive suite of software and SaaS-based solutions, we deliver real-time, any-to-any payments capabilities and enable the industry’s most complete omni-channel payments experience. To learn more about ACI, please visit www.aciworldwide.com. You can also find us on Twitter @ACI_Worldwide.

About Verifone

Verifone is transforming everyday transactions into opportunities for connected commerce. We’re connecting payment devices to the cloud - merging the online and in-store shopping experience and creating the next generation of digital engagement between merchants and consumers. We are built on a 30-year history of uncompromised security with approximately 29 million devices and terminals deployed worldwide. Our people are known as trusted experts that work with our clients and partners, helping to solve their most complex payments challenges. We have clients and partners in more than 150 countries, including the world’s best-known retail brands, financial institutions and payment providers.

About Auchan Retail

Auchan Retail is the world's 11th largest food retailer. It operates in 16 countries and employs 332,900 employees. It is structured into 3 channels: hypermarkets, convenience stores and e-commerce. Auchan Retail manages a network of 962 hypermarkets and 2,874 convenience stores under the banners, 170 drives and e-commerce, m-commerce and click & collect activities. In 2014, the firm reached a consolidated revenue excluding taxes of €51.9bn.

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