First Data To Buy Austrian Payment Systems Services
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
August 5, 2005 11:59 a.m.
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--First Data Corp. (FDC) agreed to acquire Austrian Payment Systems Services GmbH, a processor of cashless, card-based payment transactions. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.
In a press release Friday, David Yates, president, Europe, Middle East and Africa for First Data International, said the purchase of Vienna-based APSS "fits perfectly within our strategy of expansion across Central and Eastern Europe."
First Data, Greenwood, Colo., an electronic-commerce and payment-services company, expanded into Greece in 2004 and this year into Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Hungary, Montenegro, Serbia and the Nordic region.
Under terms of the agreement, APSS' headquarters will remain in Austria and the company will continue to manage its relationships with Austrian banks locally.
The transaction, which awaits approval by Austrian regulators, is expected to close in the fourth quarter.
First Data shares were recently trading down 20 cents, or 0.5%, at $42.50.
Company Web sites: firstdatacorp.com; apss.at |
