Dutch payments leader Mollie has struck a landmark agreement to acquire UK-based GoCardless in a deal valued at €1.05 billion, confirming months of speculation. The combination brings together two fast-growing European fintech names and creates a payments provider serving more than 350,000 businesses across the continent. The move also unites two companies with deep roots in the startup ecosystem.
Reportedly, this deal is largely stock-based, with around 90% paid in shares, while GoCardless maintains that it is too early to determine whether job cuts will follow.
Building a payments powerhouse
Both companies describe the union as the creation of a payments powerhouse, designed to solve one of the biggest challenges facing scaling businesses, which is fragmented payment systems. By combining card payments, local payment methods, and bank payments into a single solution, the integrated platform aims to streamline operations for SMEs and large enterprises alike.
For fast-growing companies, this consolidation offers a scalable partner capable of managing complex, cross-border payment needs. SMEs will gain access to advanced tools without the technical barriers that often come with enterprise-grade systems. Larger businesses, on the other hand, can simplify their European payment stack under one provider.
Founded by Hiroki Takeuchi, Matt Robinson, and Tom Blomfield, GoCardless has built a strong reputation in bank payments, enabling businesses to collect recurring and one-off payments through direct debit. The company has become a key player in subscription-driven models and open banking infrastructure. Mollie, founded by Adriaan Mol, processes tens of billions of euros in annual transaction volume and competes with global names like PayPal, Stripe, Adyen and major banks.
GoCardless’s strength in recurring revenue management stands out as a strategic advantage. Reliable bank payments reduce involuntary churn, lower transaction costs, and improve cash flow, making the combined offering especially attractive for subscription businesses, membership-based platforms, and SaaS models.
Local reach, global ambition
Another advantage lies in local market depth. The combined company will support hyperlocal onboarding, regional integrations, and popular payment methods like iDEAL in the Netherlands, Satispay in Italy, and Twint in Switzerland. This helps businesses expand globally without losing local relevance.
SaaS platforms using Mollie Connect will also be able to embed GoCardless’s bank payment network directly into their products, offering their customers both card and bank payments seamlessly. Additional services, such as Mollie Capital financing, advanced fraud monitoring, and detailed analytics, round out a comprehensive package.
The integration will take place gradually to ensure continuity for all customers. The transaction, backed by investors including Blackstone, Accel, Balderton, Permira and BlackRock, is expected to close by mid-2026, pending regulatory approval.
Koen Köppen, CEO of Mollie said: “Mollie’s mission has always been to make money management effortless. We were founded on the vision to eliminate financial bureaucracy for every business. We see that bureaucracy creates challenges, especially for businesses with recurring revenue. A card-only approach has its limits, leading to high costs due to failed payments and customer churn. GoCardless built the definitive solution to optimise this process with its global bank payment network. By bringing them into Mollie, we take a huge step towards fulfilling our vision and creating one complete platform for sustainable growth.”
Hiroki Takeuchi, co-founder and CEO of GoCardless added: “We’re incredibly excited to join forces with Mollie. This deal brings together two highly complementary businesses that have built best-in-class products across Europe and beyond. By combining our expertise in card, bank and hyperlocal payments into one provider, we can better serve our customers, accelerate growth and raise the bar for the industry. It’s a win for European fintech and we’re confident that the new company will be greater than the sum of its parts.”
