Disclaimer :

The Competition DG makes the information provided by the notifying parties in section 1.2 of Form CO available to the public in order to increase transparency. This information has been prepared by the notifying parties under their sole responsibility, and its content in no way prejudges the view the Commission may take of the planned operation. Nor can the Commission be held responsible for any incorrect or misleading information contained therein.

COMP/M.4316 - Atos Origin/Banksys/BCC

SECTION 1.2

Description of the concentration

On 25 August 2006, the Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Council Regulation No 139/2004, in which the undertaking Atos Worldline S.A.S. ("AW") controlled by Atos Origin S.A. ("AO") acquires the sole control of Banksys N.V./S.A. ("Banksys") and Bank Card Company N.V./S.A. ("BCC") within the meaning of Article 3(1)b 3 of the Council Regulation No 139/2004 by way of a share purchase.

The business activities of the concerned undertakings involve:

· AO: various information technology services. For its wholly owned subsidiary AW: transaction processing services for payment cards, customer relationship management ("CRM") services and multi-channel contact services (Internet and voice services).

· Banksys: Commercial acquiring services for national debit cards, transaction processing services for payment cards and payment terminal business services.

· BCC: Commercial acquiring services for international debit and credit cards.