hibu signs agreement with Vantiv to offer payments services to small and medium-sized businesses in the U.S.
READING, England, Sept. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- hibu plc ("hibu" LSE:HIBU), a leading provider of digital services connecting local consumers and merchants, today announced a strategic relationship with Cincinnati, Ohio based Vantiv, Inc. (NYSE: VNTV), a leading provider of payment processing services and related technology solutions for merchants and financial institutions of all sizes. hibu affiliates will provide local businesses in the U.S. with the ability to accept card payments from consumers for their goods and services.
The relationship is a strong development for hibu as it implements its strategy to deliver exciting new digital services to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). For Vantiv, the partnership provides a major growth opportunity.
As part of hibu's strategy, the agreement with Vantiv demonstrates hibu's delivery of payments services for SMBs. Payments services are also planned to be offered in hibu's other international markets.
hibu's experienced sales team will be one of the largest to offer payments services in the U.S., initially to its existing customer base of more than 460,000 SMBs. Vantiv has a market leading card processing capability, and together the two companies will offer high quality payments services for SMBs that are differentiated by:
-- Access to the latest innovative technology, including mobile devices
-- Transparent, simple and cost-effective pricing
-- The opportunity to access a growing range of digital services from one
provider, hibu.
"We are delighted to be chosen by hibu to deliver to their U.S. SMB customers our integrated suite of electronic payment solutions and services," said Donald Boeding, President of Merchant Services at Vantiv. "Vantiv is well positioned to deliver to hibu's SMB customers the integrated technologies and products that are not only required today, but that will also be required in the future as the payments industry evolves."
Tony Bates, Chief Financial Officer at hibu, said: "The payments market is changing rapidly and is particularly fragmented in the U.S. With this new initiative, we will help SMBs across the U.S. take advantage of the new technologies and services that are emerging. This will also help them obtain high quality, cost-effective services from a provider that they know and trust. We look forward to working with Vantiv to provide this new opportunity."
About hibu
hibu helps communities thrive by facilitating millions of connections each year between consumers who want to find products and services locally and the merchants who provide them.
hibu helps consumers find local businesses and shop in new, innovative ways. Its dedicated online hibu markets provide comprehensive, convenient access to local goods and services. hibu helps merchants compete in the digital world with a broad range of marketing and commerce solutions delivered online and through hibu's direct sales teams. Building on its heritage as a premier directories provider, hibu continues to offer a full range of print- and distribution-based marketing services.
hibu operates in the UK, US, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Peru and US Hispanic markets. In the year ended 31 March 2012, hibu had 1.2 million SME customers and total revenues of £1.6 billion.
For further information about hibu, visit hibu.com.
About Vantiv, Inc.
Vantiv, Inc. (NYSE: VNTV), is a leading, integrated payment processor differentiated by a single, proprietary technology platform. Vantiv offers a comprehensive suite of traditional and innovative payment processing and technology solutions to merchants and financial institutions of all sizes in the U.S., enabling them to address their payment processing needs through a single provider.
We build strong relationships with our customers, helping them become more efficient, more secure and more successful. Vantiv is the third largest merchant acquirer and the largest PIN debit acquirer based on number of transactions in the U.S. The company's growth strategy includes expanding further into high growth payment segments, such as prepaid, ecommerce, mobile and information solutions, and attractive industry verticals, such as business-to-business, government, healthcare and education. For more information, visit http://www.vantiv.com.
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