Atos completes the sale of a 13.1% stake in Worldline

 

NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, JAPAN, OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH IT WOULD BE UNLAWFUL TO DO SO.

This press release is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities and the offer of the Worldline shares does not constitute a public offering other than to qualified investors in any jurisdiction, including in France.

• Sale of 23.9 million Worldline shares for ca. €1.5 billion representing ca. 13.1% of the Worldline share capital through a private placement by way of accelerated bookbuilt offering
• In case of exchange in full of the outstanding €500 million zero per cent. Atos bonds exchangeable into Worldline shares due 2024 (the “Bonds”), Atos will no longer hold any Worldline shares 

Paris, February 4, 2020 – Atos has completed the sale of ca. 23.9 million Worldline shares, for ca. 1.5 billion euros, through a placement to qualified investors by way of an accelerated bookbuilt offering (the “Placement”).

The sale price of the Placement determined in the accelerated bookbuilt offering to institutional investors was set at €61.50 per Worldline share, with settlement expected to occur on or around February 6, 2020.

Through this Placement, Atos pursues the reduction of its shareholding in Worldline, initiated in 2014 and continued during the year 2019. The Placement is a further milestone in the creation of two pure play global leaders in their respective industries. The transaction will also further contribute to the increased liquidity of the Worldline stock.

The relationship between the two groups will remain strong with the existing and unchanged industrial and commercial partnership created through the Atos-Worldline Alliance announced in January 2019.

Following the success of the Placement, Atos holds ca. 7.0 million Worldline shares, representing ca. 3.8% of the Worldline share capital, which are underlying the Bonds.

Atos reiterates that it approves and supports Worldline’s proposed combination with Ingenico. It will vote in favor of the resolutions necessary for the implementation of the transaction at the Worldline’s Shareholders’ Meeting, with all the Worldline shares it will hold at that time.

The lock-up entered into by Atos, SIX Group and Goldman Sachs International and J.P. Morgan Securities plc in the context of the equity placement completed in November 2019 (the “Current Lock-up”), will remain applicable, with respect to Atos, on the Worldline shares owned by Atos and underlying the Bonds.