Prosus buys India’s BillDesk
The technology investor says the Indian payments platform will complement its PayU business
Amsterdam — Technology investor Prosus said on Tuesday it had agreed to buy Indian payments platform BillDesk for $4.7bn to complement its own PayU business.
“Together, the two expect to create a financial ecosystem handling 4-billion transactions annually — four times PayU’s current level in India,” the company said.
BillDesk, one of India’s largest payment platforms, had 2.71-billion Indian rupees ($37.05m) in after-tax net profit for the year to end-March 31 2021, Prosus said.
The deal to buy BillDesk, which was founded in 2000, is subject to regulatory approvals, including by the Competition Commission of India.
India has been a major focus for Amsterdam-based Prosus. It said Tuesday’s acquisition brings the total it had invested in the Indian market to more than $10bn.
Prosus, spun out of Naspers in 2019, owns stakes in consumer internet companies in online marketplaces, educational software, food delivery and fintech. It operates some of the companies.
It is best known for its 28.9% stake in Tencent of China.
In India, it is a major investor in Swiggy, one of two food delivery platforms fighting for dominance.
Reuters