The payments group said it now expects revenue growth in 2026 to be flat or only marginally positive, lowering its previous guidance of low single-digit growth. The revised outlook reflects a slower-than-anticipated rebound in commercial activity despite signs that the company's core business is beginning to stabilize.
Worldline reported that second-quarter revenue remained flat compared with the same period last year, marking its first quarter without a decline after seven consecutive quarters of contraction. While the result signals that the business may be nearing a turning point, management said the pace of new business recovery has not met earlier expectations.
Chief Executive Pierre-Antoine Vacheron attributed the slower recovery to delays by banking partners in making decisions on new contracts following the company's recent difficulties.
"For one very simple reason, which is that there have been delays in the decision of the banks to allocate new contracts to Worldline because of what we've been going through in 2025, which led the banks to question," Vacheron told reporters.
According to the CEO, those delays are beginning to ease, with the company expecting stronger performance in the second half of the year as confidence gradually returns.
He said Worldline was now emerging from that phase and expected the second half to be "a bit better" than the first, supported by continued momentum in its merchant services business.
The company has faced significant headwinds since late 2024 and has yet to return to organic revenue growth. Its struggles were compounded by allegations of money laundering, multiple profit warnings, substantial customer losses and a sharp decline in its share price, all of which weighed heavily on investor confidence.
To strengthen its financial position and reassure shareholders, Worldline secured a 500 million euro ($576 million) capital injection and carried out asset disposals. The company also continues to receive backing from major shareholders, including Credit Agricole, BNP Paribas and French state investment bank Bpifrance.
Despite the weaker revenue outlook, Worldline's latest financial results offered some encouraging signs. Revenue for the first six months of the year slipped just 0.2% to 1.74 billion euros, broadly matching analysts' expectations of 1.72 billion euros.
The company also delivered stronger-than-expected profitability, with adjusted EBITDA reaching 294 million euros, comfortably exceeding analysts' average estimate of 273 million euros.
Worldline maintained its full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance, signaling confidence in its earnings performance despite slower revenue growth. It also improved its free cash flow outlook, narrowing its expected negative free cash flow range to between 60 million euros and 40 million euros, compared with its previous forecast of between 80 million euros and 70 million euros.
The updated guidance underscores the company's cautious optimism as it works to restore customer trust, rebuild investor confidence and return to sustainable growth after one of the most difficult periods in its recent history.