Payments firm Worldline and SignCatch to partner for merchant digitisation

Programme will help small business owners to digitise operations and set up online presence

Worldline, a French payment service firm, on Thursday said it will work with India’s SignCatch, which provides cloud-based retail solutions, to roll out a merchant digitisation programme (MDP).

The partnership will enrol 100,000 merchants in India, leveraging SignCatch’s super-app Bech in businesses like retail stores, supermarkets, grocery shops, bakeries, cafes, and restaurants in the first three months of launch.

MDP will empower small business owners to digitise their brick-and-mortar operations, activate digital payments and set up an online presence, said Worldline in a statement.

“In 2022, we announced our collaboration with SignCatch and now we are all set to launch the offering to empower the Micro and SME segments retailers," said Vishal Maru, executive vice president of financial institutions of Worldline in India.

Worldline will offer its Android POS terminals branded as ANTERA to merchants, using partner banks for the purpose. "I believe that the offering will become more exciting by enabling the ONDC features in the near future," said Maru, referring to the open e-commerce network backed by the Indian government.

“In the past, SignCatch has worked closely with large retail aggregators such as Walmart, Grofers (Blinkit now), and Metro Cash & Carry to facilitate purchasing & supply chain automation across neighborhood retail stores," said Sumit Duggal, founder and chief executive officer of SignCatch.

Working with a global payment solutions giant like Worldline will open up business opportunities for MSMEs and brands, said Duggal.

Bech enables small business owners to create product catalogues for billing, purchasing, and promoting their businesses with in-app marketing tools. It also offers value-added services like quick billing, delivery logistics, B2B purchasing along with a fully integrated payment stack, said Worldline.