Global payments company Thunes has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Tilia LLC, a U.S.-based payment platform specialised in online games and virtual transactions.
The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the acquisition is pending regulatory approval.
The acquisition aims to bolster Thunes’ growth and presence in the rapidly growing online gaming market across the United States.
Tilia, which operates under licensing in 48 states and territories, provides payment solutions for a wide range of digital environments including online games and virtual worlds.
Once the transaction is finalised, Tilia will be rebranded as Thunes and will continue to operate from its San Francisco headquarters.
Upon completion of the acquisition, Thunes’ extensive global network, which includes the capability to accept and process payments in real-time through four billion bank accounts, three billion digital wallets, and 550 alternative payment methods (APMs), will become available to merchants throughout the United States, including existing Tilia customers.
Additionally, leveraging Tilia’s technology, Thunes will be able to offer acceptance for major credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, and UnionPay to its customers.
This move is expected to enhance Thunes’ capabilities in the U.S. market, providing access to its extensive network which includes connections to four billion bank accounts and three billion digital wallets.
In conjunction with the acquisition, Thunes has also secured an exclusive five-year partnership with Linden Research, Inc., known as Linden Lab, which is currently the majority owner of Tilia.
Post-acquisition, Thunes will handle payment processing for Linden Lab for more efficient and transparent transactions.
“The acquisition of Tilia demonstrates our ambition in the United States. This investment will enable us to leverage Tilia’s capabilities to provide merchants with direct money movement solutions in and out of the United States.
Furthermore, Tilia’s deep expertise in online gaming, virtual worlds and token-based payments will greatly accelerate our growth into that fast-growing, exciting industry.”
said Floris de Kort, CEO of Thunes.
“The combination of Tilia and Thunes will give Linden Lab’s customers more payment choices, and the ability to receive pay-outs in real time, anywhere, into the wallet or bank account of their choice.
It will be business as usual for our people and our customers as we bring Tilia and Thunes together.”
said Brad Oberwager, CEO and Executive Chair of Tilia.
Featured image credit: Edited from Freepik