• The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has commenced the second stage of  proceedings concerning the takeover of BillBird by Centrum Rozliczeń Elektronicznych Polskie ePłatności.
• There is a risk of restriction of competition in this case.

The transaction was reported to the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection at the beginning of February 2019. Its parties offer mobile phone top-ups (so-called pre-paid service), pre-paid energy meter top-ups and support various types of payment transactions.

An analysis of the request revealed that the combined market share of the parties to the merger in one of the markets exceed the 40% threshold. This may lead to creating a dominant position and a significant restriction of competition, and therefore a market investigation is necessary in this case.

The initiation of the second stage of the proceedings does not prejudge the type of decision to be made in the future. The President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection may grant consent (unconditional or conditional) to the merger or prohibit it.

Additional information

In accordance with the Act on Competition and Consumer Protection the proceedings in merger cases are conducted in two stages. The first stage lasts up to a month. However, in particularly complex cases where competition is likely to be significantly restricted or where a market investigation is required, proceedings may take longer.

The website of the Office for Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK)  provides information on all antitrust proceedings conducted by the authority in merger cases. More information on merger regulations is available in a special compilation.

Additional information for the media:

Press Office UOKiK
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa
Tel. 695 902 088, 22 55 60 430
E-mail: biuroprasowe@uokik.gov.pl
Twitter: @UOKiKgovPL