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€900M European Consulting and Technology Leader Magellan Expands Into UK Market Following Strategic Acquisition of Transport and Mobility Giant MeTS

Business

€900M European Consulting and Technology Leader Magellan Expands Into UK Market Following Strategic Acquisition of Transport and Mobility Giant MeTS
Business

Business

€900M European Consulting and Technology Leader Magellan Expands Into UK Market Following Strategic Acquisition of Transport and Mobility Giant MeTS

2026-06-01 14:16 Last Updated At:14:20

PARIS & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 1, 2026--

Consulting and technology leader, Magellan, today announces the successful acquisition of Worldline’s Mobility and e-transactional Services (MeTS) division and Digital Banking activities. Bringing together complementary capabilities, Magellan confirms the creation of a unique international player, breaking down the silos between consulting and technology.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260531103025/en/

The Group is now equipped to intervene across the entire value chain: from strategic consulting to the implementation of market-leading technology platforms, as well as the custom-design and 24/7 operation of sovereign digital solutions.

With this strategic acquisition, the Group is doubling in size, targeting a turnover of €900 million in 2026 and significantly strengthening its international footprint with a presence in 13 countries and 6,700 employees. As a result, the Magellan Partners Group is adopting a unified brand, "Magellan" and establishing itself as a leading European player capable of guiding both public and private clients from strategy right through to execution.

Magellan becomes a strategic partner for the UK’s transport and mobility industry

Already established in the UK, where its teams advise leading brands on Luxury & Retail consulting topics and support clients on ESG advisory and the digitalisation of extra-financial processes, Magellan is now significantly strengthening its local footprint.

Now with MeTS, Magellan represents €100m (approx. £87m) in the UK as a leading B2B2C provider that designs, builds and operates secure digital platforms that support essential, everyday services used by millions of people across public services, transport and mobility, hospitality, finance, healthcare and retail.

MeTS is deeply trusted by the UK rail industry after over 40 years in the sector. As the Great British Railway shifts the industry toward a unified, customer-first model, this acquisition puts Magellan in the unique position to become the strategic partner to the industry, looking across the entire ecosystem and making travel more reliable for the end user.

" In 2008, when we founded Magellan, merging Consulting and Technology was a gamble. Today, it is becoming the market standard. Magellan is taking a decisive step forward to support organisations through the complexity of current changes, whether they are strategic, operational, societal, environmental, or technological. We are extremely proud to welcome the MeTS teams to the group to complete our model and offer our public and private clients complete mastery of the value chain, incorporating tailored and sovereign solutions."Didier Zeitoun, Co-founder and CEO of the Magellan Group.

" With this new entity, Magellan has established the means to become a leading player in Public Sector and hospitality in Europe, particularly in the UK and France. Our distinctiveness stems first and foremost from a deep understanding of the sectors, combined with our technological mastery and execution for rapid transformation, administrative simplification, improved user relations, digital sovereignty, and resilience against threats. Addressing major state challenges allows us to deliver the level of trust, continuity, and performance required."Michel Hatiez, Co-founder and Managing Director of the Magellan Group.

Caroline Jéséquel, Chief Executive Officer of MeTS and now Managing Director of the Magellan Group, says of the planning behind this acquisition:

" The integration of MeTS's activities into the Group propels Magellan to the forefront of organisational transformation, giving rise to an independent, multi-specialist player that is unique in Europe, thanks to its broad coverage spanning from Consulting to Operations. In the era of AI and digital sovereignty, public and private organisations need an independent, trusted European player now more than ever, linking Business and Tech, Vision and Execution. In the context of rapid and historic transformation, Magellan is fully capable of supporting our clients to meet unprecedented challenges, from strategic and technological consulting to platform integration, as well as the 24/7 implementation and operation of digital and sensitive solutions in highly secure and sovereign environments. The creation of our new group is a fantastic opportunity to bring even greater value to our clients and our employees."

The MeTS acquisition: a marker of the necessary evolution in the Consulting and Tech sector in the era of AI

The acquisition of MeTS accelerates a fundamental shift: businesses and organisations, whether they are large private firms, mid-caps, SMEs, or public institutions, are no longer just looking for a consulting firm or a technology integrator. They want a partner capable of articulating strategic vision, technological mastery, and concrete implementation to orchestrate their end-to-end digital, organisational, and sustainable transformation. In a market reshaped by AI, this continuity between Consulting, Tech, and execution becomes critical.

Magellan stands out precisely due to this integrated model. The Group brings together Consulting (business consulting, sector consulting, and IT system consulting), mastery of major market platforms (Microsoft, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Pega, SAP, AWS, Google), and the capacity to design, develop, and operate 24/7 custom and strategic digital solutions for its clients' core businesses. This triptych, now enriched by AI at every level, represents a novel and differentiating position in the European market.

MeTS's solutions are at the heart of the daily lives of millions of workers, students and consumers, particularly in the UK with the modernisation of the railway industry. The data-driven solutions enable smoother, more efficient and agile rail operations to make rail travel more reliable, convenient and attractive for passengers.

The new Group can design, build and operate tailored solutions for its clients, as well as leverage its portfolio of deployment-ready, off-the-shelf software solutions. Designed to simplify and secure critical operations, the solutions can be strategically deployed and operated at scale across omnichannel interactions (with CX Suite), mobility and transport (e-ticketing, mobility-as-a-service, open payment), trust services (digital workplace, digital passport), human resources, real estate and sustainability.

Magellan therefore complements its consulting and technological transformation model with software assets capable of enriching and accelerating the deployment of digital journeys, simplifying user experience, and securing large-scale implementation. This ability to combine expertise, platforms, software and execution constitutes an additional point of differentiation for the Group.

AI as an accelerator of the Magellan model

At the heart of Magellan’s model, AI (generative, agentic, or autonomous) is now integrated across all the Group’s activities, from consulting and design to practical integration. Magellan is dedicated to orchestrating multi-agent systems, driving autonomous decision loops, and governing production-stage AI tools for its clients.

By combining human expertise with cutting-edge technology and secure environments, Magellan turns AI into a direct driver of performance and operational transformation to accelerate decision-making, automate complex processes and deploy new services at scale.

Sovereignty, public cloud or both: the same large-scale execution capability tailored to varied strategic business needs

In a global context where security, resilience, and data control requirements are intensifying, Magellan possesses a rare capability: to intervene in sovereign environments when strategic or regulatory constraints demand it, as well as in public cloud environments when justified. From the public cloud to the most sensitive infrastructures, the Group covers the entire spectrum, with the same ability to execute at scale, tailored to the various strategic needs of businesses and public organizations.

This capability is notably reflected in recognised expertise within the most demanding sovereign environments. Magellan is one of the few French players holding the SecNumCloud certification (ANSSI) on its own sovereign cloud, distinguishing itself through its capacity to design, develop, and operate secure, custom solutions 24/7. Sovereignty thus constitutes a strong competitive advantage for Magellan, within a broader model of performance and execution.

An independent Group with an entrepreneurial DNA

The founders and 300 managers of the Magellan Group hold a large majority of the capital, guaranteeing true decision-making independence and a preserved entrepreneurial culture. This governance model combines the power of a large international group with the agility of a close-knit, independent player.

Magellan's ambition has been supported by its financial partner ICG since 2025. The Crédit Agricole Group (via IDIA Capital Investissement, GSO Capital and PG Développement) and BNP Paribas (BNPP Agility), the two historical banks of the Group, and Capza (part of the BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts group), the Group's two historical banks, are taking equity stakes in the new entity as part of this transaction.

Advisors to Magellan:

About Magellan

Magellan is an international consulting and technology group founded in 2008 based on a core conviction: the most ambitious transformations succeed when Consulting and Technology advance hand in hand. Operating in 13 countries with 6,700 experts, the group supports enterprises, SMEs, mid-caps, major accounts, and public organisations across the entire value chain: from defining strategic roadmaps to deploying tailored and sovereign digital solutions. The group is also a partner to the market's major SaaS platforms (Microsoft, Salesforce, ServiceNow, AWS, Pega, Google). With an estimated turnover of €900m in 2026, the group is resolutely committed to integrating artificial intelligence to drive performance and trust, helping its clients exploit the full potential of AI, from data strategy to the orchestration of AI agents in business processes.

Workforce: 6,700 employees
2026 Turnover: €900 million
Locations: 13 countries (10 in Europe)

To learn more about Magellan:
Website
LinkedIn

(Credit Magellan) Didier Zeitoun, Caroline Jéséquel, Michel Hatiez

(Credit Magellan) Didier Zeitoun, Caroline Jéséquel, Michel Hatiez

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Cristian Volpato was vaulted into Australia's World Cup squad just days after confirming a switch of national eligibility from Italy, four years after declining an invitation to join the Socceroos ahead of the 2022 tournament.

Coach Tony Popovic included the 22-year-old Volpato in the 26-man squad announced Monday. Volpato and striker Tete Yengi were among 17 players selected in a World Cup squad for the first time.

Skipper Mat Ryan, with 104 international caps, and Mathew Leckie were picked for a fourth World Cup, equaling the Australian record held by Tim Cahill and Mark Milligan, and Popovic said the veteran pair “can lead the way and guide these young players.”

The Sydney-born Volpato played for Italy's Under-21 team but was eligible to make the switch to Australia under FIFA rules because he never played a competitive game for the senior Italy team. Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup being co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Volpato only joined the Socceroos camp in Los Angeles on the weekend, too late to participate in the 1-0 World Cup warmup loss to Mexico at Pasadena.

“He's a very talented player. A young player — he's doing well in Serie A," Popovic told a news conference after the squad announcement. "Technically a very good player, great left foot, comfortable under pressure. I'm looking forward to working with him.”

Popovic said it would be easy to say Australia's selection appeared to be one that looked toward the future but “I think we should keep the expectation high now.”

“What we have is a lot of young exuberance, a lot of exciting talent,” he said. "Will they be better in four and eight years? Without a doubt, but that’s not to say they’re not good enough now.

“I want them all to give me a (selection) headache every week, and I believe in these young boys."

Australia will play another warmup game on Saturday against Switzerland at San Diego to finetune for Group D games against Turkey at Vancouver on June 13, the U.S. at Seattle six days later and Paraguay at Santa Clara on June 25.

Australia squad:

Goalkeepers: Mat Ryan, Patrick Beach, Paul Izzo.

Defenders: Aziz Behich, Jordan Bos, Cameron Burgess, Alessandro Circati, Milos Degenek, Jason Geria, Lucas Herrington, Jacob Italiano, Harry Souttar, Kai Trewin.

Midfielders: Cameron Devlin, Jackson Irvine, Connor Metcalfe, Mathew Leckie, Paul Okon-Engstler, Aiden O’Neill.

Forwards: Ajdin Hrustic, Nestory Irankunda, Awer Mabil, Mohamed Toure, Nishan Velupillay, Cristian Volpato, Tete Yengi.

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Australia head coach Tony Popovic arrives with the players ahead of the World Cup soccer tournament in San Francisco, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Minh Connors)

Australia head coach Tony Popovic arrives with the players ahead of the World Cup soccer tournament in San Francisco, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Minh Connors)

Australia's Jason Geria, left, and Cristian Volpato, right, arrive with teammates ahead of the World Cup soccer tournament in San Francisco, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Minh Connors)

Australia's Jason Geria, left, and Cristian Volpato, right, arrive with teammates ahead of the World Cup soccer tournament in San Francisco, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Minh Connors)

Australia’s midfielder Jackson Irvine headers during the first half of an international friendly soccer match against Mexico Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Australia’s midfielder Jackson Irvine headers during the first half of an international friendly soccer match against Mexico Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

FILE - Australia's goalkeeper Matthew Ryan makes a save during their international soccer friendly against Curacao in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

FILE - Australia's goalkeeper Matthew Ryan makes a save during their international soccer friendly against Curacao in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

FILE -Sassuolo's Cristian Volpato controls the ball during the Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Sassuolo at the San Siro stadium, in Milan, Italy, Dec. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)

FILE -Sassuolo's Cristian Volpato controls the ball during the Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Sassuolo at the San Siro stadium, in Milan, Italy, Dec. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)

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