PayPoint Group and Lloyds today announce the official launch of their partnership expansion across the UK to more than 60,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs), offering merchants a market-leading proposition.

By combining PayPoint and Handepay’s widespread network of merchants, and Lloyds’ merchant services, this partnership promises to empower thousands of SMEs with a comprehensive banking and payments offering. With this enhanced service range in place, PayPoint and Handepay can accelerate growth across their merchant estates, and deliver better tools, support and experience for their SME and retailer partners.

SME businesses using merchant services arranged by Handepay and PayPoint can now enjoy growth-boosting benefits with Lloyds, such as next day settlements, a faster onboarding experience, a dedicated app, and additional customer data and insights.

The new Handepay Merchant Mobile App allows SME owners to manage their businesses at the touch of a button through consolidated sales and transactions updates, summarised sales performance, trends and transactions filters. Merchants also benefit from the Handepay Loyalty Programme, which gives them access to a range of products and services provided by Handepay and its partners to help them run their business to its full potential.

This enhanced service package and flexibility come at the perfect time for small businesses. The Lloyds Business Barometer, surveying 1,200 UK companies, revealed in November 2024 that over half (52%) of small businesses expect to increase their headcount in the next 12 months. This underlines the current positive growth mindset of small business owners around the country who are looking to the future with ambitious plans for expansion.

Nick Wiles, CEO of PayPoint, said: “Lloyds is a long-term partner of PayPoint Group and already a trusted provider of business banking and payment services to SMEs. Our expanded partnership represents PayPoint’s continued commitment to bringing the best possible access to growth-boosting partnerships and services for our SME network of over 60,000 businesses.

“This follows the very successful trial period and consistent positive feedback from Handepay merchants. This partnership is another important step towards delivering our target of £100m EBITDA by the end of FY26.”

Melinda Roylett, Managing Director, Lloyds Merchant Services said: “Businesses, especially small ones, need simpler and quicker ways to get up and running with payments. That’s why Lloyds Merchant Services has made huge investments in flexible yet robust POS and processing tech, partnerships, funding options and value-added services. Already, one in five UK small businesses choose to bank with Lloyds. This expansion of our long-standing partnership with PayPoint Group demonstrates our commitment to serving the UK’s small businesses and retailers, by giving PayPoint’s 60,000 merchant partners the same cutting-edge tech, low-cost services and benefits as large enterprises.”