Moneybookers, the UK-based ePayment provider, is up for sale with a price tag of £100m.
The business, which has around 2.3 million account holders, is owned by German retail tycoon Otto Beisheim. In 1964, Beisheim founded Metro Cash & Carry, now the world's fifth-largest retailer.
Potential buyers include NETeller, one of the world's leading independent payment processors, as well as financial institutions and private equity firms.
NETeller is thought to be particularly keen on Moneybookers following the recent restrictions on online gambling in the USA, which have caused NETeller shares to plummet by 81 per cent. The acquisition of Moneybookers would increase NETeller's presence in the European gaming market and bring in income from non-gaming operations such as CD-WOW.
Moneybookers' revenue for 2006 is forecasted to be around €8m with pre-tax profits of approximately €4m.
Longacre Partners are advising on the sale.
