Worldline says payments services 'back to normal' after major disruption in Italy
Recasts, adds quotes in paragraphs 5-7
MILAN, Nov 29 (Reuters) -French digital payments company Worldline WLN.PA on Friday said its services were returning to normal after gas roadworks accidentally damaged its network connection to its data centres in Italy, causing disruptions for customers.
The issues occurred amid the busy Black Friday shopping season, leading Italian business group Fipe-Confcommercio to express "strong concern".
Worldline's payment services had been disrupted since Thursday morning, mainly in Italy but also in other markets, the company said on Friday.
"The installation of gas pipes by local authorities severely damaged our provider's cables and network," it said.
"As of late afternoon Friday, services are returning to normal, thanks to the various measures implemented," a spokesperson for Worldline told Reuters.
Earlier on Friday, Worldline issued an update saying that its provider had started works to restore the severely damaged cables.
"We continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure that any remaining issues are resolved and will maintain heightened vigilance in the days ahead," the spokesperson added, apologising to consumers for the inconvenience.
In a separate statement, Italian payments group Nexi NEXII.MI confirmed that Worldline had yet to resolve the problem, and said it had launched an investigation and was reserving the right to take actions to protect the company and its customers.
The Bank of Italy also weighed in, saying it was monitoring the situation. "Some of the impacted payment services have been reactivated, while malfunctions remain for some credit and debit card circuits," the central bank said.
Reporting by Elisa Anzolin, Alvise Armellini and Gianluca Lo Nostro; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and David Evans
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