Edenred, a global provider of digital solutions for employees, fleet managers, and corporate payments across 44 countries, has upgraded its EBITDA guidance for the current year, signaling early positive returns from its technology-intensive strategic plan, Amplify 25-28. The announcement came from Edenred Chairman and CEO Bertrand Dumazy in a Thursday (July 23) press release, detailing the company’s first-half results.
The company now anticipates a more favorable EBITDA decline for the current year, narrowing its guidance to between 7% and 10%, an improvement from the previous forecast of an 8% to 12% decline. This adjustment reflects better-than-anticipated results, despite regulatory shifts in key markets such as Brazil and Italy. Furthermore, Edenred reaffirmed its robust EBITDA growth outlook of 8% to 12% for both 2027 and 2028, underscoring confidence in its long-term trajectory.
Dumazy acknowledged the impact of regulatory changes but emphasized the underlying strength of the company’s offerings. “Even in these countries under regulatory reset, we recorded solid growth in business volume, which demonstrates the unique strength of Edenred’s value proposition,” he stated in the release. He also highlighted significant double-digit growth within Edenred’s mobility business segment.
The strategic plan, Amplify 25-28, which was unveiled in November, is designed to propel revenue and EBITDA growth by leveraging Edenred’s digital platform, making strategic investments in data and artificial intelligence (AI), implementing a global efficiency program, and continuously optimizing its product portfolio. “By placing data and AI utilization at the heart of our model, our intention is to attract more clients, increase both the number of the value of solutions we offer them, and make our user base more active to better monetize it, particularly with merchants,” Dumazy had articulated at the plan’s launch.
Tangible early gains from Amplify 25-28 are already evident. The implementation of generative engine optimization (GEO) contributed to a notable 10% increase in new small- to medium-sized business (SMB) clients signed during the first half of the year. Additionally, Edenred’s electric vehicle (EV) offering was significantly bolstered by the acquisition of TMH Solutions in Germany. A pivotal reinvention of Edenred’s lead-to-order process, driven by agentic AI, has also proven effective in boosting SMB acquisition while simultaneously lowering costs, according to the release.
Edenred’s extensive suite of digital solutions caters to a broad market. For employees, these include meal vouchers, commuting benefits, gift cards, wellness programs, rewards, and preferential offers. Fleet managers benefit from services such as EV charging, maintenance, VAT refund, tolls, and parking. Corporate payments are streamlined through virtual cards. The company’s digital ecosystem, comprising mobile applications, online platforms, and cards, connects 60 million users with the products and services of 2 million partner merchants globally.
“In the meantime, we have continued the successful rollout of our Amplify 25-28 strategic plan,” Dumazy affirmed. “Investments in data and AI as well as efficiency measures and further portfolio rationalization are set to amplify our performance.” The upgraded forecast and demonstrable early successes underscore Edenred’s strategic agility and its capacity to leverage technological innovation to navigate market challenges and drive sustained growth in its digital solutions portfolio.
