Orange acquired direct banking company Anytime as the group looks to expand the reach of its financial management services to independent professionals and small enterprises.

In a statement, Orange said the takeover formed part of its core multiservice strategy and will allow the pair to build “a comprehensive solutions platform” to aid businesses, start-up entrepreneurs and freelancers to manage their finances “more efficiently”.

The companies plan to build on existing Anytime offerings, including creating quotes and invoices, providing automatic account updates and optimising cash flow.

Services will remain available through Anytime before gradually spanning Orange’s chain of stores and business salesforce. The rollout will initially cover Orange Bank’s operations in France, with expansion to other European countries to follow.

Anytime co-founders Damien Dupouy (pictured, right) and Thierry Peyre noted the merger with Orange Bank will enable the company to offer “a greater range of business services”, while benefitting from “the powerful Orange brand”.

Orange Bank chief Paul de Leusse (pictured, left) added the move marked a development opportunity for the company “in a high-value market segment while establishing strong synergies with Orange Bank and Orange”.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.