Cegid and Silae plan to merge in a deal that would create a software group valued above €10bn, or $11.6bn, in enterprise value. The proposed combination would bring accounting, banking, payroll and human resources software under one European platform.
The deal comes as business software providers connect more services in one place. Cegid provides cloud business-management software to small and medium-sized businesses and accounting professionals, while Silae has spent 15 years specialising in payroll and HR management software.
Together, Cegid, including Shine, and Silae support two million end-customers and more than 15,000 chartered accountancy firms. The businesses also claim to produce more than 13 million payslips each month across Europe.
A broader platform for businesses and accountants
Cegid was founded in Lyon, France, in 1983. Its services cover business management for small and medium-sized businesses and accounting professionals, and its recent acquisition of European fintech Shine expanded its reach into business accounts, invoicing, accounting and payroll services.
Shine serves very small businesses and self-employed professionals through those business and finance tools. The planned merger would connect Cegid’s accounting and tax-production software with Shine’s banking and digital-finance services, alongside Silae’s payroll and HR platform.
The companies have outlined several possible uses for that connection. They include native links between payroll and accounting software used by chartered accountants, access to Shine products through mySilae, and cash-management and forecasting tools.
That product integration sits at the centre of the proposal. Pierre Cesarini, who will continue to lead Silae within the planned combined company, said, “The real value of this merger lies in the product integration: connecting payroll and HR natively with accounting, e-invoicing, digital finance and payments, so that firms and the businesses they serve work on a single platform with data flowing seamlessly across it while preserving the central role of accountants in their relationships with clients.”
Leadership and the path to closing
Christian Pedersen has been appointed Cegid’s chief executive in connection with the proposed transaction. He joins from AI software provider IFS and will lead the integration, the deployment of the joint offering and, subsequently, the combined group.
Pedersen said, “Together as one integrated European platform, we can accelerate innovation and unlock the full potential of AI for customers across interconnected accounting, payment, payroll and HR data.” His appointment places AI at the centre of the group’s stated plans for linking information across its services.
The planned group also includes a 1,400-strong developer team. That team would support the software platform as the businesses bring their accounting, finance, payroll and HR products together.
The merger is not yet complete. Cegid and Silae must first consult employee representative bodies and receive approval from relevant regulatory authorities. The companies expect the merger to close in H1 2027.
What the merger would mean for customers
For accountants, the proposed combination is designed to reduce the distance between payroll, accounting and tax work. Native links could allow information to move between those systems, while the companies’ stated goal is to keep accountants central to their relationships with clients.
For very small businesses and self-employed professionals, the planned platform would bring together services that already cover business accounts, invoicing, accounting and payroll through Cegid and Shine, with Silae adding its payroll and HR expertise.
The scale of the existing customer base gives the proposal a broad starting point: two million end-customers, more than 15,000 chartered accountancy firms and over 13 million monthly payslips across Europe. The companies now need to turn that reach into one connected offering, subject to employee consultation and regulatory approval.
If the transaction closes in H1 2027, Pedersen will lead the integration and the combined group, while Cesarini will continue to run Silae. The proposed $11.6bn software group would then bring Cegid’s business-management tools, Shine’s digital-finance services and Silae’s payroll and HR platform into one structure.
