Atos, a French computer services firm, has received informal bids from potential partners for its new electronic-payments unit. The unit is being arranged to be spun off by the middle of the year.

The plan, according to Senior Executive Vice President Gilles Grapinet in a phone interview, is to sell of a share or shares of the unit to one or more partners. The company said last February that it would be selling a minority share or opening the company through an initial public offer in order to accumulate financing to fund acquisitions and expand the company business.

According to Grapinet, "Our announcement about the carve-out has generated a great deal of strategic interest from players in the payments world. We're busy finalizing the carve-out, that's our priority. Our finance and mergers and acquisitions teams are evaluating scenarios." 

Atos's ultimate goal is to make its electronics payment unit the largest in Europe. With last year as basis, the goal is near after earning Eur1.1 billion or US$1.4 billion in sales in 2012. The company is clear that it would be retaining majority interest in the company.