The strategic investment strengthens Vendekin's local presence and capabilities in Europe as it scales its connected unattended retail technology globally
PUNE, India and AARSCHOT, Belgium, Sept. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Vendekin Technologies, an unattended retail technology company, today announced that it has acquired a 35% strategic equity stake in Belgium-based VBI Machines & Services BV, strengthening its presence in Europe and deepening a commercial relationship between the two companies built over several years.
Vendekin's technology is deployed across more than 6,000 vending and unattended retail machines in 20+ countries, processing more than 1 million transactions every week across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.
The company addresses both new and existing vending infrastructure. Vendekin deploys purpose-built smart vending and automated retail machines, while its Myccro retrofit systems enable existing vending machines to be upgraded and brought onto Vendekin's connected technology ecosystem.
Its wider technology stack includes digital payments, vNetra, its vending management and operations platform, and VendAIQ, its AI and data intelligence layer for unattended retail.
The investment builds on Vendekin and VBI's multi-year commercial relationship and brings together Vendekin's technology and international product capabilities with VBI's local market knowledge, customer relationships, sales capabilities and technical service infrastructure in the Benelux region.
The transaction forms part of Vendekin's broader international strategy of combining proprietary technology with strong local execution in key markets as unattended retail becomes increasingly connected, software-driven and data-led.
"Our ambition is not simply to sell more smart vending machines or deploy more retrofit systems that bring existing vending machines onto our technology," said Aroon Khatter, Founder & CEO of Vendekin Technologies. "We are building the technology infrastructure that allows unattended retail networks, new and existing, to become connected, operationally efficient and increasingly intelligent.
"Europe is an important part of that journey. Our investment in VBI gives us stronger local sales, service and market capabilities while bringing Vendekin's wider technology ecosystem closer to European customers."
Vendekin serves a growing range of customers across unattended retail, including vending operators, enterprises, institutions, distributors and consumer brands seeking to deploy and manage automated retail environments at scale.
The company believes the next generation of unattended retail will increasingly bring together the physical point of sale, digital payments, fleet management, inventory, remote operations and intelligence within an integrated technology environment.
That evolution is also opening unattended retail to a wider range of use cases, from workplace food and beverage and institutional retail to automated convenience and new direct-to-consumer distribution channels for consumer brands.
For European customers, the investment brings Vendekin's technology and product development capabilities closer to the market through VBI's local sales, deployment, technical support and after-sales service capabilities.
"Our relationship with Vendekin has grown substantially over the last several years, and this investment represents a natural next step for both companies," said Gunther Dehaes of VBI Machines & Services. "Customers are increasingly looking for more than standalone vending equipment. Technology, payments, software, service and data are becoming central to how these networks are operated. Bringing Vendekin's technology together with VBI's local experience gives us a much stronger proposition for the market."
The investment and expanded strategic relationship will initially focus on strengthening the companies' activities across Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg while supporting selected opportunities across the broader European market.
For Vendekin, the move represents a deeper approach to international expansion: building long-term local capabilities in strategic markets rather than relying solely on cross-border equipment and technology sales.
"We see unattended retail becoming an increasingly important part of the wider retail infrastructure," added Khatter. "As that happens, the winners will need to connect hardware, software, payments, operations and intelligence rather than treat them as separate layers. That is the problem Vendekin is building to solve."
Vendekin and VBI will jointly showcase their technology and solutions at VendEx Amsterdam on 30 September 2026, where operators, distributors, brands and other industry participants will be able to engage with the combined team and experience the companies' unattended retail proposition.
About Vendekin Technologies
Vendekin Technologies builds technology for unattended retail and automated commerce. Its technology ecosystem spans smart vending and automated retail machines, Myccro retrofit systems for existing vending infrastructure, digital payments, vNetra vending management software and VendAIQ, its AI and data intelligence platform. Vendekin's technology is deployed across more than 6,000 vending and unattended retail machines in 20+ countries and processes more than 1 million transactions every week.
About VBI Machines & Services
VBI Machines & Services BV is a Belgium-based provider of vending machines, technical services and unattended retail solutions. The company supports customers across the Benelux region through local sales, deployment, maintenance and after-sales service capabilities.
Media Contact
Vendekin Technologies
Media Contact
Marketing & Media Team, Vendekin Technologies, 91 9607009671, [email protected], https://www.vendekin.com
SOURCE Vendekin Technologies
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