Shareholders of US payments giant Square have unequivocally approved the issuance of shares to acquire Afterpay, bringing Australia’s largest ever merger deal a solid step closer to finalisation.

A whopping 862 million Square shares were voted in support of the blockbuster deal, compared to only 746,000 against it, according to a Square filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. A supportive vote was expected and went through in the early hours of Thursday morning.