When we weighed in on FIS’ March acquisition of Worldpay, I predicted that a TSYS/Global Payments combination might be in the cards. Two months later, a “merger of equals” announcement between those leading players has me wishing I had spent a bit more time in Vegas.
The payment processing landscape has shifted dramatically in the past four months, with four of the major acquirer/processors making moves this year (Fiserv kicked off the action by joining forces with First Data in January). Traditional payments providers are pursuing greater scale and a broader suite of services in their quest to achieve profitable growth and stave off competition from fintechs entering the market with disruptive models.
