In 2021 and early 2022, numerous mergers and acquisitions in the payments industry—more than 40 in total—have been made to dramatically expand companies’ horizons. These deals, by established and emerging firms, deepen existing solutions and expand into new areas as a way to ensure growth in the coming years.

To paint a full picture of the current M&A landscape in payments, Javelin Strategy & Research has examined those deals, made by 20 firms across four distinct segments of the industry. This report looks at the moves of established FIs that are deeply entrenched in their positions, established fintechs that have become some of the most influential payments firms in the world, established TSPs that have made huge M&A deals, and emerging fintechs that are looking for footholds as they reach for the positions the other segments hold.

Key questions discussed in this report:

• What does the heavy M&A activity in the payments space, with more than 40 major transactions in 2020-2021, mean for established players and upstarts?
• How can established FIs and TSPs use acquisitions to improve their technological expertise?
• How can fintechs—whether entrenched or emerging—use M&A to increase their standing in the payments industry?

Companies Mentioned:

Affirm, Afterpay, Aiia, Appetize, AxiaMed, Bank of America, Bentobox, Bill.com, BillDesk, Block, Bouncer, CXLoyalty, Cardtronics, CipherTrace, Crew, Currencycloud, Curv, Divvy, Dynamic Yield, Ekata, FIS, Finaro, Finxact, Fiserv, Fivestars, Foremost Business Systems, Freshop, Giving Block, Happy Returns, Invoice2Go, JPMorgan Chase, Jack Henry & Associates, Klarna, LibertyX, Mastercard, NCR, Open Channel, Paidy, PayPal, PayU, Payrix, Pineapple Payments, Price Runner, Recko, Returnly, Service Finance Company, Sezzle, Shift4, SpotOn, Spotii, Stackfolio, Stocard, Stripe, SumUp, TaxJar, Terafina,Tidal, Tink, Top Looks, Truist, Twisto, Visa, Visa, Volkswagen, Zip