What We’ve Learned Four Years After the Acquirer Megadeal Spree

We are four years clear of three megadeals in the merchant acquiring space—Fiserv’s addition of First Data, FIS’s acquisition of Worldpay, and the Global Payments-TSYS partnership—and now is the time to assess how the acquiring landscape has changed. Not all of those deals realized the success that was envisioned, and in the meantime, acquiring has become increasingly commoditized, with a flood of challengers and an increasingly challenging business environment.

This Javelin Strategy & Research report looks back at what prompted those three deals and how they have shaken out. Further, it takes a forward-looking approach to the acquiring business today. Consolidation is no longer enough to realize organic growth. New partnerships and value-added services are essential to gaining customers and building sustainable momentum.

Key questions discussed in this report:

• How did the 2019 acquirer megadeals fare and why?
• How has the acquiring industry changed in the past four years and what do those changes mean for the future of the space?
• What should acquirers do to succeed in the future now that acquiring has been commodified?

Companies Mentioned:

Adyen, Block, EVO Payments, FedNow, First Data, FIS, Fiserv, Global Payments, GTCR, Mastercard, Payrix, Square, Stripe, TSYS