FIS

The London firm lags the three largest U.S. vendors but bets its new open banking platform can win it more business.

Reports of improper charges by perpetrators who know the victim soared last year. Issuers and card networks are failing to tighten security, clearly label transactions and police chargebacks, critics say.

Given the size of the deal — which includes about $9 billion of Worldpay’s debt on top of a $34 billion bid — the pressure’s on to build a global powerhouse that can counter other major fintech mergers announced in the past weeks. FIS must also emerge as a nimble rival to the startups that threaten the old order.

Financial services technology company FIS has agreed to buy Worldpay in a deal valued at $43 billion, which allows FIS to counter the transaction processing scale Fiserv received when it acquired First Data earlier in 2019. The merger price is based on a $34 billion bid plus $9 billion of Worldpay's debt.

Both sides acknowledge where expectations haven't been met, and are feeling the same market pressures to adapt faster.