ACI Worldwide

ACI Worldwide Inc.

Company type	Public
Traded as	Template:NASDAQ S&P 600 Component
Industry	Digital payments software Financial services Payment processor
Founded	1975 (1975), in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Headquarters	Elkhorn, Nebraska , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Thomas W. Warsop, III (President and CEO) Scott Behrens (CFO) Phil Bruno (CSGO) Dennis Byrnes (Chief Legal and Risk Officer) Erich Litch (CTO) Craig Maki (Chief Development Officer)
Services	Process and Manage Digital Payments Enable Omni-Commerce Payments Present and Process Bill Payments Manage Fraud and Risk
Revenue	US$ $1.59 billion (2024)
Operating income	US$ 308.1 million (2024)
Net income	US$ 203 million (2024)
Total assets	US$ 3.02 billion (2024)
Total equity	US$ 1.4 billion (2024)
Number of employees	>4,100 (2023)
Website	aciworldwide.com

ACI Worldwide operates as a provider of digital payment software based in Elkhorn, Nebraska, facilitating billions of daily transactions valued in the trillions of U.S. dollars across 94 nations. The company's offerings support banks, financial institutions, merchants, billers, acquirers, issuers, and third-party payment entities by delivering secure payment infrastructures across multiple channels.

Partnerships

ACI Worldwide partners with leading technology and financial technology companies such as AWS, Google, Red Hat, IBM, Mastercard, and Visa to deliver efficient and secure payment processing capabilities for banks, merchants, and billers using its platform.

History

Established on September 1, 1975 in Omaha, Nebraska under the name Applied Communications Inc by founders James Cody, Dave Willadsen, and Dennis Gates, the company initially focused on software development for Tandem Computers’ NonStop systems. Its early emphasis was on ATM and core banking front-end solutions, culminating in the creation of its flagship product BASE24 in 1982—engineered to provide uninterrupted 24/7 transaction processing.

The BASE24 system later expanded functionality to include support for POS terminals and bank branch operations while integrating features such as clearing, settlement, and fraud management. The software was made compatible with hardware platforms including IBM, HP, Stratus, and Sun Microsystems.

During the 1990s, ACI diversified its offerings to encompass wholesale banking payment solutions through ACH and wire transfer software. This expansion included the acquisition of IntraNet, Inc. in 1998 and the introduction of the Money Transfer System product.

After going public in 1995 under the name Transaction Systems Architects (TSA), the company adopted the ACI Worldwide brand in July 2007. Prior to becoming an independent publicly traded company, it had been owned by US West and Tandem.

Acquisitions

• 1998: Transaction Systems Architects, Inc., the predecessor to ACI Worldwide, acquired IntraNet, Inc., a company specializing in electronic payment software.
• 2005: Following the purchase of most assets from S2 Systems by Transaction Systems Architects, a reorganization took place, uniting ACI, Insession, and IntraNet into a single entity under the ACI Worldwide brand, formalized in 2007.
• 2006: The company expanded its portfolio by acquiring P&H Solutions Inc., known for web-based corporate cash management solutions, along with Electronic Payment Systems AG (eps).
• 2007: ACI Worldwide further grew by acquiring Stratasoft Sdn Bhd and Visual WEB Solutions Inc., both experts in financial banking software.
• 2009: To enhance its card issuing and merchant management services, ACI purchased Euronet Essentis.
• 2011: The acquisition of ISD Corporation broadened ACI’s payment solutions tailored for the retail sector.
• 2012: ACI Worldwide acquired S1 Corporation to extend its payment services across financial institutions, processors, and retailers; additionally, it took over North Data Uruguay S.A. and Distra Pty Ltd.
• 2013: The company expanded its electronic bill payment capabilities by acquiring Online Resources Corporation and Official Payments Holdings, which processes $9 billion annually; Profesionales en Transacciones Electronicas S.A. (PTESA) was also added to the portfolio.
• 2014: To reinforce defenses against card-not-present fraud, Retail Decisions (ReD), a fraud prevention specialist, was acquired.
• 2015: The purchase of PAY.ON, a provider of white-label hosted payment gateway services, enhanced ACI’s cross-border payment functionalities.
• 2019: ACI Worldwide acquired Speedpay, Western Union's U.S. bill pay division, for $750 million to expand its bill payment offerings; Walletron was also incorporated during this period.

Awards and Rankings

• U.S. News & World Report – Recognized among Best Companies to Work For 2024-2025
• Newsweek America’s – Honored as one of the Greatest Workplaces for Diversity, Women, and Mental Wellbeing
• MEA Finance and Banking Technology Summit & Awards – Awarded Best Risk Management Solution Provider for ACI Fraud Management
• Datos Insights Matrix – Named Best in Class for Payments Orchestration
• National Technology Awards – Received Security Innovation of the Year and Retail Tech of the Year for ACI Fraud Management and Payments Orchestration Platform™
• Payments Award – Winner of Best Marketing Campaign of the Year
• Pay 360 Awards – Best Lending Initiative awarded to ACI Pay After™
• Juniper Research Future Digital Awards 2024 – Platinum Prize for Merchant Fraud Prevention Platform; Gold Prize for AI in Fraud Prevention Innovation (ACI Fraud Management)
• CFO Tech Outlook – Recognized as Top Financial Fraud Detection Solution with ACI Payments Orchestration Platform™
• Merchant Payments Ecosystem Awards 2023 – Awarded Best Payments Orchestration Platform
• Paytech Awards U.S. – Best Consumer Payments Solution granted to ACI Payments Orchestration Platform™
• Global Payments Innovation Awards 2023 – Highly Commended for Best Payments-Led Financial Inclusion Initiative by a Vendor with Digital Central Infrastructure
• Fintech Finance – Honored for Best Real-Time Payments and Best Cross-Border Payments with ACI Low Value Real-Time Payments™

See also

• Payment system
• Payment gateway
• Payment service provider
• Digital banking
• Transaction banking
• Electronic billing

External links

• Official site of ACI Worldwide