Global Payments

Global Payments Inc.

Company type	Public
Industry	Financial technology, Payment processing
Founded	1996
Headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia , United States
Area served	Worldwide (over 100 countries)
Key people	Cameron M. Bready (CEO and President)
Products	Payment solutions and services for merchants, issuers, and consumers
Number of employees	Nearly 24,000
Website	globalpayments.com

Global Payments Inc. is a U.S.-based multinational firm specializing in financial technology, delivering payment solutions and services to merchants, issuers, and consumers worldwide. After merging with TSYS in 2019, Global Payments broadened its network to serve around 3.5 million small and medium-sized merchant locations along with more than 1,300 financial institutions spanning over 100 countries. The company entered the Fortune 500 list in June 2021, propelled by a 51% surge in revenue during 2020, reaching $7.4 billion amid increased adoption of cashless payments.

The organization facilitates transactions through credit cards, debit cards, digital wallets, and contactless payment options. It stands as the fifth largest merchant acquirer within the United States, supporting a rising e-commerce and omnichannel presence with significant growth in contactless payment volumes, reflecting consumer trends accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

History

Founded in 1996 and separated from National Data Corporation in 2001, Global Payments has been publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “GPN” since that time.

The company has aggressively expanded via acquisitions, including the purchase of United Card Service—Russia’s top credit card processor—in 2009, followed by Alfa-Bank’s credit card processing division in 2011. In 2012, it acquired Accelerated Payment Technologies for $413 million and then bought Australian payment firm Ezidebit for $305 million in 2014. The following year saw acquisitions of California-based Payment Processing (PayPros) for $420 million and Irish payments gateway Realex Payments for €115 million.

A significant growth milestone was reached in April 2016 with the $4.3 billion acquisition of Heartland Payment Systems, solidifying its status among leading credit card processors. That same year, Global Payments moved its headquarters from Sandy Springs to Atlanta, Georgia.

Subsequent acquisitions included parts of Active Networks in 2017 and both AdvancedMD and Sentral Education in 2018. In May 2019, Global Payments announced a $21.5 billion merger with TSYS, expanding its market presence without attracting Federal Trade Commission intervention.

Continuing its expansion strategy, Global Payments agreed in August 2022 to acquire EVO Payments Inc. for close to $4 billion, further enhancing its global footprint and service portfolio.

In 2023, leadership transitioned as CEO Jeffrey M. Sloan stepped down and COO Cameron M. Bready assumed the roles of CEO and President. Additionally, two Senior Executive Vice Presidents were appointed to manage domestic and international divisions.

Beginning in early 2024, Global Payments implemented workforce reductions across several regions including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and India, resulting in approximately 5,400 job cuts as part of operational streamlining efforts. Despite these measures, the company posted robust financial results with second quarter net income increasing to $296.4 million.

Looking forward, Global Payments committed in April 2025 to acquire payments technology provider Worldpay for $22 billion, strengthening its competitive position and supporting ongoing growth within the payments sector.

Services and operations

Global Payments provides payment solutions both directly to merchants and indirectly through financial institutions, facilitating integrated payment processing, e-commerce transactions, and omni-channel services.

The acquisition of Total System Services (TSYS) in 2019 for $21.5 billion significantly broadened Global Payments’ issuer processing capabilities. This expansion supports banks in managing credit and debit card portfolios, detecting fraudulent activity, and calculating reward programs.

With a presence in more than 100 countries, Global Payments caters to 3.5 million merchants and 1,300 financial institutions, handling over 50 billion transactions each year. Following the merger, the workforce grew to nearly 24,000 employees.

In 2020, revenue was divided with 63% derived from Merchant Solutions, 26% from Issuer Solutions, and 11% from Business and Consumer Solutions (NetSpend). The bulk of Merchant Solutions revenue originated from North America (80%), followed by Europe (15%) and Asia (5%). Notably, Global Payments was the first payment processor honored with the J.D. Power Award for outstanding customer service.

As of 2023, the company operates without a Chief Operating Officer. Operational responsibilities are split between domestic US Merchant Solutions, managed by Senior Executive Vice President Vince Lombardo, and international plus vertical markets overseen by Senior Executive Vice President Bob Cortopassi. CEO Cameron M. Bready previously held the COO role but no replacement has been appointed.

Data breaches and faults

In 2012, Global Payments suffered a data breach that exposed approximately 1.5 million credit and debit card numbers, resulting in losses estimated at $100 million. Three years later, in 2015, a technical malfunction caused widespread disruption to the company’s systems, preventing thousands of UK businesses from processing card payments over Valentine’s Day weekend.

Story v. Heartland Payments Systems

In 2019, Heartland Payments Systems—a subsidiary of Global Payments—was sued over its MySchoolBucks online lunch payment platform. The lawsuit claimed that parents were misled into believing fees collected were forwarded to their children’s schools when in fact funds were retained by Heartland. Serving around 2 million users across 30,000 U.S. schools, the service faced scrutiny after Heartland attempted to undermine legal standing by depositing $40,000 into the plaintiff’s account—a gesture that was declined. Additionally, Heartland amended its terms of service to prevent MySchoolBucks users from joining potential class action lawsuits related to this matter.

Merger with TSYS

Total System Services, Inc. (TSYS) was a U.S.-based financial technology firm headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, which merged with Global Payments Inc. in 2019. TSYS was North America’s largest third-party payment processor for issuing banks with a 40% market share and maintained a significant presence in Europe. Its offerings encompassed payment processing, merchant services, reloadable prepaid debit cards, payroll cards, and demand deposit accounts aimed at underserved populations.

Originally established in 1959 as part of Columbus Bank and Trust (currently Synovus), TSYS began third-party credit card processing in 1974 and went public through an initial public offering in 1983. Strategic milestones included merging merchant processing services with Visa Inc. in 1995 and acquiring Clarity Payment Solutions for $53 million in 2004. Synovus completed TSYS’s spin-off as an independent entity in 2007.

TSYS expanded its footprint via acquisitions: it started processing J.P. Morgan Chase credit cards in 2004; acquired majority ownership of First National Bank of Omaha’s merchant acquisition business—later renamed TSYS Merchant Solutions—between 2010 and 2011; purchased TermNet in 2011; formed a joint venture with Central Payment Co. LLC in 2012; and acquired Utah-based ProPay later that year—adding over 250,000 merchants.

In July 2013, TSYS acquired Netspend for $1.4 billion, a leading prepaid debit card provider. By November that year, it launched TSYS Merchant Insights through collaboration with startup Womply to deliver merchants with analytics on revenue performance and reputation management.

Leadership changed hands in June 2014 when Philip W. Tomlinson retired as CEO and M. Troy Woods assumed the role. In April 2016, TSYS acquired TransFirst for $2.35 billion—advancing it to the sixth-largest acquirer by transaction volume in the U.S.—and later secured full ownership of its EMEA managed services division.

TSYS engaged in lobbying activities influencing regulatory adjustments related to overdraft fees—a key income source for its NetSpend subsidiary.

Toward the end of 2017, TSYS invested $25 million to build a second credit card production facility in Columbus, Ohio, increasing annual manufacturing capacity to 67 million cards.

Additional acquisitions included Cayan for $1.05 billion in January 2018 and iMobile3 for $13.4 million in June of the same year.

On September 18, 2019, TSYS finalized its $21.5 billion merger with Global Payments Inc., combining two industry leaders to enhance global reach and competitive positioning within the payments sector.