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UK Regulator Clears Global Payments’ $24.3 Billion Acquisition of Worldpay

By  |  October 20, 2025
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Global Payments Inc.’s planned $24.3 billion acquisition of Worldpay has cleared a key regulatory hurdle in the United Kingdom. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced Monday that it would not open a deeper investigation into the deal after determining that the merger would not significantly reduce competition in the UK market, according to Bloomberg.

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    The CMA had begun its preliminary review in September, following the April announcement of the transaction. The approval moves the merger one step closer to completion and removes a potential obstacle for what could become one of the world’s largest payment processing combinations.

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    Under the terms of the agreement, Global Payments will acquire a 45% stake in Worldpay from Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (FIS) and will also purchase the remaining 55% held by private equity firm GTCR LLC, per Bloomberg. The sale is expected to close in the first half of 2026, subject to customary approvals.

    Read more: UK Moves to Expand Open Finance, Empowering Consumers and SMEs

    Once finalized, the merger could create a global payments powerhouse handling about $4 trillion in annual transaction volume. The move is seen as a strategic effort to strengthen Global Payments’ position amid growing competition from emerging fintech players and next-generation payment providers.

    According to Diksha Gera, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, the consolidation could make the combined company the world’s largest payment processor, giving it an edge as rivals push deeper into the digital payments ecosystem.
    Source: Bloomberg