💸 $24B Shakeup: Fintech’s Power Players Just Swapped the Board

What’s Up in Fintech — April 24, 2025

Welcome back to Fintech Forward—your Thursday dose of trends, strategy, and no-BS breakdowns from the front lines of financial innovation.

This week? We’re diving into a $24.25 billion payments power play that isn’t just a headline—it’s a strategy signal. Plus, a can’t-miss conversation with Simon Taylor on building, breaking, and rebuilding fintech the right way.

Let’s get into it.👇

#1: The $24.25B Payments Deal That Signals Fintech’s Future

On Thursday, Global Payments, FIS, and GTCR executed a corporate chess move that reshapes the payments landscape—and reveals the new fintech playbook.

The deal at a glance:

• Global Payments acquires Worldpay from FIS and GTCR for $24.25 billion

• FIS buys back Global’s issuer solutions business for $13.5 billion

• GTCR exits with a strong return—and a 15% stake in the new Global entity

Sound complex? It is. But here’s the strategic core:

Global Payments is going all-in on merchant services.

By bringing Worldpay’s enterprise and e-commerce scale into the fold, Global becomes a pure-play merchant powerhouse. CEO Cameron Bready called the new combo “a merchant solutions powerhouse.”

That’s not hyperbole. Together, Global + Worldpay will:

• Serve 6 million customers

• Process 94 billion transactions annually

• Operate in 175+ countries

This is specialization at global scale.

FIS is sharpening its focus.

After acquiring Worldpay in 2019 for $43B, FIS is now stepping back—leaning into its core strength: issuer and banking solutions.

CEO Stephanie Ferris framed it like this:

Translation?
FIS is done being a jack-of-all-trades. It’s streamlining into what it does best—and expects to unlock $500M+ in free cash flow within a year of the deal closing.

This isn’t just a portfolio shift. It’s a philosophical pivot. One that reflects a broader industry trend:

Specialization is the new scale.

The old fintech model—“grow at all costs”—is fading. Today’s winners? They’re cutting the bloat, going deeper, and delivering with precision.

That’s the deeper story here. This deal is more than a transaction—it’s a strategic signal:

• Legacy players are getting laser-focused.

• Infrastructure is becoming verticalized.

• And experience > expansion is the new mantra.

For founders building in 2025, the lesson is clear:

#2: Simon Taylor on Fintech’s Past, Present, and Future

If you’ve been anywhere near fintech Twitter (or X?) in the past few years, you’ve seen Simon Taylor’s fingerprints.

From co-founding 11:FS to shaping narrative and strategy at Sardine, Simon has helped define how fintech builds—and tells—its story.

This week, I sat down with Simon to talk about what’s working, what’s broken, and where we go from here.

Some highlights:

• Storytelling as strategy: Why how you communicate matters as much as what you build

• Infra evolution: What’s next after the “Banking-as-a-Service” boom

• Trust + compliance: What founders really need to know about fraud and regulation

• Authenticity > Hype: Why the loudest voice isn’t always the one that wins

Simon’s been on the blockchain R&D floor at Barclays, launched podcasts that shaped the fintech convo, and advised everyone from regulators to startups.

If you’re building, writing, or just trying to make sense of the space—don’t miss this one.

Fintech Forward Takeaway

This week’s theme? Clarity through focus.

Whether it’s FIS doubling down on banking infra, Global Payments owning the merchant lane, or founders narrowing their core problem—this is the season for sharp strategy.

There’s power in letting go of “everything for everyone.” The real magic? Building the best something for someone.