Global Payments Acquires CyberSource’s U.S. Processing
Clients
Jan. 9, 2012
Global Payments Inc. has agreed to purchase from Visa the
portfolio of 9,000 U.S. e-commerce merchant processing clients the network
inherited when it acquired CyberSource in 2010, according to Paul Garcia,
Global’s CEO. Garcia said in the company’s 2Q 2012 earnings conference call
that the Atlanta-based processor is paying $45 million for the CyberSource
portfolio and two additional international portfolios. “This transaction will broaden
our U.S. e-commerce presence by adding over 9,000 merchants and it will expand
our e-commerce strategy by augmenting our existing U.S. distribution channel,”
said Garcia. “We expect this to close during our third fiscal quarter.” Visa
had no comment on the pending sale other than to issue a statement saying,
“This agreement enables CyberSource to focus on its core business of providing
comprehensive payment-management services to merchants.” Visa indicated in the
past it purchased CyberSource mainly for the Authorize.net gateway and its
anti-fraud business, but the company’s merchant-acquiring portfolios had put
Visa in the position of competing with its U.S. acquirer customers.