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Global Payments Inc. early Tuesday heralded updates for its Genius point-of-sale technology as it celebrated a recent regulatory ruling that speeds up the company’s $22.7 billion deal for the processing giant Worldpay.
“We now expect to close on Worldpay in the first quarter of 2026,” chief executive Cameron Bready told equity analysts during a conference call to discuss his company’s third-quarter performance. The original timeline called for a close some time in the first half of the year. The new timing follows an Oct. 20 decision by the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority clearing the deal, which was announced by Global and Worldpay’s owner, FIS Inc., in May. The investment firm GTCR is also selling its stake in Worldpay to Global as part of the same deal.
With the transaction, Atlanta-based Global also takes on the profile of a pure-play acquiring processor, as it also agreed at the same time to sell its card-issuing business to FIS for $13.5 billion. The idea, Bready said, is to “transform Global Payments into a single, unified company worldwide.”
That emphasis became even clearer Tuesday with Global’s report on progress with Genius, the new point-of-sale system it launched in May. It added other merchant markets in June, with enterprise-level sellers following last month. The technology is consuming a good deal of Global’s time and resources, as Bready made clear. “In [point of sale] and software, our priority remains on Genius,” he said. “Genius is resonating in the market.”
Global recently added handheld POS devices as part of the Genius package as the company acted to expand the technology to overseas markets, including launches in the United Kingdom and Austria. Germany and Australia are next, Bready said. Some 90% of the product’s sales are to new customers, he added.
Now the rush is on to add volume. “Genius is a focal point for us in terms of driving growth,” Bready said. “Those transactions catalyze everything we’re doing.” Here, the deal for Worldpay and its merchant connections plays a key role. “We’re excited to bring those distribution channels to life,” he said.
Outside of the acquisition of Worldpay, Global is also seeking growth through its hiring channels, Bready said. “We’re expanding our sales force,” he noted, adding the company seeks 500 salespersons on North America alone. Faster growth will deliver better results for Global, he said, noting, “We are striving to be a better version of our company.”
For the quarter, Global reported $2 billion in adjusted net revenue, up 2% year-on-year. Net income finished at $635 million, doubling the figure from the same time last year.
