GTCR Acquires Majority Stake in Payment Platform Worldpay at $18.5B Valuation

On Thursday, July 6, private equity firm GTCR agreed to buy a majority stake in payments platform Worldpay, at the company valuation of a staggering $18.5 billion.

As part of the deal, GTCR will acquire a 55% stake in Worldpay from Fidelity National Information Services (FIS). However, FIS gets to retain the rest of the 45%. Additionally, GTCR has also committed an equity capital investment of up to $1.25 billion in order to pursue inorganic growth opportunities in Worldpay.

In order to serve the customers’ interests, GTCR and FIS will continue to work together on a commercial basis. Worldpay is a well-known company that helps businesses accept and handle payments made through different methods like in-store, online, and mobile. They process a huge amount of transactions, over $2 trillion, every year for millions of merchants around the world.

They work with various industries, including retail, technology, media, travel, online gaming, and financial services. Worldpay is a trusted leader in this field and stands out for its large scale, wide-coverage, diverse services, and industry knowledge. Speaking on the development, Collin Roche, GTCR Co-CEO and Managing Director said:

“We are thrilled to partner with Worldpay and its talented team to drive forward this market leading business. Worldpay has established itself as a leader in the payments sector, and we see strong opportunity to enhance its existing physical, e-commerce and omni-channel presence through additional investment, allowing the business to capitalize on digital payment trends. We look forward to leveraging the strength of the entire organization to build an even better business, positioning Worldpay for sustainable, long-term growth.”

GTCR Calls It a Strategic Acquisition

GTCR called it a strategic acquisition of Worldpay in order to enable accelerated growth through innovation. Bring an independent company, Worldplay also gets to be a part of the accelerated growth by increasing investments in product technology and innovation.

Working with GTCR will also help Worldpay expand further into new markets and continue investing in key growth areas. Upon the closure of the deal, Charles Drucker, the former Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Worldpay, will become CEO of the standalone Worldpay business.

“Along with a group of extremely talented payments professionals, we successfully built Worldpay into a truly unique and global business that is well-positioned to take advantage of the current dynamics in the payments market as a standalone business. I couldn’t be more excited to work with these colleagues and GTCR to win in the global marketplace. The GTCR team has deep knowledge and experience within the financial technology sector, which will help position Worldpay for long-term success. I am extremely confident in the future of the business,” commented Mr. Drucker.

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