Latest news with #Shift4
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chainlink, Mastercard Tie-Up to Let Nearly 3B Cardholders Buy Crypto On-Chain
Chainlink and Mastercard have linked their networks so more than three billion Mastercard holders can purchase cryptocurrencies directly on-chain. The service folds several players into a single flow. Shift4 processes the card payment, zerohash custodies fiat currency and delivers crypto liquidity, while XSwap and Uniswap execute the final token swap on decentralized markets. Chainlink's interoperability protocol stitches those steps together, passing transaction data between the card network and multiple blockchains, according to an announcement shared with CoinDesk. Raj Dhamodharan, who leads blockchain efforts at Mastercard, said the firm wants to 'bridge the gap between onchain commerce and offchain transactions.' The deal helps enable a 'critical connection between the traditional payments world and the over three billion cardholders in the Mastercard user base,' according to Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov. Mastercard has been slowly moving deeper into the cryptocurrency space. Just last month, the firm partnered with MoonPay to let users spend stablecoins at more than 150 million merchants worldwide. Similarly, back in April Kraken and Mastercard teamed up to introduce cryptocurrency debit in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Shift4 to acquire Australia's Smartpay for NZ$296.4m
Integrated payments company Shift4 has agreed to acquire Australian payments company Smartpay for NZ$296.4m ($180m). The agreed acquisition price of NZ$1.20 per share represents a 46.5% premium over Smartpay's 90 trading day volume weighted average price (VWAP). Smartpay provides payment processing and point-of-sale solutions in Australia and New Zealand, supporting over 40,000 merchants through its distribution network. The deal, expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025, is subject to regulatory approvals. Shift4 has previously applied this strategy in other regions, such as Germany, the UK, and Ireland, where it has sought to enhance its integrated payment experience through localised distribution, service, and support, as well as merchant-focused products and proprietary payment infrastructure. Shift4 CEO Taylor Lauber said: 'This acquisition follows the Shift4 playbook to a tee. It deepens our strategic presence in Australia and New Zealand, providing a significant opportunity to offer our full suite of software and payments solutions in the region. 'By combining our payment infrastructure with Smartpay's distribution capabilities, we're well positioned to go-to-market at scale in the region with our leading products and services such as SkyTab POS for restaurants, SkyTab Venue for stadiums and arenas, and our end-to-end payment solution for hotels and unified commerce merchants.' In February, Shift4 entered a $2.5bn deal to buy Swiss payments and technology firm Global Blue. With 40 years of experience, Global Blue operates at the intersection of travel and luxury retail across Europe, Asia, and South America. It is known for its two-sided network, connecting millions of international shoppers with merchants through its proprietary app. "Shift4 to acquire Australia's Smartpay for NZ$296.4m " was originally created and published by Electronic Payments International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Finextra
23-06-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Shift4 agrees $180 million deal for Smartpay
Shift4 is continuing its acquisition spree, agreeing a US$180 million deal to take over Australian and NZ point-of-sale provider Smartpay. 0 Smartpay sells tailored payment technology through an extensive distribution network across Australia and New Zealand, supporting a diverse base of more than 40,000 merchants in the region. The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025, subject to regulatory approvals. The deal is the latest in a series of acquisitions by Shift4, which recently abandoned plans to sell off its own business after being unimpressed by suitor bids for the publicly-listed company, which has a market valuation of $7 billion. In February, Shift4 agreed to buy Global Blue, a payments and technology provider to luxury brands, for $2.5 billion. This followed the August acquisition of Canadian gift card company Givex for C$200. Speaking on the deal to takeover Smartpay, Shift4 CEO Taylor Lauber, says: 'This acquisition follows the Shift4 playbook to a tee. It deepens our strategic presence in Australia and New Zealand, providing a significant opportunity to offer our full suite of software and payments solutions in the region. "By combining our payment infrastructure with Smartpay's distribution capabilities, we're well positioned to go-to-market at scale in the region with our leading products and services such as SkyTab POS for restaurants, SkyTab Venue for stadiums and arenas, and our end-to-end payment solution for hotels and unified commerce merchants.'


Business Wire
22-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Shift4 to Acquire Australian Payments Leader Smartpay
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. & AUCKLAND, New Zealand--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Shift4 (NYSE: FOUR), a leader in integrated payments and commerce technology, has announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Smartpay (NZX:SPY, ASX:SMP), a leading independent provider of payment processing and point-of-sale solutions in Australia and New Zealand, for NZ$296.4 million (~$180m USD), or NZ$1.20 per share. This represents a 46.5% premium to 90 trading day Volume Weighted Average Price (VWAP). Smartpay sells tailored payment solutions through an extensive distribution network across Australia and New Zealand, supporting a diverse base of more than 40,000 merchants in the region. The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025, subject to regulatory approvals. 'This acquisition follows the Shift4 playbook to a tee. It deepens our strategic presence in Australia and New Zealand, providing a significant opportunity to offer our full suite of software and payments solutions in the region,' said Shift4 CEO Taylor Lauber. 'By combining our payment infrastructure with Smartpay's distribution capabilities, we're well positioned to go-to-market at scale in the region with our leading products and services such as SkyTab POS for restaurants, SkyTab Venue for stadiums and arenas, and our end-to-end payment solution for hotels and unified commerce merchants.' Shift4 has successfully executed a similar strategy of combining acquisitions to deliver a superior integrated payment experience with localized distribution, service, and support, valuable merchant-facing products, and owned payment rails to rapidly scale in other regions, most recently in Germany, the UK and Ireland. About Shift4 Shift4 (NYSE: FOUR) is boldly redefining commerce by simplifying complex payments ecosystems across the world. As the leader in commerce-enabling technology, Shift4 powers billions of transactions annually for hundreds of thousands of businesses in virtually every industry. For more information, visit About Smartpay Smartpay (NZX:SPY, ASX:SMP) is the leading independent provider of electronic funds transfer at point of sale (EFTPOS) solutions in Australia and New Zealand. Smartpay designs, develops and implements point-of-sale payment solutions for more than 40,000 merchants. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend for such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including statements regarding our expectations associated the completion, the benefits, synergies, efficiencies, and opportunities arising from, and anticipated costs of the proposed transaction, and the timing of any of the foregoing. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause each of our actual results, performance or achievements, to be materially different from any futures results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the substantial and increasingly intense competition worldwide in the financial services, payments and payment technology industries; our ability to continue to expand our respective share of the existing payment processing markets or expand into new markets; additional risks associated with our expansion into international operations, including compliance with and changes in foreign governmental policies, as well as exposure to foreign exchange rates; regulatory approvals and other related issues; and our respective ability to integrate and interoperate each of our services and products with a variety of operating systems, software, devices, and web browsers, and the other important factors discussed under the caption 'Risk Factors' in Part I, Item 1A in Shift4's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the years ended December 31, 2024, as updated by our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 and our other filings with the SEC. Any such forward-looking statements represent management's expectations as of the date of this press release. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause of our view to change.

Finextra
22-06-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Deep Dive: How Shift4 Is Building a Global Commerce Platform: By Sam Boboev
In the fast-moving world of fintech and payments, few companies have transformed as dramatically in recent years as Shift4 Payments. Born as a small merchant processor in the late 1990s, Shift4 has rapidly evolved into a global 'commerce technology' player powering payments for over 200,000 businesses today. Its story matters now because Shift4 is at an inflection point: after years of hyper growth, strategic acquisitions, and expanding beyond its U.S. base, the company is positioning itself as a serious challenger to payment incumbents worldwide. In 2024 and 2025 alone, Shift4 has embarked on bold moves – from mega-acquisitions in Europe to launching its all-in-one point-of-sale platform internationally – that could reshape the competitive landscape of integrated payments. Moreover, founder and CEO Jared Isaacman is handing over the reins after 26 years, marking a leadership transition just as Shift4 pursues ambitious global targets. For fintech observers, Shift4 offers a compelling case study of software and payments convergence done right, and its next chapter will signal how far an upstart can go in challenging entrenched rivals. This deep dive provides a comprehensive look at Shift4's background, strategy, financial performance, expansion plans, and competitive context at this pivotal moment. Company Background and Evolution Shift4's journey began in 1999, when 16-year-old Jared Isaacman started a tiny payment processing business (then called United Bank Card) out of his parents' basement. Isaacman's early innovation was streamlining the clunky merchant onboarding process of the time – cutting setup from weeks to one day, and offering free card terminals with simple applications. This merchant-friendly approach fueled growth, and by 2012 the company rebranded as Harbortouch to emphasize its point-of-sale (POS) solutions alongside payment services. Through the mid-2010s, Isaacman's firm acquired several other payment and POS providers, expanding its reach in hospitality and retail payments. A major turning point came in 2017: the company (briefly renamed Lighthouse Network) acquired a Las Vegas-based payment gateway called Shift4 Corporation, a veteran player in hotel and restaurant payments, and adopted the Shift4 name for the combined entity. This merger of a merchant acquirer with a payment software gateway foreshadowed Shift4's future strategy of integrating software and payments. In June 2020, Shift4 Payments went public on the NYSE (ticker: FOUR) – one of the few fintech IPOs in the immediate aftermath of COVID's onset. Despite the pandemic's impact on its core restaurant and hospitality clients, Shift4's business rebounded strongly, even exceeding the aggressive targets set during its 2021 investor day. Over 2021–2023, the company aggressively broadened its offerings and vertical reach, both organically and via acquisition. It launched an e-commerce platform by acquiring 3dcart (rebranded Shift4Shop) in late 2020, and pushed into sports venues with the 2021 acquisition of VenueNext, a provider of stadium POS and mobile ordering tech. Shift4 also set its sights on new industry verticals – notably non-profits, gaming, and even space technology. It struck partnerships with major names like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (to handle donations) and Allegiant Travel (to extend its hospitality payments into airlines). In a headline-grabbing deal, Shift4 became the payments partner for SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, a global opportunity that necessitated international payment capabilities. These initiatives signaled Shift4's intent to go beyond its SMB restaurant roots and serve large, complex merchants across a variety of sectors. By 2022, founder Jared Isaacman proudly noted that Shift4 had moved 'upmarket,' powering the entire POS and payments systems of massive resort properties and stadiums – customers that bring larger payment volumes and more stability than small businesses. Today, Shift4 bills itself as an 'integrated commerce' provider, combining payments with software solutions in a one-stop platform. The company claims to serve roughly one-third of all U.S. restaurants through its various POS brands, and has expanded into hospitality, retail, entertainment, and specialty markets. Headquarters remain in Pennsylvania, but Shift4's footprint is increasingly global – a result of its recent expansion strategy (detailed below). Notably, as of early 2025, Jared Isaacman announced plans to step down as CEO (while remaining a major shareholder and Executive Chairman) after being nominated to lead NASA – handing the CEO role to company president Taylor Lauber. This leadership transition caps a remarkable evolution: from a basement startup to a publicly traded, multi-billion dollar fintech with international ambitions. Disclaimer: Fintech Wrap Up aggregates publicly available information for informational purposes only. Portions of the content may be reproduced verbatim from the original source, and full credit is provided with a "Source: [Name]" attribution. All copyrights and trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. Fintech Wrap Up does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the aggregated content; these are the responsibility of the original source providers. Links to the original sources may not always be included. For questions or concerns, please contact us at