ISO and agent

In recent years, there's been a lot of activity in payments M&A, but a few deals stand out — some for their size, and others for their ability to transform both parties in a fundamental way.

Global Payments hasn't hesitated to shell out huge dollars if it provides a quick-strike opportunity to pair technology with multichannel payments in markets where such marriages remain rare.

Merchant acquirers are racing to sell "integrated payments," or a one-stop shop for transaction processing and myriad other services that stores can tie to the point of sale. But small to medium sized businesses are not often the targets for these efforts.