Global Payments

Also called GPN, TSYS, Heartland, EVO Payments, Genius

The acquirer that swallowed TSYS, Heartland, EVO and now Worldpay — roughly 6 million locations and $3.7 trillion in annual volume.

What it is

Global Payments is an Atlanta-based acquirer built by acquisition. TSYS (a major back-end processor and card issuing platform) merged in 2019, Heartland came with it, EVO Payments followed, and on January 12, 2026 Global Payments closed its $24.3 billion acquisition of Worldpay while simultaneously divesting Issuer Solutions to FIS. The result is a pure-play commerce company with roughly 6 million merchant locations, $3.7 trillion in annual volume and about 94 billion transactions. Genius is the strategic product — a unified POS and commerce platform replacing the legacy Heartland POS, spanning restaurants, retail and, per the company, a services version with scheduling and invoicing. Global Payments launched an AI-first Genius Handheld in May 2026. Momentum metrics have been strong: Q2 2026 adjusted revenue up 4% to $3.16 billion with margins up 70 basis points to 42%, new Genius customer yields up 75% year over year, new Genius locations up 50% year over year, and value-added services revenue up 25%. The company was preparing Worldpay's bank partners to sell Genius in Q4 2026. Go-to-market runs through three channels — Enterprise, SMB, and Integrated & Platforms. Heartland notably operates a W-2 direct sales force, which competes structurally with independent agents rather than partnering with them.

Why it matters to your business

If you're on Heartland, you are on a platform being replaced, and platform migrations are when pricing quietly changes and features quietly disappear. Get your current rate schedule and feature set documented in writing before you migrate, not after. If you're evaluating Genius, the product traction is real and the services edition with scheduling and invoicing is genuinely relevant to local services businesses — HVAC, marine, pool, landscaping. Just get the pricing and term in writing, because Global Payments, like every large acquirer, publishes none of it.

Where it gets contested

The live issue at Global Payments in 2026 is integration risk paired with a $600 million cost-synergy program split roughly evenly across technology, operational consolidation and administrative headcount. Cost programs of that size, executed during a platform migration, historically produce degraded service — longer support queues, slower boarding, and partner-program churn. Merchants migrating from Heartland POS to Genius are the population most exposed. For the partner channel, the specific problem is that the post-Worldpay ISO program terms have not visibly been reconciled. The legacy Worldpay ISO Partner Advantage program is still marketed while Global Payments' own ISO program is being rationalized amid the cost cuts. The practical advice circulating among experienced agents is to avoid long-tail exclusivity commitments with either brand during 2026 — the paper is likely to be rewritten. The fair counterpoint is that Global Payments' reported numbers are good and getting better: margin expansion, strong Genius traction, and a coherent strategic story about being a commerce company rather than a diversified fintech. Merchants on a stable Genius or TSYS platform are not in trouble. Merchants mid-migration should watch their statements closely.

How to check it yourself

If you're being migrated from Heartland to Genius, request a written side-by-side: current rate schedule versus new rate schedule, current monthly fees versus new monthly fees, and any new term commitment. Migrations are the most common moment for a repricing to slip through unremarked.

Receipts

Claims above that are checkable, with where to check them. Published so you do not have to take anyone's word for it.

Global Payments closed its $24.3B Worldpay acquisition January 12, 2026, divesting Issuer Solutions to FIS, creating a company with ~6M merchant locations, $3.7T annual volume and ~94B transactions
investors.globalpayments.com ↗
Global Payments is executing a $600M cost-synergy plan split across technology, operational consolidation and administrative headcount
paymentsdive.com ↗
Q2 2026 adjusted revenue +4% to $3.16B, margins +70bps to 42%, new Genius customer yields +75% YoY and new Genius locations +50% YoY
merchantcostconsulting.com ↗
Global Payments launched an AI-first Genius Handheld in May 2026
investors.globalpayments.com ↗