Mercator Advisory Group Payments Industry M&A Report - Q1 2005

Boston, MA
April 2005

Mercator Advisory Group
Payments Industry M&A Report - Q1 2005
NEW RESEARCH REPORT BY MERCATOR ADVISORY GROUP

This report is the first of Mercator Advisory Group's ongoing coverage of deal activity across the industry.  It covers M&A deals completed by companies such as the issuers and acquirers of credit, debit, stored value, prepaid, charge card, and other payment products; service bureaus and third-party processors that provide services to these issuers and acquirers; hardware, software and information services vendors, integration services, and professional services companies that enable the operations of aforementioned companies; and other vendors that provide products and services across the consumer payments value chain.

2004 was a busy year in terms of the mergers and acquisitions in the US.  There were major deals in telecommunications, energy, media and entertainment, healthcare, and financial services industries.  The payments industry during the past year has also been extremely dynamic and this fast pace, for a variety of factors, is continuing in the first quarter of 2005.

Evren Bayri, Director of Mercator Advisory Group's Credit Advisory Service comments, "During the quarter, we saw deals happening almost in all segments of the payments industry.  One trend that is worth mentioning for the quarter is the increased M&A activity in the prepaid/stored value segment."

This report provides summary information on the payments industry related M&A deals announced within the first quarter of 2005, contact person(s) related to each deal, commentary on major deals and an easy-to-read M&A activity table that summarizes the highlights of for each deal.  This format is designed to enable a quick review of important deals in this critical sector.

This report contains 26 pages and 2 exhibits. 

This special quarterly report is available for individual purchase or may be purchased on an ongoing annual basis (which will include a total of 4 reports, one summarizing each quarter).

Members of Mercator Advisory Group have access to these reports as well as the upcoming research for the year ahead, presentations, analyst access and other membership benefits. Please visit us online at www.mercatoradvisorygroup.com.

For more information call Mercator Advisory Group's main line: 781-419-1700 or send email to info@mercatoradvisorygroup.com.