The payments sector gave two very different messages this week. Visa said consumers were happily spending, while French payments company Worldline warned about an economic slowdown in Europe.
The economic outlook is darkening around the world. Worldline pointed to Germany as a particular pain point, and investors fear other countries will face similar challenges. While consumer spending has been resilient in the U.S., fears of a recession haven’t dissappeared. Spending could take a hit if the Federal Reserve keeps interest rates higher for longer, as it has suggested it might need to do.
Beyond the global economy, there have been major questions about the business models of many payment stocks. Valuations might also have become stretched. Fidelity National Information Services agreed in July to sell a majority stake in payments-provider Worldpay to a private-equity firm at a valuation of $18.5 billion, marking it down from a price tag of $43 billion when the companies combined in 2019. The news also raised questions about the pursuit of scale via consolidation in the industry.
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