The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has approved Global Payments Inc.'s $2.4 billion acquisition of Worldpay, following a Phase 1 review that found no significant competition concerns. The transaction, initially announced in April, involves a complex exchange between Global Payments, FIS, and GTCR. As part of the deal, Global Payments will acquire Worldpay for $2.425 billion, while selling its TSYS card issuing solutions division to FIS for $13.5 billion. The merger will create a combined merchant acquiring business capable of processing over 94 billion transactions annually across 175 countries, with a total transaction value of $3.7 trillion.