Two companies you’ve definitely used but probably never heard of are merging. Global Payments is buying Total System Services in an all stock deal worth $21.5 billion. They are what are called payment processing companies — any time you swipe your card card or dip that chip at a restaurant or convenience store, they or companies like them are on the back end making it happen. Payment processing companies have been on a merger bender, and it tells us a lot about how the way we pay for things is changing.

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