First Data International Completes Acquisition of Argencard, S.A.

First Data International, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment services, completed the acquisition of Argencard, S.A., a leading processor of payment transactions in Argentina and Uruguay. The company also announced that it plans to operate the business under the name of First Data International.

This strategic acquisition firmly establishes First Data’s presence in South America, and provides the company an opportunity to further expand its electronic payment processing experience and capabilities across this fast-growing region. Renaming the company allows First Data to leverage the company’s strong global brand awareness built over 30 years of service excellence.

“We are very excited to complete the acquisition of Argencard,” said Peter Harrington, President, Latin America, First Data International. “We believe that the combination of Argencard’s market knowledge with First Data’s global resources and payment processing expertise positions the company to deliver an extended service proposition to clients in the region.”

Guillermo Laje will become part of the First Data team and will continue to lead the current Argencard business. “The acquisition of Argencard and our integration with First Data provides the company with new opportunities for growth across the region,” said Mr. Laje. “I look forward to working closely with our clients to ensure a seamless transition to First Data.”

“Argencard is the cornerstone of our growth strategy in South America. The company has solid client relationships, complementary capabilities to First Data and talented employees with deep local market and industry expertise. We are well positioned to expand our footprint across the region and leverage our global reach and local presence to assemble the right solutions to fit our clients’ unique local market requirements,” said Pam Patsley, President, First Data International.

As a premier provider of card issuing and merchant acquiring processing services, Argencard brings to First Data more than 70 banks with 9 million cardholders and over 150,000 active merchants.