Lionel Laurent, Columnist

Paying the World for Worldpay

Justifying such a steep bid premium isn't going to be easy.

July 4, 2017 at 2:05 PM UTC

Lionel Laurent is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist writing about the future of money and the future of Europe. Previously, he was a reporter for Reuters and Forbes.

1499175822_474385724 — Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

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Payments specialist Worldpay Group Plc just got a whole lot more expensive for potential acquirers. Justifying the outlay will probably require patience and long-term reinvention, rather than the quick and easy cost savings some investors prefer.

Shares of Worldpay jumped as much as 29 percent Tuesday after the company said it had been approached by U.S. rival Vantiv Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. about a potential takeover. The expected bid premium looks clean indeed, close to the industry's traditional 30 percent.