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FIS acquires mobile banking guru mFoundry for $120 million

You may not be very familiar with mFoundry's name, but you'll probably know its work if you're reading this site: it's part of a deal with MasterCard for NFC-based mobile payments, powers many banking apps and wrote the earliest mobile app code for Starbucks. As such, it's no small deal that payment giant FIS just bought full control of mFoundry for $120 million. FIS isn't shy about its aims and sees mFoundry as the ticket to covering a mobile banking space that's growing quicker than other fields. Not that mFoundry will necessarily feel like a pawn -- its audience potentially grows to the 14,000 banks that FIS has for customers. We'll just need to wait until after the deal closes later in the current quarter to see what the union will bring.

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FIS Advances Leadership Position in Mobile Financial Services through Acquisition of mFoundry

Key Facts

Acquisition supports FIS' strategy to invest in new innovation
Combination creates one of the leading mobile entities in the financial services space
Transaction expected to close by the end of the first quarter

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Jan. 31, 2013 – Expanding on its leadership position in mobile financial services, FIS™ (NYSE: FIS), the world's largest provider of banking and payments technology, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the remaining 78 percent interest in mFoundry, a foremost provider of mobile banking and payment solutions for financial institutions and retailers. Previous to this transaction, FIS held a 22 percent interest in the company. The addition of mFoundry creates one of the leading mobile entities in the financial services space and enables FIS to leverage its technology assets across a broader client base.

"mFoundry has a well-earned reputation for innovation, powerful vision and agile development and delivers one of the most advanced mobile platforms in the market today," noted Gary Norcross, FIS president and chief operating officer. "Consumers have adopted the mobile channel faster than any other delivery channel in existence, and delivering industry-best mobile solutions is a vital focus area for FIS. Our goal is to provide the solutions that underpin an organization's ability to best reach and serve its customers, and the addition of mFoundry plays a key role in that strategy."

Founded in 2004 and serving more than 850 clients, mFoundry's customer-focused solutions have become a leading platform for mobile banking and mobile retail and have been adopted by some of the largest banks, credit unions, payments processors and retailers in the country.

Commenting on the transaction, Drew Sievers, mFoundry co-founder and chief executive officer stated, "FIS has been a great investment partner for the last several years, and the timing was right for us to combine forces to create the unparalleled industry leader in mobile delivery. This transaction enables us to capitalize on new market opportunities and bring top-tier mobile capabilities to our combined client bases."

FIS anticipates paying approximately $120 million in cash to acquire the remaining 78 percent ownership interest in mFoundry. The transaction, subject to customary regulatory approvals and contractual closing conditions, is expected to close by the end of the first quarter.