Global Payments has felt the impact of the conflict in the Middle East because it provides services to a pack of airlines in the region whose flights have been disrupted by the war that began this month with the bombing of Iran.
The company’s CEO, Cameron Bready, addressed the issue Tuesday at an investor conference hosted by Wolfe Research, explaining that the geopolitical upheaval is grounding flights for airline clients, potentially impacting the company’s financial results.
Global Payments provides technology, software and other services that allow its customers to accept card, check and digital payments.
“There's a little bit of modest headwind because we serve 12 of the largest Middle Eastern airlines,” Bready said at the Wolfe Fintech Forum. “They are great clients of ours, and every flagship that you can think of that flies in and out of that region are generally going to be clients for us. So, you know, closed airspace in the Middle East isn't ideal.”
Bready also pointed to the broader negative impact from the fighting, noting that the macro-economic environment and consumer spending could also be affected by the jump in fuel prices that the conflict has caused.
“We're watching oil prices and the potential trickle-down effect that might have on inflation and how consumers react to [the] more uncertain geopolitical environment,” Bready said.
Still, overall, consumers have been surprisingly resilient this year, the CEO said, noting that the company is monitoring the labor market for any cracks in that picture.
“I would expect a little bit of a modest headwind in Q1, and potentially Q2, depending on how long it persists,” Bready said. “I mean pretty minimal impact on earnings and cash flow, just given the size and diversity of the business more broadly.”
The regional interference for Atlanta-based Global Payments comes as the company is digesting a major acquisition after its $24.25-billion purchase of merchant services company Worldpay last year.
Bready said the company is on track to draw $600 million in cost and revenue synergies from that transaction over the next several years.
This year, the business will take out between $70 million and $80 million in expense benefits and finalize a realignment around a new leadership structure, he said.
Still, the company’s aim is to stay focused on additional growth it can deliver, with most of the revenue benefits still to be gained in the next couple years, he said.
“The other big focus for 2026 is laying the groundwork and foundations to deliver on the revenue synergies that are going to take a little more time and a little more investment to deliver,” Bready said. “The bigger opportunities around growth come, I think, in ‘27 and, more so in ‘28.”
