How Synovus’ merger and TSYS’ divestiture are reshaping Columbus’ banking and fintech landscape
Two landmark transactions with Columbus roots moved from announcement to completion
Columbus, Georgia—long home to major banking and payments operations—has entered a new phase of corporate realignment as two large deals tied to Synovus and TSYS reached key milestones between 2025 and early 2026.
Synovus Financial Corp., founded in Columbus and historically one of the city’s most prominent employers, completed a merger with Pinnacle Financial Partners in early January 2026. In a parallel shift in the payments sector, TSYS—once part of Synovus and later acquired by Global Payments—formally changed hands again as part of a broader set of transactions involving FIS, Global Payments and Worldpay.
Synovus-Pinnacle: a completed merger with a multi-year integration timeline
The all-stock merger between Synovus and Pinnacle was announced on July 24, 2025 and cleared key approval steps later that year, including shareholder votes on Nov. 6, 2025 and federal bank regulatory approvals on Nov. 25 and Nov. 26, 2025. The corporate combination was completed on Jan. 1, 2026, followed by completion of the bank merger on Jan. 2, 2026.
Under the merger terms, Synovus shareholders received 0.5237 shares of new Pinnacle common stock for each Synovus share. The combined organization operates under the Pinnacle name, with the consolidated company trading under the ticker PNFP.
Based on financials as of Sept. 30, 2025, the combined institution reported approximately $117.2 billion in assets, $95.7 billion in deposits and $80.4 billion in loans. Operationally, the combined footprint is described as more than 400 locations spanning nine states across the Southeast and Atlantic coast.
TSYS: Issuer Solutions sold to FIS as payments companies reposition assets
Columbus’ second major corporate change is rooted in TSYS, the payments processor that originated in the city and became part of a $21.5 billion acquisition by Global Payments in 2019. In a deal that closed on Jan. 12, 2026, FIS completed the acquisition of Global Payments’ Issuer Solutions business—identified as the business formerly known as TSYS.
FIS disclosed an enterprise value of $13.5 billion for the Issuer Solutions acquisition, with a net purchase price of $12 billion after accounting for tax assets. Following closing, FIS said the acquired capabilities would be taken to market under its Total Issuing Solutions portfolio brand and described the platform’s scale in credit processing, including operations across more than 75 countries and processing volumes exceeding 40 billion transactions annually.
What changes—and what does not—immediately for Columbus
Corporate control: Both transactions shift ownership and branding at the parent-company level, while day-to-day customer-facing changes typically follow phased integration schedules.
Regional footprint: The combined bank positions itself as a larger Southeastern regional institution, with headquarters functions tied to Atlanta and major banking operations anchored in Nashville.
Payments operations: The TSYS-branded legacy within issuer processing is now aligned under FIS, reflecting continued consolidation across the payments industry.
Across banking and payments, the transactions underscore a broader pattern: Columbus-founded companies remain central to large-scale consolidation reshaping the financial services sector.
Further operational details—such as workforce impacts, facility plans and local investment commitments—typically emerge over time as integration programs move from closing announcements to execution.