NYREADERS.COM - Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF) and Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) Tuesday announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Capital One will acquire Discover in an all-stock transaction valued at $35.3 billion.
The transaction brings together two companies with long-standing track records of delivering attractive and resilient financial results, award-winning customer experiences, breakthrough innovation, and financial inclusion, Capital One said.
The purchase is also a combination of Capital One’s scale in credit cards and banking with Discover’s vertically integrated global payments network.
Under the terms of the agreement, Discover shareholders will receive 1.0192 Capital One shares for each Discover share, representing a premium of 26.6% based on Discover's closing price of $110.49 on Feb. 16, 2024.
At close, Capital One shareholders will own approximately 60% and Discover shareholders will own approximately 40% of the combined company.
Capital One has been developing a payments and banking company powered by modern technology.
“Our acquisition of Discover is a singular opportunity to bring together two very successful companies with complementary capabilities and franchises, and to build a payments network that can compete with the largest payments networks and payments companies," said Richard Fairbank, founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Capital One.
"Through this combination, we're creating a company that is exceptionally well-positioned to create significant value for consumers, small businesses, merchants, and shareholders as technology continues to transform the payments and banking marketplace."
"The transaction with Capital One brings together two strong brands with enhanced ability to accelerate growth and maximize value for our shareholders, enabling them to participate in the tremendous upside of the combined company," said Michael Rhodes, CEO and President of Discover.
"This agreement underscores the strength of our business and is a testament to the hard work of Discover employees. We look forward to a bright future as part of the Capital One family and to providing expanded opportunities for our loyal customers."
Discover
Discover has built a rare and valuable global payments network with 70 million merchant acceptance points in more than 200 countries and territories. Even so, it is the smallest of the four US-based global payments networks.
This acquisition adds scale and investment, enabling the Discover network to be more competitive with the largest payment networks and payment companies.
