The US FinTech Fiserv is exploring the sale of its debit card payments infrastructure and has spoken to major US banks, according to Reuters, amid ongoing financial difficulties.

Citing a source close to the matter, Reuters reported that Fiserv has held discussions with Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, PNC ​Financial Services Group, and Wells Fargo over the past few months.

The buyer would take control of Fiserv’s STAR Network, which supports ATM withdrawals, ecommerce, and point of sale purchases, and its Accel network which also covers ATMs, digital payments, and debit processing.

Ownership of payments infrastructure could exempt banks from US government caps on the debit card fees they can charge merchants on transactions. Banks with assets of or exceeding $10 billion are limited to 21 cents plus 0.05 per cent of the transaction and some have argued that this restricts their revenue and ability to afford customer rewards.

But according to the law that sets this out, the Durbin amendment to the 2010 Dodd–Frank Act, interchange fee caps only apply to transactions banks process through an external network.

Owning a payment network could open banks to increasing the amount merchants pay when they facilitate debit payments, provided regulators didn’t step in with further amendments.

Separate reporting by the Wall Street Journal held that the purchase is not yet set with any bank and some have already passed on the chance.

Fiserv is understood to be exploring the sale as part of a corporate pivot to improve its finances. The firm’s stocks have declined over 70 per cent since July 2025 with approximately 44 per cent of that drop happening in just one day, following the release of Fiserv’s third quarter earnings statement.

In the document, the firm reported organic growth of one per cent year on year and adjusted revenue of $4.92 billion, below analyst expectations of $5.36 billion.

Fiserv’s senior leadership team has also seen rapid change since the start of 2025, with chief executive Frank Bisignano leaving in May 2025 to take on a role in the Trump administration and chief financial officer Robert Hau.

Bisignano’s successor, Mike Lyons, left his role on 15 June with Fiserv’s chief operating officer Takis Georgakopoulos taking on the role of chief executive immediately. Fiserv stocks slid seven per cent following the announcement.

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