RY & BMO Consider the Sale of Canada Payments Venture Moneris

Royal Bank of Canada RY and Bank of Montreal BMO are mulling over the potential sale of their Canada payments joint venture, Moneris, in a deal that could value the business at roughly $2 billion. This was first reported by Reuters, citing four people familiar with the matter.

Moneris, founded in 2000 by RY and BMO, is one of Canada’s largest payment processors, managing roughly one out of every three business transactions across the country. Moneris generates roughly $700 million in revenues annually. According to its website, the company provides digital, mobile and in-store payment solutions to around 325,000 merchant locations.

The sale isn’t certain, and Royal Bank of Canada and Bank of Montreal may still decide to keep part or all of the business.

In recent years, the rapid digitization of the North American payments industry and the need for regular capital investment to stay competitive have led many banks to divest their payments operations. Buyers have often included payments companies, expanding through mergers and acquisitions to broaden their reach and services, as well as private equity firms attracted to the recurring fee revenues these businesses generate.

In sync with this, last month, Fiserv Inc. FI collaborated with TD Bank Group, a subsidiary of Toronto-Dominion Bank TD, to provide technological support to TD’s merchant business. Further, Fiserv agreed to acquire a part of TD’s merchant processing business in Canada.

RY & BMO Price Performance & Zacks Rank

Year to date, shares of Royal Bank of Canada and Bank of Montreal have gained 13.2% and 16.5%, respectively, underperforming the industry’s 35.2% growth.

Currently, Royal Bank of Canada and Bank of Montreal carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) each. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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