First Data to Acquire GZS Gesellschaft fur Zahlungssysteme mbH

First Data Corporation, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment services, and GZS, Gesellschaft fur Zahlungssysteme, announced today that they have signed an agreement for the acquisition of GZS by First Data. GZS is Germany’s leading processor of cashless, card-based payment transactions. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Completion of the transaction, which is expected to occur in the second quarter 2006, is subject to approval of relevant authorities.

First Data is a leading provider of electronic commerce and payment solutions for businesses and consumers worldwide. First Data serves 4.1 million merchant locations, 1,500 card issuers and millions of consumers. GZS provides card issuing and acquiring processing as well as cross-border debit and fraud management solutions to its banking clients. Easycash, a fully owned subsidiary of GZS, delivers network service provider and E-business services. Today, GZS processes 982 million transactions per year and provides outsourced processing services for 8.5 million German and Swiss credit cards. Furthermore, GZS provides merchant processing services for its clients who serve more than 300,000 merchants. First Data’s acquisition will enable the company to broaden its service offering to its banking and merchant clients and to support their cross-border strategies for growth.