ATLANTA, Dec. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Global Payments Inc. (NYSE: GPN), a leading provider of electronic transaction processing solutions, announced today that HSBC Merchant Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Global Payments located in the United Kingdom, has been appointed as the preferred supplier of card processing solutions to the 7,000 SMEs that make up the newly merged BHF-BSSA Group Trade Association. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010221/ATW031LOGO ) The new group, which was created from the British Shops & Stores Association (bssa) and the British Hardware Federation (BHF Group) trade bodies, appointed HSBC Merchant Services after carefully evaluating potential providers for quality, service and value. HSBC Merchant Services will now offer a full range of card payment services to the combined membership, enabling merchants to take advantage of rates and offerings normally reserved for much larger organizations. "With their track record of quality service to the old bssa, HSBC Merchant Services was the obvious choice to appoint as our preferred supplier," said Alan Hawkins, Chief Executive of the BHF-BSSA group, "and we look forward to working with them into the future." Darren Wilson, President of HSBC Merchant Services, added, "HSBC Merchant Services already processes card transactions for approximately 3,000 heritage BSSA members, and we are proud to have been chosen to offer our full suite of terminals, products and services to every single member of the new group." HSBC Merchant Services, one of the UK's largest card processing providers and working together with HSBC Bank plc in an exclusive marketing alliance, draws on a combined industry experience of over fifty years. Global Payments Inc. (NYSE:GPN) is a leading provider of electronic transaction processing services for merchants, Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs), financial institutions, government agencies and multi-national corporations located throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Global Payments offers a comprehensive line of processing solutions for credit and debit cards, business-to-business purchasing cards, gift cards, electronic check conversion and check guarantee, verification and recovery including electronic check services, as well as terminal management. Visit http://www.globalpaymentsinc.com/ for more information about the company and its services. Investor Relations Contact: Jane M. Elliott 770 829-8234 Voice Media Relations Contact: Phyllis McNeill 770 829-8245 Voice http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010221/ATW031LOGODATASOURCE: Global Payments Inc. CONTACT: Investor Relations Contact: Jane M. Elliott, +1-770-829-8234, ; or Media Relations Contact: Phyllis McNeill, +1-770-829-8245, Web Site: http://www.globalpaymentsinc.com/

Copyright