Activist investment firm Elliott Management has accumulated a substantial stake in Global Payments Inc. (ticker: GPN) following the company's acquisition of Worldpay. This move positions Global Payments as a leading U.S. acquirer, potentially tying JPMorgan Chase as the largest in the sector. The deal and Elliott's investment have driven GPN shares up by approximately 6% in after-hours trading. Global Payments reported a combined gross transaction volume (GTV) of $4 trillion, growing at a mid-to-high single-digit rate. Comparatively, competitors such as Worldline (ticker: WLN) and Shift4 Payments (ticker: FOUR) reported GTVs of $500 billion and $210 billion, respectively, with varying growth rates. Elliott Management's stake in Global Payments has increased steadily since late April, surpassing 8.2% ownership. Market analysts note that this development underscores Global Payments' expanding influence in the merchant acquiring space.