Skip to content
Navigating a New Political Landscape: View real-time updates about the impact of and Northeastern's response to recent political changes.
Apply
Stories

Capital One and Discover merger may be a response to an adjacent concern: the Visa and Mastercard duopoly, economist says

People in this story

Capital One’s proposal to acquire Discover for $35 billion would be the largest banking deal in nearly two decades if it goes through, a Northeastern expert says. However, the merger faces a tough road to approval in the present regulatory environment as antitrust watchdogs have challenged a slew of deals in recent years — from the JetBlue and Spirit Airlines deal to Microsoft’s bid to take over Activision Blizzard

John Kwoka, the Neal F. Finnegan Distinguished Professor of Economics at Northeastern University, says the merger points, and is perhaps responding, to an adjacent concern in the banking sector — namely, the market power Visa and Mastercard share in setting payment processing fees. “One aspect of this that hasn’t been much discussed … is the payment processing duopoly that Visa and Mastercard have at present,” he says.

While Capital One and Discover are on stable financial footing, Kwoka contends that Discover’s payment processing system might present Capital One with an opportunity for cost savings. “If there are cost savings that Capital One and Discover think they’re going to achieve here, it’s really because the Visa and Mastercard duopoly is setting very high merchant fees,” Kwoka says. “Capital One may be trying to bypass that by owning a piece — or all — of an alternative payment processing system that Discover has.”

Continue reading at Northeastern Global News.

More Stories

Police responders at the aftermath of Swedish school shooting.

Sweden’s deadliest mass shooting highlights global reality of gun violence, Northeastern criminologist says

02.05.2025
Huthi fighters stand guard around newly-released Yemeni prisoners wait to be united with their relatives, in Sanaa on January 25, 2025. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Northeastern students wanted information on the Yemen conflict. So they went straight to the ambassador.

02.05.2025
The Center for International Affairs and World Cultures hosts a panel with a pair of scholars on the future of the Middle East peace process. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

After ceasefire deal, how can mediators create a lasting peace in Gaza? Experts unravel the task

02.05.25
All Stories