Deluxe Aims to Expand Payments Business With Celero Acquisition

Payments and data company Deluxe is set to acquire small business-focused payments solution firm Celero Commerce, according to a Thursday (June 18) press release.

The $625 million deal is designed to help Deluxe derive more revenue from “higher growth” segments, per the release. It is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026.

“Adding Celero immediately accelerates our transformation and shifts our revenue mix decisively towards our growing payments and data segments,” Deluxe President and CEO Barry McCarthy said in the release.

After closing, the combined data and payments businesses are projected to increase to 57% of revenues for the year, compared to 31% in 2020, according to the release.

“The combination will also further the ongoing modernization of the Deluxe payment technology infrastructure, bring together complementary go-to-market capabilities and expand customer reach through a broadened and diversified network of bank, software, independent partner and direct sales channels,” the release said.

Once the deal closes, Deluxe will go to market with greater scale and a larger set of solutions for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and merchants, which are Celero’s target customers, per the release.

“Celero has loyal customers, partners and employees, as well as strong financials and corporate culture, all of which are a natural fit with Deluxe,” McCarthy said in the release. “Combined, the two companies will broaden our distribution reach and deepen our presence across key verticals, including financial institutions, independent software vendors and independent sales organization partner channels.”

Meanwhile, the PYMNTS Intelligence report “The Cross-Border Opportunity: What Global Sourcing by US SMBs Means for Payment Providers” found that 57% of SMBs in the United States source goods or inputs internationally, showing how mainstream global procurement has become.

Despite this expansion, 63% of small businesses still pay overseas suppliers primarily with U.S. dollars, suggesting currency practices have not kept up with the reality of supply chains.

Paying suppliers in dollars appears to simplify operations.

“Accounting systems become easier to reconcile,” PYMNTS reported Tuesday (June 16). “Treasury departments avoid managing multiple currency balances. Budget forecasts remain straightforward because exchange-rate movements do not immediately affect outgoing payments.”

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