This TowerGroup Research Note defines an emerging group of large, nonbank payments providers that we have termed "payments mega-vendors" because of their size and the breadth of their payment services. The Note reviews the role that three specific mega-vendor firms are playing in the payments market, highlighting their business strategies and showing how they have capitalized on the changes that are taking place in the financial services industry and have grown to prominence through strategic planning, acquisitions, and a keen sense of market opportunity.