Shift4 Payments Inc

Our Company

At Shift4, our mission is to boldly redefine commerce by simplifying complex payments ecosystems across the world.

We are a leading independent provider of software and payment processing solutions in the United States (“U.S.”) based on total volume of payments processed. We power billions of transactions annually for hundreds of thousands of businesses in virtually every industry. We achieved our leadership position through decades of solving business and operational challenges facing our customers’ overall commerce needs. Our merchants range in size from small owner-operated local businesses to multinational enterprises conducting commerce globally.

Merchants are often utilizing a variety of software and hardware tools to operate their businesses and stay competitive. However, the complexity of managing commerce across multiple channels, geographies, and systems with a variety of tools presents significant challenges. For example, a small business may rely on many disparate tools to manage operations, customer interactions, and payments. A large resort might use an even broader array of tools to handle online reservations, check-ins, dining, spa services, activities, parking, and more. Coordinating numerous systems from different providers while ensuring seamless payment acceptance and a good customer experience is becoming a growing challenge for businesses of all sizes.

We aim to simplify and enhance the commerce experience for merchants, enabling them to focus on growing their business rather than navigating a patchwork of fragmented tools. By delivering an integrated solution that unites hardware, software and payment processing, we aim to reduce inefficiencies, improve operational clarity, and elevate the customer experience—empowering businesses to succeed in an increasingly competitive and complex economy.

At the heart of our business is our payments platform. Our payments platform is a full suite of integrated payment products and services that can be used across multiple channels (in-store, online, mobile and tablet-based) and industry verticals, including:

•end-to-end payment processing for a broad range of payment types;

•merchant acquiring services;

•a proprietary omni-channel gateway capable of multiple methods of mobile, contactless and QR code-based payments;

•complementary third-party software integrations;

•full eCommerce capabilities, including web-store design, hosting, shopping cart management and fulfillment integrations;

•integrated and mobile POS solutions;

•security and risk management solutions; and

•reporting and analytical tools.

We offer innovative technology solutions that go beyond payment processing. Some of our solutions are developed in-house, such as business intelligence and POS software, while others are powered by our network of complementary third-party applications. Our focus on innovation, combined with our product-driven culture, enables us to create scalable technology solutions that benefit from an extensive library of intellectual property.

We distribute our services through a network of internal sales teams, as well as through our network of partners. Our partners are comprised of (1) independent software vendors (“ISVs”) and (2) value-added resellers (“VARs”). We offer a single integration to a global end-to-end payment offering, a proprietary gateway and a robust suite of technology solutions to enhance the value of their software and simplify payment acceptance. Our partners rely on us to provide a seamless commerce experience, enterprise grade security, analytics, and compatibility with a wide network of other point of sale (“POS”) solutions.

Our revenue is predominantly recurring due to the nature of our business model. The majority of our revenue is derived from processing fees, which are charged either as a percentage of end-to-end payment volume and/or as a fee per transaction. Additionally, we generate subscription revenue from licensing our POS software, business intelligence tools, payment device management, and other technology solutions. Our merchant base is diversified, with no single merchant accounting for more than 3% of our revenue in recent years.

Our Shift4 Model

Our mission is to enable commerce. Solving the complexity inherent to a growing business requires a specialized approach that combines a seamless customer experience with a secure, reliable and robust suite of payments and technology offerings.

To achieve this mission, we strategically built our Shift4 Model on a three pillar foundation: (i) payments platform; (ii) technology solutions; and (iii) sales and distribution.

Payments Platform

Our payments platform provides omni-channel card acceptance and processing solutions across multiple payment types, including credit, debit, contactless card, Europay, MasterCard and Visa (“EMV”), QR Pay, and mobile wallets as well as alternative payment methods such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay and WeChat Pay. We continue to innovate and evolve our payments offering as new technology and payment methods are adopted by consumers.

Through our proprietary gateway, our payments platform is integrated with over 550 software suites including some of the largest and most recognized software providers in the world. In addition, we enable connectivity with the largest payment processors, alternative payment rails and many different payment devices. Our payments platform includes market-leading security features that help prevent consumer card data from entering the merchant’s environment.

We have designed our payments platform to be:

•Integrated – fully integrated and seamlessly connected, facilitating easy data capture and compatibility across all solutions;

•Reliable – supports the most demanding payment environments 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; and

•Secure – Payment Card Industry (“PCI”)-validated Point-to-Point Encryption (“P2PE”) tokenization and EMV-ready (Europay, Mastercard, and Visa) solutions.

Our merchants have the flexibility to utilize our payments platform in one of two ways: as a gateway or as an end-to-end payment solution. Gateway merchants benefit from interoperability with many third-party payment processors. End-to-end payments merchants benefit from a single, unified vendor solution for payment acceptance, devices, POS software solutions and a full suite of business intelligence tools. By consolidating these functions through a single, unified vendor solution, these merchants are typically able to reduce total spend on payment acceptance solutions and access gateway and technology solutions as value-added features.

Technology Solutions

Our suite of technology solutions is designed to streamline our customers’ business operations, drive growth through strong consumer engagement and improve their business using rich transaction-level data.

•SkyTab POS – We provide purpose-built POS workstations pre-loaded with powerful, mission-critical software and integrated payment functionality. We believe our SkyTab POS offering helps our merchants scale their business and improve operational efficiency while reducing total cost of ownership relative to other competing solutions.

•SkyTab Mobile – Our mobile payments offering, SkyTab Mobile, provides a complete feature set, including pay-at-the-table, order-at-the-table, delivery, customer feedback and email marketing, all of which are integrated with our proprietary gateway and Lighthouse. This unique solution is relevant for merchants ranging from small and midsize businesses (“SMB”) to large enterprises and across numerous industry verticals.

•SkyTab Venue (formerly known as VenueNext)– Our mobile-first technology solution provides stadium, theme park and entertainment venues with a frictionless commerce experience. Our SkyTab Venue solutions include mobile ordering, countertop POS, self-service kiosk, and digital wallet to facilitate food and beverage, merchandise, and loyalty all within a white-labeled technology application that is fully integrated with our secure end-to-end payment processing platform.

•Lighthouse – Our cloud-based suite of business intelligence tools includes customer engagement, social media management, online reputation management, scheduling and product pricing, as well as extensive reporting and analytics.

•The Giving Block – Our cryptocurrency donation marketplace allows donors to easily gift a variety of cryptocurrencies to over 2,000 charities.

•Shift4Shop– Our turnkey eCommerce platform provides everything a merchant needs to build their business online. Merchants can create a webstore in minutes and choose from over one hundred design themes. Shift4Shop also provides merchants with tools to manage their product catalog, order fulfillment and inventory management, search-engine-optimization and secure hosting.

•Marketplace – We enable seamless integrations into complementary third-party applications, which helps reduce the number of vendors on which our merchants rely. For example, a restaurant can enable DoorDash via Marketplace and accept orders from their existing POS, dramatically simplifying implementation and eliminating manual reconciliation of multiple systems. That same restaurant can also enable payroll, timekeeping and other human resource services, reducing the time spent on manual workflows and enhancing employee engagement. Marketplace also includes a variety of functional applications including loyalty and inventory management.

Sales and Distribution

Our payments platform and technology solutions are delivered to our merchants through our distribution network. Today, our network includes thousands of partners and regional internal sales and support hubs, allowing us to provide the support that many merchants demand. Our distribution approach and commitment to our internal sales team and software partners are key to our go-to-market strategy.

•Independent software vendors – Our solutions are connected into over 550 integrations with market-leading software providers, including some of the largest and most recognizable technology companies in the world. By integrating our payments platform into their software suites, our ISVs are able to sell a comprehensive solution to the merchant at an attractive price point.

•Internal sales and support network – A significant portion of our employees are dedicated to sales and customer support, which allows for superior responsiveness and oversight of the customer experience.

•Enterprise relationships– In addition to SMBs, we support our large enterprise relationships across thousands of locations. Our enterprise customers consist of stadiums, arenas, resorts, and airlines, among others.

•Value added resellers – We partner with VARs to sell our solutions to merchants. These VARs include third-party resellers and organizations that provide distribution for ISVs. VARs act as trusted and localized service providers to our merchants by providing them with software and services. This partnership enables us to expand our reach and scalability by allowing a VAR to bundle our full payments and technology product suite with other value-added services provided by the VAR.

We are selective in identifying and choosing our VAR partners, and we seek to align our business objectives with those that have strong networks, local expertise, high-quality merchant portfolios, and trusted relationships. Our network of VARs provide a consistent and extensive source of new merchant acquisition, with no single VAR accounting for more than 3% of our volume for the year ended December 31, 2024.

Our compelling value proposition enables our partners to extend attractive pricing arrangements to our merchants. For merchants that subscribe to our end-to-end payments offering, our partners can offer gateway and technology solutions as value-added features included in the price of our payments offering. We believe that enabling our partners to provide a cost-effective and comprehensive bundle of solutions best supports their ability to sell our solutions and grow their businesses.

Operations and Support Services

Our operations infrastructure is designed to deliver high-quality experiences to our customers and to drive efficiencies throughout the entire payment ecosystem. We leverage our over 30 years of operating history in the hospitality sector, as well as our enterprise domain expertise, to ensure our obligations to our customers are maintained and fulfilled effectively. Our operations and support services include:

Merchant Operations and Support

•Merchant underwriting – Our merchant underwriting team manages applications and risk evaluation of new merchants. The majority of our merchant base operates in end markets with high card-present volume and low levels of fraud and chargeback losses. In addition, our underwriting strategy offers expedited activation to merchants with a low risk profile, which enhances their customer experience.

•Merchant onboarding and activation – A business owner can enroll for a merchant account within minutes via our online portal. For enterprises, our merchant onboarding and activation team works closely with our partners to facilitate a seamless transition from sales to implementation and activation. Our streamlined activation and automated approval process enables fast and frictionless merchant onboarding, providing us and our partners with enhanced speed-to-market. Our partners are typically able to board even the largest and most complex merchants within 24 hours of submitting an application.

•Merchant training – We provide a full curriculum of training materials to our merchants via a dedicated training department and content delivery platform.

•Merchant risk management – Our risk management operations are designed to monitor merchant accounts on an on-going basis. This includes dedicated security and regulatory support such as PCI compliance support, vulnerability scanning, system monitoring and breach assistance. Once a merchant is activated, our systems are configured to automatically monitor any activity that may require additional diligence, which in turn helps minimize losses associated with fraud and default.

•Merchant support – Our merchant support team responds to inquiries from merchants seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The team provides customer support for systems integrations and other technical solutions. In addition, we have a dedicated team of merchant account specialists that guide merchants through the payment acceptance process from onboarding to settlement and reporting. With strong emphasis on first-call resolution, we seek to provide exceptional payment expertise and support for our merchants. We train our customer support team to quickly identify and resolve each matter in an empathetic and professional manner which reduces repeat calls and improves our operational efficiency.

Software Partner Operations and Support

•Software integrations and compliance management – We have a team of engineers and technical support staff dedicated to support software integrations and ensure compliance with all card brand, security and regulatory requirements, including PCI and Payment Application Data Security Standard compliance support, system integration and configuration guidance.

•Partner support – We have dedicated support teams who work with our software providers to address any questions or issues that may pertain to the integration of our products and solutions into their software suites. We seek to deliver end-to-end issue resolution by bringing all appropriate disciplines together in an integrated manner, in order to optimize partner support. In addition, we help resolve issues that may pertain to our partners’ entire portfolio of merchants or incidents pertaining to a single merchant.

•Partner services – Through our partner-facing merchant relationship management system, our partners are able to track each step of the activation process of their new merchant accounts in real-time. Through this system, our partners can track their merchant portfolio, including commissions, residual payments and even support calls/recordings, in an accurate and real-time manner. We have added substantial automation to these processes, which is essential to ensure optimal experience as well as financial efficiency.

Growth Strategy

Our recent growth has been fueled by a combination of focused strategic initiatives:

Expanding End-to-End Payment Volume – We aim to accelerate growth by increasing the payment volume processed through our integrated platform across diverse verticals, including restaurants, hospitality, venues, specialty retail, and e-commerce. In addition to converting gateway customers to full end-to-end processing, we leverage over 550 unique software integrations to share data with merchants’ product suites and enhance the customer experience. We plan to continue expanding our proprietary software integrations, which we believe provides a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining merchants. These integrations, along with the diversification of our merchant base, are cornerstones of our long-term growth strategy.

Merchant Acquisition and Retention– We focus on acquiring new merchants with innovative and scalable solutions while retaining existing customers through high-value tools that enhance their operations and reduce the incentive to switch providers. Our scale enables us to offer new merchants free hardware and other financial incentives, easing their transition from current providers.

Technology and Product Innovation – We continuously evolve our product offerings, such as SkyTab and advanced business intelligence tools, to address the changing needs of our merchants and empower them to grow their businesses, which increases end-to-end payment volume.

Global Expansion – We are actively extending our footprint into international markets. In 2023, we acquired Credorax, Inc., operating as Finaro, which specializes in integrated acquiring and payment processing services for merchants in Europe and the United Kingdom. Finaro has provided the global infrastructure and technology to support our international expansion. In 2024, we changed Finaro's banking license in Malta to a payment institution license, aligning with our focus on core business activities.

Mergers and Acquisitions (“M&A”) and Strategic Partnerships – We leverage acquisitions and strategic partnerships to expand our market presence and integrate complementary capabilities. Some of our recent acquisitions have directly supported our global expansion efforts.

On February 16, 2025, we entered into the Transaction Agreement with Global Blue, as described more fully in “Pending Acquisitions” in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of this Annual Report.

We believe these initiatives combine organic growth, technological innovation, and strategic expansion to best position us for success.

Competition

We compete in a highly competitive market with a range of providers, many of whom may provide a component of our offering, but do not provide an integrated offering capable of solving complex business challenges for software partners and merchants. For certain services and solutions, including end-to-end payments, we compete with non-integrated payment processors (such as Chase Paymentech, Elavon, Worldpay, Fiserv and Global Payments) and integrated payment providers (such as Adyen, Lightspeed, Shopify, Square and Toast). For our hospitality gateway offering, we compete primarily with Elavon and FreedomPay.

While competitive factors and their relative importance can vary based on size, industry and geographic reach of software partners and merchants, we believe we compete primarily on the basis of reputation, domain expertise, scale of distribution channels, breadth of offerings, simplicity and ease-of-use of solutions, pace of innovation, price, data security and customer service. We believe we compete favorably with respect to all of these factors.

Patents, Trademarks and Intellectual Property

We rely on a combination of intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and contractual rights to protect our proprietary software and our brands. We have registered or applied to register certain of our trademarks in the U.S. and several other countries. In addition, we have obtained or applied for patents in the U.S. and certain foreign countries on certain material aspects of our proprietary software applications. We also license intellectual property from third parties, including software that is incorporated in or bundled with our proprietary software applications. We generally control access to and use of our proprietary software and other confidential information through the use of internal and external controls, including entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with both our employees and third parties.

We hold dozens of patents globally related to our proprietary payments technologies. The expiration of these patents is not reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, we own a portfolio of trademarks globally and have registered our primary trademarks, Shift4 Payments, Shift4, and SkyTab.

Seasonality

Our operating results and operating metrics are subject to seasonality based on historic patterns of consumer and business traveler spending behaviors coupled with exposure to seasonality experienced by our mix of merchants. In the past, we have experienced seasonal fluctuations in our quarterly revenue with revenue typically strongest in our second and third quarters and weakest in our first quarter. As we expand into new verticals and geographies, we expect to continue to experience seasonal fluctuations. Other factors influencing our quarterly seasonality include the timing of specific holidays in a given year, the number of business days in a quarter, and the proportion of our volume derived from various merchant businesses.

Government Regulation

Various aspects of our business and service areas are subject to U.S. federal, state, and local regulation, as well as regulation outside the U.S. (in particular, European Union (“EU”) and United Kingdom (“UK”) regulation). As we continue to expand our business globally, we will become subject to more government regulation in new markets. Certain of our services also are subject to rules promulgated by various card networks and other authorities, as more fully described below. These descriptions are not exhaustive, and these laws, regulations and rules frequently change and are increasing in number.

The Dodd-Frank Act

In July 2010, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (“the Dodd-Frank Act”) was signed into law in the U.S. The Dodd-Frank Act has resulted in significant structural and other changes to the regulation of the financial services industry. Among other things, Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) to regulate consumer financial products and services (including some offered by our partners). The CFPB may also have authority over us as a provider of services to regulated financial institutions in connection with consumer financial products.

Separately, the Dodd-Frank Act directed the Federal Reserve to regulate debit interchange transaction fees that a card issuer or payment network receives or charges for an electronic debit transaction. Pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act, debit interchange transaction fees must be “reasonable and proportional” to the cost incurred by the card issuer in authorizing, clearing, and settling the transaction. In addition, the regulations contain non-exclusivity provisions that ban debit card networks from prohibiting an issuer from contracting with any other card network that may process an electronic debit transaction involving an issuer’s debit cards and prohibit card issuers and card networks from inhibiting the ability of merchants to direct the routing of debit card transactions over any network that can process the transaction.

In addition, members of Congress have periodically introduced legislation to reduce credit card interchange, such as The Credit Card Competition Act of 2023. If any such legislation is passed, our business, financial condition or results of operations may be adversely affected.

Further, the ability of payment networks to impose certain restrictions are limited because the Dodd-Frank Act allows merchants to set minimum dollar amounts for the acceptance of a credit card (while federal governmental entities and institutions of higher education may set maximum amounts for the acceptance of credit cards). Depending on the card network rules, merchants are also allowed to provide discounts or other incentives to entice consumers to pay with an alternative payment method, such as cash, checks, or debit cards.

The Dodd-Frank Act granted each the CFPB and the Financial Stability Oversight Council authority to determine whether any non-bank financial company, such as us, should be supervised by the CFPB or Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, respectively. Any new rules or regulations, implemented by the CFPB or the Financial Stability Oversight Council or in connection with the Dodd-Frank Act that are applicable to us or directly or indirectly adversely impact our business, or any changes that are adverse to us resulting from litigation brought by third parties challenging such rules and regulations, could increase our cost of doing business or limit permissible activities.

Association and network rules

We are subject to the rules of American Express, Discover, Interlink, Maestro, Mastercard, Visa and other payment networks. In order to provide our services, we must be registered either indirectly or directly as service providers with the payment networks that we utilize. Our entities that are not a “member bank” as defined in certain of the payment networks’ rules are not eligible for primary membership in certain payment networks and are therefore unable to directly access them. Instead, those payment networks require payment service providers to be sponsored by a member bank, which, for the relevant entities, we have accomplished through a sponsorship agreement with a sponsor bank. We are registered with Visa, Mastercard and other networks as either direct members (in relation to jurisdictions where we hold appropriate licenses) or service providers for member institutions. As such, we are subject to applicable card association and payment network rules, which impose various requirements and could subject us to a variety of fines or penalties that may be levied by such associations and/or networks for certain acts or omissions. Our failure to comply with the networks’ requirements, or to pay the fees or fines they may impose, could result in the suspension or termination of our sponsorship by our sponsor bank or our registration with the relevant payment network(s), and therefore require us to limit or cease providing the relevant payment processing services, all of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, sponsor banks may terminate their sponsorship of us or could require us to stop providing payment processing services, which would adversely affect our ability to conduct our business. Payment network rules are regularly updated and compliance with changes may increase the cost of doing business.

Additionally, as a service provider that assists in the processing of debit and credit cards, we are subject to the Data Security Standard (“PCI DSS”), issued by the PCI Council. PCI DSS is a multifaceted security standard that contains compliance guidelines and standards with regard to our security surrounding the physical administrative and technical storage, processing and transmission of individual cardholder data. Failure to be PCI-compliant or to meet other payment card standards may result in the imposition of financial penalties or the allocation by the card brands of the costs of fraudulent charges to us.

Card associations and payment networks and their member financial institutions regularly update and generally expand security expectations and requirements related to the security of cardholder data and environments. We are also subject to network operating rules promulgated by the National Automated Clearing House Association relating to payment transactions processed by us using the Automated Clearing House Network and to various state, federal, and foreign laws regarding such operations, including laws pertaining to electronic benefits transactions. We are subject to audit by our partner financial institutions for compliance with the rules and guidelines. Our sponsor financial institutions have substantial discretion in approving certain aspects of our business practices, including the terms of our agreements with our Automated Clearing House processing clients.

Privacy and information security regulations

We, our partners and certain of our merchants provide services that may be subject to various state, federal, and foreign privacy laws and regulations, including, among others, the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999, which we refer to as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”), the EU General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (“EU GDPR”), the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (the “CCPA”), the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018 (collectively, the “UK GDPR”), the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act in Canada and Israeli privacy laws, in particular in relation to our European business. These laws and their implementing regulations restrict certain collection, processing, storage, use, and disclosure of personal information, require notice to individuals of privacy practices, and provide individuals with certain rights to prevent use and disclosure of protected information. These laws also impose requirements for the safeguarding and proper destruction of personal information through the issuance of data security standards or guidelines. Certain federal, state and foreign laws and regulations impose similar privacy obligations and, in certain circumstances, obligations to notify affected individuals, state officers or other governmental authorities, the media, and consumer reporting agencies, as well as businesses and governmental agencies, of security breaches affecting personal information. In addition, there are state and foreign laws restricting the ability to collect and utilize certain types of information such as Social Security and driver’s license numbers.

As a processor of personal data of EU and UK data subjects, we are also subject to regulation and oversight in the applicable EU Member States and United Kingdom with regard to data protection legislation. The EU GDPR and UK GDPR (collectively referred to as the “GDPR”) contains additional obligations on data controllers and data processors that have an establishment in the EU or UK or are offering goods or services to, or monitoring the behavior of, consumers within the EU or UK. There are material sanctions under GDPR for failing to comply, and penalties for certain breaches are up to the greater of EUR 20 million/ GBP 17.5 million or 4% of our global annual turnover. In addition to fines, a breach of the GDPR may result in regulatory investigations, reputational damage, orders to cease/change our data processing activities, enforcement notices, assessment notices (for a compulsory audit) and/or civil claims (including class actions). We are also subject to evolving EU and UK privacy laws on cookies, tracking technologies and e-marketing.

Unfair trade practice regulations

We, our partners and certain of our merchants are subject to various federal, state, and international laws prohibiting unfair or deceptive trade practices, such as Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act and the prohibition against unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices (“UDAAPs”) under the Dodd-Frank Act, and prohibiting misrepresentations and other activities related to telemarketing, such as the Telemarketing Sales Act. Various regulatory agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and state attorneys general, have authority to take action against parties that engage in unfair or deceptive trade practices or violate other laws, rules, and regulations, and to the extent we are processing payments for a client that may be in violation of laws, rules, and regulations, we may be subject to enforcement actions and incur losses and liabilities that may impact our business. For example, all persons offering or providing financial services or products to consumers, directly or indirectly, can be subject to the prohibition against UDAAPs. The CFPB has enforcement authority to prevent an entity that offers or provides consumer financial services or products or a service provider from committing or engaging in UDAAPs, including the ability to engage in joint investigations with other agencies, issue subpoenas and civil investigative demands, conduct hearings and adjudication proceedings, commence a civil action, grant relief (e.g., limit activities or functions; rescission of contracts), and refer matters for criminal proceedings.

Anti-money laundering, anti-bribery, sanctions, and counter-terrorist regulations

We are contractually required to comply with the anti-money laundering laws and regulations in certain countries, and in others where we hold regulatory licenses, our relevant subsidiaries are directly subject to them. For example, in the U.S., we comply with certain provisions of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, and its implementing regulations (collectively “the BSA”) which are enforced by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Justice. Our Maltese Financial Institution licensed entity is directly required to comply with the anti-money laundering law and regulations applicable in the EU as transposed into Maltese law by virtue of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism Regulation, Chapter 373 of the laws of Malta and all subsidiary legislation emanating from it. Our UK Authorised Payment Institution is directly subject to UK anti-money laundering laws and regulations. We are also subject to anti-corruption laws and regulations, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), which prohibits improper payments to foreign government officials and requires accurate books and records and a system of internal accounting controls, and the similar laws of other jurisdictions where we conduct business. We have policies, procedures, systems, and controls designed to promote compliance with such laws and regulations.

We are also subject to economic and trade sanctions programs that are administered by the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), which prohibit or restrict transactions to or from, or dealings with, specified countries, their governments, and in certain circumstances, their nationals, and with individuals and entities that are specially-designated nationals of those countries, narcotics traffickers, and terrorists or terrorist organizations. Other group entities may be subject to additional local sanctions requirements in other relevant jurisdictions. We have policies, procedures, systems, and controls designed to identify and address compliance with sanctions programs.

Similar anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, and proceeds of crime laws apply to movements of currency and payments through electronic transactions. These laws also apply to dealings with persons specified in the lists of OFAC-like organizations of several other countries, and require specific data retention obligations to be observed by intermediaries in the payment process. Our businesses in those jurisdictions are subject to those data retention obligations.

Human Capital

At Shift4, we believe our people are the driving force behind our success. Our workforce, guided by the Shift4 Way, embodies boldness, excellence, ownership, and trust. These values are deeply integrated into our human capital strategy, which aligns with our business goals to attract, develop, and retain exceptional talent. In 2024, we amplified our commitment to human capital excellence through investments in leadership, technology, and programs that enhanced operational efficiency and employee engagement. The following disclosure outlines our workforce strategy, including talent development, inclusion and belonging, compensation, and health initiatives, which create a high-performing, purpose-driven organization that we believes delivers long-term value.

Workforce Overview

As of December 31, 2024, Shift4’s workforce included approximately 4,000 employees. This includes approximately 800 employees added through acquisitions completed in 2024, which strengthened our capabilities and supported our global expansion strategy. With 56% of employees in the U.S. and 44% distributed across 45 other countries, we maintain a strategic presence in key international hubs like Lithuania, Canada, and Israel. None of our employees are represented by labor unions or collective bargaining agreements, and we have experienced no labor-related work stoppages.

Strategic Leadership and Governance

The appointment of Shift4’s first Chief Human Resources Officer in 2024 marked a strategic enhancement of our human capital governance structure and reflects our commitment to world-class talent management and organizational development. We are implementing comprehensive global workforce planning initiatives, enhancing global inclusivity, strengthening the employee experience, and streamlining our M&A integration processes. As we continue to evolve, our focus remains on fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and leadership aligned with the Shift4 Way to support long-term growth and operational excellence.

Talent Strategy and Development

Talent Acquisition We use a global applicant tracking system and a candidate evaluation platform for operational roles to enhance our selection processes, ensuring global consistency and quality in hiring. Targeted recruitment for roles in software development and data analytics addressed critical business needs, while regional referral programs incentivized referrals for high-caliber talent. These efforts underscore our ability to build a workforce aligned with our strategic objectives.

Performance Management Our performance management approach fosters a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Employees and managers conduct monthly check-ins, providing a consistent feedback loop and a centralized space for employees to document priorities, highlight achievements, and address challenges while fostering cultural alignment through peer recognition. In 2024, we enhanced our year-end performance review process with a new rating scale and manager-driven evaluations, ensuring fairness and clarity. Performance outcomes informed compensation decisions, allowing our top performers to be eligible for additional annual financial rewards to incentivize excellence. This framework supports employee growth and retention, driving operational excellence and leadership development.

Learning and Development Our learning and development initiatives are crucial in accelerating employee growth, driving innovation, and building critical capabilities across our global organization. In 2024, we significantly expanded our learning infrastructure to support operations globally, with over 2,500 employees voluntarily engaging in learning opportunities and completing approximately 23,000 courses. We also implemented targeted programs around enhancing leadership strategic decision-making skills as well as employee-specific skills which drive business outcomes. These efforts strengthened global scalability and innovation while aligning employee growth with business success.

Employee Total Rewards

Compensation and Benefits Our compensation philosophy emphasizes equity, performance-based rewards, and market competitiveness. Our tiered structure includes base salaries aligned with job grades and functions to ensure internal equity, a performance-driven annual incentive plan, and restricted stock units for management-level and above roles to drive long-term value creation. Our benefits include medical, dental, and vision plans, with Shift4 covering the majority of premiums in the U.S. Retirement plans include a 401(k) with 100% matching up to 4% of salary in the U.S. and pension programs in select European jurisdictions. Additionally, employees receive generous paid time off, inclusive birthing and non-birthing parental leave, and 16 hours of annual volunteer time to encourage community engagement. While benefits vary regionally, programs like tuition reimbursement, financial wellness initiatives, and flexible leave consistently support employees’ professional and personal growth worldwide.

Health, Safety and Wellness Shift4 prioritizes the well-being of our workforce, recognizing that a healthy and secure team drives sustainable success and innovation. In the U.S., employees can access mental health platforms for counseling, therapy, and virtual care. Globally, we have programs in place to provide 24/7 crisis support and counseling. We promote long-term financial health through financial literacy webinars. Our global Whistleblower Policy and Code of Conduct helps to attain workplace safety and accountability by empowering employees to report health and safety concerns without fear of retaliation. By addressing physical, mental, and financial well-being, Shift4 aims to minimize related risks, enhance productivity, and reinforce its commitment to a high-performing and resilient workforce.

Employee Engagement and Culture

Office Culture Our strategic workplace approach emphasizes in-person collaboration while maintaining operational flexibility. The current hybrid model requires four days per week in-office presence for a majority of our employees. This core office approach has enhanced cross-functional collaboration and accelerated decision-making, particularly in product development and customer service delivery. Our workplace strategy directly supports our “Execute with Urgency” philosophy while maintaining competitive talent attraction and retention rates in key markets.

The Shift4 Way The Shift4 Way, launched in 2021, guides employee behavior and decision-making, through alignment with our core values, philosophies, and themes.

Rewards and Recognition Our recognition strategy drives performance and retention through our peer nomination Top Gun Employee Recognition Program, celebrating top performers, aligning recognition with our value of Excellence. Complementing this, the revitalized Ideas Program provided streamlined pathways for employees to contribute solutions aligned with key philosophies like “Removing the Parts,” which entails removing unnecessary and/or outdated steps in our processes, and being “procedurally driven.” This resulted in driving forward a number of new innovative ideas from our workforce, delivering significant cost savings and operational enhancements across divisions.

Human Capital Management Our inclusion and belonging efforts foster innovation and belonging through Employee Inclusion Networks (“EINs”) like Women@Shift4, Pride@Shift4, and Vets@Shift4, which are open to all employees. The EINs have collectively engaged nearly 400 members globally and hosted more than 30 events. These efforts align with our talent and business priorities, encouraging varied and broad perspectives to drive innovation and performance in compliance with applicable federal and other laws and regulations.

Shift4Cares Shift4Cares is our volunteer program which facilitates volunteer activities and focuses on driving programs in support of our employees, communities and customers. Employees contributed volunteer hours in 2024. These initiatives reflect our commitment to social responsibility. We aim to expand our Shift4Cares program and global footprint in 2025.

Internal Communications Shift4 prioritizes transparency and connectivity through strategic communication initiatives. In April 2024, we launched our 4Sight intranet, reducing information-seeking time, and increasing business awareness. We also use direct, instant message communication channels so that we can move with speed and communicate informally as well. These internal tools, alongside quarterly town halls, foster a culture of openness, collaboration, and trust across our global workforce.

Available Information

Our website address iswww.shift4.com. In addition to the information about us and our subsidiaries contained in this Annual Report, information about us can be found on our website. Our website and information included in or linked to our website are not part of this Annual Report.

Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act are available free of charge through our website atwww.investors.shift4.com as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Additionally, the SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information. The address of the SEC’s website iswww.sec.gov.

INFORMATION ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

The following table provides information regarding our executive officers and members of our board of directors (the “Board”) as of the date of this Annual Report:

Executive Officers and Directors

Jared Isaacmanhas served as Shift4 Payments, Inc.’s Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of the Board since its formation, and is the Founder of Shift4 Payments, LLC, as well as serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Shift4 Payments, LLC since its founding in 1999. Mr. J. Isaacman previously served as the Chairman of Shift4 Payments, LLC’s board of managers from 1999 until 2020. Mr. J. Isaacman is also the founder of Draken International, a provider of contract air services. Mr. J. Isaacman was the Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” for 2021. From 2006 to 2008, Mr. J. Isaacman was named as a finalist for the Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” award, was the youngest person to ever be named to the list of “Industry Leaders” by The Green Sheet, a leading publication in the credit card industry and has been recognized as one of “America’s Best Entrepreneurs” by BusinessWeek magazine and “30 Entrepreneurs Under 30” by Inc. Magazine. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. We believe Mr. J. Isaacman is qualified to serve on our Board due to his extensive experience in executive leadership positions in the payment processing industry and his knowledge of our business in particular, gained through his services as our Founder and Chief Executive Officer.

In December 2024, President Donald Trump nominated Mr. Isaacman to be the next administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (“NASA”). Mr. Isaacman has announced his intention to remain as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board subject to the ratification and confirmation of his nomination by the U.S. Senate, and to retain the majority of his equity interest while reducing his voting power. As a result, Mr. Isaacman intends to continue to serve as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board during the confirmation process. See “Recent Developments” in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of this Annual Report.

Nancy Dismanhas served as Shift4 Payments, Inc.’s Chief Financial Officer since August 2022. Ms. Disman previously served as a member of the Board from June 2020 to August 2022. From November 2017 to August 2022, Ms. Disman was the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer of Intrado Corporation, a provider of cloud-based technology. From April 2016 to March 2017, Ms. Disman served as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer of the Merchant Acquiring Segment of Total System Services, Inc. (“TSYS”), a global provider of payment solutions, and from June 2014 to March 2016, Ms. Disman was the Chief Financial Officer of TransFirst, a merchant account provider in the credit card processing industry, prior to its acquisition by TSYS. Ms. Disman has also served as a member of the Audit Committee of the Board of Managers of West Technology Group LLC since August 2022. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accounting from the State University of New York at Albany and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.

Jordan Frankelhas served as Shift4 Payments, Inc.’s Secretary and General Counsel since its formation, and as General Counsel and Executive Vice President, Legal, Risk and Compliance since 2014. From 2011 to 2019, Mr. Frankel also served as a member of the board of directors of Draken International, a provider of contract air services. He holds a Bachelor of Finance and Marketing from Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management and a Juris Doctor and Master’s in Business Administration from Quinnipiac University’s School of Law and Quinnipiac University Lender School of Business, respectively.

Taylor Lauberhas served as Shift4 Payments, Inc.’s President since February 2022 and served as Chief Strategy Officer from its formation to 2024. He previously served as Senior Vice President, Strategic Projects of Shift4 Payments, LLC from 2018 to 2022. Prior to joining Shift4, from 2010 to 2018, he served as a Principal at The Blackstone Group, L.P. Mr. Lauber also spent from 2005 to 2010 at Merrill Lynch as a Financial Advisor, where he advised numerous Fortune 500 companies and their executives on capital markets transactions. Mr. Lauber has passed the Series 7 General Securities Representative Exam, Series 66 Uniform Combined State Law Exam and Series 27 Financial and Operations Principal Exam, all administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. He holds a Bachelor of Economics and Finance from Bentley College.

Donald Isaacmanhas served as a member of the Board since its formation, and has served as the President of Shift4 Payments, LLC since its founding in 1999. Mr. D. Isaacman also previously served as a member on the board of managers of Shift4 Payments, LLC from 1999 until 2020. From February 1971 to September 2000, Mr. D. Isaacman also served as the Vice President of Supreme Security Systems, Inc., a home alarm and business security system company. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Sales from Monmouth University. We believe Mr. D. Isaacman is qualified to serve on our Board due to his senior management experience and his knowledge of our business in particular, gained through his services as our President.

Christopher N. Cruzhas served as a member of the Board since its formation. Mr. Cruz is a Partner at Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P., a global alternative investment management firm, which he joined in 2011. From 2008 to 2010, Mr. Cruz served on the investment team at Oaktree Capital Management, a global alternative investment management firm. Prior to that, Mr. Cruz was in the leveraged finance and restructuring group at UBS Investment Bank, from 2006 to 2008. Mr. Cruz also serves on the board of Neon NewCo Corp. (an entity funding the pending acquisition of Netspend Corp.) as of August 2022. Mr. Cruz previously served on the boards of Sightline Payments from December 2020 to February 2025, Flowbird Group from February 2022 to January 2025, and M&M Food Market from July 2014 to February 2022. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Honors Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. We believe Mr. Cruz is qualified to serve on our Board due to his extensive experience in finance and capital markets and his knowledge of our business in particular, gained through his prior services as a member of Shift4 Payments, LLC’s board of managers.

Karen Roter Davis has served as a member of the Board since August 2021. Ms. Davis is a Managing Partner at Entrada Ventures, a venture capital firm investing in high growth enterprise and industrial technology companies. Ms. Davis spent over a decade in executive leadership at Alphabet from 2003 to 2008 and from 2016 to 2022, overseeing Google’s internal operations for its groundbreaking IPO and driving growth of some of the company’s most successful new businesses, most recently as a Director at X (formerly Google X). In addition to her Entrada-related boards, she serves on the board of 360Learning S.A., where she is a member of the audit and M&A and finance committees, and she previously served on the board of Innovyze, acquired by Autodesk, where she was chair of the audit committee and member of the compensation committee. Ms. Davis earned her MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, her Juris Doctor from Northwestern University School of Law, and her Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University’s School of Public & International Affairs. Ms. Davis is certified in Cybersecurity Oversight by Carnegie Mellon’s Software Engineering Institute and the National Association of Corporate Directors. We believe Ms. Davis is qualified to serve on our Board due to her two decades of experience in the technology industry and her various senior leadership and advisory roles spanning startups to global corporations.

Sarah Goldsmith-Groverhas served as a member of the Board since June 2020 and from April 2021 to May 2021 served as our Interim Chief Marketing Officer. Ms. Grover is Principal of Sarah Grover, Inc. where she leverages her 35 years of hospitality industry experience leading global brands. Ms. Grover is hired to assess, stabilize, and restructure global restaurant brands through data-driven and CPG growth strategies. For 25 years, Ms. Grover held a series of high impact-strategic roles for the global chain California Pizza Kitchen. Her leadership as EVP and Chief Brand & Concept Officer helped enable the company’s growth from a ten-unit restaurant chain to a $600 million global brand and through multiple private and public ownership transactions. As a respected marketing leader, Ms. Grover has been recognized as a Marketing 50 by Advertising Age, and in 2020 named one of the top 25 casual dining restaurant executives. Ms. Grover is on the board of ChowNow, the UCLA Annual Restaurant Conference and the non-profit, Support + Feed. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from DePauw University. We believe Ms. Grover is qualified to serve on our Board due to her experience and insight acquired from leading companies in the restaurant and consumer industries.

Jonathan Halkyard has served as a member of the Board since June 2020. Mr. Halkyard has served as the Chief Financial Officer of MGM Resorts International since January 2021. From September 2013 to November 2019, Mr. Halkyard held various senior management positions at Extended Stay America, Inc., an integrated hotel owner and operator, including Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Halkyard has also served as a member of the board of directors of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc., a restaurant and entertainment business, since September 2011, including as the chair of its nominating and governance committee and member of its finance committee since June 2016, and as a member of its audit committee since September 2013. He previously served on the boards of directors of Extended Stay America, Inc., an operator of an economy apartment hotel chain, and ESH Hospitality, Inc., a real estate investment trust and the owner of the hotels, from January 2018 to November 2019. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Colgate University and a Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. We believe Mr. Halkyard is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his experience in leading companies in the finance and hospitality industries and his knowledge of the board and corporate governance practices of other organizations.

Sam Bakhshandehpour has served as a member of the Board since October 2022. Since 2020, Mr. Bakhshandehpour has served as the President and board member of José Andrés Group (f/k/a ThinkFoodGroup), and alongside José Andrés and Rob Wilder, serves in the Office of the Chief Executive Officer. Over the past decade, Mr. Bakhshandehpour has served José Andrés Group as an operating partner, advisor and investor. In his current capacity, Mr. Bakhshandehpour leads the execution of company strategy globally, across the restaurant, brand, hotel, and media divisions. Since 2015, Mr. Bakhshandehpour has also been the Chief Executive Officer & Managing Partner of Silverstone, a vertically integrated hospitality and lifestyle investment firm. From 2012 to 2015, Mr. Bakhshandehpour served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of SBE Entertainment, a Colony Capital portfolio company, where he was responsible for SBE Entertainment’s global operations across the hotel, restaurant and entertainment divisions. Since October 2023, Mr. Bakhshandehpour has served as a member on the advisory board of Fiserv, Inc., a financial services company. From 2014 to September 2022, Mr. Bakhshandehpour served as a member of the board of directors of the New Home Company, a homebuilder focused on the design, construction and sale of homes in major metropolitan areas. Mr. Bakhshandehpour holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. We believe Mr. Bakhshandehpour is qualified to serve on our Board due to his experience in leading companies in the finance and hospitality industries and his knowledge of the board and corporate governance practices of other organizations.