The shift from cash to credit cards and digital payments is unsurprisingly attracting serious attention in the financial sector. Worldpay Group PLC, one of the leaders in payment processing, has now found itself at the center of the spotlight.

The British payment processing giant today revealed that it has been separately approached by JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Vantiv Inc. about a potential acquisition. Worldpay detailed in a regulatory disclosure to the London Stock Exchange that the negotiations are “preliminary,” but that didn’t stop investors from sending its stock up 28 percent. The trading day in the U.K. ended with the company’s market capitalization standing at £8 billion, or $10.3 billion.

Shareholders apparently believe that Worldpay’s strong position in the payment processing market will eventually lead one of the bidders to provide a suitable offer. The company competes with PayPal Holdings Inc. in the e-commerce market, offers card readers for stores similarly to Stripe Inc. and helps companies handle more traditional types of transactions as well. Its products generated revenues of £4.5 billion in 2016, up 15 percent from the year prior.

But despite the company’s impressive balance sheet, an acquisition could pose several challenges to a U.S.-based buyer. As Bloomberg’s Lionel Laurent notes, Worldpay generates most of its profit in the U.K., which is a fairly small market as far as JPMorgan and Vantiv are concerned. Realizing a return that would justify a $10.3 billion-plus buyout may consequently take years.

Yet such a long-term investment could very well pay off given the rapid growth of digital payments. According to research from French consulting powerhouse Capgemini SE, the value of non-cash transactions rose 10 percent in 2015 to $426 billion globally.

Another factor that works in Worldpay’s favor is the strong performance of its e-commerce business. The division grew considerably faster than the rest of the company in 2016, having recorded a revenue increase of 30 percent thanks partially to strong adoption among multinationals. Its technology could give JPMorgan or Vantiv a valuable leg up amid the growing competition they face in this area from Silicon Valley.

Image: Worldpay