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Fiserv, Inc.

Financial TechnologyFounded 1984
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Founders

Who Founded Fiserv?

Leslie M. Muma, George D. Dalton · Founded 1984 · HQ today: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

Who founded Fiserv?

Fiserv was founded by Leslie M. Muma, George D. Dalton in 1984. It is now led by Takis Georgakopoulos.

Founders
Leslie M. Muma, George D. Dalton
Founded
1984
Headquarters
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Number of founders
2
Current CEO
Takis Georgakopoulos (since 2026)
Where was Fiserv founded?
Fiserv was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1984.
When was Fiserv founded?
Fiserv was founded in 1984.
Who started Fiserv?
Fiserv was founded by Leslie M. Muma and George D. Dalton.
How old is Fiserv?
Fiserv is 42 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

In the early 1980s, smaller banks and thrifts could not afford their own mainframe processing. George Dalton ran a Milwaukee bank data processing operation and Leslie Muma ran Sunshine State Systems in Tampa. In 1984 they combined the two into Fiserv, offering shared, outsourced processing to institutions that needed computing scale without building it themselves. Fiserv listed on Nasdaq in 1986 and spent the following decades buying regional processors.

Background

Leslie Muma ran Sunshine State Systems, a Tampa, Florida bank data processing business, before combining it with George Dalton's Milwaukee operation to form Fiserv in 1984.

Role at Fiserv, Inc.

Leslie M. Muma is a co-founder of Fiserv. He led the company's Florida operations after the 1984 merger, served as president for many years and later succeeded George Dalton as CEO, leading Fiserv until Jeff Yabuki took over in 2005. He oversaw much of the acquisition-led expansion that made Fiserv a national processor. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).

Background

George Dalton led a Milwaukee-based bank data processing operation and was involved in early electronic banking in Wisconsin before co-founding Fiserv.

Role at Fiserv, Inc.

George D. Dalton co-founded Fiserv in 1984 and served as its first CEO and chairman. He took the company public on Nasdaq in 1986 and built it into a national provider of outsourced bank processing through acquisitions before handing the CEO role to Leslie Muma. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).

Fiserv, Inc.: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Takis Georgakopoulos

Chief Executive Officer

2026 – Present

Appointed as a senior executive in 2024, he oversees the absolutely critical merchant acceptance business, attempting to modernize the legacy infrastructure that powers millions of global transactions daily.

Paul Todd

Chief Financial Officer

2025 – Present

As CFO, he manages the massive capital return program (billions in share buybacks) that keeps the stock price highly elevated despite severe competitive threats to the core business.

Michael P. Lyons

President and Chief Executive Officer

2025 – 2026

As a key segment president, he defends the incredibly sticky, highly lucrative bank technology division from modern, cloud-based core banking upstarts like nCino and Mambu.

Frank J. Bisignano

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

2020 – 2025

As CEO of the combined Fiserv, he aggressively pushes the 'Clover' point-of-sale hardware to directly combat Square (Block) and Toast in the fiercely competitive restaurant and small business sector.

Jeff Yabuki

Chief Executive Officer

2005 – 2020

Serving as CEO from 2005 to 2020, he generated absolutely massive shareholder returns (the stock rose over 900% during his tenure) by ruthlessly acquiring and integrating hundreds of smaller fintech companies.

Compare Fiserv, Inc. Leadership With Competitors

Keep researching Fiserv

Who Founded Fiserv? FAQ

Who founded Fiserv?

George Dalton and Leslie Muma founded Fiserv in 1984 by combining Dalton's Milwaukee bank data processing operation with Muma's Sunshine State Systems in Tampa.

What problem did Fiserv's founders solve?

Smaller banks and thrifts could not afford their own mainframe processing. Fiserv offered shared, outsourced processing at lower cost.

What roles did the founders hold?

Dalton was Fiserv's first CEO and chairman. Muma served as president and later succeeded Dalton as CEO, leading the company until Jeff Yabuki took over in 2005.

How did the founders grow Fiserv?

After the 1986 Nasdaq IPO, they expanded mainly by acquiring regional data processors and consolidating them onto Fiserv systems.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.