Visa and Plaid terminate merger agreement

Visa has terminated its proposed $5.3 billion purchase of Plaid, a San Francisco-based provider of analytics software that connects fintech startups to users' bank accounts, the Justice Department said in a statement.

Why it matters: The DOJ alleged in its civil antitrust lawsuit filed in November to block the merger that Visa is a "monopolist in online debit" and would eliminate Plaid's potential ability to compete in the online debit market.