Francisco Partners has agreed to acquire Toronto-based Moneris Solutions Corp., a payments-technology developer, from Bank of Montreal and Royal Bank of Canada for $2 billion Canadian, or $1.43 billion U.S. The deal is expected to close by the end of January, according to the announcement from Moneris and Francisco Partners. “It’s hard to say if this purchase will make Moneris more competitive, that will play out as [Francisco Partners] takes on governance,” notes Cliff Gray, principal at Gray Consulting, in an email message. “If anything, I believe the purchase cements the ongoing value of Moneris, given [Francisco Partners] is willing to make a multi-billion dollar bet on them. The deal for Moneris adds to Francisco Partners’ portfolio of payments operators.