The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that Canada's payments industry is warning that the sale of payment processor Moneris Solutions to a U.S. owner could bolster a growing trend that threatens the country's data sovereignty. The Globe's Stefanie Marotta writes that RBC and BMO have agreed to jointly sell Moneris to California-based Francisco Partners for about $2-billion in cash. The sale has prompted concerns over whether Canadian businesses' data and financial security could be at greater risk as Ottawa grapples with its increasingly volatile and uncertain relationship with Washington. "Payments is a crucial part of banking because it's an important part of how companies run their businesses every day, and it's their cash flow," Nic Beique at fintech Helcim told The Globe. "It erodes sovereignty because it's outsourcing a really important part of the financial services landscape to non-Canadian entities." The topic has become a major focus for Ottawa. In September, AI Minister Evan Solomon told conference-goers that Canada needs to create a sovereign digital economy that is "free from coercion" and that someone "can't decide to turn off." Governments around the world are also grappling with the issue.