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Visa Inc.

Payments TechnologyFounded 1958
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026
Independent Editorial Analysis
5 historical events · Editorial analysis

Visa Company Profile: Revenue, Business Model & Strategy

Research depth: 5 milestones · 8 FAQs

Visa reported USD 40.0 billion in fiscal 2025 net revenue, USD 20.1 billion in net income, 257.5 billion processed transactions, and USD 14.2 trillion in payments volume.

How Visa makes money: Visa earns fees from the banks and other clients that use its network, not interest from cardholders. Its reported revenue lines are service revenue (based on payments volume), data processing revenue (based on…

Research focus: Understand Visa's payment-network economics, service and data-processing revenue, cross-border volume, operating leverage, regulation, acquisitions, and competition with Mastercard and real-time payments.

Visa revenue and financialsHow Visa makes moneyVisa strategy and competitorsCEO history
Annual Revenue (FY2025)$40B
Employees34,100
CEORyan McInerney
Founded1958
IndustryFintech
By Swet ParvadiyaLast reviewed:
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Data sources: annual reports, SEC filings, methodology
Industry:Fintech

Visa Inc. key figures

Visa Inc. had revenue of $40B for fiscal year 2025, up 11.3% from FY2024. Net income was $20.1B, a net margin of 50.1%.

Source: Visa Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 (SEC EDGAR), three-year income statement · Last reviewed October 2026

Revenue growth, FY2016 to FY2025
+11.4% a year
Compound annual rate, $15.1B to $40B
Peak revenue year
FY2025
The latest annual year is the highest in this series
Revenue per employee
$1.2M
FY2025 revenue divided by 34,100 employees; headcount may use another date
Current chief executive
Ryan McInerney
In the role since 2023 (3 years)
Documented transactions
3
Between 2016 and 2022
Founded
1958
68 years ago
Where was Visa founded?
Visa was founded in Fresno, California, United States in 1958. wikidata.org
When did Visa start?
Visa was founded in 1958.
How old is Visa?
Visa is 68 years old as of 2026.
In-Depth Analysis
323 words · 2 min read

Quick Answer

Visa is a payments technology company that reported $40.0 billion in fiscal 2025 net revenue. It processed 257.5 billion transactions on Visa's network, reported $14.2 trillion in payments volume and is led by CEO Ryan McInerney.

Where Visa Sits in a Card Payment

When a Visa card is used, the issuing bank lends the money or debits the account, and the merchant's acquiring bank collects it. Visa runs VisaNet between them, authorizing, clearing and settling the transaction under Visa's rules. Visa does not lend, so interest income and credit losses stay with the banks.

How the Revenue Is Reported

Visa's 10-K breaks gross revenue into service revenue (linked to payments volume), data processing revenue (linked to processed transactions), international transaction revenue (cross-border and currency conversion) and other revenue. Client incentives paid to issuers, acquirers and some merchants are subtracted to give net revenue, which was USD 40.0 billion in fiscal 2025 against USD 35.9 billion in fiscal 2024. Net income was USD 20.1 billion.

Fiscal 2026 So Far

Visa's fiscal year ends September 30. In the third quarter of fiscal 2026 (April to June 2026) net revenue rose 14% to USD 11.6 billion, and quarterly payments volume passed USD 4 trillion for the first time. Full-year fiscal 2026 results are scheduled for late October 2026.

Rivals

Mastercard runs the same open-loop model and competes with Visa for bank card contracts. American Express mostly issues its own cards. PayPal, Stripe and Block compete for merchant checkout, and state-backed instant payment systems such as Pix in Brazil and UPI in India move money between bank accounts without a card network.

Legal Overhang

The US Justice Department's September 2024 suit alleging monopolization of US debit is pending. A revised settlement of the merchant interchange class action, which Visa and Mastercard value at about USD 38 billion of merchant savings over five years, received preliminary approval in June 2026 and still needs final approval.

Table of Contents

Visa Inc. Key Facts

CompanyVisa Inc.
Annual revenue change+11.3% (FY2024–FY2025)
Financials$40B (FY2025, last reviewed October 2026)
Market Cap$676.0B
FY2025 net income$20.1B
Last reviewedBy Swet Parvadiya, Founder & Editor - October 2026
Founded1958
Founder(s)Dee Hock
CEORyan McInerney
HeadquartersSan Francisco, California
IndustryFintech
Employees34,100+

Visa Company Profile: Revenue, Business Model & Strategy

"Visa reported USD 40.0 billion in fiscal 2025 net revenue while processing 257.5 billion transactions. The company does not need to lend money to be powerful; it monetizes the trust layer that lets money move."

Why Visa Inc. Wins

Visa wins when global acceptance, bank partnerships, fraud systems, and network rules make it the easiest trusted way to route digital payments.

Visa Inc. operates in a competitive market alongside Mastercard Incorporated, American Express Company, PayPal Holdings, Inc.. Analysts frequently compare Visa Inc. and Mastercard Incorporated due to their overlapping products, target markets, and strategic positioning. See full comparison →

Visa reported USD 40.0 billion in fiscal 2025 net revenue, USD 20.1 billion in net income, 257.5 billion processed transactions, and USD 14.2 trillion in payments volume.

Revenue

$40.0B

Founded

1958

Employees

34K+

Market Cap

$676.0B

Author: CorpDigest Research DeskCompany Research

Explore Visa In Depth

Detailed research across every dimension of Visa — history, financials, leadership, and strategy.

Company History

A bank credit-card experiment became a global payments network and public technology company.

Full Visa history →

Revenue & Financials

Visa had $40B in revenue for fiscal year 2025. Data covers 10 fiscal years. Market capitalization stands at approximately $676B.

Visa financials →

Founders

Visa was founded by Dee Hock in 1958 in Fresno, California, United States. Explore each founder's background, motivations, and their role in building the company.

Visa founders →

CEO & Leadership

Visa is currently led by Ryan McInerney. Explore the full CEO history — leadership transitions, tenures, and the strategic decisions of each chief executive.

Visa CEO history →

Business Model

Visa earns fees from the banks and other clients that use its network, not interest from cardholders. Its reported revenue lines are service revenue (based on payments volume), data processing revenue (based on…

How Visa makes money →

Acquisitions

Visa has completed 3 documented acquisitions. Explore the full acquisition history and strategic rationale behind each deal.

Visa acquisitions →

Competitive Strategy

Visa's growth strategy is to expand credentials, increase digital acceptance, grow cross-border and e-commerce volume, sell more value-added services, scale Visa Direct, support tap-to-pay and tokenized commerce, and…

Visa strategy →

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CorpDigest Research Desk

 Research Profile

Our analysts compile business strategy profiles from public financial filings, press releases, and analyst reports. Each profile is reviewed for accuracy before publication by our editorial desk and updated on a rolling basis.

About the Author →Our Methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions About Visa

What is Visa Inc. and how does its payment network operate?

Visa runs VisaNet, the network that authorizes, clears and settles card and credential payments between the bank that issued a cardholder's card and the bank that serves the merchant. Visa does not issue cards or lend money itself; in fiscal 2025 it handled 257.5 billion processed transactions and USD 14.2 trillion of payments volume.

Where is Visa headquartered and where is its stock listed?

Visa Inc. is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Its Class A shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker V, and the company is part of the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Who is the Chief Executive Officer of Visa Inc.?

Ryan McInerney serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Visa Inc., having assumed the role in February 2023 after serving as Visa's President since 2013. McInerney succeeded Alfred F. Kelly Jr., who transitioned to Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors.

How does Visa make money without issuing credit or taking credit risk?

Visa does not act as a bank; it does not extend consumer credit, set interest rates, or hold deposit balances. Instead, Visa generates revenue by charging financial institutions and merchants service fees based on payment volumes, transaction processing fees for switching and clearing payments over VisaNet, international cross-border currency conversion fees, and value-added data/security services.

What is the Visa Token Service?

The Visa Token Service, launched in 2014, replaces the card number with a token tied to a specific device or merchant. A stolen token cannot be reused elsewhere, which is why wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay run on tokens rather than the actual card number.

What is Visa Direct?

Visa Direct is Visa's push-payment service. Businesses and fintechs use it to send money to eligible cards and bank accounts for person-to-person transfers, payouts to gig workers and sellers, insurance claims and cross-border remittances.

Who founded Visa?

Visa was founded by Dee Hock, who launched the BankAmericard program in 1958 which later became Visa.

What does Visa do?

Visa facilitates electronic funds transfers throughout the world, primarily through Visa-branded credit, debit, and prepaid cards.

Analysis: How Visa Inc. Makes Money

Deep dive into the Visa Inc. business model, revenue streams, and strategic moats in 2026.

Competitor Benchmarking

Visa Inc. vs Mastercard IncorporatedVisa Inc. vs PayPal Holdings, Inc.

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Financial data on this page is sourced from SEC EDGAR filings, official earnings releases, and verified press statements. Revenue figures are reviewed and updated periodically. Read our full data methodology ->

Primary source: annualreport.visa.com/home/default.aspx

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This corporate intelligence report on Visa Inc. compiles data from verified filings. Explore more detailed brand histories and company histories in the global Fintech marketplace.

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Editorial Methodology

Company Research

We use company filings, annual reports, company statements and press reports, with primary sources preferred where available. Each financial row shows its recorded source. Full-year figures are separated from annualized run-rates, partial periods and forecasts; unaudited figures carry a label. Source detail varies by company, so check the linked material when the reporting basis matters.

1. Primary Sources

Public companies may provide filings and annual reports. Private-company figures may come from statements or press coverage. A missing figure stays missing, and a source link should identify where its number came from.

2. Expert Curation

We organize company records and review claims for strategic context, source quality and clarity. Pages show a review date where one is recorded.

3. Multi-Pass Audit

Technical checks flag inconsistent figures and missing links. Editorial review of the underlying source remains necessary for claims those checks cannot verify.

Swet Parvadiya
SEC filings & public records methodology
Sourced from public financial records

Explore Related Pages for Visa Inc.

History & FailuresTimeline, setbacks, and key milestonesBusiness ModelHow they make money and market productsFinancialsRevenue history and fiscal metricsCompetitive StrategyRivals, benchmarks, and SWOT analysis

Sources & References

The data and narrative synthesized in this intelligence report were verified against primary sources:

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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.