BNP Paribas vs Visa: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
BNP Paribas reported ~$57.9B of revenue in FY2025 and ~$13.8B of net income. Visa reported $40B of revenue in FY2025 and $20.1B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
BNP Paribas
- Latest revenue
- ~$57.9B (FY2025)
- Net income
- ~$13.8B
- Net margin
- 23.9%
- Revenue growth
- +2.6% a year, FY2021–FY2025
Visa
- Latest revenue
- $40B (FY2025)
- Net income
- $20.1B
- Net margin
- 50.1%
- Revenue growth
- +11.4% a year, FY2016–FY2025
Financial summary
BNP Paribas
Reported revenues were ~$52.2 billion (€46.2 billion) in 2021, ~$57 billion (€50.4 billion) in 2022 as first published, ~$51.9 billion (€45.9 billion) in 2023, ~$55.1 billion (€48.8 billion) in 2024 and ~$57.9 billion (€51.2 billion) in 2025. The 2023 drop is mostly accounting: Bank of the West was sold on 1 February 2023 and moved out of continuing revenue, and IFRS 17 changed how insurance revenue is reported from 2023. Net income, Group share, rose every year, from ~$10.7 billion (€9.5 billion) in 2021 to ~$13.8 billion (€12.2 billion) in 2025. The 2025 dividend was €5.16 per share, and the bank now also pays an interim dividend each September (€3.23 for 2026, paid on 28 September 2026). Second-quarter 2026 net income of ~$4.91 billion (€4.345 billion), up 33.4%, included a one-off gain on the Ageas transaction.
Visa
Visa's fiscal year ends September 30. Fiscal 2025 net revenue was USD 40.0 billion, up 11% from USD 35.9 billion in fiscal 2024, and GAAP net income was USD 20.1 billion. Growth continued in fiscal 2026: in the third quarter (April to June 2026) net revenue rose 14% to USD 11.6 billion, quarterly payments volume passed USD 4 trillion for the first time, and Visa returned USD 6.2 billion to shareholders through buybacks and dividends. Fiscal 2026 full-year results are due in late October 2026.
Revenue and profit by year
BNP Paribas
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | ~$57.9B | ~$13.8B | 23.9% | +4.9% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$55.2B | ~$13.2B | 23.9% | +6.4% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$51.8B | ~$12.4B | 23.9% | -9.0% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$57B | ~$11.5B | 20.2% | +9.0% | Source |
| FY2021 | ~$52.2B | ~$10.7B | 20.5% | — | Source |
Visa
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $40B | $20.1B | 50.1% | +11.3% | Source |
| FY2024 | $35.9B | $19.7B | 55.0% | +10.0% | Source |
| FY2023 | $32.7B | $17.3B | 52.9% | +11.4% | Source |
| FY2022 | $29.3B | $15B | 51.0% | +21.6% | Source |
| FY2021 | $24.1B | $12.3B | 51.1% | +10.3% | Source |
| FY2020 | $21.8B | $10.9B | 49.7% | -4.9% | Source |
| FY2019 | $23B | $12.1B | 52.6% | +11.5% | Source |
| FY2018 | $20.6B | $10.3B | 50.0% | +12.3% | Source |
| FY2017 | $18.4B | $6.7B | 36.5% | +21.7% | Source |
| FY2016 | $15.1B | $6B | 39.7% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
BNP Paribas
- Commercial, Personal Banking & Services
largest division
CPBS revenue was ~$30.2 billion (€26.717 billion) in FY2025, from the four domestic retail banks, Personal Finance, Arval, Leasing Solutions and Nickel.
- Corporate & Institutional Banking
second-largest division
CIB revenue was ~$21.5 billion (€18.997 billion) in FY2025 and ~$5.97 billion (€5.281 billion) in the second quarter of 2026, up 12.7%.
- Investment & Protection Services
fee and insurance stream
IPS revenue, including AXA IM from July 2025, was ~$7.83 billion (€6.929 billion) in FY2025.
Visa
- Service revenue
- Data processing revenue
- International transaction revenue
- Value-added services
- Visa Direct
- Fraud and risk tools
Business model and strategy
BNP Paribas
How it makes money
BNP Paribas is a universal bank: it lends to households and companies and earns interest on that lending, collects fees on payments, advisory work, asset management and custody, earns insurance and leasing income, and books trading revenue in global markets.
Growth strategy
Recent growth has come from targeted deals and partnerships. BNP Paribas Cardif bought AXA Investment Managers for ~$5.76 billion (€5.1 billion) in July 2025 and agreed to manage a large part of AXA's assets. Arval completed its purchase of Athlon from Mercedes-Benz Group on 31 July 2026, taking its combined fleet to 2.3 million vehicles.
Competitive advantage
BNP Paribas's edge is diversification at scale. Four domestic retail networks supply deposits and client relationships; CIB serves many of the same companies with financing, hedging and capital-markets work; and Cardif, asset management and Arval add insurance, fee and lease income that depends less on interest rates.
Visa
How it 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 transactions authorized, cleared and settled over VisaNet), international transaction revenue (cross-border and currency conversion activity) and other revenue, including value-added services such as fraud and…
Growth 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 embed Visa capabilities inside fintech and banking platforms.
Competitive advantage
Visa's moat is a three-sided network effect. Consumers use Visa because merchants accept it, merchants accept Visa because consumers carry it, and banks issue Visa credentials because both sides already participate. The company also has fraud data, global rules, brand trust, dispute standards, token infrastructure, and bank relationships built across decades. A competitor cannot simply copy the software;
Questions about BNP Paribas vs Visa
Which company has higher revenue — BNP Paribas SA or Visa Inc.?
BNP Paribas SA reported ~$57.9B (FY2025), while Visa Inc. reported $40.0B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, BNP Paribas SA is the larger business, with Visa Inc. reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of BNP Paribas SA vs Visa Inc.?
BNP Paribas SA's market capitalisation stands at $129.4B, while Visa Inc.'s is $676.0B. Visa Inc. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to BNP Paribas SA.
Which is more financially efficient — BNP Paribas SA or Visa Inc.?
BNP Paribas SA generates $322k / employee in revenue per employee, while Visa Inc. generates $1.17M / employee. Visa Inc. shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do BNP Paribas SA and Visa Inc. make money?
BNP Paribas SA and Visa Inc. generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. BNP Paribas SA: BNP Paribas is a universal bank: it lends to households and companies and earns interest on that lending, collects fees on payments, advisory work, asset management and custody, earns insurance and leasing income, and books trading revenue in global markets. Visa Inc.: Visa earns fees from the banks and other clients that use its network, not interest from cardholders.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — BNP Paribas SA or Visa Inc.?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, BNP Paribas SA trades at 2.2x P/S and Visa Inc. at 16.9x P/S. Visa Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to BNP Paribas SA. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is BNP Paribas SA bigger than Visa Inc.?
By last reported revenue, BNP Paribas SA (~$57.9B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to Visa Inc. ($40.0B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the BNP Paribas vs Visa overview