Broadcom vs Mastercard: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Broadcom reported $63.9B of revenue in FY2025 and $23.1B of net income. Mastercard reported $32.8B of revenue in FY2025 and $15B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Broadcom
- Latest revenue
- $63.9B (FY2025)
- Net income
- $23.1B
- Net margin
- 36.2%
- Revenue growth
- +17.5% a year, FY2017–FY2025
Mastercard
- Latest revenue
- $32.8B (FY2025)
- Net income
- $15B
- Net margin
- 45.6%
- Revenue growth
- +13.2% a year, FY2016–FY2025
Financial summary
Broadcom
Fiscal 2025 revenue rose 24% to $63.9 billion and net income reached $23.1 billion, up from $5.9 billion in fiscal 2024, when a large income tax charge weighed on results. Operating income was $25.5 billion and free cash flow $26.9 billion, of which $11.1 billion went to dividends and $6.4 billion to buybacks. Fiscal 2026 then accelerated: quarterly revenue went from $19.3 billion in Q1 to $22.2 billion in Q2 and $29.6 billion in Q3, with Q4 guided at about $34.8 billion. Long-term debt taken on for VMware fell to $57.2 billion at 2 August 2026 from $62.0 billion at the end of fiscal 2025, and the quarterly dividend is $0.65 a share after a 10% increase.
Mastercard
Mastercard's net revenue grew from $10.8 billion in 2016 to $32.8 billion in FY2025, with net income of $14.97 billion in FY2025, a net margin near 46%. Growth continued in 2026: second-quarter net revenue rose 14% to $9.28 billion and net income reached $4.39 billion, with a GAAP operating margin of 60.2%. Because incremental transactions cost little to process, most of that cash goes to share buybacks, dividends and acquisitions such as Recorded Future ($2.65 billion, 2024) and BVNK (up to $1.8 billion, 2026).
Revenue and profit by year
Broadcom
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $63.9B | $23.1B | 36.2% | +23.9% | Source |
| FY2024 | $51.6B | $5.9B | 11.4% | +44.0% | Source |
| FY2023 | $35.8B | $14.1B | 39.3% | +7.9% | Source |
| FY2022 | $33.2B | $11.5B | 34.6% | +21.0% | Source |
| FY2021 | $27.4B | $6.7B | 24.5% | +14.9% | Source |
| FY2020 | $23.9B | $3B | 12.4% | +5.7% | Source |
| FY2019 | $22.6B | $2.7B | 12.1% | +8.4% | Source |
| FY2018 | $20.8B | $12.3B | 58.8% | +18.2% | Source |
| FY2017 | $17.6B | $1.7B | 9.6% | — | Source |
Mastercard
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $32.8B | $15B | 45.6% | +16.4% | Source |
| FY2024 | $28.2B | $12.9B | 45.7% | +12.2% | Source |
| FY2023 | $25.1B | $11.2B | 44.6% | +12.9% | Source |
| FY2022 | $22.2B | $9.9B | 44.7% | +17.8% | Source |
| FY2021 | $18.9B | $8.7B | 46.0% | +23.4% | Source |
| FY2020 | $15.3B | $6.4B | 41.9% | -9.4% | Source |
| FY2019 | $16.9B | $8.1B | 48.1% | +12.9% | Source |
| FY2018 | $14.9B | $5.9B | 39.2% | +19.6% | Source |
| FY2017 | $12.5B | $3.9B | 31.3% | +16.0% | Source |
| FY2016 | $10.8B | $4.1B | 37.7% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Broadcom
- Semiconductor Solutions
~58% (FY2025); 70% in Q3 FY2026
Custom AI accelerators, Ethernet switch chips, network adapters, optics, broadband, storage connectivity, wireless and RF filters generated $36.9B in fiscal 2025 and $20.8B in Q3 fiscal 2026 alone, up 127% year over year.
- Infrastructure Software
~42% (FY2025); 30% in Q3 FY2026
VMware Cloud Foundation plus CA mainframe and Symantec security software generated $27.0B in fiscal 2025 and $8.8B in Q3 fiscal 2026, up 29%.
- AI Semiconductor Revenue
56% of revenue in Q3 FY2026
AI semiconductor revenue, a subset of Semiconductor Solutions, was about $20B in fiscal 2025 and $16.7B in Q3 fiscal 2026, with $21.7B guided for Q4.
Mastercard
- Payment network~59%
Assessments on gross dollar volume, transaction switching fees and cross-border fees, net of customer incentives. About $19.48 billion in FY2025.
- Value-added services and solutions~41%
Fraud and security, cyber and threat intelligence, data analytics, consulting, loyalty, open banking and processing services. Grew 23% in FY2025 to about $13.3 billion.
Business model and strategy
Broadcom
How it makes money
Broadcom reports two segments. Semiconductor Solutions sold $36.9 billion of chips in fiscal 2025: custom AI accelerators (XPUs) designed with hyperscale customers, Tomahawk and Jericho Ethernet switch chips, network adapters, optical components, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips, RF filters for smartphones, broadband gateway chips and storage connectivity.
Growth strategy
Broadcom's growth plan has two engines. In chips, it co-designs custom accelerators with a short list of customers, including Google's TPU, Meta's MTIA, OpenAI and Anthropic, and sells the Ethernet switches, network adapters and optics that connect them. In software, it is moving VMware's installed base onto VMware Cloud Foundation subscriptions;
Competitive advantage
Broadcom's edge is engineering depth in a few hard problems where customers rarely switch once a design is chosen: high-speed SerDes, switch silicon, advanced packaging and custom ASIC design. Its Tomahawk 6 switch chip, announced in June 2025, handles 102.4 terabits per second. In software, VMware is built into enterprise data centers, which makes migrations slow and costly.
Mastercard
How it makes money
Mastercard earns money in two ways. Payment network revenue ($19.48 billion in FY2025, about 59% of net revenue) comes from assessments based on gross dollar volume, fees for switching transactions, and higher-yield cross-border fees, reduced by incentives paid to issuers and merchants.
Growth strategy
Mastercard's growth plan rests on three levers: moving more consumer spending from cash to cards and tokenized digital wallets, capturing new flows such as B2B payments, disbursements and cross-border remittances, and selling more services that are not tied to card volume. Services grew 23% in FY2025, faster than the network.
Competitive advantage
Mastercard's advantage is a two-sided network that took decades to build: about 3.7 billion Mastercard and Maestro cards issued by partners and acceptance at tens of millions of merchant locations worldwide. A new rival would need both sides at once. That scale also feeds its fraud models, tokenization service and data products, which makes the services business harder to copy.
Questions about Broadcom vs Mastercard
Which company has higher revenue — Broadcom Inc. or Mastercard Incorporated?
Broadcom Inc. reported $63.9B (FY2025), while Mastercard Incorporated reported $32.8B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Broadcom Inc. is the larger business, with Mastercard Incorporated reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of Broadcom Inc. vs Mastercard Incorporated?
Broadcom Inc.'s market capitalisation stands at $1.68T, while Mastercard Incorporated's is $495.4B. Broadcom Inc. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Mastercard Incorporated.
Which is more financially efficient — Broadcom Inc. or Mastercard Incorporated?
Broadcom Inc. generates $1.94M / employee in revenue per employee, while Mastercard Incorporated generates $824k / employee. Broadcom 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 Broadcom Inc. and Mastercard Incorporated make money?
Broadcom Inc. and Mastercard Incorporated generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Broadcom Inc.: Broadcom reports two segments. Mastercard Incorporated: Mastercard earns money in two ways.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Broadcom Inc. or Mastercard Incorporated?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Broadcom Inc. trades at 26.3x P/S and Mastercard Incorporated at 15.1x P/S. Broadcom Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Mastercard Incorporated. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is Broadcom Inc. bigger than Mastercard Incorporated?
By last reported revenue, Broadcom Inc. ($63.9B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to Mastercard Incorporated ($32.8B (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 Broadcom vs Mastercard overview