NEC vs Visa: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
NEC reported ~$24B of revenue in FY2026 and ~$1.8B of net income. Visa reported $40B of revenue in FY2025 and $20.1B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
NEC
NEC's numbers show a company trading revenue for margin. Revenue moved from ~$20.2 billion (3,014.1 billion yen) in FY22/3 to ~$24 billion (3,582.7 billion yen) in FY26/3, but the bigger change was profitability: FY26/3 adjusted operating profit reached ~$2.59 billion (386.8 billion yen) (10.8% margin, up 2.4 points), net profit attributable to owners was ~$1.81 billion (270.2 billion yen), and non-GAAP net profit was ~$1.87 billion (279.8 billion yen), a record under IFRS. Momentum carried into FY27/3: first-quarter revenue rose 14.5% to ~$5.49 billion (819.8 billion yen), net profit was ~$333 million (49.7 billion yen), and NEC raised full-year guidance to ~$23.7 billion (3,540 billion yen) revenue and ~$2.88 billion (430 billion yen) adjusted operating profit.
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
NEC
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | ~$24B | ~$1.8B | 7.5% | +4.7% | Source |
| FY2025 | ~$22.9B | ~$1.2B | 5.1% | -1.5% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$23.3B | ~$1B | 4.3% | +5.0% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$22.2B | ~$767.1M | 3.5% | +9.9% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$20.2B | ~$946.6M | 4.7% | — | 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
NEC
- IT Services70.0%
FY26/3 revenue was ~$16.8 billion (2,508.9 billion yen), including Domestic IT and International digital government/digital finance work.
- Social Infrastructure26.1%
FY26/3 revenue was ~$6.27 billion (935.3 billion yen), including telecom services and aerospace/national security systems.
- Others3.9%
FY26/3 other revenue was ~$928 million (138.5 billion yen).
Visa
- Service revenue
- Data processing revenue
- International transaction revenue
- Value-added services
- Visa Direct
- Fraud and risk tools
Business model and strategy
NEC
How it makes money
NEC makes money by selling technology projects and recurring services to governments, enterprises and telecom carriers. In FY26/3 (year ended March 31, 2026), IT Services produced ~$16.8 billion (2,508.9 billion yen), about 70% of revenue: system integration, managed services and the BluStellar DX offering in Japan, plus digital government and digital finance software abroad through subsidiaries such as Avaloq, KMD a…
Growth strategy
Under its 2025 Mid-term Management Plan, which NEC says it achieved in FY26/3, the company prioritized digital government and digital finance, 5G, and core DX (now branded BluStellar) as growth businesses while monitoring and pruning low-profit work.
Competitive advantage
NEC's edge comes from decades of trusted delivery to Japanese ministries, municipalities, the Ministry of Defense and NTT-group carriers, which makes it hard to displace on security-sensitive systems. Its face and fingerprint algorithms have repeatedly placed at or near the top of US NIST benchmark tests, which supports border-control and airport contracts abroad.
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 NEC vs Visa
Which company has higher revenue — NEC Corporation or Visa Inc.?
NEC Corporation reported ~$24B (FY2026), while Visa Inc. reported $40.0B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Visa Inc. is the larger business, with NEC Corporation reporting a smaller revenue base. Note: these are from different fiscal years and are not a direct like-for-like comparison.
What is the market cap of NEC Corporation vs Visa Inc.?
NEC Corporation's market capitalisation stands at $40.2B, while Visa Inc.'s is $676.0B. Visa Inc. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to NEC Corporation.
Which is more financially efficient — NEC Corporation or Visa Inc.?
NEC Corporation generates $236k / 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 NEC Corporation and Visa Inc. make money?
NEC Corporation and Visa Inc. generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. NEC Corporation: NEC makes money by selling technology projects and recurring services to governments, enterprises and telecom carriers. 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 — NEC Corporation or Visa Inc.?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, NEC Corporation trades at 1.7x 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 NEC Corporation. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is NEC Corporation bigger than Visa Inc.?
By last reported revenue, Visa Inc. ($40.0B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to NEC Corporation (~$24B (FY2026)). 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 NEC vs Visa overview