BankAmericard adopted the name Visa in 1976 for its international payment-card brand. The rebranding created a name that was less tied to one U.S. bank and easier to use across different countries and languages.
BankAmericard had been launched by Bank of America in 1958. As the card system expanded through licensing arrangements and international associations, its original regional name became less suitable for a global network.
Visa is now the name of both the payment network and Visa Inc., the publicly traded company that operates the network. Visa generally does not issue cards directly to consumers; banks and other financial institutions issue Visa-branded cards under agreements with the network.