Visa Inc. operates the Visa payment network and sets the rules used across its branded card network.
Visa connects cardholders, merchants, financial institutions, and payment processors. It generally does not lend money directly to cardholders; banks and other financial institutions issue Visa-branded cards and manage many customer-credit relationships.
Visa’s business model differs from that of a traditional bank. It earns revenue primarily from payment-volume-related services, data processing, and other network services rather than from carrying most cardholder loan balances on its own books.
The Visa name has roots in Bank of America’s BankAmericard program, launched in 1958. Visa became a publicly traded company in 2008, making it one of the largest payment-network companies by market value.