Which company owns the payment networks Visa and Mastercard?

Neither company owns both Visa and Mastercard; Visa and Mastercard are separate publicly traded payment-network companies.

Visa Inc. operates the Visa payment network, while Mastercard Incorporated operates the Mastercard network. Both connect consumers, merchants, banks, and payment processors, but neither is the parent of the other.

The companies are often mistaken for banks because their cards are issued by financial institutions. Visa and Mastercard generally do not issue cards directly, lend money to cardholders, or set the terms of individual card accounts. Instead, they provide network infrastructure and process transactions.

This distinction matters when comparing market capitalization. Visa and Mastercard each have their own shares, financial statements, management, and valuation. American Express is another separate payments company, but it combines network operations with card issuing and lending more directly than Visa or Mastercard.