Visa was the first payment network to exceed $500 billion in market capitalization.
Visa crossed the $500 billion valuation mark during 2018, as investors placed a high value on its global electronic-payments network and continuing shift from cash to cards and digital transactions. Visa generally does not lend money directly to cardholders. Instead, it operates a network linking consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and payment processors.
Visa’s modern corporate history began with Bank of America’s BankAmericard program, launched in 1958. The Visa brand emerged in the 1970s, and Visa became a separate public company through its 2008 initial public offering, one of the largest U.S. IPOs at the time.
Visa and Mastercard are often confused because both operate global payment networks. They are separate companies, and neither is the same as a bank that issues every card carrying its logo. Market capitalization records also depend on the exact date and share-price movement.