Visa is the credit-card network founded in 1958 as BankAmericard that is among the world’s most valuable companies.
Bank of America introduced BankAmericard in California in 1958. The program expanded through a network of participating banks and was later reorganized as a cooperative association. The name Visa was adopted internationally in 1976.
Visa generally does not lend money directly to cardholders in the way a bank does. It operates a payment network connecting consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and payment processors. This asset-light structure helps explain why investors distinguish Visa from issuing banks and from American Express, which combines network and card-issuing roles more directly.