Visa is the world’s largest card network by payment volume and a major high-value listed company.
Visa operates a global electronic payments network connecting consumers, merchants, banks, and governments. It generally does not issue cards directly, lend money to cardholders, or set the interest rates charged by banks. Instead, it processes transactions and earns fees from payments moving across its network.
The modern company grew from Bank of America’s BankAmericard program, launched in 1958. Visa became an independent public company in 2008 through one of the largest initial public offerings in United States history.
Visa is often confused with a bank or a card issuer. A Visa-branded card may be issued by a separate institution, such as a commercial bank. Mastercard follows a similar network model, while American Express traditionally combines network and card-issuing functions more directly.