Visa is the payment network operated by the company whose stock ticker is V.
Visa Inc. began trading as an independent public company in 2008 after being separated from Visa USA and related organizations. Its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the single-letter ticker V, a reference to the company's name.
Visa generally does not issue cards or lend money directly to cardholders. Banks and other financial institutions issue Visa-branded cards, while Visa operates a network that helps authorize, clear, and settle electronic payments. This business model differs from a traditional bank and from a card issuer such as American Express.
Visa's network reaches consumers, merchants, banks, and payment processors across many countries. Its market capitalization reflects investor expectations about payment volume, fees, earnings, and future growth; it does not represent the total dollar value of every transaction passing through the network.