Visa operates the VisaNet payment network and has the stock ticker V.
VisaNet is a global electronic payments network that authorizes, clears, and settles card transactions. Visa generally does not issue cards directly to consumers; banks and other financial institutions issue Visa-branded cards and set many customer-facing terms.
Visa's history began with Bank of America launching the BankAmericard program in 1958. The program expanded internationally and was eventually rebranded as Visa. Visa Inc. became a publicly traded company in 2008 after separating from Visa USA's earlier organizational structure.
Visa is frequently compared with Mastercard, another major card network. A card issuer, a payment network, and a merchant's bank perform different roles, so Visa is not itself the same kind of business as a retail bank or a cardholder's lender.