Visa is the payments company that owns the Visa brand and became a public company in 2008.
Visa’s roots lie in Bank of America’s BankAmericard program, launched in California in 1958. The card system expanded through licensing and member financial institutions, eventually becoming the Visa network.
Visa Inc. was created as an independent public company in 2007, and its initial public offering took place in 2008. Visa generally does not lend directly to cardholders; banks and other financial institutions issue many Visa-branded cards, while Visa operates the payment network that helps authorize and settle transactions.
Mastercard is the closest common comparison, but it is a separate network and company. American Express often issues cards directly, while PayPal primarily provides digital-wallet and online-payment services. Visa’s market value is tied to payment volume, consumer spending, cross-border commerce, and confidence in electronic transactions.