Visa

The company is a financial services giant that enables payments to be made electronically through debit and credit cards

                                

Visa is a financial services giant that enables payments to be made electronically through debit and credit cards. Instead of offering these cards directly, the company enables banks and businesses to provide Visa-branded plastic to their customers. From here, Visa processes transactions and cash withdrawals at ATMs through data centers based in the US, Europe and Asia in exchange for a small fee.

Although the Visa company dominates the card payment market, it was overtaken in 2015 by China’s UnionPay. The business has seen revenues steadily rise in recent years as consumers turn away from using cash, with contactless payments becoming a more popular alternative.

In terms of Visa share price history, its IPO was one of the biggest and most hotly anticipated flotations ever seen on the New York Stock Exchange. Back in 2008, it managed to raise $17.9 billion at $44 a share – considerably more than what was forecast. Visa’s share price has more than quadrupled since.

Visa in numbers

3.3 billion

Visa cards in circulation

46 million

Merchants who accept Visa

160

Currencies are accepted

$11 trillion

Total sales volume in 2018

124.3 billion

Total number of processed transactions

25%

Of face-to-face Visa card payments are contactless

65,000

Transactions per second can be handled by its network

Visa's core products

Credit cards

Although Visa doesn’t extend credit, it authorizes payments and prevents fraud

Debit cards

This enables businesses and consumers to spend money in their checking accounts

Prepaid cards

Users can top up these cards and use them instead of cash

Business solutions

Visa offers payment services to governments, small businesses and corporations

Global ATM

As well as cards, Visa runs a global network of ATMs that spans 200 countries