Visa card

Brand origin and history

Visa began as the BankAmericard credit-card program launched by Bank of America in 1958 in the United States. The global brand name "Visa" was introduced in the mid-1970s (the name is credited to Dee Hock) as the international network coalesced from BankAmericard and its licensees.

Product and manufacturing

A "Visa card" refers to payment cards (credit, debit, prepaid) issued by many banks and financial institutions that use the Visa network. The physical plastic/emv cards themselves are produced by a variety of card manufacturers and issuing banks around the world, so production takes place in multiple countries rather than at a single centralized factory.

Ownership and corporate structure

The Visa brand and global network are owned and operated by Visa Inc., a U.S.-headquartered, publicly traded company that provides payment-network services (authorization, clearing, settlement) and related products. Visa Inc. is the ultimate owner of the Visa brand; it operates through its global organization and local/regional offices but there is no single private subsidiary listed as the exclusive local owner.

Practical summary

In short: the Visa card is a payment-network product (credit/debit/prepaid cards) originating from Bank of America in the United States and now owned and operated globally by Visa Inc.; physical cards are manufactured in multiple countries by issuing banks and card production vendors.