Core Insights - Visa and Barclays have expanded their long-standing partnership to enhance payment solutions across various sectors, including retail and corporate banking [2][3] Group 1: Partnership Details - The new agreement encompasses issuing and acquiring services across Barclays' retail, corporate, business, and private banking sectors in the U.K. and the U.S. [2] - Visa will continue to support Barclays' card credentials in the U.K. while promoting growth in U.S. retail issuing and expanding into new markets [2][3] Group 2: Innovation and Technology - The partnership aims to explore new opportunities for innovation in payment types, channels, and technologies, leveraging Visa's value-added services [3] - Visa's Intelligent Commerce initiative will facilitate the integration of tokenized payments and AI-driven transaction capabilities, enhancing customer experiences [5] Group 3: Emerging Payment Trends - The agreement focuses on capitalizing on emerging payment experiences, such as account-to-account payments and agentic commerce [4] - The rise of agentic AI is transforming digital commerce, requiring merchants to adapt their data and policies for machine readability [6]

Group 1 - Visa Inc. has shown significant growth over the past decade, with a compound annual earnings growth of 16% [1] - The company has a current market capitalization of nearly $700 billion and is expected to achieve a 14% growth this year [1] - Despite concerns about new payment platforms, they have not significantly impacted the major credit card networks like Visa [1] Group 2 - Visa is recognized as a payment technology company that processes digital transactions and offers various types of cards [2] - There is a belief that certain AI stocks may present greater upside potential and lower downside risk compared to Visa [2]

Core Viewpoint - Raymond James has raised the target price for Visa from $398 to $408, maintaining an "Outperform" rating [1] Summary by Category Target Price Adjustment - The target price for Visa has been increased from $398 to $408 [1] Rating Confirmation - Raymond James has reaffirmed its "Outperform" rating for Visa [1]

Core Insights - Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR) is now providing eligible clients the option to open a Karta Visa card [1] Company Developments - The introduction of the Karta Visa card is aimed at enhancing the services offered to Interactive Brokers LLC clients [1]

Core Insights - Visa reported a GAAP net income of $20.1 billion for FY25, a 2% increase from the previous year [1] - The company's GAAP earnings per share grew by 5% to $10.20 [1] - Visa's net revenue for the year was $40 billion, reflecting an 11% increase year-over-year [1] Revenue Breakdown - Payments volume increased by 8% on a constant dollar basis, while cross-border volume (excluding intra-European transactions) rose by 13% [1] - Total processed transactions reached 257.5 billion, a 10% increase from the prior year [2] - Service revenue for the year was $17.5 billion, up by 9% [2] - Data processing revenue increased by 13% to $20 billion [2] - International transaction revenue grew by 12% to $14.2 billion [2] - Other revenues rose by 27%, reaching $4.1 billion [2] - Client incentives amounted to $15.8 billion, representing a 14% increase [2] Quarterly Performance - For Q4 FY25, net income decreased by 4% to $5.1 billion compared to the same quarter of the previous year [3] - Net revenue for Q4 rose 12% to $10.7 billion, supported by gains in payments volume, cross-border activity, and processed transactions [4] - Payments volume for Q4 increased by 9% on a constant-dollar basis [4] - Cross-border volume (excluding intra-Europe transactions) grew by 11% on a constant-dollar basis, while total cross-border volume was up 12% [4] - Processed transactions in Q4 reached 67.7 billion, a 10% increase from a year earlier [4] Share Repurchase Activity - Visa repurchased approximately 54 million shares of class A common stock at an average price of $335.44 per share, totaling $18.2 billion [3] - As of the end of September 2025, the company had $24.9 billion authorized for future share repurchases [3] - In Q4, Visa repurchased about 14 million shares at an average price of $349.77 per share, costing $4.9 billion [5] Strategic Focus - The company continues to invest in its Visa as a Service stack to enhance its position in the payments ecosystem [6] - Emphasis on innovation and product development is aimed at leading the transformation in commerce driven by technologies like AI, real-time money movement, tokenization, and stablecoins [6]

William Blair analysts forecast 'slingshot recovery' for Visa amid stablecoin tailwinds https://t.co/vHJT7gEJRd ...

About this content About Sean Mason Sean Mason is a Senior Journalist at Proactive, having researched and written about Canadian and US equities for 20 years. Sean graduated from the University of Toronto with a BA in history and economics and has also passed the Canadian Securities Course. He previously worked at Investors Digest of Canada, Stockhouse, and SmallCapPower.com. Read more About the publisher Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and action ...

Core Insights - Traditional payment giants in the U.S. are embracing stablecoin settlement systems, with Western Union announcing the launch of USDPT based on the Solana blockchain in the first half of 2026, while Visa expands support for stablecoins across four blockchains [1][2][3] Group 1: Western Union's Stablecoin Initiative - Western Union's upcoming stablecoin settlement system will consist of the USDPT and a digital asset network, built on the Solana blockchain [2] - CEO Devin McGranahan noted that the passage of the GENIUS Act has shifted the company's cautious stance on cryptocurrencies due to previous concerns over market volatility and regulatory uncertainty [2] - The USDPT is expected to be accessible through partner exchanges, similar to the listing of PayPal's USD stablecoin on Binance [2] Group 2: Visa's Expansion in Stablecoin Services - Visa is significantly expanding its stablecoin support, planning to add four new stablecoins across four different blockchains, although specific details were not disclosed [3] - The company has facilitated $140 billion in cryptocurrency and stablecoin flows since 2020, with monthly transaction volumes now exceeding an annualized scale of $25 billion [3] - Visa aims to enhance its services for banks and traditional financial institutions, promoting cross-border transactions using stablecoins [3] Group 3: Broader Industry Trends - Other U.S. payment platforms are also advancing stablecoin strategies, with Zelle's parent company announcing a stablecoin launch to accelerate cross-border payments [4] - MoneyGram is integrating its crypto application in Colombia to provide local users with USDC wallets [4] - Traditional payment platforms increasingly view blockchain technology as a solution for cross-border remittances, offering faster, cheaper, and more transparent transactions [4] Group 4: Additional Developments - Walmart's fintech company OnePay plans to add Bitcoin and Ethereum trading features through a partnership with Zerohash, enhancing its platform's capabilities [5] - OnePay has become a leading free finance app in the Apple App Store, competing with major fintech players like PayPal and Venmo [5]

Core Insights - Visa's fourth-quarter results indicate a significant lead over competitors, particularly in high-margin cross-border transactions, as global travel rebounds [1][2] - Visa's U.S. payment volumes increased by 7.6%, global volumes by 8.8%, and cross-border payments surged by 12%, reflecting strong sequential improvements [2] - Revenue reached $10.7 billion, marking an 11% increase on a foreign exchange neutral basis and a 10% organic growth, surpassing both guidance and estimates [2][3] Group 1: Visa's Performance - Visa's adjusted EPS rose to $2.98, a 10% year-on-year increase, showcasing robust financial health [2] - The company maintains stable margins at 66.8%, contributing to its growth trajectory [3] - Visa is expected to continue leading in cross-border and total volume growth as 2025 approaches [3] Group 2: Competitive Landscape - Mastercard is facing tougher year-over-year comparisons, which may compress its organic growth in the latter half of 2025 [3] - Potential shifts in client portfolios, such as the possible transfer of the Apple Card to JPMorgan, could impact U.S. volume metrics for Mastercard [4] - Analyst Tien-Tsin Huang recommends an overweight position in Visa, citing its cleaner comparisons and steadier execution as advantages over Mastercard [5] Group 3: Market Outlook - The divergence in performance between Visa and Mastercard is becoming more pronounced, with Visa positioned for a 15-20% upside in stock value [5] - Both networks benefit from resilient consumer spending and stable macroeconomic trends, but Visa's current momentum is stronger [5]

Let's get a check on a few stories that we're following this morning. A federal judge extending a temporary order blocking the Trump administration from firing thousands of federal employees during the government shutdown. This injunction prohibits any new layoff notices for federal workers and will pause any existing ones.Visa shares looking at some modest gains after initially jumping on the back of fourth quarter results that beat on both the top and the bottom line. The company saying that consumer spen ...