Visa (NYSE:V) Q1 2026 Earnings call January 29, 2026 05:00 PM ET Speaker1Welcome to Visa's Fiscal First Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. All participants are in a listen-only mode until the question-and-answer session. Today's conference is being recorded. If you have any objections, you may disconnect at this time. I would like to now introduce to your conference to your host, Ms. Jennifer Como, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Investor Relations. Ms. Como, you may begin.Speaker0Thank you. Go ...

Core Insights - Mastercard's fourth-quarter net revenue grew by 15% and value-added services increased by 22% on a currency-neutral basis, indicating strong performance despite macroeconomic uncertainties [3] - The company is focusing on agentic commerce and stablecoins as emerging payment methods, positioning itself for the next phase of digital commerce [5][7] - Contactless payment transactions reached 77%, a 5 percentage point increase from the previous year, while tokenization of transactions has advanced to nearly 40% [9][10] Financial Performance - Mastercard reported worldwide gross dollar volume growth of 7% in the quarter, with cross-border volumes rising by 14% [9] - Operating income increased by 17%, driven by demand for digital, authentication, security, consumer engagement, and business insights services [12] - The company anticipates full-year 2026 net revenue growth at the high end of a low double-digit range on a currency-neutral basis, excluding acquisitions [13] Strategic Initiatives - The AgentPay framework is being extended to enhance identity, trust, and consumer protections in AI-driven transactions, with expectations for global capability by the end of Q1 [6] - Mastercard is piloting agent-based payments in regions including Asia, the UK, and the UAE, indicating readiness for agentic commerce [7] - The company has invested over a decade in digital assets, supporting stablecoin settlement and partnerships with firms like Ripple [5] Regulatory Environment - Management expressed concerns about the potential impacts of credit card interest rate caps, warning that it could restrict access to credit for low-income consumers [14] - The Credit Card Competition Act faces industry opposition, with risks identified regarding payment choice and cybersecurity [15]

Financial Performance - For Q4 2025, net revenues increased by 15%, with value-added services and solutions net revenue up 22% on a non-GAAP currency-neutral basis [4][22] - Operating income rose by 17%, while net income and EPS increased by 17% and 20% respectively, driven by strong operating income growth and a positive discrete tax item [23] - EPS for the quarter was $4.76, including a $0.10 contribution from share repurchases [23] Business Line Performance - Payment network net revenue increased by 9%, driven by domestic and cross-border transaction and volume growth [25] - Value-added services and solutions net revenue grew by 22%, with acquisitions contributing approximately 3 percentage points to this growth [26] - Commercial credit and debit volumes represented 13% of total gross dollar volume (GDV) and grew at 11% year-over-year on a local currency basis [14] Market Performance - Worldwide gross dollar volume (GDV) increased by 7% year-over-year, with U.S. GDV up by 4% and international volume up by 9% [24] - Cross-border volume increased by 14% globally, reflecting growth in both travel and non-travel-related spending [24] - Contactless penetration stood at 77% of all in-person switched purchase transactions, up 5 percentage points from the previous year [25] Company Strategy and Industry Competition - The company is focused on executing its clear strategy, making strong progress against strategic pillars, and benefiting from a diversified business model [5][22] - The company continues to innovate and adapt to changing environments, including the emergence of stablecoins and agentic commerce [10][11] - The competitive landscape remains robust, with the company emphasizing differentiation through its payment network capabilities and value-added services [56] Management Commentary on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management remains optimistic about the fundamentals of the business despite geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainties [5][30] - The company expects net revenues to grow at the high end of a low double digits range on a currency-neutral basis for 2026, with a tailwind from foreign exchange [30] - Management highlighted a disciplined capital planning approach and the ability to navigate diverse environments as key strengths [30] Other Important Information - The company secured various new multi-year government grants that will benefit operating expenses and other income [23] - A one-time restructuring charge of approximately $200 million is expected in Q1 2026, impacting about 4% of full-time employees globally [33] Q&A Session Summary Question: Details on the Capital One renegotiation - Management expressed excitement about the extension of the credit portfolio agreement with Capital One, emphasizing the value of the Mastercard network [35][36] Question: Implications of the CCCA - Management noted that there is a united opposition to the proposed Credit Card Competition Act, emphasizing the risks associated with it [37][39] Question: Consumer health and spending patterns - Management indicated that consumer spending remains healthy, with savvy consumers using loyalty programs effectively [44][46] Question: FX volatility and its impact - Management acknowledged the challenges of predicting FX volatility but emphasized the company's ability to deliver value through currency conversion services [48][50] Question: Growth in value-added services - Management expressed confidence in the continued growth of value-added services, highlighting the interconnectedness with the payment network [51][54]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Cimpress achieved a milestone by exceeding $1 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time, with organic constant currency growth of 4% for the first half of the year, surpassing the previous guidance of 2%-3% [9][16] - Revenue for Q2 grew 11% on a reported basis and 4% on an organic constant currency basis, with growth across all segments [9][10] - Adjusted EBITDA increased by $6.6 million year-over-year, with profit dollars up 8% on a consolidated basis [11][12] - Adjusted free cash flow declined by $9.2 million to an inflow of $124 million, attributed to lower net working capital inflows [15][16] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - In the Vista segment, organic constant currency growth was 5%, up from 3% in the prior year quarter, driven by double-digit growth in promotional products, apparel, gifts, and packaging [10][12] - The PrintBrothers segment reported a 26% revenue growth, with a contribution of $18 million from a tuck-in acquisition [11][12] - The Upload and Print segment saw a 6% organic constant currency revenue growth, with increased customer and order counts [11] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Strong performance in North America was the main driver of growth acceleration compared to the prior year quarter [11] - In Europe, consumer performance was weaker, with a decline year-over-year in Q2, attributed to tough comparisons from the previous year [21] Company Strategy and Development Direction - Cimpress is focusing on elevated products to improve customer lifetime value and wallet share, with variable gross profit per customer growing 9% year-over-year [4][10] - The company is investing in manufacturing efficiencies and new product introductions through Cross-Cimpress Fulfillment (XCF) [5][8] - Shared technology initiatives are aimed at reducing operating expenses and enhancing customer value [6][39] - The company remains confident in achieving fiscal 2028 targets, including an adjusted EBITDA of at least $600 million [7][17] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the financial future, highlighting a strong path to fiscal 2028 with significant deleveraging of the balance sheet [7][17] - The impact of tariffs is expected to lessen in future quarters as supply chain remediation continues [14] - Management noted that the hurricane in Jamaica posed challenges but was mitigated through operational adjustments [6][12] Other Important Information - The company completed a tuck-in acquisition for $10.4 million, expected to yield significant synergies [49][51] - Net leverage at the end of Q2 was 2.97 times trailing twelve months EBITDA, down from the previous quarter [15][16] Q&A Session Summary Question: How would you characterize the holiday season that just concluded for Vista? - Management reported a strong quarter for Vista, particularly in North America, with a balanced approach to holiday messaging [18] Question: Can you talk about the biggest areas of outperformance versus your initial FY 2026 guidance? - Management indicated solid execution across the board, with no significant areas of outperformance but some help from currency [24] Question: What are the underlying trends for customer cohorts in promotional products? - Strong growth in elevated products demonstrates increased wallet share among small business customers [30][31] Question: How has the North American business for the Print Group trended? - The Print Group is on track with revenues growing quarter-over-quarter, though still small in scale [34] Question: What is the company's view on Cross-Cimpress Fulfillment? - Management sees significant growth potential in Cross-Cimpress Fulfillment, which has doubled in revenue within a year [42][45] Question: Can you provide details on the tuck-in acquisition made this quarter? - The acquisition was for an Austrian printing group with significant synergy opportunities, expected to exceed a 15% hurdle rate [49][51]

“Agentic payments will rely on industry progress building solutions for trust, governance, and interoperability and finding the right use cases where buyers are eager to delegate shopping and payment to AI,” analysts Ben Brown and Pavle Stamenic wrote. The firm is based in Prague, Czechia.This shopping-payment bifurcation is likely to persist “in the near term,” with agentic commerce offering consumers better research and planning capabilities, consulting firm Flagship Advisory Partners said in a Jan. 21 ma ...

Core Insights - Amenify Corporation has partnered with Visa to launch an intelligent resident commerce platform that allows residents to link their existing Visa cards to earn rewards on rent payments and local spending [1] Group 1: Collaboration and Offerings - The collaboration aims to create a new framework for resident commerce, enabling renters to earn value on eligible rent payments and everyday spending with select merchants [1] - Residents can earn Amenify Cash™ automatically added to their Amenify Wallet when using linked Visa cards for eligible transactions [1] Group 2: Market Potential - The U.S. rental market consists of tens of millions of properties, representing hundreds of billions of dollars in annual housing and commerce activity [1] - Amenify has previously partnered with property management software providers covering over 20 million homes, enhancing the resident experience through integrated services [1] Group 3: Technology and Integration - Amenify's technology focuses on flexibility and user experience, allowing seamless integration via API without requiring new applications or payment cards [1] - The platform is designed to support property management companies by providing tailored resident experiences while maintaining existing operations [1] Group 4: Company Background - Amenify is a resident experience and commerce technology company operating in over 1,000 cities across the U.S. and has raised $25 million to date from various investors [1]

Core Insights - Netalico has been promoted to Shopify Premier Partner, recognizing its extensive experience in complex replatforming for mid-market and enterprise brands [1] - The promotion highlights Netalico's role in driving agentic commerce adoption, where AI agents facilitate product discovery and purchasing [1] Company Overview - Founded in 2012 by Mark Lewis, Netalico specializes in complex replatforming, optimization, and agentic commerce readiness, focusing on long-term partnerships with mid-market and enterprise brands [1] - The agency has successfully migrated brands from various platforms, including Magento, BigCommerce, and Salesforce Commerce Cloud, emphasizing scalable systems for long-term growth [1] Industry Trends - The rise of agentic commerce is transforming product discovery, with AI systems increasingly influencing what products are surfaced and sold [1] - Shopify's integration with OpenAI's ChatGPT is a significant development, enabling in-chat product discovery and checkout, indicating a rapid shift in commerce dynamics [1] - The Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), co-developed by Shopify and Google, aims to standardize interactions between AI agents and commerce systems, highlighting the importance of structured product data [1] Performance Metrics - Following its migration to Shopify Plus, Audio Advice achieved a 21% increase in overall revenue year-over-year, alongside improvements in site speed and operational efficiency [1]

PayPal Holdings (NASDAQ:PYPL)said it has agreed to acquire Cymbio, a multi-channel commerce orchestration platform, as the payments giant steps up its push into AI-powered and agentic commerce.The deal will strengthen PayPal’s ability to help merchants sell products across so-called agentic surfaces, including AI platforms such as Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity, the company said.Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.Cymbio, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Tel Aviv, enables brands to m ...

Core Insights - Major Chinese tech companies like Alibaba and ByteDance are integrating agentic commerce into their services, indicating a shift towards AI that performs tasks on behalf of users with minimal supervision [1][2]. Group 1: Agentic AI Developments - Alibaba has enhanced its Qwen AI chatbot with features that allow users to order food, book travel, and make in-chat payments, reflecting a transition from foundational AI models to agentic AI [2]. - ByteDance has upgraded its Doubao AI chatbot to autonomously manage tasks such as ticket bookings through eCommerce features on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok [4]. Group 2: User Engagement and Experience - The agentic transformation of commercial services is expected to improve user engagement and retention, as noted by research analyst Shaochen Wang [3]. - Despite advancements in payment technologies, 60% of middle-market merchants report user experience issues during checkout, highlighting the potential for agentic AI to streamline these processes [5]. Group 3: Implications for Commerce - In agentic commerce, the consumer's role in the checkout process diminishes as software agents take over tasks like product selection and payment initiation, potentially reducing the reliance on traditional wallets [6]. - The application of agentic commerce in B2B payments is also being explored, with the potential for automation in managing invoices and contracts [6][7].

Core Insights - China's technology giants, including Alibaba and ByteDance, are entering a new phase of the AI race termed 'agentic commerce,' focusing on transforming chatbots into comprehensive shopping and payment tools [1] Group 1: Alibaba's Qwen AI Chatbot Update - Alibaba has updated its Qwen AI chatbot, enabling users to complete transactions directly within the interface, such as ordering food and booking air tickets [2] - The update integrates Qwen with Alibaba's broader e-commerce ecosystem, allowing users to compare tailored product recommendations from platforms like Taobao and Fliggy, and complete payments through Alipay without leaving the chatbot [2][3] - Previously, Qwen could only make recommendations based on user prompts, requiring users to navigate multiple platforms for purchases [3] Group 2: Shift to Agentic AI - The update signifies a broader shift among global AI firms from foundational AI models to "agentic AI," which performs tasks on behalf of users with minimal supervision [3] - The transformation of commercial services through agentic AI enhances user engagement and builds a sustainable competitive advantage, often referred to as a business moat [4] Group 3: E-commerce as a Use Case - E-commerce is emerging as one of the earliest and most widespread applications of agentic AI, with payment and tech giants in the U.S. also launching their initial versions recently [5] - Alibaba is well-positioned to lead in agentic commerce due to its advanced large language model capabilities and extensive e-commerce network covering various sectors such as clothing, food, housing, and transportation [6]