Who is Visa?
The company operates the world's largest retail electronic payment network, managing payments among financial institutions, merchants, consumers, businesses and government entities. Before Visa Inc's IPO in late 2007, it was operated as a cooperative of some 21,000 financial institutions that issued and marketed Visa products including credit and debit cards.
In 2006, according to The Nilson Report, Visa held 44% of the credit card market share and 48% of the debit card market share in the United States
Visa sold 406 million shares at US$44 per share ($2 above the high end of the expected $37-42 pricing range), raising US$17.9 billion in the largest initial public offering in U.S. history
Visa is the only form of electronic payment accepted at all venues and Olympic-related transactions. Its current contract with the IOC as the exclusive payment card will continue through 2012. For the 2008 China Olympics Visa is running a Visa Beijing 2008 Olympic Sweepstakes offering a chance to win a trip to Beijing to watch the Olympics live.
