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Visa Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 28 July 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • GAAP net income rose 7%: GAAP net income was $5.6 billion, or $2.97 per share, up 7% and 10% respectively, and includes the special items listed below. Source
  • Non-GAAP earnings rose 8% and 11%: Excluding special items, amortization and equity investment results, with related tax effects, non-GAAP net income was $6.3 billion, or $3.32 per share, up 8% and 11%. Source
  • Net revenue rose 14%: Net revenue was $11.6 billion, up 14%, or 13% on a constant-dollar basis, driven by payments volume, cross-border volume and processed transactions. Source
  • Payments volume rose 10%: Payments volume rose 10% on a constant-dollar basis, after 9% in the prior quarter. Source
  • Cross-border volume growth stepped up: Cross-border volume excluding intra-Europe rose 12% and total cross-border volume rose 13%, both on a constant-dollar basis. The prior quarter showed 11% and 12%. Source
  • GAAP operating expenses rose 19%: GAAP operating expenses were $4.8 billion, up 19%, mainly from personnel. Personnel expense was $2.5 billion against $1.7 billion a year earlier. Source
  • Repurchased 14.5 million shares: Visa repurchased about 14.5 million class A shares at an average $330.71 for $4.9 billion in the quarter. Source
  • $250 million added to litigation escrow: The $250 million deposit has the same economic effect on EPS as repurchasing class A stock at a volume-weighted average price of $333.42. Source

“Consumer and business spending remains resilient, and our strategy continues to deliver”

Ryan McInerney, Chief Executive Officer, Visa

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Dividend SourceQuarterly dividend payable September 1, 2026, to holders of record as of August 11, 2026$0.670 per share of class A common stockKept

What changed from last quarter

  • New: Visa settled the class B-1 and class B-2 exchange offer on May 12, 2026. Holders could receive class B-3 common stock, class C common stock or cash. Source
  • New: Severance costs were recorded in personnel expense in the June quarter for actions to drive efficiencies and reinvest in growth. The March-quarter reconciliation shows none. Source

Results and earnings

  • GAAP net income rose 7%: GAAP net income was $5.6 billion, or $2.97 per share, up 7% and 10% respectively, and includes the special items listed below. Source
  • Non-GAAP earnings rose 8% and 11%: Excluding special items, amortization and equity investment results, with related tax effects, non-GAAP net income was $6.3 billion, or $3.32 per share, up 8% and 11%. Source
  • Net revenue rose 14%: Net revenue was $11.6 billion, up 14%, or 13% on a constant-dollar basis, driven by payments volume, cross-border volume and processed transactions. Source
  • Constant-dollar EPS growth noted: On a constant-dollar basis, GAAP earnings per share rose about 9% and non-GAAP earnings per share about 11%, excluding currency effects against the U.S. dollar. Source

Revenue lines and volumes

  • Payments volume rose 10%: Payments volume rose 10% on a constant-dollar basis, after 9% in the prior quarter. Source
  • Cross-border volume growth stepped up: Cross-border volume excluding intra-Europe rose 12% and total cross-border volume rose 13%, both on a constant-dollar basis. The prior quarter showed 11% and 12%. Source
  • Processed transactions reached 71.7 billion: Processed transactions were 71.7 billion, up 10%, against 66.1 billion in the prior quarter, which was up 9%. Source
  • Data processing and international revenue: Data processing revenue rose 17% to $6.0 billion. International transaction revenue grew 6% to $3.9 billion. Source
  • Service revenue rose 14%: Service revenue rose 14% to $4.9 billion. It is recognized on the prior quarter's payments volume, which rose 9%. Source
  • Other revenue and client incentives rose: Other revenue rose 45% to $1.5 billion. Client incentives rose 18% to $4.7 billion. Source

“As the leading hyperscaler of payments globally, we are designing, building and shipping products at an increased velocity, positioning Visa, our clients and the ecosystem to capture the opportunities ahead and drive growth.”

Ryan McInerney, Chief Executive Officer, Visa

Operating costs and tax

  • GAAP operating expenses rose 19%: GAAP operating expenses were $4.8 billion, up 19%, mainly from personnel. Personnel expense was $2.5 billion against $1.7 billion a year earlier. Source
  • Non-GAAP expenses rose 17%: Excluding special items and amortization, non-GAAP operating expenses rose 17%, driven mainly by marketing and personnel. Marketing expense was $649 million against $421 million. Source
  • Non-operating expense and equity losses: GAAP non-operating expense was $44 million, including $9 million of net equity investment losses. Excluding that item, it was $35 million. Source
  • GAAP tax rate 17.6%: The GAAP effective income tax rate was 17.6%. It was 18.4% excluding the deferred tax benefit and related tax effects of non-GAAP items. Source

Special items and amortization

  • Severance costs excluded from non-GAAP: Severance costs of $563 million were recorded in personnel expense and excluded from non-GAAP results. Source
  • Amortization and deal costs excluded: Amortization of acquired intangible assets and acquisition-related costs totaled $78 million, against $73 million a year earlier, and were excluded from non-GAAP results. Source
  • Deferred tax benefit of $18 million: An $18 million deferred tax benefit came from a change in U.S. taxation of certain foreign earnings and was excluded from non-GAAP results. Source

Capital and shareholder returns

  • Repurchased 14.5 million shares: Visa repurchased about 14.5 million class A shares at an average $330.71 for $4.9 billion in the quarter. Source
  • $28.4 billion authorization remains: The company had $28.4 billion of remaining authorized funds for share repurchases as of June 30, 2026. Source
  • $250 million added to litigation escrow: The $250 million deposit has the same economic effect on EPS as repurchasing class A stock at a volume-weighted average price of $333.42. Source
  • Nine-month buybacks reached $16.4 billion: Over nine months, repurchases of class A stock totaled $16.4 billion, against $13.4 billion a year earlier. Source
  • Cash and investments at quarter end: Cash, cash equivalents and investment securities totaled $13.9 billion at June 30, 2026, against $14.2 billion at March 31, 2026. Source

Share count and class B exchange

  • Diluted class A shares 1.90 billion: Weighted-average diluted class A shares were 1.90 billion for the quarter, against 1.92 billion in the prior quarter. Source
  • Class B-3 shares issued in exchange: Class B-3 common stock carried 34 million diluted weighted-average shares this quarter, having had none before the exchange offer. Source
  • Class B-2 diluted shares fell: Diluted weighted-average class B-2 shares were 53 million in the quarter, against 120 million in the prior quarter. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Payments volume growth (constant-dollar) Source10%
Cross-border volume excluding intra-Europe growth Source12%
Total cross-border volume growth Source13%
Processed transactions Source71.7 billion, up 10%

Risks management discussed

  • Regulatory: A $237 million litigation provision was recorded this quarter for the interchange multidistrict litigation, against $615 million a year earlier. Source
  • Financial: The litigation escrow is set up under the U.S. retrospective responsibility plan to limit exposure of the Company and class A holders to certain cases. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.