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Visa Inc.: Q4 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 27 October 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 raised. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Record full-year net revenue: Full-year net revenue was $45.9 billion, up 15%, or 14% on a constant-dollar basis. Source
  • Quarter GAAP and non-GAAP EPS rose: Fourth-quarter GAAP diluted EPS was $3.19, up 22%; non-GAAP diluted EPS was $3.48, up 17%. Non-GAAP net income was $6.6 billion, up 13%. Source
  • Cross-border volume up 14%: Cross-border volume excluding intra-Europe rose 14% in the quarter and 12% for the year; it drives international transaction revenue. Total cross-border volume rose 14% in the quarter and 13% for the year. Source
  • Quarter litigation provision of $469 million: The $469 million provision tied to the interchange MDL case was excluded from non-GAAP results. The prior-year quarter's provision was $899 million. Source
  • Buybacks of $4.0 billion in quarter: Visa repurchased about 11 million class A shares for $4.0 billion in the quarter, and about 61 million shares for $20.5 billion over the year. Source
  • BioCatch fraud-intelligence acquisition: Visa agreed to buy BioCatch, a behavioral-first fraud intelligence provider, for $2.4 billion in cash. Source

“Visa delivered a milestone year. We achieved record net revenue of $46 billion, up 15%, the strongest growth in over 15 years excluding the post-pandemic recovery and acquisitions.”

Ryan McInerney, Chief Executive Officer, Visa

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Quarterly cash dividend per class A share SourceDividend payable December 1, 2026$0.780 per shareRaised from $0.670

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Quarterly cash dividend raised 16%, from $0.670 declared on July 28, 2026 to $0.780 declared on October 27, 2026. Source
  • New: Visa signed a definitive agreement on August 3, 2026 to acquire BioCatch for $2.4 billion in cash. The prior quarter's release did not include this deal. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Record full-year net revenue: Full-year net revenue was $45.9 billion, up 15%, or 14% on a constant-dollar basis. Source
  • Quarter GAAP and non-GAAP EPS rose: Fourth-quarter GAAP diluted EPS was $3.19, up 22%; non-GAAP diluted EPS was $3.48, up 17%. Non-GAAP net income was $6.6 billion, up 13%. Source
  • Full-year EPS and net income: Full-year GAAP diluted EPS was $12.32, up 21%; non-GAAP EPS was $13.27, up 16%. Full-year GAAP net income was $23.5 billion, up 17%. Source

Revenue lines and client incentives

  • Data processing revenue up 16%: Data processing revenue was $6.2 billion in the quarter, up 16%, and $23.4 billion for the full year, up 17%. Source
  • International transaction revenue up 8%: International transaction revenue was $4.1 billion in the quarter and $15.3 billion for the full year, each up 8%. Source
  • Other revenue up 40%: Other revenue was $1.6 billion in the quarter and $5.7 billion for the full year, each up 40%. Source
  • Client incentives up 21%: Client incentives were $5.1 billion in the quarter, up 21%, and $18.3 billion for the full year, up 16%. Source
  • Service revenue follows prior-quarter volume: Service revenue was $5.3 billion, up 14%. It is recognized on prior-quarter payments volume, while other revenue lines follow current-quarter activity. Source

“whenever technology changes commerce, we move with it, we anticipate what’s next, and we enable its growth as the leading hyperscaler of payments globally”

Ryan McInerney, Chief Executive Officer, Visa

Volume and transaction demand

  • Payments volume growth: Payments volume for the June quarter, which feeds fourth-quarter service revenue, rose 10% in constant dollars. Full-year payments volume rose 9%. Source
  • Cross-border volume up 14%: Cross-border volume excluding intra-Europe rose 14% in the quarter and 12% for the year; it drives international transaction revenue. Total cross-border volume rose 14% in the quarter and 13% for the year. Source
  • Processed transactions reached 74.2 billion: Processed transactions were 74.2 billion in the quarter, up 10%, and 281.3 billion for the full year, up 9%. Source

Costs, margins and tax

  • Quarter GAAP expenses up 7%: GAAP operating expenses were $4.9 billion, up 7%, mainly from higher general and administrative expense. Source
  • Non-GAAP expenses rose on marketing and personnel: Excluding special and acquisition-related items, quarterly operating expenses rose 12%, led by marketing and personnel. Full-year non-GAAP operating expenses were $14.9 billion, up 16%. Source
  • Full-year GAAP expenses up 11%: Full-year GAAP operating expenses were $17.8 billion, up 11%, with personnel and marketing as the main drivers. Source
  • Tax rate in quarter near 18.5%: GAAP effective tax rate was 18.5% for the quarter and 16.3% for the year. Non-GAAP rates were 18.4% for the quarter and 17.9% for the year. Source

“The foundation of all of this is trust, which Visa brings with our scale, our network and our products.”

Ryan McInerney, Chief Executive Officer, Visa

Litigation, escrow and charitable items

  • Quarter litigation provision of $469 million: The $469 million provision tied to the interchange MDL case was excluded from non-GAAP results. The prior-year quarter's provision was $899 million. Source
  • Full-year litigation provision of $1.7 billion: Full-year litigation provisions were $1.7 billion for the MDL case and other legal matters, against $2.5 billion a year earlier. Source
  • Escrow deposit tied to class A shares: Visa deposited $405 million into its U.S. litigation escrow on September 18, 2026. Management said the deposit has the same per-share effect as repurchasing class A shares at $366.81. Source
  • Foundation donation of investments: Visa donated investments to the Visa Foundation, recognized as a $282 million non-cash charge and excluded from non-GAAP results. Source

Capital, cash and shareholder returns

  • Buybacks of $4.0 billion in quarter: Visa repurchased about 11 million class A shares for $4.0 billion in the quarter, and about 61 million shares for $20.5 billion over the year. Source
  • Repurchases and dividends totaled $25.6 billion: Share repurchases and dividends were $5.2 billion for the quarter and $25.6 billion for the full year. Source
  • Cash position at September 30: Cash, cash equivalents and investment securities were $14.2 billion at September 30, 2026, up from $13.9 billion at June 30. Source
  • Remaining buyback authorization of $24.4 billion: Visa had $24.4 billion of authorized funds left for share repurchases at September 30, 2026. Source

Acquisition and workforce actions

  • BioCatch fraud-intelligence acquisition: Visa agreed to buy BioCatch, a behavioral-first fraud intelligence provider, for $2.4 billion in cash. Source
  • Closing conditions include regulatory approvals: The BioCatch transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals. Source
  • Severance costs for efficiency actions: Severance costs of $563 million for the year were recorded in personnel expense and excluded from non-GAAP results. Source

Coming up, as management said on 27 October 2026

  • BioCatch closing targeted by Q2 2027: The BioCatch deal is expected to close by the end of the fiscal second quarter of 2027, subject to customary conditions. Source
  • Dividend payable December 1: The $0.780 quarterly dividend is payable on December 1, 2026, to holders of record as of November 10, 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Payments volume growth, fiscal fourth quarter (constant-dollar) Source9%
Cross-border volume excluding intra-Europe, fiscal fourth quarter growth Source14%
Processed transactions, fiscal fourth quarter Source74.2 billion

Risks management discussed

  • Financial: Litigation accruals can vary significantly by matter. The company excludes them from non-GAAP results because they do not track ongoing operations. Source
  • Regulatory: A change in U.S. taxation of certain foreign earnings produced a deferred tax adjustment, which the company excluded from non-GAAP results. 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.