Visa’s Strategy: Shaping the Future of Digital Payments

Payments technology company Visa has demonstrated a period of notable growth, reinforcing its position within the fintech sector. For its fiscal year 2024, Visa processed a total volume approaching US$16tn.

According to its financial results for the quarter ending 30 June 2025, net revenues are US$10.2bn, a 14% increase year-over-year. This performance appears to be a result of growth in payment volume, cross-border transactions, and the number of processed transactions.

Visa's stated growth strategy is centred on consumer payments, new payment flows and value-added services, offering a potential framework for others in the financial industry.

Developing new payment flows and networks

As part of its digital strategy, Visa has outlined initiatives to develop alternative payment networks. Earlier this year, Visa introduced a vision for transforming UK payment networks through account-to-account (A2A) technology.

This model enables consumers to make payments directly from their bank accounts, providing an alternative to traditional card networks. Visa's approach aims to merge the efficiency of direct transfers with its existing consumer protection frameworks.

In the B2B space, the introduction of digital fleet payments is intended to expand operational efficiency for businesses.

Richard Campion, Head of Fleet and Mobility at Visa, said in a statement: “Business mobility is on the brink of huge change with more adaptable solutions required to keep up with the pace of evolving customer needs.”

European expansion through strategic acquisition

Visa's expansion is also being supported by strategic acquisitions. Tink, a company acquired by Visa in 2022, partnered with the Nordic mobile wallet provider Vipps MobilePay.

Through this partnership, Finnish MobilePay users can now utilise Tink's Pay by Bank solution. This enables them to add their bank account for peer-to-peer transactions and use it as a checkout option for e-commerce.

Ian Morrin, Head of Payments and UK CEO at Tink, commented on the development: “By combining our connectivity with Vipps MobilePay's popular wallet experience, consumers get a fast, intuitive way to pay.”

This collaboration could show a focus on integrating open banking solutions into its ecosystem.

Investing in AI technology and security infrastructure

Visa has directed substantial capital towards its technological infrastructure. In 2024, Visa invested US$3.1bn in technology, which has supported services like Visa Direct for real-time payments.

Visa launched Visa Intelligent Commerce, an initiative that uses AI agents to facilitate personalised shopping experiences. It has also been developing digital identity verification methods, such as the Visa Payment Passkey, to enhance security and potentially increase transaction authorisation rates.

This year, Visa also announced the launch of a dedicated scam unit. This unit combines human expertise with generative AI to analyse data and identify scams, going beyond traditional prevention methods.

Paul Fabara, Chief Risk and Client Services Officer at Visa, explains the strategy. “Visa has invested over £11bn (US$14.2bn) in technology over the last five years, including to reduce fraud and enhance network security. At the same time, we have made a significant investment in our best weapon against scammers: our people,” Paul says.

Visa's forward-looking strategy appears to involve building collaborations across the financial technology sector.

The Visa Innovation Program in Europe, for instance, connects fintech startups with Visa's network of banks and merchants to work on developments in areas such as AI, embedded finance and cross-border payments.

These partnerships are part of Visa's effort to expand the adoption of digital payments.

Ryan McInerney, CEO of Visa, said in a statement: "The benefits of digital payments are as relevant today as they were over 60 years ago. And while we've made meaningful progress, there is immense opportunity ahead of us to bring more people into the digital economy and create innovative payment solutions for all.”