Visa Inc. is one of the world's largest payments technology companies, operating a global transaction network that processed over $12 trillion in payment volume in fiscal year 2024. Founded in 1958 as Bank of America's BankAmericard program, it became an independent network under the Visa brand in 1976 and completed its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in March 2008. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Visa connects consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and governments across more than 200 countries and territories.
Visa approaches crypto and blockchain not as a speculative asset class but as infrastructure. The company has built a dedicated crypto team and signed partnerships with more than 65 crypto platforms to enable card products, settlement rails, and developer tooling. In 2021, Visa became one of the first major card networks to settle transactions in USDC stablecoin on Ethereum, signaling a structural shift in how it views digital currencies. Visa's corporate venture activity focuses on equity stakes in companies that extend its network strategy rather than on financial returns alone.
Visa does not operate a named venture fund. Its strategic investments come directly from the corporate balance sheet, coordinated through its business development and emerging products teams. Total deployed capital into crypto and blockchain-adjacent companies is not publicly disclosed.
Notable investments
- Anchorage Digital – Visa participated in Anchorage's 2021 Series B ($80 million round). Anchorage is the first federally chartered crypto bank in the United States, holding an OCC national trust bank charter.
- Tala – Mobile lending fintech serving emerging markets across Kenya, the Philippines, Mexico, and India. Visa has joined multiple funding rounds. Tala has expanded into crypto-native financial services for underbanked users.
- First Boulevard – A neobank focused on the Black community in the United States. Visa invested as part of its financial inclusion initiative. First Boulevard incorporated bitcoin rewards and crypto savings features.
- Fold – A bitcoin rewards platform operating on the Visa network. Visa invested and issued Fold a principal membership, allowing Fold to offer a Visa debit card with bitcoin cashback.
- Circle – Visa has a close operational relationship with Circle, the issuer of USDC, though the nature of any direct equity position is not publicly confirmed. Visa uses USDC as a settlement currency on Ethereum.
Team
Visa is led by Ryan McInerney, who became CEO in February 2023, succeeding Al Kelly (now Executive Chairman). McInerney joined Visa in 2013 after a career at JPMorgan Chase and has driven the company's acceleration into digital and crypto rails. Cuy Sheffield serves as Head of Crypto and is the public face of Visa's blockchain strategy, speaking regularly at industry conferences about stablecoins, CBDCs, and account abstraction. Chris Suh is Chief Financial Officer. Visa's crypto investments are coordinated through its Corporate Development and Emerging Product teams rather than a standalone venture group with dedicated partners.
Recent activity
Between 2024 and early 2026, Visa deepened its stablecoin settlement work, expanding USDC settlement pilots beyond Ethereum to additional blockchains. The company published research on account abstraction and programmable payments for Web3, positioning itself as infrastructure for on-chain commerce. Visa also launched its Tokenized Asset Platform pilot, allowing banks to issue fiat-backed tokens on a permissioned blockchain for interbank settlement. In 2025, Visa renewed and expanded card-issuing agreements with major crypto exchanges including Coinbase and Crypto.com, extending its reach into crypto-native user bases across Europe and Asia-Pacific.
Visa's long-term position in crypto is structural rather than speculative. The company has no incentive to disrupt card-based spending – it profits from volume regardless of whether payments originate from a bank account or a crypto wallet. Its investments consistently target companies that bring new user segments onto Visa-branded rails or that build settlement infrastructure compatible with Visa's existing network. The main risk is regulatory: CBDC rollouts in major markets could allow central banks to route payments outside private networks entirely, reducing Visa's role. Public information on the full scope of Visa's crypto portfolio and deal sizes remains limited, as the company does not disclose individual investment valuations or the complete list of its strategic equity positions. For regulatory filings see Visa's SEC filings.