Ever wonder who owns Visa and Mastercard?? Im just curious... they never talk about that...?

Answer 1

Might be a whole lot of stockholders - just a thought.

Answer 2

Who Owns Mastercard

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Ever wonder who owns Visa and Mastercard?? Im just curious... they never talk about that...?

Answer 4

Who Owns Visa

Answer 5

Visa is an association that links cardholders, merchants and its competing member financial institutions through the world's largest electronic payment network, linking a billion cardholders and more than 27 million acceptance locations around the world. The world trusts Visa to provide the most secure and reliable ways to pay and be paid, stimulating growth and generating opportunities.

Visa is not a traditional multi-national corporation. Owned by more than 20,000 financial institutions around the world, Visa members typically compete in their local markets for the business of cardholders and merchants. The Visa system also helps smaller member institutions access the economies of scale of the world’s largest payment system.

Visa’s strategy relies on a strong central core of operating standards and principles coupled with well-resourced national and regional teams supporting the needs of members locally. The activities of all Visa members are governed by a set of global operating regulations and a central team that develops products, manages the brand, monitors global risks and ensures implementation of technical standards.

Robert Selander, CEO & President MasterCard

Answer 6

Visa was formerly called BankAmeriCard, and started by, you guessed it, Bank of America, based in San Francisco.

After credit cards were well-established in America, but not yet abroad, they wanted to go international. But BankAmeriCard was a bit long and cumbersome, not to mention America-centric, so they looked for a word that everybody knew and sounded international, and what's more international than a Visa (as in your passport)?

So BankAmeriCard became Visa.

MasterCard was started by a consortium of banks, as I recall, in order to compete with the BankAmeriCard.

Answer 7

Visa is a brand of credit card and debit card operated by the Visa International Service Association of San Francisco, California, USA, an economic joint venture of 21,000 financial institutions that issue and market Visa products.

MasterCard is a membership organization owned by the 25,000+ financial institutions that issue its card. MasterCard is also the company's brand of credit cards. It was originally created by United California Bank, Wells Fargo, Crocker National Bank, and the Bank of California as a competitor to the BankAmericard issued by Bank of America. BankAmericard is now the VISA credit card, issued by Visa International.

I hope this helps.

Answer 8

MasterCard was orgionally called MasterCharge. In the early 80s, they switched out the word Charge to Card... You can google either olf BankAmeriCard or MasterCharge to see what they looked like. Also back then was American Express & Diners Club Cards too.

Answer 9

That is the best question if hear yet. I've wanted to know the same thing. Here is as close an answer as I could find.

John Coghlan, appointed president and CEO of Visa USA

Answer 10

Its a consortium of banks and financial institutions. Here are a few links.

http://www.usa.visa.com/about_visa/about_visa_usa/history.html

MasterCard, however is now a corporation.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=MA

And some others...

http://www.dinersclubus.com/dce_content/aboutdinersclub/companyhistory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discover_Card
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Express