Visa 10-K 2015-09-30
Filed 2015-11-20. 21 sections, 496K characters. Original on sec.gov · Markdown · JSON
Cover and table of contents
10-K 1 v093015.htm FORM 10-K
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
| þ | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2015
OR
| ¨ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from to
Commission file number 001-33977
VISA INC.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 26-0267673 | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) | |
| P.O. Box 8999 San Francisco, California | 94128-8999 | |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
(650) 432-3200
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share | New York Stock Exchange | |
| (Title of each Class) | (Name of each exchange on which registered) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share
Class C common stock, par value $0.0001 per share
(Title of each Class)
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes þ No ¨
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ¨ No þ
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes þ No ¨
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
| Large accelerated filer þ | Accelerated filer o | |
| Non-accelerated filer o | Smaller reporting company o | |
| (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨ No þ
The aggregate market value of the registrant’s class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, held by non-affiliates (using the New York Stock Exchange closing price as of March 31, 2015, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter) was approximately $128.2 billion. There is currently no established public trading market for the registrant’s class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, or the registrant’s class C common stock, par value $0.0001 per share.
As of November 13, 2015, there were 1,946,442,415 shares outstanding of the registrant’s class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 245,513,385 shares outstanding of the registrant’s class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 19,587,524 shares outstanding of the registrant’s class C common stock, par value $0.0001 per share.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the Registrant’s Proxy Statement for the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated herein by reference in Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the extent stated herein. Such Proxy Statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the Registrant’s fiscal year ended September 30, 2015.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Unless the context indicates otherwise, reference to "Visa," "Company," "we," "us" or "our" refers to Visa Inc. and its subsidiaries.
"Visa" and our other trademarks referenced in this report are Visa's property. This report may contain additional trade names and trademarks of other companies. The use or display of other companies' trade names or trademarks does not imply our endorsement or sponsorship of, or a relationship with these companies.
Forward-Looking Statements:
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are identified by words such as "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "may," "projects," "could," "should," "will," "will continue" and other similar expressions. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements we make about our revenue, client incentives, operating margin, tax rate, earnings per share, free cash flow, and the growth of those items.
By their nature, forward-looking statements: (i) speak only as of the date they are made; (ii) are not statements of historical fact or guarantees of future performance; and (iii) are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions or changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict or quantify. Therefore, actual results could differ materially and adversely from our forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including the following:
| • | the impact of laws, regulations and marketplace barriers, including: |
| • | increased regulation of fees, transaction routing, payment card practices or other aspects of the payments industry in the United States, including new or revised regulations issued under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; |
| • | increased regulation in jurisdictions outside of the United States; |
| • | increased government support of national payments networks outside the United States; and |
| • | increased regulation of consumer privacy, data use and security; |
| • | developments in litigation and government enforcement, including those affecting interchange reimbursement fees, antitrust and tax; |
| • | new lawsuits, investigations or proceedings, or changes to our potential exposure in connection with pending lawsuits, investigations or proceedings; |
| • | economic factors, such as: |
| • | economic fragility in the Eurozone, the United States and in other advanced and emerging markets; |
| • | general economic, political and social conditions in mature and emerging markets globally; |
| • | general stock market fluctuations which may impact consumer spending; |
| • | material changes in cross-border activity, foreign exchange controls and fluctuations in currency exchange rates; and |
| • | material changes in our financial institution clients' performance compared to our estimates; |
| • | industry developments, such as competitive pressure, rapid technological developments and disintermediation from our payments network; |
| • | system developments, such as: |
| • | disruption of our transaction processing systems or the inability to process transactions efficiently; |
| • | account data breaches or increased fraudulent or other illegal activities involving Visa-branded cards or payment products; and |
| • | failure to maintain systems interoperability with Visa Europe; |
| • | the transaction with Visa Europe may not be consummated on the terms currently contemplated or at all; |
| • | Visa Europe's business may not be successfully integrated with our business or we may not achieve the anticipated benefits of the transaction; |
| • | the costs and risks associated with the transaction with Visa Europe, including risks relating to our ability to finance the transaction on reasonable terms or at all; |
| • | matters arising in connection with Visa Europe's or our efforts to comply with and satisfy applicable regulatory approvals and closing conditions relating to the transaction; |
| • | the loss of organizational effectiveness or key employees; |
| • | the failure to integrate acquisitions successfully or to effectively develop new products and businesses; |
| • | natural disasters, terrorist attacks, military or political conflicts, and public health emergencies; and |
| • | various other factors discussed throughout this report, including but not limited to, Item 1—Business, Item1A—Risk Factors and Item 7—Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. |
You should not place undue reliance on such statements. Except as required by law, we do not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
PART I
Item 1. Business
General Business Developments
Visa Inc., which we refer to as Visa or the Company, is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic payments. We operate one of the world's most advanced processing networks —VisaNet — which facilitates authorization, clearing and settlement of payment transactions worldwide. It also offers fraud protection for account holders and rapid payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for account holders on Visa-branded cards and payment products. In most cases, account holder and merchant relationships belong to, and are managed by, our financial institution clients.
Visa Inc. was incorporated in the State of Delaware in May 2007. In October 2007, we undertook a reorganization in which Visa U.S.A. Inc., Visa International Service Association, Visa Canada Corporation and Inovant LLC became direct or indirect subsidiaries of Visa Inc. Visa Europe Limited remains owned and governed by its European member financial institutions and is not a subsidiary of Visa Inc. Visa Inc. completed its initial public offering ("IPO") in March 2008.
General business developments in fiscal 2015 included the following:
| • | Product innovation. Visa’s fundamental approach to innovation focuses on: (i) supporting an evolving payments ecosystem; (ii) enhancing payment system security through innovation; and (iii) developing new platforms, products and services. |
| i. | Evolving payments ecosystem. By providing new and existing clients and partners greater access to Visa’s network and payment capabilities, Visa is contributing to the evolving payments ecosystem. Through Visa's new developer center, financial institutions, software, cloud computing and other technology companies and new entrants will be able to more easily access Visa payment capabilities through programing interfaces and software developer kits beginning in 2016. The Visa Ready program also is intended to enable our partners to quickly deploy devices, software and services to consumers that meet Visa's standards, with a goal of significantly accelerating the pace of innovation in payments. |
| ii. | Enhancing payment system security through innovation. During 2015, Visa continued to make strides to enhance the security of the broader payments ecosystem with the following programs: |
| a. | Tokenization: Tokenization replaces account numbers with digital tokens for online and mobile payments. This benefits merchants and our financial institution clients by removing sensitive account information from online and mobile payments and has the potential to reduce fraud risk. Visa has been working with several partners, including Apple, Google and Samsung, who are using our tokenization service to offer mobile payment solutions. |
| b. | EMV chip payment technology: Visa is addressing fraud at the physical point-of-sale by working with merchants and our financial institution clients in the U.S. to introduce EMV-chip payment technology. |
| c. | Fraud and data analytics: As an industry leader in payment security, we enhanced our real-time data analytics capabilities. When combined with Visa’s centralized network structure, these capabilities help our financial institution clients and merchants identify and address fraud. |
| iii. | New platforms, products and services. Visa continues to develop new platforms, products and services to benefit clients, merchants, consumers and other partners. |
| a. | Bangalore Technology Center: We are investing in internal technology resources and have recently opened a new technology development center in Bangalore, India that will play a central role in the Company’s efforts to accelerate digital commerce globally. The new technology center, a combination of office and collaboration space for more than 1,000 Visa developers, is Visa’s largest outside the U.S. |
| b. | Visa Checkout: Visa Checkout is a fast, simple and intuitive payment experience that allows consumers to pay for goods online on a smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop, in just a few clicks. This service is presently available for eCommerce merchants and financial institutions in 16 countries around the world including Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, and the U.S. |
| c. | Visa payWave: With Visa payWave technology, consumers are able to pay for products and services via smart phone or other devices, and by using their contactless cards at physical retailers. |
| d. | Visa Direct: Visa Direct provides a fast, secure and convenient solution for Visa’s ecosystem of clients and partners. It enables customers to send and receive person-to-person payments and funds disbursements, and facilitates business to business settlements directly to eligible Visa account holders quickly and securely. |
| e. | mVisa: In August 2015, Visa and several banks in India launched a pilot program testing mVisa, a mobile application, in India. The service extends the utility of existing Visa accounts by linking a consumer’s Visa debit, credit or prepaid accounts to the mVisa mobile application that enables purchases in store, online and person-to-person through his or her mobile device. |
| • | U.S. Regulation. Rules were implemented in the U.S. during 2011 and 2012 with respect to debit products under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the "Dodd-Frank Act"), which regulates, among other things, debit interchange reimbursements rates, the availability of debit networks on a debit card and merchant transaction routing choice. The Federal Reserve's interpretation of the debit interchange provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act was upheld in March 2014 by the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. After the Supreme Court declined to review the ruling, the Federal Reserve on August 10, 2015 confirmed its position on the sole remaining issue related to the interchange cost calculation, leaving the debit interchange rules in effect as originally adopted. See Government Regulation below. |
| • | Fiscal 2015 developments in Russia. In response to U.S. and EU sanctions targeting Russia's financial sector, the Russian government modified its National Payments Systems laws to require that all payment transactions in the Russian Federation be processed within the country. We agreed in February 2015 to transfer processing of Russian domestic transactions to the government-owned processor. Additionally, a new Russian law requiring all personal data of its citizens to be stored in Russia went into effect on September 1, 2015. Authorities have also indicated that Russia will issue a new national payment card called the "MIR" card. See Government Regulation—Government-imposed market participation influences and restrictions below. |
On November 2, 2015, the Company and Visa Europe entered into a transaction agreement pursuant to which the Company agreed to acquire Visa Europe. Closing of the acquisition is subject to various conditions including regulatory approvals, and is expected to occur in the fiscal third quarter of 2016. See Note 2—Visa Europe to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this report.
Nature of Operations
Visa's mission is to accelerate the electronification of commerce. We operate an open-loop payments network, VisaNet, through which Visa connects and manages the exchange of information and value between: (i) issuers — financial institutions that issue Visa-branded cards or payment products to account holders, and (ii) acquirers — financial institutions that contract with merchants to accept Visa-branded cards or payment products. We do not earn revenues from, or bear credit risk with respect to, interest or fees paid by account holders on Visa-branded cards or payment products. The issuers have the responsibility for issuing cards and other payment products, and determining the interest rates and fees paid by the account holders.
Interchange reimbursement fees represent a transfer of value between the financial institutions participating in our open-loop payments network. On purchase transactions, interchange reimbursement fees are paid by the acquirers to the issuers. We generally do not receive any revenue related to interchange reimbursement fees. In addition, we generally do not earn any revenue from the fees that merchants are charged for acceptance by the acquirers, including the merchant discount rate. The acquirers are typically responsible for soliciting merchants, and establishing and earning these fees.
A typical Visa transaction begins when the account holder presents his or her Visa-branded card or payment product to a merchant as payment for goods or services. The transaction information is then transmitted
electronically to the acquirer and routed through VisaNet to the issuer for authorization. Following authorization, a clearing file containing the final transaction data is submitted from the acquirer and processed for final settlement between the issuer and acquirer. The following diagram illustrates the processing steps involved in a typical transaction on VisaNet.

Our operating revenues are principally comprised of service revenues, data processing revenues and international transaction revenues, and are reduced by costs incurred under client incentive arrangements. The Company has one reportable segment, Payment Services.
| • | Service revenues consist of revenues earned for providing financial institution clients with support services for the delivery of Visa-branded payment products and solutions. Service revenues are primarily generated from payments volume on Visa-branded cards and payment products for purchased goods and services. |
| • | Data processing revenues consist of revenues earned for authorization, clearing, settlement, network access and other maintenance and support services that facilitate transaction and information processing among our clients globally and with Visa Europe. Data processing revenues are primarily generated from the number of transactions we process. |
| • | International transaction revenues consist of revenues earned for cross-border transaction processing and currency conversion activities. Cross-border transactions arise when the country of origin of the issuer is different from that of the merchant. International transaction revenues are primarily generated by cross-border payments and cash volume. |
| • | Client incentives consist of long-term contracts with financial institution clients and other business partners for various programs designed to build payments volume, increase Visa-branded card and product acceptance and win merchant routing transactions over our network. These incentives are primarily accounted for as reductions to operating revenues. |
U.S. dollar settlements with our financial institution clients are typically settled within the same day and do not result in a receivable or payable balance. Settlement in currencies other than the U.S. dollar generally remain outstanding for one to two business days, resulting in amounts due from and to financial institution clients. These amounts are presented as settlement receivable and settlement payable on our consolidated balance sheets, respectively.
In order to maintain the integrity of and minimize disruptions to our payments network, we indemnify our financial institution clients for settlement losses suffered due to the failure of any other client to fund its settlement obligations in accordance with our operating regulations. The settlement indemnification applies to the amount of Visa payment transactions that have occurred, but have not yet settled. We maintain and regularly review global settlement risk policies and procedures to manage settlement exposure, which may require clients to post collateral if certain credit standards are not met. Cash equivalents collateral is reflected in customer collateral on our consolidated balance sheets as it is held in escrow in our name. All other collateral is excluded from the consolidated balance sheets. We have incurred no material loss related to settlement risk in recent years.
Core Products and Services
Visa provides a wide variety of payment solutions that support payment products that issuers can offer to their account holders: (i) pay now with debit; (ii) pay ahead with prepaid; or (iii) pay later with credit products. Visa also offers a growing suite of innovative digital, eCommerce, person-to-person payments and mobile products and services. These services facilitate transactions on our network among account holders, merchants, financial institutions and governments in mature and emerging markets globally.
| • | Debit. Our debit payment solutions support issuers' payment products that draw on demand deposit accounts, such as checking accounts. |
| • | Prepaid. Our prepaid payment solutions support issuers' payment products that access a pre-funded amount, allowing account holders to enjoy the convenience and security of a payment card in lieu of cash or checks. |
| • | Credit. Our credit payment solutions support issuers' deferred payment and customized financing products. |
Our core processing services involve the routing of payment information and related data to facilitate the authorization, clearing and settlement of transactions between our issuers and acquirers. VisaNet is built on a centralized architecture, enabling us to view and analyze each authorization transaction we process in real time and to provide value-added services, including information products, such as risk scoring and loyalty applications, while the transaction data is being routed through our network.
Visa's processing services continue to expand to address the needs of participants in the evolving payments ecosystem, through such offerings as our merchant gateway and Visa Debit Processing Services ("DPS"). Merchant gateway services provided through our CyberSource subsidiaries enable gateway routing and other services that make it easier for eCommerce merchants to accept, process and reconcile payments, manage fraud and safeguard payment security online. DPS provides comprehensive issuer processing services for participating issuers of Visa debit, prepaid and ATM payment products. These and other services support our issuers and acquirers and their use of our products, and promote the growth and security of our payments network.
Processing Infrastructure
VisaNet consists of multiple synchronized processing centers, including two data centers in the U.S. that are linked by a global telecommunications network and are engineered for redundancy. In addition, in accordance with the terms of the Framework Agreement among Visa Inc., Visa Europe Limited and others, Visa Europe's processing centers in the United Kingdom must maintain interoperability with Visa's synchronized system. Intelligent access points around the world complete the VisaNet global processing infrastructure and enable merchants and financial institution clients worldwide to access our core processing and value-added services.
Visa also owns and manages additional data centers in the U.S. and internationally that enable transaction services and provide uninterrupted connectivity for account holders, our financial institution clients and our processing partners.
Intellectual Property
Our portfolio of trademarks, in particular our family of Visa marks, our PLUS mark and our Dove design mark, are important to our business. Through agreements with our issuers, we authorize the use of our trademarks in connection with their participation in our payments network. We own a number of patents and patent applications relating to payment solutions, transaction processing, security systems and other matters. We rely on a combination of patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret laws in the U.S. and other jurisdictions, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions, to protect our proprietary technology.
Seasonality
We generally do not experience any pronounced seasonality in our business. No individual quarter of fiscal 2015 or fiscal 2014 accounted for more than 30% of our operating revenues in those years.
Working Capital
Payments settlement due to and from our financial institution clients can represent a substantial daily working capital requirement. U.S. dollar settlements are typically settled within the same day and do not result in a receivable or payable balance, while settlement in currencies other than the U.S. dollar generally remain outstanding for one to two business days, which is consistent with industry practice for such transactions.
Concentration of Business and Financial Information About Geographic Areas
For more information on the concentration of our operating revenues and other financial information, see Item 8—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 13—Enterprise-wide Disclosures and Concentration of Business included elsewhere in this report.
Competition
We compete in the global payment marketplace against all forms of payment. These include:
| • | paper-based payments, principally cash and checks; |
| • | card-based payments, including credit, charge, debit, ATM, prepaid and private-label products; |
| • | eCommerce, mobile wallets and mobile payments; and |
| • | other electronic payments, including wire transfers, electronic benefits transfers, automated clearing house ("ACH") and electronic data interchange. |
Based on payments volume, total volume and number of transactions, Visa is the largest retail electronic payments network used throughout the world. The following chart compares our network with those of our major competitors for calendar year 2014:
| Company(1) | Payments Volume | Total Volume | Total Transactions | Cards | ||||||||||
| (billions) | (billions) | (billions) | (millions) | |||||||||||
| Visa Inc.(2) | $ | 4,761 | $ | 7,360 | 98.4 | 2,402 | ||||||||
| MasterCard(3) | $ | 3,281 | $ | 4,499 | 60.1 | 1,437 | ||||||||
| American Express(3) | $ | 1,011 | $ | 1,023 | 6.7 | 112 | ||||||||
| JCB(3) | $ | 195 | $ | 202 | 2.4 | 88 | ||||||||
| Discover/Diners Club(3) | $ | 153 | $ | 164 | 2.4 | 57 |
| (1) | UnionPay, which operates primarily within the Chinese domestic market, is not included in this table because Visa currently does not compete in that market under local law. Although we are uncertain how UnionPay reports certain volumes, reportedly its numbers could approach or exceed some of those listed in this chart. |
| (2) | The data presented are provided by our financial institution clients. Previously submitted information may be updated and all data are subject to review by Visa. Visa Europe data are not included. |
| (3) | MasterCard, American Express, JCB, and Discover/Diners Club data sourced from The Nilson Report issue 1060 (March 2015). Includes all consumer and commercial credit, debit and prepaid cards. Some figures are estimates and currency figures are in U.S. dollars. MasterCard excludes Maestro and Cirrus figures. American Express includes figures for third-party issuers. Discover figures consist of U.S. data only and include third-party issuers. JCB figures include third-party issuers and other payment-related products. Certain general purpose payments network competitors are more concentrated in specific geographic regions, such as JCB in Japan and Discover in the U.S. Our competitors also have leading positions in certain countries. For example, UnionPay remains the sole processor of domestic transactions and operates the sole domestic acceptance mark in China. |
In the global debit network market segment, our Interlink and Visa Electron brands compete with Maestro, owned by MasterCard, and various regional and country-specific debit network brands, including STAR, NYCE and PULSE in the U.S., EFTPOS in Australia, NETS in Singapore and Interac in Canada. In addition to our PLUS brand, the primary cash access card brands are Cirrus, owned by MasterCard, and many of the debit network brands referenced above. In many countries, local debit brands provide the primary network, and our brands are used
primarily to enable cross-border transactions, which typically constitute a small portion of our overall transaction volume.
The global payments industry continues to undergo dynamic change. We may face increasing competition from emerging players in the payment space, many of which are non-financial institution networks that have departed from the more traditional business model. The emergence of these potentially competitive networks has primarily been via the online channel with a focus on eCommerce and/or mobile technologies. PayPal and Alipay are examples. These providers compete with us directly in some cases, yet may also be significant partners and customers of ours.
We also face increasingly intense competitive pressure on the prices we charge our financial institution clients. We believe our fundamental value proposition of convenience, interoperability, accessibility and security offers us a key competitive advantage. We succeed in part because we understand the needs of the individual markets in which we operate. We do so by partnering with local financial institutions, merchants, governments, non-governmental organizations and business organizations to provide tailored solutions to meet their varied needs. We believe Visa is well-positioned competitively, due to our global brand, our broad set of Visa-branded payment products and our proven track record of processing payment transactions securely and reliably through VisaNet.
Employees
At September 30, 2015, we employed approximately 11,300 persons worldwide. We consider our relationships with our employees to be good.
Government Regulation
Interchange reimbursement fees. We have historically set default debit interchange reimbursement rates in the U.S. and many other geographies. During fiscal 2012, the Federal Reserve implemented new rules under the Dodd-Frank Act, setting a cap on the maximum U.S. debit interchange reimbursement fee assessed for debit products issued by large financial institutions. These rules continue to have an adverse impact on our pricing, reduce the number and volume of U.S. debit transactions we process and decrease our associated revenues. See Item 1A—Risk Factors—The Dodd-Frank Act and other regulations and developments arising from the Dodd-Frank Act may continue to harm our overall business included elsewhere in this report.
Certain jurisdictions outside the U.S. also regulate or have the power to regulate debit and credit interchange reimbursement rates in their regions. For example, the Reserve Bank of Australia regulates interchange reimbursement rates and the governing authorities in India regulate the merchant discount rate. In May 2015, the EU published a regulation on interchange fees for card-based payment transactions, and interchange caps for intra-regional debit and credit card transactions will take effect on December 9, 2015. See Item 1A—Risk Factors—Additional regulation of interchange reimbursement rates may reduce our transaction volumes and harm our overall business and Item 8—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 20—Legal Matters included elsewhere in this report.
Network exclusivity and routing. The Dodd-Frank Act limits the issuers' and our ability to impose rules for, or choose various forms of, network exclusivity and preferred routing in the U.S. debit and prepaid network market segments. Other jurisdictions have enacted similar limitations.
U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Dodd-Frank Act created an independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) with responsibility for most federal consumer protection laws in the area of financial services and new authority with respect to consumer protection issues, including those pertaining to us to some extent. The CFPB’s future actions may make payment card or product transactions generally less attractive to issuers, acquirers, consumers and merchants by further regulating disclosures, payment card practices, fees, routing and other matters with respect to credit, debit and prepaid cards.
No-surcharge rules. We have historically implemented rules that prohibit merchants from charging higher prices to consumers who pay using their Visa-branded card or payment product instead of other means. As part of the settlement reached in the interchange multidistrict litigation, however, Visa has agreed to modify our rules to permit surcharging on credit transactions under certain circumstances. See Item 8—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 20—Legal Matters included elsewhere in this report. A number of U.S. states as well as certain jurisdictions outside the U.S. have taken steps to prohibit surcharging. Following court challenges, some of these laws have been invalidated by federal courts in certain states and upheld in others.
Data protection and information security. Aspects of our operations or business are subject to privacy and data protection laws in the U.S. and other jurisdictions globally. In accordance with governing law, we devote substantial resources to maintain and continually refine our information security program in order to safeguard account holder information and under certain circumstances, to provide account holder notification in the event of a security breach. In addition, the U.S. Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council periodically reviews aspects of our operations in the U.S. to examine our compliance with data integrity, security and operational requirements and standards, as well as other requirements applicable to us because of our role as a service provider to financial institutions. Regulators around the globe are considering numerous legislative and regulatory proposals concerning privacy and data protection due to the evolving nature and handling of data. The interpretation and application of these privacy and data protection laws around the globe are often uncertain and in a state of flux.
Anti-money laundering, anti-terrorism and sanctioned countries. We are subject to anti-money laundering laws and regulations, including the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act and the PATRIOT Act. In addition, we are also subject to the economic and trade sanctions programs administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Controls (“OFAC”) that prohibit or restrict dealings with certain countries, their governments and, in certain circumstances, their nationals, as well as with specifically-designated individuals and entities such as narcotics traffickers, terrorists and terrorist organizations. We have policies, procedures, systems and controls designed to identify and address potentially impermissible transactions.
Government-imposed market participation influences and restrictions. Our market reach remains limited by certain governments' influence on their domestic payments competition and/or their protection of domestic issuers or payments network processors. Regulators in an increasing number of countries around the world have received statutory authority to regulate certain aspects of the payments systems in these countries.
Regulation of Internet, mobile payment and other types of transactions. Many jurisdictions have adopted or are considering regulations that require payments system participants, including our financial institution clients and us, to monitor, identify, filter, restrict or take other specific actions with regard to certain types of payment transactions. For example, U.S. federal legislation has been enacted that requires payment system operators to implement a system that allows issuers to identify Internet gambling transactions so they have the option to decline such transaction requests. State governments have been interested in the potential blocking of Internet interstate sales of cigarettes and alcohol, or the collection of state and local sales taxes on such Internet purchases. Implementing such systems increases costs for our financial institution clients and us, and may reduce merchant acceptance of Visa-branded cards and payment products for these purchases.
The U.S. Congress continues to consider regulatory initiatives in the areas of Internet prescription drug purchases, copyright and trademark infringement and privacy, among others, that could impose additional compliance burdens on our financial institution clients and us. Some U.S. states are considering a variety of similar legislation. Various regulatory agencies also continue to examine a wide variety of issues, including mobile payment transactions, money transfer, identity theft, account management guidelines, privacy, disclosure rules, security and marketing that could affect our financial institution clients directly. These new requirements and developments may affect our financial institution clients' ability to offer existing products and services, extend credit via payment cards and products, and offer new types of payment programs, which could decrease our transaction volumes and revenues.
Available Information
We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") and its rules and regulations. The Exchange Act requires us to file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Copies of these reports, proxy statements and other information can be viewed at http://www.sec.gov or at the SEC Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330.
Our corporate website is accessible at http://corporate.visa.com. We make available, free of charge, on our investor relations website at http://investor.visa.com our annual reports on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, our current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. We also may include supplemental financial information on our investor relations website at http://investor.visa.com and may use this website as a means of disclosing material, non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors should monitor such portions of our investor relations website, in addition to following SEC
filings and publicly available conference calls. The information contained on our corporate website, including the information contained on our investor relations website, is not incorporated by reference into this report or any other report filed with, or furnished to, the SEC.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
Regulatory Risks
Additional regulation of interchange reimbursement rates may reduce our transaction volumes and harm our overall business.
We generally do not receive any revenue related to interchange reimbursement fees in a purchase transaction as those fees are paid by the acquirers to the issuers. They are, however, a factor on which we compete with other payments providers and are therefore an important determinant of the volume of transactions we process. Consequently, changes to these fees can substantially affect our revenues and overall payments volume.
We have historically set default interchange reimbursement rates in the U.S. and many other geographies. Interchange reimbursement rates, our operating rules and related practices have become subject to continued or increased government regulation globally, and regulatory authorities and central banks in a number of jurisdictions have reviewed or are reviewing these rates and practices.
When we cannot set default interchange reimbursement rates at optimal levels, issuers and acquirers may find our payments system less attractive. It may increase the attractiveness of other payments systems like competitors' closed-loop payments systems with direct connections to both merchants and consumers. In addition, as a result of such regulations, we believe some issuers are charging new or higher fees to consumers. In certain instances, some acquirers elect to charge higher discount rates to merchants, regardless of the Visa interchange reimbursement rate, causing merchants not to accept Visa-branded cards or payment products or to steer account holders to alternate payment systems or forms of payment. In addition, some issuers and acquirers have obtained, and may continue to obtain, incentives from us and reductions in the fees that we charge in an effort to reduce the expense of their card programs. For these reasons, additional regulation of interchange reimbursement rates may make Visa-branded cards and payment products less desirable, reduce our overall transaction volumes, and harm our overall business.
We are subject to regulations that prohibit us from contracting with clients or requiring them to use only our network, or that deny them the option of selecting only our network.
In order to provide account holders a consistent experience and transparency into VisaNet, we promote certain practices to ensure that Visa-branded cards are processed over our network. We have historically had agreements with some issuers under which they agree to issue certain payment cards that use only the Visa network or receive incentives if they do so. In addition, certain issuers of some products have historically chosen to include only our network. We refer to these various practices as network exclusivity.
In addition, certain network or issuer rules or practices may be viewed as limiting the routing options of merchants when multiple debit networks co-reside on Visa debit cards. For example, the Visa Rules require that all authorization, clearance and settlement of international transactions must be done through VisaNet. These are commonly referred to as routing rules.
The Dodd-Frank Act already limits our and issuers' ability to adopt network exclusivity and preferred routing in the debit area. Additional legislation or regulations like the Dodd-Frank Act in the U.S. and elsewhere could materially decrease the number of transactions we process. In order to retain transaction volume, we may reduce the fees we charge to issuers or acquirers or increase the payments and other incentives we provide to issuers, acquirers or merchants. Any of these outcomes could harm our overall business.
The Dodd-Frank Act and other regulations and developments arising from the Dodd-Frank Act may continue to harm our overall business.
As of October 1, 2011, in accordance with the Dodd-Frank Act, the Federal Reserve capped the maximum U.S. debit interchange reimbursement rate charged by large financial institutions at twenty-one cents plus five basis points, with a possible fraud adjustment up to an additional one cent. This amounted to a significant reduction in the average system-wide fees previously charged. The Federal Reserve also issued regulations requiring issuers to make at least two unaffiliated networks available for processing debit transactions on each debit card. The rules
also prohibit us and issuers from restricting a merchant's ability to direct the routing of electronic debit transactions over any of the networks that an issuer has enabled to process those transactions.
These regulations have adversely affected our U.S. debit business and associated revenues by creating negative pressure on our pricing, reduced the volume and number of U.S. debit payments we process, and diminished associated revenues. Although we believe we have absorbed the principal impact of the October 2011 regulations, our business could continue to be affected, including if the Federal Reserve issues new or revised regulations.
Negative pressures have arisen through various channels. Other debit networks may become more aggressive in offering merchant cost reductions to win routing preference, which in turn puts more pressure on the business terms offered by Visa. A number of our clients obtained fee reductions or increased incentives from us to offset their own lost revenue. Some clients elected to issue fewer cards enabled with Visa-affiliated networks or reduced the number of debit cards they issued and investments they made in marketing and rewards programs, while others imposed new or higher fees on debit cards or demand deposit account relationships. Many merchants have used the routing regulations to redirect transactions or steer account holders to other debit networks based on lower cost or other factors. Other clients and merchants are likely to take similar actions in the future.
Some elements of the Dodd-Frank Act lack definition and create the potential for networks to pursue different strategies subject to their interpretation of the rules. Our interpretation may result in a pursuit of strategies that may be less effective than those of our competitors. Overall, the regulations and developments arising from the Dodd-Frank Act could harm our overall business.
New laws or regulations in one jurisdiction or of one product offering may lead to new laws or regulations in other jurisdictions or of other product offerings.
Regulators around the world increasingly note each other's approaches to the regulation of the payments industry. Consequently, a development in one country, state or region may influence regulatory approaches in another. The Dodd-Frank Act and the European Union interchange regulation are developments with such potential. See Note 20—Legal Matters to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this report. Similarly, new laws and regulations involving one product offering may cause lawmakers there to extend the regulations to other product offerings. For example, regulations affecting debit payments could eventually spread to credit payments.
The risks created by a new law or regulation have the potential to be replicated and to negatively affect our business in another region or in other product offerings. We may face differing rules and regulations in matters like interchange reimbursement rates, preferred routing, domestic processing requirements, currency conversion, point of sale transaction rules and practices, privacy, and data use or protection. As a result, the Visa Rules may differ from country to country or by product offering.
If widely varying regulations come into existence worldwide, we may have difficulty rapidly adjusting our product offerings, services and fees, and other important aspects of our business in the various regions. In addition, adverse developments, regulations and litigation with respect to our industry or another industry may also, by associat
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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
Not applicable.
Item 2. Properties
At September 30, 2015, we owned and leased approximately 3.3 million square feet of office and processing center space in 43 countries around the world, of which approximately 1.9 million square feet are owned and the remaining 1.4 million square feet are leased. Our corporate headquarters is located in the San Francisco Bay Area and consists of four buildings that we own, totaling 0.9 million square feet, and 0.1 million square feet of office space that we lease. We also own an office building in Miami, Florida, totaling approximately 0.2 million square feet.
In addition, we own and operate two primary processing centers with adjacent office facilities in the United States, totaling approximately 0.8 million square feet.
We believe that these facilities are suitable and adequate to support our ongoing business needs.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
Refer to Note 20—Legal Matters to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this report.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
All per share amounts and number of shares presented below reflect the four-for-one stock split that was effected in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. See Note 14—Stockholders' Equity in Item 8—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report.
Price Range of Common Stock
Our class A common stock has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “V” since March 19, 2008. At November 13, 2015, we had 352 stockholders of record of our class A common stock. The number of beneficial owners is substantially greater than the number of record holders, because a large portion of our class A common stock is held in "street name" by banks and brokers. The following table sets forth the intra-day high and low sale prices for our class A common stock in each of our last eight fiscal quarters:
| Fiscal 2015 | High | Low | |||||
| First Quarter | $ | 67.33 | $ | 48.80 | |||
| Second Quarter | $ | 69.66 | $ | 61.29 | |||
| Third Quarter | $ | 70.69 | $ | 64.35 | |||
| Fourth Quarter | $ | 76.92 | $ | 60.00 | |||
| Fiscal 2014 | High | Low | |||||
| First Quarter | $ | 55.68 | $ | 45.03 | |||
| Second Quarter | $ | 58.88 | $ | 52.63 | |||
| Third Quarter | $ | 54.54 | $ | 48.71 | |||
| Fourth Quarter | $ | 56.19 | $ | 52.05 |
There is currently no established public trading market for our class B or class C common stock. There were 1,668 and 738 holders of record of our class B and class C common stock, respectively, as of November 13, 2015.
Dividend Declaration and Policy
During the fiscal years ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, we paid the following quarterly cash dividends per share of our class A common stock (determined in the case of class B and C common stock, on an as-converted basis) to all holders of record of our class A, B and C common stock.
| Fiscal 2015 | Dividend Per Share | ||
| First Quarter | $ | 0.12 | |
| Second Quarter | $ | 0.12 | |
| Third Quarter | $ | 0.12 | |
| Fourth Quarter | $ | 0.12 | |
| Fiscal 2014 | Dividend Per Share | ||
| First Quarter | $ | 0.10 | |
| Second Quarter | $ | 0.10 | |
| Third Quarter | $ | 0.10 | |
| Fourth Quarter | $ | 0.10 |
Additionally, in October 2015, our board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.14 per share of class A common stock (determined in the case of class B and C common stock, on an as-converted basis) payable on December 1, 2015, to holders of record as of November 13, 2015 of our class A, B and C common stock.
Subject to legally available funds, we expect to continue paying quarterly cash dividends on our outstanding class A, B and C common stock in the future. However, the declaration and payment of future dividends is at the sole discretion of our board of directors after taking into account various factors, including our financial condition, settlement indemnifications, operating results, available cash and current and anticipated cash needs.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
The table below sets forth the information with respect to purchases of the Company’s common stock made by or on behalf of the Company during the quarter ended September 30, 2015.
| Period | Total Number Of Shares Purchased (1) | Average Price Paid Per Share | Total Number Of Shares Purchased As Part Of Publicly Announced Plans Or Programs (2) | Approximate Dollar Value Of Shares That May Yet Be Purchased Under The Plans Or Programs (2),(3) | ||||||||||
| July 1-31, 2015 | 32,944 | $ | 75.75 | — | $ | 2,772,396,506 | ||||||||
| August 1-31, 2015 | — | $ | — | — | $ | 2,772,396,506 | ||||||||
| September 1-30, 2015 | — | $ | — | — | $ | 2,772,396,506 | ||||||||
| Total | 32,944 | $ | 75.75 | — |
| (1) | Represents shares of class A common stock withheld (per the terms of grants under the Visa 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan) to offset tax withholding obligations that occur upon vesting and release of restricted shares as the Company did not repurchase additional shares under its share repurchase programs. |
| (2) | The figures in the table reflect transactions according to the trade dates. For purposes of our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K, the impact of these repurchases is recorded according to the settlement dates. |
| (3) | Our board of directors from time to time authorizes the repurchase of shares of our common stock up to a certain monetary limit. In October 2014 and October 2015, our board of directors authorized share repurchase programs for $5.0 billion each. These authorizations have no expiration date. All share repurchase programs authorized prior to October 2014 have been completed. |
EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION
The table below presents information as of September 30, 2015, for the Visa 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan (the "EIP") and the Visa Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "ESPP"), which were approved by our stockholders. We do not have any equity compensation plans that have not been approved by our stockholders, except as discussed in note (2) in the table below. For a description of the awards issued under the EIP and the ESPP, see Note 16—Share-based Compensation to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report.
| Plan Category | (a) Number Of Shares Of Class A Common Stock Issuable Upon Exercise Of Outstanding Options And Purchase Rights | Weighted-Average Exercise Price Of Outstanding Options And Purchase Rights | Number Of Shares Of Class A Common Stock Remaining Available For Future Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans (Excluding Shares Reflected In Column (a)) | |||||||
| Equity compensation plans approved by stockholders | 9,151,111 | (1) | $ | 29.01 | 174,430,730 | (3) | ||||
| Equity compensation plans not approved by stockholders | 526,606 | (2) | $ | 11.74 | — | |||||
| Total | 9,677,717 | $ | 28.07 | 174,430,730 | ||||||
| (1) | In addition to options, the EIP authorizes the issuance of restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares and other stock-based awards. The maximum number of shares issuable as of September 30, 2015, pursuant to outstanding restricted stock units and performance shares, totals 1,442,522 and 1,263,962, respectively. |
| (2) | These shares may be issued upon the exercise of options issued by Visa replacing certain CyberSource options outstanding at the time of the fiscal 2010 acquisition. These options were issued under certain provisions of the EIP, which permit Visa to issue options in connection with certain acquisition transactions. |
| (3) | In January 2015, the Company's class A stockholders approved the ESPP which permits eligible employees to purchase shares of Class A common stock at a 15% discount of the stock price on the purchase date, subject to certain restrictions. See Note 16—Share-based Compensation to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report. As of September 30, 2015, 154 million shares and 20 million shares were available for issuance under the EIP and the ESPP, respectively. |
Item 6. Selected Financial Data
The following table presents selected Visa Inc. financial data for the past five fiscal years. The data below should be read in conjunction with Item 7—Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Item 8—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report.
Selected Financial Data
| Fiscal Year Ended September 30, | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Statement of Operations Data: | 2015 (1),(2) | 2014 (1) | 2013 (1) | 2012 (3) | 2011 | |||||||||||||||
| (in millions, except per share data) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating revenues | $ | 13,880 | $ | 12,702 | $ | 11,778 | $ | 10,421 | $ | 9,188 | ||||||||||
| Operating expenses | $ | 4,816 | $ | 5,005 | $ | 4,539 | $ | 8,282 | $ | 3,732 | ||||||||||
| Operating income | $ | 9,064 | $ | 7,697 | $ | 7,239 | $ | 2,139 | $ | 5,456 | ||||||||||
| Net income attributable to Visa Inc. | $ | 6,328 | $ | 5,438 | $ | 4,980 | $ | 2,144 | $ | 3,650 | ||||||||||
| Basic earnings per share—class A common stock(4) | $ | 2.58 | $ | 2.16 | $ | 1.90 | $ | 0.79 | $ | 1.29 | ||||||||||
| Diluted earnings per share—class A common stock(4) | $ | 2.58 | $ | 2.16 | $ | 1.90 | $ | 0.79 | $ | 1.29 |
| At September 30, | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance Sheet Data: | 2015 (1),(2) | 2014 (1) | 2013 (1) | 2012 (3) | 2011 | |||||||||||||||
| (in millions, except per share data) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total assets | $ | 40,236 | $ | 38,569 | $ | 35,956 | $ | 40,013 | $ | 34,760 | ||||||||||
| Accrued litigation | $ | 1,024 | $ | 1,456 | $ | 5 | $ | 4,386 | $ | 425 | ||||||||||
| Total equity | $ | 29,842 | $ | 27,413 | $ | 26,870 | $ | 27,630 | $ | 26,437 | ||||||||||
| Dividend declared and paid per common share(4) | $ | 0.48 | $ | 0.40 | $ | 0.33 | $ | 0.22 | $ | 0.15 |
| (1) | During fiscal 2013, we made payments from the litigation escrow account totaling $4.4 billion in connection with the U.S. covered litigation. During fiscal 2014, the court entered the final judgment order approving the settlement with the class plaintiffs in the interchange multidistrict litigation proceedings, which is subject to the adjudication of any appeals. Certain merchants in the settlement classes objected to the settlement and filed opt-out claims. Takedown payments of approximately $1.1 billion related to the opt-out merchants were received and deposited into the litigation escrow account, and a related increase in accrued litigation to address the opt-out claims were recorded in the second quarter of fiscal 2014. An additional accrual of $450 million associated with these opt-out claims was recorded in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014. During fiscal 2015, payments totaling $426 million were made from the litigation escrow account reflecting settlements with a number of individual opt-out merchants, resulting in an accrued balance of $1.0 billion as of September 30, 2015. See Note 3—U.S. Retrospective Responsibility Plan and Potential Visa Europe Liabilities and Note 20—Legal Matters to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report. |
| (2) | During fiscal 2015, we recorded a tax benefit of $296 million resulting from the resolution of uncertain tax positions with taxing authorities in fiscal 2015, of which $239 million relates to prior fiscal years. |
| (3) | During fiscal 2012, we recorded: a one-time, non-cash tax benefit of $208 million related to the remeasurement of our net deferred tax liabilities; a U.S. covered litigation provision of $4.1 billion and related tax benefits; and the reversal of previously recorded tax reserves and interest, which increased net income by $326 million. |
| (4) | The per share amounts for the prior periods presented have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the four-for-one stock split effected in the fiscal second quarter of 2015. |
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
This management’s discussion and analysis provides a review of the results of operations, financial condition and liquidity and capital resources of Visa Inc. and its subsidiaries (“Visa,” “we,” “our” and the “Company”) on a historical basis and outlines the factors that have affected recent earnings, as well as those factors that may affect future earnings. The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in Item 8 of this report.
Overview
Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic payments. We provide our financial institution clients with a global payments infrastructure and support services for the delivery of Visa-branded payment products, including credit, debit and prepaid. We facilitate global commerce through the transfer of value and information among financial institutions, merchants, consumers, businesses and government entities. Each of these constituencies has played a key role in the ongoing worldwide migration from paper-based to electronic forms of payment, and we believe that this transformation continues to yield significant growth opportunities, particularly outside the United States. We continue to explore additional opportunities to enhance our competitive position by expanding the scope of payment solutions we provide.
Overall economic conditions. Our business is affected by overall economic conditions and consumer spending. Our business performance during fiscal 2015 reflects the impacts of continued uneven and tepid economic growth.
Visa Europe acquisition. On November 2, 2015, we entered into a transaction agreement with Visa Europe, pursuant to which we agreed to acquire 100% of the share capital of Visa Europe for a total purchase price of up to €21.2 billion. The purchase price consists of: (a) at the closing of the transaction, up-front cash consideration of €11.5 billion and preferred stock convertible upon certain conditions into class A common stock or class A equivalent preferred stock, valued at approximately €5.0 billion, and (b) following the end of sixteen fiscal quarters post-closing, contingent cash consideration of up to €4.0 billion (plus up to an additional €0.7 billion in interest), determined based on the achievement of specified net revenue levels during such post-closing period. In conjunction with the transaction agreement, the Visa Europe put option was amended to align the terms on which Visa Europe may exercise its rights under the put option agreement with the terms of the transaction agreement. The purchase of Visa Europe's share capital will be effected through the exercise of the amended Visa Europe put option. The preferred stock conversion rates may be reduced from time to time to offset certain liabilities, if any, which may be incurred by us, Visa Europe or its affiliates as a result of certain existing and potential litigation relating to the setting of multilateral interchange fee rates in the Visa Europe territory. As part of the acquisition, we also entered into the U.K. loss sharing agreement with Visa Europe and certain of Visa Europe’s members located in the United Kingdom to compensate us for certain losses which may be incurred by us or Visa Europe as a result of certain existing and potential litigation relating to the setting and implementation of domestic multilateral interchange fee rates in the United Kingdom. See Note 2—Visa Europe, Note 3—U.S. Retrospective Responsibility Plan and Potential Visa Europe Liabilities, and Note 20—Legal Matters to our consolidated financial statements. The closing of our acquisition of Visa Europe is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary conditions, and is currently expected to occur in our fiscal third quarter of 2016.
Financial highlights. During fiscal 2015, we recorded net income of $6.3 billion or diluted class A earnings per share of $2.58, an increase of 16% and 20% over the prior year, respectively. Our non-GAAP adjusted net income and diluted earnings per share for fiscal 2015, 2014 and 2013 are as follows:
| Fiscal Year Ended September 30, | % Change(1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2015 vs. 2014 | 2014 vs. 2013 | |||||||||||||
| (in millions, except percentages) | |||||||||||||||||
| Net income, as adjusted(2) | $ | 6,438 | $ | 5,721 | $ | 4,980 | 13 | % | 15 | % | |||||||
| Diluted earnings per share, as adjusted(2),(3) | $ | 2.62 | $ | 2.27 | $ | 1.90 | 16 | % | 19 | % |
| (1) | Figures in the tables may not recalculate exactly due to rounding. Percentage changes are calculated based on unrounded numbers. |
| (2) | Adjusted net income and diluted earnings per share in fiscal 2015 and 2014 exclude the impact of certain significant items that we believe are not indicative of our operating performance, as they either have no cash impact or are related to amounts covered by the U.S. retrospective responsibility plan. For a full reconciliation of our adjusted financial results, see tables in Adjusted financial results below. There were no comparable adjustments recorded during fiscal 2013. |
| (3) | The per share amounts for the prior periods presented have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the four-for-one stock split effected in the fiscal second quarter of 2015. |
During fiscal 2015, we recognized a tax benefit of $296 million resulting from the resolution of uncertain tax positions with taxing authorities. Of the $296 million benefit, $239 million relates to prior fiscal years. Our financial results for the year ended September 30, 2014 reflect a one-time tax benefit of $191 million associated with a deduction for U.S. domestic production activities related to fiscal years 2013 and prior. See Note 19—Income Taxes to our consolidated financial statements.
We recorded net operating revenues of $13.9 billion for fiscal 2015, an increase of 9% over the prior year driven by continued growth in our underlying business drivers: nominal payments volume; processed transactions; and cross-border volume. The general strengthening of the U.S. dollar during the year resulted in a two-and-a-half- percentage point decline in total operating revenue growth.
Total operating expenses for fiscal 2015 were $4.8 billion, a decrease of 4% over the prior year, primarily due to the absence of a $450 million litigation provision associated with the interchange multidistrict litigation recorded in fiscal 2014. Excluding this provision, operating expenses increased by 6% over prior year adjusted operating expenses, primarily due to increases in personnel, additional depreciation from our ongoing investments in technology assets and infrastructure, and general and administrative expenses. The increases were partially offset by decreases in network and processing and marketing expenses.
Adjusted financial results. Our financial results for fiscal 2015 and 2014 reflect the impact of significant items that we believe are not indicative of our operating performance in the prior or future years, as they either have no cash impact or are related to amounts covered by the U.S. retrospective responsibility plan. As such, we believe the presentation of adjusted financial results excluding the following amounts provides a clearer understanding of our operating performance for the periods presented.
| • | Revaluation of Visa Europe put option. During the thi |
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Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Market risk is the potential economic loss arising from adverse changes in market factors. Our exposure to financial market risks results primarily from fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates and equity prices. Aggregate risk exposures are monitored on an ongoing basis.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk
Although most of our activities are transacted in U.S. dollars, we are exposed to adverse fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. Risks from foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations are primarily related to adverse changes in the U.S. dollar value of revenues generated from foreign currency-denominated transactions and adverse changes in the U.S. dollar value of payments in foreign currencies, primarily for expenses at our non-U.S. locations. We manage these risks by entering into foreign currency forward contracts that hedge exposures of the variability in the U.S. dollar equivalent of anticipated non-U.S. dollar denominated cash flows. Our foreign currency exchange rate risk management program reduces, but does not entirely eliminate, the impact of foreign currency exchange rate movements.
The aggregate notional amounts of our foreign currency forward contracts outstanding in our exchange rate risk management program, including contracts not designated for cash flow hedge accounting, were $1.2 billion and $1.3 billion at September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The aggregate notional amount outstanding at September 30, 2015 is fully consistent with our strategy and treasury policy aimed at reducing foreign exchange risk below a predetermined and approved threshold. However, actual results could materially differ from our forecast. The effect of a hypothetical 10% change in the value of the U.S. dollar is estimated to create an additional fair value gain or loss of approximately $91 million on our foreign currency forward contracts outstanding at September 30, 2015. See Note 1—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Note 12—Derivative Financial Instruments to our consolidated financial statements.
We are also subject to foreign currency exchange risk in daily settlement activities. This risk arises from the timing of rate setting for settlement with clients relative to the timing of market trades for balancing currency positions. Risk in settlement activities is limited through daily operating procedures, including the utilization of Visa settlement systems and our interaction with foreign exchange trading counterparties.
Interest Rate Risk
Our investment portfolio assets are held in both fixed-rate and adjustable-rate securities. These assets are included in cash equivalents and short-term or long-term available-for-sale investments. Investments in fixed-rate instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk. The fair value of fixed-rate securities may be adversely impacted due to a rise in interest rates. Additionally, a falling-rate environment creates reinvestment risk because as securities mature, the proceeds are reinvested at a lower rate, generating less interest income. Historically, we have been able to hold investments until maturity. Neither our operating results or cash flows have been, nor are expected to be, materially impacted by a sudden change in market interest rates.
The fair value balances of our fixed-rate investment securities at September 30, 2015 and 2014 were $4.4 billion and $3.0 billion, respectively. A hypothetical 100 basis point increase or decrease in interest rates would create an estimated change in fair value of approximately $48 million on our fixed-rate investment securities at September 30, 2015. The fair value balances of our adjustable-rate debt securities were $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion at September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
Visa Europe Put Option
We have a liability related to the put option with Visa Europe, which is recorded at fair value at September 30, 2015 based on its unamended terms. We are required to assess the fair value of the put option on a quarterly basis and record adjustments as necessary. In the determination of the fair value of the unamended put option at September 30, 2015, we assumed a 40% probability of exercise by Visa Europe at some point in the future and a P/E differential, at the time of exercise, of approximately 1.5x. The use of a probability of exercise 5% higher than our estimate would have resulted in an increase of approximately $37 million in the value of the unamended put option. An increase of 1.0x in the assumed P/E differential would have resulted in an increase of approximately $249
million in the value of the unamended put option. See Liquidity and Capital Resources and Critical Accounting Estimates above.
Pension Plan Risk
At September 30, 2015 and 2014, our U.S. defined benefit pension plan assets were $1.0 billion and $1.1 billion, respectively, and projected benefit obligations were $1.0 billion and $983 million, respectively. A material adverse decline in the value of pension plan assets and/or the discount rate for benefit obligations would result in a decrease in the funded status of the pension plan, an increase in pension cost and an increase in required funding. A hypothetical 10% decrease in the value of pension plan assets and a 1% decrease in the discount rate would result in an aggregate decrease of approximately $248 million in the funded status and an increase of approximately $30 million in pension cost. We will continue to monitor the performance of pension plan assets and market conditions as we evaluate the amount of our contribution to the pension plan for fiscal 2016, if any, which would be made in September 2016.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
VISA INC.
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
| Page | |
| As of September 30, 2015 and 2014 and for the years ended September 30, 2015, 2014 and 2013 | |
| Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | 54 |
| Consolidated Balance Sheets | 55 |
| Consolidated Statements of Operations | 57 |
| Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income | 59 |
| Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity | 60 |
| Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows | 63 |
| Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements | 65 |
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Board of Directors and Stockholders
Visa Inc.:
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Visa Inc. and subsidiaries as of September 30, 2015 and 2014, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, changes in equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended September 30, 2015. We also have audited Visa Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2015, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Visa Inc.’s management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements and an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Visa Inc. and subsidiaries as of September 30, 2015 and 2014, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended September 30, 2015, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Also in our opinion, Visa Inc. maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2015, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
/s/ KPMG LLP
Santa Clara, California
November 19, 2015
VISA INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
| September 30, 2015 | September 30, 2014 | ||||||
| (in millions, except par value data) | |||||||
| Assets | |||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 3,518 | $ | 1,971 | |||
| Restricted cash—litigation escrow (Note 3) | 1,072 | 1,498 | |||||
| Investment securities (Note 4): | |||||||
| Trading | 66 | 69 | |||||
| Available-for-sale | 2,431 | 1,910 | |||||
| Settlement receivable | 408 | 786 | |||||
| Accounts receivable | 847 | 822 | |||||
| Customer collateral (Note 11) | 1,023 | 961 | |||||
| Current portion of client incentives | 303 | 210 | |||||
| Deferred tax assets (Note 19) | 871 | 1,028 | |||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets (Note 5) | 353 | 307 | |||||
| Total current assets | 10,892 | 9,562 | |||||
| Investment securities, available-for-sale (Note 4) | 3,384 | 3,015 | |||||
| Client incentives | 110 | 81 | |||||
| Property, equipment and technology, net (Note 6) | 1,888 | 1,892 | |||||
| Other assets (Note 5) | 776 | 855 | |||||
| Intangible assets, net (Note 7) | 11,361 | 11,411 | |||||
| Goodwill (Note 7) | 11,825 | 11,753 | |||||
| Total assets | $ | 40,236 | $ | 38,569 | |||
| Liabilities | |||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | 127 | $ | 147 | |||
| Settlement payable | 780 | 1,332 | |||||
| Customer collateral (Note 11) | 1,023 | 961 | |||||
| Accrued compensation and benefits | 503 | 450 | |||||
| Client incentives | 1,049 | 1,036 | |||||
| Accrued liabilities (Note 8) | 868 | 624 | |||||
| Accrued litigation (Note 20) | 1,024 | 1,456 | |||||
| Total current liabilities | 5,374 | 6,006 | |||||
| Deferred tax liabilities (Note 19) | 4,123 | 4,145 | |||||
| Other liabilities (Note 8) | 897 | 1,005 | |||||
| Total liabilities | 10,394 | 11,156 | |||||
| Commitments and contingencies (Note 17) |
See accompanying notes, which are an integr
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Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosures
Not applicable.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain a system of disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in the Rules 13a-15(e) and 15(d)-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) that is designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we conducted an evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of September 30, 2015, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective, at the reasonable assurance level.
There are inherent limitations to the effectiveness of any system of disclosure controls and procedures. These limitations include the possibility of human error, the circumvention or overriding of the controls and procedures and reasonable resource constraints. In addition, because we have designed our system of controls based on certain assumptions, which we believe are reasonable, about the likelihood of future events, our system of controls may not achieve its desired purpose under all possible future conditions. Accordingly, our disclosure controls and procedures provide reasonable assurance, but not absolute assurance, of achieving their objectives.
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting for the Company. Management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2015. Based on management’s assessment, management has concluded that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of September 30, 2015 using the criteria set forth in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework).
Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable, but not absolute, assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. There are inherent limitations to the effectiveness of any system of internal control over financial reporting. These limitations include the possibility of human error, the circumvention or overriding of the system and reasonable resource constraints. Because of its inherent limitations, our internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risks discussed in Item 1A—Risk Factors of this report.
The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2015, has been audited by KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm and is included in Item 8 of this report.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
In preparation for management’s report on internal control over financial reporting, we documented and tested the design and operating effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. During fiscal 2015, there were no significant changes in our internal controls over financial reporting that occurred during the year ended September 30, 2015, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Item 9B. Other Information
Not applicable.
PART III
Certain information required by Part III is omitted from this Report and the Company will file a definitive proxy statement pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act (the “Proxy Statement”) not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year ended September 30, 2015, and certain information included therein is incorporated herein by reference. Only those sections of the Proxy Statement that specifically address the items set forth herein are incorporated by reference. Such incorporation does not include the report of the Audit and Risk Committee included in the Proxy Statement.
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
The information required by this item concerning the Company's directors, executive officers, the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and corporate governance matters is incorporated herein by reference to the sections entitled “Director Nominee Biographies,” “Executive Officers,” “Corporate Governance” and “Committees of the Board of Directors” in our Proxy Statement.
The information required by this item regarding compliance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the section entitled “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance” in our Proxy Statement.
Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Officers and our Corporate Governance Guidelines are available on the Investor Relations page of our website at http://investor.visa.com, under “Corporate Governance.” Printed copies of these documents are also available to stockholders without charge upon written request directed to Corporate Secretary, Visa Inc., P.O. Box 8999, San Francisco, California 94128-8999.
Item 11. Executive Compensation
The information required by this item concerning director and executive compensation is incorporated herein by reference to the sections entitled “Compensation of Non-Employee Directors” and “Executive Compensation” in our Proxy Statement.
The information required by this item pursuant to Item 407(e)(4) of Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the section entitled “Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation” in our Proxy Statement.
The information required by this item pursuant to Item 407(e)(5) of Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the section entitled “Compensation Committee Report” in our Proxy Statement.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
The information required by this item pursuant to Item 403 of Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the section entitled “Beneficial Ownership of Equity Securities” in our Proxy Statement.
For the information required by item 201(d) of Regulation S-K, refer to Item 5 in this report.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
The information required by this item concerning related party transactions pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the section entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions” in our Proxy Statement.
The information required by this item concerning director independence pursuant to Item 407(a) of Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the section entitled “Independence of Directors” in our Proxy Statement.
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the section entitled “Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Fees” in our Proxy Statement.
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
| (a) | The following documents are filed as part of this report: |
| 1. | Consolidated Financial Statements |
See Index to Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report.
| 2. | Consolidated Financial Statement Schedules |
None.
| 3. | The following exhibits are filed as part of this report or, where indicated, were previously filed and are hereby incorporated by reference: |
Refer to the Exhibit Index herein.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this Annual Report on Form 10-K to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| VISA INC. | ||
| By: | /s/ Charles W. Scharf | |
| Name: | Charles W. Scharf | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
| Date: | November 19, 2015 |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant in the capacities and on the dates indicated:
| Signature | Title | Date | ||
| /s/ Charles W. Scharf | Chief Executive Officer and Director | November 19, 2015 | ||
| Charles W. Scharf | (principal executive officer) | |||
| /s/ Vasant M. Prabhu | Chief Financial Officer | November 19, 2015 | ||
| Vasant M. Prabhu | (principal financial officer and principal accounting officer) | |||
| /s/ Robert W. Matschullat | Independent Chair | November 19, 2015 | ||
| Robert W. Matschullat | ||||
| /s/ Lloyd A. Carney | Director | November 19, 2015 | ||
| Lloyd A. Carney | ||||
| /s/ Mary B. Cranston | Director | November 19, 2015 | ||
| Mary B. Cranston | ||||
| /s/ Francisco Javier Fernández-Carbajal | Director | November 19, 2015 | ||
| Francisco Javier Fernández-Carbajal | ||||
| /s/ Alfred F. Kelly, Jr. | Director | November 19, 2015 | ||
| Alfred F. Kelly, Jr. | ||||
| /s/ Cathy E. Minehan | Director | November 19, 2015 | ||
| Cathy E. Minehan | ||||
| /s/ Suzanne Nora Johnson | Director | November 19, 2015 | ||
| Suzanne Nora Johnson | ||||
| /s/ David J. Pang | Director | November 19, 2015 | ||
| David J. Pang | ||||
| /s/ William S. Shanahan | Director | November 19, 2015 | ||
| William S. Shanahan | ||||
| /s/ John A. C. Swainson | Director | November 19, 2015 | ||
| John A. C. Swainson | ||||
| /s/ Maynard G. Webb, Jr. | Director | November 19, 2015 | ||
| Maynard G. Webb, Jr. |
EXHIBIT INDEX
| Incorporated by Reference | ||||||||||
| Exhibit | Exhibit | File | Exhibit | Filing | ||||||
| Number | Description | Form | Number | Number | Date | |||||
| 2.1 | Transaction Agreement, dated as of November 2, 2015, between Visa Inc. and Visa Europe Limited # | 8-K | 001-33977 | 2.1 | 11/2/2015 | |||||
| 3.1 | Sixth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Visa Inc. | 8-K | 001-33977 | 3.2 | 1/29/2015 | |||||
| 3.2 | Certificate of Correction of the Certificate of Incorporation of Visa Inc. | 8-K | 001-33977 | 3.1 | 2/27/2015 | |||||
| 3.3+ | Amended and Restated Bylaws of Visa Inc. | |||||||||
| 4.1 | Form of stock certificate of Visa Inc. | S-4/A | 333-143966 | 4.1 | 9/13/2007 | |||||
| 4.2 | Form of specimen certificate for class B common stock of Visa Inc. | 8-A | 000-53572 | 4.1 | 1/28/2009 | |||||
| 4.3 | Form of specimen certificate for class C common stock of Visa Inc. | 8-A | 000-53572 | 4.2 | 1/28/2009 | |||||
| 4.4 | The instruments defining the rights of holders of long-term debt securities of Visa Inc. and its subsidiaries have been omitted(1) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||
| 4.5 | Form of certificate of designations of series A convertible participating preferred stock of Visa Inc. | 8-K | 001-33977 | 3.1 | 11/2/2015 | |||||
| 4.6 | Form of certificate of designations of series B convertible participating preferred stock of Visa Inc. | 8-K | 001-33977 | 3.2 | 11/2/2015 | |||||
| 4.7 | Form of certificate of designations of series C convertible participating preferred stock of Visa Inc. | 8-K | 001-33977 | 3.3 | 11/2/2015 | |||||
| 10.1 | Form of Indemnity Agreement | 8-K | 001-33977 | 10.1 | 10/25/2012 | |||||
| 10.2 | Amended and Restated Global Restructuring Agreement, dated August 24, 2007, by and among Visa Inc., Visa International Service Association, Visa U.S.A. Inc., Visa Europe Limited, Visa Canada Association, Inovant LLC, Inovant, Inc., Visa Europe Services, Inc., Visa International Transition LLC, VI Merger Sub, Inc., Visa USA Merger Sub Inc. and 1734313 Ontario Inc. | S-4/A | 333-143966 | Annex A | 9/13/2007 | |||||
| 10.3 | Form of Visa Europe Put-Call Option Agreement between Visa Inc. and Visa Europe Limited | S-4/A | 333-143966 | Annex B | 9/13/2007 | |||||
| 10.4 | Amendment No. 1 to the Visa Europe Put-Call Option Agreement, dated November 2, 2015, by and between Visa Inc. and Visa Europe Limited | 8-K | 001-33977 | 2.2 | 11/2/2015 | |||||
| 10.5 | Form of Escrow Agreement by and among Visa Inc., Visa U.S.A. Inc. and the escrow agent | S-4 | 333-143966 | 10.15 | 6/22/2007 | |||||
| 10.6 | Form of Framework Agreement by and among Visa Inc., Visa Europe Limited, Inovant LLC, Visa International Services Association and Visa U.S.A. Inc. † | S-4/A | 333-143966 | 10.17 | 7/24/2007 | |||||
| 10.7 | 364-Day Revolving Credit Agreement, dated January 28, 2015, by and among Visa Inc., Visa International Service Association, Visa U.S.A. Inc., as borrowers, Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent, JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A., as syndication agent, and the lenders referred to therein | 10-Q | 001-33977 | 10.3 | 4/30/2015 | |||||
| 10.8 | Form of Interchange Judgment Sharing Agreement by and among Visa International Service Association and Visa U.S.A. Inc., and the other parties thereto † | S-4/A | 333-143966 | 10.13 | 7/24/2007 | |||||
| 10.9 | Interchange Judgment Sharing Agreement Schedule | 8-K | 001-33977 | 10.2 | 2/8/2011 | |||||
| 10.10+ | Amendment of Interchange Judgment Sharing Agreement | |||||||||
| 10.11 | Form of Loss Sharing Agreement by and among Visa U.S.A. Inc., Visa International Service Association, Visa Inc. and various financial institutions | S-4/A | 333-143966 | 10.14 | 7/24/2007 | |||||
| 10.12 | Loss Sharing Agreement Schedule | 8-K | 001-33977 | 10.1 | 2/8/2011 | |||||
| 10.13+ | Amendment of Loss Sharing Agreement | |||||||||
| 10.14 | Form of Litigation Management Agreement by and among Visa Inc., Visa International Service Association, Visa U.S.A. Inc. and the other parties thereto | S-4/A | 333-143966 | 10.18 | 8/22/2007 | |||||
| 10.15 | Omnibus Agreement, dated February 7, 2011, regarding Interchange Litigation Judgment Sharing and Settlement Sharing by and among Visa Inc., Visa U.S.A. Inc., Visa International Service Association, MasterCard Incorporated, MasterCard International Incorporated and the parties thereto | 8-K | 001-33977 | 10.2 | 7/16/2012 | |||||
| 10.16 | Amendment, dated August 26, 2014, to the Omnibus Agreement regarding Interchange Litigation Judgment Sharing and Settlement Sharing by and among Visa Inc., Visa U.S.A. Inc., Visa International Service Association, MasterCard Incorporated, MasterCard International Incorporated and the parties thereto | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.14 | 11/21/2014 | |||||
| 10.17+ | Second Amendment, dated October 22, 2015, to Omnibus Agreement regarding Interchange Litigation Judgment Sharing and Settlement Sharing | |||||||||
| 10.18 | Settlement Agreement, dated October 19, 2012, by and among Visa Inc., Visa U.S.A. Inc., Visa International Service Association, MasterCard Incorporated, MasterCard International Incorporated, various U.S. financial institution defendants, and the class plaintiffs to resolve the class plaintiffs' claims in the matter styled In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation, No. 05-MD-1720 | 10-Q | 001-33977 | 10.3 | 2/6/2013 | |||||
| 10.19 | Loss Sharing Agreement, dated as of November 2, 2015, among the UK Members listed on Schedule 1 thereto, Visa Inc. and Visa Europe Limited | 8-K | 001-33977 | 10.1 | 11/2/2015 | |||||
| 10.20 | Form of Litigation Management Deed, among the VE Member Representative, Visa Inc., Visa Europe Limited, the LMC Appointing Members to be listed on Schedule 1 thereto, the UK&I DCC Appointing Members to be listed on Schedule 2 thereto and the Europe DCC Appointing Members to be listed on Schedule 3 thereto | 8-K | 001-33977 | 10.2 | 11/2/2015 | |||||
| 10.21*+ | Visa 2005 Deferred Compensation Plan, effective as of August 12, 2015 | |||||||||
| 10.22* | Visa Directors Deferred Compensation Plan, as amended and restated as of July 22, 2014 | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.17 | 11/21/2014 | |||||
| 10.23* | Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan, as amended and restated as of October 22, 2014 | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.18 | 11/21/2014 | |||||
| 10.24* | Visa Inc. Incentive Plan, as amended and restated as of January 27, 2011 | 8-K | 001-33977 | 10.1 | 1/31/2011 | |||||
| 10.25* | Visa Excess Thrift Plan, as amended and restated as of January 1, 2008 | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.31 | 11/21/2008 | |||||
| 10.26* | Visa Excess Retirement Benefit Plan, as amended and restated as of January 1, 2008 | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.32 | 11/21/2008 | |||||
| 10.27* | First Amendment, effective January 1, 2011, of the Visa Excess Retirement Benefit Plan, as amended and restated as of January 1, 2008 | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.34 | 11/18/2011 | |||||
| 10.28* | Visa Inc. Executive Severance Plan, effective as of November 3, 2010 | 8-K | 001-33977 | 10.1 | 11/9/2010 | |||||
| 10.29* | Visa Inc. 2015 Employee Stock Purchase Plan | DEF 14A | 001-33977 | Appendix B | 12/12/2014 | |||||
| 10.30* | Form of Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Stock Option Award Agreement for executive officers, other than the CEO, for awards granted after November 1, 2010 | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.40 | 11/19/2010 | |||||
| 10.31* | Form of Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Stock Option Award Agreement for executive officers, other than the CEO, for awards granted after November 1, 2011 | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.35 | 11/18/2011 | |||||
| 10.32* | Form of Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Stock Option Award Agreement for the CEO, for awards granted after November 1, 2012 | 10-Q | 001-33977 | 10.4 | 2/6/2013 | |||||
| 10.33* | Form of Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement for the CEO, for awards granted after November 1, 2012 | 10-Q | 001-33977 | 10.5 | 2/6/2013 | |||||
| 10.34* | Form of Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Restricted Stock Award Agreement for executive officers, other than the CEO, with limited vesting upon termination for awards granted after November 1, 2012 | 10-Q | 001-33977 | 10.6 | 2/6/2013 | |||||
| 10.35* | Form of Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for executive officers, other than the CEO, with limited vesting upon termination for awards granted after November 1, 2012 | 10-Q | 001-33977 | 10.7 | 2/6/2013 | |||||
| 10.36* | Form of Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Stock Option Award Agreement for awards granted after November 18, 2013 | 10-Q | 001-33977 | 10.1 | 1/30/2014 | |||||
| 10.37* | Form of Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Restricted Stock Award Agreement for awards granted after November 18, 2013 | 10-Q | 001-33977 | 10.2 | 1/30/2014 | |||||
| 10.38* | Form of Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement for awards granted after November 18, 2013 | 10-Q | 001-33977 | 10.3 | 1/30/2014 | |||||
| 10.39* | Form of Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Performance Share Award Agreement for awards granted after November 18, 2013 | 10-Q | 001-33977 | 10.4 | 1/30/2014 | |||||
| 10.40* | Form of Alternate Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Stock Option Award Agreement for awards granted after November 18, 2013 | 10-Q | 001-33977 | 10.5 | 1/30/2014 | |||||
| 10.41* | Form of Alternate Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Restricted Stock Award Agreement for awards granted after November 18, 2013 | 10-Q | 001-33977 | 10.6 | 1/30/2014 | |||||
| 10.42* | Form of Alternate Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement for awards granted after November 18, 2013 | 10-Q | 001-33977 | 10.7 | 1/30/2014 | |||||
| 10.43* | Form of Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Director Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement for awards granted after November 18, 2013 | 10-Q | 001-33977 | 10.8 | 1/30/2014 | |||||
| 10.44* | Form of Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Director Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement for awards granted after November 1, 2014 | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.40 | 11/21/2014 | |||||
| 10.45* | Form of Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Stock Option Award Agreement for awards granted after November 1, 2014 | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.41 | 11/21/2014 | |||||
| 10.46* | Form of Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Restricted Stock Award Agreement for awards granted after November 1, 2014 | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.42 | 11/21/2014 | |||||
| 10.47* | Form of Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement for awards granted after November 1, 2014 | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.43 | 11/21/2014 | |||||
| 10.48* | Form of Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Performance Share Award Agreement for awards granted after November 1, 2014 | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.44 | 11/21/2014 | |||||
| 10.49* | Form of Alternate Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Stock Option Award Agreement for awards granted after November 1, 2014 | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.45 | 11/21/2014 | |||||
| 10.50* | Form of Alternate Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Restricted Stock Award Agreement for awards granted after November 1, 2014 | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.46 | 11/21/2014 | |||||
| 10.51* | Form of Alternate Visa Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement for awards granted after November 1, 2014 | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.47 | 11/21/2014 | |||||
| 10.52* | Form of Letter Agreement relating to Visa Inc. Executive Severance Plan | 8-K | 001-33977 | 10.2 | 11/9/2010 | |||||
| 10.53* | Offer Letter, dated October 23, 2012, between Visa Inc. and Charles W. Scharf | 8-K | 001-33977 | 99.2 | 10/24/2012 | |||||
| 10.54* | Aircraft Time Sharing Agreement, dated November 7, 2012, between Visa Inc. and Charles W. Scharf | 8-K | 001-33977 | 10.1 | 11/9/2012 | |||||
| 10.55* | Amendment No. 1 to the Aircraft Time Sharing Agreement, effective December 13, 2013, between Visa Inc. and Charles W. Scharf | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.51 | 11/21/2014 | |||||
| 10.56* | Offer Letter, dated May 20, 2013, between Visa Inc. and Ryan McInerney | 8-K | 001-33977 | 99.2 | 5/23/2013 | |||||
| 10.57* | Sign-On Bonus Agreement, dated May 22, 2013, between Visa Inc. and Ryan McInerney | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.53 | 11/21/2014 | |||||
| 10.58* | Offer Letter, dated November 6, 2013, between Visa Inc. and Rajat Taneja | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.54 | 11/21/2014 | |||||
| 10.59* | Sign-On Bonus Agreement, dated November 12, 2013, between Visa Inc. and Rajat Taneja | 10-K | 001-33977 | 10.55 | 11/21/2014 | |||||
| 10.60* | Offer Letter and One-Time Cash Award Agreement, dated January 27, 2015, between Visa Inc. and Vasant M. Prabhu | 8-K | 001-33977 | 99.2 | 2/2/2015 | |||||
| 12.1+ | Statement of Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges | |||||||||
| 21.1+ | List of Significant Subsidiaries of Visa Inc. | |||||||||
| 23.1+ | Consent of KPMG LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | |||||||||
| 31.1+ | Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 | |||||||||
| 31.2+ | Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 | |||||||||
| 32.1+ | Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 | |||||||||
| 32.2+ | Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 | |||||||||
| 101.INS | XBRL Instance Document | |||||||||
| 101.SCH | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document | |||||||||
| 101.CAL | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document | |||||||||
| 101.DEF | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document | |||||||||
| 101.LAB | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document | |||||||||
| 101.PRE | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document | |||||||||
| (1) | We have agreed to furnish to the SEC, upon request, a copy of each instrument. |
| † | Confidential treatment has been requested for portions of this agreement. A completed copy of the agreement, including the redacted portions, has been filed separately with the SEC. |
| * | Management contract, compensatory plan or arrangement. |
| + | Filed or furnished herewith. |
| # | Schedules have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. A copy of any omitted schedule will be furnished supplementally to the SEC upon request; provided, however, that the parties may request confidential treatment pursuant to Rule 24b-2 of the Exchange Act for any document so furnished. |