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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 12 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2024
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | Note 1—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Organization. Visa Inc. (Visa or the Company), is a global payments technology company that facilitates global commerce and money movement across more than 200 countries and territories. Visa operates one of the world’s largest electronic payments networks — VisaNet — which provides transaction processing services, primarily authorization, clearing and settlement. The Company offers products, solutions and services that facilitate secure, reliable and efficient money movement for participants in the ecosystem. Visa is not a financial institution and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for account holders of Visa products. In most cases, account holder and merchant relationships belong to, and are managed by, Visa’s financial institution clients. Consolidation and basis of presentation. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Visa and its consolidated entities and are presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP). The Company consolidates entities for which it has a controlling financial interest, including variable interest entities (VIEs) for which the Company is the primary beneficiary. The Company’s investments in VIEs have not been material to its consolidated financial statements as of and for the periods presented. Intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The Company’s activities are interrelated, and each activity is dependent upon and supportive of the other. All significant operating decisions are based on analysis of Visa as a single global business. The Company has one reportable segment, Payment Services. Use of estimates. The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions about future events. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. These estimates may change as new events occur and additional information is obtained, and will be recognized in the period in which such changes occur. Future actual results could differ materially from these estimates. The use of estimates in specific accounting policies is described further below as appropriate. Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents include cash and certain highly liquid investments with original maturities of 90 days or less from the date of purchase. Cash equivalents are primarily recorded at cost, which approximates fair value due to their generally short maturities. The Company defines restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents as cash and cash equivalents that cannot be withdrawn or used for general operating activities. See Note 4—Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents. Restricted cash equivalents—U.S. litigation escrow. The Company maintains an escrow account from which monetary liabilities from settlements of, or judgments in, the U.S. covered litigation are paid. See Note 5—U.S. and Europe Retrospective Responsibility Plans and Note 20—Legal Matters for a discussion of the U.S. covered litigation. The escrow funds are held in money market investments, and classified as restricted cash equivalents on the consolidated balance sheets. Interest earned on escrow funds is recognized in investment income (expense) and other on the consolidated statements of operations. Fair value. The Company measures certain financial assets and liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis. Certain non-financial assets such as goodwill, intangible assets and property, equipment and technology are subject to nonrecurring fair value measurements if they are deemed to be impaired. Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Fair value measurements are reported under a three-level valuation hierarchy. See Note 6—Fair Value Measurements and Investments. Marketable equity securities. Marketable equity securities, which are reported in investment securities on the consolidated balance sheets, include investments in publicly traded companies as well as mutual fund investments related to various employee compensation and benefit plans. Dividend income as well as gains and losses from changes in fair value are recognized in investment income (expense) and other on the consolidated statements of operations. Trading activity in the mutual fund investments is at the direction of the Company’s employees. These investments are held in a trust and are not considered by the Company to be available for its operational or liquidity needs. The corresponding liability is reported in accrued liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets, with changes in the liability recognized in personnel expense on the consolidated statements of operations. Available-for-sale debt securities. The Company’s investments in debt securities, which are classified as available-for-sale and reported in investment securities or cash and cash equivalents on the consolidated balance sheets, include U.S. government-sponsored debt securities and U.S. Treasury securities. These securities are recorded at cost at the time of purchase and are carried at fair value. The Company considers these securities to be available-for-sale to meet working capital and liquidity needs. Investments with stated maturities of less than one year from the balance sheet date, or investments that the Company intends to sell within one year, are classified as current assets, while all other securities are classified as non-current assets. Unrealized gains and losses are reported in other comprehensive income (loss). The specific identification method is used to calculate realized gain or loss on the sale of securities, which is recorded in investment income (expense) and other on the consolidated statements of operations. Interest income is recognized when earned and included in investment income (expense) and other on the consolidate d statements of operations. The Company evaluates its debt securities for impairment on an ongoing basis. When there has been a decline in fair value of a debt security below the amortized cost basis, the Company recognizes an impairment in investment income (expense) and other on the consolidated statements of operations if it has the intent to sell the security or it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the security before recovery of the amortized cost basis. In addition, if the Company identifies that the decline in fair value has resulted from credit losses, the credit loss component is recognized as an allowance on the consolidated balance sheets and in investment income (expense) and other o n the consolidat ed statements of operations. The non-credit loss component remains in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) until realized from a sale or subsequent impairment. Non-marketable equity securities. The Company’s non-marketable equity securities, which are reported in other assets on the consolidated balance sheets, include investments in privately held entities without readily determinable fair values. All gains and losses on non-marketable equity securities are recognized in inv estment income (expense) and other on the consolidated statements of operations. The Company applies the equity method of accounting when it does not have control but has the ability to exercise significant influence over the entity. Under the equity method, the Company’s share of each entity’s profit or loss is recognized in investment income (expense) and other on the co nsolidated statements of operations. The Company applies the fair value measurement alternative for equity securities in certain other entities when it does not have the ability to exercise significant influence over the entity. The Company adjusts the carrying value of these equity securities to fair value when orderly transactions for identical or similar investments of the same issuer are observable. The Company regularly reviews investments accounted for under the equity method and the fair value measurement alternative for possible impairment, which generally involves an analysis of the facts and changes in circumstances influencing the investment, expectations of the entity’s cash flows and capital needs, and the viability of its business model. Financial instruments. The Company considers the following to be financial instruments: cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, restricted cash equivalents, investment securities, settlement receivable and payable, accounts receivable, customer collateral, non-marketable equity securities and derivative instruments. See Note 6—Fair Value Measurements and Investments. Settlement receivable and payable. The Company operates systems for authorizing, clearing and settling payment transactions worldwide. Most U.S. dollar settlements with the Company’s financial institution clients are settled within the same day and do not result in a receivable or payable balance. Settlements in currencies other than the U.S. dollar generally remain outstanding for one to two business days, resulting in amounts due from and to clients. These amounts are presented as settlement receivable and settlement payable on the consolidated balance sheets. Customer collateral. The Company has cash deposits and other non-cash assets from certain clients in order to ensure that their performance of settlement obligations arising from Visa payment services are processed in accordance with the Company’s operating rules. The cash collateral assets held by the Company are restricted and fully offset by corresponding liabilities, and both balances are presented on the consolidated balance sheets. Other non-cash assets are not recognized on the consolidated balance sheets. See Note 12—Settlement Guarantee Management. Guarantees and indemnifications. The Company recognizes an obligation at inception for guarantees and indemnifications that qualify for recognition, regardless of the probability of occurrence. The Company indemnifies its financial institution clients for settlement losses suffered due to the failure of any other client to fund its settlement obligations in accordance with the Visa operating rules. The Company estimates expected credit losses and recognizes an allowance for those credit losses related to its settlement indemnification obligations. The estimated fair value of the liability for settlement indemnification is included in accrued liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets. Property, equipment and technology, net. Property, equipment and technology are recorded at historical cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization, which are computed on a straight-line basis over the asset’s estimated useful life. Depreciation and amortization of technology, furniture, fixtures and equipment are computed over estimated useful lives ranging from 2 to 10 years. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the useful life of the asset or lease term. Building improvements are depreciated between 3 and 40 years, and buildings are depreciated over 40 years. Improvements that increase functionality of the asset are capitalized and depreciated over the asset’s remaining useful life. Land and construction-in-progress are not depreciated. Technology includes purchased and internally developed software, including technology assets obtained through acquisitions. Internally developed software represents software primarily used by the VisaNet electronic payments network. Internal and external costs incurred during the preliminary project stage are expensed as incurred. Qualifying costs incurred during the application development stage are capitalized. Once the project is substantially complete and ready for its intended use these costs are amortized on a straight-line basis over the technology’s estimated useful life. Acquired technology assets are initially recorded at fair value and amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life. The Company evaluates the recoverability of long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or asset group may not be recoverable. If the sum of expected undiscounted net future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of an asset or asset group, an impairment loss is recognized to the extent that the carrying amount of the asset or asset group exceeds its fair value. See Note 7—Property, Equipment and Technology, Net. Leases. The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at its inception. Right-of-use (ROU) assets, and corresponding lease liabilities, are recognized at the commencement date based on the present value of remaining lease payments over the lease term. For this purpose, the Company considers only payments that are fixed and determinable at the time of commencement. As a majority of the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The ROU asset also includes any lease payments made prior to commencement and is recorded net of any lease incentives received. The lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise such options. The Company does not record a ROU asset and corresponding liability for leases with terms of 12 months or less. Lease agreements generally contain lease and non-lease components. Non-lease components primarily include payments for maintenance and utilities. The Company does not combine lease payments with non-lease components for any of its leases. Operating leases are recorded as ROU assets, which are included in other assets on the consolidated balance sheets. The current portion of lease liabilities is included in accrued liabilities and the long-term portion is included in other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company’s lease cost is included in general and administrative expense on the consolidated statements of operations and consists of amounts recognized under lease agreements, adjusted for impairment and sublease income. Business combinations. The Company accounts for business combinations using the acquisition method and accordingly, the identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed and any noncontrolling interest in the acquiree are generally recorded at their acquisition date fair values. The excess of the purchase price over the fair value of net assets acquired, including identifiable intangible assets, is recorded as goodwill. Acquisition-related costs are expensed in the periods in which the costs are incurred. Intangible assets, net and goodwill. The Company records identifiable intangible assets at fair value on the date of acquisition and evaluates the useful life of each intangible asset. Finite-lived intangible assets primarily consist of customer relationships and trade names obtained through acquisitions. Finite-lived intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis and are tested for recoverability if events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amounts may not be recoverable. These intangible assets have useful lives ranging from 3 to 15 years. Indefinite-lived intangible assets consist of trade name, customer relationships and reacquired rights. Intangible assets with indefinite useful lives are not amortized but are evaluated for impairment annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that impairment may exist. The Company first assesses qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform a quantitative impairment test for indefinite-lived intangible assets. The Company assesses each category of indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment on an aggregate basis. Impairment exists if the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset is less than the carrying value. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the net assets acquired in a business combination. Goodwill is not amortized but is evaluated for impairment at the reporting unit level annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that impairment may exist. The Company performed its annual impairment review of indefinite-lived intangible assets and goodwill as of February 1, 2024, and concluded there was no impairment as of that date. No recent events or changes in circumstances indicate that impairment existed as of September 30, 2024. See Note 8—Intangible Assets and Goodwill. Accrued litigation. The Company evaluates the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome in legal or regulatory proceedings to which it is a party and records a loss contingency when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. These judgments are inherently subjective and based on a number of factors, including the specifics of such legal or regulatory proceedings, the merits of the Company’s defenses and consultation with internal and external legal counsel. Actual outcomes of these legal and regulatory proceedings may differ materially from the Company’s estimates. The Company expenses legal costs as incurred in professional fees on the consolidated statements of operations. See Note 20—Legal Matters. Revenue recognition. The Company’s net revenue is comprised principally of the following categories: service revenue, data processing revenue, international transaction revenue and other revenue, reduced by client incentives. As a payments network service provider, the Company’s obligation to the customer is to stand ready to provide continuous access to Visa’s payments network over the contractual term, facilitate the processing of payment transactions, including authorization, clearing and settlement, and deliver related products and services. The Company delivers its payments network services directly to issuers and acquirers, who provide those services to others within the payments network: the merchants and consumers. The Company considers all parties in Visa’s payments network as customers. The Company earns net revenue primarily from issuers and acquirers. Consideration is variable based primarily upon the amount and type of transactions and payments volume on Visa’s products. The transaction price for each specific service is reported net of discounts attributable to individual services or fees. The Company recognizes revenue, net of sales and other similar taxes, as the payments network services are performed in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for those services. The Company has elected the optional exemption to not disclose the remaining performance obligations related to payments network services and other performance obligations which are constrained by and dependent upon the future performance of its clients, which are variable in nature. The Company also recognizes revenue, net of sales and other similar taxes, from other value-added services, including issuing solutions, acceptance solutions, risk and identity solutions, open banking solutions and advisory services, as these value-added services are performed. For revenue generated from arrangements that involve third parties, the Company evaluates whether it is the principal, and recognizes revenue on a gross basis, or the agent, and recognizes revenue on a net basis. In this assessment, the Company considers if it obtains the control of the specified services before they are transferred to the customer, or if the Company is arranging for the services to be provided. Service revenue consists mainly of revenue earned for services provided in support of client usage of Visa payment services. This revenue includes fees related to payments volumes. Visa’s obligation is to stand ready to provide continuous access to Visa’s payments network and related services with respect to Visa-branded payments programs. Current quarter service revenue is primarily assessed using a calculation of current quarter’s pricing applied to the prior quarter’s payments volume. Data processing revenue consists of revenue earned for authorization, clearing and settlement; value-added services related to issuing, acceptance, and risk and identity solutions; network access; and other maintenance and support services that facilitate transaction and information processing among the Company’s clients globally. Data processing revenue is recognized in the same period the related transactions occur or services are performed. International transaction revenue is earned for cross-border transaction processing and currency conversion activities. Cross-border transactions arise when the country of origin of the issuer or financial institution originating the transaction is different from that of the beneficiary. International transaction revenue is recognized in the same period the cross-border transactions occur or services are performed. Other revenue consists mainly of value-added services related to advisory, marketing and certain card benefits; license fees for use of the Visa brand or technology; and fees for account holder services, certification and licensing. Other revenue is recognized in the same period the related transactions occur or services are performed. Client incentives. The Company enters into long-term contracts with financial institution clients, merchants and other business partners for various programs that provide cash and other incentives designed to increase revenue by growing payments volume, increasing Visa product acceptance, encouraging merchant acceptance and use of Visa payment services and driving innovation. Incentives are classified as reductions to net revenue within client incentives, unless the incentive is a cash payment made in exchange for a distinct good or service provided by the customer, in which case the payment is classified as operating expenses. The Company generally capitalizes upfront and fixed incentive payments as client incentives assets under these agreements when paid and amortizes the amounts as reductions to net revenue ratably over the contractual term. Incentives that are earned by the customer based on performance targets are recorded as reductions to net revenue when earned based on management's estimate of each client's future performance and the unpaid portion is recognized as client incentives liabilities. These accruals are regularly reviewed and estimates of performance are adjusted, as appropriate, based on changes in performance expectations, actual client performance, amendments to existing contracts or the execution of new contracts. Client incentives assets and liabilities are classified on the consolidated balance sheets as current or long-term based on a 12-month operating cycle. Marketing. The Company expenses costs for the production of advertising as incurred. The cost of media advertising is expensed when the advertising takes place. Sponsorship costs are recognized over the period in which the Company benefits from the sponsorship rights. Promotional costs are expensed as incurred, when the related services are received, or when the related event occurs. Income taxes. The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized to reflect the future tax consequences attributable to temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the respective tax basis of existing assets and liabilities, and operating loss and credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax laws and rates expected to be applied to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. In assessing whether deferred tax assets are realizable, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. A valuation allowance is recorded for the portions that are not expected to be realized based on the level of historical taxable income, projections of future taxable income over the periods in which the temporary differences are deductible, and qualifying tax planning strategies. Where interpretation of the tax law may be uncertain, the Company recognizes, measures and discloses income tax uncertainties. The Company accounts for interest expenses and penalties, if any, related to uncertain tax positions in interest expense and investment income (expense) and other, respectively, on the consolidated statements of operations. See Note 19—Income Taxes. Foreign currency remeasurement and translation. The Company’s functional currency is the U.S. dollar for the majority of its foreign operations except for Visa Europe Limited (Visa Europe) whose functional currency is the Euro. Transactions denominated in currencies other than the applicable functional currency are converted to the functional currency at the exchange rate on the transaction date. At period end, monetary assets and liabilities are remeasured to the functional currency using exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet dates. Nonmonetary assets and liabilities are remeasured at historical exchange rates. Resulting foreign currency transaction gains and losses related to conversion and remeasurement are recorded in general and administrative expense on the consolidated statements of operations and were not material for fiscal 2024, 2023 and 2022. Where a non-U.S. currency is the functional currency, translation from that functional currency to the U.S. dollar is performed for balance sheet accounts using exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet dates and for revenue and expense accounts using an average exchange rate for the period. Resulting translation adjustments are reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) on the consolidated balance sheets. Derivative and hedging instruments. Derivatives are carried at fair value on a gross basis on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company utilizes foreign exchange forward contracts to hedge against foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations related to certain monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies. Gains and losses resulting from changes in the fair value of these derivative instruments not designated for hedge accounting are recorded in general and administrative expense on the consolidated statements of operations. The Company also uses foreign exchange forward contracts, which are designated as cash flow hedges, to reduce its exposure to foreign currency rate changes on forecasted non-functional currency denominated operational cash flows. The terms of these derivative instruments are generally no more than 12 months. The Company uses regression analysis to assess hedge effectiveness prospectively and retrospectively. The effectiveness tests are performed on foreign exchange forward contracts based on changes in the spot rate of the derivative instrument compared to changes in the spot rate of the forecasted hedged transaction. Forward points are excluded from effectiveness testing purposes and are reported in earnings. Gains and losses resulting from changes in the fair value of derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges are recorded in other comprehensive income (loss). When the forecasted transaction occurs and is recognized in earnings, the amount in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) related to that hedge is reclassified to the consolidated statements of operations in the corresponding account where revenue or expense is recorded. Derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges are subject to master netting agreements, which provide the Company with a legal right to net settle multiple payable and receivable positions with the same counterparty, in a single currency through a single payment. However, the Company presents fair values on a gross basis on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company designated its Euro notes, a non-derivative financial instrument, as net investment hedges against a portion of the Company’s Euro-denominated net investment in Visa Europe. The Company also holds interest rate and cross-currency swap agreements on a portion of the outstanding senior notes that allows the Company to manage its interest rate exposure through a combination of fixed and floating rates and reduce the overall cost of borrowing. The Company designated the interest rate swaps as fair value hedges and the cross-currency swaps as net investment hedges. Gains and losses related to hedging instruments for fair value hedges are recognized in interest expense along with a corresponding loss or gain related to the change in the fair value of the underlying hedged item in the same line item on the consolidated statements of operations. Gains and losses related to derivative and non-derivative hedging instruments for net investment hedges are recorded in other comprehensive income (loss). Cash flows associated with derivatives designated as a cash flow hedge are classified as an operating activity on the consolidated statements of cash flows. Cash flows associated with derivatives designated as a fair value hedge or a net investment hedge are classified as an investing activity. Cash flows associated with derivatives not designated as a hedging instrument are classified as an operating activity. See Note 13—Derivative and Hedging Instruments. Share-based compensation. The Company measures share-based compensation cost at the grant date, net of estimated forfeitures, based on the estimated fair value of the award. The Company recognizes compensation cost for awards with only service conditions on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period. Compensation cost for performance-based awards is recognized on a graded-vesting basis. The amount is initially estimated based on target performance and is adjusted as appropriate based on management’s best estimate throughout the performance period. See Note 17—Share-based Compensation. Earnings per share. The Company calculates earnings per share using the two-class method to reflect the different rights of each class of outstanding common stock and participating securities. Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income available to each class of shares by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock and participating securities outstanding during the period. Participating securities include the Company’s series A, B and C preferred stock and restricted stock units (RSUs) that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents. Net income is allocated to each class of common stock and participating securities based on its proportional ownership on an as-converted basis. The weighted-average number of shares outstanding of each class of common stock reflects changes in ownership over the periods presented. See Note 15—Stockholders’ Equity. Diluted earnings per share is computed by dividing net income available to each class of shares by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding, participating securities outstanding and, if dilutive, potential class A common stock equivalent shares outstanding during the period. Dilutive class A common stock equivalents may consist of: (1) shares of class A common stock issuable upon the conversion of series A, B and C preferred stock and class B-1, B-2 and C common stock based on the conversion rates in effect through the period, and (2) incremental shares of class A common stock calculated by applying the treasury stock method to the assumed exercise of employee stock options, the assumed purchase of stock under the Company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan and the assumed vesting of unearned performance shares. See Note 16—Earnings Per Share.

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