Political Engagement and Advocacy

The Board of Directors of Visa Inc., acting through the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (“Committee”), is responsible for overseeing our political compliance program, as well as lobbying activities and corporate political contributions. Our Global Government Affairs Department manages Visa’s political engagement and is responsible for implementing the Political Participation, Lobbying, and Contributions (PPLC) Policy, which is overseen by the Committee and was established to:

• promote ethical and transparent political engagement by Visa,
• ensure that our political spending enhances shareholder value,
• facilitate our compliance with applicable laws and reporting requirements, and,
• align our government affairs activities in support of Visa’s corporate purpose to uplift everyone, everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid.

Read our Political Participation, Lobbying, and Contributions Policy.

Under the Policy:

• The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee must pre-approve the use of corporate funds for political contributions, including contributions made to individual candidates, trade associations to support targeted political campaigns, contributions to tax exempt organizations for political activities, contributions to organizations registered under Section 527 of the U.S. federal tax code to support political activities, and contributions to sponsor political parties and business forums.
• Visa's Global Government Affairs Department must prepare and present to the Committee an annual report itemizing our corporate political contributions and disclose that report on our website. As part of Visa’s Annual Political Engagement Report, the company will provide a list of the names of all U.S. trade associations to which Visa pays annual membership dues that are $25,000 or more, and if applicable, we will disclose the portion of such dues that are used for political contributions, as well as Corporate Political Contributions and Visa PAC Contributions. Links to our current and historical Annual Political Engagement reports are included in the following section.
• Visa's Global Government Affairs Department must also prepare and present to the Committee an annual report itemizing our lobbying expenditures, which must include information regarding our memberships in and payments to trade associations and industry groups for lobbying purposes, and tax-exempt organizations that write and endorse model legislation. This report is not published; however, we also file quarterly reports disclosing our U.S. federal lobbying activities with the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Secretary of the U.S. Senate. A list of our memberships in tax exempt organizations that write and endorse model legislation is available under the Lobbying section below.
• Directors and employees are prohibited from using company resources to promote their personal political views, causes or candidates, and the company will not directly or indirectly reimburse any personal political contributions or expenses. Consistent with applicable law, Visa will not take any adverse employment action against an employee on the basis of his or her personal political affiliation or lawful political activity.
• Directors and employees may not lobby government officials on the company's behalf absent the pre-approval of our Global Government Affairs Department. As such, our lobbying and political spending seek to promote the interests of the company and its stockholders and advancing our corporate purpose, and not the personal political preferences of our directors or employees.

• 2025 Semiannual Political Engagement Report
• 2024 Annual Political Engagement Report
• 2024 Semiannual Contributions Report
• 2023 Annual Contributions Report
• 2023 Semiannual Contributions Report
• 2022 Annual Contributions Report
• 2022 Semiannual Contributions Report
• 2021 Annual Contributions Report
• 2021 Semiannual Contributions Report
• 2020 Annual Contributions Report
• 2019 Annual Contributions Report
• 2018 Annual Contributions Report
• 2017 Annual Contributions Report
• 2016 Annual Contributions Report
• 2015 Annual Contributions Report
• 2014 Annual Contributions Report
• 2013 Annual Contributions Report
• 2012 Annual Contributions Report
• 2011 Annual Contributions Report
• 2010 Annual Contributions Report
  

The Annual Political Engagement Report includes (1) the annual total of Visa’s federal advocacy (lobbying) expenditure, (2) a list of trade associations in the U.S. to which Visa pays membership dues of $25,000 or more, as well as the combined amount of U.S. trade association dues attributed to federal lobbying activities, (3) a list of Corporate Political Contributions made to state or local candidates and ballot measures in the U.S., trade associations to support targeted political campaigns, organizations registered under Section 527 of the U.S. federal tax code, and political parties and business forums outside of the United States, and (4) Visa PAC Contributions to U.S. federal candidates.¹
We note that we do not regularly sponsor advertisements that qualify as "independent expenditures" or "electioneering communications" under the U.S. federal campaign finance laws or make contributions to individual political candidates abroad. However, in the event we do make such contributions, they must be approved in advance by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (as well as our Global Legal, Ethics, and Compliance Department) and disclosed in the Annual Political Engagement Report.

¹The report includes payments to other tax-exempt organizations engaged in advocacy (including 501(c)(3), (4), and (6) organizations) if it determines that the contribution in question was used for political activities.

We belong to a variety of trade associations, coalitions, and industry organizations in the U.S. and abroad and pay regular dues to these groups. Our objective in being a member of these organizations is to advance Visa’s corporate purpose and promote the business interests and objectives of the company. However, we recognize that we will not always support all of the public positions of those associations or of the diverse companies that make up their membership. Management reviews the continued appropriateness of maintaining these memberships at least annually.

Visa does not normally make additional, non-dues contributions to support such groups' political activities. However, in those instances where it is in our business interest to do so, the Global Government Affairs Department will obtain the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee's advance approval and disclose any such contributions in the Annual Political Engagement Report. As part of our Annual Political Engagement report, the company will provide a list of the names of all U.S. trade associations to which Visa pays annual membership dues that are $25,000 or more. If we are advised that any portion of our dues were used for political contributions, we will disclose such amounts in the Annual Political Engagement Report. As noted above, we also disclose the combined amount of U.S. trade association dues attributed to federal lobbying activities as well as the total of Visa’s federal advocacy (lobbying) expenditure.

Links to our current and historical Political Engagement Reports are available in the Annual and Semiannual Political Engagement Reports section.

We endeavor to maintain a healthy and transparent relationship with governments around the world by communicating our views and concerns to elected officials and policymakers. As an industry leader, we encounter challenges and opportunities on a wide range of policy matters at the federal, state, and local levels in the United States, as well as internationally.

Visa seeks to advance policies in alignment with our corporate purpose and that expand the use of and access to electronic payments. We devote political resources to many issues that impact the payment industry, including: electronic payments, technological and payments innovation, cybersecurity, digital services, artificial intelligence (AI), data and privacy, digital public infrastructure, financial inclusion, international tax, cross-border commerce, and market access, among others. In addition, Visa advocates on matters related to small business, financial literacy and education, consumer protection, and workforce protection.

We engage lobbyists and partner with trade associations and other organizations to assist us in responding to these challenges and opportunities, by:

• providing access to policymakers, political intelligence, and policy analysis;
  monitoring legislation;
• providing a forum for discussing important industry issues and advocating for common business interests;
• helping ensure that we have a voice in the policy-making process, particularly on matters receiving significant support from opposing parties; and
  advancing our global lobbying and advocacy strategies.

Our Global Government Affairs Department must pre-approve these engagements and lobbying activities and regularly reviews them to ensure activities serve our business interests and objectives.

In addition, our Global Government Affairs Department annually prepares and presents to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee a report regarding the company's lobbying expenditures, which includes information regarding our memberships in and payments to trade associations and industry groups for lobbying purposes, and tax-exempt organizations that write and endorse model legislation. While we do not publish this report, we do file quarterly reports regarding our U.S. federal lobbying activities and expenditures with the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Secretary of the U.S. Senate, as required by the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 and the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2008. These reports are available by searching for "Visa" as a "Registrant" on the U.S. Senate's website.

With regard to tax exempt organizations that write and endorse model legislation, we are currently a member of The Council of State Governments, and the State Financial Officers Foundation. In 2024, Visa contributed $15,000 in membership dues to The Council of State Governments and $25,000 to the State Financial Officers Foundation.

In the United States, we also sponsor a federal Political Action Committee (PAC) pursuant to the Federal Election Campaign Act, as amended, and the regulations promulgated by the Federal Election Commission. The Visa PAC enables Visa employees to voluntarily pool their financial resources to support federal, state, and local political candidates and organizations.

The Visa PAC is governed by its board of directors, which appoints the officers of the PAC and supervises and directs the PAC's administration, solicitation campaigns, contributions, and compliance with applicable law and the PAC Bylaws.

Visa PAC contributions and expenditures are publicly disclosed on the Federal Election Commission’s website (www.fec.gov), where they can be accessed by searching “Visa Inc. Political Action Committee” in the Committee name field.

Visa PAC Contributions are included in the Annual Political Engagement Report starting in 2024.