Note 2—Acquisition of Visa Europe

On June 21, 2016, the Company acquired 100% of the share capital of Visa Europe, a payments technology business. The acquisition positions Visa to create additional value through increased scale, efficiencies realized by the integration of both businesses, and benefits related to Visa Europe's transition from an association to a for-profit enterprise. At the closing of the transaction (the "Closing"), the Company:

•paid up-front cash consideration of €12.2 billion ($13.9 billion);


•	issued preferred stock of the Company convertible upon certain conditions into approximately 79 million shares of class A common stock of the Company, as described below, equivalent to a value of €5.3 billion ($6.1 billion) at the closing stock price of $77.33 on June 21, 2016; and


•	agreed to pay an additional €1.0 billion, plus 4% compound annual interest, on the third anniversary of the Closing.

Preferred stock. In connection with the transaction, three new series of preferred stock of the Company were created:


•	series A convertible participating preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, which is generally designed to be economically equivalent to the Company’s class A common stock (the “class A equivalent preferred stock”);


•	series B convertible participating preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “U.K.&I preferred stock”); and


•	series C convertible participating preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Europe preferred stock”).

The Company issued 2,480,466 shares of U.K.&I preferred stock to Visa Europe’s member financial institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland entitled to receive preferred stock at the Closing, and 3,156,823 shares of Europe preferred stock to Visa Europe’s other member financial institutions entitled to receive preferred stock at the Closing. Under certain conditions described below, the U.K.&I and Europe preferred stock is convertible into shares of class A common stock or class A equivalent preferred stock, at an initial conversion rate of 13.952 shares of class A common stock for each share of U.K.&I preferred stock and Europe preferred stock. The conversion rates may be reduced from time to time to offset certain liabilities, if any, which may be incurred by the Company, Visa Europe or their affiliates as a result of certain existing and potential litigation relating to the setting of multilateral interchange fee rates in the Visa Europe territory (the "VE territory covered litigation"), where, generally, the relevant claims (and resultant liabilities and losses) relate to the period before the Closing. Only seventy percent of such liabilities may be offset where the liability arises from a claim related to inter-regional multilateral interchange fees applied to transactions where the issuer is located outside the Visa Europe territory while the merchant outlet is located within the Visa Europe territory. A reduction in the conversion rates of the U.K.&I preferred stock and the Europe preferred stock have the same economic effect on diluted class A common stock earnings per share as repurchasing the Company's class A common stock because it reduces the as-converted class A common stock share count. Additionally, the shares of U.K.&I and Europe preferred stock are subject to restrictions on transfer and may become convertible in stages based on developments in the VE territory covered litigation. The shares of U.K.&I and Europe preferred stock will become fully convertible on the 12th anniversary of the Closing, subject only to a holdback to cover any then-pending claims. Upon any such conversion of the U.K.&I or Europe preferred stock (whether by such 12th anniversary, or thereafter with respect to claims pending on such anniversary), the holder would receive either class A common stock or class A equivalent preferred stock (for those who are not eligible to hold class A common stock pursuant to the Company's charter). The class A equivalent preferred stock will be freely transferable and each share of class A equivalent preferred stock will automatically convert into 100 shares of class A common stock upon a transfer to any holder that is eligible to hold class A common stock under the charter. See Note 3—U.S. and Europe Retrospective Responsibility Plans.

The holders of the U.K.&I and Europe preferred stock have no right to vote on any matters, except for certain defined matters, including, in specified circumstances, any consolidation, merger or combination of the Company. Holders of the class A equivalent preferred stock, upon issuance at conversion, will have similar voting rights to the rights of the holders of the U.K.&I and Europe preferred stock. With respect to those limited matters on which the holders of preferred stock may vote, approval by the holders of the preferred stock requires the affirmative vote of the outstanding voting power of each such series of preferred stock, each such series voting as a single class. Upon issuance, all three series of preferred stock will participate on an as-converted basis in regular quarterly cash dividends declared on the Company's class A common stock.

U.K. loss sharing agreement. On November 2, 2015, the Company, Visa Europe and certain of Visa Europe’s member financial institutions located in the United Kingdom (the “U.K. LSA members”) entered into a loss sharing agreement (the “U.K. loss sharing agreement”). Each of the U.K. LSA members has agreed, on a several and not joint basis, to compensate the Company for certain losses which may be incurred by the Company, Visa Europe or their affiliates 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 prior to the Closing (the "U.K. covered claims"), subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein and, with respect to each U.K. LSA member, up to a maximum amount of the up-front cash consideration received by such U.K. LSA member. The U.K. LSA members’ obligations under the U.K. loss sharing agreement are conditional upon, among other things, either (a) losses valued in excess of the sterling equivalent at the Closing of €1.0 billion having arisen in U.K covered claims (and such losses having reduced the conversion rate of the U.K.&I preferred stock accordingly), or (b) the conversion rate of the U.K.&I preferred stock having been reduced to zero pursuant to losses arising in claims relating to multilateral interchange fee rate setting in the Visa Europe territory. See Note 3—U.S. and Europe Retrospective Responsibility Plans.

Litigation management deed. On June 21, 2016, the Company and Visa Europe entered into a litigation management deed (the "litigation management deed"), which sets forth the agreed upon procedures for the management of the VE territory covered litigation, the allocation of losses resulting from the VE territory covered litigation ("VE territory covered losses") between the U.K.&I and Europe preferred stock, and any accelerated conversion or reduction in the conversion rate of the shares of U.K.&I and Europe preferred stock. The litigation management deed applies only to VE territory covered litigation (and resultant losses and liabilities). Subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, the litigation management deed provides that the Company will generally control the conduct of the VE territory covered litigation, subject to certain obligations to report and consult with the newly established litigation management committees for VE territory covered litigation ("VE territory litigation management committees"). The VE territory litigation management committees, which are composed of representatives of certain Visa Europe members, have also been granted consent rights to approve certain material decisions in relation to the VE territory covered litigation.

Framework Agreement. In connection with the Company's October 2007 reorganization, the Company granted to Visa Europe exclusive, irrevocable and perpetual licenses to use the Visa trademarks and technology intellectual property owned by the Company and certain affiliates within the Visa Europe region for use in the field of financial services, payments, related information technology and information processing services and participation in the Visa system (the "Framework Agreement").

We recorded $191 million, $255 million and $226 million of revenue in accordance with the Framework Agreement during fiscal 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. As a result of the acquisition, the fee recognized in fiscal year 2016 was pro-rated for the period prior to the Closing, and no fees related to the Framework Agreement were recognized in the three months ended September 30, 2016, nor will they be recognized in future periods.

Acquisition-related costs. The Company incurred $152 million of non-recurring operating expense during fiscal 2016. This amount is comprised of $60 million of transaction expenses recorded in professional fees, and $92 million of expense related to U.K. stamp duty, which was recorded in general and administrative expenses.

Accounting treatment for the acquisition. The following table details the purchase consideration:



	Accounting Purchase Consideration
	(in millions)
Cash payment	$	13,882
Fair value of preferred stock⁽¹⁾	5,692
Total upfront consideration	$	19,574
Fair value of deferred cash consideration⁽²⁾	1,236
Total consideration before adjustments	$	20,810
Less: Visa Europe Framework Agreement loss⁽³⁾	(1,856		)
Less: Treasury stock⁽⁴⁾	(170		)
Total accounting purchase consideration	$	18,784


⁽¹⁾	The fair value of preferred stock was determined based on its as-converted value of $6.1 billion on June 21, 2016, less a 6% discount for illiquidity as these shares are subject to limitations on transferability. The fair value was also adjusted to reflect $25 million of "right to recover for covered losses" related to VE territory covered losses prior to the Closing. See Note 20—Legal Matters.

⁽²⁾

This amount reflects the fair value of deferred cash consideration of €1.0 billion, plus 4.0% compound annual interest, payable on the third anniversary of the Closing, discounted at a rate of 1.2%. At September 30, 2016, the deferred consideration of $1.2 billion reflects interest accretion recognized during the three months ended September 30, 2016, more than offset by the impact of changes in the euro to U.S. dollar exchange rate from the Closing.

Total consideration has been adjusted to account for the following items to arrive at the accounting purchase consideration:

⁽³⁾

the loss upon consummation of the transaction resulting from the effective settlement of the Framework Agreement between Visa and Visa Europe. The Visa Europe Framework Agreement provided Visa Europe with a perpetual, exclusive right to operate the Visa business in the Visa Europe region in exchange for a license fee paid to Visa. Under the terms of the Framework Agreement, the license fee paid by Visa Europe has increased modestly since inception in 2007, while the value of the Visa Europe business has increased at a greater rate. Using an income approach, the Company assessed the contractual terms and conditions of the Framework Agreement as compared to current market conditions and the historical and expected financial performance of Visa Europe. Based on the analysis performed, the Company determined that the terms were not at fair value as determined under U.S. GAAP at the Closing. The present value of the expected differential between payments required by the Framework Agreement and those that would be required if the contract were at fair value under U.S. GAAP was calculated over the Framework Agreement's contractual perpetual term, resulting in a loss of $1.9 billion recognized within operating expense in the Company's consolidated statement of operations during the third quarter of fiscal 2016, and a reduction to the purchase accounting consideration; and


⁽⁴⁾	the fair value of the Visa class C common stock held by Visa Europe as of the Closing.

Total purchase consideration has been allocated to the tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on a preliminary valuation as we continue to gather additional information necessary to finalize the valuation. These preliminary values may further change in future reporting periods until finalization of the valuation, which will occur no later than the third quarter of fiscal 2017.

The following table summarizes the preliminary purchase price allocation.



	Preliminary Purchase Price Allocation
	(in millions)
Current assets⁽¹⁾	$	4,457
Non-current assets⁽²⁾	258
Current liabilities⁽³⁾	(2,731		)
Non-current liabilities⁽²⁾	(2,605		)
Tangible assets and liabilities	$	(621	)
Intangible assets — customer relationships and reacquired rights⁽²⁾	16,137
Goodwill⁽⁴⁾	3,268
Fair value of net assets acquired	$	18,784


⁽¹⁾	Current assets are largely comprised of cash and cash equivalents and settlement receivable.

⁽²⁾

Intangible assets consist of customer relationships and reacquired rights, which have been valued as a single composite intangible asset as they are inextricably linked. These intangibles are considered indefinite-lived assets as the associated customer relationships have historically not experienced significant attrition, and the reacquired rights are based on the Framework Agreement, which has a perpetual term. Non-current assets and liabilities include deferred tax assets and liabilities that result in net deferred tax liabilities of $2.4 billion, which are primarily related to these indefinite-lived intangible assets, and are not expected to be realized in the foreseeable future.


⁽³⁾	Current liabilities assumed mainly include settlement payable, client incentives liabilities and accrued liabilities.


⁽⁴⁾	The excess of purchase consideration over net assets acquired was recorded as goodwill, which represents the value that is expected from increased scale and synergies as a result of the integration of both businesses.

Actual and pro forma impact of acquisition. The Company did not include Visa Europe's financial results in the Company's consolidated statements of operations from the acquisition date, June 21, 2016, through June 30, 2016 as the impact was immaterial. Total consolidated Visa Inc. net revenue for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016 includes $554 million from Visa Europe's operations for the three months ended September 30, 2016. Had the Company not acquired Visa Europe, approximately $65 million of revenue would have been recorded under the Framework Agreement during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016. Therefore, the acquisition of Visa Europe resulted in a net increase of $489 million in net revenue.

Total consolidated Visa Inc. net income for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016 includes $299 million from Visa Europe's operations for the three months ended September 30, 2016. This includes the non-cash, non-recurring $88 million tax benefit upon remeasurement of a deferred tax liability to reflect a tax rate change in the United Kingdom. In connection with the acquisition, Visa Inc. recorded several significant items that would not have been incurred had we not acquired Visa Europe. Therefore, the acquisition of Visa Europe reduced Visa Inc. fiscal year 2016 consolidated net income by approximately $872 million, as follows:




Impact of Visa Europe acquisition on fiscal 2016 consolidated net income:	(in millions)
Visa Europe net income included in consolidated net income	$	299
Less approximately $65 million of revenue that would have been recorded by Visa Inc. under the Framework Agreement, net of tax	(41		)
Less acquisition-related expense recorded by Visa Inc., net of tax, upon:
Effective settlement of the Framework Agreement	(1,184		)
Interest expense incurred on $16.0 billion debt, net of interest income earned	(243		)
Transaction costs incurred	(96		)
Add acquisition-related gains recorded by Visa Inc., net of tax, upon:
Revaluation of Visa Europe put option	255
Remeasurement of euro deposits	91
Remeasurement of currency forward contracts	47
Total impact of Visa Europe acquisition on consolidated net income	$	(872	)

The following table presents supplemental pro forma information as if the acquisition and related issuance of senior notes had occurred on October 1, 2014. The pro forma financial information is not necessarily indicative of the Company's consolidated results of operations that would have been realized had the acquisition been completed on October 1, 2014, nor does it purport to project the future results of operations of the combined company or reflect any reorganizations, or cost or other operating synergies that may occur subsequent to the Closing. The actual results of operations of the combined company may differ significantly from the pro forma results presented here due to many factors.



	Pro Forma Consolidated Results
	Fiscal 2016		Fiscal 2015
	(in millions, except per share data)
Total operating revenues	$	16,090	$	15,425
Net income	$	7,072	$	5,210
Diluted earnings per share	$	2.93	$	2.06

The pro forma financial information above reflects the following material pro forma adjustments:


•	conversion of Visa Europe's historical results of operations from euro to U.S. dollar, and from International Financial Reporting Standards to U.S. GAAP;


•	elimination of transactions between Visa and Visa Europe upon consolidation, primarily related to annual license and various other fees paid by Visa Europe to Visa in accordance with the Framework Agreement;


•	an increase in non-operating expense for additional interest expense and amortization of debt issuance costs resulting from the issuance of the $16.0 billion senior notes;


•	exclusion of a $255 million gain in the twelve months ended September 30, 2016 and $110 million loss in the twelve months ended September 30, 2015 related to the revaluation of the Visa Europe put option⁽¹⁾; and


•	the inclusion of non-recurring amounts on October 1, 2014, the date the acquisition is presumed to have occurred for purposes of presenting pro forma results, and a corresponding reduction of these amounts in the period originally recognized, as follows:


◦	$1.9 billion Visa Europe Framework Agreement loss related to the effective settlement of the Framework Agreement recognized in the twelve months ended September 30, 2016;


◦	$152 million of acquisition-related costs for the twelve months ended September 30, 2016;


◦	$145 million of foreign exchange gains related to euros held during the twelve months ended September 30, 2016; and


◦	$74 million of gains for the twelve months ended September 30, 2016 related to currency forward contracts entered into to mitigate a portion of the foreign currency exchange rate risk associated with the upfront cash consideration.


⁽¹⁾	For purposes of preparing this pro forma financial information, the fair value of the Visa Europe put option is presumed to have been reduced to zero prior to October 1, 2014. Therefore, gains or losses associated with changes in the fair value of the Visa Europe put option liability are not included in pro forma net income for either period presented.

The pro forma results also reflect the applicable tax impact of the pro forma adjustments. The taxes associated with the adjustments reflect the statutory tax rate in effect during the respective periods.