Settlement Guarantee Management

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Settlement Guarantee Management [Abstract]

Note 7—Settlement Guarantee Management

The Company indemnifies its clients for settlement losses suffered due to failure of any other client to fund its settlement obligations in accordance with the Visa operating rules. This indemnification creates settlement risk for the Company due to the difference in timing between the date of a payment transaction and the date of subsequent settlement.

Historically, the Company has experienced minimal losses as a result of its settlement risk guarantee. However, the Company’s future obligations, which could be material under its guarantees, are not determinable as they are dependent upon future events.

The Company’s settlement exposure is limited to the amount of unsettled Visa payment transactions at any point in time, which vary significantly day to day. The Company’s maximum settlement exposure was $88.2 billion and the average daily settlement exposure was $56.1 billion during the three months ended December 31, 2018.

The Company maintains and regularly reviews global settlement risk policies and procedures to manage settlement exposure, which may require clients to post collateral if certain credit standards are not met. At December 31, 2018 and September 30, 2018, the Company held collateral as follows:



	December 31, 2018		September 30, 2018
	(in millions)
Cash equivalents	$	1,720	$	1,708
Pledged securities at market value	307		192
Letters of credit	1,346		1,382
Guarantees	952		860
Total	$	4,325	$	4,142

Cash equivalent collateral reflected in customer collateral on the consolidated balance sheets is held by a custodian in an account under the Company’s name and ownership. At December 31, 2018 and September 30, 2018, $390 million and $384 million, respectively, of cash equivalent collateral is excluded from the consolidated balance sheets as clients retain beneficial ownership of it and it is only accessible to the Company in the event of default by the client on its settlement obligations. All other collateral is excluded from the consolidated balance sheets.