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Legal Matters
12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2025
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Legal Matters
Note 20—Legal Matters
The Company is a party to various legal and regulatory proceedings. Some of these proceedings involve complex claims that are subject to substantial uncertainties and unascertainable damages. For those proceedings where a loss is determined to be only reasonably possible or probable but not estimable, the Company has disclosed the nature of the claim. Additionally, unless otherwise disclosed below with respect to these proceedings, the Company cannot provide an estimate of the possible loss or range of loss. Although the Company believes that it has strong defenses for the litigation and regulatory proceedings described below, it could, in the future, incur judgments or fines or enter into settlements of claims that could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. From time to time, the Company may engage in settlement discussions or mediations with respect to one or more of its outstanding litigation matters, either on its own behalf or collectively with other parties.
The litigation accrual is an estimate and is based on management’s understanding of its litigation profile, the specifics of each case, advice of counsel to the extent appropriate and management’s best estimate of incurred loss as of the balance sheet date.
The following table summarizes the activity related to accrued litigation:
For the Years Ended
September 30,
20252024
 (in millions)
Balance as of beginning of period$1,727 $1,751 
Provision for uncovered legal matters352 322 
Provision for covered legal matters2,232 248 
Payments for legal matters(1,278)(594)
Balance as of end of period$3,033 $1,727 
Accrual Summary—U.S. Covered Litigation
Visa Inc., Visa U.S.A. and Visa International are parties to certain legal proceedings that are covered by the U.S. retrospective responsibility plan, which the Company refers to as the U.S. covered litigation. An accrual for the U.S. covered litigation and a charge to the litigation provision are recorded when a loss is deemed to be probable and reasonably estimable. In making this determination, the Company evaluates available information, including but not limited to actions taken by the Company’s litigation committee. The total accrual related to the U.S. covered litigation could be either higher or lower than the escrow account balance. See further discussion below under U.S. Covered Litigation and Note 5—U.S. and Europe Retrospective Responsibility Plans.
The following table summarizes the accrual activity related to U.S. covered litigation:
For the Years Ended
September 30,
20252024
 (in millions)
Balance as of beginning of period$1,537 $1,621 
Provision for interchange multidistrict litigation2,210 140 
Payments for U.S. covered litigation(1,049)(224)
Balance as of end of period$2,698 $1,537 
During fiscal 2025, the Company recorded additional accruals of $2.2 billion and deposited $875 million into the U.S. litigation escrow account to address claims associated with the interchange multidistrict litigation. The accrual balance is consistent with the Company’s best estimate of its share of a probable and reasonably estimable loss with respect to the U.S. covered litigation. While this estimate is consistent with the Company’s view of the current status of the litigation, the probable and reasonably estimable loss or range of such loss could materially vary based on developments in the litigation. The Company will continue to consider and reevaluate this estimate in light of the substantial uncertainties with respect to the litigation. The Company is unable to estimate a potential loss or range of loss, if any, at trial if negotiated resolutions cannot be reached.
Accrual Summary—VE Territory Covered Litigation
Visa Inc., Visa International and Visa Europe are parties to certain legal proceedings that are covered by the Europe retrospective responsibility plan. Unlike the U.S. retrospective responsibility plan, the Europe retrospective responsibility plan does not have an escrow account that is used to fund settlements or judgments. The Company is entitled to recover VE territory covered losses through periodic adjustments to the class A common stock conversion rates applicable to the series B and C preferred stock. An accrual for the VE territory covered losses and a reduction to stockholders’ equity will be recorded when the loss is deemed to be probable and reasonably estimable. See further discussion below under VE Territory Covered Litigation and Note 5—U.S. and Europe Retrospective Responsibility Plans.
The following table summarizes the accrual activity related to VE territory covered litigation:
For the Years Ended
September 30,
20252024
 (in millions)
Balance as of beginning of period$72 $110 
Provision for VE territory covered litigation22 108 
Payments for VE territory covered litigation(85)(146)
Balance as of end of period$9 $72 
U.S. Covered Litigation
Interchange Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) - Class Actions
Beginning in May 2005, a series of complaints (the majority of which were styled as class actions) were filed in U.S. federal district courts by merchants against Visa U.S.A., Visa International and/or Mastercard, and in some cases, certain U.S. financial institutions. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation issued an order transferring the cases to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York for coordination of pre-trial proceedings in MDL 1720. A group of purported class plaintiffs subsequently filed amended and supplemental class complaints. The individual and class complaints generally challenged, among other things, Visa’s and Mastercard’s purported setting of interchange reimbursement fees, their “no surcharge” and honor-all-cards rules, alleged tying and bundling of transaction fees, and Visa’s reorganization and IPO, under the federal antitrust laws and, in some cases, certain state unfair competition laws. The complaints sought money damages, declaratory and injunctive relief, attorneys’ fees and, in one instance, an order that the IPO be unwound.
Visa Inc., Visa U.S.A., Visa International, Mastercard Incorporated, Mastercard International Incorporated, various U.S. financial institution defendants and the class plaintiffs signed a settlement agreement (2012 Settlement Agreement) to resolve the class plaintiffs’ claims. Pursuant to the 2012 Settlement Agreement, the Company deposited approximately $4.0 billion from the U.S. litigation escrow account and approximately $500 million attributable to interchange reductions for an eight-month period into court-authorized settlement accounts. Visa subsequently received from the district court and deposited into the Company’s U.S. litigation escrow account “takedown payments” of approximately $1.1 billion.
On June 30, 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated the district court’s certification of the merchant class, reversed the approval of the settlement and remanded the case to the district court for further proceedings.
On remand, the district court appointed interim counsel for two putative classes of plaintiffs, a “Damages Class” and an “Injunctive Relief Class.” The plaintiffs purporting to act on behalf of the putative Damages Class subsequently filed a Third Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint, seeking money damages and attorneys’ fees, among other relief. A new group of purported class plaintiffs, acting on behalf of the putative Injunctive Relief Class, filed a class action complaint against Visa, Mastercard and certain bank defendants seeking, among other things, an injunction against the setting of default interchange rates; against certain Visa operating rules relating to merchants, including the honor-all-cards rule; and against various transaction fees, including the fixed acquirer network fee, as well as attorneys’ fees.
Damages Class. On September 17, 2018, Visa, Mastercard and certain U.S. financial institutions reached an agreement with plaintiffs purporting to act on behalf of the putative Damages Class to resolve all Damages Class claims (Amended Settlement Agreement). The Amended Settlement Agreement supersedes the 2012 Settlement Agreement and includes, among other terms, a release from participating class members for liability arising out of conduct alleged by the Damages Class in the litigation, including claims that accrue no later than five years after the Amended Settlement Agreement becomes final. Participating class members will not release injunctive relief claims as a named representative or non-representative class member in the putative Injunctive Relief Class. The Amended Settlement Agreement also required an additional settlement payment from all defendants totaling $900 million, with the Company’s share of $600 million paid from the Company’s litigation escrow account established pursuant to the Company’s retrospective responsibility plan. See Note 5—U.S. and Europe
Retrospective Responsibility Plans. The additional settlement payment was added to the approximately $5.3 billion previously deposited into settlement accounts by the defendants pursuant to the 2012 Settlement Agreement.
Certain merchants in the proposed settlement class objected to the settlement and/or submitted requests to opt out of the settlement class. On December 13, 2019, the district court granted final approval of the Amended Settlement Agreement, which was subsequently appealed. Based on the percentage of class members (by payment volume) that opted out of the class, $700 million was returned to defendants. Visa’s portion of the takedown payment, approximately $467 million, was deposited into the U.S. litigation escrow account. On March 15, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the final approval of the Amended Settlement Agreement by the district court. On August 3, 2023, the district court appointed a special master to resolve matters arising out of or relating to the Amended Settlement Agreement’s plan of administration.
Indirect Purchaser Claims. Three complaints have been filed against Visa and other defendants asserting violations of certain state antitrust laws and seeking recovery as indirect purchasers. A complaint was filed by Old Jericho Enterprise, Inc. on May 29, 2020, against Visa and Mastercard on behalf of a purported class of gasoline retailers operating in 24 states and the District of Columbia. Two separate complaints were subsequently filed in 2021 against Visa and Mastercard on behalf of a purported class of merchants located in 25 states and the District of Columbia who have taken payment using the Square card acceptance service — one by Hayley Lanning and others on April 28 and one by Camp Grounds Coffee and others on June 16. Plaintiffs in all three actions subsequently served motions for partial summary judgment. Thereafter, in May and September 2024, the district court denied motions for partial summary judgment filed by the Lanning and Camp Grounds plaintiffs and the Old Jericho plaintiffs, which all three plaintiff groups have now appealed. To the extent these plaintiffs’ claims are not released by the Amended Settlement Agreement, Visa believes they are covered by the U.S. Retrospective Responsibility Plan.
Injunctive Relief Class. Following remand from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the appointment of Injunctive Relief Class counsel, on September 27, 2021, the district court certified without opt out rights an Injunctive Relief Class consisting of all merchants that accept Visa or Mastercard credit or debit cards in the United States at any time between December 18, 2020 and entry of final judgment.
From January through April 2024, the district court issued rulings on various summary judgment motions. The district court granted in part and denied in part defendants’ motion for summary judgment under Ohio v. American Express, denied defendants' motions for summary judgment based on the post-IPO conspiracy claims, and granted defendants’ motion for summary judgment on Injunctive Relief Class plaintiffs’ monopolization claims. The district court denied the Injunctive Relief Class plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment.
On March 25, 2024, Visa and Mastercard entered into a settlement agreement to resolve the Injunctive Relief Class claims. On March 26, 2024, the Injunctive Relief Class plaintiffs filed a motion for preliminary approval of the settlement, which was denied on June 25, 2024.
Interchange Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) – Individual Merchant Actions
Since May 2013, more than 50 cases have been filed in or removed to various federal district courts by hundreds of merchants generally pursuing damages claims on allegations similar to those raised in MDL 1720. The cases name as defendants Visa Inc., Visa U.S.A., Visa International, Mastercard Incorporated and Mastercard International Incorporated, although some also include certain U.S. financial institutions as defendants. A number of the cases include allegations that Visa has monopolized, attempted to monopolize and/or conspired to monopolize debit card-related market segments. Some of the cases seek an injunction against the setting of default interchange rates; certain Visa operating rules relating to merchants, including the honor-all-cards rule; and various transaction fees, including the fixed acquirer network fee. In addition, some cases assert that Visa, Mastercard and/or their member banks conspired to prevent the adoption of chip-and-PIN authentication in the U.S. or otherwise circumvent competition in the debit market. Certain individual merchants have filed amended complaints to, among other things, add claims for injunctive relief and update claims for damages.
The individual merchant actions described in this section are U.S. covered litigation for purposes of the U.S. retrospective responsibility plan. See Note 5—U.S. and Europe Retrospective Responsibility Plans.
Visa has reached settlements with a number of merchants representing approximately 82% of the Visa-branded payment card sales volume of merchants who opted out of the Amended Settlement Agreement with the Damages Class plaintiffs.
The district court’s rulings on defendants’ summary judgment motions under Ohio v. American Express and on post-IPO conspiracy claims, described above, apply to these Individual Merchant Actions. In addition, on October 9, 2022, defendants’ motion for summary judgment regarding damages for EMV-related chargebacks was denied. On February 22, 2024, defendants' motion for summary judgment based on Illinois Brick standing was denied, and the district court denied as moot certain plaintiffs’ motions for partial summary judgment. On April 2, 2024, the district court granted in part and denied in part defendants’ motion for summary judgment on certain plaintiffs’ monopolization claims.
In July 2024, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation remanded the action led by Target Corporation and action led by 7-Eleven, Inc. to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and remanded the action led by Grubhub Holdings Inc. to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Trials have been scheduled to begin in April 2026 for a subset of plaintiffs in the actions pending in the Southern District of New York, and in September 2026 for the plaintiffs in the action pending in the Northern District of Illinois.
In May 2024, the district court found that merchants serviced by Intuit and Square are members of the MDL Damages Class and therefore granted defendants’ motion to enforce the Amended Settlement Agreement, and denied a motion by Intuit for partial summary judgment, regarding claims in the actions brought by Intuit and Block in their capacity as payment facilitators. In November 2024, defendants served a motion for injunction compelling dismissal of claims by Intuit and Block.
On March 24, 2025, the magistrate judge recommended that the motion for injunction be denied, and the district court adopted the recommendation on August 22, 2025.
The Company believes it has substantial defenses to the claims asserted in the putative class actions and individual merchant actions, but the final outcome of individual legal claims is inherently unpredictable. The Company could incur judgments, enter into settlements or revise its expectations regarding the outcome of merchants’ claims, and such developments could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial results in the period in which the effect becomes probable and reasonably estimable. While the U.S. retrospective responsibility plan is designed to address monetary liability in these matters, see Note 5—U.S. and Europe Retrospective Responsibility Plans, judgments or settlements that require the Company to change its business practices, rules, or contractual commitments could adversely affect the Company’s financial results.
Consumer Interchange Litigation
In 2022, a putative class action was filed in California state court against Visa, Mastercard and certain financial institutions on behalf of all Visa and Mastercard cardholders in California who made a purchase using a Visa-branded or Mastercard-branded payment card in California from January 1, 2004. Plaintiffs primarily allege a conspiracy to fix interchange fees and seek injunctive relief, attorneys’ fees and damages as direct and indirect purchasers based on alleged violations of California law. After plaintiffs filed an amended complaint asserting the same claims as asserted in the prior complaint, Visa removed the action to federal court, and the case was transferred to MDL 1720.
On December 30, 2024, the district court adopted a magistrate judge’s recommendation to deny defendants’ motion to compel arbitration and grant defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiffs’ California law claims, and plaintiffs moved for reconsideration. On May 12, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York denied plaintiffs’ motion for reconsideration and their request for leave to amend the complaint, which decision plaintiffs both appealed and moved to further reconsider. On October 20, 2025, the reconsideration motion was denied.
VE Territory Covered Litigation
Since July 2013, proceedings have been commenced by more than 1,150 Merchants (the capitalized term “Merchant”, when used in this section, means a Merchant together with subsidiary/affiliate companies that are party to the same claim) against Visa Europe, Visa Inc. and other Visa subsidiaries in the UK and other countries, primarily relating to interchange rates in Europe and, in some cases, relating to fees charged by Visa and certain Visa rules. They seek damages for alleged anti-competitive conduct in relation to one or more of the following types of interchange fees for credit and debit card transactions: UK domestic, other European domestic, intra-European
Economic Area and/or other inter-regional. As of the filing date, Visa has settled the claims asserted by over 950 Merchants, and there are over 100 Merchants with outstanding claims. In addition, merchants continue to threaten similar proceedings, and in some cases, the Company has entered into standstill agreements. While the amount of interchange being challenged could be substantial, these claims have not yet been filed and their full scope is not yet known. The Company anticipates additional claims in the future.
On June 17, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom found that Visa’s UK domestic interchange before the introduction of the Interchange Fee Regulation (IFR) restricted competition, a case which was subsequently settled. On November 26, 2021, the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) found that the question of whether domestic interchange fees are a restriction of competition after the introduction of the IFR, along with inter-regional and commercial interchange fees across all time periods, would need to be resolved at trial. The UK Court of Appeal affirmed the CAT’s ruling, and in February and March 2024, the CAT held a trial to consider whether certain interchange rates are a restriction of competition. In April 2025, the CAT completed a trial regarding the extent to which interchange fees were passed on by acquirers and merchants. On June 25, 2025, the CAT issued a decision finding that certain interchange rates restrict competition under UK competition law, and Visa has sought permission from the UK Court of Appeal to appeal that decision.
On December 19, 2024 the UK Court of Appeal issued a decision restricting Merchant damages to six years preceding the claim filing.
On June 1, 2022, two class action claims were filed against Visa with the CAT on behalf of UK businesses that accepted Visa-branded payment cards at any time since June 1, 2016, alleging that UK domestic, intra-European Economic Area and inter-regional interchange fees on commercial credit cards, and inter-regional interchange fees on consumer cards, are anti-competitive. The CAT subsequently granted class certification of the claim regarding interchange fees on commercial credit cards only.
On July 8, 2025, Visa was served with a class action claim in the Netherlands on behalf of Dutch merchants against several Visa entities. The claim alleges that inter-regional interchange fees on transactions at Dutch merchants are a restriction of competition and seeks damages from 1992 to present.
On November 14, 2021, a motion to certify a class action was filed against Visa and Mastercard in the Israel Central District Court. The motion asserts that interchange fees on cross-border transactions in Israel and the Honor All Cards rule are anti-competitive and seeks damages and injunctive relief. Visa filed its response on July 22, 2024. The claimant filed a counter-response and a preliminary hearing was held on February 26, 2025.
The Europe retrospective responsibility plan covers liabilities and losses relating to the covered period. See Note 5—U.S. and Europe Retrospective Responsibility Plans.
Other Litigation
U.S. Department of Justice
On March 13, 2012, the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (Division) issued a Civil Investigative Demand (CID), to Visa Inc. seeking documents and information regarding a potential violation of Section 1 or 2 of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1, 2. The CID focused on PIN-authenticated Visa Debit and Visa’s competitive responses to the Dodd-Frank Act, including Visa’s fixed acquirer network fee. Visa has cooperated with the Division in connection with the CID.
On March 26, 2021, June 11, 2021, January 4, 2023 and May 2, 2023, the Division issued CIDs to Visa, seeking documents and information regarding a potential violation of Section 1 or 2 of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1, 2. The CIDs focused on U.S. debit and competition with other payment methods and networks.
On September 24, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Visa alleging violations of the Sherman Act. The complaint alleges Visa has monopolized and attempted to monopolize general purpose debit network services and card-not-present debit network services in the United States through agreements with merchants, acquirers, and others and that certain agreements unreasonably restrain competition or trade in those markets. The complaint seeks, among other relief, to enjoin Visa from engaging in the alleged anticompetitive practices. On June 23, 2025, the court denied a motion to dismiss filed by Visa.
U.S. Debit Class Actions
Beginning on October 1, 2024, several putative class actions were filed against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York or were filed in other courts and subsequently transferred to that court. The complaints in those actions, brought on behalf of merchants or cardholders, alleged that Visa has monopolized and attempted to monopolize general purpose debit network services and card-not-present debit network services in the United States through agreements with merchants, acquirers, and others and that certain agreements unreasonably restrain competition or trade in those markets. All of the complaints alleged violations of the Sherman Act and sought damages, among other relief and some of the complaints asserted violations of one or more state laws and sought injunctive relief.
On December 16, 2024, an amended consolidated complaint was filed on behalf of all persons, businesses, and other entities in the United States and its territories that have incurred Visa fees for debit routing services from January 1, 2012. A subsequently filed putative class action was consolidated into this complaint. On December 27, 2024, an amended consolidated complaint was filed on behalf of any cardholder in the United States who purchased goods or services with a general purpose Visa-branded debit card from January 1, 2012, and indirectly paid Visa network fees.
On February 24, 2025, Visa filed motions to dismiss the consolidated complaints by merchants and cardholders, which were granted in part and denied in part on October 29, 2025. Separately, on March 28, 2025, Visa filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York to compel dismissal of certain claims asserted by certain putative class representatives which the court denied on August 20, 2025. Visa has appealed that decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
U.S. Securities Class Action
On November 20, 2024, a shareholder filed a putative securities class action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California asserting claims against Visa Inc., and certain current and former officers. Following appointment as lead representative plaintiff, on July 15, 2025, the plaintiff filed an amended complaint asserting claims on behalf of all persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired publicly traded Visa securities between March 2, 2023, and September 23, 2024. The amended complaint alleges that defendants violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and SEC Rule 10b-5 by failing to disclose the alleged practices that are the subject of the lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on September 24, 2024 (see U.S. Department of Justice matter). The plaintiff seeks a ruling that this case may proceed as a class action, and seeks damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs. Visa filed motions to strike and dismiss the amended complaint on September 12, 2025.
Derivative Cases
Between January 31, 2025, and March 27, 2025, three shareholder derivative actions were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. These actions are purportedly brought by shareholders on behalf of Visa Inc. and against certain current and former directors and officers. Collectively, the actions assert claims for breach of fiduciary duty and violations of Sections 10(b) and 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for failing to disclose that Visa was in violation of U.S. federal antitrust laws, as alleged in the lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on September 24, 2024 (see U.S. Department of Justice matter), as well as claims under Sections 20(a) and 21D of the Exchange Act, and for unjust enrichment, abuse of control, gross mismanagement, waste of corporate assets, insider trading, and aiding and abetting. Plaintiffs seek monetary damages, corporate governance changes, and other equitable relief on behalf of Visa Inc., in addition to attorneys’ fees and costs. On July 23, 2025, the court entered an order approving the parties’ stipulation to stay the case pending resolution of the motion to dismiss filed in the U.S. Securities Class Action matter.
Debit Surcharge Class Action
On December 4, 2024, a putative class action was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against Visa Inc. on behalf of a nationwide class of all persons in the United States who paid a surcharge when completing a purchase with a Visa debit card in a transaction with a merchant located in the United States since 2010. The complaint claims that Visa has failed to enforce its rules prohibiting merchants from surcharging those transactions, and that plaintiff and putative class members have been harmed as a result. On May 28, 2025, the district court granted a motion to dismiss by Visa, and plaintiff subsequently filed an amended complaint
asserting unjust enrichment and unfair competition claims, and seeking monetary damages, declarative and injunctive relief. On July 23, 2025, Visa filed a motion to dismiss the amended complaint.
U.S. ATM Access Fee Litigation
National ATM Council Class Action. In October 2011, the National ATM Council and thirteen non-bank ATM operators filed a purported class action lawsuit against Visa and Mastercard in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The complaint challenges Visa’s rule (and a similar Mastercard rule) that if an ATM operator chooses to charge consumers an access fee for a Visa or Plus transaction, that fee cannot be greater than the access fee charged for transactions on other networks. Plaintiffs claim that the rule violates Section 1 of the Sherman Act and seek treble damages, injunctive relief and attorneys’ fees. On August 4, 2021, the district court granted plaintiffs’ motion for class certification. On August 20, 2025, Cardtronics USA, Inc., filed an opt-out complaint against Visa and Mastercard in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking damages, injunctive relief, and attorneys’ fees based on allegations similar to those alleged in the class complaint.
Consumer Class Actions. In October 2011, a purported consumer class action, Burke, et al. v. Visa Inc., et al. (Burke) was filed against Visa and Mastercard in the same federal court challenging the same ATM access fee rules. Two other purported consumer class actions challenging the rules, later combined in Mackmin, et al. v. Visa Inc., et al., (Mackmin), were also filed in October 2011 in the same federal court naming Visa, Mastercard and three financial institutions as defendants. Plaintiffs sought treble damages, restitution, injunctive relief and attorneys’ fees where available under federal and state law, including under Section 1 of the Sherman Act and consumer protection statutes. On August 4, 2021, the district court granted class certification in each case.
On August 8, 2022, the district court in Mackmin granted plaintiffs’ motion for final approval of a class action settlement with the three financial institution defendants and entered final judgments of dismissal as to those institutions. On June 23, 2025, the district court in Mackmin granted plaintiffs’ motion for final approval of a class action settlement and entered final judgments of dismissal as to Visa and Mastercard.
Visa and Mastercard entered into a class settlement agreement with plaintiffs in Burke, subject to court approval.
EMV Chip Liability Shift
Following their initial complaint filed on March 8, 2016, B&R Supermarket, Inc., d/b/a Milam’s Market, and Grove Liquors LLC filed an amended class action complaint on July 15, 2016, against Visa Inc., Visa U.S.A., Mastercard, Discover, American Express, EMVCo and certain financial institutions in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The amended complaint asserts that defendants, through EMVCo, conspired to shift liability for fraudulent, faulty, or otherwise rejected payment card transactions from defendants to the purported class of merchants, defined as those merchants throughout the U.S. who have been subjected to the “Liability Shift” since October 2015. Plaintiffs claim that the “Liability Shift” violates Sections 1 and 3 of the Sherman Act and certain state laws, and seek treble damages, injunctive relief and attorneys’ fees.
EMVCo and the financial institution defendants were dismissed, and the matter was subsequently transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. On August 28, 2020, the court granted plaintiffs’ motion for class certification. On November 30, 2022, Visa and other defendants served motions to decertify and for summary judgment, which the court subsequently denied.
On June 24, 2025, plaintiffs filed a motion for preliminary approval of class settlements with Discover and American Express.
Visa and Mastercard entered a class settlement agreement with plaintiffs, and the court granted preliminary approval of that settlement on October 17, 2025.
MiCamp Solutions
On December 8, 2023, a complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California by MiCamp Solutions, LLC against Visa on behalf of a purported class of Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs) and their merchant customers and a purported subclass of ISOs. Thereafter, plaintiff filed an amended complaint alleging violations of federal and state antitrust laws, state data privacy laws and the constitution, based on, among other things, Visa’s interchange fees and its assessment of fees for non-compliance with its surcharge rules. The
complaint sought to recover damages and to enjoin the enforcement of Visa’s default interchange and surcharge rules, among other things. Visa filed a motion to dismiss that amended complaint on March 19, 2024.
On March 24, 2025, the court dismissed with prejudice plaintiffs’ constitutional law claims, dismissed with leave to amend its federal and state antitrust claims and state data privacy law claims. On April 14, 2025, plaintiff filed a second amended individual complaint alleging violations of federal and state antitrust and unfair competition laws based on Visa’s assessment of fees for non-compliance with its surcharge rules which Visa moved to dismiss on May 28, 2025.
Mirage Wine + Spirit’s Inc.
On December 14, 2023, a putative class action was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois by Mirage Wine + Spirit’s Inc. against Apple Inc. (Apple), Visa Inc. and Mastercard Incorporated on behalf of certain merchants in the United States that accepted Apple Pay as a method of payment at the physical point-of-sale from December 14, 2019. Plaintiff alleged a conspiracy under which Apple agreed not to enter a purported market for point-of-sale payment card networks services and seeks damages, injunctive relief and attorneys’ fees based on alleged violations of Section 1 of the Sherman Act. Plaintiffs filed an Amended Class Action Complaint on August 5, 2024, and defendants filed a motion to dismiss which the court granted. On August 8, 2025, the parties filed a stipulation for dismissal with prejudice, and the court subsequently entered a final judgment of dismissal as to all defendants.
U.S. Income Tax Litigation
On June 21, 2024, the Company filed a complaint against the United States in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. The complaint challenges the denial by the Internal Revenue Service of certain income tax deductions from 2008 through 2015 related to software that the Company developed in the United States for utilization by Visa clients.
European Commission Acquirer Fees Investigation
On August 30, 2024, the EC informed Visa that it has opened a preliminary investigation into Visa’s fees charged to acquirers. Visa is cooperating with the EC in connection with the investigation.
German ATM Litigation
Beginning in December 2021, Visa was served with claims in Germany brought by German banks against Visa Europe and Visa Inc. The banks claim that Visa’s ATM rules prohibiting the charging of access fees on domestic cash withdrawals are anti-competitive, and the majority seek damages. Visa has filed challenges to the jurisdiction of the German courts to hear these claims. Jurisdictional challenges have been granted in some claims and denied in other claims, and these decisions have been appealed. One of Visa’s jurisdictional challenges is pending in the German Federal Court of Justice.
Europe Interchange Litigation
On June 20, 2025, Visa was served with claims by a group of Swiss merchants filed in the Zurich Commercial Court against several Visa entities. The claims allege that interchange fees on transactions in Switzerland are an unlawful restriction of competition and seek damages from June 1, 2022.