Visa

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Visa has been a Worldwide Olympic Partner since 1986, making it a founding member of the IOC's TOP (The Olympic Partner) Programme and one of the longest-tenured sponsors in the Olympic ecosystem. The partnership, extended through Brisbane 2032 in 2018, designates Visa as the exclusive Worldwide Payment Technology Partner. In practical terms, Visa is the only card and mobile payment method accepted at Olympic and Paralympic venues, with cash as the sole alternative.

Visa's Olympic partnership is uniquely operational: the company builds and operates the entire payment infrastructure at each Games, processing millions of transactions across thousands of points of sale. This goes far beyond brand placement. At Paris 2024, Visa deployed a custom payment solution covering 3,500 points of sale across 32 Olympic venues and 16 Paralympic venues. Each Games also serves as a laboratory for payment innovation, from the earliest contactless trials to NFC wearables and transit integration.

For LA28, Visa will be the Official Way to Pay. Given that Los Angeles is both a major financial center and Visa's home market (headquarters in San Francisco, with significant operations throughout California), LA28 represents a domestic showcase for the company's payment technology.

1. OLYMPIC HISTORY & MARKETING PRESENCE

1.1 Partnership Timeline & Evolution

Visa's Olympic partnership predates the TOP Programme itself. Key milestones:

• 1986: Joined as a founding member of the TOP Programme
• 2002 Salt Lake City: Became the first global partner of the International Paralympic Committee
• 2003: Formalized global Paralympic partnership (has sponsored every Paralympics since 2002)
• 2012 London: Major contactless payment deployment across Olympic venues. Publicis Groupe (Saatchi & Saatchi, ZenithOptimedia, Digitas, Publicis Dialog, Freud Communications) handled Olympics marketing
• 2018: Extended Worldwide Olympic Partnership through Brisbane 2032

Paris 2024 - Custom payment solution deployed across 3,500 points of sale at 32 Olympic venues and 16 Paralympic venues - Visa was the exclusive card and mobile payment method accepted at venues (alongside cash) - Paris 2024 Megastore on the Champs-Elysees and all official merchandise shops accepted only Visa - Expanded Team Visa roster to 117 athletes across 60+ markets and 40+ sports, the largest and most diverse group in the program's history - "Level Up Your Game" activation: brought together Team Visa athletes and Gen Z creators in Paris - Visa data showed measurable tourism boost in France during the Games period

Milano Cortina 2026 - Launched SkiTap26 wearable bracelet (December 2025): combines contactless Visa payment with RFID ski-lift access in a single device, available to Visa cardholders from Italian banks - Working with local transport operators to enable contactless "tap to ride" payments across Milan, Verona, Venice, and major airport links - Collaborating with 50+ mountain resorts to digitize services (lift passes, lodging, equipment rental, ski lessons) through card-based payments - SMB (small and medium business) focus: Visa research highlighted that the Games are expected to deliver positive economic impact for small businesses across host regions

1.2 Signature Programs

Team Visa: Athlete sponsorship program supporting Olympic and Paralympic athletes with financial grants, mentoring, and brand-building support. The 2024 class of 117 athletes across 60+ markets and 40+ sports was the program's largest and most diverse roster in the program's history. Athletes span both established stars and emerging competitors from underrepresented markets and sports.

Notable Team Visa Athletes (Paris 2024): - Simone Biles (Gymnastics, USA) - Four-time Olympic gold medalist, returned from mental health hiatus to compete in Paris - Noah Lyles (Track & Field, USA) - 100m Olympic gold medalist (Paris 2024), world champion sprinter - Sky Brown (Skateboarding, Great Britain) - Olympic bronze medalist at age 13 (Tokyo 2020), returned for Paris 2024 - Iga Swiatek (Tennis, Poland) - World No. 1, multiple Grand Slam champion - PV Sindhu (Badminton, India) - Two-time Olympic medalist (silver Rio 2016, bronze Tokyo 2020) - Adam Peaty (Swimming, Great Britain) - Two-time Olympic gold medalist - Neeraj Chopra (Javelin, India) - Olympic gold medalist (Tokyo 2020), first Indian Olympic gold in track and field - Hidilyn Diaz (Weightlifting, Philippines) - Olympic gold medalist (Tokyo 2020), first Filipino Olympic gold medalist - Tatjana Smith (Swimming, South Africa) - Olympic gold medalist (Tokyo 2020) in 200m breaststroke

Milano Cortina 2026 Team Visa: Visa expanded the roster to 147 athletes for the 2026 cycle, its largest-ever class. The program continues to emphasize athletes from emerging Olympic markets and underrepresented sports alongside marquee names.

Payment Innovation Showcase: Each Games serves as a platform for Visa's latest payment technology. The progression from chip-and-PIN to contactless to wearables to transit integration tracks the evolution of digital payments globally.

Venue Payment Infrastructure: Visa builds and operates the complete payment system at each Games. This operational role (thousands of POS terminals, staff training, fraud prevention) is invisible to most fans but represents a massive logistical undertaking.

Cashless Future Narrative: Olympic venues as "cashless-optional" environments (Visa + cash only, no other cards) allow Visa to demonstrate a future where its network is the default payment method.

2. LA28-SPECIFIC INITIATIVES

2.1 Announced Plans & Positioning

• Visa is the "Official Way to Pay" for LA28
• As a founding TOP Programme member, Visa has priority access to all LA28 commercial opportunities
• LA28 ticketing and hospitality programs (announced September 2025) will integrate Visa payment infrastructure
• Expected to deploy the most advanced payment system in Olympic history, building on innovations from Paris 2024 and Milano Cortina 2026
• Wearable payment technology (building on SkiTap26) likely to feature prominently
• Los Angeles transit integration (TAP card system, Metro, rideshare) represents a significant opportunity
• SMB activation across greater Los Angeles expected, connecting Olympic tourism with local business

LA28 Venue Context: The Games will use 40+ competition venues across the LA metro area, with a dual-venue Opening Ceremony shared between the LA Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium (announced May 2025). LA28 will be the first Games since 1948 built entirely on existing infrastructure. Visa must deploy payment infrastructure across this entire dispersed footprint. SoFi Stadium will be reconfigured for swimming in Week 2 (38,000 capacity, largest swimming venue in Olympic history). LA28 announced a first-of-its-kind venue naming rights program in August 2025, including Intuit Dome (basketball), Honda Center (volleyball), and Peacock Theater (weightlifting/boxing). Visa's POS systems will operate at all of these branded venues and across all official merchandise locations, including through Fanatics' retail platform.

Ticketing Integration: The LA28 Ticket Draw registration opened January 14, 2026 with tickets starting at $28. A Locals Presale (LA, Orange, Riverside, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties) runs April 2-6, 2026 before the general sale (Drop 1) opens April 9. Visa's payment exclusivity means all ticket purchases at venue box offices and official points of sale will be Visa-only (plus cash), and Visa payment integration with the LA28 ticketing platform creates a data-rich view of consumer purchasing behavior across the Games.

LA Transit Opportunity: LA Metro's TAP card system and expanding rail network (including the Purple Line extension) present a unique transit integration opportunity. Visa's "tap to ride" contactless payment capability, tested at Milano Cortina 2026 across Milan, Verona, Venice, and airport links, could be deployed across LA's transit system during the Games period, connecting venue access with Visa's payment network.

2.2 Regulatory/Market Context

• Payment exclusivity: Visa's venue exclusivity means Mastercard, American Express, and other payment networks cannot process transactions at Olympic sites. This is a significant competitive advantage but occasionally generates consumer friction and media criticism
• Cashless trend: Visa's push toward cashless venues aligns with broader societal trends but faces regulatory scrutiny in some markets where cashless mandates are restricted (though the US is generally permissive)
• LA context: Los Angeles has high card penetration and strong digital payment adoption, making it a favorable market for Visa's innovation showcase
• Apple Pay/Google Pay: Mobile wallet transactions processed on the Visa network count as Visa transactions, so the rise of mobile payments benefits rather than threatens Visa's Olympic position

3. EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP & DECISION-MAKERS

3.1 C-Suite Leadership

• Ryan McInerney: Chief Executive Officer (since February 2023). Previously President, responsible for Visa's global businesses. With Visa since June 2013. Prior to Visa, held leadership roles at JPMorgan Chase
• Chris Suh: Chief Financial Officer
• Mark Jamison: Global Head of Products and Strategy

3.2 Olympic Partnership Leadership

• Visa's Olympic sponsorship is managed through the company's global marketing and sponsorship organization
• Alexey Bokov: CMO, Visa Europe. Quoted in connection with Olympic sponsorship strategy for European activations
• Olympic partnership operational delivery (venue payment systems) is managed through Visa's technology and operations teams, separate from marketing

3.3 Board Members with Relevant Experience

Visa's board includes directors from major financial services, technology, and consumer companies. Alfred F. Kelly Jr., who preceded McInerney as CEO, oversaw the 2018 partnership extension through 2032.

4. AGENCY & CREATIVE PARTNERS

4.1 Agency Model

Visa operates a multi-agency model with a global creative framework supplemented by regional and category-specific agencies.

4.2 Known Agency/Partner Relationships

• Publicis Groupe: Long-standing relationship with Visa's Olympic marketing. Saatchi & Saatchi operates as part of Publicis' "Power of One" model for Visa. Historically handled Olympic sponsorship activation (confirmed for 2012 London, and continuing)
• Wieden+Kennedy: Co-leads Visa's global creative alongside Publicis, handling creative strategy and major campaign initiatives
• Publicis Media (ZenithOptimedia): Global media planning and buying
• Digitas (Publicis): Digital marketing
• Creative split: W+K leads creative strategy and major initiatives; Publicis handles product-level and hyper-local work plus global media

4.3 Notable Creative Executions

• "Level Up Your Game" (Paris 2024): Team Visa athletes and Gen Z creators activation. Creator-driven content strategy targeting younger demographics
• Contactless payment showcases: Each Games features Visa branding on wearable payment devices, POS terminals, and transit integrations that double as brand touchpoints
• Team Visa athlete content: Short-form storytelling featuring sponsored athletes, distributed across social platforms
• SkiTap26 (Milano Cortina 2026): Wearable payment bracelet combining Visa contactless with ski-lift RFID access

5. COMPETITIVE POSITIONING

5.1 Market Share & Competitive Landscape

Visa is the world's largest payment technology company by transaction volume and revenue:

• FY2025 Net Revenue: $40.0 billion (11% increase YoY)
• FY2024 Net Revenue: $35.9 billion (10% increase YoY)
• Payment Volume Growth: 8% YoY on constant-dollar basis (both FY2024 and FY2025)
• Processed Transactions (Q4 FY2025): 67.7 billion (10% increase YoY)
• Cross-Border Volume: 13% growth excluding intra-European transactions (FY2025)

Key Competitors and Their Sports Sponsorship Strategies: - Mastercard: Visa's primary global competitor. Mastercard holds exclusive sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League, the Rugby World Cup, the PGA Tour, and the FIFA World Cup (through 2030). Mastercard does not hold Olympic sponsorship, meaning it cannot process transactions at Olympic venues. This is Visa's most significant competitive advantage in sports sponsorship. - American Express: Sponsors the US Open (tennis), the Ryder Cup, and select premium entertainment properties. No Olympic or FIFA affiliation. AmEx's premium positioning overlaps with Visa's Olympic hospitality audience. - UnionPay: China's dominant payment network. Not a global sports sponsor but benefits from Alibaba's TOP status in the Chinese market context. - Apple Pay / Google Pay: Mobile wallet transactions processed on the Visa network count as Visa transactions at Olympic venues, so their growth benefits rather than threatens Visa's Olympic position.

5.2 Olympic Sponsorship Differentiation

• Venue exclusivity: Only Visa cards/mobile payments accepted at Olympic venues (with cash). This is among the most tangible exclusive rights in the TOP Programme
• Operational depth: Visa doesn't just sponsor the Games; it builds and operates critical infrastructure. Payment system failure would directly impact Games operations
• Innovation platform: Each Games showcases Visa's latest payment technology to a global audience
• 40-year tenure: Longest continuous payment technology partnership with any global sporting property
• Direct commerce connection: Unlike sponsors whose ROI is measured in brand awareness, Visa can measure Olympic impact through transaction data, payment volume, and new cardholder acquisition
• Tourism multiplier: Visa data demonstrating tourism spending lifts during Games periods reinforces the company's broader narrative about the value of travel and cross-border commerce

5.3 Key Brand Messaging

• "Everywhere you want to be" (historic tagline)
• Payment innovation and seamless commerce
• Connecting people through the universal language of payment
• Supporting athletes and small businesses through the Olympic platform
• Cashless convenience and security

6. KEY METRICS & BUSINESS CONTEXT

6.1 Financial Performance

• FY2025 Net Revenue: $40.0 billion (11% growth)
• FY2024 Net Revenue: $35.9 billion (10% growth)
• Payment Volume (FY2025): 8% growth on constant-dollar basis
• Cross-Border Volume (FY2025): 13% growth excluding intra-European
• Processed Transactions (Q4 FY2025): 67.7 billion
• Market Capitalization: Approximately $600+ billion (among the 10 most valuable US companies)

6.2 Olympic Period Performance

Visa's Olympic activations generate measurable business impact:

• Paris 2024: Visa data showed a boost in tourism spending in France during the Games period
• Transaction volume: Olympic venues generate millions of Visa transactions across merchandise, food and beverage, and hospitality during a concentrated 16-day period
• Cross-border premium: International visitors using Visa cards at Olympic venues generate higher-margin cross-border transaction fees
• New cardholder acquisition: Olympic-themed card products and promotions drive acquisition in host markets
• Brand awareness: Exclusive venue payment presence reinforces Visa as the default payment method for global events

APPENDIX: KEY SOURCES

Official Sources

• IOC Official Partner Page: olympics.com/ioc/partners/visa
• Visa Sponsorships: corporate.visa.com/about-visa/sponsorships-promotions
• Visa Newsroom: usa.visa.com/about-visa/newsroom
• LA28 Official Partners: la28.org/en/our-partners.html

Industry Analysis

• Marketing Week: Visa Olympic sponsorship account reporting
• Creative Salon: Visa Europe CMO profile (Alexey Bokov)
• Ad Age/Adweek: Visa global creative agency appointments

Financial Filings

• Visa FY2025 Fourth Quarter and Full-Year Results
• Visa FY2024 Fourth Quarter and Full-Year Results
• Visa Annual Report 2024

End of Research Brief