Visa isn’t just a leader in payments. It’s the most profitable major company in the world by net profit margin. This breathtaking profitability stems from its plum position as the middleman in countless credit and debit card transactions. The company takes just a small slice of each transaction, but considering Visa processed a staggering $13.2 trillion in payments in 2024, these modest cuts cumulatively amount to an immense sum.

The company's virtually untouchable market dominance and minimal competition enable it to generate formidable net income. But this very dominance is drawing increasing scrutiny, with Visa currently facing a wave of antitrust investigations in the US, EU, and elsewhere.

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