VisaNet

At its core, Visa is a network that connects financial institutions, merchants and cardholders worldwide. VisaNet's centralized and integrated network architecture allows Visa to provide real-time, value-added payment and information services to our customers. In addition, the centralized processing platform provides Visa with the flexibility to develop, modify and enhance Visa product platforms and processing services quickly and efficiently.

The History of VisaNet
In 1973, National BankAmericard Inc. (NBI) developed the world's first electronic authorization system, followed by the launch of the first electronic clearing and settlement system a year later. Visa became the first payment card company to offer multi-currency clearing and settlement in 1986. In 1993, Visa introduced a state-of-the-art neural network, potentially reducing the incidence of card fraud by providing Visa financial institutions with smarter and timelier data about cardholder behavior. In 2005, Visa opened a new transactions processing center that expanded the capacity and capabilities of VisaNet. The opening of the new data center – dubbed Operations Center Central – paved the way for the next generation of Visa transaction processing and value-added services.

Network Attributes

  • Scale – VisaNet connects banks and merchants worldwide. Based on tests that we conducted with IBM in July 2005, we estimate that VisaNet can process more than 12,000 transaction messages per second. We believe that the scale of our processing network provides us with a significant cost advantage over our competitors.
  • Reliability – Visa operates four global processing centers that are synchronized and can shift transaction volume from one data center to another in the event of a natural disaster or technical difficulty. At the same time, our next generation data center houses multiple authorization engines, essentially "data centers within a data center." Combined, these advances ensure the VisaNet system is always available and has enough processing power to meet the growing demand for electronic payments.
  • Security – Because of VisaNet's centralized architecture, Visa is able to "see" every transaction as it flows through our network. This enables us to risk-score transactions in real time with Advanced Authorization, potentially stopping fraud at the most important point – before it happens.
  • Value-added Services – We also offer a broad range of value-added services such as enhanced risk management, dispute processing, loyalty programs and other information-based services, which are enabled by our centralized global processing platform. The Visa Incentive Network (VIN), for example, uses VisaNet's centralized processing capabilities to help deliver tailored rewards based on cardholders' needs and interests.


February 2008