New York, Feb 17, 2026, 10:46 (EST) — Regular session
- Visa picked up roughly 1.3% out of the gate, while major U.S. equity ETFs edged lower.
- Freedom Capital bumped Visa up to “Buy” and raised its price target to $375.
- Visa’s Olympics spending numbers landed, while in the UK, efforts ramped up to create a new payments alternative—keeping the sector in the spotlight.
Visa Inc (V.N) traded 1.3% higher at $318.02 early Tuesday. Mastercard (MA.N) added roughly 0.5%, American Express (AXP.N) advanced 0.6%. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY.P) dropped 0.7%. Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ.O) lost 1.3%.
Visa shares kicked higher as the holiday-shortened week began, investors weighing up valuations while parsing a fresh wave of headlines over payment infrastructure control. Analysts are watching for evidence that payment processors are able to sustain volume growth without inviting stricter regulatory scrutiny.
Freedom Capital bumped Visa up to Buy from Hold and bumped its price target to $375, up from $360. Analyst Mikhail Paramonov called the shares “cheaper” than Mastercard’s and said a “share re-rating” might be in the cards if Visa keeps outperforming. 1
Visa highlighted a surge in spending linked to the Olympic Winter Games in northern Italy. The company reported a jump of over 60% in visits from overseas Visa cardholders during the opening weekend, while contactless transactions were up nearly 40% versus last year, according to VisaNet data reviewed by Visa Consulting & Analytics. 2
Antony Cahill, chief executive of Visa Europe, said in the release that Italian businesses saw more visitors and purchases during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony weekend compared with last year. Visa has put together a dedicated network for the Games, projecting that Visa cards will be accepted at roughly 800 sales points across 13 venues. 2
But the Olympics are stirring up Europe’s ongoing argument over U.S. card network dominance. Backed by a sponsorship deal first signed in 1986 and now running through 2032, Visa remains the exclusive card accepted at official Olympic outlets, Reuters reported. The European Central Bank, which aims to roll out a digital euro by 2029, isn’t hiding its concern. “We need to address our current dependencies in retail payments and reverse the tide,” ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone told Reuters. 3
Top executives from Britain’s major banks are slated to gather on Thursday, kicking off talks on building a homegrown rival to Visa and Mastercard, according to the Guardian. The paper noted that the two American giants handle around 95% of UK card payments. Visa, speaking to the Guardian, said it “welcomed industry progress on account-to-account payments”—a system letting banks move money directly, cutting card companies out of the loop. 4
Visa has carved out a new sub-region that includes Egypt, Libya, and Sudan, part of its broader push for expansion. Malak El Baba steps in as country manager overseeing all three. “These markets are at pivotal moments in their digital transformation journeys,” El Baba said in the release. 5
Visa isn’t a lender; it makes its money by handling payments and charging fees linked to transaction volume, cross-border spending, and services it provides to banks and merchants. So, travel and large-scale events draw extra focus, particularly as consumer demand shows signs of shakiness in other segments.
The risk here is clear enough. Should Europe and the UK shift from discussing to actually rolling out domestic networks, account-to-account alternatives, or fee-limiting regulations, Visa could find its long-term pricing power under pressure. Any pullback in consumer spending would likely hit payment volumes quickly.
The next key date for traders lands on Thursday, Feb. 19. That’s when UK banks are scheduled to gather for their first meeting on “DeliveryCo,” the proposed alternative. This session should bring some clarity on funding, governance, and just how soon an actual rival might take shape.
