New York, Feb 22, 2026, 13:26 EST — The session ended with the market closed.
- Visa’s bid to buy a 51% stake in Mexican payments processor Prosa has been nixed by Mexico’s antitrust authority.
- Visa finished Friday’s session up 0.63%. The regulator’s decision landed after the bell.
- Traders this week are zeroing in on Visa’s moves in Mexico, plus scanning the broader market for fresh reads on tariffs and inflation.
Mexico’s National Antitrust Commission has blocked Visa’s planned move to acquire 51% of payment processor Prosa, handing down the decision late Friday. The regulator cited potential risks to the financial system, saying the tie-up between the global card network and a big domestic processor—owner of the Carnet card brand—would hurt competition. The ruling could sway the stock when U.S. markets open Monday.
This decision drops on a weekend, which means markets get no time to stagger their reaction—everything hits at Monday’s open. The regulator’s tone is hard to miss. Not only did it claim the deal wipes out a direct competitor, but it flagged Visa’s potential grab of rivals’ transaction data—a level of scrutiny regulators often save for headline cases.
Visa finished Friday at $320.95, gaining 0.63%, after moving in a $317.82 to $322.35 range. News of the Mexico decision emerged after the bell, teeing up potential gap risk for the upcoming session rather than the one just wrapped.
Visa didn’t hold back, labeling the move a blow to both competition and modernization. The company, in a statement, said it’s “disappointed” by the ruling and “carefully reviewing” its next steps, adding that it “will evaluate all available options.” Visa Corporate
Visa barely budged in quiet after-hours action, ticking up just 0.02% to $321.00. These sessions often see light volume and choppy price moves on even minor news.
Traders pushed into riskier assets as the weekend approached. U.S. stocks closed out Friday in positive territory, reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn President Donald Trump’s global tariffs. Investors also digested Trump’s subsequent move—a short-term 10% tariff—which seemed to provide some relief. “Today is a removal of some uncertainty, and we’re on to the next phase,” said Mike Dickson, Horizon Investments’ head of research and quantitative strategies. Reuters
Macro drivers didn’t quite line up. U.S. economic growth lost momentum in the fourth quarter, Friday’s data showed, while December’s Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index—the Fed’s preferred inflation metric—picked up speed, complicating the outlook for rate cuts. “Striking down of these tariffs will benefit corporate bottom lines, corporate earnings,” said Tim Ghriskey, senior portfolio strategist at Ingalls & Snyder. Still, he cautioned, policy shifts could rattle markets. Reuters
Payments stocks tracked broader moves Friday, with Mastercard picking up 1.18% to close at $526.41. The gain put it ahead of Visa for the session as traders favored large-cap financial and payments shares.
The setback in Mexico is the kind of regulatory overhang that tends to linger. Should Visa fail to resurrect the Prosa transaction—or if delays mount—it risks complicating ambitions to expand its local processing footprint. That could also draw sharper scrutiny from investors, who may start eyeing other regions where regulators could resist.
Looking ahead, traders are set to scrutinize any updates on Visa’s plans in Mexico, following the company’s announcement that it’s weighing its options. Alongside that, markets are on alert for potential tariff developments and a packed earnings slate, with Nvidia slated to report results this Wednesday, Feb. 25.
