Visa Shares Increase After Net Workforce Reduction as 2,600 Jobs Cut Surpass 2025 Hiring

NEW YORK, July 28, 2026, 13:59 EDT

Visa stock rose 1.8% after the company said it would move ahead with plans to cut around 2,600 jobs.
The decrease corresponds to 104% of Visa’s net increase in employees in fiscal 2025.
Initial estimates indicate the 7% reduction amounts to $487 million in yearly personnel costs.

Shares of Visa NYSE:V were up 1.8% at $369.06 as of 1:43 p.m. EDT, during active U.S. trading hours. The company intends to cut around 2,600 positions, representing 7% of its workforce.

The majority of job cuts will impact technology and product departments, while some positions will also be eliminated across other areas, the employee memo stated.

Scale is the critical focus for investors. In fiscal 2025, Visa expanded its workforce by 2,500, bringing the total to 34,100 employees. The latest reductions surpass the entire yearly increase.

Visa’s most recent yearly data highlights a rapid rise in staffing expenses.

Visa workforce and cost marker	Fiscal 2024	Fiscal 2025	Announced action or estimate
Employees	31,600	34,100	2,600 job reductions planned
Annual employee change	—	+2,500	Reduction represents 104% of that growth
Personnel expense	$6.264 billion	$6.961 billion	Roughly $487 million gross
Non-GAAP operating expense	$11.609 billion	$12.906 billion	Gross figure is 3.8%

*Initial estimate, not official company forecast. The calculation uses the mentioned 7% decrease spread evenly across fiscal 2025 personnel costs. It does not include severance costs, new hires, departures, or any reinvestment plans. Visa has not disclosed an updated headcount figure, making it impossible to confirm a post-reduction total.

Visa reported an 11% increase in personnel expense over the past year, citing greater spending on staffing, compensation, and severance. Adjusted operating expense likewise climbed 11%.

Net revenue climbed 17% in the March quarter, reaching $11.23 billion. Adjusted operating expenses increased by the same 17%, indicating little additional operating leverage.

Visa CEO Ryan McInerney stated the company aims to “drive efficiency” and channel savings into reinvestment. He noted artificial intelligence is transforming operations. According to Bloomberg, AI played a major role, though it was not the only reason. Reuters

Visa made extensive use of AI, with close to 26,000 staff members utilising the company’s internal assistant as of September 2025. Employees initiated upwards of 261,000 chats powered by AI.

The action comes after Mastercard NYSE:MA, Visa’s main network competitor, revealed plans earlier this year to reduce its headcount by 4%. Visa’s intended workforce reduction outpaces that by three percentage points.

Mastercard stock advanced roughly 1.8% in afternoon trading. A broad S&P 500 index fund added approximately 0.2%. The simultaneous movements indicate some backing across sectors, not solely a reaction to layoffs.

Visa will announce fiscal third-quarter earnings following Tuesday’s market close. Analysts project adjusted earnings at $3.23 per share, with revenue seen at $11.4 billion, Barron’s reported.

The projections suggest earnings will rise roughly 20% from the prior year. Revenue is anticipated to increase by around 12%. Investors are looking to see if updated cost guidance will broaden that differential.

Analysts at Evercore’s NYSE:EVR ISI research division described the development as “not a material event.” They regarded it as a pivot to areas promising greater growth and higher returns. Reuters

Risks persist. Reducing staff in product and technology roles may delay launches or undermine controls. Severance costs and reinvestment could take up much of the projected gross savings.

The 5 p.m. EDT call with management may provide clarity on the timing, charges and reinvestment. These factors will shape the enduring margin impact.

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Further analysis

Editorial insight

When is Visa's earnings report, and what are analysts' forecasts?

Visa is set to announce its fiscal third-quarter earnings following Tuesday’s close, followed by a conference call at 5 p.m. Eastern. Analysts on Wall Street project adjusted earnings per share of about $3.23, with revenue estimated at $11.38 billion. These forecasts suggest EPS to rise 8.4% and revenue to increase 11.9% from a year ago. In the same quarter last year, Visa reported adjusted EPS of $2.98 and revenue of $10.17 billion. Results were still pending during Tuesday afternoon trading.

Has Visa’s pre-earnings surge factored in positive developments?

Visa was last seen trading around $369.19 at 1:45 p.m. Eastern, an increase of about 1.8%. The stock opened at $365.00 and climbed as high as $370.88 during the session. By that time, approximately 4.38 million shares had changed hands. Expectations remain high, with little room for disappointing performance.

What operating metrics are likely to influence the after-hours response?

Payments volume for the second quarter increased by 9% in constant dollars, aligning with the growth in processed transactions. Cross-border volume excluding intra-Europe was up 11%, while overall cross-border volume expanded by 12%. These factors contributed to net revenue rising 17% to reach $11.23 billion. Third-quarter results will be measured against these exceptionally robust operational benchmarks. A slowdown in cross-border activity could offset even a slight headline EPS outperformance.

Is Visa able to sustain or boost its fiscal 2026 forecast?

Visa in April forecast that third-quarter adjusted revenue would grow at a low-double-digit rate. The company anticipated EPS to rise by a mid-to-high-single-digit percentage, with operating expenses increasing by low teens. For fiscal 2026, executives expected revenue growth in the low-double-digits to low-teens range. They projected full-year adjusted EPS growth in the low-teens. The $3.23 consensus estimate sits close to the higher end of Visa's third-quarter outlook. An upward revision to guidance this week would be the clearest positive surprise.

Might incentives and spending put pressure on margins?

Client incentives climbed 14% to $4.25 billion in the second quarter. Non-GAAP operating expenses were up 17%, reaching $3.60 billion. Management anticipated that incentive growth would pick up in the third quarter due to more challenging comparisons, with an additional increase in FIFA-related marketing expenditure planned for the quarter. Investors require revenue growth to continue outpacing normalized increases in costs.

Will the proposed 2,600 layoffs affect the earnings outlook?

Visa intends to cut around 2,600 positions, about 7% of its employees. Technology and product groups will see the most job losses, Reuters reported. Visa stated it aims to boost efficiency and redirect resources to more promising ventures. The company did not specify a cost-saving goal or provide a timeline for restructuring in the report. Severance expenses are expected soon, possibly ahead of sustainable cost reductions.

Does cross-border spending remain robust?

During the second quarter, cross-border volume excluding intra-Europe increased by 11%, while travel-related volume was up 10%. As of April 21, similar growth eased to 9% and travel growth dropped to 5%. Management cited disruptions in the Middle East and the timing of Ramadan as primary reasons for the slowdown. The company anticipated that World Cup travel and increased e-commerce would help counterbalance some of the negative impact. Data from the third quarter will indicate whether those anticipated offsets occurred.

Do stablecoins and emerging services have significant impact so far?

Stablecoin settlement hit a $7 billion annual pace, increasing by more than 50% quarter on quarter. Visa handled close to $13 trillion in settlements between financial institutions over the last year. As a result, stablecoins accounted for just 0.05% of that total settlement volume. The volume of stablecoin-linked cards surged by nearly 200% across upwards of 160 programs. At the same time, value-added services revenue climbed to $3.3 billion, a gain of 27%. Those services are now significant. Visa did not specify earnings from stablecoins during its April call.

Is Visa considered costly at around $369?

Visa is valued at $369.19, equating to roughly 28.1 times the $13.15 consensus EPS projected for fiscal 2026. The company continues to target adjusted EPS growth in the low teens. In the second quarter, Visa repurchased $7.89 billion in shares and paid $1.29 billion in dividends. Following an authorization in April, Visa still had $33 billion available for further buybacks. The present quarterly dividend of $0.67 offers an annual yield near 0.7%. Share repurchases have a greater impact. The current valuation multiple provides little margin for error on forecasts.