Is RS2's New Visa Status a Game-Changer for Europe's Card Market?

Visa Inc. V is making waves in Europe as Beyond by RS2 steps up to become a Principal Issuing Member, a significant milestone that enhances V’s growing presence in the region’s rapidly expanding card-issuing market. With this new development, Beyond by RS2 can now issue Visa cards directly and offer comprehensive card programs — an upgrade that aligns with Visa’s larger goal of fostering deep integration within the ecosystem.

For Beyond by RS2, the new status shifts its role from just being a service provider to a full-fledged payments powerhouse. By bringing together issuing, acquiring and processing in a regulated setting, they are now able to offer banks, fintechs, corporates and merchants a wide range of flexible and scalable card solutions. These options include everything from debit and credit cards to prepaid and corporate cards, all available in both physical and digital formats. It also covers fraud prevention, compliance, and customer support and faster market entry across the European Union and the European Economic Area.

For V, this partnership helps expand its presence in Europe’s issuer ecosystem. For RS2, it represents a crucial step toward scaling up its innovative payment products. Together, this collaboration signals a more competitive and vibrant card-issuing landscape ahead.

By combining V’s worldwide acceptance with RS2’s cutting-edge infrastructure, this collaboration is set to drive innovation not just in card issuing but also in areas like loyalty programs, corporate spending, employee benefits and embedded finance solutions, setting the way for the next wave of payment modernization in Europe.

How Are Competitors Faring?

Some of V’s competitors in the payments space include Mastercard Incorporated MA and American Express Company AXP.

Mastercard is also enhancing its embedded finance and issuing capabilities, focusing on partnerships with fintechs and digital platforms. Mastercard’s payment network net revenues increased 13% year over year in the first nine months of 2025, along with 16% growth in net revenues.

American Express is banking on its upscale clientele, the rebound in travel demand and increased card spending to drive its growth. Its total revenues (net of interest expense) rose 9% year over year in the first nine months of 2025. American Express reported 7% year-over-year growth in its network volumes in the same period.

Visa’s Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates

Over the past year, shares of Visa have jumped 4.5% against the 12.1% fall of the industry.

From a valuation standpoint, V trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 24.98, above the industry average of 20.25. V carries a Value Score of D.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Visa’s fiscal 2026 earnings implies an 11.7% jump from the year-ago period.

Visa stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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