Visa Inc. is a global digital payments network processing card transactions across merchants and financial institutions.
Is this your business? Add your evidence →
Visa operates a global payments duopoly enabling fossil-fuel commerce at scale without restriction, despite having SBTi-approved climate targets and 100% renewable electricity. Operational emissions rose 12.2% year-on-year; the company relies on offsets for carbon neutrality claims rather than absolute reductions. Nature risk and circular economy targets are absent.
Visa Inc. scores 51/100 (Making progress) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Fees pay for the review, never the result. Last verified May 2026.
That places Visa Inc. joint 126th of 847 companies scored, and 6th of 51 in Financial Services / Banking.
Where Visa Inc. sits among financial services / banking peers.
Among the 51 major financial services / banking brands we've scored, Visa Inc. sits 6th of 51.
Its three lowest-scoring questions, and what the evidence didn't show.
24% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 since FY2020, but FY2024 operational emissions rose 12.2% year-on-year due to 10% headcount growth and expanded footprint.
Visa and Mastercard form a global card duopoly; petrol stations and fuel distributors depend on Visa's network for merchant card acceptance with no realistic substitute at comparable scale.
Visa has no manufacturing, agriculture, or land-use operations.
A score changes when the evidence does. We use new published evidence at the next rescore. Evidence that isn't public can count through an evidence review.
Use this score in tenders
Send the link, or the one-page score sheet. It links back to this page and every source. Free.
Open the score sheet →Add your evidence, £99
Scored low because little is published? Send us your evidence. A person reviews it and your score reflects what you really do. Done within 5 working days.
Evidence review →Go tender-ready, £495 a year
A yearly rescore, a check of up to 25 key suppliers and a score badge for your website (coming soon).
Get in touch →Strongest on Energy Source and Carbon Footprint — Operations (8/10, 7/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Controversies & Red Flags (3/10, 3/10).
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above Visa Inc..
LSEG publishes detailed carbon and resource data with third-party assurance, but Scope 3 lacks binding absolute targets for its largest emission source (purchased goods, 78% of total).
See the breakdown →Mastercard reports declining operational emissions and exceeds interim climate targets, but operates as critical infrastructure for fossil-fuel commerce without restrictions.
See the breakdown →Klarna has built credible climate infrastructure—SBTi-validated net-zero target, internal carbon pricing, and $8.5M+ channeled into carbon removal.
See the breakdown →The formula and all 15 sources.
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale15 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
Visa Inc. is a global digital payments network processing card transactions across merchants and financial institutions. Founded in 1958 and headquartered in San Francisco, it forms a de facto duopoly with Mastercard controlling card payment infrastructure across developed and emerging markets, with 31,600 employees and $40 billion in annual revenue.
One email, every Sunday. Score changes, new research, the stories behind the numbers. Free.
No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.
Checking a company?
Search free →Asked to prove you're sustainable?
Get your business scored, free →Been scored?
See what's behind your number →Fees pay for the review, never the result.