Justice Dept. Plans Antitrust Lawsuit Against Visa

Published On Sep 23, 2024, 7:07 PM

The U.S. Justice Department is preparing to sue Visa for allegedly using illegal practices to disadvantage competing payment processors. The upcoming lawsuit, expected to be filed soon, stems from a lengthy investigation looking into Visa's agreements with financial technology firms. This is not Visa's first brush with regulators regarding anti-competitive behavior; in the past, they have faced scrutiny from the Justice Department over merger deals aimed at eliminating competition.

Stock Forecasts

Given the regulatory scrutiny Visa is facing and the potential negative implications of a lawsuit, investor sentiment may turn negative in the short term. Legal challenges can create uncertainty around financial performance and market positioning.

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The U.S. Department of Justice sued Visa for alleged antitrust violations on Tuesday, accusing one of the world's largest payment networks of suppressing competition by threatening merchants with high fees and paying off potential rivals. Visa processes more than 60% of debit transactions in the U.S., bringing it $7 billion each year in fees collected when transactions are routed over its network, the Justice Department said. The company protects that dominance through agreements with card issuers, merchants, and competitors, prosecutors allege.