Barclays and Visa partner to accelerate digital payments

By Vriti Gothi

Barclays has renewed and expanded its multi-year strategic partnership with Visa. The collaboration focuses on advancing digital transformation and strengthening payment infrastructure across retail, business, corporate, and private banking segments to support the evolving needs of consumers and businesses.

Building on a foundation of trust and long-term investment, the extended agreement spans issuing and acquiring across Barclays’ Retail, Corporate, Business, US, and Private Bank segments. It will enhance the delivery of secure, seamless, and future-ready payment experiences for millions of consumers and merchants globally. Visa will continue to support Barclays-issued card credentials in the UK, while further driving growth in US retail issuing and expanding commercial solutions into new markets.

Under this strengthened partnership, Barclays and Visa will work jointly to accelerate innovation across emerging payment technologies and experiences, from account-to-account (A2A) payments to agentic commerce, positioning both organisations at the forefront of a rapidly evolving global payments ecosystem. Visa will provide Barclays with access to an enhanced suite of services for issuing and acquiring, alongside a comprehensive range of its Value Added Services (VAS), enabling greater flexibility, efficiency, and innovation for clients.

Vim Maru, Chief Executive of Barclays UK, said, “This agreement represents the next chapter in our long and successful partnership with Visa. Together, we are investing in the future of payments, making it easier, faster, and more secure for people and businesses to pay and get paid, wherever they are in the world. From pioneering the UK’s first credit card to enabling new forms of digital and account-to-account payments, Barclays and Visa have both maintained a long-term focus on the evolving ways that customers connect with their money. Extending this relationship allows us to continue innovating and providing trusted solutions for millions of customers.”

Antony Cahill, Regional President & Chief Executive Officer, Visa Europe, said, “We’re proud to extend our partnership with Barclays, a relationship between two iconic brands built on trust, innovation, and a shared commitment to serving consumers, businesses, and the economy. Barclays has invested in innovations that customers love, from introducing the first credit card in the UK market to enabling the first contactless transaction. In a world being reshaped by AI, digital transformation, and evolving customer expectations, this agreement brings together the full strength of Visa’s capabilities from issuing and acquiring to loyalty and open banking, delivering payment experiences that are not only trusted and resilient, but also ready for what’s next.”