As one of the two largest card payment networks in the US, the role of Visa is to process payments between banks and merchants (e.g. retailers). Visa makes a profit from charging service fees and taking a cut of the merchant's purchase price. Institutions that issue Visa cards receive a portion of the merchant's transaction fees. In turn, issuing institutions often offer rewards for card holder activity, usually in proportion to how much they spend.  This means those with the most money have the most room to benefit.

Today, we are seeing rapid technological disruption changing the traditional banking and payment landscape and giving rise to alternative payment methods and networks.  This may mean some exciting changes are coming, especially for those with middle-to-lower income who have historically lacked access to many financial services (e.g. not having a bank or paying a disproportionate amount in fees) and products such as Visa credit cards.  How do YOU think a new payment network could leverage today's technology to connect financial institutions, merchants, and individuals in a way that's income-level-inclusive and cost-effective?