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Visa Shares Rise 5% After Earnings Beat And Outlook Increase

Visa Inc. reported second-quarter results above expectations, with shares rising about 5% in premarket trading following the release. The company also updated its full-year earnings outlook, supported by continued consumer spending despite broader macroeconomic uncertainty.

Strong Q2 Earnings And Strategic Momentum

Payment volume increased during the quarter, reflecting stable consumer activity. Ryan McInerney, CEO of Visa, said the company is monitoring geopolitical developments, including tensions in the Middle East. At the same time, he noted that changes in travel patterns are being offset by increased demand for travel to the United States. This shift is supported by factors such as major international events, including the FIFA World Cup, as well as stronger commercial travel volumes, which are helping sustain cross-border activity.

Cross-Border Payments And Market Indicators

Cross-border payment volume rose 12% year-on-year on a constant-dollar basis in the second quarter, compared with 13% growth in the same period last year. Analysts at J.P. Morgan said the data indicate that earlier concerns about a sharper slowdown in cross-border activity have not materialised.

Capital Allocation And Share Buybacks

Visa’s board approved a new $20 billion multi-year share repurchase programme. Chris Suh, Chief Financial Officer, said the company continues to balance investment in growth initiatives with returning capital to shareholders.

Embracing Innovation And Expanding Horizons

Looking ahead, the company is focusing on areas such as artificial intelligence and new commerce models, alongside growth in its marketing services segment. Analysts from TD Cowen and William Blair pointed to multiple sources of growth across Visa’s business.

Market Performance

Visa shares are down about 12% year-to-date in 2026 but remain ahead of peers such as American Express. At the same time, competitors, including Mastercard, also moved higher in early trading following the results.

OpenAI Brings Unlimited Text Chats To Free ChatGPT Users

Unlimited Text Conversations Roll Out

OpenAI is removing limits on text-based conversations for all ChatGPT users, following the platform’s recent milestone of surpassing one billion weekly users.

The update introduces GPT-5.6 Luna as the default model for Free and Go users, replacing GPT-5.5.

New “Think” Button For More Complex Questions

Alongside unlimited text chats, Free and Go users will gain access to a new “Think” button, allowing them to use additional reasoning power for more complex queries.

OpenAI noted that separate usage limits will continue to apply to file uploads, image generation, voice features and other multimodal tools.

Faster Responses For Paid Subscribers

The update also brings improvements for ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers. They will receive access to GPT-5.6 Sol, an upgraded model designed for everyday tasks such as web research, planning, writing, decision-making and answering questions. According to OpenAI, the model delivers shorter, more robust responses.

The company noted that this version is separate from the GPT-5.6 Sol model used in Codex and Work, which remains unchanged. Plus and Pro subscribers will also receive a new thinking slider, allowing them to adjust how much reasoning the model applies before generating an answer, depending on the complexity of the task.

OpenAI Reports Fewer Errors

According to OpenAI’s internal testing, GPT-5.6 Luna produces 62% fewer factual errors than GPT-5.5 Instant, while GPT-5.6 Sol reduces factual errors by 68%.

The updated GPT-5.6 Sol model is available to Plus and Pro users starting today. The remaining features for Free and Go users will roll out throughout the week, with unlimited text chats and the new Think button becoming available next week.

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