Berkshire’s Post-Buffett Portfolio Shifts, With Payment Giants Out of the Mix

Warren Buffett stepped down as chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway at the close of 2025, handing the CEO role to Greg Abel at the start of 2026 while remaining chairman of the conglomerate. Early evidence suggests Abel is not dramatically rewriting the investment playbook — but he has made some notable trims in the financial sector.

Among the positions dropped under Abel’s tenure were stakes in two of the world’s largest payment networks: Mastercard and Visa. Both remain heavyweight players in credit services. Mastercard, which provides transaction processing and payment-related services to account holders, merchants, and financial institutions globally, most recently traded at $579.21, down 1.09% from its prior close of $585.59, with a market capitalization of roughly $498.3 billion. Visa, whose VisaNet handles authorization, clearing, and settlement of transactions worldwide, was quoted at $375.07, off 0.88% from a previous close of $378.39, valuing the company at about $688.1 billion.

Both stocks slipped in Tuesday trading alongside a broader pullback in financial services names, and their exit from Berkshire’s portfolio has drawn attention from analysts tracking how Abel’s approach may differ from his predecessor’s.

What Berkshire Still Holds

Despite the divestitures, the conglomerate retains substantial positions across financial services. A widely read analysis published this week highlighted three ongoing Berkshire holdings in the sector: American Express (NYSE: AXP), insurer Chubb (NYSE: CB), and credit ratings agency Moody’s (NYSE: MCO). The piece argued that these companies may warrant as much attention as Berkshire’s own shares, a view that has circulated periodically among value-focused commentators given the tight overlap between Berkshire’s portfolio and its own business model in insurance and financial services.

Abel’s decision to part with Mastercard and Visa while keeping American Express — a position Buffett famously built over decades — underscores the continuity, and the selectivity, of the new leadership’s strategy.

For investors tracking the payments industry independently of Berkshire’s moves, both companies continue to anchor the credit services sector. Mastercard’s and Visa’s businesses remain centered on processing volume tied to global consumer spending, making their quarterly results a recurring barometer for payments demand.

Source: original release

What to watch

• Berkshire Hathaway’s next quarterly 13F filing, which will detail any further portfolio changes under Abel.
• Mastercard and Visa’s upcoming earnings reports and transaction-volume guidance.
• Any commentary from Abel on capital allocation priorities in his first full year as CEO.