Image credit: SuppliedThe 1 Billion Followers Summit has announced the launch of the Middle East’s first bank account built exclusively for content creators.The initiative is being introduced in collaboration with Wio Bank, the UAE’s leading digital bank, and Visa, a global leader in digital payments.The new account, known as Wio Creators, was unveiled during the fourth edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, organised by the UAE Government Media Office. The summit is taking place from January 9 to 11, ...

Group 1: Visa - Visa processed 258 billion transactions and $14 trillion in payment volume in fiscal 2025, connecting approximately 12 billion endpoints globally [2] - The company operates an asset-light model that generates steady cash flow, with value-added services now representing 27% of total revenue, growing at a low-to-mid 20% rate [3] - Visa supports four different stablecoins across multiple blockchains, with settlement volume reaching a $2.5 billion annual run rate, increasing over 100% recently [4] - The Visa Intelligent Commerce platform is being developed to facilitate secure transactions made by AI-powered agents [5] Group 2: Coca-Cola - Coca-Cola owns 30 billion-dollar brands, which is about double its nearest competitor and represents 25% of all billion-dollar brands in the global beverage industry [6] - CEO James Quincey emphasizes the need for continuous evolution to maintain market dominance, referencing past challenges despite previous successes [7] - The company is expanding into premium dairy with Fairlife, which has seen a tenfold growth in Mexico since acquisition, with new capacity expected to increase production by 30% in 2026 [8]

Core Viewpoint - Dividend stocks tend to outperform non-dividend-paying stocks over the long term, making them a valuable addition to any long-term investment portfolio [1] Group 1: Visa - Visa is recognized as a strong investment, favored by notable investors like Warren Buffett, due to its straightforward business model of processing transactions and charging fees [3] - The company benefits from a strong competitive advantage, including a well-known brand and significant network effects, making it difficult for merchants to ignore Visa as a payment option [4] - Visa has promising growth prospects, with trillions of dollars still transacted in cash and checks annually, alongside the growth of e-commerce driving demand for digital payments [6] - The company has increased its dividend by 379% over the past decade, despite a forward yield of 0.8%, indicating its reliability as a long-term hold [7] Group 2: Novartis - Novartis has a strong track record of increasing dividends for 28 consecutive years, reflecting its stable and reliable business model [8] - The pharmaceutical company boasts a diverse portfolio with over 10 products generating annual sales exceeding $1 billion, allowing it to mitigate revenue losses from patent expirations [9] - Novartis is well-positioned to benefit from increasing healthcare spending, particularly due to an aging population, and offers a forward dividend yield of 2.8% [12] Group 3: Meta Platforms - Meta Platforms is recognized for its growth potential, supported by a vast ecosystem of over 3.5 billion daily active users across its platforms [13] - The company leverages extensive user data to enhance targeted advertising, solidifying its position in the digital ads market [14] - Meta is investing in artificial intelligence to improve user engagement and streamline ad processes, which could enhance its revenue generation capabilities [15] - Although it has just initiated a dividend with a yield of 0.3%, Meta's increasing earnings and cash flow suggest potential for future dividend growth [18]

Core Viewpoint - Billionaire investor Bill Ackman raised concerns about credit card rewards programs, arguing that the current structure unfairly forces low-income consumers to subsidize benefits for wealthy cardholders [1] Group 1: Rewards Programs Structure - Points and rewards programs function as rebates on purchases, funded through merchant discount fees, which range from approximately 1.5% for basic cards to 3.5% or higher for premium cards [2] - Retailers charge uniform prices regardless of payment method, leading consumers without rewards cards to effectively pay an extra 2% premium to cover benefits for premium cardholders [3] Group 2: Broader Credit Card Reform Debate - The comments come amid a broader debate on credit card reform, including President Donald Trump's proposal for a 10% credit card interest rate cap, which has faced criticism from various political figures [4] - Ackman highlighted a structural issue in consumer finance where millions of lower-income consumers subsidize affluent cardholders through higher merchant fees embedded in retail prices [4] Group 3: Major Card Issuers - Major card issuers, including Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc., operate tiered reward systems that contribute to the issues raised by Ackman [5]

Key Takeaways Visa's tokenization now improves transaction efficiency, not just card security.AI integration helps reduce declines, optimize routing and automate risk scoring.Tokenization extends to wallets, IoT and embedded commerce for smoother payments.Visa Inc.’s (V) push into tokenization is often seen as a security upgrade, but its strategic value now runs much deeper. What started as a way to swap out sensitive card information for encrypted tokens is now transforming into a powerful tool for improvi ...

Visa (V) stock could be an appealing purchase at this time. Why? Because it offers high margins – indicative of pricing strength and cash generation capabilities – at a discounted price. Companies like this produce consistent, predictable profits and cash flows, which help mitigate risk and enable capital reinvestment. The market typically rewards such characteristics.BAKERSFIELD, CA - APRIL 29: A shopper passes a shop door advertising acceptance of purchases with Master Card, Visa, and other credit cards A ...

Artificial intelligence is the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime. The time to invest in groundbreaking AI is now, and this stock is a steal! AI is eating the world—and the machines behind it are ravenous. Each ChatGPT query, each model update, each robotic breakthrough consumes massive amounts of energy. In fact, AI is already pushing global power grids to the brink. Wall Street is pouring hundreds of billions into artificial intelligence—training smarter chatbots, automating industries, and b ...

Major financial institutions, including JPMorgan and Visa, are increasingly turning to for real-world money settlements. In December 2025, Visa launched its USDC settlement program in the United States, enabling U.S. banks to settle obligations using Circle’s USDC stablecoin directly on the Solana blockchain. Early participants such as Cross River Bank and Lead Bank helped the program reach more than $3.5 billion in annualized settlement volume by late 2025, with Visa planning a wider rollout to additional ...

Key Takeaways Visa's 14.4% YTD rise driven by transaction growth, cross-border volumes and expanding VAS.EPS expected to grow 11.7% in FY26 and 13.2% in FY27, with revenues rising 11.1% and 10.4%.Stablecoin and agentic commerce initiatives position Visa for gradual long-term acceleration.Visa Inc. (V) , a global leader in payment processing, continues to deliver what long-term investors value most: consistency. Supported by resilient consumer spending, rising cross-border volumes and the steady expansion of ...

Mastercard's recent value-added services include the Mastercard Mid-Market Accelerator, a suite of small and medium-size business products that are designed for card issuers. The accelerator bundles Mastercard's digital-payments technology with the card brand's value-added products. In the most recent quarter, Mastercard's value-added net revenue was $3.4 billion, up 25% from the prior year and about 40% of the card brand's total revenue."We like the networks' VAS offerings because they allow the companies ...