Small Biz, Big Roadblocks: Mastercard to Smoothen Cross-Border Ride

Core Insights - Mastercard has released a report highlighting the inadequacies of existing international payment systems for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Latin America [1][9] - The report indicates that a significant number of SMEs are engaged in global commerce, with 60% working with international suppliers, and 75% of SMEs in Mexico and Brazil planning to expand global partnerships [2][3] Group 1: Challenges Faced by SMEs - SMEs represent 98% of the business ecosystem in Latin America and contribute approximately 60% of employment [3] - Major obstacles for SMEs include high fees, unfavorable currency conversion rates, and significant payment delays [2] Group 2: Mastercard's Solutions - Mastercard is addressing these challenges through its Mastercard Move platform, which aims to enhance cross-border payments by reducing costs, increasing transparency, and enabling faster settlements [4][9] - The adoption of Mastercard Move is expected to increase the SME client base and boost cross-border transaction volumes, which rose by 15% in Q1 2025 [5][9] Group 3: Competitive Landscape - Competitors such as PayPal and Visa are also active in the Latin American market, with PayPal's cross-border payment volume growing by 3% year-over-year in Q1 2025, and Visa's improving by 13% year-over-year in Q2 2025 [6][7] Group 4: Financial Performance and Estimates - Mastercard's shares have increased by 23.8% over the past year, outperforming the industry average growth of 22.4% [8] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate predicts a 9.7% rise in Mastercard's earnings for 2025, with revenue growth expected at 13.3% year-over-year [12]