Group 1 - Gold has regained popularity as an investment, with significant growth in recent years, particularly through online purchasing methods like tokenized gold and stablecoins [1][3] - Stablecoins are digital tokens backed by a currency or commodity, designed to minimize volatility, and they represent digital ownership of physical assets [2] - Tokenized gold trading is projected to reach $178 billion by 2025, surpassing all U.S. exchange-traded funds (ETFs) except for SPDR Gold Shares, which has $165 billion in assets under management [4] Group 2 - The rise in gold prices is attributed to geopolitical tensions, inflation, and increasing U.S. debt, prompting investors to seek gold as a safe haven [5][6] - U.S. debt has exceeded $38 trillion, with a fiscal deficit of nearly $1.8 trillion reported for fiscal year 2025, raising concerns about the U.S. fiscal situation [6] - Central banks globally are reducing their purchases of U.S. Treasuries, indicating a potential loss of confidence in the U.S. dollar as the world's reserve currency [7]

🔥 LATEST: $242M in stables left SOL in the past 24hours https://t.co/uLWhuiKebH ...

Core Viewpoint - XRP has experienced significant volatility, with a strong rally in early 2025 followed by a decline, leading to uncertainty about its future performance in 2026 [1][2]. Group 1: XRP's Performance - In the first half of 2025, XRP surged by approximately 70%, reaching a price of $3 for the first time since 2018, but ended 2025 down 10% [2]. - The rally was driven by speculative narratives rather than the underlying fundamentals of the token [3]. Group 2: Regulatory Environment - The SEC dropped its lawsuit against Ripple, which was seen as a major victory for the company and the broader crypto landscape, leading to a narrative that XRP had become legitimized [4]. Group 3: Market Dynamics - The broader cryptocurrency market faced heavy selling pressure as capital shifted towards safe havens like gold and silver, and sectors like artificial intelligence [6]. - XRP's value proposition may be undermined by the presence of numerous altcoins with little utility, despite XRP serving a purpose in facilitating cost-effective overseas transactions [7]. Group 4: Competitive Landscape - Many banks are exploring stablecoins, which are less volatile, and the incumbent SWIFT network is also testing digital infrastructure, raising questions about Ripple's future and the adoption of XRP [8].

This isn’t just growth. It’s a behavior shift.Crypto is moving from something you hold to something you use.We’re building for a future where payments, cards, and stablecoins work together. https://t.co/TBSnb1EfHc ...

The Clarity Act didn't fail because of regulatory disagreements—it died because banks are terrified of a $6.6 trillion deposit exodus. Your savings account pays 0.07% while banks invest your money in Treasuries earning 3.6%, pocketing the 3.5% spread. Stablecoins were about to expose this by passing actual yields to holders, so the banking lobby killed the bill with a provision banning stablecoin interest. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong called it a "kill switch" and withdrew support, collapsing the entire bil ...

RT Morgan Krupetsky (@MorganKrupetsky)Stablecoins continue to quietly go mainstream.Interactive Brokers now supports @circle-issued USDC on Avalanche for brokerage account funding, enabled by @zerohashx.Clients can fund their @IBKR accounts using native, on-chain USDC (digital dollars), instantly, 24/7, including weekends, without waiting on bank wires or banking hours. This plugs directly into IBKR’s existing funding and settlement workflows.Why this matters:- IBKR serves ~4.4M client accounts across 170+ ...

🚨BITCOIN COLLAPSE "NOT A SURPRISE" SAYS ARTHUR HAYESLeading crypto pundit @CryptoHayes says he's not surprised by $BTC's sudden price fall to below $85,000.He points to a "Roughly $300bn fall in $ liq over past few weeks driven mostly by $200bn rise in TGA" as a clear indicator.BSCN (@BSCNews):🚨JUST IN: BINANCE TO CONVERT SAFU FUND INTO BITCOIN@Binance says it will convert roughly $1B of SAFU fund stablecoins into $BTC.The conversion will take place gradually over the next 30 days.The exchange says reserves ...

Core Insights - Mastercard reported a 7% year-over-year increase in worldwide gross dollar volume (GDV) on a local currency basis, with 4% growth in the U.S. and 9% growth outside the U.S. [1] - The company achieved a 15% increase in net revenues for Q4 on a non-GAAP currency-neutral basis, driven by a 22% growth in value-added services and solutions [2][6] - Mastercard executives highlighted a strong performance in 2025, emphasizing double-digit revenue growth and continued momentum in value-added services [3] Financial Performance - For Q4 2025, Mastercard's net revenues rose approximately 15% on a non-GAAP, currency-neutral basis, with value-added services growth of around 22% [6] - Full-year 2025 results showed value-added services and solutions delivering net revenue growth of 21%, or 18% excluding acquisitions, on a currency-neutral basis [11] - The company expects high-end low-double-digit net revenue growth for 2026, with a one-time restructuring charge of approximately $200 million affecting about 4% of employees [4][13] Strategic Initiatives - Mastercard secured hundreds of new issuing deals globally, including an extension with Capital One and multiple regional wins in Türkiye, Latin America, and South Africa [5][9] - The company is focusing on emerging opportunities such as stablecoins and agentic commerce, with ongoing investments in digital assets and partnerships [12] - Mastercard's tokenization efforts have reached nearly 40% of all transactions, indicating a strong emphasis on security and innovation [11] Government Grants and Expense Management - Mastercard received multi-year government grants that are expected to benefit operating expenses primarily in 2025 and 2026, improving operating expense growth by around 5.5 percentage points [7][8] - Total adjusted operating expenses increased by 12% in Q4, with a 5 percentage point impact from acquisitions, while underlying expense growth was attributed to strategic initiatives [8] Capital Return and Shareholder Value - The company repurchased $3.6 billion of stock in the quarter, with an additional $715 million repurchased through January 26, 2026 [4][16] - Fourth-quarter EPS was reported at $4.76, including a $0.10 contribution from share repurchases [16]

Core Insights - Executives warned that the Credit Card Competition Act could be harmful to the payments industry, arguing that the market already faces significant competition from various payment methods [14] - Visa reported fiscal Q1 revenue of $10.9 billion, reflecting a 15% year-over-year increase, with payments volume rising 8% in constant dollars to nearly $4 trillion [3][10] - The company emphasized the importance of credentials, stating that they now total over 5 billion worldwide, which anchor its global payments architecture [4] Agentic Commerce and Digital Payments - Management highlighted agentic commerce, Visa Direct, and B2B flows as key growth areas, with Visa Direct transactions increasing 23% year over year to 3.7 billion [8] - The Visa Intelligent Commerce platform utilizes tokens for agentic payments, with over 100 partners engaged [6][7] - Tap-to-pay penetration exceeded 80% of face-to-face transactions globally, with U.S. usage nearing 70% [5] Financial Performance - Global payment volume rose 8% in constant dollars, with cross-border volume increasing 11% [10] - Value-added services revenue surged 28% to $3.2 billion, contributing significantly to Visa's total revenue growth for the quarter [13] - Consumer spending showed resilience, with growth consistent across various spend bands, indicating stability in both discretionary and non-discretionary categories [12] Stablecoin and B2B Developments - Visa is testing stablecoin use cases, reporting an annualized settlement run rate of $4.6 billion, primarily for cross-border payments and markets with currency volatility [9] - Commercial and Money Movement Solutions revenue grew 20% in constant dollars, supported by a 10% increase in commercial payments volume [8] Legislative Concerns - Visa is actively briefing lawmakers on the potential negative impacts of the Credit Card Competition Act, warning of reduced access to credit and weaker security protections [14][15] - Management guided for full-year revenue growth in the low double digits, with shares down 1.4% in after-hours trading [15]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - In the fiscal first quarter, the company reported a net revenue increase of 15% year-over-year to $10.9 billion, with EPS also up 15% [5][21] - Payments volume grew 8% year-over-year in constant dollars, reaching nearly $4 trillion, while processed transactions increased by 9% year-over-year, totaling $69 billion [5][21] - Operating expenses rose by 16%, primarily due to unfavorable foreign exchange impacts and higher-than-expected marketing expenses [29] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Consumer payments revenue was driven by strong payments volume, cross-border volume, and processed transaction growth [28] - Commercial and money movement solutions revenue grew 20% year-over-year in constant dollars, with commercial payments volume also increasing by 10% [28][21] - Value-added services revenue surged by 28% year-over-year in constant dollars, driven by strong demand across all portfolios [29][21] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - U.S. payments volume increased by 7%, with e-commerce growing faster than face-to-face spending [24] - Total international payments volume rose by 9% year-over-year in constant dollars, consistent with previous quarters [26] - Cross-border volume, excluding intra-Europe transactions, was up 11% year-over-year, with travel-related cross-border volume also increasing by 10% [27] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on innovations in the Visa as a Service stack, enhancing Visa credentials, and expanding capabilities in agentic commerce and stablecoins [5][13] - The strategy includes building a secure and seamless interoperable layer between stablecoins and traditional fiat payments, with significant growth potential in this area [15][14] - The company aims to be a key enabler in agentic commerce, working with over 100 partners globally to streamline payment processes [11][12] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the resilience of consumer spending and the effectiveness of their strategy, despite lower-than-expected currency volatility [23][35] - The company anticipates continued strong performance in value-added services and commercial solutions, offsetting potential challenges from lower volatility [48] - Future guidance remains optimistic, with expectations for adjusted net revenue growth in the low double digits for the full year [34][35] Other Important Information - The company has initiated a stablecoins advisory practice to assist clients in developing their stablecoin strategies [14] - The company is piloting Visa Direct stablecoin payouts, expanding its reach in markets with currency volatility [15] - The company has a remaining buyback authorization of $21.1 billion, indicating a strong commitment to returning capital to shareholders [30] Q&A Session Summary Question: Opportunities around value-added services for events like the Olympics and World Cup - Management highlighted the ability to leverage sponsorships for bespoke client programs, generating revenue and deepening partnerships [39][43] Question: Strength in value-added services and capital return strategy - Management noted strong performance in value-added services and commercial solutions, with a programmatic approach to capital return and share buybacks [46][49] Question: Regulatory environment and potential risks from CCCA - Management emphasized engagement with lawmakers to educate them on the competitive landscape and the potential negative impacts of CCCA legislation [53][56] Question: Growth in commercial solutions and spending trends - Management attributed growth in commercial solutions to successful product strategies and client wins, with stable international volume growth across regions [60][66] Question: Growth trajectory for Flex credentials - Management described Flex as a versatile payment solution with multiple funding options, indicating potential for significant growth in the future [77][80] Question: Updates on issuer processing and technology investments - Management confirmed ongoing investments in issuer processing technology, with a focus on modernizing clients' tech stacks [84][85]