-- Big Grocery Chain Kroger Needs to Take on Walmart—So It Named an Alum Its CEO [Dow Soars 1,200 Points, Hits 50K for 1st Time][Chip Stocks Soar as Demand Is 'Through the Roof'][What's Next for Crypto After a Rough Week?][The Job Market Freeze Has Deepened This Winter]- Top StoriesKroger's new CEO, John Foran, previously ran Walmart's U.S. operations.Brandon Bell / Getty ImagesClose### Key Takeaways- Foran may be inclined to focus on the basics first, but he will need to look at Kroger's e-commerce strateg ...

This story was originally published on Payments Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Payments Dive newsletter. Retail marketplaces like Amazon and eBay face a quandary when it comes to artificial intelligence shopping robots roaming their enormous digital bazaars, which were designed for humans. Merchants pay fees to access these sites’ huge pools of shoppers and for a variety of other services, such as shipping, logistics, payment support, product returns, marketing assis ...

Core Viewpoint - Shopify Inc. is positioned as a leading e-commerce platform with a positive outlook driven by its focus on agentic commerce and AI strategy, which is expected to enhance revenue growth and market reach ahead of its Q4 2025 earnings report [2][5]. Group 1: Company Performance and Guidance - Shopify's management has provided guidance for a year-over-year sales growth of 25-29% and a gross profit growth of 20-25% for the fourth quarter, with market consensus suggesting these targets may be exceeded [3][5]. - Jefferies has updated its rating for Shopify to "Hold," with the stock currently priced at $132.20, reflecting a 0.74% increase from the previous day [1][3][5]. Group 2: Market Position and Trading Activity - Shopify's stock has experienced fluctuations, trading between $130.48 and $136.62 during the day, with a yearly high of $182.19 and a low of $69.84 [4]. - The company has a market capitalization of approximately $172.1 billion, indicating its significant presence in the e-commerce industry, and today's trading volume reached 12,194,414 shares, highlighting investor interest [4].

Core Insights - The quarter and year were strong for major payment companies, with Mastercard and American Express reporting significant revenue growth, yet their shares fell due to macroeconomic concerns [1][2]. Company Performance - Mastercard reported an 18% increase in net revenue for the fourth quarter year-over-year, translating to a 22% growth in net income, with adjusted earnings per share rising by 25% [4]. - American Express achieved a 10% revenue growth and a 15% increase in earnings per share for the fourth quarter, supported by share buybacks [6]. - Both companies experienced strong consumer spending, with Mastercard noting 4% growth in the U.S. and 9% internationally, while American Express reported a 9% increase in card member spending [3][7]. Macroeconomic Environment - Concerns regarding a potential 10% cap on credit card rates from the White House have created anxiety among investors, despite the lack of legal basis for such a cap [2]. - U.S. credit card debt has reached record highs, exceeding $1.2 trillion, with rising delinquency rates contributing to investor sensitivity [8]. Future Outlook - Mastercard's CEO expressed optimism about continued healthy consumer and business spending, projecting a promising environment for 2026 [5]. - American Express anticipates near-double-digit revenue growth for 2026 and announced a 16% increase in dividends, highlighting advancements in technology [7].

Worldwide gross dollar volume (GDV) increased 7% year-over-year on a local currency basis, including 4% growth in the U.S. and 9% growth outside the U.S.CFO Sachin Mehra said the quarter’s results reflected “continued growth in our payment network and our value-added services and solutions,” noting acquisitions contributed 1 percentage point to net revenue growth and about 3 percentage points to value-added services and solutions growth.CEO Michael Miebach said Mastercard closed 2025 with “a lot of activity ...

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]

Visa (NYSE:V) Q1 2026 Earnings call January 29, 2026 05:00 PM ET Company ParticipantsChris Suh - EVP and CFODan Perlin - Managing DirectorDarrin Peller - Managing DirectorJennifer Como - SVP and Head of Investor RelationsRyan McInerney - CEOSanjay Sakhrani - Managing DirectorWill Nance - VPConference Call ParticipantsAdam Frisch - Senior Managing Director and Fundamental Research AnalystAndrew Jeffrey - Research Analyst of Financial Services and TechnologyDan Dolev - Senior Analyst of FinTech Equity Researc ...

Visa (NYSE:V) Q1 2026 Earnings call January 29, 2026 05:00 PM ET Speaker1Welcome to Visa's Fiscal First Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. All participants are in a listen-only mode until the question-and-answer session. Today's conference is being recorded. If you have any objections, you may disconnect at this time. I would like to now introduce to your conference to your host, Ms. Jennifer Como, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Investor Relations. Ms. Como, you may begin.Speaker0Thank you. Go ...

Core Insights - Mastercard's fourth-quarter net revenue grew by 15% and value-added services increased by 22% on a currency-neutral basis, indicating strong performance despite macroeconomic uncertainties [3] - The company is focusing on agentic commerce and stablecoins as emerging payment methods, positioning itself for the next phase of digital commerce [5][7] - Contactless payment transactions reached 77%, a 5 percentage point increase from the previous year, while tokenization of transactions has advanced to nearly 40% [9][10] Financial Performance - Mastercard reported worldwide gross dollar volume growth of 7% in the quarter, with cross-border volumes rising by 14% [9] - Operating income increased by 17%, driven by demand for digital, authentication, security, consumer engagement, and business insights services [12] - The company anticipates full-year 2026 net revenue growth at the high end of a low double-digit range on a currency-neutral basis, excluding acquisitions [13] Strategic Initiatives - The AgentPay framework is being extended to enhance identity, trust, and consumer protections in AI-driven transactions, with expectations for global capability by the end of Q1 [6] - Mastercard is piloting agent-based payments in regions including Asia, the UK, and the UAE, indicating readiness for agentic commerce [7] - The company has invested over a decade in digital assets, supporting stablecoin settlement and partnerships with firms like Ripple [5] Regulatory Environment - Management expressed concerns about the potential impacts of credit card interest rate caps, warning that it could restrict access to credit for low-income consumers [14] - The Credit Card Competition Act faces industry opposition, with risks identified regarding payment choice and cybersecurity [15]

Mastercard (NYSE:MA) Q4 2025 Earnings call January 29, 2026 09:00 AM ET Company ParticipantsDevin Corr - Head of Investor RelationsMichael Miebach - CEOOperatorGood morning. My name is Julie Ann, and I will be your conference operator today. At this time, I would like to welcome everyone to the Mastercard Incorporated Q4 and full year 2025 earnings conference call. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent any background noise. After the speakers are marked, there will be a question-and-answer session. ...