BREAKING:🇦🇪 GLOBAL AIRLINE GIANT EMIRATES TO START ACCEPTING BITCOIN AND CRYPTO PAYMENTS FOR FLIGHTS.THIS IS MASSIVE FOR ADOPTION 🚀 https://t.co/U1Zto8TCqe ...

Solana Advisor Nikita Bier Joins Elon Musk's X, Reigniting Crypto Payments Speculation► https://t.co/Ou0sjaigJU https://t.co/Ou0sjaigJU ...

🇧🇹 BULLISH: Crypto payments gain traction in Bhutan as nearly 1,000 merchants adopt digital assets via Binance Pay. https://t.co/DCkcmpwYI0 ...

4️⃣ Kraken Launches KrakOn Thursday, Kraken Exchange launched Krak, a crypto-enabled payments app built for instant sending, digital rewards, and full flexibility.The app lets users send over 300 digital assets in seconds free of charge to residents of 110 countries.Bankless (@BanklessHQ):Kraken Exchange is cooking up something addictive, designed to bring retail into the crypto payments game – the @Krak App.Krak is a global money app built for instant sending, digital rewards, and full flexibility. With Kr ...

Kraken Exchange is cooking up something addictive, designed to bring retail into the crypto payments game – the @Krak App.Krak is a global money app built for instant sending, digital rewards, and full flexibility. With Krak, users can send over 300 digital assets in seconds and free of charge to residents of 110 countries.Here’s everything you need to know about Krak. 👇~~ Article by @JackInabinet ~~According to Kraken, this payments app is designed to fix the outdated norms of legacy finance by blending cr ...

Financial Performance - Net revenues increased by 17% year-over-year, with adjusted net income up 13% on a non-GAAP currency neutral basis [5][30] - Operating expenses rose by 14%, including a 4 percentage point increase from acquisitions, while operating income grew by 19% [30] - Net income and EPS increased by 13% and 16% respectively, with EPS at $3.73, benefiting from share repurchases [30][31] Business Line Performance - Payment Network net revenue increased by 16%, driven by domestic and cross-border transaction growth [34] - Value-added services and solutions net revenue rose by 18%, with a 4 percentage point contribution from acquisitions [35] - Switched transactions grew by 9% year-over-year, with card present transactions benefiting from increased contactless penetration [33][34] Market Performance - Worldwide gross dollar volume (GDV) increased by 9%, with U.S. GDV up by 7% and international GDV up by 10% [31][32] - Cross-border volume increased by 15%, reflecting growth in both travel and non-travel related spending [32][41] - In April, cross-border travel growth remained strong, although some moderation was noted in select markets in the Middle East and Africa [41][42] Company Strategy and Industry Competition - The company is focused on executing against short, medium, and long-term objectives, with a strong emphasis on consumer payments, commercial new payment flows, and value-added services [8][29] - Innovations such as contactless capabilities and tokenization are central to the company's strategy in the digital economy [8][9] - The company is actively pursuing partnerships to enhance customer acquisition and experiences, particularly in high-growth markets like Africa and Asia [15][16] Management Commentary on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted that consumer and business sentiment has weakened due to geopolitical tensions, but fundamentals supporting consumer spending remain solid [6][42] - The company expects net revenue growth at the high end of a low double digits to low teens range for 2025, with acquisitions contributing an additional 1 to 1.5 percentage points [44][45] - Management remains vigilant regarding external economic factors and is prepared to adjust strategies as necessary [42][43] Other Important Information - The company repurchased $2.5 billion worth of stock during the quarter, with an additional $884 million repurchased through late April [31] - The effective tax rate is expected to be in the range of 20% to 20.5% for both Q2 and the full year [47] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you provide more details on the composition of your cross-border business? - Management highlighted that no cross-border corridor pair exceeds 3% of total volume, indicating a diversified portfolio [51][52] Question: What is the economic outlook for your tokenized offerings? - Management stated that 35% of switched transactions are now tokenized, with plans to scale this further and capture additional value [57][58] Question: What are the expectations for operating expenses moving forward? - Management indicated that operating expenses were lower than anticipated in Q1, with expectations for an increase in the second half of the year due to planned investments [61][66] Question: Are there any concerns regarding consumer spending habits? - Management expressed confidence in consumer engagement and spending, noting stable trends across various regions [71][78] Question: What is the potential impact of the Capital One Discover deal? - Management acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the timing of the transition but indicated that the impact has been factored into the full-year outlook [89][90] Question: How does China factor into revenue projections? - Management noted that while the impact from China is currently small, there is potential for growth as the market develops [92][94]

Financial Performance - Net revenues increased by 17% year-over-year, with adjusted net income up 13% on a non-GAAP currency neutral basis [6][33] - Operating expenses rose by 14%, including a 4 percentage point increase from acquisitions, while operating income grew by 19% [33] - Net income and EPS increased by 13% and 16% respectively, with EPS at $3.73, benefiting from share repurchases [34] Business Line Performance - Payment Network net revenue grew by 16%, driven by domestic and cross-border transaction growth [38] - Value-added services and solutions net revenue increased by 18%, with a 4 percentage point contribution from acquisitions [39] - Switched transactions grew by 9% year-over-year, with card present transactions benefiting from increased contactless penetration [36][37] Market Performance - Worldwide gross dollar volume (GDV) increased by 9%, with U.S. GDV up by 7% and international GDV up by 10% [34][35] - Cross-border volume increased by 15%, reflecting growth in both travel and non-travel related spending [34][44] - In April, cross-border travel growth remained strong, although some moderation was noted in select markets in the Middle East and Africa [44][45] Company Strategy and Industry Competition - The company is focused on executing its growth strategy across consumer payments, commercial new payment flows, and value-added services [10][31] - Innovations such as contactless capabilities and tokenization are central to the company's strategy in the digital economy [10][11] - The company is expanding partnerships globally to drive growth in consumer payments, including collaborations in emerging markets like Africa and Asia [15][16] Management Commentary on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted that consumer and business sentiment has weakened due to geopolitical tensions, but fundamentals supporting consumer spending remain solid [8][45] - The company expects net revenue growth to be at the high end of a low double digits to low teens range for 2025, with acquisitions contributing an additional 1 to 1.5 percentage points [47][48] - Management remains vigilant regarding external economic factors and is prepared to adjust operations as necessary [46][89] Other Important Information - The company repurchased $2.5 billion worth of stock during the quarter, with an additional $884 million repurchased through April 28, 2025 [34] - The effective tax rate increased due to the global minimum tax rules, impacting net income [34][50] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you provide more details on the composition of your cross-border business? - Management highlighted that no cross-border corridor pair exceeds 3% of total volume, indicating a diversified portfolio [55][56] Question: What is the economic outlook for your tokenized offerings? - Management stated that 35% of switched transactions are now tokenized, with plans to scale this further, emphasizing the value created through tokenization [61][62] Question: Can you elaborate on operating expenses and their growth? - Management indicated that operating expenses were slightly lower than expected in Q1, with an anticipated increase in the second half of the year due to planned investments [66][70] Question: Are there any concerns regarding consumer spending habits? - Management expressed confidence in consumer engagement and spending stability, despite some moderation in specific markets [75][81] Question: What impact will the Capital One Discover deal have on financials? - Management noted that the impact of the Capital One transition is already factored into the full-year guidance, with ongoing monitoring of the situation [92][93] Question: How does China factor into revenue projections? - Management indicated that while the impact of China is currently small, cross-border travel volume is recovering, with inbound travel exceeding pre-COVID levels [95][98]

Coinbase is removing fees for purchases of PayPal's stablecoin as part of a broader effort to increase the use of the coin, and an attempt to boost on-chain payment opportunities for consumers and institutional users. In a blog post Thursday, Coinbase said it aims "to accelerate the adoption, distribution, and utilization of the PayPal USD (PYUSD)," the U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin that has lagged the market since it launched in 2023. With a market cap of only about $730 million, it PayPal USD controls les ...