About this content About Emily Jarvie Emily began her career as a political journalist for Australian Community Media in Hobart, Tasmania. After she relocated to Toronto, Canada, she reported on business, legal, and scientific developments in the emerging psychedelics sector before joining Proactive in 2022. She brings a strong journalism background with her work featured in newspapers, magazines, and digital publications across Australia, Europe, and North America, including The Examiner, The Advocate, ...

Industry Overview - The global payments industry is experiencing a positive growth environment, driven by the transition to digital and electronic payment methods, with consumer spending on the rise [1] - Cards, digital wallets, and online checkouts are steadily replacing cash, leading to a consistent volume boost and long-term revenue prospects for leading payment companies [1][10] - Monetary policy has become a modest tailwind, with the U.S. central bank lowering interest rates three times in 2025, which is expected to support consumer spending and improve credit conditions [2][3] Growth Drivers - Lower interest rates are anticipated to enhance consumer spending and credit conditions, which will positively impact payment volumes heading into 2026 [3][10] - Companies in the payment industry are pursuing mergers and acquisitions to diversify their revenue streams and stabilize their top line [4] - The quality of growth in the payments space is improving, with revenues increasingly driven by value-added services such as fraud prevention and data analytics [4] Company Highlights - Capital One Financial Corporation (COF) is expected to benefit from growing consumer loan demand, solid credit card operations, and opportunistic buyouts, with a projected earnings growth of 1.5% and revenue growth of 17.4% in 2026 [8][9] - OppFi Inc. (OPFI) is focusing on AI and machine learning to improve operational efficiency, with earnings and revenue growth estimates of 8.6% and 9.1% respectively for 2026 [12][13] - SoFi Technologies, Inc. (SOFI) is enhancing its digital financial ecosystem and is projected to see significant earnings growth of 62.9% and revenue growth of 25.4% in 2026 [16][17] Stock Performance - Capital One Financial shares have gained 32.4% over the past year, while the industry has risen by 54.5%, and it currently holds a Zacks Rank 1 [11] - OppFi's shares have increased by 38.4% in the past year, contrasting with the industry's decline of 9.6%, and it also holds a Zacks Rank 1 [13] - SoFi's shares have soared 55% over the past year, while the industry has fallen by 12.6%, and it carries a Zacks Rank 2 [17]

Core Insights - Tether has made an $8 million strategic investment in Speed, a payments infrastructure company that integrates Bitcoin's Lightning Network with stablecoin settlement for real-time money transfers [1][2] - Speed processes over $1.5 billion in annual payment volume and serves approximately 1.2 million users and businesses through its wallet and merchant products [1] - The investment aims to enhance Bitcoin-aligned financial infrastructure and broaden the use of USDT beyond trading [2] Group 1 - Speed's system utilizes the Lightning Network for fast payments while allowing settlement in USDT for users seeking predictable values [2] - Tether's CEO emphasized that Speed demonstrates the capability of Lightning networks to support real commerce when combined with a stable digital dollar [2] - Speed's CEO highlighted the transition of crypto from speculation to practical use, emphasizing the combination of speed from Lightning and universal access from stablecoins [3] Group 2 - Tether has been actively investing its substantial profits across various sectors, including a majority stake in Latin American agricultural firm Adecoagro, a privacy-focused health app, and a stake in video-sharing platform Rumble [3] - The company reported over $10 billion in profit during the first nine months of the year, primarily driven by interest on U.S. Treasury holdings backing USDT [4]

Visa is expanding its stablecoin pilot to include settlements in the United States using Circle's USDC on the Solana blockchain.  The expansion will allow U.S. acquirer and issuer partners of the payments giant to settle in USDC, starting with initial banking partners Cross River Bank and Lead Bank. The firm is expecting a broader rollout in 2026.  “Visa is expanding stablecoin settlement because our banking partners are not only asking about it—they’re preparing to use it,” said Visa’s Global Head of Grow ...

Core Insights - Mastercard and LoanPro are set to launch the "Loan on Card" program in 2026, which will allow lenders to offer installment loans through both virtual and physical Mastercard cards [2][3] - The program aims to enhance loan enablement for lenders by merging fixed installment loan structures with the convenience of Mastercard, providing borrowers with instant access to funds usable anywhere Mastercard is accepted [2][3] Company Collaboration - The "Loan on Card" initiative will leverage Mastercard's global payments network and the Mastercard Installments program, with LoanPro collaborating with issuing banks and lenders for the program's rollout [3] - Mastercard's senior vice president emphasized the goal of delivering flexible funding solutions to consumers and small businesses through the trusted Mastercard network [3] Market Trends - The launch of the Loan on Card program is positioned as a response to the growing demand for flexible installment solutions, reflecting a significant shift in consumer preferences towards installment payments [4][6] - Mastercard's previous launch of the Mastercard Installments program in September 2021 aimed to broaden point-of-sale installment lending, indicating a strategic focus on expanding lending capabilities in a rapidly evolving market [4][5]

Core Insights - Visa Inc. has launched a global Stablecoins Advisory Practice to assist banks, fintechs, merchants, and other businesses in navigating the stablecoin market [1][9] - The global stablecoin market has exceeded a capitalization of $250 billion, with Visa's stablecoin settlement volume reaching an annualized run rate of $3.5 billion as of November 30 [2][9] - This initiative indicates that traditional financial institutions are recognizing the importance of digital assets, with Visa positioning itself as a trusted guide in this evolving landscape [3][4] Visa's Strategic Positioning - The advisory practice aims to deepen client relationships, unlock new consulting revenues, and promote the adoption of stablecoin-linked services [4] - By assisting partners in developing stablecoin strategies, Visa enhances its role at the intersection of regulated finance and digital asset innovation [4] Competitive Landscape - Competitors such as Mastercard and American Express are also expanding their presence in the stablecoin sector, with Mastercard offering full-stack support for stablecoin payments and American Express collaborating with Coinbase for a crypto-linked credit card [5][6] Financial Performance and Valuation - Visa's shares have increased by 9.8% over the past year, outperforming the broader industry but lagging behind the S&P 500 Index [7] - The company trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 26.35, above the industry average of 21 [11] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate predicts an 11.7% rise in Visa's fiscal 2026 earnings year over year, followed by a 13.2% growth in the subsequent year [13]

稳定币发行商Circle(CRCL)涨9.2%，报82.41美元。消息买三，Visa宣布在美国推出USDC交割服务，标 志着稳定币在主流金融服务中的整合取得重大进展。美国的发卡机构和收单机构合作伙伴现在可以使用 Circle的USDC与Visa进行交割。(格隆汇) ...

Visa Inc has taken its recent stablecoin push a step further by launching a USDC settlement in the United States. This means that US issuer and acquirer partners are now authorized to settle with Visa in Circle’s USDC, a US dollar-pegged stablecoin. It announced this development on Dec. 16. Visa to Utilize Layer-1 Blockchain Arc Visa has hit a major milestone in the company’s stablecoin settlement pilot program and strategy to modernize its settlement layer underpinning global commerce. By leveraging the ...

Core Insights - Tether has led an $8 million investment in Speed1, Inc., a company focused on building global payment infrastructure using the Bitcoin Lightning Network and stablecoins [1] - The investment aims to expand real-world payment use cases for USDT and support Bitcoin-native financial infrastructure [1][5] Investment Details - The funding round included participation from Ego Death Capital and is part of Tether's strategy to enhance Bitcoin-aligned financial infrastructure [1][5] - The investment will support Speed's product development and global expansion efforts [2] Company Performance - Speed processes over $1.5 billion in annualized payment volume, serving approximately 1.2 million users and businesses [3] - Core products include Speed Wallet and Speed Merchant, which offer instant payments and settlement options in Bitcoin and USDT [3] Infrastructure and Functionality - Speed's infrastructure acts as a bridge between Bitcoin-native networks and practical payment needs, particularly for cross-border transactions and merchant settlements [4] - The integration of stablecoins with Lightning allows users to choose between volatility exposure and price-stable settlement [4] Strategic Alignment - Tether's investment supports the utility of USDT beyond trading, focusing on everyday payments and compliance [5] - The architecture of Speed demonstrates the potential for Lightning and stablecoins to operate together effectively, providing low fees and global reach [5] Vision for the Future - Speed aims to transition crypto from speculative use cases to functional global payments, leveraging Lightning for transaction speed and stablecoins for predictable value [6][7] - The platform is designed to support a wide range of users, including consumers, creators, and merchants, at scale [7]

Core Insights - RedotPay, a Hong Kong-based payments fintech, has raised $107 million in a Series B funding round to expand its stablecoin-powered payment services across over 100 countries, aiming to compete with traditional cross-border finance [1] - The company has now raised a total of $194 million in 2025, with the latest round being oversubscribed and led by Goodwater Capital, alongside participation from Pantera Capital, Blockchain Capital, and Circle Ventures [1] Company Performance - RedotPay serves more than 6 million users globally and processes over $10 billion in annualized payment volume, generating more than $150 million in annualized revenue as stablecoin adoption increases in payments and remittances [2] - The company achieved unicorn status earlier in 2025 after closing a $47 million funding round with support from Coinbase Ventures, Galaxy, and Vertex [2] Product Offering - Founded in 2023, RedotPay provides stablecoin-based cards, wallets, and payout services designed to reduce costs and settlement times for cross-border payments, particularly in emerging markets [3] - Payment volume has nearly tripled year-on-year in 2025, with over 3 million new users joining the platform through November [3] Market Dynamics - The funding comes amid increasing competition among stablecoin issuers and payment firms targeting remittances and everyday spending [4] - RedotPay plans to use part of the funding to expand its geographical coverage and has recently enabled crypto-to-fiat transfers directly to users' bank accounts in Brazil, converting stablecoins into local currency and bypassing traditional banking systems [4]