Core Insights - The total wealth of the world's top 10 billionaires has surpassed the market value of Amazon, reaching over $2.5 trillion, with an increase of $579 billion in 2025 [1] Group 1: Billionaire Wealth Growth - Elon Musk experienced the largest wealth increase last year, adding $187 billion to reach a net worth of $619 billion, solidifying his position as the world's richest person [3] - Musk's wealth surge is attributed to the significant rise in the value of his holdings in Tesla and SpaceX, with Tesla's stock increasing by 11% last year [4] - SpaceX's valuation doubled to $800 billion by the end of 2025, compared to $400 billion in August [5] Group 2: Notable Billionaire Rankings - Larry Page and Sergey Brin, co-founders of Google, ranked second and fourth respectively, with wealth increases of $101 billion and $92 billion, driven by a 65% rise in Google's stock [5] - Jeff Bezos saw a wealth increase of $15 billion but dropped from second to third place due to Page's rise [6] - Larry Ellison's wealth grew by $55 billion, but he fell from fourth to fifth place on the billionaire list [7] Group 3: Other Billionaire Wealth Changes - Mark Zuckerberg's wealth increased by $26 billion, but he dropped from third to sixth place [8] - Bernard Arnault, head of LVMH, saw a wealth increase of $31.6 billion, ranking seventh [9] - Steve Ballmer's wealth grew by $22 billion, moving him from ninth to eighth place [10] - Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, increased his wealth by $40 billion, rising from twelfth to ninth place [11] - Warren Buffett's wealth increased by $9 billion, maintaining his position at tenth [12] Group 4: Centibillionaires Club - The number of centibillionaires remains at 18, with a total wealth increase of $708 billion in 2025, surpassing Visa's market value of approximately $677 billion [13][14] - The total wealth of this group is close to $3.6 trillion, equivalent to the size of Microsoft [14] - Elon Musk alone accounts for 17% of the total wealth of the centibillionaires, contributing 26% of the group's overall wealth increase [14]

Core Viewpoint - American Express is demonstrating strong dividend growth alongside aggressive share buybacks, raising questions about its long-term investment value after a significant stock price increase [1][3]. Dividend Growth - The company has increased its dividend by 17% in March, reflecting robust business strength, with a current yield of 0.9% [5][6]. - American Express's annual dividend payments represent only 21% of the expected earnings per share for 2025, allowing for continued investment and potential future dividend increases [6][12]. Financial Performance - In the third quarter, American Express reported a revenue increase of 11% year-over-year to $18.4 billion and a net income rise of 16% to $2.9 billion, with earnings-per-share growth at 19% [7][8]. - The company has seen strong momentum, particularly in demand for its U.S. Platinum products, with account acquisitions doubling compared to pre-refresh levels [8]. Share Repurchases - In the first nine months of 2025, American Express returned $6.1 billion to shareholders, with $4.4 billion from share repurchases and $1.7 billion from dividends [9]. - The company has a history of aggressive share repurchases, returning $7.9 billion to shareholders in 2024, with $5.9 billion from buybacks [10]. Valuation and Market Position - The stock currently trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of about 25, up from 21 a year ago, reflecting its premium valuation in the financial sector [11]. - Despite the higher valuation, the company's strong earnings momentum and low payout ratio suggest that robust dividend growth is likely to continue [12].

Fiserv and Mastercard expanded their partnership to support agentic commerce, as payments companies move to establish how artificial intelligence systems can securely initiate and complete transactions on behalf of consumers.By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions .Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free ac ...

Company Overview - Remitly Global, Inc. (NASDAQ:RELY) is a financial technology and payments company that provides digital financial services through its cross-border payments app, facilitating money transfers in over 170 countries [4] Investment Outlook - Citizens reaffirmed its Market Outperform rating and $20 price target on Remitly, highlighting the company's leading role in the digital remittance industry and suggesting that shares were overcorrected due to immigration-related headlines and slowing revenue growth [1][2] - Despite challenges, Citizens emphasizes Remitly's position as the premier all-digital remittance vendor with significant upside potential and plans for industry-leading profitability in the long term [2] Growth Projections - During the Investor Day event, Remitly announced growth plans through 2028, projecting revenue growth in the high teens and adjusted EBITDA between $300 million and $320 million by 2026 [3] - The company estimates revenue to range between $2.6 billion and $3.0 billion in 2028, with Adjusted EBITDA of $575 million to $600 million, indicating a margin of 20-22% [3]

PayPal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:PYPL) ends the year pinned near the bottom of its range, trading around 58.38 Dollars, down 1.22 Percent on the last regular session and only slightly above the 55.85 Dollars 52 Week Low, while still far below the 93.25 Dollars 52 Week High. Intraday the stock moved between 58.34 Dollars and 59.04 Dollars, with a Previous Close at 59.10 Dollars and After Hours indications barely higher at 58.40 Dollars. The market is valuing PayPal Holdings Inc at roughly 54.62 Billion Dollars, o ...

Key insights: Euronet is buying CrediaBank's merchant acquiring unit, Lloyds is set to shutter its invoice financing business and an industry group is calling for increased BNPL regulation. What's at stake: Greek banks have been offloading their merchant acquiring business over the last few years, according to William Blair.  Forward look: The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026. Greece-based CrediaBank is selling its merchant acquiring business to Euronet Worldwide for an undisclosed amo ...

RLUSD maintains full 1:1 backing through cash and U.S. Treasury securities held in a New York Trust Company structure with third-party attestation. This matters to institutions because it eliminates the counterparty risk that caused algorithmic stablecoins like Terra's UST to collapse in 2022—banks won't touch unbacked stablecoins, but regulated reserve structures meet their compliance requirements.Ripple provides the infrastructure that makes on-chain settlement practical. It maintains the XRP Ledger's cor ...

Key Takeaways MA's expenses are rising due to investments in tech, security, data and global expansion.MA expects high-teens Q4 expense growth and mid-teens full-year growth compared with the prior year.Spending supports diversification into real-time payments, open banking and digital services.Mastercard Inc. (MA) has seen a rise in operating expenses in recent years. The company continues to make significant investments in digital solutions, safety and security products, data analytics, geographic expansi ...

PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) is among the ridiculously cheap stocks to buy now. As of December 26, PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL) has mixed analyst ratings, with 37% recommending buying the stock, 52% keeping a neutral stance, and the remaining 11% bearish on the stock. While the median price target of $75 reflects an upside potential of 25.06%, the highest and lowest price targets translate to an upside potential of 75.09% and a downside potential of 14.96%. On December 22, Mizuho trimmed th ...

Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ:FISV) is among the 7 Best Digital Payments Stocks to Invest In Now. Fiserv, Inc. (FISV) And Visa Team Up To Promote Agentic Commerce Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ:FISV) and Visa announced a strategic partnership on December 22, 2025, to implement the Trusted Agent Protocol throughout the former company’s agentic ecosystem and allow Visa Intelligent Commerce. The collaboration supports AI-driven consumer purchases by combining the firm’s merchant network with Visa’s agentic commerce and authen ...