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]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - For Q4 2025, net revenues increased by 15%, with value-added services and solutions net revenue up 22% on a non-GAAP currency-neutral basis [4][22] - Operating income rose by 17%, while net income and EPS increased by 17% and 20% respectively, with EPS at $4.76, including a $0.10 contribution from share repurchases [23][24] - Worldwide gross dollar volume (GDV) grew by 7% year-over-year, with U.S. GDV increasing by 4% and international volume rising by 9% [24][25] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Payment network net revenue increased by 9%, driven by domestic and cross-border transaction growth, while value-added services and solutions net revenue increased by 22% [25][26] - Commercial credit and debit volumes represented 13% of total GDV, growing at 11% year-over-year on a local currency basis [14] - The company secured over 60 new affluent programs globally in 2025, indicating strong performance in affluent segments [7][8] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Cross-border volume increased by 14% globally, reflecting growth in both travel and non-travel-related spending [24] - Contactless penetration reached 77% of all in-person switched purchase transactions, up 5 percentage points from the previous year [25] - The company reported a 10% year-over-year growth in switch transactions for Q4 [25][26] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on executing its clear strategy, benefiting from a diversified business model across geographies and payment adjacencies [5][6] - Recent strategic reviews will lead to reductions in some areas but increased investment in others, indicating a commitment to innovation and agility [5][6] - The company is actively engaging in emerging opportunities such as stablecoins and agentic commerce, positioning itself as a leader in the evolving payments landscape [10][11] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management remains optimistic about the fundamentals of the business despite geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainties [5][30] - The company expects net revenues to grow at the high end of a low double digits range on a currency-neutral basis for 2026, with a tailwind from foreign exchange [30][32] - The macroeconomic environment is supportive, with balanced job markets underpinning healthy consumer and business spending [30] Other Important Information - The company secured various multi-year government grants that will benefit operating expenses and other income, with an expected operating expense benefit of around 5.5 percentage points [23] - A one-time restructuring charge of approximately $200 million is expected in Q1 2026, impacting about 4% of full-time employees globally [33] Q&A Session Summary Question: Details on the Capital One renegotiation - Management expressed excitement about the extension of the credit portfolio agreement with Capital One, emphasizing the value of the Mastercard network [35][36] Question: Implications of the CCCA - Management noted that there is a united opposition to the proposed Credit Card Competition Act, highlighting concerns about consumer choice and cybersecurity risks [37][39] Question: Health of the consumer - Management indicated that consumer spending remains healthy, with savvy consumers utilizing loyalty programs effectively [44][46] Question: Sensitivity to FX volatility - Management acknowledged the challenges in predicting FX volatility but emphasized the company's ability to deliver value through currency conversion services [48][49] Question: Future growth of value-added services - Management expressed confidence in the continued growth of value-added services, driven by the interconnectedness with the payment network [50][51]

Group 1 - Corpay, Inc. completed a $300 million minority investment from Mastercard, valuing its cross-border business at approximately $13 billion [1] - The partnership with Mastercard aims to enhance distribution of Corpay's cross-border services to Mastercard's financial institution customers [1][2] - Corpay is expanding its use of Mastercard Move for time-sensitive, real-time transactions as part of a broader corporate payments strategy [2] Group 2 - Corpay's management anticipates that Corporate Payments revenue will exceed $2 billion in 2026, accounting for over 40% of total company revenue [2] - Recent acquisitions, including Paymerang, GPS, and Alpha Group, along with a minority investment in AvidXchange, are part of Corpay's corporate payments expansion [2] - Goldman Sachs served as the exclusive financial advisor to Corpay, while Jones Day acted as legal counsel [3]

Group 1: Mastercard and Tencent Partnership - Mastercard is partnering with Tencent to integrate its Move funds transfer service with Tencent's TenPay and Weixin Pay, allowing international senders to transfer money directly to recipients in China [1][2] - This collaboration aims to capture a share of the inbound payment flows to China, which received over $31 billion in international P2P transfers in 2024 [2] Group 2: Visa's Expansion in Cross-Border Payments - Visa is collaborating with OwlTing Group to launch OwlPay Cash, enabling users in the U.S. to make local currency remittances to 26 countries, including Mexico and India [4][6] - Both Visa and Mastercard are focusing on expanding their roles in cross-border payments to diversify revenue streams beyond traditional card transactions [5] Group 3: Worldline's Strategic Moves - Worldline has sold its Swedish subsidiary CoreOrchestration for approximately $160 million to focus on its core payments business amid regulatory pressures [14][15] - The company has previously divested units totaling about $600 million to manage financial challenges and lower its earnings outlook [15] Group 4: SumUp's New Offerings - SumUp is set to launch cash deposit services for merchants in the UK, Italy, Spain, and France, enhancing their banking solutions [20][21] - The company has attracted over €1 billion ($1.2 billion) in customer deposits across 1.5 million business accounts, indicating significant growth [21] Group 5: Socure's Acquisition of Qlarifi - Socure has acquired Qlarifi, a buy now, pay later credit startup, to enhance its identity verification technology and credit decisioning capabilities [24][25] - The acquisition aims to build infrastructure for responsible lending and improve consumer protection in the BNPL sector [25][26]

Core Insights - Visa Inc.'s cross-border business is a significant growth driver, fueled by increased international travel and a rise in global e-commerce, with cross-border volume excluding Europe up 11% year over year in Q4 fiscal 2025 [1][9] - The company is enhancing its cross-border portfolios and expanding into high-potential verticals, focusing on product capabilities like multi-currency payment credentials [2] - Visa is integrating stablecoin functionality into Visa Direct to improve cross-border money movement efficiency, with international transaction revenues increasing by 10% year over year in Q4 [3][4] Cross-Border Performance - Cross-border volume for Visa rose 11% year over year in Q4, with e-commerce transactions growing by 13% and travel-related volume increasing by 10% [9] - Competitors such as Mastercard and PayPal are also seeing growth in their cross-border businesses, with Mastercard's volumes up 15% and PayPal's total payment volume increasing by 8% year over year in Q3 2025 [5][6][7] Strategic Developments - Visa's strategy includes incorporating multi-currency features and stablecoin options to create new cross-border opportunities and strengthen its long-term growth strategy [4] - The company aims to adapt to evolving travel trends and enhance security measures to maintain competitiveness in the digital commerce landscape [4] Financial Performance - Visa's stock has increased by 4.5% over the past year, contrasting with a 13% decline in the industry [8] - The forward price-to-earnings ratio for Visa is 24.89, above the industry average of 19.97, indicating a higher valuation [10] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Visa's fiscal 2026 earnings suggests an 11.7% increase from the previous year [12]

Core Insights - Mastercard has partnered with Tencent's cross-border payment platform TenPay Global to enhance digital remittance services, allowing users to transfer funds directly to WeChat Pay wallets or linked bank accounts [1][4] - The World Bank projects that China will receive approximately $31.41 billion in personal cross-border remittances in 2024, highlighting the growing demand for fast, secure, and convenient remittance solutions [1][4] - The collaboration aims to leverage Mastercard Move's global network and technology capabilities alongside WeChat's extensive user base, creating a streamlined channel for cross-border remittances [1][4] Company and Industry Summary - Mastercard Move is designed to provide fast and secure fund transfer solutions for payers, banks, and non-bank financial institutions, currently covering nearly 10 billion payment endpoints globally [3][6] - The service has expanded its reach to over 1.4 billion WeChat and WeChat users, significantly increasing options and convenience for remitters and recipients [6] - The solution supports over 150 currencies and is available in more than 200 countries and regions, serving over 95% of bank account holders worldwide [3][6] - Anouska Ladds, Mastercard's Executive Vice President for Asia Pacific, emphasized the importance of digital wallets in daily life and the partnership's role in advancing Mastercard's vision for payment modernization [2][5] - Yang Wenhui, CEO of TenPay Global, highlighted the commitment to providing users with more convenience and choices for remittances, addressing the growing demand for cross-border payment solutions [2][5]

Core Insights - Tencent's TenPay Global and Mastercard Move have partnered to facilitate quick and transparent digital remittances to Weixin Pay, enhancing cross-border payment capabilities for users globally [1][2] - The integration aims to create a seamless pathway for international transactions into mainland China, leveraging Mastercard Move's extensive network [2][3] - The partnership will provide access to over 1.4 billion Weixin and WeChat users, allowing for rapid money transfers through various financial institutions [4][5] Group 1 - The collaboration is designed to meet the growing money transfer needs of a globally connected user base, ensuring swift and safe fund transfers [3][6] - Mastercard Move connects to approximately ten billion endpoints worldwide, including bank accounts and digital wallets, enhancing the reach of the service [3] - The partnership aims to embed financial services into everyday life, expanding access and empowering users in the digital economy [5][6] Group 2 - TenPay Global's integration with international payment partners and global users aims to deliver comprehensive solutions for cross-border remittances and commerce [6] - The partnership reflects the increasing importance of digital wallets in the Asia Pacific region, providing users with fast and secure access to funds [5][6] - Mastercard's enhancements to its commercial payment offerings in October 2025 further support the initiative to modernize payments across the region [7]

Core Insights - Mastercard has launched a Global Financial Health Coalition aimed at enhancing financial health and resilience for consumers and small businesses worldwide [1][2] - The coalition comprises various stakeholders including financial institutions, NGOs, telcos, and wallet providers, with a focus on responsible innovation and user protection [2][3] - The initiative is guided by three core principles: connecting people to financial tools, leveraging technology for protection, and empowering financial well-being [4] Coalition Composition - The coalition includes companies such as DANA, GCash, TrueMoney, MTN Group Fintech, MOCO, Axian, Daviplata, and The Center for Financial Inclusion, all working on solutions to promote financial health [3] Recent Initiatives - In September, Mastercard partnered with Smile ID to enhance secure digital identity solutions in Africa, aiming to streamline customer onboarding for enterprises [5] - In July, Mastercard collaborated with BMO to expand the Canadian bank's money transfer service, allowing clients to send money to nearly 70 destinations [6] - Mastercard's partnership with National ITMX in June is set to boost the Thai digital economy by enhancing the PromptPay real-time payments platform [7][8]

Summary of Mastercard's Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: Mastercard - **CFO**: Sachin Mehra - **Industry**: FinTech, Payment Processing Key Points Macro Environment and Consumer Spending - Mastercard continues to observe healthy trends in consumer and business spending, with key metrics showing consistent growth [3][4] - Consumer spending remains robust across affluent and mass demographics, with no significant signs of weakness in lower-end demographics [4][5] - The company is closely monitoring geopolitical and macroeconomic factors but remains optimistic about current trends [4] Agentic Commerce and Agent Pay - Mastercard is actively involved in agentic commerce, launching Agent Pay to facilitate transactions where consumers delegate authority to agents [6][7] - The strategy focuses on establishing trust within the ecosystem, ensuring secure transactions for consumers and legitimacy for merchants [8][9] - Agent Pay is already operational with select issuers in the U.S., with plans for a broader rollout by 2026 [10] - The potential for increased transaction volume is highlighted, as agentic payments may lead to multiple transactions instead of a single one, benefiting Mastercard's revenue model [12][13] Stablecoins - Mastercard views stablecoins as an incremental opportunity, engaging in both on-ramp (purchasing stablecoins) and off-ramp (using stablecoins for transactions) activities [16][17] - The company reported a 25% year-over-year growth in on-ramp volumes for Q3 [17] - Mastercard is also enabling stablecoin settlements through its Mastercard Move service, anticipating increased demand for interoperability among various stablecoins [18] Capital One Partnership and Financial Impact - The conversion of the Capital One debit portfolio to Discover is ongoing, expected to continue into early next year [20][21] - The revenue impact from this transition is anticipated to be manageable, with contractual obligations providing partial offsets through 2026 [22][26] - The company maintains a diversified portfolio and continues to engage with multiple issuers [20][23] Consumer Payments Opportunities - Mastercard sees significant opportunities in converting cash and checks to electronic payments, particularly in markets with high cash usage [31][34] - The company is focused on increasing transaction volumes and optimizing existing portfolios to drive growth [35][36] - Tokenization adoption is progressing, with approximately 35% of transactions being tokenized, leading to improved approval rates [37][38] Commercial Business Strategy - The addressable market for commercial payments is estimated at $80 trillion, with significant room for growth in both point-of-sale and invoice payments [43][44] - Mastercard is focusing on small business solutions and virtual card capabilities to tap into this market [45][48] Value-Added Services (VAS) - VAS now represents about 40% of Mastercard's revenue and is a key growth area [49] - The growth algorithm for VAS includes deeper penetration of existing solutions and the introduction of new services [51] - The acquisition of Recorded Future enhances Mastercard's capabilities in threat intelligence, expanding its addressable market [64][65] Risks and Opportunities - Key risks include rapid technological changes and regulatory challenges, which Mastercard aims to address proactively [67][68] - The company remains focused on its three growth pillars: consumer payments, commercial payments, and value-added services, with a commitment to capital allocation for growth [68] Additional Insights - The recent settlement agreement with U.S. merchants aims to lower acceptance costs and provide greater flexibility in card acceptance [55][56] - Mastercard's capital allocation strategy emphasizes maintaining a strong balance sheet while pursuing growth through organic means and acquisitions [59][60]

Core Insights - Visa and Mastercard have both launched stablecoin payout solutions, enhancing real-time payment options for users on their global networks [2][7] - The integration of stablecoin wallets aims to provide more choices for end-users and unlock new opportunities for banks and payment service providers [3][6] - Stablecoin payouts are particularly beneficial for businesses operating in the gig economy and digital marketplaces, allowing for faster payments across borders [4][3] Group 1: Company Initiatives - Visa initiated a stablecoin payout pilot, which was quickly followed by Mastercard's announcement of a similar fiat-to-wallet payout solution [1][2] - Mastercard has partnered with fintech startup Thunes to support its stablecoin payout infrastructure, which includes various payment methods [1][2] Group 2: Market Implications - The introduction of stablecoin payouts could significantly streamline payment processes for global digital platforms, reducing the reliance on traditional systems like SWIFT [4][7] - Major companies, including Meta, are exploring stablecoin payouts to mitigate high costs associated with fiat transfers [4] Group 3: Financial Inclusion - Both Visa and Mastercard highlighted the potential of stablecoin wallets to enhance financial inclusion, especially in regions with low bank account ownership [6][8] - The emphasis on financial inclusion aligns with the broader narrative of stablecoin issuers, aiming to provide access to payments for the underbanked and unbanked populations [8]