Nov 20, 2025 1:50 PM Eastern Standard Time Ahead of Holiday Season, Visa Identifies Five Transformative Forces Reshaping Global Payment Security Share New Biannual Threats Report Reveals Fundamental Shift in Fraud Operations as Criminals Adopt Industrial- Scale Tactics Visa's Payment Ecosystem Risk and Control team shares the latest threats affecting the digital economy. SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To celebrate International Fraud Awareness Week, Visa (NYSE: V) today released its Fall 2025 Biannual Thre ...

​Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) is one of the Most Profitable Stocks to Buy Now. On November 12, Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) announced a breakthrough pilot at Web Summit that allows businesses and platforms to send out payouts directly to recipients’ stable coin wallets. ​The pilot allows creators and gig workers a faster way to access funds by bypassing traditional banking delays. Moreover, businesses using Visa Direct can fund payouts in fiat currency, while recipients can opt to receive funds in stable coins, specifically ...

Visa (NYSE:V) FY Conference Summary Industry Overview - The conference focused on Visa's proposed settlement regarding long-standing merchant litigation, which has been ongoing for over 20 years [2][3] - The settlement aims to provide merchants with more flexibility and options in payment acceptance [2] Key Points from the Proposed Settlement - **Interchange Reduction**: The proposed settlement lowers the U.S. average combined credit effective interchange rates by 10 basis points and caps credit interchange rates at 125 basis points for five years [3][4] - **Merchant Flexibility**: Merchants will have increased options for surcharging and the ability to choose which card categories to accept [4] - **Merchant Education**: Visa plans to offer education programs to merchants of all sizes to help them manage payment acceptance and costs [4] Financial Performance Insights - Visa reported strong Q4 performance with stable payment volumes and transactions compared to Q3 [16][18] - Discretionary and non-discretionary spending remained stable, with credit and debit transactions both increasing [18][19] - Cross-border volumes showed consistent growth, with 11% growth in both Q3 and Q4 [20] Guidance for FY 2026 - Visa anticipates low double-digit constant currency revenue growth for FY 2026, with operating expenses expected to grow at the same rate [21] - The company is focused on client success and operational efficiency to maintain its industry-leading margin profile [23][29] Investment Priorities - Visa is investing in innovation areas such as stablecoin and agentic commerce, with over 130 card issuance programs for stablecoin across 40 countries [26][27] - The company aims to leverage its sponsorships in major events like the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics to create marketing opportunities and enhance cross-border travel [45][49] Value-Added Services (VAS) Performance - VAS grew 23% in FY 2025, contributing $10.8 billion, which is about 27% of Visa's business [31] - The growth is driven by various portfolios, including Issuing Solutions, Acceptance Solutions, Risk and Security Services, and Advisory Services [38] Commercial Money Movement Insights - Visa Direct transaction growth was robust, up 27% for FY 2025, although it decelerated slightly in Q4 [62] - The commercial volume growth accelerated to 10%, indicating a positive trajectory for Visa's commercial money movement strategy [57][59] Conclusion - Visa remains well-positioned to compete in the evolving payments landscape, with a strong focus on innovation, client relationships, and strategic investments to drive long-term growth [6][29]

Core Insights - Mastercard Incorporated (MA) demonstrated strong quarterly performance with a 17% year-over-year increase in total net revenues, driven by resilient consumer spending and robust cross-border activity [1][9] - The company's Service segment, which includes cybersecurity, data analytics, and fraud solutions, reported a 25% year-over-year growth in net revenues, contributing to high-margin growth [2][9] - Regulatory scrutiny remains a significant concern, particularly in the U.S. and Europe, while adjusted operating expenses increased by 14.5% year-over-year in the first nine months of 2025 [3][9] Financial Performance - In Q3 2025, MA's net revenue growth was supported by broad-based volume gains, particularly from cross-border travel demand and rising switched transactions [1][9] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Mastercard's 2025 earnings suggests a 12.6% growth compared to the previous year [11] Competitive Landscape - Competitors like Visa Inc. and PayPal Holdings, Inc. are also performing well, with Visa reporting an 11% year-over-year growth in net revenues and PayPal achieving a 4.5% growth in the first nine months of 2025 [6][7] Strategic Initiatives - Mastercard is investing in tokenization, real-time payments, open banking, and AI-driven fraud prevention, aiming to enhance its role in the global payments landscape and expand into emerging areas like B2B payments and digital identity [4][5] Valuation Metrics - MA's shares have gained 3.7% year-to-date, contrasting with a 12.1% decline in the industry [8] - The company trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 29.12, above the industry average of 20.25, and carries a Value Score of D [10]

Core Insights - Visa Inc. has launched a pilot program allowing businesses to send payouts directly to recipients' stablecoin wallets, enhancing the efficiency and accessibility of payouts [1][2] - The initiative targets digital creators, freelancers, and marketplaces, providing them with a stable store of value and faster access to funds, especially in regions with currency volatility or limited banking infrastructure [2][3] Group 1: Visa Direct and Stablecoin Payouts - Visa Direct now enables businesses to fund payouts in fiat money while recipients can opt for USD-backed stablecoins like USDC [1] - The pilot program aims to provide universal access to money in minutes rather than days, benefiting creators, businesses, and freelancers [2] - Research indicates that 57% of digital content creators prefer digital payment methods for instant access to funds [2] Group 2: Features and Future Plans - The Visa Direct Stablecoin Payout offers near-instant access to payouts in stablecoins, enhancing convenience for consumers and freelancers [3] - Stablecoins provide borderless currency access, particularly for underbanked regions or where USD bank accounts are unavailable [3] - The pilot will initially launch with select partners, with plans for a broader rollout in the second half of 2026 as client demand and regulatory frameworks evolve [3]

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]

Group 1 - Visa is launching a pilot program that enables businesses to make payments to individual stablecoin wallets in fiat currency, allowing recipients to receive funds in US dollar-backed stablecoins [1] - The pilot program targets international businesses, marketplaces, creator and gig economy platforms, fintechs, and recipients with compatible stablecoin wallets who meet KYC/AML checks [1] - The reaction to the pilot program has been overwhelmingly positive within the cryptocurrency community, with many notable figures expressing bullish sentiments [2] Group 2 - The cryptocurrency sector has experienced record growth throughout 2025, largely driven by a pro-crypto regulatory approach from the Donald Trump administration [3] - Stablecoins have gained mainstream attention, with significant interest in products from crypto incumbents like Circle and increased exposure from mainstream financial organizations like Visa [4] - Cathie Wood, CEO of Ark Invest, has revised her bullish price forecast for Bitcoin from $1.5 million to $1.2 million per coin, attributing this change to the growth of stablecoins [5] Group 3 - Visa is heavily investing in stablecoins, implementing fiat-to-crypto bridges across its Visa Direct stack and other service areas [6] - The company previously launched a stablecoin prefund pilot program, which will work alongside the new fiat-to-stablecoin pilot program, allowing businesses to prefund payment accounts with stablecoins or remit directly from fiat accounts to crypto wallets [6]

Core Insights - Cryptocurrencies are experiencing a downturn, with Bitcoin falling to around $11,000, Ether below $3,400, and XRP down by 2.34% [1][2] Regulatory Developments - The Senate Agriculture Committee has released a draft of a crypto market structure bill, providing clearer regulatory guidance for cryptocurrencies, classifying Bitcoin and Ether as digital commodities regulated by the CFTC [3][4] - The bill aims to empower the CFTC in the digital asset space, addressing the ongoing debate over whether specific tokens are securities or commodities [4] - The draft includes provisions for crypto firms to separate various affiliated businesses, reflecting the industry's anticipation for regulatory clarity amid growing institutional interest [5] Company Updates - Circle's stock dropped by 11% following its Q3 earnings report, despite profits exceeding estimates, due to an increase in expected operating expenses for 2025 [2] - JP Morgan has launched its deposit token, JPMD, on Coinbase's Ethereum layer 2 blockchain, allowing institutional clients to settle transactions 24/7 [6] Visa's Stablecoin Initiatives - Visa has introduced a pilot program enabling businesses to send payouts directly to stablecoin wallets, facilitating faster and easier money movement for freelancers and creators [9][10] - The pilot leverages Visa Direct, allowing users to receive payments in USD-backed stablecoins like USDC, enhancing real-time access to funds [11][18] - The pilot is currently available in the US, with plans for expansion to other countries in the latter half of 2026 [17] Market Trends and Future Outlook - Visa's research indicates that 57% of digital content creators prefer digital payment methods for instant access to funds, driving the company's interest in stablecoins [18][20] - The regulatory framework established by recent legislation, such as the Genius Act, is crucial for Visa's deeper engagement in the stablecoin space, allowing for compliant deployment of this technology [22][24] - Visa aims to address the needs of the underbanked population by enabling access to the digital economy through stablecoin wallets [20][21]

In September, Visa (NYSE: V) unveiled its stablecoin pre-funding pilot at SIBOS 2025, introducing a faster and more flexible model for cross-border payments for businesses through Visa Direct. Months later, at Web Summit in Lisbon, Visa just took another step in its broader push to merge blockchain technology with its global payments network. Visa brings stablecoins to creators, gig workers On Nov. 12, 2025, Visa unveiled a new Visa Direct pilot designed to deliver near-instant payouts in USD-backed sta ...

Core Insights - Visa is piloting a new payment scheme allowing companies to send fiat USD directly to recipients' stablecoin wallets, specifically using dollar-pegged stablecoins like USDC [1][2] - The service is aimed at the creator and gig economy, facilitating small, irregular payments to a large number of recipients [3] - Wider access to the service is projected for the second half of 2026, depending on local regulations [4] Group 1: Service Details - Companies will pay out in fiat USD, while recipients will receive payments in stablecoins [1] - Participants must have a stablecoin wallet and pass AML/KYC checks; the pilot is currently limited to U.S.-based platforms and businesses [2] - Visa is in the process of onboarding partners for the service [4] Group 2: Strategic Moves - Visa has made significant investments in the stablecoin space, including a strategic investment in BVNK [5] - The company predicts an increased role for stablecoins in the $40 trillion global credit market, suggesting potential for traditional institutions to utilize blockchain technology [6] - Visa is also expanding support for stablecoin-based crypto credit cards in collaboration with various fintech companies [6]