Major credit card companies Visa and Mastercard foresee opportunities in stablecoins as the cross-border payment sector experiences stable growth in the second quarter of 2025.
Visa and Mastercard Embrace Digital Transformation in Cross-Border Payments
In the rapidly evolving landscape of cross-border payments, Visa and Mastercard are leading the charge, with both companies reporting significant growth in transactions and volumes.
As we move into Q3 2025, stablecoins and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are playing increasingly influential roles in reshaping these giants' cross-border businesses.
Visa's cross-border transaction volumes grew around 12-13% year-over-year, driven by a rebounding travel and trade, digital payment ecosystems expansion, and the emergence of stablecoin-related initiatives. The Genius Act, a recent regulatory framework, has provided a solid foundation for these initiatives.
Mastercard, too, has seen a surge in cross-border transactions, mirroring Visa's growth. Both companies are actively adapting their infrastructure, investing in AI technologies, and forming strategic partnerships to stay competitive in the face of the rising tide of digital and decentralized payment methods.
Stablecoins are emerging as an alternative payment rail that could potentially reduce costs, increase speed, and extend reach in cross-border transactions, particularly in emerging markets where financial inclusion is a significant opportunity. The adoption and integration of stablecoins into Visa and Mastercard's networks are supported by regulatory progress and growing merchant and consumer interest.
AI is also playing a critical role by enhancing risk management, fraud detection, and personalized customer experiences, thereby improving transaction efficiency and security. AI-driven insights help optimize network operations and support new product development, accelerating innovation in payment services and expanding market reach.
The combination of AI and stablecoin technologies is enabling Visa and Mastercard to build more resilient and scalable cross-border payment infrastructures suited for the evolving digital economy.
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Both Visa and Mastercard have discussed the potential impact of these technologies on their businesses, with Visa Direct and Mastercard Move, network platform products, seeing rises across both companies. The future potential of these technologies lies in further disrupting legacy payment models, deepening digital wallet penetration in untapped regions, and driving a shift toward less card-centric, more digital and decentralized payment ecosystems.
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In the context of the newsletter focusing on cross-border payments, both Visa and Mastercard are leveraging technology, particularly AI and stablecoins, to strengthen their finance-related businesses and digital payment ecosystems. As a result, Visa's cross-border transaction volumes show a substantial growth, whereas Mastercard's transactions mirror this trend, indicative of their strategic adaptations to the rapidly evolving industry.
