Mastercard

Mastercard cautions that stablecoins can speed certain remittance corridors and less common currency pairs, but gains depend on faster on‑ and off‑ramps and supporting infrastructure. Matthew Driver warns against a slow fiat-to-stablecoin on‑ramp and off‑ramp around a fast stablecoin transaction — a "stablecoin sandwich" — which would negate speed advantages. Mastercard highlights integration with real‑time payment systems, potential corporate use cases such as smart contracts, and recent moves including the BVNK acquisition and the Global Money Platform to simplify fiat‑stablecoin flows. » More on cnbc.com

Mastercard will require, starting February 2027, that newly issued credit and debit cards in Europe support offline payments, and by May 2027 new payment terminals must also enable the feature. Offline transactions are authorized locally by storing spending limits on the card chip; individual transactions may not exceed €200 and the specific limits are set by the issuing bank. The feature is intended to ensure payments work during network or power outages at supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies and ticket machines; Visa offers similar offline options and Girocard solutions are only available within the German Girocard network. » More on heise.de

At the Goldman Sachs conference Mastercard CFO Ling Hai said revenue growth is the top priority and is being supported by organic investments, targeted acquisitions and a strong balance sheet. The services business now accounts for about 40% of net revenue and drives operating leverage, while cybersecurity, stablecoins and domestic payment systems are new strategic focuses. Mastercard sees big opportunities in China, the UAE, Southeast Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe; in the UAE an on‑shore switch was highlighted as a model for sovereign payment infrastructures. The company expects stable demand, a further rise in the services share and strengthened cross‑border as well as domestic relevance. » More on de.investing.com