Visa and Mastercard Doubt Stablecoins Will Replace Cards for Daily Payments
Visa and Mastercard remain unconvinced that stablecoins will upend everyday consumer payments in developed markets. Despite crypto’s promise of faster, cheaper transfers, the payment giants point to regulatory uncertainty, compliance and consumer-protection concerns, and entrenched card infrastructure as key barriers to mass retail adoption.
That skepticism is consequential: it suggests stablecoin growth may be concentrated in cross-border transfers, B2B settlement, and emerging markets rather than immediate replacement of cards at checkout. For crypto firms and merchants, the practical takeaway is to prioritize regulatory alignment, bank and processor partnerships, and robust fiat on-ramps if they want mainstream payment use cases to scale.