According to a speaker in the discussion, the main obstacle for crypto payments is user experience, as paying with crypto at the final step is nearly impossible for most people. The partnership with Visa is said to bring 774 million crypto owners to shop at 175 million merchants worldwide that accept Visa cards. Users can tap their phones to pay from wallets such as Coinbase, MetaMask or Koshi, instead of copying alphanumeric addresses or waiting for settlement. The speaker argues that tap-to-pay and QR code payments are becoming the new norm as consumers increasingly avoid cash.
Summary written by Upside AI from the original article. Read the source for full details.
Read the original on Yahoo Finance ↗
Keywords
Open a keyword to see other news on the same topic.
Related tickers and likely impact
BTC/USDT
▲ Likely positiveBitcoin
Relevance: low
| Market | Crypto |
|---|---|
| Exchange | Binance |
| Sector | Layer 1 |
| Market cap | $1.6T |
| Close on 10/19/2026 | 81,938.40 |
| Change that session | -0.22% |
ETH/USDT
▲ Likely positiveEthereum
Relevance: low
| Market | Crypto |
|---|---|
| Exchange | Binance |
| Sector | Layer 1 |
| Market cap | $294.2B |
| Close on 10/19/2026 | 2,408.01 |
| Change that session | -0.10% |
Impact is scored by AI from the headline and may be wrong. It is not investment advice.
Related news
- Stablecoin supply stalls, but payments jump 45% as Visa, Mastercard and Stripe connect crypto to cash
According to blockchain analytics firm Allium, stablecoin supply barely grew this year, reaching about $305 billion by end-September (up 0.4% year to date), while stablecoin payments hit $482 billion in the first nine months, up 45% from a year earlier. The number of payments rose 71% to over 1 billion, and stablecoin-linked card spending reached $3.9 billion, ten times the prior year's level, with purchases under $50 accounting for 84% of the increase in card transactions. This week, Mastercard launched its Global Money Platform with BVNK, Stripe partnered with Plasma on multi-currency cards, and Visa said Inyo Global became the first provider to use Visa Direct's stablecoin prefunding service commercially. Still, only $2.4 trillion, or 2.5%, of $97.9 trillion in raw stablecoin transfers was classified as end-user activity, and stablecoin cards accounted for just 0.03% of Visa's $4 trillion in second-quarter payment volume.
- Visa Direct Moves USDC Prefunding Into Production : Stablecoin Closes Banking - Hours Gap
On October 15, 2026, Visa moved stablecoin prefunding into production on Visa Direct, making it the first major global card network to run blockchain-settled dollar stablecoins as live payment infrastructure. Inyo Global is the first processor to offer the service to live clients, reaching financial institutions and fintechs in 180+ countries through its existing API stack. Businesses can now top up Visa Direct prefunding accounts in USDC at any hour, rather than waiting for bank wires that clear only during banking hours, while recipients continue to receive local currency. A 7-day pilot by Lloyds Banking Group with Visa had settled $750,000 in payment obligations using USDC. The article says this could let firms hold smaller prefunded balances, since replenishment is no longer tied to banking hours.
- Visa, Mesh partner to enable crypto spending at 175M merchant locations
Visa and crypto payments network Mesh have partnered so users can spend cryptocurrency and stablecoin balances directly from participating digital wallets at merchants on Visa's network, without transferring funds to a bank account or using a separate crypto card. Merchants receive payments through Visa's existing network without changing their checkout systems. The network covers more than 175 million merchant locations in over 200 countries and territories, and participating wallets and launch dates will be announced later. Mesh will handle funding and conversion between crypto, stablecoins and fiat, as well as onboarding and KYC requirements. The partnership follows Mesh's September integration with Bybit Pay and its $75 million raise in January at a $1 billion valuation.
- JPMorgan Brings JPM Coin To Ether For Clients
JPMorgan is launching JPM Coin, its deposit token representing US dollar deposits at the largest US bank, on the Ethereum network for institutional clients. It previously issued JPM Coin on Base, a Coinbase-affiliated chain with fewer users and less establishment than Ethereum. Unlike other stablecoins that retail users can freely buy, the product is available only to institutional clients, aimed at crypto-native firms with digital treasuries and as the cash leg for tokenized transactions. According to Bloomberg's Anna Irrera, JPMorgan is moving faster than many banks on blockchain payments, but its volumes remain very small compared with overall payments.
- Circle Expands USDC Stablecoin To 40 New Markets
Circle (NYSE: CRCL) says it will expand its USDC stablecoin into 40 new markets as global demand grows, particularly across Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. CEO Jeremy Allaire said businesses and individuals are increasingly using stablecoins for payments, marking a shift from early adoption to mainstream use. USDC has about $72.6 billion in circulation, roughly a quarter of the stablecoin market versus nearly 60% for Tether's USDT. Earlier this year, Circle agreed to buy Singapore-based payments firm Tazapay for $400 million, gaining access to banking and payment networks in more than 100 markets. CRCL shares have fallen 33% over the past 12 months and trade at $86.43.
- Circle targets 40 new markets as stablecoin demand grows globally
Circle, issuer of USDC, the world's second-largest stablecoin, plans to expand into about 50 emerging and developing markets as demand for digital-dollar payments grows across Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, CEO Jeremy Allaire told Reuters. USDC has about $72.6 billion in circulation, roughly a quarter of the stablecoin market, compared with nearly 60% for Tether's USDT. Circle has agreed to buy Singapore-based payments firm Tazapay for $400 million, gaining access to local banking and payment networks in more than 100 markets, and it launched its Arc blockchain and secured US federal trust bank approval in July. Allaire credited clearer rules, including the GENIUS Act, for wider adoption, and noted growing use of USDC by AI agents that make small payments for information and services.
Related markets
Latest news
- Wallet Linked to Drift Exploit Sends $61 Million in Ethereum to Tornado Cash
Wallets linked to Drift's April 1 exploit moved about 25,700 Ethereum, worth roughly $61.56 million, into the Tornado Cash mixer over about two hours on Tuesday. Arkham data shows 71 addresses tied to the attacker still hold 81,454 ETH, worth about $198.58 million, after an earlier 23,095 ETH transfer in July. The attacker gained admin powers, introduced a fake token and used it to borrow real liquidity from Drift's Solana vaults, in an exploit totaling $295 million. Drift opened claims for its DFX recovery token on Oct. 1, and early redeemers received roughly 0.0104 USDT per token, about a penny per dollar lost.
- Meta vs. Alphabet: Meta Is Better Built for AGI
The Motley Fool compares Alphabet and Meta using its AIball scores, which measure how exposed a company is to AI and how much upside it has, and concludes Meta is better built for AGI. Roughly 98% of Meta's 2025 revenue came from ads that reach people while they chat or scroll, activities AI agents are unlikely to take over, and its average price per ad rose 12% in Q2 2026. Alphabet's search ads are more exposed because AI assistants can answer queries and act on them directly. However, Alphabet's TPU chips and Google Cloud, which brought in $20 billion in Q1 2026 and serve nine of the top 10 AI labs, give it a strong AI chokepoint position. Its cloud gains could still outweigh pressure on search ads if outside developers cannot get enough rival chips and power.
- Bitwise, Hyperliquid seek SEC rule changes for token trading, airdrops
Bitwise Asset Management and the Hyperliquid Policy Center are urging the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to revise its proposed crypto rules, seeking clearer guidance on how crypto assets are classified, how airdrops are treated, and how secondary-market trading works, as the public comment period closes. Bitwise wants a standard based on publicly available information to determine whether an asset falls under securities laws, along with clear rules on relying on issuers' Form TR filings. Hyperliquid asks the SEC to broaden its proposed safe harbor, protect airdrops that reward network participation, and clarify whether unregistered intermediaries or onchain protocols can facilitate token trading. In contrast, former SEC enforcement official John Reed Stark and scholar Lee Reiners urge withdrawing the proposal, arguing it exceeds the agency's statutory authority, weakens investor protections and could face immediate legal challenge. The SEC has not announced a timetable for a final decision.
- JPMorgan Nigeria Licence : US$37 . 5M Deposit With CBN
Nigerian outlets reported on Tuesday that JPMorgan Chase deposited N50 billion (about US$37.5 million) with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), one of the final requirements for its bid to obtain a merchant banking licence. Citing unnamed sources, the reports say JPMorgan hopes for approval by the end of 2026 or in early 2027, but the CBN has published no approval and JPMorgan declined to comment. A licence would let JPMorgan turn its Lagos representative office into a full unit offering lending, trade finance, payments and dollar loans to large companies. The deposit meets the capital requirement for a national merchant bank, though it does not by itself guarantee approval.
- Hedge funds emerge as winner of JP Morgan AM new …
JPMorgan Asset Management raised its 10-to-15-year return forecast for diversified hedge funds by 140bp to 6.7%, the largest upgrade of any alternative asset class in its 31st annual Long-Term Capital Market Assumptions. Most of the increase comes from alpha, which rises from 2.4% to 3.9%, while beta slips from 2.9% to 2.8%. The firm cites higher rates boosting short-position carry, governments unlocking new capital pools, and more frequent policy catalysts creating relative value opportunities, though it admits part of the uplift reflects a methodology change. The report suggests that a 30% allocation to a blend of hedge funds, gold, infrastructure and transport can lift a 60/40 portfolio's Sharpe ratio by 22% as stock-bond correlation becomes less reliable. It also warns that manager dispersion remains elevated, so manager selection is vital.
- Wall Street diverges Tuesday , industrials advance , techs slip
The S&P 500 closed at 7,712.75, up 0.29%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 531.39 points (1.02%) to 52,497.42 as industrials led the advance. The Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.02% to 26,424.82 as tech stocks lagged, though AI shares firmed after recent sell-offs. Hyperscaler earnings are due in the coming weeks, and Direxion's Jake Behan says guidance on ROI, data centre spending and 2027 capex will be a key test for the AI trade. The US dollar weakened against major currencies, with GBP-USD up 0.57% to 1.3381 and EUR-USD up 0.21% to 1.1236. Most European benchmarks eased, with the FTSE 100 down 0.29%, while Asian markets diverged: the Nikkei 225 fell 1.30%, the Hang Seng dropped 1.32%, the KOSPI slid 3.73%, and Indonesia's IDX Composite jumped 5.65%.
Get the briefing on Telegram or Zalo
Join the Upside Telegram channel or Zalo group for the Vietnam stocks and gold briefing at 8:00 and 19:00 (Vietnam time) on trading days, plus a weekly wrap on Saturday morning.