By March 2024, Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal are still getting deeper into crypto, but none are developing a blockchain or a native currency. Instead, they are constructing on top of current blockchains, stablecoins, and payment rails.

Here’s what we know (Updated March 2024)

• Visa: Building Stablecoin & CBDC Integrations The company has introduced USDC settlements on Ethereum and Solana and is exploring more stablecoin use cases through its active technology development. By collaborating with Circle (USDC) and traditional banks to support instant crypto transactions, set to launch layer 2 blockchain solutions for faster transactions. [Important update] In February 2024, Visa made USDC available to several partners, allowing merchants to process transactions in stablecoin.

• Mastercard: Commitments to Crypto Cards and Regulations Expands cryptocurrency-linked payment cards with Binance, Bybit, and other exchanges. Introduced Crypto Credential, a verification solution built on blockchain to improve security and compliance. Several governments have adopted the CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) infrastructure. Big News: Mastercard partnered with the UAE government to initiate a CBDC pilot in 2024.

• PayPal — PYUSD Stablecoin Adoption Expands Launched its stablecoin, PayPal USD (PYUSD), in August 2023, fully backed by reserves and issued by Paxos. PYUSD arrives on Venmo as part of a broader fleet of integrations rolling out in 2024. How to give merchants more crypto-to-fiat conversion services. More Recent Fill in Kenal: In Jan 2024, PayPal partnered with Ledger to make direct on-ramp Fiat to Crypto transactions via PayPal USD (PYUSD) possible.

Are They Building Their Crypto Blockchains? NO. Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal aren’t building their crypto / chain but are instead hooking into existing chains / stablecoins / CBDC. Visa & Mastercard: Stablecoin settlements, CBDC partnerships, crypto payments. PayPal: Stablecoin (PYUSD), crypto payment services.

What’s Next? Visa and Mastercard are becoming “crypto-friendly” payment networks, and PayPal wants to be a stablecoin issuer. The next key trends to watch: Visa & Mastercard sign up, allowing more stablecoin transactions. More regulation clarity on PYUSD adoption. International government partnership on CBDC. Big takeaway: None are issuing their native crypto, but they're making it easier for stablecoins and blockchain payments to go mainstream.

Crypto Liaison: Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal Executive Ambitions for 2025

Get ready for 2025, as Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal will almost certainly lean further into stablecoin, CBDC integration, and blockchain payments. Though they won’t be issuing their own blockchains or cryptocurrencies, they are strengthening partnerships with existing crypto networks. Visa is showing the way forward for crypto in 2025 Expanding stablecoin trials: Visa plans to extend USDC not just for settlement but also beyond Ethereum & Solana alongside competitive stablecoins like USDT & EUROC. Blockchain-enabled payments in real-time: Aims to offer merchants and banks instant cross-border transactions using stablecoins. CBDC partnerships: Partnering with central banks to enable CBDC payments on Visa’s network. 2025 Trend to Watch: Visa's push to be the "Layer 2 for stablecoins," making it as easy to make crypto payments as it is with fiat.

Mastercard’s goals for crypto by 2025

Expanding crypto credentials: The blockchain-based identity and compliance system will ensure safe and secure crypto payments. More crypto-backed cards: Support for crypto debit and credit cards is being planned with regulated exchanges. CBDCs to stablecoins transfer: Mastercard will be piloting those CBDCs to stablecoins in a bid to enable digital currencies spent internationally. Top 2025 Trend: Crypto Enabling Security And Compliance On The Road To Mainstream Payments — Mastercard

What PayPal Has in Store for Crypto by 2025

Expanding PYUSD use cases: PayPal envisioned the use of its PayPal USD (PYUSD) token expanding to cover more of DeFi apps, payment gateways, and even use in remittances up to 2025. Venmo + Crypto: PayPal announces the integration of crypto into Venmo, bringing along potential crypto staking, lending, and even instant stablecoin swaps. NFT & web3 payments: Web3-native integrations coming soon to make NFT purchases seamless using PYUSD. Notable trend for 2025: PayPal is trying to drive stablecoins into mainstream adoption as a payment method, taking steps toward Web3.

Conclusion for 2025

Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal Are All Placing Bets On Stablecoins, CBDCs, And Crypto Payments Instead of creating their own cryptocurrencies: Visa → For speeding up USDC transactions and international transfers. Mastercard → More focus on compliance, crypto cards integrations Signature currency. PYUSD → Scaling PYUSD & integrating into Web3 + Venmo. 2025 will most likely be the year of stablecoins and these payment giants will play the leading role in it!

More Interesting Facts About Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal Crypto Strategies

If you're interested in learning more about how Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal are paving the way for crypto payments to become mainstream, here are some lesser-known but interesting facts:

1. Visa Plans to Build on Bitcoin and the Lightning Network ⚡ Visa has been conducting discreet tests of Bitcoin payments to allow quick, cheap BTC transactions via the Lightning Network. Visa joined Zebedee, a fintech integrator of Lightning Network for micropayments, towards the end of 2023. This means that Visa is potentially interested more in stablecoins—but also layer-2 Bitcoin scaling solutions for payments. Why does it matter? This would open the potential to BTC payments for millions of merchants if Visa does indeed adopt Bitcoin Lightning.

2. Mastercard has Many More Crypto Plans Than Just Payments⚡ In 2023, Mastercard debuted a cryptocurrency startup accelerator to assist blockchain-based enterprises, DeFi initiatives, NFT platforms, and other projects in accessing the resources they require. They are creating a tokenization system for banks, simplifying the process of issuing blockchain payment cards. In February 2024, Mastercard filed a patent for a method for fractionalized ownership based on crypto—both real estate and digital asset markets. Why does it matter? However, Mastercard is not just a payment processor; it is trying to play an intermediary between traditional finance and crypto.

3. PayPal’s Ambitions for PYUSD as a Dominant Stablecoin⚡ While some U.S. merchants already accept PYUSD, PayPal aims to make it the dominant stablecoin for global payments. PayPal is lobbying for rules permitting stablecoins—including PYUSD—to be used for payroll, remittances, and government benefits. They are working on integrating PYUSD into Web3 games and NFT marketplaces, which may make it the leading currency in the metaverse. Why does it matter? PayPal is competing not only against USDT or USDC but also wants PYUSD to be a real fiat parallel with global approval from regulators.

4. These Companies Are Rivals of Crypto-Native Giants (But Also Allies) 🤝 As Visa and Mastercard encourage crypto payments, they are competing against crypto-native payment providers such as:

• Strike (Lightning Network payments)
• MoonPay (Fiat-to-crypto on-ramps)
• Alchemy Pay (Connecting crypto with traditional banking)

They’re partnering instead of battling:

• Visa and Mastercard have deals with Binance, Coinbase, and Crypto.com for crypto-linked cards.
• PayPal collaborates with Ledger, MetaMask, and other Web3 wallets to ease the path from fiat to crypto.

Why does it matter? And rather than replacing traditional finance, crypto is being married to the existing financial system—Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal are ensuring they don’t lose control.

5. Artificial Intelligence in Crypto Payments 🤖 Visa and MasterCard are leveraging AI for fraud detection in crypto transactions—Visa even acquired an AI company to analyze blockchain data in 2023. PayPal is adopting AI-powered risk management to curb fraud in stablecoin transactions. Mastercard is working on an AI-driven crypto transaction monitoring tool that may serve as a guided industry standard. Why does it matter? Say bye to paper planes and enter instant PayPal with AI + Crypto—the future these companies are working towards.

The Future of Crypto Payments Has Arrived Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal aren’t just adopting crypto—they’re driving mainstream adoption of it. The most intriguing trends to follow: Lightning Network Integration with Visa (Bitcoin payment scaling). Mastercard's tokenization & blockchain-based identity systems. PayPal aims to transform PYUSD into a globally regulated stablecoin. 2025 might be the year that stablecoins and crypto payments replace credit cards!