Veröffentlicht von One more step into the cryptosphere – After PayPal, it is now Visa that wants to impose itself in the cryptocurrency sector. The $ 451 billion company is preparing to open its network to stablecoins … but also to traditional cryptocurrencies ?
Growing interest in cryptocurrencies …
The global giant VISA already has a foothold in the cryptocurrency sector, thanks to several partnerships with CeFi (centralized finance) platforms . Among them are BlockFi, Fold, and Crypto.com , which issue products bearing the VISA mark.
But this time, its CEO, Alfred Kelly , suggests that cryptomonnaies could work directly on the VISA network in the future. Current crypto cards actually work in 2 stages . When a customer uses one of their cards at a merchant, the cryptocurrency itself does not interact with the network. In reality, the platform sells an equivalent amount of crypto, and VISA processes the payment in fiat.
With the recent announcement of the introduction of the Bitcoin Union on its network, VISA now seems to want to push this innovation to the limit.
“As a specific digital currency becomes a recognized medium of exchange, there is no reason why we cannot add it to our network, which already supports over 160 currencies today. “
… but careful integration
However, Alfred Kelly is not entirely convinced of the merits of a wider use of cryptocurrencies. Indeed, the payments veteran said that if bitcoin is one of the most widely used and well-known cryptos , it is because it functions like ‚digital gold‘ .
Either way, that may soon change . At a company meeting in the first quarter of 2021, the latter said that VISA could make the cryptocurrency market more secure and useful for its millions of customers around the world. The payments manager also said that stablecoins could be used for global trade.