During its latest earnings call, Visa
In a phone interview with CNBC, Visa CFO Vasant Prabhu noted that the company's crypto-backed cards pose a considerable value proposition for consumers looking to use their tokens to "fund purchases and manage expenses, and to do so instantly and seamlessly."
Visa recently managed to handily beat Wall Street expectations last quarter, reporting earnings per share of $1.83, topping consensus estimates by 6.33%. All in all, shares in the payment processor managed to end the week marginally higher by 1.26%.
Visa also announced that it would expand the number of crypto-exchange partners from 54 to 65, adding that 70 million vendors in its sprawling network currently accept payments in crypto backed by Visa. Notable Visa partners include Coinbase
"We will continue to lean into the crypto space and our strategy is to be a key partner to provide the connectivity, scale, consumer value proposition, reliability and security that is needed for crypto offerings to continue to grow," Visa CEO Al Kelly said during the earnings call.
Consumers remain earnest about crypto despite the volatility that has rattled markets of late, Prabhu noted in his comments to CNBC. The price of Bitcoin is currently more than 45% off from its record $69,000 November high.
Prabhu added that crypto investors are using their Visa cards to make everyday purchases with their digital assets while also hinting at future rewards scheme the company might offer.
"Crypto rewards are a significant part of the value proposition for many of these card programs, particularly for consumers who are new to crypto who may not be directly investing in it, but are excited for the opportunity to earn it as they spend fiat [currency like the dollar]," Prabhu told CNBC.
Visa's nearest rival, Mastercard
"We're watching these programs closely to see how they impact the rewards category as a whole," Prabhu added.
Visa's website describes forthcoming "Visa Crypto APIs" that the company will use to set up "bitcoin trading and rewards."
Visa only recently began to facilitate transactions in blockchain-based currencies, with the company first noting $1 billion in transactions from its crypto-linked cards for the six months of 2021 back in July.
The crux of Visa's strategy remains to make it easier for those invested in cryptocurrencies to use their tokens to make everyday purchases, paving the way for future transaction fees for the company.
"We want to be an on-ramp and an off-ramp between the regular world and the crypto world," Oliver Jenkyn, Visa's executive vice president and regional president for North America, said at a June fintech conference hosted by RBC Capital Markets.
- 1.https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/28/visa-says-crypto-linked-card-usage-hit-2point5-billion-in-its-first-quarter.html
- 2 https://www.investopedia.com/visa-crypto-cards-hit-usd2-5-billion-in-volume-in-the-first-fiscal-quarter-of-2022-5217567
- 3https://usa.visa.com/solutions/crypto.html
- 4https://fortune.com/2021/07/15/visa-crypto-payments-fintech-cryptocurrency/