Visa, Mastercard CEOs downplay stablecoins for daily consumer payments

Executives at Visa and Mastercard have assessed that stablecoins are currently ill-suited for everyday consumer payments, particularly in digitally advanced markets, Coindesk reported. During an earnings call this week, Visa CEO Ryan McInerney stated that the U.S. already offers various convenient methods for digital dollar payments directly from checking or savings accounts, reducing the relevance of stablecoins for such transactions. Similarly, Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach noted that while the company is investing in emerging technologies like stablecoins and AI-powered agents, the focus is more on infrastructure than innovation. He emphasized that stablecoins are simply another currency the network can support, viewing their primary use case as trading rather than payments.