WHY VISA, MASTERCARD, AND STRIPE AREN'T THREATENED BY CRYPTO

Summary from the TLDR Crypto newsletter

Traditional payment giants are aggressively acquiring crypto infrastructure rather than competing against it: Stripe bought Bridge for $1.1B plus Privy, Visa partnered with Mercuryo for real-time crypto-to-fiat off-ramping through Visa Direct, and Mastercard pursued Zerohash for up to $2B alongside exploratory talks with BVNK for stablecoin payment infrastructure. These acquisitions focus on embedding blockchain rails into existing PSP stacks and compliance frameworks rather than launching standalone token networks, with stablecoins prioritized for instant, predictable value transfer. The next 18 months are expected to bring surging stablecoin volume, regulatory clarification, continued M&A activity, and crypto payments appearing as standard checkout options alongside cards and BNPL.