- How Mastercard’s Stablecoin Remittance Push with Yellow Card Could Reshape the MA Investment Narrative
May 11, 2026
Earlier this month, Mastercard and Yellow Card announced a partnership to develop stablecoin-enabled payments across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, targeting use cases such as cross-border remittances, B2B settlement, digital loyalty, and treasury management in markets including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and the UAE. This collaboration reinforces Mastercard’s push to link its global network with blockchain-based payment rails, potentially deepening its reach in underpenetrated, high-growth digital payment corridors. We’ll now examine how Mastercard’s move into stablecoin-powered remittances and B2B settlement could influence its existing investment narrative.
The best AI stocks today may lie beyond giants like Nvidia and Microsoft. Find the next big opportunity with these 15 smaller AI-focused companies with strong growth potential through early-stage innovation in machine learning, automation, and data intelligence that could fund your retirement.
Mastercard Investment Narrative Recap
To own Mastercard, you need to believe in the resilience of global card networks and the company’s shift toward higher-margin services like crypto, AI, and data. The Yellow Card partnership fits this story but does not materially change the near term focus on cross-border trends or the key risk that local real-time payment schemes could chip away at volumes in important emerging markets.
The most relevant recent development alongside the Yellow Card news is Mastercard’s Q1 2026 earnings, where net revenue and EPS both increased year over year. That print underlines how value-added services and new payment use cases, including stablecoin rails, are increasingly central to the thesis even as geopolitical pressures weigh on cross-border travel.
But while this all sounds positive, investors should still be aware of rising competition from domestic real time payment systems that could...
Read the full narrative on Mastercard (it's free!)
Mastercard's narrative projects $46.8 billion revenue and $22.1 billion earnings by 2029. This requires 12.6% yearly revenue growth and a $7.1 billion earnings increase from $15.0 billion today.
Uncover how Mastercard's forecasts yield a $653.28 fair value, a 32% upside to its current price.
Exploring Other PerspectivesMA 1-Year Stock Price Chart
Twenty-nine members of the Simply Wall St Community currently value Mastercard between about US$520 and US$1,091 per share, reflecting very different return expectations. Against that wide spread, the risk that local real time payment schemes erode Mastercard’s transaction volumes is a key lens for thinking about how the business might perform over time, so you may want to compare several of these viewpoints before deciding what the stock is worth to you.
Story Continues
Explore 29 other fair value estimates on Mastercard - why the stock might be worth over 2x more than the current price!
Form Your Own Verdict
Disagree with existing narratives? Extraordinary investment returns rarely come from following the herd, so go with your instincts.
A great starting point for your Mastercard research is our analysis highlighting 4 key rewards and 1 important warning sign that could impact your investment decision. Our free Mastercard research report provides a comprehensive fundamental analysis summarized in a single visual - the Snowflake - making it easy to evaluate Mastercard's overall financial health at a glance.
Looking For Alternative Opportunities?
Markets shift fast. These stocks won't stay hidden for long. Get the list while it matters:
Rare earth metals are an input to most high-tech devices, military and defence systems and electric vehicles. The global race is on to secure supply of these critical minerals. Beat the pack to uncover the 33 best rare earth metal stocks of the very few that mine this essential strategic resource. The future of work is here. Discover the 33 top robotics and automation stocks leading the charge in AI-driven automation and industrial transformation. Capitalize on the AI infrastructure supercycle with our selection of the 38 best 'picks and shovels' of the AI gold rush converting record-breaking demand into massive cash flow.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Companies discussed in this article include MA.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
View Comments
- Has The Recent Pullback In Mastercard (MA) Opened A Valuation Opportunity For Investors
May 11, 2026
Find winning stocks in any market cycle. Join 7 million investors using Simply Wall St's investing ideas for FREE.
If you are wondering whether Mastercard at around US$495 per share is priced fairly or offering value, the key is to understand what different valuation methods are saying about the stock today. The share price has eased recently, with Mastercard down 1.8% over the past week, down 0.6% over the past month, and down 12.0% year to date, even though the 3 year and 5 year returns sit at 31.5% and 40.4% respectively. That pullback comes as investors reassess payment stocks in general, with market attention shifting between growth expectations, interest rate paths, and regulatory themes that can influence transaction volumes and fees. For Mastercard, this context helps explain why some investors are rechecking whether the current price lines up with the company’s fundamentals rather than reacting only to short term moves. On Simply Wall St’s 6 point valuation checklist, Mastercard scores 3 out of 6. The rest of this article will walk through what that means across different valuation approaches, and then finish with a practical way to bring those methods together into a clearer view of value.
Find out why Mastercard's -13.8% return over the last year is lagging behind its peers.
Approach 1: Mastercard Excess Returns Analysis
The Excess Returns model looks at how much profit a company is expected to earn above the return that shareholders require, then adds the value of those future “excess” profits to today’s equity base.
For Mastercard, the model starts with a Book Value of $7.58 per share and a Stable Book Value estimate of $18.82 per share, based on forecasts from 4 analysts. On that equity base, analysts expect Stable EPS of $41.66 per share, sourced from weighted future Return on Equity estimates from 11 analysts, which implies an Average Return on Equity that is many times higher than the equity base.
The required return for shareholders in this model is captured by a Cost of Equity of $1.37 per share. Subtracting this from the Stable EPS gives an Excess Return of $40.29 per share, which is what the model capitalizes to estimate intrinsic value.
Putting it together, the Excess Returns valuation arrives at an intrinsic value of about $1,091.49 per share. This implies the stock is 54.6% undervalued relative to the current price around $495.
Result: UNDERVALUED
Our Excess Returns analysis suggests Mastercard is undervalued by 54.6%. Track this in your watchlist or portfolio, or discover 49 more high quality undervalued stocks.
Story Continues
MA Discounted Cash Flow as at May 2026
Head to the Valuation section of our Company Report for more details on how we arrive at this Fair Value for Mastercard.
Approach 2: Mastercard Price vs Earnings
For a profitable company like Mastercard, the P/E ratio is a useful shorthand because it links what you pay per share to the earnings that each share generates. It lets you compare the market price with the company’s current earnings power in a single number.
What counts as a “normal” or “fair” P/E depends on how the market views the company’s growth prospects and risk profile. Higher expected growth or perceived resilience can justify a higher P/E, while slower growth or higher risk usually calls for a lower P/E.
Mastercard currently trades on a P/E of 28.12x. That sits above the Diversified Financial industry average of 17.04x and also above the peer group average of 24.90x. Simply Wall St’s Fair Ratio for Mastercard is 20.25x, which is a proprietary estimate of what a reasonable P/E could be, given factors such as earnings growth, industry, profit margins, market cap and company specific risks.
This Fair Ratio is often more informative than a simple comparison with peers or the industry, because it adjusts for how Mastercard differs on growth, risk and profitability. Comparing 28.12x to the Fair Ratio of 20.25x suggests the stock is trading above what this framework views as a fair level.
Result: OVERVALUEDNYSE:MA P/E Ratio as at May 2026
P/E ratios tell one story, but what if the real opportunity lies elsewhere? Start investing in legacies, not executives. Discover our 19 top founder-led companies.
Upgrade Your Decision Making: Choose your Mastercard Narrative
Earlier it was mentioned that there is an even better way to understand valuation. Narratives take center stage by letting you attach a clear story to your assumptions about Mastercard’s future revenue, earnings, margins and fair value, then link that story directly to a financial forecast and a fair value estimate that you can compare with the current share price.
On Simply Wall St’s Community page, Narratives are an accessible tool used by millions of investors. One Mastercard Narrative might assume a fair value of about US$579.41 based on 10% revenue growth, a 45.28% margin and a future P/E of 30x. Another might set fair value closer to US$903.41 using 11.33% revenue growth, a 45.71% margin and a future P/E of 39.63x. Each of these Narratives is automatically refreshed when new earnings, news or updated forecasts are added so you can quickly see whether your chosen fair value still supports buying, holding or selling at the current market price.
Do you think there's more to the story for Mastercard? Head over to our Community to see what others are saying!NYSE:MA 1-Year Stock Price Chart
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Companies discussed in this article include MA.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
View Comments
- Mastercard: Strong Q1, Rising Estimates & Continued Tech Push
May 11, 2026
Wall Street is warming up to Mastercard Incorporated MA after a strong first-quarter 2026 report, as analysts have begun raising forecasts, signaling growing confidence in MA’s earnings outlook. Over the past week alone, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 EPS saw three upward revisions, while the 2027 estimate picked up four.Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
For 2026, Mastercard’s earnings are now projected at $19.58 per share, which indicates 15.1% growth year over year. For 2027, the estimate has climbed to $22.65, pointing to another 15.7% increase. Revenue forecasts are moving in the same direction. Analysts now expect $36.97 billion in 2026 revenue and $41.59 billion in 2027, implying growth of 12.8% and 12.5%, respectively.
Mastercard beat EPS estimates for four straight quarters, with an average surprise of 5.5%.
Mastercard Incorporated Price, Consensus and EPS SurpriseMastercard Incorporated Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Mastercard Incorporated price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Mastercard Incorporated Quote
So, what exactly is driving this optimism? The answer is simple: execution.
Mastercard’s Key Q1 Highlights
Mastercard posted adjusted earnings per share of $4.60, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.6% and rising 23.3% from the year-ago quarter. Net revenue reached $8.4 billion, topping estimates by 1.3% and increasing 15.8% year over year. For a detailed analysis, read our blog here.
Spending trends remained healthy. Gross dollar volume rose 7% on a local-currency basis to $2.7 trillion, coming in 1.8% above consensus. Switched transactions increased 9%, showing that transaction momentum remains steady as digital payments keep gaining share.
Cross-border volume, one of Mastercard’s most valuable growth levers, climbed 13% year over year. The first quarter performance signals resilient international travel and cross-border commerce, even amid uneven macro conditions. Rival Visa Inc. V is seeing similar strength in global payment trends, but Mastercard’s broader international mix gives it a slightly different growth angle than Visa.
VAS is Fueling the Next Leg of Growth
While the core network remains strong, Mastercard’s services business is becoming a bigger growth driver.The company’s value-added services (VAS) segment delivered another strong quarter, as revenues jumped 22% year over year to $3.5 billion, supported by pricing and the strong performance of security, digital and authentication solutions, as well as customer acquisition and engagement services.
The company continues to invest aggressively in fraud prevention, identity verification and analytics capabilities. With digital commerce expanding and fraud risks rising globally, demand for smarter security and analytics is likely to remain strong. Mastercard is increasingly positioning itself as more than a card network. It is trying to become a deeper partner in security, data and decision-making across commerce.
Story Continues
Where Mastercard is Placing its Next Bets
Mastercard is also pushing to stay ahead of the next wave of payment innovation. Two areas are drawing increasing attention: stablecoins and agentic commerce.
On the stablecoin side, Mastercard is expanding settlement capabilities through partnerships and infrastructure investments. Management believes blockchain-based payments can complement its existing rails, particularly in areas like cross-border money movement. The planned BVNK acquisition is designed to strengthen Mastercard’s stablecoin toolkit and could eventually reduce friction and cost in money movement.
Still, this opportunity is likely to take time to scale. In the December quarter,Visa tempered expectations around stablecoins becoming a mainstream consumer payment tool in highly developed digital markets, arguing that existing systems already provide speed and convenience. Mastercard is still leaning into the opportunity, but for now, stablecoins remain more of a strategic positioning move than a near-term major revenue driver.
The more immediate innovation push is AI-driven commerce. Mastercard is pushing deeper through Mastercard Agent Pay with major partners including Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and others. Global enablement is largely complete, with nearly all Mastercard cards now capable of supporting agent-driven payments. Management has also pointed to B2B agents as the larger long-term opportunity.
In the first quarter, Mastercard launched Verifiable Intent, a tamper-resistant record of what a user authorized when an AI agent initiates a transaction. It also noted that the FIDO Alliance is using it as a foundation for emerging security standards, showing Mastercard is trying to help set the standards, not just follow them.
Shareholder Returns Remain a Major Pillar
Mastercard continues to return significant capital to shareholders, supported by strong free cash flow generation. During the first quarter of 2026, the company returned $777 million in dividends and repurchased $4 billion worth of shares. As of late April 2026, it retained $11.7 billion in remaining buyback authorization, following an additional $1.7 billion in repurchases quarter to date. For Q1 2026, operating cash flow reached $3 billion, up from $2.4 billion in the year-ago quarter.
Mastercard’s Price Performance & Valuation
Even after the strong quarter, shares have lagged. Year to date, the stock is down 13.2%. That is better than the industry’s 17% decline, but it trails the S&P 500’s 9% gain. Visa is down 9.1% over the same period, while American Express Company AXP has slipped 14.6%.
Price Performance – MA, V, AXP, Industry & S&P 500Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, Mastercard is trading at a forward P/E ratio of 23.96X, lower than its five-year median of 30.51X but well above the industry average of 16.26X. In comparison, Visa trades at 22.57X and American Express at 17.09X.Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
What Could Hold the Stock Back?
Still, a few risks stand out. Adjusted operating expenses remain elevated, rising 11% in 2024, 14.3% in 2025 and 11.5% in the first quarter of 2026. At the same time, rebates and incentives, classified as contra-revenue, increased 16.1% in 2024, 16.4% in 2025 and 23.1% in the first quarter of 2026, putting pressure on net revenue growth.
Competition is also evolving. Stablecoin initiatives backed by major retailers and technology firms could eventually threaten traditional card rails. Adoption is still limited, but the pace of innovation is fast enough that investors can’t ignore it.
Regulatory scrutiny remains a major overhang. In the United States, the Department of Justice has accused Mastercard and Visa of using market dominance to sustain elevated merchant fees. The proposed Credit Card Competition Act could also reshape routing rules, potentially weakening network economics.
Europe adds another layer of uncertainty. In June 2025, the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London ruled that Mastercard and Visa’s multi-lateral interchange fees breached European competition law. The U.K. Payment Systems Regulator is expected to introduce fee caps, which could limit growth. Meanwhile, some U.K. banks are exploring domestic alternatives that could slowly reduce reliance on U.S.-based card networks.
Conclusion
Overall, Mastercard remains a high-quality payments franchise with strong earnings momentum, expanding value-added services, and a growing footprint in next-generation areas like stablecoins and agentic commerce. While regulatory pressure, rising incentives, and expense growth remain key watch points, estimate revisions and consistent execution continue to support the near-term outlook. With analysts raising forecasts after a solid first-quarter 2026 beat, it still looks positioned for steady growth.Mastercard currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Mastercard Incorporated (MA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Visa Inc. (V) : Free Stock Analysis Report
American Express Company (AXP) : Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
Zacks Investment Research
View Comments
- Musk, Cook Set to Join Trump for Xi Summit, White House Says
May 11, 2026
(Bloomberg) -- The White House is inviting Tesla Inc.’s Elon Musk, Apple Inc.’s Tim Cook and Boeing Co.’s Kelly Ortberg and executives from other large companies to accompany President Donald Trump on his trip to China this week, according to an official.
Most Read from Bloomberg
Iran Makes New Offer on Uranium in Response to US, WSJ Says Inside a Year of Chaos and Conflict at Kevin Hart’s Media Company Trump Rejects New Iran Peace Offer as ‘Totally Unacceptable’ Modi Asks Indians to Stop Buying Gold, Hitting Jewelry Stocks China Confirms Xi-Trump Summit That Was Delayed by Iran War
Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s David Solomon, Blackstone Inc.’s Stephen Schwarzman, BlackRock Inc.’s Larry Fink, Citigroup Inc.’s Jane Fraser and Meta Platforms Inc.’s Dina Powell McCormick are also on the list of those expected to join Trump’s delegation for his summit with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, a White House official said.
The group of more than a dozen top executives is joining Trump for a visit that the US president hopes will unlock a series of business deals and purchase agreements with Beijing. It is comprised mostly of representatives of major financial, technology, aerospace and agricultural firms.
Larry Culp of General Electric Co., Brian Sikes of Cargill Inc., Sanjay Mehrotra of Micron Technology Inc. and Cristiano Amon of Qualcomm Inc. are also expected to attend, the official said. Rounding out the list is Visa Inc.’s Ryan McInerney, Mastercard Inc.’s Michael Miebach, Illumina Inc.’s Jacob Thaysen and Coherent Corp.’s Jim Anderson.
Tesla shares jumped as much as 1.3%, reversing losses of about 2.7% earlier in the session, and Coherent stock sharply extended gains. Shares of Illumina, GE, Boeing, Cisco, Visa, Mastercard and Apple all hit session highs following the White House announcement.
Chuck Robbins of Cisco Systems Inc. appeared on the White House official’s list but a company spokesperson said later he would be unable to accept the invitation, citing upcoming earnings.
Boeing is said to be closing in one of the largest sales in its history, a 500-aircraft order for 737 Max jets set to be unveiled when Trump travels to Beijing, according to people familiar with the matter. Ortberg said last month the order has the potential to be a “big number.”
Tesla, Apple, Micron, Qualcomm and Coherent did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Meta declined to comment.
The delegation does not include Jensen Huang, chief executive officer of Nvidia Corp., the world’s most valuable company and maker of the advanced chips powering the global AI boom, according to a person familiar with the matter. His exclusion marks a potential setback for Nvidia in its bid to export its AI processors to China, a market that Huang has said could reach $50 billion in sales.
Story Continues
The company had no comment. Huang said last week on CNBC he would join the delegation if invited.
Electric Cars
China is the world’s largest car market and a crucial one for Tesla. The electric-vehicle maker is working to stabilize its business in China as it contends with fierce competition from homegrown manufacturers such as BYD Co. Vehicle shipments last month from Tesla’s Shanghai factory, which serves both the local and export markets, climbed 36% from a year earlier.
The company hopes to get a boost later this year from the possible approval of its automated-driving technology by Chinese regulators.
--With assistance from Maggie Eastland, Jordan Fitzgerald and Richard Clough.
(Updates with Robbins’ inability to attend in sixth paragraph)
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
Behind the Claude Frenzy That Ate Up All the Mac Minis America’s Most Infamous Nuclear Site Returns to Fuel the AI Boom A $400 AI Bet That’s Actually a High-Stakes Wager on the Future of Work Raising Cane’s Grew From an Idea a College Professor Hated The Messy, Humiliating Courtroom Drama Between Elon Musk and OpenAI
©2026 Bloomberg L.P.
View Comments
- Nvidia CEO Huang not going to China during Trump visit, source says
May 11, 2026
By Karen Freifeld
WASHINGTON, May 11 (Reuters) - Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is not going to Beijing during President Donald Trump's trip to China this week, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday.
Huang was not invited, the source said, with the White House focusing more on agriculture and commercial aviation matters, such as orders for Boeing planes, on the current trip. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A number of CEOs were expected to travel with Trump to help drum up business for U.S. companies, a top priority for his administration.
A person familiar with the matter confirmed last week that Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser was invited. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon will attend as long as the trip goes ahead as planned, another source with knowledge of the matter said last week.
Trump has developed a strong relationship with Huang since he has been in office and agreed to allow the company's H200 AI chips to be exported to China. But they have not yet been sold, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on April 22nd, citing difficulties with Chinese companies getting permission to buy them from the Chinese government.
(Reporting by Karen Freifeld; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Nick Zieminski)
View Comments
- Mastercard: Strong Q1, Rising Estimates & Continued Tech Push
May 11, 2026 · zacks.com
MA is drawing fresh optimism after a strong Q1 beat, rising EPS estimates, and continued investment in AI commerce, stablecoins and value-added services.
- Visa vs. Mastercard: Better Payments Stock?
May 11, 2026
The payment network world is essentially a duopoly between Visa(NYSE: V) and Mastercard(NYSE: MA). They facilitate hundreds of billions of transactions annually, totaling well into the trillions, underscoring their importance to the global financial system.
Visa and Mastercard's stocks have struggled this year -- down 7.2% and 11%, respectively, year to date through market close on May 8 -- but that doesn't take away from their long-term appeal. Both companies are built to thrive long term, but which is the better stock right now? Let's take a look.
Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue »Image source: The Motley Fool.
Recent financial performances
Both companies have delivered strong financial performances in their most recent quarters, but in different areas. With Visa, you're getting larger scale and faster revenue growth. With Mastercard, you're getting faster earnings growth:
Metric Visa Year-Over-Year Growth Mastercard Year-Over-Year Growth Revenue 17% 16% Non-GAAP net income 17% 20% Non-GAAP diluted EPS 20% 23%
Sources: Visa and Mastercard earnings reports.
Value-added services (VAS) -- which include services like data analytics, fraud prevention, and consulting -- were a bright spot for both companies. Visa's and Mastercard's VAS increased 27% and 22% year over year, respectively. This is a sign that they're diversifying their business models and becoming less reliant on just transactions.
Cross-border payments also continued to grow for both companies, which is a major source of profit because they typically earn more per transaction. This is a high-margin segment with plenty of growth opportunities as international travel and digital payments expand globally.
Approach to stablecoins
Stablecoins are digital assets designed to maintain a stable value relative to an asset such as the U.S. dollar. Over the past couple of years, they have grown from a relative niche to large-scale use cases. As major payment networks, Visa and Mastercard have been open about the importance of stablecoins to their long-term growth strategies. However, they're approaching them a bit differently.
Visa CEO Ryan McInerney said Visa wants to establish its role as a "key interoperability layer between this powerful infrastructure and real-world solutions for users." Simply put, Visa wants to act as a middleman to help stablecoins interact smoothly with traditional financial systems.
Story Continues
Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach noted that Mastercard's planned $1.8 billion acquisition of BVNK (a stablecoin infrastructure provider) will be key to expanding its stablecoin solutions and capabilities. Instead of focusing on being a middleman, Mastercard is trying to build its own foundation.
Which is the better stock right now?
Right now, I would prefer Visa's stock because of the company's scale (and how that plays into the network effect), financial strength, growth rate, and lower valuation.
Scale works in Visa's favor since potential cardholders and merchants are more inclined to choose it because it's widely accepted; has a better long-term debt position compared to capital; is growing revenue and earnings at a similar rate, even with its larger size; and is currently valued less when looking at its price compared to projected earnings over the next 12 months.
Both stocks are worthwhile (even Berkshire Hathaway owns shares in both). But Visa is a much more trustworthy long-term choice in my opinion.
Should you buy stock in Visa right now?
Before you buy stock in Visa, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Visa wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $471,827!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,319,291!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 986% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 207% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of May 11, 2026.
Stefon Walters has positions in Visa. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Mastercard and Visa. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Visa vs. Mastercard: Better Payments Stock? was originally published by The Motley Fool
View Comments
- Visa vs. Mastercard: Better Payments Stock?
May 11, 2026 · fool.com
Both have a dominant position that makes them worth owning.
- MA Fairly Valued by DCF at $463
May 11, 2026 · gurufocus.com
On May 11, 2026, we present a detailed DCF analysis for Mastercard Inc (MA), a company that has experienced a challenging price performance recently, with a yea
- Ripple (XRP) Has Closed 10 Major Deals This Year: Here’s the Scoreboard for Each Partnership
May 10, 2026
Quick Read
Ripple closed 10 major deals in 2026, with Deutsche Bank ($1.6T), Société Générale ($1.8T), JPMorgan, and Mastercard’s $9 trillion payment network among the heavyweights. Yet XRP is down 41% from its January peak of $2.42. Three deals didn’t touch XRPL at all, and the seven that did still settled in stablecoins like RLUSD. XRP’s only role was paying network fees—even on the year’s most consequential deal, which is the May 6 JPMorgan-Mastercard-Ondo pilot. The CLARITY Act could flip the scoreboard. If the Senate Banking Committee passes the markup on May 14, XRP would become a legitimate settlement asset for institutions. Until then, the Ripple’s deal will keep growing while the XRP price keeps stalling. The analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks. Get them here FREE.
Ripple (CRYPTO: XRP) has closed ten major deals so far in 2026, partnering with Germany's $1.6 trillion Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan, and Mastercard's $9 trillion payment network. The company also rolled out its full financial stack across Brazil in March, which is its biggest single-country expansion ever. Beyond those 10 majors, Ripple closed around seven smaller partnerships, bringing the year's total to roughly 17.
Of course, not all ten deals carry the same weight. With XRP down 41% from its January peak of $2.42 and trading at $1.40, holders want to know which deals could move the price. That's why we're rating each one on two things: how vital the deal is to Ripple, and its potential XRP price impact. Here's the scoreboard.
The analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 stocks. Get them here FREE.
Q1 2026: From Aviva to Brazil, Ripple's Biggest First-Quarter WinsTierneyMJ / Shutterstock.com
Q1 was Ripple's busiest stretch so far this year. Three European financial giants signed deals with Ripple in February, all within nine days. Mastercard then followed in March, pulling Ripple into its $9 trillion network. Brazil closed the quarter with Ripple's biggest single-country expansion ever.
The run started on February 11, when Aviva Investors—the investment arm of UK insurer Aviva with £253 billion in AUM—announced it would tokenize traditional funds on the XRP Ledger (XRPL). It was Ripple's first deal with a European asset manager, and Aviva's first move into tokenization.
A week later, on February 18, Société Générale's digital arm SG-FORGE picked XRPL as the third blockchain to host its MiCA-compliant euro stablecoin (EURCV)—after Ethereum and Solana. France's third-largest bank ($1.8 trillion in assets) is now issuing regulated euros on Ripple's ledger.
Story Continues
The next day, Deutsche Bank—Germany's largest bank with $1.6 trillion in assets—announced it would integrate Ripple's tech for cross-border payments and FX workflows. The bank uses Ripple's software stack rather than XRP directly, but having a name like Deutsche on board was the credibility most blockchain firms spend years chasing.
Then, on March 11, Mastercard added Ripple to its Crypto Partner Program, putting the company in a $9 trillion payment network alongside Binance, Circle, and PayPal. The program targets cross-border remittances and B2B payments—exactly Ripple's core market.
Six days later came Brazil. The rollout packed five integrated products, six institutional partners (including Banco Genial and Braza Bank), and a VASP license application with Brazil's central bank. That made it five major deals in five weeks, and each one gave Ripple a different stamp of institutional approval.
Q2 2026: From Convera to JPMorgan, Ripple's Q2 Deal RunAdrian Today / Shutterstock.com
Q2 is still in motion, but it already looks different from Q1's European credibility wave. So far, the quarter has brought deals from Korea, the Western Union spinoff, and the May heavyweights—the biggest of which finally put XRPL to institutional work.
The quarter started with Convera, announced March 31—the global commercial payments giant that spun out of Western Union's business division. The company processes about $190 billion a year in over 200 countries and across 30,000 business clients. The deal uses what Ripple calls a "stablecoin sandwich"—fiat goes in, settles through RLUSD on XRPL, and comes out as fiat on the other end. Convera handles cross-border payments without ever touching crypto directly.
Then, on April 15, Kyobo Life Insurance—Korea's largest life insurer—settled the first tokenized Korean government bond on blockchain via Ripple Custody, dropping settlement times from two days to near real-time. Two weeks later, on April 30, Kbank—Korea's first internet-only bank and Upbit's exclusive banking partner—deployed Ripple Custody's wallet infrastructure for stablecoin-based remittances.
Moreover, on May 5, Bullish—the institutional crypto exchange—acquired Equiniti in what Garlinghouse called "the biggest crypto deal ever," bringing traditional capital markets shareholder services onto a crypto platform. Fast forward to May 6, Ondo Finance, JPMorgan's Kinexys, Mastercard, and Ripple completed a near real-time cross-border tokenized U.S. Treasury redemption.
OUSG settled on XRPL in under five seconds, Mastercard's Multi-Token Network routed instructions, and JPMorgan delivered USD to Ripple's Singapore bank account. It was the first time JPMorgan's private blockchain connected with a public Layer-1 chain. That made it five more major deals in two months so far this quarter.
The Scoreboard: Ranking Ripple's 10 Major Deals in 2026Mentari Merah Studio / Shutterstock.com
Each of these ten deals is a clear win for Ripple. However, for XRP, only one thing matters: does the deal drive demand for the token itself? We ran that test, and most deals fell into one of two camps.
In the first camp, three of the deals didn't touch XRPL at all. Deutsche Bank integrated Ripple's software but never went near the chain. Mastercard's Crypto Partner Program added Ripple to a global payments network, but no chain integration came with it. Bullish's acquisition of Equiniti is a corporate move, so, not a chain deal either. All three boost Ripple's standing, but XRP sees zero direct benefit.
Now, in the second camp, the other seven deals run on XRPL—but XRP’s only use is as transaction fees, which does not create direct demand. Aviva tokenizes funds on XRPL, while SG-FORGE issues its euro stablecoin EURCV there too. Brazil's full integration and Convera's stablecoin sandwich both run on RLUSD. Kyobo and Kbank use Ripple Custody, which spans multiple chains. And the May 6 JPMorgan-Mastercard-Ondo pilot—the most consequential of all—settled in RLUSD too, with fractions of XRP used as network fees.
So the scoreboard's verdict is that none of the ten major deals created direct XRP demand. Ripple's infrastructure has won big in 2026, while XRP’s only use is for transaction fees, which is so small that it amounts to barely anything.
Will Ripple's Deals Ever Impact XRP?
Ripple’s deals could impact XRP but not until the CLARITY Act passes. The bill is scheduled for Senate Banking Committee markup on May 14, and it would lock XRP's commodity status into federal law. That gives institutions the legal cover they need to use XRP for settlement at scale.
So far, Ripple’s payment infrastructure has been winning, whereas the XRP price has been declining. But that could flip when CLARITY passes. Until then, Ripple will keep securing deals and sealing partnerships, but not even one would impact the XRP price at all.
The analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks
This analyst's 2025 picks are up 106% on average. He just named his top 10 stocks to buy in 2026. Get them here FREE.
View Comments
