Is a reliable crypto payment card on the way? According to Visa CEO Al Kelly, the payments giant is looking to “enable the purchase of Bitcoin on Visa credentials.”
Payments giant, Visa is working on ways to support the purchase of Bitcoin using Visa credentials, the company’s chief executive officer Al Kelly said on Fortune’s Leadership Next podcast.
Visa CEO Went On To Explain Crypto Payment Cards;
“We’re trying to do two things; one is enable the purchase of Bitcoin on Visa credentials, and then secondly working with some Bitcoin wallets to allow the Bitcoin to be translated into a fiat currency”
Crypto payment cards enabling the instant conversion of the crypto to fiat will enable 70 million merchants to accept BTC.
As well as facilitating Bitcoin purchases, Visa is also working with fiat-backed digital currencies, with Kelly noting that
, “We see a strong potential for those to become a new payment vehicle,” and an “accelerant” in emerging markets. He added that Visa is working with around 35 “players” in the digital currency world.”
Visa’s partnerships with platforms and wallet providers include BlockFi, Fold, and Crypto.com; the latest addition to the list is First Boulevard, which Visa recently selected as a partner for its new crypto API program.
According to Kelly, small businesses have been “one of the losers” during the COVID-19 pandemic. By adding support of Bitcoin the company hopes to help overcome the negative consequences of year-long lockdowns.
“It is time for real change where everybody is accepted on equal footing, with no questions asked,”
The Transformative Potential Of Crypto
This is not the first time the Visa CEO has addressed cryptocurrencies and their potential to transform the payments industry. Essentially, crypto payment cards are the future!
Last year, Kelly suggested that the financial services company “could see digital currencies running on the Visa network on a more regular basis.” This was followed by his speech during Visa’s fiscal Q1 2021 earnings call in January, where Kelly stressed that the firm is “uniquely positioned to help make cryptocurrencies more safe, useful and applicable for payments.”
Kelly’s January speech also addressed more specific details of the company’s strategic vision of cryptocurrencies.
via GIPHY
In his view, people should differentiate Bitcoin from other variants of “digital gold”, as well as from stablecoins and fiat-backed central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). He also noted that Visa sees Bitcoin as the best cryptocurrency to use for partnerships and to provide users with a means of converting crypto into fiat currencies.
Visa’s foray into cryptocurrencies comes at a time when its rival MasterCard is also looking into possibilities of supporting payments in “select cryptocurrencies.” Bitcoin is unlikely to be included in that list, however, as the firm sees the largest cryptocurrency as being “too volatile” to be a suitable payment tool.
Moving forward, Visa joins the likes of many others, starting 2021 off with a bang. Further confirming Bitcoin and other cryptos a place in finance, crypto payment cards lead the way.
So, Are You Interested in Bitcoin yourself?
Source: https://decrypt.co/61738/visa-is-working-to-enable-bitcoin-purchases-ceo
