Can Visa Solve the High Remittance Fees Problem With Stablecoins?

Visa Inc.’s V Money Travels: 2025 Digital Remittances Adoption Report points to a clear shift in consumer behavior across North America, with a strong preference for digital apps over traditional remittance methods like cash or checks. In the United States, 69% of respondents favor using apps to send money, while 61% prefer them for receiving. Similarly, in Canada, 65% of users opt for digital platforms for both sending and receiving funds.

By contrast, only 5-8% of U.S. consumers still rely on cash or checks. The most common reasons for transferring money include unexpected financial needs, cited by 36% in the United States and 32% in Canada, as well as holidays and special occasions.

Despite the growing adoption of digital methods, Visa identified persistent concerns. High transaction fees remain a key issue, with 27% of U.S. and 30% of Canadian users expressing dissatisfaction over the cost of sending funds digitally. In response, Visa is accelerating its investment in stablecoin technology to enhance the speed, affordability and security of remittances.

Additionally, many users report encountering hidden charges when using traditional methods, such as cash or money orders. Security, privacy and ease of use continue to rank as essential factors for consumers. Through partnerships with fintech firms like Bridge, Baanx and Rain, and an investment in BVNK, Visa is building a robust stablecoin-based payments infrastructure to support future digital currency settlements. The company is also expanding digital options globally through its Visa Direct platform, aiming to offer transparent, efficient money transfers that address evolving customer needs.

How Mastercard & Remitly Are Offering Remittance Solutions

Mastercard Incorporated MA is enhancing cross-border remittances through its Mastercard Move program, enabling fast, trackable and affordable transfers to almost 10 billion endpoints in more than 200 countries. It will also pilot alias-based remittances, allowing users to send money using just an email or phone number for simpler, more secure transactions. Mastercard is focusing on markets, including Bangladesh, the Philippines, Kenya, China and Mexico for its alias-based remittance pilot.

Remitly Global, Inc. RELY is expanding its global remittance ecosystem by connecting banks, agents and digital wallets across 170 countries to enable faster, more transparent money transfers. To further enhance cross-border payment solutions, Remitly is also piloting AI-driven customer service tools and exploring cryptocurrencies and stablecoins.

Visa’s Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates

Shares of Visa have gained 11.6% year to date, outperforming the broader industry and the S&P 500 Index.

Visa YTD Price Performance

From a valuation standpoint, Visa trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 28.56X, up from the industry average. Visa carries a Value Score of D.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Visa’s fiscal 2025 earnings implies a 12.9% rise year over year, followed by 12.5% growth next year.

The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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