Latest news with #commerce
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How a Stablecoin Could Absolutely Transform This ‘Strong Buy' Dividend King
Walmart (WMT) is looking into launching its own stablecoin. According to reports, retail giants Walmart and Amazon (AMZN) are both considering creating their own stablecoins as a way to avoid billions in credit card fees. Plus, stablecoins, which are digital currencies tied to the U.S. dollar or other stable assets, offer faster, cheaper, and more secure payments. How a Stablecoin Could Absolutely Transform This 'Strong Buy' Dividend King Stop Missing Market Moves: Get the FREE Barchart Brief – your midday dose of stock movers, trending sectors, and actionable trade ideas, delivered right to your inbox. Sign Up Now! If Walmart can add a stablecoin to its business, it could help protect profits from rising payment costs and make shopping smoother for its customers. This financial flexibility would also reinforce Walmart's commitment to shareholders. The company's recent 13% dividend hike to $0.94 per share marks its 52nd consecutive year of dividend growth, underscoring its Dividend King status and long-term financial strength. With new rules like the proposed Genius Act moving through Congress to set clear standards for stablecoins, Walmart's early move in this space could give it a real edge as payments keep changing. Let's dive deeper. Walmart's (WMT) business model centers on keeping prices low and running its operations as efficiently as possible. The company uses its huge supply chain, wide store network, and growing digital platforms to reach millions of shoppers every day. This focus on efficiency shows up in Walmart's stock performance. Over the last 52 weeks, the stock has climbed 39% and it's up 4.3% so far this year. When it comes to valuation, Walmart has a forward price-earnings ratio of 36.4x, much higher than the sector average of 16.51x. This shows that investors are willing to pay more for Walmart's steady performance and growth potential. Even with its massive size, Walmart keeps rewarding shareholders. The company recently raised its annual dividend by 13% to $0.94 per share, marking 52 straight years of increases. The current yield is 1%, with a payout ratio around 32%, which shows Walmart's balance between stability and investing for the future. The numbers back this up. In the most recent quarter, Walmart brought in $165.6 billion in revenue, up 2.5%. Global e-commerce sales jumped 22%, and its advertising business grew 50%. Membership income grew nearly 15%, and operating income rose 4.3%, thanks to stronger margins and growth in both physical and online sales. Walmart pays billions of dollars each year in credit card fees to payments giants like Visa (V) and Mastercard (MA). Moving to offer a proprietary stablecoin or an existing one as an option at checkout could help reduce these fees, something that Walmart has long been interested in doing. Additionally, Walmart has a large base of regular shoppers. It would have new access to transaction data through stablecoin payments, which it could use to optimize its offerings. It would potentially be able to incentivize customers by tying in some sort of payment rewards or loyalty program to the stablecoin. And, some experts think a Walmart stablecoin could help the retailer make a bigger move into offering financial services for its customers. Several years ago, the retailer sought an industrial bank charter but was shot down by regulators. Regulators will once again pose a challenge if Walmart decides to move forward with a stablecoin, and customer adoption could be hard to win. However, Wall Street seems generally enthusiastic about this opportunity for Walmart and other retailers like Amazon and even Expedia (EXPE), which has also explored a stablecoin. Walmart is sticking to its full-year forecast for its fiscal 2026, aiming for sales growth between 3% and 4%. The company expects Q2 sales growth of 3.5% to 4.5%. Analysts think earnings per share will keep rising, with the current quarter's average estimate at $0.72, which is a 7.46% jump from last year. Looking ahead, the average forecast is $2.59 for 2026 and $2.90 for 2027, showing nearly 12% growth. UBS analyst Michael Lasser is especially positive about Walmart. He's kept his 'Buy' rating and set a $110 price target for the stock. Lasser points to Walmart's steady revenue growth, better operating income, and strong free cash flow as reasons for his confidence. The overall view among analysts is very upbeat. The 38 surveyed rate Walmart as a consensus 'Strong Buy' with an average price target of $109.97. That implies roughly 16% upside potential from here. Walmart's relentless push for innovation and rock-solid financials prove that this Dividend King can adapt and thrive in any environment. For investors looking for a strong, forward-thinking company that's not afraid to shake up the status quo, Walmart stands out as a clear leader ready to shape the future of retail. On the date of publication, Ebube Jones did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Zawya
3 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
GCC tops export destinations for Dubai Chamber members
Dubai Chamber of Commerce, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, has revealed that markets within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) remained the primary destination for its members' exports and re-exports during Q1 2025. GCC countries accounted for 47.2% of the total value of members' exports with a combined value of AED40.5 billion ($11.03 billion), underlining the region's continued importance to members' trade activities. Middle East markets outside the GCC secured the second-largest share of exports and re-exports with a combined value of AED25 billion, representing 29.1% of the total value. African markets ranked third, accounting for 10.6% of members' total exports and re-exports, with a value of AED9.1 billion. The Asia-Pacific region followed in fourth place, contributing 9.4% of total exports and re-exports with a combined value of approximately AED8 billion. European markets secured the fifth position, representing 2.8% of total exports and re-exports, with a value of AED2.4 billion. Meanwhile, North American markets ranked sixth, contributing 0.5% of exports valued at around AED460 million. Latin American markets came seventh on the list, accounting for 0.4% of total exports and re-exports in Q1 2025 with a value of AED315 million. The total value of exports and re-exports by Dubai Chamber of Commerce members achieved year-over-year (YoY) growth of 16.8% to reach AED85.9 billion during the first three months of 2025.
Finextra
6 days ago
- Business
- Finextra
From Plastic to Platforms: By Sam Boboev
Mastercard is far more than a credit card company – it's a lynchpin of the modern financial system and a bellwether in fintech's evolution. In an era where digital payments are surging and new technologies like artificial intelligence are redefining commerce, Mastercard's role has never been more crucial. The company operates a massive global network that quietly powers transactions for billions of consumers and millions of businesses, across over 210 countries and territories. Indeed, Mastercard's worldwide reach – with 3.4 billion Mastercard cards in circulation and acceptance at some 150 million merchant locations – underpins the daily flow of commerce on a breathtaking scale. Even today, a large majority of transactions globally are still done in cash (around 85% by some estimates), which highlights why Mastercard matters: it sits at the forefront of the secular shift toward cashless, digital payments. As fintech readers know, who enables and captures this shift is key – and Mastercard, with its vast network and adaptive strategy, has positioned itself as an indispensable platform in the fintech landscape. But scale is only part of the story. What makes Mastercard truly interesting now is how it has transformed its business beyond traditional card swipes. Over the past decade, the company has aggressively diversified – expanding into new payment rails, new markets, and new value-added services. It's innovating in areas like open banking, real-time bank transfers, and even AI-driven payments. In short, Mastercard is no longer just a payments processor; it's becoming a broad fintech solutions provider. This deep dive explores Mastercard's business model evolution, its strategic priorities (from digitization to B2B payments), its latest innovations such as Agent Pay in AI commerce, the rise of its services business, and its financial performance and global positioning. The picture that emerges is of a company leveraging its heritage and network strengths while reinventing itself to stay ahead in a rapidly changing fintech world. From Card Network to Multi-Rail Payments Mastercard's core business model has long been that of a network orchestrator – connecting banks, merchants, and consumers to enable electronic payments. Every time you tap or swipe a Mastercard, the company earns fees by routing the transaction through its network and facilitating authorization, clearing, and settlement between the merchant's bank and the cardholder's bank. This fundamental network model (shared with its main rival Visa) has proven enormously scalable and resilient. Mastercard operates one of the world's fastest payment processing networks, acting as the intermediary for electronic funds transfers on debit, credit, and prepaid cards. In essence, it provides the rails and rules that allow money to move securely between parties worldwide. What's changed in recent years is the breadth of that network and the products riding on it. Mastercard has deliberately evolved 'beyond the card' to support a much wider range of payment types and use cases. Its infrastructure, built for interoperability and scale, now handles everything from business-to-business (B2B) payments to person-to-person (P2P) transfers across different currencies. For example, Mastercard's network and partnerships facilitate not only consumer card purchases, but also B2B transactions, corporate disbursements, and peer payments – domains traditionally outside the scope of card networks. Crucially, Mastercard has added new payment rails alongside the card rail. The company often talks about its strategy as 'multi-rail' – meaning it wants to enable payment flows over cards, bank accounts, real-time payment networks, and more. Through acquisitions and technology investments, Mastercard now connects to ACH and real-time bank transfer systems, open banking networks, payment gateways, and other platforms. For instance, Mastercard acquired Vocalink in 2017 to enter the ACH and real-time payments space (today it directly participates in or powers multiple domestic bank transfer schemes). It also bought Finicity in 2020 to build out open banking capabilities, enabling account-to-account data sharing and payments. As a result, Mastercard's offerings include things like account-based payments, open banking APIs, and payout services in addition to its traditional card network. A slide from Mastercard's 2024 investor presentation highlights these new areas – listing open banking rails, SaaS platforms, gateways, and processing platforms as part of its expanded network toolkit. Importantly, Mastercard's business model now encompasses more than moving money – it also sells a suite of complementary technology and analytics services. The company leverages its network data and infrastructure to provide fraud detection tools, credit decisioning analytics, loyalty program services, consulting, and more. Many of these services are delivered via APIs on the Mastercard Developers platform and through partnerships. For example, Mastercard offers payment gateway solutions for e-commerce, 'Buy Now Pay Later' enablement, and advanced fraud management powered by AI. It also provides data analytics and consulting (through its 'Data & Services' arm), helping banks or merchants glean insights from transactions. In short, Mastercard's network has evolved into a fintech platform – not only processing payments but also providing value-added services on top of those payments.
Finextra
13-06-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Shopify, Coinbase, Stripe bring USDC stablecoin payments to merchants
Shopify is partnering with Coinbase and Stripe to allow merchants to process stablecoin payments for everyday commerce. 1 This content has been selected, created and edited by the Finextra editorial team based upon its relevance and interest to our community. As a result of this collaboration, merchants can accept USDC from global customers using their existing payment and order fulfillment flows, with no required integrations or new gateways. Customers can pay with USDC from hundreds of supported crypto wallets, on guest checkout and with Shop Pay. Merchants will also receive their local currency by default, with no foreign transaction or exchange fees applied. They can choose to claim USDC directly into their own wallet, allowing flexibility in managing their funds. According to a Shopify statement, stablecoins "are reshaping the way money moves around the world. Over the past few years, stablecoins like USDC have grown to over a trillion dollars in monthly payment volume, trusted by users around the globe." The statement explains that unlike "cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ether, whose value can widely fluctuate, stablecoins such as USDC are backed 1:1 by US Dollar reserves, and maintain a constant value. When customers pay in USDC, merchants get a currency that's safe, reliable, and easy to exchange." Further, Coinbase's Base, a fast and affordable network that operates not unlike a credit card network, is becoming increasingly accepted. Alongside this, buyer wallets, which allow users to hold and spend digital currencies, now offer a good customer experience. Merchants need payment systems that can handle complex transactions and checkout steps like tax finalisation and inventory reservation. Shopify and Coinbase have addressed these challenges with a smart contract, where merchants get the familiar 'authorise now, capture later' flexibility of credit cards, with the speed and global reach of stablecoins.
Washington Post
12-06-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
China grants rare earth export permits after US trade talks, offers relief but uncertainty persists
OMAHA, Neb. — The high-level negotiations over China's export controls of rare earths is giving U.S. businesses some relief, even though it may be only for now. China has approved 'a certain number' of export permits for rare earth elements and related items, its commerce ministry said on Thursday, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump declared that Beijing would supply to the U.S. companies those key elements and the magnets made from them following a two-day trade talk in London .
