Visa and Mastercard are both working on cryptocurrency initiatives, and could encourage more adoption if they offered crypto reward programs on a wider basis.
Bitcoin (BTC) has surged this year thanks to an influx of money from traditional institutional investors via exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Likewise, integrations by traditional retail payments players — Visa and Mastercard — could push the crypto market to dramatically higher valuations in the year ahead.
Despite explosive growth, crypto's daily active users still pale in comparison to mainstream apps like TikTok. To truly achieve mass adoption and retention, the ecosystem needs high-utility use cases that drive frequent engagement.
Payments show promise but are served by strong traditional players and remain heavily regulated. However, complementary cryptocurrencies for loyalty rewards hold untapped potential.
