Mastercard

Visa, Mastercard, PayPal are among the firms moving the cryptocurrency option closer to the point of sale.

The next generation of artificial intelligence can be a digitized always-on personal shopper, researcher and financial assistant, taking even the buzz of ChatGPT to another level. It's early in the game, but developers are looking for ways to gain an edge.

AI agents have the power to automate a number of once-manual tasks: They can conduct background research, generate content, write code and analyze data. In their latest evolution, driven by Visa, Mastercard and other fintechs, payments are now on the menu of services.

As Trump's trade war causes politically influenced shifts, the card brand contends it is set to pick up volume in non-American corridors.

Global purchase volume — the aggregate dollar amount of purchases made with Mastercard-branded cards — rose to $1.99 trillion, while falling short of analysts' estimates of $2.04 trillion.

The card network took a 3% stake in Corpay to improve international payment processing for corporate clients, while also pushing technology that aims to drastically reduce the need for human supervision of artificial intelligence.

Supply-chain woes, inflation and skittish travelers are just a few of the tariff-driven factors pressuring PayPal, Visa and Mastercard during upcoming earnings calls.

With swipe payments heading toward the exit in a few years, issuers have an opportunity now to prepare.

The Sweden-based payment firm, which recently delayed its IPO due to the trade war, will use Fiserv's Clover point of sale system as it looks to build a market in the U.S. Plus: Payoneer makes a deal in China and other news in this week's global payments roundup.

Visa and American Express are both reportedly trying to lure Apple's lucrative credit businesses away from Mastercard. But the battle over processing rights is just as much about accessing the technology company's digital wallet as it is about boosting transactions.