European Parliament Backs Digital Euro Initiative
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 1h ago
0mins
Source: Newsfilter
- Legislative Support for Digital Euro: The European Parliament has given significant backing to the digital euro, endorsing the European Central Bank's negotiating stance, indicating that the 2029 launch goal hinges on legislative approval, reflecting a commitment to monetary sovereignty.
- Diverse Functionality: This support emphasizes the need for the digital euro to function both online and offline, aiming to reduce reliance on non-European payment providers and enhance the EU's competitiveness in the digital economy.
- Market Integration Demand: The amendments approved by the Parliament call for equal access to the digital euro, highlighting its importance in bolstering EU monetary sovereignty and deepening the single market while reducing fragmentation in retail payments.
- Crypto Asset Regulation: The Parliament also urged the ECB to enhance monitoring of crypto assets, warning that if digital payments are left to private and non-EU providers, it risks creating new forms of exclusion for users and merchants, underscoring the importance of regulation.
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Analyst Views on V
Wall Street analysts forecast V stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for V is 406.59 USD with a low forecast of 330.00 USD and a high forecast of 450.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
25 Analyst Rating
23 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 325.580
Low
330.00
Averages
406.59
High
450.00
Current: 325.580
Low
330.00
Averages
406.59
High
450.00
About V
Visa Inc. is a global payments technology company. It facilitates global commerce and money movement across more than 200 countries and territories among a global set of consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities through technologies. It operates through the Payment Services segment. It provides transaction processing services (primarily authorization, clearing and settlement) to its financial institution and merchant clients through VisaNet, its proprietary advanced transaction processing network. It offers a range of Visa-branded payment products that its clients, including nearly 14,500 financial institutions, use to develop and offer payment solutions or services, including credit, debit, prepaid and cash access programs for individual, business and government account holders. It also provides value-added services to its clients, including issuing solutions, acceptance solutions, risk and identity solutions, open banking solutions and advisory services.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
European Parliament Backs Digital Euro Initiative
- Legislative Support for Digital Euro: The European Parliament has given significant backing to the digital euro, endorsing the European Central Bank's negotiating stance, indicating that the 2029 launch goal hinges on legislative approval, reflecting a commitment to monetary sovereignty.
- Diverse Functionality: This support emphasizes the need for the digital euro to function both online and offline, aiming to reduce reliance on non-European payment providers and enhance the EU's competitiveness in the digital economy.
- Market Integration Demand: The amendments approved by the Parliament call for equal access to the digital euro, highlighting its importance in bolstering EU monetary sovereignty and deepening the single market while reducing fragmentation in retail payments.
- Crypto Asset Regulation: The Parliament also urged the ECB to enhance monitoring of crypto assets, warning that if digital payments are left to private and non-EU providers, it risks creating new forms of exclusion for users and merchants, underscoring the importance of regulation.
See More
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- Market Size and Impact: With over $1.2 trillion in credit card debt held by Americans and current rates often between 25% and 30%, the proposal could restrict credit to only the most creditworthy borrowers, potentially affecting popular points and rewards systems.
- Legislative Hurdles and Industry Pushback: The proposal faces significant legislative hurdles and is unlikely to gain bipartisan support, compounded by the powerful lobbying efforts of the banking industry aimed at protecting their interests.
- Visa and Mastercard's Competitive Edge: Unlike credit card issuers, Visa and Mastercard do not assume credit risk, and while the proposal may reduce credit card spending, these companies continue to earn fees from transactions, benefiting from a strong network effect and maintaining high profit margins.
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- Significant Price Decline: As of February 3, 2026, Maplebear's stock was priced at $36.08, down 25% over the past year, significantly lagging the S&P 500 by 40.4 percentage points, highlighting the pressure it faces in a competitive market.
- Slowing Revenue Growth: The company's revenue growth rate has decreased from 19% in 2023 to 11% in 2024, further slowing to 10% in the first three quarters of 2025, indicating a diminished market appeal amid competition from Amazon and Kroger.
- Cautious Investor Sentiment: While Maplebear's net income grew by 18% over the trailing twelve months and it trades at a P/E ratio of 20 with a forward P/E around 9, investors may prefer more competitive delivery stocks like Kroger, Uber, and DoorDash, making Provident's decision to sell more understandable.
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- Cross-Border Payment Initiative: The EPI launched the Wero platform in 2024, which is live in Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands with over 43.5 million registered users, aiming to provide a European alternative to U.S. payment solutions and facilitate seamless cross-border payments.
- Timeliness of Digital Euro: Weimert expressed concerns about the European Central Bank's plan to issue a digital euro by 2029, suggesting it may arrive too late to address potential diplomatic tensions, thereby impacting Europe's payment independence.
- Urgency for Action: As European officials grow increasingly worried about the dominance of U.S. payment companies, Weimert emphasized the necessity for Europe to act swiftly to leverage domestic payment card schemes and reduce reliance on external payment systems to ensure financial security and sovereignty.
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- Enhanced Payment Convenience: Operating on blockchain technology, stablecoins offer 24/7 settlement, reducing payment times from days to seconds, which could attract more attention from banks and payment networks amid increasing demand for fast transactions.
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- Limitations of Payment Methods: Executives from Visa and Mastercard stated in earnings calls that consumer demand for stablecoins is limited, believing their usage is primarily confined to cross-border payments, which may hinder broader adoption among retail customers.
- Attractive Yield Appeal: The high yields offered by stablecoins have attracted many investors, with Standard Chartered predicting that nearly $500 billion in bank deposits will flow into stablecoins by 2028, suggesting that stablecoins could serve as a viable alternative to traditional bank deposits with significant market appeal.
- Blockchain Technology Advantages: Stablecoins, operating on blockchain technology, provide 24/7 settlement and payment speeds measured in seconds; although Visa and Mastercard express skepticism, this technological edge may prompt banks and payment networks to reconsider the potential value of stablecoins.
See More
European Parliament Backs Digital Euro Initiative
- Legislative Support for Digital Euro: The European Parliament has given significant backing to the digital euro, endorsing the European Central Bank's negotiating stance, indicating that the 2029 launch goal hinges on legislative approval, reflecting a commitment to monetary sovereignty.
- Diverse Functionality: This support emphasizes the need for the digital euro to function both online and offline, aiming to reduce reliance on non-European payment providers and enhance the EU's competitiveness in the digital economy.
- Market Integration Demand: The amendments approved by the Parliament call for equal access to the digital euro, highlighting its importance in bolstering EU monetary sovereignty and deepening the single market while reducing fragmentation in retail payments.
- Crypto Asset Regulation: The Parliament also urged the ECB to enhance monitoring of crypto assets, warning that if digital payments are left to private and non-EU providers, it risks creating new forms of exclusion for users and merchants, underscoring the importance of regulation.
See More
Trump Proposes Cap on Credit Card Interest Rates
- Proposed Interest Rate Cap: President Trump has proposed a cap on credit card interest rates at 10% as part of his initiative to improve affordability for Americans, which could negatively impact revenue for credit card issuers like JPMorgan Chase and Capital One.
- Market Size and Impact: With over $1.2 trillion in credit card debt held by Americans and current rates often between 25% and 30%, the proposal could restrict credit to only the most creditworthy borrowers, potentially affecting popular points and rewards systems.
- Legislative Hurdles and Industry Pushback: The proposal faces significant legislative hurdles and is unlikely to gain bipartisan support, compounded by the powerful lobbying efforts of the banking industry aimed at protecting their interests.
- Visa and Mastercard's Competitive Edge: Unlike credit card issuers, Visa and Mastercard do not assume credit risk, and while the proposal may reduce credit card spending, these companies continue to earn fees from transactions, benefiting from a strong network effect and maintaining high profit margins.
See More
Provident Investment Management Fully Exits Maplebear Stake
- Complete Exit: On February 4, 2026, Provident Investment Management liquidated its entire stake in Maplebear by selling 489,560 shares for approximately $18 million, indicating a complete exit and reflecting a pessimistic outlook on the company's future prospects.
- Significant Price Decline: As of February 3, 2026, Maplebear's stock was priced at $36.08, down 25% over the past year, significantly lagging the S&P 500 by 40.4 percentage points, highlighting the pressure it faces in a competitive market.
- Slowing Revenue Growth: The company's revenue growth rate has decreased from 19% in 2023 to 11% in 2024, further slowing to 10% in the first three quarters of 2025, indicating a diminished market appeal amid competition from Amazon and Kroger.
- Cautious Investor Sentiment: While Maplebear's net income grew by 18% over the trailing twelve months and it trades at a P/E ratio of 20 with a forward P/E around 9, investors may prefer more competitive delivery stocks like Kroger, Uber, and DoorDash, making Provident's decision to sell more understandable.
See More
Europe Urgently Needs to Reduce Dependence on U.S. Payment Companies
- Payment Dependency Issue: Martina Weimert, CEO of the European Payments Initiative (EPI), highlighted that Visa and Mastercard accounted for nearly two-thirds of card transactions in the Eurozone in 2022, indicating Europe's heavy reliance on international payment solutions and the urgent need for action to enhance autonomy.
- Cross-Border Payment Initiative: The EPI launched the Wero platform in 2024, which is live in Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands with over 43.5 million registered users, aiming to provide a European alternative to U.S. payment solutions and facilitate seamless cross-border payments.
- Timeliness of Digital Euro: Weimert expressed concerns about the European Central Bank's plan to issue a digital euro by 2029, suggesting it may arrive too late to address potential diplomatic tensions, thereby impacting Europe's payment independence.
- Urgency for Action: As European officials grow increasingly worried about the dominance of U.S. payment companies, Weimert emphasized the necessity for Europe to act swiftly to leverage domestic payment card schemes and reduce reliance on external payment systems to ensure financial security and sovereignty.
See More
Stablecoins Experience Rapid Growth Amid Skepticism from Visa and Mastercard
- Rapid Market Growth: Stablecoins grew by 49% last year, reaching a total market cap of $250 billion, indicating strong momentum in the cryptocurrency space despite skepticism from traditional payment giants.
- Enhanced Payment Convenience: Operating on blockchain technology, stablecoins offer 24/7 settlement, reducing payment times from days to seconds, which could attract more attention from banks and payment networks amid increasing demand for fast transactions.
- Attractive Yields: Some stablecoins provide appealing yields to consumers, with predictions that nearly $500 billion in bank deposits will flow into stablecoins by 2028, highlighting their potential as a high-yield alternative that could alter consumer saving habits.
- Diverse Market Participants: In addition to Tether and USDC, stablecoins from companies like PayPal and Ripple showcase the diversity and competitiveness of this sector, and while Visa and Mastercard express doubts about demand, support from market participants may drive further development.
See More
Visa and Mastercard Dismiss Stablecoins in Developed Markets
- Stablecoin Market Overview: Currently, there are nine stablecoins with market caps exceeding $1 billion, led by Tether and USDC, which together account for a total market cap of $250 billion, indicating rapid growth in the crypto space, despite Visa and Mastercard's view of a lack of product-market fit in developed markets.
- Limitations of Payment Methods: Executives from Visa and Mastercard stated in earnings calls that consumer demand for stablecoins is limited, believing their usage is primarily confined to cross-border payments, which may hinder broader adoption among retail customers.
- Attractive Yield Appeal: The high yields offered by stablecoins have attracted many investors, with Standard Chartered predicting that nearly $500 billion in bank deposits will flow into stablecoins by 2028, suggesting that stablecoins could serve as a viable alternative to traditional bank deposits with significant market appeal.
- Blockchain Technology Advantages: Stablecoins, operating on blockchain technology, provide 24/7 settlement and payment speeds measured in seconds; although Visa and Mastercard express skepticism, this technological edge may prompt banks and payment networks to reconsider the potential value of stablecoins.
See More
