WOWZA.
The bullishness is never-ending this week, my friends...
Payment-processing behemoth Mastercard just announced that they'll be implementing crypto transaction capabilities directly inside their merchant network, which is sitting at a cool 37 million merchants and counting. This is freaking HUGE.
Until now, they've been stuck in the "dabbling" phase, piling up a handful of blockchain patents on the DL and supporting limited cryptocurrency transactions through partners Uphold and Wirex. But those programs only cover payment, not settlement; the coins are converted to fiat currency for every transaction.
Giving merchants the ability to transact entirely in cryptocurrency (exact ones aren't confirmed yet) is an enormous step toward mass-adoption. Could Tesla's blockbuster purchase have been the catalyst in them finally taking the big leap? I can't imagine it wasn't mentioned at some point in the boardroom meeting!
I expect Visa news to come hot on the heels of this announcement, which would add another 46 million merchants into the fray. Once this happens...who in their right mind will want to speak up against Bitcoin's imminent takeover?
Exciting times, my friends!
Keep calm and stack sats,
-Ben
