Visa 和万事达卡：钱包持有者的福音，对加密货币交易所的威胁？

欧易(OKX)

用戶喜愛的交易所

立即注冊立即下载

币安(Binance)

已有账号登陆后会弹出下载

立即注冊立即下载

将加密货币转换为法定货币从来都不是一件容易的事，因此最近 Web3 基础设施公司 Transak 和信用卡巨头 Visa 之间宣布的合作可能是个好消息，尤其是对于 MetaMask、Ledger 和 Trust Wallet 等加密钱包的用户来说。

正如 Cointelegraph 一月底报道的那样，“MetaMask 用户现在可以直接向 Visa 卡出售加密货币。”

现在，大约 40 种加密货币可以在 145 个国家/地区的 1.3 亿个 Visa 商户网点兑换成当地法定货币。

仅这些数字就令人望而生畏，但这也可能是一个拐点。

Nexo 联合创始人兼管理合伙人 Antoni Trenchev 最近告诉 Cointelegraph：“Visa 和万事达卡重新涉足加密货币领域，标志着该行业发展轨迹的关键转折。”

BakerHostetler 律师事务所合伙人 Joanna Wasick 告诉 Cointelegraph：“对于已经使用加密货币进行支付的人们来说，这是一个大消息——现在他们有更多的选择，而且可以说，在如何进行此类支付方面有更好的选择。”

也就是说，就在不久前，Visa 似乎退出了加密货币领域。

几乎就在一年前，路透社宣称“Visa 和万事达卡正在停止与加密货币公司建立新合作伙伴关系的计划”——尽管 Visa 后来对路透社的说法提出了质疑。

Trenchev 上周表示：“尽管 Visa 一年前就远离了加密货币，但这种战略重新调整并不令人意外。”

“随着市场的吸收，特别是随着比特币价格的攀升、比特币 ETF（交易所交易基金）的批准以及即将到来的‘减半’，我们正在见证加密货币牛市的初级阶段，”特伦切夫继续说道。

可以说，维萨卡和万事达卡不想错过这一机会。

尽管这一宣布看起来很戏剧性和突然，但它实际上是一个已经持续了一段时间的更大进程的一部分。

佛罗里达大西洋大学经济系副教授 William Luther 告诉 Cointelegraph：“Visa 决定启用实时提款，这是加密货币货币化的最新一步。”

中心化交易所的损失？

尽管如此，在充满活力的经济中——“创造性破坏”已成为常态——往往有输家和赢家。

这对于 Coinbase 和 Binance 等中心化加密货币交易所意味着什么？

如果 Visa 可以将持有者的加密货币直接转换为法定货币，那么为什么这个人还需要加密货币兑换呢？

Transak 联合创始人兼首席执行官 Sami Start 告诉 Cointelegraph：“越来越多的用户选择通过去中心化应用程序而不是中心化交易所直接参与 Web3”。

Asked about the volume of recent crypto withdrawals to Visa cards, Start declined to provide segmented data, but he did say that the firm’s off-ramp transactions — including Mastercard and Visa transactions — “have experienced a growth of approximately 24.27% from December 2023 to January 2024.”

Recent:CBDCs: User privacy problem or currency of the future?

The threat to centralized crypto exchanges could be exaggerated, however. “The notion that this advancement might disadvantage CEXs and platforms is oversimplified,” said Trenchev. Visa and Mastercard’s involvement in decentralized finance (DeFi) is likely to promote broader cryptocurrency adoption — “which benefits the whole industry.”

CEXs still have a play to role. They are “vital in scaling,” continued Trenchev, whose firm was a pioneer in offering a crypto-backed Mastercard in parts of Europe several years back. They provide a degree of reliability, accessibility and security that many DeFi platforms still don’t offer. He added:

“The appeal of self-custody in DeFi is clear, but it comes with risks, such as lack of insurance.”

Both DeFi and CEXs contribute to the growth of the blockchain ecosystem, Trenchev maintained, and “their successes are mutually beneficial.”

Importance of network effects

Clearly, there is much more discussion now about crypto as a medium of exchange, which was not the case in the depths of the crypto winter.

The biggest hurdle that “would-be” monies face coming out of the starting gate is what economists call “network effects,” explained Luther. They’re not likely to be useful unless your trading partners are willing to use them, and at the outset, few parties are willing to do so, he said, adding:

“Intermediaries like Visa have the potential to eliminate the network effect problem. By converting your preferred cryptocurrency on the fly to your trading partner’s preferred money, [they can make a new] medium-of-exchange much more useful.”

Visa isn’t the first to take this step. Xapo began offering a Bitcoin (BTC) debit card in 2014. “But Visa supports more cryptocurrencies and boasts a very big network. That’s a big deal,” added Luther.

Trenchev seconded this notion that traditional financial firms, including the credit card giants, have been building salients into the crypto world for some time.

In 2021, Mastercard purchased CipherTrace — a leading cryptocurrency intelligence company — to enhance its crypto capabilities, while in June 2023, Mastercard announced its Multi-Token Network, an initiative “designed to make transactions within the digital asset and blockchain ecosystems secure, scalable and interoperable,” according to the firm’s executive vice president Raj Dhamodharan.

We’re introducing Mastercard Multi-Token Network to make transactions within this ecosystem secure, scalable and interoperable as part of our commitment to support the wider #digital asset industry. https://t.co/Vb1JtnSTjx#blockchain pic.twitter.com/MwkkxbyAuk

— Mastercard News (@MastercardNews) June 29, 2023

Visa began supporting the Circle’s USD Coin (USDC) in certain Visa cards in 2020 and followed up in September 2023 by supporting USDC payments settled on the Solana blockchain.

Building new connections is what such firms are designed to do. “The core strategy of the payment rails like Visa and Mastercard is to be the network of networks, penetrating any and all venues where exchange takes place,” Lex Sokolin, managing partner at venture capital firm Generative Ventures, told Cointelegraph.

“Integrating into the networks of Web3 is the most natural thing for these companies,” said Sokolin, “even less ‘risky’ than it is for asset managers to sell crypto as an investment product.”

The question is no longer whether crypto will be a part of mainstream payments and financial services, but rather, how big a part crypto will play, Wasick observed, adding:

“So while crypto might still be a relatively small part of payments and financial services — as compared to cash, say — crypto’s dent is getting deeper.”

Betraying core principles?

Much work still awaits. Some worry about security or loss of privacy. Others fear a growing trend toward financial centralization, which crypto was designed to counter. There are also compliance and tax questions.

“I think the primary reason why crypto holders — at least American holders — balk at using crypto for payments is the same as it has been for years: United States tax law,” said Wasick.

People don’t want to have to think about tax ramifications every time they purchase a cup of coffee. “But doing it directly with a payment platform like Visa is arguably easier than prior payment methods.”

Some crypto purists may view the entry of credit card giants into the space as a further betrayal of the original promise of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for decentralized money beyond the control of any single party, company or government.

Luther gave voice to something along these lines. While welcoming the support of Visa and Mastercard, “I also think it is important to recognize the shortcomings.”

Yes, they will make it easier to use cryptocurrencies to buy things, “but they do so at the expense of some of crypto’s promise.” More specifically:

“They tend to reduce — and, in some cases, completely eliminate — the financial privacy and censorship-resistant features of cryptocurrencies.”

Those features are important, Luther added, and he hopes that future developments “will make it easier to use cryptocurrencies in routine transactions while preserving a high degree of anonymity.”

Instilling confidence?

Finally, what does all this mean in terms of adoption? Crypto adoption is still relatively low — at least as a percentage of the world’s population. And those who own it are often “just holding cryptocurrencies in hopes of price appreciation,” Luther added.

But there is another way of looking at things. In this view, crypto is already a part of mainstream payments and financial services.

“一些机构投资者持有加密货币。

我们可以使用加密货币期货和 ETF。”Luther 说道，而且支付应用程序数量的激增使发送和接收加密货币变得比以往任何时候都更加容易。

相关：美国稳定币法案即将出台吗？

Visa 的新合作也意义重大，因为它可能会对那些迄今为止一直犹豫是否接受加密货币的人产生影响，即不仅仅是当前的钱包持有者。

大型信用卡公司可以让加密货币的骑墙派有信心采取行动。

瓦西克表示，如果是这样，一种良性循环可能会出现，因为随着“人们对支付解决方案越来越满意，这些解决方案也会变得更加普遍”。

“还有很长的路要走，”路德总结道。

“但加密货币已经取得了长足的进步。”

热点：加密货币 币交易所 货币交易 货币交易所