2026-01-13 17:23:17

According to the latest reports, US authorities have begun to regulate chaos in the payment industry. First targeting high-interest credit card rates, now they are focusing on swipe card fees — the so-called "hidden costs" that merchants complain about.

Even more aggressively, the government is pushing for the enactment of the "Credit Card Competition Act." The core goal of this bill is straightforward: to break the monopoly of payment networks like Visa and MasterCard, requiring large banks to offer alternative solutions to merchants that bypass the existing dominant networks.

In simple terms, it aims to introduce more competitors and reduce merchant costs. From the merchants' perspective, this is definitely good news — fees are expected to decrease; from the payment network's perspective, the current business model faces restructuring. The card payment system has been operating for decades, and such a level of competitive shock is quite rare.

What impact will this have on the entire financial ecosystem? Increased competition in payments usually also drives higher demand for technological innovation. Interestingly, this upheaval in the traditional payment industry may also indirectly influence the market space for crypto payment solutions.

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LiquidityWhisperer

· 5h ago

Are Visa and Mastercard about to break their monopoly? Honestly, this should have happened a long time ago, I just don't know what new tricks they can come up with. The payment network industry is too entrenched; it requires policy intervention. Is there a chance for encrypted payments? If transaction fees really drop, can on-chain payments hit the bottom? Monopolies have lasted too long; it's indeed time for someone to shake things up. But don't create a new monopoly again. Let's wait and see. After this wave of reform, it will either be a new order or just another way to harvest profits.

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TokenUnlocker

· 5h ago

Are Visa and MasterCard about to be finished? No way. American politicians love to play these tricks, but in the end, it's all bark and no bite.

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¯\_(ツ)_/¯

· 5h ago

Finally, someone dares to challenge Visa and MasterCard. I thought they had a monopoly for too long. Before the break, I thought it was impossible, but now there might really be a chance. Fee reductions are welcome; anyway, merchants are almost drained dry. By the way, this could actually be an opportunity for crypto payments. Once traditional systems fall apart... Let's see who still dares to say that decentralization doesn't work.

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RamenStacker

· 5h ago

Finally, someone is taking on Visa and MasterCard. These two have really been stuck for too long. The game of payments needs to be reshuffled, and crypto opportunities are here. It's another story of centralized monopoly being challenged. HODL. Will this move by the US instead accelerate people’s shift to on-chain payments? Transaction fees are going crazy, no wonder everyone is starting to look at crypto wallets. Breaking the monopoly is good, but can this speed keep up with blockchain innovation? That’s why self-custody is important. The traditional payment system was meant to be restructured. Wait, can MasterCard’s stock price withstand this...

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