X Pay is live on mainnet

X Pay has launched a payment gateway that enables any API or software to charge for individual HTTP requests and settle in USDC on Base mainnet. The service eliminates traditional payment barriers like accounts, API keys, and subscriptions by leveraging the x402 standard and stablecoins, allowing economically viable micropayments for the first time. The x402 standard, contributed by Coinbase and managed by the Linux Foundation, has already processed over 169 million payments across 590,000 buyers and 100,000 sellers.

09/11/2026, 10:55 AM • GlobeNewswire

Paycode Appoints Colin Digby as Chief Revenue Officer

Paycode announced the appointment of Colin Digby as Chief Revenue Officer. Digby brings extensive experience from major financial institutions including Mastercard, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan, and Citibank. He will lead Paycode's global revenue strategy and expand partnerships to scale the company's payments and digital identity technology across underserved markets in Africa and beyond.

09/04/2026, 2:41 AM • GlobeNewswire

Here's What $1,000 in Visa Stock at Its IPO Would Be Worth Today

A $1,000 investment in Visa stock at its 2008 IPO would be worth approximately $440,000 today, including reinvested dividends. Visa's exceptional business model, dominant market position as the world's largest credit card network, asset-light operations, and consistent dividend growth over 18 years demonstrate its reliability as a long-term investment that benefits from economic expansion.

09/02/2026, 9:24 AM • The Motley Fool

Bill Ackman Just Bought Visa, Mastercard, and S&P Global Stock. Each One Collects a Toll on Somebody Else's Sale.

Bill Ackman's Pershing Square hedge fund made three major new investments of approximately $1.1 billion each in Visa, Mastercard, and S&P Global during Q2 2026. These three positions combined represent about 17% of the fund's $19.5 billion U.S. stock portfolio. The common thread among these companies is their business model of collecting fees on transactions they don't originate, fund, or take risk on. All three are trading at premium valuations, reflecting their durable, recession-resistant revenue streams.

08/28/2026, 8:34 PM • The Motley Fool

Is Mastercard an Undervalued Stock to Buy?

Mastercard is presented as an excellent long-term investment option. The article notes that billionaire investor Bill Ackman recently purchased Mastercard stock alongside Visa and S&P Global. However, innovation from competitors remains identified as the company's biggest threat.

08/28/2026, 8:07 PM • The Motley Fool

For Investors in Their 30s, Here's 1 Glorious Growth ETF to Buy Hand Over Fist and Hold Forever

The Vanguard Morningstar Mega Cap Growth ETF (MGK) is recommended for investors in their 30s seeking long-term growth. With 72% exposure to technology stocks and top holdings in Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft, the ETF has delivered 13.6% compound annual returns since 2007, outperforming the S&P 500's 10.9%. A $30,000 investment could yield approximately $700,000 more at retirement compared to conservative alternatives, though diversification is advised.

08/25/2026, 7:30 AM • The Motley Fool

What Crypto Market Slowdown? This Sector of the Crypto Market Has Tripled In Value Since 2025.

While Bitcoin and Ethereum struggle amid macro headwinds, the tokenized real-world assets (RWA) market has tripled to $7.4 billion, driven by practical financial utility rather than speculation. Major financial institutions like BlackRock, JPMorgan Chase, Mastercard, and Robinhood are expanding into this nascent market, with tokenized Treasuries, stablecoins, and gold leading growth. Robinhood's tokenized stock trades have accelerated since launching its blockchain, indicating growing retail investor interest.

08/18/2026, 12:05 PM • The Motley Fool

Breakfast News: Mastercard's CEO Speaks

Mastercard's CEO Michael Miebach discusses the company's strategic positioning as the operating system of the digital economy, emphasizing its role in cybersecurity, stablecoin interoperability, and emerging agentic commerce. The CEO highlights that by 2030, cyber risk-driven damage could reach $15.6 trillion, positioning Mastercard's security and trust infrastructure as critical. The company is expanding beyond traditional card rails into stablecoins and machine-to-machine payments while maintaining an agnostic approach to underlying payment infrastructure.

08/15/2026, 7:25 AM • The Motley Fool

Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Just Bought Netflix and 5 Other Stocks. Here’s What Investors Need to Know.

Bill Ackman's Pershing Square deployed 85% of its $5 billion capital raise by purchasing Netflix, Visa, Mastercard, S&P Global, Intercontinental Exchange, and Alcon. The fund targeted stocks that have sold off due to AI disruption concerns, believing these companies have competitive advantages that will allow them to thrive despite AI-related headwinds.

08/13/2026, 12:12 PM • The Motley Fool

Visa and Mastercard Have Both Reported. Which Payments Giant Is the Best Buy Now?

Both Visa and Mastercard reported strong Q2/Q3 results with 14% year-over-year revenue growth. While both are exceptional businesses with unassailable competitive positions, Mastercard is identified as the better buy due to faster operating income growth (19.5% vs 11.1% CAGR), greater international exposure (70% vs 55% of TPV), and a slightly cheaper valuation multiple despite its smaller size offering more upside potential.

08/12/2026, 5:15 AM • The Motley Fool

Is the Market Underrating American Express's Growth Runway?

American Express stock has underperformed its competitors and major indexes this year, down 6% YTD while Visa is up 6% and Mastercard is flat. However, the article argues the stock may be underrated based on strong Q2 earnings (revenue +10% YoY, EPS beat), raised revenue guidance to 10% growth, and projected 14% earnings growth for 2026. Concerns about higher operating expenses are offset by CEO commentary on necessary investments in customer acquisition and long-term growth. Trading at 20x earnings with a long growth runway, American Express is positioned as an underrated buy.

08/06/2026, 11:30 AM • The Motley Fool

Which Financial Stock Would Hold Up Better in a Recession: PayPal or American Express?

American Express is better positioned to weather a recession than PayPal due to its stronger business model, affluent customer base, and natural resistance to economic downturns. While American Express benefits from higher interest rates and has a wider competitive moat, PayPal faces declining margins, slowing growth, and vulnerability to retail spending slowdowns. Analysts expect American Express to grow faster through 2028, making it the more resilient choice during economic uncertainty.

08/03/2026, 3:10 PM • The Motley Fool

Where Will Mastercard Stock Be in 5 Years?

Mastercard reported strong Q2 results with 14% revenue growth and 19% net income growth. The analyst projects the stock could reach $900-$1,200 by mid-2031 (roughly 12-13% annual returns) based on continued transaction volume growth, expanding value-added services, and aggressive share buybacks. However, regulatory pressure on fees, competition from stablecoins, and potential consumer slowdowns pose downside risks.

08/02/2026, 4:22 PM • The Motley Fool

IonQ vs. D-Wave Quantum: Which Quantum Computing Stock Is a Better Buy in 2026?

IonQ and D-Wave Quantum are competing quantum computing companies with different technological approaches. IonQ uses trapped-ion technology and generated $130M in FY2025 revenue with 201.9% YoY growth, while D-Wave specializes in quantum annealing with $24.6M revenue and 178.5% growth. Both are unprofitable with significant operating losses, but IonQ is recommended as the better buy due to stronger revenue growth, the SkyWater Technology acquisition providing end-to-end chip capabilities, and a more comprehensive quantum solution portfolio.

08/02/2026, 9:34 AM • The Motley Fool

As Financials Rally, Is the Steady Vanguard Financials ETF or the Leveraged ProShares Ultra Financials the Better Buy Right Now?

The article compares two financial sector ETFs: Vanguard Financials ETF (VFH), a low-cost broad-market index fund with 427 holdings, and ProShares Ultra Financials (UYG), a leveraged 2x ETF with 84 holdings. While UYG offers amplified returns, it carries significantly higher volatility and leverage decay risk. VFH is recommended as the better long-term choice due to its steadier performance, lower expense ratio (0.09% vs 0.94%), and superior 5-year returns ($1,696 vs $1,473 on $1,000 invested).

07/26/2026, 1:31 PM • The Motley Fool