Visa, Mastercard, and JPMorgan: The Quiet Crypto Revolution

The notion that Bitcoin ETFs are a sign of cryptocurrencies going mainstream is incomplete. While it's true that financial giants like iShares and Fidelity have launched their own Bitcoin trusts, this isn't the only way traditional finance is embracing crypto.

Credit card companies like Visa and Mastercard have been quietly integrating digital assets into their systems for over a decade. In fact, Visa now processes stablecoin settlements in more than 50 countries, and its Intelligent Commerce Connect tool relies on stablecoins and tokenized assets to facilitate automated business transactions.

Megabank JPMorgan Chase is also getting in on the action, allowing customers to buy crypto through Coinbase while CEO Jamie Dimon remains skeptical of Bitcoin. Meanwhile, American Express has been using Ether tokens in consumer-facing systems for years, storing data on the Ethereum chain since 2017.