Europe Urgently Needs to Reduce Dependence on U.S. Payment Companies
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 09 2026
0mins
Source: seekingalpha
- Payment Dependency Issue: Martina Weimert, CEO of the European Payments Initiative (EPI), highlighted that Visa and Mastercard accounted for nearly two-thirds of card transactions in the Eurozone in 2022, indicating Europe's heavy reliance on international payment solutions and the urgent need for action to enhance autonomy.
- Cross-Border Payment Initiative: The EPI launched the Wero platform in 2024, which is live in Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands with over 43.5 million registered users, aiming to provide a European alternative to U.S. payment solutions and facilitate seamless cross-border payments.
- Timeliness of Digital Euro: Weimert expressed concerns about the European Central Bank's plan to issue a digital euro by 2029, suggesting it may arrive too late to address potential diplomatic tensions, thereby impacting Europe's payment independence.
- Urgency for Action: As European officials grow increasingly worried about the dominance of U.S. payment companies, Weimert emphasized the necessity for Europe to act swiftly to leverage domestic payment card schemes and reduce reliance on external payment systems to ensure financial security and sovereignty.
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Analyst Views on V
Wall Street analysts forecast V stock price to rise
25 Analyst Rating
23 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 309.940
Low
330.00
Averages
406.59
High
450.00
Current: 309.940
Low
330.00
Averages
406.59
High
450.00
About V
Visa Inc. is a global payments technology company. It facilitates global commerce and money movement across more than 200 countries and territories among a global set of consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities through technologies. It operates through the Payment Services segment. It provides transaction processing services (primarily authorization, clearing and settlement) to its financial institution and merchant clients through VisaNet, its proprietary advanced transaction processing network. It offers a range of Visa-branded payment products that its clients, including nearly 14,500 financial institutions, use to develop and offer payment solutions or services, including credit, debit, prepaid and cash access programs for individual, business and government account holders. It also provides value-added services to its clients, including issuing solutions, acceptance solutions, risk and identity solutions, open banking solutions and advisory services.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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See More
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- Sustainable Competitive Advantages: Among the 20 billion-dollar investments Abel oversees, many companies like Visa and Sirius XM operate as legal monopolies, ensuring stable revenue streams and risk resilience, reflecting Berkshire's investment strategy.
- Smaller Holdings Adjustment: Abel also manages 18 relatively smaller investments, with significant reductions like the 77% cut in Amazon's stake, indicating a focus on optimizing the portfolio and potentially paving the way for future trading opportunities.
See More
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- Leadership Transition: Warren Buffett retired as CEO on December 31, 2025, with Greg Abel taking over the management of a $320 billion investment portfolio, marking a new era for Berkshire Hathaway, although Buffett remains as chairman of the board.
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- Core Holdings Concentration: The ten core positions account for nearly 79% of Berkshire's invested assets, all of which pay dividends and engage in share repurchases, demonstrating strong capital return capabilities, with Abel's management style reflected in these choices.
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