MoneyGram, MasterCard announce collaboration
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Apr 02 2025
0mins
Should l Buy MA?
Partnership Overview: MoneyGram and Mastercard have partnered to enhance digital money transfers, allowing customers to utilize Mastercard Move for fast and secure payments both domestically and internationally.
Service Expansion: MoneyGram customers can send funds to 38 eligible markets using U.S.-issued Mastercard cards, with plans for additional cross-border payment capabilities expected by 2025.
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Analyst Views on MA
Wall Street analysts forecast MA stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for MA is 684.13 USD with a low forecast of 525.00 USD and a high forecast of 1088 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
24 Analyst Rating
20 Buy
4 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 537.460
Low
525.00
Averages
684.13
High
1088
Current: 537.460
Low
525.00
Averages
684.13
High
1088
About MA
Mastercard Incorporated is a technology company in the global payments industry. The Company connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments, digital partners, businesses and other organizations worldwide by enabling electronic payments and making those payment transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. It provides a range of payment solutions and services using its brands, including Mastercard, Maestro and Cirrus. It operates a payments network that provides choice and flexibility for consumers, merchants and its customers. Through its proprietary global payments network, it switches (authorizes, clears and settles) payment transactions. Its additional payments capabilities include automated clearing house (ACH) transactions (both batch and real-time account-based payments). It offers security solutions, consumer acquisition and engagement, business and market insights, gateway, processing and open banking, among other services and solutions.
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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- Complexity of Platform Business Models: Unlike linear business models, platform business models are more complex as they connect buyers and sellers, and as their user bases grow, the value of their products and services increases, enhancing user retention and reducing competitive risks.
- Network Effects in Payments Industry: American Express connects 160 million merchants with 153 million active cards through its closed-loop system, showcasing strong network effects, while Visa and Mastercard each have billions of cards in circulation globally, further solidifying their market positions.
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- 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.
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Investment Opportunities in Network Effect Companies
- Importance of Economic Moats: Long-term investors should focus on companies with durable competitive advantages, known as 'economic moats,' such as high switching costs and barriers to entry, which collectively foster long-term business success.
- Complexity of Platform Business Models: Unlike linear business models, platform business models are more complex as they connect buyers and sellers, and as their user bases grow, the value of their products and services increases, enhancing user retention and reducing competitive risks.
- Network Effects in Payments Industry: American Express connects 160 million merchants with 153 million active cards through its closed-loop system, showcasing strong network effects, while Visa and Mastercard each have billions of cards in circulation globally, further solidifying their market positions.
- Dominance of Internet Giants: Google Search holds a 90% market share in its domain, and as user numbers increase, data collection and algorithm optimization continuously enhance user experience, while Meta and Amazon also benefit from network effects due to their vast user bases.
See More
Analysis of Trump's Policy Impact on Markets
- Policy Impact Analysis: Trump's administration is expected to boost equities in 2026, yet certain sectors like financial services and health insurance face significant pressure, indicating an uneven impact of policies.
- Credit Card Rate Cap: The proposal for a 10% cap on credit card interest rates led to a decline in financial stocks in January, and while large banks have begun to recover in February, pure credit card stocks remain below pre-announcement levels, reflecting market uncertainty regarding the policy.
- Medicare Payment Rates: The administration's plan to limit increases in Medicare payment rates aims to combat alleged fraud by insurers, and while the industry has not reacted aggressively, concerns about the policy's implications linger in the market.
- Future Policy Risks: Investors are anxious about Trump's potential future moves, particularly in housing, healthcare, and energy sectors, with analysts noting that these areas could be adversely affected by policy changes, thereby increasing market uncertainty.
See More
European Parliament Backs Digital Euro Initiative
- Legislative Support for Digital Euro: The European Parliament has given significant backing to the digital euro, endorsing the European Central Bank's negotiating stance, indicating that the 2029 launch goal hinges on legislative approval, reflecting a commitment to monetary sovereignty.
- Diverse Functionality: This support emphasizes the need for the digital euro to function both online and offline, aiming to reduce reliance on non-European payment providers and enhance the EU's competitiveness in the digital economy.
- Market Integration Demand: The amendments approved by the Parliament call for equal access to the digital euro, highlighting its importance in bolstering EU monetary sovereignty and deepening the single market while reducing fragmentation in retail payments.
- Crypto Asset Regulation: The Parliament also urged the ECB to enhance monitoring of crypto assets, warning that if digital payments are left to private and non-EU providers, it risks creating new forms of exclusion for users and merchants, underscoring the importance of regulation.
See More
Trump Proposes Cap on Credit Card Interest Rates
- Proposed Interest Rate Cap: President Trump has proposed a cap on credit card interest rates at 10% as part of his initiative to improve affordability for Americans, which could negatively impact revenue for credit card issuers like JPMorgan Chase and Capital One.
- Market Size and Impact: With over $1.2 trillion in credit card debt held by Americans and current rates often between 25% and 30%, the proposal could restrict credit to only the most creditworthy borrowers, potentially affecting popular points and rewards systems.
- Legislative Hurdles and Industry Pushback: The proposal faces significant legislative hurdles and is unlikely to gain bipartisan support, compounded by the powerful lobbying efforts of the banking industry aimed at protecting their interests.
- Visa and Mastercard's Competitive Edge: Unlike credit card issuers, Visa and Mastercard do not assume credit risk, and while the proposal may reduce credit card spending, these companies continue to earn fees from transactions, benefiting from a strong network effect and maintaining high profit margins.
See More
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- Massive Funding Round: Databricks has successfully raised $7 billion, achieving a valuation of $134 billion, which not only reflects market confidence in its future growth but also solidifies the groundwork for its upcoming IPO.
- AI-Driven Database Development: Currently, 80% of the databases on the Databricks platform are built by AI agents, indicating a rapid adoption of AI in software development, particularly among large enterprises, which could reshape the competitive landscape of the industry.
- Extensive Customer Base: Databricks now boasts over 20,000 customers across various sectors, demonstrating strong market demand for its products and providing robust support for the company's future growth.
- Significant Industry Impact: As AI agents increasingly play a role in software construction, CEO Ali Ghodsi emphasizes that this will have profound implications for the entire software industry, prompting companies to rethink how AI can transform traditional development models.
See More
Europe Urgently Needs to Reduce Dependence on U.S. Payment Companies
- 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.
See More
