Products

Insider Intelligence delivers leading-edge research to clients in a variety of forms, including full-length reports and data visualizations to equip you with actionable takeaways for better business decisions.
Reports
In-depth analysis, benchmarks and shorter spotlights on digital trends.
Learn More
Forecasts
Interactive projections with 10k+ metrics on market trends, & consumer behavior.
Learn More
Charts
Proprietary data and over 3,000 third-party sources about the most important topics.
Learn More
Industry KPIs
Industry benchmarks for the most important KPIs in digital marketing, advertising, retail and ecommerce.
Learn More
Briefings
Client-only email newsletters with analysis and takeaways from the daily news.
Learn More
Analyst Access Program
Exclusive time with the thought leaders who craft our research.
Learn More

About Insider Intelligence

Our goal at Insider Intelligence is to unlock digital opportunities for our clients with the world’s most trusted forecasts, analysis, and benchmarks. Spanning five core coverage areas and dozens of industries, our research on digital transformation is exhaustive.
Our Story
Learn more about our mission and how Insider Intelligence came to be.
Learn More
Methodology
Rigorous proprietary data vetting strips biases and produces superior insights.
Learn More
Our People
Take a look into our corporate culture and view our open roles.
Join the Team
Contact Us
Speak to a member of our team to learn more about Insider Intelligence.
Contact Us
Newsroom
See our latest press releases, news articles or download our press kit.
Learn More
Advertising & Sponsorship Opportunities
Reach an engaged audience of decision-makers.
Learn More
Events
Browse our upcoming and past events, recent podcasts, and other featured resources.
Learn More
Podcasts
Tune in to eMarketer's daily, weekly, and monthly podcasts.
Learn More

Surging cross-border growth helped Mastercard beat Q1 estimates

The news: “Resilient consumer spending” and the cross-border travel recovery helped Mastercard beat first quarter forecasts, per its earnings release.

The takeaways:

  • Spending was resilient. First quarter purchase volume rose 17% year over year (YoY), accelerating from 8% growth in Q4.
  • Travel rebound boosted spending. Cross-border volume surged 35% YoY, up from 31% in Q4.
  • But rising costs squeezed profits. Operating expenses rose 18%, mainly driven by higher personnel costs. That narrowed net income by 10%.
  • It’s under investigation. Mastercard said the US Department of Justice is looking into potential anticompetitive practices in its debit program. The government department is already probing Visa for possible anti-competitive practices.

What next? Much like at Visa, buoyant consumer spending bolstered Mastercard’s volume and will help it navigate economic uncertainty in Q2. Here are three other trends to watch out for.

  1. Cross-border payments have been a growth driver. This will continue as Mastercard capitalizes on its market-leading position: The number of cross-border ecommerce transactions is expected to nearly double between 2022 and 2026, per Juniper Research.
  2. Mastercard partnered with several companies in Q1 to enhance its offerings and boost volume, including Citizens and Checkout.com. Some of those partnerships have gone toward building out its buy now, pay later (BNPL) program as competition intensifies in the space.
  3. Despite lingering concerns, Mastercard and Visa are still cautiously exploring crypto. Visa is hiring more developers, and Mastercard recently launched a crypto payments card in Europe. But industry turmoil is forcing the card networks to rethink their strategies. Expect Mastercard to keep a close eye on the crypto market, but don’t be surprised if it waits for more stability and regulatory clarity before making any big moves.

Related content: Read our US Payment Card Networks 2022 report to learn about how regulatory scrutiny and increased competition are affecting card networks.

This article originally appeared in Insider Intelligence's Payments Innovation Briefing—a daily recap of top stories reshaping the payments industry. Subscribe to have more hard-hitting takeaways delivered to your inbox daily.