Mastercard CEO: AI Shopping Agents, Machine-to-Machine Payments, and the New Infrastructure of Commerce

在万事达卡首席执行官迈克尔·米巴赫（Michael Meebok）参与的一次讨论中，他强调了欺诈和网络风险对全球经济的深远影响。米巴赫引用预测称，到2030年，这类损失可能达到惊人的15.6万亿美元，他将这个数字比作如果网络风险是一个国家，它将是世界第三大经济体。他强调万事达卡已经从一个单纯的支付网络，发展成为领先的网络安全和数据公司。 此次采访是在万事达卡公布第二季度财报的当天进行的，财报披露了其超过60%的强劲营业利润率，以及跨境业务和增值服务的显著增长。米巴赫将这一成功归因于“健康的消费者”和强劲的消费支出，即使在全球地缘政治和经济复杂性中也保持如此。他还指出支付领域的动态格局，金融科技公司和稳定币带来了持续的创新和竞争。 米巴赫阐明了万事达卡的核心职能：在涉及消费者银行和商家银行的“四方模式”内促进价值交换。万事达卡在全球220个国家和地区拥有37亿持卡人，为商户提供“支付保障”，确保他们收到款项，同时保护消费者免受欺诈。这个庞大的网络依靠在纳秒级扫描数万亿数据点，以防止欺诈活动，将万事达卡定位为“信任和安全网络”。 这位首席执行官深入探讨了网络安全，形容其为一场“军备竞赛”，尤其是在生成式人工智能崛起之后。尽管人工智能提高了生产力和用户体验，但它也助长了欺诈者和诈骗犯的势力。万事达卡的战略已从单纯的防御（阻止交易）转向通过威胁情报进行积极的“进攻”。这包括收购了全球最大的独立威胁情报公司Recorded Future，旨在帮助银行等客户预测和预防攻击。米巴赫强调了公私合作的重要性，指出政府和私营部门正日益加强合作，以打击这场持续的“金融战争”。他阐明万事达卡不仅仅是一家信用卡公司，而是“数字经济的操作系统”，提供安全性、资金流动和数据洞察。 关于全球“现金转数字”的转变，米巴赫指出其速度各不相同。尽管北欧国家90%实现了数字化，但许多新兴市场乃至像美国这样的发达国家（现金交易超过50%）仍有大量的现金使用。然而，COVID-19疫情加速了小型企业的数字化采用。万事达卡在将现金和基本的数字支付转化为“巧妙的智能万事达卡支付”方面看到了巨大的发展空间。 跨境交易是万事达卡的另一个高增长领域。这些复杂的支付，对旅游和全球贸易至关重要，由于其价值和复杂性，产生了“高附加值收入”。公司60年的历史一直致力于构建这个广阔的网络，现在也包括中国。 最后，米巴赫谈到了稳定币，认为它们是“机遇”而非威胁。他解释说，万事达卡对底层技术轨道持“中立态度”，已经处理法定货币，现在也处理稳定币（由法定货币支持的加密货币）。万事达卡将其现有的安全保护措施扩展到稳定币交易。尽管稳定币对于日常消费者购买并非必需（万事达卡能高效处理此类交易），但它们为跨境B2B（企业对企业）和P2B（个人对企业）汇款提供了显著优势。传统银行业务通常涉及高额费用、缺乏透明度以及复杂性，这些问题可以通过稳定币提供更高效、透明的价值交换来解决。米巴赫总结道：“这从来都与技术无关，而在于我们能解决谁的问题。”

In a discussion featuring Michael Meebok, CEO of MasterCard, the profound impact of fraud and cyber risk on the global economy was highlighted. Meebok cited projections indicating that by 2030, such damages could reach an astonishing $15.6 trillion, likening this figure to the world's third-largest economy if cyber risk were a country. He emphasized MasterCard's evolution from solely a payments network to a leading cybersecurity and data company. The interview, conducted on the day of MasterCard's second-quarter earnings, revealed strong operating margins above 60% and significant growth in cross-border business and value-added services. Meebok attributed this success to a "healthy consumer" and robust spending, even amidst global geopolitical and economic complexities. He also noted the dynamic landscape of payments, with constant innovation and competition from fintechs and stablecoins. Meebok clarified MasterCard's core function: facilitating value exchange within a "four-party model" involving the consumer's bank and the merchant's bank. With 3.7 billion cardholders across 220 countries and territories, MasterCard provides a "payment guarantee" to merchants, ensuring they get paid while protecting consumers from fraud. This massive network relies on scanning trillions of data points in nanoseconds to prevent fraudulent activity, positioning MasterCard as a "trust and security network." The CEO delved deeper into cybersecurity, describing it as an "arms race," particularly with the rise of generative AI. While AI boosts productivity and user experience, it also empowers fraudsters and scammers. MasterCard's strategy has shifted from pure defense (blocking transactions) to proactive "offense" through threat intelligence. This includes the acquisition of Recorded Future, the world's largest independent threat intelligence company, to help customers like banks anticipate and prevent attacks. Meebok stressed the importance of public-private partnerships, noting that governments and the private sector are increasingly collaborating to combat this persistent "financial war." He clarified that MasterCard is not just a card company but "the operating system of the digital economy," offering security, money movement, and data insights. Regarding the global "cash-to-digital" shift, Meebok noted its varied pace. While Nordic countries are 90% digital, many emerging markets and even developed nations like the U.S. (over 50% cash transactions) still have significant cash usage. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, accelerated digital adoption among small businesses. MasterCard sees tremendous runway in converting cash and basic digital payments into "clever smart MasterCard payments." Cross-border transactions represent another high-growth area for MasterCard. These complex payments, essential for tourism and global trade, generate "high octane revenue" due to the value and complexity involved. The company's 60-year history has been dedicated to building this expansive network, which now includes China. Finally, Meebok addressed stablecoins, viewing them as an "opportunity" rather than a threat. He explained that MasterCard is "agnostic" about the underlying rail, already handling fiat currencies and now stablecoins (cryptocurrencies backed by fiat). MasterCard extends its existing security protections to stablecoin transactions. While stablecoins aren't necessary for everyday consumer purchases (which cards handle efficiently), they offer significant advantages for cross-border B2B and P2B remittances. These typically involve high fees, lack of transparency, and complexity in traditional banking, problems that stablecoins can solve by offering more efficient, transparent value exchange. Meebok concluded, "It's never about the technology. It's about whose problem can we solve."