The source for those claims is "people, who asked not to be named". Could be literally anyone.

Meanwhile in the same article:

> That does not change [Visa]'s crypto strategy and focus, however, the spokesperson added.

and:

> A spokesperson for Mastercard said: "Our efforts continue to focus on the underlying blockchain technology and how that can be applied to help address current pain points and build more efficient systems."

Isn't it crazy how different those quotes are from the headline? I'd love to know who read those official company statements and then decided to write the headline with the claim from an anonymous nobody instead.

Also: https://twitter.com/cuysheffield/status/1630600556187099137

The OP’s original comment referred to the rest of the world, which I read as those outside the US. My understanding is that Visa and Mastercard are American companies with footprints outside the US yes, but they are still US companies.