** Shares of payments processors Visa V.N and Mastercard MA.N fall 5.3% and 4.6%, respectively, hitting their lowest in more than a month
** Walmart WMT.N, Amazon AMZN.O and Expedia Group EXPE.O are among companies exploring their own stablecoins, the Wall Street Journal reports
** Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency designed to avoid the wild volatility seen in tokens like bitcoin
** With prices pegged to a stable asset, they have long been viewed as a viable and low-cost mode of payment, especially for cross-border transactions
** Supporters say they can eliminate the need for intermediaries such as V and MA, which charge billions in fees every year
** KBW analysts say while the reported stablecoins by WMT, AMZN and EXPE would present near-term risks, some fears may be exaggerated
** Spokespersons for V and MA did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment
** Previous initiatives by merchants to bypass V and MA have not gained widespread traction, brokerage says
** PayPal PYPL.O shares also fall 4.8%
** As of last close, V up 17.5% and MA up 11.9%, while PYPL down 12.4% YTD
(Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru)
((Niket.Nishant@thomsonreuters.com))
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