At Web Summit 2025, Visa took center stage with a clear message: the creator economy isn’t just thriving—it’s now a vital part of the global small business ecosystem. The payments giant unveiled its Monetized: Visa 2025 Creator Report, a deep dive into how digital creators worldwide are building businesses, earning globally, and navigating financial challenges in an increasingly connected marketplace.

Building on its 2024 declaration that creators are small businesses, Visa is expanding its support with new research, partnerships, and financial tools designed to help creators manage their operations as efficiently as any traditional enterprise.

The Business of Creation

Conducted with Morning Consult, Visa’s Monetized report surveyed more than 1,000 creators across five key markets — the U.S., Brazil, Australia, the U.K., and the UAE — focusing on TikTok creators as a proxy for the broader creator economy.

Among the standout findings:

• 88% of creators expect their income to rise in the next year, showing confidence in the sector’s resilience.
• Over half (52%) receive payments from outside their home country, emphasizing how borderless the creator economy has become.
• Most creators still rely on personal funds and crowdfunding, signaling unmet demand for tailored financial products.
• Payment delays remain a pain point, despite modern processors offering faster access to global earnings.
• A near-universal 94% say friends and family support their work, reflecting how far creator culture has come from the sidelines to the mainstream.

“Creators are among the most dynamic small business segments in the world,” said Jonathan Kolozsvary, Global Head of Small Business at Visa Commercial Solutions. “Our creator report showcases their ingenuity and guides how Visa is investing to empower the creator economy.”

Visa x Karat: Tackling Creator Pain Points

In tandem with the report, Visa announced it is exploring an agentic pilot program with Karat Financial, a fintech leader known for building credit and banking solutions around creator income streams.

The potential pilot would test AI-driven “agentic” tools to automate and simplify the financial back-office work creators often struggle with—like managing invoices, tracking payments, and handling late receivables.

Here’s what that might look like:

• Smarter payments: Automated but human-supervised payment management across currencies and platforms.
• Cash flow reminders: Automated nudges for overdue invoices or brand deals, minimizing financial disruption.
• Verified databases: A secure hub for tracking buyers, sponsors, and vendors—reducing fraud and admin overhead.

Karat, which pioneered credit cards based on creator revenue and social metrics, adds the financial muscle to Visa’s payment network. Together, they could redefine what it means to “bank like a creator.”

Empowering a New Class of Entrepreneurs

Visa’s move reinforces a broader trend: the professionalization of the creator economy. Once seen as hobbyists, creators today are content entrepreneurs juggling brand deals, global audiences, and multi-platform revenue streams. Yet, many remain underserved by legacy financial systems not built for creator-style cash flow or non-traditional income verification.

Visa’s initiatives aim to close that gap—bringing creators into the financial mainstream with tools for getting paid, accessing capital, and managing finances at scale. The company says it’s using the same resources it offers traditional small businesses, now tailored for creators’ unique workflows.

The Bigger Picture

The Monetized report isn’t just a data drop—it’s a strategic blueprint. With global creator revenue expected to surpass $500 billion by 2030, financial services are racing to keep up. Visa’s approach—combining research, partnerships, and practical fintech tools—signals that the creator economy is no longer a side business; it’s the next frontier of small business innovation.

As Visa continues its collaborations with creator-focused fintechs like Karat, the message is clear: the next generation of entrepreneurs won’t just sell products—they’ll sell creativity. And Visa intends to be the network that powers it.