The Monetized: Visa 2025 Creator Report was unveiled at Web Summit 2025. The comprehensive study spans five regions, including the UAE, and highlights financial trends for TikTok creators. As part of the research, Visa is rolling out payments and business solutions tailored to creators’ needs, along with plans for a potential creator agent pilot in collaboration with fintech firm Karat Financial.
Monetized: Visa 2025 Creator Report
Visa’s study reveals a diverse creator economy after surveying over 1,000 TikTok creators from May to August 2025 from the UAE, the United States, Brazil and Australia. Insights indicate that 88% of participants anticipate revenue gains in the coming year.
Notably, creators are global in reach, with 52% receiving earnings from outside of their home country. Visa aims to enhance payment processes by facilitating faster access to earnings and addressing delays, a persistent challenge in the creator sphere.
The report’s findings emphasise creators’ adaptability and self-reliance in business acumen, often acquired through peer interactions and self-directed learning.
Despite optimistic revenue projections, the report recognises that creators largely rely on personal resources or innovative funding methods, indicating a significant role for financial institutions to provide tailored financing solutions. Creators also stated they are looking for modern payment processors.
Karat Financial Collaboration
The pilot project with Karat Financial aims to alleviate common bottlenecks in creators’ financial management. This venture will explore agentic support systems designed to streamline creators’ payment processes, manage accounts receivables and payables, and automate financial operations – a move that could ease the burden of financial advocacy for creators.
Visa’s alliance with Karat Financial also seeks to mitigate fraud risks and streamline supplier and buyer interactions.
The report follows another study from Qoruz, which highlighted how the GCC’s creator economy has grown 75% in two years, and how certain sectors, including fashion, beauty, lifestyle and travel, have seen significant growth.
Regionally, there is a burgeoning trend of influencers transitioning to investors, where they are opting for equity, ownership and deeper roles in the startup and financial ecosystem over brand deals.
