Have you ever heard the expression, “The straw that broke the camel’s back?”

#-ad_banner-#It describes the point when a small or ordinary event causes a disproportionate result. Malcolm Gladwell calls it the “tipping point” in his famous book of the same name.

You see, most of us like to think change happens slowly, that only time and strenuous labor make big things happen.

But a new development from Apple has quietly set the stage for a potential $11 trillion market to come flooding into the pockets of a few lucky credit card companies — and it could begin as soon as 2017. Once considered too remote to be tapped, this huge market is just waiting to break open under the weight of Apple’s recent move.


In a previous StreetAuthority.com article, we talked about Apple Pay, which enables consumers to buy goods with a simple tap of their phone. We detailed how near field communication (NFC) chips now allow smartphones and cash registers to communicate, making cash and credit cards obsolete.

In fact, just last year I predicted this shift in my premium advisory, Game-Changing Stocks, and some of my readers were able to jump on board for a triple-digit gain by investing in one of Apple’s suppliers.

Today, I want to talk about how Apple is using this technology to create a worldwide payment network and the companies that stand to benefit.

Apple’s first step is to forge strategic partnerships. Even though many think Apple creates a new technology and then dominates its target market all by itself, that is a fallacy.

When Apple released the iPod, in order to get the product to market quickly, it made deals with Wal-Mart, Target and even its competitors Dell and HP. During Apple’s 2007 iPhone launch, it sold the phone exclusively through AT&T.

This time the technology giant has partnered with Visa, MasterCard and a plethora of other integral banks and retailers.

Together, Visa and MasterCard control 80% of the domestic credit card market.

But cash is still the preferred method of payment for most of the world. Cash and checks account for 41% of consumer spending in developed countries and 62% in developing countries.

And consider this: in most of the world, far more people have a phone than a bank account.

In fact, 2.5 billion people — more than half of the world’s adult population, don’t use formal financial services. Of this group, 88% live in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

Until now, credit card companies like Visa, MasterCard and American Express have had absolutely no access to this money. It’s been changing hands right in front of them for years. Now, if they can convert those people to electronic payments, it would translate to an $11 trillion opportunity.

Well, thanks to Apple’s new release, they now have a way. And they won’t have to issue a single credit card to do it.

Instead of taking a decade to spread physical credit cards and point-of-sale terminals around the globe, MasterCard and Visa can connect the growing number of cell phones in the world to their network in just a few years.

And the best part for MasterCard and Visa? Apple and its merchants will shoulder most of the costs of implementation. The credit networks are already in place and ready to go.

Think about it… Visa shares are already up more than 500% since going public in 2008, while MasterCard shares have gained nearly 1,800% since it went public in 2006. Although no investment is guaranteed, if Apple Pay opens up $11 trillion in new business to these giants, then shares could certainly continue to deliver big gains.

And it’s not too early to see the potential for enormous growth.

In the first 72 hours after the Apple Pay launch, Tim Cook cited MasterCard and Visa data saying that more than one million credit cards had already been registered with Apple Pay. This means that virtually overnight, Apple went from zero to ringing up more transactions than Google Wallet and its other mobile payment competitors combined.

This is a growth story that’s far from over. In fact, thanks to Apple Pay, I predict that there are more monumental gains ahead for Apple and its partners. That’s why I’ve prepared a special research alert that contains urgent information about the companies behind Apple Pay.

It tells you everything you need to know about these little-known innovators, including the NFC chip manufacturer I mentioned previously, as well as four other key Apple suppliers that I expect to skyrocket over the next few years. I invite you to check out my brand-new research video by clicking this link.