Mastercard reported a better-than-expected second-quarter profit Thursday, supported by strong transaction volumes and resilient consumer spending, Reuters reported.Shoppers continued to spend despite concerns that geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty could weaken demand.Mastercard’s gross dollar volume—the total value of transactions processed on its network—rose 8% in the second quarter to $2.9 trillion.Adjusted earnings reached $5.04 per share, beating analysts’ average estimate of $4.77, according to LSEG data. Net revenue increased 14% to $9.3 billion, also surpassing expectations.A strong labour market and continued wage growth supported consumer activity, while inflation fueled by oil-price spikes linked to the US-Iran war lifted transaction values.Higher-income households accounted for much of the spending, continuing to make discretionary purchases as lower-income families tightened their budgets.“Mastercard’s second-quarter results were solid and comfortably ahead of guidance and expectations,” JPMorgan analyst Tien-tsin Huang said, as per the Reuters report.Shares of the company were up 1% during today’s trading.Payment-network results are closely watched for signs of economic health because the companies process a large share of consumer transactions.Earlier this week, Visa beat quarterly profit expectations as FIFA World Cup spending boosted transaction volumes. American Express, which serves a more affluent customer base, also topped estimates and raised its full-year revenue forecast.Despite Middle East-related disruptions, the World Cup provided a short-term lift to travel demand as higher-income consumers continued spending on travel and entertainment.“The impact of instability in the Middle East moderated throughout the second quarter and was less severe than anticipated,” outgoing Mastercard CFO Sachin Mehra said during the company’s post-earnings call.Mastercard’s cross-border volumes, which track spending on cards outside their country of issue, rose 12% in the second quarter.Revenue from its value-added services and solutions segment increased 20%, supported by demand for fraud detection, cybersecurity, spending insights and merchant analytics.The company is also reorganizing to sharpen its focus on customer operations while reportedly exploring potential asset sales.Mastercard and Visa are expanding into stablecoin-based payments as greater regulatory clarity brings digital-payment technology further into the mainstream.