The Bitcoin network is already capable of processing a much higher number of transactions per second than it currently handles. However, it is not yet fully mature enough to scale to the level of the major credit card networks. Work is underway to increase the current limit, and future requirements are clear. Since its inception, every aspect of the Bitcoin network has been maturing, optimizing, and specializing, and this process will continue over the next few years. As traffic increases, more Bitcoin users may use lightweight clients, and full network nodes may become more specialized services. See the Wiki page on Scalability for more details.
