DIGITAL PAYMENTS MARKET ANALYSIS

Digital Payments Market Size and Trends

The global digital payments market is estimated to be valued at US$ 75.34 Bn in 2024 and is expected to reach US$ 298.46 Bn by 2031, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.7% from 2024 to 2031.

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The global digital payments market is witnessing positive trends owing to rising smartphone penetration worldwide along with the growing adoption of contactless payments amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers are increasingly preferring digital and contactless payment options over traditional methods of payment such as cash due to convenience and safety from virus transmissions. Moreover, rapid growth of e-commerce is further driving the demand for digital payment solutions. Major technology companies and fintech players are investing heavily in developing advanced payment platforms and solutions using technologies like cryptocurrencies, Blockchain, biometrics, etc. to offer seamless payment experiences and gain more customers in this space. However, data privacy and security concerns could pose challenge to market growth. Still, growing consumer preference for fast, easy, and secure transactions on digital platforms is expected to provide opportunities for the further expansion of the digital payments market in the coming years.

Growing adoption of mobile payments

The rising penetration of smartphones and internet connectivity around the world has opened up new opportunities for digital payments. More and more consumers are using their mobile devices to make online and in-store purchases, transfer funds, and pay bills. The convenience of having a payment option that is always with you has driven significant growth in mobile wallet adoption.

An increasing number of merchants both online and in physical stores are enabling payment via mobile devices. Major retailers, restaurants, grocery stores, and other merchants now allow customers to simply tap or scan their phones to pay. This has made mobile payments a seamless substitute for cash or cards in many shopping scenarios. Furthermore, the vast improvement in mobile internet speeds as well as the rollout of payments networks dedicated to contactless payments has ensured mobile payments work reliably. Users no longer have to worry about connectivity issues or delays in processing transactions.

Banks and fintech players have also strengthened their offerings of digital wallets that can be easily linked to existing bank accounts or cards. Popular apps like Google Pay, Apple Pay, and Samsung Pay as well as digital payments built into messaging platforms are driving significant utility. Their integration with loyalty programs, offers, and cashback further incentivizes repeat usage. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided an additional nudge as more people opted for contactless payments for safety reasons. Social distancing has made the touch and germ-free experience of mobile payments even more appealing.

Overall, the growth in e-commerce as well as changing consumer behavior and preferences for speed, convenience and value added services on their phones are significantly boosting mobile payments’ adoption globally. Major payments networks, banks, merchants as well as handset manufacturers continue investing heavily in simplifying user experience and expanding acceptance coverage, ensuring this segment maintains strong momentum going forward.

Market Concentration and Competitive Landscape

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Remittance services for migrants

International migrant workers form a significant part of the global workforce, with millions working outside their home countries. A large proportion of these workers rely on digital means to send portions of their earnings back home to support families and communities. Traditional channels like money transfer operators have dominated the remittance space for long. However, new digital payment methods are increasingly gaining preference due to advantages in cost, speed, accessibility, and transparency.

Key Takeaways from Analyst:

The global digital payments market is ripe for significant disruption and growth over the coming years. Driven by rising smartphone penetration, improving digital infrastructure in developing nations, and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating the shift to contactless payments, non-cash transactions are expected to rise substantially. Asia Pacific will likely dominate the market given countries like India's early embrace of digital payments. China also continues to be a front-runner with its mass adoption of mobile and QR code-based payments.

In mature markets like North America and Western Europe, the opportunities will stem from Blockchain-enabled peer-to-peer payments and cryptocurrency integration into digital wallets. Data security and privacy threats could dampen user confidence if not addressed proactively by payment processors and technology providers. Interoperability between digital payment networks also remains a challenge. Regulations need harmonizing to facilitate cross-border P2P transfers and e-commerce.

New technologies like biometrics, wearables, and voice assistants are poised to make checkout even more seamless. Their adoption depends on sufficient investment in advancing identity authentication protocols. Alternative lending is another domain where the digital payment infrastructure can be leveraged. New entrants from adjacent industries may try to exploit these opportunities through diversification or acquisition strategies over the next few years.

Market Challenges: Lack of internet connectivity in rural areas

Lack of adequate internet connectivity is one of the major challenges restraining the growth of digital payments acceptance in rural areas across the globe. Rural communities, especially in developing countries still grapple with poor connectivity infrastructure which limits their access to online payment options. With a large part of the world's population residing in villages, lack of internet poses as a huge barrier for consumers in rural areas to fully embrace digital payment technologies and transact online.

This is hindering rural consumers from experiencing the benefits of safety, convenience, and accessibility that digital payment platforms provide. Traditional cash still remains the preferred mode of transaction for everyday purchases in villages due to the lack of speedy internet access. Digital payment players find it difficult to expand into remote rural geographies and onboard merchant partners where internet penetration is low. Merchants in villages are also reluctant to make investments in digital payment acceptance infrastructure like POS machines if the internet connection is unreliable affecting transaction success rates.

Market Opportunities: Innovations like digital wallets

Digital wallets have emerged as a very convenient way for people to make payments for both online and in-store purchases. As more commerce moves to digital platforms and there is increasing adoption of smartphones, digital wallets allow people to store payment details and other information on their mobile devices to make quick and secure transactions. This avoids the need to manually enter card or bank details for each purchase. Leading this transition, countries like China have already seen the widespread usage of digital wallets like Alipay and WeChat Pay contributing to a significant portion of total online retail sales.

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Insights By Mode of Payment - Consumer Convenience Drives Point of Sales Growth

In terms of By mode of payment, point of sales is expected to contribute 28.2% share of the market owing to its unmatched convenience for consumers. Making purchases directly at the point of sale allows for a seamless shopping experience without the need to carry cash or cards. This is particularly appealing to younger demographics who have fully embraced digital lifestyles and on-the-go spending habits. Point of sale systems integrate payment processing directly into existing checkout infrastructure, enabling both in-store and online purchases to be completed with just a few taps or clicks. The growth of mobile wallets and tap-to-pay technologies have made using digital payment methods at retail locations almost as effortless as swiping a card. Merchants have also widely adopted point of sale technology due to the operational efficiencies it provides. Digital payments at point of sale eliminate delays from handling cash, speed up transaction times, and automatically integrate with inventory and accounting systems. This streamlines the entire sales process for retailers while improving the shopping experience for customers. Looking ahead, the proliferation of contactless payments, loyalty programs, and value-added consumer services tied to point of sale networks is expected to further entrench digital payments as the preferred method for on-site transactions.

Insights By Enterprise size - Enterprise Scale Optimizes Digital Adoption Among Large Businesses

In terms of enterprise size, large enterprises is expected to contribute 62.4% share of the market owing to resources and scale that allow for sophisticated digital payment strategies. Large corporations have dedicated budgets, IT departments, and procurement processes that simplify implementing new payment technologies across their operations. Adopting digital solutions offers sizeable businesses numerous advantages over paper-based and cash-centric systems. Centralized payment platforms provide consolidated visibility over spending trends, real-time payment controls, and automated expense management. This gives large enterprises tighter financial oversight and data-driven insights. The cost efficiencies of digital payments also scale substantially with transaction volume - a key benefit for multinational companies processing millions of payments annually. Vendor relationships and employee bases that span multiple regions further incentivize large businesses to choose interoperable digital payment rails for seamless domestic and cross-border transfers. Forward-thinking procurement teams also recognize digital payments as a driver of supply chain optimization and workflow automation. As a result, large enterprises are harnessing digital solutions to modernize internal systems, empower remote workforces, optimize working capital, and unlock new data-centric opportunities across their vast operations.

Insights By End User - Extensive Touchpoints Fuel Digital Adoption in Financial Services

In terms of end user, the BFSI segment is expected to contribute 46.3% share to the digital payments market owing to its deep integration into all financial touchpoints. For modern banks and financial institutions, digital payments have become interwoven into the fabric of how they engage customers, power internal operations, develop new revenue streams, and shape the future of financial services. On the consumer side, embedding digital payment acceptance and processing capabilities into online banking portals, mobile apps, and automated teller channels has helped strengthen customer relationships while driving transaction volumes. Third party fintech partnerships have also proliferated ways for banks to facilitate online shopping, P2P transfers, bill paying, and other payment-centric use cases. Internally, the financial sector relies on digital rails to modernize legacy systems, onboard partners and vendors through B2B platforms, and automate treasury and cash management workflows. Emerging technologies like open banking APIs are allowing established players to incubate new digital services while ecosystems of partners flourish around these interactions. And through their payment infrastructure and data assets, banks are well-positioned tap into lucrative opportunities in areas like merchant solutions, business analytics and invisible payment experience. As such, digital transformation remains core to how financial institutions advance their propositions across evolving consumer behaviors and the innovation landscape.

Regional Insights

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North America has been the dominant player in the global digital payments market. The region is expected to account for 38.7% of the market share in 2024. The region boasts high digital connectivity and smartphone penetration rates, with the U.S leading the way in terms of technology adoption. Proximity payment solutions such as contactless cards and mobile wallets have seen widespread acceptance. PayPal, a pioneer in the digital payments space, is headquartered in the U.S and has built a strong user base in the country and across North America. Several big tech companies have also added robust digital payment options to their platforms, fueling transaction volumes. Well established payment infrastructure combined with high disposable incomes have made digital transactions seamless and preferred over traditional methods.

However, the Asia Pacific region is quickly emerging as the fastest growing market for digital payments globally. Countries like India and China are driving this growth due to large unbanked populations that rely on mobile money heavily. India transformed its digital payments landscape after demonetization and launched an ambitious digital payments push through initiatives like UPI and BHIM. The successful implementation reduced cash dependency within a short time span.

Supportive government policies backing digital economy goals have propelled regional growth. While North America may continue to lead in card and mobile wallet payments, Asia Pacific is fast becoming the leader in overall digital transactions due to high mobile money adoption. Local entities dominate their respective domestic markets and are now looking overseas to expand. The region's demography and developing market status signifies significant potential that payment firms are vying to tap into by fostering financial inclusion across emerging countries and cities. Thriving e-commerce sectors also stimulate the demand for convenient online and proximity payments.

Market Report Scope

Digital Payments Industry News

• In November 2023, Payment24, an international fuel payment solutions provider based in Cape Town, South Africa, announced the launch of Cloud Switch, a cloud-based financial product. This innovative payment platform is a fully integrated, hardware-less payment switch designed to support various payment methods and specifically address the needs of retailers, merchants, fuel retailers, and acquiring banks.
• In April 2023, Visa Inc., a global leader in digital payments, announced a partnership with PayPal and Venmo to pilot Visa+, an innovative service designed to facilitate secure money transfers between different person-to-person (P2P) digital payment applications. This initiative will enable Venmo and PayPal users in the U.S. to seamlessly transfer funds between the two platforms later this year.
• In April 2023, GrubMarket, a S.-based food tech and e-commerce company specializing in the food supply chain, announced the launch of GrubPay, an innovative payment processing platform designed to facilitate secure transactions for food wholesalers and distributors. With this launch, GrubMarket became the first e-commerce platform to offer a fully integrated payment processing solution tailored specifically for the fresh food industry.
• In February 2023, HDFC Bank, India's largest private sector bank, launched a pilot program in partnership with Crunchfish, a Sweden-based digital cash solutions provider, to test offline digital payments for merchants and customers under the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) Regulatory Sandbox Program, known as OfflinePay. This innovative solution allows transactions to occur without an internet connection, aiming to enhance the adoption of digital payments in areas with poor network connectivity.
• In November 2022, Mastercard, a global technology leader in payment solutions, announced a long-term strategic partnership with the Arab African International Bank (AAIB) as part of its initiative to accelerate the digital transformation of Egypt's financial ecosystem. Through this collaboration, Mastercard and AAIB will focus on designing and implementing AAIB's digital transformation strategy, delivering advanced payment solutions that meet the increasing consumer demand for simple and secure digital payment methods.

*Definition: The global digital payments market consists of transactions made through digital platforms like online banking, e-wallets, credit and debit cards, direct carrier billing, digital currencies, and mobile payment applications. It provides contactless, convenient, and secure financial services to both businesses and consumers around the world for online shopping, money transfers, utility payments, ticketing, and other use cases through smartphone apps and websites. The market is growing rapidly due to an increase in internet and smartphone users globally.

Market Segmentation

•  Mode of Payment Insights (Revenue, US$ Bn, 2019 - 2031)
  • Bank Cards
  • Digital Currencies
  • Digital Wallets
  • Net Banking
  • Point of Sales
  • Others
•  Enterprise Size  Insights (Revenue, US$ Bn, 2019 - 2031)
  • Large Enterprises
  • Small & Medium Enterprises
•  End User Insights (Revenue, US$ Bn, 2019 - 2031)
  • BFSI
  • Healthcare
  • IT & Telecom
  • Media & Entertainment
  • Retail & E-commerce
  • Transportation
  • Others
• Regional Insights (Revenue, US$ Bn, 2019 - 2031)
  • North America
    • U.S.
    • Canada
  • Latin America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
    • Mexico
    • Rest of Latin America
  • Europe
    • Germany
    • U.K.
    • Spain
    • France
    • Italy
    • Russia
    • Rest of Europe
  • Asia Pacific
    • China
    • India
    • Japan
    • Australia
    • South Korea
    • ASEAN
    • Rest of Asia Pacific
  • Middle East & Africa
    • GCC Countries
    • Israel
    • South Africa
    • Rest of Middle East & Africa
• Key Players Insights
  • ACI Worldwide Inc.
  • Adyen N.V.
  • AliPay
  • Amazon Payments Inc.
  • Apple Pay
  • FIS
  • Fiserv Inc.
  • Global Payments Inc.
  • Mastercard Incorporated
  • PayPal Holdings Inc.
  • Paytm (One97 Communications Limited)
  • Square, Inc.
  • Stripe, Inc.
  • Visa Inc.
  • Worldline S.A.