The 10th edition of the Worldpay Global Payments Report (GPR) reveals a global transformation in payments.
In just a decade, innovation such as digital wallets, buy now pay later (BNPL) and real-time account-to-account (A2A) technology has revolutionised the way consumers pay.
Spending through digital payment methods* in e-commerce and in-person shopping grew from $1.7 trillion in 2014 to $18.7 trillion globally in 2024, a nearly 11x increase.
The total value of digital payments is expected to exceed $33.5 trillion by 2030.
“Consumer payment preferences have changed dramatically since we launched the first edition of the Worldpay Global Payments Report in 2015,” says Adam Coyle, chief strategy officer at Worldpay.
“A confluence of factors – advancements in smartphone technology, the exponential growth of fintech, and supportive regulatory frameworks – combined with changing consumer expectations for ease and convenience, have fundamentally transformed the way we make payments.
The Global Payments Report has been central to sharing our expertise in evolving consumer habits and their impact on the payments industry with merchants, partners and the fintech community.”
The GPR is a comprehensive annual study providing valuable insights into the trends that have defined the past, present and future of payments.
This year’s report looks back at a decade of data to highlight the seismic shifts in payment habits since its launch in 2015 while looking at the trends that will shape payments through 2030.
A Decade of Transformation: Changing the Way We Pay
The evolution of the smartphone has underpinned the e-commerce market boom and reshaped how consumers pay:
- Global e-commerce spend increased from $1.2 trillion in 2014 to over $6.8 trillion in 2024, marking a more than 6x increase.
- Smartphone’s share of global e-commerce spend tripled over the past decade increasing from 19% in 2014 to 57% in 2024.
From alternative to essential, consumers have made digital payments the new normal:
- Digital wallets represent 53% of e-commerce and 32% of point of sale spend in 2024.
- Between 2014 and 2024 digital wallet use grew 10x online and in-store, accounting for $3.6 trillion and $12 trillion in spend, respectively.
- Buy now pay later (BNPL) saw rapid market acceptance, with online spending growing from $2.2 billion in 2014 to $342 billion in 2024.
A2A payments have emerged as critical infrastructure in markets especially where regulatory support has paved the way for mass adoption:
- Global A2A e-commerce spend is projected to hit $936 billion by 2030, up from $152 billion in 2014.
- Emerging economies, such as Brazil, once reliant on cash, have reshaped their payment systems. With the launch of Brazil’s Pix, the value of A2A e-commerce spend in the market increased from $3.6 billion in 2020 to $35.3 billion in 2024.
Cash Declines, Cards Evolve: Adapting to a Digital World
Cards remain relevant with innovative features such as one-click checkout, instalment options and digital wallet compatibility:
- 67% of all US consumer spending (e-commerce and point of sale) in 2024 came directly via credit, debit and pre-paid cards.
- Digital wallets’ share of online spending increased from 15% to 39% between 2014 and 2024 in the US and grew 8x at the point of sale, from 2% to 16%. Sixty-five percent of Americans fund their digital wallets with credit and debit cards.
- Between 2014 to 2024, cash use slipped from 44% of in-store spend to 15% as the 2020 global pandemic helped accelerate the shift to contactless payment methods.
- Cash use decline has reached a relative plateau in many markets and is expected to decline globally at a rate of 2% compounded annually through 2030.
“To keep pace as consumers increasingly embrace innovation, merchants must adapt to the shifting payments landscape,” continues Coyle.
“The past decade’s payment revolution was driven by advancing mobile technology and societal shifts, particularly during the global pandemic.
Merchants who tapped into the changing trends early have thrived. The ongoing proliferation of digital technologies will shape commerce by further merging online and in-store experiences, enhancing convenience, reliability, security and speed.”
The Shape of Things to Come: What’s Around the Corner
Fintechs, embedded finance and novel technologies like cryptocurrencies will likely shape the next five years of payments trends. By 2030, Worldpay’s findings indicate:
- Digital payments will consolidate their footprint, capturing 79% of all spend online and reaching 53% of in-store spend.
- Over $28 trillion will be spent via digital wallets globally, online and in-store.
- Cryptocurrency could be poised to further change the payments landscape as global crypto spend is expected to more than double over the next five years, from $16 billion in 2024 to $38 billion to 2030.
*Digital payments include account-to-account (A2A), buy now pay later (BNPL), cryptocurrencies and digital wallets.
The post Global Payments Report tracks a decade of transformation appeared first on Payments Cards & Mobile.
