Graphics in this article:

• Top global e-commerce payment methods
• Top global POS payment methods
• Digital wallets’ share of POS transactions in India, fueled by UPI
• Adoption of digital wallets among Generation Z in the United States
• Top five global real-time payment markets
• Pix’s share of e-commerce transactions in Brazil
• How consumers typically fund their digital wallets
• Global cash payments at the point of sale, 2024 vs. 2030
• Diagnosis of cash usage in Latin America

As consumers gravitate to an ever-expanding array of payment choices, payments ecosystem players need to be vigilant in observing these changes and adjusting their strategies around how the shares of different methods rise and fall. Ranging from traditional credit cards and bank transfers to cutting-edge digital wallets and cryptocurrencies, many of those methods have forever changed the way customers spend and pay in their local economies—and sometimes in their entire regions. The most disruptive cases in the last years include:

2025 top global payment methods

A recent report by Worldpay (2025)¹ summarizes the most-used payment methods globally and forecasts their volume shares by 2030 (see the two graphs below).

Worldpay distinguishes between point-of-sale (POS) in-store payments and e-commerce payment methods. While the top 3 methods in terms of share are the same for both, there are some interesting divergences when it comes to other methods. At the POS, for example, there is still a preference for cash (15% share of payments) when compared to its use in online transactions (2%).

Zooming in: Trends on global payment methods 2025

As we parse the data a bit further, it’s clear that certain trends are in play around the world when it comes to payment methods.

#1: The global dominance of digital wallets

In recent years, we’ve witnessed a worldwide decline in the market share of cash and cash-based transactions, soon followed by a decrease in the use of credit cards. This contrasts with the notable rise of non-card digital payments.

The landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, driven partly by emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. Between 2024 and 2029, the AI market for the fintech sector is expected to grow at an annual rate of 31%, reaching US$52 billion globally, according to a report by The Business Research Company. This growth will be fueled by trends such as DeFi, credit scoring models, cybersecurity, and more.

According to Worldpay (2025), digital wallets accounted for over one-third of global consumer and business spending in 2024, reaching US$16 trillion. By 2030, that figure could rise to US$28 trillion. Much of this growth is tied to the use of smartphones: by 2030, smartphones are expected to be the payment method for one in every two in-store purchases. This trend may also extend to smart devices known as wearables, such as smartwatches.

One interesting trend is the global growth of real-time payment (RTP) systems—a topic we explore further below—and how it directly correlates with the rise of digital wallets. UPI is a prime example—serving as the primary funding method for digital wallets like PhonePe and Paytm, which are used by 91% of consumers (ACI Worldwide, 2024). At the point of sale (POS), wallet usage in India (and therefore UPI) is expected to reach a 76% share of sales volume, as shown in the chart below.

Digital wallet usage will continue to rise as Gen Z becomes the world’s primary workforce and gains the most spending power. In the United States, digital wallet adoption among Gen Z stands at 91%, with 41% of them making transactions more than five times a month.

Top digital wallets around the world

Globally, the most widely used digital wallet brands include Alipay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal. Apart from Alipay, these global wallets represent vehicles for card-on-file and tokenized card transactions, a digital evolution of credit and debit card payments. This demonstrates that while the share of direct card payments is falling, cards still perform an essential function: payment rails underlying a seamless digital interface—as we’ll explore in Trend #3.

Of course, wallets are diverse, with several local or regional leaders emerging within certain markets, not relying on card rails. Examples of these include GCash in the Philippines, M-PESA in Kenya, and Mercado Pago in Latin America.

#2 The rise of real-time payments (RTP) Schemes

It’s no surprise that real-time payment (RTP) systems are gaining momentum as a prime mechanism for payments, either used through digital wallets or independently. Some use cases of RTP include PromptPay in Thailand, Bizum in Spain, PayShap in South Africa, and NPP in Australia. PCMI team first identified this trend in 2021 and has confirmed its accuracy. Almost 50 global instant payment schemes are currently under development worldwide. These initiatives are aimed at promoting financial inclusion and addressing inefficiencies. In some cases, they are also designed to improve cross-border money movement, especially in the global main corridors: US-Mexico, US-India, and UAE-India, India being the top recipient of remittances.

By 2028, RTP will account for 27% of all electronic payments globally, according to ACI Worldwide.²

According to data from ACI Worldwide, India’s UPI and Brazil’s Pix stand out as global disruptors in the RTP space, with growth rates of 45% and 78%, respectively, in 2023. UPI alone accounts for 84% of all electronic transactions in India. Thanks to UPI, the Asia-Pacific region is considered the most dominant in RTP usage, with transaction volumes projected to reach an impressive US$351.5 billion by 2028. In contrast, regions like the Middle East are expected to reach only US$3 billion; however, ACI Worldwide identifies the Middle East as the fastest-growing region from 2023 to 2028, with a CAGR of 29%.

In Latin America, Pix’s contribution to the RTP landscape is undeniable. By 2027, 51% of e-commerce transactions in Brazil are expected to be made through this payment method, according to PCMI data (see chart below). Driven by its success, other Latin American markets are replicating the system—most notably Colombia and Peru. ACI Worldwide estimates that RTP systems in these two economies will grow annually by 43% and 51% between 2023 and 2028. In Colombia, Bre-B—the new payment method considered “the Colombian Pix”—is set to launch in the second half of 2025.

#3 People still use cards—but through digital wallets

Direct use of credit and debit cards accounted for 20% and 12% of e-commerce payments in 2024, and 25% and 22% at the POS, respectively, according to Worldpay (2025). This makes them the second and third most used payment methods globally—following digital wallets, which remain the top choice.

However, while digital wallets are absorbing the share once held by direct card use, cards are still very much in play—as the primary funding method for these wallets. This can potentially misrepresent the true influence of cards as a payment method, since it’s the wallet that gets recorded at the time of purchase, not the card. A survey by Worldpay found that 56% of consumers globally typically fund their wallets using cards; this proportion is even higher in countries like Australia and the United States, where card funding accounts for 70% of all users (see chart).

To better capture the true value of cards, Worldpay offers an interesting perspective: it combines the 45% global share of direct card transactions in 2024 with the estimate that 56% of digital wallet payments are funded by cards. This calculation brings the total share of transactions involving cards to 65% globally—amounting to US$29 trillion in 2024. In contrast, digital wallets funded by non-card methods represent just 15% of transactions.

#4 Cash is hitting bottom

While cash has lost ground to faster and more convenient digital methods like digital wallets and A2A payments, it remains a globally used form of payment—and appears to be stabilizing. Between 2024 and 2030, Worldpay expects cash usage to decline by just -2% annually, reaching an 11% share of transaction volume by 2030. In absolute terms, that’s a decrease from US$5.6 trillion to US$5 trillion. The pandemic accelerated this trend by boosting contactless payments, while financial digitalization brought millions of new users into the system worldwide.

Still, cash isn’t disappearing—it’s leveling off. In developed markets like the U.S., Canada, France, and the U.K., post-pandemic usage has remained above 10%. Moreover, in countries such as Colombia, Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, Peru, and the Philippines, cash is still the leading in-person payment method as of 2024. Even in Nordic countries—global leaders in digitalization—cash accounts for around 4% of POS volume, with only Norway expected to drop below 3% by 2030. These figures suggest that rather than vanishing, cash is finding its floor and could settle into stable levels for the years ahead.

In Latin America, the landscape is particularly diverse. Cash usage varies depending on the level of digitalization and financial infrastructure. In more digitalized markets like Chile and Brazil, cash penetration is below 20%, with usage largely concentrated in rural areas. In others, such as Colombia and Argentina—where digital payment acceptance among small merchants is growing—cash still accounts for between 20% and 60% of the payment ecosystem, especially for basic needs and under-digitalized sectors like housing and utilities. Lastly, in countries with weaker infrastructure or limited fintech competition, cash usage exceeds 60% and remains deeply embedded across the entire economy.

Far from disappearing, cash still has a role to play in the transition toward a truly digital economy.

Sources:

1. Worldpay. (2025). Global Payments Report 2025 ↩︎
2. ACI Worldwide & GlobalData, 2024. Prime Time for Real-Time Report ↩︎