Payment transactions are currently changing. This is a result of the Retail Payments Market Study 2025, which BearingPoint and OeNPAY have now published. According to the information, cash is becoming less important. In return, more and more transactions are being carried out digitally and mobile.
According to the study, more and more mobile wallets are being used at the point of sale. Examples of this are Apple Pay and Google Pay. In addition, there are, among other things, the wallet solutions that banks themselves provide, as well as the new payment solution from PayPal, which works equally on Android and iPhone.
More and more transactions are being processed digitally
Image: Apple
The study contains a payment innovation index that evaluates the innovation performance of national payment markets. Globally, countries such as Australia and China lead the ranking. Switzerland is also in the upper midfield with 67.4 points. In Germany (60.1 points) there is still some catching up to do. According to the study, the background is not only the comparatively conservative cash tradition but also the strong role of direct debit.
Sweden and Netherlands: Payments almost exclusively digital
It goes on to say that in Sweden and the Netherlands payments are almost exclusively made digitally. In Germany and Austria, however, cash remains “deeply culturally anchored”. Nevertheless, the use of contactless transactions and mobile payment is continually increasing in this country.
In Germany, the Girocard continues to be a central element of payment transactions. According to the information, 39 percent of all transactions are carried out via SEPA direct debit. This means that Germany takes on a leading role in a European comparison. Real-time transfers are also becoming more important and are already standard in Switzerland.
The outlook for the future is hardly surprising. Despite the cultural anchoring of cash, digital and mobile payments are becoming increasingly important. The classic house bank through which all payment transactions are carried out will become fewer and fewer in the future. Instead, there will be a mix of classic banks, FinTechs, BigTechs and other platform providers.
An analysis by the Bundesbank also shows the trend towards mobile payment solutions.