In 2025, 14% of Peruvians made all their transactions exclusively in cash, which implies that the remaining 86% used at least one means of payment other than cash.
This is revealed by a survey by the Central Reserve Bank (BCR), which analyzed the intensity of use of payment methods, understood as the number of instruments that a person uses during the month to settle their transactions.
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The use of alternative means to cash accelerated during the pandemic, emerging as an option to avoid physical contact, but it has become a daily habit for many Peruvians, Fernando Barrios, payment system specialist, told Gestión.
“Today it is more common to find businesses or services where digital payments are preferred by consumers, especially digital wallets, which also eliminate a common problem with purchases with banknotes: not having change,” he said.
Carolina Cabello, head of Mercado Pago in Peru, indicated that by connecting digital wallets, promoting the use of cards, immediate transfers and QR payments, operational frictions are reduced and transactions are facilitated in digital and in-person environments.
Citing the Peruvian Chamber of Electronic Commerce (Capece), the specialist highlighted that more than 335,000 businesses in the country have been able to digitize their sales.
Barrios stressed that the percentage of people who use cash is, today, very low compared to five years ago. For Caballero, this accelerated reduction responds to factors such as the greater penetration of smartphones, the development of simpler and more accessible digital wallets, and the expansion of new infrastructure.
Regional experience shows that countries that solidly massify their payments align infrastructure, standards and regulation, with a long-term vision. Photo: Freepik.
Interoperability
Likewise, the study showed that 60% of respondents use only one payment method, while 20% use two and 6% use three or more instruments.
This growth has also been favored by policies aimed at improving interoperability between platforms, allowing users to send money between different wallets more easily, Barrios commented.
Added to this is the income of new actors to the payment system, he added.
Cabello also attributes this progress in the adoption of immediate payments to the interoperability model, which allowed a rapid expansion of the digital wallet mechanism. Between 2023 and June 2025, the interoperable system generated more than 183 million monthly transactions, says the BCRP.
Strata
The analysis by socioeconomic level shows important differences. In segments A and B, a greater diversity in the use of instruments: 55% use three or more payment methods. On the other hand, in levels D and E the exclusive use of cash predominates, which represents 65% of the cases.
Unlike credit or debit cards, which require bank approval, digital wallets They can be opened quickly from a mobile phone, whose penetration is today very high at all socioeconomic levels, said Barrios.
Something similar occurs when considering the educational level. The higher the level of education, the greater the probability of using multiple payment instruments, while people with less education have a lower adoption of digital media.
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