As Non-monetary financial transactions, that is, without cash, have multiplied 10 times in the last 17 years. In 2024 alone, for example, the global volume of these operations was estimated at almost 1.685 trillion, with projections indicating that it should reach 3.540 trillion by 2029.
This is what the new version of the 2026 Global Payments Report, carried out by Capgemini Research Institute (CRI), indicates, which reveals the popularity of payment methods around the world.
Instant payments and digital wallets already represent 47% of transactions in Latin Americawell above the global average of 25%. And: the study shows a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.4% for the next five years.
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In the short term, the region is expected to register annual growth of 22.4% between 2024 and 2025driven by , regional adoption of real-time payments and digital commerce.
Additionally, about 40% of small and medium merchants in the Americas plan to switch banks to paytechs over the next 12 months, given the search for more agile and personalized solutions.
Daniela Dutra, Financial Services leader at Capgemini Brasil, explained exclusively to InfoMoney about the reasons for this popularization of digital payments. It indicates that there are two types of digital wallets: the so-called pass-through ea close look.
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In the first case, they are those that work as one, for example the Apple Pay and Google Pay systems. The second would be the portfolios of large retailers, which guarantee their own benefits, such as iFood, Uber, Natura, Starbucks, among others.
For her, the increase in interest presented in the report is caused by two main reasons. The first would be the benefits for consumersbecause the wallets offer cashback, gifts and loyalty programs, becoming a great appeal for the end customer. Right away, for companies, it is the data.
“Data about that customer’s habits is the new oil: if you know where he buys and how he buys, you gain more information to be able to offer the products”, comments Dutra.
The new report is in its 21st edition and interviewed 2,600 small, medium and large merchants, 420 payment executives and more than 65 senior executives from large banks and PayTech companies, from 15 countries, including Brazil.
Pix is one of the biggest indicators of the progress of these transfers in Brazil
While credit transfers and direct debits have maintained a stable share of the total pool of payment methods, their roles are now being challenged by faster, API-based alternatives such as Pix.
This system offers greater flexibility, transparency and real-time execution, in addition to being controlled by the Central Bank (BC), which guarantees greater security and popularizes the tool among Brazilians.
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These changes are not just operational — they have significant economic implications. As the mix of payment instruments evolves, so does the distribution of revenues across the ecosystem.
For the Capgemini executive, even with a growing market for paytechso Pix must remain a protagonist in digital transactions and it is up to banks to know how to operate it in the best possible way.
“Pix was important for Brazil’s financial inclusion. If it weren’t for it, we wouldn’t be talking about digital wallets today. So, the paytechs They already know that if they don’t include the tool in their solutions, they will lose,” he says.
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Dutra also comments that Competing with Pix would be possibleas is the case with closed NuPay strategies, created by Nubank. However, the BC is already improving the solution and, In terms of popularity and security, the largest customer base of financial institutions should choose Pix.
Banks need to keep up with changes
In a scenario where digital transactions — transfers or cards — grow, there is an increase in the use of paytechs. Those who lose from this are the people.
Even though 66% of traders trust banks more than companies paytechsas non-monetary transactions grow, the global financial landscape is being transformed. And banks need to know how to keep up.
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The Financial Solutions leader at Capgemini Brazil explains that one of the main challenges for traditional banks in a scenario of increasing digital is to look at the institutions’ payments business. Currently, she reveals that banks use other partner companies to speed up payments, but the customer is accounted for separately.
“It gets confusing, for example, a bank’s sales team offers a current account product to a merchant, but the machine is another product and the data is in different places. So how do I analyze my client’s needs?”
She warns that the Traditional banks’ focus should be on observing establishments and their needs to generate the greatest profitwhether with loans or loyalty.
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Research shows that banks that rely heavily on interchange fees and traditional card-based models face an increasing risk of losing money and data. This is because the advancement of digital wallets, real-time payment systems and integrated payment flows is diverting value from traditional infrastructures.
Digital payments are now part of the mainstream, and the time — and opportunity — for change is now.
Dutra remembers the potential for trust that traditional banks have. If they manage to master digital payment strategies, it is possible to overcome the market weight that paytechs has been gaining in recent years.
AI revolutionizes the financial sector too
One of the main differences is the use of to facilitate operations. Around 60% of paytechs use GenAI globally, compared to 41% of banks.
In the Americas, this scenario changes to 52% of paytechs with generative AI solutions, while only 36% of banks in the region apply the tool.
The executive comments that the use of AI will make a big difference in the future, becoming almost inevitable. For the paytechsthere is an advantage as they can adapt needs faster and implement them to customers, which for banks is already a more costly and time-consuming process.
One of the main benefits that AI should bring to financial institutions in general is an increase in the conversion rate and cash predictability. This is because they allow personalized customer monitoring and also a complete analysis of consumer habits.
