Introducing the Universal Access to Payments Index

The first quarter of the 21st century has witnessed a major change in payments across the world. Many payments traditionally made in cash have been replaced by frictionless and convenient options that eventually become widely accepted and change consumer payment behaviour.

This move towards digital payments is present in most, if not every, country.

However, the route taken is not always the same. For example, not every country is seeing an increase in card payments.

Rather, they’re seeing the adoption of mobile payments, and in some cases, the rapid adoption of real-time instant payments, leapfrogging the dominance of card payments that exists in many countries that experienced an early adoption of digital payments.

These individual features can also be seen in the wider digital transition. For example, while automation is a global phenomenon, its adoption varies significantly between countries.