Western Europe—particularly the EU-4—has always been a strong cash culture, and concerns about security have inhibited growth of mobile payments in the region. However, that’s gradually changing in large part because of the pandemic, as more consumers use cashless forms of payment to help curb the spread of the virus.

Cash has always been king in Japan—and continues to be the primary payment method used. But over the past year, the country has made inroads in becoming more of a cashless society with significant investments in the mobile payments space.

Despite widespread availability, US mobile payment adoption has been slow: In 2019, just 29% of US smartphone owners had made a mobile proximity payment.

Mobile payments—both proximity payments and P2P transfers—continue to grow rapidly in volume. User growth is slowing, and increased spending will primarily come from existing users spending more often via mobile phones.

The global payment market will hit a major milestone in 2020: 1.06 billion people are expected to make a proximity mobile payment. But even as countries like China and Sweden take steps toward a cashless society, most of the world will still rely on cash and cards.

Growth in proximity mobile payment use in the UK remains slow but steady. Against a strong headwind of contactless card use, mobile payments have struggled to take hold, though young consumer use offers a glimmer of hope.

Less than 13% of smartphone users in Germany will use proximity mobile payments this year—one of the lowest rates in Europe. User numbers will increase slowly, but privacy concerns and the popularity of cash and card payments will curtail adoption.

People in France were early adopters of smart payment cards, including chip-and-PIN and contactless technology. That has stifled proximity mobile payment adoption, with just 15.6% of France’s smartphone users expected to pay with their phone in-store in 2019.

Consumers in China, whether buying at retail outlets or street stalls, are using proximity mobile payments—largely supported by QR codes—and reducing their dependency on cash.

This report features our latest forecasts for proximity mobile payment users in Latin America, with breakouts for Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. It also examines emerging trends and key drivers fueling regional market movements.