Fintech Statistics
Last updated: 2026-10-28 · 11 sourced statistics
Fintech is easiest to measure by what people actually do with it: open accounts on their phones, pay through apps and wallets, and use new forms of credit. The World Bank's Global Findex 2025 found that 79% of adults worldwide had an account in 2024. In the US, the FDIC found that half of households (49.7%) were using nonbank online payment services such as PayPal, Venmo or Cash App in 2023, and the Federal Reserve found that 16% of adults used Buy Now, Pay Later in 2025. In the euro area, cash still covered 52% of in-store transactions in 2024, while mobile apps rose to 7% of payment value. For anyone who sends invoices, the takeaway is that clients increasingly expect to pay digitally, but habits still differ a lot by country and by payment situation. Every figure below links to the report it comes from.
Key takeaways
- 79% of adults worldwide had an account at a financial institution or mobile money provider in 2024 (World Bank Global Findex 2025).
- 49.7% of US households were using nonbank online payment services such as PayPal, Venmo or Cash App in 2023 (FDIC).
- 16% of US adults used Buy Now, Pay Later in 2025, and 10% used cryptocurrency, mostly as an investment (Federal Reserve).
- Cash still accounted for 52% of point-of-sale transactions in the euro area in 2024, but online payments reached 36% of payment value (ECB).
- Global fintech investment reached $103.1 billion in H1 2026, with payments the largest sector at $44.2 billion (KPMG, consultancy report).
At a glance.
Every figure on this page in one table, each linked to its named source. Scroll down for the full context behind each number.
| Figure | What it measures | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79% | 79% of adults worldwide had an account at a bank or similar financial institution, or with a mobile money provider, in 2024, up from 74% in 2021. | World Bank, The Global Findex Database 2025 | 2025 |
| 61% | Across low- and middle-income economies, 61% of adults (82% of account owners) made or received a digital payment in 2024, an increase of 27 percentage points since 2014. | World Bank, All About Finance blog: Digital technology is unlocking financial inclusion (Global Findex 2025) | 2025 |
| 49.7% | 49.7% of US households were using nonbank online payment services, such as PayPal, Venmo or Cash App, in 2023, up from 46.4% in 2021. | FDIC, 2023 National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households | 2023 |
| ~1 in 2 | Almost half of banked US households used mobile banking as their primary way to access their bank account in 2023, a share that has risen almost ninefold over the past decade. | FDIC, 2023 National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households | 2023 |
| 6% | 6% of US adults were unbanked in 2025, meaning neither they nor their spouse or partner had a checking, savings or money market account. The rate was 21% among adults with income below $25,000. | Federal Reserve Board, Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025 (SHED) | 2025 |
| 16% | 16% of US adults used Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) in 2025, up 1 percentage point, and 11% of BNPL users had a payment trigger an overdraft or non-sufficient funds fee from their bank. | Federal Reserve Board, Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025 (SHED) | 2025 |
| 10% | 10% of US adults used cryptocurrency in 2025, either as an investment or for transactions, up 2 percentage points but below 12% in 2021. Only 2% used it to buy something, make a payment or send money. | Federal Reserve Board, Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025 (SHED) | 2025 |
| 52% | Cash was used for 52% of point-of-sale transactions in the euro area in 2024, down from 59% in 2022. By value, cards led with 45%, followed by cash at 39% and mobile apps at 7% (up from 4%). | European Central Bank, Study on the payment attitudes of consumers in the euro area (SPACE) 2024, press release | 2024 |
| 36% | Online payments made up 21% of euro area consumers' day-to-day payments by number and 36% by value in 2024, up from 17% and 28% in 2022. Cards accounted for 48% of online transactions. | European Central Bank, SPACE 2024, press release | 2024 |
| $103.1B | Global fintech investment (venture capital, private equity and M&A) rose from $72.2 billion in H2 2025 to $103.1 billion in H1 2026, while the number of deals fell from 2,500 to 2,100. The United States accounted for $80.8 billion. | KPMG, Pulse of Fintech H1 2026 (consultancy report, PitchBook data), press release | 2026 |
| $44.2B | Payments was the largest fintech sector by investment in H1 2026 at $44.2 billion, and AI-related fintech deals attracted $21.4 billion across 800 transactions, nearly matching the $23.6 billion for all of 2025. | KPMG, Pulse of Fintech H1 2026 (consultancy report), press release | 2026 |
The statistics
79% of adults worldwide had an account at a bank or similar financial institution, or with a mobile money provider, in 2024, up from 74% in 2021.
Source:World Bank, The Global Findex Database 20252025
Across low- and middle-income economies, 61% of adults (82% of account owners) made or received a digital payment in 2024, an increase of 27 percentage points since 2014.
49.7% of US households were using nonbank online payment services, such as PayPal, Venmo or Cash App, in 2023, up from 46.4% in 2021.
Source:FDIC, 2023 National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households2023
Almost half of banked US households used mobile banking as their primary way to access their bank account in 2023, a share that has risen almost ninefold over the past decade.
Source:FDIC, 2023 National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households2023
6% of US adults were unbanked in 2025, meaning neither they nor their spouse or partner had a checking, savings or money market account. The rate was 21% among adults with income below $25,000.
Source:Federal Reserve Board, Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025 (SHED)2025
16% of US adults used Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) in 2025, up 1 percentage point, and 11% of BNPL users had a payment trigger an overdraft or non-sufficient funds fee from their bank.
Source:Federal Reserve Board, Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025 (SHED)2025
10% of US adults used cryptocurrency in 2025, either as an investment or for transactions, up 2 percentage points but below 12% in 2021. Only 2% used it to buy something, make a payment or send money.
Source:Federal Reserve Board, Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025 (SHED)2025
Cash was used for 52% of point-of-sale transactions in the euro area in 2024, down from 59% in 2022. By value, cards led with 45%, followed by cash at 39% and mobile apps at 7% (up from 4%).
Online payments made up 21% of euro area consumers' day-to-day payments by number and 36% by value in 2024, up from 17% and 28% in 2022. Cards accounted for 48% of online transactions.
Global fintech investment (venture capital, private equity and M&A) rose from $72.2 billion in H2 2025 to $103.1 billion in H1 2026, while the number of deals fell from 2,500 to 2,100. The United States accounted for $80.8 billion.
Source:KPMG, Pulse of Fintech H1 2026 (consultancy report, PitchBook data), press release2026
Payments was the largest fintech sector by investment in H1 2026 at $44.2 billion, and AI-related fintech deals attracted $21.4 billion across 800 transactions, nearly matching the $23.6 billion for all of 2025.
Source:KPMG, Pulse of Fintech H1 2026 (consultancy report), press release2026
When these numbers don't apply
Aggregate statistics hide a lot. Read these caveats before quoting a figure as if it describes your specific situation.
- There is no official definition of 'fintech'. This page uses official surveys of how people pay and bank, plus one industry investment tracker, rather than market-size forecasts, which vary widely between publishers.
- The World Bank Global Findex 2025 figures come from surveys run in 2024. Account ownership includes mobile money accounts, not only bank accounts.
- US figures come from two different surveys with different units: the FDIC counts households (2023), while the Federal Reserve's SHED counts adults (October 2025). Their unbanked rates are not directly comparable.
- Euro area payment shares come from the ECB's SPACE consumer study and cover consumers' day-to-day payments, not business-to-business payments or invoices.
- KPMG's Pulse of Fintech is a consultancy report based on PitchBook deal data. Totals include M&A, so one or two very large acquisitions can swing a half-year figure, and other trackers use different definitions.
How we compiled this data
Reviewed on 2026-10-28. We kept only figures we could open in the original publication on that date. Adoption data comes from official sources: the World Bank's Global Findex 2025 (survey year 2024), the FDIC's 2023 National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households, the Federal Reserve Board's Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025 report (published May 2026, survey run in October 2025) and the ECB's SPACE 2024 study. Investment data comes from KPMG's Pulse of Fintech H1 2026, labelled as a consultancy report. We removed earlier figures that relied on discontinued or superseded reports (EY's 2019 adoption index, Findex 2021), vendor or consultancy estimates we could not match to the cited page, and a real-time payments count that belongs on our real-time payments page.
We hand-collected each figure from its original publisher rather than recycling secondary round-ups, cross-checked the headline numbers against the source documents in 2026-10-28, and link every statistic to the report it came from so you can verify it yourself. Where a publisher issues annual updates, we cite the report edition and flag the year inline.
Frequently asked questions
How many people use fintech?
There is no single count, but official surveys give a good picture. In the US, 49.7% of households used nonbank payment services such as PayPal, Venmo or Cash App in 2023 (FDIC). Worldwide, 79% of adults had an account in 2024, including mobile money accounts (World Bank).
How much money is invested in fintech?
KPMG's Pulse of Fintech counted $103.1 billion of global fintech investment in H1 2026, including M&A, up from $72.2 billion in H2 2025. Payments was the largest sector at $44.2 billion. Large acquisitions drive much of the swing between periods.
How common is Buy Now, Pay Later?
The Federal Reserve found that 16% of US adults used BNPL in 2025, and that 11% of those users had a BNPL payment trigger an overdraft or non-sufficient funds fee.
Is cash disappearing?
Not yet. In the euro area, cash was still used for 52% of in-store transactions in 2024, although cards led by value at 45% and mobile apps rose to 7% (ECB SPACE).
What do these numbers mean for small businesses that invoice clients?
Most clients now have an account and many already pay through apps, so offering at least one digital way to pay is worth considering. Preferences still differ by country: euro area consumers used cash for 52% of shop transactions, while half of US households used online payment services.
Put these figures to use
- Payments hub: Payment terms, payment links, reminders and late fees for getting invoices paid, with worked examples.
- How to choose invoicing software: Scoring tools against your own invoices and checking vendor claims, including payment options, in their help docs.
- Stripe vs PayPal invoicing: Worked US fees for card and bank payments on $250, $1,500 and $10,000 invoices.
- Square vs Stripe invoicing: Where card, bank and in-person rates change the cost of getting paid online.
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