Faster payments market seen topping $105 billion by 2030

By AI, Created 10:14 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – The Business Research Company projects the global faster payments service market will exceed $105 billion by 2030, led by Asia Pacific and China. The report points to AI automation, edge computing and smart-city infrastructure as major growth drivers as real-time payments keep expanding across financial services.

Why it matters: - Faster payments are becoming a bigger part of the global payments stack as banks, fintechs and enterprises push for real-time settlement. - The market is projected to exceed $105 billion by 2030, signaling continued investment in instant payment infrastructure, fraud prevention and digital financial services. - Asia Pacific and China are expected to anchor much of that growth, which matters for vendors targeting the highest-volume payments markets.

What happened: - The Business Research Company released its Faster Payments Service Market Report 2026, covering market size, trends and forecasts through 2035. - The report estimates the faster payments service market will reach more than $105 billion in 2030. - The market is expected to represent about 8% of the parent payments market, projected at roughly $1,248 billion by 2030. - Within the broader financial services industry, the market is estimated to account for nearly 0.2% of total market value, projected at $51,116 billion by 2030. - The report says the faster payments service market is growing at an expected CAGR of 8% leading up to 2030. - The report includes a free sample request here and the full report here.

The details: - Asia Pacific is forecast to be the largest region in 2030, with market value of $43 billion. - Asia Pacific is projected to grow from $28 billion in 2025 at a 9% CAGR. - The region’s growth is linked to digitalization of financial services, mobile payment adoption, rising smartphone and internet penetration, government support for real-time payment infrastructure, and fintech growth in China, India and Southeast Asia. - China is projected to be the largest country in 2030, with a market value of $23 billion. - China’s market is expected to rise from $15 billion in 2025 at a 9% CAGR. - Growth in China is tied to cross-border real-time payments, digital yuan integration, instant B2B settlement demand, embedded finance in e-commerce, and payment security and fraud prevention advances. - By component, services are expected to be the largest segment, accounting for 51% of the market or $53 billion in 2030. - Services growth is supported by demand for payment processing, managed services, system integration and consulting. - The market is also segmented by type into cloud-based and on-premises offerings. - The market is segmented by payment method into debit card transactions, credit card transactions, e-wallets, direct debits and bank transfers. - The market is segmented by application into e-commerce, remittances, insurance payments, utility payments and payroll services. - The market is segmented by end user into banks and financial institutions, retailers, corporates and small and medium enterprises, consumers, and government and public sector organizations. - The software segment is projected to grow by $12 billion from 2025 to 2030. - The hardware segment is projected to grow by $5 billion over the same period. - The services segment is projected to grow by $18 billion over the same period.

Between the lines: - The forecast suggests faster payments are moving from a niche banking capability to core financial infrastructure. - AI-driven automation is expected to contribute about 2.5% annual growth by improving transaction speed, fraud detection, reconciliation and routing. - Edge computing is projected to add about 2.0% annual growth by reducing latency and speeding authorization and settlement. - Smart cities and digital infrastructure are projected to contribute about 1.5% annual growth as governments build more cashless public services. - The largest opportunity appears to be in services, which combine recurring demand with integration and maintenance work across payment systems. - The report frames its estimates as research findings and projections rather than guarantees.

What’s next: - Vendors and payment providers are likely to focus on real-time platforms, cloud-based infrastructure, AI automation and security tools as adoption expands. - Growth will likely remain strongest in Asia Pacific, with China continuing to set the pace in market value. - Demand for services such as consulting, integration and managed operations should stay elevated as institutions upgrade payment stacks. - The report says the fastest growth opportunities remain in software, hardware and services, which together are projected to add more than $35 billion in value by 2030.

The bottom line: - Faster payments are scaling quickly, and the next phase of growth looks driven less by basic adoption and more by the technology and services needed to run real-time payment networks at scale.