Each year, growing internet connectivity, the rising generation of digital-savvy consumers, and alternative means of commerce, such as m-commerce and social commerce, drive consumer demand for tailored shopping experiences, responsive brands, simplified checkouts, and relevant payment choices. In 2025, the pressure lies in the need for interoperability between regions, technologies, payment methods, and more. How can this be achieved? A shift in lanes has moved the drive for payments: from being faster to smarter. We can see that 2025 is bringing a need for diverse, intelligent payment systems that deliver seamless, secure experiences to customers whilst offering merchants cost-effective, safe, and optimised payment solutions. The need for faster, smarter payments is not a new trend; rather, the approach to making payments smarter is.
Smarter payments include multiple facets, such as the continued leap towards biometric authentication instead of PINs and traditional passwords. In 2025, the biometrics market’s size is expected to reach USD 58.98 billion, with a CAGR of 15.30% (2025-2030). Although the market is growing fastest in the Asia-Pacific region, globally, its prominence is driven by the continued increase of smartphone adoption, the demand for convenient payments, and the prevention of intelligent scams. Its popularity as a security layer comes as no surprise, as we have seen that 72% of consumers globally prefer facial biometrics over passwords for online processes. Businesses may implement multi-modal biometrics, requiring consumers to use two or more types of biometric data, bringing higher security to transactions and authentication. These advancements will be paramount, as the number of people expected to make payments with facial recognition is predicted to reach 1.4 billion by 2025.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a trend for several years, with the market size of AI in fintech reaching USD 44.08 billion in 2024. Notably, in previous years, AI was coined to transform customer experiences, either through personalised shopping experiences or by collating real-time insights to optimise customer checkouts. In 2025, AI will leap forward, bringing smarter ways of working to processes and operational functions – for instance, know your customer (KYC) verification streamlining, fraud prevention rather than detection, and payment optimisation through smart routing. In fact, according to senior payment professionals worldwide, in 2024, 85% felt that AI is best used for fraud detection and prevention. This comes as no surprise, as payment card fraud, including credit and debit cards, is expected to grow by more than USD 10 billion between 2022 and 2028.
We anticipate seeing growth in the use of crypto as a ‘standardised’ payment method in the push towards a smarter payment world. Payment services and cryptocurrencies underwent a transformative collaboration in 2024, which has resulted in fintechs becoming a conversion bridge between traditional fiat currencies and digital currencies. Its growing adoption in everyday commerce is seen in the number of cryptocurrency users, which is expected to reach 861 million by the end of 2025. By implementing technologies bridging the fiat-to-crypto gap, we will see wider accessibility to ecommerce and simplified cross-border transactions over time. This growing confidence in the digital currency is bolstered by the legislative and regulatory focus in 2024. While a lot of this conversation will continue in 2025, further confidence will be instilled by stablecoins, which could be the key to making digital currencies more mainstream for B2B payments, cross-border transactions, and even remittances.
Additionally, payment methods and alternative ways to pay will continue to be a trend for us in 2025 as consumers call for flexibility and more options. In recent years, the rise of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) schemes has brought consumers financial freedom in the world of ecommerce, making it a favoured way to pay. Consequently, the number of users is forecasted to increase by 157% from 2022, reaching more than 900 million globally by 2027, according to Juniper Research. In 2025, subscription services will likely become a focal point for businesses. Gen Z and millennials are shaping the subscription economy, with 70% of 18-44s using subscription services, according to Savanta. The focus on subscriptions comes as nearly half (47%) of consumers believe they give them access to products and services that wouldn’t otherwise be accessible. In fact, 89% of businesses claimed to be optimistic about recurring revenue growth for 2025, as subscriptions offer customers a convenient and cost-effective solution and give merchants predictable revenue and the opportunity to optimise customer retention.
As we move into 2025, the evolution of payments is no longer just about speed but also about intelligence, security, and accessibility. Smarter payments, driven by AI, biometrics, cryptocurrency, and flexible payment models, are shaping a seamless and secure financial ecosystem. As digital commerce expands, businesses must adapt to these innovations to meet consumer expectations. The future of payments is not just fast – it’s intuitive, efficient, and built for a connected world.
This editorial piece was originally published in The Paypers` Global Payments and Fintech Trends Report 2025. The report compiles insights and expertise from leaders representing companies across the financial services spectrum and it delves into the latest innovations and trends in payments and fintech across key markets worldwide.
Irene Skrynova, Chief Customer Officer at Unlimit, leads client interactions and long-term strategy, focusing on customer success and retention. An expert in customer experience, ecommerce, and cryptocurrencies, Irene has a strong background in trading, brokerage, and crypto markets. She drives Unlimit's global expansion, establishing local branches and enhancing its payments market presence. Her extensive experience in payments and business development ensures expert guidance across diverse projects.
Unlimit is a global fintech company that offers a large portfolio of financial services, including payment processing, multi-currency accounts, Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS), and an on- and off-ramp fiat solution for crypto, DeFi, and GameFi. The company’s mission is to deliver solutions that eliminate financial borders, enabling businesses to operate both locally and internationally with ease across Europe, the UK, LATAM, India, APAC, and Africa.
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