Super apps, the key driver in accelerating digital money transfer growth

• According to Juniper Research, domestic digital money transfer payments will reach 300 billion for the first time globally in 2026.
• In 2026, less than 74% of all domestic digital money transfers will take place in China, the US, and India.

Technology has advanced at an unparalleled rate over the last 20 years, which has encouraged the development of digital money. Credit card and mobile phone payments have already started to disrupt the physical cash market in recent years.

The primary component of financial transactions and payments is domestic money transfer. Cash payments and usage have significantly decreased as a result of attempts to expand global financial inclusion and COVID-19 restrictions during the past two years, which has allowed P2P and social messaging apps to gain more traction in a number of markets.

Mobile money is one of the revolutionary solutions that has contributed to the establishment and development of this technology through domestic money transfer.

​

According to a recent Juniper Research report, domestic digital money transfer payments would reach $300 billion globally for the first time in 2026, up from 207 billion in 2022, a surge of almost 50%.

Super apps, which combine numerous services including payment and financial transaction processing into one app, are accelerating the digitization of previously cash-based payments by combining messaging and access to other services with payments.

For example, the popular South Korean chat service Kakao Talk started out as one. It now has services for banking, transportation, and gaming. Other well-known super apps like WeChat and Alipay are listed alongside lesser-known ones like AirAsia, Gojek, and Grab in Southeast Asia, Paytm in India, M-Pesa in Africa, and Careem in the Middle East.

Other findings from the report include:

• In 2026, the top three nations will account for slightly under 74% of all domestic digital money transfers worldwide. According to the research, China ranked first among the top three markets for usage, followed by the US and India.
• Transactions in these three nations have been fueled by the attractiveness of social payments, which integrate payments into social networks. The study used WeChat Pay in China and Venmo in the US as examples of how social payments are influencing domestic money transfers.
• Given the fierce market competition, differentiation is a major challenge for money transfer apps. The key to developing money transfer apps that provide consumers with more value is the super app concept, which involves offering an in-app marketplace of various services.

Key trends of transforming digital money transfer

Implementing the quick, simple, near-real-time payments that customers increasingly want can help you improve the quality of your money transfer business. Having said that, Juniper identified three key trends that are altering the digital money transfer industry:

• The rise of Blockchain and Stablecoins: Blockchain-based money transfer services are a significant rival to cross-border international payments networks (like SWIFT). Token-based payments can be transferred quickly, on a P2P basis, regardless of value, and without the use of third-party middlemen during the settlement process thanks to the use of digital currencies.
• Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs): An electronic equivalent of central bank money controlled and centralized by the monetary authority of that market, a CBDC can be defined as a blockchain-based token that aims to represent the digital form of a fiat currency of a specific market or region. It can be used by individuals and businesses to make payments.
• Mobile Money and PaaP (Payments-as-a-Platform): PaaP is a business model for mobile money providers that is like a super app; it offers services that put payments at their center, from routine daily activities like transportation coverage and food delivery to more lifestyle-related ones (ie, eCommerce and associated benefits and rewards).

The payments industry is evolving rapidly. The report recommends money transfer companies to identify the most popular social platforms in each nation and work to forge alliances that support social payments.

As research co-author Damla Sat explains, “Money transfer vendors should focus on highest growth markets to secure the best return on investment, with Latin America and West Europe identified as having the strongest forecast growth rates.”

---

---

---

---