Raynor de Best
Content expert covering payments and (crypto)currencies
Digital payments landscape in Germany - statistics & facts
Digital payments in Germany take on two different identities, as offline and online payment behaviors contrast each other significantly, On the one hand, it has been considered for a long time to be one of the more cash-relying countries in Europe, and perhaps the world. On the other hand, it relies heavily on foreign payment solutions in e-commerce. What digital payment characteristics and payment trends are noteworthy for Germany?
Digital payments are growing in Germany as of 2025. The main question, however, is this trend will be on par with that of other countries, even within Europe.
Digital payment innovation comes from abroad
Germany's online payments lean heavily towards digital wallets and buy now, pay later. PayPal usage in Germany was among the highest in Europe and even higher than in its native U.S. Indeed, PayPal ranked among Sweden's Klarna as the most popular online payment brands in the country. This reliance on foreign technology is not limited to consumers, either. The SEPA system - the Single Euro Payments Area, an effort from the EU to facilitate cross-border bank transfers between its member states - is relatively popular in Germany, due to the complexity of its financial infrastructure and a relatively high number of banks within a single country. Third-party solutions essentially circumvent such issues.Cash, and mixed signals going forward
Germany's share of cash was noticeably higher than other European countries for several years. This changed somewhat during the coronavirus pandemic, as the number of debit card transactions per capita accelerated - outpacing cash transactions. Nevertheless, criticism remains. A survey from the European Central Bank (ECB) states that 69 percent of Germans felt cash was either important or very important to them, especially among elderly people or people with a low income and education level. Germans were opposed to the digital euro, as it could infringe privacy and lacked offline use cases.Wero: European A2A payments in Germany
Launched with high hopes in the summer of 2024, pan-European digital wallet Wero is to push account-to-account, or A2A, payments in Germany. The wallet, built of the Netherlands' iDEAL system, arrived roughly at the time when Germany's domestic A2A system Paydirekt/Giropay was discontinued - as it did not attract enough users. The push comes from a desire to connect Germany's local payment rail, Girocard, to other international solutions that are not from the United States, and to further develop real-time payments in the country. As of 2025, it is too early to tell whether there are enough users of Wero in Germany compared to other countries.Digital payments are growing in Germany as of 2025. The main question, however, is this trend will be on par with that of other countries, even within Europe.
