The value of global cross-border payments will reach $62.9 trillion by 2030; up from $50.8 trillion in 2026, according to a new study by Juniper Research, the global tech strategists.
The research said this impressive 24 percent growth is being driven by: rapid expansion of brands offering cross-border eCommerce, sustained robust growth within B2B payments, and improved cross-border payment infrastructure.
Cross-border payments are financial transactions where the sender and the receiver are located in different countries, often involving multiple currencies, differing regulatory frameworks, and complex banking or digital clearing networks to complete.
The research identified that as domestic growth stagnates across many developed markets, cross-border trade is seen as increasingly vital to sustained business growth. Payment infrastructure such as stablecoins will be critical to allowing businesses to trade across borders more seamlessly; unlocking opportunities for growth that are currently limited by inefficient and costly cross-border payments capabilities.
Cross-border eCommerce means local payment strategies
The report identified cross-border eCommerce as the fastest-growing segment within cross-border payments; forecast to grow by 54 percent globally, in value terms, between 2026 and 2030.
Senior analyst Lorien Carter commented: “As brands look to sell across borders, the ability to facilitate consumer payments in the right local payment methods will be vital to success. Cross-border payments are complex, but to the consumer, cross-border eCommerce must be no different from domestic eCommerce, or it will fail to gain traction in a highly competitive eCommerce market”.
Businesses will require payment infrastructure that allows them to receive payments in many different ways, but does not create complex settlement and reconciliation processes. As many of the businesses expanding internationally will be smaller businesses, cross-border payments specialists must ensure that their solutions add value, not complexity.
The new market research suite offers the most comprehensive assessment of the cross-border payment infrastructure market to date; providing insightful market analysis and forecasts of 20,100 datapoints of countries over a four-year period. In addition to the Competitor Leaderboard, it includes detailed evaluation of current and future market opportunities.
Africa steadies at $329bn, $1trn by 2035
In a similar vein, Africa’s cross-border payments market is valued at approximately $329 billion, and is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12 percent, with projections to reach $1 trillion by 2035.
This market encompasses both remittances sent to the continent and wholesale/B2B transactions fuelling regional and global trade.
The cross-border payments ecosystem in Africa are broken down into two segments: diaspora remittances and business-to-business (B2B) and intra-continental trade. The diaspora remittances have inbound annual inflows of about $100 billion, accounting for over five percent of the continent’s total GDP, serving as a critical lifeline for millions of households. The second segment, B2B and intra-African trade transactions are estimate at $500 billion, driven by the AfCFTA.
However, the major challenge of the continent’s cross-border payments is the heavy reliance on the U.S. dollar and Euro for clearing, which causes businesses to lose around $5 billion annually in foreign exchange and conversion fees.
