unbanked and underbanked consumers in south america: a market for e-payments
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Definitions of “unbanked” and “underbanked” consumers and estimates of their number vary widely around the world. Yet there is broad consensus in the banking and payments industry that this demographic will prove important to long-term growth in electronic payments in both developed and developing payments markets. According to Mercator Advisory Group estimates, in 2013 there were approximately 170 million unbanked or underbanked adults in South America. This means financial institutions have significant incentive to improve financial inclusion and to support the growth of electronic payments around the continent. Increasing the number of consumer bank accounts is not feasible overnight. But across South America both private and public sector organizations are seeking to accelerate the migration from traditional payment instruments to e-payments as a means to tap into a vast new demographic that holds the potential for long-term robust growth across payment industry segments. Mercator Advisory Group’s latest report, Unbanked and Underbanked Consumers in South America: A Market for E-Payments, sheds light on the unbanked and underbanked landscape in South America by providing information on the true extent of these in each country across the continent and describing how local public and private organizations are attempting to improve financial inclusion and boost electronic payment use.TRANSCRIPT
Unbanked and Underbanked in South America: A Market for E-Payments
May 2014
2014 Mercator Advisory Group
Definitions of “unbanked” and “underbanked” consumers and estimates of their number vary widely around the world. Yet there is broad consensus in the banking and payments industry that this demographic will prove important to long-term growth in electronic payments in both developed and developing payments markets.
According to Mercator Advisory Group estimates, in 2013 there were approximately 170 million unbanked or underbanked adults in South America. This means financial institutions have significant incentive to improve financial inclusion and to support the growth of electronic payments around the continent. Increasing the number of consumer bank accounts is not feasible overnight. But across South America both private and public sector organizations are seeking to accelerate the migration from traditional payment instruments to e-payments as a means to tap into a vast new demographic that holds the potential for long-term robust growth across payment industry segments.
Unbanked and Underbanked Consumers in South America: A Market for E-Payments
2014 Mercator Advisory Group
Mercator Advisory Group’s latest report, Unbanked and Underbanked Consumers in South America: A Market for E-Payments, sheds light on the unbanked and underbanked landscape in South America by providing information on the true extent of these in each country across the continent and describing how local public and private organizations are attempting to improve financial inclusion and boost electronic payment use.
Unbanked and Underbanked Consumers in South America: A Market for E-Payments
2014 Mercator Advisory Group
“As the global payment industry has grown, firms have begun seeking new international markets where the potential for robust electronic payment growth is emerging. Countries in South America are becoming more attractive as local economies mature and consumers begin the transition from traditional payment instruments to e-payment methods. Similar to other regions around the world that contain a number of developing countries, South America is home to large numbers of unbanked and underbanked consumers. For the most part these consumers operate outside of the electronic payments ecosystem and subsequently miss out on the inherent benefits that electronic payments can bring to the local economy,” comments Tristan Hugo-Webb, Associate Director, International Advisory Service at Mercator Advisory Group and the primary author of the report.
Tristan Hugo-WebbAssociate DirectorInternational Advisory ServiceMercator Advisory Group
2014 Mercator Advisory Group
• Overview of account and debit and credit card penetration across the majority of South American countries
• An examination of the different channels being employed to help accelerate the processes of bringing millions of unbanked consumers into the payments mainstream
Highlights of the report
Figure 2: Debit Card Ownership in South America as Percentage of Population by Country, 2013E
2014 Mercator Advisory Group
Source: Mercator Advisory Group estimates based on World Bank historical data
Note: Debit card ownership data is not available on Guyana, Suriname and Guyane. It is likely that the debit card ownership is very low in these countries.
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Brazil
Argentina
Uruguay
Paraguay
Chile
BoliviaPeru
Ecuador
Colombia
Venezuela
About the report
2014 Mercator Advisory Group
This report contains 26 pages and 13 exhibits.
Companies mentioned in this report include: Azteca, Banco BBVA, Banco Bradesco, Caixa Econômica Federal, Claro, MasterCard, Novo Payment, Oi Carteira, Pagtel, Rapiplata, Ria Financial Services, Scotiabank, Vivo, Wanda, Yellow Pepper
Members of Mercator Advisory Group’s International Advisory Service have access to these reports as well as the upcoming research for the year ahead, presentations, analyst access, and other membership benefits.
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About Mercator Advisory Group
Mercator Advisory Group is the leading independent research and advisory services firm exclusively focused on the payments and banking industries. We deliver pragmatic and timely research and advice designed to help our clients uncover the most lucrative opportunities to maximize revenue growth and contain costs.
Our clients range from the world's largest payment issuers, acquirers, processors, merchants and associations to leading technology providers and investors. Mercator Advisory Group is also the publisher of the online payments and banking news and information portal PaymentsJournal.com.
2014 Mercator Advisory Group