Non-cash payments in Spain grow 8.5% in first half of 2025
Non-cash payment operations in Spain increased by 8.5 percent in number and 6.3 percent in value during the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The total amount processed reached 6.4 trillion euros.
Digital payments surge, cards lead volume
Non-cash payment operations in Spain reached 9,401 million in the first half of 2025, an 8.5 percent increase year-on-year.
The total value rose by 6.3 percent to 6.4 trillion euros.
Card payments dominated by volume, accounting for 65.7 percent of all non-cash operations, with an average value of 31.6 euros per transaction.
Transfers represented 16.8 percent of operations but 88.5 percent of the total value, indicating their use for larger payments.
Direct debits constituted 12.2 percent of operations and 5.5 percent of value, while electronic money operations were 1.7 percent by number and 0.1 percent by value.
These figures highlight a clear preference for cards in everyday small payments and transfers for high-value transactions.
Contactless and instant transfers accelerate
Card payment operations increased by 11.1 percent in number and 10 percent in value.
Contactless payments at physical points of sale surged by 11.9 percent in number, totaling 4,771 million operations, and 10 percent in value, reaching 128 million euros.
These transactions now represent 96.5 percent of non-remote card payments.
Instant transfers also saw substantial growth, increasing by 30 percent in number to 549 million operations and 115.8 percent in value to 124 billion euros.
The number of payment cards in circulation grew by 11.6 percent to 119 million, averaging 2.4 cards per inhabitant.
Point-of-sale (POS) terminals increased by 7.4 percent to 4.62 million, with 98 percent accepting contactless payments, while ATMs decreased by 0.9 percent.
Spain's digital payment evolution
The sustained growth in non-cash payments, particularly cards and instant transfers, underscores Spain's accelerating digital transformation in economic transactions.
This shift, while enhancing efficiency and convenience, also necessitates continuous vigilance over cybersecurity and the robustness of underlying payment infrastructures.
The clear decline in ATM usage alongside the rise of contactless and remote options signals a fundamental, irreversible change in consumer payment habits.