Agentic AI & Digital Currencies Are Reshaping Global Payments - BCG Forecasts $2.4 Trillion by 2029

A new report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) shows that agentic AI and digital currencies are becoming key drivers in reshaping the global payments landscape, pushing industry revenue toward $2.4 trillion by 2029 even as overall growth rates begin to slow.

What’s Changing & Why It Matters

BCG’s 23rd annual Global Payments Report, titled The Future Is (Anything but) Stable, surveyed more than 60 economies covering over 90% of global GDP. The report identifies five structural forces transforming payments:

1. The rise of agentic AI autonomous systems and tools that anticipate, automate, and act in payment flows rather than simply responding.
2. Growing usage and experimentation with digital currencies, especially stablecoins, offering alternatives to traditional rails.
3. Expansion of real-time account-to-account (A2A) transaction systems, increasingly common in many regions.
4. Fintechs disrupt traditional payment models, with faster innovation, sharper focus on cost, UX, and integration.
5. An enduring need for cost transformation enterprises and payment firms must optimize operations as margin pressures rise.

Despite revenue growth moderating to about 4% annually from 2024-2029 (down from ~8.8% since 2019), these new forces suggest the next wave of payments innovation will come less from expansion alone and more from how services change.

Key Forecasts & Regional Insights

• Payments revenue was about $1.9 trillion in 2024; expected to reach $2.4 trillion by 2029.
• Real-time A2A payment volumes surged ~40% globally in 2024 and now represent nearly a quarter of digital retail payments in several markets. In places like India and Brazil, A2A is used in more than half of digital retail transactions.
• Stablecoins totalled approximately $26 trillion in volume globally, though only a small fraction (≈1%) of that is used for real-world payments outside crypto trading.
• Latin America is expected to lead in revenue growth through 2029 (~7.9% annually), followed by the Middle East & Africa (~6.8%). Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific are forecasted at more modest growth rates (around 3-4%) in the same period.

Implications for Businesses & Innovation

These changes have several implications:

• Business models will need to adapt: Firms that build with agentic AI and digital currency rails already in mind will likely pull ahead.
• Banks and non-banks alike must explore stablecoin integration and real-time payment capabilities or risk being left behind.
• Regulation and trust will become central: security, compliance, and consumer protection must evolve in tandem with technological innovation.
• Consumer expectations are shifting: speed, transparency, and seamless payment experiences are increasingly non-negotiable.

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