Money & Payments · 2031–2036
How Will We Pay and Get Paid in 2035?
Instant transfers, digital public money and stablecoins could reshape payments. Explore today’s numbers, a simple cost example and three paths toward 2035.
3 min read · Published 2026-09-20 · Watch the full episode ↓
The question
How will we pay and get paid in 2035? The biggest change may be almost invisible: fewer steps between buying something, receiving the money and updating the records.
The FXNumbers base case is a more connected payment system, where several forms of money coexist. Success will depend on everyday usefulness: what a transfer costs, where it is accepted and when the recipient can use the funds.
Three numbers to start with
79% — Adults worldwide who had an account with a bank or mobile money provider in 2024, according to the World Bank's Global Findex 2025. Access has expanded, but having an account is only the starting point.
42% — Adults in low- and middle-income economies who made a digital merchant payment in 2024, up from 35% in 2021. This measures people who used the service, not the share of purchases paid digitally.
52% — Cash's share of euro-area point-of-sale transactions by number in 2024, according to the ECB. Digital growth has not removed the need for cash or the value of having a choice.
Different forms of money, different roles
Instant transfers can make existing money easier to move. Connecting providers and countries could also make cross-border payments more predictable, with clearer exchange costs and arrival times.
A digital euro would be central bank money for everyday digital payments, intended to complement cash. It would differ from a commercial bank deposit or a privately issued token; potential issuance remains conditional on the policy process and a separate decision.
Stablecoins are tokens designed to track a reference value, often a currency. Their usefulness depends on the issuer, redemption arrangements, acceptance and the full cost of converting to and from ordinary money.
Tokenisation extends beyond payment tokens. The BIS's 2025 blueprint explores bringing central bank reserves, commercial bank money and government bonds onto programmable infrastructure. Linking asset delivery with payment could reduce separate instructions and reconciliation work.
What better payments could be worth
Consider an illustrative business receiving €100,000 a month. Reducing its effective payment cost from 1.5% to 1% saves €500 monthly, or €6,000 annually, before switching and integration costs.
Those percentages are assumptions, not quoted market prices. The example shows why even a small change in total cost can matter. Faster access to funds and simpler bookkeeping may offer additional value.
Three paths toward 2031–2036
Steady improvement: banks and payment providers upgrade familiar services. Transfers and reconciliation become easier, while new forms of money find selected uses.
The FXNumbers base case: providers connect more effectively, and payments become more closely linked to invoices, business records and asset transfers. Different forms of money remain available; the customer experience becomes simpler.
Accelerated change: software assistants handle more routine purchases and supplier payments within budgets and permissions set by people. This depends on reliable identity, authorisation and communication between systems.
These are conditional scenarios, not guaranteed outcomes. Adoption by merchants and customers will determine how far the technology moves beyond demonstrations.
What to watch
Five signals matter: active digital payment use, merchant acceptance, total transaction cost, time until funds are available and successful completion rates.
For a customer or small business, the practical question is straightforward: does the new service make paying or getting paid measurably better? The strongest developments will remove complexity while widening access and delivering a useful result.
Sources
World Bank — Global Findex Database 2025, based on 2024 survey data.
European Central Bank — Digital payments continue to rise; cash remains a key payment method, SPACE 2024.
European Central Bank — Digital euro project.
Bank for International Settlements — The next-generation monetary and financial system, Annual Economic Report 2025.
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