The most popular payment methods in EU countries
This is evidenced by the February report of YouGov, an international online platform specializing in data analysis. Digital payments are most actively used in Estonia, where 57% of residents prefer cards and smartphones. And mobile wallets show the fastest growth in popularity among young people in the southern EU countries (Spain, Italy).
At the same time, many Europeans are not very aware of the project to introduce the digital euro, which the EU authorities plan to launch in the coming years, the study notes.
What do they pay with in Moldova?
In Moldova in 2025-2026 there is a turning point – non-cash payments for the first time began to compete with cash in terms of transaction volumes. According to the National Bank of Moldova (NBM) and experts, the market is distributed as follows.
Bank cards have become the main instrument of non-cash payments. About 78% of cardholders use them daily or several times a week. In 2025, the share of card payments amounted to 50.3% of the total value of transactions, exceeding cash withdrawals for the first time (41.7%), which brings the country closer to the global trend.
As for cash, it remains the dominant method for everyday spending, especially in rural areas and markets. Despite the growth of digital payments, cash withdrawals from ATMs continued to grow, reaching almost 190 billion lei in 2025.
The national MIA (Instant Payments) system launched by NBM is rapidly gaining popularity for phone number transfers and online shopping payments. Digital wallets and Apple Pay/Google Pay are being actively adopted in urban environments. Smartphones are the preferred device for online shopping for 90% of Moldovan users.
