Digital payments linked to £88 billion in additional sales for UK businesses, Visa report finds

London, 16th September 2026 – Modern payment systems have enabled £88bn in additional sales for UK businesses since 2019, according to a new report from Visa and Public First. This is equivalent to around £2,500 per business per year over that period.

The report examines the significant economic impact that digital payments have in the UK and the critical role they play in powering future growth. The research estimates that digital payments contributed £7.5 billion to the UK economy in 2024,

Building on the sizeable impact the sector already has, evidence gathered shows that to reap the benefits of innovation, the UK needs to invest in an environment and regulatory framework that fosters growth, enabling new technology such as stablecoins and AI to scale safely.

By creating this environment, the UK economy could benefit from a further £3.8bn in additional gross value added (GVA) by 2030 from stronger competition and investment within the payments sector. A further £5.1bn a year could be unlocked if more SMEs use digital payments as their front door to wider digital innovation, and could result in £4bn a year in additional economic activity from 2030 through faster AI adoption across payment technologies.

Trust as an economic multiplier

Trust and security are also central to unlocking this growth. The report finds that secure payments give consumers the confidence to spend and businesses the confidence to embrace new technology, while fraud can quickly undermine that momentum.

For businesses, 79% of those surveyed say secure payments are central to wider technology adoption, reinforcing the role that trust plays in enabling continued digital transformation. At the same time, the report estimates that 455,000 businesses may have paused the adoption of new digital technology because of fraud, demonstrating how fraud can stall investment and innovation.

For consumers, the impact of fraud extends beyond the immediate financial loss. The research estimates that fraud leads to £16bn in lost consumer spending each year, with spending falling by 35.1% for six months following a fraud event. This demonstrates how protecting trust in payments can support continued consumer confidence and economic activity.

However, if the regulatory environment does not continue to support innovation and investment, the UK risks losing both momentum and first-mover advantage to innovation-focused global competitors.

“The UK has built one of the world’s most advanced digital payments economies, but the biggest opportunity is still ahead of us. This report shows the scale of the potential: billions of pounds in additional growth could be unlocked by helping more businesses digitise, accelerating technologies like AI and creating the conditions for continued investment and innovation,” said Rob Cameron, Group Country Manager, UK & Ireland at Visa.

“Digital payments are the invisible infrastructure behind the UK economy, and that only works if people trust it completely. Trust is hard-won and easy to lose. Visa has invested £8bn globally in payments resilience over the past five years because trust is fundamental to that growth. Every fraud event costs momentum: consumers spend less, businesses hesitate to invest and digital transformation stalls. Get that balance right, and payments can be an even more powerful engine for growth.”

Neil Ross, Partner at Public First said: “The UK has been a world leader on payments and payments technology, and our research points to real opportunities to further build on that success. There's growing scope for industry, Government and regulators to work together, quickening the pace of innovation so the UK stays ahead as competition from emerging markets continues to grow."

Taken together, the findings show that the UK’s next phase of payments-led growth may depend on continued innovation and investment, and on maintaining the trust, security and resilience that give consumers and businesses the confidence to adopt new technologies.