PayPal's users - tracked by way of active registered accounts - increased into the second quarter of 2025, after several quarters of decline in early 2024. Daily active users (DAU) can vary per country, however. PayPal use in the UK, for instance, was somewhat higher than in Germany but significantly higher than the DAU found in 19 other European countries. PayPal in general PayPal is a global online payment business allowing users to make payments and money transfers online. In 2002, PayPal was acquired by auction site eBay and has made great gains in visibility and online popularity since then. The service is often considered as the leader of the online and mobile payment market. Many retailers such as Best Buy and Home Depot and digital content sellers like Humble Bundle or Valve use PayPal as an in-store payment or digital wallet top-up method. Online payment providers usually generate revenue through transaction fees. Adoption Recently, brick-and-mortar retailers and shops have also begun to accept PayPal as a mobile payment method. As of December 2018, 36 percent of North American retailers already accepted PayPal as a payment method and 34 percent planned to accept it within the next 24 months. Customers are required to use their NFC-enabled mobile device to pay or use a PayPal card, which can also be swiped or touched in at physical point-of-sale locations. In 2018, the service's annual mobile payment volume amounted to *** billion US dollars, representing a ** percent growth compared to the previous year.

Monthly active users (MAU) of the PayPal app for Apple and Android mobile phones in the UK grew by around *********** since April 2020. From February 2017 onwards, the number of MAU’s of the PayPal app in the UK has been on a downward trend, reaching a low of around ************ MAU’s in April 2020.

Online banking in Great Britain

The penetration of online banking in Great Britain in the period between 2007 to 2020 has been continually increasing. In 2020, online banking has become the norm rather than the exception, with ** percent of respondents stating they use online banking. Compared to 2007, this is a ** percentage point increase in the number of people utilizing online banking services. As of March 2018, the most popular online banking app was Barclay’s Mobile Banking. Approximately ************* persons are users of the Barclay’s mobile app each month in the UK. Out of all age groups surveyed in the UK, young millennials, or those aged being 18 and 26 years old, were the most frequent users who switched to online mobile apps for banking payments from 2018 to 2019. In 2019, ** percent of young millennials reported using online mobile apps, up **** percent from the year prior. Whereas only **** percent of baby boomers reported using online banking mobile apps in 2019.

Reason for preferring cashless payments

As with online banking apps, many UK consumers also prefer paying with online methods such as digital or e-wallets. In 2019, of those UK consumers surveyed, ** percent stated they prefer digital wallets over other payment methods due to its convenience. This is not surprising as most persons almost always have their phones with them and paying via digital wallets means less time rummaging through pockets, purses and wallets in order to find the correct card or amount.

Daily active users (DAU) of the PayPal app were significantly higher in the United Kingdom and Germany than those of other European countries. Figures for both countries were over ******* DAU, whereas Spain had around *******. Europe had different digital payment methods or mobile wallets, but PayPal is widely considered one of the few that sees use among many countries across the European continent.

Pure player BNPL apps Klarna and Afterpay had about as many active users as the PayPal app. This is according to a ranking of the biggest apps that can offer BNPL services, based on a minimum of 10,000 monthly active users (MAU) or more. The United Kingdom has several buy now, pay later services - with Zilch attracting almost ** percent of its users from within the country. Roughly ** percent of the global MAU of the Afterpay app came from the UK. No figures are available specifically for PayPal's Pay in 4, as it is embedded within the PayPal app.

COVID-19 led to a dramatic increase in the daily active users (DAU) of PayPal apps on iOS and Android among European users, but at varying degrees. This according to numbers calculated from Airnow PLC. Big surges can be observed, for example, in Turkey, France, and Belgium, whereas Poland barely showed an increase. In 2019, figures for the United Kingdom and Germany were already significantly higher than those of other European countries. Europe has many different digital payment methods or mobile wallets. Overall, debit cards rank as the most popular online payment method, with mobile fintech applications being slightly more popular than credit cards. PayPal is widely considered to be one of the few apps that sees use among multiple countries in the European continent. Payment options in Europe In theory, PayPal can be used in every country on the European continent except for Belarus. Note, however, that several countries offer domestic payment options that work both offline as well as online. Comparing the many payment brands within Europe shows how different each European country is in this. Visa and MasterCard, globally regarded as leading brands in payments, had varying market shares across Europe in 2018. Sometimes their market share was significantly lower than domestic payment card schemes. In Denmark, for example, domestic card scheme Dankort (a payment card as well as a mobile wallet) had a market share of 68 percent (combining offline and online payments). In short, PayPal is available in Europe but might have domestic alternatives that very per country. Differences in European (cross-border) e-commerce PayPal use in Europe is very much connected to e-commerce. Like for payment methods, however, there are many differences in online shopping in Europe. In 2019, the United Kingdom was Europe's biggest B2C e-commerce market in absolute terms, followed by Germany. This picture changes somewhat when looking at the share of e-commerce within a country's GDP, however. Then, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Belgium join the UK and France as countries where online shopping made up more than three percent of GDP. Differences are even larger for cross-border e-commerce. Smaller European states, such as Malta, Cyprus, Montenegro, Luxembourg, and Iceland were most likely to buy something online from a foreign seller, either from within or outside the EU. Consumers from Turkey, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden, on the other hand, tended to buy more from domestic sellers.

PayPal continues to be a major player in digital payments, and its workforce size is one key metric that reflects how it scales and evolves. In recent years, changes in employee count, diversity, and structure offer insight into how PayPal is adapting to market pressures. In e‑commerce and fintech, for...

During the second quarter of 2025, smartphones accounted for ***percent of retail site visits in the United Kingdom and were used to make ** percent of online shopping orders. Meanwhile, desktop computers generated ***percent of retail website traffic and were behind ***percent of all purchases. Digital and contactless: new ways to pay Using smartphones for online and in-person shopping has become increasingly popular. Consumers now enjoy a variety of options when it comes to digital wallets and contactless payments. The share of consumers using digital wallets in the United Kingdom reached ** percent in 2024. One brand appears at the top, at around ** percent of usage, when it comes to e-commerce payment methods, PayPal, with double of use compared to the second placed, Apple Pay. PayPal: dominating digital payments After being founded in 1998 and becoming an independent company in 2015, PayPal is now one of the most widely used digital payment platforms globally, especially for e-commerce. Due to its reputation for security and ease of use, the brand is widely accepted by consumers. In 2024, in countries such as Mexico, Germany and Switzerland, consumers use PayPal for online payments over ** percent of the time.

We asked UK consumers about "Biggest e-commerce payment brands" and found that "PayPal" takes the top spot, while "Trustly" is at the other end of the ranking.These results are based on a representative online survey conducted in 2024 among ***** consumers in the UK. Looking to gain valuable insights about online payment users across the globe? Check out our

Market modeling estimates that BNPL transactions in the United Kingdom would be about ** percent higher in 2025 than in 2024. This is according to a market model released in the first quarter of 2025, which placed the UK among the highest user markets in Europe for buy now, pay later. Klarna launched in the UK in late 2018, with Australia's Afterpay joining in 2019 alongside domestic alternatives such as Laybuy. Klarna downloads in the United Kingdom were not as high as those of PayPal in 2022, but the difference between the two apps was getting smaller. Note that the source does not give further indications of what the figures provided here are based on. As buy now, pay later was unregulated in many countries across the world in early 2024, transaction figures on this payment method were scarce unless a domestic financial supervisor managed to request data from individual BNPL providers.

The European payment gateway market, valued at €9.21 billion in 2025, is experiencing robust growth, projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.02% from 2025 to 2033. This significant expansion is fueled by several key drivers. The increasing adoption of e-commerce across various sectors, including travel, retail, BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance), and media & entertainment, is a primary catalyst. Furthermore, the rising preference for digital payment methods among consumers, coupled with the growing demand for secure and convenient online transactions, is significantly boosting market growth. The market is segmented by type (hosted and non-hosted), enterprise size (SME and large enterprises), and end-user industry. Hosted solutions currently dominate due to their ease of implementation and lower upfront costs, while the large enterprise segment holds a larger market share driven by higher transaction volumes. Technological advancements, such as the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for fraud detection and improved customer experience, are also shaping the market landscape. Regulatory changes promoting digitalization and the increasing adoption of mobile payment solutions contribute to the positive outlook. However, challenges remain, including concerns around data security and privacy, and the need for continuous adaptation to evolving cybersecurity threats. The competitive landscape is characterized by the presence of both established players like Verifone, PayPal, and Worldpay, and emerging fintech companies offering innovative solutions. Geographic variations exist within Europe, with the UK, Germany, and France likely representing the largest national markets due to their developed economies and higher digital adoption rates. The forecast period (2025-2033) promises continued expansion, with the market size expected to surpass €50 billion by 2033. This growth will be driven by continued e-commerce adoption, expansion into less penetrated segments (such as the "Other End-users" category, which may include healthcare and education), and the ongoing innovation in payment gateway technologies to address evolving customer needs and security concerns. The competitive landscape is expected to remain dynamic, with existing players investing heavily in research and development and new entrants seeking to capitalize on market opportunities. Successful players will be those who can effectively address security concerns, offer a seamless user experience, and adapt to the ever-changing regulatory environment. Specific regional growth will depend on factors like digital literacy rates, government initiatives, and the rate of e-commerce adoption in each country. Recent developments include: September 2024: In early 2025, Visa is set to unveil its "open system" initiative, Visa A2A, aimed at enhancing consumer control and protection in account-to-account (A2A) payments. Slated for a debut in the UK, Visa A2A promises an upgraded digital user experience, bolstered security measures, and a user-friendly dispute resolution service, ensuring consumers can reclaim their funds in case of any mishaps.July 2024: In Germany, the European Payments Initiative (EPI) unveiled Wero, a new digital payment wallet. This launch was a joint effort with founding partners DSGV and DZ BANK, and Deutsche Bank is slated to come on board later this year. With this service, German customers can seamlessly execute instant, account-to-account money transfers directly via their banking apps.. Key drivers for this market are: Increased E-commerce Sales and High Internet Penetration Rate, Increased Demand for Mobile-based Payments; Growing Adoption of Payment Gateways in Retail. Potential restraints include: Increased E-commerce Sales and High Internet Penetration Rate, Increased Demand for Mobile-based Payments; Growing Adoption of Payment Gateways in Retail. Notable trends are: Growing Adoption of Payment Gateways in Retail to drive the Market.

PayPal was the most popular method used to pay for a product bought online in Germany as of 2022. ** percent of respondents to the corresponding survey favored this way, while other leading methods included paying by invoice or with a card (debit or credit). How it works After creating an online account with PayPal, as long as the online service or shop consumers are using offers a PayPal option, the payment processor can be used. Consumers are temporarily directed to PayPal during the checkout process, where they can further pick whether the payment should be booked from their credit card or directly from their debit account. After completing this step, the buyer is returned to the initial website where the purchase took place. Many prefer PayPal for its time-saving contribution, as all the necessary bank information is already stored in the PayPal account and does not have to be entered repeatedly for the purchase, or saved on the retailer’s website. PayPal is a pal Statistics confirm that Germany has, indeed, embraced PayPal with open arms. As of 2023, it was the leading country worldwide in terms of PayPal usage for online shopping, with a ** percent rate. The United Kingdom (UK) and Italy followed. India, South Korea, and China had the lowest rates.

PayPal adoption for online shopping in the United Kingdom (UK) declined in Q1 2025 when compared to early 2020, although it remained a popular payment option for consumers. This is according to two different questions asked throughout multiple surveys from Statista's Consumer Insights. The numbers shown here refer to the share of respondents who indicated they used PayPal in the past 12 months, either for POS transactions with a mobile device in stores and restaurants or for online shopping. Three out of 10 respondents from the UK indicated they had used PayPal in a POS setting between July 2023 and June 2024 - with an additional eight out of 10 saying they used PayPal during this same time for online payments.

The most used digital wallets in the United Kingdom typically originate from outside the country, with only two apps reaching an MAU of more than two million. This is according to a ranking of the biggest apps that can function as a digital wallet for payments, based on a minimum of 50,000 monthly active users (MAU). The most used digital wallets like in the country Amazon or Google Wallet come from the United States. However, the UK has also its own digital wallet, Revolut, which is popular worldwide but in the country only 10 percent of monthly active users of the Revolut app are coming from the country. This may be due to digital wallets being used significantly less in UK POS than other payment types. Contactless card payments are especially popular in the United Kingdom.

Six out of 10 e-commerce vendors in the UK offer buy now, pay later on their website come 2024. This is according to a survey held in early 2024, asking e-commerce professionals on which payment methods they are offering. Noticeable for the UK is the substantial share of respondents who indicated they offer PayPal in 2024. Cryptocurrency also features in this list. The source does not clarify, however, whether merchants would like to accept direct payments with Bitcoin or whether this involved a third-party payment aggregator.

Card-linked wallets are predicted to take up the vast majority of e-commerce spending conducted with digital wallets in the UK by 2028. This is according to hybrid research released in 2024, which - depending on the country - either used database modeling or data acquired via a consumer survey. Wallets ranked relatively high among the UK's most-used online payment methods. In contrast, the adoption of wallets in the UK was relatively lower, when compared to other countries worldwide.

PayPal is the most well-known digital payment provider in the UK. Founded in 1998, the former subsidiary of eBay incorporates a 96 percent awareness rating amongst respondents in the United Kingdom. The London-based digital payment provider BARCLAYS comes second in this list. Third on this list is Apple Pay that was launched in 2015 in the UK, followed by Google Pay 80 percent brand awareness.

For this study, brand awareness was surveyed employing the concept of aided brand recognition, showing respondents both the brand's logo and the written brand name.

Interested in more detailed results covering all brands of this ranking and many more? Explore GCS Brand Profiles. These statistics show results of the Brand KPI survey.