Payment methods in Italy
Italians prefer digital payment methods. They use cards to pay for just 31% of their online purchases.
Market takeaways
- Italians prefer digital payment methods. They use cards to pay for just 31% of their online purchases.
- Italians buy 10% of their retail purchases online. The country's e-commerce market is worth US$56 billion, rising to US$82 billion by 2027.
- The average Italian spends US$1,007 a year with e-commerce merchants. By 2027, this will have risen to US$1,480.
- Almost a fifth of all the items Italians buy online come from merchants based outside Italy.
- Italians make 40% of all their online purchases using a mobile device.
Population
60M
Online population
55.8M
B2C e-commerce
$51B
Banked population
96%
Credit card population
49%
E-commerce of total retail
10%
Payment method breakdown
- Card31%
- Cash4%
- Bank Transfer13%
- E-Wallet35%
- Other17%
Card scheme breakdown
- Visa33%
- Mastercard22%
- American Express1%
- Local schemes45%
- Other0%
Cross-border e-commerce
Cross-border shoppers
75%
Share of e-commerce
18%
Cross-border value (est.)
$9.2B
Featured payment methods in Italy
All payment methods available in this market, sorted by prominence.
Satispay
Italian smartphone payment network independent of cards, used for in-store, online and P2P payments. Operator: Satispay S.p.A.. Est. users: 5.5M users (2024).
Bancomat Pay
Italian bank-backed mobile payment service tied to current accounts for P2P, in-store and online payments. Operator: BANCOMAT S.p.A.. Est. users: 11.5M registered users (2024).
Scalapay
Italian buy-now-pay-later provider offering interest-free instalments at online and in-store checkouts. Operator: Scalapay S.r.l. / Incremento SPV. Est. users: 4M active customers (2024).
Maestro
Maestro is Mastercard's international debit scheme; new issuance ended July 2023 and remaining cards are being replaced by Debit Mastercard, with only limited e-commerce support. Operator: Mastercard. Est. users: historically hundreds of millions (cards expire by 2027).
MyBank
A payment method preferred by consumers in San Marino for secure and seamless transactions.
Featured banks in Italy
All banks operating in this market, sorted by prominence.
ING Group
Amsterdam, Netherlands
ING Group is the Netherlands' largest bank and a leading European financial institution. It operates a digital-first universal banking model across Europe and globally.
BNP Paribas
Paris, France
BNP Paribas is France's largest bank and a global top-10 financial institution, providing retail, corporate, and investment banking, insurance, and asset management across 65 countries.
Crédit Agricole Group
Paris, France
Crédit Agricole is the world's largest cooperative bank and France's second-largest financial group. It provides retail, corporate, insurance, and asset management services in France and internationally.
Intesa Sanpaolo
Turin, Italy
Intesa Sanpaolo is Italy's largest bank and one of the Eurozone's leading financial institutions, providing retail, corporate, and investment banking in Italy and across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
UniCredit
Milan, Italy
UniCredit is a pan-European commercial bank headquartered in Milan with a strong presence in Italy, Germany, Austria, and Central & Eastern Europe, serving 15 million clients.
Banco BPM
Milan, Italy
Banco BPM is Italy's third-largest bank by assets, formed from the merger of Banco Popolare and Banca Popolare di Milano. It offers retail, corporate, and investment banking.
Bunq
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Bunq is a Dutch neobank founded in 2012, operating across Europe as one of the continent's fastest-growing challenger banks, known for its eco-friendly and multi-currency features.
BPER Banca
Modena, Italy
BPER Banca is one of Italy's largest banking groups, formed by a series of mergers, with a strong presence in northern and central Italy offering retail and corporate banking.
Mediobanca
Milan, Italy
Mediobanca is Italy's leading investment bank and a significant financial services group, providing corporate finance, private banking, and consumer credit.
Banca Mediolanum
Milan, Italy
Banca Mediolanum is Italy's leading bancassurance group, offering integrated banking, insurance, and investment products primarily through a network of financial advisors.
Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS)
Siena, Italy
Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) is the world's oldest bank, founded in 1472 in Siena, Italy. After a significant restructuring, it remains one of Italy's major retail and corporate banks.
Credito Emiliano (Credem)
Reggio Emilia, Italy
Credem (Credito Emiliano) is an independent Italian bank with a strong focus on wealth management, retail, and SME banking, operating primarily in northern and central Italy.
Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP)
Rome, Italy
Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) is Italy's national promotional institution, channelling postal savings into public infrastructure, SME financing, and international development.
Istituto Centrale delle Banche Popolari (ICBPI)
Milan, Italy
ICBPI (now part of Mercury Payments) is Italy's leading payment and banking services provider, offering payment processing, custodian, and settlement services to Italian banks.
Other Banks — Italy
Rome, Italy
Aggregate of all remaining banks in Italy not individually listed, collectively representing ~42.7% of domestic banking assets.
