10 key payment trends shaping the market in 2025 - and why they matter for software providers

Across the region, the way people and businesses pay is evolving faster than ever, driven by technological advancements, shifting consumer preferences, and a global push toward seamless, secure, and flexible payment solutions. For independent software vendors (ISVs), adapting to these changes is essential to drive growth and stay competitive.

In 2025, digital wallets, in-app payments, and SoftPOS technology are transforming transactions, while bank to bank payments and Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) options are gaining traction. Unattended payments like kiosks are becoming the norm, B2B payments are rapidly digitizing, and AI-powered fraud prevention is addressing security concerns. Meanwhile, rising regulatory complexity makes compliance a growing challenge.

Partnering with a PaaS provider like Worldline can help ISVs navigate these trends, simplify integration, and unlock new revenue opportunities. Let’s explore these trends in detail and understand how they impact software providers.

In-app payments increase in popularity

Where people pay is just as important as how they pay. In-app payments have surged, growing from 44% adoption in 2021 to 60% in 2024. This trend, accelerated by the pandemic, reflects consumers’ preference for seamless, integrated payment experiences. (Source: The top digital payment trends of 2024 | McKinsey & Company)

The recent Epic Games v. Apple ruling, which allows app publishers to link to alternative payment systems, further incentivizes software providers to implement in-app payments. By bypassing traditional app store fees, ISVs can offer more cost-effective solutions while enhancing user satisfaction (source: Game Changer: What The Epic V. Apple Ruling Means For The App Economy).

While in-app payments enhance the consumer experience, businesses are simultaneously seeking more cost-effective payment processing solutions behind the scenes.

Bank Transfer Payments Gain Traction

Bank transfer payments, also known as account-to-account (A2A) or ACH/EFT payments, are emerging as a major payment trend in North America in 2025. Following the tremendous success seen in Europe and Asia, North America is now experiencing significant momentum in A2A adoption, driven by the expanding open banking movement and new regulatory frameworks (source: The role of A2A payments and open banking in the US | McKinsey The role of A2A payments and open banking in the US | McKinsey).

The growth has been particularly notable in 2025, with A2A payments rapidly expanding beyond traditional transfers into embedded payments, point-of-service solutions, and cross-rail transactions (source: 2025 Payments Trends: what’s in store?). This expansion represents a significant shift in the North American payments landscape.

The appeal is clear from a cost perspective: bank-to-bank payments offer substantially lower processing costs compared to traditional credit card transactions, particularly for regular or recurring payments and domestic transactions. While credit cards typically charge a percentage plus flat-rate fees that can significantly impact transaction values, bank-to-bank transfers operate on much more cost-effective fee structures, often using just flat rates or significantly lower percentage fees.

For ISVs, this presents a compelling opportunity. Integrating A2A payments for batch processing offers a scalable, cost-effective solution that delivers meaningful savings, especially when managing large transaction volumes, making it an increasingly attractive option in the evolving North American payments ecosystem.

Beyond traditional payment methods, consumers are also demanding more flexible financing options that align with their financial preferences.

Digitization of B2B Payments

It’s not just consumers embracing digital payments - businesses are, too. Capgemini predicts an 11.4% CAGR for B2B non-cash transactions in North America through 2028. (Source: Global Payments Report 2025: Insights on Future of Payments).Mastercard agrees, noting that the market for embedded payments for small businesses could be worth up to $124 billion in 2025 (Source: 10 top payment trends for 2025 | Mastercard Newsroom).

This means that both B2B and B2C software providers will be able to be as agile and connected, gaining access to important statistics while also making payments easier on both sides. Digitized payments are undoubtedly the way forward for businesses that want to continue to stay competitive in an increasingly dynamic market.

The digital transformation extends beyond traditional business transactions to revolutionize physical retail environments.

The Rise of Unattended Payments

Anyone going into a supermarket nowadays has likely seen it, traditional attended payments, for example cashiers, now live in harmony with unattended solutions. And use of self-checkout solutions and vending machines skyrocketed due to COVID-19.

A survey showed that 84% of consumers in the United States prefer self-service kiosks. Not to mention this particular trend spans generations: while many of the payment trends in 2025 are geared towards Gen Z and Millennials, even Gen X and Baby Boomers are turning towards unattended solutions as consumers become increasingly omnichannel and digital-first (Source: Ingenico | How Unattended Payments Are Transforming Commerce Across Industries).

ISVs especially have a key role to play here as they can help create innovative kiosk solutions and create a seamless self-service experience. While attended retail is not going to disappear any time soon, consumers’ growing preference for unattended payment options means that in retail especially the need for these kiosks will only grow. By working with a capable payment partner, ISVs and other software providers can fill this need.

As payment experiences become increasingly automated, ensuring security across all these touchpoints becomes paramount.

SoftPOS gains ground in North America

SoftPOS, or software point-of-sale, technology, also known as tap-on-mobile or tap-on-phone payments, is set to transform transactions in 2025. With SoftPOS solutions, it is possible to use an Android or Apple phone or tablet to directly accept payments, helping give merchants greater flexibility and save on costs.

A natural progression from the convenience of digital wallets, SoftPOS’ biggest benefit is for the merchant as it helps them to cut costs by eliminating the need for expensive hardware while also enabling faster checkouts, reduced operational costs, and enhanced customer satisfaction.  For software providers, the benefit is that any smart device can now become a contactless card reader. And 2025 seems poised to be the year where it explodes with significant momentum building throughout the market, as evidenced by Worldline and Castles Technology's notable partnership to deliver a SoftPOS payment solution in North America, with launch planned for early 2026.

Beyond revolutionizing payment hardware, the speed at which payments are processed is undergoing equally dramatic change.

Real-time payments grow in importance

Building upon the A2A trend, real-time payments are finally gaining traction in North America. The Federal Reserve’s FedNow service, launched in 2023, has over 1,300  financial institutions under its umbrella. At the same time, in Canada, Real-Time Rail (RTR) is set to go live by the end of 2025 and will provide instant payment capabilities nationwide (Source: Faster payments are here: what it means for banks and businesses in North America | HPS Worldwide).

Customers demand agility and immediate results, real-time payments are one way to do this. For software providers, turning to real-time payment mechanisms means receiving payments faster as it will be easier for people to pay bills.

As payment infrastructure becomes faster and more sophisticated, the regulatory landscape is evolving to keep pace with these technological advances.