Which payment methods should an operator add first in a cash-heavy market?

The ones customers already use instead of cash. That is often an instant transfer system with QR codes, such as Pix in Brazil or SPEI in Mexico, alongside domestic card schemes and the leading mobile wallets. Local data from central banks and the #PayWorldTour guides help set the order.

Follow what already replaces cash

In cash-heavy markets, the methods winning share are the ones that behave like cash: instant, low-cost, usable without a card. That is usually an instant transfer scheme with QR codes, such as Pix in Brazil or SPEI with CoDi in Mexico, plus the domestic card scheme and the leading mobile wallets. International cards matter for cross-border and premium segments, less for everyday purchases.

A practical order

• The dominant instant or QR method, since it has the widest reach.
• Domestic card schemes and debit programs.
• Mobile wallets with real market share.
• Cash on delivery or voucher methods where e-commerce still relies on them.
• International cards and BNPL for the segments that use them.

Where to get the data

Central bank statistics on payment volumes by method, and the #PayWorldTour guides on this site, which list the methods in use per country with their share and the providers that offer them. The order should then be validated against the operator's own merchants: a travel merchant and a grocery delivery app in the same country need different mixes. Activating per merchant and market is what lets the operator serve both.