Asia Pacific Mobile Wallet Market Size & Share 2018 - 2024
Market Size by Type (Open, Semi-closed, Closed), by Ownership (Banks, Telco’s, Device, Tech Companies), by Technology (Near Field Communication (NFC), Optical/QR Code, Digital Only, Text-Based), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Growth Potential, Growth Potential Analysis, Competitive Market Share & Forecast.
Report ID: GMI3290
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Published Date: May 2019
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Report Format: PDF
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Authors:
Preeti Wadhwani, Aishvarya Ambekar
Asia Pacific Mobile Wallet Market Size
Asia Pacific Mobile Wallet Market valued at over USD 35 billion in 2017 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of more than 20% from 2018 to 2024.
The surge in the number of smartphone users and internet penetration is driving the use of the mobile wallet market in the APAC region. In the last decade, there had been an extensive adoption of various smart devices due to advances in the connectivity infrastructure in the region. In 2017, the region had over 1.90 billion internet users accounting for over half of the global internet population, among which over 70% were smartphone users.
The increasing penetration of smartphones has brought about a fundamental shift in the way users are conducting their financial transactions due to its cost-effectiveness and convenience. This is promoting financial establishments and tech players to invest in various mobile wallet applications to capitalize on the growing demand for mobile payment services.
Asia Pacific Mobile Wallet Market Analysis
The semi-closed mobile wallet market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of over 18% over the forecast timeline due to the rise in the number of mobile wallet product offerings by tech players. This is credited to the shifting customer preferences toward mobile payment applications. The population within the age of 16 to 34 (millennials) prefer a bank-free existence in the future as they are increasingly tech-savvy and habituated to digital financial services offered by technology players.
The banks market is expected to register a growth rate of more than 17% over the forecast timeframe. The banking organizations are launching their own mobile wallets to monetize on myriad opportunities to upsell and cross-sell their financial services & policies. It also provides them with actionable insights to better understand customer preferences, helping them offer a tailor-made banking experience for their customers. The telco industry is anticipated to witness a CAGR of over 20% over the projected timeline. The rising number of partnerships among mobile networks and card issuers is spurring the growth of the telco-based mobile wallet market.
The tech companies accounted for over 70% of the revenue share in the Asia Pacific mobile wallet market in 2017. The tech enterprises including Flipkart, Uber, Ola, and MakeMyTrip have been increasingly investing in developing their own mobile wallets to offer a seamless banking experience to their customers. The players are leveraging on their tech infrastructure to build new & innovative product offerings for their users. Moreover, the supportive regulatory framework is further supplementing the growth of the market.
The optical/QR market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of over 17% during the projected time period. The inexpensive nature of mobile wallet applications is encouraging its use in the region as the technology does not incur any added costs apart for a smartphone. This has been the primary factor, which has been supplementing its adoption in countries, such as Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, where the retail outlets do not have access to the point-of-sale infrastructure.
China dominated the Asia Pacific mobile wallet market with over 95% share in 2017. This is attributed to the presence of numerous e-commerce platforms and a high degree of smartphone penetration in the country. Large players, such as Tencent, Alibaba, and Baidu, are forming tie-ups with various retail outlets and online platforms to increase the availability of product offerings across various channels. For instance, in May 2015, Tencent partnered with Didi, a taxi hailing application, to facilitate in-app payments for its customers for Didi rides. This partnership with Didi opened a broader universe of payment partners for the WeChat application, enabling in-app payments for everything from cell phone bills to utility fees.
Asia Pacific Mobile Wallet Market Share
The players operating in the Asia Pacific mobile wallet market landscape are:
The companies present in the market are adopting inorganic growth strategies to develop a diversified & robust partnership network with associations and cooperative financing organizations, allowing them to penetrate various regional markets. For instance, in January 2019, Union Pay expanded its network of countries, accepting mobile payments, from its base of outbound Chinese travelers to over 46 countries. The additional features have allowed Chinese tourists to use the company’s mobile payment service across various overseas regions.
Industry Background
As the digitalization across the industries rising, the banking sector is also going through a phase of digital disruption. the market dynamics are changing and customers ae gaining more power over the organization. The emergence of the fintech companies and the increasing competition among the financial institutes is forcing financial institutes to provide better customer experience. As a result, these players are focusing on developing more customer centric products.
Research methodology, data sources & validation process
This report draws on a structured research process built around direct industry conversations, proprietary modelling, and rigorous cross-validation and not just desk research.
Our 6-step research process
1. Research design & analyst oversight
At GMI, our research methodology is built on a foundation of human expertise, rigorous validation, and complete transparency. Every insight, trend analysis, and forecast in our reports is developed by experienced analysts who understand the nuances of your market.
Our approach integrates extensive primary research through direct engagement with industry participants and experts, complemented by comprehensive secondary research from verified global sources. We apply quantified impact analysis to deliver dependable forecasts, while maintaining complete traceability from original data sources to final insights.
2. Primary research
Primary research forms the backbone of our methodology, contributing nearly 80% to overall insights. It involves direct engagement with industry participants to ensure accuracy and depth in analysis. Our structured interview program covers regional and global markets, with inputs from C-suite executives, directors, and subject matter experts. These interactions provide strategic, operational, and technical perspectives, enabling well-rounded insights and reliable market forecasts.
3. Data mining & market analysis
Data mining is a key part of our research process, contributing nearly 20% to the overall methodology. It involves analysing market structure, identifying industry trends, and assessing macroeconomic factors through revenue share analysis of major players. Relevant data is collected from both paid and unpaid sources to build a reliable database. This information is then integrated to support primary research and market sizing, with validation from key stakeholders such as distributors, manufacturers, and associations.
4. Market sizing
Our market sizing is built on a bottom-up approach, starting with company revenue data gathered directly through primary interviews, alongside production volume figures from manufacturers and installation or deployment statistics. These inputs are then pieced together across regional markets to arrive at a global estimate that stays grounded in actual industry activity.
5. Forecast model & key assumptions
Every forecast includes explicit documentation of:
✓ Key growth drivers and their assumed impact
✓ Restraining factors and mitigation scenarios
✓ Regulatory assumptions and policy change risk
✓ Technology adoption curve parameter
✓ Macroeconomic assumptions (GDP growth, inflation, currency)
✓ Competitive dynamics and market entry/exit expectations
6. Validation & quality assurance
The final stages involve human validation, where domain experts manually review filtered data to identify nuances and contextual errors that automated systems might miss. This expert review adds a critical layer of quality assurance, ensuring data aligns with research objectives and domain-specific standards.
Our triple-layer validation process ensures maximum data reliability:
✓ Statistical Validation
✓ Expert Validation
✓ Market Reality Check
Trust & credibility
Verified data sources
Trade publications
Security & defense sector journals and trade press
Industry databases
Proprietary and third-party market databases
Regulatory filings
Government procurement records and policy documents
Academic research
University studies and specialist institution reports
Company reports
Annual reports, investor presentations, and filings
Expert interviews
C-suite, procurement leads, and technical specialists
GMI archive
13,000+ published studies across 30+ industry verticals
Trade data
Import/export volumes, HS codes, and customs records
Parameters studied & evaluated
Every data point in this report is validated through primary interviews, true bottom-up modelling, and rigorous cross-checks. Read about our research process →