Mastercard: Mobile payments were the main driver of financial digitalization in Hungary in 2025

Mastercard has been monitoring the financial services market annually since 2009, with a special focus on card usage and digital finance. The online research was conducted in November last year on a sample of 1,900 urban residents aged 18-65 with a bank account, representative of the Hungarian urban population.

According to the research, in 2025 the use of electronic payment solutions in Hungary increased in all segments examined. The most significant progress was made in the area of ​​mobile payments, but digitalization is also spreading rapidly in new areas – for example in public transport or in the use of the SZÉP card.

Card penetration – that is, the proportion of people with at least one card – is almost 100 percent. The proportion of people with multiple cards has increased significantly, by one third. More and more people are choosing digital solutions when using cards, meaning that the “digital first” approach is strengthening: 44 percent of the target group insist on receiving their new card in physical form first – this rate was 57 percent in 2021 – and although few (10 percent) would completely give up physical cards, their rate has doubled in four years, they said.

Last year, every 5th Hungarian adult used a fintech card (Revolut, Wise, N26, Curve), and the phenomenon is no longer limited to the younger generation. The amount held in fintech accounts has also increased, and more and more people consider these cards as their main card: their share increased from 14 percent to 19 percent between 2024 and 2025, which is used for domestic and international purchases and online payments.

Contactless digital payment solutions are also becoming increasingly popular in areas related to transportation and employee benefits. In public transportation, the awareness of the Budapest Pay&GO card-based ticketing system (in Budapest) reached 59 percent; Among those who have already tried it, speed and convenience have proven to be the main attractions.

Less than a third of SZÉP card holders have digitized their cards so far, but more than four-tenths of mobile wallet users are open to doing so.

Another significant change is that the awareness of Qvik instant payment has increased to 51 percent, while 6 percent of respondents have used the solution in a physical environment, such as when shopping in stores. The usage rate of online QR code payments, however, is 28 percent, according to the research.

They announced that 9 out of 10 people already shop online, 26 percent of them on a weekly basis. 39 percent of respondents also regularly shop from foreign web stores, compared to 32 percent in 2024. The current 90 percent online shopping rate was only 32 percent in 2015, which is a nearly three-fold increase in ten years. More than three-quarters of online purchases are now made from smartphones, compared to 55 percent five years ago. 77 percent of online payments are made by card, which is also a new record, they wrote.

78 percent of respondents use a mobile banking app, compared to 71 percent a year ago and 13 percent ten years ago, the research shows.