The payments landscape is undergoing a seismic shift, redefining how businesses and consumers interact with financial tools. The opportunities for financial services are immense, but only for those ready to embrace the future of payments with agility, innovation, and a customer-first mindset. Marqeta’s 2025 State of Payments Report offers a roadmap to navigate this transformation, revealing how providers can meet rising expectations without compromising stability or expertise.
The Payments Revolution: A Strategic Opportunity
Global payment revenues reached $2.4 trillion in 2023, and the momentum shows no signs of slowing. Embedded finance is reshaping how consumers and businesses manage money, integrating payments, lending, and insurance into seamless, everyday experiences. This evolution isn’t just about adopting new payment methods, but about reimagining financial ecosystems to deliver flexibility, personalization, and intelligence.
For financial services providers, the message is clear: the future belongs to those who can orchestrate payments across diverse methods and channels, creating unified experiences that adapt to user needs.
With Marqeta, providers won’t have to choose between agility and flexibility, or stability and innovation. The Marqeta platform empowers issuers to deliver powerful, integrated solutions that meet the demands of modern consumers and businesses, backed by industry leading expertise and know-how.
Consumers: From Passive to Strategic
Today’s consumers are more strategic than ever in how they manage payments. They’re not just using multiple methods. They're combining them to optimize rewards, extend purchasing power, and maintain financial control. For example:
- 37% of U.S. consumers are increasing debit card usage to avoid debt.
- 23% are turning to Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services for everyday purchases like groceries and food delivery.
This shift highlights a growing demand for smarter, more integrated financial tools. Consumers want solutions that adapt to their needs in real time, whether it’s a card that seamlessly switches between debit, credit, and BNPL, or AI-powered wallets that optimize payment choices automatically. The opportunity for issuers lies in creating ecosystems that offer this flexibility, without requiring users to juggle multiple apps or credentials.
SMBs: From Siloed to Unified
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are also undergoing a financial transformation. They’re moving beyond traditional expense tracking to embrace integrated spend management, where every transaction becomes a strategic opportunity. With 89% of SMBs willing to invest in premium solutions that drive efficiency and growth, the demand for unified financial platforms is clear.
SMBs are seeking tools that combine payments, expense management, and cash flow optimization into cohesive ecosystems. By leveraging transaction data, providers can offer tailored credit solutions, predictive insights, and seamless integrations that empower SMBs to thrive. The key is turning payments from an operational necessity into a strategic asset.
Payments solutions for today on a platform built for tomorrow.
At Marqeta, we believe financial services providers shouldn’t have to choose between powerful technology and proven expertise. Our platform enables issuers to innovate at scale, delivering intelligent, integrated payment solutions that meet the needs of both consumers and SMBs.
From dynamic rewards programs to real-time financial insights, we provide the tools to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market. Our cutting-edge infrastructure, flexible APIs, customizable UX tools and real-time data insights give you the tools to build without limits.
The future of payments is here. With Marqeta, you can lead the way to create financial ecosystems that drive value, loyalty, and growth. The question isn’t whether you’re ready for this transformation—it’s whether you’re ready to lead it.
Get the full report, including strategic frameworks for implementation, here.
