The preference for electronic payments remains high: 84% of people living in Belgium now prefer an electronic payment method to cash.

“The strong preference among people in Belgium for digital payments is also reflected in how their use is evolving. The most striking result of this edition of the Barometer is the strong rise in payments via connected objects such as smartphones, smartwatches and smart rings. In recent years, consumers’ payment habits have continued to evolve: from traditional payments to contactless payments, and then from contactless payments to mobile payments.” - Dr Leo Van Hove, Professor of Monetary Economics at VUB.

Mobile payments continue to gain ground in Belgium. In 2026, almost 6 in 10 people (59%) say they have already used a mobile payment method via QR code or connected object, such as a smartphone or smartwatch. That compares with 55% last year and 35% when the Barometer was first published in 2021.

This progress is also visible in day-to-day payment behaviour: 35% of respondents said they had made a mobile payment in the past week, compared with 30% in 2025. Consumers also appear to be increasingly comfortable with these payment solutions: 53% say they now feel comfortable with mobile payments, compared with 47% last year.

This evolution is also visible in consumer preferences: in 2026, 20% of respondents say they prefer to pay by mobile, compared with 15% in 2025. Mobile payments are therefore clearly becoming more popular and more firmly embedded in payment habits.

Payments via connected objects are the most striking trend in this edition of the Digital Payments Barometer. All indicators measuring their use are clearly moving upwards.

More than a third of study participants (35%) say they have already used this type of payment, compared with 28% in 2025. Day-to-day use is also increasing: 18% paid with a connected object in the past week, compared with 13% last year.

Comfort levels are rising too: 27% say they now feel comfortable making payments via a connected object, compared with 20% last year.

Progress across all indicators – use, frequency of use, comfort and preference – points to the increasingly widespread adoption of these payment solutions.

Young people remain the main driving force behind this evolution. More than two thirds of 16- to 24-year-olds (68%) say they have already paid with a connected object. Almost 1 in 2 young people (46%) used this type of payment in the past week.

This age group also shows a clear preference for mobile payments. Among 16- to 24-year-olds, mobile payments, connected objects and QR codes together already account for 40% of payment preferences.

The study also shows that this evolution is gradually spreading to other age groups. This suggests that mobile payments via connected objects are no longer seen merely as a technological novelty, but are becoming increasingly mainstream. Among 55- to 64-year-olds, for example, the share of people who paid with a connected object in the past week rose from 9% to 15% in just one year.

Payments via QR code continue to increase gradually. More than half of study participants (52%) say they have already used a QR code to make a payment, compared with 48% last year. A quarter of them (25%) paid via QR code in the past week, compared with 22% in 2025.

QR codes now appear to be firmly embedded in consumers’ payment habits, including as a practical solution in certain everyday situations. Preference for QR code payments is also increasing, from 4% to 7% in one year.

Contactless card payments remain firmly embedded in people’s habits. In 2026, 80% of respondents say they have already used this payment method.

This payment method is now established across all generations. In 2026, 85% of 65- to 74-year-olds and almost 7 in 10 people aged 75 and over say they have already carried out a contactless payment by card. Use in everyday situations also remains very high: 58% say they made a contactless payment in the past week.

Contactless card payments also remain the favourite payment method for a large share of consumers (37%), although this preference is declining slightly in favour of mobile payments, particularly via connected objects and QR codes.

This year, the Barometer also looked at biometric payments, such as payments using a fingerprint or facial recognition.

People living in Belgium remain divided on this topic: 42% are open to these technologies, while 58% say they do not want to use them. Trust is also divided: 46% consider biometric payments a safe payment method, compared with 54% who are wary of them.

Younger generations appear to be more open to them. Among 16- to 24-year-olds, 57% are open to biometric payments and 56% say they trust these technologies.

Online shopping remains part of consumers’ everyday lives. In 2026, almost 9 in 10 people (89%) say they have made an online purchase before, compared with 87% last year.

Of these people, 59% say they use payment apps for their online purchases, compared with 56% in 2025. Banking apps are also gaining ground: 69% of online shoppers say they use them to make online payments, compared with 66% last year.

Deferred payment solutions (“buy now, pay later”) also continue to gain popularity. At least 20% of online shoppers say they have access to such a solution, compared with 15% in 2025.

This year’s study also looked at “Click to Pay”, a secure solution that enables consumers to pay online more quickly without having to enter their payment details again for every purchase.

The technology is currently becoming more visible among consumers: 16% say they have heard of it but have not used it, while 11% have already used it. However, a majority of online shoppers (65%) say they have never heard of it.

Younger generations appear to be more familiar with this solution: among 16- to 24-year-olds, almost a quarter (24%) say they have already used “Click to Pay”.

Crypto assets remain a familiar topic among the general public, but their use remains limited. In 2026, 15% of respondents say they own crypto-assets, a figure that remains stable compared with previous years.

Ownership of crypto assets remains higher among young adults. In 2026, 25% of 16- to 24-year-olds say they own crypto assets, while the share among 25- to 34-year-olds has fallen from 37% in 2025 to 24% in 2026.

Investing remains by far the main motivation for those who own crypto assets (37%), followed by interest in new technologies (36%). By contrast, crypto assets are used less often than before as a means of payment: 29% cite this as a motivation, compared with 38% in 2025.

For several years, Febelfin, Bancontact Company, Mastercard, Visa and Worldline have organised Digital Payment Day on 1 July. With this initiative, they aim to provide an overview of the evolution of payment habits in Belgium and of the use of digital payments. Electronic payments are, after all, becoming an increasingly integral part of consumers’ everyday lives, with people wanting to be able to pay easily, quickly and smoothly in every situation. Since 2022, retailers and liberal professions have also been required to accept at least one electronic payment method in addition to cash.

When electronic payment is not possible, consumers today are less likely than before to abandon their purchase: in 2026, 11% say they have cancelled a purchase in such a situation, compared with 15% in 2025. This evolution can be explained in part by the fact that more and more merchants now offer consumers several electronic payment solutions.