A new forecast from Juniper Research anticipates that the number of mobile money users in emerging markets will grow significantly through the end of the decade, driven by enhanced interoperability, expanded use cases and deeper integration with broader digital financial services.
According to the report, titled Mobile Money in Emerging Markets, the total number of mobile money users in emerging economies is expected to reach approximately 2.2 billion by 2030. This represents continued expansion from current user bases in regions where digital financial services play an increasing role in everyday transactions and personal finance.
The analysis covers key market trends and provides detailed forecasts for user adoption, transaction volumes, financial flows and service segmentation across multiple categories of mobile financial services. It also includes competitor benchmarking that assesses the relative positioning of major mobile money service providers and technology platform vendors in the global market.
Juniper Research projects that total monetary spend and deposits conducted via mobile money platforms in emerging markets will approach $1.9 trillion in 2025 and grow to $2.9 trillion by 2030, indicating an aggregate growth rate of about 53 % over that five-year span. These figures reflect combined consumer expenditures, peer-to-peer transfers, merchant payments and other mobile-enabled financial activity.
The forecast period of 2025 to 2030 factors in a range of evolving usage patterns, including the shift from basic mobile money transfers to more advanced digital financial services. These include deposit and savings products, microloans, merchant payments, bill payments and other value-added services that expand the utility of mobile money platforms beyond simple remittance and airtime top-ups.
Emerging markets have seen mobile money grow as smartphone penetration and internet connectivity increase, supported by both independent fintech providers and partnerships between mobile network operators, banks and technology vendors. The adoption of interoperable technologies and the integration of mobile money with broader digital ecosystems are key drivers referenced in the report.
The research also includes competitive assessments of current mobile money service providers and the technology platforms that underpin these services. It ranks 20 mobile money services and 16 mobile money technology platform providers based on capability, market reach and strategic positioning. These assessments aim to provide stakeholders with a clearer picture of competitive dynamics in the mobile money landscape.
In addition to user numbers and financial flows, the report’s dataset covers segmentation by transaction type and region, allowing for more granular analysis of trends such as domestic peer-to-peer transfers, government-to-person (G2P) disbursements, remittances and merchant payment activity.
Juniper Research positions these forecasts as a resource for mobile money service operators, technology vendors, financial institutions and other stakeholders seeking to understand opportunities and challenges in sustaining growth and expanding service offerings in emerging markets.
