In recent years, the payments sector has undergone profound transformation. Consumers and businesses no longer want to wait a day or two for transfers to clear. Digitisation has raised expectations, making immediacy the norm.
Instant payments are the answer to this demand, enabling money transfers to be processed in under 10 seconds, and available 24/7, 365 days a year. This shift is reshaping the payment ecosystem, making speed and availability as important as security and trust.
The adoption of instant payments is evident worldwide, with different regions advancing at different speeds.
- In 2024 alone, Brazil's PIX, a real-time instant payment system launched by the country's central bank, processed 64 billion transactions. By the end of 2027, PIX is projected to surpass credit cards in Brazil, capturing 51% of the market.
- Mexico processed 5.3 billion real-time payments through its SPEI infrastructure in 2024.
- Spain has become one of the European leaders in the adoption of instant payments, which represented 56% of all transfers made in the country in 2024.
Bizum: a catalyst for instant payments in Spain
Launched in 2016, Bizum was a joint initiative by Spanish banks in response to the demand for real-time money transfers between individuals. The concept was simple yet powerful: users could send and receive money using only a mobile number, eliminating the need for an IBAN or any other bank details.
In just a few years, Bizum has evolved from emerging technology to social standard. It has influenced everyday language – 'Send me a Bizum' is a phrase that didn’t exist just a few years ago, but is now widely used. We can now send money, split expenses, make donations and shop online in seconds, without even thinking about it.
Bizum's success lies in the user experience:
- Simplicity: just select a contact from your address book and send the money.
- Speed: the recipient receives the funds in seconds.
- Availability: just select it works 24 hours a day, including weekends and bank holidays.
Bizum's growth has been spectacular. In the first nine months of this year, it reached 30 million active users and processed 900 million transactions. These figures confirm that Bizum is not only the most successful instant payment system in Spain, but also one of the most widespread in Europe. More than 90% of Spanish accounts are able to send and receive instant transfers.
From mobile to in-store: Getnet is partnering with Bizum to take the next step.
Although Bizum was initially developed as a person-to-person (P2P) payment method, it has evolved into a much broader ecosystem:
- eCommerce: today, thousands of online stores allow customers to pay using their mobile number and Bizum password, offering a fast and secure process.
- Payments to the government: the Tax Agency and public bodies already accept Bizum for certain procedures and fee payments.
- Physical commerce: Bizum is now being trialled at POS terminals, paving the way for mobile payments in physical shops without the need for a digital card.
Getnet is currently testing Bizum payments at its own POS terminals with the aim of providing the same experience for in-store payments as online. This functionality is expected to be fully operational by the end of the year, enabling any business with a Getnet card reader to accept Bizum payments in the same way as card or contactless methods.
- For merchants, this means diversifying payment methods, facilitating sales to customers who don’t want to use cards, and improving cash flow by accessing funds instantly.
- For consumers, Bizum offers a simpler alternative, as payments can be made using only a mobile number, so there is no need to carry a digital card.
Arthur Bedel, fintech and payment influencer and Connecting the Dots partner, experienced Bizum payments at Madrid Santander Work Café using Getnet's Get Smart POS terminal.
This transition from digital commerce to physical stores is a significant step in establishing Bizum as a omnichannel payment method in Spain, and Getnet is playing a pivotal role in this process.
