The adoption of digital wallets for e-commerce in Nigeria is expected to double by 2027, significantly increasing its market share

Key takeaways:

  • Digital wallets are the fastest-growing e-commerce payment method in Nigeria, set to double from 11% in 2023 to 22% by 2027.
  • A2A transfers remain the dominant payment method, slightly increasing from 32% to 34%, showing continued reliance on direct bank-to-bank transfers.
  • Cash-on-delivery is becoming less relevant, dropping from 15% in 2023 to just 9% in 2027, signaling a shift away from cash-based transactions.
  • Both debit card and credit card payments are declining, with debit cards dropping from 19% to 16% and credit cards falling from 15% to 12%, suggesting a changing balance in card preferences.
  • Prepaid cards and buy now, pay later (BNPL) solutions remain relatively small players in the Nigerian e-commerce space, with minimal growth.

Nigeria's e-commerce space is changing, with digital wallets expected to emerge as the fastest-growing payment method. In 2023, digital wallets accounted for 11% of all e-commerce transactions, but by 2027, it is projected to double its market share to 22%. This rapid shift reflects changing consumer preferences, increased smartphone penetration, and growing confidence in digital payment solutions. While account-to-account (A2A) transfers still hold the largest share (32% in 2023 and projected to rise slightly to 34% in 2027), digital wallets are experiencing the most significant growth in adoption.
Cash-on-delivery, once a dominant force in Nigeria’s e-commerce sector, is steadily declining. It accounted for 15% of transactions in 2023 but is expected to shrink to just 9% by 2027. This indicates that more consumers are embracing digital-first payment methods over traditional cash transactions. Debit and credit cards also maintain a steady presence, with debit cards slightly decreasing from 19% to 16% and credit cards increasing from 12% to 15%.

Source:

Worldpay Global Payments Report

Period:

2023 and 2027
HTML code to embed chart
Want a bespoke report?
Reach out
Click to copy HTML embed code
Tags
Related Insights
Kenya’s mobile banking fraud in 2024 exposed KES 981.7 billion, leading to losses of KES 810.7 billion
  • Kenya’s total fraud exposure in 2024 hit KES 2.0T, with KES 1.6T actually lost.
  • Mobile banking fraud was the largest contributor, with KES 981.7B exposed and KES 810.7B lost.
  • Mobile banking had an 82.6% loss rate, making it one of the riskiest fraud channels.
  • Computer fraud and internet scams recorded 100% loss rates, showing no funds were recovered.
  • Identity theft saw 97.9% of exposed amounts lost, translating to KES 199.1B.
  • Card fraud had a lower loss rate (59.9%) but still cost banks and customers KES 263.3B.
Kenya's local banks such as Equity Group (17% growth) recorded strong profit growth, while foreign-owned banks struggled
  • Equity Group was the most profitable bank on the list with $268M in H1 2025.
  • KCB followed closely with $250M in profits, supported by 8% YoY growth.
  • I&M Group achieved the fastest growth rate of 36%, despite a smaller base of $63 million.
  • Standard Chartered’s profits fell by 21%, highlighting the struggles of foreign banks.
  • Stanbic Holdings also declined by 9%, contrasting with local banks’ upward trend.
South Africa controlled nearly 70% of Africa's $63.6 billion insurance market as of 2023; Nigeria trailed with only 1.7%
  • South Africa led the continent with a massive 68.2% of Africa’s insurance market, far ahead of all others combined.
  • Morocco (8.7%), Egypt (4.0%), and Kenya (3.6%) were the next largest.
  • Major economies, such as Nigeria (1.7%) and Algeria (1.9%), played surprisingly small roles in insurance penetration.
  • “Others” refers to the rest of Africa, which held just 6.4%, indicating a heavy concentration in a few markets.
Trust in Nigeria’s financial institutions in 2025 hinges on transparency, security and customer experience
  • Majority trust will be moderate to high: 92.6% of Nigerians are expected to have either high (43.9%) or moderate (48.7%) trust in financial institutions by 2025.
  • Transparency is the biggest driver of trust as 46.2% of respondents believe transparent policies and fees will most improve their trust.
  • Security is a rising priority; 30.2% of Nigerians highlight improved security features as a key factor in strengthening confidence in financial institutions.
  • Customer service and regulation still matter as 17% emphasise better customer service and 6.6% stronger regulatory oversight, showing that while oversight has a role, people prioritise fairness, safety, and service.
Mobile banking fraud cases increased by 87.2% to 146, the highest in 2024
  • Total fraud cases in Kenyan banks rose from 173 in 2023 to 353 in 2024.
  • Mobile banking fraud cases jumped by 87.2% to 146, making it the most common fraud type.
  • Online banking fraud recorded the steepest rise, growing by 457.9% to 106 cases.
  • Identity theft increased by 51.4%, reaching 56 reported cases in 2024.
  • Internet scams increased by 28.6%, totalling 9 cases in 2024.
With 146 cases, mobile banking fraud resulted in the highest loss of KES 810.7B
  • Kenya recorded 353 fraud cases in 2024, totalling KES 1.6T in losses.
  • Mobile banking fraud, with 146 cases, was the biggest threat, causing KES 810.7B in losses.
  • Card fraud had only 24 cases but resulted in KES 263.3B lost, showing its high risk. Computer fraud recorded 12 cases, leading to KES 203.4B in damages.
  • Identity theft saw 56 cases, costing banks and customers KES 199.1B.
  • Online banking fraud was the second most frequent (106 cases), but losses were relatively lower at KES 111.8B.
  • Internet scams had the fewest cases (9) but still caused KES 6.1B in losses.
POPULAR TOPICS
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Get periodic updates about the African startup space, access to our reports, among others.
Subscribe Here
Subscription Form
A product of Techpoint Africa. All rights reserved