Ripple Survey Suggests Latam Merchants Will Adopt Crypto Payments Massively After Three Years

Latam merchants will be slower in adopting cryptocurrency payments compared to merchants in other regions, according to the latest payments survey conducted by Ripple and the Faster Payments Council. The survey, which polled close to 300 payment leaders at a worldwide level, suggests that massive crypto adoption for payments will solidify in three years.

The latest crypto payments study conducted by Ripple and the Faster Payments Council, a U.S. membership-based organization, shows that Latam merchants will take more time to implement cryptocurrency-based solutions when compared to other regions. The paper, which seeks to understand and measure the impact that cryptocurrency will have on the payments arena in the future, shows that other regions will have the edge in the area even with Latam’s difficulties regarding inflation and fiat currency devaluation.

Of the almost 300 payment institutions consulted in the poll, 67% believe that the boom in cryptocurrency payment adoption in Latam will occur more than three years from now. Comparatively, when dealing with regions like Africa, the poll shows that more than 80% of these leaders believe that more than 50% of the merchants will adopt crypto payments in less than three years from now.

Latam falls behind other regions like Europe and APAC, which also enjoy more favorable predictions for the massive implementation of cryptocurrency payments.

The survey presents a favorable panorama for crypto payments, viewed by leaders in the industry as a way of complementing the legacy payments system. The new blockchain-based system presents several advantages, including reduced process complexity, lower costs, and enhanced transparency, according to the report.

One of the biggest improvements of the new crypto-based payments system is said to reside in the ability to make cross-border settlements cheaper and easier. Juniper Payments, one of the members of the Faster Payment Council, estimated that institutions would save $10 billion by 2030 by using the alternative crypto system to settle payments.

In fact, this is one of the biggest advantages reported as key to the adoption of crypto for payments. Almost 70% of the institutions polled answered that the lower cost of the payment was the largest benefit of using blockchain tech for payments.

Digital adoption for payments is already growing in countries like Argentina, where QR payments, which can also involve cryptocurrency transactions, are breaking records in their utilization.

What do you think about the adoption of crypto payments in Latam? Tell us in the comments section below.