Discover the most popular payment cards for global businesses and how credit card companies shape spending across regions
Whether you’re operating across borders or optimising local payments, your choice of credit cards can influence costs, customer experiences and operational efficiency. While Visa and Mastercard dominate much of the globe, regional networks and emerging fintech solutions are creating new dynamics for businesses to navigate in 2025.
From travel-centric acceptance patterns in Europe to mobile-first standards in Asia, credit card usage and payment preferences vary widely by region. Understanding these differences is crucial for businesses to build resilient and scalable payment infrastructures that meet the expectations of global customers and partners.
Credit Cards in Europe
General Acceptance & Market Leaders
Credit card acceptance is widespread across Europe, but regional preferences remain nuanced. Visa and Mastercard are the dominant networks, but local schemes like Girocard in Germany and Cartes Bancaires in France also hold a strong market share. In the UK, which has one of the region’s highest payment card adoption rates, businesses leverage cards for both corporate travel and digital commerce, driven by credit card companies’ incentives and purchase protections.
In contrast, Scandinavian countries tend to favour debit over credit, reflecting conservative credit cultures and strong local banking infrastructures. For businesses operating across multiple European markets, these regional preferences highlight the need for adaptable, localised payment strategies.
B2B Considerations for Business Travel & Spend Management
For companies operating across borders, it’s essential to choose payout solutions that minimise fees and simplify reconciliation. Cards with no foreign transaction fees and built-in travel benefits can help you optimise your spend. While consumer travel card perks are well-known, many European banks and global providers offer business-specific credit lines with enhanced analytics and integrations.
Technology & Corporate Payment Trends
Europe leads in chip-and-PIN adoption and continues to pioneer contactless-first experiences. As of 2024, over 85% of in-person card payments in the EU are tap-to-pay enabled. Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) solutions are gaining traction in B2B, offering new credit models to improve cash flow and payment flexibility.
Credit Cards in the Americas
Latin America: Balancing Cash and Digital
Latin America is rapidly digitising, but regional differences remain. In Brazil and Mexico, credit card usage is on the rise, supported by widespread acceptance and increasing consumer trust. Fintechs like Nubank have introduced more accessible credit lines for individuals and small businesses, reducing reliance on cash.
Instalment payment features—particularly common in Argentina and Brazil—allow businesses to offer more flexible purchasing experiences. High payment card fraud rates are pushing many organisations to prioritise secure, tokenised transactions.
Trends & Innovations
Latin America is embracing digital wallets and embedded finance, with businesses increasingly offering branded cards or integrated credit products. Alternative lending platforms and buy now, pay later (BNPL) options are expanding access to credit for businesses, allowing for more flexible working capital strategies than credit card companies typically offer.
Credit Cards in Asia
Market Leaders by Country
Asia’s credit card market is vast and varied. Chinese credit card company UnionPay processes the highest volume globally, supporting both domestic and cross-border payments. Japan’s card usage is centred in urban hubs like Tokyo and Osaka, where consumers and businesses rely on cards for convenience, though cash still plays a role in rural areas.
South Korea ranks among the most credit-heavy nations, with an average 5.9 cards per person and generous government incentives for payment card use. India is seeing fast growth, with over 100 million active credit card users, largely driven by fintech-powered onboarding.
Trends & B2B Innovation
Asia leads in integrated payment ecosystems. Super apps like Alipay and Grab combine credit, lending, and commerce in one experience. Businesses can embed card issuance into their platforms to create new revenue streams and improve loyalty. Across the region, biometric authentication, instant payouts and API-first card issuance are shaping the next wave of B2B payment innovation.
Comparing Popular Credit Card Companies by Region
Challenges & Business Considerations
Regulation, Risk & Compliance
Europe’s PSD2 and the potential for a Digital Euro are reshaping transaction authentication and consumer rights. In the U.S., Fair Credit laws and CFPB oversight shape business liability and fraud response. Asia’s regulatory landscape varies by country, with many markets accelerating the adoption of open banking and API standardisation.
For businesses, staying compliant while scaling globally requires payment partners with built-in regulatory coverage and fraud controls.
Security & Authentication
In 2025, chip-and-PIN remains the gold standard in Europe, while tokenisation and biometric authentication continue to grow in Asia. The U.S. is still catching up but making strides with contactless and EMV adoption. Businesses are adopting 3DS2, tokenisation and dynamic CVV to stay ahead of fraud.
Key Takeaways
A one-size-fits-all payment strategy is not a good fit for global businesses. Being able to manage supplier payouts, optimise online checkouts and understand regional credit card preferences and infrastructure is essential for success.
Visa and Mastercard maintain global dominance while local schemes and fintechs are rapidly evolving how businesses issue, accept and manage credit cards. 2025 is the year to future-proof your strategy with payment infrastructure that’s global in reach, local in execution.
Future-proof your payments strategy. Rapyd can help you go global with direct card acquiring across the UK, Europe, Israel and Singapore, plus hundreds of alternative payment methods.
Accept Cards and Hundreds of Global Payment Methods with Rapyd
Whether you need to accept payments from one country or around the world, Rapyd makes it easy. With cards plus local payment methods, Rapyd localises checkout for your customers and helps bring new customers and more revenue to your growing business.
