Digital payments in the Netherlands function differently from its European neighbors, as international brands favored the UK or Germany over the Netherlands. This is especially reflected in figures on local account-to-account (A2A) scheme
iDEAL, which processes about as many transactions per month as Poland's BLIK despite the population difference. The country's top banks joined forces in developing the online payment scheme in 2005, also pushing Dutch consumers to use domestic debit cards. Consequently, a brand like
PayPal is not as popular in the Netherlands as it is elsewhere. The Netherlands also ranked as
the fourth-most likely country in the eurozone to use contactless (also called mobile proximity, tap to pay, or NFC) payments, a much higher position than either Germany or Belgium.
Digital payments refer to any form of cashless payment or payments conducted without banknotes or coins in either an online or offline environment. This can include mobile payments (digital payments performed with a mobile device), fintech (such companies tend to be at the forefront of payment digitalization), or relatively young trends like buy now, pay later (BNPL) or cryptocurrency. Out of all these cashless options, which developments are noteworthy to know about for the Netherlands?