Only 2 in 5 small businesses use instant payments for refunds

Global Payments says gig pay usage reaches 63% amongst APAC businesses.

Small businesses in Asia-Pacific (APAC) said they mainly use instant payments for customer refunds more than cross-border payments.

According to Global Payments’ 2026 Commerce and Payment Trends Report, 83% of APAC businesses said they use customer refunds more than gig pay (63%) and cross-border payments (43%).

Usage patterns differ by region. Over half of those in Europe use instant payments mainly for contractor or gig worker payments.

This compares with 42% in North America and 28% in Latin America.

“Merchants are probably a little bit tighter on cash. Or for the big merchants, they just like to be able to have the money for float.

They want to invest their funds, or they just want it faster,” Laura Wallace, Executive Vice President and head fo Client Experience and Enablement at Global Payments. “For many SMBs, they have a strong need for cash flow, cash in hand, and they are really interested in anything that improves this,”

Real-time payment systems are now operating in multiple markets and continue to grow. Amazon Web Services forecasts that the total value of real-time payment transactions will increase by more than 35% annually between 2023 and 2030.

Despite the growth, challenges remain. Migrating from older payment systems can require investment in application programming interfaces and staff training. 

Cross-border transactions are still largely dependent on SWIFT processes and may involve foreign exchange fees.

Industry players say multiple technologies are converging to improve user experience. 

A representative from Mastercard said tools such as tokenisation, biometrics, digital wallets and instant payments are helping create more consistent and secure payment experiences across online and offline channels.