FICO Survey: UK Consumers Trail Europeans in Real-Time Payments

An international survey highlights that UK real-time payments adoption is lagging compared to other European countries. Despite growing usage, the UK trails behind nations like Sweden and Germany in sending real-time payments (RTP). From global analytics software leader FICO suggests that UK consumers are behind other European markets. Of the five surveyed countries in EMEA, the UK had the smallest number of consumers who had sent an RTP. 

Key Findings:

• 79% of UK consumers have sent RTP, compared with 94% in Sweden and 83% in Germany
• 35% of UK consumers consider RTP to be more secure than a credit card, compared to the global average of 51%
• Only 25% of Dutch consumers consider RTP to be more secure than a credit card; 28% of Germans, 29% of Swedish consumers and 40% of Spanish shoppers

More information: https://www.fico.com/en/latest-thinking/ebook/2024-scams-impact-survey-uk

At 79%, while representing the majority, RTP usage in the UK is not up to the high usage levels in Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. “This highlights the need for UK banks to focus on building confidence in the security of the payment method,” said James Roche, principal fraud consultant for FICO in EMEA. “Nearly a quarter of Brits (23%) say they do not know if RTP processes include enough security checks.” Security concerns remain a major barrier to increased UK real-time payments adoption, as many consumers doubt RTP’s safety.

FICO’s survey of 12,000 individuals across 14 countries revealed that only 35% of UK consumers consider RTP to be more secure than a credit card, well below the global average of 51%. This may reflect consumers’ awareness of scam losses, which UK Finance recently reported exceeded £450 million in 2024.

“Our research suggests that consumers are very wary, given the high rate of authorised push payment fraud and the potential for losses,” commented Roche. “It’s imperative for banks to communicate risks and warnings to their customers while providing a strong scam defence.

“Banks that use scam protection technology will put themselves and their customers in the best position to protect their finances,” Roche added. “Additionally, they need to be flexible and customer-focused in their use of communication channels. As RTP usage continues to grow, consumers will expect their banks to equip them with the tools, education, and automated fail-safes to help prevent scam losses.”