Digital wallets are now the transactional platform of choice. A Worldpay study projected that by 2030, digital wallets will be used in 44% of all U.S. e-commerce and 26% of in-store transactions. At the same time, value moved via digital wallets continues to climb, amounting to $10.6 trillion in 2025, a 14% increase over the previous year.
Strategic Advantages of Top-of-Wallet Status
With numbers like these, community banks must chase top-of-wallet status to enjoy these benefits:
Increasing interchange revenue through digital wallets
Top-of-wallet status leads to higher card spending. A PYMNTS study revealed a consumer’s primary card has a 58% higher monthly spend than a secondary card. And because digital wallet transactions are contactless and tokenized, they lead to an interchange lift.
Improved fraud prevention and security
According to the Association for Financial Professionals’ (AFP) 2026 Payments Fraud and Control Survey Report, mobile wallets are one of the least-likely payment types to experience fraud (2%), making them “comparatively infrequent targets.” Tokenization also supports reduced fraud and lower dispute costs.
Faster activation
Because cards used in a digital wallet can be provisioned instantly, they have immediate activation, creating a real-time offering that also decreases issuance costs.
Enhancing bank customer experience
Digital wallets reduce friction, creating a more streamlined customer experience. At the same time, they deepen engagement and retention through new daily customer touchpoints.
Securing competitive positioning against regional banks
Regional banks and fintechs will be vying for top-of-wallet status, and with a digital wallet focus, you demonstrate that you offer both the technology and relationships to drive modern payments.
ICBA resources
For more information on how to maximize your digital card offerings, reach out to the ICBA Payments team or visit icba.org/payments
To reap these benefits, you need only to take small steps to drive adoption. For instance, incorporate “Add to Wallet” as a call to action in your mobile app and post-issuance emails to support your customers in integrating their cards. Or consider launching an in-branch campaign using QR codes to help your customers easily merge your card into their wallet of choice. Or, finally, offer a small ($5 to $10) statement credit for the first digital wallet transaction to drive wallet use. These and other small shifts will help empower your customers to use your card in their digital wallets, a game changer in today’s landscape.
As digital wallet use continues to climb, adoption will take your card from a standard-issue piece of plastic to a robust digital payments enabler. For your benefit and your customers’, now’s the time to do everything in your power so your card lands at the top.