Mobile Wallet Adoption Transforms Payments Across Ireland

06 November 2026

The rise of mobile wallets is rapidly changing how people pay in Ireland, pushing the country toward faster, more digital payments - and online casinos are taking notice.

Data from the country's regulator shows that mobile wallet adoption has risen sharply, with the highest usage seen in younger demographics. So how is this transforming daily life in Ireland and the digital services that cater to it?

Mobile Wallet Adoption Rose Across Ireland, But Not Evenly

Mobile wallet adoption grew by between 12.7 and 16.0 percentage points between 2022 and 2024, according to Central Bank of Ireland data published in November. Growth was both broad and uneven: the highest-adopting county - measured by the share of mobile wallet payments in that county's total payments - saw its adoption jump from 26.2% to 42.2% over that period. In contrast, the slowest-growing county increased from 7.4% to 19.2%.

The gap between the fastest- and slowest-growing counties narrowed slightly, from 18.8 points to 16.5 - but this didn't change the correlation between youth and mobile adoption. The Central Bank found that the correlation between county-level mobile wallet adoption and the share of residents aged 15 to 34 was +0.73 in 2024. In other words, adoption rose across all counties - but followed the familiar pattern of younger users leading the way.

Mobile Wallets Now Account for Half of Irish Contactless Payments

The Central Bank's figures confirm the assessment of the Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) a year earlier, which noted mobile wallets were driving Ireland's shift to digital payments. The BPFI reported mobile wallets accounted for 58.2% of contactless payments in Ireland in the first half of 2024, up six points in a year.

A few months later, the BPFI recorded 178 mobile wallet payments per capita in Ireland, up 20% from 150 payments a year earlier.

These figures mirror the growing share of mobile wallet payments in total contactless card transactions, as tracked by the Central Bank. The regulator reported that mobile wallet payments made up nearly half of all contactless card payments nationwide as of March 2023. At the time, the Central Bank cautioned that Ireland's mobile wallet transition "can be considered to be in [the] early stages".

But the data made clear that the country was undergoing a digital payments shift - requiring adaptation from banks and payment providers.

Mobile Wallets Mean More Digital Payments - Including for Online Casinos?

Faster, smoother digital payments are also on the roadmap for Ireland's online casinos. "We see contactless payment and mobile wallet adoption as an enabler for our business," says NitroGen Group CEO María Crean, referencing recent discussions with Irish online casino operators. "Transaction speed is crucial - especially in online experiences where checkout friction exists - and this technology can differentiate us."

NitroGen is one of Europe's largest B2B sportsbook and casino providers, serving clients across Europe with market-leading products. Crean points to growth in markets like Ireland and Greece as driving its expansion.

"But that means we need to align with payment preferences in those markets, especially on mobile, or it creates obstacles."

While most European online casinos process card transactions through terminals, an increasing number now offer mobile options. However, only a few currently support mobile wallets.

Open Banking Challenges Limit Account-to-Account Payments in Ireland

While mobile wallets are drawing consumers from cash and cards, the technology's growth hasn't yet spurred broader payments innovation. "We have the basics for faster payments, but lack integration with core banking systems," says Nicky Dinanzo, co-founder of payments provider Banktech. "This means few Irish banks offer account-to-account payments - when open banking should be standard."

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Over 100 countries are developing open banking regulations, according to the World Bank. In the UK, features like pay-by-bank verification and instant interbank payments have been common for years. But both remain underdeveloped in Ireland.

The Central Bank noted that while instant payment infrastructure has existed in Ireland since 2017, "major payment providers have not fully adopted it". For open banking, the Central Bank attributed slow progress to regulatory challenges.

The BPFI's Capability Level Framework, which assesses payments standards compliance, gave Ireland a rating of 1.02 - where 1 means meeting minimum requirements. This places Ireland behind France (2.86), Belgium (2.70) and Spain, though ahead of some other European markets.

While some instant payment solutions like SEPA Instant Credit Transfer have emerged, Ireland's payments governance still creates barriers for fintech innovators. "Open banking should reduce friction, but these challenges persist in Ireland," says Dinanzo.

Banks, Wallets and Cash

NitroGen's Crean notes that players rarely reach cash-out points on mobile. While she wouldn't share specific figures, she acknowledges this friction as a checkout obstacle needing resolution. "If a customer sets a preferred payment method then encounters issues, it reflects poorly on us."

Mobile wallets now dominate contactless payments and play a major role in Ireland's digital payments landscape. Their growth appears sustained.

Yet cash remains important. "A third of in-person transactions still use cash, according to recent Central Bank data," says Benny Inish, founder of MoneyMatch, a multi-currency wallet service. "This persists despite mobile wallet growth, so cash isn't disappearing."

Inish and Dinanzo note that cash remains common for small transactions, especially in rural areas and some Dublin neighborhoods. Cash provides reliability without requiring internet access or app downloads.

Paper money also retains trust, particularly among older users who may have phased out direct debits. A 2022 study found that families using digital payments were less likely to receive social security payments by mail.

But the overall payments trajectory is toward mobile and digital. For small transactions, this means mobile wallets. With mobile wallets driving half of Ireland's contactless payments, online casinos naturally seek to integrate the technology.

While account-to-account payments and open banking innovation continue developing in Ireland, online casino operators view mobile payment optimization as urgent - especially for tech-savvy users. Local operators see aligning with digital-native payment preferences as critical to serving Ireland's evolving market.