Local Payments
Global checkout still has a local accent

No such thing as one global checkout. From cash and local cards to eWallets and BNPL, these markets are ahead in finding new ways to pay online.

Online commerce may cross borders, but when it comes to paying, people tend to stick with what they know. A consumer can shop on an international platform, subscribe to a global service, or buy from a brand thousands of miles away, but when they get to checkout, they’ll choose the payment method they use at home.

A global brand can look exactly the same in ten countries, right up until the moment someone reaches the checkout. That’s when you really start to see local habits, especially across emerging markets. Across these countries, local cards, account-to-account payments, real-time payments, eWallets, mobile money and other payment methods all play a role.
John O’BrienJohn O’BrienCRO at dLocal

Speaking that local payment language is essential. In fact, 71% of retail consumers surveyed across seven emerging markets said they’d be unlikely to buy from a site that didn’t accept their local currency or alternative payment methods they use.

71%
of retail shoppers would think twice about buying without local currency or their preferred payment methodsSource: dLocal’s retail survey, 2026

There’s no single way markets of the future pay. Brazil has Pix. India has UPI. Türkiye increasingly checks out with TROY. Southeast Asia has its growing network of eWallets, and mobile money is still essential across many African markets. Even countries next door to each other can have very different payment habits.

What works in Argentina might not work in Brazil, or Indonesia in the Philippines. Even neighboring markets can pay very differently.

Interconnectivity

Borders are getting thinner

A payment method can feel completely natural at home and suddenly become unfamiliar and unusable the moment we cross a border. But that’s starting to change, local payment systems are increasingly connecting across markets, meaning the bank transfer, QR payments, eWallets or local cards people use at home can travel with them.

India’s UPI and RuPay are expanding beyond their home market, QR payment systems across Southeast Asia are becoming more connected, and initiatives such as Nexus and PAPSS are linking domestic payment systems across borders, giving travelers a familiar way to pay abroad.