2025 Domestic Payment Market Trends: Unattended and Non-Face-to-Face Payments Take the Lead—PG Usage Grows 9.2% Annually
2025 Domestic Payment Market Trends: Unattended and NonFacetoFace Payments Take the Lead The domestic card payment market is undergoing rapid change. ...
2025 Domestic Payment Market Trends: Unattended and Non-Face-to-Face Payments Take the Lead
The domestic card payment market is undergoing rapid change. While the 2025 card authorization amount reached 1,266 trillion won, a 4.7% increase year-over-year, the more noteworthy indicator is PG service usage. Daily average PG usage reached 1,554.2 billion won, a 9.2% increase year-over-year, and daily average transaction count reached 33.64 million transactions, an 11.8% increase, demonstrating the rapid expansion of electronic payments. Notably, the healthcare industry's card authorization growth rate reached 7.8%, ranking first among all industries, signaling a surge in payment demand in high-ticket markets such as hospitals and clinics. As the transition to a cashless society accelerates, how merchants establish their payment systems has become a critical factor determining business competitiveness.
This article was written by Jae-woo Shim, CEO of The KL Link, based on 4 years of sales experience in the payment industry and operational experience running a medical fintech platform specialized in hospital payments.
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Why Unattended and Non-Face-to-Face Payments Have Become the Center of Growth
Unattended and non-face-to-face payments are no longer optional—they are essential. According to market data, daily average PG usage grew from 1,279.3 billion won in 2023 to 1,554.2 billion won in 2025, representing approximately 21.5% growth. This indicates that non-face-to-face payment methods such as QR payments, mobile payments, and recurring payments (billing) have become commonplace alongside the expansion of online shopping. Particularly, consumers who became accustomed to non-face-to-face transactions after COVID-19 continue to prefer this channel, leading businesses to adopt "payment method diversification" as a survival strategy.
Key Points in Expanding Unattended and Non-Face-to-Face Payments:
* PG usage growing 9.2% annually—more than twice the pace of card payments (4.7%)
* Adoption of "smart terminals" rather than simple cash and card collection devices is essential for initial category entry
* Integrated online and offline payment data is necessary for customer return visit marketing
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Healthcare Industry Card Authorization Growth at 7.8%—Hospital and Clinic Markets Become the New Payment Battleground
The 2025 industry-specific card authorization growth statistics send an interesting signal. While wholesale and retail showed 3.7% growth and accommodation and food service showed 2.0% growth, healthcare and social welfare recorded the fastest growth at 7.8%. This statistic is not merely a number but evidence of "how dynamically the hospital and clinic payment market is moving." Hospitals and clinics require completely different payment environments from general retailers, including high-value non-insurance payments, installment payments, and multi-currency payments for foreign patients. Beyond simple payment processing, they require integrated solutions including patient return visit marketing, appointment management, and cash rewards programs.
Why the Healthcare Payment Market Demands Specialized Solutions:
* Average annual transaction volume per hospital reaches approximately 30 billion won—over 10 times higher than general small business owners (hundreds of millions annually)
* Generic PGs cannot process hospital-specific requirements such as EMR (electronic medical record) integration, non-insurance payment classification, and installment management
* Since maximizing patient return visits is key to revenue growth, patient data and payment processing must be integrated
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Cash Transactions Account for 46%—Still Significant Room for Growth Remains
From a global perspective, the growth potential of the domestic payment market becomes clearer. In 2024, the global payment industry revenue reached $2.5 trillion, with annual payment transaction volume reaching $200 quadrillion and annual payment transaction count reaching 3.6 trillion transactions in this massive market, yet cash transactions still account for 46%. This means "over half the world is still awaiting digital transformation." Particularly in the domestic market, while unattended payment has already expanded in major cities, conventional payment systems remain in place in regional towns, medical institutions, and certain industries like hospitality. Each of these segments now requires "customized payment solutions."
Implications from Global Market Changes for the Domestic Market:
* While the global average take rate (commission) is 0.125%, Korea's hospital market can support a higher revenue structure
* Global payment industry revenue projections for 2029 reach $3.0 trillion (4% annual growth), enabling stable market entry
* Amid card fee pressure, revenue diversification is underway through account transfers, digital wallets, and AI-based value-added services
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New Revenue Structure in the Payment Market: From Commissions to Data and AI Services
The global payment industry is experiencing "revenue restructuring." As sustainability from card commissions alone diminishes, leading PG companies support diverse payment methods including account transfers, digital wallets, and QR payments, while restructuring revenue through AI-based value-added services (fraud detection, customer return visit marketing, revenue forecasting). The domestic payment market is following this trend. Generic PGs and VAN providers analyze hospitals superficially and ignore hospitals' unique payment requirements (EMR integration, non-insurance payment classification, installment and foreign patient payments). It is into this gap that "hospital-customized medical fintech" is entering. This is why specialized platforms like The KL Link are building integrated ecosystems connecting payment→CRM→marketing→return visit data.
Key Points in Revenue Structure Transformation:
* Card commissions alone create intensifying margin pressure; value-added service margins become the new primary revenue source
* Payment data collection → AI CRM analysis → customer-customized marketing → improved return visit rates create an essential circular structure
* Hospitals and medical institutions have extremely high patient data value, maximizing the "data lock-in" effect
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Same-Day Settlement, Free Equipment Support—Payment Environment Is Being Redesigned Around Merchants
From merchants' perspectives, "fixed payment costs" had been a serious problem. Card commissions combined with terminal rental fees, monthly management fees, communication costs, and maintenance fees accumulated monthly, with actual burden costs often reaching 2-3 times the displayed commission rate. Among the changes in the 2025 payment market worth noting is the emergence of "new solutions focused on zero merchant burden." Conditions such as free equipment support, no monthly management fees, maintenance fee waiver, and same-day or D+1 settlement options have begun standardizing. This means that in the intensifying payment market competition, differentiation through "commission rate cuts" alone has become impossible, marking the arrival of an era where competition occurs through payment-adjacent value-added services (capital turnover speed, operational convenience, marketing integration).
New Payment Environment Reducing Merchant Burden:
* Free equipment support removes initial entry barriers—small business owners can now adopt unattended payment terminals
* Same-day settlement accelerates capital turnover—increased potential to resolve peak season operational funding challenges
* PC and app revenue dashboards enable real-time transaction tracking—automates integrated accounting management
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Payment Environment Diagnosis → Structure Design → One-Stop Construction: 5-Stage Optimization
The practical process for proper payment solution implementation must be understood:
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Differentiation Between Unattended Payment Terminals and Smart POS—Selection Criteria by Industry and Scale
Payment terminals are not "generic devices." Completely different equipment is needed depending on business type. Wireless mobile terminals (delivery, door-to-door sales, events) prioritize portability and battery life, while wired desktop terminals (small retailers, cafes, hospitals and clinics) prioritize stability and integration functionality. Smart POS (restaurants, marts, franchises) integrates ordering, payment, and sales management, while smart payment terminals (hospitals and clinics, hotels, leisure facilities) support quick payments, QR codes, and advertising screen integration. The 2025 trend represents a shift from "simple payment devices" to "business operation platforms." Specialized vendors like The KL Link reduce merchants' decision-making burden by taking comprehensive responsibility for communication environments (wired, wireless, LTE), software integration, and after-sales management for each terminal.
Key Variables in Optimal Terminal Selection by Industry:
* Hospitals and Clinics: EMR integration essential → Smart payment terminal or dedicated hospital POS system
* Cafes and Academies: Simple installation and low maintenance costs priority → Wired desktop or wireless mobile combination
* Restaurants and Franchises: Order management and inventory integration → Smart POS essential
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: Our current PG service commission is 2%. Is it possible to reduce it to the 0.2% level?
A: According to RAG data, the global average take rate is 0.125%, though analysis suggests the domestic hospital market can support a higher revenue structure (0.2%). However, individual merchant commission reductions vary significantly based on transaction volume scale, industry, creditworthiness, settlement conditions, and cooperative relationship with the PG provider. Rather than simple requests, "3-month settlement statement review + operational environment diagnosis + renegotiation data composition" is essential.
Q2: What is the funding difference between same-day settlement and D+3 settlement?
A: If monthly transaction volume is 15 million won, same-day settlement secures approximately 180 million won in additional annual funding (15 million won × 2 days × 12 months ÷ 365 days ≈ 180 million won). This provides practical assistance with peak season operational funding, raw material purchases, and employee salary advances. Particularly for medical institutions where patient volume fluctuates significantly, the liquidity improvement effect is substantial.
Q3: If we adopt an unattended payment terminal, does the merchant commission burden truly become zero?
A: Free equipment, monthly management fee, and maintenance fee support conditions are "finalized based on partner policies and merchant review results." High-creditworthiness merchants (annual transaction volume of 300 million won or more) can qualify for completely free conditions, but small-scale retailers may maintain some fees. Exact conditions must be confirmed through complimentary diagnostic consultation.
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Conclusion: The 2025 Payment Market Is Transitioning from "Commission Wars" to "Data and Service Wars"
The 2025 domestic payment market trend is clear. PG usage grows twice as fast as card payments, healthcare grows fastest among all industries, and new solutions reducing fixed payment costs are becoming standardized. "How many percentage points can we reduce card commission rates?" is no longer the main competitive focus. Payment data connects to customer return visit marketing, same-day settlement accelerates capital turnover, and integrated dashboards secure operational transparency—"platform-level competition" has begun. Particularly in high-ticket non-insurance markets like hospitals and clinics, meeting customer requirements now demands "specialized payment platforms." For merchants, checking whether the current payment system aligns with a 4.7% growth market or is optimized for the 9.2% growth non-face-to-face payment market has become the first task for 2025 business efficiency.
For consultations on domestic payment market conditions and optimization strategies, contact 010-2397-5734 or jaiwshim@gmail.com. Based on 4 years of payment industry sales experience and hospital payment specialization, The KL Link CEO Jae-woo Shim provides complimentary diagnosis of merchants' payment environments and presents customized solutions.
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Key Comparison Items for Payment Solution Selection
| Item | Commission-Focused PG | Integrated Platform Solution | Considerations |
|------|----------------|-----------------|----------|
| Initial Equipment Cost | Monthly rental 50,000-100,000 won accumulated | Free support | 3-year operation saves 1.8-3.6 million won |
| Settlement Cycle | D+3 (3 days later) | Same-day or D+1 selection | Monthly 20 million won transaction volume creates annual 240 million won funding effect |
| Value-Added Features | Basic payment only | EMR integration, CRM, marketing automation | Hospitals can achieve 50%+ improvement in patient return visit rate |
| Total Fixed Costs | Equipment rental, management fees, communication 200,000-300,000 won monthly | Integrated under 100,000 won monthly fixed cost | Annual additional cost savings 1.2-2.4 million won |
| Data Utilization | Transaction records only | Transaction → customer → sales → return visit analysis | Enables targeted marketing using consumer behavior data |
| Contract Flexibility | 2-3 years mandatory + penalty | 1-year selection + free cancellation | Better adaptability to variables during initial operations |
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