Payment methods in Belgium

As the home of the European Union’s HQ, it should come as no surprise that Belgians are open to embracing all things cross-border, and shopping is no different, with 25% of the population buying from overseas websites.

Nevertheless, the Belgian e-commerce market is still at an earlier stage than surrounding countries. Its unique position nestled between the Netherlands and France gives it the distinction of two regions: Flandres (Dutch-speaking) and Wallonia (French-speaking). Interestingly, certain brands and websites have markedly varying popularity between the regions.

One great unifier is Belgium’s local debit payment method, Bancontact. In 2019, 1.6 bn payments were made using this method, both online and in-store. With its connection to 20 of the country’s banks and increasing adoption of its recurring payment solution, we expect to see Bancontact’s popularity sustain.