APAC banks fail to satisfy over half of customers on payments

Celent finds 40% of regional respondents unhappy with fraud protection and security.

About 52% of bank customers in Asia-Pacific (APAC) are dissatisfied with payment services, including the speed and reliability of transactions, according to the Celent 2026 Global Consumer Survey.

Security and fraud protection ranked second amongst customer concerns in the region, with 40% reporting dissatisfaction.

Meanwhile, 33% were dissatisfied with the value they received from banking products and services, including fees, interest rates and pricing.

Another 32% cited dissatisfaction with their digital banking experience.

APAC's dissatisfaction with payment services was slightly below the global figure of 53%, but concerns over security and fraud protection were marginally higher than the global rate of 39%.

The survey, conducted from June to July 2026, also found differences in customer experiences across regions.

The Middle East and Africa recorded the highest dissatisfaction with payment services at 55%, followed by Europe at 54%. North America and APAC both recorded 52%, whilst Latin America had the lowest rate at 49%.

In the Middle East and Africa, payment problems were linked to system outages, delays in instant transfers and rising digital payment fraud.

Poor customer support, particularly difficulties reaching staff to resolve complaints, was another source of dissatisfaction.

In Latin America, the rapid adoption of digital payment networks has been accompanied by increased fraud and cybercrime.

Banks have responded with stricter security controls, resulting in higher rejection rates for transactions suspected of fraud.

In Brazil, customers using the widely adopted Pix payment system have faced fraud-related problems and lengthy dispute resolution processes.

In Argentina, volatile inflation has increased demand for faster payments to help consumers preserve their purchasing power.

Celent also found that European customers reported relatively high dissatisfaction with digital banking, at 34%, compared with 32% in APAC and 28% in Latin America.

Across regions, payment reliability, fraud protection and the ability to resolve transaction problems remained key sources of customer dissatisfaction.