Video gaming is the world’s fastest-growing e-commerce vertical, EBANX/WDL reports

New EBANX analysis of WDL data shows that emerging markets are driving the next chapter of the gaming vertical

CURITIBA, BRAZIL, August 25, 2026 – Video gaming is the fastest-growing e-commerce vertical in the world, with a compound annual growth rate of 13.3% projected through 2035, going from USD 206.1 billion to USD 633.8 billion. Emerging economies are 42 of the 50 fastest-growing markets in the category. Among countries whose annual spend will exceed USD 500 million by 2035, they take seven of the top ten positions by CAGR: Kenya (25.6%), Turkey (21.3%), Ukraine (20.6%), Ethiopia (20.3%), Pakistan (20.3%), Brazil (19.5%), and Saudi Arabia (18.4%).

The findings come from a new analysis by EBANX, a technology company connecting global businesses to emerging markets through payments, based on data from World Data Lab (WDL). The numbers land in the week of Gamescom, the world’s largest event for computer and video games, which opens in Cologne, Germany, on August 26.

“Rates like these come from arrival, from people making a first purchase, opening a first wallet, paying for something they could not afford previously,” says Estelita Hass, Head of Market Intelligence at EBANX. “That is the moment a relationship begins and loyalty starts to be built, which is why meeting these players on their own terms, with the habits they already have, matters well beyond the first transaction.”

One of those habits is how a player pays. In Brazil, where 60 million adults do not have a credit card according to data from the Central Bank, the instant payment system Pix has become the method local players use most to buy from one of the largest video gaming companies in the world. Another major publisher raised its total revenue in the country by 12% after letting customers pay in installments, which now account for 48% of all its transactions in the Brazilian market.

In Colombia, a global video gaming company saw revenue rise more than 25% and transaction volume 32% after adding Nequi, the most popular digital wallet there, to its checkout. According to Nequi and World Bank data analysed by EBANX, the wallet is used by 62% of adults, nearly three times the share who hold a credit card. Similar cases appear across EBANX's operations in Africa, Southeast Asia and India.

“Low card penetration and the digitalization of these economies through local rails and alternative payment methods have driven massive financial inclusion over the past decade, bringing a whole young generation into digital commerce,” noted Hass. “These are the consumers behind video gaming growth in emerging markets, a profile completely different from what we see in the U.S. and Europe.”

The gamer profile varies across regions

EBANX’s analysis of WDL data shows that consumers under 45 account for 51.6% of the projected increase in video gaming spend across emerging markets. By income, the largest contribution comes from the Core and Lower Middle Classes, at 61.1%.

The weight of each factor varies by region. Africa is where the pattern shows most clearly, with 80.5% of the increase coming from players under 45 and 80.2% from consumers below the upper middle bracket. Southeast Asia sits close behind, at 62.7% and 56.8%. Latin America is at the other end of the range, at 52% and 48.1%, the profile closest to a mature market anywhere in the analysis.

In the United States and Europe, by contrast, the expansion is driven by older consumers at the top of the income distribution. Adults aged 45 and over account for 54.2% of the projected increase in the U.S., and 90.6% of it belongs to the Rich and Upper Middle Class — those spending more than USD 90 a day. Europe shows a similar picture, with the same two groups at 55.6% and 62.9%. The U.S. CAGR sits at 12.6%, from USD 37.1 billion to USD 107.6 billion; Europe's at 13.9%, from USD 27.9 billion to USD 89.9 billion.

“This concentration of growth in the wealthiest income bracket shows the American and European markets are expanding through consumers the industry has held on to for a long time. Renewal is a different job, and it is happening elsewhere, in emerging markets,” said Hass. WDL projects that more than one billion consumers in those countries will join the consumer class by 2036, against 28 million in developed economies.

 ABOUT EBANX
EBANX is the leading payments platform connecting global businesses to the world's fastest-growing digital markets. Founded in 2012 in Brazil, EBANX was built with a mission to expand access to international digital commerce. Leveraging proprietary technology, deep market expertise, and robust infrastructure, EBANX enables global companies to offer hundreds of local payment methods across Latin America, Africa, and Asia. More than just payments, EBANX drives growth, enhances sales, and delivers seamless purchase experiences for businesses and end-users alike.

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