Nearly Half a Trillion Dollars Sent by Consumers and Businesses with Zelle® in 2021

Nearly Half a Trillion Dollars Sent by Consumers and Businesses with Zelle® in 2021

Scottsdale, AZ, February 2, 2022

  • Year-over-year Growth: Sent payment values increased by 59%, while transaction volumes increased by 49%
  • Business Payments Emerge as Key Use Case: Companies adopt Zelle® in 2021 for various use cases; 162% year-over-year increase in payments received by small businesses.
  • Market Leader: Total payments value double those of closest P2P competitor, according to Aite-Novarica Group.

Consumers and businesses sent 1.8 billion payments through the Zelle Network® during 2021, an increase of 49% from a year earlier, Early Warning Services, LLC, the network operator behind Zelle®, announced today. Those payments totaled $490 billion, up 59%.

“Our growth in 2021 shows how consumers and businesses are increasingly turning to their banking app and Zelle® for the moments that matter – where trust, ease, and speed are of the utmost importance,” said Al Ko, Chief Executive Officer at Early Warning. “We’re proud to be a leader in the market. In 2022, we commit to doing more to continue to help make Zelle® fast, easy and safe for consumers to send and receive money while also helping businesses improve their cash flows and secure their digital payment experiences.”

Transaction Volumes, Across Businesses Large and Small, Continue to Grow Rapidly 

Businesses, including property managers, contractors, and health and beauty providers, relied on Zelle® for sending and receiving money throughout the year. In 2021, payments received by small businesses increased 162% over the previous year’s totals. Fortune 500 companies, universities, and national non-profits also turned to Zelle® when disbursing funds to the public as a fast and safe alternative to sending checks.

“Since its launch in 2017, Zelle® has rapidly grown to become the largest U.S. P2P payments network by total payments value sent, with payment flows that are now twice the size of the next largest standalone competitor,” said Talie Baker, Strategic Advisor with Aite-Novarica’s Retail Banking & Payments practice. “While the market has seen tremendous growth, Zelle® is leading the way in total payment value and in record time. A testament that if financial institutions build it, they will come.”

Today, consumers of nearly 10,000 financial institutions—an increase of 3,000 financial institutions within the past year—participate in the Zelle Network®, whether accessing Zelle® through their financial institution’s mobile banking app or enrolling their debit cards in the Zelle® app.

Consumers should only use Zelle® to send and receive money with friends, family, and businesses they know and trust.

About Zelle®

Brought to you by Early Warning Services, LLC, an innovator in payment and risk management solutions, Zelle® makes it fast, safe, and easy for money to move. The Zelle Network® connects financial institutions of all sizes, enabling consumers and businesses to send fast digital payments to people and businesses they know and trust with a bank account in the U.S. Funds are available directly in bank accounts generally within minutes when the recipient is already enrolled with Zelle®. To learn more about Zelle® and its participating financial institutions, visit www.zellepay.com.

About Early Warning Services, LLC

Early Warning Services, LLC is a fintech company owned by seven of the country's largest banks. For almost three decades, our identity, authentication, and payment solutions have been empowering financial institutions to make confident decisions, enable payments and mitigate fraud. Today, Early Warning is best known as the owner and operator of the Zelle Network®, a financial services network focused on transforming payment experiences. The combination of Early Warning's risk and payment solutions enables the financial services industry to move money fast, safe, and easy, so that people can live their best financial lives. To learn more about Early Warning, visit www.earlywarning.com 

# # #