Zelle® Posts 20% Growth with $1.2 Trillion Sent, Far Outpacing Consumer Spending and Cementing Its Role in the U.S. Economy

NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2025, American consumers and small businesses sent more than $1.2 trillion using Zelle^®, marking the second consecutive trillion-dollar year and delivering 20% year-over-year growth in total dollars sent. That growth occurred at a nearly six-times-faster clip than U.S. consumer spending (3.5%) and business investment (3.2%) in the third quarter of 2025, underscoring the vital role the Zelle plays as a foundational financial tool in the U.S. economy.

Based on publicly reported metrics, Zelle also continued to outpace peers for the second year. In 2025 Zelle did:

• $1.2+ trillion in payments, up 20% year over year
• 4.2 billion total transactions, a 16% increase
• An average of $3.4 billion moved every day
• A record 100 million bank and credit union accounts sent money in December using Zelle – the highest monthly usage to date.

In August 2025, Zelle also shattered its own record, moving more than $9 billion in a single day – a 12% increase over its previous high. To put that in perspective, Americans sent the equivalent of 45 completely sold-out runs of Bruno Mars' 70-show "The Romantic Tour" in just 24 hours. 

"Leadership isn't about buzzwords or flashy launches – it's about reliability and results," said Denise Leonhard, general manager of Zelle. "Zelle is powering America's consumers and small businesses, enabling reliable, large-dollar money movement for essential living expenses in an evolving American economy."

Small Businesses: Less Flash, More Flow

When small businesses choose to transact at scale, it is a clear signal of platform leadership. In 2025, small businesses depended on Zelle, with nearly 30% of all dollars flowing to or from small businesses:

• 647.6 million small-business transactions, up 23.5%
• 7.7 million enrolled small businesses, up 15%
• $357 billion in small-business payments, up 26%

Zelle is helping contractors, childcare providers, landscapers, and other local trusted service providers get paid fast – powering the everyday economic activity that keeps all types of small businesses running.

"End of the month there's a lot of bills due, so cash flow can get really tight for a lot of business owners," said Ernie C., the founder and owner of a wedding ceremony business in Oregon, "It's just really more about knowing that the cash is there and being able to send what I owe out and being able to pay the people that I need to pay in a timely manner, so that just really helps me manage my cash flow with the business."¹

Doing More with Zelle

People aren't just using Zelle more often, they're relying on it for different parts of their everyday financial lives. As shared expenses become more common, Zelle is being used to split and settle larger costs between people who know and trust each other.

While rent, childcare and sharing utility bills remain among the most common uses of Zelle, the most active users are also relying on it to manage other shared costs. Self-reported memo fields from the most active users in Q4 in 2025 reinforce that Zelle is baked into everyday U.S. culture, especially for splitting and reimbursing shared expenses tied to real-world experiences, including:²

• Major events – covering shared costs like renting a bus to a Beyoncé concert, paying back a friend for tickets for Bad Bunny, or paying back the friend who planned the whole trip to the out-of-state football game.
• Music festivals – group expenses for trips to events like Electric Daisy Carnival, Coachella, and Stagecoach, including lodging and rideshares.
• Beauty and self-care services – splitting or reimbursing costs for group appointments like nail services, hair extensions, and eyelash services.
• Casual, social payments – reflected through common emoji use (❤️💅😘🏈🥰) that signal friendly, transactions between friends.

With nine out of 10 surveyed users reporting they feel safe or extremely safe using Zelle, the popular person-to-person payments service is becoming the go-to reliable way people split and settle larger shared expenses with those they trust.³

"I don't know what I would do without [Zelle] at times when I don't know how to make payments, or I am in need or another one of my friends or families in need," said Natasha C., a consumer from Texas. "[Zelle] is always there to make sure that my needs are taken care of."⁴

About Zelle
Zelle^® powers fast, reliable person-to-person digital payments, moving more than $1 trillion between millions of consumer and small business accounts at United States banks and credit unions. Available through a network of more than 2,300 financial institutions, Zelle^® enables people to send and receive money directly – without cash, checks or third-party apps. Zelle^® is owned and operated by Early Warning Services, LLC, which works with America's banks, credit unions and government agencies to drive prosperity, deliver bold innovation and improve how payments are made. Learn more at www.zelle.com.

¹This consumer research was conducted by Accelerant Research in partnership with Early Warning Services, LLC. The data and quotes featured were obtained via Qualitative Interviews (N=12) and Quantitative Surveys (N=12) in January 2026. Participants were compensated for their time.
²Based on limited available and self-reported Q4 2025 memo field data.
³This consumer research was conducted by Accelerant Research in partnership with Early Warning Services, LLC. The data featured was obtained via Quantitative Surveys (N=8234) in 2025. Participants were compensated for their time.
⁴This consumer research was conducted by Accelerant Research in partnership with Early Warning Services, LLC. The data and quotes featured were obtained via Qualitative Interviews (N=12) and Quantitative Surveys (N=12) in January 2026. Participants were compensated for their time.

SOURCE Zelle