While the Swiss payment market has developed only slowly over the years and cash has been the main means of payment for many, there has been some movement in recent times – partly due to the increasing internationali- zation and digitization of the means of payment market. As a result, new providers are constantly entering the market, competing with innovative cashless offerings for buyers and market shares and softening existing structures. At the same time, the diversity on offer is constantly creating new needs and thus leading to a shift in market conditions, which strengthens the role of the consumer. The extent of the change is difficult to assess at this point in time. Ho- wever, it is becoming increasingly clear that the future of payment will be cashless.For several years, the Swiss Payment Research Cen- tre (SPRC) of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and the Executive School of Management, Tech- nology and Law (ES-HSG) at the University of St. Gallen have been independently looking at issues related to the topic of «payment» from different angles. The increasing dynamics of the market have prompted the ZHAW and the University of St. Gallen to conduct a major joint research project to investigate the payment behaviour of the Swiss population and the underlying motives as well as their de- velopment over time.The annual Swiss payment survey, which combines the consumer perspective with the macroeconomic view, is based on a sample of more than 1000 people aged between 18 and 65 from all three regions of Switzerland.