Small and medium-sized enterprises across Asia Pacific are optimistic about growth but increasingly weighed down by the number of digital tools they now juggle, according to Mastercard‘s inaugural Dreamonomics Report. While 74 percent of APAC SMEs are optimistic about their business’s future, 69 percent say predictability and stability are their top priority, closely tracking the global figure of 68 percent.

The report, based on a 2026 survey of more than 6,000 SMEs across 18 countries, including over 1,000 respondents across Australia, China, India and Indonesia, found that APAC SMEs already use five business tools on average. Ninety-four percent want to adopt at least one more, compared with 89 percent globally, yet 74 percent say tools that work together are critical for day-to-day decision-making.

Payments complexity is part of the problem

The complexity extends to payments. SMEs in the region use four payment methods on average, including electronic bank transfers (59 percent), instant payments (55 percent), debit cards (52 percent) and credit cards (47 percent). Managing multiple accounts and funding sources creates reconciliation lag and blind spots in cash flow, which Mastercard says can eat into time that should go toward growth.

“Businesses don’t think in terms of payment rails or funding sources. They think about paying suppliers, managing cash flow and keeping operations moving,” said Anouska Ladds, executive vice president, Commercial and New Payment Flows, Asia Pacific, Mastercard. “Every business decision today has a financial dimension. SMEs need payment experiences that fit how they actually operate, giving them the flexibility to stay in control of their working capital, pivot faster to change and adapt to new trends and their customers’ needs.”

A pilot in India, and a security gap

To address the integration gap, Mastercard and City Union Bank are piloting Mastercard One Credential in India, the country’s first experience linking multiple eligible consumer and commercial payment relationships to a single primary card, with transactions routed automatically based on preset preferences such as transaction amount or merchant category. India shows particularly strong appetite for flexibility: 63 percent of SMEs there are interested in real-time payments, against 51 percent regionally.

The report also points to a gap between intent and action on security. Seventy percent of APAC SMEs say protecting their business from cyber threats is a high priority, but only 39 percent currently use cybersecurity tools. Fraud and security protection is the AI-powered capability SMEs most want from a financial provider, cited by 47 percent of respondents.