Smart Card Shipments to Reach 8.46 Billion by 2030 as eSIM Transition Reshapes SIM and New Issuance Strategies Redefine the Payment Card Markets

Inventory correction, eSIM adoption, and changing card issuance strategies are redefining growth opportunities across smart cards, secure ICs, payments, and government ID

NEW YORK, June 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global smart card shipments totaled 8.32 billion in 2025 and will rise modestly to 8.46 billion by 2030, underscoring how maturity, digitization, and shifting issuance models are constraining volume growth across the market. According to global technology intelligence firm ABI Research, the industry is entering a period in which vendors must focus less on scale alone and more on managing transition, protecting margins, and targeting higher-value opportunities. ‌

“The smart card market is no longer defined by broad-based expansion, but by how effectively vendors adapt to structural change,” said Phil Sealy, Research Director at ABI Research. “The transition from removable SIM to eSIM, the extension of payment card expiry periods, is expected to reduce traditional replacement volumes, forcing suppliers to rethink where future value will come from.” ‌

ABI Research found that overall, SIM card shipments reached 4.08 billion in 2025, with eSIM device shipments accounting for 523.6 million, or 12.8% of total shipments, rising to just under 1.1 billion by 2030 and nearly 27% penetration. At the same time, EMV payment card shipments fell to 2.94 billion in 2025, down 3.5% year over year, as elevated inventory levels and emerging reissuance strategies weighed on demand, while government ID smart card shipments climbed nearly 650 million units, up 5% year over year. ‌

The report also highlights a major shift in the secure IC market, where embedded secure ICs continue to gain share even as traditional smart card IC demand remained pressured by prolonged inventory correction. In 1H 2025, NXP, STMicroelectronics, Infineon and Samsung held a combined secure IC revenue market share (comprising of secure IC’s used within traditional smart cards, alongside embedded variants) of 74%, reflecting how market leadership is increasingly tied to scale, portfolio breadth, and the ability to support both traditional and embedded security deployments. ‌

“Vendors that succeed over the next five years will be those that can navigate low single digit shipment growth with disciplined market selection and stronger value-added positioning,” Sealy said. “That means aligning with eSIM enablement, hybrid physical-digital ID programs, embedded security demand, and niche higher-ASP opportunities rather than competing purely on commodity card volumes.” ‌

These findings are from ABI Research’s Smart Card and Secure IC Technologies Market Data Overview: 2Q 2026 market data report, part of the company’s Trusted Device Solutions research service, which includes research, data, and ABI Insights. 

About ABI Research

ABI Research is a global technology intelligence firm uniquely positioned at the intersection of technology solution providers and end-market companies. We serve as the bridge that seamlessly connects these two segments by providing exclusive research and expert guidance to drive successful technology implementations and deliver strategies proven to attract and retain customers.

ABI Research是一家全球性的技术情报公司，拥有得天独厚的优势，充当终端市场公司和技术解决方案提供商之间的桥梁，通过提供独家研究和专业性指导，推动成功的技术实施和提供经证明可吸引和留住客户的战略，无缝连接这两大主体。

For more information about ABI Research’s services, contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific, or visit www.abiresearch.com.

Contact Info:

Global
Jason Scheer
Tel: +1.516.624.2558
pr@abiresearch.com

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