Shifts in household savings, economic growth, leisure travel recovery, and consumer spending on “stuff” vs. “experiences” are in focus as businesses continue to move digital.

Ahead of the pandemic’s second-year milestone, the Mastercard Economics Institute released Economy 2022, a global outlook for the coming year. Based on critical trends, the report reveals how five fundamental factors — savings and spending, supply chains, digital acceleration, travel, and a growing list of economic risks — will continue to shape the global economy.  

Key Findings Include:   

• Travel: Uptick in leisure travel recovery as international travel opens up, with medium and long-haul flights to gain ground in 2022. While travel restrictions impacted the slow rate of recovery across the region in 2021, with only a few markets in the Asia Pacific witnessing a rebound in domestic travel – such as Australia, which saw trips returning to nearly 69% of pre-pandemic levels – the view for 2022 is optimistic across the region. 
• Savings & Spending*:Excess savings in the developed economies of Asia Pacific are a source of strength in consumption in 2022 and beyond. A faster scenario for spending excess savings would mean a two percentage point acceleration in consumer spending growth for several markets in 2022, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Korea. Globally, consumer spending of built-up savings could contribute an additional three percentage points to global GDP growth in 2022 as pandemic restrictions ease.
• Digital: 20% of the digital shift in retail stays put – reshaping how and what consumers buy. Ecommerce subscriptions gained traction in 2021 as nearly 88% of countries across 32 markets saw a surge in subscription services compared to the previous year – on average, retail subscription share of total spend increased by a factor of 1.25 from 2020 to 2021 across 6 Asia Pacific markets. Notably, car companies, virtual workout partners, bike rentals and pet services are among a slew of businesses benefitting from this model.  
• Supply Chains: Household spending on services in Asia is expected to accelerate while goods demand also stays robust in 2022. Whilst supply chain disruptions continue to linger on, prolonging high logistics costs and a surge in global commodity prices, exports remain a major positive factor for the region.  
• Risks: Risks remain with the potential to disrupt the global economy. New COVID variants like Omicron pose the biggest immediate risk, however, there are identified additional risks that have the potential to derail the recovery, including a sharp recalibration of housing prices, a surge in oil prices, and fiscal cliffs in advanced economies. 

“Although the past year remained shrouded in uncertainty, we are optimistic about the year ahead, and expect 2022 to be the year of travel recovery for Asia,” said David Mann, Chief Economist, Mastercard AP & MEA. “Whilst the recovery trend across the region may be non-linear, we anticipate pent-up demand and savings will finally be released by consumers, evidenced by the recovery of ‘out-and-about’ categories such as apparel and beauty. The continued strength in e-commerce and pandemic categories such as home improvements and hobbies will also be bolstered by a steady rise in the subscription economy, painting a positive picture despite the lingering threats of new variants, inflation and supply chain disruption.”  

*Methodology
The Mastercard Economics Institute draws on aggregated and anonymized sales activity in the Mastercard network among other sources to develop a measure of the quantity and prices of goods vs services consumed for economies throughout the world.  

You can view the full Economy 2022 outlook here. This is the third outlook report from the Economics Institute; other reports can be found here.   

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Disclaimer
This presentation and content are intended solely as a research tool for informational purposes and not as investment advice or recommendations for any particular action or investment and should not be relied upon, in whole or in part, as the basis for decision-making or investment purposes. This presentation and content are not guaranteed as to accuracy and are provided on an "as is" basis to authorized users, who review and use this information at their own risk. This presentation and content, including estimated economic forecasts, simulations or scenarios from the Mastercard Economics Institute, do not in any way reflect expectations for (or actual) Mastercard operational or financial performance.

About Mastercard Economics Institute
Mastercard Economics Institute launched in 2020 to analyze macroeconomic trends through the lens of the consumer. A team of economists, analysts and data scientists draws on Mastercard insights - including Mastercard SpendingPulse™ - and third-party data to deliver regular reporting on economic issues for key customers, partners and policymakers. 

About Mastercard (NYSE:MA)
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.