Card payments go up 60% in Romania during pandemic

The number and the value of card payment transactions in Romania increased by 60% in June 2021 compared to June 2019, reflecting the accelerated digitization process in the banking system amid the pandemic, according to an analysis by local organization DreptulLaBanking, based on statistical data from the central bank BNR, quoted by News.ro.

The number of card payment transactions increased by 61% in June 2021 compared to June 2019, to 327 million. The value of card payments also went up by 60%, to RON 41.4 billion. Card payments also increased by 46% compared to June 2020, the data shows.

The total number of cards in circulation in Romania at the end of June 2021 amounted to 19.2 million, 8.5% higher than in June 2019. Of the total, 16.2 million were debit cards, and 2.9 million were credit cards.

Romania thus has approximately one bank card per capita, one of the lowest values ​​in the European Union, due to the preference for cash payments.

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