01.07.2025.

Expanding payment card usage and acceptance network in Q1 2025

At end-Q1 2025, there were 7.8 million users registered for the payment card issuance service in the Republic of Serbia. The number of issued payment cards reached 12.4 million, up by 6.3% or 736 thousand cards y-o-y.

The number of payments in the Serbian acceptance network also increased. In Q1 2025, 175.7 million payment card purchases were made in domestic stores, of which 164.4 million (93.6%)  using cards issued by domestic payment service providers and 11.3 million (6.4%) by foreign tourists. Y-o-y, the number of payment card purchases by Serbian nationals and foreign tourists went up by a total of 15.9%.

At end-Q1 2025, Serbian merchants had over 170 thousand POS terminals, up by 21.2% from end-Q1 2024. The network of ATMs, where private individuals can withdraw money and access other services, continued to expand. At end-March, the number of ATMs increased by 3,219 or 4.2% relative to the same period a year before.

A graphic overview of data on the provision of payment services and e-money issuance in Q1 2025 is available at: NBS website, section for payment system statistics.

Payment System Department