Commentary on payment statistics

2024 H1

Numbers of cards and accepting devices

The total number of cards (irrespective of their number of functions) and the number of payment terminals again recorded year-on-year growth in 2024 H1. The number of ATMs has long been slightly above 5,000.

The total number of cards (irrespective of their number of functions) issued by Czech banks and foreign bank branches operating in the Czech Republic rose, reaching almost 15.2 million at the end of 2024 H1. Of this number, 13.9 million were debit cards. The number of credit cards decreased by 92,000 to 1.2 million.

The number of ATMs operated by Czech banks edged down to 5,100 compared with the end of 2021. Of this total number, 96% were ATMs with a cash withdrawal function in 2024 H1. These data exclude institutions not authorised to provide payment services which operate ATMs in the Czech Republic (this is because ATM operation per se is not a payment service).

The number of point-of-sale (POS) terminals issued by a Czech acquirer rose to 266,000 at the end of 2024 H1 compared with 2023 H2. However, these data include terminals operated by Czech entities abroad.

Chart 1: Total number of cards (irrespective of their number of functions) (in millions) and number of ATMs (in units) 

Chart 1: Number of ATMs and number of cards with a payment function

Source: ARAD data series system

Numbers of payments by payment service type

The numbers of most types of outgoing payments increase regularly. The number of direct debits also increased, reaching 39.3 million in 2024 H1.

The number of credit transfers has exceeded 300 million in each quarter since 2022 Q1. At the end of 2024 Q2, it amounted to almost 400 million. Within credit transfers, the number of credit transfers initiated in a file/batch exceeds 100 million in each half-year. Credit transfers initiated on a single payment basis are increasing and reached 565 million in 2024 H1.

The number of payments using cards issued by resident payment service providers is rising and exceeded 1.4 billion in 2024 H1. The figure for 2023 as a whole was almost 2.6 billion. Of the total number of payment card transactions, almost 95% were conducted using debit cards.

Chart 2: Number of credit transfers and number of card payments (in millions)

Chart 2: Number of credit transfers and number of card payments

Source: ARAD data series system

Payment values by payment service type

The value of credit transfers increased year on year. The values of payments using cards issued by resident payment institutions also increased.

The value of credit transfers rose to CZK 143 trillion year on year in 2023 and exceeded CZK 82 trillion in 2024 H1. The value of direct debits fell slightly in 2024 H1 compared with 2023 H2, reaching CZK 182 billion.

The value of payments using cards issued by resident banks and foreign bank branches (except cards with an e-money function only) stood at CZK 837 billion in 2024 H1, of which the value of debit card payments was CZK 780 billion. The value of credit card payments amounted to almost CZK 56 billion.

Chart 3: Value of debit and credit card payments (in CZK billions)

Chart 3: Value of debit and credit card payments

Source: ARAD data series system

Numbers of over-the-counter transactions and by type of accepting device

The number of transactions at terminals provided by residents using cards issued by residents increased between 2023 H2 and 2024 H1. The number of transactions at terminals provided by residents using cards issued by non-residents recorded a slight decline between these two half-years. The number of over‑the‑counter cash withdrawals decreased in 2024 H1 compared with the previous half-year, as did deposits.

The number of transactions at accepting devices provided by residents using cards issued by residents increased from 1.5 billion in 2022 and to 1.7 billion in 2023. Almost 915 million transactions were recorded in 2024 H1. Of this number, ATM withdrawals were flat at 139 million between 2022 and 2023. In 2024 H1, they reached almost 67 million. The number of transactions at accepting devices provided by residents using cards issued by non-residents, which were mainly payments by foreign visitors, rose to 146 million between 2022 and 2023 and reached almost 78 million in 2024 H1. By contrast, the number of transactions using cards issued by residents at accepting devices provided by non-residents (comprising both ATM and POS transactions) went up by 103 million year on year to 446 million in 2023 and reached 239 million in 2024 H1. The number of over-the-counter cash deposits totalled 13 million in 2024 H1 and the number of over-the-counter cash withdrawals exceeded 2 million in the same period.

Values of over-the-counter transactions and by type of accepting device

The total value of cash withdrawals from ATMs (irrespective of whether the card or ATM was provided by a resident) decreased between 2023 H2 and 2024 H1, as did the value of transactions at accepting devices provided by residents using cards issued by non-residents.

The total value of transactions at accepting devices provided by residents using cards issued by residents increased to 2.1 trillion in 2023, reaching almost 1.1 trillion in 2024 H1. ATM withdrawals made up CZK 834 billion of this amount in 2023. This was CZK 26 billion more than in 2022. The figure for 2024 H1 was almost 405 million. ATM deposits (except e-money transactions) accounted for CZK 489 billion in 2023 and CZK 253 billion in 2024 H1. POS transactions totalled CZK 809 billion in 2023. In 2024 H1, they reached CZK 410 billion, down by CZK 14 billion compared with the previous half-year.

The value of transactions at accepting devices provided by residents using cards issued by non-residents increased year on year from CZK 103 billion in 2022 to CZK 136 billion in 2023, reaching almost CZK 78 billion in 2024 H1. The value of transactions at accepting devices provided by non-residents using cards issued by residents also rose year on year, to CZK 253 billion in 2023 and almost CZK 127 billion in 2024 H1. ATM cash withdrawals made up CZK 19 billion of this amount in 2023 and almost CZK 10 billion in 2024 H1.

The value of over-the-counter cash withdrawals continues to decline, reaching CZK 142 billion in 2024 H1. It decreased by CZK 27 billion compared to 2023 H2. The value of over-the-counter cash deposits fell from CZK 663 billion in 2022 to CZK 595 billion in 2023. It continued to decline in 2024 H1, reaching CZK 218 billion.

Chart 4: Value of ATM cash withdrawals (residents using a resident card) (in CZK billions)

Chart 4: Value of ATM cash withdrawals (residents using a resident card)

Source: ARAD data series system

Notes: