Commentary on payment statistics

2023 H2

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 2023 H2. The number of ATMs has long been just 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 14.9 million at the end of 2023 H2. Of this number, 13.5 million were debit cards. The number of credit cards dropped by around 80,000 to 1.3 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 2023 H2. 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 254,000 at the end of 2023 H2 compared with H1. 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. After having decreased in 2023 H1, the number of direct debits increased to 38.8 million in 2023 H2.

The number of credit transfers has exceeded 300 million in each quarter since 2022 Q1. At the end of 2023 Q4, it reached 377 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 510 million at the end of 2023 H2.

The number of payments using cards issued by resident payment service providers is rising and reached almost 1.4 billion in 2023 H1. The figure for 2023 as a whole was just under 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 136 trillion year on year in 2023, reaching almost CZK 74 trillion in 2023 H2. The value of direct debits increased in 2023 H2 compared with H1, reaching CZK 194 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 843 billion in 2023 H2, of which the value of debit card payments was CZK 786 billion. The value of credit card payments amounted to CZK 55 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 grew between 2023 H1 and H2. The number of transactions at terminals provided by residents using cards issued by non-residents recorded also an increase between these two half-years. The number of over-the-counter cash withdrawals slightly decreased in2023 in comparison with the previous year’s level in 2022, deposits also grew.

The number of transactions at accepting devices provided by residents using cards issued by residents increased from 1.5 billion in 2022 to 1.7 billion in 2023. A total of 892 million transactions were recorded in 2023 H2. Of this number, ATM withdrawals were flat at 139 million between 2022 and 2023. In 2023 H2, they reached almost 70 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 182 million between 2022 and 2023 and reached almost 103 million in 2023 H2. 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 2023 H2. The number of over-the-counter cash deposits totalled almost 15 million in 2023 H2 and the number of over-the-counter cash withdrawals was almost 3 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) increased regularly, 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 CZK 2.1 trillion in 2023, reaching CZK 1.1 trillion in 2023 H2. ATM withdrawals made up CZK 834 billion of this amount in 2023. This was CZK 26 billion more than in 2022. The figure for 2023 H2 was CZK 427 billion. ATM deposits (except e-money transactions) accounted for CZK 489 billion and POS transactions for CZK 809 billion in 2023. This was CZK 65 billion more than in the previous year.

The value of transactions at accepting devices provided by residents using cards issued by non-residents increased year on year from CZK 127 billion in 2022 to CZK 149 billion in 2023, reaching CZK 84 million in 2023 H2. 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 CZK 137 billion in 2023 H2. Of this number, ATM withdrawals amounted to CZK 19 billion in 2023, up by CZK 2 billion year on year.

The value of over-the-counter cash withdrawals continues to decline, reaching CZK 169 billion in 2023 H2. CZK 52 billion less was therefore withdrawn in this way in 2023 than in 2022. The value of over-the-counter cash deposits dropped from CZK 663 billion in 2022 to CZK 595 billion in 2023.

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: