Payment systems in 2019: ATM withdrawals and card payments average approximately EUR 50
Last year just under 250 million payments totalling around EUR 444 billion were settled in payment systems in Slovenia, comparable to previous years. The average payment in card payment systems was around EUR 50 last year, while the average payment in the TARGET2-Slovenija large-value payment system was around EUR 360 thousand. The Bank of Slovenia emphasises that ensuring the smooth functioning and operation of payment systems is one of its key tasks, and it was successful in performing this task in 2019. The statistics cover six payment systems, of which five are operated by private operators; all are under the Bank of Slovenia’s supervision.
Payment systems represent infrastructure for circulating money in the economy, and for transferring and settling money between financial intermediaries. They provide for the reliable flow of money between central banks, commercial banks and other participants in the financial system. At the same time, as part of the financial infrastructure, they represent one of the pillars of a stable and efficient financial system.
Card payment systems
In the card payment systems operated by Bankart and Banka Intesa Sanpaolo, more than 86 million payments were settled in 2019, with a total value of just over EUR 4 billion. The average payment was just under EUR 50.
Card payment systems support the processing of card payments, including cash withdrawals at ATMs, and payments at bricks-and-mortar and online points of sale.
TARGET2-Slovenija payment system
In terms of total value, TARGET2-Slovenija is by far the largest payment system in the country, and is part of the TARGET2 system operated by the Eurosystem. TARGET2-Slovenija accounts for just over 80% of the total value of payments processed in Slovenia’s payment systems, which in 2019 was more than a million payments totalling just under EUR 368 billion. In the words of the Bank of Slovenia, the system processes the equivalent of Slovenia’s GDP every 32 business days. The average payment settled was just under EUR 360 thousand.
The TARGET2 system is primarily designed for urgent payments and large-value payments, namely interbank payments, payments related to monetary policy operations and payments executed within the framework of other systems and financial market infrastructure. In terms of the value of payments settled, the system is one of the largest and most systemically important payment systems in the world.
BIPS and SIMP-PS
The BIPS, which is operated by Bankart, saw more than 130 million credit transfers (e.g. UPO payments via online banks or bank counters) worth a total of EUR 70.6 billion settled last year. The average payment was just over EUR 540.
The BIPS provides for the settlement of domestic credit transfers. These account for approximately half of the total number of payments, the highest share of Slovenia’s payment systems.
Bankart also operates the SIMP-PS, which provides for the settlement of domestic direct debits. The average domestic direct debit payment was almost the same as the average card payment (around EUR 50), but the smaller number of payments means that this system accounts for the lowest share of total payments in Slovenia’s payment systems in terms of total value.
Figure 1: Number and value of transactions in payment systems in Slovenia, 2009 to 2019
Source: Bank of Slovenia Note: The fall in the value of payments in 2015 was primarily technical in nature, owing to a change in how banks draw down intraday loans at the Bank of Slovenia.
Figure 2: Breakdown of number and value of transactions by payment system
Source: Bank of Slovenia