Instant payments are rapidly growing in popularity among individuals and businesses – the CNB is now processing one-quarter more than in January

Czechs are increasingly using instant payments – in the first half of this year alone, their number rose by 27% compared to the same period last year. The Czech National Bank, which operates the system, now processes an average of 1.63 million of these instant transactions each day. A key factor behind this growth is the record-high availability of the service, which is now accessible to 99% of bank clients on the Czech market. Instant payments also serve as a cheaper alternative to card payments, both online and in bricks-and-mortar shops.

There are many reasons behind the sharp rise in the popularity of this service, which enables money to be transferred from one bank to another within seconds. These include round-the-clock availability, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and a new record in accessibility – 99% in 2025. Before the introduction of instant payments, clients had to wait for money to be credited to their accounts. Today, the money arrives within seconds – at night, at weekends, even on public holidays. Instant payments have become the standard. “Only a few years ago, payments took two days or more. We have made great progress – we have built the instant payments infrastructure and continue to invest in it,” said CNB Governor Aleš Michl.

* A one-percentage-point drop due to the collapse of Sberbank
** As of 9 April 2025

A total of more than 4 million interbank credit transfers are now made on average each day in the Czech Republic. More than 40% of these are instant payments – compared to less than one-third a year ago. CNB statistics show that while the number of standard credit transfers is flat at around 2.5 million per day, the number of instant payments is rising rapidly.

Instant payments are growing in popularity not only among individuals and businesses, but also among retailers, who use them as a lower-cost alternative to card payments. The potential is immense, given how rapidly technology is advancing – in addition to cards and cash, retailers are increasingly offering customers new payment solutions based on instant payments. Growing competition in the payments sector benefits the entire Czech economy. For customers, it means greater convenience and a wider choice of payment instruments. For retailers, it means savings on card transaction fees and cash handling costs.

The CNB is also working on further developing the instant payments environment. As the bank of the state, the CNB – which maintains accounts for ministries, municipalities, regional authorities and the tax authorities – will also start accepting instant payments by the end of this year. In cooperation with commercial banks, the CNB is also preparing to enable instant processing for bulk payments.

More information on instant payments and how they work is available on the CNB website. You can also find detailed information on the CERTIS system, including statistics and a list of participants.

Chart – Average daily number of instant payments
(June of given year)

Jaroslav Krejčí
CNB Spokesperson