Commentary on payment statistics

2024 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 2024 H2. 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 15.9 million at the end of 2024 H2. Of this number, 14.6 million were debit cards. The number of credit cards was flat at 1.2 million. These data exclude payment cards issued by foreign payment service providers.

The number of ATMs operated by Czech banks edged down to 5,000 compared with the end of 2021. Of this total number, 97% were ATMs with a cash withdrawal function in 2024 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 268,000 at the end of 2024 H2 compared with 2024 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. The number of direct debits fell slightly to 38.8 million in 2024 H2.

The number of credit transfers has exceeded 300 million in each quarter since 2022 Q1. In 2024 Q4, it reached 426.3 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 592.5 million in 2024 H2. The number of fraudulent credit transfers declined by 7,000 between 2023 and 2024, reaching 26,000 in 2024.

The number of payments using cards issued by resident payment service providers is rising and reached almost 1.6 billion in 2024 H2, of which 112,000 were fraudulent payments. The figure for 2024 as a whole was almost 3 billion, of which 232,000 were fraudulent card payments. Of the total number of payment card transactions, almost 95% were conducted using debit cards.

The number of cash withdrawals using cards issued by resident payment service providers fell slightly from 158 million in 2023 to 151 million in 2024. Of this number, just under 2,000 a year were fraudulent cash withdrawals using cards issued by resident payment service providers.

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 picked up year on year. The values of payments using cards issued by resident payment institutions also increased.

The value of credit transfers rose to CZK 164.5 trillion year on year in 2024, of which almost CZK 1.2 billion were fraudulent credit transfers. The value of direct debits increased in 2024 H2 compared with 2024 H1, exceeding CZK 200 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 953.8 billion in 2024 H2 (of which CZK 255 million were fraudulent payments). Of the total value, the value of debit card payments was CZK 889.7 billion. The value of credit card payments amounted to CZK 62.4 billion.

The value of cash withdrawals using cards issued by resident payment service providers rose slightly from CZK 922 billion in 2023 to CZK 925 billion in 2024. Of this number, fraudulent cash withdrawals using cards issued by resident payment service providers increased by CZK 8.3 million year on year to CZK 50 million.

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, reaching almost 1 billion in 2024 H2. The number of transactions at terminals provided by residents using cards issued by non-residents also picked up. The number of cash withdrawals fell year on year, as did the number of deposits.

The number of transactions at accepting devices provided by residents using cards issued by residents rose from 1.5 billion in 2022 to 1.7 billion in 2023. It increased further to more than 1.9 billion in 2024. Of this number, ATM withdrawals were flat at 137 million between 2022 and 2023. In 2024, they reached almost 137 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 173 million in 2024. 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 between 2022 and 2023 and reached 446 million in 2023. In 2024, it exceeded 526 million.

The number of over-the-counter cash deposits totalled 26 million in 2024 and the number of over-the-counter cash withdrawals was almost 5 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 between 2024 H1 and 2024 H2, 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 rose year on year, exceeding CZK 2.2 trillion in 2024. ATM withdrawals made up CZK 852.5 billion of this amount in 2024. This was CZK 18.5 billion more than in 2023. The figure for 2024 H2 was more than 443 billion.  ATM deposits (except e-money transactions) accounted for CZK 520 billion in 2024, up by CZK 31 billion year on year. POS transactions rose by almost CZK 57 billion year on year to CZK 865 billion in 2024.

The value of transactions at accepting devices provided by residents using cards issued by non-residents picked up year on year from CZK 136 billion in 2023 to CZK 171 billion in 2024. The value of transactions at accepting devices provided by non-residents using cards issued by residents also rose year on year, from CZK 253 billion in 2023 to CZK 277 billion in 2024. ATM cash withdrawals made up almost CZK 22 billion of this amount in 2024, an increase in year-on-year terms.

The value of over-the-counter cash deposits fell by CZK 41 billion year on year to CZK 554 billion in 2024. An increase by comparison with 2024 H1 was recorded in 2024 H2. The value of over-the-counter cash withdrawals continues to decline. It fell from CZK 348 billion in 2023 to CZK 312 billion in 2024. Thus, CZK 36 billion less was withdrawn by comparison with 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: