Card payments in Serbia record double-digit growth rates

The number of payment cards issued and their users, as well as the volume of card payments and the card acceptance network in Serbia, continue to record steady growth. According to data provided by payment service providers, at end-Q2 2026, 7.1 million users were registered for payment card issuance services, while the total number of payment cards issued reached 13.7 million, says the National Bank of Serbia (NBS). Relative to the same period of the previous year, the number of payment cards issued increased by 706,000, or 5.5%.

– The positive trend is also reflected in the growth of card payments across the card acceptance network in Serbia. During Q2 2026, 237.9 million purchases were made using payment cards at points of sale in the country, which is 19.3% more than in the same period of 2025. Of the total number of purchases, 220.9 million were made using cards issued by domestic payment service providers, while 17 million purchases were made using cards issued by foreign payment service providers – the central bank points out.

Looking at the longer horizon, the increase in the use of payment cards has been even more pronounced. In Q2 2022, 116 million purchases were made across the card acceptance network in Serbia, of which 108.8 million were made using cards issued by domestic payment service providers and 7.3 million using cards issued by foreign payment service providers. This indicates that the total number of payment card transactions has more than doubled over the past five years (105%) and confirms the continued long-term shift towards cashless payment methods, as well as the growing attractiveness of Serbia as a tourist destination, the NBS point out.

At end-Q2 2026, Serbian merchants had 195,000 POS terminals available for cashless payments, 10.1% more than a year ago. At the same time, the ATM network continued to expand, providing citizens with access to cash withdrawals and other payment services. At the end of June this year, there were 3,412 ATMs, an increase of 6.8% compared with the same period of the year before.

Narodna banka Srbije Beograd

National Bank of Serbia

payment cards

card payments