Payment services and large-value and retail payment systems

These statistics cover important aspects of payment transactions in EU countries, such as information on payment services and the main payment and settlement systems, as well as data on the general economic situation for the purposes of comparison.

• Payments statistics, time series starting 2000

Statistical press releases

Payment instruments and systems

Reporting requirements

The European System of Central Banks (ESCB) compiles annual payments statistics starting with a reference year of 2007 (for most indicators back data are available as of 2000). Up to the reference year 2013 these statistics were collected on the basis of the reporting framework set out in the ECB Guideline on monetary, financial institutions and markets statistics (ECB/2007/9).

As the progressive implementation of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) and other developments in the payments market in Europe have had a significant impact on payments statistics, the reporting requirements have been enhanced as of 2014, both in terms of the methodology applied and new indicators required.

Since the Regulation was first adopted, there have been a number of changes in the payments landscape both in Europe and globally that needed to be reflected in the update of the Regulation. Additionally, the aim has been to cover all uses of payments statistics, including that of better monitoring cross-border trade, with a single Regulation.

These reporting requirements were laid down in the Regulation amending Regulation (EU) No 1409/2013 of the ECB of 28 November 2013 on payments statistics (ECB/2013/43).

• Enhanced payments statistics: new indicators and changes in the methodology applied last update: 13/10/2015
• Regulation ECB/2013/43 on payments statistics
• Guideline ECB/2014/15 on monetary and financial statistics
• Regulation ECB/2020/59 amending Regulation ECB 2013/43 on payment statistics
• Manual on payments statistics reporting under the Regulation ECB/2020/59 and the Guideline ECB/2021/13
• Payments statistics general notes

Where there are discrepancies as regards the data reported, these are indicated in the notes for individual data items in the ECB Data Portal.

Country coverage and data comparability

Payments statistics are collected from all EU Member States. Current candidate and accession countries are not included. Data cover the period from 2007 onwards.

Tables of comparative data are provided. However, owing to the ongoing implementation of enhanced reporting requirements, data for the various countries are not always fully comparable. Discrepancies in this regard are listed in the methodological notes in the ECB Data Portal.

The statistics are published under the responsibility of the respective national central banks.