Data On Card Operations in 2018

Sarajevo, 27 March 2019

According to the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CBBH) data, 24 commercial banks provided cards operations services in BH, as of the end of 2018. In question are the global brands: MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Diners, while only three banks offer the sole domestic card - Bamcard.

The total number of active cards in the past year was 2,153,346, contrary to 2017, when there were 2,005,213 cards held by citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is a increase of 148,133 cards compared to 2017, and the debit cards are the most represented one. 

The total value of transactions done using cards in the country and abroad in the last year amounted to KM 10,286,958,664, and in comparison to 2017, it is an increase by KM 775,624,446, when the total value of transactions realized amounted to KM 9,511,334,218. 

In 2018, out of total value of transactions, carried out by the ATM, in the country and abroad, cash in the amount of KM 7,164,868,325 or 70% percent of value was realized, while at the POS there were realized KM 3,122,090,339 or 30% percent of the value. In the past year, the percentage of realized cash by the ATM and POS terminals amounted to 80%, and the value of goods and services amounted only to 20% of the total turnover through cards. 

The total nuber of transactions in 2018 was 86,134,742, and the average value per transaction was KM 119 and it is decreased by KM 2 compared to 2017. The average annual turnover per card in 2017 amounted to KM 4.777, and it is increased by KM 34 compared to 2017. 

Last year, at the ATM and POS terminals of the banks abroad, citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, via cards issued in the country, withdrew the amount of KM 622,749,852 which is higher by KM 93,288,879 compared to the previous year. Out of this amount, cash in the amount of KM 148,722,157 at ATM and POS terminals was realized, and for the goods and services, at POS terminals, the amount of KM 474,027,695 was realized. 

In 2018, foreign citizens, using cards issued by their foreign banks, realized KM 2,040,647,065 on ATM and POS terminals of banks in Bosnia and Herzegovina, out of which through ATM and POS terminals, the cash in the amount of KM 1,390,398,792 was withdrawn, while the goods and services were bought in the amount of KM 650,248,273 via POS. 

Banks are working intensively on installing of a large number of ATM and POS machines. During the last year, there were 1,582 ATMs in total and 28,239 POS terminals, out of which 27,481 in stores and 758 at bank counters. 

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 22 banks provide the electronic banking services (mobile and e-banking). Data show a trend of increasing the number of physical entities, and deacreasing the number of legal entities using these services.

This type of service covered a total of 667,551 entities in 2018 (in 2017 there were 490,859) who used this service. Out of total number of customer of electronic banking, 58.670 were legal entities (in 2017 there were 64,961) and 608,881 were physical ones (in 2017 there were 425,898).