Data on Card Operations in BH

Out of total 29 commercial banks in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the end of 2012, 26 banks provided cards services to their clients. The total number of issued cards, by the end of December 2012, was 1.830,299 being more by 39.254 cards compared to the end of December 2011. The debit cards were prevailing, there were 1.513,818 issued of these, followed by credit cards with 202.866 issued, and cards with deferred payment, being 122.841 in number.

The total value of cards transactions, in the country and abroad, amounted to KM 6.33 billion during the last year, which is KM 297 million more than in the previous year.

Out of total value of transactions, KM 4.63 billion of cash or 73% was withdrawn from the ATMs, while KM 1.70 billion or 27% was paid via the POSTs (point of sale terminals), out of which KM 682 million (40%) is withdrawal of cash and KM 1.03 billion (60%) was payment of goods and services. From this data it can be seen that in 2012 in comparison to 2011, the ratio of the POSTs payment of goods and services is improved against cash withdrawn from POSTs, which is now 60% : 40% (in 2011 it was 56% : 44%).

The average value of a transaction was KM 105 and compared to the previous year it decreased by KM 26. The average turnover per a card annually amounted to KM 3.457 (KM 288 per month), and compared to 2011 when the average turnover amounted to KM 3.367, it was an increase of KM 90.

The amount to KM 335 million was recorded through the ATMs and POSTs abroad, with the cards of BH banks. Out of that amount, the cash amounting to KM 118 million was withdrawn, and the goods were paid in the amount of KM 217 million. Comparing to 2011, a growth of consumption abroad, of KM 48 million, was recorded via cards operations. Turnover with the value of KM 952 million by foreign banks' cards was performed through the ATMs and POSTs of the BH banks, being the increase by KM 131 million compared to 2011. Out of that amount, KM 751 million of cash was withdrawn from the ATMs and POSTs and the value of goods and services paid by foreign banks cards was about KM 201 million.

The decrease in cash operations at the counters is evident, thanks to the permanent insisting of banks to increase the number of ATMs and POSTs, and in 2012 there were in total 1.284 ATMs (1.202 in 2011) and 19.320 POSTs (18.589 in 2011).

There is an obvious tendency to make some savings by rationalizing the number of organizational units, and in 2012 the number of subsidiaries, branches, and agencies (or counters) was decreased. The number of subsidiaries was reduced from 378 (in 2011) to 359 (in 2012), the number of branches from 370 to 342, while the number of lower level organizational units (agencies, counters...) was decreased from 370 to 213.

Out of total number of banks, 27 provided the electronic banking services. There is a significant increase in the number of entities using these services, which is mostly caused by increased number of individuals (although the growth is less than in the year before). In 2011, the number of individuals who used the services of electronic or internet banking was 70.474, while in 2012 that number increased and amounted to 96.041.  The increase is more obvious since there were just 18.000 of individuals who used this service in 2008. Also, the number of legal entities using the internet for banking operations is constantly increasing; there were 29.599 of those covered with this service in 2012, and 23.865 in 2011.

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