The National Bank of Serbia published first quarter 2026 payment system data showing continued growth in payment card issuance, cashless acceptance and card use in Serbia. Payment service providers reported 7.1 million registered users of payment card issuance services and 13.3 million issued payment cards at the end of the period. Card purchases at merchants in Serbia reached 208.6 million during the quarter. Compared with the first quarter of 2025, the number of issued cards increased by 8.0%, or 991,000 cards, while purchases on the domestic acceptance network by Serbian citizens and foreign tourists rose 18.7%. Of the 208.6 million purchases, 195.2 million were made with cards issued by domestic payment service providers and 13.4 million by foreign tourists. The merchant acceptance network expanded to 188,000 point-of-sale solutions, up 10.3% year on year, and the ATM network reached 3,336 machines, up 3.6% from the same period a year earlier.
National Bank of Serbia2026-06-11
National Bank of Serbia reports 18.7% rise in card purchases and 13.3 million issued payment cards in first quarter of 2026
The National Bank of Serbia published first quarter 2026 payment statistics showing further growth in card issuance and cashless payments. Serbia had 13.3 million issued payment cards and 208.6 million card purchases at merchants, while the POS network rose 10.3% to 188,000 and ATMs increased 3.6% to 3,336.