The Czech National Bank published Ipsos survey findings showing that instant payments are widely available and perceived as a low-cost alternative to card, cash and invoice payments, but uptake of QR code payments at the point of sale remains limited. Only around one in five small businesses accept customers scanning a QR code to pay, even though 98% of those that do report being satisfied. Respondents cited immediate crediting of funds, real-time payment visibility, and the ability to operate without a payment terminal or cash handling as key benefits, with funds typically credited in around three seconds. The main barrier to wider adoption was a lack of information, with almost a quarter of non-users pointing to misconceptions such as fears that instant payments can be cancelled shortly after initiation; some businesses use QR codes on invoices but not at the point of sale despite customer demand. The release also highlighted rapid growth in system usage, including an average of 2.02 million instant payments per day in December 2025 and a rise in the share of instant payments in interbank transfers to 45.5% as of March 2026. The CNB said it is preparing to introduce bulk instant payments and noted upcoming requirements for domestic banks to accept instant payments in euro from January 2027 and to send euro payments on a continuous basis from July 2027.
Czech National Bank 2026-04-13
Czech National Bank survey shows only one in five small businesses accept QR code instant payments despite 98% satisfaction
The Czech National Bank published survey findings indicating that instant payments are widely available and viewed as a low-cost alternative to cards, cash and invoices, but point-of-sale QR code payment adoption among small businesses remains limited despite high satisfaction among users. The release highlighted rapid growth in instant payment usage, with 2.02 million transactions per day in December 2025 and a 45.5% share of interbank transfers as of March 2026, and noted that the central bank is preparing bulk instant payments alongside requirements for domestic banks to process instant euro payments from 2027.