Payment instruments and large-value and retail payment systems

Data

Time series (Statistical Data Warehouse – Interactive data access)

• Payments statistics, starting 2000

Reports in PDF (Statistical Data Warehouse – Interactive data access)

These reports are pre-formatted tables of payments statistics which present data in the same way as the discontinued Blue Book Addendum. The tables contain data for the last five years and provide a convenient link to the full series, also available in the SDW.

• Country and comparative tables - statistics on payment instruments, large-value and retail payment systems

For the reporting requirements and frequently asked questions, see “Background”. Please be aware of possible discrepancies as regards reporting requirements, which will affect the cross-country comparability of the data. Such discrepancies are listed in the methodological notes available in the SDW.

Payment and terminal transactions involving non-MFIs

Euro area

Non-participating Member States

Background

Reporting requirements

• For general data reported for country tables 1 to 5 in the old Blue Book Addendum, existing reporting schemes have been used and adapted as necessary.
• For payments data reported for country tables 6 to 11 in the Blue Book Addendum, Guideline ECB/2007/9 outlines the reporting requirements and the structure of the data collected more.
• For details of the precise coverage of individual data items, see “Definitions for payments data”  download.
• See also "Frequently asked questions on reporting requirements" for clarification of issues relating to the reporting of data  download.

Where there are discrepancies as regards the data reported, these are indicated in the notes for individual data items in the SDW. For a compilation of all notes, see "Payment statistics - Compilation of notes"  download

Revision of reporting requirements 2004-2006

Between 2004 and 2006 there was some revision of reporting requirements. Consequently, data are not always comparable with figures for previous years. Implementation of the enhanced reporting requirements is still ongoing, so the comparability of some payments data over time and across countries is, at present, still limited. For details of the reporting requirements, see “Background” below.

Scope and limitations of the data

The data can be used for various purposes, such as the analysis of policy questions, the conduct of oversight, the provision of information to market participants and interested parties, and research. Users should bear in mind the intended coverage and limitations of the data.

• Data on the general economic situation are chosen in such a way as to provide a backdrop to the payment and settlement information in the main body of the data. They do not represent a complete picture of the economic situation in the relevant country, nor are they intended to be used for cross-country comparison.
• Data on cash are restricted to cash withdrawals from and cash deposits in the accounts of non-MFIs. Transaction data on cash are not available.
• Data on the use of non-cash payment instruments and terminals are presented in detail and with harmonised definitions across countries. However, countries have historically differed in terms of payment habits, payment instrument use and transaction requirements.
• Data on the use of non-cash payment instruments do not include data on mobile payments or interbank transactions (with the exception of those routed via payment systems).
• Data on payment systems include data relating to the volume and value of transactions. Where available, data are broken down in accordance with a harmonised list of transaction types in order to enable cross-country comparison.
• SEPA instruments are indistinguishably computed in the corresponding items in payments statistics. Indicators on the usage of the new SEPA payments, both in the euro area and at national level, constitute a separate data collection. See  SEPA in use.

Country coverage and data comparability of data

Payments statistics are collected from all EU Member States. Current candidate and accession countries are not included. For details, see  “Data on EU membership”. Data cover the period from 2000 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 comparable. Discrepancies in this regard are listed in the methodological notes in the SDW.

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