In 2023, 480 million transactions with a total value of BGN 34 billion were carried out, the data show of the BNB. For comparison, in 2022, nearly 100,000 fewer card payments were made – 375.5 million worth BGN 24.9 billion
The jump in the number of card payments has been drastic over the last decade. In 2014, only 65.2 million items were realized with a total value of BGN 4.5 billion. The main reason for this is the rapid innovation in the field of payments, driven by fintech companies. The biggest innovation for this period is the ability to pay your bill not with a card, but with a phone or even now with a watch.
For the last 10 years, the number of POS terminals has also more than doubled – from 75,600 to 145,000 pieces.