Economy
Card payments now account for 48% of transactions in Belgium, which has become one of four eurozone countries where card payments have supplanted cash transactions.
The share of online transactions in all payments has risen in three years from 13 to 24%, according to a survey by the European Central Bank (ECB) on payment behavior in the euro area whose results were relayed Tuesday by the National Bank (BNB).
The number of outlets no longer accepting banknotes and coins has increased in Belgium, from 2% in 2019 to 5% today. Despite the advent of virtual payment, the Belgian also appreciates having enough cash available. The average Belgian’s wallet contains around 97 euros in cash at the start of the day.
Finding where to withdraw, a source of frustration
More than one respondent in four pinpoints the difficulty of obtaining tickets in our country. They are less than 10% to complain regarding this situation in the rest of the euro zone. The number of complaints on this subject has also increased in Belgium compared to the previous survey dating back to 2019.
« The closure of many bank branches and the disappearance of many ATMs in recent years in Belgium are clearly a source of frustration.explains the BNB.
The study still reveals a delay in contactless payment in Belgium, where the method would represent only 39% once morest 62% on average in the euro zone. However, this Belgian percentage does not correspond to data recorded with electronic payment companies such as Bancontact Payconiq Company or Worldline. The latter recently estimated that in the first half of 2022, the proportion of payments of this type in Belgium was not so far from the European average.
With Belgium
