Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 4
By Azad Hasanli - Trend:
The number of payment cards in Azerbaijan has increased by 5.6 percent since early 2014 and hit 5.991 million units as of September 2014, according to the Central Bank of Azerbaijan's report as of Jan.-Sept. 2014 says.
Their number increased by 12 percent compared to the same period of 2013.
Some 4.738 million units of the total number of cards were debit cards, in particular, 2.558 million - social cards, 1.413 million - salary cards, 767,000 - other cards. The number of credit cards was 1.254 million units.
The total turnover on payment cards via ATMs and POS-terminals amounted to 8.658 billion AZN and the total number of transactions to 57.845 million units in January-September, according to the report.
The number of transactions on debit cards equaled 45.388 million units totaling 6.951 billion AZN.
Of the total number of transactions, around 36.467 million transactions amounting to 6.266 billion AZN were implemented on debit cards via ATMs within the country, and around 2.620 million transactions amounting to 438 million AZN via POS-terminals.
Some 12.457 million transactions worth of 1.706 billion AZN were made on credit cards in January-September 2014.
As many as 3.883 million transactions worth 896 million AZN, of the total number of transactions on credit cards, were implemented via ATMs and there were 5.4 million transactions worth of 372 million AZN via POS-terminals.
As of October 1, 2014, around 2,543 ATMs operated in the country of which 1,440 are located in Baku and 1,103 in other cities and regions of the country. Their total number increased by 147 units or 6.1 percent during a year (compared to early October 2013).
The number of POS-terminals amounted to 58,609 units of which 40,165 are installed in Baku and 18,444 units in other cities and regions as of October 1, 2014.
The number of POS-terminals increased by 23,457 units or 66.73 percent compared to January-September 2013.
The official exchange rate is 0,7844 AZN/USD Nov. 3.