BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 12. At the end of the first half of 2023, the number of cards with payment function increased by 4.7 percent (to 669.5 million) compared to the figure at the end of the first half of 2022, Trend reports, referring to the European Central Bank (ECB).
In reference to the ECB, with a total eurozone population of over 350 million, this equates to an average of 1.9 payment cards per eurozone citizen, with the average cost per card transaction being around 40 euros.
In the first half of 2023, the eurozone's 30 retail payment systems performed approximately 29.8 billion transactions totaling €23.6 trillion.
The European Central Bank focuses on maintaining price stability inside the eurozone while also protecting the safety and stability of the European banking sector.