The automated distance service systems (ADSS) become more popular among users. In the first quarter of this year, the number of users of ADSS systems rose by 38.2% compared with the corresponding period last year, shows a report by the National Bank of Moldova on the surveillance of the infrastructure of the financial market that is quoted by IPN reports.

According to the NBM, the rise is due to the increased necessity of using such systems for making payments, especially due to the epidemiological situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

During January 2 – March 31, 2021, the automated interbank payment system processed 3.1 million payments to the value of 260.4 billion lei. The number of cards in circulation in the period rose by 6.7% compared with the corresponding period last year. The number of cashless payments with cards issued in the country grew by 43.3% compared with the same period last year.

Also, 87.1% of the number and 84.7% of the value of credit transfer operations were initiated in electronic format through ADSS systems, which shows the level of digitization of payment services in Moldova. Cash payments in the period were made by 17,900 private individuals, primarily for paying for public utilities.