The number of card payments in the third quarter of last year continued to rise. The number of cards in circulation in the period rose by 9.4% compared with the corresponding period a year before, while the number of payments made by cards issued in Moldova increased by 39.8% against the same period a year earlier, IPN reports.

According to the National Bank of Moldova, 88.4% of the number and 88.8% of the value of the credit transfer operations in the third quarter of last year were initiated in electronic format through the automated remote service system.

Direct withdrawal or debit remains less used in Moldova. At the end of the third quarter of this year, 12,300 payers used this instrument, primarily to pay for public utilities.

The automated remote service systems became increasingly popular among users at the end of the third quarter of 2020, primarily due to the considerable rise in the number of users of mobile payment systems. The number of active users rose by 45.1% compared with the third quarter of 2019.

The value of cash transfers received by private individuals in the period grew by 32.5%, while of transfers made by these increased by 32.4%.