The share of the banked population in Romania is 60%, while the level of use of basic financial services is the lowest in Europe, according to the Digital Payments Index 2021, a methodology developed by Mastercard, according to the company’s press release, according to Agerpres.

A major premise for the population’s access to financial services is the payment infrastructure. According to the Digital Payments Index 2021, a methodology developed by Mastercard, which analyzes the evolution of digital payments at the level of a country, the Infrastructure sub-index obtained 69 points out of 100 in Romania.

The non-cash Infrastructure component obtained 83 points at the level of the local market.

In 2021, the developed network of accounts, although unevenly accessible at the country level, recorded an average of approximately 1.5 accounts per adult.

At the same time, the rate of payment terminals among local merchants was estimated at 32% in Romania, a share that has gradually increased in recent years.

According to the classification of population and settlements made by the World Bank, the coverage rate of POS terminals in the urban environment is at 57%.

Regarding the availability of payment solutions, this component obtained 55 points and includes traditional payment solutions, innovative products, technologies available on the market and technologies that are not yet launched on the market, but which have a considerable potential to promote digital payments at their introduction.

By the end of 2021, contactless terminals have reached almost full coverage nationwide, with a penetration rate of 99%, while contactless card penetration has reached 90%, after a steady increase in recent years.

Payment in installments is another solution available on a large scale, being activated at the level of the entire market in Romania.

The Digital Payment Index (DPI) is an analysis tool that tracks the evolution of digital payments at a national level. Romania obtained a score of 54 out of 100 points, a result calculated based on the individual scores of the three sub-indices: 69 for Infrastructure, 49 for Knowledge and 44 for Use.

Agerpres