Non-cash payments: Trends in Latvia and the euro area

The use of non-cash payments continues to grow in Latvia and across the euro area as a whole. In 2018, one inhabitant of Latvia made on average 258 non-cash payments, posting an annual increase of 2.4%. Meanwhile, the euro area average increased by 7.7%, reaching 265 payments. This is apparent from the data compiled by Latvijas Banka and statistics on the euro area countries published by the European Central Bank in July. The population increasingly pays with payment cards – the most popular form of non-cash payments both in Latvia and the euro area countries on average. Their share reached 62.5% in Latvia and 45.7% in the euro area.