Value of debit card payments in Albania 2008-2018

In 2018, debit card payments in Albania reached a total value of approximately 17 billion Albanian lek, an increase of several millions compared to previous years. For many markets in Central and Eastern Europe, the regulatory and financial support afforded by the European Union membership provided strong potential for sustained growth in the credit card market. For example, for the Czech Republic, the penetration of credit cards among people aged 25 and older was equal to approximately 28 percent in 2016. However, a relatively high penetration (in the context of the region) was also observed in two of the non-EU economies of the region: Russia and Ukraine. Some other countries are still lagging behind, for example Romania, with credit card penetration among 25 year-olds and older amounted to 12 percent as of 2016.