94 % der Menschen in Österreich können sich eine Welt ohne Bargeld nicht vorstellen. Besonders geschätzt wird, dass Bargeld praktisch, zuverlässig und jederzeit einsetzbar ist – selbst bei Blackouts oder Krisen.
Payment systems
Payment systems operate in the background. They ensure that we can make safe and fast cashless payments – by credit transfers or direct debits, by card or smartphone or by using other modern technologies. Payment systems fulfil an important role for the economy and for financial markets by facilitating the necessary flow of funds and sustaining economic activity.
How payment systems work
Payment systems ensure that there is sufficient money available in the economy and that payments between people, businesses and public authorities are processed in a reliable manner. Payment systms transmit payment data quickly and cost-effectively. In this way, they help to ensure that the economy and the financial markets remain secure and stable. Depending on the nature and urgency of a payment, banks use different types of payment systems. The three most important types are large-value payment systems, clearing systems and correspondent banking.
- Large-value payment systems such as TARGET process very large payments in real time. Payments are settled (finalised) immediately, meaning that the money cannot be transferred back.
- Clearing systems work differently: They group together large numbers of individual transactions (i.e. lots of smaller payments such as credit transfers or direct debits) and offset them against one another. Only the difference, i.e. the net amount, is actually transferred. This saves money.
- In correspondent banking, banks use direct bilateral links between one another. In the euro area, this system is increasingly being replaced by centralised systems. However, correspondent banking remains important for processing foreign currency transactions. Cross-border payments are processed, for example, via nostro and loro (vostro) accounts, i.e. special reciprocal accounts banks hold in each other’s name.
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Current trends in payments
The OeNB regularly conducts surveys to find out how people in Austria make payments and what they think about different payment methods. Cash still comes out on top: Most people in Austria still pay in cash at the point of sale (POS) – e.g. at the checkout counter in a shop. However, more and more people are also using payment cards and other cashless payment methods. People’s attitudes towards cash continues to be very positive in Austria.
Highlights from the OeNB’s latest payments survey
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Unter 50-Jährige begleichen 59 % ihrer Zahlungen vor Ort digital. Bei den 16- bis 29-Jährigen liegt dieser Anteil etwas höher – bei 62 %. Alle Altersgruppen schätzen es, die Art des Bezahlens frei wählen zu können.
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67 % der Befragten kaufen im Internet ein. Für rund ein Drittel aller Onlinezahlungen greifen Konsument:innen zu digitalen Geldbörsen (Wallets) oder Internetbezahlverfahren.
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Mittlerweile sind 50 % aller Zahlungen in Österreich bargeldlos. Dennoch will die Mehrheit der Befragten nicht auf Bargeld verzichten. Denn Wahlfreiheit zwischen Bargeld und digitalem Bezahlen ist den Menschen wichtig.
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Der geplante digitale Euro würde eine europäische gebührenfreie und sichere Möglichkeit für digitales Bezahlen bieten. Und Europa unabhängiger von nicht-europäischen elektronischen Zahlungslösungen machen.