Today, more and more Ukrainians and local residents in Slovakia are completely abandoning wallets with paper bills in favor of cell phones and smartwatches. According to the latest data from the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS), electronic payment platforms in the country are experiencing rapid and record-breaking growth.
Digital payments are breaking records: what the statistics say
Official data from the central bank show that the volume of cashless transactions is steadily increasing across all key categories. Consumer behavior clearly indicates a shift toward maximum speed and convenience.
The number of payments made via cards, mobile phones, or digital wallets increased by more than 10% over the past six months, reaching 638.88 million transactions.
Domestic SEPA Instant Payments (non-cash payments in euros operating 24/7/365) rose from 56.31 million to 66.92 million, while traditional paper-based or standard transfers declined.
As of July 2026, there were 7.09 million payment cards registered on the market (of which 6.56 million were debit cards and 529,000 were credit cards). The number of POS terminals in establishments rose to 165,118.
Why Cash Is Losing Ground and How It Affects Daily Life
For people living in Slovakia, this trend means even greater integration of digital services into everyday life. Because all banks in the eurozone are required to support instant transfers within seconds, regardless of the day of the week or holidays, transferring money between accounts has become instantaneous.
At the same time, central bank statistics highlight the downside of digitalization—the risks of cybercrime. Specifically, during the reporting period, the regulator recorded 43,299 fraudulent card transactions, as well as several thousand incidents involving unauthorized payment orders. Therefore, financial experts advise not to neglect two-factor authentication in mobile banking and to carefully verify links when making online purchases.
What’s Happening with ATMs and Cash
Another interesting trend is that, despite the overall increase in payment cards and terminals, the number of physical ATMs in the country is gradually declining—over the past year, their number has decreased from 2,738 to 2,718. Banks are streamlining their networks to cut costs, as consumers are withdrawing cash less frequently and increasingly opting to pay with their smartphones or smartwatches.
