Conducting an Analysis of the Payments Market in Slovenia

The European Commission supported Bank of Slovenia and National Payments Council (NSC) in this project with the overall objective of supporting the development of efficient, effective and more competitive retail payments market in Slovenia. The project aimed to gain understanding of retail payments market from perspective of different stakeholder groups (e.g. consumers, merchants, payment service providers etc.) and to identify measures that can support further development of retail payments in Slovenia.

Context

To support efficiency, competitiveness and inclusiveness of the Slovenian payments market and to enable innovation in line with various users’ needs, it was crucial to get an overview of all relevant stakeholders’ expectations, behaviours and preferences in the area of payments, while taking into account relevant developments at EU level.

Support delivered

• Collection of primary data on payments for the Slovenian market through questionnaires, bilateral interactions and focus groups with key payments ecosystem stakeholders (consumers, banks, merchants, associations, representatives of vulnerable groups, fintech companies and processors) and obtaining of overview of relevant secondary data sources from selected countries.

• Identification of seven potential strategic initiatives.

• Preparation of an action plan for the beneficiary’s internal use to support the assessment of the suggested potential strategic initiatives within NSC to and the implementation of individual initiatives.

Expected results

• Increase efficiency and effectiveness of Slovenian payments ecosystems.

• Ensure that the retail payments market evolution is in line with stakeholders’ expectations.

• Support innovation, technical development, and use of efficient means of payments.

• Foster reduction of costs related to the provision and use of payments.

• Maintain financial inclusion (especially of the most vulnerable segments of the population) in the context of digitalization of payments.

• Curb the informal economy in Slovenia.