The growth of tourism and the influx of foreign tourists are providing a significant boost to the expansion of electronic payments in Albania, increasing the use of POS terminals in businesses that provide services to visitors.

According to data from the Bank of Albania, in mid-2026 the number of active POS terminals reached 38,662, with an increase of 23.7% since the beginning of the year and 38.2% compared to the same period last year. Compared to 2020, the number of POS terminals has tripled.

In the first six months of 2026, about 16 million card payments were made at POS terminals, 28% more than in the first six months of 2025.

The expansion of card payments is also related to the increase in the number of foreign tourists, who widely use bank cards for payments at hotels, restaurants, accommodation facilities, commercial outlets, and other tourist services.

The data shows that POS payments have steadily surpassed cash withdrawals at ATMs. For every 100 transactions made with payment cards, about 56 are payments at POS terminals, while the rest are cash withdrawals or deposits.

Meanwhile, the value of card payments in the first six months of the year reached Lek 58.3 billion, an increase of 21% compared to the same period last year.