The National Bank of Serbia's instant payment system (IPS NBS) set a new daily transaction record of 565,213 payments worth RSD 7.06 billion (approximately EUR 60 million) on November 14, 2025. Year-to-date transactions exceeded 106.3 million, representing 25% year-over-year growth.
SEPA Membership
Serbia became the 41st country added to the SEPA geographical scope in May 2025. Serbian PSPs could begin adhering to SEPA schemes from November 2025, with the earliest operational readiness date for SEPA Credit Transfer, SEPA Instant Credit Transfer, and SEPA Direct Debit set for May 2026.
Scale for Size
For a country of 6.6 million people, 106+ million instant payment transactions annually represents deep penetration - roughly 16 transactions per person per year. The 25% growth rate indicates the system is still accelerating rather than plateauing.
What This Means
Serbia joining SEPA Instant means Serbian banks will be able to send and receive instant euro payments across 40+ countries - a major step for a non-EU Western Balkan country and a potential template for other EU candidate nations (Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania). For payment professionals serving Southeast European markets, this creates a new instant settlement corridor.