In fact, virtual currency payments seem to be losing ground. The value of withdrawals was 30 percent higher at the end of the third quarter of 2009 than at the beginning of 2008, when the central bank started publishing such data. The growth rate of payments by card was lower in the same period.
Central bank statistics further indicate that Romanians pay an average RON 170 (€40) per transaction by debit card, while the average value of a cash withdrawal is RON 413 (€96). According to BNR data, Romanians made an average 1.5 payments by card in the third quarter of 2009, while in the same period one card registered almost five cash withdrawals.
