The impact of policy effects on the Hungarian payments card market

As a major electronic alternative to cash, central banks and state administrations often support the development of card payments with regulatory and public policy steps. Hungary was extremely active in this field by executing POS-terminal installation programmes or setting limits to interchange fees a year before the European regulation. Within this study we investigate, how these measures contributed to the recent evolution of Hungary’s payment card market. Using the comprehensive dataset of the Central Bank of Hungary, we provide empirical evidence using time-series analysis methods, that both policy steps had a significant positive effect on the domestic card payments scene.