The package of measures of the National Bank of Serbia regarding bank fees was adopted

The National Bank of Serbia has adopted a package of measures aimed at protecting citizens, based on which all banks that have increased fees for payment services since January 1, 2021, will reduce those fees by 30% from September 1 in the following period or return them to level before their increase.

Also, as part of this package of measures, the Decision on payment account with basic services was adopted, which permanently protects the standard of citizens in terms of payment services that are needed for everyday life activities. With that decision, the price of the payment account package with basic services was limited to 150 dinars and its guaranteed content was specified.

Citizens who opt for the specified package of services will have the opportunity to get a current dinar account in the bank, to withdraw cash for free at the counter and ATMs of their bank, to get a free debit card, mobile and electronic banking that also enables an unlimited number of transactions via QR code at points of sale. At those banks that charge for orders via electronic or mobile banking, they have a discount of 30% compared to the lowest price of that order paid by users of other packages. In addition, they will be able to upgrade this package with an additional service such as a credit card, foreign currency account, overdraft or check issuance, without having to switch to a more expensive package, while the fee they have to pay for that service will also be limited, so they will pay more for the upgrade than switching to a more expensive package.

The assessment of the National Bank of Serbia is that with these measures, citizens will achieve a collective benefit of 7 billion dinars in the next year, which is an effect that is not negligible in the current circumstances and challenges at the global level.

As a reminder, on May 30, Serbian Association of Employers addressed the National Bank of Serbia with a request to review the changes and additions to the general operating conditions of commercial banks, considering the suspicion of inconsistent application of the regulations, while in the reply, we received assurances from this institution that all efforts will be made to ensure that citizens and the economy have appropriate access to simpler and more favorable payment methods in order to increase business efficiency.

Therefore, we welcome this package of measures, which we see as the result of understanding the current situation and a significant step in the dialogue of all relevant actors who should take into account the interests of citizens, business entities, but also the entire society and which is a prerequisite for the further development of our economy, because a Strong economy is strong Serbia!