Number of electronically initiated credit transfers, Germany
Number of electronically initiated credit transfers, Germany stood at 7,216.8 million transactions in 2025, according to Deutsche Bundesbank. It is one of the indicators in the Payment statistics table (Value · Annual), with a complete series running from 2023 to 2025. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Payment statistics table
| Indicator | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of transactions | ||||
| Electronically initiated credit transfers | 7,216.8 | 6,937.9 | 6,591.1 | |
| SEPA instant transfers | 679.7 | 336.9 | 247 |
Understanding number of electronically initiated credit transfers, Germany
Digital payment orders sent via online banking portals, corporate file transfer interfaces, or mobile applications comprise this measure. The series isolates all push transfers where the initiating instruction is captured and transmitted electronically from the outset, eliminating manual paper handling at bank branches. It encompasses scheduled standing orders, recurring enterprise disbursements, standard single electronic transfers, and instant settlement instructions. Paper transfer vouchers, branch drop-box forms, payee-initiated direct debits, card-based point-of-sale payments, and automated teller machine cash withdrawals are excluded from this total.
Evaluating this metric on an annual basis eliminates calendar noise stemming from differing monthly business-day counts and settlement cutoff schedules. Year-on-year comparisons of annual volumes reflect the gradual digitization of routine payments without distortion from short-term fiscal or holiday calendar irregularities. Series revisions can emerge when reporting service providers adjust historical reporting to account for consolidated corporate enterprise files or reallocate hybrid automated orders. A critical pitfall is assuming that electronic transfer volumes correspond to payment values; transaction counts are heavily influenced by high-frequency, low-denomination consumer transfers, whereas total value is shaped by corporate and inter-enterprise settlements.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this series include instant credit transfers?
- Yes, SEPA instant credit transfers are executed electronically and form a specialized subcategory of this series.
- How are standing orders treated in this measurement?
- Each recurring payment generated electronically under a standing order agreement is counted as an individual transaction upon execution.
- Does an electronic transfer count change if the recipient bank is located outside Germany?
- The metric counts all outbound electronic credit transfers processed by resident institutions, regardless of whether the receiving account is domestic or cross-border.