Payment methods in Albania
Cash on delivery held a ~78% share of e-commerce payments in 2025, reflecting a still cash-reliant culture
Market takeaways
- Cash on delivery held a ~78% share of e-commerce payments in 2025, reflecting a still cash-reliant culture
- Only ~37.5% of Albanians reported online purchases in 2024, significantly below the European average
- Smartphones dominate 70.88% of e-commerce transactions, signaling mobile-first adoption
- Albania joined SEPA in November 2024, cutting Euro-payment fees fivefold and enabling next-day settlement
- First open-banking A2A payment was executed in March 2025 (EasyPay + Intesa Sanpaolo Albania), marking a fintech turning point
Population
2.8M
Online population
2.4M (85.8%)
B2C e-commerce
~$0.6B (2024 est.)
Banked population
~65%
Credit card population
~30%
E-commerce of total retail
~8%
Payment method breakdown
- Cash on Delivery78%
- Card14%
- E-Wallet5%
- Bank Transfer2%
- Other1%
Card scheme breakdown
- Visa50%
- Mastercard45%
- American Express2%
- Local Schemes2%
- Other1%
Cross-border e-commerce
Market data coming soon.
Featured payment methods in Albania
Popular options based on coverage and prominence in this market.
Apple Pay / Google Pay
NFC mobile wallets are emerging among younger urban consumers. Digital wallets as a category are growing at 16.92% CAGR through 2031, the fastest-growing payment segment.
EasyPay
Albania's leading e-money and bill-payment platform. EasyPay executed the country's first open-banking payment in March 2025 in partnership with Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania, enabling account-to-account checkout.
Cash on Delivery (COD)
Still the dominant e-commerce settlement method with roughly 78% share. Reflects consumer distrust of online payment security and limited card penetration. Logistics companies collect payment at the door.
Home Banking (Internet/Mobile Banking)
Albanian commercial banks offer internet and mobile banking. In H1 2025, approximately 5 million home banking transactions were recorded, up 22.6% year-on-year, indicating rapid adoption of digital bank-side payments.
Visa / Mastercard
International card networks are the primary digital payment option. Following SEPA accession, card acceptance is rising quickly. POS card volumes grew 42% year-on-year in early 2025.
PayPal
Internationally popular wallet used for cross-border purchases and by Albanian diaspora. Growing adoption among consumers comfortable with international e-commerce. Flow: User selects PayPal, a modal or redirect opens. User logs in, confirms funding source, reviews details, authorizes. Control returns to merchant with approved or declined status.
All payment methods in Albania
Discover 6 payment methods from around the world
Featured banks in Albania
Major institutions operating in this market.
OTP Bank
Budapest, Hungary
OTP Bank is Hungary's largest bank and the dominant financial institution in the country, with significant regional presence across Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI)
Vienna, Austria
Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) is Austria's second-largest bank and a leading retail and corporate bank in Central and Eastern Europe, operating in 13 markets.
Raiffeisen Bank Albania
Tirana, Albania
Raiffeisen Bank Albania is the largest bank in Albania, offering retail and corporate banking.
Other Banks — Albania
Tirana, Albania
Aggregate of all remaining banks in Albania, collectively ~75.0% of domestic banking assets.
All banks in Albania
Showing 4 of 4 banks
