Payment methods in Bosnia & Herzegovina
E-commerce market estimated at EUR 627 million in 2024, with double-digit annual growth
Market takeaways
- E-commerce market estimated at EUR 627 million in 2024, with double-digit annual growth
- Cash on delivery holds 46.4% share in 2024, down from higher levels in prior years
- Card payments reached 43.1% of transactions in 2024, up from 32.8% in 2023 — a significant single-year jump
- 83.4% of all online purchases made via mobile devices — one of the highest mobile rates in the region
- 26.2% of shoppers still refuse to use bank cards for online shopping, a key adoption barrier
Population
3.5M
Online population
~2.8M (~80%)
B2C e-commerce
~EUR 0.6B (2024 est.)
Banked population
~65%
Credit card population
~40%
E-commerce of total retail
~10%
Payment method breakdown
- Cash on Delivery46%
- Card43%
- Bank Transfer7%
- E-Wallet3%
- Other1%
Card scheme breakdown
- Visa52%
- Mastercard44%
- American Express1%
- Local Schemes2%
- Other1%
Cross-border e-commerce
Market data coming soon.
Featured payment methods in Bosnia & Herzegovina
Popular options based on coverage and prominence in this market.
Temu / International Marketplaces
Among cross-border shoppers, Temu has emerged as the most popular international platform with at least 42% of cross-border shoppers visiting it. These platforms handle payment processing internally.
PayPal
Used primarily for cross-border purchases on international platforms. Bosnia & Herzegovina has partial PayPal functionality — residents can make payments but historically faced limitations on receiving funds, though this has been improving. 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.
Bank Transfer
Direct bank transfers are used for some e-commerce and bill payments, particularly for higher-value purchases. Bosnia's banking system includes both Federation-level and Republika Srpska-level institutions.
Visa / Mastercard
International card networks account for the bulk of card-based e-commerce transactions. Card share rose dramatically from 32.8% in 2023 to 43.1% in 2024, indicating accelerating digital adoption. Both debit and credit cards are widely issued.
Cash on Delivery (COD)
The single most-used payment method at 46.4% share in 2024. Reflects consumer skepticism about online card security. Declining year-on-year as trust in digital payments improves and retailers incentivize prepayment.
All payment methods in Bosnia & Herzegovina
Discover 5 payment methods from around the world
Featured banks in Bosnia & Herzegovina
Major institutions operating in this market.
UniCredit
Milan, Italy
UniCredit is a pan-European commercial bank headquartered in Milan with a strong presence in Italy, Germany, Austria, and Central & Eastern Europe, serving 15 million clients.
UniCredit Bank BH
Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina
UniCredit Bank BH is the largest bank in Bosnia & Herzegovina, offering retail and corporate banking.
Other Banks — Bosnia & Herzegovina
Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Aggregate of all remaining banks in Bosnia & Herzegovina, collectively ~85.0% of domestic banking assets.
All banks in Bosnia & Herzegovina
Showing 3 of 3 banks
