Bucharest, October 3, 2024 – RBJ – The National Bank of Romania (BNR) announces that it has authorized the operation, on the territory of Romania, of the instant payment system Blik Romania, which will ensure the settlement of payment transactions from electronic commerce, with maximum values of 50,000 lei .
“On October 1, 2024, the Board of Directors of the National Bank of Romania authorized the operation, on the territory of Romania, of the BLIK Romania instant payment system. It will be administered and operated by the company BLIK Romania SA, and will ensure the settlement of payment transactions from electronic commerce, with maximum values of 50,000 lei”, announces the BNR.
The Blik company, leader on the Polish payment systems market, launched in Romania, the second largest market in Central and Eastern Europe, in March 2023. More than 13 million users already use the system in Poland.
“The National Bank of Romania will permanently monitor the BLIK Romania system in order to ensure the proper functioning of payment systems in Romania, as well as to ensure financial stability”, states the BNR.
Blik is a payment system available in mobile banking applications, connected to a bank account that does not require the user to have a physical or virtual card. It allows payment in online stores and traditional payment terminals, as well as cash withdrawal from ATMs.
Paying through Blik involves generating a unique six-digit code valid for two minutes in the bank’s application, which is then entered online, at a terminal or at an ATM, to initiate the transaction. Afterwards, each transaction is confirmed in the bank’s mobile application.
From 2015 to the end of 2022, almost 2.8 billion transactions worth 78.7 billion euros were completed in the system.
Blik Romania was registered in the Trade Register at the beginning of December 2022. In March 2023, the management board of Blik Romania, led by Ryszard Drużyński’ as chairman, submitted an application to the National Bank of Romania (BNR) for approval of the payment system in lei. Once the legal approval of the regulatory authority is obtained and the operations start, the Blik payment system will be settled in lei and will be available to all buyers and issuers who have an open BNR account with access to the ReGIS system.
Blik is a fast payment method that allows users to pay online, at traditional terminals (POS) using the Blik code, as well as withdraw money from ATMs. The brand is owned by Polish Payment Standard and is co-owned by the largest banks in Poland.
