With the aim of reducing the possibility of contagion by coronavirus, the Croatian National Bank issued a recommendation to banks and credit card companies to raise the contactless payment transaction limit without the use of the PIN from HRK 100 to HRK 250. When the recommendation was issued, the CNB first set the deadline for its application no later than by 21 April 2020.

All the banks and credit card companies have responded positively to the recommendation. Despite the originally set deadline for the application, a large majority of banks/credit card companies will be ready to meet the recommendation as early as from 6 April 2020, with the exception of a small number of payment card issuers that due to the technical features of the cards cannot implement the change without replacing the cards.

Since the implementation of this recommendation is a complex and technically demanding process that includes various stakeholders, it is possible that a certain small number of merchants will require a short period after 6 April 2020 to adjust the system.

It is worth noting that the amount of HRK 250 of the contactless payment transaction limit without the PIN covers the bulk of the citizens' day-to-day payment transactions, by which the possibility of contagion by coronavirus at payment is additionally reduced.

The CNB will continue to actively follow and act in accordance with the recommendations of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia and the Croatian Institute of Public Health, and contribute to their efficient implementation.