H1 2024: Over One Billion BLIK Transactions in Six Months

In the first half of the year, BLIK continued to experience significant growth in transaction volume. During just six months, users completed more than 1.1 billion transactions through the system – this is an increase of 40% compared to the same period last year. From January to June this year, the highest percentage growth in transaction volume occurred in the POS segment, where BLIK payments increased by 58% compared to the first half of 2023. Users made 258 million transactions in this channel, and more than 100 million of them were contactless payments. Nevertheless, online payments still accounted for the largest share of total transactions, representing nearly 49% of all BLIK payments.

Nearly 10 million transactions on the busiest day

From January to June 2024, users actively engaged with BLIK and performed an extraordinary number of payments. More than 1.1 billion transactions were made in the first half of the year, with more than 601 million in Q2 2024. During this period, Poles conducted an average of 6.1 million transactions per day, which equates to an average of 71 BLIK transactions per second.

The system noted a record daily transaction volume of 9.6 million across all channels (e-commerce, POS, ATM and P2P) on 10 June 2024. The average BLIK transaction value in the first half of 2024 was EUR 33.4 (PLN 143). The total value of all transactions reached EUR 36.6 billion (PLN 157.8 bn), an increase of 46% year-on-year. In Q2 2024 alone, users spent EUR 19.6 billion (PLN 83.9 bn) via BLIK.

BLIK dominates e-commerce

BLIK is widely used by e-commerce users. In the first half of 2024, every second transaction took place in this channel. From January to June 2024, consumers made 544.5 million online purchases using BLIK – this is an increase of 28% compared to the same period in 2023. The value of online transactions reached EUR 18.9 billion (PLN 79.1 bn), up 40% from EUR 13.2 billion (PLN 56.6 bn) a year earlier. The average value of a single online purchase was EUR 34 (PLN 145).

The first half of 2024 saw a significant increase in the popularity of BLIK in various e-commerce categories. Transaction values in financial services rose by 79%, while in fashion they increased by 43%. Marketplace platforms continued to show strong growth, with a 39% increase in transaction value. The average basket value in these categories was EUR 62.8, EUR 54.6, EUR 29.3 (PLN 268, PLN 233 and PLN 125), respectively.

“Looking at the development of e-commerce in Poland, it’s clear how rapidly the significance of online payments is growing. More and more people are choosing to shop online, which is understandable in a world where convenience and time savings are becoming key. This is no longer just a matter for younger generations. We are noticing that a growing number of consumers, including those from other age groups, are discovering the benefits of solutions like BLIK. Currently, we estimate our market share at around 70%. With such dynamic growth and user trust, we see real opportunities to achieve an even greater market share in the coming years. It’s a challenge, but also a goal that we will certainly strive to achieve”, says Monika Król, vice-president of the Polish Payment Standard, BLIK operator.

POS transactions gain traction

Between January and June, traditional POS terminal transactions became increasingly popular among BLIK users. During this period, Poles made 258 million payments in this way – this is an increase of 58% compared to the same period last year. The average daily number of BLIK transactions at points of sale was 1.42 million, with an average transaction amount of EUR 12.9 (PLN 55). Interestingly, the highest number of BLIK transactions at payment terminals was recorded in the Mazowieckie region, although users in Dolnośląskie, Małopolskie, Wielkopolskie and Łódzkie also made frequent use of this BLIK function.

A major driver of growth in this channel has been BLIK contactless payments, which accounted for over 40% of all POS transactions by the end of June 2024. In the first half of 2024, users used this service 108.2 million times – this is an increase of almost 90% year-on-year. Since the launch of contactless payments, nearly 3.3 million users have activated this feature, and it has been used in 154 countries worldwide. Apart from Poland, BLIK contactless payments were most popular in Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain.

“Although contactless payments are a relatively new service for BLIK, they have quickly become part of users’ everyday habits, both in Poland and when travelling abroad. As part of our long-term strategy to expand BLIK’s reach both domestically and internationally, we have started to introduce this feature to iPhone users. Opening up the iOS platform to external providers is an important step that will allow us to offer BLIK to an even wider user base and introduce services where they have not been available before. Our goal is for BLIK to work on as many devices as possible and to be offered by more and more banks so that users can take full advantage of its features without any restrictions”, says Dariusz Mazurkiewicz, CEO of the Polish Payment Standard, BLIK operator.

1.5 million phone transfers per day

BLIK phone transfers also continued to grow in popularity. In Q2 2024, users made 150.7 million such transactions – this is an increase of 50% compared to the same period last year. P2P payments now account for more than a quarter of all BLIK transactions. Their value between April and June reached EUR 5.1 billion (PLN 22 bn –year-on-year: 65% up), with the average BLIK phone transfer amounting to EUR 35.4 (PLN 151). In the first half of the year, Poles made 282.7 million such transactions with a total value of EUR 9.6 billion (PLN 41.2 bn), compared to EUR 5.6 billion (PLN 24.1 bn) in the first half of 2023.

The first half of 2024 also saw a steady increase in cash deposits and withdrawals at ATMs, which accounted for 3% of all BLIK transactions. Poles used this function 34 million times (an increase of 18% year-on-year), with 30.1 million withdrawals and 3.9 million deposits. Notably, ATM withdrawals had the highest average transaction value – from January to June 2024, it was EUR 161.4 (PLN 690).

Nearly 3 million new users

At the end of June 2024, there were 30.3 million mobile apps registered in the system. Nearly 17 million users actively used BLIK, representing an increase of 10% and 20%, respectively, compared to the previous year.