Number and value of payments using mobile bank both were in third quarter this year as well as in first three quarters, about 60% larger than last year.

The economic situation in the euro area took a renewed downturn going into the final quarter of this year. Banka Slovenije expects a significant decline in activity in the final quarter amid the reimposition of lockdowns in numerous euro area countries, albeit not as pronounced as in the second quarter of this year. The growth forecasts for 2021 are also being cut. The economic situation is similarly deteriorating again in Slovenia, and the labour market recovery has come to an end.

Banka Slovenije today organised an ECB Listens event as part of the ECB strategy review. We heard from 12 representatives of civil society organisations and businesses. They highlighted the need for equal conditions of access to financial services, an approach to sustainable living, and the digitalisation of banking. They also advised on the necessity of central banks’ communications with the general public, and the great importance of financial education in the school system.