02/2021
Electronic banking and financial services
A comparison within Spain and the EU
In this number...
A total of 62% of the population aged 16 to 74 (35.2 million) used electronic banking services in the last 3 months in 2020. Internet financial activities - including signing up for insurance policies, the formalization of loans or mortgages and the sale of financial assets - were used in the last 3 months by 10% of the population in that age group, or more than 3.5 million people.
The use of the Internet for banking transactions has increased 35 points since 2011, rising above the European Union (EU) average in the last year. Financial activities, however, had a lower presence: A total of 10% in Spain compared to 12% on average in the EU and 13% in the Eurozone. Within these generally low figures, the purchase of insurance policies appears to be the most common (7%), while the acquisition of financial assets is the least common (3%).
A total of 22% of persons who used the Internet in the last year stated that they did not carry out banking operations online due to security concerns.
Sources: INE (Survey on Equipment and Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Households), Eurostat
Electronic banking. Users and growth
Above the EU and the Eurozone
According to Eurostat data, 62% of people aged 16 to 74 did some type of electronic banking management in Spain in the last 3 months. This figure was four points above the average for the European Union (58%) and a point above the Eurozone average (61%).
Within the EU, Denmark (94%), Finland (92%) and the Netherlands (89%) have the highest percentages, while Bulgaria (13%) and Romania (12%) have the lowest figures.
Among the non-member European States, the high values of Iceland and Norway stand out, at 96% and 94%, respectively.
In general, the Nordic and Central European countries have more electronic banking users than the Mediterranean and Eastern continental countries.
Growing faster
The percentage of users has grown 35 points in Spain since 2011, compared to 22 in the EU. Despite a lower start, this is now above the Member States average.
Electronic banking. Regional differences and user profile
A total of 66% or more of users in three autonomous communities
At the regional level , the Autonomous City of Melilla (70.9%), Cataluña (70.3%), the Comunidad de Madrid (66.5%) and País Vasco (65.9%) registered the highest number of users.
At the opposite extreme, the Autonomous City of Ceuta (52.2%), Castilla-La Mancha (55.3%) and Extremadura (55.5%) had the lowest percentages of Internet banking users.
Young people and urbanites are the most inclined to use these services
The percentage of persons who used an electronic banking service was higher among men than women (64.1% compared to 60.1%), and higher between 25 and 34 years (78.6%). This percentage decreased with to age group increases. Among foreigners the figure is seven points lower than among Spaniards (56% compared to 63%).
Municipality size positively affects the number of users, with the highest number in provincial capitals and municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants.
95% of users among ICT workers
In general, the higher the level of studies completed, the higher the percentage of users. More than 88% have bachelor's or upper level degrees. The figure also grows with the household's net monthly income.
Considering the employment situation, there are more users of electronic banking among those who are employed than among those who are economically inactive and dedicated to housework (76.6% compared to 31.3%). Among all employed persons, those in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) use electronic banking the most: here, the figure reaches 94.6%.
Electronic banking. Problems with confidence among the elderly
Concerned about the security of services
Electronic banking is among activities not carried out by users due to security concerns.
In 2019, 22% of people aged 16 to 74 who had used the Internet in the last 12 months stated that these concerns prevented them from carrying out electronic banking. This figure is six points higher than the European Union average. However, since 2010, mistrust has dropped 10 points in Spain, compared to just five in the EU as a whole.
In addition, 3% experienced fraudulent use of their debit or credit cards and 1% suffered some financial loss as a result of fraudulent online activities.
Among those over 75, foreigners use electronic banking more
Among those over 75 years of age, 9.1% used electronic banking services in the last 3 months. As in the rest of the population, the percentage of users increased with the level of studies (except doctors) and the net monthly income of the household. However, between the ages 16 and 74 years old, there are more users among foreigners than among Spaniards (30.0% versus 8.5%).
Regarding the type of household, those made up of couples with children who live in the household registered the highest figure (13.5%).
Internet financial activities
Few and middle-aged users
The most frequent financial activity was signing up for insurance policies (7.4% of people aged 16 to 74) and the least, the formalisation of loans or mortgages (2.1%).
On average, percentages are higher in men than in women for all these activities. Use is somewhat higher among foreigners for signing up for insurance policies (8.8% compared to 7.2%) and the formalisation of loans or mortgages (3.7% compared to 1.9%), but it was similar in terms of the sale of financial assets (2.7% and 2.6%). In the latter area, the highest percentage is between 35 and 54 years old (3.2%).
With household income level, users of these services increase - that is, except for the formalisation of loans or mortgages, where the highest percentage is found in the lower-middle income bracket (2.6%).
Employed persons and those with a high level of education have higher figures in general. Workers in the ICT sector stand out, where 17.0% signed up for insurance policies, 7.1% purchased assets, and 3.3% formalised a loan or mortgage.
Fewer users than the Eurozone average
Internet use for financial activities in the last 3 months in Spain stood at 10% as a whole. This was two points lower than the average of the Member States (12%) and three points less than the average of the Eurozone (13% ), according to Eurostat data.
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