World Bank: Becomes the Country with the Lowest Cross-Border Payment Costs towards the EU

20/02/2026

Following its accession to SEPA, Montenegro has moved from being the country with the highest cross-border payment costs in the Western Balkans in 2025 to becoming the country with the lowest cross-border payment costs towards the European Union. This was stated in the third edition of the World Bank report “Measuring the Cost of Cross-Border Business-to-Business Payments in the Western Balkans” (February 2026).

The report shows that transfer costs from Montenegro to the EU for an amount of 5,000 euros are among the lowest and generally amount to around 0.04–0.05% of the transaction value. For transfers of 20,000euros, costs fall to below 0.01% of the transaction value, a level comparable to the most efficient markets within the EU.

A similarly positive result is recorded for payments from the EU to Montenegro: for transfers of 5,000 euros, costs are low and generally amount to around or below 0.05% of the transaction value, while for amounts of 20,000 euros, they decrease to almost zero. This confirms the advantage Montenegro enjoys as a SEPA member compared to countries in the region that are not yet part of the system.

Payments from the EU to the Western Balkans have significantly accelerated: the share of transactions completed within 24 hours increased from 6% in 2024 to as much as 63% in 2025.

Even faster progress has been recorded in the opposite direction (from the Western Balkans to the EU): the share of transactions completed within 24 hours increased from 39% in 2024 to 74% in 2025.

The World Bank report recalls that Montenegro became operationally integrated into SEPA on 7 October 2025, applying an approach that included fee limitations, enabling citizens and businesses to quickly experience the benefits, particularly in the segment of cross-border business-to-business payments.

The World Bank’s findings confirm that Montenegro’s SEPA integration brings specific and measurable benefits to the economy, including lower transaction costs, greater business predictability, reduced trade barriers with the EU and enhanced competitiveness of Montenegrin companies in the single European market.

The goal of the CBCG remains the further modernisation of payment infrastructure and the improvement of both the efficiency and accessibility of payments, in line with European standards.