Methodology of the statistics on payments and financial market infrastructures in the CPMI countries (Red Book statistics)

CPMI Papers  |  No 168  | 
30 August 2017

Under the guidance of the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) and in cooperation with central banks in CPMI jurisdictions, the BIS compiles statistics on payments and financial market infrastructures, the so-called Red Book statistics.

The CPMI today published a revised methodology of the Red Book statistics, which updates and enhances indicators on cashless payments and financial market infrastructures to reflect the substantial changes that the payment landscape has undergone over the past decade. The Red Book statistics will in future include more information on the role of non-banks, on online and contactless payments and on fast payments. The revised methodology also clarifies how to count debit and credit cards, and which retail cashless payments count as domestic and which as cross-border.

The revised methodology replaces that which has hitherto been appended to each annual Red Book PDF publication. It is complemented by an outline of the new structure of the statistical tables, which illustrates the relationship between indicators by means of numerical examples.

The 2017 Red Book (reporting end-2016 data, to be published in September and December 2017) will still use the old methodology. The new Red Book statistics will be published in a new user-friendly internet-based format.