Remote financial contracting in Serbia rose to 139,244 agreements in the first quarter of 2026, up 49.2% from 93,355 contracts in the same period of 2025, according to data from the National Bank of Serbia (NBS).
- Video Identification Supports New Customer Onboarding
- Remote Loan Contracts More Than Double
- Overdraft and Account Services Move Online
- Non-Bank Providers Join Digital Access Framework
- Digital Distribution Changes Bank Operating Models
- Branch Networks Shift Toward Advisory Services
- Regulation Covers Digital Expansion
The quarterly total was also 4.1 times higher than five years earlier, indicating that remote contracting has become a standard distribution channel for financial products in Serbia. Households are using digital channels for loans, savings products, approved overdrafts, payment accounts and other services.
Video Identification Supports New Customer Onboarding
Contracts completed through video identification reached 34,141 in the first quarter, an annual increase of 33.9%. These agreements represented 24.5% of all financial contracts concluded remotely during the period.
Video identification is used primarily when customers establish an initial relationship with a bank or non-bank payment-service provider. The process enables users to complete identification procedures without visiting a physical branch. For banks and payment institutions, video identification provides a customer-acquisition channel for younger consumers, remote workers, small entrepreneurs and users outside larger urban centres.
The remaining 105,103 remote contracts, accounting for 75.5% of the quarterly total, were concluded through other electronic methods. This category increased 54.9% year on year and mainly covered additional services activated by customers who already had an existing relationship with a provider.
Remote Loan Contracts More Than Double
Remote loan contracting recorded the fastest expansion among the main product categories. Serbian citizens concluded 67,964 loan agreements through remote channels in the first quarter of 2026, representing growth of 112.7% from the same period a year earlier.
The increase covered credit products that traditionally require customer verification, risk assessment and lending decisions. The data indicate wider use of digital sales channels, automated approval processes and online customer platforms in the banking sector. Remote contracting also expanded in the savings market. Citizens concluded 18,901 demand-deposit and term-deposit agreements without visiting a branch, up 35.7% year on year.
The growth in digital savings contracts shows that remote channels are being used for both borrowing and deposit management. Digital distribution gives banks an additional channel for attracting household deposits and offering savings products.
Overdraft and Account Services Move Online
Contracts for approved account overdrafts concluded remotely totalled 22,855 in the first quarter, rising 20.4% from the corresponding period of 2025. Overdraft products are linked to payment accounts, salary inflows and short-term household liquidity. Their migration to digital channels indicates that remote contracting is being used for routine retail-banking services as well as larger financial transactions.
Remote opening of payment accounts reached 26,796 contracts, an increase of 4.8% year on year. Although growth in this category was slower than in lending and savings, payment accounts remain a central entry product for broader digital financial services. Other financial services accounted for 2,023 remotely concluded contracts, up 3.1% from the first quarter of 2025.
Non-Bank Providers Join Digital Access Framework
Traditional banks remain the principal providers of remote financial services, but non-bank payment-service providers are also operating within the video-identification framework. Of all contracts completed through video identification in the first quarter, 705 agreements, or 2.1%, related to payment services offered by non-bank payment-service providers.
The NBS framework allows qualified non-bank providers to use video identification under defined conditions. These institutions can provide payment services, digital wallets, merchant services and specialised transaction products. The participation of payment institutions and electronic-money providers expands the range of providers able to establish direct customer relationships through digital channels.
Digital Distribution Changes Bank Operating Models
Remote contracting reduces reliance on physical branches and allows financial institutions to activate products more quickly. Digital channels can lower distribution costs, widen customer reach and support faster onboarding.
The expansion of remote lending also increases pressure on banks to maintain efficient digital credit processes. Customers using online channels can compare products more easily and may expect shorter approval times and less documentation. Digital deposit contracting can also affect competition for household savings. Banks can use online channels to adjust deposit offers and mobilise funding without requiring customers to visit branches.
The wider use of digital contracting produces structured documentation and electronic customer records. This can support risk management, fraud detection and product development, while increasing the importance of cybersecurity, data protection and operational resilience.
Branch Networks Shift Toward Advisory Services
Physical branches remain relevant for complex advisory work, business clients, cash operations, older customers and services requiring higher-trust interactions. Standardised retail products are increasingly being contracted online. Banks are expected to adjust branch networks toward advisory services rather than routine product contracting as digital channels take a larger role in retail banking.
Remote access may also broaden financial inclusion in smaller towns and rural areas, where branch networks can be less extensive. The model can support freelancers, small businesses and mobile workers seeking faster access to financial services. Its wider use depends on digital literacy, internet access, identification infrastructure and consumer confidence in electronic procedures.
Regulation Covers Digital Expansion
The National Bank of Serbia has supported remote contracting by permitting video identification under defined conditions and extending the framework to qualified non-bank payment-service providers. The regulatory structure places identification, supervision and compliance requirements within the formal financial system while allowing digital channels to expand.
Remote contracting is increasingly connected with instant payments, mobile banking, e-commerce, digital wallets, electronic invoicing, merchant acquiring and embedded-finance services. The first-quarter figures show that digital contracting has become a central component of Serbia’s financial-market infrastructure, with consumers increasingly beginning, expanding and renewing financial relationships through online channels.
