Payment System Analysis

Abstract

Together with the growing importance of stable and efficient payment systems, payment systems analysis has gained importance in the recent years. Central banks play the most prominent role in this field since they have unique responsibilities but also unique opportunities. This chapter will systematize the different aspects of payment system analysis and show their respective importance from a central bank perspective. This will be done both from a theoretical but also from a practical point of view by giving examples of actual work in this field. Three types of Payment system analysis will be distinguished: Payment system analysis in the broad sense of the term, the analysis of particular payment systems and the use of payment system data.