According to a recent World Bank report, Montenegro has emerged as the country with the lowest costs for cross-border payments to the European Union following its integration into the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) in October 2025. This development represents a significant turnaround from 2025, when Montenegro faced some of the highest cross-border payment expenses among Western Balkan nations.
The World Bank’s third edition of the study, “Measuring the Cost of Cross-Border Business-to-Business Payments in the Western Balkans,” indicates that the integration into SEPA has substantially enhanced both the speed and affordability of cross-border transactions between Montenegrin businesses and their EU counterparts.
For instance, fees for transfers from Montenegro to EU countries for amounts around €5,000 are now approximately 0.04 – 0.05 percent of the transaction value. In cases of larger transfers, such as €20,000, costs can drop to below 0.01 percent, aligning Montenegro with some of the most efficient payment markets within the EU. Similar reductions in costs have been observed for payments sent from the EU into Montenegro.
Moreover, World Bank data reveals a notable improvement in transaction speed over the past year. The proportion of cross-border transactions processed within 24 hours from the EU to the Western Balkans surged from 6 percent in 2024 to 63 percent in 2025. Concurrently, transactions from the Western Balkans to the EU rose from 39 percent to 74 percent during this timeframe.
The report underscores the advantages Montenegro has gained through SEPA membership, including decreased transaction costs, enhanced predictability for businesses, reduced trade barriers with EU markets, and improved competitiveness for Montenegrin firms operating within the single European market.
Montenegro officially became an operational member of SEPA on October 7, 2025. The adopted model features fee limits aimed at ensuring that both citizens and businesses quickly benefit from faster and more affordable cross-border payment options.
The Central Bank of Montenegro has expressed its commitment to further modernizing payment infrastructure and enhancing the efficiency and accessibility of payment services in accordance with European standards.
